Alcohol in moderation may promote heart health?
June 21, 2009
Study after study suggests that alcohol in moderation may promote heart health and even ward off diabetes and dementia. The evidence is so plentiful that some experts consider moderate drinking a central component of a healthy lifestyle…[But, are these studies valid and unbiased?]
For some scientists, the question will not go away. No study, these critics say, has ever proved a causal relationship between moderate drinking and lower risk of death — only that the two often go together…
“The moderate drinkers tend to do everything right — they exercise, they don’t smoke, they eat right and they drink moderately,” said Kaye Middleton Fillmore, a retired sociologist from the University of California, San Francisco, who has criticized the research. “It’s very hard to disentangle all of that, and that’s a real problem.”
Questions have also been raised about the financial relationships that have sprung up between the alcoholic beverage industry and many academic centers, which have accepted industry money to pay for research, train students and promote their findings…
A report from the Framingham Offspring Study found that moderate drinkers had greater mineral density in their hipbones than nondrinkers. Researchers have reported that light drinkers are less likely than abstainers to develop diabetes…
But the studies comparing moderate drinkers with abstainers have come under fire in recent years. Critics ask: Who are these abstainers? Why do they avoid alcohol? Is there something that makes them more susceptible to heart disease?
Some researchers suspect the abstainer group may include “sick quitters,” people who stopped drinking because they already had heart disease. People also tend to cut down on drinking as they age, which would make the average abstainer older — and presumably more susceptible to disease — than the average light drinker…
Full article from NYT: Alcohol’s Good for You? Some Scientists Doubt It
The Methodology of Seeking Knowledge
June 8, 2009
How do we learn Islam:
Jumping around: Google for some topics, Fatwa from some sites, lectures from some other sites, a few books, occasional conferences, and very few people talking to Scholars. The topics go from Aqeedah (Islamic creed) to Zakath to Raising hand while making Du’a to authenticity of Hadeeths to Hajj to whatever. While all these are good, have we ever stopped to think: Am I following the right way of seeking knowledge? Are these methods really effective? Is my understanding of Islam really increasing?
Focusing on one item: A few people, with the intention of mastering a subject, read volumes of books on that subject. There are also halaqas (circles of knowledge) on a single subject popular in Arabia (According to a Madeenah University students’ booklet. I’ve no personal knowledge). Halaqas are popular in US & UK too, but they don’t talk the same subject for years. These days, you can attend halaqas via webcasts and podcasts
Disadvantages/drawbacks:
This random / haphazard method gives us only bits and pieces of information. Some serious drawbacks of our methodology are
1) Shallow understanding: It gives us no strong foundation, and we can be easily confused with a few tricky questions or comments
2) We forget things pretty quick
The problem with the single subject approach:
3) We don’t get the capacity to “link” topics: A critical piece. There’s a strong link among Aqeedah <–> Seerah <–> Fiqh <–> Tafseer <–> Hadeeths <–> other Islamic Sciences. They all have one objective: Worship God. You can never fully comprehend one subject without the help of others. Scholars say “If you don’t learn the History of Prophet Muhammad (Seerah), you don’t understand Islam”
An example on #3: To make a ruling (Fatwa), a Mufti needs to know the history/background of the relevant hadeeths, related verses from Quran, rulings of sahabas, and many more. Now ask yourself: What is the point of reading Saheeh Bukhari from cover to cover? I’m not saying don’t read Hadeeths books. The point is: We need to study Islam in a structured, integrated and comprehensive manner.
Suggested Solutions: (Your feedback is welcome)
1. The kids can be enrolled in Madrasas, where they learn a variety of topics (Aqeedah, dua, Seerah, etc)- in a gradual fashion
2. The non-working Women can join the part-time courses in Arabic/Islamic colleges
3. A few options for working adults:
A) Al-Irshaad (Chennai, Bangalore..) Correspondence course [ 1 year ]
B) http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/opencampus/ [ Start with Foundations of Islamic Sciences ]
C) KIU – BA Islaamic Studies [ 8 Semester Course]
D) Some recommended books on a few foundational subjects are
Aqeedah: Bilal Philips, Fundamentals of Tawheed 2nd Edition,
Fiqh: Bilal Philips, The Evolution of Fiqh
Seerah:
Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallaabee, The Noble Life of the Prophet (3 volume set)
Muhammad Al Ghazali, Fiqh-Us-Seerah
Safi-Ur-Rahman al Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq)
Theory of Tajweed: Kareema Carol Czereinski, Tajweed rules of the Qur’an (3 booklets) Publisher: Dar Al-khair.
