New Muslims fast for the first time in Ramadan

The first Ramadan fast is exciting. The experience is much more
exciting for men and women who have just convertedto Islam and are
beginning their first fasting experience in their 40′s.
What do new Muslims say about Islam and Ramadan? How did they perceive
Ramadan before their conversion to Islam? What are their feelings now
that they have become Muslims?
"I used to make fun of Ramadan" says Ahmed Moamen
I USED to make fun of Ramadan and the notionof Islamic fasting. I used
to ridicule those Muslimswho torture their bodiesby fasting," said
Marcos-now-turned-Ahmed Moamen, a Filipino.
"I lived in the UAE for nine years as a traditional Christian
whoirregularly goes to Church. For me and my colleagues, Ramadan was a
nightmare. It was a month in which we were all confined to our homes
as all bars remainshut," he recalled.
"This was not the only thing I detested about the Ramadan fast, but
also this tough treatment of both body and soul. I used to believe the
body has desires that should be met. Therefore, I only perceived of
fasting as an unjustifiable and illogical torture," Moamen said.
"Those were the bad old days."
"The Almighty Allah guided me to Islam," Moamen continued. "I had a
long time roommate, who once converted to Islam, tried hard to lure me
into it. He used to discuss Islam and gave me some translated books
about the faith until the Almighty finally opened up my heart. And
here I am having my very first fasting experience in Ramadan," Moamen
said.
"After Allah guided me to Islam and after havingfasted several days of
Ramadan, I found out that all my previous ideas about the rights
ofone's body were not true and that straightening our bodiesonce a
year is of great wisdom. That is why Allah ordered us to fast one
month of the year and not the whole year,"said Moamen of his new
spiritual experience withRamadan.
"It [fasting] brings the Muslim closer to Allah. I do not exaggerate
if I say that I feel a serenity Ihave never before felt inmy entire
life," Moamen concluded.
"Ramadan has its own sense of spirituality" saysAbdul-Rahman Yousef
Abdul-Rahman Yousef, a Lebanese who was named Tony before embracing
Islam also experienced his first Ramadan.
Sounding delighted about the new fasting experience, Yousef said he
was overwhelmed by joy and that fasting helped him feel the serenity
that only fastersenjoy.
"Ever since Allah guided me to Islam, I've become used to the habit of
fasting every Monday and Thursday [following in the footstep of
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to make up for my sins which I
committed before Islam," he said.
"But, fasting in Ramadanis a totally different experience because the
holy month has its own sense of spirituality and serenity that is
absent from other days and months," Yousef asserted.
"Even prayers in Ramadan are different from the usual prayers," he
said, adding that Allah magnifies the gooddeeds of Muslims in Ramadan
and spares them from Hell.
Yousef lamented having wronged Islam and Muslims in the past,
especially during the civil war in Lebanon, and prayed to Allah the
Almighty to forgive his previous bad deeds.
"When I read the Quran, I found answers" - Fatma
Muslim woman reading Quran.
Carol Anoi was brought up in a Protestant Scottish family. She spent
her childhood in the countryside which gave her a chance for
contemplation and meditation.
After she finished school in London, she got a job in a UAE hotel and
spent several years there until she got involved with anArab Muslim.
"I loved him so much and he started talking tome about Islam. I began
with him a search journey. We read most of the books on Islam in
English," said Carol-turned-Fatma Al-Zahra Mohammad (the name of one
of Prophet Muhammad's daughters).
"I realized that Islam is the right faith that dignified the human
being and catered for the rights of man, woman and child," she
stressed. "I found it a religion in harmony with human nature," Fatma
said. "When I readthe holy Qur'an, I found answers to all questions
haunting my mind and soul. Eventually, I converted to Islam and we
(she and her Arab Muslim friend) got married," she recalled.
"As for Ramadan, I cannot describe to you how delighted I am to fast
Ramadan this year. "Ramadan's atmosphere makes us feel closer to
Allah. And since it is a month of worship, we are keen on getting
closer to the Almighty through prayers," Fatma added.
"I cannot describe my happiness while performing Tarawih prayers with
many otherMuslim women," she said, lamenting that in ordinary days one
wouldnot find so many worshipers in prayers.
Amnah found peace in the body movements of the prayers
Amnah Jordon, once Caroline Jordon, from South Africa said it was that
unique peace reflected in the body movements during prayers that
attracted her to Islam in the first place. "Fasting is a fine way of
spiritual and psychological elevation and these were the things that
guided my way into Islam," said Amnah.
"Fasting and Ramadan are the most joyful religious rituals and the
closest to my heart," she added.
