Ezra is also mentioned in the Muslim [b]Qur'an as Uzair [/b]b]"9:30:[/b] The Jews call 'UZAIR a son of Allah, and the Christians call Jesus the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!"

There is historical evidence that some Jews may have referred to Ezra as the son of Allah: the Encyclopaedia Judaica states, "H. Z. Hirschberg proposed another assumption, based on the words of Ibn Hazm, namely, that the 'righteous who live in Yemen believed that 'Uzayr was indeed the son of Allah.' According to other Muslim sources, there were some Yemenite Jews who had converted to Islam who believed that Ezra was the messiah. For Muhammad, Ezra, the apostle of messiah, can be seen in the same light as the Christian saw Jesus, the messiah, the son of Allah." Encyclopaedia Judaica, Ibid., p. 1108.

Ezra is also mentioned in the Hadith of seeing God as the clear as the sun.

I don't think orthodox Jews follow the view that Ezra was the son of God. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this. The full article (link below) suggests he was a scribe and responsible for leading the exiled Jews to Jerusalem.

More insight into Ezra here, take a look. My mate named her son Uzair so i remember looking into this before
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra

In Islam there's an ongoing debate as to whether Uzair was a prophet or non prophet. There seems to be no consensus on it.

"Dust" wrote:

the strengthening of a link which is already present is very different to the creation of a link (which suggests it was never there to begin with).

i think what was meant was, not creating a link....but continuing a link, as the shaykhs have teachers, who have teachers, who have teachers who all have worked tirelessly to continue spreading the word of Allah swt and examplifying the Sunnah of Rasulallah

and regarding having one Shaykh....its wrong to adopt a policy of 'la shaykh illah shaykh' - no shaykh but mine. we should listen to all and learn from them all (whoever you feel you can learn from and will benefit you). but its equally important to have one who you can gain advice from, can speak to, and can consult. for instance, there are several scholars i like and listen to, but on little things they may have slightly differing opinions...shud I, and how do i pick and choose?

and the importance of a scholar and jamaat....well, you dont want to be the astray sheep who isnt with the herd and doesnt know wheres going, and the wolf is going to prey on easily

"yashmaki" wrote:

Ezra is also mentioned in the Muslim Qur'an as Uzair "9:30: The Jews call 'UZAIR a son of Allah, and the Christians call Jesus the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!"

ah, Ezra! yep sorry i know what you're talking about now, wasn't familiar with the other spelling. jazaks for the ayah.

"yashmaki" wrote:

I don't think orthodox Jews follow the view that Ezra was the son of God.

exactly - the ayah does not refer to ALL jews and christians but a sect from among them, just as all christians are not trinitarian.

"Sirus" wrote:

"Dust" wrote:

the strengthening of a link which is already present is very different to the creation of a link (which suggests it was never there to begin with).

i think what was meant was, not creating a link....but continuing a link, as the shaykhs have teachers, who have teachers, who have teachers who all have worked tirelessly to continue spreading the word of Allah swt and examplifying the Sunnah of Rasulallah

thats the way you see it which is fine, i pretty much agree with that^, but angel and mujahidah stated that one's shaykh 'is' the link to Allah (s.w.t), which suggests something different to what you said.

"Sirus" wrote:

and regarding having one Shaykh....its wrong to adopt a policy of 'la shaykh illah shaykh' - no shaykh but mine. we should listen to all and learn from them all (whoever you feel you can learn from and will benefit you). but its equally important to have one who you can gain advice from, can speak to, and can consult. for instance, there are several scholars i like and listen to, but on little things they may have slightly differing opinions...shud I, and how do i pick and choose?

you can take an opinion from any scholar who is hanafi - assuming that is your madhab. with personal matters it is ofcourse better to consult the scholar you are most familiar with, one who knows you personally.

"Sirus" wrote:

and the importance of a scholar and jamaat....well, you dont want to be the astray sheep who isnt with the herd and doesnt know wheres going, and the wolf is going to prey on easily

dunno about the 'jamaat' bit, but i agree that studying with a shaykh is important and should not be neglected.

"*DUST*" wrote:

thats the way you see it which is fine, i pretty much agree with that^, but angel and mujahidah stated that one's shaykh 'is' the link to Allah (s.w.t), which suggests something different to what you said.

you can take an opinion from any scholar who is hanafi - assuming that is your madhab. with personal matters it is ofcourse better to consult the scholar you are most familiar with, one who knows you personally.

dunno about the 'jamaat' bit, but i agree that studying with a shaykh is important and should not be neglected.

I cant speak for them, but im sure what they meant was the continue the link....but for an individual, that link is their one link. The shaykh's have their spiritual guiders, who have theirs, who go all the way upto the family of the Beloved Nabi (Saw). they all spread the same message, so you can listen to any shaykh your comfy with. Some people are generally satisfied with one and dont feel the need for another, but shouldnt disregard the others.

yup im hanafi, but even amogst the hanafi scholars.........with their bieng so many, and everyone claiming to be Ahle-Sunnah and hanafi....there are differences of opinions. one obvious example being the rulings on the beard. and like you said, consult a scholar you are more close with....da da dadaaaaaaa....thats your Shaykh!

ideally, there would be one big jamaat......but nowadays its well known there are hundreds, and people are unfortunately pulling in different directions. So what does an individual muslim do? who does he listen to? one group of people say one thing, and another say something totally different. Thats where the jamaat comes into place. now im not saying what jamaat is right or wrong, but you go with who YOU feel is right....and one that is increasing your love for Allah (swt) and making you live Islam in a way you percieve to be right. correctomundo?

And i wholeheartedly agree, studying from a shaykh shouldn't be neglected....its how the great fuqaha's and imam's of the past learnt, from their teachers, and thats how Islam has been passed on over time.

"*DUST*" wrote:

how can Messengers of Allah be compared to any other human being?

