Yeah I started reading about the Sunni Shia split and the whys and hows... really interesting. Excuse my ignorance but alway thought the Shiia as being the hardliners ie in Iran the burqa etc. I was surprised how it actually has started and whys??? not sure which is the "right" way to be honest... lineage or popular vote???? (don't mean to offend just wondering)

The right way is in your

well reading the Qu'ran i cannot figure this one out???? but thanks Ash habibati I chose Islam as my way for it made sense to my mind and heart... the rest is just confusing??? is there a Qu'ran only path?

You rock Noura!


Something else for the new Muslims:

I have on occasion come across Muslims who are sincere but ignorant of some of the finer points of Islamic lifestyle according to the traditions of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him). This however, is easy to do in this day and age where there are so many forgotten traditions of the Holy Prophet which if we saw today we may think they are some strange bidat! One of these forgotten traditions is one of the most basic and fundamental elements of our dear religion, the Islamic greeting. The Islamic greeting, es-salaamu ‘aleikum; God’s Peace be upon you, is an element of good Islamic manners. In the proper conduct of greetings one may find keys to good social behavior and the proprieties of friendship and exchanges in Islamic framings. God says in the Qur’an (BismillaharRahmanirRahim),

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with better than it or return it. Allah takes count of all things”. (004:086)

So clearly it is preferred to return a greeting by adding to it. But there have been so many times where I have greeted a Muslim and received no greeting at all! And perhaps times where a Muslim has greeted me and received only an equal greeting in return, or worse. These days we greet people we know, and only people we know. When we receive a greeting from someone we don’t know we are silent looking oddly as if someone has violated an unwritten code of ethics. But this unwritten code of ethics is un-Islamic by nature and egoistic at best.

One aspect of our Islamic greeting would puzzle me when I first began studying the Arabic language and that was, the fact that we salute a single individual in the the plural saying, es-salaamu ‘aleikum, ‘aleikum implying “upon you all”. This plural pronoun was also used in response. Al-A’mash, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i discussed this item saying,

“When you salute a single individual, you must say: es-salaamu ‘aleikum [using the pronoun -kum], for the angels are with him.”

It should be interesting to note that our greeting, seemingly of a simple nature, holds many keys within it. And like other keys or secrets, there are protocols upon their use. For example a hadith, tradition of the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him), reported in the Sahih of Muslim as narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) says that according to God’s Messenger (may Peace and Blessings be upon him),

“The rider should salute the walker, the walker the sitter, and the few the many.”

Shaikh Ahmad Fathu’llah Jami’s Sifat al-Mu’minin (The Attributes of the Believers) gives a clear and concise commentary on this hadith explaining that,

“He began mentioning the rider, because of his elevated rank, and because pride might otherwise deter him from being the first to salute. The same principle was then applied to the walker [in relation to the sitter]. It has also been said: “Since the sitter is in the state of dignity, calm and composure, he is entitled to that prerogative [of being saluted], rather that the walker, whose state is the opposite.” As for the salutation offered by the few to the many, it is a mark of respect for the majority of Muslims. As recorded by al-Bukhari, this Prophetic tradition includes the addition words:
“The younger should salute the adult.”

Another custom of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) is shaking hands while offering salaams. This custom in particular, you will find upon meeting me that I have a fondness for, perhaps to a fault. Today, we must ask ourselves, how much of this, seemingly simple custom are we following? And if we are not what have we adopted in its place? Especially when there is blessing and reward for us in these simple customs. For instance concerning the shaking of hands, the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) says,

“When two Muslims shake hands, their sins fall to the ground, as leaves of the tree fall to the ground.”

MachaAllah! And we pass the opportunity to rid ourselves of sins on a daily basis. Yes, machaAllah to us! There are so many customs for greetings that are lost. But those that we have we should try our best to apply and to raise our children with, to train our children to exercise so that they can benefit from them for generations and not lose these gems, these salutations of the Prophet in later generations. Some of these customs I had never seen in regular life until I attended regular association with a shaykh. Some of which have happened more recently, these customs include:

• When entering an empty house, you must offer the salutation of peace.
  • You are saluting yourself on Allah’s behalf.
  • You are saluting the believing jinn who occupy the house.
  • Through the blessings of peace, you are seeking safety from the devils and harmful influences present in the house.
  • Custom requires the person who initiates the salutation to be in a state of ritual purity (wudu’) as well as the respondent.

When two people meet, custom requires them to try and forestall each other in offering the salutation, as a demonstration of humility.

So just a reminder for you and for me to give salaams to our fellow Believers and shake hands as a means to attain purity.

