'READ'ccm-inc.org/iqra/uploads/issues/2006/06_01_jan.pdf · 2011. 6. 15. · In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh 'READ' 19 Zul Hijjah 1426

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

19 Zul Hijjah 1426 January 20, 2006

Vol. 18 No. 1

Islam In Theory and PracTIcemaryam Jameelah

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes

adh-dhaarU The caUser oF harm

IslamIc manners VersUs WesTern eTIQUeTTe

Those who have adopted the modern Western manner of eating with chairs, tables, knives, forks and spoons, would regard the above Hadith as repulsive and uncivilized and, consequently, will have nothing but contempt for the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet . The modern “buffet” where guests load up their plates with as much as they can eat and then take their food standing anywhere in the house, is most repugnant to the Islamic way. Islam demands that every bit of food should be eaten and even a morsel wasted is sinful, whereas according to Western etiquette, it is bad manners to eat everything and regarded as the height of cultural refinement to leave a portion of one’s food uneaten on the plate to go to waste.

The whole service at the meal is conducted by signals to the servants so if you let go the soup spoon, it is a signal for the servants to take away the soup plate even though you may not have finished eating the soup. It is for the host or hostess to indicate where each guest will sit. An attempt is generally made to place a woman between two men and not to put the husband and wife next to each other. If it is a big dinner, at the signal of the hostess, the ladies leave thc table leaving the gentlemen behind who sit down again and light up their cigarettes and have a free and informal chat. The ladies in the meantime had their free and informal chat among themselves or had powdered their noses in the powder room. After a while, on the signal of the host, the men go back into the drawing room and rejoin the ladies. Thus it will be seen that the luncheon or dinner is more of a social than a gastronomical func-tion. And therefore it is all the more neces-sary for you when departing to say to your host and hostess, “Thanks for a very good time” – not dinner. [Pakistani Manners and English Etiquette, op. cit., pp.35-36]

Unless husband and wife or very close continued on page �

In This Issue... Islam, a Way of Life for All Humanity

and for All Times ................................2 Tashahhud ............................................6 Wishy-Washy Emperor (Children’s story) ....10 Q/A: The Prophet Answers ............12 Muharram ...........................................15

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Editorial

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Islam, a Way of life for all humanity and for all Times

Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions today, especially in western cul-tures. However, it is unfair to fault ordinary Muslims or non-Muslims if they misunder-stand Islam. The fault lies with Muslims who thought that learning to read Qurân or knowing how to perform the pillars of Islam was all the knowledge of Islam that we needed. The majority of us also thought that it is the responsibility of the “Ulema” to know what Islam really is; for the rest of us going to Jum’a and listening to the khutbah was sufficient enough to gain Jannah. Many of us know the order of the Messenger of Allâh that “The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.” Narrated by Anas ibn Malik Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 “Seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim and Muslimah.” Narrated by Anas (Ibn Majah). “The word of wisdom is the lost property of the believer. So wherever he finds it he has a better right to it”. Narrated by Abu Hurairah (Tirmizi). “Whoever goes out to seek knowledge is in Allâh’s path till he returns”. Narrated by Anas (Tirmizi & Darini). In spite of such clear guidance, Muslims by and large learned only rituality. The Ulema did the best they could, but, being handicapped in European languages, could not communicate with European masses. Thus the explanation of Islam became a sole domain of European writers of the Hitler era, such as Prof. Carl Brockelmann, Joel Carmichele, Moshe Perlmann and others. Unfortunately, the writings of these people became the basis of understanding of Islam in Europe and America and skewed the way most western cultures looked at Islam, so much so that even today most commentators present a distorted picture of Islam no matter

what the issue. This is too bad for humanity, for it really does deserve Islam. While it is impossible to discuss Islam in the space that is presently at our disposal, it is worthwhile to address a few issues that are misconceived and often misrepresented by non-Muslim writers. Muslims need to know themselves where Allâh and His messenger stand on these issues. We focus on three is-sues in this part: how old is Islam, Muslims’ beliefs about Jesus (peace be upon him) and the Bible, and tolerance in Islam.how old Is Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born about 1450 years ago in Makkah (also called Bacca). When he was 40 years old he received the first revelation from God (Allâh). I quote this event as reported by Martin Ling’s book (Muhammad his life based on the earliest sources).

It was one night towards the end of Ramadan, in his fortieth year, when he was alone in the cave of Hira, that there came to him an Angel in the form of a man. The Angel said to him “Re-cite!” and he said “I am not a reciter,” whereupon, as he himself told it, “the Angel took me and whelmed me in his embrace until he had reached the limit of mine endurance. Then he released me and said: ‘Recite!’ I said: ‘I am not a reciter,’ and again he took me and whelmed me in his embrace, and again when he had reached the limit of mine endurance he released me and said: ‘Recite!’, and again I said: ‘I am not a reciter.’ Then a third time he whelmed me as before, than released me and said: ‘Recite in the name of thy Lord who created! He created man from a clot of blood. Recite; and thy Lord is the Most Bountiful, He who taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not’. (Qur’an 96:1-5)”. He recited these words after the Angel, who thereupon left him; and he said, “It was as though the words were written on my heart.

