“And for This Their Prayer Hath Allah Rewarded Them With Gardens, With Rivers Flowing Underneath,- Their Eternal Home. Such is the Recompense of Those Who Do Good.”
(Al-Qur'an, 5:85 (Al-Maeda [The Table, The Table Spread])
"In the Name Of Allah, The Most Merciful & The Most Beneficent"
"AZAAN"
Assalam-o-Alaikum Everyone, Amazing as it sounds, but fortunately, for the Muslims of the world, it is an established fact.
Have a look at a map of the world and you will find Indonesia on the eastern side of the earth. The major cities of Indonesia are Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Saibil.
As soon as dawn breaks on the eastern side of Saibil, at approximately 5:30 am local time, Fajar Aazaan begins. Thousands of Muazzins in Indonesia begin reciting the Aazaan.
The process advances towards West Indonesia. One and a half hours after the Aazaan has been completed in Saibil, it echoes in Jakarta. Sumatra then follows suit and before this auspicious process of calling
Aazaan ends in Indonesia, it has already begun in Malaysia.
Burma is next in line, and within an hour of its beginning in Jakarta, it reaches Dacca, the capital city of Bangladesh.
After Bangladesh, it has already prevailed in western India, from Calcutta to Srinagar. It then advances towards Bombay and the environment of entire India resounds with this proclamation.
Srinagar and Sialkot (a north city in Pakistan) have the same timing for Aazaan. The time difference between Sialkot, Quetta, and Karachi is forty minutes, and within this time, Fajar Aazaan is heard throughout Pakistan.
Before it ends there, it has already begun in Afghanistan and Muscat. The time difference between Muscat and Baghdad is one hour.
Aazaan resounds during this one hour in the environments of Hijaaz-e-Muqaddas (Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah), Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.
The time difference between Baghdad and Alexandria in Egypt is again one hour. Aazaan continues to resound in Syria, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan during this hour.
The time difference between eastern and western Turkey is one and a half hours, and during this Alexandria and Tripoli (capital of Libya) are located at one hour's difference.
The process of calling Aazaan thus continues throughout the whole of Africa. Therefore, the proclamation of the "Tawheed" and "Risaalat" that had begun in Indonesia reaches the Eastern Shore of the Atlantic Ocean after nine and half hours.
Prior to the Aazaan reaching the shores of the Atlantic, the process of "Zohar Aazaan" has already started in east Indonesia, and before it reaches Dacca, "Asr Aazaan" has started. This has hardly reached Jakarta one and half hours later, the time of Maghrib" becomes due, and no sooner has "Maghrib" time reached Sumatra, the time for calling "Isha Aazaan" has commenced in Saibil!
When the Muazzins of Indonesia are calling out "Fajar Aazaan", the African Muazzins are calling the Aazaan for Isha.
If we were to ponder over this phenomenon thoughtfully, we would conclude the amazing fact that there is not even a single moment when hundreds of thousands of Muazzins around the world are not reciting the Aazaan on the surface of this earth.
Even as you read this material right now, you can be sure there Aazaan.
First They Came for the EXTREMIST, FUNDAMENTALIST & MODERATE Muslims. And I DIDN’T Speak Out Because I Wasn't An Extremist, Fundamentalist or a Moderate Muslim. Then FINALLY They Came for Me the NON-PRACTICING Muslim And NO Muslims Were Left to Speak Out for ME.
Showing posts with label Muslim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muslim. Show all posts
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
How to recognize scams aimed at Muslim women, and how to protect yourself (and others) from them??
A number of "cyber scams" aimed at exploiting Muslim women have popped up on the net over the last few years. By request, Modern Muslima presents you with a list of those scams, how to recognize them, and how to protect yourself (and others) from them. We'd like to thank all of the sisters who shared their experiences, sometimes painful and embarrassing, with us so that we could provide you with this information.
Veil (Hijab) Fetishists
There are two types of Hijab Fetishists out there: the kind who "have fun" simply looking at pictures of veiled women (and who build websites and swap veiled photographs), and the kind who enjoy writing stories and initiating correspondence about veiling. Very often, these fetishists are not Muslim and do not pretend to be.
The first kind are relatively innocuous. All the photographs of women on their website are likely to be women in full (face) veils. The e-mail exchanges they have tend to center on swapping nothing more than photos. Their pages (one of which is very popular with Muslim women) tend to focus solely on photographs. Any text on their sites will deal with historical and socio-cultural views of veiling, and almost completely leave out religious writings, such as ayat (verses) from the Qur'an. Links on their site will take you to more pages (Islamic and not) about veiling, or even to pages of a sexual nature.
The second kind are not as harmless. They exchange stories of a sexual nature, centered on the female character being veiled, and swap photographs of both veiled and...shall we say, partially veiled women. They sometimes engage in "role playing" on e-mail lists and in chat rooms. Again, most of them don't even bother with religious (or even historical) ideas about veiling, and most of them can't be bothered to pretend they are Muslims.
However, there are a few fairly active Veil Fetishists out there who do pretend to be Muslim women. They try to get Muslim women to write things or send photographs that they would never knowingly share with a man, much less a man (or woman) who is sexually aroused by veiling. What these Veil Fetishists do is create a Yahoo! or AOL id with a Muslim woman's name. They then "troll" various e-mail groups, message boards, and chat rooms looking for Muslim women to talk to about veiling.
One individual is known for pretending to be a new Muslim woman who needs "help" learning how to pin the hijab. This individual tries to find sisters who have web-cams and asks them to turn the camera on, and do a step by step demonstration of how to put the hijab on so "she" can learn. This person has been at this for more than a year as of this writing (August 2003).
Another group of people are far more extreme and much more insidious. The things that they say and engage in online could be extremely damaging to an unsuspecting Muslima's heart and mind. This group includes several individuals who pretend that they are "extremely conservative" Muslim women, although they almost never use the word "Salafi" (probably because they aren't familiar with it).
They set up web pages and Yahoo! groups about "Extreme Conservative Veiling," "Silent Niqaabis," and so on. Not all members of these groups are Muslims, nor do they claim to be. For example, some claim to be "conservative Christians," while others are just "secular conservatives" who are into veiling for "social reasons." These people then join authentic Muslim women's groups, troll for very conservative and / or fully veiled women, and invite them to join their groups. Unfortunately, a number of sincere and innocent Muslimas have joined these groups.
These Veil Fetishists, who are both men and women, get some sort of sick sexual fulfillment out of pretending to be Muslim women and encouraging Muslim women to talk about veiling, their relations with their husbands, and practices that might be classified as "sado-masochism." All of their conversations and posts focus solely on veiling and the overwhelming sexual power of women's bodies and voices, and how it must be contained through extreme measures.
For example, these individuals have encouraged Muslim women to tie their legs and ankles together when walking outside (so that the stride is not too "large" and "unfeminine") and to wear gags (so that they do not knowingly or unknowingly arouse men outside of the home by talking). They swap photographs of various types of gags and binding garments. They also encourage these Muslim women to engage in a type of purdah that includes never going out of of the home, blacking out windows, and being locked into a room by the husband / male partner when he is not home. They share stories about being in full niqab all of the time, including at home alone or with the husband / male partner, and claim it is "more Islamic" to do this.
They also tell these Muslimas that it is "more Islamic" to engage in a practice known as "domestic discipline." "DD," which is practiced by some Christian conservatives, but mostly by secular conservatives and fetishists, is the practice of regular light (or not so light) spanking and hitting of the wife / female partner by the husband / male partner in order to "keep her in line."
The easiest way to recognize these people is to realize that beneath the rhetoric about "good conservative" Muslim women being "silent and feminine," these individuals exhibit absolute ignorance about Islam, its teachings, its beliefs, and so on. Nor is any of the content of their posts or websites Islamic in nature. One can also peruse the members lists of these groups and see that most members have IDs that contain words and implications of a sexual nature.
Circumcision Fetishists
Even worse than hijab fetishists are the circumcision fetishists. One individual has been extremely active in trying to fool Muslim women over the last year or so. He has created a number of seemingly Islamic Yahoo! IDs; he always poses as a woman. He finds pictures of fully veiled Muslim women on the 'net and puts it on his sites / groups, claiming that is him. He creates groups relating to the idea of female circumcision in Islam, and then trolls genuine groups in search of seemingly naive members or simply spams genuine groups with invitations to his group.
The Circumcision Fetishist seems to possess a fair amount of knowledge on what various Islamic sources have said about female circumcision, which is why it seems that some poor sisters have taken him at face value. Unfortunately, he has simply pulled these quotes off of a (get ready to gag) circumcision fetishist website.
He also posts articles or "testimonials" allegedly from Muslim women all over the world about how wonderful it is to be circumcised. His only goal is to convince women to get circumcised and to encourage them to talk about their genitals. A number of well meaning, naive Muslim women (esp. new Muslimas) have joined his groups. A quick scan of the members lists of his group show that along with the sincere Muslimas, there are a large number of people whose IDs have words of a sexual nature.
Fortunately for Muslimas, this individual exhibits a gross lack of knowledge about anything else to do with Islam, which always gives him away. He does not know what the five pillars are, does not use the greetings of peace ("Salaam Alaikum"), and none of his messages have any religious content whatsoever. New Muslimas should know that under almost no circumstance (actually, none that I can think of) would a Muslim woman discuss her genitalia in a public or semi-public forum. If you join a group or receive an invitation of this nature, it is almost certainly a cyber scam.
As of this writing, we do not know of any other individual who pretends to be a Muslim woman; however, there are a number of websites, e-mail groups, and picture / story swaps out there which fetishize the circumcision of both men and women. If you are looking for information on male infant circumcision in Islam, you may come across some of their sites by accident. You will almost immediately recognize these sites for what they are, since they feature quite a large number of inappropriate photographs.
The Abandoned Muslima
Another common scam is the "Abandoned Muslima." Regrettably, it is fairly difficult to tell the scammer from the person who genuinely needs help. The Abandoned Muslima is a woman, almost always claming to be a convert, who says that she has been abandoned by her husband, usually with a child or two (or three or four or five...). She almost always says that her husband has abused her in some way. Abandoned Muslima simply can not get a job; she alleges that absolutely no Muslim in her community, whether it is at the masjid, or just fellow community members, will help her. Usually a claim that they made fun of her or made racist comments about her is tossed in. Abandoned Muslima will spend several weeks, months even, bombarding members of various Muslim e-mail groups with her tales of woe and hardship.
After Abandoned Muslima has warmed up her audience, she will make a "reluctant" plea for members of the group to send her money. Offers of jobs or other types of assistance (such as directing her to social service agencies) will always be rejected for various reasons.
Abandoned Muslima is looking for cold hard cash (or money orders). After she has received money from well meaning members, she will disappear. Some Abandoned Muslimas may also start to create trouble after they've received their money, usually by launching personal attacks on other members, before disappearing.
Abandoned Muslima will disappear from the e-mail circuit for about six months to a year. Later on, she will reappear on other groups, often using the same name, but a different e-mail address or Yahoo! ID. Group members who recognize her from previous experiences and who try to warn others may be "hand slapped" as being mean to the new member. Abandoned Muslima may "apologize" and claim she was "going through a rough time" when she suddenly disappeared without a trace or word of thanks from the previous group.
Unfortunately, it does happen that real Muslim women with real financial difficulties reach out to their sisters online for help. So how do we tell Abandoned Muslimas apart from the real sisters? Most of the time, you simply can't. Abandoned Muslima has got her story down pat.
The only difference between a real sister and an Abandoned Muslima is that the real sister who is in dire straits is going to be willing to take a job or visit a social service agency. Remember, Abandoned Muslima is after cash, not a job, and she is going to reject these other forms of help using various excuses. Abandoned Muslima is also likely to disappear quickly if a potential donor exhibits interest in talking to those community leaders who are alleged to have rejected her for racist reasons.
If you want to help struggling Muslim women, the best thing to do is look within your community. It is highly likely that some woman in your community or one nearby is struggling to pay the bills. There are also several Islamic social service agencies across the country that provide financial and housing assistance, as well as job counseling, to Muslim women. You would be doing a lot of good to put your money with them.
The Lonely Brother
The Lonely Brother is a Muslim man who is looking for a little "haram" (forbidden) interaction online. He may also be seeking something in real life. He always targets convert women, especially new sisters. His scam is pretty straightforward. He is a Muslim man who says that he is looking for marriage. He claims to be very, very lonely. After only one or two e-mail or Instant Message conversations, he finds himself "deeply in love" with the sister. What he does after this depends on his level of depravity.
Some Lonely Brothers try to encourage the woman to engage in cyber-sex or phone sex, claiming that it is "halal" (permissible) because they are online and "it isn't real." Or they may try to appeal to her sense of pity and guilt by playing the "but we're in love and I can't wait, it's too difficult" card.
Other Lonely Brothers will convince the sister to meet them in person. They will first suggest a public place, such as a museum, park, or mall. He will take her around, be semi-charming, pay for her lunch. He will then almost always, somehow, "awkwardly" suggest that they begin to have sex. He will claim that it is permissible because they are "engaged" and "really in love." Or he will tell her that Islam allows a sort of "temporary marriage," or muta'h that will allow them to "marry in secret" (i.e., without witnesses or even an imam to officiate) and engage in sexual relations. After the sister does what he wants, he simply disappears, or he gives her the excuse that "he's not ready to marry after all," or that his family won't let him marry a convert, and then takes off.
Unfortunately, there are enough new Muslimas out there who don't know enough about Islam, who are confused and who are lonely themselves that they fall for this stuff.
Sisters! No sincere, good Muslim man is going to ask you to engage in cyber or phone sex, or ask you out on a date, or ask you to engage in "temporary marriage," which is NOT permissible. Lonely Brother, more often than not, is actually engaged or married to a Muslim woman already, OR fully engages in haram behavior outside of his scamming Muslim women (and here, we mean openly dating and having relationships with women, going to bars, smoking marijuana, and so on). If you have doubts about a Muslim man you have met online, talk to a knowledgeable Muslim whom you trust. Ask your imam. Ask him to visit the imam with you. If he declines or backs out, you know he's not for real.
The Friendly Shi'a
The Friendly Shi'a is a Shi'a man or woman who joins general or Sunni-specific Islamic groups in order to "learn" and "promote Islamic unity." He or she (for our purposes, it is she) will exhibit an intense desire to learn about various aspects of Sunni law and belief. She is friendly and seemingly open. She will repeatedly assure the members of the group that her aim is not to convert them to Shi'ism.
However, she soon slips in questions about various ayat (verses) in the Qur'an, hadith from the Sunnah, or historical incidents. The question may be cloaked with the intent that she wants to "learn the Sunni perspective" or "get a deeper grammatical understanding" of the matter in question. A quick visit to any one of the large number of Shi'a missionary sites will clue you in to the fact that these are the very same questions Shi'as are encouraged to ask Sunnis when proselytizing them.
When confronted with a Friendly Shi'a, my recommendation is to do a simple Google or Yahoo! search on the individual, using their e-mail address or Yahoo! ID. One will almost certainly pull up articles from websites or posts from Shi'a lists / message boards that speak to the individual's true intentions and feelings.
In my experience, Friendly Shi'a will pull the "who me?" wide-eyed innocent act when confronted or asked about her intentions, even when told that the confronters have found evidence of those true intentions. It has also happened that at the same time Friendly Shi'a is interacting on the given group, there are several other Shi'a on the same group who are engaging in 'taqiya,' or dissimulation. This basically means lying, and in our case, means pretending and claiming to be Sunni Muslims. The Friendly Shi'a will disavow any knowledge of these individuals, even though that quick Google search showed you that they interact together, openly, on Shi'a boards using the same names and IDs.
Individually, the Friendly Shi'a targets those who are new to Islam, those who exhibit a desire to become students of knowledge, and / or those who express some confusion about various Islamic concepts. Friendly Shi'a also exploits those whom she perceives to be overly friendly, quiet, or weak. Such individuals may be targeted for a more "individual" proselytizing off list. Members should be wary when Friendly Shi'a starts asking questions about the personalities and biographies of various other members.
Now, because the Shi'a has been so friendly and open until this point, there will be other members of the group who feel bad exposing her or trying to have her removed, saying that it adds to the "disunity" of the Ummah. It ends up creating a significant amount of fitnah for group / message board owners and members. This does not mean that all Shi'a are "bad," or even that most online Shi'a engage in this or approve of this. Most Shi'a 'netizens out there stay on Shi'a groups and the Shi'a 'web and are not the slightest bit interested in doing what Friendly Shi'a does. What it does mean is that message board and group owners need to be both aware and wary of Shi'a members, and protect the rest of the group by hiding the membership lists or member e-mail addresses.
Veil (Hijab) Fetishists
There are two types of Hijab Fetishists out there: the kind who "have fun" simply looking at pictures of veiled women (and who build websites and swap veiled photographs), and the kind who enjoy writing stories and initiating correspondence about veiling. Very often, these fetishists are not Muslim and do not pretend to be.
The first kind are relatively innocuous. All the photographs of women on their website are likely to be women in full (face) veils. The e-mail exchanges they have tend to center on swapping nothing more than photos. Their pages (one of which is very popular with Muslim women) tend to focus solely on photographs. Any text on their sites will deal with historical and socio-cultural views of veiling, and almost completely leave out religious writings, such as ayat (verses) from the Qur'an. Links on their site will take you to more pages (Islamic and not) about veiling, or even to pages of a sexual nature.
The second kind are not as harmless. They exchange stories of a sexual nature, centered on the female character being veiled, and swap photographs of both veiled and...shall we say, partially veiled women. They sometimes engage in "role playing" on e-mail lists and in chat rooms. Again, most of them don't even bother with religious (or even historical) ideas about veiling, and most of them can't be bothered to pretend they are Muslims.
However, there are a few fairly active Veil Fetishists out there who do pretend to be Muslim women. They try to get Muslim women to write things or send photographs that they would never knowingly share with a man, much less a man (or woman) who is sexually aroused by veiling. What these Veil Fetishists do is create a Yahoo! or AOL id with a Muslim woman's name. They then "troll" various e-mail groups, message boards, and chat rooms looking for Muslim women to talk to about veiling.
One individual is known for pretending to be a new Muslim woman who needs "help" learning how to pin the hijab. This individual tries to find sisters who have web-cams and asks them to turn the camera on, and do a step by step demonstration of how to put the hijab on so "she" can learn. This person has been at this for more than a year as of this writing (August 2003).
Another group of people are far more extreme and much more insidious. The things that they say and engage in online could be extremely damaging to an unsuspecting Muslima's heart and mind. This group includes several individuals who pretend that they are "extremely conservative" Muslim women, although they almost never use the word "Salafi" (probably because they aren't familiar with it).
They set up web pages and Yahoo! groups about "Extreme Conservative Veiling," "Silent Niqaabis," and so on. Not all members of these groups are Muslims, nor do they claim to be. For example, some claim to be "conservative Christians," while others are just "secular conservatives" who are into veiling for "social reasons." These people then join authentic Muslim women's groups, troll for very conservative and / or fully veiled women, and invite them to join their groups. Unfortunately, a number of sincere and innocent Muslimas have joined these groups.
