Conversation between Liberal and Conservative Islam: Mona Eltahawy and Yasir Qadhi (Kazi)
- Filed under: Islam
- Date: Aug 17,2006 | 09:52 PM
I found this article very interesting. I like it because it’s two Muslims from the same background but with totally different views, opinions and concept of Islam, except in the end they both have this “bond“. You’ll see. 
Also I never knew Shaykh Yasir Qadhi still goes by Kazi. Check it out:
Backstory: What it means to be Muslim
They went to the same school in Saudi Arabia – so how did they turn out so differently?
By Mona Eltahawy | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Yasir Kazi was the last person I wanted to sit next to on the plane taking us from the US to Copenhagen for the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) conference last month. But airline ticket counter agents – and divine intervention perhaps – determined otherwise, for there he was, on the aisle seat of my row as we boarded a connecting flight from Iceland to Denmark.
I spotted him immediately at Kennedy Airport. His beard screamed “Muslim.” No. More than that, it screamed the kind of judgmental Muslim who would give me a hard time because nothing about me screamed “Muslim.” So I had an unfair advantage knowing he was Muslim: If he knew I was, perhaps he, too, would have wished a flight free of conversation with me.
We’d been called to Copenhagen to discuss the integration of Muslims in the West. But it was really the question “What does being a Muslim mean?” that boarded the plane and sat in the empty seat between Yasir and me. The brainchild of the not-for-profit New York-based American Society for Muslim Advancement and the multifaith Cordoba Initiative, the conference brought 100 Muslims of diverse backgrounds from 15 countries to Denmark to discuss how Muslims are faring in integrating in Western societies, in light of the clash of civilizations mentality that has set in since the terrorist attacks in London, Madrid, and New York.
But Yasir and I hadn’t even landed yet. We’ll get to Denmark later.
I’m a board member of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America. A core tenet of our mission is that anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim is a Muslim – no litmus test, no scorecard for ritual or dogma. Self identity is all we consider. Perhaps it really was divine intervention that I was seated by the window and Yasir by the aisle – that empty chair between us couldn’t even begin to convey the space between our outlooks on religion and life.
“Are you going to the MLT conference?” he asked as he made way for me to take my seat. “I guessed you were from your Arabic jewelry.” So something about me did scream “Muslim”? Or give a hint, at least? When he said his name, I realized he was someone rumored to be balking at even speaking to some of the liberal women attendees. So I hesitated, unsure whether to extend a hand to shake because some conservative Muslims don’t want to touch a woman’s hand.
After tentative conversation about the panels that awaited us at the conference and polite questions about our backgrounds – he’s pursuing a PhD in Islamic studies at Yale, I’m a journalist – we found what appeared to be common ground: Saudi Arabia. But “never trust appearances” seemed to be the aphorism that we both were trying to prove. If you saw him (the Muslim man with the big beard) and me (the Muslim woman without the head scarf) would you figure he was the American and I the Egyptian?
It turned out we went to the same school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – though a few years apart, and he in the boys’ section which was several miles from the girls’ section that I attended. Our brothers might have been in the same grade, and our fathers surely taught and worked together at the King Abdul-Aziz Medical School.
“It’s a long way from Saudi Arabia to the Progressive Muslim Union of North America,” Yasir said after our memories had drawn such mirror images. “Saudi Arabia is the reason I am what I am,” I replied quickly. “Saudi Arabia is the reason I am what I am, too,” he said.
How did one starting point lead to such different lives? That may sound like the inverse of the integration debate, but it’s really the heart of it. It’s not about Muslims’ ability to talk to the “West.” In Copenhagen, when a group exercise brought together at my table Muslims from Australia, Portugal, France, Belgium, Germany, and Canada, there was no monolithic “Muslim” and there was no monolithic “West.” It was about Muslims’ ability to talk to one another.
Yasir and I had to talk. In his view, “liberal” Muslims outnumbered “conservatives” at the conference. What a relief, I thought. I’m fed up with Muslim conferences at which conservative views are presented as the “real” Islam and against which liberal views must justify their validity.
But to Yasir’s credit, he wasn’t beyond making a joke out of the stereotypes that many of us hold of conservatives. A conference assignment was to talk to those we normally wouldn’t talk to. So at a coffee break, there I was – a woman wearing T-shirt and jeans attempting to schmooze with Yasir, in his traditional Pakistani-style tunic and baggy pants, and his friend Abu Eesa Niamatullah, a British Muslim in a flowing white robe.
I asked them how they thought the conference was going. “I wasn’t going to come at first,” said Abu Eesa, founder of an educational institute and publishing house and author of a Muslim blog, who’d been outspoken in conference sessions about how he didn’t think Muslims had a problem integrating. “I’ve been writing an essay called ‘No to Integration, Yes to Disintegration.’ ”
Immediately Yasir jokingly interjected with a suggestion: “Explain to her what you mean by that. You know what she’ll think.â€
Was Yasir joking about the assumption that Muslim men who have long beards blow things up? Now we’re talking, Yasir!
It was true – I’d stereotyped the men with big beards.
“People always assume I’m very conservative, but I’m actually quite liberal,†California Imam Tahir Anwar said in an exercise that had us place ourselves along a liberal-conservative continuum according to how others see us.
“Yeah, right!†was my gut reaction to Tahir, whose beard was even longer than Yasir’s.
As a young man he’d wanted to be a US Air Force pilot, he said. His love for speed has him zooming around California highways, he confessed, where his car is the only one with the license plate “IMAM.â€
I couldn’t resist confessing to him over lunch my “yeah, right†reaction to his assertion that he was quite liberal. He smiled like he was used to hearing that. It had been my gut reaction to his conservative appearance as well as the dismaying feeling that many Muslims are reluctant to embrace the liberal label with pride because it sounds somehow less authentic or wishy-washy.
During the exercise, I stepped forward and said that people assume I’m a liberal Muslim, I’m indeed a liberal and I’m proud of it and I wished more people would openly embrace the term.
At the end of the conference, I found out that my definition of a Muslim – that anyone, including an atheist, who identifies themselves as Muslim is a Muslim – had made me an atheist courtesy of some conservative Muslims who I’d debated with on the point. They’d stereotyped me right back, deciding I must be an atheist. You see why we need to talk?
“Believers are like the bricks of a building. They hold each other up.†That saying of the prophet Muhammad was posted on an easel next to a panel on pluralism that included Yasir and his ideological and theological polar opposites.
At a coffee break soon after the panel, I ran into Yasir, fresh from an hour-long meeting with one of the liberal women I had heard he didn’t want to meet. He looked stunned.
…
*pause* (MR commentary – not part of article)
[take a deep breath...proceed] (MR commentary – not part of article)
…
“But did you shake her hand?†asked another attendee after Yasir told us of the meeting.