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is published monthly by con-necticut council of masajid, Islamic center of hamden, Islamic center of connecticut, Islamic center of new haven, Faran club, United muslim masjid, Islamic society of Western connecticut, and Islamic center of new london.

maIlInG address:connecticut council of masajid

P.o. Box 4456, hamden, cT 06517Tel: (203) 562-2757

edITorIal commITTeeSister Aisha Sayed Alam (Cheshire)

Dr. Abdul Hamid (Hamden)Sister Bonnie Lynn Hamid (Hamden)

Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

Layout/Mailing ............ Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

continued on page �

continued from page � This is how the beginning of the revelation to Muhammad is recorded, but Islam itself is not 1400 years old, as commonly told. Islam was not founded by Muhammad . Adam (peace be upon him), the first hu-man being, Islam teaches us, was a Muslim and a prophet of Islam. Islam holds that every human being is born Muslim; subsequently the parents of the child convert him to another religion. It is this tenant of Islam that makes Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus) and all the other prophets (peace be upon them all) prophets of Islam. In fact, anyone who denies the prophethood of any of them is not a Muslim; even to make any distinction among them is unlawful. It is this legacy that makes Jerusalem a sacred place for Muslims. Islam is not a religion that started out with Muhammad son of Abdullah

. He was the last prophet in a long series of prophets sent to various nations. Unlike the other prophets, Muhammad was sent as a final messenger for all of humanity and for all times to come, not just for one nation or one race. Islam (submission to the will of Allâh) is the religion with Allâh from day one to the last day and beyond. All prophets of Allâh have confirmed this by requesting Allâh to make them a true Muslim. So for example Ibrahim prayed to Allâh thus: “Our Lord! make of us Muslims bowing to Thy (Will) and of our progeny a people Muslim bowing to Thy (Will) and show us our places for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning Most-Merciful. Al-Baqara, 2:128. Yusuf (Joseph) prayed to Allâh thus: “O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events. O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Take thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy Will (as a Muslim) and unite me with the righteous.” Yusuf,

12:101. This is how Allâh has refuted for all people and all time the claim of any other religion being valid in the sight of Allâh. “Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allâh? While all creatures in the heavens and on earth have willingly or unwillingly accepted Islam, and to Him shall they all be brought back.” Al-i’Imran, 3:83 So Islam is not a religion invented by Muhammad .muslims’ Beliefs about Jesus (Peace Be Upon him) Isa, son of Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)

(peace be upon him), is a prophet of Islam. To believe in what he did and said is part of Islam. What he did and said is not lost completely but is incorporated in the Qurân. The Bible has been tampered with so often and by so many that it cannot, in its present entirety, be regarded as the word of God. The original language of the Bible exists no more, and according to Jewish and Christian scholars there are thousands of errors in it. Even Jehovah’s Witnesses, a recent sect in Christianity, admits that there

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relations, Muslim men and women always eat separately and no custom could horrify a practicing Muslim more than to place at a dinner, a strange woman in between two strange men. Contrast with the Western manner of eating the Sunnah as given below:

If by chance any morsel of food falls from the dish on the dining cloth, it shall be taken up and eaten because if wasted, the Devil will use it. If covered with dust, it should be placed where a dog, cat or bird can reach it. Everyone should stop eating before full satisfac-tion and 1/3 of the belly left empty. He shall lick his hand and plate before going to wash them because there is a bless-ing therein. Then he shall praise Allâh Who has given him his food and drink. [Al-Hadis, op. cit., vol. II, p119]The pride of modern Western civilization

is its hygienic cleanliness. Westerners ac-cuse Muslims as being a dirty people. But let us examine more closely just how “clean” the Westerners are.

Then comes the “sanitary” wash-ba-sin, another difficult object. People of the West use this for washing their hands and face and for rinsing the mouth also. In the West they fill up this basin with warm water and wash and expectorate into the same dirty water. Even with the advancement of the modern sanitary running water, in a cold country, the (Oriental) would have to put up with cold water all the time or scald one’s hands and face with piping hot water unless one could adapt oneself to the Western custom of making up a nice warm mixture with the water from the hot and cold water taps and get used to the Western habit of using the one basin-ful for everything. [Pakistani Manners and English Etiquette, op. cit., p44]Nothing could be more objectionable to

the practicing Muslim than the above ad-

vice since, according to the Sunnah, water which has been used once for washing or bathing cannot be used again. That is why the Western style bath for the Muslim is the epitome of dirtiness.

Attached to the bedroom is the bathroom. This room is used not only for bathing but also for answering the calls of nature. In it is the full-sized bath-tub in which the water is run from hot and cold water taps according to one’s liking. Into this tub one has to climb stark naked and sit or stretch up to the neck. After soaping himself, he may either splash the water on himself or use a bath sponge and wash himself “clean” in the same water. He cannot get a change of fresh water unless he lets out the dirty water and waits till the bath-tub is filled up again. In the meantime, one may catch a chill and he may not get the second mixture the same temperature as the previous one which is not conducive to one’s comfort. [ibid, p42-43]The modern Western “bathroom” is

perhaps the most highly objectionable of all Western ways since to put the latrine in the same room where people bathe is absolutely prohibited by the Sunnah. Another repulsive custom is that the Western latrine compels a man to urinate standing which is forbid-den in Islam.

