We Are The Ummah That Never Gets Defeated !!!

Refutation of those that defend the Rulers!!!

If a Muslim ruler is to be consider a Ruler he must fulfill the conditions of Bayah!!!
The conditions for someone to DESERVE the Bay’ah are as follows:

- To preserve the Deen from any distortion the way the Salaf preserved it.
- Establishing the rules between the people, and removing the disputes between the disputing people.
- Protecting dar-ul Islam / Ummah from any attack from outside, in order that they can live with full peace and tranquility.
- To implement the Hudud. For the rights of Allah and the people to be preserved.
- To build an army to protect the Muslims and non-Muslims from foreign invasion.
- To fight the kuffar who prevent Islam to spread.
- Collecting the money of Zakat and Booty, without any fear or oppression.
- Spending the money as Allah said to whoever is eligible.
- Appointing the trustworthy people in different positions of the state in order to run the affairs of the people.
- He must stay in position where he is in charge, without letting ritual act, or business acts, etc, get in the way.

“If the Imam fulfils what is mentioned above from the rights of the people, he fulfils what Allah said is the rights of the people, then he is eligible for rights to him from the people, to be obeyed and Nussrah.” [Imam Mawardi Al Baghdadi - Ahkaam ul-Sultaniyyah P.18]

Ofcourse the current Kings DO NOT fulfil any of those, which renders them not eligible for bayah let alone being a Ruler, and in case of other matters even if they did, they would be considered an apostate as they have negated their Emaan for the following reasons:

Determining the Right Way!

The very first generation of Muslims that lived and established Islaam in their lives with Muhammad, the son of 'Abdullaah, had glory and triumph that no nation that existed before them or any that came after them achieved. This is a reality which no one denies. Thus we find that every conscious Muslim dreams about this reality and so in his own way tries to work for this glory to return within his life and the life of those around him. However, to dream is one thing and the reality is another. 

The Muslims although they are now the fastest growing nation in the world, are also the most divided. This division was predicted by the Messenger (pbuh) who said: "The Jews were divided into seventy one (71) groups and the Christians were divided into seventy two (72) any my Ummah (nation) will divide into seventy three (73), each of which would be in the Fire except one ... " 

Although this prediction is established in the Hadith above, yet it is not approved by Islaam. On the contrary, Allaah had commanded the Muslims to unite, He said: "Hold fast all together to the rope of Allaah and be not divided." [al-Qur'aan 3:103] 

The division of this Ummah started very early after the death of the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh). After Islaam became strong and its enemies found that they could not defeat it physically they started to attack it by undermining the faith of the common people and those newly converted to Islaam by introducing new concepts that were alien to the Islaam brought by Muhammad (pbuh). This wave of attack brought about an almost total standstill to the quest for sound knowledge and facilitated the easy spread of deviant concepts and new innovations in this Deen. The vast majority of Muslims are now totally lost and their understanding of Islaam was very much diluted with deviant ideas which allowed anyone who wanted to capitalize on the ignorant to do so with ease. People now lost the correct way and so they did not know what method to use to understand this Deen. Therefore, instead of referring matters of belief ('Aqeedah) to the Qur'aan and the Sunnah they turned to the books of philosophy which, although written by Muslims, were all affected by the Greek, Persian and other prevalent thoughts of that time.

Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah

There are a number of Ahadith explaining the great virtues of this chapter:

1. Surah Fatihah - Answered by Allah, the Exalted Prophet (saws) said: “Allah says, "I have divided the prayer between Myself and my servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he asked for." Therefore when the servant says, ‘all praises and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the universe’, Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’. When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, ‘You Alone we worship and Your aid Alone do we seek,’ Allah says, ‘this is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he requested.’ When he says, ‘guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred [Your] wrath, neither of those who have gone astray,’ Allah says, ‘this is for My servant and My servant shall have what he asked for.’ [Sahih Muslim]

2. Surah Fatihah – the Mother of the Qur’aan (Umm al-Qur’aan), the Great Qur’aan (Qur’aan-e-Azeem) and it comprises the seven oft-repeated verses. (As-Saa’bu al-Mathaani)

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: “Prophet (saws) said: “[chapter commencing with], “Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil Alameen” is the Mother of the Qur`aan, the Mother of the Book, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses and the Great Qur`aan.” [Tirmidhi]

Those Who Will Be Excused For Not Knowing...

