Great message masha’Allah. We all believe there will be tomorrow to correct our mistakes, change poor actions, and treat people in our lives better. Each moment is spared to us by Allah. We have no guarantee of tomorrow.

Hanifah

Firstly to all other users of this site, I apologise for using this forum in this way.

Br. Mahmud, I have now been trying to contact you for the last 3/4 days in order confirm my family’s Umrah bookings, but there has been no response from your office number (White Jewel - 08456 80 80 80) or your email.

As you are aware we are due to travel next Friday, 23rd May 08 and as yet you have not provided any details of confirmed bookings for the flights, hotel bookings and travel arrangements whilst in Saudi Arabia.

I must say that I am at this point very concerned about what is going on. We have already paid you for the flights and deposits for the hotel bookings, etc and this continued lack of acknowledgement from you/your company is very worrying.

I would appreciate if you receive this message if you could contact my brother Faisal urgently via his email address faisalatif225@yahoo.co.uk or on his mobile 07989 470 921.

I again apologise to other users of this site and to you for using the forum in this way, but to be honest I am getting a little desperate right now.

Shehzad Latif

I think there are a number of key topics that we should really focus on for our brothers and sisters across the world.

1. Importance of Prayer - If we pray 5 times a day, a huge percentage of us do not, especially when it is a barrier for most of us from all types of fitna and fasad. The prayer is the most important matter after the testification. Some scholars, in particular from the hanbali madhab say to intentionally miss just one prayer takes one outside the fold of Islam. Narrations of the Prophet salallahu alayhe wa salam which say that the distinguishing barrier between a muslim and a disbeliever is the prayer. It is one of the single most important acts of worship that every Muslim must perform, whether a new muslim, sick, bed bound etc. (unless he/she is not sane or unconscious i.e without mind). So how can we neglect it!?

2. Importance of Istiqama, steadfastness - especially in these times when Islam is maybe even as prophecised such that it is like holding onto hot coals. Keeping to the principles of Islam and not compromising our faith and succumbing to monetary gains or peer/community pressures etc.

3. Ideological attack - I would love to do a piece which talked about the silent war which has brought many of us to our knees, has changed and warped minds and thoughts of Muslims. (although perhaps not a priority)

4. Reflection on the Qur’an - how many of us have read the qur’an from start to finish, not just in arabic but in our own language? In Surah fatiha we ask Allah to guide us, at least 17 times a day. In Surah Baqarah the first ayat tells us that this book is that guidance for those who are pious. So just read it, everyday, an hour a day, a few moments a day, in our own languages. We can read Harry potter once, twice, thrice many a time but what about the book sent to us as guidance for our life. How can we make ourselves the people of the Qur’an once again?

5. Who is right? - The matter of ijtihaad the valid and the invalid. The general layman’s view and response to all the fatawa he/she sees being thrown about.

SO many ideas, so much to do! For me I would love to start a project to produce short compelling documentaries like this amongst a few like minded people. But I think all of you are states based and I am in Makkah! I have seen some of the ad’s and other work done here and I really do enjoy this side of the media and your willingness to provide a real islamic alternative without compromising its principles. I am actually one of the directors of a Hajj and Umrah firm in UK, called White Jewel - but one of my hobbies is in media production, I love learning and using tutorials on After Effects and Premiere and I made my second TV advert for my company while passing the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmdEogq24Oc

It’s a bit jerky and low quality on youtube but one of our aims of that video was not really solely for our company but to really give the avg. abdullah and amatullah the impetus/urge to go and do Hajj whether it be with us or anyone else. But just go do it and not delay! In the same way I think alot of emphasis is required on the prayer, istiqama, returning to the qur’an etc. in order I believe to form the foundation for every Muslim to take Islam back to its days of glory, everything else well it will come naturally - the prayer protects us, istiqama gives us hope and tawakkul through our trials and tribulations and the qur’an with its explanations is our guidance in every matter. Allahu Alam.

Just only thing now is, where and how to start it??

