Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Blueprints: Building a Society on Prophetic Guidance

Thawr Institute Presents:

Blueprints: Building a Society on Prophetic Guidance



Friday, January 15th:

Jumu’ah at Old Redmond Schoolhouse - Imam Abdullah Madyun
I’tikaf Program for Brothers Starting at 7:30 pm

Saturday, January 16th:
Lectures 10 am - 10 pm

All events at Islamic Center of Redmond
18080 NE 68th St, Bldg. D
Redmond, WA 98052


All lectures will be in English
Brothers & Sisters welcome
Entry is Free


Guest Speakers:

SHAYKH JUNAID KHARSANY
Shaykh Junaid was born in South Africa in 1975. He memorized the Holy Qur’an at age of 15. His higher studies began at the Madrasah ‘Arabiyyah Islamiyyah in Azaadville, South Africa where he immersed himself in the study of Arabic, fiqh, hadith, the Qur’an, and related sciences. Soon after graduating in 1996, he began teaching hadith and tafsir at Islahul Muslimeen a seminary in Durban. Shaykh Junaid has long been involved in the work of da’wah and has served as a social worker and leader for a number of communities. He is currently Imam at Masjid Jamat Islam in Inglewood, California. He is also the founder of the Riyadhul Uloom Institute in Torrance, CA.

IMAM ABDULLAH YUSUF MADYUN

A Chicago native, Imam Abdullah Yusuf Madyun pursued the Higher Islamic Sciences and Arabic studies at Madinah University. He also spent time in the UAE advancing his Islamic education and living with scholars of varying cultural and educational traditions during his time there. Imam Abdullah is active in delivering lectures at universities throughout the US, da’wah programs, and Social Service activities throughout the Chicago area. Previously, he served as imam at Masjid al-Amin in Gary, Indiana for over five years and was the first ever Muslim chaplain in the state of Indiana. He is
currently serving his fourth year as imam of Masjid al-Ihsan.

SHAYKH AHMED PATEL

Shaykh Ahmed completed his memorization of the Qu’ran and higher Islamic studies at Darul-Uloom Bury, England, graduating in 1993. After graduation, he accepted the posi-tion of imam at the Islamic Center of Elizabethtown in Kentucky until 2004. Currently, he is the imam of the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Local Scholars include:

Shaykh Hamzah bin Maqbul
Shaykh Fadhl Hasan


For more information:
http://thawr.org
info@thawr.org
(425) 248 0560

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Heart of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him

The love of the messenger of Allah is a ticket to be with him on the day of judgment as is corroborated by a number of sahih narrations...


Have we ever thought of what effect our seemingly insignificant actions have on his living heart, sallallahu'alayhi wa sallam?
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(taken from deoband.org, slightly edited)

You opened my eyes!

By Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi
Translated by Shaykh Yusuf Laher

There was once a poet of liberal mind and thought. Some people’s hearts are sensitive, and he was one of them. Thus, his poetry was heart-rending and passionate. A person in Iran read his Persian poetry and thought that the poet must be a very pious person. So he traveled all the way from Iran to meet the poet.

When he reached the place where the poet lived, he sees that the poet is seated by the barber having his face shaven. The traveller became annoyed (because he thought the poet to be pious and now sees him shaving his beard and flouting the Sunnah). The traveller says to him [in Persian]: “My master! You are having your face shaved!” The poet answers: “Yes, I am having my face shaved, but I do not shave (hurt) the heart of anyone.” (It is a major sin to hurt the feelings of another.) The traveller spontaneously answered: “Yes! You are shaving the heart of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)!”

By this he meant that when the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) will be informed that a certain person is flouting the Sunnah, then he will be greatly distressed.

On hearing this, the poet’s eyes opened. His whole attitude and body language was saying:

“May Allah reward you, jazak-Allahu khayran for opening my eyes. Up till now I was blind. Today I have come to realize that I was causing hurt to the heart of Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)”

Taken from “Stories and Anecdotes Related by Mawlana Thanawi”, a compilation of stories and anecdotes related by Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his lectures, majalis, etc. Extracted and compiled by Mawlana Qari Abu ‘l-Hasan A’azimi.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Mawlana Ilyas Rahimahullah and Tabligh

Many people have benefited from the work of the Tablighi Jamat. Through it, Allah has given many a slave a chance to change their life for the better, learn to pray, fast, stay clean, and be tied to the sunnahs of our Nabi, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

For those like myself, who may have had some mixed or even downright negative experience with some individuals connected with this work. There are definitely some things that can use improvement and no group is without its problems, for sure.

All that being said, I thought that this post would be a beautiful look at the pure origin of the work of Tabligh, and the purity of its founder, Mawlana Ilyas, may Allah have mercy upon him. I haven't come across any reasonable person who could look at the life and sincerity of this person and not be lost in the fragrance of his wilayah, may Allah accept it from him and us.