“Yes.â€
It was my turn to be stunned: “You shake women’s hands? I didn’t offer mine on the plane because I wasn’t sure.â€
Yasir stuck his hand out for a firm shake.
I plan on writing to Yasir to continue our conversation.
Maybe I’ll even suggest that we write a book together on how Saudi Arabia made us who we are today.
Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0816/p20s01-lire.html
- – - -
MR commentary: I think Shaykh Yasir takes the opinion that is permissible. Shaykh Yusuf al Qaradawi also is of this opinion. You can read his fatwa here.
Related posts:
- Imam Suhaib Webb, Sh. Yasir Qadhi and Sh. Yasir Birjas Ramadan 1429 Message at ISNA 2008
- Shaykh Yasir Qadhi at the UK Conference GPU 2006
- Sh. Yasir Qadhi on Tawassul and Wasila
- Like One Body: A Muslim’s Responsibility to the Ummah – Imam Zaid Shakir & Sh. Yasir Qadhi – NYU 10/15/09 7 PM
- Precious Provisions: Fiqh of Food and Clothing – Sh. Yasir Qadhi – NJ – Jan 9 to 11, 2009
123 Responses for "Conversation between Liberal and Conservative Islam: Mona Eltahawy and Yasir Qadhi (Kazi)"
Yeah, the picture they have is 100% him.
my GOD, he shook her hand??????what a shame! pls dont tell me that there is an opinion which allows it- its the same yasir qadhi who said no one can justify shaking hand with opposite genders(yes i have that lecture) hypocrisy at its best!
There is an opinion that shaking hands for special reasons (business, etc.) is permissible. If he takes that opinionm then I respect that. It’s just really weird. :/
lol MR you are going to be taken aside again.
But, c’mon – that handshake was deliborate and avoidable. I just hope it turns out to be rubbish.
make excuses for Yasir Qadhi.
loll business purpose?(meaning 4 duniya success) but br nauman said its a very very weak opinion so i would never expect yasir qadhi to take…..besides he had no reason for shaking hand with her-what was his reason?>just so he can prove it to her that he is a ‘liberal’ muslim-
LOL, I just realised Yasir Qadhi studied in Jeddah, KSA so I googled him and found out that he’s “Salafi”.
Apparently he’s “off the manhaj” though: http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=6&Topic=1011
By the way, that site is highly amusing for further reference. By browsing it, you find out that 90% of those who you thought were Salafi are in fact deviants or “off the manhaj”.
Well let’s not jump to conclusions. Maybe the article isn’t 100 % true..even tho CSM is pretty reputable. Maybe…maybe..
Maybe if we are REALLY concerned, we could write to him
i take hypocricy comment back- should have made 70 excuses for him- + i highly highly doubt if its true-
for what its worth Sh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi believes shaking hands with non-mahram is not haram if certian condition are met.
here is the lenghty fatawa with proofs. You can decide for your self if its weak or not.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503546332
the conclusion-
Firstly, shaking hands between males and females who are not mahrams is only permissible when there is no desire or fear of fitnah. But if there is fear of fitnah, desire, or enjoyment, then handshaking is no doubt haram (unlawful). In contrast, if either of these two conditions (that there is no desire or fear of fitnah) is lacking between a male and any of his female mahrams, such as his aunt or foster sister or the like, then handshaking will be haram (although it is originally permissible).
Secondly, handshaking between males and females who are not mahrams should be restricted to necessary situations such as between relatives or those whose relationships are established by marriage. It is preferable not to expand the field of permissibility in order to block the means to evil and to be far away from doubt and to take the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a model when there is no proof that he shook hands with a non-mahram woman. Also, it is preferable for the pious Muslim, male or female, not to stretch out his/her hand to shake the hand of anyone of the opposite sex who is not mahram. But if he/she is put in a situation that someone stretches out his/her hand to shake hands with him/her, then he/she can do that.
Oh its true ! Its true ! Search your heart you know it to be true.
you guys are horrible…always looking to nitpick at your brother/sister
I doubt it to be true. seriously. it’s just some liberal journalist wanting to make her story have a twist or something, so she made it up.
no way. not Yasir Q.!
According to Sunni Path, there is no legitimate difference of opinion in this matter:
It is not permissible to shake hands with women at all. There are many reports from the Prophet Sallallahi alayhi wasallam that he never shook the hands of any women, despite his status as a Prophet. All the allegiance [bay'a] he took was either without holding the hand or with a cloth tied around it. He explicitly informed the women when they extended their hands to him that he did not shake hands with women. [See Muhammad Ibn Sa'd, The Women in Madina, Chapter One: The manner in which the Messenger of Allah received women's allegiance]
Hence, we can find no leeway to change this ruling. Many non-Islamic practices are rife in the business and corporate world. We are constantly asked about the permissibility of sitting at the same table with a client where alcohol is served; the permissibility of holding private meetings with women behind closed doors without any third person in the room, performing Zuhr instead of Jumu’ah if one is occupied in a meeting at the time of the Khutbah; shedding the hijab to seek employment; shaving the beard for such purposes and so on; not to mention usury and interest bearing loans. The list is endless. So, how does a person want to assimilate, and sell his hereafter for this transient world.
Yes, certain “fatwas” are to be found on these issues from so called scholars. Much of the religion has already been compromised in a such a way. We are aware of a Masjid in a city in California where “Islamic Dating” is promoted. Their practice is backed by seemingly convincing logical arguments which sounds very attractive, but how far can the matter be taken, and how much of the religion will remain if this course continues to be followed?
No body said it was easy to follow the din in the twenty-first century; whether one is in a Muslim country or the West. Didn’t the Prophet Sallalahu alayhi wasallam say that a time will come when a person following his religion will be like one holding on to a cinder, and did he not say this world is a prison for a believer and a Paradise for the non-believer. One must remember that through perseverance and refraining from sin [sabr ani 'l-ma'siyah] there are great rewards to be gained, despite the apparent monetary or such losses one may have to incur in this world.
The regular American [since the issue of shaking hands with a women is a greater problem in America] is normally very understanding and accommodating of other people’s religious requirements. If politely informed, they normally act with understanding and are prepared to be more accommodating.
If the scholars begin to offer discretion and allowance on certain issues which are rigid in the Shari’a under the excuse of changing times, then how will the original rulings in those issues ever be revived? The sunna and proper practices will be lost for ever and innovations will take their place. Those who attempt to adhere to the correct rulings of Shari’ah in these issues would feel isolated and weak.
Therefore, it must be made clear that the traditional jurists [muftis] who are not able to give discretions in such issues is not due to some short-sightedness or ignorance. It is merely to keep the religion intact and whole. Yes, if someone in certain situations is forced to act contrary to the sunna then that is a personal problem in which tawba [repentance] should be made.
