27 May, 2012

Belief (part 4): Proof of Allah (continued)

No Seerah, or Fiqh for the Study Circle this day as we all talked about the Existence of Allah, and what 'Belief' really means. Trying to clear up some of the questions from the previous week(s). Some of the main points that we covered, and re-covered included:

Limited nature of the Universe
When we look around us at everything we can sense one factor is shared by these things, and that is that they are all limited. By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite. Man is born and he dies. There is no-one alive who will not die. During his life span, he will grow to a certain height, weight and volume. The universe (cosmos) is defined as all the celestial planets. All these objects have certain mass, shape, volume and so on. The life span of a star may be very long, but a point in time will come when it will cease to exist.
The universe is large, but still a finite space. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no bounds. In fact when we say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not expand! There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how hard we try, man is unable to find anything unlimited around him. All he can perceive is the finite and limited. A further attribute of everything around us is that they are all needy and dependent in order to continue existing. They are not self-sustaining or independent.
Thus what we see is that everything around us is limited and finite. Everything that is limited and finite is dependant and everything that is dependant is dependant upon something greater than itself.
Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a conclusion. If everything in the universe is dependant because it has not the power of being in existence on its own accord, and is also finite and limited, then what is everything dependant upon for its existence? Hence, two possibilities exist:
•    That is either all finite and limited objects depend upon each other in an infinite chain of inter dependencies (infinite regression). Or,
•    There is a first cause a sole Creator upon which everything depends.
To explain this further we can understand this by way of analogy. Consider a set of dominoes for example, for the final domino to fall it is dependent upon the domino before it, and for that domino to fall over it is dependent upon the domino before it. Now imagine if there was an infinite number of dominoes…… would any of the dominoes fall over? The answer is no, none of the dominoes would fall over. Now to view any aspect of the universe we would see that something is already in existence in essence the last domino has fallen over. Thus meaning that finite things are not dependent upon each other in an infinite chain. Therefore, there needs to be a first cause or a sole Creator upon which everything depends and itself being independent.
Now, we have noted that everything that is finite and limited is also dependant, hence, for something to be independent it would need to be infinite and unlimited. This is whom we Muslims call Allah the sole Creator, self subsistent, and completely unique and different from creation.
The only rational and intellectual solution to the question of creation is that there is a Creator that has accounted for all that we see and perceive. Ration tells us that nothing can be created without a creator. Ultimately, there must be a Creator who is unlimited in every aspect. Hence, we cannot ask if Allah can build a wall over which he cannot jump, or make a stone that he cannot lift or make a square-circle – as these would be putting limits onto Allah and confining Him to our limited understanding of the universe and its laws. Allah is beyond this and not subject to these laws as He created them. So the questions do not make sense.
Belief in Allah is not a superstition nor a mythology, but is a definite fact that is established upon the use of the mind and is felt within every person. Hence, looking at any planet in the universe, contemplating on any phase of life, or comprehending any aspect of man provides a conclusive evidence for the existence of a Creator. "Verily in the Creation of the heavens and the Earth and the alternation of the night and the day the are indeed signs for a people who depth and thinking" Quran [TMQ 3:190] We cannot try to limit Allah with our limited understanding of the Universe

Who Created Allah?
When we ponder on the limited things all around us, we see that it is not azali (eternal - limitless), otherwise it would not have been limited! Therefore, it must be created by something else, which is the Creator of all things (that include man, life and the whole universe/cosmos). This “Creator”, is either:
i.    created by someone else,
ii.    creator of himself, or
iii.    azali (eternal - limitless) whose existence is indispensable (wajib ul-wujood).
It is absolutely false that he is created by someone else (as in option i), because he would then be limited. Also, he would not be the creator and would have been created. Who created him would be like the question of the dominoes we already talked about. This who-created-who (like chicken & egg) could not go on for infinity and must have a start point. Hence, we can exclude this option that Allah was created by someone else.
It is also false that he is the creator of himself (as option ii) and could not be rationally considered as the Creator. As for being self-created, the ramification of which would be he is created by himself and creating himself at the same time (simultaneously). This is simply absurd. He cannot be both existing and not-existing at the same time (simultaneously) in order to create himself! Hence, we can exclude this option that Allah created himself. Hence, the creator must be azali (eternal - limitless) whose existence is indispensable (option iii – nothing else fits rationally). He is Allah.

To 'Know' as a command on every soul
The Islamic Belief (Aqeeda) and subsequently the Islamic way of life has an intellectual basis – based on thinking and the mind. Therefore, Islam is neither a religion nor a set of values and rituals that arise from Blind Faith. Rather, Islam is an intellectual belief from which emanates a comprehensive system of life, be it for individuals or society.