Shaykh 'Abdul-Aziz bin Baaz (rahimahullah) was asked 'Who are the ones who will be excused for ignorance about 'aqeedah and matters of fiqh?', to which he replied:

Praise be to Allâh.

Claiming that one is ignorant or using this as an excuse is a matter which needs further discussion. Not everyone can be excused for his ignorance. With regard to the things which were brought by Islâm, which the Messenger (saws) explained and which were made clear in the Book of Allâh and are widely known among the Muslims, no claim of ignorance will be accepted in these cases, especially in matters with have to do with 'aqeedah and the basics of religion.

Allâh sent His Prophet (saws) to teach the people their religion and explain it to them, and he conveyed the message clearly and explained to the ummah the truths of their religion. He explained everything and left them with a clear path which is always obvious. In the Book of Allâh there is guidance and light. If some people claim to be ignorant about things which are known to be essential parts of the religion and which are well known among the Muslims, such as claiming to be ignorant about shirk and worshipping anything other than Allâh, or claiming that salaah is not obligatory, or that fasting Ramadaan is not obligatory, or that paying zakaah is not obligatory, or that doing Hajj when one is able to is not obligatory - in these and similar matters, claims of ignorance are unacceptable from those who live among the Muslims, because they are matters which are well known among the Muslims. They are known to be essential parts of the Muslim religion and are widely known among the Muslims, so the claim of ignorance of these matters is unacceptable.

Who are: Ahl Sunnah wa Jamaah, Khawarij & Murjiaah?

Who is the Ahl-Sunnah-Wa-Jamaah?

Ahl-Sunnah-Wa-Jamaah are in between the Murjiaah and the Khawarij, and do not make Takfir upon a sinner nor do we say that ones Imaan is completed as long a person has pronounced the Shahadah without actions. Actions such as; changing the Sharia, aiding the Kuffar (disbelievers), praying to graves etc., which belongs under the category of al-Kufr-al-Akbar, by which a persons Islam is nullified if believed or acted upon.

Who are the Khawarij?

They do not differ between actions that do not lead to disbelief and those that do. So whoever commits a major sin according to them or constantly commits a minor sin is a Kafir (disbeliever). They also say that whoever differs with them or is not from them is a Kafir (disbeliever) too. Najdah bin 'Amir said: “Whoever looks, a small look, or lies even a small lie, and he insists on it, then he is a Mushrik.” [al-Farqu baynal-Firaq for al-Baghdadi, p 68]

Abdullah bin Yahya al-Abaadi said when he became the ruler over Yemen:
“Whoever commits fornication, then he is a Kafir (disbeliever). Whoever steals then is a Kafir (disbeliever). Whoever drinks alcohol then he is a Kafir (disbeliever), and whoever doubts that he is a Kafir (disbeliever) is a Kafir (disbeliever) too.” Also, it is important to note that the Khawarij - on the whole - do Takfir of Uthmaan, Aisha, az-Zubayr, Talha and Abdullah bin Abbas, radiallahu Ta’ala anhum.

Who are the Murjiaah?

Our "Brothers" in Iran !!!

May Allah reward the noble Shaykh for an amazing lecture about the suffering of our Sunni brothers in Iran-AMEEN YA RAB!!!

Imagine these men were our blood brothers - we would do everything in our power to help them. Are the ties of Islam not stronger than blood?! Are they not your brothers?!

These men have not committed any crime. They were arrested for calling people to follow the Sunnah; many were arrested for handing out books and CDs about Sunni Islam! They face vague charges such as 'Moharebeh' (Enemy of the state/religion)

Many were tortured in prison and forced to confess on tape. Some were sentenced to death in trials that lasted less than 10 minutes! Many were blind-folded and shackled in court, and were not given an attorney! 

How can we live happily?! How can we smile?! How can we even sleep knowing that our innocent brothers are suffering like this?!

It is upon YOU to do everything you can to help your brothers.

• Please sign the petitions to stop the execution of our innocent Sunni brothers here.
• There is a demonstration in London outside the Iranian Embassy, please click here to share the page and attend the event!
• We urge all readers to continue raising awareness for our brothers! The Hashtag for twitter is #SaveSunnisInIran
• Most importantly - keep the brothers in your du'aa!

