What are the conditions of the testimony of faith?
There are seven conditions of the testimony
of Faith :
Knowledge which negates ignorance.
Certainty which negates doubt.
Sincerity and purity of intent which
negates shirk.
Truthfulness which negates hypocrisy.
Love and devotion which negates disdain
of Allah’s religion.
Submission which negates disobedience.
Acceptance which negates rejection or
denial.
Is al-Tayyib (the Good) one of the names of Allaah, or is it a description? What is the guideline for distinguishing names from descriptions or attributes?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Al-Tayyib (the Good) is one of the names of Allaah, because
of the report narrated by Muslim (1015) from Abu Hurayrah who said: “O
people, Allaah is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good.
Allaah has enjoined upon the believers that which He has enjoined upon the
Messengers. He says: ‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of
the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which Allaah has made
lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats,
vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well‑Acquainted
with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51], and He
says: ‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)!
Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172].
Then he mentioned a man who has undertaken a lengthy journey and is
disheveled and dusty, raising his hands towards heaven and saying, ‘O Lord,
O Lord!’ but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is
haraam, he is nourished with haraam so how can he receive a response?”
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) listed
al-Tayyib as one of the names of Allaah that are proven according to the
saheeh Sunnah. See: al-Qawaa’id al-Muthla, which is included in
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (3/278).
Secondly:
The difference between names and attributes:
In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (3/16) there is a
question about the difference between names and attributes. The answer was:
The names of Allaah are all those that refer to the Divine
Essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him such as al-Qaadir
(the All-powerful), al-‘Aleem (the All-knowing), al-Hakeem (the Wise),
al-Samee’ (the All-hearing), and al-Baseer (the All-seeing). These names
refer to Allaah, and to what exists in Him of knowledge, wisdom, hearing and
seeing. As for the attributes, these are attributes of perfection that exist
in His essence such as knowledge, wisdom, hearing and sight. The name points
to two things and the attribute points to one thing. It may be said that the
name includes the attribute and the attribute implies the name. End quote.
See also question no.
22642.
Shaykh ‘Alawi ibn ‘Abd al-Qaadir al-Saqqaaf said: In order to
know what distinguishes the name from the attribute, and the attribute from
the name:
1 – With regard to names, attributes may be derived from
them, but with regard to attributes, names cannot be derived from them. From
the names of Allaah al-Raheem (the Most Merciful), al-Qaadir (the
All-powerful) and al-‘Azeem (the Almighty) are derived the attributes of
rahmah (mercy), qudrah (power) and ‘azamah (might), but from the attributes
of will, coming and plotting we cannot derive names such as “Willer”,
“Comer” or “Plotter”.
His names are descriptive, as Ibn al-Qayyim said in
al-Nooniyyah.
2 – The names cannot be derived from the actions of Allaah.
The fact that He loves and hates and gets angry does not mean that we can
derive names such as “Lover” “Hater” or “Angry”. As for His attributes, they
may be derived from His actions. So it is proven that He has the attributes
of love, hate and anger etc., hence it is said that the category of
attributes is broader than the category of names.
Madaarij al-Saalikeen (3/415)
Thirdly:
The names and attributes of Allaah may both be used when
seeking refuge and swearing oaths, but a distinction is made when it comes
to describing people as slaves of Allaah and supplication. We may describe
people as His slaves by using His names, so we say ‘Abd al-Kareem (slave of
the Most Generous), ‘Abd al-Rahmaan (slave of the Most Gracious) and ‘Abd
al-‘Azeez (slave of the Almighty), but we do not describe people as His
slaves by using His attributes, so we do not say ‘abd al-karam (slave of
generosity) or ‘abd al-rahmah (slave of mercy) or ‘abd al-‘izzah (slave of
might). Similarly, Allaah is called upon by His names, so we say Ya Raheem,
arhamna (O Most Merciful, have mercy on us) or Ya Kareem, akrimna (O Most
Generous, honour us) and Ya Lateef, altif bina (O Most Kind, be kind to us),
but we do not call upon His attributes and say, O mercy of Allaah, have
mercy on us, or O generosity of Allaah, or O kindness of Allaah. That is
because the attributes are not the same as the One described. Mercy is not
Allaah, rather it is an attribute of Allaah; the same applies to might etc.
These are attributes of Allaah but they are not Allaah, and it is not
permissible to describe anyone as a slave of anything but Allaah, or to call
upon anything but Allaah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“they (believers)
worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me”
[al-Noor 24:55]
“Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic
Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)”
[Ghaafir 40:60]
End quote from Sifaat Allaah ‘azza wa jall al-Waaridah
fi’l-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah, p. 17
As for the difference between discussing the names and
attributes of Allaah and what comes under the category of talking about Him,
there are two points:
1 – The divine names and attributes are tawqeefi i.e.,
limited strictly to that which is mentioned in the Qur’aan and saheeh
Sunnah. So it is not permissible to ascribe to Allaah anything except that
which He has ascribed to Himself or His Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) has ascribed to Him. But when speaking of Him, it is
permissible to speak of Allaah in ways that are not narrated in the Qur’aan
or Sunnah if the meanings are sound, such as saying He is eternally good and
very generous.
2 – His names are beautiful and His attributes are sublime,
as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so
call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or
utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they
used to do”
[al-A’raaf 7:180]
“For those who believe not in the Hereafter is an evil
description, and for Allaah is the highest description. And He is the
All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise”
[al-Nahl 16:60]
al-Shawkaani said in Fath al-Qadeer (4/314):
al-Khaleel said: “The highest description” means: His is the highest (or
most sublime) description in the heavens and on earth. End quote.
As for speaking about Allaah, it is permissible to speak of
Allah in ways that imply no imperfection, even if it is does not imply the
highest perfection, such as saying that Allaah exists from eternity, or
saying that He exists, or referring to Allaah as a “thing” or “something”
and so on. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه
وسلم): What thing is the most great in witness? Say: Allaah (the Most
Great!) is Witness between me and you” [al-An’aam 6:19].
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: You should
note some things here:
(i)
That which is included under
the heading of speaking about Him (may He be exalted) is broader in scope
than that which comes under the heading of His names and attributes, such as
referring to Him as a ‘thing” or “something”, or saying that He exists and
is self-sufficient, because this is talking about Allaah and that does not
come under the heading of His beautiful names or sublime attributes.
(ii)
If a word may imply perfection
or imperfection, depending on the context, then it is not one of His names,
rather may be used to describe Him when it implies perfection, such as
willing, doing and making. These words are not included in His names, hence
the one who calls Allaah al-Saani’ (the maker) is mistaken. Rather He is the
One Who does what He wills, for will, doing and making are words that may
imply perfection or imperfection. Therefore Allaah attributed to Himself
that which implies the greatest perfection in action and the greatest
perfection when speaking of Him.
(iii)
Talking about His actions does
not mean that we can derive names from these actions, as some later scholars
mistakenly did and included among His names al-Mudill (the Misguider),
al-Faatin (the Tempter) and al-Maakir (the Plotter) – exalted be He above
what they say. These names cannot be given to Allaah, may He be glorified,
because Allaah did not ascribe these names to Himself, rather He only
mentioned these things as specific actions in specific circumstances,
therefore He should not be named on the basis of these actions.
…
(vii) The names and attributes that may be given to Him are
tawqeefi, i.e., limited to those that are found in the Qur’aan and saheeh
Sunnah, but when it comes to speaking about Him, the terms used do not have
to be tawqeefi, such as saying that He exists from eternity, or referring to
Him as a “thing” or “something”, or saying that He exists and is
self-sufficient.
These are the decisive guidelines on the issue of whether the
names of Allaah are tawqeefi or is it permissible to call Him by names that
are not narrated in Qur’aan and Sunnah?
