Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads?






The Quran, the holy book of Islam, uses the term sharia to refer to the revealed guidance and directives given by Allah. Sharia is not just a set of laws, but rather an ideology that encompasses the Islamic way of life, covering topics from business transactions to food.

t is the general consensus among the Muslims that a Muslim woman is required to cover her head leaving only her face showing as part of an overall dress code and behaviour which Islam prescribes. It is therefore part of the social system of Islam, and a manifestation of important general Islamic principles. Firstly, an educated Muslim woman does this because she is following guidance from God and His prophet Muhammad recorded in the Qur'an,and in the Sunnah (the knowledge about the practice and example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)). For example, one translation of the meaning of the specific ayat (verse)of Qur'an that mentions the head covering is as follows:
Surah 24 Al-Nur (The Light); ayat 31 (part of)
And say to the believing women......that they should draw their head-coverings over the neck opening (of their dresses) , and not display their ornaments except to their husbands, their fathers.....(etc)

This guidance she regards, as by definition a Muslim should do, as being revealed by the 'All-Knowing' the 'Most Wise', The 'Most Merciful', 'All-Mighty' God who created all human beings and whose Power controls everything. She is doing it because she believes that God with His nature knows best what is in the true best interests of human beings, far more than a human can know, with his or her fallibility, and weaknesses.
The main principle reason for the hijab is modesty, which is not wishing to receive unnecessary attention from people, such as admiration and flattery, envy, or, most importantly, sexual attraction from those other than her husband.Great care is taken to keep sexual thoughts, feelings and interactions to within the boundaries of the marital relationship.
These types of attention may boost the 'ego' for the short term, but all have the potential to lead to disastrous consequences in the long term, for example leading to confused feelings, competition, suspicions, affairs, break-up of marriages and other relationships, disturbed children, and ultimately a community where people are insecure,unhappy, and divided amongst themselves.
From this it can be seen that the hijab is a manifestation of another important principle in Islam, which is valuing benefits which are permanent above those which are temporary. What is permanently beneficial is, for example, a happy marriage between two people who aim to learn, teach and apply Islam to the best of their ability in their lives. This is seen as that which brings about the true happiness of the soul for eternity, by purifying and keeping it in its pure, natural, God-created state, filling it with peace and contentment, patience, gratefulness, love and compassion. What is temporary are the momentary pleasures derived from, for example, people's opinions of you, leading to your own self-satisfaction, or, even more basically, those derived from physical sensations.
A strong marriage, and a peaceful, cooperative, happy community, where people's feelings towards one another are good, will not only provide the true happiness that the soul needs, but also, in moderation, the good opinion, physical, and other pleasures that the ego requires.
Therefore, the freedom and benefit of the soul is encouraged, requiring a corresponding disciplining and moderating of the ego, but not a total denial or repression of it.
Besides following modest dress codes appropriate to the different natures of a man and woman, both Muslim men and women should abide by a certain modest and respectful code of conduct when interacting with the opposite sex.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Luqman al-Hakim (The Wise Man)

Asslamu alikum Friends,



There are Interesting stories in Quran .Surah luqman introducing about the wisdom of luqman

.
Many, many years ago there lived a scholar called Luqman.