Firm Conviction in belief in Allah and hope / leap of faith in Allah
Muslims should have a belief in Allah that is beyond superstition and ‘leap of faith’. Allah talks about this type of belief in the Qur’an: "Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay they have no firm belief." [TMQ 52:35-36]
Anyone who has a mind (the mental faculty) can comprehend from things that can be sensed that they have a creator. This is because what is noticed in all of them is that they are imperfect, weak and dependent, so they are definitely created. Therefore, it is sufficient to draw one's attention to anything in the universe, life and humankind to conclude from that the existence of the Creator and Organiser. Hence, looking at any celestial body of the universe, contemplating upon any facet of life, or comprehending any aspect of man, indicates definitely of the existence of Allah. Therefore, we see that the Qur’an draws attention to these things and orders humans to ponder upon them, their surroundings, and what is related to them, and to conclude from his pondering the existence of Allah. Thus man looks at things how they are in need of other things, so he definitely concludes from this the existence of Allah, the Creator. There are hundreds of Qur’anic ayat expressing this meaning:
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of night and day, these are indeed signs for men of understanding." [Aali-Imran: 190]
"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Behold! herein indeed are signs for men of knowledge." [Ar-Rum: 22]
"Will they not look at the camels, how they are created! And the heaven, how it is raised! And the mountains, how they are set up! And the earth, how it is spread!" [Al-Ghashiya: 17-20]
"So let man reflect, from what he is created. He is created from a gushing fluid, that is issued from between the loins and ribs." [At-Tariq: 5-7]
"Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth are signs (of Allah's sovereignty) for people who have sense." [Al-Baqarah: 164]
In addition, there are so many ayat that call upon man to ponder deeply upon things and their surroundings and that which is related to them, thereby concluding from that the existence of the Creator, the Organiser. Thus belief in Allah is firmly established through reason and clear evidence.
Hence, there should be no element of ‘leap of faith’ or ‘blind faith’ like the people at the time of Ibrahim or the Quraish at the time of the Prophet. As Muslims, we should think and come to a rational conclusion in the existence of Allah and this should be done by everyone who can think!

Nature of Proof: Rational Proof and the limitations of Logic / Scientific Method
Scientific (empirical) evidence is one type of evidence, but not the only type. Other types include the likes of logic, reports and conceptual analysis. Logical approaches are based on sound premises and a valid structure to argument (like mathematics). For example, the statements that all men are mortal combined with the observation that Abdul is a man rationally means that necessarily Abdul is mortal. Our acceptance of the concept that human beings are the product of a mother and father, allows us to establish, on analysis of this concept and its rational extension, that Aisha had a great-great-grandfather. None of these conclusions are scientific, for they do not involve the application of the scientific method (observation, experimentation and deduction). Yet all of them are rational.
We discussed evidence and Proof and why rational thinking is superior to scientific thinking – as we can not always measure things so it does not mean things do not exist. Humans made inferences and deduce things from what we see and weigh things up. Not everything is testable!

Value of Actions
We very briefly talked about what is considered ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and where these concepts come from. But we mainly chatted about praying (or doing any good action or deed) with or witho  ut belief. Hence, a Muslim who believes in Allah and does good deeds requested by Him will get huge reward (i/A) but another person without belief in Allah may do the exact same action / deed but get no reward as they lack belief. So, all actions should be related to and stem from the belief. This is what Allah will be looking for first after we die – WHAT DID WE BELIEVE IN!!
Therefore, we are spending so much time talking about our belief and why this should be firm and unshakeable. When we do get tested by Allah, some people who do not have firm belief may have greater doubts about life & Allah if their belief is based upon a hereditary system (from their parents). It doesn’t necessarily mean their actions will be less rewarded by Allah but having a firm foundation for belief (upon which the five pillars of actions are built) could mean the actions are done with greater conviction.

Design Theory
We then explored the second strand of evidence (proof) of the existence of Allah (Creator). This is based on the theory of Divine Knowledge or Divine Design behind existence.

