Labayyak Ya Syria Labayyak!!

Islam Prohibits Murder and Terrorism

2:32.  On that account: We ordained
For the Children of Israel
That if any one slew
A person—unless it be
For murder or for spreading
Mischief in the land—
It would be as if
He slew the whole people:
And if any one saved a life,
It would be as if he saved
The life of the whole people.
Then although there came
To them Our Apostles
With Clear Signs, yet,
Even after that, many
Of them continued to commit
Excesses in the land.

Violence and aggression have plagued humanity since Cabel or Cain killed his brother.

27. Recite to them the truth
Of the story of the two sons
Of Adam. Behold! they each
Presented a sacrifice (to God):
It was accepted from one,
But not from the other.
Said the latter: "Be sure
I will slay thee." "Surely,"
Said the former, "God
Doth accept of the sacrifice
Of those who are righteous.

28. "If thou dost stretch thy hand
Against me, to slay me,
It is not for me to stretch
My hand against thee
To slay thee: for I do fear
God, the Cherisher of the Worlds.

29.  "For me, I intend to let
Thee draw on thyself
My sin as well as thine,
For thou wilt be among
The Companions of the Fire,
And that is the reward
Of those who do wrong."

30.  The (selfish) soul of the other
Led him to the murder
Of his brother: he murdered
Him, and became (himself)
One of the lost ones.

In the Deen of Islam, the Complete Path of Peace, murder is a hadd crime.  The hadud crimes are those which so exceed the limits set by Allah SWT on our behavior that they warrant punishments that are prescribed by Allah SWT Himself, and are not at the discretion of the human judge.  Murder, then, is one of the most heinous crimes, what we might call an egregious felony.  When it comes to individual murder, Allah (SWT) has allowed discretion to the family of the deceased.  They may invoke the death penalty, or they may ask for the payment of diya and exile or imprisonment for the murderer.  But when it comes to killing by a group, then Allah (SWT) has called this hiraba, and has proscribed a severe penalty.

33. The punishment of those
Who wage war against God
And His Apostle, and strive
With might and main
For mischief through the land
Is: execution, or crucifixion,
Or the cutting off of hands
And feet from opposite sides,
Or exile from the land:
That is their disgrace
In this world, and
A heavy punishment is theirs
In the Hereafter;

34. Except for those who repent
Before they fall
Into your power:
In that case, know
That God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.

Muslims are forbidden to wage war, to cause tumult and oppression and to create fitnah.  Allah SWT says the fitnah is worse than Qatl, fitnah akbar min al qatl, or in another occasion, fitnah ashdad min al qatal. Here Allah tells us that tumult and oppression are worse than killing.  Hiraba is something that can be committed by individuals as well as groups.  Individuals commit hiraba through brigandry, highway robbery, and terroristic acts.  Groups may also engage in terroristic acts towards other individuals or groups.  And even the State can engage in such terrorism when it grossly oppresses and murders its own citizens.  All of these acts are haram because they are expressly forbidden as exceeding the limits of Allah SWT and are therefore, hiraba, but they also violate the general overarching Maqaasid al-Shariah, which includes protection of Deen, of life, of property, of reason and thought, and of honor, and lineage, as well as the three great Maqaasid al-Deen, freedom, equal dignity, and justice.

Islam Commands Justice and Commands Striving Against Injustice

As part of meeting their obligations to establish and uphold justice, Muslims are commanded to strive against injustice.

35. O ye who believe!
Do your duty to God,
Seek the means
Of approach unto Him,
And strive with might
And main in His cause:
That ye may prosper.

And


38. Say to the Unbelievers,
If (now) they desist (from Unbelief),
Their past would be forgiven them;
But if they persist, the punishment
Of those before them is already
(A matter of warning for them).
39. And fight them on
Until there is no more
Tumult or oppression,
And there prevail
Justice and faith in God
Altogether and everywhere;
But if they cease oppression and war, then verily God
Doth see all that they do.

The path of Islam is the path of justice, equal dignity, and freedom.  Allah SWT reminds us that He is al-Adl – the Just and He will not treat us, his Creation, with the least injustice.

Oppression in Religion is the worst form of Injustice

Allah SWT says in the Qur’an al Hakim:

 

2:256 There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower. 

Islam Commands Freedom of Belief

In order for human beings to exercise our free will, and chose to surrender to Allah SWT, our Creator and Preserver, we must have the freedom to seek knowledge about Allah, to discuss and consider the claims of religious understanding that arise in the world, and to make a conscious choice to turn toward Allah SWT in surrender, in Islam, or to chose to turn some other direction away from Him.  To violently oppress others of other faiths is expressly prohibited by the Qur’an.  Allah SWT tells us to speak to them in a goodly way and not to insult them or their beliefs, so that they will not insult our beliefs. 

Allah SWT also warns us about violence and killing toward one another, toward those who profess belief.  Ikhtilaf or difference of opinion is permissible in Islam, and we must respect each others’ opinions, especially when they are based on dalil or reasoned arguments, evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah, and other authoritative sources.  We may differ on whether a particular source is valid or authentic, but we must respect those who do hold such evidences to be valid and authentic, even if we do feel they are.  Ikhtilaf al Minhaj or differences in methodology often leads to differences in fiqh and belief.  Who are we to say, 1400 years after the fact which opinion, backed as it is by a reasonable dalil, is correct.  The Sunnah was only truly known to the Sahaba.  We only have reports.

We cannot know the Sunnah today, for we are not in direct contact with RasulAllah, SAW.  We depend upon reports and reports can be inaccurate, written down incorrectly, or even faked by people with agendas.  Although we have tried our best to determine how to evaluate a report, these methods are not perfect.  For example, Sunni books of Ilm al-Rijal exclude and curse Shia narrators, and Shia books of Ilm al-Rijal exclude and curse Sunni narrators.  Basing the validity of a text on Ilm al-Rijal is therefore, a very poor method, fraught with potential error.  Far better is it to use Imam Al-Bukhari’s criteria for judging the matin by its consistency with the Qur’an, reasonableness, lack of sectarian bias and degree of notoriety of the report (mutawatir or mashur).

A believer is clearly defined in the Qur’an as one who professes that there is no one worthy of worship other than Allah, that He has sent prophets, including Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and that he has submitted himself to Allah in Islam by professing this witness (shahada), praying salat, paying zakat, fasting Ramadan and striving the make Hajj, if he is able.  Any one who professes these five pillars and the six pillars of Iman which are belief in Allah as One, with no partners; in Angels, in Books, in Prophets, in Accountability in the Hereafter, and in Allah’s Dominion and Decree is a Muslim and their blood in inviolate. 

• 4: 92 It is not for a believer to kill a believer unless (it be) by mistake. He who hath killed a believer by mistake must set free a believing slave, and pay the blood- money to the family of the slain, unless they remit it as a charity. If he (the victim) be of a people hostile unto you, and he is a believer, then (the penance is) to set free a believing slave. And if he cometh of a folk between whom and you there is a covenant, then the blood-money must be paid unto his folk and (also) a believing slave must be set free. And whoso hath not the wherewithal must fast two consecutive months. A penance from Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.
• 93 Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose, his reward is hell for ever. Allah is wroth against him and He hath cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom.
• 94 O ye who believe! When ye go forth in the sabeel of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou art not a believer," seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.

