"The Moderate Muslim: ‘Islam is against mass murder! Deep down, we’re just as lovely as you! er … Where’s the buffet?’"
- Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. Source. # 26 of Contentions 15.
Moderate Islam is that of extreme apologeticism, forged in the fire of Protestantism. It is being shaped by the policy makers of Imperial Power of America through funding of "moderate voices." This is the greatest of pitfalls of terms because Muslim ummah is that of middle path, who always strives to be moderate in its actions and even in theory. We can no more use this currency anymore. Seyyed Hossein Nasr i believe came with a better solution who is opposed both to modernism and fundamentalism. He places mainstream, orthodox Sunni-Shia dimension of Islam at the Centre, and judges all other sects or interpretations from their proximity to the Centre, to the Orthodoxy. Those interpretation which seek to by-pass 1400 years of orthodoxy, a diverse yet unified systematized development of an understanding of Islam, are extremists. It is so because they're away from the centre. This is both evident in the wrongdoings of Al-Qaeda and Progressive/Modernists/Re-formulationist (or Deformists) movements. There's at least one monograph dedicated to this very topic but which limited its scope to fundamentalism alone, edited by Joseph Lumbard (a Muslim scholar of Islam) entitled, Islam, Fundamentalism and the Betrayal of Tradition. There's now greater need of a detailed surgical analysis of modernist Islam as well.
Showing posts with label Abdal Hakim Murad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abdal Hakim Murad. Show all posts
'Description of the beauty of Holy Prophet Muhammad'
A description of the Beloved, Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa salam, from "The Sunnah as Primordiality" by Shaikh Abdal Hakim Murad
paraphrased by Mustafa Miroku Nemeth
Here is a condensed recollection, a kind of verbal icon, of that Prophetic beauty. It is paraphrased from a passage by Imam al-Ghazali, in Book 19 of his Revival of the Religious Sciences, Ihya Ulum al-Din.
‘The Messenger of God (s) was the mildest of men, but also the bravest and most just of men. He was the most restrained of people; never touching the hand of a woman over whom he did not have rights, or who was not his mahram. He was the most generous of men, so that never did a gold or silver coin spend the night in his house. If something remained at the end of the day, because he had not found someone to give it to, and night descended, he would go out, and not return home until he had given it to someone in need. From what Allah gave him [...] he would take only the simplest and easiest foods: dates and barley, giving anything else away in the path of Allah. Never did he refuse a gift for which he was asked. He used to mend his own sandals, and patch his own clothes, and serve his family, and help them to cut meat. He was the shyest of men, so that his gaze would never remain long in the face of anyone else. He would accept the invitation of a freeman or a slave, and accept a gift, even if it were no more than a gulp of milk, or the thigh of a rabbit, and offer something in return. He never consumed anything given in sadaqa. He was not too proud to reply to a slave-girl, or a pauper in rags. He would become angered for his Lord, never for himself; he would cause truth and justice to prevail even if this led to discomfort to himself or to his companions.
‘He used to bind a stone around his waist out of hunger. He would eat what was brought, and would not refuse any permissible food. If there was dates without bread, he would eat, if there was roast meat, he would eat; if there was rough barley bread, he would eat it; if there was honey or something sweet, he would eat it; if there was only yogurt without even bread, he would be quite satisfied with that.
‘He was not sated, even with barley-bread, for three consecutive days, until the day he met his Lord, not because of poverty, or avarice, but because he always preferred others over himself.
‘He would attend weddings, and visit the sick, and attend funerals, and would often walk among his enemies without a guard. He was the most humble of men, and the most serene, without arrogance. He was the most eloquent of men, without ever speaking for too long. He was the most cheerful of men. He was afraid of nothing in the dunya. He would wear a rough Yemeni cloak, or a woolen tunic; whatever was lawful and was to hand, that he would wear. He would ride whatever was to hand: sometimes a horse, sometimes a camel, sometimes a mule, sometimes a donkey. And at times he would walk barefoot, without an upper garment or a turban or a cap. He would visit the sick even if they were in the furthest part of Madina. He loved perfumes, and disliked foul smells.
