Category: Interesting Topics

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

With a variety of modern ideologies, philosophies, and religions competing to define what it means to be a ‘man,’ it is ever more critically important for Muslim men to understand masculinity as it was understood by the righteous predecessors.

Unlike theories of masculinity that promote the ‘alpha male’ as dominating other men and women in power, wealth and physical looks, masculinity in Islam is for a man to fulfill the good character traits and dignified manners taught by the religion as a whole.

A true Muslim man is just, kind, compassionate, forgiving, responsible, hard-working, humble, patient, forbearing, truthful, trustworthy, courageous, soft-hearted, honoring women, controlling his lower desires and impulses, fulfilling the needs of others before himself, continually refining his intellect, improving his character, seeking knowledge as a life-long learner, avoiding undignified behavior and sinful deeds, and emulating the character Prophet (ﷺ) and his righteous followers to the best of his ability.

The Islamic concept of masculinity, manhood, or ‘manliness’ (al-muru’ah) can be summarised by the broad ethical injunctions of the Quran and Sunnah, let us explore some of these.

Ibn Marzuban reported: Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by some people who were talking. Ali said, “What are you doing?” They said, “We are discussing manhood.” Ali said:

اَوْ مَا كفاكم الله عز وَجل ذَاك فِي كِتَابَة اذا يَقُول إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ فالعدل الانصاف والاحسان التفضل فَمَا بَقِي بعد هَذَا

Has not Allah Almighty sufficed you in His book wherein He said, ‘Verily, Allah commands justice and excellence,’ (16:90)? Justice is to have a sense of fairness and excellence is to prefer others to yourself. What remains of manhood after this?

[al-Murū’ah 1/97]

Men ought to view themselves as composed of a mind, body, and soul, and to consistently work to improve each dimension of their being, especially their inner-character.

Al-Mawardi reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

أَصْلُ الرَّجُلِ عَقْلُهُ وَحَسَبُهُ دِينُهُ وَمُرُوءَتُهُ خُلُقُهُ

The foundation of a man is his intellect, his honor is in his religion, and his manhood is in his character.

[Adab al-Dunyā wal-Dīn 17]

The righteous predecessors understood manhood to be comprehensive of all religious virtues in Islam.

‘Amru ibn Ubayd reported: It was said to Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, “What is manhood?” Hasan said:

الدِّينُ

It is the religion.

[al-Murū’ah 64]

And Hasan said:

إِنَّهُ لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ لَا مُرُوءَةَ لَهُ

Verily, there is no religion for one without manhood.

[al-Murū’ah 19]

One of the most important characteristics of a true Muslim man is the ability to forgive others even when the opportunity for revenge is available. This quality of compassion stands opposed to false belief of the ‘alpha male’ as domineering and vengeful, as is portrayed in our time.

Ibn Marzuban reported: It was said to Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy on him, “All things are derived from the Quran, so where is manhood in it?” Sufyan said:

فِي قولة تعالي خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ فَفِيهِ الْمُرُوءَة

In the saying of Allah Almighty, ‘Show forgiveness, enjoin good, and turn away from the ignorant,’ (7:199). In this is manhood.

[al-Murū’ah 1/133]

Al-Mada’ini reported: It was said to Ahnaf ibn Qays, may Allah have mercy on him, “What is manhood?” Ahnaf said:

الْحِلْمُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ وَالْعَفْوُ عِنْدَ الْقُدْرَةِ

Forbearance at a time of anger and forgiveness at a time of power.

[al-Murū’ah 64]

Abdullah ibn Shumait reported: Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

لَا يَنْبُلُ الْمَرْءُ وَلَا تَتِمُّ مُرُوءَتُهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ فِيهِ خَصْلَتَانِ الْعَفْوُ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَالتَّجَاوُزُ عَنْهُمْ

A man will not hit the mark, nor fulfil his manhood, until he has two characteristics: Forgiving people and overlooking their faults.

al-Murū’ah 106

A true Muslim man should be kind towards people and love for them the same as he loves for himself. He should give off a friendly and non-threatening aura, while also putting the needs of others over himself.

