BEWARE :If we do not regulate ourselves, some one will. Mosque is place to go worship Allah, shed the ego by acknowledging Allahu Akbar and then come out with a heart filled with compassion, kindness and mercy - as we recite Bismilla- hir rahma - nir rahim at least 25 times a day. Hope it becomes part of us. Let's monitor our Mosques ourselves, and each one of us should guard the language that is spoken at the mosque if any. Speaker should not spout hate filled speeches, nor political speeches. There is no room for it. Here is news item that came from CAIR and below that is some information about Wahhabi ideology. Please share it with us if you can find clearer info about Wahhabism. ARE AMERICAN MOSQUES PROMOTING HATE IDEOLOGY? By Junaid M. Afeef, Altmuslim.com, 2/2/05 http://www.altmuslim.com/news_comments.php?id=1389_0_24_0_C A new study entitled "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques" (download full .pdf version here) was recently released by the conservative watchdog organization Freedom House. Whether the study is accurate or not, it will certainly invite greater governmental scrutiny on the American-Muslim community. The stated purpose of the study is to "probe in detail the content of the Wahhabi ideology that the Saudi government has worked to propagate through books and other publications within [U.S.] borders." Its conclusions and recommendations are of vital concern to the American Muslim community. The American-Muslim leadership in particular needs to analyze the study and to respond quickly and effectively. If this study's conclusions are accurate, then the American-Muslim community needs to undertake a monumental overhaul of its institutions and the management of its resources and infrastructure. On the other hand, if there are errors, inaccuracies, methodological problems or additional relevant facts not considered in the study, then it behooves the American-Muslim leadership to correct the record… ========= WAHHABISM =========== Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi Wahhabism (sometimes spelled Wahabbism or Wahabism) is a movement of Islam named after Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (1703–1792). It is a fundamentalist sect which branched off of the Sunni form of Islam and has become an object of increased interest because it is the major sect of the government and society of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, and claimed to be followed by Osama bin Laden, who was raised in Saudi Arabia. Wahhabism is an offending synonym for one form of Salafism. N.B.: There is a difference between Salafists and Wahhabists. Wahhabists follow the Hanbali school while Salafists reject all four schools. Osama bin Laden's recent alliance with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a presumed Salafi, at least shows his Salafi tendencies. Late great scholars of Wahhabsim declared bin Laden to be Khawarij and thus not belonging to the Salafi methodology. Some traditional Sunni scholars claim that Osama bin Laden is from the Qutbist branch of Salafism and not the Wahhabi branch. This is the view of some of those affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of America. Origin of the term "Wahhabi" The term "Wahhab" is derived from its founder Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab - although wahhabis link it to Al-Wahhab: a name of Allah in Islam. Many Wahhabi Muslims do not approve of this name. Historically, members of this movement call themselves al-Muwahhiddun, ("the monotheists") or al-Ikhwan ("the brethren"). (The name al-Muwahhidun should not be confused with the 12th century al-Muwahhidun movement and dynasty of Morocco.) The Wahhabis claim to call to the way of the "Salaf as-Salih", the 'rightly guided or pious predecessors' as understood mainly by Ibn Taimiyya and later by Muhammed ibn Abdul Wahab and his followers. They are also known as Salafis, i.e. people who are upon the way of the pious predecessors Texts Wahhabism follows Islam, so the Quran and the Hadiths are its basic text. It also uses explanations of Quran and Hadiths from the writings of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, from such books as Kitab al-Tawhid (Arabic, "Book of Monotheism") and works of scholars before him such as Ibn Taymiyya (1263–1328). [edit] Origin Wahhabi theology advocates a fundamentalist and legalistic stance in matters of faith and religious practice. Wahhabism traces its origins and call all the way back to Prophet Mohammed and his Companions. They see their role as a movement to restore Islam from what they perceive to be innovations, superstitions, deviances, heresies and idolatries. During the time of Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab, whose prominence gave name to this movement, there were many practices that they believed were contrary to Islam, such as: That invoking any prophet, saint or angel in prayer, other than Allah alone, is polytheism Grave worship, whether to saints' graves, or the prophet's grave Celebrating annual feasts for dead saints Wearing of charms, and believing in their healing power Practicing magic, or going to sorcerers or witches seeking healing Innovation in matters of religion (e.g. new methods of worship) Erecting elaborate monuments over any grave The opponents argue that these practices have adequate proofs from the Qur'an and Sunnah and have been accepted by Sunni scholars since the early days of Islam. They also see grave worship as intermediation (tawassul), and claim this is accepted and called for practice in Islam. [edit] Criticism Wahhabism is often maligned and attacked by adherents of ahlussunnah i.e. the Ash'ari and Maturidis as being anthropomorphist Some critiques of Wahhabism are as follows: They are fundamentalist and violent Since they developed within a desert and tribal environment, not in a metropolis, they are affected by that environment. They were confined to tribal customs and practices in many areas, for example, the minority view of women having to cover their face becomes the only valid view, despite centuries of scholars from sound Sunni madhahib of Islam saying otherwise. Having not been exposed to non-Muslims, or to a more vibrant and open society (such as a metropolis), their views are not favorable towards non-Muslims, and depend mainly on hearsay. Ironically, they are the fastest growing Muslim way in western countries. They are literalist and legalistic to the extreme. They lack flexibility. Many Sunni Muslims criticise Wahhabism for its lack of flexibility and general intolerance towards other religions and even towards other Muslim sects. A number of moderate Islamic groups have publicly condemned Wahhabism as being a distortion of historic Islam. [edit] Early history of Wahhabism Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia began with a surge of reformers seeking to reclaim orthodox Islam from innovation by various sects of Sunni Muslims. In the 18th century, it spread in Najd along with