I personally dont follow a section nor a single school of thought! I follow the quran and what the prophet 3alayhi as-saltu was-salam taught us! anything not from quran nor authenticized i totally disregard. I believe they r all scholars who r working hard for the sake of knowledge; the prophet said those who get it wrong after their hard work they will get one ajr -good deed if i may say- and those who get it right get two ajr. I have atmost respect to all the scholars and im no place whatsoever to judge nor say they re right or wrong. I will live n die a student who is striving for Jannah by all the means Allah has given me. I honestly dont believe in sections; i believe the road is clear and only humans divid themselves n make it harder on themselves and others. All these names r man made and if i was ever to call myself anything i wd be "RABANEYA" like in the quran - meaning following only Allah; my Lord.

I watched a documentary on Iran a while back...maybe in Jan? Anyhoo it was showing some Sufi muslims and omg I thought they were so cool. They all sat in a circle...the men that is...I think the women were outside the building for whatever reason, and they smoked hashish. Then they took their turbans off and revealed their long hair that totally hit the floor it was so long (and greasy but that's not the point) and they started dancing and swaying their heads so the hair went all over the place. I told my husband THAT's the kind I wanna be but he pointed out that the long hair is shirk or whatever because the prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said for men not to imitate women and vice versa.

If it's any consolation I'm coming up on my third year of being muslim and I still haven't picked a madhab. I think I basically follow hanafi but I really haven't had the time (ok I have but I'm lazy I think) to delve into all four and make a final decision.

This was the documentary if anyone is interested in it. Unfortunately it's not one that you can watch automatically. http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Mystic_Iran_T...23?trkid=190393

Henia,

that was a very helpful post - thank you much! it's been 3 years since i reverted and i feel like i'm just touching the surface. i've yet to find a mosque near home where i can converse and learn with other sisters. God willing I will during the holy month.

thanks again.

There are quran only groups, but they have never really gained any major followings.

It seems quite clear to me when we look at how the Qur'an was revealed that we are to follow both the Qur'an and the example of our beloved Prophet (saws). If we were only to follow the Qur'an, then why send it to a messenger over an extended period of time, a messenger who taught the Qur'an? Wouldn't it have been better to just reveal the book, bam! everyone interpret it for him/herself, if that was the intention? Even from the pages of the Qur'an, we see that we are suppose to follow the Prophet (saws):

Surely there is for you in God’s Messenger an excellent example for him who aspires to God and the Hereafter, and mentions God oft. (33:21)
O you who believe! Obey God and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him. (8:20)
O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority from amongst you. (4:59)
Say (O Muhammad!): ‘If you love God, follow me so that God loves you.’ (3:31)


When one makes shahada, they declare that there is nothing worthy of worship except God, and that Muhammad is His messenger. What is the role of that messenger? Was he simply an errand boy, dropping off the Qur'an for us to learn? Or was he a teacher, a living example of how we should impliment the Qur'an in our lives?

I hope you don't take offense! But I think you havn't been Muslim long enough to have enough info to pick a madhab ... and no one says you even have to! I have been Muslim for 10plus yrs without picking one! It's better to follow example of our Prophet (saw) then these scholars. But that is me!

They are look outs for the "bolice"

The Prophet (saws) had long hair

I'm suprised that was his only objection. My husband would be all up in arms about the bida of it all.


One thing I should note is that a practioner of tasawwuf shouldn't do something that contravenes the sacred law. Doing drugs are definately a no no. Dancing *can* be considered ok, but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. If you differentiate between bida hasana (good innovation) and bad bida, then you can make movement in dhikr a-ok with sacred law. If you're of the view that the only bida is a bad bida, then dancing ain't gunna cut it. As fate would have it, I married a "there's only bad bida" guy, while I am contemplating walking the path of tasawwuf with good bida. It's, um, interesting

From the bida hasana camp:

The Whirling Dervishes and Orthodox Islam
The Hadra and Sacred Law

No offense taken. When I ask my hubby he doesn't even know what he is and he's been mulsim for 35+ years! lol

Just what I was thinking

I wouldn't say no one. There definately are people who say it is required to follow a madhab. Yet another difference of opinion.




It's a common misconception that the imams and scholars of the madhabs aren't doing their best to follow the Qur'an and the sunnah. Rather, the madhab system was created to codify a method of approaching the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It wasn't just that the imams took what they had at the time, created a set of rulings and bam, that was it. Instead, their students, and their students, down through the present day, work within the framework of the madhab to create rulings from the Qur'an, the Sunnah, analogy and the consensus of the scholars.

Those who follow a madhab are simply placing their trust in the scholars of the madhab to best interpret the Qur'an and the Sunnah when the followers do not have the time nor the training to do it for themselves.

