^Understand in full context, it will make things a whole lot easier for the both of us. I'll put it in simpler terms, to believe that the concept of an Islamic state can never be applied again (in that only Rasuallah was able to implement it) is to contradict what Islam teaches us. This is not a basic matter of fiqh here, we're not debating where your hands should be placed in prayer. As Muslims, irrespective of your understanding or school of thought, you must believe that all aspects of Islam are applicable for all of time in all places (under the right conditions). Note i said are applicable, whether or not human beings are ready or able to, depends on various factors, but we as Muslims pray that I'A we will see the return of the Islamic state.

The notion of an Islamic state is in itself an oxymoron which was TOO exceptional to be useful to us as a model today I think that you and I have different understandings of Islam altogether. Islam to me can and should be applied at all times for all people, none of it was an exception for the time of Rasulallah. In theory an Islamic State is great. I don't think LG is arguing against the theory here. We (and I take the opportunity to speak on her behalf here) are talking about the CURRENT Somali situation and if an Islamic State is the correct option. I agree, the current Somali situation is not ideal for the establishment of an Islamic State, namely because people need to have the basic proper understanding of Islam first- which we don’t seem to have. That said, it is achievable, it is not only in theory where it is great, but can also, with certain precursors, be great in practice. Would you want to have an Islamic State in Somalia tomorrow? Yes I would, just like I would want Somalis to be God-fearing Muslims that don’t butcher one another. Do I think it should happen tomorrow? No! For the avoidance of doubt, yes I would love to have an Islamic State in Somalia. But only if those running it demonstrate the ability to win people's trust with their benevolence, patience and wisdom and not their anger, threats and political naivety (that last one only in the case of Sh. Sharif). My sentiments exactly. This is exactly how I feel about the situation. I’A oneday we can achieve a proper Islamic state- not just in Somalia.

It was January when i went, are you telling me it gets worse? Subxannallah, the people that live there must be super human.

All i remember of Berbera is the feeling of suffocation- could not breathe, the heat is beyond unbelievable.

Xiin, According to the agreement, what happens if the Ethiopians haven't left by the agreed upon date- irrespective of when it started or will start?

^The two of you need to reassess your stance. The fundamental premise of an Islamic state is that there is no separation between the masjid/diin and politics or running of the state. Just because the interpretations of Iranians is warped, it does not mean that the concept is wrong. Islam is not a religion, it is a way of life. I know I’m preaching somewhat,lol, but that is the basic point. We need to look at Islam as dictating every sphere of life. That said, does it mean that the man who has spent his whole life at the masjid learning the sciences of hadith alone should be the leader of the state? No t necessarily. On the flip side, does it mean that the Harvard graduate of political science who performs the bare minimum requirements to be a Muslim should be the leader of the state? Once again not necessarily. Ideal leaders are people like Abu Bakr, Omar, Cuthman and Ali. They were well versed in Islam and the world as it was in their times. You guys are treading on thin water really. What you’re advocating for is an oxymoron. You cannot say that you support an Islamic state, yet call for separation of diin and state affairs. All in all, I believe we need to have the best of both worlds, that of secular and islamic aspect of state. Ofcourse, I have much more to say, but I am short on time this morning. The beauty of a proper Islamic state LG, is just as you describe it. A good Muslim takes his/her share of both this world and the hereafter. Islam doesn’t instruct us to neglect this world. What you call as the best of the secular state, is in fact part of an Islamic state- That the leader is a person who is taking his share in this world and who will oversee the interests of the Muslim Ummah in the hereafter AS WELL AS in this world. Like i said, Iran is not an Islamic state, far from it actually. Neither is Saudi Arabia, we shouldn’t be using them as examples for they are flawed. To understand how a proper Islamic state runs, you need to go waaaay back in Islamic history. I’m sure, that will appeal to you.

Eid Mubarak.

^Better to pray both. I know people who somehow manage to pray both and get up in the morning for work. Must be Iman.

