Friday, January 26, 2007

MUST READ: THE LAWFUL AND PROHIBITED IN ISLAM

The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam
by Yusuf al-Qaradawi


REVIEWER'S NOTE

The methodology of this book is unique in dealing with the many subjects it covers. In fact, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a pioneer, the first to handle this subject using this particular approach. He has attempted, with considerable success in the Arabic original, to collect and summarize the issues from both ancient and modern Islamic references. Being himself a recognized Islamic scholar, he has had to make a judgement in selecting those points of view which he strongly felt meet the needs of Muslims in reference to the changing circumstances of this time.

However, this by no means presents all dimensions of the "discussion relating to each issue, which it is impossible to cover in a book of this modest size. Although the present volume is very useful, it cannot by itself fill the gaps, meet the challenges, or answer the multitude of questions which face Muslim communities living in the Western world. It is time that sincere and qualified Muslim scholars who have lived in the West, and who possess mastery of the Islamic fiqh, introduce into English a fiqh which will meet our Islamic needs in this part of the world, one which will demonstrate the ability of Islam, as Allah's final message to mankind, to meet the changing requirements of human society. We hope that this call to our brothers and sisters will not be lost, and that the Muslims in North America will carry out the responsibilities which confront them in a forceful and dynamic fashion. Insha'Allah the day will not be far off when the major reference works available in the Islamic languages - Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, etc. - will be accurately translated into English, giving the English-speaking Muslims the privilege of drawing their own conclusions concerning the many issues which confront them today.
We pray that Allah will forgive us, and that He will bless our work and make it useful for the Muslims of the English-speaking world.
Sheikh Ahmad Zaki Hammad

DEFINITIONS

Al-Halal (the lawful): That which is permitted, with respect to which no restriction exists, and the doing of which the Law-Giver, Allah, has allowed.

Al-Haram Al-Haram (the prohibited or unlawful): That which the Law-Giver has absolutely prohibited; anyone who engages in it is liable to incur the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter as well as a legal punishment in this world.

Al-Makruh Al-Makruh (the detested): That which is disapproved by the Law-Giver but not very strongly. The makruh is less in degree than the haram, and the punishment for makruh acts is less than for those that are haram, except when done to excess and in a manner which leads an individual toward what is haram.

An online book that you may review at your leisure...Organized by topic...

Who is Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi ?!?

Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Theologian of Terror

Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi is often referred to as the most influential contemporary Sunni scholar. His fatwas (legal opinions) regarding democracy, women's participation in politics, music and other social issues are considered relatively progressive and he has condemned the 9/11 attacks. Many Muslims and some Western scholars argue that he is a moderate who represents a credible alternative to the radical Islam associated with Al Qaeda.

Even while he condemns the murder of civilians in the abstract, however, Qaradawi is also a radical supporter of terrorism. He has called for targeting American forces and civilians in Iraq, and provided religious justification for the use of suicide bombers against Israeli civilians. His fatwa authorizing the use of women in suicide attacks – an ironic reflection of his "advanced" conception of women's capabilities – provided religious sanction for Hamas when it began enlisting female "martyrs."


Qaradawi's statements and affiliations demonstrate his conspiratorial anti-Semitism, his encouragement of terrorism, his efforts to undermine both a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and, more broadly, reform and democracy in the Middle East.

Qaradawi's endorsement of the assassination of American civilians in Iraq has drawn some criticism from within the Muslim world. For example, the general manager of the Dubai-based television news station Al-Arabiya sharply criticized Qaradawi in a widely cited May 2004 newspaper article.

"How could this Sheikh face the mother of the youthful Nick Berg, who was slaughtered in Iraq," the official asked. "How can we believe him when he tells us that Islam is the religion of mercy and peace while he is turning it into a religion of blood and slaughter?"
In September 2004, a United Arab Emirates paper, Al Ittihad, charged that the beheading in September 2004 of two American hostages in Iraq happened "in direct response to Qaradawi's fatwa and incitement which permits the killing of American civilians."
Qaradawi's long-time advocacy of violence led the U.S., in 1999, to ban him from entering the country.


