Another Journey

[Afghanistan2010]

god creates free will in the individual.

god is beyond our human perceptions of reality and creation.

Yes even the worst of the created Shaytan (ones Haris was an angel made out of fire) Allah could , destroy him at that very moment when he disobeyed Allah the most high.But Allah showed how generous he is to his slaves,and let him speak and gave him even time for which the Shaytan asked for.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

In the next section of surah baqrah, God indicates that he has no qualms about using parables of even the smallest of creatures. It took me some time to ponder on what this verse pretained to. What I could come up with was the following:

1) Arab poetry (e.g. the Mullaqaat of Imru Al Qays) offers powerful metaphors. We Pashtuns, being a tribal nation filled to the brim with poets offering their stanzas on thrones and eagles soaring high can easily grasp what the environment must have been like. The Quran on the other hand, since it is not poetry, deviates from these motifs and uses examples of the bees, spiders, and gnats from time to time in its discussions. The Bukhari tafsir hadith section does not comment on this verse. However, one could easily conclude that the sahabaa and the Prophet encountered criticism from the poetic Meccans regarding the usage of such small and, in the minds of the Meccans, insignifcant animals. The Quran appears to rebuke its critics and remind them that there is a purpose behind its citations of these creatures. Centuries later we would see that military arms designs and research would go into trying to understand how these amazing creatures operated with such finesse (e.g. the ease with which a fly lifts off and lands, the degree of strength of the spider's web, the colony forming unit behavior of the bee, etc); there remains much to be learned from these small creatures that may not carry the beauty of a racing steed or soar in the skies like an eagle. I am in no way asserting that the Quran predicted these advancements and studies. I am simply pointing out that the arrogant look at the meek and think they have nothing to learn from them. The Quran points out that even the mightiest of creatures (man) can learn much in a parable from the simple behavior and nature of these small creatures.

2) An example of just how important massalaahs and parables and the utilization of the "right" animal reference can be seen in the historian views of Musaylamah the False Competitor Prophet of the era. He is mocked as having produced imitating verses of the Quran describing the elephant in the most awkard of ways.

So once again, the Quran sets itself apart from the poetry of the day with its parables of all types, relying on a number of different creatures in the animal kingdom. Moreover, it does this well, imparting a lesson for its readers from each of these sections of the revelation.

The reference, though, may very well remind the reader of the ayaah to come which tells the reader that the Quran has its foundational verses that form the corpus of the law and that these are foremost and that it also contains allegories that ought not be weighed in such a way as to overturn the sections of the law. In this same way, these parables are there to guide and teach, but not to supercede the Quran's central message if taken in this context.

The next section deals with the creation of man. I find this to be one of the most profound sections of the Quran. Commentators take the section where God says to the angels that he will teach man the "names" of things to mean "the natures" of things.

With all the misery, death, and destruction we see around us, it is hard not to dwell on the words of the phalanx of angels that were assembled. They say to God "Why would you put such a one on the earth that will create blood shed?" Ah, therein lies the rub!

This small section defines the necessity of God given law above the laws of man:

What differed with the creation of this vicegerent?

Well, remember the angels are innocent. They only hear a command and they obey it. This is made clear in Islamic theology. What makes Satan distinct from the angels is that they do not have the capacity to disobey God. In fact, the rest of the animal kingdom functions in this same way.

What changed everything was the development of the cerebral cortex. That single development altered everything. Now, you had a creature with the capabilties to dominate the food chain in the air, the land, or the sea with this new arrangement of neuronal structures.

Allow me to provide an example for comparison. Man has a base animal nature to him, and we see glimpses of this behavior in the animal kingdom.

Take silver back guerillas: They travel in polygamous groups with one head king male and multiple female mates. If a female guerilla dies, her offspring are likely to be killed off by competitive "wives" of the King.

Now the silver back, the shark, the Lion, these predators effect their enviroment locally. Even if one species begins to rapidly gain ground, the silver back for instance, does not have the ability to destroy whole ecosystems single handidly or dominate multiple others.

Man, on the other hand, armed with the most developed cortex can fly, swim deep, find his way into the deepest jungles, kill off species in the span of a few decades, and destroy large swathes of land covering multiple ecosystems. With a single economic blow he can lay low whole peoples.

So in this sense the troop of angels saw the destructive capabilties of man and thought that this ran contrary to the rest of creations obedience to God.

God, however, showed them man's ability to learn. Even if we neglect the deeper translation and take "the names of things" to literally mean that God took some objects, creatures, etc and taught man "their names," the meaning is still profound. It means that man has the ability to acquire information and to store it away for subsequent utilization.

