1. Blessing and Dissipation

1.
In the following sections, we will analyze how the Qur'an looks at
Paradise and, based upon these descriptions,"try to imagine this
perfect place. But before we do this, let'slook at a few important
points. In today's societies,many people have erroneous ideas and
impressions in their conscious and subconscious minds. As such
obstacles cause them to formulate a mistaken view, we must describe
some basic Islamic concepts whose meanings have departed from their
original understanding.
With this in mind, we first have to distinguish between "blessing"
and"dissipation."
In the following pages, wewill see that the Qur'an describes Paradise
as an extremely luxurious and magnificent place, and that life therein
is as comfortable and attractiveas it can be.
However, to many people today, such a life is not so much "Islamic" as
it is a natural outcome of being alienated from Allah and religious
moral teaching.
So, because of this erroneous understanding that dominates society,
very many people think that a comfortable, luxurious, and ostentatious
life, and all that goes along with it, are "un-Islamic." They see such
things as expensive clothes, rich food, entertainment, dinner parties,
magnificently appointed houses, d�cor, and valuable art works as
belonging to ignorant people cut off from their religion. They usually
call alife filled with these things"dissolute," and criticize those
who give this society its name as "living undisciplined lives of
dissolution." The word"dissolution" (safahat) comes from the Arabic
safih, and can be translated as "a lack of discipline, overindulgence,
a weakness of mind that comes from living an irresponsible life of
wealthand comfort."
Here, we encounter a falseunderstanding that must be corrected. The
life of Paradise that Allah has been pleased to choose forHis
servants, as well as a life that contains every kind of luxury,
comfort, and ostentation, is also the most beautiful and noble way of
life, one that conforms as closely as possible to religious
moralteaching.
A false definition of dissolution opens the way to misunderstanding.
Dissolution, or rebellion against Allah through a lack of discipline
and overindulgence, is a condition of the human mind. People are not
dissolute because of their clothes, ostentatious houses, aesthetic
environments, or material wealth. Rather, the problem is in their
minds.
The natural result of this situation is this: If people have a
Qur'anic morality and a strong faith, they can live among the richest
opulence imaginable without ever becoming dissolute. On the contrary,
because they view everything they encounteraccording to the Qur'anic
criteria and moral teaching, they see all of the beauty surrounding
them as a blessing. In other words, they realize that all of these
things are gifts from Allah. So, if Muslims know that Allah has given
all of the surrounding riches, beauty, opulence, and magnificence,
naturally they thank our Lord for what He has provided. This is, after
all, why all blessings have been created.
If we applied this general way of thinking to our present society, we
would have to say that those who live a dissolute life and turn away
from Allah's commands have gone astray, because they do not see that
all of their possibilities are blessings from Him. If they saw these
things as blessings, this understanding would lead them to give thanks
to Allah. And then, they would use these blessings as Allah intended
them to be used: avoiding waste and using them in a way pleasing to
Him.
So, wealth can be defined in two ways. Some rich people are believers
who consider all of their possessions to be blessings from Allah,
whileother rich people go astray by considering all oftheir
possessions as their own, forget Allah, and fall into dissolution.
However, the model that Allah has proposed for all of His servants is
wealth, as mentioned in the first model above. Wealth and poverty are
tests for believers. Although some believers may be tested bypoverty,
Allah commands:"We desired to show kindness to those who were
oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders and inheritors" (Surat
al-Qasas, 5). This might happen in the world, but it certainly will
happen in the afterlife.
Therefore, it would be very wrong for Muslims to find fault with
grand, luxurious, and opulent lives. Muslims must not shun such people
and regard them with disdain, because, after all, all material things
in this life (e.g., fine clothes, deliciousfood, magnificent homes and
works of art) were created for Muslims, as we read in Surat al-A'raf,
32:
Say: :->