And not only the blood of our fellow Muslims is inviolate, but so is the blood of all who seek to worship Allah SWT.  We are commanded to leave alone monks, priests and rabbis who seek only the worship Allah.  We are prohibited from destroying places of worship.  We are to provide protection to the Ahl al Kitab, and this is evidenced by the Dustur al Madina, where the Prophet SAW made a constitution protecting the rights of all people in Madina, Muslims, Jews and even Pagans, as long as they upheld their agreements as well.

The Arab Spring

As we all know, the Middle East in currently experiencing an awakening.  Our youth have grown tired with the rule of old men long immersed in stagnant politics and tolerance for oppressive regimes.  We have seen the fall of several long-time tyrants, men who sucked the blood of their countrymen and women for untold years.  However, other tyrants still remain.  We have seen these type of rises and falls through out history.  The great book, Al-Muqqadimah by Ibn Khaldun recounts the history and sociology of just such cycles of revolution and repression.  It is a shame, that as Muslims, we have not learned much from this great thinker.  Only Western minds seem willing to study the lessons he shared so long ago.

Now our brothers and sisters in Syria are suffering tremendous oppression.  What began as peaceful demonstrations has turned into bloody repeats of Karbalaa.  Our brothers and sisters and children are being butchered just as Hussein ibn Ali, RAA, and the family of our beloved Prophet SAW, were slaughtered over 1300 years ago, and by the same caliber of person, a person who flaunts religious laws, and kills fellow Muslims without hesitation or excuse.

What makes matters even worse is that the tyrant of our time masquerades as a descendant of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the beloved baba of Hussein (RAA).  The legacy of the Bani Abdul Muttalib, and of Imam Ali (KW) and Hussein ibn Ali (RAA) is a legacy of standing up for justice and striving against oppression, not perpetrating it.  

 Who are the true Ahl Al Bayt?

Allah has made it clear that no matter the hereditary relationship of a person to a prophet, that person is not of the “ahl” or family of that prophet if he commits zhulm.  Allah SWT tells us about the story of Nuh (AS) and his family.  Nuh (AS) and his family strove hard against ignorance and injustice, but finally, after 950 years of preaching, Allah SWT decided that He had given the people of Nuh enough time to respond, and they had not.  He decided to bring the flood and destroy the wrongdoing people.  However, He also told Nuh (AS) to prepare the ark so that the believers would survive the devastation.  As the flood waters rose, the believers entered the ark along with the pairs of creatures.  But Nuh’s son remained behind. 

 

11:36. It was revealed to Noah:
"None of thy People will believe
Except those who have believed
Already! So grieve no longer
Over their (evil) deeds.

37. "But construct an Ark
Under Our eyes and Our
Inspiration, and address Me
No (further) on behalf
Of those who are in sin:
For they are about to be
Overwhelmed (in the Flood)."

And He Says;
11: 40. At length, behold!
There came Our Command,
And the fountains of the earth
Gushed forth! We said:
"Embark therein, of each kind
Two, male and female,
And your family—except
Those against whom the Word
Has already gone forth,—
And the Believers."
But only a few
Believed with him.
41. So he said: "Embark ye
On the Ark,
In the name of God,
Whether it move
Or be at rest!
For my Lord is, be sure,
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!"
42. So the Ark floated
With them on the waves
(Towering) like mountains,
And Noah called out
To his son, who had
Separated himself (from the rest):
"O my son! embark
With us, and be not
With the Unbelievers!"
43. The son replied: "I will
Betake myself to some mountain:
It will save me from
The water." Noah said:
"This day nothing can save,
From the Command of God,
Any but those on whom
He hath mercy!"—
And the waves came
Between them, and the son
Was among those
Overwhelmed in the Flood.
44. Then the word went forth:
"O earth! swallow up
Thy water, and O sky!
Withhold (thy rain)!"
And the water abated,
And the matter was ended.
The Ark rested on Mount
Jūdī, and the word
Went forth: "Away
With those who do wrong!"
45. And Noah called upon
His Lord, and said:
"O my Lord! surely
My son is of my family!
And Thy promise is true,
And Thou art
The Justest of Judges!"

46. He said: "O Noah!
He is not of thy family:
For his conduct is unrighteous.
So ask not of Me
That of which thou
Hast no knowledge!
I give thee counsel, lest
Thou act like the ignorant!"

47. Noah said: "O my Lord!
I do seek refuge with Thee,
Lest I ask Thee for that
Of which I have no knowledge.
And unless Thou forgive me
And have Mercy on me,
I should indeed be lost!"

Allah SWT teaches us in these ayaat that the household of a prophet does not include those whose conduct is ghair salih – other than righteous.  The household of a prophet, that prophet’s “ahl al bait,” is not just hereditary, but is by conduct, righteous conduct – amala salih.

Nuh (AS) makes du’a in Surah Nuh to forgive himself and all his “ahl.”  He says:

28. "O my Lord! Forgive me,
My parents, all who
Enter my house in Faith,
And (all) believing men
And believing women:
And to the wrong-doers
Grant Thou no increase
But in Perdition!"

Nuh AS asks Allah SWT to forgive all who enter his house as believers – mu’min, men and women.  As for those that are wrongdoers, they are not of those who enter his house.  They are only in perdition. 

Certainly, not only has Bashar al-Jabbar forfeited all rights to the legacy of the family of Abdul Muttalib through his conduct that is less than righteous, but he has committed the most heinous crime imaginable.  He has set himself up as a god.  He has killed children for failing to make sajdah on his likeness!  Istaghfirullah!!

Firawn did this long ago – and Prophet Musa AS warned him.  Allah SWT has reserved a special torment in hell for those who set themselves up as gods – as rivals to Allah SWT Himself. 

May Allah SWT guide us all to the truth of His Deen and the truth of putting our faith into action, the truth of how to stand against this zhulm and the truth of how to correctly establish justice upon this earth.

The Legacy of Violence

 

For how many years have we seen violence in the Middle East and in the so-called Muslim World.  While it is true that many of these conflicts have been justified by oppression by outside forces, colonial powers and other jabbar, they have achieved nothing.  Not a single armed conflict in any Muslim land has been successful.  Although we may admire the heroism, the perseverance, the tenacity and strength of the oppressed people, not a single armed conflict or resistance movement has gained territory, managed to drive out the oppressors or managed to return their land to a state of peace.

Until Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  The youth achieved real and lasting victory against jabbar not through violence, but through waging peace.  They waged real jihad – guarding each others property, protecting buildings from looters and criminal elements, even taking away trash and cleaning the city.  They achieved victory by praying together in the streets, by joining hands and getting beyond tribal affiliations, village affiliations and other things which divide humanity.  They achieved victory by following the actual Sunnah of the Prophet – who created an Ummah – free of social and political subdivisions and sources of fitnah, who called us to action – to put our faith into action and not just spew rhetoric and slogans.  And the leaders of this victory were there in the streets, just like our Prophet and Sahabi, who led in the effort.  They did not shout and scream and incite people to violence and then retreat to holes of safety while their followers fought and died.  They achieved victory through love not hate; through caring for each other, treating each other as equals, leaving behind the kibriyya of the group identity and adopting the identity of One Ummah. 

