Children of the Ummah Children of the Ummah

Surah Al Munafiqun is the 63rd Surah of the Holy Quran. The meaning of Al Munafiqun is the Hypocrites, which is from the root word nifaq, which means hypocrisy. Generally, we have learned that this Surah was revealed for three main reasons: There were Munafiq individuals at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and we should know of them, Allah wanted to warn us from keeping the company of the Munafiqun, and Allah wanted to inform us to take heed that we, ourselves, could be of the Munafiqun. All three of these reasons can be related to this Surah, but to really know we have to do an in depth analysis of this Surah. We will take a look at the name of this Surah, period of revelation, origin and circumstances, and the overall meaning of this Surah and related verses elsewhere in the Noble Quran, Insha’Allah.

To begin, let’s take a look at the name of this Surah a little bit more. The name of this Surah is derived from a part of the first Ayah (verse) of this Surah which says, “Idha jaa kal-munafiqun” which means “When the hypocrites come to you”. In this Ayah we know that there were hypocrites in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and that they were openly approaching him (SAW). We also realize that being a Munafiq is not a small thing. Rather, it is such a severe disease of the heart, that Allah mentions it in the Quran Himself! The Sahaba were extremely cautious and concerned about this disease affecting them and being counted as one of the Munafiqun, especially Abu Rib'i Hanzala (RA), and even Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) and 'Umar ibn Al Khatab (RA), as illustrated in the stories from the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at the end of this study.

It is important to know the period of revelation, because it will help us better understand what was happening during that time. This is a Madani Surah. There are many arguments and research among the scholars as to when the Surah was revealed. The scholars have concluded that this Surah was either revealed during the Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) return journey from his campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq or immediately after his return to Madinah. It was found that the campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq took place in Sha’ban A.H. 6, thus the time of revelation is determined quite precisely.

Now that we know about the time of revelation, let us see what was happening during that time period. Before the Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) migration to Madinah, the tribes of the Aus and Khazraj (two leading tribes of Madinah), were looking to appoint someone among themselves as a leader. They had almost agreed upon the leadership of one man. This man was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, the chief of the Khazraj tribe. Muhammad bin Ishaq stated that among the people of Khazraj his authority was never contested and never had the Aus and the Khazraj agreed to one man before this. So, the agreement between the two clans of his appointment as chief was a notable event throughout Madinah.

This was the condition when the voice of Islam reached Madinah in those days. The leaders and more influential people started to become Muslims. This happened before the Muslim migration from Makkah and before the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was even invited to come to Madinah. Abbas bin Ubadah bin Nadlah Ansari wanted to delay this invitation to the Prophet (SAW) hoping that Abdullah bin Ubayy may voluntairily become Muslim and Islam would become the center point of Madinah making the transition easier and without offending the tribes or their leaders (mainly Abdullah ibn Ubayy), but the delegation that arrived in Makkah to declare their allegiance and invitation to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did not give any importance to the proposal of Abbas bin Ubadah. They did not want to delay the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and went ahead with preparing to welcome him to Madinah.

When the Holy Prophet (SAW) arrived in Madinah, Islam had already gone so deeply into the hearts of the Ansar (t...

Asalamu'alaikum,

Recently, some women and girls on Instagram began a challenge where they would post a picture of themselves to their "stories". These stories had captions, that in summary, were for girls to raise each other up and accept each other, an "empowerment" exercise of sorts. They then would tag ten of their friends to also complete the challenge. Many Muslim Sisters jumped on this bandwagon, so I ended up getting tagged in some of these stories and could not help but notice a number of factors. I would like to share these thoughts, so that girls and parents can be aware (many of these points apply to brothers as well, so please hear me out), Insha'Allah.

First, in the majority of the stories that I saw, the girls have some sort of filter or special affect applied to their face. Here I saw girls using filters to modify their faces to look slim, smooth, and unnaturally bright. How is that empowerment? If we don't feel beautiful in our own skin without having to modify our faces with filters and photoshop, then how is that empowering? It truly disturbed me. In fact, I found it heartbreaking. How is approval through deception and illusion ever going to fulfill us? Especially when Allah SWT made us beautiful just the way we are and that beauty can only be elevated by our chastity, piety, and our submission to His Will and Pleasure, Alhamdulillah.

