Tuesday 30 March 2004
Making Du`a for the Umma of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings unlimited be upon him, his family, companions, and followers)
General , News , Islam | No Comments
Making Du`a for the Umma of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings unlimited be upon him, his family, companions, and followers)
Ma`ruf al-Karkhi, one of the righteous imams of the early Muslims (salaf), said,
"Whoever says,
‘Allahumma aslih Ummata Muhammad
Allahumma farrij `an Ummati Muhammad
Allahumma Rham Ummata Muhammad
[salla Allahu `alayhi wa sallam]
(O Allah, improve the state of the Umma of Muhammad
O Allah, grant ease to the Umma of Muhammad
O Allah, have mercy on the Umma of Muhammad),’
ten times every day will be written down as one of the highest of elect believers (abdal)." [Abu Nu`aym, Hilyat al-Awliya , 8.366]
اللهم أصلح أمة محمد اللهم فرج عن أمة محمد أللهم ارحم أمة محمد
Why? The Prophet of Mercy (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Skies will have mercy on you." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Bukhari in his al-Adab al-Mufrad from Abd Allah ibn Amr (Allah be pleased with him)]
Kipling’s Books - Online at: Penn State’s Electronic Classics Series
Just So Stories… Kim… Childhood revisited…
www.DeenPort.com has some excellent songs in its downloads section, as well as lectures by luminaries such as Shaykh Muhammad al-Ya’qoubi and others.
Bryan Garner’s Tips on Writing Well — Legal Writing in Plain English, Exercises
These excellent tips on writing well in English, by Bryan Garner, author of The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, and other top works.
BBC NEWS | Turkey| Housework sermon sparks imam boycott
Women’s rights sometimes leads to wrong responses.
Imam Tirmidhi’s classic work on the person, character, and ways of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and followers), with commentary from Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi, author of the 15-volume Awjaz al-Masalik (a commentary on Imam Malik’s Muwatta’).
Anthem for Doomed Youth
==================
by Wilfred Owen
[For a recording: Anthem for Doomed Youth, read by Michael Maloney]
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
-Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Other readings of Wilfred Owen’s poems:
Dulce et decorum est
Exposure
For Owen’s poems:
Poems by Wilfred Owen
One of Roald Dahl’s best poems. We are all children, deep down.
By qiyas, idle internet surfing is not far from television–takes our time, distracts one from learning and spiritual concerns…
Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | Palestine is now part of an arc of Muslim resistance: “Palestine is now part of an arc of Muslim resistance”
Matthew Arnold:
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Shaykh Nuh on What We Believe About Shias - from DeenPort
www.DeenPort.com provides this file, along with the related journalistic misrepresentation and response in their News section.
The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and followers) said,
“Wealth is not having many possessions. Rather, wealth is wealth of spirit.”
[Reported by Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him)
There are daily recorded lessons, Clear Paths to the Gardens of the Righteous, in which selected hadiths from Imam Nawawi’s Riyad al-Salihin (Gardens of the Righteous) are explained, using Imam Ibn `Allan al-Bakri’s commentary and other classical works.
The Well-Educated Mind By Susan Wise Bauer…. a review
“Bauer devotes much of her new book to telling us what to read and, even better (in a knockout opening), how to read. But the subtext of her enterprise involves why—not why one should read, but why there should be such a hunger for guidance about it, especially the “great books.” There is more to it than the wiseacre charge that folks need crib notes for cocktail parties.” (from Review)
Uri Avnery: The Assassination of Sheikh Yassin is Worse Than a Crime
“The assassination of Shiekh Admed Yassin is worse than a crime, it is an act of stupidity!”
Al-Jazeera (English) has some good coverage:
Al-Jazeera English Home Page
WordWeb Pro: English Dictionary, thesaurus, and word finder.
A very quick and useful writing tool is WordWeb (www.wordweb.info). It is a free download (though there is a fuller professional version).
To load its dictionary and synonym finder, simply type CTRL-ALT-W. I have the full Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam Webster’s Unlimited Dictionary on my computer. (Yes, me nerd.) But this program is very useful as the first stop…
They Love Us/They Love Us Not — Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies
They are studying us deeply. Before we run around in blind activist folly, we should study what is happening carefully.
