Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Murabit Muhammad Zain, the man in Madina and the dream. Narrated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
This is takin from "The Poor Man's Book of Assistance" CD set.
On CD #6 while discussing the importance of good manners especially with people of God, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf goes on to narrate this story...
"This happened to someone I know, there is someone in Mauritania
who is very well known for doing unusual things that indicate that he's إلهام
you know, that he's an inspired individual(رحمه الله). We were gonna go see him and I was going to bring someone to see him, and we couldn't
go, and the whole way we were driving to this place in the middle of the desert, and the whole way I was really troubled about not seeing this man, because I was with someone that I wanted him to see and he was going to help him as well, anyway we came over this hill and there he was sitting out on the rock, and this is in the middle of nowhere!.
Literally sitting out on this rock and he had one of the people that worked for him, had just killed a sheep and he was cutting it down and he was about to roast this sheep, I mean this is like something...Mauritanians just don't do this, and he had a bowl of yogurt drink
and then he had this guy with him with a gun to do ترحيب,welcoming he said "ترحيب من دون نفاق" This is welcoming without hypocracy. So then this Shaykh, he's a sharif from the Prophets family(SAW)... and this is normal for him, like if you tell this to people who know him they just say "yeah...that's what he does" And we were in a hurry, thats why we didn't go visit him in the first place, but I was actually nervous about not going to visit him. So he said "You have two choices, because your travelers I'm not going to keep you here, so you can either stay and have lunch with us or take one of those sheep, and then I was telling another person this story and I said "..and he had a sheep tied to a tree and he said "No! two sheep" and then I looked at him and said did I tell you this story already and he said "No" and there was two sheep there, Mauritanians are like this, thats why they are very strange people to spend alot of time with. He said "Two sheep!" then he kind of realized then just said "No,I didnt hear that story before" and he didn't. But there were two sheep. He said "you take one of the sheep and you eat it along the road, so we ended up taking the sheep. So anyway this person was in Madinah
and they hit something in a car and he said "Ya Rasulillah!" and there was somebody in the car who said that was shirk, and this man he didnt say anything about it. But that night another person, and this is a person I know. Another person, the Prophet(saw) came to him and said "Go tell my son Muhammad Zain 
, go tell him I'm upset with that other man, he shouldn't have said anything to him, but not to worry about it. So he just went and told him "I don't know what this is about" cause this man lives in Madinah, he came to Muhammad Zain and said "I don't know what this is about, but I saw the Prophet(saw) last night and he told me to tell you this about so and so" and it was a person who had said that to him, it was the other person, so you know, there are people who, that is their experience of the world, whether you believe it or not is irrelevant."
On CD #6 while discussing the importance of good manners especially with people of God, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf goes on to narrate this story...
"This happened to someone I know, there is someone in Mauritania
who is very well known for doing unusual things that indicate that he's إلهامyou know, that he's an inspired individual(رحمه الله). We were gonna go see him and I was going to bring someone to see him, and we couldn't
go, and the whole way we were driving to this place in the middle of the desert, and the whole way I was really troubled about not seeing this man, because I was with someone that I wanted him to see and he was going to help him as well, anyway we came over this hill and there he was sitting out on the rock, and this is in the middle of nowhere!.
Literally sitting out on this rock and he had one of the people that worked for him, had just killed a sheep and he was cutting it down and he was about to roast this sheep, I mean this is like something...Mauritanians just don't do this, and he had a bowl of yogurt drink
and then he had this guy with him with a gun to do ترحيب,welcoming he said "ترحيب من دون نفاق" This is welcoming without hypocracy. So then this Shaykh, he's a sharif from the Prophets family(SAW)... and this is normal for him, like if you tell this to people who know him they just say "yeah...that's what he does" And we were in a hurry, thats why we didn't go visit him in the first place, but I was actually nervous about not going to visit him. So he said "You have two choices, because your travelers I'm not going to keep you here, so you can either stay and have lunch with us or take one of those sheep, and then I was telling another person this story and I said "..and he had a sheep tied to a tree and he said "No! two sheep" and then I looked at him and said did I tell you this story already and he said "No" and there was two sheep there, Mauritanians are like this, thats why they are very strange people to spend alot of time with. He said "Two sheep!" then he kind of realized then just said "No,I didnt hear that story before" and he didn't. But there were two sheep. He said "you take one of the sheep and you eat it along the road, so we ended up taking the sheep. So anyway this person was in Madinah
and they hit something in a car and he said "Ya Rasulillah!" and there was somebody in the car who said that was shirk, and this man he didnt say anything about it. But that night another person, and this is a person I know. Another person, the Prophet(saw) came to him and said "Go tell my son Muhammad Zain 
, go tell him I'm upset with that other man, he shouldn't have said anything to him, but not to worry about it. So he just went and told him "I don't know what this is about" cause this man lives in Madinah, he came to Muhammad Zain and said "I don't know what this is about, but I saw the Prophet(saw) last night and he told me to tell you this about so and so" and it was a person who had said that to him, it was the other person, so you know, there are people who, that is their experience of the world, whether you believe it or not is irrelevant."
