Muslims

[Tunisia216 2]

I stand corrected! That was a copy/paste from a website to give her an over view or explain various sects/schools of thought. She'll have to do her own research and find out what identifies with her beliefs.... Or follow Islam as her husband follows it which is what I think I understood from the previous post! Thanks for the information

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Most converts tend to fall into practicing sunni islam purely by default. It is what is presented as "this is islam" to those who ask. If there isn't a lot of talk about the imams, and marja and speaking about the companions and wives of the Prophet (saws) in a negative light, it's pretty safe to assume you're not practicing shia islam.

Interesting...I have read it before but it was just sent to me again in email.

************************************************************

Woman's Reflection on Leading Prayer

By: Yasmin Mogahed

Friday, March 25, 2005

I went to school with her. Sorry, just had to interject that. It's just so weird to see how far and wide this article has gotten

[Tunisia216 2]

I have seen a lot of Tunisians come to the US as Sunni Muslims and later after going to the mosques here and making Muslim friends here, change their school of thought to shii ... I was always curious about why but never brave enough to ask

Most converts tend to fall into practicing sunni islam purely by default. It is what is presented as "this is islam" to those who ask. If there isn't a lot of talk about the imams, and marja and speaking about the companions and wives of the Prophet (saws) in a negative light, it's pretty safe to assume you're not practicing shia islam.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

I stand corrected! That was a copy/paste from a website to give her an over view or explain various sects/schools of thought. She'll have to do her own research and find out what identifies with her beliefs.... Or follow Islam as her husband follows it which is what I think I understood from the previous post! Thanks for the information

It's no problem. Sufism gets a bad rap among a lot of muslims who believe it's all bida (innovation) and shirk (associated partners with Allah), and the perception among many non muslims is that they're hippy universalists who really don't have anything to do with islam. Granted, there is the hippy universalist subset, and those who's practices do contain shirk, but for the most part, tasawwuf is a traditional islamic science that one practices along with the others.

[Nothing1234 2]

Most converts tend to fall into practicing sunni islam purely by default. It is what is presented as "this is islam" to those who ask. If there isn't a lot of talk about the imams, and marja and speaking about the companions and wives of the Prophet (saws) in a negative light, it's pretty safe to assume you're not practicing shia islam.

Interesting...I have read it before but it was just sent to me again in email.

************************************************************

Woman's Reflection on Leading Prayer

By: Yasmin Mogahed

Friday, March 25, 2005

I went to school with her. Sorry, just had to interject that. It's just so weird to see how far and wide this article has gotten

The article is an email chain I assume...every year I end up with it in my inbox.

[nunyab 0]

Yeah I started reading about the Sunni Shia split and the whys and hows... really interesting. Excuse my ignorance but alway thought the Shiia as being the hardliners ie in Iran the burqa etc. I was surprised how it actually has started and whys??? not sure which is the "right" way to be honest... lineage or popular vote???? (don't mean to offend just wondering)

[Tunisia216 2]

The right way is in your

Yeah I started reading about the Sunni Shia split and the whys and hows... really interesting. Excuse my ignorance but alway thought the Shiia as being the hardliners ie in Iran the burqa etc. I was surprised how it actually has started and whys??? not sure which is the "right" way to be honest... lineage or popular vote???? (don't mean to offend just wondering)

[nunyab 0]

well reading the Qu'ran i cannot figure this one out???? but thanks Ash habibati I chose Islam as my way for it made sense to my mind and heart... the rest is just confusing??? is there a Qu'ran only path?

[RAKASA 0]

[Henia 11]

You rock Noura!

Something else for the new Muslims:

I have on occasion come across Muslims who are sincere but ignorant of some of the finer points of Islamic lifestyle according to the traditions of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him). This however, is easy to do in this day and age where there are so many forgotten traditions of the Holy Prophet which if we saw today we may think they are some strange bidat! One of these forgotten traditions is one of the most basic and fundamental elements of our dear religion, the Islamic greeting. The Islamic greeting, es-salaamu ‘aleikum; God’s Peace be upon you, is an element of good Islamic manners. In the proper conduct of greetings one may find keys to good social behavior and the proprieties of friendship and exchanges in Islamic framings. God says in the Qur’an (BismillaharRahmanirRahim),

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with better than it or return it. Allah takes count of all things”. (004:086)

So clearly it is preferred to return a greeting by adding to it. But there have been so many times where I have greeted a Muslim and received no greeting at all! And perhaps times where a Muslim has greeted me and received only an equal greeting in return, or worse. These days we greet people we know, and only people we know. When we receive a greeting from someone we don’t know we are silent looking oddly as if someone has violated an unwritten code of ethics. But this unwritten code of ethics is un-Islamic by nature and egoistic at best.

