1000 Visits and Counting…

 (you will have to use your imagination to visualize a big cake with 1000 candles, couldn’t upload the pic for some reason)

 

Wow, when I started this blog, I promised myself that i would celebrate when I hit 1000 blog views. I never thought anyone would really be interested in what I thought or what went on in my mundane life. Well, here we are 1000 hits and counting. Not sure what that means, if anything. If nothing else, I can say that I have learned alot since I started..

1.) Blog world can be an ugly place to hang out.  I never knew there were so many irrate, discontented with Islam muslims out there. I thought the hatred and angst for Islam would come from the kufar.

2.) I Really Enjoy It.  I didn’t know I would, but I look forward to sharing my thoughts and opinions and recieving comments (most of them) from the readers. Thanks to all of you for the support and (to fellow bloggers) example. It was through reading some of your blogs that I got the courage to do my own.

3.) Blogging is Power.  I have come to realise that blogging can be a powerful tool to share opinions and have those opinions viewed as truth. Don’t abuse this people. We have a duty to present Islam in the best light. This doesn’t mean you have to sugar coat reality, but it does mean you will be held accountable for watch you say and the opinions you create from your blogging experience. Thanks Safiyyah for your correction and naseehah.

Oh, yeah and a special “Holla!” at PM who gave me my very own, dedicated post for this special occasion. As I read her diatribe, it brings to mind the immortal words of ….. well, somebody who said so eloquently… “Don’t Hate…. Appreciate!” The truth can be a painful thing, to be sure. But knowledge is power and acceptance of who and what we are is half the battle to recovery. I feel so special.

thanks for listening…

This is My World…

Disclaimer…

This blog is my own corner of cyberspace where I express my opinion, defend my religion if need be and whatever else I decide to say is shared.

This is not a platform for others. It’s my world.

In saying that, please enter with caution. Be respectful (I may not be if annoyed). And understand that your comments can and will be deleted if I don’t like them.

*smooches

 

More on Law and Islam…

Is ruling with rules other than sharee‘ah “kufr akbar” or “kufr asghar”? 

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah has commanded us to refer matters to His judgement and to establish Sharee‘ah, and He has forbidden us to rule with anything else, as is clear from a number of aayaat in the Qur’aan, such as the aayaat in Soorat al-Maa’idah (5) which discuss ruling according to what Allaah has revealed, and mention the following topics:

The command to rule according to what Allaah has revealed: “And so judge between them by what Allaah has revealed . . .” [aayah 49]

Warning against ruling by other than what Allaah has revealed: “. . . and follow not their vain desires . . .” [aayah 49]

Warning against compromising on any detail of Sharee‘ah, no matter how small: “. . . but beware of them lest they turn you far away from some of that which Allaah has sent down to you . . .” [aayah 49]

Forbidding seeking the ruling of jaahiliyyah, as is expressed in the rhetorical question “Do they then seek the judgement of (the Days of) Ignorance?” [aayah 50]

The statement that nobody is better than Allaah to judge: “. . . and who is better in judgement than Allaah for a people who have firm Faith?” [aayah 50]

The statement that whoever does not judge according to what Allaah revealed is a kaafir, a zaalim (oppressor or wrongdoer) and a faasiq (sinner), as Allaah says: “. . . And whoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the kaafiroon.” [aayah 44]; “. . . And whoever does not judge by that which Allaah has revealed, such are the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)” [aayah 45]; “. . . And whoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed (then) such (people) are the faasiqoon (rebellious or disobedient).” [aayah 47].

The statement that it is obligatory for the Muslims to judge according to what Allaah has revealed, even if those who seek their judgement are not Muslim, as Allaah says: “. . . And if you judge, judge with justice between them. . .” [aayah 42]

Judging or ruling according to other than what Allaah has revealed is contrary to faith and Tawheed, which are Allaah’s rights. It may be counted as kufr akbar (greater kufr) or kufr asghar (lesser kufr) according to circumstances. Kufr akbar will make a person no longer a Muslim in cases such as the following:

If he issues laws and regulations other than those revealed by Allaah, because the right to issue laws belongs to Allaah alone, Who has no partner, and whoever “competes” with Him in a matter which is His alone is a mushrik, because Allaah says: “Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods), who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed?” [al-Shooraa 42:21]

If the one who rules by other than that which Allaah has revealed denies the right of Allaah and His Prophet to rule, as is mentioned in Ibn ‘Abbaas’s comment on the aayah:“. . . And whoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the kaafiroon.” [al-Maa’idah 5:44]. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Whoever rejects what Allaah has revealed is a kaafir.”