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Biography of Sidi Fudul al-Huwari By Hamza Yusuf.
http://sandala.org/blog/2011/11/25/biography-of-sidi-fudul-al-huwari/One of the great traditions of Islam is what is referred to as “tabaqat” literature. It is essentially biographical material that highlights the lives and qualities of the great sages, scholars, ascetics, and saints of Islam. The earliest biographical literature, such as Ibn S’ad’s Tabaqat, pertains to the lives of the Prophet’s Companions. The benefit of reading such literature is feeling one’s own meager existence when compared with the luminaries of the past; it also rouses ourselves from our heedlessness in order to set out as those before us, who left, for those to follow, their footprints on that ancient and well-trodden path of purification and ensuing illumination. In light of this, I hope to share with my readers certain highlights and qualities I have witnessed and come to know of in the people whom God has blessed me with knowing and benefitting from. The primary purpose here is to let those who have not been afforded such opportunities, but still love to hear the stories of the righteous, experience vicariously their presence. The scholars say, “When the righteous are remembered, grace descends.” That such luminaries still exist is testimony to the continued spiritual power and effectiveness of our Prophet’s teaching, peace and blessings of God be upon him. God has blessed this community with such men and women until the end of time, and even in this dark time of spiritual sloth and vanity they nurture those who come to know and love them. When the pleasures and the pastimes of the ego have blinded so many of us from the path of purity and piety that leads to salvation and sanctification, they reveal themselves as cogent reminders to those who will listen that the world is temporal, fleeting as dissipating before our very eyes and we too shall follow.
The first is that of the great Moroccan sage, scholar, and saint, Sidi Fudul al-Huwari. Though we make no claims about people’s ranks with God – as God alone knows the hearts – rather, we assume their high spiritual station from our good opinion of them based upon their outward noble character and exemplary piety.
Born around the turn of the twentieth century, Sidi Fudul al-Huwari grew up in Fes
and served as an imam in the large mosque next to Bab Boujloud,
and also taught Ibn Ashir and other basic texts in the Bou Inania Mosque.
In 1978, when he was still quite vibrant and able to teach, I visited him for the first time. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was the beginning of a powerful and wonderful relationship that would last for over twenty years and leave an indelible mark on me that I feel to this day. On that first visit, he explained how, from being a barely literate craftsman, he became an imam and a scholar: One day while still in his teens and busy at his job in a shop, a shaykh, whom he had seen on many occasions walking to the Qarawiyyin, stopped and stood outside his workplace, watching him. Eventually Sidi Fudul realized he was being watched; the shaykh then asked the shop’s keeper if the young man could come with him. The man obliged, and the shaykh took Sidi Fudul to the Qarawiyyin and instructed him to sit in the outer circle and simply listen. The shaykh explained that not much would make sense to him but to be patient. He did this for some time, and, soon enough, the lessons did begin to make sense. After many years of study, Sidi Fudul became a scholar in his own right. The shaykh’s name was Sidi Muhammad bin al-Habib,
and Sidi Fudul later became his leading student and a commentator of his diwan of mystical poetry. Sidi Fudul was himself a poet of some note.
On one visit, he gave me the original handwritten manuscripts of his commentaries on his shaykh’s diwan, which I still treasure. He also gave me a teaching license (ijazah) in person, orally, and then later had his student, Maulay Hasan Lamdaghari, send me a written one. Sidi Fudul was given the mantle of his own shaykh and was recognized as a spiritual adept but declined to accept it. He once told me, “I know my limits, and I could never fill the shoes of Shaykh Ibn al-Habib.”
Shaykh Bennani, a great scholar and qadi from Fes, told me, “Sidi Fudul is not one of the great scholars. His outward knowledge, while competent, is not vast like the great scholars, but he knows what most of the great scholars do not. He knows his Lord.” By contemporary standards, however, he is a notable scholar of the later part of the twentieth century. He loved to comment on the Qur’an, and had a special affinity for the Verse of Light, which he commented on countless times, always with new insights. His lectures on Ibn Ashir were some of the most well-attended and popular lectures in Fes among common people.
