Coming soon, Insha Allah.
Wed 24 Mar 2010
Tawassul
Posted by ibnuazlan under 'Aqidah, Shirk
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Introduction
Linguistic Definition: That act which brings you closer to another object.
O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed. (Surah al-Maidah 5:35)
People often use the verse above to justify using a wali/imam/shaykh/righteous person to get closer to Allah.
Contrary to that, Ibn Jareer said in his Tafseer (interpretation) of the above verse: “And to seek to draw nearer to Him by doing good actions and by pleasing Him.”
He didn’t say that we have to seek saints to get closer to Allah now did he?
Two Conditions of a Valid Tawassul
1. Must be prescribed by the Quran and the Sunna (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH).
2. Must use the correct means.
Tue 23 Mar 2010
Shafa’ah
Posted by ibnuazlan under 'Aqidah, Shirk
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Introduction
Meaning: Asking an intermediary to press or support one’s request to another. The keyword here is “intermediary”. Shafa’ah is also known as intercession.
Types: Worldly and Spiritual
Worldly Shafa’ah
1. It is allowed as long as you’re interceding in that which is good.
2. For example, you ask a friend of yours to recommend you to your friend’s boss because you’re applying for a job there. Here, you are using your friend as an intermediary.
Whoever intercedes in good, he is rewarded for it. Whoever intercedes with a harmful intercession, he will bear its burden. Indeed Allah is able to do anything. (Surah an-Nisa’ 4:85)
Wed 24 Feb 2010
Anas Ibn Malik says: “I have never seen a man who was more compassionate to his family members than Muhammad” (Muslim)
Usrah agenda:-
1- Tasmi’: Qur’an recitation
2- Tazkirah: Topic TBA
3- A brief summary of Educating Your Child in Modern Times by Shaikh Hamza Yusuf and John Taylor Gatto.
4- Home school anyone? – some thoughts on school system.
5- Are our mosques children-friendly?
6- Who respect who? – the wisdom of Ali r.a.
7- Haram? – positive psychology
8- Rotan?!?!?! Prophetic relation with children.
Note: full note will be posted after Usrah
Sun 7 Feb 2010
Islamic Reappraisal in the Bourgeoisie
Posted by Asyraf A.R. under Islamic History, Issues
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“Had only the people of the cities believed and had taqwa, We would have opened up for them blessings from the heavens and the earth” (Qur’an 7:96).
‘Islamists’ or Muslims?
- Islamist: a new consciousness and new agencies involving a desire to reshape the modern world according to Islamic principles. (Activist)
- Muslim: a more passive historical and cultural stance on the part of the religion and its believers.
“Conservative democrats” or “Muslim democrats”?
The term ‘conservative democracy’ then points at two parallel processes: a new Muslim self on the one hand that does not put an ‘and’ to demarcate between Islam and democracy and who is open to the possibility of a mutual borrowing. In this case, this term involves a renunciation of an earlier Islamist claim that Islam was totally distinct from Western frames of reference. The prefix ‘conservative’ on the other hand testifies to Muslim actors’ long lasting desire to blend democracy with conservative values such as emphasis on the family or the prohibition of pornography.
(Kenan Cayir) (more…)
Sun 7 Feb 2010
Our Current Condition
We live in a time where our community is in the state of ghafla (heedless). A time where our youth waste their precious early life with playing meaningless video games, which is the black hole of our modern society – an activity whose substance is complete nothingness. Our time spend in seclusion used to mean our time spend in remembrance of Allah, but now it means our time spend on watching vulgar images and videos in front of our computers. Today, our heartlands and our hearts are subjugated by inward and outward forces that make us submit to created things, as oppose to Islam’s mission to free us from these powers by submitting to the Creator of things. We should feel ashamed of ourselves when we talk about ‘adab or akhlak, as we no longer personify these noble concepts; in fact, nowadays other communities embody those concepts way better than us. As Syaikh Hamza Yusuf eloquently puts, “generally speaking, we are powerless, bereft, morally bankrupt – objects of history rather than subject of history, as were our pious predecessors who engaged the world with the power of truth and dispelled darkness with their spiritual light.”1
We live in a time where our community is in the state of ghafla (heedless). A time where our youth waste their precious early life with playing meaningless video games, which is the black hole of our modern society – an activity whose substance is complete nothingness. Our time spend in seclusion used to mean our time spend in remembrance of Allah, but now it means our time spend on watching vulgar images and videos in front of our computers. Today, our heartlands and our hearts are subjugated by inward and outward forces that make us submit to created things, as oppose to Islam’s mission to free us from these powers by submitting to the Creator of things. We should feel ashamed of ourselves when we talk about ‘adab or akhlak, as we no longer personify these noble concepts; in fact, nowadays other communities embody those concepts way better than us. As Syaikh Hamza Yusuf eloquently puts, “generally speaking, we are powerless, bereft, morally bankrupt – objects of history rather than subject of history, as were our pious predecessors who engaged the world with the power of truth and dispelled darkness with their spiritual light.”1
Wed 20 Jan 2010
Finding God in the Numeral
Posted by Taufik under Issues
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…and He has enumerated everything in numbers.