If he prefers the rule of falsehood to the rule of Allaah, whether this is in absolute terms or just in a few matters. Allaah says: “Do they then seek the judgement of (the Days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allaah for a people who have firm Faith?” [al-Maa’idah 5:50]

If he regards the rule of Allaah and the rule of falsehood as equal. Allaah says: “. . . Then do not set up rivals unto Allaah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped).” [al-Baqarah 2:22]

If he thinks that it is permissible to rule by something that contradicts the rule of Allaah and His Messenger, or he believes that it is not obligatory to rule according to what Allaah has revealed, or that the matter is optional. This is kufr which is contradictory to faith. Allaah revealed: “O Messenger! Let not those who hurry to fall into disbelief grieve you, of such who say: ‘We believe’ with their mouths but their hearts have no faith. And of the Jews are men who listen much and eagerly to lies – listen to others who have not come to you; they say, ‘If you are given this, take it, but if you are not given this, then beware!’ . . .” [al-Maa’idah 5:41]. He says: “Go to Muhammad (peace be upon him), and if he tells you that the ruling is lashes, accept it, but if he commands stoning, ignore what he says. Then Allaah revealed “. . . And whoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the kaafiroon (disbelievers)” [al-Maa’idah 5:44].

If he does not rule according to what Allah has revealed out of stubbornness and arrogance, he is a kaafir and has left Islaam, even if he does not deny the rule of Allaah. Stubbornness and arrogance may mean negligence and turning away, as Allaah says: “Have you seen those (hypocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to the Taaghoot (false judges, etc.) while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaytaan wishes to lead them astray. And when it is said to them: ‘Come to what Allaah has sent down and to the Messenger,’ see they hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:60-61]

Among the things that may be counted as ruling by other than that which Allaah revealed and kufr akbar is what Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem said about man–made laws and ruling by them: “This is the worst, the most obvious and comprehensive opposition to sharee‘ah and rejection of Allaah’s laws. This is competing with Allaah and His Messenger, contradicting His laws in their preparation, support, structure, ruling and references.

The above is a summary of the things that may imply that ruling by other than that which Allah has revealed is a form of shirk akbar (major shirk):

(1) Ruling by other than that which Allaah has revealed.

(2) Denying the right of Allaah and His Messenger to rule.

(3) Preferring the rule of falsehood to the rule of Allaah, whether this is complete or only in a few matters.

(4) Regarding the rule of Allaah and the rule of falsehood as equal.

(5) Thinking that it is permissible to rule by something that contradicts what Allaah has revealed, or believing that ruling by what Allaah has revealed is not obligatory or is optional.

(6) Refusing to rule by what Allaah has revealed.

By examining this topic from different angels, it becomes clear that what is counted as kufr akbar is the following:

Abolishing sharee‘ah as the law governing a country, as Mustafa Kemal (“Ataturk”) did in Turkey, as he abolished the book Majallah al-Ahkaam al-‘Adliyyah which was based on the Hanafi madhhab, and replaced it with man–made laws.

Abolishing sharee‘ah courts.

Imposing man–made laws, such as Italian, French, German law, etc., to judge between the people, or mixing these laws and Sharee‘ah, as Genghis Khan did in his book al-Yaasiq, which combined laws from different sources; the ‘ulamaa’ (scholars) ruled that he was a kaafir.

Confining the role of sharee‘ah courts to so-called “civil” matters, such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Setting up non-sharee‘ah courts.

Discussing sharee‘ah in parliament and voting on it; this indicates that implementing sharee‘ah is conditional upon a majority vote.

Making sharee‘ah a secondary or main source, along with other sources of law. Even when they say that sharee‘ah is the primary source of legislation, this is still kufr akbar, because it means that they are allowing the adoption of laws from other sources too.

Stating in the clauses of legislation that reference may be made to international law, or stating in treaties that in the case of dispute, the matter may be referred to such-and-such non-Islamic court.

Criticizing sharee‘ah in public or in private, such as saying that it is rigid, incomplete or backward, or suggesting that it is incompatible with our times, or expressing admiration for non-Islamic laws.

