Ittaqullah!

Reafirming the vow with Allah April 29th, 2007

Things sure has taken for a worse concerning Islam as of late, with the disbelievers arrogating themselves the right to comment on the issue of apostasy (this has been discussed here). Where it was once unthinkable for someone to simply make rude and unqualified comments about the law of apostasy from Islam, which is pretty much crystal clear, some of those who make no secret of their antagonism towards Islam, calling it a “man-made religion” and “outdated”, have openly waged war against it. In the days of the Caliphate (whether it is the Ummayad, Abbasid or the Ottomon Caliphate), such unwarranted and unjustified attack would have been met with a year or two in prison for contempt of Islam.

Sadly, the Muslim ummah in contemporary times, after the ravages of colonialism and the emergence of nation-states ruled by despots and dictatorships, has been severely weakened to a state of utter mockery and despair. It reminds me of a hadith narration from the Prophet (P), that the Muslims in the last days would be numerous but will still be unable to face the kuffar, because of the disease of al-wahn in their hearts. The Companions of the Prophet (P) then asked him, “O Apostle of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “The fear of death and the love for this life.”

A few hours in the inner sanctum of Putrajaya mosque gives me a time for a pause. My conscience is clear, I am only answerable to Allah. I, for one, will never be inflicted with the disease of al-wahn, insha’allah. I will reaffirm my vow with my Lord, who is the Creator of the worlds, and say nothing on my lips except ashhadu ana la illa illa Allah, Muhammad rasul-allah (verily there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger).

For that is the wish of every Muslim.

Posted in Reflections | No Comments »

The question of life April 27th, 2007

To the question of your life
You are the only answer
To the problems of your life
You are the only solution.

Seek the Truth along your path
Guide your long exhaustive journey
Perceive and obey Him
Follow His Prophet’s teachings
and ye shall succeed.

“…Lord, give us goodness both in this world and in the hereafter,
and keep us from the punishment of the Hell” — The Qur’an, 2:201

“Forgiveness and tolerance, increase the honour and respect of their owners.
Be forgiving so that Allah will cherish you” — Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him

Posted in Reflections | No Comments »

Sami Yusuf: Allahu April 26th, 2007

Title: Allahu
Album: My Ummah
Artist: Sami Yusuf

Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu

Before Him there were none
Of partners He has none
He knows what is apparent and what is hidden
All the fate of creation has already been written
His Will is always done
And can never be undone

Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu

From amongst all humans Muhammad was chosen
He was illiterate and he was an orphan
Yet Allah sent him to those who were pagans
Oh Allah let us drink, from his hand in the fountain

Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu

Ya Allah, You’re the Sovereign
You’re the Sultan of Sultans
Please protect me from Shaytan and all of his treason
Let him not with his whispers, my iman ever weaken
My only wish in this life is to attain Your Pardon

Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu
Allahu Allahu Allahu

Posted in Lyrics | No Comments »

Sami Yusuf: Free April 26th, 2007

Title: Free
Album: My Ummah
Artist: Sami Yusuf

What goes through your mind?
As you sit there looking at me
Well I can tell from your looks
That you think I’m so oppressed
But I don’t need for you to liberate me

My head is not bare
And you can’t see my covered hair
So you sit there and you stare
And you judge me with your glare
You’re sure I’m in despair
But are you not aware
Under this scarf that I wear
I have feelings, and I do care

So don’t you see?
That I’m truly free
This piece of scarf on me
I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity
My modesty
My integrity
So don’t judge me
Open your eyes and see

“Why can’t you just accept me?” she says
“Why can’t I just be me?” she says
Time and time again
You speak of democracy
Yet you rob me of my liberty
All I want is equality
Why can’t you just let me be free?

For you I sing this song
My sister, may you always be strong
From you I’ve learnt so much
How you suffer so much
Yet you forgive those who laugh at you
You walk with no fear
Through the insults you hear
Your wish so sincere
That they’d understand you
But before you walk away
This time you turn and say

But don’t you see?
That I’m truly free
This piece of scarf on me
I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity
My modesty
My integrity
So let me be

She says with a smile
I’m the one who’s free

Posted in Lyrics | No Comments »

GF Haddad on apostasy April 26th, 2007

Our brother in Islam, Sheikh Gibril F. Haddad, gives his view on the issue of apostasy from Islam, which is as follows:

There has been differences of opinion on the English lexical meaning of “apostasy” and “apostate” as well as the Arabic equivalents. I will use the English words on the bases given by their definitions in Webster’s, together with the Arabic lexical and legal definitions for the words “murtadd” and “ridda.”

