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Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

Solar Eclipse 2015


27th Jumādal Ulā 1436 AH ~ Tuesday 17th March 2015 

SOLAR ECLIPSE

by Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh

Abū Bakrah radhiyallāhu ‘anhu relates: “We were with Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam when the sun eclipsed. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam stood up dragging his cloak1 till he entered the masjid. We also entered. He sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam led us in a two raka’āt salāh till the eclipse cleared. Then the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, ‘The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of anyone’s death.2 So whenever you see these (eclipses), perform salāh and make du’ā until the eclipse is cleared.’” (Al-Bukhārī)

1 This indicated urgency.

2  Prior to the advent of Islām, it was a widely held belief in Arab society that eclipse would occur upon the death of a great personality. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam had a son named Ibrāhīm radhiyallāhu ‘anhu who passed away in infancy, on the same day as a solar eclipse. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam dispelled this false notion.

WHAT TO DO AT THE TIME OF SOLAR ECLIPSE

…So whenever you see these (eclipses), offer salāh and make du‘ā till the eclipse has cleared. (Al-Bukhārī)

…So when you see the eclipse, make du’ā to Allāh and say takbīr, perform salāh and give sadaqah… (Al-Bukhārī)

…He (the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) went to the Masjid (on the occasion of solar eclipse) and offered the salāh with the longest qiyām, rukū‘ and sujūd that I had ever seen him doing. (Al-Bukhārī)

From the ahādīth above we learn that we should engage in:

1) salāh;         

2) du‘ā;           

3) rememberance of Allāh ta‘ālā; and

4) spend in causes that bring the Pleasure of Allāh ta‘ālā.

It is sunnah to perform two raka’āt salāh with congregation which is to be led by the imām of jumu‘ah salāh or any imām of the masjid. It is sunnah to perform this salāh with qiyām, rukū‘ and sujūd that are long.

After the salāh the congregation should engage in du‘ā which should last until the eclipse clears.

Mas’alah: Adhān or iqāmah will not be called for this salāh. Announcements can be made to gather the people.

Mas’alah: If whilst engaged in du‘ā the time for a fard salāh commences, then du‘ā should be concluded and fard salāh should be performed.

During such occasions we must not remain neglectful. Many people are more keen to witness the eclipse, rather than following the teachings of our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. 

May Allāh ta‘ālā grant us the tawfīq to turn to Him during such moments in light of the teachings of our Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.  


© Islāmic Da’wah Academy

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Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

Annual Youth Conference 2015 – Synopsis

بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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All praise is due to Allah, the all-knowing, the all-seeing and we beseech Allah to send His noblest blessings on the Seal of the Prophets, Our Master and Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alayhi Wasallam).

Dear respected Brothers and Sisters,

Please see below a synopsis of the conference I attended, Sunday 8 March 2015. Alhumdu Lillah, there were hundreds, rather thousands of brothers who attended from all across the country. Nice to see so many brothers under one roof, seeking knowledge of Deen. Amazingly organised and orchestrated by each and every volunteer at the Islamic Da’wah Academy, once again – Ma Sha Allah!

A reminder for those who attended.

A backup for those who missed it.
Mawlānā Yasir Saheb, AlRahma Academy, Chorley.

Mawlana started by saying how Islam has taught us everything, from going to the toilet to running a government. Islam has the answers. He narrated the story of how a Jewish man once sarcastically asked Salman Farsi (Radhi Allahu Anho), “Is it true your Prophet teaches you how to go to the toilet?” He replied, “Yes, our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has taught us everything. Even how to relieve ourselves. Not to use our right hand. Not to use bones to clean ourselves.” Islam covers all aspects of life.

The religion of Allah is being portrayed as barbaric and violent. A religion of terror! Whereas the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was most-compassionate & gentle & merciful. The most blessed person to walk on the face of the earth.

But who is to blame?

The inflammatory media?

For how they portray Islam, magnifying certain individuals and groups. And tarnishing all Muslims with same brush. But the Muslims themselves are also to blame, for their conduct, for their ill-character. We really are not presenting Islam the way it should be presented.

Allah says, “It is due to the mercy from Allah you (O Muhammad) were gentle with them. Had you been harsh or hard-hearted they would have disperse from your company.” (Surah Ale Imran) If we want to attract people to Islam, we need to adopt the same characteristics and values; being gentle and merciful. Look at our Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), how each of his companions (Radhi Allahu Anhum) felt the most closest to him. Simply because he treated  each one equally and fairly. How do we treat people?

The Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) mercy was not constricted to the Muslims or one nation: “We have sent you as a mercy to the worlds.”

Tufayl ibn Amr alDawsi (Radhi Allahu Anhu) was sent to the tribe of alDaws, to teach them and invite them to Islam. They ignored the message. He returned to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and said, “Pray against them, for they have ignored the message!” The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) raised his hands, “O Allah guide alDaws. And bring them to us.”

Similarly in Uhud, the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) face was bleeding. If there were a time when He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)  would have made Dua against anyone, it would have been in the battle of Uhud. But despite all of this, He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) raised his hands, “O Allah forgive my people, for they do not know.”

We need to adopt this example of mercy and compassion. We must be conservative of how we deal with people. Allah on the Day of Judgement will be very lenient in His rights, but strict in the rights of others.

Mawlana then continued with a story of a man, who reached his death. When angel of death came to him, he asked him if he had done any good actions. He said I have nothing! The angel said think carefully, think of anything. He said actually there is one thing, I used to be a tradesman. If people came to me and they wanted more time, I would grant it to them. This man was forgiven for this one deed.

Allah grant us love, mercy and compassion to deal with his creation. Ameen.
Mawlānā Farhan Saheb, London

There are many reasons for the corruption and destruction of the Ummah: Allah says, “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (30:41) Every time we sin, we are disobeying Allah collectively. We are placing a black dot on our hearts, and for every sin our hearts are getting darker and darker. The more we sin, we are distancing ourselves from Allah.

Let us look into ourselves, you look into your life and I will look into mine. We will find some of us have become so immodest, we sin in the open; in school, or college or at work. We sin in front of our parents, friends, colleagues and even your local Imam! Then there are some of us who wear Islamic attire, have a religious look, but we sin when nobody is around. When everyone is away, when we are alone, we think nobody is watching, we sin. But, Allah is watching – He always is. We need to inculcate Taqwa (fear of Allah) in our hearts.

If we do not fear Allah, let us look at how Allah dealt with previous nations:

“So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allah would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.” (29:40)

Once the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) heard that his companions have become relaxed and enjoying themselves a bit too much. He informed them, “Informed them if you knew what I knew, you would laugh little and cry more often.”

Mawlana then recited:

“O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing. On the Day you see it every nursing mother will be distracted from that [child] she was nursing, and every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy, and you will see the people [appearing] intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe.” (22:1-2)

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “We will sweat so much, 70 yards we will drown in our own sweat.” He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) also said, “The man with the least amount of punishment on Qiyamah will be a man, who has two pieces of coal from Jahannam from under his feet. This will cause his brain to boil. He will think nobody has punishment worse than him.”

Do we feel safe and secure from Allah’s wrath despite sinning abundantly? “Do the people of the city feel that the punishment of Allah will not come on them at night whilst they are sleeping.” Surah Anfal

Les us stop sinning! If we are fornicating with someone’s sister, tomorrow someone will fornicate with your sister. If we are messing around with someone’s daughter, someone will do the same to your daughter. If you steal from someone, someone will steal from you.
Don’t think Allah is unaware. Hadith informs us: “Allah gives respite to a Dhalim. But when he grips him/her they won’t be let off!” Shaytan encourages us to continue sinning, and shows us there is no harm in sinning.

