Alhamdulillaah. …..the blessed days are here one more time! The
glorious days when rewards are multiplied many times, and sins are
forgiven much more… the days in which Allaah gives us yet another
chance to worship Him, to ask for forgiveness and correct our faults
and make up for our shortcomings. … the blessed days that the
Sahabah waited for and prayed for…. the beautiful days in which
they strived long and hard in worship, until they could do no
more…. What are these magnificent days? These blessed days are the
first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Just like the last ten nights of
Ramadaan are the best ten nights out of the whole year, the Ulama
tell us that out of the 365 days of the year, these first ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah are the best days of the year and the most beloved to
Allaah as they combine acts of worship in a way unlike any other
times. The Prophet testified to that. He said: “There are no days in
which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten
days.” The people asked, “Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?” He
said, “Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of
a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the
cause, and came back with nothing.” (Bukhaari) Subhaan Allaah wal-
Hamdulillaah! What a blessing! The question is…..what do I do on
these magnificent days and how can I make the most of this perfect,
golden, golden opportunity to earn rewards and Jannah? Obviously,
Hajj is one of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days.
However for those of us who were not invited to His House this year,
there are still many, many good deeds that one can do and earn the
Pleasure of Allaah. Some of these are:
1) Fast all nine days and especially fast the Day of ‘Arafah The
Prophet said: “Anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s pleasure,
Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance
covered by a journey of) seventy years.” (Bukhari, Muslim) Just
imagine….. if you fast these nine days (fasting on Eid is haraam),
how far your distance will be from hell! The Prophet used to fast on
the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah and he said: “Fasting the Day
of ‘Arafah (ninth Dhul-hijjah) is an expiation for (all the sins of)
the previous year and an expiation for (all the sins of) the coming
year.” (Muslim) Read the rest of this entry »
THINGS TO DO IN DHUL-HIJJA
December 3, 2008
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THE NEW FACE OF ISLAM
December 3, 2008
LONDON,SATURDAY 04.10.08
The new face of Islam
By Nick Compton Last updated at 00:00am on 15.03.02
At first she tried to resist. She did not want this to happen. She was not that sort of person. After all, there were no gaps in her life, no spiritual ache, she did not need support or direction. But she kept reading and it kept making sense.
‘I had absolutely no expectation or desire to end up where I am,’ she says. ‘It was almost with trepidation that I kept turning the pages and the trepidation just increased. I kept thinking: “OK, where’s the flaw? Where’s the bit that doesn’t make sense?” But it never came. And then it was like: “Oh no, I can see where this is leading. This is disastrous. I don’t want to be a Muslim!”
Caroline Bate is 30 years old, blonde, blue-eyed and pretty, with a soft Home Counties accent. She has a degree from Cambridge (she studied Russian and German before switching to management studies) and works for an investment bank in the City. She is Middle England’s dream daughter or daughter-in-law. And though she has yet to make her formal declaration of faith in Allah and the prophet Mohammed – a two-line pledge called the Shahada – she considers herself Muslim. She ticked the box on a form recently. It felt good, she says.
Caroline is not alone. Though data is hard to come by, several London mosques have been reporting an increase in the number of converts to Islam, especially since 11 September. Like Caroline, many of these converts are from solid middle-class backgrounds, have successful careers, enjoy active social lives and are fundamentally happy with their lot.
This is not a new trend, however. Matthew Wilkinson, a former head boy of Eton, became Tariq, when he converted to Islam in 1993. Jonathan Birt, son of Lord Birt, late of the BBC and now the government’s transport guru, converted in 1997. The son and daughter of Lord Justice Scott also converted and Joe Ahmed Dobson, the 26-year-old son of the former Health Secretary Frank Dobson, has recently and, somewhat reluctantly, emerged as the voice of new Muslim converts in Britain. But it is a trend that has been pushed along by recent events. So far it has gone largely unnoticed, as the press concentrates on some of the more colourful characters that 11 September has thrown up. Read the rest of this entry »
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WHEN PEOPLE MISQUOTE THE QURAN
December 3, 2008
Islam News Room
Quran Misquoted Again
Contributed by Ansar Al Adl Thursday, 06 December 2007 Last Updated Thursday, 06 December 2007
Do people misquote the Quran?
“I am tired of people insulting my beliefs, my faith and everything I hold dear to me by misquoting the Quran and teachings of our prophet, peace be upon him.”