The story of Abu Hanifah and the boat
Imam Abu Hanifa (a great scholar of Islam) was known for his intelligence and so there came to him a group of atheists asking him to prove the Existence of Allah. Imam Abu Hanifa said, "Let me think," then he remarked, "I am thinking about a loaded ship that was tied to a port. The cargo unloaded itself without porters and the ship sailed away without a captain from port to port.” (Upon hearing this,) the atheists declared, "How can you say something like this! This is impossible. We cannot believe in it.” Imam Abu Hanifa replied, "If you do not believe in this then how do you believe in the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky and the earth – how can you believe that all these came into existence without an Originator?" Allah points out this intellectual proof in His Saying, "Were they created by nothing or were they themselves the creators?" [TMQ 52: 35]

The knock on the door
When we hear a knock on a door there are so many things we can learn from that, which include:
•    The wooden door makes a sound when it is knocked
•    Someone is likely knocking
•    Someone is likely knocking for a reason
•    Sound from the door travels
•    We can’t see the person knocking but believe they are there
•    Hard objects are good at knocking and making sound
•    The knocking attracts our attention
•    People usually respond to the knock
…And many more things
But the essence for this discussion is that the knocking gives us an indication that someone is making the sound. By contemplating on the Universe, our existence and mortality we can reasonably assume that we have been created by Allah. Not such a huge jump.

The pile of stones on the beach
Likewise, we talked about walking along the beach and finding a neat pile of stones stacked upon each other. Reason would tell us that this is unlikely to occur purely by chance but that someone constructed it in that fashion. Who is this Constructor or Designer – Muslims would call Him Allah. This is a rational conclusion not a far-fetched obscure unlikely theory…like what the atheists have.

Footprints and the sky and mountains
A further simple example was a story of a Bedouin who was asked, "How do you know your Lord?" The Bedouin could only reply with (the example of) that which was before him, so he said, "Droppings tell of a camel. Foot-prints tell of a traveller. The sky, the earth with mountain passes, seas with waves -do they not tell of the All-Hearer, the All-Seer?"

Homework:
- What did Khalid bin Walid do that caused the Prophet* to disown his actions
- Where is Allah and What was there before Allah

20 May 2012

Conquest of Mecca (3); Linguistic Meaning (4) and Limited Creation (3)

Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

Umm Hani gives limited protection
Two persons took refuge in the house of Umm Hani, the sister of Ali. Ali, fully armed, besieged her house. On coming face to face with an unidentified officer, she introduced herself immediately and said: "In the capacity of a Muslim woman, I have given asylum to two persons and the asylum provided by a Muslim woman is respected like that provided by a Muslim man". At this moment, in order to make himself known to her, Ali pulled off his helmet from his head. The sister saw the brother whom the vicissitudes of time had separated from her for so many years. Her eyes were immediately filled with tears and she put her arms round Ali's neck. Thereafter both of them went before the Prophet* and he too approved the asylum provided by Umm Hani. Umm Hani noted that she saw the Prophet* praying 8 rakah (separated every 2 rakah) during the time Dhoha and some scholars say this was the prayer of victory and others conclude this is just the Dhoha prayer.

Bilal Pronounces Adhan and Returning the keys to the Kaaba
The time for noon prayers arrived. Bilal, the official mu'azzin of Islam, went on the roof of the Ka'bah and announced, with loud voice, the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad, making it reach the ears of those present in the general gathering. The obstinate idolaters were saying all sorts of things. One of them said: "Such and such person was lucky, because he died earlier and didn't hear adhan". It is mentioned that the Prophet* intended Bilal to make the Adhan to demonstrate the new system of Islam and to irritate / agitate the Quraish.
The Prophet* offered the noon prayers. Ali had asked that the honour of the keys to the Kaaba now be kept with the family of the Prophet*, but the Prophet* called Uthman bin Talhah and, returning the key of the Kaaba to him, said: "This position belongs to you and will remain safe in your family!" And nothing else could me expected from the Prophet* of Islam - the Prophet*, who takes orders from Allah and conveys the people: Allah commands you to return the things entrusted to you to the rightful owners. (Surah al-Nisa, 4:58) he should certainly precede others in returning such a big trust. He does not trample upon the rights of the people means of military strength. Hence he announces in open terms: "Custodianship of the key of the Kaaba is the admitted right of the son of Talhah and nobody shares this right with him." 

