“So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.”And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead,

We called to him, “O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision.” Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, and We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: “Peace upon Abraham.”

Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our believing servants.

Surah As-Saffat, Verses 101-111

 

Reconnecting with our food

While it is preferred that one performs the slaughter of the livestock himself, it is also permissible to have someone else perform the sacrifice on his behalf, especially if one is unsure how to slaughter the animal properly. Performing the slaughter or at least viewing it if possible, also allows those of us living in urban environments to reconnect with the sources of our food in a time when meat often arrives in the supermarket prepackaged and bloodless, such that we cannot imagine that it ever belonged to a living, breathing animal that gave its life for our sustenance.

As if following the sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, wasn’t enough, in taking part in the qurban we also remember the practice of his forefathers, the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, peace be upon them, and their willingness to sacrifice everything for Allah. The qurban also allows us to contribute food to the needy, and inshaAllah reconnect in a meaning, spiritual way with the food that we eat. Not to mention the countless rewards on the day of judgement awaiting those who perform the qurban. All of this should be more than reason enough to perform the qurban this Eid ul Adha if we can, inshaAllah.

___

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

As a student of Shaykh Ahmad Saad, I have pages upon pages of notes from the various lectures and classes I’ve sat in as he taught. Shaykh Ahmad Saad’s words touches hearts precisely because it comes from his heart and sincerely at that too. It’s difficult to select just 5 quotes from the many lessons he’s given but hopefully, this will spur you on to attend gatherings where he is present and to learn from him inshaAllah.

1. “People who succeed in life are those who have persevered in doing 1 or 2 things, but have really mastered those things. Stick to even just doing 10 istighfar every morning and every evening, but stick to it and be consistent.”

2. “A sensible man should have an hour in which he prays to His Lord, an hour in which he reckon his deeds, an hour in which he reflects. A sensible man should be aware of his time, focussed on his affairs, observant of his tongue.”

3. “Even if you don’t feel presence in remembering Allah, don’t leave it. Because remembrance without presence is better than no remembrance at all.”

4. “Don’t exhaust yourself until you have no time for Allah, like a donkey in the day and a carcass at night (busy all day working and sleeping all night).”

5. “Dunya: Don’t be so busy planning your temporary stay.”

Shaykh Ahmad Saad will be starting the Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies 2 this 18th October 2014. Please register soon and find out more details here: www.alhusna2.simplyislam.sg

Watch a testimonial video of a student from Al-Husna 1 here:

“Death is sufficient as a reminder, O Umar!”
Inscription on the ring of the second Khalifa of Islam, Sayyidina Umar ibn Al-Khattab

Remembering death seems to be a central part of the religion. After all, what is a more potent reminder of the finite nature of this life and the reality of the hereafter than death? Cemeteries used to be placed just outside of mosques, such that people used to see stark, physical reminders of death before and after they prayed. And yet how many of us are really ready for death? Not just our own, but the deaths of those around us, our loved ones, our friends and families?

Were any of our family members to die, how many can honestly say that they would be ready for such a calamity? We are barely certain what to do for someone who is dying. Can we recite the Qur’an for them? Can we make du’a for them? Can we tell the dying person to recite the shahadah or other forms of dhikr or du’a? What more when they have died. When he or she has passed on, do we know what we need to do?

Will we know to recite the shahadah for a dying person, to encourage him or her to say it as well?

Will we know how to bath the body of a loved one once he or she has passed on?

Will we know how to wrap the body in the kafan (funeral shroud)?

Will we know how to pray the janazah prayers for the deceased?

Will we know what to do once we are at the cemetary?

How will we know if any of our actions we had taken in preparing the body for burial are valid in the eyes of Allah?

We might think that all of this can be left to the companies whose job it is to arrange for the burial of the janazah. In Singapore, it is common enough to let these companies do the job, while the family and relatives of the deceased mourn. But what if we found ourselves in a situation where it were not so easy?

Death can occur at any time and any place. What if it were to happen far from home, perhaps in a country with few Muslims and no funeral services companies? Would we know what to do then? It should be noted that Salat al Janazah (prayers for the deceased), and everything that accompanies it (e.g. washing the body and wrapping it in the kafan), is fardh kifayah (a communal obligation), and if nobody does it for a deceased Muslim then the whole community is considered to be sinful.

And imagine, all of this is for somebody else’s death, not our own.

Sure, our burial arrangements will be taken of by others, but what deeds will we have to show for ourselves once our bodies are washed and wrapped, prayed over and placed in the ground? When we said “La ilaha illallah“, did we really mean it or did we put other “ilahs” ahead of Allah? Money, perhaps, or our own pride or desires?

When Imam Al-Ghazali died, he was said to have asked for his own death shroud, kissing it and exclaiming that he was obeying his Lord’s orders and ready to meet him, before lying down in it facing the Qibla and expiring soon after.

Will we be as ready as he was when the time comes for us to meet our Lord?

May Allah grant us the knowledge to know what to do when our loved ones pass on, and may He grant us the knowledge to discern right from wrong and do good deeds in this life such that our mortal lives end we are granted husnul khatimah (a good end) and will gladly go to meet our Lord.

“Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.” Surah Al Anbiya’, Verse 35

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

The first lecture in the Clarity and Balance Tour series of workshops and lectures by Ustadh Usama Canon and organised by SimplyIslam saw the Singapore Post Auditorium filled with more than 200 people seeking knowledge on a Friday evening.

Ustadh Usama began his lecture by stressing the importance of maintaining faith even though we live in challenging times, referencing the the hadith of the Prophet (sallahu alaihi wa salam) where he said that his ummah is like the rain, it is not known which of it is better, the first of it or the last. Ustadh Usama explained that what this statement means is that the community will always have good in it, even in the end times and even times of strife like ours.

The ustadh related that he once confided in one of his teachers that all the strife he saw in the world weakened his faith. His teacher replied that all of this strengthened his faith because it confirmed what was prophesied by Rasulallah (sallahu alaihi wa salam). Ustadh Usama explained that even though we did not see the miracles granted to Rasulallah (sallahu alaihi wa salam), all of the widespread killing, mass ignorance, prevalent fornication and disease, and earthquakes, that we see was foretold by the Prophet. This should increase us in faith because we know he spoke the truth.

Ustadh Usama stated that people today sometimes wonder why they were made Muslim at such a time when Islam is weak and hated, wishing instead that they had lived in the one of the golden ages of Islam. He compared such fantasising to objecting to the decree of Allah, as though humans knew better than God how their affairs should go.

“The end of time will not come until someone will tell a lie and it will immediately reach the horizons of the Earth”

Quoting the above hadith, he said that anybody can make a Youtube video or Twitter post, and regardless of the value of the content it would reach thousands. He gave examples of ignorant statements that he had either himself heard or heard about from friends as examples of some of the ignorance that pervades religious discourse in these days.

Ustadh Usama spoke of a friend who had heard in a sermon from the minbar that if one were to break fast with Shi’a, it would invalidate one’s fast. The ustadh repeated this story to his teacher, a faqih, who simply stated said that the Prophet ate with idol worshippers. It was a difference of degree rather than kind, the ustadh stated, between such extreme statements and believing that it was valid to kill other Muslims over differing beliefs. He related another story of a friend who had brought a non-Muslim friend to Friday prayers, only to discover the whole khutbah was about the permissibility of lying to a non-Muslim to get them to convert.

Ustadh Usama stated that as a result of such misguided views, young people were being drawn to extremism because these views were being taught as the core of the religion.

Piety according to the age

Ustadh Usama recalled the hadith of the Prophet, sallahu alaihi wa salam, in which he told the companions that though they would be destroyed were they to leave a tenth of the religion, there would come a time when whosoever practices a tenth of his religion will be saved.

He related the famous story of Imam Shafi’i complaining to his teacher Al-Waqi’ of his poor memory, which for Imam Shafi’i was simply the inability to remember the order of two narrators in a chain of narration of hadith. Al Waqi’ rebuked his student, saying that the only way to improve his memory was to leave sin. According to Ustadh Usama, the “sin” that caused Imam Shafi’i’s forgetfulness was that he accidentally glanced at a woman’s ankle, with another opinion stating that he had seen a woman’s face when the wind blew her niqab up.

It was a blessing for us that we were not held to the standards of the pious predecessors, and he explained that piety had to be judged according to the times in which we lived.

Advice

Ustadh Usama gave some advice for those wishing to face the challenges of this age.

He first advised that we go to teachers who are specialised in the religious sciences that we require help in, whether tajwid, fiqh, tasawuf, or others, as well ask help from our elders, and others in the community. He said listening to so-called “shaykhs” on Youtube and Twitter rather than seeking the advice of local scholars and elders was a cause of people going overseas to fight in what they believed were “righteous” wars, rather than confronting the problems in their own communities.

For the youth in the audience, he spoke of how our views on life and religion would inevitably change over the years. As an example, he said that in a conversation, one of his teachers explained to him that he viewed the texts he had studied thirty years ago in a new light thanks to insight gained over the years. Ustadh Usama advised that it was not wise to grow publicly. Especially in the age of social media, he stated that it was not advisable to post all our views online only to revise them a week later and apologise for our old views, with the hashtags #newperspective and #rebranded.

Ustadh Usama also advised that we be comfortable with where Allah has placed us. He explained that this did not mean that we should expect to never move on with our lives, but rather that the situations that we are currently is exactly where Allah wants us to be. Referring to an aphorism of Ibn Ata’illah which stated that perhaps that wanting to be in isolation remembering Allah when one had to work and take means to earn a living, was perhaps a hidden desire to escape from their responsibilities. Ustadh explained that the responsibilities of having to work, study and support a family are difficult, compared to simply making dhikr alone on the beach. Those who had to work twelve or more hours a day to support their families, that was their jihad.

Ustadh Usama said that heart work was hard work, and that anybody hoping to change the world had to first change themselves, and admit that there was plenty of room for improvement within themselves. He quoted verse 66 of Surah At-Tahrim in the Qur’an “Save yourselves and your families from a fire, whose fuel is men and stones”. He stressed the need to work on our hearts and eliminate arrogance, envy, vanity, and laziness.

His final piece of advice was to slow down, and understand that everything takes time. Ustadh Usama said that he first converted, he was an angry, disgruntled young man. He had asked one of his shaykhs what advice he would give young people who wanted to make a difference in the world, and the shaykh simply replied, “Get married”.

Getting married, Ustadh Usama explained, would help heal society and spread justice by creating just, well-adjusted families. He added that spirituality was similar to getting married in that there’s often a honeymoon period where everything is happy and wonderful, especially for those who convert into the religion. And after the honeymoon is where the real work of building one’s religion and building a community, and getting one’s affairs right with Allah. This, he said, had to go beyond clicktivism and slacktivism.

Question and Answer

Responding to a question on attaining contentment despite facing opposition in life, the ustadh said that we should take the moral high ground against enemies. He quoted Surah al-Fussilat verse 34, saying “Respond with a better response, and then suddenly the one whom you have enmity with will be as if they were a dear friend“. Ustadh Usama warned that this did not mean enduring abuse towards oneself or one’s family, but that one should attempt to remove oneself from such situations, yet not be vengeful and make du’a for one’s enemies.

Patience, he said, was not simply not doing anything and enduring difficulties, but instead involved perservering and attempting to change the situation one was in.

To another question on whether knowledge or activism was better, he said that it was not a matter of comparing but rather that the two were complementary. He quoted the hadith of the Prophet, “Whoever of you sees an evil must then change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then with his heart. And that is the weakest of faith.” He stressed that the term used was “change” and not “stop”, and that we needed to have the mindset of not simply stopping wrongdoing but changing things for the better. Knowledge and action had to complement each other, and it was of primary importance, he said, that first and foremost we learn fardhul ain, and the rulings regarding whatever transactions we were taking part in.