In Syria too, the people sought to wage peace, but the brutal response by Bashar al-Zhalim overwhelmed the people.  He has tried to crush their will, but he has only strengthened their resolve.  The West stands by, allowing political fears to overcome ethics and human feeling.  But these are men, women and children, and they are dying in the thousands.  How can we sit by and watch!

But what can we do?  Violent warfare is not working.  It has not worked in a long time – as long as we have had weapons that do not allow the person about the face death the dignity of making their peace with Allah.  Guns, bombs, modern weapons kill from a safe distance.  And the victim will have no time to pray, no time to take the Shahadah, no time or even awareness of his eminent demise, no time to ask Allah for forgiveness.  Is that just? 

So how did our beloved Prophet SAW handle the situation when violence only led to a uncomfortable stalemate?  He marched on Hudaibiyyah.  Thousands of men, women and children marching unarmed on Makkah!  It frightened the Quraish so much they signed a peace treaty that eventually led to the opening of Makkah – the fatah Makkah.

Our history as believers is replete with examples of our struggle against injustice.  We are reminded of the injustice of Firawn and the freedom gained by Musa AS for his people.  We are reminded of the injustice of Yazeed and the struggle of Imam Hussein (KW) to overcome this injustice. 

Some of us reenact the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his family (KW).  But how should we remember our chief of martyrs?   Instead of composing beautiful latmiyyah for Hussein, or flogging our backs out of over a thousand years of remorse, why don’t we respond to his cry, the cry of the people of Syria today – hal min nasiriyin yasurna?!  Labayyak Ya Hussein – Labayyak Ya Ahl al Syria - Labayyak Allahuma Labayyak – We are here to respond to Your call to establish justice and to strive against oppression.    Sunni, Shia, no matter what Madhdaahib, or school of thought, we are charged by Allah to be shuhada’a. 

The Real Meaning of Shaheed

What is it to be shaheed? Our great Shahidna, Sayyed Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (RA) reminded us of the correct governance prescribed by Allah SWT through his Rasul.  He carefully taught us of wilayat al ummah, the governance of the ummah, Islamic Shura Democracy.  This three branch system consists of the representatives of the people, their na’ibs and amirs, chosen through consultation and democratic vote of the represented and governed not by majoritarian tyranny, but by Shura consensus, where even if we hold differing positions, we can come together to craft a position that all people can at least be comfortable with, as did the Prophet SAW and his Sahabi when they agreed to go out to Uhud, a Shura that is not ijma or unanimity, but mediated, crafted, inclusive, and considerate of the opinions of ALL stakeholders in society;  the independent justice system of fuqaha’ and Qadis, and the Shuhada’a.  Imam Baqir al-Sadr said that the Shuhada’a should consist of the Ahl al Bayt and Shiatahum.  The Qur’an states:

143. Thus have We made of you
An Ummat justly balanced,
That ye might be witnesses
Over the nations,
And the Apostle a witness
Over yourselves;
And We appointed the Qibla
To which thou wast used,
Only to test those who followed
The Apostle from those
Who would turn on their heels
(From the Faith). Indeed it was
(A change) momentous, except
To those guided by God.
And never would God
Make your faith of no effect.
For God is to all people
Most surely full of kindness,
Most Merciful.

 Therefore, Allah SWT us that through out human history, there have been two lines, the line of general humanity, and the line of prophets.  We also know that Prophet SAW is the khatam al anbiyyah, the seal and last of the prophets.  So after him, the witnesses will be in his line – his ahl al bayt and shiatih, those who fit the criteria of being his descendants, not only by heredity but by conduct, and those who follow this path and make this deeper commitment to be a shaheed.

What is it to be a shaheed?  The usual translation is either a witness, or a martyr. In considering the emphasis many put on martyrdom, it is important to point out that the Prophet has told us that 'When two Muslims fight (meet) each other with their swords, both the murderer as well as the murdered will go to the Hell-fire.' I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! It is all right for the murderer but what about the murdered one?' Allah's Apostle replied, "He surely had the intention to kill his companion."

This is the reason Abel tells his brother Cabel that he has not intention to kill him and that Cabel will draw Abel’s sin onto himself when he kills his brother.

When we desire to be a martyr, we are in fact wishing that the other person kill us.  But to be a shaheed is to be a witness to the truth, to speak out when others are not following the correct path, to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and if called upon, to be willing to die in support of Allah and His truth.  This is the true meaning of “To Live Like Muhammad, to Strive Like Ali and to Die Like Hussein.”   For to be a shaheed,, we must live our lives in the pattern provided to us by Rasul Allah SWT, to follow his Sunnah in all of our actions, and to live as the best of men and women.  For to be a shaheed, we must strive to put our faith into action, to make jihad, for this is the real meaning of jihad, to strive in the path of Allah, in putting our faith into action and not just mouthing pleasant or wise words.  For to be a shaheed, we must be willing to give our all of ourselves to the One who created us, Allah SWT.   Like Ibrahim, we must be willing to sacrifice everything, for all we have comes from Allah SWT and nothing comes from ourselves except our obedience, our submission.  To Die Like Hussein means to give all of ourselves to Allah SWT – both our death and more importantly, our life. 

Imam Baqir al Sadr (Rahim Allah) said,  A being is not measured except by what he gives to his ummah of his presence, his life and his thought.”  Rasul Allah SAW said that the only thing that distinguishes us is taqwa.  Taqwa comes from the root q-w-y- indicating strength and protection.  Taqwa is the firm hand hold mentioned by Allah SWT:

256. Let there be no compulsion
In religion: Truth stands out
Clear from Error: whoever
Rejects Evil and believes
In God hath grasped
The most trustworthy
Hand-hold, that never breaks.
And God heareth
And knoweth all things.

Taqwa is to cling to Allah SWT like a baby clings to its mother, with a “deadly” grip, for to let go is to surely die.

Shaheedina Baqir al-Sadr reminds us to give of our lives, and our efforts.  He mentions giving of “fikrihu” “ one’s thought.”  This includes our internal life, but also our external life.  We should give of the gifts Allah SWT has given us.  These include our skills and abilities.  For Sadrna, this was his ability to think, to reason, to teach and to contemplate the highest forms of knowledge.  For others, his ability could be business acumen, technical skill or scientific testing; her ability could be providing medical care, teaching youth or providing support to our emotions and efforts.  May Allah SWT bless Shaheedina’s son, Ja’afar for he has truly understood the meaning of these words.  He could have rested on the laurels of his father’s name and become an Ayatullah or Marja, but instead he assessed his own abilities and sacrificed the easy way out for a life in which he has committed himself to service of public in the political arena.  May Allah SWT continue to guide him and reward all of his efforts.