The Prophet*'s Speech to the People of Mecca
The Prophet* made clear that the old ways were gone and the new era of Islam cancelled all the old traditions. The rules of the game had changed and now Islam was in charge. He condemned every discrimination and laid stress upon the necessity of justice and equality between all classes, and said: "O Children of Hashim and Muttalib! I have been sent to you by Allah as His Messenger and the ties of love and kindness between you and myself are also unbreakable. You shouldn't, however, think that only relationship with me will ensure your salvation on the Day of Judgement. All of you should understand that my friend from amongst you and others is he who is pious and virtuous, and my connection with those, who come before Allah with a heavy burden of sins is cut off. I shan't be able to do anything for you on the Day of Judgement. (On that day) I and you will be responsible for our respective actions".
The Prophet* himself was an inhabitant of the same environments and knew fully well the ailments of the Arab society and their remedy. He knew the reason for the decline of the people of Mecca. Hence, he decided to look into the social ailments of the Arab society and to remedy them fully. The question of self-glorification on account of one's family, household or tribe was one of the deep-rooted ailments of the Arab society and the greatest pride for a person was that he should belong to a branch of a well-known tribe like Quraish. The Prophet* condemned this imaginary basis of superiority. He said, "O people! Allah has abolished from amongst you, under the tenets of Islam, the bases of pride of the Age of Ignorance and self-glorification on account of lineage. All are the descendants of Prophet* Adam and Adam was created with clay. The best person amongst you is he who refrains from sin and disobedience". In order to make the people understand that the criterion of superiority is only piety, he, in one of his sermons, divided all human beings into two groups, and declared only pious persons to be entitled to honour and superiority. By means of this division and classification, he nullified all imaginary standards of rank and position and said: "Before Allah, people consist of only two groups; one of those groups is that of the pious people, who are honourable before Allah, and the second group is that of the transgressors and the sinners, who are abject and humble before Him".

Superiority On Account Of Being An Arab
The Prophet* knew that the Arabs considered being of Arabian descent to be a great honour for themselves; they were proud of being of Arabian lineage. This spirit was like a contagious disease in them. To remedy this ailment and to do away with the conception of this superiority he turned to the people and said: "O people! Being an Arab is not the criterion of your personality or a part of your being, but only a mode of expression. The genealogical pride is not of any use to a person who does not carry out his duties properly, and it does not make amends for deficiency in his performances". "All persons have been equal in the past and are also equal at present like the teeth of a comb and an Arab does not enjoy any superiority over a non-Arab, nor is a red-coloured person superior to a black one. The criterion of superiority is piety".
The Hundred Years' Wars And Old Grudges
Owing to internal wars and continued bloodshed the people of Arabia had become a revengeful nation and they were constantly at war with one another. He then asked the people to ignore the entire bloodshed which had taken place during the Period of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), and to treat all such dossiers as sealed. In this manner he prevented bloodshed which disturbed peace and order, and made the people forget transgression, plundering and murder, which could result in claims of blood-money or in confrontation. To achieve this end he declared: "I reject all claims relating to life and property and all imaginary honours of the past, and declare them to be baseless".
Islamic Brotherhood
A part of what the Prophet* said on that day related to the unity of the Muslims and the rights which a Muslim has on his brother Muslim. His aim in mentioning these advantages was that by maintaining such ties of friendship and unity, as well by honouring the rights enjoyed by the Muslims over one another, the non-Muslims might be inclined towards Islam and might join the ranks of the Muslims: "A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim and all the Muslims are brothers of one another and constitute one hand as against the non-Muslims. The blood of every one of them is equal to that of others and even the smallest among them can make a promise on behalf of others''.

Forgiving Safwan bin Umayyah
Safwan was the son of Umayyah, who had been killed in the Battle of Badr. Besides his other crimes and felonies he had hanged a Muslim in Mecca in broad daylight, to take revenge for the treatment meted out to his father. Fearing punishment, he decided to leave the Hijaz by sea. 'Umayr bin Wahab (who was once sent to assassinate the Prophet*) requested the Prophet* to forgive Safwan. The Prophet* accepted his recommendation and, as a token of protection given to Safwan, gave 'Umayr the turban which he was wearing at the time of his arrival in Mecca. 'Umayr went to Jeddah with that turban and brought Safwan to Mecca. When the Prophet*'s eyes fell on the greatest criminal of the time, he said to him with great magnanimity: "Your life and property are guaranteed. However, it will be better if you embrace Islam". He requested for two months time to think over the matter. The Prophet* said: "I am prepared to give you four months time instead of two months, so that you may choose this religion with thorough understanding". The period of four months had not yet passed when he embraced Islam.

Main Topic: Fiqh 4
(Linguistic and Shariah Meanings)
In previous study circles we have briefly mentioned that words can have more than 1 meaning. We have talked about Linguistic Meanings and Shariah/Islamic Meanings of words. To explain further:

• A linguistic meaning is the original meaning of the word in Arabic or where the word was derived from, and how this was originally used before Islam.
• A Shariah/Islamic Meaning is the new meaning to the word or phrase that is given to it by Islam (the Qur’an, the Prophet* or the scholars). Hence, when the word is commonly used now it is due to the new Islamic meaning of the word as this is the one related to reward and punishment from Allah.

