This section focuses on how New Muslims should deal with his society.
Are you of those who count? Are you an active member of your community? How should you contribute to the rebuilding of the Muslim Ummah?
To know the answer to these questions, watch this episode of Productive Muslim on Everyone Counts.
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How do you progress getting to know a sister and you are not sure you want to propose to her? What should I know about my future wife? What about hanging out? How do you reconcile beauty and deen (way of life)?
Watch this Show to know more about marriage issues.
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Source: Taken with kind permission from thedeenshow.com.
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Sheikh Yusuf Estes talks about the relationship between boys and girls in Islam.
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Your neighbor has rights over you
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is loved by all Muslims. He is well honoured and respected by countless others and considered influential in both religious and secular circles.
Mahatma Ghandi described him as scrupulous about pledges, intense in his devotion to his friends and followers, intrepid, fearless, and with absolute trust in Almighty Allah and in his own mission. Muslims all around the world consider him the example to follow in their worship and dealings with others.
The religion of Islam, as taught to us by Prophet Muhammad, urges kind and considerate treatment towards our neighbors. They deserve our respect and good treatment regardless of their religion, race, or colour. In a hadith narrated by `A’ishah, Prophet Muhammad said, “Gabriel continued to advise me to treat neighbors well until I thought he would make them my heirs” (Muslim). This clearly indicates that neighbors’s rights are indeed great.
Commanding the good treatment of neighbors in the Qur’an, Almighty Allah says:
Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the poor, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbor who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful. (An-Nisa’ 4:36)
The men and women around the Prophet were constantly reminded of their obligations to their Lord and to one another, including kindness to neighbors. In a hadith, he reportedly said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not harm or annoy his neighbor.” He also reminded — not only his Companions, but all of us who follow him — that a true believer in Allah does not allow his brother or sister to go hungry or live in unfortunate conditions, while he or she is able to help. Today, in a time when old people die alone and forgotten, and when our neighbors both near and far go hungry whilst we have food, we would do well to remember the examples set by our righteous predecessors.
Abu Dhar, one of the close Companions, was told by Prophet Muhammad to add extra water to his broth in order to be able to offer some to his neighbors. Another Companion, `Abdullah ibn `Amr, once asked his servant after slaughtering a sheep, “Did you give some to our Jewish neighbor?”
A believer is encouraged to give gifts even if they are of little monetary value. The true value of the gift is the generous spirit with which it is given. The giving of gifts fosters friendship and mutual support. When the Prophet’s wife `A’ishah asked him about which neighbors she could send gifts to, he replied, “To the one whose door is closest to yours.” Although the closest neighbors are more entitled to our care and interest, Islam urges us to take care of all our neighbors. It is a system that takes into consideration the needs and feelings of others in the greater community.
When one truly understands the teachings of Islam, he or she begins to see that if one member of a community suffers, the whole community feels the pain. After family, neighbors are the people that we depend on the most in times of need and trouble. A bad relationship with neighbors can make life miserable. It is important that people who share a neighborhood be able to trust and rely on each other, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. Neighbors need to feel secure that both their honor and wealth are safe. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) described a good neighbor as one of the joys in a Muslim’s life; he said, “Among the things that bring happiness to a believer in this life are a righteous neighbor, a spacious house, and a good steed” (Al-Hakim). A good neighbor is one who guarantees comfort, security, and safety. For this reason, it is important that one who believes in and obeys Allah does not spare any effort in being considerate of and generous to the neighbors.