But Imam al-Sadr also mentions “Mawjudah” Presence.  What is this?  I admit I have not always been present.  My thoughts drift off, I day dream of what I could do or what the world should be like.  I sometimes spend more time dreaming than doing.  Perhaps it is compensation for feeling powerless, but Shaheedna spent every waking moment writing, sharing his thought, sharing his skills with this Ummah.  Have you ever seen a picture of him without his book?  Without his misbah?  Without a smile?  May Allah SWT reward him with Jennatul Firdaws.

He was always present.  He accomplished so much is his short 47 years because he was always present.  I have lived 4 more years than he, yet I feel I have accomplished so little – mostly because I have not always been present.  Though studying the life of this great shaheed, I understand what the Buddhists call living in the Now; what my old mentor, Dr. Smith meant when he said, “ Now Harder!”

So now I vow to Now Harder, to give of mawjudiyy, hayatiy, fikriy, and jihadiy, jihad in its true meaning of diligent striving in the path of Allah, putting our faith into action.  I vow to support the people of Syria in their quest for freedom from tyranny, from oppression.  I call upon all the ahl al bayt to join in this quest.  Loyalty to friends is important, there is not doubt, but when those so called friends disobey Allah SWT and follow the path of Hizbulshaytan, then we must enjoin what is right and forbid the evil they are doing.  The Prophet SAW reminds us that we must support each other when we do good and when we do evil.  When asked about this he explained, that to support one another when we do good is to encourage one another when we behave in a good manner, and to support one another when we do evil is to remind our erring brother and give him sound advice. 

Please brothers in Islam, children of the house, be the first to uphold the three great principles of Islam – Justice, Equality and Freedom!!!  If we have acted in a certain way in the past, Allah SWT will consider our intentions and we hope that He will see that we have always strove for justice, and if we need to change our position in order to continue to do so, then we should do so as quickly as we can to show that justice is always our goal.  Circumstances change, but our commitment to Islam should never change, except to grow stronger.  May Allah SWT always guide us to the straight path, the sirat al-mustaqim.

Let us all vow to Now Harder – Let us all vow to overcome injustice, to strive against this tyrant, Bashar, and Free the people of Syria!!

Labayyak Ya Ahl al Syria, Labayyak Allahuma Labayyak!

 

In the time of the Prophet, the Sahabi made baiyyah to Allah SWT and to His Rasul (SAW).  They made a commitment also to each other – the Ummah of Allah. 

We speak the words of the Kalimah – the Shahada – the Witness, but how many of us have actually pledged our hearts, our minds, our lives to Allah – to His Rasul, Muhammad SAW – and to His Ummah!

Without this surrendering of our souls to Allah and commitment to following the Sunnah of Rasul Allah, and the commitment to coming together as One Ummah, we are not Muslims – those who are at Peace with Allah.  We may not have to go out in the streets to gain our freedom, we may not have to face guns and bombs, but we can join our brothers and sisters all over this globe in one Ummah of Islam and make a commitment to follow the true teachings of Allah and His Prophet, putting our faith into action by watching our behavior, staying clear of sins and using the tool of tawbah repentance to gain closeness to Allah, and by helping the less fortunate in our community, working together with other people of faith to strive against immorality and forms of oppression.  This is the legacy of our Prophet SAW.    His Sunnah is surrender to Allah, is striving in the sabeel of Allah – putting our faith into action with only Allah’s pleasure as our intention, our niyyat, for no selfish reason – for Allah alone – for inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiuun.

Oh Allah I give you my life, I give you my love, I give you my soul!!

Bayyatu Allah Wa Bayyatu Rasul Allah Wa Bayyatu Ummatullah al-waahidah!

Allah Akbar!

Sources of the Sunnah

TRADITIONS OF THE PROPHET

In a previous post, we explored the nature and status of the Sunnah.  The Sunnah is defined by our scholars as the actions, practices, sayings and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.  The Sunnah of the Prophet is authoritative and a source of Shariah law in Islam because, like the Qur’an, it is founded on wahy or revelation.  As Aaisha RAA noted, the Prophet was a walking Qur’an, and his behavior was guided by Allah.  Both the Qur’an and the Sunnah make up the Kitab mentioned over and over in the Qur’an as a source of guidance to all mankind.

Al-Baqara 2:2. Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi hudan lilmuttaqeena

2. This is the Book; In it is guidance sure, without doubt, To those who fear God;

(Please note I have been unable to cut and paste in the Arabic for the verses of the Qur’an, so I am using the transliteration and translation of A Yusuf Ali’s translation available on the Hypertext Qur’an website:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/htq/index.htm.)

While there is no doubt that the Sunnah is authoritative, one must act how do we know the Sunnah today?  We have no direct experience of the Sunnah.  Unlike the Qur’an, which was recorded during the lifetime of the Prophet, and has been preserved for us in the musaahif, the Sunnah is not directly available.  All we have today are reports. 

The reports we have of the Sunnah come in a wide variety of forms.  We have hadith or traditional narrations, seerah literature (the biography of the Prophet SAW), tarikh or historical literature (such as at-Tabari), books of fiqh and law, and even folk tales.  These sources run the gamut from scholarly works with rigorous source checking to complete fantasies.  

So how can we access the Sunnah today?  Unfortunately we have to rely on these indirect sources of information.  Our understanding of the Sunnah is filtered by what people chose to record, what they felt was important in the past.  Our sources are also subject to the ravages of time, biases of opinion and corruption of bad memory.  

Obviously folk tales provide little in the way of certainty when it comes to reports about the Prophetic Sunnah, but what about the other sources?  Books of fiqh would seem to be a good source, but consider that the reports and narrations contained there in are being used to support a particular position in fiqh, and so the author has a vested interest in proffering the report.  Tarikh literature and seerah literature is also problematic in that it is not rigorously tested for authenticity.  

On thing is certain, when it comes to utilizing reports and narrations of the Prophetic Sunnah as a basis for Shariah Law, the reports and narrations must be unquestionably authentic.  They must be as certain as the Qur’an.  For this reason, the Hanafi madhdhab prefers only mutawatir hadith as valid for the purposes of deriving fiqh rulings.  Only reports that are narrated by numerous narrators, so numerous that they could not have agreed on a deceit, are accepted by the school of Abu Haneefah.  

What the Hanafi scholars then bring to the science of fiqh (usool al fiqh) is a position that only hadith literature is rigorous enough in sourcing and authenticity to be considered when deriving Shariah law.  Most of the other schools agree.  The most authentic source of the Prophetic Sunnah today is hadith literature.

That said, how do we know that a particular hadith is valid or sahih?  There are several minhaj or methodologies that scholars have posited.  One of the more modern criteria is that of Sheikh Albani (RA).  Although there are some who love to bash the Sheikh, this is unseemly in Islam.  He took on a great task, rahim Allah, and may Allah SWT reward him.  However, his minhaj is not the most complete.  

This is not only my own opinion, but was as the opinion of Sheikh Bin Baz and Sheikh Al-Uthaimin (RA).  Sheikh Albani used a sole criterion, the quality of the narrators, to judge whether a hadith was sahih.  He did not look at the matin or text, or any other aspect of the hadith.  If the narrators were adl or just, then the hadith was sahih.  