Whoever fears Allah, Allah will make a way out for them.
And He knows best.
Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=1352&CATE=88
They have even done two audios on the fiqh and the proofs for the prohibition:
Fiqh
Textual Proofs
By the way, I think this solution (also from Sunni Path) is kinda neat:
One brother I know carries a handkerchief with him, especially when he knows that such a situation may arise. He does not necessarily say anything but the other person immediately thinks that he may have an allergy or a cold and does not even extend their hands.
I like your blog brother, but please give us the proper background on the speakers. Mona Eltahawy is a neocon affiliated pro-regressive Moslem(the misspelling is intentional), and she comes with a recommendation from Paul Wolfowitz, a man known for his fetish of liberal irreligious Arab females(just ask his Saudi girl friend). Eltahawy is a disgrace, I’ve read many of her “articles” and must say she has no business calling herself a journalist. These PMU idiots have been trying to redfine what a Muslim is for years i.e. you are a Muslim if you like biryani and bakhalava. What is this nonsense calling Muslims “conservative”? I didnt know protesting and fighting for civil rights was a “conservative” practice. If only the fitna were limited to a handshake.
this debate over a silly friggin handshake????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
….what he did makes him less Muslim????…the problem with us today….
I think the problem lies in us. that we would fall into the same trap of the people in the Story of Ifk.
Someone says something about someone whom we all respect and know only good of, and the first thing that someone says about him we automatically believe it and accuse him. sounds like the same scenario to me.
hasnt Allah subhana wa ta’ala revealed in the Quran after the incident of ifk(surat An-Nur Ayah 12):
“Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people and say: “This (charge) is an obvious lie?”
something to ponder on perhaps?
Surely it’s important to know which actions are halal and which haram? Or you don’t think so?
I contacted her to find out and she said this:
“Yes he really shook my hand. And there was a witness there too.
And that’s him – Qadhi from the al-Maghrib institute. He spells his name Kazi on his business cards.”
Somenone should contact Yasir Kazi? al-Maghrib doesn’t have his contact info on the site.
assalamu alaikum,
Even if what happened is true, we should try to hide the faults and errors of our brothers and sisters. All of us commit sins day and night and just as we would not like for our lives to become public fodder we should respect that of others. Concealing the faults of others is also a means to achieve the mercy and forgiveness of Allah on the Day of Judgement.
And Allah knows best
I don’t think he sinned, becuase there is that opinion. We should respect it.
The focus of the post was not on the 2 ppl but the fact that Shaykh Yasir Qadhi shook her hand. Shaykh Yasir condemns many aspects (if not all) of tasawwuf or sufism, but yet he takes an opinion that is not very popular amonngs the salafis. This is what I want to point out.
We should respect each other with whatever opinions they have, even if it is about hand shaking with the opposite gender. We should respect the scholars of tasawwuf, even if you think it’s shirk.
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is a very smart man, mashaAllah. Very well educated and can speak his mind very well. He knows what he is doing, so let us not condemn him, but appreciate his knowledge.
As for the sister Mona, maybe we should write to her and discuss with her why she says what she says instead of calling them idiots. Alhamdulillah, I have had discussions with former progressives who are now on the straight path and it is only through discussion and friendship that these brothers came to true Islam.
Answer:
Yeah, someone should ask Shaykh Yasir if the content of the article is true. I had his email address but I misplaced it
assalamu alaikum,
i dont think people should jump to conclusions. shaykh yasir deserves 70 excuses before anything else. maybe someone should contact him and get his side of the story first before judging?
it seems people who disagree with his stance on sufism are just looking for something to defame him with, especially when the source of the information is a self proclaimed progressive muslim writing for a christian newspaper.
my god. a handshake. may God have mercy on all of us.
so..i guess nothing from the article was worth discussing except for the handshake huh.
Asalamualikum
Please don’t accuse people of knowledge of hypocrisy. That is definetly something which isn’t from the character of a believer.
Asalamualikum
Please be careful and don’t make assumptions or flase conclusions because that is not something a believer does. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi has been contacted by someone so I suggest that people don’t make any conclusions until they hear his side.
JazakAllah Khair
Sorry MR, but Mona Eltahawy is not just any pro-regressive but a con artist of the highest order. You should her articles, particularly regarding Quran desecration and the cartoon crisis. I call it as I see it. Why people more concerned with a handshake rather then her aim of wanting to change the definition of Muslim is beyond me.
What I want to know is Shaykh Yaser is from the ‘Qazi’ clan in Pakistan.
That might mean we’re related . . .
DrM is a sharlatan of the highest order. Ms. Eltahawy represents the better part of the ummah. The part that doesn’t get off on nihilism.
MR whenever there is a difference of opinion, we turn back to Quran and Sunnah to see which opinion is stronger and makes more sense- (u cant take an opinion cuz its easy or its coming from a scholar. u have to see the evidences behind that opinion) mind u there is an opinion that taking off hijab was fine after 9/11- huh
i took that comment back!(read post 12)
lol is there really any need to do that? when somebody forwards his arm to shake ur hand then its the perfect(if not the only) opportunity of doing dawah-
according to eltahawy, even atheist are muslim. how does an atheist, who doesnt believe in god, become a muslim?? “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad(S) is his messenger” the two are kind of contradictory, no? so explain to me how eltahawy is representing something good.
Asalamu’alaykum
Forgive me, i know it is offtopic but:
http://halalbaby.blogspot.com/
We plan to launch soon insha’Allah on to a whole website with all the “works”
Please help spread the word.
Wa’alaykum asalam wa rahmatullah
Hey “Abu Misriya” you wouldnt by any chance be related to “bint Misr” on mwu would you? How does Eltahawy represent “the good part of the ummah”? By being an aging athiest bimbo who wants to redefine what a Muslim is? I got news for you humaar masri, it aint happening, so and your little neocon(true nihilists) pez dispensing buddies can cry me a river. BTW “charlatan” is spelt with a “C,” this aint “bebsi” we’re talking about you. Cretin.
Don’t feed the troll, DrM.
Assalamualaikum,
this whole article is really sad, the handshake is only a part of it that symbolizes something worse. These liberal-types really annoy the heck outta me, esp the women liberals. They’re at least as catty, batchy, and argumentative than most Islamophobes I’ve had the misfortune to come across. They have a “smart” answer to everything and it’s so difficult to answer them back because most of what they spew is such rubbish, just the thought of refuting it would strike any normal human being with overwhelming fatigue. I know that’s my reaction…
May Allah guide these “liberals” and also those on the other extreme side of the spectrum. May He cleanse the ummah of such rubbish ideologies and unite us. ameen.
P.S. may He guide all of us to the straight path, the middle path..ameen.