Ahmad ibn Jamil reported: Muhammad ibn al-Nadr, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

أَوَّلُ الْمُرُوءَةِ طَلَاقَةُ الْوَجْهِ وَالثَّانِي التَّوَدُّدُ إِلَى النَّاسِ وَالثَّالِثُ قَضَاءُ الْحَوَائِجِ

The first part of manhood is a cheerful face. The second part is loving kindness to people. The third part is fulfilling the needs of others.

al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir al-‘Ilm 828

In contrast, it is not the characteristic of a true man to put on a show of bravado to others, as if the sign of a man were his ability to incite fear and project strength. Rather, a real man is known by the measure of his trustworthiness and his refrain from hurting others; in a word, his virtue.

Ibn al-Mubarak reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

لا يُعْجِبَنَّكُمْ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ طَنْطَنَتُهُ وَلَكِنَّهُ مَنْ أَدَّى الأمَانَةَ وَكَفَّ عَنْ أَعْرَاضِ النَّاسِ فَهُوَ الرَّجُلُ

Do not let yourselves be impressed by the roar of a man. Rather, if he fulfils the trust and restrains himself from harming the honour of people, then he will truly be a man.

al-Zuhd wal-Raqā’iq 681

Al-Bayhaqi reported: Ahnaf ibn Qais, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

لا مُرُوءَةَ لِكَذُوبٍ

There is no manhood for the liar.

Shu’ab al-Imān 6123

A true Muslim man does not allow himself to be dragged into the gutter of insults, mockery, and bitter arguments. It is the beneath the dignity of a believer to put down or make fun of others, as this contradicts the spirit of good will he should have.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِالطَّعَّانِ وَلَا اللَّعَّانِ وَلَا الْفَاحِشِ وَلَا الْبَذِيءِ

The believer does not taunt others, he does not curse others, he does not use profanity, and he does not abuse others.

[Tirmidhi]

Ibn Abi Dunya reported: Sa’id ibn al-‘As, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

مَا شَتَمْتُ رَجُلا مُنْذُ كُنْتُ رَجُلا

I have not insulted a man ever since I became a man.

al-Ḥilm li-Ibn Abī Dunyā 119

Al-Dhahabi reported: Ibn al-Mubarak. may Allah have mercy on him, said:

مَنِ اسْتَخَفَّ بِالْإِخْوَانِ ذَهَبَتْ مُرُوءَتُهُ

Whoever belittles his brothers will lose his manhood.

Siyar A’lām al-Nubalā’ 17/251

Moreover, the authentic sign of strength is the ability to control one’s desires and impulses, especially anger. A man who cannot control himself is spiritually weak, even if he has the largest muscles of all.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ

The strong are not the best wrestlers. Verily, the strong are only those who control themselves when they are angry.

[Bukhari]

Abu Nuaym reported: Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

الْمَرْأَةُ تَمُرُّ بِالرَّجُلِ فَلَا يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عَنِ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهَا وَلَا هُوَ يَنْتَفِعُ بِهَا فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَضْعَفُ مِنْ هَذَا

A woman will pass by a man and he cannot restrain himself from looking at her lustfully although there is no benefit in it. What could be weaker than this?

Ḥilyat al-Awliyā 7/68

Mansur ibn Abdullah reported: Al-Kattani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

العاجز من عجز عن سياسة نفسه

The truly weak man is he who is too weak to manage himself.

Tārīkh Dimashq 54/254

It is good to have a healthy, strong body, but some men are naturally more muscular than others. This blessing they have not earned has no bearing on their value to Allah Almighty.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, was one such companion who had a smaller build than most men, yet he was absolutely huge in terms of his knowledge, righteousness, and service to Islam.

