Muslim blogs

Down With Superstitions and Myths

Imam Mustafa ‘Umar [see his site here]

Many people think that believing in God requires a “leap of faith”. This would mean that belief in God is blind and is no different than belief in any other superstition or myth. For example, to believe that breaking a mirror will cause seven years of bad luck requires a leap of faith since there is no good reason to believe in it. This is why many people have abandoned the religion of their parents and ancestors. This is actually a very good thing because people are finally beginning to think clearly and abandon ungrounded beliefs and superstitions.

A Grave Mistake

However, there is a huge mistake here. Just because it requires a leap of faith to believe in a particular religious system does not mean that the same is true for belief in God. If God exists and wants us to believe in Him then we should be pre-programmed with a desire to believe. This means that we must be able to confidently believe in God and have good reasons for doing so. Furthermore, if God wanted everyone to believe then it must make sense to everyone regardless of where they live, when they live, or their level of education. Believing in God should come natural to a nomad in the desert, a scientist in the laboratory, and an average citizen in a city. There must be something embedded in the nature of every human being that would allow them to confidently arrive at this conclusion without any doubt or hesitation.

Check Your Facts

It’s true that people don’t always agree with one another. However, there are a number of agreed upon facts that will not be rejected by any sane individual.

The First Fact: Seeing Is Not Believing

Someone might ask: “if God exists then why can’t we see Him?” The answer is that we don’t need to because we believe in many things that we can’t directly perceive such as gravity, magnetism, infrared rays, etc. For example, you cannot see the waves emitted by a cell phone, but they are there. You can only see the signs and effects that indicate their existence. Likewise, it is the signs and effects in the world that indicate God’s existence.

The Second Fact: Something Does Not Come Out of Nothing

If a bucket of water were to fall on your head you would probably look up to find out where it came from. That is because you know that it didn’t come out of nowhere because something can’t come out of nothing. Likewise, when you look at the world around you it is natural to wonder where it came from.

The Third Fact: Examining Something Reveals Something about Its Designer

When you look at a calculator you see that it has buttons, a screen, a case, etc. If you think about how this calculator must have been designed you know, for certain, that its designer must have had knowledge of mathematics because it can perform calculations. You also know that he must have had knowledge of plastics engineering in order to make the case. Therefore, you know something about the designer without ever having met him or even seen him. Now look at yourself and the world around you. Your body has several complex systems designed to keep you alive such as the circulatory, immune, and digestive systems. The earth and other planets rotate around the sun in what is known as the solar system. Each system in the world has been set up so precisely that if there is even a minor error the entire system begins to breaks down. Whatever designed these systems must have known that each aspect of every system must be calculated precisely in order for it to work properly. This implies that the designer of the world must possess the qualities of both knowledge and wisdom.

The Fourth Fact: Believing in Coincidence Requires a Leap of Faith

Someone might claim that the car he drives wasn’t designed and built in any factory but rather was formed after an earthquake, tornado, and hurricane happened to sweep through a junkyard and assembled the entire vehicle by chance. Only someone mentally deficient would believe that story because the complexity of a motor vehicle cannot coincidentally form.Likewise, neither you nor the universe could have been designed and brought into being by coincidence. Therefore, anyone who says that the blind forces of nature created the universe and all that is in it is required to take a huge leap of faith in order to believe this. It’s not much different than believing in any other superstition or myth. Rather, it’s much wiser to attribute your existence and the existence of the world to God.

Conclusion

So let us all think clearly, abandon superstitions, and only believe in those things that make sense. If that means throwing the various idols and gods of your ancestors and teachers in the trash bin of history then be it. Don’t forget to dump “mother nature” as well.

~ by admin on September 28, 2007.

2 Responses to “God: Leap of Faith?”

dear mustafa

i think this is a well balanced initiative in the discussion of existence of God, however there are a few things which need further discussion. i think at times the confusion lies when the differences and variation in our world is attributed to nature or the ‘order of the natural world’. some would say the only reason the things are the way they are is because of the environment we live in. people are at times blinded by the inability to see the connection of God from the natural world which does in fact affect the way we behave, eat, drink, and physically look. hence, they attribute that variation to nature. but where did nature itself come from. people of God would argue that nature was designed by God so that it would allow humans to live harmonioulsy. others would argue the opposite, we are this way because we have evolved to suit the environment. i think belief in God can take in account both positions. humans have the ability to adapt to different conditions to survive and this explains the differences within humans throughout the world. and the same applies to the animal kingdom. undoubtedly, there is a natural order about the universe, and that order cannot come from randomness/co incidence, but some being, whose existence can be justified. and just because we can’t understand the complete complexites of that order, shouldn’t negate His existence. and if we are unable to completely understand the order which God has created then it understandable that we can’t completely understand God except through those small details which he may reveal.

anyways, these are just some of my own ad hoc thoughts.

wasalaamu alaikum

Dr Imran Satia
Jesus College
University of Cambridge

Down With Superstitions and Myths

Imam Mustafa ‘Umar [see his site here]

Many people think that believing in God requires a “leap of faith”. This would mean that belief in God is blind and is no different than belief in any other superstition or myth. For example, to believe that breaking a mirror will cause seven years of bad luck requires a leap of faith since there is no good reason to believe in it. This is why many people have abandoned the religion of their parents and ancestors. This is actually a very good thing because people are finally beginning to think clearly and abandon ungrounded beliefs and superstitions.

A Grave Mistake

However, there is a huge mistake here. Just because it requires a leap of faith to believe in a particular religious system does not mean that the same is true for belief in God. If God exists and wants us to believe in Him then we should be pre-programmed with a desire to believe. This means that we must be able to confidently believe in God and have good reasons for doing so. Furthermore, if God wanted everyone to believe then it must make sense to everyone regardless of where they live, when they live, or their level of education. Believing in God should come natural to a nomad in the desert, a scientist in the laboratory, and an average citizen in a city. There must be something embedded in the nature of every human being that would allow them to confidently arrive at this conclusion without any doubt or hesitation.

Check Your Facts

It’s true that people don’t always agree with one another. However, there are a number of agreed upon facts that will not be rejected by any sane individual.

The First Fact: Seeing Is Not Believing

Someone might ask: “if God exists then why can’t we see Him?” The answer is that we don’t need to because we believe in many things that we can’t directly perceive such as gravity, magnetism, infrared rays, etc. For example, you cannot see the waves emitted by a cell phone, but they are there. You can only see the signs and effects that indicate their existence. Likewise, it is the signs and effects in the world that indicate God’s existence.

The Second Fact: Something Does Not Come Out of Nothing

If a bucket of water were to fall on your head you would probably look up to find out where it came from. That is because you know that it didn’t come out of nowhere because something can’t come out of nothing. Likewise, when you look at the world around you it is natural to wonder where it came from.

