Sheikh Sajid Umar

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10 Ways to Manage the Current Inflation Crisis – an Islamic Perspective

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By ICE – Islamic Finance Advisory and Consultancy: Shaykh Dr Sajid Umar, Umer Suleman and Zain Mahmood

This time last year four pints of Tesco Whole Milk cost £1.09; today the price has risen to £1.15, representing a 5.5% price increase for one of our daily essentials. Tesco Fusilli Pasta likewise cost £1 and is now £1.30 – a 30% increase year-on-year. Heinz Baked Beans and Kingsmill 50/50 bread cost 80p but now sell at £1 each – a price increase of 17.65% for both products. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and these sentiments are mirrored in other daily staples as the UK grapples with the highest inflation rates in the last 30 years.

The Bank of England has been tasked by the government to maintain an inflation rate of 2%, allowing businesses to plan their pricing and consumers to plan their spending. The inflation rate has not met this target since May 2021 for a variety of reasons, causing a knock-on effect on all segments of society that affects the most vulnerable of families the hardest. What are the reasons behind this increase in inflation? What are its latest causes? And what can we do about it? Let’s explore each question and their related topics, as well as possible solutions from an Islamic perspective below.

Full article here.

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Women and the West

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Assalamualaikum. Please read this, especially if you are raising your daughters in the West or are inclined to the values blasted into your homes via your sattelitte channels. 

I didn’t write it. It was written by a highly qualified and educated Muslim sister, Umm Khalid, who studied and graduated from one of the most prestigious University  institutions internationally. She currently resides in the USA. 

I am putting this piece out there for us to read and decide..

Dr. Sajid Umar

……..

By Umm Khalid:

Women have been lied to. Continuously, for a long time. By a lot of people working together for their own interests to deceive women and take advantage of them.

No, I’m not talking about the patriarchy or Muslim men.

I’m talking about certain nihilist western atheistic elites who have engineered certain social norms and programmed people to operate in a very particular way, for their own agenda and at the expense of women. 

This lie was broadcast everywhere: all over the media, in Hollywood, on TV shows and movies, in books and novels, in popular magazines, in song lyrics, in the hallowed halls of Ivy League academia. It was a concerted, targeted marketing campaign. 

What was the lie that was told to women en mass since the 1960s and up until today? 

Women were told: “You can have it all.” 

You, the average woman, can be everything and have everything all at once. Listen to us and your life will work out.

One of the most popular TV shows on American television was a six-season hit show called Sex and the City, and its basic premise is that the modern woman can have it all. She can be forever young, sexy, independent, fun-loving, and successful all on her own. She can live a fun, fulfilling life in the big city working a full-time job and going out with her friends and having casual sex with random men. There’s no need for a woman to burden herself with the heavy weight of marriage, a husband, or motherhood just yet. All that can wait. 

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Pitfalls of Fatwa (Legal Edicts)

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The famous Maaliki Andalusian 6th Century Scholar- Abu Muhammed ash-Shaatibi interestingly describes all the way back then the pitfalls of some of the scholars of his time, and from them, their use of any fatwa (Legal Edict) available, either from their generation or previous generations, to help their congregations follow their desires, under the guise of the statement “The differences of opinion of the ummah is a Mercy”!

He geniously observes that their modus-operandi is to front their scholarship to their people via actual ‘taqleed’ (blind-following) of the Fatawaa (pl. Fatwa) of other scholars through picking and choosing Islamic Rulings from the range of scholarly views out there which they intellectually find soothing and appropriate to their time and place, without they themselves having any Usool (legal theory/jurisprudence methodology) to build a fiqh ruling as per its epistemic tools and processes upon.

Honestly, it is as if the Imam is living and observing, and commenting in real-time today! Could he be describing those who take an Western Academic approach, as opposed to a scholarly approach when studying the religion?

For further reading, please refer to the Arabic treatise: al-I’itisaam, 2/537, 542).

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Managing your Imaan Levels after giving birth

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Allah bless our sister for turning a simple voice message in answer to her query regarding her spiritual levels after giving birth into an article. I never imagined this at the time, subhanallah. Indeed Allah is most kind.