Prophet Muhammad warned his Companions against harming or upsetting neighbors. In a hadith reported by Imam Ahmad that is as true today as it was 1400 years ago, the Prophet was asked about a certain woman who prayed and fasted more than was obligatory upon her, and gave generously in charity, but unfortunately, she did not refrain from speaking harshly to her neighbors. He described her as being one of the people of Hell, who would be punished for this. In the same hadith, he was asked about another woman who fulfilled only her obligatory duties and gave very little in charity; however, her neighbors were safe from her harsh tongue and she offended no one. Prophet Muhammad described her as among the people of Paradise. The religion of Islam places great emphasis on the solidarity of families, neighborhoods, and the wider community,
Dealing with a Bad Neighbor
Islam advises its followers to be kind and considerate of neighbors. What happens, however, if one has a neighbor who behaves badly and does not show the respect inherent in the teachings of Islam? Believers are patient and tolerant and do not hold grudges. They strive to mend the broken relationship through good morals and manners and a forgiving attitude in the hope that this will bring about great reward from Almighty Allah. Hence, they patiently bear the annoyances as much as they can. If the situation becomes intolerable, to take a different stance can be a last resort. Publicizing the bad behavior may be an option.
Prophet Muhammad once advised a man to gather his belongings in the middle of the road as an indication that he could no longer live beside his bad neighbor. His neighbor immediately apologised and begged him to return. Nobody likes their bad behavior to be made public, and this is especially true of a Muslim, whose religion requires him or her to have the highest moral standards. Islam places great emphasis on the qualities of respect, tolerance, and forgiveness, and these qualities shown to neighbors are a demonstration of the moral values and virtues inbuilt into the worship of the One God—Allah.
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This article was originally published on islamreligion.com. It has been taken with modifications from onislam.net
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By Nihal Khan
The mosque needs to be a hospital for the broken, not a guild for ‘good people’.
The room was silent as the scholar spoke to an attentive crowd. People had traveled from far distances to give their ears to a beautiful sermon about the annual Hajj (pilgrimage to the Ka`bah), its rights, and, most importantly, to learn to cultivate the same awe of the All-Mighty that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) exhibited.
Though the general setup of the room was theater style, with all the men on the right side and all the women on the left, at the very front of the men’s section sat a woman who seemed to not be familiar with the setup and culture of the mosque, along with her husband and two children. No one else occupied any seats in that row. As the lecture was going on, one, then two, and finally three different men came up to the woman and whispered to her, ‘This is the men’s section, you need to get up and sit with the women’.
Towards the end of the sermon, as the Sheikh began relating points about the ritual slaughter, the man sitting at the front with his family very calmly stood up and slowly began to speak. ‘Sheikh today is the first time I am coming to a mosque in 20 years. I have not prayed in twenty years. My wife who is sitting in the front with me is a Christian and it is her first time ever in a mosque. During your lecture, three different men have approached my wife and asked her to move to the women’s side of the room. She does not know a single person here and does not feel comfortable sitting by herself. Hence, we sat in the front row together’.
At this point the woman began to get up, pick up her coat, and ready her children to leave the mosque. The man continued ‘I received an e-mail about this lecture and thought it would be a good opportunity for me to begin the path to God, but it seems I was wrong. Please e-mail me again once this community welcomes Christians like my wife to be a part of your community. Good bye’.
As the man and his family began walking out, the Sheikh beckoned to him, ‘No, you don’t have to leave! That’s fine; you can sit in the front with your family!’ Before most of the crowd could figure out what happened, the family had walked out.
The Sheikh stopped lecturing and put his head down for a solid thirty seconds. He finally addressed the crowd in a sad, anger-laced, yet calm voice, ‘We just witnessed a real ritual slaughter.’
There was peak silence in the room.
He then went on, ‘We need to come to terms with reality that most Muslims do not have a beard, wear hijab, or attend the mosque. Most do not want to go to the mosque because of incidents like this. Many Muslims who I grew up with became closer to Islam through sources outside the mosque, and those are the lucky ones who found a different outlet. But many, such as my own extended family members will not have anything to do with the mosque because of incidents like this.
We must stop forcing our own cultural customs on people and show them what care, respect, and understanding mean. Until and unless we welcome non-religious people with open arms to our Islamic centers and create a positive environment, we cannot expect our mosques to grow.’