--

- - -
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - -

Introduction Sunni and Shi'a

Introduction
Sunni and Shi'a:
-
The words Sunni and Shi'a appear regularly in stories about the Muslim
world but few people know what they really mean. Religion permeates
every aspect of life in Muslim countries and understanding Sunni and
Shi'a beliefs is important in understanding the modern Muslim world.
Introduction
The division between Sunnis and Shi'as is the largest and oldest in
the history of Islam.
They both agree on the fundamentals of Islam and share the same Holy
Book (The Qur'an ), but there are differences mostly derived from
their different historical experiences, political and social
developments, as well asethnic composition.
These differences originate from the question of who would succeed the
Prophet Muhammad as leader of the emerging Muslim community after his
death. To understand them, we need to know a bit about the
Prophet'slife and political and spiritual legacy.
The Prophet Muhammad
When the Prophet died in the early 7th century he left not only the
religion of Islam but alsoa community of about one hundred thousand
Muslims organised as an Islamic state on the Arabian Peninsula. It
wasthe question of who should succeed the Prophet and lead the
fledgling Islamic state that created the divide.
The larger group of Muslims chose Abu Bakr, a close Companion of
theProphet, as the Caliph (politico-social leader) and he was accepted
as such by much of the community which saw the succession in political
and not spiritual terms. However another smaller group, which also
included some of the senior Companions, believed that the Prophet's
son-in-law and cousin, Ali, should be Caliph. They understood that the
Prophet had appointed him as the sole interpreter of his legacy, in
both political and spiritual terms. In the end Abu Bakr was appointed
First Caliph.
Leadership claims
Both Shi'as and Sunnis have good evidence to support their
understanding of the succession. Sunnis arguethat the Prophet chose
Abu Bakr to lead the congregational prayers as he lay on his deathbed,
thus suggesting that the Prophet was naming Abu Bakr as the next
leader. The Shi'as' evidence is that Muhammad stood up in front of his
Companions on the way back from his last Hajj, and proclaimed Ali the
spiritual guide and master of all believers. Shi'a reports say he
tookAli's hand and said that anyone who followed Muhammad should
follow Ali.
Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr should have been the Prophet's
successor have come to be known as Sunni Muslims. Those who believe
Ali should have been the Prophet's successor are now known as Shi'a
Muslims. It was only later that these terms came into use. Sunni means
'one who follows the Sunnah'(what the Prophet said, did, agreed to or
condemned). Shi'a is a contraction of the phrase 'Shiat Ali', meaning
'partisans of Ali'.
The use of the word"successor" should not be confused to mean that
those leaders that came after the Prophet Muhammad were also prophets
- both Shi'a and Sunni agree that Muhammad was the final prophet.

--

- - -
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - -

He is asking about al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah?

