Youth Matters

Al-Mu’tasim and the Amazing Dream of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbalرحمه الله

zfnd — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:06:40 +0000

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The strength of his faith in Allah and the steadfastness on his understanding of the Deen were tested when under Khalifah al-Mu’tasim, a Fitnah or a kind of ‘inquisition court’ was created to deal with people among whom were many acknowledged scholars who would not profess the doctrine of “the creation of the Qur’an”. Imam ibn Hanbal too, suffered as a result when he was arrested and brought in chains before the court. But he patiently submitted to corporal punishment and imprisonment and resolutely refused to deviate from his beliefs. His trial, and the Ummah’s for that matter, were to come to an end on the hands of the Khalifah al-Mutawakkil who did not believe in the doctrine of ‘the creation of the Qur’an’. From then onwards the Imam was accorded honour befitting his greatness. His steadfastness helped preserve the correct Islamic belief regarding the Book of Allah. His fame spread far and wide. His learning, piety and unswerving faithfulness to traditions gathered the Ummah and its scholars around his understanding and teachings. He died in Baghdad in the year 855 CE (241 AH). (Al-Jumu’ah Magazine)

Sulaymaan said, ‘He was then carried to the prison and the people departed, so I departed with them. Then when the next day arrived the people came (to the door of al-Mu’tasim) so I came with them and stood in front of the chair. Then al-Mu’tasim appeared and sat on the chair and said, ‘Bring Ahmad ibn Hanbal.’ So he was brought and when he stood in front of him al-Mu’tasim said to him,

‘How were you in your cell during the night, 0 son of Hanbal?’ He said, “In goodness, and all praises are due to Allaah.” Al-Mu‘tasim said, ‘0 Ahmad, I saw a dream yesterday.’ He said, “And what did you see, 0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen?” He said, ‘I saw in my dream as if there were two lions approaching me and they desired to tear me apart. And then two angels appeared and repelled them from me. They gave me a hook and said to me, ‘This written (piece) is the dream that Ahmad ibn Hanbal saw in his cell.’ So what is it that you saw, 0 son of Hanbal?’

So Ahmad faced al-Mu’tasim and said, “0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen, is the book with you?” He said, ‘Yes, and when I awoke, I read what was in it.

So Ahmad said to him, “0 Ameerul-Mu’mineen, I saw as if the Day of Judgement had been established, and as if Allaah had gathered the first and the last (of people) in a single plain and He was calling them to account. Whilst I was standing, I was called for, so I proceeded until I stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, and He said to me, ‘0 Ahmad, for what were you beaten?’ I said, “On account of the Qur’aan.” He said, “And what is the Qur’aan?” I said, “Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.” He said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ I said, “0 Lord, ‘Abdur-Razzaaq narrated to me.”

So ‘AbdurRazzaaq was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 ‘Abdur-Razzaaq?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, ‘Ma’mar narrated to me.’

So Ma’mar was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Ma’mar?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, ‘Az– Zuhree narrated to me.’

So az-Zuhree was called for and he was Brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Zuhree?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ So Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, “Urwah narrated to me.’

So ‘Urwah was brought, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan?’ He said, ‘Your Words, 0 AIIaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘0 ‘Urwah, from where do you (derive and) say this?’ He said, “Aa’ishah [r], the daughter of Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq[r], narrated to me.’

So ‘Aa’ishah[r] was called for and she was brought, until she was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to her, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 ‘Aa’ishah[r]?’ She said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where do you (derive and) say this?’ She said, ‘Your Prophet Muhammad [s] narrated to me.’

He said, ‘So Muhammad [s] was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Muhammad[s]?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ So the Prophet [s] said, ‘Jibreel narrated to me.’

So Jibreel was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Jibreel?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ He said, ‘Such did Israafeel narrate to me.’

So Israafeel was called for and he was brought, until he was made to stand in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and Allaah, the Sublime, said to him, ‘What do you say about the Qur’aan, 0 Israafeel?’ He said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You,’ so Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ He said, ‘I saw that in the Lawhul-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet).’

So the Preserved Tablet was brought and stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, and He said, ‘0 Lawh, what do you say about the Qur’aan?’ And it said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.’ Then Allaah, the Exalted said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ And the Lawh said, ‘Such did the Qalam (the Pen) inscribe upon me.’