Yet, these Sisters were seeking the approval of each other instead of their Creator. Do we work as hard to get Allah's approval and for His pleasure? While we doll ourselves up for the public to feast their eyes on, do we remember the One Who is always watching us, aware of all we do even in private when our parents and loved ones can't see us, and knows each and every intention and motivation? When we seek approval and validation through these passing trends and what everyone else is doing, we set ourselves up for disappointment and rejection. But, you know Who will never reject us or humiliate us if we turn to Him with all that hope? Allah SWT. He will always Love us and Cherish us. He will keep His Promises. He will Praise us in the best of gatherings, He will put happiness and satisfaction in our hearts, and He will put genuine and sincere love in the hearts of the people for us as well, Alhamdulillah.

Our modesty is our greatest responsibility. It is not just about dawning a hijab. It is about how we behave, how we interact with each other on and offline, and what we expose about our lives. In the age of trends, stories, and toxic feminism (movements that go against our Faith and Allah's Commands), this commitment to modesty can become difficult to swallow not just follow. I know this and this isn't about shame. It is a reminder. It is about empowering ourselves and practicing self love in the right way. All Good comes from Allah SWT and the way of His Messenger SAW. The way of Islam is true liberation and the ultimate road to respect, strength, and the right kind of love and attention. It all begins with us and what we are willing to do for it. We all know that posting pictures, showing off our beauty, clothing, and blessings is not permitted in Islam, then why is that we make excuses? Why do we try to find loopholes in the rulings to try to do it anyways? Why are we so desperate for superficial attention? Why do we want to follow the way of the non-Muslims so diligently, but find ways to get around or delay the things that Islam calls us to? When it comes to Islam, do we never have enough time? Are we always ready to snap a picture of our most mundane activities, but fail to remember or rush through our Adhkar (du'a and remembrance of Allah in our daily acts and prayers) most of the time? These are things to think about deeply, Insha'Allah.

Looking at all the pictures, I just kept thinking of what the great women of Islam,

We all love our children, Alhamdulillah. We only want what is best for them and Shaytan (May Allah curse him) knows this. He is a very patient hunter who is so conniving that his prey is clueless to his grand scheme. He makes us believe at times that the things we do for our children, so they feel included and not lacking, are exactly what will make them healthy and well-rounded individuals. This is his delusion. He traps us in this web of deception where everything appears acceptable on the surface, but the darkness that lingers just underneath is both frightening and all consuming.





“[Shaitan (Satan)] commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful), and that you should say against Allah what you know not.” (The Noble Quran 2:169)



It was prophesied by our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that in the end of times the natural will become unnatural and the unnatural will become natural. You will not disagree that this is exactly what is taking place in our world right now. We live in a delusional world where it can be very difficult to face reality.





“And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.”  (The Noble Quran 3:185)



Please watch and pay close attention to this lecture, Insha’Allah. Don’t fall into the cursed one’s trap…





“Bring your people forth from the darkness to the light, and remind them of the Days of Allah. Surely in that is a sign for every one constant in patience and gratitude.” (The Noble  Qur’an 14:5)







(Audio / MP3)

Is Islam really the fastest growing religion? If so, then where are the Muslims and why are our Mosques sitting empty on a daily basis (besides the role call, obligated Jum’uah crowd)?

There is a phenomenon happening in the Western Muslim communities and beyond that we are either ignorant to or just plain ignoring. We are standing on the edge of a very serious crisis and this is a crisis of Faith. We are losing people from Islam faster than we are able to sustain them and the truth is being masked by this dangerous rhetoric being doled out by Shayukh and the general Muslim population alike. Yet, this is not a discussion on where to put blame, this is a discussion on how much we have contributed to this breakdown on a very personal level.

This lecture is a passionate plea for us to turn our attention to the matter at hand. We are too busy creating cliques at the Masajid, making it a club for our own Nationalistic interests and creating a demeaning class system that goes against everything that is elevated in Islam. Converts, Muslims coming back to Islam and our children are not welcome presences in these spaces. They are less than an afterthought or more than a nuisance. These people are ignored. While we sit in our little groups, these “others” are left to their own vices, their voices drowned out by our laughter, clinking potluck spoons and shady politicking.

