Just like love, respect begets respect.
Self-centredness, vanity, illusions of grandeur, superiority complex
and a lack of humility will surely end in disgrace.
As for me, I like all Muslims – and have great respect for both Shia
and Sunni.
Once again, I thank you for your elucidations, for all your kind words
and the display of the recommended adab and the kinds of "beautiful
words" that should prevail in all such discussions. May you get sawab
plentifully for your right words.
You also mention the one who in my estimation is the greatest of all
the Nigerian Heroes namely Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio. I spent quite some
time studying his succinct "Al- Kitab " Usul ad-Deen" ( The Roots of
the Life Transaction) and His "Al- Kitab Ulum al- Mu'amala " ( The
Sciences of Behaviour) both translated as "Handbook on Islam Iman
Ishan" must be regarded as a treasure for all Muslims
Thanks for the good news which many in this world are not aware of,
perhaps because of the rise in Islamophobia, especially here in Europe
where Islam is spreading at an unprecedented rate and therefore
producing the rise in Islamophobia (in non-Muslim quarters and among
the non- Muslim sections of European citizenry) – and also the
relentless ant-Islamic propaganda designed to counter/ counteract the
spread of Islam. – an Islamophobia that would like to persuade the
general public that there is no spirituality or spirituality to be
found in Islam, that it's all bombs and bloodshed.
Your words that "these practices (the negative treatment of women by
their men) instead of being the norm nowadays are becoming an
exception." is indeed good news – at a time when good news about
Islam seldom enjoys any media space.
Concerning Islamic morality, it is the duty of every Muslim to promote
amr-bil-Ma'roof (enjoin the good) and nahi anil munkar (discourage
sinful actions). I should think that one of the ways of promoting a
more loving treatment of wives by their husbands is to constantly
remind them of these two Sahih ahadith:
1. That " Marriage ( Nikah) is half of the deen"
2. That Rasulullah, salallahu alaihi wa salaam is reported to have
said "The best of you are the best to their wives; and I am the best
to my wives."
http://www.islamswomen.com/marriage/wives_are_mates.php
http://www.alsiraj.net/English/misc/women/html/page0502.html
However, I am not happy with what you say about the Shia, who I know
very well, from inside and outside and that being the case it is not a
personal matter about which I need any persuasion one way or the
other. You used the word " impressionistic" and in that mode I feel
that I myself would have represented the Shia better, had I stood in
the shoes of the Shia scholar who represented the Shia in the 1746
debate convened by Shah Nader.
The relevance of this part of our discussion is that the Ja'fari
school is now one of the legal schools representing a large following
in Nigeria – and in the world of Islamic scholarship, no one can even
with the greatest difficulty sweep the Shia away - and what you see
as exaggerated veneration of Imam Ali – alaihi salaam is a
commonplace Sunni objection to Shi'ism but among the lovers of the
Prophet of Islam , salallahu alaihi wa salaam and his family – the ahl
ul Bayt , LOVE, ISHQ has no limits and it is a sphere in which the
true Mumin can only grow.
The Shia speak with love and affection about a number of the Sahaba,
so it's inaccurate to say that "their treatment of Ali and Fatima,
cousin and daughter for Prophet Muhammad respectively with such
reverence as to render all other companions invalid. "
In the interests of Muslim / Islamic unity in Nigeria too, it does
not seem that you can afford to ignore the Grand Imam of Al-Azar
Shaikh al-Akbar Mahmood Shaltoot who passed the fatwa recognising the
four Sunni Madhabs AND two Shia schools of Jurisprudence:
A would-be convert to Islam faces the daunting task of having to
choose which Islam to follow – the Shia who say they are right – or
the Sunni who say they are right. Even the Ahmadiyya have things to
say.
In more recent times, the conclusion of "Al-Muraja'at" - the
immensely readable exchange of letters between Sheikh al-Islam al-Bisr
who was rector of Al-Azhar University for two periods – and the Shia
Alim Sayyid `AbdulHusayn Shrafuddin from Lebanon, is conclusive
testimony to the authenticity and eternal validity and viability of
the Shia in the world of Islam – a world of Islam that could not
possibly exist today, without the Shia. For those who have not read /
studied it, it should be a good read
So are the books of Muhammad al-Tijani al-Samawi. Good reads:
"Then I was Guided "
"Ask those who know"
"To be with the truthful"
"The Shi'ah are (the real) Ahl al-Sunnah"
All available for easy reading here:
http://www.al-islam.org/index.php?link_locale_c=1&session=&attach=&having=&t=sub_pages_74&cat=116&link_type_id=&alpha_id=
A workshop that I do not intend to miss is this one:
http://www.paideia-eu.org/index.php?link=6&sublink=4&event=191
Let's work towards peace.
