A Concise Summary of Theology: The Attributes of Allah the Exalted

And answering those who insist on asking 'Where is Allah?'

By Imam Muhammad Saeed Ramadan al-Bouti, may Allah have mercy on him

Translated by Mahdi Lock

The Attributes of Allah the Exalted

To be concise, we can say: Our Lord is described with all the attributes of perfection and He is transcendent above every attribute of imperfection, and there is no need for us to go into detail.

Say it concisely and believe in it with certainty: ‘Our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is described with all the attributes of perfection and our Lord, may His Majesty be manifest, is transcendent above every attribute of imperfection.’ However, our scholars have gathered the attributes of perfection in one category and we call them the Essential Attributes (ummahāt as-ṣifāt), i.e. Allah’s, Glorified and Exalted, essential attributes, and under each attribute there are several attributes that are included under these essential attributes, and the theologians have organised them into the following categories:

-          A personal attribute (ṣifah nafsiyyah), which is one

-          Attributes of negation (ṣifāt silbiyyah), and they are five

-          Attributes of affirmation (ṣifāt maʿānī), and they are seven

-          Attributes of affirmed meaning (ṣifāt maʿnawiyyah), and they are also seven

The total is thus twenty attributes, and you will find that all the attributes of perfection are included in these twenty attributes.

The first is the personal attribute. I told you that the personal attribute is one attribute; what is it? It is existence (al-wujūd). Allah’s existence is an attribute of His, but it is an essential attribute or you can say that it is a personal attribute. In other words, Allah’s existence is nothing more than His Essence; it is nothing more than His essential existence.

The second is the attributes of negation; why are they called attributes of negation? It’s because you can’t define them unless you negate something. In other words, you can’t define them unless you negate what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is transcendent above. For example, we say that the first one is oneness (al-waḥdaniyyah). Define oneness. How do you define it? It is the lack of plurality. Therefore, you’ve explained it by means of negation.

Pre-eternality (al-qidam): how do you define pre-eternality? He doesn’t have a beginning.

Everlastingness (al-baqāʾ): how do you define everlastingness? He doesn’t have an end. And so forth.

This is why we call these attributes, attributes of negation, i.e. you can’t define them unless you negate what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is transcendent above.

The third is the attributes of affirmation, and they are every attribute that is established for Allah the Exalted’s Essence, and their establishment necessitates a specific ruling, such as us saying, for example:

The attribute of knowledge (al-ʿilm); this attribute is established for Allah the Exalted Essence, and the establishment of this attribute necessitates a specific ruling, which is that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, knows (ʿalīm).

The attribute of speech (al-kalām); it is an attribute that is established for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and its establishment necessitates that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, speaks (mutakallim).

The attribute of will (irādah); it is an attribute that is established for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and its establishment necessitates that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, wills (murīd).

Therefore, the attributes of affirmation are the attributes that are established for Allah the Exalted’s Essence, their establishment necessitates a ruling for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and under these attributes – the attributes of affirmation, which are seven attributes – are several other attributes, but they are summarised in these seven attributes.

“Destroyed are those who exaggerate”

There are many ways of penetrating too deeply, and it suffices you to know that the one who penetrates too deeply knows that he is penetrating too deeply, because he does not seek Allah’s Face by doing so. Rather, he seeks to make himself look piously careful; he wants to make himself look like a thorough investigator. He wants to make himself look like someone, as you know.

In theology, there are people who claim that they are the masters of calling to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. They try to call people to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. They put the Islamic creed into their hearts and the first thing that is said to one of them is: ‘Where is Allah?’ Yes, ‘where is Allah?’, and the answer should be articulated on the tongue and indicated with the hand: ‘in the sky.’ If one doesn’t say that, and one doesn’t do that, he has disbelieved and his faith is incomplete. He has deviated from the Islamic creed.

My brother, this is one of the worst kinds of exaggeration (tanaṭṭuʿ) which al-Muṣṭafā, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has forbidden. This poor person is a believer in Allah, his heart is overflowing with faith in Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and if you were to ask him, ‘Does the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, have a place?’, he would say, ‘I seek refuge in Allah! Allah the Exalted is transcendent above having a place.’ Is He confined within a specific time?’ He would respond, ‘I seek refuge in Allah! Nothing is comparable to Him.’ He knows this instinctively and easily, and then you come along in order to force and impose upon him things that have nothing to do with him! And this is what makes him guilty of disbelief according to these people.

