Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on Sabr [Patience]:

“It is important to look at the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and know that no one faced greater tribulation. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم lived to see all of his children buried, except for Fatima. How many people experience that in their lifetime? Out of six children, he saw five of them perish. His father died before his birth. His mother died when he was just a boy. His guardian grandfather then died. When he received his calling, he saw his people turn against him with vehemence and brutality. People who had once honored him now slandered him, calling him a madman, liar, and sorcerer. They stalked him and threw stones at him until he bled. They boycotted him and composed stinging invectives against him. He lost his closest friends and relatives, like Hamza, who was killed on the battlefield. His beloved wife Khadija after 25 years of blissful marriage died during the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم most difficult moment. Abu Talib, his protecting uncle, also died. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the target of 13 assassination attempts. How many people have faced all of that? Not once in a single hadith is there a complaint from him–except when beseeching his Lord.”

[Excerpted from Purification of the Heart by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf]

I on behalf of everyone here at Ekhlas would like to thank the following people (in no specific order) for their kind and generous support throughout the entire ordeal of having to deal with the false accusations:

And all my fellow DPrs

Sidi Mikael Pittam

Sidi ‘Umar Andrea

Sajjad Sher Afghan

Brother Hamza Isa Jennings

Brother Nebo

Brother Asif

Brother Abdul Rahiim Halim

Brother Pacter

Sidi Abd Allah

And all my fellow DPrs

I apologize if I have missed any names, you all are in my prayers, May Allah give you immense good in both worlds. May He grant us all the tawfiq to follow His beloved both inwardly and outwardly. Thank you.

Bismillah,

I would like to inform everyone who has been following this whole event that unfortunately another website called Panorama.it has mistakenly linked to ekhlas.wordpress.com:

The page can be found here

I have also sent them a similar letter to the one I sent the Il Messaggero newspaper [a copy of which was posted on ekhlas.wordpress.com earlier].

I request everyone again to continue their generous support and to remember me in your prayers.

WasSalam,

Bilal Malik

Bismillah.

Hereunder is a copy of the letter that I have emailed to the Il Messaggero Newspaper:

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Dear Foreign Editorial Unit, Il Messaggero,

Ref: “Terrorismo, Al Qaeda apre un sito in italiano”

http://www.ilmessaggero.it/articolo.php?id=22443&sez=HOME_NELMONDO

The abovementioned article which was published on April 14, 2008 on the Il Messaggero website at the link given above, mentions in the opening paragraph:

“ROMA (14 aprile) - Al-Qaeda apre un sito in lingua italiana. I suoi proseliti via Web stanno dedicando uno dei loro forum nella nostra lingua, ed è uno dei forum qaedisti più noti e frequentati, “Ekhlas”. Finora interamente in lingua araba, il forum è stato scelto dagli internauti dopo la chiusura da parte della polizia postale, il 22 febbraio scorso, del blog dell’Imam di Carmagnola, Abdul Qadir Fadlallah Mamour, e della moglie Barbara Farina.”

English Translation from Google:

“ROME (April 14) - Al-Qaeda opening a site in English. Its Web proselytes are dedicating one of their forum in our language, and is a forum qaedisti known and most popular, “Ekhlas. So far, entirely in Arabic, the forum was chosen by Internet users after the closure by the police post, on February 22 last blog dell’Imam Carmagnola, Abdul Qadir Fadlallah Mamour, and wife Barbara Farina.”

At the 3rd line above, the words “Internet users” are linked to my personal blog [ekhlas.wordpress.com]

I was shocked, dismayed, and appalled at the fact that ekhlas.wordpress.com/blog was a link provided in the said article.

I immediately wrote a response to the article as a comment on your website, after which, the link mentioned above was removed.

This is a show of utterly unscrupulous and careless “journalism” in which I have been accused because of the lack of care of the writers to get the proper information of who they are talking about.

Ekhlas.wordpress.com or any of its pages or any of its contents, or any of its authors have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization, individual, or activity.

There has been a huge mistake on your part in linking to my blog which just happens to share its name with the site you were talking about in your article.

1. I demand that a signed apology from your website be emailed to me immediately so that I may post that on my weblog.

2. In addition to the above, I also demand that an apology be printed in both the paper and online versions of Il Messaggero immediately.

