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Islamic finance over the last three decades or so has grown into a huge industry. It is huge both in the sense that vast sums of money are handled by Islamic finance, and also in the sense that a great many scholars have been attracted to it, and they have helped to invent or justify financial instruments which claim to make it lawful for Muslims to do things with their money very similar to the things that non-Muslims do with theirs. Yet, if using the word 'Islamic' before 'finance' is to mean anything at all, it should mean the kind of finance that belongs in Islam, the kind that Muslims acting specifically as Muslims engage in when they are producing and exchanging goods and services, and generally building up their individual and collective means of livelihood.

Most ordinary Muslims are, I think rightly, suspicious and cautious about accepting the permissibility of many of these instruments. It does not help matters that banks and investment companies run by and for non-Muslims are happy to use these same Islamic financial instruments because it helps them to attract and keep Muslim customers.

That sounds very similar to, for example, a supermarket stocking halal meat in the hope of attracting the business of the Muslims in its neighborhood. It is indeed similar, but it is not the same. There are known and clear procedures that must be followed before meat is called halal, and perhaps it does not matter that, at the final point of sale, the retailer is a non-Muslim – provided those procedures have been correctly and fully observed. It is not at all so clear-cut with money. Money is something abstract and symbolic as well as real and concrete. It is not just a store and physical sign of value; it is also a means of assigning and exchanging the values of different goods and services. Accordingly, it permeates all human relationships that are connected in any way to the exchange of goods and services.

That is why it matters very much to Muslims to know that the money that is circulating among and around them is, from an Islamic point of view, sound and safe, and that the transactions being done with that money are also sound and safe. The scholars engaged in developing, and justifying, Islamic financial instruments are engaged in the effort to provide Muslims with the assurance that those instruments are sound and safe from an Islamic point of view.

In order to judge whether and how far those scholars have succeeded in achieving this goal, it is necessary to step back and ask how we can know if a practice is sound from an Islamic point of view. Before we can do that we need to take a further step back and ask whether and how far such a task is possible at all. In other words, before I get into a discussion of particular instruments and contracts now being offered as Islamic finance, I want to establish as clear a framework as possible for this discussion. This is a necessary prelude to reaching a balanced judgment about these instruments and contracts based on a sufficient appreciation of the external necessities and the internal assumptions and arguments (some persuasive, some not) which have led Muslim scholars to seek out some sort of Islamic rationale for various modern financing techniques.

The world as we find it has in it three distinct orders that overlap and interpenetrate. The largest order encompasses all creatures, living and non-living, human and non-human, Muslims and non-Muslims, all together. We can call it “the natural order”. It is perceptible and intelligible to human beings; to some extent they can work out how it operates and, in some measure, influence and control what happens around them. This order includes the boundaries of time and space, and what modernists in the West call the laws of nature, to which everyone and everything is subject, involuntarily. Within that natural order, there is “the religious order” of divine commands communicated to human beings through God's prophets and messengers. This order is addressed specifically to human will, and demands a conscious, consenting, voluntary obedience. Finally, there is “the Islamic order” of divine instructions that bind specifically Muslims, commanding or commending them, through the Book and the teachings of God's Messenger to live in certain ways and to avoid certain other ways.

Because these three orders exist together in the one same world, it is sometimes the case that the approval of a certain way of acting as Islamic, as conforming to the Book and Sunnah, does not at all contradict its being approved by non-Muslims as “practical' or “useful” or “sensible” or “healthy” for the individual or for society. Non-Muslims just like Muslims get hungry and need food; get ill and need medical attention; get attacked and need to fight; get curious and need to explore and travel. Then, if Muslims find notably effective ways of serving these needs, we cannot be surprised if non-Muslims adopt those ways. That is obvious. It is also obvious that the converse applies: to serve their basic wants and needs, Muslims can in principle adopt ways that are or were the ways of non-Muslims. That is surely true. But it is also true to say that, in some instances, no matter how “useful' or “efficient” certain means are for the achievement of certain ends, Muslims as Muslims will reject them as unIslamic. How do they decide when they may and when they may not adopt the ways of non-Muslims? This is not an easy question. For the time being, let us note that if we are going to refuse certain financial instruments or transactions as unIslamic, we cannot do so simply on the basis that they are of “Western” or non-Islamic origin. We must have a better reason than that.

When we try to implement the rules and norms that constitute the Islamic order, we are not exempt from the conditions that obtain in the natural order. Accordingly, those Islamic rules and norms must be implemented with a measure of flexibility. For example, in a situation of necessity, where Muslims have no freedom of action or choice, what is normally prohibited is considered lawful for the duration of the necessity. This indulgence is intended to be temporary, exceptional. It is conditional on Muslims not desiring that which is normally prohibited. The only reliable proof that Muslims are not desiring what is normally prohibited to them is that they are striving to remove themselves from the situation in which they have no freedom of action to a situation where they do have such freedom. So, even if we are forced to adopt novel kinds of financial instruments or transactions on the basis that Muslims are so powerless in the world that they have no choice but to submit to the global financial order, there is, nevertheless, no compulsion whatever to legitimize such instruments or transactions by calling them “Islamic finance”.

All humans in the normal state of things have a measure of freedom of action. What distinguishes Muslims as Muslims is that, in the normal state of things, they strive to use that freedom of action in obedience to the will of God insofar as that is known to them through the teachings of Islam. To the extent that they consciously strive to do that, their lives fulfill the purpose for which the Book tells us they were created, namely to worship God. For believing, practicing Muslims, the natural order of this world, its being perceptible, intelligible, useful, beautiful, etc., is the wide space, provided by the Creator, within which human freedom of will and action are experienced as a reality. If the natural order were not as reliable as it is, freedom of will would not be experienced as real. But the natural order is there, real and reliable. That is why human life in this world can function as an enabling test, a test through which Muslims learn to perfect their obedience to God's will and so earn the promised recompense hereafter. Thus, we should expect from Islamic finance and the financial instruments it invents or justifies that they help Muslims to (at least) avoid doing what God has prohibited, and (ideally) help them to do more easily and conveniently what God has permitted. This is not a matter of clever word games, clever labeling. Surely Muslims will not accept as permissible the kinds of transaction they had long believed to be prohibited, even if Islamic economists find clever ways to label them as permissible.

