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Re: Why I am not a Salafi | The QuranClub Blog

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 14:31:59 -0000

There are two Salafisms, Salafi fiqh, which is a good and admirable thing, and personally I often prefer the thinking of Salafi fiqh scholars over others.

Then there is the Salafi sect, this is the part that I object to.

In theory, like you say, there is Salafi sect. In practice, there is. Salafi sectarians are those who separate themselves from mainstream Islam, attack other scholars, and have an us vs. them mentality, where one has to either submit to them and agree with them or be labelled an infidel or any other label they choose.

As the Quran says,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا لَسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
As for those who divided their religion and became sects—you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with God; then He will inform them of what they used to do.

Salafis will say our intention is not to be a sect, but to go back to the origins of true Islam, the Islam that everyone else must also follow.

But in reality, it doesn't matter what your intentions are. When you call yourself a name, and separate yourself from the community, and open your own mosques and create your own cliques and start to attack and reject completely good and honest people (the way Yasir Qadhi is constantly attacked) because they do not exactly act like you, that is sectarianism.

To understand the true nature of any group or political party, one must look at how they are in *practice*, not what they say about themselves. Read the manifestos of any corrupt Western political party and you will see that they all defend good and admirable things, standing for equality, morality and justice. But look at them in practice, and you will see that they are extremely corrupt, selfish and greedy.

I am not saying that's how Salafis are, that's just an example. There are many good and admirable Salafis. But Salafis too, while they stand for many good and admirable things, *in practice*, many of them end up doing evil by promoting division, hatred, and lack of empathy for the rest of the Muslim community.

I have talked to Salafis who say that 71/72 of all Muslims have lost the Straight Path, meaning they are destined for hell. This is an incredibly evil and dangerous mindset that opens the way for takfirism, and which goes against the Quran and the Sunnah.

So personally, I find the forgiving, open-hearted and non-sectarian mindset of Egyptian Islam (Azhar scholars, for example) far superior to Salafism.

I too try to emulate the Salaf, like Ibn al-Jawzi I too admire many ascetics among the Salaf, but he wasn't a Salafi, and I am not a Salafi. He did not separate himself from the community he lived in, but was a part of it, calling people to follow the Quran, the Sunnah and the way of the Salaf without creating an elitist clique around himself.

To summarize, I have no issue with Salafi fiqh, and I love Ibn Baaz and Ibn Uthaymeen. What I have an issue with is Salafi sectarianism, which is everywhere to be seen. Denying that it exists will not make it go away.

A thing is known by its fruit. Salafi fiqh leads to good things, the removal of superstition and a renewed focus on acting based on evidence. Salafi clique-formation leads to evil things, to sectarianism, takfirism and attacks on good and pious people.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/07/original-searchable-arabic-text-of.html

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 11:41:12 -0000

I have fixed it.

Re: Super High Quality (True PDF) Arabic Quran for Kindle, Kindle Fire, iPad and Other Devices

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:26:13 -0000

Please see my new comment above.

Re: Super High Quality (True PDF) Arabic Quran for Kindle, Kindle Fire, iPad and Other Devices

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:13:28 -0000

I do not know the password. However, you may be able to find the vectors for the Quran text in font files on qurancomplex.com, if I remember correctly. You may also find helpful information on corpus.quran.com.

Re: Microsoft’s commercial cloud business grows 114%

Ikram Kurdi — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:02:14 -0000

You mean $5.5 billion.

Re: Amazon’s stock rises to $300 after bullish analyst says ‘The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow’

Ikram Kurdi — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:15:15 -0000

I like GeekWire, but can't you guys hire a proofreader? Almost every article I read on this site contains a glaring grammatical error or nonsensical sentence.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2010/10/arabic-quran-optimized-for-kindle.html

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 20:50:08 -0000

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Thanks for the notice. The links should be working now.

Re: The Day Israel Attacked America

Ikram Kurdi — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:52:20 -0000

If you want to create good change in the world, do it with respect and kindness. You wouldn't talk like that to people face-to-face (I hope), so don't do it on the internet either.

