1. What does Islam mean?

Islam means submitting to God's Will and accepting that there is no God but one God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God, peace and blessings upon him, as are Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah and Adam, peace be upon them all.

2. What is Sunni Islam?

The word "Sunni" is an ascription to the "sunna"-or "way"-of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace). The mark of Sunni Islam is to cling to the sunna of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) as it has been passed down to us through unbroken chains of transmission from teacher to student all the way back to the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace). The sunna of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) is the living embodiment of our religion, and he explained in the famous hadith of Gabriel that our religion is composed three fundamentals: Islam, or external compliance with what Allah asks of us; Iman, or the belief in the unseen that the prophets have informed us of; and Ihsan, or to worship Allah as though one sees Him. The way of Sunni Islam is to take the branch of Islam from living jurists who follow one of the four Sunni schools of fiqh: the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali schools; the branch of Iman from living scholars belonging to one of the two Sunni schools of 'aqida: the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools; and the branch of Ihsan from living masters of spirituality, such as those of the many Sufi orders that have emerged over the centuries, including the Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Ba `Alawi, Shadhili, Chishti, and Rifa`i tariqas.

3. What is faith according to Islam?

Faith means believing in:
One God
In the existence of spiritual beings known as angels
In the revelations of God (the Testaments), the Psalms revealed to David, the Torah sent down to Moses, the New Testament brought to Jesus and the Last Testament, Qur'an brought to Muhammad (peace be upon them all)
all the prophets that were sent as mercy to mankind
The Judgment Day and Resurrection
The Divine Decree (destiny)

4. What is Sufism?

Sufism is the way of purifying the heart from bad manners and characteristics.

5. How is Sufism related to Islam?

It is the path of spirituality that exists in Islam. Its meaning is:
Seeking the pleasure of God
Love and peace with one's self
Harmony with all creations (mankind, animals, and nature)
To be dressed with the beautiful attributes of Prophets and Saints

6. How does one enter Islam?

One enters Islam by believing in one's heart in the existence of One Lord and believing in Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) as the last of the Prophets that the Lord has sent throughout history.

7. What is a Shaykh?

A Shaykh is someone who has inherited what the prophets brought and who is authorized to convey these teachings and secrets to those who take his hand as teacher. A true Shaykh is the one that has mastered his lower self's bad characteristics through devotion and sincerity towards His Lord. For that reason he is able to guide his students to mastery of their own lower selves, opening the way to reach unlimited potential of their spiritual realities. It is that spiritual reality which allows one to attain 6 powers:
The power of attraction
The power of concentration on the heart
The power of guidance
The power to convey other people’s burdens and requests to God
The power to convey blessings

8. What is Initiation Bay'ah?

The seeker must follow a perfect Master able to guide him to the way of Allah, Almighty and Exalted, and to illuminate for him that way until he reaches the State of Annihilation. The seeker must give his oath and his promise to his guide, to learn from him how to leave his bad manners and to lift himself to better conduct in order to reach the Perfect Knowledge of Spirituality.
The meanings of initiation and its conditions have been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, in the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) and in the life of the Companions:

1. In verse 10 of Surat al-Fath, "Verily those who swear allegiance to thee indeed swear allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So whoever breaks his oath breaks it to his own loss; and whoever fulfills the covenant that he has made with Allah, He will surely give him a great reward." [48:10]

2. In verse 91 of Surat an-Nahl, "And fulfill the Covenant of Allah when you have made it; and break not your oaths after making them firm, while you have made Allah your surety. Certainly, Allah knows what you do." [16:91]

3. In verse 34 of Surat al-Isra', "and fulfill the covenant, for the covenant shall be questioned about." [17:34]

We see the Qur'an encouraging the people to give their oath and to keep their oath to the Prophet (s), who leads them to the presence of Allah, Almighty and Exalted. That initiation was done in the time of the Prophet (s) and after the time of the Prophet (s).