"I spent years of my life searching for a way for spiritual satiety. I
adoredcontemplation sessions and read a lot in orientalphilosophy but
never reached satisfaction," she underlined.
"I completed my study inthe UAE and happened to live by some Muslim
neighbors who always performed their prayers by the book.
"I used to sit and watch their Rukou'a [kneeling] and Sujoud [the
positionwhen a Muslim worshiper's head touches the ground during
prayers] and it was very touching because Rukou'a and Sujoud are
magnificent body and spiritual sport," Amnah said.
She recalled performing prayers and practicing Rukou'a and Sujoud even
before converting to Islam.
"I felt a kind of serenity Ihave never experienced before, and since
that very moment I began a quest to explore Islam until Allah guided
me into becoming a Muslim and I was overwhelmed by spiritual peace,"
Amnah concluded.

Biographies - Imam ibn Majah

Abu Abdullah Muhammadibn Majah(r.a) – [209 - 273 A.H.]
ImamIbn Majahwas bornin the city of Qazvin in the northern Persian
province of Dailam. After gaining ahadith from themany great religious
scholars of his city, he travelled to seek knowledgeat the young age
of 21. ImamIbn Majahis said to have visited Basrah, Kufah, Baghdad,
the Hijaz, Makkah, Syria and Egypt to hear and gather ahadith.
Amongst his teachers were Jabbara ibn al Mughlis, Ibrahim ibn
al-Munzar, Hisham ibn Umar and more Abu Bakribn Shaibah.
His status
Ibn Khallikan writes that Imam ibn Majah held the position of an Imam
in the subject of hadith.
Abu al-Ali Khalili says he was a great scholar of Qur'anic exegesis,
ahadith and history.
Adh Dhahabi stated that he was a hafiz and warehouse of Prophetic knowledge.
Imam ibn Majah is knownto have authored 3 books, popularly known Sunan
ibn Majah, at-Tafsir and at-Tarikh.
Imam Ibn Majah departed from this worldduring the blessed monthof
Ramadan 273 A.H. in Qazvin, the city of his birth.
May Allah Ta'ala fill his Qabar with Noor.
Ameen.

Biographies - Shah Wali-U Allah

Shah Wali-u Allah was born on 4th Shawwaal, 1114 / 21 February 1703
1703 at Phulat in Delhi. His ancestors had migrated from Arabia to
Iran for reasons not known. Later on when the invasion of the
Tatarscaused widely spread terror and destruction in Iraq and Iran,
the forefathers of the Shah are said to have migratedto India and
found their settlement here at Rohtak village. His grandfather was a
gallant soldier in the Mughal army and a deep lover of the Qur'aan.
Shaykh Abdur-Rahim wasShah Wali-u Allah's father, the pupil of a great
scholar and sufi – Zahid Herawi. Abdur-Rahim was famous for
hisprofound knowledge of the traditions and Islamicjurisprudence. That
is why he was offered the service in the government to revise Fataawa
Alamgiri which he undertook at the instance of his mother. He was also
famous for found his seminary, Madrasah-e-Rahimiyyah in Delhi the
forerunner ofthe present Darul Uloom Deoband. Shaykh Abdur-Rahim had
interests in mysticism yet he did not ignore the practical aspects of
life. In the home of such a pious andlearned father, the Shah grew up
to great heights of eminence.
At the age of five, the Shah had his first lesson at school. After two
years he learnt reading and writing. He learnt the Qur'aan by heart
upto the age of ten. At the ageof fourteen years he reada part of
Bauzayi and the major part of Mishkawah.He got the graduation from
Rahimiyyah college at the age of fifteen. The prescribed syllabus of
thecollege laid great stress on the Qur'aanic studies with lesser aid
from commentaries and the Shah himself felt thankfulto God for being
provided with opportunity to lecture onthe lessons of the Qur'aanwhich
opened the doors of its knowledge for him.The other sciences like the
Hadith, Fiqh, logic, etc. were also learnt by the Shah. He became the
teacher of this very college of his father at the age of seventeen.
Only two years later, his father died and the management work of
theschool fell upon him. The Shah took up the task with devotion and
attained the help of the old graduates of the college. He prepared his
lectures after extensive study on various Islamic disciplines and
sciences. and provided guidance on the problems of varied nature.
While sitting on the grave of hisfather in pious meditation, he sought
solutions of the spiritual problems. 'When I sat meditating,' he
reports, 'at the grave of my father, problems of Tawhid (oneness of
God) were solved. The path of the divine attraction (Jazb) was opened;
and alarge share of Saluk (spiritual journey) fall to my lot, and
inspirational knowledge (Uloom-e-Wajdaniyyah) thronged the mind with
it.' Through his study of standard Fiqh literature and Hadith books,
the Shah came to the conclusion that the institution of
Fuqaha-e-Muhadditheen (jurisprudents who drew heavily upon traditions
of the Prophet Muhammad(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) was an adequate
one that he would adhere to in his future life.
