About this blog

In recent times a plethora of misconceptions, misrepresentation and myths have been forged about Islam
and Muslims. Many western influentials from politicians, policymakers to judges have taken it upon
themselves to undermine the Islamic beliefs, values and rules so to make it palatable to their
egotistic minds and the secular liberal thoughts.

This blog is dedicated:-

1. To argue the point for Islam in its belief and systems and to refute the misconceptions.
2. To expose the weakness and contradictions of all forms of secularism.

18 May 2010

Reflections For The Muslim Youth In The West


The dire consequences of the absence of Islam as the governing system of today's society are manifesting themselves in all aspects of our lives. The detrimental effects of not having the Islamic social system can be felt regardless of whether we live in the Muslim lands or elsewhere. There is nothing more painful than seeing our youth grow up amidst a non-Islamic atmosphere leading, in some cases, to Muslim youth losing their Islamic identity, their values and even their Deen.

When one examines why some youth deviate, a simple but terrifying fact is brought to light - most of the time, the cause is the influence of the friends that surround them. The task of choosing the right friends and companions is essential to preserving our identity. Befriending righteous and virtuous Muslims is one of the prerequisites for staying on the Straight Path and pleasing Allah (swt).

Staying in the Correct Atmosphere

Maintaining the correct atmosphere is vital for a Muslim to be able to avoid deviation from the right path. The type of atmosphere that exists amongst some of the youth today is corrupt, where the topics of discussion usually revolve around the opposite sex and ‘showing off' to each other. This type of atmosphere only serves to agitate the nafs of people and can potentially lead them further away from Islam.

It was narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "The example of a good companion in comparison with a bad one is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof." [Bukhari]

Islam recognizes that friends have a strong influence on people and that their presence will affect the strength of their relationship with Allah (swt).

The Prophet (saw) said, "A person follows the Deen (way of life) of his close friend; therefore let each of you look carefully at whom he chooses for friends." [Tirmidhi]

A Muslim should choose friends who will advise him and remind him of Allah (swt) rather than lure him to the path of Shaytan. It is therefore important for a Muslim to choose good friends. The love between two Muslim friends is such that they will confide in each other, help each other in times of need and difficulty, and strengthen each other's commitment to the Deen of Allah (swt). The Prophet (saw) encouraged Muslims who have love for each other not to keep it to themselves.

It has been narrated by al-Bukhari that the Prophet (saw) said, "If one of you loves his brother for Allah's sake, then let him tell him since it causes familiarity to endure and firmly establishes love." [Bukhari]

Role of Parents

Part of staying in the right atmosphere is the role that parents play in their daughters' and sons' lives. Parents are responsible for watching who their kids associate with and who their friends are. They must strive to gain their children's trust by actively involving themselves in their lives while encouraging extra-curricular activities that give their children the chance to meet and become friends with righteous peers. Such friends will plant the seeds of belonging to the wider Muslim community, and preserve their identity as Muslims. Parents should always strive to promote in their kids the Islamic standards of Halal and Haram as the natural reference point in their lives. The most common mistake Muslim parents make is limiting their own roles in the family to only that of the provider which leads, in so many cases, to dysfunctional relationships with their teens as it leaves the youth vulnerable to the influences and pressures from their peers.

Characteristics of an Islamic Friendship

Islam has defined friendship in a manner that many of us in the West are not accustomed to. Islam bases ties and relations not on benefitting each other in worldly affairs but rather in our struggle for success in the Akhirah by seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt). Islam recognizes the importance of such relationships and has set guidelines for us to follow on how to maintain them:

Loving Friends for the sake of Allah (swt) - This means that we would undertake actions to help a friend or further our relationship with them for the sake of Allah even though they may go against our personal interests.

The Prophet (saw) said: "Whoever would like to taste the sweetness of Iman (belief) then let him love a person only for Allah's sake." [Ahmad]

Generosity and Kindness - Sharing wealth with others is greatly encouraged in Islam. This builds trust and closeness amongst people. It can be difficult for Muslims to grasp this principle especially when they are affected by Western concepts that promote selfishness and irresponsibility towards others. Giving without expecting anything in return is uncommon in the West even amongst friends.