The Third Fact: Examining Something Reveals Something about Its Designer

When you look at a calculator you see that it has buttons, a screen, a case, etc. If you think about how this calculator must have been designed you know, for certain, that its designer must have had knowledge of mathematics because it can perform calculations. You also know that he must have had knowledge of plastics engineering in order to make the case. Therefore, you know something about the designer without ever having met him or even seen him. Now look at yourself and the world around you. Your body has several complex systems designed to keep you alive such as the circulatory, immune, and digestive systems. The earth and other planets rotate around the sun in what is known as the solar system. Each system in the world has been set up so precisely that if there is even a minor error the entire system begins to breaks down. Whatever designed these systems must have known that each aspect of every system must be calculated precisely in order for it to work properly. This implies that the designer of the world must possess the qualities of both knowledge and wisdom.

The Fourth Fact: Believing in Coincidence Requires a Leap of Faith

Someone might claim that the car he drives wasn’t designed and built in any factory but rather was formed after an earthquake, tornado, and hurricane happened to sweep through a junkyard and assembled the entire vehicle by chance. Only someone mentally deficient would believe that story because the complexity of a motor vehicle cannot coincidentally form.Likewise, neither you nor the universe could have been designed and brought into being by coincidence. Therefore, anyone who says that the blind forces of nature created the universe and all that is in it is required to take a huge leap of faith in order to believe this. It’s not much different than believing in any other superstition or myth. Rather, it’s much wiser to attribute your existence and the existence of the world to God.

Conclusion

So let us all think clearly, abandon superstitions, and only believe in those things that make sense. If that means throwing the various idols and gods of your ancestors and teachers in the trash bin of history then be it. Don’t forget to dump “mother nature” as well.

~ by admin on September 28, 2007.

2 Responses to “God: Leap of Faith?”

dear mustafa

i think this is a well balanced initiative in the discussion of existence of God, however there are a few things which need further discussion. i think at times the confusion lies when the differences and variation in our world is attributed to nature or the ‘order of the natural world’. some would say the only reason the things are the way they are is because of the environment we live in. people are at times blinded by the inability to see the connection of God from the natural world which does in fact affect the way we behave, eat, drink, and physically look. hence, they attribute that variation to nature. but where did nature itself come from. people of God would argue that nature was designed by God so that it would allow humans to live harmonioulsy. others would argue the opposite, we are this way because we have evolved to suit the environment. i think belief in God can take in account both positions. humans have the ability to adapt to different conditions to survive and this explains the differences within humans throughout the world. and the same applies to the animal kingdom. undoubtedly, there is a natural order about the universe, and that order cannot come from randomness/co incidence, but some being, whose existence can be justified. and just because we can’t understand the complete complexites of that order, shouldn’t negate His existence. and if we are unable to completely understand the order which God has created then it understandable that we can’t completely understand God except through those small details which he may reveal.

anyways, these are just some of my own ad hoc thoughts.

wasalaamu alaikum

Dr Imran Satia
Jesus College
University of Cambridge

Bismillah.

Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَمَاتُواْ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِم مِّلْءُ الأرْضِ ذَهَبًا وَلَوِ افْتَدَى بِهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ

Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers - never would the [whole] capacity of the earth in gold be accepted from one of them if he would [seek to] ransom himself with it. For those there will be a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers. (3:91)

The word used for the capacity of the earth in this ayah is Mil al-Ard. “Mil” is used for the quantity that a vessel holds when it is filled; hence mil al-ard refers to the quantity/volume/mass/fill of the earth.

Those who die while they are disbelievers, Allah will accept no good deed ever from them, even if they gave the earth’s fill of gold as ransom. How much gold would that amount to? The earth’s fill.

Let’s do the math:

Volume of the earth:

• 1,083,206,246,123,080,894,852 m3
• In words: 1 Septillion, 83 Sextillion, 206 quintillion, 246 trillion, 123 billion, 80 million, 894 thousand, 852 m3
• Mass of the Earth: 5.98 x 1024 kg (After 98, you would add 24 more zeros)
• Price of one Ounce of Gold: $802.70 USD

Therefore, mass of the earth in Gold is worth = $1.65 x 1029 USD (27 zeros after 65)

With this money, you could buy yourself all of:

• 100 Ferraris ($168,000 each)
• The most expensive house in the world ($155 million)
• A Boeing A380 - huge double decker plane ($300 million)
• The millennium star diamond (over a $100 million)
• A trip to the moon ($100 million)
• The international space station ($100 billion)

And now, you could do this for every single person of the six billion people on earth, and have spent only 0.000000366 % of your money.

You could have done all this a million times over and still have 97 % of your money left over.

It’s like winning a $200 billion lottery for every second of your life for 65 years.

We’re talking about an absolutely unfathomable amount of money. Does anyone on this planet have this much gold? Can anyone earn this much?

If a disbeliever gave the earth’s fill of gold as ransom, it will not be accepted from him.

Learn this lesson well: The weight of emaan is more than Mil al-Ard. It’s more valuable. It’s priceless.

Jazakum Allahu khayran to my teachers for researching this.

InshAllah my next project will be www.halfourdeen. My goal is to put a unique spin on the way Muslim Matchmaking has been done in the past and to develop a site like no other Muslim Matchmaking site. Just like my past projects, I have no plans to make just another parody of what is out there for Muslims but rather to take the current awkward process to the next level InshAllah. I've pitched my ideas to teams of programmers and some have said its too difficult while others have given me crazy quotes ($25,000).

Honestly, it would be pointless to come out with something similar to what is out there but it seems like taking a leap of trying something new comes with a big price tag. Nevertheless, I'm motivated and I think its something that will change the way the current websites do things. If you are interested, please put in your email address at halfourdeen.com inshAllah and I'll inform you once its live so you can try it out.

Update:

I guess people seem to like this last video on YouTube (as of 11/18/08 at 3:19pm)

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Reflections on Riya’– Muslema Purmul al-Azhariyah*

One can be very sincere before an action, very sincere during an action, and then become arrogant/people-seeking after the action is done, thereby removing the blessings and reward from what already transpired. This arrogance and seeking to be seen by the people is what is known as Riya’. Riya’ comes from the Arabic root, Raa’, Hamza, Yaa’ from the verb which means to see, behold, perceive, notice, regard, consider, deem appropriate, and be amazed at. The third form of this verb refers to wanting all of the aforementioned for oneself, i.e.  acting ostentatiously, making a show before the people, and behaving hypocritically. The noun riya’ refers to this eye-service and admiration seeking. Allah (swt) warned us of this trait in His Book, “So woe to the worshipers, who are neglectful of their prayers, those who only want to be seen (yura’un).” (107:4-6)

The Prophet (saw) described riya’ to be as subtle as a black ant crawling on a blackstone on a dark night, and he taught us the dua, “Oh Allah! We seek your protection from associating partners with you knowingly, and we ask Your forgiveness for doing so unknowingly.”While volumes have been written about Riya, one teacher gave me a very useful advice, “Keep up a good action that no one but Allah (swt) knows about, not even your closest family members, such as praying qiyam or giving a regular charity.”