But, you will ask, how are things known to be permitted or prohibited; how do they get entered into one or the other category? The answer is that we find out by referring to Islamic teachings on the matter in question. But then we must ask: how do Islamic teachings decide the matter in question?

In answering that, people often confuse two things – they confuse the authoritative sources of Islamic teachings, the Qur'an and Sunnah, with the rulings derived from those sources by Muslim scholars. The confusion leads to very serious difficulties for Muslims if, in principle or in practice, they accord to the derived rulings the authority of the primary sources. For reasons that will become clear later, I will use for the derived rulings the term “doctrines”. For the teachings in the primary sources, I will use the term “guidance”. Now, we can and do refer to the doctrines that constitute the Islamic legal and cultural tradition that we have inherited. We study and respect those doctrines; we learn from them; if we don't know any better (and 99.9 per cent of the time we really don't know any better), we follow them to the best of our ability in our circumstances. But the promised recompense hereafter for obedience to God's will does not depend on our following the derived doctrines; it depends for sure on our following the guidance in the primary sources. Of course, for most of us most of the time, because of our deficiencies in 'ilm and taqwa, in our knowledge and wariness of God, following the doctrines is the best way we know of following the guidance.

Abu Bakrah ath-Thaqafi (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported – The Prophet said “If two Muslims meet each other with their swords, then both the killer and the killed will be in the Hell-fire.” I said, “O Allāh's Messenger, that is the case for the killer but why should that be the case for the killed?” He answered, “Because he wanted to kill his companion.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allāh have mercy on him), in his explanation of this hadith says that the condition of the sentence “When two Muslims meet with their swords” does not exclusively refer to a sword; the term applies to any weapon with which two Muslims intend to cause harm, leading to death for the other. Any weapon such as, a sword, rifle, rock, etc. that is used intentionally to cause damage to another Muslim is prohibited in Islam. The reference to two Muslims spells out the nature of the meeting – they both have the intention to do harm to one another. If any Muslims meet with a method by which they can kill, and one of them is successful in killing the other, then both, the killer and the killed shall be in the Hell-fire.

Abu Bakrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) said to the Prophet , “This is the killer” This type of statement, the repetition of the announcement as a fact, is known in the field of discussion as an agreement to what was said. Allāh says,

“Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, he shall abide therein forever. The wrath and the curse of Allāh shall be upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him” [93, Al-Nisa'a].

This makes it clear why the killer shall be in Hell, but what about the one killed?

Upon Abu Bakrah's questioning about the killed, the Prophet said, “He was eager to kill his companion” This shows that even though he was killed, this individual will abide in Hell because of his intention and actions. The result, his failure and subsequent death, does not absolve him of the sin. Intention alone, however, is not the only determining factor. The fact that this man brought a means — a weapon, to fulfill his intention is what sealed his fate in Hell. His bringing a weapon shows that he was, “eager to kill his companion.” Success and failure are insignificant because both men are destined for the Hellfire.

This hadith proves that actions are according to their intentions, and that when this man intended to kill his companion, it was as if he actually did kill him.  There is, however, a stark difference between these men and martyrs. The Prophet stated, “Whoever is killed protecting himself is a martyr, whoever is killed protecting his family is a martyr, and whoever is killed protecting his wealth is a martyr, [and whoever is killed protecting his deen is a martyr]” [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

One who is being attacked and acts in self-defense is not the aggressor; therefore if in the course of defending himself, a man kills an aggressor he is no punished for the act. The Prophet stated that one who comes to take another's wealth by force, “If you kill him then he shall be in the Fire, and if he kills you then you are a martyr” [Muslim]

The person who is defending his wealth, family, self and honor is only warding off an aggressor, one who is not repelled except by fighting (him off). If he kills the aggressor, the aggressor shall be in the Fire, and if he is killed in self-defense then he shall be a martyr in Paradise.

There is proof of the graveness of killing in this hadith it is from the reasons of entering Hell, we seek refuge with Allāh. There is also proof in this that the companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) used to mention (any) lack of clarity (regarding a matter) to the Prophet , and he used to answer them. That is why we do not find anything from the Qur'ān and Sunnah that really contains any lack of clarity, except that the answer to it is known.  Either the answer is known through the Qur'ān and Sunnah without having any questions being brought up (by the companions), or through having a question brought up (by the companions) which is answered (by the Prophet ).

Another example of that is when the Prophet foretold about the Dajjal (Antichrist) and that, He shall stay on earth for forty days, the first day (shall be) like a year, the second day (shall be) like a month, the third day (shall be) like a week, and the rest of the days (shall be) like our days. The companions asked him, “O Messenger of Allāh, that day which is like a year (in length), would it be sufficient if we only offered (during it) the prayers of a single day?” The Prophet said, “No, [but rather] estimate the times [for prayer]” [Ṣahīh Muslim]

In this there is the clearest proof and praise, that there is nothing in the Qur'ān and Sunnah which is not clear and does not have an answer.  It is the lack of understanding that leads to the inability to know the answer, or the unwillingness of a person to seek (knowledge), nor ponder, nor review (knowledge); this is what keeps the matter unclear to him.

-  Why am I blogging?

-  I have a lot on my mind. I have too many things to accomplish. I don't have forever.

I wanted to write about USA politics, a departure from the old days of “politics=haram”. But, I was still very much into the Muslim conflict politics. So, my focus was raising the “orthodox voice” or at the time “not-salafi but salafi voice” because the blogosphere was dominated by what I preferred to call, “pro-regressives”, a term that may have been coined by the illustrious, in-your-face, “Dr. M”.

