How To Survive (and Then Benefit From) a Boring Khutbah
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by Abdul-Sattar from Imam Suhaib Webb’s blog. Serious wisdom in this, mashaAllah.
From the SunniPath Blog:
Showing off SunniPath
Posted by Zaheer Razack on June 30th, 2009
I remember a few years ago I was trying to show off SunniPath to my father. I let him watch one of the live sessions with Shaykh Hamza Karamali on Shafi fiqh. It was the first class of the semester and he was teaching the various rulings of water. He explained that we could no longer use water for wadu’ if one of the three characteristics have changed, i.e. color, taste, or odor. My dad then marveled at the wisdom of the sunnah as he quoted another scholar, “Just look at the sunnah acts that we do before the fard acts of wadu’: we wash our hands and bring the water to our mouth so we can see the color; we rinse our mouth so we can taste the water; and then we rinse our nose so we can smell the odor.”
- The acts of washing the hands, mouth and nose are superrorogatory in wudu before the obligatory washing of the face in Shafi’i fiqh. SubhanAllah.
Can anyone shed some light over this video? (I came across it on youtube)
Are they going to demolish the Ottoman Domes in Masjid al-Haram to make way for this structure?
Perhaps with this device, fewer people will lose their flip-flops over the barrier. MashaAllah!
From www.sacred-destinations.com: In 1571, Ottoman Sultan Selim II (1566-1574) commissioned the court architectSinan to renovate the Holy Mosque. It is from this renovation that the present building mostly dates. Sinan replaced the flat roof of the prayer hall with domes, supported by the addition of new columns from the nearby Shams Mountains. The interior of the domes were decorated with gilded calligraphy.
Taken from an impressive person’s outlook;
On Music..
- Be careful of what you listen to over and over because at some point it finds its way into your heart. And then eventually it imprints those messages onto your soul. Think about it; you could be poisoning yourself and not even know it. If you’re going to play something over and over until it has meshed with your very essence then use extreme caution.
On Television…
- Your eyes are just another portal to your soul. We’ve become so detached from the images flashing before our eyes and it has only deepened the wound. We continue to dig further down into the vacuous abyss of a life with no real meaning. Everyone is selling a way of life, a philosophy, or simply a product… the key is you don’t have to buy it if you don’t want to. In fact you don’t even have to listen to the pitch: click
‘Abdallah ibn Mas’ud
Within the lives of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there are countless sources of guidance and beautiful inspirational exemplars that we can benefit from. Through the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) we receive a lot of guidance in all matters, and some situations are best shown in his (peace and blessings be upon him) dealings with his companions – an array of his followers blessed to have spent time in the company of the one whom beasts would follow through the wilds out of their love for him (peace and blessings be upon him). Some people of course had met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but hadn’t embraced Islam, so its worth making mention that one shouldn’t wish to have been alive in the time of the beloved (peace and prayers be upon him). A soul that Allah (the loftiest and elevated) chooses (in His divine way) to guide none can misguide and vice versa.
A companion who spent time under the tutelage of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and whose status has been elevated is ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. He is renown for his memory of the Qur’an, truthfulness and bravery amongst other impeccable character traits.
As a young shepherd boy, tending flocks just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the then marketing metropolis of al-Makkah, he had received word of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but he hadn’t preoccupied himself in travelling to hear more. On a day that he was tending some flocks, he was approached by two middle-aged men, of stature. They were tired and thirsty, and requested for him to milk a sheep so that they could reduce their thirst.
“I cannot,” replied ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. “The sheep are not mine. I am only responsible for looking after them.” The two men were startled, and although the young shepherd might have anticipated a displeased reaction, the two men were indeed filled with joy at the honesty of the simple boy’s answer. These two people were the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr. From this moment forth, ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud became attached to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and did all to serve him. This truthfulness he expressed has paved for a lifetime of admiration, and an endless life of incomprehensible awesomeness.
His rank was elevated in that he became renown and remembered for his actions and physical insistence of tawheed in circumstances that are apparently unbearable. Furthermore, Allah (the loftiest and elevated) put in his heart emphatic and precise knowledge of the Qur’an. Such that it is he who had an important hand in compiling the written version that we recite from today. To give an example of how vast his knowledge was of the Qur’an, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud once stated that he knows each ayah of the Qur’an and the circumstances upon which it was revealed. This kind of circumstantial knowledge is invaluable in shari’ah and making rulings in this religion. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was closest to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in character, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the perfection of good character.
