Islamic Banking&Finance

Islamic Finance&Banking Presentation

Introduction:

Let me briefly explain the principles of Islamic Finance and Banking, it means that we conduct business in a Shari’a compliant manner. Shari’a again is Islamic law, that derives its rulings from the Muslim holy book Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh, which is his sayings and actions. The most important thing to remember when we are speaking about Islamic Finance is that it is forbidden in Shari’a to involve yourself in interest, usury, gambling and other things deemed unpermissable . It’s clearly stated in the Qur’an:

“Oh those who believe, fear Allah and give up what still remains of the interest if you are believers. But if you do not, then listen to the declaration of war from Allah and His Messenger…” [2:278-279]

But one thing we have to understand is that trade is permissible and it’s not to be confused with the business of interest. So the trading in money is not allowed, meaning: Money is used as a measurement of value of a product, it is not an asset in itself.

Business deals also have to be completely transparent, if a deal is going to be signed then both parties have to be fully aware of all costs and obligations etc. For example, my father once told me to participate in a lottery with my cell phone by sending a text message, after sending it they started charging me for 20-30€ per month for some messenger program that I would never use. It was not stated anywhere that I would have to start paying this sum of money, this deal would hence have been deemed invalid in Shari’a and the company, that was deceiving the customer  in this case me, would have been punished. Not to mention that it was lottery which is considered gambling in Shari’a which in itself is unlawful. Also, trading in businesses which are unlawful, such as alcohol or tobacco is not allowed.

The Islamic system also makes people think more on society rather than themselves and it transfers with the “Zakat” system, which means almsgiving, money from the rich to the poor. Any Muslim that has about 85 grams of pure gold which is about 1700€ of savings or capital is obliged to pay 2.5% of all his wealth to the poor annually.

So back to the core issue Finance& Banking. When people hear that Islamic banks are not allowed to involve themselves in the business of interest, everyone including most Muslims become very confused, we are brought up with the idea that the only way a bank can survive is with interest, but this of course is not true. Even the banks we are used to get a large part of their profits from interest free investments.

So how is it that the Islamic banks give out loans and actually generate a profit?

The Islamic Bank of Dubai reported a $304.9 million profit for the 9 first months of this year but how do they do it? This is where the Islamic modes of financing come in.

Islamic modes of Financing:

• Musharakah-Active Partnership
• Mudarabah-Partnership
• Murabahah-Sale

This might be a bit confusing for some people because Arabic terms will be used, but I will explain the meanings of these terms as I go on, it’s very important that these words are being used because these are the “real” terms.

1.Musharakah-Active Partnership

The actual word means “Sharing” and in business and trade it means that all the partners in a deal share the profit or loss.

Musharakah can be used when a company wants to invest in something and they don’t have enough own capital to do it. When they sign a Musharakah contract with an Islamic bank it means that the company will invest some of their money and the bank invests the rests and the two parties split the profit or loss according to a agreed ratio. So if a Musharakah deal is signed and the company invests $10 Million and the Bank $90 Million, the split on the profit or loss would usually be 10/90, other ratios can also be mutually agreed upon.

The way this differs from a conventional, interest bearing loan is that firstly the Islamic bank only gets money if the investment is profitable, the conventional gets its interest money either way. So the Bank is actually interested if the investment will bring in money or not. Secondly the interest bearing loan is viewed as unfair to either the debtor or the creditor. If the investment makes a huge profit the creditor still only receives the interest percentage and if the investment actually suffers loss then it’s unfair upon the debtor who still has to pay the interest and he might have to declare bankruptcy.

2.Mudarabah-Passive Partnership

Mudarabah is a agreement that is signed by two partners, a so called “rabb-ul-mal” and a “mudarib”

The “rabb-ul-mal” is the one who provides the capital and the “mudarib” the one who provides the work. The difference to “Musharakah” is that in this type of deal the investor “rabb-ul-mal” does not have a right to interfere with the management or the work, this is only done by the “mudarib”. This is why it’s called Passive Partnership. The ratio of the profit will be agreed before signing the contract, but in this deal there is no splitting of the loss, since only one party invests capital. The loss for the other party is that he will not have a job.

A good example of this is that one friend of mine wanted to open a electronics shop in my town,  but he did not have the required capital to start the business so me and my friend thought that we could provide the capital and he would do the actual work and we would split the profit in a agreed manner. This is what Mudarabah is in a practical example. Unfortunately we have not signed the Mudarabah contract  since we are poor students and lack the willpower.

