Today is Halloween. Millions across the nation are involved in the consumerism, the tricks, the treats- busy celebrating a holiday, which, no one really understands. The average American spends $56.43 for this day, totally approximately $4.65 billion nationwide. What is all the fuss about?
Come here an Islamic perspective on this celebration. From a lecture delivered to students at An-Noor Academy Oct 29 2009 by Umm Zayd. Holloween Lecture
What does it mean to really be free? An insightful look at the emancipation of women from an Islamic perspective. From the annual Women for Faith, Knowledge and Action Conference in Edison, NJ.
Having graduated from the school of Ramadan, the most pressing lesson for the ummah is that of istiqamah. It is the second-most important command after iman. It is a command that made the Prophet’s hair turn white. Come take a look at the concept of istiqmah, its virtue and importance and 7 means to achieve and maintain it in the aftermath of Ramadan. From the mimbar of Masjid Tawheed. . .
Celebrating Ramadhan & Beyond from machaudry on Vimeo.
Jumma Khutbah by Dr. Abu Zayd at the Islamic Center of Basking Ridge (www.icbri.org) on Friday, September 18, 2009.
Imām Nāfi‘ (d 169H): Originally from Isfahān, Abū Abdu’l-Raḥmān Nāfi‘b. Abdu’l-Raḥmān b. Abī Na‘īm al-Laythī al-Madanī was a prominent Qurʼānic scholar and native of Madīnah, who was a student of over seventy Successors, and the teacher of many illustrious personalities, including his two main transmitters Qālūn and Warsh, as well as Imām Mālik. He taught for seventy odd years, including leading prayers in the Prophet’s Masjid for sixty years, and became known as the leading authority in Qirā’ah in Madīnah. He was described as being extremely handsome in appearance, with intensely black skin, noble in character and diligent in worship. When he spoke he would exhume the fragrance of musk from his mouth, and when questioned about that, replied that he saw the Prophet in a dream reciting Qurʼān into his mouth and from that point on he began to use fragrance.
Imām Warsh (d 197H): Abū Sa‘īd ‘Uthmān b. Sa‘īd b. Abdullah al-Miṣrī, given the title Warsh by Imām Nāfi‘ due to his pale color, was born in Egypt in 110H, traveled to Madīnah to learn the Qurʼān from Nāfi‘ in 155H and returned to become the leading authority in Qirā’ah in Egypt until his death in 197H.
Imām Qālūn (d 220H): ‘Īsā b. Mīnā b. Wardān b. ‘Īsā al-Zarqī, he was a prominent student of Imām Nāfi‘ in Madīnah who gave him the title Qālūn due to his excellent recitation and would refer students to study with him in his own lifetime. He was described as being deaf to a great degree but could only hear the Qurʼān.
Imām al-Azraq (d 240H): Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf b. ‘Amrū Yasār al-Madanī al-Miṣrī was the leading student of Imām Warsh, who completed the Qurʼān twenty times with him and inherited the mantle of leadership upon his demise.
Imām ‘Āṣim al-Kūfī (d 127H): Abū Bakr ‘Āṣim b. Abi’l-Nujūd al-Kūfī was a prominent Successor (Tābi‘ī) and student of Abū Abd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d 75H) and Zirr b. Ḥubaysh (d 83H). He inherited the mantle of leadership in Qurʼānic recitation in Kūfah after the demise of al-Sulamī. His students were many, including none other than Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (d 150H), Abū ‘Amrū b. al-‘Alā’, and Ḥammād b. Zayd, but the two most prominent students were Shu‘bah b. ‘Ayyāsh and Ḥafṣ b. Sulaymān. He was known for his adherence to the Sunnah, his mastery of the Qurʼān and his eloquence and mastery over language. He died in 127 H, and his last spoken words were verse 62 of Sūrah al-An‘ām.
Imām Shu‘bah b. ‘Ayyāsh (d193H): Abū Bakr b. ‘Ayyāsh b. Sālim al-Asadī al-Kūfī was born in 95H and was a seller of wheat by trade. He was a devoted student of Imām ‘Āṣim, he recited to Asim 3 times. Those who narrated ḥadīth from him included Abū Dāwūd and Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal. He was an avid worshipper and was known to devote himself to the Qurʼān nightly for much of his life. On his deathbed, he consoled his weeping sister, “Do not grieve, for in this room I have finished the Qurʼān 18,000 times.” He died in 193H.
