"The Mailbox" with Yusef Estes Options

[Amanda]

This is a...I guess webshow, done by the revert lecturer Yusef Estes ^^

The show is a bit low budget, and its only about 3mins - 10 mins but I really like them. I've been watching them for about 45 minutes now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Here is one for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v_85XJxiws
I also subscribed to the channel, i hope ya'll like them too!


Tell me what you think (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Link to ones you like most.

[Ibn_e_Haider]

Wow, Masha Allah, I like it very much (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) .

[desolate_strange...]

In his reply to the question about marriage, he said that even if a Muslim wants to get married to a Christian or a Jew, they must be believers and a virgin and never have committed adultery.


I guess everyone knows about the part about them having to be believers. But where did he get the other two conditions from?

I've never heard that if a Chirstian/Jew is a not a virgin then they cannot get married to a Muslim. Also, as far as I know, Christianity and Judaism allow for repentance so even if the person had committed adultery in the past, if they have repented sincerely then wouldn't it mean that Allah has forgiven them (as mentioned in our scripture) so who are we not to forgive?

Anyways, what this brother is doing is admirable in its own way and may Allah reward him for his sincere work.

[Amanda]

In his reply to the question about marriage, he said that even if a Muslim wants to get married to a Christian or a Jew, they must be believers and a virgin and never have committed adultery.


I guess everyone knows about the part about them having to be believers. But where did he get the other two conditions from?

I've never heard that if a Chirstian/Jew is a not a virgin then they cannot get married to a Muslim. Also, as far as I know, Christianity and Judaism allow for repentance so even if the person had committed adultery in the past, if they have repented sincerely then wouldn't it mean that Allah has forgiven them (as mentioned in our scripture) so who are we not to forgive?

Anyways, what this brother is doing is admirable in its own way and may Allah reward him for his sincere work.

Hrrm...He may have mentioned this in the video above or another, but i think the "virgin" thing is more..socially.
He mentions if a non-virgin female marries a virgin male, the male may be hurt, and thinking "is she comparing me sexually to my past partners?"

I agree with you though, if One repents with sincerity its okay. We all make mistakes.

[desolate_strange...]

Hrrm...He may have mentioned this in the video above or another, but i think the "virgin" thing is more..socially.
He mentions if a non-virgin female marries a virgin male, the male may be hurt, and thinking "is she comparing me sexually to my past partners?"

I agree with you though, if One repents with sincerity its okay. We all make mistakes.

I would not have a problem with what he said if only it was well documented, but as far as I know (which isn't much) there are no such documentations. It seems to me that what he said is basically his own perspective and opinion, which is well respected, but the way he said it makes it seem as if Islam is setting those two extra conditions. As a person who is having a show with Q/A on Islamic concepts, he (and anyone else for that matter) should be very careful about what they say and how they say it.


If I have a personal opinion about something and someone asks a general question about it, when answering the question I feel obliged to specifically say that the answer that I am about to give is only my personal opinion, which is something that he didn't do during his show (or at least in the short clip that I saw).

Once again I should say that, what he is doing is admirable but if it is not done carefully then it can cause confusion or even send someone with less knowledge astray, even if the intention of this brother is to help people.

Personally, regarding questions about important Islamic concepts such as marriage, I would very much prefer to refer to my marja taqleed, since I know that he has spent many years rigorously studying Islam and would have a more in depth knowledge.

[JustaNormalPerso...]

I just saw this. I like the way Yusuf Estes speaks. He reminds me of someone I can't quite recall.

[Didi]

uh i thought he was salafi. if this is true then that would greatly explain what he said was not really a part of islam. certainly i dont need to comment on how they change things around to fit their mood for the day. if am wrong about his affiliation, then i got some serious watching to do. lol

[Amanda]

uh i thought he was salafi. if this is true then that would greatly explain what he said was not really a part of islam. certainly i dont need to comment on how they change things around to fit their mood for the day. if am wrong about his affiliation, then i got some serious watching to do. lol

Wait, isnt salafi like..fundamentalist Islam? :S
If so, Yusuf Estes is NOT part of that...really. I am not for those hardcore fundamentalists, and i like Br. Estes.

