Last lap!

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh (:

Bismillah..

First day of my last semester in University. Most people would be thrilled to be in my position but somehow I remain rather quite stoical, almost indifferent about being in this last lap. I had been feeling this way ever since I came back

Here’s the gist of why I’m feeling lousy- I was supposed to graduate last semester but as a result of many setbacks, I decided to drop a major entirely. Some of units were not completed thus explains why I’m doing another semester In addition to that, my closest friends had returned to their countries, leaving me all alone here  :,(

A close friend who isn’t Muslim (yet, insha Allah!) told me a few days ago that she ‘believes everything happens for a reason so don’t despair‘. I thought to myself that, even for  someone who has no faith in Allah holds on to this belief and yet here I was still regretting I didn’t try harder.  I’ve slogged all these years, all those blood and bucketful of tears are still fresh in my memory.. but I trust that He has better plans for me just like how coming to this country was unexpected (but great things happened for me al-hamdulillah).. Qadarallahu ma sha’a fa’al.

My only only only one wish is that the reason why I’m here is so that I can draw closer to Him. My eemaan is in dire need of repair so I hope this is the time to patch things up. Each time when I feel at the peak of my eemaan, a musibah would occur and eemaan plunges down in split seconds. Maybe the time is given to me to contemplate on my life, the Deen etc.. Allahu Alam

Nonetheless, here I am saying hello to lonely and anti-social days ahead

Those who desire Paradise

Assalam Alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh ya Muslimeen!

Subhan Allah, this has got to be one of my favourite lectures! Bro Bilal’s deliverance of this lecture was simply amazing. If you have not watched this yet, then perhaps you should insha Allah..

This lecture made me contemplate on myself. All these pious men and women sacrificed their wealth and even lives for Islam but what have I done to deserve Jannah? Have I sacrificed anything in His path? Have I done enough good deeds that will outweigh my sins? Is my ibadaah sufficient? Or is it tainted with riya’ and wrong intentions?

Just one point to bring up..I remember in one lecture that I attended, the Ustazah mentioned about a lady who claimed to be a ‘dweller of Paradise‘ as she had performed Hajj and Umrah several times. May Allah guide her and all of us. My point of bringing this up is that we CAN NEVER be certain whether we are granted Paradise even though we perform many good deeds.  We can only hope for His mercy that we are given a place there. In the lecture, Bro Bilal mentioned a Hadith about a lady who performs many good deeds but is foul to her neighbours thus Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam said that ‘she is from the Hellfire‘. This is in comparison with those who may be moderate in their ibadaah but are still granted Jannah. Let’s not be disillusioned by our Ibadaah when it is in fact nothing as compared to even the Salafs!

O Allah! I’m only an insanah dhaifah who constantly commit sins and yet yearns Your Jannah! My deeds will not guarantee me a place but it is by Your mercy that will determine me in Jannah.. Make us amongst those whom You are merciful to despite our weakness and wrongdoings. O Allah, guide us in this Dunya, rectify our affairs and make us firm on this Deen.

Updates..

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh 🙂

Afwan for disappearing and leaving this blog dormant lately.  Can’t say how surprised I was to receive comments from lovely sisters whilst I was away 🙂 Jazakillah khayr for the kind words and most importantly, putting a smile on my face 🙂 I had been feeling bouts of homesickness lately :/But  Been on the phone with mom and dad very often just to hear stories from back home..

Al-hamdulillah, I moved to a new place so there were lots of unpacking and cleaning to do. My room is the biggest as compared to the rest hehe yay! The toilet is just opposite the room, I get the fridge to myself and it is only a few steps away, a microwave, sofa and television all in my very own comfort zone! Doesn’t get any more anti-social than this! Btw, my rent is the cheapest too 😉

There was a bomb scare when I was in the city today. Police told us to evacuate from buildings immediately but people started to get excited instead. I keep hearing “This is the first time we experience something like this.. wow so fun!”