But he was very wise. He was an African who was caught as a slave and sold in another country.Luqman was so wise and respected that a Surah in the Qur’an also is called by his name (Surah Luqman, Chapter 31). He gave good advice to his children. His advice is equally good for all the children of the world even today. Once Luqman said to his son, “Oh son! Do not tie your heart in seeking the pleasure of people. You are not likely to succeed. Do not pay attention to what people say. Instead tell yourself always to seek the pleasure of God.” Luqman wanted this lesson to be always remembered. Never to be forgotten. He thought of a way. He then told his son to ride a donkey. The son obeyed. The father followed behind on foot. They travelled in this way for some distance. After some distance they came across a group of people. Seeing the son on the donkey, one of them said, “What an impolite and bad boy. The old father is walking on foot. The young son is comfortably riding on the donkey. This is no manner to show respect to one’s father”. Father and son heard this. The son came down from the donkey. Luqman rode on the animal. After sometime they came across another group of people. On seeing the father riding the donkey, the elder of the group said, “Oh you old man! This is not the way to bring up a son. You make him walk in the hot sun, while you sit comfortably on the donkey.” Luqman paid attention to what the people said. He came down from the donkey. Both father and son walked on foot. The donkey walked in front. They went a little further. People seeing them, said, “How foolish you are? You walk behind a donkey. Why don’t you ride it?” Luqman and his son once again accepted what the people said. They both rode the donkey and went further. They came across a river. There was a bridge to be crossed. Some people were sitting there. They saw Luqman and his son riding the donkey. One of them said, “It is very unkind and cruel of you two to ride on the poor donkey. The little animal can hardly take all your burden.” So taking this advice Luqman and his son dismounted from the donkey. They travelled a little distance further. Looking very lovingly Luqman said to his son, “You have heard and seen what the people said. It must have assured you, by now, that whatever you do or whichever way you move, one is not able to please the people of the world.” He pointed at the flowing river and added,“ A person can build a wall across the river. It will stop the flow of the water. But it is not possible to shut the mouth of the people from criticism.” Very clearly, similar is the case in our world today. The tongue has no bone. It can speak even without thought. There are as many opinions as there are people in the world. It is very bad to find fault with the other person. Especially when he is doing something good. A person can feel very hurt when he listens to all the tongues that talk loose. To avoid getting hurt by loose talk, a person can train himself. He can discipline himself to think. By thinking he can know what is wrong and void. When a person is sure that what he is doing will please his Master, the Almighty Allah, then he must never worry what others speak.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

Asslamu alikum,

Today i wanna share some thing interesting . The ummah is blessed with scholars. One of 
them is Hamza yousuf 

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is one of the most influential Islamic figures in the Western world. He is seen as one of the foremost authorities on Islam outside of the Muslim world. He is a co-founder of the Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the USA.


Hamza Yusuf is the current president of Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, California. He is an advisor to Stanford University’s Program in Islamic Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He also serves as vice-president for the Global Center for Guidance and Renewal, which was founded and is currently presided over by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of Islamic sciences in the world. For almost a decade, Hamza Yusuf was consecutively ranked as “The Western word’s most influential Islamic scholar” by The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009).
Yusuf is one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam. He has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world. He has also been a strong advocate for social justice, peace, and conviviality among peoples and places. For several years, he has argued that the “them versus us” problem is fundamentally flawed, as he considers himself one of “them” as well as one of “us.”
He has served as an advisor to many organizations, leaders, and heads of state. Yusuf has been an innovator in modern Islamic education, founding the highly imitated Deen Intensives, and with Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Afa, he started the first Rihla program in England, which has been running for over fifteen years. Dozens of young Muslims who were influenced by his call to reviving traditional Islamic studies in the West went to the Muslim lands in the nineties and early part of the current decade to study, many of who are now teachers in their own right. Hamza Yusuf’s contribution to the development of Islam in England has been described as “immense”, “considerable”, and “enormous”, by the academic Haifaa Jawad in her recent book, Towards Building a British Islam.
With Eissa Bougari, Hamza Yusuf initiated a media challenge to the Arab world that resulted in a highly successful cultural religious program that he hosted for three years and was one of the most watched programs in the Arab world during Ramadan. Cambridge Media Studies stated that this program had a profound influence on subsequent religious programming in the Arab world. He has also been interviewed on BBC several times and was the subject of a BBC documentary segment The Faces of Islam, ushering in the new millennium, as it aired at 11:30pm on December 31st 1999.
Hamza Yusuf has been a passionate and outspoken critic of American foreign policy as well as Islamic extremist responses to those policies. He has drawn criticism from both the extreme right in the West and Muslim extremists in the East. Ed Hussain has written that Hamza Yusuf’s teachings were instrumental to his abandoning extremism.
Hamza Yusuf has also authored several encyclopedia articles and research papers. His published books include The Burda (2003), Purification of the Heart (2004), The Content of Character (2004), The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007), Agenda to Change our Condition (2007), Walk on Water (2010), and The Prayer of the Oppressed (2010).