As regards the question of when ruling by other than what Allaah revealed is kufr asghar, which does not exclude a person from the ummah of Islam:

the answer is that this may be the case when a ruler or judge passes judgement according to other than what Allaah revealed out of disobedience or on a whim, or as a favour to someone, or because he was bribed, and so on, although he believes that it is obligatory to judge according to what Allaah has revealed, and that what he has done is a sinful and haraam deed.

As regards the one who is governed by a non-Islamic law, if he refers to it out of choice, then he is a kaafir whose kufr akbar means that he has left Islaam. But if he has no choice but to refer to this law, and does so reluctantly, then he is not a kaafir, because if he had been able to resort to sharee‘ah, he would have done so, and he believes that this non-Islamic law is false.

And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

 

 

Do You Make Allah Judge In Your Affairs?

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim….

It has come to my attention from the comments section of this blog that some muslims feel that it is okay to judge by and follow laws that are contrary to the laws of Allah, subhana wa ta’ala. In all my years as a muslim, I have never doubted that man-made law was derived from human beings that for some reason felt that Allah’s laws were not good enough and so decided to create laws of their own.

Prophet Adam and his descendants and all of the subsequent prophets and their followers, all followed the laws of their creator, Allah. This law was and is complete and covers every aspect of our daily lives with truth and justice. So how can anyone who takes worship of Allah (Islam) as their way of life also give credence to man-made law? The law of atheists and pagans? The law of power tripping dictatorships and deviant, irreligious, misguided prostelytizers?

Allah gives us proof that his law is what we should judge by and live by and make uppermost on earth, in many ayats in the qu’ran:

“5:44 It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to allah’s will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of allah’s book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.

and

5:48 To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to allah. it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;

and

5:49 And this (He commands): judge thou between them by what allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they beguile thee from any of that (teaching) which allah hath sent down to thee. And if they turn away, be assured that for some of their crime it is allah’s purpose to punish them. And truly most men are rebellious. –

and

6:114 Say: “Shall I seek for judge other than allah. – when He it is Who hath sent unto you the Book, explained in detail.” They know full well, to whom We have given the Book, that it hath been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Never be then of those who doubt.

Allah tells us that if we are placed in a position of authority on earth, it is not for us to judge by our vain desires as this will be a source of punishment and loss for us:

38:26 O David! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent on earth: so judge thou between men in truth (and justice): Nor follow thou the lusts (of thy heart), for they will mislead thee from the Path of allah. for those who wander astray from the Path of allah, is a Penalty Grievous, for that they forget the Day of Account.

3:3 It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).

5:66 If only they had stood fast by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There is from among them a party on the right course: but many of them follow a course that is evil.

Allah’s law is sufficient for us. We obey and follow the laws of state that do not go against what Allah has already revealed, otherwise that law has no basis. For example, homosexual marriage has been made lawful in American courts. Do we adopt this law as our own or does it go against what Allah has made lawful. The practice of polygyny and in some cases marriage at a young age is also deemed unlawful. Is it correct to judge by other than what Allah has decreed?

Indeed Allah’s earth is spacious. And the earth indeed belongs to him. And wherever you maybe, it is required that you obey Allah and judge by what he has decreed. And to him is our final return.

Will The Real Muslims Please Stand Up!!!!

I am finding it extremely difficult to find any authentic islamic presence on the internet. I mean, is it just me or is everybody either neo-salafi or progressive sufi?  I have conducted several web searches for forums, chats, websites and other media and it always comes up one or the other… with no in between. Oh yeah, I forgot, I do see the neo-salafi detractors here and there, but they appear to be mere “devils advocates” in the game, you know, to play up the “distrust in anything islamic” factor. I find alot of elements on other blogs disturbing to say the least….

1. Promoting “cum-ba-ya” Sufism.
2. Promoting “man bashing/hijab liberating” feminism.
3. Promoting fear of the word “Jihad”.
4. Promoting modernism and the ideologies of non-muslim or barely muslim “thinkers”.
5. Promoting political views and voting.
6. Promoting images of dysfunctional family life, abuse and rascism.
7. Promoting rascism and disparagement between cultures.
8. Promoting music and intermigling between the sexes.
9. Promoting the idea that everything is haram.
10. Promoting the idea that muslims are too ignorant to understand Allah’s religion on their own.
11. Promoting “scholar” worship which is sounding like some form of shirk.

