بَـــابُ السّــوَاك

السواك: بكسر السين، اسم للعود الذي  يُتَسَوًكُ به، وللفعل الذي هو دَلك الأسنان بالعود أو نحوه، لتذهب الصفرة والأوساخ، وليطهر الفم ويحصل الثواب.

مناسبة ذكره هنا، أنه من سنن الوضوء ومن الطهارة المرغب فيها.

فهو أحد أبواب ” كتاب الطهارة  ” المتقدم.

وفيه من الفوائد ما يفوت الحصر من النظافة، والصحة، وقطع الرائحة الكريهة، وطيب الفم، وتحصيل الثواب، واتباع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.

الحديث الأول

عن أبِي هريرة رَضِي الله عَنْهُ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  قال : ” لَوْلاَ[1] أنْ أشُقَّ عَلَى أمتي لأمَـرْتُهُمْ بِالسَّـوَا كِ مَعَ كُلِّ وُضـوءٍ عِنْدَ كُل صَلاةٍ ” متفق عليه.

المعنى الإجمالي:

من كـمال نصـح النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   ومحبتـه الخير لأمته، ورغبته أن يلجوا كل باب يعود عليهم بالنفع لينالوا كـمال السعادة، أن حثهم على التسوك.

فهو صلى الله عليه وسلم لما علم من كثرة فوائد السواك، وأثر منفعته عاجلا وآجلا، كاد يلزم أمته به عند كل وضوء أو صلاة.

ولكن -لكـمال شفقتـه ورحمتـه- خاف أن يفرضه الله عليهم، فلا يقوموا به، فيأثموا، فامتنع من فرضه عليهم خوفاً وإشفاقاً. ومع هذا رغبهم فيه وحضَّهم عليه.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- استحباب السواك وفضله، الذي بلغ به درجة الواجبات في الثواب .

2- تأكد مشروعية السواك عند الوضوء والصلاة قال ابن دقيق العيد: السر أنا مأمورون  وكل حالة من أحوال التقرب إلى الله عز وجل إنما تكون في حالة كمال النظافة لإظهار شرف العبادة. وقيل: إن ذلك الأمر يتعلق بالملك فإنه يتأذى بالرائحة الكريهة. قال الصنعاني : ولا يبعد أن السر مجموع الأمرين المذكورين لما أخرجه مسلم من حديث جابر ” من أكل الثوم أو البصل أو الكراث، فلا  يقربن  مسجدنا فإن الملائكة تتأذى مما يتأذى به بنو آدم “.

3- فضل الوضوء والصلاة، المستعمل معهما السواك.

4- إنه لم يمنع من، فرض السواك إلا مخافة المشقة في القيام به.

5- كمال شفقة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   بأمته،وخوفه عليهم.

6- إن الشرع يسر لا عسر فيه، ولا مشقة.

7- أن درء المفاسد، مقدم على جلب المصالح.

وهذه قاعدة عظيمة نافعة جدا. فإن الشارع الحكيم ، ترك فرض السواك، على الأمة مع ما فيه من المصالح العظيمة، خشية أن يفرضه الله عليهم فلا يقوموا به فيحصل عليهم فساد كبير، بتركِ الواجبات الشـرعية.

الحديث الثاني

عن حُذَيْفَةَ بْن الْيَمانِ قَالَ: كَان رَسُول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذا قَامَ من الليل يَشُوصُ[2]  فاه  بِالسوَاكِ.

قوله ” يشوص ” بفتح الياء وضم الشين المعجمة المهملة ، والشوص ذلك الأسنان بمسواك عرضا . المعنى الإجمالي:

من محبة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   للنظافة وكراهته للرائحة الكريهة، كان إذا قام من نوم الليل الطويل الذي هو مظنة تغير رائحة الفم، دلك أسنانه صلى الله عليه وسلم   بالسواك، ليقطع الرائحة، ولينشط بعد مغالبة النوم على القيام، لأن من خصائص السواك أيضا التنبيه والتنشيط.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث

1- تأكد مشروعية السواك بعد نوم الليل. وعلته أن النوم مقتض لتغير رائحة الفم، والسواك هو آلة تنظيفية، ولهذا فإنه يسن عند كل تغير.

2- تأكد مشروعية السواك عند كل تغير كريه للفم، أخذا من المعنى السابق.

3- مشروعية النظافة على وجه العموم، وأنها من سنة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  ، ومن الآداب السامية.

الحديث الثالث

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضيَ الله عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: دَخَل عَبْدُ الرَّحْمنِ بنُ أبي بَكْر الصديق رَضيَ الله عَنْهُمَا عَلَى النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم   وَأنا مُسْنِدَتهُ إِلى صَدْري -وَمَعَ عَبْدِ الرحْمنِ سِوَاكٌ رَطْبٌ يَسْتَنُّ بهِ- فَأبَدهُ رَسُول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بَصَرَهُ، فَأخَذْتُ السوَاكَ فَقَضِمْتُهُ وَطَيبتهُ، ثُمَّ دَفَعْتُهُ إَلَى النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم   فاستنّ به، فما رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتَنَّ اسْتِنَاناً أحْسَنَ مِنْهُ. فَمَا عَداَ أنْ فَرَغَ رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رَفَعَ يَدَهُ أوْ إِصبَعَهُ- ثم قال : “في الرَّفيقِ الأعلى”  ثَلاثاً، ثُم قضى عَليهِ.

وكَانَتْ تَقُولُ: مَاتَ بَيْنَ حَاقِنَتي وذاقِنَتى.

وفى لفظ: فَرَأيتهُ يَنُظُرُ إِلَيهِ، وَعَرَفْتُ أنَّهُ يُحِـب السوَاَكَ فَقُلْتُ: آخُذُه لَك؟ فَأشَارَ بِرأسِهِ: أن نَعَمْ.

هذا لفظ البخاري، ولـ “مسلم” نحوه.

 غريب الحديث:

 1- “يستن به” يُمِرُّ السواك على أسنانه، كأنه يحددها.

2- “فأبده” بتخفيف الباء الموحدة، وتشديد الدال، مدَّ إليه بصره وأطاله.

3 “بين حاقنتى وذاقنتى” “الحاقنة” ما بين الترقوتين وحبل العاتق “الذاقنة” طرف الحلقوم الأعلى.

4- “فقَضِمته” بفتح القاف وكسر الضاد المعجمة كذا ضبطه ابن الأثير وغيره ، أي مضغته بأسنانها، ليلين.

و “القضم” بأطراف الأسنان و”الخصم” بالفم كله.

المعنى الإجمالي :

تذكر عائشـة رضي الله عنها قصةً تبين لنا مدى محبة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم للسواك وتعلقه به

وذلك أن عبد الرحمن بن أبى بكر- أخا عائشة- دخل على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في حال النزع ومعه سواك رطب، يدلك به أسنانه.

فلما رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم السواك مع عبد الرحمن، لم يشغله عنه ما هو فيه من المرض والنزع، من محبته له، فمذَ إليه بصره، كالراغب فيه، ففطنت عائشـة رضي الله عنها فأخذت السواك من أخيها ، وقصت رأس السواك المنقوض ، ونقضت له رأساً جديداً ونظفته وطيبته، ثم ناولته النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فاستاك به.

فما رأت عائشـة تسوكاً أحسن من تسوكه.

فلما طهر وفرغ من التسوك، رفع إصبعه، يوحد الله تعالى، ويختار النقلة إلى ربه تعالى، ثم توفى صلى الله عليه وسلم.

فكانت عائشة رضي الله عنها مغتبطة،وحق لها ذلك، بأنه صلى الله عليه وسلم توفى ورأسه في صدرها.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- الاستياك بالسواك الرطب.

2- إصلاح السواك وتهيئته.

3- الاستياك بسواك الغير بعد تطهيره وتنظيفه.

4- العمل بما يفهم من الإشارة والدلالة.

5- الرفيق الأعلى: هم المشار إليهم في سورة النساء وهم  { الذين أنعم الله عليهم من النبيين والصديقين والشهداء والصالحين  }.

الحديث الرابع 

عَنْ أبِي مُوسَى الأشعري رضِىَ الله عَنْهُ قاَل : أتيْتُ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   وهُوَ يَستَاكُ بِسِوَاكٍ رَطْبٍ[3] قَالَ وطَرَف السوَاكِ عَلى لِسَانِهِ، وَهو يَقُولُ: أُع أُع، وَالسوَاك في فِيهِ كَأنَهُ يَتَهَوَّع.

 غريب الحديث:

1- “أُع أُع” بضم الهمزة وسكون المهملة. حكاية صوت المتقىء، أصلها هع هع، فأبدلت همزة.

2- “كأنه يتهوع” التهوع، التقيؤ بصوت.

المعنى الإجمالي

يذكر أبو موسى الأشعرى: أنه جاء إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  ، وهو يستاك بمسواك رطب، لأن إنقاءه أكمل، فلا يتفتت في الفم، فيؤذى، وقد جعل السواك على لسانه، وبالغ في التسوك، حتى كأنه يتقيأ.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- مشروعية السواك بالعود الرطب. وأن السواك من العبادات والقربات.

2- مشروعية المبالغة في التسوك. لأن  في المبالغة كمال الإنقاء.

3- أن يستعمل السواك في لسانه، في بعض الأحيان.

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[1] “لولا” تفيد امتـناع الثاني لوجود الأول نحو لولا زيد لأكرمتك أي لولا مخافة أن أشق. لأمرتهم أمرا.

[2] قوله ” يشوص ” بفتح الياء وضم الشين المعجمة المهملة ، والشوص ذلك الأسنان بمسواك عرضا .

[3] هذا لفظ البخاري ولفظ  (مسلم). دخلت على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  وطرف السواك على لسانه هـ، يذكر الصفة، وكذا حرره عبد الحق في كتابه (الجمع بين الصحيحين)

بَـــابُ السّــوَاك

بَـاب دخـول الخـلاءَ والاستِطَـابـة

هذا الباب يذكر فيه آداب دخول الخلاء، والجلوس فيه، والخروج منه، كما يذكر فيه كيفية الاستطابة من الأنجاس في المخرجين بحجر وما يقوم مقامه والتحرز منها ، وهذا من أبواب كتاب الطهارة المذكور سابقا.

الحديث الأول

عن أنس بن مالك  رَضي الله عَنْهُ أنَّ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  كَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْخَلاءَ قَاَلَ: “اللهُمَّ إني أعُوذُ بِك من الْخُبثِ والْخَبائثِ”.

الخبث -بضم الخاء والباء- جمع (خبيث)  ” والخبائث ” جمع خبيثة.

استعاذ من ذُكران الشياطين وإناثهم.

 غريب الحديث: 1- “إذا دخل الخلاء” : يعنى إذا أراد الدخول كقوله تعالى : { فَإذَا قرأتَ القُرْآنَ فَاستَعِذ بَالله منَ الشيْطَان الرجِيم } . يعنى: فإذا أردت قراءة القرآن.

وكما صرح البخاري في ” الأدب المفرد ” بهذا حيث روى عن أنس قال : كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   إذا أراد أن يدخل الخلاء قال: وذكر حديث الباب.