If these demands are not met, I will be forced to take legal action.

Awaiting your response,

Bilal Malik

Ekhlas.wordpress.com

Bismillah.

After seeing a sudden spike/increase in ekhlas’s visitors in the ‘Blog Stats’ section of WordPress Dashboard, I decided to take a look at where these visitors were coming from in the ‘Referrers’ section of the Dashboard.

http://www.ilmessaggero.it/articolo.php?id=22443&sez=HOME_NELMONDO

The above link was the most occurring Referrer.

When I went to this link it opened up to what looked like an Italian newspaper’s website. I immediately translated the Italian page into English via Google’s Translate option.

I was shocked, dismayed, and appauled at the fact that ekhlas.wordpress.com/blog was a link provided in the article entitled: “Terrorismo, Al Qaeda apre un sito in italiano” which translates to “Terrorism, Al Qaeda opens a site in Italian”.

The articles mentions in the opening paragraph:

“ROMA (14 aprile) - Al-Qaeda apre un sito in lingua italiana. I suoi proseliti via Web stanno dedicando uno dei loro forum nella nostra lingua, ed è uno dei forum qaedisti più noti e frequentati, “Ekhlas”. Finora interamente in lingua araba, il forum è stato scelto dagli internauti dopo la chiusura da parte della polizia postale, il 22 febbraio scorso, del blog dell’Imam di Carmagnola, Abdul Qadir Fadlallah Mamour, e della moglie Barbara Farina.”

English:

“ROME (April 14) - Al-Qaeda opening a site in English. Its Web proselytes are dedicating one of their forum in our language, and is a forum qaedisti known and most popular, “Ekhlas. So far, entirely in Arabic, the forum was chosen by Internet users after the closure by the police post, on February 22 last blog dell’Imam Carmagnola, Abdul Qadir Fadlallah Mamour, and wife Barbara Farina.”

At the 3rd line above, the words “Internet users” are linked to this blog [ekhlas.wordpress.com]!!!

Ekhlas.wordpress.com or any of its pages or any of its contents, or any of its authors have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization or individual.

I would request all the people who know me personally, or through the internet, or those who have visited this blog and know about its contents, to comment to this post as much as possible and to negate this horried and false accusation hurled at my weblog.

I would also like to appeal to any Muslim or sane human being who can help me to to contact the ‘Il Messanggero’ newspaper’s website so I may be able to clear this mistake and get a written apology and acknowledgement of this blunder in writing from the newspaper.

I again ask all those who know me to contact me at bilal.ekhlas@gmail.com to discuss this matter further as I need your help, and mashwara [cousel].

Your Brother,

Bilal Malik

Hereunder is a copy of the comment I wrote in response to the article, this is only a comment and I personally need to contact the newpaper:

After seeing a huge spike in my blogs number of visitors for April 14, 2008, I wanted to see why so many people were coming to my blog. I followed the link that wordpress.com provided me with, and I ended up at this italian newspapers website. In the above article it says:

“”Ekhlas”. Finora interamente in lingua araba, il forum è stato scelto dagli internauti dopo la chiusura da parte della polizia postale, il 22 febbraio scorso, del blog dell’Imam di Carmagnola, Abdul Qadir Fadlallah Mamour, e della moglie Barbara Farina.”

and where it says “internauti” it is linked to my personal weblog that has nothing to do with Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization. This is a show of extremely unscrupulous and careless “journalism” in which I have been accused because of the carelessness of the writers to get the proper information of who they are talking about.

Bottomline:

My weblog [ekhlas.wordpress.com] has nothing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization or individual. I am going to write a response to this on my weblog to hopefully clear things up. I demand that those responsible for this horrid mistake contact me via email ASAP!

This needs to be resovled, and unless an article is published in which these mistakes are recognized, accepted, and solved IN PRINT, I will not back down from legal litigation.

Bilal Malik

‘Reposts’ are posts of yester- day/week/year which shall be posted again, Insha Allah once a week and can be found in the ‘Reposts’ category.

Original post date: April 29, 2007.

The following has been excerpted from Allah Ke Raaste Mein Nikalnay Walon Ki Hairat-Angaiz Kar-Guzariyan by Mawlana Tariq Jamil and is translated into English by Bilal Malik.