Sidi Fudul was a beautiful man, who symbolized a Morocco that is fast disappearing. He was a true gentleman, erudite, learned, forbearing, and above all, he was in a constant state of submission to his Lord. He once lamented to me that modern-day Morocco had drifted far from the Islam of their past, and he warned me of the new trends of Islamic revival, which he saw as having more to do with politics than with the spiritual center of Islam. In his earlier life, Sidi Fudul had been active in the politics of Fes, driven not by the utopian fantasies of some modern Islamists but rather by a sense of civic duty. He once said to me, “Calling other Muslims innovators is an innovation.”
Once, late in his life, I visited him when he was in a coma, lying on his bed. He had lost both his hearing and sight at this stage. His daughter, Fatima, at that time in her seventies, was looking after him. We greeted him, and Maulay Hasan said to me, “He cannot hear anymore.”
At that point, Sidi Fudul spoke up: “Give me a moment. I am coming to visit.”
A few minutes later, he asked to be helped to sit upright, and we complied. He then asked for his eyeglasses. Fatima brought them and put them on for him. He suddenly opened his eyes wide, scanned the room, and proclaimed, “Yasin!” He then began to recite Sura Yasin, the thirty-sixth chapter of the Qur’an. We all joined him in the recitation. When we finished, he began to tell us of wonders he had been experiencing in his state. He also conveyed to us that he had exhausted all of the demons and that they had given up on sowing doubt in his heart about his Lord. This memory of my last meeting with Sidi Fudul forever abides in my heart.
Sidi Fudul spent his life acquiring and then teaching the sciences of Islam. He was a well-respected scholar in Fes and present at the gatherings of notables. He had a gentle character, and should your eye fall upon his face, you were reminded of your Lord. His tongue was always moist with the remembrance of God, and he always had time for anyone who needed advice or to know a legal ruling. He had a small spice shop in the market near his house, and he could be found there reciting Qur’an or reading a book of knowledge while waiting for his provision. Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, the great Meccan scholar, whenever he visited Morocco, would always visit Sidi Fudul in his house in Fes. Just as birds of a feather flock together, saints find sanctuary in one another’s company.
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Copyright: From the forthcoming book, Meetings with Mountains, by Peter Sanders. www.petersanders.com
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Shaykh Uthman don Fodio by Sultan Muhammad Bello
He was the Shaykh of Islam, the most learned among the scholars, the regal erudite, perpetual deliverer, the scholar of humanity, the one who realized the highest stations, Abu Muhammad Sa`d Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Salih ibn Harun ibn Muhammad Ghurtu ibn Muhammad Jubbu ibn Muhammad Sanbu ibn Maasiran ibn Ayyub ibn Buba Baba ibn Abu Bakr ibn Musa Jokoli ibn Imam Danbu. He was famous as Dan Fuduye’. He was my father. The protected friends of Allah (al-awliya) foretold of his coming before his appearance… From that is what was related from sound narrators on the authority of Umm Hani al-Fulani, the righteous saintly women when she said: “There will appear in this region of the land of the Blacks, a waliy from among the protected friends of Allah. He will renew the deen, revive the Sunna and establish the religion. The fortunate people will follow him and his remembrance will be spread throughout the horizons. The common people and the elite will obey his commands. Those connected to him will be known as the Jama`aat. Among their signs is that they will not heard cattle, as is the custom of the Fulani. Whoever encounters that time should follow him.” In short, many of the protected friends of Allah recognized him and informed us of his affair even before his appearance and at the time of his appearance as well.
Realize that this shaykh was reared from the time he was young to invite people to Allah. The Shehu said: “As for as the matter of protected friendship with Allah is concerned, for the most that I know about myself is that Allah ta`ala had established me in a spiritual presence which manifested from a divine state, from the time I was a young boy up until the time I reached the age of thirty-one years. I was seized by an instantaneous spiritual magnetic gravitational orbit that emerged from the lights of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, due to the baraka of sending blessings upon him. I was extracted up until I was in the very presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which caused me to continuously weep. In that presence I had an intense desire to recite the poem by Abu Sufyan ibn al-Haarith, may Allah be pleased with him, where he eulogized the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace after his death. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace ordered me to recite it in his presence, so I began to recite it… When I had recited the poem and reached the point in the poem where I said: ‘And he guided us and now we do not fear misguidance among us, while the Messenger is our guide on the Path’; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace then said: “Stop there.” So I stopped. He then gave me the good news by his words to me: “I am your guide on the Path of the religion, for you will not go astray.” This good news was better to me than the entire world and what it contained.”