If this person has some Islamic education and knowledge of Allah’s religion, he will be able to answer these people the way Allah answered them. It would be said to him, ‘Where is Allah?’ and he would reply, ‘I say what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has said, “It is He Who is Allah in heaven and Allah in the earth.”[1] I say what the Exalted has said, “Do you feel secure against Him Who is in heaven causing the earth to swallow you up?”[2] I say what He has said, “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.}”[3] I say everything that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has said…and they will say, ‘No! You must say that Allah is in the sky. Don’t mention the other āyāt.’ This is the worst kind of exaggeration, and this is why al-Muṣṭafā, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Destroyed are those who exaggerate.}[4]

They say, ‘We follow the speech of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, {Where is Allah?}, and she thus indicated… There is something called ‘the reality of a situation (wāqiʿat ḥāl), and the reality of a situation is one of the most important matters in the Islamic Revealed Law which every Muslim should know, let alone those who call to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This lady was unable to speak. He master wanted to emancipate her so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to examine the extent of her faith, i.e. to know whether she was a believer or not, so he, peace be upon him, said to her, “Where is Allah?” It would have been possible for her to point towards any idol, but she pointed towards the sky. Therefore, the meaning is that she believes in Allah and does not believe in idols. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then indicated to her master to emancipate her (she’s a believer), and this is the reality of a situation. Is it obligatory upon every individual to do what this poor, mute, slave girl did?

The Creator, Mighty and Majestic, has said many things about Himself. He has said, “It is He Who is Allah in heaven and Allah in the earth.” He has said, “And He is with you wherever you are.”[5] If you want to interpret then you must interpret (taʾwīl) all the āyāt and not just interpret some of them. We say what the Salaf[6] said, what Allah, Mighty and Majestic has said, “And He is with you wherever you are.” We say just as He has said it, without how and without confining our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, within space and without confining our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, within time. Yes, we say this and this and that. If you say that He is in heaven, there’s nothing wrong in doing so, because He has said about His Essence: “Do you feel secure against Him Who is in heaven…” If you say that He is with us wherever we are, there is nothing wrong with it and there is no objection. However, to make more general statements based on what has been mentioned in the text (an-naṣṣ)[7], then no. For example, the bathroom is a place,[8] so do we say that the Creator is in the bathroom? We don’t say this, out of etiquette with Allah, Glorified and Exalted. However, when speaking in general, we say what Allah the Exalted has said, “And He is with you wherever you are.” Therefore, if you pick out one of these āyāt because it pleases you and suits your disposition and conceal the other āyāt from your memory, you are an exaggerator, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, says, {Destroyed are those who exaggerate.} Likewise, indicating with one’s finger is also a form of exaggeration. The slave girl had a reason for indicating. As for requiring everyone to indicate with their fingers in order for you to see the direction of highness,[9] and that they must do so, then no. I told you before that a student in America or Europe, I don’t remember, said to the questioner,[10] ‘You want me to say above, i.e. altitude, and that’s fine but this same direction that I see as high will be low in a country that is opposite to the one that I am in.’ In other words, you are attributing lowness to the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, in the same time that you are attributing highness to Him. You are attributing lowness to Him in one place and highness to Him in another place. Why is this exaggeration? Say, ‘Allah describes Himself with Highness as He has said.’ Don’t indicate. Don’t specify where the highness is; if you specify the highness then you are confining the Creator. I mention these examples to explain the meaning of the exaggeration that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has forbidden.

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[1]az-Zukhruf 43:84

[2]al-Mulk 67:16

[3] Qāf 50:16

[4] (tn): Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ

[5] al-Ḥadīd 57:4

[6](tn): i.e. the first three generations

[7] (tn): i.e. the Qurʾān and Sunnah

[8] (tn): i.e. it would be included in the meaning of “wherever you are”

[9]  Ar. ʿulūw, which can mean elevation, altitude, highness, exaltedness, sublimity etc.

[10] (tn): i.e. the one asking, “Where is Allah?”  

Are good deeds and traits enough to enter Paradise?