I’ve also posted this article and pinpointed this event of Yasir Qadhi shaking hands with a female because I would like to show the inconsistencies that exist within this new “salafi” sect and hope that people are aware of the great fitnah that it is causing to our ummah in our present times. I had thought to myself that we should cover his faults as well, but at times we are allowed to expose people’s faults for a greater good and to prevent more harm. We really need to make sure we are attaining our knowledge from the right souces, from traditional ulema of great taqwa. I really believe that those endowed with taqwa (as Allah ta’ala says in the Quran) that Allah gives them to ability to ascertain the right from wrong and the wrong from right (the Furqaan). People nowadays just jump onto any lecture series or program that fits their schedule or/and if the speaker is very motivating and fun to listen to. This is not our criterion.
As it has narrated that our Beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said “There is some magic in eloquence” (Bukhari – for those that do not take any ahadith from other than Bukhari and Muslim)
this is ridiculous. first of all–the fact that some of you will respect the opinion and assumptions of a woman such as eltahawy is BEYOND me. Do you know what she represents? what she represents may be the most twisted version of ISLAM, while Yasir Qadhi is a man of GREAT knowledge of the Deen, and anyone who has been in his presence will testify to this. and yet you feel as if you can label him as some sort of deviating person!? He is one that so rightfuly deserves the ‘70 excuses’. Have you ever been to any lecture of Yasir Qadhi? have you been taught by him? If you haven’t I urge you to. If you have not, do not even BEGIN to act like you know a thing about this man. How can you seek to tarnish his character? It just shows the lack of research you have done, the lack of mercy you have for your fellow MUSLIM, and your hastiness to tarnish this man’s image for your personal gain. O god..this post is truly ridiculous (ill say it again) get some real knowledge. may Allah guide us ALL. ameen
I guess there wasn’t any problem when he accused one of our awliya, Shaykh Alawi al-Maliki of shirk?
Regardless, please do not get emotional. Firstly, if Yasir Qadhi proclaims that this did not occur, then by all means we are to blame. I do not think you have been reading the article or posts properly, but Mona did not simply give her opinion on this matter, nor was it an assumption. She said it occurred and when she was contacted another time, she confirmed this once again.
I respect him as a person, but of course I do have problems with the ideology that he propagates an ideology which has caused him to proclaim about Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki and I quote “Yet, it is no exageration to state that he was one of the most active proponents in our times of blatant acts of shirk”. To further your understanding about this great personality, please read the biography of the shaykh below:
http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/assayyid_muhammad_alawi_almaliki.htm
This is not the only matter of which I have problems with this ideology, but only an example similar to what you have mentioned about tarnishing a muslim’s character or giving a muslim 70 excuses.
Lastly, my intent Allah knows, is not to tarnish him as a person, yet the sect that he preaches for. If I am at fault in this matter, may Allah ta’ala forgive me. I do not want my emotions to be part of what I have to say about this matter, and so this will be my last post on this issue.
Yasir Qadhi is a Salafi scholar, peddling the diseased and corrupt ideology of Wahhabism or Islamic Protestanism, born of the Ibn Saud/Abdul-Wahhab marriage a little more than 200 years ago. He maligns Awliya and rejects true Tasawwuf wherever he goes – He does not posess “Great” knowlege or even Real Knowledge. So as far as I’m concerned this is non-news. It’s just that his clever disguise is slipping, and the true colors of a heart not washed in the ocean of dhikr’Allah emerging.
subhanallah. its funny you say this because it only points out your ignorance.
honestly, i think the article should NOT have been brought out. because it only starts rumors and spreads them. and subhanallah Allah subahana wa ta’ala again with the story of Ifk, there are those who start the rumors, and those who help in spreading them (whether discreetly or not) and Allah says regarding this that, you think it is something small, but in Allah’s eyes it is something big.
i recommend you all listen to or RE-listen to the series BY YASIR QADHI himself. and be ashamed.
wallahu alem.
and may Allah subhana wa ta’ala forgive us all, and guide us to that which is righteous. ameen!
oh YES..you WILL be ashamed.
ignorant post & comment INDEED. There’s no need to try to defend Yasir Qadhi. because you all can easily pick up a lecture on tape/CD of his, and listen to him (ur gona feel realll salty after u do!) this article was a stupid thing to post, and only creates rumors about Yasir Qadhi as Egyptian Gumbo stated before me.
may Allah have mercy upon us.
its kind of funny how we got 49 comments about Qadhi shaking hands…and none about the ‘bond’ that both Qadhi and Eltahawy share. So I’ll pose one (question): What ‘bond’ was it? I didnt find it after I read the article. MR, did u mean that they had ‘the bond, meaning ISLAM’ in common? or Sumthing else that I missed?
“It’s just that his clever disguise is slipping, and the true colors of a heart not washed in the ocean of dhikr’Allah emerging.”
There are many numerous ways of doing Dhikr. Just because he does not do it your way does not mean he is not doing it. Pretty arrogant…
I think he was talking about how they went to the same school when they were younger but they turned out so differently.
Almost as arrogant as calling Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, or any other Awliya, a mushrik.
One or the Other, Backbiter or Slander? Which one are you?
“Islam prohibits backbiting (ghibah): ‘And do not backbite one another.’ (Al-Hujurat:12 )
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to drive home the meaning of backbiting to his Companions through questions and answers. He asked them, ‘Do you know what backbiting is?’ They replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best’. He said, ‘It is saying something about your brother which he would dislike’. Someone asked, ‘What if I say something about my brother which is true?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, ‘If what you say of him is true, it is backbiting and if it is not true you have slandered him.’ (Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i)
When a person dislikes someone, he is likely to find faults in his appearance, behavior, lineage, and anything else which pertains to him. `A’ishah narrated that she said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), ‘Do you see that Safiyyah (another wife of the Prophet) is such and such?’, meaning that she was short. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, ‘You have spoken a word such that, if it were mixed in the water of the ocean, it would darken it.’ (Reported by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and Al-Bayhaqi)
Backbiting is nothing but a desire to belittle people, to slander their honor, and to deride their accomplishments in their absence. Since this is stabbing in the back, it is an expression of narrow-mindedness and cowardice. Backbiting is a negative trait, and only those engage in it who themselves are not achievers. It is a tool of destruction, for one who is addicted to it leaves no one without throwing a dart at him and wounding him.
It is no wonder then, that the Qur’an paints such a repulsive picture of this vile habit as would make people shrink from it in horror: ‘And do not backbite one anther; would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor that.’ (Al-Hujurat:12 )
Also, please see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsjkb4VkiwU&eurl=
Muslims – sufis, salafis, goofies — LETS ALL SAY NO TO BACKBITING …
bro mujahideen — BE TRUE and avoid spreading gossip.. it may come back to you in this world or in the hereafter. Allah protect us!