[Didi]

you know what, i did some searching after i posted and still dont have an answer. in one video he seems to be saying stuff that is very against salafis in general and then in another video he is almost condeming those who arent. to be perfectly honest, i am more confused than before! i got distracted by the annual worship of the turkey but will get back to googling after eid.

[ZahraII]

annual worship of the turkey

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Msinfomaven]

Salafism is a broad general term which refers to a movement starting in Arabia which grew out of a response to colonial occupation in the Middle East in the late 18c beginning of 19thc. It is not a "sect" of Islam but rather a methodology. The methodology they use to justify any position within Islam or how to perform Islam is based on who they define to be the best examples of Islam, that is, the first three generations of Muslims - Muhammad (pbuh&hf), the Companions, the Successors and those after the Successors. For this reason the often, but not always, reject adhering to a traditional math'hab. If they do follow a math'hab it is usually Hanbali.


Salafism therefore can be applied to a wide variety of Sunni Muslims from those who rely on the so called scholarship of Wahhab to Qutb. They may be more moderate in their approach or they may be more extreme in their approach depending on what other scholars have influenced them. All of them do follow a stricter interpretation of Islam than the traditional Sunni or Shi'a who follow a traditional math'hab. Followers of the Salafi path call it the "purified" path of the "pious predecessors" because they expunged "shirk" practices that crept into Islam over the centuries since the Prophet's death (pbuh&hf). Other Muslims such as traditional Sunnis and Shi'a view this "purification" and expunging an emptying of all the spiritual values and love for the Prophet and His Family. Salafi tend to focus primarily on following rules while labeling practices by other Muslims as "haraam" , "Bidah" and "shirk".

More on Bidah and shirk:
http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/bidah/en/index.php
More on Salafism:
http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/sal...sm/en/index.php


Anyways, back to Estes - he does not openly advertise his "brand" or "flavor" of Islam but we can deduce a few things: He is Sunni, he does not adhere strictly to any math'hab, he loves Abdul Wahhab's "scholarship" as in Kitab al Tawheed, he lauds the "scholarship" of bin Taymiyah and other Salafi scholars.
Estes on Salafism and Abdul Wahhab:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRg6ZWq8Tlc

He has a disdain for Sufism and traditional Sunni scholars like Hamza Yusuf (American, Maliki)
http://islam.worldofislam.info/index.php?o...did-he-go-wrong


Unlike traditional Salafi's he excepts Ja'fari fiqh (Shi'a mathhab) as valid.

What to make of that? Dangerous? probably not. Extremist, probably not. Salafi, most probable. I've heard some scholars and preachers refer to him as pseudo-salafi. I think what they mean to capture is that he uses Salafi methodology to extrapolate his religion but is moderate in his approach. As Muslims we should all strive for moderation.

[Asiya]

As salaamu alaykum,

I tried to watch some of the youtube videos of Yusuf Estes and found them rather annoying. It could be me and knowing he is only talking about Sunni ideals and seemed to avoid anything to do with Shia ideals.

I'm also not a fan of pointing out the faults of others in a public way. I read the website about his issues with Hamza Yusuf and it seems he just waited on the problems he believed existed and just assumed Hamza Yusuf knew there were problems. Then when things didn't go his way he makes it a public issue by posting it on a website. I didn't see anything mentioned about a private discussion between the two of them. If any of the sisters were doing something I believe is wrong I would never consider waiting to see if they notice and if they don't just make a public announcement about it. It's something that should be discussed in private and possibly bring in someone with more knowledge to help but not a whole community. My perception of the website posting on the issues with Hamza Yusuf may be incorrect but if I am correct I would rather stay far away from them and stick with a group who doesn't feel the need to be in the public spotlight.

Asiya