Towards a definition of bid'a

People tend to use the argument of bid'a to say lots of things are haram. Yet when pressed to define bid'a most people are not able to come up with a suitable definition that can be applied consistently.

If, for example, we define bid'a as any innovation after the Prophet (saw) then we would have to argue that everything from teaching the Islamic religious sciences to computers to sports to travelling is bid'a.

If we define bid'a as everything that is not in accordance with the Sunna then it essentially means that things are forbidden unless they can be proven to be in accordance with the Sunna. But this goes against another established principle which is that things are permissible until there's evidence that proves that they are haram.

So, caught in this maze I've tried to see if I can find a definition of bid'a which can be a starting point. In order to do this I started by going through the commentaries of the hadith: "Whoever innovates in this affair of ours which does not belong to will have it rejected."


In his explanation of the hadith Ibn Rajab doesn't define bid'a as such but he does seem to set one of it's conditions. He says: "Whoever tries to come closer to Allah by an action which neither Allah and His Messenger made a way of coming closer to Allah, his action is batil (void) and rejected. Then he goes to give examples of forms of prayer, using music to come closer to Allah or uncovering the head outside of ihram.

al-Tufi doesn't even talk about bid'a in his explanation of the hadith. He just says that those things which go against the shari'a are rejected.

al-Maziri in his commentary of this hadith doesn't talk about bid'a. He talks about the principle that what is prohibited is invalid.

Qadi Iyad quotes al-Maziri then adds that most of the fuqaha consider that a prohibition invalidates an action, whereas most of the theologians say that a prohibition by itself does not invalidate an action.

Al-Nawawi in his commentary of this hadith likewise doesn't define bid'a. He says this hadith forbids bid'a and also mentions the aforementioned principle.

Ibn Hajar quotes al-Tufi and al-Nawawi on the subject.

I didn't find anything very useful there so I decided to look at dictionaries written by shari'a scholars rather than just linguists.

Qadi 'Iyad in Mashariq al-Anwar (I/108) says: Everything that was innovated after the Prophet (saW) is bid'a. Bid'a is an act which has no precedent so that which agrees with a principle of the sunna can be justified by analogy and is praiseworthy, and that which goes against the principles of the sunna is deviation.

al-Jurjani in al-Ta'rifat (p.33) says: bid'a is an act which goes against the sunna. It is called bid'a because the person who says by it invented it without a verdict from an imam. It is an innovated matter which the Companions and Tabi'un were not upon, nor is it necessitated by a shar'i evidence.

Ibn al-Athir says in al-Nihaya fi gharib al-hadith wa'l-athar (p.67): There are two types of bid'as: a bid'a of guidance and a bid'a of error. That which goes against what Allah and His Messenger (saw) commanded is to be censured and rejected. That which comes under general things which Allah recommended and which Allah and His Messenger encouraged is to be praised. And that which has no precedent such as some type of goodness or generosity or good action, then it is a praised action, although it cannot be directly against the shar', because the Prophet (saw) indicated that he is rewarded for it. (he then quotes the hadith about whoever starts a good sunna and then discusses examples all relating to 'ibadat)

So, after this what do we have?
1. Bid'a is forbidden (everyone says that, nothing new).
2. Bid'a refers to innovations in worship (Ibn Rajab).
3. Bid'a is that which goes against established sunnas or cannot be deduced as permissible from the principles of Islam (Qadi 'Iyad, Jurjani, Ibn al-Athir).
4. That which is good but has no precedent cannot be considered bid'a (Ibn al-Athir).

Using all this I would define bid'a as:
Any action by which a person intends to earn reward from Allah that is not sanctioned by the shari'a either through textual evidence or through general principles is bid'a.

أي عمل يرجى به الثواب من الله لا يشهد له الشرع بمنطوقه أو بقواعده العامة فهو بدعة

Does this make sense?

An example of takhrij

I was involved in an online discussion and found somebody quoting a hadith which sounded a bit strange to me, so I decided to check it out. This a summary of what I found.

Zayd bin Thabit's hadith is:
al-Hakim from Muhammad bin Ya'qub from Ibrahim bin Abdullah al-Sa'di from Wahb bin Jarir from his father Jarir bin Hazim from Yahya bin Ayyub al-Ghafiqi from Yazid bin Abi Habib from Abdul Rahman bin Shimama from Zayd bin Thabit who said:
We were with the Messenger of Allah (saw) joining together the Qur'an in pieces of cloth when the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: Blessed be Sham... the hadith.

al-Hakim said: This hadith is authentic according to the condition of the two shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) and they did not narrate it. In it is clear evidence that the Qur'an wasn't collected in one go. Some of it was gathered in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) then in the presence of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and the third collection in which the order of the Surahs was arranged was in the khilafa of Amir al-Mu'minin Uthman bin Affan may Allah be pleased with them all.

al-Dhahabi agreed that the hadith is authentic.