Imam Bukhari narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother, that which he loves for his himself." [Bukhari]

Giving gifts has also been recommended by the Prophet (saw) and he explained that it strengthens the relationship between people.

It was narrated by al-Bukhari that the Prophet (saw) said: "Give gifts and you will love one another." [Bukhari]

Kindness to our friends, helping them in need and consoling them in times of grief should become natural to us for everyone needs help, a shoulder to cry on and someone to share their joy.

Concealing the Faults of Friends - It is important to conceal the faults of a friend. This does not mean that we ignore them; it means that we advise our brothers of their faults in private and help them overcome their shortcomings.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: "He who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother." [Muslim]

Prohibition of Backbiting, Slander, Envy, Jealousy & Grudges - The relationship of friendship is one of trust as a good Muslim is trustworthy and not deceitful. He does not betray nor backbite. In reality this makes the relationship between friends in Islam stronger than friendship according to Western concepts as there is no constant worry about whether your friend is speaking ill of you to other people or betraying you. Islam has prohibited backbiting and slander - thus removing the cause of suspicion and doubt amongst people:

"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother. You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful." [Al-Hujraat, 49:12]

Islam also forbids envy and jealousy which are the common causes of problems amongst friends.

The Prophet (saw) said: "Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. Oh the slaves of Allah! Be like brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days." [Muslim & Tirmidhi]

Relationship with non Muslims

As Muslims living in the West, we interact with non-Muslims on a daily basis whether at work, university, college, school or in society at large. It is incorrect for us to cut ourselves completely from them and live in isolation. We should aim at building relationships with them in order to give them da'wah to embrace Islam. It is important to always remind ourselves that our purpose in this life is to carry Islam to everybody and show them the right path - to rid themselves of the misery of man-made systems, thereby achieving the pleasure of Allah (swt). We have to be aware of our purpose in this life and what may influence our adherence to Islam. Friendship plays a major influence in our lives, and so choosing good friends is not a trivial matter. Allah (swt) revealed:

"O you who believe! Do not take for intimate friends from among others than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you, if you will understand." [Al-Imran, 3:118]

Weakness is part of human nature and being surrounded by friends who have no ties to the values of Islam is a slippery slope with one known outcome - slipping away form the right path and losing one's Deen. The pressure from the circle of friends is far stronger than the pressure from family. Without strong understanding of the values of Islam and a constant reminder from our friends, our youth will find themselves forced to "blend in". Such a Muslim would find himself in a situation wherein he/she is willing to hide his/her Islam in front of those who despise it (those that he/she considers as friends) and to separate from the believers. When this situation occurs, a point is reached when there is little difference between the Muslim and his wrong-doing companion. Such a companionship is one of the causes of sickness of one's heart and loss of one's Deen.

Instead of making friends with the misguided people we should befriend the righteous and treat the rest in a gracious and just manner. Staying at a sufficient distance is necessary; yet treating everybody in a noble and kind manner is also required. So let us take heed before the inevitable Day when we are called to account for our actions. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

"Friends on that Day will be enemies one to another, except al-Muttaqoon (i.e. those who have Taqwah)." [Az-Zukhruf, 43:67]

Valuing Your Youth

Whilst we are young we have the potential to follow Islam by advancing our understanding and carrying Islam to others. Youth doesn't last forever so we must make good use of it before it is gone. We have to ensure that we follow the footsteps of the great Muslim youth of the past who were luminaries of humanity. Let us remember the words of the Prophet (saw) who said,

"Value five things before five other things: Youth before old age; health before sickness; affluence before poverty; leisure before becoming too busy; and life before death." [Tirmidhi]

May Allah (swt) bless us with righteous friends and make them our support in carrying Da'wa under the shade of Khilafah Rashidah. Ameen.


Source: The Politically Aware Muslim
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What they said...

“Islam represented the greatest military power on earth…It was the foremost economic power in the world…It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization...Islam in contrast created a world civilization, poly-ethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”





[Bernard Lewis, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Orientalist and Historian, 2001]





"There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts…the civilization I'm talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600… Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage"





[Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard, 2001]





"For the first three centuries of its existence (circ. A.D 650-1000) the realm of Islam was the most civilized and progressive portion of the world. Studded with splendid cities, gracious mosques and quiet universities where the wisdom of the ancient world was preserved and appreciated, the Moslem world offered a striking contrast to the Christian West, then sunk in the night of the Dark Ages."





