Rumi (ra) on Destiny

UmmZ, how DO you do it? Masha'Allah - may you be blessed for the timely reminder, that it's our Mawlana's birthday.

I share this pearl of his, from a student of diyn & lover of Rumi:

Once a person goes to Prophet Sulaiman (a.s) and complains to him saying that : I’ve been walking in the city streets and Azreal, the Angel of Death, came and stared at me in a very horrible manner. As you can see I am so frightened that my face has become white, and I am trembling from head to foot. I kindly request you to use your God given powers, and send me off to some other country. I don’t wish to remain in this country anymore.

On hearing this poor mans plea, Prophet Sulaiman agrees to his request, and so, he commands the wind to take this person all the way to India, and the wind sweeps this person across the Ocean and takes him all the way to India.

Then, Sulaiman (a.s) summons Azrael (the angel of death) and asks him : why have you been scaring one of my men by staring at him in a ridiculous manner. That friend of mine was so terribly scared that, he had even requested me to send him all the way to India.

Azrael replies : O Prophet of God, the reason why I stared at him like that was because, God had commanded me to take the soul of this person TOMORROW from India, and I was really surprised to see him TODAY still walking around in the streets of this country (Ethiopia). I was so perplexed and confused at it, and that’s why I was looking at him in a curious and ridiculous manner. I was simply wondering, “What is he doing here in Ethiopia, while Allah had commanded me to take his soul tomorrow from India. Now that he is in India, my confusion is over, and so, tomorrow I can take his soul just as how God had commanded me to do so.”

-The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi

Shariati on Iqbal (rh)

One Allaama's praise, of another (may He be pleased with them both).

Much has been writtn on Iqbal. In my opinion, this is the BEST writing in English on the legacy and stature of the subcontinental Tarjuman-al-Islam, famous for his Zoor-e-Bayan.

The poet-philosopher was most famous for his Urdu poem, "Shikwah" meaning Complaint. The ulemah of his time were irked by his contentions therein, and dared to pronounce Kufr on the poetry.

He then silenced his critics and takfeeri-mullah-enemies, with his "Jawaab-e-Shikwah", a poetic Response to his earlier complaints. And it inspired a huge chunk of the ummah to love Allah and His Messenger (saw).

Rasulullah (saw) related in a sound tradition:

"The learned are the Inheritors of the Prophets"

Many of our leading lights have passed into their graves. It is NOT a time for woe, misery or pessimism. It is a time for dutiful Diligence. UmmZ & Barika's recent blogposts highlight that we have so MUCH to be Thankful to Ash-Shakur-wal-Hakim, for.

May all of us CONTINUE to inherit generously. And may He inspire in our hearts, istiqama temperance and sincerity in our zeal for ilm & hikmah.

FOREVER.

http://www.shariati.com/iqbal.html

India's blunder

NEW DELHI: Iran has informed India that the five-million-tonne a year liquefied natural gas (LNG) export deal, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2009 for a 25-year period, is OFF. This was conveyed to Indian officials in Vienna soon after the ANTI-IRAN VOTE cast on Saturday by New Delhi at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governing board meeting.

Yet another example of how our sycophants miss the forest for the trees when it comes to India's foreign policy.

It's today's front page news in the Hindu:

http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/28/stories/2005092813940100.htm

Reporting from the Astrodome...

Bassim's a friend of a dear brother I know. He's also participating in relief work at the Astrodome, and gives us eyewitness accounts of survivors.

Alhamdulillah, the human spirit is often tenacious.

If my memory serves me right, an old post of UmmZaid's mentions how Sh Hamza Yusuf once commented on the nature of photography in journalism today. He likened most contemporary photojournalists who take unscrupulous pictures of murder and other fitan, to Vultures.

Bassim's last post ends, thus:

Now I understood the reasoning behind the “no pictures” rule. It was to preserve these people’s human dignity.

Welcome aboard, Bassim. Keep writing, and may Allah grant you a dignified maqam in this life and the next.

http://bahappy.blogspot.com/

Happiness vs. Freedom

Happy the man,
and happy he alone,
he who can call today his own;
he who,
secure within,
can say,
tomorrow do thy worst,
for I have lived today.

-John Dryden

(this poem was taken from Daughter of Adam's blogpost - 8/2004 http://tranquilart.blogspot.com)

'Every man dies. But not every man truly LIVES' - Braveheart

'The unexamined life, is NOT worth living'

'Most people lead lives of quiet desperation' - Henry David Thoreaux

The Oxford handbook of Clinical Specialties mentions how one of the roles of pediatricians is to help every child choose to be either happy, or free. I think this is a choice all of us make in every second of our wakeful existence.

But what does it mean to be 'happy' or 'free' ? Aren't these essentially ephemeral states?