What is al-'Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah? What is it about?.
Praise be to Allaah.
al-'Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah is a book dealing with 'aqeedah (basic
tenets offaith) which was writtenby Imam al-Tahhaawi and named after
him. Discussing this 'aqeedah means that we must lookat it from a
number of angles.
Firstly:
The author is the imam, muhaddith and faqeeh Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn
Muhammad ibn Salaamah al-Tahhaawi - who is named after a village in
Upper Egypt - he studied with many Shaykhs and learned from them and
benefited from them, and he listed their number as three hundred
Shaykhs.
He was praised by more than one of the scholars:
Ibn Yoonus said: al-Tahhaawi was trustworthy, sincere, a faqeeh and a
man of wisdom, and after him there was no one else like him.
Al-Dhahabi said: the faqeeh, muhaddith, haafiz, one of the prominent
scholars, and he was trustworthy, sincere, a faqeeh and a man of
wisdom.
Ibn Katheer said: He was one of the trustworthy, sincere and a haafiz.
He wrote books which were well-written, comprehensive and of great
value, among which was his great book Ma'aani al-Athaar, which
contains research on fiqh accompanied by evidence and discussion of
controversial matters, and pointing to which view is more correct.
His books also include Mushkil al-Athaar and others.
He died (may Allaah havemercy on him) in 321 AH and was buried in
Egypt,in al-Quraafah.
See his biography in Siyar A'laam al-Nubala' (15/33-37) and
al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah (11/174).
Secondly:
This 'Aqeedah which waswritten by al-Tahhaawi mentions a number of the
beliefs of the righteous salaf and those who followed them of Ahl
al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, which was approved by the imams of the
Hanafis - as al-Tahhaawi followed the madhhab of Abu Haneefah. He
explained in his introduction his aims in doing that, and said:
"This is an explanation of the 'aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ahaccording to the view of the fuqaha' of this madhhab: Abu
Haneefahal-Nu'maan ibn Thaabit al-Kufi, Abu Yoosuf Ya'qoob ibn
Ibraaheem al-Ansaari, and Abu 'Abd-Allaah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan
al-Shaybaani, may Allaahbe pleased with them all,and the beliefs
concerning the fundamentals of Islam, on the basis of which they
submit to the Lord of the Worlds." End quote.
Then he mentioned these basic beliefs, and the total number of things
he mentioned was 105 things believed by Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah in
general.
He started by explaining the Oneness of Allaah, may He be exalted, and
said a little about the attributes of His Lordship(sifaat
ruboobiyyatihi), such as His being alive and self-sufficient, and His
being the Creator and Provider, and he affirmed the attributes of
perfection without discussing how or likening Him to any of His
creation, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "There
is nothing like Him, and Heis the All-Hearer, the All-Seer" [al-Shoora
42:11]. Then he followedthat with a discussion of the obligation to
believein the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and that he was sent to all people. Then he spoke of the
Holy Qur'aan, stating that it is the word of Allaah and not created,
and he affirmed that thebelievers will see Allaah in the Hereafter.
Then hementioned some mattersof the unseen in which Ahl al-Sunnah
believe, such as the Cistern (al-hawd), intercession, the Throne and
the Footstool (al-Kursiy). Then he mentioned the pillars of belief in
al-qada' wa'l-qadar (the Divine will and decree) and what Ahl
al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah believe about this topic. Then hewent on to
define faith and its pillars, and explained that faith may increase
and decrease, and he explained the view of Ahl al-Sunnah in contrast
to the views of the Khawaarij and Murji'ah. He also described what
Ahl-al-Sunnah believe with regard to the noble Sahaabah (may Allaah
bepleased with them), and that loving them is part of Islam, faith and
ihsaan, and that hating them is kufr, hypocrisy and sin. Then he
mentioned some of the portents of the Hour andwhat will happen on
theDay of Resurrection, then he ended his essay with an discussion of
how this religion is the middle path, between exaggeration and
fallingshort.
Thirdly:
It is a book of 'aqeedah that is easy to read and clear in meaning. It
is comprehensive and brief. It sums up the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah and, for the most part, includes matters on which there
is scholarly consensus and agreement.
Many scholars have written commentaries on this 'Aqeedah and explained
its words and meanings. One of the most famous of them is Ibn
Abi'l-'Izz al-Hanafi, who wrote a lengthy commentary on it; among
later scholars, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz and Shaykh Muhammad
Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on them) wrote
commentaries on it, as did Shaykh Safar ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Hawaali
(may Allaah preserve him). The one who wants to understand more of the
meanings of al-Tahhaawiyyah can refer to these commentaries.
Fourthly:
'Aqeedah al-Tahhaawi discusses matters in briefand general terms, but
what made it very famous and popular among the Salafis in particular
is the commentary which was written by Shaykh Ibn Abi'l-'Izz al-Hanafi
(may Allaah have mercy on him), which is the most important and most
detailed of its commentaries. He based his commentary on the books of
Ahl al-Sunnah, especially the books of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah
(may Allaah have mercy on him) and his student Ibn al-Qayyim (may
Allaah have mercy on him).
Fifthly:
Despite what we have referred to of the good features of this
'Aqeedahand its commentary by Ibn Abi'l-'Izz, it also contains a
number of issues which were criticized, because they go against what
the salaf believed, such as his saying, when defining faith: "Faith is
affirming with the tongue and believing in the heart," because
limiting it to that is the view of the Murji'i fuqaha' who excluded
physical actions from thedefinition of faith. The same applies to what
he said after that, "Faith is one and the same, and believers are
equal with regard to the foundation of faith."
It also includes some general phrases that may be understood
incorrectly, and are mostoften used by innovatorsto mean things that
are contrary to the beliefs ofthe righteous salaf, such as his saying,
"exalted beHe above limits and boundaries" and "exalted be He above
having faculties and parts" and "He is not subject to directions
anddimensions which are attributes of created beings." Such phrases
are used by those who misinterpret the attributes of Allaah
(al-mu'attilah) to deny what is affirmed in the Book of Allaah and
the Sunnah of His Messengerof the sublime attributesof Allaah that
befit His perfection, may He be glorified and exalted, such as His
Countenance,hands and eyes. They callthem faculties and parts,and deny
that Allaah possesses them.
Another example is His being above His creation, and His rising above
His Throne in His heaven. They call this "directions and location"and
deny that it applies to Allaah, may He be exalted.
Because of that, it is important for the seekerof knowledge to pay
attention to learning this 'Aqeedah from a scholar of Ahl al-Sunnah
who can explain it, such as Ibn Abi'l-'Izz among classical scholars
and from contemporary scholars who have written brief commentaries on
it, as we have referred to above.
There are many audio commentaries on this book, such as the commentary
by Shaykh Saalih Aal al-Shaykh, andthe commentary by Shaykh Yoosuf
al-Ghufays, and others.
Shaykh Safar al-Hawaali (may Allaah preserve him) has commented at
length on the commentary of Ibn Abi'l-'Izz; you may refer to it on his
website.
And Allaah knows best.