(viii) With regard to the names of Allaah, such as al-Samee’
(the All-hearing), al-Baseer (the All-seeing) and al-Qadeer (the
All-powerful), it is permissible to derive from them nouns which may be
attributed to Him, such as hearing, seeing and power, and it may be said
that He did those actions, such as saying “Allaah has indeed heard”
[al-Mujaadilah 58:1] and “So We did measure; and We are the Best to
measure (the things)” [al-Mursalaat 77:23]. This applies if the verb is
transitive. If it is intransitive, such as al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), then
it this case we do not use the verb when speaking of Him, rather we use the
verbal noun, but not the verb.
End quote from Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id (1/170).
And Allaah knows best.
Let us assume that there was a Christian who became Muslim but he did not tell his family. After a while he died, but his family did not know that he had become Muslim so they held a funeral for him in the church in the Christian manner. I would like to know what is the ruling on that? Did he die as a Muslim or as a kaafir?.
Praise be to Allaah.
You should
note, first of all, that the fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that it is not
permissible for a Muslim to be buried in the kaafir graveyard, or for a
kaafir to be buried in the Muslim graveyard, except in cases of necessity.
See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah,21/20; Ahkaam al-Maqaabir
fi’l-Sharee’ah al-Islamiyyah by Dr. ‘Abd-Allaah al-Suhaybaani, p.
231-232.
If a Muslim
dies in a kaafir land, then his heirs, or whoever among the Muslims knows of
him, must take him to a Muslim land so that he may be buried there.
Taking him
to a Muslim land depends on being able to do it. If it cannot be done, then
he may be buried in the kaafir land, but not in their graveyards. See:
Ahkaam al-Maqaabir, p. 225-226.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is more
important than being distinguished from them in life, by wearing different
clothes etc, because there is mercy in the graveyards of the Muslims, but
there is punishment in the graveyards of the kaafirs. Al-Ikhtiyaaraat,
p. 94.
Secondly:
The
situation that you asked about is one that happens frequently for many
Muslims in positions of weakness in kaafir countries, because they are not
able to migrate to a land where they can practise their Islam openly and be
safe, nor can they practise Islam openly in the lands where they live,
either for fear of aggression from their own relatives, as is the case in
your question, or for other reasons. These people will be resurrected [?]
according to their intentions, and the ruling in the Hereafter will depend
on what they have of faith and righteous deeds, not the ruling on the land
in which they died or the grave in which they were buried. It was narrated
that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Each person will be resurrected
according to the state in which he died.” Narrated by Muslim (2878).
It was
narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered
the funeral prayer and said: “O Allaah, forgive our living and our dead, our
young and our old, our males and our females, those who are present and
those who are absent. O Allaah, whomever among us You cause to live, cause
him to live in faith, and whomever among us you cause to die, cause him to
die in Islam. O Allaah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us go
astray after him.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3201); classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Shaykh
Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“O Allaah,
whomever among us you cause to live, cause him to live in faith, and
whomever among us you cause to die, cause him to die in Islam” – with regard
to life he mentioned Islam, meaning outward submission, and with regard to
death he mentioned faith, because faith (eemaan) is better, and its seat is
the heart, and what matters at the time of death and on the Day of
Resurrection is what is in the heart.
Sharh
Riyadh al-Saaliheen (2/1200)
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about what
some people say, that Allaah has angels who move people from the Muslim
graveyards to the Christian and Jewish graveyards, and from the Jewish and
Christian graveyards to the Muslim graveyards, and their purpose is that
whoever met a bad end in the sight of Allaah, although he was outwardly
Muslim when he died, or he was a kitaabi (a Jew or Christian) but he met a
good end and died as a Muslim in the sight of Allaah, although he appeared
to be a kaafir when he died, so these angels move them. Has any report been
narrated concerning this or not? Is there any proof for this or not?
He (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: As for the bodies, they are not moved from
the graves but we know that some people who are outwardly Muslims are in
fact hypocrites, either Jews, Christians or apostates. Whoever is like that
will be with his peers on the Day of Resurrection, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Assemble those who did wrong, together
with their companions” [al-Saaffaat 37:22], i.e., those who were like
them and their peers.
And there
may be some who died appearing to be kaafirs, but they believed in Allaah
before the death rattle reached their throats, but there were no believers
with them and they concealed that from their families, either because of
inheritance or some other reason. But they will be with the believers even
if they are buried with the kuffaar.
As for the
report about the angels moving them, I have never heard any report about
that. End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra (3/27).
And Allaah
knows best.
Is it permissible for me to say: all praise and thanks be to Allah, and thanks to my parents. According to Allah’s verse: “Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal”.
Praise be to Allaah.
Honouring one’s parents is one of the greatest means of
drawing close to Allaah and one of the best acts of obedience. It is an
important right that they are given in Islamic sharee’ah, so much so that
Allaah has mentioned obedience to parents alongside obedience to Him, and
their rights alongside His rights, in more than one place.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to
his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and
hardship, and his weaning is in two years __
give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination”
[Luqmaan 31:14].
Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him)said in his
Tafseer (5/171): The scholars said: Those who are most deserving of
gratitude, kindness, honour and obedience after the Creator are those whom
Allaah mentions kindness towards alongside worship, obedience and gratitude
to Him, namely one’s parents. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“give thanks to Me and to your parents” [Luqmaan 31:14].
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “The Lord is pleased when the parents are pleased and He is angry when
the parents are angry.” Al-Albaani said: It is hasan li ghayrihi (hasan
because of corroborating evidence).
Clearly expressing gratitude to the parents and acknowledging
their virtue is undoubtedly included in the meaning of the verse, but the
verse should not be understood as meaning this only, rather what is meant by
giving thanks here is more general than that: a person should fulfil the
rights that his Lord has over him in his heart and his words as well as his
physical actions, and he should fulfil his parents’ rights over him in like
manner.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Madaarij al-Saalikeen (2/244-246):
Gratitude is based on five foundations:
Humility of the thankful one towards the One Who is thanked,
his love for Him, his acknowledgement of His blessing, his praise of Him for
that and not using it for anything that He hates.
These five are the foundations of gratitude which is built on
them. If one of them is missing, then one of the foundations of gratitude is
missing. Whoever (of the scholars) speaks of gratitude as an independent
quality must be referring to all of these five foundations.
Gratitude is shown in the heart by humility, on the tongue by
praise and acknowledgement, and in one’s physical actions by obeying and
submitting. End quote.
In his commentary on this verse, Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: When He enjoined fulfilling His rights by giving up
shirk, which means establishing Tawheed, He also enjoined fulfilling
parents’ rights, and said: “And We have enjoined on man” i.e., We
have commanded him and made it an obligation upon him, and We shall question
him about his fulfilment thereof, did he fulfil it or not? And We have
enjoined on him “(to be dutiful and good) to his parents” and have
said to him: “give thanks to Me” by worshipping Me and fulfilling
your duties towards Me, and not seeking the help of My blessings in
disobeying Me; “and to your parents” by treating them kindly,
speaking gently to them, treating them nicely, being humble towards them,
honouring them, respecting them, taking care of them and avoiding
mistreating them in any way, in word or deed.
We have enjoined this upon him and We have told him that “Unto
Me is the final destination” i.e., you will return, O man, to the One
Who enjoined this upon you and ordained these duties for you, and He will
ask you: Did you fulfil them? In which case He will reward you greatly, but
if you failed, He will punish you severely. End quote. Al-Tafseer,
648.
There is nothing wrong with accompanying thanksgiving to
Allaah with thanksgiving to one’s parents, and combining the two, but he
should not do that all the time as if it were a dhikr narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because there is
no such report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).
There are a number of questions on our site that discuss the
command to honour one’s parents. Please see:
13783,
22782 and
35533.