Dryden's poetry appears to highlight the grand station of contenment, with a bold dignity that is not found in usual Sufi literature. Can we blame Orientalists renditions' of our history, when they depict us as passive beings who embrace their sorry fates? Proactive tasleem is indeed 'sabran jameela.'

What of freedom? When it comes to guarding our gaze, well-meaning brothers and sisters may initially rush to look down whenever the corner of their eyes catches a tight torso, or a clinging hemline on the opposite sex. And then if we're practiced enough with this 'Zuhd,' pride enters our hearts like a bat out of hell. Self-righteous indignation, here we come.

Our Amir ul Mu'mineen, Umar al-Faruq ibn al-Khattab (ra), never had such pious pretensions. He walked with utter confidence. Women looked at him and they HAD to lower their gaze, out of sheer respect for our Just caliph. And most importantly, Shaytan was so afraid of Umar (ra), he would flee when he noticed the latter walking the streets.

Sh Nuh mentions how our beloved Nabi (saw) often had 'talaqat al-wajh' (a smiling face), unless the situation demanded otherwise. Yet in Sh GF Haddad's most evocative biographical account of the Amir ul Mu'mineen of hadith, the eminent Tab'i Imam Sufyan at-Thawri (ra), we notice that among his praises was of an authority who could not bear to look at his face, because he possessed so much majesty. Subhan Allah.

The celebrated early companion, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (ra) was another inspiration. He literally feared nothing, and no one, except God. He even disagreed with the specific advice of Rasulullah (saw), and proclaimed his faith publicly - only to get himself beaten by those who feared the truth. And during the caliphate of our 3rd Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (ra), it wa Abu Dharr (ra) who didn't pull any punches in outlining the excesses of his policies.

Let it be said, this is NOT a criticism of any of the members of our unique Qur'anic generation. He is indeed pleased with them all, and we are nobody to criticize them.

But we must heed lessons from them, nonetheless. To love the Companions is a sign of Iman, as is outlined by the great Imam at-Tahawi (rh).

M. Scott Peck in his landmark bestseller "The Road Less Traveled" mentions how the path of Truth and Reflection is a lonely road. The price of freedom is often an unbearable solitude. Unbearable to us spiritually unadvanced fuqara, that is.

Sound traditions in the collections of ahadith denote the merits of Abu Dharr (ra). How he died alone, walked alone, and how he will be resurrected ALONE. How the earth never carried a man more truthful than him.

I'm ending this post here. I'm simply not worthy. Neither happy, nor free.

Slaves no more?

(Warning: Controversial subject matter. Guard your nafs if you're that juvenile or sanctimonious. Mature adult Muslims only. This is not sarcasm)

We live in an imperfect world. And human beings are not angels. Very few of us are truly saintly - and even wilayat is a Fadl that is essentially 'out of this world.'

Why am I saying this?

Racism is a sinister disease of the heart. It affects us all - particularly Muslims, who in our victimized nostalgia, love to talk about how we're Allah's gift to humankind & how Hz Bilal (ra) is our historical prophylactic against any accusations of racism. Their awareness begins and ends with paltry polemics.

I won't even bother to adorn this post with enough Islamic sprinklings to appease sensibilities in here. My blog, my decisions. Rasulullah (saw) specifically advised Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (ra) in a series of unique advices, to speak the truth, even when it is bitter. (Source: "Men around the Messenger" by Khalid Muhammad Khalid)

A bitter truth of America's racial dynamics today, is that African-American men are good for some things, and horrible at others. Even when evidence proves to the contrary. Regardless of the facts, people believe what they WANT to believe.

The Bell Curve debates in the mid 1990s alluded to this, and sought to justify our racist whispers in the corners of our subconscious. Sure, their SAT scores are just pitifully lower. They live in ghettos, sleep under drive-bys, and die as congenital criminals. Let's get some conservative think tanks to fund this 'research' so it gives our book some intellectual legitimacy! This is just the cognitive sphere of the debate.

Arguably more controversial than this, is the oft-unspoken issue of beauty, romance and sexuality. I'm sure that many Muslim males & females in this duniyah quietly wonder:

why is it that the Williams' Sisters get so much flak from the media? Would this be so, if they were blonde white twins?

Why does Serena Williams dress like that - yet, why do we not mind it as much when Sania Mirza from Hyderabad does the same? If Allah gives some more than others, does that mean fairness of complexion is a barakah, and black skin a "test", or "aesthetic fitan" from Allah (sort of like leprosy)?

why does Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise or Al Pacino look more attractive than Michael Clarke Duncan, Ving Rhames or Morgan Freeman? Why is Denzel the mainstream 'token black sex symbol' (a token only 'acknowledged' recently when he won the Best Actor award)- and not Wesley?