My personal blogging journey quickly introduced me to some of the more popular Muslim bloggers of the time, Tariq Nelson and Umar Lee. I struggled to figure out what end of the “manhaj spectrum” they sat on, because it wasn't quite obvious from their postings. Soon I was talking to both of them offline and extending the blogging relationship beyond. As a fan of their work, and also (to be honest) to expand my own reader-base, I joined their “niche” to some extent.  I also discovered (hard not to) “Mujahideen-ryder”, the salafi-turned-sufi-turned-soup bro, and I still remember having my first 100+ comments post arguing about something as petty as what was a better Islamic conference: RIS or TDC. This was also the time when Imam Hamza Yusuf was slowly becoming palatable to me… it took a little while longer before I first found courage to promote his work.

Not long after I started blogging, I realized that many of my firmly-held, deeply-set religious beliefs had a hard time standing up to public scrutiny. It is one thing to believe what you believe in the safety of your own mind and home, but it is another to take it public and let the people test you for it. So, blogging became a positive experience for me. From arguing for hate, I started learning how to discuss how to love. From enmity to brotherhood. From manhaj-wars to wars for the good.

I remember checking my blog's stats every day – one hundred to two hundred hits. I had set blogspot settings to receive an email for each comment, and each comment was a small victory. People who have blogged or worked hard to get a following, whether on facebook, twitter, or on a blog, know what I am talking about. You can put tens of hours into a post, but if no one reads it or engages with it, you feel like a complete failure. It's like the tree that fell in the forest, did it make a sound if no one heard it? That's the same with a blog-post, did it really mean anything if no one read it?

Around this time, we had a particularly bold blogger, “Ali Eteraz”, an excellent writer, but with a habit of writing what I found terribly offensive. I still remember one of his post's titles, “How to Denude a Niqabi,” I think.  I could not stand for this nonsense and eventually got banned on his site! In retrospect though, I think he had a lot of depth to offer, and he had his own style of doing so. Also around this time altmuslim was doing remarkably well and I felt that someone had to stand up to these “proggies”.  Who would have guessed that only a few years later, I would write a piece for altmuslim, and be friends with Shahed Amanullah!

The lessons I have learned are simple yet so profound – people make contributions towards the purification of the ummah in different ways and with different styles. In general, the vast majority of Muslims who are doing Islam's work are sincere, even if they make mistakes. So, I now tell new internet cowboys to chill out and get to know others before jumping to conclusions.

Back to early 2007 then…

On the one hand, I had a driving force to “fight those soiling Islam”, and on the other, just a plain desire to raise the voice of the Islam that I knew and practiced, and fill what I believed was a big void in the blogosphere.

After a few months of struggling with bringing people to my blog, and noting the tendency of readers to jump from one blog to another, the solution seemed obvious: Bring together the various voices of Islam, mostly like-minded, under one umbrella and add a cornerstone Shaykh.

With this mission in mind, I contacted my college-mate, friend, and Shaykh, Yasir Qadhi, who was quick to latch on to the idea. Shaykh sahib (as I fondly call him) did not want his own site because he felt uncomfortable with the idea of a yasirqadhi.com site. He did not want something that he had to carry by himself. He was looking to be part of  a website that provided him an official platform but not something that was “his 100%”. Also, interestingly, this is the first time many of you may have heard this, he thought that I should NOT be part of it! He told me frankly that I could be divisive and hard-nosed and that it may affect the overall site, including him. And to be quite honest, he was not wrong about the “old Amad”.  However, after some thoughts and prayers, the website needed a driving force, someone who took personal ownership, and wrongly or rightly, that someone became me.

Having secured Shaykh Yasir's okay, I proceeded to collect a diverse, “A-team”. To be honest, I don't quite recall the order of how all this happened, but that is not really relevant anyway. There was “lotaenterprises” run by Omar, or otherwise fondly known as ibnabeeomar. Lotaenterprises was charming, witty and had the right sort of “which-shaykhs-does-he-follow pedigree”, so an obvious choice.

Then there was a young 15 or 16-year old sister in Canada, who I had recently discovered with an eerily similar named blog to mine, “Musings of a Muslim Mouse”. She called herself “AnonyMouse”. This teenager remained anonymous for many years, until she revealed her identity as Zainab. You will be surprised to know how many stalkers an anonymous voice can have; the curiosity of who this anonymous sister was led to Zainab's author profile of “AnonyMouse” getting the second highest hits after Shaykh Yasir's. Thanks to all the freaks out there!

From local connections in Houston, I knew of Ruth Nasrullah, a convert to Islam who was trained in journalism, which would help the professionalism of our site. And finally we had Sam Zamanian, or Ahmad al-Farsi (many still don't know what his official name is), an Iranian-origin convert to Islam, who was studying at MIT at the time.

Once we got the team's initial okays, we started having an email conversation about the new blog. What to name it? But more importantly what its purpose was. And some would say that they still don't quite clearly know MM's purpose, but sometimes vague visions can lead to fantastic goals because they permit a lot of flexibility and malleability.

The question of “why this blog” was never fully answered. We went in circles and the only clear idea we could all agree upon was that we needed a voice for “mainstream”, “average” Muslims on the blogosphere. We also agreed that a group blog would provide much more exposure and many more readers than individual efforts. Having Shaykh Yasir's name attached to the blog would give it credibility and take it off quicker than any of us individually could expect.

The naming of the blog was harder. There was “saheefa.com” and a variety of other names. I also remember seeing a website “othermatters” or something to that effect, and “matters” rang a bell. We wanted a name that would immediately mean something in English. Something easy to remember and neutral. And so we landed on MuslimMatters.org and the rest is history.

In order to beef up our Islamic scholarship and get some popular names on-board, I contacted Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury, someone I had the pleasure of doing hajj with when he was still a young student at University of Madinah. Additionally, we got Abu Bakr on-board, a friend of Omar, and someone who was already writing Islamic material at islamicsciences website. Finally, we got a nod from Muslim intellectual Amir Butler from Australia. For the most part, most of these personalities did not quite latch on to MuslimMatters and only one still remains nominally with us.

On March 10, 2007, I announced that I was to stop writing on my personal blog and jump on to MuslimMatters. You can still see this posting here. And the rest, as they say, is history :)

He has had a very difficult day with a lot of questions echoing in his head, but he did not complain to anybody, as he knows there is only One who can assist him. The One who ordered him to seek assistance through prayer and patience, so here he is, seeking assistance through prayer, while many others sleep.