Answered by Imam Muhammad Mutawalli ash-Sha'rawi, may Allah have mercy on him

Courtesy of the Fig Tree Group

Why do people turn away from religion?

Answered by Imam Muhammad Mutawalli ash-Sha'rawi, may Allah have mercy on him

Courtesy of the Fig Tree Group

Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

A continuation of this article

Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

By Imam Wahbah az-Zuḥaylī, may Allah have mercy on him[1]

...As for fasting the month of Muḥarram, this is due to what Muslim has narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {The best fast after the month of Ramaḍān is Allah’s month of Muḥarram, and the best prayer after the obligatory is the night prayer.}’[2]

In another narration of Muslim, which is also in his Ṣaḥīḥ and on the authority of Abū Hurayrah: {The best fast after the month of Ramaḍān is the month of Allah that you call al-Muḥarram, and the best prayer after the obligatory is in the middle of the night.}[3][4]

As for fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ, this is due to what al-Bukhārī and Muslim have narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and the Jews were fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, so he said, {What is this day that they are fasting?} They replied, ‘This is an immense day; it is the day on which Allah saved Mūsā and drowned Firʿawn, so Mūsā fasted it out of gratitude.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then said, {We have more right to Mūsā than you.} From then on, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fasted it and commanded others to do so.

Fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ[5] is a sunnah[6] and not an obligation, and this is due to what has been narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, as well as al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan; ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar said – when ʿĀshūrāʾ was mentioned in his presence - : ‘It was a day that the people of Ignorance[7] used to fast, so whoever wants to fast it can do so and whoever would prefer to leave it can do so.’

Al-Bayhaqī has narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of Abū Qatādah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ is expiation for one year, and fasting ʿArafah is expiation for the year before it and the year after it}’, i.e. expiation for two years.

It is recommended that the fast of ʿĀshūrāʾ be two days, i.e. one also fasts the day before it or the day after it, and this is due to what Muslim and Abū Dāwūd have narrated, as well as al-Bayhaqī in his Shuʿab, on the authority of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fasted the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ and commanded others to fast it, they said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that the Jews exalt.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, thus replied, {Next year, if Allah so wills, we will fast the ninth day as well.} And the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away before the next year came.

Muslim has narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {If I live to next year I will fast the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ as well as the ninth day.} Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that he said, {Fast the ninth and tenth and be different from the Jews.} In another ḥadīth, al-Bayhaqī relates on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {If I were to remain alive I would command that you fast the day before or the day after the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ.}

It is recommended for the Muslim to be generous towards his family on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, and this is due to what al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Whoever is generous towards his family on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, Allah will be generous towards him the rest of the year.}

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Whoever is generous towards his family and his dependents on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, Allah will be generous towards him the rest of the year.}[8]

The benefit that one takes from these aḥādīth is that fasting the day of ʿArafah, Muḥarram, and the ninth and tenth of Muḥarram has an immense reward, and there is benefit therein for the one who fasts as there is a gap of only two months and a bit between Ramaḍān and these days.

Fasting is a sublime means of drawing nearer to Allah the Exalted and it has a great reward, not to mention the health, social, educational and moral benefits that fasting contains, in Ramaḍān and outside Ramaḍān, so whoever is able to fast should do so, and Allah will be pleased with him, and whoever is unable to fast, Allah will open up for him others means of attaining reward and avoiding punishment, because Allah is Most Merciful towards His slaves and He knows best about them. Thus, whoever misses a good opportunity to draw nearer to Allah the Exalted, Allah will prepare other opportunities for him.

And it has been made clear to us that fasting ʿĀshūrāʾ contains lofty evidence of the cooperation that exists between the Prophets, and that every Messenger completes the message of the Messenger who preceded him.

And today, how greatly do we need our connection to all the noble Messengers and their blessed calls to be strong, and to take knowledge from them that is of immense benefit to mankind.

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[1] (tn): Translated from the Imam’s book Usūl al-Īmān wa al-Islām (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 2008), v.1 p.487-489

[2] Ar. ṣalāt al-layl

[3] Ar. fī jawf al-layl

[4] Ibn ʿAbbās explains that in the āyas: “And by the dawn, and the ten nights” [al-Fajr 89:1-2], the dawn (al-fajr) is Muḥarram, which is the dawn of the year.

