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23 Sha'ban 1440 A.H. - April 28 2019 Issue # 17, Newsletter #1808



Hadith of the Week

Abu Darda, r.a., reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, then Allah will make easy for him the path to Paradise. Verily, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge. Verily, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, even the fish in the depths of the water, will seek forgiveness for the scholar. Verily, the virtue of the scholar over the worshiper is as the superiority of the moon over the stars. Verily, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. They do not leave behind gold or silver coins, but rather they leave behind knowledge. Whoever has taken hold of it has been given an abundant share."

Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3641
 Sis Kristi

[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]





 Social Media

Impressive Facebook Statistics!
The April 21 issue of
New Trend has reached
112,042 people so far.

Articles in that Issue included:
  1. Sis. Nadrat's article on Boston marathon & support for Aafia Siddiqui.
  2. Br. Kaukab's khutba on attacks on mosques around the world with Israel as worst offender.
  3. Cataclysmic suffering of Uighur Muslims in China.
  4. Sis. Ashira in Ethiopia.
  5. Sis. Yasmin's guidance on companionship.






 Word Around The Net

Iran's FM says US suspension of oil sanctions waivers may backfire, anger its allies
MiddleEastEye.net/news/irans-zarif-says-us-suspension-oil-sanctions-waivers-may-backfire-anger-its-allies

Abu Dhabi fund said to deposit $250m in Sudan's central bank
MiddleEastEye.net/news/abu-dhabi-fund-said-deposit-250m-sudans-central-bank

Afghanistan peace deal depends on Taliban ceasefire: US envoy
alJazeera.com/news/2019/04/afghanistan-peace-deal-depends-taliban-ceasefire-envoy-190428151644299.html

Indivisible justice: Why supporters of Palestine must stand with other oppressed communities
MiddleEastEye.net/opinion/indivisible-justice-why-supporters-palestine-must-stand-other-oppressed-communities

In Spain's Election, Far Right Could Win First Seats In Parliament In Decades
NPR.org/2019/04/27/716706293/in-spains-election-far-right-could-win-first-seats-in-parliament-in-decades





 Africa

Pro-Iran Group of
SHI'ITES DISRUPTS PROCEEDINGS OF LAW MAKERS


By Abdulkabir Oyemomi

Proceedings in the lower chamber of Nigerian House of Assembly was brought to an abrupt end with the invasion of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

The deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, on Wednesday, the 23rd of April, 2019 had to put off sitting following the report of Shiites attempt to invade the house. The Invaders were already at entrance of the chamber when the announcement was made.

It was later gathered that the protest was premised on the members' dissatisfaction over the continued detention of their leader Ibrahim El- Zakyzaky.

The deputy speaker reportedly claimed that he suspended the proceedings because he was not sure of adequate security to handle the situation, knowing full well that members of Shiite are known for adamancy in the area of obeying constituted authority agents.

Zakyzaky has been in detention since December 2015 when his followers clashed with troops of Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State.

You will recall that Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky is facing trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly,and disruption of public peace.





News Within the U.S.

 News within the US

Deep Sickness in the Church.

April 26. According to the local Ellicott City, Maryland
paper [Patch], 23 more priests of the Catholic
Church have been added to the list of clerics
accused of sexual abuse.





Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.

Bismillahir Rehmanir Raheem'
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rehmath Ullahi Wa Barakatahu .

' If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you ?
In Allah, then, let Believers put their Trust.'
{Qur'an Surat 'Al-Imran' 3A #160}

Tie your Camel First !One day Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it...!
so he asked the Bedouin... 'Why don't you tie down your Camel' ?
The Bedouin answered...
'I put my Trust in Allah.'
The Prophet [Peace and Blessings be upon him] then said...
'Tie your Camel first, then put your Trust in Allah'

Source~ Tirmidhi
~My 'Salaams' To All~
Y a s m i n.
 Sis Yasmin




Editorial

 Editorial

Sri Lanka:
Major attempt to create Muslim-Christian Conflict.
Without Investigation, Fake News can become part of Accepted Narrative.

by Kaukab Siddique

On April 22, bombs exploded in three churches and two hotels in Sri Lanka, a little country south of India.

