Youth Matters

ediscoverislam.com

zfnd — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:38:05 +0000

Cool Dawah Website:

“Some people reject God because they can find no evidence for Him which satisfies both their hearts and minds simultaneously. Then there are others who accept God on the basis of emotional or irrational reasons which satisfy their hearts, but leave their minds unsure. These two groups of people have never found a satisfying answer to the question of their relationship with God. Then there are yet others who have found the correct path which God intended for us: to accept Him and His message to us using our minds first and foremost, and the heart follows easily and naturally as a consequence. Instead of searching for the answer, there are also some people who chose to simply brush the question aside and ignore it unfortunately. This is the easy way out of what appears to be a very difficult, mysterious question which may seem to have no final solution. Most of these people are unaware of a very powerful message which completely and unequivocally establishes the correct path to God. This message squares with both the mind and the heart, and it has no equal since it comes to us straight from God Himself.

To Muslim Hip Hoppers and Entertainers by Suhaib Webb

zfnd — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:36:29 +0000

To Muslim Hip Hoppers and Entertainers

Asalamu alaykum, When the Prophet [sa] saw Umar reading some passages from the Torah he said, “If Mosa was alive today, he would have no choice but to follow me.” What would he say to our Muslim entertainers who jump up and down and seek, intended or unintended, to impose the lens of culture as a means to interpret and understand religion? While the Torah still held some drops of revelation, the words and acts of men don’t.

A few years ago Dr. Tariq Ramadan encouraged a moratorium on Islamic penal codes. I’m calling for a moratorium on Islamic entertainment. Let’s encourage our dear brothers and sisters to take a year off, learn the religion, learn tajwid, getting an ijaza in one of the 7 ways of reading, master a book in every major science; and participate in one of their local Islamic Centers dawa programs. If one is already doing this, or done it, then do it again.

Perhaps one would say that this applies to all Muslims? No doubt, learning here is of greater importance because our artists are trying to shape a discourse. This discourse must be based on knowledge and submission. I would encourage Muslims to avoid these superstars, inviting them to events, paying them big sums of cash and treating them with such pageantry. SDW know to others as “Eminem.”

Shaykh Abdullah bin Jibreen [ra] (1352h-1430h)

youthmatters — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:28:30 +0000

Abu Eesa Niamatullah:

Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn.
“May Allah jalla wa ‘alā have mercy upon the Shaykh, illuminate his grave and grant him the best of Paradise, amīn. And so another giant is taken and another barrier between ourselves and the anger of our Lord has fallen. To Allah we complain alone of our weakness and sins.”

Recounting Memories of Ibn Jibreen – Navaid Aziz
“At that time I was playing with the baby, and I couldn’t help but to just put her down and contemplate the great loss the ummah had just faced.”

Sh. Salman al ‘awdah said about him: “Indeed the illustrious scholar Ibn Jibreen was from the greatest scholars of Saudi Arabia, and the most enthusiastic of them in giving da’wah, and from those that had the greatest of effects. He was extremely humble, truly sincere, and vast in knowledge. I never saw him get upset, nor ever try to put himself above others. He used to kiss the heads of his students, and would outright refuse to have anyone kiss his head…”

Shaykh Haytham al-Haddād [english] video talking about Sh. Ibn Jibreen

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi: “Truly with the death of the Shaykh we have lost the last of the great giants of our era…and Allah does not remove knowledge from the chests of men, but rather through the death of scholars.”

Shaykh Saalih Al-Mughamisee [khateeb masjid qubaa]

Shaikh Salman al-Awdah and Shaikh Abdul Aziz al-Fawzan upon his death.

Shaikh Mohammad Hasan in Egypt upon his death

Saudi Gazzette Article: “Dr. Muhammad Bin Saad Al-Shuwai’er, Adviser to the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, said the Muslim Ummah owes Sheikh Al-Jibreen a right – that is, to pray that Allah bestow His mercy on him.”

Qari Nasir Alqatmi

Dr. Abdullah Salmi

Clip of Janaza [funeral] Prayer

Dedication Video

May Allah envelope him with His mercy and grant him Firdous al-A’la, Ameen.

7 Lessons From the Death of Michael Jackson

zfnd — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:40:50 +0000

Your Life is a Box. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) once drew a dot in the sand, and lines radiating out from it; he said (paraphrased), “this is the human, and their plans/desires.” To live forever, to amass huge wealth, to do this or that thing in their life … he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) then drew a box that cut through those lines, and he said (paraphrased): “This is a human’s life.” No matter what you intend, your goals, your dreams, your hopes, when Allah pulls the plug, He pulls the plug.

