About the so called 'Wahhabis'.

The first time I remember, hearing this word is when a sister told me to be careful of a person because he is a 'wahhabi'. I asked her what that means. She said she doesn't know, but she was told to be careful. And that's how the label spreads. With many people labelling others with it, but none of them knowing exactly what it is all about.

Mind you, none of the people who are being labelled as a 'wahhabi' has ever acknowledged themselves as one, because there is no such thing. This is a label created by someone and/or applied by the ignorant others on any person who doesn't agree with them in a matter of fiqh opinion.

Here is a video by Bro Yusuf Estes giving a short and clear explanation of the man who was being labelled as the leader of the so-called new or askewed belief, and where the name 'Wahhabi' came from.




I believe, none of the people who are labelling other people 'wahhabis', know the history of the label. If they know, they would find it silly to use it.

Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, was just a scholar during HIS time and in HIS area who spoke and explained against the shirk practices of the people during his time. We have our own ulama's in our time and area, speaking against shirk practices and we don't call our selves by the ulama's name or calling ourselves as his follower. We are just all MUSLIMS - trying our best to do the right thing and for the sake of Allah SWT alone and nobody else. So don't label Muslims other than Muslims and considering that there are sects and groups within Islam. Don't be like the people that Allah has warned us about in the Qur'an.

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

مِنَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ

So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah; that is the standard Religion, but most among mankind understand not.

Turn ye back in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish regular prayers, and be not ye among those who join gods with Allah,-

Those who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects,- each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!

Al-Qur'an, Ar-Rum 30:30-32 (translation by Yusuf Ali)

May Allah make us all among the people on the straight Path. Aamiin.

Solat

Solat, so that Allah may forgive your sins.
Solat, so that Allah may make life easy for you.
Solat, so that Allah may increase your Rezq (sustenance).
Solat, so that Allah may make you a stronger person.
Solat, so that Allah may help you refrain from bad things.
Solat, so that you may thank Allah for all that you have.
Solat, so that you may remember Allah always.
Solat, so that you will have more peace of mind.
Solat, so that Allah may save you from Hellfire.
Solat, with much hope that you will be among the dwellers of Paradise.
Solat, so that Allah may ease your problems.
Solat, so that Allah may purify your heart.
Solat, so that Allah may make you a good person.
Solat, so that you may Praise Allah.
Solat, because it is our obligation to solat.

How NOT to name an event.

I literally cringed at a couple of inappropriate names I saw for events intended to be soul-inspiring.
How to be inspired when the 1st image painted is of trash or out-of-the-world association?

The drama series (I don't even want to type out the name) is such a TRASH - all parents I meet agree that this is doing NOTHING but planting negative ideas into the minds of the youth. They ban their children from watching it. NO, the kids don't seem to learn anything positive from this series. Articles have been written in the newspapers suggesting that we just take this series as one for pure entertainment. My GOD! That is even worse for entertainment. Such a pollution to the mind and soul. Enough coming from the West already, we have to create our own TRASH??

AND THEN, somebody thinks that it would be a effective to associate this series name with a soulful talk. Of course it was with the good intention of trying to address wayward youth and bring them to something meaningful - hopefully God-consciousness. BUT, do we seriously believe the youths will be attracted to the event BECAUSE the errghh name, which everyone will relate to the trash series, was used? I'm totally turned off.

Another one quite recently which made me cringe is the association of the blessed name or 'Rasulullah SAW' with a thing that is not only known to cause much distraction to people and is used to spread negative things (besides the little good things). There are more negative than good, and you really need to sift through the contents in front of your eyes, to try and just read good ones. Yes, I'm trying to mention the thing as far away from the beloved name. They put the name beside ' & Facebook'. It's nothing you say, but I ask you, even if it's meant to create an interest - if you are a serious, God-conscious person, having much resistance to worldly distractions and calling people to Solah and Zakah and Good Deeds, would you like to see "YOUR NAME & GAMEBOY" "YOUR NAME & JUSTIN BEIBER" ?? Do you get the idea? You really think Rasulullah SAW would have been happy to be associated with the name that they associate him with? It's quite appalling.

It's sad, sad, SAD, that we think we have to accommodate THEIR WAYS to invite people to goodness. That we have to acknowledge a bit of trash to invite people to being God-conscious?

The other sad thing is, now there is more HYPE compared to actual work of bringing people to good, and the objectives always ALWAYS get blurred. People get excited in the planning and making things grand, to create hype until they forget what they are doing it for. The sincerity and simplicity of it is gone. Rasulullah didn't need to have a carnival or banners to spread the message of Islam. It is spread through good deeds and good advice and a clear example. Like I hear from a few reverts who have become scholars, the best way to invite people to Islam is by being a good Muslim yourself. Let's get back to basics.

Let us be proud of Islam. Let us be proud and stand firm on the beautiful, gentle, clean message of Islam and don't associate it to something useless. Where is our pride in our faith?

It's not just a name of an event - that name can reveal a LOT about how confident we are of our Deen.



Sometimes, after I get so disappointed and I wish I can do something about it - I'd wonder (realise?), as I do now, that, I guess, some of these crazy things were meant to happen because The Hour is approaching(?) We cannot make ALL things good. There will be good and bad. And there will be a lot more of bad, and only little good. I truly hope and pray that we will be among the little good left in the world. Aamiin.

Oh boy, I'm pms-ing.

Still.. :(

When you reach 40 years of age

Alhamdulillah, we've been given the complete and most perfect Book of Guidance, the Qur'an.

Just now my father shared with me this ayat, which I would like to in turn share with you, especially those 35 years old and above. It's a doa that Allah teaches us, when we reach 40 years of age.

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَنَتَجاوَزُ عَن سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ فِي أَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ وَعْدَ الصِّدْقِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and pass by their ill deeds: (They shall be) among the Companions of the Garden: a promise! of truth, which was made to them (in this life).

Al-Ahqaf 46:15-16 (translation by Yusuf Ali)

Aamiin.

Imitation

An excerpt from Islam at the Crossroads.
Every Muslim whose environment is bombarded with Western ideas/images/behaviour should read this book. Written by a... or should I say, ex-Westerner. The late Muhammad Asad, May Allah reward him for his earnest effort to uphold the idea of a true Muslim.

And only very superficial people can believe that it is possible to imitate a civilisation in its external appearance without being at the same time affected by its spirit.

(At this point I'm imagining those who dress up as gothics or punks or trojan heads - can they possibly dress like that and still feel like a true Muslim?)

A civilisation is not an empty form, but a living organism. As soon as we begin to adopt the outward forms of that organism, its inherent currents and dynamic influences set to work in ourselves and mould slowly, imperceptibly, our whole mental attitude.

It is in perfect appreciation of this truth that the Prophet said:

"Whoever imitates other people becomes one of them" (Musnad Ibn Hanbal, Sunan Abi Da'ud)

This well-known hadith is not only a moral admonition but also an objective statement of fact - in this case, the fact of the inevitability of Muslims being assimilated by any non-Muslim civilisation which they imitate in its external forms.