Then it is the commode or latrine which is the greatest difficulty for the Oriental Muslim. For answering the calls of nature in the West, they use “toilet paper” and wipe the parts clean and dry. They do not use water at all for this purpose. The Oriental Muslim would call this a dirty habit for he would feel that he could never be really clean unless he had washed the parts with water immediately afterwards. But if he tried to use water for this purpose in the Western bathroom, he would at once come to grief. For he could not do

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this job sitting on the floor which must not be wetted under any circumstances. Besides, there would be no “lota” or mug for using water for this purpose. He must conform to Western customs carefully. He may remember that any mismanagement in the bathroom, particularly of the commode, would condemn him as uncivilized, if not a savage, in the eyes of the hotel people or the landlady. The best he can do is to get round some of these disconcerting problems till he succeeds in modern-izing himself and shedding his Eastern habits. [ibid, p45-47]Thus one cannot adopt the Western mode

of life without violating, if not altogether abandoning, obedience to Islamic injunc-tions. In commenting on the craze of Mus-lims to copy alien ways of life:

Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allâh said: “He who imitates a people (meaning the unbelievers) becomes one of them.” (Musnad Ibn Hanbal, Sunan Ibn Daud)

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This article is part of a book by Maryam Jameelah, formerly Margaret Marcus. She wrote these essays for the educated non-Muslim and Muslim who is interested in discovering what Islam really means to the true believer. Taj Co. 1983

To Be continued

are 50,000 errors in the Bible (Awake Sept. 8, 1957). Of course the same issue of Awake claims that most of these so-called errors have been corrected. Muslims believe that God’s word cannot be improved upon nor can it be corrected by human beings. These repeated corrections and revisions leave no doubt that Injeel (the Bible) and Taurat (To-rah) as revealed to Isa , and Musa and the New and Old Testament written by other people have only those things in common

that met the approval of people in authority at the time that these translations, revisions, and corrections took place. In contrast, the Qurân as revealed to Muhammad , exists today in its original language, without a single altera-tion. Even knowledgeable Christians and Jews confirm the originality of the Qurân. Let me give two examples of the harmony between what Jesus said and did and Mus-lim belief. All agree that Jesus was a Jew and that he did not eat pork. Muslims practice what Jesus did. He forbade usury. (Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,) Islam affirms the satanic nature of interest and forbids it. Incidentally it is also forbidden to engage in commerce in a masjid. The present “Christian” institutions cannot work without interest, one of the rea-sons why the church had to be isolated from the state. Jesus did no such thing. There was a harmony in his teachings, not discord, so there was no need to separate church and state. Islam does not allow this hypocrisy. This is why one finds so much strife in Mus-lim lands. When the colonial masters were driven out of Muslim lands, they left behind an “educated class” that wants to perpetuate this hypocrisy. Thus Allâh confirms that Isa was a Muslim and messenger of Allâh:

Say ye: “We believe in Allâh and the revelation given to us and to Ibrahim, Isma`il, Ishaq, Yaqoob, and the Tribes and that given to Musa and Isa and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one and another of them and we are Muslims.” Al-Baqara, 2:136

Tolerance In Islam Americans and Europeans are led to believe that Islam is not tolerant. Quite the contrary is the truth. Muslims ruled India for centuries, yet Hinduism and all the other minor religions that were practiced by the Indian people at

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The salâh of a Believer in the Qur’ân and sunnah

Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul HaqReprinted with permission of Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq. To obtain the complete book, contact: Islâmic Sharîah Institute, PO Box 6008, Birmingham B10 0UW, UK. [[email protected]].

continued from previous issue

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chapter 11: Tashahhud Some people argue that in tashahhud we should read ‘As-salâmu ala al Nabiyy’ (peace be upon the Prophet) rather than ‘As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy’ (peace be upon you oh Prophet). They quote the hadeeth of Abdullah bin Mas’ud as nar-rated by Mujahid in Bukhari. The hadeeth ends with the additional words ‘This was while he was among us, but after he had been taken away we said (as-salâm). The narrator explains, ‘meaning upon the Prophet (ala al Nabiyy).’However, the following things should be noted. Hafidh Jamal ul Deen Malti writes in his al Mu’tasar after narrating the hadeeth of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud from Mujahid,

‘Munkar, not authentic, (meaning the additional wording) because this would mean that the tashahhud after the Prophet’s death was different to that of his lifetime, and this is con-trary to what is practised by all and what has been related in saheeh nar-rations. Abu Bakr and Umar would teach people tashahhud dur-ing the time of their khilafah in the manner that it was recited during the Prophet’s lifetime, i.e., (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy).’1

Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri says as quoted by Muhaddith Shabbir Ahmad Uth-mani in his commentary of Saheeh Mus-lim, Fath al Mulhim:

‘It seems that this different wording

1 Ma’arif al Sunan 3/87 quoting from al Mu’tasar 1/35.

(Assalâmu ala al Nabiyy) was not widespread amongst the Sahâbah because it has not been passed down from them. Ibn Mas’ud and his companions taught the same tashah-hud to others with the wording of (As-salâmu alaika) after the Prophet’s death. They did not change a single word of it as we have related in the musalsal narration of Imam Abu Han-ifah about the holding of the hand. Ameer al Mu’mineen Umar bin al Khattab also taught the tashahhud with the wording ‘As-salâmu alaika’ to the gathering of Sahâbah and Tâbi’ûn from the mimbar. This practice being passed down successively from gener-ation to generation is strong proof that it was the best known and most widely practiced amongst them (Sahâbah). Furthermore, there is no difference grammatically in people saying (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy, peace be upon you oh Prophet) silently in salâh, whilst being physically distant from the Prophet and his masjid, and in saying it in the same form after his death .’2

Muhaddith Yusuf al Binnouri writes in his commentary of Tirmidhi, Maarif al Su-nan,

‘The established mutawâtir narration from Ibn Mas’ud , his quoted prac-tice that has been passed down succes-sively to the degree of tawâtur, and the established wording in all the narra-tions from more than twenty Sahâbah

