In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

6 Shawwaal 1428 October 19, 2007

Vol. 19 No. 10

IslamIc concept of prophethoodmaulana sayyid abul hasan ali nadvi

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes al-KhaalIQ the creator

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In This Issue... The Hilal Issue .....................................2 Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq ................. 10 The Language of the Friday (Jumu’ah) Khutbah ...............12 Five Conditions ..................................14

A vivid description of the nations giving themselves airs and showing contempt to the prophets of their

age not well-versed in the academic pursuits of their time has been given by God in the holy Qur’ân.

“And when their messengers brought them clear proofs (of Allah’s Sover-eignty) they exulted in the knowledge they themselves possessed. And that which they are wont to mock befell them.” [Q. XL: 83]

acceptance of the prophetsThe world has not changed a bit since the days of yore. Even after the advent of the last Prophet, almost every nation which has made any appreciable progress in culture and learning, industry and useful arts, has turned its back on the prophets out of sheer

arrogance and undue reliance on its intel-lectuals and experts. Every such nation has been loath to follow the example of the holy Prophet of Islam {saws}. Wefind the progressive and developednations of today treading exactly the same path although they can illuminate their darkened souls by the effulgent teachings of the Prophet {saws}. They shall soon reap the fruits of their overweaning vanity and haughtiness. The time is not far away when their crumbling civilisation shall fall to pieces like a castle built on sand.

a Great danger to muslim countries But the attitude of the Arab and Muslim countries is rather more queer for they have imbibed an unbounded enthusiasm for western civilisation, materialistic values and national or marxist ideals, all of which are nothing but the workings of the mind of Ignorance. They are callously indifferent to the precious and vitalising teachings of Islam. These developments pose a serious threat to them from which nothing can save them, and which is the cause of their internal conflictsandinstability,frequentrevolutionsand jealousies and the bitter temper of their

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Editorial

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the hIlal IssUe cannot Be let to rest UntIl mUslIms do

themselVes rIGht We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said,“Doyouhaveanydifficultyinseeingthe sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We said, “No.” He said, “So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on thatDayasyouhavenodifficultyinseeingthesun and the moon (in a clear sky).” [Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.532B Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri] Like so many other Eidain, Muslims once again were confused as to when the Eid was. Some began fasting on September 13th, others waited until September 14th. For those who started on 13th of September thirty days were over on Friday. Those who started on 14th of September thirty days were not over until Saturday. This made it theoretically possible that Eid could be on three different days, on 12th, 13th, or 14th of October. Eid ul Fitr was actually observed on four days. There was a group of Muslims who observed it on 11th of October. Is it wrong to observe Eid on different days in different parts of the world? The answer is no. We know from authentic ahadith that this was the practice of the best of generations. We know from our knowledge that most of the time, indeed all of the time, the moon is sighted in one part of the world ahead of the other part. This is not a mystery. It is an indisputable fact. Knowing that, it is certain that during the lifetime of the Prophet SAWS and all through the pre-radio generations of Muslims fasting started and stopped at dif-ferent times by different groups of Muslims. This was because Allah has created the ‘monthly moon clock’ in such a way that different parts of the world are to start and end their ibadah of fast on different days. Very much like the ‘daily sun clock’ that

Allah has created in such a way that differ-ent parts of the world are to observe their daily salaats at different times. One part is praying Fajr while the other part is in the middle of the night. When Connecticut prays Fajr, California is still sleeping. When California is praying Asr Connecticut has alreadyfinishedMaghrib and Isha. WedonotfindanyMuslimlivinginUSAarguing with his cousins in Saudi Arabia about the difference in salaat timings. We do not find anyone living in Connecticutarguing with someone living in Arizona about the difference in the salaat timings. Everyone is following the orders of Allah and His messenger . When the time of a salaat comes at their place of residence they observe that salaat and everyone is right, 100%. That is how Allah has created the ‘daily sun-clock’. Similarly has Allah created the ‘monthly moon-clock’. It is not created that a month will begin simultaneously all over the globe on the same solar day. Let us see how it works from the example of this Eid. Let us observe the global moon scan, produced by Dr. Monzur Ahmed. Everyone who has any even basic knowledge of the moon cycle agrees that Dr. Monzur’s program is quite reliable. On 11th of October the new moon is born (i.e. conjunction occurs and moon, sun and earth lineup in a straight line). That very day at Maghrib time, the hilal can be seen, albeitwithsomedifficulties,usingopticalinstruments, in Argentina, Rio Grande area (Graph 1). It cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. What do Muslims in Rio Grande do when they have seen the hilâl? They stop fasting and observe Eid on Friday, the 12th of Octo-ber. The rest of the Muslims, including those in Saudi Arabia, must continue the fast. On the 12th of October at Maghrib time (Graph 2), Muslims in New Zealand, Australia part of Africa, all of South America and some parts of Central America

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is published monthly by con-necticut council of masajid, Islamic center of hamden, Islamic center of connecticut, Islamic center of new haven, faran club, United muslim masjid, Islamic society of Western connecticut, and Islamic center of new london.

http://ccm-inc.org/iqramaIlInG address:

connecticut council of masajidp.o. Box 4456, hamden, ct 06514

Tel: (203) 562-2757

edItorIal commItteeSister Aisha Sayed Alam (Cheshire)

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Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

