Chill Yo Islam Yo

The Deen Show

Salam,

Click the link below if you want to peep some pictures from this year’s convention.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wnprimages/sets/72157618819460158/show/

Salam,

Although Kentucky Fried Chicken officially said some of their outlets in London have introduced a Halal Menu, there seems to be some uncertainty. Read the last post here

According to the brother who commented on this post, the menu isn’t halal according to standards by the Halal Monitoring Committee.

I don’t live in London so I don’t know how legit this is, but anyone who cares should look into this.

Their seems to be a big difference in the methods of slaughtering according to HMC and HFA.

According to HMC, HFA doesn’t follow Islamic guidelines. That’s weird because on the HFA company website, they state they are strictly halal and follow Islamic guidelines, read here

So what’s the deal? Do your research, drop your feedback insh’Allah.

Salam,

You might not care but I do, I love how Dwight Howard first gave thanks to God after today’s game and then said you gotta do what you can in any situation and God does the rest. That reminds me of when Mufti Abdul Rehman Ibn Yusuf was speaking to us about tying our camels and putting trust in Allah swt. Meaning if you ever get worried about a test, or risks in life, he said just “Do your best and Allah swt does the rest”, that’s my new motto. I don’t know what Dwight’s Aqeedah is, haha, but he can become Muslim, sure why not?

May Allah (swt) guide the Non Muslims to Islam, Ameen! Including you Dwight Howard/Superman, being as big as Dwight is a blessing, he reminds of a couple of African American brothers or AK’s that come to the Mosque that are giants, Inshallah we can be giants in our ranks on the day of judgment. Chill I need a super-eman rush.

Anyways watch the interview below

Follow Dwight Howard on twitter

Shout out to Shaykh Faraz Rabbani for sharing this, this article just came out today from the Associated Press. Read it below.

I wrote an article about Zaytuna College a while ago, check it out here.

A group of American Muslims, led by two prominent scholars, is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States, what some are calling a “Muslim Georgetown.”

Advisers to the project have scheduled a June vote to decide whether the proposed Zaytuna College can open in the fall of next year, a major step toward developing the faith in America.

Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheik Hamza Yusuf of California have spent years planning the school, which will offer a liberal arts education and training in Islamic scholarship. Shakir, a California native, sees the school in the tradition of other religious groups that formed universities to educate leaders and carve a space in the mainstream of American life.

“As a faith community our needs aren’t any different than the needs of any other faith community,” Shakir told the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals, as he sought donations at a recent conference near Princeton, N.J. “As Muslims, we need to develop institutions to allow us to perpetuate our values.”

Others have tried to start Muslim colleges around New York and Chicago, but those schools remained obscure or quickly folded.

Shakir and Yusuf are believed to have a better chance than most to succeed.

Shakir, an African-American Air Force veteran, and Yusuf, a native of Washington state, are converts who spent years studying with Islamic scholars in North Africa and the Mideast. They speak flawless Arabic and have become widely respected teachers. Yusuf draws thousands of people to his talks and tens of thousands of viewers to his online lectures.

In 1996, Yusuf founded Zaytuna Institute, now based in Berkeley, Calif., which is dedicated to classical Muslim scholarship. Zaytuna means “olive tree” in Arabic.

The institute expanded to provide distance learning, workshops in multiple cities and conferences with prominent scholars. Shakir, a Zaytuna teacher for six years, ran a pilot seminary program from 2004-2008, partly to test the viability of a school. An intensive Arabic language summer course, in its second year, has doubled its enrollment.

“It is far and away the single most influential institution that’s shaping American Muslim thought,” said Omid Safi, an Islamic studies professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “On the one hand they speak so much about being American. On the other hand, they have also plugged these American Muslim students into the global Muslim curriculum, that has all the rigor of traditional Islamic scholarship.”

In earlier years, Shakir and Yusuf had made some anti-American statements, but that rhetoric is not part of their teaching. Zaytuna Institute has clips on its Web site of a lecture by the two scholars called “Curing Extremism.” Following a White House meeting with President George W. Bush soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Yusuf made the now widely repeated comment that “Islam was hijacked” by the terrorists and he has condemned the attackers as “mass murderers.”

A working motto for the school: “Where Islam Meets America.”

Zaytuna College will start with two majors: Arabic language, and Islamic legal and theological studies.

It will not be a seminary, although some graduates could become prayer leaders, or imams. Most U.S. mosques are led by imams from overseas, considered an obstacle to Islam’s development in America.

Other students could go on to start American Muslim nonprofits, or become Islamic scholars through advanced study at other schools, said Hatem Bazian, a Zaytuna adviser who teaches at the University of California-Berkeley and Saint Mary’s College of California.

But administrators aim to teach analytical skills, along with ethics and theology, that can prepare students for many professional careers.

Zaytuna will start in rented space in Berkeley and will seek accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. All faiths will be welcome, academic freedom will be protected, and there will be no separation of men and women, Bazian said.

“It is a daunting task, there is no question about it,” Bazian said. “But I’m completely confident and comforted that almost every major private university began with one classroom and possibly one building and sometimes it was a rented facility to begin with.”