, are all clear evidences that saying salâm with the words of ad-dress (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy) is the sunnah. Furthermore, this hadeeth has been narrated from Abdullah bin Mas’ud

by more than twenty narrators. We do not see this additional word-

2 Fath al Mulhim 2/42.

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continued from page �ing (quoted above from Mujahid in Bukhari) that does not conform to the original but actually changes it, in any of these chains except from Mujahid. It is clear, therefore, that this addition cannot be accepted, especially since we have seen the narrators diligently take into consideration (in the narra-tion of tashahhud) even individual let-ters such as ‘Waw’, ‘Alif’, and ‘Laam’. How could such a great change have escaped them? If only one narrator of the caliber of Alqamah had opposed Mujahid in the narration of these words, it would have been sufficient not to accept them. What is to be said, then, if it is opposed by the whole group of narrators? Alqamah, Abu al Aswad, Abu al Ahwas, Abu Wail, Abu Ubaidah, and the others all narrate the same hadeeth (their narrations are in the saheeh books of hadeeth) from Abdullah bin Mas’ud without the additional words reported by Mujahid from Abu Ma’inar from Abdullah bin Mas’ud . I believe - and Allâh knows best - that this addition of Mujahid is pos-sibly his own adoption of Ibn Abbas’s

personal ijtihâd, because he was one of his closest companions. Saeed bin Mansoor quotes Abu Ubaidah who reports that his father, Abdullah bin Mas’ud mentioned that the Prophet taught them tashahhud. He narrated the whole tashahhud upon which Ibn Abbas said, “We used to say As-salâmu Alaika Ayyuhan Nabiyy when the Prophet was alive.” Ibn Mas’ud replied, “This is how we were taught and this is how we will teach.” This quite clearly shows that this was Ibn Abbas’s ijtihâd and Ibn Mas’ud did not agree with him. It is quite possible, therefore, that Mujahid may have followed his

teacher’s ijtihâd. Ibn Abbas , Mu-jahid, Ataa, and Ibn Jurayj were all residents of Makkah, and it was there that they spread their knowledge. (In this particular mas’alah) there is no one who agrees with them from the people of Madînah and Iraq, and as the individual and particular views of the people of Makkah are many, (some of them have been discussed earlier) this should be considered one of them. Besides, Mujahid’s own other nar-ration as recorded by Muslim does not contain this addition. It seems, there-fore, that sometimes he would add these words from his own ijtihâd and at other times leave them out sufficing with the original narration. In short, these words are not of Ibn Mas’ud

but of someone after him. Tahawi has attributed them to Mujahid and other similar narrators in his Mushkil al Aathaar, and this is correct in my view.’

He later adds,‘In short, the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ud

and Ibn Abbas as narrated by the whole group is far more worthy than the particular narration of an individual (Mujahid) about whom it cannot be ascertained whether he said these additional words from his own ijtihâd or actually quoted them from those before him. Moreover, the other Sahâbah such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Abu Saeed al Khudri, Muawiyah, Salman, Abu Musa, Aisha, and Jabir all relate the tashahhud with the same words as reported from Ibn Mas’ud

by a large group of narrators.’He finally concludes, ‘Therefore, it (the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ud

with the words ‘As-salâmu alaika ayyuna al Nabiyy’) is more worthy of be-ing accepted.’ It should also be remembered that Mu-jahid’s own other narrations do not con-

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DAY FAJR SHURUQ ZUHR ASR———— MAGRIB ISHA DWN SUNRISE Shafi’i Hanafi SNSET NGHT

Your (real) friend can be only Allâh;

and His mes-senger and those who

believe-- who establish

prayer and pay the poor due and bow

down (in worship).

And whoso turns (for

friendship) to Allâh and His messen-

ger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh, they are the victo-

rious.(5:55-56)

LUNAR DATES

I f you need prayer t imings for your town,p lease send us a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope.

Prayer times are for the new haven

area and are based on 18° for Fajr and Isha. check

local newspapers

for your local time differ-

ence.

January20 5:36 7:13 12:03 2:33 3:12 4:53 6:3021 5:35 7:12 12:03 2:34 3:13 4:54 6:3122 5:35 7:12 12:03 2:35 3:14 4:55 6:3223 5:34 7:11 12:04 2:36 3:15 4:57 6:3324 5:34 7:10 12:04 2:37 3:17 4:58 6:3425 5:33 7:09 12:04 2:38 3:18 4:59 6:3526 5:33 7:09 12:04 2:39 3:19 5:00 6:3627 5:32 7:08 12:04 2:40 3:20 5:02 6:3728 5:31 7:07 12:05 2:41 3:21 5:03 6:3829 5:31 7:06 12:05 2:43 3:23 5:04 6:3930 5:30 7:05 12:05 2:44 3:24 5:05 6:4031 5:29 7:04 12:05 2:45 3:25 5:07 6:42

February1 5:28 7:03 12:05 2:46 3:26 5:08 6:432 5:28 7:02 12:05 2:47 3:28 5:09 6:443 5:27 7:01 12:05 2:48 3:29 5:10 6:454 5:26 7:00 12:06 2:49 3:30 5:12 6:465 5:25 6:59 12:06 2:50 3:31 5:13 6:476 5:24 6:58 12:06 2:51 3:32 5:14 6:487 5:23 6:57 12:06 2:52 3:34 5:15 6:498 5:22 6:56 12:06 2:53 3:35 5:17 6:509 5:21 6:54 12:06 2:54 3:36 5:18 6:5110 5:20 6:53 12:06 2:55 3:37 5:19 6:5311 5:19 6:52 12:06 2:56 3:38 5:20 6:5412 5:18 6:51 12:06 2:57 3:40 5:22 6:5513 5:16 6:49 12:06 2:58 3:41 5:23 6:5614 5:15 6:48 12:06 2:59 3:42 5:24 6:5715 5:14 6:47 12:06 3:00 3:43 5:25 6:5816 5:13 6:45 12:06 3:01 3:44 5:27 6:5917 5:12 6:44 12:06 3:02 3:45 5:28 7:0018 5:10 6:43 12:06 3:02 3:46 5:29 7:0219 5:09 6:41 12:05 3:03 3:48 5:30 7:0320 5:08 6:40 12:05 3:04 3:49 5:32 7:0421 5:06 6:38 12:05 3:05 3:50 5:33 7:0522 5:05 6:37 12:05 3:06 3:51 5:34 7:0623 5:03 6:35 12:05 3:07 3:52 5:35 7:0724 5:02 6:34 12:05 3:08 3:53 5:36 7:0825 5:01 6:32 12:05 3:09 3:54 5:38 7:0926 4:59 6:31 12:05 3:09 3:55 5:39 7:1127 4:58 6:29 12:04 3:10 3:56 5:40 7:1228 4:56 6:28 12:04 3:11 3:57 5:41 7:13