According to the Sunnah of the Prophet (s), the oath was taken from men, as a group, or as individuals; from women, as a group or as individuals, and even from children. Bukhari and Muslim narrate that cUbada ibn as-Samit said, "The Prophet (s) said, 'Give me your pledge and oath not to associate anything with Allah, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to kill your children, not to backbite, not to fall into sin; and who keeps his promise, then his reward is from Allah, Almighty and Exalted.' And then we gave our pledge to the Prophet (s) and our oath."

The Prophet (saw) used to give initiation (bay'ah) to all people and urged them to take it. Bukhari and Muslim narrated in their books that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said, "When we pledged to the Prophet (s) to listen and obey, the Prophet (s) used to say, 'To the limit that you can carry.'

9. How to do Bay'ah?

The Bay’ah is a conscious confirmation of the connection between the Master and his disciple. The disciple allows his Sheik and Master to work with him, accepting to be his student and follower, for the sake of his spiritual progress toward his destination. The disciple puts his hand in the hand of the Master or on his stick or coat. Other people can also be connected by putting their right hand on the right shoulder of the person in front of them.

10. What is a Tariqah?

All Tariqats are ways to the Divine Presence. The Sheikh of a Tariqat is able to communicate with his Sheikh who is able to communicate with his Sheikh and so on till the end of the chain where the first Sheikh of the Tariqat is in communication with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal). The Sheikh is also directly in communication with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal). In addition to this, in attaining the Divine Presence the Sheikh was given higher and secret knowledge. By this method the Sheikh has perfect guidance in everything. We are in darkness and in need of lights, the light of Prophet hood to inform us what is ahead generally, and the light of Sainthood to guide us to our personal destinations.

11. What is the Naqshbandi Tariqah?

The ways of real faith, the ways that our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal) showed us through Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra) and Seyyidina Ali (rl) and which were passed down through the Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and Awliya (saints) to us are known as the Way of the Tariqats. While Shariah teaches us worship, Tariqat
teaches us the way to keep Adab (good manners) with our Lord and to attain to His Divine Presence.

There are two kinds of Iman, faith. One is real and the other is imitative. The real brings light to the heart of a person, until then he is only imitating faith. The signs of real faith are three. The first is the ability to listen to the tasbih (Zikr – paying praise and respects to their Lord) of all creatures. According to Quran there is nothing in existence that does not do tasbih (glorify the Lord), not even inanimate objects.

The second is Allah’s opening of his heart to the fountain of wisdom, giving knowledge of all things in existence, their position and their purpose. Thirdly, there are no more veils between him and Barzakh, the heavenly worlds. He may meet anyone – any Prophet or Saint from Barzakh without hindrance. Until these three signs appear know that you are veiled and not open to the light of Iman. Tariqats are preparing Murids (follerwers) for real faith. The meaning of Murid is one who is asking for real faith.

The Prophet (saw) said to keep religion in this time is more difficult than keeping burning coal in one’s hand. We must be patient in the face of adversity. Allah gives to those who are enduring disliked trials, endless reward. This is the way of real faith, like the way of Prophets and Awliya, to endure the badness of people.

There are many veils between us and our heavenly positions. The training that a Murid undergoes at the hands of his Sheikh is to prepare him for the Divine Presence. As the Murid passes each trial, veils are removed by his Sheikh until finally all veils are removed and the Murid is in the Divine Presence.

Only someone who has attained to the Divine Presence and has been authorized by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal) has the knowledge to remove these veils. Therefore, in Order for one to attain to the Divine Presence, one must give allegiance to the Sheikh of a Tariqat by taking Bayyath (Connection or Oath of Allegiance) from him and follow his teachings. When a Murid obeys his Sheikh’s every command, in doing so he would be passing all the trials given to him and thereby achieving a position of trust with his Sheikh. When the Sheikh finds the Murid trustworthy, he rends the veils between the Murid and the Divine Presence. When each veil is removed the Murid is treated to a new experience where new horizons of knowledge are made available to him. With the removal of each veil also comes Certainty (yakeen). The Murid’s faith becomes established in this manner and continues to do so until he completely submits to the will of Allah Almighty.