BismillahirRahmanirRaheem
as-salamu’alaikum,
This has to be the most silliest thing I have heard come out of the Progressives.
Quote:
“it is an expression of narrow-mindedness and cowardice. Backbiting is a negative trait, and only those engage in it who themselves are not achievers. It is a tool of destruction, for one who is addicted to it leaves no one without throwing a dart at him and wounding him.”
So true! I think thats whats happening here…
btw gruesome video, yet it portrays the reality of backbiting.
sad thing many of us look at others sins…yet we think we are going to Allah free of sin. I’d worry more about what my hands do then others.
muslim101
as-salamu’alaikum,
Good intentions, but this is not backbiting.
This is repost of a published article. We are told to judge where we take our knowledge from.
We wouldn’t learn from those we feel are fundamentally different than us (a Shia teacher for a Sunni student) or those who disagree on certain important issues to us (including Shaking Hands).
Assalamu-alaikum, for the shaykh Yasir defenders, who are telling everyone to make excuses and whatnot, what ppl are saying is that he shook someone’s hand, whereas he accused one of our awliya of shirk…when I heard that, I lost any respect I may have had for this individual.
I believe that theologically Ms Mona’s statement is wrong and untenable. But if she is using the word Muslim as a cultural signifier then she is technically correct in using “Muslim” label on anybody of Muslim descent. However that makes the word bereft of any significance. Basically if a word means everything then it means nothing at all. It ethnicizes the “Muslim/Islam” in ways the terms Hindu or Judaism as has been ethnicized. That is why I would be against such usage of the word and argue that word “Muslim†is a theological term and should be used as suck primarily. However I do no think she would become a disbeliever for spouting that view, maybe a fasiq but not a kuffar.
Also it seems that many people are questioning this news which has been confirmed by other sources but has not produced any evidence to the contrary.
And those of you attacking Sh Qaradawi’s position on handshaking— read his proofs before you complain. More scholars than you think hold this position, Egypt/Qatar or elsewhere.
Lastly, the focus should have been on the content of the article and not just on the handshake. It just goes to show that this kind of things has become political/civilizational marker for many of us as to determining who are true muslims and who are not. Make excuses for everyone. We should notnot be stingy with our moral generousity.
“We wouldn’t learn from those we feel are fundamentally different than us (a Shia teacher for a Sunni student) or those who disagree on certain important issues to us (including Shaking Hands).”
I disagree with that statement as Yasir Qadhi is a Sunni Muslim. If you want to reject a scholar based on his difference of opinion then you could reject hundreds of scholars by that logic.
i love the “love” of the ummah.
Salam ‘alaikuim Samireye,
Shaykh Yasir is a Sunni in the broad Sunni or Shi’i dichotomy.
However, his training and methodology are outside of what is traditionally considered Ahl al-Sunna wal Jama’a; ie he and his teachers do not adhere to one of the orthodox madhabs, they adopt and teach an innovated compartmentalization of Tawheed that allows them to exclude traditional Sunnis from the fold of Islam and they eschew almost all ikhtilaf.
This is not, of course, an excuse to jugde, backbite or slander him. In fact Shaykh Yasir is an intelligent, competent and, in my opinion, extremely sincere young da’ee.
But I would not take the finer points of my religion (nor my adab with other Muslims) from him.
Wasalaam ‘alaikum
A link to expanded version of the the above comment (with your permision, Amir):
http://andalus.wordpress.com/2006/08/21/shaykh-yasir-qadhi/
as-salamu’alaikum,
Absolutely. Scholars that have more than a ‘difference of opinion’ but specific problems with the Sunni Fiqh and Aqidah.
That includes quite a few groups, including Shia, Salafi’s, Ahmadiyya, Bahai’s, etc.
He is Sunni only in as much as he is ‘not Shia’. In other words he is a follower of the late 18th century sect of Wahabi’s/Salafi’s.
They are a group who believe in Allah having a specific direction, in literal attributes of Allah including an eye and a hand, etc.
They disagree with the four madhabs on a wide variety of issues, which lead them to commit the heinous act of takfir on incredibly accomplished scholars.
Frankly, I’m glad it has been exposed.
Excellent Alex.
What a sorry state we are in. That is all I can say. والله اعلم
correction.
Salafees do agree with “orthodox” madhaahib.
) And they do not do blind following but use the fiqh opinion and with understanding practice their religion, thank you very much 
Becareful about statements you make(they just dont believe in categorizing muslims into, oh you are shafi’ee oh you are hanafee and they also do not believer one madhaab is superior over the other madhaahib
secondly, Salafees believe Allaah is above and separate from the creation, what is wrong with that?
They do not ascribe any human attributes to Allaah and are silent in that which they do not understand instead of using human logic or imagination to explain away certain attributes of Allaah SWT.
Also, if you do not agree with a scholar that is your business but to say, “he is not from Ahlus-Sunnah.” is something neither you nor I nor even scholars can say. Personally, I have not taken any classes of this da’ee and I have read very little of what he wrote, so I cannot say anything about him specifically but I am saying something in general.
wasalaam
What does it matter?If Islam is right, than I’d rather go to hell than put up with seventy-two women for eternity.If christianity is right, than Jesus will forgive us all even after our deaths.
Can someone please tell me the “70 excuses” hadith. Jazakallah khair.
Which one?
No one is talking about superiority.
On one hand you say they support madhabs and on the other you say they dont follow anything ‘blindly’.
The “above” part, the fact that Salafi’s believe Allah descends literally.
That is precisely what they do.
They believe Allah has an eye with which He see’s, literally. That it is part of a face, that has other parts. They simply don’t teach that in their beginner brainwashing program, that is a bit later on!
As I mentioned… I would not post anything on this issue (i.e. Yasir Qadhi’s issue), but now that we are talking about the salafi sect…
It seems that many “salafi” adherees do not really know the true aqeedah and fiqh methodology that this group abides by. Also, I think there are a couple of sects within the salafi ideology as well.
Regardless, for those who aren’t very well versed with the teachings of the Salafi sect, you might want to read the following book (although it isn’t 100% correct in my opinion – what book other than the Book of Allah is 100% correct anyways? – it stills does justice on the issue):
Terror’s Source: The Ideology of Wahhabi-Salafism and its Consequences
http://www.kazi.org/product_info.php?products_id=1992
There are other books and articles as well on this topic but it seems by the posts that many of people will not be able to comprehend the finer details of how the salafi sect transgresses from traditional islamic scholarship.
May Allah ta’ala save us from current fitan and those to come. Ameen.
It is not a hadith. They were the words of Hamdun al-Qassar.
Salafi is not a sect. Its merely a “way”.
