Official Islamic Thread

@Darackutny - Thanks for clarifying that, but doesn't the "legitimate" translation make more sense than the "little river"?
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Assuming it did make more sense, it doesn't make it correct.

It is actually easier to argue that the verses are vague and nonsensical than argue that those that documented the verses all screwed up on the same word.

F#A#Oo's answer is sufficient as well.

Did you watch the video?
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Yessir.
 
I'd say the Islamic Text Society do the best translations and it's one of their main goals and you can tell a lot of care and attention went into it when you read the books too...
 
I've heard that the Hijab was not obligatory: there is no penalty in the Qur'an for a woman that don't wear it and there is a Ayat which tell that woman that aren't able to have children are not constrained with it. Is that true?
 
Salih said:
thx for you reply. From their catalogue though they only translated selected books out of it. I would like to get the full four volumes.

Fonsvitae is going to publish the full four volumes in the future - can you recommend them? Shall i wait?
https://www.fonsvitae.com/OnlineStore/tabid/58/cid/5/Al-Ghazali.aspx
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ITS is very meticulous with the translations...Fonsvitae are pretty ambitious doing the full four. I'd say it's worth the wait if you want all four volumes...there doesn't seem to be a date of release though which probably points to the weight of having to carry out such an ambitious undertaking...massive massive effort...lets hope they do a good job.
 
ok thanks. I will wait then but still will start reading this online translation of it.
My idea was to get a basis understanding of islam - some form of foundation to start with. Do you think al ghazalis work is a good point to start? There are also a lot of people who aren't fond of sufism. Are there alternatives? I think it is just amazing how Al Ghazali pretty much adresses every instance of islam with those four volumes. Are there any other works from other scholars that huuuge and detailed to begin with?

Walteur said:
I've heard that the Hijab was not obligatory: there is no penalty in the Qur'an for a woman that don't wear it and there is a Ayat which tell that woman that aren't able to have children are not constrained with it. Is that true?
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in my humble opinion:
i never heard of such an ayat. I do know that you don't have to wear it when you are old or you are alone with your family. And Hijab is def. obligatory (look for islamic dress code).
The Qur'an never EXACTLY tells you what to do and what not (f.ex. how to proper 'wash' yourself before praying (Wudu) or praying itself). Therefore you won't find a penalty for not wearing specific pieces of clothing. We need to get such specific informations from the sunnah/hadiths and from that you will learn that only the face and hands should be visible. (at least that what the majority thinks about/interprets certain hadiths)
 
Salih said:
in my humble opinion:
i never heard of such an ayat. I do know that you don't have to wear it when you are old or you are alone with your family. And Hijab is def. obligatory (look for islamic dress code).
The Qur'an never EXACTLY tells you what to do and what not (f.ex. how to proper 'wash' yourself before praying (Wudu) or praying itself). Therefore you won't find a penalty for not wearing specific pieces of clothing. We need to get such specific informations from the sunnah/hadiths and from that you will learn that only the face and hands should be visible. (at least that what the majority thinks about/interprets certain hadiths)
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Don't remember very well, but it could be a hadith too.
 
Walteur said:
I've heard that the Hijab was not obligatory: there is no penalty in the Qur'an for a woman that don't wear it and there is a Ayat which tell that woman that aren't able to have children are not constrained with it. Is that true?
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I don't know about sterile women but iirc, the quran only says that the chest has to be covered while there are hadiths that expand it to including the head.
 
Darackutny said:
Depends on what subject you are looking for. Unfortunately, not much has been translated.
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Something similiar to Al Ghazalis work - like some form of a compedium knowledge about islam in all its facets and aspects. But i couldn't find anything that is that broad and extensive.

are they any other must-read books about islam (translated into english)? books that are highly regarded by scholars and still easy to understand? Would love to see some book recommendations :)

Thanks!
 
are they any other must-read books about islam (translated into english)? books that are highly regarded by scholars and still easy to understand? Would love to see some book recommendations :)

Thanks!
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Must-read? Hmm... Too many really. The main problem is that in my opinion, much of the major classical works require other references and tools for you to make the best out of them. I can't count the times I found myself completely lost until finding a supporting opinion/evidence in another book.

http://store.dar-us-salam.com/Eng_Aqidah/242.html

The above book did change my life though. It details the correct Islamic view about Allah's nature. Like many, if not most people, I thought I knew all that before picking this up. Boy, was I wrong.