Layout/Website ............ Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

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(Graph 1)

(Graph 2)

and North America see the hilâl. What do the Muslims in these areas do when they have seen the hilâl? They stop fasting and observe Eid on Saturday, the 13th of October. All of the Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere who did not see the hilâl on Friday must continue their fast on Saturday. On Saturday the Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere, including people in Connecticut, saw the hilâl. What do the Muslims in these areas do when they have seen the hilâl? They stop fasting and observe Eid on Sunday. This is how the ‘monthly moon-clock’ is created by our Lord. We cannot change it and if we ignore it because of any consideration of arabism, ajamism, tribalism, nationalism, jamaatism, societyism or any other ism that we have invented, we are not following the orders of Allah and His messenger . Those who are asking us to follow these isms, in

direct confrontation to the orders of Allah’s messengers , must not be followed. Let us be of those who say, “that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah.” al-i’Imran, 3:64. Our Nabi , if there was any other consideration except to follow the moon-clock, would have been informed and indeed ordered by Allah that hilâl has appeared, or is going to appear to the west of you, or to the south of you in Africa, so you should start the fast or end the fast without yourself sighting the hilâl. He did no such thing. So why do we Muslims blatantly wish to go against the practice of our Nabi . Why do we wish to follow somebody who may or may not have seen the hilâl positively, when we are absolutely sure that we did not and cannot sight it in our area? Are we not afraid that doing so may make us resemble Bani Israel who changed the Sabbath? This what happened to the Bani Israel, who after contravening many other orders of Al-lah,finallycontravenedeventhisotherwiseseeminglynotsosignificantorderofAllah.

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leaders. All this has made them weak and despicable in the eyes of their enemies.

the difference Between scholars and prophets

How very dissimilar are the prophets from other scholars and sapients can best be illus-trated in metaphorical terms of an allegory describing the entry of the experts in different branchesoflearninginaflourishingcity. Now, the scholars of history going to a citywouldtrytofindoutthepastofthatcity,who founded it, when and how it progressed and the dynasties that ruled over it. Another group of men trained in archae-ology will look round for the antiquities of pre-historic period, dig out the ruins of the city tofindout theprimitive remainsandfossils, decipher old writings and try to as-certain their age and reconstruct the missing links of its foggy past. If a group of geographers goes to the town, their interest would, naturally, be limited tothenaturalandartificialfeaturesofthedistrict, its area, the rivers and hills in the vicinity, its climate, produce, etc. The poets and penmen entering the city would look forward to enjoy the natural surroundings, its refreshing climate and cool breeze for giving expression to their rhythmical creations of beauty. Another group of men learned in philology and lexicography coming to this city would employthemselvestofindoutthedialectsand idioms of the people there, discuss their originanddevelopment,findouttherootscommon to the local and other regional vernaculars, study the script and phonology of that language and thus make valuable ad-dition to the knowledge existing heretofore on the subject. All these endeavours of the men learned in different branches of arts and sciences are undoubtedly valuable and extremely necessary for the furtherance of human culture. None of these need be paid atten-tion less than it deserves, for everyone of

them enriches human understanding in its own way and in a particular manner; but, despite the important work these learned men wouldbeperforming,theyarelikelytofindthemselvesindifficultyiftheydonotcareto be well-informed about something more aboutthetown.Theywouldhavetofindoutwho rules the city, what sort of government is there, what are the local rules and regula-tions for the foreigners and the customs and habits of the people. They would need to be thoughtful of the taxes to be paid by them. If any scholar or expert is unmindful of these or other similar matters he is sure to land himselfindifficulty.

Yeoman’s service performed by the prophets

Now, suppose another group of persons, capable, virtuous and well-meaning, comes to this city but its aim is entirely different from the purpose with which all the other groups of learned men had come there earlier. These people come to guide the inhabitants of the city in the rights and duties of citizen-ship or are rather charged by the absolute monarch of the city to teach the people in behaviours proper to citizenship. They obtain orders direct from the monarch and disseminate these among the populace. They would, no doubt, be recognised before long as the essential link between the supreme power ruling over the city and the people living there. There can be no doubt that all the experts and learned men engaged in different intel-lectual pursuits in that city would feel grateful to these new-comers. It is because of them that peace and amity prevails in the city which enables the people in every walk of life to pursue their trades and callings. It is they who expound the edicts of the ruler to all and tell them how to develop their talents. They lay down the guiding principles for the development of different arts and disciplines. Thus, without their benign help and guidance no artisan or man of letter will know how to live and carry on his work in that city;

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everyone will break the law and go to prison instead of devoting himself wholeheartedly to the trade of his choice. No learning, no art, no trade and none of the discoveries in anyfieldshallbeofanyusetothepeoplewithout peace and amity reigning over the city which depends on the knowledge of regulations and commands of the ruler. This is the great axiom round which every other branch of knowledge, arts and expertise must align itself, and that is why the prophets are senttoexpoundtheUltimateTruthorgnosisof God.

“Thus did We show Abraham the king-dom of the heavens and the earth that he might be of those possessing certainty.” [Q. VI :75]

the most sacred duty This allegory would become more mean-

ingful if one were to remember that the monarch ruling over the city is not merely a ruler or administrator but also the Master and Creator of the city and all that belongs to it; He has brought everything into existence, given life to every sentient being, provided for all their needs and is the Sustainer, the Benevolent, the Merciful and the Compas-sionate Sovereign. He has more tender regard for His creation than the attachment of a mother to her children. The affectionate love and benevolence bestowed by God on His creations is described by the Qur’ân in these verses of lasting beauty.