Without the Sheikh seeing them, the family which had initially walked out, quietly made their way back into the lecture hall. A few brothers and sisters had profusely apologized for what happened and were able to convince them to return to the lecture. The room was still reverberating with the Sheikh’s words. Finally he spoke, ‘As of now we are ending this lecture. What we have heard and seen is enough.
As-salamu `alaykum (peace be upon you).’
The Sheikh started to walk off the podium not long before attendees in the crowd began pleading with him to continue. The Sheikh refused, but finally when he saw the family back in the first row, he resumed the lecture where he left off (may Allah bless him).
This is a true story of an incident that I personally witnessed at a masjid (mosque) I do not regularly attend in the United States. Though this is just one story, I am sure many of you reading this can relate and may have experienced something to a similar degree in your Muslim communities.
Instead of seeing this as another story from which we don’t know how or where to proceed, let us derive a few lessons to begin working on:
1. Mosques must serve Muslims regardless of their perceived religiosity level. We must be very careful of catering to the minority at the expense of the majority.
2. Be cognizant of everyone’s individual levels. If a man urinated in the masjid yet was not offended after he was advised, then it behooves us to study the manner in which that advice was given and follow a similar example in correcting people.
3. The mosque needs to be a hospital for the broken, not a guild for ‘good people’. Everyone was welcome to the mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
4. If you are part of the community leadership, it is your duty to do everything in your ability to make guest speakers and scholars feel respected and appreciated by the community and attendees.
At the very least, I hope this post can spawn a discussion amongst those of you who are experiencing similar difficulties in your communities.
May Allah rectify our situations and let our communities flourish with ease.
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Source: muslimmatters.org
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Changing the Name of a New Muslim: Custom or Religious?
It was the summer of 1999 in Tulsa when I walked into a sandwich shop. My pants sagging and hat turned back and to the side, I looked at the seemingly Greek guy behind the desk and said: ‘Let me get a Gyro with extra sauce’. After I sat down waiting for my sandwich, I heard the guy answer the phone with as-salamu `alaykum (peace be upon you; Islamic greeting of peace) and thought: ‘Wow that Greek cat is Muslim!’
You see I had been reading the Qur’an for over a year and believing it to be the message of God, yet heavily struggling with a corrupt lifestyle. I had only met three Muslims before, but they didn’t practice hence they don’t even know where a Mosque might be. So when I went to get my Gyro I told him as-salamu `alaykum.
He looked me up and down and asked: ‘Are you a Muslim?’
I quickly affirmed confused by his question ‘Yeah man, can you hook me up with a mosque around here?’
He had no clue what a mosque is but after I explained, he said that they had just opened a nice newly built masjid (mosque) and he gave me directions. So then I asked him if many Greeks are Muslim and he said: ‘I’m not Greek I’m Syrian!’
That was the first time I had ever heard of Syria in my life. There is a lot to learn from that event, primarily that we need to step up our da`wah (call to Islam) skills.
So the next day I went to the mosque around 1pm. I walked in and- thanks to the disorderliness we often have- I noticed a pair of shoes sitting in front of the doors to the musallah (Prayer sanctuary; area where prayers are performed in a mosque). So I took off my shoes and saw a man praying and went in and did my own form of prayer which I learned from the scene where Denzel is praying on his Hajj pilgrimage in the movie Malcolm X.
Then as I was walking out, the elderly gentleman followed me and made salaam (Islamic greeting) to me and I responded. He then asked if I was Muslim and I affirmed. Then he asked me: ‘What is your name?’ I told him my name is John. He responded: ‘No, no. That’s not a Muslim name. That is a name of the kuffar (disbelievers)’. ‘I was like what?’ I asked. He said yeah that is not an Islamic name.
So I told him that John originally means ‘God is gracious’ and it is the name of Jesus’ (peace be upon him) cousin who is a Prophet mentioned in the Qur’an, but he said: ‘No, his name is `Isa (Jesus) and his cousin is Yahya (which means John), so your name is Yahya’. I thought okay this guy is hardcore, man, taking it back to the original…
Since that day, I have been called Yahya among my Muslim brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful name that I don’t mind being called by, but as we mentioned before it wasn’t the exact name of the Prophet who was Jesus’ cousin, and it was not `Isa (the name by which Jesus was called) either.