Imām al-Shāṭibī (d 590H): Abū Muḥammad al-Qāsim b. Fīrruh b. Khalaf al-Ru‘aynī al-Andalusī al-Shāṭibī, he was born in Shāṭibah in Andalūs in 538H and was a brilliant mind and scholar of a wide variety of fields, including Qurʼān recitation and ḥadīth studies. He would correct from his memory errors in the manuscripts of the Muwaṭṭa and Ṣaḥīḥayn collections of his students who would read to him. He moved to and settled in Egypt. He was known to shun speech except that which was beneficial and devoted his life to knowledge and learning. His students included Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Sakhāwī, al-Kamāl ‘Alī b. Shujā‘ah, Muḥammad b. ‘Umar al-Qurṭubī and others. He composed a poetic text entitled Ḥirz al-Amānī (commonly known as al-Shāṭibīyyah) on the seven modes of Qurʼānic reading that has enjoyed unparalleled renown and acceptance in the intellectual history of this ummah. Countless individuals of every academic level and region of the world have memorized that text, studied it, written commentaries on it, or served it in some other way over the years since its publication. To this day, most qirā’āt are transmitted and taught “by the route of al-Shāṭibīyyah.” Imām al-Shāṭibī lived for 52 years and died in Egypt in 590H.
So you want to learn the qirā’āt (the various modes of Qurʼān readings)? Here is a synopsis of the literature on the subject, based upon my ongoing study.
Contemporary Works:
Remarks:
We can conclude that the authentic and acceptable readings are limited to the seven chosen by Ibn Mujāhid plus the three later added by Ibn al-Jazarī. All other readings found in the literature or among the people are considered to be irregular and inauthentic (shādh), whose origins are likely from the personal musḥaf collections of the Companions and early Muslims, who often included explanatory remarks and words by way of commentary and clarification. These irregular readings are not considered to be Qurʼān but still have a role in understanding Qurʼānic commentary and Arabic language.
The text of al-Shāṭibiyyah (which contains the seven authentic readings chosen by Ibn Mujāhid) and al-Durrah (which include an additional three authentic readings) complete the ten authentic readings, which are collectively referred to as al-Qirā’āt al-‘Ashr al-Ṣughrā (the Ten Lesser Readings). Ibn al-Jazarī’s other independent texts— al-Nashr and Tayyibah al-Nashr, establish the ten authentic readings independently from the former texts and are referred to as al-Qirā’āt al-‘Ashr al-Kubrā (the Ten Greater Readings).
The ending of Ramadan is marked by festivities and cheers by all. Even those who don’t pray or fast do celebrate Eid. But why do we reserve our smiles and cheers for the end of Ramadan? This is a month of celebration, from beginning to end, and on each and every day. Farah (joy) is the flavor of this month. [click here to listen] (Based upon the editorial from the current Jumuah magazine)
Dear Almaghrib Brothers and Sisters, Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah
I am thankful to Allah for allowing me to spend two uplifting and blessed days with such dedicated and intelligent Muslims sisters and brothers in faith. I enjoyed teaching you and learning from you; your questions and thoughts are invaluable for me, and will continue to make me think more and strive better.
I had promised a few things during the lectures. From what I can remember, these were: the lecture presentations (attached) and a list of recommended books (provided below).
Please feel free to remind me if I am forgetting something. I’d love to hear thoughts, questions and suggestions from each one of you; feel free to use the email address I have provided uwaymir at yahoo dot com. Some of you had particular questions or requests; please feel free to contact me, I’d love to be of help if I can.
For anyone interested in spiritual writings of Ibn Taymiyya or Ibn al-Qayyim in translation, please contact me directly. For many reasons that you can guess, there is a lack of good books on or by Ibn Taymiyya in English on either his political thought or spirituality. Ibn Taymiyya is a very challenging writer because of his encyclopedic knowledge full of references that common Muslims are not familiar with. Ibn al-Qayyim, the most brilliant and devoted disciple of Ibn Taymiyya, is easier and more organized. I have been translating his Madarij al-Salikin for Aljumuah Magazine for the last five years; I could send you a subset of those writings if you are interested—although I suggest reading the whole magazine. Also, I have some more advanced articles on Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyya’s spiritual writings, which I can provide upon request.
A list of recommended books
On Ibn Taymiyya,
Ibn Taymiyya Expounds on Islam by Abdul Haqq Ansari (available for download at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16603238/Expounds-on-Islam-by-Ibn-Taymiyyah?autodown=pdf) This one is the best and most extensive anthology of his writings to my knowledge.