Takeaway

I have had the privilege of attending several sessions with Ustadh Usama during his visits to Singapore over the past few years, and have always gained tremendous benefit from his grounding in the traditional sacred sciences, understanding of modern day issues, and willingness to share his personal experiences when teaching. This public lecture was no exception.

He tackled many of the issues facing the ummah today, including extremism and widespread ignorance. One thing I found interesting was that the ustadh made the observation that though fitnah literally means discord, linguistically it refers to the process of purifying and refining gold. InshaAllah reflection on this fact will bring benefit to the ummah, by understanding that all the strife we see in the world or even in our personal lives is merely a means of purifying ourselves and moving towards better states.

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

What: Lecture “When Allah Rewrites My Life”
Where: Singapore Expo Max Atria
Who: Ustadh Usama Canon
When: 6 December 2014
By: SimplyIslam

When Allah Rewrites My Life, held at the Singapore Expo Max Atria on Saturday, 6^th December, was Ustadh’s second public lecture of the Clarity and Balance Tour. Ustadh Abdul Hakeem, imam of Masjid Sultan, opened the evening’s lecture with the recitation of the opening verses from Surah Taha in the Qur’an, followed by the recitation of some verses from Qasidah Burdah.

Positivity in Negative Times

Ustadh Usama opened his lectured by saying that he was glad to be back in Singapore, as travelling reminds one that there are bigger things than one’s own concerns. He encouraged all of those present to look at things in a positive light despite all negativity that might be happening in the world. He stated that we live in a time where there is much to object to, but our objection is a reminder that we are still concerned about the world, in an age when 30% of college students saw life as meaningless and existential, as cited in a recent survey.

Allah’s Knowledge and Our Ignorance

Ustadh Usama said that human beings view everything from our finite, limited understanding of the world, whereas Allah is All-Knowing, and due to His Omniscience He is the only one whose view is truly objective, as it is not coloured by experience or perspectives.

Contrary to the title of the lecture, Ustadh Usama said, our story is already written; it’s just unfolding for us in real time. Allah knows everything, he said, whereas our knowledge is divided into 3 categories. Firstly, things we know and we know that we know them. Secondly, things that we don’t know and we know that we don’t know them, and thirdly, things that we don’t know and we don’t know that we don’t know them. The last category is where most of our knowledge lies.

Ustadh Usama related this back to the story of Nabi Musa and Khidr in Surah al-Kahf, and Nabi Musa could not outwardly make sense of what Khidr was doing, despite his being a prophet who received revelation from Allah. He spoke of the story of Nabi Musa and Khidr sitting on the beach observing a bird who dipped his beak in the water, and Khidr said the knowledge of all of creation was like the water in the bird’s beak compared to the oceans of Allah’s infinite knowledge.

The true purpose of life, Ustadh Usama said, is to know God, which he referred to by the Greek terms of gnosis and episteme. Quoting from Surah Adh Dhariyat, he said the verse “I did not create jinn and man except to worship me” was often interpreted by the scholars of Qur’anic tafsir to mean that the creation of man and jinn was so that we would gain knowledge of Allah.

Ustadh Usama explained further, saying that we do not believe in a god who only does “good things”, criticising the notion some have that God must not exist if things do not go exactly as they wanted. As Muslims we believed in a God who encompassed both beauty and majesty, creates both good and bad, and gives both wealth and poverty, as well as both health and sickness.

Allah’s plans and our plans

Ustadh Usama related a Hadith Qudsi, in which Allah says, “O my servants! You want and I want, but I do whatever I want. If you leave what you want for what I want, then I will be for you whatever you want.”

The ustadh explained that the meaning of this was that we should submit our desires to the will of Allah in such a way that whatever happens, we say mashAllah. Returning to the title of the lecture, he said Allah rewrites our story by allowing us to find contentment with His divine decree, regardless of whether what happens is in line with what we originally wanted.

The ustadh emphasised that trusting in Allah’s decree did not mean that we should live our lives without planning for the future. Rather, we should plan without worrying about the outcome,and remember that our plans fall within Allah’s divine plan.

He related the story of the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. He said that the Prophet and his companions were forced to leave their beloved Makkah, and then in the signing of the treaty the Muslims were told by the Quraysh to delete the Names of Allah “ar-Rahman ar-Rahim” from the basmalah since the Quraysh were polytheists who did not believe in these terms, and also delete Rasulallah from the Prophet’s name since they did not believe that he was a messenger of Allah. They were also denied the right to make pilgrimage. Though this seemed like a defeat for the Muslims, in the two years following the signing of the treaty more people became Muslim than in the preceding years of Rasulallah’s mission. He stressed that in taking something away from us Allah is actually always gifting us something, without our knowledge.

Ustadh Usama closed his lecture with a du’a that all of those present be of those who were accepted of the decree of Allah.

Question and Answer

Syed Muhammad, the chairperson for the question and answer segment, got the ball rolling for the question and answer segment by saying that in his work with the youth, he often heard youths saying that they had prayed to Allah for what they wanted but their du’as were not answered. Ustadh Usama responded that while there was clear theological proof that du’as seemingly not being answered was actually a sign of a greater good being granted, this answer would seem like a form of justification for why they were not getting what they wanted.

He stressed that the religious understanding of Muslim youth was being “colonised” by other philosophies, and that this was especially dangerous when it concerned the orthodox Islamic understanding of God. It is important to understand, he said, that we don’t make du’a to instruct Allah to do something for us, rather we pray to realise our own weakness and dependency on Allah. He recommended a book entitled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by sociologist Christian Smith, which posits that traditional religious understanding among youth was being replaced by what he termed “moralistic therapeutic deism”, where God acted as a cosmic butler and divine therapist who existed simply to meet people’s needs.

A question was asked about the concept of the laws of attraction, based on books such as The Secret, that one can “attract” whatever one desires if you wish for it enough. The questioner wanted to know if such a belief was shirk. Ustadh Usama stated that to believe one can simply wish something into existence, independent of the will of Allah, was tantamount to disbelief and he emphasised that the advice given in self-help books had to be viewed through the lens of traditional Islamic theology and not simply accepted wholesale.

Syed Muhammad gave his own story about acceptance of the will of Allah. He related about how at 25, he was given an ultimatum by his father to either marry his then-girlfriend, who lived in Indonesia, or move out of the house. Despite repeated proposals and countless du’a and prayers day and night, she remained non-committal. Syed Muhammad related that after months of this, he finally broke down crying and made du’a for contentment with whatever Allah chose for him, regardless of whether or not he ended up with the woman. He later discovered that his father himself had travelled to Indonesia to approach her and ask that she marry his son, and she had accepted. Syed Muhammad said that they were still married today, fifteen years later, with three children and he thanked Allah for this blessing. Ustadh Usama jokingly responded that perhaps Syed Muhammad should have given the talk instead of him.

Ustadh Abdul Hakeem was invited to the stage once again to close the evening with mahlul qiyyam, and got everybody in the audience to stand for the recitation of salawat upon the Prophet, peace be upon him. Ustadh Usama then closed the session with a lengthy du’a.

Takeaways

Commenting after the lecture, Muhd Farhan, 32, graphic designer, said that the talk was very enriching. He felt that Ustadh Usama’s advice about not making decisions based on what we thought we needed, but on what Allah wants, was especially relevant to him.

Nurul Syahidah, a teacher, said that it was an important reflection for her that when things do not go according to plan, it was not really Allah rewriting life, but rather Him reintroducing Himself into your life by making you realise your dependence on Him and realise that Allah is the One who is really in control of everything.

This writer felt that it was an important reminder that Islam is not always a feel-good religion, and that true dependence on Allah was accepting that Allah creates the bad along with the good. I appreciated that Ustadh Usama stressed on the need for sound religious understanding among the youth, and that the majlis closed with the traditional mahlul qiyyam. Alhamdulillah for Ustadh Usama Canon’s wealth of knowledge and understanding, and I look forward to learning from him again in the future.

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

For those who are unaware or blissfully above the distractions of social media, Humans of New York (HONY) is a photography project by Brandon Stanton, well-known for taking photos of seemingly ordinary people on the streets of New York City and getting them to open up and reveal insights into their lives that are often eye-opening, sometimes disturbing and sometimes inspiring. It has a huge following across its various social media presences, and has inspired photographers to create similar projects in cities across the world, including Singapore.

HONY once posted a photo of a man who had founded a clinic for substance abuse addicts. In a follow-up post, this same man revealed that he had been a Christian belonging to at least two different denominations over the course of his life, and was even an ordained pastor. He was no longer a believer, and in his own words said,

“You see people doing terrible things in the name of religion, and you think: ‘Those people believe just as strongly as I do. They’re just as convinced as I am.’ And it just doesn’t make sense anymore. It doesn’t make sense to believe in a God that dabbles in people’s lives. If a plane crashes, and one person survives, everyone thanks God. They say: ‘God had a purpose for that person. God saved her for a reason!’ Do we not realize how cruel that is? Do we not realize how cruel it is to say that if God had a purpose for that person, he also had a purpose in killing everyone else on that plane? And a purpose in starving millions of children? A purpose in slavery and genocide? For every time you say that there’s a purpose behind one person’s success, you invalidate billions of people. You say there is a purpose to their suffering. And that’s just cruel.”

Humans of New York, Sunday 29 June 2014

In light of all the suffering happening in the world today, it’s easy to fall prey to such thoughts. Where is Allah in the oppression in Gaza, in Iraq, in Syria, in the Central African Republic and elsewhere? How can Allah allow so many to suffer and die so miserably, especially when so many of those suffering are Muslims? How can we, as believers, hold on to faith in the light of such depressing reality?

First of all, we need to really recognise that Allah is in control. Every time we say Allahu Akbar in prayer, we are recognising the greatness of Allah. When we say la ilaha illallah, that there is no God but Allah, we are acknowledging that the true reality of things, that despite the chaos we see, Allah is in control of everything and nothing happens without His Will and Knowledge. Assuming that the supposed chaos we see in the world is beyond Allah’s power is tantamount to disbelief.

If we accept that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Powerful, does that then mean that He is cruel or indifferent to the suffering of humankind? No, because good and evil come from Allah. How could it be that Allah is subject to a morality that exists independently of Him, when He is Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-Hakim (the Judge) and Al-Malik (the Absolute Ruler) of all creation? Furthermore, Allah is Al-Adil (the Most Just) and Al-Rahman (The Most Merciful), so He could not be unjust to his creation.

There is in fact a purpose in bloodshed and suffering. There is something more to this life than what our five senses can perceive, and when this life ends there is something beyond our deaths. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said that,

“No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that,”

Suffering of any kind removes sin, and perhaps it is through their suffering that they are granted the highest of honours. From various hadith related from the Prophet, we know that those who die as a result of drowning, various diseases, plague, falling debris (i.e. from a collapsing building or in an earthquake or other disaster) are among those granted martyrdom, that is, they are guaranteed paradise. This is sometimes derided as delusional by those who subscribe to a materialist view of the world. However, we as Muslims we should believe in the rewards of the hereafter, especially if we ourselves wish to partake of those rewards.

Appropriate Response

How then should believers respond to times of suffering and despair in the world? When the Boxing Day Tsunami struck in 2004 and killed an estimated 280,000 people, it was reported that those being swept away by the waves in Aceh, Indonesia were in a constant state of dhikr even though they knew there was little chance of surviving this calamity. This is truly the best response to suffering in the world.

Both the rewards and the tribulations of this life are a test for the believer and we should face them in constant remembrance of Allah, knowing that He, Mighty and Majestic, creates all things. We should be thankful to Allah for His blessings and seek refuge in Him from His trials, while understanding that all suffering is merely temporary, and a means to attend a higher station in the afterlife.

However, we should also not just stand by and watch crises and suffering unfold on the news without doing anything. As believers, we should work to alleviate the suffering of others in whatever way we can, whether it be in terms of volunteering our time and effort in emergency relief efforts, or donating our wealth to worthy causes.