One aspect of our Islamic greeting would puzzle me when I first began studying the Arabic language and that was, the fact that we salute a single individual in the the plural saying, es-salaamu ‘aleikum, ‘aleikum implying “upon you all”. This plural pronoun was also used in response. Al-A’mash, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i discussed this item saying,

“When you salute a single individual, you must say: es-salaamu ‘aleikum [using the pronoun -kum], for the angels are with him.”

It should be interesting to note that our greeting, seemingly of a simple nature, holds many keys within it. And like other keys or secrets, there are protocols upon their use. For example a hadith, tradition of the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him), reported in the Sahih of Muslim as narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) says that according to God’s Messenger (may Peace and Blessings be upon him),

“The rider should salute the walker, the walker the sitter, and the few the many.”

Shaikh Ahmad Fathu’llah Jami’s Sifat al-Mu’minin (The Attributes of the Believers) gives a clear and concise commentary on this hadith explaining that,

“He began mentioning the rider, because of his elevated rank, and because pride might otherwise deter him from being the first to salute. The same principle was then applied to the walker [in relation to the sitter]. It has also been said: “Since the sitter is in the state of dignity, calm and composure, he is entitled to that prerogative [of being saluted], rather that the walker, whose state is the opposite.” As for the salutation offered by the few to the many, it is a mark of respect for the majority of Muslims. As recorded by al-Bukhari, this Prophetic tradition includes the addition words:

“The younger should salute the adult.”

Another custom of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) is shaking hands while offering salaams. This custom in particular, you will find upon meeting me that I have a fondness for, perhaps to a fault. Today, we must ask ourselves, how much of this, seemingly simple custom are we following? And if we are not what have we adopted in its place? Especially when there is blessing and reward for us in these simple customs. For instance concerning the shaking of hands, the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) says,

“When two Muslims shake hands, their sins fall to the ground, as leaves of the tree fall to the ground.”

MachaAllah! And we pass the opportunity to rid ourselves of sins on a daily basis. Yes, machaAllah to us! There are so many customs for greetings that are lost. But those that we have we should try our best to apply and to raise our children with, to train our children to exercise so that they can benefit from them for generations and not lose these gems, these salutations of the Prophet in later generations. Some of these customs I had never seen in regular life until I attended regular association with a shaykh. Some of which have happened more recently, these customs include:

• When entering an empty house, you must offer the salutation of peace.
  • You are saluting yourself on Allah’s behalf.
  • You are saluting the believing jinn who occupy the house.
  • Through the blessings of peace, you are seeking safety from the devils and harmful influences present in the house.
  • Custom requires the person who initiates the salutation to be in a state of ritual purity (wudu’) as well as the respondent.

When two people meet, custom requires them to try and forestall each other in offering the salutation, as a demonstration of humility.So just a reminder for you and for me to give salaams to our fellow Believers and shake hands as a means to attain purity.

[HLM 1]

I personally dont follow a section nor a single school of thought! I follow the quran and what the prophet 3alayhi as-saltu was-salam taught us! anything not from quran nor authenticized i totally disregard. I believe they r all scholars who r working hard for the sake of knowledge; the prophet said those who get it wrong after their hard work they will get one ajr -good deed if i may say- and those who get it right get two ajr. I have atmost respect to all the scholars and im no place whatsoever to judge nor say they re right or wrong. I will live n die a student who is striving for Jannah by all the means Allah has given me. I honestly dont believe in sections; i believe the road is clear and only humans divid themselves n make it harder on themselves and others. All these names r man made and if i was ever to call myself anything i wd be "RABANEYA" like in the quran - meaning following only Allah; my Lord.

[doodlebugg 10]

I watched a documentary on Iran a while back...maybe in Jan? Anyhoo it was showing some Sufi muslims and omg I thought they were so cool. They all sat in a circle...the men that is...I think the women were outside the building for whatever reason, and they smoked hashish. Then they took their turbans off and revealed their long hair that totally hit the floor it was so long (and greasy but that's not the point) and they started dancing and swaying their heads so the hair went all over the place. I told my husband THAT's the kind I wanna be but he pointed out that the long hair is shirk or whatever because the prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said for men not to imitate women and vice versa.

[doodlebugg 10]

stupid question here but how would i know which "sect" of Islam I am????? how do you know which one you identify with if ???

I had no idea when i said my Shahada that there were so many branches?? crazy me

If it's any consolation I'm coming up on my third year of being muslim and I still haven't picked a madhab. I think I basically follow hanafi but I really haven't had the time (ok I have but I'm lazy I think) to delve into all four and make a final decision.