3. Murabahah-Sales contract

Murabahah is the simplest of the Islamic modes of financing and some may even debate that it does not belong to the financing category. What Murabahah means is that a party does not have enough capital to buy something so the Islamic bank buys the product and sells it to the party with an increased price. So it’s a simple Sales contract.  So if you don’t have money to buy a car worth $5000 I can buy the car and sell it to you for $5500. You will receive the ownership instantly but the payment can be transferred at a later date as agreed upon. That is Murabahah in a practical everyday situation. Some people might now say that this is the same as interest when it in reality is not, according to Shari’a, in Murabahah you are indeed increasing the sum of a product, but you are paying an increased sum on the actual product and not on money like you do in an interest bearing deal.

Islamic Mortgage:

Islamic Mortgage is when you buy a house in a Shari’a compliant manner, so as always no interest is allowed. The way to do this is with the so called Diminishing Musharakah, this means that the party that wants to buy a house will come up with 10-20% (usually) of the sum and the Islamic bank will invest the rest.

So if you want to buy a $300.000 worth house you invest $60.000 and the bank the remaining $240.000, and during a fixed time, let’s say 20 years you will pay back to the bank the sum that they invested and you will also pay a rent for the house, which is measured according to how much more you have to pay to the bank. So if the house you pay would normally have a rent of $1000 per month, and you already came up with 20% of the sum, then you will be paying $800 per month to the bank as rent, and as you pay off your loan the rent decreases.

Charitable loans:

The Islamic banks also give out so called, charitable loans to people in need. In this type of loan the debtor only pays back the loan and no increase. These loans can be issued to for example students.

Conclusion:

Some of the modes of financing are not what the Islamic banks are striving for, they are merely a step in the right direction, and although they are Shari’a compliant they are not the goal that they are striving for.  We also have to remember that the current Islamic Finance is only about 35 years old, so it is indeed a very young branch and it is constantly being improved. The industry suffers a lot of challenges when the whole world is run on interest, but some countries have already changed their economics system. Countries like Sudan, Iran and Pakistan have succeeded in this. Even some Western banks such as Deutche Bank and HSBC have also opened Shari’a compliant branches. I hope that people have benefitted from this presentation and maybe it opened the eyes for some to understand that the interest bearing system is not the only one in this world, there is an alternative.

For more information on Islamic Banking& Finance visit:

http://islamfinland.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/an-introduction-to-islamic-finance.pdf

-Fredrik Lundström

The logic behind the phrobition of Alcohol,Drugs,Zina and Immoral Pictures and Videos

www.sunnipath.com

Bismillahir rahmanir rahim.

The assignment was given to me in the Sunnipath, Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) course and it was to ponder on the logic behind the phrobition of certain things to mankind by Almigty Allah.

Firstly I would like to state that as Muslims we do not even need to ponder why Allah has made something lawful or unlawful for us, if we are Muslims we should enter Islam completely.

If we gain knowledge of a new law in Sharia we have to obey it immidiately without questioning it.

When the phrobition of alcohol was revealed to the Muslims,, the streets of Madina al-Munawwara were flooded with wine, because of the level of Iman that the Sahaba r.a had, they heard the new revelation and they threw out all the wine they had in their houses, they did not question the order and neither should we.

In the next section I’m going to analyze the phrobitions of zina,alcohol,drugs and the looking of immoral pictures and videos. It will inshAllah become quite clear that even though these sins might be separate on surface they are linked in one way or another.

 

1.Alcohol:

Even though this substance is in a different category it could be in the category of drugs, since it is a poison that effects the nerve system and is lethal if taken excessively.

I live in a country where alcohol could be seen as a plague that is effecting the population.

People start drinking at the age of 14 and continue to do so until their death, which can come sooner than expected because of the intake of the substance.

Lets look at some facts about alchol use,

In my country,Finland about 80% of all crimes are alcoholrelated and 4% of the population are addicted to drinking, not to forget the 500.000 people who are in a so called ”riskgroup”.

In the UK 70% of all admissions to hospital accident and emergency departements are linked to alcohol misuse.

In the EU 10% of ”premature” deaths are caused by alcohol.

Just looking at the facts wont give you the whole picture of the situation, specially if you live in a country where alcohol is banned you can not completely understand what kind of problems alcohol brings with it.

It increases the risk for zina which is in itself a disgousting sin.

Not only does alcohol affect a society on a personal level but it also effects the state itself. Alot of people say that it is actually good for the state to sell alcohol but infact that is not true, the state of Finland loses about 5 billion Euros each year because of the medical care and other damage related to alcohol use.

 

2.Drugs

The definition of drugs differ from country to country with for example the Netherlands having a ”liberal” policy on so called ”soft drugs” like Cannabis. In Islam the phrobition stands very clear, banning the use of any intoxicants, wether it he Cannabis, Alcohol or Heroin.

Drugs affect the human beings in very different ways, Cannabis which is considered a ”soft drug” makes the person passive and hence he is not a beneficial member of the society, he does not study nor work at his full capacity.

Then there are the very lethal drugs like Heroin.