These Veil Fetishists, who are both men and women, get some sort of sick sexual fulfillment out of pretending to be Muslim women and encouraging Muslim women to talk about veiling, their relations with their husbands, and practices that might be classified as "sado-masochism." All of their conversations and posts focus solely on veiling and the overwhelming sexual power of women's bodies and voices, and how it must be contained through extreme measures.
For example, these individuals have encouraged Muslim women to tie their legs and ankles together when walking outside (so that the stride is not too "large" and "unfeminine") and to wear gags (so that they do not knowingly or unknowingly arouse men outside of the home by talking). They swap photographs of various types of gags and binding garments. They also encourage these Muslim women to engage in a type of purdah that includes never going out of of the home, blacking out windows, and being locked into a room by the husband / male partner when he is not home. They share stories about being in full niqab all of the time, including at home alone or with the husband / male partner, and claim it is "more Islamic" to do this.
They also tell these Muslimas that it is "more Islamic" to engage in a practice known as "domestic discipline." "DD," which is practiced by some Christian conservatives, but mostly by secular conservatives and fetishists, is the practice of regular light (or not so light) spanking and hitting of the wife / female partner by the husband / male partner in order to "keep her in line."
The easiest way to recognize these people is to realize that beneath the rhetoric about "good conservative" Muslim women being "silent and feminine," these individuals exhibit absolute ignorance about Islam, its teachings, its beliefs, and so on. Nor is any of the content of their posts or websites Islamic in nature. One can also peruse the members lists of these groups and see that most members have IDs that contain words and implications of a sexual nature.
Circumcision Fetishists
Even worse than hijab fetishists are the circumcision fetishists. One individual has been extremely active in trying to fool Muslim women over the last year or so. He has created a number of seemingly Islamic Yahoo! IDs; he always poses as a woman. He finds pictures of fully veiled Muslim women on the 'net and puts it on his sites / groups, claiming that is him. He creates groups relating to the idea of female circumcision in Islam, and then trolls genuine groups in search of seemingly naive members or simply spams genuine groups with invitations to his group.
The Circumcision Fetishist seems to possess a fair amount of knowledge on what various Islamic sources have said about female circumcision, which is why it seems that some poor sisters have taken him at face value. Unfortunately, he has simply pulled these quotes off of a (get ready to gag) circumcision fetishist website.
He also posts articles or "testimonials" allegedly from Muslim women all over the world about how wonderful it is to be circumcised. His only goal is to convince women to get circumcised and to encourage them to talk about their genitals. A number of well meaning, naive Muslim women (esp. new Muslimas) have joined his groups. A quick scan of the members lists of his group show that along with the sincere Muslimas, there are a large number of people whose IDs have words of a sexual nature.
Fortunately for Muslimas, this individual exhibits a gross lack of knowledge about anything else to do with Islam, which always gives him away. He does not know what the five pillars are, does not use the greetings of peace ("Salaam Alaikum"), and none of his messages have any religious content whatsoever. New Muslimas should know that under almost no circumstance (actually, none that I can think of) would a Muslim woman discuss her genitalia in a public or semi-public forum. If you join a group or receive an invitation of this nature, it is almost certainly a cyber scam.
As of this writing, we do not know of any other individual who pretends to be a Muslim woman; however, there are a number of websites, e-mail groups, and picture / story swaps out there which fetishize the circumcision of both men and women. If you are looking for information on male infant circumcision in Islam, you may come across some of their sites by accident. You will almost immediately recognize these sites for what they are, since they feature quite a large number of inappropriate photographs.
The Abandoned Muslima
Another common scam is the "Abandoned Muslima." Regrettably, it is fairly difficult to tell the scammer from the person who genuinely needs help. The Abandoned Muslima is a woman, almost always claming to be a convert, who says that she has been abandoned by her husband, usually with a child or two (or three or four or five...). She almost always says that her husband has abused her in some way. Abandoned Muslima simply can not get a job; she alleges that absolutely no Muslim in her community, whether it is at the masjid, or just fellow community members, will help her. Usually a claim that they made fun of her or made racist comments about her is tossed in. Abandoned Muslima will spend several weeks, months even, bombarding members of various Muslim e-mail groups with her tales of woe and hardship.
After Abandoned Muslima has warmed up her audience, she will make a "reluctant" plea for members of the group to send her money. Offers of jobs or other types of assistance (such as directing her to social service agencies) will always be rejected for various reasons.
Abandoned Muslima is looking for cold hard cash (or money orders). After she has received money from well meaning members, she will disappear. Some Abandoned Muslimas may also start to create trouble after they've received their money, usually by launching personal attacks on other members, before disappearing.
Abandoned Muslima will disappear from the e-mail circuit for about six months to a year. Later on, she will reappear on other groups, often using the same name, but a different e-mail address or Yahoo! ID. Group members who recognize her from previous experiences and who try to warn others may be "hand slapped" as being mean to the new member. Abandoned Muslima may "apologize" and claim she was "going through a rough time" when she suddenly disappeared without a trace or word of thanks from the previous group.
Unfortunately, it does happen that real Muslim women with real financial difficulties reach out to their sisters online for help. So how do we tell Abandoned Muslimas apart from the real sisters? Most of the time, you simply can't. Abandoned Muslima has got her story down pat.
The only difference between a real sister and an Abandoned Muslima is that the real sister who is in dire straits is going to be willing to take a job or visit a social service agency. Remember, Abandoned Muslima is after cash, not a job, and she is going to reject these other forms of help using various excuses. Abandoned Muslima is also likely to disappear quickly if a potential donor exhibits interest in talking to those community leaders who are alleged to have rejected her for racist reasons.
If you want to help struggling Muslim women, the best thing to do is look within your community. It is highly likely that some woman in your community or one nearby is struggling to pay the bills. There are also several Islamic social service agencies across the country that provide financial and housing assistance, as well as job counseling, to Muslim women. You would be doing a lot of good to put your money with them.
The Lonely Brother
The Lonely Brother is a Muslim man who is looking for a little "haram" (forbidden) interaction online. He may also be seeking something in real life. He always targets convert women, especially new sisters. His scam is pretty straightforward. He is a Muslim man who says that he is looking for marriage. He claims to be very, very lonely. After only one or two e-mail or Instant Message conversations, he finds himself "deeply in love" with the sister. What he does after this depends on his level of depravity.
Some Lonely Brothers try to encourage the woman to engage in cyber-sex or phone sex, claiming that it is "halal" (permissible) because they are online and "it isn't real." Or they may try to appeal to her sense of pity and guilt by playing the "but we're in love and I can't wait, it's too difficult" card.
Other Lonely Brothers will convince the sister to meet them in person. They will first suggest a public place, such as a museum, park, or mall. He will take her around, be semi-charming, pay for her lunch. He will then almost always, somehow, "awkwardly" suggest that they begin to have sex. He will claim that it is permissible because they are "engaged" and "really in love." Or he will tell her that Islam allows a sort of "temporary marriage," or muta'h that will allow them to "marry in secret" (i.e., without witnesses or even an imam to officiate) and engage in sexual relations. After the sister does what he wants, he simply disappears, or he gives her the excuse that "he's not ready to marry after all," or that his family won't let him marry a convert, and then takes off.
Unfortunately, there are enough new Muslimas out there who don't know enough about Islam, who are confused and who are lonely themselves that they fall for this stuff.
Sisters! No sincere, good Muslim man is going to ask you to engage in cyber or phone sex, or ask you out on a date, or ask you to engage in "temporary marriage," which is NOT permissible. Lonely Brother, more often than not, is actually engaged or married to a Muslim woman already, OR fully engages in haram behavior outside of his scamming Muslim women (and here, we mean openly dating and having relationships with women, going to bars, smoking marijuana, and so on). If you have doubts about a Muslim man you have met online, talk to a knowledgeable Muslim whom you trust. Ask your imam. Ask him to visit the imam with you. If he declines or backs out, you know he's not for real.
The Friendly Shi'a
The Friendly Shi'a is a Shi'a man or woman who joins general or Sunni-specific Islamic groups in order to "learn" and "promote Islamic unity." He or she (for our purposes, it is she) will exhibit an intense desire to learn about various aspects of Sunni law and belief. She is friendly and seemingly open. She will repeatedly assure the members of the group that her aim is not to convert them to Shi'ism.
However, she soon slips in questions about various ayat (verses) in the Qur'an, hadith from the Sunnah, or historical incidents. The question may be cloaked with the intent that she wants to "learn the Sunni perspective" or "get a deeper grammatical understanding" of the matter in question. A quick visit to any one of the large number of Shi'a missionary sites will clue you in to the fact that these are the very same questions Shi'as are encouraged to ask Sunnis when proselytizing them.
When confronted with a Friendly Shi'a, my recommendation is to do a simple Google or Yahoo! search on the individual, using their e-mail address or Yahoo! ID. One will almost certainly pull up articles from websites or posts from Shi'a lists / message boards that speak to the individual's true intentions and feelings.
In my experience, Friendly Shi'a will pull the "who me?" wide-eyed innocent act when confronted or asked about her intentions, even when told that the confronters have found evidence of those true intentions. It has also happened that at the same time Friendly Shi'a is interacting on the given group, there are several other Shi'a on the same group who are engaging in 'taqiya,' or dissimulation. This basically means lying, and in our case, means pretending and claiming to be Sunni Muslims. The Friendly Shi'a will disavow any knowledge of these individuals, even though that quick Google search showed you that they interact together, openly, on Shi'a boards using the same names and IDs.
Individually, the Friendly Shi'a targets those who are new to Islam, those who exhibit a desire to become students of knowledge, and / or those who express some confusion about various Islamic concepts. Friendly Shi'a also exploits those whom she perceives to be overly friendly, quiet, or weak. Such individuals may be targeted for a more "individual" proselytizing off list. Members should be wary when Friendly Shi'a starts asking questions about the personalities and biographies of various other members.
Now, because the Shi'a has been so friendly and open until this point, there will be other members of the group who feel bad exposing her or trying to have her removed, saying that it adds to the "disunity" of the Ummah. It ends up creating a significant amount of fitnah for group / message board owners and members. This does not mean that all Shi'a are "bad," or even that most online Shi'a engage in this or approve of this. Most Shi'a 'netizens out there stay on Shi'a groups and the Shi'a 'web and are not the slightest bit interested in doing what Friendly Shi'a does. What it does mean is that message board and group owners need to be both aware and wary of Shi'a members, and protect the rest of the group by hiding the membership lists or member e-mail addresses.
Friday, June 08, 2007
No Muslim Peril
by Charley Reese
Let's suppose that I interviewed David Duke, the Louisiana politician who rails against what he calls Jewish supremacy, and also interviewed the lunatic preacher who disrupted the funerals of American servicemen with his message of killing all the gays.
And let's suppose I presented these men's views as typical of American Christian thought.
You'd say, and rightly so, that these men are not representative of mainstream Christianity, much less mainstream America. Well, the same thing applies to Islam. There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. Broadcasting or reporting the words of a few extremists does not reflect mainstream Muslim thought.
Yellow journalism is never all right, but as long as it's confined to celebrities and other nonimportant matters, it is at least not too harmful. But yellow journalism applied to national security and to foreign affairs should be considered unacceptable.
A number of irresponsible journalists and broadcasters, egged on by the crazy neocons, are trying to duplicate the mass fear of foreigners that characterized earlier times in America when demagogues spoke of the "yellow peril." Now demagogues speak of the "jihadi peril." And, as was inevitable, the demagoguery slips away from Muslim extremists and talks about Muslims and Islam as if there were no difference.
Yes, there are some Muslim extremists, just as there are some Christian extremists, Hindu extremists, Jewish extremists and so forth. Extremism is a personality disorder not confined to any one religion or political system. Anyone can become infected with it.
Islam has been around for more than 1,300 years. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful people, just like you and I, and they are not plotting to storm the citadels of the West. Muslim countries are full of universities, professors, poets, novelists, scientists and engineers. It was the Muslims who preserved the wisdom of the classical world and passed it on to the Europeans, thus making the Renaissance possible.
And there have been American Muslims since at least the late 1800s. Most of them so assimilated into American society that no one noticed them. They are as patriotic as any other American.
Most of the conflict in the Middle East – at least until we stirred the caldron in Iraq – is about secular matters, not religion. Hamas and Islamic Jihad oppose Israeli occupation of Palestine. Hezbollah opposes Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Even Osama bin Laden, if you bother to read what he says, opposes us on secular matters – support for Israel, the invasion of two Muslim countries and our massive military presence in the Persian Gulf.
The neocons would like to convince you that it is a war over religious matters so they won't have to address the real causes, which are our own bad policies in that part of the world.
You should know that the wealthy powers in this world wouldn't waste a dime on a religious conflict. It's control of the world's oil that interests them, and also the arms business. War to them is a profitable enterprise, especially since they and their children don't have to fight the wars.
These elite almost panicked when communism collapsed. How could they maintain power and make money without an enemy at the gate? Then bin Laden gave them exactly what they wanted with the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Now they have an enemy so ill-defined, their "war on terror" can go on forever, provided they can keep the American public ignorant and ill-informed.
Let's suppose that I interviewed David Duke, the Louisiana politician who rails against what he calls Jewish supremacy, and also interviewed the lunatic preacher who disrupted the funerals of American servicemen with his message of killing all the gays.
And let's suppose I presented these men's views as typical of American Christian thought.
You'd say, and rightly so, that these men are not representative of mainstream Christianity, much less mainstream America. Well, the same thing applies to Islam. There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. Broadcasting or reporting the words of a few extremists does not reflect mainstream Muslim thought.
Yellow journalism is never all right, but as long as it's confined to celebrities and other nonimportant matters, it is at least not too harmful. But yellow journalism applied to national security and to foreign affairs should be considered unacceptable.
A number of irresponsible journalists and broadcasters, egged on by the crazy neocons, are trying to duplicate the mass fear of foreigners that characterized earlier times in America when demagogues spoke of the "yellow peril." Now demagogues speak of the "jihadi peril." And, as was inevitable, the demagoguery slips away from Muslim extremists and talks about Muslims and Islam as if there were no difference.
Yes, there are some Muslim extremists, just as there are some Christian extremists, Hindu extremists, Jewish extremists and so forth. Extremism is a personality disorder not confined to any one religion or political system. Anyone can become infected with it.
Islam has been around for more than 1,300 years. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful people, just like you and I, and they are not plotting to storm the citadels of the West. Muslim countries are full of universities, professors, poets, novelists, scientists and engineers. It was the Muslims who preserved the wisdom of the classical world and passed it on to the Europeans, thus making the Renaissance possible.
And there have been American Muslims since at least the late 1800s. Most of them so assimilated into American society that no one noticed them. They are as patriotic as any other American.
Most of the conflict in the Middle East – at least until we stirred the caldron in Iraq – is about secular matters, not religion. Hamas and Islamic Jihad oppose Israeli occupation of Palestine. Hezbollah opposes Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Even Osama bin Laden, if you bother to read what he says, opposes us on secular matters – support for Israel, the invasion of two Muslim countries and our massive military presence in the Persian Gulf.
The neocons would like to convince you that it is a war over religious matters so they won't have to address the real causes, which are our own bad policies in that part of the world.
You should know that the wealthy powers in this world wouldn't waste a dime on a religious conflict. It's control of the world's oil that interests them, and also the arms business. War to them is a profitable enterprise, especially since they and their children don't have to fight the wars.
These elite almost panicked when communism collapsed. How could they maintain power and make money without an enemy at the gate? Then bin Laden gave them exactly what they wanted with the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Now they have an enemy so ill-defined, their "war on terror" can go on forever, provided they can keep the American public ignorant and ill-informed.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Muslim Youth
You cannot escape it. The discussion about habits is all around you: Mom and Dad are constantly telling you to break your bad habits; your teachers are telling you to develop good habits; your friends are pressuring you to adopt their habits; and the television and media are influencing you to explore new and supposedly cool habits. "You will never be successful," the constant refrain goes, "unless you drop your bad habits and develop some good habits." In the end, it's all up to you. You have to decide what your habits are going to be. Have you given this matter some thought?
If you are alive and breathing, you should constantly be engaged in an inner struggle to develop habits which draw you closer to Allah Most High. Success in this world is directly related to the strength of your relationship with Allah. The farther one is from Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the less likely one is to achieve success in this world and, for sure, even less likely to achieve success in the hereafter. Is it not time for us to reflect upon Islamic teachings to discern the necessary habits of highly successful Muslim youth?
Here are at least seven habits indispensable for highly successful Muslim youth, derived entirely from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Be Truthful
Being truthful is not always easy, especially when we make a mistake. We fret over whether or not to disclose exactly what happened. We sweat, we are afraid, we feel nervous and anxious. We are often afraid that if we tell the truth about what we have done or said, we will be in trouble with our parents or friends. What we forget is that whether we tell the truth or not, Allah Most High knows exactly what took place, even those things that were never manifest or visible to people around us. Despite how burdensome telling the truth might seem, all of us are aware of the feeling of relief we experience when we tell the truth, even if the consequence of telling the truth is punishment. Casting the telling of truth and the fate of the truthful in terms of profit and loss, Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an
[This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are gardens, with rivers flowing beneath — their eternal Home: Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah. That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires).] (Al-Ma'idah 5:119)
So much is to be gained from being truthful as opposed to escaping punishment or blame because of not being truthful. Not being truthful, in fact, leads us down a slippery slope, guaranteeing that with one lie, more lies must be told. Being truthful is not an option for Muslims, but rather an obligation, because our goal in being truthful is Paradise. The beloved of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), said, as narrated by `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him),
Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to al-fujur [wickedness, evil-doing], and al-fujur leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is witten before Allah, a liar." (Sahih Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #116)
Ultimate success is therefore achieved by living one's entire life — the youthful years, the adult years, and the elderly years — being truthful.
Be Trustworthy
Who do you rely on? Of course, Allah. He is indeed the Most Trustworthy. But among humans, who do you rely on? Who can you trust to come through for you all the time? Do people rely on you? Are you considered trustworthy?Moving ahead in life, achieving ultimate success, requires that people consider you trustworthy and reliable. Being trustworthy should not be an arbitrary activity but rather a habit so that you can be relied upon in all instances, big or small, convenient or inconvenient, easy or difficult.
In colloquial terms, we often hear "I've got your back," implying, in the most literal sense, that people cannot see what is behind them so they need to rely on their friends to cover that angle, just in case a threat occurs from the back. Just imagine what it would be like if a friend were climbing a tree and was heading out onto a very thin branch to get a kite that got stuck there. She asks you if you "have her back." In this instance, she is relying on you entirely to hold on to her in case the branch breaks. There is no room for joking around or for being distracted: your friend is trusting you with her life.