If people are going to use this Yasir Qadhi’s handshake to further their own propoganda against him then it is nothing less then backbiting. Backbiting does not have to be false.
as-salamu’alaikum,
Salafi’s believe that Allah is literally above us and that the Almighty has a literal face and hand and eye’s. They believe He see’s with His eyes.. that sounds like a sect to me.
Wa alaikum assalam,
Isn’t that opinion shared by Abu Hanifa? That Allah (SWT) is above his throne?
as-salamu’alaikum,
No, Samir.
The opinion of those early scholars, was to simply repeat the verses without adding any interpretation at all.
Shaykh Nuh says this best:
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/masudq5.htm
This is quite unlike the Salafi’s who talk of Allah as a man in all possible ways, but then later say “He is unlike His creation”.
The Salafi’s have taken various verses and then say that, for example, the Eyes are part of the Face and Allah see’s with them (Man also see’s with eyes on his face). The Salafi’s also put together the various references as such as say that Allah has a body.
Their little disclaimer is therefore useless, it is as if they are stealing while saying “I will not steal”. They are saying “How” and then saying “We don’t know how”.
All from ‘Salafi Publications’:
http://www.spubs.com/sps/apps_SharhusSunnah.cfm?PointID=80
Furthermore the Sunni position is that we will see Allah in Paradise without specifically knowing how.
In line with their belief that Allah is some sort of alien, Salafi’s beleive Allah we will see Allah with our “physical” eyes (they add the word physical), the way we see other material things.
http://www.spubs.com/sps/apps_SharhusSunnah.cfm?PointID=82
They literally interpret this that we will see Allah as a thing, like the moon, reflecting light ray of various color frequencies onto our physical eyes.
The Sunni interpretation is either to repeat the hadith, full stop. Or to add the fact that He will not be contained by our vision (Which is a Quranic ayat). Interpreting these things to various realities was not the way of the early scholars, ever.
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=6259&CATE=24
“In other words, the believers will see Allah Most High in Paradise without our specifying how and in a manner Allah knows best”
Further quotes showing their dislike with the Aqidah of “not saying how”:
In other words he is saying that Allah has all of those things, and it is wrong to say Imam Tahawi’s position.
Compare this with what Imam Tahawi says, “He is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs. Nor is He contained by the six directions as all created things are.”
This is just wrong in so many ways..
If giving Allah a body with eyes and hands and feet and a direction and the adding the idea that we will see him like we see other physical things is not a sect, I’m not sure what is.
Aqidah Tahawiyah written by a Hanafi scholar contains the following:
#38: He is beyond having limits placed on Him, or being restricted, or having parts or limbs.
Nor is He contained by the six directions as all created things are.
Click on the link below to read how Shaykh Bin Baz (salafi scholar) comments on this statement (footnote for the original site is on the bottom of this site) and how it digresses from traditional scholarship:
http://wiki.qays.org/doku.php?id=islam:doctrine:binbazlimhttp://wiki.qays.org/doku.php?id=islam:doctrine:binbazlim
If you would like to read the entire Aqidah Tahawiyah:
http://www.zamzamacademy.com/files/docs/lessons/previous/01Aqidah_Tahawiyah_(English_translation).pdf
You can also listen to its commentary by Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf:
http://www.zamzamacademy.com/audio.php?audioDir=lessons/tahawiyah/
listen sir Yursil,
Salafees do not say it is a human eye or human face, wa iyaadhu billaah.
You should not jump to conclusion, and beginners are taught the same stuff as advanced folks,
It is clear in aqeedah that Allaah does not resemble the creation, only those who are jealous like to say this stuff about salafees.
Salafees follow madhaahib but not blindly, meaning they take the strongest evidence and the strongest evidence have always come from the Qur’aan and ahaadith, so whichever madhab it is, if the opinion within that madhab is not in accordance with the strongest opinion, they’ll adopt strongest opinion.
I dont wanna argue with people like you.
wasalaam.
how do you know Abu Hanifa did not have this belief, and most importantly, how do you know that the early sahaabah did not have this belief?
Do not use “stealing” as an example for this particular example.
The salafees are more well versed in Arabic language than other folks, they know what they are talking about.
The only fear is that this will lead to shirk or resemblance of creation, well so far it has not. We all know that Allaah is beyond our comprehension but if in the Qur’aan Allaah says that He sees and Allaah has a face, we cannot deny it.
This does not constitue anthromorphism.
Why dont you focus on so called sunnis who make du’aa to other than Allaah Aza wa Jal,
for you guys, sufi is synonymous with sunnis but they are different.
The sufi tariqahs, the methodology of muraqabah, where in Qur’aan and Sunnah are those acts?
subhanallaah,
wa iyaadhu billaah.
furthermore,
you quoted shaykh ibn baaz saying soemthing in some other scholars book from Kuwait?
give me a break?
Further to clarify, salafees believe in Aqeedah At-Tahawiyyah?
as-salamu’alaikum,
Inevitable.. You are very confused, and also confusing to read. Ascribing these body parts to Allah and using them casually in ways other than repeating the Quranic verse -EXACTLY-, is anthropomorphism.
It is resembling creation to say Allah “See’s” with His “Eyes”. That is resembling creation right there.
It is resembling creation to say Allah has Eyes on a Face. No matter what little disclaimer you add after that, it is just like I described. Stealing while saying “I’m not stealing”.
What is proper is to simply repeat those verses, full stop. We cannot say Allah sits or stands or anything, since there is no verse like that. This is simply innovation in Aqida (one of the worst kinds).
If you are too blind to see that then so-be-it.
Salam,
The concept of the “70 Excuses” is only used when the sin was hidden and there were no witnesses. In this case of Br. Yasir Qadhi, it was done in the open with a witness.
May Allah forgive him. Ameen.
Samir
Jazak Allah Yursil and Shu3 for clearing many things up
Hey Yursil,
how come you deleted my comment on your blog. You cannot respect other muslims, subhanallaah?
and being a sufi, you are so not acting like one, I had heard that they are humble people
but in America, they seem to be nothing but arrogant(the students that is, not the teachers).
And with all the khalwa and all the dhikr
they cannot learn to smile and say salaam and be kind,
in fact they are worse or just like their salafee coutnerparts.
It’s like no one learns from their teachers or scholars.
You all wanna be scholars but you do not learn true eemaan and ihsaan.
You just want the short cut version by becoming a murid
but you can never become faqir, only Allaah bestows that to whomsoever He wills and only those that go through hardship and sacrifices and tests, they become such.
My family members are such and guess what they are not even sufis.
furthermore, salafees do believe as is exactly in the Qur’aan and Sunnah
stop slanderign them
and stop taking books from your scholars or teachers, who “quoted” or interpreted statements of Shaykh Ibn Baz and Uthaymeen.
