Personal, - In Allah’s Hands alone - I

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The true nature of might and power
In an ultimate way, the answer to these and other similar questions is simple: Allah Almighty has willed it. This is so because nothing can happen in this world except by the permission of its mighty Creator and wise Lord, Allah, The Most High.
All of this happens because Allah Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, created laws and means )including evil( which allow certain outcomes, regardless of whether He loves it or not. This does not absolve people from their intentions and deeds, but quite the opposite. It forms the crucible and volitional test of human faith. This is known as Allah's Creative Will or Al-Iraadah Al-Kawniyah.
Allah Almighty also has what is known as the Prescriptive Will, Al-Iraadah Ash-Shar'iyah—or the Sharee`ah—which prescribes for us what Allah Almighty requires us to avoid and loves for us to do. Here Allah Almighty sets forth unambiguously what He detests as evil and what He loves and aides; namely, good, the righteous, and the good deeds they do.
Consequently, everything, good or bad, occurs under Allah's knowledge and happens only by His permission and creation. Making wars, conquests and the defeat of the weak by the physically strong, all take place by His permission because that is His Creative Will but at the intention and choice of man. Thus Allah Almighty Says in the Quran )what means(:"In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. ]It is[ the promise of Allah. Allah does not fail in His promise, but most of the people do not know .They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware."]Quran 30:5-7[
Reflecting upon history and reality shows us that Allah Almighty has made us into various competing communities and nations, who vie with one another for glory. Allah Almighty gives and takes from whom He pleases, even according strength to those He despises. Yet, as the preceding verses indicate, material displays of strength are deceiving. Allah Almighty has created them as an illusion for the disbelievers and those who have disregarded His signs. Strength in this world is meaningless in the next, because it cannot be truly substantial unless it occurs under God's favor.
So it might be a fair question to ask ourselves what do might and power mean for the Muslim—a person who declares: La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, or "There is neither might nor power save with Allah?”
In the course of our answer to this, we will see that the root of the oppression that Allah Almighty mentions time and again in the Quran originates from a crucial misunderstanding of power, the illusion we mentioned previously. All the oppressors in the world perceive themselves as strong and the makers of their own destiny as well as the destiny of others. But the Quran makes clear that everything is as God wills, and that "indeed, Allah is powerful over all things" ]Quran 2:20[.
So our question develops. What is the nature of power and does Allah wish us to view it? Then what sort of concepts about power may we have to correct in ourselves when we answer our question?
Power and Devine knowledge
Consider Ibrahim, Father of Prophets, Friend of God. He approached King Nimrod, calling him to submit to Allah Almighty. But Nimrod doubted and disputed him, simply because Allah Almighty had granted him kingship )2:258(. In arrogance, Nimrod saw his kingdom and control over other people as a sign that his power made him responsible to no one. But Ibrahim, peace be upon him, insisted: "My Lord is He Who gives life and gives death." And Nimrod said: "I give life and give death."And it was true in a sense. Nimrod could decree the execution of whomever he wished in his kingdom.
But Ibrahim, peace be upon him, saw that Nimrod's argument was sheer falsehood. "Then, indeed, it is Allah who brings the sun from the East. So you bring from the West." Nimrod could not answer. Ibrahim, peace be upon him, knew the flimsiness of Nimrod's arguments, how weak a web of self-deception he had spun for himself. He recognized the difference between the violent might and meaningless power of Nimrod, and the wise and ultimate nature of true power from Allah. Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, knew true power comes only from complete submission to God, not from physical outbursts and the compulsion of others.
The same is evident from the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, who said:"A strong person is not the one who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the one who contains himself when he is angry."]Al-Bukhari[
The believer does not wish to extend his human limitations onto other people through needless violence, harsh words, and spiteful thoughts. Allah Almighty Says )what means(:"And do not turn your cheek ]in contempt[ toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful."]Quran 31:18[
This Quranic verse shows attributes, not of the strong, but the spiritually weak. Instead, the strong man of God is in selfless devotion to his Creator. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, did not take his revenge on the people of Makkah when he conquered it. He did not raise his voice at those who disrespected him. Instead, he went against most of the expectations of what the Arabs considered to be actions of the strong and powerful at that time. In this was a sign of his real strength.
When we desire to oppose oppression, we must remember that we serve only the One who has created all things, and not the created things themselves. We have all heard the expression: "Do not fall in love with the things of this world." But it is equally true to say: "Do not fall into hatred of the things of this world.”
To succumb to either condition is to abandon our submission to Allah for surrender to the world and its illusions, which become controlling over us. It is to lose sight of ultimate purposes and ends, and out of love or hate, to focus on the temporary and miss the eternal. We lose ourselves to our own emotions instead of locating ourselves in the refuge of the All-Merciful.