We should also remember that suffering doesn’t just happen in the third world, or in war torn countries but right in our own communities, even if it doesn’t make the news headlines. We should thus give our time, money, and effort to support the poor, hungry and suffering around us, while hoping for reward from none other than Allah.

May Allah make it easy for us to hold on to our faith and persevere in these times of strife and fitna.

Further Reading:

SeekersGuidance: Suffering and Divine Wisdom by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

http://seekersguidance.org/ans-blog/2011/07/31/suffering-and-divine-wisdom/

___

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

The meaning of true service

Sunday’s workshop by SimplyIslam on the topic of Spirituality of Service kickstarted with Ustadh Usama Canon sharing a hypothetical story about two Muslim men – Yahya and John – leading two very equal lives: Both are family men. Both have regular office jobs in a (good) company. And both work diligently at their jobs in order to be of service to their family .

The difference between Yahya and John, however, can be seen every Monday morning when both of them ready themselves for work.

Yahya, upon strapping into his carseat, would sigh and groan, “Yet another Monday.” John, on the other hand, would make the intention that his going to work is to support his parents and family, to be of benefit to creation, and to see Allah swt’s blessings manifested throughout his day. Because of their difference in intention, Yahya’s activities will unfold to him as mundane, while John’s would be seen to him otherwise.

According to Ustadh Usama, the different intentions of these two men not only form their separate realities, but it is also the distinct factor of what makes the meaning of true service: the intention of doing the service only for the sake of Allah swt.

Why do we need to serve?

There are three over-arching reasons on why there is a need for us Muslims to be in service to others.

The first is derived from the below well-known verse from Surah Imraan:

“You are the best nation ever brought forth to mankind, bidding to honour, and forbidding dishonour, and believing in God…” (Qur’an 3:110)

There are two points to note from the verse. Firstly, according to the mufassireen (scholars who interpret the Qur’an), the act of calling others to good and prohibiting others from evil, as well as of believing in Allah (swt), are all prerequisites of being the best of nations that have been brought forth to men. Secondly, the understanding of the mufassireen is that the phrase “ukhrijat li-nass” does not just mean “brought forth to mankind”, but also, “brought forth as a service to mankind”.

In essence, we need to be in service in order to live up to our standing amongst creation and fulfil our fitrah as “the best nation”. When all of us collectively become people of service, only then will we be an essential component to the society at large once again. When our predecessors entered into a foreign land, they did not look at themselves as a superior people and “force” Islam unto the existing community. Instead, they humbled themselves in service until hearts are won and Muslims became an irreplaceable part of the society.

The second reason why we need to be in service is to give thanks and gratitude for the blessings that Allah (swt) have given us. According to Ustadh Usama, Allah (swt) gives us all specific blessings only because other people are in need for them from us, be it our knowledge, money, time, energy or even influence. These blessings remain with us only when we share it with others (and thus be of service to them). When we choose to keep these blessings only to ourselves, however, these blessings will be taken away and given to others who are able to use it for the benefit of others.

Lastly, being in service helps to break our nafs, keep us humble, and remind ourselves that despite all that we think we might have amassed in this dunya, we are in the end, just a servant.

Shaykh Afeefudeen al Jaylani, in a recent talk he gave, shared a story about Imam Sharawi, a celebrated Imam in Cairo, Egypt. One day, Imam Sharawi was invited to the opening of a glistening new mosque, and as his car headed towards it, a huge crowd of people gathered to receive him, including notables such as ministers. After the event, as Imam Sharawi’s car passed by a small mosque by the roadside, he stopped his driver, and told him to wait in the car.

Two hours passed, and the driver still saw no sign of Imam Sharawi. He was puzzled; what could the Imam be doing for so long in that mosque? His curiosity piqued, the driver went into the masjid in search of Imam Sharawi, only to find the celebrated Imam cleaning the masjid’s toilet (which was a far cry from the clean toilets of Singapore). Surprised, the driver questioned the act of Imam Sharawi. The Imam then responded, “The people elevate me, but I am doing this only for Allah swt”.

Who / what do we need to serve?

Often when we think of being in service, our mind conjures up images of volunteering at non-profit organizations or helping out at our local masjid. While these are valid and recommended forms of service, Ustadh Usama stressed that the very first group of people who have the most right to our service are those sitting right at home — our parents and our family members.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) was often engaged in service to his family, doing menial tasks that others might not want to. Despite being the leader of the community and the most beloved in and out of his home, hadith literature narrates that he (saw) would often help with the household chores and mend his own belongings. He (saw) too said, “The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best of you to my family”.

While the idea of being of constant service to ones’ family — specifically, parents — might be more challenging to some than it is to others, Ustadh Usama emphasises that one has to do it all the same. After all, the arabic word for “family” — usrah — shares the same root word for the arabic word for “prisoner”; in that one has no choice in the matter. And being a prisoner, the act of struggling in service is not a choice, but a norm that everyone needs to accept and embrace. However, the great challenge too comes with its great reward: For those who make their parents happy, the reward of an accepted Hajj awaits them, inshaAllah.

Once a person has begun to be of service to his family and his parents, his act of service to others can then be expanded into bigger circles — the Ummah, all mankind, animals, as well as other inanimate objects.

Think Global, Act Local

With countless issues facing our own communities at home as well as our brothers and sisters around the world today, the prospect of having to serve everyone and everything as outlined above might be too overwhelming and daunting for some of us. What do we need to care about? How on earth do we start helping in solving all of these issues?

To this, Ustadh Usama proposed that one identify two spheres in his life — the sphere of concern and the sphere of influence.

The sphere of concern for a Muslim should — by right — be everything that affects the world in a negative way. However, Ustadh Usama noted that there are amongst us people whose hearts are small and whose concerns are thus limited to only their own wellbeing, and perhaps that of their immediate family members.

Hence, a person should begin by first inspecting his own sphere of concern, and then make the effort to open his heart to more concerns of the society — to start thinking globally.

The second sphere that a person should account himself for is his sphere of influence, that is, who or what he is able to influence. The first thing that a person should be able to influence is himself, and then his family, and so on and so forth depending on his work, his network, his outreach, etc. Again, a person whose sphere of influence might only be himself, should make the effort to expand his sphere of influence such that it extends to his family, his community, and so on.

Therefore, the intersection between the one’s sphere of concern and one’s sphere of influence should be the point of action for a person, bearing in mind that he should always make an effort to increase the size of each sphere consistently.

Benefit of serving others

While the responsibility and need to be of service to others might sound heavy, the reward of being in service in actuality far surpasses the struggles that one might go through. In a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) was reported to have said:

”Whoever goes forth to fulfil his brother’s need and makes headway in fulfilling that need, it is better than observing a retreat (iktikaf) in the mosque for ten years.”

Commenting on the above hadith, Ustadh Usama added for emphasis that when a person goes into iktikaf for one day sincerely for the sake of Allah, Allah swt will put three trenches between him and the hellfire, with each of the trenches being in width akin to the distance between the East and the West.

And if this is just one day of iktikaf, what more the reward of 10 years of iktikaf, just for being in service to someone in need? And what more when you double the reward for someone who in service for a family member in need?

SubhanAllah!

But more importantly than the rewards of Paradise and protection from hellfire, is that in service we find the redha of Allah swt, inshaAllah.

Conclusion

Ustadh Usama Cannon concluded the workshop by advising that as Muslims, we should engage in everything on the spirit of service for the sake of Allah swt; whether we are the ones serving or being served.

Just like the example of Yahya and John shared in the beginning of the article, we are the ones who decide whether or not our actions are done in benefit or in waste. When we are in service to our families and our communities day in and day out, we have the opportunity to either just gain credit points, a reputation for being good or just exhaustion, or we could work to gain the redha of Allah swt in our actions by making our intentions clear and our actions sincere.

May Allah swt make us one of the sincere, and may He use us to the benefit of our family, our community, the ummah, the entire mankind, and all of creation, inshaAllah.

___

Nur Fadhilah Wahid
Fadhilah is a seeker of knowledge at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. She blogs at www.fadhilahwahid.com

An article was published on The Huffington Post entitled An Open Letter to Moderate Muslims, written by one Ali A. Rizvi, self-described as a “Pakistani-Canadian writer, physician, and musician”, who is in the midst of writing his first book entitled The Atheist Muslim.

For an article that starts off purporting to understand that, yes, ordinary Muslims have condemned terrorism and distanced themselves from the ideologies and actions of groups like ISIS, it ends off suggesting that Muslims surrender all notions of genuine belief in their religion, for a watered-down ‘Islam’ where nobody really believes in God, or prophets, or the hereafter; and where acts of worship are insignificant and have no spiritual effect on one’s soul.

If you believe that human beings have souls, that is.

Rizvi’s is not the only article of its type to have been written in recent days. To Counter ISIS Propaganda, Let’s Stop Treating the Quran as Infallible by Fathima Imra Nazeer was also published on the Huffington Post similarly suggesting that Muslims stop taking their religion so seriously, and in Patheos an article entitled Reza Aslan is Wrong about Islam and This is Why was posted as a rebuttal to writer Reza Aslan’s defence of Islam against claims of inherent violence and misogyny by comedian and talk show host Bill Maher.

What exactly is an “Atheist Muslim”?

The notion of an ‘atheist Islam’ is contradictory, to say the least, given that the word ‘Islam’ itself means to submit oneself to God, which is impossible if one does not even believe in God. Richard Dawkins may call himself a “secular Christian”, and many Jews may subscribe to the notion of an agnostic or even atheistic cultural Judaism (to the extent of performing all the rituals without believing in the tenets of the religion). However, it does not follow that this is the path that Muslims should take. I cannot imagine that any practicing, believing Muslim would take the following excerpt from the article to heart:

“Well, as much as the Pope opposes birth control, abortion and premarital sex, most Catholics today are openly pro-choice, practice birth control, and fornicate to their hearts’ content. Most Jews are secular, and many even identify as atheists or agnostics while retaining the Jewish label. The dissidents and the heretics in these communities may get some flak here and there, but they aren’t getting killed for dissenting.”

I don’t have any surveys or statistics to support this statement, but I sincerely doubt many Muslims, however liberal, wish for fornication or abortion to be halal, let alone hold the belief that there is no God and still be considered a Muslim.

To his credit, Rizvi is not cut from the same cloth as people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, in that he does not outright consider Muslims to be an inherent threat to the world or Islam a “destructive, nihilistic cult of death”. However, both have an essentially similar demand: that Muslims abandon Islam for secularism.

What do the scholars say?

One telling point is that at no point in the article is reference made to the opinions or judgements of actual Islamic scholars, whether classical or modern. Had the writer taken the effort to sit with modern day Islamic religious scholars and read from classical works of exegesis of the Qur’an and the books of Hadith, perhaps he would not be so quick to suggest that these books are to blame for the actions of ISIS or other groups like them. He has simply ignored the condemnation of the actions of ISIS on religious grounds by renowned scholars like Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah, and the statement signed by numerous scholars worldwide including Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani stating that the ISIS’s actions were unIslamic.

Is this an unintended side effect of decades of sloganeering that Muslims follow only the Qur’an and Sunnah, while insisting that centuries of traditional scholarship be disregarded or even discarded altogether?

Growing up in a Muslim family, or in a Muslim community, or in a Muslim majority country for that matter, does not make one an expert in Islamic theology or qualified to comment on how the Qur’an should be interpreted. Nor does having learned to read the Qur’an or having attended religious classes as a child. Religious scholarship takes years and years of rigourous training and study, and does not simply fall into the lap of anyone with internet access.

Rizvi appears to completely dismiss the notion that an understanding of context or linguistic subtleties is needed to grasp the meanings of the Qur’an, or that the text of the Qur’an (or any other text for that matter) can have multiple meanings that are perhaps not apparent on an initial, superficial reading.

