sad

Bilaal, masha-Allah. Jazaka-Allahu-khairan for your input. This discussion is actually going better than expected. So please continue. Bilaal, can you give us perhaps some guidelines into avoiding common pitfalls and make a stable program.

^this because many of the wadaads are devoid of knowledge and compassion. A friend of mind, a shaykh himself, told me about the story of his shaykh in the saharan desert. One of his shaykhs had his first child in middle age. This is because his first wife was barren. But for years he did not marry again fearing that this would hurt his wife even though she gave him permission. Finally, he gave in after his mother insisted and married again. This is a real shaykh, he was willing to never have a child again so that he would not hurt her. Obviously his Mom was very delighted with her grandson.

anwar how is your islamic uni decision going??

I'm thinking of literacy improvement program for mainly Somalis, but open, to all Muslims. The problem, I can't do it for free, and you know that vast majority of people would never pay for such a thing. So it is a catch-22. This will only be feasible when we value education enough to take it seriously. That is how the Asians were able to achieve what they achieved because of the deep respect they have for education and discipline.

unless we know our roles in such a relationship, it is difficult to make sense of how these things work. Just look at biology; women in general are attracted to men with a lot going for themselves, preferably more than themselves so that they can be leaders/guardians/protectors and can feel secure she and her children will be taken care of under his shade. many women raised in the west with feminist attitudes find this very distasteful even though it is a biological reality. it is just the way things are. I will now run and hide behind my chair...

This is the kind of thing that only a qualified shaykh can do something about or say something about.

Answering my question with a question. Why don't you pray sincerely to God whether you believe in Him or not and ask Him to show you the way? You have nothing to lose. One has to understand that Iman is a gift. May we all receive and continue to receive this gift from Allah! Amin

Originally posted by chocolate & honey: There are many, many sub communities here. So do you mean Somalida? Yes.

Only Allah knows who is going to paradise or hell.

Dear Johny, You must first decide if faith in a Creator is something you desire. If so then the only way is to inquire those who have it how to get it, if not, then please mind your own business and cease this. That is unless you've decided to wage war against those who believe. In which case you're an enemy to all those who believe regardless of how they came to that believe. Other then that, I wish all the best for you.

Again thank you all. You really do have much more patience than I or perhaps you work at better schools than the one I work at. I teach all boys. It seems that teaching in America, especially in public schools, is akin to babysitting. Many of the students I have, the vast majority of them, don't know the basics of what they should've known in 6/7 grade. I have juniors who don't know how to add, subtract, divide, and multiply fractions where as the state expects them to be taught algebra 2/precalculus and because of that the parents do expect that as well? It is very sad. It seems that parents don't answer that their children are not going to benefit from math and science taught in English when their children don't know english well enough to understand concepts or read the questions and understand what the questions are asking for let alone apply knowledge they didn't receive. This I found to be a big problem for a big chunk of my students it is problem for the vast majority to a lesser degree. Those who do well are those who can read and comprehend what they read properly. I feel very sad for the future of our communities and poor inner city children. Is any teacher here involved in any efforts to remove illiteracy from our communities?

Life is hard and we're going to be faced with hard choices, to each his own decision. my opinion is that it is better for a family to be poor but raise children with akhlaq and taqwa than the vis-versa. Unfortunately, for children to be raised with that requires lots and lots of time and sacrifice from both parents. Parents should be ready to sacrifice their material well being for the wellbeing of their children in this world and the next. I believe parents would profit twice, worldly and other-worldly, from such a strategy. Single parenthood is one of the worst things that could happen to a family. and I face this daily in our community.

Thank you all for your heartfelt responses. You certainly have something I don't, perhaps, male teachers and female teachers have a different impact on students. Malika, I've heard the importance of being fair and consistent many times, but I'm at a loss when it comes to practical application. Would it be fair to treat chronic disrupter and a good student who makes an honest mistake once in a blue moon with the same level of sterness? Who decides what is fair? Adolescents that are constantly monitoring the teacher with their own view of fairness? Please if you don't mind give me some examples, you too Chocolate&Honey, because I know that also not being uniform will make the chronic disrupters testy. "Ohh look, you won't punish him cause he's your favorite student." Many feel as if I have a personal grudge against them. Sayid, thank you for mentioning the stick. My question for you is, where is this possible in the states or western europe without risking a lawsuit? It is given that an established school simply can't do that. My second concern would be are muslim/somali parents being wise when they use the stick in an attempt to discipline their kids? I've seen kids who are like donkeys. The use of the stick has lead to the necessity of the stick in order to have the kid behave. And this is a sticky problem many teachers face. Kids must behave in class, however, the stick is not there for those who are used to it. I just don't think it is wise for any to be using the stick. You can discipline the child when they're a toddler by being consistently firm no matter what tantrums they throw. No means No no matter what. This is how they'll learn to follow the rules instead of being spoiled. I used to get whipped a lot as a kid but day in and day out, it never prevented me from doing what I wanted to do. The more it was used the less effect it had on me. Raising children is a tricky business, many parents just don't know how to do it.