This is not an adequate criterion.  First, the list of narrators is as easily faked as is the matin.  Second, books of Rijal or narrators are biased.  Sunni books label all non-Sunni as liars, and Shia books label all non-Shia as liars.  Moreover, the matin may have defects or even contradict the Qur’an.  In short, many factors must be considered before labeling a hadith sahih.  Imam Al-Bukhaari looked at the narrators quality and whether they met one another, at whether the text contradicted the Qur’an, at whether the matin supported a sectarian position to too great an extent, whether there where hidden defects and other factors before including a hadith in his great book.  Imam Malik looked to agreement among the people of Madina before including a hadith in his Muwatta.  

In my humble opinion a narration must have the following characteristics to be sahih, and only a sahih hadith should be used for deriving fiqh.

1.      Reliable narrators – reliable as to character and as to memory.

2.      Narrators who actually met on another.

3.       If the hadith is regarding fiqh al-ibadaat (of worship), then the hadith should be narrated by many sahabi.  Things which should have been observable to many, should be reported by many.

4.      If the hadith is regarding fiqh al-mu’amalaat, then the hadith should be narrated by the number of sahabi one would expect to have observed or to have known about the issue given the nature of the issue.

5.      All the individuals involved in the hadith should be named by name.  In other words, it should not include hidden uncertainty, such as “fulan said” or “fulan asked.”  If the original narrator was actually there, he would know who “fulan” was.

6.      The matin should not conflict or contradict the Qur’an.

7.      The matin should be consistent with other accounts.

8.      The matin should make sense and be reasonable and realistic.

9.      Hadith promising huge rewards for miniscule efforts or huge punishments for minor infractions are automatically suspect.

10.  Matin that support particular sectarian groups, both Sunni and Shia should be rejected.

11.  Hadith predicting the so called khalifs are to be rejected, as are any predicting Imams.

12.  The hadith should be Prophetic hadith and not athar of the sahabi or tabi’in, being tauted as hadith. 

With these simple criteria we can wade through much of our hadith literature and have some comfort as to authenticity.  While there is no doubt that hadith are dzunni and not qati like the Qur’an, and so there is not the yaqin associated with the ruling derived from the Qur’an, it is still possible to utilize this source of Sunnah information to derive fiqh and aid our Ummah in putting our deen into practice. 

Sunnah is from wahy and is part of the Kitab of Allah.  We cannot abandon it, as some propose to do.  Those people who so propose ignore the revelatory nature of the Sunnah and the fact that our Prophet was a prophet.  

No doubt that the doors of ijtehad are not closed.  To close these doors is to kill our deen.  Our deen can only thrive in the light, the light of the present – nur al aan.  But those who exercise ijtehad understand that our law is derived from the wahy sent down by Allah SWT in His Kitab – the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and that if there is no express text, then we apply the due diligence of qiyas and mantiq under the guidance of the maqaasid al-Shariah to apply the law given the totality of our circumstances.

May Allah SWT forgive our faults and give us all guidance.

There is no god but Allah, and He can prove it! Part 1

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad

Allahu as-Samad

Lam Yulid wa Lam Yulad

Wa Lam yakun llahu kufuwan Ahad

(Surah Al-Ikhlas)

DOES GOD EXIST?

Years ago, the philosopher, Friedrich Neitzche announced that God was dead. (Istaghfirullah).  He did not mean so literally.  He meant that the influence of the belief in God on society was gone.  He was right.  Today, people are behaving in increasingly unethical ways.  They care little for others, or even for themselves.  Our lives may be longer, but they are even more nasty and brutish than at times in the past.  We have no families, no friends, nothing but endless work and wasted time.  We have a new religion of the self, with its sacrament of the "endless PARTY."  We have been come no more than hollow clay, sounding with endless bellowings of nonsense and petty, desperate noises.  We are barely human any more.

So one might wonder, with all this human misery, does God exist?  If Allah SWT gives us life, we may ponder the problem of evil and its answer from Allah SWT found in sural Al-Kahf, but today, we deal with the issue of existence - the metaphysical problem of proving the existence of God.

First, in investigating whether God exists, we must first define that which we are trying to prove.  Some claim that Jesus Christ - the Second of the Trinity - who sits on the Right Hand of God, being One Substance with the Father - is God, and that this God exists, This conception of "God," ie a tripartite being who had one part that created the universe, another that came and lived in it and then died and was reborn, and one part that is invisible and is a spirit, exists.    But do we all agree on this?  Not really? Some religions posits more than one "god."

Islam posits that Allah is a singularity without extension and duration, who is completely independent of any natural law, who has all knowledge, and who neither began nor will end. However, Christian philosophers have generally placed The Creator within His own Creation and within time, and made Him subject to natural laws. So even the "monotheistic" religions do not we agree on the definition of the term, "God?"

However, most seem to believe that this Supreme Being is infinite.  Christianity expresses this as His being Alpha and Omega.  Many Muslim and Jewish theologians have expressed similar views.  Allahu says that He is "Asr."  Asr can mean time, but it can also mean the "middle" so that He has no beginning nor end, no bounds or limits.  He is not subject to time, or to extension.  He does not exist in any place and cannot be physically delimited. So is Allah infinitely big, is He the universe in some sort of pantheistic manner?  Or ... is He, as the Qur'an mentions, ahad, singular, having no extension, a singularity?  Allah SWT is reported to have said that He is Witr - singular. 

Leaving that issue aside for now, we can also ask - is He all-powerful, all-knowing?  Does He have complete foreknowldge of the future?  Does He control everything?  Do we, then, have free will?  If we have free will, does this somehow limit His power?

Well, these are some of the endless debates we humans have had over the years.  If Allah SWT gives us life, we can explore them in terms of Allah's own answers in the Qur'an, but for now we move on to something we might be more able to agree upon.

As I said, we all seem to agree that this Divine Being, if He exists is all powerful.  We also seem to agree that He has the power to create us, and that we do not have the power to create ourselves.  We agree He is greater than us, whatever "greater" means.  We are finite beings.  We at least have a beginning and are all created.  Even if we believe in an afterlife and that the hereafter will not end, we still acknowledge we begin and that God does not.  So even if we posit some kind of greater version of us, we can agree that God is greater and that he has no beginning nor end, and that He can create and that He is all powerful.

So, does this Being exist?  Can we prove it?

PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

Mankind has devised various proofs for the existence of God.  Plato considered logic and proposed that there must be an ultimate first principle, and that this ultimate first principle must be The First Principle.  He dared not call this God, because his teacher, Socrates, had been forced to drink hemlock for positing a single god.  (This belief was considered heresy and Socrates was convicted of "corrupting the youth" of Athens).   Aristotle, Plato's student, looked to the apparent veracity of causation to posit an Unmoved Mover. Much later, Descartes considered his own ability to think as proof of his own existence, and since he could not have created himself, nor his concept of a being greater than him, there must be a God.  The Catholic church father, Augustine, also posited some proofs of God, one of which is inductive, but fails to be very compelling. (More on this in a minute).  But all of these attempts to prove God's existence fail.