A believer sees with insight, and acts with circumspection.
The early Muslims used to say, “A believer is intelligent and circumspect.” These words were even attributed to the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be be upon him, his family, companions, and followers), though this is not established. [Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa’]
::: Panoramic Istanbul Photos ::: Yilmaz Tufan :::
Very beautiful photos of Istanbul, the great seat of the Ottoman Khilafa, and a manifestation of the majesty, splendor, and nobility of Islam. (Forwarded by Sidi Hani Nimr)
Qasida Burda done Indian Style with Hadra-like Chorus - Altaf Brothers
A beautiful rendition.
The Altaf Brothers have some very nice songs. See:
I can’t vouch for other song content on that site.
Stunningly beautiful Islamic crafts: prayer beads, natural perfumes, jewelry…
I love Uns’ products… So much so, that last year they gave me a gift and certificate as their “Customer of the Year.”
You won’t find more beautiful prayer beads or perfumes…
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari: Importance of Learning Sacred Knowledge
An important talk by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, one of the scholars who answer questions on Sunni Path, on this important topic.
Shariah and Sufi tariqah —Atif Khan - Daily Times (Pakistan)
Shaykh Nuh Keller visited Lahore last month, for a series of sessions on Sufism and the way of Sufism. A reporter for the Daily Times attended, and responded rather negatively. Sidi Atif Khan wrote this response.
Explains how Mawlana Rumi was an orthodox Muslim, and shows the emptiness of the claims of him being,
“… a maverick, an individualist, unafraid to be a “free spirit,” a wild
mystic who is crazed with passion, an inspired poet who is
spontaneous and sensual, and a universal mystic who ignores the
Muslim authorities and their “uptight” religious laws.”
The author of this article tells us that,
“In an authentic quatrain composed by Rumi, he tells us:
I am the servant of the Qur’an as long as I have life.
I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one.
If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings,
I am quit of him and outraged by these words.
…
[–Rumi’s Quatrain No. 1173, translated by Ibrahim Gamard and
Ravan Farhadi in ‘The Quatrains of Rumi,’ an unpublished
manuscript]
[Here, the Persian word ‘bezar’ translated as ‘quit of’ and
‘outraged’ also means disgusted, fed-up, repelled, estranged. The
meaning is that no one should interpret Rumi’s speech and poetry
as having meanings that do not conform to the revelation and
practice of Islam.] “
Economist.com | The next American empire
George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld have pledged to change the way America’s armed forces are distributed around the globe. What do they have in mind?
The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had”
A very useful book, by the co-author of the best-selling “The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home”
“The Well-Educated Mind will show you:
how to allocate time to reading on a regular basis
how to master a difficult argument
how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read
how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre — what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary? — and also between genres
Followed carefully, the advice in The Well-Educated Mind will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.”
LRB | John Upton : In the Streets of Londonistan: “In the Streets of Londonistan”
From the London Review of Books…
Many of you probably know about www.RefDesk.com, but for those who don’t: this is one of the best places on the Net for information, news, reference works, and much more.
This is a beautiful rendition of Habib Umar’s beautiful Mawlid in praise of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), “al-Diya’ al-Lami`.”
And Allah alone gives success.
Ma`arif al-Qur’an –Books: Quran & Tafsir - Al-Rashad Islamic Books
One of the best Qur’anic tafasir written in the 20th Century is Mufti Muhammad Shafi` Usmani’s Ma`arif al-Qur’an, in Urdu. It has been ably translated into English.
It is an extensive, deep, and rich, yet accessible work that those serious about understanding Allah’s Book of Guidance should not be without.
See:
al-Rashad Books, Qur’an and Tafsir
Thought-provoking, as usual.
Be close, but transact as strangers
Allah Most High says in the Qur’an
“And obey Allah and His messenger, and dispute not one with another lest you
falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allah is with the
steadfast.” [Qur’an, 8.46]
The scholars tell us that the most damaging money-related disputes occur between close family and close friends. The reason for this is because close relationships, trust, and understanding often lead to undefined and unclear dealings.
