New Islamic Website Found!

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim....

Yup, Alhamdulillah, I just discovered another amazing Islamic website! It's The Islamic Emirate. I've put the link to the website on the right hand side of my blog here, under "Favorite Links". Check it out!  There's a lot of articles on various topics ( that's what mainly attracted me). I love reading them. Of course, it's important to understand and ponder on what you're reading. I haven't gone through all of them yet, but InsyaAllah will do that when I'm a little free...

Can't write much, need to go for solah now.... Till next time, Assalamualaikum!

The Need for the Knowledge of Deen

By

Dr. Mohammed Sadiq

There is a tendency among the western educated Muslims, who have not had an
opportunity or have not made any serious efforts to acquire knowledge about their
faith, to blame 'Ulama squarely for everything.

There are various schools of thought and theories, right and wrong, in all fields of
knowledge. We take the responsibility to study these theories, weigh them against
our knowledge base of the entire field and determine what exactly the theory
propagates, and what is the intent and goals of the theorist. But, when it comes to
our faith, we are handicapped due to a lack of knowledge to follow this same
process.

Most of us have not put a serious effort in learning even the basics of our faith -
what is the purpose and ultimate goal of it, why do have to follow it, what is
the purpose of sending prophets and revealing upon them the scriptures, what is
the purpose of our life here, how are we to utilize the guidance that we received
from the holy Book through the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
through his Companions and followers, what is the purpose of Shari'ah, how many
aspects of faith there are, etc. etc.

Those of us who, after finishing our 'degrees', find it unavoidable to acquire some
knowledge of deen, tend to make very superficial attempts at it, such as, acquiring
information about it through the internet (which, by the way, is the most
dangerous place to learn about Islam), or through reading the translations of the
holy Qur'an (which again gets very confusing because each translation presents a
slightly different view of the true meaning of the holy Book), and through reading
translations of the book of Ahadith (and tell me how confusing that could be for an
untrained person in the knowledge of Hadith).

Armed with this superficial knowledge, we begin to discuss and argue about various
aspects of deen, which serves only to further confuse everyone involved.

Then, we look at 'Ulamas for answers. The fact is that in all areas of knowledge
there are professionals who are very good, very skilled and experienced, and who
possess a very deep and broad perspective of the field; and then there are those
who have taken their diplomas and degrees through correspondence and through
internet, or who have gone to a fast track programs to complete
their degrees.

The same thing is true for the 'Ulamas of today. When we need
doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc., we look for the ones who are properly qualified
and who possess broad knowledge, experience and skills in their field. But, when
we need 'Ulamas, we tend to look for the one who would give us the answer we are
looking for, without ever considering how did this person become and 'Aalim.

Obviously then, it becomes easily to blame all 'Ulama and make them the black
sheeps of our communities, rather than taking some personal responsibility to first
put some serious effort in learning proper deen from properly qualified teachers
and recognized institutions, or in the least make an effort to find the properly
qualified and experienced 'Ulama who possess the deep knowledge of all aspects of
the deen from a very broad perspective. But then again, we are handicapped in this
area too. How many of us truly know what are the proper qualifications for
an 'Aalim? Many of us would readily know what are the most famous universities in
the world in different areas of studies and specialties, but how many of us
honestly know what and where are some of the institutions who specialize in
training 'Ulama. How many of us know that the traditional and well-known course
of study for an 'Aalim takes seven full years of studies?

As I said, we must take our lack of knowledge in our faith very seriously and, as
Muslims, make a serious attempt to learn at least the fundamentals of our deen,
which, by the way, is obligatory on all Muslims. On the day of judgment, we won't
be held accountable for not having obtained any degrees in psychology, medicine,
etc., but we will be held accountable for failing to obtain the necessary and
required knowledge of our deen.

I pray to Allah (swt) to grant me and all of us the wisdom to recognize and
acknowledge our short-comings with respect to the knowledge of our faith, and to
make a sincere effort to acquire it.

The Importance and Etiquettes of Learning

Introduction:

• What is a study circle and what is its purpose?
• Some Qur’anic Verses & Hadith on the importance of knowledge.
• The benefits of group study.
• Some etiquettes of studying in a group.
• How to gain maximum benefit from the circle.