So now, the necessity of the sharia and of obeying God's law comes to the fore. If man obeys the deepest animal desires... his destructive capabilities are unmatched. Societal fabric, when subjected to the animal nature of man, is threatened. Every Pashtun here can understand this. Whenever a new woman is bought into a family from a "stranger" family, she goes through his animalistic hazing process that is merely the attempt of the recieving family to hoard resources from this new "threat." Orphans lose land to their uncles in the droves. On the world wide level, nation states believe that they are in a constant competition for dominance and resources... and behave accordingly. That amazing cerebral cortex, when harnassed, has bought out the most sophisticated weapons of war. Man that does not respect his neighbor can ruin his neighbor's household and honor if he neglects the torah and the Quran.

Therefore, this new development... this new cerebral cortex resulted in man's vicegerency, but also paved the way for him to receive revelations. These revelations would seek not to undo fully man's animal nature... but rather to harnass it and redirect it for the greater good. This is what the application of God's law seeks to do. The Quranic law understand's man's needs and allows for them to be answered, but in a way that will serve the greater good and not destabilize what man builds by God's leave. This is exactly why God has warned mankind that disbelief in him doesn't do a bit of harm to God. Instead, our adherence to his sacred principles and to his laws serves to establish a natural balanced and just order. Yet, unlike communism, it does not seek to perfect man. This divine law takes into account, forgives, and compensates for man's failings.

Note also the difference between the description of the tree in heavan that Adam was forbidden. Unlike in Genesis, the tree is not some sacred tree of knowledge and God is not some vengeful God trying to make sure Adam doesnt become a God of sorts himself. Instead, God is ever watchful for the safety of his creation, warning Adam and his wife that the tree is harmful to Adam.

Another very deep element found in these few ayaahs is that the concept of what God knows and what he allows to happen is revealed to man. God told the angels that he would make Adam his vicegerent on earth. He knew that this is where Adam would go. The concept of free will is displayed fully for mankind in these verses for those that seek to understand how predestination and free will intertwine. God knew Adam would end up on Earth, but it was Adam's own decisions of his own volition and free will that bought him there. I wonder... does this mean that multiple outcome possibilities exist and that free will is a sort of juncture in time where man is permitted to walk on 1 of two or many paths with his decisions?

The final appealing part of the verses is that God says "get ye down from here with enmity between yourselves." Is this what that tree actually held for Adam? Is this what the harm was in its fruit? After all, Satan led them to partake... and his greatest joy is to separate man from his brother. God however indicates that although Adam's choice has reprecussions, God will be there for him should he adhere to the verses that come down.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Starting from the beginning of the Quran, from the Opener (fatiha) to what is to be discussed, the following commandments are direct hidaya and commandments from God that we have gleaned:

1. Believe in the unseen
2. Establish prayer to God
3. Spend out what God provided on those that are less fortunate
4. Believe in the divine revelation of the Quran and believe that it is a continuation and a summation of the revelations given to prior Prophets
5. Do not cause corruption on Earth
6. Do not be hypocritical by claiming that you want to improve the conditions of others and bring peace to the world when you merely want to bring division, corruption, and spread hypocrasy (ayah 11 of Surah 2)
7. Believe but couple this to deeds of righteousness (Islam corrects the former religions and seals the debate for all times regarding what is important... faith or good deeds?... it answers that both must go hand in hand).
8. Do not break convenents or separate what God has deemed united (e.g. marriage partners, people in a treaty)... (ayah 27 of Surah 2)
9. Obey God's commands with the knowledge that what he allows and what he forbids is not to augment his power (he does not need us to do this) but rather to help us avoid calamities and to avert wrong we do to our selves (e.g. the story of Adam hints at how the tree from which Adam ate had nothing to do with knowledge of the divine... but that when Adam ate it he brought harm to himself in the form of sowing enmity between humans).


The next set of sections of the Holy Quran deal with an address to Bani Israel. An urgent appeal occurs for them to read their own book. The irony therein, for any Israeli who reads his Bible closely (and for any observers of the religious "People of the Book", is that the book chronicles the utter lack of obedience the Israelites had for the Bani Israelite lineage of Prophets. Moses is disobeyed and is taunted by the leaders of the tribes and yet God continues to have mercy on the Bani Israel. In a sense, there is guidance for the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in these ayaahs as well. Just as the Israelities achieved a Kingdom, the followers of the Prophet conquered Jerusalem and large swathes of the world. We might assume we are in a phase of cleansing and are suffering from committing the same misdeeds that the Bani Israelites did before us.

Many in the Muslim world and other critics of Islam in the Occident claim that Muslims are in a state of practicing taqqiyah, or are acting as crypto Islamists in the West. The Quran clarifies and delineates what the difference is between strategy and pertending for gain.

In the addressal to Bani Israel God give them the following set of commandments that apply to us as well:

10. If you know truth, do not cover it up. Religious truth should not be mixed with falsehood to either make it acceptable or more palatable to the wider public or for personal gain (ayah 42)

11. Do not turn religion into a thing of monetary gain in connection with 10.
12. Be happy with the blessings God gives you and be thankful without being envious.

The setting for this commandment to the Israelites was not in regard to seeking worldly accomplishment... but rather to force them to remind themselves of how God provided meat and energy rich foods (manna and quails) for then in the desert when they were lost. They however hungered for the riches and spices of the Egypt that oppressed them and killed their first born sons.

