Sirah & Beyond by Ustazah Thuraiya Alhabshi (Dec 2011)
~ I have always thought that History is merely facts for us to memorise and for info only. During this workshop, it changes my perspective on History. I could add meanings to any reading of Sirah and derive lessons behind one's life journey. ~
Week 1: Understanding Sirah and the Arabs
Ustazah started off by asking our intentions to attend this workshop. The knowledge will only be useful and meaningful when we internalise, personalise & act on it. The extend to which it becomes meaningful depends on our intention.
Understanding Sirah:
Sirah is ought to be studied and one should explore as many materials as possible. Sirah is the story of one's life journey and written from the author's perspectives.
Two early Muslim Historians namely Urwah ibn al-Zuhar and Ibnu Shiihab Az-Zuhri. Some other famous Historian was Ibn Ishaq. In early times, Al-Maghazi was commonly used rather than Sirah. It means stories of military expeditions.
As centuries passed and Islam had expanded, there are schools of Sirah- Salafi, Sufi & Orientalist versions. The real and accurate Sirah is only known to the Creator of Life. So how do we determine the authenticity of the Sirah? Salafi scholars perferred to limit reference to the Quran and Ahadith As-Sahihaat.
Ustazah gave us two main guidelines when we read about Sirah:
Understanding the Arabs:
4. Sedentary - achieved success in terms of economy, not as independent as Bedouins, success & wealth caused fear to become deeply rooted, superstitious & religious people.
Understanding Jahiliyah:
It refers to the state of moral ignorance or unconsciousness before Islam emerged. Here are the characteristics of the people of Jahiliyyah that are caused by their moral ignorance and became the cause of violence and meaningless practices:
Week 2: Analysing and comparing Jahiliyah & 21st century, early life of Prophet up to the 1st revelation & the meaning/level of Prophecy.
6th century Jahiliyah vs 21st century Jahiliyah:
We had a discussion in small groups to list the similarities between Jahiliyah in the 6th and 21st century.
21st century: created mental idol of Allah in their minds, limiting God to rituals, turning to him only in times of emergencies & when all else failed etc.
21st century: Acting upon borrowed knowledge (from parents, teachers) and then declared them as truth. Compelling others into believing make it worst. Teaching and spreading borrowed knowledge creates arrogance.
Questioning paves the way to knowledge. Knowledge refers to meanings that one creates via consciousness. Muslims have unconsciously ignored the very basic notion of freedom and non-compulsion in Islam (as mentioned in the Quran 2:256- There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has been made clearly distinct from error. Therefore whoever renounces false deities & believe in Allah has grasped the firm hand=hold that will never break. Allah whose hand-hold you have grasped hears all and knows all. ).
21st century: We are humbly arrogant that our religion is superior to any other religions.
21st century: Going the extreme of giving birth to as many as possible, claiming it was sunnah. While it is true that God provides, it does not mean that we should not take heed of the importance of family planning. Prophet and Khadijah had many children as they were financially stable.
Outline of early life of Prophet up to the 1st revelation:
Prophet Muhammad was born into the clan of Hashim without a father. His father, Abdullah, passed away before he was born. His Mother, Aminah, gave Prophet to Halimah from the Bedouin tribe for nursing. Halimah's life became blessful the moment she took Prophet home. When he was returned to his mother, he experienced double bereavement. Aminah & his uncle passed away.
As an orphan, he was kindly treated by his relatives. His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib loved his affectionately. But it lasted for 2 years as his grandfather passed away. He is well-liked in Mecca, loves to smile, completes tasks wholeheartedly & known as the reliable one (As-Siddiq). He married Khadijah, a successful merchant. They shared the same sentiment with regards to the beliefs and practices in Mecca. Spiritual restlessness was the word to describe Mecca. For years, the Prophet made annual retreat to the cave of Hira during the month of Ramadhan. He received his first revelation when he was 40.
