In the heart of our kampung in Bagan Datoh lies the Masjid Jamek Jawiyyah, a beautiful mosque built entirely from wood over one hundred years ago. There have been a few expansions since then, but the original timbers of the structure are still intact and unchanged. Since it was built before running water, the ablution pools are fed by gutters that channel rainwater from the roof. The main roof is square and built in two tiers. The red metal dome may not be original …

Me and Omar and some other folks were flogging a horse to death over at Umar Lee’s website on the topic of immigrant muslim culture in the US. We managed to agree that [American] muslims should be
accepted as authentic Muslims without having to turn away from our cultural heritage, and there is plenty in that heritage that is not haram
and that
immigrant muslims need to realize that Islam is bigger than their own culture of origin and all us muslims have an equal claim on Islam and where it goes …

There’s a discussion going on at Tariq Nelson’s house about interracial marriage among American muslims. It’s a very interesting read and a great demonstration of the value of websites like this, where people can have a level conversation in public about such a topic that would otherwise be hushed or behind closed doors. The original argument was about black muslims marrying non-black muslims with an intention to have children who can pass out of blackness more easily. That’s a hot topic and you should really hop over …

Selections from The Hikam of Ibn Ata’Allah al-Iskandari:
If you want the door of hope opened
For you, then consider what comes
to you from your Lord, but if you want
The door of sadness opened for you,
Then consider what goes to Him
from you.
||

One of the signs of relying on one’s
own deeds is the loss of hope
when a downfall occurs.
||

Sometimes He gives
while depriving you, and sometimes
He deprives you in giving.
||

He who wishes that at a given moment
There appear other than what God
has manifested in it, has not left
ignorance behind at all!

Excerpted from the presentation …

Alhamdulillah, I was able to fly to Singapore to attend the conference Journey to Ihsan last weekend. It was my first time in Singapore, and I came in the hard way, landing in Johor Bahru, then taking a three hour combination of trains and buses before arriving at my hotel, across the street from Dar ul-Arqam, the Singapore Muslim Converts Association. The Geylang street area was lovely. Just a block from my hotel were two old masajid across the street from each other, Masjid Khalid and Masjid …

The man who knows and he knows that he knows: This is the Scholar, so follow him.
The man who knows but he does not know that he knows: This is the Forgetful One, so wake him.
The man who does not know, and he knows that he does not know: This is the Seeker, so guide him.
The man who does not know, but he does not know that he does not know: This is the Ignoramus, so leave him.

One reason I enjoy my weekly Arabic classes is that points …

Shamil Basayev is dead.  We belong to God and unto Him we return.  When Aslan Maskhadov died, I was too choked up to even post about it. That was the end of any hope for Chechnya. Basayev… well, he’s dead now.  Don’t speak ill and all that.  Still, I’ll point you to what I wrote about him and his “contributions” to the Chechen cause previously.
In a related obituary, Sobaka Magazine has closed down.  Now there’s a crying shame.

The Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque of Singapore is hosting the 2nd International Conference on Islamic Spirituality, to be held on 2-3 September, 2006. The theme of the conference is Journey to Ihsan. Among the headlining speakers are Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and Professor Abd al-Haqq Godlas. More details including bios of the speakers are available.
It looks like a great program. I’m just a short plane ride away – I hope I’m able to attend.

You should read Tom Junod’s article “Innocent” about John Walker Lindh.  It’s probably the first serious story written about JWL in years.  I had been meaning to link to the blog of another Sulayman, who has a thorough biography of JWL.  It complements the Junod article well.  I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading them both.  Lindh’s story tugs at me in a way that those of many others wrongfully imprisoned in GWOT do not.
[I've written about him previously.]

I found a few mawlid resources online that are either new or I totally overlooked. The first is from Naqshbandi.org: it contains scans of a mawlid diba’i arabic text with mp3s of each page being recited. I got excited when I saw it thinking it had the Malaysian version; rather, the tracks appear to be from a variety of different sources or recordings.
The other is Eternal Nasheed, which has a large collection of nasheeds from all over the world. They are mostly ram tracks, but there are …

Masjid India is perhaps the oldest standing masjid in Kuching, though the nearby Masjid Bahagian is built on a hill top that held an older structure. Masjid India is so named because the small Kuching Indian community requested the land to build the mosque from the first White Rajah, James Brooke, in the late 1800′s. Over time, the Indians, who were mostly traders, built shop houses adjoining one another around the perimeter of the deeded land, until the masjid was completely contained. Only a few modest signs …

Our relationship with the entirety of our liege-lords the Prophets consists in belief, love, faith, and the learning of lessons and wisdoms from their stories, the reports that come from them, and their lives. We may hear, for example, that the father of Prophets, our liege-lord Abraham, upon him peace, stands out in his connection to us, in a way, because Primordial Monotheism (al-hanîfiyya) is ascribed to him; also, because he is one of the forefathers of our liege-lord Muhammad – upon him blessings …