He raises his hands above his shoulders and proclaims the greatness of his Creator “Allāhu Akbar!”, then folds them on his chest. Quietly, he seeks protection from the accursed Satan, and begins in the name of his Lord. He recites The Opening Chapter in beautiful rhythmic tones. He takes his time, knowing that after every verse, his Lord replies. “All praise is for Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds,” he begins. He can feel the response within him, “My slave has praised me!”

“Most Gracious, Most Merciful,” he continues. “My slave has glorified me!” is the response. “Master of the Day of Judgment,” he affirms. “My slave has related all matters to me,” Allāh responds. “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,” he attests. Allāh's reply fills his heart with hope and joy, “This is between me and my servant and my servant will have whatever he asks for!”

At this point, he breaks down into tears as he asks Allāh for the most important thing in his life, “Guide us to the straight path, the path of those who have earned your favor, not of those who have earned your anger or have gone astray!” He feels peace as he internalizes Allāh's response, “This is for my slave and my slave will have what he asked for.”

He then recites further and feels Allāh's guidance in every verse he recites. For whichever chapter of the Qurʾān he chooses to recite from, he is assured that he will find guidance as Allāh has testified, “this is the book in which there is no doubt, it is a guidance for those who are conscious of Allāh.” After completing his emotional recitation in which he pondered over Allāh's wise and reassuring words, he bows in rukū' and glorifies his Lord for His guidance and mercy.

He then stands up straight and praises Allāh as he prepares for his favorite part of the prayer: the sajdah! He proclaims the greatness of Allāh and goes straight down into prostration, indicating his full submission to his Creator. It is a position which signifies complete obedience and humility and it is the position in which a person is closest to their Lord.

He stays in sajdah for a long time with no intention of getting up soon. He glorifies his Lord, The Most High, multiple times then breaks down into tears and begins to ask for everything he needs. He stays like this for several minutes with only Allāh knowing what he is saying. He is praying; praying for everything he needs, praying for everyone he knows, praying for people he doesn't know, praying for people who might even hate or harm him. He prays and prays, in complete submission to his Lord.

He then sits up to take a short break and seeks forgiveness for any shortcomings in his prayer, then goes back into prostration to glorify His Lord more and ask Him again for His endless bounties. After a few minutes, he stands up and repeats the entire cycle again.

Several minutes later, the humble slave returns to his bed at peace with his Lord, and at peace with creation. He recites his dua before sleeping and closes his eyes for a short nap, ready to tackle the challenges of life in the morning with full faith in his Lord.

This is ṣalāh, true ṣalāh. Ṣalāh based upon understanding, concentration, sincerity and submission. It was never meant to be a ritual, but rather a means of communication with our Creator and spiritual revival. May Allāh grant us all the ability, guidance and commitment to pray like this every day in all our prayers.

In this age of ours, we see that usage of the internet has become widespread. This (internet) has granted people a means through which they write without being known.  Yet, the fact that a person can write while remaining hidden in name and person may cause them to develop the feeling that they are not under watch. And consequently, they cannot be called to account by any ruler, judge or police.

Here, the reality of one's iman is truly revealed. As for he who fears Allah, he would never be audacious enough to write something that he knows will anger Allah , such as attacking the honor of a believer and recklessly speaking according to one's whims.

At this point, the extent of one's fear of Allah is also shown because if you write whatever you like to write, the leader, ruler, judge or security personnel will not be able to reach you if they actually wanted to. So the only remaining matter here is that which is between the slave and his Lord. So if the slave desires to know their level of fear of Allah, then this is one of the times in which true fear of Allah, ta'ala, can be tested.

So the slave should be cautious that he is exposed to the honor of the believers, or that he says a word or a statement about a Muslim that spreads among the people, until he faces its evil consequences, maybe even earning him a bad end to this life.

For, by Allah, if the living were able to see the state of the people of the graves, many of them would turn away from what they are upon (of sinful deeds). Allah has told us about the state of the people in their graves  – and even then, it remains a fact that the being told about something is not the same as living of facing it. But, there are slaves of Allah who – may Allah make us among them – when they read the Quran, they know with certainty that what Allah informed about is true. For them, the Quran serves as a warner as well as a barrier that stands between them and the limits of Allah. Does Allah not say:

“Then in what statement after Allah and His verses will they believe?” (Al-Jāthiyah 45:6).

And Allah also said:

“So in what statement hereafter will they believe?” (Al-A'rāf 7:185)

 So he who knows that one day, he will be an inhabitant of the grave and face questioning, his limbs will desist from disobeying Allah.

The sins are 3 (types):

1. Shirk: and this is not forgiven by Allah.
2. Something between you and Allah, and this is closer to forgiveness.
3. Something that has to do with the rights of the creation. As for this, Allah does not let it go, so much so that the sheep without horns is allowed to take revenge from even the horned sheep.  Although, in the end, they will both be reduced to dust.

How then is the case of a Muslim who prays, fasts and remembers Allah, yet his honor was attacked and his status was lowered through injustice and aggression?

Whoever desires to remind and awaken himself, then he should read the ahadith of the Prophet wherein he describes the life of the barzakh (afterlife). For, in them there are from among the lessons and reminders, those which cause one to fear Allah and be conscious of Him in secret and in public.

One of the righteous (whose name I cannot recall now) advised one of the khulafaa of Bani Ummayyah reminding him that, “if so and so your brother (meaning the khalifah before you) could inform you of what he is facing now (in the grave), you would cease from what you are doing now.”

Revive the true spirit of Islam through the 3 P's

PRACTICING – PRODUCTIVE – PROSPEROUS

At the time when Muslim achievement is in a relapse, there is a need for change of Muslim attitudes. The prophetic teachings demonstrate Islam as a way of life. The discharging of religious obligations should increase your productivity in all aspects of life. Being practicing and productive are the two key ingredients to prosperity in the courtyard of Allāh , The Most High. The predominant factor, which dictates the essence of achieving these three P's, is a sound heart that is home to pure intentions. The acquisition of a pure heart is a gift from Allāh , which will enable a person to maintain a balance in all walks of his life.