May Allah protect us before, during, and AFTER the good works He allows us to do. May He help us recognize the Shaytan’s whispers and help us fight them through His remembrance, and turning back to Him in deep repentance. How amazing and beautiful that trying and hoping sincerely for Allah’s pleasure is the only intention that brings a sense of real inner peace and happiness in both worlds.

Allah (swt) describes the welcome in the next life is only for one with Qalbin Saleem: A sound/peaceful heart (26:89).  Allah is so Merciful that He made the acquisition of our own happiness an inextricable part of fulfilling the purpose of our creation, worshiping Him through sincere and righteous works. Much of the superficial pop-culture doesn’t allow us to introspect. Society is distracted with shapes and forms, while Allah (swt) is looking directly at our hearts! This poem is dedicated to those students of knowledge and Muslim activists who are afflicted with the struggle for sincerity amidst the challenging environment of praise, attention, and recognition. May He allow us all to continue to do good publicly and privately but not be driven by any motive other than seeking His pleasure, His Face. May Allah always be our goal. Ameen.

Repelling Riya’—

Creeping ant, so dark and black,
Upon my surface, it makes its tracks,
The night is dark, as am I,
Can I feel his footsteps, if I try?
My hardened surface, so cold and dry,
Does not sense his army, now passing by,
Their darkness covers, so much of me,
My vision is blocked, I cannot see
I’m overwhelmed, who can I call?
My problem is masked, from those enthralled,
Who would even notice, a stone like me?
The eyes are captured, by the majestic trees,
“O God! Save me!” My prayers soar,
Rain erupts, and begins to pour,
The ants wash off, and I am soaked,
An ant’s footstep now…and I feel poked,
Softened, warm, now sensitive,
“Forgive my neglect!” I’m penitive
The commander ant, tries to cling on,
The Powerful protects, he’s easily gone!
Now constant in prayers, I’m soft, on floors,
So ants be afraid, When it rains, It pours!

* Sheikha Muslema Purmul al-Azhariyah is a first year student in the Women’s College of Islamic Law, al-Azhar University Cairo. She’s set out, around 3 years ago, with her husband in order to gain greater knowledge of her faith. A resident of the West Coast one can only wait until she comes back to the states full time! She’s an active member of the Muslim American Society and teachers for the Islamic American University in Detroit.

The Question

As’salaamu Alaikum,

Recently, I have followed a debate on a blog about whether Allah is interventionist, specifically as to whether He answers prayers, and if he is interventionist, why He allows bad things to happen to people.  I believe that Allah does answer our prayers, yet, by following this discussion, I realized that I do not have a good explanation for this belief, and I was hoping that you could address this topic.

Thank you,
Sister

The Answer By Imam Mustafa ‘Umar

Why does God allow bad things to happen?

Importance of the Question

Since you live in the 21st century, it is very probable that you have at least come across, if not been influenced by, what is known as “the problem of evil”. You might have heard it at school or work after someone was murdered: “How could God allow this to happen?!” You see it in articles and blog posts after the bombardment of an entire village: “What kind of God would allow these things to happen?!”

You will even find it in intellectual circles and philosophy books: “If there really were a perfectly good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, then there would be no evil and suffering in the world.”

This so-called problem is one of the most common arguments that skeptics use to deny the existence of God. They assume that they have found an Achilles heel in the religions that believe in God. The common picture we have in our minds is of the skeptic atheist calmly presenting a logical, intellectual, and scientific argument while the religiously-inclined defendant becomes emotionally charged and tries to beat around the bush. However, the strength of this argument does not, in any way, have to do with logic or rationale but rather is emotionally charged to the core and attempts to hijack any sensitive event it can find. Nor is it a new question. In fact, we find the angels asking something similar even before man was created: “When your Lord told the angels, ‘I am putting a deputy on earth,’ they said, ‘How can you put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed, when we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your holiness?’ but he said, ‘I know what you know not.’” Qur’an 2:30 In other words, God was asked, “Why would you allow this human, who will do bad things, to exist? Why not create someone who won’t do anything bad, like us?” The answer was, “I understand the wisdom in what I am doing, and you don’t.”

Exploding the Myth

That, in a nutshell, is the answer to the so-called problem. There is no logical contradiction between God being Infinitely Good, Infinitely Powerful, and allowing bad things to happen. The idea that the evil and suffering in the world present an unanswerable challenge to believers is finally being admitted by more open-minded researchers. Stump and Murray make the following confession in their book, Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions: “The logical problem of evil has been severely criticized in recent years and is regarded in the contemporary literature on the subject as largely discredited. In brief, the problem with this argument is that it assumes something false. Specifically, it assumes that a good being would prevent every evil it can under any circumstances…Thus, at best, the logical problem of evil shows us that if God exists, the only evil that exists is evil for which there is some good reason.”

The rhetorical questions now change to inquisitive questions. Rather than blurting out, “How could God do that?! What kind of God does these things?!” the question now is “Why is the world this way and what wisdom lies in that?”

Life is a Test

The secret to understanding the issue is so simple that it often eludes us. Life is a test. Man has been given a limited free will to do good or bad. Look at the following statement of the Prophet: “The life of a believer is truly amazing. Everything that happens to him is good. This is only true for a believer and none else. If something pleasant happens to him, he is thankful and that is good for him. If something bad afflicts him, he is patient and that is also good for him.” (Muslim) Affliction is part of the test of life. If God were to interfere and prevent every bad thing from happening to each individual, it would be like taking the test away from a student. Saying that the bad that exists in the world is necessary does not mean that it is justified or praiseworthy. Believers are always commanded to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, which is another test in itself.

Wisdom is behind the scenes

Skeptics tend to focus on the negative aspects of things and claim that evil and suffering are ugly facts of life while believers try to see the bigger picture and find an explanation for the existence of such things. It is like someone who observes two people fighting and judges that both of them are in the wrong without thinking that one of them may be defending himself or standing up for justice. Evil is, to an extent, relative. A juicy hamburger may be a good thing for someone who’s hungry, but it’s definitely a bad thing for the cow that was slaughtered.