Even those who today say they follow only the quran and the sunnah are in reality chosing to place their trust in a different set of scholars who have examined the Qur'an and the Sunnah within a different framework.

I am glad it was helpful Prena!

And I would also like to add that, many Muslims esp women forget to give the esalaams due to some cultural taboos for women to talk (to men). But it is clear for even women to give the esalaams, esp when conducting business (ex: shopping, walking one's neighbourhood, etc) and/or walking direct in front of a Muslim. I mean, we don't have to greet each person we pass by ... but good manners to greet all those we pass directly (eye contact).

It is interesting that women in the bled(countryside) greet everyone they pass! Simply and kindly as I am sure the first Muslims did. But people from the cities think it to be "above them" to greet everyone!

I know I greet everyone I come in contact with ... many people, men would take this in the wrong way ... but for men, not from my family I just simply don't make eye contact or smile. Just say the salaams as I walk past them!
But one quick note: Muslims are encouraged to smile, since our Prophet (saw) said it was one of the greatest charities one could give each other! So !!!!

But anyway I feel like I am preaching now ... so I will shut up now!

Bridget: My husband too, over 30 but hasn't picked a school! So it's all good!

Rahma: I just laugh when I see men trying to minic the Prophet in *stupid* ways like how long his beard or hair was?! Aren't there more important things to minic????

I noticed the same thing Henia!! My mother in law is a bledi hehe and walking to get food to the market or the monoprix with her.. wow.. Have to greet everyone, smile at them, leads to a conversation, three hours for a 5 minute walk out and home but she's the sweetest person I've ever met and her reputuation in the town speaks for itself ! Total They live in a really rural /mountainous area but when you are in Tounes... oh no way..... People all but knock you down to get by you.. for get proper greetings, just try not to get mowed over!!!

me too, me too

OMG that never crossed my mind!!

The link you gave about the long hair doesn't really show that it's ok to do. I mean on the one hand the prophet , pbuh, did have long hair but at the same time the other two points a)it's unusual in our culture for men to have long hair and a man should not imitate a woman. Anyways he thinks it's all bad, not just the hair part. I just thought the hair part was funny for some reason. lol.

rahma---your cross-stitch patterns are in the mail ! (so is noura's and brni's)

Anybody else want a set? I have plenty printed and a box of envelopes.

j

Thanks in advance Jax!

jazakAllah khair Jackie!

What kind of cross-stitch?

Followers of *only* the Qur'an are called Progressive Muslims (where this name came from I donnow) buut as Rahma said they have small following and in my opinion lose much of the religion by avoiding the Hadiths.

Rajaa, if you take Islam step by step, it will not be confusing ... first thing is first for you (and other new Muslims) to learn is Tawhid (oneness of Allah) Aside from your chahada ... this is most important for a Muslim to understand.knowing/understanding the true meaning of "oneness of Allah" ... then go from there to the Pillars of Islam - chahada, sawm(fasting), zakaat (charity), Hajj (pilgramage) and salaat (ritual prayer).
And I think also understanding the Shi'a extra pillars (later on) too are good to understand ... just to be more knowlegable. Walayah (devotion to Allah, which is related to the Chahada), Taharah (purity)and Jihed (struggle) ...

Then you can tackle Fiqh/Sharia which is again major part of Islam ... from this you will learn observance of rituals and social legislation ex: everything on how to live your daily life from marriage, to criminal issues, also ....what is Fard(obligation), Mandoub(recommended), Mubah(permissiable) and makrouh(not recommended) Islamic hygiene and etiquette ...etc. I recommend the book: Reliance of the Traveller! It sells for about 30$ in bookshops, but you can find it online for about $20.

Then from there go to Sunnah ... then the Hadiths. This should take you awhile ... probably year(s) ... but the most important information for Muslims in my opinion ... then and only then tackle Islamic history and figures! Everything else is really not important ... and/or will come with time!

Enchallah this should give you a clear path to being a more informed Muslim ... and make everything easier (enchallah)!

Thanks henia for sharing that! I am learing tawhid now with my husbands help. You are so right that it is a continuous learning process. To the new muslims, don't become overwhelmed. Allah will make it easy for you.

jJ

Tawhid in a nutshell

"And the places of worship are for Allaah alone, so
do not invoke anyone along with Allah." [Surat al-Jinn 72:18]

"Worship Allah alone, making all worship purely for Him alone, and do not associate anything alone with Him." [Surat an-Nisaa 4:36]

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (early Da'is of Turkey noted for his devotion to jihed-struggle) said:

"...ibaadah (worship) is a comprehensive term covering whatever Allah loves and is pleased with, both sayings and actions, the apparent and the hidden; such as fearing, having awe, salaat, zakaat,sawn and other practices presribed by Islaam."
[Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islam by Shaykh Muhmmad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen]

Linguistically the word tawhid means unification (to make something one). However Islamically it is in reference to Allah being singled out alone, in all that is particular to him. The opposite of tawhid is 'Shirk' which is to associate partners with Allaah by giving that which belongs to him, to others.