the expansion of the First Saudi State under Muhammad bin Saud and his successors. [edit] Modern spread of Wahhabism Wahhabism is the official form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. In 1924 the Wahhabi al-Saud dynasty conquered Mecca and Medina, cities holy to Muslims, creating the Saudi state. The spread of Wahhabi Islam has been facilitated by Saudi oil revenues; Saudi laypeople, government officials and clerics have donated many tens of millions of dollars to create Wahhabi-oriented religious schools, newspapers and outreach organizations. Some Wahhabis believe that many Muslim Brotherhood scholars — Sayyed Qutb and Yusuf al-Qaradawi are sometimes cited — are corrupted due to their innovations in Islam, and their call to revolution and rebellion against the rulers of Muslim countries. For the same reason, they often hold that Osama bin Laden is not a true Wahhabi, but a Qutbee (follower of Sayyed Qutb), due to his rebellion against the rulers of Saudi Arabia. Wahhabis ban pictures, photographs, musical instruments, singing, video, suicide bombings, and celebrating Mohammed's birthday, among many other things, based on their interpretation of the hadiths (classical collections of sayings) of Mohammad. Many contend that Wahhabism is or has become a dominant form of Islam through proselytization driven by Saudi funding; others contend that its influence is less widespread and that the practice and observance of Wahhabism and the political manifestations that flow therefrom are more nuanced than its most doctrinaire interpretations. [edit] Differences between Wahhabis and traditional Sunni Muslims There are three main differences between Wahhabi Muslims and Sunni Muslims. These three differences are jurispudence (fiqh), beliefs (aqeedah), and sufism (tassawuf). Wahhabi Muslims do not believe in blind following (taqleed) of one of the 4 mainstream schools of Sunni Islamic law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali; while Sunnis hold this necessary and essential. In beliefs, Wahhabi Muslims take the entire Qur'an literally, even statements such as "Allah's hand" and therefore have anthropomorphic tendencies. Sunni Muslims either take these statements with figurative interpretations or use the principle of "billa kayf" or "without asking how." Wahhabi Muslims hold Sufism as gross innovation, even going as far as calling many Sufis pagans while Sunni Muslims hold Sufism is an essential part of Islam. [edit] External links The Wahhabi Myth (http://www.thewahhabimyth.com/salafism.htm) Britannica Concise Encyclopedia article (http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article?eu=407522) A Correction Of Misunderstandings Found In Non-Arabic Sources About The Movement Of Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab - A compendium of Wahhabi apologetics targeted to Muslims (http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php? name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=126) A discussion of alleged Wahhabi anthropomorphism (http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/inthesky.htm) 1911 Encyclopedia article on Wahhabis (http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/W/WA/WAHHABIS.htm) Wahhabism by Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani offers a Shia view (http://al- islam.org/wahhabism/) A Western view of Wahhabism (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/gulf/wahhabi.htm) Anti Wahabi's (http://www.geocities.com/~abdulwahid/muslimarticles/dogs.html) The Differences between Salafis, Wahhabis, and Qutbists (http://www.sunnah.org/articles/Wahhabiarticleedit.htm) Wahhabism Exposed (http://www.sultan.org/articles/wahabism.html) Wahhabism and the Illusion of a Golden Age by Sadik H. Kassim MWU! Article (http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2004/09/002347print.php) [edit] See also Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab =========== AMERICAN MUSLIM AGENDA ============ As-Salam-O-Aliakum, At the American Muslim Agenda, we are focused on ways and means of increasing our participation in all aspects of American Life. Each one of us, Muslims in general and Immigrant Muslims in particular should develop a sense of belonging, a feeling within us that this is my home and this is my country. And whatever I do, I will do it for the well being of my country, and everything I do is good for America and good for every American. Our goal is to seek ideas and make efforts towards solutions to ensure continuance of a strong sense of grounding in America, our homeland. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set the example of good citizenship early on in his life. He was respected immensely by the people of Makkah, non- Muslims at that time. The Makkans placed their trust in him and believed him to say nothing but the truth and honored him with the title "Amin". Every Muslim's conscience ought to be consciously set up to be the Amin, the truthful, the trustworthy. We resolve to become "Amin" to everyone in America, and hope to accomplish spiritual success and earn our place in our homeland. An overwhelming majority of us are Amin's, we need to up-this to 100%. It will give us the deserved sense of security, peace and prosperity. On this forum, we request you to be completely open minded and look to the negative postings as "a request to know the truth". We will post all ideas from fanatics of the divide to the intellectuals. If we want to solve the problems, we'd better learn all aspects of an issue, so we can find comprehensive long lasting solutions. Islam bashing is guaranteed to make money and every writer and media reporter is cashing on it. They are highlighting the fringe elements to create a bad impression of Muslims. Some day I hope, the conscience of these guys catches up with them and hope they will ask Lord's forgiveness for taking advantage and cashing in on unduly putting Muslims on a disadvangate, and hope they are forgiven. Law of Karma always works, in Urdu there is saying " Jaisi Karni waisi bharni" as you do, so you reap. There is no doubt we have bad Muslims among us, but so are the bad people in every faith. It is not the religion, it is the bad individuals. We need to communicate this effectively. A full blown portal is being developed www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.Com and will be ready for launch in a few months. I feel confident that you will make some additional efforts to uplift the image of Islam - if you know someone who may contribute to the ideas, please ask them to send the email to be added to the list, on the other hand, if you wish to withdraw from participation kindly let me know. You are welcome to invite your friends to join: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you. Mike Ghouse ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. Click Here to meet a Child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/O2aXmA/I_qJAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
