When in the Masjid

Umm Travis from Tea Break Thoughts tagged me! Sorry for the late reply sister, I was off today and was out visiting friends and family.
The Rules:
Link back to the person who tagged you.List 3 ahadith you’d like to pin up in your masjid and why.Tag some of your fellow bloggers by linking to them in your post and don’t forget to post a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

The aHadeeth:

1-Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) said,
“When the Imam is delivering the Khutba, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act.”

Sometimes, it is very frustrating to listen to the Friday Khutba at my masjid. My local mosque is in downtown DC, so most people come there straight from work on Fridays and it gets very crowded. The women have an entire section to themselves dowsntairs and a big TV screen that displays the Imam live so we can see what's happening in the main room upstairs. Sounds great right? well....except that women chat as loudly as if they were in a coffee shop, laugh outloud during the khutba, yell at their kids, sometimes even fight among themselves. There was an incident when one sister was talking so loud that another one asked her to keep quiet and she refused and started screaming and talking in a foreign language and they were going back and forth while the Imam was delivering the Khutba. Mind you, these were not young people either, but the regular 'aunties' who think the mosque is part of their backyards. Subhanallah, is this the way to behave in a mosque? Shouldn't we have a better adab while at the mosque especially during the khutba?

Imam Asi (on the picture) outside of the mosque on Fridays.............>
2-Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Umar:
Allah’s Apostle said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection .” Bukhari
It breaks my heart to enter the mosque on Fridays while I see Imam Mohammad Asi praying on the side-walk with his followers. Rain or shine, summer or winter, Imam Asi does his khutba and jummah prayers on the side-walk because the Saudis banned him from entering the mosque for the past 25 years. The only Eid when he tried praying inside the mosque, he was arrested and charged on counts of “unlawful entry into the mosque” and “disturbing a religious service” and spent Eid in Jail. Subhanallah, did they forget that muslims have a God-given right to enter the masjid? Muslims of all creeds are free to enter any mosque. Even non muslims visit the mosque, why aren't they allowing Imam Asi, a muslim brother to enter the mosque? So, on Fridays after praying inside, I always try to stop by the side-walk facing the opposite side of the mosque to listen to Imam Asi's khutba. With his clear voice he denounces corruption, denounces the behavior of those who have put him in this situation for the past 25 years. Sometimes, it will be snowing and Imam Asi will be there praying on the cold floor, making dawah using his mike, reciting the Quran with his beautiful voice that makes pedestrians stop and wonder why this old man would be praying outside of a mosque with about 10 or 15 people....May Allah reward Imam Asi for his struggles, sabr and perseverance. If you wanna know more about Imam Asi's situation, you can click HERE

3-It was narrated by Abu Malik al-Ash'ari that the Messenger of Allah saw said:'Cleanliness is half of faith and Alhamdulillah fills the scale, and SubhanaAllah and Alhamdulillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth. Salah is a light, and charity is proof (of one's faith) and endurance is a brightness and the Qur'an is a proof on your behalf or against you. All men go out early in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves.'[Muslim]

It is just such a beautiful hadith that sums up so many characters and behaviors of a good muslim.Here,the Prophet saw is telling us that cleanliness is half of faith, therefore it should not be taken lightly. Yet, how many Muslim brothers/sisters go to the masjids to offer their salahs, and annoy their brothers, their Lord, and His Angels, by not taking care of their smell/appearance/socks/clothing/cleanliness?
It is very important for us to keep our persons clean especially when going to the masjids. Our level of cleanliness should go beyond the outer self to touch our hearts and souls.The areas outside the masjid are littered with paper and garbage, yet this is where we stand and pray. How can we pray in filth? This is not the way of the Prophet saw. If we see litter, let's pick it up, and know that our reward is with Allah swt inshallah.

I think these 3 hadiths would help us ponder on our behavior in the mosque and also on our behavior towards each other. Our muslim brothers and sisters have a right upon us, and we also have a right upon ourselves. We will be a better ummah if we learn to accept and give rights when they are due.

I will tag the following blogs:

Mona
UmmIsmail
Muslimahh
Banafshe
Malizea
Sister Safiyyah
Halal Honey
Cecilia
Naima Umm Khadija
And Anyone who is up to it, feel free....

Dealing with Differences

After reading some of the comments made in the Jilbab fard/not fard discussion, I wanted to share this article on how I think we should deal with each other when we have different points of view on certain Islamic topics


"Islam teaches that wudu is done this way." The man said confidently.

"But you're wrong," the young man replied. "That's totally against the laws of Islam."

"But it says in a hadith that." The older man started saying.

"That's a weak hadith!" The younger man interrupted.

