Rebuttal of the Attacks on Abu Huraira (r.a)
Did 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, r.a., stop Abu Huraira, r.a. from Narrating Hadith
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD
For Shias, it should have been very difficult to attack Abu
Huraira, r.a., because he loved the family of the Prophet,
pbuh, and narrated beautiful Hadith about the grandsons of
the Prophet, pbuh. Shia scholars should know that Ali, r.a.,
Hasan, r.a., and Hussain, r.a., did not speak against Abu
Huraira, r.a. There are a few Shia fabrications to this
effect but they are from later times and cannot be traced
back to the three greats of Shia'ism.
However, the Shias work by way of "guilt by association."
They try to make the claim that Ameer Muawiyya and Yazeed
were identical in their behavior. For them, connection with
Ameer Muawiyya and Yazeed is equally bad, and because Abu
Huraira, r.a., cooperated with Ameer Muawiyya they condemn
him.
The Shias forget that Imam Hasan, r.a., made peace with
Ameer Muawiyya, and he and Imam Hussain both received
respect and copious gifts from Ameer Muawiyya. Ameer
Muawiyya was KATIBE WAHI [writer of the revelation, the
Qur'an] and was accepted by the Prophet, pbuh. During his
rule, there was general consensus and peace within the
Muslim domain, and as a result Jihad of great significance
was carried out against the oppressive empires in the
West.
The attacks of the sect known as munkareene Hadith [deniers
of Hadith] on Abu Huraira, r.a., are much more dishonest
than those of the Shia. These sectarians, following the line
of Jewish abusers of Hadith, like Goldziher and Schacht,
resort to outright intellectual dishonesty. For instance,
G.A. Pervez wrote:
"Once Abu Salama asked hazrat Abu Huraira, who is well known
for being prolific in Hadith narration, did you narrate
Hadith this way in the time of Hazrat 'Umar? He replied, if
I had done so in his time, he would have beaten me." [Maqame
Hadith, in Urdu language, p.52]
G.A. Pervez gives a reference for this supposed narration
but it is not from a primary book of Hadith but from a
secondary scholar named Tahir bin Salih al-Jazairi.
Thus Pervez, whose entire book is aimed at proving that
Hadith is not to be trusted, tries to use a supposed Hadith
narration to oppose Abu Huraira, r.a., and then does not
give a primary source. In fact, Pervez's study of Hadith was
very poor and he had collected a whole series of quotes from
various secondary writers, taken out of context, to attack
Hadith.
Let's see what the original texts on which Islam and Islamic
history are based, say about the relations between Umar,
'ra., and Abu Huraira, r.a., regarding Hadith :
The context of the personality of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab is
that he was very strict with HIMSELF and with ALL the
companions of the Prophet, pbuh. But when he would hear Abu
Huraira, r.a., reciting Hadith, 'Umar, r.a., would take back
his own opinion. There is NO evidence that he wanted to stop
Abu Huraira, r.a., from narrating Hadith. Quite the
contrary. Here are specific instances:
"A woman who blew on knots (a form of witchcraft) was
brought to 'Umar, r.a. He asked the people (assembled): Have
any of you heard anything from the messenger of Allah, pbuh,
regarding blowing on knots. Abu Huraira, r.a., got up and
said: O Commander of the Faithful! I have heard. 'Umar,
r.a., asked: What have you heard? Abu Huraira replied: He
(the Prophet, pbuh) said: O women who blow on knots, do not
do so and and do not ask anyone to blow on knots. 'Umar,
r.a., accepted Abu Huraira's words [in front of the entire
assembly].
[Sahih Bukhari, vol.2. Urdu translation]
"Once 'Umar, r.a., took Abu Huraira, r.a., with him from
Madinah to Makka for Hajj. On the way, a storm started
blowing. 'Umar, r.a., asked his Companions, does anyone
remember anything from the messenger of Allah regarding a
strong breeze.? No one answered. Abu Huraira, r.a., who was
trailing behind the caravan learned of the question 'Umar
was asking. He put his mount to the gallop, reached 'Umar,
and said: I learned of the question you were asking. I heard
the messenger of Allah, pbuh, say, the wind is a sign of
Allah's mercy."
[Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. vol. 14]
"Hissan ibn Thabit, r.a., was reciting poetry in the mosque.
'Umar, r.a., passed by and forbade Hissan, r.a., from
reciting poetry in the mosque. Hissan replied: I used to
recite poetry in the mosque when one better than you [the
Prophet, pbuh] used to be there. Then he turned to Abu
Huraira, r.a., and asked him: O Abu Huraira, I ask you in
Allah's name, didn't you hear the messenger of Allah, pbuh,
say about me: "(O Hissan) answer the unbelievers from my
side (in poetry). O Allah support him (Hissan) with the
sacred spirit." Abu Huraira, r.a. replied: "Yes, I did hear
him. (say that)." [Sahih Muslim, vol. 2]
In each case, Abu Huraira's words were accepted by 'Umar,
r.a.
There is NO EVIDENCE that 'Umar, r.a., or any other
Companion of the Prophet, pbuh, stopped or tried to stop Abu
Huraira, r.a., from narrating Hadith. Ayesha, r.a.,
corrected two of his narrations but did not stop him and did
not make any general comment against his narration of
Hadith. In fact he used to sit outside her door and narrate
Hadith, so that in case he was wrong, she could correct
him.
It's possible that in later times Abu Huraira, r.a., might
have quipped that if 'Umar, r.a., had heard me reciting so
many Hadith, he would have hit me. Abu Huraira, r.a., was
very humble and would often say things against himself. He
even told of the time when he was an employee of the woman
who later became his wife, and he said, she used to push him
like a servant, and he said jokingly, after she became his
wife, I'll now make her work for me!
Once during Muawiyya's Caliphate, Abu Huraira, r.a., sneezed
and then made fun of himself, what a time of wealth has come
that the poor man who used to pass out from starvation in
front of 'Ayesha's home (he himself) cleans his nose in a
fancy kerchief. [Sahih Bukhari]
In any case, NO COMPANION of the Prophet, pbuh, EVER claimed
that Abu Huraira, r.a., was narrating too many Hadith.
PAKISTAN
Conviction of Nawaz Sharif was Illegal.
Sharif's daughter Maryam got hold of videos which indicated
that the judge who convcted the Muslim League leader was
pressured. What other tactic will Imran Khan use to keep his
main opponent out of the picture? [Maryam herself was
arrested by Imran, a shameful thing to do in a Muslim
country.]
Top News Director, Shakil ur Rahman, was arrested in Imran's
Khan's revenge drive. Thirty years back news conglomerate
leader Shakil ur Rahman acquired expensive property for
which he paid more money than he had. His news giant known
as Jung has been critical of the Imran Khan government and
he was a friend of Nawaz Sharif. A couple of months back
suddenly he was arrested. Now he has been refused bail.
Imran Khan is shutting down anyone who supported his
rival.
Imran Khan is out to oppose Pakistan's Islamic aspirations.
A Hindu temple is to be constructed in Islamabad while a
small mosque also in Islamabad alleged to be on government
land has been quickly demolished.
The Red Mosque also in Islamabad is under government and
secularist pressure because Maulana Abdul Aziz has been
outspoken. Sikhs pilgrims are coming into Pakistan in large
numbers.
Imran Khan is not taking any steps against India despite
India's large scale atrocities in Kashmir. He has also
ignored the Muslims of East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh,
one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. India
destroyed Babri masjid. Imran Khan is silent.
Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, a Sunni firebrand, has said
that we should take care of Hindu temples already existing
in Pakistan. However there is no scope in Islam, he said,
for building a new Hindu temple in an Islamic land. Speaking
in Punjabi, Maulana Rizvi quoted in detail from Qur'an,
hadith, the poetry of Iqbal and Rumi, as he blasted the plan
for a new Hindu temple. It is the negation of the very basis
of Pakistan, he said.