Mawlana ended saying how youngsters look of to Umar ibn al-Khattab (Radhi Allaho Anho). Because of his dynamic and charismatic character. Even youngsters who are not on the deen, look up to Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho).

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) told us if there were to be a Prophet after him it would have been Umar RA. From the sayings of Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho) is: “If Allah sends everyone to Hell on Qiyamah, except one person, I fear it will be me!”

Hadhrat Shaykh Mawlana Muhammad Saleem Dhorat Saheb (Hafidhahu Allah) 

Allah Ta’ala through his grace and mercy has granted us all the opportunity once again to participate in this 22nd Annual Youth Conference. Allah grant us acceptance, make it a means of hidayah and soul purification, and everlasting salvation in the hereafter. Ameen.

Rasoolullah (Sallallhu Alayhi Wasallam) gives 3 very important instructions:

1. Tie the bond of kinship with those who break this tie.
2. Forgive those who oppress us
3. Be good to those who are bad to us.

Be good to those relative/kin who don’t behave correctly with you.
Good to near and distance relatives – very important command of Shariah.

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “The one who does not stay in good terms with his relatives will not enter Jannah.” (Even if he departs with Iman) he will not enter Jannah, without going into the fire of Jahannam first)

When The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) received first revelation. He came to Khadija (Radhi Allahu Anha). He didn’t doubt that he was made a Prophet, but he was very humble so he felt that there was a possibility that he would not be able to carry out the responsibility.
He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “I fear over myself. I might not be able to fulfil the responsibility.” So if a person can’t fulfil responsibility then the mission is a failure and results in disgrace.

Khadijah (Radhi Allahu Anha) said, “Allah will Never disgrace you!”

Why?
Because you have 5 qualities.
Whoever has these will not be disgraced.

1. You tie the bond of kinship. (Your are kind to them. Look after their well being).
2. Take the responsibility of those people who are burdensome. (Mentally/physically handicapped. Those who are seen as burdensome by the community and even their own families).
3. You look after and help the poor.
4. Hospitable to guest.
5. Anyone you see suffering you are ready to help them.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) remained silent. His remaining silent is affirmation that whoever has these 5 qualities he will not be disgraced.

Nowadays friends are more important than relatives. Those people are important to us who’s company we enjoy. Friend circle keeps changing.
Why?
Because where ever we realise he is more fun than him we change friends. So we have no friends and no-one is our friend. We are selfish. We are looking for enjoyment.

Those people who are friends for real, their friendship stays until death, Qiyaamah and in Jannat.

Friends will become the enemy of a friend in the court of Allah Ta’ala except for those friends whose friendship was based on Taqwa,

– For the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala.
– Friendship based on deen.

–  Friendship for character

It is not WHAT you do, it is WHY you do it!

So, if you love someone it should be for his knowledge, his character, his morals and his deen. And if you hate someone, it should be because he is a dhalim or disunites the community.

Hadeeth: One who loves for the please of Allah and hates for the pleasure of Allah who gives for the pleasure of Allah and who prevents for the pleasure of Allah then his Iman is complete. Those people who love each other for the sake of Allah Ta’ala will be granted the shade of the throne of Allah Ta’ala.

Allah Ta’ala will announce: “Where are those who use to love each other for my sake?”

Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:
From the people of the past. A person left his town (from Banu Israeel) to visit his friend in another town. Allah Ta’ala sent and angel to ask this person. Where are you going?
I am going to visit my friend.
Are you visiting him because you are in need?
No
Are you visiting him because he done you a favour?
No
So why?
Only because I love him for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.

The Angel said, I have a message from Allah Ta’ala. I love you just as you love that person .

Let us not look at colour, race, background, wealth but let us love for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.

In the time of Umar Radhiyallahu Anhu. He was sitting in a room. First Abu Sufyan (Radhi Allaho Anho) entered – Father-in-law of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), who was the leader of the Quraysh after Abu Jahl. Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho) looked up and carried on what he was doing.
Next Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho) looked up, Bilal (Radhi Allaho Anho) entered. No status as family lineage, non-Arab but Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho) said make way for Bilal.
He used to say I have 2 masters, Abu Bakr (Radhi Allaho Anho) our master – who freed our master Bilal (Radhi Allaho Anho).

Equality and Justice is a teaching of our religion.

Let us look at the Conquest of Makkah. After 8 years of exile. In this day of glory who is sitting on his camel. Entering Makkah as a liberator. head lowered. He had with him 10-14,000 companions (Radhi Allaho Anhum) he was constantly praising Allah:

“There is no God but Allah – the Alone, He has no partner.”

“It is only Him, who helped His slaves.”

“It is only Him, who fulfilled the promise.”

“It is only Him, who defeated the coalition.”

What was amazing, was the person sat on the camel, behind him; not Abu Bakr (Radhi Allaho Anho), nor Umar (Radhi Allaho Anho), nor Hasan (Radhi Allaho Anho) or Husayn (Radhi Allaho Anho), it was Usamah son of Zaid (Radhi Allaho Anho) (freed slave). He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “O Usamah! You are one of the most beloved to me and your father was one of the most beloved ones to me.”

The first Salah after the conquest of Makkah. “Where is Bilal? Climb the Kabah and call out the first Adhan after conquest of Makkah.”

One of the people of Makkah said, “My father is lucky to have died to not see this dark day. One said could Muhammad not find a better person that this black crow.”

Jibraeel came with wahy:
“O people, we have created you from one male and female, and we have made you into tribes and different families so that you are able to recognise each other. The most honourable amongst you is the one who has the most Taqwa.” Surah Hujurat

It is not your beauty or your wealth that counts, it is the Taqwa in your heart. Bilal (Radhi Allaho Anho) had this Taqwa – so it elevated him.

The one who does good to those who are good and doesn’t do good those to those who are not good is not a reconciler. The one who when his relatives misbehave with him he does good to them is the real reconciler.

Tie the bond of kinship even if your not at fault for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.
• Salaam
• Send gifts
• Help them

The closest of kin are parents, above relatives. What does everyone want in life?  Long life and lot of money.  One who desires he has a long life and a lot of wealth he should tie kinship.

2nd command.
Forgive that person who wrongs you –  This is a very courageous action.

“The person who practices patience (when trouble when innocent) and also forgives, this is a action that requires a lot of courage.”

What did (Yusuf Alayhis Salam) say to his brothers?
“There’s is no blame upon you. May Allah forgive you.” ( He also made dua for them)

When he met his father he made an excuse for his brothers. “Allah has united us after shaytaan put enmity between us.”

Conquest of Makkah- He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam forgave Abu sufyan (Radhiy Allahu Anho) but also honoured him. “Who ever enters the house of Abu Sufyan is forgiven.”

PRINCIPLE:
‘We should never do anything that we have say sorry to Allah or his creation, and if we do make a mistake don’t hesitate in asking for forgiveness’.

Saying sorry is not enough, until the person hasn’t forgiven us. If anyone from the creation makes a mistake then without him asking we should forgive him.
“And forgive, do you not wish that Allah Ta’ala forgives you?”

Who ever swallows his anger when he has the ability to punish the wrong doer. Allah Ta’ala  will call him in the stage of the whole audience and say from all these hūrs choose which you desire.

A person does not swallow something which is more beloved in the eyes of Allah Ta’ala, than the swallow of anger.

Moosa (Alayhis Salam) Asked: “O Allah! Who is the most honourable in your eyes?”

