In the Name of Allah,
All Praise is due to Allah, The King of mankind.
"And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren;and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire,and He saved you from it. Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided"(Quran 3:103)
"As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with God: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did."(Quran 6:159)
Last Night, topic of my blogs came up, and I was told that there are more than one correct way to follow the Sunnah, and if we follow any of them, we can't deem others wrong. I replied that if all of these different ways to follow the Sunnah lead back to Muhammad ibn Abdullah (PBUH) with authentic chain, then I agree them to be correct, however, if one school of thought goes against the Sunnah on the basis of their "Aql" or "Ijtihad" or "New World Understanding" while the Sunnah is clear, then they have certainly gone astray. I gave the example of "Hanafis" from Pakistan have ruled that women shall not come to masjid which is against the order of the Prophet (PBUH). In that case, their opinion is wrong and should be rejected from Islam. There can never be more than one correct opinion on a matter of Fiqh, rather more than one Sunnah to follow. It is fallacy to support the division of Muslims on the basis of difference of opinions.
Recently, a brother asked me for opinion on a issue, and I was able to find the answer quickly for him. While looking for the answer, I read somewhere that said that we should honor the difference of opinion between the Four Aima because they ruled according to the information available during their time. This pierced through my heart. So, the excuse for Taqleed is that infromation was not easily available for all the Muslim scholars to unite on one opinion. Now, they give the excuse that level of piety is not as high so we should not do ijtihad.
Well, brothers and sisters, the excuses have run out, because now I can setup a conference between Saudi , Paksitani, and South African Scholar, and provide them all the text and opinions from the past, and get them to resolve every single difference of opinion one by one. I doubt that scholars are willing to discuss the differences though.
In reality the differences are very few, and most of them can be reconciled, and rest can be left for people to chose from. Bigger issue is that we have no Imam. Everyone is taken back at this when I say it, but when I explain it that Imam at masjid is not in charge today. There is no authority given to them. Community doesn't follow their orders. Even the masjid shura does not heed to their opinions. In Islamic Center of Orlando, for example, Imam is over ruled by the shura, and the shura is overruled by the Ameer, and the Ameer is overruled by the trustees. This is against the Sunnah. Creating puppet Aima (plural of Imam) is a mistake.
So, creating a common fiqh will be useless unless we have an Imam with authority. For example, European countries took the first step to unite on the Currency, but there is no Imam of Europe, so now they are fighting over the Currency. Germany would like to take charge, but last time they tried to rule Europe, it did not turn out good. So, Islamic Sharia without a single Muslim ruler is like an army without commander in chief.
Yes, we do have career priests who mimic Christian and Jews in leading the worship, and resign on the decisions. Then, we have people with authority who can't even understand the three level of Tawheed, let alone make a decision according to Islam. If there was a war, and if an enemy priest walks up the military line today and ask Muslims for their priest, I guarantee you that the Muslim generals will have someone with a beard and a funny hat to go meet him. However, with Khalid bin Waleed, there was no "Imam", as he was the leader and Imam, and the General.
In conclusion, there are no excuses now to not consolidate the Fiqh or have local Imam who are appointed with authority for the community, and who are obeyed in every order except when they go against the Quran and the Sunnah openly. All the tools are here now to communicate at the global level. I will be the first to take bayah on his hand in Orlando, or globally, and surrender my differences. With puppet Imam, and fractured Fiqh, I do not feel obligated to surrender my objections.
I am trying to verify this, but it seems that Saudi moonsighting was a hoax, and millions in USA followed and did Taqleed. People who give you lecture on not doing Taqleed were caught in this act, and now it seems that Saudis have ordered their citizen to make up for the missed fast. And Allah knows best. Please let me know if you can confirm or deny this.
May Allah destroy the ones who divide us in the name of the Fiqh.
JazakAllah Khairin
A person in wait
AbuArman Jumani
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Talk or English Speech Before Jumaa Adhan is Prohibited
In the name of Allah,
I was standing with some brothers, and one complained that it is hard for him to come to masjid before the english speech starts on Fridays, because it takes away too much time from work. It reminded me that we were standing in a Pakistani/Indian culture center and not a masjid. I have been struggling with this issue for a while and finally decided to follow the sunnah on this. Another choice for me is to travel to a far masjid but it is not feasible right now.
As we know that any speech given by anyone before the Adhan and Arabic Khutbah is prohibited. There is no stronger evidence to contradict this, as I have seen yet. There is a narration of Umar (RA) allowing Tamim Al-Darri to lecture before Khutbah which has no reference attached to it, and it doesn't overturn the prohibition of the Prophet (PBUH) anyways.
There is no prohibition for the speech to be given after Jumaa Prayer, and thus should be the option.
I will not participate in this violation of sunnah any longer, and suggest that you don't either. Reach the masjid right before the Adhan to avoid this.
عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص أن النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم نهى عن التحلّق قبل الصلاة يوم الجمعة
صحيح أبي داود 991، صحيح الجامع 6885
From Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade making circles [for knowledge or remembrance] before prayer on Friday. (Saheeh Abu Dawud #991, Saheeh al-Jami’ #6885)
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) prohibited buying and selling in the mosque, announcing aloud about a lost thing, the recitation of a poem in it, and prohibited sitting in a circle (in the mosque) on Friday before the prayer.
According to Tirmidhi
عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ نَهَى عَنْ تَنَاشُدِ الْأَشْعَارِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَعَنْ
الْبَيْعِ وَالِاشْتِرَاءِ فِيهِ وَأَنْ يَتَحَلَّقَ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الجُْمُعَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ
Amr ibn Shu’ayb reported from his father and he from his grandfather that Allah’s
Messenger disallowed recital of poetry in mosque, buying and selling therein, and
people sitting in circles there before Friday prayers.
