Why Do Muslims Speak Out?

A follow up to the last post

There is proof that the prophet would speak out about an issue as opposed to being silent (about what was permissible [not about what was impermissible or forbidden, obviously; the brother unnecessarily argued about this]).

The link was provided, as to the proof, and I share it again here for any who are interested. This is the fiqh part of the answer (some people want me to 'study more fiqh' and Islam, before I even share anything I have already learned! But
I am not afraid to speak out, when I think it is necessary, that is how I share my knowledge (however small or great it might be considered by the ummah!)
"If something was spoken about" "Yes" "this has more weight than silence", wrote the islamic scholar or advisor I chatted with online; the discussion was whether speaking out or merley permitting something was a stronger; e.g. there were questions or
problems about matters which needed to be understood by the people in the presense of the prophet Muhammad, pbuh.

Everyone is a shepherd, a woman is the shepherd of her children, a man is the shepherd of his family, and so on. So, there is a level at which anyone is capable of teaching others, without having to have an Islamic Degreee. In the first
generation Muslims didn't have degrees, but they had knowledge. If we are blessed with knowledge and right thinking, all praise is due to Allah, who has given us the ability to read and understand. Doesn't the Quran say, "Read!"? It means "recite",
(the words). And if we know something, and I have proven sufficiently that I'm not in the wrong here, then we have the duty to speak.

I didn't finish my thought, probably due to the fact that sometimes my keyboard on the other computer I used to use made it hard for me to type; therefore, to explain, when I mentioned the couches in Paradise, and the clothing I was pointing out that
they are befitting of good people, and nothing 'bad' happens in Paradise, nor is there vain speech, as I mentioned as an example of something 'bad'. Some scholars have called music "vain speech" too. This is all related to the video, where Muslim men and
women are dancing to a song.If we expect to earn Paradise, for actions in this life, and more importantly by the generous mercy of Allah, then we should strive to be better Muslims and to follow His Book, and also the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Others gave reasons and evidence for why music or dancing or "[imitation]" are 'forbidden'. Muslim scholars or 'students of Islam' know about the hadiths which support this view and about 'fatawas' or judgments which state this view.  Whether or not general
Muslims know, understand, agree, follow or care about or defend the judgments regarding such questions is a different matter.

We can look to our Christian brethren for an example that will teach us something important about ourselves (or help us to find an answer as to why we are divided, and not united); if you ask any random Christian in the street, in America or Canada, if they hate people like Mennonites, or people like the Amish, you would probably find that most would say that the Amish (or Mennonites) are living their lives peacefully and not harming anyone and that they are living decent 'Christian' lives. But when we see Muslims living a similar lifestyle, oftener than not, we have many of our Muslim brethren criticizing such a Muslim lifestyle as too ascetic, or boring or extremist. The fact is that many Muslims live simply, eating clean and wholesome food, and drink wholesome drinks, and perform their sacred religious duties quietly and that they are living peacefully, not bothering others or being bothered either. It is in fact life in villages, or small communities - whether in the ME, or Africa, or somewhere in the West.

Why are Muslims criticized and hated for being 'good'? And why do other Muslims also criticize their Muslim brethren who are living decently? Often, it's true that people don't want to be reminded that we really can live a meaningful or productive life without having to accept every new thing that comes along. And we would even be better Muslims for it! That doesn't mean we shouldn't progress, where it is beneficial and good. But we should also be aware of wrong beliefs or customs that are not part of our Islamic culture.

Someone makes the point that Islamic practices are not necessarily only what was done a long time ago, during the prophet's lifetime, but that Muslims today also have their own culture, which they believe is legitimate. But we also have to judge the culture today by
Islamic standards of morality, or according to what was taught earlier, in order to know whether or not it is really 'good'.

Each person is his own master and does what he wants or believes is his right, in the end. Absolute Morality is not something that will be agreed upon, because anyway it's impossible that everyone will share only one opinion. Of course there are usually two main voices in debates such as this, one
voice that criticizes the latest culture, and the other that criticizes the 'fundamentalists'. As we Muslims all agree, God will tell us about those things about which we disputed, just as all people will learn about those things about which they disputed in this life.

Another point I made is that the lyrics were not even considered by anyone, (except me) as far as I could notice in the comments, as to whether the message/s is/are 'okay' or not. Muslims can also read the lyrics for themselves by doing a search and see whether they
agree that the lyrics are "good" or "unislamic" according to Islam's teachings. If they don't know, they should ask someone who knows, whether a scholar or a learned friend, someone whose opinion they can trust.

One line reads, "Happiness is the truth." That doesn't sound like something I would agree is a universal "wisdom". It sounds more like saying, "do whatever makes you feel good"!

For anyone who's interested, (again) there is a recent post on my blog which I will share on G+ about this 'lively' discussion. 

"Where is Allah?" videos

I had a few questions for a Sheikh, Mumtaz ul Haq. But as I don't have his official channel, or email I just posted it at a sharing site, where maybe someone will pass it on, because they are the Hanafi channel, according to them, and probably they can help me out. Also, there is a lot of debate among some about the need to follow a particular school as opposed to the hadiths only. What I think is that when a Muslim doesn't follow a particular school, still they learn to pray and do the other obligations and learn the aqeeda, etc. from scholars. I studied and so do many others at schools, which may teach Islam by following a curriculum; if the curriculum is decided by following one of the madhabs isn't a problem, and each madhab has scholars or teachers who at least know something about what the other madhabs (of which he isn't a follower) also teach. Not all the teachers are experts in religion, some are more like dais but if they don't know, they ask another more qualified teacher or scholar and help the students with their questions. In an ideal world we would all have the opportunities to study with many different scholars and learn the difference between all the different madhabs before we decide if we want to have a madhab or which madhab to follow. 

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Sometimes, one has to admit that there is no way to know everything, and without proof, or without knowledge especially, we should admit that we just don't know (about something).

It is wrong to accuse others of insincerity, however.

I hope people will be more aware of how they address questions of religious differences, even if the people or group you are speaking about or criticizing are wrong or astray.

Do not use the word "salafist" because it is just a label and doesn't mean anything in Arabic or in Islam. And don't say that Muslims who are saying wrong things or teaching wrong or deviant ideas are "salafis" (from the Arabic word for salafi, in the plural form, or meaning people who follow the salaf, the early Muslims.)

'Salafis' are supposed to follow the Messenger, pbuh, and the example of the early Muslims, too.

Salafi is not a school of thought, so speaking about "salafis" and comparing them to "hanafis" is like comparing apples and oranges.

There are four schools of thought, the hanafi, hanbali, maaliki, and shafii, they are all Muslims and the early scholars after which these madhabs were named were also salafi.

Do we need to call ourselves other than Muslims, even if we have a school of thought or if we only ask the scholars for their advice when we don't know?

I call myself Muslim and don't feel the need to follow a particular madhab/school, but I understand why others do, and I don't think it is wrong at all to do so.

And Allah knows best about this and related matters. May He guide us all to what is just.

Jane Dughatir

 Can I ask, if someone can ask the Sheikh Mumtaz ul Haq also about the verse he mentions, which is "Allah Istawa ala'al arsh, yudabiru al amr." Thank you for the video. Does this verse mean, turn-ing to the arsh, okay I understand; what is the word to say when the Muslims turned their qibla to another qibla? is it istawa or something else? Jazakum Allah. And finally, to istawa ala'a samaa (to "turn to the sky") doesn't it actually translate better as "established Himself above the throne" (the verse being, “istawa a’ala al arsh”, I should say) which is how I have always heard it translated? Not 'on' but 'above', just as He, SWT, is above everything, or also above the heavens and above us? Jazakum Allah. Allah bless the Sheikh and also the uploader.