^Mashallah!

just make sure in aad nin ku jecel guursataan. That's the general idea of marriage wouldn't you say? Any man who questions a woman based on this hymen, which mind some people are not even born with, is nothing but a backward reer-baadiyo.

Mabruuk Norf, to the both of you. Please pass on my well wishes, I'm so glad all went well alhamdullilah. So was it the expected sex?

Br. Nur, Now, I’m confused even more :confused: . My understanding of the correct method for the Murahaba system, the halal method, is that the bank must have ownership of the house before you approach it, because then it is not making the profit on your lack of money/credit. The correct method of Murahaba is that a bank buys homes at say $200,000 (not knowing if it will be able to sell them), then puts them on the market for possible buyers at a higher price whereby it will make a profit, say $300,000 BUT, it allows the potential buyers to make the re-payments in instalments. The basic financial instrument in Islamic Banking is known as BBA ( Bayc Bi Thaman Aajil, aka Murabaha) ( iib lagu iibanayo qiimo dib loo dhigay), in Reality, this instrument is still against Islamic spirit which I will explain at length when I have more time inshAllah. Is that an agreement of my above understanding? When you say against Islamic spirit, are you saying that this is haram? If so, how is this different from the example you provided earlier on? You explain: Here is how BBA works: There are three parties in the BBA Deal. 1. Bank 2. Customer 3. Owner Of Asset First Step: Customer identifies property to be aquired. Second Step: Bank purchases property from owner on cash basis. Third Step: Bank sells property it aquired to Customer at cost plus profit margin. Forth Step. Customer repays Bank in N installments (eg n=60) But then you provided us earlier on with this example: In Islamic Sharia, the Bank buys the property and then sells/rents to you in installments (hence sharing risk and reward), The Bank thus sells to you a property it rightfully owns (holding its deed) in FIXED installments ( No compounding), regardless of amount of profit, if mutually agreed. ie ( Bank buys Present house value @ 200,000 Pounds, and sells to you @ 300,000 Pounds equal monthly payments of 1000 Pounds for 25 years.) ^Are you saying that this is against the Islamic spirit? As for HSBC Amanah, I did some research on it a while back and came up with the following: Amaanah financing from HSBC Is Amaanah financing from HSBC valid in the light of the Qur’aan and Sunnah?. Praise be to Allaah. Amaanah personal financing through HSBC is based on tawarruq via the bank (al-tawarruq al-masrafi) as is clearly stated on the bank’s website in English. See: http://www.hsbcamanah.com/1/2/hsbc-amanah/personal/personal-finance This is a haraam transaction, because it involves a trick to circumvent the rulings on riba. The Islamic Fiqh Council has issued a statement ruling that organized tawarruq done via the bank is haraam. We have quoted the text of this statement in the answer to question no. 98124. And Allaah knows best. http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/102477/HSBC

Brother Nur, As far as I’m aware, there are in Islam two ways to buy property, one is the Murahaba system and the other the ijara system. You give the following example: In Islamic Sharia, the Bank buys the property and then sells/rents to you in installments (hence sharing risk and reward), The Bank thus sells to you a property it rightfully owns (holding its deed) in FIXED installments ( No compounding), regardless of amount of profit, if mutually agreed. ie ( Bank buys Present house value @ 200,000 Pounds, and sells to you @ 300,000 Pounds equal monthly payments of 1000 Pounds for 25 years.) In this example, did the bank own the house before you approached it, or did it buy it for you and then sell it to you. If it is the latter, what is the difference between that and fixed interest? The bank is making a profit on your lack of funds, or on credit. Could you please explain.

^Well yeah KK. Badankood ha igu soo roorin waaye, caku foolxumo eh...Maxaaba jirkii lagu gaaraa, wajigiiba hadaan la fiirin karin?

Ibtisam, Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it woman . It’s not because it’s coffee per se but just because it has fine enough yet coarse enough particles to give an exfoliating effect.