The hadith is also narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Tabarani, Ahmad and Ibn Abi Shayba.

Let's check al-Hakim's claim that the hadith is authentic.
Zayd bin Thabit: Companion, no need to check, he's reliable.
Abdul Rahman bin Shimama: Ibn Hajar said: Reliable (thiqah).
Yazid bin Abi Habib: Ibn Hajar said: Reliable (thiqah), faqeeh (jurist).
Yahya bin Ayyub al-Ghafiqi: Ibn Hajar said: Honest but may make mistakes.
Ibn 'Adi said: In my view he's honest.
Ibn Ma'in said: Acceptable in hadith.
Ahmad said: He had bad memory.
Ibn al-Qattan al-Fasi said: He is one of those people whose status I know and that he is not reliable.
Abu Hatim said: He is not reliable.
al-Nasa'i said: He is not strong.
al-Darqutni said: Some of his hadith have problems.
Jarir bin Hazim: Ibn Hajar said: Reliable (thiqah) but there is weakness in his hadith from Qatada and he made mistakes when narrating from memory. al-Dhahabi said he narrated from Yazid bin Abi Habib.
Wahb bin Jarir: Son of Jarir bin Hazim, Ibn Hajar said: Reliable.
Ibrahim bin Abdullah al-Sa'di: al-Dhahabi said: Honest.
Muhammad bin Ya'qub: I haven't found his biography but as al-Hakim narrates a lot from him I assume he's reliable.

As far as the hadith itself:
al-Tirmidhi said: This is a strange hasan hadith, we only know it from Yahya bin Ayyub. Al-Haythami considers it authentic as does al-Albani. al-Dhahabi authenticated it here yet elsewhere criticized a hadith because Yahya bin Ayyub was in the isnad.

For me this isnad has two major problems: Firstly, Yahya bin Ayyub is too weak to consider his lone narration to be sufficient to make the hadith authentic.

Secondly, Jarir bin Hazim studied with Yazid bin Abi Habib so it seems strange to find him narrating from Yahya bin Ayyub who is, as we have seen, not particularly reliable. It is also noticeable that Jarir is from the sixth generation, whereas Yahya is from the seventh generation, which means that Jarir is older than Yahya yet he narrated this from him. This seems unlikely and it may be that this is one of Jarir bin Hazim's mistakes.

Now, the first reason alone is enough to consider this isnad weak, and this is something that al-Albani concedes.

Al-Albani in his Silsila Sahiha argues that the hadith is authentic because there's another narration from Ahmad with the isnad Hasan from Ibn Lahi'a from Yazid bin Abi Habib from Abdul Rahman bin Shimama from Zayd bin Thabit who said:
We were with the Messenger of Allah (saw) one day when he said: Blessed be Sham... the hadith.

If you notice in this isnad there is no mention of joining together the Qur'an. But Ibn Lahi'a is also weak and al-Albani's argument is the two weak isnads support one another. This is true as far as the saying of the Prophet (saw): "Blessed be Sham", but this does not apply to what was mentioned about joining together the Qur'an which is an addition which cannot be considered sound.

And Allah knows best.

The Neurocentric recommended that I link this free pre-production software. It won't write a play for you, but it will help you to organise your play. As the website says: You can use Celtx for the entire pre-production process - write scripts, storyboard scenes and sequences, develop characters, breakdown & tag elements, schedule production, and prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.

You can find out more about it and download it here.

Another important book

Not that I've read it, mind. I read another book by the same author on the same subject that proved incredibly useful, but I couldn't get hold of a pdf version. But it doesn't matter because 'Screenplay' is considered to be his most important book, so here it is. The book gives you an idea of what you need to think about if you're planning to write a script for film. It focuses on the structure of a film and how you should develop your characters, etc... Once again, if you find it interesting buy a copy of it for less than £10.

Reflections for a Muslim Film Group

I work in television. The reason why I got into the media is because I wanted to change the way Muslims were represented in the West. However, having worked in the industry for a few years I learnt that it's very difficult to change the industry from within. Not because people in the media are lying cynics, but because the system is designed to support the strong against the weak. Consequently the representation of Muslims in Western media is atrocious. The lack of any religious Asian families in Eastenders, for example, is outrageous, although it's just a reflection of how we're shown as either terrorists or sell-outs.