Sultan Muhammad Bello
Realize that this shaykh was reared from the time he was young to invite people to Allah. The Shehu said: “As for as the matter of protected friendship with Allah is concerned, for the most that I know about myself is that Allah ta`ala had established me in a spiritual presence which manifested from a divine state, from the time I was a young boy up until the time I reached the age of thirty-one years. I was seized by an instantaneous spiritual magnetic gravitational orbit that emerged from the lights of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, due to the baraka of sending blessings upon him. I was extracted up until I was in the very presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which caused me to continuously weep. In that presence I had an intense desire to recite the poem by Abu Sufyan ibn al-Haarith, may Allah be pleased with him, where he eulogized the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace after his death. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace ordered me to recite it in his presence, so I began to recite it… When I had recited the poem and reached the point in the poem where I said: ‘And he guided us and now we do not fear misguidance among us, while the Messenger is our guide on the Path’; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace then said: “Stop there.” So I stopped. He then gave me the good news by his words to me: “I am your guide on the Path of the religion, for you will not go astray.” This good news was better to me than the entire world and what it contained.”
Sultan Muhammad Bello
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Habib Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-'Aydarus (1932-2011) by Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya
Habib Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-'Aydarus (1932-2011)
Thousands of the people of Tarim and Hadramawt came out at `Asr on Juma` for the janaza of Habib “Sa`d” Muhammad bin `Alawi al-`Aydarus, who passed away the previous day, Thursday 8th Dhu’l-Qa`dah/6thOctober 2011 at the age of 82.
Before the janaza, Habib Umar bin Hafiz and Habib Salim bin `Abdullah al-Shatiri addressed the crowd, recounting the exploits of this great Imam and calling the people to return to Allah and hold fast to the inheritance of the their predecessors.
He was then buried in the Zanbal graveyard next to the Qubbah of his ancestor, Imam `Abdullah bin Abu Bakr al-`Aydarus.
In his mawlid speech the night before Sayyidi al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him) commemorated the life of Habib Sa`d. What follows is a summary of Habib `Umar’s words with some extra detail for clarification.
He mentioned that he was someone who had an immense connection to his predecessors (Salaf), to the Qur’an, to the mosques and to the remembrance of Allah. He had great love for Allah and His Messenger and the pious people. He had great humility and a constant desire to help and benefit others, and he possessed a big portion of the Prophetic legacy.
He returned to Tarim after four years in a socialist prison in Aden. Just as Sayyiduna Yusuf was given authority over the land of Egypt after his time in prison, Habib Sa`d was entrusted with religious authority in Tarim. He became imam of the great Masjid of Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf and remained Imam for 35 years, presiding over the Hadara which is held there twice a week. He re-opened the Qubbah of Abu Murrayam, a school for the memorisation of the Qur’an which had been established six hundred years previously but closed by the socialists. Thousands of students subsequently memorised the Qur’an at his hands.
Like his predecessors amongst the scholars of the Ba `Alawi way, he had veneration for Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din. He presided over the reading of the Ihya` every Monday in the Qubbah of Imam `Abdullah bin Abu Bakr al-`Aydarus. Just days before his death he was given copies of a new print of the Ihya` and he spent his last hours with this great work in his hand.
A big portion of his life was spent with the mushaf or masbaha (prayer beads) in his hand or bowing or in prostration. For years he would go in the second half of the night to pray in Masjid Ba `Alawi and then go to Masjid al-Saqqaf to read the Qur’an with the group before Fajr. Only illness towards the end of his life prevented him from continuing in his daily and nightly programme.
Out of his mercy and softness of his heart he began to compile small books on many subjects that he hoped would be of benefit to people. He compiled one book after another, and they spread far and wide.
His Book of Intentions was translated into English and when we were in Europe and America we were given copies to give out to people. Light would enter people’s hearts when they read such a book, because he compiled it with a pious intention.
When we look at the life of Habib Sa`d we must reflect on how we use our time and prepare for the meeting with Allah. Many people die worshipping power or fame or die in evil places or amongst heedless people. Allah give us the best of endings and make us firm on la ilaha ill’Allah.