Ibn Mas’ud reported: He was harvesting toothsticks from an Arak tree and he had tiny shins. The wind blew and made him fall over, so people laughed at him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مِمَّ تَضْحَكُونَ

What are you laughing at?

They said, “O Prophet of Allah, at his tiny shins.” The Prophet said:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُمَا أَثْقَلُ فِي الْمِيزَانِ مِنْ أُحُدٍ

By the one in whose hand is my soul, they will both be heavier on the Scale than the mountain of Uhud.

[Sahih Musnad Ahmad]

A true Muslim man might have a smaller build than most men, but still be better to Allah than most men. For this reason and many others, a real man should never make fun of another’s natural, physical appearance.

A true Muslim man is not ashamed to show his emotions in the appropriate moment. The Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions would cry and weep in public because their hearts were soft.

Abu Huraira reported:

زَارَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْرَ أُمِّهِ فَبَكَى وَأَبْكَى مَنْ حَوْلَهُ

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, visited the grave of his mother and he wept and made others around him start weeping.

[Sahih Muslim]

Abu Mutarrif reported:

رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي وَفِي صَدْرِهِ أَزِيزٌ كَأَزِيزِ الرَّحَى مِنْ الْبُكَاءِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while he was praying and his chest was making a sound like the boiling of a water pot because he was crying.

[Abu Dawud]

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مَا نَفَعَنِي مَالٌ قَطُّ مَا نَفَعَنِي مَالُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ

The wealth of no one has benefited me as much as the wealth of Abu Bakr.

Abu Bakr wept and he said:

أَنَا وَمَالِي إِلَّا لَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ

Myself and my wealth are only for you, O Messenger of Allah.

[Musnad Ahmad]

It is healthy to release emotions and even gracefully display them in public by crying if the moment is appropriate. The idea that ‘men don’t cry’ is harmful to a man’s emotional well-being, because although he suppresses his emotions, they will eventually be released and likely in harmful ways.

A true Muslim man is chivalrous and honorable towards the women in his life: his mother, sisters, daughters, aunts, cousins, sisters in Islam, and women in general. The measure of a man’s character is directly related to how he treats women.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا وَخِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ خُلُقًا

The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the most excellent character, and the best of you are the best in behaviour to their women.

[Tirmidhi]

Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

خِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ

The best of you are the best to their women.

[Sahih Ibn Majah]

A true Muslim man is not ashamed to appropriately express his love for the women of his family and his wives. The Prophet (ﷺ) was not shy to tell others how much he loved his wives.

Amr ibn Al-As reported: I said, “Which of the people is most beloved to you?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

عَائِشَةُ

Aisha.

[Bukhari]

It is not the characteristic of true men to ‘dominate’ women, degrade them, exploit them, or brag about their sexual ‘conquests.’ In fact, it is precisely the opposite; a real man protects women who are vulnerable to abuse and injustice.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُحَرِّجُ حَقَّ الضَّعِيفَيْنِ الْيَتِيمِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ

O Allah, I have issued a warning in regards to the rights of two vulnerable groups: orphans and women.

[Sahih Ibn Majah]

This is most apparent within the marriage relationship, which should be based upon love, mercy, and partnership. The worst men are those who mistreat their wives by cheating the law to avoid its ethical underpinnings. Though a scholar might hold an opinion that a husband’s misbehaviour is ‘legal’ in the sense it carries no legal consequences, it is nevertheless corrupt, immoral, sinful, and unmanly.

