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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Jamada al-Awwal 13, 1432/April 17, 2011 # 16



All Muslims respect and honor Ali, r.a., and Fatima, r.a., but sectarian elements are spreading false stories about them to create conflict in the Ummah and to insult the sahaba, r.a. We publish a learned response from a writer in England to the exaggerations about Ali, r.a. Please scroll all the way down.



Latest news: [April 15 and 16]

Palestine:

15 Apr -- Few days ago, the Bedouin community of Ras Al Awja, along with International and Palestinian volunteers from Jordan Valley Solidarity, have started to build a school made of mud bricks. Ras Al Awja is a community of about 300 families living in very hard conditions. They used to live in another part of the village where today a settler lives alone in a settlement that takes the best agricultural land of the area. They now live not far from Al Awja water spring. This spring used to be one of the main water resources in the Jordan Valley, giving water for a big part of the Southern Palestine. Today the spring is dried. The occupational forces dug a deep well beside the spring and its water is now distributed only to the settlements. Settlers enjoy all kind of accommodation - running water, electricity, transportation, telecommunication, land, etc - and Palestinians live with electric pylons over their heads and water lines under their feet but can not benefit from them.

Libya: April 16: Muslim groups ['rebels"] are advancing towards Brega again. In Misrata [western Libya] Gaddafi forces are squeezing the population. Another shipload of wounded escaped. People's house-to-house resistance has thwarted a quick Qaddafi victory. [NATO says, it does not have the ammunition to help the rebels. Fox News reports.] [Qatar has sent weapons to the Muslim groups, one report says.]

Syria: The tyrant Assad is facing popular unarmed uprisings across the country, including 1,000 women in Baniyas. In Deraa 3,000 rallied and tore down the statue of the dictator's father. 4000 rallied against Assad in Homs and many more in a suburb of Damascus called Douma. The protests have spread to Kurdish areas in the north, with 5,000 rallying in Qamishlu and 4500 in neighboring towns. Assad is now saying that he is ending 42 years of emergency rule under which anyone can be arrested without cause. [The murderous regime is led by the tiny Nusairi sect.]

Yemen: Five thousand Islamic women rallied against dictator Salah in Sanaa, the capital and another 5000 women in Taiz. Now Salah says, rallies by women are unIslamic. The women's leaders rebutted him and said he should be treated under Islamic law.

Algeria: In an attack by Islamic fighters on regime troops in the Kabyle area, 13 troops were killed. [They were watching a desperate speech by the President promising reforms,] [Algeria's regime is pro-French.]

Burkina Faso [south west Africa]: Angry protestors burned down the ruling party's headquarters and the National Assembly after the dictator's troops looted shops.

Saudi Arabia: April 15. More than 500 people rallied in Qatif, an eastern city. Another 500 rallied in a nearby village. They remained peaceful, demanded the release of political prisoners and condemned the regime's atrocities in Bahrain. {The Saudis are distributing large sums of money and fatwas saying that protests are "unIslamic."}

Afghanistan: Taliban's spring offensive's first day witnessed three deadly attacks. A Taliban fighter broke into a NATO army base near Jalalabad and exploded. NATO admitted 5 of its troops and 5 of Karzai's killed. In a similar attack, a Talib killed the chief of police and his associates in Kandahar province, In a third attack, a tribal leader working with Karzai to crush Taliban was killed. [Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani is in Kabul working out a plan with Karzai to defeat the Taliban.]

Somalia: The al-Shabab Islamic forces have withdrawn from positions in Mogadishu. The steady use of heavy weapons by the western-armed "government" was undermining the al-shabab who are poorly armed and inflicting civilian casualties.. They were also running out of ammunition. Meanwhile, Canada has been shocked by the steady departure of Somali Canadian youth to join al-Shabab. Canada has arrested one such person. [Canada's prisons hold numerous Islamic dissidents.]

Kashmir: Ongoing protests over the murder of an Islamic scholar continue to rock Srinagar and other towns in Indian-occupied Kashmir. [See Syed Munawar Hasan's comment below.]