When we say Allah is the Most Trustworthy, we are coming to terms with the fact that Allah Most High will never let us down, will never leave our side. He, Most High, says about someone who willingly accepts Islam,
[Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah Heareth and Knoweth all things.] (Al-Baqarah 2:256)
Indeed, the prophets of Allah were all trustworthy people and Allah attested to the trustworthiness of those who were doubted by their communities. Prophet Hud, appealing to his community, declared to them,
[I but fulfill towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: I am to you a sincere and trustworthy adviser.] (Al-A`raf 7:68)
Practice daily developing the habit of being trustworthy. Accept responsibility and then fulfill it. When others trust you, do not betray their trust.
You can read in the beautiful biography of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) how people used to entrust him with their valuables, knowing that upon their return they would find their valuables safe and unharmed. His personal and business practices were commendable to the degree that he was known for it in his community, even before he became aware that he was the Prophet of Allah, literally one who is most truthful and trustworthy.
Have Self-Restraint and Be God-Conscious
Perhaps the most difficult challenge while navigating adolescence is to restrain oneself from falling victim to one's desires — especially one's lower desires.
Our success in life depends to a great extent on how well we are able to restrain ourselves and to be moderate in what is permissible, as well as how capable we are of distancing ourselves from what is impermissible.
Why is self-restraint so critical? Satan's goal is to make you a slave of your desires to the extent that you eat until you are actually uncomfortable; that you consume without restraint beverages made of caffeine, sugar, and artificial flavors; that you find yourself longing for sleep more than prayer; and that you yearn to satisfy your sexual desires. Developing self-restraint as a habit entails making self-restraint your second nature — something which is done almost without thought, without too much effort. We are reminded by Allah Most High,
[And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, — none but persons of the greatest good fortune.] (Fussilat 41:5)
In seeking to be highly successful Muslim youth, that is, youth deserving of the greatest fortune, it is imperative that you develop self-restraint.
An interesting parallel is that, throughout his Qur'an translation, the late Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates taqwa as self-restraint. While taqwa is most commonly translated as "God-consciousness," one realizes without much effort that the height of self-restraint is full and complete understanding that one is indeed conscious of one's duty to one's Lord. How awesome will it be if you can look back at your life and say to yourself, all praise is due to Allah that I did not succumb to my lower desires and instead exercised self-restraint consistently!
Be Thorough
Look around your room. How many unfinished projects do you have? When you work on homework, are you likely to rush through the assignment just so you can be done with it or are you more likely to take your time, to check your work, and most importantly, to be thorough?
Often teachers will grade a report based on how well and to what extent the student covered the topic at hand. Being thorough is not a habit that is developed overnight. The opposite of being thorough is being incomplete, being rushed, and working in haste without any regard for accuracy or quality. The most perfect is Allah Most High, Who perfected creation, Who perfected our religion, and Who guided His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the most perfect among humans in behavior and in character.
We read in the Muwatta of Imam Malik "Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'I was sent to perfect good character'" (Book #47, Hadith #47.1.8).
To be thorough stems from a desire to be perfect to the extent that this is humanly possible. Seeking perfection in our actions and speech from an early age helps us to develop a keen eye, not only for thoroughness in our own life, but also for thoroughness in the lives of those around us. Being thorough in prayer, for example, teaches us to be patient and to concentrate upon the words we are reciting and the different positions of the prayer.
Be Focused
One thousand ideas go through your head the moment you stand up for prayer. Is that you? Really? What do you make of those ideas? Do you process them? What about when you are sitting in class? Do you find your mind wandering, daydreaming, and unable to focus on the lecture at hand? Are you likely to use any excuse whatsoever to leave what you are doing?
Developing the habit of being focused ensures that you are awake, alert, and totally motivated to work on and complete the task at hand, whatever it may be. Being distracted early on in childhood by video games, fast-paced imagery, and constantly changing scenes on television shows contributes to an inability to concentrate, to focus. Among the best ways to develop focus is to practice praying with deep concentration to the extent that you are almost unaware of your surroundings. Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an that the believers are
[those who humble themselves in their prayers] (Al-Mu'minun 23:2)
The humility referred to here results from total focus and concentration on the fact that one is in the presence of Allah, standing before Him, Most High. Do your best to develop focus, no matter what activity you are engaged in — whether in prayer, in academics, in athletics, or some other pastime.
Be Punctual
Stop saying over and over again that you are late because of "Muslim standard time," or the "standard time" of your particular ethnicity. The last thing we should attribute to Islam is the notion that its teachings somehow make us late, slow, slugging, and anything but punctual. What a sad state of affairs, indeed, that we attribute our own weaknesses to our religion or ethnicity!
Highly successful individuals, be they Muslim or not, understand and appreciate the value of not only their time but the time of everyone else with whom they interact. Keeping people waiting for hours on end is neither something to be proud of nor a habit that has a place in the mindset of a person who tries to be successful.
One of the central pillars of Islam is prayer, and Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have given us clear reminders that we are to establish prayers at their due times.
When `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked "which deed is the dearest to Allah?" the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #10, Hadith #505).
If indeed your day is to be considered successful, you must have prayed all the obligatory prayers at their established times and as many voluntary prayers as possible. If your day is planned around the times of prayer, you should not pray exactly at the time when you are to pray but then come late to all other appointments. Being punctual is a habit which, when perfected, demonstrates to others the tremendous value that Islam places on time — not only ours but that of everyone else with whom we interact.
Be Consistent
Apart from all the habits listed above, perhaps the one that is sure to help you become a highly successful Muslim youth is that of being consistent. One cannot be truthful one day and a liar the next; one cannot be trustworthy in one instance and totally unreliable in the next; and so on for each of the other habits. A Muslim understands from an early age that it is easier to do something once or whenever we feel like it but much harder to do something regularly and consistently.
Indeed, the Mother of the Believers `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that "the most beloved action to Allah's Apostle was that which is done continuously and regularly" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #76, Hadith #469).
Regular and consist actions show that a person has thought about it, has intended to do it, has planned to do it, and therefore does it.
We urge you to be as consistent as possible, especially in those areas of your life which need constant improvement, such as your prayers, your fasting, your manners, your studying habits, etc. Do not say, I am going to pray all day every day, or fast voluntarily all of the days of every month, or study all night every night, because such actions cannot be humanly sustained over a long period of time. Say on the other hand, I am going to be sure to read at least one part of the Qur'an every day, or I will strive to help my parents with at least one household chore every day, or I will try to study at least one new item every week so that I can be ahead of the lesson plan.
Conclusion
Finally, Muslims aspire to develop all of these habits because, in doing so, we draw nearer to Allah Most High. If you are intent on being a highly successful Muslim youth, then you owe it to yourself to reflect upon your own life and see how many of these habits are already a part of who you are and how many you need to further develop or acquire.
We end with a reminder that developing these habits will help you to emulate the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). His message and his life are summarized well in a narration of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas:
Abu Sufyan told me that Heraclius said to him, "When I enquired of you what he (Muhammad) ordered you, you replied that he ordered you to establish the prayer, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to pay back trusts." Then Heraclius added, "These are really the qualities of a prophet." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #48, Hadith #846)
Strive to develop the seven habits listed above and many others from the Islamic teachings so that you will be among the highly successful Muslim youth.
If you are alive and breathing, you should constantly be engaged in an inner struggle to develop habits which draw you closer to Allah Most High. Success in this world is directly related to the strength of your relationship with Allah. The farther one is from Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the less likely one is to achieve success in this world and, for sure, even less likely to achieve success in the hereafter. Is it not time for us to reflect upon Islamic teachings to discern the necessary habits of highly successful Muslim youth?
Here are at least seven habits indispensable for highly successful Muslim youth, derived entirely from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Be Truthful
Being truthful is not always easy, especially when we make a mistake. We fret over whether or not to disclose exactly what happened. We sweat, we are afraid, we feel nervous and anxious. We are often afraid that if we tell the truth about what we have done or said, we will be in trouble with our parents or friends. What we forget is that whether we tell the truth or not, Allah Most High knows exactly what took place, even those things that were never manifest or visible to people around us. Despite how burdensome telling the truth might seem, all of us are aware of the feeling of relief we experience when we tell the truth, even if the consequence of telling the truth is punishment. Casting the telling of truth and the fate of the truthful in terms of profit and loss, Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an
[This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are gardens, with rivers flowing beneath — their eternal Home: Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah. That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires).] (Al-Ma'idah 5:119)
So much is to be gained from being truthful as opposed to escaping punishment or blame because of not being truthful. Not being truthful, in fact, leads us down a slippery slope, guaranteeing that with one lie, more lies must be told. Being truthful is not an option for Muslims, but rather an obligation, because our goal in being truthful is Paradise. The beloved of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), said, as narrated by `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him),
Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to al-fujur [wickedness, evil-doing], and al-fujur leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is witten before Allah, a liar." (Sahih Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #116)
Ultimate success is therefore achieved by living one's entire life — the youthful years, the adult years, and the elderly years — being truthful.
Be Trustworthy
Who do you rely on? Of course, Allah. He is indeed the Most Trustworthy. But among humans, who do you rely on? Who can you trust to come through for you all the time? Do people rely on you? Are you considered trustworthy?Moving ahead in life, achieving ultimate success, requires that people consider you trustworthy and reliable. Being trustworthy should not be an arbitrary activity but rather a habit so that you can be relied upon in all instances, big or small, convenient or inconvenient, easy or difficult.
In colloquial terms, we often hear "I've got your back," implying, in the most literal sense, that people cannot see what is behind them so they need to rely on their friends to cover that angle, just in case a threat occurs from the back. Just imagine what it would be like if a friend were climbing a tree and was heading out onto a very thin branch to get a kite that got stuck there. She asks you if you "have her back." In this instance, she is relying on you entirely to hold on to her in case the branch breaks. There is no room for joking around or for being distracted: your friend is trusting you with her life.
When we say Allah is the Most Trustworthy, we are coming to terms with the fact that Allah Most High will never let us down, will never leave our side. He, Most High, says about someone who willingly accepts Islam,
[Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah Heareth and Knoweth all things.] (Al-Baqarah 2:256)
Indeed, the prophets of Allah were all trustworthy people and Allah attested to the trustworthiness of those who were doubted by their communities. Prophet Hud, appealing to his community, declared to them,
[I but fulfill towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: I am to you a sincere and trustworthy adviser.] (Al-A`raf 7:68)
Practice daily developing the habit of being trustworthy. Accept responsibility and then fulfill it. When others trust you, do not betray their trust.
You can read in the beautiful biography of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) how people used to entrust him with their valuables, knowing that upon their return they would find their valuables safe and unharmed. His personal and business practices were commendable to the degree that he was known for it in his community, even before he became aware that he was the Prophet of Allah, literally one who is most truthful and trustworthy.
Have Self-Restraint and Be God-Conscious
Perhaps the most difficult challenge while navigating adolescence is to restrain oneself from falling victim to one's desires — especially one's lower desires.
Our success in life depends to a great extent on how well we are able to restrain ourselves and to be moderate in what is permissible, as well as how capable we are of distancing ourselves from what is impermissible.
Why is self-restraint so critical? Satan's goal is to make you a slave of your desires to the extent that you eat until you are actually uncomfortable; that you consume without restraint beverages made of caffeine, sugar, and artificial flavors; that you find yourself longing for sleep more than prayer; and that you yearn to satisfy your sexual desires. Developing self-restraint as a habit entails making self-restraint your second nature — something which is done almost without thought, without too much effort. We are reminded by Allah Most High,
[And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, — none but persons of the greatest good fortune.] (Fussilat 41:5)
In seeking to be highly successful Muslim youth, that is, youth deserving of the greatest fortune, it is imperative that you develop self-restraint.
An interesting parallel is that, throughout his Qur'an translation, the late Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates taqwa as self-restraint. While taqwa is most commonly translated as "God-consciousness," one realizes without much effort that the height of self-restraint is full and complete understanding that one is indeed conscious of one's duty to one's Lord. How awesome will it be if you can look back at your life and say to yourself, all praise is due to Allah that I did not succumb to my lower desires and instead exercised self-restraint consistently!
Be Thorough
Look around your room. How many unfinished projects do you have? When you work on homework, are you likely to rush through the assignment just so you can be done with it or are you more likely to take your time, to check your work, and most importantly, to be thorough?
Often teachers will grade a report based on how well and to what extent the student covered the topic at hand. Being thorough is not a habit that is developed overnight. The opposite of being thorough is being incomplete, being rushed, and working in haste without any regard for accuracy or quality. The most perfect is Allah Most High, Who perfected creation, Who perfected our religion, and Who guided His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the most perfect among humans in behavior and in character.
We read in the Muwatta of Imam Malik "Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'I was sent to perfect good character'" (Book #47, Hadith #47.1.8).
To be thorough stems from a desire to be perfect to the extent that this is humanly possible. Seeking perfection in our actions and speech from an early age helps us to develop a keen eye, not only for thoroughness in our own life, but also for thoroughness in the lives of those around us. Being thorough in prayer, for example, teaches us to be patient and to concentrate upon the words we are reciting and the different positions of the prayer.
Be Focused
One thousand ideas go through your head the moment you stand up for prayer. Is that you? Really? What do you make of those ideas? Do you process them? What about when you are sitting in class? Do you find your mind wandering, daydreaming, and unable to focus on the lecture at hand? Are you likely to use any excuse whatsoever to leave what you are doing?
Developing the habit of being focused ensures that you are awake, alert, and totally motivated to work on and complete the task at hand, whatever it may be. Being distracted early on in childhood by video games, fast-paced imagery, and constantly changing scenes on television shows contributes to an inability to concentrate, to focus. Among the best ways to develop focus is to practice praying with deep concentration to the extent that you are almost unaware of your surroundings. Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an that the believers are
[those who humble themselves in their prayers] (Al-Mu'minun 23:2)
The humility referred to here results from total focus and concentration on the fact that one is in the presence of Allah, standing before Him, Most High. Do your best to develop focus, no matter what activity you are engaged in — whether in prayer, in academics, in athletics, or some other pastime.
Be Punctual
Stop saying over and over again that you are late because of "Muslim standard time," or the "standard time" of your particular ethnicity. The last thing we should attribute to Islam is the notion that its teachings somehow make us late, slow, slugging, and anything but punctual. What a sad state of affairs, indeed, that we attribute our own weaknesses to our religion or ethnicity!
Highly successful individuals, be they Muslim or not, understand and appreciate the value of not only their time but the time of everyone else with whom they interact. Keeping people waiting for hours on end is neither something to be proud of nor a habit that has a place in the mindset of a person who tries to be successful.
One of the central pillars of Islam is prayer, and Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have given us clear reminders that we are to establish prayers at their due times.
When `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked "which deed is the dearest to Allah?" the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #10, Hadith #505).
If indeed your day is to be considered successful, you must have prayed all the obligatory prayers at their established times and as many voluntary prayers as possible. If your day is planned around the times of prayer, you should not pray exactly at the time when you are to pray but then come late to all other appointments. Being punctual is a habit which, when perfected, demonstrates to others the tremendous value that Islam places on time — not only ours but that of everyone else with whom we interact.
Be Consistent
Apart from all the habits listed above, perhaps the one that is sure to help you become a highly successful Muslim youth is that of being consistent. One cannot be truthful one day and a liar the next; one cannot be trustworthy in one instance and totally unreliable in the next; and so on for each of the other habits. A Muslim understands from an early age that it is easier to do something once or whenever we feel like it but much harder to do something regularly and consistently.
Indeed, the Mother of the Believers `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that "the most beloved action to Allah's Apostle was that which is done continuously and regularly" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #76, Hadith #469).
Regular and consist actions show that a person has thought about it, has intended to do it, has planned to do it, and therefore does it.
We urge you to be as consistent as possible, especially in those areas of your life which need constant improvement, such as your prayers, your fasting, your manners, your studying habits, etc. Do not say, I am going to pray all day every day, or fast voluntarily all of the days of every month, or study all night every night, because such actions cannot be humanly sustained over a long period of time. Say on the other hand, I am going to be sure to read at least one part of the Qur'an every day, or I will strive to help my parents with at least one household chore every day, or I will try to study at least one new item every week so that I can be ahead of the lesson plan.
Conclusion
Finally, Muslims aspire to develop all of these habits because, in doing so, we draw nearer to Allah Most High. If you are intent on being a highly successful Muslim youth, then you owe it to yourself to reflect upon your own life and see how many of these habits are already a part of who you are and how many you need to further develop or acquire.
We end with a reminder that developing these habits will help you to emulate the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). His message and his life are summarized well in a narration of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas:
Abu Sufyan told me that Heraclius said to him, "When I enquired of you what he (Muhammad) ordered you, you replied that he ordered you to establish the prayer, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to pay back trusts." Then Heraclius added, "These are really the qualities of a prophet." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #48, Hadith #846)
Strive to develop the seven habits listed above and many others from the Islamic teachings so that you will be among the highly successful Muslim youth.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Ashura - The Day of Muslim Unity
Every day is the Ashura and every Land is Kerbala and
every mimbar and every mehrab is battleground of Imam
Hussein (AS).
The Majalises of Imam Hussein (AS) and the tears that
roll down our cheeks are for the oppressed and each
droplet being challenge to the tyrant. We are not the
“Nation of Weeper”, but these weeping and wailing have
protected the school of Sayyidush-Shuhada and these
recounting of the tragedy has kept his message alive.
Muharram is the month of epic heroism and
self-sacrifice- the month in which truth condemned
falsehood and branded the mark of disgrace upon the
forehead of all oppressors and oppressed government
The words Sunni and Shia appear regularly in news, but
few people know what they really mean. Understanding
Sunni and Shia beliefs is important in understanding
the conflict in Iraq. The centuries old Shia-Sunni
differences are the major obstacle to Muslim Unity.
There are scholars on both sides – Sunni-Shia, like
Imam Khomeini and Sheikh Shaltut of Al-Azhar who have
done their best to minimize differences and bring
unity, but it has not been successful due to the
misinformation prevailing in the common masses of
Sunnis about Shism. While great deal of money and
efforts is being spent to fan the fire of hatred
between Shia and Sunni in the Middle East with obvious
political and economical fruits for power to be.
Special interest groups have always fanned these
differences for their benefit.
This is what Imam Khomeini said some twenty years ago
“ The filthy hands which aggravates the differences
between Shiites and Sunni Muslims belong to neither to
the Shiites nor Sunnis. They are the hands of
colonialist, which plan to take Islamic countries out
of our hands. The colonial powers that want to plunder
our wealth through various schemes and conspiracies
are the ones who hatch plots for creating division
under the pretext of Shism or Sunnis. Muslim worldwide
should not fall in to trap set by those who seek
division and mutual hatred. Anyone who is responsible
for instigating sectarian division and violence is
either an enemy of Islam, or doing the work of the
enemies of Islam”
The majority of Shia Muslims share all the core belief
of Sunni Islam. Shia and Sunni have many things in
common. They both believe in One God (Allah), follow
the same Prophets Muhammad as the last Prophet, offer
five daily prayers, perform the fast in the month of
Ramadan, go to Mecca for pilgrimage (Hajj), recite the
same Quran (Holy scriptures) and give alms – Charity
(Zakat). There is no theological or spiritual dispute
between Shia and Sunni; the differences are really
ethnicity and political. While in the matter of
Islamic jurisprudence, differences are minor. Sunnis
and Shia’s are considered by most to be brethren in
faith. In fact, most Muslims, not distinguish
themselves by claiming relationship in any particular
group, but prefer to call themselves simply “Muslims”.