‘He maintained affectionate and loyal ties with his relatives, but without preferring them to anyone who was superior to them. He never snubbed anyone. He accepted the excuse of anyone who made an excuse. He would joke, but would never say anything that was not true. He would laugh, but not uproarously. He would watch permissible games and sports, and would not criticise them. He ran races with his wives. Voices would be raised around him, and he would be patient. He kept a sheep, from which he would draw milk for his family. He would walk among the fields of his companions. He never despised any pauper for his poverty or illness; neither did he hold any king in awe simply because he was a king. He would call rich and poor to Allah, without distinction.
‘In him, Allah combined all noble traits of character; although he neither read nor wrote, having grown up in a land of ignorance and deserts in poverty, as a shepherd, and as an orphan with neither father nor mother. But Allah Himself taught him all the excellent qualities of character, and praiseworthy ways, and the stories of the early and the later prophets, and the way to salvation and triumph in the Akhira, and to joy and detachment in the dunya, and how to hold fast to duty, and to avoid the unnecessary. May Allah give us success in obeying him, and in following his sunna. Amin ya rabb al-alamin.‘
This moving portrait by Imam al-Ghazali depicts our role model, and simultaneously our ideal of humanity lived in the form of absolute beauty. His was a life lived in fullness. There was no aspect of human perfection that he did not know and manifest. And his perfection also indicates the nature of specifically masculine perfection. He was a great warrior; a sound hadith narrated by Imam al-Darimi tells us, on the authority of Ali, that
‘On the day of Badr I was present, and we sought refuge in the Prophet (s.w.s.),
who was the closest of us all to the enemy. On that day he was the most powerful
of all the combatants who fought.’One of the Companions described him riding his horse, wearing a red turban and holding his sword, and said later that never in his life had he seen a sight more beautiful.
In 23 years he became undisputed ruler of Arabia. Through his genius and charisma, and the attractive force of his personality, he united the Arabian tribes for the first time in their history. He took his people from the depths of idolatry into the purest form of monotheism. He gave them a law for the first time. He laid down, in his mosque in Madina, a system of worship, self-restraint and spiritual fruitfulness that provided the inspiration and the precedent for countless generations of later worshippers and saints. In affirming the Ka‘ba, he affirmed beauty; so that all else that he did was beautiful.
And in all this, he attributed his success only to Allah. He was, as Imam al-Ghazali records, the most humble of men. He was forbearing, polite, courteous, and mild. He paid no attention to people’s outward form, but assessed and responded to their spirits. He forgave constantly. He was indulgent with the simple Bedouin of Central Arabia, the roughest people on earth. When one of them. who wanted money, pulled his cloak so violently that it left a mark, he merely smiled, and ordered that the man be given what he wanted.'
paraphrased by Mustafa Miroku Nemeth
Here is a condensed recollection, a kind of verbal icon, of that Prophetic beauty. It is paraphrased from a passage by Imam al-Ghazali, in Book 19 of his Revival of the Religious Sciences, Ihya Ulum al-Din.
‘The Messenger of God (s) was the mildest of men, but also the bravest and most just of men. He was the most restrained of people; never touching the hand of a woman over whom he did not have rights, or who was not his mahram. He was the most generous of men, so that never did a gold or silver coin spend the night in his house. If something remained at the end of the day, because he had not found someone to give it to, and night descended, he would go out, and not return home until he had given it to someone in need. From what Allah gave him [...] he would take only the simplest and easiest foods: dates and barley, giving anything else away in the path of Allah. Never did he refuse a gift for which he was asked. He used to mend his own sandals, and patch his own clothes, and serve his family, and help them to cut meat. He was the shyest of men, so that his gaze would never remain long in the face of anyone else. He would accept the invitation of a freeman or a slave, and accept a gift, even if it were no more than a gulp of milk, or the thigh of a rabbit, and offer something in return. He never consumed anything given in sadaqa. He was not too proud to reply to a slave-girl, or a pauper in rags. He would become angered for his Lord, never for himself; he would cause truth and justice to prevail even if this led to discomfort to himself or to his companions.
‘He used to bind a stone around his waist out of hunger. He would eat what was brought, and would not refuse any permissible food. If there was dates without bread, he would eat, if there was roast meat, he would eat; if there was rough barley bread, he would eat it; if there was honey or something sweet, he would eat it; if there was only yogurt without even bread, he would be quite satisfied with that.
‘He was not sated, even with barley-bread, for three consecutive days, until the day he met his Lord, not because of poverty, or avarice, but because he always preferred others over himself.