So whether or not you want to join this work, or no matter how much a self-styled Ameer Sahib annoys you; however shameless the dervish-like tablighi insolently and ignorantly basks in his made up maqam of fana fit-tabligh, know that the work is noble, its origin is pure, its nisbat is high, and its barakat are profuse.

For those who are actively engaged in this work, I would encourage you to read this post and ponder over some of the disparities between the work as portrayed in it, versus what actually ends up happening, and maybe discuss it with some of the `ulama'. See the spirituality and spiritual connection with the messenger of Allah, sallallahualayhi wa sallam, the `ulama', the madrasah and the khanqah.

May Allah not withhold from us any of the khayr He divides up amongst his servants.

article taken from attalib.blogspot.com
lightly edited and emphasis added by humza
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Hazrat Maulana Ilyas (ra), Tablighi Jama'ah, and the 'Ulama

.
Maulana Muhammad Aslam Shaikhupuri (db)


It was an ache that it distressed him all the time; he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. was a worry that had engulfed all other worries; it was a topic, the explanation and elucidation of which took up all energies of his tongue and pen to the extent that writing on any other subject was a trial for him. He had written to Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Zakariyya (ra), "My heartfelt desire is that at least my brain, thought, time, and energy should be limited to nothing but this work." He used to say, "How can any other occupation be lawful for me when I see that the soul of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is distressed (because of the weakness of the Muslims' faith and the supremacy of kufr)?" One day an attendant complained that he saw a lack of attention and affection in his behavior as previously compared. He replied, "I am very busy; I feel that Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is in distress; I cannot pay attention to anything else."

He did not attend gatherings where there was little chance of putting forward his message; he disliked going for the sake of an obligation only. He used to say, "If you go to a place, go with your message and put it forward, keep your invitation above anything."

Once in Delhi, he had to perforce attend a wedding ceremony of an acquaintance. He addressed the gathering at the wedding thus, "Today is the happiest of days for you when even the lowliest is pleased; it is not done to displease even the sweeping woman………tell me! Do you have any concern of pleasing Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam)?" then he explained that the endeavor to revive the Deen brought by Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) was the greatest way to please him (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam).

This fine references are of the founder of the Tablighi Jamat, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas (Nawwarallahu Marqadahu), who adored calling to the Faith to such extent that all other pleasures and opinions were dimmed before them; this spiritual pleasure had become sensory and natural for him.

Once, Maulana had defined Ishq (adoration) as such: "The pleasures and interests of man that are divided between so many things come out and converge at one point. This is Ishq." This definition was personified in the Maulana himself. He used to sob and cry on the departure of the Ummah from its Deen. Sometimes he used to writhe in pain, sigh, sob, and complain, "O Allah! What else should I do? I am not doing enough." Sometimes he used to turn agonizingly on his bed, then get up and pace the room. One night his wife at last asked him, "What is the matter? Can you not sleep?" he answered, "What can I tell you? If you get to know what I do then the waking ones will become two."

The result of this heart ache and dedication to his aim was that in just a few years, the ache that had bothered one breast caught fire in hundreds. The Mewatis who had become half Hindu despite being called Muslims, who celebrated many of the Hindu festivals, whose villages rarely had a mosque in them, who even used to kill their newborns; suddenly, little beacons of light sprung up in the same Mewati dwellings. Mosques were built, religious schools and Madaris mushroomed, the number of Huffaz exceeded hundreds, and there was a good number of qualified 'Ulama. The birth of the love of Iman extinguished kufr. The customs and traditions that had come to be a way of life for them began to be eradicated. An experienced Mewati explained this in a very clear manner when he was asked what was happening in his area. He said, "I don't know anything else; what I do know is some things for which we used to strive and they did not happen, are happening on their own; some things which we tried to stop with battles and great endeavor and did not stop, are being stopped on their own."

Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ilyas (ra) had a keen concern that if the 'Ulama did not overlook the preaching and this task was left to the common man alone, it would develop alot of flaws. His wish was for the educated 'Ulama to take an interest in this task and use their God-gifted talents for the propagation of this work. Because most of his life Maulana had been associated with learning, he knew intimately the pursuits of the Madaris, its teachers, and students. He wanted them to join hands with this work of calling to God but he also wanted a way out that would help those of the Madaris in their learning, yet not interfere with it. He writes, "Deen can progress and develop according to the progress and development of learning, and under the progress and development of learning. It would be the greatest of losses if my movement caused any set back to learning. I do not mean by Tabligh to prevent or hurt progress towards learning…"

He used to council the groups going in the way of Allah for Tabligh to sit and learn from the gatherings of elders with the intention of improving oneself, and never to mention their own work in their presence. If the elders asked anything of their own accord, well and good; otherwise they were to keep silent. He wrote to Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Zakariyya (ra), "I have an old wish, that these groups benefit from the khanqahs, keeping to all the manners of khanqahs, and that the missionary work be done in particular timings in surrounding villages. (Please) make a plan concerning this after council with the coming groups. This humble person is also overwhelmed with the wish to attend with some companions; I am also thinking of Deoband and Thana Bhawan."