“This time when I went for Hajj, a young man had come there from Italy. He was from the lineage of Sayyiduna Hasan رضى الله عنه and was a local of Marrakesh. Out of necessity he had been living in Italy. At the age of twenty two he got all the Muslims in Italy moving.

Three hundred mosques have been built, when there had been none. And he had brought with him seventy young men to Hajj. So immense is the power given by Allah to Muslims. He wasn’t an ‘Aalim [Scholar]. … But the way he brought there [in Italy] this effort to life, he became the means for the construction of three hundred mosques, and a means for thousands of young Muslims to make tawba [repentance].

So this is your work, your responsibility. I neither say, become a member of the Tablighi Jamat, nor am I inviting you to any other group. [What I say is]: Me and you, all of us become the servants of Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, and become those who spread to others this servitude. And in spreading it whatever hardships we may face, we bear for the Pleasure of Allah. From al-Kawthar, the Beloved of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, with his own hands, will give to drink. All sorrows and pain will leave. There will be a call there: “Where are my last Ummatis? When the Deen was being erased, they were the ones who embraced it and conveyed my message and spread it.””

[Mawlana Tariq Jamil]

Astonishing Chronicles of Those That Go Out in the Path of Allah

‘Reposts’ are posts of yester- day/week/year which shall be posted again, Insha Allah once a week and can be found in the ‘Reposts’ category.

Original post date: April 2, 2007.

By Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah [Source: TheTranslators]:

Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah is one of the foremost scholars of Islamic Law alive today. He is a professor at the University of Usul al-Fiqh in Saudi Arabia, has held several government positions in his native Mauritania, and is a prominent member of many Islamic legal bodies, including the European Council for Fatwa and Research and al-Majma’ al-Fiqhi. He is also Vice President of the World Council of Muslim Scholars with Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi. At the same time he shares hosting duties with Dr. Qaradawi on the popular show, Shari’ah and daily shown on al-jazeerah every Sunday.

Background:

The celebration of the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is an issue of controversy amongst the scholars. There were some who considered it a disliked innovation, a few even saying it reached the level of prohibition. And there were others who considered it a praiseworthy innovation. This difference is traced back to a divergence concerning the categorization of innovation (bid’ah). Some scholars held that there is such a thing as a praiseworthy innovation and these were, primarily, the Shafi’i scholars, foremost among them Al-’Izz ibn Abdul-Salam (May Allah have mercy upon him) and Imam Al-Qarafi (May Allah have mercy upon him), who was a Maliki. Al-Qarafi was of this opinion but he also delved into great detail in explaining it. In his discussion, Al-Qarafi (ra) stated that innovations may be shown by proof to be recommended, obligatory, disliked, and so on, depending on the ruling of Islamic Law (shari’ah) concerning each particular matter. Thus, he divided innovation into five parts (obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked and forbidden). However, there were some scholars who did not accept this division contending that if the word innovation is used with its technical meaning (which is the norm), then it is a repulsive innovation. They relegated the statement of ‘Umar, regarding the tarawih prayers, “What a good innovation” to its linguistic meaning. This is what Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah said, as well as Al-Shatibi in his book Al-’Itisam. Many scholars from the Maliki and Hanbali schools (may Allah have mercy upon all of them) also took this approach. Among the scholars there were those who wrote in support of celebrating the Mawlid, such as Al-Suyuti (May Allah have mercy upon him) and there were those who wrote against it. Thus, in my opinion, there is no need to drag this discussion out, nor to argue about it very much.

The Ruling:

Indeed, whoever wants to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday (peace and blessings be upon him) by reiterating his sira (biography) and the beautiful events of his life while avoiding any action contrary to Islamic Law and being sure to avoid the intention that this celebration is a sunna or an obligatory act may do so. If these conditions that I mentioned are observed, and one is careful not to contradict Islamic Law, and celebrates out of sincere love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then, Allah willing, there is nothing wrong with this action and this person will be rewarded. The Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allah have mercy upon him) said regarding this in his book Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, “Indeed, such a person will be rewarded because of his intention.” As for the one who leaves this celebration, seeking to cling to the sunna and out of fear of falling into innovation, then this person will also be rewarded, Allah willing. It is important to note that this is not a big issue, nor is it necessary to give it more attention then it deserves. There are some Islamic lands in which the people celebrate the Mawlid and do acts of worship on other virtuous days of the year and the scholars differed regarding these things, some of them disapproving of them and some of them saying they are permissible, as was mentioned by al-Zaqqaq in his Manhaj and other Maliki scholars who wrote at great length on this issue, on innovation, and on whether all new matters are innovations or whether they can be categorized like the previously mentioned opinion of al-Qarafi.

