The Early Jihad (Struggle)

by Abu Hamzah bin Yusuf Alamo

The morning was cold as he rose out of bed

tried to remember Allah in his head

applied Ahl-us-Sunnah as soon as he woke

praising Allah with the first words he spoke

then he made wuhdoo until all complete

same as he learned it, wash and repeat

made it a point to stretch out with his back

brushed all his teeth with a trusty miswak

dressed in a robe of Islamic fashion

looking the part of a Muslim in action

adding one last bit of flavor and spin

wrapping his head in an Arab turban

making real sure not to miss his suhoor

afterwards walking straight out of the door

having intention to join the Jama'ah

praying with brothers in Fajr Salaah

Sister, you are more than you think

by Abu Hamzah bin Yusuf Alamo

By the One who holds my soul

made the worlds and has control

do you really mean to say

jealousy has had it's way?

You bought the lie and now you've quit

because you feel inadequate

a girl you feel has more to give

than what you have with how you live

Sister simple truth be told

your excuse has gotten old

fact is sister what you're in

is a mess from evil jinn

stop believing Shaitan's lies

make wuhdoo and wash your eyes

take the time to go repent

save you from some punishment

Allah can get you through this pain

heed my words, don't go insane

the things you say are not unique

to someone with a kufr streak

let me right now tell you something

you are not an empty nothing

you are more than flesh and bones

make-up, hair, and color tones

can't get pregnant, can't have kids

doesn't matter what it is

just be grateful for a man

Allah may send unto your hand

make stighfar before you sleep

don't just get by counting sheep

and pray Ar-Rabb your soul to keep

The Importance of Peace in Islam

by Abu Hamzah bin Yusuf Alamo

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Peace be unto you. All praise is due to Allah, and that is enough for a man (or a woman) to understand. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship, and no deity in reality, except for Allah (who has no partners) and I bear witness that Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is His willing slave and messenger. Know that the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and that the best of guidance is the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him). Remember that the most evil of affairs are the newly invented matters; the things we innovate into Islam ourselves. Every innovation leads to sin, and every sin leads to the Hell-Fire. To begin: Islam does not promote pacifism. Most assuredly, Allah has prohibited for us the criminal act of murder (i.e. indiscriminate killing). The proof of this is from the speech of Allah: {The Noble Qur'an [6:151] - Say: “Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from”: Join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of want;- We provide sustenance for you and for them;- come not nigh to shameful deeds. Whether open or secret; take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.} However, He never told us to "turn the other cheek" and He never forbid us the right to self-defense should someone attempt to harm us or our families. Allah willing, should someone attempt to break into our homes and hurt our loved ones, we should defend them to the fullest extent with our very lives. This concept of honor and justice does not endorse terrorism. Life is sacred in Islam. Innocent, non-combatant life even more so. This is why we are (at times) required to defend against physical attack in order to protect that life. This is an unpleasant truth for some, but it is still the truth and you don't have be to a Muslim to relate to this. Local Police and other forms of Law Enforcement in every country all over the world will concur with the reality of this truth. So, we shouldn't (in our zeal to promote Islam as a peaceful way of life) give off the impression that Islam promotes pacifism. It doesn't. Islam promotes the attainment of peace both in this world and in the hereafter. How can you have peace in this world if you don’t feel secure and protected? Ultimate peace (in the hereafter) can only be attained through salvation from the Hell-Fire, and salvation from the Hell-Fire can only be attained through the mercy of Allah, and the mercy of Allah can only be attained through submission to His will alone without equating anything other than Him as being as worthy of worship or allegiance (i.e. Islam). The proof of this is from the speech of Allah: {The Noble Qur'an [3:85] - If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good).} {The Noble Qur'an [24:55] - Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. 'If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.} {The Noble Qur'an [6:16] - "On that day, if the penalty is averted from any, it is due to Allah's mercy; And that would be (Salvation), the obvious fulfillment of all desire.