Much of Education Depends on the Teacher's Maturity & Understanding.

by Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz [ DrAAS.info ]

Hegemonic educational assumptions lead to the idea that the oppressed and the downtrodden cannot take the pressures of high quality education. Numerous schools indulge in the dumbing down of the educational system owing to these assumptions. The masses are thus marked for life as "second class."

The weakness usually lies with the teacher. Creativity, mastery of knowledge, understanding the student and the ability to inspire and transform are essential for the teacher.

[These are notes taken by New Trend from one of Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz' conversations with Jamaat al-Muslimeen's Shoora. Dr. Shabazz is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and teacher of many students who achieved PhDs.]



Islam in America.
What are the Requirements for Peaceful Transformation.
Spotlights from Imam Badi Ali [National Islamic Shoora] Jamaat al-Muslimeen

Spotlight #1: Muslims in America must learn HOW to think. The Qur'an challenges us to "observe" and "understand." Those who claim to be Shaikhs in America are going for status, for dunya, and are confusing Muslims.

Spotlight #2: Don't keep waiting for change to come to you. If it doesn't come to you, make it happen. You should be the source. Change what is within your grasp.

Spotlight #3: In America, we need the revolution of MANNERS, of conscience. Those who are cheating the system on medicaid, food stamps and other benefits are depriving those who really need help. Don't abuse the system meant to help the needy.

Spotlight #4: Every day when you wake up, Allah gives you another chance, another opportunity, a new life. Allah blesses you every day. Take the blessing and do the right thing.



Khutba on Muslim Uprisings
"O Allah! Forgive Our Ummah for having Accepted Dictatorship, Kingship, Tyranny for Decades." " Give Victory to the Muslim Masses."
"Jesus, pbuh, was disobeyed by his followers. Let us obey Muhammad, pbuh."

On April 15, 2011, Dr. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma' khutba at a small masjid in Baltimore.The main points are listed here to encourage preachers all over the country.

Texts: 'Say: "O my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives ALL sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [The Qur'an 39:53]

"Allah has cursed the one who drinks liquor and the one who sells it." [Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, in Sunan of Abu Dawud.]



On the Occasion of Jamaat al-Muslimeen's National Shoora
[Thanks to Sis. Karima al-Amin.]
USA must be held Accountable for Human Rights Violations.
A message from Imam Jamil Abdullah al-Amin

I begin in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

As-salaamu'alaikum,

I welcome the opportunity to share this message with you at such a critical time for Muslims here in this country and abroad. In the 1960s, as I spoke to huge crowds of African Americans in the streets of major U. S. cities, I reminded brothers and sisters of the concentration camps that were established and maintained while people of color overwhelmingly were the inhabitants of those camps. We know now that supermax prisons, particularly Florence, Colorado, and the CMUs in the Midwest, house the political prisoners from the liberation groups of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the most recent wave of Muslim prisoners of war.

During my speeches, I also reminded listeners that this country was waging a genocidal war against people of color—domestic and foreign. My position has not changed. This country continues to validate my position every time a bomb is dropped in countries where Muslim brothers, sisters, and children are killed or maimed. My position is validated every time a Muslim is swept off the street with bogus charges of conspiracy; and, my position is validated every day that U.S. political prisoners remain unjustly incarcerated and held in solitary confinement under inhumane conditions.

This country must be held accountable for its human rights violations. We must charge it with genocide; therefore, let your voices be heard in support of the oppressed, the liberation movements, and the plight of Muslims worldwide.

May Allah grant us victory. The struggle continues. In peace, strong! In battle, strongest!!

Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin

Florence, Colorado

[The imam has a following across America among African-American Muslims. He is imprisoned in a supermax in America's gulag.]