Using some examples already mentioned: Linguistically, Fiqh implies having knowledge in depth. As a legal (Shariah/Islamic) term, Fiqh has two meanings: Having the knowledge of the rulings of Shariah (Islamic Law) which are extracted from the legislative sources; or all the Islamic laws. This definition is synonymous to the term Shariah.
The linguistic meaning of the word Shariah is a non-exhaustive source of water with which people satisfy their thirst. The term Shariah can also mean all the Islamic laws (ie., all the laws derived from the legislative sources of Islam), and so is also interchangeable with Fiqh.
Linguistically abrogation means cancelling (Izaalah) or changing the thing and transforming it from one state to another while it still exists in essence. Its Shariah meaning is the address (Khitaab) of the legislator (Allah) which prevents the continuation of a Hukm Shar’i (laws) of a previous address (Khitaab).
This is like Salah (prayer), whose linguistic meaning is du'a (suplication), and Islam gave it a new meaning (transferring it from the linguistic meaning to the divine/Shariah meaning) which then dominated its use. Thus, the Arabs used it a divine/Shariah meaning other than its linguistic meaning, and the linguistic meaning was abandoned while the divine/Shariah meaning dominated.
The word Sunnah originally means ‘path’ along which one travels. However, Muslims now use it to refer to either the example of the Prophet* or a recommended action from the Prophet*.
Another common term whose meaning has changed is that if Jihad. The linguistic meaning is that of ‘struggling or striving’, whereas the Shariah gave is a meaning related to fighting for Islam (in various manners). It is only the latter term that carries specific rewards in Islam according to the knowledgeable scholars.

Aqeeda: How strongly do we believe in Allah? Myth or reality?
We started off the study circle by talking about Superheroes, like Captain America, Batman, Superman, Spiderman; or the recent TV series Heroes; even touching upon mythical gods of previous cultures (Hindus & Greeks). There is often a need for limited humans like us to project power onto other beings – and super-powers to other super-beings. This reflects our own limitations – something we will come back to later. We recapped how Muslims should have a belief in Allah that is beyond superstition and ‘leap of faith’. Allah talks about this type of belief in the Qur’an: "Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay they have no firm belief." [TMQ 52:35-36]
 
Logical, Scientific & Rational thought
Scientific (empirical) evidence is one type of evidence, but not the only type. Other types include the likes of logic, reports and conceptual analysis. Logical approaches are based on sound premises and a valid structure to argument (like mathematics). For example, the statements that all men are mortal combined with the observation that Abdul is a man rationally means that necessarily Abdul is mortal. Our acceptance of the concept that human beings are the product of a mother and father, allows us to establish, on analysis of this concept and its rational extension, that Aisha had a great great grandfather. None of these conclusions are scientific, for they do not involve the application of the scientific method. Yet all of them are rational.

Arguments about the nature of matter, universe and Allah: The limited nature of existence
When we look around us at everything we can sense one factor is shared by these things, and that is that they are all limited. By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite. Man is born and he dies. There is no-one alive who will not die. During his life span, he will grow to a certain height, weight and volume. The universe is defined as all the celestial planets. All these objects have certain mass, shape, volume and so on. The life span of a star may be very long, but a point in time will come when it will cease to exist. The universe is large, but still a finite space. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no bounds. In fact when we say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not expand! There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how hard we try, man is unable to find anything unlimited around him. All he can perceive is the finite and limited.
A further attribute of everything around us is that they are all needy and dependent in order to continue existing. They are not self-sustaining or independent. Man has needs he has to satisfy in order to survive. He has organic needs - must eat and drink if he is to survive, and if he does not he will die. We see the need and dependency in plants and animals. They depend on other parts of the food chain for their existence. The water cycle is dependent on the sun, which is dependent on the laws of the galaxies and of burning mass, and so on... Nothing man can perceive is self-subsistent. So things exist, but do not have the power of existence. They cannot control when they die or when other bodies die.
Thus what we see is that everything around us is limited and finite. Everything that is limited and finite is dependant and everything that is dependant is dependant upon something greater than itself.
Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a conclusion. If everything in the universe is dependant because it has not the power of being in existence on its own accord, and is also finite and limited, then what is everything dependant upon for its existence? Hence, two possibilities exist:

• That is either all finite and limited objects depend upon each other in an infinite chain of inter dependencies (infinite regression). Or,
• There is a first cause a sole Creator upon which everything depends.