The belief that most distinguishes Shiites from Sunnis
is the belief in a special representative of God,
after the end of Prophet hood, called an Imam. The
Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet
Muhammad’s death; leadership should have passed
directly to his cousin/son-in- law Imam Ali. The Imam
has both a spiritual role of guidance as well as a
politico-social role of rule over the Muslims in order
to enforce Islamic law. The Shias hold that there are
twelve Imams, with Ali being the first, Hussein the
third. The twelfth and final one, Imam Mahdi (after
whom Muqtadar al-Sadr named his military wing the
“Mahdi Army”) is in a supernatural state of
occultation awaiting his return to establish a just
order on earth. During his period of occultation, per
his instructions, the Ayatollahs are his
representatives and the obedience due unto him in both
a religious and political sense devolves unto them.
The difference between Ayatollah Sistani and Ayatollah
Khomeini —both Iranians educated in Najaf, Iraq—is of
degree and not of kind. To grasp the mind-set of any
Ayatollah, it is enough to quote Imam Al-Hussein. “The
conduct of affairs and the laws should be in the hands
of the learned and spiritual leaders of God who are
the trustees of what He has made prohibited and
lawful. The reign of affairs must be in their hands…”
Ayatollah Sistani and others in the Najaf seminary
belong to the older quietist school, while the some
Ayatollahs from Islamic seminary in Qom believe in
clerical activism and come from the school of thought
that religion and politic are inseparable.
The Shia are more hierarchical, with ayatollahs
(cleric) have more power. The Sunni are more
self-governing. Initially the difference between Sunni
and Shia was merely a difference concerning who should
lead the Muslim community (Ummah) after the death of
the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century. The
Sunni-Shia divide is similar to Protestant-Catholic in
Christianity. Shiite are far more passionate and
attached to the love of the Prophet Muhammad and his
family (Ahlul-Bayt /Imams). Shism is more
catholic-like just as catholic recognized Saints, Shia
believe in Imam (saint) as an intermediary between man
and God. Shia pilgrims who go to the shrine of Imam
Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussein in Kerbala, Iraq could
be like Catholic pilgrims who go to the shrine of
Fatima in Portugal or to Vatican. Sunni are more
Protestant-like. The Sunni cleric is more like a
Protestant pastor, whereas a Shia Ayatollah is more
like a bishop or a cardinal, except Shism has no pope.
Just like Protestant and Catholicism, both follow the
same scriptures, both follow the same story of Jesus,
but have a different ethos of Christianity. The same
is true for Shism and Sunnis.
If there is no differences in Shism and Sunnis, then
why all this bloodshed in Iraq? Looking at histories
of religion we know there are dispute over
interpretation and version of narration (Hadith).
These dispute among communities over time can lead to
conflict. The dispute have become politicized, for
instance, many years of war in Northern Ireland and in
Europe was due to territory disputes or independence
from Vatican or British. So the Sunni-Shia issue has
the same flow. In Iraq today, why the Shias and Sunni
are so antagonistic is because, much like Northern
Ireland, the theological boundary marks the boundaries
of different communities and their identities.
From Washington to newspaper editorial we talk about
civil war and we talk of Shia militias and Sunni
insurgents in Iraq There is too much at stake to get
swept up by minor differences and divide the Muslim
community along Shia and Sunni lines. We are all
Muslims, and that is the most important thing to
remember. Just as God delivered Moses and his people
free on the day of Ashura from bondage, death and
despair, I pray God delivers the greater Middle East
from the bondage of hatred, death, and war. The best
way to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the
martyrs of Kerbala on Ashura on Jan 29th is to shun
sectarian and other prejudice and follow the principle
of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and mutual respect
to create unity and cohesion in the community. The
martyrdom and the supreme sacrifice of Imam Hussein on
the plains of Kerbala should give Muslims the lesson
of tolerance, moderation, forgiveness, harmony and
tranquility between followers of all schools of
thought.
Mohammed Khaku
Allentown, PA USA
every mimbar and every mehrab is battleground of Imam
Hussein (AS).
The Majalises of Imam Hussein (AS) and the tears that
roll down our cheeks are for the oppressed and each
droplet being challenge to the tyrant. We are not the
“Nation of Weeper”, but these weeping and wailing have
protected the school of Sayyidush-Shuhada and these
recounting of the tragedy has kept his message alive.
Muharram is the month of epic heroism and
self-sacrifice- the month in which truth condemned
falsehood and branded the mark of disgrace upon the
forehead of all oppressors and oppressed government
The words Sunni and Shia appear regularly in news, but
few people know what they really mean. Understanding
Sunni and Shia beliefs is important in understanding
the conflict in Iraq. The centuries old Shia-Sunni
differences are the major obstacle to Muslim Unity.
There are scholars on both sides – Sunni-Shia, like
Imam Khomeini and Sheikh Shaltut of Al-Azhar who have
done their best to minimize differences and bring
unity, but it has not been successful due to the
misinformation prevailing in the common masses of
Sunnis about Shism. While great deal of money and
efforts is being spent to fan the fire of hatred
between Shia and Sunni in the Middle East with obvious
political and economical fruits for power to be.
Special interest groups have always fanned these
differences for their benefit.
This is what Imam Khomeini said some twenty years ago
“ The filthy hands which aggravates the differences
between Shiites and Sunni Muslims belong to neither to
the Shiites nor Sunnis. They are the hands of
colonialist, which plan to take Islamic countries out
of our hands. The colonial powers that want to plunder
our wealth through various schemes and conspiracies
are the ones who hatch plots for creating division
under the pretext of Shism or Sunnis. Muslim worldwide
should not fall in to trap set by those who seek
division and mutual hatred. Anyone who is responsible
for instigating sectarian division and violence is
either an enemy of Islam, or doing the work of the
enemies of Islam”
The majority of Shia Muslims share all the core belief
of Sunni Islam. Shia and Sunni have many things in
common. They both believe in One God (Allah), follow
the same Prophets Muhammad as the last Prophet, offer
five daily prayers, perform the fast in the month of
Ramadan, go to Mecca for pilgrimage (Hajj), recite the
same Quran (Holy scriptures) and give alms – Charity
(Zakat). There is no theological or spiritual dispute
between Shia and Sunni; the differences are really
ethnicity and political. While in the matter of
Islamic jurisprudence, differences are minor. Sunnis
and Shia’s are considered by most to be brethren in
faith. In fact, most Muslims, not distinguish
themselves by claiming relationship in any particular
group, but prefer to call themselves simply “Muslims”.
The belief that most distinguishes Shiites from Sunnis
is the belief in a special representative of God,
after the end of Prophet hood, called an Imam. The
Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet
Muhammad’s death; leadership should have passed
directly to his cousin/son-in- law Imam Ali. The Imam
has both a spiritual role of guidance as well as a
politico-social role of rule over the Muslims in order
to enforce Islamic law. The Shias hold that there are
twelve Imams, with Ali being the first, Hussein the
third. The twelfth and final one, Imam Mahdi (after
whom Muqtadar al-Sadr named his military wing the
“Mahdi Army”) is in a supernatural state of
occultation awaiting his return to establish a just
order on earth. During his period of occultation, per
his instructions, the Ayatollahs are his
representatives and the obedience due unto him in both
a religious and political sense devolves unto them.
The difference between Ayatollah Sistani and Ayatollah
Khomeini —both Iranians educated in Najaf, Iraq—is of
degree and not of kind. To grasp the mind-set of any
Ayatollah, it is enough to quote Imam Al-Hussein. “The
conduct of affairs and the laws should be in the hands
of the learned and spiritual leaders of God who are
the trustees of what He has made prohibited and
lawful. The reign of affairs must be in their hands…”
Ayatollah Sistani and others in the Najaf seminary
belong to the older quietist school, while the some
Ayatollahs from Islamic seminary in Qom believe in
clerical activism and come from the school of thought
that religion and politic are inseparable.
The Shia are more hierarchical, with ayatollahs
(cleric) have more power. The Sunni are more
self-governing. Initially the difference between Sunni
and Shia was merely a difference concerning who should
lead the Muslim community (Ummah) after the death of
the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century. The
Sunni-Shia divide is similar to Protestant-Catholic in
Christianity. Shiite are far more passionate and
attached to the love of the Prophet Muhammad and his
family (Ahlul-Bayt /Imams). Shism is more
catholic-like just as catholic recognized Saints, Shia
believe in Imam (saint) as an intermediary between man
and God. Shia pilgrims who go to the shrine of Imam
Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussein in Kerbala, Iraq could
be like Catholic pilgrims who go to the shrine of
Fatima in Portugal or to Vatican. Sunni are more
Protestant-like. The Sunni cleric is more like a
Protestant pastor, whereas a Shia Ayatollah is more
like a bishop or a cardinal, except Shism has no pope.
Just like Protestant and Catholicism, both follow the
same scriptures, both follow the same story of Jesus,
but have a different ethos of Christianity. The same
is true for Shism and Sunnis.
If there is no differences in Shism and Sunnis, then
why all this bloodshed in Iraq? Looking at histories
of religion we know there are dispute over
interpretation and version of narration (Hadith).
These dispute among communities over time can lead to
conflict. The dispute have become politicized, for
instance, many years of war in Northern Ireland and in
Europe was due to territory disputes or independence
from Vatican or British. So the Sunni-Shia issue has
the same flow. In Iraq today, why the Shias and Sunni
are so antagonistic is because, much like Northern
Ireland, the theological boundary marks the boundaries
of different communities and their identities.
From Washington to newspaper editorial we talk about
civil war and we talk of Shia militias and Sunni
insurgents in Iraq There is too much at stake to get
swept up by minor differences and divide the Muslim
community along Shia and Sunni lines. We are all
Muslims, and that is the most important thing to
remember. Just as God delivered Moses and his people
free on the day of Ashura from bondage, death and
despair, I pray God delivers the greater Middle East
from the bondage of hatred, death, and war. The best
way to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the
martyrs of Kerbala on Ashura on Jan 29th is to shun
sectarian and other prejudice and follow the principle
of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and mutual respect
to create unity and cohesion in the community. The
martyrdom and the supreme sacrifice of Imam Hussein on
the plains of Kerbala should give Muslims the lesson
of tolerance, moderation, forgiveness, harmony and
tranquility between followers of all schools of
thought.
Mohammed Khaku
Allentown, PA USA
Muslims in the Mirror
Prejudice in the Muslim community
Note from ITMR: Assalamualaikum, Below is an article from Soundvision entitled, "Muslims in the Mirror - Prejudice in the Muslim community." Before you read it, please read the ITMR message for Eid of 2000.
This Eid (Eid ul Adha, 2000), Inshallah, like every Eid, we will make their way to mosques to perform Eid prayer. Prayer in Jamaat can be an incredible experience. Many scholars describe it as the culmination of the five pillars of Islam
when you pray, you pray because you are a witness to the shahadah
when you pray, you refrain from eating and drinking, you observe a form of fasting
when you pray, you perform zakat because you are purifying yourself of your sins
when you pray, it is like performing hajj, with scores of other Muslims like yourself
It is this last point that I would like to stress on. We need to open our eyes and really take a look around us this Eid, and in the days to come. Look at the shiny faces of your Muslim brothers and sisters - of all colours and all ethnicities, of all cultures, of all ages. When the Ummah had its first official adhan, the muezzin was a Black former slave......till today, we pray shoulder to shoulder with people who are different in every possible way. But similar, in the most important way - IMAN...faith, Islam.
We will truly be lost if we nurture and raise our children to believe that they are better Muslims than others because they were brought up in the home of a particular ethnicity/race, or because they were born Muslims. It is arrogant to do so, but after all, arrogance is a natural human reaction. But that does not justify abandoning the effort to fight the tendency to look down on other Muslims.
A young woman once told me that she feels like the luckiest girl in the world. Before she came to Islam, she had just one sister and no brothers. Now that she has reverted to Islam, she has millions of sisters she can call her own - and literally so. We Muslims have brothers and sisters in every part of the world - because we are not separated by religious sects, different leaders, etc. Our leader is Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his God, our God, taught us to 'love for the sake of Allah.'
Muslims in the Mirror - Prejudice in the Muslim community
Source: Soundvision http://www.soundvis ion.com
‘I never considered a non-Arab equal to me,’ a sister once remarked. ‘I know it’s wrong, but in the place I grew up in, that was how we grew up thinking.’ She had grown up in a country considered "Islamic".
Islam is the most anti-racist and anti-prejudicial way of life. Islamic history testifies to the openness Muslims have shown towards people of different cultures and religions. Within their own ranks, sincere and practicing Muslims have always kept their hearts and minds open to their brethren, no matter what their background.
Yet, there is a problem in the Ummah today. Prejudices are not the problems of others. They have become the very sad reality amongst a number of Muslims as well.
This is not just on the level of small minority Muslim communities in non-Muslim lands. It is also a problem in "Islamic" countries as well. Years of nationalism in theory and practice have diminished the powerful universality Muslims cherished in their societies.
First the bad news
Laws and customs
There are a number of countries in the Muslim world, in which racism and prejudice are in full swing and justified by laws or social customs. These seek to exclude and shun on the basis of ethnicity and in some cases, race.
For instance, in certain countries, it is not permissible for children to study at a post-secondary level, even if their parents have been living or working in the country for a number of years. This is usually because of their national origin.
In other countries, discrimination is used to exclude those who are not the original inhabitants of the land from citizenship.
Discrimination extends to the field of employment as well. In some "Islamic" countries, workers of one national origin are paid less than others although they may excel in their skills, education, and experience. It has been noted that a white or black person carrying an American passport gets better pay than a person of Asian origin carrying the same passport.
Written and unwritten laws in some Arab countries prohibit Arab women from marrying a non-Arab.
Attitudes and words
The discrimination is not reserved to laws though. It’s not difficult to hear an uncommon racial epithet used among some Muslims, ignorant or negligent of the Quran and Sunnah’s condemnation of backbiting, slander and mockery.
Marriage
We know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines, and therefore, in Islam, there is no ethnic bar to marriage. He also made it very clear, in his last Khutba, that superiority in Islam is not based on blackness, whiteness, Arabness or the lack of it.
Contrast this with, for instance, the Hindu caste system, under which inter-caste marriage is prohibited.
Sadly, such Hindu notions still influence a number of ignorant Muslims in South Asia who will not, for instance, marry outside if they are Syed (claim lineage to the Prophet), Shaikh (a business community) or across tribal lines if they come from the "Khans," "Moghuls" or "Jats".
While some Muslims may justify this as simply a measure to ensure compatibility between husband and wife, it is Islamically incorrect to discriminate upright Muslims on this basis.
The Masjid or Islamic center
There have been some isolated cases in which Muslims who have felt so excluded at specific mosques called anti-discrimination hotlines to complain.
Alhamdu lillah, all Masjids are open to all people and no Masjid has racial policies. However, racially divided neighborhoods result in an ethnically dominant Masjid type. Usually, negative attitudes of some and language specific Masjid programs cause miscommunication. This is because some people want to make sure their mother tongue survives in America.
...and the good news
The prayer: a lesson in Muslim unity
Five times a day, every day, Muslims of every cultural and ethnic background stand shoulder to shoulder. There is no issue of who stands where based on their color or ethnicity.
On a larger level, to remember that millions of Muslims, everywhere of all shapes, colors, sizes, countries, etc. all face the same place to pray, five times a day, is incredible. Yet this lesson not just in Muslim unity, but in ethno-national harmony, is usually overlooked.
The mosque: open to all despite problems
Alhamdu lillah, one problem Muslims do not have is membership-exclusiv e mosques. Any Muslim can pray in any mosque. While those individual Muslims with racism and prejudice in their hearts and minds may not treat them well, they will not exclude them physically from attending or praying in any mosque, anywhere.
A brother from the United Kingdom who converted to Islam once mentioned how on a trip to apartheid-era South Africa, while he found black and white churches, he did not encounter black and non-black mosques. That made him start thinking about this curious phenomenon, and he eventually accepted Islam.
Muslims united in pain
With the latest headlines focused on Chechnya, Muslims in America and abroad have generously donated to help their oppressed brothers and sisters there.
There is a keen understanding amongst many Muslims that when it comes to oppression, it doesn’t matter if you’re a black Muslim, a white Muslim, a Kosovar Muslim, a Chechen Muslim, a Kashmiri Muslim or a Somali Muslim, you are suffering.
Imams often make Dua for oppressed Muslims they have never met, no matter what their skin color. Muslims pray along in sympathy and support.
Here is another clear example of Muslim unity. All we need to do is now pray and help all human beings who are suffering whether Muslim or not.
Muslim American leaders are diverse
Can you name the top four speakers and leaders amongst Muslims in America today?
If you can, you’ll realize that all four are of different racial and linguistic backgrounds. They are invited to Muslim gatherings regularly, no matter what the ethnic background of the audience.
These four leaders are: Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African American Muslim; Dr. Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian Muslim; Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, a Sudanese Muslim, and Imam Hamza Yusuf, a Caucasian American Muslim.
This shows that a Muslim leader is respected for his knowledge and commitment to the Deen by most Muslims, not his background.
Marriage: the litmus test
All that said though, the real test of openness to other cultures is marriage. Islam and a growing number of Muslims pass there with flying colors.
As mentioned above, we know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines. Muslims, whether in the Muslim world or in North America, are following his example more often today.
So you’ll find an African or Caucasian-American convert married to an Arab, Indo-Pakistani or Malaysian; you’ll find an Indian married to a Palestinian; you’ll find a Kashmiri married to an Arab-American, and on and on.
There is a keen and growing understanding amongst a number of Muslims, in line with Islam, that what unites hearts and people is Islam, not skin color, ethnicity or territory.
Sincerity, knowledge, forgiveness are the cure
Curing the disease of racism takes time. It also takes humility, sincerity and requires seeking out the right guidance. It means admitting we were or are wrong, sincerely repenting and making a concrete effort to change.
While the planet's approximately 1.2 billion Muslims do have their share of problems with each other, Alhamdu lillah, we still have the tools to eradicate the cancer of racism and prejudice in our midst. Let’s begin the process with ourselves, and then help them Ummah do the same.
[Racism] [Mainpage] [What's New?]
.... And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ....
Allah Hafiz,
Ron Abdul Latif
Note from ITMR: Assalamualaikum, Below is an article from Soundvision entitled, "Muslims in the Mirror - Prejudice in the Muslim community." Before you read it, please read the ITMR message for Eid of 2000.