The leader of the believers, al-Amir al-Mu’mineen, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, once came across the caravan of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and indirectly asked him what part of the Qur’an is the greatest. The response was that it is ‘The Verse of the Throne’ – ayat al-Kursi. This is verse number 255 is surah al-Baqarah (2nd chapter of al-Qur’an), and within it are ideals of tawheed that we need to learn. To further emphasise this verse, it is documented that whomsoever recites this ayah, an ayah that takes only a moment to flow on the tongue, right after every prayer, nothing will prevent that soul from entering the Garden.
This website makes learning that ayah easier!
From In Shaykh’s Company;
by Abu Abdullah Ibn Ismail
“Sins are classified by the ulama as being either major or minor. The reason for this classification is not so that we can abstain from major sins and commit minor ones.
This categorization is to determine the rulings applicable to each sin, otherwise it is just as important to abstain from minor sins as it is to abstain from major sins, and minor sins can be just as detrimental as major ones.
Explaining this, Hakeemul Ummah, Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahmatullahi alayh used to say that no one avoids a large scorpion and yet plays with a small one; both are considered to be dangerous.
The only difference between them is that the poison of the smaller scorpion may take longer to effect the body, though it will still be fatal. Likewise, the ultimate effect of minor and major sins will be the same.”
An expert neutrician said to me today….
1/2 women in Britain get cancer
1/3 men in Britain get cancer
in 20 years time, almost 100% of the population will have cancer.
Starbucks and the War on Islam
Starbucks Coffee is ubiquitous on the high streets of most towns all over the world. They are also extremely active within most middle eastern and asian countries, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Indonesia, Malaysia and many other muslim majority countries.
This presence makes it all the more confusing when we receive emails and messages to support a boycott of Starbucks stores in the west, when the “muslim” countries are seemingly opening these stores at speed when others in the west are being forced to close through lack of business. I can only assume that, like myself, they were perhaps previously unaware of the extent of Starbucks coffees’ involvement in the “War on Terror”. Though the text messages we have received indicate a support of Zionism, which may have some truth in it, the verifiable facts are in fact a lot more concerning for any muslim.
I first heard about Starbucks briefly last year, when I read a book called “Bad Men” by Clive Stafford Smith, a human rights lawyer working to provide legal representation to those in Guantanamo Bay.( I urge anyone who has not done so already to read this book by the way, in order to understand the full horrors of the Bush legacy ). In it, he describes a visit to Guantanamo Bay that he undertook, and one item that caught my eye is a Starbucks being present on the Naval Base / Internment camp. This made me think, but in my own shallowness and desire for Frapucinnos, I ignored these early warning signs.
Then Gaza happened. Many emails came to my attention, saying such things as “Starbucks is giving Saturdays profits to Israel”, “Every coffee sold Starbucks is donating 10p” or “Drinking Starbucks is like drinking the blood of a palestinian child”. I decided to investigate these allegations for myself over the weekend, and so I can share my investigations with you.
Starbucks deny that they support Israel in terms of donations. You can see this on their website. However, they do not deny that their CEO, Howard Schultz, is an active Zionist. Inminds has a copy of an award (that has since been taken from their site ) which presented him with a “Israel 50th Anniversary Tribute Award” by Aish Hatora (fire of the Torah). This group financed an anti-islamic documentary that was posted out for free in key “swing states” in the United States in the recent US election ( but that’s another story). They are a pro-zionist organisation, encouraging the apartheid policy actively in Palestine at the moment.
Now, Starbucks could well argue ( as they have said on their site ), that the actions of its CEO does not reflect the organisation. We can then ask them why they sponsored a “Bowl4Israel” event (twice) in which monies raised went towards the Israeli Defence Forces benevolence fund. This organisation in a twisted irony produced posters stating that Palestinians are baby-killers.