IF ABOVE LINKS DON'T WORK, HERE'S THE MAIN WEB LINK SOURCE : http://supportmybrothers.weebly.com

To Allah we Belong and Return !!!

The Ayah and it's Meaning: 
"Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji'un -- Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return." [Noble Quran 2:156]

The translation of the verses mentioned before and after this ayah is:
"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient)." [Noble Quran 2:155]

Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.'' [Noble Quran 2:156]

"They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e., who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones." [Noble Quran 2:157]

When do we recite this Ayah?
A prevalent perception in our society is that the words Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji'un are only recited at the time of someone's death. However, this perception is not correct. This ayah is to be said in cases where a person has suffered any kind of loss, be it the death of a person (Muslim or non-Muslim) or any living creature, loss of wealth or property, deterioration of health, etc. 

The Virtues of reciting the Ayah:
As mentioned before, Allah asks us to be those who are patient [As-Sabirun] during calamities by reciting the ayah "Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji'un". In the very next ayah Allah tells us of the reward for this practice:

Story of Muhammad Al Muhajir...

 

The Story of Muhammad Al Muhajir- From Abu Huraira Masjid in Toronto 

 

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah and may the peace and blessings be upon His last and final Messenger, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (PBUH). I bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah and that Muhammad(PBUH) is His last and final Messenger, the seal of all Prophets. 

 

Shaykh Abdullah Azzam once said with regards to the martyrs, "They are Shuhadaa (witnesses) to the fact that this Deen is greater than life, that values are more important than blood and that principles are more precious than souls."

 

It's quite seldom that we are blessed to hear about modern day examples of the righteous slaves of Allah ta'ala, for they are becoming few in number as the filth and disobedience of Allah increases in what seems to be an exponential fashion. This paper will be an attempt to touch on the life of our brother in Islam Abu Hamzah Muhammed Al Mujahiri, whose martyrdom was made vastly known all over every media source just over a month ago.

Muhammad was born in the town of Boramo, Somalia in May of 1987 right before the civil war and illegitimate bloodshed started up in the country. He was the eldest of the children in his family. Shortly afterwards, his family migrated to Canada while Muhammad was still in his toddler years. As Allah willed, he was to grow up in the lands of kufr and fasaad, but he was never swayed in his determination in pleasing Allah and striving to perfect his mannerisms.

The Characteristics of the Religion

Author: Shaykh-ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah 
Source: Fathu Rabbal-Bariyyah bi Talkheesil-Hamawiyyah (pp.7-37) 

The characteristics of the religion are two fundamentals: 

1. That we worship none but Allaah.

2. That we do not worship Him except with what He has legislated, we do not worship Him through innovations. 

Allaah has said:
"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord." [18:110] 

This is the actualisation of the shahadataan, the declaration that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and the declaration that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allaah. 

The first (declaration) denotes that we worship none but Him. The second (declaration) denotes that Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger, who conveys from Him and thus, it is upon us to believe the information that he relates and to obey him.

He (pbuh) showed us what to worship Allaah with and prohibited us from newly invented matters and explained that this was deviation.
Allaah said: 
"Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (i.e doer of good) then his reward is with his Lord, on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." [2:112]

Allah’s Sunnah with those who insult His Messenger !!!

Hadith Qudsi: “Allah the Exalted says: “Whoever declares his enmity to a close ally of Mine, then I declare war on him.” 

“…And from the ways of Allah is that in regards to those who harm Allah and His Messenger whom the believers cannot punish, then Allah Himself takes sufficient revenge on behalf of His Messenger. For example, the story of Allah’s one-by-one destruction of those who mocked the Prophet (pbuh) is well known, as has been mentioned by the scholars of history and tafsir. They were a small group of the heads of Quraysh, including al-Walid bin Mughirah, al-‘As bin Wa’il, al-Aswadan bin ‘Abd al-Mutallib, Ibn ‘Abd Yaghuth, and al-Harith bin Qays. 

Also, the Prophet (pbuh) wrote to Kisra (the king of Persia) and Caesar (the king of Rome), while neither of them had entered into Islam. However, Caesar respected the letter of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and treated his ambassador in a fine manner, so his kingdom was kept for him, and this is why it was said: “His kingdom remains for him among his descendants until today.” As for Kisra, he tore the letter of the Messenger of Allah into pieces and mocked him. As a result, Allah caused Kisra to be killed soon after, and caused his kingdom to be torn into pieces, and there did not remain for any of the future Kisras any kingdom, and this – and Allah Knows best – is in accordance with the phrase “the flesh of the scholars is poisonous.” So, how would it be with the flesh of the Prophets (pbuh)? 