This Eid (Eid ul Adha, 2000), Inshallah, like every Eid, we will make their way to mosques to perform Eid prayer. Prayer in Jamaat can be an incredible experience. Many scholars describe it as the culmination of the five pillars of Islam
when you pray, you pray because you are a witness to the shahadah
when you pray, you refrain from eating and drinking, you observe a form of fasting
when you pray, you perform zakat because you are purifying yourself of your sins
when you pray, it is like performing hajj, with scores of other Muslims like yourself
It is this last point that I would like to stress on. We need to open our eyes and really take a look around us this Eid, and in the days to come. Look at the shiny faces of your Muslim brothers and sisters - of all colours and all ethnicities, of all cultures, of all ages. When the Ummah had its first official adhan, the muezzin was a Black former slave......till today, we pray shoulder to shoulder with people who are different in every possible way. But similar, in the most important way - IMAN...faith, Islam.
We will truly be lost if we nurture and raise our children to believe that they are better Muslims than others because they were brought up in the home of a particular ethnicity/race, or because they were born Muslims. It is arrogant to do so, but after all, arrogance is a natural human reaction. But that does not justify abandoning the effort to fight the tendency to look down on other Muslims.
A young woman once told me that she feels like the luckiest girl in the world. Before she came to Islam, she had just one sister and no brothers. Now that she has reverted to Islam, she has millions of sisters she can call her own - and literally so. We Muslims have brothers and sisters in every part of the world - because we are not separated by religious sects, different leaders, etc. Our leader is Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his God, our God, taught us to 'love for the sake of Allah.'
Muslims in the Mirror - Prejudice in the Muslim community
Source: Soundvision http://www.soundvis ion.com
‘I never considered a non-Arab equal to me,’ a sister once remarked. ‘I know it’s wrong, but in the place I grew up in, that was how we grew up thinking.’ She had grown up in a country considered "Islamic".
Islam is the most anti-racist and anti-prejudicial way of life. Islamic history testifies to the openness Muslims have shown towards people of different cultures and religions. Within their own ranks, sincere and practicing Muslims have always kept their hearts and minds open to their brethren, no matter what their background.
Yet, there is a problem in the Ummah today. Prejudices are not the problems of others. They have become the very sad reality amongst a number of Muslims as well.
This is not just on the level of small minority Muslim communities in non-Muslim lands. It is also a problem in "Islamic" countries as well. Years of nationalism in theory and practice have diminished the powerful universality Muslims cherished in their societies.
First the bad news
Laws and customs
There are a number of countries in the Muslim world, in which racism and prejudice are in full swing and justified by laws or social customs. These seek to exclude and shun on the basis of ethnicity and in some cases, race.
For instance, in certain countries, it is not permissible for children to study at a post-secondary level, even if their parents have been living or working in the country for a number of years. This is usually because of their national origin.
In other countries, discrimination is used to exclude those who are not the original inhabitants of the land from citizenship.
Discrimination extends to the field of employment as well. In some "Islamic" countries, workers of one national origin are paid less than others although they may excel in their skills, education, and experience. It has been noted that a white or black person carrying an American passport gets better pay than a person of Asian origin carrying the same passport.
Written and unwritten laws in some Arab countries prohibit Arab women from marrying a non-Arab.
Attitudes and words
The discrimination is not reserved to laws though. It’s not difficult to hear an uncommon racial epithet used among some Muslims, ignorant or negligent of the Quran and Sunnah’s condemnation of backbiting, slander and mockery.
Marriage
We know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines, and therefore, in Islam, there is no ethnic bar to marriage. He also made it very clear, in his last Khutba, that superiority in Islam is not based on blackness, whiteness, Arabness or the lack of it.
Contrast this with, for instance, the Hindu caste system, under which inter-caste marriage is prohibited.
Sadly, such Hindu notions still influence a number of ignorant Muslims in South Asia who will not, for instance, marry outside if they are Syed (claim lineage to the Prophet), Shaikh (a business community) or across tribal lines if they come from the "Khans," "Moghuls" or "Jats".
While some Muslims may justify this as simply a measure to ensure compatibility between husband and wife, it is Islamically incorrect to discriminate upright Muslims on this basis.
The Masjid or Islamic center
There have been some isolated cases in which Muslims who have felt so excluded at specific mosques called anti-discrimination hotlines to complain.
Alhamdu lillah, all Masjids are open to all people and no Masjid has racial policies. However, racially divided neighborhoods result in an ethnically dominant Masjid type. Usually, negative attitudes of some and language specific Masjid programs cause miscommunication. This is because some people want to make sure their mother tongue survives in America.
...and the good news
The prayer: a lesson in Muslim unity
Five times a day, every day, Muslims of every cultural and ethnic background stand shoulder to shoulder. There is no issue of who stands where based on their color or ethnicity.
On a larger level, to remember that millions of Muslims, everywhere of all shapes, colors, sizes, countries, etc. all face the same place to pray, five times a day, is incredible. Yet this lesson not just in Muslim unity, but in ethno-national harmony, is usually overlooked.
The mosque: open to all despite problems
Alhamdu lillah, one problem Muslims do not have is membership-exclusiv e mosques. Any Muslim can pray in any mosque. While those individual Muslims with racism and prejudice in their hearts and minds may not treat them well, they will not exclude them physically from attending or praying in any mosque, anywhere.
A brother from the United Kingdom who converted to Islam once mentioned how on a trip to apartheid-era South Africa, while he found black and white churches, he did not encounter black and non-black mosques. That made him start thinking about this curious phenomenon, and he eventually accepted Islam.
Muslims united in pain
With the latest headlines focused on Chechnya, Muslims in America and abroad have generously donated to help their oppressed brothers and sisters there.
There is a keen understanding amongst many Muslims that when it comes to oppression, it doesn’t matter if you’re a black Muslim, a white Muslim, a Kosovar Muslim, a Chechen Muslim, a Kashmiri Muslim or a Somali Muslim, you are suffering.
Imams often make Dua for oppressed Muslims they have never met, no matter what their skin color. Muslims pray along in sympathy and support.
Here is another clear example of Muslim unity. All we need to do is now pray and help all human beings who are suffering whether Muslim or not.
Muslim American leaders are diverse
Can you name the top four speakers and leaders amongst Muslims in America today?
If you can, you’ll realize that all four are of different racial and linguistic backgrounds. They are invited to Muslim gatherings regularly, no matter what the ethnic background of the audience.
These four leaders are: Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African American Muslim; Dr. Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian Muslim; Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, a Sudanese Muslim, and Imam Hamza Yusuf, a Caucasian American Muslim.
This shows that a Muslim leader is respected for his knowledge and commitment to the Deen by most Muslims, not his background.
Marriage: the litmus test
All that said though, the real test of openness to other cultures is marriage. Islam and a growing number of Muslims pass there with flying colors.
As mentioned above, we know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines. Muslims, whether in the Muslim world or in North America, are following his example more often today.
So you’ll find an African or Caucasian-American convert married to an Arab, Indo-Pakistani or Malaysian; you’ll find an Indian married to a Palestinian; you’ll find a Kashmiri married to an Arab-American, and on and on.
There is a keen and growing understanding amongst a number of Muslims, in line with Islam, that what unites hearts and people is Islam, not skin color, ethnicity or territory.
Sincerity, knowledge, forgiveness are the cure
Curing the disease of racism takes time. It also takes humility, sincerity and requires seeking out the right guidance. It means admitting we were or are wrong, sincerely repenting and making a concrete effort to change.
While the planet's approximately 1.2 billion Muslims do have their share of problems with each other, Alhamdu lillah, we still have the tools to eradicate the cancer of racism and prejudice in our midst. Let’s begin the process with ourselves, and then help them Ummah do the same.
[Racism] [Mainpage] [What's New?]
.... And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ....
Allah Hafiz,
Ron Abdul Latif
Saturday, March 03, 2007
For US Muslim Girls, Hijab No Obstacle
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different,"...
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"We do what almost every teenage girl in America does, shopping and movies. I also go out with my family and family friends"...
----------------------------------------------------------
Even for younger Muslim girls, wearing hijab at public middle schools enhances their self-confidence and makes them feel distinguished among their peers.
----------------------------------------------------------
"I am very thankful that in my community we have youth group for Muslim teenagers at the local Masjid.
"We have events and girls only parties...
----------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I feel different, but never isolated or left out,” ...
"Different: yes. But never isolated or left out,"...
----------------------------------------------------------
The Muslim community is growing, and non-Muslims are growing more accustomed to them. This does not prevent the stares I receive...
----------------------------------------------------------
For US Muslim Girls, Hijab No Obstacle
By Sahar Kassaimah, IOL Correspondent
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different," said Maghawri. (IOL Photo)
WASHINGTON — For many Muslim girls in the United States, hijab is no obstacle whatsoever to enjoy their lives, but rather a source of strength, pride and a tool to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam. "I’ve been wearing my hijab for more than five years; since I was a fifth grader and I believe nothing has changed between me and my friends or classmates after I covered my hair," Huda Rabia, a Californian tenth grader student, told IslamOnline.net Friday, February 9.
"In the beginning they were all curious to know what this scarf is and why I am wearing it. They had tens of questions but after I answered all of them, they never asked me about it again."
During the few recent years, a debate has been raging in the West about Muslim women's right to wear hijab in public.
Describing it as a religious symbol and not an obligatory dress code as Muslims believe, France has triggered the controversy in 2004 by adopting a bill banning the hair veil in state schools.
Shortly afterwards, other European countries, chiefly Germany, followed the French lead.
But in the United States, it is a different story.
"I do what most people at my age do," said Salsabil Alwazzi, an 18-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma City Community College. "I hang out with friends, watch movies and go out to restaurants."
"I spend a lot of time with my friends we go for dinners and throw parties for each other," added Mariam Khalid, a 16-year old and an 11th grader at El Camino Real Senior High.
"We do what almost every teenage girl in America does, shopping and movies. I also go out with my family and family friends," she added.
Nabilah Safa, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and also wears a hijab, feel pretty good about herself.
"Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am," she said.
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country's 300 million population.
Responsibility
For many among hijab-donned Muslim girls, wearing a hijab is a responsibility that requires them to check their actions.
"Muslim girls wearing hijab are immediately recognized anywhere they go, without the need for us to say ‘I am Muslim.’ The hijab speaks for us, and I believe this helps to serve as a check on our actions, because anything we do is not just reflective on us, but on Islam as well," said Nour Habib, a 17-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
Even for younger Muslim girls, wearing hijab at public middle schools enhances their self-confidence and makes them feel distinguished among their peers.
"I feel that I am special between all the people I hang out with because I have enough courage to do that," said Alia Maghawri, a 12-year-old and a sixth grader at Las Colinas middle school.
"I am also proud because I am different from all my Muslim friends. They are too shy to wear the hijab," added Maghawri.
For Maghawri, her hijab brings her more respect among her friends.
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different," said Maghawri proudly.
No Isolation
"Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am," said Safa. (IOL Photo) Most of the hijab-donned girls agree that they did not feel isolated by their attire.
"Sometimes I feel different, but never isolated or left out,” said Safa.
Sarah Habib, a 15-year-old and a tenth grader, agrees with Safa.
"Different: yes. But never isolated or left out," she told IOL.
"Of course I feel different, because I am. But there is no reason for me to feel isolated or left out. There are things I stay away from, as a Muslim. But it is not because I am excluded; it is because I choose to stay away," Habib added.
Rabia wonders why a Muslim girl should feel isolated for wearing her hijab.
"I was Huda Rabia before wearing my hijab and I am still the same Huda Rabia after wearing it. The only change is that I covered my hair with this scarf. So why my friends should refuse or distance themselves from me because of my scarf?" asked Rabia surprisingly.
"I have a different belief system than most here in the US. However I was born and raised here so why should I feel any different?" added Alwazzi.
Habib believes that it is one’s actions that could isolate him/her from others.
"I believe that isolation is a choice. And if you do not choose to be isolated, then you won’t be. And the question is, left out from what? Again, it is a matter of choice. You choose whether or not to join in something, and in this way, I don’t think it’s being left out."
She said wearing hijab or being a Muslims is more like "staying out."
"There is nothing wrong with staying out of things that you feel are wrong. This is actually proof that you are 'above the influence.' By not letting someone pressure you into doing something, you are showing strength of character," she said.
Family Support
The girls, however, admit that they might face some derive their strength from strong family bonds and Muslim advocacy groups to face challenges that they might go through.
"Of course when you see other teenagers going to parties and hanging out you feel left out. But I think it is very important to have a strong family background that you know you can always go back to," said Khalid.
"I am very thankful that in my community we have youth group for Muslim teenagers at the local Masjid.
"We have events and girls only parties so that we don’t feel left out in today’s society. For example, in the summer we go camping, and during the winter’s we have snow day. During the month we have activities like going bowling and game’s night, but we also have classes on Sunday to learn more about Islam," she said.
"I think it’s a perfect balance. Even though I know I am different, I don’t feel; left out or isolated because of this youth group and my family," Khalid said.
Learn More
The girls also use their hijabs to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam.
"In High School, many people are very ignorant about Islam but they are also very curious," said Khalid.
"A lot of people come and ask me why I wear a scarf and I explain to them that the hair is the symbol of sensuality and beauty, and that I try to hide that. They are astounded when they discover that wearing the hijab was my choice. I also have a few classmates who are Muslim but not very religious, and they ask me questions to learn about their religion," she added.
Habib agrees.
"I believe people are getting used to seeing Muslims all around them," said Habib.
"The Muslim community is growing, and non-Muslims are growing more accustomed to them. This does not prevent the stares I receive, but I am accustomed to these as well. Not all non-Muslims look at me in the same way. I think it all depends on the level of knowledge they have about Islam."
For Sarah, people differ in their reactions, but she agrees that Muslims should be approachable to encourage others learning about Islam.
"Of course people react in different ways. I get stares all the time, some showing interest, some curiosity, some admiration/respect, and some, unfortunately, fear," Sarah told IOL.
"I try to look as approachable as possible, giving people a chance to ask what they want."
Ala Gebarin, 17, also takes into her strides stares and remarks she might come across.
"I am aware that my hijab can be intimidating, but it is only a layer of clothing," said Gebarin, a 12th grade student at Oak Forest High School.
"Once people get to know me, and how I act, their views change and really non-Muslims are very open and kind. They are often more curious than ignorant; as they are often portrayed."
----------------------------------------------------------
"We do what almost every teenage girl in America does, shopping and movies. I also go out with my family and family friends"...
----------------------------------------------------------
Even for younger Muslim girls, wearing hijab at public middle schools enhances their self-confidence and makes them feel distinguished among their peers.
----------------------------------------------------------
"I am very thankful that in my community we have youth group for Muslim teenagers at the local Masjid.
"We have events and girls only parties...
----------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I feel different, but never isolated or left out,” ...
"Different: yes. But never isolated or left out,"...
----------------------------------------------------------
The Muslim community is growing, and non-Muslims are growing more accustomed to them. This does not prevent the stares I receive...
----------------------------------------------------------
For US Muslim Girls, Hijab No Obstacle
By Sahar Kassaimah, IOL Correspondent
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different," said Maghawri. (IOL Photo)
WASHINGTON — For many Muslim girls in the United States, hijab is no obstacle whatsoever to enjoy their lives, but rather a source of strength, pride and a tool to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam. "I’ve been wearing my hijab for more than five years; since I was a fifth grader and I believe nothing has changed between me and my friends or classmates after I covered my hair," Huda Rabia, a Californian tenth grader student, told IslamOnline.net Friday, February 9.
"In the beginning they were all curious to know what this scarf is and why I am wearing it. They had tens of questions but after I answered all of them, they never asked me about it again."
During the few recent years, a debate has been raging in the West about Muslim women's right to wear hijab in public.
Describing it as a religious symbol and not an obligatory dress code as Muslims believe, France has triggered the controversy in 2004 by adopting a bill banning the hair veil in state schools.
Shortly afterwards, other European countries, chiefly Germany, followed the French lead.
But in the United States, it is a different story.
"I do what most people at my age do," said Salsabil Alwazzi, an 18-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma City Community College. "I hang out with friends, watch movies and go out to restaurants."
"I spend a lot of time with my friends we go for dinners and throw parties for each other," added Mariam Khalid, a 16-year old and an 11th grader at El Camino Real Senior High.
"We do what almost every teenage girl in America does, shopping and movies. I also go out with my family and family friends," she added.
Nabilah Safa, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and also wears a hijab, feel pretty good about herself.
"Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am," she said.
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country's 300 million population.
Responsibility
For many among hijab-donned Muslim girls, wearing a hijab is a responsibility that requires them to check their actions.
"Muslim girls wearing hijab are immediately recognized anywhere they go, without the need for us to say ‘I am Muslim.’ The hijab speaks for us, and I believe this helps to serve as a check on our actions, because anything we do is not just reflective on us, but on Islam as well," said Nour Habib, a 17-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
Even for younger Muslim girls, wearing hijab at public middle schools enhances their self-confidence and makes them feel distinguished among their peers.
"I feel that I am special between all the people I hang out with because I have enough courage to do that," said Alia Maghawri, a 12-year-old and a sixth grader at Las Colinas middle school.
"I am also proud because I am different from all my Muslim friends. They are too shy to wear the hijab," added Maghawri.
For Maghawri, her hijab brings her more respect among her friends.
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different," said Maghawri proudly.
No Isolation
"Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am," said Safa. (IOL Photo) Most of the hijab-donned girls agree that they did not feel isolated by their attire.
"Sometimes I feel different, but never isolated or left out,” said Safa.
Sarah Habib, a 15-year-old and a tenth grader, agrees with Safa.
"Different: yes. But never isolated or left out," she told IOL.
"Of course I feel different, because I am. But there is no reason for me to feel isolated or left out. There are things I stay away from, as a Muslim. But it is not because I am excluded; it is because I choose to stay away," Habib added.
Rabia wonders why a Muslim girl should feel isolated for wearing her hijab.
"I was Huda Rabia before wearing my hijab and I am still the same Huda Rabia after wearing it. The only change is that I covered my hair with this scarf. So why my friends should refuse or distance themselves from me because of my scarf?" asked Rabia surprisingly.
"I have a different belief system than most here in the US. However I was born and raised here so why should I feel any different?" added Alwazzi.
Habib believes that it is one’s actions that could isolate him/her from others.
"I believe that isolation is a choice. And if you do not choose to be isolated, then you won’t be. And the question is, left out from what? Again, it is a matter of choice. You choose whether or not to join in something, and in this way, I don’t think it’s being left out."
She said wearing hijab or being a Muslims is more like "staying out."
"There is nothing wrong with staying out of things that you feel are wrong. This is actually proof that you are 'above the influence.' By not letting someone pressure you into doing something, you are showing strength of character," she said.