Shah Wali-u Allah's journey to Hijaaz in October 24 1730 / 8
Rabi-as-Thaani 1143 proved a turning point inhis career. It was the
timewhen the Indian subcontinent was undergoing a deep crisis
consequent upon the declining fortunes of the Mughal empire. Under
such conditions there was growing an indifference towards religion.
The sectarian conflicts had become the order of the day. Sufism had
generated and various evils had crept into the society as a result of
the practices of the false Sufis. The sensitive mind of the Shah was
deeply moved by the deplorable situation prevailing in India and his
journey to Hijaaz had much to do with this preoccupation of the
scholar. In Hijaaz, the Shah stayed for about two years, performed
Hajj twice at Makkahand also spent sometime at the Prophet's tomb in
Madinah. Besides acquainting himself with the general condition of the
Muslimworld during his stay in Hijaaz, the Shah also received lessons
on the Qur'aan and the Hadith and thereby was able to attain
considerable guidance in the spiritual matters. He read from
thescholars of repute, Muatta of Imaam Maalik with Shaykh Wafadullah
and Bukhari of Imaam Bukhari with Shaykh Taj-al-Din Hanafi, the Mufti
(juri consultant) of Makkah. At Madinah, the Shah attended to Shaykh
Ibrahim Kurdi, an eminent traditionist and sufi, and revised all
famous books on Hadith under his guidance. Shaykh Abu Tahir, another
great theologianin Madinah, also guided the Shah in the science
ofHadith.
It can hardly be denied that Shah Shah Wali-u Allah's sojourn to
Hijaaz proved to be a landmark in his spiritual development. He
himself mentions many spiritual blessings and experiences in His Fuyuz
al-Haramayn. He receivedthem in a series of visionsat the precincts of
the holy Ka'abah and the holy tomb of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi
Wasallam). In these visions include the task of the revival of Islam
entrusted to the Shah by the grandsons of the prophet, the
intelligibility of the most controversial problems ofontological
versus phenomenological monism, clearance of doubts on the
controversial issues relating to solidarity and development of the
Muslim institutions. A.D. Muztar has eloquently described this
enlightenment of Shah Wali-u Allah in the following words:
The prophet cleared his doubts concerning them in a series of visions.
For example, the prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) told Shah
Wali-u Allah.
1. The order of successionof the Khulafa-e-Raashideen (the four
immediate successors of the prophet) had taken place under the will
and pleasure of God. It was best suited to the interests of Muslim
community and so far as the personal excellence of these four
companionsof the prophet was concerned, all of them were blessed with
qualities and stations special to each of them. The contentions over
the attributive supremacy of Ali on the one hand and of Abu Bakr and
Umar (Shaykhayn) on the other, were just useless and needless. Such a
controversy was apt to create hatred and disharmony among the Muslims.
2. All the mystic orders, such as (Chishti, Naqshabandi, Qadiri,
Suhrawardi, etc.) were equally acceptable to God. Nor was the
prophetof God especially inclinedtowards any particular order. One may
follow any or all of them with the only proviso that theywere followed
for the sake of God Almighty.
3. None of the schools of Jurists, Maaliki, Hanafi, Shaaf'ee and
Hanbali, excelled the other. All of them were fundamentally the same.
Therefore, all were equal in the eyes of the Prophet … It was further
revealed to him that in conveying his message tothe nation and share
their responsibilities; he benign and compassionate in his speeches
and writings; and pray for what was good for the people in their world
life and the life hereafter.
After the Shah's return to Delhi, he addressed himself to the task of
bringing about the revival of Islamic sciencesfor the general good of
Muslims. He made useful reforms in the studies at Rahimiyyah college
in order to impart such teaching and training to the pupil as could
enable them to relate true religious education to the practical needs
of thepeople. The wrong beliefs and customs, associated with Islam,
were reformed through the Shah's translation of the Qur'aan into
Persian which made the people to understand its actual message. His
Tafhimat-I-Ilaahiyya and Hama'at played a great role in clearing off
the doubts about the innovations in Sufism. The interpretation of
Islamic system comprising beliefsand Ibaadat, social, political and
economic matters, was made by theShah under the new and growing
exigencies of his time. Al-Badur al-Bazigah, Hujjatul Allah
al-Baaligha, al-Insaaf fee sabab bayaan al-Ikhtilaaf, etc. clearly
demonstrate the deep concern of the Shah in bringing about the revival
of Islamic sciencesin accordance with the needs of the Muslim society
in the Indian context.
