In the Name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the owner of mankind.
Islamic Center of Winter Garden: After 60 days of wait, there has been no public meeting setup, so the coordination with the other group has failed, and we are back to being on our own. Original effort is restarted. Will keep you updated, once I am able to setup a public meeting. We will build the masjid inshAllah.
"The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The Abode of the Next World that is truly Life if they only knew." (Quran 29:64)
Prophet (PBUH) said, "...By Allah! It is not poverty that I fear for you, but what I fear for you is that the world will be presented for you just as it was presented for those before you, then you will compete for it, and it will destroy you, just as it destroyed them." (Sahih al-Jami # 5523)
Whenever one wants to know the depth of the belief of a believer, it is sufficient to measure their fear for poverty and adversity in this world, because fear of failure in this world stems from a doubt that there is life after death. If one believes on the life after death as a matter of fact, and they have no doubt that it will come to pass, why would they worry so much about poverty and adversity in this world.
Sometimes in my dreams I am able to realize that it is a dream, and control my movements, but most of the time, I go through the dream believing it is reality. If something fearful happening in the dream, I might wake up with that terror still in my heart and a little bit of sweat. Many of you can relate to this. Now, are the dream real? Well, I don't know. They do affect us physically, and some die because of the dreams. I would like to draw a connection between dreams and this life of the world.
In this life, humans can smell, taste, touch, hear, see, and think, and this gives us the sense of reality. However, Allah is telling us that this world is just a game and a diversion, and a virtual reality or a dream, which feels true, but it is very short in "reality". Of course, while in this world, anything Allah says about hereafter is an unseen thing, and it is like someone coming up to us in a dream and telling us that this is a dream, and the real life await us after we wake up. Well, can we wake up in this dream? Do we even believe that there is a real life after death?
If one believes on the above verse, they will not fear running out of money, or losing a job, or the masjid management, or the influential relative, or social isolation. Some spend thousands on travel, but delay Hajj, why? Why would one delay Hajj? one reason could be that meeting their relatives is more important for them, then Hajj. Your debt is not an excuse, when you can spent $10,000 on vacation, but not on Hajj.
In conclusion, no one need to judge anyone else on this, because everyone knows if they believe in the life after death, as they believe the car stopping in front of them, and they have to hit breaks. Would you hit breaks, if Prophet (PBUH) was sitting with you, and ask you to hit break, but you cannot see the car in front of you? This is what Allah is asking us to do. Believe in the message Prophet (PBUH) gave us, regardless of it being seen or unseen. It is very difficult, but it is very easy, depending upon our doubt on the life after death.
Test your faith, before Allah test it. Take audit, before Allah does. Believe, before the dream ends. Wake up oh my brothers and sisters! Wake up! This world is just a dream, and I swear to Allah, it will end when you least expected. Be prepare for death, as you prepare for your vacation. Check your reservation. Post it on facebook. Pay the bills. Make arrangements for your destination. Convert money into traveller's check. If you believe, do it today.
If you don't know what I am talking about, it is certainly unfortunate. And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
Awoke within dream
AbuArman Jumani
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Boredom: A sign of weakness in faith
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the one who conceals.
("...And of mankind is he who purchases Lahw Al-Hadith to mislead (men) from the path of Allah without knowledge, (Quran 31:6) ) Qatadah said: "By Allah, he may not spend money on it, but his purchasing it means he likes it, and the more misguided he is, the more he likes it and the more he prefers falsehood to the truth and harmful things over beneficial things.'' It was said that what is meant by the words (ibn Kathir)
People have explained the downfall of believers in many ways, but the above verse puts it into context for us. This generation is the generation of entertainment. If there is no entertainment, there is no crowd. Even Masjid try to find something entertaining for people to do to attract them.
Some entertain by sitting outside the masjid, and some entertained by food, and some entertained by sports, and some entertained by smart phones. Everywhere you turn, there are ways to entertain yourself. People travel to entertain themselves, and they call it vacation. Vacationing from what? Regular prayer in the Masjid. Peaceful life at home. Meeting the relatives.
In reality, everyone is bore if not entertained. Now, it is not prohibited to entertain oneself, and the Prophet (PBUH) did participate in activities of entertainment. What is happening is that we are wasting hours of our lives that we could have spent in remembering Allah. I do not point fingers at anyone, as I am guilty of it myself. I wasted 3 hours last night watching something that was idle talk at the end. Nothing material or spiritual I gained. Why did I do? I was bored. Does this sounds familiar? Next generation gets bore even faster. My kids are bore, if we ask them to shut off electronics. It is amazing how we are attached to filling our void with idle activities.
Personally, I see this as a sign of weakness in faith. When I read Quran, or read a book of knowledge, I get a boost, and want to continue this everyday, because probably my faith is high. After a while, I find myself involve in an activity that was created to pass time. Pass time?!? Time will pass regardless of what we doing. We should not be wasting our precious time in idle stuff.
Most of us find it boring to listen to an hour lecture on Aqeedah or Fiqh, but zip through an hour long episode of a TV series. We are not connected to Allah in a way that we find sweetness in his remembrance. Yes, when the time comes for adhan, we will fold our chairs unwillingly and drag our feet to pray salah, but as soon as salah is finish, we stand up and start mingling without spending anytime in dhikr or tasbeeh.
I think if we control how much time we spent on idle activities, and try to spend more time in reading books, listening to lecture, going to classes, or just discussing Islam at our dinner table, we can start increasing our faith. Once our faith increases, all other issues in the community will melt away.
Also, most of the successful people, believer and non-believer, do not watch TV or Movies. They either read books or busy with something important.
Enough is Enough! I pledge to work on defeating this boredom in my life and cut down on idle activities I am drawn to, and suggest you do the same. And Allah knows best.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam displeases Me by abusing Dahr (time), whereas I am Dahr--I alternate the night and the day. (Sahih Muslim Book 027, Number 5581)
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling believer
AbuArman Jumani
All praise is due to Allah, the one who conceals.
("...And of mankind is he who purchases Lahw Al-Hadith to mislead (men) from the path of Allah without knowledge, (Quran 31:6) ) Qatadah said: "By Allah, he may not spend money on it, but his purchasing it means he likes it, and the more misguided he is, the more he likes it and the more he prefers falsehood to the truth and harmful things over beneficial things.'' It was said that what is meant by the words (ibn Kathir)
People have explained the downfall of believers in many ways, but the above verse puts it into context for us. This generation is the generation of entertainment. If there is no entertainment, there is no crowd. Even Masjid try to find something entertaining for people to do to attract them.
