Dr. Bilal Philips' Blog » Education

The Mujaddid vs the Mahdi

Dr Bilal — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:04:12 +0000

An interesting question was raised to me today about knowing who the religious reviver/renewer of the century (the Mujaddid) is or was, as different people have made different claims. First and foremost, the Mujaddid will be a fundamentalist, calling people back to the fundamentals of Islam in their pristine purity, and not an innovator or defender of deviant customs and traditions of a given land. Secondly, unlike the Mahdi, we are not required to know exactly who the Mujaddid is. In the case of the Mahdi, the Prophet (pbuh) gave clear descriptions of his physical features, the name of his father and mother, his tribe, etc. as well as incidents which would accompany his rise to prominance. So, we need to know who he is to be able to follow him in the battle against the forces of evil which will peak with the appearance of the Anti-Christ (Maseeh ad-Dajjaal). On the other hand, the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned in vague terms that at the begining or end of every era/century, Allah would send someone who would revive Islam for the people. This indicates that the religion would virtually die out in different parts of the Muslim world and be brought back to life by individuals chosen by Allah for that job. What this is telling the believers is that true Islam will always prevail, it will never be erased and lost. Because its final form was the last, it had to be preserved as a means of salvation for humankind until the Last Day of this world. The Islam brought by Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was virtually lost within 400-700 years of his departure. 1,400 years have passed since Muhammad’s death and the pure message remains preserved by Muslim scholars and the masses to varying degrees around the Muslim world. So, it is not a problem if scholars differed as to who the Mujaddid of the last century or the one before it was. Some said it was one person, and some said another. As long as the person chosen was not a innovator or a defender of innovation, he could have been the one and it is not important to know who he was. Thirdly, no one can legitimately be declared to be the Mujaddid while he is still alive or before the end of the century/era, as that would imply knowledge of the future, which is known only to Allah.

FAST CURE FOR DEPRESSION

Dr Bilal — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:29:18 +0000

The steps for a “Fast” cure for depression.

1. Do a complete focused fast on Mondays and Thursdays.

a) Get up Read in Arabic and English – Inna fee Khalqis samaawati wal Ard (Aali Imraan, 3:191-end) and crying.

b) Make a focused wudoo and Tahajjud followed by

c) a very light Suhoor (brown bread, olives and extra virgin olive oil + 2 table spoons full of canned tuna or one egg) followed by

d) a day of focused sunnah and Fard prayers

e) Utilize throughout the day any of the prophetic du’aas requesting ease like: “Allahumma laa sahla illaa maa ja’altahu sahlaa (O Allah, nothing is easy except what you make easy) wa anta taj’alus sa’ba in shi’ta sahlaa (And You can make what is difficult easy if You wish)

f) as well as the other du’aas for depression like: Allaahumma rahmataka arjoo falaa takilnee ilaa nafsee tarfata ‘ayn. wa aslih lee sha’nee kullah. Laa ilaaha illaa Ant. (O Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so don’t leave me in charge of my affairs even for the blinking of an eye. And rectify all of my affairs for me. Nothing has the right to be worshipped except You. See Hisnul Muslim – the Muslim Fortress for more).

g) Then break the fast with 3 dates and a glass of water and pray maghrib,

h) Have a light Iftaar followed by a focused Ishaa,

The depression should begin to lift, if not go altogether from the very first day of the Fast cure. It will work if you do it believing with all your heart, strongly that this prophetic formula WORKS and the degree to which it does work depends on how seriously you take it and apply it.

Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean Tour

Dr Bilal — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 07:07:31 +0000

One week ago I just returned from a successful lecture and IOU promotional tour of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The tour began in Malaysia were I did a series of lectures at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) over three evenings, and lectures after Fajr in the Main Mosque of IIUM for three mornings. Attached is one of the lectures whose link was sent to me. I will discuss the trip further later on in the blog, in shaa Allaah.This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

The Book That Shook the World

Dr Bilal — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:53:53 +0000

Arrangements have been confirmed for the Qur’aan Conference “The Book That Shook the World” on the 20th of June, London, UK. I’ll be there along with Shaikh Dr. Suhaib Hasan, Sh Haitham Haddaad, Sh Abu Usaamah, Ustaz Hussain Yee, Ustaz Murtaza Khan, Br Yusuf Estes, etc. See you all there, in shaa Allaah.

