The importance of Fiqh (jurisprudence) & its study

The importance of Fiqh (jurisprudence) & its study

Fiqh linguistically means understanding as in His (swt) saying:

“We do not comprehend (la nafqahu) much of what you say.” [TMQ 11:91] i.e. we do not understand. Many scholars including al-Amidi and Shawkani have defined fiqh as, ‘the knowledge of the practical Shar’ai matters that are derived from their elaborated evidences (al-adillah al-tafsiliyy ah)’. [Amidi, Ihkam, I, 6; Shawkani, Irshad, P. 3.]

Knowledge of the Shari'a rules began the day when they started began to be revealed from Allah (swt). This took place mostly after the migration (hijra) of the Prophet (saw) from Makkah to Madina. The Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed in Makkah for thirteen years, then he resided in Madina for about ten years, the Quran was revealed since the beginning of revelation in Makkah and continued throughout the Prophet’s stay in Madina. Many of the verses of ahkam used were revealed in Madina, in this period when the verses from the Qur'an were revealed the Messenger (saw) used to talk about the ahkam relating to whatever they included in terms of events and relating to the solution for whatever problems that arose.

The portion that was revealed in Makkah approximates to about two thirds of the Qur'an and they are designated as the Makkan verses (makki). In their totality they barely deal with few ahkam, rather they are confined to explaining the fundamentals of the deen and calling people to them, such as the belief in Allah and His Messenger, the Day of Judgement, the command to perform Salah, characterisation with moral attributes such as honesty, truthfulness, and forbidding evil actions such as fornication, murder, burying girls alive, deficiency in the measure and scales etc. The second portion that was revealed in Madina is close to a third of the Qur'an and they are designated as the Madinan verses (madani). These are verses of mu'amalat (transactions) such as selling, renting and usury. They also include the hudud, such as the hadd of zina (fornication) and stealing. From the jinayat (capital punishments) such as killing the one who killed someone intentionally or punishment of highway robbers. And from the bayyinat (testimonial evidences) such as the testimony of zina and the rest of the testimonies. The remaining rules concerning the worships ('ibadat) such as fasting, zakah, hajj and jihad were revealed were also revealed during this period.

From this it becomes clear that even though rules of prayer were revealed in Makkah they do not form a body of rules but knowledge of a type of rule. As for what was revealed in Madina, they consisted of all the ahkam. That is why knowledge of such rules is considered fiqh. Therefore, it is more accurate for us to say that fiqh began in Madina. And since fiqh constitutes practical rules, they have been revealed to treat incidents that have taken place. The verses of ahkam, more often than not were in connection to events that took place. So the disputants would refer judgment to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he would judge between them according to the rules Allah (swt) has revealed to him, or on the occasion of problems requiring solutions, so an ayah or ayaats stating the hukm would be revealed. In this manner the Qur'an was revealed gradually (munajjaman). The legislative aspect used to be quite evident in the revelation of the Qur'an. The ayaats did not treat assumptions that may or may not happen. Rather, they treated issues that actually took place and real problems that people face. The Qur'an continued to be revealed until the year in which the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed away. So, Allah perfected and completed the deen and He revealed to him the last ayah which is His (SWT) saying in Sura al-Baqara:

“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from riba (usury).” [TMQ 2:278]

With that, the ahkam were completed in their capacity as ahkam. The Qur'an and the actions, sayings and consent of the Messenger (saw) contain the rulings for all the types of actions that ensue from human beings; from the worships ('ibadat) like prayer (salah) and zakat, from the morals such as honesty and trust, from the societal transactions (mu'amalat) such as murder and theft, from the testimonial evidences (bayyinat) such as the rules of testimonies and the rules of written documents, and from the political affairs relating to the domestic policy such as the rules of the khalifah and the rules of the judiciary, or relating to the foreign policy such as the rules of combatants and treaties. Through this Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) existed due to the presence of the Shari'a rules, because the fiqh is the knowledge of a body of Shari'a rules.

Studying Fiqh

Knowing the Shari’ah rules with which a Muslim is obliged with in his life is an individual duty upon every Muslim because he is commanded to undertake all his actions according to the Shari’ah rules. This is so as the address of accountability (takleef) with which the Legislator (Ash-Shar’i) addressed mankind, and addressed believers, is a decisive address giving to option to anyone whether it was about the creed (iman) or human actions. Allah’s (swt) statement: “Believe in Allah and His Messenger” is like His (swt) statement: “Allah permitted trade and forbade riba” [TMQ 2:275], in that they are both addresses of accountability. They are both decisive addresses in relation to their address, not in relation to the subjects we were addressed with, due to the evidence from the Quran:

“It is not for any believer, male or female, to have any option in any matter upon which Allah and His Messenger have judged.” [TMQ 33:36].

Also due to the evidence of the accountability of every action as the Supreme said: “Whoever performs a particle’s weight of good will see it, and whoever performs a particle’s weight of evil will see it.” [TMQ 99:8-9] and the Supreme said:

“The Day that every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done and all the evil it has done, it will wish that there was a great distance between it and (its evil). But Allah cautions you about Himself.” [TMQ 3:30] and He (swt) said:

“And each soul will be recompensed for all its actions.” [TMQ 16:111].

Accountability (takleef) came in a decisive manner so a Muslim is accountable in a decisive manner to restrict himself to the Shar’a rules when he undertakes any action. As for the subject of accountability i.e. the thing which Allah made him accountable for by command to do (talab), to leave or making it optional, this can be obligatory, recommended or allowed, or it can be prohibited or disliked. As for the essence of accountability (nafs at-takleef), it is decisive without any choice in it; so there is only one situation, namely the obligation of restricting oneself to it. Hence it becomes obligatory upon every Muslim to know the Shari’ah rules with which he is bound in earthly life. As for knowing what is in excess of the Shari’ah rules with which he is bound in this life, this is a collective obligation (Fard ul Kifaya) not an individual duty (Fard ul Ayn) i.e. if some fulfil this, then it falls away from the rest. This is strengthened by what was narrated by Anas bin Malik who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” Even though what is meant here is every knowledge with which a Muslim is bound in his life, jurisprudence (fiqh) is part of it in respect of the rules with which a Muslim is bound in his life such as ritual worships (ibadat), social transactions (mu’amalat) etc. Hence studying fiqh is among the compulsory matters for Muslims; rather it is of the rules that Allah obliged upon them, whether it is an individual or collective duty. We have noble ahadith encouraging the studying of fiqh and the Messenger (SAW) encouraged the study of fiqh. Al-Bukhari narrated through Mu’awiyya bin Abu Sufyan: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “The one for whom Allah wills good (khayr), He grants him fiqh in the deen.” Said bin al-Musayyab narrated from Abu Hurayra who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “The one for whom Allah wills good, He grants him fiqh in the deen” [Ibn Majah].

Hazzam bin Hakeem narrated from his uncle from the Messenger of Allah (SAW) who said: “You are in a time of many jurisprudents (fuqaha), few speakers, many who give and few who ask; so action in this time is better than knowledge. There will soon come a time of few jurisprudents, many speakers, many who beg and few who give; so knowledge in this time is better than action.” These ahadith are explicit in the virtue of fiqh and encouraging its study. It was narrated that Umar bin al-Khattab said: ‘The death of one thousand worshippers who pray at nigh and worship in the day is less serious than the death of one intelligent knower (baseer) of the halal and haram of Allah.’

Some have misinterpreted a verse of the Quran to justify an understanding that studying the fiqh is only a collective duty (Fard ul Kifaya) and not an individual duty (Fard ul Ayn), they quote the verse:

“And the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth ,that they (who are left behind) may gain sound knowledge in the Deen and that they warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may beware.” [TMQ At-Tawba:122]

They interpreted this Ayah to mean that some people of each group should set off to acquire knowledge and to return to their people to teach them. Through this, they made learning of the Deen a collective duty (Fard ul Kifaya), thus conflicting with the Hukm Shar’ai and the meaning of the Ayah. With regards with their contradiction to the meaning of this Ayah - the verse is about jihad, which means that Muslims should not all go out to jihad. When a group sets out for jihad another group should remain to learn the Ahkam at the hands of the Messenger (saw), so once the mujahideen returned back, those who stayed behind would teach them what they had missed of the rules of Allah in a w ay that would produce an effect on them. This is also indicated by the example of the Sahabah (ra), who were so careful to learn the Ahkam of the Deen, and to be in the company of the Messenger (saw). Some of them would set out on an expedition for jihad, and some would stay behind to learn the Ahkam of the Deen. When the mujahideen returned, those who remained would teach them the Ahkam they had missed. Therefore, it is clear from the established evidences and the correct meaning of the verse that the claim of those who said that the study of fiqh is not an individual duty is false.

The Sahabah (ra) were Arabs and the Arabic language was their (saleeqa), and they were scholars with a precise and comprehensive understanding of the Arabic tongue. They used to accompany the Messenger of Allah (saw) with the Qur’an being revealed while they were with the Messenger. The Messenger would clarify the rule of Allah in the incident before their eyes and hearing, so they were also scholars of the Shari’ah with a comprehensive understanding of it. When an incident (waqi’ah) occurred before them requiring a clarification (bayan) of the rule of Allah, they would clarify its Shari’ah rule (hukm shar’i) through elucidating their opinion that they deduced from the text of the understanding of the text (ma’qul an-nass). Often they would limit themselves to giving the rule without clarifying its evidence, thus the companions’ judgement was transmitted in the form of their opinions. This is what led some to understand that the Sahabah would give their (own) opinions in judgements. The reality is that the Sahabah would give the Shari’ah rule which they deduced from their understanding of the Shari’ah texts, but they did not (shafi’u) it with evidence or clarify the legislative reason (‘‘illah) for the rule or the evidence for the legislative reason.

This led to the speculation (eeham) that this opinion is from the Sahabah and that it is allowed for a person to give his opinion in a matter (qadhiya) as long as his mind is full of Islam and knowledgeable in Arabic.

When the periods came in which corruption (fasad) happened upon the Arabic tongue, principles of Arabic came to be taught in order to preserve the tongue. And when falsehood (tassarraba) in the narrators, and there were ahadith narrated from the Messenger which he (SAW) never said, the hadith became a specific expertise (fann) taught with its principles (usul). Therefore, deducing rules came to require knowledge of the Arabic language and Shari’ah texts such that the Shari’ah rule came to be accompanied by evidence and even the way of deduction (istidlal). Fiqh developed a new existence (takawwan) in research resulting in a specific type of arrangement in (tabweeb). With the different styles of (tabweeb) and arrangement, it became necessary to clarify the Shari’ah rule together with clarifying the rule as well as clarifying the way of deduction where the rule is one with different opinions. Islamic libraries (maktaba) were filled with hundred of thousands of fiqh writings.

However, when the kuffar succeeded in invading Muslims after the 18th century CE, they began misleading them about the Islamic sciences and made them detest fiqh books like the sophists who made people detest honey when they told them it was the excrement of flies. Islamic fiqh was placed in a bad light until Muslims turned their back on it. When Muslims turn their backs on fiqh, they turn their backs on knowing the Islamic rules thereby falling into ignorance about Allah’s deen; and this is what actually happened. It is unfortunate today that some amongst the Muslims are unaware of the Shariah rules relating to many areas of their lives especially amongst the societal issues such as the relationship between men and women, the rules of contracts and rules relating to politics. Hence it is a must to encourage Muslims to come forward to study fiqh.

Why are you Muslim?

Why are you Muslim?

‘Why are you Muslim?’ It may sound like an obvious question, but often many of us don’t have a clear answer to it. I remember being asked this question by my elder brother when I was fourteen years of age, my initial answer was ‘Well, our family is Muslim’, his reply to this made me think, he said, ‘If your family were Hindu or Christian, would you be as well?’. I replied with a strong ‘No, Islam is the truth’, the discussion that followed made me question the basis of my life and changed my life for ever. He triggered me to think about how to prove that Islam is the truth rather than just believing it emotionally or blindly. In fact Allah (swt) has condemned people for imitating their forefathers and adopting their belief without clear evidence.

In the Holy Qur’an, He (swt) says:

“And verily guess is no substitute for the truth.” [TMQ 53:28]

“They have no (certain) knowledge. They follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not (‘Isa).” [TMQ 4:157]

"These are nothing but names which you have devised, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their Nafs desire. Even though there has already come to them the Guidance from their Rabb" [TMQ 53:23]

"Do you have Ilm (knowledge) for that which you claim so that you provide us with? You follow nothing but conjecture (Zann)." [TMQ 6:148]

The followers of other religions have no decisive proof for their belief, therefore they believe in their religions emotionally or through imitation. Some of them think that you just have to have faith without clear proof. However when it comes to normal things in life people apply a lot of thought such as buying a car, house, choosing a University course or which bank to join, so how can it be that when it comes to the most important questions about life; which define the purpose of our lives that we should just have ‘faith’ without being convinced absolutely.

It is therefore vital for a Muslim to believe in the existence of Allah (swt) without any doubt whatsoever and to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) and that the Qur’an is the final revelation sent by Allah (swt) to humanity. Islam is unlike all the other religions as it has a decisive proof that convinces the mind.

Proof of the existence of God

Let us begin by discussing the proof of the existence of Allah (swt). Although we are taught theories regarding the origin of the Universe and origin of the Man such as the big bang theory and the theory of evolution, we should realise that they contradict the clear reality which everyone can sense.

The fundamental proof that God exists is that everything that we sense around us whether it is the mountains, the trees, the sun, the moon, the stars or animals and fellow human beings are limited things and are not eternal. By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite. Human beings are born and die. There is no-one alive who will not die. During their life span, they will grow to a certain height, weight and volume.

It is true that there are differences between the things that exist in the Universe however all of them share the quality of being limited and finite, the earth may be huge but it still has a certain shape, weight, volume by which it is limited, this applies to all planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies. Even though a galaxy may look huge to us as the earth looks huge to us and it is not eternal. Even if all of the galaxies and elements of the Universe are added together they do not become unlimited and therefore require an origin. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no bounds. In fact when they say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and is expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not expand! There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how hard we try, we are unable to find anything unlimited around us. All we can perceive is finite and limited.

It is a simple principle that something cannot come from nothing, therefore, where did the Universe come from? It cannot simply exist without having any cause as this contradicts the clear reality which everyone can sense, for example, if we see a car no one would ever think that it simply exists without any manufacturer, this can be applied to anything around us. The following example demonstrates this point well.

Imam Abu Hanifa was once asked by an atheist, "Is there any proof that God exists?" he replied, "Forget it! At the moment, I am busy thinking about this ship.People tell me there is a big ship; it contains different goods on board. There is no one to steer it, no one maintaining it. Yet, this ship keeps going back and forth; it even traverses big waves on the oceans; it stops at the locations that it is supposed to stop at; it continues in the direction that it is supposed to head. This ship has no captain and no one planning its trips." The atheist who posed the question interrupted and exclaimed, "What kind of strange and silly thought is this? How can any intelligent person think that some thing like this can occur?"

Imam Abu Hanifa said, "I feel sorry about your state! You cannot imagine one ship running without some one looking after its affairs. Yet you think that for this whole world, which runs exactly and precisely, there is no one who looks after it, and no one owns it."

The attribute of everything around us is that they are all needy and dependent in order to continue existing. They are not self-sustaining or independent. Man has needs he has to satisfy in order to survive. He has organic needs for example he must eat and drink if he is to survive. If he does not he will die. We see the need and dependency in plants and animals. They depend on other parts of the food chain for their existence. The water cycle is dependent on the sun, which is dependent on the laws of the galaxies and of burning mass, and so on... Nothing we can perceive is self-subsistent. So things exist, but do not have the power of existence. They cannot control when they die or when other bodies die. Thus what we see is that everything around us is limited and finite. Everything that is limited and finite is dependant and everything that is dependant is dependant upon something greater than itself. Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a conclusion. If everything in the universe is dependant because it has not the power of being in existence on its own accord, and is also finite and limited, then what is everything dependant upon for its existence? It must be an unlimited and independent creator.

Today the various theories that exist about the origin of the Universe such as the ‘Big bang theory’, ‘Big bang – Big crunch theory’ or ‘dialectic materialism’ they contradict the simple fact of the need for an unlimited creator.

One example that highlights this is that of the origin of life. Living things like plants, animals and human beings are different from inanimate or dead things as they have certain features such as independent growth, motion and reproduction. If people believe that the Universe has existed forever or that it evolved from single blast etc, this means that they believe that life also evolved from inanimate or dead matter such as gases, liquids or solids. If this is the case, then they should be able to show us one example at least of non-living things producing life, no such example exists. In fact some of them say that this happened by coincidence millions of years ago when certain amino acids and chemicals mixed together to produce the first life. If this is the case, then they should be able to reproduce this ‘coincidence’ with their billions of dollars worth of technology. But they are unable even to produce the most basic life form; an amoeba, which is a single celled organism. What scientists can do is manipulate the attributes that exist within living cells such as in genetic cloning; however this does not mean that they are creating life from dead matter. They are simply manipulating the attributes that Allah (swt) has placed within life, just as we manipulate metal to produce knives and cars.

Therefore, it is a simple fact that this universe must have a creator. The question remains is this creator like the universe i.e. limited or is the creator unlimited and eternal. If the creator was limited like the universe then He would also require a creator as this is the case with every limited thing. So if the universe was caused by a big bang as they claim, what was before the big bang? If it was something else like another universe then what was before that? This chain would continue until there would be a beginning or origin, this could only be caused by something which is uncaused or eternal, which we call God or Allah (swt).

Furthermore the amazing design of every part of the universe, man and life are testament to the fact that Allah (swt) exists. Imam Shaa'fi explained this when he said, "The leaves of Toot (berries) are all but one. Each leaf tastes exactly the same. Insects, honey bees, cows, goats, and deer live off of it. After eating these the insects produce silk; bees produce honey; deer give musk (a special kind of scent), cows and goats deliver off-springs. Is this not clear evidence that one kind of leaf has so many qualities, and who created these qualities? It is the Khaliq (Creator) who we call Allah (swt)) Who is the Inventor and the Creator."

We see that the Qur’an draws attention to everything around us and to conclude from this pondering the existence of Allah. There are hundreds of Qur’anic ayat expressing this meaning. Such as,

إنَّ فِي خَلْقِ ألسَمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ ألَّيْلِ وَالنَّهــارِ لأََيــاتٍ لِأُوْلـــىالْبــَابِ

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of night and day, these are indeed signs for men of understanding." [TMQ Al-Imran: 190]

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Behold! herein indeed are signs for men of knowledge." [TMQ Ar-Rum: 22]

أَفَلاَ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبْلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ وَإِلَى السَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ وَإِلَى الأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ

"Will they not look at the camels, how they are created! And the heaven, how it is raised! And the mountains, how they are set up! And the earth, how it is spread!" [TMQ Al-Ghashiya: 17-20]

فَلْيَنظُرِ الإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍ دَافِقٍ يَخْرُجُ مِن بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَآئِبِ

"So let man reflect, from what he is created. He is created fom a gushing fluid, that is issued from between the loins and ribs." [TMQ At-Tariq: 5-7]

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth are signs (of Allah's sovereignty) for people who have sense." [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 164]

"Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay they have not firm belief." [TMQ At-Tur 35-36]

Proof of the Qur’an

Once we have concluded definitively that Allah (swt) exists the next obvious question that arises is that has Allah (swt) sent a revelation for us to follow. It is clear that we are not able to communicate with God and therefore we are unable to know what He wants us to do, how He wants us to worship Him and how we should solve the problems we face in life. All of these questions would remain unresolved unless there the creator has communicated with us and given us a guidance to follow.

As Muslims we believe that throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they had a communication with God and a revelation from Him. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature which is impossible for anyone else to do; by miracles the Prophet’s were able to prove their direct relationship with God. For example prophet Musa (as) had a stick which parted the Red Sea, Prophet Isa (as) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them.

But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?

The Qur’an itself is the main miracle that the Prophet (saw) brought which is different to the physical miracles of the other Prophet’s as they were limited to their times only. The Qur’an is an intellectual miracle that proves Islam. It was revealed to Muhammad (saw) in the 6th Century, it exists today and has been revealed for all times.

It is an established fact that the Qur’an was proclaimed by Muhammad (saw) in Arabia over fourteen hundred years ago. In order for us to prove decisively that it is from Allah (swt), we must first consider the possible sources of the Qur’an and then eliminate these to arrive at its true origin.

The only possible sources for the Qur’an are:

a) The Arabs
b) Muhammad (saw) himself
c) Allah (swt)

At the time it was revealed, the pagan Arabs were deeply into poetry. It was an indication of nobility in society. People used to go to the desert for days just to write poetry. The Arabic language has great fluidity and depth of expression, so it was held high in esteem by the Arabs. Allah (swt) in the Qur’an challenged the Arabs to produce something comparable to it in language and they failed to do so.

Initially Allah (swt) challenged them to produce ten chapters (surah’s) similar to it:

"They may say: He forged it (the Qur’an). Say: "Bring you then ten forged surah (chapters) like unto it, and call whomsoever you can, other than Allah (to your help), if you speak the truth!" [TMQ 11:13]

They failed to do so. Allah (swt) then reduced the challenge to something that at first glance may sound easy, He (swt) said:

“If you are in doubt of what we have revealed to our messenger, then produce one chapter like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful” [TMQ 2:23]

The smallest chapter in the Qur’an, Surah al-Kauthar is only three sentences long, surely someone in history must have matched this challenge? The Arabs at the time of Muhammad (saw) failed to do so, although they were the best in the Arabic language. Furthermore no piece of Arabic literature before them or after them until today has even come close to matching the language of the Qur’an.

For non-Arabs sometimes this may be difficult to perceive as they do not appreciate the language of the Qur’an directly. However, everyone can agree that any piece of literature written by human beings can be matched; people can copy its style and produce something comparable to it in quality. If we look at great English authors like Shakespear no one would claim that they were Prophet’s and that their works are miraculous in nature. Even though they may have been geniuses in language, people can easily write something similar in excellence to three sentences from their books. Despite having the Arabic language, its letters, grammar, syntax and dictionaries available today, the Arabic linguists cannot construct any piece of language that is comparable to the Qur’an. Therefore, it is impossible that the Qur’an was written by any of the Arabs.

It is also inconceivable that the Qur’an is the speech of Muhammad (saw). After all he was one of the Arabs. Also, whatever level of genius people may assign to him, he was still a human being and one of his tribe and nation. Since the Arabs failed to bring the like of the Qur’an, this equally applies to Muhammad (saw). Moreover, Muhammad (saw) has left saheeh ahaadeeth (sound narrations) and mutawaatir ahaadeeth (definitive narrations) whose authenticity is beyond doubt. If any of these ahaadeeth were to be compared with any verse of the Qur'an, there would be no similarity between them in style. He (saw) used to utter the revealed verse and say the hadeeth at the same time and yet there is a difference between them in style. Whenever any man attempts to diversify his speech, it will remain similar in style, because it is a part of him. Since there is no similarity between the hadeeth and the verse in style, the Qur'an is absolutely not Muhammad’s speech. It is important to point out that none of the Arabs, who despised Muhammad (saw), particularly at that time, were the most acquainted with the styles of Arabic speech yet never claimed that the Qur’an was Muhammad’s (saw) speech, or even similar to his speech.

Since it is proved that the Qur'an is neither the speech of the Arabs nor the speech of Muhammad (saw), it is definitely the speech of Allah as this is the only rational possibility we are left with.

The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. It is such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal. The Western government’s hatred of Islam is well known. All they have to do in order to defeat Islam and to make over one billion Muslims apostatise from it, is not to spend billions of dollars in invading Afghanistan, Iraq and launching a mythical ‘war on terror’. They simply have to produce one chapter similar to the Qur’an.

To this day Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have not been able to find any contradiction or mistake in the Qur’an. Moreover, if one was to compare word by word a copy of the Qur’an published today to one of the first copies of the Qur’an available then one would find that not a single word has been omitted or added. Copies of the Qur’an dating back to the first century of Islam can be found in Istanbul and Tashkent. Allah (swt) says:

"Do they not ponder about the Qur’an? If it had come from other than God they would surely have found therein much contradictions." [T.M.Q 4:82]

There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God, like the Bible of the Christians and the Torah of the Jews etc. However, they have no proof that they have been revealed by God, if they are not miraculous in nature then there is no reason to believe in them.

As Muslims we believe that Allah (swt) revealed different books through history such as the original Injeel (Bible) and Torah, Allah (swt) informed us of this in the Qur’an this is why we believe these. However, we have also been informed that these books have been altered and therefore the versions that exist today are not that which was revealed by Allah (swt). Besides this, the Qur’an is the final revelation from Allah (swt) which abrogates all others.

Allah (swt) says, "Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:136]

Once we have established through rational proof that Allah (Swt) exists and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah, we must believe in everything that the Qur’an informs us of and commands us with, whether we can perceive them or not. Therefore, we must have Iman (belief) in the Day of Resurrection, in paradise (jannah) and hell, in reckoning and punishment, in angels, in jinn, in Shayaateen and all others that the Qur'an or hadeeth mutawaatir (definitive narrations) have mentioned. To believe in these things is therefore not irrational just because we cannot see them or sense them physically as we have conclusively proved the Qur’an being from Allah (swt) which informs us about all of these.


يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ آمِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنَزلَ مِن قَبْلُ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيداً

"O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger, and the Book which He sent to His Messenger and the Book which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, has gone far, far astray." [An-Nisa: 136]

Once the Iman in Allah, His Messenger and the Qur’an has been proven, every Muslim is obliged to believe in the Islamic Shari’ah as a whole. We cannot pick and choose as we like. As the Shariah was revealed in the glorious Qur'an, and the Messenger (saw) conveyed it. If someone disbelieves in this he would be a (disbeliever) Kafir. Therefore, it is disbelief (Kufr) to deny the shariah rules as a whole, or any definite detailed rule amongst them. This is the case whether these ahkam (rules) are connected with worships (ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), punishments (uqoobat), food, etc. So the rejection of the verse:

وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ

"So establish regular prayer" [Al-Baqarah: 43]

Is the same as rejecting the following verses:

وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا

"But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury," [Al-Baqarah: 275]

وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُواْ أَيْدِيَهُمَا

"As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands," [Al-Ma’idah: 38]

حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالْدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ

"Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of any other than Allah." [Al-Ma’idah: 3]

We must completely surrender to all the rules revealed by Allah (swt) whether we see rational reasons for them or not.

فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَرَجاً مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً

"But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) faith, until they make you judge in all the disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission." [An-Nisa: 65]

The Muslim woman – East, West or Islam?

The Muslim woman – East, West or Islam?

Allah (swt) says: “I have not created jinn and humankind except to worship me” [TMQ 51:57]

We all know that our objective in life as Muslims is to worship Allah (swt), this means that we must follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah in all the aspects of life whether in the Masjid, home, market, hospital or school.

Many of us may be aware of this objective in general, however unfortunately when it comes to the role of the Muslim woman our roles and responsibilities we find that there is much confusion.

Today the Muslim women are being pulled between two cultures, the Western culture which many of the youth are being attracted to and the Eastern culture which a lot of the elder generation are influenced by. Often people have a confusion between the Eastern cultural view of a woman and her role and the Islamic view of women, they mix these together and see them as one.

People unfortunately don’t realise that there is a third option and true alternative – Islam and its view of the woman and her role

The Western culture promotes freedom, liberation of the woman and so-called equality – that a woman can be like a man and do whatever a man can do, that she should not be restricted by her parents, family or even religion. This view seems appealing to some, especially the youth as the media continuously spreading these ideas

For example:
· If we look at Sania Mirza, she is portrayed in the media as a successful Muslim woman, so some of our daughters may look at her as a role model
· Also if we look to the famous bollywood stars they are also seen as role models to some
· Especially amongst the youth the issue of fashion, looking good when going out of the house, especially at weddings – so it is common to see on the streets of Muslim women who are not covered according to the Islamic rules of wearing the Khimar (headscarf) and the Jilbab (outer garment).
· The issue of boyfriend and girlfriend relationships is also penetrating the Muslim community, where our daughters even hide from their parents their relationships with boys

On the other hand we see people especially some from the elder generation affected by the Eastern culture. For example:

· According to the Eastern culture, women are slaves to their husbands and exist to fulfil their needs – this becomes their objective in life
· The concept of arranged marriage where the family chooses someone for the girl without her consent or sometimes without even seeing the man before marriage
· Tribalism and nationalism is deeply rooted where even amongst the Muslims people only give their daughter in marriage to a certain tribe or family which is similar to them – so the Siddiqi’s may only marry other Siddiqi’s, Sayyid’s, Choudry’s, etc. This is very common.
· The Eastern concept of modesty and dress does not emanate from Islam, so women may be wearing Salwar Kameez, Saari’s with a dupatta when they go out and they think they are dressing properly even though in the eyes of Allah they are naked if they are showing their hair, necks and other parts of their body in front of non-mahram men.
· Backbiting (Gheebat) is common where people talk negatively about other Muslims

As a result of these different views it is common to see arguments in households between mothers and daughters on a variety of issues such as dress code, modesty and marriage.

However we need to realise that the solution to our problems does not lie in the sick Western culture where the women is seen as a commodity, where the charms of women are used to sell everything from ice creams to cars, where fornication (Zina) and adultery are commonplace where they think they have equality but in reality they are slaves to the lusts of men.

Nor does the solution lie in the disgusting Eastern culture which comes from the idol worshipping religions who worship animals and even deny the oneness of Allah, who follow their forefathers blindly as the Quraysh at the time of the Prophet (saw) did without thinking whether it is right or wrong.

We need to think - who can define the role and responsibilities of women correctly, the one who created men and women or limited human beings?

Have we ever really questioned what our role should be or do we simply just imitate and follow what we see people around us doing?

Since Allah (swt) created the male and the female and He knows best the situation of the man and the woman, then we must limit ourselves to the rules which He (swt) has legislated and not overstep them. This applies to whether these rules are intended solely for the men or exclusively for the women or whether they are for humans irrespective of their being men or women, because He (swt) knows best what is suitable for the human.

Both the Western and Eastern view of the woman are wrong as they don’t come from Allah (swt), the creator of the Universe. The source of guidance for us is the Quran and Sunnah, not tradition, not what the media says, not what our parents say, not what the community says, not what the government says. So let us understand what Islam says about women, obviously in this short talk I cannot go into all the details, however I want to address some key points:

a) The primary role of the woman: The Shari’ah has made the woman a mother and a housewife. It addressed her with rules relating to pregnancy, childbirth, to suckling, custodianship and to the waiting period (‘Idda). These rules are specified to women and not to men. Allah (swt) obliged men to earn income for himself and his family and he did not oblige this on women. Both men and women are equal in the sight of Allah, however they are different and have different roles and responsibilities according to the Shariah.

According to Islam the primary role of the woman is that she is a mother and housewife because it is through this action the human race survives and because she is distinguished by this from the men. However, the woman’s primary role as mother and housewife does not mean she is confined to this role and prevented from pursuing other activities.

So we as women must link our actions to what the Shariah has said and not just to engage in them because that’s what people do in society. So when we breastfeed our children, we should know that will be rewarded by Allah (swt) for that.

When we look after our husbands, we don’t just do it due to public opinion or because of what the community thinks, rather we do it to please Allah (swt).

One woman said to the Prophet(saw) ‘O Rasulallah, you brought tidings to men but not to women’. He said, “Does it not please any of you that if she is pregnant by her husband and he is satisfied with her that she receives the reward of one who fasts and prays for the sake of Allah? And when the labour pains come none in heaven or earth knows what is concealed in her womb to soothe her. And when she delivers, not a mouthful of milk flows from her and not an instance of child’s suck that she receives for every mouthful and for every suck, the reward of one good deed. And if she is kept awake by the child at night, she receives the reward of one who frees 70 slaves for the sake of Allah” [Tabarani]

Some rules may be specific to men like praying Jumm’uah (Friday) Salah, some may be specific to women such as the exemption from Salah during period (menstruation).

However there are many shariah rules that are applicable to both men and women such as the obligation of Salah, fasting, working for Khilafah, seeking knowledge, prohibition of backbiting, riba (usury) etc.

b) Women are not slaves: Contrary to how the media portrays it, in Islam the man is the guardian of the woman and not the master as is in Eastern culture. Allah (swt) said:

“Men are the guardians of women” [TMQ An-Nisa: 34]

Unlike in Eastern culture, in Islam the aim of marriage is for the man and women to gain tranquillity by having companionship with each other. Although the man is the guardian of the women, she is not his slave. Allah (swt) has given rights to the man and the woman and they should cooperate in helping each other achieving these. The best of examples, the Prophet (saw) used to come back from Jihad and help his wife with the housework. The wives of the Prophet (saw) used to discuss with him and even debate with him, he used to treat them with respect and honour, he used to be kind and gentle with them and used to show compassion, love and mercy.

c) Tribalism and nationalism completely contradict Islam and we should never use them as a basis for marriage.

The Prophet gave his cousin Zaynab bin Jahsh (ra), who was from the exalted people of the Quraish, in marriage to Zayd bin Haritha (ra) who used to be a slave and was freed. We should look for Taqwa (piety) more than anything else.

d) Muslim women can participate in society: If we look to the Sahabiyat they participated in society, it is allowed for Muslim women to work, to be doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, etc of course with the permission of their guardians. For example Khadija (ra), the first wife of the Prophet (saw) was a businesswomen, Aisha (ra) was a scholar of Islam – many of the Sahaba used to come and ask her questions about the Deen, Shifaa bint Abdullah (ra) was a doctor at the time of the Prophet (saw) – she was literate and he (saw) even asked her to teach one of his wives to read and write, she was appointed as a Qadi (judge) of the marketplace during the Khilafah of Umar (ra).

Today it is good for Muslim women to be successful in different fields without compromising their Islam

e) The importance of da’wa: This is a neglected obligation, the obligation to work to resume to the Islamic way of life and re-establish the Khilafah is a Fard on both men and women without distinction. The evidences to work for change are general upon both men and women, for example the Prophet (saw) said:

“Whosoever sees a munkar (evil) must change it with their hand, if they cannot then with their tongue and if they cannot then they must hate it in their heart and that is the weakest of Iman.”

The Prophet (saw) said “whoever” meaning whether male or female

Today we must be active in spreading the message of Islam within our communities, to raise the awareness of our sisters about the Deen. Many are even unaware that Islam has solutions for all problems including how to raise our children and how to solve the problem of Iraq, how to treat our husbands and how to liberate Palestine for the Israeli occupation, how to deal with our parents and how to eliminate poverty in the world.

There are two things we must be engaged in:

1) Seeking knowledge: How can we engage in Da’wa without having knowledge, of course seeking knowledge is an obligation. We must continuously seek knowledge by reading, thinking and asking questions about the Deen. We should be thinking women like the Sahabiyat and women of the past. We should be aware about the problems of the Ummah and not just consumed in our own family problems where we think more about whether the roti gets burnt rather than thinking about our children being burnt by the bombs of the Kuffar in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and other lands. We are consumed in thinking about what clothes we are going to wear on some wedding or on Eid rather than thinking about how to solve the problem of the Muslims in our lands who have no clothes due to the poverty created by our corrupt rulers who are agents of the West.

2) Giving Da’wa: The Prophet (saw) said: “Even if you know one ayah (verse) propagate it”.

We as Muslim women are in a good position to help create the atmosphere of Da’wa within our families and communities. So when we meet other women instead of only talking about petty things like what we have cooked, or what has been happening in the dramas on Zee TV, what new films are out, etc – we should discuss issues of the Deen. We should learn knowledge from each other and help each other in this.

Some of you may feel that it is difficult to be engaged in Da’wa due to household responsibilities and time constraints. However we must think practically of how to instil Da’wa into our normal lives, day to day we meet many people and interact with our families, we must ensure that we instil the correct Islamic culture within our children and not allow them to be brought up by the Kufr society.

The Sahabiyat were da’wa carriers we should look at their examples. They were also mothers, wives and daughters, but they were also Da’wa carriers.

Summayah (ra) was the first martyr of Islam who was struggling with the rest of the Sahaba to establish the Deen of Allah (swt), she was tortured to death by Abu Jahl, but she never gave in. The sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab did not turn away from the Deen and gave Da’wa to Umar even though he beat her very badly. Asma bint Abu Bakr (ra) continued to be a da’wa carrier even until she was an old woman when she spoke out against an oppressive leader Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. Women like A’isha (ra) had a remarkable memory and reported over 2000 ahadith. She had a deep understanding of tafseer, hadith and fiqh. At the age of 18 people came from all over Arabia to ask her questions about the deen because she was one of the most knowledgeable scholars.

Umm Amarah (ra) even participated in Jihad, she was a skilled fighter and fought in many battle, most famously in the Battle of Uhud where she protected the Prophet (saw) with her own body, not caring about herself. The Prophet (saw) is reported to say that wherever he turned, whether to his left or right, he saw Umm Amarah (ra) fighting to defend him.

May Allah (swt) give us the strength to carry this da’wa like the Sahabiyat in the past!

Raising our Children as Muslims

Raising our Children as Muslims

Muslims as an Ummah and as individuals bear the ultimate responsibility of living this life according to the teachings of Islam as revealed in the Quran and Sunnah. Islam comes with clear guidelines for every aspect of our lives and one of the most important responsibilities is raising our children according to the teachings of Islam. This obligation is especially difficult when societal norms are not Islamic, as is the case in the west. Nevertheless, living in the west, or anywhere else in this world, is not an excuse to relax our standards and surrender our identity as Muslims. Islam provides us with clear commandments that are valid in every time and place.

Muslim families in the west are vulnerable to the overwhelming influence of secular values manifested in every aspect of daily life. The struggle to preserve our children’s identity starts from the very moment they are born.

Regardless of the challenge, Islam gives us clear and categorical instructions for raising pious and strong leaders. In order to achieve this goal, it is pivotal to have absolute conviction in the correctness of Islam and full adherence to its teachings without regard to the obstacles faced and the results achieved.

When to Start
Following the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw), the task of raising our child starts the moment it is born with the calling of the Athan in his/her right ear and the Iqamah in his/her left ear. Giving a good name for the new born baby is a right of the newborn child on his/her parents; the name will stay with the child for the rest of his/her life and will play a role in his/her sense of belonging to the Muslim Ummah. When giving our newborns names we should always remember that non-Muslim names are not a ticket for an easy life in the west. Disguising our child’s identity due to fear of discrimination and material hardship contradicts our belief that Rizq and life are decided by Allah (swt) and not humans. Allah (swt) is the one to be feared and not human beings. 

Building the Foundation: Obedience to Allah (swt) Alone
Children must be taught as they grow that their actions are measured only based on the Ahkam Shariah and not on anything else. Allah (swt) revealed:

“And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.”
[TMQ 59:7]

It may be asked as to what is the most effective way to do this? Some parents rely on their authority to impose the ahkam upon their children. Under this approach, the child will pray, fast, wear hijab, be modest, etc, based upon fear of their parents. However, there is a risk that once the child is exposed to liberal thoughts of society through their peers, the media, and the education system, that they may question the basis of their belief in Islam. Some may go so far as to rebel against their parents. Children and especially teenagers might contemplate that, parents are human beings just like them, so why should they be obeyed?