Have a nice weekend.
Wa salaam,
Cornelius
On 12 Nov, 01:23, H O <afi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Dear Prof Cornelius,
> Definitely, these exchanges are not meant to be impressionist in any way given the quality of posts from individuals like your good self. One of the solemn facts i, as a Muslim and a teacher in Arabic and Islamic culture, have come to appreciate is that truth is not and will never be an exclusive preserve of a single culture. Years of scholarship in this field has also taught me that there exist out there non-Muslim scholars of Islam whose perspectives on Islamic affairs are highly engaging and objective. Such scholars always rise above their personal conviction once objectivity and honesty in scholarship become an issue. Thus my last post on this issue was not that of the "catholic" in front of the "sinners". I completely appreciate your perspective on these issues.
> Having said that, permit me to make the following observation: the negative treatment of women by their men whether in the north of our country or in the south, whether in the East or the West, broadly defined, has been, as you are aware, an ageless phenomenon. But we must avoid generalization. In other words, these practices, instead of being the norm nowadays are becoming an exception. You would also remember that some of the earliest Muslim reformers we read about in West Africa actually made the promotion of the social status of women, in line with what Prophet Muhammad did in Makkah and Madina, as one of the cardinal points of their struggle.An instance for this is the Jihad of Uthman b. Fodio. But how might we explain the gulf between his pro-feminine stance and that of some Muslim elites in the north who still treat women as "things"? Perhaps answers may lie in the abililtiy and tenacity of local tradition and customs to offeset all sacred values
> in the absence of men and women who would defend it.
> Second, i hinted at the the categories of USul and Furu in my last post to which you have referenced the Shiite version of the Usul. Permit to say this: one of the internal challenges facing the Muslim world is the Shiite's predilections for sensationalism and hero-worship.Aside from others, these qualities are completely abhorred in Islam. An example for the latter is their treatment of Ali and Fatima, cousin and daughter for Prophet Muhammad respectively with such reverence as to render all other companions invalid.
> What they refer to, according to you, as Usul excepting item number one does not satisfy even the Quranic standard. The Usul in Islam are five:
> 1. Belief in Allah and his apostle,
> 2. Observance of five daily prayers
> 3.Zakat-alms giving to the poor
> 4.Fasting in the month of ramadan
> 5.Pilgrimage.
> For an act or belief to enjoy the patronage of Muslims as being fundamental or foundational in Islamic hermeneutics such would be mentioned explicitly by Allah in the Quran; such acts or strand of belief would also be exemplified by the Prophet in his Hadith/Sunnah. Again when reference is made to an action or belief as being fundamental or foundational (Root) the implication is that if a Muslim neglects to work with it he or she risks divine wrath here on earth and in the hereafter. This explains the Muslims's constant recourse to prayers five times a day: their fasting in the month of ramadan. etc. No where in the Quran is Imamate -article 4 of the shite script- mentioned. The Prophet of Islam never mentioned it too. Aside from this, most of the shite practices run counter to explicit injunctions of Allah in the Quran. This explains why we (the Sunni world) do not reckon with their perspectives as regard the Usul; it exemplifies why the Sunni world
> does not take their fiqh (jursiprudence) schools into account.
> Now all the sunni jurists have their stength and weakness. however ,their history also shows how they used to cooperate on matters of the branches (furu) of the religion. A reading of the relationship between Malik and Shafii for example exemplifies this. for example, Imam shafii entered the mosque to pray behind Imam maliki, instead of following his own opinion on where the hands should be placed by the worshipper shaffii chose to follow the approach of Imam maliki. When Shaffi enterred Cairo he gave fatwas on Furu which were different from the Fatwa he gave while he was in Baghdad. What we normal counsel our students is, following the prophet, that they should make use of the jurists' opinions as much as possible. This is because the Jurists' perspectives to matters of Furu should not, in any instance, become a barrier for the practice of Islam. The PRophet says "my companions are like stars: whoever among them you follow, you shall be guided properly"
>
> thus the assumption that the gate of Ijtihad has been closed since the medieval period is spurious. In fact from the perspective of Islam, the gate of Ijtihad cannot be closed, even for a moment, because that would mean closing human congition and reasoning; it would mean the cessation in the creation and birth of humanbeings.