[5] (tn): i.e. the 10^th of Muḥarram

[6] (tn): i.e. recommendation, in that one is rewarded for doing it but not punished for leaving it off

[7] Ar. ahl al-Jāhiliyyah

[8] Al-Bayhaqī says in his Shuʿab (3/366): ‘These chains of transmission, even though they are weak, if one gathers them together they become stronger, and Allah knows best. The ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah has been mentioned in chains some of which have been declared authentic by al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Faḍl ibn Nāṣir. 

Islam is revelation, not a race or culture

Why Islam should not be conflated with race or referred to as a set of "traditions"

Imam Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān al-Būṭī, may Allah have mercy on him, in his book Fiqh as-Sīrah[1] states:

Third: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took his people to task for enslaving themselves to traditions that they had inherited from their forefathers without giving thought to how valid or invalid they might be . He called upon them to free their minds from the habit of blind obedience and bigoted attachment to traditions[2] which are not based upon a foundation or sound reason.

This, in turn, serves as evidence that the underpinning for this religion, in both its theology and rulings, is none other than the intellect and reason, and that the aim behind adherence to it is the best interests of mankind, in the life and the next. Hence, one of the most important conditions for the soundness of one’s faith in Allah and whatever other beliefs are associated with this is that such faith rest on a foundation of certainty and free thought, unrestrained by convention or tradition. The author of Jawharat at-Tawḥīd says in his well-known poem:

If one just mimics others in the Oneness of Allah (tawḥīd)

His faith has not been freed of redundancy (tardīd)

From this it becomes clear that the religion of Islam came to declare war on traditions insofar as they arise from blind mimicry, since this religion – in all its principles and rulings – is based on the foundation of sound intellect and reason, while “traditions” in this sense are founded on nothing but the desire to imitate and follow, that is, without any role being given to the element of inquiry and independent thinking. After all, the word taqālīd means, according to the scholars of the Arabic language and social scientists, the sum total of the customs which have been inherited from former generations, or which maintain their validity simply by virtue of the social contract which takes place in a particular environment. As such, the element of sheer imitation is the central nerve which extends through such customs, both giving them life and enabling them to survive.

Everything people have grown accustomed to in their societies – ways of life, the forms of entertainment they engage in during times of happiness, and how they express mourning in times of misfortune and sadness – is part of what has been handed down from times of old, or what has been adopted unthinkingly through influence or contact with others; and it is all these things together which are referred to by both linguists and sociologists as “traditions”.

Once you know this, you realise that Islam cannot possibly contain anything by the name of “traditions”, whether they have to do with theology or various rulings and regulations, since the theology is based on the foundation of sound reasoning while its rulings rest on the foundation of temporal and eternal interests. Although some interests might not be comprehended by some people for this reason or that, they are, nevertheless, understandable through thought and careful reflection.

This, in turn, reveals the serious of the error committed by those who employ the phrase “Islamic traditions” to describe Islam’s various forms of worship, legislative rulings and moral precepts.

The propagation of this unfair designation may suggest to people that the value of Islamically sanctioned morality derives not from its embodying a divine principle which contains the secret of happiness for the human race – as, in fact, it does – but rather, because the Islamic law and system of morality are customs which were inherited from previous generations. If this suggestion is taken seriously, it is bound to cause people to feel oppressed by this “antiquated” heritage which others wish to impose on society in which everything is highly developed, advanced and modern.

The application of the term “Islamic traditions” to the various rulings of Islam is not, however, an innocent mistake; rather, it is one link in a series of attacks being waged on Islam by means of empty, misleading slogans.

The primary aim behind the promotion of the term “Islamic traditions” is to produce an association in people’s minds between the meaning of “tradition” in its negative sense and Islam’s various rulings and precepts. When this occurs, people forget that these precepts are, in essence, principles based on sound reason and enquiry, and they become a weak point that is vulnerable to the arrows and spears of Islam’s foes.

All the precepts and legislation that Islam has brought are, in essence, principles, and a principle is something which is founded on sound thought and reason and which aims to accomplish a specific end. Now, although principles of merely human origin may or may not hit their mark due to misconceptions on the part of their originators, the principles of Islam never miss their mark, since the One who established them is the Creator of all minds and thoughts. This alone is sufficient rational proof for one to be convinced of these principles and be certain of their correctness and soundness.