This led me to think that the only way we can change the way Muslims are represented is to play outside of the media rules and represent ourselves. With good HiDef camcorders now costing less than £700 and with most home computers being capable of editing in professional quality, the technical side is accessible to all of us. We also have ready-made distribution networks: the web, dvd, and tv channels catering for Muslim communities, whether it be through directly religious channels or channels aimed at ethnic groups who are Muslim.

What's left is that sufficient Muslims have the will and the desire to make films. That's why I've been thinking that Muslims who are interested in making films should get together and cooperate to represent us the way we want to see ourselves. At first our target audience would obviously be Muslims, and could serve not only to make us appreciate our religion, but also to discuss problematic issues within the community in a way that is both sensitive and constructive. If we develop our skills, however, we could also present Islam to non-Muslims in a way that would make them appreciate it and respect it more -a form of da'wa if you will.

The biggest issue in terms of production, however, is our inability to compete with Hollywood. Hollywood cinema is style instead of substance. We can't compete with Hollywood's money, and we don't want to have as little substance. Muslims need to aim for something better and more affordable. With the accessibility of technology to make films, it's possible to develop a style which is our own and by which we can represent ourselves as we see ourselves. It doesn't mean we can't have action films with gunshots or fancy graphics. These are relatively affordable. But we can't afford to think of a film set in London, Dubai, Casablanca and New York, because we cannot afford to travel the world filming. We also can't afford to have a film that needs 500 extras on Oxford Street because we can't afford it and we're unlikely to get permissions. We can't afford to cause a car accident because we won't get the permissions -although finding two cars to destroy probably wouldn't be that expensive, etc... You get the picture.

What we can afford to do is make films set locally, telling local stories, using local resources. Some stories that come to mind:
1. Someone tries to get out of gang-banging because he's become religious
2. An arranged marriage that works
3. A young man's journey to extremism
4. A comedy drama about a father taking a second wife back home and how his family reacts
5. A comedy about a drug dealer who has to go undercover in a tablighi mosque to stop his supplier from catching him
6. A young bum realises he's got to become serious and take care of his parents

These are just off the top of my head. We can think up many more if we put our mind to it.

Types of camera

In recent years cameras that record to hard drives or flash memory cards have been extremely popular. Their advantages are clear: they can be smaller, lighter and you don't have to keep on forking out for new tapes/dvds everytime you want to shoot something, and most importantly, they shoot in full HD of 1920x1080.

The primary disadvantage, however, is that storage of footage is a problem. 20 minutes of shooting with the high definition AVCHD format takes up about 20gb of hard drive when uncompressed into your editing system. If you're planning to shoot a documentary, where you may shoot 100+ hours for a 1 hour documentary, you would need 6 terabytes of hard drive to store the footage. And what do you do with the original footage once you finish editing the documentary? If you get rid of it you will never be able to use it again. If you decide to store it you will need a new 6tb every time you shoot a documentary.

Compare this to HDV, the tape-based high definition format: one hour takes up about 20gb, which means you only need 2tb to have your 100 hours of footage on your computer. And then, when you finish filming you can wipe everything off your hard drive because you still have all your footage on tape, which can be easily stored and doesn't take up much space. And tapes are only about £1 per if you find some special offers. On the negative side, HDV is 1440x1080 with rectangular pixels and tape camcorders are more expensive and don't get updated as often. Furthermore, Panasonic, which in my opinion captures the best colour out of the major camera manufacturers, does not do HDV.

So what should Muslim filmmakers do? It very much depends on their needs. For someone filming documentaries, with such a high volume of footage, a tape-based camcorder is probably best. For someone making films, where you know beforehand what you plan to shoot and what you need, a memory-based camcorder may be have considerable advantages.

Dr. Koto's Clinic

I found this drama really interesting although there were certain aspects I found extremely frustrating.

The series is focuses on a doctor who arrives to work in the clinic of a small island in Okinawa, southern Japan. Because of the island's isolation, no self-respecting doctor wants to be there, and the inhabitants are consequently cynical about the new doctor's ability or interest.

But this is no ordinary doctor. Talented Tokyo surgeon Goto Kensuke (but known as Koto) has come because he is trying to make amends for his past. He does his best to win over the inhabitants of the village and as he does so we learn about the difficulties faced by rural communities who have difficult access to hospitals, schools and other things us city folk take for granted.

What most appealed to me about this drama is how suitable it would be for the Muslim world. With a much larger proportion of the population still living in rural areas, and a far higher level of poverty, this type of drama could help to raise awareness in those Muslim countries. Alas, we are unlikely to see anyone do this type of drama soon.