Within hours. without any investigation, the Lankan government claimed that a tiny Muslim group, hitherto unknown, had carried out the bombings. It also claimed that the attackers were "suicide bombers." Hence none of the attackers were alive and could not be questioned.

The Prime Minister and President claimed that they had no knowledge of the coming attacks but Sri Lanka intelligence services knew about them but did not stop them [!}.

No Muslim group or individuals have claimed the attacks, so the government version remained unchallenged. India's Prime Minister Modi, known for his hatred of Muslims boldly claimed that these were "terrorist" attacks.

Suddenly an announcement came allegedly from Amaq claiming that the Islamic State was responsible for the attacks in revenge for New Zealand. BBC noted that there was no evidence that IS was involved. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinta pointed out that her intelligence services show no connection between New Zealand and the attacks in Sri Lanka. Thus she debunked India's "terrorist" connection narrative., She has turned out to be the best friend of the Muslims.

A note on AMAQ: This was the name of the publicity branch of the Islamic State [IS]. However a few years back its leadership was killed in US air strikes. As the air strikes continued, the second and third layers of AMAQ leadership were also killed. Nowadays IS cannot report even from its strongest positions in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus any group can send out a message saying that it is AMAQ. Hence the idea that AMAQ claimed that IS did Sri Lanka bombings is far fetched and probably apocryphal.

Christians vs Muslims?: In Sri Lanka, there has never been any Christian-Muslim violence. There have not even been expressions of mutual hatred. The Qur'an gives high praise to Christians as People of the Book. Mary [Maryam, peace be on her], has a chapter of the Qur'an named after her. All the miracles of Jesus, pbuh, are endorsed by the Qur'an. NOWHERE DOES THE QUR'AN SAY THAT MUSLIMS SHOULD FIGHT CHRISTIANS. It also sanctifies places of worship.

Muslims and Christians are tiny minorities in Sri Lanka, less than 10%, spread out across the island, separate from each other. The only conflict within Muslims has been against Sufis and against "ahmadis" [qadianis], arriving from Pakistan.

By contrast, Buddhists attacked Muslims last year, These bomb attacks are meant to legalize the Buddhist regime's attacks on Muslims. In fact, the Buddhist regime is putting the label of IS on all activist Muslims. There has been a wave of arrests, about 80 by now, and another 70 are being searched for. Even a Muslimah from Baltimore [USA] was put on the terrorist list and the police apologized after she vehemently protested.

The Sri Lanka government is building up its case. Muslims killed in the bombings, from highly educated elite families, are being labeled as "suicide bombers." Of course they cannot answer.

The latest is that the government is launching armed attacks on Muslims. At least 15 have been killed. including 3 children and three women. The government says they blew themselves up.

The propaganda of fear and danger is so strong from the government Buddhist media that Christians cancelled their Sunday sermons and stayed home for worship. By now Christians have been led to believe that Muslims are their worst enemies.

Sri Lanka seemingly wants to emulate Burma [Myanmer] to turn Sri Lanks into a 100% Buddhist state.

Most Muslims depend on western media for their information although the Qur'an warns them to be critical of news brought by wrong doers.

May Allah forgive our sins and shortcomings.




PAKISTAN

 Pakistan

Freely Elected Shoora of
JI. Unique in Pakistan.
Siraj Criticizes Military Courts and World Bank.

by Qaiser Sharif

LAHORE, Apr. 25; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq, has said that the elements talking of the presidential system were pushing the country towards chaos and disintegration. He was addressing the opening session of the newly elected central Shoora of the JI at Mansoora on Thursday.

Sirajul Haq said that the 1973 constitution had been unanimously adopted and if it was made controversial, the nation could never agree on another constitution

He said that there were serious threats to the constitution under the present government. He however agreed that there were several flaws in the 18th amendment which should be rectified.

He said that as a result of the 2018 general elections, the situation in the country had gone worse instead of bringing any improvement.