[New Trend's impression is that Imran Khan is trying to
please the
western powers. He speaks marginally about Islam to keep
Pakistani Islamic groups divided. The army supports him and
is dedicated to Amercan plans for the region. Not even one
army "martyr" has fallen on the extensive borders with
India.]
War News
Iraq
Battles raging in 4 Areas. US Coordination with Shia
Regime.
The Baghdad regime is carrying out land and air operations
against Islamic State fighters just outside Baghdad and in
Babel, Kirkuk and Diyala, {July8, according to the regime's
defense minisry spokeman]. It seems to be a failure as only
4 "terrorists" have been captured.
On July 9, US Central Command General Mackenzie visited
regime PM Kadhimi to coordnate operations against IS.
Thirteen countries are sending "advisers" to help the US and
the thegime fight IS, according ro Centcom.
5,200 US troops are staying in Iraq.
Earlier, Hisham al-Hashimi, a famous researcher on militant
groups who was helping the regime was shot dead by unknown
gunmen.
,
Syria
Battles in Several Areas. Russian air strikes. US air
strike?
July 11. A battle has been raging in the town of Sukhneh,
eastern Homs province between Islamic State fighters and
Assad's army units. The Russian air force bombed ISIS after
Assad's troops suffered heavy losses.
July 8 to 11. Mujahideen and Assad's forces exchanged heavy
machine gun fire in south Idlib and northwest Hama provinces
on daily basis.
In a battle on southeast Idlib border, Turkish supported
Syrians shot down a Russian reconnaisance drone.
Heavy fighting is reported in eastern Latakia province where
Mujahideen are trying to advance into Assad's Alawite
heartland.
An air strike suspected to be US killed 35 militia brought
by Iran into the Abu Kamal area near the Iraqi border.
In the countyside west of Tal Abyad, north central Syria,
Syrian fighters supporting Turkey shelled military positions
of Assad troops and SDF which are in the area.
Libya
Mysterious Air Strike.
There is much speculation about the July 4 air strike on
al-Wattiyal miltary air base 140 km southwest of Tripoli.
Turkish intallations at the base were damaged. French jets
from an air base in Chad are suspcted. Also there is
speculation that the attack was carried out by UAE which
with Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia has been helping General
Hifter whose forces were put to flight by Syian fighters
brought by Turkey.
Tunisia is worried that ISIS fighters are among the Syrians
and are entering Tunisia.
Burkina Faso
Massacre. 180 Executed for Supporting Islamic Goups.
Human Rights Watch [HRW] reported on July 9 that execution
style killings most probably by the government have been
carried out in the Djibo area in northern Burkina Faso. THe
victims are civilians who were suspected of leaning towards
Jihad groups in nearby Mali.
The government is trying to be ambiguus but HRW is sure that
this was systematic extra judicial killing most probably by
the regime linked to the wetern powers.
Why do Muslims Differ with Each Other?
Why do Muslims Differ with Each Other?
by Kaukab Siddique
Text: "O ye who believe! obey Allah, and obey the Messenger,
and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in
anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His
Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That
is best, and most suitable for final determination." [The
Qur'an 4:59]
Many Muslims differ with other Muslims because they don't
know that ALL schools of Islamic Thought accept the Qur'an
and the authentic hadith.
Schools of Thought emerged after all the sahaba, r.a.,
passed away. These are INTERPRETATIONS of Qur'an and hadith
known as fiqh.
The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, Hanbali schools of thought
differ in matters of interpretation. They don't say that the
others are unbelievers or that you should not pray with
them.
Schools of Thought are different from sects. Allah does not
accept sects which try to create a new version of Islam
based on a cult or a leader or a companion of the prophet,
pbuh
Scholars who came later are also interpreters. They too
accept Qur'an and Hadith. Some very prominent names are Ibn
Taymiyyah, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, Shah Waliullah,
Maudoodi, Syed Qutb and the jihad leaders.
When someone becomes a Muslim, we do not have the right to
talk about the unIslamic activities they carried on before
accepting Islam. Faith wipes out all previous sins.