Plato and Aristotle both fail because they really have not proved anything.  All they have said is that there cannot be an infinite regress, ad infinitum, as they say. There cannot be an infinite regress of either first principles or causes in a causal chain.  But this is an assumption that cannot really be proved.  We have yet to be able to prove such a thing via experiential evidence, and such a thing cannot be proved by logic.  Here is why.

THE JOYS OF MANTIQ

 As human beings, we experience in two different ways.  We have sensations that arise due to the agency of the so-called five senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. We also experience propositional attitudes.  These include concepts (tasawir) and assents (tasdiq).  Concepts or tasawir are either possible or impossible.  For example, a cat is certainly a possible creature, and many individual examples exist in nature.  A unicorn is also possible, after all it is possible to have a horse with a horn in the middle of its head even if no individual unicorns exist in nature.

These are all possible concepts, but humans can imagine impossible concepts, like "round squares."  How do we do this?  No one will ever see a round square.  The definitions of "round" and "square" conflict in such a way as to be a contradiction - literally something that is contra or against the diction or saying.  So people can imagine impossible things, but is this really imagination or merely juxtaposing two conflicting concepts, what we sometimes call an "oxymoron."  "Military intelligence" is an oxymoron, and so are "round squares."  We cannot actually imagine round squares. 

This leads us to the next factor we must consider; actuality or potentiality.  Are concepts, tasawir, actual?  At any given moment in time, individual cats may be actual, but the concept "cat" is merely potential.  There is no "cat", only actual individual cats.  However when we see this symbol  ^..^  you will probably recognize it.  Plato called these tasawir "forms."  The forms are the essential aspect that makes a thing that kind of thing.  Allah SWT calls these "Asma."

Surah al-Baqara
2:31 And He taught Adam the names
Of all things (al-asma kullaha); then He placed them
Before the angels, and said: "Tell Me
The nature of these if ye are right."

32. They said: "Glory to Thee: of knowledge
We have none, save what Thou
Hast taught us: in truth it is Thou
Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."

33. He said: "O Adam! tell them
Their names (bi asmaaihi)." When he had told them,
God said: "Did I not tell you
That I know the secrets of heaven
And earth, and I know what ye reveal
And what ye conceal?"

So the forms or asmaa are real but they are only potential, in other words, they are not actualized until there exists in the universe, within Creation, a creature of that form.  I use the word creature here on purpose, for it is a thing that is "created."  And as a creature, the actualized asmaa has extension (the three dimensions of space) and duration (the fourth dimension of time).

However, a creature may be present in the universe, within creation and still have a degree of potentiality.  It may exist but not be fully actual.  Leaving aside what it is to exist, we can see that a creature within creation is partially actual and partially potential, for if it was fully potential, it would not be within creation.  As for being fully actual, only at the very moment of one's death, does one fulfill every potential as to extension and duration and become fully actual.  Ironic, huh.

However, tasawir are only the forms themselves, the concepts, and not any assertions made about them. So a unicorn is a horse with a horn, but to say that this is possible, impossible, actual or potential is an assertion, an assent, a tasdiq. Assents or tasdiq are either true or false. Hence, the tasdiq, "Unicorns are possible," is either true or false, the same as "My cat, Onxy, is actual."

Now, if we want to prove an assent, such as “Onyx is black,” we could use experiential observation.  We could use our senses to observe Onyx and determine if he has a color, and if that color is what is called, “black.”  But our senses could be fooling us.  Are they really reliable?  After all, some people have red/green color blindness and see both colors as the same.  So our senses can deceive us, but even if we assume that we are seeing correctly, does our observation of the color black really prove “Onyx is black.”?To prove that a tasdiq is either true or false requires logic.

Logic is a tree with two branches.  One branch is deductive logic, the other is inductive logic.  Let's start with induction, since most people are familiar with it.  Induction is the kind of logic we use in science, the so-called scientific method.  We look at particular and discrete events of a similar nature and then extrapolate a general thesis from them.  So:

1.      Swan A is white

2.      Swan B is white

3.      Swan C is white

4.      ……

5.      Swan Z is white

Therefore:  All swans are white.

The problem is that we cannot examine every single swan that has ever and will ever exist, and it is completely possible for swans to be black.  (In reality, there are black swans).  Nothing in the definition of swan as a concept precludes them being a particular color.

"Onxy, is a cat," however, requires another kind of logic.  Here we need to know the definition of the tasawir, "cat," and then observe if Onxy meets that definition. So if we want to deductively prove "Onxy, is a cat," we would do so in the following manner.

1. Cats are mammals that have triangle shaped ears, long whiskers, rough tongues, and that make vocalizations that sound like, "meow."
2. Onyx is a mammal that has triangle shaped ears, long whiskers, a rough tongue, and that makes vocalizations that sound like, "meow.
Therefore:  Onyx is a cat.


However, not all tasdiq are so concrete.  Some are quite abstract, such as the assents of mathematics or of logic itself.  In logic, assents that are the result of experience are called a posteriori.  Those that are abstract and do not require experience are called a priori concepts, because they are capable of being apprehended “prior” to experience.  Among these a priori statements are those that are so fundamental that they must be necessarily true.  We cannot imagine a scenario where they would not be true.  They are overwhelmingly compelling as to their veracity.  These are called first principles, and they form the bed rock of logic.  However, they are fundamentally unprovable.  

Take the most fundamental first principle in math – a = a.  How would you prove this?  It is not possible because there is nothing to prove it with.  This is the most fundamental tasdiq there is.  A thing must be itself, identity, but we cannot prove it logically.  Instead, we take the leap of faith and assume it.  The only thing more fundamental would be “a.” And this “a” would not be a tasdiq, for it is not an assent, but a bare tasawir.  Hmmm remember this.  Remember that tasawir are, sui species, either possible or impossible, and if possible, fully potential; and as individuals, either fully actual or partially actual and partially potential.

So, what about Allah SWT?  In shaa llah, if Allah SWT gives us life, we will continue in the second part of this post.

Islamic Resistance to Oppression

 Islamic Non-Violent Methods for Achieving Change

5:28. "If thou dost stretch thy hand
Against me, to slay me,
It is not for me to stretch
My hand against thee
To slay thee: for I do fear
God, the Cherisher of the Worlds.

Allah SWT tells us that Abel said these words to his brother Cain/Cabel, just before Cabel killed him.  Some Muslims have used these words to support the use of non-violent methods for achieving change and for achieving peace.

Our religion, Islam, is portrayed by the media as the greatest source of violence and war.  But is it?  Islam is the imperative form of the root SLM, carrying the connotation of ceasing hostilities.  In fact, Islam is the greatest proponent of non-violence., if we only understood.

Marking the 10^th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001, leaders of all faiths, including Islam called for Interfaith dialogue, but not just the weak-kneed version we have seen in the past, where we politely do not mention points of difference and we all pretend to tolerate each other, but a real dialogue, built on a foundation of real respect for each other as human beings.  From this foundation, we can then get on to the real business of fighting the real enemy that is destroying that humanity, the real source of violence, oppression and pain – Shaytan.

