Archives for February 2018

My Dream

February 17, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Assalamualaikum everyone…

Some of you may have once read a light piece i wrote for teens titled: “I have a dream”.

You can access it here

I have a ‘dream’…by Sajid Umar

Alhamdulillah I see this dream in some part becoming a reality with our brother and footballing sensation Mohamed Salaah (may Allah protect him and grant him better always)

He looks like a Muslim…
Speaks like a Muslim…
Acts like a Muslim…
And is pursuing excellence and being compared to some of the great achievers in the sport.

Many a camera has caught him with his copy of the Mushaf, or with his family in hijab, or raising his hands in dua, or giving millions away in charity and prostrating the prostration of gratitude to the Lord of the worlds after scoring a goal…

When birds defeat elephants – Umrah Program Day 2

February 17, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Day 2 reminder to the attendees of the Tazkiyah Umrah program (February 2018)

In this talk Sheikh Sajid Umar touches on

– The event of the army of elephants and the Ka’bah along with 21st century lessons from it.
– The personality trait vs the character trait.
– The tongue makes you or breaks you.
– The connection between effort and success

Shaikh Sajid Umar

Nature vs Nurture – Umrah Program Day 1

February 12, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Day 1 reminder to the attendees of the Tazkiyah Umrah program (February 2018)

In this talk Sheikh Sajid Umar touches on

– The Identity crisis
– Are we products of Nature (DNA) or Nurture (environments)
– The Fitrah
– the reality of Umrah trip and the importance of having a way forward thereafter.

100 Direct instructions by Allah

February 12, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Assalamualaikum everyone. Please share this beneficial message I received with your friends and family. May Allah bless you all!

….

100 Direct instructions by Allah in the Quran for mankind:

Allah (Subhana Wa Ta`ala) has directly given us 100 instructions through Al Quran:

1. Do not be rude in speech (3:159)
2. Restrain Anger (3:134)
3. Be good to others (4:36)
4. Do not be arrogant (7:13)
5. Forgive others for their mistakes (7:199)
6. Speak to people mildly (20:44)
7. Lower your voice (31:19)
8. Do not ridicule others (49:11)
9. Be dutiful to parents(17:23)
10. Do not say a word of disrespect to parents (17:23)
11. Do not enter parents’ private room without asking permission (24:58)
12. Write down the debt (2:282)
13. Do not follow anyone blindly (2:170)
14. Grant more time to repay if the debtor is in hard time (2:280)
15. Don’t consume interest (2:275)
16. Do not engage in bribery (2:188)
17. Do not break the promise (2:177)
18. Keep the trust (2:283)
19. Do not mix the truth with falsehood (2:42)
20. Judge with justice between people (4:58)
21. Stand out firmly for justice (4:135)
22. Wealth of the dead should be distributed among his family members (4:7)
23. Women also have the right for inheritance (4:7)
24. Do not devour the property of orphans (4:10)
25. Protect orphans (2:220)
26. Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly (4:29)
27. Try for settlement between people (49:9)
28. Avoid suspicion (49:12)

Wisdom From Ibn alQayyim

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

The heart falls ill as the body does; its cure is in repentance and a spiritual regimen. It gets tarnished as a mirror does; its polish is dhikr. It feels exposed as the body does: its robe is piety (taqwa). It hungers and thirsts like the body does: its sustenance is gnosis, love, repentance and divine service.

(Ibn alQayyim).

Shaikh Sajid Umar

10 Practical Tips To Wake Up For Fajr Salah

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Assalamualaikum everyone. Please see this informative message sent to me earlier today. May it be a means to assist many on this group and beyond. Ameen.

(1) SLEEP EARLY

Try to sleep as early as possible after ʿIshāʾ Salah. The Prophet ﷺ disliked talking after ʿIshāʾ Ṣalāh (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 568).

(2) SLEEP WITH ABLUTION

Perform ablution before you sleep as advised by the Prophet ﷺ (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 247). It is narrated that angels remain in the company of the one who sleeps with ablution and say, “O Allah, forgive your such and such servant for he slept in the state of purity” (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, 1051; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 13620).

(3) SLEEP ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE

Lie on your right side and place your right hand under your right cheek as advised by the Prophet ﷺ (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6314).

(4) RECITE THE QURʾĀN

It was the habit of the Prophet ﷺ to recite the Qurʾān before resting for the night. The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have recited for example:

Sūrah Sajdah and Sūrah Mulk (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 2892).Sūrah Isrāʾ and Sūrah Zumar (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 2920).Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ, Sūrah al-Falaq and Sūrah al-Nās (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5017).Āyah al-Kursī (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5010).Final two verses of Sūrah Baqarah (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5009).

There is a weak narration transmitted by ʿAllāmah Ibn Mardawayh (d. 498/1104-5) which suggests that if a person recites the final five verses of Sūrah al-Kahf before sleeping, Allah will awaken him at any time of the night he wishes (Tanzīh al-Sharīʿah, 1: 302; Fayḍ al-Qadīr, 3: 104). ʿAllāmah Ālūsī Baghdādī suggests in Ruḥ al-Maʿānī (8: 190) that he has tested this many times and it has proved useful. If you are struggling to wake up for Fajr Ṣalāḥ, recite these verses and have faith in Allah.

Celebrity-fan culture or Da’wah

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar 1 Comment

After my Transformers’ article, some readers have highlighted the need to write about how some ‘da’wah’ organizations have contributed to the celebrity-fan culture in the da’wah space and the retrogression of Islamic learning in their marketing, branding and organisational direction.

