Well, this is gonna be a random posting, so I'll just be saying off my mind.
So.. as the title goes, what's there in a name? "NOTHING!", some people would say. "A name is just a name by which you identify a person with."
"Oh really?" I asked. Well, Vishal from my BMT recourse shared, "Well, there was an article to prove this point. A father named his elder son "Winner" and his younger son "Loser". Turns out Winner doesn't fare very well in life while "Loser" is a high-flyer." (or so the story goes to that effect as I don't remember exactly)
Oh ok. So a name is just a name? Really?
So why did our Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam place importance in choosing good names for our children? Hmm..
Well, let's look at our fellow Muslims.. Malay Muslims especially.. (oh, by the way, this isn't a racist comment or remark.. I'm a Malay-Muslim too.. thus, the focus.. this is an open and self-criticism.. take it or leave it..)
Malay boys are named "Muhammad so-and-so".. Muhammad Farhan, Muhammad Idris, Muhammad Asyraf, etc. Muhammad is a praiseworthy name.. in fact, Muhammad itself means the Praiseworthy one.
But.. many of our sons named Muhammad, subhanallah, their manners are way below praiseworthy.. along with Muhammad who smokes, Muhammad who flirts, and oops.. Muhammad who drinks and Muhammad who snatches a girl's virginity.. (Subhanallah, can't believe I'm writing this..)
[So I'm thinking, parents.. you really should consider before naming your son Muhammad.. can he live up to that name rather than tarnish it?]
Thus we find that along with the not-praiseworthy Muhammads, Hamid who swears and curses, Lutfi who is rough and definitely not soft-mannered.. Abdul Hakim who isn't really wise, what more qualified to be a judge.. Zaki isn't really bright, he's failing his subjects.. Huda isn't really guided, she smokes and wears tank tops and tight jeans.. Hafizah doesn't really "cover up", what more memorize the Quran.. And Aishah not even a little like the Prophet's wife..
Just to add 2 more.. Umar isn't like Umar ibn al-Khattab radiyAllahu 'anhu or Umar bin Abdul Aziz rahimahullah and Ali is definitely not like Ali bin Abi Talib radiyAllahu 'anhu.
(Oh boy.. i'm gonna get lots of comments, especially on Facebook..)
And so I realize I'm failing my case.. How do i prove that a name is more than just a name by which we identify a person with?
The only argument I have is I'm Farhan and I'm joyful and always in smiles.. =)
Then there's the story of Said al-Musayyib in which because his grandfather refused to change his name (which means sadness), thus the family has always been in sadness and grief.
Not forgetting the several instances whereby the Prophet sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam change some of the Companions' names for better ones upon their reversion to Islam.. Well, their former names carry bad meaning.. What i can remember, the Companion 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf used to have a name that has a bad meaning..
And so in the Hadith, the Prophet sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam tells us to name our children Abdullah or Abdur-Rahman, Harith or (i forgot the other name mentioned).. names with good meanings.. and to avoid names like Harb (war), the one who commits sin, etc.. (Ok, perhaps someone can help me in quoting this hadith.)
I believe that at the end of the day, it's not just about naming our children with good names (or those long names but end up calling them "Mad", "Mid", "Din"..)
It's about raising our children to live up to their names, reflect well of their names.. And more importantly, for each and every one of us Muslims to do so ourselves.
================
Actually, my main intention of writing this was to "debate" whether to keep or remove the name/title "as-Salafee" from my blogs on Multiply and Blogspot. [But my post really went off right? Although touching a "bigger" issue worth reflecting on.]
Readers who follow me on Blogspot would realize that I've just changed my Signature as "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Sanqafooree".
[Well, it used to be "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee" as with the name of my blog; there was once it was "Aboo 'Ammaar Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee" or "Aboo 'Ammaar Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Sanqafooree", and yes, it was long...]
The reason for this consideration was that I was reminded by Ustaz Abu Hawariy last night that Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani himself didn't put the title "as-Salafee" behind his name on his books, although he allows and encourages it (with certain conditions).