The level of Prophecy:
There are 3 levels of souls (according to Ustazah's understanding of Ibn Khaldun's perception:
Week 3: Understanding the Reactions to the Prophet’s Call & Understanding the Messages of the Prophet
Week 1: Understanding Sirah and the Arabs
Ustazah started off by asking our intentions to attend this workshop. The knowledge will only be useful and meaningful when we internalise, personalise & act on it. The extend to which it becomes meaningful depends on our intention.
Understanding Sirah:
Sirah is ought to be studied and one should explore as many materials as possible. Sirah is the story of one's life journey and written from the author's perspectives.
Two early Muslim Historians namely Urwah ibn al-Zuhar and Ibnu Shiihab Az-Zuhri. Some other famous Historian was Ibn Ishaq. In early times, Al-Maghazi was commonly used rather than Sirah. It means stories of military expeditions.
As centuries passed and Islam had expanded, there are schools of Sirah- Salafi, Sufi & Orientalist versions. The real and accurate Sirah is only known to the Creator of Life. So how do we determine the authenticity of the Sirah? Salafi scholars perferred to limit reference to the Quran and Ahadith As-Sahihaat.
Ustazah gave us two main guidelines when we read about Sirah:
- To open our minds and go inwards. Eliminate unnecessary fears by just reading any books. Using Hadith & Quran as reference (Salafi version) is very logical depending on the purpose of readers.
- Ask our heart. In a Hadith narrated by Muslim, the Prophet s.a.w. taught his companions as he says, "Consult your heart. Righteousness is that abt which the soul feel at ease and the heart feels tranquil and wrongdoings is that which wavers in the soul and caused uneasiness in the chest, even though people have repeatedly given you their opinions."
Understanding the Arabs:
- Ba'idah - the ancient, perished people.
- Baqidah - the existing Arabs
- Aribah - pure Arab originally from Yemen/Saha'
- Musta'ribah - mixed Arab (Prophet Muhammad was a descendant of mixed Arab whose lineage was traced back up to Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail.
4. Sedentary - achieved success in terms of economy, not as independent as Bedouins, success & wealth caused fear to become deeply rooted, superstitious & religious people.
Understanding Jahiliyah:
It refers to the state of moral ignorance or unconsciousness before Islam emerged. Here are the characteristics of the people of Jahiliyyah that are caused by their moral ignorance and became the cause of violence and meaningless practices:
- Belief in Allah - Most of the Arabs complied with the call of Prophet Ibrahim to worship Allah. However idols were introduced and placed in the Kaabah. Hence, their approach to worship Allah became less direct.
- Superstitious - Belief in the jinn, soothsayers, diviners, astrologers etc.
- Muru'ah - Dedicated people to avenge any wrong done to the group, to protect their weaker members, to defy their enemies, to obey their chief without questions.
- Unquestioning acceptance of tradition - referred as Sunnah, a practice approved as it had been sanctioned long ago by the fathers of the tribe.
- Arrogance - root of unwillingness to submit to anybody but more willing to lead others.
- Killing of female infants - fear of daughters causing financial problems in the future.
Week 2: Analysing and comparing Jahiliyah & 21st century, early life of Prophet up to the 1st revelation & the meaning/level of Prophecy.
6th century Jahiliyah vs 21st century Jahiliyah:
We had a discussion in small groups to list the similarities between Jahiliyah in the 6th and 21st century.
- Belief in Allah
21st century: created mental idol of Allah in their minds, limiting God to rituals, turning to him only in times of emergencies & when all else failed etc.
- Unquestioning acceptance of tradition
21st century: Acting upon borrowed knowledge (from parents, teachers) and then declared them as truth. Compelling others into believing make it worst. Teaching and spreading borrowed knowledge creates arrogance.
Questioning paves the way to knowledge. Knowledge refers to meanings that one creates via consciousness. Muslims have unconsciously ignored the very basic notion of freedom and non-compulsion in Islam (as mentioned in the Quran 2:256- There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has been made clearly distinct from error. Therefore whoever renounces false deities & believe in Allah has grasped the firm hand=hold that will never break. Allah whose hand-hold you have grasped hears all and knows all. ).