Some entertain by sitting outside the masjid, and some entertained by food, and some entertained by sports, and some entertained by smart phones. Everywhere you turn, there are ways to entertain yourself. People travel to entertain themselves, and they call it vacation. Vacationing from what? Regular prayer in the Masjid. Peaceful life at home. Meeting the relatives.
In reality, everyone is bore if not entertained. Now, it is not prohibited to entertain oneself, and the Prophet (PBUH) did participate in activities of entertainment. What is happening is that we are wasting hours of our lives that we could have spent in remembering Allah. I do not point fingers at anyone, as I am guilty of it myself. I wasted 3 hours last night watching something that was idle talk at the end. Nothing material or spiritual I gained. Why did I do? I was bored. Does this sounds familiar? Next generation gets bore even faster. My kids are bore, if we ask them to shut off electronics. It is amazing how we are attached to filling our void with idle activities.
Personally, I see this as a sign of weakness in faith. When I read Quran, or read a book of knowledge, I get a boost, and want to continue this everyday, because probably my faith is high. After a while, I find myself involve in an activity that was created to pass time. Pass time?!? Time will pass regardless of what we doing. We should not be wasting our precious time in idle stuff.
Most of us find it boring to listen to an hour lecture on Aqeedah or Fiqh, but zip through an hour long episode of a TV series. We are not connected to Allah in a way that we find sweetness in his remembrance. Yes, when the time comes for adhan, we will fold our chairs unwillingly and drag our feet to pray salah, but as soon as salah is finish, we stand up and start mingling without spending anytime in dhikr or tasbeeh.
I think if we control how much time we spent on idle activities, and try to spend more time in reading books, listening to lecture, going to classes, or just discussing Islam at our dinner table, we can start increasing our faith. Once our faith increases, all other issues in the community will melt away.
Also, most of the successful people, believer and non-believer, do not watch TV or Movies. They either read books or busy with something important.
Enough is Enough! I pledge to work on defeating this boredom in my life and cut down on idle activities I am drawn to, and suggest you do the same. And Allah knows best.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: The son of Adam displeases Me by abusing Dahr (time), whereas I am Dahr--I alternate the night and the day. (Sahih Muslim Book 027, Number 5581)
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling believer
AbuArman Jumani
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Searching for Sincere People!
In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah, the owner of the day of judgement.
Prophet(PBUH) said, Verily, deen is sincerity. We asked: “To whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and the leaders of the Muslims and to the common Muslims. [Sahîh Muslim, Book 1, Number 0098]
I have waited for a long time to talk about this topic, as it has been one of the reasons that I write these blogs. In fact, many of you will see familiarity in it. So, what does it mean to be sincere? Why sincerity is important?
Let us look at the second question first. If a person is not sincere, then you don't know what their agenda is, and why are they so friendly to you. It may be that when you need them, they will not be there for you because their agenda has changed. Opposite of sincerity is hypocrisy, and if a person is not sincere, they are hypocrite. When I started to practice Islam in 2006, one thing that I decided was to detect insincere person. One is able to tell from a slight actions that a person is not sincere, because they are going along with the conversation. I think it was a result of people opposing me and reacting to the message of Islam in different ways. Sincere people would just tell me outright that they don't agree with me, but insincere people would say encouraging words in front of me, but attack me behind my back. This has been always the hardest part, which I have come to grips with.
So, it is better to have a sincere enemy then insincere friend, because you are not sure if you can trust them. Islam is completely based on sincerity, and that is the meaning of the hadith above. A believer can not believe, if he is not sincere to Allah when he is alone, sincere to his Messenger when difficult hadith is read, sincere to Quran when it shows the truth that is bitter, sincere to leaders when they make a decision that one doesn't like, and specially sincere to other believers when one meets them. I think everyone understands how sincerity is the key to trust and being a believer, so I will not spent too much time on it.
In my case, I tell the truth to people and most don't appreciate it, and possibly talk about me, or even conspire against me. I do not mind that, as if they talk about me, I would receive rewards from it. If they conspire against me, they can not harm me unless Allah allows it. However, I do not want to spend time with people who are insincere, because anything they say, I am not sure if they mean it or just another polite thing they are saying to not offend me. I have made it part of my defense mechanism to repel such people, and if someone who can tolerate the truth and react the way a sincere person would, I know I can trust him, and after that I try to use wisdom to deal with them. You may ask, how can I assume that I am sincere myself, and I would tell you that I am a sinner and make mistake, and don't know if I am sincere. I have made it my effort in my life to stay sincere no matter what. Of course, others are better judge of it, and I may be just living in a pipe dream, but I know the difficult situations I went through, and I could have taken the easy and political road, but I didn't.
Now, how to recognize sincerity among common folks? There may be many methods, but I determine sincerity by testing them. For example, if you tell a group of people your problem, and they all say " Please let me know if I can help you". This could be a sincere statement or a cosmetic statement. I would call their bluff on it, and ask them for help, and see how they react. If they make excuses, most likely they were insincere. Of course, it would take multiple tests to be sure. It has become common to be politically correct to be accepted by majority of people, and people call it wisdom to not offend anyone. For example, if you have a meeting for community, and you ask a difficult question like "would you support the effort B?", if the person is sincere, they will give you the right answer regardless of the popularity of it. However, an insincere person will always give the popular answer, and try to wave you or change the topic.
Another test I use is personal praise. An insincere person will praise you for minor things just to keep the social relationship, and make you feel better. When they use it with me, I know they are exaggerating, and I will run other tests to be sure. This is usually a very accurate sign of an insincere person, because a sincere person doesn't make effort to praise someone unless it happens naturally. One time, I was praised by someone, and I can see that the person is doing it for a purpose, because he asked me for something right before it.
Most conclusive test I have seen is the stress test. You take someone through a series of conversations, and show them a short fall they have, and see how they react. Everyone will defend, as it is natural, but how they defend is the sign. If a person defend upon the same principal they started with and as the principals are proven wrong they soften their stance, then they are sincere to their core, and I stop at that point and accept them as most trustworthy. On the other hand, if a person defends by any means necessary and quit the conversation or change the principal if their principals are being proven wrong, then they are insincere, and I would stop and leave them alone, and they are not trustworthy.
Most of our world is filled with insincere people, and they would be nice to us, but they may not be sincere to us, and if they are not sincere to us, how can they be sincere to an unseen entity. If everyone was sincere, but still followed their current path, there is an opportunity to bring them closer to the true path. For this reason, we should not waste time with people who are not sincere, because they will not accept the truth if presented to them.