God said: “Fighting is ordained for you, though you dislike it. You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not.” Qur’an 2:216

Being able to see the big picture often affects how we perceive what is good and bad. Someone with little foresight may claim that the injection of a vaccine into a patient, which contains traces of disease, is a bad thing while the injection of heroin, which leads to euphoria, is a good thing. Not being able to understand that the vaccine will help develop immunity to that disease or that taking heroin will develop into a drug addiction is due to a lack of medical knowledge and experience. The following principle is demonstrated in the Qur’an with the meeting between Moses and a man who was given direct knowledge from God about the unseen. Moses wanted to follow him and learn from him, but the man warned him, “You will not be able to bear with me patiently. How could you be patient in matters beyond your knowledge?” But Moses convinced him to let him tag along. Here is the rest of

The story:

“They travelled on. Later, when they got into a boat, and the man made a hole in it, Moses said, ‘How could you make a hole in it? Do you want to drown its passengers? What a strange thing to do!’…Then, when they met a young boy and the man killed him, Moses said, ‘How could you kill an innocent person? He has not killed anyone! What a terrible thing to do!’…Then, when they came to a town and asked the inhabitants for food but were refused hospitality, they saw a wall there that was on the point of falling down and the man repaired it. Moses said, ‘But if you wished you could have taken payment for doing that.’ He said, ‘This is where you and I part company. I will tell you the meaning of the things you could not bear with patiently: the boat belonged to some needy people who made their living from the sea and I damaged it because I knew that coming after them was a king who was seizing every [serviceable] boat by force. The young boy had parents who were people of faith, and so, fearing he would trouble them through wickedness and disbelief, we wished that their Lord should give them another child-purer and more compassionate-in his place. The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was buried treasure beneath it belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord intended them to reach maturity and then dig up their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do [these things] of my own accord: these are the explanations for those things you could not bear with patience.’” (Qur’an 18:71-82). It was the lack of knowledge and foresight that led Moses to object to what the man did. Likewise, we find ourselves, as limited humans, in similar situations. However, we do have enough insight to see some of the wisdoms behind the general occurrences of bad things.

What good reasons could there be for evil?

1. Suffering and affliction often help return us to the obedience of God. God said: “We sent messengers before you [Prophet] to many communities and afflicted their people with suffering and hardships, so that they might learn humility. If only they had learned humility when suffering came from Us! But no, their hearts became hard…” (Qur’an 6:42-43) There is a lesson in the conversion of the famous rock star, Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. He related the story himself: “After a year of financial success and high living, I became very ill. I contracted T.B. (tuberculosis) and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think; what is going to happen to me? Am I just a body? Is my goal in life merely to satisfy this body? I realized this calamity was a blessing given to me by God and a chance to open my eyes, to learn ‘Why I am here, why I am in bed.’ I started looking for some of the answers.”

2. It differentiates between the good and bad people.

God said:

“Do people think they will be left alone after saying, ‘We believe’ without being put to the test? We tested those who went before them: God will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are lying.” (Qur’an 29:2-3) Upon analysis, we realize that the Prophets, who are the highest in rank in the sight of God, faced the most difficult tests of all people. Clearly, merit must be earned.

3. Affliction is necessary to experience its opposite feelings of joy and achievement.

God said: “After hardship comes ease. Indeed, after hardship comes ease.” (Qur’an 94:5-6)

The appreciation of ease and comfort could only exist and be appreciated if the feelings of hardship also existed and were known or experienced. In Chinese Philosophy, the concept of yin and yang is employed to explain this phenomenon. Each part is necessary to understand the unity of the whole. They are in equilibrium: if one disappears, the other must disappear as well, leaving emptiness.

Conclusion

It should be patently clear that the inability to see the wisdom behind something should not be a cause of criticizing that thing. Of course, the final word on all of this is that God knows best.

Imam Mustafa ‘Umar

Imam Mustafa ‘Umar is a recent graduate from the Islamic University in France and studied in al-Nadwa as well as Egypt. He currently resides in Irvine California where he teaches and writes. He recently completed a large book on the traditions of the Prophet [May God's peace and blessings be upon him].

Bismillah

Allah ta’ala says in Suratul Baqarah ayat 155-156:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمْوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

“And we shall surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return’”

These ayaat are very beautiful, and we learn from them that we will all be tested in this life, each person in their own individual way.

Let’s look specifically at the word “museebah.” The root word is from saad-waw-ba, or “saub”. The Arabs used the word “saub” to refer to when the arrow hit its target. This alludes to the fact that the act was intentional, deliberate, and not by chance. How does this connect with a disaster striking us?

SubhanAllah, a museebah reaches its target; it was meant to happen. Allah’s Decree WILL come to pass. So instead of complaining and sulking, and asking questions like “WHY ME?!”, remember this ayah the next time a test comes your way … the arrow is merely hitting its target.

Then Allah ta’ala says, “wa bashir as-Sabireen,” which means “and give good tidings to the patient.” The word “bashir” is from ba-sheen-raa and it literally means skin or human; from this, we derive the meaning. “Bashir” means happiness, happiness that causes a reaction on the skin, like goosebumps or smiling.

So these patient ones (may Allah make us among them) will grin from ear to ear when they receive these glad tidings. What are the glad tidings? Al-Jannah. They get Jannah in return for their patience.

And what do the patient say when a museebah hits them? “inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon”, Indeed to Allah we belong and indeed to Him we shall return. Why specifically this statement? It shows that they are remembering Allah and accepting what has happened–because they know this life is a test. Saying the first part, “inna lillah” Indeed we belong to Allah’ shows that He is the One who has tested us and He owns us, and everything else. and “wa inna ilayhi raji’oon” and indeed to Him we will return’ shows that the one can expect reward for their patience–meaning it is to remind oneself that to Allah and to His reward or punishment is our final destination. And saying this statement protects the reward of being patient.

If someone says this duaa:

Supplication for one afflicted by a calamity

‘To Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, recompense me for my affliction and replace it for me with something better.’

Allah ta’ala will grant you something better than what you lost if He wills. Remember the story of Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, she said this duaa when her husband, Abu Salamah, died–thinking, “who could be better than him??” and Allah ta’ala blessed her to be our mother, a wife of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

So do not despair with what you are afflicted with, the arrow will hit its target, and the one who granted Umm Salamah this blessed position can grant you something better than what you are going through. Allah azza wa jal will reward you if you show patience (remember, at the first stroke of calamity). may Allah azza wa jal pour on us patience and make us among the muttaqeen. ameen

walhamdulillahi Rabbil alameen.

The Question:

What is the ruling on supplicating while the Imam sits between the two sermons during the Friday prayer?

Summary

• Supplications between the two sermons is permissible
• The Prophet said that there is a time on Friday in which supplications are answered

The Answer:

Supplications while the Imam sits between the two sermons during the Friday prayers are permissible. This due to the probability that the time the preacher sits could be the time in which the Prophet [P.B.U.H] said supplications on Friday are accepted. Regarding the actual time itself the scholars mentioned some 43 different opinions as noted by Ibn Hajr in Fath al-Bari and al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Auwtar and this time falls under one of those 43. Thus, since it is a disputed matter, there is no problem in supplicating during this time.

Allah knows best,

Egyptian House of Fatwa

We were walking, a friend and I, through Town Center, when I heard the voice of a woman yelling angry words. I turned around and found she was looking dead at us. Only then did I register what she was saying.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO WEAR THAT YOU KNOW, YOU’RE IN TEXAS!”

