Sunni Styles

Sunni Path Online Courses: Din Seeking Deen

2006-02-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

Din seeking the Deen: Are you seeking "Sacred Knowledge"?

A year ago I decided that rather than depending on local teachers
who were scarce in number, I needed a place where I could constantly
seek Sacred knowledge which could be put to use in my daily life.

Hence I decided to enroll in a Fiqh course at Sunnipath.
It was a wonderful enlightening experience. It was also a good
refresher from my other University courses. The online resource tools
were set up in a very professional manner. While I could listen to the
recorded lessons at my convinience, we (the students) also had the
opportunity (and were encouraged ) to ask our teachers
and T.A.s questions on anything remotely related to the content of the
course in weekly live sessions. In addition there were online forums
where we could raise and discuss issues of importance from the recorded
lessons

Since last year I have taken 4 courses and all of them
have been very beneficial. The next term begins on Febuary 25th and
registration has already begun! There are a lot of interesting courses lined
up which cover an array of different subjects and are aimed at students
at varying levels of knowledge. I encourage you to take a look at what
is being offered and enroll in anything that interests you. There is
also financal aid, incentives and discounts depending on your personal situation, location and occupation.
Click here for more information about Sunnipath Online Courses.

copenhagen interpretation: Lest We Forget John Walker Lindh

2006-01-27T11:24:00.000-05:00

copenhagen interpretation: Lest We Forget John Walker Lindh

[This is not a defence of terrorism--by any means--but a case of not being "guilty as charged."]

Iqra Islamic Publications: The Burda of Hadrat Ka'b bin Zuhair Rady Allahu 'Anhu

2006-01-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

Iqra Islamic Publications: The Burda of Hadrat Ka'b bin Zuhair Rady Allahu 'Anhu

The Messenger a light is, source of light,
An Indian blade, a drawn sword of God's swords,

Amid Quraysh companions. When they chose
Islam in Mecca's vale, men said, "Be gone!"

They went, not weaklings, not as men that flee,
Swaying upon their mounts and poorly armed,

But heroes proud and noble of mien, bright-clad
In mail of David's weave for the encounter.

(Translation by Martin Lings, p. 314).

Inna'r Rasula lasaifun yustadaau bihi

Muhannadun min Suyufillahi maslulu

Fee fityatin min Quraysh-in qaala qaailuhum

Bibatni Makkata lamma aslamu zulu

Zaalu fama zaala ankaasun walaa kushufun

'Indalliqaai walaa meelu ma'aazeelu

Shummul 'araaneeni abtaalun labusuhum

Min nasji Dawud-a fi'l hayjaa saraabeelu

[read more]

2006-01-22T07:03:00.000-05:00

Lesson: Mufti Taqi Usmani: Not arguing - Bahs Mubahasa - (Urdu)
Length: 11 minutes - Download (1.32 MB)

This is an important lesson that we can all benefit from. Also related to this are the words of our teacher Shaykh Faraz of Sunni Path:

Avoiding the Path of Argument, and Seeking the Beneficial
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=861&CATE=1
The arguments of those methodologically challenged or attitudinally divergent...
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=3783&CATE=148

The first step in Suluk - Glaring into the heart of a Chishti

2006-01-22T06:52:00.000-05:00

Glaring into the heart of a Chishti » The first step in Suluk

Hadhrat Mohammad Maseehullah Khan - Allah have mercy on him -, while defining the first step of suluk, stated:
Consider yourself to be the most inferior, so much so, that if you observe with your own eyes another indulging in the worst of vices then too you shall not despise him/her, nor shall you consider yourself nobler than him/her. On the contrary one should fear and bear in mind that it is very possible that the perpetrator of the vice may resort to sincere tawbah (repentance) and become a person of high piety while the one who had despised the sinner become ensnared (Allah forbid !) in the meshes of the nafs (self) and Shaytan and be diverted from Ibadat (worship) and obedience. One has no certainty regarding one’s end. One, therefore, has no basis for regarding another with contempt. Continue reading

Chishti Wisdom

2006-01-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

He indeed
is close to God, who is ever steeped in
His submission,

Who interprets every event as coming from
God,

And who is content with it and who takes
it as a blessing.