To explain this further we can understand this by way of analogy. Consider a set of dominoes for example, for the final domino to fall it is dependant upon the domino before it, and for that domino to fall over it is dependant upon the domino before it. Now imagine if there was an infinite number of dominoes…… would any of the dominoes fall over? The answer is no, none of the dominoes would fall over. Now to view any aspect of the universe we would see that something is already in existence in essence the last domino has fallen over. Thus meaning that finite things are not dependant upon each other in an infinite chain. Therefore, there needs to be a first cause or a sole Creator upon which everything depends and itself being independent. Now, we have noted that everything that is finite and limited is also dependant, hence, for something to be independent it would need to be infinite and unlimited. This is whom we Muslims call Allah the sole Creator, self subsistent, and completely unique and different from creation. Allah says "Declare, Allah is one and only, Allah is self sufficient (needy of nothing but upon which everything depends), Neither Allah begets nor was he begotten, And there is nothing equal to or comparable unto Allah" [TMQ 112]

Science cannot prove the existence of God. Not because it requires ‘faith’ but because of the limitations of the scientific method itself. As for rational evidence for the existence of God, that has been furnished, debated, refined and presented centuries ago. The Kalam Cosmological argument for example – was developed by Muslim scholars as early as the 11th century CE. The argument is profound yet simple: the material world we sense around us comprises of things (temporal phenomena) that depend for their existence on other things (temporal phenomena) and so forth. Such a series cannot continue to infinity, for if it did no one thing  would satisfy its dependence and nothing would exist. The fact that things do exist necessarily implies a finite series and, in turn, the existence of a being who determined both the existence of this series and the specific attributes or properties that define it. By rational extension, this being must be eternal and without beginning, otherwise it is temporal and forms part of the series. It must also be sentient for a timeless cause producing a temporal effect requires an independent will. Finally, effecting so grand a creation as the universe and all that it contains necessitates knowledge and power. Thus, by use of reason alone – no reference to scripture, ‘leaps of faith’ or assumptions – we deduce the existence of an eternal, necessary and transcendent being attributed with knowledge, power and sentience, otherwise known in the English language as ‘God’.
The idea and question of ‘God’ has serious implications because the answer obtained becomes the very basis by which we understand the creation and purpose of man, life round us and the whole existence of the universe. Therefore, the method used should not only be the rational thought but the comprehensive and agree with reality. Anything hypothetical or emotional should be rejected since their basis disagrees with ration and reality.
The Islamic Belief and subsequently the Islamic way of life has an intellectual basis. Therefore, Islam is neither a religion nor a set of values and rituals that arise from Blind Faith. Rather, Islam is an intellectual belief from which emanates a comprehensive system of life, be it for individuals or society. To understand the unique system that Islam offers necessitates the explanation of the Islamic belief i.e. the belief in God, Allah in Arabic, and the Word of God, the Qur’an.

We cannot try to limit Allah with our limited understanding of the Universe
The only rational and intellectual solution to the question of creation is that there is a Creator that has accounted for all that we see and perceive. Ration tells us that nothing can be created without a creator. Ultimately, there must be a Creator who is unlimited in every aspect. Hence, we cannot ask if Allah can build a wall over which he cannot jump, or make a stone that he cannot lift or make a square-circle – as these would be putting limits onto Allah and confining Him to our limited understanding of the universe and its laws. Allah is beyond this and not subject to these laws as He created them. So the questions do not make sense.
Belief in Allah is not a superstition nor a mythology, but is a definite fact that is established upon the use of the mind and is felt within every person. Hence, looking at any planet in the universe, contemplating on any phase of life, or comprehending any aspect of man provides a conclusive evidence for the existence of a Creator. "Verily in the Creation of the heavens and the Earth and the alternation of the night and the day the are indeed signs for a people who depth and thinking" [TMQ 3:190]

Children's Feedback:

The King and the Poor Person

Homework~

What did Khalid bin Walid do that caused the Prophet* to disown his actions

Where did Allah come from - Who created Allah?

07 August 2011

07 August 2011

Seerah of Muhammed*

*: May the Peace, Blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him

TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

Marriage to Umm Salamah

Umm Salama, whose real name was Hind, was the daughter of Umayya b. Mughira from Bani Makhzum tribe. Her husband Abd Allah b. Abd al-Asad, migrated to Abyssinia when he was subjected to the oppression and torment by mushriks (idolaters) because of his acceptance of Islam. He returned to Makkah upon the rumor that a lot of people from Quraish became Muslims; however, when he learned that the rumor was wrong, this time he migrated to Madinah undergoing a lot of difficult times. Hazrat Umm Salama was with her husband in both of the migrations to Abyssinia.