There are many people in the power structure, like Pharoah,
whose "hearts" Allah has sealed. They should be challenged
and confronted.
There are others who are against us because they are
misinformed about Islam. Or they hurt us owing to their
professional duties and jobs. As teachers of Islam, we must
try to understand WHY someone opposes us.
Khalid ibn al-Waleed opposed Islam. He even killed Muslims
at the battle of Ohud. The Prophet, pbuh, understood that
Khalid was not an enemy of Islam but only an opponent as a
good soldier.
Khalid, r.a. not only embraced Islam but became the SWORD of
Allah [Saifullah].
Forgiveness can change people if we forgive them AFTER
defeating them. Thus the Prophet, pbuh, forgave Abu Sufian.
He was skeptical for a while even after becoming Muslim but
once he understood, he not only stood up for Islam but took
his family with him. He was seriously wounded fighting for
Islam but never wavered. His daughter was with him and gave
her life [shaheed] for Islam at Yarmouk.
Shi'ite sectarians abuse Muawiyya, r.a., but he was not only
trusted by the prophet, pbuh, after he changed but he wrote
revelation [wahi] for the prophet, pbuh.
During the caliphate of Usman, r.a., the compiler of the
Qur'an, Muawiyyah, r.a., was in command of the Islamic fleet
which destroyed the combined naval fleets of Europe. His
wife was with him in the battle as was Umm Hurum, r.a., whom
the Prophet, pbuh, had blessed.
Imam Ghazzali has written that we should not denigrate
people who are in the last line of prayer because they might
be in the first line by the time they die. Similarly those
who are in the first line should not be too proud because
they might be in the last row by the time they die.
This is a principle of da'wa. Look for the potential for
good in each person.
Famine deadlier than Coronavirus
Economic fallout from the coronavirus could push tens of
millions of people into deeper poverty and hunger. Across
parts of Africa and Asia, starvation could be deadlier than
the disease itself.
- with thanks to Roman, Texas
Recessions caused by the coronavirus pandemic are leaving
people hungry and raising the specter of famines this year.
Unless the world acts immediately, a UN report published
this week says, it could spell a global food emergency of a
"severity and scale unseen for more than half a
century."
Although there is enough food to feed the world, not
everybody can afford to buy it. In regions like East Africa
— already fighting off locust swarms and weather
extremes — widespread job losses could spiral into
famine, said Maximo Torero, chief economist at the UN's Food
and Agriculture Organization. "It's a terrible problem of
food access."
Lockdowns at the start of the pandemic sent shock waves
through the global food system, resulting in millions of
tons of crops left to rot in fields as countries closed
borders and farmers stayed home. While global food supplies
are now stable, supply chains in some countries have still
not recovered.
The World Food Program estimated in April that world hunger
will double this year, bringing the total to 265 million
people — more than 3 in every 100 humans on the
planet. Most of those suffering from acute food insecurity
live in countries reeling from conflict, climate change and
economic crises. In total, 821 million people are going
hungry in some form.
The global food system was fragile even before the pandemic.
Just nine plant species account for more than two-thirds of
global crop output and they are increasingly threatened by
soil erosion, rising temperatures, extreme weather and
disease. The ten countries with the worst food crises last
year —Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, Sudan,
Nigeria and Haiti — all struggle with conflict and
political unrest.
Like climate change, the pandemic makes a "perilous
situation worse" by multiplying other threats, said Asaf
Tzachor, a food security expert at Cambridge University's
Center for the Study of Existential Risks. In several
countries, "these converging crises may cripple food
systems."
In most of Africa, people are more likely to die from
starvation caused by the economic fallout from the pandemic
than from the disease itself, according to the International
Fund for Agricultural Development. More than half of
Africans are smallholder farmers and agriculture is a
central pillar of economies across the continent.
In East Africa, where desert locusts have ravaged land and
razed crops, farmers have endured a succession of shocks
that leave them less able to cope.
