sahal Posted September 21, 2004 For the Sake of Calling to Islam By Sh. Salmaan ibn Fahd al-'Awdah The Muslim ummah is vital, caring, and prolific. Its still retains its youthful vitality. With Allah’s help, it is able to compensate for the deficiencies that come over it in every age. Nations rise and fall. Personalities come and go. Great works, schemes, and projects fall to dust. However, the Muslim ummah remains. The destiny of Islam is intrinsically tied to the destiny of the Muslim ummah. It is not tied to the destiny of any individual, group, organization, or country. Islam is greater than all of that. It is a mistake to tie the future of Islam – or of Islamic work – to the fate of some group or another. Likewise, it is wrong to regard the future of Islam in light of the contributions of a certain individual or to the continuation of some activity that we believe to be beneficial and productive. No doubt, there are many contributions being made by many people that have a clearly positive effect in the advancement of Islamic work. However, all of these things are but means that are not irreplaceable. A person might die and the Muslim ummah will live on, and Allah may replace that person with even better people. It is injurious for people to tie the future of Islamic work to any specific individual, no matter how highly people might hold him in their esteem. Every person is but a mortal human being with limited potential. He is prone to make mistakes as well as to be correct. He is subject to the influences that surround him, whether they be social, economic, political, or personal, and he cannot escape them. Many people clasp their hands over their hearts and fear that a certain beneficial door or pathway will become blocked, or that some orator will not be able to ascend the pulpit and speak, or that some writer not be able to write. We need to ask such people: What is it then? How many are the orators, writers, and Islamic workers that Allah has at His disposal. How many are the pathways to good that are at our disposal. Surely, we should grieve when a door of opportunity is closed. However, it is wrong for us to think that the future of Islamic work is inexorably tied to it. No one can be blamed for being affected by the silencing of a voice or the absence of a true word that used to be spoken. However they will be blameworthy if they start to think that the future of Islamic work is ruined and that the means to carry it out have perished. The Muslim ummah is something bountiful and fertile. If one voice becomes silent, there are a thousand voices behind it to take its place. If one orator dies, Allah will bring forth a thousand others like him. By vesting our hopes in personalities, we place too much upon their shoulders and, whether we like it or not, we end up stifling a lot of potential for goodness that our ummah can bring forth. Who out there can carry the future of Islamic work upon his shoulders as if he is its living embodiment? We do justice to consider each person in his natural place and keep our perspectives from becoming distorted. No one needs to be slighted or denied the credit that they and their contributions are due. At the same time, we should not elevate anyone above their true worth and expect from them what they are unable to deliver. In times of weakness and decline, it is easy for people to seize upon anything near at hand that they find to be strong and then pin upon it all of their hopes. This is why we see many good people shrinking away from the public and electing to remain silent, simply because they cannot bear the burdens and that the people foist upon them because of their working for Islam. They cannot handle being put in such a position of absolute accountability. Allah says: “Every soul is held in pledge for what he earned.†[sûrah al-Tûr:21 ] “Every soul is held in pledge for what it earned.†[sûrah al-Mudaththir:38 ] “On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be repaid what it did, and they will not be wronged.†[sûrah al-Nahl:111 ] “And We have made every man's actions to cling to his own neck.†[sûrah al-Isrâ’:13 ] From what verse of the Qur’ân are some people today getting the idea that for a person to be something he has to be everything? Where do they get the idea that all responsibility should be foisted upon the shoulders of a few people so that everyone else can be relieved from carrying theirs? The only difference between these people is that we have one who is doing his duty and another who is failing to do his. So may Allah reward the one who is fulfilling his duty and may He bless his work. However, the basic accountability upon both people is the same. It may be that those of us who are not mobilizing ourselves have greater natural talents and stronger personalities than those who are doing so. Why should we forget ourselves and bury our own talents? Why should we not ourselves assume what others have neglected or have failed to carry out in the fullest possible manner? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sahal Posted September 22, 2004 Fear for the Muslim World By Shaykh Salman al-`Awdah We find that some Muslims, especially those who are enthusiastic about their religion, exhibit excessive fear for the future of Islam and the Muslims. Their fear is extreme and debilitating, not a reasonable fear that inspires productive work, cooperation, and research, but a distorted fear that fosters listlessness and despair. Such people typically feel that reform is hopeless and that nothing remains for them but to wait for the end of it all. This fear has caused many people to retreat into an ideological stance that we can describe as a “doctorine of waitingâ€. These people pin all their hopes on the emergence of the Mahdî who will come into the world or on the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) from the heavens. Now, we as Muslims truly believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) will indeed return to Earth, descending from the heavens. We also believe that the Mahdî will appear among the Muslims. However, Allah