This is the main object of all prayers and
worship.

Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia

2006-01-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia, r.a. and in pdf

"In Allah's garden you gather roses,

Being drunk with divine mysteries:

Hazrat Mehboob-e-Elahi -- the beloved of Allah,

O, how I long for the attar of your company"

Yunus Emre - Anger and the Spiritual Path

2006-01-21T18:29:00.000-05:00

You make a lot of sounds with your tongue, meaningful things.
You get angry about this and that.
You can't be a dervish.
If it were all right to be angry on this path,
Muhammad himself would have gotten angry.
Because of your anger, you can't be a dervish.

The Prophet Muhammad, Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, said very clearly, "Never get angry."

Rumi - Creator and Creation - from the Mathnavi - Dar al-Masnavi

2006-01-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

n-I-0596

596 The tears of (our) eyes are running, because of separation from You.¹ (And) intense sighs are flowing from the depths of (our) souls.

An infant doesn't argue with (its) nurse [to get milk] but weeps,² while not knowing (anything about) bad or good.

We are like the harp, and You are strumming (upon it). The mournful (sound is) not from us, (but) You are causing the lament.

We are like the reed-flute, and the melody within us is from You.

600 We are like a chess game, (engaged) in capture and checkmate,³ (but) our capture and checkmate is from You, O You of Beautiful Qualities!⁴

O You, who are the Soul of our souls, who are we?-- that we should be⁵ (in existence) with You in (our) midst!

We and our existences are non-existences, (while) You are the Absolute Existence⁶ which causes (our) transient (existences) to appear.

We (are) all lions, but lions (painted) on a flag;⁷ their charge (forward) is (only) because of the wind, moment by moment.

(And) their charge (forward) is visible, but the wind isn't visible.
May that which is invisible never be lost⁸ (to us)!

605 Our wind (which moves us) and our existence⁹ is (part) of Your gift; our being is entirely from Your bringing (us) into being.

You made non-existence¹⁰ (to become) Your lover, (and then) You showed the delight of existence to non-existence.

Do not take away the enjoyment of Your favors, (and) do not take away Your (sweet) desserts, wine, and goblet!

And if You take (them away), who will seek You¹¹ (for an accounting)? How can the painting act forcefully toward the Painter?

Do not gaze upon us, (and) do not look at us! (But) look upon Your own Honor¹² and Generosity!

610 We did not exist, and there was no demand¹³ (from us), (but) Your Grace was hearing14 our unspoken (prayer)!

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.

Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)

© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, transliteration) - First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 8/12/99

hikm: an attempt at wisdom :حكم » Blog Archive » The Power of SeekersDigest.org

2006-01-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

hikm: an attempt at wisdom :حكم » Blog Archive » The Power of SeekersDigest.org

On a few occassions, this blog has been linked to by SeekersDigest.org,
a fantastic blog run by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, a Canadian by birth(?)
who resides in Amman, Jordan and is a scholar of Hanafi fiqh.
I’ve learned a great deal from it.
On those days that it has been linked from SeekersDigest.org the hits have skyrocketed. Most recently, SeekersDigest.org linked to this post
on the recent stampede at Hajj. The blog hits for one day and never
even come anywhere near a 100 before, on that day they broke 200. That
particular post was also recorded as Wordpress.com’s “Top
Posts” for that day.

CNN.com - A puppy boom rises in Katrina's ruins - Jan 4, 2006

2006-01-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - A puppy boom rises in Katrina's ruins - Jan 4, 2006

Puppies are popping up everywhere amid the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina -- and animal welfare workers on the northern Gulf Coast fear it is only the start of a big boom in dog births.

Ashrafiya: Etiquettes of being a Civilized Individual

2005-12-28T04:15:00.000-05:00

Ashrafiya: Etiquettes of being a Civilized Individual

.... The basic principle underlying the rulings of civilized living is,

“My words, actions and attitude
should not be the source of
any discomfort or annoyance
for fellow human beings at all.”

2005-11-21T13:28:00.000-05:00

ADAB. My fiqh teacher is very casual in her interaction with me. What is the proper adab of interacting with a teacher in such a situation? SunniPath

Good points on adab from Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.

2005-11-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

RELIGIOUS ADVICE. My mother hates my husband, though I think he's fine.... SunniPath

Answered by Ustadha Shireen Ahmed

I have a problem. My mother gets upset at my husband a lot, for the smallest and strangest of things, and doesn't seem to understand the stress it causes him. She even threatens to make dua against him for treating me "so badly" -- even though I think my husband is great and treats me well, alhamdulillah. As a result, my husband is feeling very depressed.... How do I convince my mother to change her behaviour, and to basically leave my dear husband alone? [read more]

2005-11-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

AUDIO. avari/nameh - a good talk

He says:

I gave a khutbah at New York University's Islamic Center. That khutbah is now available to download or to listen to on NYU MSA's fantastic webpage; it is 27 minutes long. Scroll down and you'll see a list of all the preachers and their sermons, as well as instructions for downloading. Don't worry, I'm not a bad khateeb. I meet or exceed all the standards by which khateebs are chosen in America:

1. I am male.
2. There is no legal basis for me to be deported from this country.
3. I am not currently experiencing ventricular fibrillation.
4. I am not dead
5. I am fluent in at least one language.
6. I know how to do namaz.

The theme is the Islamic idea of "effort," of striving, and how God tests us and asks us to strive only to the extent of our capacities. The khutbah revolves around the story of three women fundamental to the history of Islam: Hagar, Mary and Khadijah, may God be greatly pleased with all of them and shower His blessings upon them.

2005-11-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

RELIGIOUS ADVICE. Shaykh Hamza Karamali: What to do if my father wants to expel my brother from the house?

This is, mashallah, another very excellent answer from the SunniPath Question and Answers Service. It states:

n the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

It's difficult for me to tell you exactly what is the right thing to do because I don't have first-hand knowledge of the situation. In such situations, it's often best to find a reliable local scholar or Muslim counsellor and then sit with him (or her) at length to try and figure out what is the best approach. What I can do, however, is give you some general guidelines that you and your father can use to assess the situation and then decide yourself what is best to do....

[to continue reading....]

2005-11-20T15:40:00.000-05:00

Fake kosher food caught in Gaza

Israeli customs officials have seized a shipment of fake kosher sweets being imported to Israel from the Gaza Strip.

2005-11-18T04:20:00.000-05:00

SELF-REFORM. Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanvi

Islaahe Batin: Levels of Carelessness
Tameemut Taleem: Making Education Ordinary
Tasheel ul-Islah: Recurrent Self Reformation

2005-11-18T04:17:00.000-05:00

RESOURCE: alTafsir.com - Excellent Qur'an and Tafsir Resource, Online.

"AlTafsir.com is arguably the best and most reliable website on the Qur'an and Tafsir"
Sheikh Faraz Rabbani from www.SunniPath.com

2005-11-16T06:06:00.000-05:00

NEWS. US used white phosphorus in Iraq [BBC]

The Pentagon has confirmed that US troops used white phosphorus during last year's offensive in the Iraqi city of Falluja. "It was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants," spokesman Lt Col Barry Venable told the BBC - though not against civilians, he said. The US earlier denied it had been used in Falluja at all.

BBC defence correspondent Paul Wood says having to retract its denial is a public relations disaster for the US.

2005-11-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

ARTICLE. In the Spirit of Tradition. [Nazim Baksh]

"Tradition" in academic circles has come to signify old fashioned customs, archaic cultural practices, ossified ideas handed down from the past and articulated to the letter by naïve, simple minded neo-Luddites. In popular discourse, to be traditional is to adamantly cling in the past. Those espousing traditional values are often lumped into the same category as the tree-huggers and angry protesters hurling insults at the towers of free-trade, liberalization and globalization and in the process braving the batons and pepper-spray of heavily armed policemen.

2005-11-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

FIQH. Extending life support for people dying [SunniPath]

2005-11-15T20:47:00.000-05:00

As-salamu `alaykum,

I am starting this blog, hoping that it is of interest and (if Allah Wills) benefit.

Sunni Styles