Re: A logical religious view of masturbation and other addictive behaviors with potential solutions

Ikram Kurdi — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 15:29:00 -0000

Thanks for the comment brother Anees.

Re: Connecting Syria's allies and enemies

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 18:19:42 -0000

It doesn't belong to any of the other categories, grey is supposed to be the default color

Re: Who is Sayyid Qutb? | The QuranClub Blog

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 16:16:20 -0000

That is one of the first Islamic books he wrote, before he had returned to Islam after his secular years, and so the way he wrote is understandable. He isn't writing as a Muslim scholar, but as a non-Muslim critic trying to interpret the Quran.

You cannot use this book to prove anything about Sayyid Qutb, as he has asked that people should not read it. Read this letter from his brother Muhammad Qutb:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g...

Re: Who is Sayyid Qutb? | The QuranClub Blog

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:57:35 -0000

From a Shar`ee standpoint we start with the assumption that Sayyid Qutb was a pious Muslim and a martyr. Anyone who tries to claim Sayyid Qutb wasn't this must bring 100% bullet-proof evidence otherwise he should be treated as a slanderer (and Allah's punishment is severe for slanderers). There is no proof anywhere that Sayyid Qutb was anything but what I said, and I think those who criticize him, if they were true Muslim who followed Allah's guidance, they would find excuses for him instead of becoming judges to decide his fate and the fate of his works and legacy.

So fear Allah and realize that you might be speaking about a man who might be much higher in status in the eye of Allah than you are. I can't imagine anyone who truly fears Allah to speak against Sayyid Qutb when the information against him is all questionable and 99.99% of his work is of the best kind.

I have read what he said about Sulaiman and Dawood and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. He speaks of them as human-beings doing human-like things, which is how the Quran teaches us to think of the prophets, not as angels, but as humans who made mistakes and were affected by the things around them.

You can read here more on Sayyid Qutb and these two prophets (Arabic)

http://www.muslmnet.net/vb/...

Why can't we just think the best of our brothers instead of creating division and hatred between people by trying to judge people on earth when their judgment resides with Allah?

And maybe you will say we just don't have a need for Sayyid Qutb when we have the Quran and the Sunnah. But this is not correct, otherwise why are you a Salafi if you have no need for the Salaf?

Sayyid Qutb is part of the modern Salaf, for he is a pious predecessor, he is an example and a source of inspiration, and if we find something questionable in his works we can compare it to the Quran and the Sunnah to find true guidance. So there is no big deal.

Sayyid Qutb is not a relative of mine and I don't stand to gain anything from defending him. But I see it as very unjust to speak against such a great man and to discard his amazing works because you disagree with a few things he said.

Re: Clearing Yasir Qadhi's Name, Refuation, Salafis, and Slander

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:34:36 -0000

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

The Muslim rulers throughout the ages made allegiances with all kinds of people, including non-Muslims (see Ottoman history). So the page you mentioned is actually an amazing work toward unifying the Ummah and decreasing its differences and increasing respect. This is good, and Salafis work in the opposite direction, toward difference, hatred and disrespect (most Salafis in their arrogance have no manners unfortunately).

Look at all the names that signed that pledge, it contains some of the best men of the American Muslim community. If you have taqwa you should be very, very, very careful to condemn something like this, and instead have respect for the good intention of these men and their superior knowledge.

See my other comment here: http://www.quranclub.net/20...

Re: Why I am not a Salafi | The QuranClub Blog

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:23:36 -0000

Muslims don't need to create a subset within Islam in fear of straying and being like the misguided ones. The Quran says: " follow the path of those who turn to Me" (31:15) and "Those [the prophets] were whom Allah guided. Follow then their guidance..." (6:90).

My approach is the approach of the early Muslims. The entire Salafi establishment can be considered a bid`a (Salafis didn't exist at the time of the Prophet). My approach to Islam is simple. Follow the mainstream of good Muslim men around the world. I already put their names above. When I see someone who fears Allah and the last Day and who works for it and who follows the clear verses of the Quran and doesn't do anything that's against them...I can stop here. I don't need to read that man's life history to see if he has committed any sins or has said any false things.

