The Big Step Revisited

A new podcast on The Big Step and related topics, with Brother Abdullah Yousef, is now available.

Please click here to listen to the podcast.

The Big Step (as well as all other Lulu print products) has a 15% discount this week, through July 1. Use the code HUSTLE15

Book Release: Man and Allah's Justice on Earth

 Alhamdulilah, the book is now available

From today, the book is available from Nawa Books and they ship worldwide. Insha'Allah, bookstores in Europe, North America and elsewhere will be stocking it soon. 

 Please click here to read an excerpt. 

And with Allah alone is every success!

The Mass Society vs. The Network Society

 A new discussion with Brother Imran Iskander Gani

Brother Imran and I discuss the difference between the mass society and the network society and how it affects Muslims, based on Chapter 6 of The Big Step. Please click here if the video does not show on your phone or tablet.

Further reading and podcasts:

Western Mass Education (Podcast: Anglosphere Schooling, based on Dumbing us Down by John Taylor Gatto) 

Madness is Rare in Individuals (Podcast: Book Review: The True Believer by Eric Hoffer)

An Utter Waste of Time and Money (a review of How to Watch TV News by Neil Postman and Steve Powers)

Fatwā Regarding the Suspension of the Jumuʿah Prayer and Khuṭbah as well as Congregational Prayers and all Other Gatherings in Masjids

A translation of this fatwa

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful
Fatwā of the Scholarly Fiqh Council of the Ministry of Endowments and the Scholars’ Union of Sham

Regarding the Suspension of the Jumuʿah Prayer and Khuṭbah and Congregational Prayers in Masjids because of the Coronavirus

· In accordance with the fiqhī rulings that are contained within the objectives of the Islamic Revealed Law for the sake of preserving life, protecting against illnesses as much as possible, and maintaining the physical health of those who are legally accountable;

· In accordance with the World Health Organization declaring that the coronavirus has become a global pandemic, and that nowhere in the world is removed from this danger;

· Out of concern for the well-being of those who pray and frequent the masjids, to support precautionary measures against the spread of gastric and infectious diseases, within measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus;

· In accordance with the necessary instructions issued by both governmental and health authorities to close schools, universities, institutes and other educational facilities temporarily in order to avert harm;

· In accordance with the established fear of experts and specialists within the medical profession, and others, that this epidemic will definitely or most likely spread because of crowded places and gatherings;

· Because the jurists[1] have established that preponderant likelihood[2] holds the place of certainty in juristic rulings of the Revealed Law;

The Scholarly Fiqh Council and the Scholars’ Union of Sham declare the following:

Fatwā Regarding the Suspension of the Jumuʿah Prayer and Khuṭbah as well as Congregational Prayers and all Other Gatherings in Masjids, temporarily, until the reasons behind said suspension cease to be, based on an official statement from the Ministry of Health. This is because, in emergency circumstances such as these, the fuqahāʾ must take into consideration the calamities that have befallen people when giving their rulings, which is to consider that which will protect them from harm and save lives, and that which is in accordance with the Islamic Revealed Law. Thus, we hold that:

1. There is no objection in the Revealed Law:

· To suspending congregational prayers (which are an emphasized sunnah)[3] in masjids and sufficing with performing them at home, temporarily, until the reasons behind said suspension cease to be, based on an official statement from the Ministry of Health.

· To suspending the Jumuʿah Prayer and Khuṭbah in masjids, and thus people must pray Ẓuhr in their homes instead of Jumuʿah, temporarily, until the reasons behind said suspension cease to be, based on an official statement from the Ministry of Health.

· To suspending all classes, meetings, social gatherings and celebrations in masjids, as well as all halls that are specifically for celebrations or grieving, temporarily, until the causes behind said suspension cease to be, based on an official statement from the Ministry of Health.

- Due to the Exalted One’s statement: “Wherever you turn, there is Allah’s Face. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.” [al-Baqarah 2:115]

- And the ḥadīth of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, {For me, the earth has been made both a masjid and made pure.}

2. It is obligatory in the Revealed Law:

· To utilize the means of protection against the epidemic, treatment and quarantine as obligated by the Ministry of Health.

· If one feels that they are afflicted with the epidemic, to openly declare it so that the infection is not transferred to others and so that diseases do not spread.

- Due to the ḥadīth of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, {The one who is ill is not brought into the presence of the one who is healthy.} (Agreed upon.)

- And due to his ḥadīth, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, {There is to be no harm and no reciprocating of harm.} (The Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imam Mālik.)