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Dalail al-Khayrat ( A short Brief)

Asslamu alikum , 
Last so many days I was searching for a Great Book  Dalail al-Khayrat. I tried several times to take it in to my bucket , but failed . at last . I was reciting this last 2 months with Greatness of allha. He may give benefit for this . May allah accept this . Those who are interested and what to know the benefits , I was collected some of the importance of dalailul khairath . I have the manuscript copy and translated copy of this Great Dhikr. 

One of the most comprehensive and authentic collections of durood historically celebrated and greatly utilized among Muslims is the collection of Imam Jazuli (ra), as he is commonly known, titled Dalail ul Khairat wa Shawariqil Anwaar fi Zikr Salaat alan Nabiyy-il-Mukhtar salallaho alayhi wa sallam. It is roughly translated as “The Guide to Goodness and the Radiant Bursts of Light in the Remembrance of the Chosen Prophet salallaho alayhi wa sallam.” It was compiled by the Moroccon scholar, sufi and saint commonly known as Imam Jazuli (ra).
According to his best biographer, Muhammad al Mahdi al Fasi, in Mumti al Asma Imam Jazuli. Imam Jazuli, or his full name, Abu Abdullah Mohammad ibn Abdur Rahman ibn Abu Bakr ibn Sulayman Al Jazuli (ra), was born in the southern Moroccon village of Tankarat in the Sus area. He belonged to the Simlal offshoot of the Jazula tribe of Sanhaja Berbers of Africa. He studied primary education there but due to the heavy violent  before setting off to the Madrasa Saffarin in Fes, Morocco where he would become a master of the Maliki Fiqh memorizing cover to cover the Mudawwana Kubra. There he studied under such great luminaries as Imam Shaikh Ahmed Zarruq (ra)  and a descendant of Shaikh Abul Mahasin Abu Abdallah Mohammed Amghar (ra) with whom he would enter into bayah.
He was a very serious student, his classmates said that he would come out of his dorm only to attend the dars, lectures, and then return back. He was a recluse, remained in isolation during his studies. He was not in madrasa to make friends. After his studies he left to spend a great deal of time between Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem. After this time he returned and historians say that it was now that he entered into the Shadhili tareeqa at the hands of Shaikh Mohammed Amghar as Saghir (ra). Some people raised a doubt that it was possible that he had compiled the Dalail before bayah but logically this makes no sense. If a person has such spirituality to compile a book such as the Dalail why would he need to turn to a shaikh for bayah? What need would such a person have for that? So it was that after his bayah he compiled the book. The way he came about compiling the Dalail was that one day he was traveling somewhere and had stopped in a village for salaah. The time for his Zuhr salaah was passing and frantically he was looking for water to make wudhu. He found a well but the water was too low and he could not reach it when suddenly a small girl 8-9 years old came and asked him about his trouble. He informed her about the situation and she read something and spat into the well which caused the water to suddenly increase and it began to overflow out of the well. Imam Jazuli then made his wudhu and performed his salaah then went looking for this blessed girl. He found her and inquired what was the means for her to attain this miraculous power to be able to spit into a well and cause the water to overflow. She informed him that she sent salutations upon the Best of the Creation and recited the durood she was a frequent reciter of. He then set out to compile the Dalail. His fame grew far and wide and he had many students under him. This caused the governor of Safi to become jealous of him and he had his food poisoned. Imam Jazuli then died while leading the Fajr salaah most likely in the last sajdah. The Encyclopedia of Islam 1957 reports that 77 years after his death his body was exhumed to be transferred to a newly built moseleum to honor him and when the onlookers saw his body they found it to be untouched by the grave even after 77 years.
Dalail ul Khairat was a very famous book and Muslims all over the world enjoyed to read it and would gift each other copies of the Dalail and utilized its blessings. Then in the later years Muslims stopped its frequent recitation and eventually stopped giving recitation of durood any importance all together. All mashaikh agree on its blessing and it has been utilized in all salasil of tasawwuf. Deobandi hazraath of the past read it, encouraged its recitation and took benefit from its blessings. The person who recites one complete recitation cover to cover of Dalail per day is called Shaikh ul Dalail and there are such people who live in the world today. The unique thing about the Dalail is that it has a quantity of somewhere around 1200-1300 durood of which a great number of them are of very high quality. Within these durood the author has embedded many dua. Also, the author has embedded various different blessed names of the Holy Prophet salallaho alayhi wa sallam and also he has embedded within Dalail many Asma ul Husna and when a reciter reads the Dalail he gets the reward of reciting all of the above. The author wishes the reciter to read 1,2,3,4 or more complete recitations per day, if not then 1 if not then 3/4 if not then half and if not then a 1/2 and if not then the author has also divided the Dalail into 8 chapters to be read daily. The recitation of the Dalail begins on Sunday after Maghrib which technically is Monday night according to the lunar calendar.

