Islam – The Other American Religion: Dispelling Fears and Exploring Possibilities (Part 1)

(Originally Published on AMCIPS Website)


And I should like to assure you, my Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this Center, this place of worship, is just as welcome as could be a similar edifice of any other religion. Indeed, America would fight with her whole strength for your right to have here your own church and worship according to your own conscience. This concept is indeed a part of America, and without that concept we would be something else than what we are.

Dwight D. Eisenhower  [1]

      On September 11^th, 2010, America marked the 9^th anniversary of a tragedy that has impacted so many lives around the globe.  Of the thousands that died in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, around 32 were Muslims.[2]  Some first responders were also Muslim.[3]  Many of those serving on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan are Muslim.[4]  President George W. Bush urged America not to blame her Muslim citizens for the terror inflicted by those who sought to distort a religion to suit their own agenda.  But now those with their own agendas and tastes for power have preyed upon those distortions and invented some of their own.  In typical “divide and conquer” fashion, they seek to paint Islam as an ideology and not a religion, thus stripping it of its First Amendment protection.   People who coin words like “Jihadists” and “Islamofascists” are crossing the country in an effort to allegedly “protect” our nation by agitating for legislation banning the building of mosques and prohibiting the enforcement of Islamic religious law or Shariah in America. [5]  While Muslims have exercised their First Amendment rights by requesting religious accommodations in workplaces, schools and other institutions, and they have sought out resolution of their disputes through Islamic arbitration, no Muslim advocates imposing Shariah law on non-Muslims and Islam expressly forbids Muslims to do so.

Websites abound where “good, law-abiding, upholders of the Constitution” can circumvent that same Constitution by campaigning to criminalize one of humanity’s great religions.[6]  Islam has faced crusades and religious bigotry in the past, but no Christian soldier ever doubted its religious credentials or the faithful sincerity of its practitioners. 

America did not always feel this way about Islam.  When he established a non-denominational meeting house, Benjamin Franklin commented “even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.”[7]  How did America come to have such a negative impression of Islam; how did Americas come to believe that banning mosques or preventing the enforcement of Islamic Shariah law among Muslims would somehow protect the Constitution?  Despite that fact that all of us are immigrants, - even native people immigrated to America over a land bridge - we often forget our own histories, our own “foreignness” in this land of diversity.  Perhaps if Americans understood that Islam is not foreign to these shores and that this religion of 1.6 billion people is not so strange or exotic as many believe, they would be more open to building inclusive communities, rather than building walls to separate us.

Islam is an American Religion

Western civilization, with its emphasis on science and reason, owes its birth to Islam.   The Spanish Muslim scholar Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, preserved the writings of Plato and Aristotle, enabling Western scholars to rediscover the logic and reason that allowed Europe to come out of the Dark Ages and enter the light of the Renaissance.  Islamic civilization also gave us the “suq” or check; the world’s first negotiable instrument that allowed a merchant to sell his goods in Spain and transfer the payment to his account in India, without having to lug the heavy gold or silver coinage across the thousands of miles in between.  Medicine, astronomy, chemistry, geography, biology all owe debts to Muslim scholars who preserved ancient texts and expanded the scope of knowledge through experiment and research.  All of these scientific explorations are based on the command of Allah found in the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, to seek knowledge.

Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth,
And the alternation of Night and Day,—
There are indeed Signs for men of understanding,—[8]

Pre Columbian Presence

Many were the Ways of Life that have passed away before you:

Travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those
Who rejected Truth.[9]

Spurred on by this emphasis on traveling to acquire knowledge, Islam’s presence in the New World may even predate that of the followers of Christ.  The earliest record any one can find of Muslims visiting America comes from Sung Dynasty records in China.  Mentioned in the publication of the Khotan Amiers in 1933, the records indicate a visit by Muslim sailors to “Mu Lan Pi” in 1178 CE.  Aramco World reported on evidence of visits as early as 942 AD from the Annual of Mas’udi.  Records in Mali also indicate visits by Malian sailors in the 1300s, 192 years before Columbus sailed in 1492.  [10]

And Muslim Arabs and their advanced knowledge of navigation aided Columbus in his voyage of discovery.  Arabs were the greatest navigators of the time, having sailed the farthest from European shores, and they did not believe the world was flat.  The Qur’an states:

 “The Earth is spherical.” [11]

Columbus also used a navigation book prepared by Portuguese Muslims, eighty muhajirun or explorers who set sail out of Lisbon during the reign of the Murabit amir, Yusuf ibn Tashufin. 

