03 October 2010

03 October 2010

No Study Circle due to a recent bereavement

26 September 2010

26 September 2010

Seerah of Muhammed*

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

Review of some of the early expeditions / skirmishes

The Prophet *engaged in numerous expeditions and battles, and also sent out his companions on numerous expeditions and battles. The Prophet himself led 19 campaigns (Ghazwat) and sent out 55 expeditions led by his companions (Siraiya).
The following is a resume of these missions and errands:
1. Saif Al-Bahr Platoon sent in Ramadan 1 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. led by Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib and comprising 30 Emigrants with a definite task of intercepting a caravan belonging to Quraish. It was a caravan of 300 people including Abu Jahl bin Hisham. The two parties encountered each other and aligned in preparation for fighting. Majdi bin ‘Amr, on good terms with both sides, happened to be there and managed to prevent an imminent clash.
On that occasion, the Prophet [pbuh] accredited the first flag in the history of Muslims. It was white in colour and was entrusted to Kinaz bin Husain Al-Ghanawi, to carry.
2. In Shawwal, 1 A.H., i.e. April 623 A.D. The Messenger of Allâh* despatched ‘Ubaidah bin Al- Harith bin Al-Muttalib at the head of 60 horsemen of Emigrants to a spot called Batn Rabegh where they encountered Abu Sufyan at the head of a caravan of 200 men. There was arrow shooting but no actual fighting.
It is interesting to note that two Muslims, Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr Al-Bahrani and ‘Utbah bin Ghazwan Al-Mazini, defected from the caravan of Quraish and joined the ranks of ‘Ubaidah. The Muslims had a white flag carried by Mistah bin Athatha bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf.
3. In Dhul Qa‘dah 1 A.H., i.e. May 623 A.D. the Prophet [pbuh] dispatched Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas at the head of 20 horsemen, and instructed them not to go beyond Al- Kharrar. After a  five-day march they reached the spot to discover that the camels of Quraish had left the day before; their flag, as usual, was white and carried by Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr.
4. Ghazwa Al-Abwa’ or Waddan. It was in Safar 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] set out himself at the head of 70 men, mostly Emigrants, to intercept a camel caravan belonging to Quraish, leaving behind Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah to dispose the affairs in Madinah. When he reached Waddan, a place between Makkah and Madinah, he found none.
In the process of this campaign, he contracted a non-aggression pact with ‘Amr bin Makhshi Ad-Damari. The provisions of the pact go as follows: "This is a document from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh concerning Bani Damrah in which he established them safe and secure in their wealth and lives. They can expect support from the Muslims unless they oppose the religion of Allâh. They are also expected to respond positively in case the Prophet sought their help."
This was the first invasion under the leadership of the Messenger of Allâh. It took fifteen days, with a white flag carried by Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib.
5. Buwat Invasion. It took place in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. The Prophet [pbuh], at the head of 200 companions, marched for Buwat to intercept a caravan belonging to Quraish comprising 100 Quraishites, Omaiya bin Khalaf among them, and 2500 camels. When he reached Buwat, the caravan had left. Before leaving Madinah, he mandated Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh to dispose the affairs until his return.
6. Safwan Invasion. In Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. Karz bin Jabir at the head of a small group of polytheists raided the pastures of Madinah and looted some animals. The Prophet [pbuh] at the head of 70 men left Madinah to fight the aggressors. He went in their pursuit till he reached a place called Safwan near Badr but could not catch up with them. This invasion came to be known as the preliminary Badr Invasion. During his absence, the Prophet [pbuh] entrusted Zaid bin Harithah with the disposition of the affairs in Madinah. The standard was white in colour and entrusted to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib to carry.
7. Dhil ‘Ushairah Invasion. It was in Jumada- al-Ula and Jumada- al-Akhirah the first or second 2 A.H., i.e. November-December 623 A.D. The Prophet [pbuh] at the head of 150-200 Muslim volunteers, with 30 camels which they rode turn by turn, set out to intercept a Quraishite caravan. He reached Dhil ‘Ushairah but the camels had left some days before. These camels were the same that he went out to intercept on their return from Syria, and were the direct reason for the break out of the battle of Badr. In the process of this campaign, the Prophet [pbuh] contracted a non-aggression pact with Bani Madlij and their allies Bani Dhumrah. Abu Salama bin ‘Abd Al-Asad Al-Makhzumi was mandated to rule Madinah in his absence.

