Bulliet, Yusuf Address Relationship Between Christianity, Islam | Columbia Spectator

In a free-flowing discussion, Columbia history professor Richard Bulliet and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf of the Zaytuna Institute—which aims to develop future Muslim scholars—emphasized the urgent need to view history in a new and critical light at an event hosted by the Muslim Students Association.

After a huge number of people piled into Altschul Auditorium in the International Affairs Building last night, Bulliet said to the audience, “I feel like I’m opening for the Rolling Stones.” Bulliet and Yusuf had an open conversation with the moderator, Emmy award winning journalist Anisa Mehdi, regarding the growing rift between Islam and Christianity—religions perceived to be very different, but surprisingly similar in doctrine as well as scriptural history, according to Yusuf and Bulliet.

Calling widely accepted historical sources “master narratives” that Bulliet said are often untrue, he explained that “you can’t misread history until it is miswritten,” and supported this claim with examples from European history, as well as the history of his hometown in Illinois. He questioned the need to draw “a horizontal line across the Mediterranean” dividing Islam and Christianity when two other conflicting cultures could come together to form “Greco-Roman antiquity.” Yusuf agreed with the sentiment, pointing out that Christians did not originally consider Islam to be a separate religion—it was merely thought of as a heretical form of Christianity.

Of his latest book, The Case For Islamo-Christian Civilization, Bulliet said jokingly, “I had this idea that I would throw out this word, ‘Islamo-Christian Civilization,’ and Google it every few weeks and watch as it takes over the world.” While acknowledging that this was a far-fetched possibility, Bulliet said he hoped that it would at least provoke people to interpret history differently.

Yusuf, on the other hand, felt that in a world that is constantly changing, the likelihood of an integrated Islamo-Christian civilization is not as improbable as people might think.

But to achieve such a civilization, “we have to be able to get in the skin of the other,” Yusuf said. Until then, he said, we will continue to live in a world of “black versus white, us versus them, police versus civilian.”

YouTube - Iman - The Articles of Faith (Nasheed Video) Talib Al-Habib

Talib al-Habib is one of my very favourite Islamic nasheed artists, and an all-round amazing person, Masha’ Allah:

This Nasheed is based on Rasulullah’s (peace and blessings be upon him) definition of belief (Iman) in the famous Hadith of Gibril.

It lists the six articles He (peace and blessings be upon him) described, with the addition of ‘Resurrection after Death,’ as mentioned by most of the scholars. Each of the six are then briefly explained in the verses, to the refrain of, ‘There is no God But Allah.’

Poynter Online - Why It Worked: A Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Speech on Race

Fascinating study of Barack Obama’s now-famous Race Speech (full transcript of text; video)

Islamic Finance Set To Grow Rapidly, According to Experts

The subprime crisis in the US is increasing interest in Islamic finance because Sharia investment avoids interest-related risks, according to experts at the Islamic Bank of Asia (IB Asia).

The bank, which is based in Singapore and recently opened a GCC regional office at Bahrain Financial Harbour, has more than 30 regional shareholders.

Two of the bank’s pre-eminent Sharia board members have seen a steadily growing stream of interest from GCC investors, Muslim and non-Muslim, for Islamic banking products, as they seek new investment opportunities.

IB Asia Sharia board members Shaikh Nizam Yaqouby and Dr Mohammed Daud Bakar say that while changes in the global investment climate are driving demand for Islamic banking, it is the development of innovative Sharia-compliant products that will help grow the industry.

“Islamic Sharia scholars have led the way in innovation. Investors now demand more than just debt finance in their products. They participate in the assets and this creates real economic value,” said Bahrain-based Shaikh Yaqouby, an internationally-acclaimed Islamic scholar and teacher of Tafsir, a scientific study that focuses on the interpretation and explanation of the Quran.

Does Polygamy Have a Legal Future in the U.S.? : ReligionWriter.com

The country of the future finally arrives | World news | The Guardian

With an export boom and oil finds, Brazil, the sleeping giant of South America is awakening

Official Chosen by McCain to Run Convention Resigns - New York Times

The public relations executive whom Senator John McCain’s campaign had chosen to run the Republican National Convention this summer resigned his post on Saturday after a magazine reported that his firm had lobbied for the military junta that runs Myanmar.

YouTube - Marhaba Jaddal Hussaini

Welcome, welcome
O grandfather of Husayn
Welcome!