Fun!!?! It’s time like this I wish I was allowed to strangle people. We are talking about people possibly getting killed in the event it does occur.. My worst fear is that it’s usually the Muslim community who bears the brunt. Blame is immediately directed at Muslims whether there is valid evidence or not. There’s a saying, ‘Muslims are guilty until they are proven guilty’..

When I came here years ago,  there were a couple times where I had been harassed in public.. for being a Muslim of course. This is in fact, many years after 9/11 which leaves me wondering how long it would take before all these ceases.

Al-hamdulillah, honestly  I think the situation has improved now but it’s  just the occasional run-ins with Islamophobes. One of the few things I’m impressed with is the government’s efforts to protect our rights as a minority in the country. When a politician suggested to ban niqaab, many politicians stood up against him and argued that Aussie ’embraces diversity’ thus to impose this ban would suggest they are not open to differences. Also recently, when another politician tried to enforce stricter regulations for only Muslims to migrate into the country, again, other politicians were against it. So far, none of these had been implemented in the country. Once, we had a visit by the local police who are assigned to protect the Muslim community should we be faced with any assaults, harassments from the general public. We get a special hotline for that too 😛

I’m hoping this incident wouldn’t put the country at edge. Or worse, the community starts becoming suspicious of each other.

Ala Kulli hal… thought I share duas with all of you to be read before leaving the house.  May Allah protect us from any harm when we are outside the comforts of our home..

‘In the name of Allaah, I place my trust in Allaah, and there is no might nor power except with Allaah.’

‘O Allaah, I take refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.’

 

Ruling on celebrating Prophet’s birthday

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh ya Muslimeen!

Afwan for not updating this blog! Had a lot to deal with lately (mainly packing and moving stuff around) so was pressed for time. Ala kulli hal, I’m taking a break and decided to share this article with everyone insha Allah.

In my community, if you don’t celebrate Maulidur Rasul, you’re immediately labelled a ‘Muhammadiyah’. So I wonder what will they call me since I don’t celebrate Maulid + am  not a Muhammadiyah (I’m a MUSLIM!)? This day can be spent doing something meaningful for example having lectures that remind and teach us about Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi salam’s life, biography, struggles and sacrifices for Islam etc.. as compared to having Maulid event that has no basis in Islam (please read the history of how Maulid came about).

If we truly love our Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam like most of us claim, then it’s best we follow his teachings closely. Insha Allah, I hope everyone benefits from this long article (taken from FB)

=====================================================

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

Ruling on Celebrating Prophet’s Birthday, with Scholarly Refutation of the arguments brought by those who support it

———————————————————————————————

The commands mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah to follow the laws of Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’aala) and His Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and the prohibitions on introducing innovations into the religion are quite clear. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins.‘” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31]

“Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur’aan and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Awliyaa’ (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allaah), besides Him (Allaah). Little do you remember!” [al-A’raaf 7:3]

“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path.” [al-A’naam 6:153]

And the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “The most truthful of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the most evil of things are those which are newly-invented.” And he (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 2697; Muslim, no. 1718). According to a version narrated by Muslim,

“Whoever doe anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.”

Among the reprehensible innovations that people have invented is the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in the month of Rabee’ al-Awwal. They celebrate this occasion in various ways:

Some of them simply make it an occasion to gather and read the story of the Mawlid, then they present speeches and qaseedahs (odes) for this occasion. Some of them make food and sweets etc., and offer them to the people present. Some of them hold these celebrations in the mosques, and some of them hold them in their houses.

Some people do not limit themselves to the actions mentioned above; they include in these gatherings haraam and reprehensible things, such as free mixing of men and women, dancing and singing, or committing actions of shirk such as seeking the help of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), calling upon him, seeking his support against their enemies and so on.