As for Al-Ghazali's book, perhaps the main criticism was that he used to quote fabricated narrations at times. Luckily, there are other authors that have filtered those out like Al-Maqdisi in Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasideen and a contemporary author called Salih Al-Shaami.
 
^Hamza Yusuf is a supremely intelligent guy. I'll take whatever he says.

So how is Ramadan going for you guys? Bet no one had an iftar party like these dudes

r2eDr.jpg
 
I hope there were alot of poor and hungry men, women and children outside that tent.

ramadan is beautiful so far. I feel so much better in general. my iman is so present, i feel 'alive'. insha'Allah everything so far continues that way.

SUPREME1 said:
Does the Koran say anything about excesses?
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edit:maybe not the Qur'an itself but it is said especially for ramadan that you should never eat too much - having the feeling of being really full is not good for you. even on ramadan you should eat in moderation. If you have enough food invite your neighbours to join you.
 
006.141

YUSUFALI Translation: It is He Who produceth gardens, with trellises and without, and dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in variety): eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the wasters.
 
The fact that Islam promotes and values humbleness and moderation is the thing that pisses me off about pictures such as above or stories about those rich princes or the fact that they make Mecca like a goddamn Las Vegas or something.
 
Reminds me of this. I know way too many people who sleep all day, and then have a lavish banquet every iftar. Talk about missing the point of fasting during Ramadan.
 
Laughing Banana said:
The fact that Islam promotes and values humbleness and moderation is the thing that pisses me off about pictures such as above or stories about those rich princes or the fact that they make Mecca like a goddamn Las Vegas or something.
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its downright disgusting. i cant wait till the oil runs out for those dbags.
 
There is something really ill in our hearts and minds if people don't except Sunnis, Shi'ahs, Sufis, Wahhabis, Salafis, etc. as muslims. We are all one - and as muslims we shouldn't seperate ourselves from other islamic schools but work together. We have so much in common yet we try so hard to nitpick little differences and basically make a big thing out of it. Sure i am a sunni, but i don't like this form of seperation. When our prophet Mohammed (saws) lived there were also no seperations. Bottom line is, the majority believes in the five pillars of islam. Isn't that enough? We shouldn't look for differences but rather for similarities. Noone knows which way of understanding islam is the righteous one. It really doesn't matter - the idea is that we have to try and learn our whole life to become better muslims by learning from each other and by having an open mind for other islamic branches and opinions.

It has been reported in an authentic tradition that Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “There will befall my Ummah exactly all those evils which befell the people of Israel (Jews and Christians), so much so that if there was one amongst them who openly committed fornication with his mother, there will be amongst my Ummah one, who will do the same. And if the people of Israel were fragmented into seventy-two sects, my Ummah will be fragmented into seventy-three sects. All of them will be in Hell Fire except one sect.” The noble Companions asked: “O Allah's Messenger (saws), which one is that?” Whereupon he (saws) said: “It is one to which I and my companions belong.”

The Prophet (saws) prophecized that there will come a time that Islam will be divided into seventy-three sects, and unfortunately we live in those times today. Every one of these sects will go to the Hell Fire, except the one which was followed by the Prophet (saws) and his companions (r.a.).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-54: And you all belong to one and the same ummah, and I am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves into different sects, and each sect rejoices in what it has. Well, leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an appointed time.

Allah says in Chapter 45 Surah Al-Jathiyah aayat 17: "Then they differed amongst themselves after the knowledge (of Islam) had come to them, only because they wanted to wrong one another. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matters in which they have been differing."

Allah does not have any favorite sect or people for whom He has promised Paradise. For Allah Subhanah, all his slaves are created equal, and the All Just, will not judge somebody according to petty things like his religion, his sect, his nationality, his family, etc. The All Just will judge with Justice!

[...]
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http://www.islamhelpline.com/node/1036
 
^ I don't mean to sound rude, but aren't you technically condemning the other sects instead of uniting them under a single banner when you quote narrations like "the Prophet (saws) prophecized that there will come a time that Islam will be divided into seventy-three sects, and unfortunately we live in those times today. Every one of these sects will go to the Hell Fire, except the one which was followed by the Prophet (saws) and his companions (r.a.)."

=p
 
We are unfortunately divided...we are told not to create divisions but we do. Unfortunately people like labels, we like being distinct from one another, we like to feel like we have better knowledge and understanding than our brothers and sisters. It cannot be avoided and it is prophesied...all we can do is "hold firmly to the rope of Allah"...
 