In my humble opinion, sincerity is not something a person can learn, but it comes naturally when one believes in Allah. Either you are sincere or not. It comes from removing the fear of losing status, job, friendship, money, and influence. If we have one sincere friend, and 1000 insincere enemy, it is better then having 1000 insincere friends, because with them everything you participate in will be an insincere gesture.
Sincerity is to be able to disconnect any ties, except the tie with Allah, if necessary. For example, if someone proves to us that the religious tradition that we followed the whole life is un-Islamic, and we refuse to accept it and find excuses to stay with that tradition, because if we accept it, all the people we know will consider us traitor, we are not being sincere. Similarly, if a person is sincere to a cause, and not doing to get money or status or influence, they will be willing to do anything to help that cause including giving leadership role.
Recently, I called a meeting for building a masjid in windermere, and forwarded to many people in the community and reminded for weeks. Night before the meeting, I received an email saying that there was a meeting held at my neighbor's house and they will be building a masjid in this area. Now, it was a great coincidence that they didn't come to my meeting or called me or invited me, but I assume that they were sincere, and I called them and handed over my effort to them, because I don't know what is in their heart. All I asked them was to call the public meeting, so we can find out how many people are interested. All we need is a masjid built so people who don't go to masjid, can chose to pray in congregation. It doesn't matter who builds it. I will give them until Feb 24 to announce the effort and let the people decide the location in the meeting. If they fail to do that, the cooperation will be a failure and will break my trust.
We don't live to please human beings, but we live to please Allah, so that is the priority. Sometimes one has to please humans, as long as it doesn't displeases Allah. When one pleases humans, at the cost of displeasing Allah, they have destroyed themselves. If it turns out that I was blocked from building a masjid on purpose, and that resulted in delay of building a house of Allah, it will be the end of my trust on them, and I will restart my effort InshAllah.
You have probably noticed that this blog is also a test that I am sending out. Responses, and non-responses will all be the sign. Thank you for taking part in it.
May Allah makes me a sincere person, and help us find sincere people, so we can trust them.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling to be a sincere person
Abu Arman Jumani
All praise is due to Allah, the owner of the day of judgement.
Prophet(PBUH) said, Verily, deen is sincerity. We asked: “To whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and the leaders of the Muslims and to the common Muslims. [Sahîh Muslim, Book 1, Number 0098]
I have waited for a long time to talk about this topic, as it has been one of the reasons that I write these blogs. In fact, many of you will see familiarity in it. So, what does it mean to be sincere? Why sincerity is important?
Let us look at the second question first. If a person is not sincere, then you don't know what their agenda is, and why are they so friendly to you. It may be that when you need them, they will not be there for you because their agenda has changed. Opposite of sincerity is hypocrisy, and if a person is not sincere, they are hypocrite. When I started to practice Islam in 2006, one thing that I decided was to detect insincere person. One is able to tell from a slight actions that a person is not sincere, because they are going along with the conversation. I think it was a result of people opposing me and reacting to the message of Islam in different ways. Sincere people would just tell me outright that they don't agree with me, but insincere people would say encouraging words in front of me, but attack me behind my back. This has been always the hardest part, which I have come to grips with.
So, it is better to have a sincere enemy then insincere friend, because you are not sure if you can trust them. Islam is completely based on sincerity, and that is the meaning of the hadith above. A believer can not believe, if he is not sincere to Allah when he is alone, sincere to his Messenger when difficult hadith is read, sincere to Quran when it shows the truth that is bitter, sincere to leaders when they make a decision that one doesn't like, and specially sincere to other believers when one meets them. I think everyone understands how sincerity is the key to trust and being a believer, so I will not spent too much time on it.
In my case, I tell the truth to people and most don't appreciate it, and possibly talk about me, or even conspire against me. I do not mind that, as if they talk about me, I would receive rewards from it. If they conspire against me, they can not harm me unless Allah allows it. However, I do not want to spend time with people who are insincere, because anything they say, I am not sure if they mean it or just another polite thing they are saying to not offend me. I have made it part of my defense mechanism to repel such people, and if someone who can tolerate the truth and react the way a sincere person would, I know I can trust him, and after that I try to use wisdom to deal with them. You may ask, how can I assume that I am sincere myself, and I would tell you that I am a sinner and make mistake, and don't know if I am sincere. I have made it my effort in my life to stay sincere no matter what. Of course, others are better judge of it, and I may be just living in a pipe dream, but I know the difficult situations I went through, and I could have taken the easy and political road, but I didn't.
Now, how to recognize sincerity among common folks? There may be many methods, but I determine sincerity by testing them. For example, if you tell a group of people your problem, and they all say " Please let me know if I can help you". This could be a sincere statement or a cosmetic statement. I would call their bluff on it, and ask them for help, and see how they react. If they make excuses, most likely they were insincere. Of course, it would take multiple tests to be sure. It has become common to be politically correct to be accepted by majority of people, and people call it wisdom to not offend anyone. For example, if you have a meeting for community, and you ask a difficult question like "would you support the effort B?", if the person is sincere, they will give you the right answer regardless of the popularity of it. However, an insincere person will always give the popular answer, and try to wave you or change the topic.
Another test I use is personal praise. An insincere person will praise you for minor things just to keep the social relationship, and make you feel better. When they use it with me, I know they are exaggerating, and I will run other tests to be sure. This is usually a very accurate sign of an insincere person, because a sincere person doesn't make effort to praise someone unless it happens naturally. One time, I was praised by someone, and I can see that the person is doing it for a purpose, because he asked me for something right before it.
Most conclusive test I have seen is the stress test. You take someone through a series of conversations, and show them a short fall they have, and see how they react. Everyone will defend, as it is natural, but how they defend is the sign. If a person defend upon the same principal they started with and as the principals are proven wrong they soften their stance, then they are sincere to their core, and I stop at that point and accept them as most trustworthy. On the other hand, if a person defends by any means necessary and quit the conversation or change the principal if their principals are being proven wrong, then they are insincere, and I would stop and leave them alone, and they are not trustworthy.
Most of our world is filled with insincere people, and they would be nice to us, but they may not be sincere to us, and if they are not sincere to us, how can they be sincere to an unseen entity. If everyone was sincere, but still followed their current path, there is an opportunity to bring them closer to the true path. For this reason, we should not waste time with people who are not sincere, because they will not accept the truth if presented to them.
In my humble opinion, sincerity is not something a person can learn, but it comes naturally when one believes in Allah. Either you are sincere or not. It comes from removing the fear of losing status, job, friendship, money, and influence. If we have one sincere friend, and 1000 insincere enemy, it is better then having 1000 insincere friends, because with them everything you participate in will be an insincere gesture.
