General Articles, - Hujjat al-Islam al-Ghazali

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:-> Al-Ghazali, the great Islamic scholar who lived 10 centuries ago, was a great example to all believers with his good moral values and his exemplary life. He trained many students and done great services to the Islamic world. Al Ghazali was born in Tus, Iran in 1058 when there were serious conflicts in the Islamic world and the Andalusian Empire was in a period of decline . In such challenging times, through his books and lectures, he was the means for the enlightening of the Islamic world. Because he had such deep and profound knowledge, he was also known as ‘Hujjat al-Islam” and ‘ Zauniddin ’ which means the ‘evidence of Islam, proof that Islam is the true religion’. Hujjat al-Islam also means the person who memorized three hundred thousand hadiths with the names of the reporting people. When he was still young, he went to Baghdad upon the invitation of the then Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk. The scholars in the court were amazed to see the depth of knowledge and eloquence in explaining matters. Nizam al-Mulk appointed him to the Nizamiye Madrassah to act as the master, a position equivalent to today’s university rectors . During his tenure , Al Ghazali trained many students and selected three hundred of the best and taught them all the necessary knowledge. His students included prominent Islamic scholars such as Muhammad ibn Asad al-Tusi, Abu Mansur Muhammad, Abu Abd Allah Jumart al-Hussaini, and Abu al-Hasan al-Balansi. Al Ghazali is recognized for his vast knowledge not only by the Islamic world, but also by Westerners as well. The knowledge of Al Ghazali was advanced in every aspect compared to the European scholars of his time. For instance, at a time when the Europeans commonly believed that the earth was flat, Al Ghazali asserted that the earth was round, that liver cleansed the blood of toxins and microbes and the ratio of substances in the blood were vital to keep it healthy, the latter two being facts included in today’s physiology books. Not only this;, Al Ghazali wrote about many other subjects in his books, which are around 1,000. His books deal with Islam, Islamic moral values and science in a way that can be clearly understood by people of every age and of every education level. Some of his most famous books are as follows: Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), Kimya al-Saadat (The Alchemy of the Happiness), Jawahir al-Qur'an (The Jewels of the Qur’an), Mizan al-Amal (Balance of Action), Durrat al- Fakhira (The Exquisite Pearl) , Ayyuh-al-Walad (O my son!), Qistas al- Mustaqim(The Correct Balance) . Europeans studied the books of Al Ghazali’s in a very detailed manner,. and in 1959, upon reading the books of Al Ghazali and being fascinated by Islam religion, four Professors Ordinarius translated the books of Al Ghazali into German and then converted to Islam. AL GHAZALI CALLED ATTENTION TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSLIMS BEING UNITED AND LIVING IN A BROTHERLY MANNER: Another point Al Ghazali paid attention to was the brotherhood, friendship and love between the Muslims. In his famous book, Ihya Ulum al-Din , he explains in the light of the verses of the Qur’an and the hadith, why the brotherhood of Muslims is very important as follows: The Prophet Mohammed (saas) explains: "Muslims are siblings, they do not hurt, wrong or afflict one another.” (Bukhari and Muslim) Don’t get jealous of each other, don’t hold a grudge against each other, don’t say bad things to each other, don’t turn your backs to each other, don’t gossip about each other. Servants of Allah, be brothers. (Bukhari and Muslim; Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali, Ihya al-Ulum al-Din, vol. 3, p. 315) The great scholar Al Ghazali explains how the believers should approach each other in these wise words: ... You should always approach them with the compassion that they expect from you. You should see their good sides and ignore the bad ones. When they come to you and talk to you, you should not turn your eyes away from them. (Ihya al-Ulum al-Din, p. 431) Some of the sage advice of Al Ghazali … "Don’t forget that Almighty Allah knows everything you think and say. People see only the outside of each other, but Almighty Allah sees both the inside and the outside of all. Those who know that will be careful with their thoughts and actions. “ "O my lower self, if you are saying ‘I’ll repent and do good things later’, remember that death can come before that and you can only regret. If you think repenting tomorrow is easier than it is today, you are mistaken”. Al Ghazali gave the good news of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) In his works Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali explained in detail the qualities of Hazrat Mahdi (as) who is to come in the End Times based on the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and heralded Muslims with the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).