Hadith

Nawawi's 40 Hadith ~ No. 5 (Innovation)

On the authority of the Mother of the Faithful, Umm `Abdillaah `Aaishah (radi Allahu 'anhaa) , who said: The Messenger of Allah* said: “He who innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e. Islam] that is not of it will have it rejected [by Allah]”. [Bukhari & Muslim]
In one version by Muslim it reads: He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected [by Allah].

News Topic:

More people becoming Muslim in America over the last decade

Homework:

Lessons from the expedition of Abdullah bin Jahsh

Nawawi's 40 Hadith No. 6 (Halal & Haram are Clear)

Update soon I/A

19 September 2010

19 September 2010

Seerah of Muhammed*

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


Synopsis of the Prophet's* Seerah to date


Updated soon I/A

29 November 2009

Seerah of Muhammed*

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

Prophet Visits at-Taif....
Updated soon (I/A)


Hadith (Riyadh as-Salihin): Steadfastness

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The strong man is not the one who throws people in wrestling. The strong man is the one who has control of himself when he is angry." [Bukhari, Muslim]

Sulayman ibn Surad said, "One day I was sitting with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while two men were quarreling. The face of one of them turned red and his veins stood out. The Messenger of Allah said, 'I know a word which, if you say it, will remove what you feel.' (Or he said '"I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan' will remove from him what he feels.') They told him that the Prophet and two men were were quarreling said, 'Seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan.'" [Bukhari, Muslim]

Mu'adh ibn Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone restrains his anger when he is able to give vent to it, Allah ­ glory be to Him and may He will exalted!­ will summon him at the head of creatures on the Day of Rising so that he can chose whichever of the wide-eyed houris he wishes." [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

Abu Hurayra reported that a man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Give me counsel." He said, "Do not get angry." He repeated his request several times and he said, "Do not get angry." [Bukhari]


Lessons from Hajj

"For Hajj are the months well known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein let there be no obscenity or wickedness nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good you do Allah knows it. And take a provision for the journey but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me. O Men of understanding." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:197]

Abu Huraira narrated that Allah's Messenger was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Messenger." The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." The questioner again asked, "What is the next?" He replied, "To perform Hajj 'Mubrur." [Bukhari]

Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said, "Whoever performs Hajj for Allah's pleasure and does not have sexual relations with his wife, and does not do evil or sins then he will return as if he were born anew." [Bukhari]

Some of the lessons that can we learn from the Hajj:

1) Unity
If we look to Islam we see that many of the Shariah rules demonstrate the concept of unity of the Ummah, Hajj is one of them. It is a time where the believers gather in unison to worship their Lord reciting the Talbiya which the Messenger recited.

Abdullah bin 'Umar narrated that the Talbiya of Allah's Messenger was : 'Labbaika Allahumma labbaik, Labbaika la sharika Laka labbaik, Inna-l-hamda wan-ni'mata Laka walmulk, La sharika Laka'. "I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call All the praises and blessings are for You, All the sovereignty is for You, And You have no partners with you." [Bukhari]

Indeed one of the astonishing things about the Hajj even for the non-Muslims is that people from all colours, the black and white; people from all races - from Europe, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Africa; people from all ages - the young and the old are united in the worship to Allah and are all equal before Him. Hajj symbolises the concept of 'Ummatun Wahida' 'One Ummah'. The Muslims from all parts of the world who speak different languages and have different looks upon their faces, all perform the various obligatory acts together like the Tawaf around the Ka'ba, the running between Safa and Marwa, the stoning of the Jamarat and the wearing of the Ihram. Indeed the concept of one united Ummah with no distinction, with no racism or nationalistic divisions is a fundamental concept in Islam. Allah says: "And hold fast all together by the rope which Allah and be not divided among yourselves." [TMQ Al-Imran 3:103]

Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet said, "A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other." The Prophet then clasped his hands with the fingers interlaced (while saying that). [Bukhari]

The letter that Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz otherwise known as Malcolm X wrote from Makkah after performing the Hajj expresses beautifully the brotherhood of Islam, he wrote:

• "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colours."
• "I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca, I have made my seven circuits around the Ka'ba, led by a young Mutawaf named Muhammad, I drank water from the well of the Zam Zam. I ran seven times back and forth between the hills of Mt. Al-Safa and Al Marwah. I have prayed in the ancient city of Mina, and I have prayed on Mt. Arafat."
• "There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colours, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white."
• "America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white - but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colours together, irrespective of their colour."
• "You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth."
• "During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana."
• "We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behaviour, and the white from their attitude."