Muslims also explored my home state of Arizona.  Isfahan, a Moroccan from Azamor, traveled first with Panfilo de Narvaez to Florida in 1527; and then with the famous Father Marcos De Niza, to Arizona and New Mexico.  [12]

Colonial Acceptance

The American Colonies were founded on the bed rock of religions freedom.  We all know the story of the Puritans and Pilgrims who came here fleeing religions persecution in Europe.  They accepted not only co-religionists of other denominations, but people of different faith traditions as well. In 1776, John Adams published "Thoughts on Government," in which he praised the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a "sober inquirer after truth" alongside Confucius, Zoroaster, Socrates, and other thinkers. [13]

 In his autobiography, Jefferson wrote "[When] the [Virginia] bill for establishing religious freedom... was finally passed, … a singular proposition proved that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word 'Jesus Christ,' so that it should read 'a departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion.' The insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend within the mantle of its protection the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination." ^[14] While President, Jefferson also participated in one of the first Presidential iftar dinners with the Ambassador of Tunisia in 1809.

The Founding Fathers of America not only accepted Islam, they embraced aspects of it.  The Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, most commonly known as the “Shriners,” and tracing its “lineage to the “Grand Shaykh” of Mecca and to Sufism.” [15]  All Shriners must be members of the fraternal organization known as the Freemasons;  our first President, George Washington, held the highest rank of the order, that of Master Mason. [16]

Early Americans not only paid recognition to the spiritual aspects of Islam, they also acknowledged its legal contributions.  On the façade of the Supreme Court building, the sculptor, Adolph A. Weinman, included Prophet Muhammad among eighteen of Mankind’s great lawgivers.  While the Qur’an specifically prohibits any graven images and Muslim, therefore, detest any depiction on any prophet, the message that our Founding Fathers were trying to convey is that Islamic Law – the Shariah – is one of the world’s great attempts to hold back the forces of chaos and provide for a “written law as a force for stability in human affairs.” [17]

Of course, our Founding Fathers also founded a nation, and some of America’s first international treaties were with Muslim states. While some have tried to erroneously paint the Barbary pirates as forerunners of today’s Al-Qaeda, “evidence abounds that neither the pirates nor the Americans considered religion central to their conflict.” [18]  The Barbary Wars were a series of battles fought between the United States and the Berber states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunis and Tripoli (now Libya).  Previous to her independence, American shipping had been protected by British treaties with the Barbary States.  Upon her declaration of independence, America realized her shipping would be at risk and sought a new protector in France.  But, after the September 3, 1783 British treaty recognizing American independence, the fledgling nation was on its own. [19]  The series of treaties negotiated between America and the Barbary States reveal not only that America had become a legitimate power on the world stage, but that she recognized the legitimacy of Islamic states as well.

Muslims not only were present on American shores, but they contributed to the building of Colonial America, including New York and Manhattan Island.  One early Muslim emigrant was Anthony Janzoon van Salee. Born in Spain in 1603, he immigrated to New Netherland (the old name of New York) and established a farm on Manhattan Island in 1638.  In fact, he was one of the original settlers of Manhattan.  By 1639, he was one of the largest landowners on the Island.  Following numerous legal disputes, including with the church, Anthony was ordered to leave New Netherland, but on appeal to the Dutch West India Company, he was allowed to settle on 200 acres in what would become New Utrecht and Gravesend, Brooklyn. This made him one of the largest and most prominent landholders on Long Island. In 1643 he purchased a house on Bridge Street in New Amsterdam, in defiance of the court order restricting him from so doing. He would go onto become a successful merchant and creditor in New Amsterdam, while owning several properties throughout the region.[20]

Unrequited Assimilation

The image of the American melting pot is no longer valid or appropriate. A melting pot can only produce a flavorless, colorless gruel.  America today is a salad.  All the vibrant colors, smells, tastes and varieties of a multitude of ethnicities, cultures and nations gather.  It is the American “dressing,” that intangible dream that brings out the greatness in each of us and ultimately unites us all.[21]

Not only have Muslims contributed to the building of American society, they are, in fact, American.  Alexander Russell Webb (1846-1916) is considered by historians to be the earliest prominent Anglo-American convert to Islam in 1888. In 1893 he was the only person representing Islam at the first Parliament for the World's Religions.  Born in Hudson, New York, and raised a Presbyterian Christian, Webb was appointed as United States Consul to the Philippines by President Grover Cleveland.  He notes that, “There is no religions system known to humanity that is and has been for centuries, so grossly misrepresented and thoroughly misunderstood … as that taught by the Prophet of Islam.”  “It is the only system known to man that is strictly in harmony with reason and science.  It is free from degrading superstitions, and appeals directly to human rationality and intelligence.”  [22]