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Jan-FeB Prayer TImes, neW haVen

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O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah

and leave off trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.Surah al-Jumu’ah (62):9

ZUl hIJ-Jah

mUharram

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UnITed mUslIm masJId (masJId rahman)

132 Prospect Ct. Waterbury, CT. 06704 (203)756-6365 Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PmContact Br. Majeed Sharif. (203) 879-7230.

WesT haVen masJId2 Pruden St., West haven, CT 06516, (203) 933-5799Juma’ prayer time 1:00 Pmcontact: Br. Mohammad Taroua (203) 287-7561.

madIna masJId1 Madina Drive, Windsor, CT 06095, (860) 249-0112Juma’ prayer time 1:30 Pmcontact: Muhamed M. Haidara 860-655-9042Madina Academy:Full time School (860)524-9700IslamIc socIeTy oF WesTern

massachUseTTs337 Amostown Rd. W. Springfield, MA01105

(413)788-7546 Juma’ prayer time 1:15 Pmcontact: Dr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji(860)749-8859.

Visit the Connecticut Council of Masajid website:

http://ccminc.faithweb.com

But she pointed to the babe. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?” He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and

made me a prophet; And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (He) hath made me kind to my mother and

not overbearing or miserable; Surah Maryam 19:29-32

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNERThe WIshy Washy emPeror

The Muslims had experienced one di-sastrous encounter with the soldiers of the Roman Empire at Mu’tah, when both Jafar

and Zaid had been martyred. A sec-ond skirmish near the Syrian border, led by Amr , had met with no sign at all of the imperial troops. However, after the battle of Hunain, the threat from the Roman Em-pire was the greatest remaining danger fac-ing the Muslim state. Rumors abounded that the Caesar, or emperor, was planning a prolonged campaign against the increas-ingly influential Muslim state. According to reports, the Arab tribes along the Syrian frontier had been mobilized to join forces with the army of the Roman Empire in preparation for battle. It was under these circumstances that the Prophet had begun to assemble the largest Muslim army ever to march out and meet the imperial troops. This was the campaign which Ka’b ibn Malik and two other companions had missed, causing them to be ostracized by the whole Muslim community after the return of the army to Madinah. Muslim allies began arriving in Madinah by the thousands and they all had to be properly equipped and provided for. The wealthier Muslims contributed vast amounts of money towards that end. Us-man gave enough to equip ten thousand troops. Not only weapons and food had to be provided, but also horses or camels upon which to make the journey. The army camped outside the city of Madinah, a vast gathering of thirty thousand men, with ten thousand horse. At last the day came when the army set out northward towards Syria. It was a hot grueling journey that took several weeks to complete. A little more than halfway between Madinah and Jerusalem, the army made camp at a place called Tabuk. For twenty days they remained at Tabuk,

searching for information about the ru-mored imperial army buildup. But it soon became apparent that the reports had been greatly exaggerated or untrue. Like the second ‘Battle’ of Badr, the enemy never showed! A few treaties were signed with the leaders of some tribes which were lo-cated near Tabuk, but the army never even saw a hostile army. It became apparent that there was no threat and that the time was not right for the conquest of Syria, and so the Muslims returned to Madinah. That is the story of the ‘Battle of Tabuk,’ which was really a march to Tabuk with-out any fighting. But the story of what may have been the reason for the absence of the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor is what this story is really about. The name of the Roman Emperor was Heraclius. Shortly after the rout at Mu’tah, he had had a dream in which he saw ‘the victorious kingdom of a circumcised man’. The vision was so vivid that he could not put it out of his mind. He knew the king-dom included the regions which he now ruled. When he inquired about which peoples practiced circumcision, the first answer was naturally the Jews. But then one messenger spoke of an Arab man who claimed to be a prophet and whom many people were following. Heraclius ordered his police to find someone from the same tribe as the alleged prophet so that he could question him. It so happened that Abu Sufyan was in the region with a caravan from Makkah and it was he who was summoned before the emperor. When he was asked about his kinsman, Muhammad , Abu Sufyan immediately started putting him down (this was before Abu Sufyan had accepted Islam). But the emperor wanted only an-swers to his specific questions. The em-peror asked about Muhammad’s family