Not only is it highly addictive and poisonous, it can lead to the spread of HIV through the re-usage of needles between Heroin addicts, which leads to the death of many. The virus might be spread further because of some addicts that are forced by someone or by their financial status into prostitution to get money for their addiction, hence spreading the HIV to the ones visiting the prostitutes.

Crimerates also rise because of drugusage, in Usa in the year 2004, 17% of the inmates were convicted because of crimes committed in order to get money for drugs.

Drugs can effectively cripple a whole nations economy .For example in Afghanistan many farmers prefered to grow poppys instead of wheat or other beneficial plants because they would get 20 times more income from the poppys, hence making the individual farmers rich but affecting the states financial status negatively when not paying taxes.

3. Immoral pictures and movies.

With modern technology such as satellite disks and Internet the spread of immoral pictures and movies has been rapid all over the world, specially with the internet enabeling  the accessing websites from all over the planet.

Alhamdulillah some of the Muslim countries have tried restricting the access to the material by placing filters to block the citizens from accessing such websites and material.

However where the material is acessable it has led to some problems, namely that women are not respected as they should be, most of the immoral material shows women as some kind of objects that not really are humanbeings , rather some objects that you can use as you please.

In the west this phenomenon is so common that even shops that are specialized in this kind of material have been set up and people can visit them casually like it were a grocery store, the shops are not even hidden, but out on display for everyone to see and find them.

It has effectively corrupted the mentality of the people and alot of women have eating disorders and are obsessed with the way they look so they can attract attention from men. This has also made the youth to become ”sexually active” in a much younger age.

 

 

4.Zina

You may have noticed that the sections before all lead into zina and this is a very serious sin but unfortunately alot of the non-Muslims and even Muslims do not understand the logic behind phrobihiting it.

In 1996 the World Health Organization stated that about 1 million people are infected with a sexually transmitted disease daily, 352 million infected people per year, and 60% of those infected are below the age of 25.

There are a number of different sexually transmitted diseases that and they vary from eachother alot, some of the disases will go away with time and some of the more serious ones will eventually lead to the death of the infected person.

The most common sexually transmitted disease is Chlamydia which aparently 25% of the global population has had and in 2007 HIV had infected 33.2 million people and killed 2.1 million.

The sexually transmitted diseases are not the only problem that zina brings, another problem is teenage pregnancy, specially the babies that are born outside the wedlock. In Usa 55.6 girls out of 1000 will become pregnant during their teenyears and 30.2 out of 1000 will have an abortion.

The ones who abort the baby will have that on their consience during their whole lifetime and this can be very traumatic.

The ones who decide to have the baby often become single mothers since the man does not want to take responsibility and abandons the new mother.

 

I would like to conclude with saying that everything that Allah has deemed unlawful for us has a logic behind it, it might not be clear for us in this day and age, but the thing we have to remember is that Allah has created us and he knows his creation the best.

We hear and we obey.

-Fredrik ”Fady” Lundström

Suicide Bombings and Islam

Suicide bombings and Islam

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

Every day you see on the news how there are suicide bombings all over the Muslim world, but why is it that Muslims do it? Is it compatible with our religion Islam? Or is this something that is done out of ignorance?

In this article I’m going to argue that suicide bombing is haraam in Islam and I’m going to prove it with verses from the Qur’an and Hadiths.

Let’s first define what a suicide bombing is:

Suicide bombing would be when a person delivers an explosive to an location, detonates it and dies because of the explosion willingly. This tactic is being used currently in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Chechnya and Somalia by different groups who claim to fight in the name of Islam.

Unfortunately this tactic isn’t only used to target military targets but also civilian targets.

Firstly I would clear up why it is completely haraam in Islam to kill civilians even in times of war.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:

“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew all of humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved all of humanity. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.”[1]

” Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities .Lo! Allah loves not, aggressors.”[2]

Furthermore Shiekh Abdel Sattar Abdel Jabbar, Spokesman for Shurah Council of Muslim Scholars says about killing civilians.

” Killing and slaughtering innocents is not an Islamic teaching. Contrary to this, Islam teaches us to honor the human being, regardless of his faith. In the Glorious Qur’an, Allah says, “We have honored human beings”. Therefore, killing innocents and slaughtering them is not of our teachings.”[3]

I believe my point has been made clear now, according to Islamic rules of warfare, civilians are not to be hurt. If we look back in history to the Crusades when Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub re-captured the city of Jerusalem from the Crusaders ( who killed everyone in Jerusalem when they took it, it has been recorded that 70.000 men, women and children lost their life), he did not kill anyone, but promised the Christians a safe passage to Christian lands. This is what Islam teaches us.

Now it should be crystal clear for everyone that the killing of civilians is forbidden according to Islam.