} {The Noble Qur'an [59:23] - Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.} Pacifism is (in fact) an irrational, illogical response to a person (or a group of people) seeking to break the law by causing physical harm to ordinary law-abiding civilians. While I agree that violent extremism should not be endorsed within Islam, I hold the idea that pacifism is another kind of extreme that should not be endorsed within Islam either. Islam does not promote extremism of any kind; whether it be extreme violence or extreme consumption. Islam promotes a moderate approach to everything in our daily lives. This includes matters of self-defense. The proof of this is from the speech of Allah; In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: {The Noble Qur'an [2:190] - Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.} {The Noble Qur'an [2:224] - And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons; for Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth all things.} {The Noble Qur'an [4:90-91] - Except those who join a group which between you and they there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. If Allah had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you: Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then Allah Hath opened no way for you (to war against them) Others you will find that wish to gain your confidence as well as that of their people: Every time they are sent back to temptation, they succumb thereto: if they withdraw not from you nor give you (guarantees) of peace besides restraining their hands, seize them and slay them wherever ye get them: In their case We have provided you with a clear argument against them.} {The Noble Qur'an [8:61] - But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things.} {The Noble Qur'an [49:9] - If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).} Islam came to wipe out the injustice and barbarism that was practiced before and during the early period of Muhammad's Prophetic career (Peace and Blessings be upon him). Islam had come during the dark ages within the Arabian peninsula and (with the help of Allah) united what was once a land of warring tribes into one mighty nation under the banner of Islam (i.e. peaceful surrender and submission to the will of Allah). Many of the avenues toward achieving this goal was due to a series of practices and prohibitions given to us in stages throughout (and following) the course of the twenty-three year Qur'anic revelation. Among these are: the establishment of monotheism and it's implementation in the daily lives of the Arab people, the prohibition and removal of all idols from the the Sacred House (i.e. the Ka'bah in Mecca), the establishment of mandatory prayers conducted in congregation at fixed times five times daily, the prohibition of murdering female infants, the establishment of compulsory alms for the poor, the prohibition of pork and alcohol consumption (as well as it's distribution), the establishment of government, the prohibition of gambling, the establishment of women’s rights, the regulation of servitude and marriage, the establishment of worker’s rights, the establishment of a military, the prohibition of usury and other illegal business practices, the establishment of fair and open trade, the prohibition of killing civilians during the course of war, the prohibition of the abuse and misuse of animals, the establishment of a judicial court, the prohibition of ethnic prejudice and racism, the prohibition of abusing or torturing prisoners of war, the establishment of quarantines and hospitals, the establishment of educational centers of learning and trade schools (for women as well as men) in the fields of literacy, poetry, language, calligraphy, business, journalism, medicine, law, agriculture, cartography, ship building, sea faring, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, as well as many other useful contributions to society that we utilize to this day which are too numerous to count. Unfortunately, the world today is in turmoil because we (Muslims) are not practicing and implementing Islam as much as those who preceded us and because we are divided due to our own rebelliousness, elitism, nationalism, arrogance, stubbornness, xenophobia, and tribalism. Islam's purpose is (and has always been) the attainment of Peace through it's proper practice and implementation and through the elimination of conduct resembling that of the time of ignorance (Pre-Islamic Arabia). May Allah grant us the strength of faith needed to unite our nation and return us to the practice and implementation of Islam as revealed in the Glorious Qur'an, taught by our Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him), and followed by his righteous companions (May Allah be pleased with them), ameen.