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lineage and learned that it was of the best. He asked if any other kinsman had made similar claims and the answer was no. The man who claimed to be a prophet was not trying to regain a political position which he had lost. His followers were the weak and the poor and slaves and women, and none had left him once they had commit-ted themselves to his teachings. He was not treacherous or dishonorable in any way, even Abu Sufyan had to admit that. All these answers convinced Heraclius that Muhammad was indeed a prophet and that the Muslims would eventually be victorious over the kingdom of the Roman emperor. Heraclius wanted to follow the Prophet

but he was a weak man. He received a letter from the Prophet inviting him to Islam, but when Heraclius showed it to his advisors, they all shrank away from it. So intense was their aversion that he was afraid to reveal to them his true feelings. He told them he was just testing them, that he had never seriously considered submit-ting to Islam. This was the mighty emperor of a vast empire, afraid to stand up for his heartfelt convictions! Later, just before the Muslims’ march to Tabuk, Heraclius had tried once again to accept what he knew was to be the inevita-ble. He suggested to his advisors that they make a peace treaty with the Prophet in which he would be given the province of Syria in exchange for a promise not to ad-vance any further north. Again his advisors were so strongly against it that he let the matter drop. This was the conqueror of the mighty Persian empire, afraid of his own advisors. However, if Heraclius feared to make his feelings known towards the Prophet , neither did he show any inclination towards mounting a campaign against Madinah and its allies. He was at least able to influ-ence his advisors in that respect. Perhaps

the rumors that had started about the huge imperial buildup were wishful thinking on the part of the emperor’s more aggressive advisors. In any event, the emperor never did gather up the courage to offer his al-legiance to the Prophet , and the huge army of the Prophet at Tabuk never was given the opportunity to face the mighty forces of the emperor.

Bonnie l. hamid

tain these additional words as recorded by Muslim, Nasai and Abu Dawood.3

Some muhaddithûn have accepted Abu Ubaidah’s hadeeth from his father Sayy-iduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud . Daruqutni has declared Abu Ubaidah’s ahadeeth from his father as being saheeh. If the words (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy) were to be changed after the Prophet’s death then they should have also been changed for those who were re-citing the tashahhud in his absence during his lifetime, but this was never the case. No distinction was made about the Prophet being able to hear the salâm or being pres-ent in the vicinity, and this should also be the case after his death . The words (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy) are mutawâtir in all the tashah-huds passed down to us from the Sahâbah

. They cannot be changed because of one shaadh narration such as that of Mu-jahid. (He himself does not mention these changed words in some chains as explained above.) Great care was taken in memoriz-ing, preserving and conveying the words of tashahhud so much so that the process has been described by Abdullah bin Mas’ud

as similar to that of learning and pre-serving the Qur’ân. They were even partic-ular about individual letters and were not willing to accommodate any change. Imam Muhammad has mentioned in his narration 3 Muslim 402, Abu Dawood 971, and Nasai 1171. continued on page ��

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The Sahâbah AskThe Prophet Answers

Q&a: Fatwa section

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Originally compiled in Arabic by Sulaiman Naseef ad-Duhdûh. English rendering by Nadeem Abdul Hamid from the Urdu translation by Thanâullâh Mahmûd.

Introduction Allâh’s needy servant presents this insig-nificant effort to his brethren in faith so that they may also, with a little effort, achieve their goal (i.e. the pleasure of Allâh). In this work, those fatâwâ (juristic rulings) of the Messenger of Allâh have been compiled in which the Prophet directly answered a question of one of the Sahâbah. These fatâwâ encompass those aspects of life which affect everyone, without exception. This collection is composed of selected sahîh (authentic) ahâdîth. The noble Compan-ions, Allâh be pleased with them, throughout the blessed Prophetic era, used to pose ques-tions to the Messenger and thus obtained guidance from Rasûlullâh – their leader, guide, advisor, and well-wisher. I have only arranged these narrations in a convenient and easily-accessible manner for the pleasure of Allâh, the Exalted. And it is to Allâh I pray that He guide us to the right path, give us always the ability of following that which is authentic and correct; that He protects us from mistakes – not taking us to task for those we commit accidentally and forgiving us those we may indulge in intentionally.

Technical notes The following terminology is used in this book: “Related by the Shaykhayn (two Shaykhs)” means Bukhâri and Muslim “Related by the three (collectors)” means Bukhâri, Muslim, and Abû Dâwûd “Related by the four” means Bukhâri, Muslim, Abû Dâwûd, and Tirmidhi “Related by the five” means Bukhâri, Muslim, Abû Dâwûd, Tirmidhi, and Nisâ’i. “Related by Tirmidhi and his companions” means Tirmidhi, Abû Dâwûd, and Nisâ’i .

chapter 1: concerning Islâm and ÎmânQ(1) What is the highest degree of Is-lâm? Background and answer: In this regard, it is recorded in the five collections, except-ing Tirmidhi, from ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr that a man asked the Prophet , “What is the highest degree of Islâm (i.e. in terms of actions)?” The Prophet answered: “To feed food (to the servants of allâh) and to offer salâm (greetings of peace) to everyone, whether you know them or not.” Meaning: “What is the best Islâm” means that what is the most rewarding practice among the practices of Islâm. Lesson: The Prophet gave the answer to give food and extend salâm (greetings of peace, i.e. ‘as-salâmu ‘alaykum’) because through these the entire creation is benefited and peace is spread over the earth.Q(2) For whom? This narration is recorded in the five col-lections on the authority of Hadrat Tameem ibn ad-Dâri that the Prophet said: “The religion is well-wishing (or sincerity - nas-eehah).” So we (the Companions) asked, “For whom?” He answered, “For allâh, and his Book, and his mes-senger, and for the leaders of the muslims and their common folk.” Meaning: “The religion is well-wishing” means that the Islamic way of life revolves around well-wishing, sincerity and good advice. [Trans: the Arabic word naseehah has a very broad sense and can be translated, for example, as ‘well-wishing’, ‘sincerity’ or ‘good advice’.] Lesson: The noble Prophet gave the answer that the religion and its center of revolution is naseehah. The deen (Islamic way of life) means sincerity of belief in Allâh, in giving thanks to Him; to encourage people to give thanks to Him; to read, understand, and act upon the Book of Allâh (Qur’ân), and to guide people towards it, is its nasee-hah. To follow the Messenger of Allâh

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in all matters and to assist him is naseehah. Respecting the leaders of the Muslims and obeying their injunctions (as long as they are according to the pleasure of Allâh and His Messenger ) is naseehah. And naseehah for the common Muslims means wishing that they obtain guidance and direction, so that they may attain a good lot in this world and the next.

