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.

Valentine's Day { Festival Of Love }

''to celebrate or not to celebrate''

Festival of Love

Once again we are at the door step of what they call Valentine's Day. A christian festival adopted from the pagan Romans which celebrates slaughtering of animals other than in the name of Allah. Every year I get fed up with our brothers and sisters spending hundreds of pounds on placing 'love messages ' on newspapers. Why are you wasting your money!? Tell your wive that you love her. Many of them are having relationships outside marriage which is totally HARAM! If you are going to commit haram, don't innovate in the religion and make it as if it is accepted.

Below is the Islamic perspective on 'Valentine's Day'

The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Romans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of "spiritual love".

There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Romans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Among the most famous of these myths was the Roman belief that Romulus, the founder of Rome, was suckled one day by a she-wolf, which gave him strength and wisdom.

The Romans used to celebrate this event in mid-February each year with a big festival.

One of the rituals of this festival was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat. Two strong and muscular youths would daub the blood of the dog and goat onto their bodies, then they would wash the blood away with milk. After that there would be a great parade, with these two youths at its head, which would go about the streets. The two youths would have pieces of leather with which they would hit everyone who crossed their path. The Roman women would welcome these blows, because they believed that they could prevent or cure infertility.

The connection between Saint Valentine and this festival:

Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient "martyrs" of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 CE. In 350 CE, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.

When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of "spiritual love" to another concept known as the "martyrs of love", represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be written on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.

The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called “Valentine’s books”, which contained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained suggestions for writing love letters.

The above quotation is excerpted, with slight modifications, from www.Islam-qa.com

As regards the Islamic stance on this festival, Dr. Su`ad Ibrahim Salih, professor of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) at Al-Azhar University, states the following:

Indeed, Islam is the religion of altruism, true love, and cooperation on that which is good and righteous. We implore Allah Almighty to gather us together under the umbrella of His All-encompassing Mercy, and to unite us together as one man. Allah Almighty says: (The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.) (Al-Hujurat 49: 10)

Focusing more on the question in point, I can say that there are forms of expressing love that are religiously acceptable, while there are others that are not religiously acceptable. Among the forms of love that are religiously acceptable are those that include the love for Prophets and Messengers. It stands to reason that the love for Allah, and His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) should have the top priority over all other forms of love.

Islam does recognize happy occasions that bring people closer to one another, and add spice to their lives. However, Islam goes against blindly imitating the West regarding a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day. Hence, commemorating that special day known as the Valentine’s Day is an innovation or bid`ah that has no religious backing. Every innovation of that kind is rejected, as far as Islam is concerned. Islam requires all Muslims to love one another all over the whole year, and reducing the whole year to a single day is totally rejected.

Hence, we Muslims ought not to follow in the footsteps of such innovations and superstitions that are common in what is known as the Valentine’s Day. No doubt that there are many irreligious practices that occur on that day, and those practices are capable of dissuading people from the true meanings of love and altruism to the extent that the celebration is reduced to a moral decline.