The same goes to other scholars like Shaykh Bin Baz, Shaykh Uthaymeen, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin al-Abbad, and others. Occasionally, we'd find the book of Shaykh Ali Hasan al-Halabi with the title "Al-Athaaree" at the back of his name.
So for quite some time, I've been considering that it's not important to have the title "as-Salafee", thus, removing it from my signature.
Especially the fact that a few brothers from UK (one is from SPubs) have visited my blog and commented on certain posts that the author I quoted from is not known to be Salafee or upon the Salafee manhaj, although I disagree.
But considering the fact that readers have long known my blog as bearing that name "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee", I shall keep it as that for now.. only my signature changes..
So.. as the title goes, what's there in a name? "NOTHING!", some people would say. "A name is just a name by which you identify a person with."
"Oh really?" I asked. Well, Vishal from my BMT recourse shared, "Well, there was an article to prove this point. A father named his elder son "Winner" and his younger son "Loser". Turns out Winner doesn't fare very well in life while "Loser" is a high-flyer." (or so the story goes to that effect as I don't remember exactly)
Oh ok. So a name is just a name? Really?
So why did our Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam place importance in choosing good names for our children? Hmm..
Well, let's look at our fellow Muslims.. Malay Muslims especially.. (oh, by the way, this isn't a racist comment or remark.. I'm a Malay-Muslim too.. thus, the focus.. this is an open and self-criticism.. take it or leave it..)
Malay boys are named "Muhammad so-and-so".. Muhammad Farhan, Muhammad Idris, Muhammad Asyraf, etc. Muhammad is a praiseworthy name.. in fact, Muhammad itself means the Praiseworthy one.
But.. many of our sons named Muhammad, subhanallah, their manners are way below praiseworthy.. along with Muhammad who smokes, Muhammad who flirts, and oops.. Muhammad who drinks and Muhammad who snatches a girl's virginity.. (Subhanallah, can't believe I'm writing this..)
[So I'm thinking, parents.. you really should consider before naming your son Muhammad.. can he live up to that name rather than tarnish it?]
Thus we find that along with the not-praiseworthy Muhammads, Hamid who swears and curses, Lutfi who is rough and definitely not soft-mannered.. Abdul Hakim who isn't really wise, what more qualified to be a judge.. Zaki isn't really bright, he's failing his subjects.. Huda isn't really guided, she smokes and wears tank tops and tight jeans.. Hafizah doesn't really "cover up", what more memorize the Quran.. And Aishah not even a little like the Prophet's wife..
Just to add 2 more.. Umar isn't like Umar ibn al-Khattab radiyAllahu 'anhu or Umar bin Abdul Aziz rahimahullah and Ali is definitely not like Ali bin Abi Talib radiyAllahu 'anhu.
(Oh boy.. i'm gonna get lots of comments, especially on Facebook..)
And so I realize I'm failing my case.. How do i prove that a name is more than just a name by which we identify a person with?
The only argument I have is I'm Farhan and I'm joyful and always in smiles.. =)
Then there's the story of Said al-Musayyib in which because his grandfather refused to change his name (which means sadness), thus the family has always been in sadness and grief.
Not forgetting the several instances whereby the Prophet sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam change some of the Companions' names for better ones upon their reversion to Islam.. Well, their former names carry bad meaning.. What i can remember, the Companion 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf used to have a name that has a bad meaning..
And so in the Hadith, the Prophet sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam tells us to name our children Abdullah or Abdur-Rahman, Harith or (i forgot the other name mentioned).. names with good meanings.. and to avoid names like Harb (war), the one who commits sin, etc.. (Ok, perhaps someone can help me in quoting this hadith.)
I believe that at the end of the day, it's not just about naming our children with good names (or those long names but end up calling them "Mad", "Mid", "Din"..)
It's about raising our children to live up to their names, reflect well of their names.. And more importantly, for each and every one of us Muslims to do so ourselves.
================
Actually, my main intention of writing this was to "debate" whether to keep or remove the name/title "as-Salafee" from my blogs on Multiply and Blogspot. [But my post really went off right? Although touching a "bigger" issue worth reflecting on.]