Dabshid, I've had enough, everywhere i go, it's in my face. God i cannot wait till it's over. This country is obsessed walaahi.

Nonetheless, here goes a question(s) worthy of your insignificance: do you measure your forehead space in inches or centimeters? What tribe are you from and which of the other tribes do you think should be wiped out? Do you think that eating a banana with your rice & meat is sacrilege?

^Perhaps the brother is lost and just has no idea. Some people unfortunately believe that they are exalting Allah in this way. May Allah guide him.

^ No one said that mothers don't have a significant role, but that isn't the point. The point is, are they doing the best they can? And if they are, why do we have so many derelict children? Is it because of fathers not playing their significant role? why the fathers are chased away from home? Rabi ha inoo wada sahlo. You can’t be serious? If this is the case, i can bet on my life that most of the time, it’s because they’re losers and nothing but a burden. They add to the problems of the family instead of helping. Most men that i know who got kicked out of home deserved to be!! Sure, we have some crack head Somali women, but most are hard working mothers who’ve had enough. Somehow i blame them also because i fail to understand why they continue to have children with these losers.

Mothers have a BIG responsible for raising a kids to take the right path, and protect them from becoming human garbage. If the mother fails,the chances are small for the kids to be successful, Muslim iyo gaaloba. So fathers have a menial or subservient role? And if they fail, it's still ok? This is why we will never change. You will be a father someday I'A Dabshid, if you raise your children with that thinking, how then do you expect your sons to grow up with the right frame of mind or right take on their responsibility? Perhaps this is why we have so many dead beat fathers in our community. As children they were taught that it is hooyos responsibility to raise you and it was ok for aabbe to leave for months on end to the other side of the country.

This whole Olympic thing is BOOOOOOOOORING!!!!!

^ I presume that you are slightly more cultured/educated than that. Am i wrong to make such a presumption?

Layzie, I don’t believe that anyone will argue that the sole reason for our community having so many lost boys is absentee fathers, but I’m sure many will acknowledge that it is one of the main reasons. Lack of trying from mothers, does not rate high on the list. We need to be honest with ourselves and not make this a male/female thing here, as saqajaan seems to be. All you need to do is take an inventory of everything a parent is required to do for their child and observe which parent it is done by. At a young age mothers are up all night nursing their children, teaching them life skills. Mothers are the ones following up on their child’s education, at every parent-teacher interview. Mothers are taking their child to the health centre when he/she is ill. Mothers are taking their child to dugsi to teach them the Qur’an. Mothers shop for the family, pay the bills, cook, clean etc. Mothers are unfortunately roaming the streets of their neighbourhoods at night looking for their teenage sons when they come home late. Mothers are at the courts when their sons get into trouble with the law. And mothers are the ones that lose sleep because of worry and stress. What more can she do? She needs a partner in all this, and often times they are gone. Raising teenagers is hard enough, raising teenage boys even more so, not because they are genetically more predisposed to be difficult but because of the greater trials they face in society. My own mother Layzie is an interpreter for the Somali community, and has been doing it for the past 15 or so years. She will tell you it is almost always the case that a mother is looking after the welfare of her children, ALONE. She is at the parent-teacher interview alone (even though most don’t understand English), she is at the dugsi alone, at the health care centre alone, worrying alone... They are not perfect, but none of us are. One thing i do believe, as a whole, Somali mothers are what this community is standing on, about to crumble yes, but still standing. It’s about bloody time, these good for nothing fathers stood up to their responsibility.

^You can't be serious KK. Such comments are expected from the newcomer, but i'm suprised by you woman.

Yes they work, qasil more so than huruud. 15 minutes or so, depends on the weather. You'll most probably always have the yellow glow from huruud, so wash it off well. It's better that you mix the two, more qasil instead of huruud. It may sound odd, but add coffee for the exfoliant effect. Good luck!