Truth was established

Thanks revolution for this mutala'ah, this elucidation:

This is an example of the ayat ‘So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them...’ (8:al-Anfal,the Spoils of War:17)

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ

The following occurred in Afghanistan.

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Mutala‘ah (n.): Elucidation; Ascertainment of the truth – tawqi‘at al-haqq -- for those who know initially or after a question from them referring to events in the world. Tawqi‘at are signatures authorizing action on a petition; thus it might be ‘validating signs of the Real.’ However, the translation has drawn on a Qur’anic use of the root verb – waqa‘a al-haqq – ‘Truth was established’ [7:the Heights:118]. The two versions reinforce each other.

Banking on Allah banking escapes fallout of global financial crunch

“The collapse of the capitalist system based on usury and paper and not on goods traded on the market is proof that it is in crisis and shows that Islamic economic philosophy is holding up. “ -- al-Qaradawi

Islamic banking has largely escaped the fallout from the global financial crisis, thanks to rules that forbid the sort of risky business that is felling mainstream institutions. But experts say that because of its heavy reliance on property investments and private equity, the booming 1.0 trillion dollar global industry could be hit if the turmoil worsens and real assets start to crumble.

"In the current financial turmoil, it is interesting to note that Islamic financing may have prevented a majority of the mess created by the conventional banking and financial institutions," Kuwait Finance House said in a report. "The outlook for Islamic financing is bright and will likely take the lead in terms of providing funding for major projects as the conventional banking system reevaluates its business model."

The rules of Islamic banking and finance -- which incorporate principles of sharia or Islamic law -- read like a how-to guide on avoiding the kind of disaster that is currently gripping world markets.

(1) Islamic law prohibits the payment and collection of interest, which is seen as a form of gambling, so highly complex instruments such as derivatives and other creative accounting practices are banned.

(2) Transactions must be backed by real assets -- not shady repackaged subprime mortgages -- and because risk is shared between the bank and the depositor there is an incentive for the institutions to ensure the deal is sound.

(3) Investors have a right to know how their funds are being used, and the sector is overseen by dedicated supervisory boards as well as the usual national regulatory authorities.

"Islamic banking has, thus far, remained positive, despite the current challenging global financial environment," said Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the central bank governor of Malaysia, which is Southeast Asia's leader in Islamic banking. Zeti said this month that because of the slowing global economy, plans for Islamic "sukuk" bonds had been postponed or scrapped by companies including Kuwait's Abyaar Real Estate Development Co. and Malaysia's Perisai Petroleum.

And Jennifer Chang, a partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, said that given the extent of the global crisis, Islamic banks may suffer damage despite their strong position. "Islamic banks, especially in the Middle East, got heavily into private equity and real estate investments, and a lot of loans may be backed by properties. So if the property market goes down, there will be an impact," she said. "If a borrower is not able to pay then the bank will foreclose and the question is -- can you sell the property in the market and at what value? These are issues which all banks can face."

There have been calls for the conventional banking industry to take a leaf out of the book of Islamic finance, which also shuns investments in gaming, alcohol and pornography in favour of ethical investments. Influential Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi earlier this month called on Muslims to take advantage of the turmoil to build an economic system compatible with Islamic principles. "The collapse of the capitalist system based on usury and paper and not on goods traded on the market is proof that it is in crisis and shows that Islamic economic philosophy is holding up," said the Egyptian-born, Qatar-based cleric.

In recent years the sector has broken out of its niche and been embraced by mainstream banks. As well as basic bank deposits and investment accounts, it has expanded into areas including equity funds, bonds and Islamic hedge funds.

Abhishek Kumar, a senior research analyst at Financial Insights, a company under market research and analysis firm International Data Corp (IDC), said recent events may further boost the sector. "More and more institutions will be interested in providing Islamic services to diversify their risk portfolio," he said, while warning that in the current financial storm there were no absolutely safe harbours. "We're not really sure what the real extent of the impact is, and whether we've passed the worst of it or not, But the extent is not going to be as bad as in the mainstream sector," he said. -- Agence France-Presse - 10/20/2008 1:18 AM GMT

‘Trade is just like usury’ … Did they really say that?