Sirajul Haq said that the country a present needed an alternative leadership. However, he made it clear that the JI would not be a party to the politics of the PPP or the Muslim league.

" We believe that Pakistan needs the Islamic system of government as much as it needs sunlight and water", he said. However, he said, that dictatorship was the biggest hurdle in the way of the Islamic system.

" What is the need for military courts when the civil courts are functioning, " he asked. How can there be two judicial systems and two parallel governments, he asked.

Continuing, Sirajul Haq said that the presidential system implied the government of the World Bank technocrats and such a government would neither have people's representation nor it would attend to the voice of the masses, he added.

He said the present government was a herd of opportunists who had been brought together under one party. He said the people had hoped that the PTI government would be able to put the country on road to progress within three years time after controlling price hike, poverty, unemployment and energy crisis. However, he said, the government had collapsed within nine months and the economic situation had worsened. The country's politics had been held hostage and the policy making institutions were idle, and watching the helplessness of the people.

Sirjaul Haq said that the Muslim Ummah was facing numerous challenges as the anti Islam forces wanted to divide the Umamh on regional and sectarian grounds to weaken its unity. He said the Muslims unity was being harmed by propagating Sufi Islam and political Islam. Difficulties were being created in the way of the Islamic movements. The Islamic movement in Egypt and the Jamaat e islami in Bangladesh and Kashmir were being crushed. Thousands of their workers and leaders had been put behind the bars and several JI leaders had been executed in Bangladesh. However, he said, the Pakistan government had remained a silent spectator all the time.




War News

 War News

Syria
Armed Clashes around Aleppo city. Russian air strikes Continue. ISIS assembling in several areas Undisturbed.


April 21-28

April 27 In a battle with Assad troops, southwest of Aleppo in the Khan Tuman area, 17 Assad troops were killed and 30 injured by mujahideen of Jaysh Omar ibn al-Khattab . Eight of the mujahideen were also killed.

Tiny drones sent by al-Nusra dropped explosives on the Russian air base near Tarsus. Explosions could be heard as the Russian artillery tried to shoot down the drones but missed. Damage on the air base has not been disclosed.

Three Russian air strikes hit al-Madiq town in the Sahl al-Ghab area.

Regime artillery hit western Idlib provinces as well as three areas of northern Latakia.

Air strikes hit places in the Islamic town of Lataminah [Hama province]. In response mujahideen fired rockets at regime forces in Suqaylabiyah town. Assad vs mujahideen exchanged fire on the western side of Aleppo city. Six other villages in Hama province were also struck by Russian jets, killing 5 civilians.

South of Aleppo city in the Zammar area, Tahrir [al-Nusra] fighters hammered Assad's troops killing and wounding numbers of them. Also south of Aleppo, al-Nusra repeatedly hit Assad forces in the al-Hader town.

In various towns and villages of Deir ez Zor province, demonstrators came out against Kurdish forces deprivation of basic rights of the people. SDF brought in armored vehicles to disperse the protestors.

In Tayyana town, 4 SDF were killed in an Islamic State ambush. In a village near Busayrah, SDF fired at random and killed 4 people, including a pregnant woman.

Islamic State forces have successfully re-grouped in the eastern Homs province and northern Suwaydah province.
There are reports that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been trying to enter Iraq but presence of Baghdad border troops prevented him.




Invitation to Think

[With thanks to Sis. Kristi.]
 Invitation to Think

Praying for Believers who have Died: Is it allowed? Why do we feel the need to pray for those who have died? Do we believe our prayer will convince Allah to be more merciful to our loved one than He would have been without our prayer? Is our prayer for Mercy a sign that we don't trust Allah's mercy for them?

Praying for the Believers who have died. Some support this practice. Some feel it's forbidden, and a sign of doubting Allah's Mercy. Below is a great article: We feel that if this article is read with an open mind and read without hostility, that the reader will see many awesome, Allah-honoring truths:

Article, courtesy of Quran-Islam.org:
"Prayers for believers who died."
Do our prayers make a difference to their judgement on the Day of Judgement?