Music and Dating in Toronto

Dr Bilal — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:34:48 +0000

My last official lecture in Toronto was held at Darul Hijrah Islamic Center Sunday night (18th April). This Islamic center is a converted furniture showroom at 2050 Kipling ave. and is one of the newest Mosques in Toronto. They have facilities for boys and girls to play basketball until midnight throughout the week – a welcome addition for the youths of Toronto. Most of the audience at the lecture were youths and the discussion was lively and fully interactive. And, as you might expect, the two biggest question areas were about music and dating. One question was from one of the girls who claimed that she heard it said that it was okay to be in a relationship (i.e. boyfriend-girlfriend) as long as it wasn’t for more than six months! One of the boys asked if it was okay if their parents knew and approved of their relationship!!! Al hamdulillaah the lecture was recorded and will be added to my youtube channel in the coming weeks.

Currently in Canada

Dr Bilal — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:20:25 +0000

I left Doha on the early morning of the 8th of April and arrived, via Amsterdam, to Toronto at 4 pm in the afternoon of the same day. Today, I did the Khutbah of Jumu’ah at Salaahuddeen Mosque, al hamdulillaah to a packed house. The topic was on Dajjaal and our preparation for his coming. I’ll be doing a talk on Planning for the Hereafter tomorrow night between Maghrib and Ishaa, and on “The True Path to Happiness” on Sunday, same time – bi ithnillaah. Hope to see those from Toronto there – in shaa Allaah.

Peace Conference Scandinavia 2010

Dr Bilal — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:58:07 +0000

I have been invited to Oslo, Norway along with Sh. Hussain Yee, ‘Abdur Raheem Green and Yusuf Chambers for a major Isalmic conference from 27th March until the 31th. My topics are: “In Search of Inner Peace,” “Da’wah in Desert Storm”, “Dajjal – Sign of the Last Hour”. And I’ll also be doing an intensive “Da’wah training course” for those eager to spread Islam in Norway. Hope to see some of the UK crew there – its only an 80 GBP plane ride from London, Heathrow.

Launching the Free BA in Islamic Studies

Dr Bilal — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:18:06 +0000

Al hamdulillaah. I’m back in Qatar from the UK where I gave the khutbah of Jumu’ah and a lecture on Caliph Abu Bakr in Islam Bradford Islamic Da’wah center and a lecture at the Camden Center in London on Saturday on “Are we prepared?” and another on Sunday on “Lessons from the Battle of Uhud”. I also recorded a Q&A for Islam Channel (TV) and was to record some programs also for Iqra TV Channel, but time didn’t permit. However, during this period the Islamic Online University did the finishing touches to the BA in Islamic Studies program and rolled it out on the 27th of February – Allahu Akbar. Five days later we already have 380 admissions being processed – Subhaanallaah!!! For those who don’t already know, please go to the website and register ASAP as we do have cap on the total number of applications that we will accept for this semester, since it is our first.

Friday Khutbah at Aspire Mosque, Doha, Qatar

Dr Bilal — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:39:23 +0000

The Khutbah for the last two Fridays (19th & 12 Feb) are now available from my youtube channel. The numbers at the masjid have now increased to maximum capacity (1,400), and rugs are now being used outside the mosque to accomodate those coming.

IOU Courses

Dr Bilal — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:59:40 +0000

Please remember to give structured time to your free Islamic courses on the IOU (www.islamiconlineuniversity.com ) or join up if you haven’t already done so. Don’t let this opportuntiy go. As the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Most people are fooled about 2 blessings: Good health and spare time.” Satan will try his best to convince you otherwise.