Gender Neutrality in the Arabic Language

Published on March 16, 2010 — 3 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

In Arabic the word is măn, which is a pronoun that encompasses both genders. Scholars, such as Ibn Rushd al-Hafd, noted that whenever such pronouns are used they are understood to include both genders. Unless specifically noted, the legal ramifications of verses and hadith are applied to males and females.

Suhaib Webb

The Lesson Taught by a Rose

Published on March 15, 2010 — 6 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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The Opening

Published on March 14, 2010 — 4 Comments
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A Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad

Part I

We came together for a noble purpose: to study the book of Allah, the Qur’an. The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, innahu kalaam Allah. This is the speech of the Creator talking directly to the creation. That is why the father of the great poet Alam Muhammed Iqbal told him as a young boy, “When you read the Qur’an, read the Qur’an as though Allah, God Almighty, is talking directly to you.”

So we came together for the noble purpose of studying the Qur’an. And really what does it mean? For many of us what is our experience with the Qur’an? What is our educational history with the Qur’an? It’s very important that we look back at our history with the Qur’an because it is a reflection of what has shaped our outlook on the Qur’an. For example, maybe our only experience with the Qur’an happened primarily between the ages of five and ten. What was that experience like? We used to go to someone with a big beard and a large stick and he used to tell us, “Read or I’m going to hit you.” Although it’s humorous there are many people for whom I am sure this was their experience with the Qur’an. “Read…BAM!”

As an educator recalling constructive theory, which was developed by Jean Piaget and others, what type of construction will be built in the mind of a person who is introduced to the Qur’an like this? What type of attitude will they have toward the Qur’an? What type of affection or attachment will they have to the Qur’an?IMG_1144.JPG

For many of us the Qur’an was introduced strictly as a cultural phenomenon. Subhan’Allah (glory be to Allah) when someone dies we do what? Read the Qur’an. When anything like a marriage occurs we pay someone to come and read the Qur’an. When we finished the Qur’an, the khatim of the Qur’an, we pay someone to read to the Qur’an. The Qur’an is like a festive ornament that just floats in the ecosystem of our lives but is not really involved centrally. In many Muslim societies this is exactly what role this living miracle plays.

I remember I went to my wife’s country and I was reviewing the Qur’an there in front of my mother-in-law’s house. I happened to be in the juz (part) of the Qur’an which includes the Surah Ya-Seen. So I was reviewing Surah Ya-Seen and subhan’Allah the neighbors asked my my mother-in-law something very interesting: there is a guy in the front of the house reading Surah Ya-Seen, what does that mean? What would be the reason for someone to sit in front of the house in a Muslim country with a big beard and read the Qur’an and happen to be reading Surah Ya-Seen?  Why would he be reading the Qur’an? What was the conclusion that most of the Muslims in that area came to?

“Did somebody die?”

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The Prophet’s ﷺ Sadness

Published on March 13, 2010 — 18 Comments
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Question

I am having trouble understanding the following narration from al-Bukhari’s Sahih:

“The divine inspiration paused for a while and the Prophet ﷺ became so sad, as we have heard, that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains, and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say: “O Muhammad! You are indeed Allâh’s Messenger in truth,” whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and return home. Whenever the period of the coming of the Revelation used to become long, he would do as before, but Gabriel would appear again before him and say to him what he had said before.” [Bukhari, 2/340]

Does this imply that suicide is acceptable in Islam? I am confused between the Prophet ﷺ as a role model, and this narration?

Answer

Scholars offer a few explanations which I will try and summarize using a few important legal axioms:

Opinion #1: “The Prophet’s intentions, if not acted on, are not legal proof.”

The key phrase here (and considered the soundest) is “He intended.” There is an important legal axiom that states, “The intentions of the Prophet ﷺ if not acted on, are not a source of legislation.” For that reason the sound hadith, “I wished or intended that I could order a group of men to stay and pray while I went and burned down the houses of those who failed to come to the prayers” is not acted on by any of the jurists, and there is a consensus that one is not allowed to burn down other people’s homes. In fact, the majority of jurists use this hadith as a proof that “the Prophet ﷺ not acting on it, shows that praying in one’s home is valid.”

In Surat Yusuf, Allah describes Yusuf as “inclined towards her.” Commenting on this, Ibn Taymiyyah said “With that in mind, there is no account of Yusuf repenting in this story with her; [this] is proof that he did not sin in the first place.” This is because the aforementioned axiom kicks in.

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Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Published on March 12, 2010 — 24 Comments
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4338478696_06813693a5_bby Maryam Amir-Ebrahimi

What do you think of when you see a sister who isn’t wearing hijab? How about a brother who is laughing with many girls?

Ever look down on them? Think you’re better than them? It’s easy to be self-righteous. It’s even easier to fall prey to this attitude if you sport the ‘righteous’ look.

But let’s ask ourselves this question: has Allah written us amongst His righteous servants? Or is that a title we have only given ourselves?

Check this:

I was once sitting at the table for my on-campus Muslim Students Association (MSA) and a female student, dressed in typical jeans and a t-shirt approached me. I was decked out in my hijab and jilbab and I really had no idea what she was thinking as she made the move to speak to me. She asked if she could have a Qur’an, and of course, I was happy to give one to her. Then she said, “Can I ask you a question?” “Sure,” I answered. The question sounded kind of deep, so I invited her to sit next to me on the empty chair. She took up the offer.

“Please don’t judge me,” she began. Allah Akbar (God is the greatest)! I had a feeling this was a Muslim sister. SubhanAllah, the courage it must have taken for her to come and speak to me, considering that we were dressed so differently from each other.

After reassuring her, how could I judge her?, she began—

She told me that she became involved in a relationship for the first time in her life with a Muslim guy. Her intention was to eventually get married, but she felt so terrible doing it, even though she was supposed to feel good. She told me that she knew her relationship was a big sin and that she wanted to stop, but she explained that it was just too hard. And she asked me…Can Allah forgive me? Subhan’Allah (glorified is Allah).

While this girl was speaking, I was looking at her thinking: look at the jihad she is going through for Allah. She hates what she is doing, she asks Allah to forgive her, but it is so hard for her to leave the sin. Her desire to repent became so intense that she came to a girl she has never met before, who could easily judge her, and poured out her heart. And the most amazing part is that she wanted to know, can Allah forgive her? Could He subhanahu wa ta’ala (glorious and exalted is He) really forgive such a sin?

I told her, Allah is Ghafurun Raheem! Allah is the Most Forgiving and Especially Merciful! He will forgive ANYTHING. Even if a person commits fornication Allah will forgive this person if they repent and leave it. I kept telling her about Allah’s Mercy, about how Allah is so, so happy to turn and accept the repentance of His slaves.

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