3. It is permissible in the Revealed Law:

· To suffice with merely giving the call to prayer[4] for the five daily prayers from the masjids, temporarily, until the reasons behind said suspension cease to be, based on an official statement from the Ministry of Health.

· That the muʾadhdhin say at the end of the adhān: ‘People, pray in your homes. O Allah, lift tribulation, epidemics and evil illnesses from us.’ This is legitimate in times of epidemics and gastric diseases.

- Due to the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he would command the caller to call people to pray and then tell them to pray in their stopping places on cold nights and rainy nights, which is agreed upon. In other words, pray in your homes, and if this is the case with rain and severe cold, then in times of epidemics and contagions it is even more so.

4. Likewise, we ask you to seek refuge in Allah the Exalted, to deliver His lands and His slaves from tribulation and disease:

· Especially in the hours before dawn,[5] by seeking Allah’s forgiveness and doing a lot of glorification[6]

· By asking Allah for pardon and well-being, especially when prostrating and in places where supplications are more likely to be answered

· By sending lots of blessings upon the Beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

- Due to Allah’s statement: “I said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Then He is Endlessly Forgiving. He will send the sky down on you in abundant rain and provide you with more wealth and children, and grant you gardens and grant you waterways.’” [Nūḥ 71:10-12]

- Due to His statement, Exalted and Blessed is He: “The part of the night they spent asleep was small, and they would seek forgiveness before the dawn.” [adh-Dhāriyāt 51:17-18]

- Due to his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to Ubay ibn Kaʿb, may Allah be pleased with him, when he said to him, ‘I have made my entire supplication the sending of blessings upon you’: {Therefore, Allah will take care of whatever troubles you in your worldly life and your Hereafter, and will forgive you your sins.} (at-Tirmidhī)

- Due to the statement of Imam ash-Shāfiʿī: ‘I have not seen anything more beneficial in the face of disease than at-tasbīḥ.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ)

Asking Allah the Exalted to deliver us from tribulation and disease

Damascus, 19th Rajab, 1441/ 14th March, 2020

The Scholarly Fiqh Council                        The Scholars’ Union of Sham

---

[1] Ar. al-fuqahāʾ
[2] Ar. ghalabat aẓ-ẓann
[3] Ar. sunnah muʾakkadah
[4] Ar. al-adhān
[5] Ar. al-asḥār
[6] Ar. at-tasbīḥ, i.e. saying Subḥān Allah

Prisons of the Mind

An interesting take on current cutural and social happenings, from Scott Adams

In both this blog and my podcast, the victim mentality and how it is a large part of Cultural Marxism/Postmodernism has been discussed at quite some length, but in this video, Scott Adams explains how a victim mentality, or at least a feeling of helplessness, can be broken, and it comes down to realising that a lot of physical problems are actually psychological problems. In other words, maybe you are not doing something because you think that you can't do it, or you think that it is not physically possible.

Adams explains this by way of two fallacies:

1. History repeats itself.

This isn't true because it is impossible for all the variables and factors from one historic event to be reproduced in another. (History definitely has cycles, as Imam Ibn Khaldun brilliantly pointed out in his Muqaddimah, but again, the exact variables and factors are never  reproduced.) Adams' point is that submitting to the notion that history repeats itself puts oneself in a mental prison, i.e. one believes that events will always and inevitably play out according to some pre-determined plot and therefore there is nothing you can do to better your situation. To be clear, I'm not talking about eschatology and what Allah has decreed to happen in His universe. Rather, this is about how we approach our own lives on a daily basis, which includes our worship, our families, our jobs and so on. 

Do you carry around certain assumptions regarding any of the above? For example, do you assume (and take for granted) that knowledge can only be obtained from certain people from a certain location? Do you assume that children can only be "educated" if they go to a government school, because that's what everyone else has done for several generations? Do you assume that getting a job can only be done via sending out CVs and application forms and hoping for an interview? Even better, do you assume that earning a living can only be done by working for someone else, or having a  9-5 job?

2. The problem has to be the solution.


Adams uses the example of slavery in the United States, but there are several examples that probably most people can relate to. What if you have an abusive parent  ( or other family member, colleague, employer etc.) and this individual has caused you a great deal of psychological trauma? Do they have to apologise to you and rectify themselves before you can better yourself? Absolutely not. You can treat and better yourself regardless of what they say or do. Don't waste your life away while blaming your childhood for your failures as an adult. I never forget the statement of Susan Forward in her book Toxic Parents: 'You are not responsible for what was done to you as a child. However, you are responsible for what you do about it as an adult.'