I don't remember comparing the Prophets (as) or the Saints obv. the Prophets (as) have a much greater status than Saints without doubt ....All i said was that Saints also pass on the message to the people as they have the knowledge to do so because Allah (swt) has given them the ability to do so. There are no Prophets (as) coming after the Holy Prophet hence Allah (swt) sends Saints to keep reinforcing the message of Islam.

As for the link discussion, I am not sayin you are wrong, I may be incorrect but from my own understanding the link of Allah (Swt) can be made via Prophets (as), just the way the Sahaba’s (ra) made a link with Allah (Swt) as they didn’t know of His existence until the Holy Prophet told them.

Same applies with the Quran which is also a link to Allah (swt). Take for example a convert who has been taught about Islam through a scholar, and knows of Allah’s (swt) existence through this scholar, isn’t the scholar the link between this person and Allah (swt)?

Just by knowing Allah (swt) is your creator is not enough you have to fully accept it from the heart and that is when your link is created....

HELP!!!!!! That’s the thoughts that are running through my head, if anyone can clarify go for it...

Sorry for the delay in replying back, just been busy with exams but now they are over.

"Sirus" wrote:

yup im hanafi, but even amogst the hanafi scholars.........with their bieng so many, and everyone claiming to be Ahle-Sunnah and hanafi....there are differences of opinions. one obvious example being the rulings on the beard. and like you said, consult a scholar you are more close with....da da dadaaaaaaa....thats your Shaykh!

not necessarily - if one has not spent an equal amount of time studying with a number of shuyukh, how can they make an informed decision on who to take as 'their' shaykh/a? going to a few talks by a scholar does not give one enough insight into his/her opinions and personality.

"Sirus" wrote:

ideally, there would be one big jamaat......but nowadays its well known there are hundreds, and people are unfortunately pulling in different directions. So what does an individual muslim do? who does he listen to? one group of people say one thing, and another say something totally different. Thats where the jamaat comes into place. now im not saying what jamaat is right or wrong, but you go with who YOU feel is right....and one that is increasing your love for Allah (swt) and making you live Islam in a way you percieve to be right. correctomundo?

i disagree. for me the categories of 'Sunni' and 'Hanafi' are enough to be getting on with. although individual 'jamaats' do a lot of good work for their communities, they also work in further dividing the ummah; and to me that negative far outweighs the positives.

"*DUST*" wrote:

"Sirus" wrote:

yup im hanafi, but even amogst the hanafi scholars.........with their bieng so many, and everyone claiming to be Ahle-Sunnah and hanafi....there are differences of opinions. one obvious example being the rulings on the beard. and like you said, consult a scholar you are more close with....da da dadaaaaaaa....thats your Shaykh!

not necessarily - if one has not spent an equal amount of time studying with a number of shuyukh, how can they make an informed decision on who to take as 'their' shaykh/a? going to a few talks by a scholar does not give one enough insight into his/her opinions and personality.

"Sirus" wrote:

ideally, there would be one big jamaat......but nowadays its well known there are hundreds, and people are unfortunately pulling in different directions. So what does an individual muslim do? who does he listen to? one group of people say one thing, and another say something totally different. Thats where the jamaat comes into place. now im not saying what jamaat is right or wrong, but you go with who YOU feel is right....and one that is increasing your love for Allah (swt) and making you live Islam in a way you percieve to be right. correctomundo?

i disagree. for me the categories of 'Sunni' and 'Hanafi' are enough to be getting on with. although individual 'jamaats' do a lot of good work for their communities, they also work in further dividing the ummah; and to me that negative far outweighs the positives.

1 - i didnt say by attending a few lectures or listening to a few, that a scholar becomes your shaykh.

2 - the reality is, that everyone today claims to be 'sunni' and 'hanafi', yet there are massive differences. only for the purpose of examples, take me and med. hes sunni and hanafi, so am i and many others, yet his views on quite a few islamic issues differ. if i wasnt with minhaj, and had no organisation, then i would be learning something different from my brelwi mosque, and something completelty different from the deobandi mosque closer to my house.

"Sirus" wrote:

1 - i didnt say by attending a few lectures or listening to a few, that a scholar becomes your shaykh.

sorry, i should've clarified. i meant in the context of 'one should study under many shuyukh before making a decision on which to give bay'ah to', how can one have made an informed decision if they only studied under the one shaykh/a they have given bay'ah to (as going to other scholars' talks is not the same as studying under them).
sorry if that still doesn't make sense, not sure how else to put it.

"Sirus" wrote:

2 - the reality is, that everyone today claims to be 'sunni' and 'hanafi', yet there are massive differences. only for the purpose of examples, take me and med. hes sunni and hanafi, so am i and many others, yet his views on quite a few islamic issues differ. if i wasnt with minhaj, and had no organisation, then i would be learning something different from my brelwi mosque, and something completelty different from the deobandi mosque closer to my house.

we are not allowed to pick and choose from madaahib, but the same rule does not apply to 'jamaats'. you do not have to agree with [i]everything[/i] deobandis say, or [i]everything[/i] barelwis say, and we do not have to pigeonhole ourselves into a particular 'jamaat' in order to stay on the right path. yes there are differing opinions on many matters in Islam, but you can choose to follow whichever opinion seems right to you, as long as the shaykh/a you ask is from the same madhab as you and can back his/her opinion with evidence from the quraan and/or ahadith.

"*DUST*" wrote:

sorry, i should've clarified. i meant in the context of 'one should study under many shuyukh before making a decision on which to give bay'ah to', how can one have made an informed decision if they only studied under the one shaykh/a they have given bay'ah to (as going to other scholars' talks is not the same as studying under them).
sorry if that still doesn't make sense, not sure how else to put it.

we are not allowed to pick and choose from madaahib, but the same rule does not apply to 'jamaats'. you do not have to agree with [i]everything[/i] deobandis say, or [i]everything[/i] barelwis say, and we do not have to pigeonhole ourselves into a particular 'jamaat' in order to stay on the right path. yes there are differing opinions on many matters in Islam, but you can choose to follow whichever opinion seems right to you, as long as the shaykh/a you ask is from the same madhab as you and can back his/her opinion with evidence from the quraan and/or ahadith.

i think on the 1st point....we're saying the same thing? i never said study under one scholar, its encouraged to study under others too. but taking bayy'a can only be by one, but even then that doesnt prevent you from learning or taking advice from others. some people jus prefer one tho, its a preference thing only.

