This is book is written in the 9th century by Imam Al-Tahawi and translated with commentary by Hamza Yusuf. It is all about Aquida. It is small book with numbered paragraphs. The following is an excerpt:
#59 ...Knowledge is of two types: the humanly accesssible and the humanly inaccessible. To either deny accessible knowledge or to claim the inaccessible is disbelief. Faith is not sound unless accessible knowledge is embraced and the pursuit of the inaccessible is abandoned.
#71 We refer to the people who face our quilba as muslim be livers, as long as they acknowlege, confirm, and don't deny all that the Prophet(SAW) brought , stated, and imparted.
#74 We don't dissent from the majority of Muslims.
#75 We don't declare anyone among the people of our quliba a disbeliever for any sin, as long as he doesn't deem it lawful.
#76 Nor do we opine that where there is faith, a sin doesn't harm the sinner.
#82 Faith is one reality, and the people of faith are essentially the same. Any disparity among them results from distinctions in knowledge, piety, struggle, and adherence to priorities.
#88 We consider congregational prayer behind any of the people of quibla, both the virtuous and sinful, to be valid. We also pray over those among them who died.
#89 We don't specify anyone among them to be in either Paradise or the Fire. We also don't accuse any of them of disbelief, idolatry, or hypocrisy, as long as none of that manifests from them. We resign their inner states to God the Sublime and Exalted.
#91 We don't accept any rebellion against our leaders or the administrators of our public affairs, even if they are oppressive. We also don't pray for evil to befall any of them or withdraw our allegiance from them. We consider our civic duty to them concordant with our duty to God, the Sublime and Exalted, and legally binding on us, unless they command us to the immoral. We pray for their probity, success, and welfare.
#92 We adhere to the Sunnah and the majority (of scholars), and we avoid isolated opinions, discord, and sectarianism.
#94 In inconclusive matters of knowledge, we assert "God knows best."
#122 The pious scholars of the past and those after them who follow their path--the people of goodness and tradition' or understanding and profound scholarship--should be mentioned only in the best manner. Anyone who speaks ill of them has deviated from the path.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Non-Islamic Interest Free Bank in Sweden
JAK members bank
The JAK Members Bank, or JAK Medlemsbank, is a cooperative, member-owned bank based in Skovde, Sweden. JAK is an acronym for Jord Arbete Kapital in Swedish or Land Labour Capital. A membership of approximately 35,000 (as of 2008) dictates the bank's policy and direction. Board of Directors is voted annually by members, who are allowed only to have one share of the bank. Similar to Islamic banking, the JAK Members Bank does not charge or pay interest on its loans . All of the bank's activities occur outside of the capital market as its loans are financed solely by member savings. As of 2008 members saved 97 million Euros, of which 86 million are given as loans to members. Administrative and developmental costs are paid for by membership and loan fees.
JAK banking is made possible by saving points system: members accumulate saving points during saving periods, they use saving points asking for a loan. The main idea is that one is allowed to take a loan for himself in the same measure he allows other people to have loans, saving into his account. For this reason - asking for a loan - earned saving points must be equal to spent saving points, in order to ensure sustainability. If a member is borrowing more saving points than he has, he is obliged to continue accumulating so-called "aftersavings" during repayment period. "Aftersavings" are a fixed quota of money that one has to save after his loan was given, in order to continue earning saving points. By this way, at the end of his repayment period, earned saving points will be equal to spent saving points, and at that time he will be able to have back all his aftersavings.
The JAK Members Bank, or JAK Medlemsbank, is a cooperative, member-owned bank based in Skovde, Sweden. JAK is an acronym for Jord Arbete Kapital in Swedish or Land Labour Capital. A membership of approximately 35,000 (as of 2008) dictates the bank's policy and direction. Board of Directors is voted annually by members, who are allowed only to have one share of the bank. Similar to Islamic banking, the JAK Members Bank does not charge or pay interest on its loans . All of the bank's activities occur outside of the capital market as its loans are financed solely by member savings. As of 2008 members saved 97 million Euros, of which 86 million are given as loans to members. Administrative and developmental costs are paid for by membership and loan fees.