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To Be continued

Letters to the Editor

leTTers receIVed By The edITor

We are introducing this section to ac-knowledge the mail that we have received. If the letter you sent needed a response that we could provide, the action has already been taken. However, if your request was beyond our present capabilities, we seek your indulgence and prayer that may Allah give us the taufeeq in future to address your request or need adequately. If you sent us a self addressed stamped envelope then you already have or will as soon as possible receive a personal response. We thank the following Muslims for writing to us.

Abdul Hakiym Arrahaman, FL,Abdul Hotak, CT,Abdul Malik el Rashid, VA, Abdullahi Mustafa Ali, CA,Abu Rahman, SC, Ahmed A. Chaudhry, CA, Akeem Muhammad, FL.Alfred Rivera, VA, Benyam D. Kidane, CA,Bryan Edwards, NC,Byron Jackson, FL,Charles A. Jones, FL, Chris Caldwell, FL, Christopher Brown, FL, Corey T. Green, CT,Dammeyon Allen, GA, Dennith Smith, CT, Dorothy Naseer Ullah, CT, Durelle Manley, WV,George Kinard, FL,George Lesane, NC, Hakeem Shaheed, IN,Hoyt & Maryam Sorrells, CT,Imhotep Muhammad, FA,

Jackie Brown, UT,James Clark, CA,James G. Hardy, NC,James Jorden, GA,Jeremy Richards, UT, Jerry Boatwright Jr. FL, Jerry Morales, TX, John Larace, MA,Kevin J. Robinson, FL, Khadahfi Dukko, MO,Korie Burns, SC,Letitia Ewing, CT,Lopez Morales, TX,Mack Core, FL, Mario Polite, NY,Michael Anthony, FL,Muhammad Ahmad, PA, Nathaniel B. Ahmad, Ma,Orlander Leggett, NC,

Patrick Jenkins, VA,Paul Allums, FL,Ralston Williams, FL, Raymond Hampton, GA, Robert Foxworth, FL,Robert Hilton, NY,Rodnick Gamble, NC,Ron Greenfield, NY,Ron Maurer, NY, Salim Nafis az-Zahid, NY, Scott Merrill, UT, Shannon Williams, VA, Syed K. Ahsan, CT, Terrell S. Mobley, DE,Travis S. Hill, PA, Wahill Hack, FL,William Ginns, PA,Willie Grubbs, NY, Zakii Malik Nassir, DE.

I regularly read your articles in IQRA. Today I thought to write some comment. I really commend the editor for the content of IQRA, volume 17, no. 10. This has pre-cisely touched the core of the social (Mus-lim) problem as well as provided remedies needed to resolve the unforeseen events that could occur. I think there is a wake up call, but only for those who believe in Qurân and tend to be guided. Unfortunately, as always, there are a vast majority of people who are in the category of munafiqs and they call themselves Muslims, although they are not. It is this category of people causing major harm to the entire Muslim ummah. But as you reminded us, we all should perform our duties according to the true guidance (Hadith), and not get swayed by munafiqs.Therefore, I congratulate you for the won-derful articles and wish you keep up with it. Thanks and salam.

dr. syed K. ahsan, Windsor, CTDear Brother S. K. Ahsan, Jazak Allah for your comments and encour-agement. May Allah include you and all those who wish well for the IQRA dawah work in the reward that we are hoping for.

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continued from page �that time were still in existence at the time the British invaded India. Muslims ruled Spain for a while, quite a while. Christians and Jews were allowed to continue their religious practices undeterred. The same Spain, when Christians took over, saw the first Holocaust. No Muslim survived. The early American settlers brought slaves from Africa. Many of them were Muslims. None could and did practice Islam until recently when “equal rights” became fashionable. I can name countless instances where Islamic tolerance set standards for humanity. Even in Palestine where Jews cannot tolerate the presence of Palestinian Muslims, Jews and Christians lived peacefully under Muslim rule. Islam, however, is totally intolerant to any concept or notion that runs contrary to the oneness of Allâh and the equality of all human beings in the sight of Allâh. All men will not be equal, indeed all prophets would have had something to complain about, if one was given Hinduism, another Buddhism, another Judaism, another Christianity and yet another Islam. 124,000 prophets, each with their own religion, often contradicting each other, would definitely refute the declaration of Allâh (Al-Baqara, 2:213) like nothing else does. Such a refutation is not only impossible but infinitely absurd.

“Mankind was one single nation and Allâh sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed; but the People of the Book after the clear Signs came to them did not differ among themselves except through selfish con-tumacy. Allâh by His Grace guided the believers to the truth concerning that wherein they differed. For Allâh guides whom He will to a path that is straight.” Al-Baqara, 2:213

of Imam Malik’s al Muwatta 4 that Sayyid-una Abdullah bin Mas’ud would dislike the addition or deletion of even a single let-ter in tashahhud.