Readers who follow me on Blogspot would realize that I've just changed my Signature as "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Sanqafooree".
[Well, it used to be "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee" as with the name of my blog; there was once it was "Aboo 'Ammaar Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee" or "Aboo 'Ammaar Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Sanqafooree", and yes, it was long...]
The reason for this consideration was that I was reminded by Ustaz Abu Hawariy last night that Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani himself didn't put the title "as-Salafee" behind his name on his books, although he allows and encourages it (with certain conditions).
The same goes to other scholars like Shaykh Bin Baz, Shaykh Uthaymeen, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin al-Abbad, and others. Occasionally, we'd find the book of Shaykh Ali Hasan al-Halabi with the title "Al-Athaaree" at the back of his name.
So for quite some time, I've been considering that it's not important to have the title "as-Salafee", thus, removing it from my signature.
Especially the fact that a few brothers from UK (one is from SPubs) have visited my blog and commented on certain posts that the author I quoted from is not known to be Salafee or upon the Salafee manhaj, although I disagree.
But considering the fact that readers have long known my blog as bearing that name "Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee", I shall keep it as that for now.. only my signature changes..
8 comments:
Assalamu Alaikum brother Aboo 'Ammaar! I came across your blog from another blog on wordpress that I follow and I'm glad I did. Alhamdulillaah.
You've a good writing style - not too formal and rigid, but good enough to get the point across. And you ascribe to the Salafus Saaliheen! Plus you're a Malay! Alhamdulillaah :)
I quite like Malay brothers. I know quite a few of them from my college and one of them is my best friend there even though I'm not ethnically Malay. I even went to this Malay and Singaporean night in college which was like a cultural event to get to know more about Malay culture and traditions.
I also know some Malysian and Singaporean colleagues who are ethnically Chinese. It's good hanging out with them instead of my own kind -- Indians!
My best friend at college is named Mohd. Hirzi Amiruddin. I guess it's common in Malaysia and also in South Asia (like in Bangladesh) to shorten Mohammed into Md. or Mohd. I personally don't like this shortening and it should really be Muhammad instead of other variants as that is how it is pronounced in Arabic.
I've got two blog entries talking about Muslim and Arabic names here:
1. Beginner's Guide to Arabic Proper Names (Part 1)
2. Beginner's Guide to Arabic Proper Names (Part 2)
Feel free to promote them and comment on them as appropriate! In my culture, it's also common to see Muslims giving their children random names that don't have any good meanings, except maybe it's a flower or season and things like that.
I've got lot to say on the latter portion of your blog post, but I'd make a separate comment to avoid making it too long.
Wa 'alaykum as-Salamu wa rahmatullah.
Al-Hamdu lillah.. good to know you brother..
Regarding my writing style, all good is from Allah. If you have time to browse thru my blog from the beginning, u'd find a gradual change in writing style and tone..
Insha-Allah, i'll await your subsequent comment..
Na'am akh.
1. I'd say drop off "as-salafee" at end of your name, since it can be misconstrued by many people and can put off many readers who come across your blog, perhaps because of what they heard regarding "Salafis/Wahhabis". This is what I asked to Sh Muhammad al-Maliki of Jiddah myself and other Shuyookh have also advised on occasions that "as-salafi" should be used only when it is necessary and when it does not cause general people to turn away.
This is from the hikmah of da'wah. Say what Allah said and what His Messenger said and how the Companions and the Salaf explained the sayings of Allaah and His Messenger. That is sufficient to get the point across and you've done what is obligatory on you: ascribe to the manhaj of the Salaf.
Shaykhana Rabee' al-Madkhali has also stressed this as occurs in: Encouraging Harmony and Wisdom in Dawah.
I have also tried to adhere to the advice of the Mashayikh wherever possible and I am expounding on this issue as a long series in my blog which starts:
Make things easy, Muslims! (Part 1a).
2. You're from Singapore and you'd know what attracts the people in S'pore better. Muslims can easily relate to when you say I'm Sunni and then talk about Sunnah and the Salaf, because Sunni=Salafi=Athari and the words alone do not make a difference.