By definition, a prayer for a dead person is a form of intercession and the Quran states categorically that there will be no intercession allowed by God, see: The Myth of Intercession
Quran-Islam.org/main_topics/new_information/intercession_(P1258).html

As mentioned above, when we pray for a living relative or friend (believer) we usually implore God to cure them of an illness or to alleviate hardship off them. This kind of prayer implores God's Mercy on them while they are still live. We have seen how this prayer is encouraged in the Quran.

Prayer for a loved one, who we believe to have died as a believer, is categorically different, for here we are not imploring God to cure them of their illness or assist them in adversity, but we are imploring God to grant them mercy on the Day of Judgement. Initially, the concept is improper. If we accept that God is the Most Merciful, and that He has decreed mercy upon Himself, why would be imploring Him to show mercy?

Say, "To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?" Say, "To God." He has decreed mercy upon Himself. 6:12

Are we imploring God to amend, or improve the judgement He decrees on a person on the Day of Judgement? What this means in reality is that we are interceding with God to issue the dead person a more favourable judgement! The concept of intercession is categorically refused in the Quran:

O you who believe, you shall give from what We provided you with before a Day comes in which there will be no trade, no friendship and no intercession. The disbelievers are the transgressors. 2:254

Many verses in the Quran make it very clear that on Judgement Day, and in accordance with God's Absolute Justice, no person shall be credited for anything other than his/her own work, equally that no soul would carry the burden of another:

No person benefits except from his own work, and no burden-bearer bears the burden of another. 6:164

The human being will benefit from nothing other than his own work. 53:39

On Judgement Day, no soul will benefit except from what it has personally earned and not from the prayers of their loved ones. All our prayers to a dead person will not alter his/her judgement. Many practises undertaken by many Muslims today for their dead parents or next of kin are utterly useless. It is utterly useless to observe and dedicate a Hajj or Umrah to a dead parent or relative; they shall not receive the credit since they have not observed the Hajj themselves. The same applies to fasting on behalf of a dead person or giving Zakat on their behalf. All these acts are totally useless. The Salat, Hajj, Fasting and Zakat are all acts of worship, and God does not accept any acts of worship by proxy!

Sura 82
It is the Day when no self possesses any power to help any other self, and all matters on that day will be decided by God alone. 82:19

The moment the human being dies his/her record is sealed and nothing can alter it one way or another. Sadly many Muslims reject these Quranic truths and prefer to believe baseless hadith that advocate what is contrary to Quranic teachings!

God's Infinite Mercy
When we analyse this issue closer, we note that to pray for a dead person, even if they were good sincere believers, is an indirect rejection of Quranic truth. Let us look at the following verses:

Say, "O My servants who transgressed exceedingly against themselves, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins; He is the Forgiver, the Merciful." 39:53

God does not forgive the setting up of partners with Him, and He forgives other than that for whomever He wills. 4:48

By virtue of these two verses, as well as other Quranic verses, we are given a glimpse of God's Infinite Mercy. God would actually forgive all the sins of believers as long as they avoid idol worship.

If we still pray that God would forgive the sins of dead believers, would we not be guilty of disbelieving God's promise in 39:53?

Commentary on some related verses: The significance of 14:41
Some writers have quoted 14:41 to claim that we are invited in the Quran to pray for our parents and implore God to have mercy on them on Judgement Day:

My Lord, forgive me, my parents and the believers on the Day when the reckoning takes place. 14:41

Immediately, we note a very important difference between 17:24 (above) and 14:41. In 17:24, the prayer was for the parents in their lifetime. However, in 14:41 the prayer for forgiveness on the Day of Judgement, is not a prayer given by God, it was a prayer spoken by Abraham.

Many would quickly say, "Is a prayer spoken by God's own Prophet Abraham not good enough as a prayer that we should follow?"

The answer to this question is as follows:

  1. The prayer in 14:41 was a personal prayer spoken by Abraham, thus it cannot be regarded as an instruction from God for us to follow.