Then the Pen was brought until it stood in front of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, so Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, said to it, ‘0 Qalam, what do you say about the Qur’aan?’ The Qalam said, ‘Your words, 0 Allaah, belonging to You.’ So Allaah said, ‘From where has this come to you?’ The Qalam said — ‘You dictated and I wrote.’

Then Allaah, the Mighty and Magnificent, said, ‘The Qalam has spoken the truth. The Lawh has spoken the truth. Israafeel has spoken the truth. Jibreel has spoken the truth. Muhammad[s] has spoken the truth. ‘Aa’ishah [r] has spoken the truth. ‘Urwah has spoken the truth. Az-Zuhree has spoken the truth. Ma’mar has spoken the truth. ‘Abdur-Razzaaq has spoken the truth. Ahmad ibn Hanbal has spoken the truth. The Qur’aan is My Speech, it is not created.’

Sulaymaan as-Sijzee said, ‘Al-Mu’tasim leapt upon hearing that and said, ‘You have spoken the truth, 0 son of Hanbal.’ Then al- Mu’tasim repented, ordered the necks of Bishr al-Mareesee and Ibn Abee Duwaad to be beaten and revered Ahmad ibn Hanbal and bestowed upon him, but (Ahmad) refrained from that. He was then ordered to be taken to his house and was taken.’

~ Taken from Usool as-Sunnah by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
Source

The Key To Paradise

zfnd — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:33:59 +0000

No matter how many lectures you attend…

No matter how many khutbas you listen to…

No matter how many advanced islamic sciences you study…

It comes down to one thing.

Illustrious Personalities: Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal

zfnd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:43:35 +0000

A khatirah given by Dr. Waleed Basyouni after Fajr in Clear Lake Islamic Center (June 13, 09)

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

Along time ago, a pious man who used to live with his wife in a border town passed away. His wife was pregnant. So she thought that a border town was not going to be a good place for her child to grow up. After all they only lived that far because her husband’s job was to protect the border along with the Muslim soldiers that were stationed there for that purpose. She moved to Baghdad the capital of the Islamic state (khilafah) at the time. Soon after she moved, she gave birth to a boy. She named him Ahmad. The mother wanted her son to become a scholar so from a very early age she enrolled him in the “kuttaab”–the equivalent of today’s elementary school. There Ahmad learned reading, writing, arithmetic and Quran. He was very brilliant and became the first in his class, so they moved him to a more reputable schooling system which was called “al Diwan.” This new school was under the direct supervision of the caliph himself. As you may all know now, the boy was Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Imam Ahmad said that he started studying the sciences of religion at the age of 15. He learned under several scholars at that age. He learned under the two most famous students of Imam Abu Hanifa (rahimahu Allah): Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad Ibn al Hasan al Shaybani. Imam Ahmad was not content to only know what the other scholars said and their fatwas, he wanted to learn what they had learned. So he started studying the hadith of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhee wa sallam).

He asked permission from his mother to go to al Kufa (6o miles south of Baghdad) where he could meet a scholar by the name Husheim. He was a very famous scholar of hadith. Under Husheim, he learned and memorized 4000 hadith. He also moved on to learn under Wakee’ al Jarrah. In one of the classes, Wakee’ narrated a hadith from Husheim. Imam Ahmad noticed a discrepancy in the narration so he said, “that is not how Husheim narrated this hadith.” It was unusual for a student to correct his teacher. So Wakee’ disputed with him. Imam Ahmad insisted that was not the way of Husheim. So Wakee’ told his students to bring the books. They discovered that Imam Ahmad (who was still a teenager at the time) was correct. So Wakee’ told everyone that if they wanted to learn the hadith of Husheim they should learn it from Ahmad.

While in Kufa, Imam Ahmad found an opportunity to go to Makkah for Hajj. But he did not ask his mother’s permission. A journey to Makkah from Iraq was somewhat risky at the time, and it would require much preparation and company. He and his life-long friend Yahya bin Mu’een set out for Makkah. Their intention was to perform Hajj, and then meet with some of the scholars of Makkah. They had wanted to meet with Abdul Razzaq al San’aani, a famous scholar of hadith who lived in Yemen. Imam Ahmad and Yahya bin Mu’een were performing tawaf when they saw Abdul Razzaq. Yahya told him, “this is our opportunity to meet with him and ask him our questions.” Imam Ahmad said, “No. I would not change my intention.” He had intended to go to Yemen and meet with the Sheikh there, which in and of itself was a good deed. So he did not want to break this intention. Yahya disagreed, so he got what he wanted but Imam Ahmad resolved to travel to Yemen and meet with the Sheikh there.