JAK banking is made possible by saving points system: members accumulate saving points during saving periods, they use saving points asking for a loan. The main idea is that one is allowed to take a loan for himself in the same measure he allows other people to have loans, saving into his account. For this reason - asking for a loan - earned saving points must be equal to spent saving points, in order to ensure sustainability. If a member is borrowing more saving points than he has, he is obliged to continue accumulating so-called "aftersavings" during repayment period. "Aftersavings" are a fixed quota of money that one has to save after his loan was given, in order to continue earning saving points. By this way, at the end of his repayment period, earned saving points will be equal to spent saving points, and at that time he will be able to have back all his aftersavings.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saudi cleric favours one-eye veil
A Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye.
Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive.
The question of how much of her face a woman should cover is a controversial topic in many Muslim societies.
The niqab is more common in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but women in much of the Muslim Middle East wear a headscarf which covers only their hair.
Sheikh Habadan, an ultra-conservative cleric who is said to have wide influence among religious Saudis, was answering questions on the Muslim satellite channel al-Majd.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7651231.stmPublished: 2008/10/03 14:51:01 GMT© BBC MMIX
Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive.
The question of how much of her face a woman should cover is a controversial topic in many Muslim societies.
The niqab is more common in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but women in much of the Muslim Middle East wear a headscarf which covers only their hair.
Sheikh Habadan, an ultra-conservative cleric who is said to have wide influence among religious Saudis, was answering questions on the Muslim satellite channel al-Majd.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7651231.stmPublished: 2008/10/03 14:51:01 GMT© BBC MMIX
Saudis 'to regulate' child brides
Saudi Arabia says it plans to start regulating the marriage of young girls, amid controversy over a union between a 60-year-old man and a girl of eight.
A court in Unaiza upheld the marriage on condition the groom does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty.
Justice Minister Muhammad Issa said his ministry wanted to put an end to the "arbitrary" way in which parents and guardians can marry off underage girls.
But he did not suggest the practice would be abolished.
Human-rights groups oppose such marriages, which they say are often motivated by poverty.
Saudi Arabia implements an austere form of Sunni Islam that bans free association between the sexes and gives fathers the right to wed their children to whomever they deem fit.
'Selling daughters'
The Unaiza case was brought by the eight-year-old girl's mother who wanted the marriage to be annulled.
The judge said he had tried to persuade the husband to accept a divorce, but the man refused.
The girl is still with her family and there is no suggestion that she will live with her husband until much older.
The judge said that once she reached puberty, she could ask for a divorce.
Local press reports say the case seems to be an example of how some Saudi families sell their daughters for money.
Correspondents say the girl's father appeared to have sought the dowry from the groom to pay off debts.
Saudi commentators also point out that the marriage took place in the central province of Qaseem - the heartland of Saudi Islamic fundamentalism.
Earlier this year, the country's highest religious authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh, said it was not against Islamic law to marry off girls who are 15 and younger.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7999777.stmPublished: 2009/04/15 09:58:38 GMT© BBC MMIX
Print Sponsor
BBC.adverts.write("printableversionsponsorship");
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A court in Unaiza upheld the marriage on condition the groom does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty.
Justice Minister Muhammad Issa said his ministry wanted to put an end to the "arbitrary" way in which parents and guardians can marry off underage girls.
But he did not suggest the practice would be abolished.
Human-rights groups oppose such marriages, which they say are often motivated by poverty.
Saudi Arabia implements an austere form of Sunni Islam that bans free association between the sexes and gives fathers the right to wed their children to whomever they deem fit.
'Selling daughters'
The Unaiza case was brought by the eight-year-old girl's mother who wanted the marriage to be annulled.
The judge said he had tried to persuade the husband to accept a divorce, but the man refused.