Separation from Oppressors- Part II
by Ashira Na'im [Secretary General, Jamaat al-Muslimeen]

There is no better time than the present to look at oppressive governments and to identify their common traits and see how "the people" are struggling with all they have to rid themselves of these oppressors. Look at EGYPT, called the "cradle of civilization" having suffered the oppression of the same tyrannical government for over 30 years. Before they rose up, there was Yemen whose people stood against the government which had oppressed them for 40 years. Then came the people of Libya who struggle still against the tyrant Qadaffi who refuses to leave after 42 years of rule over them but would rather bathe his country in the blood "of the people".

Quran: 101:1-5 Surah Al-Qariah (The Sudden Calamity (Muhammad Asad's translation))
In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace:
1) "Oh, the sudden calamity! (2) How awesome the sudden calamity!
3) And what could make thee conceive what that sudden calamity will be?
4) (It will occur) on the Day when men will be like moths swarming in
Confusion, (5) and the mountains will be like fluffy tufts of wool......"

Note: According to scholars, mountains are used to represent governments.

And some ask the question: "Why are they fighting and rebelling NOW, why didn't they do it before now?" The same question could be asked of the ones who are questioning others. Is it not the case that even though the vast majority of the people of the USA, and around the world for that matter, begged the US government not to go to make war on Iraq?

The government did it anyway, not to mention that the reasons for the war were later proven to be as suspected --"trumped up charges." Is it not the case that even though the people of this USA are complaining about the rising costs of EVERYTHING and equally increasing loss of jobs-- increasing amounts of monies are being spent to keep troops occupying faraway lands in what appears to be some complexity of paranoia?

This false sense of security was further bolstered by the establishment of the "spider web" called homeland security. And who is caught up in this spider web--why it's the very people whom it purports to protect!
As a further sign of awakening, the same people asking the question why NOW are also asking where is that printing press that can print up monies to send to every disastrous country and yet cannot print any to help its poor and middle class citizens who are losing their homes to foreclosures, losing their jobs to business closings, losing their families to drugs, insanity and other diseases; and, yet, that same printing press can give large corporations and banks (the rich) billions of dollars for their losses but nothing to its struggling citizens for theirs!!
Oh, the litany of events that truly answer the question: "Why NOW?" could go on and on and will be continued for your earnest consideration, insha-Allah.
Consider, in the meantime what Allah told Prophet Ibrahim:

Quran: 2:260 Al Baqarah-The Cow (Muhammad Asad's translation)

In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
260: "And, lo, Abraham said: 'O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest Life unto the dead!'
Said He: 'Hast thou, then, no faith?'
(Abraham) answered: 'Yes, but (let me see it) so That my heart may be set fully at rest.'
Said He: 'Take, then, four birds and teach them to Obey thee; then place them separately on every hill (around thee); then summon them: they will come Flying to thee. And know that God is almighty, wise.'"

Suffice it to say for now: When the people heard the Voice of God (Allah), they did respond.


Lest we Forget ! [Courtesy ILM Publication]
Jenin Massacre by Heavily armed Jews

3rd April - 12th April 2002
Jewish state forces entered Jenin's Palestinian refugee camp with great force. Resistance was fierce. On the 12th of April 2003 and after killing many residents and destroying most of the dwellings with armored bulldozers and explosives, the Jews retreated but not without having lost many of their soldiers.
Pictures from JENIN Camp