2- “الخلاء” : بالمد، المكان الخالي. وهنا، المكان المقصود والمعدّ لقضاء الحاجة فإن قصد فضاء كصحراء لقضاء حاجته فلا حاجة إلى تأويل الدخول بإرادة الدخول.

3- “الخبث والخبائث” : الخبث، ضبط بضم الخاء والباء كما ذكر المصنف ومعناه ذكور الشـياطين، وضبطه جماعة بإسكان الباء ومعناه على هذا يكون الشر، وهو معنى جامع حيث قد استعاذ من الـشر وأهله، وهم الخبائث، فينبغي للقائل مراعاة هذا المعنى العام.

المعنى الإجمالي:

أنس بن مالك المتشرف بخدمة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  يذكر لنا في هذا الحديث أدب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  حينِ قضاء حاجته، وهو أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم  -من كثرة التجائه إلى ربه- لا يدع ذكره والاستعانة به على أية حال.

فهو صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا أراد دخول المكان الذي سيقضي فيه حاجته، استعاذ بالله، والتجأ إليه أن يقيه من الشر الذي منه النجاسة، وأن يعصمه من الخبائث، وهم الشياطين الذين يحاولون في كل حال أن يفسدوا على المسلم أمر دينه وعبادته.

فإذا كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  وهو المحفوف بالعصمة- يخاف من الـشر وأهله، فجدير بنا أن يكون خوفنا أشد  وأن نأخذ بالاحتياط لديننا من عدونا.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- استحباب هذا الدعاء عند إرادة دخول الخلاء، ليأمن من الشياطين الذين يحاولون إفساد صلاته.

2- إن من أذى الشياطين أنهم يسببِون التنجس لتفسد صلاة العبد فيستعيذ منهم، ليتقي شرهم.

3- وجوب اجتناب النجاسـات، وعمل الأسباب المنجية منها . فقد صح أن عدم التحرز من البول من أسباب عذاب القبر.

الحديث الثاني

عَنْ أبي أيّوبَ الأنصاري رَضِي الله عَنْهُ قال: قالَ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم “إِذا أردتمُ الغَائِطَ فَلا تَستقْبِلوا القِبلَةَ بِغَاِئطٍ وَلا بَوْل وَلا تسْتدْبِرُوهَا وَلكنْ شَرقوا أوْ غَربُوا”. قال أبو أيوب: “فقدمنا الشام فوجدنا مراحيض قد بنيت نحو الكعبة، فننحرف عنها، ونستغفر الله عز وجل”

 غريب الحديث: 1- “الغائط” : المطمئن من الأرض، وكانوا ينتابونه لقضاء الحاجة، فكنوا به عن الحدث نفسه.

2- “والمراحيض” : جمع مرحاض وهو المغتسل، وقد كنوا به أيضا عن موضع قضاء الحاجة.

3- “ولكن شرقوا أو غربوا” : اتجهوا نحو المشرق أو المغرب.

وهذا بالنسبة لأهل المدينة ومن في سَمْتهم، ممن لا يستقبلون القبلة ولا يستدبرونها إذا شرقوا أو غربوا.

المعنى الإجمالي:

يرشد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى شيء من آداب قضاء الحاجة بأن لا يستقبلوا القبلة، وهى الكعبة المشرفة، ولا يستدبروها حال قضاء الحاجة لأنها قبلة الصلاة، وموضع التكريم والتقديس، وعليهم أن ينحرفوا عنها قِبَلَ المشرق أو المغرب إذا كان التشريق أو التغريب ليس موجَّها إليها، كقبلة أهل المدينة.

ولما كان الصحابة رضي الله عنهم أسرع الناس قبولا لأمر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، الذي هو الحق، ذكر أبو أيوب: أنهم لما قدموا الشام إثر الفتح وجدوا فيها المراحيض المعدة لقضاء الحاجة، قد بنيت متجهة إلى الكعبة، فكانوا ينحرفون عن القبلة، ولكن قد يقع منهم السهو فيستقبلون الكعبة، فإذا فطنوا، انحرفوا عنها، وسألوا الله الغفران عما بدر منهم سهواً.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- النهي عن استقبال القبلة واستدبارها، حال قضاء الحاجة.

2- الأمر بالانحراف عن القبلة في تلك الحال.

3- إن أوامر الشرع ونواهيه تكون عامة لجميع الأمة، وهذا هو الأصل. وقد تكون خاصة لبعض الأمة، ومنها هذا الأمر فإن قوله: “ولكن شرقوا أو غربوا” هو أمر بالنسبة لأهل المدينة ومن هو في جهتهم، ممن إذا شرقوا أو غربوا لا يستقبلون القبلة.

4- الحكمة في ذلك تعظيم الكعبة المشرفة واحترامها. فقد جاء في حديث مرفوع “إذا أتى أحدكم البراز فليكرم قبلة اللَه عز وجل ولا يستقبل القبلة”.

5- المراد بالاستغفار هنا : الاستغفار القلبي لا اللساني، لأن ذكر الله باللسان في حال كشف العورة وقضاء الحاجة ممنوع.

الحديث الثالث

عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضيَ الله عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: رَقيِتُ[1] يَوْماً عَلَى بَيْتِ حَفْصَةَ، فَرَأيْتُ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْضى حَاجَتَهُ مُسْتَقْبلَ الشَّام مُسْتَدْبرَ الكَعْبَةِ.

المعنى الإجمالي :

ذكر ابن عمر رضي الله عنه: أنه جاء يوماً إلى بيت أخته حفصة، زوج النبي  صلى الله عليه وسلم، فرأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، يقضى حاجته وهو متَجه نحو الـشام، ومستدبر القبلة.

اختلاف العلماء والتوفيق بين الحديثين:

اختلف العلماء في حكمٍ استقبال القبلة واستدبارها في قضاء الحاجة.

فذهب إلى التحريم مطلقا، راوي الحديث أبو أيوب، ومجاهد، والنخعي، والثوري. ونصر هذا القول “ابن حزم” وأبطل سواه من الأقوال في كتابه المحلى، وهو اختيار شيخ الإسلام “ابن تيمية” و”ابن القيم” وقواه : ورد غيره من الأقوال في كتابيه . “زاد المعاد” و”تهذيب السنن” واحتجوا بالأحاديث الصحيحة الواردة في النهى المطلق عن ذلك، ومنها حديث أبى أيوب هذا الذي معنا.

وذهب إلى جوازه مطلقاً، عروة بن الزبير، وربيعة، وداود الظاهري، محتجين بأحاديث، منها حديث ابن عمر الذي معنا.

وذهب الأئمة مالك، والشافعي، وأحمد،  وإسحاق وهو مروي عن عبد الله بن عمر، والشعبي: إلى التفصيل في ذلك.

فيحرمونه في الفضاء، ويبيحونه في البناء ونحوه.

فهذا هو المذهب الحق الذي تجتمع فيه الأدلة الشرعية الصحيحة  الواضحة  فإن التحريم مطلقاً، يبطل العمل بجانب من الأحاديث، والإباحة مطلقا كذلك. والتفصيل يجمع بين الأدلة، ويعملها كلها، وهذا هو الحق. فإنه مهما أمكن الجمع بين النصوص، وجب المصير إليه قبل كل شيء وهناك قول رابع لا يقل عن هذا قوة وهو القول بالكراهة لا التحريم قال الصنعاني : لابد من التوفيق بين الأحاديث بحمل النهى على الكراهة لا التحريم، وهذا وإن كان خلافا لأصل النهي. إلا أن قرينة إرادته فعله صلى الله عليه وسلم  بخلافه للتشـريع وبيان الجواز. وحمل أحاديث الباب على هذا هو الأقرب عندي. وقد ذهب إليه جماعة وبهذا يزول تعارض أحاديث الباب.

قلت: وعلى كل ينبغي الانحـراف عن القبلة في البنـاء أيضـا، اتقاء للأحاديث الناهية في ذلك، ولما فيه من الخلاف القويِّ الذي نصره هؤلاء المحققون .

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- جواز استدبار الكعبة عند قضاء الحاجة، ويفيد بأنه في البنيان.

2- جواز استقبال بيت المقدس عند قضاء الحاجة خلافا لمن كرهه.

الحديث الرابع

عنْ أنَس بْنِ مَالِـكٍ رَضِيَ اللّه عَنْـهُ، أنَّـهُ قَالَ: “كَانَ رَسول الله  يَدْخُلُ الخلاء فَأحْمِلُ أنَا وَغُلام نَحوِى إدَاوَةً مِنْ ماء وَعَنَزَةَ فَيَسْتَنْجِي بِاْلمَاء”.

العنزة: الحربة الصغيرة.

غريب الحديث:

1- “وغلام نحوي” : الغلام،  هو المميز حتى يبلغ و”نحوي” يعنى هو مقارب لي في السن.

2- “إداوة من ماء” : بكسر الهمزة، هي الإِناء الصغير من الجلد يجـعل للماء.

3- “العَنَزة” : عصا أقصر من الرمح لها سنان.

المعنى الإجمالي:

يذكر خادم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  ” أنس بن مالك ” أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم حينما يدخل موضع قضاء الحاجة كان يجيء هو وغلام معه بطهوره،. الذي يقطع به الأذى، وهـو ماء في جلد صغـير، وكذلك يأتيان بما يستتر به عن نظر النـاس. وهو عصـا قصـيرة في طرفها حديدة يغرزها في الأرض ويجعل عليها شيئا يقيه من نظر المارين.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- جواز الاقتصار على الماء في الاستنجاء، وهو أفضل من الاقتصار على الحجارة، لأن الماء أنقى، والأفضل الجمع بين الحجارة والماء، فيقدم الحجارة، ثم يتبعها الماء، ليحصل الإنقاء الكامل. قال النووي: فالذي عليه جماعة السلف والخلف، وأجمع عليه أهل الفتوى من أئمة الأمصار أن الأفضل أن يجمع بين الماء والحجارة فيستعمل الحجر أولا  لتخف النجاسة وتقل مباشرتها بيده، ثم يستعمل الماء. فإن أراد الاقتصار على أحدهما جاز الاقتصار على أيهما شاء، سواء وجد الآخر أو لم يجده، فإن اقتصر على أحدهما فالماء أفضل من الحجر.

2- استعداد المسلم بطهوره عند قضاء الحاجة، لئلا يُحْوِجُه إلى القيام فيتلوث.

3- تَحَفظُهُ عن أن ينظر إليه أحد، لأن النظر إلى العورة محرم. فكان يركز العنزة في الأرض وينصب عليها الثوب الساتر.

4- جواز استخدام الصغار، وإن كانوا أحراراً.

الحديث الخامس

عن أبي قَتَادة الْحَارِثِ بْنِ ربعي الأنصاري رَضِيَ اللَه عَنْهُ أنَّ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قَاَلَ: “لا يُمْسِكن[3] أحَدُكُمْ ذَكَرَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ وَهو يَبُولُ، وَلاَ يَتَمَسَّحْ مِنَ الخَلاَءِ بِيَمِيِنهِ، ولا يَتَنَفَس في الإنَاء”.