Islam is a living dimension encompassing the affairs related to all aspects of life, importantly: theology, worship, financial dealings, social etiquette, and purification of the heart. This automatically removes the implication normally associated with religion; that it is restricted to rituals, days and certain seasons of the year. It is clear that Islam is neither time-restricted nor bound to a place of worship; rather it is a complete system that deals with anything you will encounter in your life from the moment you enter until the time you depart from this world. The present situation invites Muslims to be religiously practicing and productive so as to become prosperous. This is especially relevant to the pursuit of further education where it is commonly thought that these elements are distinct; rather they are intertwined.

As Islam is a complete way of life, it has to be understood that the time spent at University is very much a part of your Islam and worship, as long as is it is undertaken with the right and good intention – seeking the pleasure of Allāh . The transition from college to university can be a daunting experience. The concept of individual learning, the requirement to adjust to new teaching methodologies and a greater sense of independent study can leave you feeling lost. Student life is filled with new prospects and opportunities; more often then not the question arises, 'How do I fulfill all my aspirations and ambitions whilst acquiring prophetic excellence in all my pursuits?'

To overcome the hurdles that you face in order to see the light of success, and to achieve your aims you must have to maintain equilibrium in all aspects of your life to seek the pleasure of Allāh as Islam is a religion of moderation.

Allāh says in Qurʾān:

“…Thus have We made of you an Ummah (Nation/Community) justly balanced That ye might be witnesses over the nations and the Messenger a witness over yourselves…” [143 Al-Baqarah]

Here is some advice for achieving the 3 P's: 

1. Become Practicing – Enrich yourself with knowledge:

Aim to study Islam & your degree to a very high standard and to convert all the information you obtain into knowledge. Knowledge is the culmination of acting upon and utilizing the information that has been obtained regardless of whether it has been imparted through a teacher, books or any other means.

You must have a hybrid education of Islam and your degree as this will permit you to become a practicing Muslim without transgressing any limits set by Allāh , in your affairs. If you are aware that you are a Muslim student, then you will easily know how to use your intention to make the best use of your degree in the Islamic way of life.  You will no longer have to draw a distinction between your Islamic and secular life as they will become harmonized. Islamic sciences should be studied alongside your degree to know how to correctly discharge your obligations. Also, you should seek advice and knowledge from the knowledgeable pertaining to your field of study or Islam, for that too is an Islamic way.

Allāh , The Most High says:

“Say, 'Can those who know and those who do not know become equal?' It is only the people of understanding who are receptive of the advice.” [9 Al-Zumar]

Practicing upon what you learn is essential, otherwise the information delivered to you will not be evolved into knowledge but remain as information which could be of no use. Knowledge can only be that information on which you act and that leads you to the guidance.

Everyday, we seek the guidance from  Allāh , reciting Surah Fatihah in our 5 time prayers:

“You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help. Take us on the straight path.” [5, 6 Al-Fātiḥah]

 Action Point: Enroll into a part-time Islamic course online or in your local area. Aim to read and listen to authentic books and lectures discussing the lives of famous Islamic historical figures. This will inspire you to follow in the footsteps of the great personalities that have enriched Muslim heritage.

2. Become productive – The change starts with you:

The times of the Messenger , the Companions (Allāh be pleased with them) and the early generations of Muslims was the most successful and productive in the history of Islam. Muslims made new discoveries, invented new machinery and were coveted by other communities. But the present condition of the Muslim Ummah is in sharp contrast to this and predominantly lacks productivity although Muslims are more in number.

The next duty is to appreciate the value of time by avoiding procrastination and laziness, if you want to be productive.

You must plan your day, make targets and be consistent. As a Muslim student, you must strive to excel in all that you do. Excellence is achieved through being consistent in action. The Messenger said:

“The most beloved deeds to Allāh are those that are done consistently, even if they are few.” [Bukhari]

To become productive, you must ensure that you maintain a routine whereby you set yourself a time and a place for everything. Do not sign up to so much that you cannot cope, conversely,  do not restrict yourself to so little that you are not  utilizing the spare time that you have, but try to optimize your capability and resources.

A few tips to cut on your waste of time are : avoid spending excessive time indistinctly surfing the internet, text messaging, and unnecessary engagement with gadgets; these will prevent you from becoming productive by keeping your mind engaged in them even when you are not really doing it. The heroes of the past knew the importance of a sound heart and how to keep it pure. Allāh says in Qurʾān:

“Success is really attained by he who purifies it [i.e. – the soul], and failure is really suffered by he who corrupts it.” [9, 10 Al-Shams]

With a pure heart, your love, trust, patience, and gratitude in Allāh will increase, and He will Help you in becoming more practicing – productive – prosperous. Not only it will benefit you, but also encourage others to traverse the same, and this will become the “ERA OF REVIVAL” starting with you!

 Action Point: Draft a routine and commit to it. Make long and short-term targets to achieve your objectives and be consistent in meeting your personal goals. Always supplicate to Allāh , especially after the obligatory prayers, that He blesses you with a sound heart and for Him to remove anything that will lead to its corruption.

 3. Become prosperous – Be a beacon of light:

Seeking knowledge is an endless endeavour, as the saying goes, 'the pursuit of knowledge is from the cradle to the grave'. Likewise, self-rectification and purifying the soul is a lifelong struggle. Prosperity in this world is becoming practising and productive, using every moment in your day to draw closer to Allāh . Prosperity in the hereafter is to be blessed with the countenance of Allāh and His everlasting pleasure.

Action Point: You must exert yourself to achieve the prosperity of both worlds to become a beloved servant of Allāh . When Allāh loves you, the people of the world embrace you and you have the opportunity to become a beacon of light in your community.