Why do desi matrimonials obsessively focus on fair skinned spouses, even in 2005? Why has being a Sayyid (true descendant of Rasulullah saw) been quietly likened to more lighter - and thus, more beautiful - children, as though blackness of skin means distance from our beloved Prophet? (saw) Why do lighter skinned Muslims secretly feel they're 'settling' or 'doing the dark revert' a favor, when they decide to marry a very dark skinned brother/sister?

Why do muslimas looking for husbands secretly harbor the "stud-aalim" fantasy ideal? A body and attitude like Tyson Beckford or Vin Diesel (choose your racial preference, ladies), replete with his collection of both Mens' Health issues since 1999 as well as Imam Nawawi (rh)'s commentary on Sahih Muslim, and is a mureed of Sh Nazim (ra) to boot?

Why do desis, arabs and hispanics sometimes feel 'cheated' for not being white enough in some circles, and not black enough in others?

What does 'black' mean - when we're all essentially varying shades of brown? When all of us are Turabis (ie. made of dust)?

Why is white, often right? Why is black, so darn wrong. And why do we only talk about two categories, as though there's no such thing as grey, in the midst of our perpetual global browning?

Tough questions, for Muslims who wish to lead examined lives. Those who are keen on Allah know within their very bones, that the unexamined life is NOT worth living. As Sh Abdul Hakim Murad relates, either sin or ghafla (heedlessness) takes us away from Al-Hakeem, Himself.

Two links, for those who dare to 'know' the enemy within:

1) Pulling the White Strings: Light-skinned acts ride hip-hop’s changing tide with dark-skinned Svengalis
by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond http://villagevoice.com/music/0538,brewhammo,67964,22.html

2) Hung : A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America by Scott Poulson-Bryant

In a brilliant, multilayered look at the pervasive belief that African American men are prodigiously endowed, Scott Poulson-Bryant interweaves his own experiences as a black man in America with witty analyses of how black male sexuality is expressed in books, film, television, sports, and pornography.

"Hung" is a double entendre, referring not only to penis size but to the fact that black men were once literally hung from trees, often for their perceived sexual prowess and the supposed risk it posed to white women. As a poignant reminder, he begins his book with a letter to Emmett Till, the teenager who was lynched in Mississippi in the mid-1950s for whistling at a white woman.

(www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385510020/002-6804083-5474400?v=glance)

I told you it'd get 'uncomfortable.' Sorry ladies, but the truth is the truth. I wonder if UmmZaid would dare to write a book review on this touchy matter. Somehow, I doubt it. But if there aren't 10 comments on this post 3 days from now, I'm going to be sorely disappointed for sure.

May Allah purge our selves from all our diseases. Because some of us need a sheikh more than others.

Iqbal on Imam Ali (kw)

This was sent to me, via SMS/text from a Sunni brother & student of diyn in Khurasan, on May 18, 2005. The translation into English is his effort.

It's a Farsi couplet, from none other than Allaama Iqbal (rh):

"Har ke dar aafaaq gardad bu-turaab;
baaz gardaanad ze maghrib aaftaab"

(Translation: In spiritual exaltation, if anyone can achieve the status of "Bu-Turaab" [Imam Ali], then he will be able to cause the sun to rise from the West. )

Abu Turab was the nickname that our beloved Rasulullah (saw) once called his cousin and companion, Ali ibn Abi Talib (kw). It means, literally, "Father of Dust." This is related to us in a tradition of our Prophet (saw).

According to Gai Eaton's "Islam & the Destiny of Man", it was a title he preferred and was proud to be called, which bespeaks of his unceasing humility (though I have some misgivings with his renditions of Islamic history in the abovementioned work).

We must grow beyond the defensive polemics and suspicions, as an ummah. May Allah assist us in removing from our hearts, the paranoia, misgivings and undue suspicions that are elicited in this 21st century, when our Amir ul Mu'mineen is mentioned.

`A’isha (ra) said: "He is the most knowledgeable about the Sunna among those who remain,"

Ibn `Abbas (ra) said: "If a trustworthy source tells us of a fatwa by `Ali, we do not seek any further concerning it."

Link to a brief biography of Imam Ali (kw), written by Sh GF Haddad:
http://www.mawlid.net/Companions/Ali_ibn_Abi_Talib.htm

The Fears of White People

This essay is excerpted from The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (City Lights, September 2005). More information at: http://www.citylights.com/CLpub4th.html#4499Jensen is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He can be reached at rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu

http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=8698&sectionID=30

A brief, insightful piece on an issue so nuanced and complex. And apparently, evolving.

A silver lining?

U.S. MUSLIMS PLEDGE $10 MILLION FOR HURRICANE RELIEF

After Zuhr prayers, the discussion in our masjid centered on this issue, by His tawfiq. One brother mentioned that CAIR (the Council for American-Islamic Relations) has pledged $10 million in disaster-relief aid to Katrina's victims.