Now, the drama is very melodramatic: emotional scenes designed to make you cry, wonderful reconciliations to make you feel better, exciting surgery scenes where Dr. Koto saves a life or two or three, and of course a hidden romance... It is somewhat over the top. But the worst of it is the Dr. himself. He is such an effeminate, crybaby figure that he becomes annoying. And why on earth would anybody fall in love with him? Perhaps I'm just missing something...

Anyway, here it is.

A very important book

This is one of the books that first made me think about making Muslim films. It gives you an idea of how you can make your cheap camcorder film look far more professional than it really is. It is very readable, very encouraging and will open up your horizons to what can be achieved.

Download it here or here. If you want to download the book alongside the included dvd, you can do so here. Or better still, do yourself a favour and buy it.

Reading Materials

Here's an interesting collection of books about filmmaking. My suggestion is go through them and if you find anything you particular enjoy go and buy it. Nothing can compare to a real book.

A Critical Cinema 5 - Interviews With Independent Filmmakers
MacDonald engages filmmakers in detailed discussions of their films and of the personal experiences and political and theoretical currents that have shaped their work. The interviews are arranged to express the remarkable diversity of modern independent cinema and the interactive community of filmmakers that has dedicated itself to producing forms of cinema that critique conventional media.

Alanis Obomsawin - The Vision of a Native Filmmaker
In more than twenty powerful films, Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has waged a brilliant battle against the ignorance and stereotypes that Native Americans have long endured in cinema and television. In this book, the first devoted to any Native filmmaker, Obomsawin receives her due as the central figure in the development of indigenous media in North America.

Andrey Tarkovsky - Sculpting in Time (2nd edition, 1987)
Tarkovsky elaborates in much detail on his theory of filmmaking, including editing, music, film acting, and what he calls "rhythm," which he considers the dominant factor.

Art in the Cinematic Imagination
An illuminating exploration of the relationship between art and cinema, from Hitchcock to Scorsese.

Dreams and Dead Ends The American Gangster Film
The second edition of this classic study provides a reintroduction to some of the major films and theoretical considerations of film noir and gangster films in twentieth-century America. Ranging from Little Caesar (1930) to Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), Shadoian guides the reader through twenty classic movies of the genre. His approach is to use brief introductions to introduce distinct eras of the gangster films in each of seven chapters. Moving chronologically, he offers plot synopses and close readings of such definitive examples as Bonnie and Clyde, The Public Enemy, D.O.A. and The Godfather, each accompanied by photographs and author's critiques. Compenendia of facts on each film are also provided. This updated version looks a newer films as well as how the genre has moved into the new century. Appendices look at the movie Criss Cross as an epitome of the genre while others offer different lists of gangster films, including the author's top fourteen alltime, fifty post-Godfather films worth seeing, and fifty vintage films.

DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish
Written for the beginner, Practical DV Filmmaking guides you thorough the process of making a film with low-cost digital equipment: from development through to production, post-production and distribution. While the technical tools you need are fully explained, the book concentrates on filmmaking principles throughout, illustrating how these tools can be used to achieve stylistic approaches for innovative filmmaking.

Film Directing Fundamentals- See Your Film Before Shooting Second Edition
Unique among directing books, Film Directing Fundamentals provides a clear-cut methodology for translating a script to the screen. Using the script as a blueprint, Proferes leads the reader through specific techniques to analyze and translate its components into a visual story. A sample screenplay is included that explicates the techniques. The book assumes no knowledge and thus introduces basic concepts and terminology.

Film Production Management
Film Production Management details the steps involved in bringing a screenplay to the screen: organizing, staffing, budgeting, scheduling, securing locations, shooting and postproduction. In addition to offering practical, hands-on help in dealing with each of these steps, this book also covers such issues as contracts, unions, working permits, and insurance. Sample forms used by the production manager are also included. Although it is not about film financing, it includes information on how to work within smaller budgets, enhancing its appeal to independent film makers. This book is primarily for students and film professionals seeking a career change within the film industry, or who find themselves performing some of the tasks outlined within these pages.

Film Production Theory - I više nego toplo preporučujem!
Film Production Theory is an exciting and important book. Most importantly, the book outlines what is at stake aesthetically and philosophically in what appear to be merely technical considerations that enter into the making of film. Unlike many other works that focus upon the finished product, or, upon the personalities behind the product, Geuen's book focuses upon the techniques of cinema, with an eye to clarify what are the assumptions about the nature of cinema that are implicit in those techniques. I consider the book the most important book on film I have read in a very long time, and can't recommend it highly enough.