The Methodology:

Our view towards uniting the Muslims by curbing these differences is a view of facilitation and ease. This ease is not founded on an empty premise, but is referenced directly back to the Qur’an, traditions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the fundamental objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shari’ah), and the order of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to work towards unity between people. Therefore, if there is a valid difference of opinion pertaining to a certain matter, we exercise great consideration and respect for both sides. This consideration is not simply an act of being overly accommodative, as some contend, nor is it a type of laxity. Rather, this respect and consideration for differences is guided by the fact that both opinions are based on proofs from Islamic Law that are not sufficiently clear to prove conclusively that one side is right and the other side is wrong. These matters are new phenomenon – things that no one was doing and then people began to do them, and some scholars gave proof to support these actions and others disapproved of them. In conclusion, our stance is that both are on goodness, Allah willing, as long as this act is not mixed with evil and the intention is correct.

Allah knows best

Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah (May Allah preserve him)
Remixed by TheTranslators 2007

By Mufti Taqi ‘Uthmani [Source: Albalagh]:

Q.) What is the truth about Milad? On the 12th of Rabi-Awwal Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated with great fanfare and Milad meetings are arranged. What is the ruling of Shariah regarding that?

A.) The gatherings arranged to remember the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, the mercy to the mankind, are called Milad gatherings. Remembering the life of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and teaching others about it, is an act of great blessing and virtue. However all good deeds have to be performed according to the rules and guidelines established by the Shariah. To exceed them is a grave sin. For example reciting the Qur’an is a great act of virtue, but it is prohibited to do so while one is in ruku or sujud in prayers. Likewise, Salat is one of the most important acts of worship. Yet, it is haram to perform it at sunrise or sunset.

Similarly, there are rules governing the blessed remembrance of the Sirah. For example, this remembrance must not be associated with a particular day or month; it should be considered equally virtuous during every month of the year, every week of the month, and every day of the week. Also it can take any permissible form. For example you can arrange a reading of an authentic book on Sirah or have a lecture delivered by a scholar. Doing that is not only permissible but it will bring great reward. But it is important to stay away from the evils found in the prevalent Milad gatherings. Here are some of those evils:

1. A particular date (12 Rabi-Awwal) has been designated for this remembrance. There is no evidence supporting this designation during the time of Sahaba (Companions), the tabiyeen (the generation that followed the companions) or taba-tabiyeen (the next generation). This designation is bida’a (innovation).

2. The element of showoff (riya) is commonly present in these gatherings.

3. If someone does not attend these gatherings, he is looked down upon.

4. Distribution of sweets is considered an indispensable part of the proceedings.

5. To meet the expenses donations are collected from sometimes unwilling people who give money under social pressure. According to the hadith it is not permissible to take any Muslim’s money without his willingness.

6. Intermixing of men and women commonly takes place in these gatherings. People stay late at night in these meetings thereby missing the next morning’s prayers.

7. The focus of the talks delivered there is very limited. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has given guidance for every aspect of our life. These cover acts of worship, dealing with other people, morals and manners, social relationships, business dealings, etc. However, it has been observed that the prevalent Milad talks concentrate mainly or solely on the account of the birth of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and his miracles. They do not attempt to cover the vast teachings of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. [Thus, not only the form of these meetings but also the message given by them is generally a distorted one. Translator.]

For these reasons one should refrain from the prevalent Milad gatherings. However if care is taken to avoid all of these evils and to follow the Shariah carefully, then a meeting organized to remember the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, with the sole purpose of seeking Allah’s pleasure, will Insha-Allah be a blessed event. And Allah knows best.

Written: Muhammad Abdul Muntaqim Sylheti (Darul-Ifta, Darul-uloom Karachi)

Concurrence from:

Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani

Mufti Abdul Rauf Sakharvi

And many others.

Translated from Urdu by Khalid Baig.

SubhanAllah! “A true emanrush” as my brother Sadiq of ProjectNur put it.