This is how Islam was for the previous generations, until Salafis came and thought you can put Islam in a box to make sure you can't stray. It is a false idea and completely against Islam to create a group within it and separate it from the mainstream. There is a very, very clear verse in the Quran: "Wala tafarraqoo" (and do not become groups), to me this should put a stop to any sincere Salafi. We are not meant to create groups of better men within society and separate ourselves from the rest. That's not how Islam started and that's not how Islam was for most of its history.

The Salaf weren't a separate group from the Muslims. They were just good men who followed the guidance available to them (and available to us). There is nothing to say that the Salaf had better knowledge than us, in fact knowledge today is more accessible and much better researched and thought out than at their time. Salafism is based on the theory that the Salaf had guidance and understanding that we do not. There is no proof of this, it is just a theory, and it can never be tested.

In my opinion every generation has its own Salaf. And they don't separate themselves from society, but work within it.

Salafism is based on pessimism, the idea that "I am an idiot and if I do not follow the Salaf then I will surely be misguided." This is disrespectful toward the Quran, which is meant to contain all the guidance that al-Muttaqoon need.

The theory that the Salaf were the best of the ummah is not mentioned anywhere in the Quran, the Quran asks us to follow the prophets (6:90), and then to follow everyone who has taqwa and repents (31:15). There is no Salaf in here, and there is nothing in early Islam to suggest that it is a good idea to live and behave and think like the Salaf and limit our perspective only to them. My Salaf is every good man who feared Allah and lived according to the Quran, i.e. like the prophets mentioned in it.

As Yasir Qadhi says, Salafism is Islam applied in a particular geographic and temporal setting. Salafism is particular, Islam is general. Islam is better in its generalism. Allah talks to the Muslims and all the other believers of previous religions, saying: "Indeed, this nation of yours is one nation, and I am Your Lord, therefore worship Me." (21:92)

This is the Islamic way of thinking, to think of all believers as one nation.

So, if you ask me how I find correct guidance, I say it is right there in the mainstream, in the Salaf of every generation, most of whom were not "Salafi". I already put the names of many of them in my post. It is very easy to find men like this for those with eyes. So we absolutely do not have a problem of not knowing where correct guidance is. It is right there, it is al-Haqqul Mubeen (the Manifest Truth), you cannot miss it if your intention is good.

Additionally, there is nothing in Islam to say that the Salaf and the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were the best Muslims, that you, by being of later generations, are by default below the Salaf and the Companions. Give me one verse of the Quran that says this. All of the good men of the Ummah are there to challenge us to be better than them, as the Quran says: "Compete with one another for a forgiveness from Your Lord and a Jannah..." (Quran 57:21). And it says: "The most honorable of you is the one most fearing of Allah." (49:13), it never says that a person of later generations can't possibly have more taqwa than a member of the Companions or the Salaf.

The misguided people you mentioned are minorities, not majorities, in the Ummah, and the good men are easily distinguishable from them, and the Salafis are also a minority created out of fear for the rest of the minorities. Instead of focusing on worshiping Allah and being good people, like mainstream Muslims, they focus on His servants.

If Yasir Qadhi has more taqwa than his teachers, then he is a better man and more honorable in the sight of Allah than his teachers, and I'm bound to think Yasir Qadhi has more taqwa because he is always respectful toward the Salafis, while the Salafis treat him with condemnation and have no taqwa of Allah that a very severe punishment will come to them for speaking scandalously of a good man.

The Salafis think that by assuming and speaking evil of innocent non-Salafi Muslims that they are the better ones. They aren't. They are the misguided ones about which who Allah says: "But they cut off their religion among themselves into sects, each part rejoicing in that which is with them." (Quran 23:53) They are proud and arrogant in their sect and assume evil of men who are probably more honorable in the sight of Allah than they are.

And again, not all Salafis are like that. There are many good men among them. But a sect is a sect. Salafism makes its followers think that just by being Salafi and belonging to that group, they are already a step above the rest of the Ummah. And this leads to arrogance.

