Eid Mubarak 1430 Hijri

May Allah Almighty reward all those who have strived and sacrificed their time and efforts to uphold the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) especially in this time of economic uncertainty when only gold and silver can help the Ummah free themselves from the vile chains of usury. inshaAllah...

Prohibition Of Riba – Sheikh Imran Hosein

Prohibition Of Riba – Video Part 1

Prohibition Of Riba – Video Part 2

Dollar to be buried way before 2018 – Max Keiser

The Importance of the Nabawi Definition of the Shari’i Dirham and Dinar

By Hisham Kassim (8 Shawwal – 1430 Hijri)

Surah al-Mutaffifeen 83:1-6 (Tafsir ibn ‘Abbas from http://www.altafsir.com):

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ

And from his narration on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah’s saying: (Woe unto the defrauders): (Woe) severe punishment (unto the defrauders) in weighing and measurement; this refers to the people of Madinah who used to cheat in weighing and measurement before the coming of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and so this surah was revealed to the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on his way when he was migrating to Madinah:

ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ٱكْتَالُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ

Allah then explained who these defrauders are, saying: (Those who when they take the measure from mankind) those who, when they buy from people and weigh or measure that which they buy for themselves, (demand it full) they weigh and measure their merchandise in full,

وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ

(But if they measure unto them) but when they measure for others (or weigh for them, they cause them loss) they decrease the measurement or the weight and behave very badly; it is also said that the above means: severe punishment on that day is unto the defrauders in the prayer, the poor-due, fasting and other acts of worship.

أَلا يَظُنُّ أُوْلَـٰئِكَ أَنَّهُمْ مَّبْعُوثُونَ

(Do such (men)) those who deal in fraud in weight and measurement (not consider) not know and believe (that they will be raised again) brought back to life

لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

(Unto an awful Day) the Day of Judgement whose horrors are great,

يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلنَّاسُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ

(The day when (all) mankind stand) after emerging from the graves (before the Lord of the Worlds) the Lord of every living being who walks on the earth and the Lord of the dwellers of heaven.

When the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) read to them this surah, they repented and started giving full weight and measurement.

The Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Khilafat (Caliphate) would continue for 30 years after Nubuwwat (Prophethood) then it will change into kingship.” (Hadith related by Hakim)

It is clear from this Hadith that the most accurate weight and measurement for the Shari’i Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar were from these 40 years of Nubuwwat and Khilafat and that the surviving coinage from this era should be studied to ascertain the true Nisab for Zakat, the third pillar of Islam.

Any monetary “reforms” thereafter cannot be deemed as representative of the coinage of this golden era as they were undertaken for administrative rather than spiritual purposes, and thus do not comply with the original definition of the Shari’i Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar.

May Allah Almighty grant us victory in reinstating the Nabawi definition of the Shari’i Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar as they were really meant to be as per the golden era of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and the Rightly-guided Caliphate of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthman, ‘Ali and Hasan (radiyallahu ‘anhuma). Amiin…

Eid Mubarak 1430 Hijri

We wish all our visitors Eid Mubarak with a continuous showering of blessings and guidance from Allah Almighty and may the righteous standards of the Shari’i Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar be expeditiously reinstated in accordance with the divine rulings of Zakat revealed in the second year of Hijri during the Prophethood of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), Amiin…

Curious Conversations

CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

ZARINAR – 17 Ramadan 1430 Hijri

The month of Ramadan is a time for self-purification and deep contemplation… A time to seek inward, within ourselves, and to understand the true meaning of taqwa or God-consciousness… Hence this conversation goes on after Tarawih prayers…

A: Assalaamu’alaikum Sister Zarinar!

Z: ‘Alaikumsalaam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!!

A: This Ramadan, we strive for an internal jihad with our nafs. How is the jihad for real economy coming along?

Z: Alhamdulillah, and not too different from our internal strivings… Full of challenges, twists and turns, but with faith, fortitude and perseverance for the Haqq, InshaAllah, Allah al-Hadi will guide us… For the last 6 years, we have made some progress, alhamdulillah individually, and as a team. The current economic problems are opening the eyes of many about the fallibility of our current monetary system – one that continuously enlarges the gap between those who have and those who have not… The work of the nafs, really… Not too different from our personal jihad…

A: I’ve always wondered why you constantly refer to the medium of exchange as Dinar and Dirham. Isn’t that out there with the paper money of some of the Middle East countries? It can be confusing. How about calling them something else?

Z: Firstly, we must term it as value of exchange, and the terms Dirham and Dinar? Simply put, it’s mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadiths. Why change what has been ordained? Look up Surah Ali Imran (Qur’an 3:75) on Dinar, and Surah Yusuf (Qur’an 12:20) on how Prophet Yusuf (‘alaihissalam) was sold for a few Dirhams. Even on Judgment Day itself, the weight of goodness in a heart, when measured against a Dinar, would be a measure to take people out of hell fire (Sahih Muslim).

A: Who has been the most difficult for you to convince?

Z: Some people steeped in the finance industry, or in the capitalistic way of doing things, especially when their training and work have made some of them devoid of their own ‘fitrah’ i.e. their identity as Muslims, and the Shari’ah applied to many aspects of life such as the institution of marriage where the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) of using Dirhams as the preferred value of exchange for Mahar has been substituted with fiat money… Apart from that, Muslims in general unfortunately tend to be more skeptical whereas the countries in the West have been keeping gold and silver bullion for quite some time now. Since we have our own Islamic reference, we should keep the Shari’i Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham… Let’s constantly remind each other about this matter and keep in touch. Ma’assalaamah!!

Commentary-Some Reflections on The International Seminar Proceedings of Economic Growth through Dinar Transactions

Some Reflections on The International Seminar Proceedings of Economic Growth through Dinar Transactions

Arwan – 30 August, 2009

There is continuing energy invested in the search for the veracity of facts surrounding the Gold Dinar and Silver dirham.It is therefore absolutely commendable that University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) organized the Seminar on 27 August,2009 , with the support of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). As we come together at conferences and dialogue on these most important fundamentals in Islamic economics and transactions amongst the Ummah, our search must be shared with openness and sincerity as no one person, group of individuals nor even a single institution would have the answers that were so pristinely clear during the time of Rasulullah (saw), which then over time, especially in the last several centuries got buried and devalued by the adversaries of Islam.

The Seminar in itself provided an invaluable forum for a continuing exchange of ideas, applications and as in any such Forum, contrary ideas and the challenge of assumptions would occur. If conducted within the bounds of decorum and good behavior, the scrupulous observance of what is “adab”, would go a long way in this expedition in the search for truth.

As with good intentions and commendable effort, it was noticeable that in general, divergence of opinions continue, but the movement for convergence was still somewhat weak. For a good body of knowledge to emerge, there must be a creative balance in the equilibrium between divergence and convergence. InshaAllah, the future endeavours in this regard will work toward finding such equilibrium.

It is also necessary in such conferences the speakers or and participants must allow other opinions to be aired no matter how indignant they feel about those opinions. Should an individual want to be heard and get his views accepted, he should first seek to understand rather than demand that others understand and subscribe to his point of view!

Such forums also are a place where the showcase of advancements made will be a boost to attendees; it was unhelpful therefore that when an invited speaker is given a platform to expound his views in turn gave scant respect to the opinions and views of others, “rubbishing’ what others had to say.

It is therefore suggested that such an individual be not invited again to any such gatherings. All of us must respect “adab”. All in all, ‘syabas’ to UKM, and kudos to JAKIM as it continues to pave the way for debate in the search for truth.

Commentary – Getting Back to the Truth

Getting Back to the Truth

by Arwan – 18 August, 2009

Since the time when man organized his relationships with others in communities, there has always been at the heart of it transactions and exchanges based on the primal needs of each other. This later evolved into artful negotiations of give and take and became premised on the “greed” of ‘I take more and you get less.’ This evolution over centuries then became the simple axiom of ‘unfair measures aggregating to unjust gains’.  Capitalism as it has evolved today has at its heart inequitable distribution of resources that accumulate to the greatest wants against most simple needs.

It is therefore a tremendous encouragement and a commendation to persons who have created this space on thesilverdirham.wordpress.com that allows for the revival of the spirit of transactions based on what is just and fair as epitomized in our Prophet (saw) in his time. The initiation of the Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar as a mental space amongst thinking righteous people cannot but provide like a lightning rod that illuminates, the coming together of right thinking persons to get back to the basics of what is just, fair and equitable  in governing the transactions and exchanges in human communities.

For more than 500 years, concentrated within the two hundred years of the so called Industrial revolution, the technologies that evolved and the systems that were crafted have allowed for the hemispheric domination of one quarter of the world over the rest of humankind. The unleashing of technological know-how and the invention of systems are today reflected in the once unbridled mighty capitalism today undermined by its own assumptions of greed and power to now see itself crumble under this weight of oppression. Alas, the G5 perceived unassailable has now benignly been expanded to a Group of 20 with the original cohort of 5 intending to save the tatters of its failed system. The world today sees through this veneer of hypocrisy rolled on the drums of fundamental rights and democracy no longer hold water to the three quarters of humankind  labouring under dismal conditions.

Now is the time for every right thinking persons to gather around the universal values that bind us all. All the monotheistic religions and other great belief systems would not in anyway condone the exploitative economic models of today that condemn the mass of mankind to horrendous deprivation. The drive and motivation of the Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar is a sanctified approach that helps us re-think the way we govern our relationships. It would help us go back to the rebuilding of a real economy and save us from the false economy foisted upon all our peoples.

I have been greatly encouraged to read the articles that explain explicit and implicit terms the basis of this renewed thinking. I am an ardent advocate of this and hopefully many more will assemble together to me the consequences of this reinitiation a new reality in the future. We need to mobilize our thoughts, whatever resources, reeducate our people and work through institutions and governments , but always going back to the people to sustain this change effort. May we be blessed in the struggle for justice and fairness for all.

The Shari’i Silver Dirham: The Shield of Zakat-ul-Fitr

The Shari’i Silver Dirham: The Shield of Zakat-ul-Fitr
By Hisham Kassim (5 Ramadan 1430 Hijri)

“The Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) enjoined Zakat-ul-Fitr on the one who fasts to shield one’s self from any indecent act or speech, and for the purpose of providing food for the needy.” (Hadith related by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and ad-Daraqutni)

Muslims worldwide are obliged to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr as alms at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It is unanimously recognized by all schools of Islamic Law as a pious duty of every Muslim man and woman, and a blessed way of following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

The origin of this obligation can be dated to the month of Shaaban in 2 Hijri, and this mandatory giving of alms was personally carried out 9 times by the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) before he passed on in the month of Rabiulawwal in 11 Hijri.

Ramadan Kareem

May the blessings of Allah Almighty be with all our visitors as we enter the holy month of Ramadan 1430 Hijri. May the real Sunnah of the Shari’i Silver Dirham and Gold Dinar be revived to bring about an honest and just value of exchange in every Halal transaction in all corners of the world as prevalent during the Prophethood of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). Amiin…