The Messenger said:

“When Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibra'il (Gabriel) and says, `I love so-and-so; so love him.' And then Jibra'il loves him. Then he (Jibra'il) announces in the heavens saying: Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; then the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him; and then people on earth love him.”  [Bukhari and Muslim]

The title of a recent blog post that drew over 100 comments on MuslimMatters read “Halal Mortgages: Alleged Misuse of Taqi Usmani's Fatwa and 3 Important Questions.”  What began as perhaps a sincere attempt by the author to alert readers about the abuse of a respected scholar's fatwa and invite Islamic financial institutions to provide as he put it “a little bit of transparency”, resulted in a heated online debate that achieved very little in terms of “removing doubts” about Islamic home finance companies in the US, as originally intended.

Because Guidance Financial Group and its subsidiary, Guidance Residential were mentioned in both the blog and the comments that followed, we felt that a response was appropriate to counter some of the misinformation that has been spread not only about our company, but also the chairman of our Sharia Supervisory Board and the six fatawa he and the other prominent members of our board issued specifically for our Declining Balance Co-Ownership Program. Guidance has helped thousands of Muslim-American families become homeowners through this authenticated program and since our inception in 2002, we have always believed in the value of transparency having issued a comprehensive WhitePaper that provides insight on our unique and pioneering structure.

It is important to start off by clarifying one major matter that could go unnoticed by the reader. It is that the blog begins by quoting Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani as saying “I have never approved any ijarah contract or scheme for any financial institution in America, Australia or Canada.” We would like to emphasize that this statement is in no way, shape or form directed at Guidance or its Program. It is unfortunate that the author mistakenly refers to the ijarah model as a “co-ownership” while in reality Guidance does NOT and has never used the ijarah (lease) structure or contract. Guidance's Program is based on a musharakah mutanaqisa (diminishing partnership) structure, which was developed with the help of and finally approved by our Sharia Supervisory Board led by none other than Mufti Taqi Usmani as its Chairman.

The underlying question that needs to be asked is how can Muslims determine if a financial contract or institution is in compliance with Islamic financial transaction principles? For starters, we would need to know who are the scholars behind the product or institution.  To develop our Program, we spent millions of dollars in research and development over the course of 3 years and involved 18 different law firms while working with 7 of today's most authoritative and highly respected scholars in Islamic finance. The scholars are from 6 different nations and are trained in the different schools of thought. Throughout the development process and beyond, these ulema researched and debated all aspects of Guidance's Program, including the life cycle of the transaction and how it would involve an actual home-buyer.  Eventually, ijma (consensus) was achieved among these renowned scholars and a formal certification through the issuance of fatawa was complete.

To further validate our approach and our Program, one can evaluate the scholars themselves to assure that they are qualified in matters relating to Islamic financial transaction principles. In doing so, you will find that a majority of Guidance's Sharia board members belong to the prominent Sharia board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI, pronounced “a-yo-fee”), formed in 1990 as an independent, non-profit, international standard-setting body, AAOIFI is the industry standard for Islamic finance practitioners. AAOIFI's regularly updated texts have become the definitive reference work for those seeking a comprehensive rule book about internationally recognized standards in Islamic finance. Its 85 standards cover everything from accounting and auditing to governance and product-specific Sharia standards. The 20 international scholars who sit on AAOIFI's Sharia board are distinguished Islamic scholars who are legally qualified to issue a fatwa and adjudicate on matters of Islamic finance. Guidance is privileged to count among the members of our Sharia board a quarter of AAOIFI's most eminent and authoritative scholars in Islamic finance. In fact, the Chairman of AAOIFI's Sharia board is none other than Mufti Taqi Usmani.

Guidance and its distinguished Sharia board have been sought after for technical expertise in Islamic finance by international organizations in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt and Indonesia. In 2007, Guidance helped establish what has become today's leading home finance institution in SaudiArabia – DarAlTamleek. In 2009, Guidance was nominated by the Dubai-based international trade publication Islamic Business and Finance Magazine for the “Best Islamic Home Finance Provider” award. All these efforts did not go unnoticed by the mainstream media and in fact, major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and even Al Jazeera to name just a few have all recognized Guidance's pioneering endeavors. We hope that more Muslim media outlets delve in to this subject in greater detail for the benefit of our community as a whole.

We would like to extend an open invitation to all of the Muslim Matters staff and its bloggers to talk with us directly and even visit with us at our corporate headquarters in Reston, Virginia. Furthermore, please feel free to communicate directly with me, Hussam Qutub, and ask any and all questions by emailing me at communications@guidanceresidential.com.

In addition to relaying all of the above, Guidance's intention in writing this post was also to answer the questions posed by the author of the article. To that end, we have provided our answers below.

MMQ1:         How often are updated contracts reviewed and approved by a Shari'ah board (“SSB”), and which scholars have signed off on the actual contract being used by an Islamic finance company?

 A1:          Our full Sharia board has signed off on our program as you can see from the link above.  Our Declining Balance Co-Ownership Program documents have not changed from the time reviewed by the scholars. Subsequent to those fatawa, in 2005 and 2006, two additional fatawa were issued to certify adjustments that needed to be made in order for us to serve Texas Muslims while adhering to their state's unique challenges and the second to introduce adjustable programs that were in high demand at the time.

While there have been lots of changes in the mortgage business since the credit crisis in terms of licensing and disclosures, these changes have not impacted our contract or the documents reviewed by our Sharia board. As an FYI, our agreement with our investor, Freddie Mac, does not involve a lending and borrowing relationship of any kind.  And although they have made significant underwriting and operational changes, their documents also have not changed since we started the Program. Part of the reason our contract has stayed intact is that we have a unique and exclusive contract with Freddie Mac. No banks or financial institution can use our agreement without our permission. Additionally, banks in general cannot use our contract by law because banks cannot co-own, they can only lend.

MMQ2:         Are all practices done by the Islamic finance institution during the course of the contract and “declining co-ownership” Shari'ah approved?

 A2:          Yes and we continue to be compliant in all aspects of our business and we are not aware of any aspect that is not compliant.  The entire course of the contract from purchase, transfer and full ownership by client has been studied, observed and deemed compliant with Sharia principles. It is important to note that many disclosures are federally mandated requiring us to use them even though their terminology mischaracterizes the nature of our Program.  For this challenge, we have a fatwa on disclosures that can also be found in the link above.

