The Story of a wise Imam

As salam Alaikum wr br

A Wise Young Muslim Boy Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în
(the
generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of
Islam.
In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the
great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic
knowledge.
One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with
three
challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he
informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged
the
Muslims to answer.The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of
the
city and the Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said,
"I
have come with three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave
with
you a great amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of
Rome."
As for the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In
which
direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this
moment?"The
great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to
these
questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of
Islam
was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will
answer
him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the
permission of
the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission to
do
so.The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first
question,
"What was there before Allâh?"The boy asked, "Do you know how to
count?""Yes," said the man."Then count down from ten!" So the Roman
counted down, "ten, nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he
stopped counting"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy."There
is
nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.
"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one',
then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One'
who
is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the
Manifest, the Hidden?"Now the man was surprised by this direct answer
which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which
direction
is Allâh facing?""Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and
tell me
in which direction the flame is facing.""But the flame is just light-
it
spreads in each of the four directions,North, South, East and West. It
does not face any one direction only," said the man in wonderment.The
boy
cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions
such
that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of
the
Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens and the
Earth!?
Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all times.
"The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child
answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue
against the
proofs.
So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing
so,
the boy said,"Wait!
You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is
giving
the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come
down
to where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right
now, in
order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."This
seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was
standing
and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final
challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"The boy
proudly
answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this high platform a
liar
and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And
as
for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh, He raised him up and
established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah
55
ar-Rahmân, Verse 29).
"The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his
country, defeated.
Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous
scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom
and
knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh 'alayhi-
Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'dham, the
Great
Imâm and scholar of Islam.


[Adapted into English from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written by Imâm
Muwaffaq
Ibn Ahmad al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al - Kitâb al-'Arabiy, Beirut,
1981/1401H.]Biography of Imam Abu Hanifa - by Dr. G.F. HaddadLife of
Imam
Abu Hanifa No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG -
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Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For you are the All-Hearing, the All-knowing. (Al Qur'an 2:127)
__________________________________________________________________

Muslim Women, Domestic Violence and the Role of Education and Awareness Programs

By Altaf Husain
Imagine not knowing anything about Muslims except that they are sponsors of terrorism and that they are usually Arabs. With regards to women, the stories are even bleaker. They show that Muslims oppress their women, that they arbitrarily marry more than one wife and that their view of women is demeaning enough to condone honor killings. Sound a bit like the evening news? One can ask oneself just how much positive information is ever presented about Muslim women or the family structure in Islam?

A majority of the news about Muslims in North America rarely seems to be produced from an educational or informative point of view. Rather, the public is given unhealthy doses of sensational and unrepresentative stories about incidences of domestic violence, honor killings and child abuse in the Muslim community. What the media fails to mention is that among the six to eight million Muslims in North America, abuse is rare. There is no doubt that we have our problems. However, our problems are the exception and not, as the news media seem to present it, the rule. Even less is mentioned in the media about the efforts of the Muslim community in North American to address issues related to social services with children, youth, and the family.

Ironically, one of the most positive aspects of Islamic law is the freedom, honor and prestige it assigns to Muslim women regardless of their race, nationality or socioeconomic status. No other religion or ideology can parallel the high regard that Islam has for women. For example,
Two Nigerian women in school.
the truth about the modest head covering (the hijab) may be shocking to the average person unfamiliar with Islam. Muslim women do not consider themselves oppressed because they have to wear modest clothing and to cover their hair. On this point of Islamically prescribed clothing, a Muslim woman rarely considers it a factor limiting her personal growth. Indeed, given the vastly important role ascribed to women in Islam, it seems rather shallow to only limit the discussion to what kind of clothing they wear. Even a simple survey would reveal a surprisingly high number of Muslim women who are educated and involved in professional careers. Of course, much like in the larger American society, there are also many Muslim women who despite possessing degrees in higher education are choosing to stay at home despite possessing degrees in higher education. These women are choosing to do this in order to devote more time to their children and families.