John was more like Yuhanna (John the Baptist) and Jesus was more like Yeshu’a (which is a Hebrew variant of Joshua). So after realizing that this is just an Arabization of their names to facilitate the Qur’an’s Arabic flow I regretted having changed my name since it now seemed Islamically logical to have kept my name in English for the flow and familiarity of English. Let’s now discuss the issue of changing your name from an Islamic legal perspective.
What Islam Says
The vast majority of scholars throughout our history say that it is an obligation to change a name only if it represents other polytheistic beliefs or if it is a foul name with a bad meaning. For example if someone’s name was Christian then upon becoming Muslim they would change their name.
The customary practice of encouraging a new revert to Islam to change their name is not an Islamic teaching as the Prophet (peace be upon him) left mostly all of his companions with common names that carry little or no meaning like `Umar, Talhah, Khadijah, etc. Some of these people with very simple names became great leaders.
As a matter of fact Salman is a Persian name (he was called Salaman Al-Farisi) while the Prophet witnessed his embracing Islam and spent much time with him, he never suggested Salman (may God be pleased with him) change his name. He only changed the names which were either indicating the worship of other than God or a name that was a bad meaning like the following:
1- `Aasiyah (sinner) to Jameelah (beautiful)
2- Abdul-Shams (Slave of the sun) to Abdul-Rahman (Slave of the Merciful God)
3- Haram (forbidden) to halal (permissible)
4- Zalim (oppressor) to Rashid (rightly guided)
5- Harb (war) to Muslim (committed to God)
In retrospect, after being trained in the Islamic sciences and objectives, I have come to realize that this brother who sought to change my name was no doubt sincere, but ignorant of the big picture of Islam in America. This settled in when I was sitting with a sheikh (scholar) in Egypt who asked me my name. I told him Yahya to which he responded: ‘That can’t be your name!’ I was like, ‘What is he talking about?’ So I tried to explain how that is my Islamic name. He responded: You’re mistaken. He then went on to give two reasons why I should have not changed my name and why I should return to John.
1- Islam teaches the utmost respect and honor for ones parents; Muslim or not. This is clear in the many verses of the Qur’an which command us to do so and some of them specify that the only exception is in obeying a parent’s call to an evil lifestyle.
Changing your name not only erases and invalidates their very first interaction with you as parents, but gives the idea of you splitting from your family which can be perceived as breaking the ties of the womb.
2- As long as your original name’s meaning isn’t contrary to Islam then it would be in the best interest of promoting our faith through da`wah. When people see that Matt, Dave, Robert, Sarah, Lisa, Emily, etc, are Muslims whose language and general customs are similar to them it takes away that ‘Islam is a foreign religion’ vibe we often give off.
This is in light of the hadith (record of the words or actions of the Prophet): “Facilitate things for people and don’t make things difficult for them. Give glad tidings and don’t alienate people”. (Al-Bukhari)
Of course for someone who has been known to many people by a name for some time it would be a hassle to change it back. The fact is that, as the Sheikh said, my mother was indeed somewhat offended and told me that ‘my brothers’ can call me what they want, but that she will always call me John.
It is no one’s business what a person chooses to be called as long as it carries a good meaning. The advice of this article is that it is not part of the Sunnah (prophetic tradition) to change someone’s name as a result of their embracing Islam.
If someone, of their own accord, wishes to change their name, then that is their right, but don’t encourage it as the benefits are there for them to keep it. And God knows best!
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Source: suhaibwebb.com
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By Maryam Amirebrahimi
Giving the salams and meeting fellow believers can be a means of having our sins forgiven.