French Attack on Muslim Women in Burqa condemned by Pakistan

Lahore, Apr. 11: The Jamaat e Islami chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has said the French government orders for banning Burqa, forcibly putting off the Muslim ladies' veil and putting them behind the bars was the worst form of state terrorism, and part of the west's efforts to check the continuing spread of Islam, there through discrimination against the Muslims.
In a statement here on Monday, Hasan said that the strong bias of the people accusing Islam and the Muslims of extremism and terrorism had been exposed with such anti-woman tactics. He said after the 9/11, on one hand, the entire west was patronizing blasphemy of the Holy Prophet and the desecration of the Holy Quran, while on the other hand, champions of human rights and civil liberties were denying the Muslims their religious freedom and demonstrating their shameful animosity towards Islam.
The JI chief said that such anti Islam measures would undermine inter faith harmony and obstruct the efforts to prevent the clash of civilizations, besides increasing extremism.
Syed Munawar Hasan said that in fact, the rapid advancement of Islam in the west was the cause of deep agony for the biased Western rulers who wanted to check this trend at every cost. However, he was sure that these rulers won't succeed in their efforts as they could not stop the human beings in search of peace and tranquility from embracing Islam. He pointed out that the incidents of blasphemy of the Holy Prophet and the desecration of the Holy Quran had only resulted in a greater number of people coming into Islam's fold.
Kashmiri Struggle and suffering Highlighted.
Meanwhile, the JI chief also condemned the martyrdom of Kashmir Ahle Hadith leader Maulana Shaukat Ali at the hands of the Indian occupation troops. He said, the occupation army was killing Kashmiri leaders one by one to crush the freedom movement while the champions of civil liberties and world peace were silent on the Indian troops' brutalities. Syed Munawar Hasan said that India's plot to alter the Muslim majority by splitting Kashmir into Jammu and Kashmir and Laddakh states would not succeed and the Kashmiris' struggle for freedom would bear fruit very soon.

inconvenient History
Hitler Denounces Oppression of Palestinians
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_h1L588cUc

"Palestine is at present occupied not by German troops but by the English," says Hitler in this 1939 address. "And the country is undergoing restriction of its liberty by the most brutal resort to force, is being robbed of its independence and is suffering the cruelest maltreatment for the benefit of Jewish interlopers .. .. One fact is surely certain. In this case England is not defending herself against a threatened Arab attack, but as an uninvited interloper, is endeavoring to establish her power in a foreign territory which does not belong to her." From Hitler's address to the Reichstag, April 28, 1939. Palestine was then under occupation by Britain, which supported Zionist efforts to seize the country. Runtime: 1:58 mins.
[Hitler's powerful words with English translation dubbed below the screen. Masses of Germans in thunderous applause in the background. Foreground shows the suffering of Palestinians with defenseless, innocent, children facing the Jewish onslaught.]


Correcting a PhD
Dr. Dotson-Renta's Article Casts slur on Jose Padilla

[The article about the spread of Islam in the Latino population is interesting in itself, so we have excerpted it. Our reader Mujaahid ibn Abdullah, himself Latino, caught a serious error footnoted to the article. We begin with our reader's correction, followed by excerpts and intro to the PhD who deserves encouragement. - Ed. Of NT]

[Perhaps this will be picked up by Jamaat al-Muslimeen Shoora member Br. Solano, himself a Latino. -Ed.]

It's a good article which tries to remain politically correct but fails to address the truth behind the case of Abdullah Al-Muhajir (formerly known as Jose Padilla). Abdullah a United States citizen who was framed, illegally detained, held incommunicado for two years and tortured during the Bush Administration had all his civil and human rights violated.

US agents first arrested Padilla on May 8, 2002 as a "material witness" for a New York grand jury. A month later, on the eve of the hearing on his motion for release, Ashcroft held a sensational press conference, accusing Padilla of planning "to build and explode a radiological dispersion device, or 'dirty bomb,' in the United States."

Bush designated Padilla an "enemy combatant"—a category with no legal precedent—and he was shipped to a South Carolina brig. After two-and-a-half years of legal challenges mounted on his behalf by lawyers not even allowed to meet or communicate with their client, in November 2005 the "enemy combatant" designation was abruptly dropped and Padilla was transferred to a civilian jail, an action taken to head off an imminent Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of his detention.

New criminal charges were then filed that had no connection to the original allegations. Padilla was tried with two other men in Florida, and was unjustly convicted of conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism. He is now serving a 17-year sentence while he appeals his conviction. (See "US 'enemy combatant' Jose Padilla sentenced to 17 years in prison".)

....and that's just scratching the surface. See what was done to Abdullah Al-Muhajir while on the inside. horrific!!!

-Mujaahid [New York City]



Latino Muslims in the United States After 9/11: The Triple Bind
Apr 11, 2011

In the nine years since the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, many Westerners have come to view Islam (in all of its modes and refractions) as a religion associated with violence and terrorism, and to speak of Muslims living in the West as a suspicious 'other'. In the United States and Europe, Muslims have come to symbolize a possible "enemy within", doubly victimized as both potential targets of as well as objects of blame for terrorist attacks. This singling-out of Muslims has dramatically increased in the last year, as demonstrated by recent Congressional hearings spearheaded by New York Republican Congressman Peter King. Dubbed the "Islamic Radicalization Hearings," the professed goal of these proceedings has been to 'weed out' home grown Muslim terrorists in the United States.

The demonization of Islam in the United States has placed a particularly heavy burden on Muslim converts from cultural backgrounds not traditionally associated with Islam. This have been evident within the growing community of Latino Muslims, who struggle to be understood and accepted both within their Latino communities, as well as amongst the Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian populations that dominate the American-Muslim community. As a result of this, as well as the political and social backlash towards Islam in the United States, Latino Muslims have experienced a three-tiered alienation: first from their fellow Latinos who view their conversion as a betrayal of Latin culture; second, from many Americans who view Islam (and by proxy Muslim converts) with suspicion; and finally from Muslim immigrant communities, some of which consider Latino converts to be "inauthentically Muslim" because of their lack of an "Islamic" cultural heritage.

Latinos and Islam: (Un)Likely Encounters

In the United States, conversion to Islam amongst primarily urban Latinos is not entirely new, linked not only to a dissatisfaction with Hispanic culture's prevailing hierarchical, Catholic belief system, but also potentially to a defiance of state authority.

New York's Alianza Islámica (Islamic Alliance) was founded in 1975 and is one of the more established Latino Muslim groups in the United States, created at a time when the struggles of Malcolm X, as well as the Vietnam War, were still fresh in the minds of many. In the beginning, Alianza Islámica was primarily supported by a community of New York-based Puerto Ricans who also advocated for the independence of Puerto Rico, a United States commonwealth whose political future still remains uncertain. For them, Islam was a religion that rejected divisions of class and race and supported 'fighting the good fight.'

Conversion to Islam amongst members of the U.S. urban youth has continued to the present day. As then-graduate student and now Columbia International & Public Affairs Lecturer Hisham Aidi noted in a 2002 New York Times article, "Islam is entering America through the streets, through the inner city, the ghetto, the prisons...The people who are most drawn to Islam tend to be minorities, African-Americans and Latinos, who feel they've been abandoned by the powers that be, by the Judeo-Christian heritage..."1 Certainly, in choosing to convert to Islam, Latinos are breaking long-standing cultural and traditional bonds and aligning themselves with social and political discourses traditionally associated with Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian communities. As the Latino population in the United States continues to grow, this realignment presents intriguing prospects for America's religious and political future.

At the same time, the increase in Latino Muslims will no doubt affect the composition of America's Muslim communities, as well as mainstream perceptions of Muslims in this country. From New York to California, Miami to Chicago, the numbers of Muslim converts from Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean islander backgrounds are on the rise. Still, for these groups, the conversion process brings particular challenges, as they struggle to reconcile their linguistic and cultural heritages with Islamic traditions.

Latino Muslims in the United States

As Latino Muslim communities continue to grow both physically and virtually through the presence of small masjids and online sites that provide support systems for Latino Muslims, including www.HispanicMuslims.com, www.Latinodawah.org, and www.piedadislam.org, the presence of these cross-cultural groups will likely contribute to the raging storm over situating the 'dangerous' Muslim. Despite post-9/11 government rhetoric disclaiming any 'U.S. war with Islam,' law enforcement agencies have continuously exhibited "unease" with Muslim communities in this country over the last nine years.