13. Do not steal from your fellow man without due right or for fear of misery and poverty.

This commandment can be gleaned from the ayah wherein the Israelites thirsted for water, which, in the desert, was as precious as oil is to the modern super power. God gave them 12 springs, indicating that he provides for all on this Earth. No tribe ought to think it right to steal water from the other 11 when they were provided for.

14. When a commandment from God is given, do not tarry about trying to find ways to stretch the law to the point of breaking the rule sent down. (This is the story of the heifer that is from where the name of the Surah itself derives from)

15. Do not invent scripture or law where God sent none (2:79)

16. Do not worship any God except the One God (i.e. Al-Lah)

17. Be good to your parents

18. Be good to your relatives

19. Care for the orphans and those in need

Commands given to the Jewish Arabs in the Peninsula in Medina itself that we can say have universal value and apply for all times

20. Do not break treaties

21. Do not turn people out of their land or homes

22. Obey the laws of humanity and war and understand that if you win such a war as when you took someone's lands without due right, you added insult to injury by selling them for ransom.

23. Be careful in assuming that you have a special contract with God that gives you a passport to Heavan. THis hearkens to the command in Islam to couple faith to good works.

24. Hunger for life is not a problem, its a human trait (even the Prophet said that we should work hard for today as if we were to live forever and practice our faith with such vigor as if we would meet our maker on the morrow). However, greed is not a part of this hunger and is condemned.

25. Do not make up theology about God's angels or Prophets (this is in the section wherein the Jews are told to not heap calumny on Gabriel).

26. Do not take knowledge that can benefit man and twist its purpose to evil ends. This command can be gleaned from the directives regarding the Babylonians and how the knowledge of Harut and Marut was misused to destroy marriages.

Now the ayaahs go back to the general population again

27. Use respectful terms when discussing God's Prophet or addressing him.

28. Remember that it is partly the animal nature of the nafs to want to hoard resources, do not be like some of the unbelievers who do not want good to befall the Muslims. We should want good for all humanity and understand that God sends down blessings and sustenance to who he wishes. To be jealous or wish ill on others is not the trait of a believer. (ayaah 105)

29. Do not be confrontational with the Prophet of God as the Israelites were with Moses

30. Multiple ayaahs instill shame in the hearts of those that think they can pass judgement on the fate of the after lives of others. There are multiple ayaahs (2:111-112 and 2:62). HOWEVER, the caveat to this is that God himself delineates that these folks who are hanifs and seekers are ones who have faith in him and practice good works. This ayaah is not an acknowledge of the right of others to ignore spiritual guidance or to confront it with the retort that they do not need to listen because the Quran itself has a measure of tolerance in these ayaahs. To reiterate, God clarifies that he has mercy for all who seek him and practice good on Earth. Our learning from this command as Muslims is to understand that we cannot be arrogant and claim that we have automatic keys to Heavan.

31. Do not dismantle the masjids of God and strive to destroy them.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Hidaya (guidance) and commands from the sunnah in Sahih Bukhari (currently reading volume 1 and volume 6)

1. Imbibe the Quran and do not ready it hastily. Also, do not recite it with such speed that it becomes difficult to understand.

2. Be generous all the time, but augment this in Ramadan

3. Per the hadith regarding Heracles, do not betray, do not worship any God besides the the One God (Al-Lah)

4. Per the same hadith, speak the truth and be chaste

5. Pay the zakaah

6. Perform the hajj

7. Do not harm other Muslims with your own two hands or your tongue

8. Greet kindly those you know and those you do not know

9. Wish for your brother the same good you wish for yourself.

10. Love the ansaar sahabaa

A controversial hadith of Ibn Abbas occurs in the first volume. The discussion centers around the majority of the dwellers of hell fire being women. What I have noted is that the missionaries and critics that thrust this hadith to the fore do so incompletely. The hadith is conditional, and its words matter... all of its words. The hadith does not make a blanket claim against all females. The key verbatim sentence is: "If you have (i.e. you Muslim men) always been benevolent and good to them..."

Moreover, one has to examine this hadith temporally. Judgement day had not occured yet and the Prophet was shown Hell at that juncture. There is no debating that fact whatsoever. The exact nounage and verbage of the hadith makes this clear.

11. Much hoopla has been made by the anti Muslims regarding slavery in Islam. Despite the fact that none of the three monotheistic religions issues a clear emancipation proclamation, these folks make sure to hold Islam to a different standard then the Westernized form of Pauline Christianity and the completely inaccurate form of Judaism being practiced today. In fact some here have made absurd statements about how Islam attempts to perpetuate slavery and they offered no evidence. The Sunnah makes it clear that this is to be the way Slaves are treated:

"At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.' "

Volume 1, book 2, number 29

The common retort given is that these folks do not take exception to the defined rules of how to treat slaves in peace time, but rather war time slaves. Once again, the Sahih Bukhari proves this claim to be fraudulent, trite, uninformed, and purposefully ignorant and malignant at the same time. Here is the hadith that defines exactly how a woman slave is to be treated:

"Allah's Apostle said "Three persons will have a double reward: 1. A Person from the people of the scriptures who believed in his prophet (Jesus or Moses) and then believed in the Prophet Muhammad (i .e. has embraced Islam). 2. A slave who discharges his duties to Allah and his master. 3. A master of a woman-slave who teaches her good manners and educates her in the best possible way (the religion) and manumits her and then marries her."