[Lothrop Stoddard, Ph.D (Harvard), American political theorist and historian, 1932]





"Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe;it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies. It invented windmills ,trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse."





[Jared Diamond, UCLA sociologist and Author, 1997]



"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition."





[Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Professor at Harvard University, 1932]





“The Muhammadan Law which is binding on all -- from the crowned head to the meanest subject is a law interwoven with a system of the wisest, the most learned and the most enlightened jurisprudence that ever existed in the world.”





[Edmund Burke, British Statesman and Philosopher, 1789]





"The Exile here is not like in our homeland. The Turks hold respectable Jews in esteem. Here and in Alexandria, Egypt, Jews are the chief officers and administrators of the customs, and the king’s revenues. No injuries are perpetuated against them in all the empire. Only this year, in consequence of the extraordinary expenditure caused by the war against Shah Tahmsap al-Sufi, were the Jews required to make advances of loans to the princes."





[David dei Rossi, Jewish Traveller 17CE, quoted by Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands]





"The notable religious tolerance towards Christians and Jew under Muslim rule had given way to the uncompromising zealotry of Spanish Inquisition. Jews and Muslims thus fled Spain with large numbers of Jews immigrating to the Ottoman Empire which was known for its tolerance to the Jews."





[Graham Fuller, Author and former CIA, 1995]





“If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilization owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure, which stems, I think, from the straightjacket of history, which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society, and systems of beliefs, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history”





[Charles Philip Arthur George, HRH The Prince of Wales, 1993]





"...Not being subject to the Sharia, Jews and Christians were free to go to their own religious authorities for adjudication of disputes; but in many cases they went instead to the [Muslim] Qadi"





[Richard W. Bulliet, Professor of History and Author, 2004]





"Here in the land of the Turks we have nothing to complain of. We possess great fortunes; much gold and silver are in our hands. We are not oppressed by heavy taxes and our commerce is free and unhindered. Rich are the fruits of the earth. Everything is cheap and each one of us lives in freedom. Here a Jew is not compelled to wear a yellow star as a badge of shame as is the case in Germany where even wealth and great fortune is a curse for a Jew because he therewith arouses jealousy among the Christians and they devise all kinds of slander against him to rob him of his gold. Arise my brethren, gird up your loins, collect up your forces and come to us."





[In his book 'Constantinople', Philip Mansel quotes a rabbi in Turkey writing to his brethren in Europe where they were facing increasing persecution after 1453]





"Praise be to the beneficent God for his mercy towards me! Kings of the earth, to whom his [the Caliph’s] magnificence and power are known, bring gifts to him, conciliating his favour by costly presents, such as the king of the Germans, the king of the Gebalim, the king of Constantinople, and others. All their gifts pass through my hands, and I am charged with making gifts in return. (Let my lips express praise to the God in heaven who so far extends his loving kindness towards me without any merit of my own, but in the fullness of his mercies.) I always ask the ambassadors of these monarchs about our brethren the Jews, the remnant of the captivity, whether they have heard anything concerning the deliverance of those who have pined in bondage and had found no rest."





[Hasdai Ibn Shaprut (915-990 CE) Jewish physician, chief minister of Islamic Caliphate in Cordova, 'The Jewish Caravan']





"In Baghdad there are about forty thousand Jews, and they dwell in security, prosperity, and honour under the great Caliph [al-Mustanjid, 1160-70 CE], and amongst them are great sages, the Heads of the Academies engaged in the study of the Law…’"





[Benjamin of Tudela, Rabbi in Baghdad in the year 1168 CE, 'The Jew in the Medieval World']





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[Leon Ostorog, French Jurist]





"The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence"





[Robert Briffault, Novelist and Historian, 1928]





"The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs. The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia"





[Oliver Joseph Lodge, Writer and Professor of Physics, 1893]





“Thus, when Muslims crossed the straits of Gibraltar from North Africa in 711 and invaded the Iberian Peninsula, Jews welcomed them as liberators from Christian Persecution.”





[Zion Zohar, Jewish scholar at Florida International University, 2005]







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