Welcome, welcome
O light of my eyes
Welcome!

(Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, companions, and lovers)

YouTube - Mishary Rashid Alafasy - Surah Mulk (The Dominion)

Surah al Mulk (67)

The Prophet said, ‘There is a surah in the Qur’an which is only thirty verses. It defended whoever recited it until it puts him into paradise’ i.e. Surah al Mulk
[Fath al Qadir 5/257, Sahihul Jamiea 1/680, Tabrani in Al-Awsat & Ibn Mardawaith]

Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “The Qur’an contains a surah of thirty ayats which will intercede for a man until he is forgiven. It is: ‘Blessed be He who has the Kingdom in His Hand!’ (67)”
[abu Dawud, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi Ch.183 #1016]

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘Surah al Mulk is the protector from the torment of the grave’
[Sahihul Jamiea 1/680, Hakim 2/498 & Nasai]

Jabir (radiAllahu anhu) said it was the custom of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) not to go to sleep until he had read Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk and Alif Laam Meem Tanzeel.
[Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darami]

Anas (radiAllahu anhu) reported Rasulullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wasalam) as saying, “There is a Surah which will plead for its reciter till it causes him to enter paradise (Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk).”
[at-Tabrani]

Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘It is my desire/love that Surahtul Mulk should be in the heart of every Muslim’
[Hakim, al-Hisnul Haseen by the cassical scholar Muhammad al-Jazri]

Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) said that one of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)’s companions set up his tent over a grave without realising that it was a grave and it contained a man who was reciting the Surah Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk up to the end. He went and told the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) who said, ‘It is The Defender; it is The Protector which safeguards from Allah Ta’ala’s punishment’
[at-Tirmidhi]

Khalid bin Madam (tabie) said about surat Al Mulk and ‘As Sajda that these two surahs will fight for their reciter in the grave and will say, ‘O Allah! If we belong to your book, accept our intercession in his favour. In case we do not, get us obliterated. These surahs will spread their wings like birds and will save the person from the torment of the grave.’
[Mishkat al-Misbah]

It was narrated that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: Whoever reads Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk [i.e. Surah al-Mulk] every night, Allah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaiyhi wasalam) we used to call it al-mani’ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah it is a surah which, whoever recites it every night has done very well.
[an-Nasa’i] (Taken from: Qur’anic Virtues)

Energy efficiency | The elusive negawatt | Economist.com

If energy conservation both saves money and is good for the planet, why don’t people do more of it?

5-Year Anniversary Celebration: Free Downloads

Why You Should Kick the “Versus” Habit - Stepcase Lifehack

In our time-starved, action-obsessed approach to work and life, we easily drop into the habit of seeing every choice or decision in terms of simple opposites: good versus bad, right versus wrong, success versus failure, winners versus losers. Every choice must be one or the other, with no options in between. Macho management thinking is full of such false dichotomies.

Above all, of course, the question to ask is, “What can I do that is most likely to be most pleasing to Allah, given the situation.”

The questions not asked - Yaser M. Haddara

Ustadh Yaser writes:

A couple of weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to be a speaker along with Shaykh Talal Ahdab, one of the teachers that has had a great influence on me al-hamdulillah… In the Q&A the first question was about people that reject hadeeth, or that consider that only Bukhari and Muslim should be taken as authoritative, or other arguments. I started out with my attempt at an answer - I basically said the usual surface-level stuff about the science of hadeeth and its rigor, as well as the clear arguments in the Quran about the sunnah. You might call it a simple, direct answer.

Then Shaykh Talal took the mic. The question and both our answers are in this 15 minute audio clip. I suggest you listen to the question then skip ahead to sheikh Talal’s answer at 7:19. There are a couple of spots where he stops to gather his thoughts and decide whether more needs to be said before continuing. If you’ll take my advice you’ll hear this answer through to the end. I would say that his answer revolved around “the questions not asked.” I think if you really understand what he said it would affect your entire outlook on life as a Muslim in the West.

Strained Connections in ‘Unaccustomed Earth’ : NPR

Jhumpa Lahiri won a Pulitzer Prize for her first effort, the short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Her second work, the best-selling novel The Namesake, was adapted into a Hollywood movie directed by Mira Nair.

For her third book, Unaccustomed Earth,
Lahiri has returned to the short story form. Once again, she expertly
plumbs the Bengali-American experience, following immigrants and their
offspring while traversing borders and expectations. Upon publication,
the book debuted at the top of The New York Times best-seller list.