A credit crunch that originated in the United States (wherein NY is the riba city of the world -ed.) is sending shockwaves across the world, causing global stock markets to sink to fresh lows. Despite authorities' best efforts to stave off the crisis, there are growing fears that they may be powerless to stop the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression.

Scene 1: SATANIC TOUCH

Know that riba literally means a growth or an addition. The additional amount, collected over and above (za’id ‘ala) the capital given as a loan, is interest or usury. It is an abuse or a misuse of the power one holds over the weak or the needy, and therefore, strictly forbidden.

Those who say usury is only like trading cannot rise up save in a state of insanity as those rise up whom Satan has prostrated by his touch.

الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لاَ يَقُومُونَ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا
“Those who devour usury cannot stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: ‘Trade is just like usury,’ but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury.” [2:the Cow:275]

Scene 2: Did they really say that?

“I am confident in the long run, the (default: ribawi –ed.) economy will come back.”
- US President George W. Bush

msn malaysia news: They really said these things … Quotes of the week

Scene 3: CRACKING UP

"The school of Marxism has collapsed and the sound of the West's cracking liberal democracy is now being heard."
- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the global financial crisis.

Related Articles: ‘This is a reminder: If you like you may take the path to your Lord.’ [76:al-insan:29]

The Qur´an & Riba – by Sayyid Tahir
The Importance of the Prohibition of Riba in Islam - by Imran N. Hosein
Strategy for the Elimination of Riba with Special Reference to Existing Debts - by Sayyid Tahir

We have nothing else to say except: ‘Our Lord! forgive us our sins and transgressions in our duties, establish our feet firmly, and help us against those who resist Faith’ [3:ali imran:147];

ربَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

‘Whomsoever I kill, I am his ransom’

AFP has reported that Australian PM Kevin Rudd says that the holy warriors are cowards. We simply cannot hear this: it makes the Ali blood in our veins boil. These offensive words don’t call for explanation or interpretation, no matter whether their sayer is Rudd or Bush. ‘Grievous are the words which come out from their mouths.’ [18:the Cave:5]

Know, and God may guide us, that they, the holy warriors, are the martyrs of Love. The holy hadith ‘Whomsoever I kill, I am his ransom’ is a reference to their stage (maqam).

They are always under the crushing (sahq under qahr) weight of their affective experience (halan wa dhawqan), and have no moment of rest. For rest is in forgetting, and since they are in the stage of perpetual effacement (mahw da’im) -- awaiting execution -- there is no possibility for them of forgetting Allah (swt) and asking for forgiveness from infidels.

“The distinguishing mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel -- like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers -- that He may enrage the disbelievers with the sight of them.” [48:the Victory:29]

The degree of their realization and knowledge of all that which has been created is as perfect as the creator (khaliq), save the finest span between the finite and the infinite.

The first degree of realization (tahaqquq) they reached is the scene of istiwa in the highest part of the horizon (ufuq) which is the highest stage of the angelic force (jabarut), at which appear the two arcs -- the arc of creation, khalq and the arc of Godhead, uluhiyyah -- to meet each other. Here they heard a voice (saying): "Glory be to Me. I am the Lord of the angels and the spirits. My mercy subdues My wrath."

Then moving further beyond (wara’) the dualistic view (ithnayniyyat) they entered the state of awaiting or pending -- not terminated -- between the finite and the infinite, joining point (nuqtah, dot) of the two arcs, after which comes the phase of aw adna (or nearer) where all dualistic considerations concerning the two arcs disappear. The whole becomes a circle wherein the absolute infinite manifests overall encompassment and penetration. At this stage of total submission and absorption, they come into direct communion (munajat) with the infinite absolute and receive most important message which is known to them and their Lord.