The resurgence of Islamicpolitical thought marks an outstanding
feature of Shah Wali-u Allah's Islamic revivalism. The Ummah in
general and the Indian Muslim in particular were exposed to the
internal and the external threats. The so often controversies over the
standpoints of the Shi'as and the Sunnis, luxurious and lethargic
habits in the Mughal bureaucracy in the capital, rapid growth of the
Maratha power, the Jats, the Sikhs and above all the intrusion of the
Western imperialistic influences had undermined the solidarity of the
Indian Muslims. Their disdain and disunity was further affected by
their indulgence in the conflicts of sectarian, jurisprudential
schools oflaw, heterodoxy and orthodoxy nature. The Shah sensitively
reacted to these problems of political confusion and instability of
Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. He attempted considerably for the
purification and the revitalisation of this political deterioration.
His expositions on the political thought mark his rational approach to
human history and his critical interpretation of the classical history
of Islam.
Political Thought of Shah Wali-u Allah – an Analytical Study
Abdur-Rashid Bhat

Biographies - Imam Nawawi

Birth and Birth place:
The complete name ofImam Nawawiis Abu Zakaria Mohiuddin Yahya, son of
Sharaf An-Nawawi, son of Murry,son of Hassan, son of Hussain, son of
Muhammad, son of Juma,son of Hazam. Nawawi refers to Nawa, a place
near Damascus, in the suburb of the city of Howran. One of his
ancestors named Hazam had settled at this place.Imam Nawawiwas born at
Nawa in the year 631 A.H. His father, a virtuous and pious man,
resolved to arrange for proper and befitting education as he had
discovered the symptoms of heavenly intelligence and wisdom in his
promising child at an early stage.
Shaikh Yasin bin Yousuf Marakashi, a saintly figure of Nawa says: "I
sawImam Nawawiat Nawa when he was a youth of ten years of age.Other
boys of his age used to force him to play with them, but Imam Nawawi
would always avoid the play and wouldremain busy with the recitation
of the Noble Qur'an. When they tried to domineer and insisted on his
joining their games, he bewailed and expressed his no concern over
their foolish action. On observing his sagacityand profundity, a
special love and affection developed in my heart for young Nawawi. I
approached his teacher and urged him to take exceptional care of this
lad as he was to become a great religious scholar and most pious saint
of future. His teacher asked whether I was a soothsayer or an
astrologer. I told him I am neither soothsayer nor an astrologer but
Allah caused me to utter these words." His teacherconveyed this
incident to Imam's father and he keeping in view the learning quest of
his son, decided to dedicate the life of his son for the service and
promotion ofthe cause of Islamic Faith.
In a short period, Nawawi learnt to read the Holy Qur'an and by that
time he nearly had attained puberty. Nawa had no academic or scholarly
atmosphere andthere were no religious academies or institutes where
one could earn excellence in religious learning, so his father took
him to Damascus, which was considered the center of learning and
scholarship, and the students from far and wide gathered there for
schooling. During that period, there were more than three hundred
institutes, colleges and universities in Damascus. Imam Nawawi joined
Madrasah Rawahiyah which was affiliated withthe Ummvi University. The
founder and patron of this Madrasah was a trader named Zakiuddin
Abul-Qassim who was known as Ibn Rawahah. Madrasah was named after
him. Noted and eminent teachers of the period taught in that Madrasah.
Imam Nawawi says, "I studied in this institution for two years. During
my stay in Madrasah Rawahiyah, I never had complete rest and lived on
the limited food supplied by the institution." As a routine he used to
sleep very little at night. When it became irresistible as a human
being, he would lean and slumber for a while against the supportof
books. After a short duration he would again be hard at his scholastic
pursuits.
His Teachers and Guides:
During his stay at Damascus, he studied from more than twenty
celebrated teachers. These teachers were regarded as masters and
authority of their subject field and disciplines they taught. Imam
studied Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, its principles, syntax and
Etymology from great scholars of his time. Abu Ibrahim Ishaq bin Ahmad
AI-Maghribi, Abu Muhammad Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Fazari,
Radiyuddin AbuIshaq Ibrahim bin Abu Hafs Umar bin Mudar Al-Mudari, Abu
Ishaq Ibrahim bin Isa Al-Muradi,Abul-Baqa Khalid bin Yusuf An-Nablusi,
Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Salim Al-Misri, Abu Abdullah Al-Jiyani, Abul-Fath
Umar bin Bandar, Abu Muhammad At-Tanukhi, Sharafuddin Abdul-Aziz bin
Muhammad Al-Ansari, Abul-Faraj Abdur-Rahmanbin Muhammad bin Ahmad
Al-Maqdisi, Abul-Fada'il Sallar bin Al-Hasan Al Arbali etc.