Our children wander around these spaces without any connection to Allah or His Messenger, observe our thoughtless behavior, and gain or learn nothing of importance, leading them just a little bit further away from the fold of Islam. All while we pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. In the majority, their questions, their needs and their pleas fall on deaf ears, perhaps, not always in an evident way as you would imagine, but definitely in the sense of complacency, indifference, rejection and overall discourteousness.





Say, [O Muhammad], “Shall we inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? [They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work.” Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any importance. (The Noble Quran 18:103-105)



If we do not wake up and realize that we have a serious crisis on our hands, we will lose this struggle and we will all be responsible. The beginning of this lecture is grounding and heartbreaking. Dr. Lang puts us in the shoes of a Convert or Muslim child living in the West walking into a Mosque using vivid and sometimes quite crude language. It’s shocking, it’s something we already knew and discounted. This is the exact affect he wanted and those, who have any softness left in their hearts or have any real sense of right and wrong, will feel the cut of this double edge sword. This is not a lecture to coddle anyone; this is a lecture to wake us up. The passion exhibited by the good Doctor can speak for itself, Alhamdulillah.

If we care an iota for the reality of future of Islam in our countries and the world at large if we continue down this road of obliviousness and can put aside our egos long enough to really see the reality of what our children are facing and becoming, then this is the talk that can propel us into recovering not only the lost, but the majority of the closet Atheists who live among us, some in our own homes without our knowledge, Insha’Allah.

We shouldn’t pray for things like Hidayah (guidance and knowledge of Islam), righteous offspring and to join the rightly guided people of Allah SWT in Jannah, if we cannot understand what those things mean,

Name: It gets its name from the first line. It is the 76th Surah in the Noble Quran.

Revelation: Most scholars state that it was revealed in Makkah, because of the way that it is written, but it is also stated that Line 8-10 was revealed in Medina.

Theme: This Surah is to remind Men and Women about who they are and why Allah made them. From the start Allah describes how we were at one time nothing but a small piece of flesh that our parents didn’t even know about. No one spoke about us; no one knew we were even there. Then, Allah made us into our forms so that He could bring us into the world to test us. He made us see and hear, gave us guidance to see if we would listen to Him, and follow him or reject Him and His Messengers (AS).





“Has there also passed on man a period of the endless time when he was not yet a thing worthy of mention? Indeed, We created man from a mixed sperm drop,  to try him, and therefore We made him capable of hearing and seeing. We showed him the way, whether to be grateful or disbelieving.” (The Noble Quran, Surah Al Insan: 1-3)



He then describes how He will punish the ones that rejected His message and did whatever they wanted and how He will reward all those that believe in His Book and Messengers. Those who kept their vows, feared the Day of Judgment, and spent from their wealth, not for the praise or rewards of the people, but only for the sake of Allah SWT and the reward that He will give for good deeds.





These will be the people who fulfill their vows (in the world), and fear the Day whose evil shall be wide-spread, and who feed, out of love for Allah, the poor and the orphan and the captive, (saying), "We are feeding you only for the sake of Allah: we neither seek any reward from you nor thanks. We dread from our Lord the torment of the Day, which will be a long, dismal Day of affliction." (The Noble Quran, Surah Al Insan: 7-10)



Allah then gives three beautiful statements and advice to the Prophet Muhammad SAW, which are really indirectly to the disbelievers:





* “Prophet, it is We Ourself Who have sent down this Qur'an piecemeal to you.” (The Noble Quran. Surah Al Insan: 23)

Allah is saying that he sent the Quran. And Allah goes on saying that he sent it in His order. And what is that order? It goes with the word piecemeal means a little at a time, piece-by-piece and bit-by-bit. So it would be easy to understand.

* “So be patient with regard to the command of your Lord, and do not obey any wicked or disbelieving person from among them.” (The Noble Quran, Surah Al Insan: 24)

Allah says be patient even when this path gets really hard, even when people aren’t nice to you and even when you feel lonely and lost. He says don’t trust the wicked and disbelieving people, because they will try to change your mind and take you away from Islam and the path to Allah SWT.