It is always better to seek to live by Allah's commands than to follow our false desires. An example of this is the celebrated anecdote of Ali ibn abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, on the battlefield. His enemy fell beneath him, open to the deathblow. At that moment, he spat in Ali's face. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, held his stroke and turned away, to the astonishment of his opponent, who asked him why. His action would have emerged not from obedience to Allah, but from personal anger, making it insincere.
Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, recognized that to strike at that moment would be to transfer his submission from the Divine to the dunya )world(, controlled by the actions of his enemy or his physical emotions. If this story is true, it goes a long way to show the solid character of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who wanted his heart to be moved only by Allah Almighty and for His sake alone, not the deception of this world.
He sacrificed a display of physical strength )at that moment(, so he might observe the limits Allah had established )not to kill for one's own whims or motives(. He knew that all power in this world comes from Allah alone, and this power loses its meaning if it is not used in His way. Through this type of action, Allah made him and many other Companions of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, of the strongest and wisest of His servants.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Dought & clear, - Using gelatine and gelatine capsules derived from dead meator pork

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Some forms of medicine, such as gelatine capsules, in which the medicine is placed, are manufactured from collagen, which is a substance derived from the skin and bones of cattle or pigs. In our country, we import them from France and we fill them with medicine, and they are sold in the pharmacies. What is the ruling on that?
Praise be to Allah
There is nothing wrong with using gelatine or gelatine capsules for medicine and so on, if they are derived from the skin or bones of an animal that was slaughtered in the manner prescribed in Islam.
As for those that are taken from “dead meat” (i.e., that which has not been slaughtered properly) or pork, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning that. According to the opinion that istihaalah is a means of purification (i.e., transformation of an impure, haraam substance into another, pure substance), there is nothing wrong with using them, because the haraam thing has turned into a different, permissible substance to which the evidence of prohibition does not apply.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Based on this principle, alcohol is impure, even though its origin is pure. If the reason for its being regarded as impure is no longer present (such as when wine turns into vinegar), then it is to be regarded as pure. This is the basis of sharee‘ah and the basis of reward and punishment.
Based on this, the correct analogy is that this principle may be applicable to all other impurities if they have gone through a process of change. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) removed the remains of the mushrikeen from the site of his mosque, but he did not remove the soil. And Allaah says of milk that it comes“from between excretions and blood” [al-Nahl 16:66]. The Muslims are unanimously agreed that if an animal eats impure things, but it is then detained and fed with pure things, its milk and meat become permissible. The same applies to crops and fruits: if they are watered with impure water, but are then watered with pure water, they become permissible, because of the change (istihaalah) in the impure thing, which becomes pure. The converse also applies: if the pure thing changes into something impure, then it becomes impure (naajis), like water, and food when it changes into urine and faeces. So how can the change affect it when good turns into bad, but not affect it when bad turns into good, and Allaah brings forth pure things from impure things and impure things from pure things?
It is not the origin of a thing that matters, but what it is now. It is impossible for the ruling on impurity to remain when the name and character of the thing have changed. The ruling is connected to the name and character, and is present or absent depending on whether they are present or absent. The texts which deal with the prohibition on dead meat, blood, pork and alcohol do not deal with crops, fruits, sand, salt, soil or vinegar, whether in wording or meaning or text or analogy.
Specialists have stated that gelatine derived from the bones and skins of cattle and pigs has been transformed completely from the substance from which it is derived, and has acquired chemical properties other than the properties of the original matter from which it is derived. This is what the scholars call istihaalah (transformation, process to change a substance to something else)).
See:Tahreem al-Intifaa‘ bi’l-A‘yaan al-Muharramah, p. 250-255.
In the statements of the Islamic Medical Sciences Organization, which discussed the topic of “Haram and impure substances in food and medicine” in partnership with al-Azhar, the Islamic Fiqh Council in Jeddah, the regional office of the World Health Organization in Alexandria and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health during the period 22-24 Dhu’l-Hijjah 1415 AH/22-24 May 1995, it says:
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Foods that contain lard (pork fat) in their list of ingredients, without it having been transformed (istihaalah), such as some cheeses, some types of oil, fat, ghee and butter, and some types of biscuits (cookies), chocolate and ice cream, are haraam and it is not permissible to eat them at all, because of the scholarly consensus that pigs are najis and it is not permissible to eat them, and because there is no compelling necessity to eat these foods.