المعنى الإجمالي:

يشتمل هذا الحديث الشريف على ثلاث جمل، من النصائح الغالية والفوائد الثمينة، التي تهذب الإنسان، وتجنبه الأقذار والأضرار والأمراض .

فالأولى والثانية:- أن لا يمس ذكره حال بوله، ولا يزيل النجاسة من  القبل أو الدبر بيمينه، لأن اليد اليمنى أعدت للأشياء الطيبة، ومباشر الأشياء المرغوب فيها كالأكل والشرب.

فإذا باشرت النجاسات وتلوثت، ثم باشرت الطعام والشـراب، والمصافحة وغير ذلك، كرهته. وربما حملت معها شيئا من الأمراض الخفية.

والثالثة:- النَّهى عن التنفس في الإناء الذي يشرب منه لما في ذلك من الأضرار الكثيرة، التي منها تكريهه للشارب بعده، كما أنه قد يخرج من أنفه بعض الأمراض التي تلوث الماء فتنقل معه العدوى، إذا كان الـشارب المتنفس مريضاً.

وقد يحصل من التنفس حال الشرب ضرر على الشارب، حينما يدخل النفس الماء ويخرج منه.

والشارع لا يأمر إلا، بما فيه الخير والصلاح، ولا ينهى إلا عما فيه الضرر والفساد.

اختلاف العلماء :

اختلف العلماء : هل النهى للتحريم، أو للكراهة؟

فذهب الظاهرية إلى التحريم، أخذا بظاهر الحديث.

وذهب الجمهور إلى الكراهة، على أنها نواه تأديبية.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- النهى عن مس الذكر باليمنى حال البول.

2- النهى عن الاستنجاء باليمين .

3- النهى عن التنفس في الإناء.

4- اجتناب الأشياء القذرة، فإذا اضطر إلى مباشرتها، فليكن باليسار.

5- بيان شرف اليمين وفضلها على اليسار.

6- الاعتناء بالنظافة عامة، لاسيما المأكولات والمشروبات التي يحصل من تلويثها ضرر في الصحة.

7- سُمُوُّ الشرع، حيث أمر بكل نافع، وحذر من كل ضار.

الحديث السادس

عن عَبد الله بن عباس رضي الله تَعَاَلَى عَنْهُما قَالَ: مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم   بقبرين  فَقَاَل: ” إِنَهُمَا ليُعَذَّبَانِ، وَمَا يُعَذً بانِ في كَبِير. أمًا أحَدُهُما فَكَاَن لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنَ الْبَول، وَأمَّا الآخر فكَاَن يمْشىِ بَالنميمَة”.

فَأَخَذَ جَريدةً رَطْبَةً فَشَقَهَا نِصْفَيْنِ، فَغرزَ في كل قَبْر واحدَة.

فقالوا: يَا رَسُول الله، لم فَعَلْتَ هذَا ؟  قَال: “لعَلهُ يُخَفَفُ عَنْهمَا مَا لم يَيْبَسَا”.

غريب الحديث:

1- “إنهما ليعذبان” : المراد، يعذب من فيهما. من  إطلاق اسم المحل على الحال فيه .

2- “لا يستتر من البول” : بتائين، أي لا يجعل سترة تقيه من بوله وروي  “لا يستبرئ “.

3- “يمشى بالنميمة” : ينقل كلام الغير بقصد الإِضرار.

4- “فأخذ جريدة” : عسيب النخل الذي ليس فيه سعف.

5- “فغرز” : بالزاي ، ورواه ” مسلم ” بالسين. أي: غرس.

قال أبو مسعود: “وموضع الغرس كان بازاء الرأس، ثبت بإسناد صحيح”.

المعنى الإجمالي:

مر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ومعـه بعـض أصحـابـه بقـبرين، فكشف الله سبحانه وتعالى له عنهما، فرأى من فيهما يعذبان.

فأخبر أصحابه بذلـك، تحذيراً لأمته، وتخويفاً، فإن صاحبي هذين القـبرين، يعـذب كل منهما بذنب يسير تركه والابتعاد عنه، لمن وفقه الله لذلك.

فأحَدُ المعذَّبَيْن، لا يحترز من بوله عند قضاء الحاجة، ولا يتحفّظ منه، فتصيبه النَجاسة فتلوث بدنه وثيابه.

والآخر شيطان يسعى بين الناس بالنميمة التي تسبب العداوة والبغضاء بين الناس، ولاسيما الأقارب والأصدقاء.

يأتي إلى هذا فينقـل إليـه كلام ذاك ويأتي إلى ذاك فينقـل إليه كلام هذا، فيولد بينهما القطيعة والخصام.

والإسلام إنما -جاء بالمحبة والألفة بين- الناس وقطع المنازعات والمخاصمات.

ولكن الكـريم الرحيم أدركتـه عليهما الشفقـة والرأفة، فأخذ جريدة نخل رطبة، فشقَّها نصفين، وغرز على كل قبر واحدة.

فسأل الصحـابـة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  عن هذا العمـل الغـريب عليهم فقال: لعل الله يخفف عنهما ما هما فيه في العذاب، ما لم تيبس هاتان الجريدتان.

اختلاف العلماء:

اختلف العلماء في وضع الجريدة على القبر. فذهب بعضهم إلى استحباب وضع الجريدة على القبر، لأنهم جعلوا هذا الفعل من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تشريعاً عاماً.

والعلة عند هؤلاء مفهومة،:هي أن الجريدة تسبح عند صاحب القبر مادامت رطبة.

فلعله يناله من هذا التسبيح ما يُنَورُ عليه قبره.

وذهب بعضهم إلى عدم مشروعية ذلك، لأنه شرع عبادة، وهو يحتاج إلى دليل، وليس في الشرع ما يثبته.

أما هذه فقضية عين، حكمتها مجهولة، ولذا لم يفعلها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مع غير صاحبي هذين القبرين.

وكذاك لم يفعله من أصحابه أحد، إلا ما روى عن بُريدة بن الحُصيب، من أنه أوصى أن يجعل على قبره جريدتان.

أما التسبيح، فلا يختص بالرطب دون اليابس، والله  تعالى يقول: { وإِنْ مِنْ شيء إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمدِهِ}.

ثم قالوا: لو فرضنا أن الحكمة معقولة، وهى تسبيح الجريد الرطب، فنقول: تختص بمثل هذه الحال التي حصلت للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عند هذين القبرين، وهى الكشف له من عذابهما قال القاضي عياض: “علل غرزهما على القبر بأمر مغيَب وهو قوله، ” ليعذبان ” فلا يتم القياس لأنا لا نعلم حصول العلة”.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- إثبات عذاب القبر كما اشتهرت به الأخبار وهو مذهب أكثر الأمة.

2- عدم الاستبراء من النجاسات سبب في هذا العذاب فالواجب الاستبراء منها: فالحديث يدل على أن للبول بالنسبة إلى عذاب القبر خصوصية. ويؤكد ذلك ما رواه الحاكم وابن خزيمة وهو “أكثر عذاب القبر من البول” قال ابن حجر: “وهو صحيح الإسناد”.

3- تحريم النميمة بين الناس وأنها من أسباب عذاب القبر.

4-  رحمة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بأصحابه وحرصه على إبعاد الشـر عنهما.

5- الستر على الذنوب والعيوب. فإنه لم يصرح باسمي صاحبي القبرين، ولعله مقصود.

6- قوله: “ما يعذبان في كبير” أي بسبب ذنب كبير تركه كليهما، فإن ترك النميمة والتحرز من البول ليسا من الأمور الصعبة الشاقة. وقد كبر عذابهما لما يرّتب على فعلتيهما من المفاسد.

فائدة: اختلف العلماء في انتفاع الميت بعمل الحي حينما يجعل الحي ثواب قربته البدنية أو المالية إلى الميت، فقال الإمام أحمد: الميت يصل إليه كل خير للنصوص الواردة فيه. أما ابن تيمية فقد نقل عنه في ذلك قولان:

أحدهما: أنه ينتفع بذلك باتفاق الأئمة.

الثاني: أنه لم يكن من عادة السلف إذا فعلوا إحدى القربات تطوعا أن يهدوا ذلك لموتى المسلمين، واتباع نهج السلف أولى وقال الصنعانى: الميت يصح أن يوهب له أي قربة.. أما لحوق سائر القرب ففيها خلاف . والحق لحوقها. وذكر ابن تيمية أن الأخبار قد استفاضت بمعرفة الميت بأحوال أهله وأصحابه في الدنيا وسروره بالسار منها وحزنه للقبيح.

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[1]

رقيتْ بكسر القاف أي (صعدت).

[3] لا يمسكن  : بضم الياء.

بَـاب دخـول الخـلاءَ والاستِطَـابـة

فضل إسباغ الوضوء وما يترتب على ذلك

من امتياز هذه الأمة يوم القيامة على سائر الأمم

عَنْ نُعَيْمِ الْمُجْمِرِ عَنْ أبيِ هريرة رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أنَهُ قَالَ: “إنَّ أمتي يُدْعَون يومَ القيَامةِ غُرُّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنْ آثارِ الْوُضُوءِ، فَمن استطَاَعَ مِنْكُمْ أن يُطِيلَ غرَّتَهُ[1] فَلْيَفْعَلْ.

وفي لفظ آخر: رَأيْتُ أبَا هُريرةَ يتوضأ، فَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ وَيَدَيهِ حَتى كَادَ يَبْلُغُ المَنْكِبَينِ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ حَتَى رَفَعَ إلَى السَّاقَيْن، ثُمَّ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم   يَقُولُ: ” إن أمتي يُدْعَوْنَ يَوْم القِيَامَةِ غرا مُحَجلِين من آثار الوُضُوءِ، فمَنِ اسْتَطَاَعَ مِنْكُمْ أنْ يُطِيل غرته وَتَحْجيلَهُ فَلْيَفْعَل “.

 وفي لفظ لمسلم: سَمِعْتُ خليلي صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ: ” تبلغ الحِلْيَةُ من الْمُؤْمِنِ حَيْثُ يَبْلُغُ الْوُضُوءُ “.

غريب الحديث:

1- “يدعون” : مبنى للمجهول، ينادَوْن نداء تشريف وتكريم.

2- “غرّاً” : بضم الغين وتشديد الراء، جمع ” أغر ” أصلها لمعة بيضاء في جبهة الفرس، فأطلقت على نور وجوههم.

3- “محجلين ” : من ” التحجيل ” وهو بياض يكون في قوائم الفرس، والمراد به هنا: النور الكائن في هذه الأعضاء يوم القيامة، تشبيها بتحجيل الفرس.

 4- “الوضوء” : بضم الواو هو الفعل .

5- “من آثار الوضوء” : علهّ للغرة، والتحجيل.