And other crap that I don’t have time to type. So where are the real muslims that are not afraid to promote what Islam really is… If any of you have links to any “real” islamic sites that do not fall under any of the above catogories, let me know… in the meantime… still searching.

Me on The Texas Polygamy Raids…

This is from a comment I made concerning a blog post I read on this issue…

“This is not a muslim vs. christian issue. And the slippery slope is very real. The government is not going to get into semantics when setting legal precedent in the case of polygyny. It is going to blanket and generalise in every area that it can. For example, in an effort to minimize the rights of families to homeschool their children, the law of educational neglect was penned.

To me and anyone else seeing this law, it should cover people who are not providing an equivalent education to their children. Well I saw with my own eyes this law being used in a majority african american city in Georgia against parents who were guilty of mere unexcused absences. Not only did these parents have to go to court but they were also faced with being charged with a felony (and we all know what a felony does to your record) and possible jail time.

I strongly feel that this episode in our (in)justice system is really to set legal precedence to prosecute the muslims. I wonder what new legal statutes were created from this?”

With that said I can probably guess that the law will be stretched to include a new definition of polygamy (meaning common law marriages included) young marriage and religious oppression as a reason to take custody of peoples children. It saddens me that our community is still ignorant to the means in which the american government consistently infiltrates and undermines our faith as we sit idly by and do nothing.

More on Friendship….

Someone fowarded this to me by email. I thought it was extremely relevant to my last post. It is truly an excellent article, masha’allah…

 Being Two-Faced

 

Reference: Rawdat al `Uqalaa: P. 49

Category: Sayings of the Salaf

Muhammad ibnul Hussain ibn Qutaybah in ‘Asqalaan informed me that Ibraheem al Hawraani…on the authority of Sahl who said that the Messenger of Allaah said:

“There is no good in a companion who does not observe the same rights towards you that you observe towards him.”

Abu Haatim, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

It is compulsory for an intelligent individual who was blessed by Allaah to have love for a Muslim, to stay close/cling on to him. He should accustom himself to stay in contact with him if he cuts him off, to turn towards him if he turns away, to give him if he withholds, to draw close to him if he distances himself, to the point that he is like a pillar in his life. It is from the greatest of faults for a person to be two faced in his affection.

Al Muntasir ibn Bilaal al Ansaaree recited (this poem) to me:

How many a friend displays affection with his tongue,

but is deceitful in my absence and is not regretful.

He unwillingly amuses me so I may love him,

but his words in my absence strike me like arrows.

…

Abu Haatim said:

The intelligent individual is not deficient in his affection, he does not have two faces or two hearts. Rather, what he conceals is identical to what he reveals, his actions are in accordance to his speech. There is no good in two companions where deficiency grows between them, and their state increases in corruption, as ‘Abdul ‘Azeez ibn Sulaimaan al Abrash recited to me:

May Allaah revile one whom having affection towards is of no use,

and one whose rope/aid is feeble, when extended.

And one who is of two colors [two-faced], he is not consistent,

upon keeping ties, a betrayer of everyone trustworthy.

And one who has two hearts, getting together with him,

is enjoyable, but when absent he is untrustworthy.

And one whom if his eyes were to speak,

the paths of all companionships would be cut off by them.

…

‘Amru ibn Muhammad an Nasaa-ee recited to me:

The eye reveals what is within the soul,

of hatred or love if present.

Indeed one who harbors hatred has an eye [look] which is apparent,

unable to conceal by it what lies within his heart.

The eye speaks even though the mouth moves not,

to the point where you would see clearly what lies in the heart.

…

‘Alee ibn Muhammad al Basaamee recited to me:

A neighbor that you keep visiting,

Qawraas you do not sleep or let sleep.

Close to home, distant in affection

, it refuses to be consistent.

He rushes to extend the Salaam when we meet,

but underneath his ribs lies a diseased heart.

…

I heard Muhammad ibn al Mundhir say: I heard ‘Abdul ‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdilaah say: Muhammad ibn Haazim said:

There are brothers who are always displaying smiles,

and brothers: ‘Hayaak Allaah’ and ‘Marhaba (welcome)’.

And brothers: ‘How are you and how’s your family.’,

but all this does not hold the weight of a grain of sand.

Extremely generous when you are not in need of his wealth,

he says i can loan you if you need of a load.

But if you tried to reach what is behind him,

you would find that his wealth is further from you than you thought.