Furthermore, the Muslim community in North America owes its tremendous growth and vitality to the adaptive abilities and resilience of our women. As a community of immigrants and new American entrants into Islam, we have relied heavily on Muslim women to help in all aspects of professional and community life. It is worth reiterating that the Quran in no way condones or tolerates the abuse of one human being by another and especially not the abuse of women. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stressed to his companions that the best among them in stature would be the one who is the best in his dealings and treatment of his wife. If there is so much to be appreciated about the Muslim women, what leads to the incidences of domestic violence or any other problem involving maltreatment and abuse of women? How prevalent is the problem?

Addressing Abuse in the Muslim Community

The Muslim community needs to make great strides towards the establishment of local social service providers. In addition, the community must undertake several measures to gather more information about the incidences of domestic violence and other forms of abuse in which women are the victims. In general, documenting cases of abuse possesses several challenges to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Women experience intense feelings of guilt and shame assuming that their actions perpetrated the abuse. Some women fear that reporting the abuse may bring harm to the abuser. The result in either case is that women rarely report cases of abuse. Further efforts are necessary to educate women about abuse and to increase their awareness about the availability of professional help. Such efforts may lead to greater self-reporting cases of abuse.

Role of Muslim Human Service Professionals

Similarly, Muslim human service professionals need to educate the entire Muslim community about abuse and about the negative consequences of abuse on the mental and emotional health of the women involved. Efforts in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto and Winnipeg are beginning to address domestic violence issues. More work is needed. Increased funding and support from government and foundation grants must be sought to sponsor educational and awareness programs. Overall, the pioneering efforts of human service professionals in some of the major cities deserve support from both the public and the private sectors. The abuse of women in any form tears the social fabric that binds together not only families but also communities in general. The Muslim community is very much concerned about the incidences of abuse and violence that occur in all families and especially in Muslim families. The media and policy makers must convince themselves that abuse is neither condoned nor tolerated in Islam. Finally, the Muslim community needs to take additional steps to increase the awareness of Muslim women about abuse and the availability of resources to address the mental and emotional health concerns arising from abuse.

Altaf Husainis a social worker in the United States and has been a contributing writer to IslamOnline since its inception.

Muslims...The Importance of Manners ....Bukhari's Book of Manners #360, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Hakim

The Importance of Manners

________________________________________
...Abu Darda' reported that the Prophet of Allah, upon him be peace, said,

"Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds than one's good manners."

Bukhari's Book of Manners #271, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Ibn Hibban.
________________________________________
Abu Huraira, r.a., said,

"I heard Abu al Qasim (the Prophet), say, 'The best among you in Islam are those with the best manners, so long as they develop a sense of understanding.' "

Bukhari's Book of Manners #286 and Ahmad
________________________________________
The Prophet (saaws) said:

"The most beloved of Allah's servants to Allah are those with the best manners."

At-Tabaraanee collected it, and Albani authenticated it in Silsilatul-AHaadeethis-Saheehah (#432).
________________________________________
... 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said,

"The Prophet of Allah was never obscene or coarse. Rather, he used to tell us that the best among us were those with the best manners."

Sahih Bukhari, Muslim, and Tirmidhi
________________________________________
... Anas said,

"I served the Prophet of Allah for ten years. During that time, he never once said to me as much as 'Oof' if I did something wrong. He never asked me, if I had failed to do something, 'Why did you not do it?,' and he never said to me, if I had done something wrong, 'Why did you do it?' "

Sahih Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad
________________________________________
... Abu Huraira, r.a., said that the Prophet of Allah said,

"If one has good manners, one may attain the same level of merit as those who spend their nights in prayer."

Bukhari's Book of Manners # 285, Hakim, and Abu Dawud
________________________________________
... Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet of Allah said,

"And what is most likely to send people to Paradise? Being conscious of Allah and good manners."

Bukhari's Book of Manners # 290, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad
________________________________________
... Nawas ibn Sam'an reported

that the Prophet of Allah was asked about doing good and evil. He replied, "Doing good is having good manners. Doing evil is what troubles you inside and what you would not like others to know about."

Bukhari's Book of Manners # 296, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Darimi, Abu 'Awanah, Hakim, and Ibn Hibban.
________________________________________
The Prophet of Allah said,

"He who does not show mercy to our young or show esteem for our elders is not one of us."

Bukhari's Book of Manners #360, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Hakim