Sincerity is to be able to disconnect any ties, except the tie with Allah, if necessary. For example, if someone proves to us that the religious tradition that we followed the whole life is un-Islamic, and we refuse to accept it and find excuses to stay with that tradition, because if we accept it, all the people we know will consider us traitor, we are not being sincere. Similarly, if a person is sincere to a cause, and not doing to get money or status or influence, they will be willing to do anything to help that cause including giving leadership role.
Recently, I called a meeting for building a masjid in windermere, and forwarded to many people in the community and reminded for weeks. Night before the meeting, I received an email saying that there was a meeting held at my neighbor's house and they will be building a masjid in this area. Now, it was a great coincidence that they didn't come to my meeting or called me or invited me, but I assume that they were sincere, and I called them and handed over my effort to them, because I don't know what is in their heart. All I asked them was to call the public meeting, so we can find out how many people are interested. All we need is a masjid built so people who don't go to masjid, can chose to pray in congregation. It doesn't matter who builds it. I will give them until Feb 24 to announce the effort and let the people decide the location in the meeting. If they fail to do that, the cooperation will be a failure and will break my trust.
We don't live to please human beings, but we live to please Allah, so that is the priority. Sometimes one has to please humans, as long as it doesn't displeases Allah. When one pleases humans, at the cost of displeasing Allah, they have destroyed themselves. If it turns out that I was blocked from building a masjid on purpose, and that resulted in delay of building a house of Allah, it will be the end of my trust on them, and I will restart my effort InshAllah.
You have probably noticed that this blog is also a test that I am sending out. Responses, and non-responses will all be the sign. Thank you for taking part in it.
May Allah makes me a sincere person, and help us find sincere people, so we can trust them.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling to be a sincere person
Abu Arman Jumani
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Universal Principal of Islam
In the name of Allah,
AsSalamuAlaykum,
You asked about one of
the most misunderstood topics in Islam. Innovating in deen. Everyone agrees
that innovating in deen is prohibited, and a minor shirk. Following verse made
it clear that the deen was completed and there will be no need for additions or
modifications in deen. Only disagreement is how do we determine if something is
an innovation in deen.
"Today, I
have completed your deen, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Islam as the religion for you."
Quran 5:3
Following ahadith clearly prohibit us from innovating in deen.
'A'isha reported Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is
no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected. (Sahih Muslim
#4266)
If anyone introduces an
innovation, he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation
or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in deen), he is
cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.(Abu Dawood Book 39,
Number 4515)
You must then follow my sunnah and that of the
rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for
every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error. (Abu
Dawood Book 40, Number 4590)
If you pay attention, the
above verse of the Quran was not the last verse to be revealed, but there were
others that revealed after that verse. So what does it mean that Islam is
completed?
There are two types of beliefs
human beings have, one is a belief on things that can be seen, perceived,
touched, tasted, heard, smelled, and proven. This type of belief is easy to
communicate to other human beings, and can be universally accepted as it is
easy to verify. Innovating in this belief is allowed and encouraged in Islam.
Second type is the belief on unseen like
belief in horoscope, bad omen, blessings, life after death, superstition,
existence of God, and benefit from statues. This type of belief is impossible
to communicate to other human beings, and cannot be universally accepted.
Islam came to eliminate all
unseen beliefs that did not come from God, and establish a deen (set of unseen beliefs) which
is authentic. This is the reason to send prophets and to send holy books. Any
unseen belief has to come from Allah, otherwise it is invalid and innovation.
If you pay attention, you
put your face on the ground several times a day. If a person asks you why do
you do that. You will say this will protect me from disease here and after
death. He will asks you, can you prove
that. You will say, we learn this in the Quran and Sunnah, so that is our proof.
Now, if I pass by a tree
everyday and touch it before moving forward, and someone asks me what am I
doing. I could say that this is the tree where an Awliya of Allah used to take
rest, and I belief it is blessed. He will asks me, can you prove that. I will not
be able to prove it from Quran and Sunnah. What I have done now is innovated in
deen, because I am doing this act believing in unseen which I cannot prove.
This is the universal principal
that we can use to determine if something is “Bidah” in deen. Anything that is
belief in seen can be proven and is accepted by us. Anything that is belief in unseen
and was told by the Prophet (PBUH) is accepted. Anything that is belief in
unseen, but not told by the Prophet (PBUH) is rejected.
Now let’s run this test on everything you listed.
1) Celebrating
Prophet(PBUH) birthday by cutting a cake and clapping and saying happy birthday
to you is NOT BIDDAH but disliked. Celebrating his birthday by reading Quran,
singing his stories, having a gathering with a belief that this act will honor
him and be a source of blessings for us is BIDDAH, and minor shirk, because
there is no evidence in Quran and Sunnah for any benefit of celebrating his
birthday. If there was, AbuBakr would have been the first one to do that. Every
celebration I have seen is based on an unseen belief that cannot be proven and
hence rejected.
2) Punctuation
in the Quran is NOT BIDDAH because it is a seen belief that punctuation will
help non-Arab read Arabic. There is no unseen belief attached to it.
3) Names of
Surrah written in Quran is NOT BIDDAH
because it is a seen belief that it helps people organize and remember Quran.
There is no unseen belief.
4) Mihrabs and
Minarets in the Masjid is NOT BIDDAH because it beautifies and served a purpose
and is not based on an unseen belief.
5) Taqleed of Four Schools of Fiqh is BIDDAH,
because there is an unseen belief that one has to follow one of them to follow
Islam, which is not proven from Quran and Sunnah. If we remove the unseen
belief, and say that one should follow a scholar and that scholar can follow a
method of deducing Islam, it becomes acceptable, as there is no unseen belief
any longer, which is called “Ittiba” (reasoned following of four school). Taqleed
of Muhammad ibn Abdullah is NOT BIDDAH because Allah gave us permission for
that so that unseen belief is accepted. What it means is that if we find that
hanafi school of thought is wrong on something, and we can see it clearly
because it is very simple, and the scholar also accept it, then we cannot
follow it unless we have an unseen belief on that school which is not proven.
For example, Shafii school says that merely touching a woman breaks the wudu,
but we know that is not true, and following that will be BIDDAH.
6) Renaming
Arabia to Saudi Arabic is NOT BIDDAH, because it is not based on unseen belief,
and it is just a matter of naming things.
Hadith you mentioned about “good thing in Islam” is not translated correctly from the Arabic. If I remember correctly the word he used was “Sunnah”. In this context Sunnah means habbit or a method or a tradition. For example, If I start a tradition of dinner every month in our community, and people follow it. I will get the reward for it. It is NOT BIDDAH, because the benefit is seen and proven.
