al-firaushah

Islam at a Glance

Sadruddin Islahi’s Islam at a Glance (Translated by M. Zafar Iqbal)

Islam at a Glance is a primer on Islam. The book covers and explains intelligently the concept and meaning of Islam by focusing on its fundamental beliefs and practices - such as belief in God, the Afterlife, Angels, Books, Prophets and the fundamental duties known as the Pillars of Islam. Objectives of Prayer, Fast, Zakat, Hajj - the Pillars of Islam - have been explained in such detail so as to integrate their relationship with a way of life which is Islam. It also covers the principles behind…[more]

Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya Ulum-Din (The Book of Worship), Volumes I-IV

Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya Ulum-Din (The Book of Worship), Volumes I-IV

This book, “Ihya Ulum-Id-Din” (Revival of Religious Learnings), is the masterpiece work of the famous Persian scholar Imam Ghazzali who has been honored as “Hujjatul Islam,” the Proof of Islam. This book is classified into four volumes - Worship, Worldly Usages, Destructive Evils, and Constructive Virtues. Each volume has been further divided into ten chapters.

The subjects are well arranged like a law book or a medical book. The first two volumes speak about… [more]

Islam: Faith and Practice

Mahmoud M. Ayoub’s Islam: Faith and Practice

What is Islam? Is it just a set of rituals or does it have a philosophy all its own? Islam and Muslims are often in the news but does the non-Muslim really understand what Islam stands for?

In Islam: Faith and Practice, Mahmoud Ayoub presents the Islamic faith as Muslims understand it. The book is divided into three parts. The first deals with [the] Islamic faith and its basis. The second part of the book is concerned with… [more]

Extremism isn’t Islamic Law

One of the very few topics I strongly disagree with my ustaz (religious teacher) about is the issue of what should be done with apostates. I am of the opinion that apostates should be left alone (for the most part) in this world because, as Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, leave the punishment of the unbelievers to Him (73:11 and 74:11) as, insha’allah, any punishment of His will be far worse than anything we could do ourselves.

Today, the Washington Post has an article by Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid, the former President of Indonesia on this topic that I thought is worth sharing.

For a few days this year the world’s media focused an intense spotlight on the drama of a modern-day inquisition. Abdul Rahman, a Muslim convert to Christianity, narrowly escaped the death penalty for apostasy when the Afghan government — acting under enormous international pressure — sidestepped the issue by ruling that he was insane and unfit to stand trial. This unsatisfactory ruling left unanswered a question of enormous significance: Does Islam truly require the death penalty for apostasy, and, if not, why is there so little freedom of religion in the so-called Muslim world?

The Koran and the sayings of the prophet Muhammad do not definitively address this issue. In fact, during the early history of Islam, the Agreement of Hudaibiyah between Muhammad and his rivals stipulated that any Muslim who converted out of Islam would be allowed to depart freely to join the non-Muslim community. Nevertheless, throughout much of Islamic history, Muslim governments have embraced an interpretation of Islamic law that imposes the death penalty for apostasy.

It is vital that we differentiate between the Koran, from which much of the raw material for producing Islamic law is derived, and the law itself. While its revelatory inspiration is divine, Islamic law is man-made and thus subject to human interpretation and revision. For example, in the course of Islamic history, non-Muslims have been allowed to enter Mecca and Medina. Since the time of the caliphs, however, Islamic law has been interpreted to forbid non-Muslims from entering these holy cities. The prohibition against non-Muslims entering Mecca and Medina is thus politically motivated and has no basis in the Koran or Islamic law.

In the case of Rahman, two key principles of Islamic jurisprudence come into play. First, al-umuru bi maqashidiha (”Every problem [should be addressed] in accordance with its purpose”). If a legal ordinance truly protects citizens, then it is valid and may become law. From this perspective, Rahman did not violate any law, Islamic or otherwise. Indeed, he should be protected under Islamic law, rather than threatened with death or imprisonment. The second key principle is al-hukm-u yadullu ma’a illatihi wujudan wa adaman (”The law is formulated in accordance with circumstances”). Not only can Islamic law be changed — it must be changed due to the ever-shifting circumstances of human life. Rather than take at face value assertions by extremists that their interpretation of Islamic law is eternal and unchanging, Muslims and Westerners must reject these false claims and join in the struggle to support a pluralistic and tolerant understanding of Islam.