QUR’AN (Al-Jinn 72:28)
I was reading Lost History in the subway: When I read this verse, I was awestruck… “Why haven’t I heard of this verse before?” I wondered, what is the context of the verse? What precedes this fragmented verse? Is He talking about the universe?
He alone knows the Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with His Mysteries. Except a messenger whom He has chosen: and then He makes a band of watchers march before him and behind him. So that He may know that they have truly delivered the messages of their Lord, and He encompasses what is with them and He records the number of all things. (Al-Jinn 72: 26-28)
An excerpt from Micharl Hamilton Morgan’s Lost History (Pp 82-90):
A pivotal force in creating these numbers and formulas is a Persian man born in about 780 in the faraway town of Khiva, Khorasan province, known as Khwarizm to the Arabs, in Central Asia. He is named Mohammad al-Khwarizmi, literally Mohammad of Khwarizm. (more…)
Mon 11 Jan 2010
We Condemn the Attacks on Churches
Posted by Taufik under Issues
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Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jurusalem
In 638, the Christians were forced to surrender Jerusalem to Muslim control under caliph Umar al-Khattab. In a remarkable gesture for the time, Sophronius invited Umar to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but Umar refused the invitation, saying, “If I had prayed in the church it would have been lost to you, for the Believers [Muslims] would have taken it saying: Umar prayed here.” In other words, Umar declined the offer, fearing that accepting the invitation might endanger the church’s status as a Christian place of worship: The Muslims might break the treaty and turn the church into a mosque. Such was the respect that caliph Umar showed towards the place of worship of other religion. Today, we witness attacks on churches by Muslims in our home country. These irresponsible acts are in complete contradiction with the great spirit shown by the rightly-guided caliph Umar. (more…)
Sun 10 Jan 2010
Why Not Dating Dulu Baru Kahwin?
Posted by Taufik under Issues
[3] Comments
There is a glossary at the end of this article on certain scientific terms and Malay terms which may help the reader to understand the article better.
When you hear about “kahwin dulu, baru dating“, probably in your mind you will be thinking about a guy with a kopiah 24 hours on his head marrying a girl who wear the tudung labuh or even a niqaab, better known as purdah at Malaysia. Your first instinct will also probably be, “I pray, I fast, I wear tudung, but I am not these extreme ‘alim people. I need to get to know my partner for life inside out. So, I need to date him, to know whether we are serasi or not.” I perfectly understand your concern. I understand that you are not ‘crazy’ enough to just jump into a marriage without knowing who your partner really is. So in the end, this kahwin dulu baru dating trend becomes an exclusive thing among people who are active in dakwah and jemaah, while the muslim masses are walking together holding hands or ‘hanging out’ at restaurants at KLCC, Mid Valley, etc. Some of these people are perhaps incurable, but I believe some just don’t get how kahwin dulu baru dating can actually work. I will try my best to show you that kahwin dulu baru dating actually works, and romantic love is hogwash in supposedly spotting the ideal partner for a long-lasting marriage. (more…)
Tue 17 Nov 2009
A Recap of RIS 6 Experience
Posted by Taufik under Issues
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Come and register as volunteer for RIS 8!
Need to find an accommodation during your stay at Toronto for RIS 8?
The Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) convention was first held in 2003 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and it was quite a hit, with 3500 attendees. Since then, RIS is been held annually during the winter break at Toronto, and the attendance has grown three fold in subsequent years, with the 2006 convention is reported to have over 15 000 attendees. The official attendance figure for the 2007 convention is not out yet, but I would vouch that this year’s hall is even more pact than last year’s.
Over the years, distinguished scholars from all over the world have become speakers at RIS, including the likes of Tariq Ramadhan, Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad (T.J. Winter), Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson, Bilal Abu Ameenah Philips, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Syaykh Riyadh ul Haq, Tariq Suwaidan, Imam Zaid Shakir, and of course Syakh Hamza Yusuf himself.
One of the major attractions of RIS is its nasheed concert, which is usually held as the last event of the convention. Famous nasheed artists like Sami Yusuf, Native Deen, Najam Sheraz, Outlandish (hip-hop group, of course), Hamza Robetson, and Raihan (Ye la, yang itu la, Raihan mana lagi!) have made appearances there. This year, the concert is held as a separate event from the convention, due to ’some other reasons.’ There was also a special screening of the film, Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of happiness with commentaries by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf at this year’s RIS entertainment session (the new name for the separate concert).
After giving you these staggering figures and facts, the first question that comes to your mind might be, “Who is the organizer?” Well, the answer is, there is no official organization which organizes this convention, and the closest one that I can give you is: This event is “A Unique Youth Effort.” To give you a further hint, Syaikh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, and Tariq Suwaidan have perfect attendances as speakers for RIS thus far – albeit, Tariq Suwaydan didn’t make it to this year’s convention due to unavoidable, outside circumstances. (more…)