- Arrogance
21st century: We are humbly arrogant that our religion is superior to any other religions.
- Superstitious
- Killing of female infants
21st century: Going the extreme of giving birth to as many as possible, claiming it was sunnah. While it is true that God provides, it does not mean that we should not take heed of the importance of family planning. Prophet and Khadijah had many children as they were financially stable.
Outline of early life of Prophet up to the 1st revelation:
Prophet Muhammad was born into the clan of Hashim without a father. His father, Abdullah, passed away before he was born. His Mother, Aminah, gave Prophet to Halimah from the Bedouin tribe for nursing. Halimah's life became blessful the moment she took Prophet home. When he was returned to his mother, he experienced double bereavement. Aminah & his uncle passed away.
As an orphan, he was kindly treated by his relatives. His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib loved his affectionately. But it lasted for 2 years as his grandfather passed away. He is well-liked in Mecca, loves to smile, completes tasks wholeheartedly & known as the reliable one (As-Siddiq). He married Khadijah, a successful merchant. They shared the same sentiment with regards to the beliefs and practices in Mecca. Spiritual restlessness was the word to describe Mecca. For years, the Prophet made annual retreat to the cave of Hira during the month of Ramadhan. He received his first revelation when he was 40.
The level of Prophecy:
There are 3 levels of souls (according to Ustazah's understanding of Ibn Khaldun's perception:
- Too weak to arrive at spiritual perception. The highest level here is knowledge acquired through thinking. This is the level of scholars.
- Thinking in the direction of spiritual intellection. This is the perception of saints and men of mystical learning and knowledge.
- Prophet's level. The soul is prepared to enter the worlds of angles.
Week 3: Understanding the Reactions to the Prophet’s Call & Understanding the Messages of the Prophet
SIRAH & BEYOND: Letting Go and Accepting Change (Oct 2012)
Overview of Sirah:
Sirah comes from Sara which means to travel, be on a journey, life journey.
Wikipedia: In the Arabic language the word sīra or sīrat (Arabic: سيرة) comes from the verb sāra (Present tense: yasīru), which means to travel or to be on a journey. A person's sīra is that person’s journey through life, or biography, encompassing their birth, events in their life, manners and characteristics, and their death.
Sirah does not equal to Sunnah/Hadith. Sunnah/Hadith is essential to understand Sirah. We should derive lessons from Sirah and not to emualate exacly what Prophet did.
Ibn Ishaq & Ibn Hisham collected oral traditions that formed the basis of the most important biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Do we need to verify the sources of the Sirah of our beloved Prophet? No, we just need to derive lessons and learnt to IMPROVE ourselves.
TIMELINE:
Early life of Prophet ---------------1st Revelation ------------------ Hijrah ------------- Battles --------------- Opening of Mecca
Are we really worshipping Allah or worshipping our fear, the word ALLAH, the mental image of Allah etc. Do not worship Allah because of the fear of entering hellfire.
What is the one clear thing that Prophet did?
He turned inward to his heart to find peace. In the silence of Gua Hira and away from the people, he found the solution to his problems. Silent your thoughts to receive answers to your problems.
We had group discussions on 3 questions. Before that, we have to Takhalli (empty our cups) & Tahalli (in order to fill it with Allah):
Q!) Why are the Jahilliyah Arabs so stubborn and confident in their cultures and tradition, seeking no wrong in doing them even though they are clearly wrong and foolish?
Q2) What could have been in the Prophet's mind when he was in the cave of Hira BEFORE he received the 1st revelation? What do you think was he searching for?
Q3) Why do you think was the Prophet sent?
Hadith on heart:
The Prophet of Mercy, Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said :
‘Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is
good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is
corrupted, and that is surely the heart’.