Whatever form it takes and whatever the intentions of those who do this are, there is no doubt whatsoever that it is an invented, haraam innovation which was introduced by the Shi’a Faatimids after the three best centuries, in order to corrupt the religion of the Muslims. The first person to do this after them was the king al-Muzaffar Abu Sa’eed Kawkaboori, the king of Irbil, at the end of the sixth century or the beginning of the seventh century AH, as was mentioned by the historians such as Ibn Khalkaan and others. Abu Shaamah said: the first person to do that in Mosul was Shaykh ‘Umar ibn Muhammad al-Malaa, one of the well-known righteous people. Then the ruler of Irbil and others followed his example.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (13/137), in his biography of Abu Sa’eed Kazkaboori: “He used to observe the Mawlid in Rabee’ al-Awwal and hold a huge celebration on that occasion… some of those who were present at the feast of al-Muzaffar on some occasions of the Mawlid said that he used to offer in the feast five thousand grilled heads of sheep, ten thousand chickens and one hundred thousand large dishes, and thirty trays of sweets… he would let the Sufis sing from Zuhr until Fajr, and he himself would dance with them.”

Ibn Khalkaan said in Wafiyaat al-A’yaan (3/274): “When it is the first of Safar they decorate those domes with various kinds of fancy adornments, and in every dome there sits a group of singers and a group of puppeteers and players of musical instruments, and they do not leave any one of those domes without setting up a group (of performers) there.

The people give up work during this period, and they do no work except going around and watching the entertainment. When there are two days to go until the Mawlid, they bring out a large number of camels, cows and sheep, more than can be described, and they accompany them with all the drums, songs and musical instruments that they have, until they bring them to the square… On the night of the Mawlid there are performances of nasheed after Maghrib in the citadel.”

This is the origin of this celebration on the occasion of the Prophet’s birthday. More recently idle entertainment, extravagance, and wasting of money and time have become associated with an innovation for which Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’aala) has not sent down any authority.

Quote: What Muslims should do is revive the Sunnah and put an end to bid’ah (innovation); they should not do any action until they know the ruling of Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’aala) concerning it.

Reasons for the Forbiddance of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday

Celebrating the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is forbidden and is to be rejected for a number of reasons:

1 – It is not part of the Sunnah of the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) or of the khaleefahs who succeeded him. Since this is the case, then it is a forbidden innovation, because the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs after me; adhere to it and cling to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented things, for every newly-invented thing is an innovation (bid’ah) and every innovation is a going astray.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no. 2676).

Celebrating the Mawlid is an innovation introduced by the Shi’a Faatimids after the three best centuries in order to corrupt the religion of the Muslims. If a person does anything in order to draw closer to Allaah which was not done by the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) or enjoined by him, and was not done by the khaleefahs who succeeded him, this action implies that he is accusing the Messenger of not explaining the religion to the people, and that he disbelieves in the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3] because he is adding something extra and claiming that it is a part of the religion, but the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) did not bring this.

2 – Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is an imitation of the Christians, because they celebrate the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him). Imitating them is extremely haraam. The hadeeth tells us that it is forbidden to imitate the kuffaar, and we are commanded to differ from them. The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4/314). And he said, “Be different from the mushrikeen.” (narrated by Muslim, 1/222, no. 259) – especially with regard to things that are the symbols or rituals of their religion.

3 – Besides being bid’ah and an imitation of the Christians, both of which are haraam, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is also a means that leads to exaggeration and excess in venerating him, which even goes as far as calling upon him (making du’aa’ to him) and seeking his help, instead of calling upon Allaah, as happens now among many of those who observe the bid’ah of the Mawlid, when they call upon the Messenger instead of Allaah, and ask him for support, and sing qaseedahs (odes) of shirk praising him, like Qaseedat al-Burdah etc. The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) forbade going to extremes in praising him, as he said: “Do not extol as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam. For I am just His slave, so say, the slave of Allaah and His Messenger.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4/142, no. 3445; al-Fath, 6/551), i.e., do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the Messiah and venerated him until they worshipped him instead of Allaah. Allaah forbade them to do that when he said (interpretation of the meaning):

“O people of the Scripture (Christians) ! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, (“Be!” – and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him.” [an-Nisaa’ 4:171]

Our Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) forbade us to exaggerate concerning him lest the same thing happen to us as happened to them, so he said: “Beware of exaggeration, for those who came before you were destroyed because of exaggeration.” (narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 5/268; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, no. 2863).