…

Abu Haatim, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

The intelligent one does not befriend one who is two-faced, or one who has two hearts. He does not reveal anymore affection that what he conceals, and he does not conceal any less love than what he reveals. He should not be, when the need arises, any different than he were before it arose or before getting involved, because friendships that are unlike this are not praiseworthy. A man from Khuzaa’ah recited to Muhammad ibn Khalaf at Taymee, who recited to Muhammad ibnul Mundhir, who recited to me:

My brother is not the one who shows his love for me verbally,

but by brother is he who shows love for me during hardships.

He whose wealth is mine if I had none,

as my wealth is his if he were in need

So do not praise a friend during times of ease,

for he may forfeit his friendship during hardships.

He is only: ‘How are you’, and ‘welcome.

but with his wealth is as evasive as a fox

…

Abu Haatim, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

From the greatest of signs in knowing a persons affection…

 

To be continued…

Translator: Nadir Ahmad, Abu Abdul-Waahid

 

The End of a Beautiful Friendship…

Friendships are fragile. Although you would like them to last forever, sometimes they just don’t. My mother used to say “You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.” Well I understand that even more today.

1. Friendship has to be mutual or it’s just not true.
2. If two people are friends they should mutually enjoy each others company, it shouldn’t be that one wants to spend time while the other pushes away.
3. Friends should support one another in times of need, even if it’s just with a kind word and good, heartfelt advice.
4. Can Muslims really be friends… I mean aren’t we Sisters it’s supposed to mean much more than friendship.
5. Screening calls, casting ugly looks and rolling eyes is not a display of true friendship, no matter how many years the torture friendship has lasted. It just means that it took one victim friend longer to wake up to the reality than the other.

Excuse me if I choose better treatment for myself.

And just because I now screen out your calls or subconsciously roll my eyes from time to time, it doesn’t mean that I am being just as bad as you, it just signifies that the charade friendship is finally over.

Dear Husband…

Today I looked at you as if I was seeing you for the first time. It’s funny how a person can still do that after 11 years, how things can still become and remain new. I look back on our lives, the one we have shared so far, the one Allah has allowed us to make together, and I am pleased.

People say, how can you feel love for someone you don’t know? How can arranged marriage work? Up to this very moment I don’t know. All I can say is that Allah places love between two hearts. Our marriage was a leap of faith, not knowing each other and relying upon Allah to make it right.  Our first night together was amazing. It amazes me still today. I felt with you like I had known you forever, and like you were closer to me than if we had been born from the same womb.

I remember looking at you every 5 or 10 minutes over dinner or walking through the park (you remember… the one with the fountain) and saying, “Is it just me? Or do you feel the same?” Had I been born muslim and had no life in the dunya, I could chalk it up to first time love. But I was a divorcee with two kids (and boyfriends in Jahiliyyah that I dare not discuss). I had never in my life felt this way before.

Many people have a love child. But all of our children were born out of love. We wanted each of them, each one different and special to our hearts. I thank Allah for the experience of growing up with you, of having all of the “firsts” we had together.

And just to let you know, if you ever wonder… I will love you forever, Insha’allah. Even if our marriage doesn’t last, or if Allah takes us, one from the other. He built a special place for you in my heart. I pray that our eternity will be as sweet.

Ever Your Love,

Ummie

I Need A Job!!!!…..

So I have applied to like 10 different online jobs, and so far noone has responded. I did get a position with Amazon Mechanical Turks, but a lot of the assignments are hours of work for pennies in wages. For example, I had to write an original recipe for beef short ribs and upload an original picture for a website. How much did I make? 25 cents! My husband laughs at me when I say I am “working” and makes snide remarks about my “wages”, but when I whip out his bank card at the store he has a fit. “Ummie,” (yes, he calls me Ummie) “what did you by for $6.35? You think I’m made out of money? Keep it up and I’m gonna take my card back!!!”

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!! You’ve been threatening to do that for months!! I’m tired of having to explain every purchase I make. I can’t buy a pack of cookies without getting the third degree? Thats why I want to have my own income. FREEDOM!!!! (except the 30+ hours it will take per day to acquire said freedom).

A job will also help me in my hijrah obsession plans. I can save some money towards our tickets. My alternate plan sounds a bit desperate so I will save that for another post.

I am really hoping to do something from home so if anyone has any job leads, feel free to share. In the meantime, this position sounds a bit do-able, although it doesn’t give an end date: