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Topic: Seeking Clarification
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 abu.naimah.shamsuddi
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Abu Na'imah Shamsuddin Abdul-Hakim ib
(Rochester,NY, USA)
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Member
Posts: 132
Joined: Dec 2002
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Al-Hamdulillahi Ta'Ala wa salatu wa salamu 'ala Rasulullah
Amma ba'd;
Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh;
I begin this writting by offering my apology to brother Abu Nafi Abdul-Wali Hamdulillah, Imam at Masjid-An-Nur, in Rochester, NY. He had requested of me to post this article for him June 28th long before he went to the conference in "Stop The Discord". So I shall now post it AS HE WROTE
IT AND MEANT FOR IT TO BE POSTED.
"Seeking Clarification"
" As salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh;
Al-Hamdulillahi Rabbil aalameen wa salatu wa salaamu alaa ashrafil anbiyaee'e wa-l mursaleen, wa'bad:
I would like to seek some clarification from the people of knowledge or if some of the students of knowledge can ask the people of knowledge for clarification on this matter. And I apologize if this is an annoyance to the people of knowledge as I know that they are involved with more pressing issues. As Allah Allah, Subhanahuwa Ta'Ala, says in the Qur'an [surah 21 ayat 30] "Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know."
Basically, the situation is that the Salafees of Rochester New York have become divided. As I have said I am only looking for clarification, so that I will know whether I am doing anything which would be considered blameworthy. Just some brief history, approximately 11 years ago Masjid-An-Nur was started here in Rochester New York by Imam Abdul-Malik Hasan. He and approximately 20 people left Masjid-ul-Taqwa which was part of the Warith Deen Muhammad community, because the people there rejected the establishment of the Qur'an and the Sunnah by a brother from Uganda, named Shaykh Ishaqq Kasimba. I was amongst those 20 people who helped found Masjid-An-Nur. Imam Hasan became acquainted with Ad-Dawat-us-Salafiyyah around 1997 and began directing Masjid-An-Nur in that direction [Al-Hamdulillah].
Jumping ahead now, in September 2003, Imam Hasan retired as Imam of Masjid-An-Nur, he asked me to become the Imam, a position which I myself did not want nor did I feel I was qualified for. However, after speaking with Imam Hasan over a period of months he convinced me that I was the best suited for the responsibility. After I accepted, he called a meeting of the community and asked the people if they accepted me, which they did. Our community is a diverse mixture of Arab, African American, Somalian, Turkish
and of course whoever wishes to attend.
Shortly after I became Imam, I gave a khutbah. The intent of the khutbah was to encourage mebers of the community to assist the masjid in carrying out its efforts by getting involved. I was basically trying to motivate the people to become more actively involved. I made a reference to the ayat
of Qur'an, "O YOU WHO BELIEVE! OBEY ALLAH AND OBEY THE MESSENGER AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY." Two people from the audience, brother Muneer and brother Abu Faruq al-Kanadi understood that I was putting myself on the level of the Amir-ul-Mu'mineen or the rulers by using this ayat in this context. Brother Muneer called Imam Hasan and asked him about this, Imam Hasan said he did not understand it in this way. Imam Hasan then advised the brother to speak to me directly, which he did, I informed him that it was not my intention to put myself on the level of the Amir-ul-Mu'mineen. He was not satified with my answer and continued to go to different people asking what they heard. To my knowledge, everyone told him they did not understand the khutbah to mean what he said.I think brother Abu Faruq was the only one who agreed with brother Muneer. I went to brother Muneer and tried to resolve the matter again and asked him to stop inciting people as it was beginning to cause fitnah. To my knowledge, brother Muneer called Imam Abu Uwais and I also called Imam Abu Uwais for clarification on this matter. We were both given the same answer by him, which was, and I apologize to Imam Abu Uwais if this is not verbatim,
"Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen [rahimahullah]has expalined this ayat with two meanings, 1- it does refer to the Amir-ul-Mu'mineen, 2- that it refers to the Imam of the masjid being cooperated with by the people within his capacity as the Imam." An explaination which totally accept and if the explanation had confirmed that I was wrong then I would have accepted that also, Allahu musta'an.
As a result of all of this and some other disagreements that went on, brothers Muneer, Abu Faruq and several other brothers separated from Masjid-An-Nur and started Masjid-As-Sunnah [ABU NAIMAH NOTE: They first opened a musalla with brother Hamdi al-Filisteen {brother Muneer returned to Yaman} and then later brother Abu Faruq & others left brother Hamdi and opened Masjid-as-Sunnah] Al-Hamdulillah, as I do not seek to prevent anyone from doing that which is good and based upon ikhlas. My concern is that now I am beginning to see e-mail notes on this site with implied meanings which I know refer to myself and the people of Masjid-An-Nur. I do think that it is fair to myself nor to the families of Masjid-An-Nur, as our Aqeedah nor our manhaj changed. Let me be the first to say that I agree with the brothers of Masjid-As-Sunnah, as well as brother Moosa Richardson, from his post a few days ago, that we need qualified students of knowledge in many of the Salafee masajid, I am fully in support of that and I am not opposed to that. However, the reality is that there are many communities that need brothers with the proper qualifications and to my knowledge there are only a few brotherswho are qualified at this time. From the time I began giving khutbah again in this masjid, which was at least two years before I was chosen as the Imam, I have been using material from the people of knowledge in my khutbah, calling to Tawheed, The Qur'an, the Sunnah and the manhaj of the Salaf-us-Saliheen.