‘He would attend weddings, and visit the sick, and attend funerals, and would often walk among his enemies without a guard. He was the most humble of men, and the most serene, without arrogance. He was the most eloquent of men, without ever speaking for too long. He was the most cheerful of men. He was afraid of nothing in the dunya. He would wear a rough Yemeni cloak, or a woolen tunic; whatever was lawful and was to hand, that he would wear. He would ride whatever was to hand: sometimes a horse, sometimes a camel, sometimes a mule, sometimes a donkey. And at times he would walk barefoot, without an upper garment or a turban or a cap. He would visit the sick even if they were in the furthest part of Madina. He loved perfumes, and disliked foul smells.
‘He maintained affectionate and loyal ties with his relatives, but without preferring them to anyone who was superior to them. He never snubbed anyone. He accepted the excuse of anyone who made an excuse. He would joke, but would never say anything that was not true. He would laugh, but not uproarously. He would watch permissible games and sports, and would not criticise them. He ran races with his wives. Voices would be raised around him, and he would be patient. He kept a sheep, from which he would draw milk for his family. He would walk among the fields of his companions. He never despised any pauper for his poverty or illness; neither did he hold any king in awe simply because he was a king. He would call rich and poor to Allah, without distinction.
‘In him, Allah combined all noble traits of character; although he neither read nor wrote, having grown up in a land of ignorance and deserts in poverty, as a shepherd, and as an orphan with neither father nor mother. But Allah Himself taught him all the excellent qualities of character, and praiseworthy ways, and the stories of the early and the later prophets, and the way to salvation and triumph in the Akhira, and to joy and detachment in the dunya, and how to hold fast to duty, and to avoid the unnecessary. May Allah give us success in obeying him, and in following his sunna. Amin ya rabb al-alamin.‘
This moving portrait by Imam al-Ghazali depicts our role model, and simultaneously our ideal of humanity lived in the form of absolute beauty. His was a life lived in fullness. There was no aspect of human perfection that he did not know and manifest. And his perfection also indicates the nature of specifically masculine perfection. He was a great warrior; a sound hadith narrated by Imam al-Darimi tells us, on the authority of Ali, that
‘On the day of Badr I was present, and we sought refuge in the Prophet (s.w.s.),
who was the closest of us all to the enemy. On that day he was the most powerful
of all the combatants who fought.’One of the Companions described him riding his horse, wearing a red turban and holding his sword, and said later that never in his life had he seen a sight more beautiful.
In 23 years he became undisputed ruler of Arabia. Through his genius and charisma, and the attractive force of his personality, he united the Arabian tribes for the first time in their history. He took his people from the depths of idolatry into the purest form of monotheism. He gave them a law for the first time. He laid down, in his mosque in Madina, a system of worship, self-restraint and spiritual fruitfulness that provided the inspiration and the precedent for countless generations of later worshippers and saints. In affirming the Ka‘ba, he affirmed beauty; so that all else that he did was beautiful.
And in all this, he attributed his success only to Allah. He was, as Imam al-Ghazali records, the most humble of men. He was forbearing, polite, courteous, and mild. He paid no attention to people’s outward form, but assessed and responded to their spirits. He forgave constantly. He was indulgent with the simple Bedouin of Central Arabia, the roughest people on earth. When one of them. who wanted money, pulled his cloak so violently that it left a mark, he merely smiled, and ordered that the man be given what he wanted.'
Top 10 Sites I visit whenever I open Internet Explorer
It doesn't mean that I only use Internet Explorer, which I have to use when Chrome of FireFox don't work. It means - I asked myself what do i do everytime i use internet, i.e., what sites i almost always visit. This would help me become more self-conscious, maybe, of what I am now. Those who 'compete on the edge' live in today, (see Competing on the Edge, HBSP).
1. Gmail
Thou my GHQ, my runway, my shuttle, my launching pad to travel to Mars and beyond, my baby, my kabootar (pigeon), my post office, my railway, my aeroplane. Enough.