Read the rest at IlmFruits

5 Steps to Taking off your Hijab

zfnd — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:40:00 +0000

One of the bests posts I’ve seen on the subject, ma sha Allah.

from DEENDRIVEN.com

It seems like there are some people who are just thinking about taking off their hijab. No one has created a step-by-step approach for it. Here you go.

1) Stop thinking it’s a big deal. It’s bad, but not that bad. There are people who drink, you know! Let this idea simmer.

2) Stop thinking about what others would say or think. You aren’t suppose to do good deeds for other people’s sake, it’s suppose to be for Allah.

3) *Critical step* Find and stick to friends who have already took off their hijab. They will give you their stories, why they did it and how it makes sense. Look how cool and trendy they are! They’ll be the ones who will provide you support after you take it off.
4) If you stopped wearing it, you are going to feel a little nervous. You need to be armed with some replies. Here are some commonly quoted reasons;

“My husband/in-laws wanted me to, it’s part of being a good wife to listen to what they say”
“You don’t understand, it’s tough to wear it at my workplace”
“There is a difference of opinion”
“There are girls who wear hijab and do bad things”
If anyone tries to get to preachy, tell them they don’t know what’s in your heart and they can’t judge you. It makes you feel real good.

5) Even after you take off your hijab, your heart will tell you to go back and you will doubt what you just did. Try to kill these feelings and thoughts. It will be too embarassing to start wearing the hijab again. Its like publically saying you made a mistake. What will people say ?

An Amazing Comment:

Antigone says:

July 10, 2009 at 3:42 am

Praise Allah brother,

I’ve been deeply distraught recently concerning my wife’s trepidations on hijab. Allah forgive her, she is merely a confused woman.
I have tried many things; we have consulted Hadith by ourselves and alongside a respected Imam here in Bakersfield, but it was to no avail! She thought there was no hadith truly on point, despite my clear allusions to Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 18 concerning hijab. I sat her down in front of my parents and yet she audaciously argued still, in front of her own in-laws! Needless to say my mother has still not recovered from the conversation.

I must admit brother, Allah forgive me, I almost lost hope. Despite the veracity of such legitimate and concrete sources, she just believed they were not applicable to modern life.
And then, mashallah I discovered your blog and this particular post. I quickly directed her to it though she read it reluctantly.
But soon thereafter she truly felt that someone finally spoke her language.
My brother, excuse my informality, but she “just got it”. Now I am more comfortable with being around her and we do not have this wall between us. She has accepted hijab and can’t believe she ever thought of taking it off. Don’t worry brother, I remind her everyday of Shaitaan’s trickery and her close slip up.

Mashallah, may Allah bless you and your wife. Take care brother.

admin says:

July 10, 2009 at 11:10 am

@ Antigone, as salaam alikuim

Your story almost brought tears to my eyes.

Firstly, all thanks belong to Allah as he is the Owner of our hearts. No one, not even Shaytan, can misguide someone, if He choose to guide them.

I felt like I won a million dollars today because I helped defeat Shaythan in his biggest goal, to try to cause separation between husband and wife.

Share it with others who might be going through this struggle.

Jezkallah khair for your dua. You two were in mine as well.

Ahmed

Al-Mu’tasim and the Amazing Dream of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbalرحمه الله

zfnd — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:06:40 +0000

flickr

The strength of his faith in Allah and the steadfastness on his understanding of the Deen were tested when under Khalifah al-Mu’tasim, a Fitnah or a kind of ‘inquisition court’ was created to deal with people among whom were many acknowledged scholars who would not profess the doctrine of “the creation of the Qur’an”. Imam ibn Hanbal too, suffered as a result when he was arrested and brought in chains before the court. But he patiently submitted to corporal punishment and imprisonment and resolutely refused to deviate from his beliefs. His trial, and the Ummah’s for that matter, were to come to an end on the hands of the Khalifah al-Mutawakkil who did not believe in the doctrine of ‘the creation of the Qur’an’. From then onwards the Imam was accorded honour befitting his greatness. His steadfastness helped preserve the correct Islamic belief regarding the Book of Allah. His fame spread far and wide. His learning, piety and unswerving faithfulness to traditions gathered the Ummah and its scholars around his understanding and teachings. He died in Baghdad in the year 855 CE (241 AH). (Al-Jumu’ah Magazine)