May Allah reward him on behalf of this city, the people of Islam and the people of this time. May Allah grant him the best entry to the Barzakh and the ability to intercede for many.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Footprints of a Prophet
Footprints of our Master Ibrahim(a.s)(Abraham)being transfered from its old wooden case to a crystal glass chamber near the Holy Kaaba.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
إدوم ولد نافع(Idum ould Nafi)
Idum ould Nafi He was born in 1930 and was a descendent of Abu Bakr As Sadeeq(raa). As a student he studied a traditional Islamic education curriculum, memorizing the entire Qur'an and multiple books on Maliki fiqh,arabic grammar and rhetoric. When he completed his studies he made Hajj on foot,passing through Mali,Niger,Nigeria,Chad,Sudan and Egypt. He spent the end of the 1950's and early 1960's in Mecca and Madina sitting with the scholars and returned to Mauritania in the early 70's where he became a Judge. He passed away during Ramadhan in 2005.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
The tree that shaded the Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him)
A pistachio tree that is believed to have provided shade for the Prophet Mohammad when he travelled to Damascus with his uncle, Abu Talib (Photo by Taylor Luck
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus
Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus is known as shaman Ali by the people because of his unsual talents. He is 95 years old (2008) and coming from the family of Prophet(saw) through Imam Hussein*(as) as told by his grandson Ibrahim. He is living in Batu Pahat – Johor, Malaysia.
Anyone who has met with him will never forget the memory of meeting him until their last breathe. His holiness in following Prophet's sunnah is clearly portrayed through his actions. Among the character traits of Prophet(saw) that he internalized within his heart and portrayed through his action are, he will not turn his back to his guest when he wants to move to another room. He will slowly walk facing his guest until he exits from the living room. He love's to be entertained by qasidah or burdah.When he is not in good mood or sad. He will ask his grandchild to recite qasidah or burdah for him.
Anyone who get invited to be a guest for a night in his house will be regarded as lucky by many people who know him. People visit him have no doubt's about his karamah and goodness that are sparkling around him and his guest when they visit him.
His life was tested with many tests from Allah swt.
Among of his saintly signs are his prayers are quicly answered, he know's about people without them having to tell him, he know's who will come to visit him without anyone telling him and many more that remains as a secret between him and his Lord.
There was time when people came to him,telling him about their needs and then he asked his son to take his money from under his praying mat. His son knew that there was no money under it and said that there’s no money under the praying mat. But he insisted, his son went to check and found out that the money is was there. He is not living in a big and luxurious house but rather a kind of wooden village house. Anyone who sees his house will know that its a poor person’s house and he spends all of his time in the house.
Ironically, even though he only spending his life in the house many people get meet him from around the world. The famous sunni scholars such as Habib Ali al Jifri,Habib Umar al-Hafidh and scholars from Saudi Arabia are among them. Subhanallah. The beauty of a shiny diamond can never be veiled by anything. God will spread his lovers’ name and proud of having them as His servant. Subhanallah.
Anyone who see's him will know the sign's of the lovers of God are with him. His shiny body and his unsual acts are becoming the proof of God’s existence.
If anyone knows Ayatollah Behjat(ra),and visited Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus, they will never reject that both of them have the same looks. Ayatollah Behjat(ra) was known as a saint among the shias and had his own karamah.
May peace be upon the truthful followers of the Messenger of God(sawaws),His family and His righteous sahabah.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zeynab Abdullah.
NOTES
* Edited due to error by Author.
© Ba’Alawi.com
American Muslim scholar declares: Terrorists are mass murderers, not martyrs
American Muslim scholar declares: Terrorists are mass murderers, not martyrs
BY RICHARD SCHEININ San Jose Mercury News, Published Sunday, Sept. 16, 2001
Tuesday's terrorist attacks have saddened and maddened millions -- and raised questions for many about Islam. Speculation abounds that the hijackers were inspired by terrorists like Osama bin Laden, who teach that violent acts can pave the way to paradise.
But what does Islam really say about such matters? About jihad and martyrdom?
We asked Hamza Yusuf,
an Islamic scholar in the East Bay, who said the attackers were ``enemies of Islam.'' Not martyrs, but ``mass murderers, pure and simple.''
Yusuf, whose articles about Islam are published internationally, talked about the attacks, the hysteria that he fears could grip the United States, and the role that Muslims and others must play in opposing violence. ``We've got to get to some deeper core values that are commonly shared,'' he said.
Q Why would anyone do what the hijackers did?
A Religious zealots of any creed are defeated people who lash out in desperation, and they often do horrific things. And if these people indeed are Arabs, Muslims, they're obviously very sick people and I can't even look at it in religious terms. It's politics, tragic politics. There's no Islamic justification for any of it. It's like some misguided Irish using Catholicism as an excuse for blowing up English people.
They're not martyrs, it's as simple as that.
Q Because?
A You can't kill innocent people. There's no Islamic declaration of war against the United States. I think every Muslim country except Afghanistan has an embassy in this country. And in Islam, a country where you have embassies is not considered a belligerent country.