And I always encourage the people to have love for knowledge and love for the people of knowledge and their students. I encourage the people to strive to acquire the beneficial knowledge by attending the weekly lectures being broadcast, by attending conferences, and by reading the books and the articles of the people of knowledge and their students and by listening to their tapes. In addition, it is my intention to make hijrah to Dammaj with my family and I have been trying to prepare this community for that, asa well as making my own provisions so that I will be able to support my family while there, insha'allah.
Therefore my request to the People of Knowledge is to mediate this dispute before it gets out of hand and the Salafee brothers become more divided.
AND I ASK THE PEOPLE OF KNOWLEDGE: If I should continue in this position as the Imam until we are able to support and bring in a full time qualified Imam?
As to my understanding, these matters are to be decided by the People of Knowledge and not the youth.
Jazak um Allahu Khairin
Abu Nafi Abdul-Wali Hamidullah ibn Booker T. Brown
Imam Hasan al-Basri [rahimahullah] said when he came across a group of people disputing: " Thes ones have become tired of worship, speaking has become easy for them and their piety has diminished, and that is why they talk."
END OF REQUEST...
Abu Na'imah Shamsuddin Abdul-Hakim ibn Harold Simmons, Aiken, SC, USA
This message was edited by abu.naimah.shamsuddi on 7-9-04 @ 3:52 PM
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Abu Na'imah Shamsuddin Abdul-Hakim ib
(Rochester,NY, USA)
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Member
Posts: 132
Joined: Dec 2002
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Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah;
Al-Hamdulillah, I will begin with a post on behalf of our brother Abu Nafi entitled:
"CLARIFICATION"..
" As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh;
I do thank brother Abu Naimah for posting my request. However, after attending the "Stop the Discord" conference in East Hanover New Jersy this past weekend , this situation has become clear for me.
May Allah, Subhanahuwa Ta'Ala, continue to bless our beloved scholars Shaikh Rabee Ibn Hadee al Madkhalee, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Hadee al Madkhalee
[hafidhahullahum], the students of the scholars and the du'aat, such Abul Hasan Malik al Akhdhar, Abu Khadijah, Abu Abdullah Hasan as-Samoli, Abu Uwais and Talib Abdullah for delivering a clear and benefitual message.
As I heard from our brother Abul Hasan Malik al Akhdar relating the naseehah of Shaiky Rabee [hafidhahullah], " If something has happened between the brothers who ascribe themselves to Salafiyyah, then let it remain in the past." I am sure that the brothers and sisters of Masjid-An_Nur would not mind my speaking for them in saying to the brothers of Masjid-As-Sunnah, as we have always felt, that we have no animosity towards anyone at Masjid-As-Sunnah. We have submitted to the advice of Shaikh Rabee ibn Hadee al Madkhalee [hafidhahullah], on what has happened to us in the past. We invite dialogue with the Salafee brothers, so that we together can warn against the people of innovation and the hizbiyyah in Rochester.
I do want to clarify for the Salafiyyoon that there two Salafee masajid in the city of Rochester, NY. The Salafees have the minbar at Masjid-An-Nur also, all the members of the majlis ascribe themselves to Ad-Dawat-us-Salafiyyah. We are not innovators, nor tablighees, no sufees, no hizbees, nor takfeeres, nor are we Wd [wobbly deen] Muhammadees, nor Farrakhanees, nor of any other groups who are stray, Allahu musta'aan. And if there is anything else we need to do to clarify the Salafiyyah of Masjid-An-Nur, then we welcome any suggestions, assistance and correction.
AS A PERSONAL APPEAL, I would plead with some the du'aat from the west
to consider coming to this area to speak. Unfortunately, we are not as close to the action as some of the Salafees in cities like Philly, Baltimore, Newark etc. It is almost a six hours to drive attend the conferences in these areas and not all of our members are able to afford the trip. I am a very, very minor daee and I do my best, along with brother Abu Naimah, in trying to convey this Dawah. However, as I am sure everyone knows those people who Allah Ta'Ala has blessed to acquire the beneficial knowledge by studying and sitting with the people of knowledge, are able to convey the dawah in a more exemplary manner, by the Will of Allah.We do encourage people to come out for the weekly lectures sponsored by Masjid ar Rahma [via tele-link], however the attendance has been sparse. We need people with sound knowledge to call people to the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger [sallallahu alaihi wa sallam] and the minhaj of the Salaf-us-Saliheen, along with the respect and the love for the scholars of this Dawah.
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves."
Abu Nafi abdul-Wali Hamdulillah ibn Booker T. Brown
END OF REQUESTED POST
Abu Na'imah Shamsuddin Abdul-Hakim ibn Harold Simmons, Aiken, SC, USA
This message was edited by abu.naimah.shamsuddi on 7-9-04 @ 11:48 PM
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07-07-2004 @ 8:12 PM
09-07-2004 @ 3:38 PM