Another example is the assumption that the government can solve the problems it creates. Why should the government be expected to solve the failures of government schools? (Why not give the free market a try?) The same can be said of government attempts to alleviate poverty and make healthcare accessible and affordable.
 


In a hadith qudsi, related by al-Bukhari and Muslim, Allah says, 'I am as My slave thinks of Me.' We have to have a good opinion of Allah and expect good things to happen, even if they don't appear as such from our limited, human perspective. We should also believe that we can meet the challenges that Allah sends our way, because Allah does not burden a soul more than it can bear.

May Allah grant us all the tawfiq to be optimistic and positive and not to fall prey to feelings of helplessness and victimhood.

Amin.

Related Post:
Islam is revelation, not a race or culture

On Women and the Masjid

By Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (born 1328AH/1910), may Allah have mercy on him, the Sheikh of al-Azhar from 1393AH/1973 until his death in 1397AH/1978. 

Sheikh Hisham al-Kamil teaching the book ar-Rahbiyyah in inheritance at Al-Azhar, Cairo

He says, may Allah’s blessings be upon him, in what has been related by Imam Aḥmad in his Musnad and Imam Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ, {“Do not hinder the handmaidens of Allah from the masjids of Allah.} Imam an-Nawawī says it is on the condition that they are not scented or beautified, or it is feared that they will cause temptation. Therefore, if women are conducting themselves modestly, there is nothing to prevent them from going to the masjid. Indeed, in this age it is desirable. We should encourage women to go. Maybe Allah will guide them by way of them hearing a word of exhortation or by way of them being exposed to Allah's blessings that are found in His masjids.

The doors of the cinema and the theatre have been flung wide open to women, and thus it would be wise to opens the doors of the masjids to them. As for what has been related by our Lady ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that had the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, seen what women had invented by way of their embellishments he would have forbidden them from the masjids, what she meant is that women conduct themselves modestly when they go to the masjids. May Allah forbid that she, may Allah be pleased with her, intended to forbid something that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had permitted. Whenever there is modesty and the means of temptation have been nullified, women going to the masjids brings about nothing but good; good for them and good for the society, good in this worldly life and good in the Hereafter.

[Translated from Fatāwā al-Imām ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1979, 5th edition), v.1, p.499]


Related Posts: 
Women in the Masjid: The Evidence from Sahih Muslim, with commentary by Sheikh al-Islam Yahya an-Nawawi
Women in the Masjid...Apartheid Revisited (Jurjis)

Also by Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd:
Can a Muslim be a Communist?
The Rank and Knowledge of Scholars

The Rank of the Family in Islam and How Islam Protects It

By Imams Muṣṭafā al-Khin, Muṣṭafā al-Bughā and ʿAlī ash-Sharbajī

The Definition of Family:

The word usrah (i.e. family) linguistically means ‘a group of people’ (rahṭ), i.e. individuals – the people closest to you.

In Islamic terminology, usrah means that cell that includes fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, daughters, sons and the sons of sons.

The Family is the Foundational Pillar of Society:

If the individual is the foundational brick in the building of society, the family is the living cell in its essence.

The individual is a part of the family and draws his primary characteristics from it. The Exalted One has said, “…descendants one of the other…” [Āl ʿImrān 3:34] He is imprinted with its imprint and influenced by its upbringing and nurturing.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There is no child except that it is born upon the natural disposition (al-fiṭrah). Its parents then make him a Jew, Christian or Magian, just as an animal produces an entire animal. Have you ever noticed one that is mutilated (jadʿāʾ)?} This has been related by Muslim (in the Book of Predestination in the chapter on the meaning of every child being born upon the natural disposition…, no.2658) on the authority of Abū Hurayrah.

The fiṭrah is the state that has been prepared for good, and it is the original human disposition. ‘…just as an animal produces an entire animal…’ means that it is just as an animal gives to birth to offspring that has all of its limbs and organs and nothing is missing.

Jadʿāʾ means that an ear has been cut off. In other words, mutilation and imperfection occur after birth, due to the influence of the environment that surrounds a person, as well as others. Man’s state is the same; his uprightness or deviation is subject to the environment that he grows up and develops in.

Based on the aforementioned, we say: The individual is a part of the family and the family is a part of the society, and a foundational pillar therein. If the family is sound, the individual is sound, and if the individual is sound, the family is sound, and the society is sound.

This is why Islam goes to great lengths to protect the family, why it devotes so much concern to it and why the family takes up a large share of the rulings found in the Qurʾān and in the Sunnah.