After 60 Years, Arabs in Israel Are Outsiders - New York Times

On Thursday, which is Independence Day, thousands will gather in their former villages to protest what they have come to call the “nakba,” or catastrophe, meaning Israel’s birth. For most Israelis, Jewish identity is central to the nation, the reason they are proud to live here, the link they feel with history. But Israeli Arabs, including the most successfully integrated ones, say a new identity must be found for the country’s long-term survival.

“I am not a Jew,” protested Eman Kassem-Sliman, an Arab radio journalist with impeccable Hebrew, whose children attend a predominantly Jewish school in Jerusalem. “How can I belong to a Jewish state? If they define this as a Jewish state, they deny that I am here.”

The clash between the cherished heritage of the majority and the hopes of the minority is more than friction. Even more today than in the huge half-century festivities a decade ago, the left and the right increasingly see Israeli Arabs as one of the central challenges for Israel’s future — one intractably bound to the search for an overall settlement between Jews and Arabs. Jews fear ultimately losing the demographic battle to Arabs, both in Israel and in the larger territory it controls.[Read more…]

Spring Colors in Hunza Valley : ALL THINGS PAKISTAN

Wednesdays 7 – 9 p.m.
Shalimar Community Center -3024 Cedarglen Gate
(Dundas just East of Erindale Station Rd. Mississauga)

Topics:
(1) Understanding the Call to the Believers in the Clear Qur’an
Commentary on the 89 verses in the Qur’an where Allah addresses the believers with “O you who believe!” based on classical sources, and Shaykh Ahmad Jami’s “Call to the Believers.” These verses contain some of the central guidance and principles of Islam

(2) Understanding the Prophetic Example: Imam Nawawi’s Gardens of the Righteous (Riyad al-Salihin) Explained
Commentary on one of the greatest and most important hadith works, in which Imam Nawawi gives the Prophetic hadiths that outline that way to become one of the righteous

All welcome.
Monthly fees: $25 (Individuals); $40 (Family)
(No one will be turned away due to lack of funds)

For details & directions email: rabbanihalaqa@gmail.com

Directions: Go North on Cedarglen Gate from Dundas. Take immediate left. Drive to end of lane. You’ll end up in an open-air parking lot. The Shalimar Community Center is straight ahead. Cedarglen Gate is West of Mavis, just East of Erindale Station Rd.

View Larger Map

Keyboards: Why You Should Clean Your Keyboard–Right This Minute

A new UK study shows that keyboards swabbed from an ordinary London office had more harmful bacteria than—you know what’s coming—a toilet seat. Yeeks! The accompanying survey showed that most users clean their keyboard infrequently (if at all), and clean their mouse even less often. Here’s what you do: shut down your PC, unplug your keyboard and mouse, shake out any dust, lint and other crap, and wipe ‘em down with disinfectant alcohol wipes. Right this very minute. For a more thorough cleaning which involves disassembly and compressed air, see this step by step guide. Or if there’s just one or two rogue crumbs you’d like to fish out from between the G and H keys, use a piece of Scotch tape. Photo by basibanget.

Keyboards harbour harmful bacteria [Which? Computing via Ars Technica]

This is a useful handout reference on common Islamic expressions and their meanings, in pdf form:

Islamic Manners & Expressions - Handout (pdf)

Source: www.IslamEasy.org

Habib Ali al-Jifri - The Prophet of Love

Al Habib Ali Web Site - English Section

The prophet is the ladder of ascent towards the worshipping of Allah

Part One:


Part Two:

Muslims in America: Whither and Where

Shaykh Yasir gives a poignant call to balance in claiming pre-Columbus Muslim presence in North America.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Good times return to Oil City

Car-obsessed America may be hurting from record petrol prices, but one group of backwoodsmen have never had it so good.

On the hillsides above Oil City, where the petroleum business was born, small independent producers who could barely survive a few years ago, are rediscovering the meaning of “black gold”.

The kosher food fight | Comment is free

Video: Israel finds itself in the middle of a tussle between its religious and secular communities - over bread

U.S. has Mandela on terrorist list - USATODAY.com

Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the USA. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation “embarrassing,” and some members of Congress vow to fix it.

The requirement applies to former South African leader Mandela and other members of South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned anti-Apartheid organization. In the 1970s and ’80s, the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country’s ruling white minority. Other countries, including the United States, followed suit.