[Ahmed 6688, Abu Dawud 1079, Nisai 713, Ibn e Majah 749]
And Allah knows best.
I was standing with some brothers, and one complained that it is hard for him to come to masjid before the english speech starts on Fridays, because it takes away too much time from work. It reminded me that we were standing in a Pakistani/Indian culture center and not a masjid. I have been struggling with this issue for a while and finally decided to follow the sunnah on this. Another choice for me is to travel to a far masjid but it is not feasible right now.
As we know that any speech given by anyone before the Adhan and Arabic Khutbah is prohibited. There is no stronger evidence to contradict this, as I have seen yet. There is a narration of Umar (RA) allowing Tamim Al-Darri to lecture before Khutbah which has no reference attached to it, and it doesn't overturn the prohibition of the Prophet (PBUH) anyways.
There is no prohibition for the speech to be given after Jumaa Prayer, and thus should be the option.
I will not participate in this violation of sunnah any longer, and suggest that you don't either. Reach the masjid right before the Adhan to avoid this.
عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص أن النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم نهى عن التحلّق قبل الصلاة يوم الجمعة
صحيح أبي داود 991، صحيح الجامع 6885
From Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade making circles [for knowledge or remembrance] before prayer on Friday. (Saheeh Abu Dawud #991, Saheeh al-Jami’ #6885)
Dawud :: Book 3 : Hadith 1074
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As:The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) prohibited buying and selling in the mosque, announcing aloud about a lost thing, the recitation of a poem in it, and prohibited sitting in a circle (in the mosque) on Friday before the prayer.
According to Tirmidhi
عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ نَهَى عَنْ تَنَاشُدِ الْأَشْعَارِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَعَنْ
الْبَيْعِ وَالِاشْتِرَاءِ فِيهِ وَأَنْ يَتَحَلَّقَ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الجُْمُعَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ
Amr ibn Shu’ayb reported from his father and he from his grandfather that Allah’s
Messenger disallowed recital of poetry in mosque, buying and selling therein, and
people sitting in circles there before Friday prayers.
[Ahmed 6688, Abu Dawud 1079, Nisai 713, Ibn e Majah 749]
Yet another activity of the desi cultural center that I say farewell too. I will still go there for Salah, and tafseer class as it is better than praying at home. I will focus more on my BA in Islamic studies which will give me more knowledge, inshAllah. Also, need to start the website for compiling corrections and a common fiqh.
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman Jumani
Monday, September 12, 2011
What was the madhab of the Prophet?
In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.
If I say something wrong it is from my ego, and if it is the truth, it is from Allah.
“And hold fast, altogether, by the rope Which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves.” (Qur’an 3:103)
I was approached by someone confused with different rulings of different madhaibs, and wanting to know which madhab to follow. This is one issue that I have struggled with in the past, and it is my motivation to go through the formal education to confirm my answer to it. This issue does not come up when everyone is brainwashed to follow a certain fiqh, and told that praying behind the Imam of another fiqh will invalidate their salah. However, in USA, for example, we interact with Muslims from every part of the world, and these differences come into light. If we are living in a community where there is a Masjid following a certain fiqh, it becomes uncomfortable for others to perform their obligations, and are alienated.
Now, if we pay attention to the above verse, which rope Allah is asking us to hold on to. Can we unbound the rope in four threads and hang on to each. May be. It will weaken the strength of our ropes for sure. Hanafi say that wudu is not broken when we touch our wives, but Shafee say that it does. So, how can the wudu be broken and not be broken at the same time. It is impossible. What they say is that to follow your madhab and you will be guaranteed Jannah. It is a mess. On top of that they claim that unity is not broken, as we all are Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jammah. Wow what a scam. Whatever that term means, it does not mean what Allah call us and that is "believers".
So, what should we follow? Answer is very easy. We should follow the madhab of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). His madhab is what is recorded in the Sunnah. In order for us to enumerate his Sunnah as he followed, we need to setup one fiqh which will be a dynamic fiqh that will accommodate all existing madhaibs and reject the incorrect rulings from all of them. This sounds like a tall order, but it is possible and can be done. Interestingly, I just read my course book on Fiqh, and this is the conclusion Abu Aminah Bilal Philips also reached. So, my conclusion continues to be confirmed by the scholars, and seems to be the only way out of this swamp.
I know what you all thinking. What do we do until this fiqh is setup. Here are some advises for people to follow meanwhile.
- Everyone (including women) should study fiqh and keep increasing their knowledge so one doesn't need to ask anyone for most rulings. If one stays uneducated, they deserved to be treated like cattle.
- While one is increasing the knowledge, a family should follow the fiqh of the local masjid. A local masjid is where one performs majority of their salah and not the far corner masjid which you may prefer.
- Within a family, head of the household ( a man) will be responsible for provide rulings, and family members should follow it, except when it goes against the basic Aqeedah (beliefs). family members can present counter evidences for non-Aqeedah rulings, but mutiny is not allowed.
- If the local masjid has ruling that goes against the Quran and Sunnah, then one can judge with their ability, they should avoid following that ruling.
- Never use a label to refer to the fiqh one follows, rather the person they refer to for guidance should be mentioned that is alive and accessible. Of course, as one's knowledge grows, one should ween off that scholar.