All religions are essentially the same.  Allah SWT reminds us in the Qur’an that the only Deen with Allah is Islam.  All true deens come from the same source and have the same message – that there is one Source of All Creation, that there is a life after this one, and that we are held account for our actions.  Surah al-Fatiha teaches us that there three kinds of people:  those whom Allah has bestowed His guidance and grace, those with whom Allah SWT is wrath, and those who have gone astray.  As for those whom Allah has guided, Allah SWT reminds us:

Al-Maida, 5:48. 51 To thee We sent the Scripture
In truth, confirming
The scripture that came
Before it, and guarding it's
In safety: so judge
Between them by what
God hath revealed,
And follow not their vain
Desires, diverging
From the Truth that hath come
To thee. To each among you
Have We prescribed a Law
And a Minhaj, a set of principles or criteria for extracting legal rules from the Shariah legislation.
If God had so willed.
He would have made you
A single Ummah, but (His
Plan is) to test you in what
He hath given you: so strive for the best.
The goal of you all is to God;
It is He that will show you
The truth of the matters
In which ye dispute;

Al-Ankabut: 29:46. And dispute ye not
With the People of the Book,
Except with means better
(Than mere disputation), unless
It be with those of them
Who oppress (and cause harm or injury):
But say, "We believe
In the Revelation which has
Come down to us and in that
Which came down to you;
Our God and your God
Is One; and it is to Him
We bow (in Islam)."

Surah al Baqarah first identifies two groups of people, those who are “believers” and those who are “non-believers.”  Believers are any one who not only holds a belief in a divine being, but also those who have a firm commitment to behave ethically.  

 In Surah Al-Baqara, Ayat 62, Allah Says:

“Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews and those who are Christians and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.”

The Real Meaning of Jihad

However, belief is not enough; belief requires ethical action.  In Islam, ethical action is called jihad. 

Jihad does not mean “holy war” or “violent action” as some media people and even some Muslims allege.  Jihad means to strive, to make an effort, to be diligent and persistent in one’s actions.  And Jihad fi Sabillillah means to exert effort, to strive for the Pleasure of Allah SWT in the righteous manner He has prescribed for us.  

We need to reclaim this term from those who at the whisperings of Shaytan, have hijacked and distorted its true meaning.  Jihad – to strive to put our faith into ethical action is Fard al-Ayn – incumbent upon every Muslim, not just incumbent on the Community.  Every Muslim must be diligent in putting into practice the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet – to engage in Jihad of the Body, Jihad of the Mind and Jihad of the Soul. 

Jihad of the Soul involves Ibaadaat – worship, dhikr or remembrance of Allah and wird or spiritual development of the soul from a nafs amr bi su to a nafs lawwammah to nafs al-mutmayeenah.  .   

Jihad of the Mind or Aql involves study of the deen and testifying to the truth of this deen to others (what we call dawah. We may think we know this deen because we learned it from so and so.  But do we really know it?  How many of us study books of great knowledge or study with some of the great shuyuk we are blessed to have in this area?  Are we really studying or are we attending lectures so we can socialize with friends or are we memorizing and parroting the lectures of so and so in an effort to show off.  What is our niyat?   

Finally, Jihad of the Body involves not military service but service to the humanity, any form of service to the humanity.  Military service only becomes necessary if all other efforts fail and our deen itself is at risk.  Fighting for any other reason than protecting the deen itself is haram.  

On the other hand, community service such as volunteering, helping others through physical effort, building houses, hospitals, community centers and so on are the most important forms of physical Jihad, for if we are diligent in these efforts, our communities will only view us in the best of lights. 

We have grossly neglected this form of Jihad. How many Muslims live in our area?  If we were all more diligent in serving the poor, homeless, needy and sick of our area how much more support would we have from that community.  Instead, we think throwing money at causes is all that is needed. Or worse yet, any time we are asked to do anything, we ask “how much will you pay me?” Our neighbors cannot relate to a dollar bill.  They need a real human face with a name and a history.  They need you – Mohammad, Fatimah, Aisha and Umar – they need a real person to reach out a hand to them and give them that human touch. 

Islam Advocates Peace, Not War

 

 Why do they hate Muslims?  Why is it so easy to get people to think we are all violent terrorists?  Because we are not human – we are faceless lumps of flesh or meaningless dollar bills.  But when we make a commitment to real jihad, we must sacrifice our time and effort to help others and to provide them with a face – a human being.  Then, they will be able to see through the propaganda spewing out against us and know that it is false

Allah SWT has said:

al- Hujurat  49: 13. O mankind! We created
You from a single (pair)
Of a male and a female,
And made you into
Nations and tribes, that
Ye may know each other
(Not that ye may despise
(Each other). Verily
The most honoured of you
In the sight of God
Is (he who is) the most
Righteous of you.
And God has full knowledge
And is well acquainted
(With all things).

---

 

---

 

To be a believer is to acknowledge that there is no one worthy of worship other than the one who created us, the one we, in Islam, call Allah SWT, and to submit our whole selves to that One, and in doing so, to commit ourselves to action – to Jihad – to striving by putting our faith into action in our lives.  Every Prophet has brought this message – every one, and even if we people have added or embellished this message with bidah, the message remains to be discovered amongst the clutter.  Believers are those who recognize this message wherever we find it and who encourage each other to keep seeking the guidance, while respecting Allah’s method for doing so.  These are those who have what Allah SWT calls “al-nafs al-mutmainnah” The soul at peace with Allah SWT. 

 

Our fate is with Allah, and we are in the best of hands.  Believers should encourage one another and remind each other to seek guidance, and to keep up the effort of diligent ethical action.

  

Al-Asr:  1 By the Asr,

2 Lo! man is a state of loss,

3 Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.

Allah SWT in Surah Al – Fatiha mentions a third group of people besides “believers” and “non-believers”.  They are in Jahilliyyah –  they are those Allah refers to as Al-Doollayn, those who are astray. 

2:8 And of mankind are some who say: We believe in Allah and the Last Day, when they believe not.

9 They think to beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves; but they perceive not.

10 In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increaseth their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie. 

44:38. We created not
The heavens, the earth,
And all between them,
Merely in (idle) sport:

39. We created them not
Except for just ends:
But most of them
Do not understand.

This group makes up the majority of humanity.  This group has some belief, but it is weak and their hearts are easily swayed, like a feather on the wind.  

Allah SWT says:  La ikraha fi deen.  There is no compulsion in religion.  We cannot force such people to recognize the truth.  All we can do is convey the message and let Allah provide them guidance and conversion of their hearts toward Him.  The word “qalb” in Arabic means a thing that oscillates or turns.   Sometimes it does the right thing and sometimes it does wrong.  As Allah tells us, during the day these people say they are with you and at night they say they are with the non-believers.  They delude themselves.  They are in denial.  They believe themselves to be the most pious, but they often cause great pain and harm.  Allah SWT says their hearts have a disease.  