“Women experience numerous changes throughout their lives. One of the most significant of these changes is motherhood. One minute you are living your regular life, and the next you are responsible for the life of another human being.”

Read the full article here.

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The Covid Situation

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Subhanallah, too many beloved people to me are battling Covid-19 currently. 1 in 30 in London are said to now have it. Allahul Musta’aan. May Allah grant all the affected a complete cure sooner rather than later, and grant complete healing to the body after it. May Allah save those who have not yet been affected with it from contracting it, and may Allah shower His mercy on all those who passed away! Ameen.

A few thoughts I’d like to share to those who have contracted the virus:

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Registration Based Jumuah Prayer Guidance

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Before the Tier 4 Lockdowns in the United Kingdom I received many questions regarding Jumuah Salah sensitivities given the Covid-19 rules and short winter times.

In terms of the timings of the Salah, I’ve shared my advise on this privately to Imams who have written in, and it is for them to decide on the scope of ‘fiqhi’ precedence they wish to apply regarding this matter with their communities.

In terms of the extent of one’s effort to attend the Jumuah prayer, then for those who do not fear cathing Covid-19, or fear being a means of harming those who are considered vulnerable within the same household, I share the following seven points below for your consideration.

N.B. As for those who fear catching Covid-19, or fear becoming a means of harm falling upon those considered vulnerable in their households, the obligation of Jumuah would be lifted, with the Thuhr prayer taking its place. This was discussed in a dedicated video by myself earlier in 2020 when the first wave of mass lockdowns were implemented. See here.

As for the seven points related to this guidance, then these are as follows:

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The Taxonomy of Transformative, Pro-active and Paradise Centric Societies

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alHusayn bin Salam, later known as Abdullah bin Salam (May Allah be pleased with him), was a considered a Rabbi by the Jews of his time due to his immense knowledge of the Torah. This companion of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted Islam upon the Messenger’s arrival into Madeenah from Makkah, after witnessing his sublime character and physical features and noting its correspondence to that which he had learnt from previously revealed scripture.

Whilst previously revered by his people unconditionally, he too went through a similar test with them, as did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with the Quraysh upon conveying Islam to them, for the Jews immediately cancelled their respect and praise for him after learning of his new status as a Muslim.

Whilst there are so many talking points surrounding this noble companion, which includes his knowledge, principled character, bravery and financial standing, he is famously known for his narration depicting his first encounter with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the very first lesson he heard from him upon His arrival into Madeenah.

The impact of this narration across the dimensions of human existence since Abdullah’s first encounter with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) caused scholars over time to ponder diligently over the timing of this prophetic lesson and its deeper meanings, and as a result of this academic attention invested over time, along with intelligent cross referencing of deduced thoughts with the timeless lessons found in the Final Testament, the Qur’an, this narration of the companion Abdullah bin Salam evolved into being a taxonomy, or even a hierarchy, if you like, for the creation of transformative, pro-active and paradise centric societies across both time and geographical locations, with the blessed city of Madeenah being an active case study for us to refer back to until Judgement day.

Regarding this paradigm shifting narration, Abdullah bin Salam narrates that he heard the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ وَصِلُوا

 الأَرْحَامَ وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلاَمٍ

“O people! Spread the Salam, feed the people, maintain family relations, pray at night when others are asleep – and you will enter into Paradise safely.” This narration was recorded Imams atTirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and others in their hadeeth compilations.

Upon living this surreal experience and allowing the truth to resonate with him, Abdullah bin Salam approached the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited the Shahada, thereby declaring his Islam. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) then turned to him and asked him: “What is your name?” He replied, “alHusayn bin Salam.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied by saying, “From now on, you are Abdullah bin Salam.”

Upon closer inspection of this narration, our scholars have highlighted for us core tenets, which if implemented by individuals of a society, across the scope of that society, societal excellence will be achieved in this life, and paradise in the after-life, God-Willing.

These core tenets are as follows:

1. Holistic Education:

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