Raja’ reported: Dawud ibn Abi Hind, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

جَالَسْتُ الْفُقَهَاءَ فَوَجَدْتُ دِينِي عِنْدَهُمْ وَجَالَسْتُ أَصْحَابَ الْمَوَاعِظِ فَوَجَدْتُ الرِّقَّةَ فِي قَلْبِي وَجَالَسْتُ كِبَارَ النَّاسِ فَوَجَدْتُ الْمُرُوءَةَ فِيهِمْ وَجَالَسْتُ شِرَارَ النَّاسِ فَوَجَدْتُ أَحَدَهُمْ يُطَلِّقُ امْرَأَتَهُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ لَا يُسَاوِي شَعِيرَةً

I sat with the learned jurists and I found my religion with them. I sat with the preachers and I found softness in my heart. I sat with the elders of people and I found manhood among them. I sat with the worst of people and I found that one of them would divorce his wife for an offence that does not even amount to a hair.

al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir al-‘Ilm 458

In sum, a true Muslim man is characterised by a balance of all of the virtues taught by Islam: justice, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, humility, patience, truthfulness, courage, responsibility, chivalry, and so on. The concept of the ‘alpha male’ as domineering, aggressive, vengeful, rich, thuggish, and ‘strong’ is a false and toxic belief that encourages misbehaviour in general and the mistreatment of women in particular. On the contrary, truly strong men are those capable of controlling themselves and traversing the higher, straight path of virtue in opposition to the animalistic tendencies of the human soul.

We have seen real men in the past in Islamic history, along with the best man to have ever walked the earth was our Prophet (ﷺ) . Where are the real men today?

May Allah relieve us from the corrupted view of what a true man really is.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah speaks about the stages of man’s embryonic development:

We created man from an extract of clay. 

Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. 

Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)

[23:12-14]

Literally, the Arabic word alaqah has three meanings: (1) leech, (2) suspended thing, and (3) blood clot.

In comparing a leech to an embryo in the alaqah stage, we find similarity between the two² as we can see in figure 1.  Also, the embryo at this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech, which feeds on the blood of others.³

Figure 1: Drawings illustrating the similarities in appearance between a leech and a human embryo at the alaqah stage. (Leech drawing from Human Development as Described in the Quran and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 37, modified from Integrated Principles of Zoology, Hickman and others.  Embryo drawing from The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 73.)

The second meaning of the word alaqah is “suspended thing.”  This is what we can see in figures 2 and 3, the suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother.

Figure 2: We can see in this diagram the suspension of an embryo during the alaqah stage in the womb (uterus) of the mother. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 66.)

Figure 3: In this photomicrograph, we can see the suspension of an embryo (marked B) during the alaqah stage (about 15 days old) in the womb of the mother.  The actual size of the embryo is about 0.6 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore, 3rd ed., p. 66, from Histology, Leeson and Leeson.)

The third meaning of the word alaqah is “blood clot.”  We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the alaqah stage is similar to that of a blood clot.  This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage (see figure 4).  Also during this stage, the blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week.  Thus, the embryo at this stage is like a clot of blood.

Figure 4: Diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during the alaqah stage.  The external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of a blood clot, due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo. (The Developing Human, Moore, 5th ed., p. 65.)

So the three meanings of the word alaqah correspond accurately to the descriptions of the embryo at the alaqah stage.

The next stage mentioned in the ayah is the mudghah stage.  The Arabic word mudghah means “chewed substance.”  If one were to take a piece of gum, chew it and then compare it with an embryo at the mudghah stage, we would conclude that the embryo at the mudghah stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance.  This is because of the somites at the back of the embryo that “somewhat resemble teethmarks in a chewed substance.” (see figures 5 and 6).

Figure 5: Photograph of an embryo at the mudghah stage (28 days old).  The embryo at this stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance, because the somites at the back of the embryo somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance.  The actual size of the embryo is 4 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 82, from Professor Hideo Nishimura, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.)

Figure 6: When comparing the appearance of an embryo at the mudghah stage with a piece of gum that has been chewed, we find similarity between the two. A) Drawing of an embryo at the mudghah stage.  We can see here the somites at the back of the embryo that look like teeth marks. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 79.) B) Photograph of a piece of gum that has been chewed. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

How could our prophet (ﷺ) have possibly known all this 1400 years ago, when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time?  Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa) using an improved microscope in 1677 (more than 1000 years after prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)).  They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract.

Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore, is one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled The Developing Human, which has been translated into eight languages.  This book is a scientific reference work and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by one person. 