  2. We are told later that Abraham was not to pray for his father who was an idol worshipper. This indicates that this prayer offered by Abraham (for his parents) could not have been authorised by God. We learn later that this prayer of Abraham was not accepted by God. We also read in 9:114 that Abraham's prayer was unrighteous.

  3. Just because a prayer was offered by a messenger does not mean that we should follow it or that it is a prayer that God would answer. In 11:74 we are read how Abraham attempted to offer another prayer for the people of Lot, which was also rejected by God (11:76). Similarly, the prayers of Noah for his son (11:46) and of Muhammad for his relatives (9:80) were all rejected by God.

  4. If we examine 14:41 one more time, we would be able to see how it stands in disharmony with other Quranic words:


My Lord, forgive me, my parents and the believers on the Day when the reckoning takes place. 14:41

It is necessary now to compare the above words to the following Quranic words:
Intercession is of no use with Him except to those who are already approved by Him. 34:23

These words are quite conclusive in asserting that on that Day of Judgement, nothing will have any weight for our judgement except own deeds and faith and not on how devoutly others may have prayed for us.

The significance of 9:84
Before we analyse this verse a word has to be mentioned about one of the rituals practised in Islamic countries today when a Muslim dies. Shortly before the burial proceedings, the dead person is taken in his/her coffin inside a masjid and a salat is observed for the dead person. Some have interpreted the words in 9:84 to be related to this ritual which is known as "Salat Al-Janazah" (Funeral Prayer). However, it can be shown that this is a misinterpretation.

We read in 72:18 that the masjid serves only one purpose and that is to worship God. The masjid is not for taking coffins of dead people inside and offering prayers for them.

Moreover, the rule in 6:162 dictates that the Salat, as well as all other worship practices, should be dedicated to glorify the name of God and not for any other purpose. To observe a Salat, to offer prayers for a dead person is in violation of 6:162. It is also in violation of 20:14 which defines the sole purpose of the Salat as being the commemoration of God:

I am God, there is no god but Me. Therefore, you shall worship Me and observe the Salat to commemorate Me. 20:14

The proponents of the un-Quranic Funeral Salat will argue that it is not a Salat in the traditional sense since it has neither bowing nor prostration and is much shorter. This excuse is not acceptable simply because it is not the form that validates a ritual or invalidates it; it is the heart of the ritual and who it is dedicated to. Since this Salat is observed and dedicated to the dead person, then it is unlawful, whatever form it may take.

Now let us ponder on the words in 9:84:
'La tussallee ala ahadan minhum' (you shall not support any of them) who died, ever, nor shall you stand at his grave. They have disbelieved in God and His messenger and died in a state of wickedness. 9:84

The key words in this verse with regards to our research are "la tussallee ala ahadan minhum". These words have been used in the Quran in a number of verses. They do not mean "do not pray for them" (as some have interpreted). Neither do they refer to the widely practised Funeral Salat. When we consult a number of verses where these same words are used ( 33:43, 9:103, 33:56) we realise that these words simply mean "do not support them". The following verses confirm this meaning:

"He (God) is the One who "yussallee alaykum" (supports you), as well as His angels, to lead you out of darkness into the light. He is Merciful towards the believers." 33:43

It is clear here that neither God nor the angels observe a Salat for the believers! Nor do the words mean to send blessings since the angels have no authority to bless us; all blessings come from God alone.

Take a charity from their money to cleanse and purify them with it and 'sallee alayhum' (support them). Your support provides them with tranquillity. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable. 9:103

Once again, it is clear that the messenger is not to observe a Salat dedicated to the believers!

God and His angels 'yussalloon ala al-nabi' (support the Prophet). O you who believe you shall 'salloo alayhee' (support him) and accept him fully. 33:56

Once again it is clear that neither God nor the angels conduct a salat for the Prophet, nor are the believers required to do so.
Consequently, it can be established that the prohibition in 9:84, which is related to the words "la tussallee ala ahadan minhum" is a prohibition from supporting any dead disbeliever. Support for a dead person can be in the form of taking part in the funeral, taking part in the burial, contributing to the cost of the funeral or memorials, and so on.