Sulaymaan said, ‘He was then carried to the prison and the people departed, so I departed with them. Then when the next day arrived the people came (to the door of al-Mu’tasim) so I came with them and stood in front of the chair. Then al-Mu’tasim appeared and sat on the chair and said, ‘Bring Ahmad ibn Hanbal.’ So he was brought and when he stood in front of him al-Mu’tasim said to him,

‘How were you in your cell during the night, 0 son of Hanbal?’ He said, “In goodness, and all praises are due to Allaah.” Al-Mu‘tasim said, ‘0 Ahmad, I saw a dream yesterday.’ He said, “And what did you see, 0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen?” He said, ‘I saw in my dream as if there were two lions approaching me and they desired to tear me apart. And then two angels appeared and repelled them from me. They gave me a hook and said to me, ‘This written (piece) is the dream that Ahmad ibn Hanbal saw in his cell.’ So what is it that you saw, 0 son of Hanbal?’

So Ahmad faced al-Mu’tasim and said, “0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen, is the book with you?” He said, ‘Yes, and when I awoke, I read what was in it.

So Ahmad said to him, “0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen, I saw as if the Day of Judgement had been established, and as if Allaah had gathered the first and the last (of people) in a single plain and He was calling them to account. Whilst I was standing, I was called for, so I proceeded until I stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, and He said to me, ‘0 Ahmad, for what were you beaten?’ I said, “On account of the Qur’aan.” He said, “And what is the Qur’aan?” I said, “Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.” He said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ I said, “0 Lord, ‘Abdur-Razzaaq narrated to me.”

So ‘AbdurRazzaaq was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 ‘Abdur-Razzaaq?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, ‘Ma’mar narrated to me.’

So Ma’mar was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Ma’mar?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, ‘Az– Zuhree narrated to me.’

So az-Zuhree was called for and he was Brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Zuhree?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ So Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, “Urwah narrated to me.’

So ‘Urwah was brought, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan?’ He said, ‘Your Words, 0 AIIaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘0 ‘Urwah, from where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, “Aa’ishah [r], the daughter of Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq[r], narrated to me.’

So ‘Aa’ishah[r] was called for and she was brought, until she was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to her, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 ‘Aa’ishah[r]?’ She said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ She said, ‘Your Prophet Muhammad [s] narrated to me.’

He said, ‘So Muhammad [s] was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Muhammad[s]?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ So the Prophet [s] said, ‘Jibreel narrated to me.’

So Jibreel was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Jibreel?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ He said, ‘Such did Israafeel narrate to me.’

So Israafeel was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and Allaah, the Sublime, said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Israafeel?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ He said, ‘I saw that in the Lawhul-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet).’

So the Preserved Tablet was brought and stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said, ‘0 Lawh, what do you say about the Qur’aan?’ And it said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.’ Then Allaah, the Exalted said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ And the Lawh said, ‘Such did the Qalam (the Pen) inscribe upon me.’

Then the Pen was brought until it stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, so Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, said to it, ‘0 Qalam, what do you say about the Qur’aan?’ The Qalam said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.’ So Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ The Qalam said — ‘You dictated and I wrote.’

Then Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, said, ‘The Qalam has spoken the truth. The Lawh has spoken the truth. Israafeel has spoken the truth. Jibreel has spoken the truth. Muhammad[s] has spoken the truth. ‘Aa’ishah [r] has spoken the truth. ‘Urwah has spoken the truth. Az-Zuhree has spoken the truth. Ma’mar has spoken the truth. ‘Abdur-Razzaaq has spoken the truth. Ahmad ibn Hanbal has spoken the truth. The Qur’aan is My Speech, it is not created.’

Sulaymaan as-Sijzee said, ‘Al-Mu’tasim leapt upon hearing that and said, ‘You have spoken the truth, 0 son of Hanbal.’ Then al- Mu’tasim repented, ordered the necks of Bishr al-Mareesee and Ibn Abee Duwaad to be beaten and revered Ahmad ibn Hanbal and bestowed upon him, but (Ahmad) refrained from that. He was then ordered to be taken to his house and was taken.’