Funny, did she think I was under the impression that I was walking the streets of Saudi Arabia? She caught me a bit off guard, but I replied to her none the less.

“I know! But in Texas we have freedom and so I CAN choose to wear this!”

The conversation, after this, just disintegrated and it was quite clear that she had no idea what she was talking about, but these words (although she wasn’t muslim) made something click in my brain…So many times when wearing Hijab/Abaya/Jilabab/ Niqab Muslims are the ones who attack me. DON’T YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN AMERICA…or…IF YOU WANT TO DRESS THAT WAY YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER COME HERE…and variations of this. SubhanAllah, what I don’t think they understand is that I am the one who is actually living the ‘true American spirit’. I am the one being ‘truly American’. America is the land of the free, home of the brave. If you don’t want to be brave, if you don’t want to be free, then why come here in the first place?

In general we have no excuse to obey a CREATION over the CREATOR, much less in America! Why then will we conform to their way of dress, their way of work, their way of socializing (!!) when we don’t even “have” to?! Living in America is not about fitting in, nor is it about hiding what you believe, its about being you.

All throughout elementary school we are taught about how the “forefathers” of this country fought for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and unalienable rights. This is not something we should be proud of, at least not in this day and age. No longer does anyone care about what these people fought for unless they are giving it some simple lip service. If what an American looks like can be defined, then you should know that the original American figure has been destroyed.

Its about time that Muslims all around America WAKE UP and realize what they are doing. They should realize what they have and what exactly they are losing. Muslims all around America should try to be American. What is being American? It isn’t dressing up like Halle Berry trying to hide your accent. It isn’t only praying Dhuhr when no one will see you, so they don’t end up asking you what you are doing. It isn’t being apologetic about what Islam says and what Muslims should do. It isn’t being “typical” by day and Muslim by night.

Being American, is being YOU.

Origins Of The Science Of Maqasid Ash-Shar’iah By Ustadh Faraz Mir

In this post we will look briefly at the history of the science of Maqasid al-Shari’ah and how it developed over time. As with most of the Islamic Sciences, if we were to look back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Companions (ra), we would be not find them referring to these sciences as we do today.

That’s not to say they did not exist. Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir etc were being taught and applied by the Prophet (s) and his Companions (ra), but as applied knowledge rather than as scientific disciplines. What developed in subsequent generations is how this knowledge was classified, interpreted and understood. With this evolution, the separate subject areas became distinct sciences in the Shari’ah and with that much easier to understand and access. Scholars too became specialised in particular fields, dedicating their entire lives to the advancement of Islamic knowledge.

The science of Maqasid is no different. It too evolved over time but as with all the sciences, the concepts and knowledge therein were being understood and applied by the Prophet (s), his Companions (ra) and later generations, just not in the form we do today.

Note: When we look at Usool al-Fiqh after completing our discussion of Maqasid, we will spend a little longer looking at the Evolution of the Shari’ah, as it’s a fascinating topic in itself.

Maqasid in relation to Fiqh and Usool
In terms of its relationship with other sciences of the Shari’ah, Maqasid is closely linked with Fiqh and Usool al-Fiqh in that it evolved directly from the science of Usool al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Law), which itself evolved from Fiqh (Jurisprudence) itself.

To summarise the subject matters of each of these sciences, we can say that Fiqh is concerned with the details of application, which if we step back from, we enter the realm of Usool, which looks at principles underpinning these details. Stepping back further still, we enter the realm of Maqasid which looks at overarching objectives which guide both these principles and their detailed application.

We can illustrate this by looking at the example of a house. Maqasid can be thought of as the foundations. Usool as the pillars holding up the structure and Fiqh, the building itself, the end result.

Maqasid gives us a ‘bird’s eye view’of the Shari’ah, which is essential for understanding the details which follow, as we know where everything fits in; we already have a map in our head to guide us. This is of particular importance for scholars of Fiqh (Fuqaha) when they are giving fatawa.

Notable Scholars and their Contributions
The development of the science of Maqasid was advanced by some of the greatest minds of the Islamic Ummah. The names of some of these scholars and the contributions they made are listed below. (Their names are linked to external sites, so if you want to find out a bit more, just click on the name…)

• Imam al-Juwaini [d. 478AH] was the first scholar to write about Maqasid as a separate discipline in his book al-Burhan
• Imam al-Ghazali the [d. 505AH] in his book al-Mustasfa
• Imam Fakhr al-Din ar-Razi [d. 606AH] in his book al-Mahsul fi ‘Ilm al-Usool
• Imam Saifudeen al-Aamidi [d. 631AH] in his book al-Ihkam fi Usool al-Ahkam
• Imam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya [d. 751AH] in his book I’laam al-Muwaqi’een
• Imam al-Shatibi [d. 790AH] was the first scholar to write about Maqasid al-Shari’ah as an independent science in his book al-Muwafaqaat which was the first book dedicated to the science
• Shah Waliullah al-Dahlawi [d. 1176AH] in his book Hujjat Allah al-Baaligha
• Tahir ibn ‘Ashur [d. 1394AH] in his book Maqasid al-Shari’ah (which is the book my teacher based our lessons around)

Ways of Deducing the Maqasid
As we’ve already mentioned the main thrust of the science of Maqasid is that the Shari’ah has clearly defined aims and objectives. We’ve seen that this science developed from Usool al-Fiqh and the scholars who contributed, but the question remains, how exactly did the scholars arrive at this list of aims and objectives? We don’t find them conveniently listed together in the Qur’an or in a hadith, so what was the process that the scholars used to deduce them?

Through extensive research into the source texts, common themes were found; that all the rules and laws in the Shari’ah can be grouped as aiming to achieve one or more of these objectives. One of the pioneers of this science, Imam al-Shatibi listed the following ways for deducing the Maqasid:

1. The whole of Islamic Law can be broken down into “dos” and “don’ts.” The first thing to understand is that absolute obedience to these is of primary importance and iteself an objective of the Shari’ah.
2. Once the previous point has been understood, the search for reasons behind the legislation can begin, which as the Imam re-iterates, is a secondary endeavour. These reasons can be broken down into known (ma’looma) and unknown (ghair ma’looma) which are equivalent to ‘illah and hikmah respectively, i.e. a reason can be clear, apparent and measurable or not.
3. The maqasid or aims which a particular law (hukm) aims to achieve are of two types, primary (‘asliyah) and secondary (taabi’ah). An example to illustrate this is marriage. The primary objective of marriage is the protection of lineage and a secondary objective is sexual enjoyment. So laws can have more than one objective, but one is highlighted as the principal objective, with others following as subsidiary objectives.
4. Through investigation and examination (istiqraa’) of all the laws (ahkam) of the Shari’ah the aims and objectives can be extracted.
5. As a final note, the maqasid of the Shari’ah must be understood through the Arabic language, of which an understanding is crucial, as Arabic is the medium by which the aims and objectives of God’s final revelation are communicated.