Imam Ja‘far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq says: "It was in this state the command relating to wilayah or imamah with finality was revealed to the Holy Prophet." The Imam further says that "what he saw" has nothing to do with the ordinary sense of seeing but it refers to the realization the cognitive self of the Holy Prophet achieved.

So understand that mukhlas is the one who has been chosen by God and reserved for Himself. We can look for the truth of ‘the eye did not swerve, nor did it go wrong’ here. At this level Love means the will to obey. Here the object is to remove the evil objects. Therefore, when evil objects are removed – as per istiwa, the prophetic walayat is realized. After that, whatever progress we make will be in the area of prophetic perfections. ‘Our Lord! forgive us our sins and transgressions in our duties, establish our feet firmly, and help us against those who resist Faith’ [3:Ali Imran:147];

ربَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

Brotherhood of Believers

Fighting a Winning Battle

For some the idea – hajis -- that Muslims could unite together into one unified Islamic State under the banner of a Khilafah is a distant pipe dream. But for us establishing the Khilafah is not a pipe dream. It is within the realm of qaba qawsayn, wait for that good time which is not so far.

To all Brothers & Sisters of Islam,

Firstly, we must all realize – tahaqquq -- that Allah (s.w.t) is not in any need of us. With Him lies all knowledge and power over all things. If we, the Muslims, embark on the mission to re-establish His deen in this world, we are indeed fighting a sure-win battle, for Allah (swt) will surely re-establish His deen on earth whether or not we contribute to the process. Hence, by taking part in this process, we are actually helping ourselves, and not helping Allah (s.w.t), for Allah only has to command "Be" and it is! -- kun faya koon. Hence, do not let shaytaan's whispers – waswas -- cast doubts in your hearts as to whether the caliphate is a practical reality, and let us place all our trust in Allah (s.w.t) and join in this process for which we already know the end result is victory to Islam. May Allah (s.w.t) reward us for our contributions and efforts.

Secondly, it might be of concern – himmah -- to some brothers & sisters as to how we can find a person who strictly leads an Islamic way of life and has the caliber to lead the entire Ummah in this time and age. Now, let's recall that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was sent to the tribe of Quraish, and he (s.a.w) was sent during the period of Jahiliyah -- ignorance. Most of the Quraishi were known to be corrupt evil-doers, and no one at that time could have imagined that the Messenger of Allah, the chosen one, would emerge from this sort of tribe. Eventually, he (s.a.w) managed to establish Islam to the perfect state by the will of Allah (s.w.t). Similarly, today, we find it unimaginable to find a truly righteous person who will be capable of leading the entire Ummah politically, socially, economically, militarily, etc. Hence, once again, we must place all our trust in Allah (s.w.t) to provide us such a rightly guided Imam -- Imam Al-Mahdi, and knowing that He is the All Mighty; we will find that chosen person as long as He wills. And judging from the authentic Hadith found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibnu Hambal which ends as ".... afterwards, there will be Khilafah according to the ways of Prophethood...." So, let us pray to Allah (s.w.t) to reward us with that rightly-guided Imam.

And Allah (s.w.t) knows best.

JazakalLah
Brotherhood of Believers

Warning to Bani Israel: ‘Ye verily will work corruption in the earth twice, and ye will become great tyrants.’ - God

In The Night Journey 17:5 The Lord said: “So when the first of the warnings came to pass, We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning completely fulfilled.”
In Jeremiah 25:9 The Lord said: "I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will exterminate them and make them a thing of horror and derision, a scandal for ever."
In Jeremiah 52:4 to 27 the annihilation of the Jews along with their king Zedekiah and his sons and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar in 586B.C. are mentioned in detail. The Babylonians penetrated through their lands, their temple, and their homes, and carried away the Jews, men and women, into captivity.
The return of the Jews from the captivity was about 520 B.C. They started life afresh. They rebuilt their temple. They carried out various reforms and developed a new Judaism under the guidance of prophet Uzayr (as).
In The Night Journey 17:7 The Lord said: “So when the second of the warnings came to pass, We permitted your enemies to disfigure your faces, and to enter your Temple as they had entered it before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power.”
The Jews again showed a stiff-necked resistance to Allah's message in the time of prophet Isa (as); and the inevitable doom followed in the complete and final destruction of the temple under Titus in 70 A.D, when they rejected the message of Isa (as).
The misery of the Jews lasted from the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus to the establishment of their state in 1948. If they again make mischief in the world, there will be no respite for them. It is a prophecy: “It may be that your Lord will have mercy on ye, but if ye again return (to disobedience) We too will return (to punishment), and We have made hell a prison for the unbelievers.” [17:8]