‘As-salamu `alaykum’ (peace be upon you) I began, excited to speak with a new friend over the phone. ‘Wa `alaykum… (and on you) sigh… as-salam (be peace)… apathetic sigh’ was the reply. Subhan Allah (Glory be to God), I thought.
I’m so excited to speak with her, but she seems quite bored or exhausted. Did she have a bad day? Did I do something wrong? Does she not want to speak with me?
After becoming more acquainted with her, I realized that her reply had nothing to do with me or her day; she just naturally is an extremely calm and composed person.
This realization was empowering; it meant that her lack of visible or audible enthusiasm had nothing to do with me; I didn’t have to take it personally. I could keep calling. However, not everyone has this realization, especially when it goes down in the masjid (mosque).
How many of us have entered a masjid, for the first time, or the hundredth time and found not a single friendly face? How many of us have tried to say salam (the greeting of peace) to someone passing by us in the prayer hall, only to be ignored, stared down or receive in reply a hasty, apathetic salam? How many of us have felt that we never wanted to return to that particular masjid because of all the unfriendly faces?
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has told us: “O People! Spread salam, feed the hungry, be in touch with your kin, and pray while people are asleep (at night) you shall enter paradise peacefully”. (At- Tirmidhi)
And he was asked about the best actions and he replied: “Feeding the hungry and saying salam to those you know and those you don’t know”. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Remember that time when someone you didn’t know was walking towards you with this enormous smile… and then continued to walk right past you as they enthusiastically greeted the person right behind you?
Imagine if you had been greeted in that way… especially if you did not even know the person. And then, upon questioning if you knew the person, he or she replied: ‘You’re my brother/sister in Islam!’ How would that make you feel? Welcomed? Special? Accepted?
Imagine the reward of that person who would make you feel like you belong.
We constantly call for unity in our communities. We call to be united against oppression globally but what are we doing to help create bonds of unity with those in our own localities? What are we doing to help strengthen our relationships so that we’ll in sha’ Allah (God willing) be united in calling for justice?
Read the wisdom of the Prophet: “You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another: “Spread salam (the greeting of peace) among you”. (Muslim)
Loving one another is linked with saying salam! If we really want to feel united in order to help our Ummah (Muslim community) let us begin where the Prophet has instructed us; let us spread the salam!
Additionally, giving the salams and meeting fellow believers can be a means of having our sins forgiven. So, in any occasion, in addition to all that cheek kissing we do, let’s seek to establish a blessed Sunnah (traditions and practices of the Prophet), one through which, our sins will in sha’ Allah be forgiven.
The Prophet has told us: “When two Muslims meet (give salam), and shake hands, they are forgiven their sins before they part (with each other)”. (Abu Dawud)
Observe yourself next time you meet someone and you automatically go for the hugging and cheek kiss thing (1…2…3…4…7 times? Everyone does it differently. Do you ever shake hands? In addition to exuding all that physical love, let’s begin to clasp hands, hoping that with the connection of our hands will be the obliteration of our sins.
Finally, while spreading the salam, it’s important to be aware of an important fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) ruling which accompanies the blessed greeting. Allah tells us:
And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. ( An-Nisaa’ 4:86)
We should, at minimum, return the greeting with its like or give them an even better greeting.
It is wajib (requisite) to respond to someone who has greeted you, and it is a blessed Sunnah to start the greeting. The Prophet has even told us: “The person closest to Allah is the one who precedes others in greeting”. (Abu Dawud)
Who knows who is closest to Allah other than Allah (Exalted is He)? Let’s race to be amongst those closest! Let us try to be the first ones to say salam!
Let us, by Allah’s mercy, be the ones who help people feel like they want to rush back to the masjid because they feel like it is truly their home.
Let us smile, shake hands, and spread sincere and warm salams to all that we see!
May Allah make it a means, by His mercy, of allowing us to enter Jannah (Paradise) with salam (peace).
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Source: suhaibwebb.com.
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Punctuality is respectful of people’s time
You might think that because the day of a Muslim is built around prayers which need to be performed at specific times, that Muslims would be fairly punctual people as a rule.