In the documentary "New Muslim Cool", released in 2009 and filmed primarily in 2006, Pittsburgh-based Puerto Rican convert/rapper Hamza (Jason) Pérez was shown being interviewed by WHCR Harlem Community Radio. During the segment, the interviewer, a local imam, commented "You're Muslim, you're Puerto Rican, you're from the hood, you're a rapper...you sound like America's worst nightmare!" The imam's tongue-in-cheek jibe was perhaps prescient, as Hamza's home-cum-makeshift mosque was raided soon thereafter, on June 30, 2006, during Friday prayers. The FBI claimed to be looking for mosque member Larry Williams, a convicted sex offender who was suspected of gun possession and had failed to notify the local sex offender registry of his presence in the community. The FBI failed, however, to provide any explanation for breaking down the door of the mosque/home, for raiding the facility during the Muslim holy day and in the middle of prayers, or for questioning and detaining mosque members after Larry Williams had been taken into custody. As a result, many members of the north Pittsburgh Muslim community believed that the FBI had used the arrest of Williams as an opportunity to survey the mosque itself and to send a signal to the Muslim community that it was under surveillance. Indeed, many mosque attendees felt that they had been targeted simply because they were Muslim and had been successfully converting to Islam other community members in their crime-ridden neighborhood.

In retrospect, this and other raids on Muslim communities in the United States appear to have laid the ground-work for the recent, dramatic increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric from U.S. government officials. The deeply partisan King Hearings, held in March 2011, have been the most visible and high-level example of this assault.

Conclusion

For Latino Muslims, the challenges created by this massive politicization of faith have been compounded by the current anti-immigrant discourse. Regardless of religious affiliation, Latino Muslims remain 'Latino enough' to face rejection in this country based upon their immigrant identity. At the same time, they also encounter hostility from Hispanic communities who view conversion away from the Catholic faith as a denial of Latino culture and family. Finally, more established Muslim immigrant cultures often reject Latino Muslims for their lack of a shared linguistic and cultural heritage. At a time when immigrants and Muslims are under increased scrutiny, Latino Muslims are experiencing some of the most extreme forms of social alienation. As the political, social, and religious discourses in the United States become more polarized, it remains to be seen how Latino Muslims will react and adapt to these disturbing new realities.

*Lara N. Dotson-Renta holds a PhD from the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also earned a Certificate in African Studies. She holds a Master's degree in French Literature from New York University in Paris, as well as a Bachelor's degree in French and Spanish from Dartmouth College. Ms. Dotson-Renta's work, which explores contemporary North African immigration to Spain, has been published in the Journal of North African Studies amongst other outlets.



1 While conversion to Islam amongst inmates and urban youth living in high-crime neighborhoods has historically been equated with redemption and a new beginning, in recent years it has contributed to mainstream fears of "Islamic radicalization". Cases such as that of would-be 'dirty-bomber' José Padilla, a Puerto Rican who converted to Islam while in prison and who was subsequently radicalized and convicted on terrorism conspiracy charges in 2007, further complicate matters for Latino converts trying to carve out a place for themselves in the United States.



Message for Jamaat al-Muslimeen's 4.23 Shoora.
From top level US Muslim teacher of Da'wah
Jamaat al-Muslimeen must prepare to be Organized Activists for Peaceful Transformation of America

Mohtram Kaukab Bhai, Assalamu Alaikum

Alhamdulillah, what you and Jamaat al -Muslimeen [JAM] are doing is wonderful in the context of the modern age of deception and hypocrisy and I always appreciate it that there is someone who has the courage of a Mumin to stand up and warn the oppressive forces of Batil that:

"You all are wrong till you do justice to the deprived and the have-nots who abound in millions and millions in every country and every corner of this Globe, including the "mighty" USA." Every oppressor is a "ZALIM", whether Muslim or non-Muslim, if he does not treat the have-nots with Justice and fair play as the desperate cries of an oppressed soul are heard by our Creator and Sustainer . You know His revenge will be beyond our imagination when we will meet Him on the Day of Judgment.