- If one has a doubt on a local ruling, one should ask the local scholar to provide some evidence which can be read in simple terms. Every human should be able to read and understand basic logic concepts that is required to function as a human. If the scholar is not able to provide evidence, this will be a sign of incompetence, and one should consider finding a better scholar to follow.
- Minor issues within community should be deferred to a local scholar and his ijtihad should be followed, and major issues should be debated by an open forum with all evidences considered (this may be difficult to implement)
- All fiqh ruling should be decided by the Imam of the masjid who leads the salah, and not the shura council or trustees. They are responsible to run the masjid and not capable to rule in fiqh.
- If one was born in a different fiqh then the local masjid, then he should either move or surrender to the rulings of locality.
- If it becomes clear to one that the local ruling is a major deviation from the madhab of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). However, it has to be an irrefutable evidence and has to be brought to the local Imam first, and if he refuse to change the ruling due to Taqleed, one should abandon the Imam for that ruling. This is because authority of Imam is weak in USA, but authority of Father is strong in the family. If the authority becomes stronger in a community, and it is part of a global Islamic rule, one should follow the local Imam on all non-Aqeedah rulings.
- Once the common fiqh is setup, all the above rules are cancelled, and one should participate in the dynamic fiqh and select local Imams as strong authorities to implement and debate the common fiqh in the weekly or monthly fiqh reviews. Imam should do a weekly review during the Jumaa Khutba.
I will be following these rules, and I advise others to follow these rules, and avoid fitnah in the community as much as possible, but never compromise your deen (Islam) to the madhab (fiqh) of your forefathers, who may be mistaken.
JazakAllah Khairin
A muttabi and not a muqallid.
AbuArman Jumani
If I say something wrong it is from my ego, and if it is the truth, it is from Allah.
“And hold fast, altogether, by the rope Which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves.” (Qur’an 3:103)
I was approached by someone confused with different rulings of different madhaibs, and wanting to know which madhab to follow. This is one issue that I have struggled with in the past, and it is my motivation to go through the formal education to confirm my answer to it. This issue does not come up when everyone is brainwashed to follow a certain fiqh, and told that praying behind the Imam of another fiqh will invalidate their salah. However, in USA, for example, we interact with Muslims from every part of the world, and these differences come into light. If we are living in a community where there is a Masjid following a certain fiqh, it becomes uncomfortable for others to perform their obligations, and are alienated.
Now, if we pay attention to the above verse, which rope Allah is asking us to hold on to. Can we unbound the rope in four threads and hang on to each. May be. It will weaken the strength of our ropes for sure. Hanafi say that wudu is not broken when we touch our wives, but Shafee say that it does. So, how can the wudu be broken and not be broken at the same time. It is impossible. What they say is that to follow your madhab and you will be guaranteed Jannah. It is a mess. On top of that they claim that unity is not broken, as we all are Ahl-us-Sunnah-wal-Jammah. Wow what a scam. Whatever that term means, it does not mean what Allah call us and that is "believers".
So, what should we follow? Answer is very easy. We should follow the madhab of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). His madhab is what is recorded in the Sunnah. In order for us to enumerate his Sunnah as he followed, we need to setup one fiqh which will be a dynamic fiqh that will accommodate all existing madhaibs and reject the incorrect rulings from all of them. This sounds like a tall order, but it is possible and can be done. Interestingly, I just read my course book on Fiqh, and this is the conclusion Abu Aminah Bilal Philips also reached. So, my conclusion continues to be confirmed by the scholars, and seems to be the only way out of this swamp.
I know what you all thinking. What do we do until this fiqh is setup. Here are some advises for people to follow meanwhile.
- Everyone (including women) should study fiqh and keep increasing their knowledge so one doesn't need to ask anyone for most rulings. If one stays uneducated, they deserved to be treated like cattle.
- While one is increasing the knowledge, a family should follow the fiqh of the local masjid. A local masjid is where one performs majority of their salah and not the far corner masjid which you may prefer.
- Within a family, head of the household ( a man) will be responsible for provide rulings, and family members should follow it, except when it goes against the basic Aqeedah (beliefs). family members can present counter evidences for non-Aqeedah rulings, but mutiny is not allowed.
- If the local masjid has ruling that goes against the Quran and Sunnah, then one can judge with their ability, they should avoid following that ruling.
- Never use a label to refer to the fiqh one follows, rather the person they refer to for guidance should be mentioned that is alive and accessible. Of course, as one's knowledge grows, one should ween off that scholar.
- If one has a doubt on a local ruling, one should ask the local scholar to provide some evidence which can be read in simple terms. Every human should be able to read and understand basic logic concepts that is required to function as a human. If the scholar is not able to provide evidence, this will be a sign of incompetence, and one should consider finding a better scholar to follow.
- Minor issues within community should be deferred to a local scholar and his ijtihad should be followed, and major issues should be debated by an open forum with all evidences considered (this may be difficult to implement)
- All fiqh ruling should be decided by the Imam of the masjid who leads the salah, and not the shura council or trustees. They are responsible to run the masjid and not capable to rule in fiqh.
- If one was born in a different fiqh then the local masjid, then he should either move or surrender to the rulings of locality.
- If it becomes clear to one that the local ruling is a major deviation from the madhab of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). However, it has to be an irrefutable evidence and has to be brought to the local Imam first, and if he refuse to change the ruling due to Taqleed, one should abandon the Imam for that ruling. This is because authority of Imam is weak in USA, but authority of Father is strong in the family. If the authority becomes stronger in a community, and it is part of a global Islamic rule, one should follow the local Imam on all non-Aqeedah rulings.