What Bilal did was NOT BIDDAH, because he did not seek any special reward for the two rakah except of a nafil Salah.
Taraveh was established by the Prophet (PBUH), so the unseen belief on reward was there. What Umar did was NOT BIDDAH in deen, because his intention was to remove the small groups in the Masjid praying and competing each other.
Taraveh was established by the Prophet (PBUH), so the unseen belief on reward was there. What Umar did was NOT BIDDAH in deen, because his intention was to remove the small groups in the Masjid praying and competing each other.
Islam is very easy, and people
have make it difficult. I hope this helps you and others avoid innovation in
deen.
When a person logically deduce
an unseen belief, what he is saying is that this unseen reward Allah did not
stated because the situation did not arise. This statement contradicts the
verse of the Quran above. We are allowed to deduce seen beliefs, but not unseen
beliefs. They are enumerated by the Prophet (PBUH) and sealed by Allah.
Let us not prove Allah wrong.
And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman Jumani
From:********* [mailto:******@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 5:13 PM
To: Adnan Jumani
Cc: ***************************
Subject: Re: Should we follow Saudi Arabia in Eid-ul-Adha?
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 5:13 PM
To: Adnan Jumani
Cc: ***************************
Subject: Re: Should we follow Saudi Arabia in Eid-ul-Adha?
Brother Adnan:
What do you think about Celebrating Holly Prophet's birthday?
Because of indepth knowledge and research - I need a big picture. Will you
define for me "Bidha" in universal text?
------------In all definitions I heard so far - it does not prove
universal and worth carrying. We are so liberal in saying word
"Bidha" although we comine ourself in its grip in our
definition.
Bid'ah, literally means innovation. In special terms it means
carrying out actions which displease Allah ta`ala and his messenger.
[Tirmizi chapter Il]
[Tirmizi chapter Il]
Qadi Shawkani writes "In Islam there are two kinds of Bid'ah:
Bid'ah Say'iah and Bid'ah Hasana. If a new thing opposes the Qur’an and Sunnah
then it is Say'iah, but if it is not against the Shari'ah then it is Hasanah.
(Nayl-ul-Autaar, Qadi Shawkani chapter Salaah Al Taravee).
(Nayl-ul-Autaar, Qadi Shawkani chapter Salaah Al Taravee).
RasoolAllah [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] stated:
"The person who introduced a good thing in Islam, shall obtain the reward
for it and also the reward for those who adopt it. As for the one who
introduces a bad thing (Bid'ah Sayyi ah) he will obtain the punishment for
introducing it and also for those who adopt it, will also be punished."
(Sahih Muslim in Kitaab-uz-Zakaat Tirmidhee chapter Eleleven).
(Sahih Muslim in Kitaab-uz-Zakaat Tirmidhee chapter Eleleven).
Some examples of Bid'ah Hasana.
Punctuation in the Qur'an
Names of Surahs written in the Qur'an
Mihrabs in the Masjid
Minarets of Masjid
Taqleed of the four schools of Fiqh
Fixing congregational prayer times with the clock times
Names of Surahs written in the Qur'an
Mihrabs in the Masjid
Minarets of Masjid
Taqleed of the four schools of Fiqh
Fixing congregational prayer times with the clock times
------------------------------------Please help me. I want to
learn more about it reflecting Eid-Milad un-Nabi. Is it Bidha? What Type? How
is this a bidha? ------------------Our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant
Him peace] and his Companions used to call Saudi Arabia “Jaziratul Arab” but
the present Government has taken that name out and changed it to Saudi Arabia.
Is Bidha per our convenience or by our stamp being from different
region? Is Islam that weak in this perpective?
To invent the usool (principle) of Hadeeth, usool of Fiqh, usool
of Tafsir etc.
[Tahzeeb al Asma wal lughaat word Bid’ah by Imam Nawawi]
[Tahzeeb al Asma wal lughaat word Bid’ah by Imam Nawawi]
Please don't over react and reply impulsively!! I love my prophet
as any msulim can love! Degree may be different --------
Jazak Allah Khair
Monday, February 13, 2012
Should we follow Saudi Arabia in Eid-ul-Adha?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the only one worthy of worship.
A few days back, one of the brothers told me that Eid-Al-Adha should be celebrated on the same day Hujjaj (people performing Hajj) are performing sacrifice, which is 10th Dhul-Hijja of Islamic Calendar. What he was saying was that any believer who live in USA should not determine the 10th Dhul-Hijja according to moonsighting, but follow the calendar of Hajj to determine the day of Eid. On the surface, this makes the most sense, and I held that opinion for a long time, until I learned more details. I would like to share what I have learned.
First of all, everyone should celebrate Eid on the day their local masjid decided upon, where they pray their regular Salah, regardless of the date being correct or not, because Eid is not an individual act, but a community act, and it is an obligation for a believer to stick with the community, unless the community has abandoned Salah and are open sinners. One should not travel to a far place to celebrate Eid, because he or she agrees with the fiqh of that Imam in this instance. In the matter of individual fiqh one should certainly follow the fiqh that seems more correct.
Now, let us look at the claim of Saudi Hajj calendar determining the Eid ul Adha for the world.There are two reasons given for us to follow Saudi Arabia. One is that it will create unity. In fact, unity is misunderstood, because unity among believers does not mean every locality submits to the rule of the central government of Khilafat. It is an impossible thing to do. In early days of Islam, governors were appointed for different areas of the world to govern according to the needs of the people. Abu Musa Al-Ashri didn't apply every single rule that Umar applied in medina, but made changes to fit the situation, within the limits of Sharia. Unity in Islam means to unite under laws of Allah, and accept the authority of central Khilafah in the matters pertains to Nation in general. Celebrating Eid is a matter of unity and matter of Nation, but determining the day to celebrate Eid is a matter of local Fiqh. However, if the central Khilafah commands to follow a certain day, then the matter becomes following the authority, and it becomes obligation to follow that day. As far as I know, we don't have Khilafah, nor do Saudis ask us to follow them. So the matter settles here.
Second and strongest case made is that 10th Dhul-Hijja is the day of sacrifice during Hajj, and should be the day for every believer around the world to perform sacrifice and celebrate Eid. For years, I supported this until I went to Hajj myself. When I learned about the rituals of Hajj, I could not find the instructions on celebrating Eid for people performing Hajj. It was an odd discovery, and a reality shock to me.