* “Remember the name of your Lord morning and evening, prostrate yourself before Him in the night, and glorify Him during the long hours of night.” (The Noble Quran, Surah Al Insan: 25-26)

So Allah is saying that remember Him all the time and even in the latest hours of the night. This will help us to stay connected to Him and on the right path. We don’t want to be left in the dark, like the people that Allah says:



Those whose eyes had been within a cover [removed] from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear.” (Quran 18:101)

Then Allah describes the people who disbelieve in His Signs as people who love the world and only what they can get from it. They want everything to come easy for them and want to get immediate rewards and comfort. They ignore the call from Allah and they don’t think about the Hereafter and what Allah has promised mankind.





“These people only love the quickly attainable (world),

Name:

The Surah takes its name from the sentence ‘Idha jaa kal-munafiquna’ of verse 1.

Revelation:

This is a Madni Surah, because the Munafiqoon were most seen clearly in Medina.

Theme:

Before the Prophet's SAW emigration to Medina the tribes of the Aus and the Khazraj, fed up with their mutual rivalries and civil wars, had almost agreed on the leadership of one man and were making preparations to crown him their king. This was Abdullah Ibn Ubayy bin Salul, the chief of the Khazraj. During this time, some men from Medina became Muslim and decided to invite the Prophet Muhammad SAW to become leader in Medina and help to settle their dispute. They went to Makkah to invite him without telling Abdullah Ibn Ubayy. When the Prophet Muhammad SAW came to Medina, many people started to become Muslim, when Abdullah Ibn Ubayy saw that all the other leaders were becoming Muslim as well, he and his followers also became Muslim to safeguard their roles of leadership in Medina, but the fire of rage burned bright in them and they hated Islam and The Prophet (SAW). So this made them clear Munafiqs, because even though they said they believed in Allah, they really didn’t on the inside and their hate grew and grew. Abdullah ibn Ubayy would pretend to care about the Prophet and the Muslims, just to show off what a good Muslim he was, but he would have ill feelings and whisper mean and hurtful comments and jokes behind their backs. For example, in the sermons of the Prophet SAW, he would stand up and say, “That the Prophet is speaking! So now settle down!” Even though, he tried to ruin the reputation of the new immigrants and the Prophet SAW, he wasn’t able to bring them down, so the Muslim community grew and the Prophet became a very popular and well loved leader of Medina, so much so that the Muslims of Medina were eventually ready to die for Islam and the Prophet Muhammad SAW at Badr.

Even the Prophet knew of Abdullah Ibn Ubayy’s hate, as one day the Prophet was walking and Abdullah Ibn Ubayy spoke in a mean way to the Prophet. The Prophet informed Sa`d Ibn Ubayy, a leader in Medina, about this and he said "O Messenger of Allah, don't be hard on him, for when Allah sent you to us we were making a to crown him, and, by God, he thinks that you have robbed him of his kingdom.” This is how we see that people made excuses for the hypocrites and excused their rude and mean behaviour towards the Prophet Muhammad SAW, but soon they would realize that Abdullah Ibn Ubayy was not sincere and this was not about him just being hurt, it was about the evil that lived inside of him and his hate for Islam and The Prophet SAW.

When the battle of Badr was announced, he was shocked to see the rise of the 300 Muslim men to fight in the way of Allah and His Messenger SAW. He tried to make problems and put fear in the hearts of the Muslims, by saying that they were crazy to be going to fight 1000 people and risk their lives as they would probably just be killed. Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and his followers did not go with the army and the Muslims were successful in fighting off the Quraish in the battle, Alhamdulillah. This only made the Muslims stronger in their faith and made Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and his band of hypocrites even more angry and annoyed. Instead of realizing the amazing miracles that Allah showed them, they were stubborn and were blind to the signs of Allah, Subhan’Allah.

After they went to invade the tribe of Bani Qainuqa for the agreement that they made and then broke. He came and grabbed the Prophet SAW by the armour and said “700 people who are in this tribe are my bodyguards.” In the battle of Uhud they had 1,000 people and they did not even get there and he left with 300 men and went back to Medina. So they were left with 700 men.

Then the Battle of Bani an-Nadir took place. On this occasion he and his companions supported the enemies of Islam even more openly. On the one side,