From Webster’s New World Dictionary & Thesaurus:

apostate: a-pos-tate n. [ME apostate, apostata < OFr apostate & ML apostata < LL(Ec) apostata < Gr(Ec) apostates < Gr, deserter, rebel] a person guilty of apostasy; renegade adj. guilty of apostasy n. — Syn. renegade, one of little faith, backslider, defector; see deserter, traitor. See heretic, heretical, impious, rebel, recreant, scab, skeptic, turncoat

apostasy: a-pos-ta-sy n., pl. -sies [ME apostasie < LL(Ec) apostasia < Gr apo-, away + stasis, a standing: see STASIS] an abandoning of what one has believed in, as a faith, cause, or principles See defection, desertion, disloyalty, heresy

Are the semantic equivalents of apostate and apostasy also found in the Arabic words murtadd and irtidad which respectively correspond to them?

The words apostate and apostasy can be equally translated into Arabic respectively as kafir or murtadd, and as kufr or irtidad.

The Arabic word murtadd applies to a Muslim who publicly declares kufr or unbelief — we seek refuge in Allah — by so stating or by denying a fundamental tenet of creed — such as Allah’s angels — or definitely abandoning or denying a fundamental obligation in the Religion such as prayer (salat), or acting in a way unmistakably tantamount to unbelief such as prostrating to an idol.

The Law considers irtidad not an exercise of personal freedom — as the West construes atheism and “agnosticism” in its own societies — but a crime and declaration of war against Muslim society, which is duty-bound to protect itself from its consequences. This is a condition of irtidad as established by the Prophet’s statement — Allah bless and greet him:

“The blood of a Muslim is illicit to shed except for one of three reasons: a married adulterer must be stoned; one who willfully commits murder must be put to death; and a man who comes out of Islam and fights Allah and His Prophet must be put to death or crucified or banished from the earth.”

It is narrated with transmission chains of trustworthy narrators from `A’isha by al-Nasa’i and Abu Dawud in their Sunan and al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra. This hadith explicitly makes “fighting Allah and His Prophet,” i.e. fighting Islam and Muslims, a condition sine qua non for punishability by death. For then the murtadd becomes the same as an enemy soldier in wartime (muharab), i.e. an enemy of Islam on the battlefield.

The Arabic words irtidad and ridda apply to the occurrence of the above situation. In addition, ridda has been used in the term “war of the Ridda” by the historians to denote the war in early Islam against the Arab tribes who withheld the remittance of the alms-tax to the State and whom the State fought but without declaring them disbelievers.

The public dimension is essential for irtidad to take place. When one succeeds in keeping the matter to oneself, as in the spiritually disintegrated mass of Western societies, then irtidad has not been verified and one is not considered a murtadd although he has become an unbeliever — may Allah protect us. As for one who professes and observes Islam but harbors unbelief without publicly declaring it is not a murtadd but a munafiq or dissimulator.

The munafiq is not a kafir in the eyes of the Law and must be treated as a Muslim up to and including burial rites and inheritance status, while the murtadd is a kafir in the eyes of the Law and is subject to the penal law (hadd) that applies to the murtadd as enforced only by the Islamic state.

It is forbidden for individuals to enforce any penal law or act of war whatsoever whether in the presence or in the absence of an Islamic state except by lawful mandate, but the latter can be de facto, as in the case of a people’s legitimate defense against aggression.

One who professes Islam without observing its obligations and prohibitions nor harboring unbelief is neither a murtadd nor a munafiq nor a kafir but a fasiq or depraved person — may Allah guide us and you.

Irtidad is an open rending from within of the fabric of Muslim society which is responsible for repairing it immediately, just as it must repair and counter the harm of depravity. As defined by the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — irtidad is a declaration of war against Muslim society from inside it. This is confirmed by the fact that irtidad is a public act bearing on all of one’s social and private contracts, not a private exploration conducted in a philosophical vacuum.

And Allah knows best.

Posted in Reflections | No Comments »