It is related from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone slaughters before the prayer, he was slaughtered for himself. If someone slaughters after the prayer, he has completed his rite and followed the sunna of the Muslims." (Bukhari # 5226)
In fact, Eid-Al-Adha is not an act of sacrifice, but it is a Salah that we pray together as a community. During Hajj, there is no Eid Salah for people performing Hajj, because there is no Sunnah for doing so. However in the above hadith Prophet (PBUH) invlidate the sacrifice, if done before the Salah, so Salah is the actual Eid and not the sacrifice. If there is no day of Eid during Hajj, how can we follow Hajj for Eid.
Prophet (PBUH) said "Yaum-An-Nahr, Yaum-Al-Hajj-Al-Akbar" ("Day of Sacrifice is the greatest day of Hajj") (I translated this with my limited knowledge of Arabic so help me correct mistakes) (Zaad ul-Maad) (Abu Daud)
Another argument presented to me was from the book of Ibn Qayyiam where he claims that day of Nahr (sacrifice) is better than Arafah, meaning that 10th Dhul Hijja has higher status than 9th DhulHijja. He quoted the above hadith. Well, this hadith is not enough to tell us that Eid-ul-Adha is connected to Hajj. It only tell us that Day of Sacrifice is better then Day of Arafat. Day of Sacrifice and Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on 10 Dhul-Hijja but not the same ritual. In fact, Ibn Qayyim states in the same chapter that his teacher's (Ibn Taymiah) opinion that Arafat is the day of Eid for Hujjaj, but Day of Sacrifice is the day rest of the world gather for Eid, which clearly proves that determination of Eid is a different process for rest of the world. If slaughter for non-Hajjaj was based on the date and time of Hajj date and time, Prophet (PBUH) wouldn't nullify the slaughter before Eid Salah. In essence, the ritual of slaughter is same but when to do it is determined by local authorities. It is supported by ahadith and Ibn Qayyim and his teacher Ibn Taymiah.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed in Madinah for ten years, offering sacrifice (every year on Eid).” [Narrated by Ahmad, 4935; al-Tirmithi, 1507; classed as hasan by al-Albani in Mishkat al-Masabih, 1475]
Moreover, Eid-ul-Adha was obligated in the early days of Hijrah in Medina, and the Prophet (PBUH) celebrated Eid for 8 years, before Hajj became obligated. So, Eid-ul-Adha is not Eid-ul-Hajj, and they are not one in the same. In fact, there is no evidence that there was any effort from surrounding areas of Makkah to determine the days of Hajj so Eid-ul-Adha could be celebrated on the same days. 10 days is a long period and enough time for a horseman to travel a long distance with the news. Still I fail to find a single such event in the history. So, every town must be depHanding upon the sighting of the moon to celebrate Eid. If it was good enough for the first three generation, why it is not good enough for us?
With every evidence, it becomes clear that Eid-ul-Adha is not connected to Hajj and Hajj calendar is not required to be followed to determine the day of Eid for localities. Every person who believes in Allah and his Messenger should surrender to these evidences, unless they can find a stronger evidence.
www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/97750
What I am saying is what Ibn Baaz and Ibn Uthaymeen, and other scholars have said. Both Eid is based on the sighting of the moon either in the locality or in other land depending upon the opinion of the Fiqh one follows. So, if a community follows the moon sighting of Saudi Arabia as a matter of life, then they are free to do so, but if one tries to follow Hajj dates for celebrating Eid, it is an innovation in Islam. This subtle difference need to be understood and followed.
Also, following the local moon sighting is a stronger opinion then following a global moon sighting.
If one is looking for unity, they should reject weak opinion for the strongest opinion, regardless of who hold that opinion, and unity will follow.
If any of you find any evidence contrary to this, please forward it to me, as we follow the Quran and Sunnah, and not what our heart desire.
And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
A slave of Allah
AbuArman Jumani
All praise is due to Allah, the only one worthy of worship.
A few days back, one of the brothers told me that Eid-Al-Adha should be celebrated on the same day Hujjaj (people performing Hajj) are performing sacrifice, which is 10th Dhul-Hijja of Islamic Calendar. What he was saying was that any believer who live in USA should not determine the 10th Dhul-Hijja according to moonsighting, but follow the calendar of Hajj to determine the day of Eid. On the surface, this makes the most sense, and I held that opinion for a long time, until I learned more details. I would like to share what I have learned.
First of all, everyone should celebrate Eid on the day their local masjid decided upon, where they pray their regular Salah, regardless of the date being correct or not, because Eid is not an individual act, but a community act, and it is an obligation for a believer to stick with the community, unless the community has abandoned Salah and are open sinners. One should not travel to a far place to celebrate Eid, because he or she agrees with the fiqh of that Imam in this instance. In the matter of individual fiqh one should certainly follow the fiqh that seems more correct.
Now, let us look at the claim of Saudi Hajj calendar determining the Eid ul Adha for the world.There are two reasons given for us to follow Saudi Arabia. One is that it will create unity. In fact, unity is misunderstood, because unity among believers does not mean every locality submits to the rule of the central government of Khilafat. It is an impossible thing to do. In early days of Islam, governors were appointed for different areas of the world to govern according to the needs of the people. Abu Musa Al-Ashri didn't apply every single rule that Umar applied in medina, but made changes to fit the situation, within the limits of Sharia. Unity in Islam means to unite under laws of Allah, and accept the authority of central Khilafah in the matters pertains to Nation in general. Celebrating Eid is a matter of unity and matter of Nation, but determining the day to celebrate Eid is a matter of local Fiqh. However, if the central Khilafah commands to follow a certain day, then the matter becomes following the authority, and it becomes obligation to follow that day. As far as I know, we don't have Khilafah, nor do Saudis ask us to follow them. So the matter settles here.
Second and strongest case made is that 10th Dhul-Hijja is the day of sacrifice during Hajj, and should be the day for every believer around the world to perform sacrifice and celebrate Eid. For years, I supported this until I went to Hajj myself. When I learned about the rituals of Hajj, I could not find the instructions on celebrating Eid for people performing Hajj. It was an odd discovery, and a reality shock to me.
It is related from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone slaughters before the prayer, he was slaughtered for himself. If someone slaughters after the prayer, he has completed his rite and followed the sunna of the Muslims." (Bukhari # 5226)
In fact, Eid-Al-Adha is not an act of sacrifice, but it is a Salah that we pray together as a community. During Hajj, there is no Eid Salah for people performing Hajj, because there is no Sunnah for doing so. However in the above hadith Prophet (PBUH) invlidate the sacrifice, if done before the Salah, so Salah is the actual Eid and not the sacrifice. If there is no day of Eid during Hajj, how can we follow Hajj for Eid.