“How do you reply to these attacks coming from non-Muslims and remove their correct assumptions and misconceptions?” – (signed: Fed-Up in Texas)
Commonly Misquoted Verses From the Quran By : Ansar Al-’Adl
Misquotes from the Quran
1. Introduction 2. Verse 1: “Fighting is ordained for you…” (2:216) 3. Verse 2: “Not equal are those who sit at home…” (4:95) 4. Verse 3: “Among the believers are men having fulfilled their covenant…” (33:23) 5. Verse 4: “When you meet the infidels, smite their necks…” (47:4) 6. Verse 5: “There is no blame on those who are old…” (9:91) 7. Verse 6: “Slay them wherever you catch them…” (2:191) 8. Verse 7: “But if they turn away, catch and slaughter them…” (4:89)
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9. Verse 8: “Fight the pagans wherever you see them…” (9:5) 10. Abrogated? 11. Verse 9: “They ask you about fighting in the holy month…” (2:217-218) 12. Verses 10: “Fight in God’s cause…” (2:244) & (4:76) 13. Verse 11: “Fight those who believe not in God…” (9:29) 14. Similar Narration: “I have been ordered to fight…” 15. Verse 12: “Ruthless to the disbelievers…” (5:54) & (48:29) 16. Verses 13: “I will instil terror into the hearts…” (8:12-13) 17. Verse 14: “The punishment for those who wage war…” (5:33) 18. Similar Narration: “A group from the Ukil/Urayna tribe…” 19. Verse 15: “Take not the Jews and Christians as friends…” (5:51) 20. Conclusion
By Ansar Al-’Adl (www.islamicboard.com)
Introduction
In our time, we find it becoming more and more common for some people to misquote verses from the Qur’an, or narrations of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in order to support their twisted presentation of Islam as a hostile and violent religion. The majority of these verses are either mistranslated, taken out of context, or misunderstood due to lack of basic knowledge. For example, Jihad is misunderstood by many people today as a “holy war”, hence, whenever it is praised in the Qur’an, it is seen in a negative light. Jihad in reality is a positive concept, not a negative one, and for this reason, one must read about Jihad before reading the rest of this article. An explanation of Jihad can be read here. This article intends to clarify the misconception that Islam promotes violence and hatred by re-examining the misquoted verses and narrations. As we shall see, once understood properly, it becomes apparent that Islam teaches nothing but peace, harmony and tolerance for all humanity. We have selected and quoted the verses/narrations in the way that they are circulated by the Islam-haters, so that the poor translation and other deceptive tactics of the Islam-Haters may be exposed.
Misquoted Verse #1
Qur’an 2:216 Jihad (holy fighting in God’s Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims), though you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and like a thing which is bad for you. But God knows, and you know not.
The first mistake in this translation is that this Qur’anic verse actually does not use the word “Jihad”. This verse actually uses the word “Qitaal”, which refers to physical fighting. Fighting is ordained for Muslims in order to defend themselves and their rights, as well as the rights of others. The obligation to physically defend one’s rights, and to establish justice was elaborated on in the previously mentioned article on Jihad. It is sufficient
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to quote a verse from the Qur’an in this regard:
4:75 And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help.”
It is most certainly a duty of all human beings to help each other from oppression and injustice. This is what Islam teaches. Commenting on verse 2:216, Abdullah Yusuf Ali writes:
To fight in the cause of Truth is one of the highest forms of charity. What can you offer that is more precious than your own life? But here again the limitations come in. If you are a mere brawler, or a selfish aggressive person, or a vainglorious bully, you deserve the highest censure. (Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’an, Text, Translation and Commentary )
Therefore, the fighting ordained by God in the Qur’an is the fighting to establish justice and security in the land, and this is a duty upon all human beings. We will always hope for peace, but we must realize that without justice, freedom, rights and equity, peace will never be able to survive. Likewise, on verse 2:216, Abdul Majid Daryabadi writes:
War, it has been truly said, is sanctioned by the law of nature – the constitution of man and the constitution of society – and is at times a biological and sociological necessity. Islam, the ideal and practical religion has allowed it, but only in cases of sheer necessity. (Daryabadi, The Glorious Qur’an, emphasis added)
Islam has designated war as the last resort and only in cases of sheer necessity, in order for us to defend the rights of ourselves and others. Also, the picture becomes even more clear when we take into consideration the historical context of the revelation. Abdullah Yusuf Ali goes on to explain the historical context in his commentary on verse 2:217:
The intolerance and persecution of the Pagan clique at Mecca caused untold hardships to the holy Messenger of Islam and his early disciples. They bore all with meekness and long-suffering patience until the holy one permitted them to take up arms in self-defence… (Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’an, Text, Translation and Commentary ) Read the rest of this entry »
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