In Islam, the only wars that are permitted are between armies and they should engage on battlefields and engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ``Do not kill women or children or non-combatants and do not kill old people or religious people,'' and he mentioned priests, nuns and rabbis. And he said, ``Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies.''
The Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet, say that no one can punish with fire except the lord of fire. It's prohibited to burn anyone in Islam as a punishment. No one can grant these attackers any legitimacy. It was evil.
Q What role should American Muslims have in opposing this brand of violent Islam?
A I think that the Muslims -- and I really feel this strongly -- have to reject the discourse of anger. Because there is a lot of anger in the Muslim communities around the world about the oppressive conditions that many Muslims find themselves in. But we have to reject the discourse of anger and we have to move to a higher moral ground, recognizing that the desire to blame others leads to anger and eventually to wrath, neither of which are rungs on a spiritual ladder to God. It's times like these that we really need to become introspective.
The fact that there are any Muslims -- no matter how statistically insignificant their numbers -- who consider these acts to be religious acts is in and of itself shocking. And therefore we as Muslims have to ask the question, ``How is it that our religious leadership has failed to reach these people with the true message of Islam?'' Because the acts of these criminals have indicted an entire religion in the hearts and minds of millions.
These people are so bankrupt that all they have to offer is destruction.
Q Why do some people regard the hijackers as martyrs?
A That's an abomination. These are mass murderers, pure and simple. It's like Christians in this country who blow up abortion clinics or kill abortion doctors. I don't think anyone in the Christian community, except a very extreme fringe, would condone that as an acceptable Christian response. In the same way, there's no Muslim who understands his religion at all who would condone this.
One of the worst crimes in Islam is brigandry -- highway robbery, or today we'd say armed robbery -- because it disrupts the sense of well-being and security among civilians.
Q Suicide bombers have cited a Koranic verse that says, ``Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.''
A That is meant for people who are legitimately defending the lands of Islam or fighting under legitimate state authority against a tyrannical leader. There is no vigilantism in Islam. Muslims believe in the authority of government.
Imam Malik, an early Islamic legal authority, said that 60 years of oppression under an unjust ruler is better than one hour of anarchy.
Q Then why is there such strong support in parts of the world for the attacks?
A Because we're dealing in an age of ignorance and an age of anomie, the loss of social order. And people are very confused and they're impoverished. What Americans are feeling now, this has been business as usual for Lebanese people, Palestinian people, Bosnian people.
Q What about Israeli people?
A Certainly the fear element is there for Israeli people -- that's true, and the terror that they've felt. And there are still a lot of Jewish people alive who remember the fear and terror of what happened in Europe, so that's not far from people's memories.
It seems at some point, the cycles of violence have to stop. It's a type of insanity, especially when we're dealing with nuclear power. People are saying that this was an attack on civilization -- and that is exactly the point. And I think the question we all have to ask is whether indiscriminate retaliation is going to help preserve civilization.
The perpetrators of this and, really, all acts of terror are people who hate too much. There's a verse in the Koran that says do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Being just is closer to piety.
The evil of wrath is that justice and mercy are lost.
Q How do you explain Palestinians and others celebrating the attacks in the streets?
A When you see ignorant people in the streets, rejoicing -- the Prophet condemned it. It's rejoicing at the calamities of your enemies, and Islam prohibits that.
They do have a lot of anger toward America, because America produces much of Israel's military hardware and so many American tax dollars go to support Israel. You have a lot of animosity in the Arab world. But the vast majority of Arabs are horrified by what's happened.
Q The concept of jihad has been widely used to justify violence.
A Jihad means struggle. The Prophet said the greatest jihad is the struggle of a man against his own evil influences. It also refers to what Christians call a ``just war,'' which is fought against tyranny or oppression -- but under a legitimate state authority.
Q What is the Arabic word for martyr?
A Shaheed. It means witness. The martyr is the one who witnesses the truth and gives his life for it. There are people in this country like Martin Luther King who would be considered a martyr for his cause.
Also, if your home, your family, your property or your land or religion is threatened, then you may defend it with your life. That person is a martyr. But so is anybody who dies of terminal illness; it's a martyr's death. Because it's such a purification that whatever wrongs they once did, they're now in a state of purity.
And the greatest martyr in the eyes of God is the one who stands in the presence of a tyrant and speaks the truth and is killed for it. He is martyred for his tongue.
Q What does Islam say about suicide?
A Suicide is haram in Islam. It's prohibited, like a mortal sin. And murder is haram. And to kill civilians is murder.
Q What is a martyr's reward?