Dr. Keith Moore is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.  There, he was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy.  In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists.  He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian and American Association of Anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences.

In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said: “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur’an about human development.  It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad (ﷺ) from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later.  This proves to me that Muhammad (ﷺ) must have been a messenger of God.”

Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question: “Does this mean that you believe that the Quran is the word of God?”  He replied: “I find no difficulty in accepting this.”

During one conference, Professor Moore stated: “….Because the staging of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using the terms mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah (what Muhammad (ﷺ) said, did, or approved of). 

The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms with present embryological knowledge.  The intensive studies of the Quran and hadith (reliably transmitted reports by the Prophet Muhammad’s  companions of what he said, did, or approved of) in the last four years have revealed a system for classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D. 

Although Aristotle, the founder of the science of embryology, realised that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hen’s eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages.  As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century.  For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Qur’an cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century.  The only reasonable conclusion is: these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad (ﷺ) from God.  He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training.”

Allah asks in the Qur’an:

And He shows you His signs. So which of the signs of Allah do you deny?

[40:81]

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

There is no doubt that the world has gone through many crises over the years. Whether these were natural occurrences or conspired to be an act done on purpose by a government or cult, they were still events that affected mankind and some of them were mentioned in the Qur’an to form a lesson for us to learn from. Let us take one of the events mentioned by Allah, part of the story of Musa.

We all know the events that happened in Musa’s life but this specific event was after he and his people flew from the Pharoah and his army – after Allah closed off the river drowning them. 1000s of people who followed Musa ended up on the other side of the river in an empty desert. Imagine leaving our homes with barely any sustenance and ending up in the scorching sands. People will undoubtedly be agitated and frustrated with everything going on around them.

So Musa had to address his people regarding their situation. Allah narrates in the Qur’an:

And [recall, O Children of Israel], when Moses said to His people, “Remember the favour of Allah upon you when He saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst torment and were slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.

14:6

Allah reminds the people that they were in a much situation before they got away from the Pharoah. An important point to take away from this is that Musa was telling the people that if Allah was capable of taking them out of one impossible situation, why should they all of a sudden even have the thought that he will abandon them after? Did He remove them from one crisis just to forget about them another?

Allah then follows with another ayah:

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favour]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ “

14:7

Allah uses the word “ta’athana” which in translation means a voice heard over every other – which is why athan is used for the call of prayer. The interesting thing about this word is that something is only truly called an athan if it is a separate voice from every other, a statement that when you hear all others are overlooked. More interestingly Allah uses the word “shakartoum” referring to being grateful, but more specifically: showing the slightest bit of gratefulness.

What makes this statement highlighted even more is the choice of name Allah used: rab; and part of rab is to nurture, to take care of His property. So our nurturing master proclaims that if the Muslims were to show real gratitude even at one instant, and not assume that Allah has abandoned them or left them to suffer, then He will undoubtedly increase them in all types of favours; and this applies to us in times like we are in now.

We as Muslims must remind ourselves of the favours Allah has bestowed upon us and remember that He has not abandoned His people. Allah will protect His Ummah as He has claimed many times in the Qur’an. This is not to say that we must not take any precautions in times of crisis, but we have to take a step back and assess our situations. Part of why crises become worse is due to how people react to it.

Let us not allow for any kind of trial to overwhelm us or make us live in fear because our hearts must be tied with creator whom nothing can overpower.

A small exercise we can all take part in is to sit down with our close ones and talk about favours that we were given by Allah. Not just the favours we have now but also what was given to us in the past and burdens that Allah removed for us. This will remind us all to be grateful to Him and He will without doubt increase us in goodness.

