IIPH (International Islamic Publishing House)

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Abu Jade Isa Michael Tofte (Formerly Reverend Tofte)
Problems Muslims Face in Today's World
Their Causes and Solutions Based on the Authentic Sunnah and the Way of Our Predecessors
مشكلات يواجهها المسلمون في عالم اليوم
الدار العالمية للكتاب الإسلامي
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE
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The Islamic viewpoint on slavery
Slavery existed before the coming of Prophet Muhammad
(g). Islam did not abolish slavery, though it put limits on it and made it a virtuous act to free slaves.
In Islam, there is only one way a person may become enslaved and that is by being a non-Muslim among people who have been captured after raising arms and fighting against the Muslim nation. When such people have been conquered, the Muslim ruler has the option of enslaving them or releasing them (with or without ransom), and he makes this decision based upon the best interests and safety of the state. The Prophet (3) strongly rebuked any other means of enslaving a person. Thus, no person may become enslaved due to poverty, debt, kidnapping, committing a crime, voluntarily submitting to slavery, or any other means.
Islam encourages the freeing of slaves and has made the freeing of a slave a form of expiation for sins such as accidental manslaughter, the breaking of a vow, or voiding a fast by engaging in sexual intercourse. The freeing of slaves is also one of the categories upon which the zakâh funds should be spent (Qur'an 9: 60). The Qur'an calls the freeing of a slave an act of righteousness that may be performed at any time:
<Righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give money, cheerfully, to
PAGE NO :3When jihad refers to fighting
Although jihad is often translated into English as 'holy war",
it must be noted that war has never been described as 'holy' in any of Islam's primary texts or even early Islamic literature. Linguistically speaking, jihad is an Islamic term that applies to a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from daily striving to meet the day's challenges, to the striving against one's desires and self, to the struggle to provide for one's family. Its basic definition is 'the act of striving or struggling in the way of Allah'. Therefore, jihad is not limited to war; it includes struggling with one's soul, speech, body and wealth so that the message of Allah reaches all humans willing to receive it.
Islamic scholars have referred to different types of jihad, such as jihad against the self (to understand Islam, act upon it, call others to it and be patient with the difficulties of making this call), jihad against the Devil (repelling Satanic whispers, doubts and lusts), jihad against the tongue (controlling it, using it to enjoin what is good, forbid what is wrong, spread the correct teachings of Islam and answer false ideologies), jihad against aggression (with the purpose of protecting Islam and the lives, honour and property of Muslims) and other types of jihad like jihad against the hypocrites, jihad against oppressors and jihad against mischief makers.
Jihad in the context of fighting has specific rules and conditions that need to be met before jihad is initiated. The first rule is that people are not to be fought because of what they believe, or to coerce them to accept Islam. The second rule is to 'fight only those who fight you' and never initiate unprovoked aggression (Qur'an 2: 190). That means that Muslims are only allowed to fight back, rather
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Problems Muslims Face in Today's World
Muslims today, especially - but not exclusively those living in the West, are faced with a variety of problems. There are the internal struggles of living an Islamic lifestyle in a world dominated by Western culture, the conflicts between parents and children, the challenge of being single in a society where one is surrounded by temptations, the frustration caused by parents who refuse to allow their children to get married, the strains on marriages, the repercussions of terrorist actions perpetrated by Muslims, the effects of racism, the confusion among the various ideologies of Muslims today, and various other trials confronting our communities.
We need a book for English readers that tackles these issues, explaining the reasons for these problems and providing specific recommendations for handling them, based on the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Problems Muslims Face in Today's World is such a book.
About the author
Abu Jade Isa Michael Tofte is an American Muslim Convert from New Jersey, who has been active within the Muslim community for over ten years. His major studies in the field of Islamic jurisprudence center on purification, prayer, fasting, and marriage; his minor studies include Arabic morphology, Islamic rhetoric, and theology. He has lectured on various Islamic topics at universities, mosques, and camps; given the sermons at Friday congregational prayers; and taught classes on Islamic monotheism, rules of Islamic jurisprudence and the meanings of the Qur'an. Abu Jade acted as the President of the Muslim Students Association at Montclair State University.
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