The chiefs of the Quraysh, the tribe of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who opposed his message included some who were men of thought and intelligence. It is wrong to assume that they were all narrow-minded people who only considered their immediate interests. Like we see today, some people with sharp intelligence refuse to believe in God. What we need to realize is that faith requires a positive step which a person takes after looking at the evidence and considering all relevant issues. Such a positive action is the practical manifestation of what a person feels deep in his or her heart, motivating them to identify themselves as believers. Once they respond to this feeling, they establish a bond with God that becomes stronger as they begin to look at the world around them in the light of faith. It is always possible for a person to recognize the truth of the Qur’an and the message delivered by Muhammad, God’s final Messenger, without making such a conscious effort or taking this practical step. This is normally the result of an attitude that gives oneself a paramount position, looking only at one’s personal interests or preferences. This is what is termed in the Qur’an as personal desire which people follow as it leads them away from God’s guidance. It is to counter such personal desire that we should address people, putting before them the truth of the Islamic message and inviting them to believe in God. The Prophet gave us the lead and the example to follow. He never tired of inviting people to believe in God, no matter how hardened they were in their opposition to his message. One of these was Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah, an elder chief of the Quraysh who enjoyed a position of high respectability. He was a wealthy person, and he had ten sons who always attended him. Al-Waleed once met the Prophet who took the opportunity to explain his message to him and invite him to accept Islam. As always on such occasion, the Prophet read to his interlocutor some verses of the Qur’an. One report mentions that on this occasion he read the passage that included the following verse: “God enjoins justice, kindness (to all), and generosity to one’s kindred; and He forbids all that is shameful, reprehensible conduct and all transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed.” (16: 90) A man of intellect, Al-Waleed seemed touched by what he heard and softened his attitude. The man who carefully watched the situation in Makkah trying always to prevent people from listening to the Prophet or responding to him was Abu Jahl. He heard of Al-Waleed’s encounter with the Prophet and how he softened to the Qur’anic discourse. Knowing Al-Waleed’s mentality, he sought to ensure that he would not accept Islam. Therefore, he went to see him. As they talked, Abu Jahl said to him: “Uncle, your people are thinking of raising some money for you.” Surprised, Al-Waleed asked the reason for such an idea. Abu Jahl said: “They want to give it to you, because you met Muhammad to find out what he could offer you.” Al-Waleed said: “The whole of the Quraysh know that I am one of the richest people here.” Abu Jahl suggested: “Then say something about him so that your people would know that your stand is against him.” Al-Waleed retorted: “What will I say? There is none among you who has better knowledge of poetry than I. I know every type of it, including the poetry attributed to the jinn. Yet what Muhammad says is nothing like poetry. It is certainly beautiful and smoothly flowing. It is like a date tree with solid roots and rich fruit. It overpowers everything, while nothing can stand up to it. It demolishes anything that stands in opposition to it.” Abu Jahl insisted that the rest of the Quraysh would not be happy with Al-Waleed unless he said something abusive about the Prophet and the Qur’an. The latter told him to give him time to think. When he had deliberated what to say, he came up with a mouthful. He said: “This is certainly sorcery learnt from others.” The Qur’an strongly rebukes Al-Waleed for his deliberately false denunciation of the divine message. God says in the Qur’an: “Leave Me alone to deal with him whom I have created alone, and to whom I have granted vast resources, and children attending him, and to whose life I gave so wide a scope, and yet, he greedily desires that I give him yet more! Indeed, it is against Our revelations that he knowingly, stubbornly sets himself. I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb! Behold, he reflects and meditates; and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates. Yes, indeed he destroys himself, the way he meditates! Then he looks around, frowning and glaring, and then he turns his back, glories in his arrogance, and says: ‘All this is mere spell-binding eloquence learnt (from others). This is nothing but the word of mortal man.’” (74: 11-25) We note here how Abu Jahl sought to arouse Al-Waleed’s anger when he told him that his people were raising money for him, when he was one of the richest people in the city. Thus he brings