The girl is still with her family and there is no suggestion that she will live with her husband until much older.
The judge said that once she reached puberty, she could ask for a divorce.
Local press reports say the case seems to be an example of how some Saudi families sell their daughters for money.
Correspondents say the girl's father appeared to have sought the dowry from the groom to pay off debts.
Saudi commentators also point out that the marriage took place in the central province of Qaseem - the heartland of Saudi Islamic fundamentalism.
Earlier this year, the country's highest religious authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh, said it was not against Islamic law to marry off girls who are 15 and younger.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7999777.stmPublished: 2009/04/15 09:58:38 GMT© BBC MMIX
Print Sponsor
BBC.adverts.write("printableversionsponsorship");
BBC.adverts.show("printableversionsponsorship");
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The bathing beach policeman
Pictured below: Bill Norton, the bathing beach policeman of Washington, D.C., in 1922 enforcing a regulation prohibiting a woman's bathing suit from stopping more than six inches above the knee.
Materialism and depression
Depression Skyrockets Amidst Growing Materialism
By Matthew Little
Epoch Times Staff Reporter
Apr 04, 2008
Recent reports describe a sharp rise in the number of students seeking counseling services at universities across the country for help with depression. (Photos.com)
Rising depression rates at Canadian universities and around the developed world may point to problems with our modern way of life according to experts and a growing list of studies. Recent reports describe a sharp rise in the number of students seeking counseling services at universities across the country for help with depression.
Queen's University alone has seen patient numbers triple in the past ten years. Vancouver's Simon Fraser University has added a psychiatrist to its health and counseling services to deal with the problem.
Data for Canada is incomplete, but in the United States the National College Health Assessment of almost 24,000 students found that in 2006, nearly half of the female students surveyed and 36 per cent of the male felt so depressed it was difficult to function at least once in the past 12 months.
In that same time period more than half the students said they had experienced hopelessness. About 10 per cent had seriously considered suicide.
But even with such high numbers seeking counseling, there is some debate among mental health experts about the actual prevalence of depression.
Some experts say there is little past research to compare to so it is impossible to know if the number of people with the illness is actually growing. Others say more people are aware of depression now resulting in more people seeking medical help.
Some also think that people are seeking help for less severe forms of depression than they did in the past.
Overall, however, there is widespread belief that depression is on the rise. The World Health Organization predicts depression will be the second most common disease by 2010.
As for the cause of the increase, research into factors that contribute to depression could offer some explanation.
There is a growing list of studies that establish a link between depression and materialism — a strong attachment to material goods to the exclusion of spiritual or intellectual values.
Recent findings by John Abela, associate professor of psychology at McGill University and director of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Clinic at the Montreal Children's Hospital, found that children as young as six can be affected.
Abela and his team of student researchers are conducting a study of approximately 1,000 adolescents in Montreal and Shanghai. He found that the rapid change in China's culture and its embrace of materialism has increased depression rates.
"Materialists have a fragile sense of self because their worth depends on attaining external things. The quality of their interpersonal relationships suffers and they feel more stress while pursuing extrinsic goals," Abela said in a McGill magazine.
Psychologist Tim Kasser of Knox College found materialistic children have less self-esteem, less happiness and describe experiencing more signs of anxiety than their peers.
Studies of adults link materialism to poor relationships and unhappiness and researchers at the University of Newcastle, Australia, found materialistic people were more likely to experience anger and depression.
Researchers have also been aware of a connection between depression and increased alcoholism and illicit drug use, but the connection can be complicated.
Depression has been found to lead to drug abuse and alcoholism, but drug abuse and alcoholism can also lead to depression. An unknown host of other factors, materialism among them, may contribute to both.
Basia Pakula, a research associate at Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria, said some people turn to drugs as a way to self medicate, even though attempts may do more harm than good.
Pakula said researchers "frequently see people who have depression or other mental health problems develop substance-use dependency."