“He is Allah, than Whom there is no other God, the Knower of the Invisible andtheVisible.HeistheBeneficent,the Merciful.“He is Allah, than Whom there is no

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other God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Com-peller, the Superb, glorified beAllahfrom all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).“He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is intheheavensandtheearthglorifiethHim, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” [Q. LIX :22-24]

A lively sense of the Living, Dominant God acquired through one’s intellect, His lovefillingtheinmostrecessesofone’sheart,duteous submission of one’s whole being to Him and an ardent desire to gain proximity to Him constitute, in reality, the most sacred duty and the greatest honour one can look forward to or, rather, the compelling demand of human nature. And, this being the great purpose for which the prophets are sent by God, one can very well see what an exalted place these heavenly beings and their mis-sion occupy in comparison to the aims and aspirations of other human beings. They are as much necessary for the existence of man as soul is for the body or intellect and the eyes are for man. Notwithstanding all the arts and literature, culture and civilisation, trade and industry, the world would have remained in obscure darkness without the prophets of God.

“Or, as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.” [Q. XXIV : 40]

to Be continued

English translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad, published by the Academy of Islamic Research and Publica-

tions, Nadwatul-Ulema, Lucknow, India, 1979. Reprinted with permission.

“And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath; We said to them: “Be ye apes despised and rejected.” So We made it an example to their own time and to their posterity and a lesson to those who fear Allah.” Al-Baqara, 2:65-66 For that group of Bani Israel this trans-gression was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. Let us not be in the same revolting spot. In Connecticut, like many other places, Eid was observed on three days. Practically it had no effect on our life. Everyone observed the Eid as they wished. In other words it does not really matter when we observe Eid. What really matters and will matter more on “that Day” is if we obeyed the orders given to us. And the orders are quite unambiguous:

They ask you about the crescents. Tell (them)theyareforfixingtimeformen

and the Hajj. (2:198) For centuries the Muslims followed the simple rule of going out on the 29th evening and watching for the crescent. If it was seen, then well and good if not, then the month was completed to 30 days. This was based on explicit instructions from the Messenger of Allâh .

Abu-Hurayrah said that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Whenever you sight the crescent (of the month of Ramadan) observe fast, and when you sight it (the crescent of Shawwal) break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then observe fast for thirty days. (Sahih Muslim Hadith 2378; Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3: 133)

Editorial, continued from page �

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continued from page �The statement of the Prophet “Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ra-madhan), and stop fasting on seeing the crescent (of Shawwal)”. And Ammar said,”Whoever fasts on a doubtful day is disobeying Abu-l-Qasim”. (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 3 chapter 11).

Look at this situation in more drastic man-ner. Messenger of Allah’s conversation with his companions one day is recorded thus, “We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He said,“Doyouhaveanydifficultyinseeingthe sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We said, “No.” He said, “So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on thatDayasyouhavenodifficultyinseeingthesun and the moon (in a clear sky).”” Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.532B Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri . The same way Nabi told us that a month is 29 days or 30 days. What that has meant to Muslims for 1400 years is that sometimes the hilâl will be seen after 29 days but with-out doubt after thirty days, when the sky is clear, hilâl will be visible. The hilâl will be visible in the same town where it was seen 30 days prior. If the hilâl is not seen in the same town after thirty days, and the sky is clear then what it means is that we made a mistake in the beginning or (we seek Allah’s protection even to mention it) the Messenger of Allah told us something that is not always true. This year like all other years most of the Muslims followed Allah’s Messenger’s

guidance. They saw the hilâl and they started and they saw the hilâl and they stopped. Muslims in Rio Grande did the right thing, although they observed Eid on Friday. Muslims in New Zealand, Australia, parts of Africa, South America, and Central America and even in Arizona and California, saw the hilâl on Friday and observed the Eid on Saturday. They did the right thing,

although they observed Eid on Saturday. We in Connecticut did not see the hilâl on Friday. The sky was as clear as it could be. No clouds, no fog, even the dust and the pollutants were washed off by the rain a few hours before the sunset. Large numbers of Muslims went out to see. No one reported sighting the hilâl, not even a fake sighting. Those who keep track of sighting reports confirmedthattherewasnohilâl in our area or most of North America. What does it mean for those who started fasting on Thursday, September 13 and did not see the hilâl even after completing 30 days of Ramadhan? In such situations we have a choice, either we accept that we began the month wrongly and that is why we did not see the hilâl after 30 days, or (we seek Allah’s protection even to mention it) the messenger of Allah told us something that is not always true. The choice is ours. One of the ways that we can learn to believe our Nabi , that we shall see our Lordwithoutanydifficultyon“thatDay”,is by practicing to believe him and act ac-cordingly in those things that are all around us and are observable. One of those things is that we will see the moon after 30 days in the same town where we started the month after seeing the hilâl, if the sky is clear. If we do not see the hilâl after 30 days of a month then we made a mistake. If we lack belief in thisotherwiseobservable,confirmableandundebatable statement of Allah’s Messenger

then it is only Allah’s mercy that we are not “apes despised and rejected”.