He seems to believe that you can simply pick up a copy of the Qur’an, read it and understand all of the meanings contained therein, whether apparent or hidden, literal or metaphorical, without understanding classical Arabic or being knowledgeable of the traditional exegesis of the Qur’an.

Holding on to faith in the age of Atheist Muslims

I will be frank and say that I realise that whatever I say will most likely carry little weight with those espousing an atheistic, cultural version of Islam. It isn’t really aimed at them. People can choose to subscribe to whatever ideas they like; including cultural or atheistic versions of Islam. However, when they speak in public about such notions, and state in no uncertain terms that Muslims and Islam would be better off if they toned down their beliefs, they are simply parroting the arguments made by Islamophobes and only serve to earn the applause of those already hostile to Islam, as well as shake the faith of Muslims who perhaps do not have a good grasp on the religion.

For those Muslims who are still clinging on to their faith, know that internet pundits are not the be-all, end-all of religious commentary. Islam isn’t an exclusivist, myopic or hate-filled religion, and anyone who has spent any decent amount of time really studying the religion would realise that. That doubt crosses our minds sometimes is to be expected, and it is not unusual that heinous acts like those perpetrated by ISIS would cause anybody to think twice about whether Islam really is a religion of peace.

If you have doubts, misunderstandings or misgivings regarding the religion, approach your elders or the scholars and asatizah. Sit with them, study with them, and God willing the meanings of the religion will come to light. May all of us be guided to the Truth.

“Much of the chagrin of the Maher’s, the Dawkins, the Harris’s, the Rizvi’s, etc., is that Islam is essentially the last man standing, religiously speaking, in a post-modern, post-tradition world. We still believe, with a capital “B”. That upsets many folks, ولو كره الكافرون.”

Ustadh Marc Manley

Further Reading:

An Open Letter to Atheist Muslims – or – Is The Quran A Violent Text Or Is Your Reading A Tad Off? by Imam Joe Bradford

___

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

In today’s post-modern world, where just about anybody with access to social media can proffer an opinion, how does a believer become rightly-guided? Where does a Muslim’s moral compass come from? About 100 people showed up at 152 Still Road, the former premises of the Al-Khairiah Islamic School, for a workshop by Ustadh Usama Canon, a popular American preacher of Islam to find some answers to these pertinent questions.

The workshop, held on Saturday, the 6^th of December 2014, was part of his 3-day Clarity and Balance Tour, organised by local Islamic education services provider SimpyIslam.sg. On a wet blustery morning I made my way to the workshop not knowing what to expect, as I had never really had the chance to sit through a lecture or workshop by Ustadh Usama before.

I have to admit from the onset that I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of his knowledge, which could only be described as eclectic. In his tireless discourse, he broached not just the traditional sciences of Islam such as Qur’anic exegesis, Sufism and Arabic grammar, but also interesting philosophical and literary concepts.

Nevertheless, as someone who grew up in a region blessed with a brand of Islam that is distinctly Sunni-Sufi-Shafi’i-Ash’ari, I must admit my tendency to distrust foreign speakers of the faith, who may not understand the local customs and context as intimately as our Singaporean asatizahs. However, Ustadh Usama put my mind completely at ease when he responded to a question from a sister on the actualisation of the Public Minimum versus Private Maximum concept in Singapore. (Ustadh Usama elaborated upon this concept at length, more on it later in this article).

He cautioned, “Be careful of adopting approaches to Islam from other places that are foreign to the Singaporean context.” He further went on to say that it would be very dangerous for the Singaporean Muslim community to allow outsiders to come in and tell them that what they had been practising for generations was not true Islam.

“Singapore, believe it or not, is actually unique. You have a lot going on here which is one of the reasons you should be careful of adopting the approach to Islam that other places have taken. There is actually, alhamdulillah, reasonable stability here historically and reasonable cohesion that other places don’t have,” he said.

The Six Attributes of a Rightly-Guided Muslim

As to the question of what makes a believer rightly-guided, Ustadh Usama Canon was quick to shoot down any notions that he would offer his own take on what makes a Muslim rightly-guided. He instead chose to refer to Surah Al-Baqarah from the Qur’an and listed out the six attributes of a Muslim with taqwa: He or she believes in the Unseen, establishes prayer, spends from that which was given, believes in what was revealed (i.e. the Qur’an and Sunnah), believes in what was revealed before (i.e. The Old Testament, Psalms) and is certain of the Afterlife.

In elaborating on these six attributes, he made some very profound statements, which I feel are worth reproducing here. On believing in the Unseen, he mentioned how we live in an age where faith itself is questioned, based of scientific measure and secular atheists who want to frame things within the context of empirical proof. Muslims sometimes fall into this same error, he went on to say, measuring their faith upon what can be scientifically proven.

“The very nature of faith is that you have conviction about that which cannot be measured in the sensory realm,” he pointed out. As Imam Ali proclaimed, Ustadh shared, even if the veil were to be removed, I would not increase in certainty anything.

As he spoke I realised he was blessed with a gift that allowed him to blend his traditional grounding in the faith, borne from years spent as a student in North Africa and the Middle East, with his modern, frank approach. When he speaks, he transitions effortlessly from English to Arabic and back to English.

On discussing the second attribute, the establishing of prayer, Ustadh Usama candidly remarked that he could not offer “anything new”, a not-so-sly dig at ‘modern’ Muslims who may be reluctant to see the miracles provided by this central pillar of Islam. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he sloganeered. If you are already praying on time, are you praying the supererogatory prayers, he asked. Are you praying the prayer with all of the requisite etiquettes? Are you present in your prayer? Difficult questions, from a man who was proving very easy to listen to.

On spending out of that which was provided, the story of Zainab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Masud, was mentioned. Because of the fact that neither her nor her husband possessed any wealth she had asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, if spending money on her family was considered charity, and he replied that those who did would receive two rewards: that of charity and of expenditure towards one’s family.

There was no room for prosperity theology here, which I personally found refreshing, having heard far too many local preachers extol the rich Muslim ideal; donating much of his wealth to get closer to God, seemingly unaffected spiritually by such material excesses. If you had only enough to feed your family, you would by doubly rewarded, Ustadh Usama reminded us.

The fourth and fifth attributes of a rightly-guided Muslim were belief in the revealed scriptures of God: the Qur’an and Sunnah as well as earlier texts such as the Old Testament. Ustadh Usama said this fifth attribute was the reason why he became Muslim. “In believing in Sayiduna Muhammad saw, you are not only asserting belief in the Qur’an, but you are asserting belief in any book that God revealed to any prophet alayhim salaam, ever. Islam is not just my religion, or our religion, it is the religion that has been revealed to all the prophets alayhimu salaam  in the form of its revealed revelation.”

Understanding these earlier revealed texts would also allow us to increase our certainty of Islam’s divinity. This is because of the many parallels between these texts and the Qur’an, Ustadh Usama stresses. For instance, in the Old Testament, it is mentioned in Deuteronomy (Chapter 18, Verse 18), how God will raise a Prophet from amongst the Israelites.

Just in case you aren’t convinced, he recites the verse in Hebrew, if only to show how the first word in the verse is “Navi”. As it turns out, Ustadh is presently studying Hebrew and Greek, because of his earnestness in understanding these early scriptures. (What have you done with your life lately?)

But for all of his knowledge, I was very much touched by the humility and broadmindedness he portrayed, undoubtedly the result of having been ‘moulded’ by the Sufi masters he has learned under. He shared how whilst in Morocco he had made the mistake of saying so-and-so was Wahhabi in front of an elderly learned man who admonished him, “Boy, fear Allah. He may be a Wahhabi who is sincere with Allah.”

What did he make of the sectarianism that has taken hold of the Muslim world? Ustadh blamed it on a lack of confidence among some Muslims to practice what they believe in. “Pick an issue. The issue of zikr in jemaah, the issue of Mawlid, etc. If it becomes, ‘I’m not really sure, I don’t really know if I’m supposed to be doing this.’ Any issue. Tawassul. I’m using Salafi-Sufi because that’s the framework that you presented (referring to a sister from the crowd). Every time it comes up you say ‘I’m not really sure. I don’t know’. You should study it. And you should understand it. And you should measure it against the Book and the Sunnah, and you should know its proofs, and know what the ulema said about that, and know what the difference of opinion is. And you commit to what you believe to be true.”

Public Minimum vs Private Maximum

It was on this topic of understanding and accepting differences in the faith that he brought up the concept of Public Minimum versus Private Maximum, the brainchild of Dr. Sherman Jackson, aka Abdul Hakim. Ustadh Usama used the concept to explain how Muslims tend to exclude people from their community, or worse, the circle of Islam, for not subscribing to the same practices and ideals as they do. “You have to make up your mind. Is Islam actually broad enough to fit other people, or not?”

The Public Minimum is thus the least you have to do to be considered a Muslim. On the other hand, the Private Maximum is the most that a person does privately. A person might pray, read a juz of the Qur’an, volunteer at the masjid and wear the hijab, but her Private Maximum would very likely differ from another person’s Private Maximum. For some people, they would never think of missing praying in congregation while others may be content with the fact that they pray at all.

“When we export our Private Maximum to the public, it becomes all-or-nothing. I will measure you based on my own Private Maximum and through micro-aggression, make you feel like you aren’t part of the community,” he lamented. This is what drives youths and many converts away from Islam, this all-or-nothing approach. Spoken truly like a man with much experience in the realm of da’wah.

So what should be the accepted Public Minimum to be considered Muslim? According to him, it should comprise two things: the shahadah and that which has been unanimously agreed upon by the ummah, such as the existence of Angels, Heaven, Hell and that the Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet.

Nevertheless, this was where he made his comment on how the Public Minimum has to take into account the context of a country, and how it would be dangerous to adopt an approach to Islam foreign to what had already been practised here in this region for centuries. “In a given country, there might already be an agreed-upon Public Minimum. So why is it that we need to deconstruct and reconstruct it?” I didn’t ask at the time, but I suspect he was implying for Muslims here to keep to the Sunni-Sufi-Shafi’i-Ash’ari framework, similar to what his own teacher Shaykh Hamza Yusuf had stressed several months ago in a talk at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur.

Once the Public Minimum and Private Maximum has been established, people within the circle have to check themselves not to “otherise” someone different from them. This would go a long way in reducing all-round aggression. However, Ustadh Usama cautioned that the concept was not to be used to suggest an ‘anything-goes’ approach. Be discerning of those around you, but reserve ultimate judgement for Allah, he advised.

The Heart as a Moral Compass

Having expounded upon the desired attributes of a rightly-guided Muslim and the Public Minimum versus Private Maximum concept, Ustadh Usama then brought our attention to Verse 11 of Surah At-Taghabun in which Allah swt says, “No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah – He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things.”

Using this verse, he exhorted us to listen to our hearts when in doubt, or what he called our personal GPS (God Positioning System). “You don’t have to be a scholar to know beheading innocent people isn’t right. You can bring me a thousand textural proofs, no. It just doesn’t feel right.” But what of questions related to theology or the legal aspects of Islam? For such questions, you have to ask a scholar, he told us.

During the workshop Ustadh Usama also shared with us an article that had been making the rounds on the Internet fairly recently. Entitled “10 Spiritually Transmitted Diseases” and written by Mariana Caplan, it basically covers everything, albeit briefly, a spiritual aspirant needs to know on the pitfalls of the spiritual path. I’d write more about it here but I think it’s best if readers were to go through the article themselves.

I will however share here three noteworthy things Ustadh Usama said with regards to said article. First, he said that spiritual transformation cannot occur overnight and is often a long, drawn-out process. You cannot go for a class or workshop and expect everything to become well all at once. Be patient.