To further address the authors comments for this question:

“The company itself tried to say that they simply transferred the administrative duties of collecting payment. However, the paperwork from the other bank indicated clearly the transferring of the debt (i.e. selling the debt) from the Islamic company to the bank.”

 Recently, to enhance our customers' overall experience we transferred the servicing of our contracts to a new vendor, namely US Bank's servicing division. To better understand this transfer one would need to understand “servicing” and its place in the mortgage industry. In simple terms, it means collecting and administering monthly payments, mailing monthly statements, fielding questions and handling late payments. For a company of the size of Guidance, this administrative task is usually contracted out to vendors that will then act on behalf of a home financing company and become an extension of their operation. In our situation, although the vendor handles all our correspondence with existing customers, everything is done in our company's name and all payments made by our customers are made to Guidance.

The process of transferring from one servicer to another is a complicated and often challenging administrative process.  There are federally mandated letters that must be sent out to all customers by the old and new servicer on behalf of the home financing company. During our transfer period, some of this mandated correspondence was sent out on our behalf with language that did not properly characterize our Program. Unfortunately, this caused some concern among our customers and we have since worked diligently to address and clarify the situation.  At the end, we admit that this could have been handled better but it must be said that this in no way changes the contract or compromises our program. If it is unclear or requires any further clarification, please contact us.

MMQ3:         How are inconsistencies between what Mufti Taqi Usmani advocates in his writings and the actual schemes used by these banks to be addressed?

 A3:          First, we recommend that all Islamic financial institutions establish an independent Sharia board consisting of specialized, distinguished and credible scholars that regulate their specific products and services in the context of laws in the land they wish to operate as Guidance has done. Second, consumers need to do their due diligence in understanding not only who the scholars are but also how the program is designed to work.

If one were to investigate further in Mufti Usmani's writing and our White Paper, which was approved by our board, Guidance's Declining Balance Co-ownership Program is designed to create a co-ownership for the purpose of providing the home-buyer with financing to acquire a home. This co-ownership is based on Shirkat ul Milk. It is not designed as a commercial partnership (Shirkat ul Aqd) for the purpose of making profit from trading in real estate. Consequently, the Program is intended for the customer to fully buy out Guidance's share in the property over time, and not for the two co-owners to sell the property jointly and share the gains.

The White Paper further stipulates that should the home buyer sell earlier than the term agreed upon, the appreciation that the property will have likely earned is theirs to keep since they did all the leg work to identify the community and property. If the property sells for a loss then the shortfall is something they must consider. However, if the property depreciated so much that the shortfall is below what is considered Guidance's share in the property, Guidance incorporates a unique “non-recourse” clause that protects the seller in this case from owing the full amount to Guidance. We would consider the difference a loss on our books.

Furthermore, if the government were to impose on the co-owners to sell the property in order to make room for a road, a park or another public project the Co-ownership Agreement specifically stipulates that the two co-owners would share the gains or losses from such a forced sale according to their ownership shares. As a result, Guidance may end up with proceeds that fall short of the amount of financing it had provided, in contrast with what would be owed under a conventional mortgage loan.

The principle that the two co-owners should share in the gains and losses of their respective shares in the property applies to situations other than a sale. Consider the example of a property that suffers total destruction and cannot be repaired using available insurance proceeds. In this case again, the Co-ownership Agreement stipulates that the two co-owners would share the insurance proceeds according to their ownership shares, resulting in an outcome quite different from that of a loan.

All of the above items and questions were addressed and documented in the fatawa and white papers that were certified and amended by our board in 2002, 2005 and 2006. We can always try to facilitate a direct discussion for an extensive and more thorough analysis between your staff and our Sharia board. Our only request is for due diligence and open communication.

by Yahya Whitmer, co-edited by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

In the introduction to this series I explained why I am committed to developing a dialogue around the topic of Tawhid of worship. No matter what terms I use or what phrases I come up with, they are all massive understatements in regards to the importance of this issue. Only the words of the Creator Himself can do this topic justice and He has said, “I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (51:56). Tawhid is quite simply the meaning of life and it is tragically unfortunate that there are grave misconceptions regarding it within the Islamic Ummah.

I will list some of those misconceptions here. All of these fatawa come from one website though not one person. Different Shuyukh gave their opinions and justifications regarding this issue. Thankfully, their opinions do not represent the entire body of Sufism and certainly do not represent the majority of the Ummah (despite their claims to the contrary). I assume, since they are all coming from one website, that they do represent a particular school of Sufi thought, but I decline to put an exact label on that school, for fear of painting too broad a stroke. But have no doubt, this is not a fringe group. The people who directly support the concept of making invocation to created beings are major figures in the modern Western Sufi scene and it is safe to say that thousands of Muslims are influenced by them. I would not have bothered with addressing their opinions were this not the case. As I mentioned in the introduction, I will not mention names in the hopes that the dialogue can remain focused on discussing the opinions, evidences, and implications, and not be hijacked by any emotional attachments for the people involved.  I will quote directly where possible, but at the end I will summarize their collective opinion for the sake of clarity and comprehension.

Prayer to the Creation

To put it succinctly, this brand of Sufism allows for direct invocation of created beings. Several similar questions were posted on their website, sometimes expressing concern and discomfort in regards to this practice:

• “I see on some internet forums, people writing such things as “Ya Ali I invoke thee” – I wanted to know is it allowed to say such things? Does this not smack of shirk?”  The Shaykh responds, “This is pure affirmation of Divine O neness. How can it smack of shirk?” In his response he mentions several viewpoints to justify his opinion. We will address those justifications soon.

• Another person asks, “Is it permitted to call someone other than Allah for help? Is this not bordering on shirk?”  And another scholar replies, “there is nothing wrong in using the Prophets, saints and the righteous as intermediaries to Allah, through any of the above mentioned means, as long as one does not believe them to have the power to benefit or harm in of themselves without the granting of Allah.”