2. Google
For reference guide to anything of which i am ignorant except getting information on Islamic law and theology. What I cherish most about it is whenever i come across a new worthy author, Google makes me happy by allowing to delve deep into the bio of the author, although i can contain very erratic information uploaded by heinous beings. Recently it helped me understand better two very important Muslim (convert) scholars: John Ahmed Herlihy, whose Modern Man at the Crossroads, chapter # 2 on origins of man (scientific and religious critique of macro-evolution) i'm reading these days; and Sheikh Ragip Robert Frager al Jerrahi, an amazing psychologist who is also a sufi and his works integrate psychology (of west) and sufism. Both are very important authors who have written widely, who know modern world better than anyone but at the same are well-versed in modern science and traditional world-view of Islam and spirituality, as well. They deserve wide and intense readership, especially by modern young Muslim who faces the challenges of modernity to Tradition and religious world-view of Islam.
Apart from that, i browse it for pics for this blogs... And for fighter jet images, can't forget that.
3. ESEF: Elementary Society to Excel in Future (Estd. 2008)
ESEF is a non-political, yet not lacking political baseerat (insight/vision), social welfare and spiritual organization founded by high school (FSc, Pakistan) toppers back in 2008. It right now entertains young students seeking career counselling for undergrad education through its website and test preparation services (off-net). its students are very charitable who visit social welfare institutions in groups to get inspired, for they love service to mankind. Responding to flood crisis in Pakistan, they are raising funds and have volunteers on stand-by ready to be deployed with a given plan in any affected area, inshaAllah.
Old Website.
New Website.
4. SSRN
My academic love is flourishing with SSRN these days, may it never see a fall. Social Science Research Network, mashaAllah, is the best free research papers website covering (almost) all fields in social science, from public policy to management (all business fields covered) to philosophy and English literature, and what not. Perhaps more than 80% top research papers or cases are for free to view and download! Wholesale! Just register with an email and commence operation unbounded research!
5. Dr Asad Zaman's website
Its grace of God that I've discovered this man first in Intellect Magazine, which published his life-story from darkness (disbelief, atheism) to Nur Allah (light, Islam), and then i found him and his research work on net. Links to his websites are as follows:
With over 20 million articles in all subjects, this is a researcher's choice to be at. Access is not free for all, only with a password, often given freely with a "Thomson Learner's" text, can one log in and enjoy the spring of unlimited access to unlimited research topics, newspaper, journals and what not.
if you want access to it, just email at: i.umer.toor@gmail.com. i'll be very happy to share it with you :)
7. Youtube
Usually I consume it to enlighten my soul and intellect lectures by hamza yusuf, abdal hakim murad, Nuh Mim Keller, Islamic convert story (interesting research area for social scientists), tilawah, etc.
8. Hamza's Book Writing Effort: Astronomy for Teens
This haphazardly design site is dedicated to assist (hopefully) a 14-year old Pakistani student writing an introductory book on astronomy. News chapters are uploaded on it, and bibliography is being maintained. He deserves much attention and appreciation. You'll find his writing to be fluent and accurate, though with pardonable grammatical errors, for his knowledge of history and of science is quite up-to-date. He doesn't just memorize facts, which are crucial, but also entertains me with his hypothesis.
What he needs at this point is rigorous education in astronomy. He has just read Hawking's A Brief History of Time, but couldn't fully understand complex ideas. Secondly, we also needs directions on the content and form of the book. Astronomy professors would do it.
9. Masud.co.uk
Hosts almost all articles and links to the other works, audios, etc of Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (click to visit) and Shaykh Nuh Mim Keller.
10. Towards the Reign of 'Quality': Umer Toor's Blog
Only for you.
1. Gmail
Thou my GHQ, my runway, my shuttle, my launching pad to travel to Mars and beyond, my baby, my kabootar (pigeon), my post office, my railway, my aeroplane. Enough.
2. Google
For reference guide to anything of which i am ignorant except getting information on Islamic law and theology. What I cherish most about it is whenever i come across a new worthy author, Google makes me happy by allowing to delve deep into the bio of the author, although i can contain very erratic information uploaded by heinous beings. Recently it helped me understand better two very important Muslim (convert) scholars: John Ahmed Herlihy, whose Modern Man at the Crossroads, chapter # 2 on origins of man (scientific and religious critique of macro-evolution) i'm reading these days; and Sheikh Ragip Robert Frager al Jerrahi, an amazing psychologist who is also a sufi and his works integrate psychology (of west) and sufism. Both are very important authors who have written widely, who know modern world better than anyone but at the same are well-versed in modern science and traditional world-view of Islam and spirituality, as well. They deserve wide and intense readership, especially by modern young Muslim who faces the challenges of modernity to Tradition and religious world-view of Islam.