May Allah protect the people from all types of crises, remove all our fears and allow us to rest our hearts in His remembrance. May He also cure all those suffering from all illnesses and diseases.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Modern liberalism – which has become a very common approach towards life amongst human beings and has become more of an ideology rather than merely a political movement – has distorted the view on religions or the notion of a creator/God. The idea that one should “do whatever you want as long as you are do not harm anyone else” is an absolute fallacy. “Harm” is defined differently depending on the people’s culture, background, religious beliefs and personal experiences. One thing that is not considered harmful in one place maybe considered extremely damaging in another.

Yet the West has taken it upon themselves to overrule the world’s opinions with theirs; setting their own baseless, subjective beliefs on what is right and wrong all in the name of “freedom”; but are they really free?

It is a fact that in this dunya, we are a slave to something. A slave to a society, a culture, a religion, a trend or to our own souls. Allah says in the Qur’an:

..the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy.

[12:53]

There is no doubt that the soul calls us towards evil doings, alongside the Shaytan. As human beings we will always to be bound to something and we make the choice of what it is we tie ourselves to. Liberalism essentially tells mankind to follow what the soul calls on us to do, without any objective reasoning; which is what animals do. No basis as to why we are to follow what is said, no root to the logic they spring out of nowhere and constantly changing throughout the times thus unstable.

Liberalism claims that the world is “progressing”, but how can we tell as human beings if progress is being made if it is all subjective?

Let’s take a moral example such as same sex relations. Go back only pre-1967, homosexuality was a punishable offence in the West. Nowadays, to simply speak against it is illegal, regardless of the liberal view on “free speech”. There are various clearly harmful effects homosexual relations have on an individual level as well as on a societal level and yet they are completely overshadowed by the “needs” of certain people.

Not only are liberal values contradictory, they are also inconsistent. Continuing on a similar route, take incestuous relationships. This is still frowned upon by the West, yet it follows the same trail as homosexuality. They cause the same kind of harm as each other yet one is looked up upon and the other is looked down upon. Why? The least liberalism can do is be consistent but they are clearly not.

The only way mankind can form a consistent, stable and clear moral compass is by looking at the world around us – where mankind came from, why we exist and where we are going. If we sincerely ask these questions we will find that religion has the answers; answers that many people do not wish to find answers to or simply deny without proof. Then looking at all the religions we find that there is only one which has been consistent throughout the times and with zero contradictions.

Allah answers liberalism in the Qur’an, He says:

but if the truth were in accordance with their desires, the heavens, the earth, and everyone in them would disintegrate. Rather, We have brought them their Reminder and they turn away from it.

[23:71]

There is no doubt that the world cannot function without Allah’s guidance. If the entire world was run by people who simply follow their own whims, make their own rules and rights, we would see great corruption, and we see a great amount of it today. Thus why in the end of times, when the world is reaching its edge, believers will be non-existent. The very small amount of Muslims left will be taken away and all that will be left behind is the corruption. And through the prophet’s (ﷺ) prophecies, we know that the time is near.

May Allah make us slaves to Him alone and protect us and the future generations from corrupted ideologies, both within our own Ummah and out.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

A lot of the Muslim Ummah participate in many Western celebrations without really knowing their origins or how they became widespread amongst the people. Let us explore their roots; here are a few of the common celebrations:

BIRTHDAY

This is probably the most common celebration across the globe, yet if we were to ask people where it came from, most have no idea.

Early civilisation did not have any way of pinpointing days, weeks and years, not until the calendar came about. Bible scholars claimed that the earliest mention of a birthday was around 3000 BCE in reference to the celebration of a Pharoah’s birthday. However, further study implies that it was not the birth of the person himself but the day he apparently became a “god” (as the Pharoah mentioned in the Qur’an claimed to be god).

When the Pharoahs were crowned in Egypt they were considered to have transformed into Gods. Pagans, such as the ancient Greeks, believed that each person had a spirit that was present on the day of his or her birth. This spirit kept watch and had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday that particular individual was born.