“The one who forgives when he has the upper hand.”

Conquest of Makkah Rasoolullah (Sallalahu Alayhi wa sallam) asked: What do you expect from me? They said you are a noble brother and the son of a noble brother. Rasoolullah Sallalahu alayhi wasallam said what Yusuf Alayhi Salam said. “There is no blame on you, may Allah Ta’ala forgive you.”

Nowadays we hear people say: I will never forgive you! I will see you in the day of judgement.
We should think do we not make mistakes? Will people not ask from us on Qiyamah?

There is a saying in Arabic:
ان قلت لى واحدة  تسمع مني عشرة
The basic translation of which is, of you say one (bad) thing to me. You will get ten in return. Shaykh Saheb said, we should be such if we hear 10 bad things from someone. We don’t say ONE in reply!

Be good to the person who is bad to you. Shaykh Shibli some people opposed him, he went out for a walk. He was in a state of anxiety and fatigue. Reclined against a date-palm, Allah gave him a miracle – karamah. The date-palm spoke to him,  “O Shibli! Become like me, people throw stones at me and I throw fruit at them.”

Conclusion:
1. Tie the bond of kinship
2. Forgive those who oppress us
(Forgive everyone even without them asking)
3. Be good to those who are bad to us.
If you do this your heart will be at rest In Sha Allah.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the ability to practise on this.
Ameen.

May Allah grant Shaykh Saleem Saheb a long life, accept his efforts, grant him perseverance and may we all benefit from such luminaries. Ameen Ya Rabb!

Further info/talks/lit: http://idauk.org/

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia

23 Jumadal Awwal 1436

 
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Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

Why Earthquakes Occur

Having just experienced an earthquake last night in the East Midlands and with similar tremors occurring in other parts of the world recently, we would like to share with you an editorial of the respected Shaykh-ul-Hadīth, Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh which appeared in the monthly journal ‘Riyādul Jannah’ after the earthquake that occurred in February 2008 in the UK.

Why Earthquakes Occur
by Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh

At 12:56am on 27th February the UK was shaken by an earthquake of a significant enough magnitude to make the headlines. Buildings shuddered, furniture shook, and people were woken from their sleep. By morning, everyone was talking about it.

The largest earthquake to strike the UK in over 25 years was regarded by most people as no more than an exciting incident. Their curiosity was satisfied by scientific explanations, and there their interest ended. They did not see the shaking of the earth beneath their feet as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons.

The question we need to ask is: ‘Why do earthquakes occur?’

We can learn a lot about the world around us by using the ‘aql (intellect) that Allāh ta‘ālā has given us. ‘Aql, however, has its inherent limitations, and as believers we should not remain content with the often incomplete picture of events that it can present. Where ‘aql reaches its limits, wahy (Revelation) takes over. As Muslims, we should turn to the teachings of our beloved Nabī Muhammad sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam to understand the significance of the recent earthquake.

Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has declared the cause of earthquakes to be disobedience to Allāh ta‘ālā exceeding limits. Whatever the scientific explanation may be – and there is no need to reject or ignore scientific explanations – Allāh ta‘ālā made the earth shake. Allāh ta‘ālā uses physical agencies to bring about physical events in the universe, e.g. a child is born as a result of the union of its parents, yet Allāh ta‘ālā is the Originator; He gives children via the agency of the parents. Allāh ta‘ālā may cause an earthquake to occur through the means of huge stresses building up at fault lines in the earth’s crust or, if he wishes, without it. But, in either case, it is Allāh ta‘ālā Who causes earthquakes.

Allāh ta‘ālā first causes small earthquakes, like the 5.2 quake felt in the UK, which do not result in any major harm. They do, however, affect the hearts of people, causing a moment of fear, awe and a sense of one’s mortality. These minor earthquakes can be described as wake-up calls from Allāh ta‘ālā, inviting His servants to take stock of their lives and turn to Him in repentance. In this way, they are a mercy from Him. It is reported that on the occasion of an earthquake occurring in the time of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam he turned to the Sahābah radhiyallāhu ‘anhum and said: ‘Your Rabb wants you to turn to Him in repentance, so repent.’

Allāh ta‘ālā states in the Glorious Qur’ān:
Calamities have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that Allāh may make them taste a part of what they have done, in order that they may turn back. (30:41)

When people do not heed these warnings and continue to disobey Allāh ta‘ālā, He may repeat the wake-up calls of magnitude 4 or 5 before suddenly unleashing a magnitude 8 quake, resulting in Qiyāmah-like scenes. Whole localities are razed to the ground, as if they had never existed. And these things are not hypothetical, they are happening now, in our lifetime.

Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam foretold that as Qiyāmah nears, earthquakes will become more frequent, a prediction we are seeing come true with our very eyes. The reason for the increase in earthquakes foretold by Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is an increase in disobedience to Allāh ta‘ālā.

When, as a result of excessive disobedience, a large earthquake occurs anywhere, the Qur’ānic principle is that everyone, good and bad, is afflicted.
And beware of a scourge that will not afflict the wrongdoers among you only… (8:25)
Everyone suffers: people die or suffer bereavement, injury, fear, financial loss, anxiety and depression etc. The victims of a catastrophic earthquake can be divided into four groups:

1. Good people who die. They are classified as shuhadā (martyrs) and will enter Jannah. Their suffering will be a means of elevating their status in Jannah.

2. Bad people who die. Due to their disobedient and unrepentant ways they will be destined for Jahannam. Their suffering will be a punishment.

3. Good people who survive. The calamity is a test for them. By remaining patient and content with taqdīr and the Will of Allāh ta‘ālā they will be rewarded with closeness to Him.

4. Bad people who survive. The calamity is a warning and admonition for them to repent and change their ways.
What we need to do

1. Accept that the earthquake was a result of disobedience to Allāh ta‘ālā. Each individual should think: ‘Out of all the disobedient people, I am top of the list. It was because of me that the earthquake struck.’

2. Thereafter, make tawbah and istighfār with sincerity.

3. When the earth quakes, so does the heart. Treat it as an opportunity to rectify your life. Make use of the fear that developed in your heart. Think: ‘I commit many sins; what if the earth had split and swallowed me up? Allāh ta‘ālā has saved me. O Allāh, forgive me.’

4. Give sadaqah. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said:
‘Truly, sadaqah extinguishes the anger of the Rabb and prevents an evil death.’ (At-Tirmidhī)

5. Having experienced the disturbing effects of a small earthquake, try to imagine Qiyāmah. What will the mighty earthquakes of Qiyāmah and the Resurrection be like?
It is very serious that the land we live on shook; it means that so much disobedience is taking place on it that Allāh ta‘ālā is displeased. We must turn to Allāh ta‘ālā and do tawbah, istighfār and rectify our lives. We should also have concern in this regard for those around us. May Allāh ta‘ālā make this earthquake a mercy for us and may it prompt us to change our lives for the better. Āmīn.
© Riyādul Jannah

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Poems

The Messenger of Mercy SAW

I am a vagabond
Wayfaring the desert sands
You are an oasis
My life’s in your hands

I look upon a mountain
And you are it’s peak
You are the summit
Of every truth I seek

In the rivers and lakes
In the oceans and seas
You’re the blue in the sky
The greenery in the trees

I’m a smitten stargazer
You; the cosmos of my heart
You’re the entire universe;
Gods priceless verse of art

Here I am, yearning to be
The dust on your blessed shoe
I’m the beggar at your door
Your love is the alms I pursue

صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم

Abu Esa Hashim.