[doodlebugg 10]

I watched a documentary on Iran a while back...maybe in Jan? Anyhoo it was showing some Sufi muslims and omg I thought they were so cool. They all sat in a circle...the men that is...I think the women were outside the building for whatever reason, and they smoked hashish. Then they took their turbans off and revealed their long hair that totally hit the floor it was so long (and greasy but that's not the point) and they started dancing and swaying their heads so the hair went all over the place. I told my husband THAT's the kind I wanna be but he pointed out that the long hair is shirk or whatever because the prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said for men not to imitate women and vice versa.

This was the documentary if anyone is interested in it. Unfortunately it's not one that you can watch automatically. http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Mystic_Iran_T...23?trkid=190393

[lion_lioness 0]

You rock Noura!

Something else for the new Muslims:

I have on occasion come across Muslims who are sincere but ignorant of some of the finer points of Islamic lifestyle according to the traditions of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him). This however, is easy to do in this day and age where there are so many forgotten traditions of the Holy Prophet which if we saw today we may think they are some strange bidat! One of these forgotten traditions is one of the most basic and fundamental elements of our dear religion, the Islamic greeting. The Islamic greeting, es-salaamu ‘aleikum; God’s Peace be upon you, is an element of good Islamic manners. In the proper conduct of greetings one may find keys to good social behavior and the proprieties of friendship and exchanges in Islamic framings. God says in the Qur’an (BismillaharRahmanirRahim),

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with better than it or return it. Allah takes count of all things”. (004:086)

So clearly it is preferred to return a greeting by adding to it. But there have been so many times where I have greeted a Muslim and received no greeting at all! And perhaps times where a Muslim has greeted me and received only an equal greeting in return, or worse. These days we greet people we know, and only people we know. When we receive a greeting from someone we don’t know we are silent looking oddly as if someone has violated an unwritten code of ethics. But this unwritten code of ethics is un-Islamic by nature and egoistic at best.

One aspect of our Islamic greeting would puzzle me when I first began studying the Arabic language and that was, the fact that we salute a single individual in the the plural saying, es-salaamu ‘aleikum, ‘aleikum implying “upon you all”. This plural pronoun was also used in response. Al-A’mash, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i discussed this item saying,

“When you salute a single individual, you must say: es-salaamu ‘aleikum [using the pronoun -kum], for the angels are with him.”

It should be interesting to note that our greeting, seemingly of a simple nature, holds many keys within it. And like other keys or secrets, there are protocols upon their use. For example a hadith, tradition of the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him), reported in the Sahih of Muslim as narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) says that according to God’s Messenger (may Peace and Blessings be upon him),

“The rider should salute the walker, the walker the sitter, and the few the many.”

Shaikh Ahmad Fathu’llah Jami’s Sifat al-Mu’minin (The Attributes of the Believers) gives a clear and concise commentary on this hadith explaining that,

“He began mentioning the rider, because of his elevated rank, and because pride might otherwise deter him from being the first to salute. The same principle was then applied to the walker [in relation to the sitter]. It has also been said: “Since the sitter is in the state of dignity, calm and composure, he is entitled to that prerogative [of being saluted], rather that the walker, whose state is the opposite.” As for the salutation offered by the few to the many, it is a mark of respect for the majority of Muslims. As recorded by al-Bukhari, this Prophetic tradition includes the addition words:

“The younger should salute the adult.”

Another custom of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) is shaking hands while offering salaams. This custom in particular, you will find upon meeting me that I have a fondness for, perhaps to a fault. Today, we must ask ourselves, how much of this, seemingly simple custom are we following? And if we are not what have we adopted in its place? Especially when there is blessing and reward for us in these simple customs. For instance concerning the shaking of hands, the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) says,

“When two Muslims shake hands, their sins fall to the ground, as leaves of the tree fall to the ground.”

MachaAllah! And we pass the opportunity to rid ourselves of sins on a daily basis. Yes, machaAllah to us! There are so many customs for greetings that are lost. But those that we have we should try our best to apply and to raise our children with, to train our children to exercise so that they can benefit from them for generations and not lose these gems, these salutations of the Prophet in later generations. Some of these customs I had never seen in regular life until I attended regular association with a shaykh. Some of which have happened more recently, these customs include:

• When entering an empty house, you must offer the salutation of peace.
  • You are saluting yourself on Allah’s behalf.
  • You are saluting the believing jinn who occupy the house.
  • Through the blessings of peace, you are seeking safety from the devils and harmful influences present in the house.
  • Custom requires the person who initiates the salutation to be in a state of ritual purity (wudu’) as well as the respondent.

When two people meet, custom requires them to try and forestall each other in offering the salutation, as a demonstration of humility.So just a reminder for you and for me to give salaams to our fellow Believers and shake hands as a means to attain purity.

Henia,

that was a very helpful post - thank you much! it's been 3 years since i reverted and i feel like i'm just touching the surface. i've yet to find a mosque near home where i can converse and learn with other sisters. God willing I will during the holy month.

thanks again.