12. Why is Naqshbandi Tariqah regarded as the highest of all?

Our destination is Heaven. We can’t see it unless by a distinguished Order from Allah and His Prophet (sal). Reality is a precious thing, not given to many. In this time, for a real connection to the Prophet Muhammad (Sal), the only way open is through the Naqshabandi Tariqat. The Holy Prophet (Sal) said of the last times that, the only gate
open would be the gate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (Ral) which is the origin of the Naqshabandi Tariqat.

During the Hijra (migration) of the Holy Prophet (Sal) he was accompanied by Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ral) to Medina, they took refuge in the cave of “Thaur” from their antagonists. While in the cave, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ral) in utmost fear for the plight of Islam, said to the Holy Prophet (sal) “our enemies are so many and we are only two”. The Holy Prophet (Sal) replied “No, we are three”. He meant that apart from the two of them there was also Allah Most High. At which instant was heard a myriad of voices saying “Allahu Allahu Allahu Haqq” which is the Oath of Allegiance to the Naqshabandi Tariqat. This was the birth of the Naqshabandi Tariqat.

At this moment Abu Bakr as Siddiq (ral) summoned the spirits of all those who were chosen on the Day of Promises to be the 7007 Imams of the Naqshabandi Tariqat into the cave. They in turn summoned the souls of all those who werechosen to be their Murids on the Day of Promises into the cave. The myriad of voices in the cave belonged to the souls of all future followers of the Naqshabandi Tariqat and who were with Allah Most High at that instant. Only those who were present in the cave of “Thaur” on that day would be destined to become followers of the most distinguished Naqshabandi Tariqat from that time till “Qiyama”.

The Naqshabandi Order originated in the Heart of the Prophet Muhammad (sal), and its authority was passed down through Abu Bakr (ral) from one Master to the next in an unbroken chain of succession reaching into our time. To the heart of Abu Bakr (ral), the first Khalipha, the Prophet passed on the full inner truth of his teachings. Since Abu Bakr, among all the Prophet’s (sal) companions, was the only one to receive the full inner truth from the Prophet’s heart, the Naqshabandi Order inherits the fullest and finest of these Prophetic teachings. For as the Holy Prophet, in a well-known tradition, said: “Everything that has been poured into my heart I have poured into the heart of Abu Bakr”. Abu Bakr (ral) was called “Siddiq” or “The Completely Veracious One”.

The station of “Siddiq” is the highest of all stations after the Station of Prophethood. Whoever receives his spiritual education through the teachings of the Naqshabandi Order may hope to reach, finally, to the Station of “Siddiq”, the Station of Absolute Truthfulness. In every religion this Station of “Siddiq” is the utmost horizon of devotion to the Truth, particularly in Islam. We thank Allah Almighty for His leading us toward that level, towards a brightness that is like the most shinning planet in the sky, Venus, among the other stars and planets. We are yet beginners seeking to reach that level and we pray that our Lord will not look at our shortcomings but grant us His Divine Help so that we may reach that distant goal.

Therefore, the Tariqat-an-Naqshbandiyya, (as it is passed down through Abu Bakr As-Siddiq), activates the souls of the Murids to whatever extent the Murid can bring his desires to accord with the desires of his Sheikh. The first step though is to start on the
lowest level, using the way of the four Imams. If you do not come down to the lowest level you can’t reach higher levels.

13. What do you mean by "beneficial knowledge"?

Knowledge is beneficial when draws one closer to God. Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) said, "Beneficial knowledge is [knowledge] that increases your fear of God Most High, improves your ability to discern the faults of your ego, makes you more cognizant of how to worship your Lord, reduces your desire for this world, increases your longing for the next world, and opens your spiritual insight to the disastrous defects of your actions so you can avoid them. It discloses to you the plots and delusions of the Devil and how he misleads the scholars who have gone astray until he exposes them to the hatred and anger of God Most High, for they have used religion to purchase this world, taken knowledge as a means to gain the wealth of sultans, to consume the wealth of religious endowments, the poor, and the needy, and turned their energies throughout the day to the acquisition of prestige and high standing in the hearts of people, which forces them to show off their good deeds, to argue, and to be quarrelsome and ostentatious when they speak " (Bidayat al-Hidaya, 50).