Film Structure and the Emotion System
Films evoke broad moods and cue particular emotions that can be broadly shared as well as individually experienced. Although the experience of emotion is central to the viewing of movies, film studies have neglected to focus attention on the emotions, relying instead on vague psychoanalytic concepts of desire. Film Structure and the Emotion System synthesizes research on emotion in cognitive psychology and neurology in an effort to provide a more nuanced understanding of how film evokes emotion.

Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition

If Its Purple Someones Gonna Die - The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling
Guided by her twenty-five years of research on the effects of color on behavior, Bellantoni has grouped more than 60 films under the spheres of influence of six major colors, each of which triggers very specific emotional states.

John Costello-Writing a Screenplay
Exploding the myth that a screenplay is the easiest literary form to master, this book navigates a relatively painless path through the screenwriting labyrinth and offers an easy-to-digest, step-by-step guide to writing a script from inception to completion.

Muska And Lipman Publishing: 30 Dollar Film School
Covers the entire spectrum of independent filmmaking, with good chapters on editing and advanced editing techniques. The same advice should also help you make better home videos. The book has tons of illustrations to show you how to do things right.

Myth Mind and the Screen - Understanding the Heroes of Our Times
A systematic attempt to apply Jungian theory to the analysis of films (including 2001:ASpace Odyssey, The Silence of the Lambs and The Piano) as well as a variety of cultural icons and products such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and televised sport. Through these and other examples, John Izod shows how Jungian theory can bring new tools to film and media studies and new ways of understanding screen images and narratives.

Overhearing Film Dialogue
Sarah Kozloff shows why dialogue has been neglected in the analysis of narrative film and uncovers the essential contributions dialogue makes to a film's development and impact. She uses narrative theory and drama theory to analyze the functions that dialogue typically serves in a film.

Matchmoving: The Invisible Art of Camera Tracking
Master the Art and Science of Matchmoving. Written by a matchmoving expert, this book is much more than a technical primer. It helps you think like a pro so that you can find the right solution for your matchmoves, no matter how tricky. You'll also find coverage of tasks that commonly go hand-in-hand with matchmoving, along with advice on the contributions you can make on the set of a infobar-action shoot. Whether you're a student or professional, Matchmoving: The Invisible Art of Camera Tracking gives you the knowledge and perspective you need to quickly and successfully solve every matchmove.

The Art and Science of Digital Compositing
Computer-generated visual effects are now used extensively in feature films, commercials, music videos, and multimedia. The backbone of this process, the final and most important step, is known as digital compositing. The Art and Science of Digital Compositing is a comprehensive reference that provides a complete overview of the technical and the artistic nature of this process. This book covers a wide range of topics from basic image creation, representation, and manipulation, to a look at the visual cues that are necessary to create a believable composite. Designed as both an introduction to the field as well as a valuable technical reference, this book should be of interest to both novices and professionals alike. Written by a working professional in the visual effects industry, the book provides over 250 different images and illustrations (including a 40-page color insert) as well as a complete glossary of compositing and visual-effects terminology. Also included are in-depth case studies from well-known films such as Speed, Independence Day, and Titanic.

The Photographic Eye - Learning to See with a Camera
Learn how to take apart each element of a successful photograph, analyze it, master it, and then put it all back together.

Understanding Cinema A Psychological Theory of Moving Imagery (2005)
Per Persson asserts that spectators interpret, feel or make use of knowledge, assumptions, expectations and prejudices when viewing film. Persson explains how close-ups, editing conventions, character psychology and other cinematic techniques work, and how and why they affect the spectator. Utilizing examples from early and contemporary cinema, the book also analyzes the design of cinema conventions and their stylistic transformations through the evolution of film.

Vincent LoBrutto, The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design
In this outstanding book on production design, LoBrutto, an independent filmmaker and freelance film editor, goes to great lengths to cover the essentials-storyboarding, set decoration, budgeting, architecture, screenwriting, props, and wardrobe. He begins with an explanation of and introduction to design before dedicating a chapter to each particular facet of production, including one on genres with useful research techniques.

Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film
Drawing on authoritative, international contributors, information on film is extensively documented in this set, which is intended as a film-studies staple. The alphabetically arranged volumes are titled as follows: "Academy Awards—Crime Films"; "Criticism—Ideology"; "Independent Film—Road Movies"; and "Romantic Comedy—Yugoslavia." Subtopics include countries, history, philosophies, and more, with information on individual movies often spread over several entries. Articles range from as few as 5 pages ("Slapstick comedy") to 17 pages ("Italy"). Contemporary topics, such as "Gay, lesbian cinema," are included along with more-expected entries on "Teen films" and "Cinematography." See-also references guide readers to one or more related topics or subtopics, while further-reading suggestions provided after every entry list academic and popular articles and books. The more than 16,000 index entries, with major topics in bold type, make access straightforward. The text is highlighted with photographs varying in size, color, and clarity, along with brief biographies on related figures.
Vol.1- Academy Awards- Crime Films
Vol.2- Criticism-Ideology
Vol.3- Independent Film- Road_Movies
Vol.4- Romantic Comedy- Yugoslavia

Writing, Directing and Producing Documentary Films and Videos
Rosenthal tackles the day-to-day problems from initial concept through distribution, emphasizing the research and writing approach. He offers examples of interviewing, narration writing, and the complexities of editing. The text explains how to write, direct and produce the documentary, whether film or video.

Writing the Short Film, Third Edition
The short film is a unique narrative art form that, while lending itself to experimentation, requires tremendous discipline in following traditional filmic considerations. This book takes the student and novice screenwriter through the storytelling process- from conception, to visualization, to dramatization, to characterization and dialogue- and teaches them how to create a dramatic narrative that is at once short (approximately half an hour in length) and complete.

My favourite film

My favourite film at the moment is a Hong Kong action movie called Breaking News. It's not a particularly amazing film, but it has set something in motion inside my fastidious brain. It's the film that made me conscious of one Hong Kong cinema's most significant features, which is the humanity of the "bad guy". In Hollywood action films the bad guy is normally ultra evil. I guess it's because the good guy is normally such an idiot (i.e. Die Hard with Bruce Willis as a cop who's got a drink problem, can't keep his marriage together, and can only do one part of cop-work properly, which is shoot bad guys and anyone in the vincinity) that if the bad guy had any redeeming qualities he would automatically be better than the good guy. But in Hong Kong movies the bad guy is sometimes better than the good guy, or at least the moral distinction is often blurred.

Breaking News is an example of this. The film begins with the Hong Kong police force being publicly humilliated after their unsuccessful attempt to foil a high-stakes robbery is broadcast on live television. In order to overcome this very public humilliation, the police decide to turn the hunt for the criminals into a very public media event. As the film progresses I instinctively began to sympathise with the criminals. Their honesty and humane care for one another (and even their hostages) compares favourably with the cynical police whose main concern is to create a spectacle for the media, distort facts and score a PR coup by hunting down these humane robbers like wild animals.

This makes me wonder whether Hong Kong could do a better job of talking about terrorism than most Western cinema has been able to. Hollywood's extremely bad terrorist (or the misguided Arab youth who deep down loves America) may satisfy people who know nothing about the plight of the Palestinians or who learnt about Jihad from PS3. For the rest of us it would be nice to see a more nuanced representation of terrorists, see them as human beings and really get an understanding of what motivates them.

Oh, and by the way, you can download Breaking News here.

Muslim Film Group

I've been toying with the idea of creating a Muslim film group for some time. I've met Muslims here and there who are interested in making films/dramas/documentaries from a Muslim perspective, we've talked about the possibilities, given each other encouragement and left it at that. But now I've decided it would be great if we could set something up and do things together. At first there might only be three or four of us and we can kick out a few projects together. But if the projects are good then inshallah more people will become interested and slowly we can develop a thriving Muslim film group that makes media for us by us, and -with Allah's help- also creates careers for young Muslims in the media.

Back again

السلام عليكم

I've been gone for a long time but I've finally decided to come back to this blog and keep it alive. I've decided that I need to make it more practical and for that reason I am planning to expand the content of the blog. I now plan to include discussions of useful filmmaking equipment (cameras, software, etc...), more reviews of media I've been watching, links to interesting articles, and further discussions on Muslim media.

Eid Mubarak

تقبل الله منا ومنكم

Reflections on CHANGE

No, not the change that both Obama and McCain were promising, but a 10-part Japanese drama called CHANGE. It's about the son of a politician who has to get into politics when his father dies. The irony is that he doesn't trust politicians, and because of this he brings a breath of fresh air to the Japanese parliament.

Due to his charm and popularity, senior party members decide to make him a puppet Prime Minister but do not realise that his sincerity will put their scheme in jeopardy. For most of the series our young Prime Minister tries to battle against bureaucracy, party politics and general insincerity and apathy on the part of professional politicians in order to do what he thought all politicians did: serve the people.

Although very orthodox in its format, with sentimental music as a cue for the episode-defining speech, the romantic side-story, eccentric secondary characters who provide comic relief, and melodramatic pauses to emphasise emotional suffering, the series is extremely watchable.