Darackutny said:
^ I don't mean to sound rude, but aren't you technically condemning the other sects instead of uniting them under a single banner when you quote narrations like "the Prophet (saws) prophecized that there will come a time that Islam will be divided into seventy-three sects, and unfortunately we live in those times today. Every one of these sects will go to the Hell Fire, except the one which was followed by the Prophet (saws) and his companions (r.a.)."

=p
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hehe...well, you are kinda right! My original post however condemns noone, it is actually the opposite - we muslims have no right to to condemn anybody in this world, no muslim, no jew and so on. it is forbidden and only Allah subhanallah wa tala has that right.
But it is said that that quote is one of the stronger hadiths - so muslims should take this very serious.
 
Just purchased a copy of grammatical breakdown of the Quran aka one of those i'iraab books.

Yeah, we all hated learning Arabic grammar in school, but learning for the sake of the grade sure has its way of biting you back in the ass when you grow up and actually care about learning this sort of stuff.

X__x
 
so i had a little discussion with my father today whether or not animals have a soul like we humans do. Without thinking much about it i said, that they obviously don't have a soul because the only thing we differ from animals is having a soul but my father asked me if i am really sure about it. Now i am kinda confused.

so, do animals have souls? if they do, does it differ from ours at all and do they have their own paradise/hell? really confused right now. will google a bit but hope to find an answer here too insha'allah.
 
Salih said:
so i had a little discussion with my father today whether or not animals have a soul like we humans do. Without thinking much about it i said, that they obviously don't have a soul because the only thing we differ from animals is having a soul but my father asked me if i am really sure about it. Now i am kinda confused.

so, do animals have souls? if they do, does it differ from ours at all and do they have their own paradise/hell? really confused right now. will google a bit but hope to find an answer here too insha'allah.
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I always thought animals do have soul... How are these animals alive and how different animals of the same species have different personalities like us humans. Hence they have a soul...
 
Salih said:
so i had a little discussion with my father today whether or not animals have a soul like we humans do. Without thinking much about it i said, that they obviously don't have a soul because the only thing we differ from animals is having a soul but my father asked me if i am really sure about it. Now i am kinda confused.

so, do animals have souls? if they do, does it differ from ours at all and do they have their own paradise/hell? really confused right now. will google a bit but hope to find an answer here too insha'allah.
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They do have souls. What makes humans different is the mind, as in the distinction between what's right and what's wrong.
 
I think that picture has something called mandi. It tastes delicious. It's basically meat and rice that is cooked together in a clay pot which is placed inside the earth with I think coals. It is slow cooked to delicious perfection. Makes my mouth water thinking about it (haven't had it in over 12 years).

And yeah, I'd be willing to guess that is a picture from Saudi Arabia and Saudis are known for their excesses. That food was probably provided by a single person for his guests. May even be a prince/king doing this. It's free food for the attendees who usually go to the princes to tell them what they want/need or what needs to be done. It is up to the prince's discretion whether he will actually listen to the suggestion or not.
 
Thanks for your replies to my question. Yet i would really like to have a source for your statements.

Dr. Zakir Naik says in this video that humans have souls, yet animals don't. he also says that soul has actually a weight ? (never heard that before)

Here however it says something different:
http://quransmessage.com/pdfs/Animals and Souls.pdf

It basically says that the qur'an uses "nafs" as describing the human soul and that 'nafs' got used in the qur'an only when describing humans. It was never used when describing animals, nature etc. but yet just because that is was never used to describe other creations of god beside humans it doesn't mean they have not their own form of 'nafs'. In sure 27, ayat 18 an ant actually talks: "Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant (female) exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving"
What can we take from that ayat? So not only do they have their own form of soul but they do can distinct between right and wrong?
 
Salih said:
so i had a little discussion with my father today whether or not animals have a soul like we humans do. Without thinking much about it i said, that they obviously don't have a soul because the only thing we differ from animals is having a soul but my father asked me if i am really sure about it. Now i am kinda confused.

so, do animals have souls? if they do, does it differ from ours at all and do they have their own paradise/hell? really confused right now. will google a bit but hope to find an answer here too insha'allah.
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What do you mean by 'souls'?

I do not believe they have a 'ruh', at least as they are classically understood. Additionally how would they have a paradise/hell if their every moment is a testification to God? I understood that on some level all living things are reflections of the paradisial reality (something attested to, at least in specific cases, by hadith about trees planted in this reality existing in heaven).
 
All Muslim men should watch the following talk by Habib Ali al-Jifri. I have watched many of his videos and never seen him so animated!