- Once the common fiqh is setup, all the above rules are cancelled, and one should participate in the dynamic fiqh and select local Imams as strong authorities to implement and debate the common fiqh in the weekly or monthly fiqh reviews. Imam should do a weekly review during the Jumaa Khutba.
I will be following these rules, and I advise others to follow these rules, and avoid fitnah in the community as much as possible, but never compromise your deen (Islam) to the madhab (fiqh) of your forefathers, who may be mistaken.
JazakAllah Khairin
A muttabi and not a muqallid.
AbuArman Jumani
Friday, August 26, 2011
Ummah Of Lame.
In the Name of Allah,
"So high [above all] is Allah , the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." (Quran 20:114)
Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The superiority of the learned over the devout worshipper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds).'' (Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen # 1387)
Some asks me why I wasn't at Taraweeh, and I tell them that I pray at home sometimes, and don't pray other times, as it is not an obligation. It is certainly a sad situation among Muslims that this superficial gathering has become the focus of Islam, and seeking the knowledge has become untouchable, because if they have a question, they will just ask the Imam, and he will provide the answers. So, if he passes away, basically the knowledge from the society is lifted, until they can find another person who was foolish enough to go to Alim course for eight year instead of Medical School. It is really pathetic. I am sick and tired of this attitude.
Tonight, millions will go to Masjid for one purpose and that is to celebrate their superstitious belief that Night of Qadr is tonight, but there is no evidence to show that. I wish they will go some day just to worship Allah, and not to worship their tradition. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not give any importance to 27th night over 21st or 25th, yet Muslim effort is being spent cooking and preparing for this grand event.
In fact, Islam keeps seeking knowledge superior to optional worship, and anyone who performs their faraidh, and seek knowledge is better than the one who worships in the night and fasts in the day. So, if one goes to Taraweeh every night like a clock work, and sacrifice things to get there, but avoid the opportunities to gain and exercise knowledge is following the path to mis-guidance, as it will lead to a society similar to Jews, where only a few handful people understand the knowledge and they can fool others easily.
Specifically Indo-Pak masajid has become similar to the worship houses of Hindus, where lame people come in droves and just shake their bodies for a few minutes and walk out, and back to their lives without sitting down and reading a translation of Quran or tafseer, or debating over a fiqh question or correcting someone over their mis-understanding. When I went to India, I saw the masses of people worshipping idols, and if you ask them why? they will say that this is what they found their ancestors doing, and if you point them to their scripture, they will say, "Oh I am not learned on this, talk to a swami". Basically, it is the same with this Ummah of lame people who tell me that you should follow one of the four schools, and when I ask why? They say we are not learned, so we need to do Taqleed. Well, if you are not learned then you should stay quite.
According to the definition of Taqleed presented by scholars who do Taqleed of other scholars. There are two types of Muslims. One is a scholar, and the other is a lame person who need to do Taqleed of a scholar. You know what, lets accept this definition for a second. So, who among us is a scholar and who is a lame person. Majority of the Muslims will fall into the category of lame people. Basically we are an "Ummah of Lame". Someone says lets go protest about Prophet's cartoon, we are ready with matches and baseball bat. Someone says today is Night of Qadr, we are ready with our optional Salah to surrender to that call. Someone says your wife should not work unless you need more money, we are ready with lock and key to cage her.
In "lame" terms, we are the slaves of the scholars and not the slaves of Allah. Well, I do not want to be lame. I say there are many levels of learned people, and lame is either a new Muslim or the worst Muslim who does not want to learn. I may not be a scholar, but I reject the life of lame. I reject the oppression of this religion. I reject this religion of Indian sub-continent. If you like to be lame, so be it. I will avoid the gatherings of Lame in the Islamic Center of Orlando tonight. So much dedication, but so much waste. I will try my best to change it.
In fact, everyone of us should strive to be learned person more than we strive to be a devout worshiper. If we go for Taraweeh every night like a religion, we should attend an Islamic school regularly as well. If we read Quran everyday, we should understand and implement those verses. If we take refuge in Masjid for Itikaf, it should include the study of fiqh along with worship.
JAK
Not a lame person
AbuArman Jumani
"So high [above all] is Allah , the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." (Quran 20:114)
Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The superiority of the learned over the devout worshipper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds).'' (Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen # 1387)
Some asks me why I wasn't at Taraweeh, and I tell them that I pray at home sometimes, and don't pray other times, as it is not an obligation. It is certainly a sad situation among Muslims that this superficial gathering has become the focus of Islam, and seeking the knowledge has become untouchable, because if they have a question, they will just ask the Imam, and he will provide the answers. So, if he passes away, basically the knowledge from the society is lifted, until they can find another person who was foolish enough to go to Alim course for eight year instead of Medical School. It is really pathetic. I am sick and tired of this attitude.
Tonight, millions will go to Masjid for one purpose and that is to celebrate their superstitious belief that Night of Qadr is tonight, but there is no evidence to show that. I wish they will go some day just to worship Allah, and not to worship their tradition. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not give any importance to 27th night over 21st or 25th, yet Muslim effort is being spent cooking and preparing for this grand event.
In fact, Islam keeps seeking knowledge superior to optional worship, and anyone who performs their faraidh, and seek knowledge is better than the one who worships in the night and fasts in the day. So, if one goes to Taraweeh every night like a clock work, and sacrifice things to get there, but avoid the opportunities to gain and exercise knowledge is following the path to mis-guidance, as it will lead to a society similar to Jews, where only a few handful people understand the knowledge and they can fool others easily.
Specifically Indo-Pak masajid has become similar to the worship houses of Hindus, where lame people come in droves and just shake their bodies for a few minutes and walk out, and back to their lives without sitting down and reading a translation of Quran or tafseer, or debating over a fiqh question or correcting someone over their mis-understanding. When I went to India, I saw the masses of people worshipping idols, and if you ask them why? they will say that this is what they found their ancestors doing, and if you point them to their scripture, they will say, "Oh I am not learned on this, talk to a swami". Basically, it is the same with this Ummah of lame people who tell me that you should follow one of the four schools, and when I ask why? They say we are not learned, so we need to do Taqleed. Well, if you are not learned then you should stay quite.
According to the definition of Taqleed presented by scholars who do Taqleed of other scholars. There are two types of Muslims. One is a scholar, and the other is a lame person who need to do Taqleed of a scholar. You know what, lets accept this definition for a second. So, who among us is a scholar and who is a lame person. Majority of the Muslims will fall into the category of lame people. Basically we are an "Ummah of Lame". Someone says lets go protest about Prophet's cartoon, we are ready with matches and baseball bat. Someone says today is Night of Qadr, we are ready with our optional Salah to surrender to that call. Someone says your wife should not work unless you need more money, we are ready with lock and key to cage her.
In "lame" terms, we are the slaves of the scholars and not the slaves of Allah. Well, I do not want to be lame. I say there are many levels of learned people, and lame is either a new Muslim or the worst Muslim who does not want to learn. I may not be a scholar, but I reject the life of lame. I reject the oppression of this religion. I reject this religion of Indian sub-continent. If you like to be lame, so be it. I will avoid the gatherings of Lame in the Islamic Center of Orlando tonight. So much dedication, but so much waste. I will try my best to change it.
In fact, everyone of us should strive to be learned person more than we strive to be a devout worshiper. If we go for Taraweeh every night like a religion, we should attend an Islamic school regularly as well. If we read Quran everyday, we should understand and implement those verses. If we take refuge in Masjid for Itikaf, it should include the study of fiqh along with worship.
JAK
Not a lame person
AbuArman Jumani
Friday, August 19, 2011
Next Step: Compiling A Common Fiqh
In the Name of Allah,
All Praise is due to Allah, The All Knowing, The Wise
Recently, I was sitting with a brother that I admire, and somehow the discussion lead to following one of the four religions (madhaibs) in Islam. As I told him that I do not do taqleed, as it is a form of shirk. His jaw dropped, and he looked at me with his eyes wide opened. After a few second, he told me that a Muslim need to follow one of the four madhaibs. I asked him who decided that. He had no answer. I asked him if he considered me a Muslim. He just smiled. I leave this matter to Allah as he ordered me below.
"As for those who divide their din (religion) and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did." (Quran 6:159)
Main reason for the division among the Muslims is following different sects. Once we connect a group of Muslims to an ideology that is enclosed from all side, it becomes a new sect. It is healthy to have difference of opinion, and following a single scholar is permissible, even when he makes a mistake. What is not permissible is to close the door to Ijtihad, and that is what has caused the progress to stall. Even free thinkers like Albani fell in that trap and end up closing the circle to a label named "Salafi", but there is already division among Salafis that are visible. Following is the order of Allah in the matters of Fiqh.
“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Apostle, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.” (Quran 4:59)
I know most of you are not interested in learning about the differences, and think that bickering over minor things is waste, but I assure you that Islam can never progress with divided Ummah, and the division is on the fiqh. Once we establish the fiqh that is the middle path, as ordered by the Prophet (PBUH), unity is all but guaranteed.
During my presentation, someone asked me a very important question. "Isn't Saudi Arabia an Islamic State?" My answer was no, because they are implementing the flawed version of fiqh which is corrupted by the culture. Women's right, Monarchy, etc Similarly, Iran has implemented its version of fiqh and it is a disaster. So, everything comes down to having the fiqh based on Quran and Sunnah.
Current Taqleedi Scholars are bounded by the circle that they cannot cross to go pick up the essential law which will balance the society, hence living a life of pre-Islamic Meccan who claimed to follow the fiqh derived from the Prophet Ismael. They believed in Allah as the supreme God, but they could not go against the traditions handed down by their forefathers. Their argument to Muslims was that their scholars received this fiqh of "intercession to Allah through others", generation to generation, and it is a consensus. How can Muslims claim to go against it? What finally convinced the masses at the end of the Prophet's life was the completion of a system that produced results, and people entered Islam in droves. Following is the proof that Mushriks believed in Allah as the only God, but their understanding (fiqh) got corrupted allowing them to follow rulings that included intercession.
Say: Unto Whom (belongeth) the earth and whosoever is therein, if ye have knowledge? They will say: Unto Allah. Say: Will ye not then remember? Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Tremendous Throne? They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say: Will ye not then keep duty (unto Him)? Say: In Whose hand is the dominion over all things and He protecteth, while against Him there is no protection, if ye have knowledge? They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say: How then are ye bewitched? (Quran 23:84-89)
I see alot of talk but no results, so lets try to implement what people also write about. Lets reform the Ummah. Lets compile the fiqh that is the middle path. All the modern fiqh is based on the principles set by Imam Abu Hanifah, and they provide the most flexible framework, so we will use those principal, but will consider all other madhaib's ruling, and select the best one. Purpose is not to produce new rules of fiqh, but to reform some of the rulings that have been corrupted by bias views and opinions. I will take upon myself to setup a website and data storage, so this progress can be tracked. If you like to participate, you will be able to go to the site and do so. At the very least, it will help me sort out the correct fiqh for me to follow. That is my primary motivation. I have enough of listening to the rhetoric, and its time to roll up our sleeves and get our hand dirty.
I have registered to Islamic Online University http://islamiconlineuniversity.com to learn the principles formally, and I will encourage you to do the same. It is almost free of cost service with a minimal fee.
Next step starts now, and May Allah help us complete this step.
JazakAllah Khairin,
a slave of Allah
AbuArman Jumani
All Praise is due to Allah, The All Knowing, The Wise
Recently, I was sitting with a brother that I admire, and somehow the discussion lead to following one of the four religions (madhaibs) in Islam. As I told him that I do not do taqleed, as it is a form of shirk. His jaw dropped, and he looked at me with his eyes wide opened. After a few second, he told me that a Muslim need to follow one of the four madhaibs. I asked him who decided that. He had no answer. I asked him if he considered me a Muslim. He just smiled. I leave this matter to Allah as he ordered me below.
"As for those who divide their din (religion) and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did." (Quran 6:159)
Main reason for the division among the Muslims is following different sects. Once we connect a group of Muslims to an ideology that is enclosed from all side, it becomes a new sect. It is healthy to have difference of opinion, and following a single scholar is permissible, even when he makes a mistake. What is not permissible is to close the door to Ijtihad, and that is what has caused the progress to stall. Even free thinkers like Albani fell in that trap and end up closing the circle to a label named "Salafi", but there is already division among Salafis that are visible. Following is the order of Allah in the matters of Fiqh.
“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Apostle, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.” (Quran 4:59)
I know most of you are not interested in learning about the differences, and think that bickering over minor things is waste, but I assure you that Islam can never progress with divided Ummah, and the division is on the fiqh. Once we establish the fiqh that is the middle path, as ordered by the Prophet (PBUH), unity is all but guaranteed.
During my presentation, someone asked me a very important question. "Isn't Saudi Arabia an Islamic State?" My answer was no, because they are implementing the flawed version of fiqh which is corrupted by the culture. Women's right, Monarchy, etc Similarly, Iran has implemented its version of fiqh and it is a disaster. So, everything comes down to having the fiqh based on Quran and Sunnah.
Current Taqleedi Scholars are bounded by the circle that they cannot cross to go pick up the essential law which will balance the society, hence living a life of pre-Islamic Meccan who claimed to follow the fiqh derived from the Prophet Ismael. They believed in Allah as the supreme God, but they could not go against the traditions handed down by their forefathers. Their argument to Muslims was that their scholars received this fiqh of "intercession to Allah through others", generation to generation, and it is a consensus. How can Muslims claim to go against it? What finally convinced the masses at the end of the Prophet's life was the completion of a system that produced results, and people entered Islam in droves. Following is the proof that Mushriks believed in Allah as the only God, but their understanding (fiqh) got corrupted allowing them to follow rulings that included intercession.
Say: Unto Whom (belongeth) the earth and whosoever is therein, if ye have knowledge? They will say: Unto Allah. Say: Will ye not then remember? Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Tremendous Throne? They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say: Will ye not then keep duty (unto Him)? Say: In Whose hand is the dominion over all things and He protecteth, while against Him there is no protection, if ye have knowledge? They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say: How then are ye bewitched? (Quran 23:84-89)
I see alot of talk but no results, so lets try to implement what people also write about. Lets reform the Ummah. Lets compile the fiqh that is the middle path. All the modern fiqh is based on the principles set by Imam Abu Hanifah, and they provide the most flexible framework, so we will use those principal, but will consider all other madhaib's ruling, and select the best one. Purpose is not to produce new rules of fiqh, but to reform some of the rulings that have been corrupted by bias views and opinions. I will take upon myself to setup a website and data storage, so this progress can be tracked. If you like to participate, you will be able to go to the site and do so. At the very least, it will help me sort out the correct fiqh for me to follow. That is my primary motivation. I have enough of listening to the rhetoric, and its time to roll up our sleeves and get our hand dirty.
I have registered to Islamic Online University http://islamiconlineuniversity.com to learn the principles formally, and I will encourage you to do the same. It is almost free of cost service with a minimal fee.
Next step starts now, and May Allah help us complete this step.
JazakAllah Khairin,
a slave of Allah
AbuArman Jumani
Saturday, August 6, 2011
How can we unite?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, the lord of the worlds,
If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, but If I am correct, it is from Allah.
Note: I will be making a presentation on August 14 at MAGO at 11 AM, if you like to come and support me, please let me know.
I need to respond to an earlier blog http://nofirqazone.blogspot.com/2011/08/either-pay-zakat-or-buy-diamond-part-2.html
One of my dear brother brought to my attention that some Imam from local community avoid to come to his radio show, because they may think that he is affiliated with a certain group of Muslims or Imam. This was heart breaking to hear. Here, this brother who came to Islam as a choice, trying to make a difference by the radio show, and instead of supporting him, we are avoiding him. This is unacceptable.
His show is LaMagica 1220 AM every Thursday 1:10 PM which discusses Islam, and is a great opportunity for Muslims in metro Orlando area to make dawa. I would like to ask all of you to listen to it, and participate.
"And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;" (Quran 3:103)
This incident highlights the disunity that has crawled into all of us. Another example is the speech of Shaikh Albani, where he basically allowed the use of the term Salafi to idenitfy a group of people. Following is a link to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HGOcX-mUfc
It is a direct violation of the verse above, as we are prohibited to divide into groups, and the first step to divide into group is to come up with a name for our group, and all these madhaib have names. Now, there is nothing wrong with using a group name to organize the people, but if the grouping is based on the Quran and Sunnah and Fiqh, it basically creates a circle around certain rulings, and anyone that goes against one ruling, they end up outside the circle.