There is no doubt that if Muslims wake up from their slumber they will find that most of Islam’s principles and rulings, such as marriage and divorce, a woman covering and being maintained, and other issues of morals and manners, have been clothed in the garb of “traditions”. Therefore, it is only natural that they should find some people calling for the repudiation of such “traditions” and emancipation from the “slavery” which they impose, especially in this age of ours that is dominated by the quest for freedom of opinion and thought.

However, the reality is that there are no traditions in Islam.

Rather, as we have seen from our examination of the earliest days of the Prophet’s mission, it is a religion which came to deliver the mind from the grip of tradition.

As for traditions, they are simply behavioral trends in which people get unthinkingly swept away out of the human desire to imitate.

It is principles which must regulate development over time, not vice-versa.

As for traditions, they are just a gathering of parasites that develop by themselves in the midst of society’s intellectual fields. These are the weeds which must be uprooted, and from which sound thought must be freed.

[End of Quote] 

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[1] ML: Based on the translation by Nancy Roberts and revised by Anas al-Rifāʿī (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 2008), p.144 to 146 (p.114 to 116 of the 2009 Arabic edition)

[2] Ar.  taqālīd, which can also be translated as customs or conventions

From the Imam's statement we can learn the following:

1) Islam has to be separated from culture. The former is revelation while the latter is simply customs and traditions that have been imitated over time; the only defense offered by those who engage in them is that they found their parents and ancestors engaging in them. One can look at Surat al-Maidah 5:104 and several other examples in the Qur'an. Culture not only has to be separated but must be completely abandoned when it goes against revelation. As one of my teachers eloquently put it, "Culture must die so that we can live."

2) We have to be wary of referring to Islam as a culture or set of traditions because it clouds Islam's revelatory source. If Islamic theology and rulings are merely part of a culture or set of traditions, i.e. something passed on from generation to generation for no apparent reason other than it being practiced by people before, it can be easily attacked and subjected to calls for its reformation or outright dismissal. Here is an example of disbelievers dismissing and castigating Islamic rulings because they are said to be part of Islamic "culture". I would include in this the term "Traditional Islam". Ahl us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah is Orthodox Islam, and they are the people who follow the Sunnah, have the correct theology (i.e. the theology that was revealed) and they are the majority. Sunni Islam is not something that is simply passed down over the years and centuries; it is revelation. Is is rooted in the Book and the Sunnah.

3) Islam is not a race, and therefore it is certainly not a wise idea to attempt to conflate race with religion. Racism is so abhorrent and indefensible because one's race can't be changed. It's entirely Allah's will and therefore completely involuntary. Religion, on the other hand, is a voluntary matter and one must have one's own conviction. Faith that is based on mere imitation, as the quote from Jawharat a-Tawheed demonstrates, is worthless. Therefore, the way that one might defend their race by saying they were born that way simply won't do when defending one's faith. One can't say that because they were born and raised a Muslim that their religion should be above criticism or reproach, or even mockery. 

And, as mentioned in this post, as Muslims carry on down this route of demanding legal protection after legal protection, they too will be beaten with same stick. If this is taken further, to the extent that all religions are protected because they are conflated with race, and religion is seen as an even deeper part of one's identity than one's race, then preaching Islam, and indeed any religion, will be illegal, and if Muslims in Dar al-Kufr can't preach Islam then they have no justification for being there. Is it not obvious that inviting someone to Islam can be taken offensively, as one is implying that the one being invited is wrong and unsaved, and not just the individual but their family as well?

Let us therefore heed the late Imam's advice and understand that our religion is revelation, and we must treat it as such and present it as such. It is not a race and it is not a culture.

And with Allah is every success.

Ben Carson Is Right

Understanding more about the Anglosphere

I chose to include the above video because it includes the man's original statements as well as his later defense and affirmation of them. In summary, Dr Carson says that the Revealed Law is incompatible with the US Constitution and he would not advocate a Muslim becoming president of the United States (POTUS) unless he or she were to reject certain tenets of Islam and put the US Constitution above their religious beliefs. He also makes it clear that the latter point, i.e. putting the US Constitution above one's religious beliefs, would be a condition for any US president, including a Christian. He also admits and acknowledges that a Muslim would be accused of blasphemy for doing so.