Some drug users find the substance helps with problems like depression and that this "function" can lead to addiction, said Pakula.
Does that mean depression is behind the 11 per cent jump in alcohol consumption in B.C. over the last decade? No-one is saying that, but the two issues could be related.
Joseph Rochford, a researcher the Douglas Institute and associate psychiatry professor at McGill, says some people being treated for alcoholism recover after being treated for their depression.
He also said that stress is one of the main contributors to depression.
Rochford speculated that the rise in depression may be partially attributed to changing lifestyles that have eroded people's traditional support networks.
He described families of yesteryear living closer together and neighbors being more familiar and friendly with each other, calling on each other in times of need.
People today are more isolated, he said, leaving them to face the world on their own, which can cause more stress and more depression.
"Neighborhoods aren't as strong as they used to be."
By Matthew Little
Epoch Times Staff Reporter
Apr 04, 2008
Recent reports describe a sharp rise in the number of students seeking counseling services at universities across the country for help with depression. (Photos.com)
Rising depression rates at Canadian universities and around the developed world may point to problems with our modern way of life according to experts and a growing list of studies. Recent reports describe a sharp rise in the number of students seeking counseling services at universities across the country for help with depression.
Queen's University alone has seen patient numbers triple in the past ten years. Vancouver's Simon Fraser University has added a psychiatrist to its health and counseling services to deal with the problem.
Data for Canada is incomplete, but in the United States the National College Health Assessment of almost 24,000 students found that in 2006, nearly half of the female students surveyed and 36 per cent of the male felt so depressed it was difficult to function at least once in the past 12 months.
In that same time period more than half the students said they had experienced hopelessness. About 10 per cent had seriously considered suicide.
But even with such high numbers seeking counseling, there is some debate among mental health experts about the actual prevalence of depression.
Some experts say there is little past research to compare to so it is impossible to know if the number of people with the illness is actually growing. Others say more people are aware of depression now resulting in more people seeking medical help.
Some also think that people are seeking help for less severe forms of depression than they did in the past.
Overall, however, there is widespread belief that depression is on the rise. The World Health Organization predicts depression will be the second most common disease by 2010.
As for the cause of the increase, research into factors that contribute to depression could offer some explanation.
There is a growing list of studies that establish a link between depression and materialism — a strong attachment to material goods to the exclusion of spiritual or intellectual values.
Recent findings by John Abela, associate professor of psychology at McGill University and director of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Clinic at the Montreal Children's Hospital, found that children as young as six can be affected.
Abela and his team of student researchers are conducting a study of approximately 1,000 adolescents in Montreal and Shanghai. He found that the rapid change in China's culture and its embrace of materialism has increased depression rates.
"Materialists have a fragile sense of self because their worth depends on attaining external things. The quality of their interpersonal relationships suffers and they feel more stress while pursuing extrinsic goals," Abela said in a McGill magazine.
Psychologist Tim Kasser of Knox College found materialistic children have less self-esteem, less happiness and describe experiencing more signs of anxiety than their peers.
Studies of adults link materialism to poor relationships and unhappiness and researchers at the University of Newcastle, Australia, found materialistic people were more likely to experience anger and depression.
Researchers have also been aware of a connection between depression and increased alcoholism and illicit drug use, but the connection can be complicated.
Depression has been found to lead to drug abuse and alcoholism, but drug abuse and alcoholism can also lead to depression. An unknown host of other factors, materialism among them, may contribute to both.
Basia Pakula, a research associate at Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria, said some people turn to drugs as a way to self medicate, even though attempts may do more harm than good.
Pakula said researchers "frequently see people who have depression or other mental health problems develop substance-use dependency."
Some drug users find the substance helps with problems like depression and that this "function" can lead to addiction, said Pakula.
Does that mean depression is behind the 11 per cent jump in alcohol consumption in B.C. over the last decade? No-one is saying that, but the two issues could be related.