--

- - -
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - -

Is it obligatory to obey aruler who does not rule according to the Book ofAllaah and the Sunnah ofHis Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him)?

Is it obligatory to obey a ruler who does not rule according to the
Book ofAllaah and the Sunnah ofHis Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The ruler who does not rule according to the Book of Allaah and the
Sunnah of His Messengershould be obeyed in matters that do not involve
disobedience towards Allaah and His Messenger, and it is not
obligatory to fight him because of that; rather itis not permissible
to do so unless he reaches the level of kufr, in which case it becomes
obligatory to oppose him and he has no right to be obeyed by the
Muslims.
Ruling according to anything other than thatwhich is in the Book of
Allaah and the Sunnah ofHis Messenger reaches the level of kufr when
two conditions are met:
1. When he knows the ruling of Allaah and His Messenger; if he is
unaware of it, then he does not commit kufr by going against it.
2. When what makes him rule by something other than that which
Allaah has revealed is the belief that it is a ruling that is not
suitable for our time andthat something else is more suitable than it
and more beneficial for people.
If these two conditions are met, then ruling by something other than
that which Allaah has revealed constitutes kufrwhich puts a person
beyond the pale of Islam, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): "And whosoever does not judge by what Allaah hasrevealed,
such are the Kaafiroon (i.e. disbelievers)" [al-Maa'idah 5:44]. The
authority of the ruler becomes invalid and he has no right to be
obeyed by the people; it becomes obligatory to fight him and remove
him from power.
But if he rules by something other than that which Allaah has revealed
whilst believing that ruling by that – i.e. that which Allaah has
revealed -- is what is obligatory, and that it is more suitable for
the people, but he goes against it because of some whims and desires
on his part or because he wants to wrong the people underhis rule,
then he is not a kaafir; rather he is a faasiq (evildoer) or a zaalim
(wrongdoer). His authority remains, and obeying him in matters that do
not involve disobedience to Allaah and His Messenger is obligatory,
and it is not permissible to fight him or remove him from power by
force or to rebel against him, because the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allaah be upon him) forbade rebelling against rulers unless
we see blatant kufr for which we have proof from Allaah.

--

- - -
Translate:
http://translate.google.com/m?hl=en&twu=1/
- - - -