Book 3 Number 97

If anything, this is the only example in a religious text from antiquity in which the rights of slaves, the duties of slaves, and the honor of freeing slaves is defined.

12. Do not be a hypcrite with the following traits: 1) All your words are lies 2) breaking promises 3) Not returning things entrusted to your care 4) Quarreling in an evil and insulting manner

13. Do not be so extreme in your religion so as to burden yourself. Practice balance in your prayers and deeds. (Book 2 number 38 and number 41). When discussing religion, do it in a balanced way and in a timely manner so as not to over do it and turn people away from faith (Book 3 number 68).

14. One cannot marry their milk foster siblings

15. When handling lost things, do the following: Make sure that the public knows the product has been misplaced and where to find it. After a year has passed and none has claimed it, its usage is appropriate but if someone claims it, it is still not yours to keep. Finally, there are appropriate things to claim are "lost" and other things that malignant people may claim are lost so as to steal from others. The example of the former that is given is a camel. Recall that many animals carried a brand of their owner and could find their way back to their land while grazing.

16. Do not dishonor the Prophet or Islam by asking inane questions.

17. When teaching others repitition of a point by the teacher may enhance learning of the listener or learner.



14. Couple good intentions to good deeds; in fact intention is paramount (refer to the change in qiblaah and the fact that the Muslims who had died before it occured did not lose an iota of good deeds per the Quran saying so).

15. Attend the funerals of fellow believers and start with the procession, pray the jinaza, and go to the burial site.

16. If you have doubts about an action being acceptable to God, consider staying away from it until you find out its status.

17. War Booty has a 1/5th percentage tax on it

18. The types of goods associated with forbidden activities that are harmful (e.g. drinking) are to be shunned (e.g. shot glasses).

19. It is improper to place unfit persons in positions of authority (hadith 56 book 3). It is improper to give verdicts without knowledge or to elevate such ignorants into positions of authority to do so (Book 3 number 100)

20. It is an obligation to convey religious and other types of knowledge to future generations.

21. It appears that those that claim the Prophet's time was a free love paradise where women prayed in the same lines as men and sat in the same classes as men have no basis in the literature to support such a claim. This does not entail that they ought to be locked away, rather it entails that the Prophet set aside specific time for teaching both of the sexes separately (Book 3 Number 101). The fools that claim this is Arabization of the divine have no basis for such an absurd claim as the hadith is not a command but a description of how the Prophet taught the first generation of Muslims.

22. Do not make war in Mecca

23. Do not ascribe false statements or actions to the Prophet

24. The name Muhammad is permissable as a name for the children of the ummah, but one cannot take the Prophet or any other person's bloodline and claim it falsely.

25. In Mecca, one must be extra wary of picking up lost things without being able to find the owner, such is its sacredness

26. The right of the wrong family of a murdered individual is to either forgive and take blood wit or to ask for the death penalty should the verdict be rendered against the murderer

27. It is sunnah to sleep some of the night and pray in the late hours of it

28. The intention being a huge part of the deed is impressed again upon the reader when various companions are described as coming to the Prophet and being contrite when performing hajj rites inthe wrong order. The Prophet tells them to simply finish the other rites and makes no major issue of it.

[Afghanistan2010]

I very appreciate you brother BarakzaiAbdali.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Commands from the Quran

1. Believe in the unseen. Later ayahs in Baqrah cmannd that belief entails belief in the day of judgement, the Prophets, the Angels, the Books sent down.
2. Establish prayer to God
3. Spend out what God provided on those that are less fortunate. Do not be greedy with your wealth and be kind to your needing kin, the wayfarer, the orphan, and those that ask for help.
4. Believe in the divine revelation of the Quran and believe that it is a continuation and a summation of the revelations given to prior Prophets. Later in the surah the command is elucidated upon: Affirm that we believe in the Quran and that we view it as an extension of the revelations given to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the 12 tribes.
5. Do not cause corruption on Earth
6. Do not be hypocritical by claiming that you want to improve the conditions of others and bring peace to the world when you merely want to bring division, corruption, and spread hypocrasy (ayah 11 of Surah 2)
7. Believe but couple this to deeds of righteousness (Islam corrects the former religions and seals the debate for all times regarding what is important... faith or good deeds?... it answers that both must go hand in hand).
8. Do not break convenents or separate what God has deemed united (e.g. marriage partners, people in a treaty)... (ayah 27 of Surah 2)
9. Obey God's commands with the knowledge that what he allows and what he forbids is not to augment his power (he does not need us to do this) but rather to help us avoid calamities and to avert wrong we do to our selves (e.g. the story of Adam hints at how the tree from which Adam ate had nothing to do with knowledge of the divine... but that when Adam ate it he brought harm to himself in the form of sowing enmity between humans).