Prophet (PBUH) said "Yaum-An-Nahr, Yaum-Al-Hajj-Al-Akbar" ("Day of Sacrifice is the greatest day of Hajj") (I translated this with my limited knowledge of Arabic so help me correct mistakes) (Zaad ul-Maad) (Abu Daud)
Another argument presented to me was from the book of Ibn Qayyiam where he claims that day of Nahr (sacrifice) is better than Arafah, meaning that 10th Dhul Hijja has higher status than 9th DhulHijja. He quoted the above hadith. Well, this hadith is not enough to tell us that Eid-ul-Adha is connected to Hajj. It only tell us that Day of Sacrifice is better then Day of Arafat. Day of Sacrifice and Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on 10 Dhul-Hijja but not the same ritual. In fact, Ibn Qayyim states in the same chapter that his teacher's (Ibn Taymiah) opinion that Arafat is the day of Eid for Hujjaj, but Day of Sacrifice is the day rest of the world gather for Eid, which clearly proves that determination of Eid is a different process for rest of the world. If slaughter for non-Hajjaj was based on the date and time of Hajj date and time, Prophet (PBUH) wouldn't nullify the slaughter before Eid Salah. In essence, the ritual of slaughter is same but when to do it is determined by local authorities. It is supported by ahadith and Ibn Qayyim and his teacher Ibn Taymiah.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed in Madinah for ten years, offering sacrifice (every year on Eid).” [Narrated by Ahmad, 4935; al-Tirmithi, 1507; classed as hasan by al-Albani in Mishkat al-Masabih, 1475]
Moreover, Eid-ul-Adha was obligated in the early days of Hijrah in Medina, and the Prophet (PBUH) celebrated Eid for 8 years, before Hajj became obligated. So, Eid-ul-Adha is not Eid-ul-Hajj, and they are not one in the same. In fact, there is no evidence that there was any effort from surrounding areas of Makkah to determine the days of Hajj so Eid-ul-Adha could be celebrated on the same days. 10 days is a long period and enough time for a horseman to travel a long distance with the news. Still I fail to find a single such event in the history. So, every town must be depHanding upon the sighting of the moon to celebrate Eid. If it was good enough for the first three generation, why it is not good enough for us?
With every evidence, it becomes clear that Eid-ul-Adha is not connected to Hajj and Hajj calendar is not required to be followed to determine the day of Eid for localities. Every person who believes in Allah and his Messenger should surrender to these evidences, unless they can find a stronger evidence.
www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/97750
What I am saying is what Ibn Baaz and Ibn Uthaymeen, and other scholars have said. Both Eid is based on the sighting of the moon either in the locality or in other land depending upon the opinion of the Fiqh one follows. So, if a community follows the moon sighting of Saudi Arabia as a matter of life, then they are free to do so, but if one tries to follow Hajj dates for celebrating Eid, it is an innovation in Islam. This subtle difference need to be understood and followed.
Also, following the local moon sighting is a stronger opinion then following a global moon sighting.
If one is looking for unity, they should reject weak opinion for the strongest opinion, regardless of who hold that opinion, and unity will follow.
If any of you find any evidence contrary to this, please forward it to me, as we follow the Quran and Sunnah, and not what our heart desire.
And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
A slave of Allah
AbuArman Jumani
Friday, February 3, 2012
How to look like an Imam (Leader)?
In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah, Al-Mu'izz, The Bestower of honor.
In 637 CE Jerusalem offered a truce, provided that the Khalifa come himself from Madina to sign the treaty. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) set out for Jerusalem with a slave and a camel. The slave and he would take turns riding the camel and they also gave the camel time off from carrying either passenger. When they approached Jerusalem, Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was walking and had to cross through muddy ground, as a result of which his feet and clothes got mud on them. When Umar (radi Allahu anhu) entered Jerusalem, he was holding the rope of his camel leading it and his clothes were patched and muddy.
Abu Ubaidah (radi Allahu anhu), the commander in chief of the Muslim army and himself a very pious man, suggested that he change his clothes so that the people of Jerusalem, accustomed to the pomp and grandeur of kings and emperors, were not dissuaded from handing the keys of Jerusalem over to him. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) hit him hard on the chest and reminded him that they had been a disgraced nation. What had brought them honour and elevated them was Islam; should they seek honour from anything else, they would surely be humiliated again. “The only way for success is the way of the Holy Prophet” he said.
One of the factors of our decline is our believe that we have to appeal to people through our looks, and we should wear clothes according to occasion. Some wear clothes especially for going to Masjid, and wear different clothes for other activities. Some Imam feel that they have to be in a certain dress to claim the authority from the community, so if a lay person walks in the masjid, she can recognize who is the Imam among the people. Some tone down their clothes when they meet non-muslims, so it is not offensive to them. Some public speakers maintain a certain attire to show their authority. Many a times people ask me, when did you start wearing taub (long arab garment), I said I don't remember. They ask again, when did you became a practicing Muslim. Then, it hit me that if a person trying to practice Islam, he should start wearing certain clothes, or if one start wearing certain clothes, he has joined a certain group. I wear taub, because it is easy to put on and comfortable to wear, and for no other reason. Of course, use wisdom to decide if something is too extreme, but that too for sake of Allah.
In my humble opinion, this dependence on looks to attract people originates with weakness in faith, because our pride in Islam is not strong enough to provide confidence we need to not worry about our appearance. We should have faith in Allah, and wear clothes that cover our body according to Sharia, and are comfortable. If a person befriends you despite your simple clothing, that is the friend you need in life, and no the one who respect you for your appearance. Personally, I try to dress simple to see who ignores me and who responds to me, which turns out to be the best tool to filter insincere folks.
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah was a great companion, but he saw the different behavior from non-muslims towards a person appearance, and he wanted to avoid that perception , but Umar knew that it is not the appearance that will shake the world, but it is the message of Islam. Now, Abu Ubaidah was a leading companion, but Umar's belief strength was stronger than his, and so he corrected him. In the absence of unshaken believe in Allah, many insecurities comes into our lives. If one is an Imam from Indo-Pak region, he will have to look like a typical Imam otherwise it will be a heresy. If one is an Imam from USA, he will have to look like a moderate Muslim. No! that is not the way. Yes, if that person is more comfortable in that appearance then that is fine. There is nothing wrong with any cultural clothing, except when the intention is to impress someone. Our intention should only to impress Allah, and impress other humans with our message of Islam.