Another and perhaps simpler way of understanding this is by looking at the principle laid down by Imam ‘Izz al-Din ibn ‘Abd al-Salam [d. 660AH], who stated that in deriving and understanding the objectives of the Shari’ah in wordly matters we can use our intellect (‘aql), but when it comes to matters of religion (belief, worship etc) we must limit ourselves to the source texts (naql).

Conclusion
Hopefully now we’ve got some idea of what Maqasid al-Shari’ah is about, how it fits into the Shari’ah and how it developed as a science. In the next post Insha Allah, we shall look at the foundations underpinning this science, meaning those axioms around which our understanding of the subject will develop.

taken from his website here

Asalamu alaykum,

I’ve known Mustafa ‘Umar for around four years. I witnessed his efforts towards studying and striving. While we were out relaxing, Mustafa would stay home digesting Ibn Hisham’s notes on the Alifiyah. Mustafa recently finished his university studies and has returned to the states. He’s a sheikh, Imam and we hope that he will contribute and benefit the West. He is currently looking for a Job as an Imam, thus if any dynamic community in the states is looking, please contact him at his website. I give him a 100% and strongly encourage a dynamic, young forward looking community to take him before we come back to the states and employ him at our institution.

Suhaib

Video of Imam Mustafa ‘Umar

Why Are You Muslim?

Article by Imam Mustafa ‘Umar

A Treatise on the Islamic Faith

The Question:

Can I give greeting to people of other faiths and traditions? I asked this in light of the following hadith that forbids us to do so to the Jews and order us to block the way in front of them as related by Imam Muslim. There are a number of people in my MSA who like to debate this topic. What is your advice to them?

Summary of the Answer:

1. The prohibition against offering the greetings of peace to non-Muslims and permitting them to pass is conditioned to times of war.
2. Muslims, under normal circumstances, are ordered to treat all people well.
3. One should avoid petty debates and focus on what benefits.

The Answer:

Dear brother:

The Prohibition of Greeting others is Restricted to Times of War

The Jews mentioned in the above texts were from the citizens of the Prophet’s city, al-Medina, and were guilty of high treason after many opportunities were presented to them to live in peace. This statement of the Prophet comes in the context of their war and treachery against the Prophet and his community; not in the context of peace and normalized relations.

This is explained by the narration of Imam Ahmed and al-Tabarani that states the Prophet [P.B.U.H] said on the day that war was declared on the Jews of Medina “We are going to surprise the Jews [by attacking them in the morning]! Do not initiate the greetings of peace to them.”

In the narration of Ahmed the Prophet [P.B.U.H] said, “Tomorrow morning we are going to ride against the Jews. Do not initiate the greetings of peace to them.”

Muslims, Under normal Circumstances, are Ordered to Treat all People Well

Allah, the Most High, legislated in His book good relations with non-Muslims who do not act treacherously nor seek to inflict harm upon the Muslim community. Thus, it is incumbent upon you to treat all people amicably and peacefully under such situations..

Finally, we encourage you not to waste your time engaging in such debates, but, instead, spend your time learning your religion correctly.

Allah knows best.
Egyptian House of Fatwa

Assalamu Alikom Wa Rahmat Allah,

Are we allowed to give the greetings of peace to non-Muslims? I found this in a

recent translation of Riyad al-Saliheen. Could you please clarifiy?
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Do not greet the Jews and the Christians before they greet you; and when you meet any one of them on the road, force him to go to the narrowest part of it.”[Muslim].

Here’s their commentary: This Hadith prohibits Muslims from greetingnon-Muslims first. It also tells us that when the road is crowded, we should use the middle of the road and let the non-Muslims use its sides. This Hadith shows the dignity of Muslims and the disgrace and humiliation of the non-Muslims.

What is your advice in delving into these type of discussions?

Summary of the Answer

 

 

 

The most effective way to deal with hate mongers is by intellect and reasoning in order to make them use their minds rather than emotions in order to be able to see things the way they are really are.

My colleague at work was venting. We were sitting in front of a television set which was broadcasting carnage and sectarian violence in Iraq. She said she can not believe these Muslims killing each other while belonging to the same faith and all worshiping the same God.

She expressed resentment of Muslims in general and the terrorism they commit in the name of their faith.

Society at large is confused when it comes to understanding Islam and its followers.

People have been brainwashed to believe that all Muslims are terrorists whose aim in life is nothing but to create mayhem and destruction.

People can discuss about any subject with intelligence, civility reasoning and common sense except when it comes to Islam and Muslims.

They are overtaken by emotion and anger and become judgmental, irrational and jump to conclusions without using their minds to analyze the issues at hand in an objective manner.

Prejudice turns off the switch of reasoning and understanding. It freezes and obscures the intellect and a person can not think clearly and critically. Emotion then takes over and controls the thinking process.

You can discuss with your colleague at work about any serious murder case such as the recent beheading and decapitating of a passenger on a Greyhound bus.

It was reported in the Globe and Mail on July 31, 2008 that a young man traveling on a Greyhound bus was stabbed to death and beheaded by a stranger in a horrifying act of apparently random violence.

There was no mentioning of the accuser’s faith but things would have been quite different had he been a Muslim.

You can also even bring up the issue of clergymen who have been accused of sex crimes against children. The faith of the pedophiles will never be blamed even though the accused hold prominent positions in their faith.

People involved in the discussion will never lose their rationale. They will keep their cool and analyze facts without blaming the ethnicity, the faith or the culture of the person accused of the crime.

The religion of the accused will never be the issue even if he was a devoted follower of a particular faith and did what he did in the name of his religion.

Robert Pickton of British Columbia, for instance, was accused and convicted of the killing of many women in the most serial killer case in the Canadian history.

Despite his testimony and confession through his letters to a friend that he acted as such out of faith, the religion he belonged to which was Christianity was never even mentioned in the media. Nor all Christians were blamed for the heinous crimes that he was accused of.

According to the Financial Post on Dec. 10, 2007, it was reported that Mr. Pickton believed that he was put on earth to rid the world of its evil ways and that those who are immoral and impure will suffer the anger of God.

The tone of discussion will take a dramatic turn when the subject is about Muslims in general.

The religion is then dragged into the witness box for questioning and the entire community is held liable for the crime.

My colleague at the airport was emotional and irrational in her discussion. I had to bring her back to her sanity and restore her conscious.

I had to show her that not only Muslims, even people of other faith kill each other in the name of their religion.

“It is indeed saddening to see people belonging to the same religion turning against each other in such a barbaric manner, ” I said in agreeing with her in a process of trying to stabilize her state of mind so that she can think clearly.

I then went on to discuss about the conflict of Ireland where Catholics and Protestants - all of whom were Christians - were murdering each other for many years in the name of their religions.