The problem with this is that when something happens that leads to differing interests, then these unclear dealings lead to disputes that break family relationships and destroy friendships.
An example would be a student going to college: her father says, “Take our downtown flat.” Then, two years down the line, the father and daughter disagree about some major life matters. The father tells her she can no longer stay in the downtown flat. The daughter refuses, saying, “You gave it to me. It is mine.” The father says, “No, I just let you stay in it.” This aggravates their disagreement, and leads to a long and harmful break in relations…
Similarly, when the father dies, families often break up over ownership and inheritance issues: the wife claims that her husband gave her the main house, while the three children (struggling to get established in life and in need of funds) argue that the house always belonged to the father (thus entering in the inheritance). They fight…
The solution
The solution, the scholars tell us, is: Be close, but transact as strangers.
Deal with family and friends with love, trust, and understanding, but make sure your transactions are clearly defined and properly recorded when significant. This is, in fact, the Qur’anic recommendation in transactions, and clear from the radiant example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
If this is done, countless disputes are avoided, and the love, trust, and understanding that meaningful relationships and strong communities are built on is ensured.
Abu Hurayra relates that the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and followers) said,
“Do not envy one another, do not bid against on another, bidding in order to raise the price, do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another, and none of you should sell against the sale of another. Be slaves of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim: he should not wrong him nor scorn him nor disappoint him. Godfearing is here,” and he pointed to his breast three times. “It is enough evil for man to scorn his Muslim brother. The blood, property and honour of a Muslim is unlawful to another Muslim.” [Muslim, from Ustadha Ayesha Bewley’s translation of Riyad al-Salihin]
And Allah alone gives success.
Guardian Unlimited Books | Special Reports | Dickens to Dahl: the classic reads
A very useful list for parents, teachers, and others: books for children…
Wired 12.02: The New Face of the Silicon Age
How India became the capital of the computing revolution…
Werry Intresting.
The Madrid Train Blasts
Assalamu alaikum,
If recent indictations are true that the Madrid train blasts may be the work of terrorists who are Muslim, then this is yet another indictment of the blind insanity of Wahhabi doctrine. The dangers of such intolerant doctrines, and their innate explosiveness is something Sunni scholars have been warning against for a long time.
It is another reminder of the virtue of balance and the middle path, that realizes that good can only be sought by the good.
How far this inhumanity is from the example of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said,
“I was only sent as a gift of mercy.” [Bazzar and Tabarani; al-Haythami declared the chain of transmission of Bazzar to be rigorously authentic (sahih) in Majma` al-Zawa’id (8.257)]
Imam Abd al-Ra’uf al-Munawi explained in his Fayd al-Qadir (2.218) that this mercy is general to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
This was affirmed by Allah Most High, when He addressed His Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying,
“We have only sent you as a mercy to all creation.” [Qur’an, 21.107]
The centrality of mercy in Islam was explained beautifully by Shaykh Umar Faruq Abdullah in:
The article starts:
“The explicit link between the Arabic words Islam, literally “entering
into peace,” and salam, “peace” or “perfect peace,”
has been frequently highlighted of late. It is mainly because
of this etymological connection that many Muslims and others advance
the claim that Islam is a religion of peace, just as Christianity is
customarily called a religion of love. Certainly, in terms of their creed
and the historical record, Muslims are no less justifi ed in equating
Islam with peace than Christians are in identifying their faith with
love. From a theological perspective, however, it would be more
precise to describe Islam as the religion of mercy. Islamic revelation
designates the Prophet Mu^ammad as “the prophet of mercy,”
and Islam’s scriptural sources stress that mercy—above other divine
attributions—is God’s hallmark in creation and constitutes his primary
relation to the world from its inception through eternity, in
this world and the next. Islam enjoins its followers to be merciful to
themselves, to others, and the whole of creation, teaching a karmalike
law of universal reciprocity by which God shows mercy to the
merciful and withholds it from those who hold it back from others.”
And Allah alone gives success
From Sidi Mas’ud Khan’s Site : “Being a Real Man in Islam:
Drugs, Criminality and The Problem of Masculinity
by Yahya Birt”
A well-argued article on a prevalent problem.