And in the ‘Hadith Qudsi,’ it is narrated: “Allah the Exalted says: “Whoever declares his enmity to a close ally of Mine, then I declare war on him.”” So, how would it be in the case of the one who declares his enmity to the Prophets?

12 ARGUMENTS REJECTING THE 12 IMAAMS IN SHI'AH!!!

Let's criticize the "IMAMS" of the Shi'ahs with smart logic: 

1. Who appointed the twelve of them as imams? For the Sahabah Ali, and the grandson of Rasulullah Hasan, sure they had become Khalifahs. However, what about the other "imams"? The others had never become a political leader of any governance. So, the “imam” claim is in truth one-sided and without basis. 

2. The simple meaning of “imam” is “leader”. Did those other 10 imams, besides Ali and Hasan, have initiatives that fit to be made as a symbol of the imamah, in 'ilm (knowledge) or jihad or reformation or other spectacular achievements that could be compared to other mujahids or imam of 'ilm in the history of Islam? 

3. Why did those twelve imams divert to Husain radhiyallahu anhu and thereafter abandon Hasan, his own brother? Is it because that Hasan happily surrendered the Khilafah to Muawiyah for the sake of preventing division in the Islamic ummah? or because one of Husain's wives is Persian, the actual root of the Shi'ah religion?

4. Supposing that iman towards the "imamah", as in the concept of the Shi'ah of a Dozen Imams, is the principal doctrine in the teachings of Islam, where is the daleel in the Qur'an and hadiths of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam?

Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqqas (r.a)

The Story of a man who accepted Islam in its early days
Taken from al-Hudaa (Guidance) [vol. 1, no.12]

Makkah a city without vegetation livestock or rivers. Desert after desert separated the town from the rest of the world. During the day the heat of the sun is unbearable and the nights are still and lonely. There was no religion to guide people except one which promoted the worship of stone idols. There was no knowledge except a love for elegant poetry. This was Makkah and those were the Arabs.

In this town was a young man who had not yet seen twenty summers. He is short and well-built and has a very heavy crop of hair. People compare him to a young lion. He comes from a rich and noble family. He is very attached to his parents and is particularly fond of his mother. He spends much of his time making and repairing bows and arrows and practicing archery as if preparing himself for some great encounter. People recognized him as a serious and intelligent young man. He finds no satisfaction in the religion and way of life of his people, their corrupt beliefs and disagreeable practices. His name is Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas.

One morning Abu Bakr came up to him and spoke softly to him. He explained that Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (saws) had been given Revelation and has been sent with the religion of guidance and truth. Abu Bakr then took him to Muhammad (saws) in one of the valleys of Makkah.

It was late afternoon by this time and the Prophet had just completed his prayers. Sa'ad was excited and overwhelmed and responded readily to the invitation to truth and the religion of One God. The fact that he was one of the first persons to accept Islam was something that pleased him greatly. The Prophet (saws) was also greatly pleased when Sa'ad became a Muslim. He saw in him signs of excellence. The fact that he was still in his youth promised great things to come. Perhaps other young people of Makkah would follow his example, including some of his relations. For Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas was in fact a maternal uncle of the Prophet since he belonged to the Bani Zuhrah, the clan of Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of the Prophet (saws).
For this reason he is sometimes referred to as 'Sa'ad of Zuhrah,' to distinguish him from several others whose first name was Sa'ad. The Prophet is reported to have been pleased with his family relationship to Sa'ad. Once as he was sitting with his companions, he saw Sa'ad approaching and he said to them: "This is my maternal uncle. Let a man see his maternal uncle!"