2nd point ....... pick and mix then? that would be very complicated. i agree various jamaats create disunity btw.

"Sirus" wrote:

i think on the 1st point....we're saying the same thing? i never said study under one scholar, its encouraged to study under others too. but taking bayy'a can only be by one, but even then that doesnt prevent you from learning or taking advice from others. some people jus prefer one tho, its a preference thing only.

fair enough.

"Sirus" wrote:

2nd point ....... pick and mix then? that would be very complicated. i agree various jamaats create disunity btw.

lol its not really all that complicated. well anyway it seems we agree on some of the points, alhumdulillah.

wassalaam.

"Angel" wrote:

I don't remember comparing the Prophets (as) or the Saints obv. the Prophets (as) have a much greater status than Saints without doubt ....All i said was that Saints also pass on the message to the people as they have the knowledge to do so because Allah (swt) has given them the ability to do so.

the ability to gain knowledge and teach others what one knows is not something reserved for particular people - Allah has equally granted every human being an intellect. i cannot see a comparison to the Messengers of Allah (a.s) as being applicable here.

"Angel" wrote:

There are no Prophets (as) coming after the Holy Prophet hence Allah (swt) sends Saints to keep reinforcing the message of Islam.

yes, pious people work towards reinforcing and strengthening the message of Islam, but they are not 'sent' by Allah in the way Messengers (a.s) were.

"Angel" wrote:

As for the link discussion, I am not sayin you are wrong, I may be incorrect but from my own understanding the link of Allah (Swt) can be made via Prophets (as), just the way the Sahaba’s (ra) made a link with Allah (Swt) as they didn’t know of His existence until the Holy Prophet told them.

actually even the arabs at the time of jahiliyyah recognised one supreme God, who they called 'Allah', however their perception of Him had become severely distorted over time, which the Prophet (s.a.w) came to correct.

"Angel" wrote:

Take for example a convert who has been taught about Islam through a scholar, and knows of Allah’s (swt) existence through this scholar, isn’t the scholar the link between this person and Allah (swt)?

no. because you don't need to go to a scholar to know that God exists. this is something ingrained in our fitrah. every human being has questions about the purpose of this life, some people are guided by Allah to Islam in their ongoing quest for answers. the scholar does not put those questions into the persons mind, he (hopefully) provides the answers.

"Angel" wrote:

Just by knowing Allah (swt) is your creator is not enough you have to fully accept it from the heart and that is when your link is created....

belief in a single, supreme God is the presence of a link right there.

"Angel" wrote:

HELP!!!!!! That’s the thoughts that are running through my head, if anyone can clarify go for it...

lol its ok, i understood everything you wrote (even though i didn't agree with everything).

"Angel" wrote:

Sorry for the delay in replying back, just been busy with exams but now they are over.

no prob, i appreciate the reply, hope your exams went well and congrats on them being over!

"*DUST*" wrote:

"Sirus" wrote:

i think on the 1st point....we're saying the same thing? i never said study under one scholar, its encouraged to study under others too. but taking bayy'a can only be by one, but even then that doesnt prevent you from learning or taking advice from others. some people jus prefer one tho, its a preference thing only.

fair enough.

"Sirus" wrote:

2nd point ....... pick and mix then? that would be very complicated. i agree various jamaats create disunity btw.

lol its not really all that complicated. well anyway it seems we agree on some of the points, alhumdulillah.

wassalaam.

indeedy we do

isnt it hadith or something that we'll be behind who we followed or group we were with on day of judgement?

anyhow, i'll leave it at that

Quote:

[b]I Need A Guide[/b]