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DAY FAJR SHURUQZUHRASR———— MAGRIBISHA DWN SUNRISE Shafi’i Hanafi SNSETNGHT

Your (real) friend can be only Allâh;

and His mes-senger and those who

believe-- who establish

prayer and pay the poor due and bow

down (in worship).

And whoso turns (for

friendship) to Allâh and His messen-

ger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh, they are the victo-

rious.(5:55-56)

LUNARDATES

I f you need prayer t im-ings for your town, p lease send us a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope.

prayer times are for the new haven area and are based on 18° for fajr and Isha. check local newspapers for your local time difference.

october19 5:36 7:08 12:37 3:37 4:22 6:05 7:3720 5:37 7:09 12:36 3:36 4:20 6:03 7:3521 5:38 7:10 12:36 3:35 4:19 6:02 7:3422 5:39 7:11 12:36 3:34 4:18 6:00 7:3323 5:40 7:12 12:36 3:32 4:16 5:59 7:3124 5:41 7:14 12:36 3:31 4:15 5:58 7:3025 5:42 7:15 12:36 3:30 4:14 5:56 7:2926 5:43 7:16 12:36 3:29 4:13 5:55 7:2827 5:44 7:17 12:36 3:28 4:11 5:53 7:2628 5:45 7:18 12:35 3:27 4:10 5:52 7:2529 5:46 7:19 12:35 3:26 4:09 5:51 7:2430 5:47 7:21 12:35 3:25 4:08 5:50 7:2331 5:48 7:22 12:35 3:24 4:06 5:48 7:22

november1 5:49 7:23 12:35 3:23 4:05 5:47 7:202 5:50 7:24 12:35 3:22 4:04 5:46 7:193 5:51 7:25 12:35 3:21 4:03 5:45 7:184 4:53 6:27 11:35 2:20 3:02 4:43 6:175 4:54 6:28 11:35 2:19 3:01 4:42 6:166 4:55 6:29 11:35 2:18 3:00 4:41 6:157 4:56 6:30 11:35 2:17 2:58 4:40 6:148 4:57 6:31 11:35 2:17 2:57 4:39 6:139 4:58 6:33 11:35 2:16 2:56 4:38 6:1310 4:59 6:34 11:36 2:15 2:55 4:37 6:1211 5:00 6:35 11:36 2:14 2:55 4:36 6:1112 5:01 6:36 11:36 2:13 2:54 4:35 6:1013 5:02 6:37 11:36 2:13 2:53 4:34 6:0914 5:03 6:39 11:36 2:12 2:52 4:33 6:0915 5:04 6:40 11:36 2:11 2:51 4:32 6:0816 5:05 6:41 11:36 2:11 2:50 4:31 6:0717 5:06 6:42 11:37 2:10 2:49 4:31 6:0718 5:07 6:43 11:37 2:09 2:49 4:30 6:0619 5:08 6:45 11:37 2:09 2:48 4:29 6:0620 5:09 6:46 11:37 2:08 2:47 4:28 6:0521 5:10 6:47 11:38 2:08 2:47 4:28 6:0522 5:11 6:48 11:38 2:07 2:46 4:27 6:0423 5:12 6:49 11:38 2:07 2:45 4:27 6:0424 5:13 6:50 11:38 2:06 2:45 4:26 6:0325 5:14 6:51 11:39 2:06 2:44 4:25 6:0326 5:15 6:53 11:39 2:06 2:44 4:25 6:0327 5:16 6:54 11:39 2:05 2:44 4:25 6:0228 5:17 6:55 11:40 2:05 2:43 4:24 6:0229 5:18 6:56 11:40 2:05 2:43 4:24 6:0230 5:19 6:57 11:40 2:05 2:42 4:23 6:02

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oct-noV praYer tImes, neW haVen

note to Inmates: If you would like to receive kufi (caps), we must have a letter from yourprisonchaplainonanofficialletterheadbeforewecansendthem.Youmustalsoin-clude a self-addressed stamped envelope with $1.48 worth of postage.

shaWWal

dhU’l-Qa’dah

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reGUlar masJId actIVItIes and JUm’a praYer tImes

BerlIn masJId1781 Berlin Hwy., Berlin, CT 06037, (860) 829-6411Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Dr. Ali Antar (860) 582-1002

masJId an-noor1300FairfieldAve.,Bridgeport,CT(203)579-2211

Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. M. Faisal Shamshad (203) 372-2928

UnIVersItY of BrIdGeportChristan Hall, Park Ave. Bridgeport, CT.

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pm

masJId daar-Ul-ehsaan 739 Terryville Av., Bristol, CT 06010. (860) 585-9742Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. Muhammed Akhtar Ali (860)589-4512.