Saying, 'Insha'Allah' (If Allah Wills)

"AND NEVER SAY OF ANYTHING, 'I SHALL DO SUCH AND SUCH THING TOMORROW.?  EXCEPT (WITH THE SAYING): 'IF ALLAH WILLS!'?  AND REMEMBER YOUR LORD WHEN YOU FORGET." [SOORAH AL-KAHF (18):23]

Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned the reason why this ayah was revealed. He said that an old man from among the people of Egypt who came to them some forty-odd years ago told him, from Ikrimah that Ibn Abbas said:

When Allah's Messenger (saws) declared Allah's Oneness and proclaimed to be the Messenger of Allah (saws) and revelation of Divine Message. The disbelievers of Makkah sent some men to Jewish rabbis in al-Medina and said: "Ask them (the rabbis) about Muhammad (saws), and describe him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are the people of the first Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than we do.' So they set out for al-Medina, they asked the Jewish rabbis about the Messenger of Allah (saws). They described him to them and told them some of his teachings. The rabbis said: 'Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story? For there is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who traveled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story? And ask him about he Ruh (soul or spirit) what is it? If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.' So, the men came back to Makkah and said: 'O people! We have come to you with a decisive solution which will put an end to the problem between you and Muhammad (saws). The Jewish rabbis told us to ask him about some matters,' and they told them what they were. Then they came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: 'O Muhammad (saws) tell us,' and they asked him about the things they had been told to ask. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "I will tell you tomorrow about what you have asked me." But he (saws) did not say, 'If Allah Wills.'

When a Man of the house commits a Sin...

When a man of the house commits a sin has he ruled by other than what Allah revealed ?

The Prophet (saws) said:
قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: كلكم راع وكلكم مسؤول عن رعيته
{“All of you are shepherds, and all of you are responsible over their flock..”}

In this we can understand that a father is responsible for his family and he will be asked about them. Due to this, the neo-Murji’ah of today use this misconception against us that if the man of the house rules with something other than what Allah reveals, and starts to judge according to his desires, it means that he becomes an disbeliever just like the ruler who judges with something other than what Allah has revealed.

He says, for example, that we say that the ruler has changed the rule of law and exchanged it with something else, and the man of a house wants to divide his inheritance according to his desires, shave his beard, or commit other sins. By this they have rules with something other than what Allah has revealed and changed his laws and exchanged them with something else, and thus according to our stance has become a disbeliever. We ask our respected scholars to give us a response firm rooted in the Quran and Sunnah.

Answer:
 

Modesty my Sisters...

Bismillah!

Allah 'azza wa jal says when narrating the story of Musa (as) when he had arrived in Madyan after fleeing from the tyranny of Fir'awn, 
"Then there came to him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: "Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us." So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said: "Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are Zalimun (polytheists, disbelievers, and wrong-doers)." (Al Qasas, Verse 25) 

Surely, the stories of the prophets contain many lessons, and this verse of the Quran is a perfect example of the how modesty should be displayed in the actions and speech of the righteous. This woman that approached Prophet Musa (as) serves as an example for the women living today, for truly the speech of Allah stands witness to her level of modesty. 

In the explanation of this verse, Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) mentions that The Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al Khattab (ra) said: "She was covering herself from them with the folds of her garment". In another narration, Ibn Hatim recorded that 'Amr bin Maymun said that Umar (ra) said, "She came walking shyly, putting her garment over her face. She was not one of those audacious women who come and go as they please." As for when the woman said, "Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us." The mufassireen have said that this is example of good manners: she did not invite him directly lest he have some suspicious thoughts about her. Rather she said: "My father is inviting you so that he may reward you for watering our sheep,'' i.e., give you some payment for that."

The Quran AND You

Looking at the beginning of Surat al-Baqarah, you will notice that the very first characteristic of the muttaqin Allah lists is that they believe in al-Ghayb - the unseen world. Besides the obvious, there are a few practical implications of this concept in your life.

Firstly, you - O Muwahhid - believe what you believe not because it is popular, easy, cute & cuddly, or will get you more visits to your website. You do not draw your scale of truth/ falsehood, right/ wrong, acceptable/ unacceptable from the reaction of the people around you. In fact, such factors mean absolutely nothing to you. If the six billion people on this Earth believed in something, this would not cause you to budge. Rather, in this world of changing trends, fashions, and flavors of the month, you believe what you believe based on the reaction of a world that never changes its scales - the world of the Unseen ... a world of divine Pleasure and Anger, Heaven and Hell, Angels and devils, that has retained the same unchanging scale of good/ evil & truth/ falsehood since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so until the end of time. The record of this scale - the Qur'an - was sprung forth from that world. It sprung forth from that world whose scales pay no mind to what those around you think, pay no mind to what will/ won't make you a household name, pay no mind to the constantly changing fashions that beliefs have unfortunately become an example of. This is why, my brother and sister, your heart grabs onto this Qur'anic scale of Tawhid being the maslaha (benefit) over all other masalih, and it grabs onto this scale of wala' & bara' being the honor of honors to carry in this era, and it holds tight to the scale that measures compromising with or bowing to a taghut as being the humiliation of humiliations in this era - your heart holds to this and never asks what this will mean for your popularity or worldly comfort. Why not? Because your heart is holding onto a scale that comes from a world devoid of changing fashions and trends. To believe in the unseen world will keep your beliefs as firm and unchanging as the scales of that world. And in a world where overnight riddah is in style, this verse of al-Baqarah means all the more.