pressure to bear on him, using the element of pride and honor. Then knowing that Al-Waleed belonged to what we call today the intellectual type, he wanted him to think hard and come up with some denunciation of the Qur’an. The result was that he described the Qur’an as sorcery, or spell binding eloquence. This is the only way he could explain the hold the Qur’an had on the Arabs, including those of them who remained unbelievers. We may find it exceedingly strange that Al-Waleed should say this about the Qur’an after he had acknowledged that it was totally unlike anything people say. He described the Qur’an well, recognizing it superior excellence. Such a person should have been the first to accept its message, but he rejected it because he submitted to his own desire, rather than to his logic. Yet Al-Waleed was not alone among the Quraysh who opposed Islam, knowing the truth of the Qur’anic message. Mu’awiyah reports an incident that took place when he was young, and it involved the Prophet’s address to his parents. He says: “Abu Sufyan went out aiming to the desert, with Hind riding behind him on his camel. I was with them riding a donkey. We then heard God’s Messenger. My father told me: ‘Mu’awiyah! Dismount so that Muhammad could ride. I did so, and he rode alongside us for a while. He then said to my parents: ‘You, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, and Hind bint Utbah! By God, you will die and then you will be resurrected. The ones who do well in this life will be admitted into heaven, while those who do evil will go to hell. I am telling you the truth, and you have been the first to be warned.’ He then recited a passage of 11 verses from the beginning of Surah 41. When he stopped, Abu Sufyan said to him: ‘Have you finished what you wanted to tell us.’ The Prophet said that he did. He then dismounted and I rode the donkey. Then Hind (my mother) said to Abu Sufyan: ‘You ordered my son to dismount so that this sorcerer rides in his place!’ My father said: ‘By God, he is neither a sorcerer, nor a liar.’” Abu Sufyan was the man who for many years led the Quraysh’s determined campaign against Islam. Here we see him in the early days of Islam, listening to the Prophet and recognizing that he told the truth, but this did not stop him from fighting him hard, hoping to suppress his message, until eventually he succumbed to the truth of Islam and accepted it. Following the Four Imams. Q. Muslims learn at a very young age that there are four Imams whom we can follow in religious matters. However, some people here say that we must not follow these four imams, but we must follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Please comment. A. It is true that we must follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The four Imams(Imam Malik,Imam Al-Shafi,Imam Abu Hanifa,and Imam Ahmad Ibn Hambal),and all scholars for that matter, agree that these two are the sources to be followed. Indeed, in all their efforts, the four Imams, and all scholars, have sought to make it easier for a Muslim to follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah. They simply explained what the Qur’an and the Sunnah say about all sorts of problems, and gave guidance on how to implement them. If you are troubled by someone who insists on this view, you can ask him: if a person is not in a position to understand the Qur’anic text or the Hadith statement properly, how would he know what the Qur’an and the Sunnah requires. He will say that he must refer to a scholar who would explain it to him. This is what was done by the four Imams and other scholars, up to the present day. You can read more about this from the book:-"The Four Imams by Muhammad Abu zahra" ISBN:1-870582-41-1,published by Dar al Taqwa Ltd,7a Melcombe Street,Baker Street, London nw1 6AE.Price £30.00.(www.daraltaqwa.com). The Prayer of Greeting the Mosque. Q.1. Should one offer the prayer of greeting the mosque every time he enters a mosque, even though he offers all his prayers there, or is once a day sufficient? Q.2. In our local mosque, people gather after Asr prayer on Thursdays for a session of congregational glorification of God. This starts in very low voices, but become louder as it progresses. Toward the end, the sound is so loud, it is deafening. Afterward, people distribute fruit. Although it appears rude, I refuse to take the fruit. Please comment. Q.3. What is the position of nasheed in Islam? Why is it so widespread in Muslim countries? A.1. The prayer known as Tahiyyat Al-Masjid, or greeting to the mosque, consists of two short rak’ahs one offers on entry. This is a Sunnah the Prophet (peace be upon him) did. When we say of anything that it is a Sunnah, it means that it is recommended. By definition, what is recommended is not obligatory. So there is no obligation here. One offers this prayer if there is time and he feels he wants to offer it. Moreover, this prayer may be combined at the same time with any obligatory or recommended prayer one wants to do as one enters the mosque. So, if you get to the mosque after Zuhr has been called