Family Support
The girls, however, admit that they might face some derive their strength from strong family bonds and Muslim advocacy groups to face challenges that they might go through.
"Of course when you see other teenagers going to parties and hanging out you feel left out. But I think it is very important to have a strong family background that you know you can always go back to," said Khalid.
"I am very thankful that in my community we have youth group for Muslim teenagers at the local Masjid.
"We have events and girls only parties so that we don’t feel left out in today’s society. For example, in the summer we go camping, and during the winter’s we have snow day. During the month we have activities like going bowling and game’s night, but we also have classes on Sunday to learn more about Islam," she said.
"I think it’s a perfect balance. Even though I know I am different, I don’t feel; left out or isolated because of this youth group and my family," Khalid said.
Learn More
The girls also use their hijabs to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam.
"In High School, many people are very ignorant about Islam but they are also very curious," said Khalid.
"A lot of people come and ask me why I wear a scarf and I explain to them that the hair is the symbol of sensuality and beauty, and that I try to hide that. They are astounded when they discover that wearing the hijab was my choice. I also have a few classmates who are Muslim but not very religious, and they ask me questions to learn about their religion," she added.
Habib agrees.
"I believe people are getting used to seeing Muslims all around them," said Habib.
"The Muslim community is growing, and non-Muslims are growing more accustomed to them. This does not prevent the stares I receive, but I am accustomed to these as well. Not all non-Muslims look at me in the same way. I think it all depends on the level of knowledge they have about Islam."
For Sarah, people differ in their reactions, but she agrees that Muslims should be approachable to encourage others learning about Islam.
"Of course people react in different ways. I get stares all the time, some showing interest, some curiosity, some admiration/respect, and some, unfortunately, fear," Sarah told IOL.
"I try to look as approachable as possible, giving people a chance to ask what they want."
Ala Gebarin, 17, also takes into her strides stares and remarks she might come across.
"I am aware that my hijab can be intimidating, but it is only a layer of clothing," said Gebarin, a 12th grade student at Oak Forest High School.
"Once people get to know me, and how I act, their views change and really non-Muslims are very open and kind. They are often more curious than ignorant; as they are often portrayed."
Friday, January 26, 2007
Muslim Code of Behaviour
According to Islamic teachings, apart from having the right belief how
important is it for a person to do good deeds? Doing good and having
the right belief go hand in hand in Islam. In fact, doing good in
practice is the proof of having the right belief in the heart. This is
why the Holy Quran speaks of true Muslims very often as "those who
believe and do good deeds". Both the Quran and the Holy Prophet have
told Muslims that the best among them is that person who shows the best
behaviour towards other people.
Please give a list of some of the good qualities a Muslim must try to
acquire. Below we give, in the words of the Holy Quran and the Holy
Prophet Muhammad, the chief qualities a Muslim should display:
Truthfulness:
"O you who believe! keep your duty to Allah and speak straight, true
words." (Holy Quran 33:70)
"O you who believe, keep your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful
people." (9:119)
"Be maintainers of justice and bearers of true witness for Allah, even
if it (the truth) goes against your own selves or parents or relatives
or someone who is rich or poor." (4:135)
Sincerity:
"Serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience." (39:2)
"It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say things which you
do not do." (61:3)
"Woe to those who pray but are unmindful of their prayers, who do good
to be seen." (107:4-6)
Unselfishness:
"You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of
those things which you love." (3:91)
"They (the true believers) give food, out of love for Allah, to the
poor, the orphan and the slave, saying: We feed you only for Allah's
pleasure - we desire from you neither reward nor thanks." (76:8-9)
"Do no favour seeking gain." (74:6)
Humility:
"The servants of the Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth
in humility." (25:63)
"Do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the
land exultingly." (31:18)
"Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows best who is
righteous." (53:32)
Patience:
"Allah loves those who are patient." (3:145)
"Give good news to the patient, who, when a misfortune befalls them,
say: We are Allah's and to Him do we return." (2:155-156)
Forgiveness:
"Pardon (people) and overlook (their faults). Don't you love that Allah
should forgive you." (24:22)
"(The dutiful are) . . . those who restrain their anger and pardon
people. Allah loves those who do good to others." (3:134)
"Whenever they (true believers) are angry they forgive." (42:37)
"The recompense of evil is punishment like it. But whoever forgives (an
evil committed against himself) and amends (matters), his reward is with
Allah. . . . Whoever is patient and forgives, that is a matter of great
resolution." (42:40, 43)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad defeated his enemies in Makka and
returned to that city as its conqueror, he forgave them in the
following words:
"No reproof be against you this day; Allah may forgive you, and He is
the most Merciful of those who show mercy." (12:92)
Purity and cleanliness:
"He indeed is successful who purifies himself (in mind and body), and
remembers the name of his Lord, then prays." (87:14-15)
"Purify your garments and shun uncleanness." (74:4-5)
Honesty:
"Don't go near the property of an orphan, except in a goodly way, till
he attains maturity. And fulfil the promise (you make) . . .. Give full
measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true balance." (17:34-35)
"Do not swallow up your property among yourselves by false means, nor
offer it as a bribe to the officials so that you may swallow up other
people's property unlawfully while you know." (2:188)
Goodness and kindness to others:
"Allah commands you to uphold justice and to do good to others and to
give to the relatives." (16:90)
Three degrees of doing good are mentioned here: "justice," which means
returning any good that someone has done you with equal good; "do good
to others," which means taking the initiative in doing good to others;
and "give to the relatives," which means doing good to people
instinctively and naturally just as one does good to one's close
relatives.
"Do good to others, surely Allah loves those who do good to others."
(2:195)
Consideration and respect for others:
"O you who believe! do not enter houses other than your own until you
have asked permission and greeted the inmates . . . and if it is said to
you, 'Go back', then go back." (24:27-28)
"O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion (against others), for surely
suspicion in some cases is sin; and do not spy (into other people's
affairs), nor let some of you backbite others." (49:12)
"When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it, or
return it (in the same terms at least)." (4:86)
Courage:
Speaking of a small number of Muslims facing a big and powerful enemy,
the Quran relates:
"Those to whom men said: people have gathered against you, so fear them;
but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for
us and He is an excellent Guardian." (3:173)
Moderation:
"Eat and drink, but do not be immoderate." (7:31)
"Do not chain your hand to your neck (so that you are mean in
spending), nor stretch it out to the utmost limit (so that you waste
everything)." (17:29)
Regarding the performance of religious duties, the Holy Prophet has
given the following advice:
"Religion is easy, but any one who exerts himself too much in religious
devotions will get overcome by it; so you should just act rightly, and
keep to the mean, and be of good cheer, and ask for Allah's help
morning, evening, and a part of the night." (Bukhari.)
Cheerfulness:
"Be of good cheer." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"It is an act of charity to meet your fellow with a cheerful face."
(Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
Finally, we give a verse of the Holy Quran mentioning a number of
qualities a Muslim, man or woman, should try to acquire:
"The truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the
patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the charitable men
and the charitable women, the fasting men and the fasting women, the men
who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men
who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah much - for all
these Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward." (33:35)
How does Islam require a Muslim to treat the people around him? The
Holy Quran and the Hadith mention various categories of people that one
has to deal with, and give a great deal of guidance on how to behave
towards them.
Parents and the elderly:
"Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and do good to
parents. If one or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'Fie'
to them, nor chide them, but speak to them a generous word . . . and
say, My Lord, have mercy on them as they brought me up when I was
little." (17:23-24).
"The Holy Prophet said, It is one of the greatest sins that a man should
curse his parents. Someone said, How can a man curse his own parents? He
said, If a man abuses the father of another, that person will abuse his
parents (in return)." (Report in Bukhari.)
Other Near Relatives:
"Do good to the near relatives." (4:36)
"Give to the near relative his due, and also to the needy and to the
traveller (in need of help). (17:26).
Children:
"Do not kill your children for fear of poverty - We (Allah) provide for
them and for you." (17:31)
"A man came to the Holy Prophet and said, `You kiss children but we do
not kiss them'. The Holy Prophet said, `Do I have any control over you
if Allah has taken away mercy from your heart'." (Report in Bukhari.)
Orphans and destitute children:
"Maintain the orphans out of their property and clothe them and give
them a good education. Test them when they reach the age of majority,
and if you find them to be mature, hand over their property to them."
(4:5-6)
"I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this,"
said the Holy Prophet, putting together his forefinger and middle
finger. (Report in Bukhari.)
Poor and needy:
"Righteous is he who . . . gives away wealth out of love for Him to the
near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those
who ask and to set slaves free." (2:177)
"What will make you understand what the uphill road (to success) is? (It
is) to free a slave, or feed at a time of hunger an orphan who is a
relative or the poor man lying in the dust." (90:11-16)
"Have you seen him who goes against religion? That is the one who is
rough to the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the needy."
(107:1-3)
"(The true believers are those) in whose wealth there is a known right
for the beggar and the destitute." (70:24-25)
"The person who manages things for the widow and the poor is like the
one who strives hard in the way of Allah." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Neighbours:
"Be good to . . . the neighbour belonging to your people and the alien
neighbour." (4:36)
"He is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbour is
hungry." (Holy Prophet in Hadith.)
"The angel Gabriel continued to enjoin upon me good treatment of the
neighbour, so much so that I thought he would make him heir to one's
property." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Wives/Husbands:
"They (your wives) are a garment for you, and you are a garment for
them." (2:187)
"Of His (Allah's) signs is that He created spouses for you from
yourselves so that you might find quiet of mind in them, and He put
between you love and compassion." (30:21)
"The best of you are those who are kindest to their wives." (Holy
Prophet in Tirmizi.)
A man related:
"I asked Aishah (Holy Prophet's wife): What did the Prophet do when in
his house? She said, `He served his wife', meaning that he did work for
his wife." (Report in Bukhari.)
Employers/Employees:
"(The true believers) are those who are keepers of their trusts and
covenants." (23:8)
"Trusts" include the duties and the other things with which an employee
is entrusted by his employer; "covenants" include the contract by which
both the employer and the employee are bound.
"Allah says: There are three persons whose opponents I shall be on the
Day of Judgment . . . (the third is) the person who employs a servant
and receives fully the labour due from him, but does not pay his wages."
(Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Ans, a companion of the Holy Prophet, related:
"I served the Holy Prophet for ten years, and he never said to me,
`fie', nor did he ever say `Why have you done this', or `Why have you
not done that'." (Report in Bukhari.)
Animals:
"There is no animal in the earth, nor a bird flying on its two wings,
but they are communities like yourselves (O people)." (6:38)
Someone asked the Holy Prophet, "Is there a reward for us (from Allah)
for doing good to beasts?" He replied:
"In every animal having a liver fresh with life there is a reward."
(Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
"Be careful of your duty to Allah in the matter of dumb animals; ride
them while they are in a fit condition, and eat them while they are in a
fit condition." (Holy Prophet in Abu Dawud.)
"Whoever tills a field, and birds and beasts eat from it, it is an act
of charity." (Holy Prophet in Musnad of Ahmad.)
Authorities:
Regarding electing and appointing people to positions of authority, the
Quran says:
"Allah commands you to make over trusts (or positions of trust and
authority) to those worthy of them." (4:58)
Some other principles are as follows:
"Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among
you; then if you quarrel about anything (with your authorities) refer it
to Allah and the Messenger" (4:59), i.e. settle the disagreement by
means of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet's example.
"Obedience (of authority) is due only in good matters", i.e., orders to
do wrong must not be obeyed. (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
The first head of state of the Muslims after the Holy Prophet, the
famous Hazrat Abu Bakr, said in a speech after his election:
"Help me if I am in the right. Correct me if I am in the wrong. Obey me
as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger; in case I disobey Allah and
His Messenger, I have no right to obedience from you."
"The most excellent jihad is to speak the truth in the face of an unjust
ruler." (Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
Muslims:
"Hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited.
And remember Allah's favour to you when you were enemies, then He united
your hearts, so by His favour you became brethren." (3:103)
"The believers are brethren, so make peace between your brethren . . .
Do not find fault with your own people, nor call one another by (bad)
nicknames." (49:10-12)
"Help one another in good and righteous works, and do not help one
another in sin and aggression." (5:2)
"Do not hate one another and do not be jealous of one another and do not
boycott one another, and be servants of Allah, as brothers; and it is
not lawful for a Muslim to sever his relations with his brother for more
than three days." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"You will see the believers in their having mercy for one another, and
in their love for one another, and in their kindness towards one
another, like the human body: when one limb is ailing, the whole body
feels it, one part calling out the other with sleeplessness and fever."
(Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"None of you has faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for
himself." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Those who abuse Muslims:
"Bear patiently what they (abusers) say." (20:130)
"Disregard their annoying talk." (33:48)
"When you hear Allah's messages disbelieved in and mocked at, sit not
with them until they enter into some other talk." (4:140)
"And if you invite them to guidance, they hear not; and you see them
looking towards you, yet they see not. Take to forgiveness and enjoin
good and turn away from the ignorant." (7:198-199)
"The Messenger of Allah and his Companions used to forgive the idolaters
and the followers of the book (Jews and Christians), as Allah had
commanded them, and they used to show patience on hearing hurtful
words." (Report in Bukhari.)
Enemies:
"Repel evil with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you there is
enmity will be like a warm friend." (41:34)
"Many of the people of the book wish that they could turn you back into
disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from themselves. . ..
But pardon and forgive." (2:109)
"And you will always find treachery in them, except a few of them. So
pardon them and forgive. Surely Allah loves those who do good to
others." (5:13)
NonMuslims:
"Allah does not forbid you concerning those people who do not fight you
because of your religion, nor expel you from your homes, that you show
them kindness and deal with them justly.. . . Allah forbids you only
concerning those people who fight you for your religion, and drive you
from your homes and help others to expel you, that you make friends of
them." (60: 8,9)
"Whatever good they (people of other religions) do, they will not be
denied it (by Allah), and Allah knows who the righteous are." (3:115)
"O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with
justice; and do not let the hatred of a people incite you not to act
with justice. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty." (5:8)
"Call (others) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly
exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner." (16:125)
"Argue not with the people of the Book (Jews, Christians, and other
people having scriptures) except by the best (means), save those of them
who act unjustly. But say: We believe in that which has been revealed to
us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we
submit." (29:46)
A companion of the Holy Prophet relates:
"A funeral procession passed by the Holy Prophet, and he stood up for
it. People said to him: It was the funeral of a Jew. He said: Was it not
a human life?" (Report in Bukhari.)
Mankind in general:
"Mankind is a single nation." (2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
into races and families so that you may know each other. The most
honoured of you in Allah's sight are those who best keep their duty."
(49:13)
"We (Allah) have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy to the
nations." (21:107)
"Speak good words to all people." (2:83)
"Allah commands you that . . . when you judge between people (i.e., of
any race, religion, family, class, etc.), you judge with justice."
(4:58)
important is it for a person to do good deeds? Doing good and having
the right belief go hand in hand in Islam. In fact, doing good in
practice is the proof of having the right belief in the heart. This is
why the Holy Quran speaks of true Muslims very often as "those who
believe and do good deeds". Both the Quran and the Holy Prophet have
told Muslims that the best among them is that person who shows the best
behaviour towards other people.
Please give a list of some of the good qualities a Muslim must try to
acquire. Below we give, in the words of the Holy Quran and the Holy
Prophet Muhammad, the chief qualities a Muslim should display:
Truthfulness:
"O you who believe! keep your duty to Allah and speak straight, true
words." (Holy Quran 33:70)
"O you who believe, keep your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful
people." (9:119)
"Be maintainers of justice and bearers of true witness for Allah, even
if it (the truth) goes against your own selves or parents or relatives
or someone who is rich or poor." (4:135)
Sincerity:
"Serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience." (39:2)
"It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say things which you
do not do." (61:3)
"Woe to those who pray but are unmindful of their prayers, who do good
to be seen." (107:4-6)
Unselfishness:
"You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of
those things which you love." (3:91)
"They (the true believers) give food, out of love for Allah, to the
poor, the orphan and the slave, saying: We feed you only for Allah's
pleasure - we desire from you neither reward nor thanks." (76:8-9)
"Do no favour seeking gain." (74:6)
Humility:
"The servants of the Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth
in humility." (25:63)
"Do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the
land exultingly." (31:18)
"Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows best who is
righteous." (53:32)
Patience:
"Allah loves those who are patient." (3:145)
"Give good news to the patient, who, when a misfortune befalls them,
say: We are Allah's and to Him do we return." (2:155-156)
Forgiveness:
"Pardon (people) and overlook (their faults). Don't you love that Allah
should forgive you." (24:22)
"(The dutiful are) . . . those who restrain their anger and pardon
people. Allah loves those who do good to others." (3:134)
"Whenever they (true believers) are angry they forgive." (42:37)
"The recompense of evil is punishment like it. But whoever forgives (an
evil committed against himself) and amends (matters), his reward is with
Allah. . . . Whoever is patient and forgives, that is a matter of great
resolution." (42:40, 43)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad defeated his enemies in Makka and
returned to that city as its conqueror, he forgave them in the
following words:
"No reproof be against you this day; Allah may forgive you, and He is
the most Merciful of those who show mercy." (12:92)
Purity and cleanliness:
"He indeed is successful who purifies himself (in mind and body), and
remembers the name of his Lord, then prays." (87:14-15)
"Purify your garments and shun uncleanness." (74:4-5)
Honesty:
"Don't go near the property of an orphan, except in a goodly way, till
he attains maturity. And fulfil the promise (you make) . . .. Give full
measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true balance." (17:34-35)
"Do not swallow up your property among yourselves by false means, nor
offer it as a bribe to the officials so that you may swallow up other
people's property unlawfully while you know." (2:188)
Goodness and kindness to others:
"Allah commands you to uphold justice and to do good to others and to
give to the relatives." (16:90)
Three degrees of doing good are mentioned here: "justice," which means
returning any good that someone has done you with equal good; "do good
to others," which means taking the initiative in doing good to others;
and "give to the relatives," which means doing good to people
instinctively and naturally just as one does good to one's close
relatives.
"Do good to others, surely Allah loves those who do good to others."
(2:195)
Consideration and respect for others:
"O you who believe! do not enter houses other than your own until you
have asked permission and greeted the inmates . . . and if it is said to
you, 'Go back', then go back." (24:27-28)
"O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion (against others), for surely
suspicion in some cases is sin; and do not spy (into other people's
affairs), nor let some of you backbite others." (49:12)
"When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it, or
return it (in the same terms at least)." (4:86)
Courage:
Speaking of a small number of Muslims facing a big and powerful enemy,
the Quran relates:
"Those to whom men said: people have gathered against you, so fear them;
but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for
us and He is an excellent Guardian." (3:173)
Moderation:
"Eat and drink, but do not be immoderate." (7:31)
"Do not chain your hand to your neck (so that you are mean in
spending), nor stretch it out to the utmost limit (so that you waste
everything)." (17:29)
Regarding the performance of religious duties, the Holy Prophet has
given the following advice:
"Religion is easy, but any one who exerts himself too much in religious
devotions will get overcome by it; so you should just act rightly, and
keep to the mean, and be of good cheer, and ask for Allah's help
morning, evening, and a part of the night." (Bukhari.)