Upon reflecting, I feel there is some truth in this & the matter requires urgent introspection.

There is no doubt that people today are more Islamically aware than the last few decades, and this naturally produces a market in the eyes of some opportunists.

Unfortunately solving this issue requires the pushing of certain sensitive buttons and the costly process of educating people towards respecting their own self worth. However it is still a cause worth supporting.

Don’t be a victim of anyone’s desire to prefer form over substance. You are worth more than that and you deserve to be in control of that which constitutes progress in your life.

If a seminar is advertised only mentioning the visiting lecturer, without mentioning the topic, and you don’t feel there is an issue with this; then you require, in some sense, some education about you and your own self’s worth, unless you are only attending due to the hype of the lecturer, or the showmanship of the performer. In that case, you are only interested in being entertained, and are excused from this discussion point.

Bitcoin! Let’s talk about it…

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Since the last few months I have been kept busy with questions about cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular.

The correspondence regarding this matter was further hiked with the passing of a few fatwas concerning these currencies with a strong airing of these currencies being forbidden (Haraam).

Furthermore, some of you came across a couple of twitter posts of mine related to Bitcoin, and an understanding in some circles was formulated stating that I have passed a fatwa stating it to be permissible (halal).

Given the sensitive nature of the topic and its questions; I quickly share the following points with the objective of covering the answers to the questions being asked.

Disclaimer: This is not an article nor a detailed response, but rather a guidance piece.

1. Irrespective of any private advice I have provided regarding Bitcoin; I have not passed a fatwa stating that Bitcoin is in and of itself forbidden, or that buying/selling is impermissible if done within the framework of Islamic Transactions from an Islamic Fiqh perspective. It is also true that I have refrained from publicly sharing my view in a particular way, and this is due to the sensitive nature of cryptocurrencies generally and Bitcoin specifically, and the fact that more time, research and deliberation regarding the topic are required before an absolute view can be taken by the scholarly fraternity generally and myself specifically. There are also many technicalities regarding its trade as well which Islamic ‘Fiqh’ would look at independently, and this conservatism is a natural consequence of any new matter that is considered as established or unestablished in a relative way. The Islamic jurisprudence framework pertaining to Bitcoin and it’s exchange will be looked at and refined over time which will have a bearing on any fatwa considerations naturally, highlighting how difficult it is to develop a well rounded conclusive fatwa at this moment in time.

As a result, and learning from some of the scholars of who have specialised in economics, trade and transactions, we find a few thoughts being floated regarding Islam’s possible position on Bitcoin specifically, which are as follows:

Firstly: Regarding its reality:

a) Some have opined that Bitcoin is a currency, despite not meeting the extent of what constitutes a currency from an Islamic Jursiprudence perspective. This view is based on Bitcoin’s reason of creation and it’s objectives.

b) Some have opined that it is a type of product due to it not meeting the extent of what constitutes a currency from an Islamic Jursiprudence perspective, and since matters are judged based on their actual reality, calling it a currency does not create any binding considerations accordingly.

c) Some have taken the view that Bitcoin isn’t a currency nor is a type of product.

d) Some have chosen to abstain from weighing into the discussion at this point in time due to having insufficient reason to justify holding an opinion concerning this specific matter.

Secondly: Regarding trading in Bitcoin

a) Some have opined that it is Islamically permissible to trade in Bitcoin due to it being a form of currency or product. However, upon the view of it being a currency, the rules of Riba apply to the trade particulars of all related transactions accordingly.

b) Others have opined that is is Islamically impermisisble to trade in Bitcoin

c) A third view which follows the lines of the first view, but states that during ‘bubble’ periods it would not be permissible to purchase Bitcoin due to its volatility. The addendum listed in this third view is something I voiced on my social media channels during Bitcoin’s period of inflation, which I believe some understood to be an expression of an absolute ‘fiqhi’ conclusion of permissibility regarding Bitcoin held by me.

2. I respect the fatwa of the scholars and duaat who have come out stating the purchase/sale of the currency to be impermissible, and believe they have made some valid points in their reasoning. That said; I also disagree with some of the reasonings offered in substantiation of their concluded views, and my agreement and disagreement with them in these matters is part of a natural discourse with regards to matters of this nature.

The importance of Zakah

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

One of the best pieces you will come across regarding the Pillars of Islam & in particular the pillar of Zakah.

” It is imperative for us to understand the pillars of Islam not simply as rituals, but as a strategic framework for success in this life and the next” (Iqbal Nasim- CEO, National Zakah Foundation)

I have no doubt that you will find this read an impressive one. Please read this piece carefully and then forward it on to your contacts, especially those based in the UK.

Please find the entire piece here:

https://www.nzf.org.uk/blog/how-salat-and-zakat-can-transform-our-situation/

May you all be blessed.

Shaikh Sajid Umar

Amazing 7 year Old child Reciting from Surah azZukhruf!

February 11, 2018 by Sajid Umar Leave a Comment

Listen to 7 Year Old Child Reciting From Surah AzZukhruf

A random non-professional audio recording of part of the recitation of a 7 year old non-Arab Qur’an student from Surah azZukhruf with noticeable Tajweed and Makhraj capabilities, showcasing that a child is never too young to be taught the correct way of reciting the Qur’an correctly.

Please pray for Him and all the children of the Ummah.

May Allah bless him and all the children of the ummah and raise us all with the family of alQur’an in the hereafter. Ameen.