I then brought up the subject of the Mafia and their secretive and violence world. I played ignorant and asked her whether all Italians are Mafias.

My colleague then regained her conscious and started using her intellect to respond. She started educating me about the Italians and how nice they were.

We should not associate the entire nation with the actions of some of its members who might do wrong things, she emphasized.

Tension in the room had suddenly disappeared and my friend had started to use her mind and intellect, with civility and objectiveness.

Muslims need to turn on the switch of reasoning in people’s minds when they see ignorance and prejudice against their faith.

People filled with prejudice do indeed have minds that could be utilized and directed in the right direction.

All that is required is someone to touch the button and turn on the switch of intellect in order to restore the consciousness of a person.

People need to be reminded that as all Italians are not Mafias so are Muslims who are law abiding citizens like everyone else.

Muslims are humans who have mad men in their midst as all other communities do.

The renown boxer, Mohamed Ali, used the intellect to restore sanity back to a news reporter when he lost his mind altogether and started acting in an unreasonable manner.

When the legend was visiting ground zero in New York right after the Sept. 11 tragedy, the reporter asked him whether he was ashamed to belong to the same religion of the suspects of the heinous crime.

With all confident, the boxer replied with a rhetorical question by asking the reporter whether he felt the same for sharing his faith with Adolph Hitler who had committed the worst human carnage in recent history.

People lose focus when their minds are overtaken by hate and prejudice. The mind then gets frozen. Only emotion runs the thinking process. The only way to restore sanity back to the person is by reasoning in a civilized and constructive manner.

If Bush who acted out of religious conviction to invade Iraq and as a result created death and destruction in the country and Christianity is not blamed for his reckless action, equally so, it would not be fair and just to blame Islam and Muslims for the actions of some lunatics who might commit a crime and murder innocent people.

We were walking, a friend and I, through Town Center, when I heard the voice of a woman yelling angry words. I turned around and found she was looking dead at us. Only then did I register what she was saying.

 

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO WEAR THAT YOU KNOW, YOU’RE IN TEXAS!”

 

Funny, did she think I was under the impression that I was walking the streets of Saudie Arabia? She caught me a bit off guard, but I replied to her none the less.

“I know! But in Texas we have freedom and so I CAN choose to wear this!”

 

      The conversation, after this, just disintegrated and it was quite clear that she had no idea what she was talking about, but these words (although she wasn’t muslim) made something click in my brain…So many times when wearing Hijab/Abaya/Jilabab/ Niqab Muslims are the ones who attack me. DON’T YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN AMERICA…or…IF YOU WANT TO DRESS THAT WAY YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER COME HERE…and variations of this. SubhanAllah, what I don’t think they understand is that  I  am the one who is actually living  the ‘true American spirit’. I am the one being ‘truly American’. America is the land of the free, home of the brave. If you don’t want to be brave, if you don’t want to be free, then why come here in the first place?

 

      In general we have no excuse to obey a CREATION over the CREATOR, much less in America! Why then will we conform to their way of dress, their way of work, their way of socializing (!!) when we don’t even “have” to?! Living in America is not about fitting in, nor is it about hiding what you believe, its about being you.

 

      All throughout elementary school we are taught about how the “forefathers” of this country fought for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and unalienable rights. This is not something  we should be proud of, at least not in this day and age. No longer does anyone care about what these people fought for unless they are giving it some simple lip service. If what an American looks like can be defined, then you should know that the original American figure has been destroyed.

 

      Its about time that Muslims all around America WAKE UP and realize what they are doing. They should realize what they have and what exactly they are losing.  Muslims all around America should try to be American. What is being American? It isn’t dressing up like Halle Berry trying to hide your accent. It isn’t only praying Dhuhr when no one will see you, so they don’t end up asking you what you are doing. It isn’t being apologetic about what Islam says and what Muslims should do. It isn’t being “typical” by day and Muslim by night.

 

 Being American, is being YOU.

Season 3 of the Reminder Series has begun. This first video was made for a large group of Muslim School Teachers in Chicago.

Asalamu alaykum,

I would like to congratulate Sen. Obama, his campaign and the American people on this year’s election. I was nearly moved to tears by the large showing of people racing to lend their voices for change, the three hour lines and the commitment to values that brought us beyond the simplistic nature of color, faith and race. I was especially moved by the following quote:

“I heard that he won and I instinctively came here,” said Hollis Gentry, 45, who lives about six blocks away. “I came down here to make a prayer… that we’ll be able to change the nation and the world.”

While we are excited about an Obama presidency, we must never forget that our trust, hopes and ambitions rest solely with Allah. The worst thing we can do is to idolize Obama. This would undermine our unique ability to call him to account on issues and examine him with a critical eye and, at the same time, afford him the elastic to error and grow.

While many of us feel he is an excellent choice, we must never forget that until America is able to export the values it exposes to others, declare a war on the causes of poverty, offer universal health care, quality education and address its ethical lapses, we will continue to be seen by many as hypocrites.

We ask Allah to guide Obama to what pleases Allah, bless our country, bring justice to the oppressed and use us for goodness.

Suhaib

The American people have spoken in a resounding voice, “YES WE CAN!” and with that refrain echoing into the night history was made as Senator Barack Hussein Obama was elected to serve as the next president of the United States. Senator Obama’s election as the first African American president illustrates that the politics of hope can trump the politics of fear, that every vote can and does count, that the youth of this nation are not a group of apathetic hedonists, and that the promise of peace is stronger than the prospect of war.

Americans turned out in record numbers to sweep the Republicans out of office and at the end of the day more votes had been cast for Senator Obama than for any other presidential candidate in the history of this country. Senator Obama’s resounding victory will not change America overnight. African American and Latino youth will continue to be carted off to jails and prisons in numbers tremendously disproportionate to their percentage in the overall population, people whose homes are on the verge of foreclosure will find little immediate relief from the president-elect and his yet to be assembled team, and the war profiteers will continue to make money hand over fist as the misadventures in both Iraq and Afghanistan drag on.

However, the coalition of forces that has come together to guarantee Senator Obama’s victory represents a powerful realignment in American politics; sincere whites who were feed up with the corruption, venality, and mendacity of the cabal in Washington, young people of all ages and races (the hip hop generation), a re-energized African American electorate, progressive Latinos, particularly in Florida and the Southwest of the country, and Muslims, yes Muslims, many of whom worked just as doggedly as Senator Obama’s other supporters, despite the stigmatizing of their faith and themselves in many instances.

It is the promise that this new coalition represents as much as the inspiring leadership of Senator Obama that in the long run will translate the prospect of change that drove so many during the long electoral campaign into the reality of change. The heavy lifting that will be required to make the sacrifices necessary to usher in a new day in American society will be undertaken, on the ground, by members of this coalition. The continued mobilization of the members of the communities that this coalition represents will be critical to the implementation of Senator Obama’s agenda. At the end of the day, for those who would take note, Senator Obama’s election demonstrates once again the truth of the old adage, “All politics are local.”