It is also equally dangerous to present the ahkam as a matter of benefit and harm. This teaches the child to abide by the ahkam when it is in their benefit to do so and reject them when it is in their benefit to do so. For example, if fasting is taught to children as beneficial for their health, they may not fast if they become convinced that it is unhealthy. Similarly, if the hijab is taught as an expression of modesty, they may take it off if they feel that wearing loose clothing achieves the same degree of modesty.

To avoid putting our children into such a bind, it is absolutely crucial that we teach our children the Islamic aqeedah as the sole reference point. That is, they should understand that Allah (swt) is the only reason why they do something or abstain from something. The parents need to establish the reality that Allah (swt) exists, and that He has full Knowledge of all things and most important of all, that both the parents and the children will be held accountable by Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment. The child should be taught that his/her parents will be just as accountable to Allah (swt) as he/she will be. Consequently, the child will learn to fast, pay zakah, shun riba (interest), wear the hijab because of their love for Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).

Once this seed is planted in our children as the only perspective for making decisions and making choices, they will always have the fear of Allah (swt) in every step they take and in every act they perform. The fear of Allah (swt) is the only self sustainable protection we can provide our children with. They will realize that even if they can escape the watchful eye of the parent, they can never escape Allah (swt). Growing up in non-Muslim lands, it is critical that our children are taught to act out of fear of Allah (swt) – not fear of parents, family culture, benefit, or anything else.

Ibrahim (as): Worshipping Allah (swt) from his Youth
As parents, we enjoy relating the stories of the Prophets to our children. However, the story of Ibrahim (as) is particularly important because it gives insight into how a child can attain understanding about the existence of Allah (swt) and His Oneness. Allah (swt) revealed:

“When the night covered him over with darkness he saw a star. He said: "This is my lord." But when it set, he said: "I like not those that set." When he saw the moon rising up, he said: "This is my lord." But when it set, he said: "Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among the erring people." When he saw the sun rising up, he said: "This is my lord. This is greater." But when it set, he said: "O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as partners in worship with Allah. Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism, i.e. worshipping none but Allah Alone) and I am not of Al-Mushrikun."
[TMQ 6:76-79]

When this story is told to our children, it is important to take time to emphasize that the signs of Allah (swt) are with us where ever we are. We should never miss the opportunity to point out such signs to our children.

Sahabah (ra): Youth who Rejected Society’s Jahiliyah
Our children in the west will learn about Islam as much as we teach them. In addition to teaching them the pillars of Islam (as well as other basics of Islam), it is important to make them familiar with the heritage of Islam. This starts with the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), the lives of the Sahabah (ra) as well as the history of the Khulafah Rashideen. The heart of our children should be filled with love and respect for RasulAllah (saw) and the Sahabah (ra).

Furthermore, it is important to emphasize how our children face challenges similar to what the Sahabah (ra) faced. The Sahabah (ra) grew up in the jahil society of Makkah. However, once the message of Islam came to them, they realized that it was the truth. They were rationally convinced that Allah (swt) exists, that the Quran was truly from Allah (swt), and that RasulAllah (saw) was indeed His Messenger. Based on this conviction, they referred to RasulAllah (saw) in totality – even if it meant abandoning the popular ideas and practices of the society around them. The Sahabah (ra) were raised to fear no one but Allah (swt), knowing that their lives and livelihoods were decided by Allah (swt) alone. They were taught to follow the Ahkam of Islam in everything they did. The Prophet’s way of raising his companions produced personalities who strived to take people from worshiping humans to worshiping Allah (swt). For example, Musab ibn Umayr (ra) was an extremely rich individual living the easy life. However, once he accepted Islam, he openly challenged the ideas of Makkan society. His mother tried to pressure him to abandon Islam by first “grounding” him and then by cutting him off from his “allowance”. But Musab (ra) remained steadfast in his obedience to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).

We should explain how the stories of the Sahabah (ra) are relevant to our children in light of the challenges they face during their interactions with society. They should be able to draw lessons and be motivated to be like the Sahabah (ra) and reject the jahil practices of society around us (i.e. zina, dressing inappropriately, alcohol, etc), and insults to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). When our children are older and encounter concepts about the political (i.e. democracy) and economic systems (i.e. Capitalism), we should also teach them to reject these concepts since they do not emanate from the Islamic Aqeedah.

Be your Children’s Friend and Teacher
As children grow up, they naturally look up to their parents for protection and the main source of learning and emulation. Parents have to be extremely vigilant during this phase of our children’s life and seize the opportunity to rightfully provide the guidance to Allah’s path. We sometimes take this for granted and miss this opportunity which is one of the biggest mistakes made by Muslim parents in the west; we forget that the safety nets that once existed in Muslim countries are not available in the west. Access to aunts, uncles and extended family is very difficult; there is no tight social fabric in the neighbourhood and Islamic thoughts and norms are not present in the popular culture which our children are exposed to on a daily basis. The role of parents in guiding the youth is far more difficult than what we take for granted. Under the pressure of this responsibility and the pressure of pursuing financial success to provide children with a “better future,” we tend to falter and lose direction leaving our children to become easy prey.

Being a role model is not a part time job or a weekend task; rather it is a continuous, deliberate and systematic effort of listening, communicating and building trust with our sons and daughters. We have to work hard at gaining the trust of our children and youth so that we can become their best friends and role models. We should always show them respect and never humiliate or belittle them, while being decisive and never compromising when it comes to living by Islam. We have to teach them to lead rather than follow and put in their conscious that the objective of their life is to carry Dawah and seek to please Allah (swt).

May Allah (swt) help us raise our children on Islam and may He guide us to maintain our faith through the rough times and guide us to establish the Khilafah Rashida to resume our leadership role to get humanity from the misery and tyranny we are currently in to the justice of Islam.

“O ye who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones.”
[TMQ 66:6]