International students must leave the U.S. or be denied
entrance into the U.S. if they are taking online classes
this semester.
by Sis. Kristi
Due to the Coronavirus, many colleges and universities have
announced plans to hold many classes online. This week,
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced
that all foreign students enrolled in one of these
institutions will be denied Visa.
Students already in the U.S. will not be allowed to stay,
they will be deported. For students who plan on traveling to
attend class this semester, the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection will not allow them to enter the United States.
Several universities, including Harvard and M.I.T. have sued
the Trump Administration seeking to block this directive.
"The order came down without notice—its cruelty
surpassed only by its recklessness." Harvard University
President Larry Bacow said.
Aside from the ethical absurdity of this ICE directive, it
will result in billions of dollars in lost revenue for the
universities. More than one million foreign students come to
the U.S. for higher education and contribute $41 billion to
college and university budgets in a single acedemic year.
What could ICE and the Administration be thinking? What is
the true purpose of this directive? Colleges and
Universities are already fumbling around trying to decide
how to manage this upcoming acedemic year - maintaining
enrollment, compliance with CDC guidelines, keeping students
and faculty safe from the risks of Covid-19, budgeting,
financing new teaching environments - all while trying to
not compromise their students ability to learn. And now
this. As if things weren't hard enough, Only a few weeks
before classes are scheduled to begin, the lives of foreign
students are further interupted and put in limbo.
Source: npr, cnn, bostonglobe, politico
Invitation to Think
Dangers of Coronavirus Aerosols are underestimated.
239 researchers called for an update of the coronavirus
guidelines by the WHO, as transmission via ultrafine
suspended matter in the air was not sufficiently taken into
account. Now the WHO also sees the danger.
Aerosols are the smallest suspended particles and droplets
in the air, which are smaller than five micrometers. When
breathing out, speaking, laughing or singing, this fine mist
spreads throughout the room. The larger droplets quickly
fall to the ground, but the finest particles can remain
suspended in the air for hours - especially in closed
rooms.
If an infected person stays in such a closed room, he can
infect many others in a very short time - without ever
having direct contact with them.
In response to the public appeal, the World Health
Organization is now also ready to change course. Until now,
the WHO had mainly assumed droplet infection was the main
culprit of the disease's spread.
The WHO now also recognizes "emerging evidence" for the
airborne spread of the novel coronavirus, said Maria Van
Kerkhove, technical manager for the COVID-19 pandemic at the
WHO, in a press briefing.
On the basis of the new assessment, the next step would be
to adapt the WHO corona guidelines accordingly. A month ago,
the WHO had already had to revise its assessment of
protective masks.
The current protective measures - washing hands, wearing a
mask, keeping your distance - are primarily aimed at a
possible droplet and smear infection. But these alone are
not enough. The researchers argue that there has been
insufficient evidence of aerosol transmission to date.
Regular airing helps
Therefore, the authors of the appeal call for regular and
effective room ventilation with fresh air from outside. Air
circulation indoors, such as using fans or air conditioning,
should be avoided - especially in public buildings, schools,
workplaces, hospitals, and retirement homes. Existing
ventilation systems should be expanded to include extraction
and air filtration systems and/or germicidal, ultraviolet
light.
Above all, overcrowded rooms and crowds of people in closed
rooms should be avoided, not only in bars or clubs, but also
in public buildings and transport.
Indicators show need for reassessment
A sudden increase of corona cases after bar or restaurant
visits, as well as after choir performances, show that the
infections were probably transmitted by aerosols in the
indoor air, according to Prof. Dr. Clemens Wendtner, head
physician of the Infectiology and Tropical Medicine
Department of the Munich Schwabing Clinic, who was not
involved in the appeal.
It is also possible that the ventilation systems that
"repeatedly circulated, unfiltered cold air" in
slaughterhouses led to the frequent occurrence of corona
infections, according to Wendtner. The physician considers
the ventilation measures proposed in the appeal to be
sensible and had suggested a change of course from the
WHO.
At the beginning of the pandemic, transmission via surfaces
was "probably somewhat overestimated," according to Dr.