And Allaah knows best.
If during wudu'ablution), one finds dirt stuck on his fingers, does
working on removing the dirt by scrubbing it off disrupt the continuity
of the wudu' and require repeating it?
Continuity would not disrupted by such action (according to the
most viable opinion) even if his body had dried, because he was delayed due
to an action required for his purity. The same is true if he were to move from
one faucet to another in search of water.
However, if continuity were disrupted due to an action not related
to his , like removing impurity from his clothes, eating or drinking and the
like, and the limbs became dry, then he needs to repeat the wudu'.1
From the book What Should You Do in
the Following Situations... ?
1 Fatawi ibn Uthaimeen
4/145-146 (Dar al-Qutni)
For two weeks this question has been haunting me and I cannot find an answer to it, but in sha Allaah you will have the answer:
What is the evidence that Allaah does not lie, or what is the evidence that He always tells the truth, and why will He never lie?
I know that this is a strange question, and I felt too embarrassed to ask anyone about it for a while, but I looked for an answer and I feel a kind of anxiety even when praying.
Praise be to Allaah.
By Allaah, we do not know which of your two issues we find
stranger, that you have gone along with the whispers of the Shaytaan to such
an extent that brought you to the brink of the abyss and nearly made you
fall in, or that you find this question difficult and are not able to find
an answer to it.
What do you know of your religion, if you do not know this?
What do you think of your Lord, if you are asking about
this?
When her freed slave asked her: O my mother, did Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) see his Lord? ‘Aa’ishah,
the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: My hair
stood on end at what you said.
If the hair of the Mother of the Believers stood on end
because of alarm for the one who asked her this question: Did Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) see his Lord, i.e., in this
world – although the believers will see Him in Paradise and that will be the
greatest of their joys (may Allaah not deprive us of it) – then how should
one react to your question?
Have you left your heart empty to such an extent that the
Shaytaan can toy with it and cause it to end up like this?
Have you heard of the report narrated by Muslim in his
Saheeh (2268) from Jaabir who said: A man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allaah,
I saw in a dream as if my head was cut off. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and said: If the Shaytaan toys with
one of you in his sleep, he should not tell the people about it.”
If a dream such as this is regarded as the Shaytaan toying
with a person, then what would the Prophet’s response be to one who saw what
you have seen in a dream? What would he say if the Shaytaan toyed with him
when he was awake, and not in a dream?
It is natural that you should feel ashamed and you should
weep for yourself if the Shaytaan has gained so much power over you.
Yes, we understand that the Shaytaan may toy with a person in
such ways, but he should not go along with the ideas instilled by the
shaytaan and ry to discuss it and look for evidence for it. Rather his
deeply rooted faith should protect him, for the shaytaan is evil and his
plot is weak: “ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytaan (Satan)”
[al-Nisa’ 4:76].
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “The Shaytaan comes to some
of you and says, ‘Who created such and such? Who created such and such?’ –
until he says, ‘Who created your Lord?’ If that happens, then let him seek
refuge with Allaah and stop thinking about that.”
What do you think the Prophet’s answer would be to this
“difficult” question posed by the accursed enemy?
One should seek refuge with Allaah from this waswaas, and
stop thinking about it or getting carried away with it, because the accursed
one does not need an answer to this question. He knows that his question is
pure fallacy, for it is not befitting that the Creator should have a
creator, otherwise He would be another created being.
Rather his aim is to stir up doubts until he gains control
over one who dies in such a state, if he can. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth quoted
above:
“‘Who created your Lord?’ If that
happens, then let him seek refuge with Allaah and stop thinking about that”
i.e., let him stop getting carried away with that, and turn to Allaah in
warding it off; he should realize that he (shaytaan) wants to corrupt his
religious commitment and his reasoning with these whispers, so he should
strive to ward them off by thinking of something else.
Al-Khattaabi said: The point of this hadeeth is that if the
Shaytaan whispers such thoughts, one should seek refuge with Allaah from him
and stop debating with the shaytaan about it, then this waswaas will
diminish. … There is no end to the shaytaan’s whispers, rather every time
proof is produced to silence him, he moves on to something else until he
finally makes one confused. We seek refuge with Allaah from that. … But his
saying ‘Who created your Lord?” is contradictory and is a flawed argument,
because it is impossible for the Creator to be created.
Al-Teebi said: Rather he enjoined seeking refuge with Allaah
and distracting oneself with something else; he did not tell us to ponder
and look for evidence, because the knowledge that Allaah does not need a
creator is a basic fact that is not open to debate, and because getting
carried away in thinking about that will only make a person more confused.
If a person is in such a state, he has no option except to turn to Allaah
and seek His protection.
The hadeeth also implies criticism of asking too much about
that which does not concern one and that which one has no need to ask about.
It is also one of the signs of Prophethood, namely his foretelling something
that was going to happen and then it happened. End quote.
As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) enjoined putting an end to such whispers and not indulging in them,
then the believer, if he is overwhelmed by any such thing, and if the
accursed enemy instills such a thing in his heart, then he will regard this
waswaas as something serious that has befallen him.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: Some of the
companions of the Prophet (S) came and asked him: We find in ourselves
something that is too awful for any of us to speak of it. He said: “Do you
really find that?” They said: Yes. He said: “That is clear faith.” Narrated
by Muslim (132).
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What this
means is: the fact that you
think of this waswaas as something terrible is a clear sign of faith, for if
you dare not utter it and you are so afraid of it and of speaking of it, let
alone believing it, this is the sign of one who has achieved perfect faith
and who is free of doubt
O slave of Allaah, the man of dignity who has some standing
among people would refrain from lying and would hate lies to be attributed
to him. The story of Abu Sufyaan with Heraclius concerning this matter is
well known, so how about if this noble and dignified man is a believer? For
lying is incompatible with faith.
How about if one imagines the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) telling lies when he is the truthful
one? This is an idea that would make the skin crawl and the hair stand on
end.
It seems most likely that there are two reasons why the
Shaytaan has gained control over you:
1-
You have turned away from
focusing on remembrance (dhikr) of the Most Merciful, studying His verses
and what it says in His Book of His most beautiful names and sublime
attributes, and acknowledging His greatness, majesty, beauty and perfection
that are mentioned in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
2-
Perhaps it is a punishment from
Allaah because of the first reason, which is your keeping company with the
devils among men, who have been supported by the devils among the jinn and
helped by them against you.
Those companions were not necessarily friends of yours who
come and go with you, rather that may have been via the internet as idle
curiosity may have led you to go to some atheist and anti-religion chat
rooms, where one of them stated his specious argument and it settled in your
heart and led to the problem that you are now suffering. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of
the Most Gracious (Allaah) (i.e. this Qur’aan and worship of Allaah), We
appoint for him Shaytaan (Satan ‑ devil) to be a Qareen (a companion) to
him.
37. And verily, they (Satans / devils) hinder them from
the path (of Allaah), but they think that they are guided aright!
38. Till, when (such a one) comes to Us, he says [to his
Qareen (Satan/devil companion)] ‘Would that between me and you were the
distance of the two easts (or the east and west’ __a worst (type of) companion (indeed)!
39. It will profit you not this Day (O you who turn away
from Allaah’s remembrance and His worship) as you did wrong, (and) that you
will be sharers (you and your Qareen) in the punishment”
[al-Zukhruf 43:36]
Set your heart straight and turn to your Lord, and
acknowledge Him as He has told you in His Book. Turn to His Book and read it
and ponder it, and keep your tongue busy with remembrance of Him (dhikr),
for that will protect you:
“I command you to remember Allaah,
for the likeness of that is that of a man who enemy comes after him, until
he comes to a strong fortress where he protects himself from him. Similarly,
a person cannot protect himself against the Shaytaan except by remembering
Allaah.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2863) and
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
And Allaah knows best.