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Spirituality

A Lesson from a Sermon of ‘Umar رضي الله عنه

We need men like Umar ibn Khattab R.A.

A Lesson from a Sermon of ‘Umar رضي الله عنه

‘Umar رضي الله عنه once ascended the pulpit, praised and glorified Allāh, and said, “Listen carefully! Do not be extravagant in the dowries of women, for if I hear of anyone having given more than the amount the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave or received (for his daughters رضي الله عنهن), I will order that extra amount to be added to the treasury.”

He then descended, upon which a woman from the Quraysh approached him and said, “O the leader of the believers! Is the Book of Allāh more worthy of being followed or your word?”

He replied, “Why? Obviously the Book of Allāh عز وجل!”

The woman said, “You have just prohibited the people from being extravagant in relation to the dowries of women, whereas Allāh mentions in His Book: ‘…and you have given her plenty of wealth…’ (4:20)”

Click the link above for full post…

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Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

Du’a – A Great Gift

by Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh

As believers, we all have a deep yearning to attach ourselves to our Merciful and Gracious Creator. Even the sinful aspire to do something that will please their Master and bring them closer to Him. Out of His sheer Grace and Mercy, Allāh ta‘ālā has created many ways for us to acquire this closeness. One of these is du‘ā.
Du‘ā holds special significance among the many important and spiritually uplifting forms of worship we have been bestowed with. It is an act extremely liked by Allāh ta‘ālā as it represents the height of humbleness and submission to the Creator. It is for this reason it has been termed the “essence of ‘ibādah” and even simply “ ‘ibādah”. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam states:

Du‘ā is the essence of ‘ibādah. (At-Tirmidhī)

Du‘ā is ‘ibādah. (At-Tirmidhī)

Du‘ā is so important that Allāh ta‘ālā becomes displeased when His bondsman neglects it. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam states:

Allāh becomes angry with the person who does not ask from Him. (At-Tirmidhī)

By making du‘ā, we create a special connection with Allāh ta‘ālā whereby love for Him increases, faith in Him strengthens and the doors of boundless mercy are opened for us. If we do not ask from our Creator, we will never be able to create that special relationship.

Take the example of two people, one who is poor and needy and the other who is wealthy and eager to find opportunities to assist the needy. If the poor man were never to ask the rich man for assistance, he would never develop any relationship with him. However, by asking for assistance, a degree of recognition is created. If, at every time of need, he asked the rich person for help, and the rich person gave, then this would surely create love for the rich man in the poor man’s heart. Similarly, witnessing the helplessness and neediness of the poor man, mercy would increase in the heart of the rich man, and he would regard this needy person instrumental in gaining the Pleasure of the Creator. He would advise the poor man not to be hesitant in asking him for help whenever the need arises. Soon the relationship would become such that the rich man would not wait for the poor man to ask, but would bestow his generosity upon him even before that. This is just an example of how mere mortals would behave; the Mercy and Grace of Allāh ta‘ālā are beyond imagination!

Remember, du‘ā is the weapon of the believer. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said:

Verily, du‘ā is beneficial against that (affliction) which has descended as well as that which has not [yet] descended; so hold fast, O bondsmen of Allāh, to du‘ā. (At-Tirmidhī)

So we should always remain steadfast with du‘ā. Holding fast to the following points will inshā’allāh help in this regard:

1. We need to create a habit of asking Allāh ta‘ālā for all our needs in every situation. Whether a matter is big or small, difficult or easy, we should turn to Allāh ta‘ālā. Our attitude should be that even in circumstances where we are fully confident of success, du‘ā is still our first step. Even for trivial everyday needs we need to adopt the habit of turning to Allāh ta‘ālā. Our first recourse should be du‘ā and thereafter asbāb (means). Unfortunately, our approach is to turn to asbāb first and then to du‘ā, or more precisely, when the asbāb do not deliver the desired result we turn to du‘ā. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has advised us that even if the strap of a sandal breaks, we should ask Allāh ta‘ālā first before going about getting it repaired. (At-Tirmidhī)

2. Make it a practice to say a short du‘ā after every good deed, whether you are in need or not. In reality we are always in need, but sometimes we get the impression that we have no needs. Our circumstances all look favourable; we are healthy, we have sufficient finances, we have security, our children are obedient, etc. The question is: Can we be sure that these circumstances will remain same? We also need to think a little deeper: is my death on Īmān guaranteed? What about the stages of the grave? How will I fare on the Day of Resurrection? In reality, we are always in need and so should always adopt the habit of making du‘ā, even for a short while, after every good deed. If we are short of time, then there are some very concise yet comprehensive supplications which we can make at such moments, e.g.

3. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has taught us many beautiful supplications for various occasions that are amazing in their precision, conciseness, depth of meaning and appropriateness to the occasion. Contemplating their meanings increases one’s faith and love for Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. This is such a great favour of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam upon us that we can never repay even if we were to spend our entire lives sending salutations upon him.

Prior to my recent operation, I thought it opportune to request my akābir (elders) to make du‘ā for me. Amongst those who are especially affectionate to me is my respected Shaykh, Hadrat Mawlānā Qamaruz-Zamān sāhib hafizahullāh. During our conversation, only moments before the operation, Hadrat advised me to recite one of the supplications of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam that Hadrat Shāh Wasīyullāh sahib rahimahumallāh used to frequently read.

O Allāh, I ask You for a pure life and a peaceful death and a return that is neither disgraceful nor dishonourable.

Although, this supplication is of a general nature and not stipulated for this particular situation, however, whilst pondering over the meaning of this du‘ā, I felt as if it was especially devised for the very situation I was in. All supplications of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam are priceless gems, if only we were to value them. We should learn them and make them part of our daily lives. This will also help us maintain the remembrance of Allāh ta‘ālā throughout the day.

4. There are also many supplications of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam that are not specific to any occasion. Our mashāyikh have gone to great lengths to compile these in book form so that we can benefit from them. We should make it a practice to read these compilations so that we can reap their benefits in both worlds.

Two famous compilations are Al-Hizb Al-A‘zam and Munājāt-e-Maqbūl. It is best if we can read both daily, otherwise at least one. If this is also difficult then at the least the abridged version of Al-Hizb Al-A‘zam should be read. Similarly, Allāh ta‘ālā granted me the tawfīq to compile those supplications in which Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam sought refuge from certain things. This compilation, called Al-Mu‘awwadhāt, will also bring great benefit if included in one’s daily practices. Istighfār is also a form du‘ā. I was also granted the tawfīq to compile the phrases of istighfār from the Qur’ān in a small booklet, and this will also be of great benefit as part of one’s daily practices.

Let us hold fast to du‘ā. It is a priceless gift and powerful tool granted to us by Allāh ta‘ālā and we should recognise it as such. We should not regard the great gift of du‘ā as a burdensome ritual carried out without any real interest or understanding of its importance.

Courtesy Riyādul Jannah

Categories
Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

Seven Important and Precious Advices


22nd Rabi’ul Awwal 1436 AH ~ Tuesday 13th January 2015 

Seven Important and Precious Advices
regarding Recent Events

by Shaykh-ul-Hadith, Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullah

During these critical times, when the Prophet Muhammad sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is abused and ridiculed the Muslims should observe the following:

1. With love and reverence, carefully study the beautiful life of our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam from authentic reliable sources.

2. Frequently make mention of this beautiful life to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

3. Distribute leaflets and booklets which cover aspects of this great life far and wide.

4. Give place to his illuminating teachings in your daily life so that others can appreciate the greatness of his exemplary conduct.