The majority of Muslim Americans born on these shores came from more humble origins than Mr. Webb; many were slaves.  Omar ibn Sayyid was trained in the religious sciences and in the Arabic language in this homeland in West Africa. Enslaved in North Carolina, he wrote his memoirs in 1831.  [23]  Sold for a couple of hundred dollars, “Mahometans” would act strangely, singing a “melancholy song,” praying and observing silence – an early description of Islamic prayers. Charles Ball, a non-Muslim slave, wrote that he was accompanied by “the man who prayed five times a day, and at the going down of the sun, he stopped and prayed aloud in our hearing, in a language I did not understand.” [24] Around 20% of American slaves were Muslims from West Africa.[25] Their Arabic phrases, singing traditions, and food preferences have contributed to words like algebra, and musical forms like the Blues, as well as to our taste for mashed potatoes, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, rice, and peanuts.

Later immigrants came to work and some even came for government service.  Hi Jolly, (a corruption of his Arab name, Hajj Ali, indicating he had made the pilgrimage to Mecca), came from Syria in 1856 as part of a U.S. Army program to use camels as pack animals.[26]  His tombstone in Quartzite, Arizona reads, “The last camp of Hi Jolly, born somewhere in Syria around 1828, died at Quartzite December 16, 1902.  Came to this country in February 10, 1856. Camel-driver – packer – scout – over thirty years a faithful aid to the U.S. government.”[27]

It is not certain when the first mosque was built in America.  A mosque was built on Kent Island, Maryland in the 1730’s.  Another early mosque was built in Michigan City, Indiana in 1914 and still another was established in 1917 in Biddeford, Maine.[28]  This mosque was established by Albanian immigrants who came to work in local paper mills.[29] The first permanent structure built specifically as a mosque was constructed in Ross, North Dakota in 1929.  The oldest surviving purpose-built mosque was completed in 1934 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Called the Mother Mosque of America, it still serves the Muslim Community today.[30]

Mosque building reflects the desire of Muslim immigrants to become American, to put down roots on these shores.  The Qur’an says:

            (They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer nd give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.[31]

Muslims built mosques because they believed that America was their home.

            However, the aspirations of Muslims to become Americans have mostly gone unrequited. At the opening of the 20^th Century, America was keen to prove that it was a full-fledged nation.  The World’s Fair held in St. Louis attracted representatives from 53 countries.  Two native Syrians, Ernest Hamwi and Abe Doumar set up a stall to sell souvenirs.  Doumar was selling holy water from the Jordan River in conical containers, and Hamwi was selling zalabia or jelebis, a kind of syrup covered pastry.  When an ice-cream merchant ran out of plates, Doumar concocted conical shaped pastries – creating the first ice cream cone.[32]  Despite the efforts of men like Doumar and Hamwi, or the hundreds of Arab and Muslim Americans such as Paul Anka and Casey Kasem (Kamal Amin Kasem), both Lebanese Christians, and Jamie Farr (Jameel Joseph Farah), Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury), Edward Said, and Queen Noor, who have become American icons, Muslims of any nationality are now seen as “foreign” and their culture as incompatible with that of America. 

            In 1921, in an effort the stem the tide of emigrants flooding the country following WWI and the fall of the both the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, the Congress passed the National Origins Act preventing immigration from all but a few Northern and Western European countries. The Act excluded all Asian immigrants and for the first time, placed limits on immigration from Canada or Latin America. “It capped entrants from any country at 2 percent of all persons born there who were counted by the 1890 census. The most generous quotas went to northern and western Europe, from which relatively few immigrants came, at the expense of Slavic and Mediterranean nations, where there was great pressure to migrate.” [33]  The Patriot Act is the latest in laws adversely impacting immigration from Muslim countries.  Despite our shared history, over the years, Muslims have gotten the picture that they are not truly welcome here.

            The picture got even clearer in the 1970’s.  Muslim immigration increased dramatically during this period.  The neighborhoods of Dearborn and Ann Arbor soon became predominately Arab.  This influx was fueled by politics.  In the age of the Cold War, dictators found support as the U.S. and The Soviet Union fought a proxy battle over the Middle East.  The resulting turmoil caused Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, Iraqis and Iranians to flee and seek asylum in the U.S.  Increasing turmoil between Pakistan and India, along with the lack of economic opportunities, fueled the South Asian Muslim Diaspora as well. 

