A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Dr. Shlomo Zand asked “What if the entire tale of the Jewish Diaspora is historically wrong?”   What if the Palestinian Arabs who have lived for decades under the heel of the modern Israeli state are in fact descended from the very same “Children of Israel” described in the Old Testament?   And what if most modern Israelis are not descended from the ancient Israelites at all, but are actually a mix of Europeans, North Africans, and others who did not “return” to the scrap of land we now call Israel and establish a new state following the attempt to exterminate them during World War II, but came in and forcefully displaced people whose ancestors had lived there for millennia?   What if the entire tale of the Jewish Diaspora - the story recounted at Passover tables by Jews around the world every year detailing the ancient Jews’ exile from Judea, the years spent wandering through the desert, their escape from the Pharaoh's clutches - i...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ About ten years or so, there was a female convert who suddenly dropped off the scene.   She became uncontactable and no one really knew where she was.   My friend, who taught her when she was still learning about Islam, thought it highly unusual.   So he turned detective and roped in a few others to look for her.   Like more than few, she converted because of a relationship with a Muslim.   Unfortunately, in this case, the Muslim boyfriend was far from an exemplar of the faith.   He had managed to get her pregnant and then claimed that the child was not his.   When her Hindu parents discovered her conversion and her pregnancy, she was thrown out of the house.   She had disgraced her family. Pregnant, rejected, with no place to go; she severed all links with the Muslims as well since she felt ashamed.   Like most people, she had thought herself alone.   An island of pain and misery in a sea of h...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu al-Khayr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Jazari ( r.a. ), in his al-Hiswn al-Haswin , mentioned that many of the ‘ulama , including Shaykh Imdad al-Maqdasi ( r.a. ), have confirmed that any du’a is assuredly Accepted when made between the two names of Allah ( s.w.t. ) that appear in Surah al-An’am: سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام وَإِذَا جَآءَتۡهُمۡ ءَايَةٌ۬ قَالُواْ لَن نُّؤۡمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤۡتَىٰ مِثۡلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ رُسُلُ ٱللَّهِ‌ۘ ٱللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ حَيۡثُ يَجۡعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ ۥ‌ۗ سَيُصِيبُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجۡرَمُواْ صَغَارٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ۬ شَدِيدُۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَمۡكُرُونَ (١٢٤) When there comes to them a Sign (from Allah), they say, “We shall not believe until we receive one (exactly) like those received by Allah’s Messengers.”   Allah Knows Best where (and how) to carry out His mission.   Soon will the wicked be overtaken by humiliation before Allah, and a severe punishment for all their plots. (Surah al-An...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following was taken from the “Lore of Light” by Shaykha Amina Adil ( q.s. ).   I consider much of this allegorical, and based on folk tales.   They are not necessarily meant to be believed, except that which is from the Qur’an and, perhaps, the ahadits . The Lord of the Worlds Created the fire of Sammun.   From this Fire of Sammun, He Created the jinn .   The first of the jinn was named Marij, and the Lord Created a second one to be his wife, and she was named Marijah.   They had a son, and they called him, Jinn.   From them, derived all the clans of the jinn , including Azazel.   The Lord Gave them the Earth to dwell, and they lived and worshipped there for a long time.   So much did they worship, that the angels grew amazed and said, “O our Lord, Raise them up to the Heavens so that we might learn from them and follow their good examples.”   So the Lord Raised Azazel up to be among the angel...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ About a decade ago, I had a good friend who was looking for direction in the spiritual sense.   At that time, I was with the Legion of Mary, so naturally we talked about a religion I knew about.   In his case, it was not a new faith.   It was a coming home of sorts.   He converted to Catholicism.   We lost contact for a while and when we got in touch again, I had become a Muslim. Coming from a Catholic background, I have always had an aversion of sorts with the militant Protestant Right.   A study of the Reformation will see that the teachings of John Calvin with regard to the nascent Christian faith mirror the Wahhabi movement in Islam.   It is an emphasis on the perceived purity of form over spirituality in context.   The Descendant Churches believe that the Bible is The Word of God, their Kalamullah .   In contrast, much of Orthodox Christianity including the Coptics, Nestorians, Monophysites and...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is naswihah by Habib Muhammad Luthfi ibn Yahya ash-Shadzili ( q.s. ). As Muslims, we are certain that we have to pass the stages of iman , islam and ihsan .   After we have believed in Allah ( s.w.t. ) and His Prophet ( s.a.w. ), as how we say the shahadah , we also have belief in His angels, His prophets and messengers, in the Last Day, and faith in Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Will and Determinant.   As Muslims, we also have to know and perform the shari’ah , like swalah , fasting, giving zakat, and performing haj , and also following what Allah ( s.w.t. ) has Commanded and leaving what He has Forbidden.   When we perform the swalah , we have to follow the rules and steps, like performing the ablution, wearing clean clothes, facing the qiblah and adhering to the rest of the rules and steps of the swalah . Once that obligation has been done, then our job is finished.   After performing the obligatory swalah , c...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, “Work for the world as much as you live in it and work for the Hereafter as much as you want to live there and work for Allah ( s.w.t. ), as much as you are in need of Him and work for the Hell as much as you can be patient with its pain and sufferings.”   My dear beloved son!   It is known from this hadits that you do not need much knowledge because to study knowledge more and to acquire it more is fardh kifayah .   Pay special attention to this next tradition so that you will attain certitude.   It is said that among the students and muridun of Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ), was a student and disciple named Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who in turn later on became a great spiritual master through the training and guidance of Shaykh Shafiq ( q...