[Extract from ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X']

The rules (Ahkam) of Islam promote unity and collectivism not nationalism and individualism. The rules of caring for your neighbours, visiting the sick, helping the believers and keeping relations with the relatives all demonstrate this. Nationalism is a concept alien to Islam because it calls for unity based on family and tribal ties, whereas Islam binds people together on the ‘aqeedah, that is, belief in Allah and His Messenger In other words, Islam calls for the bond of Islam/Deen binding us.

It was reported by Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi that the Prophet said: "Undoubtedly Allah has removed from you the pride and arrogance of the Age of Jahilliyah (Ignorance) and the glorifications of ancestors. Now people are only of two kinds: Either believers who are aware or transgressors who do wrong. You are all the children of Adam and, Adam was from clay. People should give up their pride in nations because that is a coal from the coals of hell-fire. If they do not give this up Allah will consider them lower than the lowly worm which pushes itself through dung."

It is narrated by Abu Dawud that the Messenger of Allah said, "He is not one of us who calls for ‘asabiyyah, (nationalism) or who fights for ‘asabiyyah or who dies for ‘asabiyyah."

It is transmitted by at-Tabarani and al-Hakim that in one incident some people spoke very lowly about Salman al-Farsi. They spoke of the inferiority of the Persian in relation to the Arabs, and upon hearing this the Messenger of Allah declared, "Salman belongs to ahl al-bayt (the Prophet's family)." This statement of the Messenger of Allah disassociates all links based on lineage and tribal considerations.

Some disagreement occurred between Abu Dharr and Bilal and Abu Dharr said to Bilal, "You son of a black woman." The Messenger of Allah was extremely upset by Abu Dharr's comment, so he rebuked him by saying, "That is too much, Abu Dharr. He who has a white mother has no advantage which makes him better than the son of a black mother." This rebuke had a profound effect on Abu Dharr, who then put his head on the ground swearing that he would not raise it until Bilal had put his foot over it.

2) Story of Ibrahim and his adherence to the Shariah

We should take a lesson from the well known story of Ibrahim (as) and his son Ismael (as). Allah informs of his story in the Quran, "O my Lord! grant me a righteous (son)! So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him he said: 'O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: now see what is thy view!' (The son) said: 'O my father! do as you are commanded: you will find me if Allah so wills one practicing Patience and Constancy! So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah) and He had laid Him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice) We called out to him 'O Ibrahim! You have already fulfilled the vision!' thus indeed do We reward those who do right." [TMQ As-Saffat: 100-105]

If one we ponder over the story of Ibrahim carefully we find that Allah ordered His believing slave, Ibrahim, to slaughter his beloved son! Both the father and the son fully submitted to the order of Allah without questioning it. Ibrahim didn't look for a reason for the command that Allah gave him, nor did Ismael knowing that he was going to be sacrificed. Rather they both willingly accepted the decision of Allah, because they realised that He was the creator and that their purpose was to worship Him. The lesson we can learn from this is to submit to the orders of Allah whether Allah has given us a reason for them or not.

3) Eid - a celebration from Islam

As Muslims we have a unique Deen and have our own celebrations, the two eids. We should not fall into celebrating non-Muslim festivals as this is haram such as Christmas, Divali, celebration of independence days, etc. Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger said, "He is not one of us who imitates other than us. Do not imitate the Jews and the Christians." [At- Tirmidhi]

Al-Baihaqi reported in his Sunan that Anas Bin Malik said: When the Prophet came to Medina, the people had two holidays from the days of Jahiliyyah. He said: "When I came to you, you had two days which you used to celebrate in Jahiliyyah. Allah has replaced them for you with better days, the days of slaughter (Adhaa) and the day of Fitr." Also Imam Ahmad in his Musnad reported that Uqbah bin Amir reported the Prophet to have said: "The day of Fitr and days of Tashriq are our holidays, the people of Islam."

Indeed, Eid al Adha is a time of celebration for over one billion people around the globe. Although we will perform the slaughter, pray the Eid Salah and play with the children on this day our hearts and our minds will not be at ease due to suffering felt by our brothers and sisters around the world.