4 – Observing the innovation of the Prophet’s birthday opens the door to other kinds of bid’ah and being distracted by them from the Sunnah. Hence you find that the innovators are very active when it comes to bid’ah and very lazy when it comes to the Sunnah; they hate it and regard those who follow it as enemies, until their entire religion is innovated anniversaries and Mawlids. They have split into various groups, each of which commemorates the anniversary of its imaam’s birth, such as the births of al-Badawi, Ibn ‘Arabi, al-Dasooqi and al-Shaadhili. No sooner do they end the celebration of one birthday but they start the celebration of another. This results in exaggeration concerning these dead people and others, and in calling upon them instead of Allaah, believing that they can bring benefit and cause harm, until they deviate from the religion of Allaah and go back to the religion of the people of the Jaahiliyyah of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they worship besides Allaah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allaah.‘” [Yoonus 10:18]

“And those who take Awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah.‘” [al-Zumar 39:3]

Refuting the specious arguments of those who celebrate the Mawlid

Those who think that this bid’ah should be continued produce specious arguments which are flimsier than a spider’s web. These specious arguments may be dealt with as follows:

[First Doubt] – Their claim that this is veneration of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam):

Quote: The response to that is that the way to venerate him is to obey him, do as he commanded and avoid that which he forbade, and to love him; he is not to be venerated through innovations, myths and sins. Celebrating his birthday is of this blameworthy type because it is a sin. The people who venerated the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) the most were the Sahaabah (radiallaahu ‘anhum), as ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ood said to Quraysh:

“O people, by Allaah I have visited kings. I went to Caesar, Chosroes and the Negus, but by Allaah I never saw a king whose companions venerated him as much as the companions of Muhammad venerated Muhammad (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). By Allaah, whenever he spat, it never fell on the ground, it fell into into the hand of one his companions, then they wiped their faces and skins with it. If he instructed them to do something, they would hasten to do as he commanded. When he did wudoo’, they would almost fight over his water. When he spoke, they would lower their voices in his presence; and they did not stare at him out of respect for him.” (al-Bukhaari, 3/178, no. 2731, 2732; al-Fath, 5/388).

Yet despite this level of veneration, they never took the day of his birth as an ‘Eid (festival). If that had been prescribed in Islam, they would not have neglected to do that.

[Second Doubt] – Using as evidence the fact that many people in many countries do this.

Quote: The response to that is that evidence consists of that which is proven from the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and what is proven from the Prophet is that innovations are forbidden in general, and this is an innovation. What people do, if it goes against the evidence (daleel), does not prove anything, even if many of them do it.

“And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allaah’s path.” [al-An’aam 6:116 – interpretation of the meaning]

quote: Nevertheless, in every age, praise be to Allaah, there have always been those who denounce this bid’ah and state clearly that it is false. Those who persist in following it after the truth had been explained to them have no proof.

Among those who denounced the celebration of this occasion was Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, in Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem; Imaam al-Shaatibi in al-‘I’tisaam; Ibn al-Haaj in al-Madkhil; Shaykh Taaj al-Deen ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar al-Lakhami who wrote an entire book denouncing it; Shaykh Muhammad Basheer al-Sahsawaani al-Hindi in his book Siyaanah al-Insaan; al-Sayyid Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa wrote a separate essay on this topic; Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem Aal al-Shaykh wrote a separate essay on it; Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz; and others who are still writing and denouncing this bid’ah every year in the pages of newspapers and magazines, at the time when this bid’ah is being done.

[Third Doubt] – They say that by celebrating the Mawlid they are keeping the memory of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) alive.

Quote: The answer to that is that the memory of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is constantly kept alive by the Muslim, such as when his name (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is mentioned in the adhaan and iqaamah and in khutbahs, and every time the Muslim recites the Shahaadatayn after doing wudoo’ and in the prayers, and every time he sends blessings upon the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in his prayers and when he is mentioned, and every time the Muslim does a waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended) action that was prescribed by the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). In all of these ways (the Muslim) remembers him and the reward equivalent to the reward of the one who does that action goes back to the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). Thus the Muslim constantly keeps the memory of the Messenger alive and has a connection with him night and day throughout his life through that which Allaah has prescribed, not only on the day of the Mawlid and things which are bid’ah and go against the Sunnah, for that puts one at a distance from the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and the Messenger will disown him because of that.

The Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has no need of this innovated celebration, because Allaah has already bestowed veneration and respect upon him, as He says: “and raised high your fame.” [al-Sharh 94:4]

For Allaah is not mentioned in the adhaan, iqaamah or khutbah, except that the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is mentioned after Him; this is sufficient veneration, love and renewal of his memory, and sufficient encouragement to follow him.

Allaah did not refer to the birth of the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in the Qur’aan, rather He referred to his Mission, and says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:124]

“He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves.” [al-Jumu’ah 64:2]

[Fourth Doubt] – They may say that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was introduced by a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allaah.

Quote: Our response to that is that bid’ah is not acceptable, no matter who does it. A good intention does not justify a bad deed and even if a person died as a knowledgeable and righteous person, this does not mean that he was infallible.

[Fifth Doubt] – They say that celebrating the mawlid comes under the heading of bid’ah hasanah (“good innovation”) because it is based on giving thanks to Allaah for the Prophet!

Quote: Our response to that is that there is nothing good in innovation. The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355). And he said, “Every innovation is a going astray.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi, no. 2676). The ruling on innovations is that they are all misguidance, but this specious argument suggests that not every bid’ah is a going astray, rather there are good innovations.

Al-Haafiz ibn Rajab said in Sharh al-Arba’een: “The words of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), ‘every innovation is a going astray‘ is a concise but comprehensive comment which includes everything; it is one of the most important principles of religion. It is like his words ‘Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.‘ (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3/167, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355). Whoever innovates anything and attributes it to Islam when it has no basis in the religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islam, whether that has to do with matters of belief (‘aqeedah) or outward and inward words and deeds.” (Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hakam, p. 233)

These people have no proof that there is any such thing as a “good innovation” apart from the words of ‘Umar (radiallaahu ‘anhu) concerning Taraaweeh prayers, “What a good innovation this is.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 2/252, no. 2010 mu’allaqan; al-Fath 4/294).

They also said that things were innovated which were not denounced by the salaf, such as compiling the Qur’aan into one volume and writing and compiling the hadeeth.

Quote: The response to that is that these matters had a basis in Islam, so they were not newly-invented.

‘Umar said: “What a good bid’ah” meaning innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar’i sense.

Whatever has a basis in Islam, if it is described as an innovation, is an innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar’i sense, because innovation in the shar’i sense means that which has no basis in Islam.

Compiling the Qur’aan into one book has a basis in Islam, because the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had commanded that the Qur’aan be written down, but it was scattered, so the Sahaabah compiled it in one volume so as so protect and preserve it.

The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) led his companions in praying Taraaweeh for a while, then he stopped doing that, lest that become obligatory on them. The Sahaabah (radiallaahu ‘anhum) continued to pray it separately during the life of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and after his death, until ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallaahu ‘anhu) gathered them behind one imaam as they used to pray behind the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). This was not an innovation introduced into the religion.

Writing down the hadeeth also has a basis in Islam. The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) ordered that some ahaadeeth should be written down for some of his companions when they asked him for that. In general terms writing it down during his lifetime was not allowed, for fear that the Qur’aan might be mixed with things that were not part of it. When the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) died, this fear was no longer a factor, because the Qur’aan had been completed and arranged in order before he died.

The Muslims compiled the Sunnah after that in order to preserve it and keep it from being lost. May Allaah reward them with good on behalf of Islam and the Muslims, because they preserved the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) from being lost or being tampered with.

We may also say to them: why was this act of thanksgiving, as they call it, not done by the best generations, the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and followers of the Taabi’een, who loved the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) most and who were most keen to do good and give thanks? Are those who introduced the innovation of the Mawlid more rightly-guided than them? Do they give more thanks to Allaah? Definitely not!

[Sixth Doubt] – They may say that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is indicative of their love for him; this is one way of showing that, and showing love of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is prescribed in Islam!