While in Makkah, he learned under Sufyan Ibn ‘Uyaynah. He and many other students of knowledge used to meet with the Sheikh in a basement, which used to get very hot and crowded. It was so hot at one time, Imam Ahmad fainted. So they carried him to the front. After that they would have sit close to the Sheikh.

The trip to Yemen was not an easy one. It was far more dangerous than the trip between Iraq and Makkah. Furthermore, Imam Ahmad did not have any money. He had spent everything on the trip to Makkah and on Hajj. He could walk there but still he had his books which he could not carry. So he decided to offer his labor to a caravan. He would take care of the camels in exchange for joining them and letting him load his books on one of the camels. He arrived at Abdul Razzaq’s house. So he knocked at the door. The nearby grocer interrupted him. “what are you doing young man?” he said. “I want to see the Sheikh.” Imam Ahmad replied. The grocer said, “Abdul Razzaq is a reputable scholar and he is resting. You don’t bother him like this.” So Imam Ahmad said, “Well, I will wait for him here.” After few hours the Sheikh came out. Imam Ahmad introduced himself briefly and said: “I have taken these ahaadith from narrators who said they took them from students of students of your sheikh. So I want to verify them with you and learn under you.” Abdul Razzaq was obviously taken by surprise. So he was a bit harsh with Imam Ahmad and asked “Who are you?” and “why are you at my doorsteps.” So Imam Ahmad said to him, “I am Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.” Abdul Razzaq was more surprised this time. “Who did you say you are?” “I am Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.” So Abdul Razzaq took him in his arms and happily embraced him. He had heard about him. Imam Ahmad did not know that he was now at the tongue of every scholar and student of knowledge. This was due to Imam Al Shaafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him). When Imam Al Shaafi’ visited Baghdad he met with Imam Ahmad. He left Baghdad saying: “When I left Baghdad and had never seen a more knowledgeable person in it than Ahamd Ibn Hanbal.” This statement had been circulated throughout the circles of knowledge all over the Islamic world. That indeed was due to Allah’s blessings upon Imam Ahmad. It was said by one other scholar that he had seen Imam Ahmad lecture (and give fatwa) in the Masjid Al-Kheef in Mina. He had never seen a more thorough scholar than Imam Ahmad.

Imam Ahmad said that after that they sat by the doorsteps and looked over all the books that Imam Ahmad had. Maghrib time came upon them. Imam Ahmad started to worry about the prayer. Abdul Razzaq was so interested in reading what Imam Ahmad had written in his books, he wanted to read more, so he asked the grocer to bring a lantern. When it was dark, he told Imam Ahmad: “now let us go to the Masjid.” Abdul Razzaq was of the opinion of preferring to pray maghrib when it was dark. Imam Ahmad stayed in Yemen for 10 months. He had not told his mother that he was going to Hajj and then to Yemen. So he needed to leave.

Imam Ahmad was poor. He did labor work to earn his money and sustain his learning. During his stay in Yemen, Abdul Razzaq insisted that he lead the prayer. So one night he was leading the prayer. He made a lot of mistakes in his recitation. So when the prayer was over, Abdul Razzaq asked him if he was feeling ok. The other students told him that Imam Ahmad had not eaten anything for three days. He did not have money to buy food. His last food he ate was the bread that he bought from the bakery and paid for with his shoes. So Abdul Razzaq took him to his home. He went to his wife and brought 10 dinars. He said: “the only source of income the people here have is when they harvest their fruits and vegetables and sell them. But I managed to find this for you.” He offered him the 10 dinars. Imam Ahmad kindly said: “If I were to take money from anyone, I would take it from you. But I don’t take money from anyone.” Imam Ahmad seemed to have vowed not depend on anyone or ask money of anyone. He would work and sustain himself with whatever had had earned. Imam Ahmad was said to have refused many gifts of the Caliphs which amounted to 500,000 dinars. His brother would say: “He would refuse the gift of the caliph when he even did not have bread in his home.” Earlier when he was in Makkah, he was absent from the class for three days. So the teacher asked where he was. They told him that he was staying in a cave in a mountain in Ajyad (an area in Makkah). So they went to see him. When Imam Ahmad noticed that some people were coming, he told them not to enter until he was ready. So when they were able to enter the cave, they found him wrapped in a sheep skin reading his books. They asked him what had happened. He said that he was taking a bath when a thief took his clothes and ran away. So that was why he could not attend the class. His classmate offered him 70 dinars. But he said,”I don’t take money from anyone.” But I will manage and find work. He offered less and less but Imam Ahmad would only say the same thing. But he said, “how about if I write for you everything the Sheikh has taught us for wages.” They agreed and that was how he was able to buy clothes.