Related by Imam Bukhārī in his sahih
On the authority of Abu ‘Abdullah al-Nu’man bin Bashir, radiyallahu
‘anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam, say:
“Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful
is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many
people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and
honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in
unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will
soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah
has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh;
if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is
corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.”
Wabisa ibn Ma’bad Al-Asadi reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon
him, said to him, “Have you come to ask about righteousness and
sin?” I said, “Yes.” So he brought his fingers together and struck his
chest three times, saying,
“Consult your soul, consult your heart, O Wabisa. Righteousness is what is satisfying to your soul and your heart; and sin is what wavers in your soul and causes hesitancy in your chest, even if the people give you a judgment, and again give you a judgment.”
SUMMARY:
REMINDERS on
1) GLAD TIDINGS --- > Mercy & Tawbah
2) WARNINGS --------> Shirk & Kufr
Shirk: Allah warns us against Shirk. If there is a hole, we will fall into it. If we attach our heart to others things except Allah, we will get hurt.
Kufr: Someone who follow blindly. You do not want to believe other people but only yourselves.
Sirah comes from Sara which means to travel, be on a journey, life journey.
Wikipedia: In the Arabic language the word sīra or sīrat (Arabic: سيرة) comes from the verb sāra (Present tense: yasīru), which means to travel or to be on a journey. A person's sīra is that person’s journey through life, or biography, encompassing their birth, events in their life, manners and characteristics, and their death.
Sirah does not equal to Sunnah/Hadith. Sunnah/Hadith is essential to understand Sirah. We should derive lessons from Sirah and not to emualate exacly what Prophet did.
Ibn Ishaq & Ibn Hisham collected oral traditions that formed the basis of the most important biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Do we need to verify the sources of the Sirah of our beloved Prophet? No, we just need to derive lessons and learnt to IMPROVE ourselves.
TIMELINE:
Early life of Prophet ---------------1st Revelation ------------------ Hijrah ------------- Battles --------------- Opening of Mecca
Are we really worshipping Allah or worshipping our fear, the word ALLAH, the mental image of Allah etc. Do not worship Allah because of the fear of entering hellfire.
What is the one clear thing that Prophet did?
He turned inward to his heart to find peace. In the silence of Gua Hira and away from the people, he found the solution to his problems. Silent your thoughts to receive answers to your problems.
We had group discussions on 3 questions. Before that, we have to Takhalli (empty our cups) & Tahalli (in order to fill it with Allah):
Q!) Why are the Jahilliyah Arabs so stubborn and confident in their cultures and tradition, seeking no wrong in doing them even though they are clearly wrong and foolish?
Q2) What could have been in the Prophet's mind when he was in the cave of Hira BEFORE he received the 1st revelation? What do you think was he searching for?
Q3) Why do you think was the Prophet sent?
Hadith on heart:
The Prophet of Mercy, Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said :
‘Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is
good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is
corrupted, and that is surely the heart’.
Related by Imam Bukhārī in his sahih
On the authority of Abu ‘Abdullah al-Nu’man bin Bashir, radiyallahu
‘anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam, say:
“Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful
is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many
people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and
honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in
unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will
soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah
has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh;
if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is
corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.”
Wabisa ibn Ma’bad Al-Asadi reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon
him, said to him, “Have you come to ask about righteousness and
sin?” I said, “Yes.” So he brought his fingers together and struck his
chest three times, saying,
“Consult your soul, consult your heart, O Wabisa. Righteousness is what is satisfying to your soul and your heart; and sin is what wavers in your soul and causes hesitancy in your chest, even if the people give you a judgment, and again give you a judgment.”
SUMMARY:
REMINDERS on
1) GLAD TIDINGS --- > Mercy & Tawbah
2) WARNINGS --------> Shirk & Kufr
Shirk: Allah warns us against Shirk. If there is a hole, we will fall into it. If we attach our heart to others things except Allah, we will get hurt.
Kufr: Someone who follow blindly. You do not want to believe other people but only yourselves.