The significance of 59:10

Some writers have quoted 59:10 and implied that the words in this verse allow us to pray for the believers who came before us and are now dead.

And those who came after them say, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us to the faith and do not place any animosity in our hearts towards those who believe. Our Lord, You are Benevolent, Merciful." 59:10

Indeed the above words indicate that the people spoken of in 59:10 were offering prayers for the believers who came before them and would thus be dead at the time. Therefore, should we say that 59:10 allows us to pray for the dead believers? The answer is no. Not every narration given in the Quran constitutes a law from God that we should follow. In many verses God is simply narrating to us about what some people said or have done.
In other verses, God would be narrating to us about various sins committed by previous people who have long been dead. This again does not mean that God is authorising us to commit the sins mentioned.
One of the many such examples is the following:

And say, "My Lord, admit me an honourable admittance, and let me depart an honourable departure, and grant me from You a supporting authority." 17:80

The difference between the prayer in 17:80 and that in 59:10 is that the one in 17:80 is a prayer authorised by God for us to say, this is apparent since the verse starts with the word "Say", while the one in 59:10 is merely a narration of words spoken by previous people.
The prayer of the people mentioned in 59:10 is useless for 2 reasons:

1- Just because these people offered a prayer for the dead believers who came before them does not mean in any way that it was a prayer that God would answer. Let us take the following example where Abraham and Ismail said the following prayer:

Our Lord, and make us submitters to You and from our descendants a nation of submitters to You, and show us our rituals and redeem us. You are the Redeemer, the Merciful. 2:128

Was that a prayer that God would answer? Is it possible for God to create a whole nation of submitters when God tells us consistently that the majority of the human race are either disbelievers (12:103) or idol worshippers (12:106)?
In fact, God gives us Quranic evidence that Abraham's prayer in 2:128 was not a prayer that could ever be answered by God:

We sent Noah and Abraham and We placed among their descendants the Prophethood and the Scripture. Some of them were guided while many were wicked. 57:26

Why was this prayer one that could never be answered? It is because the prayer itself was not in harmony with God's grand purpose. God will not decree a nation to be submitters simply because Abraham prayed for that to happen! Rather, a nation can only be submitters if they themselves make the right choice and choose to submit to God.
This is not any different than if any of us prays:
"Please God make my brother a submitter!"
This is a useless prayer because God does not make anyone a submitter if others prayed for that to happen, instead becoming a submitter is a choice that must come from the person himself.
God tells us that had He willed He would have made all people submitters.

Conclusion

  1. We must have full faith in God's Mercy:

    He said, "Who despairs of his Lord's mercy except the misguided ones!" 15:56

  2. Can we through prayers prompt God to exercise more mercy on our beloved ones when He has decreed mercy on Himself?

    Say, "To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?" Say, "To God." He has decreed mercy upon Himself. 6:12

  3. Since God forgives all sins for the believers (39:53), what exactly would we be praying for when we pray for a dead believer? Do we not believe 39:53?

    Say, "O My servants who transgressed exceedingly against themselves, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins; He is the Forgiver, the Merciful." 39:53

  4. Can we ignore the truth of 53:19 and 6:164 and insist that our loved ones will benefit from our prayers?

    The human being will benefit from nothing other than his own work. 53:39

    No person benefits except from his own work. 6:164

  5. Is it permissible to intercede on behalf of our loved ones who died when the Quran states that there will be no intercession on Judgement Day?

    O you who believe, you shall give from what We provided you with before a Day comes in which there will be no trade, no friendship and no intercession. The disbelievers are the transgressors. 2:254
  6. Belief in the Quran and its teachings should lead all believers to accept without any doubt that due to God's Infinite Mercy, all believers will be ultimately pardoned, not because others prayed for them, but because of God's Infinite Mercy.


Source: Quran-Islam.org

2019-04-29 Mon 10:02:59 ct

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