~ Taken from Usool as-Sunnah by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
Source

The Key To Paradise

zfnd — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:33:59 +0000

No matter how many lectures you attend…

No matter how many khutbas you listen to…

No matter how many advanced islamic sciences you study…

It comes down to one thing.

Illustrious Personalities: Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal

zfnd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:43:35 +0000

A khatirah given by Dr. Waleed Basyouni after Fajr in Clear Lake Islamic Center (June 13, 09)

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

Along time ago, a pious man who used to live with his wife in a border town passed away. His wife was pregnant. So she thought that a border town was not going to be a good place for her child to grow up. After all they only lived that far because her husband’s job was to protect the border along with the Muslim soldiers that were stationed there for that purpose. She moved to Baghdad the capital of the Islamic state (khilafah) at the time. Soon after she moved, she gave birth to a boy. She named him Ahmad. The mother wanted her son to become a scholar so from a very early age she enrolled him in the “kuttaab”–the equivalent of today’s elementary school. There Ahmad learned reading, writing, arithmetic and Quran. He was very brilliant and became the first in his class, so they moved him to a more reputable schooling system which was called “al Diwan.” This new school was under the direct supervision of the caliph himself. As you may all know now, the boy was Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Imam Ahmad said that he started studying the sciences of religion at the age of 15. He learned under several scholars at that age. He learned under the two most famous students of Imam Abu Hanifa (rahimahu Allah): Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad Ibn al Hasan al Shaybani. Imam Ahmad was not content to only know what the other scholars said and their fatwas, he wanted to learn what they had learned. So he started studying the hadith of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhee wa sallam).

He asked permission from his mother to go to al Kufa (6o miles south of Baghdad) where he could meet a scholar by the name Husheim. He was a very famous scholar of hadith. Under Husheim, he learned and memorized 4000 hadith. He also moved on to learn under Wakee’ al Jarrah. In one of the classes, Wakee’ narrated a hadith from Husheim. Imam Ahmad noticed a discrepancy in the narration so he said, “that is not how Husheim narrated this hadith.” It was unusual for a student to correct his teacher. So Wakee’ disputed with him. Imam Ahmad insisted that was not the way of Husheim. So Wakee’ told his students to bring the books. They discovered that Imam Ahmad (who was still a teenager at the time) was correct. So Wakee’ told everyone that if they wanted to learn the hadith of Husheim they should learn it from Ahmad.

While in Kufa, Imam Ahmad found an opportunity to go to Makkah for Hajj. But he did not ask his mother’s permission. A journey to Makkah from Iraq was somewhat risky at the time, and it would require much preparation and company. He and his life-long friend Yahya bin Mu’een set out for Makkah. Their intention was to perform Hajj, and then meet with some of the scholars of Makkah. They had wanted to meet with Abdul Razzaq al San’aani, a famous scholar of hadith who lived in Yemen. Imam Ahmad and Yahya bin Mu’een were performing tawaf when they saw Abdul Razzaq. Yahya told him, “this is our opportunity to meet with him and ask him our questions.” Imam Ahmad said, “No. I would not change my intention.” He had intended to go to Yemen and meet with the Sheikh there, which in and of itself was a good deed. So he did not want to break this intention. Yahya disagreed, so he got what he wanted but Imam Ahmad resolved to travel to Yemen and meet with the Sheikh there.

While in Makkah, he learned under Sufyan Ibn ‘Uyaynah. He and many other students of knowledge used to meet with the Sheikh in a basement, which used to get very hot and crowded. It was so hot at one time, Imam Ahmad fainted. So they carried him to the front. After that they would have sit close to the Sheikh.