• A person seeks validation: “I have a sheikh M******* who has passed away now. Whenever I am in need of help I ask for his help and  my work is done and I know this is through Allah but many people question me that how can this happen he was a human you are doing bidat ask straight from Allah these people do not believe in sheikhs. Could you please tell me how this help arrives?”  The official response: “There is general agreement of Sunni scholarship that tawassul (intercession; seeking a means) of the righteous is permitted, in their life and death”

He sat across the table gazing at me. His mouth opened as if he meant to utter something, but he held back. Then he finally decided that his wonderment could no longer hold him back. He said, “I am sorry but I have to ask, how do you manage to wear that in public so nonchalantly?”

Ah, yes, the Hijab; a conversation that many of my hijabi Muslim sisters know very well and most likely discuss regularly.

It's not that he wasn't familiar with the hijab. He, in fact, was a Muslim himself, but his amazement spanned from the fact that, as he put it, “You seem unfazed by the criticism and negativity about it.”

I leaned back, smiled and replied, “Because I knew the responsibility that would come along with wearing the hijab.”

He was puzzled, so I elaborated:

You see I understood that wearing hijab was going to be a great responsibility, especially living in the West. I always knew that I would eventually wear it at some point in my life, because I do believe it is mandatory, but that was not the only thing I thought about. I remember standing in front of the mirror and trying on the hijab for the first time. I didn't think about how it looked on me or how it altered my appearance. The only thing that ran through my head was the following verse:

“And fulfill the Covenant of Allāh when you have entered into it, and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them, and indeed you have appointed Allah your surety. Verily! Allah knows what you do. And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception among yourselves…” [An-Nahl 91, 92]

 This was an oath I decided to take with Allāh: I will represent Islam to the best of my abilities. I will not be offensive or aggressive in my ways of communicating the true meaning of our beautiful and just religion. My outward appearances and practices will be one and the same as my inward intentions.

Wearing hijab, especially in the West and post-9/11, is not an easy task for us Muslim women because, unlike our male counterpart, the hijab makes us an outward symbol of Islam. It no longer means that Islam is just between you and Allāh. It also means that now you are a walking da'wah. Your actions, thoughts, and even silence are linked to Islam. It is a great responsibility, and on that note, we should not be too sensitive to the reaction of others, simply because they fear it or pity it out of ignorance.

Rather, one should educate oneself and be sound in the decision of donning it. Don't take it as a burden but an honor that Allāh has bestowed upon you to be an outward symbol. But also take care of knowing the responsibilities that come with this honor. The hijabi woman is easily associated with knowing and answering questions about Islam, so our duty becomes two-fold: to preserve our modesty and educate ourselves in order to represent Islam correctly.

So, just like the Prophet took on the great responsibility of fulfilling his covenant with Allāh to deliver the beautiful message of Islam, I, too, take on that responsibility when I wear the hijab.

He sat back; his wonderment turned into admiration. He had no words, just a nod of understanding.

Translated by Ramy Noaman

Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al‐`Uthaymeen was asked about the creed of the Muslims with respect to Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him.

He replied:

“The creed of the Muslims concerning Jesus, son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, is that he is one of the noble messengers. In fact, he was among those of Great Determination, and they were: Muhammad, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus, peace and blessings be upon them. Allah mentioned them in two places in His Book.

In Surat Al‐Ahzab (Chapter of the Confederates):

ِن ٱبۡ َسى ِعي َو َسىٰ ُمو َو َم ِهي َرٲ َوِٕابۡ ٍ۟ح ُّ نو ِمن َو َك ِمن َو ُهمۡ ِميَثـَٰق َن ٱلَّ نِبِّ يـۧ َن ِم َخذَۡنا َٔاَوِٕاذۡ ًظ ي ِل َغ ا ًق ٰ ـ َث ي ِّ م م ُه ۡ ن ِم ا َن ۡذ َخ َٔا َو َۖم َي ۡرَم

And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant. [Qur'an ]33:7

In Surat Ash‐Shura (Chapter of Mutual Consultation):

ِهۦۤ ِب َّ صيَۡنا َو َما َو َك ِٕاَليۡ َحيَۡنآ َٔاوۡ ٓى ِذ َوٱَّ ل ً۟حا ُنو ِهۦ ِب َّ صىٰ َو َما ِن ِّ دي ٱل َن ِّ م ُكم َل َع َرَش َعَلى َٓاُبَر َوَلاَتَتَفَّ رُقواِْفيِۚه ۡنَٔاِقيُمواْٱلِّ ديَن ۖٓىَٰٔا َوِعيَس َوُموَسىِٰٕاۡبَرٲِهيَم ُب ي ِن ُي ن َم ِه ۡ ي َل ِٕا ىٓ ِد ۡ ہ َي َو ُء آ َش َي ن َم ِه ۡ ي َل ِٕا ىٓ ِب َت ۡج َي ُه َّ ل ل ٱ ِۚه ۡي َل ِٕا ۡ م ُه و ُع ۡد َت ا َم َن ي ِٓا ِر ۡ ش ُم ۡلٱ

He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus ‐ to establish the religion and not be divided therein. [Qur'an :42]13

The Muslims believe that Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was a human being, from among the progeny of Adam. He was created from a mother, with no father. The Muslims believe that he is the slave of Allah and His Messenger; for he is a worshiper, not one who is worshiped; and a Messenger who does not lie.

They believe that he does not have any attributes of lordship, whatsoever. Indeed, he is as Allah said:

َل ِءي َرٲٓ ِٕاسۡ ِّ لَبِنىٓ ً۟ال َمَث ُه َعلَۡنـٰ َج َو ِه َعَليۡ َعمَۡنا َٔانۡ َعبۡدٌ ِٕاَّ لا َو ُهِٕانۡ

Jesus was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor and We made him an example for the Children of Israel. [Qur'an ]43:59

And they believe that he did not command his people to take him and his mother as deities besides Allah. Rather, he said to them what Allah commanded him with:

ۚمۡ ُك َرَّ ب َو َرِّ بى َه ٱلَّ ل ُدواْ ۡعُب ٱ ِن َٔا ۤۦ ِه ِب َمرَۡتِنى َٔا َمآ ِٕاَّ لا ۡم ُه َل ُت ُقلَۡما