His Students:
There were hundreds of Imam's students, among them some notables are:
Alauddin bin Attar, Ibn Abbas Ahmad bin Ibrahim, Abul-Abbas
Al-Ja'fari, Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Farah, Rashid Ismail bin Mu'allim
Al-Hanafi, Abu Abdullah Al-Hanbali, AbulAbbas Al-Wasti, Jamaluddin
Sulaiman bin Omar Az-Zar'i, AbulFaraj Abdur-Rahman bin Muhammad bin
Abdul-Hamid AlMaqdisi, Badr Muhammad bin Ibrahim, Shamsuddin Muhammad
bin Abu Bakr, Ash-Shihab Muhammad bin Abdul-Khaliq, Hibatullah
Al-Barizi, Abul-Hajjaj Yusuf bin Az-Zaki etc.
His Desire and Crave for Learning:
Imam Nawawi had endless thirst for knowledge, and it can beguessed
from his daily practice of studies. He used to read daily twelve
lessons and write explanation and commentary of every lesson and also
made important additions. Whatever the book ImamNawawi read, he put
down the marginal notesand explanations on that book. His
intelligence, hard work, love, devotion and absorption in his-studies
amazed his teachers and they become fond of him and began to praise
and admire him. According toImam Dhahabi, Imam Nawawi's concentration
and absorption in academic love gained proverbial fame. He had devoted
all his time for learning and scholarship.Other than reading and
writing, he spent his timecontemplating on the interacted and complex
issues and in finding their solutions. Allah had also conferred upon
him the gift of fast memory and depth of thought, and he who makes the
right use of this boon, there remains no doubt in his sagacity and
discernment. Imam Nawawi made full benefit of his God given qualities
and potentialities and earnedthe highest degree of honor.
Imam's Simplicity and Niceness of Manners:
The learned persons, eliteof the society and the public greatly
respected the Imam on account of his piety, learning and excellent
character. He used simple dress and atesimple food. Devout scholars do
not care about worldly chattels, they give preference to religious and
academic pursuits, propagation of Faith etc. They experience more
heavenly delight and joy in such activities than those who seek
satisfaction in luxurious foods, precious clothes and other worldly
things.Imam Nawawi had a prominent place among the erudite notables of
his age. He was God-fearing person having illustrious and glorious
aims regarding propagation of Faith. Celebrated Sheikh Mohiuddin
expresses his impression about Imam Nawawi as thus:
"Imam Nawawi had threedistinctive commendable qualities in his person.
If anybody have only one out of these three, people return to him in
abundance for guidance. First, having knowledge and its dissemination.
Second, to evade completely from the worldly inclinations, and the
third, inviting to all that is good ( Islam) enjoining Al-Ma'ruf
[i.e., Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do] and
forbidding Al-Munkar [polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has
forbidden]. Imam Nawawi had all three in him."
Imam Nawawi's worksand his death
The learned Imam had a very short life but even during this short
period, he had written a large number of books on different subjects.
Every work of the Imam is a masterwork and a treasure of knowledge.
Hundreds and thousands of people benefit from these works.
Some of the Prestigious Works of Imam Nawawi are:
Commentary on Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Minhaj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim,
Riyad-us-Saliheen, Kitab-ur-Raudah, Commentary on Mohadhdhab,
Tahdhib-ul-Asma was-Sifat, Kitab-ul-Adhkar, Arba'een, At-Taqreeb fi
Ilmil-Hadith wal-Irshad fihi, Kitab-ulMubhamat, At-Tibyan, Al-Idah fi
Manasikil-Hajj, Sharh Sahih AlBukhari (Naqis), Sharh Sunan Abi Dawud
(Naqis), Tabaqat Ash Shafi'iyah, Muhimmatul-Ahkam,
Manaqib-ush-Shafi'i, Bustan-ulArifeen, Al-Khulasatu fil-Hadith,
Mukhtasar At- Tirmidhi, A1Masa'il Al-Manthurah, Al-'Umdah fi
Tashihit-Tanbih and others.
After spending 28 years of age, Imam Nawawi returned to his hometown.
Soon after his arrival at Nawa, he felt ill and died. Imam Nawawi is
still living in the hearts of Muslims. His works are of everlasting
value. May Allah bless Imam Nawawi.