Jane Dughatir

Can I ask, again - that the hadiths say that there is a great distance between the different levels of the heavens, some people will be in the highest level, others will be in other levels, the highest being Firdaus al a'ala. Also, ahadith mention that the distance between the different levels, is like we look at the stars in the sky, or in space, or like so many years (away), e.g. 50,000 years - I no longer remember the description in a time sense. Is it not only a meaning of being in a more special or honored place. Is this the case; that maybe there is a physical or a time/space meaning also? Then we should perhaps only say that God knows whether or not it is in a physical sense or only in the sense of "degrees of honor". Can you tell the wording in Arabic or English so we can understand about the hadith mentioning the distance between the different heavens? I am being sincere. Jazakum Allah khairun. #ilm   #asking   #Allah  [revised]

Where is Allah? He is "stawa a'ala al arsh" and I believe that, even if I don't understand what it means or how it is best translated.

What is the Sunnah wa al Jamah? What do they say about Allah?


I'm not finished reading the material on this site but it seems to be a good one.
Insha Allah I will revise or add a comment, if there is anything which doesn't seem to be right with the site, or if I hear anything about the site from others, either positive or negative.


The video is Where is Allah? by Sheikh Mumtaz ul Haq, which is easy to search. And there are other good videos with similar names, but you have to be careful about some of the channels, or also the opinions expressed by some in the comments sections of these video channels.

The Confusion of the Confusion

Remembering  days in history when ppl loved discourse more than the air that they breathed; in memory of the Muslim philosophers, whom all contemplated the great questions of their time, the nature of God, the nature of the soul, whether they were right or wrong, Muslim or Kafir, all studied and learned in Cordoba and pondered the great mysteries. I dedicate this post to modern day scholars who care about truth. DD

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I wanted to call this "the Refutation of the Refutation" but that's already been taken. #Ghazali #Ibn Sina #Ibn Rushd #Cordoba #The Refutation of the Refutation are more labels ppl could try searching.

I wrote and posted three posts yesterday in response to comments I had entertained. So today, I’m posting this explanation of who are the true Muslims, vis a vis a discussion about the meaning of the word Salafist, “Salafi” in Arabic, or the word “Wahhabi” and what it really means. This is an issue which is of paramount concern to me; because it is something I consider a part of the propaganda against Islam and Muslims, particularly Sunni Islam and its adherents, especially those in the Arabian Peninsula.

Just a brief description of both words, the way that Sunni Muslims generally think of the words in the original Arabic – this doesn’t include the opinion of many people who believe wrongly that Salafi is a “bad word”. It is a word we often use so it is important to explain what it does mean.

Salafi – someone who follows the original teachings of Muhammad, pbuh, the Holy Prophet of Islam, and which the following three or four generations of Muslims also followed or preached. The Sahabi (companions of Muhammad, May Allah grant them peace and blessings, and the Tabai’i, the following generation of Muslims who never met the holy Prophet, but had met the Sahabi, and so on). These we consider the proper examples of pious and good people of their day, who we try to emulate in word and deed.

Wahhabi – this is a new label, used very recently, beginning a few years back, which non-Muslims use to mean the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia whom they believe are preaching hate. I’d like to note that Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, was a scholar who preached Islamic monotheism and was largely concerned with teaching the people in his generation in the place he practiced, not to worship the Taghut (idols) or to do unislamic things, such as following the traditions of other people or religions in their country, which were not sanctioned by Islamic teachings and traditions. He was sometimes opposed by the rulers or other people who didn’t want him to preach, this is why some even called him a “kafir”. His little book Kitab atTauhid is one of the best written on the subject of Islamic monotheism, which contains advice about avoiding shirk (polytheism) and disbelief. He was the most concerned about teaching the common and ignorant people about their religion because many evils had entered into the people’s religious practices or had become a part of their daily lives. The book is a collection of the important hadiths, which are taught in all Islamic studies courses at University level in the past AND even up until today but is very simple and straightforward so that anyone can grasp the concepts and meanings easily. It is one of the easiest and best books recommended for a basic understanding of Islamic creed or monotheism.

Question –

Are Muslims now supposed to change their usage of the word “salafi” to match the current and very negative interpretation, just to avoid being labeled “evil”? Shouldn’t it be the non-Muslims who learn the Arabic meaning of “salafi” and stop using that when they are referring to “extremists”?? Even the word “fundamentalist” has been engineered to be a bad thing. So, we don’t use that word much to refer to “pious” and “good” people, or “believers” of a faith, because it now usually is used in the most negative way to mean someone “extremist”. In the past “fundamentalist” only was a word to mean a person who is adhering to the basics of his religion.