The next set of sections of the Holy Quran deal with an address to Bani Israel. An urgent appeal occurs for them to read their own book. The irony therein, for any Israeli who reads his Bible closely (and for any observers of the religious "People of the Book", is that the book chronicles the utter lack of obedience the Israelites had for the Bani Israelite lineage of Prophets. Moses is disobeyed and is taunted by the leaders of the tribes and yet God continues to have mercy on the Bani Israel. In a sense, there is guidance for the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in these ayaahs as well. Just as the Israelities achieved a Kingdom, the followers of the Prophet conquered Jerusalem and large swathes of the world. We might assume we are in a phase of cleansing and are suffering from committing the same misdeeds that the Bani Israelites did before us.

Many in the Muslim world and other critics of Islam in the Occident claim that Muslims are in a state of practicing taqqiyah, or are acting as crypto Islamists in the West. The Quran clarifies and delineates what the difference is between strategy and pertending for gain.

In the addressal to Bani Israel God give them the following set of commandments that apply to us as well:

10. If you know truth, do not cover it up. Religious truth should not be mixed with falsehood to either make it acceptable or more palatable to the wider public or for personal gain (ayah 42)

11. Do not turn religion into a thing of monetary gain in connection with 10.
12. Be happy with the blessings God gives you and be thankful without being envious.

The setting for this commandment to the Israelites was not in regard to seeking worldly accomplishment... but rather to force them to remind themselves of how God provided meat and energy rich foods (manna and quails) for then in the desert when they were lost. They however hungered for the riches and spices of the Egypt that oppressed them and killed their first born sons.

13. Do not steal from your fellow man without due right or for fear of misery and poverty.

This commandment can be gleaned from the ayah wherein the Israelites thirsted for water, which, in the desert, was as precious as oil is to the modern super power. God gave them 12 springs, indicating that he provides for all on this Earth. No tribe ought to think it right to steal water from the other 11 when they were provided for.

14. When a commandment from God is given, do not tarry about trying to find ways to stretch the law to the point of breaking the rule sent down. (This is the story of the heifer that is from where the name of the Surah itself derives from)

15. Do not invent scripture or law where God sent none (2:79)

16. Do not worship any God except the One God (i.e. Al-Lah)

17. Be good to your parents

18. Be good to your relatives

19. Care for the orphans and those in need

Commands given to the Jewish Arabs in the Peninsula in Medina itself that we can say have universal value and apply for all times

20. Do not break treaties

21. Do not turn people out of their land or homes

22. Obey the laws of humanity and war and understand that if you win such a war as when you took someone's lands without due right, you added insult to injury by selling them for ransom.

23. Be careful in assuming that you have a special contract with God that gives you a passport to Heavan. THis hearkens to the command in Islam to couple faith to good works.

24. Hunger for life is not a problem, its a human trait (even the Prophet said that we should work hard for today as if we were to live forever and practice our faith with such vigor as if we would meet our maker on the morrow). However, greed is not a part of this hunger and is condemned.

25. Do not make up theology about God's angels or Prophets (this is in the section wherein the Jews are told to not heap calumny on Gabriel).

26. Do not take knowledge that can benefit man and twist its purpose to evil ends. This command can be gleaned from the directives regarding the Babylonians and how the knowledge of Harut and Marut was misused to destroy marriages.

Now the ayaahs go back to the general population again

27. Use respectful terms when discussing God's Prophet or addressing him.

28. Remember that it is partly the animal nature of the nafs to want to hoard resources, do not be like some of the unbelievers who do not want good to befall the Muslims. We should want good for all humanity and understand that God sends down blessings and sustenance to who he wishes. To be jealous or wish ill on others is not the trait of a believer. (ayaah 105)

29. Do not be confrontational with the Prophet of God as the Israelites were with Moses

30. Multiple ayaahs instill shame in the hearts of those that think they can pass judgement on the fate of the after lives of others. There are multiple ayaahs (2:111-112 and 2:62). HOWEVER, the caveat to this is that God himself delineates that these folks who are hanifs and seekers are ones who have faith in him and practice good works. This ayaah is not an acknowledge of the right of others to ignore spiritual guidance or to confront it with the retort that they do not need to listen because the Quran itself has a measure of tolerance in these ayaahs. To reiterate, God clarifies that he has mercy for all who seek him and practice good on Earth. Our learning from this command as Muslims is to understand that we cannot be arrogant and claim that we have automatic keys to Heavan.