Many a times people walked in the Masjid-An-Nabwi, and ask who among you is the messenger of Allah, because they couldn't tell him a part. Now, how many Imams can be recognized in the crowd of 300, because of their attire. Our pride should not be in how many ahadith we can recite in a conversation, or how bright our clothes are, or how long our beard is, or how many people we know, rather we should take pride in our strength of belief in Allah. Do we believe from depth of our heart that Allah exist? Would we jump in the fire, if that was our test of belief? Would we sacrifice our most beloved thing if asked by Allah? Would we stand up for the truth, even if it means risking our social network?
I testify that I believe in Allah. I know that Allah exists. I know that Allah listen to us, every single time. I know that we get respect because of Allah and not because we don't offend the rich and powerful person of our community. I know that we all sin, but Allah forgives if he wills. I know that Allah is in control of every single movement of every single particle of this creation, so fear from his creation only weakens our faith. I know that our every thought and every action should be weighed against pleasure of Allah.
I swear to Allah that if we belief in Allah's help, there is no impossible task, and uniting the Ummah, building a masjid, convincing ignorant people to change, convincing sleeping scholars to wake up, agitating vanilla Muslims to think about Islam, ....
Just answer this, if you are invited by President Obama to honor you, because you represent Islam? What would you dress for that occasion? Would you think like Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah, or Umar?
So, fear not my brothers and sisters, and live your life according to Islam, and don't change yourself to fit into a group, or to suppress criticism to save your position in the community, because when you lie in front of us in a box, only the deeds done for sake of Allah will be accepted. No one can harm you unless it is the will of Allah. Ask Allah, when you need him with no doubts in your heart, and a tear in your eye, and I promise that he will respond.
JazakAllah Khairin
Waiting for a simple Imam
Abu Arman Jumani
All praise is due to Allah, Al-Mu'izz, The Bestower of honor.
In 637 CE Jerusalem offered a truce, provided that the Khalifa come himself from Madina to sign the treaty. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) set out for Jerusalem with a slave and a camel. The slave and he would take turns riding the camel and they also gave the camel time off from carrying either passenger. When they approached Jerusalem, Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was walking and had to cross through muddy ground, as a result of which his feet and clothes got mud on them. When Umar (radi Allahu anhu) entered Jerusalem, he was holding the rope of his camel leading it and his clothes were patched and muddy.
Abu Ubaidah (radi Allahu anhu), the commander in chief of the Muslim army and himself a very pious man, suggested that he change his clothes so that the people of Jerusalem, accustomed to the pomp and grandeur of kings and emperors, were not dissuaded from handing the keys of Jerusalem over to him. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) hit him hard on the chest and reminded him that they had been a disgraced nation. What had brought them honour and elevated them was Islam; should they seek honour from anything else, they would surely be humiliated again. “The only way for success is the way of the Holy Prophet” he said.
One of the factors of our decline is our believe that we have to appeal to people through our looks, and we should wear clothes according to occasion. Some wear clothes especially for going to Masjid, and wear different clothes for other activities. Some Imam feel that they have to be in a certain dress to claim the authority from the community, so if a lay person walks in the masjid, she can recognize who is the Imam among the people. Some tone down their clothes when they meet non-muslims, so it is not offensive to them. Some public speakers maintain a certain attire to show their authority. Many a times people ask me, when did you start wearing taub (long arab garment), I said I don't remember. They ask again, when did you became a practicing Muslim. Then, it hit me that if a person trying to practice Islam, he should start wearing certain clothes, or if one start wearing certain clothes, he has joined a certain group. I wear taub, because it is easy to put on and comfortable to wear, and for no other reason. Of course, use wisdom to decide if something is too extreme, but that too for sake of Allah.
In my humble opinion, this dependence on looks to attract people originates with weakness in faith, because our pride in Islam is not strong enough to provide confidence we need to not worry about our appearance. We should have faith in Allah, and wear clothes that cover our body according to Sharia, and are comfortable. If a person befriends you despite your simple clothing, that is the friend you need in life, and no the one who respect you for your appearance. Personally, I try to dress simple to see who ignores me and who responds to me, which turns out to be the best tool to filter insincere folks.
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah was a great companion, but he saw the different behavior from non-muslims towards a person appearance, and he wanted to avoid that perception , but Umar knew that it is not the appearance that will shake the world, but it is the message of Islam. Now, Abu Ubaidah was a leading companion, but Umar's belief strength was stronger than his, and so he corrected him. In the absence of unshaken believe in Allah, many insecurities comes into our lives. If one is an Imam from Indo-Pak region, he will have to look like a typical Imam otherwise it will be a heresy. If one is an Imam from USA, he will have to look like a moderate Muslim. No! that is not the way. Yes, if that person is more comfortable in that appearance then that is fine. There is nothing wrong with any cultural clothing, except when the intention is to impress someone. Our intention should only to impress Allah, and impress other humans with our message of Islam.
Many a times people walked in the Masjid-An-Nabwi, and ask who among you is the messenger of Allah, because they couldn't tell him a part. Now, how many Imams can be recognized in the crowd of 300, because of their attire. Our pride should not be in how many ahadith we can recite in a conversation, or how bright our clothes are, or how long our beard is, or how many people we know, rather we should take pride in our strength of belief in Allah. Do we believe from depth of our heart that Allah exist? Would we jump in the fire, if that was our test of belief? Would we sacrifice our most beloved thing if asked by Allah? Would we stand up for the truth, even if it means risking our social network?
I testify that I believe in Allah. I know that Allah exists. I know that Allah listen to us, every single time. I know that we get respect because of Allah and not because we don't offend the rich and powerful person of our community. I know that we all sin, but Allah forgives if he wills. I know that Allah is in control of every single movement of every single particle of this creation, so fear from his creation only weakens our faith. I know that our every thought and every action should be weighed against pleasure of Allah.
I swear to Allah that if we belief in Allah's help, there is no impossible task, and uniting the Ummah, building a masjid, convincing ignorant people to change, convincing sleeping scholars to wake up, agitating vanilla Muslims to think about Islam, ....
Just answer this, if you are invited by President Obama to honor you, because you represent Islam? What would you dress for that occasion? Would you think like Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah, or Umar?
So, fear not my brothers and sisters, and live your life according to Islam, and don't change yourself to fit into a group, or to suppress criticism to save your position in the community, because when you lie in front of us in a box, only the deeds done for sake of Allah will be accepted. No one can harm you unless it is the will of Allah. Ask Allah, when you need him with no doubts in your heart, and a tear in your eye, and I promise that he will respond.
JazakAllah Khairin
Waiting for a simple Imam
Abu Arman Jumani
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