Two Mannerisms of the Salaf

The early Muslims, our pious predecessors (Al-Salaf Al-Salih), had two attributes that are by-and-large ignored by many Muslims these days, even those who claim to follow their footsteps:

1. Scrupulousness regarding what one eats. When Saad ibn Abi Waqqas asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to ask Allah that his prayers be answered, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "O Saad, make good that which you eat and and you will be one whose prayers are accepted." There is simply no shortage of examples of the Salaf avoiding food out of scrupulousness. Yet, we find people who claim to fervorishly follow their footsteps, and others who claim to want to reach a high spiritual standing with Allah, ignoring this rule. What am I talking about? I mean stop eating anything you aren't 100% sure of such as: unknown ingredients, food prepared in facilities where impurities (e.g. pork) are also processed, and even the so-called halal meat in the West and in Muslim countries. I know that some or all of these things are halal. This is not about fatwa. This is about following the footsteps of the Salaf, who would avoid nine-tenths of the halal in fear of falling into the haram. Those who consume every permissible thing will undoubtedly fall into doubtful matters while those who consume doubtful things will undoubtedly fall into the haram. The fatwas that say such things are permissible may very well be correct. But you want to be a Salafi or a Sufi, right? Then get serious and clean up your eating act.
   
2. Avoiding excessive theology. Knowing one's basic creed is obviously necessary. Furthermore, a bit of formal theology can go a long way in countering doubts that often occur when disucssing Islam with non-Muslims. However, there comes a point where, other than for experts in the field, it is simply bad manners. Talking about Allah as if He is something that we can understand and analyze is disgusting to any heart with awe of the Divine in it. The Salaf, and in particular the Companions, would shun such conversations whenever necessary, sometimes even plugging their ears with their fingers to avoid hearing the discussion. As a Sufi once said, "The least problem with theology is that awe towards the Divine falls from one's heart." Allah is to be worshipped and adored, not argued about.

A Bit of Etymology

My daughter asked me the meaning of zukhruf. Because she was asking in the context of a Qur'anic passage, I didn't want to answer off the top of my head, so I told her to look it up in Mufradat Al-Qur'an, where the author defined it as muzawwaq adornment (الزينة المزوقة). I then proceeded to look up muzawwaq in Lisan Al-Arab. Zawooq and zi'baq are both words for mercury, probably of Persian origin. In ancient times, metal workers would perform fire-gilding by mixing fine gold with mercury, decoratively applying the amalgam to the desired item, and then evaporating off the mercury by applying heat. Such items were then referred to as muzawwaq. Eventually, anything embellished would be referred to as muzawwaq. In fact, when a woman adorns herself, she is referred to as mutazawwiqah. This word is commonly used in colloquial Egyptian speech, but would be rendered mitzawwa'ah in standard Cairene pronunciation.

I've been wondering about the word for the jubbah (long overcoat) worn by the scholars and reciters of Egypt. It is pronounced kakoula, and Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi describes it as a "jubbah with a collar." It appears that this is a corruption of the French cagoule, or raincoat. While a google search for cagoule and the Wikipedia page for it present images that are a far cry from Egyptian sheikhwear, it is likely that the cagoule has changed greatly over time, and that at one point the Egyptian jubbah did in fact resemble it more closely.

Dibbeen Forest: A Photo Gallery

If you've never been to the Dibbeen Forest Reserve in the spring, get over there before the spring wildflowers dry up. They won't last long.

(Click on images to zoom in.)



There's a large enclosure of friendly roe deer. Bring a head of cabbage or lettuce with you, as they expect you to feed them.



This particular type of blue flower seems to grow alone.




A gorgeous bouquet.




One word: idyllic.




This guy is my favourite among the bunch.




Utterly romantic.












If you look closely, you'll notice there are actually three horses in this shot.