One of the guys at work was asking me why I became Muslim and I told him it is the path I must follow. I dont know sometimes what I should say, for me it is the path I must follow. What can I say to someone; I dont want to push what I believe, so how should I answer someone if ask, what is the right way to answer the questions? Sometimes I feel I dont give the right answers... Any clues what i can say ?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allaah
to accept your Islam and to make you steadfast in adhering to the truth, and
to guide you to that which He loves and which pleases Him.
You should
understand that you have followed the right path, and that Islam is the
religion of sound human nature (al-fitrah), the religion of security and
happiness. This is felt by everyone who belongs to this great religion, but
it is felt most by those who were drowning in the darkness of ignorance,
misguidance and disbelief. The one who utters the Shahaadatayn feels
something in his heart that cannot be described to anyone, hence most of
them are overcome with tears of joy and happiness. Undoubtedly Allaah has
given Islam a flavour and has given faith sweetness. This is what is stated
in the texts of our religion. This flavour and sweetness is tasted by
everyone who believes in Allaah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his Prophet.
Secondly:
The one whom
Allaah honours by bringing him into Islam may have reasons for entering it
that no one else has, and he may see aspects in it that no one else sees.
That is because of the greatness of this religion, and the many aspects of
good that there are in it, and the fact that it is suitable for all classes
of people, in all environments and all cultures. Hence a person who enters
this great religion may mention reasons for doing so that no one else
usually mentions, but all of them are correct answers that speak of their
reality and the reality of Islam itself. You can read some of these answers
and benefit from them. We would like you to tell us your own feelings and
the reason why you entered this religion, because it tells us about your
situation and you are best able to express that.
There is no
reason why we should not mention some of the reasons why other people have
become Muslim; there may be something in common between you and them.
1.
A Bedouin was
asked: Why did you become Muslim? He said: I have never seen any word or
deed that reason regards as good or sound human nature (al-fitrah) indicates
is right but Islam encourages it and enjoins it and the Lord of Glory
permits it. And I have never seen anything that reason sees as bad and sound
human nature indicates is wrong, but Allaah prohibits it and forbids it to
His slaves.
2.
Robert Dixon,
the head of the American Lawyers’ Association, said: My answer to the one
who asks me why I became Muslim is: Islam is the religion of monotheism,
happiness, peace of mind and dignified living, if I adhere to it and apply
its teachings. It is the religion of divine justice.
3.
Muhammad Asad,
the Austrian politician and author, said: It was not any particular teaching
that attracted me, but the whole wonderful, inexplicably coherent structure
of moral teaching and practical life programme.
4.
Sylvie Fawzy, a
French lady who became Muslim, said: In Islam I found a way of life that
answers all questions and organizes man’s life in a way that benefits him
and is suited to his nature, with regard to his clothing, his food, his
work, his marriage, his choices in life, and his relationship with others.
So it comes as no surprise that the one who adheres to Islam feels content
and secure, which in my opinion are the most important factors in life.
5.
Umm ‘Abd
al-Malik, an American Muslim woman, said: I was amazed by the way in which
Islam raised the status of parents.
6.
Shaykh Muhammad
ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: An Indian philosopher
studied the history of all religions, and he conducted an independent,
fair-minded study. He studied Christianity at length, because of the power,
influence and prominence in the arts and industry of the nations that claim
to be Christian. Then he examined Islam, and realized that it is the true
religion, and he became Muslim, and he wrote a book in English called “Why I
became Muslim,” in which he described what he saw as the advantages of Islam
over other religions, one of the most important of which was: Islam is the
only religion that has a true, preserved history. The one who follows it
knows that this is the religion that was brought by Muhammad ibn
‘Abd-Allaah, the unlettered Arab Prophet who is buried in Madeenah
al-Munawwarah in Arabia. He was astonished that Europe would allow itself to
follow a religion which raised the one after whom it is named from the
status of a human being and made him into a god, when they know little of
his history. The origin of these four Gospels is not proven, and their dates
and authors are not known for sure. They only mention a few events of the
history of Christ which happened – as they say – within a few days, and they
do not mention anything much about this man’s upbringing, education,
childhood or youth. But Allaah decrees what He wills.
Fataawa
al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (1/48).
7.
Yusuf Khattab –
a convert from Judaism to Islam – said, when he was asked why he had become
Muslim: Because Islam is the religion of monotheism. I read a great deal
about it and finally I was convinced that it is the way to Paradise.
There are many
words, which may be summed up as saying that Islam is the religion of sound
human nature (al-fitrah), security, happiness, wise rulings, and lofty
morals. Whoever compares Islam with other, distorted religions or human
systems and laws will clearly see the difference, and that there is no room
for comparison at all.
8.
Mary Watson –
an American woman with three academic degrees, one of which is in theology –
describes the moment when the light of faith shone into her heart: I felt
one night, as I was lying in my bed about to fall asleep, that something
strange had settled in my heart. I sat up and said: O Lord, I believe in You
alone, and I uttered the Shahaadah, and after that I felt peace and
tranquillity envelop my entire body. Praise be to Allaah for Islam; I have
never regretted that day which I consider to be the day of my birth.
End quote.
We advise you
to read the book Islam and the World:
The Rise and Decline of Muslims and its Effect on Mankind, by Shaykh
Abul Hasan al-Nadvi and Islam at the Crossroads and The Road to
Makkah by Prof. Muhammad Asad. All three books are available in English.
We also advise
you to read true stories of people who have been guided to the Straight Path
and have submitted to Allaah. These stories explain how they were guided and
what their first steps towards Islam were. You will find them by following
this link:
We ask Allaah
to make you steadfast in adhering to the truth and to help you to acquire
beneficial knowledge and to do righteous deeds.
And Allaah is
the Source of strength.
Some people say that Allah is above the heavens (according to one of the ayahs of the
quran), and may scholars say that Allah exists without a place, since only the creation has
the characteristic of needing a place and We know the ayah "Laysa-ka-mislly-he-shay" -
(proving allah does not resemble his creation), is he everywhere, existing without a place, or
above the heavens?
Praise be to Allaah,
The people of Sunnah and Jamaa’ah (Ahl al-Sunnah) believe that Allaah is exalted above His creation
because of the evidence of the Qur’aan, Sunnah, consensus of the scholars, common sense and man’s
innate instinct (fitrah).
(1) The Qur’aan describes the "exaltedness" or "highness" of Allaah in different ways, as His being High
and Above, and by describing how things come down from Him, and go up to Him, and by stating that
He is above heaven. For example (interpretations of the meaning):
(Highness):
". . .and He is the Most High, the Most Great." [al-Baqarah 2:255]
"Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High." [al-A’la 87:1]
(Above):
"And He is the Irresistible, above His slaves . . ." [al-An’aam 6:18]
"They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded." [al-Nahl 16:50]
(Things coming down from Him):
"He arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth . . ." [al-Sajdah 32:5]
"Verily We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur’aan). . ." [al-Hijr 15:9]
(Things going up to Him):
". . . To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it . . ." [Faatir 35:10]
"The angels and the Rooh (Jibreel) ascend to Him . . ." [al-Ma’aarij 70:4]
(Allaah is above heaven):
"Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not cause the earth to sink with you . . .?"
[al-Mulk 67:16]
(2) The Sunnah: many reports were narrated "mutawaatir" (i.e. with a large number of narrators at every
stage of the isnaad, such that it is impossible for them all to have agreed on a lie) from the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him),
describing his words and deeds and things of which he approved. For example, he used to say
"Subhaana Rabbi al-A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High)" in sujood, and in some ahaadeeth he is
reported to have said "By Allaah Who is above the Throne."