There are a couple of things that I think are really noteworthy about this drama.
The first is that this may be the first time that I've seen a whole political culture so systematically looked down upon and insulted. When politicians are shown in film and television they are often portrayed negatively, but they nearly always are shown as being just a bad apple. Very rarely is their corruption shown to be institutionally endemic. And I don't think I have ever seen drama where the political class is consistently attacked episode after episode, week after week.
The second thing is that this drama isn't aimed at intellectuals. The opening credits bear a striking resemblance to The West Wing, the main characters are young and attractive and the conventions are classical melodrama. There is nothing revolutionary about this show except for the content, which is more political than 99% of what we get on our televisions.

This causes me to ask myself questions: why can't they make a drama like this over here? I'm sure this would not get commissioned by any major channel in the US or Europe. Yes Minister is the closest we ever got to it, but it poked fun at the stupidity of politicians and manipulative civil servants rather than question the political class per se. I have a vague memory of A Very British Coup, having watched it many years ago as a child, but it would probably be considered too controversial nowadays.

In the Muslim world, of course, there's nothing like this. If politicians in the "free" and "advanced" West are corrupt, how corrupt are politicians in the Muslim world? Supposedly Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Yemen, etc., are democratic countries, yet in reality they are dominated by a handful of families at best. Surely this would be a fertile ground for powerful dramas which stand up to power. Instead we get poorly acted, poorly scripted, and poorly filmed soap operas about families bickering about who did what to who.

Btw, you can download Change via bittorrent here.

Towards a theory of Islamic cinema

I've been thinking about this and some things have come to my head.

Islamic cinema in it's very language should be unique, different from mainstream Western cinema, and with it's own identity. It should reflect our values, rather than Western values, with the Muslim's relationship to Allah at the centre of all cinema. If we look at Western cinema, the most important motivating factors for characters tend to be human love, sexual attraction (romantic films), wealth and status (e.g. Italian Job, Snatch) or defending loved ones (the premise for most actions movies). Now, these may not in themselves be negative motives (we all go to work for money, we all feel sexually attracted to others, we all want to protect our loved ones), what we rarely see is Allah, God, or any type of religious feeling as a motivating factor for a character in a film. The only time we see characters motivated by religion they are demented lunatics like the mass murderer in Se7en.

So how do we build and develop a character who is religiously motivated? Can we name a recent character we've seen on tv or in a film recently who is religiously motivated and who isn't a mass murderer? And what do we need to do in order to make this character feel like a real character?

Storytelling

The Qur'an is a book that is both very direct and subtle. It is poignant, allows one's imagination to come alive when reading it, by it's unique style forcing the reader to reflect on what it says. Think of the following ayat that tell the story of Musa's arrival at Madyan and subsequent marriage in Surat al-Qasas ayat (23-27):
وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاء مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَأتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاء وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ
فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ
فَجَاءتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاء قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا فَلَمَّا جَاءهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ
قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَن تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِندِكَ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
The translation of which is (Pickthall's translation):
And when he came unto the water of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you ? The two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from the water; and our father is a very old man.
So he watered (their flock) for them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me.
Then there came unto him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then, when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk.
One of the two women said: O my father! Hire him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire is the strong, the trustworthy.
He said: Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of these two daughters of mine on condition that thou hirest thyself to me for (the term of) eight pilgrimages. Then if thou completest ten it will be of thine own accord, for I would not make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou wilt find me of the righteous.

I was always particularly moved by this story for it's poignant detail. The subtle way in which the plight of the women is presented. Musa's instinctive generosity which is not mentioned as it is so obvious. The shyness with which one of the two women approaches this stranger who has helped without asking for anything in return. And particularly the subtlety by which the daughter indicates to her father that she is interested in marrying Musa: "O my father! Hire him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire is the strong and trustworthy". In Arabic, of course, the style is far richer, and the variable ways of reading -some words have more than one meaning, where you pause may change the way you understand the sentence, etc... - make the experience even more enriching.

So what would I deduce from this? Story telling is about subtlety. Just as Qur'anic storytelling is subtle, so should Islamic cinema be subtle. Unfortunately, as there is no Islamic cinema to talk of, I suggest looking at other cinema. For this subtlety and understatement I would recommend Japanese director Ozu Yasujiro's films, and particularly Late Autumn. Plus it's about arranged marriages.

You should read a review for an Autumn Afternoon and download the film.

Back again

I met a Muslim called Kresna yesterday. It was a bit strange. I've known him for some time, but because of his name I assumed he was a Hindu. So yesterday I asked him and he said he's Muslim, but because his parents liked some of these Hindu stories they decided to name all their children with Hindu names.