The Madrid Train Attacks
The recent explosions in Madrid were a shock: I grew up in Madrid, only a few kilometers north of Atocha Station, where the explosions occurred.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Wrongdoing becomes many-fold darknesses on the Day of Judgement.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
The Book of Allah is filled with stern warnings against wrongdoing, and the terrible fate of those of deliberately oppress others.
In this is a comfort for us: whether or not the criminals are caught in this life, Allah will give them what they deserve in the next. If they but knew…
For BBC’s coverage of the Madrid train attacks:
Madrid Train Attacks
DeenPort interviews Sidi Aftab Malik
There is an interview with Sidi Aftab Malik (author, activist, and owner of Amal Press) in the Interview section of DeenPort.
To see a printer-friendly version:
The Sidi Aftab Malik Interview, in printer friendly format
Interview with Sidi Azhar Usman - Religion and Satire : “Spiritually Incorrect - Religion and Satire”
The transcript of a long and interesting interview with Sidi Azhar Usman. (From Radio National, Australia)
Sidi Azhar Usman, Muslim comedian and activist, interviewed by Sr. Hana Baba of IBN
Sidi Azhar Usman is hilarious… this is an insightful interview, from the Hana Show at the Islamic Broadcasting Network: The Hana Show at IBN
Sidi Azhar’s site: Azhar Usman, comedian — “He’s on stage, killing.”
Ann Coulter Says Muslims ‘Smell Bad’; CAIR: Media Should Reject Commentator’s Bigotry
I guess we should be using better perfume… 
Marriage…
“IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” [Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, opening sentence]
See: Pride and Prejudice, hypertext
There are numerous editions out there, but one can rarely go wrong with a Norton Critical Edition: Norton Critical Editions
This is a number of nasheeds in praise of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give peace).
The soul yearns for beautiful spiritual songs, as part of its deep yearning for that most spiritual of moments, when its Lord addressed all souls before physical creation, “Am I not your Lord?”
This is the New York Times review of Simon Winchester’s The Meaning of Everything - The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary, which I finished reading recently.
It is a wonderful read. The Toronto Star review starts:
“You will be forgiven for thinking that a book titled The Meaning Of Everything is another one of those metaphysical quick-fixes that dribble away faster than an ice-cream cone on a scorching beach. Thankfully, it’s not. It’s the history of the world’s uber-dictionary, the Oxford English dictionary, as told by Simon Winchester with a verve which once again proves he’s the master of turning unlikely subjects into matters of vital concern with wit, charm and grace.”
And it ends:
“Words are glorious things, each with a life of its own. Winchester waxes positively rapturous over the richness of the English language, and that’s the real joy of The Meaning Of Everything. You really don’t have to be a nerd to care.”
[Hans Werner, Toronto Star, Oh, glorious words ]
Imam Ghazali - A few good books online:
Book of Knowledge: http://umcc.ais.org/~maftab/ip/pdf/bktxt/knowledge.pdf
Book of Prayer: http://umcc.ais.org/~maftab/ip/pdf/bktxt/worship.pdf
Qur’anic recitation: http://umcc.ais.org/~maftab/ip/pdf/bktxt/rec-qur.pdf
Marriage: http://muslimphilosophy.com/gz/works/marriage.htm
The Prophet’s Character: http://www.hozien.com/pdf/Bk-XX.rtf
Repentance: http://umcc.ais.org/~maftab/ip/pdf/bktxt/gz-repent.pdf
Note that the Muslim Philosophy site on Imam Ghazali contains some good material, but also a lot of material that is unreliable, untrue, or harmful.
Dar-al-Masnavi — An Excellent Mawlana Rumi resource
This is one of the best sites on the Internet for reasonably reliable material on Mawlana Rumi (Allah be pleased with him).
Moral Responsibility and Divine Will
Someone was asked about issues related to human responsibility: if Allah created everything, who can I be responsible for anything? The answer above, from several months back, deals with this. Don’t miss the link to the Shaykh Buti article on a similar issue.
How to deal with free-mixing on campus and within MSAs
This is a short recorded answer to a question asked by a Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) president in North America…
And Allah alone gives success.