Gods and goddesses were a huge part of Greek culture and the greeks offered many tributes and sacrifices to appease these gods. As a tribute to the lunar “god” Artemis, the Greeks would offer up moon-shaped cakes adorned with lit candles to recreate the glowing radiance of the moon and Artemis’ perceived beauty. The candles also symbolised the sending of a signal or prayer. Blowing out the candles with a wish is another way of sending that message to the gods.

It is assumed that the Greeks adopted the Egyptian tradition of celebrating the “birth” of a god. They, like many other pagan cultures, thought that days of major change, such as these “birth” days, welcomed evil spirits. They lit candles in response to these spirits almost as if they represented a light in the darkness. This implies that birthday celebrations started as a form of protection.

In addition to candles, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and protect them from harm with good cheers, thoughts, and wishes. They would give gifts to bring even more good cheer that would ward off evil spirits. Noisemakers were also used to scare away the unwanted evil.

CHRISTMAS

Many Christians associate Christmas day with the birth of the Prophet Isa, even though the bible did not mention anything about the 25th of December. However, there are implications that show it may have been something else entirely, pre-dating his era entirely.

The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient “birthday” of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. Mithra was related to the Semitic sun-god, Shamash, and his worship spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras.

Rome was well-known for absorbing the pagan religions and rituals of its empire. As such, Rome converted this pagan legacy to a celebration of the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice period. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterised by gift-giving, feasting, singing and debauchery, as the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession throughout the Roman temples.

VALENTINE’S DAY

Although there is no exact root for this celebration, the earliest possible source is from the ancient Romans.

From February 13th to 15th, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the flesh of the animals they had just slain.

The Roman romantics “were drunk and naked,” says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile.

The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be coupled up for the duration of the festival or longer.

The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of the modern day of “love”. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on February 14th of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

Later, Pope Gelasius the first muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals but the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, “It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love.”

Later on as time went by these brutal rituals “sweetened” and became more widespread especially after being promoted by Shakespeare. Nowadays it has merely become a business (making approximately $18.6 billion in 2011) and an excuse for immorality which the world sugar coats by calling it “love”.

HALLOWEEN

This is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.

The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.

This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.

When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

Nowadays this celebration has also become a business, generating $9 billion in one year.

EASTER

The origin of Easter, a holiday associated with the observance of the resurrection of Jesus, is actually based on an ancient pagan celebration. Christians recognise this day as commemorating the culminating event of their faith, but like so many other “Christian” holidays, Easter has become commercialised and mixed with non-christian traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter parades and hunting for Easter eggs.

Contemporary traditions such as the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg can be traced back to the practices by the pagans. Due to their prolific nature, rabbits have long been associated with fertility and its goddess, Ishtar. Ancient Babylonians believed in a fable about an egg that fell into the Euphrates River from heaven and from which Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar or Semiramis) was “hatched.” Nowadays, just like the rest, it has become a worldwide business, making over £1 billion in 2018 in the UK alone.

MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s day started as an anti-war movement

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home – for a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day – which started as an anti-war movement – in the 1930s and 1940s.

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As Muslims we must look at all these celebrations as what they really are – ancient/religious rituals. Imitating these ceremonies is not part of our deen. In Islam, we have 2 Eids (al-fitr and al-adha) along with other celebrations that were part of the sunnah such as weddings within the boundaries of Islam and the celebration of a newborn.

This is not to say that it is wrong for someone to for example: commemorate their date of birth, look at the blessings Allah has given that person and strive to be a better Muslim during the next year. However, to carry out the acts in these celebrations, essentially making them as a Eid, as they are done by the non-Muslims is where the problem lies.

May Allah protect us all in these matters especially the children.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Most Muslims these days choose to avoid this sensitive subject with their kids/siblings and companions, not knowing that the Ummah is being exposed to sexual implications every single day in the West. Schools are teaching children and teenagers about sex using the scope that “we in schools do not tell the child to engage in sexual acts but in case they do, we teach them how to prevent STDs and pregnancy”.