What's even more surprising is that the brother was practising Muslim. In his youth he had attended Qur'an lessons and was very strict, but as he grew older he became more disillusioned with Muslim attitudes and he let the dunya get to him.

I feel exactly the same thing as him. Muslims tend to make Islam extremely difficult for themselves and for others. Nowadays in the West, for example, you can either be a Sufi/madhhabi or a Salafi. If you are a Sufi/madhhabi you have to be really strict in following a madhhab otherwise you're considered not a proper madhhabi. If you are a Salafi you have to be extremely strict in following either the Saudi scholars or the Jordanian Salafis otherwise you're not considered a proper Salafi.

For most Salafis or Sufi/madhhabis, if you don't fit neatly into a particular camp, you're considered deviant and you're not a proper Muslim. It might not be stated, but it's definitely there, underlying any interactions.

And I find it odd, mainly because when you look at the early scholars, they were tough about 'Aqida issues, but not about where you held your hands in the prayer, or whether your garments were a certain length or a certain width. But that's part of what makes Muslims so weak. Pettiness. And the worst thing is we're proud of it.

‘Umar’s statement “There is no share in Islam for whoever abandons the prayer.”

‘Umar’s statement “There is no share in Islam for whoever abandons the prayer.”

Al-Batlayushi said:
It is possible that he was dismissing any share [in Islam] and that he considered [the one who doesn’t pray] the same as all other disbelievers. It is also possible that he meant that [the one who doesn’t pray] doesn’t have a large share in Islam but was not dismissing his Islam altogether, like his saying (saw) “There is no prayer for the neighbour of the mosque except in the mosque” or “There is no faith for the one who is not trustworthy” and the like where what is meant is dismissing completeness and perfection, not dismissing the whole thing.

Taken from al-Batlayushi’s (d.521H) Mushkilat Muwatta’ al-Imam Malik, p.63 (Dar Ibn Hazm, 1999).

Al-Batlayushi was an Andalusian scholar from Valencia who was one of the greatest linguists of his time as well as an expert in usul al-fiqh and hadith. His most important works are a commentary of Malik’s Muwatta’ entitled al-Muqtabas and his Insaf on the causes of difference of opinion amongst jurists. Ibn ‘Atiyya, al-Qadi ‘Iyad and Ibn Bashkwal are amongst his most famous students. He was Maliki, but I don’t know anything about his ‘aqida.

Commentary of the Hadith "Whoever raises arms against us is not one of us"

I found this quite interesting and thought some others might want to read it. The translation is not perfect but should still be understandable. The hadith is from Muslim's Sahih and the commentary is by Abu'l-'Abbas al-Qurtubi (d.656h), a scholar of Andalusian origin who, after studying in his home town of Qurtuba (Cordoba) travelled to the East and settled in Alexandria, Egypt. He was Ash'ari in his 'aqida and Maliki in his fiqh. He is primarily famous for al-Mufhim, which is a commentary on his abridgement of Muslim's Sahih. Here is the translation.

From Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever raises arms against us is not one of us.”

Abu ’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi said:
His statement “Whoever raises arms against us is not one of us” means the one who raises arms against us to fight. This is explained in another narration: “Whoever draws his sword is not one of us.” [By “us”] the Prophet (saw) meant himself and any other Muslims.

There is no doubt that whoever fights a war against the Prophet (saw) is a disbeliever. In that sense his statement (saw) “he is not one of us” means he is not a Muslim but a disbeliever. The one who fights a war against Muslims intentionally considering it permissible without relying on any interpretation [of the texts] is likewise a disbeliever, as above. The one who is not like that [but has attacked Muslims] has committed a major sin if he is not basing himself on a solid interpretation.

It has already been mentioned that the way of the People of Truth is that no Muslim is judged to be a disbeliever if he commits a major sin except for idolatry. Consequently his (saw) statement “he is not one of us” in a case like this is understood to mean “he is not on our path and our law” because the example and law of the Muslims is to keep in touch and to show mercy to one another. It is not to split up and fight one another.

This is similar to his (saw) saying: “The one who cheats us is not one of us” and the like. The point is to prevent and restrain [Muslims] from falling into things like that, just like the father says to his child if he differs from him “I am not from you and you are not from me.” As the poet said:
If you commit a crime against a lion
I am not from you and you are not from me.

(al-Mufhim li ma ashkala min talkhis Muslim by Abu'l-'Abbas al-Qurtubi, vol. 1, pp. 299-300).