Carson has been attacked from all corners. Daniel Hannan, whose writings I greatly admire, says that Carson is being political rather than theological and that there is nothing preventing a Muslim becoming POTUS, but he then mentions, more or less, the same conditions that Carson does:

Will Muslim-Americans be similarly assimilated? I'm optimistic. There are plenty of passages in the Old and New Testaments that can be read as incompatible with giving your first loyalty to a secular republic, but Jewish and Christian Americans, for the most part, have learned how to compartmentalize their beliefs.

This is nothing new, except maybe to Muslims living in these countries. This is the Anglosphere understanding, and it is especially strong in the United States. People of every religion are welcome but they must subjugate their beliefs to American and Anglosphere values, as enshrined in documents like the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Magna Carta and so forth. Beliefs will have to be compartmentalized. Again, How We Invented Freedom is a must-read. 

The "no religious test" clause of the US Constitution is referred to again and again in refutation of Dr Carson, but the reason why there is no religious test is that it is presumed that the president's religious beliefs have already been subjugated.

In Islam we do have our own system of governance, based on ahl al-halli wa al-'aqd, who are the foremost scholars, followed by the qadis (judges), fuqaha (jurists) and muftis, i.e. those who answer questions. More details can be read in my forthcoming translation of Imam an-Nawawi's Adab al-Mufti wa al-Mustafti, which is to be published shortly. We should also remember that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, set up his own government in Madinah and this was the beginning of what is now known as Dar al-Islam. Our books of jurisprudence include chapters on governance, warfare, judicial procedures, punishments and penalties and so forth. There are even books like Imam al-Mawardi's Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah which are exclusively dedicated to such topics. 

Once the above is understood, the issue of the Revealed Law being compatible with the US Constitution becomes secondary. As Hannan admits, Judaism and Christianity could also be seen as incompatible. Here, a Catholic priest clearly states that God's law trumps the law of the State, but what laws or legal system do they have that compares to ours? As Bishop Kalistos Ware points out, when the Ottomans took over the Greek Orthodox Church they made the church become a civil as well as religious institution:

For the Mohammedans drew no distinction between religion and politics: from their point of view, if Christianity was to be recognized as an independent religious faith, it was necessary for Christians to be organized as an independent political unit, an Empire within the Empire. The Orthodox Church therefore became a civil as well as a religious institution: it was turned into the Rum Millet, the "Roman nation."

The ecclesiastical structure was taken over in toto as an instrument of secular administration. The bishops became government officials, the Patriarch was not only the spiritual head of the Greek Orthodox Church, but the civil head of the Greek nation — the ethnarch or millet-bashi. 

In other words, the Greek Orthodox Church simply didn't have the same legal institutions that the Muslims did and they therefore had to be established.

A final point: the constant comparison with Catholics. It should be borne in mind that the US Constitution is constantly violated, or "reinterpreted", by those in power but the principle that all religious beliefs should be subjugated to the values of the country persists. The Catholics are not a good example because of the reasons mentioned above: they have had to subjugate/compartmentalize their beliefs and they do not have the legal and governance institutions that we do. Judge Andrew Napolitano also shows here how the US government now treats religious groups within its borders:

To quote the judge, 'Health and Human Services Secretary, Catherine Sibelius, herself a Roman Catholic, issued regulations that require all employers in America to make contraceptive materials and devices available to their employees.' This obviously includes Catholic schools, universities, hospitals and so forth. Will it be a Muslim in the US government who will one day force all imams and masjids to conduct gay marriages?

In conclusion, and as mentioned in the last post, we can see where Islam in Europe and the Anglosphere is headed. With the exception of a few pockets here and there, it is rapidly being exposed as a fraud and farce. As Imam al-Bouti put it, may Allah have mercy on him, we were rejoicing at first, but now we are watching the Islamic presence in these countries being dissolved.

And with Allah is every success.

