A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following was adapted from the writings of Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah.   The word “music” comes from ancient Greece, and is a reference to the art of combining sounds in a certain order for aesthetic effect.   Music is also concerned with combining these sounds in a harmonic way; therefore, it studies what sounds go together and what sounds do not.   This is achieved both through musical instruments and through human voices.   The issue of listing to music is one that has differing opinions in Islamic law.   It is not from matters of creed, or those matters that are necessarily known from religion.   Therefore, it is not prudent for Muslims to castigate one another on such issues, since one can only castigate issues that are agreed upon, not issues that have differing opinions.   As there are jurists who have ruled that listening to music is permissible, and they are jurists whom it is...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ “ Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah ”, “There is no power and no strength except Allah”, is the refrain of the oppressed, and the comfort of the distressed.  It is the Promise, as Mawlay Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad al-‘Arabi ibn Ahmad ad-Darqawi ( q.s. ) said, that whatever we lose can be replaced with something better, but if we lose Allah ( s.w.t. ), then nothing can replace Him.  He is Omniscient and Omnipotent.  He has Power over all things.  There is no better recourse than Allah ( s.w.t. ).   Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad ( q.s. ), in “Gifts for the Seeker”, wrote, “It is reported that ‘ Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah ’ is a remedy for 99 ailments, the least of which is sorrow.  It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achi...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from “Celebrating ‘Iyd al-Milad an-Nabi ”, by Imam Abu al-Fadhl ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuthi ( q.s. ).   The question under consideration is the verdict of the shari’ah on celebrating the birthday of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal.   From the point of view of the shari’ah , is this a praiseworthy action or a blameworthy one?   And do those who arrange such a celebration receive blessings or not?   The reply to this question is that the Milad , celebration of the birthday of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), is, in fact, such an occasion of happiness on which people assemble and recite the Qur’an to the extent that is easy.   Then they relate the prophecies concerning the appearance of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) that have been transmitted in ahadits and atsar , and the miraculous events and signs that took place on his birth.   Then food is se...

‎ بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ This is  Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah ’s ( r.a. ) opinion about Mawlid from Majma’ Fatawi ibn Taymiyyah : “To celebrate and to honour the birth of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), and to take it as an honoured season, as some of the people are doing, is good and in it there is a great reward, because of their good intentions in honouring the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).”   Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), the most renowned student of Shaykh ibn Taymiyyah ( r.a. ), wrote, in Madarij as-Salikin , “Listening to a good voice celebrating the birthday of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) or celebrating any of the holy days in our history gives peace to the heart, and gives the listener light from the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) to his heart, and he will drink more from the Muhammadan spring.”   One of the more renowned scholars is Hafizh ‘Imad ad-Din  Abu al-Fida’   Isma’il...