Secondly, he said that whatever you do, do it with the intention of pleasing Allah. Do not do it to seek the pleasure of people, because the pleasure of people is an unattainable end. Worse, do not perform a type of worship because of the spiritual experience, because this can be considered shirk. Worship Allah for Allah.

Third, do not be proud no matter how much you know or practise. Sit with people who are much better than you. Remember where you came from and how you were once not as advanced as you may be now. It’s a shame that some people are harsh on others who are less advanced in terms of the faith when they were once like that, Ustadh Usama said, again bringing up the Public Minimum concept he had gone through earlier.

To avoid these various pitfalls, we were told to pray that Allah guides us to someone who will then guide us to Him. “Oh Allah! Guide Me to someone who will guide me to You!” And on this note we were then asked to list our role models. It didn’t have to be someone famous or a Muslim, as long as the person had affected them in a positive way.

In closing, Ustadh said that finding a spiritual guide to serve as a moral compass in today’s age was certainly difficult, though not impossible, and that as students we need to stop wanting whoever this guide may be to conform to what we imagine a guide to be. “Often, the teachers of the inward are hidden amongst the people and people don’t know who they are. We have created constructs of what it means to have a Shaykh which are sometimes unrealistic and fantastical, like a Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings kind,” Ustadh said, drawing laughter from the audience.

May Allah continue to bless the da’wah of Ustadh Usama Canon. I think I speak for many who came when I say I cannot recall having sat through a more beneficial, enriching workshop in recent times.

___

Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid
The writer blogs at www.hayatshah.com. 

On twitter.

*scrolls feed*

Picture: Thick wallet with 1K notes

Caption: OMG. Life goals. #lifegoals #rich #yolo

*scrolls feed again*

Post: My parents seriously??!! What the. Urgh.

*scrolls feed again..*

Post: BTO money, transport, road tax, bills. When am I getting rich?!

This is the kind of world we live in now, unfortunately. We have become so materialistic. We allow a perishable object like money to define our happiness. On some days, we see people ranting about their parents and siblings openly on their social networking feed because “it is their accounts.” Sometimes, we see these posts posted by youths as young as 13 years old. But that’s not really my point.

I turned 21 this year. And I’d like to speak to all my fellow 21-ers who struggle like I do. I am at the juncture in my life where I have to fulfill my individual responsibilities as a young working adult – paying my own bills, transports and all that jazz.

When I first started earning my own income a year ago, my mother taught me how to plan my finances. The first thing she said (and emphasised) was, “Always give me a portion of it.” But Lo and behold! We can’t run away from the associated frustrations. Sometimes we may feel that our parents don’t need our money because they have their own income too. The responsibilities may sometimes feel like a burden and we think to ourselves, “I shall skip this month since I’ve given them last month.” Now this is my point.

So, to give or not to give?

When Allah SWT wills, we all can get stuck at one point of the month. After a month’s worth of hard work, that $10 left in our wallet is so precious that we had to forgo eating our favourite Long John Silver’s for lunch. Must eat $3.50 Mee Soto! Can survive two more days. Drink from water cooler. Have we ever questioned why we end up in that state? Why are we always stuck? This is where we need to re-evaluate what we give back to our parents.

There are ‘high-peak’ or ‘more important’ months such as the month with three of your best friends’ birthdays that requires a huge withdrawal from your monthly salary. We tend to prioritise those needs over our responsibility as a child. We either give our parents a little lesser, or worst, none at all. Here lies our fault. This will eventually become a habit. A bad, bad habit. When our parents start asking about this very sensitive issue, we pull a face. Anyone guilty? Don’t raise your hands.

The problem with us is, we are not confident that our rizq is set. We are not confident that we will survive through the month. We are not confident that Allah The Provider will replace it with better things. We are not confident that Allah SWT will help us. We think the salary we earn is solely from our hard work. We don’t have Yaqeen. “If I give this amount to my parents, then I don’t have enough to buy iPhone 6….”

Give and let go. We need to give with full faith. In giving to our parents, we don’t get poorer. Some of us may disagree but money has caused more fitnah than we could have imagined. We get frustrated because we fail to grasp this important concept of giving. Could money truly be the root of all evils?

I guess we should really start measuring the worth of being stingy to our God-sent guardians. Allah SWT is pleased with us when our parents are pleased with us. Isn’t that our ultimate goal? Now that’s #yolo and #lifegoals.

We should start having faith, confidence and Yaqeen that we are not at a loss when we give to our parents. A dear friend taught me that when our right hand offers to our parents, we should silently recite, Rabbanā Taqabbal Minnā (Our Lord! Accept (this worship) from us) with full confidence that it is a part of ‘Ibadah. No turning back. Ikhlas. No regrets. Have faith that our rizq will always flow.

As Allah SWT mentioned in the Qur’an,

They ask you, [O Muhammad], what they should spend. Say, “Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler. And whatever you do of good – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.” [Al Baqarah : 215]

So to all my fellow 21-ers who have just entered this new world of responsibilities and are facing these predicaments, welcome to the club! Keep calm and in the words of the wise Kung Fu Panda, “Inner peace….”

So where are you at in this stage? #awakkatmane?

May this help.

___

Faridah Ali
Faridah is an aspiring film student who strongly believes in finding knowledge. She believes in counting her blessings in times of struggles.

Earlier this morning after Fajr prayer at Masjid Al Abdul Razak, Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin who was here for a newly-commenced Riyadus Shalihin monthly class, gave a short talk to the congregants.

Habib started off by mentioning how a lot of people are wasteful in their gift of good health and free time by not using these to get closer to Allah. He said that one of the marvels of Allah’s Creation is Time that turns into days and weeks and months.

Amongst the times that He has paid special attention to is Fajr. In Surah al-Isra, Allah says, “Verily the recitation of the Fajr is witnessed (by angels).” Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that this is the time when angels change their shift. The angels that are returning to the Divine are reporting our good deeds during Fajr and the ones coming from the Divine brings with them blessings. Allah will ask the angels who have arrived, “How did you leave My servants?” and they would reply, “I left them while they were doing zikr.”

Habib made a supplication that we would be counted amongst those mentioned in the reply of the angels.

Habib then went on to speak about Rajab being a month of honour. He said that whoever honours what Allah has honoured, it is a sign of his taqwa (God-consciousness). Rajab is one of the 4 Holy Months; the other 3 are Zulkaedah, Zulhijjah and Muharram.

In Rajab, it is encouraged to fast, make istighfar and supplicate with the following to ask for blessings: Allahumma baarik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan.

O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha’ban and cause us to meet Ramadan.

Picture credit to Fahmy Hussin. Click for source.

Barakah

One of the du’as of Nabi Isa (AS) is that he asked to be a bringer of barakah. He asked this when he was still an infant. What does it mean to ask for barakah? If it was little, Nabi Isa wouldn’t have asked for it. But Allah gives in abundance and barakah is the magic that makes a little be expanded. For example, a person might have a small salary but he is able to live well and comfortably. Or someone might have a short life, but he can accomplish so much in that time. Barakah is the Divine Expansion of what is seemingly little.

Asking for barakah also means to be a conduit that brings benefit and goodness to others. Habib said that the person most beloved to Allah is the one that brings the most benefit to others. And in this regard, there is none that exceeds the blessing of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam. He is referred to as “rajulun mubarak“, a blessed man.

Habib told us that if we can’t bring goodness to others, then don’t bring harm to them. This is reflective of the hadith where Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, “The Muslim is someone that others is safe from his hands and tongue.”

Istighfar

Habib then went on to the 3rd main activity of Rajab which is asking for forgiveness. He reminded us that no sin is too big to be forgiven as long as we constantly recite istighfar, but to be wary of taking our sins too lightly that it eventually amounts to a mountainous heap. He cited the hadith of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam that says “Blessed is the one whose scroll of deeds is filled with istighfar.”

Seeking forgiveness multiplies the blessings as Qur’an mentions Nabi Nuh (AS) advising his people: “Ask forgiveness of your Lord: He is ever forgiving. He will send down abundant rain from the sky for you; He will give you wealth and sons; He will provide you with gardens and rivers.” Habib explained that rain does not refer to just the rain that gives life to plants and vegetation but also encompasses spiritual blessings, rizq, ilm, hidayah and afiya.

He exhorted us to seek forgiveness regularly since our own faultless Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam is reported to seek forgiveness 70 to 100 times a day.

Habib Ali closed the session with prayers for forgiveness and blessings for all.

__

Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.

Going on a pilgrimage be it Umrah or Hajj is, as cliche as it sounds, an experience of a lifetime. One of the best descriptions I’ve read of a pilgrimage is the following by Bruce Feiler of the New York Times:

“So much of religion as it’s been practiced for centuries has been largely passive. People receive a faith from their parents; they are herded into institutions they have no role in choosing; they spend much of their spiritual lives sitting inactively in buildings being lectured at from on high.

A pilgrimage reverses all of that. At its core, it’s a gesture of action. In a world in which more and more things are artificial and ephemeral, a sacred journey gives the pilgrim the chance to experience something both physical and real. And it provides seekers with an opportunity they may never have had: to confront their doubts and decide for themselves what they really believe.”

While the pilgrimage will be life-changing, the journey towards the departure date is just as important.

Below are several advices and statements from Ustaz Tengku Mohd Fouzy (TM Fouzy) taken from his book “Manasik Haji dan Umrah: Mengikut Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah” and translated to English by this writer.

Our daily lives are like a static cycle, much like a hamster wheel. We carry burdens in the day & rest from the toil at night and the cycle repeats itself the next morning. Without meaning or purpose, life goes on indefinitely. Hajj or Umrah disrupts this lifeless cycle. As we prepare for our trip, our lives snap back in focus and we start to distance ourselves from our usual habits to simulate life at Hajj/Umrah.

Hajj/Umrah is the opposite of a directionless life. There are specific rituals to perform, rulings of ihram to adhere to, and a stark focus on God for that few days. It reminds us that our whole life is merely a journey back to Him.

Preparing for Hajj/Umrah is like preparing for death since you are meeting your Lord. Debts need to be paid, anger and ill-feelings need to be addressed and forgiveness sought from family and friends. We need to make account of our deeds before we leave.

“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned. Surah al-Isra 17:36″

Since our arrival on Earth, and with the passing of time, humans have forgotten our covenant with God and put in place idols like money, fame, our own selves to worship. Hajj/Umrah helps us to reconnect to our purpose and sacred covenant from before.

Inward & Outward Checklist of Preparations:

1. Sincere repentance. (Taubah nasuha)
   • Leave sins
   • Regret over past sins
   • Strong conviction to never return to them
   • Seek forgiveness from and make amends with people you have wronged
2. Fulfil trusts.
   • Pay debts
   • Discharge or execute binding agreements/promises
   • If the above are not possible, appeal to the person’s generosity to waive or start on a clean slate
3. Prepare nafkah.
   • Prepare sufficient maintenance/nafkah for your dependents for the duration you’ll be away
4. Blessings & permission.
   • Get the permission and blessings of your parents and/or your husband for the trip
5. Halal means.
   • Ensure the money and the items you are using to pay for the trip or to bring to the trip are from halal means or you risk your Hajj/Umrah not being accepted by Allah
6. Knowledge.
   • Learn about the rulings pertaining to all aspects of Hajj and Umrah
7. Travel Companion.
   • Find a righteous travel companion who can help you in your worldly and spiritual affairs while on the journey
8. Be generous.
   • Prior to, and during the trip, increase in charity for charity stands in the way of calamities (hadith)
9. Prepare taqwa and sincerity of intentions
   • In 2:197, Allah says “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah . And fear Me, O you of understanding.” Taqwa, fear or or consciousness of Allah, is your best travel companion or provision in this life but also for your Hajj and Umrah where you will definitely be tested.
   • Purify your intentions to perform Hajj or Umrah only for Allah’s sake and seek His Help, Guidance and Protection always.

Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.