and before the congregational prayer begins, you want to offer the Zuhr Sunnah. You offer this Sunnah intending it as greeting to the mosque at the same time. This means that you offer two rak’ahs but earn the reward for four. The same applies if you find the congregation about to start and you join it, intending the greeting to the mosque Sunnah to be combined with the obligatory prayer. A.2. It was never known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked his companions to engage in such sessions, nor was it ever known that they organized them. We have no Hadith recommending them. Therefore, such functions are not part of Islamic worship. They constitute deviation from the normal Islamic practice. As for the fruit, if people place the fruit in front of the group or in the middle and consider that it becomes blessed by the glorification, then this is alien to Islamic practice and better not to be taken. If, on the other hand, no such thought is entertained, but the fruit is made as a gesture of hospitality, it is better to accept a brother’s hospitality. A.3. Nasheed is a poem recited in accordance with a particular tune. Sometimes it is accompanied by music. The idea of singing on joyous occasions is acceptable. When the Prophet arrived in Madinah with his companion Abu Bakr, the Muslim community there received him warmly singing the well-known poem, Tala’ Al-Badru Alayna. One day the Prophet came home to find that his wives were out. On inquiring, he was told that they were attending a wedding at some quarters of the Ansar. He said: “Why have they not taken a maid to sing?” He also suggested the lines to be sung. Having said that, it is important to point out that the wording is of great importance. Some poems made for singing include strange ideas which may not be acceptable. Some express ideas of pantheism, which runs against the basic Islamic beliefs, while others exaggerate the Prophet’s praises in a way that displeases God and the Prophet. Such poems must never be used. Sharing Rooms and Tolerance Q. We seem to have problems in our place where we live in shared accommodation. In order to be clear, may I ask whether it is permissible to watch a film or television serial while having a meal? Can one person read the Qur’an or engage in God’s glorification, keeping his voice low, while others are watching television in the same room? If a person performs wudhu or ablution to get ready for prayer, then watches television before praying, does he have to renew his ablution for prayer? A. It seems to me that these questions suggest a problem of conflicting views among people sharing the same facilities. When people share a flat or a house, they need to accommodate one another, and try to understand that they cannot live in a regimented way. Some of them will need relaxation when others feel eager to do something more serious. Unless they tolerate one another and accommodate each other’s wishes, they will soon quarrel and life together becomes a burden for all. Some will feel aggrieved. But all this is unnecessary. The Prophet says: “May God have mercy on a person who adopts an easy attitude when he buys, sells and when he asks for what is due to him.” This is meant to cover all life situations, because the three situations mentioned by the Prophet are the ones when people are most keen to get maximum benefit. The Prophet showed the perfect example when he went as far as buying a camel from Jabir, then gave Jabir the price and the camel. Being easy with one’s brethren is most important, because it helps to maintain social relations on the best level. It is permissible to watch television, including films and drama serials, provided that these do not include what is in direct conflict with Islamic principles and teachings. If it is an ordinary program or film, watching at any time is permissible, provided it does not stop a person from attending to his religious duties. Thus, it is perfectly permissible to watch a film while having a meal. We do not need supporting evidence for saying so, because permissibility does not need evidence, as everything is permissible unless pronounced otherwise. It is prohibition that needs supporting evidence. Watching television does not invalidate ablution, or wudhu. So, if you have just prayed Zuhr and sat down to watch a program, and then it is time for Asr, you do not need to have a fresh ablution only because you watched television. If you have a sitting room for everyone, and one of you is reading the Qur’an or doing some other form of recommended worship, such as glorifying God, he should not impose his activity on others. Thus, he should read to himself, not raising his voice, when other people are in the same room, reading a book or watching television. If he cannot concentrate, he should move somewhere else. On the other hand, they should allow him a reasonable time for his activity. ___________________________________________________________ How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 100MB! Get Yahoo! Mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~