The above are some of the topics that we shall be discussing in this weeks circle.

Circles: What & Why

• A study circle is when a group of people gather to study or discuss issues or topics of interest to them.
• Our purpose in setting up this circle is to study Islam together and to develop our understanding of our deen and improve our actions.
• It is hoped that we can discuss and learn from each other and share our understanding together.
• We also hope that this will increase our brotherhood and bring us closer together.
• Our ultimate purpose (as with anything in life) is the pleasure of Allah. 

Importance of Knowledge

Allah (SWT) says in his glorious book the Qur’an:

Can (such people be equal to) the one who worships during the hours of night, prostrating himself and standing, fearing the Hereafter and having hopes in his Lord’s mercy? Say, “Can those who know and those who do not know become equal?” It is only the people of understanding who are receptive of the advice.
[Qur’an, Surah 39: Verse 9 (Mufti Taqi Usmani Trans.)]

It is not (necessary) for all the believers to go forth.’; So, why should it not be that a group from every section of them goes forth, so that they may acquire perfect understanding of the Faith, and so that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may take due care (of the rules of Sharī‘ah).

[Qur’an, Surah 9: Verse 122 (Mufti Taqi Usmani Trans.)]

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him correct understanding in the deen.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]

“Allah will make the path to the Paradise easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge.”  [Muslim]

“There are no people who remember Allah without the angels surrounding them, mercy covering them, tranquillity descending on them, and Allah mentioning them to those who are with Him.”   [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi]

“When you come upon the meadows of the Garden, graze in them.” He was asked, “What are the meadows of the Garden?” “Circles of Dhikr,” he replied.  [at-Tirmidhi]

Benefits of Group Study:

• Brings us closer together as brothers in Islam.
• Allows us to share our knowledge, ideas and experience.
• There are role models and people within the circle that we can look up to and learn from.
• We are able to ask questions and discuss topics together as a group.
• Allah’s Mercy descends on those who remember him in groups.
• It can be a means of Da’wah whereby we call others to the deen.
• And many more …

The Etiquettes of Studying in a Group:

• Listen attentively and do not interrupt the speaker or speak while he is speaking.
• Have humility towards the lessons and the knowledge that is being imparted to you.
• When you hear a verse of the Qur’an, listen to is as if Allah is speaking directly to you at that moment.
• When you hear a Hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) listen to it as if he is speaking directly to you.
• Bring a pen and paper. You will be surprised to find out how much you remember if you write it down as opposed to just listening.
• Ask questions. We are all here to learn from each other and the best way of learning from one another is to ask questions.
• Share your knowledge and bring your ideas to the table.
• Do not use the circle as a platform for argumentation or debate.
• Do not take back the knowledge and use it to criticize others who may not know or may not practice what you/we know.
• Show respect to each other and treat others the way you would like to be treated.

How to gain maximum benefit:

• Have the right intention as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that ‘Actions are according to their intentions …’. Our intention should be that we are here only to please Allah and to learn something about His deen.
• Know that learning is a form of ‘Ibada (worship)
• Make it your goal to learn something new every week, but to also share something with the group.
• Take something back with you and try and put to practise the things that you learn.
• Call others to the circle and gain the reward of everyone who attends because of your da’wah.

Feel free to add your own points to the lists above.
http://drjash.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/talk-1-importance-and-etiquettes-of-learning/

I'm so blessed to be a Muslim!

Assalamualaikum,

Specially dedicated to all Malaysian Muslim brothers and sisters who are studying in the West. 

Stay firm on the no.1 Deen!

 M-U-S-L-I-M

CHORUS

M-U-S-L-I-M I'm so blessed to be with them... (4x)

One billion strong, all year long, 
Prayers to Allah even in Hong Kong
can never be wrong if we read the Qur'an

cause it's never been changed since day one.

Others may brag, say that we lag, 
But they don’t know all the power we had
The power we had, the power we have
So Muslimoon don't you ever feel sad
Take many looks, go read their books,
You'll see all the facts that your friends overlooked,
So always be proud, you can say it out loud
I am proud to be down with the Muslim crowd!

