A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) wrote, in his Tarjuman al-Ashwaq , a masterpiece of Arabic poetry translated in many languages, the following poem to the Ka’bah.   This is taken from the Futuhat al-Makiyyah as well.   “In the place of refuge my heart sought refuge, shot with enmity’s arrows. O Mercy of Allah for His slaves, Allah Placed His Trust in you among all inanimate forms. O House of my Lord, O light of my heart, O coolness of my eyes, O my heart within, O true secret of the heart of existence, my sacred trust, my purest love! O direction from which I turn from every quarter and valley, From subsistence in the Real, then from the height, from self-extinction, then from the depths! O Ka’bah of Allah, O my life, O path of good fortune, O my guidance, In you has Allah Placed every safety from the fear of disaster upon the Return. In you does the noble Station flourish, in ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Is it right for a woman to wear perfume on the ‘Iyd ? ”   There are opinions, based on a hadits by Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi az-Zahrani al-Azdi ( r.a. ), that imply women should not wear perfume.   This is a simplistic, and literal interpretation.   A hadits does not automatically become a fatwa , a legal opinion; or a hukm , a legal ruling.   There is a process whereby we arrive at this.   Firstly, we have to consider the intent of the act before addressing permissibility.   This is the foundational principle of the matter, since it the intent matters.   The impermissibility of wearing perfume pertains to the intent to beguile.   As such, it is not only the perfume, but the dress and the behaviour as well.   This may be found in the exegesis of the verse on believing women being Told not to stamp their feet, and lowe...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Is it true that you will be beheaded if you enter Makkah, if you are a non-Muslim? ”   You would likely be arrested, and deported.  This is Makkah administered by Saudi Arabia.  They have a puritan, literalist interpretation of the religion.  Orthodox Muslims have a difficult time as it is, let alone a non-Muslim.  However, even for the Saudis, simply beheading non-Muslims who have the temerity to enter is a higher political cost than they are willing to pay.  The optics would not be good for the regime.   That aside, considering the wide variety of people, how is anyone going to tell if a person is or is not a Muslim provided this individual does not bring undue to himself?   During the haj , we are talking about millions of people from all over the world.   No one sticks out in that mass of humanity.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Are non-Sunni Muslims allowed to go to Makkah, such as Shi’ah and Khwarij Muslims? ”   In the history of Islam, very few groups have been banned from the haj .   Certain Khwarij groups were banned, but not every Khwarij sect.   The Ibadhi sect, which some claim to be descended from the same grouping of sects, was never banned from the haj .   They were never involved in violence against Muslims, and for the most part, lived distinct from them.   The Mu’tazilah sects, every one of them, were never banned from the haj either.   Many of these Mu’tazilah followed the Hanafi madzhab .   Related sects such as the Qadariyyah , Jabariyyah , and the Murji’ah were never banned.   They are all, mostly extinct.   The major Shi’ah sects were never banned from the haj .   This includes the various Isma’ili groups, the Zaydi, and the Itsna’ ‘Ashari. ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ If the Ka’bah is Islam’s holiest site, but the God of Abraham ( a.s. ) never mentioned it in the Bible, does this not show that Allah ( s.w.t. ) is not the same god as the Jewish God? ” Here is a pesky fact: The Ka’bah is mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically the Book of Psalms.   Psalm 84:2-4 2 Lord of Hosts, how I love Your Dwelling-Place!   3 For the courts of the Lord’s house, my soul faints with longing.   The Living God!   At His Name, my heart, my whole being, thrills with joy.   4 Where else should the sparrow find a home, the swallow a nest for her brood, but at thy altar, Lord of Hosts, my King and my God?   5 How blessed, Lord, are those who dwell in Your House!   They will be ever praising you.   6 How blessed is the man who finds his strength in you!   Where there are hearts set on pilgrimage, 7 as they traverse the Valley...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Brother Naidu Billy posted, on The Sharing Group, on the 28 th July 2017, “When Makkah was conquered by the Muslims, the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) did not evict the non-Muslims but allowed them to stay .   Was this freedom specific to only the Jews and Christians?   Other than Jews and Christians, was any other religion practiced in Makkah?   Brother Fabian Sim: I have another question too, if that is ok.   When Mecca was conquered, Christians and Jews were said to be free to practise their faiths.   Did this include proselytising to others?   We all know that Muslims were free to proselytise to others.   But were non-Muslims allowed the same?   Brother Terence Kenneth John Nunis: In the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.), non-Muslims, including the many polytheists from among the Arabs, lived in Makkah and Madina.   Historically, they were only told to relocate in the caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar i...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Should non-Muslims be allowed to enter Makkah? ”   Before we talk about whether non-Muslims should be allowed into the Haramayn , Makkah and Madina, we have to understand how this prohibition came about, since it was not always so.   Historically, there was a major disagreement among the fuqaha’ , the jurists on this.   Imam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Tsabit’s ( r.a. ) opinion was that non-Muslims can enter Makkah and even al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque, as long as they do not do so for the sake of the haj or ‘umrah , which they are not allowed to perform.   This is the opinion of the Hanafi madzhab , and I believe this is the best opinion on the matter.   The other major schools of jurisprudence had a different opinion.   Their basis is this ayat in the Qur’an, Revealed in the 9 th year after Hijrah :   سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, visited Makkah twice.   At one time were non-Muslims allowed to enter Makkah? ” By the time of Guru Nanak Nankana Swahib, non-Muslims were no longer allowed to enter Makkah or Madina, the Haramayn .   This prohibition arose in the time of the swahabah , the companions; and the tabi’un , the successors; from just after the time of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ). The decision to restrict the non-Muslims from Makkah was always a jurisprudential one, based on a specific tafsir , exegesis, of certain verses.   Imam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Tsabit ( r.a. ) was of the opinion that non-Muslims can enter Makkah and even the Sacred Mosque, al-Haram, but they cannot do so in imitation of the pilgrimage, as was the practice of the polytheists, prior to the advent of the Prophet (s.a.w.).   And this has been the general position of the Hanafi madzhab un...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Why does Islam not have any colourful festivals as compared to those from other religions? ” It does.   Islam is a religion.   Culture is an expression of religious obligations, and there are a variety of cultural expressions of religious events and celebrations throughout the world.   Throughout the world, the principal religious festivals of Islam, ‘Iyd al-Adhha’ , and ‘Iyd al-Fithr , are celebrated in a variety of ways with many unique customs.   Additionally, there are other events celebrated by some Muslim groups, commemorating events, personalities, and the history of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from Signs on the Horizons by Shaykh Harun Michael Sugich. “The Holy Mosque was an ocean of humanity during the days before the haj , the annual pilgrimage to Makkah.   As daylight faded, I joined thousands of worshippers and pilgrims making the thawaf , the seven circuits around the Ka’bah , calling out His Divine Names.   As time approached for the sunset prayer, circular prayer lines formed around the House of God, rank by rank, closing around the vast mathaf , the white marble floor surrounding the House all the way to the raised arcades designed by Sinan Pasha in the 16 th century.   The mathaf was reduced, line-by-prayer-line, as individual worshippers peeled off from the shrinking thawaf to take their places in the encroaching ranks.   I completed my seven circuits only moments before the call to prayer. In a state of exaltation and hope, I knew that within this ocean there were deep ...