The trip to Yemen was not an easy one. It was far more dangerous than the trip between Iraq and Makkah. Furthermore, Imam Ahmad did not have any money. He had spent everything on the trip to Makkah and on Hajj. He could walk there but still he had his books which he could not carry. So he decided to offer his labor to a caravan. He would take care of the camels in exchange for joining them and letting him load his books on one of the camels. He arrived at Abdul Razzaq’s house. So he knocked at the door. The nearby grocer interrupted him. “what are you doing young man?” he said. “I want to see the Sheikh.” Imam Ahmad replied. The grocer said, “Abdul Razzaq is a reputable scholar and he is resting. You don’t bother him like this.” So Imam Ahmad said, “Well, I will wait for him here.” After few hours the Sheikh came out. Imam Ahmad introduced himself briefly and said: “I have taken these ahaadith from narrators who said they took them from students of students of your sheikh. So I want to verify them with you and learn under you.” Abdul Razzaq was obviously taken by surprise. So he was a bit harsh with Imam Ahmad and asked “Who are you?” and “why are you at my doorsteps.” So Imam Ahmad said to him, “I am Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.” Abdul Razzaq was more surprised this time. “Who did you say you are?” “I am Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.” So Abdul Razzaq took him in his arms and happily embraced him. He had heard about him. Imam Ahmad did not know that he was now at the tongue of every scholar and student of knowledge. This was due to Imam Al Shaafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him). When Imam Al Shaafi’ visited Baghdad he met with Imam Ahmad. He left Baghdad saying: “When I left Baghdad and had never seen a more knowledgeable person in it than Ahamd Ibn Hanbal.” This statement had been circulated throughout the circles of knowledge all over the Islamic world. That indeed was due to Allah’s blessings upon Imam Ahmad. It was said by one other scholar that he had seen Imam Ahmad lecture (and give fatwa) in the Masjid Al-Kheef in Mina. He had never seen a more thorough scholar than Imam Ahmad.

Imam Ahmad said that after that they sat by the doorsteps and looked over all the books that Imam Ahmad had. Maghrib time came upon them. Imam Ahmad started to worry about the prayer. Abdul Razzaq was so interested in reading what Imam Ahmad had written in his books, he wanted to read more, so he asked the grocer to bring a lantern. When it was dark, he told Imam Ahmad: “now let us go to the Masjid.” Abdul Razzaq was of the opinion of preferring to pray maghrib when it was dark. Imam Ahmad stayed in Yemen for 10 months. He had not told his mother that he was going to Hajj and then to Yemen. So he needed to leave.

Imam Ahmad was poor. He did labor work to earn his money and sustain his learning. During his stay in Yemen, Abdul Razzaq insisted that he lead the prayer. So one night he was leading the prayer. He made a lot of mistakes in his recitation. So when the prayer was over, Abdul Razzaq asked him if he was feeling ok. The other students told him that Imam Ahmad had not eaten anything for three days. He did not have money to buy food. His last food he ate was the bread that he bought from the bakery and paid for with his shoes. So Abdul Razzaq took him to his home. He went to his wife and brought 10 dinars. He said: “the only source of income the people here have is when they harvest their fruits and vegetables and sell them. But I managed to find this for you.” He offered him the 10 dinars. Imam Ahmad kindly said: “If I were to take money from anyone, I would take it from you. But I don’t take money from anyone.” Imam Ahmad seemed to have vowed not depend on anyone or ask money of anyone. He would work and sustain himself with whatever had had earned. Imam Ahmad was said to have refused many gifts of the Caliphs which amounted to 500,000 dinars. His brother would say: “He would refuse the gift of the caliph when he even did not have bread in his home.” Earlier when he was in Makkah, he was absent from the class for three days. So the teacher asked where he was. They told him that he was staying in a cave in a mountain in Ajyad (an area in Makkah). So they went to see him. When Imam Ahmad noticed that some people were coming, he told them not to enter until he was ready. So when they were able to enter the cave, they found him wrapped in a sheep skin reading his books. They asked him what had happened. He said that he was taking a bath when a thief took his clothes and ran away. So that was why he could not attend the class. His classmate offered him 70 dinars. But he said,”I don’t take money from anyone.” But I will manage and find work. He offered less and less but Imam Ahmad would only say the same thing. But he said, “how about if I write for you everything the Sheikh has taught us for wages.” They agreed and that was how he was able to buy clothes.