Joseph Rochford, a researcher the Douglas Institute and associate psychiatry professor at McGill, says some people being treated for alcoholism recover after being treated for their depression.
He also said that stress is one of the main contributors to depression.
Rochford speculated that the rise in depression may be partially attributed to changing lifestyles that have eroded people's traditional support networks.
He described families of yesteryear living closer together and neighbors being more familiar and friendly with each other, calling on each other in times of need.
People today are more isolated, he said, leaving them to face the world on their own, which can cause more stress and more depression.
"Neighborhoods aren't as strong as they used to be."
Ethnic clothes mental health link
Ethnic clothes mental health link
Some 1,000 teenagers were questioned
Teenage girls from some minority communities who stick to their family customs have better mental health, researchers say.
Queen Mary University of London found Bangladeshi girls who chose traditional rather than Western dress had fewer behavioural and emotional problems.
The team said close-knit families and communities could help protect them.
Pressure to integrate fully could be stressful, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reported.
Traditional clothing represents a tighter family unit, and this may offer some protection against some of the pressures that young people face
Professor Kam Bhui, report co-author
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, and the researchers said that identity, often bound up in friendship choices or clothing, played a role.
They questioned a total of 1,000 white British and Bangladeshi 11 to 14-year-olds about their culture, social life and health, including questions designed to reveal any emotional or mental problems.
Bangladeshi pupils who wore traditional clothing were significantly less likely to have mental health problems than those whose style of dress was a mix of traditional and white British styles.
When this was broken down by gender, it appeared that only girls were affected.
No similar effect was found in white British adolescents who chose a mixture of clothes from their own and other cultures.
More support
Professor Kam Bhui, one of the study authors, said that the result was "surprising" - he had expected that girls who were less fully integrated to show signs of greater strain.
"Traditional clothing represents a tighter family unit, and this may offer some protection against some of the pressures that young people face.
"What it suggests is that we need to assist people who are moving from traditional cultures and becoming integrated into Western societies, as they may be more vulnerable to mental health problems."
Professor James Nazroo, a medical sociologist at the University of Manchester, said that the findings meant that "notions of Britishness" should be dealt with in a sophisticated way.
"There are many ways in which people can be British - these girls who have good mental health, and still have a strong traditional culture, are by implication settled and comfortable with their identities."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7347092.stm
Some 1,000 teenagers were questioned
Teenage girls from some minority communities who stick to their family customs have better mental health, researchers say.
Queen Mary University of London found Bangladeshi girls who chose traditional rather than Western dress had fewer behavioural and emotional problems.
The team said close-knit families and communities could help protect them.
Pressure to integrate fully could be stressful, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reported.
Traditional clothing represents a tighter family unit, and this may offer some protection against some of the pressures that young people face
Professor Kam Bhui, report co-author
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, and the researchers said that identity, often bound up in friendship choices or clothing, played a role.
They questioned a total of 1,000 white British and Bangladeshi 11 to 14-year-olds about their culture, social life and health, including questions designed to reveal any emotional or mental problems.
Bangladeshi pupils who wore traditional clothing were significantly less likely to have mental health problems than those whose style of dress was a mix of traditional and white British styles.
When this was broken down by gender, it appeared that only girls were affected.
No similar effect was found in white British adolescents who chose a mixture of clothes from their own and other cultures.
More support
Professor Kam Bhui, one of the study authors, said that the result was "surprising" - he had expected that girls who were less fully integrated to show signs of greater strain.
"Traditional clothing represents a tighter family unit, and this may offer some protection against some of the pressures that young people face.
"What it suggests is that we need to assist people who are moving from traditional cultures and becoming integrated into Western societies, as they may be more vulnerable to mental health problems."
Professor James Nazroo, a medical sociologist at the University of Manchester, said that the findings meant that "notions of Britishness" should be dealt with in a sophisticated way.
"There are many ways in which people can be British - these girls who have good mental health, and still have a strong traditional culture, are by implication settled and comfortable with their identities."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7347092.stm
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