Among his deeds is the gesture of pointing up with his finger, when addressing the people in the greatest
gathering, on the Day of ‘Arafaah during his Farewell Pilgrimage. He asked the people, "Have I not
conveyed the message?" and they said, "Yes!" He asked again, "Have I not conveyed the message?" and
they said, "yes!". He asked a third time, have I not conveyed the message?" and they said "Yes!" Each
time, he said: "O Allaah, bear witness!" - pointing up to the sky and then at the people. He also used to
raise his hands towards heaven when he made du’aa’, as it reported in tens of ahaadeeth. This is proof
via his actions that Allaah is exalted and high.
An example of an approval of the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) which indicates that Allaah is exalted and high is the hadeeth
concerning the young slave girl, to whom the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "Where is Allaah?" She said: "In heaven"
He asked, "Who am I?" She said, "The Messenger of Allaah." So he said to her master: "Set her free,
for she is a believer."
This young girl was uneducated, as many are, and she was a slave, but she knew that her Lord is above
heaven. Some misguided people deny that Allaah is above heaven, and say, "He is neither above nor below;
neither to the right nor to the left. He is everywhere!"
(3) The consensus of the scholars: the salaf agreed that Allaah is above heaven, as is reported by scholars
such as al-Dhahabi, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his book Al-‘Aluw li’l-‘Aliy al-Ghaffaar.
(4) Common sense: highness is a quality which is associated in people’s minds with perfection. If this is
the case, then it should be attributed to Allaah because every absolute perfection should be attributed to
Him.
(5) The innate instinct of man (fitrah). There should be no dispute that man instinctively knows that
Allaah is above heaven. Whenever something overwhelming befalls a person, and he turns to Allaah for help,
he looks towards heaven, not in any other direction. But it is strange that those who deny that Allaah is
above His creation still raise their hands in supplication to no other direction than towards heaven.
Even Pharaoh, the enemy of Allaah who disputed with Moosaa about his Lord, told his minister
Haamaan (interpretation of the meaning): "O Haamaan! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the
ways, - the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the god of Moosaa . . ." [Ghaafir 40:36-37]
He knew in his heart of hearts that Allaah is real, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "And they
belied them (those aayaat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof
. . ." [al-Naml 27:14]
These are a few of the indications that Allaah is above the heavens; this proof comes from the Qur’aan, the
Sunnah, the consensus of the scholars, common sense, man’s own instincts and even the words of the
kuffaar.
We ask Allaah to guide us towards the Truth.
Quran says "Angels and Gabriel ascents to Allah in a day equivalent to 5000 terrestrial years. Does it imply that Allah is controlling the earthly matters sitting on the throne? Then how can be Allah nearer to us than the veins?
Praise be to Allaah.
It
is proven in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and by the consensus (ijmaa’) of
the salaf (early generations) of this ummah that Allaah is above His
heavens on His Throne, and that He is the Exalted, Most High. He is
Above all things, and there is nothing that is above Him. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah
it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all that is
between them in six Days. Then He rose over (Istawaa) the Throne
(in a manner that suits His Majesty). You (mankind) have none, besides
Him, as a Wali (protector or helper) or an intercessor. Will you not
then remember (or receive admonition)?”
[al-Sajdah
32:4]
“Surely,
your Lord is Allaah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days
and then rose over (Istawaa) the Throne (really in a manner that suits
His Majesty), disposing the affair of all things [Yoonus
10:3]
“To
Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it
(i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they
are followed by good deeds) [Faatir 35:10]
“He
is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after
Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing
is nearer than Him) [al-Hadeed 57:3]
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “You are the Most High and there is nothing
above You…”
There
are many similar ayaat and ahaadeeth. But at the same time, Allaah tells
us that He is with His slaves wherever they are:
“Have
you not seen that Allaah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever
is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three but He
is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne,
over the seventh heaven), — nor of five but He is their sixth (with
His Knowledge), — nor of less than that or more but He is with them
(with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be” [al-Mujaadilah 58:7]
Allaah
has combined mention of His being above His Throne with mention of His
being with His slaves in one aayah, where He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“He it is Who created the
heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over (Istawaa) the Throne
(in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth
and what comes forth from it, and what descends from the heaven and
what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever
you may be [al-Hadeed
57:4]
Saying
that Allaah is with us does not mean that He is mixed with (or dwells
in) His creation; rather He is with His slaves by His knowledge. He
is above His Throne and nothing is hidden from Him of what they do.
With regard to the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And
We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge)” [Qaaf
50:16]
-
most of the mufassireen said that what is meant is that He is near by
means of His angels whose task it is to record people’s deeds. And those
who said that it means that He is near explained it as meaning that
He is near by His knowledge, as is said concerning how He is with us.
This
is the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who affirm that Allaah is
above His creation and that He is also with His slaves, and they state
that He is far above dwelling in His created beings. With regard to
the denial of all Divine attributes as voiced by the Jahamiyyah and
their followers, they deny that His Essence is above His creatures and
that He rose above His Throne, and they say that He is present in His
Essence everywhere. We ask Allaah to guide the Muslims.
Allaah is the Most Merciful, Most
Compassionate, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy. His Mercy encompasses all things. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“and My Mercy embraces all things”
[al-A’raaf 7:156]
In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from
Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down
one between the jinn, mankind, the animals and the insects, by means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one another, and by means of
which wild animals are kind to their offspring. And Allaah has kept back ninety-nine parts of mercy with which to be merciful to His slaves of the
Day of Resurrection.”
Muslim, al-Tawbah, 6908.
It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
said: “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was a woman among the
prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allaah,
not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Allaah is more merciful to His slaves
than this woman is to her child.’”
Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 5653; Muslim,
6912.
One aspect of the mercy of Allaah to His
slaves is that He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books and laws to organize their lives according to the ways of wisdom, far removed from
hardship and difficulty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as
a mercy for the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”
[al-Anbiya’ 21:107]
The mercy of Allaah is what will admit His
believing slaves to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. No one will ever enter Paradise because of his deeds alone, as the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one’s deeds will ever admit him to Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allaah?” He
said, “No, not even me, unless Allaah shower me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. And no one should wish for death; he is either
doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5349; Muslim, 7042
So the believer must remain in a state
between hoping for the mercy of Allaah and fearing His punishment, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves, that
truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.
And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment”
[al-Hijr 15:49-50]
With regard to your saying that Allaah loves
us more than seventy mothers, Allaah knows best concerning that. It is sufficient for us to know that the mercy of Allaah encompasses all things.
O Allaah, have mercy upon us, O Most merciful of those who show mercy.
Amid all the ugly here-we-go-again economic numbers over the past few weeks—the eight straight days of market declines, the worse-than-expected GDP numbers, the largely flat jobless claims—there were some other big numbers in the mix. Big layoff numbers, that is: On August 1, global bank HSBC said it would cut 25,000 jobs between now and 2013, on top of thousands more previously announced. On July 29, pharmaceutical giant Merck said it would be shedding up to 13,000 jobs. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has also been trimming thousands of jobs.
Such mass cuts were enough to drive the number of planned layoffs to a 16-month high, according to a report issued Wednesday by the executive outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. The number of announced job cuts in July reached more than 66,414—up 60 percent from this June and 59 percent from July 2010.
At the same time, many companies have been reporting healthy profits. HSBC, for instance, posted an 35-percent profit increase for the first half of the year on the same day it announced the cuts. Merck reported a second-quarter profit increase and sales that were in line with analysts’ expectations on the same day its mass job losses were announced. And while Lockheed Martin reported lower earnings in the second quarter, it still beat analysts’ projections and raised its profit forecast for the year.
Granted, these and other companies are facing big issues that have them turning to the chopping block. Growth is slowing in non-emerging markets, blockbuster drugs are coming off patent, and defense budgets are getting cut.