As for me, this verse is enough for me: "VERILY, as for those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects - thou hast nothing to do with them. Behold, their case rests with God: and in time He will make them understand what they were doing." (Quran 6:159).

You may say Salafism is not a sect, but a group with a higher set of standards and a better vision. But that's a sect, and that's what every sect thinks. And when it comes to a sect, don't look to its ideals (Shi'ism has beautiful ideals, like love of the family of the Prophet and believing in the "true" method of khilafah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him and his family and companions), look at its followers. Salafis act 100% like members of a sect. When their beloved sect is criticized the get angry and lash back, almost as if they worship Salafism, not Allah. They have love for one another and but are neutral at best toward the rest of the Muslims. This is not Islam's vision. This is a sectarian vision.

Islam came down to us through good men, not through sects and groups.The good men of every nation are known and easy to find. We don't need Salafism to guide us. Islam is enough.

Re: Qatari emir to transfer power to his son

Ikram Kurdi — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:25:59 -0000

That's based on the questionable assumption that petroleum is going to run out. There is an equally valid theory that says petroleum is constantly being generated under the earth in certain areas, in conditions that can be replicated in a lab (high temperature, high pressure, water, carbon).

The entire idea of "fossil fuels" is from the 1800's and isn't backed by solid science. It is just a comfortable myth that makes many people feel good.

Re: Qatari emir to transfer power to his son

Ikram Kurdi — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:03:38 -0000

I guess you haven't been in the Gulf region. The Gulf people adore their leaders and identify with them and consider them part of their extended family. Most of the political woes that the intelligent American has to worry about everyday don't exist there, politics isn't on the mind of most people, things are settled and they just enjoy the ride.

It is not like the US where 1% owns and controls everything. The 1% of the Gulf is more like 70%.

Re: Qatari emir to transfer power to his son

Ikram Kurdi — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:27:33 -0000

Obviously not, but if on average the average Qatari is happier, feels more freedom and peace, and has more privacy than the average US citizen, then you shouldn't be so quick to judge them.

Re: WHO raises death toll from SARS-like virus

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:25:56 -0000

While foul play and deception is always a possibility in almost everything, the issue here is not the number of people dead due to the virus. What scares doctors is if this disease spreads to be as common as the flu. With its current death rate, if it spread like that it might solve the world's overpopulation problem.

Re: US soldier pleads guilty to Afghan massacre

Ikram Kurdi — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:38:44 -0000

That's incorrect. Blood money is only paid in the case of killing due to error and accidents. There is automatic death penalty for murder.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/02/quranic-names.html

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 18:24:09 -0000

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Alliyah could be two names, both are Islamic and derived from the Quran:

1. Aliyyah, this is the feminine form of Ali and means "high". It is pronounced as (U)ltimate + (L)ip + n(*EE)d + (YU)mmy

2. Aaliyah, this too means "high", and the feminine form of Aali. It is pronounced as (*A)rdent + (LI)p + (YU)mmy

* The stress is on here

Re: Why I am not a Salafi | The QuranClub Blog

Ikram Kurdi — Sun, 05 May 2013 02:32:29 -0000

No, I don't belong to any sect or group. I believe they create more problems than they solve, and that mainstream Islam is best.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/07/quranic-food-list-of-foods-mentioned-in.html

Ikram Kurdi — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:10:07 -0000

Ginger is mentioned (zanjabeel in Arabic). Can't think of anything else mentioned in the Quran in that category.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/02/quranic-names.html

Ikram Kurdi — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:46:12 -0000

Please see this page on our new site about Layyin: http://quranicnames.com/lay...

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/02/quranic-names.html

Ikram Kurdi — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:52:15 -0000

Anamta is a word in the last verse of Surat al-Fatiha (Quran 1:7): "the path of those You have blessed; not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray." Anamta means "You have blessed". The meaning is good therefore inshAllah feel free to use it.

Re: http://www.quranclub.net/2009/02/quranic-names.html

Ikram Kurdi — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:52:17 -0000

Saadaan mean "happy" and it is a Quranic name indirectly mentioned in the Quran.