Quote: The answer to that is that undoubtedly loving the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is obligatory for every Muslim; he should love him more than he loves himself, his child, his father and all the people – may my father and mother be sacrificed for him – but that does not mean that we should introduce innovations for doing so that have not been prescribed for us. Loving him dictates that we should obey him and follow him, for that is one of the greatest manifestations of love, as it is said:

“If your love is sincere then obey him; for the lover obeys the one whom he loves.”

Loving the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) implies keeping his Sunnah alive, adhering firmly to it, and avoiding words and deeds that go against it. Undoubtedly everything that goes against his Sunnah is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) and a manifest act of disobedience. That includes celebrating his birthday and other kinds of bid’ah. A good intention does not mean that it is permissible to introduce innovations into the religion. Islam is based on two things, purity of intention and following [the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)]. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (a doer of good) then his reward is with his Lord (Allaah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” [al-Baqarah 2:112]

Submitting one’s face to Allaah means being sincere towards Allaah, and doing good means following the Messenger and implementing the Sunnah.

[Seventh Doubt] – Another of their specious arguments is when they say that by celebrating the Mawlid and reading the biography of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on this occasion, they are encouraging people to follow his example!

Quote: We say to them that reading the biography of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and following his example are required of the Muslim all the time, all year long and throughout his life. Singling out a specific day for that with no evidence for doing so is an innovation, and every innovation is a going astray.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/164; al-Tirmidhi, 2676). Bid’ah does not bear any fruit but evil and it leads to a person distancing himself from the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

In conclusion, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), whatever form it takes, is a reprehensible innovation. The Muslims should put a stop to this and other kinds of bid’ah, and occupy themselves with reviving and adhering to the Sunnah. They should not be deceived by those who promote and defend this bid’ah, for these types of people are more interested in keeping innovations alive than in reviving the Sunnah; they may not even care about the Sunnah at all. Whoever is like this, it is not permissible to imitate him or follow his example, even if the majority of people are like this. Rather we should follow the example of those who follow the path of the Sunnah, among the righteous salaf and their followers, even if they are few. Truth is not measured by the men who speak it, rather men are measured by the truth.

The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever among you lives (for a long time) will see many differences. I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs who come after me. Hold on to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every innovation is a going astray.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no. 2676). So the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) explained to us in this hadeeth what we should do when there are differences of opinion, just as he explained that everything that goes against his Sunnah, be it words or deeds, is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going astray.

If we see that there is no basis for celebrating the birthday of the Prophet, whether in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) or in the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs, then it is one of the newly-invented matters, one of the bid’ahs which lead people astray. This principle is what is implied by this hadeeth and is what is indicated by the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]

Referring to Allaah means referring to His Book, and referring to the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) means referring to his Sunnah after he has passed away. The Qur’aan and Sunnah are the reference point in cases of dispute. Where in the Qur’aan or Sunnah does it indicate that it is prescribed in Islam to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday? Whoever does that or thinks that it is good must repent to Allaah from this and from other kinds of bid’ah. This is the attitude of the Muslim who is seeking the truth. But whoever is too stubborn and arrogant after proof has been established, then his reckoning will be with his Lord.

We ask Allaah to help us adhere to His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) until the Day when we will meet Him. May Allaah grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Note: InshAllah please do share! (For Those Who Acquire Knowledge)

—————-

Reference:

Huqooq al-Nabi (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) bayna al-Ijlaal wa’l-Ikhlaal, p. 139.

Shaykh Dr. Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan, Member of the Committee of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia.

 

Modesty- a diminishing trait

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh,

This post was written on FB about a month ago with regards to an article I read in the local papers. In a nutshell, the writer is of the opinion that ‘wearing less clothes would deter terrorists from infiltrating in that area’.

Absurd? I thought so too..

———————————————————————

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh

I never fail to enjoy Brother Nouman Ali Khan’s insightful lectures especially on contemporary issues. He has given a relatively similar lecture on modesty before, so some of the things mentioned in the video are quite familiar.