God said in the Holy Quran [9:109]1 that if someone builds the foundation of his house on a cliff without building a
good foundation, then it will fall down. But if someone builds the foundation of his house on solid plot or on a solid
ground, piece by piece, well placed, then he is going to find that his house stands firm. But everything requires an
expert. If I say to our brother, "Can you build a house for us?" He will say, "No, I am not a carpenter." So we are
obliged to call another one and say, "Please, build a house for us, because you are an expert." And he will tell you,
"All right, this is the plan. Here we put that wall, here the foundation, here cement" and so forth.
If you need an expert to build an ordinary house, what about your heart? How do you approach your Lord without
the guidance of an expert? You have to look for an expert. You cannot reach Him without one, no matter how much
you try to move on this path alone. No one can reach by himself because sometimes, even though he knows he is
on the right path, he might do something out of place or time. Then he will fail. So we need an expert and that expert
is our guide.
Guidance is important. If you do not have a guide to lead you to your destination, then you are going to find many
difficulties on your way. When you go into a desert, they tell you, "Beware, do not go into that desert, because you
are going to suffer." They might show you the beginning of the way. Nevertheless you need a guide to show you the
rest of the way through the desert. Why is this? Because in the desert everything looks the same. When the winds
come, the sand moves. You easily lose direction. An expert, a guide can take you along the right way even if the
winds come and in two or three days you have passed through the desert and reached the other side.
Also, to reach your Lord, you can never find your way through the desert of this life except with a guide, because
the wind of the ego desires, vain passions changes everything. The ego has desires. The wind of the ego is empty
desires and vain passions. When desires come to your ego, they veil the right path for you. Then you are lost. You
are going to stop and you do not know how to continue. That is why you need a guide who is an expert in the ways
of the desert. He is an expert in the roads that traverse the ego. If you cannot find such a guide, then you are
wasting your time in trying to reach your Lord in this life. God is Merciful. Because you are trying to reach, you will
reach at the end, even without a guide, but you will not reach quickly. Now you are losing time, not progressing. But
as soon as you find that guide and you accept to follow him to show you the shortcut through the desires of the ego,
and the will of the ego, its vain passions and desires, then you are going to find yourself reaching the other side.
Otherwise you will be lost in that vast desert.
When the Prophet (s) was ordered to emigrate from Makkah to Madinah he said, "I need a guide." He is a prophet.
Why did he need a guide? To teach us that even though he is a prophet, he still needs a guide, an external guide to
show him the way to reach Madinah. For example, say we are showing my son how to go to Niagara Falls. We do
not know, so we find an expert God willing, a good expert who will not give us wrong directions! He is a prophet and
he asked for a guide. Did he not know? Jesus said, "One of you is going to betray me." It is true. As Muslims we
believe this. He said "One of you" did he not know? He knew, but he did not reveal it. Prophets know, but they wish
to show complete weakness and humility. Prophet Muhammad (s) also knew the way to go from Makkah to Madinah,
but he was teaching us to seek out a guide. They needed a guide to show them the way from Makkah to Madinah.
They reached Madinah safely with the help and guidance of that guide.
If we need a guide to cross a desert, what about our spiritual life? It is more difficult. You certainly need a guide for
that, and that is also why the Prophet (s) had a guide in the angel Gabriel (s), bringing him inspirations and
revelation. The Prophet (s) was guided by him into God's Presence on the Night of Ascension, the night when the
Prophet went to meet his Lord. So, he needed a guide externally when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
Internally he needed a guide when he emigrated to his Lord on the Night of Ascension. It is impossible to emigrate
without a means. Without a means you cannot reach anywhere.
That is why everyone must find a guide to show him the way of Truth and the way of Reality. Without a guide you will
be in doubt as to whether what you are doing is right or wrong. You will not know yourself if it is right or wrong. With
a guide, you depend on him because he is an expert. As we said, the Prophet (s) took a guide to show him the way
to Madinah. He did not say to that guide, "No, you are taking me this way, why not take me that way?" He relied
upon his guidance because of his expertise.
That guide who shows you the way must be trustworthy. You cannot take a superficial or artificial guide and say,
"This person is my guide." If you take an imitation guide, he may take you to the ocean of satan you will be lost in
the ocean of hallucination. Many people follow such untrue"guides". At some time the followers will begin to have
hallucinations. They will think that they are seeing something. In reality they are experiencing hallucinations. What
they are seeing is non-existent. That is why a true guide is very important.
How can you recognize a guide? Once, Grandshaykh said that if you want to know if someone is a true guide, first
see if he has completed his external outfit. If you see that he is incomplete in bearing the externals, it means that he
has a defect in his heart. Do not follow him. Anything in a Sufi master and we are speaking about Sufism, not about
anything else that does not conform to the external dress and manner of a true master, betrays a defect.
Grandshaykh said, "If you have a watch and that watch is working internally one hundred percent, but has no
needles, it will show you the time so there is no benefit from it. Also if a watch has two needles, but the internal
mechanics are not working one hundred percent it will not show you the correct time. So the outward and the inward
must both be completely correct for a person to be a guide."
We are not speaking about ourselves. We follow our master. He is our guide. He works one hundred percent both
outwardly and inwardly. As for us, we are trying to imitate. That is why when we want to look at someone and say, "Is
this person a true guide," you must see that he has completed the externals without any deficiency. If there is
anything missing, then you should not follow him. That is, if he is missing something from the externals, then he must
be missing many things inwardly, for that is where people cannot see. You dress well when you know that people will
be looking at you. But when it comes to things people will not see, you say, "Never mind. No one will see that." If the
outfit which people are going to see on you is missing many items, it means that your "infit" so to speak which
people will not see, is missing even more things. Such a person cannot be a true guide. He is a disconnected guide.
He might take you a certain distance in spiritual life, but he is disconnected from any further levels. A true guide
must have correctly completed his exterior, without missing one thing.
This is the first step, Grandshaykh said, in knowing whether someone is a real guide or a false guide. When you see
this from him, then you say, "He has now passed," not the first test but "the first criterion." Now we think of looking at
his inner side. How do you judge the inner side? He said, "You must see that person has respect for everyone,
without the slightest discrimination towards any human being, without looking at their religion because they are
servants of one Lord, the same Lord, and the Lord does not change without discrimination for any in his heart. It is
not his business, because all human beings are the servants of thLord. The guide has to respect them, first,
because they are God's creation and have that Light in them. In addition to respect, he must have love for them. To
accept what he wants for himself and his children, to be and act also on their behalf, although they are not yet his
followers, but simply ordinary people. So he must show them respect and love. Thirdly, he must show them humility.
He cannot say that he is higher than they. No one is high except God. If he sees himself higher than they are, then
he is like satan who saw himself higher than Adam."
These three criteria are the"inner accessories" of the true guide. For the outfit he must have the complete dress of
a Sufi master. If your master is like that, then he is a true guide. Follow him. With him you can find satisfaction and
everything that you are missing. If you do not find someone like that, then continue seeking. You will find, because
God is Merciful. When you look, God will give. When you do not ask, God will not give. If you really ask, ask from
your heart, you are going to find. At that time, he will give you the key to your heart. If you do not really ask from
your heart, but only with your tongue, perhaps you might find one, perhaps not.
Ahmad al-Badawi was a very famous saint known in all Sufi teachings. He did not accept a guide saying, "I have no
need for a guide. My guide is the Quran" as the Wahhabis say today "and the Way of Life of the Prophet (s)." He
tried to approach his Lord as the Prophet (s) said on his Lord's behalf, "My servant does not cease to approach me
through voluntary worship or good manners, until I shall love him. And when I love him, I will be, at that time, the ears