5. Send salutations and greetings upon him in abundance.

6. Supplicate to Allāh ta‘ālā, beseeching Him to pardon our sins and to grant us assistance and protection from all evil.

7. Exercise patience and remain within the boundary set by our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.

http://www.idauk.org/publications/leaflet61.html

Download the above above advices in poster format in the following languages:
English (PDF)
French (PDF)
Spanish (PDF)
Arabic (PDF)
Urdu (PDF)
Categories
Shaykh Saleem Dhorat

The New Year


 The New Year
by Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh

Having just completed the year, the ‘New Year’ is seen and heard all around us. However, the question remains as to what should be a Muslim’s take on these events.

Upon the passing of a year, the common trend is to celebrate; people have birthday parties, wedding anniversaries etc. However, in certain spheres this is not the case; take the example of a businessman who at the end of the (financial) year will first take stock of the past year. He will meticulously go through the accounts of the past year taking into account every single penny. He will check to see if he made a profit, and if so then how can he make more in the coming year. He will check his expenses: where did he spend his money? Can he make further savings? All of this is done so that he can make the coming year more profitable than the one that has passed.
This should be the case at the end of the year in every Muslim’s life for we too have been sent to this world as businessmen with the commodity of time; which is life. We will have to one day give account for every second in the Court of Allāh ta‘ālā, when our books of deeds shall be presented.

We will bring forth a book for him that he will find wide open, (and We will say to him) ‘Read your book. Enough are you today to take your own account.’ (17:13-14)

‘Umar radhiyallāhu ‘anhu, emphasising the same, says:

Take stock of your own lives before Allāh ta‘ālā reckons you. And assess yourself before you are assessed by Allāh. And prepare yourselves for the great summoning.

It is our belief that on the Day of Judgement Allāh ta‘ālā will reckon us for everything that we did in the world.

On the day when everybody shall find present before him whatever good he did and whatever evil he did, he will wish there would have been a wide space between him and that (day). (3:30)

No matter how minute or trivial an act we did, we will find that it is present in our book of deeds.

So, whoever does any good act (even) to the weight of a particle will see it. And whoever does evil (even) to the weight of a particle will see it. (99:7-8)

This will be to the extent that in awe people will say:

‘Woe to us! What a book is this! It has missed nothing, minor or major, but has taken it into account.’ Thus they will find whatever they did present before them, and your Lord will not wrong anyone. (18:49)

We need to keep this reality in mind and spend our lives with regular reflection on our actions with Murāqabah and Muhāsabah. Murāqabah means to supervise and oversee oneself to ensure that he/she stays away from disobediences of Allāh ta‘ālā and spends every moment seeking the Pleasure of Allāh ta‘ālā. Muhāsabah means taking account of one’s activities at the end of the day, week and year; and thanking Allāh ta‘ālā for the ability to have performed any good actions and seeking forgiveness for any sins one may have committed. Inshā’allāh, if this is adhered to, then we will see a great change in our lives. We will find ourselves spending every second of our lives with great care.

The end of a year is a time to reflect and say to yourself, ‘Another year from my precious life has passed. Who knows how many more years, if any, I have remaining?’ Let us spend them in those avenues that bring the pleasure of Allāh ta‘ālā and stay away from those things that bring His displeasure, so that we can meet Allāh ta‘ālā in a state that He is pleased with us.

© Riyādul Jannah

Categories
Miscellaneous Muslim men

Muslim Unity

By Khalid Baig – (From the book ‘First Things First’)

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The article below is adapted from two talks of Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah have mercy on him) given in 1963 and published in the booklet Wahdat e Ummat.

“I gave a lot of thought to the causes of the sorry state of the Ummah, during the years of captivity in Malta,” said Shaykh-ul-Hind Mawlana Mahmoodul Hassan (Allah have mercy upon him). It was 1920, and at 69 not only was he one of the most distinguished scholars of his time, he had also spent a lifetime in political struggle. His audience was a gathering of Ulama, eager to hear the lessons of a lifetime of study, struggle and reflection. His conclusion: “Our problems are caused by two factors; abandoning the Qur’an and our infighting.” He spent the few remaining days of his life addressing these causes.

The reasons Shaykhul Hind (Allah have mercy upon him) stated are as valid today as they were then. They are also related; the second being caused by the first. The Qur’an had declared us as one Ummah and had warned us against infighting. We have ignored those teachings and the billion-strong Ummah has turned into an Ummah fragmented into a billion segments.

A very large number of our internal battles are the result of narrowly defined self-interest. Islam could have been the force that helped us overcome that. Unfortunately, instead of letting it fulfil that role, today we have made even religion provide us with additional and irresolvable points of conflict. We fight over petty issues of fiqh. We fight over fine points of religious interpretation. We turn minor points of religious law into big battlegrounds while most important and fundamental teachings of religion are violated.

We all do this even as this religion has been under attack from all directions. Thousands of people become apostates every year in Pakistan. Qadianis (who declare Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian to be a prophet), and munkireen e hadith have been busy attracting our new generation to their falsehoods. Haram is being declared as Halal. Our masses are ignorant of their religion and easily indulge in customs borrowed from polytheists. On top of all that is the western culture of hedonism, of shamelessness, of moral anarchy, that is invading our societies through film, television, radio and obscene literature.[And we might add now the internet.] Corruption of all sorts has permeated all layers of our society. Should not we be reflecting on this and asking ourselves what would the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) expect of us, the heirs of the Prophets? In the hereafter shall we be able to give a sufficient answer by mentioning that we wrote a book on rafa-yadain (the issue of raising hands during certain movements in obligatory prayer)?

Once I saw Mawlana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Allah have mercy upon him) in a very sad mood. What is the matter? I asked. “I have wasted my whole life,” he said. “You have spent your entire life in spreading Islamic teachings. Thousands of your disciples are themselves Ulama who are serving the religion. If that is a waste, what hope can anyone else have?” I insisted. “Look, what has been the main thrust of all our efforts,” he replied. “It has been to show why Hanafi school is better than others. Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy upon him) did not need this. His grandeur did not need our approval. Imam Shafi’ee (Allah have mercy upon him), Imam Malik (Allah have mercy upon him) and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Allah have mercy upon him) could not care less about it. All that one can ever prove in these matters is that a certain position is right but has the probability of being wrong and the other position is wrong but has the probability of being right. Moreover, these issues will not be resolved even in the hereafter. For Allah (be He glorified) will not humiliate Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’ee, Imam Malik or Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal by showing that they were in error.” Then he added: “Today when the roots of Islam are under attack, we have been busy taking care of the leaves.”

It is not that debates or disagreements in religious interpretation are themselves evil. Today, many western educated Muslims, with scant understanding of their religion do think that way. Some even suggest that we should bury all fiqhi schools and create a new one. This is neither possible nor desirable. Difference of opinion are inevitable wherever people have both intellect and honesty. Complete consensus on every issue is only possible when everyone is dumb, so they cannot think of a different idea, or they are dishonest so they willingly agree with a position they consider wrong. After all religious interpretations are not so personal rights that can be sacrificed away.

The problem rather occurs when we overstate these differences. There were difference of opinions in Fiqh amongst the companions, the Successors and great Mujtahideen. They disagreed but did they not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other.

The brotherhood remained intact.

They had tolerance for the other view.

How can we have tolerance for something we know is wrong? Of course we cannot have any tolerance for anything clearly established as wrong by the Qur’an or Hadith. We can never show accommodation for apostasy. We can never agree on changing the Shariah’s established definitions of halal and haram. But beyond this there are issues about which the Qur’an and Sunnah are silent or are subject to more than one interpretation.