Tajweed Practice: You need a teacher to recite to. CDs and internet can’t correct our mistakes
http://www.readwithtajweed.com/
Da’wah and Du’at: Shaykh Muhammad Salih al Uthaymeen, Islamic awakening. Publisher: Alhidaayah
Add to these, books on “Understanding”, “Sciences of”, “Evolution / History / Compilation” of Quran, Hadeeths etc.
Important Characteristics of learning:
1. Sincerity: We should have the sincere intention that we seek knowledge only for the pleasure of Allah. Seeking knowledge is Ibaadah (i.e. worship) and the noble angels lay down their wings out of respect for the student [Sunan Abu Dawud - Abu Ad Dar'daa 2/341]
2. Moderation: “Whoever seeks to acquire knowledge all at once, then it will go away from him all at once, rather knowledge is sought by the passing away of many days and nights.”(i.e. in time) – Imam Az Zuhri. Consistency is the key. Resist the temptation to keep moving fast.
3. Time: Give knowledge the best of your time, the time in which your mind is free and your comprehension level is high. Don’t multi-task (chat, watching scores, reading emails etc) while learning Islam. Remember, learning is worship.
4. Active Learning: Take notes, Revise (re-read the chapters after a week, listen again etc), ask questions, discuss with participants, try to apply your learning in your life, convey to your spouse/family and friends, and do anything that will internalize the learning. Revising may not be an interesting task, considering that we need to learn a lot (Remember #2: You can’t gulp knowledge), but you will forget a vast majority of what you learned without revision
A bit of History on Imams:
Imam Abu Haneefa studied Fiqh and Hadeeth for EIGHTEEN (18) years under Hammad Ibn Zayd. Even as his teacher wanted him to take classes, he remained a student, until the teacher died in 742 CE.
Abu Abdur Rahman Ibn al-Qasim (745-813 CE), was born in Egypt, travelled to Madeenah, and studied under Imam Malik for TWENTY (20) years. He wrote Malik madhab’s famous book al-Mudawwanah
Imam Shafi (Muhammad ibn Idrees ash Shaafi) travelled to Madeenah and studied under Imam Malik, then travelled to Yemen and taught there. Then to Iraq and studied under Muhammad Ibn al-Hassan, and then to Egypt to study
Note: The contents for this post came from many sources: Books, emails, classes, discussions etc.
Factors Affecting Permissibility of Insurance
April 3, 2009
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Islam, Assalamu Alaikum WRWB.
This is in continuation of an earlier blog mail titled Knowledge of Finance and Fatwas
Disclaimer: I am not an insurance broker, nor do i have anyone in my family selling it.
Most of today’s financial services (Stock market, Insurance, etc) are complex topics. One needs to spend considerable effort to understand them. Insurance (in its various forms) is a complex subject, and an ever changing one. Many of us are confused as to whether it is acceptable or not. When we turn to Islamic Scholars (Muftis) for an answer, not many of them really understand the complexities/forms involved. But still some issue Fatwaas / religious edicts approving or disapproving these.
One scholar said “Medical insurance is Halaal, because there’s no interest in it”. Interest is not the only factor in determining if a business transaction (including Insurance) is Halaal or Haraam. On the other side are some scholars who say all insurances are Haraam, because it is a form of Gambling. I’m not sure if they really understood the differences between gambling and Insurance. I have no intention to defame the Scholars, or suggest that we can do the research and come to our own conclusion.
My point: We should explain the nuances of insurance (and other complex topics, including medical ethics) to Scholars, and then ask them “What does Islam say about this?”
I don’t believe there will be a consensus opinion on this topic. But, i think scholars should come to conclusions after considering all options. This is an attempt to find out the various aspects / factors that should be taken into account.
The following are some conclusions and decisions from The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA).
1. The question of insurance is an ijtihadi question. It is not a mansus (textual) one. The scholarly responses are expected to be variant.