The Tradition of Prophet Ibraheem in Islam

(Peace and Blessings be upon him)

by Abu Hamzah bin Yusuf Alamo

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Peace be unto you. All praise and gratitude is due to Allah, whom I seek help, guidance, and forgiveness from. I seek refuge in Allah from any wrongdoing my heart conceals and I seek refuge in Allah from the consequences of my misdeeds. Please understand that I believe that the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and that I also believe that the best guided amongst mankind is Prophet Muhammad the son of Abdullah (Peace and Blessings be upon him). Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray and whomever Allah leads astray, none can guide. Please understand that I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship, and that there is no deity in reality, except for Allah who has no partners or rivals in His authority. Please understand that I also testify that Prophet Muhammad the son of Abdullah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is Allah's chosen messenger and the Seal of the Prophets (Peace and Blessings be upon them). Praise be to Allah, it is by the Grace of Allah that I am speaking today about the Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him). Among non-Muslims throughout the world are two groups in particular that have their own distinct beliefs and traditions concerning Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him). While I have observed that neither group agrees with the other in terms of liturgy (and in some cases, textual authenticity), I believe that all Muslims respect and acknowledge that each of the two above mentioned traditions textually predate the Noble Qur'an. While I can understand why these two parties retain the opinion of having a more authentic claim (than Muslims do) in regard to the tradition of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him), I do not believe that the Noble Qur'an extracts it's teachings from any non-Muslim source whether it be textual or otherwise. As a Muslim, I believe that the Noble Qur'an draws all of it's teachings and unique narrative directly from the Divine. Allah willing, the intention of this article is not to explicate this belief, nor is it to argue with anyone over divergent ideas about events non-Muslims believe to have occurred within the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him). Praise be to Allah, the Noble Qur'an has taught me not to dispute with non-Muslims except by the means which are best utilizing wisdom, proper manners, and good speech. To achieve that end, the purpose of this humble composition is to honorably relate to non-Muslims the legacy and tradition that Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) has left humanity according to the Noble Qur’an and the Authentic Sunnah. According to the Noble Qur'an, the people of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) were not pursuing the straight path of Monotheism. They worshiped the stars, the moon, the sun, and idols manufactured from stone or wood. Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) stood out from the rest of his people in the sight of Allah because of the intelligence and moral conduct that was preordained upon him before he was born. (*The proof of this is from the speech of Allah:

