Nothing & Everything

The Salaam

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:00:05 +0800

As-salaamu 'alaykum, below is an email that I have sent to a Straits Times (Singapore) reporter regarding an article he put up in the papers:

Hello,

If you would kindly refer to the article mentioned in the subject header, in paragraph 25, you have made an error. Below is an excerpt of the paragraph that I have mentioned.

Muslims greet each other with "Assamualaikum", which means "May peace be with you"...
("Be Close to God" pg S4 para 25 The Straits Times (23.12.2006)

I, as a Muslim, must point out to you that the spelling in the above quote (in bold and underlined), is wrong. If the word is spelt in such a way and pronounced as such, it would carry a different meaning. To be exact, it would mean to be something very evil. "Assamualaikum" means "May death be upon you".

The above word/greeting was used by the enemies of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mock him, his Companions and, in whole, the religion of Islaam. Below is a hadeeth of what happened during the time of the Prophet :

`Aisha (RA) said: Some Jews entered upon the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: As-Sãmu alaykum (may death be upon you)
I thus understood it and said: And may death, and the curse be upon you. So the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: Gently `Aisha, Allah loves gentleness in all matters, so I said: O Messenger of Allah did you not hear what they said? The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: I have replied with `Alaykum (upon you)

(Al-`Adawee said it was sound, and that it was reported by Al-Bukhãri, page 41 of volume 11 of Fath Al-Bãree.)

Please note that some Jewish tribes at that time were against the Prophet (pbuh) and Islam. The above hadeeth is not meant to reflect any present situation. The hadeeth serves to teach us to be aware of what people, who have evil intentions against another, are capable of and how Islam teaches its followers to be tactful in handling these situations.

The correct way to spell it would be "As-salaamu'alaikum". If we read and pronounce it, we will find the word "salaam", which means "peace". Below, I have included for you just for your own knowledge and benefit a hadeeth about this wonderful greeting :

`Imran bin Husayn said: A man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said: 'As-salãmu `alaykum (May peace be upon you),
so he (pbuh) replied then he sat down, and then the Prophet (pbuh) said "Ten." then another came along and said 'As-salãmu `alaykum wa rahmatullãh (May peace be upon you and Allah's Mercy),
so he (pbuh) replied, then he sat down, and then he (pbuh) said: "Twenty." Then another came along and said: 'As-salãmu `alaykum wa rahmatullãh wa barakãtuhu (May peace be upon you and Allah's Mercy and His Blessing),
, so he (pbuh) replied, then he sat down, and then he (pbuh) said: "Thirty."

(At-Tirmithi said it was comely. Al-Albãni agreed, and said that so did Al-Bayhaqi, and Al-Hãfith Ibn Hajar. Al-Albãni included this hadeeth in The Authentic of Good Sayings as #156.)

The "ten", "twenty" and "thirty" that the Prophet (pbuh) was reported to have said, in the hadeeth above, is the number of times that the reward is multiplied.

Praise be to Allah, your article is useful in helping others understand Islaam better. We all make mistakes one time or another. What makes us learn is when someone points it out to us. That is the reason Allah made it an individual obligation for all Muslims to point out the wrong and call others to the correct way. I say this to remind myself before anyone else.

Thank you and may you have a better understanding of this beautiful religion of Islaam.

Aman's Spices

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:54:49 +0800

Alhamdulillah, we have set up a new business online. I hope you will check it out, insha-Allaah.

Please go to Aman's Spices for more details.

Strangeness and the Strangers

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:40:00 +0800

Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
Adoptted by Ammar ibn Abdullah al-Hindi
Based on a booklet by ibn Qayyim entitled al-Ghurbathu wa al-Ghuraba
Some modifications and additions have been made, © 1994 Basheer Publications

"Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers."

The Meaning of "Strangeness"

Many times in many situations the people that follow the religion of Allah feel a sense of not belonging, of being out of place, of not fitting in, and, in other words, of being strange. This feeling could occur in a gathering of non-Muslims, but, unfortunately, this feeling sometimes also occurs when one is with his fellow Muslims. A person sees his brothers and sisters doing acts that are contrary to Islam, or taking part in innovations that sometimes even border on kufr (apostasy), yet he feels that he does not have enough power or courage to stop them in these acts. Some brothers and sisters, especially if they do not have enough taqwa or Islamic knowledge, sometimes buckle under the pressure of their peers and join in these acts, knowing that this is not what Allah wants them to do. However, feeling helpless, since it seems that they are alone in their ideas and without any support to help them do what is right, they succumb to such pressures.