by which he hears, the eyes by which he sees, the hand by which he feels, the feet by which he walks. If he asks
Me, I give to him. If he seeks refuge in Me, I protect him. I will be he, and he can say to something,""Be," and it will
be."2 The Wahhabis usually cut off the end of that Tradition, but we recite it all.
Ahmad al-Badawi drew near his Lord until he reached the door of the Divine Presence and said, "O my Lord, please
open the door for me." He received no answer. He tried again and again until he met someone by chance. We
say"by chance", but it was not by chance. It was well-planned it was God's Will to test him. He saw that person on
the street, an ordinary person who looked at him, and said, "O Ahmad!" he did not even call him "O Shaykh Ahmad"
to give him due respect. He said,"O Ahmad! You need the key to God's Divine Presence? I have that key. If you
want it, come to me and I'll give it to you.""
Many people among us refuse to accept facts and truth because of pride, even though they know, as a matter of
fact, that this is the right path. They do not accept because their ego says, "No!" So Ahmad's ego said to him, "How
are you going to accept something from him? Do not accept the key from him. Accept it from God." And he said, "O
my brother, I will not take the key from you, nor from anyone except the Key-Maker. Who are you? You are nobody."
Then he kept approaching the Divine Presence until he heard God's voice saying to him, "O Ahmad, this life is the
life of causes and effects. I will not give you the key. My will is that the key to my door, for you is with that person. Go
and get it from him." Now, the matter is finished. He heard it from his Lord, and he accepted. Now he had to find that
guide. But that guide had disappeared. He had left him. For six months the guide was secretly examining Ahmad's
heart, seeing him search for him and pray to his Lord day and night, "O my Lord, send that person back to me," until
he saw him another time. That person, immediately removed the veil he had been present all the time revealing
himself.
So the guide removed the veil and appeared to Ahmad. Ahmad said, "O my shaykh! I found you." He had not found
him. It was the guide who had removed the veil. Yet he thought he had found him. He said, "O my shaykh, I accept
you as a guide." The guide answered, "If you accept me as a guide now, you must submit, surrender, give your will
over to me completely. You cannot have a will alongside my will. You have built your know-ledge on a cliff. With just
one gust of wind from the ego, it will fall apart. I have to build a good foundation for you. So, look into my eyes."
Ahmad looked into his eyes and that guide immediately erased all the knowledge that Ahmad al-Badawi had learned
through books."Through books" means that there are many things written that come from the authors" egos. So he
removed that knowledge out of Ahmad's heart and disappeared. He left him for another six months not even
knowing how to say, "In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate," not even knowing how to say the Name
of God.
Everyone in the city was now mocking Ahmad al-Badawi, who had seemingly become insane after having been a
very great scholar. Because of their limited spiritual knowledge, they thought that he was mentally ill. All they could
see was that he was following someone who was making him crazy, but Ahmad al-Badawi knew that he had heard
the voice of his Lord saying, "Your key is with that person." No one made him crazy. He was following that person.
But if he had accepted from the beginning, when that guide came to him the first time by God's Will, he would not
have had to pass through this test. So why make yourself pass through a test? When you find the truth, the correct
guide, accept him immediately! Do not play games with your ego.
So he left him for another six months then reappeared to him another time. In those six months, Ahmad al-Badawi
continued to search for him again. When he reappeared again, he said to him again, "O my shaykh, I found you
another time!" At that time, the guide looked into his eyes transmitting from his heart to Ahmad al-Badawi's heart,
through the eyes, internal knowledge the knowledge of the Book, and its secrets. He was giving, giving, giving until
Light shone forth from Ahmad al-Badawi's eyes. It was so powerful that anyone who looked into his eyes would die.
Therefore he covered his face with a veil. At that time he was able to enter into the Divine Presence, and he
received that key.
Without a guide, you can never reach the Divine Presence. It is impossible to reach the Divine Presence without a
true guide who will open the door to you to where you are going. Ahmad al-Badawi was a great scholar who knew
many things. He was proud of his knowledge and did not want to accept learning from someone else. Because of his
pride, he wanted to take directly from the highest station. He did not see anyone higher than himself except God.
How, then, to take from another person? It means that there was no humility in his heart. He was missing one of the
three characteristics needed by God's servants. He had respect. He had love for human beings, but he did not have
humility in his heart to accept advice from someone else. And because he had left out that one characteristic, it was
as if he had stopped progressing.
A saint, a master, must have the three levels respect, love and humility. If you find one of them missing, then he is
not a true guide. He will take you only a certain distance. Just as we see that Ahmad al-Badawi was able to draw
nigh to a certain extent, to reach the door of Divine Presence, he was unable, however, to open it. For he was in
need of someone who had the key. He had not accepted this need because he was full of pride in his knowledge.
He thought too much of himself. Later, he accepted but only because he heard it from his Lord. That is why he
passed through a test. If he had accepted without self-pride, that door would have immediately opened for him,
without need for two years of testing.
When you find a guide and your heart is happy in his presence, do not listen to your ego. Tell your ego, "You are
wrong! What am I going to lose if I accept that guide as my master?" You will not lose anything. You are showing
humility and this is enough for God to raise you up. If I come and say, "so-and-so is my shaykh," and take initiation
from him, what is wrong with that? I am accepting, I ashowing humility. God will raise me up.
Having humility is important. If you are humble, you accept everyone, because everyone, in a sense, will be a guide
for you. There is an proverb in our country which says to ask a good person, "From where have you learned perfect
behavior in society?" He will say, "From a wrongdoer. I watched him, saw what he did wrong, and I now avoid doing
as he does. Thus I was able to correct myself through the mistakes of others." If you accept any person as your
guide, even a bad person can guide you. By observing him and seeing what he is doing wrong, you stop.
This comes from humility. Why then do you not accept? Are you proud of yourself? Who are you? You are a
creature from among five billion creatures in this world. Five billion human beings and you are one. Why are you
proud of yourself? We are nothing in comparison to God. There are five billion living ones other than you, not to
mention those that have passed away. And only one of you! So you are nothing! What are you proud of? You do
not have a political position. You are not in a spiritual position, so who are you to fight, show disrespect and not to
love? On the contrary, you should make friends. Do not be a stupid person by showing pride, anger, and disrespect
to people. Out of these five billion, try to make ten, fifteen, twenty, forty friends.-They will help you. To God, you are
nothing, because you are one out of five billion, so it is as if you do not exist. It is like one divided by infinity. What
will it be? Like zero. So you are zero. Why are you proud of yourself? Everyone is so proud of himself, you cannot
talk to him! Why? Because ego is there, Satan is pushing him.
We have to try to have these three qualities respect, love and humility. When we correct our inner life and our
external manner, then we will find the way to God. And since it is difficult to correct ourselves, we have to follow
someone who has already corrected himself, to take such a person as a guide.
This piece of advice from my shaykh is also important for me to listen to. I need this because my ego is so high. I am
too happy with myself. I have to see myself as less than everyone. That is why Jesus (s) showed us a good sign and
until now Christians remember to do it, and this good sign is that you have to see yourself lower than everyone,
respecting everyone so much that you have to bend down and kiss everyone's feet, showing humility. This,
Christians still do until now, because Jesus (s) kissed the feet of his disciples. This is a sign of humility. You do not
kiss the feet of someone for the sake of the feet! You kiss them to show humility. You have to teach yourself not to
be proud. When you do this, you will win everything. So try as much as possible to break your pride and to increase
your humility. Through pride you reach satan. Through humility, you reach your Lord.
We ask success from God through the Opening Chapter of the Quran, al-Fatihahg
Footnotes
1. [9:109]. "Is he who founded his building upon duty to God" and His good pleasure better; or he who founded his
building on the brink of a crumbling, overhanging precipice so that it toppled withhim into the fire of hell? God guides
not wrongdoing folk?
2. Bukhari, Ahmad, number 38 in Nawawi's forty. The last sentence is found in a similar wording in a sacred
Tradition quoted by Abdul Qadir Gilani, Futuh al-ghayb, 13th discourse to the end.