…
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Istihaalah, which means the turning of one substance into another that has different characteristics, is the transformation of an impure substance into a pure substance, or the transformation of a haraam substance into a substance that is permissible according to sharee‘ah.
Based on that:
Gelatine that is produced from the transformation of the bones, skin and sinews of impure (najis) animals is pure (taahir) and eating it is permissible.
Soap that is produced from the transformation of fat from pigs or animals that were not slaughtered in the Islamic manner (“dead meat”) becomes pure by means of that transformation, and it is permissible to use it.
Cheese that is made by using rennet from animals whose meat may be eaten but they were not slaughtered properly is pure (taahir) and it is permissible to consume it.
It is not permissible to use lotions, creams and cosmetic products that include lard (pork fat) in their list of ingredients, unless it is proven that the fat has been transformed and turned into something else. But if it is not proven, then they are impure (najis).
And Allah knows best.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Dought & clear, - Is Ibraaheem’s building of the Ka‘bah mentioned in the Bible?

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Recently one of my Uncle who is not a Muslim and he is doing research on islam at the moment and he is currently living in California USA . He studied both Bible, Torah and Quran. He asked me a question to which I dont know any satisfactory answer, since I am not Qualified.
Can you please HELP me answer his question.
Here is the Question:
It says in the Quran that Abraham was a Muslim and along with his son,they built the Kaaba. According to Torah and Bible, Abraham never went to Mecca.
So why the differences?
Praise be to Allah
We Muslims do not believe that there is any contradiction between the Holy Qur’an and the original Torah and Gospel, because we believe that they are all divinely revealed books that were sent down from Allah, may He be glorified. Thus they came from the same source, and as that is the case there cannot be any contradiction or conflict between them, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions”
[an-Nisa’ 4:82].
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, describes the Holy Qur’an as “confirming” the Books that came before it, and that which confirms something cannot contradict or conflict with it. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is He Who has sent down the Book (the Quran) to you (Muhammad SAW) with truth, confirming what came before it. And he sent down the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).
Aforetime, as a guidance to mankind, And He sent down the criterion (of judgement between right and wrong (this Quran)).”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:3-4]
“And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Quran) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Mohayminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures)”
[al-Maa’idah 5:48].
As for what we see nowadays of contradictions in the copies of the Torah and Gospel that are extant today, the reason for that is clear and obvious. It is because these two Books have fallen prey to distortion and alteration, with things being taken away, added and changed. That is in addition to the fact that the sources and manuscripts that have come down to us today cannot be trusted. This is what explains any differences that researchers or students find between these two Books and the Holy Qur’an which has been transmitted to us in a mutawaatir fashion (i.e., narrated by so many from so many that it is inconceivable that they could all have agreed upon a lie), as is attested by both believers and nonbelievers.
For more discussion on this matter, please see fatwa no. 186196
Nevertheless we say that Ibraaheem’s arrival in the land of Makkah al-Mukarramah – and indeed his building of the Sacred House – are historical events that are attested to in the Torah and other ancient historical books. We cannot deny the fact that there are different interpretations of these texts of the Torah and so on, and that the context is open to different interpretations. Our aim here here is to confirm that such indications exist. However, the matter should be left to scholars to examine the story in the Old Testament, in order to reach a definitive conclusion.
These references include the following:
1.
In the book of Genesis 16:7 it says, after mentioning the story of Ibraaheem (Abraham) going in unto Haajar (Hagar) and her becoming pregnant, then Sarai’s [Sarah’s] complaint to Ibraaheem about her:
[Biblical quotations in English are taken from the King James Version (KJV); some place names have been changed, followed by the place name, in brackets, that is mentioned in the KJV. This is done in line with the point the author is making – see below]
And when Sarai [Sarah] dealt hardly [harshly] with her, she fled from her face.
7And the angel of theLordfound herby a fountain [spring] of water in the wilderness, by the fountain [spring] in the way tothe Hijaz (Shur).
8And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
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13And she called the name of theLordthat spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14Wherefore the well was called Be’er lahai roi (Well of the Living One Who sees me); behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
See how the name of the Hijaz is mentioned, and Hajar’s departure to that place, after which the blessing of the “Well of the Living One Who sees me” is bestowed by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted; this is the Well of Zamzam.
2.
In Genesis 13:1-18 it says:
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, towards the qiblah (into the south).