IslamIc socIetY of WesternconnectIcUt, danBUrY

388 Main St, Danbury, CT 06810. (203) 744-1328Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Br. Asif Akhtar (203)746-7530

QadarIYa commUnItY ser. ctr.(JamIa masJId mUstafa ) e.

htfd.20 Church St, East Hartford, CT 06108 (860)282-0786Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. Sajid Bhura (860)830-4453

IslamIc center of hamden60 Connolly Parkway,Wilbur Cross Commons, Unit

17-212, Hamden, CT 06514 (203) 562-2757Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmfriday dars 8:00 - 11:00 pmmadrasah: every sunday 9:55am - 1:30 pm mon-thurs afternoons, 5:00 - 7:00 pmcommunity dinner 1st sunday of each month. contact: Dr. Abdul Hamid (203) 562-2757

Icfc masJId (JamIa Karam)57 Pepper St, Monroe. CT06468 (203)261-6222Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Ahmed Reza (203) 746-0683

masJId al-Islam624 George St. New Haven, CT (203)777-4008Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Jimmy Jones (203) 865-5805IslamIc center of neW london16 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340, (860) 405-8006Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Br. Imran Ahmed (860) 691-8015

al-madanY IslamIc center of norWalK

4 Elton Court, Norwalk, CT 06851 (203)852-0847Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Syed Hussain Qadri. (203) 852-0847.

stamford IslamIc center10 Outlook St. stamford, CT 06902 (203)975-2642

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact:HafizHaqqaniMianQadri(203)975-2642

IslamIc socIetY of stamford82 Harbor Dr, Stamford, CT 06902

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact:HafizAbdulSalamSumra(203)255-4327

UnIted mUslIm masJId (masJId rahman)

132 Prospect Ct. Waterbury, CT. 06704 (203)756-6365 Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmContact Br. Majeed Sharif. (203) 879-7230.

West haVen masJId2 Pruden St., West haven, CT 06516, (203) 933-5799Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Br. Mohammad Taroua (203) 287-7561.

madIna masJId1 Madina Drive, Windsor, CT 06095, (860) 249-0112Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Muhamed M. Haidara 860-655-9042Madina Academy:Full time School (860)524-9700IslamIc socIetY of Western

massachUsetts337AmostownRd.W.Springfield,MA01105

(413)788-7546 Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Dr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji(860)749-8859.

Visit the Connecticut Council of Masajid website:

http://ccm-inc.org

Surah Maryam 19:64

(The angels say:) “We descend not but by command of thy Lord: to Him belongeth what is before us and what is behind us, and what is

between: and thy Lord never doth forget,-

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNER

My Lord! Increase MeIn Knowledge

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aBU BaKr as-sIddIQ troUBles at home

At the time of the Prophet’s death, most of Arabia was under

Muslim control, but the people of the many Arab tribes were committed to Islam in varying degrees. People ac-customed to the wild ways of Arabia before Islam had trouble adjusting to the civilizing restraint of Islam. This was especially true of the more distant tribes which had little contact with the Muslims of Madina and Macca. However, what bothered these people the most was the poor-tax, or zakat, which every person with excess wealth was obliged to pay. When Abu Bakr Siddiq became Caliph, the grumbling tribes saw what they thought was the perfect opportunity. They did not really want to engage in the warfare that would be required for a total break, and they could live with the prayers and fasts and pilgrimages, but the zakat really disturbed them. Several of the chiefs approached Abu Bakr Siddiq

with the proposal that they would remain Muslims and would not cause trouble if they were released from the obligation of zakat. But Abu Bakr Siddiq refused to accept such a compromise. To give zakat was a commandment of Allah, which no one has the power to change. A person could not be a Muslim if he didnotfulfillallhisobligations.Abu

Bakr Siddiq vowed to wage war against anyone who refused to pay what he owed, even if it amounted only to the value of a single goat. Some of Abu Bakr Siddiq’s advis-ing council were in favor of going easy on those who refused to pay zakat. Abu Bakr Siddiq vowed to wage war single-handedly if he did not receive support from his advisers. Abu Bakr Siddiq would not make compromises on Allah’s command-ments. Usama’s army had not yet re-turned to Madina from Syria. Some of the chiefs who did not want to pay the zakat planned to attack Madina while the main army was still far away. However, Abu Bakr Siddiq suspected that such a plan was in the making and made his own prepara-tions. When the raiders attacked, theyweredrivenbacksofiercelythatthey took to their heels in headlong flight. WithinafewdaysUsama and his army had returned. Abu Bakr Siddiq

decided to march in person against therebellioustribes.LeavingUsama

in charge of Madina, Abu Bakr Siddiq led an army against two of the tribes and totally defeated them.

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Paradise lies beneath

the mothers’ feet.

continued from page �0This firm action convinced manyother tribes that it was impossible to accept part of Islam and reject part of it. For all future campaigns against tribes which had embraced Islam and then turned away, Abu Bakr Siddiq gave his commanders a set of instruc-tions which would avoid bloodshed whenever possible. Before taking out their swords, the commanders must declare the message of Islam. If the rebels accepted it, the swords would not be used against them. But if the message was rejected, the sol-diersmustattackandfightuntiltherebels gave up disbelief. When the rebels agreed to accept Islam again, the commander of the Muslim army must explain to them their rights and duties under Islam. The people must be given their rights and should be made to do their duties. Above all, the commander should keep his men from hasty action and mischief. These policies led to many wavering tribes peacefully re-entering the fold of Islam without the necessity of any military action.