:?

"*DUST*" wrote:

"MuslimSister" wrote:

And I don't have the reference of that hadith...I heard it in a lecture by Shaykh Tahir ul Qadri.

The full hadith is as follows..

On the Day of Judgment all the people will be gathered in the religious groups that they followed when they were on Earth. Allah (swt) will ask the Jews ‘Who did you worship when you were on earth’, they will reply ‘O Allah (swt) we used to worship your son Auzhar (pbh)’. Allah (swt) will tell them that ‘I have no son you are all lying’ he will then tell them to take their place in the fire.

Allah (swt) will then ask the same question to the Christians and the Christians will reply that ‘On Earth we used to worship your son Jesus (pbh)’. Allah (swt) will then tell them to take their place in the fire as well.

Allah (swt) will then repeat the same questions to the Muslims and the Muslims will reply that ‘On Earth we used to worship you’. Allah (swt) will then tell the Muslims to enter their ascribed places in paradise.

However the people who used to worship Allah (swt) and did EHSAN (favours) for one another will refuse to enter Paradise until their Muslim brothers and sisters who were in hell fire would come with them. They will argue and plead on their behalf in front of Allah (swt) and will say to Him, that ‘we cannot enter Paradise until our brother and sisters come with us’. Finally Allah (swt) will grant their intercession.

Then, when everyone will be in their ascribed places in heaven, some dwellers of heaven will notice that their Muslim brother and Sisters are in the heavens below them. Therefore they will ask Allah (swt) to either bring them down to the heaven in which their Muslim brothers and sisters are in or to bring those Muslim brothers and Sisters up to their heaven. Allah (swt) will say to them that ‘I can not send you down to the lower heavens, so I will bring them up to your heaven for your sake’.

(Bukhari).

ok jazakillah for the full hadith, i will try and find the reference inshaAllah.

inshaAllah Dr. Qadri is going to be at Al-Hidayah right? can one of you guys who are going do me a favour and ask him for a reference to the above hadith, as i was unable to find it. jazaakumullah khayr.

Inshallah i will be there, but asking Shaykh Ul Islam personally may not be so easy...but i could ask his students for ya

Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh Ul Haq. His lectures are some of the best lectures I've ever heard. His lecture, "Taraweeh: 8 or 20?" is a must for anyone and everyone too lazy to pray 20 Rakaah Taraweeh. Same with his 8 tapes on Aqeedah At Tahawiyah, his lectures on the life of Imam Tahawi, controlling the tongue and many many others. I rate this noble great hanafi scholar dearly.

"yuit" wrote:

I just interesting to know who the people who post on the revival follow and why and if indeed you don't follow anyone why u don't.

I personally don't follow anyone at the mo, but I would find it interesting if people give their account on who they follow and why they follow him/them and what kind of benefit they gain from it. Hopefully we can do this without anyone attacking what the other person thinks. Also people who are looking, what quality are you looking for and whether you feel it necessary to follow someone, because at times I don't.

This is a very good question. Well i try to follow the Sunnah and the Qur'an.

If i need a question that needs answering i would tend to go out myself and look for it. I would read books, look up on the internet ask people and try to ask the Imam. Whatever i think is a rational explanation and the most logical one i would go for that. Im not saying that i would go against any teaching of Islam Inshallah.

For example regarding folding up the flairs of youre trouser whilst performing salaat. Alot of people would say you don't need to and many would say you should.
So what would i do in this scenario i would try to find out from various sources that are available and then eventually make my own mind up.

Logic and common sense tells me that you should fold them up because the flairs will be touching the shoes so it would be best to fold them up.