Praise Regarding the Dalail al-Khayrat

The Dalā’il al-Khayrāt’s acceptance and popularity amongst scholars and laity alike serves as an important reminder of the importance of this text since it was authored.  It was based on the spiritual benefits which worshippers found resulted from its recitation thay lead to many of them recording their praise of this work.  Shaykh Yūsuf al-Nabhānī said,
“Our Shaykh, the Shaykh of the Sunnah, Imām al-ʿAllāmah, Shaykh Ḥasan al-ʿAdawī al-Misri in his marginalia on Bulūgh al-Musarrāt ʿala Dalā’il al-Khayrāt said, ‘It is sufficient honour for this book that it has attained in terms of benefit and acceptance that which the intellects find astonishing.  How can it not be so when some of the gnostics have taken it directly from the Master of the Messengers (Allah bless him and give him peace).
The Shaykh of our Shaykhs, and their Shaykh, Imām al-Sujāʿī said in his marginalia to this book, copying from his Shaykh the Quṭb and Ghawth, Imām Muḥammad al-Ḥifnī, ‘I have taken this book through the outward means from our Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad al-Budayrī al-Dimyāṭī, who took it from the Quṭb al-Ghawth Muḥammad bin Aḥmad al-Meknāsī to the end of the chain to the author.
He said, I have also taken it by spiritual means from the friend of Allāh Most High, Sayyidī Muḥammad al-Maghribī al-Tilmisānī who said: I have taken it spiritually from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).’”[1]
 Shaykh al-Nabhānī further added,
“In Kashf al-Ẓunūn an Asmā’’ al-Kutub wal-Funūn it is [mentioned], Dalā’il al-Khayrāt wa Shawāriq al-Anwār fi Dhikr al-Salāt ʿala al-Nabī al-Mukhtār upon him be blessings and peace.  It’s beginning is, ‘All praise is due to Allāh who guided us to faith…to the end by the Shaykh Abī ʿAbdullah Muḥammad bin Sulaimān bin Abī Bakr al-Jazūlī al-Simlālī, al-Sharīf al-Ḥasanī who died in the year 875H.
This book is a sign from the signs’ of Allāh regarding the sending of blessings and peace.  It is continuously recited in the East and the West, not least in the land of al-Rūm.  It has a fine interlineal commentary by Shaykh Muḥammad al-Mahdī bin Aḥmad bin ʿAlī bin Yūsuf al-Fāsī which he named Maṭālʿi al-Musarrāt bi Jalā’ Dalā’il al-Khayrāt.  The Dalā’il has variants in the manuscript copies due to the large number of narrators of it from the author (Allah bless him and give him peace).  However the relied upon is the copy of Shaykh Abi ʿAbdullah Muḥammad al-Ṣughayyir al-Sahlī who was from his most senior companions.  The author corrected it eight years before his death which was [at the time of] Duha on Friday on the 6th of Rabi al-Awwal in the year 862H.  It has other commentaries, however the relied upon is the aforementioned commentary of al-Fāsī.”[2]
The Muhaddith of India and Sufi Master, Shāh Walīullah al-Dihlawī praised the Dalā’il by saying the following,
“The Dalā’il al-Khayrāt at this time is recited by many people in the Arab world.  If a person wishes to attain divine blessings for a particular need by means of it, then it should be with the condition that his self in general has one resolve.  When this opening occurs this person persists in this meaning linked to this action; and makes it a means of attaining his needs.”[3]
Shaykh al-Talīdī said,
“What is meant is that the Dalā’il al-Khayrāt is priceless and there is nothing similar to it in it’s genre, the writer of these words is from those who has witnessed and experienced its blessings.  The book by the praise of Allāh (the Most High) does not contain that which the author can be criticized for except for some hadith which are fabricated or have no basis.  A book whose author does not possess knowledge of hadith is not free of this.  As for that which they criticized it for such as his words: ‘And send blessings upon our Master Muḥammad by the number of your knowledge’…it is interpreted and understood in a good way as is known from the answer of Abul Maḥāsin Sayyidī Yūsuf al-Fāsī as in Mumtiʿ al-Asmā’ and Mirāh al-Maḥāsin.  As for that which it contains of intercession by means of the Messenger of Allāh (Allah bless him and give him peace), seeking a means by him and calling out to him by his name ‘Ya Sayyidana Muḥammad’.  The objection to this is from the whisperings of the Wahabis and their false drivel.  The pure sunnah and language of the Arabs contains that which is evidence for this, as is known by the people of correct knowledge and which is mentioned in the books in refutation of the Wahabis and their followers.”[4]
Shaykh al-Talīdī continued by advising the following,
“I sincerely advise all Muslims to regularly recite the Dalā’il al-Khayrāt for the one who regularly (recites it) along with reflection on the greatness of the noble Messenger and with love towards him will be successful if Allāh (the Most High) wills.”
Mawlana Muḥammad Karam Shāh al-Azharī writes regarding the Dalā’il,
“The Dalā’il al-Khayrāt includes all those forms of sending salutations which have been transmitted with various chains.  It has attained such widespread acceptance that all spiritual orders recite it and it is regarded as a means of felicity and salvation.  In the Indian sub-continent the four well known orders, the Chishtiyyah, Qādiriyyah, Suhrawardiyyah and Naqshbandiyyah all recite this litany regularly.  Those people who are inclined to it and have made it their habit have personally witnessed its blessings…Hadrat Shah Walīullah Muḥaddith Dihlawī (Allāh Most High have mercy on him), his Shaykhs, father, ancestors and his students recited it.”[5]