The college needs $2 million to $4 million to launch, a fundraising goal Bazian says organizers will comfortably meet by next year. Zaytuna will soon start raising the tens of millions of dollars needed for an endowment and a capital fund to build a campus in the Bay Area years from now, Bazian said.

Mahmoud Ayoub, a retired professor of Islamic studies Temple University, is among those who don’t support the idea of a U.S. Muslim college, not only because of the enormous expense and risk involved, but also because he believes Muslims are better off attending established American schools. He said U.S. Muslims badly need a seminary since there are none in the country.

“I don’t know that I would send my child to go to a college where they can only learn tradition. Young people have to live,” said Ayoub who has worked with the U.S. State Department, representing America in the Muslim world. “I like mixing people. I don’t like ghettos.”

But Zaytuna considers the state of Muslim scholarship in the West so “anemic” that a crisis is looming. The Muslim community in North America and Europe, now in the millions, is growing, and has few properly trained leaders to guide them.

“Who will talk for the religion?” Shakir asked. “We have to train a generation.”

 May Allah swt make this project a success, Ameen!

Official Site l Donate l Info

Salam,

This is one of the realest things I’ve heard in my life, insh’allah we can all learn from this. 

Ibrahim Bin Adham ( May Allah swt have mercy on him) told these sicknesses of the spiritual heart to a group of people who asked him why their dua’s weren’t getting answered. In other words, if you want your dua’s to get answered, reflect on the conditions below.

1. You believe in the existence of Allah (SWT) but you do not fulfill His Commands.

2. You say you love the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but you do not follow his Sunnah.

3. You read the Holy Qur’an but you do not put it into practice.

4. You enjoy all the benefits from Allah (SWT) but you are not grateful to him.

5. You acknowledge Shaytan as your enemy but you do exactly what he tells you.

6. You want to enter Paradise but you do not work for it.

7. You do not want to be thrown into Hell-Fire but you do not try to run away from it.

8. You believe that every living-thing will face death but you do not prepare for it.

9. You gossip and find faults in others but you forget your own faults and habits.

10. You bury the Dead but you do not take a lesson from it.

Salam,

Speaking of change, give President Obama some Bakhlava, never thought this would happen. What better way to reach the Muslim world than to speak at the second oldest Islamic university in the world also known as Al-Azhar University.  It’s over one thousand years old! Wonder what the rest of the Muslim world thinks about this? President Barack Obama is definitely making power moves, Inshallah he has good intentions.

When US President Barack Obama addresses the Muslim world from Cairo next month, Egyptian officials hope he will choose 1 000-year-old Al-Azhar mosque, the heart of a revered institution for Islamic study, as his backdrop to convey US respect for Islam.The American Embassy in Cairo said no decision has been made yet on a venue for Obama’s June 4 speech on US relations with the Muslim world. But two Egyptian security officials said on Thursday that an American advance team scouted five potential sites this week and narrowed it down to a short list of three - the Al-Azhar mosque and two other locations connected to it.

“Al-Azhar is a beacon of knowledge and moderation for the whole Islamic world”Al-Azhar is one of the oldest, most prestigious and most influential institutions of higher learning for Sunni Islam.

Delivering his message from the 10th-century mosque would convey the American president’s regard for Islamic religion, culture and history, Al-Azhar officials said.

“Al-Azhar is a beacon of knowledge and moderation for the whole Islamic world,” said Sheikh Fawzi Zefzaf, a prominent Al-Azhar scholar.

Sheik of Al-Azhar Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi welcomed Obama to use his podium. He said a speech from the mosque could “open the door for a dialogue of reason between the world’s cultures and civilizations to spread values of justice and good against hatred and violence.”

The historic mosque was built in 972 by the Fatimids, Shi’a Muslim rulers who had just conquered Egypt and built Cairo as their capital. Later Egypt came under Sunni rule, and the mosque became a prestigious center for the teaching of Islamic thought and philosophy.

Over the centuries, numerous rulers added to the sprawling building, which boasts five minarets and numerous domes, along with columned prayer halls and madrasas - or religious schools - around
a central open courtyard. It lies in the heart of Islamic Cairo with its maze of small alleyways and bazaars.

The mosque holds a special place in Egypt’s more recent political history as well, a symbol of resistance against Western imperialism.

Nationalists launched marches and protests from the mosque during a 1919 revolt against British rule. In 1956, then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser gave a famed speech from Al-Azhar’s pulpit rallying Egyptians against an invasion by Britain, France and Israel.

Today, Al-Azhar University has expanded into several modern campuses. It hosts thousands of students of Islamic theology every year, exports clergy throughout the Muslim world and the U.S. and its clerics issue edicts that carry a moral weight that influences well beyond the borders of Egypt. Within the country, Al-Azhar is empowered to censor books, movies and other media related to
religion.

Since he took office in January, Obama has reached out repeatedly to the Islamic world. He is well liked in the Middle East, where people often mention enthusiastically that his father
was a Muslim from Kenya.

Choosing Al-Azhar, a Sunni institution, could also help ease Sunni fears over US efforts to open a dialogue with Shi’a Iran.