The Ways in which Islam Shows Concern for the Family:

The ways in which Islam shows concern for the family are manifest in the legislations and rulings that it has formulated in order to organise the family and regulate its affairs. These include, and are not limited to, to the following:

A. The command to marriage:

This is so that the pillars of the family can be established, because there is no family without marriage. Any sexual relationship between a man and a woman that is not based on the foundations of marriage is adultery and fornication.

Allah the Exalted says, “And do not go near fornication. It is an indecent act, an evil way.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:32]

He, Mighty and Majestic, also says, “…in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers.” [al-Māʾidah 5:5]

B. The legislation of the rights and duties of both the husband and wife:

Islam has placed the following duties upon the husband towards the wife:

1. The bridal gift (mahr); the Exalted One has said, “And give them their mahr as an outright gift.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:4]

2. Maintenance (nafaqah); the Exalted One has said, “It is the duty of the fathers to feed and clothe them with correctness and courtesy.” [al-Baqarah 2:233]

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {And you have to feed and clothe them with correctness and courtesy.} This has been related by Muslim (in the Book of Ḥajj, the chapter on the Prophet’s pilgrimage, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, no. 1218) as part of a longer ḥadīth.

3. Living together correctly and courteously; Allah the Exalted has said, “Live together with them correctly and courteously.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:19]

Likewise, the wife is obligated to carry out the following with regards to the husband:

1. Obedience in that which is not disobedience to Allah. The Exalted One has said, “Men have charge (qawāmah) of women.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:34]

Qawāmah means leadership and the right to be obeyed.

2. That no one enters his house without his permission and consent; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {It is your right over them that no one whom you dislike enters your house.}

Imam an-Nawawī, may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him, said, ‘They cannot allow anyone you dislike to enter your houses and sit in your homes.’

3. That they preserve his dignity, maintain his honour and protect his wealth; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Shall I tell you the best that a man gathers for himself? A righteous wife; when he looks at her, it pleases him, when he commands her, she obeys him, and when he is absent, she protects his honour and his wealth.} This has been related by Abū Dāwūd (in the Book of Zakāt in the chapter on the rights of wealth, no. 1664).

C. The legislation of the rights of children and parents:

Islam has placed the following obligations upon parents with regards to their children:

1. Maintenance; Allah the Exalted has said, “If they are suckling for you, give them their wages.” [at-Ṭalāq 66:6] Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has obligated a wage for the one suckling for the sake of the child’s maintenance.

2. Good upbringing and teaching them how to worship and have good character; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, {Teach your children to have three qualities: love for their Prophet, love for his household and the recitation of the Qurʾān.} This has been related by ad-Daylamī (See al-Jāmiʿ as-Saghīr by as-Suyūṭī).

And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said, {Each one of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. A ruler over his people is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. A man is a shepherd over the people of his household and he is responsible for them. A woman is a shepherdess over her husband’s house and his children and she is responsible for them. A slave is a shepherd over his master’s wealth and he is responsible for it. Each once of you is a shepherd and each one of you is responsible for his flock.}

(This has been narrated by al-Bukhāri in the Book of the Friday Prayer, in the chapter on the Friday Prayer in towns and cities, no.853, and by Muslim in the Book of Governance in the chapter on the virtue of a just ruler, no.1829, as well as others.)

Likewise, Islam has placed the following obligations upon children:

1. Obedience to parents in that which is not disobedience to Allah the Exalted, and to show them kindness:

Allah the Exalted has said, “Your Lord has decreed that you should worship none but Him, and that you should show kindness to your parents.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:23]

The Exalted one has also said, “Keep company with them correctly and courteously in this world.” [Luqmān 31:15]

2. Maintenance of the parents if they are poor and the child is wealthy; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {From the purest of that which a man eats is what comes from his own earnings, and his child is from his earnings.} He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said, {You and your wealth belong to your father. Your children are from the purest of your earnings, so eat from the earnings of your children.} (Abū Dāwūd in the Book of Houses and Renting in the chapter on a man who eats from the wealth of his father, no.3528 and 3530, at-Tirmidhī in the Chapters of Rulings, in the chapter on what has reached us regarding a father eating from his son’s wealth, no.1358)

And there are many other rulings connected to the organisation of family life and the regulation of its affairs, and from these rulings and legislations the extent to which Islam is concerned with the family and protecting it is made clear.


[Translated from Al-Fiqh al-Manhajī ʿalā Madhhab al-Imam ash-Shāfiʿī, (Damascus: Dār Al-Qalam, 1433/2012) v.2, p.16-20]

Related Posts:
Birr Al-Wālidayn and the Rights of Children
Introducing Shāfiʿī Fiqh (part 1)
Introducing Shāfiʿī Fiqh (part 2)