The ‘Dalail al-Khayrat’ and ‘Qasidah al-Burda’ are two devotional texts which continue to be immensely popular in the Indian subcontinent (and in the West by means of the descendants of Muslims from this area).  I found some chains of narration for these two texts in the ‘Al-Intibah fi Salasil al-Awliyah’ of Shah Waliullah which may be of interest to readers, not least because the almost all of the chains of hadith transmitted today to Madrassa students in the Indian subcontinent link back to Shah Waliullah al-Dehlawi.  Shah Sahib said in his aforementioned work citing his chain for the ‘Dalail al-Khayrat’:
As for the Dalail al-Khayrat, our Shaykh Abu Tahir informed us of it:
From Shaykh Ahmad al-Nakhli
From Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Idrisi well known as al-Mahjub
From his father Ahmad
From his grandfather Muhammad
From his father’s grandfather Ahmad
From its author the noble Sayyid Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Jazuli, Allah have mercy on him.

[1]  Dalālāt al-Wādihāt ʿala Dalā’il al-Khayrāt (p.48-49)
[2]   Dalālāt al-Wādihāt ʿala Dalā’il al-Khayrāt (p.50-52)
[3]  Qawl al-Jallī fī Dhikr Athār al-Walī (p.432)
[4]   Al-Muṭrib fi Mashāhīr Awliyāh al-Maghrib (p.144)
[5]   Majmūʿa Wazā’if maʿ Dalā’il al-Khayrāt (p.11)