Islamic Marketing is a very new field in Marketing. While concepts of inviting non-Muslims towards Islam (da’wah) and enjoining others to do good and forbid evil (amr ma’ruf nahi munkar) are not alien to the Islamic tradition, these have to be recognized as the communication process of the value delivery, and a tip of what Islamic Marketing could really be all about. Islamic ethics within economics as well is not new, with the Prophet being known as the Truthful one (Al-Amin) and himself a trader.

This unique combination resulted in many early Arabian merchants converting into Islam because of this admiration of the commendable character and through that, bringing with them the entrepreneurial zest and motivation needed to further advance the religion. Transactions and trade (Muamalat and Tijarah) are also not new in the Islamic tradition and are much related with the revenue and costing aspects of the process of marketing too.

Here the attention is towards fair pricing, removing of uncertainty, gambling, interest and activities considered haram. Islamic Finance, a relatively new subject in itself, has gained much strides in the advancement of its own models and principles.

However, the challenge here is that all of the above, when viewed from a marketing lens in relation to Islamic principles and practices, are in bits and pieces and have not yet been unified as a proper body of knowledge. There has also been not been an in-depth study into what Islam can really offer to the social science of marketing. Much of current discussions are loose and based on applications of Islamic principles to contemporary western ideas of marketing, or adaptive reform (Ramadan, 2009).

While this application of principles is important, this may not address the root challenges such ideas have been based on which may not be faithful to the ethics and principles of the Islamic tradition. Hence, serious study and research also needs to be put into place in order for new models and frameworks to emerge, that is transformational reform (Ramadan 2009), grounded in Islamic teachings and principles.

The best definition for Islamic Marketing is that “Islamic Marketing is the study of marketing phenomena in relation to Islamic principles and practices or within the context of Muslim societies” (Jafari, 2012). Here Islamic Marketing could be religion-based marketing (Alserhan, 2011) in which your marketing actvities are guided within the framework of Islamic Shariah, or Islamic Marketing could also mean the practices carried out by companies, Muslims or otherwise, to Muslim consumers (Alserhan, 2011).

The industry as well is new. Only in 2010 was the Journal of Islamic Marketing created to lay the foundation of, and advance, Islamic marketing as a new discipline. Even renowned international marketing agency Ogilvy and Mather published Ogily Noor to look into Islamic branding in 2010. The first Global Islamic Marketing Conference began in 2011. The first published marketing book attempting to deal with the subject in a structured manner “The Principles of Islamic Marketing” by Dr Alserhan also was published in 2011.

What can the advancement of Islamic Marketing offer?

According to Ogilvy Noor (2012), the Muslim consumer market, consisting of 1.8billon people is undeniably the next important (and largely untapped) global opportunity. The halal market alone is worth US$2.1 trillion a year and is increasing at US$500bn a year due to the growth of the global Muslim population. It is expected that the global Muslim consumer Market will reach $30 trillion by 2050 (Alserhan, 2011).

For both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, this represents a tremendous business opportunity to create new products and services to the needs and nuances of niche Muslim markets, such as swimwear catering to Muslimah, or accommodation services which take into account family and gender issues relevant to the Muslim context. For Muslims engaged in business activities, Islamic Marketing is another advancement towards staying true to our beliefs and principles as Muslims, in the context of marketing.

Here the advancement of this science is important because it is our communal religious duty (fard kifayah) to be represented as those who champion this new social science which roots itself it the Quran and Sunnah. At the same time, this initiative is in the spirit of past great scholars who developed their own frameworks and methodologies (e.g. usul Fiqh), and it is our greater calling to make this religion come alive in the field of marketing.

(Article adapted from http://www.islamicmarketing.org)

—

Nurhafihz Noor
Hafihz is the Editor of islamicmarketing.org. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in marketing from the National University of Singapore and has industry experience spanning close to a decade. He is also a Member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM), a Chartered Islamic Marketer (CIMA) with the International Islamic Marketing Association (IIMA) and is a Certified Islamic Finance Executive (CIFE). In addition, he has authored three books, a publication in an academic journal and presented a paper at the 4th Global Islamic Marketing Conference in Istanbul Turkey. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Science in Marketing. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

If you have non-Muslim colleagues who are missing their lunch buddies this month, perhaps this will give them a better idea of what’s really going on with Muslims this Ramadan.

Your Muslim classmates and colleagues may look pale, have chapped lips and look adoringly at the clock counting down to 713pm to break their fast, but despite the hunger and thirst, they’re kind of …. peaceful. Happy even! What sorcery is this, you wonder? Here are some reasons why:

1) Rewards are multiplied.

Ramadan is like the Great Singapore Sale of worship. In other months, we are told that our good deeds are rewarded in the ratio 1:10 (yeah, Allah is pretty great) up to 1:700 but for Ramadan, a narration by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informs us that God says “Fasting is for Me, and I reward it accordingly.” And that means infinitely (and more!) probably because one of the attributes of God is that He is the Most Generous. There is no logic or system in His Accounting WHICH IS GREAT because we are so in need of extra points.

So that’s why we’re still smiling despite looking at you and your Big Mac during lunch time. Coz we’re hopeful of the rewards of remaining patient for that few hours.

2) We see our potential.

In Ramadan, we believe Satan gets locked up. No more bothersome whispers to do evil things! Although Muslims do believe that we all have innate bad characteristics (with or without Satan) that we have to remove, it does help that we get a free pass for a month from him and focus on cleaning our hearts!

This, coupled with the fact that its the GSS of worship, is why you may notice your Muslim friends who drink, stop drinking. Those who can rival a pirate with his swearing and cursing, bite his tongue in this month. And others turn down invitations for movies, parties and other general entertainment.

It’s because we realise what we’re capable of. We spend 11 months of the year trying so hard to be better people and it’s usually a great struggle. Yet in Ramadan, things get easier and we focus more on our spirituality and realise what we’re capable of. And that makes us mighty pleased and hopeful.

3) Great sense of community

Living in a fast-paced city like Singapore and with an increasingly individualistic system of living, it gets difficult to feel a sense of community sometimes. Ramadan reverses that. Makciks all over insist that their children come home to break their fast together, if not everyday, at least once a week.

This sense of community is most beautifully manifested during the special night prayer that’s only done in Ramadan. It is called the Tarawih prayer (tarawih literally comes from the word rest, or refers to the period of rest in between 4 cycles of the prayer). Mosques all over Singapore which are usually only packed for Friday prayers, are generally packed every single night in Ramadan for these prayers and not just men too. Women, children and the elderly all make their way to the mosques to perform this voluntary prayer together. And it’s an amazingly happy sight.

Fasting also teaches and reminds us of those less fortunate. When we’re hungry, we are able to empathise with those who are hungry not out of choice. Since Ramadan is basically our happy hour for extra good deeds, you will see many charity initiatives in this month too. SimplyIslam’s Ramadan Charity Basket has been ongoing for 8 years now and we help to provide financial aid and also food provisions to over 150 needy families. You can click on the link above to find out more, donate and also volunteer during the drive!

4) Salvation from Hell

Do I really need to explain? Ok. So Muslims believe in a Heaven and a Hell. If your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, to Heaven you go! (With God’s Mercy of course!) If it’s the opposite, …. you know where this is going.

BUT! Ramadan is great because Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says: “Fasting serves as a shield from Hellfire.”

And in another narration, “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.”

ALL his past sins guys, ALL. So of course we’re happy in this month!

5) Ramadan Food

I know I was going for the spirituality angle in this piece but I’ll be a hypocrite if I say we don’t get excited about the special Ramadan food. These are things that even the non-Muslims enjoy too I’m sure!

There’s this milky, nutty, cold and yummy drink that magically appears in Ramadan and it’s called Katira. Katira is to Singaporean Muslims what the Butterbeer is to Harry Potter. (If you don’t get that reference, seriously why have you not read Harry Potter?!)

Katira Goodness

There’s also Dendeng which is basically our awesome, halal version of your Bee Cheng Hiang’s Bakkwa. ‘Nuff said.

Then there’s the simple, understated Bubur Masjid (literally Mosque Porridge) that we actually send our kids to collect at the mosque once they’re done with school because if we go after our office hours, it might run out. Seriously, we take our Bubur Masjid very seriously. Seriously.

So now you know what’s up with your Muslim friends this month. We’ll catch up with you on Hari Raya when we’ll all celebrate over pineapple tarts and fizzy drinks! But till then, please don’t post your lunch on Instagram, thanks.

Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.

Since getting older, I have a newfound appreciation for how Islam is practised in Singapore. While a younger me might have been been confused at what was being recited in between tarawih prayers at the mosque and read along after it got familiar to my ears, I now actually know what I’m reciting and understand why all those women around me were crying so fervently many moons ago.

Qasidah “Ya Tawwab Tub Alaina” or “Qad Kafani Ilmu Rabbi”

This is widely recited during the break after the 8th rakaat or at the end of tarawih prayers. The qasidah “Ya Tawwab Tub Alaina” is attributed to Habib Abdullah bin Alawi al-Haddad, a luminary from the land of Tarim, a place from which many of our Islamic practices here in Singapore are informed by. However, only the chorus is sung and then it’s mashed with another qasidah titled “Qad Kafani Ilmu Rabbi”.

This is what you probably would have heard these past nights:

يا تواب تب علينا ۲
وارحمنا وانظر إلينا ۲

Yâ Tawwâb Tub ‘alainâ 2x
Warhamnâ wandhur ilainâ 2x

O The One Who Accepts Repentance, accept our repentance 2x
Have mercy on us and please gaze upon us 2x

قد گفانی علم ربی ، من سؤالی واختباري
فدعائی وابتهالی ، شاهد لی بافتقاری

Qod kafânî ‘ilmu robbî min su-âlî wakhtiyârî
Fadu’â-î wabtihâlî syâhidun lî biftiqôrî

My Lord’s knowledge has sufficed me from asking or choosing,
For my prayer and my agonising supplication is a witness to my poverty (intense need).

CHORUS

فلهذا السر ادعوا ، فی يساری وعساری
انا عبد صار فخری ، ضمن فقری واضطراری

Falihâdzâs-sirri ad’û fî yasârî wa ‘asârî
Ana ‘abdun shôro fakhrî dlimna faqrî wadlthirôrî

For this secret (reason) I make supplication in times of ease and times of difficulty
I am a slave whose pride is in his poverty and obligation.

CHORUS

ياإلهی ومليکی أنت تعلم گيف حالی
وبما قد حل قلبی ، من هموم واشتغالی

Yâ ilâhî wa malîkî Anta ta’lam kaifa hâlî
Wa bimâ qod halla qolbî min humûmin wasytighôlî

O my Lord and my King, You know my state.
And what has settled in my heart of agonies and preoccupations.

CHORUS

فتدارکنی بلطف ، منك يامولی الموالی
ياگريم الوجه غثنی قبل أن يفنی اصطباری

Fatadâroknî biluthfin minka yâ mawlâl mawâlî
Yâ karîmal wajhi ghitsnî qobla an yafnâ -shthibârî

Save me with a gentleness from You, O Lord of Lords.
Oh save me, Most Generous before I run out of patience (with myself).

CHORUS

ياسريع الغوث غوثا ، منك يدرکنی سريعا
يهزم العسر ويأتی ، بالذی أرجو جميعا

Yâ sarî’al ghoutsi ghoutsan minka yudriknî sarî’ân
Yahzimul ‘usro wa ya,tî billadzî arjû jamî’ân

O One who is swift in sending aid, I ask for aid that will arrive to me swiftly
It will defeat all difficulty and it will bring all that I hope for

CHORUS

Pronouncements by the Bilal and the Corresponding Replies

Bilal says:

Sollu sunnatan tarawih, raka’ataini ja’miah, rahimakumullah
Pray the Tarawih prayer, 2 rakaat, in congregation, may Allah have mercy upon you all.

Congregation responds:

Rahimakumullah
May Allah have mercy upon you all.