Cheerfulness:
"Be of good cheer." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"It is an act of charity to meet your fellow with a cheerful face."
(Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
Finally, we give a verse of the Holy Quran mentioning a number of
qualities a Muslim, man or woman, should try to acquire:
"The truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the
patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the charitable men
and the charitable women, the fasting men and the fasting women, the men
who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men
who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah much - for all
these Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward." (33:35)
How does Islam require a Muslim to treat the people around him? The
Holy Quran and the Hadith mention various categories of people that one
has to deal with, and give a great deal of guidance on how to behave
towards them.
Parents and the elderly:
"Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and do good to
parents. If one or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'Fie'
to them, nor chide them, but speak to them a generous word . . . and
say, My Lord, have mercy on them as they brought me up when I was
little." (17:23-24).
"The Holy Prophet said, It is one of the greatest sins that a man should
curse his parents. Someone said, How can a man curse his own parents? He
said, If a man abuses the father of another, that person will abuse his
parents (in return)." (Report in Bukhari.)
Other Near Relatives:
"Do good to the near relatives." (4:36)
"Give to the near relative his due, and also to the needy and to the
traveller (in need of help). (17:26).
Children:
"Do not kill your children for fear of poverty - We (Allah) provide for
them and for you." (17:31)
"A man came to the Holy Prophet and said, `You kiss children but we do
not kiss them'. The Holy Prophet said, `Do I have any control over you
if Allah has taken away mercy from your heart'." (Report in Bukhari.)
Orphans and destitute children:
"Maintain the orphans out of their property and clothe them and give
them a good education. Test them when they reach the age of majority,
and if you find them to be mature, hand over their property to them."
(4:5-6)
"I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this,"
said the Holy Prophet, putting together his forefinger and middle
finger. (Report in Bukhari.)
Poor and needy:
"Righteous is he who . . . gives away wealth out of love for Him to the
near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those
who ask and to set slaves free." (2:177)
"What will make you understand what the uphill road (to success) is? (It
is) to free a slave, or feed at a time of hunger an orphan who is a
relative or the poor man lying in the dust." (90:11-16)
"Have you seen him who goes against religion? That is the one who is
rough to the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the needy."
(107:1-3)
"(The true believers are those) in whose wealth there is a known right
for the beggar and the destitute." (70:24-25)
"The person who manages things for the widow and the poor is like the
one who strives hard in the way of Allah." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Neighbours:
"Be good to . . . the neighbour belonging to your people and the alien
neighbour." (4:36)
"He is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbour is
hungry." (Holy Prophet in Hadith.)
"The angel Gabriel continued to enjoin upon me good treatment of the
neighbour, so much so that I thought he would make him heir to one's
property." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Wives/Husbands:
"They (your wives) are a garment for you, and you are a garment for
them." (2:187)
"Of His (Allah's) signs is that He created spouses for you from
yourselves so that you might find quiet of mind in them, and He put
between you love and compassion." (30:21)
"The best of you are those who are kindest to their wives." (Holy
Prophet in Tirmizi.)
A man related:
"I asked Aishah (Holy Prophet's wife): What did the Prophet do when in
his house? She said, `He served his wife', meaning that he did work for
his wife." (Report in Bukhari.)
Employers/Employees:
"(The true believers) are those who are keepers of their trusts and
covenants." (23:8)
"Trusts" include the duties and the other things with which an employee
is entrusted by his employer; "covenants" include the contract by which
both the employer and the employee are bound.
"Allah says: There are three persons whose opponents I shall be on the
Day of Judgment . . . (the third is) the person who employs a servant
and receives fully the labour due from him, but does not pay his wages."
(Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Ans, a companion of the Holy Prophet, related:
"I served the Holy Prophet for ten years, and he never said to me,
`fie', nor did he ever say `Why have you done this', or `Why have you
not done that'." (Report in Bukhari.)
Animals:
"There is no animal in the earth, nor a bird flying on its two wings,
but they are communities like yourselves (O people)." (6:38)
Someone asked the Holy Prophet, "Is there a reward for us (from Allah)
for doing good to beasts?" He replied:
"In every animal having a liver fresh with life there is a reward."
(Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
"Be careful of your duty to Allah in the matter of dumb animals; ride
them while they are in a fit condition, and eat them while they are in a
fit condition." (Holy Prophet in Abu Dawud.)
"Whoever tills a field, and birds and beasts eat from it, it is an act
of charity." (Holy Prophet in Musnad of Ahmad.)
Authorities:
Regarding electing and appointing people to positions of authority, the
Quran says:
"Allah commands you to make over trusts (or positions of trust and
authority) to those worthy of them." (4:58)
Some other principles are as follows:
"Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among
you; then if you quarrel about anything (with your authorities) refer it
to Allah and the Messenger" (4:59), i.e. settle the disagreement by
means of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet's example.
"Obedience (of authority) is due only in good matters", i.e., orders to
do wrong must not be obeyed. (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
The first head of state of the Muslims after the Holy Prophet, the
famous Hazrat Abu Bakr, said in a speech after his election:
"Help me if I am in the right. Correct me if I am in the wrong. Obey me
as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger; in case I disobey Allah and
His Messenger, I have no right to obedience from you."
"The most excellent jihad is to speak the truth in the face of an unjust
ruler." (Holy Prophet in Mishkat.)
Muslims:
"Hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited.
And remember Allah's favour to you when you were enemies, then He united
your hearts, so by His favour you became brethren." (3:103)
"The believers are brethren, so make peace between your brethren . . .
Do not find fault with your own people, nor call one another by (bad)
nicknames." (49:10-12)
"Help one another in good and righteous works, and do not help one
another in sin and aggression." (5:2)
"Do not hate one another and do not be jealous of one another and do not
boycott one another, and be servants of Allah, as brothers; and it is
not lawful for a Muslim to sever his relations with his brother for more
than three days." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"You will see the believers in their having mercy for one another, and
in their love for one another, and in their kindness towards one
another, like the human body: when one limb is ailing, the whole body
feels it, one part calling out the other with sleeplessness and fever."
(Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
"None of you has faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for
himself." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Those who abuse Muslims:
"Bear patiently what they (abusers) say." (20:130)
"Disregard their annoying talk." (33:48)
"When you hear Allah's messages disbelieved in and mocked at, sit not
with them until they enter into some other talk." (4:140)
"And if you invite them to guidance, they hear not; and you see them
looking towards you, yet they see not. Take to forgiveness and enjoin
good and turn away from the ignorant." (7:198-199)
"The Messenger of Allah and his Companions used to forgive the idolaters
and the followers of the book (Jews and Christians), as Allah had
commanded them, and they used to show patience on hearing hurtful
words." (Report in Bukhari.)
Enemies:
"Repel evil with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you there is
enmity will be like a warm friend." (41:34)
"Many of the people of the book wish that they could turn you back into
disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from themselves. . ..
But pardon and forgive." (2:109)
"And you will always find treachery in them, except a few of them. So
pardon them and forgive. Surely Allah loves those who do good to
others." (5:13)
NonMuslims:
"Allah does not forbid you concerning those people who do not fight you
because of your religion, nor expel you from your homes, that you show
them kindness and deal with them justly.. . . Allah forbids you only
concerning those people who fight you for your religion, and drive you
from your homes and help others to expel you, that you make friends of
them." (60: 8,9)
"Whatever good they (people of other religions) do, they will not be
denied it (by Allah), and Allah knows who the righteous are." (3:115)
"O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with
justice; and do not let the hatred of a people incite you not to act
with justice. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty." (5:8)
"Call (others) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly
exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner." (16:125)
"Argue not with the people of the Book (Jews, Christians, and other
people having scriptures) except by the best (means), save those of them
who act unjustly. But say: We believe in that which has been revealed to
us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we
submit." (29:46)
A companion of the Holy Prophet relates:
"A funeral procession passed by the Holy Prophet, and he stood up for
it. People said to him: It was the funeral of a Jew. He said: Was it not
a human life?" (Report in Bukhari.)
Mankind in general:
"Mankind is a single nation." (2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
into races and families so that you may know each other. The most
honoured of you in Allah's sight are those who best keep their duty."
(49:13)
"We (Allah) have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy to the
nations." (21:107)
"Speak good words to all people." (2:83)
"Allah commands you that . . . when you judge between people (i.e., of
any race, religion, family, class, etc.), you judge with justice."
(4:58)
ANIMALS RIGHTS in MUSLIM PERSPECTIVE
There are a lot of organizations that explain they are
defending ANIMAL RIGHTS in front of the media Now we
would like to share Muslim perspective on this
subject.
In the western world “Animal Rights” concept was put
on the agenda late 19th century. The Universal
Declaration of Animal Rights was proclaimed in Paris
on 15 October 1978 at the UNESCO headquarters. Now
let’s examine Muslim practices since centuries ago.
The best sample to the humanity, our beloved Prophet
(Peace be upon him) “…He even thought baby animals and
ordered to behave compassionately and clemently to
them, care them well and banned insult, sarcasm…When a
man was milking his goat The Prophet said to him to
leave milk to the young goat… also the prophet banned
to harm birds nest and take eggs and chicks, he did
not tolerate to hunting for enjoyment, amusement and
entertainment. (1)
*
The Prophet (pbuh) “If someone kills a sparrow
unjustly Allah (God) the almighty will bring him/her
to account for it in the Doomsday” (2)
*
Anas Bin Malek saw a group that made a hen target and
took aim at the hen and said “the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) banned to make living animals target.“ (3)
*
Abdullah (the son of Hazrat Omar) narrated a saying of
the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) “A woman was punished in
hell becuse of a cat that was died becuse of hunger
Allah scolded the woman “You did not feed, water also
set free in order to find its share in the earth.” (4)
*
A prostitute woman saw a dog almost dead because of
waterless was was hanging about around a well. She
took her shoe off and made her cover rope, she tied
the shoe with the rope and drew the water from the
well and gave water to the dog so Allah forgave her.”
(5)
*
A young lady was on a camel carrying some belongings
of Muslims She saw the Prophet (pbuh) meanwhile they
reached narrow part of the path on mountain… the Woman
said “Giddap! Allah damn it” then tried tor ride the
camel. The Prophet (pbuh) said “Do not a damned camel
accompany us.” (That means Muslim society do not
want damned human or animal with them also this words
of the prophet (pbuh) were directed to the woman mean
“You lose the right to use the animal that you
damned…Do modern animal rights defenders know the
Prophet (pbuh) that even banned to say “Damn it” to
the animals. (6)
*
Anas bin Malek: “When we stayed for the night. We did
not to begin paternoster and pray to Allah without
untying load of camels for their rest.” (Ebu
Dawud.Cihad:44) (7)
*
The Pophet (pbuh) banned to incite animals to fight
each others. (8)
*
The Prophet passed near a donkey that had branded on
its face and said “Allah damn him/her that
branded/fired its face.” (Muslim.Libas.107) (9)
*
Hazrat Ali gave as a gift a booty camel to Hazrat
Hamza and other one to Hazrat Fatima then Hazrat Hamza
kicked Hazrat Fatima’s camel with anger and the camel
was wounded…Hazrat Ali told the event to the Prophet
(pbuh)….When Hazrat Hamza was martyred he was cut into
seventy parts…The Prophet said “My backbone was
broken” and said in sorrow “I wish you would not kick
Hazrat Fatima’s camel.” (10)
*
“Let’s study “Istanbul Municipality Laws” dated 1502
in the era of II. Bayazid.
*…Do not use the horse that has problem on its
feet.
*…Take care the feet of horses, mules and donkeys.
*…Do not load heavily.
*…All people must obey these rules,
*…Guards must protect laws (rights) of everything that
Allah created… There are Islamic rule…”(11)
*
Sultan III. Murad 1586 accepted “carrying load on
handicapped and weak animals” committing a crime. (12)
*
“O! Messenger of Allah…Are there reward from Allah
for goodness to animals” They asked. And Prophet
(pbuh) said “There are reward for goodness to living
being.”
The beloved Prophet ordered to people that milked
animals to cut their fingernails not to hurt animals.
The Prophet (pbuh) came near to a camel that moaned
when it saw Him and he caressed its head then turned
to its owner:
“Do not you fear from Allah for this camel? It
warned met hat you did not give any food and tired it
a lot.” (13)
*
When the Prophet (pbuh) was going forward
to Mecca with his army and saw a dog breast-feeding
its puppies and barking for protecting them and the
Prophet (pbuh) took measures to prevent any injury
from the army to the dog and its puppies and ordered
his companion Cuayl bin Suraka to stand in front of
the dog. (14)
*
“Famous sufi Ali al-Havvas (d.1532) frequently used
to control feeding trough of dogs and fill them foods
that carrying with him and While Ebudderda (another
companion of the Prophet (pbuh)) was crying by the
side of his dead camel and had said : “O! Damun (its
name)…Do not become claimant in the presence of my
LORD (Allah). You know I always have careful attention
not to load you above your strength.” (15)
When the Prophet (pbuh) was passing by a camel very
much faint and the Prophet (pbuh) said “Fear Allah
because of rights of these mute animals! and ride
them, eat them too while they are well-fed.” (16)
*
Shah-i Nakshiband (k.s.) said “A dog that i served,
treated its wounds, bruises lied on its back, lifted
its four feet up, turned its face to the sky and so
supplicated that then i lifted my hands up and said
“AMEN”. Here is all what happened realized at that
time.” (17)
The events that we will quote now are in mind-blowing,
amazing magnifience and it is not a big claim to say
that these behaviours can be seen between people
called Muslims.
DDT was not invented yet. In that times there are a
lşot of bedbugs in old Istanbul wooden houses.
When the bedbugs were catched, They were not killed
and they are collected on a stone in a bowl filled
with water until the morning then they are freed in
the garden. I want to shout to the blockheaded ones
that say “Every terrorist is muslim.” (18)
Bayazid-i Bastami, They took a break under trees
during a journey then continued to the journey…They
saw some ants walking on their bags from the break
area on the way…They turned back not to separete them
from homes. ( Now people calls people like that mad)
(19)
*
Hazrat Omar touched wound of a camel because of its
rubbing saddle with his hand and said “ I am afraid of
interrogation (by Allah) because of the incident that
happened to you too.” (20)
Prof. Nevzat TARHAN says : “When the populatin
exchange happened (between Turkey and Greece) Some
Greeks wanted to take their cats with them but the
cats do not want it…because cats have some feelings
for the land, There are “cat loyalty-dog loyalty and
human loyalty” but loyalty of cat is for land,
loyalty of dog is for human and loyalty of human is
for thoughts. (21)
*
“In islamic sufism people keep away from killing
animals as far as possible and excessive fonding of
meat are seen as makruh (disgusting).” (22)
*
After being caliph, Hazrat Ali said in a part of his
first Khutba (sermon): “…the life in the next world is
waiting for human beings, Fear Allah! becuse of
fulfilling the rights of human beings (servants of
Allah) and the rights of the earth!. You will be
interrogated for animals and the earth.” (23)
*
“Kanan Rifai cried out a man that was beating his
horse mercilessly in the middle of street: “Do not
hit…My son…do not hit! When you hit it, i feel pain
in my own body.” (24)
*
The son of Hazrat Abbas told: “We were going to a
place with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). A man had
tied a sheep to butcher and were sharpening his knife
in front of the sheep. The Prophet (pbuh) said to this
man “Do you want to kill it again and again?” (25)
*
Omar bin Abdulaziz wrote a letter to SAHIBU’L SILK
(Minister of Communications of that time) “Do not
behave rudely to the animals and do not use stick with
awl or iron while you are riding them” (26)
*
“There were a profession called “liver seller”, These
men were carrying a long sticks with livers on the top
of it to sell them in streets and bazaars. When the
charitable people met them they used to buy livers to
give them to hungry cats and dogs as aiming to acquire
merit (good deed).” (27)
*
Pere Jehannot that was a priest wrote a travel book
when he visited Ottoman country. He wrote about animal
rights: “Turks consider dogs filthy so they do not let
dogs in their homes but they appropriate some money to
butchers in their testament to give meat to dogs daily
to protect them from trouble beacuse of hunger.” (28)
*
Abu Huraira that was called “Abdul Shams= Servat of
Sun” by the people in Jahilliya (the time of
pre-Islamic Arabian paganism) but The Prophet (pbuh)
changed his name to “Abdullah= servant of Allah” When
he was a child he used to put kittens in his shirttail
then love and caress them as he found kittens in
grazing flock so people gave him a nickname ABU
HURAIRA=Father of Cats” (29)
*
“Hazrat Omar ordered to let a pigeon fly away, the
Pigeon flied and perched on the Marwa hill, a snake
catched it and killed there so Hazrat Omar sacrified a
sheep (thinking
that i caused the pigeons dead.) (30)
*
“In the time of Children of Israel a man mounted an
ox, meanwhile the animal turned its face to the man
and said:
-I was not created for that. I was created for
ploughing fields. The Prophet (pbuh): “I believed in
what the animal said, Abu Baker and Omar too.” (31)
*
Our beloved Prophet mounted a horse first time in
UHUD, this horse was bought and named “SAKB” by the
Prophet. The Prophet (pbuh) so cared and paid
attention that as He (pbuh) caressed face of the horse
with His shirt’s cuff, the Companions was astonished
and said :
-“O Messenger of Allah, are you caressing with your
shirt’s cuff?”
-and the Prophet (pbuh) said “What can I do, I was
scolded by the Archangel Gabriel becuse of horse.”
(32)
*
French advocate Guer that travelled Ottoman country in
XVII. century mentioned about a hospital for cats and
dogs that were sick in Damascus also Prof. M. Sibai
gave those informations about Animal (Waqf)
Foundations.in Damascus. “In old Foundation tradition
there are places for treating sick animals and putting
them out pasture (This green pasture is now Damascus
City Stadium that had been given as waqf (an
inalienable religious endowment) for weak animals
grazing.) (33)
*
Anas Ibni Malek (a companion of the Prophet (pbuh)) :
“When we arrived the break place, we did not to begin
to pray without untying load of animals for their
rest.” (34)
*
Our Prophet (pbuh) said “THERE ARE REWARD (good
deed) IN WATERING ALL LIVING CREATURES.” (35)
*
AUSTRIAN ambassador Busberg wrote a letter that
mentioned a event in 1 June 1553 : “A Venetian
jeweller (very fond of birds) found a bird that has a
strange beak, he hanged it as stretching its wings on
the entrance of his shop also opened its beak as
putting a rod between the beak. Turks passing away
near the shop thought that the bird was dead, when the
looked at it carefully, noticed that it was alive and
directly complained to Qadi (Muslim judge) then
Venetian ambassador saved the jeweller from
punishment. (36)
*
The events we have tried to mention and tell above are
not only on lines of books we lived and made them
alive in the life.