has not prescribed for us to await these people or anyone else for that matter. By contrast, Allah calls upon us to act – to perform righteous deeds, to call others to the truth, to enjoin what is right, to forbid what is wrong, to conduct ourselves in a proper manner, to worship Him, and to build up our community. This is what Allah wants us to do. We are not supposed to sit around and wait, incapacitated by fear and despair. Allah has not informed us as to the day and the year in which the Mahdî or Jesus (peace be upon him) will arrive. What He has detailed to us in a clear and indisputable manner are the duties that we have mentioned above. The Qur’ân and Sunnah are both quite clear about these matters. Inordinate fear and worry make a person incapable of productive action. However, there is another unwholesome symptom of fear that can surface in some people; it is an exaggerated sense of personal responsibility for Islam. While some people succumb to their fear and become as invalids, others are propelled by their fear into a distorted feeling of personal liability until they feel that they are personally accountable for the religion in its entirety and that its protection and preservation is their individual duty. This feeling makes a person feel that he must act as the guardian of the faith and its followers. He feels it is his duty to carry out a personal mandate over Islamic work and Islamic workers. This is an unhealthy state of mind, causing the person to act in an unnatural manner. Such a person typically brings harm to others, because he overburdens them and deals with them in an unbalanced way. This behavior comes as a consequence of confused priorities. The person so affected loses the ability to put things into proper perspective, so he tends to become obsessive about certain issues. There is a type of excessive fear called a phobia. It is an irrational fear that is detached from reality. A phobia is different from anxiety, since a phobia is an unbalanced fear of something that exists in the world, whereas an anxiety disorder is an irrational fear of the future. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to seek refuge with Allah from “anxiety and afflictionâ€. He prayed to Allah to protect him from “anxietyâ€, from being afflicted with an unjustifiable fear of the future. Such anxiety makes a person afraid when he wants to get married. It makes him anxious when he is about to graduate from school, worrying about whether or not he is going to find work. It makes him afraid to travel. As for a phobia, it is connected to the present day. It is the “affliction†that the Prophet (peace be upon him) also used to seek refuge from in his supplications to Allah. A person can become afflicted and beset by irrational fear, his chest constricted by his distorted view of the world around him. In this way, many Westerners fear Islam. This fear can frequently be found manifested in the Western media and in what is taught in Western educational institutions. It is referred to as “Islamophobiaâ€. Islam is indeed the true religion. As a faith, it is strong, robust, and able to stand up for itself. However, the reality of the Muslim world gives the West no occasion to fear it so crazily. The fear the West has for Islam is indeed a phobia, a sick and misplaced fear. The cultivation of this fear may be the result of deliberate efforts from some sectors seeking to create an “enemy†for the West to further their own agendas, in the same way that Communism used to be the enemy. We can often describe the Muslim fear of the West as a phobia as well. Islam, as we have said, is a strong, enduring, and robust religion. Allah ensures us that He shall protect it. He says: “Indeed, it is We who have sent down the reminder and surely it is We who shall be its protectors.†[sûrah al-Hijr:9 ] Allah has not bequeathed the responsibility of preserving the faith upon any of His creatures. Allah speaks about the death of His Prophet (peace be upon him) and addresses the Prophet’s Companions, saying: “Muhammad is naught but a Messenger. Many were the Messengers who passed away before him. So if he were to die or be slain, would you turn on your heels? Whoever turns on his heels will not harm Allah in the least And Allah shall reward those who are grateful.†[sûrah? l `Imrân:144 ] The religion of Islam is protected by Allah. The Muslim community shall exist until the arrival of the Hour. The Law of Islam shall endure with Allah’s permission. Allah says: “He is the one who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it manifest over all religions, though the polytheists may detest it.†[sûrah al-Tawbah:33 ] Allah also says: “Sufficient is Allah as a witness.†[sûrah al-Fath:28 ] Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) has informed us about the last days of the Muslim community and the goodness and the blessings that they will possess, and how Allah will establish them on Earth with His help at the hands of their valiant people, their leaders, and their scholars. Yes, the West does cause us harm, but Allah assures us: “They do you no harm save a trifling annoyance.†[sûrah? l `Imrân:111 ] If we have fear of the West, we should keep that fear within reasonable limits. Our fear should not be so feeble as to make us lose vigilance and become easy prey to those who wish to do us harm. At the same time, we should not become victims of our fear, unable to distinguish what harms us from what benefits us. We should not sink into a sense of helplessness and despair. As I have mentioned, anxiety can be a deadly form of fear. Our anxieties have a tendency to perpetuate themselves, giving us no rest from worry. We can preoccupy our minds with them every moment of the day without ever arriving at any solutions to our problems. In this way, we tax ourselves to no avail. Some of the tribe of Banû Umayyah were asked: “Where were you on the day your kinsman `Uthmân was murdered?†They replied: “Our anger at his murder kept us too busy to mourn.