Bilal says:

Allahumma solli wa sallim alaih
O Allah, send peace and blessings upon him (Sayyidina Muhammad sallallahu alahi wasallam).

Bilal says:

Al-Khalifatul awwal, Sayyidunna Abu Bakar as-Siddiq, radhiAllahu anhu
The First Caliph, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him

RadhiAllahu anhu, wanafa’na bi hi fi-deeni wad-dunya wal-akhirah
May Allah be pleased with him and we benefit from him in our religion, our worldly life and our Afterlife.

The Bilal will repeat this for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Caliphs: Sayyidina Umar ibn Khattab, Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan and Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib, and for each Caliph, the response from the congregants is the same.

Supplications

Baarikilla humma lana fi shahri Ramadan
Bless us, O Allah, in the month of Ramadan

Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anna
O Allah, You love to forgive, so forgive us

May this grant clarity to some of us inshaAllah. May Allah bless these days and nights of Ramadan and grant us tawfiq to perform our fasting and prayers and recitation of the Qur’an and other ibadah with perfection and love. Only 3 weeks left! May we make the most of it inshaAllah.

Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.

If you, like me and far too many others, were taught the basics of Islam when you were young only to spend the rest of your misguided youth ignoring everything that you were taught and then come back to the deen (religion) as an adult, this article is for you. This piece is not by any means meant to be a comprehensive guide to “How to be a Muslim”. This is just me sharing some advice based on my own personal experiences on my journey back to Islam.

1. Maintain your prayers

Establishing your connection with Allah is the most important thing you need to do as a Muslim, and the best, most fundamental way of making that connection is by establishing your five daily prayers. If you’re not used to praying regularly, it may seem like a chore at first. But over time, if done sincerely for His sake, your prayers will strengthen your faith and connection to Allah.

You might not be able to make all your prayers on time at first, but the important thing is to try. Set an alarm to remind you of prayer times, or if you’re in Singapore you can use any of the following applications on your Android or iOS devices.

• sg (Android | iOS)
• Singapore Prayer (Android)
• Office of the Mufti (Android | iOS)

2. Find a teacher

This is easily one of the most important things you will do. Religion is not an area where you can hobble together a do-it-yourself education from YouTube and Tumblr posts. Find a learned, respectable teacher with proper qualifications to teach you the fundamentals of Islam, e.g. aqidah, fiqh, tasawuf, learning to read the Qur’an and attend regular classes to increase your knowledge of the religion. For those in Singapore, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has the Asatizah Recognition Scheme to ensure that those teaching are qualified to do so.

As a word of advice, if your teacher spends more time condemning others as heretics and deviants than he does in explaining the finer details of the beliefs and practices in Islam, I would sincerely suggest you find another teacher.

3. Practice what you learn…

Once you start learning, it is important that we don’t simply collect knowledge and leave it to collect dust on our mental bookshelves. Knowledge only benefits us when we learn, understand and then implement it practically in our lives.

4. But take it step by step

If you’ve only just started praying the five prayers on a regular basis, don’t expect to wake up for tahajud (night prayers) tomorrow. It’s a good idea to prioritise by importance. Start out with the pillars first (prayer, fasting in Ramadan, zakat). Once you’re settled with that, if you have any obligations that you may have missed out on, it’s a good idea to start paying them back. For example, making up for missed prayers or fasts. Once you’ve established this, only then should you move on to voluntary acts.

5. Don’t be judgmental

It is very easy, when taking baby steps towards Allah, that we are deluded by the incremental changes happening within us that we judge others whom we perceive as not being as “good” as us.

“He doesn’t have a beard”

“She doesn’t cover her awrah”

“He doesn’t pray”

Simply put, these are the delusions of the ego. Being preoccupied with other’s faults only stands in the way of the rectification of our own faults.

If we feel that our friends or family are lacking in their Islamic knowledge or in their practice of the religion, all we have to do is provide with gentle advice, and pray for them. It is Allah alone who guides.

And (I can’t stress this enough) never ever, ever leave comments on strangers’ photos on Facebook and Instagram like “Assalamualaikum sister, why are you not wearing proper hijab?”, especially if you are a guy. Before even thinking of posting such comments, please ask yourself why you are snooping around the profiles of people you don’t even know in the first place.

6. Find friends

One of the best ways to stay motivated for your religious goals is to have good companionship. Whether it be friends, family members, or a significant other, simply having someone on the same path as you is a big factor in staying focused. You can mutually remind each other to perform prayers, practice sunnahs or revise after classes.

7. Share the knowledge…

When you attend a class or a lecture or a seminar, one of the best ways to ensure you retain the information is to share it with friends and family who did not attend. After all, only by being able to clearly explain to others what you have learned can you be sure that you truly understand it. Besides, by sharing the knowledge, you benefit others, and you earn baraka (blessings) for yourself as well. As the North American scholar Dr Umar Faruq Abd’Allah puts it, teaching is the sadaqa (charity) of knowledge.

8. But admit what you don’t know

Once you start learning the deen, it is only natural that people start approaching you for advice on various religious matters. You should try to give them whatever advice or information you can to the best of your abilities. If it is a matter on which you have little or no knowledge, it is best that you admit to them that you do not know and direct them to somebody else who knows better, rather than misguiding or confusing them. It is said of Imam Malik, founder of the Maliki madhab and one of the most famous scholars of Islam, that a man once came to him with forty questions. Imam Malik only answered four of the questions and for the rest of the questions he answered “I don’t know”. Despite his own knowledge, wisdom, and understanding being well-known, Imam Malik was more than willing to admit to what he did not know.

9. Connect with the Prophet

I have to be blunt with this one. There is no shortage of people who will claim that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was “just a man” and that popular veneration of him equates to “idolatry”, or that the hadiths attributed to the Prophet are all fabricated and untrustworthy, and encourage misogyny and violence. This is blatant falsehood.

Learn about the Prophet, who was described as a mercy to the worlds by Allah in the Qur’an, and how his example was always that of wisdom, compassion and kindness. An excellent place to start would be Martin Ling’s book Muhammad – His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, which is one of the better books in the English language on the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

10. Make du’a

Above all, pray to Allah for guidance, for mercy and for forgiveness. Ask Him to accept your repentance, accept your good deeds, and bring you closer to Him, and inshaAllah your prayers will be fulfilled.

This article is not meant to admonish anybody, rather it is reminder to all, first and foremost myself, to reconnect with the religion of Islam, and to purify our deeds and intentions to sincerely turn to Allah.

____

Ahmad Zhaki Abdullah
Ahmad Zhaki holds a degree in English Literature from the University of London. He is a full-time executive at a local research institute and a part-time writer.

As I sit in the office this week trying to write “How to Get Over the Mid-Ramadan Slump”, words evade me. All I can think of is the visits to and fro the hospital as I visit my 23-year-old cousin who lie 97% motionless, with wires & tubes coming out of his nose and mouth and a hole in his neck (he’s recovering slowly but surely alhamdulillah, thanks to Allah and all your prayers) and how this concept of “mid-Ramadan slump” is a very first-world problem.

Some lessons I’m learning this Ramadan that hopefully will do something for your soul as much and as deeply as it has impacted me and may these lessons stay with us for a long time to come, inshaAllah.

Consider the many blessings you are surrounded with

I know such exercises throw Muslims in a shame and guilt-ridden trip and I really hope I won’t make you feel ashamed or guilty. But really, nothing energizes me more this month when I get lazy than recalling the image of my bedridden cousin who is literally unable to move. He cannot fast or pray tarawih or wake up for sahur or pick up and read the Qur’an even if he really, really wants to. He cannot. And I can. I can do any of those things at any time I want, without much effort or thought really. That humbles me greatly because I know that it is not out of my choice either.

I didn’t choose to be in good health. I didn’t choose to be born in safe Singapore. I didn’t choose to not be one of the millions of refugees currently suffering in the world. I had nothing to do with all of these. They are all gifts from Allah to me, by no choice or deed of mine. That actually stumps me (hopefully not into inaction).

I know my cousin would trade places with me in a heartbeat. If you are a mother in fatigue running after your tiny tots, someone barren or a single woman would gladly do the running for you. If you are heartbroken, ill, stressed, facing difficulties in your marriage, or experiencing any manner of hardship, know without a doubt that there are many out there who wants your ‘trial’ in exchange for theirs.

This in no way trivialises your test, because we all face our own set of tribulations, and they’re all real and justified and may Allah make it easy for us. But take a second when things get difficult to remember that someone, somewhere out there wants your trial, and perhaps in that split second, you get to thank Allah for placing you exactly where you are meant to be and inshaAllah gives you a sweetness in your suffering you never thought possible. And re-energises you into going into that next raka’ah or sujud with more clarity and presence, into opening the Qur’an and giving your last ounce of energy for the night to recite beautifully for Allah alone, in gratitude for a voice and the free time to do so and for the many gifts He is giving us, especially those we are unaware of.

Know with certainty the words of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam is as true today as it is on the first day of Ramadan

When we read the words of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam at the beginning of Ramadan, we are excited, hyped-up, delirious with joy. It gave us motivation and boosted our energy levels. We bounced to the mosque for extra prayers, sprung up like Tigger for the pre-dawn meal and smiled at every Muslim on the street.

It’s now the 15th of Ramadan, the excitement has died down, the fatigue and sleeplessness has reached our bones and altered our tempers. But! Remember and find strength and new life in the following words that you no doubt read before but know that it is still happening!

“Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. The days of this month are the best among the days and the nights are the best among the nights and the hours during Ramadan are the best among the hours. This is a month in which you have been invited by Him (to fast and pray). Allah has honoured you in it. In every breath you take is a reward of Allah, your sleep is worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations are answered.” – Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam in his last sermon before Ramadan

As I sit here, heedless and unaware of the angels around me currently writing down good deeds in my record for merely BREATHING, they really and truly are! When we nod off on a stranger’s shoulders in the bus on the way to work or back home while fasting, it is being written as worship for us!

How amazingly Generous and Merciful is Allah! It’s as if He just wants to give and just finds reasons to give us. Breathing? Ok, points for you. Sleeping in Ramadan? Ok here, some more points! SubhanAllah!

Instead of beating ourselves up for not doing enough (because, seriously we can never do enough), let’s move the focus from our lowly, needy and weak selves to the Great, Merciful and Generous One. Think of the promises He has made for the ones who are fasting and engaged in good deeds, and derive your strength from Him. Indeed there is no strength or power except in Allah so turn to Him and His Promises when you need motivation, inspiration and energy, never ourselves for we have nothing.

“Whosoever offers the recommended prayers during this month, Allah will save him from Hell, and whoever observes his obligations during this month, his reward will be seventy times the reward during other months. Whoever repeatedly invokes Allah’s blessings on me, Allah will keep his scale of good deeds heavy, while the scales of others will be tending to lightness. Whoever recites during this month an ayat (verse) of the Holy Qur’an, will get the reward of reciting the whole Qur’an in other months.” – Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam in his last sermon before Ramadan

Do not compare what you are doing with what anyone else is doing. Your relationship with Allah is unique and special and intimate and only for you and Him, no one else. No one else knows your struggle except for Him and He will reward you in ways you cannot imagine. He does not carry a checklist on a clipboard like humans do, ticking off outward deeds. He sees and understands your heart and is Ash-Shakur, the Most Appreciative of the little you do. So do it, even when sleep threatens to overtake you, when the heaviness in your bones beg for rest, when your tempers flare – just do it. Rewards await inshaAllah.

May Allah grant us overflowing love for Him and His Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam so that it may be the fuel to drive us to serve Him and please Him in all our moments, inside or out of Ramadan.

___

Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.

SubhanAllah it feels just like last week that we welcomed Ramadan with joy & elation! And here I am, compiling tips from 10 local asatizah to help us plan our last 10 nights in Ramadan. May they be of benefit inshaAllah!