"Oh Yeah! What's your daleel (proof)? I read in a book that the blessed prophet said to..."

By this time both men were fuming. The young man screamed, "I read in a book, too, that..."

But before he could finish his sentence, the older brother pushed him and he pushed back. A fight would ensued if some quick-thinking brothers nearby didn't break it up.

The two brothers eyed each other angrily and left in opposite directions. Those who remained just shook their heads in silence. Here were two brothers ready to fight over a difference of opinion.

The funny thing was, they both were right. They just didn't know how to handle a difference of opinion. The blessed prophet once remarked:Difference (of opinion) in my Ummah are a blessing."

He didn't mean that Muslims should argue about everything or be divided, rather, he was pointing out that it was good for Muslims to think, to reason together, to discuss things and that if they disagreed over something, that it was all in the pursuit of knowledge. If anyone uses differences of opinion to form competing groups, then they have done wrong and may find themselves in trouble on the day of judgment!

Allah is very harsh against those who make divisions. He said, "And be not like those who split up their way of life and become mere sects, each group rejoicing in what it (claims) it has." (Qur'an 30:31-32).

Also he said, "As for those who divide their way of life and break up into sects, you have no part of them at all. Their affair is with Allah. He will tell them the truth of what they did in the end." (Qur'an 6:159).

Once the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), said that the Jews divided up into 71 sects, or groups, the Christians into 72 and that his community would eventually be divided up into 73. Then he said they would all be in the fire except one. When the people around him asked which one was going to Paradise, he replied that it was the one which would follow his example.

We are blessed as a community in that we have our original book and the complete record of the life of our prophet. If anyone comes and says, "This or that is Islam," we can easily check and verify whether or not it's true. If it doesn't come from the Qur'an or Hadith, then it can't be Islam. So we must use those two sources to explain what Islam really is. Sincere people seek to learn and practice the truth and Allah guides those who seek him. Anything else is opinion.

On many occasions Muslims have disagreed over what something means or what to do. The key is to follow the Islamic manners of how to deal with differences. We don't have to agree all the time, but we don't fight over disagreements as if we were enemies. And if we are truly wrong and realize it, we must not stick to a false position out of pride or fear of "losing."

An arrogant person refuses to accept logic and a proud and vain person never likes to listen to guidance. In contrast, the Qur'an states, "Those who, when they hear the signs of Allah being recited, humble themselves" So be humble where knowledge is concerned.

Before the battle of Khandaq, the Muslims had to decide what to do. Some wanted to go out and fight while others wanted to stay in the city and defend from there. The prophet listened to both sides and in the end, he agreed with those who wanted to defend from the city. He didn't barge in with his own personal preferences nor did the Shura, or group discussion, become heated and full of antagonism. People disagreed over an issue but united after a majority decision was taken.

Allah, the exalted, gave us a formula for dealing with differences when he said in the Qur'an that this book is Al Furqan, the standard to go by. And further he instructed us to follow the example of the blessed prophet (Qur'an 33:21)

If we have a disagreement, especially between the followers of one Madhab (School of Fiqh) and another, we must respect each other's opinions and present our evidence. In the end, even if neither side proves a point, we must be courteous and respectful. If we find our position is wrong, then we would be a fool to stick with something that is not true. Simply say, "Alhumdulillah," and thank the brother or sister for helping you to understand Allah's Shari'ah better. Khalifa 'Umar once said, "Allah bless the person who makes me a gift of my own faults."

I've seen countless showdowns between people with different opinions in which the end-result was ill will and hurt feelings. What's even worse is that such a display of rude behavior on the part of people who are supposed to know Islam makes other Muslims shy away from the Masjid and Muslim gatherings. It has an even worse effect on new converts and potential converts. Muslims handle their differences with proper adab, or manners.

When we have differences, we must not forget that it does not take away from our primary bonds of Iman. On one occasion, Khalid ibn Walid and Saad ibn Waqqas were having a heated argument. After Khalid left, a friend of Saad's started saying bad things about Khalid. Saad immediately stopped the man and told him, "The disagreement between us does not affect the bond of our Iman." (From: God-Oriented Life)

Once 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was the Khalifa, or political leader, went up to a person he disliked and told him to his face, "I don't like you." The person merely answered back, "Are you going to take away my rights?" Umar replied, "I don't like you, but I will respect your rights." Clearly, that is the best example for us to follow with regards to dealing with the differences among us.