All of humanity, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, is threatened by the forces of Islamist extremism. It is these extremists, masquerading as traditional Muslims, who angrily call for the death of Abdul Rahman or the beheading of Danish cartoonists. Their objective is raw political power and the eventual radicalization of all 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. Western involvement in this “struggle for the soul of Islam” is a matter of self-preservation for the West and is critical given the violent tactics and strength of radical elements in Muslim societies worldwide.

Muslim theologians must revise their understanding of Islamic law, and recognize that punishment for apostasy is merely the legacy of historical circumstances and political calculations stretching back to the early days of Islam. Such punishments run counter to the clear Koranic injunction “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:256).

People of goodwill of every faith and nation must unite to ensure the triumph of religious freedom and of the “right” understanding of Islam, to avert global catastrophe and spare millions of others the fate of Sudan’s great religious and political leader, Mahmoud Muhammad Taha, who was executed on a false charge of apostasy. The millions of victims of “jihadist” violence in Sudan — whose numbers continue to rise every day — would have been spared if Taha’s vision of Islam had triumphed instead of that of the extremists.

The greatest challenge facing the contemporary Muslim world is to bring our limited, human understanding of Islamic law into harmony with its divine spirit — in order to reflect God’s mercy and compassion, and to bring the blessings of peace, justice and tolerance to a suffering world.

The writer is a former president of Indonesia. From 1984 to 1999 he directed the Nadhlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim organization. He serves as senior adviser and board member to LibForAll Foundation, an Indonesian- and U.S.-based nonprofit that works to reduce religious extremism and terrorism.

Sale on Firaushah.com

I’m happy to announce that the new and improved website of firaushah.com is up and running. For a couple weeks now I’ve been working on this new version of our website, which is why I haven’t been blogging as often recently. The website has been completely revamped and, of course, I’ll continue to work on it so as to add new products.

Speaking of new products, we’ve started to sell books as well. My ustaz has a number of books he’s asked me to sell for him, and I’m happy to do so. One of the books, “Muhammad: The Ideal Prophet,” I mentioned in a number of posts last year around Ramadhan (in my Dunner’s Learn About Islam blog). It’s a very interesting book, and I highly recommend it. We’ve got lots of copies, so “die die must buy” (i.e., “you absolutely must buy”) as we say here in S’pore. Insha’allah, we’ll also add some Bahasa Malayu books to the website in a few days (my ustaz has the books, I just need to finish writing up the appropriate webpages).

Now, to celebrate the new website, firaushah.com is going to hold a SALE. Here’s the deal:

If you are on any of my blogrolls OR if you’ve already listed firaushah.com on your blogroll, we’ll give you $10 off on any of our Sparkly tudungs. (These are really beautiful - die die must buy!)

If I’m not currently on your blogroll but you’re willing to put firaushah.com on now, we’ll give you the $10 off on any of the Sparkly tudungs as well.

Finally, if you let your internet friends now about this SALE and they put firaushah.com on their blogroll and tell me that you recommended them, I’ll give them the $10 off and you $20 off on any of the Sparkly tudungs.

This SALE is only through the end of June so don’t wait!

“An Afternoon with the Hijjabed”

This is a short student film (8:29) from Multimedia University, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The video is a collection of interviews with five women, all of whom wear a tudung to one extent or another. Each of the women answer a series of questions (e.g., “what is aurat?” “why do you wear the hijjab?” and so on) to the best of their abilities. The film is interesting in that it captures a cross-section of women who cover themselves for different reasons. You have the very traditional Zulaikha who wears both the tudung and niqab, Natasha, who wears a scarf that covers almost nothing for the least satisfactory reasons, and three others who all wear a traditional tudung although one, Wawa, a student, apparently would take hers off in public given the right circumstances (i.e., when she’s with friends). Perhaps the line I liked the best is from the cigarette-smoking art director, Leyla, who said, “I am a Muslim woman, and I’m not afraid to show it.”
An Afternoon with the Hijjabed

French Convert on Becoming a Muslim

Click on the link to a short video excerpt (1:17) of a French woman being interviewed about her becoming a Muslim.
French Woman Talks About Becoming Muslim

The Dangers of Drugs And Society’s Responsibility

Khutbah from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
5 May 2006 / 7 Rabiul Akhir 1427

Blessed Friday congregation,

I call upon myself and my brothers here to increase our piety and faith in Allah (swt). Piety to fight our desires. Piety to fight against evil. Let us increase our piety. Let us open our hearts to understand this religion – the religion that will bring us towards success in this world and in the hereafter.