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General Articles, - You who have iman, be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness; be firm on the battlefield; and have taqwa of Allah; so that hopefully you will be successful. (Surat Al ‘Imran, 200)

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:-> Islam praises women Muslim Woman Is Noble A Muslim woman is noble; she has a character that does not stoop to simple attitudes and insignificant interests. She knows that jealousy, gossiping, sarcasm, caprice, hypocrisy and similar attitudes do not please Allah and that they are humiliating attitudes giving harm to one’s personality and distancing her from nobility. Therefore, she never deigns to any of these behaviors. She remains resolute about always assuming attitudes in compliance with the morality of the Qur’an as she knows that this will raise someone to the noblest state. Every moment she displays sedate character because she lives by the morality of the Qur’an. For instance, she never uses the flaws of others as an object of sarcasm; on the contrary she tries to compensate others’ flaws in the most pleasant way. When she sees someone having a superior trait, she praises that person rather than being jealous of him. She responds to every attitude in the noblest manner and conducts herself in compliance with the morality of the Qur’an. Even if people respond her with low behaviors, she never ceases to be noble and sedate, and remains persistent in her nobility. Muslim Woman Is Virtuous and Dignified In the Holy Quran: “If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, We shall expel out of you all the evil in you, and admit you to a gate of great honour. (Surah An-Nisa, 31); Allah announces that He will grant the honour only to those who have a sincere effort in living Quranic morality and to those who fear Him deeply. True dignity is to disdain hypocrisy, lie, and small impostures for small interests and simple behaviors; as one fears Allah deeply and sincerely believes in the Hereafter. It is to be able to respond nicely, morally and maturely to those who act ignorantly. Muslim woman performs a dignified and sedate personality deriving from her deep faith in Allah. Knowing that performing behaviors in accordance with Quranic morality is the only thing that makes one superior; she never appeases from her modest, devoted character that pleases Allah. In many verses of the Quran, Allah emphasized the importance of virtue and the values it brings to a woman. Allah announces the importance of virtue in a Quran verse: “…that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested.” (Surah Al-Ahzabi 59). Virtue brings respect and dignity to a woman and prevents her from being insulted in the society. Muslim women obey every single rule Allah announced them in the Quran and thus they attain dignity, sedateness and respect. It is possible to understand how virtuous and sedate she is from the looks, laughs, gestures, speeches and attitudes of that kind of person. Virtuous woman has natural nobility, a humane grandeur and trusted personality. Allah announces in a Quran verse that true believers might be known from their faces: “…On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration” (Surah Al-Fath,29)

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Marital Life, - Resolving Marital Conflicts: Strategies and Solutions

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:-> What is the best solution when a married couple faces marital problems and conflicts? Contrary to popular practice, divorce or threatening a spouse with divorce is not the right solution. The best solution is patience, endurance and realizing that it is natural for differences to arise between married people. It is also necessary for each spouse to bear with his/ her partner and to overlook some of the words and acts that may be displeasing. After all, one does not always know where one’s best interest lies; you may like to do something that turns out to be bad for you. Besides, there are times when you do something that you do not like to do but it turns out to be good for you. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them -- perhaps you dislike a thing and Allaah Makes therein much good.{]Quran 4:19[ When the couple’s disagreement worsens, the ties between them start weakening. Then, the wife becomes disobedient, arrogant and negligent of her duties and her husband's rights. She may also deny her husband’s virtues. The remedy for this attitude in Islam is stated explicitly and it does not include divorce. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}But those ]wives[ from whom you fear arrogance -- ]first[ advise them; ]then if they persist[, forsake them in bed; and ]finally[, strike them. But if they obey you ]once more[, seek no means against them.{]Quran 4:34[ When dealing with the wife’s arrogance, first, the husband should advise her, admonish her, and remind of the husband’s rights over her and of the punishment of Allaah The Almighty. All this should be done tactfully and patiently, while adopting the approach of encouraging at times and dissuading at other times. Forsaking the wife in bed is a punishment for her arrogance and disobedience. It is worthy noting that Allaah The Almighty Says, “forsake them in the bed” not out of it. This means that the husband should not let anyone notice that he is upset with his wife. The purpose of this punishment is to solve the problem and not to humiliate the woman or violate the privacy of their marriage relationship. If the problem is not solved, stricter measures may be the answer. Some people are not affected by gentle advising and they grow more arrogant when they are treated kindly. When such people are treated strictly, they become calm and quiet. Every sensible man realizes that if temporary sternness could bring back discipline, and prevent the family from breaking up, it would be better than divorce and separation. This is a positive form of discipline, yet it is not meant to be applied for the sake of revenge or humiliation. It is a means to put matters right and to reform the married couple’s situation. If the wife fears her husband’s contempt or evasion, she should apply the following verse: Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And if a woman fears from her husband contempt or evasion, there is no sin upon them if they make terms of settlement between them -- and settlement is best.{]Quran 4:128[ The solution is by making settlement but not by divorce or separation. Settlement may be giving up some of the financial or personal rights in order to retain the marriage relationship. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And settlement is best.{]Quran 4:128[ Indeed, settlement is better than disagreement, aversion, arrogance and divorce. This is a quick review and a brief reminder of one of the aspects of the religion of Allaah The Almighty and how to apply its rulings. How far do we apply it? Why do people disregard the role of the two arbitrators in attempting to settle a marital conflict? Is it because they abstain from reforming themselves or is it that they wish to separate families and children? In most cases, we see ignorance, injustice, lack of consciousness of Allaah The Almighty, desertion of many of His rulings, and tampering with His prescribed punishments. It was narrated by Ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibbaan and others that theProphet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“Why are some of you tampering with the prescribed punishments of Allaah while I am still living among you?” Last resort for solving conflicts: When all the possible means of treatment prove ineffective and it becomes impossible to maintain marital ties, as the aims and wisdom of marriage stipulated by Allaah The Almighty are not achieved,Sharee‘ah)Islamic legislation( has made a way out for this problem. However, many Muslims are ignorant of the method ofdivorce legislated by theSharee‘ahlegislated and they continually repeat the words of divorce without considering the limits that are set by Allaah The Almighty and HisSharee‘ah. Divorce is prohibited when it occurs during the woman’s menstrual period, or during a period of purity in which an incident of intercourse takes place. A three-fold divorce, which is when the husband says that he divorces his wife all three times in one time, is also prohibited. These three kinds of divorce are prohibited and the person who does this bears a sin but the divorce is effected, according to the soundest opinions of scholars. TheSunnidivorce that Muslims should understand is the divorce for one time that occurs during a period of purity in which no incident of intercourse takes place or divorce during pregnancy. Divorce that takes place during such a period is a remedy, as it takes place after the husband has taken his time to think. While waiting for the time of purity where no intercourse took place, a husband thinks carefully and he may change his mind. His heart may be awakened and perhaps Allaah The Almighty will decree for them a different matter. The period of ‘Iddah)waiting period( is either counted by the month, the number of times when menstruation took place, or if it is to last until the pregnant divorcee has delivered her baby -- is a chance for family reunion that may return love and affection. Muslims are often ignorant of the fact that the divorcee should stay in her husband’s home without going out if her divorce was still revocable. Allaah The Almighty Says that these are the wives’ houses, in order to confirm their right to stay in them. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Do not turn them out of their houses,{]Quran 65:1[ Staying at the house of the husband gives him a chance to revoke the divorce and paves the way for arousing the feeling of love and the memories of their mutual life. In this case, the woman would seem far as she is divorced, but she would be close to the husband’s sight. This ruling aims at calming the storm and encouraging responsible reconsideration of the situation and deliberation of the affairs of the household and the children. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O Prophet, when you ]Muslims[ divorce women, divorce them for ]the commencement of[ their waiting period and keep count of the waiting period, and fear Allaah, your Lord. Do not turn them out of their ]husbands'[ houses, nor should they ]themselves[ leave ]during that period[ unless they are committing a clear immorality. And those are the limits ]set by[ Allaah. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allaah has certainly wronged himself. You know not; perhaps Allaah will bring about after that a ]different[ matter.{]Quran 65:1[

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