14. What is Milad sharif?

The Hijri date 12 Rabi Awwal (some say 09 Rabi Awwal) is one of twelve months in the Islamic calendar. This is the Islamic birth date of the holy Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. He was born in 570 C.E.. and since the Islamic calendar is 354 days long, the Hijri date is pushed back up to 11 days each year. Muslims celebrate this occasion by holding Milad-un-Nabi (translated: birth of the prophet) functions and gatherings throughout the month of Rabi Awwal.
The main thrust of these Milad-un-Nabi gatherings is to remember, observe, discuss and celebrate the advent of the birth and teachings of the holy Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.

15. Is celebrating Milad sharif Permissible?

Muslim reports on the authority of Qatadah Al-Ansari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was asked about fasting on Monday and he replied: "It is the day on which I was born and on which I received the Divine Revelation". It is also reported on the authority of Ibn `Abbas and Ibn Jabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in the "year of the elephant" on the 12th of Rabee` Al-Awwal. He also received the Divine Revelation, ascended to the Heavens, migrated to Madinah and died on the 12th of Rabee` Al-Awwal.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), says that the day he was born was a special day. Since it is well known from the Shari`ah that Muslims should seize the opportunity in blessed days and do good deeds, Muslims should celebrate the Prophet's birthday so as to thank Allah for guiding them to Islam through Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Therefore, celebrating the Prophet's birthday is permissible provided that it does not include committing any of the prohibited things. As for throwing banquets, this comes under the verse saying: (O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom ye worship.‏) (Al-Baqarah 2: 172)

My opinion is that celebrating such a religious occasion is recommended especially nowadays for youth have become forgetful of these religious occasions and their significance because they have indulged in other celebrations.

Celebrating such a great event should be done through reading more about the Prophet's Sunnah and life, building mosques, religious institutes and doing other forms of charity work that remind people of the Prophet's life and his struggle.

Therefore, it is permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday as an expression of our love to him and our endeavor to follow him as an example provided that these celebrations do not involve any of the prohibited things. Some prohibited things are improper intermingling between men and women, behaving improperly at mosques and partaking in innovations such as worshiping at tombs and other things that violate the teachings of Islam. If such previously mentioned violations surpass the religious benefit realized from these celebrations, then they should be stopped in order to prevent harm and wrongdoing as indicated in the Shari`ah.
(Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi)

16. What proof is there of the Milad from the Quran and Ahadith?
Ten (10) PROOFS from the Qur'an and Sunnah that Celebrating the Nabi's birthday is accepted in Shari'ah.

FIRST: Allah asks the Prophet, peace be upon him, to remind his Nation that it is essential for those who claim to love Allah, to love His Prophet: "Say to them: If you love Allah, follow (and love and honor) me, and Allah will love you" (3:31).

The Celebration of the Holy Prophet's birth is motivated by this obligation to love the Prophet, peace be upon him, to obey him, to remember him, to follow his example, and to be proud of him as Allah is proud of him, since Allah has boasted about him in His Holy Book by saying, "Truly you are of a magnificient character" (68:4).
The Prophet Emphasized Monday As the Day He Was Born.

SECOND: Abu Qatada al-Ansari narrates in Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-siyam, that the Prophet was asked about the fast of Monday, and he answered: "That is the day that I was born and that is the day I received the prophecy."

We quote again from Shaykh Mutawalli Sha`rawi:
"Many extraordinary events occurred on his birthday as evidenced in hadith and history, and the night of his birth is not like the night of any other human being's birth."
These events and the hadiths pertaining thereto, such as the shaking of Chosroes' court, the extinction of the 1,000-year old fire in Persia , etc. are related in Ibn Kathir's work al-Bidaya , Vol. 2, pages 265-268.
Allah Said: Rejoice in the Prophet

THIRD: To express happiness for the Prophet coming to us is an obligation given by Allah through Qur'an, as Allah said in Qur'an: "Of the favor and mercy of Allah let them rejoice" (10:58).

