Every Friday, One Ummah Network will publish a discourse on the names and attributes of Allah (God). This will include the following:
1.Arabic roots, linguistic meanings, and derivatives.
2.Qur'an references and their meanings.
3.Hadith references and meanings.
4.Usage: benefits of reciting and calling on the names and attributes.
5.Discussion on the manifestations of the attributes in daily life.
In addition to our printed information, we will hold discussions within the virtual world of Second Life at our virtual center Bayt al-Hikmah (The House of Wisdom) every Sunday at 9 A.M. (SLT) PDT -0700 GMT. You can sign up for and download Second Life for free at http://www.secondlife.com. After you join, be sure to join the Bayt al-Hikmah group to receive notices of events.
The first week will be an introduction and discussion of the name "Allah". We will then cover 3 attributes per week for a total of 34 weeks.
The text for this course will be The Name and the Named by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti (ISBN 1-887752-29-3)
Summary: "In the Islamic Sufi tradition, it is said, "Qualify yourself with the qualities of God." Compiled from classical Arabic and Turkish texts of Al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Djili, and Abdul Qadir Jilani, among others, these are the divine attributes by which God manifests Himself in the world and by which He completes the spiritual life of man. "
You do not need to purchase the text to follow along, but it is optional if you would like a more in-depth study.
In addition to The Name and the Named, we will be relying on the Qur'an, several commentaries of the Qur'an, and several hadith collections.
For the "usage" portion, it is recommended that you have a tasbih (rosary beads), as some of the activities will involve high counting which might be difficult with your fingers.
There is no fee for the course, however, donations are appreciated in order to keep our website and virtual center running.
From al-Daylami in al-Irshad: He said: The Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to patch his own clothes, mend his sandals, milk his ewe, eat with the slaves, sit on the ground, ride a donkey, and carry someone with him; he would not be ashamed to carry his own groceries and other items from the market to his family. He would shake hands with the rich and the poor alike and he would not take his hand back from the hand of the other person until that person himself withdrew his hand. He would salute anyone who came to him from the rich or poor, old or young. He would never look down on what he was offered even if it were a dry date. He had few possessions, was kind by nature, sociable, cheerful, always smiling but without laughing, always sad, but without frowning, humble without losing self-respect, generous without being extravagant, openhearted and merciful to every Muslim. He never belched out of being full and he never extended his hand (to something) out of desire (for it) -- ever.
The facade of 'freedom of expression' does little to hide the real motives behind the republication of the Danish caricatures. It is a blatant provocation, a mischief--and any fool can see that.
Afghanistan under US occupation (Photo by Yan Boechat)
No sir, not the same bait each time. This time round, you only proved that with all your noise about freedom and liberal values, you're so badly and pathetically mired up in your self-created prejudices.
This time, it is you who took the bait--and we're having our last laugh.
In al-tahdhib, Abu 'Abdullah said, as he recollected the prayer of the Holy Prophet:
He would bring his ablution water, cover it and place it near himself, and he would put his siwak under his bed. Then, he would sleep for as long as Allah willed. When he woke up, he would sit, turn his eyes towards the sky and recite the ayah from (surah) ale Imran: "Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth..." (3:190). Then, he brushed his teeth and performed ablution, after which he went to his place of prayer and performed four rak'ahs with the duration of his ruku' (bowing) being equal to his recitation (while standing) and the duration of his sujud (prostration) being equal to that of his ruku'. He would bow in ruku' until it would be asked: 'When will he raise his head?' And he would prostrate in sujud until it would be asked: 'When will he raise his head?'
He then returned to his bed and slept for as long as Allah willed. then he woke, sat up, and recited the ayah from ale Imran and looked towards the sky. Then he brushed his teeth, performed ablution and went to his place of prayer where he performed the Witr prayer and two (other) rak'ahs (i.e. the nafilah of Fajr), and then he left his house (to go to the masjid) for the (Fajr) prayer.
From al-Daylami in al-Irshad: He said: The Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to patch his own clothes, mend his sandals, milk his ewe, eat with the slaves, sit on the ground, ride a donkey, and carry someone with him; he would not be ashamed to carry his own groceries and other items from the market to his family. He would shake hands with the rich and the poor alike and he would not take his hand back from the hand of the other person until that person himself withdrew his hand. He would salute anyone who came to him from the rich or poor, old or young. He would never look down on what he was offered even if it were a dry date. He had few possessions, was kind by nature, sociable, cheerful, always smiling but without laughing, always sad, but without frowning, humble without losing self-respect, generous without being extravagant, openhearted and merciful to every Muslim. He never belched out of being full and he never extended his hand (to something) out of desire (for it) -- ever.