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Muslims and Infrastructure 

The Muslim Boy Who Cried "Clock"

And the "Islamophobia" agenda

Before getting into the matter at hand, I would advise readers to refer to Imam Muhammad Saeed Ramadan al-Bouti's article entitled 'Fatawa that Appear Islamic But Actually Serve the West' in order to get a fuller picture of the political agenda and party politics that lurks behind a great deal of Muslim activity in the Anglosphere and Europe. In short, it is the Muslim Brotherhood top-down approach, which is to put Muslims in influential positions, such as the media, academia and government, and slowly but surely impose Islam (or what they think Islam is) from above.

Yes, they are blissfully ignorant of the fact that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and him and grant him peace, never tried to spread the faith in such a way. His way is the opposite, which is to invite people to Islam at the grassroots. Inviting implies voluntary will and therefore there is none of this bitterness and resentment that the wider population rightfully expresses, which is that they are not Muslims, they don't live in Muslim-majority countries, so why should they be made to obey branch issues of the Revealed Law, from page 3 of the Sun newspaper to drawing cartoons?

It is not the duty of the law, especially in Anglosphere countries, to protect citizens from insult and abuse. (As a side note, Muslims should really read the book How We Invented Freedom by Daniel Hannan in order to comprehensively grasp Anglosphere culture and jurisprudence.) If the law were to attempt to do so, tyranny would be the inevitable result. Does it not occur to Muslims in the Anglosphere, when they ask for legal protection after legal protection, that they too can be beaten with the same stick? What if Jews and homosexuals claimed to be offended by certain verses in the Qur'an? By the very same logic, the Qur'an would have be to be banned, or at the very least those verses would have to be banned or prohibited from being quoted in public. Why can't Muslims just take full advantage of free speech, get a stiff upper lip, grow thicker skin and boldly preach the faith? If this strategy (if that's what indeed it is) persists, preaching Islam will eventually be outlawed in these countries, which would in turn defeat any justification that Muslims have for abiding there. When preaching the faith to atheists, Christians, Jews or whoever, or by simply living amongst them, you have to be prepared for the fact that they too will preach their faith. It's not bullying. It's not harassment. There's no need to run crying to the authorities. Preach your faith and thank Allah that you have someone in your workplace who challenges you.

Anyway, once the above is understood, the Ahmed Mohammed story, in a which a Muslim boy in Texas supposedly did nothing but bring a homemade clock to school in order to impress his teachers and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of bringing in a hoax bomb, can be seen for what it really is: a political move that is part of the larger political agenda. Stefan Molyneux sums it up very nicely at the top, and one can also look at these short videos:

As for certain people simply not liking Islam, or hating it passionately, this is something that Muslims have to wake up to and accept because Allah has told us about this in the Qur'an. Please have a look at Surat al-Baqara 2:120, Surat Aal Imran 3:186 and Surat Muhammad 47:9. Islam is not a big, white, fluffy teddy bear that is supposed to be loved and adored by all and sundry.

In conclusion, stories like this and others that have been referred to above should serve as a reminder that Islam in Dar al-Kufr, and especially the Anglosphere, with very few exceptions, is rapidly being exposed for the fraud and farce that it truly is.

And with Allah is every success.

UPDATE:
Ahmed Mohamed: Next Stop Qatar

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Muslims and Infrastructure

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting

By Imam Wahbah Az-Zuḥaylī, may Allah have mercy on him[1]

…As for the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah, al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Jābir, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “By the dawn, and ten nights” [al-Fajr 89:1-2], {The ten is the ten of the sacrifice, the day is the Day of ʿArafah and the even (shafʿ)[2] is the Day of the Immolation (yawm an-naḥr).}’

Ibn ʿAbbās explained “By the dawn” to be the dawn of the daytime “and ten nights” to be the ten of the sacrifice. Regarding “is there not in that an oath for the intelligent?”, he said, ‘those who have discernment’.

Masrūq said, ‘The ten is the ten of the sacrifice which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, promised Mūsā, peace be upon him, and we have completed them with ten.’