This order came because joy makes the heart grateful for the mercy of Allah. And What greater mercy did Allah give than the Prophet himself, of whom Allah says, "We did not send you except as a mercy to human beings" (21:107).

Because the Prophet was sent as a mercy to all mankind, it is incumbent not only upon Muslims, but upon all human beings to rejoice in his person. Unfortunately, today it is some Muslims who are foremost in rejecting Allah's order to rejoice in His Prophet.
The Prophet Celebrated Great Historical Events

FOURTH: The Prophet always made the connection between religious events and historical events, so that when the time returned for a significant event, he reminded his Sahaba to celebrate that day and to emphasize it, even if it had happened in the distant past. This principle can be found in the following hadith of Bukhari and others: "When the Prophet reached Madina, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of `Ashura'. He asked about that day and they told him that on that day, Allah saved their Prophet, Sayyidina Musa and drowned their enemy. Therefore they are fasting on that day to thank Allah for that favor." At that time the Prophet responded with the famous hadith, "We have more right to Musa than you," and he used to fast that day and the day preceding it.
Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet

FIFTH: Remembrance of the birth of the Prophet encourages us to pray on the Prophet and to praise him, which is an obligation on us through Allah's order in the verse,

"Allah and His angels are praying on (and praising) the Prophet; O believers! pray on (and praise) him and send him utmost greetings" (33:56). Coming together and remembering the Prophet causes us to pray on him and to praise him. Who has the right to deny the obligation which Allah has ordered us to fulfill through the Holy Qur'an? The benefit brought by obeying an order of Allah, and the light that it brings to our heart, cannot be measured. That obligation, furthermore, is mentioned in the plural: Allah and His angels are praying on and praising the Prophet -- in a gathering. It is entirely incorrect, therefore, to say that praying on and praising the Prophet must be done alone.
The Effect of Observing Mawlid on Unbelievers

SIXTH: Expressing happiness and celebrating the Prophet on his birthday causes even unbelievers, by Allah's favor and mercy, to gain some benefit. This is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari. Bukhari said in his hadith that every Monday, Abu Lahab in his grave is released from punishment because he freed his handmaid Thuwayba when she brought him the news of the Prophet's birth.
This hadith is mentioned in Bukhari in the book of Nikah, and Ibn Kathir mentions it in his books Sirat al-Nabi Vol.1, p. 124, Mawlid al-Nabi p. 21, and al-Bidaya p. 272-273. The hafiz Shamsuddin Muhammad ibn Nasiruddin ad-Dimashqi wrote on this the following verses in his book Mawrid as-sadi fi Mawlid al-Hadi : "If this, a kafir who was condemned to hell eternally with "Perish his hands" [sura 111], is said to enjoy a respite every Monday because he rejoiced in Ahmad: what then do you think of the servant who, all his life, was happy with Ahmad, and died saying, "One"?"
The Obligation to Know Sira and Imitate Its Central Character

SEVENTH: We are asked to know about our Prophet, about his life, about his miracles, about his birth, about his manners, about his faith, about his signs (ayat wa dala'il), about his seclusions, about his worship, and is not this knowledge an obligation for every Muslim? What is better than celebrating and remembering his birth, which represents the essence of his life, in order to acquire knowledge of his life? To remember his birth begins to remind us of everything else about him. This will make Allah happy with us because then we will be able to know the Prophet's Sira better, and we will be readier to take the Prophet as an example for ourselves, to correct ourselves, and to imitate him.