Imam Ahmad is famous for his firm stance in the fitna of al Mamoun, an Abbasid Caliph, and the issue of the creation of the Quran. It was based on the deviated theory that Allah has no names or attributes. consequently, the Quran was not Allah’s words, but rather a creation. Al Mamoun was convinced of this deviation as he was about many issues of Greek philosophy of which he was fond and to which he dedicated a whole institution to translate into Arabic. He wanted all the famous scholars to agree with him. So some of them managed to save themselves but giving an agreeable answer. Imam Ahmad, however, insisted to be firm and stand against this fitna. He was exposed to torture. He did not meet al Mamoun, since the latter died before they could meet. But al Mamoun’s successor, al Mu’tasim, took over and ordered that Imam Ahmad be tortured if he did not agree with their belief. They had made a special whip made of leather and thorns. So when the torturer would strike Imam Ahmad with it, it would tear his skin. The doctor who later treated him, said: “I have not seen wounds like these before.” The cuts were so deep they exposed the flesh and bones. It was extremely painful. Imam Ahmad would only quote the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet. With every strike he would resort to Allah envoking His beautiful and mighty Names and Attributes. Al Mu’tasim attended most of the sessions. So Imam Ahmad would say to him: “Ya Mu’tasim, you will be brought before Allah, as I am now brought before you.” Al Mu’tasim would order the torture to be more intense and painful. Then he would come to the Imam and tell him, “I don’t like to torture you. Just say or write that you agree and I will release you. I have inherited this problem and I cannot back off if you do not agree.” Imam Ahmad would remain firm on his stance and say, “If you have any proof from the Quran or the hadith then let me hear it and I will agree but if you do not I will not.” The man behind this whole fitna (Ahmad bin Abi Duad) was present and said to Al Mu’tsim: “Kill him. He (meaning Imam Ahmad) is a kafir, and I take the responsibility for his death.” al Mu’tasim said: “I will not kill him. I will not meet my Lord with the blood of Ahmad on my hands. He is a righteous man.”

After Imam Ahmad was released, he was heard praying for al Mu’tsim’s forgiveness. His son was furious to hear him do that. So he asked him “Why after all he had done to you!” Imam Ahmad said: “I don’t want to see a member of the family of the Prophet (salla Allah alayhee wa sallam) to be in Hellfire because of me.” His love for the Prophet (pbuh) caused him to be loving and merciful towards his family.

Until the day he died, Imam Ahmad kept praying for seven people, among them was Imam Al Shafi’i and others. But his son noticed that he had included a man with them of whom he had not heard. So he asked: “who is Abu Haitham al Haddad who you keep mentioning in your dua.” so the Imam said: “Don’t you know Abu Haitham al Haddad?” He said: “While I was being tortured, a man whispered to me: “I am Abu Haitham al Haddad.” I asked who he was. He said: “You don’t know me! I am the one who had been punished with over 18,000 lashes, all of them were for this dunya (because he was a thief) and I did not give in. I exhort you to be patient and take these lashes and be firm. You are being punished for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter.” Imam Ahmad said, “It was his words that kept me firm.”

Enlightening Interview on Tawhid (Islamic Monotheism) with Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris

zfnd — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:33:33 +0000

Question: You have talked about degeneration of Muslim society. Now how about regeneration of Muslim society — how can Tawhid help us regenerate Muslim society and bring our intellectual tradition alive?

Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris: As I said earlier I think the first thing we have to do is to invite people to Tawhid again. I think we also have to make it relevant to the ideologies that are prevailing in the world today. It seems to me that we Muslim intellectuals have a very big role to play. From my contacts with some Western intellectuals I think that it is only we, the Muslim intellectuals, who can invite people to religion again. Many other theologians who belong to other religions, many of them, I think they are very sincere people but the problem is that the religion, or the kind of concept of God that they have cannot be at all accepted by someone whose mind is shaped by science, or someone who demands, who looks for evidence, for reasoning. Man y people as a function of their religions, I mean they are very intellectual people, but it’s because of their religion they have to say that there is no contact between reason and religion, or that we have to keep science and religion apart. They say religion, but, in fact, they should have said Christianity or Judaism or Buddhism, or whatever, because we Muslims don’t think so, we do not agree with this separation of religion from science. We can argue even with the atheist, with the m materialist, because, again I discover, that the kind of God that they reject is not the . . .

Z.S.: The kind of God of Islam?

J.S.I.: The God whom we believe in.

Read the rest of the interview here

On Michael Jackson and Muslims

zfnd — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:05:31 +0000

2 posts put some much needed clarity in the chaos of the recent news.

(reading time 3 seconds) Sh. Suhaib Webb: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/blog/general/was-mj-a-muslim/

(Reading time 5 min): Sh. Abu Esa Niamatullah http://alternativeentertainment.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/dealing-with-skeletons-in-the-closet-%E2%80%93-beat-it/

“Its effect is vastly under-estimated which is why many Muslims simply cannot understand why their fellow brothers and sisters are making such a big deal of an artist as talented and masterful as Michael Jackson”

“I feel that Muslim scholars deal with the topic of music very poorly. Many of them simply (and rather fortunately!) cannot appreciate the hold music can have over the hearts of its victims.”