I was reading an article on New Year’s Day that I thought was simply outrageous. The writer was of the opinion that if people dressed with little or less clothing, it would deter terrorist aka ‘religious fundamentalist’ (we don’t need to scratch our heads to figure out who he was referring to!) from residing in the country. This would supposedly be a sore to their eyes as these ‘religious fundamentalists’ are big on dressing modestly. He promoted the idea of nudity being a way of expressing ourselves, a form of freedom that a decade ago, it would have been frowned upon especially in this relatively conservative country. Two main points in one article but the crux of it,to me, is just encouraging indecency.

Of course, I had to laugh at this absurdity. Obviously, he either wrote this article when heavily drunk or just has lack sense of humour. I’m not even going to touch on his terrorist-crap idea because my main concern is modesty. Or rather the lack of it.

Lately, there had been series of articles on underage sex, child pornography found in the possession of two trainee teachers, increasing number of rapes, teenage pregnancy, sex offenders – and still, we dare to ignore the possibility that the rising number of such cases could be the result of having little haya’. We see so much filth on the television and instead of feeling ashamed, we become immune to them. Discussions on sex may it be through music, in magazines, advertisements used to be taboo but we speak of it freely and openly as though we have no moral values.

What I find more upsetting is that even our muslimahs nowadays lack haya’. We mingle freely with non-mahrams, have illicit relationships with them, wear hijaab but with tight and revealing clothings and all these seem to be a norm in our society. Sadly, even some asatizahs are of the opinion that “it is okay to have a boyfriend now as you need to get married anyway right?” or that “what is wrong with free-mixing? We are not backdated, you know..“. Hijaab merely becomes a trend or fashion statement rather than a religious obligation. We dress to satisfy our own desires by combining hijaab and tight clothing and this contradicts the actual objective of even wearing the veil!

Allahu Mustaan!

Sisters, we have our Deen as our guidance yet why do we follow how the kufar lead their lives? We have the Mother of Believers and Sahabiyaat (female companions) as our role models but yet we try to emulate singers and popstars in the way they dress,  behave and the language they use. We have the Qur’an and Sunnah as a our light shinning towards siraatal mustaqeem but some still choose to walk in the darkness. I target the Muslimahs specifically because we are the future mothers and if we don’t practise our Deen properly, imagine how the next generation will turn out to be!

Sisters, let’s not be fooled by words of men who tell us to remove our hijaab and dress indecently. Don’t be fooled by the deceit they propagate that being in the nude is a form of freedom. Our beauty is not judged by how much skin we uncover or how we dress but by our akhlaq. Our self-worth is not calculated by the number of men who approach us for our numbers (or just to ‘chat you up’) but rather by our taqwa and eemaan. You are worth so much more than being ‘a piece of flesh’. Rather, you are like the pearl in the ocean-untouched, uncovered and only those who can afford, will deserve to have you.

Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhis’ salaam) said, “Live in this world as a wayfarer or stranger”. May we be rewarded for striving to live like a ghurabaa in this Dunya.

Please forgive me for being harsh. May Allah forgive me if I have hurt anyone of you.

He replaced them with better friends for me :)

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh,

In one of the lectures I heard awhile ago, the speaker mentioned something along this line which is pertinent to what I’m facing : When you make Hijrah towards being closer to Him, some friends will start to make hijrah away from you.

When I was walking back home yesterday, I saw this girl heading my direction with her friend. She must have seen me, I’m quite certain of that, but she turned her face away. I was after all only one in her path that time of the day, so how could she have not seen me? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t annoyed.

We were not close but before, we used to hold long conversations when we do meet or would at least wave or smile when we bump into each other in school.

In recent years however, when I changed, things changed as well. I could be walking right in front of her but she would not even acknowledge my presence. She could be talking to my friend who was standing BESIDE ME but ignore me completely. Anyway, some of my sisters would tell me to husnul zon since she is after all our sister in Islam but after being shunned many times, I get the message!

Yes I get it!!! I’m different now.. Maybe you find me an extremist too but heck do I care? Nope! I’ll dress to please HIM ONLY even if that means I’ll look ridiculous in your eyes. I’ll speak about HIM fondly and if that makes you cringe, then sorry I couldn’t care less. I’ll practise my Deen as legislated by Allah swt and His messenger not according to my desires so if that is difficult for you to accept, then unfortunately I’ll not change for you. It’s really getting on my nerves that such people do exist..