In last week’s sermon, we have heard much about the many ways there are to follow the teachings of our Prophet (saw) at this age. This time, we will look at several issues which our society is facing, and how we can view each problem and how we handle it together.

Today, there is a donation going around at all the mosques in Singapore for the Harun Ghani Education funds. Because of this event, today’s sermon would like to remind us all about the dangers of drugs and also our responsibility as part of the society. Although this issue is less critical now, we cannot be complacent and put it aside. We need to be more sensitive and look for ways to ensure that our society remains free from this vice.

My beloved brothers in Islam,

We must provide proper and accurate understanding of the dangers of drugs to our children, family and friends. Although Islam does not state clearly about drugs, Islam has laid down clear guidelines about it by using a similar example to drugs, which is alcohol. Allah says in Surah Al-Maaidah verse 90-91:

“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaitan’s (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. Shaitan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salat (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?”

Rasulullah also advised his companion, Abu Musa Al-Asy’ari, who had asked Rasulullah (saw) about the rulings on alcoholic drinks which were fermented from honey, and alcoholic drinks which were fermented from cereal. Rasulullah answered shortly:

“ALL that is intoxicating is forbidden.” (Narrated by Imam Muslim.)

We definitely cannot deny that both drugs and alcohol are intoxicating and damaging to the mind. Therefore, on this basis, alcoholic drinks are forbidden and on this basis, too, drugs are forbidden.

My beloved brothers,

The harm brought about by drugs is great. Do realize that not only the drug addict’s life is affected. Not only his health, his money is wasted; this vice will also wipe out the smiles from his children and his wife, to be traded with tears and much regret, which is useless.

The bad effects of drugs are not limited only to the individual, but will be felt also by his family and those who love him. His parents’ hopes will be destroyed, his relatives’ dreams will be destroyed, and his children and wife who are under his care will also face a destroyed future.

Drug abuse used to be a serious problem among those who were less educated. However, today, this problem has become a trend and a fashion statement, which is widely spreading in the society. With the emergence of synthetic drugs, this abomination has taken a new look. Drugs are now more accessible and easier to be tried, coming in different types of pills in different colours. Such drugs, although they may look harmless, still cause the same effects. Such abuse triggers loss of awareness, deteriorating health, and loss of dignity and values. Drugs can lead a person to destruction.

My beloved brothers,

The question here is, what can we do? What are the steps that we can take to ensure that this issue will not be a serious problem for our society again?

The first thing we can do is to practise “enjoining goodness and forbidding evil,” by always reminding our children, our relatives and our family to abstain from drug abuse and to explain about its dangers to oneself, family and society. Remind them not to be dragged into destruction. Remind them of Allah’s Words in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 195:

“And spend in the Cause of Allah (i.e., Jihad of all kinds) and do not throw yourselves into destruction, and do good. Truly, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers).”

Secondly, among the many ways to help those who are involved with drug abuse is to collaborate in helping their families who are being tested by this vice.

In consideration of this, today all the mosques in Singapore will be collecting funds for the Harun Ghani Education Funds. It is an effort to help the children of the abusers to continue their education. A proper education will help these unfortunate families to build their families again and look forward to a bright future. This is our responsibility. Let us not miss this opportunity to help them by making this effort a success. Let us remember a hadith of the Prophet (saw):

“Allah helps His servant, as long as His servant helps his brothers.” (Narrated by Imam Muslim)

Besides that, let us pray to Allah, may our brothers and sisters who are involved with drug abuse recover from their addiction and remain free from drugs. Let us also pray for their children: may this effort help them in excelling in their studies and leaving the vicious cycle, and building better and more successful families.

Hopefully, with this effort, our society will continue to turn into a society that brings goodness and contributions to our religion and our country.

Glossary:
Rasulullah: The Prophet of God; i.e., Muhammad (saw).
(saw): These letters are abbreviations for the words “Salla Allahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam,” which means, “may the blessing and the peace of Allah be upon him.” When the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, a Muslim is to respect him and invoke this statement of peace upon him.
Sunnah: In this context, sunnah means a recommended practice, something that should be done but is not obligatory.
(swt): These letters are abbreviations for the words of “Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.” When the name of Almighty Allah is pronounced, a Muslim is to show his respect to Him by reciting this. The meaning of this statement is that Allah is purified of having partners or a son.