The Hanbali School of Law and Ibn Taymiyyah: Conflict or Conciliation (Culture and Civilization in the Middle East) by Abdul Hakim I. Al-Matroudi. This is a very decent academic but accessible study by a Saudi scholar of Ibn Taymiyya’s jurisprudence.
Public Duties in Islam: The Institution of the Hisba by Ibn Taymiyya
Ibn Taymiyya: Muslims under non-Muslim Rule by Yahya Michot (Interface Publictions, 2006). This is an example of how Ibn Taymiyya’s writings have been misused in the contemporary Muslim world. The author is Prof. at Hartford Seminary, a respected Muslim scholar and convert, whose own bias is evident in the book.
Sayyid Abul A`la Mawdudi, The Islamic Movement: Dynamics of Values, Power and Change, ed. By Khurram Murad (Islamic Foundation, 1998)
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Islamic Awakening: Between Rejection and Extremism
Winning the Modern World for Islam, by Abdessalam Yassine (Justice and Spirituality Publishing, 2000)
On Muslim women in particular,
Al-Muḥaddithāt By Muḥammad Akram Nadwī. This is one of the best and most learned accounts I come across of early Islamic tradition on women in good English, very inspiring.
In Arabic, I had mentioned to some sisters Abd al-Haleem Abu Shaqqa’s Tahrir al-mar`a fi `ahd al-risala
Ma`a salamatillah,
Your brother in faith,
Uwaymir Anjum
Adapted from the insightful series of lectures by Dr Uwaymir Anjum
Ask yourself these questions. . . Is Islam an individual matter? Does it have anything to do with the public sphere, with matters of governance? Does Islam have any vision for governing societies?
Muslims would generally agree that governing according to Islam, aka Khilāfah, aka Islamic state, is something necessary or at least something commendable. But ask yourself this— when was the last time you heard a lecture about the Khilāfah, or about the fiqh of the Islamic state? In contrast, when was the last time you heard about the fiqh of prayer, or fasting, or about dhikr? Have we reduced Islam to personal fiqh? What has happened to the domain of Islamic political thought?
It is a matter of faith for us that Islamic teachings remain as relevant today as they ever were. Politics is in essence managing our resources for a greater, collective good, about working together as communities, and as an ummah. In Arabic the term is siyāsah, which is found in the following Prophetic ḥadīth:
كَانَتْ بَنُو إسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ، كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ، وَإنَّهُ لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي. وَسَتَكُونُ خُلَفَاءُ فَتَكْثُرُ
The Israelites used to be governed/managed (politically) by the prophets. Whenever one of them died, another took his place. But there will be no prophet after me, but only khulafā’ (caliphs). [al-Bukhārī, Muslim and others]
The terms also finds itself from a report from ‘Umar:
خطبنا عمر بن الخطاب فقال قد علمت ورب الكعبة متى تهلك العرب، فقام إليه رجل من المسلمين فقال: متى يهلكون يا أمير المؤمنين؟ قال: حين يسوس أمرهم من لم يعالج أمر الجاهلية ولم يصحب الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلّم
Once ‘Umar addressed us and said, I indeed know, by the Lord of the Ka‘bah, when the Arabs will be destroyed. A man stood up and asked, When will they be destroyed O Commander of the Faithful? He replied, When they entrust their affairs (siyāsah) to those who have not eradicated the matters of jāhiliyyah and those who will not be from the Companions. [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Bayhaqī]
So politics (siyāsah) is an essential part of human collective life and hence an integral part of the religion of truth.
But our collective lives are a mess. We have many great individuals among us who are quite diligent in their prayers and even cry when reading the Qurʼān, but when they sit in committees to run a masjid or a school or an event, chaos breaks loose. Tensions rise, accusations are leveled, backbiting occurs!
The Judgment of Akhirah is about individuals, but the Prophet of Islam established communities, social environments and, yes, states. They didn’t focus on knocking on doors and reaching every individual person but they had a broader mission. The majority and bulk of Arabia did not embrace Islam when each person was convinced of its truth, but when the writing on the horizon changed after the conquest of Makkah. The early Muslims conquered lands but did not force Islam on individuals. Why did the masses embrace Islam, then? The Muslims established order and institutions and a new way of organizing things, the writing on the horizons changes, and that brought the masses of people to them.
The Prophet and early Muslims had a profound sense of mission. We owe it to them to try to understand what that was and what happened to us. . . .