[Surah Al-Anbiya:51] -

We bestowed aforetime on Abraham his rectitude of conduct, and well were We acquainted with him.) It is for this reason (by the will of Allah) that Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) was appointed a Prophet and a Messenger. The first action taken by Allah toward guiding Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) to the enlightenment of monotheistic belief and understanding was through the revelation of His signs. Allah did this by showing Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) the dominion of the heavens and the earth. This was done in order to strengthen the faith of Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) through the conviction of his heart. Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) witnessed examples of the stars and the moon. When he saw that the stars and the moon set, he realized that they could not be his Lord. It was after seeing the stars and the moon set that Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) supplicated and asked his Lord to guide him towards the correct belief and understanding. Allah answered his supplication and showed Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) the sun because it is the greatest of those physical signs which (Allah willing) can be seen by human beings. After witnessing the sun set, Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) declared to his father and people that he would no longer associate with their beliefs. There are four important lessons to be learned from this particular event in the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) that should (Allah willing) be mentioned here. The first lesson to be learned from this particular event in the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is that faith is comprised of three stages: [1] Assurance of the heart, [2] Affirmation of the tongue, and [3] Action of the limbs. This lesson is confirmed within the Noble Qur'an and the Authentic Sunnah: [Surah Al-Asr]: 1 - By the Time. 2 - Verily! Man is in loss, 3 - Except those who believe, perform righteous deeds, and recommend one another to truth and patience. [Imam Muslim on the authority of Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him)]: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever amongst you sees something objectionable, let him change it with his hand, if he is not able, then with his tongue, and if he is not even able to do so, then with his heart, and the latter is the weakest form of faith." Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) acquired all three stages of faith throughout his journey in life. He acquired the initial stage of faith (Assurance of the heart) when signs revealed by Allah occurred on two occasions after a supplication and request by Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) so that his faith would increase. The next stage of faith (Affirmation of the tongue) was acquired after the signs became clear and manifest to him. It was in this stage of faith (Affirmation of the tongue) that Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) began calling others to the worship of Allah, the One Lord. The last stage of faith (Action of the limbs) was acquired after Ibraheem's father and people rejected his calling them to the worship of Allah. It was in this stage that he broke the idols (false deities) of his people. It is interesting to note that the three stages of faith acquired by Prophet Ibraheem are similar (if not parallel) to the three stages of faith acquired by Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon them). For instance: [1] Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) received his first sign from Allah in the form of Jibreel (Peace and Blessings be upon him) at the cave of Mount Hira. He later received even greater signs (to increase his faith) when he was shown the dominion of the heavens and the earth after his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem as well as during his ascension through the seven heavens, [2] Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) accepted the task of Prophethood and began calling his uncle, Abu Talib (his adopted father), and the rest of his people (the Arabs) to the worship of Allah, and [3] Muhammad's people did not (initially) accept his call to the worship of Allah. He (Peace and Blessings be upon him) was persecuted (though not by Abu Talib), and years later, he destroyed all the idols (false deities) of his people following the conquest of Mecca. The second lesson to be learned from this particular event in the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is that Allah reveals His signs to whomsoever He wills. These signs are of three kinds: [1] Signs that are (Allah willing) tangible or can be seen by ordinary people in such things as the night fading into the day (or vice versa), the stars, the moon, the sun, oceans, clouds, rain, mountains, trees, fire, living organisms, etc., [2] Signs that are inherent in some people such as acute intuition or cognizance. These signs can be (Allah willing) found even today in people such as child prodigies, medical doctors, famous sports athletes, search and rescue workers, law enforcement officers, or advanced military personnel, and [3] Signs that are given to Prophets and Messengers (including the unnamed Prophets and Messengers mentioned in the Noble Qur'an) such as the Suhuf of Ibraheem, the Taurat of Musa, the Zaboor of Da'wud, the Injeel of 'Isa, and the Qur'an of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon them). These signs can (Allah willing) also include those of the unseen (such as Angels and Jinn), as well as phenomenon such as the physical resurrection of the dead, the parting of the red sea, and the splitting of the moon. The third lesson to be learned from this particular event in the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is that in this world Allah hears and answers the sincere supplication of whomsoever He wills. He grants mercy in this world to whomsoever He wills. It is also in this world that He guides whomsoever He wills, even the non-Muslim. The fourth lesson to be learned from this particular event in the life of Prophet Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) is that anything created is subject to change. For example, things like the earth's rotation, the night fading into the day (or vice versa), fatigue, sleep, hunger, sex, injury, consumption, digestion, defecation, pregnancy, giving birth, being born, bleeding, dying, death, decomposition, heat and cold, freezing and melting, even faith (as in the case of Prophet Ibraheem [Peace and Blessings be upon him]); these are all manifestations of change. Praise be to Allah, the Noble Qur'an teaches that everything that is created manifests change in one of the above mentioned ways or more. If it manifests change then it is subject to it, and anything subject to change is deficient because all of it's qualities and attributes are controlled, regulated, incomplete, and impermanent. This is why Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) could not accept the stars, the moon, the sun, or anything other than Allah as being his Lord; because it does not befit the Lord to be subject to anything nor does it befit Him to have any defiencies. Allah possesses the qualities and attributes of being the Creator, and everything else possesses the qualities and attributes of being the creation. Glory be to Allah, Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) understood this and it was for this reason that he encouraged his father and people to disbelieve in their false deities (idols) and reserve worship only for Allah. Yet, the response from his father and people was one of hate and ridicule. There was so much shock and contempt from them that his father insisted Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) discontinue from calling their people to the worship of Allah, even threatening to stone him should he refuse to do so. It got to the point that when the people found their idols vandalized, they arrested Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and organized to have him publicly burned alive. Although Allah saved him from that awful demise, it is the commitment of Ibraheem (Peace and Blessings be upon him) to his Lord in that moment that made him the behavioral template not only for the Prophets who succeeded him (Peace and Blessings be upon them), but also for the convert Muslims who would endure trials similar (if not parallel) to his own.