The problem with this notion is that these education systems are incomplete, they do not educate about the morality associated with sex. Furthermore, in the times we live in now, same sex relations are put forward as something perfectly normal; that children should “explore their sexuality” while at the same time, we as Muslims are neglecting this topic entirely.

Some examples of the immoral teachings some educators give:

1. Nudity in homes with the children (such as in the shower or bedroom) is a good and healthy way to introduce sexuality to kids under 5. In the same book, the author also states that 75% of all child molestation and incest (500,000 known cases per year) occur by a close relative.
2. A child playing with another child’s genitals is a permissible “naive” method of exploration and should not be a reason for punishment. The author of this saying was also aware that boys as young as 12 have raped girls as young as 8. Where do we draw the line?
3. Children caught looking at dirty magazines or scenes should not be made to feel guilty, rather the parents should use these opportunities to put across some useful points about sexual attitudes. So essentially, pornography is perfectly normal and should start with the parents’ guidance.
4. If the daughter or son is already sexually active, instead of telling them to stop, the parents’ moral duty is to protect their health and career by providing them information and means for contraception and avoiding STDs.

We must step up and act upon this epidemic that has taken over the world’s spirituality. Sexual implications are everywhere and children are being taught by schools and friends that it is all normal. Furthermore, too much of the Muslim ummah is postponing marriage for invalid reasons.

We must form a curriculum for sex education in Islam. Before teaching anything about the human anatomy or physiology, the belief in Allah must be established – the fact that He has created mankind to follow His teachings and that He knows far more what is best for human beings than any teacher in this world can advise. As the renowned philosopher Dostoevsky said, “without God, everything is possible”, and we see it around us.

We must also stop putting forward the message that sexual intimacy is in itself an indecent act. Allah has made intimacy part of His creation and the indecency is only when it is done outside of marriage. This must be made clear to the Muslims as we have two extremes – on one side there are those who simply ignore the subject entirely and on the other there are those who educate their children through fear or disgust, without true knowledge. Many of these children grow up and go into marriage already misinformed about sexual matters which can really mess up a person’s psychological image on sexual intimacy.

The young should be taught separately from the teenagers – the curriculum should be tailored according to the age group. We must also form a premarital programme for those who are getting married, to know the ins and outs of sexual intercourse, what is permissible and what is not, and the Sunnah of our prophet (ﷺ).

An example of how this could be laid out:

1. Sexual growth and development
   – Time table for puberty
   – Physical changes during puberty
   – Need for family life
2. Physiology of reproductive system
   – For girls – the organ, menstruation, premenstrual syndrome
   – For boys – the organ, the sex drive
3. Conception, development of the foetus and birth
4. Sexually transmitted disease (VD/AIDS) (emphasis on the Islamic aspect)
5. Mental, emotional and social aspects of puberty
6. Social, moral and religious ethics/rulings
7. Moral aspects regarding same sex relations
8. How to avoid peer pressure and tempting situations/surroundings

This is a subject that we must not neglect out of our own discomfort or embarrassment. Our people are struggling and the statistics speak for themselves.

• Approximately 1 million or more teenage girls are getting pregnant every year; around 3000 a day, 80% of which are unmarried. Out of the million, 450,000 are aborted.
• In 1950 the incidence of birth from unmarried teenagers was only 13.9%, but in 1985 it increased to 59%.
• 37.9 million people living with AIDS in 2018.
• At least 28,258 users are watching pornography every second; 1 in 5 internet searches are for the filthy material.

This is merely scratching the surface of what sexual immorality has become.

The people in the time of our prophet (ﷺ) were not shy to ask him about all affairs including matters of sex and intimacy and he (ﷺ) was never shy to respond. For us to avoid this subject with our children/ whoever may need the knowledge or to postpone it to a point when it is too late i.e. already taught through secular studies or unworthy knowledge by others, then we have gone against the sunnah of our prophet (ﷺ).

May Allah protect the Ummah when it comes to sexual immorality especially our youth and give us the strength to teach ourselves, our children and those in need of the knowledge.

Allah knows best.