Monday 26 March 2012

Muslims & Christians Condemn Saudi Mufti Fatwa To Destroy All Churches

The Wahhabi Extremist Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia (Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh) has said that all churches in the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed. The statement prompted anger and dismay from Christians throughout the World. Muslim top religious scholars around the world strongly condemned the grand mufti’s unwise fatwa. 


The liberal Saudi writer Turki al-Hamad commented on the fatwa saying, "what if they treated us like this and destroyed our mosques in America and Europe? Would we condemn them?" Al-Hamad added, "How much need we have of a new religious and political discourse in this country, a religious discourse that respects the beliefs of others and a political discourse that accepts differences in society." He warned, "after the events at King Khalid University, this is a dangerous indication that large fires begin with a spark and the wise man is the one who tries to put out the spark before the fire breaks out by searching for its causes." 



Al-Azhar University, Dr. Ahmed Karimah, condemned the Saudi Sheikh and said: It is better for the Saudi Mufti to issue Fatwa against the U.S. occupier in the Muslims Lands instead of issuing Fatwa to destroy Christians churches.

He added: Some of the population of the Arab countries are Christians, so how they can not have a place of worship.

"According to holy Quran "Mosques are the place where the name of Allah is used, Churches are also the places where the name of Allah (God) is used, so they should be respected" he added. 



Three Million Christians in the Gulf

The approximate number of residents in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council has reached almost 46,800,000 people, of them are 13 million immigrants, of whom 20% are Christian. This means that there are around three million Christians that are spread across six countries.  The greatest number being found in Saudi Arabia, in which there are no churches or any other non-Islamic places of worship. 



In Islamic law Muslims are commanded to protect the privileged status of religious minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. 


Consider these historical examples:
  • In the early days of Islam, Muslims were instrumental in helping to safeguard the distinctive traditions of the Christian Coptic Church in Egypt from the oppressive practices of the dominant Church of Rome.
  • Similarly, Muslim Turks are credited in Islamic history with safeguarding eastern European Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians alike from pressure and persecution exerted by the Church of Rome.
  • The "golden age" of Jewish religious scholarship in pre-medieval Spain was achieved in an environment of religious freedom supported by the dominant Muslim society.
  • In many Arab, Middle Eastern and Asian countries, religious minorities -- especially Jews, Christians and Hindus -- have flourished under Muslim rule and, thus protected, their ancient places of worship have survived to this day.
Five divine guidelines that the Qur'an clearly presents to Muslims for building tolerance
  1. Everyone's God-given human dignity must be respected, regardless of their religion, race, ethnic origin, gender, or social status (17:70). Because everyone is created by God Almighty, the Maker of All, humans must treat one another with full honour, respect and loving-kindness.
  2. Islam teaches that it is by Divine Will that God's human creation has followed different religions, or no religion at all ("no religion" is also a belief system, or faith) (11:118), (10:99), (18:29). But God Almighty is not pleased when some of His servants (all humans are servants of the Creator in one way or another) choose not to believe (39:7).
  3. The Qur'an states clearly that freedom of religion is a God-given right (18:29), (10:99).
  4. The final judgment of all humanity lies in the hands of the One Almighty, their Creator, to whom we all return (22:68-69), (42:15).
  5. God loves justice and those who strive to practice it, especially toward people who are different from them in any way, particularly in religious belief (5:8), (60:8).

Monday 12 March 2012

You Will Die! This Is The Reality!



Habib Ali al Jifri الحبيب علي الجفري , A wonderful short clip and adivce from Sayyidina Habib Ali AL Jifri on the realities of death and the day of judgement, we can pick up so many gems from such a small clip.


Birth

Habib Ali was born in the city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just before dawn on Friday 20th Safar 1391 AH (16th April 1971), from parents who are both descendents of Imam Hussein son of Ali, peace be upon them.

Lineage

Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Abdul-Rahman son of Ali son of Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ali son of Alawi son of Ali son of Ahmed son of Alawi son of Abdul-Rahman Mawlah al-Arsha son of Muhammad son of Abdullah al-Tarisi son of Alawi al-Khawas son of Abu Bakr al-Jifri son of Muhammad son of Ali son of Muhammad son of the Ahmed son of the al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad son of Ali son of Muhammad Sahab Murbat son of Ali Khali` Qassam son of Alawi son of Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ubaidullah son of the Ahmed al-Muhajir ila Allah (trans: the one who made an exodus to the Divine presence) son of Isa son of Muhammad al-Naqib son of Ali al-Uraidhi son of Jafar al-Sadiq son of Muhammad al-Baqir son of Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Hussein (the grandson of the Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him) son of Ali son of Abu Taleb, may God ennoble his countenance, the husband of Fatimah al-Zahra daughter of the Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him.

His noble mother is Marumah daughter of Hassan son of Alawi son of Hassan son of Alawi son of Ali al-Jifri.

Educational Background

He began taking knowledge from his early childhood from his first teacher, his mother's great-aunt the scholar and knower of God Safiah daughter of Alawi son of Hassan al-Jifri, she had an immense influence on him and the direction he took in the pursuit of knowledge and spirituality.

As a continuation of the authentic methodology of receiving Sacred Knowledge, and wayfaring on the spiritual path, through an unbroken chain of masters, all the way back to the Messenger of God may God Bless him & his family and give them peace, a methodology the preservation and maintenance of which, the valley of Hadramaut and the city of Tarim are renowned, this work was continued in the intellectual Milieu of the Hejaz which became a meeting point for the Scholars of the School of Hadramaut when they were exiled from the South of Yemen during Communist Rule; he received his education in the Sacred Sciences and the Science of Spiritual Wayfaring at the hands of Scholars and Spiritual Educators, among them:

The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Abdul-Qadir Bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf in Jeddah. With whom he studied the Authentic Hadith Compilations of Bukhari and Muslim, as well as the Revival of the Religious Sciences of Imam Ghazali and other important texts. He continued studying directly under his teacher from the age of 10 until he was 21 years of age.