المعنى الإجمالي :

يبشر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أمته بأن الله سبحانه وتعالى يخصهم بعلامة فضل وشرف : يومَ القيامة، من بين الأمم، حيث ينادون فيأتون على رؤوس الخلائق تتلألأ وجوههم وأيديهم وأرجلهم بالنور، وذلك أثر من آثار هذه العبادة العظيمة، وهي الضوء الذي كرروه على هذه الأعضاء الشريفة ابتغاء مرضاة  الله، وطلبا لثوابه، فكان جزاؤهم هذه المحمدة العظيمة الخاصة.

ثم يقول أبو هريرة: “من قدر على إطالة هذه الغرّة فليفعل”، لأنه كلما طال مكان الغسل من العضو طالت الغرة والتحجيل، لأن حلية النور تبلغ ما بلغ ماء الوضوء.

الخلاف في إطالة الغرة:

اختلف العلماء في مجاوزة حد الفرض الوجه واليدين والرجلين للوضوء. فذهب الجمهور إلى استحباب ذلك، عملا بهذا الحديث، على اختلاف بينهم في قدر حَدَّ المستحب.

وذهب مالك ورواية عن أحمد، إلى عدم استحباب مجاوزة محل الفرض، واختاره شيخ الإسلام ” ابن تيمية “، و” ابن القيم “، وشيخنا عبد الرحمن بن ناصر السعدي، وأيدوا رَأيَهُم بما يأتي :

1- مجاوزة محل الفرض، على أنها عبادة، دعوى تحتاج إلى دليل.

والحديث الذي معنا لا يدل عليها، وإنما يدل على نورَ أعضاء الوضوء يوم القيامة.

وعمل أبي هريرة فَهْمْ له وحده من الحديث، ولا يصار إلى فهمه مع المعارض الراجح.

أما قوله: ” فمن استطاع… الخ ” فرجحوا أنها مدرجة من كلام أبي هريرة، لا من كلام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.

2- لو سلمنا بهذا لاقتضى أن نتجاوز الوجه إلى شعر الرأس، وهو لا يسمى غرة، فيكون متناقضاً.

3- لم ينقل عن أحد من الصحابة أنه فهم هذا الفهم وتجاوز بوضوئه محل الفرض، بل نقل عن أبي هريرة أنه كان يستتر خشية من استغراب الناس لفعله.

4- إن كل الواصفين لوضوء النبي   صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يذكروا إلا أنه يغسل الوجه واليدين إلى المرفقين، والرجلين إلى الكعبين، وما كان ليترك الفاضل في كل مرة من وضوئه. وقال في الفتح: لم أر هذه الجملة في رواية أحد ممن روي هذا الحديث من الصحابة وهم عشرة، ولا ممن رواه عن أبي هريرة غير رواية نعيم هذه.

5- الآية الكريمة تحدد محل الفرض بالمرفقين والكعبين، وهى من أواخر القرآن نزولا وإليك نص كلام “ابن القيم” في كتابه  حادي الأرواح، قال: “أخرجا في الصحيحين والسياق لـ “مسلم” عن أبي حازم قال: كنت خلف أبي هريرة وهو يتوضأ للصلاة، فكان يمد يده حتى يبلغ إبطه، فقلت: يا أبا هريرة ما هذا الوضوء؟ فقال يا بني فروخ ^[2] أنتم ههنا؟ لو علمت أنكم ههنا ما توضأت هذا الوضوء. سمعت خليلي صلى الله عليه وسلم  يقول : “تبلغ الحلية من المؤمن حيث يبلغ الوضوء”.

وقد احتج بهذا من يرى استحباب غسل العضـد وإطالته. وتطويل التحجيل، وممن استحبه بعض الحنفية والشافعية والحنابلة وقد اقتصر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على غسل الوجه والمرفقين والكعبين،  ثم قال  : ” فمن زاد على هذا فقد أساء وظلم فهذا يرد قولهم “.

ولذا فإن الصحيح أنه لا يستحب وهو قول أهل المدينة، وورد فيه عن أحمد روايتان.

والحديث لا يدل على الإطالة، فإن الحلية إنما تكون زينة في الساعد والمعصم، لا في العضد والكتف.

وأما قوله: ” فمن استطاع منكم أن يطيل غرته فليفعل ” فهذه الزيادة مدرجة في الحديث من  كلام أبي هريرة لا من كلام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم   بَين ذلك غير واحد من الحفاظ.

وفي مـسند الإمام أحمد في هذا الحديث، قال نعيم: فلا أدرى قوله : ” من استطاع منكم أن يطيل غرته فليفعل ” من كلام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، أو شيء قاله أبو هريرة من عنده.

وكان شيخنا[1]  يقول: هذه اللفظة لا يمكن أن تكون من كلام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فإن الغرة لا تكون في اليد، ولا تكون إلا في الوجه، وإطالته غير ممكنة، إذ تدخل في الرأس فلا تسمى تلك غرة. انتهىكلامه رحمه الله.

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[1] هذه رواية أحمد، وفى الصحيحين أيضاً وتحجيله.

[2] قال الليث: بلغنا أن فروخ كان من ولد إبراهيم عليه السلام، بعد إسحاق و إسماعيل، فكثر نسله ونما عدده، فولد العجم الذين في وسط البلاد . هكذا حكاه الأزهري عنه .

[3]

يعني بشيخه ، شيخ الإسلام “ابن تيمية” رحمهما الله تعالى .

فضل إسباغ الوضوء وما يترتب على ذلك من امتياز هذه الأمة يوم القيامة على سائر الأمم

فضل إسباغ الوضوء وما يترتب على ذلك من امتياز هذه الأمة يوم القيامة على سائر الأمم

Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Convert to Islam

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Islam Conversion

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr., April 16, 1947) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his career, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

In college at UCLA, he played on three consecutive national championship teams, and his high school team won 71 consecutive games. During his NBA career, he played with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored, games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goal attempts, blocked shots, defensive rebounds, and personal fouls. In 2008, ESPN named him the “greatest player in college basketball history.” Others, including Pat Riley and Isiah Thomas, have argued that he is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author. In 2012, he was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador.

Early life of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr., on April 16, 1947, and grew up in New York City, the only child of Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Sr., a transit police officer and jazz musician. At birth, he weighed 12 pounds, 10 ounces (5.73 kg), and was twenty-two-and-a-half inches (57.2 cm) long. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Power Memorial Academy, a Catholic high school in Manhattan. In the summer of 1968, while attending UCLA, he took the Shahada twice and converted to Sunni Islam.

From an early age he began his record-breaking basketball accomplishments. In high school, he led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and a 79–2 overall record.

College attended by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Lew Alcindor played four seasons for the UCLA Bruins; on the freshman team in 1965-66 and from 1966–69 under coach John Wooden, contributing to the team’s three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses: one to the University of Houston in which Alcindor had a not fully healed eye injury (see below), and the other to crosstown rival USC who played a “stall game” (i.e., there was no shot clock in those days, so a team could hold the ball as long as it wanted before attempting to score).

During his college career, Alcindor was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969); was a three-time First Team All-American (1967–69); played on three NCAA basketball champion teams (1967, 1968, 1969); was honored as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament (1967, 1968, 1969); and became the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969.

In 1967 and 1968, he also won USBWA College Player of the Year which later became the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Alcindor became the only player to win the Helms Foundation Player of the Year award three times. The 1965–1966 UCLA Bruin team was the preseason #1. But on November 27, 1965, the freshman team led by Alcindor defeated the varsity team 75–60 in the first game in the new Pauley Pavilion. Alcindor scored 31 points and had 21 rebounds in that game.

The dunk was banned in college basketball after the 1967 season, primarily because of Alcindor’s dominant use of the shot. It was not allowed again until 1976.

While playing for UCLA, Alcindor suffered a scratched left cornea on January 12, 1968, at the Cal game when he was struck by Tom Henderson of Cal in a rebound battle. He would miss the next two games against Stanford and Portland. This happened right before the momentous game against Houston. His cornea later would be scratched again during his pro career, subsequently causing him to wear goggles for protection.

Alcindor boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics by deciding not to join the United States Men’s Olympic Basketball team that year, protesting the unequal treatment of African-Americans in the United States.

Besides playing basketball, Alcindor also earned a degree in history from UCLA.

Game of the Century of  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

On January 20, 1968, Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins faced the Houston Cougars in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game. In front of 52,693 fans at the Houston Astrodome, Elvin Hayes scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds—while Alcindor, who suffered from a scratch on his left cornea, was held to just 15 points—as Houston beat UCLA 71–69. The Bruins’ 47-game winning streak ended in what has been called the “Game of the Century”. Hayes and Alcindor would have a rematch in the 1968 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament where UCLA, with a healthy Alcindor, would defeat Houston in the semi-finals 101–69 and go on to win the National Championship.

School Records of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

As of the 2011–2012 season, he still holds or shares a number of individual records at UCLA:

Highest career scoring average: 26.4;

Most career field goals: 943 (tied with Don MacLean);

Most points in a season: 870 (1967);

Highest season scoring average: 29.0 (1967);

Most field goals in a season: 346 (1967);

Most free throw attempts in a season: 274 (1967);

Most points in a single game: 61;

Most field goals in a single game: 26 (vs. Washington State, February 25, 1967).

Professional career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Milwaukee Bucks

The Harlem Globetrotters offered Alcindor $1 million to play for them, but he declined, and was picked first in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks (who were in only their second season of existence.) The Bucks won a coin-toss with the Phoenix Suns for first pick. He was also chosen first overall in the 1969 American Basketball Association draft by the New York Nets. The Nets believed that they had the upper hand in securing Alcindor’s services because he was from New York; however, when Alcindor told both the Bucks and the Nets that he would accept one offer only from each team, the Nets bid too low.

Lew Alcindor’s entry into the NBA was timely, as center Bill Russell had just left the Boston Celtics, and Wilt Chamberlain, though still effective, was 33 years old. Alcindor’s presence enabled the 1969–70 Bucks to claim second place in the NBA’s Eastern Division with a 56–26 record (up from 27–55 the previous year); and he was an instant star, ranking second in the league in scoring (28.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (14.5 rpg), for which he was awarded the title of NBA Rookie of the Year.

The next season, the Bucks acquired All-Star guard Oscar Robertson, known to sports fans as “the Big ‘O’.” Milwaukee went on to record the best record in the league with 66 victories in the 1970–71 NBA season, including a then-record 20 straight wins. Alcindor was awarded his first of six NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, along with his first scoring title (31.7 ppg). In the playoffs, the Bucks went 12–2 (including a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals), won the championship, and Alcindor was named Finals MVP. On May 1, 1971, the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship, he adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, its Arabic translation roughly “generous/noble (Kareem), servant of (Abdul) the mighty/stern one (Jabbar) [i.e., of God].”

Abdul-Jabbar remained a dominant force for Milwaukee, repeating as scoring champion (34.8 ppg) and NBA Most Valuable Player the following year, and helping the Bucks to repeat as division leaders for four straight years. In 1974, Abdul-Jabbar won his third MVP Award in five years and was among the top five NBA players in scoring (27.0 ppg, third), rebounding (14.5 rpg, fourth), blocked shots (283, second), and field goal percentage (.539, second).