More importantly its part of the Sunnah, whatever is the Sunnah i would strive to follow that because i believe our prophet Muhammed (may peace and blessing be upon him, his family and the ummah) is the best role model to follow and he basically lived Islam to the fullest.
So whatever the Prophet did you should find out and follow that particular way.

Islam is based upon Factual information, Logic, Common sense and Following the flow of nature. Use these criterias to make you decisions, beacause the Sunnah stems from these criterias.

If you look at nature it has serenity and calmness behind it like a bird floating in the sky, a fish swimming in the sea or the clouds moving in the sky etc.
Nature is designed to follow Allah's command such as a cloud is commanded to rain and so it does.

Logic behind this would tell me how the cloud rains, i.e the rain droplets become too heavy for the cloud to hold them so it rains. Common sense would tell me to shelter from the rain because it will drench me and i might become ill. Factual information will explain the characteristics of the cloud. The same principals applies to Islam because islam is also a part of nature.

Everything the prophet did was because Allah told him to do it in a particular way. Who else would know better than the one who created us. The Qur'an and the Sunnah is like an instruction manual advising us on how to live our life to the best.

Regarding Jamaat's apparantly splitting the ummah.

I beleive this to be absolute rubbish. If a person is going to put someone into a group, s/he will do so, if not from a jamaat one follows, then a certain mosque one attends, or a certain scholor one tends to follow.

But for sensible folks, they will not put people into groups. Many groups/Jamaats were/are created simply for the scholors who set them up to have a platform to work from.

Imam Ghazali created The Nizamiyyah school, so he could have a platform to teach from, a formal platform. In a similar way to what Imam Hasan Al-Banna did with Dar-ul-Ikhwan. N today we have Zaytuna institute, Minhaj-ul-Quran, Shaykh Ibrahim Institute etc. They are not made to create divisions, but rather to create brotherhood.

If an individual will have nothing to do with a scholor or person who is a part of an organisation/Jamaat, then that's his/her own problem. But do not mix up Jamaat with Sect. They are completely different things.

i witnessed a mass bay'ah recently. a million thoughts were running through my mind as i watched, because i'd been given the chance to take part but declined. Allahu a'alam, but i hope i did the right thing. i'm not ready to make that kind of commitment, and i don't really accord it the importance some people do.

glad i got to watch it though, it's not something you come across everyday.

"*DUST*" wrote:

"*DUST*" wrote:

"MuslimSister" wrote:

And I don't have the reference of that hadith...I heard it in a lecture by Shaykh Tahir ul Qadri.

The full hadith is as follows..

On the Day of Judgment all the people will be gathered in the religious groups that they followed when they were on Earth. Allah (swt) will ask the Jews ‘Who did you worship when you were on earth’, they will reply ‘O Allah (swt) we used to worship your son Auzhar (pbh)’. Allah (swt) will tell them that ‘I have no son you are all lying’ he will then tell them to take their place in the fire.

Allah (swt) will then ask the same question to the Christians and the Christians will reply that ‘On Earth we used to worship your son Jesus (pbh)’. Allah (swt) will then tell them to take their place in the fire as well.

Allah (swt) will then repeat the same questions to the Muslims and the Muslims will reply that ‘On Earth we used to worship you’. Allah (swt) will then tell the Muslims to enter their ascribed places in paradise.

However the people who used to worship Allah (swt) and did EHSAN (favours) for one another will refuse to enter Paradise until their Muslim brothers and sisters who were in hell fire would come with them. They will argue and plead on their behalf in front of Allah (swt) and will say to Him, that ‘we cannot enter Paradise until our brother and sisters come with us’. Finally Allah (swt) will grant their intercession.

Then, when everyone will be in their ascribed places in heaven, some dwellers of heaven will notice that their Muslim brother and Sisters are in the heavens below them. Therefore they will ask Allah (swt) to either bring them down to the heaven in which their Muslim brothers and sisters are in or to bring those Muslim brothers and Sisters up to their heaven. Allah (swt) will say to them that ‘I can not send you down to the lower heavens, so I will bring them up to your heaven for your sake’.

(Bukhari).

ok jazakillah for the full hadith, i will try and find the reference inshaAllah.

inshaAllah Dr. Qadri is going to be at Al-Hidayah right? can one of you guys who are going do me a favour and ask him for a reference to the above hadith, as i was unable to find it. jazaakumullah khayr.

i think i've found the reference for this hadith, its from Sahih Muslim (Book 1, Number 352):

Quote:

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: Some people during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Messenger of Allah! shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, and added: Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun at noon with no cloud over it, and do you feel trouble in seeing the moon (open) in the full moonlit night with no cloud over it? They said: No, Messenger of Allah! He (the Holy Prophet) said: You will not feel any trouble in seeing Allah on the Day of Resurrection any more than you do in seeing any one of them. When the Day of Resurrection comes a Mu'adhdhin (a proclaimer) would proclaim: Let every people follow what they used to worship. Then all who worshipped idols and stones besides Allah would fall into the Fire, till only the righteous and the vicious and some of the people of the Book who worshipped Allah are left. Then the Jews would be summoned, and it would be said to them: What did you worship? They will say: We worshipped 'Uzair, son of Allah. It would be said to them: You tell a lie; Allah had never had a spouse or a son. What do you want now? They would say: We feel thirsty, O our Lord! Quench our thirst. They would be directed (to a certain direction) and asked: Why don't you go there to drink water? Then they would be pushed towards the Fire (and they would find to their great dismay that) it was but a mirage (and the raging flames of fire) would be consuming one another, and they would fall into the Fire. Then the Christians would be summoned and it would be said to them: What did you worship? They would say: We worshipped Jesus, son of Allah. It would be said to them: You tell a lie; Allah did not take for Himself either a spouse or a son. Then it would be said to them: What do you want? They would say: Thirsty we are, O our Lord! Quench our thirst. They would be directed (to a certain direction) and asked: Why don't you go there to get water? But they would be pushed and gathered together towards the Hell, which was like a mirage to them, and the flames would consume one another. They would fall Into the Fire, till no one is left except he who worshipped Allah, be he pious or sinful. The Lord of the Universe, Glorified and Exalted, would come to them in a form recognisable to them and say; What are you looking for? Every people follow that which they worshipped. They would say: Our Lord, we kept ourselves separate from the people in the world, though we felt great need of them; we, however, did not associate ourselves with them. He would say: I am your Lord. They would say: We take refuge with Allah from thee and do not associate anything with Allah. They would repeat it twice or thrice, till some of them would be about to return. It would be said: Is there any sign between you and Him by which you will recognise Him? They would say: Yes. and the things would be laid bare. Those who used to prostrate themselves before God of their own accord would be permitted by God to prostrate themselves. But there would remain none who used to prostrate out of fear (of people) and ostentation but Allah would make his back as one piece, and whenever he would attempt to prostrate he would fall on his back. Then they would raise their heads and He would assume the Form in which they had seen Him the first time and would say: I am your Lord. They would say: Thou art our Lord. Then the bridge would be set up over the Hell and intercession would be allowed and they will say: O God, keep safe, keep safe.