Imam Ahmad is famous for his firm stance in the fitna of al Mamoun, an Abbasid Caliph, and the issue of the creation of the Quran. It was based on the deviated theory that Allah has no names or attributes. consequently, the Quran was not Allah’s words, but rather a creation. Al Mamoun was convinced of this deviation as he was about many issues of Greek philosophy of which he was fond and to which he dedicated a whole institution to translate into Arabic. He wanted all the famous scholars to agree with him. So some of them managed to save themselves but giving an agreeable answer. Imam Ahmad, however, insisted to be firm and stand against this fitna. He was exposed to torture. He did not meet al Mamoun, since the latter died before they could meet. But al Mamoun’s successor, al Mu’tasim, took over and ordered that Imam Ahmad be tortured if he did not agree with their belief. They had made a special whip made of leather and thorns. So when the torturer would strike Imam Ahmad with it, it would tear his skin. The doctor who later treated him, said: “I have not seen wounds like these before.” The cuts were so deep they exposed the flesh and bones. It was extremely painful. Imam Ahmad would only quote the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet. With every strike he would resort to Allah envoking His beautiful and mighty Names and Attributes. Al Mu’tasim attended most of the sessions. So Imam Ahmad would say to him: “Ya Mu’tasim, you will be brought before Allah, as I am now brought before you.” Al Mu’tasim would order the torture to be more intense and painful. Then he would come to the Imam and tell him, “I don’t like to torture you. Just say or write that you agree and I will release you. I have inherited this problem and I cannot back off if you do not agree.” Imam Ahmad would remain firm on his stance and say, “If you have any proof from the Quran or the hadith then let me hear it and I will agree but if you do not I will not.” The man behind this whole fitna (Ahmad bin Abi Duad) was present and said to Al Mu’tsim: “Kill him. He (meaning Imam Ahmad) is a kafir, and I take the responsibility for his death.” al Mu’tasim said: “I will not kill him. I will not meet my Lord with the blood of Ahmad on my hands. He is a righteous man.”

After Imam Ahmad was released, he was heard praying for al Mu’tsim’s forgiveness. His son was furious to hear him do that. So he asked him “Why after all he had done to you!” Imam Ahmad said: “I don’t want to see a member of the family of the Prophet (salla Allah alayhee wa sallam) to be in Hellfire because of me.” His love for the Prophet (pbuh) caused him to be loving and merciful towards his family.

Until the day he died, Imam Ahmad kept praying for seven people, among them was Imam Al Shafi’i and others. But his son noticed that he had included a man with them of whom he had not heard. So he asked: “who is Abu Haitham al Haddad who you keep mentioning in your dua.” so the Imam said: “Don’t you know Abu Haitham al Haddad?” He said: “While I was being tortured, a man whispered to me: “I am Abu Haitham al Haddad.” I asked who he was. He said: “You don’t know me! I am the one who had been punished with over 18,000 lashes, all of them were for this dunya (because he was a thief) and I did not give in. I exhort you to be patient and take these lashes and be firm. You are being punished for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter.” Imam Ahmad said, “It was his words that kept me firm.”

Enlightening Interview on Tawhid (Islamic Monotheism) with Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris

zfnd — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:33:33 +0000

Question: You have talked about degeneration of Muslim society. Now how about regeneration of Muslim society — how can Tawhid help us regenerate Muslim society and bring our intellectual tradition alive?

Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris: As I said earlier I think the first thing we have to do is to invite people to Tawhid again. I think we also have to make it relevant to the ideologies that are prevailing in the world today. It seems to me that we Muslim intellectuals have a very big role to play. From my contacts with some Western intellectuals I think that it is only we, the Muslim intellectuals, who can invite people to religion again. Many other theologians who belong to other religions, many of them, I think they are very sincere people but the problem is that the religion, or the kind of concept of God that they have cannot be at all accepted by someone whose mind is shaped by science, or someone who demands, who looks for evidence, for reasoning. Man y people as a function of their religions, I mean they are very intellectual people, but it’s because of their religion they have to say that there is no contact between reason and religion, or that we have to keep science and religion apart. They say religion, but, in fact, they should have said Christianity or Judaism or Buddhism, or whatever, because we Muslims don’t think so, we do not agree with this separation of religion from science. We can argue even with the atheist, with the m materialist, because, again I discover, that the kind of God that they reject is not the . . .

Z.S.: The kind of God of Islam?

J.S.I.: The God whom we believe in.

Read the rest of the interview here

On Michael Jackson and Muslims

zfnd — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:05:31 +0000

2 posts put some much needed clarity in the chaos of the recent news.

(reading time 3 seconds) Sh. Suhaib Webb: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/blog/general/was-mj-a-muslim/

(Reading time 5 min): Sh. Abu Esa Niamatullah http://alternativeentertainment.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/dealing-with-skeletons-in-the-closet-%E2%80%93-beat-it/

“Its effect is vastly under-estimated which is why many Muslims simply cannot understand why their fellow brothers and sisters are making such a big deal of an artist as talented and masterful as Michael Jackson”

“I feel that Muslim scholars deal with the topic of music very poorly. Many of them simply (and rather fortunately!) cannot appreciate the hold music can have over the hearts of its victims.”

First accredited Islamic college planned for US

zfnd — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:54:30 +0000

First accredited Islamic college planned for US

• ‘Muslim Georgetown’ aims to rival Yale for Islamic studies
• Non-believers and women welcome, imam says

The first accredited Islamic college in the US is being planned by an influential Muslim body hoping to produce “a generation of indigenised scholars”.The management committee from the Zaytuna Institute, which is dedicated to classical Muslim scholarship, last week recommended launching Zaytuna College in autumn 2010. The board of trustees is expected to vote on it later this month.

The college would be open to men, women, Muslims and non-Muslims, and would be on a level comparable to the best religious seminaries and higher education institutions in the US, the brochure says.

The initiative, described as a “Muslim Georgetown”, is backed by widely respected Islamic scholars and clerics across the world, who argue there is a need for institutions that can wed religious texts to a contemporary context.

There are thought to be about seven million Muslims in the US, and in Cairo last Thursday, President Barack Obama noted that Islam had “always been a part of America’s story”.

“They have fought in our wars, served in government, they have stood for civil rights, they have started businesses, they have taught at our universities, they have excelled in our sports arenas, they have won Nobel prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic torch.”

Every state had a mosque and there were more than 1,200 mosques within the country’s borders, Obama said, before adding: “Let there be no doubt, Islam is a part of America.”

Imam Zaid Shakir, scholar in residence at the Zaytuna Institute, said: “We’re an expanding Muslim community in North America and we don’t have any seminary or college that is endeavouring to produce a generation of indigenised scholars.

“Non-Muslims are free to study here. We are not a closed society or a secretive one. Our goal is to have a 50/50 gender split in the student body. We’re talking about a generation of American Muslim scholars, period.”

His key concerns, shared by others at Zaytuna, are that there are few scholars who can meet the religious and pastoral needs of the west’s Muslim community and that much of the younger generation has become alienated from the mosque and the religious culture.

Students on the bachelor programme will study the Qur’an, jurisprudence, legal theory, theology, hadith science, Islamic spirituality and Arabic. There will also be an emphasis on studying history, literature, philosophy, political science and economics and sociology.

The brochure states: “We see no dichotomy between what is called ’secular’ and ‘religious’ in the modern world. We believe our students will be able to contextualise Islamic knowledge in a dynamic and productive way.”