†This is something we should reflect upon. We should say to ourselves and our brethren in faith: “Our concern for what is happening to Islam and the Muslims is keeping us too busy to mourn.†If we succumb to lamentation and tears, this will not help us in the least. What will help us is for us to engage in positive and productive work, if only to a small extent. To light the smallest of lights is far better than cursing the darkness a thousand times Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sahal Posted September 23, 2004 Priorities of Islamic Activities in the West by Shaykh `Abdul Rahman `Abdul Khaliq Source: Priorities of Islamic Activities in the West Courtesy Of: Islaam.com Muslim minorities in the West need urgent help to preserve their identity, religion and their very existence. To achieve this, Muslims must: 1 -- Re-establish unity in this nation all over the world. Muslims must be loyal to other Muslims and disloyal to all Kuffar. This unity must be implemented by deed and not only by tongue. 2 -- Affirm the basic belief that Muslims are members of the best nation ever that was introduced to humanity. Affirm the correct Islamic beliefs that will make Muslims feel pride in their religion and feel the sweetness of Iman in their hearts. This can be accomplished by teaching the correct belief end knowing the ways of the Kuffar, to avoid them. Muslims must feel the great bounty of Allah that He guided them to the correct religion. Religion must be understood and believed in. Muslims must study Christian beliefs. The struggle between Islam and Christianity will last till the end of time. Muslims must also preserve the Islamic code of dress, Islamic foods and marry Muslim women and, if they wish, only pure and good Christian women. 3 -- Arabic must be the first language for all Muslims again. Learning Arabic during childhood and giving it its due place in the religion is a must. Arabic is a necessity of Islam that must be preserved. 4 -- Muslims must Perform Da'wah (propagate Islam) wherever they me be, (Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. And it is those who are the successful.) [3: 104].Religion must be held to be the reason behind our existence, (And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except they should worship Me (Alone).) [51:56]. 5 -- Ahlu As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jama'ah and the way and understanding of the companions are what Muslims should call for. Muslims should warn of all misguided groups and define the one righteous group. To fight against misguided groups and off-shoot sects is a necessity. This means that Muslims will fight against all five major misguided groups who have corrupt beliefs: Al-Khawarij, Shiites, Al-Jahmiyah, Al-Qadariyah and Al-Murji'ah. 6 -- Muslims of the West must be united in every matter. They must call to Islam and preserve their loyalty to Muslims and be disloyal to the disbelievers. Arabic must be their first language. Muslims should seek to socialize with, marry from and meet other Muslims in lectures, mosques, universities, picnics and general activities. Muslims must not be isolated from other Muslims. 7 -- Muslims must be concerned with Islamic education for their children from primary to secondary education.Muslims must establish Islamic schools that will preserve and teach Islam to their children in their first years. The first years of life are what will shape the beliefs and ways of later years. 8 -- Muslims must seek to preserve Muslim presence in Eastern Europe and strengthen this presence. Muslims in Albania and Bosnia must be provided with material help so they can defend themselves. Muslims must also help Muslims of Eastern Europe using all means possible. Also, Muslims everywhere must seek to protect the religious, educational and social rights of Muslim minorities in the West. Muslims of the West must not be prevented from practicing and propagating Islam, the true religion. 9 -- A higher authority for the benefit of Muslim immigrants must be established to protect the rights of Muslim minorities. This authority will coordinate between all Islamic organizations that operate in the West. Coordination will benefit and organize the activities of Islamic organizations and will provide them with vital and firsthand information about needs and the situation of Muslim minorities. 10 -- Establish committees composed of Muslim scholars that will teach the religion to Muslim immigrants and solve their problems according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah. These committees will have firsthand knowledge of the situation of Muslims and provide answers to their problems. These solutions will seek to preserve the religion, identity and existence of Muslim immigrants. 11 -- Establish a sound economic system that will benefit Muslim immigrants in the West. This economic system will provide an honorable life and financial independence for Muslims. This is better than the way that many Muslims of the West live, by seeking the help of the Kafir government or engaging in usury, prostitution, gambling or dishonorable acts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sahal Posted September 25, 2004 MUSLIM'S CHARACTER by Muhammad Al-Ghazali CHAPTER 1 PILLARS OF ISLAM AND MORAL VALUES Purpose of Prophethood -- Perfection of Morals The holy Prophet has stated the foremost purpose of his being sent down in this world and the method of his call to the people in these words: "I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good morals." --(Al-Muta) That great message which has left an indelible impression on the history of life, and for propagating which and for bringing people under whose influence Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) worked ceaselessly. Its purpose was nothing else but to strengthen the moral character of the people so that the world of beauty and perfection may be illuminated before their eyes and they may try to achieve it consciously and with knowledge. Worshiping has been made compulsory in Islam, and it has been included in the basic pillars of faith. But the Islamic forms of worship are not some sort of mystic exercises that