But this seems not to be the case, even though I’ve heard several scholars remind listeners of the importance of being on time. I remember Sheikh Yaser Birjas indicating to students at a seminar that they should arrive for class like a muezzin arrives for prayer. (He has to arrive early enough to be ready to call as soon as the time for prayer comes in.) This suggests that Muslims should be acutely aware of time as part of their preparation for prayer, or class, or anything else.
After becoming Muslim, though, I started hearing plenty of jokes about a tendency of Muslims towards tardiness. Although, the observation relates mostly to religious and social functions as late arrivals to work or school often result in disciplinary action. I find American society generally to be less tolerant of tardiness than Muslims (so kudos to the Muslims for being so forgiving) but this can result in some confusion for the American Muslim community.
I heard the story of a convert who made the observation, on his first visit to Jumu`ah (Friday) Prayer, that when he arrived- at the indicated time- only a few people were present, but during the sermon people continued arriving until the hall was filled by the time of the prayer. Yet I don’t think this experience is rare.
Similarly, I’ve noticed that when attending Islamic lectures and classes, most respected teachers endeavor to begin and end on time. While helping to organize a 4-week da`wah training program a few years ago, I learned an important lesson regarding punctuality.
The class was supposed to begin early on a Saturday morning, and though a few people showed up early, there were crowds coming through the door even after the ‘start’ time. I wanted to wait for the students to settle in, and that was a mistake. The imam of the masjid (mosque) told me that even if some people were still arriving, I should still start on time, and end on time.
To start with, punctuality is respectful of people’s time; if they showed up on time, they shouldn’t have to wait for the program to begin. Moreover, ending on time allows people to leave for other engagements they may have planned, instead of detaining them longer than they expected. And also, if an event fails to start on time, what incentive is there to arrive on time?
Since my own lesson on punctuality, I’ve made a point of observing when speakers (scholars, imams, community leaders, teachers, etc.) deliberately start on time- or as best they are able, when faced with logistical delays- and end on time.
I understand it to be a part of the etiquette of being a speaker; of being a teacher, or an imam, and have found that the more knowledgeable, respected, and elder teachers usually strive for punctuality, even when students are late. For that reason, I don’t accept that tardiness is religiously appropriate behavior since it’s not from the etiquette which I have witnessed from religious scholars.
I’ve even seen some scholars who seem to be as strict about punctuality as my high school band director. For us, it was an enforced rule. Students late to rehearsal would have to perform push-ups or run laps. Arriving late for a trip would mean getting left behind; nobody would wait. And if our rehearsals ran over schedule, even by as little as five minutes, the director would shorten the next day’s rehearsal by the same amount. Breaks came regularly, and if they were delayed, then they were extended also. (Noting that breaks were usually barely 3-5 minutes, enough time to sit and drink water.)
When I’m in a class or a lecture where the speaker goes on- beyond an hour, sometimes beyond two, I find myself becoming irritated and even resentful towards the speaker, while my concentration plummets, especially when scheduled breaks have been neglected by the speaker.
How is a student supposed to feel after arriving on time and waiting over an hour or more for an instructor, who then proceeds to lecture for an hour or two without giving students a break? I think the only way a student can feel, in that situation, is that the instructor lacks respect for his time, leading the student to not respect the instructor.
So I’ll emphasize again why tardiness is not something seen in the most erudite of scholars, and why I don’t believe that it is religiously appropriate. And I maintain that view despite the prevalent disregard for time in some Muslim cultures.
Unfortunately, punctuality can even be an inconvenience in a culture with more lenient and flexible schedule. My husband stresses the importance of arriving promptly to dinner parties, that is, he wants to arrive at the time indicated on the invitation. However, I find myself stalling our departure in order to avoid inconveniencing the hostess. Since most guests tend to arrive 30 minutes or more late, she might not be fully prepared for guests if we arrive ’on time’, and she might struggle trying to make conversation with me while still cooking and cleaning, leaving me in an awkward position while he goes off to another room with the host.