IT is as it is, you accept what is int he Qur’aan and sunnah without negating it and without resembling it to the creation.
What part of that arrogant mind of yours does not understand that?
IT is not like stealing,
it is more like threading a fine line, dont tilt in either direction.
And nice singing and musical group you got on your blog for the elderly,
try to explain to them what La ilaaha ilallaah means?
but you gotta learn taht yourself, and only if you stop worshipping saints and graves.
as-salamu’alaikum,
I did not delete your comment. I have a moderation queue and I moderate comments.
Also your comment was marked as spam so it needed to be reviewed.
This is a good example of your assumptions, and how people assume things.
Many people here and there know me, if I am arrogant on matters of religion and deviancy, it is only because I care for my brothers.
I try my best, but often it is rejected, because the masses in the area have been taught otherwise.
This is the story of my life, as Allah has written. So usually I keep to myself and take care of my family and work on myself, as my Shaykh teaches with hard work. With my friends, who I disagree with, I continue my good relationship with them. I love them dearly.
As for whether I look for shortcuts or not, alhamdulillah, I have many faults and that is probably not the least. I am truly the weakest servant and far from the ideal mureed. In these matters of ihsan I put down no one, and speak little about it… outside of what I have been given ijazat to speak.
If you want to learn lets discuss, if not, alhamdulillah I offered my hand… I am probably not too far from you, I am in Manhattan every weekend.
not only the last part of that was correct, but the entire comment left a bad taste in my mouth. From your comment on my blog I thought you had a good intention to learn, but from this I see some hatred in your heart, alhamdulillah.
It is ok. Allah provides for me sufficiently.
As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahamtullah,
Ignorance is evident. We say about Allah as Allah said it in Quran (yes!!! Allah has speecha dn it is uncreated, adn the Qurna is the Speech of Allah, uncreated) and as the Prophet (SAW) said it. The Prophet (SAW) said what he meant and meant what he said.
Only the Asharis(and other AHl Al Kalaam) negate from Allah that which the Quran and Sunnah were silent on. The above quote by Shaykh Bin Baz means we remain silent regarding these matters as there is no evidence to either negate it nor affirm it.
And as Imam Ash Shafiee said, “I believe in Allah and in what has been reported concerning Allah, upon what was intended by Allah. And I believe in the Messenger of Allah and in what has been reported concerning the Messenger of Allah, upon what was intended by the Messenger of Allah.â€
We make Ithbaat of the Sifaat as the Salaf did and as the salaf wrote books regarding it. Our religion is based on the Qurna and Sunnah, uncorrupted from philosophical jargon and principles of homoerotic greek freaks like Arstotle that you follow.
Allahu Alim
Salaams.
These are some intense posts, and everyone’s getting a big aggravated. Relax…breathe…read Bismillah.
No wonder Muslims are so dispersed these days. Brothers aren’t even willing to stick up for one another. How can we expect the rest of the world to respect us…when we can’t even create unity within our own ummah? I know these are important issues that need to be addressed, but is the name calling and attitude really necessary?
The Prophet (SAW) said, “If anyone suppresses anger when he is in a position to givevent to it, Allah, the Exalted, will call him on the Day of Resurrection over the heads of all creatures, and ask him to choose any of the bright and large eyed maidens he wishes.” -(Sunan of Abu-Dawood:2223)
The Apostle of Allah (pbuh): “No one has swallowed back anything more excellent in the sightof Allah, Who is Great and Glorious, than anger he restrains, seeking to please Allah most high.” -(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith:1324)
In a sermon after an Asr prayer, Muhammad (saw) said : “Some are swift to anger and swift tocool down, the one characteristic making up for the other; some are slow to anger and slow to cool down, the one characteristic making up for the other; but the best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down, and the worst of you are those who are swift to anger and slow to cool down.”….”Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendant of Adam.” -(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith: 1331)
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Whoever tries to be patient, Allah will give him patience, and no one is given a better or vaster gift than patience.” -(Al-Muwatta Hadith: 58.7)
“But indeed if any show patience and forgive that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs.” -(Ash-Shura 42:43)
In other words….chill…
and just to lighten the mood..check out this adorable video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZFNOJmQ5s
As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahamtullah,
I agree totally with Hana Ahmed (person above me) we should chill out and think this through calmly. Besides, does bickering about this issue make us better muslims, unite our ummah, remember our prayers? WHat I’m trying tosay is that this particular case does not help us become better muslims or help our ummah in any way whatsoever. Salam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO9ilnU5keI&NR
These 2 are my boyz…
What I don’t understand is how she can claim to be a “liberal” Muslim and how classical sahih Ulema are considered “Conservative” There is only one Islam, Qur’an and Sunnah. The very concept and use of the terms conservative Muslim or moderate Muslim is nothing but a blatent attack on Islam.
Man this lady is straight up crazy
Yursil:
Wallaahi I had good intentions and still do but I thought(due to misunderstanding which you cleared) taht you had deleted my comment because it was not worthy of it since I am not a murid of any tariqa(or whatever my thinking was).I am sorry for that.
And I am glad people realize their mistake.
The last part of my comment I could not delete so I had to put a disclaimer but alas I knew it would leave a bad taste. But please do not judge my intentions, they are as they are.
Jaza kullaah
inevitable– (in response to comment #88)
i’d advise you to stop slandering your fellow Muslim brethren. when we slander in the manner you have we are opening the ways of arrogance in our heart. you’ve made some serious claims.
regardless of your intention, you should be wary of your tongue. our tongues can lead us straight to Hell. we should all learn better control of them.
oh and all this sufi/salafi bashing.. everyone watch it. first off, inevitable, you know nothing of the sufis except the mistaken propoganda you’ve been taught. go learn with a true sufi. and sufism is not a sect, but to let you know the majority are sufis. as for salafi bashers.. whatever differences one has in belief with them, they are Muslim. that’s it. don’t bring your debates into the comment section of a forum. it’s not benefitting anyone. argumetation is not part of our religion so this constant bickering is detrimental to our iman.
barak Allah feekum
Bismillah ar-rahman ar-raheem,
Assalamu `alaykum WarahmatAllah!
I feel it is incumbent upon me to address and scrutinize a couple of points here.
Firstly:
The way MR titled this post of his and the way he emphsized a “certain” point in that article; it becomes more than evident that it was dilberate on his behlaf to just pinpoint and maximize just one thing out of the whole article! I would deem employing such tactics to be quite cheap.
Secondly:
The article comes from a faasiq source, hence, we need to verify this report.
“O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with a news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful to what you have done.” [surah al-hujaraat, ayah 6]
However, at the same time we need to put Yasir Qadhi under scrutiny. He needs to defend and explain his position aswell. If he remains silent we take that as to mean “tacit approval”.