While remaining relatively injury-free throughout his NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar twice broke his hand. The first time was during a pre-season game in 1974, when he was bumped hard and got his eye scratched, which angered him enough to punch the basket support stanchion. When he returned, after missing the first 16 games of the season, he started to wear protective goggles. The second time he broke his hand was in the opening game of the 1977–78 NBA season. Two minutes into the game, Abdul-Jabbar punched Milwaukee’s Kent Benson in retaliation for an overly aggressive elbow. He was out for two months.

Although Abdul-Jabbar always spoke well of Milwaukee and its fans, he said that being in the Midwest did not fit his cultural needs and requested a trade to either New York or Los Angeles in October 1974.

Los Angeles Lakers and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

In 1975, the Lakers acquired Abdul-Jabbar and reserve center Walt Wesley from the Bucks for center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters, and rookie “blue chippers” Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman. In the 1975–76 season, his first with the Lakers, he had a dominating season, averaging 27.7 points per game and leading the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes played. His 1,111 defensive rebounds remains the NBA single-season record (defensive rebounds were not recorded prior to the 1973–74 season). Also it marked the last time anyone had 4,000 or more PRA (Points + Rebounds + Assists) in a single NBA season. He earned his fourth MVP award, but missed the post-season for the second straight year.

Once he joined the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar began wearing his trademark goggles (he briefly ditched them in the 1979–80 season). Years of battling under NBA backboards, and being hit and scratched in the face in the process, had taken their toll on his eyes and he developed corneal erosion syndrome, where the eyes begin to dry out easily and cease to produce moisture. He once missed a game in the 1986–87 season due to his eyes drying out and swelling as a result.

In the 1976–77 season, Abdul-Jabbar had another strong season. He led the league in field goal percentage, finished second in rebounds and blocked shots, and third in points per game. He helped lead the Lakers to the best record in the NBA, and he won his record-tying fifth MVP award. In the playoffs, the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals, setting up a confrontation with the Portland Trail Blazers. The result was a memorable matchup, pitting Abdul-Jabbar against a young, injury-free Bill Walton. Although Abdul-Jabbar dominated the series statistically, Walton and the Trail Blazers (who were experiencing their first-ever run in the playoffs) swept the Lakers, behind Walton’s skillful passing and leadership.

Abdul-Jabbar’s play remained strong during the next two seasons, being named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, the All-Defense First Team once, and the All-Defense Second Team once. The Lakers, however, continued to be stymied in the playoffs, being eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in both 1978 and 1979.

In 1979, the Lakers acquired 1st overall draft pick Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The trade and draft paved the way for a Laker dynasty as they went on to become one of the most dominant teams of the 1980s, appearing in the finals eight times and winning five NBA championships. Individually, while Abdul-Jabbar was not the dominant center he had been in the 1970s, he experienced a number of highlight moments. Among them were his record sixth MVP award in 1980, four more All-NBA First Team designations, two more All-Defense First Team designations, the 1985 Finals MVP, and on April 5, 1984 breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record for career points. Later in his career, he bulked up to about 265 pounds, to be able to withstand the strain of playing the highly physical center position into his early 40s.

While in L.A., Abdul-Jabbar started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility, and was notable for his physical fitness regimen. He says, “There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga.”

In 1983, Abdul-Jabbar’s house burned down, destroying many of his belongings including his beloved jazz LP collection. Many Lakers fans sent and brought him albums, which he found uplifting.

On June 28, 1989, after twenty professional seasons, Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. On his “retirement tour” he received standing ovations at games, home and away and gifts ranging from a yacht that said “Captain Skyhook” to framed jerseys from his basketball career to an Afghan rug. In his biography My Life, Magic Johnson recalls that in Abdul-Jabbar’s farewell game, many Lakers and Celtics legends participated. Every player wore Abdul-Jabbar’s trademark goggles and had to try a sky hook at least once, which led to comic results. The Lakers made the NBA Finals in each of Abdul-Jabbar’s final three seasons, defeating Boston in 1987, and Detroit in 1988. The Lakers lost to the Pistons in a four-game sweep in his final season.

At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most games played by a single player in the NBA; this would later be broken by Robert Parish.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Post-NBA career

Since 2005, Abdul-Jabbar has served as special assistant coach for the Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar had been interested in coaching since his retirement, and given the influence he had on the league, he thought that the opportunity would present itself. However, during his playing years, Abdul-Jabbar had developed a reputation of being introverted and sullen. He did not speak to the press, leading to the impression that he disliked them. In his biography My Life, Magic Johnson recalls instances when Abdul-Jabbar brushed him off when Magic (as a ball boy) asked for his autograph, Abdul-Jabbar froze out reporters who gave him a too enthusiastic handshake or even hugged him, and refused to stop reading the newspaper while giving an interview. Many basketball observers, in addition to Abdul-Jabbar, believe that Kareem’s reticence, whether through disdain for the press corps or simply because of introversion, contributed to the dearth of coaching opportunities offered to Abdul-Jabbar by the NBA. In his words, he said he had a mindset he could not overcome, and proceeded through his career oblivious to the effect his reticence may have had on his coaching prospects in the future. Abdul-Jabbar said: “I didn’t understand that I also had affected people that way and that’s what it was all about. I always saw it like they were trying to pry. I was way too suspicious and I paid a price for it.” Since he began lobbying for a coaching position in 1995, he has managed to obtain only low-level assistant and scouting jobs in the NBA, and a head coaching position only in a minor professional league.

Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament wrote the song “Sweet Lew” about a similar incident when he met Abdul-Jabbar whom he “idolized” at a charity game and got a “complete lack of response or interest”. Ament was upset by the incident. The song appears on the Pearl Jam’s B-Sides compilation Lost Dogs.

Abdul-Jabbar has worked as an assistant for the LA Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics, helping mentor, among others, their young centers, Michael Olowokandi and Jerome James. Abdul-Jabbar was the head coach of the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League in 2002, leading the team to the league’s championship that season, but he failed to land the head coaching position at Columbia University a year later. He then worked as a scout for the New York Knicks. Finally, on September 2, 2005, he returned to the Lakers as a special assistant to Phil Jackson to help the Lakers’ centers, and in particular their young draftee Andrew Bynum. Abdul-Jabbar’s influence has been credited with Bynum’s emergence as a more talented NBA center. Abdul-Jabbar has also served as a volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona in 1998.

Player profile of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar played the center position and is regarded as one of the best of all time. He is the all-time leading NBA scorer with 38,387 points, having collected six championship rings, six regular season MVP and two Finals MVP awards, fifteen NBA First or Second Teams, a record nineteen NBA All-Star call-ups and averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. He is ranked as the NBA’s third leading all-time rebounder (17,440). He is also the third all-time in registered blocks (3,189), which is even more impressive because this stat had not been recorded until the fourth year of his career (1974).

On offense, Abdul-Jabbar was an unstoppable low-post threat. In contrast to other low-post dominators like Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore or Shaquille O’Neal, Abdul-Jabbar was a relatively slender player, standing 7–2 but only weighing 225 lbs (though in his latter years the Lakers listed Abdul-Jabbar’s weight as 265). However, he made up for his relative lack of bulk by showing textbook finesse, strength and was famous for his ambidextrous skyhook shot, which defenders found impossible to block. It contributed to his high .559 field goal accuracy, making him the eighth most accurate scorer of all time and a feared clutch shooter. Abdul-Jabbar was also quick enough to run the Showtime fast break led by Magic Johnson and was well-conditioned, standing on the hardwood an average 36.8 minutes. In contrast to other big men, Abdul-Jabbar also could reasonably hit his free throws, finishing with a career 72% average.

On defense, Abdul-Jabbar maintained a dominant presence. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team eleven times. He frustrated opponents with his superior shot-blocking ability, denying an average 2.6 shots a game.

As a teammate, Abdul-Jabbar exuded natural leadership and was affectionately called “Cap” or “Captain” by his colleagues. He was also known for his strict fitness regime, which made him one of the most durable players of all time. In the NBA, his 20 seasons and 1,560 games are performances surpassed only by former Celtics’ center Robert Parish.

Abdul-Jabbar made the NBA’s 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time in 1996. Lakers coach Pat Riley once said, “Why judge anymore? When a man has broken records, won championships, endured tremendous criticism and responsibility, why judge? Let’s toast him as the greatest player ever.” Isiah Thomas remarked, “If they say the numbers don’t lie, then Kareem is the greatest ever to play the game.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Sky-hook

Abdul-Jabbar was well known for his trademark “sky-hook”, a hook shot in which he bent his entire body (rather than just the arm) like a straw in one fluid motion to raise the ball and then release it at the highest point of his arm’s arching motion. Combined with his long arms and great height, 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), the sky hook was difficult for a defender to block without goaltending. It was a reliable and feared offensive weapon and contributed to his high lifetime field goal percentage of 0.559. As a twist, he was adept at shooting the skyhook with either hand, which made him even more difficult to defend against. According to Abdul-Jabbar, he learned the move in fifth grade after practicing with the Mikan Drill and soon learned to value it, as it was “the only shot I could use that didn’t get smashed back in my face”.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – NBA career and statistics

Teams and years

1969–75 Milwaukee Bucks

1975–89 Los Angeles Lakers

Statistics

Games played – 1560 (2nd most in NBA history)

Field goal % – 55.9 (10th highest in NBA history)

Free throw % – 72.1

Three-point % – 5.6

Rebounds – 17,440 (3rd most in NBA history)

Rebounds per game – 11.2 (23rd highest in NBA history)

Assists – 5,660 (34th in NBA history)

Assist per game – 3.6

Steals – 1,160

Steals per game – 0.74

Blocks – 3,189 (3rd most in NBA history) (Note: blocks were not officially tabulated until the 1973–74 season)

Blocks per game – 2.57

Points per game – 24.6 (14th highest in NBA history)

Holds NBA career record for:

Most points (38,387)

Most minutes played (57,446)

Most field goals made (15,837)

Most field goals attempted (28,307)

Most All-Star selections (19)

Most All-Star games played (18)

Career highs

40 point games

70 times in the regular season

55 with Milwaukee Bucks

15 with Los Angeles Lakers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Athletic honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (May 15, 1995)

College:

Player of the Year (1967, 1969)

Three-time First Team All-American (1967–69)

Three-time NCAA champion (1967–69)

Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament (1967–69)

Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2007)

National Basketball Association:

Rookie of the Year (1970)

Six-time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88)

NBA MVP (1971–72, 1974, 1976–77, 1980)

Sporting News NBA MVP (1971–72, 1974, 1976–77, 1980)

Finals MVP (1971, 1985)

Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” (1985)

One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)

First player in NBA history to play 20 seasons

#7 in SLAM Magazine’s Top 50 NBA Players of all time in 2009.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Film and television

Playing in Los Angeles facilitated Abdul-Jabbar’s trying his hand at acting. He made his film debut in Bruce Lee’s 1972 film Game of Death, in which his character Hakim fights Billy Lo (played by Lee).