The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Ahmad Mashhur Bin Taha Al-Haddad the author of many famous books. Among the books he studied under this master was: 'The Clarification of the Secret Knowledge known to those Brought Near to the Divine Presence'.

The Scholar and Master Muhammad Bin Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani, the Hadith Master of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Under whom he studied Hadith Terminology, Legal Principles and the Biography of the Prophet.
The Scholar and Educator Al-Habib Attas al-Habshi.
The Scholar Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashhur al-Adani, the author of numerous works.
The Scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ba-Sheikh.

He enrolled in the College of Islamic Studies in Sana'a Yemen from 1412 AH/1991 AD, until 1414 AH/1993 AD. During this time he was given the opportunity to study directly under Habib Muhammad Bin Abdullah al-Hadaar who was in his last days, so he went to the Habib's Centre of Learning in the City of Baeda in Yemen. It was during this phase that he began to move from theoretical studies to the work of calling to God, as he benefited greatly from the late Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar's methodology of living his knowledge, and making it impact his reality.

During that phase the link between him and the Great Scholar & Educator Habib Omar Bin Muhammad Bin Salem Bin Hafiz, (who was one of the foremost people in Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar's Centre of Learning) was strengthened He later went to the City of Sheher to be with him.

He settled in Tarim in the Companionship of Habib Omar Bin Mohammed Bin Hafiz from 1993 to 2003.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

How to perform Salat al-Duha and Salat al-Ishraq


Ishraq prayer

The time for the Ishraq prayer begins ten to twenty minutes after sunrise and consists of two Raka'ahs at the very least. Praying ishraq is considered to yield greater rewards than performing the lesser Jihad according to some traditions.According to majority of scholars of Hadith and Fiqh, Duha Prayer and Al-Ishraq Prayer are all names of the same salah (ritual Prayer). It is a recommended Prayer without any fixed number of raka'ahs, and its time starts a little after sun rise (approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise) and extends up to the time of the declining of the sun from the meridian. The above view of the majority of scholars and jurists is based on the fact that there is no reason to make a distinction in the sources.
A minority of scholars, however, have made a distinction between Al-Ishraq Prayer and Duha Prayer. According to them, Al-Ishraq Prayer is done after sun rise (around fifteen minutes after) while Duha Prayer is done much later.
There is no doubt that the first view is more authentic and more in conformity with the close study of the hadiths in this respect. Anyway, one must never make an issue out of this controversy, for, after all, it is an optional Prayer. 
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)is reported to have said, 'He who performs Fajr Salat with Jamaat and remains seated in the same place while engaging in Dhikr until after sunrise and thereafter performs 2 Rakaats Nafil Salat, (Ishraq), he will obtain the reward of one Hajj and one Umrah.' (Tirmidhi). 
As for the intention to be formulated while praying Al-Ishraq Prayer, or others, there is no hard and fast rule to follow. Since it is an optional Prayer, it is enough to say in one’s mind that one is praying nafl or sunnah of Duha or Ishraq. One may perform any number of raka`ahs from a minimum of two raka`ahs up to preferably eight raka`ahs.

Duha prayer

Duha prayer begins after sunrise and ends at meridian, and is generally thought to include at least two raka'ahs, though in some traditions the number is four or even twelve. It is generally prayed when one-fourth of the day has passed. According to the Sunni thought, performing this prayer is believed to be effective in seeking forgiveness for one's sins.
The supererogatory morning prayer has been narrated from the Prophet, through paths that have reached mass-narration levels - from 19 to over 30 Companions.  According to the vast majority of scholars of the Salaf and Khalaf it is a desirable and recommended prayer.

There are many more different types of Nafl Salat. So far, the ones listed are just the most common. The implication is, the more one does, the more reward he/she will be likely to get.

Monday 5 March 2012

Secret £14million Bible : 'Jesus predicts coming of Prophet Muhammad'


A secret Bible in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to Earth has sparked serious interest from the Vatican.

Pope Benedict XVI is claimed to want to see the 1,500-year-old book, which many say is the Gospel of Barnabas, that has been hidden by the Turkish state for the last 12 years.

The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome, penned in Jesus' native Aramaic language, is said to contain his early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's coming.

Secret Bible: The 1,500-year-old tome was is said to contain Jesus' early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's coming
Secret Bible: The 1,500-year-old tome was is said to contain Jesus' early teachings and his prediction of the Prophet's coming
Ancient: The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000
Ancient: The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000

The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000.

It was closely guarded until 2010, when it was finally handed over to the Ankara Ethnography Museum, and will soon be put back on public display following a minor restoration.

A photocopy of a single page from the handwritten ancient manuscript is thought to be worth £1.5million.

Turkish culture and tourism minister Ertugrul Gunay said the book could be an authentic version of the Gospel, which was suppressed by the Christian Church for its strong parallels with the Islamic view of Jesus.

He also said the Vatican had made an official request to see the scripture - a controversial text which Muslims claim is an addition to the original gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

In line with Islamic belief, the Gospel treats Jesus as a human being and not a God.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105714/Secret-14million-Bible-Jesus-predicts-coming-Prophet-Muhammad-unearthed-Turkey.html#ixzz1oG6wjuCg