It was asked: Messenger of Allah, what is this bridge? He said: The void in which one Is likely to slip. There would be hooks, tongs, spits like the thorn that is found in Najd and is known as Sa'dan. The believers would then pass over within the twinkling of an eye, like lightning, like wind, like a bird, like the finest horses and camels. Some will escape and be safe, some will be lacerated and let go, and some will be pushed into the fire of Hell till the believers will find rescue from the Fire. By One in Whose hand is my life, there will be none among you more eager to claim a right than the believers on the Day of Resurrection for (saying their) brethren in the Fire who would say: O our Lord, they were fasting along with us, and praying and performing pilgrimage. It will be said to them: Take out those whom you recognise. Then their persons would be forbidden to the Fire; and they would take out a large number of people who had been overtaken by Fire up to the middle of the shank or up to the knees. They would then say: O our Lord I not one of those about whom Thou didst give us command remains in it. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find good of the weight of a dinar Then they will take out a large number of people. Then they would say: O our Lord! we have not left anyone about whom You commanded us. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of good. Then they will take out a large number of people, and would say: O our Lord! not one of those about whom Thou commanded us we have left in it. Then He would say: Go back and in whose heart you find good to the weight of a particle bring him out. They would bring out a large number of people, and would then say: O our Lord, now we have not left anyone in it (Hell) having any good in him.

Abu Sa'id Khudri said: If you don't testify me in this hadith, then recite if you like:" Surely Allah wrongs not the weight of an atom; and if it is a good deed. He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward" (al-Qur'an, iv. 40). Then Allah, Exalted and Great, would say: The angels have interceded, the apostles have interceded and the believers have interceded, and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the Most Merciful of the mercifuls. He will then take a handful from Fire and bring out from it people who never did any good and who had been turned into charcoal, and will cast them into a river called the river of life, on the outskirts of Paradise. They will come out as a seed comes cut from the silt carried by flood. You see it near the stone or near the tree. That which is exposed to the sun is yellowish or greenish and which is under the shade is white. They said: Messenger of Allah! it seems as if you had been tending a flock in the jungle. He (the Holy Prophet) said: They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of Paradise would recognise them (and say): Those are who have been set free by the Compassionate One. Who has admitted them into Paradise without any (good) deed that they did or any good that they sent in advance Then He would say: Enter the Paradise; whatever you see in it is yours. They would say: O Lord, Thou hast bestowed upon us (favours) which Thou didst not bestow upon anyone else in the world. He would say: There is with Me (a favour) for you better than this. They would say: O our Lord! which thing is better than this? He would say: It is My pleasure. I will never be angry with you after this

"*DUST*" wrote:

i witnessed a mass bay'ah recently. a million thoughts were running through my mind as i watched, because i'd been given the chance to take part but declined. Allahu a'alam, but i hope i did the right thing. i'm not ready to make that kind of commitment, and i don't really accord it the importance some people do.

glad i got to watch it though, it's not something you come across everyday.

bay'ah to whom and how is it done. i dont know. i've thought about it but never taken the necessary steps

a sister frm HT group askd me if i was ready to give baya to da group. i was like no.
ive neva actauli seen sum1 giv bayah to a sheikh or orgnzition be4.

tking of sheikz and jama, i wud be in coo coo land i wasnt wid the 1 i am wid now.

long, liv, MInhaj!

is minhaj a person?

[color=indigo]Minhaj ul Quran is an organisation.

Angel has made a topic on Minhaj on the sisters forum, check it out.[/color]

i kind of unsuscribed myself from there by accident ages ago, can i get back on there?

"zara" wrote:

i kind of unsuscribed myself from there by accident ages ago, can i get back on there?

[color=indigo]Yeah, just PM Admin or Angel to add you back to the sisters forum. [/color]

"zara" wrote:

i kind of unsuscribed myself from there by accident ages ago, can i get back on there?

I've added you on. If you want more info on Mihaj-ul-Quran then visit the following site: www.minhaj.org. However if there is anything specific you want to know then don't hesitate to pm me ws x

The thing with following just one shaykh is that the people who do that is that they listen to *everything* the shaykh says. It's been mentioned above that that's a good way of avoiding confusion in issues which is a good thing obviously.

But then when there's something that almost everyone else is against, the people who have taken the specific person as their shaykh will still listen to that shaykh - which I find worrying and it just makes me feel uneasy. There are things that only one group and so those who go against the majority may well be right, but what if the evidence isn't even very strong?

I'll use an example to explain my point - Dr Tahir ul Qadri saying it's ok to celebrate Prophet Isa (as) birthday at Christmas.

***I do not mean to offend, create an argument or anything***

I just feel, from what I've seen, people seem to stop...thinking at times when they're just following someone else. And though all shaykhs are obviously at a much higher spiritual level than us, they are not infallible.