link men with some unknown, mysterious being, and which subject men to perform useless acts and meaningless movements. All the Islamic compulsory forms of worship are designed as exercises and training to enable people to acquire correct morals and habits and to live righteously, and to adhere to these virtues till the end, whatever be the changes in their circumstances. Prayer prevents commitment of Evil Salat (prayer) is a compulsory form of worship, which is like an exercise towards which man is attracted with interest and willingness. He offers it continually, so that his life may be free from all diseases and the body may be healthy and strong. The holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet-both are the open proofs of these realities. When Allah commanded the compulsory prayers to be established, He stated its wisdom in this way: "Prayer prohibits obscenity and evil." To keep away from evil, wickedness and to purify from bad deeds are also realities of the prayer. In a Hadith-e-Qudsi it is stated: "I accept the prayers of the person who adopts the policy of humility with it on account of My greatness, obliges My creatures, does not insist on sinning against Me, spends his day in remembering Me, and is kind to the poor, travelers, weak and the suffering people. Zakat is a means of purification Zakat has been made compulsory on the eligible 'scheduled' ( sahibe Nisab ) persons. It is not merely a tax that is collected from the pockets of the people, but its foremost purpose is to sow the seeds of kindness. sympathy and benevolence, and to provide a chance of introduction among the various sections of the society and to establish the relationship of love and friendliness. The purpose of paying Zakat has been stated in the Qur'an in the following words: "O Prophet ! Take charity from their property so that if may clean them and purify them." --(Tauba: 103) To clean the self of the worldly impurities and to raise the standard of the society to the heights of decency and purity are the wisdom behind the levy of Zakat. For this reason the Prophet has taken it in a very wide sense, and to pay Zakat has been made compulsory for every eligible Muslim. The Prophet has said: "To smile in the company of your brother is charity. To command to do good deeds and to prevent others from doing evil is charity. To guide a person in a place where he can go astray is charity. To remove troublesome things like thorns and bones from the road is charity. To pour water from your jug into the jug of your brother is charity. To guide a person with defective vision is charity for you.'' --(Bukhari) The environment of desert and the Bedouin life--an environment which had its basis on internal bickerings and fights--in such an environment the teachings of Islam were presented to the world and they show what aims and purpose these teachings had, and it shows where these teachings led the Arabs in that dark and dismal environment. Fasting is a stepping stone to Righteousness Similarly Islam has made fasting compulsory. But it is not envisaged that men should keep away from their carnal desires and other prohibited things for a fixed period only. The Prophet has said: "Pasting is not the name of merely keeping away from eating and drinking, but it is keeping away from wicked and obscene things. If in the state of fasting, someone abuses you or picks up a quarrel with you, say: "I am fasting." Qur'an states the purpose of the imposition of fasting in these words: "Fasting has been made compulsory for you, as it was made compulsory for those (followers of earlier prophets) who preceded you, so that you may become righteous." (Baqarah: 183) Hajj is a compulsory pilgrimage to weaken the love for the world Sometimes man thinks that to travel to the holy places and to perform pilgrimage, which has been made compulsory for every rich Muslim, and which is included in the basic pillars of Islam, is merely a form of worship that has no relation with the world of morality and character. This is a clear misunderstanding. Giving commands about this compulsory worship, Allah states: "The months of Hajj are well-known. In these months whoever intends to perform Hajj should not indulge in sexual act, wicked act, and Fighting during the Hajj. Whatever righteous act you will perform will be known to Allah. Take with you provision for the journey (for Hajj), and the best provision is righteousness. So fear me, 0 men of understanding !" -(Baqarah: 197) This is merely the main outline of the forms of worship which are well known and generally practiced in Islam and they are its basic pillars. They show us what a deep relationship is there between religion and morality and how strong and lasting is this relationship. How varying are these forms of worship in their spirit and appearance from one another, but in those aim and purpose how close they are, which the holy Prophet declared his main objective. Therefore, saint (prayer), sawm (fasting), zakat, Hajj and other forms of worship like these are the stepping stones for real perfection, and are the means of cleanliness and purity that make life secure and magnificent. On account of high attributes and noble qualities that are the inalienable parts and the consequences of these forms of worship, they have been given a very high and important place in Allah's religion. If these forms of worship do not purify the hearts of men, if they do not nourish best qualities in those who observe them, and if they do not improve and make firm the relationship between Allah and His slaves, then there is nothing left for men but destruction and devastation. Allah says: "Surely, he who appears before his Lord as a criminal, there is hell for him, in which he will neither die nor will he live. And he who will appear before Him as a faithful, who has performed good deeds--for all such people there are high positions, ever green paradise, beneath which canals will be flowing; they will live in them for ever. who adopts purity." This is the reward for him (Taha: 74-76) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
