The Opening – II

Published on March 18, 2010 — Leave a Comment
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A Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad

Part I | Part II

When we talk about understanding the Qur’an, we talk about the Angels asking Allah in Surah al-Baqara, “Will You place upon it [the world] one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood […] ?” (2:30). This is one of the jobs of the Qur’an: to make society civil. The opposite of spilling blood and oppression and sin is to live a civil life. So one of the objectives of the Qur’an is a social-political reality of stability in society. That’s why many of the great ulema, such as Ibn Taymmiyah, Imam Al Shatibi, Sheikh Abdulah Bin Bayyah, said that the entire Islamic legislative system came for the benefit of the servants of Allah. To make life good for us. That’s why Allah said in the Qur’an, “Those people who believe and do righteousness, We are going to give them a good life.” (16:97)

Now specifically, we want to talk about how we should understand the Qur’an in the concept of our lives. What does the Qur’an do for us, besides “BAM! Read!”

First of all, the Qur’an gives us the main objective of our existence. And those of you who studied philosophy and other similar disciplines, this is what people talk about all the time. Subhan’Allah, I went to the library the other day and you can find countless books on the purpose of human beings. Why are we here? What’s our purpose? What’s our cause?

qur'anAllah is Al-Aleem (the All Knowing), Al-Hakeem (the Most Wise) and whenever Allah mentions these attributes, He emphasizes that He is the One who is Knowledgeable and He has Wisdom in His Knowledge. In one verse of the Quran, in the 51st chapter of the Quran, Adh-Dhariyat, verse 56, Allah identified the purpose of humanity. The reason that we’re here, the objective of life. Allah said:

51:56
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (51:56).

Our purpose is ibada (worship). To worship Allah. In one verse. There’s no need for a long discourse on this. We have been created to worship.

Maybe in your classes, especially the classes that you’re taking in philosophy, you have some atheists and maybe someone would say to you, “Well, I don’t believe in this. I don’t believe that we’re here to be servants.”

Tell them, “Okay, don’t use the restroom. Don’t sleep. Don’t eat. Don’t get tired. Don’t pick your nose when nobody’s looking. Don’t blink your eyes.”

They’re going to tell you, “I can’t. I can’t not do that.”

“Yes, because you are the slave of something. You are enslaved.”

They’re going to say, “Oh, this is physics.”

“You can call it what you want to call it, man. We call it enslavement. Stephen Hawking calls it physics. But we call it ibada.”

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Virtual Pulpit: Net Mosques, Congregations & Imams – Talk by Imam Suhaib Webb

Published on March 17, 2010 — 3 Comments
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Virtual Pulpit: Net Mosques, Congregations & Imams

Speech by Imam Suhaib Webb at the ”Islam and Media” conference, held on March 8th, 2010 at UC Berkeley.

This event was the second in a series organized by UC Berkeley’s Centers of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East Studies in their year-long Islam Today program. This program, with the theme “Islam, New Media and Youth Culture” was designed to explore how Muslim youth around the world are using new media, politics and popular culture to explore their identities, find “virtual” communities, promote new agendas and confront stereotypes.
Imam Suhaib entered the blog world early on and he describes the blog as a bridge between the idealized notions of theology and the realties of everyday life- a place where the convent meets Times Square and clergy meets the masses.
This event was sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asia Studies, the Center for South Asia Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley. It was co-sponsored by the Center for Islamic Studies at GTU, Altmuslim.com, the Asia Society Northern California, and the Arab Cultural and Community Center.

This event was the second in a series organized by UC Berkeley’s Centers of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East Studies in their year-long Islam Today program. This program, with the theme “Islam, New Media and Youth Culture” was designed to explore how Muslim youth around the world are using new media, politics and popular culture to explore their identities, find “virtual” communities, promote new agendas and confront stereotypes.

Imam Suhaib entered the blog world early on and he describes the blog as a bridge between the idealized notions of theology and the realties of everyday life- a place where the convent meets Times Square and clergy meets the masses.

This event was sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asia Studies, the Center for South Asia Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley. It was co-sponsored by the Center for Islamic Studies at GTU, Altmuslim.com, the Asia Society Northern California, and the Arab Cultural and Community Center.