Hakim al-Ummah, Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali at-Thanwi (ra) was of the opinion that when 'Ulama educated for eight to ten years failed to solve some matters when on mission work, what would the ignorant Mewatis do without any formal education and training? His cautious and farsighted nature was unsatisfied and he feared some harm would come out of it. But when he received continuous news that the groups were working under supervision of the 'Ulama and getting guidance from them, and that they did not mention anything for which they were not allowed, he became satisfied.

The founder of the Jama'ah always tried to link the workers of Tabligh to the 'Ulama. He used to stress the importance of 'Ulama, the need to benefit from them, the rewards of meeting them, and used to teach the manners of talking to them. He used to educate the workers to take the best possible explanation of things they did not understand and keep their faith in the scholars. The results of this effort became apparent when those big businessmen who were against the 'Ulama started attending their gatherings with respect and reverence and invited them for discourses to their congregations. They did not have the condition that only those 'Ulama would give talks who had spent time in the Jamat; all authentic and righteous 'Ulama were invited.

The connection of Shaykh al-Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad al-Madani (ra) with politics was no secret, but he often gave discourses in gatherings although he had not spent any formal time in the Jamat. Shaykh Maulana Abul Hasan Ali an-Nadwi (ra), who was the heart and soul of Nadwat al-Ulama - and who was aware of the barrier between the Nadwa and the rest of the Madaris because of its special ambiance and isolation of some of its founders - his dealing with the founder of the Jamat was totally different. Hazrat Maulana Ilyas (ra) respected and loved all 'Ulama and so he did Maulana Abul Hasan Ali an-Nadwi (ra), and gave importance to his advice.

One day Maulana Abul Hasan Ali an-Nadwi (ra) said that although the Nadwa had always extended an affectionate hand towards the people of Deen, they had seldom had a positive response. "Thank God that he, Maulana Ilyas (ra), had been loving towards them." Tears ran down Maulana's face and he said, "What are you saying? Your Jamat is that of Deen; I am not in favour of leaving out even the people from Aligarh [i.e. the Muslims of secular education]."

Besides Maulana Abul Hasan Ali an-Nadwi (ra), Hazrat Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Nu'mani (ra) was also among Maulana's close associates. Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qadir Raipuri (ra) was also a frequent visitor [great shaykhs of knowledge and tasawwuf].

Not even a blind person can deny the fruit born by it; the whole world seems in a stir by its blessing, millions of people have been reformed by joining it; but despite all this, there is a need for guidance from the 'Ulama at each step. God forbid, if a rift is created between the Jamtat and the 'Ulama, and the 'Ulama are made to follow the Jamat instead of the other way round, it will have grave results for the religious circles.


Original article is entitled Tablighi Jamat and the Ulama.
Courtesy of Darsequran.com
.

Friday, December 04, 2009

The Grace of Tawbah

I just read this article through today's CAIR news roundup. It is absolutely incredible. Unbelievable. I have to admit, that when I read the original story, I balked.

To read that he seems to have made good on both his tawbah is nothing less than yet another miracle of our Nabi, sallallahu'alayhi wa sallam, and a shining manifestation of the divine mercy.

It just goes to show that:

a- You don't know what is truly in someone's heart.

b- The grace of Allah is such that if He hits someone with it, there is no holding it back. Allahu Akbar!

It reminds me in some way of the tawbah of Fudhayl bin Iyyadh, although, admittedly he made tawbah while robbing someone without having to be put at gunpoint. Nevertheless, may Allah give our friend a deen like that of that (and give our convenience store owner his share too).

Humza
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Robber Thanks Would-Be Victim For Saving His Life

A deli owner gives a $40 and a loaf of bread to a man who attempted to rob him.

By ERIC LUU
Updated 1:30 PM EST, Thu, Dec 3, 2009

Buzz up! TWITTER FACEBOOK

NBC New York

What can $40 and a loaf of bread do for a man?

Apparently it can turn a crook’s life around and help him get on track.

An ex-thug sent a thank-you note and a $50 bill to the Long Island deli owner who spared his life and saved him from a life of crime.

Back in May, the letter-writer attempted to rob the deli when the owner, Mohammed Sohail, 47, pulled out a rifle. But after the ex-crook pleaded for his life, explaining he was only doing this because his family was down on luck. Sohail spared the thief's life and gave him $40 and a loaf of bread.

"When you do good things for somebody, it comes back to you. I gave him $40 and he sent me back $50. It was a good investment," Sohail said, laughing.