Umm Salama was widowed with her four children when her husband died in the forth year of the Hijrah as a result of his injuries in the Battle of Uhud.  Umm Salama told her husband just before his death, As I heard, if a woman deserving heaven, whose husband deserving heaven died, does not marry to someone else later, Allah certainly will bring her with her husband together in the heaven. In the same way, if a man deserving heaven, whose wife deserving heaven died, does not marry to someone else later, Allah certainly will bring him with his wife together in the heaven. Then she made the following offer to her husband: Then, let us promise to each other. Neither you will get married after me, nor shall I get married after you! However, Abu Salama did not accept that offer and he said: You listen to what I tell you, get married after my death. Then, he made the following prayer: O my Allah! Grant Umm Salama a husband, who is better than me, who will not look down on her and who will not hurt her after me!

When she finished the prescribed period of waiting Umm Salama, had rejected  the marriage offers of Abu Bakr and Umar previously. Later on, Our Prophet* made an offer of marriage to Umm Salama in order to take her and her orphan children under his protection. Umm Salama required being excused of that and said. I am both an old and a jealous woman. I also have children and I have none of my elders with me as a witness.

Our Prophet (pbuh) went to Umm Salama, who had given him that answer, and repeated his marriage offer himself. Then he said:  You say that you are an old woman. It is not a shame for an old woman to marry an older man than her. You said that you were the mother of the orphan children. Know that their livelihoods belong to Allah and His messenger. You say that you are a jealous woman. I will also pray Allah to eliminate it from you. You say that there are none of your elders beside you. There are none among them whether they are present here or not that will not consent to me.

The Prophet* give her as a gift for marriage what he had given Zaynab -  a cushion of leather stuffed with fibre, a millstone, a water-skin and two jars

Umm Salama, who was 44 years old when she got married to the Prophet*, died in the 59th year of the Hijrah at the age of 84. Abu Hurayra leaded her salatul-janaza (the funeral prayer) and she was buried in the Baqee Graveyard.  Umm Salama, who could read but not write, was among the ones who knew the Fiqh (Islamic Laws) well. The number of the hadiths she had related from Allahs Most Noble Messenger is 378.

Alcohol banned

 “O ye who believe! Intoxicants and Gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an Abomination – of Satan’s handiwork; eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.” [Al-Qur’an 5:90] When this was revealed the Muslim citizens of Medina immediately began to destroy and empty their alcohol containers into the street.  Even those who were guiltlessly enjoying cups of wine spat the alcohol from their mouths.  It is said that the streets of Medina ran with alcohol.

Dhatur-Riqa

Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ (rags) campaign took place in Najd ( a large area of tableland in the Arabian Peninsula) in Rabi‘ Ath-Thani or Jumada Al-Ula, 4 A.H. They substantiate their claim by saying that it was strategically necessary to carry out this campaign in order to quell the rebellious bedouins in order to meet the exigencies of the agreed upon encounter with the polytheists, i.e. minor Badr Battle in Sha‘ban, 4 A.H.

The rules relating to the prayer of fear which the Prophet* observed at Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ campaign were revealed.

The Invasion of Doumat Al-Jandal

The Prophet* was reported that some tribes, in the vicinity of Doumat Al-Jandal, on the borders of Syria, were involved in highway robbery and plundering, and were on their way to muster troops and raid Madinah itself. He immediately appointed Siba‘ bin ‘Arfatah Al- Ghifari to dispose the affairs of Madinah during his absence, and set out at the head of 1000 Muslims in late Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, 5 A.H. taking with him a man, named Madhkur, from Bani ‘Udhrah, as a guide.

On their way to Doumat Al- Jandal, they used to march by night and hide by day, so that they might take the enemy by surprise. When they drew near their destination, the Muslims discovered that the highway men had moved to another place, so they captured their cattle and shepherds. The inhabitants of Doumat Al-Jandal had also fled in all directions for their lives and evacuated their habitations. The Prophet* stayed there for 5 days during which he despatched expeditionary forces to hunt for the enemy personnel but they detected none. He then returned to Madinah but en route he entered into a peace treaty with ‘Uyainah bin Hisn. Doumat Al-Jandal is located at about a distance of fifteen days march from Madinah and five from Damascus. With this decisive and steady progress and wise strict plans, the Prophet* managed to spread security, control the situation and make peace prevail the whole area. He also succeeded in shifting the course of events for the welfare of the Muslims by reducing the incessant internal and external troubles. The hypocrites were silenced, a tribe of the Jews evacuated while the other continued to fake good neighbourliness and seemingly faithful adherence to the covenants, the desert bedouins subdued and finally the archenemy Quraish no longer keen on attacking the Muslims. This secure strategic attitude created optimum circumstances for the Muslims to resume their logical course in propagating Islam and communicating the Messages of the Lord to all worlds.