“…Our honourable architecture built “BIRD HOUSES” on
the walls of buildings as a sign of love yesterday…As
a matter of fact, animals was not stoned, pack animals
were not whipped, there were waqfs (Foundations) for
ownerless animals, birds with broken wing, storks in
our civilization” (37)
Stay with happiness and hope….
(Ahmet Yasar Cakmak- cakmakahmetyasar@hotmail.com
–Gsm: 0090 536 853 20 65)
(1) Prof.İbrahim SARIÇAM-Hz.Muhammed ve Evrensel
Mesaj.s:333 Ankara 2004
(2) Nesei- Dehaya.42
(3) S. ATEŞ-Kur’an Ansiklopedisi cilt:8 sayfa
:58
(4) Buhari-Enbiya:54
(5) Müslim.Selam, bab 41 hadis 154
(6) Riyazu’s-salihin-Terc.ve
şerh:Prof.Y.KANDEMİR,L.ÇAKAN,R.KÜÇÜK. 7/534
(7) Doç.Ömer ÇELİK, Dr.M.ÖZTÜRK,M.KAYA-Üsve-i
Hasene Cilt:2 S.514-İst.2004
(8) A.g.e. 2/515
(9) A.g.e. Sayfa:516
(10) Ali Ramazan DİNÇ-Yansımalar. Sayfa:24
İstanbul.2004
(11) Prof.A.AKGÜNDÜZ,Doç.S. ÖZTÜRK.Bilinmeyen
Osmanlı s.402 İst.1999
(12) 18.06.1989- Diyanet Takvimi
(13) Prof.Abdurrahman ÇETİN-Örneklerle
Peygamberimiz.S.379,380 İst.2006
(14) Prof.İbrahim SARIÇAM-Hz.Muhammed ve evrensel
Mesaj.S:333
(15) Doç.Y.Nuri ÖZTÜRK- İslam’da Büyük
günahlar.s:221,222 1991
(16) A.Ramazan DİNÇ-Manevi Yolculuğun
Esasları.S.61 ist.2002
(17) A.g.e. sayfa:85
(18) İbrahim REFİK-Tarih Şuuruna
Doğru-C:2 s:156 ist.1997
(19) O.Nuri TOPBAŞ- Bir Testi Su- sayfa.141
İstanbul-1998
(20) İslam Ansiklopedisi. Cilt.17 sayfa:93.
(21) Mustafa KAPLAN-07.05.2005- Vakit
(22) S.ATEŞ- Kuran Ansiklopedisi- cilt:7
sayfa:222
(23) Hz.Ali EL-MÜRTEZA-Hasan en-Nedvi.ter:Yusuf KARACA
S.242 İST.1999
(24) Doç.Y.Nuri ÖZTÜRK.a.g.e. sayfa:221
(25) M.F.GÜLEN – Sonsuz Nur- cilt:1 sayfa:312
(26) İsmail Yusuf-Ömer B.Abdü’l-aziz
–Ter.İ.Hakkı ŞENGÜLER S:28
(27) M.A.Ubicini.Türkiye 1850 Tercüman 1001
t.eser.cilt:2 s:455 Tarihsiz.
(28) İ.Hami DANİŞMEND-Eski Türk Seciye
ve Ahlakı-s:182 İstanbul.1982
(29) Ribat - Sayı:15 Mart.2001 Sayfa:6
(30) Ezraki –Kabe ve Mekke Tarihi.Çev.Y.Vehbi YAVUZ
S.395 İstanbul 1974
(31) El-Heytemi-İslam’da Helaller ve Haramlar-c:2
s:261 İst.1981
(32) Prof.Dr.Ali YARDIM- Peygamberimizin
Şemaili.s160 İstanbul.1998
(33) Yard.Doç.İbrahim
ÖZDEMİR.(A.Ü.İlahiyat)Diyanet
Avrasya.Sayı:5 s:63.2002
(34) Ebu Davut. Cihad bölümü. 48
(35) Buhari.Tecrid-i Sarih.Cilt:7 sayfa:223 Hadis
numarası:1066
(36) Mevlüt Uluğtekin YILMAZ.TÜRKİYEM
(aylık degi)Sayı:35 S.26 Ocak 1992
(37) Agah Oktay GÜNER- Dost Gözüyle-sayfa:149
İstanbul 1988
defending ANIMAL RIGHTS in front of the media Now we
would like to share Muslim perspective on this
subject.
In the western world “Animal Rights” concept was put
on the agenda late 19th century. The Universal
Declaration of Animal Rights was proclaimed in Paris
on 15 October 1978 at the UNESCO headquarters. Now
let’s examine Muslim practices since centuries ago.
The best sample to the humanity, our beloved Prophet
(Peace be upon him) “…He even thought baby animals and
ordered to behave compassionately and clemently to
them, care them well and banned insult, sarcasm…When a
man was milking his goat The Prophet said to him to
leave milk to the young goat… also the prophet banned
to harm birds nest and take eggs and chicks, he did
not tolerate to hunting for enjoyment, amusement and
entertainment. (1)
*
The Prophet (pbuh) “If someone kills a sparrow
unjustly Allah (God) the almighty will bring him/her
to account for it in the Doomsday” (2)
*
Anas Bin Malek saw a group that made a hen target and
took aim at the hen and said “the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) banned to make living animals target.“ (3)
*
Abdullah (the son of Hazrat Omar) narrated a saying of
the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) “A woman was punished in
hell becuse of a cat that was died becuse of hunger
Allah scolded the woman “You did not feed, water also
set free in order to find its share in the earth.” (4)
*
A prostitute woman saw a dog almost dead because of
waterless was was hanging about around a well. She
took her shoe off and made her cover rope, she tied
the shoe with the rope and drew the water from the
well and gave water to the dog so Allah forgave her.”
(5)
*
A young lady was on a camel carrying some belongings
of Muslims She saw the Prophet (pbuh) meanwhile they
reached narrow part of the path on mountain… the Woman
said “Giddap! Allah damn it” then tried tor ride the
camel. The Prophet (pbuh) said “Do not a damned camel
accompany us.” (That means Muslim society do not
want damned human or animal with them also this words
of the prophet (pbuh) were directed to the woman mean
“You lose the right to use the animal that you
damned…Do modern animal rights defenders know the
Prophet (pbuh) that even banned to say “Damn it” to
the animals. (6)
*
Anas bin Malek: “When we stayed for the night. We did
not to begin paternoster and pray to Allah without
untying load of camels for their rest.” (Ebu
Dawud.Cihad:44) (7)
*
The Pophet (pbuh) banned to incite animals to fight
each others. (8)
*
The Prophet passed near a donkey that had branded on
its face and said “Allah damn him/her that
branded/fired its face.” (Muslim.Libas.107) (9)
*
Hazrat Ali gave as a gift a booty camel to Hazrat
Hamza and other one to Hazrat Fatima then Hazrat Hamza
kicked Hazrat Fatima’s camel with anger and the camel
was wounded…Hazrat Ali told the event to the Prophet
(pbuh)….When Hazrat Hamza was martyred he was cut into
seventy parts…The Prophet said “My backbone was
broken” and said in sorrow “I wish you would not kick
Hazrat Fatima’s camel.” (10)
*
“Let’s study “Istanbul Municipality Laws” dated 1502
in the era of II. Bayazid.
*…Do not use the horse that has problem on its
feet.
*…Take care the feet of horses, mules and donkeys.
*…Do not load heavily.
*…All people must obey these rules,
*…Guards must protect laws (rights) of everything that
Allah created… There are Islamic rule…”(11)
*
Sultan III. Murad 1586 accepted “carrying load on
handicapped and weak animals” committing a crime. (12)
*
“O! Messenger of Allah…Are there reward from Allah
for goodness to animals” They asked. And Prophet
(pbuh) said “There are reward for goodness to living
being.”
The beloved Prophet ordered to people that milked
animals to cut their fingernails not to hurt animals.
The Prophet (pbuh) came near to a camel that moaned
when it saw Him and he caressed its head then turned
to its owner:
“Do not you fear from Allah for this camel? It
warned met hat you did not give any food and tired it
a lot.” (13)
*
When the Prophet (pbuh) was going forward
to Mecca with his army and saw a dog breast-feeding
its puppies and barking for protecting them and the
Prophet (pbuh) took measures to prevent any injury
from the army to the dog and its puppies and ordered
his companion Cuayl bin Suraka to stand in front of
the dog. (14)
*
“Famous sufi Ali al-Havvas (d.1532) frequently used
to control feeding trough of dogs and fill them foods
that carrying with him and While Ebudderda (another
companion of the Prophet (pbuh)) was crying by the
side of his dead camel and had said : “O! Damun (its
name)…Do not become claimant in the presence of my
LORD (Allah). You know I always have careful attention
not to load you above your strength.” (15)
When the Prophet (pbuh) was passing by a camel very
much faint and the Prophet (pbuh) said “Fear Allah
because of rights of these mute animals! and ride
them, eat them too while they are well-fed.” (16)
*
Shah-i Nakshiband (k.s.) said “A dog that i served,
treated its wounds, bruises lied on its back, lifted
its four feet up, turned its face to the sky and so
supplicated that then i lifted my hands up and said
“AMEN”. Here is all what happened realized at that
time.” (17)
The events that we will quote now are in mind-blowing,
amazing magnifience and it is not a big claim to say
that these behaviours can be seen between people
called Muslims.
DDT was not invented yet. In that times there are a
lşot of bedbugs in old Istanbul wooden houses.
When the bedbugs were catched, They were not killed
and they are collected on a stone in a bowl filled
with water until the morning then they are freed in
the garden. I want to shout to the blockheaded ones
that say “Every terrorist is muslim.” (18)
Bayazid-i Bastami, They took a break under trees
during a journey then continued to the journey…They
saw some ants walking on their bags from the break
area on the way…They turned back not to separete them
from homes. ( Now people calls people like that mad)
(19)
*
Hazrat Omar touched wound of a camel because of its
rubbing saddle with his hand and said “ I am afraid of
interrogation (by Allah) because of the incident that
happened to you too.” (20)
Prof. Nevzat TARHAN says : “When the populatin
exchange happened (between Turkey and Greece) Some
Greeks wanted to take their cats with them but the
cats do not want it…because cats have some feelings
for the land, There are “cat loyalty-dog loyalty and
human loyalty” but loyalty of cat is for land,
loyalty of dog is for human and loyalty of human is
for thoughts. (21)
*
“In islamic sufism people keep away from killing
animals as far as possible and excessive fonding of
meat are seen as makruh (disgusting).” (22)
*
After being caliph, Hazrat Ali said in a part of his
first Khutba (sermon): “…the life in the next world is
waiting for human beings, Fear Allah! becuse of
fulfilling the rights of human beings (servants of
Allah) and the rights of the earth!. You will be
interrogated for animals and the earth.” (23)
*
“Kanan Rifai cried out a man that was beating his
horse mercilessly in the middle of street: “Do not
hit…My son…do not hit! When you hit it, i feel pain
in my own body.” (24)
*
The son of Hazrat Abbas told: “We were going to a
place with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). A man had
tied a sheep to butcher and were sharpening his knife
in front of the sheep. The Prophet (pbuh) said to this
man “Do you want to kill it again and again?” (25)
*
Omar bin Abdulaziz wrote a letter to SAHIBU’L SILK
(Minister of Communications of that time) “Do not
behave rudely to the animals and do not use stick with
awl or iron while you are riding them” (26)
*
“There were a profession called “liver seller”, These
men were carrying a long sticks with livers on the top
of it to sell them in streets and bazaars. When the
charitable people met them they used to buy livers to
give them to hungry cats and dogs as aiming to acquire
merit (good deed).” (27)
*
Pere Jehannot that was a priest wrote a travel book
when he visited Ottoman country. He wrote about animal
rights: “Turks consider dogs filthy so they do not let
dogs in their homes but they appropriate some money to
butchers in their testament to give meat to dogs daily
to protect them from trouble beacuse of hunger.” (28)
*
Abu Huraira that was called “Abdul Shams= Servat of
Sun” by the people in Jahilliya (the time of
pre-Islamic Arabian paganism) but The Prophet (pbuh)
changed his name to “Abdullah= servant of Allah” When
he was a child he used to put kittens in his shirttail
then love and caress them as he found kittens in
grazing flock so people gave him a nickname ABU
HURAIRA=Father of Cats” (29)
*
“Hazrat Omar ordered to let a pigeon fly away, the
Pigeon flied and perched on the Marwa hill, a snake
catched it and killed there so Hazrat Omar sacrified a
sheep (thinking
that i caused the pigeons dead.) (30)
*
“In the time of Children of Israel a man mounted an
ox, meanwhile the animal turned its face to the man
and said:
-I was not created for that. I was created for
ploughing fields. The Prophet (pbuh): “I believed in
what the animal said, Abu Baker and Omar too.” (31)
*
Our beloved Prophet mounted a horse first time in
UHUD, this horse was bought and named “SAKB” by the
Prophet. The Prophet (pbuh) so cared and paid
attention that as He (pbuh) caressed face of the horse
with His shirt’s cuff, the Companions was astonished
and said :
-“O Messenger of Allah, are you caressing with your
shirt’s cuff?”
-and the Prophet (pbuh) said “What can I do, I was
scolded by the Archangel Gabriel becuse of horse.”
(32)
*
French advocate Guer that travelled Ottoman country in
XVII. century mentioned about a hospital for cats and
dogs that were sick in Damascus also Prof. M. Sibai
gave those informations about Animal (Waqf)
Foundations.in Damascus. “In old Foundation tradition
there are places for treating sick animals and putting
them out pasture (This green pasture is now Damascus
City Stadium that had been given as waqf (an
inalienable religious endowment) for weak animals
grazing.) (33)
*
Anas Ibni Malek (a companion of the Prophet (pbuh)) :
“When we arrived the break place, we did not to begin
to pray without untying load of animals for their
rest.” (34)
*
Our Prophet (pbuh) said “THERE ARE REWARD (good
deed) IN WATERING ALL LIVING CREATURES.” (35)
*
AUSTRIAN ambassador Busberg wrote a letter that
mentioned a event in 1 June 1553 : “A Venetian
jeweller (very fond of birds) found a bird that has a
strange beak, he hanged it as stretching its wings on
the entrance of his shop also opened its beak as
putting a rod between the beak. Turks passing away
near the shop thought that the bird was dead, when the
looked at it carefully, noticed that it was alive and
directly complained to Qadi (Muslim judge) then
Venetian ambassador saved the jeweller from
punishment. (36)
*
The events we have tried to mention and tell above are
not only on lines of books we lived and made them
alive in the life.
“…Our honourable architecture built “BIRD HOUSES” on
the walls of buildings as a sign of love yesterday…As
a matter of fact, animals was not stoned, pack animals
were not whipped, there were waqfs (Foundations) for
ownerless animals, birds with broken wing, storks in
our civilization” (37)
Stay with happiness and hope….
(Ahmet Yasar Cakmak- cakmakahmetyasar@hotmail.com
–Gsm: 0090 536 853 20 65)
(1) Prof.İbrahim SARIÇAM-Hz.Muhammed ve Evrensel
Mesaj.s:333 Ankara 2004
(2) Nesei- Dehaya.42
(3) S. ATEŞ-Kur’an Ansiklopedisi cilt:8 sayfa
:58
(4) Buhari-Enbiya:54
(5) Müslim.Selam, bab 41 hadis 154
(6) Riyazu’s-salihin-Terc.ve
şerh:Prof.Y.KANDEMİR,L.ÇAKAN,R.KÜÇÜK. 7/534
(7) Doç.Ömer ÇELİK, Dr.M.ÖZTÜRK,M.KAYA-Üsve-i
Hasene Cilt:2 S.514-İst.2004
(8) A.g.e. 2/515
(9) A.g.e. Sayfa:516
(10) Ali Ramazan DİNÇ-Yansımalar. Sayfa:24
İstanbul.2004
(11) Prof.A.AKGÜNDÜZ,Doç.S. ÖZTÜRK.Bilinmeyen
Osmanlı s.402 İst.1999
(12) 18.06.1989- Diyanet Takvimi
(13) Prof.Abdurrahman ÇETİN-Örneklerle
Peygamberimiz.S.379,380 İst.2006
(14) Prof.İbrahim SARIÇAM-Hz.Muhammed ve evrensel
Mesaj.S:333
(15) Doç.Y.Nuri ÖZTÜRK- İslam’da Büyük
günahlar.s:221,222 1991
(16) A.Ramazan DİNÇ-Manevi Yolculuğun
Esasları.S.61 ist.2002
(17) A.g.e. sayfa:85
(18) İbrahim REFİK-Tarih Şuuruna
Doğru-C:2 s:156 ist.1997
(19) O.Nuri TOPBAŞ- Bir Testi Su- sayfa.141
İstanbul-1998
(20) İslam Ansiklopedisi. Cilt.17 sayfa:93.
(21) Mustafa KAPLAN-07.05.2005- Vakit
(22) S.ATEŞ- Kuran Ansiklopedisi- cilt:7
sayfa:222
(23) Hz.Ali EL-MÜRTEZA-Hasan en-Nedvi.ter:Yusuf KARACA
S.242 İST.1999
(24) Doç.Y.Nuri ÖZTÜRK.a.g.e. sayfa:221
(25) M.F.GÜLEN – Sonsuz Nur- cilt:1 sayfa:312
(26) İsmail Yusuf-Ömer B.Abdü’l-aziz
–Ter.İ.Hakkı ŞENGÜLER S:28
(27) M.A.Ubicini.Türkiye 1850 Tercüman 1001
t.eser.cilt:2 s:455 Tarihsiz.
(28) İ.Hami DANİŞMEND-Eski Türk Seciye
ve Ahlakı-s:182 İstanbul.1982
(29) Ribat - Sayı:15 Mart.2001 Sayfa:6
(30) Ezraki –Kabe ve Mekke Tarihi.Çev.Y.Vehbi YAVUZ
S.395 İstanbul 1974
(31) El-Heytemi-İslam’da Helaller ve Haramlar-c:2
s:261 İst.1981
(32) Prof.Dr.Ali YARDIM- Peygamberimizin
Şemaili.s160 İstanbul.1998
(33) Yard.Doç.İbrahim
ÖZDEMİR.(A.Ü.İlahiyat)Diyanet
Avrasya.Sayı:5 s:63.2002
(34) Ebu Davut. Cihad bölümü. 48
(35) Buhari.Tecrid-i Sarih.Cilt:7 sayfa:223 Hadis
numarası:1066
(36) Mevlüt Uluğtekin YILMAZ.TÜRKİYEM
(aylık degi)Sayı:35 S.26 Ocak 1992
(37) Agah Oktay GÜNER- Dost Gözüyle-sayfa:149
İstanbul 1988
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