Isabella Eckerle, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the
University of Geneva, who was not involved in the
appeal.
On the other hand, the transmission via indoor air due to
the proximity to sick people (family celebrations, choir
rehearsal, and fitness studios, etc) has been somewhat
underestimated. "I think the previous very strict
distinction between either aerosol or droplet infection is
not sufficient to cover all transmission scenarios."
Allah's Apostle said, "On the Day of Resurrection Death will
be brought forward in the shape of a black and white
ram.
Then a call maker will call, 'O people of Paradise!'
Thereupon they will stretch their necks and look
carefully.
The caller will say, 'Do you know this?'
They will say, 'Yes, this is Death.' By then all of them
will have seen it. Then it will be announced again, 'O
people of Hell !' They will stretch their necks and look
carefully. The caller will say, 'Do you know this?' They
will say, 'Yes, this is Death.' And by then all of them will
have seen it.
Then it (that ram) will be slaughtered and the caller will
say, 'O people of Paradise! Eternity for you and no death. O
people of Hell! Eternity for you and no death.' " Then the
Prophet (pbuh) recited:
"And warn them of the Day of distress when the case has been
decided, while (now) they are in a state of carelessness
(i.e. the people of the world) and they do not believe."
(19.39)
Hasan al-Basri said:
"...The more forgetful the heart is, the harder it becomes
but *if a person remembers Allah, that hardness softens as
copper melts in the fire*..."
Hasan al-Basri also stated: "...Dhikr is healing and
medicine for the heart..."
O Allah help us to
remember You, to praise
You, to call upon You.
*Ameen*
Palestinian Lives Matter
Hundreds of Palestinian women participated in a rally
in besieged Gaza to
protest Israel's plan to annex nearly 30% of the occupied
West Bank.
The rally on Thursday, July 9, organized by the 'Popular
March against Annexation', carried signs calling for
international action against Israel's illegal
annexation.
The rally featured several women speakers, who paid tribute
to Palestinian women killed and imprisoned by Israel.
The world-famous Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul -
originally founded as a cathedral - has been turned back
into a mosque.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the
decision after a court annulled the site's museum
status.
Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral,
Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman
conquest in 1453.
In 1934 it became a museum and is now a Unesco World
Heritage site.
Islamists in Turkey long called for it to be converted to a
mosque but secular opposition members opposed the move. The
proposal prompted criticism from religious and political
leaders worldwide.
Defending the decision, President Erdogan stressed that the
country had exercised its sovereign right in converting it
back to a mosque.
He told a press conference the first Muslim prayers would be
held inside the building on 24 July.
Trump administration sanction Chinese officials over human
rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims
"The United States will not stand idly by as the CCP carries
out human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs
and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang, to include
forced labor, arbitrary mass detention and forced population
control, and attempts to erase their culture and Muslim
faith," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement
announcing sanctions from the State Department.
The sanctions are aimed at three senior officials in
Xinjiang, and it makes them and their family members
ineligible for entry into the U.S. Pompeo said additional
visa restrictions were being placed on other officials
believed to be involved or responsible for abuses against
minorities.
The Chinese government is believed to have detained more
than a million ethnic Turkic minorities. They are held in
internment camps and subjected to forced labor, forced
abortion, sterilization and other abuse.
China initially denied the existence of the camps but has
since said they are training facilities aimed at countering
Muslim extremism and separatism.
Guidance
by Sis. Yasmin.
'Assalaamualaykum Wa Rahmatuallahi Wa Barakatahu'.
Umar [Radhi Allaahu'Anhu] said..."I looked at all the
friends and did not find a better friend than Safeguarding
the Tongue{!}
I thought about all the Dresses... but did not find a better
dress than Piety... {!}
I thought about all sorts of wealth but did not find a
better wealth than Contentment in Little {!}
I thought of all sorts of good deeds but did not find a
better deed than offering
Good Advice ...{!}
I looked at all types of sustenance but did not find a
better sustenance than Patience"... {!}
My Salaams to All
~Sis. Yasmin~