Tawheed and important Pillar - Disbelief in Taghout !!!

Every Muslim should know that the Tawheed we are entrusted to fulfil has two main pillars. If anyone fails to meet them then he won’t be regarded as a Muwahid (Monotheist) and his Shahaadah will not benefit him at all as it is the case with prayer, which has pillars like prostration and tashahud, and if they are violated in any way, the whole prayer becomes invalid.

The first pillar of Tawheed is the rejection of ‘Taghut’ and the second pillar is the ‘belief in Allah’. Allah azawajal says in Surah Al Baqarah: Ayah 256: “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”

The “trustworthy handhold” mentioned in the above Ayah is ‘La ilaha illallah’.

In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (saws) is reported to have said “He who says ‘La ilaha illallah’ will find that his life and his property are protected and his reward is with Allah.”

First pillar of Tawheed: “The disbelief in Taghut”

It is very important to know that one can never be a monotheist until he completely disbelieves and rejects ‘Taghut’. This can never be achieved until he knows the meaning of the word ‘Taghut’. Literally speaking, the word ‘Taghut’ derives from the verb ‘Tagha’ which means ‘to exceed the proper bounds or limits.’ Allah (swt) says in Surah Al Haqqa 69: Ayah 11:
“Verily when the water Tagha rose beyond its limits (Tagha) (Nuh’s flood). We carried you (mankind) in the floating (ship).”

The definition of ‘Taghut’ in Shariah is ‘anyone who exceeds the proper limits by ascribing to himself any of the rights of Allah(swt) and makes himself a partner with Allah (swt)’. Allah(swt) says in Surah 79 An-Naz’iat Ayah 17: “Go to Fir’aun; verily, he has transgressed all bounds (Tagha) (in crimes, sins, polytheism, disbelief).”

Statements of the Four Fuqahaa regarding the 'Arsh'

The Most Beneficent (Allaah) Istawaa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). [Ta-Ha 20:5] 

Regarding the 'Arsh, the four fuqahaa said: 

Imaam Abu Haneefah 

Abu Muti' Al-Balkhi reported: "I asked Imaam Abu Haneefah about a person who says, 'I do not know whether my Rabb is, above the heavens or on earth?' Abu Haneefah, may Allaah grant him His mercy, said: 'A person who makes such a statement becomes an apostate because Allaah, the Exalted says, 'The Merciful has ascended above the 'Arsh, and the 'Arsh of Allaah is above His heavens'. I further asked Abu Haneefah, 'What if such a person admits, Allaah is above His 'Arsh, but exclaims, I do not know whether His 'Arsh is above the heavens or on earth'. Abu Haneefah responded: 'If he denies that the 'Arsh is above the heavens, he is an apostate." Sharh ut-Tahaawiyyah, p.288 If the person apostatises by saying that he did not know where is the 'Arsh of Allaah, then by right a person who denies the Loftiness of Allaah altogether is definitely worse than an apostate. 

Imaam Maalik 

Abdullah bin Nafi' reported: Maalik bin Anas said: 'Allaah is above the heavens, but His knowledge encompasses everything. Nothing escapes His knowledge.' Abdullah bin Ahmad, as-Sunnah, and others. 