2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
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18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
In Genesis 20:1 it also says:
And Abraham journeyed from thence towards the land of the qiblah (the south country), and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
We have quoted these texts [in the original Arabic of this article] from the Torah as translated into Arabic by Sa‘eed al-Fayyoomi, (d. 943 AH); the King James Version of the Bible has been used here]. He was the first one to translate the Old Testament into Arabic. He also wrote a commentary for most of its books. We have not found this Torah anywhere else except in the book of Idrees ‘Abayzah entitled Madhkal ila Diraasat at-Tawraat wa Naqdiha ma‘a Tarjumatihi al-‘Arabiyyah li Sa‘diyyaa Ka’oon al-Fayyoomi (Introduction to the Study and Critique of the Torah, accompanied by its Translation into Arabic by Sa‘diyyaa Ka’oon al-Fayyoomi).
In other well-known translations of the Torah [into Arabic], instead of the Hijaz it mentions “by a fountain [spring] of water in the wilderness, by the fountain [spring] in the way toShur” (Genesis 16:7), and instead of the qiblah it mentions “the south” (Genesis 13:1).
[Translator’s note: some English translations say “Negev” instead of “the south’; in the Bible, this word is used for the direction “south”]
For more information please see (in Arabic):Nabi Ard al-Janoob(Prophet of the Southern Land) by Jamaal ad-Deen ash-Sharqaawi (p. 18-109)
3.
In Genesis 21:21 it says of Ismaa‘eel (peace be upon him):
21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
This is how it appears in the Samaritan Torah (also known as the Samaritan Pentateuch), and in al-Fayyoomi’s translation of the Torah.
Although many passages in the Torah suggest that Paran is in Palestine, Imam al-Qarraafi said in his bookal-Ajwibah al-Faakhirah(p. 165): Paran is Makkah, according to the consensus of the People of the Book. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said inal-Jawaab as-Saheeh liman baddala Deen al-Maseeh(5/200):
There is no difference of opinion between the Muslims and the People of the Book concerning the fact that Paran is Makkah. But if they say that it is not Makkah, there is nothing strange in that, because they are known for their distortions and fabrications.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) also said concerning the region around Mount Hira’ in Makkah:
That place is called Faaraan (Paran) to this day. End quote.
‘Abd al-Haqq Vidyarthi (d. 1978 CE) stated in his famous bookMuhammad in World Scriptures:
In the Arabic translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch (Torah), which was published in 1851 CE, it says that Paran is located in the Hijaz, as follows:
“And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt” (Genesis 21:21).
This translation remained in circulation for a long time, but when the Muslims alerted the Christian world to this prophecy, and that it constituted testimony to the truth of this Noble Prophet, the translation was changed. End quote
4.
In the Old Testament, in Psalms 84:5-6, 10, there is mention of the valley of Baca. This passage, in the King James Version (KJV), reads as follows:
5Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
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10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand (elsewhere).
There is no valley on earth called Baca (or Bakkah) that contains a house of worship and a spring of water (Zamzam), in which one prayer is better than a thousand prayers offered anywhere else, other than Makkah al-Mukarramah.
Baca (Bakkah) is one of the names of Makkah. This name is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, where Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning)”
“Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-Alameen (the mankind and jinns)”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:96].
But the translators and commentators of the Old Testament distorted the word Baca to buka’ [weeping or crying; the Hebrew cognate denotes the same meaning], even though the meanings of place names should not be translated; rather the name should be transliterated, and even though the meaning of the (original) name has nothing to do with crying or weeping, as a result of their desire to eliminate all references to anything that is proven in the Holy Qur’an, such distortions occurred.
In conclusion, we say:
Even if nothing was mentioned in the Old Testament concerning Ibraaheem’s journey to the Hijaz, that does not indicate that this journey did not happen at all. The well known academic principle says that the fact that a thing is not mentioned does not mean that it did not happen. In other words, denying that something happened should take the form of a negative statement. The fact that no mention is made of its happening does not necessarily mean that it did not happen; rather the reason why it was not mentioned may be that it was omitted, forgotten, summarized in brief, and the like. If you find news of something in one newspaper, then you find that it is not mentioned at all in another newspaper, the fact that it is not mentioned in the latter does not mean that it did not happen. Whoever thinks in such terms is lacking in reason and is making no sense. This is also applicable in the case under discussion here.
Furthermore, if we were to quote the words of non-Muslims who have investigated the story of the Ka‘bah and who really built it, and have determined that Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) is the one who built it, this article would become far too long. But we will limit ourselves to quoting one of the most famous of contemporary history books,The Story of Civilization, by Will Durant. This book is composed of forty-two volumes in which the author discusses the history of most civilizations, including the history of the Arabian Peninsula, concerning which he says: “It (the Ka‘bah) was built the fourth time by Abraham and Ishmael, his son from Hagar.
SeeQissat al-Hadaarah, 13/18 (The Story of Civilization).
And Allah knows best.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M