What disturbs me most of all is their unquestioning support for the US Army and armed forces, who are at present occupying at least two countries (compared to Israels one ) and has killed over 100,000 muslim civilians in the past 5 years alone ( compared to Israels 3,000). In their support of the US armed forces, particularly the “war on terror”, Starbucks have made no contrasting statements and no attempts to hide their involvement ( unlike their Zionist-related activities). They are PROUD of their involvement, as their own statements say :-
“Starbucks has the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and our values of freedom and democracy… our partners in our Atascadero, California store sent their weekly mark out coffee to troops in Afghanistan so they are able to enjoy a little piece of home. Our customer relations department in Seattle donated hundreds of pounds of coffee to the sailors in the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group.”
It is also disturbing to read that Starbucks Coffee is being used in Military Interrogations as an incentive ( replacing the stereotypical “fancy a smoke?” ) in Guantanamo Bay, as a break from waterboarding, stress positions and torture.
Now, one has to ask : If I, a humble part-time activist, is able to uncover these things, then why are the muslim countries presumably unaware of these activities? Why would Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia and others grant licences to this company, knowing it is indirectly involved all the atrocities and torture of the US Military, through providing them free and subsidised coffee in between their daily activities of torture, rape and murder?
I don’t think there can be any doubt in Starbucks support for anti-muslim activities, and I am now committed to an “anti-frappucino” rule! If we all commit to these boycott, and in particular advise the inhabitants of the muslim countries ( which in some cases are nearly 100% muslim) to do the same, I am sure we will see either Starbucks alter its policy or else disinvest from the Middle east and muslim world.
I intend to write a letter to Starbucks advising them why I am ceasing to drink their coffee, and I will also write to their trading partners making them aware that I am disappointed with their association with Starbucks. These trading partners are :-
Apple, Borders, Hilton Group, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Hotels, PepsiCo, Radisson SAS, Safeways, Starwood Hotel Group and T-Mobile.
If anyone would like references to substantiate this article, please email me. Also, if anyone would like a sample letter to send to starbucks, please do contact myself as well.
by Umar Abdullah
From; Scientific American Podcast
Envy Related to Physical Pain
In a study in the journal Science, researchers found that feelings of envy light up parts of the brain active in pain processing. And bad news about people we envy tickles the brain. Karen Hopkin reports
Sometimes you want something so badly it hurts, usually something that someone else has. Now a report in the journal Science shows that the agony of envy really does ache, because envy activates a part of the brain that processes physical pain. What’s more, the brain registers pleasure when the person we envy has a bad day.
Scientists used fMRI scans to look at how the brain handles envy and its evil twin, schadenfreude, a German term for taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune. In the first set of studies, the scientists asked participants to read a story about themselves and their friends. In one scenario, subjects were told that they botched a job interview, which one of their classmates totally nailed.
Reading about this classmate’s subsequent successes, both financial and romantic, caused the participants’ brains to shout pain. But then came the schadenfreude. The subjects were told that something unfortunate happened to this friend, everything from car troubles to getting cheated on. That news was received with apparent delight as it lit up the brain’s reward circuits. Then again, what looks like delight could just be the relief of no longer having to deal with the painful feelings of envy. Like a Red Sox fan contemplating A-Rod.
—Karen Hopkin
So no wonder that the ability to ‘assume the best’ and ‘always hope for the best for others’ is a noble and Prophetic characteristic, that we should all strive towards.
ISRAELI SOLDIERS SHOT PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS IN COLD BLOOD
Quil Lawrence, The World, PRI, 1/21/09
Two weeks ago Khaled Abed Drabo was trapped inside his house several days into the Israeli ground offensive. Artillery shells hammered his neighborhood east of the Jabaliya refugee camp. Three tanks parked outside his front door, and loudspeakers announced that civilians should leave the area.
Khaled says that’s when his wife, mother and three daughters stepped outside the front door waving white flags. They stood on the front steps for five minutes waiting for instructions from the Israeli soldiers only 10 yards away. But instead, Khaled says, a soldier appeared on one of the tank turrets, raised his rifle and began shooting. All three of the girls fell.
Khaled’s mother was shot in the upper left arm and abdomen. Recovering at her brother’s house, she tells the same story. “The soldier shot us slowly aiming at each one.” The women fled back into the house dragging the bleeding little girls. Suad, 7 years old, died immediately from bullets to her chest. 2-year-old Amal survied a few moments longer. “She was asking her mother for candy and chips. Then her mother asked her: ‘Do you love me?’ She said: ‘Yes.’ Then she died.”