>
> Now on the Furu, shiism allow temporary marraiage...known as Mut'a in Islam. This has to do with marriage of a man to a woman for specific period of time. This is a practice which was in vogue in Arabian peninsula. it used to be one other avenue for the continuation of the sexual exploitation of women. This was later forbidden for Muslims by the Prophet and his companions. But today the shite school permits.
>
> Your finding on the rule guiding divorce in Hausaland is taken from the Quran: Our Prophet says the most hateful thing permited by Allah is divorce. Thus Allah stipulates the condition as a disincentive for men who may want to separate from their wives. Once a man knows that the pronounciation of the statement: "Anti taliqun -you are divorced" three times renders sexual cohabitation with that woman illegal unless she marries another man who would cohabit with her and then divorce her, the possibility is there that men may be more careful in dealing with the latter.
> In closing when Muslims say Islam is one, it is in recognition of their location in a spiritual web created by Allah through the instrumentality of the Quran and the acts of worship. Whereas the Muslim world may give a sense of a fractious political entity, the existence of the web always intervene to attenuate the negativities of the disconnect between their Quranic destinies and and their existential realities.
> once again my appreciation for these useful exchanges...
> Oladosu
> UI.
>
> --- On Wed, 11/10/10, Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> From: Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelb...@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: MUHAMMED,CHILD MARRIAGE AND ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
> To: "USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
> Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 12:29 PM
>
> Prof H.O.
>
> The focus of the problem is still on what some people deem to be
> objectionable forms of marriage taking place in the Federation of
> Nigeria.
>
> http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=sv&rlz=&=&q=Marriage+in+Nig...
>
> Understandings are always useful. Many thanks for your elucidations.
> I hope that we all benefit from them. I am happy and I hope that you
> are too, that you are not lecturing a complete ignoramus. Since two
> and a half decades ago I have been well acquainted with the five
> schools of Fiqh, with reference to Marriage. Lastly I acquainted
> myself with the Late Ayatullah Khoei and Marja-e-Taqlid Ali Sistani's
> Resalah.
>
> Of the Sunni Schools, Hanafi seems to be the easiest and most
> straightforward, although generally speaking in West Africa, Nigeria
> included, it is Maliki Fiqh which dominates. Shia Islam is also
> steadily making headway in Nigeria and today can boast of quite a
> large following. That being the case, Ja'afari Fiqh has to be taken
> into consideration and we must avoid making wholesale generalisations
> since Islam is no longer monolithic/ homogenous in Nigeria, even if,
> in defence of diversity some people say that "There is only one
> Islam".
>
> For example, Shia Usul (roots) is quite different from the Sunni
> conception of Usul.
>
> For the Shia, the Usul - as you most certainly know, are as follows:
>
> Belief in
> 1. The Unity of Allah ( Tawhid )
> 2. The Justice of Allah – Adl
> 3. The Prophets of Allah - Nubawat
> 4. The Imamate - the 12 Imams - alaihim salaam
> 5. The Qiyamat – the Last day…
>
> Four of what Sunnis call the pillars of Islam - Salat (prayer), Zakat
> (almsgiving) Sawm (fasting during the month of Ramadan) - and Hajj
> (making the pilgrimage to Mecca) are from the Shia point of view,
> branches, not the roots.
>
> As far as the ummah is concerned, among the Sunni schools of
> Jurisprudence the gates of ijtihad closed in 13th century. Who among
> them can open them?
> Among the Shia, the gates are not closed and the possibility remains
> to exercise ijitihad in response to even the latest modern situation.
> The Jafari School has that kind of resilience and therefore has more
> potential for renewal and of meeting the kind's challenges/ exigencies
> that we are trying to respond to, here. Sheikh Shaltut himself said
> that he preferred some of the rulings from the Jafari school of
> Jurisprudence.
>
> You mention "Adah or Urf (customs). they have played important role in
> the formulation and development of Social stratum of Islamic law"
>
> In Nigeria too, Muslims still live within a culture that is not
> necessarily of Saudi origin - and so this question arises: to what
> extent do the legal authorities among Nigerian Muslims give any
> accommodation to local culture and tradition?
> The legalists probably don't countenance any such concessions. Perhaps
> not even to the Nigerian Constitution, which from a certain Islamic
> point of view belongs to a not equally sacred place, somewhere beneath
> Sharia Law.
>
> Shortly after completing my study of Maliki fiqh (al-Muwatta) I read a
> couple of studies about divorce among the Hausa… it was very
> interesting … one of the most difficult aspects of divorce and ...
>
> läs mer »
--
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