Rasulullah: Ya Allah, siapa saja yang menjadi pengatur urusan umatku, kemudian ia membebani mereka, maka bebanilah ia.

At 5pm sharp every day, clerk Badrishah Bani, 43, rushes off from his office to start his second job – as a petrol station attendant. Being the sole breadwinner of his family, Badrishah said he had no choice but to take up another job to make ends meet, following the increase in petrol prices.

Forced to take up a second job to make ends meet

Housewife: We depend on God to help our family

Miracles: The sun is not to be blamed if one cannot see - Let the blessed ones enjoy their pleasure, the poor lover is happy with the pain he has.

pix courtesy of heliconia
Miracles are neither a part of walayat nor its condition; they are only a condition of nubuwat. However, miracles do happen at the hands of the saints, and this is common knowledge. There is hardly a wali who has not done a miracle.

But everyone knows that the greatest of the saints is not equal to the smallest of the sahabat. To look for miracles is to prove one’s inability to see the truth and follow it faithfully. The ones who benefit from the teachings of the prophets and saints are those who have greater ability to follow the truth than the ability to examine it theoretically.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him) did not demand arguments for accepting the Prophet’s claim, because he had power to follow the truth. On the contrary, Abu Jahl lacked this power, consequently he did not testify to the Prophet’s claim even though he saw many wonderful signs and mighty miracles.

It is regarding these unfortunate people that God says: ‘Even if they see all the signs they would not believe. They have become so obstinate that they come in order to argue with you, and say that this Qur’aan is nothing but the legends of the people of gone by.” [6:25]

The sun is not to be blamed if one cannot see; Let the blessed ones enjoy their pleasure, the poor lover is happy with the pain he has.

PM acknowledges he is a cause in BN-Umno polls setback, pledges to work towards rehabilitating the party despite calls for his resignation

PM to work towards rehabilitating the party
JOHOR BARU: Acknowledging that he was one of the causes of the setbacks suffered by Umno and Barisan Nasional in the 12th general election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday said he felt responsible to now work towards rehabilitating the party despite calls for his resignation.
The Umno president also pledged to revive BN and Umno by delivering on his past promises.
Abdullah's stand came just after a pledge of support for him from all of Johor's 26 division chiefs, putting to rest rumours that Umno leaders in the state were going to ask him to step down.
There had been calls the past few days from certain Umno quarters for him to resign from the government and the party over the ruling coalition's poor showing in the general election last month in which the BN, for the first time in its history, lost control over five states and a two-thirds majority in parliament. "I admit I was one of the causes for these losses. I also understand that there are many things that need to be done. There are many reforms and changes that need to be done, such as reforming the judiciary, fighting corruption, reducing crime and improving the public delivery system.
"There are also other issues that need to be tackled that are related to inter-racial relations and religious freedom.
"These are some of the promises I made in the 2004 BN manifesto and I must implement them," Abdullah said after a meeting with Johor Umno leaders here. Some of these matters were already being worked on, such as the economy and reforming Government-linked companies, he said.
"I am responsible for doing all these. Some of it has or is being done while others take a bit more time."Abdullah also hinted at changes in Umno as some of the policies that it helped put forward in the BN had led to the ire of voters.
"The party can be very strong, but the rakyat can throw it away over something which they cannot accept. Some of these things include issues concerning inter-racial and inter-religious relations."Responding to fresh calls on Thursday from Kedah and Penang Umno leaders for him to resign, Abdullah said that was their view.
"Not all of them feel that way. But never mind. I have said before that I will not remain for very long.
"But I have a mandate from the people to continue, and I have a responsibility to rectify the issues that led to our losses." Before the start of the press conference, Johor Umno State Liaison chief Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman pledged the support of all the state's 26 division chiefs for Abdullah, putting to rest rumours that they were also going to ask him to step down.On a related matter, Abdullah said Umno would look into suggestions that the system to choose general election candidates be reviewed as disgruntlement among its division leaders over the party's choices was a factor in the BN's losses.
"This system is based on consultation and has been the time-honoured practice. On the one hand, they (grassroots leaders) want the senior leadership to decide but when we decide, they don't agree with the choice.
"It is complicated but we will do our best," Abdullah said.
Bigger, better units in housing scheme [in Iskandar Malaysia] – nstonline