A The Prophet said that a martyr who dies doesn't have a reckoning on the Day of Judgment. It's an act through which he is forgiven. But the Prophet also said that there are people who kill in the name of Islam and go to hell. And when he was asked why, he said, ``Because they weren't fighting truly for the sake of God.''
If there are any martyrs in this affair it would certainly be those brave firefighters and police that went in there to save human lives and in that process lost their own.
Richard Scheinin can be contacted at (408) 920-5069 or by e-mail at rscheinin@sjmercury.com.
BY RICHARD SCHEININ San Jose Mercury News, Published Sunday, Sept. 16, 2001
Tuesday's terrorist attacks have saddened and maddened millions -- and raised questions for many about Islam. Speculation abounds that the hijackers were inspired by terrorists like Osama bin Laden, who teach that violent acts can pave the way to paradise.
But what does Islam really say about such matters? About jihad and martyrdom?
We asked Hamza Yusuf,
an Islamic scholar in the East Bay, who said the attackers were ``enemies of Islam.'' Not martyrs, but ``mass murderers, pure and simple.'' Yusuf, whose articles about Islam are published internationally, talked about the attacks, the hysteria that he fears could grip the United States, and the role that Muslims and others must play in opposing violence. ``We've got to get to some deeper core values that are commonly shared,'' he said.
Q Why would anyone do what the hijackers did?
A Religious zealots of any creed are defeated people who lash out in desperation, and they often do horrific things. And if these people indeed are Arabs, Muslims, they're obviously very sick people and I can't even look at it in religious terms. It's politics, tragic politics. There's no Islamic justification for any of it. It's like some misguided Irish using Catholicism as an excuse for blowing up English people.
They're not martyrs, it's as simple as that.
Q Because?
A You can't kill innocent people. There's no Islamic declaration of war against the United States. I think every Muslim country except Afghanistan has an embassy in this country. And in Islam, a country where you have embassies is not considered a belligerent country.
In Islam, the only wars that are permitted are between armies and they should engage on battlefields and engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ``Do not kill women or children or non-combatants and do not kill old people or religious people,'' and he mentioned priests, nuns and rabbis. And he said, ``Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies.''
The Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet, say that no one can punish with fire except the lord of fire. It's prohibited to burn anyone in Islam as a punishment. No one can grant these attackers any legitimacy. It was evil.
Q What role should American Muslims have in opposing this brand of violent Islam?
A I think that the Muslims -- and I really feel this strongly -- have to reject the discourse of anger. Because there is a lot of anger in the Muslim communities around the world about the oppressive conditions that many Muslims find themselves in. But we have to reject the discourse of anger and we have to move to a higher moral ground, recognizing that the desire to blame others leads to anger and eventually to wrath, neither of which are rungs on a spiritual ladder to God. It's times like these that we really need to become introspective.
The fact that there are any Muslims -- no matter how statistically insignificant their numbers -- who consider these acts to be religious acts is in and of itself shocking. And therefore we as Muslims have to ask the question, ``How is it that our religious leadership has failed to reach these people with the true message of Islam?'' Because the acts of these criminals have indicted an entire religion in the hearts and minds of millions.
These people are so bankrupt that all they have to offer is destruction.
Q Why do some people regard the hijackers as martyrs?
A That's an abomination. These are mass murderers, pure and simple. It's like Christians in this country who blow up abortion clinics or kill abortion doctors. I don't think anyone in the Christian community, except a very extreme fringe, would condone that as an acceptable Christian response. In the same way, there's no Muslim who understands his religion at all who would condone this.
One of the worst crimes in Islam is brigandry -- highway robbery, or today we'd say armed robbery -- because it disrupts the sense of well-being and security among civilians.
Q Suicide bombers have cited a Koranic verse that says, ``Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.''
A That is meant for people who are legitimately defending the lands of Islam or fighting under legitimate state authority against a tyrannical leader. There is no vigilantism in Islam. Muslims believe in the authority of government.
Imam Malik, an early Islamic legal authority, said that 60 years of oppression under an unjust ruler is better than one hour of anarchy.
Q Then why is there such strong support in parts of the world for the attacks?
A Because we're dealing in an age of ignorance and an age of anomie, the loss of social order. And people are very confused and they're impoverished. What Americans are feeling now, this has been business as usual for Lebanese people, Palestinian people, Bosnian people.
Q What about Israeli people?
A Certainly the fear element is there for Israeli people -- that's true, and the terror that they've felt. And there are still a lot of Jewish people alive who remember the fear and terror of what happened in Europe, so that's not far from people's memories.