Yousaf, you said, “i would love that video idea way more than a video on music”

Which video are you talking about?

yousaf

I don’t think anyone is “criticising” these scholars. They have been mentioned as great scholars, Shaykh Qardawi, haafidhullah, is a shaykh as well, but not as great as Ibn Hazm raheemullah, I am sure he would agree with that too! BUT they are not free from error either as they are from the children of Adam alayhis salam. The difference is that when they make ijtihaad they still get rewarded EVEN if they make mistakes. But certain opinions go against ijma’, they go against fundamentals which many many scholars will have cited as invalid opinions. This is not criticising the scholar this is rejecting his opinion because it goes against an ijma.

I don’t think that was the best statement to say by Shaykh Birjas on Ibn Hazm raheemullah. Even though Ibn Hazm was known to be of the dhaahiri madhab in usul, and one of his famous opinions was that he believed that for a man NOT to pray in congregation would make his prayer invalid not even disliked. You may follow an opinion of an Imam on one matter and not his other opinions as long as you genuinely believe it is the sunnah and you are not following your desires. But I think Shaykh Birjas response was more in line with the fact that the majority of scholars of his time, before and after rejected that opinion on music. Allahu Alam.

Regarding doing a film on music. I do not think its a wise thing to do. It is a matter of fiqh which currently is under debate. The debate is NOT for the masses, they do not have the tools to really fairly judge a debate on the matter. This matter should be left to the scholars who really should finalise this. The problem really is that the shabab have brought this matter into the public arena either for their own benefits, their own nasheeds etc. and it has brought a scholarly debate to the masses. It was a recipe for disaster and has been a disaster. Nasheed artists now sell their nasheeds with “instrumentals” when only 3-4 years ago they would never dream of doing so! So why the change? Have we advanced? Has our knowledge of Fiqh advanced in the last 3-4 years and not the 1400 yrs before that? I think we really really should reflect on world events and climates and how they certainly aid certain “revolutions”.

I think a more general film, like a documentary with many many different scholars regarding how to deal with differences of opinions in general. That is what opinions are we allowed to differ on and it is HARAM for us to split from another upon, and what opinions are from the fundamentals and we cannot differ on and it is HARAM not to split i.e make iftiraaq upon. etc etc. These would be principles which if it sinks in to the general person then this is best, then people can judge an opinion or a “popular” matter when it comes for themselves in the correct way. If you always give the people the answers they keep coming back for more, if you give them the tools then they can decide on certain matters themselves.

EVEN if you truly and sincerely believe in the very weak opinion that music is halal with its restrictions does it make sense to produce music for the masses whom on the whole would believe it is not allowed, or traditionally understood it to be not allowed? I think the answer is obvious, to say Hip Hop is part of American culture and as this is OUR culture so Islam must utilise the da’wah on this part of the culture - that is very dangerous territory. We certainly know we are close to the end of times:

That he heard the Prophet saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful….” - Bukhari

Mahmud

Salams
yousaf

About Ibn Hazm’s opinion on music:

I remember someone once mentioned to Yaser Birjas about Ibn Hazm’s fatwa on Music, and Sh. Yaser replied back(paraphrasin): “Well, if you want to follow Ibn Hazm’s fiqh on music then you should also follow the rest of his fiqh as well, where Ibn Hazm was also of the opinion that every prayer must be done in the masjid”.

salams
your brother, yousaf

Inshaallah this summer Im taking couple of film/video editing classes…im working on developing myself as a film producer…im still in the WAY beginning, but inshaallah, with allah’s help and some dedication, I really think I can do it…with a good teacher

Im gonna see you a lot in the summer inshaallah…well talk about it soon
I think im going to make it my first real project…something I can learn how to shoot/edit/produce videos with, while at the same time befiting the Muslims by putting all these articles/scholarly opinions into an unbiased, interesting mini documentary that is easy to understand and makes everything clear

Awesome idea Belal…I already started brainstorming about it

Jazakallahu Kharyan

AlSallamualaykum