But the dichotomy between big job cuts and continued profits are going to make for some tricky discussions at big companies in the coming months. And that’s not just with the people who are leaving—the even harder conversations are sure to be with the people who survive. They’ll be left wondering how there’s more room to cut when profits are healthy. Survivor’s guilt is sure to set in, slowing down the efficiency of those who remain. Already overloaded employees are sure to groan under the weight of even more work, pushing top performers to start eyeing the door. Slashing jobs may have short-term benefits to the bottom line, but the long-term costs are often ignored.
Corporate profits have been one of the few bright spots on the economic horizon in recent months. While still below pre-recession levels, S&P 500 companies are expected to see profits grow 13 percent this year. That’s below the 47 percent growth they saw in 2010 but still exceptional, considering that 2010’s jump was a leap off of the deep, dark recession days of 2009. That puts corporate profits at near-record highs, but it has only meant greater productivity from trimmed workforces and hasn’t yet translated into new jobs.
Business leaders are sure to be tempted in the coming months to cut even more, as the economy appears poised to turn down again and as business seems more convinced than ever that it’s Washington’s responsibility to do the heavy lifting on job creation. Sure, more layoffs will cut costs. But one can only hope leaders consider what job cuts will cost them, too.
The famine in Somalia has shed new light on world hunger and the efforts individuals and organizations are undertaking to combat it. Aside from airlifting food and providing IVs, there is a larger problem in need of solving.
Organizations such as the Gates Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative provide a gathering place for smaller organizations that are working to find and implement innovative solutions to avoid the need for a crisis response. We reached out to both organizations for information on how their partners, colleagues and grantees were innovating when it comes to hunger prevention.
“It’s not just the climate that’s causing the famine,” said Prabhu Pingali, deputy director of agricultural development for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, citing countries with similar climates to Somalia that had avoided such widespread devastation. “Both Kenya and Ethiopia have made a significant commitment to focusing on agriculture in their own countries. And so our ability to change the level of productivity depends a lot on government commitment.”
The need to build bridges between the research labs and farmers’ fields by helping to identify partners along the “value chain” is critical, according to Pingali. The value chain is the process a product goes through where, at each stage, value is added to it. For example: A farmer’s wheat might move through companies that process, package and market it. It is also necessary to create a small private sector that can commercialize seed production, Pingali said.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative, is trying to do just that.
GAIN focuses on making sure there are essential micro-nutrients in food distributed both on an emergency and a long-term basis. Regarding long-term solutions, the organization uses a market-based approach in order to strengthen the regional marketplace while nutritionally fortifying locally produced food.
The group works with the private sector and donors to make sure pre-mixed packets that contain a combination of vitamins and minerals reach every-day consumers, while addressing the flaws in individual farmers’ supply chains and informing consumers about the benefits of fortified nutrition. Too often, the fortification packets are seen as medicinal rather than supplemental.
“In order to improve access among vulnerable populations to affordable and diverse nutritious foods, one must view them as a consumer society versus a handout culture to ensure sustainability,” said Gautam Ramnath, the manager of GAIN’s business development and leverage group. The organization has joined with the U.S. State Department to create the “1,000 Days Hub“ to target malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life — from inception to 2 years old.
The World Food Programme has also instituted a “Purchase for Progress” (P4P) program in an effort to connect local food producers with national, regional and global markets. The organization claims to have paid roughly $37 million to small farmers in 21 countries.
Work is also being done to change the actual food being grown. While Somalia is coping with a severe drought, an absence of water is not always the problem. Too much water can destroy rice crops, leaving farmers, their families and their immediate communities victim to starvation and malnutrition. The International Rice Research Institute, with assistance from the Gates Foundation, is working on creating a more robust strain of rice that can better withstand flood.
The organization, a self-described “non-profit independent research and training organization,” is based in the Philippines and was started by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations in collaboration with the Philippines government. IRRI works to improve rice production in an effort to reduce poverty, create a sustainable production cycle, and improve nutrition and health. The organization also seeks to inform farmers of the latest technologies and processes available in rice production and provide scientists with genetic information and the latest research to further innovation in the field.
The issue of genetically modified food is somewhat controversial, however. In 2003, several governments in Africa, including Zambia and Zimbabwe, objected to aid from countries, such as the U.S., that produced genetically modified food. But their objections placed them in the difficult position of having to choose between letting large segments of their population starve, and keeping genetically modified foods from coming across their borders. Those in favor of the distribution of genetically modified foods argue that the short-term threat of death by starvation outweighs any potential long-term health risks.
“Most of the material that we’re seeing right now is not genetically modified food,” said Pingali, citing advancements, such as the development of drought-resistant maize and IRRI’s flood-resistant rice, both of which are not produced through genetic modification.“There is certainly a role for genetically modified materials coming in,” continued Pingali, “but we’re still quite a ways from having that available.”
I used to annually feel sorry for the quarterback. Whether it was Jason Campbell or Patrick Ramsey or Donovan McNabb, I knew they were going down and going down hard. But one gander through this training camp roster and the free agent pickups thus far, and my sympathies are now squarely with the manager of the Redskins team store.
Really, how do you sell a Barry Cofield jersey? Will they even make a Kellen Clemens bobblehead?
Redskins 2011 training camp roster lacks known names - The Washington Post
Fan Appreciation Day is Saturday in Ashburn, and after years of handing a new high-priced, bold-faced name their felt-tip Sharpies to sign their footballs and burgundy-and-gold jerseys, here’s what Redskins loyalists are being offered this time: a system.
Oh, of course Chris Cooley, Brian Orakpo, London Fletcher and DeAngelo Hall all have Q-ratings. But the only real marquee name these days at Redskins Park is Mike Shanahan, who apparently believes so devoutly in his system that he thinks it will succeed so long as those who are executing it buy in completely, no matter who they are or what they’ve accomplished.
If it works, there will be plenty of appreciation to go around. But until it does, what are fans to do?
You can’t get a system’s autograph. You can’t buy a jersey with a name and number that reads, “SYSTEM ’11.” You can’t boast to Eagles, Giants or Cowboys fans about what stud player you acquired and how much you overbid for him because for the first time in forever Daniel Snyder didn’t open the vault.
After so many expensive blunders, no one ever said the Redskins shouldn’t be more frugal and savvy in the offseason. But between the NFL’s ultimate, no-name backfield — as oomph quotients go, Beck-Torain-Hightower is still just a wee shy of Manning-Bradshaw-Jacobs — and their disciplined abstention from the crazy-money, free agent wars, you have to wonder, who are these guys?
Sane football people have been saying the Redskins should do this for years, of course — stop making the Haynesworth-like $100 million splashes and concentrate on less-spectacular, more-reliable and cheaper fits in free agency.
But here’s the potential downside: While no one would label the past 11 seasons of Jeff George, Adam Archuleta, and Big Al anything but failure in free agency, many fans — if low training camp attendance is any indication — are wondering what they should get excited for, what’s left to appreciate?
They have exactly two choices: shared pain of the past (this being the 20th anniversary season of the franchise’s last Super Bowl victory) or the uncertain future, Shanahan’s system.
Structure. Detail. No prima donnas allowed.
Beyond a few bona fide Pro Bowlers these Redskins have scrappers who fall in line like privates in boot camp. And if those company men win with any regularity, especially after all the deals for big names that never glittered in Washington, that’s definitely something to admire and root for.
I’m not saying it can’t work. In point of fact, sandwiched in between a couple of embarrassing, no-show performances last season at home on Monday night against Philadelphia and at the Giants was Shanahan’s one shining moment in Washington, a grit-and-heart road victory at Tennessee, in which the depleted Redskins roster was a cut-and-paste collage of banged-up bodies and non-stars. The glow in Shanahan’s face in the locker room an hour after that victory was never brighter through a dour 6-10 campaign; he had won with his guys, his way.