In 1980, he played co-pilot Roger Murdock in Airplane!. Abdul-Jabbar has a scene in which a little boy looks at him and remarks that he is in fact Abdul-Jabbar—spoofing the appearance of football star Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch as an airplane pilot in the 1957 drama Zero Hour!. Staying in character, Abdul-Jabbar states that he is merely Roger Murdock, an airline co-pilot, but the boy continues to insist that Abdul-Jabbar is “the greatest”, but that, according to his father, he doesn’t “work hard on defense” and “never really tries, except during the playoffs”. This causes Abdul-Jabbar’s character to snap, “The hell I don’t!”, then grab the boy and snarl he has “heard that crap since UCLA”, he “busts his buns every night” and the boy should tell his “old man to drag [Bill] Walton and [Bob] Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes”. When Murdock loses consciousness later in the film, he is carried from the cockpit wearing Abdul-Jabbar’s goggles and yellow Lakers’ shorts.

Abdul-Jabbar has had numerous other television and film appearances, often playing himself. He has had roles in movies such as Fletch, Troop Beverly Hills and Forget Paris, and television series such as Full House, Living Single, Amen, Everybody Loves Raymond, Martin, Diff’rent Strokes (his height humorously contrasted with that of diminutive child star Gary Coleman), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Scrubs, 21 Jump Street, Emergency!, Man from Atlantis, and New Girl. Abdul-Jabbar played a genie in lamp in a 1984 episode of Tales From The Darkside. He also played himself on the February 10, 1994 episode of the sketch comedy television series In Living Color.

He also appeared in the television version of Stephen King’s The Stand, played the Archangel of Basketball in Slam Dunk Ernest, and had a brief non-speaking cameo appearance in BASEketball. Abdul-Jabbar was also the co-executive producer of the 1994 TV movie The Vernon Johns Story. He has also made appearances on The Colbert Report, in a 2006 skit called “HipHopKetball II: The ReJazzebration Remix ’06″ and in 2008 as a stage manager who is sent out on a mission to find Nazi Gold.Abdul-Jabbar had a recurring role as himself on the NBC series Guys with Kids, which aired from 2012 to 2013. On Al Jazeera English he expressed his desire to be remembered not just as a player, but somebody who had many talents and used them.

Abdul-Jabbar was selected to appear in the 2013 ABC reality series Splash, a celebrity diving competition.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar As Author

Abdul-Jabbar is also a best-selling author. His first book, his autobiography Giant Steps, was written in 1983 with co-author Peter Knobler. (The book’s title is an homage to jazz great John Coltrane.) His latest is On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance, co-written with Raymond Obstfeld. His previous book, Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s “Forgotten Heroes, co-written with Anthony Walton, is a history of an all-black armored unit that served with distinction in Europe.

Bibliography:

Giant Steps, with Peter Knobler (1983) ISBN 0-553-05044-3

Kareem, with Mignon McCarthy (1990) ISBN 0-394-55927-4

Selected from Giant Steps (Writers’ Voices) (1999) ISBN 0-7857-9912-5

Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement, with Alan Steinberg (1996) ISBN 0-688-13097-6

A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches, with Stephen Singular (2000) ISBN 0-688-17077-3

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes with Anthony Walton (2004) ISBN 978-0-7679-0913-6

On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance with Raymond Obstfeld (2007) ISBN 978-1-4165-3488-4

What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African American Inventors with Raymond Obstfeld (2012) ISBN 978-0-7636-4564-9

Audio Book:

On the Shoulders of Giants: An Audio Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance 8 CD Set Vol. 1–4, with Avery Brooks, Jesse L. Martin, Maya Angelou, Herbie Hancock, Billy Crystal, Charles Barkley, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Jerry West, Clyde Drexler, Bill Russell, Coach John Wooden, Stanley Crouch, Quincy Jones and other chart-topping musicians, as well as legendary actors and performers such as Samuel L. Jackson. (2008) ISBN 978-0-615-18301-5

In 2007, Abdul-Jabbar participated in the national UCLA alumni commercial entitled “My Big UCLA Moment.” The UCLA commercial is featured on YouTube.

On February 10, 2011, Abdul-Jabbar debuted his film On the Shoulders of Giants, documenting the tumultuous journey of the famed yet often-overlooked Harlem Renaissance professional basketball team, at Science Park High School in Newark, NJ. The event was simulcasted live throughout the school, city, and state.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Cultural Ambassador

In January 2012, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that Abdul-Jabbar had accepted a position as a cultural ambassador for the United States. During the announcement press conference, Abdul-Jabbar commented on the historical legacy of African-Americans as representatives of US culture: “I remember when Louis Armstrong first did it back for President Kennedy, one of my heroes. So it’s nice to be following in his footsteps.”

Personal life of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar was married to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar (born Janice Brown), and together they had three children: daughters Habiba and Sultana and son Kareem Jr, who played college basketball at Western Kentucky after attending junior college. Abdul-Jabbar and Janice divorced in 1978. He has another son, Amir, with Cheryl Pistono. Another son, Adam, made an appearance on the TV sitcom Full House with him.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Religion and name

Speaking about the thinking behind his change of name when he converted to Islam he stated that he was “latching on to something that was part of my heritage, because many of the slaves who were brought here were Muslims. My family was brought to America by a French planter named Alcindor, who came here from Trinidad in the 18th century. My people were Yoruba, and their culture survived slavery (…) My father found out about that when I was a kid, and it gave me all I needed to know that, hey, I was somebody, even if nobody else knew about it. When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. And that’s a terrible burden on black people, because they don’t have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted.”

In 1998, Abdul-Jabbar reached a settlement after suing Miami Dolphins running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar (now Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, born Sharmon Shah) because he felt Karim was sponging off the name he made famous by having the Abdul-Jabbar moniker and number 33 on his Dolphins jersey. As a result, the younger Abdul-Jabbar had to change his jersey nameplate to simply “Abdul” while playing for the Dolphins. The football player had also been an athlete at UCLA.

As a result,
Lew Alcindor developed the shot for which 
he is personally the most famous the
”skyhook”-which has been called the
shot that changed basketball, and with the
help of which he was to score more than 
thirty eight thousand points in regular season NBA play.

When Milwaukee
won the NBA title in 1970-71, Alcindor,
who was by then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was the acclaimed king of basketball.

Lew Alcindor first learned his Islam from Hammas Abdul Khaalis, a former jazz drummer and founder of the Hanafi Madhhab in Washington, D.C. According to his own testimony, he had been raised to take authority seriously, whether that of nuns, teachers, or coaches, and in that spirit he followed the teachings of Abdul Khaalis closely.

It was by him that Alcindor was given the name Abdul Kareem, then changed to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, literally “the noble one, servant of the Almighty.”

Soon, however, he determined to augment Abdul Khaalis’s teachings with his own study of the Quran, for which he undertook to learn basic Arabic.

In 1973 he travelled to Libya and Saudi Arabia to get a better grasp of the language and to learn about Islam in some of its “home” contexts. Abdul-Jabbar was not interested in making the kind of public statement about his Islam that he felt Muhammad Ali had in his opposition to the Vietnam War, wishing simply to identify himself quietly as an African American who was also a Muslim.

- See more at: http://www.tellmeaboutislam.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar.html#sthash.wQHhJXYX.dpuf

Excerpts from His Book, Kareem

The following are excerpts from the second book he wrote about his basketball career, Kareem, published in 1990, explaining his reasons for being drawn toward Islam:

[Growing up in America,] I eventually found that .  .  .emotionally, spiritually, I could not afford to be a racist.  As I got older, I gradually got past believing that black was either the best or the worst.  It just was.  The black man who had the most profound influence on me was Malcolm X.  I had read “Muhammad Speaks”, the Black Muslim newspaper, but even in the early sixties, their brand of racism was unacceptable to me.  It held the identical hostility as white racism, and for all my anger and resent meant, I understood that rage can do very little to change anything.  It’s just a continual negative spiral that feeds on itself, and who needs that?

.  .  .Malcolm X was different.  He’d made a trip to Mecca, and realized that Islam embraced people of all color.  He was assassinated in 1965, and though I didn’t know much about him then, his death hit hard because I knew he was talking about black pride, about self-help and lifting ourselves up.  And I liked his attitude of non-subservience.

.  .  .Malcolm X’s autobiography came out in 1966, when I was a freshman at UCLA, and I read it right before my nineteenth birthday.  It made a bigger impression on me than any book I had ever read, turning me around totally.  I started to look at things differently, instead of accepting the mainstream viewpoint.

.  .  .[Malcolm] opened the door for real cooperation between the races, not just the superficial, paternalistic thing.  He was talking about real people doing real things, black pride and Islam.  I just grabbed on to it.  And I have never looked back.

Excerpts from Interview

In his interview with TALKASIA, he stated explaining his motive for accepting Islam:

My choosing Islam was not a political statement; it was a spiritual statement.  What I learned about the Bible and the Qur’an made me see that the Qur’an was the next revelation from the Supreme Being – and I chose to interpret that and follow that.  I don’t think it had anything to do with trying to pigeon hole anyone, and deny them the ability to practice as they saw fit.  The Qur’an tells us that Jews, Christians, and Muslims: Muslims are supposed to treat all of them the same way because we all believe in the same prophets and heaven and hell would be the same for all of us.  And that’s what it’s supposed to be about.

Health problems of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar suffers from migraines, and his use of cannabis to reduce the symptoms has had legal ramifications.

In November 2009, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he was suffering from a form of leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The disease was diagnosed in December 2008, but Abdul-Jabbar said his condition could be managed by taking oral medication daily, seeing his specialist every other month and getting his blood analyzed regularly. He expressed in a 2009 press conference that he did not believe that the illness would stop him from leading a normal life. Abdul-Jabbar became a spokesman for Novartis, the company that produces his cancer medication, Gleevec.

In February 2011, Abdul-Jabbar announced via Twitter that his leukemia was gone and was “100% cancer free”. A few days later, he clarified his misstatement. “You’re never really cancer-free and I should have known that,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “My cancer right now is at an absolute minimum.”

Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Convert to Islam

Tony Blair’s sister-in-law Lauren Booth, broadcaster and journalist converts to Islam

Interview of Lauren Booth:

I thank Allah (swt) for giving me the chance to spend a month with the greatest Muslims alive in this Ummah today.

At the end of Ramadan, I went to a family home in Rafa one of the poorest refugee camps in the poorest areas, of the over populated city in the entire world. I had iftar with a family there who had about sixteen mats which were used at night to sleep on. In the middle of this tent area the mother places the meal if she has any for her children to eat.

This lady greeted me at the door and it was as if she was welcoming me to the Taj Mahal not a hell hole in the Gaza strip,”Sallam alaykum! she says” with a smile that light up the whole area. I asked her: “What is it like in Rafa at Ramadan with very little food?” She said: “Alhamdulillah!” with such joy I couldn’t help but smile. And as I sat there on the floor of this home eating what little leaves that they had; a bit of hummus, a pita bread that was our Iftar.