However, I have great concern that your entire hue and cry may remain only as a slogan with the passage of time if you and your organization do not transform yourself into an Islamic Movement that struggles hard for the Iqamah of Allah's Deen in the body politic of the country as it is the only surety and an 100 % guarantee to take care of the rights and the privileges of the deprived, the oppressed and the have-nots. To make it effective have you developed the requisite team of trusted leadership/Da'ees on the pattern Rasulullah (S) built for the First Islamic State on this earth?

Only then JM will be able to make a dent in the coercive system of the day in order to make it judicious for the harmonious growth of human society that lives in this country. If you succeed in your efforts, America will become a model for humanity to accept its lead. Uncle Sam will then be loved as the savior of mankind and its credit will go to yours and your beloved companions humble efforts. It will make JM as the beauty of the time and Allah will shower His Mercy on it unceasingly.

Kaukab Bhai, it is simple, it is easy, it is feasible and you can attain it, provided you and the members of JM express their will to do it. America will then become the truthful leader of mankind and your JM and the Muslims of America will lead its destiny.
My best wishes and my humble cooperation will always be with this momentum that one day it may change the destiny of mankind at your hands. Only Allah knows the best.

Shukrun wa Jazakallah
Shamim A Siddiqi
WWW.dawahinamericas.com



Curbing Sectarian Forces
Was Ali, r.a., appointed by the Prophet, pbuh, to Lead Muslims? Did Ali, r.a., hate Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman [Allah be pleased with them]?
by Syed Abdul Khaleq [London, England]

There is absolutely no evidence in the Glorious Quran that the Messenger of Allah (saws) appointed anyone as his heir-apparent. If this appointment was so pivotal to the establishment of Islam, Allah Subhanah would have revealed it in the Holy Quran, just as He, in His Perfect Wisdom and Knowledge, revealed everything else for our guidance. It is not imaginable that the All Wise, All Knowing would forget anything and leave us with hints and innuendoes to decipher ourselves; and then hold us accountable on the Day of Judgement! Those who claim this, actually imply that our Lord and Creator is Unjust and a Tyrant! In their prejudice and ignorance, they have just not recognized Allah!

The Messenger of Allah (saws) did not appoint an heir-apparent or 'wasi'; neither Abu Bakr, neither Umar, neither Uthman, nor Ali ibn Abi Taalib. All the companions had been given such a thorough training, and their level of piety and God-consciousness was developed under the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to a standard that was never witnessed by mankind. The office of Prophethood is not like a kingdom of this world, where the king must name a crown-prince to rule when he dies!

Many years after the death of the Prophet (saws) and Hadrat Ali (r.a.), some unscrupulous and power-hungry people, to justify their own power-base and create confusion in the Islamic Ummah created this whole appointment system of 'wasi' and succeeded in breaking the One Ummah of Islam into various sects and creeds according to their own whims and fancies!

These sects base their beliefs on this one hadith of Rasool-Allah.

When Allah's Messenger (saws) alighted at the pool of Khumm, he took Ali by the hand and asked those present, "Do you not know that I am closer to the believers than they themselves?" They replied, "Certainly." He then asked, "Do you not know that I am nearer to every believer than he himself?" They replied, "Certainly." He then said, " O Allah, he whose 'maula' I am, has Ali as his 'maula'. O Allah, be friendly to those who are friendly to him and hostile to those who are hostile to him."

Even if we are to believe that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said the above words, it is absolutely incorrect to claim that from this one episode, that the Prophet (saws) appointed Hadrat Ali (r.a.) as his heir-apparent. It is absolutely incorrect to claim that 70,000 from amongst the believers and companions of the Prophet (saws) gave allegiance to Hadrat Ali (r.a.) on this occasion as the appointed heir-apparent, and no sooner than the Prophet (saws) died, they ALL turned against this one order and commandment of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and held on to all the other commandments! It is inconceivable to imagine that from amongst the 70,000 believers and companions, not even a small percentage raised a voice! And we must remember that these believers and companions were the same, who on one command of Allah and His Messenger (saws), were ready to sacrifice all they had; their property, their lives, their family; everything... for the Cause of Allah and His Messenger (saws). It is absolutely inconceivable that all of them became renegade the moment the Prophet (saws) breathed his last!