He has built and coached teams to win it all before. He also did that with his linchpin, John Elway, a top-three all-time quarterback.
John Beck and Rex Grossman are not top-three, all-time quarterbacks. They are largely like this roster: system guys, who don’t become genuine fan favorites until they take a team to the postseason. And that doesn’t happen until they have enough stars to help.
Hey, at least it’s not the same-ol’, same-ol’ in Ashburn — big name, paltry result. And it could work. Shanahan, against long odds, believes it will.
But that’s four months of blind optimism away, at the least.
Meantime, after the Cooley jerseys are gone, pity the marketing guys, the shift manager at the team store, who for a while might have trouble moving “system” paraphernalia.
A person with a gun was reported on Virgina Tech’s campus Thursday morning, according to school officials, but so far, authorities have not been able to find a gunman.
The campus was on alert for almost six hours, but the alert was lifted at about 2:40 p.m. Before then, Virginia Tech was on a lockdown, and by mid-day, officials had canceled all summer school classes for the day, and asked that people stay away from campus. The university’s football team delayed its first practice until later this afternoon.
Despite the caution and a massive search for the purported gunman, police had not found him. The report came from three 14-year-olds attending an academic camp at the Blacksburg campus. Police said no other witnesses have come forward saying they had seen a gunman.
“At this point no one has been able to confirm whether or not there was an actual gun on campus,” said Blacksburg Police Department spokesman Lt. Steve Taylor.
Several people have been questioned, but nobody was in custody, campus police Chief Wendell Flinchum said during a press conference on campus.
A number of public safety agencies, including State Police and officers from nearby police departments, have been searching the campus, the university said.
“Person with a gun reported near Dietrick,” an alert posted at 9:37 a.m read. “Stay Inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help.”
The University also asked anyone with information to call campus police tip line at (540) 231-6411 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (540) 231-6411 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Dietrick Hall is described as a “dining center” that also has a convenience store, bake shop and laundry facility, according to the university’s web site.
In another item posted at 10:08, the university’s web site reported that:
“At 9:09 a.m. three juveniles attending a camp at the university reported seeing a white male, 6 feet tall, with light brown hair outside of New Residence Hall East holding what may have been a handgun. They say the weapon was covered by a cloth or covering of some sort. He was walking fast in the direction of the volleyball courts. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt (stripes were vertical), gray shorts and brown sandals. The subject had no facial hair or glasses.”
Composite sketch of reported gunman at Virginia Tech
(Virginia Tech University)
Flinchum said police so far have not found anyone matching that description.
Police further questioned the three campers and deemed their information credible, Flinchum said, which triggered the initial campus alert at 9:09.
Flinchum emphasized that the report police received said the suspect was carrying a handgun, “not that they pointed the weapon or threatened anybody.”
The teenagers were attending a camp sponsored by Higher Achievement, a District-based academic organization serving middle school students from underserved areas.
“Higher Achievement can confirm that our scholars were on campus during the situation at Virginia Tech,” Richard Tagle, CEO of Higher Achievement, said in s atatement. “Our organization was visiting the university as part of our summer academic program for middle-school youth in Washington, DC. Our first priority is the safety of our scholars and staff. We have been in contact with them and we have received confirmation that everyone is safe, and are proactively reaching out to parents of students who were on campus.”
Sensitivity to campus safety and security issues has been heightened on the Blacksburg campus since a gunman killed 32 people and himself in April 2007.
Larry Hincker, a university spokesman, said perhaps several thousand students were on campus Thursday morning for summer school, fall sports and summer camps.
"We really need to communicate first and investigate later, and that’s what we did," Hincker said.
The morning news conference was held on the steps of Burress Hall in the middle of campus, and though the school’s alert asked everyone near Virginia Tech to remain inside, there were several people walking around the school’s drillfield. There was also a normal amount of car traffic in Blacksburg’s downtown area just off campus.
Virginia Tech revamped its alert system following the 2007 shootings. A university official said Thursday more than 48,000 students and campus personnel received a text message alert about the situation, and an email alert was sent out to every student and school employee.
Hincker said the school is “proceeding with an abundance of caution” and that people walking around campus were doing so “on their own volition.”
"We’re in a new era,” he said. “Obviously the campus went through something terrible four years ago and the choice facing us and particularly the police departments is when you get a report, what are you going to do with the report, regardless of what the veracity may be or the ultimate conclusion might be. In our particular case, and I believe what most campuses would do, is regardless of what your intuition and experience as a public safety officer tells you, you really are forced to issue an alert. That’s where we are right now.”
Alex Watt, 19, a sophomore from Springfield, said she and fellow students got text alerts from Va. Tech about the lockdown around 9:45 a.m. She had arrived early for a class and the building she was in – Burchard Hall – was immediately closed. She was kept in her classroom for about an hour, but then was allowed to roam around the hall. She and other students texted and called back-and-forth to get the latest information on the situation.
She said the alert was unsettling, but said the she felt the building she was in was secure.
“We’re in Blacksburg and because of the history, it makes it scarier,” Watt said.
Post staffers Mike E. Ruane, Justin Jouvenal and David Marino-Nachison contributed to this report.
a milestone that comes at a political crossroads of sorts for his presidency.
The nation’s economy continues to struggle, the Dow is faltering and voters seem broadly unhappy with the way things are working in Washington — typified by the negative reactions to this week’s deal to raise the debt ceiling.
Obama himself has taken a hit; new poll numbers out of crucial swing states like Pennsylvania and Florida suggest a weakened position for the incumbent as he ramps up his re-election race in advance of 2012.
As Obama seeks to pick his way through the difficult political path laid out before him, he would do well to heed the example of the only other modern president who spent his 50th birthday in the White House: Bill Clinton.
“The wheel turns — tenacity, perseverance, perspective, and adaptability are critical,” said Howard Wolfson, a longtime aide to former New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, when asked the lessons that Obama at 50 could learn from Clinton at the same age.
Fifteen years ago — on August 19, 1996 — Bill Clinton turned 50. He, like Obama, celebrated with a birthday party fundraiser. (Clinton partied at Radio City Music Hall, collecting $10 million. Ah, the halcyon days before campaign finance reform).
Though Clinton was a year further along in his re-election race, similarities between the situations of the two men abound.
Clinton, like Obama, had weathered a difficult first three-plus years in the White House — watching as an attempt to overhaul the health care system went horribly wrong and led to Republicans retaking control of the House and Senate in the 1994 midterm elections.
Clinton, like Obama, had engaged in a high-profile skirmish with the new Republican congressional majorities. For Clinton, it was a showdown with House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) over the federal budget that led to an extended shutdown of the federal government. For Obama, it was a narrowly-averted government shutdown and the extended debate over whether and how to raise the debt ceiling.
What Clinton did between the summer of 1995 — the point in his term where Obama is today — and November 1996 provides a successful blueprint for how the current president can claw his way back to a position of electoral strength.
In early August 1995, Clinton’s job approval rating stood at 46 percent in Gallup data. Obama’s most recent Gallup approval number was 42 perrcent.
(Sidebar: The Gallup presidential job approval center, which allows you to compare a series of presidents against one another at various stages of their respective times in office, is an absolutely invaluable resource.)
In his 1996 State of the Union address — a speech seen as the de facto kick off of his re-election race — Clinton famously declared that “the era of big government is over,”a repudiation of years of thinking about the role of government on the liberal left and a high-profile sign of the incumbent’s desire to co-opt the ideological center of the country.
Seven months later — almost to the day — , Clinton signed a welfare reform bill into law, a legislative accomplishment that left liberals cold but appealed to moderate and unaffiliated voters. The strategy infamously became known as triangulation.