This is hereby confirmed, on the CAIR website:

http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=1732&theType=NR

"..indeed, after hardship, there is Ease.." - Al-Qur`an

But is there truly ease, for the victims cramped in the Astrodome now? Or elsewhere in the Bayou? New Orleans? Alabama?

"....arise, and warn them (O Muhammad)" - Al-Qur'an

Muslims must do MORE than throw money around, or make financial pronouncements, though alhamdulillah this is a beautiful gesture. The spirit of sadaqah is not dead in our hearts. I'm almost certain that most of it came from generous Arab families, brothes & sisters.

Let it be said - in times of calamity or other fitan, many Arab stand firm, united and their hearts are more generous than other members of our ummah. This is not to say the rest of us are inferior or genetically incapable of outdoing them in muhsinat. It's just a reminder to the more miserly hearts amongst us.

I do not hear enough hearts beating from Muslims about the victims of Katrina. I suspect modern contexts are making us callous to their sufferings. We MUST rise beyond our emotions, and help those in need.

If anyone knows organized Muslim physician efforts who are, or plan to go into the flooded areas , email me. Or paste comments on here. Fast.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Al-duktoor fil bayti?

The situation right now in my country, appalls me. Everything I'm hearing is unfortunately, hearsay or via the BBC-World News reports.

Let it be said, the BBC does indeed 'demand a broader view.' How broad?

Days ago, they interviewed a spokesman from the Red Cross, confronting him with dire statistics and speculations of the Houston region alone. On that day, the reporter & BBC captions read:

27,000 refugees in Astrodome - possibly for at least another 3 weeks. Serious concerns for sanitation, basic hygeine and living standards, and disaster relief logistics.

45,000 refugees in hotels around Houston.

But the Red Cross worker seemed mildly amused at this British alarmism, if one read his facial expression. The media wars have begun - PR vs. ground-level facts. At least the BBC-World, delivered this much.

48 hours later, friends in Florida tell me the military's rolled in. Wonderful - I wonder if that will only worsen matters for disaster relief?

Recent reports suggest it may take months for the waters to recede.

I truly believe this is NOT the time for metaphysical or political blame-games. It is a time to help the needy, the Miskeen, the destitute, and the sick.

A sound tradition from our beloved Imam, Rasulullah (saw), mentions the immense blessings of simply visiting a sick person. 70,000 angels is no small matter.

Months ago, I asked a contemporary giant of an aalim, who is Shafi'i by madhab about medicine and Islam. He related the following to me:

-Imam shafi'i used to express his regret that muslims did not go into medicine, and that they left it to the jews and christians.

-documented by al-bayhaqi in Manaqibal-Shafi'i

- "al-'ilmu ilmaan: ilmu t-tibbi lil-abdaan, wa'ilmu l-fiqhi lil-adyaan"
(meaning: there are two kinds of knowledge; medicine, for the body and fiqh, for religion)
as if the other branches of knowledge are secondary while these two are paramount

-he (Imam Shafi'i) possessed a fair amount of medicalknowledge himself, it is said

We were content with the Red Cross and other 'benefactors' helping out the Tsunami victims of Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Aceh, other parts of Indonesia, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and southern India's coastlines. We are also privy to ground level reports concerning the actual ongoings of charity-sponsored missions in those regions.

There are many wealthy, rich Muslim physicians in the US & Canada. And elsewhere in the world. They are supposedly organized in certain pockets, printing out glossy brochures with brown people receiving awards from whiter faces.

Will these so-called brown (and white, and yellow, and red, and purple) healers, please STAND up and face the music? I'd like to hear from ANYONE who knows a thing about Muslim doctors doing relief work in the southern part of the country God HAS blessed (and shall continue to).

Ya Rahman - is there a doctor in our house?

Saviors of Islamic Spirit

The title of this post, is taken from a great work of one of our ummah's contemporary leading lights - Sh Abu`l Hasan Ali Nadwi (rh). He departed from this world on January 7, 2000.

As the aphorism goes - 'the ink of a scholar is more precious than the blood of a martyr.'

The author of this essay has written a precious piece, indeed. It originally appeared in a special section of Issue 8 titled "Reflecting on September 11th. Copyright vests in Sacred Web Publishing and Reza Shah-Kazemi.

Still not convinced? Then digest this gem:

"When we think how few men of real religion there are, how small the number of defenders and champions of the truth—when one sees ignorant persons imagining that the principle of Islam is hardness, severity, extravagance and barbarity—it is time to repeat these words: Patience is beautiful, and God is the source of all succour. (Sabr jamîl, wa’Llâhu’l-musta‘ân—Qur’an, XII: 18)" - The Emir Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri

Spread the word: http://www.secondspring.co.uk/otherreligions/islam.htm