To establish the rule of the Shari’ah is to do the work of the prophets – waliwibowo
If along with the work which you are doing, you could also enforce the Shari’ah you would be doing the work of the prophets (peace and blessings upon them), and would be rehabilitating the desolate house of Islam and restoring its glory. After that, whatever progress you make will be in the area of prophetic perfections.

To establish the rule of the Shari’ah is to do the work of the prophets

To establish the rule of the Shari’ah is to do the work of the prophets
If along with the work which you are doing, you could also enforce the Shari’ah you would be doing the work of the prophets (peace and blessings upon them), and would be rehabilitating the desolate house of Islam and restoring its glory. We Sufi, on the other hand, if we work for years and years, even lay down our lives in this cause, shall never reach anywhere near you. – sheikh waliwibowo

PM: Tell your family before you convert
By V.P. SUJATA
PUTRAJAYA: The Government will soon introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die.

He suggested that non-Muslims who intend to convert have a form or letter declaring that their families had been told and had understood his or her decision.

Noting that there was no such regulation at present, Abdullah advised them to inform their families to “make things easier for everyone.”

“We will have a regulation. When a person wants to convert to Islam, we have to ask him whether his wife knows about it. If people want to convert, there is nothing wrong, why must they hide? Tell them (the family).

“We don’t want problems later when the man converts and converts the children also, when the wife has rights too,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the National Council on Islamic Religious Affairs here yesterday.

Abdullah pointed out that withholding such information from the family would pose a problem to religious authorities performing their duties.

He said he told those at the meeting that religious issues were “very sensitive” and should be tackled wisely to avoid racial tension.

This included the demolition of places of worship and funeral disputes, he said.

Abdullah also said that it was agreed that the halal certificate would now be issued by the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HIDC) but would still bear the logo of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

He said the meeting also discussed the assimilation of Jakim’s research officers into the HIDC.

Related Story: Religious bodies and Bar laud move

source: thestar - http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/11/nation/20919261&sec=nation

Multi-faith council supports 'tell family' law – themalaysianinsider

Malaysia's non-Muslims hail plan to defuse conversion rows – AFP via MSN News

MCA welcomes 'Converts must tell their family' ruling OTHER STORIES: Praise from religious leaders for 'Converts must tell their family' ruling / Converts must tell their family -- thesun

The eye did not swerve, nor did it go wrong

Tajalliyat whether they occur in the guise of forms and figures or under the veils of lights and colors, happens in walayat, particularly in its early stages. Nubuwat, on the other hand, meets the real directly w/out encountering illuminations and appearances which are the shadows of the real.

Similarly, in traversing the stages of the prophetic path, we do not get tajalliyat, but when we come to the prophetic way thru the saintly way, we receive them. This happens, however, due to walayat rather than due to traversing the path of nubuwat.

In short, illuminations and appearances signify shadow, and one who has renounced the love of shadows is liberated from tajalliyat. We can look for the truth of ‘the eye did not swerve, nor did it go wrong’ here, and here, and here...