3. As you rightly mentioned, very few Scholars, if any, resorted to "as-Salafee" after their name. Even the recent Salafi Scholars such as al-Albani and al-Waadi'i have not resorted to it. So you as a person from S'pore, why do you have to stand out from 99% of the Scholars of Ahlus Sunnah and append "as-Salafee" after your name? Your statements, beliefs and actions would speak for themselves whether you're Salafi or Khariji and so on...
And while we cannot say it is absolutely wrong to use "as-Salafi" after one's name, I'm yet to see any Scholar (except al-Haafidh Aboo Taahir as-Salafee who died in the year 576AH) who used it after his name. Yes, there are 4-5 instances where Scholars referred each other or someone from the past as Salafees (see here and here p. 8/14). This is why we say to those who say Salafi is an innovated word: it has been used before by the Imams of Ahlus Sunnah and it is not an innovation and Imam al-Albani also has detailed arguments on this issue (which you're probably aware of).
As for "as-Sunnee" then I recall one Imaam using it called "Ibn as-Sunnee" and he's well-known for his book on supplications. Some Scholars and students have used "al-Atharee" after their name as well, but such instances are rare and what is common to use as a nisbah is to use one's location and tribe and race. That is the way of 99.9% of the Salafi 'Ulamaa.
4. You removing "as-Salafi" from your name does not make you any less Salafi than others if you're beliefs and actions are like the Salafis. It's only a technicality and is usually better to avoid for da'wah purpose (see pt. 1).
That's all I got to say with regards to your "as-Salafee" nisbah. What you mentioned about some brothers require another long comment so I'd do that separately inshaAllaah.
was salaam.
Akh Ahmad, I agree with your point. Which is why i removed it from my signature.
The only issue now is the name of my blog. It has been there since 2006. That's how people learn of my blog, especially those who are curious abou Salafee and Salafiyyah.
And I believe it is because of that blog name that attracted the few brothers from UK, esp from Spubs to visit my blog.
So in that sense, it is good and has a purpose.
What do you think? Should i still keep it in my blog name?
Akh your blog title says:
The Thoughts of Ibn Shamsud-Deen as-Salafee
(The manhaj (methodology) of adhering to the Qur'aan and Sunnah as understood by the Salaf as-Saalih (Sahaabah, Taabi'een and Taabi' at-Taabi'een). This is the Salafi manhaj, the true manhaj of Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah.)
If you discard "as-Salafee" from there and just mention as follows:
The Thoughts of Ibn Shamsud-Deen
The manhaj (methodology) of adhering to the Qur'aan and Sunnah as understood by the Salaf as-Saalih (Sahaabah, Taabi'een and Taabi' at-Taabi'een). This is the true manhaj of Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah.
Does the above modification change anything fundamentally? WAllaah, no! It should still attract the Salafees because it clearly says about adhering to the first three generations and then clarifies that this is the true manhaj of ASWJ. I'd say this has served two purpose:
1. your obligation to ascribe to the manhaj of Salafus Saliheen
2. your clarification that such obligation is in reality, the manhaj of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah thereby anyone not ascribing to that manhaj is opposing the manhaj of ASWJ.
This is certainly better, in my opinion, for da'wah purpose and also for the purpose of identifying yourself to the Salafees. If this is not sufficient to attract Salafis, then adding "as-Salafee" only means those people are attracted to the nisbah by name, not by beliefs and actions, which is from hizbiyyah and self-praise and has been cautioned by many 'Ulamaa.
As for some saying so-and-so is not upon salafi manhaj, then ask them to fear Allah and bring forward proofs. We know the principles of Salafiyyah and that should be enough to know who is Salafi and who is not.
This is a good eye opener:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFsHOKVjt6w
Masha-Allah, well said Akhi. Well said, ahsanta. Barakallahu feek. Wa zaadakAllahu 'ilman wa a'malus-salihat.
You've convinced me, ya akhil kareem.
wa feekum baarakAllaah akhee. may Allaah guide us all to what is true and beautiful.
wassalaamu alaikum warahmatullah.
Wa as-Salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh wa maghfiratuh.
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