Originally posted by Rayyan*: ^^The good guy gave his good advice sheekhuna. both of them are good.it all depends the intention of the learner. "ItaquAllah yacalimakum Allah". co-relation between taqwa and knowledge. I'd just like to double-up on Rayyan's advice. That is the crux. Try to really purify your intention only for Allah and not for influence or prestige. Allah (SWT) is the teacher no matter where you are.

Salaams everyone, After working for a couple years post graduation, I've become a teacher. Most likely temporarily as I feel that the systems of schools currently in place are messed up. This is not to say that people are not trying, especially Muslims, it's just that some things are simply not working. In my short time being a teacher I've benefited at least two things. One, review for my previous knowledge which will hopefully put me in a better position for taking GRE's. Two, I've learned that one must be very careful with one's teachers. I've yet to practice it, but I know very clearly that one has to respect their teachers. Please share your experiences... I work at a private school.

JB, It seems that you're just playing games with us and you are not showing any signs of sincerely looking into this. I don't see why we should continue to even respond to you. Addtion { You should also be aware that when you insist on asking the question "What is XXXX?" you are in reality asking "What is XXXX with respect to things that are already in my repository of knowledge?" And this question is already answered in the Qur'an with respect to Allah, that 'there is nothing whatsoever like onto Him.' This is the only answer to your question. Really, there is nothing beyond this with respect to your question, I don't know why you bugging Br. Nur on this. } Conversation over/ indeed!

Bismillah, Originally posted by Johnny B: Sheikh Nurow,... What I'm questioning is your very knowledge of the Islamic God (your Deity of choice), such knowledge that you're so certain you can with pure sincerity , based on your knowledge about that Deity, define that Deity and present it to us. Remember, if you can't define the Deity you claim to devote your life to, it's neither honest to accuse the Atheists of 'denying' it's existence, nor appropriate or just towards other religions that worship other Deities. Once again , What is a God? JB, It seems that you're conflating two things. One is the knowledge of the existence of a being or a thing and another is the knowledge of what exactly that being or thing is. These are two different things. To require that one must have the exact knowledge of what what is in order to believe in its existence is faulty logic to say the least. There are many things that we believe in, but at the same time do not have exact definitions. For example can one define exactly what mass is? The answer is, at least not yet, one can point to mass using the effects of mass, e.g., its weight due to force of gravity, its inertia due to its resistance to acceleration, its size due to how it is structured atomically and sub-atomically, its ability to generate gravity (the bigger the gravity the bigger the mass). Contemplate on this example; even by disscussing just the attributes of mass alone, something we Western educated people take for granted, it was not long before we ended in a full circle, i.e., the definition of mass with respect to weight and the ability of objects with mass to induce weight on other objects with mass and on themselves. One can do the same thing with respect to Time. In physics Time is a fundamental unit it is used to define other things however other things do not define it. Ask yourself this, is there such thing as time if there were no objects? How would one know such a thing in such a case? Just by contemplating on these things, that we believe to be creations, we can clearly see the limitations of our intellects (another created thing one can contemplate on). So ask yourself this, if we can't have exact definitions of the essence of created things, how can you even dream of having an exact definition of Allah, the Exalted, the Majestic, the Creator of all things, Who is Uncreated Himself and has always existed and will always exist? How can we comprehend Him when we are unable to comprehend what He created? Subhaana! He is much above that and it is impossible! Allah says in Surat 42:11: (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). He also says in Surat 6:103: No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension , yet is acquainted with all things. Therefore, it is upon us to know that He exists! it is not upon us to know what He is exactly, it is neither possible nor necessary. With respect of Muslims having Certitude, it is Certitude of His existence, of Him being without partners or having anything that is similar to Him, of Him being All knowledgeable, All Seeing, All Hearing, All Aware and so on... It does not mean that one has full comprehension of His Essence, this being human contemplation and whomever tries to contemplate on His essence will either go mad or come to a wrong conclusion. As mentioned in the Book of Assistance of Imam Al-Haddad: The Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: 'Reflect on the signs of God, and do not reflect on His Essence, for you will never be able to give Him His due.' I hope this helps.