The core of true dialogue is the recognition that we are all human!! We are all human!! We are not gods, or angels, or jinn, we are men and women!! And we are created by Allah  SWT in the best shape –

As Muslims, we should want the best for all of humanity.  We should not want to be separated from any person.  But most of us want to feel some how special, better, - above the rest, whether it be by knowledge, wealth, lineage or power or something.  Allah says the only thing that distinguishes us with Him is taqwa – the strength with which we grasp His handhold.  Taqwa is a hard term to define, but if we imagine the way in which a child clings to its parent.  Many of you have children.  Consider then how strong is a baby’s grip.  It seems to be stronger than steal.  So should be our grasp of Allah’s handhold.  Like desperate children, we should cling on with all of our might. And we should be so focused on that, that we have no time to worry about the position of others.  In fact, the best way to maintain our hold is to work together.  The more we cling to each other, support one another, the more secure will be our handhold.

And as believers, we should secure our handhold, cling together, support one another and then reach out to those who are in ignorance and pain.  They are suffering and often do not know it.  Their hearts have a disease, they are sick, and if we have the least amount of compassion in our hearts, we should seek ONLY for their recovery – their return to health – of the heart, not for their death wherein they will have no chance, no hope of the forgiveness and mercy of Allah.

Allah SWT created us from Turab – our bodies have the same components as clay – dirt and water.  Then He breathed His Ruh into us.  We know but little of the Ruh, but we are told that it comes from Allah and is in all things, even the rocks have Ruh.  Then the malaikah come while we are in the wombs and place the nafs into the body.  This is the soul that most of us think of when we think of ourselves.  Allah then has given us tools with which to come nearer to Him and with which to reach real Peace  - aql and qalb.  The intellect and the heart – this is the Zulfiqar – the real double edged sword with which to fight Satan.  The intellect provides reason and helps us distinguish right from wrong, benefit from harm.  It helps us cut through surface appearance to sell the real consequences of actions.  The qalb is the seat of our free will, and guided by reason, it can turn voluntarily toward Allah SWT.  But most, as we mentioned, have nafs that blows in the wind, and so to their hearts.  They turn this way and that, and have no peace or serenity.

To those in whose hearts is a disease, we must convey to them the message of how to be at ease.  And this is by surrendering to Allah SWT in Islam.  We must provide examples for them, and try to put Islam in to practice so they will have a tangible reminder of the benefit.  They will see the so-called happiness of the life of this world and compare it to the real happiness, satisfaction and contentment of a life in surrender to Allah, and they will be able to make the choice.  And it is for Allah SWT to guide them to the right choice, and for us to convey the message.  And for ourselves, we must commit to changing our hearts ourselves – to turn fully to Allah SWT and stop blowing in the wind.

 Kufaar: The Real War-mongers

Finally, Surah al Baqarah mentions “non-believers.”  They are described as those who reject, who disrespect the beliefs of others.  What is the meaning of the word, “kufaar?”  To cover, to reject, to show the ultimate disrespect to Allah SWT and to humanity.  It is such people with whom Allah SWT is wrath.

al-Baqarah 2:6 As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not.

7 Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom.

How do believers deal with these people?  Allah SWT says that it is these people with whom He is wrath.  He is angry with them.  We know that Allah is Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.  He forgives us – He is Ghafar.  But these people have incurred Allah’s anger.  They commit dhulm.  Dhulm comes from a root meaning darkness, obscurity – it is the cloud of oppression and injustice.  And such people are unjust to Allah by committing shirk, by being so ungrateful to this generous being who created us all that they actually worship other things, or worse, themselves, and unjust to mankind by oppressing them, and unjust to themselves by dooming themselves to the hell fire by their rejection, disrespect and oppression.

Islam and the Most Effective Means for Change

 

Many today of all religions are proponents of non-violence means of effecting change.  So what does that mean?  Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of the modern non-violence movement, said that non-violence is not pacifism, it is active, it requires diligence.  Allah SWT abhors violence as well.  He speaks of the punishment of those who commit dhulm and hirabah in the land as being severe – in this world and the hereafter.  However, Allah SWT gives us a clue as to why He permits violence to occur.

Al- Hajj: 22:39 Permission is given to fight for those who have been wronged; and Allah is indeed Able to give them victory;

40 Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty –

Many in the non-violence movement have removed all violence from the table.  Even some who call themselves Muslims have fallen into this practice and have encouraged pacifism.  However, Allah SWT always leaves resort to violence on the table, for to not do so would be to allow those who are not believers, who do not respect others, to cause unbearable harm to all of creation.

There is a potent argument for understanding the hikmah or wisdom behind Allah’s permission to resorting to violence in extreme situations:

·  Because Allah SWT sees things from the perspective of alleviating the suffering of ALL sentient beings, from mosquitoes to men, His decisions are influenced by concerns that most of us normally ignore or do not fully understand.

·  If one person can be shown to be the cause of thousands of human deaths, and considering the collateral suffering in the surviving families, then one needs to consider whether or not that suffering can be contained by taking the life of the murderer. It's consistent with the ideal of  "alleviating suffering," by alleviating the sum total of suffering on the planet.

·  There is the further point that killing a person who commits dhulm saves him, in fact, from accumulating further sin associated with the extreme hatred and murder that defined his life. In the Islamic context, we recall the story in Surah al Kahf where Khidr kills a child.  He does so because he was given knowledge that the child would grow up to be evil.  In killing him, he not only relieves his parents from the pain this sinful child would cause them, but he prevents the child from ruining his soul and ending up in hell fire.

·  The real question here is the niyat, the intention, and that is where we often fall short. The same action undertaken out of two different motivations is two different actions. If we fight out of anger and hatred, we follow the path of Cabel and will share his fate; and if we fight out of real love of Allah, and compassion toward one another to prevent further suffering, then we follow the path of Allah and act as His servants.    

Our sahabi provide us with a vivid example of people who fought out of love and compassion, not out of hate.  And certainly, the Prophet’s cousin and grandson, Ali and Husayn, were motivated by their tremendous love of Allah, of his Prophet, and of his Ummah.  What else could have propelled Husayn toward Karbalaa’ other than love and compassion and a firm desire to prevent further suffering, further fitnah.

Allah SWT has told us fitnah is worse than qatl – it is worse than murder.

So is Islam the religion of violence as some suggest – the answer is resoundingly ‘NO!.”  We are in fact the religion of true non-violence – the very name of our religion is the emphatic form of the word peace.  Islam is a call to Peace – not just the absence of hostilities, but the ceasing of hostilities, and the reconciliation between Allah and mankind, and the Communion of all mankind with its Lord.  We should be proud of our deen.  We should be proud to call ourselves Muslims – those who are at peace!

If I have said any good, then it is from Allah Alone, and if I have made any mistakes, they are my own and I ask Allah to forgive me.  I ask you all to forgive my many faults.

I remind myself and all of your of that world where we were all gathered before Allah SWT, for we were alive before this world, and in that previous world He asked us “A Laisa Rabbakum – Aren’t I your Lord – and we answered Anta Rabbiyy – You are our Lord!

When He gathers us again, may He forgive us all and gather us all with our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW in the Jennatul Firdaws.

Allahumma, aghfi lilmuslimeen wa almuslimaat, wa almu’mineen wa almu’minaat il-ahyaa’a minhum wa al-amwaat, innaka sami’u qareebun mujeebu udda’awaat.