Bonnie l. hamid

masjid al Islam(new haven ct) sponsors a free

family Get-together & fundraiser

On Nov. 10 at Career High School, 3-9pm Founded in November 1987 (1408), Masjid Al –Islam will mark 20 years of Is-lamic work in the greater New Haven area with a special family-oriented community building program on Saturday November 10, 3-9pm. Imam Zaid shakir will be the featured speaker for this historic Family Get-Together and Fundraiser at Career High School, 140 Legion Avenue, New Haven CT 06519. The auditorium program will also fea-ture youth from area Islamic centers re-citing Quran and ahadith, leaders of area Islamic Masaajid and Centers giving short talks and speeches by sis. mubarakah Ibrahim and Imam abu ayman sam-huddeen harun. Family oriented activities will include a bazaar, brothers’ networking, and sisters’ networking sessions, a health fair, free computer advice clinic and youth recre-ational activities in the gym. Dinner will also be provided for free If you wish to inquire about sponsor-ship, donating, volunteering, advertising, participating in the bazaar, or other info, call: Dr. Jimmy Jones, Masjid Al-Islam Amir, at 203 376-7189 or email jonesya-hya@yahoo.com.

Madrasa-tun-noorhamden, ct

first day of fall session: Sunday October 28, 2007

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the language of the friday (Jumu’ah) Khutbah

mufti muhammad taqi Usmani

It is one of the basic requirements of the Friday (Jumu’ah) Prayer that it should

be preceded by a Khutbah (sermon) deliv-ered by the Imam. It is Wajib (mandatory) for every Muslim to attend the Khutbah from the very beginning. Being a part of the Jumu’ah prayer, it has some special rules and traits which distinguish it from the normal lectures given on other occa-sions. One of these special traits is that like the prayer (Salah) it is delivered in Arabic. All the Muslims (since the beginning) have been delivering the Khutbah of Friday in no other language than Arabic, even where the audience does not understand its mean-ing. It was in the present century for the first time that the idea of delivering theKhutbah in other languages emerged in some Muslim societies where majority of the audience could not understand Arabic properly. The intention behind this change was that without letting the people under-stand its contents, the Khutbah can hardly be of a meaningful use for the general peo-ple who are addressed by it. Conversely, if Khutbah is delivered in a local language, a very useful message can be conveyed through it every Friday and it can serve as an effective medium for educating people in a wide area of Islamic teachings. Apparently, the argument seems to be very logical. That is why it has found cur-rency in the countries far from the centers of deeper Islamic knowledge. But before we accept it on its face value, we should first examine it in the light of the HolyQur’aan, the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet

, the practice of his companions, and the juristic views adopted by different schools of Islamic jurisprudence. It is true that Islam being a universal religion does not want to restrict it to a particular race or lan-guage. The Holy Qur’aan has mentioned in express terms:

We never sent a messenger but in the language of the nation he was sent to. (14:4 Ibrahîm)

The Holy Prophet was so keen to con-vey the Islamic message to all foreign nations in their own languages that he sent some of his companions, like Zayd ibn Harithah to Syria to learn the Hebrew and the Syriac languages, so that he may preach Islam to the nations who did not know Arabic. But at the same time, we notice that while leaving a wide spectrum of education and preaching open to any language convenient forthepurpose,Islamhasspecifiedsomelim-ited functions to be performed in Arabic only. For example, it is mandatory for every Mus-limtoperformhisfivetimesprayers(Salah) in Arabic. This rule applies to all non-Arabs also who cannot normally understand what they are reciting; rather, sometimes it is dif-ficultforthemtolearntheexactpronuncia-tion of the Arabic words used in the prayers. Likewise, Adhan is the call for attending the congregation of Salah. It is addressed to the local people but it is made obligatory that it is pronounced in Arabic. Its translation into any other language is not acceptable. Simi-larly, while performing Hajj we are directed to read talbiyah in Arabic. The translation of these words cannot serve the purpose. While greeting each other, we are obligated to say As-salaamu’alayukum in the exact Arabic words. “Peace be upon you,” an exact trans-lation of As-salaamu ‘alaykumcannotfulfillthe requirement of the recognized (masnoon) greeting even though the former expression is more comprehensible for an English-knowing person than the latter. Similarly, while commencing an important work it is desirable to say Bismillah-ir-rahmaan-ir-ra-heem.These specificArabicwordsmay betranslated into English or any other language easily understood by the speaker and the ad-dressee but it will always be preferable to re-cite the original Arabic words. The emphasis on exact Arabic words in some such matters is not based on any bias

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continued from page ��in favor of the Arabic language, because Is-lam has always been proponent of inter-na-tionalism rather than nationalism. The Holy Prophet has himself eradicated the prides based on race, color and language. He an-nounced in his landmark sermon of his last Hajj that: “An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab.” However, for being an internationally united Ummah, the Muslim should have some common features, especially in the ways of their worship. The modes of wor-ship which require some oral recitations have, therefore, been prescribed in a man-ner that all recitations are carried out in one common language, regardless of the linguis-ticaffiliationoftherecitors,Arabichasbeenselected for this purpose, because it is the language in which Qur’aan was revealed and in which the Holy Prophet addressed the human kind. The Holy Qur’aan and Sun-nah of the Holy Prophet have been taken as the basic resources from where the rules of Shari’ah are deduced. Both being in Ara-bic, it is always desirable that a Muslim ac-quaints himself with it to the best possible extent. To make Arabic a common medium of expression for all Muslims, at least in the ritual reciting, serves this purpose also. When a non-Arab Muslim performs prayer inArabicfivetimes-aday,heautomaticallyestablishes a strong relationship with the Qur’aanic language which makes him un-derstand a number of the terms and phrases used in the Holy Qur’aan and Sunnah. In short, it is enjoined upon the Muslims in some modes of worship that their oral recitations must be in Arabic. Therefore, to resolve the issue of the language of Khutbah we will have to examine whether the Khut-bah of Friday is a form of worship or it is an ordinary lecture meant only to educate people. The following points may help knowing the correct position in this respect: 1. It is established by authentic resources that the Khutbah of Friday is a part of the