Predominantly Sunni US allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of destabilising the Middle East.

The Egyptian officials said in addition to the mosque, the advance team looked at a conference center and a meeting hall that are part of Al-Azhar but in other parts of Cairo. They said the team ruled out Cairo University because it would have disrupted year-end exams, and Cairo Convention Hall which was deemed too shabby.

American Embassy spokeswoman Margaret White said there has been no decision yet on the venue.

Among the myriad security considerations if Obama speaks from the mosque are the problems posed by the thousands of shoes that would have to be checked at the door in accordance with Muslim
tradition, the Egyptian security officials said.

First, there is the problem of where to put them all. But the bigger concern is they could provide cover for bombs, said the two officials from the president’s office and the Ministry of Interior who are responsible for the security for visiting foreign dignitaries. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Worshippers and other visitors traditionally remove their shoes before going into mosques and place them on a rack outside.

Al-Azhar mosque holds about 1 000 people. But normally, worshipers can wrap them in plastic bags and take them inside or leave them on trucks outside. However during an Obama speech, the audience would be barred from carrying bags inside for security reasons.

Source

NEW MUSLIM COOL takes viewers on Hamza’s ride through the streets, projects and jail cells of urban America, following his spiritual journey to some surprising places —where we can all see ourselves reflected in a world that never stops changing.

Official Site l Get Involved l Upcoming Screenings

Salam,

Shout out to Imam Suhaib Webb for sharing this, please read carefully! Maybe this will help some Muslims who O.D. on the phrase “imitating the kuffar”

Anwsered by Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah (May Allah swt preserve him)

“The holidays which are forbidden [for Muslims] to observe are those with religious overtones [such as Christmas and Easter*] not the festive gatherings people observe due to certain events. Therefore, people are allowed to celebrate wedding anniversaries, birthdays or any occasion as such celebrations are not related to religious holidays. It is imperative that we work to remove the confusion surrounding this misunderstanding and the doubts that have affected many people [regarding this issue]. [Because of this misunderstanding] people find hardship and difficulty in their religion. Especially when a religious minded person holds [such non religious celebrations] to be from the major sins or rejected acts when, in fact, they are not.

Understanding an Important legal maxim [The origin of things is permissibility unless there is a text to the contrary]

The origin of things is permissibility so there is no problem with you attending such an event. The school of Ahmed [Hanabliah] allowed the celebration of al-’Atirah which was a sacrifice, during the month of Rajab, observed by the people who lived prior to the advent of the Prophet [may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him]. Although the school of Imam Malik [Malikis] considered it disliked, since it was a practice from those days, the school of Ahmed allowed this practice since there was no text [from the Qur’an, Sunna or Consensus] that explicitly forbade it. Thus, this practice remained upon its original ruling, permissibility [here the sheikh is showing us how the scholars utilized the legal maxim mentioned above]. So, if people gather together to sacrifice there is no objection for them to congregate, celebrate, enjoy themselves and commemorate the independence of their country. Therefore, there is no hardship in celebrating such occurrences.

With regards to the statement [of the Prophet may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] that “Allah [The Exalted] has given you better than those (feasts): Eid al-Adha (Sacrificing) and the ‘Eid al-Fitr”, then “those feasts” were those with strict religious over tones: one a Christian holiday and the other a pagan one. In addition, the Prophet [may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him] mentioned that the Islamic holidays were two: ‘Eid al-Fitr and ‘Eid al-Adha. But it is not understood from this that he [may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him] forbade people from gathering and celebrating [other non-religious occasions]. Even if a person considered [such gatherings] disliked there is no need for him to bother others by making things difficult that were not prohibited by the Qur’an, the Sunna, the consensus [of the scholars] and where no agreement was reached within the schools of Islamic law.

This is because ease in matters [such as these where there is no prohibition and the origin is that of permissibility] is a must, and those statements that create hardship and burden [related to such matters], that are not based on explicit texts [that prohibit them], are weak. Thus, there is nothing that prohibits us from facilitating such matters for the people and giving them some breathing room because ease and facilitation are from the foundations of Islam: Allah says, “And He did not make any hardship for you in religion.” [Surah al-Hajj 78] and “Allah wants to lighten your burdens.” [Surah al-Nisa V. 28] and “Verily, with hardship there is ease. Verily with hardship there is ease.” [Surah al-Sharh V. 5-6]. The Prophet [may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Facilitate [things] and do not make things difficult. Give glad tidings, and do not cause others to flee.” In closing, we reiterate that the foundation of Islam is ease and the independent interpretation of the legal sources [ijtihad of scholars] is respected but is not [equal to] texts from the Shari’ah [Qur’an and Sunna].”

May peace be upon you
Dr. Abdullah Bin Bayyah

*according to the Maliki school it is disliked to offer congratulations to other faiths during their religious holidays. Thus, it is a permissible act. See Sharh al-Saghir of Sidi Ahmed al-Dardir and Fiqh al-Malikiyyah wa Adilatuhu by Habib Tahir. [translator]

www.suhaibwebb.com