On the other hand, an American crowd might be expected to arrive 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time. That’s why there can be some confusion.
Of course, punctuality should be the norm for all events, but I’m not sure what it would take for people to accept that on a wide scale. It’s not easy to enforce it with other people, but the least we can do is enforce it on ourselves and make punctuality a fixed attribute for which we are known.
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Source: ibnatalhidayah.blogspot.com.
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It is duty of we Muslims to shoulder the responsibility of showing the utmost care to those people
Man’s life is a full record of hardships and tribulations. In this sense, Allah says:
We create man from a drop of thickened fluid to test him. (Al-Insan 76:2)
When man looks upon these tribulations and afflictions as being a test from Almighty Allah to see his true colors, he will come to know that there is a great divine wisdom behind all these tests. This is surely an absolute fact, whether we know it or not.
It is also a great thing that Almighty Allah, when depriving a person of a certain ability or gift, compensates him for it, by bestowing upon him/her other gift, with which he excels others. That is why we see that those people who are deprived of sight, have very sensitive ears that they can hear very low beats or movements around them. They are given excellence in many other abilities to compensate their imperfection.
If a person adopts this view, he will surely find rest and get contented with the test posed on him by Almighty Allah. Every person should bear in mind that he can never change his inability or escape Allah’s fate and thus he should try his best to make his life better and turn this sore lemon into sweet honey.
This inability should be a motive to creativity and excellence in any field of life. A disabled person should make his condition an impetus towards being distinguished and prominent in the society.
In order to be an active member in the society, a disabled person needs to be fully aware of his surroundings and the nature of his disability. In addition, it is incumbent on the society to offer a helping hand to all those people.
Islamic history has a shining record of many examples of people who, while having some kind of disability, occupied very excellent positions and prominent status in the society. `Atta’ ibn Abi Rabah, who was known of being black, lame and paralyzed person, was the greatest Mufti in Makkah. He was highly honored by `Abdul-Malik ibn Marawan, the Muslim caliph of that time. His vast knowledge earned this prestige.
Also, we know the story of the great Companion `Amr ibn Al-Jamuh, who was also lame. His four sons, when participating in Jihad, said to him: ‘You have an excuse to remain at home, for you are old and you have a kind of disability.’ With full confidence and trust in Allah, he said to them: ‘Nay, for I hope to walk in Paradise with my lame foot.’ Commenting on this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: ‘Leave him! He is a man who seeks martyrdom.’
Almighty Allah guides all Muslims not to leave those disabled in isolation lest they fall a prey to despair and psychological ailments. They should be welcomed to the open society and be dealt with in the kindest way.
In Islam, we are commanded to show mercy to everything in this world.
Now, it is the duty of the whole society to establish schools for those persons and secure them due care so that they become good members of the society and that they benefit themselves and their families. In the West, great care is shown to the disabled.
It is duty of we Muslims to shoulder the responsibility of showing the utmost care to those people, for, according to the teachings of our religion, those persons are sources of divine mercy and blessings being showered on us now and then. They are the weak for whose sake we are given sustenance and made victorious.
In his hadith, our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You are given sustenance and victory for the virtue of those who are weak amongst you.” (Abu Dawud)
If those Westerners show mercy and care to the disabled out of human motives, we, Muslims should do so out of both human and religious motives. In Islam, we are commanded to show mercy to everything in this world. Remember the words of the Prophet:
“Show mercy to those on earth so that He Who is in the heavens (i.e., Allah) bestow mercy to you.” (At-Tirmidhi)
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Source: onislam.net.
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Islam is a spiritual reality that when embraced should be expressed quite naturally with no confusion.
We have all witnessed the declaration of faith administered to a new Muslim and it is generally accepted as a compelling occasion. Naturally, some will be surprised by my usage of the phrase ’generally accepted as compelling‘ to describe the administering of the declaration of faith.