Traditionally tawhid has been divided into three categories which help us to understand why Allah alone deserves to be singled out for worship. The division of tawhid into these three categories was something which was not done by the prophet of Allaah (saws) or any of his companions. So is this something new that has been introduced into the religion bid'ah(innovation) ? The answer to this is no, because we find that the basis of these three categories are to be found in the verses of the Qur'aan, hadith [authenticated reports] of the prophet (saws) and the statements of his companions.

The necessity for dividing up tawhid into three categories first came about during the early days of Islam. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam spread like wildfire and before long the empires of Africa, Byzantium, Persia and India all fell under Muslim rule. Many people from these areas became Muslims. However some of these converts to Islam also carried with them some of their old pagan beliefs. This caused much confusion amongst people, and the simple belief of Islam which the people had accepted, started to become clouded. The task of opposing these new thoughts and ideas which were becoming prevalent, fell upon the shoulders of the Muslim scholars, who rose to meet this challenge intellectually. Amongst the first people to divide tawheed into three categories was the famous scholar of Iraq, Abu Haneefah.

Before mentioning what these three categories are, it has to be stressed that the concept of tawhid is in no way similar to the Christian concept of trinity except the fact that they both begin with the letter 'T'!! The division of tawheed does not divide Allah up into three separate parts (as does trinity), but rather it helps us to understand as to how our Creator is unique and alone in being singled out for worship and reverence. Unfortunately there are some Christians today who seem to forget this fact and continue to spread lies about the meaning of the tawheed of Allah


The Categories of Tawhid:

Tawhid ar-Ruboobiyyah (Singling out Allah with regards to His Lordship)

To believe that Allah is the soul Creater, the Master and Owner, and the Command is for Him alone.

All of mankind do NOT deny this fact. If they do then it is only out of pride and arrogance, and yet within
themselves they know this to be true.

Tawhid al-Uloohiyyah (Singling out Allah with regards to His Worship)

To worship none except Him, without associating anything along with Him. Making this worship sincerely for
Him subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa. Majority of mankind disbelieve in this category.
They attest to the first category but they deny this one. Examples of these kind of people are Fir'awn and the Quraysh of Makkah.

Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Singling out Allaah with regards to His Names and Attributes)

To believe in the lofty Names and Attributes of Allah, that which occurs in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. Affriming whatever Allah has affirmed to Himself, and negating whatever Allah has negated for Himself. Believing in this without Tahreef (distorting the Names and Attributes), Ta'teel(denying any of the Names and Attributes), Tamtheel (likening the Names and Attributes to any of the creation), and Takyeef (asking 'HOW' (i.e. the nature of) the Names and Attributes).


So the majority of the surats revealed before the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) made hijrah were focused entirely on tawheed, thus showing how truly important the subject is. Furthermore, the religious obligations were not revealed until tawheed was presented and established within the souls of the people, and the proper 'aqeedah had taken root. For verily actions can not be correct except with tawheed, nor can they have other than tawhid as their foundation.
The Qur'an has illustrated that the Messengers ('alayhim As-Salaatu was-Salaam) all began their missions by inviting the people to tawheed before anything else, as Allah says:( And We sent a messenger to every nation (proclaiming) : 'Worship Allaah and shun false deities!' )

Facts and Figures About The Islamic Faith


Did you know there are estimated to be between 1 and 1.4 billion Muslims worldwide?

Did you know that one-fifth of the world population is Muslim?

Did you know that the country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia?

Did you know that Pakistan and India are home to the second and third largest Muslim populations, respectively?

Did you know that there are an estimate 2-7 million Muslims living in the United States? It is difficult to pinpoint the exact number since, as New York Post reporter Daniel Pipes explains, the U.S. Census cannot, by law, ask questions about religion. For more on how many Muslims live in the United States, see Pipes' blog.

Did you know that Ramadan is the name of the 9th month of the Muslim calendar?

Did you know that the Muslim calendar is based on the lunar cycle, which is approximately 11-13 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.

Did you know that the holiday of Ramadan may fall during any month of the Gregorian calendar? It takes approximately 35 years for Ramadan to cycle through the entire solar/Gregorian calendar.

