Book Review: "Approaching The Sunnah'

'Approaching The Sunnah'

Shaykh Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

The Sunnah still provides the stable moral framework — the grammar — that enables Muslims, by formal rules and inward sense, to know right from wrong. However, separation from the mainstream of life puts the Sunnah in danger of becoming rigid — an archaism. Addressing that danger, this book explains how the Sunnah can function as the grammar of a living, adaptive language, capable of guiding (and not shying from) the mainstream.

The first chapter sets out the qualities that characterize authentic application of the Sunnah: universality, coherence (so that different spheres of human responsibility are not split), compassionate realism, moderation, and humility.

The second explains standards and procedures for determining the Sunnah in the fields of jurisprudence and moral instruction. The third chapter illustrates through detailed examples common errors in understanding the Sunnah — reading hadiths singly without sufficient context, confusing legal and moral injunctions, means and ends, figurative and literal meanings ... — and it proposes remedies for these errors.

Shaykh Yusuf al-QaradawiShaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi Born in Egypt 1926. One of the most prominent scholars of the 20th century. He memorized the Quran before the age of 10. He is an expert on principals of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Arabic language, and other Islamic Sciences. He has published over 100 books, which are bestsellers in the Islamic world.His books cover various topics, such as: Fiqh, how to understand the Sunnah, how to understand the Qur'an, a two volume book on Zakat which is considered by many scholars as a treasure house for the Islamic library, environment, Fiqh of Minorities, poetry, and many other topics.

Shaykh Al-Qaradawi represents an original effort to make the comprehensive rules of Islam accessible and understandable to non-specialists, and he always tries to join between the principles of the religion and the problems facing the Muslims today.

The similitude of those who were charged with the (obligations of the) Mosaic law, but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is that of a donkey which carries huge tomes (but understands them not). Evil is the similitude of people who falsify the Signs of Allah. and Allah guides not people who do wrong.{Q 62:5}

Poem: 'Seeking Forgiveness'

''Seeking Forgiveness''

Below are some lines I wrote while studying Shariah. I can recall the time I began to comprise these lines; I had just finished my first year of studies (European Institute of Human Sciences) and like many people I was stressed out a bit (not too much), so I began to ponder over myself and life in general and wrote:

و كم من ليلة طالت أتتني



فلم أقدر على إستذكار علم



لأني كنت مشغولا بذنبي



لقد أدركت بعد التوب أني



كثيرا ما قد عصيت ربي



و لكني بكل العزم ماض



أحاول هجر معصيتي و ذنبي



فيا رحمن يا ذالفضل أنعم



على عبد فقير يرجو من



بمغفرة و أتبعها بعفو



و بالفردوس والجنات زدني


كتبه عبد فقير عبد الله الحسن

The translation will soon follow Insha'Allah. Its more meaningful in Arabic than in English so those of you who understand Arabic should appreciate it more.

Aftternoon Siesta

Afternoon nap 'is good for heart'


Taking 40 winks in the middle of the day may reduce the risk of death from heart disease, particularly in young healthy men, say researchers.

A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death.

The researchers took into account ill health, age, and whether people were physically active.

Experts said napping might help people to relax, reducing their stress levels.
It is known that countries where siestas are common tend to have lower levels of heart disease, but studies have shown mixed results.

The researchers in the Greek study looked at 23,681 men and women aged between 20 and 86. The subjects did not have a history of heart disease or any other severe condition.

Participants were also asked if they took midday naps and how often, and were asked about dietary habits and physical activity.

The researchers found those who took naps of any frequency and duration had a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not take midday naps.

Those who took naps of more than 30 minutes three or more times a week had a 37% lower risk.

Working men

Among working men who took midday naps, there was a 64% reduced risk of death compared with a 36% reduced risk among non-working men.

There were not enough female deaths to compare figures.

The researchers said taking a siesta may reduce stress, hence the more notable finding in working men.

Lead researcher Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, from the Harvard School of Public Health, said: "In countries where mortality from coronary diseases is low, siesta is quite prevalent.

"There have been other studies but with equivocal results.

"This study has four advantages - it's large, prospective, limited to healthy people and we have been very careful to control for physical activity.

"The thing we can say is that it's worth studying further."

He added that if backed by other trials, taking a siesta would be an interesting way of reducing heart disease as it had no side effects.

The only important factor was that people should not reduce the amount of physical activity they did in the rest of the day.

June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "These interesting findings identify that having a siesta is associated with a reduced risk of dying from a heart problem, particularly in working men.

"Having a nap in the middle of the day may help people to unwind and relax - which is important for our overall health.

"However it is important to get a balance between rest and activity, as being regularly active can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."

She added that people who felt stressed might be more tempted to have less healthy behaviour, such as smoking, eating a poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise. This would add to their risk of suffering a heart-related death.

The Doha Debates

''The House Believes....''

The Doha Debates are a public forum for dialogue and freedom of speech in Qatar. Each month, invited speakers debate the burning issues of the Arab and Islamic world in front of an audience who are encouraged to participate by asking questions. The Debates are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of the BBC's HARDTalk programme.

The Doha Debates are hosted and funded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development which is headed by Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar.

The audience is made up of people living in or visiting Qatar. University and senior high school students, from a wide range of different countries in the Arab world and beyond, comprise half of the audience. To register for tickets, please go to, 'Attend The Debates'.
The Doha Debates are broadcast around the globe on BBC World. They are now in their third series.

The aim of the Doha Debates is to allow a public exploration of the important issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds and apply the principles of free speech and democratic decision-making through the use of this traditional debating format. The purpose is also to create a sense of social responsibility that will carry through to real life. The Qatar Foundation is well known as a venue where people of various backgrounds, expertise and opinions can share knowledge and exchange views.

The Doha Debates have a format similar to the traditional `Oxford Union' debate, where discussion centres on a "motion", usually a controversial statement. Two teams argue for and against the motion; the discussion is then thrown open to the audience, directed by the chairman, Tim Sebastian. At the end of the debate, a vote is taken and the chairman announces the result, declaring the motion to have been passed or rejected by "the House". Tim Sebastian's international reputation of tough questioning and straight talking sets the tone of this ground-breaking enterprise.