I got angry; really angry! I thought what is this God that makes hungry people even hungrier? What is this God who creates a fast for the poorest of the oppressed people in the world. So, I turned to this sister and I said: ” With all due respect I want to ask you, why does your God starve you in Ramadan? Why do you fast in Ramadan…sister, just explain to me? This lady who never owed a hand bag, whose children didn’t have, never have shoes. Whose children I was sitting with didn’t have pen or paper to do any drawings, she said to me: “Sister we fast in Ramadan to remember the poor” and a key went to my heart and unlocked it.

But of course Islam wasn’t for me that was for somebody else so I put the thought of how great Islam was to one side and said so what I like the Palestinian people but it has nothing to do with Islam.

Then last year in Ramadan again I went to Iran as a journalist and I visited a mosque there, it’s the Bibi Fatima Mosque and I made wadu because I knew how to do it and I put on a shadur and I made a simple prayer: Allah and I used the word Allah. “Allah don’t give me anything. I have everything. Thank you for this journey, but Allah don’t forget the people of Palistine.” Then I sat down in this busy mosque with women feeding their children, pilgrams coming and going but when I sat down this emense feeling of peace came over me. Peace and tranquility that I never knew before, such a calm that the tention in my heart went, such a calm that the list we have, mothers we have a lists I a must do my children school list: have I got enough for next week. There was no sound in my head for the first time in my life as an adult just deep deep joy and calm. I sat there for a long time in this place of calm knowing that somewhere in the universe everything is like this. Over the course of that evening women kept coming over to me holding me by the shoulders and saying: “I love you.” At one point a child came over and held my hand and just said in farsi: “I love you.” I said to my friend Nadia, “Is this what it is like in the mosque?” She said, “Not really. I think something is happening.”

I slept that night on the floor of the mosque with alot of other pilgrams and the next morning, Fajir sounded and I was inside the mosque and I prayed Fajir. Then I came outside and I had a cup of chai and the sun was coming up and I had one very specific thought. “O, no… not Islam, please not Islam.”

I just want to say that a couple of strange things happened to me after that. I took the plane back to London from Tehran. As the plane was coming into London the pilot said: “Thank you for flying Tehran airways we’ll be in London in 20min.” and at that point every Iranian Muslima took off the hijab and made out like she was from Sex in the City even showing some cleavage. I thought great thank goodness, I could take off this stupid scarf and I went like this and my hands wouldn’t take off the hijab. My hands wouldn’t take off the hijab and I thought I was having a nervous break down.

Seven days later I said my Shahada in a London mosque and it was time for me to return to the Quran. This time I opened the Quran in Surah Al Fatiha said: Hello Sarah where have you been, welcome to the religion of peace, joy and tranquility and I couldn’t put it down. Someone once told me and I feel much like that before Islam I had given up on God but God never gave up on me. Alhamdullillah.

The question everyone wants to know is how did your family or children react. My 2 daughters who are very practical made a list they are 8 and 10. They went and made a list and had 3 questions for me.

1-Mummy when your a Muslim willl you still be mummy?
I said: When I am a Muslim you know what, I will be a better mummy, they said: “Horrayyy!!”

2-Mummy will you drink alcohol?
When I am a Muslim I will never drink alcohol again and they said “Horrayyy!!”

3-When your a Muslim will you show your chest?
I said why would you ask such a question? They said when you come to the school and your chest is showing we are embarressed and we hate it and we want you to stop it.
When I am a Muslim I will cover all this area and to which they said: “we love Islam.”

It was that easy. When you look at those 3 questions the basic female womanhood is summarized in those 3 quesions from the purity of children.

Question #1 will you be the center of our household? Can we rely on you as a mother to be there for us rather then putting your work, your colleagues/friendships or the bar in front of us?

Question #2 will you remain in the limits that Allah has discribed for all of us in behavior?

Question #3 will you be a modest dignified woman in Islam?

Alhamdulillah that is all I have to say. What I have learnt this year in being a Muslim is this, when you have problems don’t tell to your friends or family …if you can read the Quran every night or read 10 min. everyday your Imaan is much much higher. If you live in a non-Muslim country those of us who do it can go very low very quickly, you must read the Quran. Most of all your just not on the path of Islam if you come to Islam like me, if you’re a Muslim you are on the path as well so make sure that you don’t miss those signs in everyday life.

All praise is to Allah (swt).

Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth, broadcaster and journalist converts to Islam

Why Khalil Philobus Accepted Islam

Al-Haj Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, formerly Ibrahim Khalil Philobus, was an Egyptian Coptic priest who studied theology and got a high degree from Princeton University. He studied Islam to find gaps to attack it; instead he embraced Islam with his four children, one of whom is now a brilliant professor in Sorbonne University, Paris France. In an interesting way, he reveals himself saying: “I was born in Alexandria on the 13th of January 1919 and was sent to the American Mission schools until I got my secondary education certificate there. In 1942 I got my diploma from Asiut University and then I specialized in religious studies as a prelude to join the Faculty of Theology. It was no easy task to join the faculty, as no candidate could join it unless he got a special recommendation from the church, and also, after he should pass a number of difficult exams. I got a recommendation from Al-Attareen Church in Alexandria and another from the Church Assembly of Lower Egypt after passing many tests to know my qualifications to become a man of religion. Then I got a third recommendation from Snodus Church Assembly which included priests from Sudan and Egypt.

The Snodus sanctioned my entrance into the Faculty of Theology in 1944 as a boarding student. There I studied at the hands of American and Egyptian teachers until my graduation in 1948.

I was supposed, he continued, to be appointed in Jerusalem had it not been for the war that broke out in Palestine that same year, so I was sent to Asna in Upper Egypt. That same year I registered for a thesis at the American University in Cairo. It was about the missionary activities among Muslims. My acquaintance with Islam started in the Faculty of Theology where I studied Islam and all the methods through which we could shake the faith of Muslims and raise misconceptions in their understanding of their own religion.

In 1952 I got my M.A. from Princeton University in U.S.A. and was appointed as a teacher in the Faculty of Theology in Asiut. I used to teach Islam in the faculty as well as the faulty misconceptions spread by its enemies and the missionaries against it. During that period I decided to enlarge my study of Islam, so that I should not read the missionaries books on it only. I had so much faith in myself that I was confirmed to read the other point of view. Thus I began to read books written by Muslim authors. I also decided to read the Quran and understand its meanings. This was implied by my love of knowledge and moved by my desire to add more proofs against Islam. The result was, however, exactly the reverse. My position began to shake and I started to feel an internal strong struggle and I discovered the falsehood of everything I had studied and preached to the people. But I could not face myself bravely and tried instead to overcome this internal crisis and continue my work.

In 1954, Mr. Khalil added, I was sent to Aswan as secretary general of the German Swiss Mission. That was only my apparent position for my real mission was to preach against Islam in Upper Egypt especially among Muslims. A missionary conference was held at that time at Cataract Hotel in Aswan and I was given the floor to speak. That day I spoke too much, reiterating all the repeated misconceptions against Islam; and at the end of my speech, the internal crisis came to me again and I started to revise my position.

Continuing his talk about the said crisis, Mr. Khalil said, «I began to ask myself: Why should I say and do all these things which I know for sure I am a liar, as this is not the truth? I took my leave before the end of the conference and went out alone to my house. I was completely shaken. As I walked through Firyal public garden, I heard a verse of the Quran on the radio. It said:

“Say: It has been revealed to me that a company of Jinns listened (to the Quran). They said: We have really heard a wonderful recital! It gives guidance to the Right, and we have believed therein: We shall not join (in worship) any gods with our Lord.” (Quran 72:1-2)

“And as for us, since we have listened to the Guidance, we have accepted it: and any one who believes in His Lord, has no fear of either a short (account) or of any injustice.” (Quran 72:13)»

I felt a deep comfort that night and when I returned home I spent the whole night all by myself in my library reading the Quran. My wife inquired from me about the reason of my sitting up all night and I pleaded from her to leave me alone. I stopped for a long time thinking and meditating on the verse; “Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, verily thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah.” (Quran 59:21)

And the verse: “Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and the Pagans, and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, ‘We are Christians’: Because amongst these are men devoted to learning. And men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth: They pray: ‘Our Lord! We believe, write us down among the witnesses. What cause can we have not to believe in Allah and the truth which has come to us, seeing that we long for our Lord to admit us to the company of the righteous?’” (Quran 5:82-84)

Mr. Khalil then quoted a third quotation from the Holy Quran which says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures), in the Taurat and in the Gospel; for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them what is bad (and impure): He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him and follow the light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper.” Say: “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: It is He that giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger. The unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His Words: follow Him that (so) you may be guided.” (Quran 7:157-158)

Now that same night, Mr. Khalil dramatically concluded: I took my final decision. In the morning I spoke with my wife from whom I have three sons and one daughter. But no sooner than she felt that I was inclined to embrace Islam than she cried and asked for help from the head of the mission. His name was Monsieur Shavits from Switzerland. He was a very cunning man. When he asked me about my true attitude, I told him frankly what I really wanted and then he said: Regard yourself out of job until we discover what has befallen you. Then I said: This is my resignation from my job. He tried to convince me to postpone it, but I insisted. So he made a rumor among the people that I became mad. Thus I suffered a very severe test and oppression until I left Aswan for good and returned to Cairo.

When he was asked about the circumstances to his conversion he replied: “In Cairo I was introduced to a respectable professor who helped me overcome my severe trial and this he did without knowing anything about my story. He treated me as a Muslim for I introduced myself to him as such although until then I did not embrace Islam officially. That was Dr. Muhammad Abdul Moneim Al Jamal the then undersecretary of treasury. He was highly interested in Islamic studies and wanted to make a translation of the Holy Quran to be published in America. He asked me to help him because I was fluent in English since I had got my M.A. from an American University. He also knew that I was preparing a comparative study of the Quran, the Torah and the Bible. We cooperated in this comparative study and in the translation of the Quran.

When Dr. Jamal knew that I had resigned from my job in Aswan and that I was then unemployed, he helped me with a job in Standard Stationery Company in Cairo. So I was well established after a short while. I did not tell my wife about my intention to embrace Islam thus she thought that I had forgotten the whole affair and that it was nothing but a transitory crisis that no more existed. But I knew quite well that my official conversion to Islam needs long complicated measures and it was in fact a battle which I preferred to postpone for some time until I became well off and after I completed my comparative study.”

Then Mr. Khalil continued, “In 1955 I did complete my study and my material and living affairs became well established. I resigned from the company and set up a training office for importing stationery and school articles. It was a successful business from which I gained much more money than I needed. Thus I decided to declare my official conversion to Islam. On the 25th of December 1959, I sent a telegram to Dr. Thompson, head of the American Mission in Egypt informing him that I had embraced Islam. When I told my true story to Dr. Jamal he was completely astonished.

When I declared my conversion to Islam, new troubles began. Seven of my former colleagues in the mission had tried their best to persuade me to cancel my declaration, but I refused. They threatened to separate me from my wife and I said: She is free to do as she wishes. They threatened to kill me. But when they found me to be stubborn they left me alone and sent to me an old friend of mine who was also a colleague of mine in the mission. He wept very much in front of me. So I recited before him the following verses from the Quran:

“And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth: They pray: ‘Our Lord! We believe, write us down among the witnesses. What cause can we have not to believe in Allah and the truth which has come to us, seeing that we long for our Lord to admit us to the company of the righteous?’” (Quran 5:84)

I said to him, “You should have wept in humiliation to God on hearing the Quran and believe in the truth which you know but you refuse. He stood up and left me as he saw no use. My official conversion to Islam was in January 1960.”