Now to the next point, the actual suicide bombing.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

” Destroy not yourselves. Surely Allah is ever merciful to you”.[4]

“And do not throw yourselves in destruction”. [5]

There is also a Hadith about suicide:

The Prophet said: “Amongst the nations before you there was a man who got a wound, and growing impatient (with its pain), he took a knife and cut his hand with it and the blood did not stop till he died. Allah said, ‘My Slave hurried to bring death upon himself so I have forbidden him (to enter) Paradise.’[6]

“Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever”[7]

The verses from the Qur’an and this Hadith makes it quite clear that taking your own life is forbidden, the hadith even says that Allah forbade the man from entering paradise.

This is how severe it is to take your own life. If going out on a suicide bombing mission then the intention to commit suicide is there and hence this verse from the Qur’an and this Hadith fit the situation very well.

Numerous Fatwas have been issued against the act of suicide bombings, and the ‘Ulama agrees that this act is sinful and not according to Islam.

Muslims should stop being so ignorant about the rules of war in Islam, we have many rules that we must follow. You cannot think that something that has been haraam would suddenly become halal, this is not Islam. Suicide is forbidden not only by our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam, but by Allah, the Creator. Seek knowledge from the people of knowledge, and not from Muslims who have little or no knowledge and come up with their own rulings. Many of these attacks are only done for political reasons and not for religious reasons, but no one should be fooled that you will gain the status of a martyr when doing something that is a great sin.

I hope that this article also clears up some misconceptions in the non-Muslims minds, there are a lot of corrupt and false information about Islam in the media and on the internet, don’t believe everything people tell you. Go and ask Muslims who have real knowledge about issues. If you do not believe in what I have written then I ask you to research it yourself, from honest websites that represent Islam, I will also provide some links for further reading below.

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full Knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things).”[8]

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundström

Vocabulary:

Haraam: Unlawful

Halal: Lawful

Fatwa: Religious ruling

‘Ulama: Scholars

Qur’an: The holy book of Islam

Hadith: Oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam.

Islamic rules of war:

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503545840&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaEAskTheScholar

[1]Qur’an 5:32

[2]Qur’an 2:190

[3] http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=AmEEc9

[4] .Qur’an 4:29

[5] Qur’an2:195

[6] Sahih Bukhari 4.56.669

[7] Bukhari 5778 and Muslim 109&110

[8]Qur’an 49:13

Only God can judge me… really?

Only God can judge me… really?

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

The young Muslims today listen to hip-hop/rap music and unfortunately they tend to listen to these retarded lyrics. Now one of the most famous phrases a rapper has used in a song must be Tupac Shakur who sang “Only God can judge me”. When we hear it, it makes a lot of sense, because ultimately when we die, it is only Allah that will judge us, but, when we are still in this dunya, it is not only Allah that judges us, we can also get judged by humankind.

I have heard too many times that a Muslim has committed a very grave sin, and talks about it and when being called out by someone, in order to correct the person, and the person who sinned replies with “Only God can judge me”.

Now from a Christian perspective (Tupac Shakur was a Christian after all, not a Muslim) this might make sense, since the Christians sins already have been forgiven when Isa a.s was killed on the cross, and they twist bible passages around, well this is a whole other topic so I will not continue with that. But yes, for Christians it might make sense because they only answer to God, I mean Jesus, no God… or was it the Holy Spirit? Anyways, they answer to one of their gods and that is it, they do not follow the laws of the Old Testament.

Now what is the problem with a Muslim saying that?

Well that we have a thing called Sharia, this is a divine law that Allah has given us to follow, and when Sharia is implemented, there are Sharia courts and if you commit a sin that has a punishment according to the Sharia, you will be taken to court, your case will be investigated and if found guilty, in that case the Sharia court has JUDGED YOU and will punish you. Now you have been judged by human beings according to the law of Allah, revealed to us in the Qur’an and through Prophet Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam.

O Muslim youth, stop treating some rap “artist” as a Shiekh, even though something might sound pleasing to the ear this is nothing but another trick by the Sheytan to drag you away from Siratal Mustaqeem (The straight path, Islam).

Come back to Islam, stop making stupid excuses for your actions, think about what if God doesn’t forgive your sins, what if you didn’t repent enough, what if those 100 times you committed zina, or those 10.000 prayers you forgot to pray are not forgiven, what if you have to spend years upon years in Jahannam(Hell).

Read the Qur’an and remind yourself that death is always near, repent and start practicing, stop using the “Only God can judge me”, because I don’t know about you, but I would rather take my punishment in this life, than to leave it to the Day of Judgment when the punishment might be far more severe than anything that could happened to you in this life!

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundström

Is Honor Killing a part of Islam?

Is Honor Killing a part of Islam?

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

Now days Islam is under attack on all fronts, not only are our lands occupied by non-Muslims, our beliefs are under attack and lies are spread against Islam, unfortunately ignorant Muslims are not helping Islam by committing ignorant acts in the name of Islam, which are in fact very un-Islamic.