31. Do not dismantle the masjids of God and strive to destroy them.
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32. The next direct command begins in ayaah 120 of surah 2: It says that the People of the Book will not accept the theological argument of the Muslim until the Muslim cedes his belief. This makes complete sense as a Christian or a Jew would not be loyal to their crede were they to accept the premise of Islam. Therefore Islam tells the believer not to be cajoled away from faith by trying to gain their acceptance... i.e. its completely illogical. Therefore the Quran orders the Muslim to affirm their faith and tell these folks that God's guidance is the sole guidance.

33. We must believe in the Quran and recite it as it is.

34. The next set of ayaahs are a request to the Children of Israel, but we can assume it applies as much to us. We are commanded to remember that receiving this message was a blessing from God.

35. We are to be conscious of a day or reckoning.

36. We are to take the station of Abraham in Mecca as a place of prayer and, as Abraham and his son were ordered, the haraam must be kept pure for the sake of its utilization by the devotees.

37. Take Abraham and his practice of his faith as a role model.

38. Do not die except in a state of Islam

39. When the Jews and Christians enquire about your position in the monotheistic pantheon take hold of the root of it and claim it for Islam. That is, claim Abraham for the Muslims and tell them that you are the inheritors and followers of the faith of Abraham.

40. Do not make special distinctions between the Prophets, this is only for God to do.

41. Tell them we follow God's law and that we need not seek out baptism as there is none that can "baptize" into belief better than God himself whose faith we follow.

42. When the argue absurdities with you, indicate to them that their deeds are their own and yours are your own.

43. Do not cede ground and allow the Christians or Jews to make the claim that the Prophets of old were jews or christians by their corrupted definition of the faith. Remind them that they are guilty of expunging and hiding revelation (refer to Jeremiah in the Bible where the Bible itself indicates that "the false pen of the scribe has made it into a lie."

44. When unbelievers ridicule the direction you pray explain to them that this is not a simple ritualistic thing. Indicate that the Quran itself says God owns East and West and that you do not simply associate a ritual with righteousness.

45. However, Islam is the completion of the mellenia old message and it is distinct. In the Biblical text even Daniel prayed 3 times a day toward Jerusalem. Now the Muslim is ordered to shed off the shackles of the false scribes of old and to turn to a new direction (the haram e sharif in Mecca) and to understand that taking this stance is a test from God as well. Standing apart from the crowd and taking a stance is as much a test as it ever was.

46. Be competitive in doing good deeds

47. Remember God with the knowledge that he remembers you.

48. How we seek help is through exercising a pateint attitude and through acts of prayer

49. Do not refer to those that died in God's path as simply "dead" as they are alive in ways we do not percieve

50. We will be tested with fear, hunger, lost loved ones, and lost treasure. It is recommended to us to practice patience and to persevere.

51. When the above occurs, we are to say: To God we belong and to him will we return.

52. The walk between the hills of safa and marwah are taken back from the pagans and refered to as a ritual originating from God. The Muslim is told to not have fear and to not associate this Hajj rite with paganism.

53. Do not conceal revelation from God. If you do so and repent God will forgive you.

54. Eat of lawfully from lawful things on this Earth

55. Do not take Satan as a friend.

56. Forbidden are dead animals, blood, swine, and meat devoted to other Gods. If there is no option man ought not harm himself and know that he should take the nutrition has body needs for survival and know that God forgives.

57. Belief entails belief in the day of judgement, the Prophets, the Angels, the Books sent down.

58. Righteusness is in freeing the slave and giving zakaah (the tithe), being patient in poverty, hardship, and keeping your word.

59. The law of a life for a life (i.e. the murderer for the murdered except in manslaughter) or paying the family should they opt for it is stressed.

60. The Muslim is commanded to not exceed the above law. This is a warning to not punish the nation, the family, the tribe, the clan for the sins of a single man.

61. Muslims are to be conscious of the need for a will to be in existence and to find honest executioners and witnesses of the will. Family members are to recieve the inheritence.

62. Next time starting with ayaah 183.

[Al Hanif]

Very very nice reminders brother Barakzai.

بارك الله فيك

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Hidaya (guidance) and commands from the sunnah in Sahih Bukhari (currently reading volume 1 and volume 6)

1. Imbibe the Quran and do not ready it hastily. Also, do not recite it with such speed that it becomes difficult to understand.

2. Be generous all the time, but augment this in Ramadan

3. Per the hadith regarding Heracles, do not betray, do not worship any God besides the the One God (Al-Lah)

4. Per the same hadith, speak the truth and be chaste

5. Pay the zakaah

6. Perform the hajj

7. Do not harm other Muslims with your own two hands or your tongue

8. Greet kindly those you know and those you do not know

9. Wish for your brother the same good you wish for yourself.

10. Love the ansaar sahabaa

A controversial hadith of Ibn Abbas occurs in the first volume. The discussion centers around the majority of the dwellers of hell fire being women. What I have noted is that the missionaries and critics that thrust this hadith to the fore do so incompletely. The hadith is conditional, and its words matter... all of its words. The hadith does not make a blanket claim against all females. The key verbatim sentence is: "If you have (i.e. you Muslim men) always been benevolent and good to them..."