Imaam Ash-Shafi'ee

Applying laws which are not mentioned in the Qur’aan or Sunnah

Source: Adwaa’ al-Bayaan, 4/93

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti said:
 
It should be noted that we must differentiate between man-made systems the implementation of which implies disbelief (kufr) in the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and systems which do not imply that. This may be explained by describing systems as being of two types, administrative and legislative. With regard to administrative systems which are aimed at organizing things and making them run smoothly in a manner that does not go against sharee’ah, there is nothing wrong with this and no one among the Sahaabah or those who came after them objected to it. ‘Umar (ra) did many things of that nature that were not done at the time of the Messenger (saws), such as writing down the names of the soldiers in a register to keep track of who was present and who was absent, even though the Prophet (saws) did not do that and he had not known that Ka’b ibn Maalik was not present during the campaign of Tabook until after he had reached Tabook. Similarly, ‘Umar (ra) bought the house of Safwaan ibn Umayyah in Makkah and turned it into a prison, even though neither the Prophet (saws) nor Abu Bakr had established a prison.
 
Such administrative matters which are intended to make things run smoothly and which do not go against sharee’ah – such as organizing employees’ affairs and organizing work matters in a manner that does not go against sharee’ah – is a kind of man-made system that is o.k. and does not go against the basic principles of sharee’ah which aims to take care of the public interest.
 

The Heart of Islam is: Bilad Al Sham!!!

The Syrian crisis has now been escalating for two years with devastating effects. Muslims within Al-Sham have been uprising against the oppression. But this has come at a high cost, with many from the Ummah being butchered unreservedly. The Shia/Alawi regime has shown no mercy, savagely killing men, women and children.

We as Muslims should realize that on the Day of Judgment we will be exposed if we do nothing for the Muslims of Al-Sham. Thousands of Muslims are being tortured, raped and murdered with no response from the Ummah. It is not time for politics or negotiating, it is time for actions. The Muslims need to move to defend our brothers and sisters as Allah says:
And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children , whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help." [Quran 4:75]

Our silence in these past calamities allowed the Ummah in regions of Egypt, Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma, Somalia, Yemen, Mali, Chechnya, etc… to be savagely killed. Our continued silence has now allowed a new tragedy to occur. As Muslims we should break the silence and condemn the crimes of Bashar’s Regime. The Ummah cannot allow another calamity to occur with no response. Rather we should be unified with our brothers and sisters in Al-Sham. If they are suffering then we should be suffering. The Messenger (saws) taught us that the Ummah is one, that our war is one, our peace is one and our honour is one. So how can we be excluded from their conflict? Allah says:
"The believers, men and women, are awliyyaa' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another: they enjoin good and forbid evil". [Quran 9:67]

As Muslims we should be united in the pain and the suffering that is occurring in Al-Sham. Therefore we should respond to the cries of our brothers and sisters and relieve them of their pain. Our obligation is to help the Muslims of Al-Sham in whichever way we can.

We should do all we can to help and support the innocent victims who are defenseless against Bashar al-Kafir’s Government and army. We should come out and condemn the oppressors of Al-Sham and show solidarity with the Ummah in Al-Sham. The least of what we can do is make dua that Allah keep the Muslims firm and give Muslims victory over their enemies-Allahumma Ameen!

The Daily Routine of Ibn Taymiyyah

al-Imam Siraj ad-Din Abu Hafs 'Umar bin 'Ali bin Musa bin Khalil al-Baghdadi al-Bazzar wrote a long, first hand account of the life of Ibn Taymiyyah, who was his personal friend and companion. The book is called 'al-A'lam al-'Aliyyah fi Manaqib Ibn Taymiyyah,' and this is a very, very small glimpse from it:

"During the nights, he would separate himself from everybody, secluding himself with his Lord, strictly maintaining his recitation of the Mighty Qur'an, and repeating the various types of daily and nightly worship.

When the night was over, he would rejoin the people for the Fajr prayer, praying the optional prayer before meeting them. When he would begin the prayer, your heart would want to fly from its place just from the way in which he would make takbirat al-ihram. When he would begin the prayer, his limbs would shake, moving him left and right. When he would recite, he would elongate his recitation, just as was authentically reported in regards to the recitation of the Messenger of Allah. His bowing and prostration, as well as his coming up from them, are from the most complete of what has ever been reported in regards to the obligatory prayer. And he would severely lighten his sitting for the first tashahhud, and would say the first taslim out loud, to the point that everyone who was present would hear it...

...And I came to know that it was his habit that nobody would speak to him unless absolutely necessary after the morning prayer. He would remain in a state of dhikr of Allah, listening to himself. Sometimes, he would let those sitting next to him listen to his dhikr, all the while constantly turning his eyesight to the sky. He would remain in such a state until the Sun rose, and the time in which prayer is forbidden had passed.