One asks, why is this need for “labeling” others with names they don’t approve? There is no Muslim on earth who calls himself/herself a “Wahhabi” > this word is a new label we don’t accept. And the word “salafi” is still commonly used by Muslims, it is an Islamic terminology. It isn’t right for others to usurp the word for their own purposes; which has always meant someone who follows the original teachings of Muhammad, pbuh. (I already gave a more comprehensive definition above.)

I ask all honest people to not use “salafi” or “Wahhabi” to refer to Muslims or Saudi Arabian people in a negative way. Wahhabi itself is wrong, and a misnomer. Muslims never use it to refer to themselves, and it is a label used “against” them. And “salafi” should be used by English speakers to mean someone who is “Sunni”, as that is what it intends, really. While Sufi Muslims accept the word “sufi” general Muslims don’t accept the word “Wahhabi” and they DO NOT use “Salafi” to mean a person who is an “extremist” in any way, who is not following his religion properly but has extremist views. Likewise, the word “Salafist” is another label, from the same root, but a NEW word in the vocabulary of non-Muslims who use it to mean an extremist from Saudi Arabia or an extremist who follows the path of extremism which they believe (wrongly) is a way of life for many in Saudi Arabia – the only Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia (not speaking of Shias, who also live in Arabia and are a small minority in Saudi Arabia) is mainstream Islam. It means they also abide by the Sharia in their own country. There is no imposing their religion or culture on others, except if one is in the kingdom, then one must abide by the sharia, in his dress or outward appearances and worship (if he is a Muslim in Mecca, for example)and not to do or say things which contravene the Sharia. For example, there is a blasphemy law in Saudi Arabia, much as there are laws against treason in America, or something equivalent.

The rest of the post is a repeat of what I had posted previously, last week.

There is a common misconception today, that Muslims are not also Salafis. This labeling the majority of Sunnis as "Salafists" or "Wahhabis" is starting to border on hate speech, so I have to clear something up now. Firstly, Sunnis and Sufis all call themselves Muslims, and hardly do they get into discussions about their differences, except as an educational exercise. We are very united in our views and aspirations, but appear to be disunited; the media perpetrates the appearance of great schisms, which don't really exist (or result in disunity) among Muslims in their daily relationships with each other.

Secondly, just as people find Sufis loveable, so are the general Muslims loveable. They are not murderers, bigots, rapists, haters; they are people with religious convictions and beliefs, which reflect their upbringing and also their love of God Almighty and Muhammad, and Islam. Their goal in life isn’t to cause others pain and suffering. They are just as kind and compassionate as anybody else. I really resent these labels, which America and the media are attaching to Sunni Muslims.

All Muslims call themselves Muslims, and don’t believe they need any labels apart from that to be counted among the true believers. Some words, such as “Hanbali” or “Maaliki” denote the school of thought a person might adhere to in his daily practice and way of worship, such that his hands are placed a certain way, or he makes certain specific actions in the prayer, which other Sunnis who are not from the same school, or raised in the same country or region where he would have learned the same traditions don’t do, but which are all based on Islamic traditions found in the books, such as Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, and others. When someone has studied under a scholar he may change the way he practices in some small ways, which might reflect more closely how the Prophet did things, compared to many others who have learned Islam from their parents or an older sibling or their cousins. None of this is dangerous or removes one out of the fold of Islam. Most common people don’t know about the finer points or the discussions which are held in classrooms as intellectual exercises, or to discover which traditions match more closely with what the early Muslims did, who we call in Islamic terminology, “the salaf”. (If you understand what “the salaf” means, then you should be careful of using the term “salafi” to refer to bad or evil Muslims who you fear are the enemy, because they don’t exist~!! There is no evil “salafi” because a “salafi” person is one who tries his best to be a Muslim in the tradition of the earliest Muslims, who are all our best examples.

Non-Muslims and especially the media want to “label” many of the Muslims as terrorists, and using the label Salafi for Muslims as though they are evil, and as though the word “Salafi” means something which it doesn’t - or a bad person, or a bad “cult” (which it really doesn’t in the original usage) Salafi is just another way to say a person who follows the way of the Prophet Muhammad and the early generations of Muslims.