Moreover, one has to examine this hadith temporally. Judgement day had not occured yet and the Prophet was shown Hell at that juncture. There is no debating that fact whatsoever. The exact nounage and verbage of the hadith makes this clear.

11. Much hoopla has been made by the anti Muslims regarding slavery in Islam. Despite the fact that none of the three monotheistic religions issues a clear emancipation proclamation, these folks make sure to hold Islam to a different standard then the Westernized form of Pauline Christianity and the completely inaccurate form of Judaism being practiced today. In fact some here have made absurd statements about how Islam attempts to perpetuate slavery and they offered no evidence. The Sunnah makes it clear that this is to be the way Slaves are treated:

"At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.' "

Volume 1, book 2, number 29

The common retort given is that these folks do not take exception to the defined rules of how to treat slaves in peace time, but rather war time slaves. Once again, the Sahih Bukhari proves this claim to be fraudulent, trite, uninformed, and purposefully ignorant and malignant at the same time. Here is the hadith that defines exactly how a woman slave is to be treated:

"Allah's Apostle said "Three persons will have a double reward: 1. A Person from the people of the scriptures who believed in his prophet (Jesus or Moses) and then believed in the Prophet Muhammad (i .e. has embraced Islam). 2. A slave who discharges his duties to Allah and his master. 3. A master of a woman-slave who teaches her good manners and educates her in the best possible way (the religion) and manumits her and then marries her."

Book 3 Number 97

If anything, this is the only example in a religious text from antiquity in which the rights of slaves, the duties of slaves, and the honor of freeing slaves is defined.

12. Do not be a hypcrite with the following traits: 1) All your words are lies 2) breaking promises 3) Not returning things entrusted to your care 4) Quarreling in an evil and insulting manner

13. Do not be so extreme in your religion so as to burden yourself. Practice balance in your prayers and deeds. (Book 2 number 38 and number 41). When discussing religion, do it in a balanced way and in a timely manner so as not to over do it and turn people away from faith (Book 3 number 68).

14. One cannot marry their milk foster siblings

15. When handling lost things, do the following: Make sure that the public knows the product has been misplaced and where to find it. After a year has passed and none has claimed it, its usage is appropriate but if someone claims it, it is still not yours to keep. Finally, there are appropriate things to claim are "lost" and other things that malignant people may claim are lost so as to steal from others. The example of the former that is given is a camel. Recall that many animals carried a brand of their owner and could find their way back to their land while grazing.

16. Do not dishonor the Prophet or Islam by asking inane questions.

17. When teaching others repitition of a point by the teacher may enhance learning of the listener or learner.

14. Couple good intentions to good deeds; in fact intention is paramount (refer to the change in qiblaah and the fact that the Muslims who had died before it occured did not lose an iota of good deeds per the Quran saying so).

15. Attend the funerals of fellow believers and start with the procession, pray the jinaza, and go to the burial site.

16. If you have doubts about an action being acceptable to God, consider staying away from it until you find out its status.

17. War Booty has a 1/5th percentage tax on it

18. The types of goods associated with forbidden activities that are harmful (e.g. drinking) are to be shunned (e.g. shot glasses).

19. It is improper to place unfit persons in positions of authority (hadith 56 book 3). It is improper to give verdicts without knowledge or to elevate such ignorants into positions of authority to do so (Book 3 number 100)

20. It is an obligation to convey religious and other types of knowledge to future generations.

21. It appears that those that claim the Prophet's time was a free love paradise where women prayed in the same lines as men and sat in the same classes as men have no basis in the literature to support such a claim. This does not entail that they ought to be locked away, rather it entails that the Prophet set aside specific time for teaching both of the sexes separately (Book 3 Number 101). The fools that claim this is Arabization of the divine have no basis for such an absurd claim as the hadith is not a command but a description of how the Prophet taught the first generation of Muslims.

22. Do not make war in Mecca

23. Do not ascribe false statements or actions to the Prophet

24. The name Muhammad is permissable as a name for the children of the ummah, but one cannot take the Prophet or any other person's bloodline and claim it falsely.

25. In Mecca, one must be extra wary of picking up lost things without being able to find the owner, such is its sacredness

26. The right of the wrong family of a murdered individual is to either forgive and take blood wit or to ask for the death penalty should the verdict be rendered against the murderer

27. It is sunnah to sleep some of the night and pray in the late hours of it

28. The intention being a huge part of the deed is impressed again upon the reader when various companions are described as coming to the Prophet and being contrite when performing hajj rites inthe wrong order. The Prophet tells them to simply finish the other rites and makes no major issue of it.

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29. Women who have a sexual dream and note a discharge should do the ghusl bath.