By the end of August 1996, as he turned 50 and headed towards a successful re-election campaign, Clinton’s approval rating had skyrocketed up to 60 percent and he was considered a strong favorite against former Kansas senator B
ob Dole, who had won the Republican nomination in what was widely regarded as a weak field. (Sound familiar?)
Obama, whether intentionally or not, has begun to follow in the move-to-the-middle footsteps of Clinton.
The president’s decision to cut deals with the House Republican majority on extending the Bush tax cuts, avoiding a government shutdown and raising the nation’s borrowing limit each left liberals complaining that he had given away too much as he tried to appeal to the compromise-minded spirit of independent and moderate voters.
(Make sure to check out our piece from this morning on whether independents actually value compromise.)
“Clinton really dominated the center on fiscal and economic policy with a balanced budget and welfare reform and went after new groups like soccer moms,” said his pollster Mark Penn.
Obama, by contrast, has “built up solid support with young voters but had not really moved to the center in ways that today’s independents respond to and is falling further behind with them.”
Yet the comparison between the paths of the two presidents is intriguing, but not exact.
The biggest difference in their political fates may lie in the state of the economy.
In 1995, the average unemployment rate nationwide was 5.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year later it dropped to 5.4 percent.
In 2010, unemployment averaged 9.6 percent and few economists expect any significant decline in the number of jobless Americans by the end of this year.
While Clinton was able to make a strong argument that the economic policies he had put in place over the first four years in office had bolstered the jobs picture, that will be a far harder argument for Obama.
Obama’s best play — and the one he seems to have settled on going into 2012 — is that the country has weathered a mighty economic blow, but that he and his administration kept it from being a knockout punch.
Furthemore, heading into the 1996 reelection race, Clinton also had to cope with a series of ethics questions surrounding issues such as his real-estate investments in Arkansas during the 1970s (commonly referred to as Whitewater) and the firing of seven staffers in the White House travel office (aka Travelgate).
“Bill Clinton faced a reelection where voters had concerns about his personal character so he made the election a referendum on his plans versus the Republicans,” said one senior Democratic political consultant granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Barack Obama faces a reelection where the majority of voters like and trust him personally but have concerns around where the country is, so once again the election will be a referendum on the choice between the two parties as opposed to a personal referendum.”
So, what’s an older-and-wiser Obama to do between now and next November to replicate the easy re-election victory enjoyed by Clinton?
“Accomplish or at least appear to be trying to get things done, worry about the base only to the extent that you avoid a primary [and] put all your focus on independents,” advised one former senior Clinton administration official.
How much or little Obama chooses to take that advice could well determine whether he spends his early 50s in or out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
a milestone that comes at a political crossroads of sorts for his presidency.
The nation’s economy continues to struggle, the Dow is faltering and voters seem broadly unhappy with the way things are working in Washington — typified by the negative reactions to this week’s deal to raise the debt ceiling.
Obama himself has taken a hit; new poll numbers out of crucial swing states like Pennsylvania and Florida suggest a weakened position for the incumbent as he ramps up his re-election race in advance of 2012.
As Obama seeks to pick his way through the difficult political path laid out before him, he would do well to heed the example of the only other modern president who spent his 50th birthday in the White House: Bill Clinton.
“The wheel turns — tenacity, perseverance, perspective, and adaptability are critical,” said Howard Wolfson, a longtime aide to former New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, when asked the lessons that Obama at 50 could learn from Clinton at the same age.
Fifteen years ago — on August 19, 1996 — Bill Clinton turned 50. He, like Obama, celebrated with a birthday party fundraiser. (Clinton partied at Radio City Music Hall, collecting $10 million. Ah, the halcyon days before campaign finance reform).
Though Clinton was a year further along in his re-election race, similarities between the situations of the two men abound.
Clinton, like Obama, had weathered a difficult first three-plus years in the White House — watching as an attempt to overhaul the health care system went horribly wrong and led to Republicans retaking control of the House and Senate in the 1994 midterm elections.
Clinton, like Obama, had engaged in a high-profile skirmish with the new Republican congressional majorities. For Clinton, it was a showdown with House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) over the federal budget that led to an extended shutdown of the federal government. For Obama, it was a narrowly-averted government shutdown and the extended debate over whether and how to raise the debt ceiling.
What Clinton did between the summer of 1995 — the point in his term where Obama is today — and November 1996 provides a successful blueprint for how the current president can claw his way back to a position of electoral strength.
In early August 1995, Clinton’s job approval rating stood at 46 percent in Gallup data. Obama’s most recent Gallup approval number was 42 perrcent.
(Sidebar: The Gallup presidential job approval center, which allows you to compare a series of presidents against one another at various stages of their respective times in office, is an absolutely invaluable resource.)
In his 1996 State of the Union address — a speech seen as the de facto kick off of his re-election race — Clinton famously declared that “the era of big government is over,”a repudiation of years of thinking about the role of government on the liberal left and a high-profile sign of the incumbent’s desire to co-opt the ideological center of the country.
Seven months later — almost to the day — , Clinton signed a welfare reform bill into law, a legislative accomplishment that left liberals cold but appealed to moderate and unaffiliated voters. The strategy infamously became known as triangulation.
By the end of August 1996, as he turned 50 and headed towards a successful re-election campaign, Clinton’s approval rating had skyrocketed up to 60 percent and he was considered a strong favorite against former Kansas senator B
ob Dole, who had won the Republican nomination in what was widely regarded as a weak field. (Sound familiar?)
Obama, whether intentionally or not, has begun to follow in the move-to-the-middle footsteps of Clinton.
The president’s decision to cut deals with the House Republican majority on extending the Bush tax cuts, avoiding a government shutdown and raising the nation’s borrowing limit each left liberals complaining that he had given away too much as he tried to appeal to the compromise-minded spirit of independent and moderate voters.
(Make sure to check out our piece from this morning on whether independents actually value compromise.)
“Clinton really dominated the center on fiscal and economic policy with a balanced budget and welfare reform and went after new groups like soccer moms,” said his pollster Mark Penn.
Obama, by contrast, has “built up solid support with young voters but had not really moved to the center in ways that today’s independents respond to and is falling further behind with them.”
Yet the comparison between the paths of the two presidents is intriguing, but not exact.
The biggest difference in their political fates may lie in the state of the economy.
In 1995, the average unemployment rate nationwide was 5.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year later it dropped to 5.4 percent.
In 2010, unemployment averaged 9.6 percent and few economists expect any significant decline in the number of jobless Americans by the end of this year.
While Clinton was able to make a strong argument that the economic policies he had put in place over the first four years in office had bolstered the jobs picture, that will be a far harder argument for Obama.
Obama’s best play — and the one he seems to have settled on going into 2012 — is that the country has weathered a mighty economic blow, but that he and his administration kept it from being a knockout punch.
Furthemore, heading into the 1996 reelection race, Clinton also had to cope with a series of ethics questions surrounding issues such as his real-estate investments in Arkansas during the 1970s (commonly referred to as Whitewater) and the firing of seven staffers in the White House travel office (aka Travelgate).
“Bill Clinton faced a reelection where voters had concerns about his personal character so he made the election a referendum on his plans versus the Republicans,” said one senior Democratic political consultant granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Barack Obama faces a reelection where the majority of voters like and trust him personally but have concerns around where the country is, so once again the election will be a referendum on the choice between the two parties as opposed to a personal referendum.”
So, what’s an older-and-wiser Obama to do between now and next November to replicate the easy re-election victory enjoyed by Clinton?
“Accomplish or at least appear to be trying to get things done, worry about the base only to the extent that you avoid a primary [and] put all your focus on independents,” advised one former senior Clinton administration official.
How much or little Obama chooses to take that advice could well determine whether he spends his early 50s in or out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