Open Letter

This is an answer to Umm Travis'entry about it being a strange day that Muslims are rejoicing for Obama. I was going to write a comment but it was too long so I decided to make a post and here we go. By the way, this is not directed to you personally sister Umm Travis, I have read a lot of posts recently on sisters'blog saying it was unislamic to vote,I just wanted to drop my thoughts.So, this is an open letter to every muslim out there who beleives it to be unislamic to vote in a non muslim country. And I hope that this will not bring any controversy inshallah.

After reading your post, I understood why you felt that this was indeed a strange day but I had to disagree with some of the points raised. I don't think that Muslim Americans voting mean that 'they are participating in a system which opposes the rules of Allah' nor do I think 'it is opposing Islam' or 'imitating the disbeleivers'. See, I don't think it is more islamic to vote for Mubarak (muslim)in a muslim country, than to vote for Obama (non-muslim). I don't think it is more islamic to vote in muslim countries where tyrants are ruling than to vote or rejoice for Obama. I might get stoned for saying this, but I do beleive that we have tyrants at the head of almost every so called muslim state today! I am not of the ones who will blame the West for the situation of the muslims today. Not in Iraq, not in Palestine, not elsewhere. Why,you may ask.... Because the only people that there is to blame today is us: the muslims, the nation of Muhamad saw. We have let this ummah down, we have let our messenger down and above all, we have let Allah down. We are responsible for our own state, we have abandonned Allah's way and He has abandonned us! When the Iraqui ruler is wearing a $4,000 suit having dinner with foreigh advisors, flowers at his table while the Iraqui people are eating dirt, I refuse to blame George W.Bush. When Osni Mubarak, the egyptian ruler doesn't want to open the gate so our Palestinian brothers can get food, I refuse to blame America. I blame us, I blame us for our inaction. The prophet saw taught us to unite, the beleivers he said,in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs is afflicted, the whole body responds to it with sleeplessness and fever. But we have not responded, we refuse to respond and that's why I will never blame the US for our failure. The prophet saw said unite, however we are the most ununited nation on earth. Do you know how many party divisions they have in Iraq? 600, 600 divisions! Subhanallah.If they are invading us, it's because of our weakness in faith, it is because we are accomplices! And when they will be judged, we will be judged too. America couldn't invade Iraq without us being accomplices, they can't defeat Afghanistan unless we are part of it. When America was low in cash not too long ago, who bought bonds to restore liquidity in our economy? the Saudis. When muslims die in Sudan, when muslims are so poor in Egypt that they sleep on cemeteries, when muslims are hungry. Where were they? Where were the muslims? Where was the nation of Rassululah? When a muslim prince in the gulf donates billions of dollars to build the first church in his country while muslims don't have water to drink, what's happening to us? You know, Bernard Shaw once said "Islam is the perfect religion, with the worst followers" and I think he was right.
Now as far as muslims living in the US which is ruled by non muslims and voting is concerned,shouldn't they have a say? Or should they sit in the backseat and wait for a muslim ruler? I'm a strong beleiver that if we know that one candidate can be a benefit to the muslims in general, then there's nothing wrong about giving him support. It's not the same as supporting a non muslim over a muslim leader. In this case, we do not have the audacity to hope for a muslim leader in America as of yet. Between two evils, as muslims we should choose the lesser evil, which I beleive to be Barack Obama in this case. I'll keep on rejoicing to the thought and hope that this person is working to stop the killing of our brothers and sisters in Iraq.And also to the thought that when the economy gets better , muslims living in America will also benefit from it. See, there is nothing wrong about supporting a non-muslim leader! Our prophet saw did not shy away from treaties with non-muslims. Brothers, and sisters, don't you remember the agreement that was made with the Christians of Najran in the south of the Arabian Peninsula? Don't you remember the pact of Madinah, signed by the Muslim immigrants from Makkah and the Jews of Madinah? Remember, the Prophet SAW said that Christians will be allies to Muslims when the Dajal comes at the end of times.
One of the main reasons why the golden age of Islam was one of peace and security was the Prophet’s just attitude, itself a reflection of Qur’anic morality. I agre with the philosophy that 'In our day, the only solution to the fighting and conflict going on all over the world is to adopt the morality of the Qur’an, and, like the Prophet saw, never to depart from the path of justice, making no distinction between different religions, languages, or races.' Because Allah will support the non-muslims over the muslims if the non-muslims are just and the muslims are unjust! Because one of his attrinutes is the JUST and Allah loves Justice, and dislikes injustice! Our ummah has lost its sense of justice, muslims are oppressing muslims! Sad but true!
We as an ummah, we have failed and that is why I will choose Barack Obama over an Osni Mubarak any day! Even if the latter said La ilaha Ilala. Because he gives me hope,hope that maybe, one day I will live to witness a muslim american at the white house.I dare to be audacious!