Shakir, an African-American air force veteran who converted to Islam in the 1970s, studied in Syria and Morocco. It is hoped that by obtaining accreditation – a process that can take up to seven years – Zaytuna college will offer a local alternative to those who are thinking of studying overseas. It has even been suggested that its classes in Islamic studies will rival those offered at places such as Yale and Stanford. “We want to be recognised by Al-Azhar [the university where Obama gave his speech] and other educational institutions in the US,” he said.

The initial enrolment will comprise 30 students, with up to 50 students added each year. The operating budget is forecast at $3m for the first year.

The biggest financial overheads will come with the creation of a $30m endowment and $20m for property purchasing. The college will, for a while, work out of rented buildings.

BEAUTIFUL! Surah Al Jinn – Idrees Akbar [HD!]

zfnd — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:03:44 +0000

Here she comes: Saudi’s Miss Beautiful Morals

zfnd — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:37:57 +0000

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she’s a little on the plump side.But at Saudi Arabia’s only beauty pageant, the judges don’t care about a perfect figure or face. What they’re looking for in the quest for “Miss Beautiful Morals” is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents.

“The idea of the pageant is to measure the contestants’ commitment to Islamic morals… It’s an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman’s body and looks,” said pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak.

“The winner won’t necessarily be pretty,” she added. “We care about the beauty of the soul and the morals.”

So after the pageant opens Saturday, the nearly 200 contestants will spend the next 10 weeks attending classes and being quizzed on themes including “Discovering your inner strength,” “The making of leaders” and “Mom, paradise is at your feet”—a saying attributed to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad to underline that respect for parents is among the faith’s most important tenets.

Pageant hopefuls will also spend a day at a country house with their mothers, where they will be observed by female judges and graded on how they interact with their mothers, al-Mubarak said. Since the pageant is not televised and no men are involved, contestants can take off the veils and black figure-hiding abayas they always wear in public.

The Miss Beautiful Morals pageant is the latest example of conservative Muslims co-opting Western-style formats to spread their message in the face of the onslaught of foreign influences flooding the region through the Internet and satellite television.

A newly created Islamic music channel owned by an Egyptian businessman aired an “American Idol”-style contest for religious-themed singers this month. And several Muslim preachers have become talk-show celebrities by adopting an informal, almost Oprah-like television style, in contrast to the solemn clerics who traditionally appear in the media.

Now in its second year, the number of pageant contestants has nearly tripled from the 75 women who participated in 2008. The pageant is open to women between 15 and 25. The winner and two runners up will be announced in July, with the queen taking home $2,600 and other prizes. The runners up get $1,300 each.

Last year’s winner, Zahra al-Shurafa, said the contest gives an incentive to young women and teens to show more consideration toward their parents.

“I tell this year’s contestants that winning is not important,” said al-Shurafa, a 21-year-old English major. “What is important is obeying your parents.”

There are few beauty pageants in the largely conservative Arab world. The most dazzling is in Lebanon, the region’s most liberal country, where contestants appear on TV in one-piece swimsuits and glamorous evening gowns and answer questions that test their confidence and general knowledge.

There are no such displays in ultra-strict Saudi Arabia, where until Miss Beautiful Morals was inaugurated last year, the only pageants were for goats, sheep, camels and other animals, aimed at encouraging livestock breeding.

This year’s event kicks off Saturday in the mainly Shiite Muslim town of Safwa, and mostly draws local Shiite contestants. But it’s open to anyone—and this year, 15 Sunni Muslims are participating, al-Mubarak said. “This is a beautiful thing,” she added.

There have long been tensions between the two sects in the kingdom. Hard-liners in the Sunni majority consider Shiites infidels, and the Shiites often complain of discrimination and greater levels of poverty.

Al-Zayer, a 24-year-old international management student, said she signed up because she is the “spitting image” of her mother. “I’m proud of my devotion to my parents,” she said.

What does she think of Lebanon’s beauty contests?

“It’s a matter of cultural differences,” she said. “In Saudi Arabia, they are Islamically unacceptable.”

Awsaf al-Mislim, another contestant, said if she does not win the crown, she will have won something more important.