Here the Mujtahideen deduce the intent of the Qur’an and Sunnah based on their based ability. Here disagreements are possible. As long as those involved are qualified Mujtahideen (like the four respected Imams), their differing views have to be respected. We can follow only one opinion, and we should try and determine the one closest to the intent of the Shariah, but we cannot declare opposing views as evil. We exaggerate when we deal with people holding valid opposing views as if they were outside the bounds of Islam.

Overstatement (ghuloo) is the main cause of most fights involving our religious groups. It also happens with Islamic organizations. Most are doing useful work in the areas they have chosen based on their abilities and inclinations. Had they developed a spirit of cooperation and considered their differences as just a natural division of labour, together they could have become a formidable force. Unfortunately, each one of them considers their work and methodology as the only methodology for Islamic work. If a person leaves one of these organizations to join another, he is treated as if he recanted his faith. This is ghuloo. It produces the tribalism of Jahiliya (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) among religious workers.

Pious people are not extinct today. What we sorely need are the reformers who can rise above their narrow perspectives and heed the universal and unifying call of Islam

The ship and the lifeboats (This section contains Khalid Baig’s reflections on the above).

The above comments of Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah have mercy upon him) regarding ghuloo (overstatement) and tribalism in Islamic workers need to be understood in light of Muslim experience with colonialism and its aftermath. Colonialism had hit them hard. It subjugated them physically, politically, economically, culturally and mentally. It was like a big crash in which their ship was destroyed. In the immediate aftermath, survival was the main goal, and people came with whatever lifeboats they could. After the formal ending of direct colonial rule after decades of struggle, there was the time to pick up the pieces and build the ship again. The problem is they had been living in the lifeboats for so long, they confused them with the ships. They still do.

The schools for secular education were one such lifeboat. They imparted some skills necessary for survival in a changed world, although they impoverished Muslim education and society tremendously in so many ways. But today so many well-meaning people who get excited about spreading education in the Muslim world think of nothing more than establishing more of these same schools. Campaigns for “democracy,” whatever it means, were another such lifeboat, aimed at returning control of Muslim affairs to them thereby seeking liberation. Today, democracy or no democracy, nowhere do Muslims have any control over their affairs, but this lifeboat has become a ship and Khilafah, the Islamic system of governance, remains a strange entity.

Most important, Islamic organizations were such a lifeboat, aimed at gathering likeminded people so they could focus their resources and energies on some of the important things. Islamic teachings encompass our entire life and no private organisation can handle all of them to the exclusion of others. Charity is a big part of Islam and it needs organized efforts. So does Islamic education. And calling to Islam. And amr-bil-maroof-wa-nahee-anil-munkar. And the struggle on the battlefield. And so on. Those engaged in media, political, charitable, or other struggles are all part of the jihad. In the absence of the Khilafah, these are all lifeboats. Yet each of them is considered to be the ship by its occupants and captains, thereby creating new lines of cleavage within the Ummah.

The claim that what an organization is doing is the task that needs to be done and the way it is doing it, is the only Islamically legitimate way of doing it, is as damaging as it is common. It helps recruitment for a particular organization but hurts the overall cause. It may make the riders of the lifeboat feel good, but it pushes further the day when we can build the ship again. Little do we realize that one cannot live forever in the lifeboats.

The attitude also betrays lack of appreciation of the current situation of the Ummah. Since the formal end of colonialism we have been living with its legacies. One of them is an education system that we embraced as a ticket out of our miseries during that period of oppression; it compounded our problems by producing self-doubt and self-hate. It produced generations of perfect strangers within the house of Islam, who were then – for this “acheivement” – given leadership roles in all areas of Muslim societies. They hated their languages, their culture, and their religion. It is such people who rule the Muslim world today.

Simultaneously, a whole gamut of institutions, from sophisticated research centers to slick media, is dedicated to the campaign to sow doubts, to spread confusion, and to denigrate Islam. In hot spot after hot spot around the world, the sword is busy prosecuting a war on Islam. The pen is busy in both conducting a war on Islam and in trying to foment a war within Islam.

With that armada arrayed against it, not only the ship is missing here, but the lifeboats cannot even make a fleet because of their illusion that each of them is not a lifeboat but the ship.

This is not to suggest that the situation is entirely hopeless. For these are also the times when people all over the world are coming to Islam in unprecedented numbers. At a time when Muslims have lost control of the sword and the pen, Islam is finding new followers everywhere everyday. (It is quite revealing that even as Islam continues to spread despite the sword, some people continue to insist that it spread by the sword).

Within the Muslim world there are signs of awakening. Muslims are coming back to Islam after having toyed with one false ideology after another. More women are choosing Hijab and are becoming more assertive about it as a symbol of their Islamic identity. There is a greater interest in Islamic knowledge. Qur’an lectures are attracting crowds that were not seen in the past. The nature of the questions people ask about Islam is also changing. There are more “how to” and “what to” questions than “why” questions coming from the secular educated groups. As a small indicator of the new trend, the Biswa Ijtimas (annual gatherings of Tablighi Jamat in Bangladesh) lately have attracted around two million attendees. What is more, they come from widely varying segments of society. A parallel growth can be seen in Islamic activism. Politics, media, relief and charity, education, and community service are all attracting new workers and new organizations. There is new enthusiasm, new energy, and new awareness.

Can we imagine how much speedier our recovery could be if we rose above our petty perspectives, pooled our resources, and recognised the difference between the lifeboats and the ship?

Allah purify our hearts and unify our souls. Ameen.

Categories
Dhulm/Oppression

In Plain English…

I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Satan,

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

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“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.” [Surah Ale Imran: 103]

“There was no Racism between the Companions of the Prophet (SAW), for they all believed in the principle that the most honourable amongst them was the one with the most Taqwa.” [Shaykh Saleem Dhorat Saheb, IDA, Leicester.]

From the title, you may already have figured out the contents of this article are going to be pretty hard-hitting, straightforward, straight to the point, somewhat bitter and a bit of a rollercoaster ride for those of us who are not accustomed to listening to the truth.

Out of the many problems we see in society, Racism is one that is still prevalent in our societies.

However, Racism is an issue that is still one that is not something that we see commonly discussed; not in the Mosques, not on the pulpits, nor do we often hear talks and lectures on this topic, why is this the case?

Is it because we feel hypocritical talking about it?

Is it because we don’t think we can eradicate Racism from our communities, that the problem has gone too far?

Is it because we are proud of being Racists?

Or is it simply, we just don’t find anything wrong with Racism, because we have normalised it within our homes, within our towns, within our cities, it has become so main scale in everyday society now?

Whatever the reason is, it is not a justified one!

“Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust” (1)

[Prophet Muhammad Sall’Allahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam]

Racism should be a key area of concern within our communities if we truly believe in the principles of justice, fairness and equality.

After having lived in a small town in the North West of England, (Blackburn), for the last 30 years, I have seen and heard enough comments and remarks made in this small community, to muster up the courage In Sha Allah, and write this as a response to ‘all that goes on’ behind closed doors.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dealt with these issues of Racism 1400 years ago. When Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) with, “You son of a black woman!” and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) got insulted, he went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

He told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “O Messenger of Allah, … this is what Abu Dharr has said to me.”　

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Abu Dharr and said, “O Abu Dharr you are a man who still has the traits of ignorance in him! I am equally the son of a black woman, as I am the son of a white woman.” (This is because He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was breastfed by a black woman).