Senator Obama’s election also opens a new door for Muslims in America. Although his campaign wisely distanced itself from any overt public identification with Muslims, considering the reality of the negative public perception of Islam and Muslims in some quarters, it is quite clear that Senator Obama valued the support he received from the Muslim community. He appointed a liaison to the Muslim community, high ranking members of his team met with Muslim delegations, and his campaign was supportive of Muslim grassroots efforts such as “Muslims for Obama.”

The fact that Senator Obama was able to win such a resounding victory, despite the fact that his middle name is Hussein, and despite the fact that there was a concerted and well-funded effort undertaken via both the internet, and the “Obsession” propaganda campaign to smear him as a Muslim, indicates that the majority of the American people are prepared to judge people on their merits and to look beyond the scare-tactics that proved so fruitful for the Republicans throughout the post-9/11 era.

The nature of Senator Obama’s victory opens up a tremendous door of opportunity for Muslims. Now is the time for us to unify our ranks and to take advantage of the spirit of change that has dominated this electoral season to work for meaningful change in the policies of this country towards both the Muslim world and the developing world in general. If we can organize our community, harness the creative power and intellect of our youth, end the historical tendency of our community to shy away from public service, and create a viable agenda that moves away from the zero-sum, seemingly escapist political ranting that so many of us have inclined towards in the past, then perhaps we will begin as American Muslims to make our own history, in a constructive way, as opposed to sitting passively on the sidelines as others make their history and create painful facts that are so detrimental to our interests and the lives of our coreligionists and other oppressed people both here and abroad. 

Bismillah

For all the college students out there, we know that being broke is normal. But I’m here to tell the rest of you that you are all broke as a joke too. Every. Last. One of you.

You may be thinking: “I just graduated, I make an awesome salary, I just bought this brand new 09 car, and I’m doing very well!” Or, “I live my parents and they take care of me!”

Well my response to you is that you’re still broke. Very very poor.

Confused?

Read the words of your Rabb:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O mankind! You are all Fuqaraa’ to Allah, but Allah is Rich, Worthy of all praise!” (35:15)

Allah ta’ala addresses all of us, every last one of us. Not just the believers, Not just the Prophet but Muslim, non-Muslim, white, black, woman, man…every last human on this earth: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ O Mankind!

أَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ You are all Fuqaraa’ to Allah. Al fuqaraa is plural of the word faqeer which is from the root fa-qaaf-ra (ف ق ر) and faqr means poverty. Faqeer is one who has poverty and one who is poor. If we look at the root of this word, Faqrah is used for part of the spine and faaqirah is used for that which breaks the spine. So a faqeer is one who is suffering from back-breaking poverty, one who is extremely needy, so desperate for anything that could save them.

In the Qur’an, there are two words used to describe a poor person: faqeer and miskeen. What is the difference? Faqeer is someone who has no wealth and no means of obtaining wealth. So they have no money in the bank and they don’t have a job (told you: broke as a joke!). While a miskeen is one who is also poor, but they have the means, they just need a little extra to make it.

So Allah ta’ala doesn’t call us masakeen (plural of miskeen) but He says, we are all Fuqaraa’- you are all extremely poor. You do not own or possess a thing. And if wasn’t for Allah ta’ala, you would have nothing. You are all in need of Allah ta’ala, in the dunya and aakhirah. In every state of your existance: in the womb, as a baby, as a toddler, as a young person, as an old person, at the time of death, in the grave and in the hereafter.

So we are fuqaraa’. Who is Allah?

Allah is: الْغَنِي Al-Ghaniyy, the One who is Rich, the Independent. Ghaniyy is from ghayn-noon-ya (غ ن ي) and ghaniyy means richness. So Allah is The One who is Very Rich, the One who is Self Sufficient, the One who is Free of All Wants and Needs. He needs nothing from us. Absolutely nothing. He has everything and we have nothing.

And He is: الْحَمِيد Al Hameed: The Most Praiseworthy. Hameed is from ha-meem-daal (ح م د) and Hameed is the One who is deserving of praise, if one does hamd of Him or not. He doesn’t even need our hamd!

What lessons can we take from this ayah?

1. Do not let the thought pass in your mind that you are benefiting Allah azza wa jal in any way. Don’t be an arrogant broke person!
2. Be humble to Allah azza wa jal. Remember that Allah ta’ala needs nothing from us. Why would He, Al Ghaniyy, need something from a puny, weak, broke human like ourselves when He Possesses the Kingdom (mulk) of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them? We are nothing.
3. Ask Allah ta’ala, and He will give you. “…O My servants, all of you are hungry (needy) except for those whom I feed, therefore seek food from Me so that I may feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked (need clothes) except for those whom I provide garments, therefore seek clothing from Me so that I should clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day and I am there to pardon your sins, therefore seek forgiveness from Me so that I should grant you pardon…” (Hadeeth Qudsi, Saheeh Muslim)
4. Attribute all good to Allah ta’ala, and not to ourselves. You didn’t memorize the Qur’an yourself. You didn’t study the deen yourself. You didn’t graduate yourself. You didn’t get that job yourself. You didn’t, you didn’t, you didn’t. Allah azza wa jal gave us all of these blessings, we did not will it for ourselves. Don’t take credit for something you didn’t do.
5. Be grateful for what Allah ta’ala has given you and thank Him. Do hamd of Al Hameed. (Duaas for gratitude will be posted in the comments) How would we feel if we gave a load of cash to a homeless person who was in so much need of anything, yet they just took the money and didn’t even say thank you? We’d be angry, right? And for Allah is the Highest Example! How can we, al fuqaraa’, receive blessing after blessing and not thank Allah for it? He is not in need of our thanks and gratitude, Allah ta’ala says in surah Ibrahim ayah 7: لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ, indeed if you are grateful and give thanks, surely I will definitely increase you, but if you are ungrateful (then know) My punishment is indeed most severe.

What have we done to show Allah ta’ala we are truly thankful? Remember: Shukr (gratitude) is by action! The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam would pray qiyaam until his feet would swell, and when asked by A’ishah radi Allahu anha why he still prays even though his past and future sins are forgiven, he said the famous answer: a falaa akuna ‘abdan shakoora? Should I not prove myself to be a thankful servant? So we should use these blessings that Allah has given us to do good, and not use them to disobey Him. Allah ta’ala says in surah Saba ayah 13: وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ, a FEW of My slaves are thankful.

Will you be among those few? Or will you be an arrogant, ungrateful broke person?

Alhamdulillah. Hamdan, katheeran, tayyiban, mubaarakan feeh. Allahumma a’innaa ‘alaa dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ebaadatika. The most perfect praise is only for Allah, a praise that is countless, good and blessed. O Allah, help us to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best way. Ameen.