Conversation between the Prophet* and Jabir

Jabir also recounted how on the way back to Medina most of the troops went on ahead, while the Prophet and a few others were riding in the rear. But Jabir's camel was old and weak, and could not keep up with the main force, so that it was not long before the Prophet overtook him and asked him why he was so far behind. "O Messenger of God," he said, "this camel of mine can go no faster." "Make him kneel," said the Prophet, making his own camel kneel also. Then he said: "Give me that stick," which I did, and  he took it and gave him one or two prods with it. Then he told me to mount, and we went on our way, and, by Him who sent the Messenger with the truth, my camel outstripped his.

"On the way I conversed with the Messenger of God, and he said to me: "Wilt thou sell me this camel of thine?" I said: "I will give him to thee." "Nay," he said, "but sell him to me." jabir knew from the tone of the Prophet's voice that he was expected to bargain. "I asked him," said jabir, "to name me a price and he said: 'I will take him for a dirhem.' 'Not so,' I said, 'for then wouldst thou be giving me too little.' 'For two dirhems,' he said. 'Nay,' said I, and he went on raising his price until he reached forty dirhems, that is, an ounce of gold, to which I agreed. Then he said: 'Art thou yet married, jabir?' And when I said that I was, he said: 'An already married woman or a virgin?' 'One already married,' I said 'Why not a girl,' he said, 'that thou mightst play with her and she with thee?' '0 Messenger of God,' I said, 'my father was struck down on the day of Uhud and left me with his seven daughters, so I married a motherly woman who would gather them round her and comb their hair and look after their wants.' He agreed that I had made a good choice; and then he said that when we reached Sirar, which was only about three miles from Medina, he would sacrifice camels and spend the day there, and she would have news of our home-coming and would set about shaking the dust from her cushions. 'We have no cushions,' I said. 'They will come,' he said. 'So when thou returnest, do what is to be done.'

"The morning after we returned, I took my camel and knelt him outside the Prophet's door. The Prophet came out and told me to leave the camel and pray two prayer cycles in the Mosque, which I did. Then he bade Bilal weigh me out an ounce of gold, and he gave me a little more than what tipped the scales. I took it and turned to go, but the Prophet called me back. 'Take thy camel,' he said, 'he is thine, and keep the price thou wast paid for him.' "

Hadith: Nawawi’s 40 Hadith

Hadith no 30

It was narrated on the authority of Abi Tha'labah Al-Khushani Jurthum bin Nashir, that the Messenger of Allah* said: "Verily Allah the Almighty has prescribed the obligatory deeds, so do not neglect them; He has set certain limits, so do not go beyond them; He has forbidden certain things, so do not indulge in them; and He has said nothing about certain things, as an act of mercy to you, not out of forgetfulness, so do not go enquiring into these."  [Related by Al-Daraqutni]

What has been mentioned in this hadith has been used by all jurists or fuqaha' as a way of categorizing rulings of shari'ah. It is from this hadith that the rules of the five well-known categorizations are derived: The obligatory (wajib), preferable (mandoub), forbidden (muharam), hateful (makrouh), and the permissible (mubah). Not only is the meaning acceptable, this hadith is also used for categorizing rulings of shari'ah (ahkam).

The term Hukm Sharii, in Arabic, means the address of the Legislator related to our actions. Islam addresses all of our actions, whether they are permitted or not. Accordingly, all of our actions have to be guided by the Hukm Sharii.Many Muslims are too quick to conclude that something is either Haram (prohibited) or Fard (compulsory) after a quick reading of an Ayah or a Hadith. Not all commands in the legislative sources are Fard or Haram. the rules which are used to differentiate the types of Hukm Sharii are again related to Usul al Fiqh.There are 5 different categories of Hukm Shariah.They are:

1.Fard or Wajib (obligatory)

2.Mandoub (reccommended)

3. Permitted Actions (Mubah)

4. Makrooh (Disliked)

5. Haram (prohibited)

Also, not to ask too many questions - especially unnecessary ones. Refer to the story of the cow  and Banu Israel in Surah al-Baqara

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