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said several similar statements to honor the other close companions, but that did not make all of them his heir-apparent! These sects just disregard all the other hadiths and take this one hadith and form all their beliefs from it!

Many years after the death of the Prophet (saws) and Hadrat Ali (r.a.), these unscrupulous power-hungry people concocted stories of enmity between Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali!
Just imagine these facts of history and decide for yourself, if indeed there was any enmity between these noble companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

It is well known that Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.) married Hadrat Fatima bint Mohamed Rasool Allah (r.a.) and had two sons from this marriage; Imam Hassan ibn Ali (r.a.) and Imam Hussain ibn Ali (r.a.).

After the death of Hadrat Fatema bint Mohamed Rasool Allah (r.a.), Hadrat Ali (r.a.) married several times and had in excess of 20 children, including 11 daughters. And in accordance of Islamic law, he had no more than four wives at any one time. At the time of his death, it is recorded that he had four wives and nineteen captives of war [married according to Islamic law ---ed.]

Hadrat Ali (r.a.) married a woman from the tribe of Banu Kilaab and her name was Muhaiyya bint Imr-ul-Qais. The children from this marriage were:

Abbas al Akbar bin Ali (Abbas Alamdar).
Uthman bin Ali.
Jaafar bin Ali.
Abdulla bin Ali.

Hadrat Ali (r.a.) later married Laila bin Masood Nashaliyyah and the children from this marriage were:

Abu Bakr bin Ali.
Obaidullah bin Ali.

Hadrat Ali (r.a.) also married a woman from the tribe of Banu Taglab and the children from this marriage were twins: a boy and a girl named:

Umar bin Ali
Ruqqayyah bint Ali

Hadrat Ali (r.a.) later married Asma bint Umais, who incidentally was the widow of Abu Bakr as Siddiq (r.a.).
I just want to point out something here:

The above is all recorded history, but the impression our clergy give is that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) only married Hadrat Fatema (r.a.). They mention Imam Hasan bin Ali and Imam Hussain bin Ali, but never talk about his other children, especially the ones named Abu Bakr bin Ali, Umar bin Ali and Uthman bin Ali.

If what some sects of Islam say about the relationship between Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and Abu Bakr as Siddiq, Umar Al Khattab and Uthman bin Affan is true, then why would Hadrat Ali (r.a.) keep the names of his sons Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman? Hadrat Ali (r.a.) only married and fathered these children after the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws). If Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman were indeed enemies of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), as some people would have us believe, why would Hadrat Ali (r.a.) name his children after their names?

Some people have tried to explain this by saying that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) kept these names, despite his enmity with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, because of political reasons! That is absolutely absurd! Those who claim this, actually dishonor and degrade the high position and the noble character of Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.), and have just not recognized the 'maqaam' of Hadrat Ali (r.a.). By explaining that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) kept these names for political reasons, they actually accuse Hadrat Ali (r.a.) of hypocrisy.... And I swear by Allah, whoever claims thus are liars!! Hadrat Ali's (r.a.) bravery, courage, boldness, daring, heroism and fearlessness have been praised by the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself, and has been appropriately recorded in Islamic history. The truth of the matter is that there was no enmity between all these noble companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws). This enmity was manufactured and invented by unscrupulous and venal people for their own political gains, years after the death of these noble and close 'sahabees' of the Messenger of Allah (saws)! And by doing so, they succeeded in breaking up Islam into various sects, and made each into a small kingdom of its own! May Allah take full retribution with the people who have played this mischief and caused chaos in the One 'ummah' of Islam.

The truth, in light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), is that the Messenger of Allah (saws) did not appoint anyone as his heir apparent or 'wasi'! The believers were trained enough to choose an 'Ameer' or 'Khalifa' between themselves in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah. The truth is that there was no enmity between the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws), Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and they all respected and loved each other in the Islamic Brotherhood that was created by Allah and His Messenger (saws).

2011-04-18 Mon 05:23:45 cdt
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