CHORUS

M-U-S-L-I-M I'm so blessed to be with them... (4x)

They look at me strangely
like I emit some type of energy
that draws kaafirs (disbelievers) towards me.
Thinking to themselves what makes him different than me.
Is it the hair, the clothes or maybe the food he eats,
What could it be, that makes the cats stand at attention,
His demeanor's peaceful but on his face it's clearly written that,
This ain't the sorta brother caught up in this and that
Running streets, carrying heat, yo he ain't into that.
This brother must live by some type of criteria,
To make it to the average cat quite superior
So maybe one of these days I get near enough
Play like Nancy Drew on this mystery and clear it up.
So listen up if you think this is strange, 
Cause these the type of thoughts that used to run through a new Shahada's brains
and I bear witness to the one with 99 names, InshaAllah I will always remain.

CHORUS

M-U-S-L-I-M I'm so blessed to be with them... (4x)

Don’t know about you, I know about me,
I'm proud to be rolling islamicaly
Everywhere I see, even on tv, 
People talking trash about the way I be.

But what they all hate, is if we get great
Cause we're the only ones with our heads on straight
Don’t ever frown, or your head looking down,
If you read the Qur'an you're the best in the town.

Y'all have doubt say- we have no clout
But-within-a-few years see how we've come about.
We’re back on the scene, The number-one deen, 
I'm proud to be down with the Muslimeen!

CHORUS

M-U-S-L-I-M I'm so blessed to be with them... (4x)

Dad

Assalamualaikum Dear Followers and Readers, Bothers and Sisters,

I was meant to post this story much ealier, but I got distracted by many things on the way. But today Alhamdulillah I managed to post it for all of us to read and benefit from it. 

I still need to translate it into Malay though. Lately, I've been reading more English articles. So... if I want this to be beneficial to more people, I can't be lazy to translate it, can I? 

Well, May Allah grant all our brothers and sisters in Islam guidance, Amin!

A story of a dad who set an example to create moral awareness to his children

Our children are growing up fast.We have a responsibility & obligation to guide them.

May Allah guide us all.

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request.

“Ah dad, why not?” they complained. “It’s rated PG-13, and we’re both older than thirteen!”

Dad replied: “Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior.”

“But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That’s what our friends who’ve seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It’s based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review websites say that!”

“My answer is ‘no,’ and that is my final answer. You will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.”

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen.

They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he’s going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all.”

The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one.

Then their father said, “before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much.” The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.

“That is why I’ve made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I’ve made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic; the best organic flour, the best free-range eggs, the best organic sugar, premium vanilla and chocolate.”

The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad’s long speech.

“But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn’t worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think?

“Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?”

“Why? The portion I added was so small, just a teaspoonful. You won’t even taste it.”

“Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is?”

“Don’t worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients. “

“Dad!”

“Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic … dog poop.”

Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.

“Dad! Why did you do that? You’ve tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can’t eat these brownies!”

“Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won’t hurt you. It’s been cooked right along with the other ingredients. . You won’t even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!”

“No, Dad … Never!”

“And that is the same reason I won’t allow you to go watch that movie. You won’t tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that Allah( SWT) will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?”

Remember, we become de-sensitized a little bit at a time; it is the small and minimal sins that we forget the most.

Originally from: http://the-deen.co.uk/articles/dad/
Baca kisah ini dalam Bahasa Melayu di www.weluvislam.com

3 Orang Sahabat Di New York

photo credit: google images

Tidak lama dahulu, 3 orang sahabat datang ke Bandar New York. Mereka membuat keputusan untuk tinggal di suatu hotel semasa lawatan mereka disana.

Apa yang terjadi ialah mereka telah diberikan bilik di tingkat 60. Peraturan hotel itu yang semua lif akan dihentikan tepat pukul 12 tengah malam atas sebab-sebab keselamatan.