Honor killing is a disease that has spread amongst Muslims unfortunately, what is honor killing and why is it forbidden?

Causes for Honor Killing:

Usually it is a girl from a family who has done something that the family deems indecent, such as not wearing Hijab or intermingling with the opposite sex and with these actions she has brought great shame upon her family in her community.

Who commits the Honor Killing:

It seems like it is always the close male relatives who take this “mission” upon them in order to save the honor of their family.

Why is Honor Killing Haraam:

Allah Most High says:

“If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.”[1]

Going to the Sahih Hadith collections we find this Hadith:

“Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported saying that Nabi Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam said: ‘The blood of a Muslim may not be legally spilt other than in one of three instances: The married person who commits adultery, a life for a life and who forsakes his religion and abandons the community.’”[2]

Now this verse from the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith clearly states that a Muslims life is not to be taken because of a light cause, then we can ask ourselves: Are the reasons for Honor killings not serious enough?

No, they are not. In Sharia[3] there is a death penalty only in some cases, not wearing Hijab and intermingling with the opposite sex do not belong to the category, for my knowledge there is not even a light Hadd[4] punishment for it, yes indeed they are sins and not to be taken lightly, but there are no punishments in the Dunya[5] for it.

What if your family member would actually commit a crime that has a Hadd[4] punishment? Are you allowed to punish them yourself?

Shaykh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, states:

“There is no such concept in Islam that is called honor killing. Islam holds every soul in high esteem and does not allow any transgressions upon it.

It does not allow people to take the law in their own hands and administer justice, because doing so will be leading to chaos and lawlessness. Therefore, based on this, Islam does not permit such killings.

First of all, in order to sanction killing, it must be through a binding verdict issued by an authoritative law court. Individuals themselves have no authority either to judge causes or pass judgments. Therefore, a Muslim should not sanction killing because doing so will be leading to the rule of the law of the jungle. A civilized society cannot be run by such laws.”

And this is what Islam, when followed properly gives us, a civilized society.

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Hanooti, member of the North American Fiqh Council, adds:

“In Islam there is no place for unjustifiable killing. Even in the case of capital punishment, only the government can apply the law through the judicial procedures. No one has the authority to execute the law other than the officers who are in charge.”

No matter what has happened a Muslim is always to follow the law and take his matter to a court.

The people who commit Honor Killing to save their family’s reputation is doing nothing but following their Nafs [6] and have nothing to do with Islam, they might think that their action is according to the rules of Islam but they are gravely mistaken.

It’s time for people to go to Islamic sources and hear what the ‘Ulama have to say about matters, not blindly follow their culture and think that their culture equals Islam.

If your daughter doesn’t wear Hijab or intermingles with the opposite sex  then guide her, if you kill her you will not let her to have the chance to repent for her sins and you will have committed the sin or murder which according to Sharia[3] the punishment is death, and if you do not take the punishment in the dunya [5] and repent, verily you will answer to your Creator on the Day of Judgment.

“In that is a Sign for those who fear the penalty of the Hereafter: that is a Day for which mankind will be gathered together: that will be a Day of Testimony. Nor shall We delay it but for a term appointed.”[7]

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundström

[1] Qur’an 4:93

[2] Al-Bukhari and Muslim

[3] Islamic law

[4] Physical punishment according to Sharia[3]

[5] This life

[6] Personal desire

[7] Qur’an 11:103-104

Love your parents

Love your parents

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

Today I saw this video which I posted above and started to think about my relationship with my parents, Alhamdulillah it could be worse, but of course it could be a lot better too.

As Muslims we should love our parents because Allah and his Messenger sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam commanded us to do so.

“We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; but if they strive (to force) thee to join with Me anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not.”[1]

“…The pleasure of the Lord is in the pleasure of a parent, and the wrath of the Lord is in the wrath of a parent”[2]

“…’O Messenger of Allah. To whom should I be good? He replied, Your mother. So I asked, Then who? He replied, Your mother. I asked, Then who? He replied, Your father, then the next closest relative, and then the next.”[3]

“… The major sins, which are nine in number are as follows … causing one’s parents to shed tears because of one’s disobedience. Then Ibn ‘Umar said to me. ‘Do you fear the Fire and desire to go to Paradise?’ I replied, ‘Yes, by Allah!’ He said, ‘Are your parents still alive?* I replied ‘Only my mother.’ He replied, ‘By Allah, if you speak with her gently and give her food to eat, you will surely enter Paradise if you avoid these major sins.’” [4]

Now looking at the Ayah from the Qur’an and these Hadiths we see the importance of parents to us as Muslims, we should love and cherish them even if they are unjust towards you.

“…Even if they are unjust(one must act to please one’s parents)”[5]

So even if your parents are unjust towards you and are not doing to you what they should according to Islam, you must still treat them kindly and respect them.