Apart from that, i browse it for pics for this blogs... And for fighter jet images, can't forget that.
3. ESEF: Elementary Society to Excel in Future (Estd. 2008)
ESEF is a non-political, yet not lacking political baseerat (insight/vision), social welfare and spiritual organization founded by high school (FSc, Pakistan) toppers back in 2008. It right now entertains young students seeking career counselling for undergrad education through its website and test preparation services (off-net). its students are very charitable who visit social welfare institutions in groups to get inspired, for they love service to mankind. Responding to flood crisis in Pakistan, they are raising funds and have volunteers on stand-by ready to be deployed with a given plan in any affected area, inshaAllah.
Old Website.
New Website.
4. SSRN
My academic love is flourishing with SSRN these days, may it never see a fall. Social Science Research Network, mashaAllah, is the best free research papers website covering (almost) all fields in social science, from public policy to management (all business fields covered) to philosophy and English literature, and what not. Perhaps more than 80% top research papers or cases are for free to view and download! Wholesale! Just register with an email and commence operation unbounded research!
5. Dr Asad Zaman's website
Its grace of God that I've discovered this man first in Intellect Magazine, which published his life-story from darkness (disbelief, atheism) to Nur Allah (light, Islam), and then i found him and his research work on net. Links to his websites are as follows:
- Personal website (containing links to all of his works and other sites as well)
- His papers on SSRN
- Islamic Economics Research
- Newspaper Articles
With over 20 million articles in all subjects, this is a researcher's choice to be at. Access is not free for all, only with a password, often given freely with a "Thomson Learner's" text, can one log in and enjoy the spring of unlimited access to unlimited research topics, newspaper, journals and what not.
if you want access to it, just email at: i.umer.toor@gmail.com. i'll be very happy to share it with you :)
7. Youtube
Usually I consume it to enlighten my soul and intellect lectures by hamza yusuf, abdal hakim murad, Nuh Mim Keller, Islamic convert story (interesting research area for social scientists), tilawah, etc.
8. Hamza's Book Writing Effort: Astronomy for Teens
This haphazardly design site is dedicated to assist (hopefully) a 14-year old Pakistani student writing an introductory book on astronomy. News chapters are uploaded on it, and bibliography is being maintained. He deserves much attention and appreciation. You'll find his writing to be fluent and accurate, though with pardonable grammatical errors, for his knowledge of history and of science is quite up-to-date. He doesn't just memorize facts, which are crucial, but also entertains me with his hypothesis.
What he needs at this point is rigorous education in astronomy. He has just read Hawking's A Brief History of Time, but couldn't fully understand complex ideas. Secondly, we also needs directions on the content and form of the book. Astronomy professors would do it.
9. Masud.co.uk
Hosts almost all articles and links to the other works, audios, etc of Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (click to visit) and Shaykh Nuh Mim Keller.
10. Towards the Reign of 'Quality': Umer Toor's Blog
Only for you.
Competitive re-branding
We have this tendency of over-praising our products and services. And the limited extent to which you can do that is absent in books by marketers (originally of West and their copy-cats in east). I's listening to a lecture on Ethics of Trade in Islam, in which Abdal-Hakim Murad was telling that Allah on the day of judgement would look upon a man who took oaths while buying and selling. That's a little bit complex to understand. Applied to bragging we do on our trade, it fits the paradigm. Billions are spent by Coca-Cola on "re-branding", they talk about "brand loyalty" and brand this and brand that . . . Human and natural resources are slaughtered blindly in this mania of over-advertising. How despicable and ugly the practices of moderns who are cut off from revelation . . .
Courtesies of Trade in Islam
Ah! How ignorant are Muslims of the Gems in Hadith, ready to guide us with utmost comprehension, compactness and simplicity as Golden Rules, in all walks of life that concern us most (of course, Prophet was not sent to tell us how to manufacture products, etc.). As a student of business, business strategy and game, and industrial management, little do we care about implications of/by the teachings of our deen. I realized this after listening to the following by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad, Cambridge Univ. on the Ethics of Trade: Click here.
You notice one thing throughout the lecture, whether your believe or not - the relevance of principles of Islam in any age, because, as Sheikh says in the khutba, Islam is not only for the Day of Judgement but for this dunya or world as well.
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