Dimensions of Wuḍū’

Published on March 17, 2010 — 2 Comments
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By Jinan Bastaki

The Salah Series: The Salah Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI

Internal Purification

Wuḍū’ gives us the necessary external purification so that we can pray. Now that we have purified the external, we need to think about purifying the internal – and wuḍū’ also helps us to do just that. Ibn Al Qayyim said:

اذا لقي العبد ربه يوم القيامة قبل الطهر التام فإنه لا يؤذن له بالدخول عليه كما أنه لا يؤذن له ان يدخل على ريه للصلاة الا بطهارة

“If the servant is to meet his Lord on the Day of Judgment without complete purification (i.e. from sins), then he will not be allowed to enter [jannah] – Similarly, one is not allowed to meet his Lord in prayer except in a state of purity.”

Let us ponder a little bit over one of the du’a that is said after the wuḍū’:ablution

اللهم اجعلني من التوابين واجعلني من المتطهرين

“O Allah make me of those who repent often [to You] and of those who purify themselves.” (Tirmidhi)

So, before a person beautifies himself to meet Allah, one needs to cleanse oneself from his or her sins. Think of it this way:  if you were to put on a new shirt, would you wash it first then perfume it, or would you perfume it then wash it? You would wash it first.
Uthman (radi allahu anhu – may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

من توضأ فأحسن الوضوء خرجت خطاياه من جسده حتى تخرج من تحت أظفاره

“A person who performs wuḍū’ properly will have his sins removed from his body, so much that the sins are removed even from underneath his nails.” (Muslim)

And in the narration by Abu Hurayra, it is said the sins leave “with the last drop of water” (Muslim).

SubhanAllah (Glory be to God) how wudhu removes sins, preparing one for his or her meeting with Allah. It was related by Uthman bin Affan (ra):

إن العبد إذا دعا ‏ ‏بوضوء ‏ ‏فغسل وجهه حط الله عنه كل خطيئة أصابها بوجهه فإذا غسل ذراعيه كان كذلك وإن مسح برأسه ‏ ‏كان كذلك وإذا طهر قدميه كان كذلك

“When a servant [of Allah] washes his face (in the course of wuḍū’), every sin which he committed with his face will be removed; when he washes his arms, the same thing happens; when he wipes his head, the same thing happens and when he cleanses his feet the same thing happens” (Ahmad).

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Gender Neutrality in the Arabic Language

Published on March 16, 2010 — 5 Comments
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3515290891_d476b556bd_oQuestion

When I tell this hadith (report of the sayings or actions of the Prophet ﷺ) to a Christian woman, or any woman, how do I explain to her that when the Prophet ﷺ said “man” he is actually referring to a person regardless of gender?

The hadith cited is quoted thus in Riyad-us-Saliheen:

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (radi Allahu `anhu – may Allah be pleased with him) reported: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [Abu Dawud]

Answer

There is an important axiom noted by scholars, such as Ibn Rushd al-Hafd and Ibn al-Qayyim, that whenever male nouns, verbs or pronouns are used, they are understood to include both genders, unless it is made clear that they are gender specific. Based on that, the legal ramifications of verses and hadith are applied to males and females. Thus, the word kana (he) in the hadith above, based on this axiom, is understood to include both males and females. The same could be said of the verse of Qur’an, “Successful are the believers.” While the word for believers is a sound male plural, it is understood to encompass females as well.

Suhaib Webb

The Lesson Taught by a Rose

Published on March 15, 2010 — 7 Comments
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By Yasmin Mogahed | originally published by InFocus

Roses have always been my favorite flower. I’m always struck by how perfect they are—for a moment. But in that moment, and even more so the moments that follow, roses have taught me an invaluable lesson. And I don’t mean a lesson in botany or horticulture.

I mean a lesson in life.

What happens to the rose’s perfectly defined petals even days after it blooms? What becomes of the brilliant red that makes a rose breathtakingly beautiful? Those petals wither. That brilliant red turns brown. And the rose that was once so full of beauty and life turns into dried up scraps that crumble at the slightest touch. And no matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we change its water or give it food, we cannot keep a rose from withering.

This process, so profound if reflected upon, does not happen without a purpose. Allah tells us in the Qur’an exactly what life lesson we can learn from a rose. He says,

57:20

“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” (57:20)

So the withering of that rose is intended as a sign for us. It is intended to teach us one of the most important, and yet most difficult, realities of this life: that nothing lasts. Everything will pass away—except Allah.

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