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*************** SHARIAH: A TROUBLING QUESTION Saleem Ahmed, Ph.D.[1] I understand the Shariahis based upon the actions and sayings of prophet Muhammad (hadith). I further understand that the Shariah representsthe writings of the following five Muslim jurists: Jafar ibn Muhammad, 702-765; AbuHanifah, 699-767; Malik ibn Anas, 711-796; al-Shafi, 767-820; and Ahmad ibnHanbal, 780-855. My dilemma: Althoughsupposedly based on hadith, doesn't the Shariah then pre-date most hadithcollections? In fact, the two most prolific hadith compilers -- Bukhari (816-878) and Muslim (826-883) -- were bornafter three of these jurists had died. And the other compilers (IbnMajah, 824-897; Abu Dawood, 824-897; Tirmidhi, 831-901; and Al-Nasai, 836-925)were either toddlers or youth when the remaining Sh...

Single Payer: Moving Forward State-by-State by Joanne Boyer ( Note: while the health care is a key issue for the predominant number of Americans and is going to be referred to in the campaigns and the coming elections, yet it is so complicated and involved that hardly any one has a full grasp of it except the few experts. For illustration, the vey title: The single Payer requires translation, it simply means one system for everyone and has few more similar emphases along the lines- as you will find out when you read the article) Perhaps the biggest roadblock to implementation of single payer health care system is the for-profit insurance industry and its lobby. After all, who stands to lose the most with a health care system designed to take care of individuals rather than line the ...

Place of dogs in Islam Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Former President of Isna [Editorial Note by M.Akhtar } Dogs in American culture have a special place which is in conflict with the negative feelings Muslim immigrants bring with them, presumed to be derived from Islam. In fact these feelings are part of their own culture they inherited from the old country that in turn was largely shaped by a few sayings of our prophet (peace be upon him) that were reflective of the Arabian society at that time and should be taken as cultural practices rather than Islam’s universal values. (God forgive me if I am mistaken. Only God knows the best) The distinguished writer who grew up in the West surrounded by the feelings of affection and companionship towards dogs could easily ...

Modern Muslims Need to Resurrect the Spirit of Free Inquiry Dr. Nazir Khaja, Board member of MCA. Chairman, Islamic Information Service When people lose consciousness of the true spirit and values of their faith, their actions and practices no longer reflect the message of the religion they practice. The forms become an end in themselves as the greater vision that is meant to uplift and transform individuals and societies is lost. The significance of faith is reduced to a mere preservation of, and adherence to, the traditional outer practices that had once complemented and reflected the message. Religion becomes a museum for the preservation of the outer shell that was a container for the sustaining and life-transforming core. Focus is turned towards concepts of indi...

Ramadan: The month of the Quran Dr. Aslam Abdullah, editor Muslim Observer, Vice President of MCA Before it came to be known as the month of Fasting, the companions of the Prophet knew Ramadan as a month of the Quran, the last and ever lasting divine guidance to humanity. "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the Criterion (between right and wrong). So, whoever of you sights the month, he/she must observe fasts that month and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number (of days which one did not observe fasts must be made up) from other days. Allah intends for you ease, and he does not want to make things difficult for you. He wants that you must complet...

Shariah Law: The Five Things Every Non-Muslim (and Muslim) Should Know Qasim Rashid A lawyer and ardent supporter of contemporary reading of Islam . What does Shariah mean? Shariah is the law of the Qur'an and literally means "A path to life giving water." In fact, the word Yarrah (i.e. the root of the Hebrew word Torah) means precisely the same thing. Therefore, Shariah is actually ingrained in Abrahamic tradition. Shariah is comprised of five main branches: adab (behavior, morals and manners), ibadah (ritual worship), i'tiqadat (beliefs), mu'amalat (transactions and contracts) and 'uqubat (punishments). These branches combine to create a society based on justice, pluralism and equity for every member of that society. Furthermore, Shariah forbids that it ...

Shariat Laws: Block them, do not block them Part II Mohammad Akhtar,Ph.D (This is in continuation with part I that was published previously in the July issue) The stereotypes that were exploited in the ban movement were : a)Muslims are terrorists and barbarians, and b) they are out to destroy America and American ways. Therefore, Muslims need to be feared. . Stereotypes are not the truth therefore they are used only as veiled and not upfront as the main reason - as was illustrated previously. The leaders in this situation to be identified are the legislators out to exploit the situation. Knowing fully well that Muslims are feared they conjured up the image that Muslims are up to doing something with Shariat- hence the move to ban it. “What truly angers me,” adds Scott,...