The video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZG6ibK8mwo


The transcript:

http://muslimvillage.com/2012/08/14/26927/oppression-of-women-a-sin-on-us-all/

I think it is a very important thing for all of us to see this.
it is a communal obligation to look after her if none of us do it, then we’re all sinning. And it isn’t a favor to her, it is an obligation for us. Not because we pity her, not because we owe her something– IT IS HER RIGHT.
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That is not the only issue. We have to work seriously to end problems like this. We have to treat this problem. We can’t stop talking about the future of Muslim society here, and our rights, and the problems between the conservatives and this one, and so on. We’re talking about building a Muslim society…. what we’re talking about will all come to, and forgive me for saying so, worse than meaningless. A waste. All of that talk, building the community, rousing the Muslims, having a future for Islam. It is all rubbish, all a waste of time, if we’re not serious if we don’t raise awareness and do something to stop the injustices being done against the mother’s in our societies.
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The communities try to run away from this problem, they bury their heads in the sand. And when the woman speaks up and demands her right, she is silenced! When the shaykh in the mosque finds himself in a position where he can’t actually do anything to stop whats happening to her, and she goes to the courts to get her rights, the community looks at her like she has betrayed them. True or not?

And the victim becomes a criminal. And the person who gives that a stamp of approval is a leader in the faith?
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The wound has become septic. It must be opened and cleaned. I want to see women start this. I want to see women’s rights activists who are jurists, they will stand and take those rights under the sanction of God and the prophet.
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OttomanScribe said:
What do you mean by 'souls'?

I do not believe they have a 'ruh', at least as they are classically understood. Additionally how would they have a paradise/hell if their every moment is a testification to God? I understood that on some level all living things are reflections of the paradisial reality (something attested to, at least in specific cases, by hadith about trees planted in this reality existing in heaven).
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with soul i mean 'ruh'.
and yup, that's what i incidentally thought. I will still keep looking for more infos on that, will ask my uncles if they do know more insha'allah.

---

it is a communal obligation to look after her if none of us do it, then we’re all sinning. And it isn’t a favor to her, it is an obligation for us. Not because we pity her, not because we owe her something– IT IS HER RIGHT.
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Absolutely. Thanks for posting that video; it is one if those problems we tend to overlook or just want to ignore.
 
Salih said:
with soul i mean 'ruh'.
and yup, that's what i incidentally thought. I will still keep looking for more infos on that, will ask my uncles if they do know more insha'allah.
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I can ask a Sheikh if you like? :) I am fairly certain I have never heard anyone say that animals have a Ruh.

Absolutely. Thanks for posting that video; it is one if those problems we tend to overlook or just want to ignore.
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Indeed, I love the way the Sheikh framed it. Not in the kind of way that charity is normally framed (as an obligation, rather than a favour) and in a manner that cuts through peoples apathy.

He is so true about the way that we say that Islam supports women's rights, but we use it as a shield, rather than a command.

Coming from a Sheikh who is SO prominent a speaker, it is a great thing. Allah bless him and shower him with mercy.
 
OttomanScribe said:
I can ask a Sheikh if you like? :)
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I do! Thanks.

OttomanScribe said:
Indeed, I love the way the Sheikh framed it. Not in the kind of way that charity is normally framed (as an obligation, rather than a favour) and in a manner that cuts through peoples apathy.
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This was like a wake-up call for me. 'zakat' is very important in islam, but do we always have good intentions when spending that money for charity? Therefore i like that msg from that video: We shouldn't have that feeling of being "forced" to help other people because the qur'an says it and our Prophet (saws) preached it. It should really come from our hearts because of the connection within the ummah.
... and there is always the problem of riya of course.
 
Salih said:
I do! Thanks.
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Just sent the email, will get back to you insha'Allah.

In other news.

IMG-20120810-WA0001.jpg


This photo got posted on facebook the other day, is a picture of Sheikh Faraz Rabbani, my Sheikh, Sheikh Naeem Abdul Wali and Imam Tahir Anwar.

This is the new turban cap I got in Yarkand :D

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This is a mosque in Xian, China, that was built in 70 hijrah!

IMG-20120615-WA0011.jpg
 
OttomanScribe said:
All Muslim men should watch the following talk by Habib Ali al-Jifri. I have watched many of his videos and never seen him so animated!

The video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZG6ibK8mwo


The transcript:

http://muslimvillage.com/2012/08/14/26927/oppression-of-women-a-sin-on-us-all/

I think it is a very important thing for all of us to see this.
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thanks so much for sharing this. this especially hits home since ive witnessed far too much mistreatment of women in my family.
 
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