It is most unfortunate though that I’m getting shunned by my own Muslims.  I remember that before, I would avoid wearing abaya to this lecture where there were many Muslims because I’ve been given the dirty look. However, it’s surprising because non-Muslims would readily befriend me in that lecture despite the abaya. A close friend who is a non-Muslim applauded my change and even complimented on my dressing. She is not embarrased to be seen on campus with me and in fact, would gladly introduce her friends to me.  See the contrast? Subhan Allah!

As much I complain about such ‘friends’ (note that she’s not the only one who’s been shunning me!),  Allah swt has in fact blessed me with many wonderful sisters upon the Deen. They choose to abandon me but Allah has replaced them with better friends al-hamdulillah! Three years ago, when I was making the transition,  one of the duas I made was that I wanted friends upon the Deen. I needed someone to remind me of Him constantly as I was weak on my own. Al-hamdulillah, today I have more sisters than what I asked for initially and they keep coming into my life 🙂

So yes, I lose one today but Allah will bless me with someone better to replace them tomorrow.

Islam not a reason for disintegration

Assalam alaikoum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh,

There had been an uproar in Sgp recently when the Government made an insensitive remark about Islam. Some of the comments he (if you know who I’m referring to) made were that Muslims in Singapore should be ‘less strict’ and that Islam is the prime reason for Muslims not being able to integrate into the society. Other outrageous remarks made such that due to our strict dietary observances, we do not assimilate with the other races well; as we tend to have separate food courts due to different hygiene approach.

Personally, I’ve never heard such something as absurd as that. Be ‘less strict’? That’s insulting! It’s like telling the Christians to stop attending Sunday Mass or encouraging Hindus to eat beef (Hindus believe cows to be their god so they avoid beef) or the Buddhist Monks to stop dressing in their yellow dress. Muslims – and in fact I daresay for everyone else – should have the liberty to practise their religion as long as it does not disrupt peace and stability of the country. How does compromising one’s belief  promote harmony in the society???

In contrary to what he said, I propose that the Muslim community be MORE strict in their religion. The rise in religiosity should not be a threat to Sgp’s racial harmony since if they truly adhere closely to the teachings from Qur’an and Sunnah, it would not lead to disintegration. For example, we can emulate Prophet’s ways in dealing with non-Muslims in a respectful way. He, sallallahu alayhi salam, ordained that we must not forget Islamic manners in dealing with both Muslims and non-Muslims. One of the ahadeeth that we are familiar with is the one about being kind to our neighbors:

“The best of companions with Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbours to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbour”. [At-Tirmidhi].

There are other examples whereby we are forbid from mocking other religion although we do not agree with them. The Prophet has taught us that even when someone wrongs us, it should not be our nature to retaliate against them but to forgive instead. Also, he taught us that when dealing with others, [again] Muslim and Non-Muslim alike, we should be just and not cheat others…. and the examples are endless of course.

It is when people stray away from His path that causes a lot of disruptions and and in fact, increases the social vices in the society. When one has a religion, especially for someone who follows its laws, will behave according to its teachings of encouraging good and avoiding evil (I believe that most religions teach us to do good).

I feel that his comment does not do justice to Muslims especially since it merely reflects the minute percentage who goes to the extreme of wanting to hurt others. If he even had an ounce of interest in learning about Islam, he’ll understand that it is stated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-Maidah:

“..if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.” ayaah 32

Apart from that, Muslims should not be made to compromise their beliefs and practices just to achieve ‘peace’ or in this case, integration. In reality, Muslims are very much integrated in Sgp thus there is no need for us to forgo our obligations/restrictions. Sgp has always prided itself on its cultural diversity and religious tolerance and is fortunate that we have not seen any racial discord. It is my personal opinion that we should focus on fostering stronger ties with each community instead of what he suggested. Our country can do best without him interfering in our religious duties.