The anonymous writer apologized to Sohail, his intended target. "First of all I would like to say I am sorry at the time I had [no] money no food on the table no job and nothing for my family," the ex-crook wrote.

The letter went on to say he "was wrong but I had [no] choice. I needed to feed my family," comments similar to those he made during the attempted robbery.

"When you had that gun to my head I was 100% that I was going to die," he wrote.

"Now I have a new child and good job make good money staying out of trouble and taking care of my family. You gave me forty dollars thank you for sparing my life. Because of that you change my life."

The letter-writer wrote that he initially said he would convert to Islam only because he feared for his life, but he has since followed through, according to the letter.

The Islam convert signed the letter: “Your Muslim Brother.”

"That's the same guy I gave $40 to," Sohail told the New York Post. He showcased the letter at his Shirley Express deli yesterday. The typewritten letter had no return address and was mailed on Long Island the week before Thanksgiving.

"I'm really thrilled," said Sohail. "I'm very happy for that guy, because he is now doing good for the community He has a job and he is a good person. I really feel great. Thank God he's doing good. He's got a new baby and he's not in jail."

Suffolk County police turned down the Post’s requests for comment until they have reviewed the letter. Detectives investigating the attempted robbery in were unable to track down the suspect after reviewing surveillance camera footage.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Sultan Alamgir and the Mimic

Alamgir and the Mimic

[taken from http://deoband.org/2009/11/history/anecdotes/alamgir-and-the-mimic/]

By Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi
Translated by Shaykh Yusuf Laher

When Alamgir (may Allah have mercy on him)1 became king, a function was held in which important people in the kingdom were granted gifts. A mimic also came to ask for something2. Due to Alamgir being an ‘Alim [and thus having knowledge of the laws of Shari'ah], there was no fund from which he could grant the mimic a gift. On the other hand, it was against royal etiquette to deny the mimic a gift, so he tried to evade him in a subtle way.

He said to the mimic: “A gift is presented on an achievement. Your achievement will be to present yourself in such a disguise that you are not recognised.” Thus the mimic kept on changing disguises and presenting himself, but the king never failed to recognise him. He told him that “The day you fool me, you will be worthy of receiving a reward.”

Incidentally, the king had to travel to Decca. The mimic lengthened his beard, adopted the appearance of the pious and went to stay in a village along the way [to Decca]. In a short time he became famous [as a pious person].

Alamgir’s practice was that wherever he travelled, he would make it a point to meet the pious en-route. When he reached this village, he heard of ‘the pious person’ residing here, and sent his minister to ask the pious person a few questions on Tasawwuf. The mimic gave all sensible answers to the questions. In those times the mimics would intentionally acquire every science (to assist them in their mimicry).

When the minister returned, he was full of praises for the mimic. The king now went himself to meet the mimic. They had a lengthy discussion and the king concluded that ‘Shah Sahib’ is a perfect saint. As he departed, the king presented one thousand ashrafis (gold coins) as a gift to the mimic. The mimic rejected the gift saying: “you consider me to be like yourself, a dog of this world!” This reaction increased the faith of Alamgir in this ‘pious person’.

[Mawlana Thanwi says]: undoubtedly, independence is a remarkable quality. Thereafter Alamgir returned to his entourage. Meanwhile, the mimic follows him and says: “Give my reward, may Allah protect you.” The king exclaims: Oh, it is you! Alamgir now presents him with a meagre reward and says to him: “Why did you not accept the gift I first presented which was much more than what I have now given you and I would never have demanded it back?” [He would not have demanded it back after coming to know that he is actually the mimic.] He answered: “Sir, if I had accepted that gift, the mimicry would not have been correct, because it was the mimicry of the dervishes. To accept it was contrary to the status of a dervish!”
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Taken from “Stories and Anecdotes Related by Mawlana Thanawi”, a compilation of stories and anecdotes related by Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his lectures, majalis, etc. Extracted and compiled by Mawlana Qari Abu ‘l-Hasan A’azimi.

1. Alamgir was a learned and pious king from the Mogul rulers of India. ↩
2. A mimic would disguise himself and if the person he presented himself to did not recognise him, he would be entitled to receive a gift in lieu of the successful disguise. If the person saw through the disguise, he (the mimic) would not receive anything. ↩

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Laughing At US and Not With US

I just read a BBC World News Headline entitled "Obama Orders Afghan Troop Surge."

Firstly, our pseudo-Muslim President sure does seem to be doing a slow job ending wars...

But more ironically, I cannot help but visualize people in such diverse places as Russia and Vietnam falling off their seats with laughter.

Barack, my man, you should watch the movie The Princess Bride (unless you actually are a Muslim, in which case, watching movies is HARAM), and specifically the part where it is so wisely mentioned that the most well known of the classic blunders is to oppose the maxim, "Never start a land war in Asia..."