“I will be proud to show everyone that I competed with the others over my devotion to my parents,” the 24-year-old said

Mothers Day Everyday

zfnd — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:25:17 +0000

﴿وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ﴾

﴿وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا﴾

{”And lower unto them[Parents] the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them[Parents] Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.”} 17:24

From Abu Eesa’s Blog

I marvel at the delicious irony of life sometimes.

I prepared a 30-hour series on the “Rights of the Parents” over the period of a whole year, with hundreds and hundreds of pages of commentary, with one key objective: to get all the Muslims to realise the value and importance of their Parents and then to seek Allah’s forgiveness for our inevitable shortcomings when that fact suddenly dawns.

Yet the video below will establish this fact in indescribable fashion and in only a few minutes. It just goes to show that all you need to convey this most fundamental message is sincerity, six minutes and a camera. May Allah reward all of those involved in producing and promoting this piece of work.

By the way, when you’ve stopped crying, recognise your guilt and now do something about it. May Allah give us all the tawfiq to do that which He commands us to.

From the Comments Section:

Question: I would love to be able to hug my mum but I think we would both feel so awkward about it.
How to overcome this?

This is a very important question that is probably in the mind of many people.

What we need to understand is that Birr’l-Walidayn or “being excellent to the Parents” is composed of actions from the Sunnah, and also composed of actions from our ‘urf or our custom. Likewise, it is permissible to leave out actions that might be very respectful for other people and traditions but wouldn’t have the desired effect in your own custom, tradition, or even your own household and your specific relationship with your own individual parents.

This is useful, and has been taken from the differing actions of the Salaf with their parents, and will help us to produce a more deep, nuanced and authentic relationship with our parents than just having rules and ideas being forced upon us. Therefore, the concept of hugging our folks, or kissing their feet: this is a very powerful and authentic expression of our love for them, and is often understood as such by the receiving parent.

But when the parent is unaffected by such an action, or it doesn’t have a real meaning with them due to their mindset/mentality, and you both know that doing something else will be far more powerful and effective? This is the real crux of the issue, what we call the ‘illa of the action of birr.

So what I’m trying to say is that everyone should focus on doing those actions or saying those things or giving those gifts or whatever, that will make your parents have no doubt in their minds that you are completely devoted to them, completely at their service and that they feel absolutely no distress at your behaviour and actions in general.

I hope this point is understood.

Therefore if one believes that a hug would be difficult and uncomfortable as such, then leave it out and do something else that will be more appreciated by your mother! And if you think that you’ll just embarrass your parents by kissing their feet, then do something else that will have the same desired effect i.e. as I mentioned above.

If I tried to kiss my dad’s feet, I’d get all my teeth broken! But I know exactly what makes my father happy, proud and content with me and therefore allow me to insha’Allah fulfill the obligations of Birr’l-Walidayn.

As for our mothers, well, God help us all!

A final point: let not my explanation allow people to let their guard down and drop the very high standards of behaviour and action required on our behalf on the excuse of, “that’s baisti doing that!” because there is no such thing as baisti in these issues, just what is good and what is better.

Wallahu muwaffaq.

Question 2
I just really wish Scholars and Da’ees would address these issues. So many Muslims suffer insults, curses and abuse from their parents, day in, day out! And in response they get ‘Remember Jannah is at you mom’s feet..’ But when you mum is bringing your Eman down, what are you suppose to do?

This has been dealt with in detail in the al-Adab al-Mufrad series which will be released in a high quality, fully navigatable format with menus, chapters, text etc on DVD insha’Allah in the next few months – much better than the public free versions on TV and the Net at the very least because of the features above and the extras DVD with Q & A which dealt with a lot of specific questions like yours as well as outtakes and stuff.

In quick summary though, although yes the principle is that you put up with all sorts to get the job done, your parents don’t come in front of your Deen and your ultimate relationship with Allah. There is a cut-off point and a limit, but that limit will differ and vary from person to person and situation to situation, requiring a mufti to make individual judgements each time with the honest appraisal of the one who knows the score best i.e. you.

AE
And Allah knows best.

A Christian Minister’s Conversion to Islam Dr. Jerald Dirks

zfnd — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:43:14 +0000

Dr. Dirks is a former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master’s degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver. He is on TheDeenShow this week to share his story on Why he accept Islam(Submission to one God ALone in peace)
To view part 2 visit
http://www.thedeenshow.com/show.php