30. Men who have pre-ejaculate without any contact with a female must perform wudu

31. I do not know what this command means for folks from other regions around the world: Allah's Apostle replied, 'The residents of Medina should assure the Ihram from Dhil-Hulaifa, the people of Syria from Al-Ju,hfa and the people of Najd from Qarn." Ibn 'Umar further said, "The people consider that Allah's Apostle had also said, 'The residents of Yemen should assume Ihram from Yalamlam.'

32. Important for Pashtuns, going to hajj or umra, who love their turbans:
He (muhrim) should not wear a shirt, a turban, trousers, a head cloak or garment scented with saffron or Wars (kinds of perfumes). And if he has n slippers, then he can use Khuffs (leather socks) but the socks should be cut short so as to make the ankles bare."

33. We must perform ablution after urination, stooling, or passing wind for prayers to be accepted.

34. The paranoid should not break their prayer if they fear they have broken wind but have no evidence of a smell or a sound of such. I think this shows as Surah Baqrah says, ALlah wants to implement ceremonial purity and purify us, but does not want over burden us. This was one of the wedge issues that drove folks like M. Michael Knight away from Islam. He misunderstood the spirit of the religion.

34. Ibn Abbas provides hadith for the implementation of ablution and the body parts to wash that we are familiar with. The baseline for acceptance of the wudu is at least washing the body part once.

35. When having relations with your spouse be sure to seek refuge in God from Diabolis and seek refuge for any child that may come of the contact.

36. The Prophet would seek refuge from evil with short incantation (very brief and not mandatory as there is no order to do it) before answering his calls of nature.

37. In an open field, if answering the call of nature, dont face or turn your back to the Kabaah or Jerusalem... but this does not apply in enclosed settings.

38. When drinking water do your best to not breath too deeply into the cup you are drinking from and also be hygenic and avoid washing your private parts with your right hand. Also, wash your hands externally before slipping them into a common tub for the ablution.

39. If one is touching the Kabah's corner, it is sunnah to touch the south corners. The prophet also wore leather non hairy shoes that he would pass hands over for ablution. He also used hinna in his hair. Ibn Umar appeared to differ over when he would assume ihram as he said the Prophet did it on the 8th of dul hijjah but the people around were also doing it on the 1st of dul hijjah.

40. When washing the deceased start on the right and also wash those parts washed in ablution.

41. After a dog drinks from a utensil of yours, you must wash it 7 times. Note that in these times and before 7 also meant several (e.g. 7 heavens and earths of a similar number noted in the Quranic ayaah). Note this does not mean that we are to abuse dogs because the next hadith says that a man was saved for paradise for simply quenching the thirst of a dog from his own shoe. Hamza Bin Abdullah also adds that in the Prophets lifetime, dogs used to pass through and even urinate in the mosque and the disciples of the Prophet simply wash it away with water. The point being, Islam is not condemning the creation of God (ie the dog) but it is advocating a state of ceremonial purity and hygiene in the believer.

42. You can eat the game a hunting dog catches when you send it out. However, if it has killed game for its own eating etc that is not allowed for us. Also if you send out your hunting dog on a mission and find it with another hunting dog you cannot eat that meat.

43. After deep sleep we have to do wudhu for prayer to be accepted.

44. You are allowed to pass wet hands over a turban and the leather socks if they were put on after the last ablution

45. The prophet used to rinse his mouth after a meal but did not repeat the ablution

46. If you feel drowsy you should take a nap before you pray so you understand what you are saying

47. How to behave toward people who are ignorant. A bedouin urinated in the Prophets mosque and the sahabaah were getting upset. The Prophet held them back and allowed the bedouin to finish urinating. He then had the sahabaah simply wash away the urine and the bedouin was not harmed. He warned his companions: You were sent to make things easy not hard.

48. A baby urinated on the Prophet's clothes and he simply washed the soiled area.

49. If a woman's menses makes contact with clothes, she is not ordered to do anything, but if she can simply wash the area if she wants (i.e. her whole clothes are not considered defiled).

50. When who bleed for medical reasons and are not in menses are considered as if they were not in menses and can pray all their prayers as normal. However, they should perform wudhu for the prayers.

51. Male discharge does not render teh whole clothes defiled, i.e that section can be washed if water is scarce and they are considered clean.

52. Keep food clean in that if an animal or bug makes contact with butter for instance, taker away the food portion with which the animal made contact but do not waste the whole thing.

53. Do not put waste into stagnant pools of water as these water source smay be needed later on for other reasons.

54. All drinks that intoxicate are haraam

55. Whenever you go to bed perform ablution like that for the prayer, lie or your right side and say, "Allahumma aslamtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu amri ilaika, wa alja'tu Zahri ilaika raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La Malja' wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Allahumma amantu bikitabika-l-ladhi anzalta wa bina-biyika-l ladhi arsalta" (O Allah! I surrender to You and entrust all my affairs to You and depend upon You for Your Blessings both with hope and fear of You. There is no fleeing from You, and there is no place of protection and safety except with You O Allah! I believe in Your Book (the Qur'an) which You have revealed and in Your Prophet (Muhammad) whom You have sent).