Aswad reports, ‘abdullah (Ibn mas’ud) would teach us the tashahhud of salâh. he would cor-rect us on alif and Waw.’5

During his caliphate Sayyiduna Umar taught the tashahhud to the people from the mimbar of Rasulullah with the words (As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy) and despite the presence of the Sahâbah no one disapproved.6

Qasim bin Muhammad narrates from his aunt aisha that when recit-ing tashahhud she would say, ‘As-salâmu alaika ayyuha al Nabiyy.’7

4 1/476.5 Bazzar as quoted by Ibn Hajar in Mukhtasar Zawaid al Bazzar 397. He adds that the isnad is saheeh. Hafidh Haithami 2/141 also declares it saheeh.6 Malik 204, Imam Shafiee in al Risalah p268, Hakim 979, Baihaqi 2831.7 Baihaqi in Ma’rifah al Sunan 3/59 no. 3685.

To Be continued

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note to Prisoners: If you would like to receive kufi (caps), we must have a letter from your prison chaplain on an official letterhead before we can send them.

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Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar. It is one of the four sacred months about which the Holy Quran says,

Lo! the number of the months with Allah is twelve months by Allah’s ordinance in the day that He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred: that is the right religion... (at-Tawbah 9:36) Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “The best of fasts after Ramadan is in Muharram, the month of Allah; and the best of prayers after obligatory prayers is the prayer at night.” (Muslim)

Though the fasts of the month of Mu-harram are not obligatory, one who fasts in these days out of his own will is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. The ha-dith cited above signifies that the fasts of the month of Muharram are the most rewardable ones among the nafl (voluntary) fasts. The hadith does not mean that the reward promised for the fasts of Muharram can be achieved only by fasting for the whole month. Each fast during this month has merit. There-fore, one should avail of this opportunity as much as one can. While Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among its days. The day is named ‘Ashura’a’.

Ibn Abbas reported: “I did not see the Prophet pressing for the fasting of any day which he placed above oth-ers except this day - the day of Ashura’a - and this month, that is, the month of Ramadan.” (Agreed upon) Ibn Abbas also reported that the Messenger of Allah had come to Ma-dinah and found the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura’a. So the Messenger of Allah asked them, “What is this day on which you fast?” They replied, “This is a great day on which Allah rescued Musa and his people and drowned

muharram: The month of allah

Fir’awn and his people. Musa then kept fast on it by way of gratefulness and we do so also.” Then the Messenger of Allah said, “We are more true and closer to Musa than yourselves.” The Apos-tle of Allah then fasted it and issued orders for its fasting. (Agreed upon) He also reported that when the Prophet

kept fast on the day of Ashura’a and ordered its fast, they said, “O Messenger of Allah ! This is a day which the Jews and the Christians hold in high esteem.” The Prophet said, “If I live next year, I would surely fast on the 9th day.” (Mus-lim)

It is also reported in a number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day of Ashura’a was obligatory for the Mus-lims. It was later that the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory and the fast on the day of Ashura’a was made optional.

Jabir bin Samurah reported that, “The Messenger of Allah used to direct us to keep fast on the day of Ashura’a, and he used to urge us for it and obligate us upon its advent. When Ramadan was made obligatory, he did neither direct us, nor prohibit us therefrom, nor obligate us upon its advent.” (Muslim)

According to another hadith (mentioned above), it is advisable that the fast of Ashura’a should either be preceded or followed by an-other fast. That is, one should fast two days: the 9th and 10th of Muharram or the 10th and 11th. The reason of this additional fast as mentioned by the Holy Prophet is that the Jews used to fast on the day of Ashura’a alone, and the Holy Prophet wanted to dis-tinguish the Muslim way of fasting from that of the Jews. Therefore, he advised the Mus-lims to add another fast to that of Ashura’a. Some traditions signify another feature of the day of Ashura’a. According to these tra-ditions, one should be more generous to his family by providing more food to them on this day as compared to other days. These tra-ditions are not very authentic according to the science of Hadith, although some scholars,

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Important Islamic daysashUra’ (Fast on 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th of Muharram.)maUlUd-Un-naBI Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Rabiul Awwal) - death of the Prophet (12 Rabiul Awwal).Isra and mIraJ (The anniversary of the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem & his Ascension then to Heaven)(27 Rajab).nesFU shaBaan (Shub-e-Barat)(middle of the month of Shabaan)(night between 14 &15).BeGInnInG oF The monTh oF ramadan.laIla TUl Qader (NIGHT OF VALUE) A night during the last 10 days of Ramadan. eId Ul-FITr (1st. Shawwal) WaQFaTU-araFaT (Pilgrims assemble on Arafat Plain, Makkah)(9 Zul-Hijj).eId Ul-adha (Feast of sacrifice)(10 Zul-Hijj).

is issued on the 3rd Friday of each month. Issn # 1062-2756

like Baihaqi and Ibn Hibban, have accepted them as reliable. What is mentioned above is all that is supported through authentic sources about Ashura’a. However, there are many legends and miscon-ceptions with regard to Ashura’a that have managed to find their way into the minds of the ignorant, but have no support of authentic Islamic sources. Some very common of these are: This is the day on which Adam

was created. This is the day when Ibrahim was born. This is the day when Allah accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam . This is the day when Qiyaamah will take place. Whoever takes bath on the day of Ashura’a will never get ill. All these and other similar whims and fancies are totally baseless and the traditions referred to in this re-spect are not worthy of any credit. Some people take it as sunnah to prepare a particular type of meal on the day of Ashura’a. This practice, too, has no basis in the authentic Is-lamic sources. Some other people attribute the sanctity of Ashura’a to the martyr-dom of Sayyidina Husain during his battle with the Syrian army. No doubt, the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet the sanc-tity of Ashura’a cannot be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of Ashura’a was established during the days of the Holy Prophet , much earlier than the birth of Sayyidina Husain . On the contrary, it is one of the mer-its of Sayyidina Husain that his martyrdom took place on the day of Ashura’a.

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