These brothers and sisters, may Allah have mercy on them, should take consolation in the verses of the Qur’an and the many statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) describing this very situation of strangeness that they feel.

Why Have They Been Called "Strangers"?

Allah says in the Qur’an, "If only there had been, in the generations preceding you, people having wisdom, prohibiting others from evil in the earth; except a few of those whom we have saved from among them." (Hud 116).

This verse speaks of the few people on earth, the "strangers", who prohibit mankind from evil. These are the same people the Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke about when he said, "Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings [ar. Tooba. This is a tree in Paradise. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) is giving the good news of Paradise to these strangers.] to the strangers." It was asked, "Who are those strangers, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Those that correct the people when they become corrupt." [Reported by Abu Amr al-Dani, from the hadith of ibn Masoud. It is authentic according to al-Albani. Another narration says, "Those that correct my sunnah which has been corrupted by the people after me."] In another narration he said in response to the same question, "They are a small group of people among a large evil population. Those who oppose them are more than those who follow them." [Reported by ibn Asaakir. It is authentic according to al-Albani.]

These praiseworthy people are called strangers since they are a small minority among mankind. Thus, Muslims are strangers among mankind; the true believers are strangers among Muslims; and the scholars are strangers among the true believers. And the followers of the Sunnah, those that clear themselves from all peoples of innovation, are likewise strangers.

In reality, however, their strangeness is only because they are the minority and it is not because their actions and beliefs are strange. This is what Allah says in surah al-Anaam, "And if you obey most of the people on Earth, they will lead you astray" (al-Anaam 116). Allah also says, "And most of mankind will not believe, even if you (O Muhammad) desire it eagerly" (Yusuf 103); "And truly, most of mankind are rebellious and disobedient (to Allah)." (al-Maidah 49); "But nay, most of mankind are ungrateful" (Yusuf 38). Therefore, Allah, the all-Knowing Creator, knows the most of mankind will not follow the truth. Instead, only a small group of people will be set apart that truly and correctly believe in Him, the strangers from among mankind.

The strangers in belief, however, and the strangers in character and actions are in reality the majority of mankind, for they are strange to Islam and to the laws that Allah has revealed. Thus we see that there are various types of strangeness, of which some are praiseworthy, some are blameworthy and some are neither praiseworthy or blameworthy. We will discuss these various categories separately below.

The Various Types of Strangeness

You should know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that strangeness is of three types:

The first type of strangeness is the strangeness of the "People of Allah and the People of His Messenger" (peace be upon him), which we mentioned previously. This strangeness is a praiseworthy strangeness, as it has been praised by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Therefore, this kind of strangeness should be sought and its people must be supported. This strangeness occurs in different times, in different places, and among different peoples. These strangers, then, are the true "People of Allah" for they do not worship ought save Him, and they do not take support from any path except the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they do not call to anything except that which has been brought by the Prophet (peace be upon him). These are the people who left mankind when they (the strangers) were in need of them the most. For, on the Day of Judgment, when all other groups will go with that which they used to worship, they will stay in their places. It will be said to them, "Will you not go as the other people have gone?" They will answer, "We had abandoned the people (in this life), and we were more in need of them then we are today, and we will wait for our Lord whom we used to worship." [Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Thus it is apparent that this strangeness does not cause its bearer any discontent. Rather it is a comforting strangeness, a solace to the believers. This is because he knows that his helpers are Allah, His Messenger and those who believe [This is a reference to verse 55 of surah al-Maidah], even if all of mankind left and abandoned him. These strangers are again described in a hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "It is possible that a disheveled, dusty person, with not many belongings [Literally, "with two headdresses"], who is not noticed among the people, if he asks of Allah, Allah will fulfill his prayer." [Reported by at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim. Al-Albani said it is authentic.] Al-Hasan al-Basri [a very famous Follower – tabi` - known for his piety, asceticism and knowledge] said, "A believer is a stranger in this world, he is never afraid of its humiliation, and he never competes for its glory. The people are in one situation and he is in a different situation. The people are content with him, yet he is in turmoil [Literally, "tired"] with himself."

From the characteristics of these strangers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) described is the holding on to the sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him), even if the people abandon it. They, the strangers, leave all the innovations that their people invent, even if such practices should be common among them. They also stick to tawheed, even if the people corrupt it with shirk. They do not ascribe themselves to anything besides Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him); they do not, that is, ascribe themselves to a shaikh, tariqah, particular madhhab or a group of people. They are dedicated only to Allah, with their sincere worship of Him and Him alone, and to His Prophet (peace be upon him), by following the path that he followed. These are the people who grasp the glowing hot embers [A reference to the hadith that is to follow], even though most of mankind - nay, all of them - blame them for this. This is the meaning of the statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) alluding to the fact that they stick to his sunnah, even if the people corrupt it.