prayer and stands for two Rak’at (unit) of prayer. Every day, other than Friday, the prayer of Zuhr (midday) consist of four Rak’at, while on Friday the number of Rak’at of the Jumu’ah prayer has been reduced to two, and the other two Rak’at have been substituted by the Khutbah. Sayyidna Umar , the second caliph of the Holy Prophet , says: The Khutbah has been prescribed in lieu of two Rakats. Who so ever fails to deliver Khutbah must pray four Rakat. 2. The Holy Qur’aan has named the Khutbah as Dhikr in the following verse:

O believers, when there is a call for Salah (Jumu’ah prayer) on Friday, rush for the Dhikr (Khutbah ) of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you if you did but knew! (Sura Al-Jumu’ah 62 Ayat 9)

Here the word ‘Dhikr’ stands for the Khutbah, because after hearing the Adhan, the Salah (prayer) does not start immedi-ately. What starts after Adhan is Khutbah. That is why the Holy Qur’aan did not say, ‘When there is a call for prayer, rush for the prayer;” rather it has said, “when there is a call for prayer, rush for the Dhikr of Allah. It is for this reason that all the Mus-lim schools of jurists are unanimous on the point that it is necessary upon every Mus-lim to set out for the Masjid as soon as he hears the call and should reach the Masjid at a time when the Khutbah is yet to start, because hearing the full Khutbah is Wajib (mandatory). ThisissufficienttoprovethattheHolyQur’aan has used the word ‘Dhikr’ for the Khutbah. Dhikr means ‘recitation of the name of Allah’ as against ‘Tadhkir’ which means ‘giving advice,’ ‘to educate’ or ‘to admonish’. This is a clear indication from the Holy Qur’aan that the basic purpose of Khutbah is Dhikr and not the Tadhkir and that it is a part of the worship rather than being a normal lecture. 3. At another place, the Holy Qur’aan

continued on page ��

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Letters to the Editor

Volvo Shanawar ButtVWAudiBMWMercedes-Benz

Domestic & Foreign

1510 Dixwell AvenueHamden, CT 06514 �0�-�9�-8���

s & s auto

edItor’s maIl

In this section we acknowledge the mail that we have received. If you sent

us a self addressed stamped envelope then you already have or will as soon as pos-sible receive a response. However, if your request was beyond our present capabili-ties, we seek your indulgence and prayers that may Allâh give us the taufeeq in future to address your request or need adequately. Kufi caps are not always available, requests arefilledwhenpossible.Wethankthefol-lowing Muslims for writing to us and sup-porting .

continued on page ��

Abdul Bari, OHAbdul Wahid al-Muqsit, FLAbdullahi Mustafa Ali, CAAlberto Rivera, FLAlfieD.Wallace,GAAli Dowlatshahi, CTAndre Hall, FLAnthony Delgado, PAAntonio Cirillo, FLAntonio Howard, NCArthur Florida, FLBandy Washington, FLBrian Murray, FLBrigadier Ridley, DECasrezReynaldo,UTCharlae Best FLClaude Edward, FLClifford Williams, PACornell Melvin, NCDaryl Armstead, CADemetrius Wilson, PADonald Massey, PADurell Sims, FLEarnest Williams, GAElia Bodifard, ALEric S. Cox, FLFrantiz Maignan, CTFrederick Brown, GAGeorge Austin, PAGerald Roybal, NCGiles Turner, CAGlenn Messer, NCJack Young, NYJason Brown, NYJeremiah Nasir Jeffers, NYJohn A. Davis, PAJohnny Hoskins, FL

Joseph Baker, FLJozeph Mehrobi, VALamonte Moore, FLLee Engle, CALord Wright, CTMarkiee S Whitehead, NCMcKinley Tonya, COMichael Aiken, FLRobert Jackson, GAMichael Gloves, FLNabeel Kaddah, CTOscar Beasley, FLQareeb Shaheer Muhammad, FLRayshawn Donaldson, NCReginald Brown, GARicky Conaway, GARobert Finch, FLRobert Leonard, FLSam Jones, GASeifuddin N-Wali, CTT. Ajay, CATerence M. Platts, FLTerrill Ailep, FLTheo Turner, GAVernon B. William, GAWahid Anderson, CAEarnest B. Williams, GAWillie L. Williams, FL

Q. The day-light savings time has been extended. How does this affect the

prayer schedule that IQRA has provided us? (Clifford Williams, PA) a. On the schedule that you have delete the line after April (Before first Sunday, subtract an hour from all times) and Octo-ber (After last Saturday, subtract an hour from all times) and add the following after March (After second Saturday, add an hour to all times) and November (Before first Sunday, subtract an hour from all times).

fIVe condItIons A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham (rah-matullahi ‘alayh -- Allah have mercy upon him), and said, “Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something to help me with it.” “If you accept five conditions,” saidIbrahim, “and are able to put them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem.” “Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!” themansaid. “Thefirst is thatwhenyouwant to disobey Allah you do not eat any-thing He provides.” “Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the earth is from Him!” “So is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same time?” replied Ibrahim. “No, it is not. What is the second condi-tion?” “When you want to disobey him, move off His land.” “That is even more diffi-cult!” exclaimed the man. “In that case where will I live?” “Is it right to eat his provision and live on His land and then to disobey Him?”