Don’t get me wrong, someone being guided aright is indeed a blessed and joyous occasion, but that phrase is indeed the subject of this article. That’s why we attempt to challenge accepted norms of practice here in the West regarding the Arabization of our identity. When judging anything, we should undoubtedly look to the pristine legacy of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and the distinguished tutelage of his noble companions.
In the time of the Prophet, there were multitudes of men, women, and children who were graced by divine light in embracing the absolute truth of our very existence, ‘I declare that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is His messenger’.
But the question is how did that take place? Did it ever happen that someone who indicated their interest in Islam would come to the Prophet or his Companions and then be brought in front of the people and be administered word for word the declaration of faith? The answer of any student of the Prophet’s biography and the early history of our lofty predecessors is no.
This article is not by any means attempting to call the declaring of faith in front of a crowd an innovation. Rather the hope is to reform the practice to make it in line with the example of the Companions of the Prophet, about whom Almighty God has stated:
God is pleased with the early Muslim immigrants, their helpers in Madinah and those who follow them to the best of their ability and God is pleased with them… (At-Tawbah 9:100)
Islam is a spiritual reality that when embraced should be expressed quite naturally with no confusion. It should appear as a sincere conviction coming from the heart of the person. The current process of the declaration of faith has an element which takes away from its glory. It brings down the person taking that great leap of faith, especially in today’s world.
By giving him/her the idea that although you have ratified your innate knowledge of Islam through the Qur’an and prophethood of Muhammad, you can’t truly express that unless it is in Arabic. Of course since he or she does not know Arabic this is often the beginning of an inferiority complex that is thrust upon the fresh revert from the get go.
One time in Kuwait, I administered a declaration of faith in front of an audience at a large mosque. The audience was about 200, maybe a quarter of them spoke English fluently and the majority understood basic conversational English. So first, in Arabic I summarized for the crowd his story and that the brother was going to declare his newfound faith. Then I asked him to repeat after me in English, ‘I declare that there is no deity other than God and Muhammad is His Messenger’.
Many people were elated and came to embrace their new brother while you can hear some objections rustling through the crowd. The Imam of the Mosque took me aside and began telling me that it is a condition or obligation for the declaration to be in Arabic. I asked the sheikh for some evidence and he said that it is well known. Of course well known is not a proof of Islamic Law so I researched the matter and, until now, to my surprise, I have found no such claim in the books of Islamic jurisprudence. That said, it is confirmed by various sheikhs as being ‘well known’.
Of course it doesn’t make sense to have someone declare their faith in a language that they don’t have the slightest clue about, but we should be fair to our legal tradition and not use our logic as an indisputable gauge. That being said, with the absence of any text or juristic precedence, I will now suggest how and why it should be done differently than the ‘well known’ way we are accustomed to.
In the history of our pious predecessors we find that the people who declared their faith to the Prophet and his Companions did so without any coaching necessary. It came naturally as a result of the certainty of their heart. Since they were Arabs that declaration was in their own language.
As mentioned before, the scholars of usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) say: ’That which is significant is not in names or titles rather the meaning and implication behind them’. The meaning is completely rendered in the English translation and thus the intended action has been performed.
In reflection, the form which I followed in Kuwait is still faulty! The Prophet said something quite crux to this article:
“Anyone who declares that there is no deity other than God and that and that Muhammad is the messenger of God genuinely and sincerely from his or her heart will be saved from the Hellfire.” (Al-Bukhari)
It is my hope that when someone enters Islam they do so with conviction and sufficient knowledge and understanding. So if they feel comfortable with it, I would encourage them to stand in front of the Muslims and tell their story and make their declaration in confidence and clarity without the help of any Imam.
This would be keeping in line with the generation that carried and conveyed this message which is, after divine blessing, why we are all able to be Muslim in the first place.
All praise and gratitude go to our beloved Guide and may He bestow His peace and blessings upon the Prophet and the early generations!
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Source: suhaibwebb.com
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