You must obey their command as long as it is not against the command of Allah, then it would become sinful for you to obey your parents. If your parents tell you to not wear the Hijab or to not pray Salat, you are to disobey them, but if they were to ask you to go to the supermarket to buy bread you are not even allowed to say “uff” to them, you are to obey them.

“Your Lord has enjoined the following: You should not worship anyone but Him Alone! Treat your parents with great kindness; if either or both of them attain old age, do not even say ‘uff’ to them; nor rebuke them; but speak to them kind words. Treat them with humility and tenderness and pray, “O our Lord, be merciful to them, just as they brought me up with kindness and affection in my childhood.”[6]

Being a convert you might use the excuse “My parents are not Muslim, so I don’t need to obey them, they are not on the Straight Path”, but the reality is the complete opposite. It does not matter if your parent is a Muslim, Ahl Kitab or a Mushrikeen, you are to do good to them and please them, in this is a great reward.

It is very unfortunate that our Ummah is in the state that it is today. Parents know each and single Ayat in the Qur’an that speaks about the rights of the parents but neglect the rights of their children, children rebel against their parents, this is a reality. The only way we can cure this problem is with correct manners and with love, if you are a parent, treat your child with love as Allah and his Messenger sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam ordered you to do, and if you have parents, then treat them with kindness and be gentle to them whatever they may do to you, of course this is easier said than done, but in following the rules of Allah there is a great reward and in breaking them there is a severe punishment.

“Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return”[7]

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundström

[1]Qur’an 29:8

[2] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 2

[3] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 3

[4] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 8

[5] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 7

[6] Qur’an 17:23-24

[7] Qur’an 2:156

Pork, the worst sin in Islam

Pork, the new worst sin

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

(Firstly I want to say that I might be a bit sarcastic in this article so do not think that I mean every thing I write in the article, you can tell the difference.)

Pork seems to be the new worst sin in Islam, at least this is the case for Muslims living in the West.
Now what are the “normal” things for a young Muslim now days?
Well usually it’s just the boys, because apparently boys are allowed to do whatever they want because they are boys and apparently they won’t be accountable for their sins on the Day of Judgment, the girls again have to stay nice and pure and won’t leave the house, so let’s examine what male Muslim youth are allowed to do.
The first is to neglect all the five daily prayers because I mean, who prays anyway? That’s something that you can do when your 50 years old with 10 children and your party days are long gone.
The second thing is drinking alcohol, this is also something that everyone is doing so why not? I mean it is after all more important to look cool in the eyes of the Kuffar than to please Allah.
The third is smoking marijuana, this is for those who don’t want to drink alcohol, cause I mean there is no way that marijuana is a drug right or equally bad as alcohol?
The Forth thing that they can do is commit Zina, I mean, everyone is doing it and isn’t it a bit old fashioned to save yourself for marriage?
And finally the fifth is gambling, cause they put small amounts in it so it’s okay, and a lot of the money the money they loose go to charity.

But what is this one sin that Muslims cannot defy? One sin that is so great that breaking that sin would be totally unforgivable?
Well the consuming of pork meat, apparently eating pork will be such a terrible sin that you can do whatever you want as long as you do not eat pig, eating pig will take you straight out of the fold of Islam and you will burn in Hell
Now let’s examine the different sins:
Zina:
“And do not go near fornication. It is an indecent act, an evil way”[1]
The punishment for Zina was revealed gradually in the Qur’an in three steps first in Surah 4:15 then in Surah 4:16 and finally Allah says in the Qur’an.
“ A woman and a man who commit fornication: flog both of them with one hundred lashes and do not let compassion for either of them possess you where Allah’s din is concerned, if you have iman in Allah and the Last Day. A number of muminun should witness their punishment [2]

Alcohol& Cannabis (Both go under the word Khamr (intoxicant))
Khamr was also forbidden gradually in the Qur’an first in Surah 2:219 then in Surah 4:42 and finally
“You who have iman! wine and gambling, stone altars and divining arrows are filth from the handiwork of Shaytan. Avoid them completely so that hopefully you will be successful. Shaytan wants to stir up enmity and hatred between you by means of wine and gambling, and to debar you from remembrance of Allah and from salat. Will you not then give them up?[3]
This Ayat clearly dictates the prohibition of Gambling.
It is also reported in At-Tirmindi that the Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam said:
“ That of wich a great deal causes intoxication then a little of it is haram.”[4]
“Jurists of the four schools agree that a drunkard must be punished by flogging. Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali jurists say that the hadd punishment for drinking wine is eighty lashes, but Imam ash-Shafi said that the punishment for drinking wine is only forty lashes.”[5]
Neglecting the five daily prayers:
Salat is the second pillar in Islam and neglecting this obligation is a great and very dangerous sin indeed.
“Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars have differed concerning the Muslim who deliberately neglects salaah without denying that it is obligatory. Some of them say that he is definitely a kaafir who has gone beyond the pale of Islam. He is considered to be a murtadd (apostate) who is to be given three days to repent – if he does not, he is to be executed for his apostasy. The funeral prayer will not be recited over him, and he will not be buried in the Muslim graveyard. The greeting of salaam is not to be given to him, in life or in death, and his greeting is not to be returned; prayers for forgiveness and mercy for him cannot be offered; he cannot inherit, neither can his wealth be inherited, instead it is to be given to the Muslim treasury (bayt al-maal). This ruling applies whether the number of people who are neglecting their prayers are many or a few.
This opinion is the soundest and most correct, because of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The difference between us and them is salaah. Whoever neglects it is a kaafir.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and the authors of Sunan with a saheeh isnaad); and: “(Nothing stands) between a man and kufr and shirk, except prayer: (whoever neglects it becomes a kaafir and a mushrik).” (Reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh, with other similar ahaadeeth).”[6]

