Da’i: ‘to be a cause not effect’

There will always be external challenges involved in the pursuit of any individual or shared goal. But regardless of whether they are coming from imposed conditions, blocked opportunities or other people, they can all be overcome. How you think about them and deal with them can make all the difference between achieving your goal and having your goal elude you. In any relationship, weather a business or social context, you can be one of the two positions: 1] cause or 2] effect. You are either being proactive in causing things to happen, or you are responding to the causes around you and feeling the effect of their influence on you and your goals. The difference between the two is to be found in mindset and behavior. So, when thinking about achieving goals your clearly want to be ‘at cause rather than’ at the effect’ of other people’s decisions, and this may require a shift of thinking and intelligence from your part.

‘’If you habitually react or respond to circumstances, where does the power lie in these situations? It clearly lies outside you, in the circumstances. Therefore, because the power does not reside in you, you are powerless and the circumstances are all-powerful’’.
(Robert Fritz)

This principle of cause and effect applies throughout our life. When you act and think from a position of being at cause, and you are making personal choices, you are being true to yourself, at your most powerful and open to more opportunities. In contrast to this, when you are at effect, you are reacting to others, using habitual responses, limiting your potential, perhaps blaming others, finding excuses for failure and allowing other people and situations to get in your way.

(wait for the complete article, or e-mail me at: civilisationoffaith@yahoo.co.uk)

Imam Ghazzali’s view of teaching and learning.Part 2

(Cont from Part 1)


3. Guidance through the programme of study

The teacher should never hold back good advice. The religion is built on good counsel. Guiding the student is part of religion. Groundwork must always be covered before attempting new tasks and approaching new concepts. ‘Guidance’ means reminding the student of the goal of study and condemning any desire for power, boasting and competition.

4.Sensitivity and gentleness in addressing the students

As ‘guide’ the teacher should ‘drive away’ bad characteristics. This requires sensitivity and gentleness. Reprimand should take the form of suggestion as much as possible and guidance should not be through rebuking. Rebuking and outright and direct prohibition invite deviance and stubbornness.

5. Respect for other disciplines

The teacher should never belittle other fields of knowledge in front of his students. He should respect them and prepare his students to study all useful knowledge without imposing on them his or her own personal interests.

6. Matching the lesson to what the student can understand.

The teacher should follow the Prophets, about whom the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said ‘ We Prophets have been commanded to place people in their rightful places and to speak to them according to their ability to understand. ‘ Giving students concepts which are beyond their comprehension may lead to misunderstanding and frustration. For this reason, Jesus said ‘ Do not hang pearls around the necks of pig’. The teacher has to assess and evaluate the students level and the plan and guide.

7. Dealing with remedial learners

Not all the people are the same. The teacher has to ensure, while helping learners to fulfil their potential that they are not giving work or exposed to concepts that confuse and frustrate them. Some knowledge is compulsory. The teacher has to make sure the student attains the knowledge and then, sometimes, protect the students from going too fat into what might cause harm.


8. Practising what one preaches

It is very important that the teachers ‘actions’ match what they teach. The students learn through observance of behaviour. Teachers open for themselves ridicule and accusation if their conduct belies their teachings. They will through such behaviour lose the respect of his students.

Imam Ghazzali’s view of teaching and learning Part 1

Imam Ghazzali likens study to the acquisition of wealth. There are four states in which one may be:


- Actively seeking them but relying on others

- Self sufficient and independent

- Enjoying ones hard earned acquisitions

- Enjoying and sharing ones acquisitions with others.

The forth state is the highest. The one who shares his wealth is charitable. The one who shares knowledge is a teacher. The Prophet (pbuh) said "“The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it to others”. However not all who claim to be teachers fall into this category.

In his book albidaaya, Ghazzali describes three types of teachers. ‘ There is a man who seeks knowledge as a provision for the life to come,,,, he is of the successful ones’. There is the one who seeks knowledge for worldly benefit. This person is in jeopardy. It is possible this knowledge will benefit him and he will repent before he dies. If he does not repent, he may be faced with a bad ending and punishment in the next world.

The third type has been overcome by the devil. He has chosen knowledge as a means to attain wealth and influence. In addition to this evil intention he has become arrogant and feels he has obtained a high status with Allah. Such a person is among those who will be punished in the hellfire. To be of the first category, Imam Ghazzali prescribes eight duties, which should be implemented.

1.Empathy with the students

The teacher is likened to the parent. He should feel the same duty and the love that the parent feels for his or her children. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said " I am to you like the father is to his child”.

2. Not working for remuneration

Teachers do work of the prophets; that is they educate people in the way of goodness. The prophet ((pbuh) did not ask remuneration. He said ‘ oh my people, I ask you not for riches. My reward is of Allah alone’ (Hud, 11.29)

Teachers should not feel that their students ‘owe’ them anything. They should always give the students full credit and respect for disciplining themselves in order to come closer to Allah. Teachers should not feel pride in what they have done. Although a teacher is allowed to take payment, anyone that teaches for money will soon lose the satisfaction and pleasure of teaching that is if he is teaching solely for the reason of attaining wealth.
Payment is necessary but a secondary aspect of a teacher’s motivation. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: “ Three things which (society) cannot do without paying of teachers, otherwise people would be ignorant, the selling of the Qur’an otherwise the book would become rare, and judges, otherwise people would ‘eat’ from one another.

(The final part will soon follow Insha'Allah)

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.