Al-Bukhārī and al-Bayhaqī have related on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said, {There are no days more beloved to Allah in which to do good deeds and none better than these ten days.} They said: ‘And not even to strive[3] in Allah’s way?’ He said: {Not even to strive in Allah’s way, except for a man who strives with his life and his wealth and then doesn’t come back with anything.}’

Ibn ʿAbbās added, ‘Therefore, increase therein in tahlīl,[4] taḥmīd,[5] takbīr[6] and tasbīḥ.’[7]

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no better days according to Allah, and there are no days that I love to do good deeds in more than these ten, so increase therein in tahlīl, takbīr and taḥmīd.}’

Al-Bayhaqī has related on the authority of some of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would fast the nine days of Dhūl Ḥijjah, the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ and three days of every month: the first Monday of the month and two Thursdays.

Al-Bayhaqī has also related in his Shuʿab on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘{The master of the months is the month of Ramaḍān, and the greatest of them in sanctity (ḥurmah) is Dhūl Ḥijjah.}’

And there is al-Bayhaqī’s narration on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no days in this worldly life in which Allah loves to be worshipped through deeds more than these ten days; fasting every day therein is equivalent to fasting a year and standing in every one of its nights is equivalent to standing in the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr).}’ This ḥadīth is proof that fasting every day of the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah[8] is equivalent to fasting a year.

In another narration of al-Bayhaqī, it is on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There are no better days according to Allah, and there are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, than these ten days, so increase therein in tahlīl, takbīr and the dhikr of Allah, for indeed they are the days of tahlīl, takbīr and the dhikr of Allah. Fasting one of these days is equivalent to fasting a year and good deeds therein are multiplied seven hundred times.} This ḥadīth is proof of the Sunnah virtue of fasting the ten days of Dhūl Ḥijjah.

Fasting the Day of ʿArafah, Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

The Prophetic Sunnah has emphasised fasting the Day of ʿArafah (al-Waqfah), Allah’s sacred month of al-Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ because of the virtues and distinctions that lie therein. As for fasting the Day of ʿArafah and commending it, this is due to the Exalted’s statement: “and the witness and the witnessed” [al-Burūj 85:3]. It has been related from Abū Hurayrah, marfūʿan[9] and mawqūfan,[10] that the witnessed is the Day of ʿArafah.

Al-Bayhaqī has related in his Shuʿab, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {The best of days according to Allah is Friday, which is the witness, while the witnessed is the Day of ʿArafah and the Promised Day is the Day of Resurrection.}[11]

Muslim has narrated on the authority of Abū Qatādah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {For fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, I expect that Allah expiate the sins of the year that preceded it.} In another narration, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, informs us, {Fasting the Day of ʿArafah is expiation for a year, as well as the one that follows it, while fasting the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ is expiation for a year.}

ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, ‘There is no day in the year that I love to fast more than the Day of ʿArafah.’[12]

Al-Bayhaqī has narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said, ‘The supplication that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made the most on the Day of ʿArafah was: {There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner. He has the Dominion and He deserves all Praise, and He has power over everything.}’[13]

Al-Bayhaqī has also narrated in his Shuʿab on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, ‘The specific days (al-ayām al-maʿlūmāt)[14] are the ten days and the designated days (al-ayām al-maʿdūdāt)[15] are the days of tashrīq.’[16]

…

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Imam an-Nawawī on the Ten Days of Dhūl Ḥijjah

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[1] (tn): Translated from the Imam’s book Uṣūl al-Īmān wa al-Islām (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 2008), v.1, p.485-487

[2] (tn): Sūrat al-Fajr 89:3

[3] Ar. jihād

[4] (tn): i.e. saying la ilāha illa Allah

[5] (tn): i.e. saying al-ḥamdu lillāh

[6] (tn): i.e. saying Allahu akbar

[7] (tn): i.e. saying subḥān Allah

[8] (tn): apart from the day of ʿĪd, which is the 10^th

[9] (tn): i.e. its chain of transmission is traceable back to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

[10] (tn): i.e. attributed to a Companion and the Companion did not attribute it to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

[11] (tn): Please refer to al-Burūj 85:1-3

[12] Narrated by al-Bayhaqī in as-Sunan al-Kubrā

[13] Ar. La ilaha illa Allah, waḥdahu, la sharīka lah, lahu al-mulk, wa lahu al-ḥamd wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr

[14] Please see al-Ḥajj 22:28: “…and invoke Allah’s name on specific days…”

[15] Please see al-Baqarah 2:203: “Remember Allah on the designated days…”

[16] (tn): i.e. the three days that follow the ʿĪd of the Sacrifice