Johnny B, Can you tell us what you mean by "humanly adequate definition." Secondly, by insisting that you be given a "humanly adequate definition," does that mean that you refuse to believe in what may not have a "humanly adequate definition?" thirdly, we're not talking about 'a god', we're talking about The God: Allah! One can make anything 'an ilaah' all you have to do simply worship it and adore it and pursue it endlessly. We are talking about the Originator, Creator, and Sustainer of all things. He is alone without partner. When you say 'a god' it seems like your talking about a type of objects or something like that, something that is created. The One we're talking about is Uncreated, so there is no 'a something something' of Him. laysa kamithlihi shay': there is nothing like unto him. p.s.: this is child-support

Where ignorant armies clash by night If one surfs Muslim forums, whether Sunni or otherwise, there is a startling reality: forgotten priorities. We find armies of ignorant people clashing in the darkness of ignorance about matters they don't understand, matters that the great imams of Islam differed upon with decorum. Such argument and dispute is highly reprehensible. The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "No people went astray after having been given guidance except after they started argumentation." [Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja, from Abu Umama (Allah be pleased with him)] Imam Ghazali mentioned numerous harms in argument and disputation, at the level of individuals, relations between individuals, and at the level of community. The most fundamental problem is at the level of the human heart: it busies the heart with darkness, and fills it with blameworthy character traits such as arrogance, love of dispute, leaving sincere counsel for one's fellow human, and anger. The Qur'an and Sunna, on the other hand, express the centrality of the need to make one's heart busy with nothing other than Allah, and our limbs busy only with that which is pleasing to Allah. Wassalam, Faraz Rabbani Dear SOL: I divorce you thrice!!!

As-salaamu 'alaykum Br. Nur, I have to commend you for the amount of effort you exert in these forums. You really seem to take your time to try to get to the bottom of things. May Allah reward your efforts with all that is good. As for this topic, it is something I no longer delve into. As a person who is living in the West, I plan to exert my effort where I can make a difference, which is here. So there is no point in discussing/debating issues overwhich I do not have control. We all know the hadith that says that the perfection of ones Islam is abandoning what does not concern him, and I consider things I do not have control over as things that do not concern me. Other than that, I do pray that Allah bring peace, stability and righteous rulers to our home lands. Wa Billahi Tawfiq

^very important, one to be proud of.

It depends on how people use it. If we wish we could be one nation and we do have what is needed to do that if wanted. But each tribe wants to be on the top, this is problematic. I think politics will always be messy and that politics is where we are most divided. However, politics is only one cell of our life experience body, if taken out of proportion it becomes cancerous and will kill the rest of the body. Although we pray for a just and righteous leaders, I don't think I will be holding my breath. If however, we focus on the things that unite us, like our language, culture, and religion, then we can still remain as a nation and perhaps maybe that will then be translated to a political unity.

Recently, we have been discussing some of the shortcommings of our fellow somali brethren. This is a good activity as the more aware we are of our shortcommings the more likely that will work to remove them. In this thread, I'd like to point out some of the good aspects of our people in the hopes that we will increase in that. 1. Alhamdulillah, the vast majority of our people are Muslims, and Alhamdulillah the overwhelming majority of them are Sunnis as well. This is indeed the Best thing about Somalis. Somalis may make many mistakes and do many wrongs, however, the gift of Iman overweighs that. The reason why were in the current situation is that we are not living up to this as we should so therefore Allah is giving us our punishment here in this world so that insha-Allah we will repent and turn to him and He will forgive us in the next world. The sahaba noticed that after they accepted Islam whenever they sinned they had an affliction right away and this was out of the Love that Allah had for them so that He could forgive them through that if they remained patient, So that in the hereafter He would admit them without taking them to account. 2. Lineage. Masha-Allah, as Somalis we've kept our lineage mostly intact. Many people may have come to believe that having tribes is the root our problem, however, I don't think that is quite it. The Prophet (PBUH) praised people for keeping their lineage and he (PBUH) said this is for my Ummah. This is for religion as well, known as chain of narration or ijaza; something that we seem to be loosing more and more these days. Most importantly it is mentioned in the Qur'an so that we may know each-other, not so that we may use it as a tool to make ourselves be above others. This is nothing more than the ego at work to give itself power and prestige. So still we are in a good position to act upon this Prophetic tradition in a good way. Anyways, those are two I mentioned, please mention more if you have any.

This is how it looks like: Enjoy