In another narration, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You are a man who calls to Jahiliyyah, whoever calls to the call of Jahiliyyah, he will be in the fire of Jahannam!” And the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) asked, “What if he prays and fasts?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Even if he prays and he fasts.”

This was simply because Racism was prevalent amongst the Arabs before Islam, but after Islam, it was successfully eradicated.

Some of us are impressed and inspired and even enthralled by the colour of people’s skin, this demonstrates just how shallow, we as Muslims have become.

Look around the world and you will see how, in particular countries, there are two individuals of equal education, two employees doing the same job, but one is paid more than the other!

Why?

Simply because one is white and one is of a darker complexion!

This is our state, we are mesmerised by the colour of a person’s pigmentation.

Now let’s look at how deeply these traits are entrenched within us…

We don’t need any interference from the US or anyone else to destroy us or disunite us – we do too good a job of it ourselves! If we delve deeper in to the history of how many states across  the globe ‘achieved’ so-called ‘independence’ as a separate entity in itself as a ‘new’ country, just look at any one of these countries, be this the abolishing of the state formerly known as ‘Hindustan’, the regions within the Yugoslav area, or even as recently as a few years ago when Sudan was split in to two, North Sudan and South Sudan. The reason why these countries separated and new border lines were created was simply because of the inherent preference of tribalism and ancestral pride, over the call of ‘La Ilaha Illa Allah!’

Isn’t this what we see everywhere in the Ummah, around the globe, in the UK and right here in Blackburn? All we see is people defending their ‘own’ – how often do we hear the following statements on our very own streets?

“My country is the best!”

“My tribe is the most honoured!”

“My family has more prestige and honour than yours!”

We see Arabs who think that they are more superior than non-Arabs, Indians thinking that they are better than Pakistanis, and Somalis thinking that they are higher than Sudanese people.

IT NEVER FINISHES!

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve – an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black, nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piety and good action.” This was stated in the Prophet’s SAW last sermon on the Ninth Day of Dhul-Hijjah, 10 A.H. in the ‘Uranah valley of Mount Arafat in Makkah. He SAW further added:

Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer for your deeds. So, beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. (2)

Closer to home, all we hear is:

“I’m a Bharuchi!”

“I’m a Surti!”

“I’m a Raja!”

“I’m a Chaudhary!”

And calls of “We are better than you!”

“Our Masjid is better than yours!”

“Our Madrasah is bigger than yours!”

What a pitiful state we find ourselves in, how low have we stooped since the golden days of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when individuals were brothers by faith, not by tribalism, pigmentation, wealth or status.

Brothers and Sisters, by Allah!

When we are lowered into our graves, Allah is not going to ask us, if we were a Surti or a Bharuchi, rather Allah will ask us if we divided the Ummah with our words. You will be asked, “Who is your Lord?” “Which is your religion?” “Who is your Prophet?” You will NOT be asked, “Which country are you from?”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him ) said, “He is not from amongst us, who fights for Nationalism.”

How many times do we see sisters failing to get married, because although they may have found a suitable brother to marry, he wasn’t from the same country as she was, or from the same village as their family in India, they remain unmarried? We would apparently rather deprive our daughters of a good life, of a happy life, simply because our pride gets the better of us? How selfish and proud have we become? How blinded by nationalism and tribalism have we become?

I say to my Bharuchi brothers and sisters, as well as Surti brothers and sisters – you only have ONE bridge that separates you in Gujarat. Why are your hearts divided? You hate each other as though you are enemies! And now for my Indian Muslims and my Pakistani Muslims, you are only separated by ONE border, but the Kalimah unites you – remain united.

On a positive note, it is nice to see inter-racial marriages, Indians marrying Pakistanis, Bharuchis marrying Surtis and Bengalis marrying Pakistanis. I believe this was the practice in Ancient Arabia to defuse friction between clans. But, having said that, we still find some parents very staunch – Allah purify our hearts. Ameen.

“If there comes to you one whose religious commitment and attitude pleases you, then marry [your female relative who is under your care] to him, for if you do not do that, there will be tribulation on earth and much corruption.” (3)

We must remember that every race and nation has its good qualities and bad qualities.

What follows is something I wasn’t going to include in this post, but just to open our minds a little, so that we can look ‘beyond our noses’ – below is my opinion on the khayr and goodness in some races:

Arabs –

Generally, as an Asian myself, I find that as Asians we look down on Arabs because of their outer appearance (dhahir) doesn’t look ‘Islamic’. Although the Hadith clearly states that Allah looks at the heart, not the outer look (albeit identity is important in my opinion), Arabs are at the top of the list when it comes to generosity and hospitality. Which nation can we say supersedes us all in certainty and yaqeen? In firmness and conviction?

Bengalis –

I have always found Bengalis to be the most humble and open-hearted of people. We don’t have as many in Blackburn but sadly, it seems that they are looked down upon wherever they are situated.

Gujaratis –

As a Gujarati myself, I find that it is difficult to deal with your own ethnic group impartially. It is difficult to deal with your own whilst being fair. I believe that Gujaratis are known for their Islamic productivity – they are well advanced and are usually ahead of everyone else when it comes to building Islamic schools and Madrasahs. Gujaratis educate their sons and daughters thoroughly in terms of the deen, and produce Hafidh and Alim(ahs) in abundance – although, at times, this sometimes leads to their haughtiness.

Pakistanis –

Who else can we find that fight for causes of justice and stand up for the Ummah more than Pakistani men and women?

Who else can we find with pure hearts, sincerity and honesty more than Pakistanis?

Who else can we find with more Gheerah/Ghayrat (protective jealousy) than Pakistanis?

Unfortunately, Pakistanis are judged by the actions of a few ignorant ones and thus they are deemed to be one and the same.

The respected and honourable Malcolm X (Allah have mercy on him) a Muslim Human rights activist once said. “That it would probably do America well to study the religion of Islam and perhaps it could drive some of the Racism from this society as it has driven Racism from the Muslim society”.

Charles. R. Swindoll said: “Prejudice is a learned trait. You are not born prejudiced, you are taught it.”

How far have we drifted from this? From the equality that Islam has delivered to us.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Two matters are signs of disbelief on the part of those who indulge in them: Defaming and speaking evil of a person’s lineage, and wailing over the dead.” [Muslim].

Let us take a look at our Masajid, places that are meant to be places of worship and places for devotion and acquiring the Love of Allah, in Islam we call them the ‘Houses of Allah’. But how many of these Masajid do we know that have constitutions that are built on Racism! I am no great scholar, but just as Alcohol is Haram, Fornication is Haram, Murder is Haram, similarly, Racism is also Haram.

Let alone the same country, if you are not from ‘our village’ in India you cannot be a member of our Masjid. And it doesn’t end there, we don’t allow Non-Indians to become members of our Masajid, so we charge their children extra fees in the Madrasah.

How is that even remotely fair, when an Indian child and Pakistani child receive the same level of education?

Why the discrimination?

Simply because his father is from Pakistan?

To be judged on ethnicity? Something we cannot choose, something that Allah has chosen for us!

Shame on such Masajid and shame on such racist committees. I have always wanted to ask one question to such people,

“Why do you take Lillah (charity) money off Pakistanis and Bengalis to use in the Masjid?”

The position I hold is if they can’t be members, then equally refuse their Lillah donations. But no we won’t do that, we quickly and greedily take their money! Other Masajid, on the other hand, will not even give Ghusl (ritual bath for the deceased) if the deceased is a Pakistani. La Hawla Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah!

I won’t stop there, in the United Kingdom we have certain graveyards where only people from a certain province/state in India can be buried there. One wonders how do such committee members sleep at night, and more importantly, once they sleep in their graves how will they answer to Allah on the Day of Judgement?