That is why the celebration of his birthday is a great favor sent to us.
The Prophet Accepted Poetry in His Honor

EIGHTH: In the time of the Prophet, it is well-known that poets came to him with all kinds of works praising him, writing about his campaigns and battles and about the Sahaba. This is proved by the numerous poems quoted in the Siras of Ibn Hisham, al-Waqidi, and others. The Prophet was happy with good poetry since it is reported in Bukhari's al-Adab al-mufrad and elsewhere that he said: "There is wisdom in poetry." Thus the Prophet's uncle al-`Abbas composed poetry praising the birth of the Prophet, in which are found the following lines:

When you were born, the earth was shining, and the firmament barely contained your light, and we can pierce through, thanks to that radiance and light and path of guidance.

The Prophet was therefore happy with those who praised him because it is Allah's order, and he gave them from what Allah was providing him. If we get together and do something in order to approach the Prophet, we are doing something to approach Allah, and approaching the Prophet will make Allah happy with us.
The Prophet Emphasized the Birthday of Prophets

NINTH: The Prophet emphasized in his hadith both the day and the place of birth of previous prophets. Speaking of the greatness of the day of Jum`a (Friday), the Prophet said in his hadith: "On that day [i.e. Jum`a], Allah created Adam." This means that the day of Friday is emphasized because Allah created Adam on that day. That day is emphasized because it saw the creation of the prophet and father of all human beings. What about the day when the greatest of prophets and best of human beings was created? The Prophet said: "Truly Allah made me the Seal of prophets while Adam was between water and clay." This hadith is related by Ahmad in the Musnad, Bayhaqi in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa and others, and is sound and established as authentic.

Why Bukhari Emphasized Dying On Monday

Imam Qastallani said in his commentary on Bukhari: "In his book on Jana'iz (Funerals), Bukhari named an entire chapter "Dying on Monday." In it there is the hadith of `A'isha relating her father's (Abu Bakr al-Siddiq) question: "On which day did the Prophet die?" She replied: "Monday." He asked: "What day are we today?" She said, "O my father, this is Monday." Then he raised his hands and said: "I beg you, O Allah, to let me die on Monday in order to coincide with the Prophet's day of passing."

Imam Qastallani continues, "Why did Abu Bakr ask for his death to be on Monday? So that his death would coincide with the day of the Prophet's passing, in order to receive the baraka of that day... Does anyone object to Abu Bakr's asking to pass away on that day for the sake of baraka? Now, why are people objecting to celebrating or emphasizing the day of the Prophet's birth in order to get baraka?"

The Prophet Emphasized the Birthplace of Prophets

A hadith authentified by the hafiz al-Haythami in Majma` al- zawa'id states that on the night of Isra' and Mi`raj, the Prophet was ordered by Jibril to pray two rak`ats in Bayt Lahm ( Bethlehem ), and Jibril asked him: "Do you know where you prayed? When the Prophet asked him where, he told him: "You prayed where `Isa was born."(2)
The Ijma` of `ulama on the Permissibility of Mawlid

TENTH: Remembering the Prophet's birthday is an act that all `ulama of the Muslim world accept and still accept. This means that Allah accepts it, according to the saying of Ibn Mas`ud related in Imam Ahmad's Musnad with a sound chain: "Whatever the majority of Muslims see as right, then this is good to Allah, and whatever is seen by the majority of Muslims as wrong, it is wrong to Allah."

History of The Celebration of Mawlid: The Mawlid in Mecca According to Muslim Historians Celebration of the Birthplace of the Prophet. Mecca , the Mother of Cities, may Allah bless and honor her, is the leader of other Islamic cities in the celebration of Mawlid as in other things. In his book Akhbar Makka , Vol. 2, p. 160, the 3rd- century historian of Mecca, al-Azraqi, mentions as one of the many places in Mecca in which the performance of salat is desirable (mustahabb), the house where the Prophet was born (Mawlid al- Nabi). According to him, the house had previously been turned into a mosque by the mother of the caliphs Musa al-Hadi and Harun ar-Rashid.

The Qur'anic scholar al-Naqqash (266-351) mentions the birthplace of the Prophet as a place where du`a by noon on Mondays is answered. He is quoted in al-Fasi's Shifa' al-gharam Vol. 1, p. 199, and others.