Allah, all praise be to Him, sent His Prophet (peace be upon him) when mankind followed different religions, for there were those who worshipped rivers and trees, and there were those who worshipped idols, and there were Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. Islam, when it first appeared among these people, was strange to them. If a person from among them accepted Islam and followed the call of Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him), he would be shunned by his family and his tribe. He would live the life of a stranger among his people. Eventually, however, Islam spread far and wide. The Muslims became stronger and stronger, so much so that the strangers were those that did not accept the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

But, alas, Satan deceived mankind again. People took to the ways that their forefathers, who had accepted Islam, had abandoned until, finally, Islam became strange again, just like it had started and just like the Prophet (peace be upon him) had foretold. Nay, indeed, rather the true Islam - that which the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions were following [this is a reference to the reply that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave when asked what the characteristics of the "Saved Group" were] has become even stranger to the people then when it initially appeared, even though its outward signs and external relics are well known and widespread. [This is what ibn al-Qayyim, wrote in the 8th Century of the Hijrah, wrote. Imagine our situations six centuries after him. May Allah protect us.]

How can it not be so, when these strangers are only one group among seventy-two others [the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in an authentic hadith that this Ummah would divide into seventy-three groups, all of which would go to Hell except the one Saved Group.], each of which follows its own desires and takes its passions as gods? Those are the groups that base their teachings on doubts and innovations and whose sole purpose is the gratification of their own desires. Thus, the group whose goal is to achieve the pleasure of Allah by following the path of His Messenger (peace be upon him) will be the strange one among all of the other groups.

This is why the true Muslims - those that adamantly cling to the Sunnah - will have the reward of fifty Companions. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about the verse, "O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who err" (al-Maidah 105), he said, "Nay indeed, order good and forbid evil until you see stinginess being obeyed, and desires being followed, and this world preferred [over the next], and each person being deluded by his own opinions. Then take care of yourself and leave the common people. For indeed, after you there will be days of patience, where patience will be like holding on to glowing embers. Whoever is able to do this will have the reward of fifty people that do like him." They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?" He replied, "The reward of fifty of you" [Recorded by al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud with a weak chain but it has supporting evidence. Al-Albani calls it sahih. See al-Sahiha, #957]. This reward is due to his strangeness among the people.

So, if the believer whom Allah has blessed with wisdom and knowledge wants to tread upon this path, the path of Allah, then let him be prepared to resign himself to the life of a stranger among his people, just like his predecessors who accepted Islam were treated by the people. For indeed, he will be a stranger in his beliefs, because his people have corrupted their beliefs. He will be a stranger in his religion, due to what the people have done to it. He will be a stranger in his manner of praying, because the people are ignorant of the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He will be a stranger in his ordering of good and prohibiting evil, for the people have taken what is evil as good and they have abandoned what is good as evil. In short, then, he will be a stranger in all his matters of this world and the Hereafter, calling to the path of Allah and withstanding the harm of all those that go against him.

As for the second type of strangeness, then know, O reader, that this strangeness is the blameworthy strangeness, for its people are the evil sinners, the ignorant and the arrogant of mankind. Their strangeness is due to their refusal to follow the correct and straight path of Allah. This strangeness is the strangeness of not conforming to the religion of Islam and, as such, it will remain strange even if its followers are numerous, its power is strong and its existence is widespread. These are the strangers to Allah. May Allah keep us from becoming one of them.

The third category of strangeness is, in essence, neither praiseworthy or blameworthy. It is the strangeness that a traveler experiences when he travels to a different country, like a person who lives in a place for a short period of time, knowing that he has to move on. One aspect of this strangeness is that all of us, whether we realize it or not, are strangers in this world, for we will all go one day to our permanent abode in the Hereafter. This is the meaning of the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he told Abdullah ibn Umar, "Live in this world as though you are a stranger or a wayfarer." Thus, this category of strangeness has the potential to become a praiseworthy strangeness if we realize the meaning of this statement of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).

We pray that Allah bless us to be Muslims, knowledgeable and pious, and that He forgive us our sins and bless us with His Mercy.

Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute to Him And Peace be on the Messengers. And all Praise and thanks be to the Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Taken from http://www.Islaam.Com

Shaykh al-Ghudayaan On Lebanon Crisis

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:17:47 +0800

In view of the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, there have been a lot of talk among the Muslims. The link below will take you to an audio(mp3) of Shaykh al-Ghudayaan's, an Islamic Scholar, view on this matter. Thus, let us all pray to Allaah that we benefit from his saying, Ameen.

http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=6&Topic=5533

"National" Day

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:55:00 +0800

You wonder why I have put the word "National" in parantheses. Usually, writers do this when they mean to reflect the word as having a meaning other than what the word implies. First, let us analyse and search the meaning of the word "national" :

from Cambridge Dictionaries Online :

Definition
nation Show phonetics
noun
1 [C] a country, especially when thought of as a large group of people living in one area with their own government, language, traditions, etc:
All the nations of the world will be represented at the conference.
The Germans, as a nation, are often thought to be well organized.
Practically the whole nation watched the ceremony on television.

2 [S] a large group of people of the same race who share the same language, traditions and history, but who might not all live in one area:
the Navajo nation

national Show phonetics
adjective
relating to or typical of a whole country and its people, rather than to part of that country or to other countries:
a national holiday
Britain has more than ten national newspapers.
The company's national headquarters is in Rome.
The children were wearing traditional national costume/dress.
The government's view is that raising taxes now would not be in the national interest (= would not be good for the country).

national Show phonetics
noun [C usually plural]
someone who officially belongs to a particular country:
Thirty people, including six UK nationals, were killed in yesterday's plane crash.
All foreign nationals were advised to leave the country following the outbreak of civil war.

read this at its website here

What we are able to extract from the above is that "national" carries a meaning of collectiveness. Something that is in common, a common belonging if you will. We will most certainly see certain aspects of "nationality" on "National" Day. For example, large groups of people mostly decked out in the red and white "national" colour assembled at the "National" Stadium to witness and enjoy the "National" Day Parade.

Participants will feel united and a sense of belonging as a result of the euphoria and the atmosphere. All different multi-races will sit together side-by-side in the stuffed and cramped terraces, cheering, singing...as one. Civil servants, private sector, NGOs...all borders and lines blurred on this particular joyous occassion. Lights, colour, vibrant dance moves, music and patriotism all ingredients mixed together. The parade will boast the "nation's" military might and technology. Climaxed by the one and only fireworks display. A burst of colour and sound, loved by many if not all participants.

And then it ends. The jostling will begin. The participants start their way home and suddenly, the lines are not so blurred anymore. The cheering and singing will be replaced by the honking of cars and motorcycles, not to mention some expletives, on the road which by then would have been already in jam due to the huge mass of participants.

The public transport is not spared either. Rushing for seats will be the train-takers. Train doors opening will signal the start of a crunching scrimmage which I honestly think only belongs on the rugby field. And in the devastating aftermath will be sharp threatening looks - opponent to opponent. Where have all the sense of belonging gone?

The buses will witness a more horrifying phenomena that the world has ever seen! It is the amazing effect of older citizens on the seated passengers to strangely doze off once they board the buses. Not to mention the aura of a pregnant lady or better yet someone with a toddler or a baby, most passengers will be affected and start to doze off or have a sudden interest in newspapers and books. This unexplained phenomena can also be adapted to the trains. Where have the courtesy gone, in which the "nation" have seen a lot of campaigns for?

Back on the roads, its another sequel of the Fast and the Furious with the taxis pitted against the cars and motorbikes. One will always have a few "nice" words for the other. And a "collectively" big part of Singaporeans will almost forget that civil servants endorsing their passports and checking their cars are of the same "nationality" as them. Complaining is free-of-charge so they try to do lots of it. They seem to forget that time when they sat together, cheering and singing, in the cramped terraces, in patriotic harmony.

Looking back, "National" Day is aptly named because the word "Day" is in singular form thus bearing the meaning that we are a nation only on that one day. Therefore, the cynicism, complaints, rudeness, unfeeling, hypocritical character of the "nation" is justified for the rest of the 364 days of the year.

My two cents worth. Prove me wrong and I'll be happy to call myself a Singaporean...

Media War

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 11:15:00 +0800

I sat down at the table and started to eat. I remembered thinking to myself that the curry was missing something. As I ate, I started to regret buying the food at that particular stall. Then, something hit me...

Actually, it was the TV. I saw images that disturbed me. I saw death - a lot of it. It was the news and it was showing the footage of the latest casualties of an air strike by Israeli forces onto Lebanon. The curry went totally bland and it did not even matter then.

Silenced and ashamed, my eyes were glued to the TV screen. Wailing mothers grieving for their lost, maybe dead, children, forlorn-looking children not more than 5 years old squatting by the debris over a charred body, locals just standing around observing the carnage of what was once their homes. It was familiar. I was sure I had seen all of that before. And right I was.