I remember in high school my Science teacher once said, “I don’t know if there is a God but he sure did make a mistake creating everyone different colours!” At that time I was highly offended and did not have an answer, later in life, however, I did Alhumdu Lillah. So this is for him and all those who fail to understand why Allah made everyone from different tribes and nations:

“O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (3)

Do we not recall how the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were of different skin colours, different cultures, varying races yet they loved each other more than blood brothers.

Bilal Ibn Rabah, Wahshy Ibn Harb, Sumayyah bint al-Khayyat, Usama Ibn Zayd (Allah be pleased with them) were all from Ethiopia or surrounding areas.

Salman Abu Abdullah and Fayruz al-Daylami (Allah be pleased with them) were from Persia.

Suhaib Ibn Sinaan (Allah be pleased with him) was from the provinces of Rome, Abu Dharr (Allah be pleased with him) was from Gifar, Al-Najashi was an Abyssinian King who converted to Islam, Maryah (Allah be pleased with her) the Copt was the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Nabi Musa ﷺ, Dawood ﷺ, Sulayman ﷺ, Yahyaﷺ and Isaﷺwere Hebrew (Bani Israa’il). Peace be upon them all.
Muhammad ﷺ , his caliphs and most of his companions were Arab.
Salahuddin (Allah have mercy on him) and Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy on him) (mother’s side) were Kurdish.
Imam Abu Hanifah (Allah have mercy on him), Imam Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) Imam Tirmidhi (Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Muslim bin Hajjaj (Allah have mercy on him) were Persians (Faris).
Muhammad al-Fatih (Allah have mercy on him), Selim and Suleyman (Allah have mercy on him) were Turks.
The Mughal Empire’s rulers were Mongol (central Asian) and the great muhaddithin of South Asia were Indians (Allah have mercy on them).
Tariq bin Ziyad (Allah have mercy on him) was a Berber, Ibn Hazm (Allah have mercy on him) was Andalusian, the Mamluks (Allah have mercy on him) were Turkic and Circassians and the list goes on and on…
In all of this is a constant reminder that nationalism, racism and tribalism are simply inconsistent with Islamic teaching and its history.
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” The Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Hujuraat (The rooms), Ayah 13.

 

The differences in language, colour and race were not considered as levels of quality or degrees of superiority but rather as an expression of diversity and richness in Humanity.

We loudly and proudly attribute ourselves to Islam and its teachings, but we fail to practise upon what Islam really says. We narrate stories to our children in Madrasah of how Bilal Ibn Rabah  (Allah be pleased with him) suffered in the streets of Makkah and how his rank was elevated to that of the Mu’addhin (caller to prayer) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), despite formerly being a slave and despite being from Ethiopia. We have numerous Masajid named after Bilal (Allah be pleased with him), absolutely beautiful Masajid costing over a million pounds, ‘MASJID BILAL’, but if Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) was alive today, would he even be allowed to become a member of your Masjid? We all know that his descendants are refused.

I personally have had my own experience, where I have walked into a Masjid and been made to feel unwelcome. Simply because I do not share the same village in India. For the record, I am neither a Surti nor a Bharuchi, nor does it matter. Neither should I feel the need to state what I am. My belief is that we should judge people by their words and actions, not stereotype people and look at the village they are from or where their ancestors descend from. I humbly request some of these racist, xenophobic, ethnocentric and nationalistic brothers and sisters to remove the pride and the prejudice from their hearts. Islam is not JUST about Salah and Sawm, it is also about the purity of the heart. A biased and racist person can never have a clean heart. Imam Ibnul Qayyim (Allah illuminate his grave) used to say, “If you want to get a taste of a person’s heart look at his tongue.”

Finally, I would like to end something which might seem slightly off topic, but I feel that it is related to the issue of ‘Unity’.

As we see the Ummah divided from every angle, in every shape and form, it is quite evident that it is not just race and nationality that divides us. We see different sects of the Muslim Ummah fighting and bickering over Fiqhi and sometimes hair-splitting issues; the mind boggles… I wish to elaborate more on this in a future blog In Sha Allah, but for the benefit of  readers I will start with a quote that dates back to 1920, Shaykhul Hind Mawlana Mahmoodul Hassan (Allah sanctify his secret) was only 69, not only was he one of the most distinguished scholars of his time, he had also spent a lifetime in political struggle. His audience was a gathering of Ulama, eager to hear the lessons of a lifetime of study, struggle and reflection. His conclusion: “Our problems are caused by two factors; abandoning the Qur’an and our infighting.” He spent the few remaining days of his life addressing these causes. (4)

The reasons Shaykhul Hind (Allah sanctify his secret) are as valid today as they were then. They are also related; the second being caused by the first. The Qur’an had declared us as one Ummah and had warned us against infighting. We have ignored those teachings and the billion-strong Ummah has turned into an Ummah fragmented into a billion segments.

Some people blame the four madhabs for the disunity. but if we look at each of the four Imams and their biographies we will see, not once did they promote this sort of sectarianism. Fiqh is fiqh, it is not Aqeedah/Beliefs.

As Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah our roots and fundamentals are the same,

One Allah, One Prophet, One Qur’an and one Qiblah, why are we not ONE Ummah?

Jannah has room for everyone! We seriously need to be careful before we declare people ‘Kafir’. It doesn’t matter if you are a Barelwi, Deobandi, Mawdoodi or a Salafi – Jannah certainly has room for us all, why do we choose to narrow the mercy of Allah? Why do we choose to divide on Fiqhi issues? Don’t get me wrong – debates and discussions are a good thing, when done sincerely, not merely for argument’s sake. The problem rather occurs when we overstate these differences. There was a difference of opinions in Fiqh amongst the companions, the Successors and great Mujtahideen. They disagreed but did they not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other.

The Brotherhood remained intact.

They had tolerance for the other view.

As I follow the Deobandi school of thought, I talk to my own first – because I believe that is the Qur’anic principle “Rectify your own first.” It is easy to get defensive and blame others, and I know amongst us Deobandis we have many people who harbour hatred, hate mongers and those that divide and cause disunity intentionally. Many claim that their organisation is doing the task that is the most important, and the work which is the only work of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them). A simple answer to those dear brothers, Jannah has eight doors, not one! People were created for different purposes, some preach, some teach and some are busy writing books, Allah accept one and all.

I end with a quote from Brother Malcolm X (Allah have mercy on him), “Our people have made the mistake of confusing the methods with the objectives. As long as we agree on objectives, we should never fall out with each other just because we believe in different methods, or tactics, or strategy.”

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (One who is in dire need of Allah’s Forgiveness, Mercy and Pleasure).

20 Rabeeul Thanee 1436

An article written on the completion of reading the biography of Malcolm X RH. I believe he was a man of courage and strength, a man who stood up for his people. Such men are rare to be found, we have a LOT of males, but very few men. One of his famous quotes, “To come right down to it, if I take the kind of things in which I believe, then add to that the kind of temperament that I have, plus 100% dedication that I have to whatever I believe in, these are ingredients which make it just impossible for me to die of old age – I know these societies have often killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the Racist cancer that is malignant in America – then all credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.”

Malik al-Shabbaz (Allah illuminate his grave)

References:

(1) – (Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi)

(2) – (Bukhari, Muslim)

(3) – (Tirmidhi)

 (4) – (Hujurat:13)

 (5) – (Adapted from a talk in 1963 by Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan which was published in the booklet ‘Wahdat e Ummat’)