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In His Own Words

  • "O God, make Islam's word the highest, and the word of the enemies of Islam the lowest. O God, support us against your enemies, the enemies of Islam wherever they may be. O God support us against the treacherous, usurper, oppressive, and arrogant Jews and against their allies, the plotting rancorous Crusaders… O God, make fate turn against them and send affliction in their way and stop their domination of your land. Don't let them dominate any of your faithful subjects. O God, unleash your might on them; the might that cannot be faced by criminal people. O God… defeat them and give us victory over them. O God, support our brother mujahidin for your sake in the land of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir, the Philippines, and all Muslim lands…."
    June 10, 2005, sermon on Qatar television(BBC Monitoring, June 13, 2005)
  • "The battle between us and the Jews began when they occupied the land of Palestine, expelled its residents, and perpetrated all their deeds. They are the ones who started the hostility, not us…

    "The Palestinian problem was behind the destruction of the stronghold of the Islamic Caliphate. The Zionist movement is the one that initiated this hostility with the Arabs and the Muslims….

    "[During the time of the prophet Muhammad] the problem began with the Jews, and by them…. [They] sided with [those who fought against Muhammad] and abandoned the Muslims…they wanted to exploit this opportunity to bring about the Muslims' total annihilation….

    "the problem with the Jews is not their faith or law, but of greed and the events that led to this [Muslim] attitude toward the Jews since the time of the Prophet, and after that in our own times, ever since they began to covet the holy and blessed land of Palestine….

    "[In my ceremonies] I say: 'Allah, [harm] the oppressive, aggressive, and deceiving Zionists and Jews.' They must be labeled, because I do not curse every Jew and every Christian. I say 'the hostile Crusaders,' and I mean 'the aggressive Americans who lean towards Israel'…

    "A few years ago the Vatican published a document proclaiming the Jews innocent of spilling Jesus' blood, but whoever reads history knows how the Jews incited the Roman governor to crucify Jesus…we believe that the Jews, I mean, they commit this crime."
    January 16, 2005, Al -Jazeera TV (MEMRI)
  • "[A campaign against me] has been unleashed by World Zionism and its strategic ally the United States….The United States has proven its ability to manipulate the written, audio and visual media and to recruit people to condemn and defame anyone….

    "I don't care about these atheists, agents of US imperialism and Zionism and the advocates of normalization with Israel….

    "O God, support our brothers in Palestine and Iraq and our Mujahidin brothers everywhere….deal with the arrogant tyrants and aggressors against Muslims, oppressive Zionists and arrogant Americans. O God, deal with every oppressor of Muslims. O God, deal with them powerfully."
    January 7, 2005, sermon on Qatar television(BBC Monitoring, January 11, 2005)
  • "Oh My nation, the struggle has become obligatory, so put aside chattering and screaming…for there is neither peace nor pardon….We should no longer speak with words; rather let the spears have their say…
    "The Crusaders have returned once more…They spread perversion in the land…They are again spilling blood, without shame of exposure. And the Shi'ites play well the role assigned to them. The treacherous role, whose beginning and end are known to all….
    "They gleefully abuse the victims' corpses, and violate the honor of women, fearing no retribution or punishment….Don't you see how conspiracies against Islam are hatched openly in the light of day?...Don't you see how the Jews commit outrages…They violated our Palestine, and declared that they will not leave it….
    "Young men who offer up their blood – and he who offers up his blood is blameless…"
    January 5, 2005, poem posted to Qaradawi.net (MEMRI)
  • "Look for the Zionists behind every disaster. We have found their fingers in Darfur, and their fingers are in Iraq and Kashmir. Everywhere where the Muslims can be hurt – you will find them there. It obligates us to be cautious of them."
    September 10, 2004, interview with Al Sharq, an Arabic-language Qatari newspaper Qaradawi.net)
  • "Fighting American civilians in Iraq is a duty for all Muslims… Americans in Iraq are all fighters and invaders. There is no difference between a civilian and a military American in Iraq."
    August 31, 2004, address to the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo (Associated Press, September 2, 2004)
  • "O God, deal with your enemies, the enemies of Islam. O God, spare us their plots, blunt their weapons, and remove their empire and power from your earth…O God, make the word of Islam superior and the word of the enemies of Islam inferior. O God, we turn to You against them. Spare us their evil. O God, O revealer of the book, mover of the clouds, and vanquisher of infidels, defeat them and give us victory over them."
    April 30, 2004, sermon on Qatar television (BBC Monitoring, May 2, 2004)
  • "When Jihad becomes an Individual Duty, as when the enemy seizes the Muslim territory, a woman becomes entitled to take part in it alongside men….[W]hen necessary, she may take off her Hijab in order to carry out the operation, for she is going to die in the Cause of Allah and not to show off her beauty or uncover her hair.
    March 22, 2004, response to question about use of women as suicide bombers (IslamOnline)

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You get the picutre, if not, more information can be found at linke #2...

Pertinent Links:

1) The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam

2) Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Theologian of Terror

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