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continued from page ��

to Be continued

sIster seeKInG spoUseA 33 year-old Muslimah is seek-ing a spouse. Anyone interested can contact her wali, Abu Jibril Ali Ab-dul Haq at 978-413-6330

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has referred to the Khutbah of Friday as “the recitation of the Holy Qur’aan.” The Holy verse says:

“And when the Qur’aan is recited before you, listen to it carefully and be silent (when he is delivering the Khut-bah ), so that you receive mercy. (Sura Al-’Araf. 7 Ayat 204)

According to a large number of commen-tators the ‘recitation of the Qur’aan’ in this verse refers to the Khutbah delivered before the prayer of Jumu’ah. Here again the word of recitation is used for the Khutbah which indicates that it is very similar to the reci-tation of Qur’anic verses during performing prayers. In a number of authentic ahadith also the Khutbah of Friday has been referred to as Dhikr. For example in a hadith reported by Imam al-Bukhari the Holy Prophet , while persuading Muslims to go to the Masjid on Friday at the earliest, has said: “And when the Imam comes out (to deliv-er Khutbah) the angels come to listen to the Dhikr (Khutabah). (Sahih al-Bukhari Vol. 1, p. 121 Hadith NO. 881) In another narration, the same principle has been established in the following words: “And when imam comes out (for Khut-bah) the angels close their books (recording the noble deeds) and listen to the Dhikr (i.e. Khutbah).” (Sahih al-Bukhari V. 1, p. 127 Hadith NO. 929) Based on this particular characteristic of the Khutbah of Friday it is admittedly sub-ject to certain rules which are not applicable to normal religious lectures. Some of these rules are the following: (i) It is a mandatory requirement for a val-id Khutbah on Friday to contain at least one verse from the Holy Qur’aan without which the Khutbah is not valid, while in normal lectures no recitation from the Holy Qur’aan is necessary. (ii) Another mandatory rule is that it must contain some words in praise of Allah Al-

mighty and for sending salutation (durood) to our Holy Prophet while no such re-quirement is mandatory in the case of nor-mal lectures. (iii) The Khutbah, being a part of the prayer, no one from the audience is allowed to utter a single word during Khutbah. The Holy Prophet has emphasized on this principle in the following words: “If you speak during Khutbah on Friday, you commit absurdity.” “Whoever says to his friend while Imam is delivering Khutbah on Friday ‘Keep quiet’ also commits absurdity.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Jamah Tarmizi and Sunan-e-Nisai) It is obvious that the words ‘keep quiet’ do not disturb the Khutbah, nor do they stop one from hearing its contents. Rather, they may induce others to maintain silence. Still, the Holy Prophet has forbidden to utter these words during the Khutbah of Friday. The reason is that the Khutbah of Friday enjoys the same status as the Salah itself. While offering Salah, one cannot even say, ‘keep quiet’ to stop someone from speaking. Similar rule has been ap-plied to Khutbah also, which is another in-dication that the Khutbah of Friday is not like a normal lecture. It is a part of Salah, therefore, most of the rules applicable to Salah are also applicable to it.

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Important Islamic daysashUra’ (Fast on 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th of Muharram.)maUlUd-Un-naBI Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Rabiul Awwal) - death of the prophet (12 Rabiul Awwal).Isra and mIraJ (The anniversary of the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem & his Ascension then to Heaven)(27 Rajab).nesfU shaBaan (Shub-e-Barat)(middle of the month of Shabaan)(night between 14 &15).BeGInnInG of the month of ramadân.laIla tUl Qader (NIGHTOFVALUE)Anightduringthelast 10 days of Ramadân. eId Ul-fItr (1st. Shawwal) WaQfatU-arafat (Pilgrims assemble on Arafat Plain, Makkah)(9 Zul-Hijj).eId Ul-adha(Feastofsacrifice)(10Zul-Hijj).

is issued on the 3rd friday of each month. Issn # 1062-2756

continued from page ��asked Ibrahim. “No, it is not.” “What is the third condition?” “When you want to disobey Him in spite of eating His provision and liv-ingonHisland,findaplacewhereHe will not see you and disobey Him there.” “What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happens even in the most hidden places!” “So is it right to disobey Him when you eat His provision and live on His land and when you know that He can see everything you do?” “It certainly is not!” the man replied. “Tell me the fourth condition.” “That when the Angel of Death arrives to take your soul, you say to him, ‘Give me a reprieve so that I can repent and act righteously for Allah.’” “But he won’t listen to me!” “Then if you cannot ward off death long enough to give yourself time to repent, and you know that when it comes there will be no reprieve, how can you hope to be saved?” “Whatisthefifth?” “That when the angels of the Fire come to you to take you to the Fire, you do not go with them.” “They will take me whether I like it or not!” exclaimed the man. “So how can you hope to be saved?” “Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah’s forgiveness and I turn to Him!” The man’s repentance was sincere and from that time on he was assidu-ous in his worship and avoided acts of disobedience until the day he died.óóóóóóóóóóóóó