Did you know that during Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset?

Did you know that in addition to abstaining from food and drink, Muslims also refrain from smoking and sexual relations? This is because the month is seen as a time for spiritual reflection and discipline.

Did you know that Muslims traditionally break their fast on dates, since that is what the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have done?

Did you know that according to a government-run survey in Tunisia, 59 percent of women and 35 percent of men gained weight during Ramadan, despite fasting for some 14 hours a day.

Did you know that health experts estimate food consumption actually increases 50 percent during the month of Ramadan?

Been there done that and I can believe it!!!!! Tunisians know how to eat and party. Despite that being not the purpose of the month But I think a lot of it can be attributed to the sweets as well as people who don't usually have as much to eat having a lot more because of the generosity and charity of others - as well as eating in the evening and night hours and having a limited amount of activity versus their day time activities...

Cool information!!! Nawal, I am loving that pic of Zain in the dew rag!

There is a pic of him and Hazem both with doo rags on their heads...its on our MS page ... check em out. LOL Hazem's face is CLASSIC...scary!

Ooo, I didn't see that. I had a run in with Pipes in college. It did not go well.

http://badgerherald.com/oped/2003/05/01/wu..._in_the_spo.php

"That’s what a few hundred Madisonians got to see Tuesday night. Daniel Pipes on his tour across the country reporting his “expertise” on everything from the war on terrorism to the Arab-Israeli conflict. An apologist for Israel, a well known anti-Muslim and a surface-deep analyst of all things terrorism, Pipes spewed half-truths, awful analysis and, worst of all, made the last week hell for Muslim, Arab and anti-hate activists on this campus."

What a bung!!!
Get him Rahma!!!

oh yeah? gnarly. his blog is like verbal cholera. yeah for christopher dols in that editorial...even socialists get it

We had a great coalition of the Muslim Students Association and assorted leftists/socialists/communists/etc who put up a pretty good ruckus. We organized a speaker for afterwards who did a great job of countering Pipe's speech.

I just just a bundle of nerves throughout the entire thing. I had to keep getting up and walking out, I was getting so p*ssed.

Rahma...You know everyone. It's amazing!

progressive muslims are hardly synonymous with quranists (quran only muslims). plenty of progressive muslims reject the notion of a quran only interpretation as fully as you do.

LOL, not everyone. He was a pretty popular speaker on college campuses after 9/11. We were just *privileged* to be one of the institutions he graced with his prescence. bleck!

My favorite saying Bleck

I'm continually astounded to see people in this forum cite neocon Zionist Islamophobes such as Pipes, Thomas Friedman, etc. as any kind of credible experts on Islam, the Middle East, etc. (or anything, really.)

From Rahma's link:

During the Q&A section, a sister asked him how he defined "moderate muslim." I don't remember much beyond that he named Salman Rushdie as an example. After that I was in shock

If you believe "Islam is the solution," you were an islamist radical terrorist blah blah blah.

WAW that's funny! The average Muslim is moderate! Our Prophet (saw) was moderate! But I guess post 9-11 the meaning has changed ... alot! But I wonder who all these "radicals" are following?

It actually was a copy paste from an email and I wanted to remove (which I thought I had the reference to him) however, mistakes happen. Should I bend over so you can kick me and "the others" that have astounded you? Give me a break...no offense I thought it was a fun fact email. You can tell it as the links were not posted that I was not referencing his blog.

I am continually astounded by the madness of attacks across this board. Instead of asking "was this your intention" a majority of people love to fly down your throat and hang off your tonsils. I personally would never intentionally promote/cite a Zionist, however, with that said, this is America and if I did...I'd have every right.

Salamz Enjoy your holiday weekend with your families.

#1. No one is attacking *you* -- I (and others) are commenting on what you posted. In fact, I think you're a very nice person who makes a lot of great contributions to this board. I certainly don't want to kick you, or fly down your throat, or hang off your tonsils, or whatever else you are imagining, nor do I see a "majority" of people (or even anyone) doing that to you. Try not to perceive disagreement or critical commentaray on a post as some kind of personal attack -- because it isn't.

#2. I have no way of knowing that you are cutting and pasting something unless you put quotes on it and post the link, and I certainly have no way of knowing that you don't agree with what you posted unless you say so. So give *me* a break for commenting on what you actually wrote.

#3. Of course you have the right to promote or cite anything you like.

#4. Certainly mistakes happen. Thanks for letting us know it was a mistake !

Salamat

Nawal, i wanna kiss your kids to death, I love Zains upside down smile

WOM...

I JUST WANT TO SAY ...

Nawal

Back atcha Nawal habibti !



-MK