Tip for the family:

“The key word for Ramadhan as a family is ‘Together’.

For the past few Ramadhan, after the hard work of iftar together, sahur together, tarawih together, let us now make the NIGHT ALIVE together.

1.Quran together- Reciting and Khatam the Quran together with the family.

2. Qiyam together – Qiyam at the mosque together with the family.

3. Knowledge together – Seek knowledge even as simple as reading a beneficial book together after tarawih.

May Allah grant us laylatul qadr and accept our Ramadhan. And make us the people of syukur and taqwa. Amin.”

– Ustazah Suaidah Salim, Ba in Syariah Islamiah, Al-Azhar University.
Founder of suaidahsalim.com
Director of Little Quran Kids
Advisor of Soul Sister Sg

7 Tips to Act Upon

“Have a blessed last 10 nights of holy Ramadan,

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said, “Verily actions are judged by their ending.” With that, we urge the beloved servants of Allah سبحانه وتعالى to seize the opportunity that is still available to act upon the following 7 tips:

(1) embrace the true meaning of fasting for Allah
(2) recite the al-Qur’an as much as possible
(3) awaken and wake your family up for Qiyam even if for only 2 raka’ah of Tawbah prayers
(4) plead with vigour to Allah that He may include us in the names of those who are granted freedom from the Hellfire in these last nights of Ramadan
(5) iktikaf whenever possible
(6) give charity to those in need
(7) appreciate the meaning of ‘idulfitri; which is the Day of Victory by returning to Fitrah”

– Ustaz Saiful ‘Adli 
Part-Time Lecturer at Madrasah Alsagoff

Tip for the women who can’t pray

“For those who are having their menstruation or nifas, do not think that they are missing out on the bountiful rewards during the last 10 days of Ramadan although they cannot pray and fast. This is because acts of worship are not limited to only fasting and praying.

Whatever good acts and responsibilities that you are doing are considered as acts of worship i.e. feeding the baby, serving the family, helping parents, looking after the children, cooking etc. and Allah is Most Kind, the Most Gracious in rewarding. You just need to have the ‘yakin’ [certainty] towards His Graciousness and most importantly, have ‘husnuzzon’ [good opinion] towards Allah because this too is an act of worship.”

– Ustazah Nadia Hanim AR
Director of Wafa Production and Education
Education Manager of MIJ Education Hub

Tip on Channelling Energy

“Energy is a responsibility and must be used accordingly. You won’t have these energetic feeling for long so don’t waste it.

These 10 days, redistribute your energy to benefit by exhilarating your ibadah and deeds. Focus on doing good things in the day so that you will be given mercy in the nights.”

– Ustaz Muhammad Zahid Md Zin
Head Humanitarian & Social Outreach, BAPA

Tip to iktikaf

During the last 10 days of Ramadan, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam emphasised one act of worship during this period and that is i’tikaf. Rasulullah would i’tikaf in the last 10 days of Ramadan in the attempt of getting Lailatul Qadr. Reported by Aishah that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam will not go out from the mosque except attending to qada’ hajat (Bukhari 2029) or in another riwayah: attending to people’s affairs (Muslim 297).

A minimum iktikaf consist of:

1) Staying in the mosque with the intention of i’tikaf even if for a moment

2) A Muslim who is free of any major impurities (eg postnatal bleeding, menstruation, janaba)

I’tikaf is essential for one’s spiritual rejuvenation and the return to One’s creator. It a good time to reflect on the blessings of Allah, to reflect on the extent of our worship so far for Allah, to regret and be remorseful for the sins that we have done and to hope for Allah’s Mercy and Pleasure.

May Allah subhanahu waTa’ala bless us with abundance of time and health to perform i’tikaf and grant us the power of lailayul qadr, insyaAllah amin.

– Ustazah Liyana Abdul Rahaim
Vice Principal of SimplyIslam Weekend Islamic School

Tip on dealing with Allah

“Do not destroy your good deeds in the days & nights in the last 10 days by being arrogant to Allah ﷻ, ‘ujub with your ‘ibadah & bad akhlaq because all your deeds will be presented on Judgment Day and it will be scattered like dust.”

– Ustaz Muhammad Mazdiuky Md Ishak

Tip before going to bed

“Read and reflect more of the Quran. Before going to bed, ask Allah to make it easy for us to wake up to perform acts or worship in the final third of the night. Another step we can take, and was frequently done by the Prophet (pbuh) is to wake our family members so that they can join us in ‘ibadah.

Women who are experiencing menses too, can wake up to perform zikr, selawat, and make du’a to Allah in place of that from which they are excused during menses. The last 10 nights of Ramadhan, and especially Laylatul Qadr which Allah has made ‘ibadah in it better than the ‘ibadah of a thousand months, are a great bounty and blessing and it would be a waste to spend most of that time in bed.”

– Ustazah Nurul Huda Khamsani
Quranic & Arabic Studies Teacher

Tip for the Husband & Father

“Don’t neglect your family on important nights like this. The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. made it a point to wake up his wives throughout these nights! He dedicated a special Du’a for husbands who do so. Yes! The Prophet sends his invocation for you. As for your children, they are not too young to stay up for some part of the night. Prepare them – the way we dress and prepare for the night vigil has a big impact on our psychology.

Wear your best, put on some perfume, and feel the energy. It will make them excited; plan some activities for them to do too! The best activities are Du’a, zikr and qaseedah. Prepare a short Du’a that is related to the family; individually mention each and every name in the family, or get one to make a Du’a for the other. (For example, “Oh Allah I love Ahmed so much, May I ask of you to protect him. He always wants to do well in his…” ) Say it aloud and ask them to do the same. The family can also make their way together to the nearest mosque.”

– Ustaz Leyaket Ali
Imam Executive, An-Nahdhah Mosque

Tip for Laylatul Qadr

“The chances for the Night of Power, or Laylatul Qadr, happening is much higher in the last 10 nights. So we should strive to search for that night in which worship is equivalent to a 1000 months of worship. There is no better place for us to be, no better state for us to be in, other than being in the mosque performing acts of worship like reading the Qur’an, doing sunnah prayers and so forth. Even if we can only be at the mosque for 2-3 hours of the night, we should do so. What we’re aiming for is to be closer to Allah SWT in these last 10 nights. Because every step that we take towards Allah, Allah will take greater steps to be closer to us. So let us make our small steps and make realistic plans.”

– Ustaz Mizi Wahid
CEO Safinah Institute

Tip for the heart

“Allah says according to the Hadith Qudsi: ‘I am as my servant thinks I am.’ And the Prophet has taught us that Allah looks at the hearts of His servants. Therefore most important for a servant in these nights is that he rectifies first his heart before all else. For prayer without belief nor sound principles will not bring any benefit. So the servant of Allah should clear his heart from all doubts and base suspicion he has against the Generous Lord. Allah alKareem. And set noble high intentions. And have faith that by His Grace, Generosity and Power, He will grant and reward him for his intentions as long as his intentions does not go against the general universal goodwill for humanity. It is most lovely to God also that he prays for the wellbeing of his brethren in secret. As such prayers, if sincere, are without a doubt accepted.”

– Ustazah Fakhrunnisa’

Praises be to the Lord of the world, we have managed to steer through Ramadhan with His Grace and emerged victorious over and high above our desires. And now, Eid is here, welcoming us with takbir and lots of food. Lots and lots of glorious food. Of course, some of us will say that it is totally alright to tackle the delicious spread with the gusto that has been repressed during the fasting month (we were supposed to have control over our desires, right?).

Besides food, why not add a new piece of furniture or two, new covers for the cushions, the newest Samsung Curved LED TV and maybe three new pairs of shoes from Aldo for Eid? Oh, and no harm throwing in a Prada bag. The arm does need an accessory.

Most times, we do all these without much thought and end up overdoing it, burning a hole in our pockets. Regret creeps in like that naggy voice in the head that does nothing but guilt me into asking myself: Are all these really necessary? Trust me, it is human nature to want to look like a million bucks sometimes. Even if it is not a million, a thousand will do. I must admit, I myself am guilty of trying to look more than what I am worth (which is pretty much just my much too humble bank account) by doing away with all my savings for all them glamorous pleasure.

Oh, come on. Everyone will want to look good for Eid, all decked in the most well known brands that we can only dream of as teenagers with our 20-dollars-a-week allowance, attracting praises, ooooohs and waaahhhhs. It feels good sometimes, doesn’t it? Just ask the aunties with the whole jewellery store on both their arms, they will understand.

What we do not realize is that we are leaving behind all that we have gained during the month of Ramadhan. We have sought knowledge religiously and practised sunnah on a regular basis only to forget all that the moment Ramadhan bids goodbye. Allah swt has told us to be moderate in our food and drink as seen in surah al-A’raf, verse 31, “And eat and drink but do not waste extravagantly, certainly He (Allah) does not like the extravagant.” In this verse, Allah is Teaching us to be moderate in the necessities of life.

Furthermore, Allah swt has also Ordered us to be moderate when we spend. In surah al-Furqan verse 67, Allah swt says that, “And those, who when they spend, are neither extravagant nor stingy, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes).” From these two verses, it can be seen that Islam is a Deen that values living life in moderation, one that does not consist of extreme luxury yet sufficient enough to sustain a decent living.

We have all been guilty of falling into the trap tantalisingly hidden at the luxurious end of the spectrum when Eid is near, haven’t we? I believe one of the reasons why we did what we did is due to the fact that we want to portray ourselves in a certain socially acceptable light, especially since guests will be pouring in every minute. We want to look cool, we want to look of a certain socio-economic standard, we want to be admired. We would want to be known as the girl with the gorgeous Prada or the abang with the coolest man cave every time guests pay a visit, and most definitely not as that Makcik with the fake Louis Vuitton (admit it, you have been guilty of spotting one before).

Oh, no. It is not wrong to own a luxury bag or the coolest new gadget in town. It has never been wrong to want to achieve that beautiful home that you have always dreamt of ever since you were a kid (for me, a  house with a room on the third floor that has a slide which leads me to the Olympic-sized swimming pool). If you can afford it, by all means go ahead and get what you want. As long as you do not drown yourself in debt to attain all these superficial acknowledgements, I am no one to tell you to change your lifestyle. The main point here is not to convince you to stop getting all them luxury products, but to encourage you to live in moderation and be thankful for all that you have.

Moreover, when you rid your lifestyle of extravagance, you will be more capable of helping those who are in need. What you have are the answers to somebody else’s prayers. Hence, sharing them will be the most selfless and generous thing to do. Allah has Given you all that rizq not for you to give in to your nafs and desires, but to do good out of all that.

Do good to your parents, your family, your children, those who need it more than you do. People like me, oh how I wish I can do a lot for the orphans and the poor, but I myself am struggling to make ends meet.

Remember that special power which you have attained during Ramadhan, the one where you are able to control your nafs and do all that which Allah Loves and has Told you to do. Be mindful of how you spend your wealth and ensure that you channel it well and gain Allah’s Blessing insya Allah.

Eid is already here. You may have already bought that new carpet from Turkey and got rid of the one you purchased the year before and received your designer dresses, but I say it is never too late to start living in moderation. Just because you have been extravagant before does not mean you have failed forever. You can keep the carpet and the dresses as throwing them away will mean wasting money, and Allah does not like the wasteful way of life.

But from here on out, be mindful of what you are spending on. Do not put all your effort during Ramadhan to waste and start with Syawal to practise living life the way Allah Loves. Let’s celebrate it (Eid), not lavishly nor shall we be miserly but, in moderation!

Till next time insya Allah! May Allah Forgive our wrongs, keep the ummah in your prayers and Eid Mubarak to you! Kullu am wa antum bi khair! (May you be well throughout the year!)

___

Nur Farizah Roslan
Farizah loves adventures, out of the ordinary days and long walks. She writes to express, but never to impress, at www.faridust.com.