So, now we have Salafi as another madhab, along with hundreds of other madhaib. What happens now is that if I ask someone to visit the masjid from another madhab, they will excuse themselves, so basically these factions are getting deeper as time goes on. Everyone is happy in their little masjid where everyone is from same country or at least follow the same madhab. So, I, along with all the new Muslims are confused outside these circles, and thinking which circle is Islam. Honestly, all seem misguided, as all claim a name other than Islam. I may be misguided as well, but for a different reason.
Every deviant group starts with labelling based on a dogma or principles. It may not be deviant in the first generation, but in later generations, it will deviate, as the flexibility to steer back to the right path will be a violation of the group membership. I have a news for Salafis that Salaf did not label each other with any names.
A good friend of mine gave me a book about ahle-hadeeth, which claimed that some earlier muslims used the term ahle-hadeeth for grouping, and they are correct that the term was used, but it was used to praise the individuals for their service in the science of hadith. Ahle-hadeeth doesn't mean that a person uses a hadeeth to establish fiqh. A Muhaddith is not same as a faqi, and a faqi may or may not to be muhaddith. For example, a pharmacist knows about medicine, but he cannot prescribe the medicine, because he is not an expert on cases of diseases, but a doctor could know alot about the medicine and can prescribe the medicine.
Imam AlBukhari is the top most muhaddith in the history, but he is not a top faqi, because he did not provide solution to specifiq fiqh issues extensively. He did however assert his opinions by headings and organization of ahadith in his compilation, which is a great source for fiqh students. So, anyone who looks at a hadeeth in a vacuume and follows it as a fiqh is certainly misguided.
We should dissolve the notion of madhaibs, and setup committees that include scholars of every school of thought in the community, and hear arguments based on the evidences, and make rulings as they come along.
We should include members from each school of thought in the shura.
We should setup think tanks to tackle the problems of humans today and provide solutions to local govts.
We should setup a community wide meeting for Imams for all masajid to sit and discuss differences.
I hear alot about following the Sahaba from Tableeghi Jamat, Salafis, Ahle-Sunnah-WalJamah, etc., but Sahaba would change the ruling, if someone recited an authenticate hadeeth and convinced them that they were on the wrong. Are they willing to do that?
I doubt most of you know that USA is suffering from the effects of Riba, and Muslims in Somalia are hungry, while you are setting up lavish Iftar and laughing and backbitting. Shame on all of us. We should cancel the iftars, and send the money to Somalia. Do we really need to eat Biryani, and Quorma every night?
I know that Imams are on the payrolls, so they dare speak, and I know the Trustees are intoxicated with power, so they care not stop the iftar, and I know people are happy filling their stomach, so they may ignore this plea, and I know some will say "Nafsa Nafsi", "let me concentrate on my deeds". Alright, leave everyone to their madhaibs, and drive to the masjid of your madhab, and sip the tea of your ethnicity and come back to your home, but remember that our kids may not have this luxury, if we don't unite.
Just a thought!
JazakAllah Khairin
An unlabelled Muslim
AbuArman Jumani
All praise is due to Allah, the lord of the worlds,
If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, but If I am correct, it is from Allah.
Note: I will be making a presentation on August 14 at MAGO at 11 AM, if you like to come and support me, please let me know.
I need to respond to an earlier blog http://nofirqazone.blogspot.com/2011/08/either-pay-zakat-or-buy-diamond-part-2.html
One of my dear brother brought to my attention that some Imam from local community avoid to come to his radio show, because they may think that he is affiliated with a certain group of Muslims or Imam. This was heart breaking to hear. Here, this brother who came to Islam as a choice, trying to make a difference by the radio show, and instead of supporting him, we are avoiding him. This is unacceptable.
His show is LaMagica 1220 AM every Thursday 1:10 PM which discusses Islam, and is a great opportunity for Muslims in metro Orlando area to make dawa. I would like to ask all of you to listen to it, and participate.
"And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;" (Quran 3:103)
This incident highlights the disunity that has crawled into all of us. Another example is the speech of Shaikh Albani, where he basically allowed the use of the term Salafi to idenitfy a group of people. Following is a link to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HGOcX-mUfc
It is a direct violation of the verse above, as we are prohibited to divide into groups, and the first step to divide into group is to come up with a name for our group, and all these madhaib have names. Now, there is nothing wrong with using a group name to organize the people, but if the grouping is based on the Quran and Sunnah and Fiqh, it basically creates a circle around certain rulings, and anyone that goes against one ruling, they end up outside the circle.
So, now we have Salafi as another madhab, along with hundreds of other madhaib. What happens now is that if I ask someone to visit the masjid from another madhab, they will excuse themselves, so basically these factions are getting deeper as time goes on. Everyone is happy in their little masjid where everyone is from same country or at least follow the same madhab. So, I, along with all the new Muslims are confused outside these circles, and thinking which circle is Islam. Honestly, all seem misguided, as all claim a name other than Islam. I may be misguided as well, but for a different reason.
Every deviant group starts with labelling based on a dogma or principles. It may not be deviant in the first generation, but in later generations, it will deviate, as the flexibility to steer back to the right path will be a violation of the group membership. I have a news for Salafis that Salaf did not label each other with any names.
A good friend of mine gave me a book about ahle-hadeeth, which claimed that some earlier muslims used the term ahle-hadeeth for grouping, and they are correct that the term was used, but it was used to praise the individuals for their service in the science of hadith. Ahle-hadeeth doesn't mean that a person uses a hadeeth to establish fiqh. A Muhaddith is not same as a faqi, and a faqi may or may not to be muhaddith. For example, a pharmacist knows about medicine, but he cannot prescribe the medicine, because he is not an expert on cases of diseases, but a doctor could know alot about the medicine and can prescribe the medicine.