And then we have eating of pig.
No one can deny that Allah has made pig meat forbidden to us, but even if we were starving we would be allowed to eat pig meat, we are never allowed to drink alcohol or take drugs, commit zina or neglect the 5 daily prayers.
If you commit all these sins and you do not pray, but when you are offered pig, you say no? Do you think that this will just save you from the fire? This sin that does not even have a hadd punishment?
One brother even told me that he saw some men who belonged to a Muslim family and they were Pimps, meaning they “owned” prostitutes and when they were offered pig meat they said: “No, we do not eat pig”
Seriously, eating pig meat is nothing compared to these sins.
No, we should not eat pig, nor should we commit any of these other sins. But do not think that the only sin you have to stay away from is eating pig meat.

[1] Qur’an 17:32
[2] Qur’an 24:2
[3] Qur’an 5:90-91
[4] At-Tirmindhi
[5] Shariah: Islamic Law, Abd ar-Rahman I.Doi Page.399
[6] http://islamqa.com/en/ref/2182

Who should you imitate as a Muslim?

The Muslim Youth

Who should you imitate as a Muslim?

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

Last week when I attended Salatu Jummah in the Masjid in Itäkeskus, Helsinki and I saw loads of young Muslims outside the Masjid, because there was no room inside, but the thing that I noticed was that most of them had hip-hop clothes on and were acting all “gangsta” outside the masjid. This isn’t the first time I see this but it seems like Muslim youth are drawn to the hip-hop culture and are jumping between being a Muslim and a “Gangsta”, I guess dressing as a “gangsta” isn’t un-Islamic but the behavior and lifestyle that comes with it is very un-Islamic, cursing, racial slurs etc. Not to forget the drugs, alcohol and sex that are a part of that culture. Not to forget the music, I mean most of us should know that music is haraam by now, but I could imagine that there is a difference in if you are listening to 50 Cents newest album or Sami Yusufs, one of those albums has a guiding message, a guidance to the true way of life, then again the other is very much the opposite, singing about how someone has women and how they treat them like they are just objects for their pleasure etc.

Now why are young Muslims drawn to these African American “gangsta” musicians and their lifestyle?

I seriously do not know, this is a lifestyle that contradicts almost everything within Islam.

A Muslim is a kind person, filled with mercy and happiness, a Muslim does not curse or slander, a Muslim does not take intoxicants , a Muslim is a benefit to society not a menace to society.

The Muslim youth has to lift their head out of the gutter and realize that this Hip Hop culture is nothing but a new trick and trap of Sheytan to mislead us from the Straight Path, and as always the Sheytan is doing a very good job misleading them.

Muslims need to understand that we have a rich history and culture, filled with beauty. We are not an enslaved religious minority who has been oppressed for hundreds of years, there is no need to be “Enemy of State number 1.” A Muslim benefits the community by following its laws (As long as following those laws wouldn’t lead him to do something sinful) and he works to make people’s lives better.

If you have non-Muslim friends who know you as the toughest meanest guy that there ever was, then why would they be attracted to Islam? You as a Muslim in the West represent Islam in the non-Muslims eyes, so behave like a Muslim is supposed to. Countless of people have embraced Islam because they saw the real Muslim character, not because they saw some rude rebel who think that he was cool. Islam spread to countries like Indonesia and Somalia just because the Muslim traders used correct Islamic manners, they didn’t lie, cheat nor steal, they always spoke the truth.

On the Day of Judgement you will be responsible if you did tell your friends about Islam and showed them what Islam really is, then again if you do, and your friends would come to the Straight Path with your help, every time they do a good deed, you will get reward for it, just think about it for a second.

Would it not be better for you to be a winner in this life and the hereafter, rather than a loser in this life and the next?

You will only be a winner in this life and the next if you do what Allah has commanded you and behave like a Muslim, but you will remain a loser in this life and the next if you disobey Allah with your acts and your manners.