Its the same scene over and over again. Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya...the list goes on. Why is this happening? What are we doing to stop this? Who is to blame? Chechnya alone have thousands and thousands of their people killed or abducted by Russian troops and this includes children and women. The media calls the Chechen army "rebels" when all they are doing is their duty which is to protect their countrymen on their own sovereign land.

Its a new war and this war is better known as the media. Anyone who has control and the means are able to take advantage of this thing called media. A camera is all you need to push your propaganda down other people's throats. Even if your propaganda is filled with lies and deceit and half truths, people tend to believe it because hey its CNN. The ones who manage to get the bigger slice of the media pie will be the ones who will be believed, drowning out the other side of the story no matter how untrue the content. The US certainly knows how to play this media game. They use it blatantly in their political pursuits. The media is at the mercy of its users, to be perverted, to be manipulated, even modified to suit one's gain. The media, proven to be a strong medium, is ironically unable to defend itself.

It has extended itself being an accomplice on many occassions. The media has aided many a crime, including making invading a sovereign nation particularly to serve one's own greedy political interest, a heroic act. It has been a silent witness to the greatest and most heinous conspiracy known in recorded history. It has helped to lie, cheat, steal, degrade, marginalize, manipulate....ingredients in a perverted recipe that we, the people, love to concoct and enjoy it ourselves. We find a hidden and subconscious desire and satisfaction in learning of another's downfall. We possess a selfish relief in consoling ourselves that " hey, I'm like so glad that it ain't us out there."

Somebody out there reading must be saying, or at least have this cross his/her mind :

"But the media has done a lot of good too!"

Well that is true, so true. But its just the way it is. Nobody cares. Just like how the media makes a big story out of the Moscow Theatre siege by Chechen "rebels". What the people see is how Muslim "terrorists" in masks take hostage of more than 800 people and how the Russian army "heroes" stormed the theatre killing all the bad-guys and saving the hostages. What we fail to remember and register in our minds is that the Russians had gassed the theatre beforehand resulting in deaths of a lot of hostages. So when gas-mask-wearing heroes save the day, we should ask ourselves who was the one doing all the killing that day? But who cares?

When the dictatorship-led Iraq was attacked and deemed to have weapons of mass destruction, the heroes of that day were the Americans. Most of us stood with them when they invaded Iraq in their pre-emptive bid to rid world of evil and I dare say some of us cheered when that statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down. And how do we know this? Oh, the media of course! Our eyes glued to the TV screen in silent admiration of the Oakley-sunglasses-clad soldiers. Some of us sympathised with them when they honored their dead who fell on the battle-field. On the other hand, do we care that after all that shelling and destruction added a few years on, we still have not seen concrete visual evidence of WMD in Iraq? Do we even pause to think before our meals and dwell on the fact that thousands of Iraqi children will only have breadcrumbs to eat that day?

And Palestine, oh Palestine! Where do I even begin? An evil injustice in that robbing someone of their own land is rightful. But do we care? Oh no! Because those guys who blow themselves up, they are the evil ones. At least, that is what the media helps us to think. I am not condoning suicide-bombing but I sure am not condoning masking the truth or twisting it or even making it up.

What about September 11th you ask? The media helps us to come to the conclusion that a group of Arab Muslim terrosists armed with box-cutters hijacked a few planes thus crashing two of them into the Twin Towers, the heat of the burning jet fuel melting the steel frames causing them to collapse. But who cares if the jet fuel's heat could never be enough to melt steel. Who cares if out of the nineteen hijackers, 5 to 7 of them have been discovered alive and well enough to interviewed. Who cares if WTC 7, a 47 storey building located near the Twin Towers which was not hit by any planes save for only a few fires, also collapsed and pulverised to dust later that fateful day. Who cares at all? Muslim terrorists did it, come what may that is the truth! Why?

Because the media said so...

sentosa trip

noreply@blogspirit.com (Abu Muhammad) — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 19:05:00 +0800

Last month, we brought Al-Walad to Sentosa Island. He was very excited and we enjoyed ourselves a lot. It was his first time there and for some of us, the first time there after a long time.

My mom went together with us and so did my two sisters. My eldest sister brought along her family too which included her twin son and daughter. So, armed with my trusted Sony Ericsson w810i camera phone, I managed to piece together a little video of our outing. Please click on the link below and I hope you enjoy it...

muhammad@sentosa

There are also some photos that I took during the Sentosa trip which have just been uploaded to my photo album.