Imam AlBukhari is the top most muhaddith in the history, but he is not a top faqi, because he did not provide solution to specifiq fiqh issues extensively. He did however assert his opinions by headings and organization of ahadith in his compilation, which is a great source for fiqh students. So, anyone who looks at a hadeeth in a vacuume and follows it as a fiqh is certainly misguided.
We should dissolve the notion of madhaibs, and setup committees that include scholars of every school of thought in the community, and hear arguments based on the evidences, and make rulings as they come along.
We should include members from each school of thought in the shura.
We should setup think tanks to tackle the problems of humans today and provide solutions to local govts.
We should setup a community wide meeting for Imams for all masajid to sit and discuss differences.
I hear alot about following the Sahaba from Tableeghi Jamat, Salafis, Ahle-Sunnah-WalJamah, etc., but Sahaba would change the ruling, if someone recited an authenticate hadeeth and convinced them that they were on the wrong. Are they willing to do that?
I doubt most of you know that USA is suffering from the effects of Riba, and Muslims in Somalia are hungry, while you are setting up lavish Iftar and laughing and backbitting. Shame on all of us. We should cancel the iftars, and send the money to Somalia. Do we really need to eat Biryani, and Quorma every night?
I know that Imams are on the payrolls, so they dare speak, and I know the Trustees are intoxicated with power, so they care not stop the iftar, and I know people are happy filling their stomach, so they may ignore this plea, and I know some will say "Nafsa Nafsi", "let me concentrate on my deeds". Alright, leave everyone to their madhaibs, and drive to the masjid of your madhab, and sip the tea of your ethnicity and come back to your home, but remember that our kids may not have this luxury, if we don't unite.
Just a thought!
JazakAllah Khairin
An unlabelled Muslim
AbuArman Jumani
Friday, August 5, 2011
Either pay zakat or buy a diamond? Part 2
Part 1 is found at http://nofirqazone.blogspot.com/2011/07/either-pay-zakat-or-buy-diamond.html
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, All wise,
If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, but If I am correct, it is from Allah.
In the above blog, I claimed that Allah did not leave a loop hole for us to hide our money from Zakat by buying diamonds, and challenged that anyone can provide source for the hadith that is used as basis for exception. What I meant was to provide source which will authenticate the hadith.
One of our community elders responded to my challenge and send me the following email.
I am glad to see the passion to learn and challenge, which has always been the core of Islam, and it was all but gone from our nation due to Taqleed.
According to Respected Mufti "The narration in reference has been established from the tabi`īn. The narration attributed to Nabi (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) is for strengthening the fact and not establishing it. Therefore, it is quoted despite the criticism on some narrators."
What he is saying is that we can not use this hadith for establishing the exception but only to strengthen the argument. Well, how do we establish the exception for stones in the first place? Interestingly, this fatwaa points to another fatwaa which only refers to this hadith. So, basically a circular argument being used and all arguments are weak if not false. Of course, they point to the verse which I already refuted to be supporting this idea.
Henceforth, by default, Diamonds stay liable for zakat as any valuable item that can hold money for 1 year and can be liquidated. We should stop providing loop holes to Qaroons of our society. Challenge stands. Please provide any authenticated evidence to establish this exception.
I have posted the fatwa here and if it convinces you, please follow it, and don't pay zakat on your precious stone, and may Allah make it easy for us. I don't see any authenticated evidence for it, so for me Diamonds are liable for Zakat. And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling Muslim
AbuArman Jumani
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, All wise,
If I say something wrong, it is from my ego, but If I am correct, it is from Allah.
In the above blog, I claimed that Allah did not leave a loop hole for us to hide our money from Zakat by buying diamonds, and challenged that anyone can provide source for the hadith that is used as basis for exception. What I meant was to provide source which will authenticate the hadith.
One of our community elders responded to my challenge and send me the following email.
I am glad to see the passion to learn and challenge, which has always been the core of Islam, and it was all but gone from our nation due to Taqleed.
Please see the reference of Hadith at the link below, and for further clarification you may write them directly, Was'slam. XXXXX
Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘There is no Zakaat on stones.’
http://www.askimam.org/fatwa/fatwa.php?askid=397ae7b235615d84318b2b95d3e22bff
Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘There is no Zakaat on stones.’
http://www.askimam.org/fatwa/fatwa.php?askid=397ae7b235615d84318b2b95d3e22bff
According to Respected Mufti "The narration in reference has been established from the tabi`īn. The narration attributed to Nabi (Sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) is for strengthening the fact and not establishing it. Therefore, it is quoted despite the criticism on some narrators."
What he is saying is that we can not use this hadith for establishing the exception but only to strengthen the argument. Well, how do we establish the exception for stones in the first place? Interestingly, this fatwaa points to another fatwaa which only refers to this hadith. So, basically a circular argument being used and all arguments are weak if not false. Of course, they point to the verse which I already refuted to be supporting this idea.
Henceforth, by default, Diamonds stay liable for zakat as any valuable item that can hold money for 1 year and can be liquidated. We should stop providing loop holes to Qaroons of our society. Challenge stands. Please provide any authenticated evidence to establish this exception.
I have posted the fatwa here and if it convinces you, please follow it, and don't pay zakat on your precious stone, and may Allah make it easy for us. I don't see any authenticated evidence for it, so for me Diamonds are liable for Zakat. And Allah knows best.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling Muslim
AbuArman Jumani
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