The persons we should imitate is the Prophet of Allah sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam and his companions the sahabah radiallahu anhum, no one else.

“… Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah reported that the Prophet of Allah,upon him be peace said,  “Every good deed is sadaqah.”[1]

“.. Hudhayfah said, “All of those people who became habitual cursers came to deserve Allah’s curse”[2]

“… ‘Abd Allah reported that the Prophet of Allah, upon him be peace, said “A believer is not a fault-finder and is not abusive, obscene, or coarse”[3]

Are you ready to change your ways?

-Fredrik “Fady”Lundström

Refrence:

[1] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 224

[2] Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 319

[3]Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari Hadith 313

What would you do if you would meet the Messenger of Allah (saw)?

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

A very good brother in Islam and friend of mine, Qabandi from Kuwait sent me this video, it was a tv-show where they asked people to call and tell them what they would say to habib RasulAllah sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam if we would meet him for 1 minute and what would we give as a gift to him?

This really made me to start reflecting on my life, what would I do if I were to meet the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam, could I even look at him because I would be so ashamed of myself?

I mean yes, I do try to follow his teachings and his Sunnah as well as I can, but would it be enough for him to even consider me as a somewhat good muslim, or a muslim worthy of being a part of his Ummah?

I seriously have no idea what I would do, I don’t think I could even speak with him, I would just stand there and bow my head in shame (+ I don’t speak arabic so…), Allahu Alam

What would I give as a gift to RasulAllah? What is there to give? What could I ever do that would be enough?

A promise that I will try my best to memorize the Qur’an and learn Arabic? Try my best to spend my belongings in the way Allah has prescribed? Raise my children to be good Muslims or what?

We should all reflect on this idea, what would you do if you met him? Do you think you could stand in front of him and speak him? Would you be ready to meet him?

And this is speaking about the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam, then what would you do when you stand in front of your Lord on the Day of Judgement? Prophet Muhammad sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam is only a man, but this is Allah, your Creator. What can you say? What can you do?

If you die today, you can only take with you your actions and your belief in to the grave, your time is up, the only thing that can help you in the grave are a continuous charity that you set up, your children or people praying for you. Will this be enough for you so you are spared from the fire of the Hell?

Even now while I am writing this article I begin to tremble, what if I do not even live to the end of this article, if the Angel of Death comes and snatches my soul and I take my last breathe, am I ready to meet my Creator?

Are you?

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundström

The Strength of the Muslimah

The Strength of the Muslimah

As-Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

I just woke up to pray fajr so excuse me if I make alot of typing mistakes or sound irrational, I’m a bit tired.

I’d like to write about the Muslimah, the Muslim woman, our sister in deen.

First I’d like to state that no, I have no idea what the Muslimah goes through in the society of today, specially the west, but I am trying my best to understand.

Anyway,

I have so much respect for our sisters in Islam, these sisters they cover their bodies up even with constant pressure from society and in the worst case even friends and family, this is something that we brothers don’t go through, okay, the beard could be a similar issue, but lets be real, the beard is no big deal compared to the hijab.

Unfortunately we are sometimes quick to judge sisters who lack in their hijab or don’t wear hijab at all, yes indeed Allah has commanded women to cover themselves and it is sinful to be uncovered, but as brothers, who go through nothing like this are we to judge them? Too often I see or hear brothers talking about how sisters who don’t wear hijabs are “whores, bitches and even kafir” and then I look at the brother and see that he is shaven and from my knowledge he doesn’t even pray, so who is he to start judging. Even if the brother would have the longest beard and the whitest thobe and a shemagh he shouldn’t judge harsly.

And yes, I  do also unfortunately judge sisters who don’t wear the hijab.

The bottom line is, as brothers (and sisters too) we should stop judging people because we do not know in what kind of situation they are in, when I was a recent convert to Islam I used to break my salat if my parents entered the room, just because I was afraid. Now days I would never break my salat if they were to enter the room while I was praying.

We should stop judging and try to give them advice, and DO IT IN THE CORRECT MANNER! Do not use harsh and foul language, try to break it gently, speak about the problem and how to solve this issue. Don’t use the kind of advice that goes like this “Salaam aleikum sister, if you don’t cover up your going to burn in the hellfire, *quotes 3 hadiths*, so yeah.. cover”

This is not the way, use the correct way, do not correct her in public, rather in privacy ( okay, brothers correct in a more public place if your going to correct her, cause you don’t want to be at a private place with a uncovered sister, just.. don’t go there) and never ever try to defame her or make her the laughingstock of the community or gathering.

Then again, if the sisters Iman is far gone then this will not work, there are other areas you have to work on first, After Iman, the second most important thing is Salat, remember that, without Salat your good deeds are quite worthless.

Support and Advice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIMad0KQRbE

-Fredrik “Fady” Lundstöm