Mr. Khalil was then asked about the attitude of his wife and children and he answered: “My wife left me at that time and took with her all the furniture of our house. But all my children joined me and embraced Islam. The most enthusiastic among them was my eldest son Isaac who changed his name to Osman, then my second son Joseph and my son Samuel whose name is Jamal and daughter Majida who is now called Najwa. Osman is now a doctor of philosophy working as a professor in Sorbonne University in Paris teaching oriental studies and psychology. He also writes in «Le Monde» magazine. As in regards to my wife, she left the house for six years and agreed to come back in 1966 provided that she keeps her religion. I accepted this because in Islam there is no compulsion in religion. I said to her: I do not want you to become a Muslim for my sake but only after you are convinced. She feels now that she believes in Islam but she cannot declare this for fear of her family but we treat her as a Muslim woman and she fasts in Ramadan because all my children pray and fast. My daughter Najwa is a student in the Faculty of Commerce, Joseph is a doctor pharmeologist and Jamal is an engineer.”

“During this period, that is since 1961 until the present time I have been able to publish a number of books on Islam and the methods of the missionaries and the orientalist against it. I am now preparing a comparative study about women in the three Divine religions with the object of highlighting the status of women in Islam. In 1973 I performed Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and I am doing activities preaching Islam. I hold seminars in the universities and charitable societies. I received an invitation from Sudan in 1974 where I held many seminars. My time is fully used in the service of Islam.”

Finally Mr. Khalil was asked about the salient features of Islam which have attracted his attention most. And he answered: “My faith in Islam has been brought about through reading the Holy Quran and the biography of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him. I no longer believed in the misconceptions against Islam and I am especially attracted by the concept of unity of God, which is the most important feature of Islam. God is only One. Nothing is like Him. This belief makes me the servant of God only and of no one else. Oneness of God liberates man from servitude to any human being and that is true freedom.”

I also like very much the rule of forgiveness in Islam and the direct relationship between God and His servants.

Say: “O my servants who have transgressed against their souls!, despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to your Lord (in repentance) and submit to Him before the Chastisement comes on you: After that ye shall not be helped.” (Quran 39:53-54)

culled from http://islamicbulletin.org

Why Khalil Philobus Accepted Islam

استحباب التيمن في الأمور الشريفة المستطابة

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رضي اللّه عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: ” كَاَن رَسُولُ اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعْجبُهُ التَيمُّن في تَنَعّلِهِ وَتَرَجُّلِهِ وَطُهُورِهِ وَفِي شَأنِهِ كُلهِ “.

غريب الحديث:

1- “يعجبه التيمن” : يفضل تقديم الأيمن على الأيسر. قال الصنعانى: كل فعل يحبه الله أو رسوله، فهو يدل على مشروعيته للشركة بين الإيجاب والندب.

 2- “في تنعله” : لبس نعله.

3- “وترجله” : تسريح شعر رأسه ولحيته بالمشط.

4- “وطهوره” : بضم الطاء، التطهر. ويشمل الوضوء والغسل وإزالة النجاسة.

5- “وفى شأنه كله” : من الأشياء المستطابة كهذه الأمثلة المذكورة. قال الشيخ تقي الدين: “(وفي شأنه كله): عام مخصوص بمثل دخول الخلاء والخروج من المسجد ونحوهما مما يبدأ فيه باليسار”.

المعنى الإجمالي:

من فضل أمهات المؤمنين رضي الله عهن، لاسيما الحافظة العالمة الصديقة بنت الصديق، أنهن روين للأمة من أفعال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  ، لاسيما الأفعال المنزلية، التي لا يطلع عليها غير أهل بيته، رَوَينَ علماً كثيراً.

فهنا “عائشة” تخبرنا عن عادة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم المحببة إليه، وهى تقديم الأيمن في ليس نعله، ومشط شعره ، وتسريحه، وتطهره من الأحداث، وفى جميع أموره، التي من نوع ما ذكر، كلبس القميص والسراويل، والنوم، والأكل والشرب ونحو ذلك.

كل هذا من باب التفاؤل الحسن وتشـريف اليمين على اليسار.

وأما الأشياء المستقذرة فالأحسن أن تقدم فيها اليسار.

ولهذا نهى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الاستنجاء باليمين، ونهى عن مس الذكر باليمين، لأنها للطيبات، واليسار لما سوى ذلك.

ما يؤخذ من الحديث:

1- إن تقديم اليمين للأشياء الطيبة هو الأفضل شرعاً وعقلا وطِبُّا. قال النووي: “قاعدة الشرع المستمرة استحباب البداءة باليمين، في كل ما كان من باب التكريم والتزين وما كان بضدها استحب فيه التياسر”.

2- إن جعل اليسار للأشياء المستقذرة، هو الأليق شرعا وعقلا.

3- إن الشرع الشريف جاء لإصلاح الناس وتهذيبهم ووقايتهم من الأضرار.

4- أن الأفضل في تقديم الوضوء ميامن الأعضاء على مياسرها. قال النووي: “أجمع العلماء على أن تقديم اليمنى في الوضوء سنة، من خالفهما فاته الفضل وتم وضوءه”. قال في المغنى: “لا يعلم في عدم الوجوب خلاف”.

استحباب التيمن في الأمور الشريفة المستطابة

كيفية أخرى للوضوء مروي عن عمر بن يحيى المازني

 عن عَمْرِو بن يَحْيىَ  اْلمازِني عَنْ أبِيهِ قَال : شَهِدْتُ عمرْو بن أبي  اْلحَسَنِ سَألَ عَبْدَ اللّه بْنَ زيد عَن وُضُوءِ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فَدَعَاَ بِتَوْر[1] مِنْ مَاءٍ فتَوَضأ لَهُم وُضُوءَ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَأكفأ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ مَنِ التَوْرِ فَغسَل يَدَيْه ثَلاثا، ثُمَّ أدْخَل يَدَهُ في التَّور فَمضْمضَ وَاستَنْشَقَ واستَنْثَرَ ثَلاثاً بثَلاث غرْفَاتِ، ثُمَّ أدْخل يدهِ فِي التَّوْر فغَسَل وجْهَهِ ثلاثا ثمَّ أدْخَلَ يَدَه فَغَسَلهُمَا مرتين إلى المرْفقيْن ، ثُمَّ أدْخَلَ يَدَيْهِ فَمَسَحَ بهما رَأسَهُ فَأقَبَلَ بهمَا، وأدْبَرَ مَرّة وَاحِدَة، ثم غَسَلَ رجْلَيْهِ.

وفي رواية ” بَدَأ بِمُقَدَّم رَأسِهِ حَتًى ذَهبَ بِهِمَا إِلَى قَفَاهُ، ثمَ ردهما حَتَى رجع إِلَى المَكَانِ الذِي بَدَأ مِنْهُ “.

وفي رواية “أتَانَا[1] رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأخرَجنا لَه مَاءً في تور مِن صُفْر “. متفق عليه. ” التور ” شِبْهُ الطَّست.

  غريب الحديث:

1- “بتور من ماء” : بالمثناة الطست، وهو الإناء الصغير. قال الزمخشرى: وهو مذكر عند أهل اللغة.

2- “فأكفأ على يديه” : أمال وصب على يديه وفى بعض الروايات ” على يده ” قال ابن حجر: تحمل رواية الإفراد على إرادة الجنس .

3- “من صُفر” : بضم الصاد وسكون الفاء، نوع من النحاس.

4- “إلى المرفقين مرتين” : قال الصنعاني: كذا في نسخة العمدة لفظ ” مرتين ” ولفظ البخاري في هذا الحديث ” مرتين مرتين” وكذا في مسلم مكررا ولم ينبه الزركشي إلى هذا.

  المعنى الإجمالي:

هذا الحديث يعرف معناه مما تقدم في شرح حديث عثمان، لأن كلا الحديثين يصف الوضوء الكامل للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، إلا أنه يوجد في هذا الحديث زيادة فوائد على الحديث السابق نجملها بما يلي:

1- صرح هنا بأن المضمضة والاستنشاق كانتا ثلاثا ثلاثا من ثلاث غرفات.

2- في الحديث السابق ذكر أن غسل اليدين كان ثلاثا، وفى هذا الحديث ذكره مرتين فقط

3- قوله: ” ثم أدخل يده فغسل وجهه ثلاثا ” إفراد اليد رواية مسلم وأكثر روايات البخاري. قال النووي بعد ذكره أحاديث الروايتين. هي دالة على أن ذلك سنة، ولكن المشهور الذي قطع به الجمهور أن المستحب أخذ الماء للوجه باليدين جميعا لكونه أسهل وأقرب إلى الإسباغ.

4- قال في الحديث السابق: ” ثم مسح برأسه ” وهذا التعبير يمكن تأويله ببعض الرأس كما أولت الآية { وامْسَحُوا برؤوسِكُم }.

وفى هذا الحديث صرح بمسحه كله، وفَصل كيفية المسح، والشرع يبين بعضه بعضاً، فدل على وجوب مسحه كله كما تقدم.

5- في الحديثين يذكر عند المضمضة والاستنشاق أنه يدخل يداً واحدة.

وفى هذا الحديث، ذكر أنه أدخل يديه عند غسلهما ومسح الرأس بيديه، أقبل بهما وأدبر مرة واحدة. قال أبو داود: أحاديث الصحاح كلها تدل على أن مسح الرأس مرة واحدة. قال ابن المنذر: “إن الثابت عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  في المسح مرة واحدة.

6- الحديث صرح بغسل الرجلين وهنا لم يذكره، وغسلهما من الفروض المتفق عليها، فلا يكون في ترك ذكرهما هنا، ما يدل على عدم وجوب غسلهما.

7- يؤخذ من هذا، جواز مخالفة أعضاء الوضوء بتفضيل بعضها على بعض،وأن التثليث هو الصفة الكاملة وما دونها يجزئ كما صحت بذلك الأحاديث.

8- اختلف العلماء في البداءة بالمسح فهي من المقدم إلى المؤخر عند ابن دقيق العيد والصنعاني . وفهم بعضهم من قوله :” فأقبل بهما وأدبر “  أن المسح من مؤخر الرأس إلى مقدمه. ثم يعاد باليدين إلى قفا الرأس.

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[1] قال الزركشي : لفظه ” التور ” ليست في شيء من مرويات البخاري وإنما هي من مفردات ” مسلم “. وهذا وهم منه ، فقد جاءت في صحيح البخاري ، في حديث عبد الله بن زيد ، في باب غسل الرجلين إلى الكعبين . وقال الصنعاني : إني تتبعت رواية مسلم لهذا الحديث فلم أجد ” التور”.

[2]

من قوله: “أتانا …  ” الخ ، من أفراد ” مسلم ” .

كيفية أخرى للوضوء مروي عن عمر بن يحيى المازني