It seems at some point, the cycles of violence have to stop. It's a type of insanity, especially when we're dealing with nuclear power. People are saying that this was an attack on civilization -- and that is exactly the point. And I think the question we all have to ask is whether indiscriminate retaliation is going to help preserve civilization.
The perpetrators of this and, really, all acts of terror are people who hate too much. There's a verse in the Koran that says do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Being just is closer to piety.
The evil of wrath is that justice and mercy are lost.
Q How do you explain Palestinians and others celebrating the attacks in the streets?
A When you see ignorant people in the streets, rejoicing -- the Prophet condemned it. It's rejoicing at the calamities of your enemies, and Islam prohibits that.
They do have a lot of anger toward America, because America produces much of Israel's military hardware and so many American tax dollars go to support Israel. You have a lot of animosity in the Arab world. But the vast majority of Arabs are horrified by what's happened.
Q The concept of jihad has been widely used to justify violence.
A Jihad means struggle. The Prophet said the greatest jihad is the struggle of a man against his own evil influences. It also refers to what Christians call a ``just war,'' which is fought against tyranny or oppression -- but under a legitimate state authority.
Q What is the Arabic word for martyr?
A Shaheed. It means witness. The martyr is the one who witnesses the truth and gives his life for it. There are people in this country like Martin Luther King who would be considered a martyr for his cause.
Also, if your home, your family, your property or your land or religion is threatened, then you may defend it with your life. That person is a martyr. But so is anybody who dies of terminal illness; it's a martyr's death. Because it's such a purification that whatever wrongs they once did, they're now in a state of purity.
And the greatest martyr in the eyes of God is the one who stands in the presence of a tyrant and speaks the truth and is killed for it. He is martyred for his tongue.
Q What does Islam say about suicide?
A Suicide is haram in Islam. It's prohibited, like a mortal sin. And murder is haram. And to kill civilians is murder.
Q What is a martyr's reward?
A The Prophet said that a martyr who dies doesn't have a reckoning on the Day of Judgment. It's an act through which he is forgiven. But the Prophet also said that there are people who kill in the name of Islam and go to hell. And when he was asked why, he said, ``Because they weren't fighting truly for the sake of God.''
If there are any martyrs in this affair it would certainly be those brave firefighters and police that went in there to save human lives and in that process lost their own.
Richard Scheinin can be contacted at (408) 920-5069 or by e-mail at rscheinin@sjmercury.com.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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Friday, May 6, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tradtional education according to the Islamic tradtion in Mauritania pt.1
Due to the harsh conditions in Mauritania, colonialist did not have the chance to delve deeply into the country, which has for the most part left its traditional Islamic school system in place, placing a emphasis on memorization of texts and one on one instruction with the teachers. The indigenous schools in Mauritania employ a pedagogical system using time-honored texts and the mahdara teaching methods in a classical curriculum. Students at these schools range from young children to old men and women although normally, schooling begins at about age six. Students begin by learning to read and write the Arabic Uthmaani script and memorize Qu’ran in the Warsh and Qaloon recitations. Students then proceed to study various sciences within Islamic Law, including grammar, sacred law, exegesis (tafsir), Prophetic traditions (hadith), Purification of the Heart, and the Prophetic biography (seera). Over many centuries, this system of education has produced some of the worlds greatest scholars and saints
Due to the harsh conditions in Mauritania, colonialist did not have the chance to delve deeply into the country, which has for the most part left its traditional Islamic school system in place, placing a emphasis on memorization of texts and one on one instruction with the teachers. The indigenous schools in Mauritania employ a pedagogical system using time-honored texts and the mahdara teaching methods in a classical curriculum. Students at these schools range from young children to old men and women although normally, schooling begins at about age six. Students begin by learning to read and write the Arabic Uthmaani script and memorize Qu’ran in the Warsh and Qaloon recitations. Students then proceed to study various sciences within Islamic Law, including grammar, sacred law, exegesis (tafsir), Prophetic traditions (hadith), Purification of the Heart, and the Prophetic biography (seera). Over many centuries, this system of education has produced some of the worlds greatest scholars and saints
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Late Shaykh Muhammad Salem ould Addud
The Late Shaykh Muhammad Salem ould Addud
He was born in 1930 and passed away April 29 2009
The Shaykh was a master in Arabic grammar and Maliki fiqh amongst other subjects. It is said that he memorised - even before he reached adulthood more than 20,000 poetry verses from more than 30 mutun,
The Shaykh also authored a 10,000 line poem which is a summary of Muktassar Khalil in Maliki Fiqh. It is said he was a library walking.