Pada keesokan harinya 3 sekawan itu menyewa sebuah kereta dan  keluar untuk menjelajahi seluruh bandar New York. Mereka pergi menonton wayang, konsert dan sebagainya sepanjang hari. Hingga suatu waktu, mereka teringat yang mereka perlu balik ke hotel sebelum pukul 12 tengah malam.

Apabila mereka tiba di hotel, waktu telah pun melebihi pukul 12. Semua lif telah dihentikan operasinya. Tiada cara lain untuk ke bilik mereka melainkan dengan menaiki tangga sehingga ke tinggkat 60!

Tiba-tiba salah seorang dari mereka mendapat idea.

“Apa kata, dari tingkat satu hingga 20, saya buat lawak dan cerita cerita jenaka. Kemudian salah seorang dari kita boleh cerita cerita pengajaran dan hikmah sampai tingkat 40, dan yang terakhir akan cerita cerita sedih hingga ke tingkat 60.”

Lalu, seorang dari mereka mula dengan cerita-cerita lawak. Dengan riang dan tawa mereka sampai ke tingkat 20. Sekarang seorang lagi mula dengan cerita-cerita yang penuh dengan pengajaran. Banyak perkara yang mereka belajar dalam perjalanan mereka ke tingkat 40. Sekarang, tiba masanya untuk cerita-cerita sedih. Kawan mereka yang terakhir pun berkata, “ Cerita sedih saya yang pertama ialah………..

“Saya tertinggal kunci bilik dalam kereta”

__________________________________________________

 APA TUJUAN CERITA INI?

Cerita ini mempunyai persamaan dengan perjalanan hidup kita. 20 tahun pertama dalam hidup kita, kita habiskan dengan ketawa, berseronok dan menikmati apa sahaja yang ada diluar sana.

Kemudian bila umur kita 20 tahun, kita mula bekerja, berkahwin, berkeluarga dan masa inilah kita banyak belajar gunakan hikmah. Dan bila umur kita 40 tahun, kita akhirnya nampak uban di kepala, barulah kita sedar yang hidup kita semakin hampir ke penghabisannya  

maka bermulalah kesedihan kita.

Lebih baik kita mulakan hidup kita dengan mengingati mati daripada kita mula membuat persediaan hanya di pengakhiran hidup kita. Kerana waktu itu, cuma sedikit yang masih bertenaga untuk mentaati Allah sepenuhnya.

Juga kita patut ingat, tiada seorang pun daripada kita yang ada jaminan hidup 60 tahun. Ramai yang telah pergi sebelum umur itu..

Semoga Allah member taufiq dan hidayah untuk kita gunakan hidup dan msa muda kita dengan sebaik-baiknya sebelum hari tua dan kematian datang tanpa kita bersedia.

Abel Xavier Quits Football And Converts To Islam

Assalamualaikum,

If you're a fan of football, then you should know him.  I'm not a fan of football and of course i don't know him, but the fact that he got hidayat from Allah and accepted Islam, made me feel that I should post this short news here. 

Someone said: "I always love it when people who are known convert to Islam because of the dawah the conversion brings.  People start talking and begin to ask questions which can  lead to a better understanding and may also lead others to accept."

And it's very true. Like Micheal Jackson, Cat Steven (Yusuf Islam), Yusuf Estes etc.. they all are very well-known and their conversion lead other people to a better understanding. 


Semoga Allah tambah dan kuatkan keimanan mereka dan kita juga Amin!

The 38-year-old has retired from the Beautiful Game...

Former Portuguese international Abel Xavier will now go by the name of Faisal Xavier after quitting football at the age of 38.

In converting to Islam the ex-Liverpool and Everton man has stated his regret at leaving the sport behind, but has also claimed that he is happy with his new-found faith.

"While it's an emotional farewell, I hope to participate in something very special as I enter a new stage of my life.

"In times of trouble, I have found comfort in Islam. Gradually I learned of learned a religion that professes peace, equality, freedom and hope. These are extremely important."

Xavier further stated that he is to now undertake humanitarian work with the United Nations while working in the American film industry.

The Mozambique-born defender last played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, following a career that saw him ply his trade in Portugal, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Turkey, Germany, and the USA.

Albert Dumont, Goal.com