If someone is afraid of Muslims in general, without good reason, then he is an Islamophobe, and there is little hope he will learn the truth of Islam and what Muslims really believe. But if someone is just confused by labels, they should try to discover the truth about Islam and Muslims by reading or going to proper Islamic websites, and ask a Muslim about their concerns. I for one am willing to entertain anyone who is sincere about learning more about any issue related to Islam and Muslims. If I can give evidence or at least tell my personal beliefs, which I can say are the mainstream, then I’m happy to oblige. I don’t insist someone has to become a Muslim. I am not preaching Islam to convert people, though that would please me, but I am really more interested in explaining the true meaning of Islam and teaching others about what I really believe. Islam is not “of the devil” or a strange “cult”; it is a “religion” in the truest and best sense of the word.



I'm Just A Muslim

There is a common misconception today, that Muslims are not also Salafis. This labeling the majority of Sunnis as "Salafists" or "Wahhabis" is starting to border on hate speech, so I have to clear something up now. Firstly, Sunnis and Sufis all call themselves Muslims, and hardly do they get into discussions about their differences, except as an educational exercise. We are very united in our views and aspirations, but appear to be disunited; the media perpetrates the appearance of great schisms, which don't really exist (or result in disunity) among Muslims in their daily relationships with each other.

Secondly, just as people find Sufis loveable, so are the general Muslims loveable. They are not murderers, bigots, rapists, haters; they are people with religious convictions and beliefs, which reflect their upbringing and also their love of God Almighty and Muhammad, and Islam. Their goal in life isn’t to cause others pain and suffering. They are just as kind and compassionate as anybody else. I really resent these labels, which America and the media are attaching to Sunni Muslims.

All Muslims call themselves Muslims, and don’t believe they need any labels apart from that to be counted among the true believers. Some words, such as “Hanbali” or “Maaliki” denote the school of thought a person might adhere to in his daily practice and way of worship, such that his hands are placed a certain way, or he makes certain specific actions in the prayer, which other Sunnis who are not from the same school, or raised in the same country or region where he would have learned the same traditions don't all do - but which are all based on Islamic traditions found in the books, such as Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, and others. When someone has studied under a scholar he may change the way he practices in some small ways, which might reflect more closely how the Prophet did things, compared to many others who have learned Islam from their parents or an older sibling or their cousins. None of this is dangerous or removes one out of the fold of Islam. Most common people don’t know about the finer points or the discussions which are held in classrooms as intellectual exercises, or to discover which traditions match more closely with what the early Muslims did, who we call in Islamic terminology, “the salaf”. (If you understand what “the salaf” means, then you should be careful of using the term “salafi”) It is not to refer to bad or evil Muslims who you fear are the enemy, because such "salafists" don’t exist~!! There is no evil “salafi” because a “salafi” person is one who tries his best to be a Muslim in the tradition of the earliest Muslims, who are all our best examples.

Non-Muslims and especially the media want to “label” many of the Muslims as terrorists, and using the label Salafi for Muslims as though they are evil, and as though the word “Salafi” means something which it doesn’t or a bad person, or a bad “cult”(which it really doesn’t in the original usage) Salafi is just another way to say a person who follows the way of the Prophet Muhammad and the early generations of Muslims.

If someone is afraid of Muslims in general, without good reason, then he is an Islamophobe, and there is little hope he will learn the truth of Islam and what Muslims really believe. But if someone is just confused by labels, they should try to discover the truth about Islam and Muslims by reading or going to proper Islamic websites, and ask a Muslim about their concerns. I for one am willing to entertain anyone who is sincere about learning more about any issue related to Islam and Muslims. If I can give evidence or at least tell my personal beliefs, which I can say are the mainstream, then I’m happy to oblige. I don’t insist someone has to become a Muslim. I am not preaching Islam to convert people, though that would please me, but I am really more interested in explaining the true meaning of Islam and teaching others about what I really believe. Islam is not “of the devil” or a strange “cult”; it is a “religion” in the truest and best sense of the word.