Thirdly:
It is very unbecoming of the claimants of tassawuf to behave the way they are apparantly behaving in their posted comments. It is indeed amusing to see them dispense with the very adaab they propagate and emphasize when it comes to someone they dislike.
Fourthly:
I think people need to reread the entire article and try to understand the possible and real agenda behind writing such an ill conceived peice which has a stench of bad journalism.
JzakumAllahu khairan
Wassalamu `alaykum wa rahmatallah.
“Assalamu `alaykum WarahmatAllah!”
Don’t you mean – “Salaaaaaam”, and “Allaaaaaaah”?
The Story of the Ifk
The slander of Aisha and the lesson we can learn from it.
* Part 1
* Part 2
* Part 3
* Part 4
* May Allah be pleased with her.
These 101 comments above, in sum, can depict pretty much everything that is wrong with Muslims today.
thank you salafi scrubber…but for your kind information I’m neither salafi nor ascribe to salaffiyah…however if you have a knack for acting like an idiot and like nitpicking
THEN
SALAAMA!
well guys…apparently this shiekh is coming to the neighborhood…just got the stony brook msa email…
…ask him if he should be getting 70 excuses for his behavior yourselves…
I deleted the e-mail..I am sure MR has more info on it
ok ok i guess i didn;t delete it…here is the info:
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL
(please forward)
THE 21ST ANNUAL ISLAMIC COUNCIL OF NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE
*Keynote: *
*AMERICAN MUSLIM VISION **FOR FUTURE LEADERSHIP*
Sheik Yasir Qadhi
*Central Connecticut State University,*
Student center
1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT 06050
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2006
9:00 AM—7:00 PM
**
*Online registration @ http://www.mcct.us *
[...] Conversation between Liberal and Conservative Islam: Mona Eltahawy and Yasir Qadhi (Kazi) [...]
I also suggest you learn about salafee
as a way of life and not a sect.
If you think sufi is not a sect, well I think salafee is not a sect either but rather misunderstood, and alot of mispropaganda against it.
And all you said to me can also be said with regards to the salafee methodolgy.
I agree with Abu who said, said the people of tasawwuf are not really embodying that tassawwuf
Us, salafees are expected to be arrogant but not you sufis(what’s wrong wtih you guys?)
oh, I forgot, you live in the West, so you are gonna be arrogant about religion either way.
P.S dont jump to conclusion in claiming I am inviting arrogance. I am only reiterating what I do know about sufis(and I know that not all are the same), sufis are lumped together but consists of different tariqas
I posted a link on the AlMaghrib Forums to this article under the thread One of Houston’s Finest… and it was deleted immediately. Shaykh Yasir still rocks in my opinion. I’m sure he will get asked about it numerous times at the Promo event at NYU next month.
salaam. i suggest to everyone who has posted or has read any of the posts that it is always easier to point the faults of others and point the finger at someone else than ourselves. i’ve noticed it, even with myself, that when i see someone doing something wrong, it gives me a sense of justification that if that person is doing it, it may be okay. Allahu alim what happened. you can’t believe everything you read. if in fact, shaykh yasir did what he did, like previous people have mentioned, we should give our brother in Islam 70 excuses. its not befitting of a muslim/muslimah to point out the faults of our dear brothers and sisters in Islam. in fact, a lot of what has been posted has become quite like gossip. I call upon the ayah in surat al hujurat (Surah 49, Verse 12) stating:
“O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it…But fear Allah: For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
best, melody
i forgot to add this link. watch it…its pretty disturbing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xsjkb4VkiwU
Buckwaas!
Anyone who has taqwa of Allah realizes that one abstains from shubuhat! Clearly, `A’ishah stated that He (saws) never touched a woman who wasn’t lawful for him!
^^that is very true. but who are we to judge the level of imaan or taqwa one has? Allah is the Most Just and will be the Judge on the Day of Judgment.
You are right and I do not disagree with you at all. But the reason for me mentioning what I said was because some are choosing to say this may be his ijtihaad, but the thing is one who knows what it takes to make ijtihaad realizes that if they are striving higher and higher they will not allow room for doubts or weaker opinions just because it may be the right time.
Other then that, if this is true then may Allah forgive him and us all ameen and save any muslims from following in his footsteps in these regards because of their level of respect for him, ameen
Bismillah
grr, i don’t know how to use the block quote thingy … lol sorry
For the sake of Allah! Has Yasir even responded to the claim that he was so cozy with a lady and even shook her hand “firmly”? You all should be quiet until he addresses that. You’re just distracting from the main issue here. The guy himself has spoken adamantly against the Fiqh opinion that men may shake a non-Muslim woman’s hand for the sake of da`wah (its not even about Muslim to Muslimah which was the case between Yasir and Mona). So he needs to address this. Until then, all conversation should stop.
About Yasir Qahdi
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=470906852413254398
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiqPeIc03Ug&feature=related
A hypocrite!! I hate this guy, his ego is bigger than that of Iblis, akh and he keeps saying “me being who I am”. I wish his students know who he really is! a hypocrite who took a second wife in England while he has four children. disgusting
Salaam MR and all. First of all, thanks for sharing this. I don’t know why it took me so long to notice this post. (It is amazing what you can discover when you have an essay due.)
The thread was way too long so I apologize if I am repeating what others have said. I skimmed to about halfway through the comments. And I must say it is incredibly disheartening that most of the comments focused on handshaking. There is a much greater story here. And that is about the need to reach out to Muslims of other backgrounds as us and be in communication with them. We don’t have to agree with them on all points, but this article goes to show that just by talking to them we can break down stereotypes, and this might lead them to a better appreciation and understanding of the religion. Many of those who stand on the fringes of Islam and criticize it would be in a much better position if they had grown up having positive experiences of “conservative” scholars. I hope Sh. Yasir and others learned from this experience and continue to reach out to those on the fringes.
Yasir Qadhi is the most respected, most knowledgable person we have among us. This blog is about people who wish to change God’s words and some who says that God knows best and we will use our intellectual try to comprehend it better. I am from Denmark and I pursuing a master degree in International Finance and now I realize that the islamic financial system is the most robust system ever. However, for the progressive “muslims”, they need to figure out what they want. Either you accept what Allah has decreed or else just leave the fold of islam. Someone needs to explain to them that the word muslim means someone who submits and submission it not to our own desire, but to the desire of Allah. Only then you are muslim.
lol very interesting post, i wouldn’t expect Yasir to pull a move like that
[...] Many Muslims were visibly troubled and confused by Qadhi’s inappropriate behavior. It was discussed on several forums and blogs, including: http://forums.islamicawakening.com/islam-general/11818-yasir-qadhi-should-address-issue-5.html http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=427402 http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2006/08/17/conversation-between-liberal-and-conservative-islam-mona-e... [...]
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