But, the turmoil of the 1970’s also fueled stereotypes and hate.  “Afraid of being targeted by neighbors or strangers, many Arab-Americans changed their names: Farid became “Fred”; Mohammed became “Mo.”[34]  John Abourezk, the first U.S. Congressman of Arab American descent, opined that, “racism against Arabs has been endemic since the Crusades. But it was stimulated [in the United States] by the 1973 oil embargo.  Anytime there’s a lot of violence or huckletybuck in the Middle East, you find rising animosity toward Arab-Americans here.”[35] 

            Others have faced “No Iranians” signs and boycotts of Muslim-owned businesses.  Women in hijab head-scarves have had their cars rammed in parking lots.  Americans have called Child Protective Services to make false reports of child abuse in order to harass and threaten Muslim neighbors. Many Muslims live in fear.  After 9/11, many left.  Some long-time citizens moved back to Middle Eastern counties because they felt safer there, than here.  Safer in dictatorships, with secret police known for the use of torture, than in the United States of America – the Land of Freedom and Democracy!  Others faced deportation for minor glitches in their immigration paper work.[36] Whole neighborhoods on the East Coast became ghost towns. 

            So, despite the name changes, despite the fervent desire to just live and work like everyone else, immigrant Muslims end up hiding.  They hide in plain sight – afraid of losing jobs if they ask to be able to pray at work, or take off for religious holidays.  Their co-workers and neighbors may be completely unaware that they are Muslim.  They lead double lives.  The most friendly brother or sister at the mosque may not speak to you at all outside its safety.  By day, they wear neckties and jackets; by night salwar and thawbs. [37]  They end up in uncomfortable compromises between Western culture and Eastern traditions.  With one foot in two worlds, they really live in neither. 

            The right to assimilate has been restricted not only for immigrants but also for native born sons and daughters.  I am a third generation American; born in Baltimore, Maryland; raised in Phoenix, Arizona.  My father was a Marine gunnery sergeant; my mother an Army nurse in WWII.  My brother died in Vietnam.  My grandparents on one side are Anglo-Indian; on the other Irish and Welsh.  In the 24 years since my conversion to Islam, I have been told to “Go back to Iran,” “Go back to Arabia, ” and other things that involve certain well-known hand gestures.  I face an America where I am not likely to be hired because of my name; where I am more likely to have my phone, email and other communications monitored without my knowledge; where I am always subject to “random” searches at airports and court houses. 

And for Muslims of African descent, well… As Mahdi Brey, the Director of the MAS Freedom Foundation puts it, he “is guilty of driving Black and flying Muslim.”   Around 24% of Muslims are native born African Americans.  With the development of the Black Nationalism movement, many African Americans became aware of their origins in Muslim West Africa.  Seeking a return to both physical and spiritual roots, they began to explore their religions heritage.  With the restriction on immigration under the National Origin Act of 1921, African Americans became the nation’s best source of cheap labor, and so many became part of a massive internal migration to the urban centers. Inspired by Marcus Garvey, Noble Drew Ali called upon his Islamic heritage to encourage African Americans to free themselves from their slave identities and rediscover themselves.   He founded the Moorish Science Temple in 1913.  Elijah Poole, later known as Elijah Muhammad also borrowed heavily from Islam when he took over the Nation of Islam from the mysterious New Zealand native, Wallace D. Fard.  [38]

Many Americans think that the followers of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, with Louis Farrakhan the current head, are Muslims.  Sometimes they are referred to as “Black Muslims.”  However, as Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz, better known a Malcolm X, discovered, the teachings of Islam and the Nation of Islam are radically different.  Islam teaches that Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who was born in 570 AD, is the last prophet, while the Nation teaches that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet who came after Muhammad ibn Abdullah.  Nation members do not prayer in the same manner as Muslims; they fast in February and not during the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan; and they have congregational services on Sunday, not on Friday like Muslims. 

However, despite these differences, there is no question that the Nation has greatly influenced America perceptions of Islam, particularly as a religion of violence and anti-government sentiment.  Elijah Muhammad served time in Michigan for sedition, treason and conspiracy after calling on Nation members not to fight in WWII.[39]  Malcolm X initiated gun clubs and preached a doctrine of “by any means necessary.” 

Most African American converts to Islam have moved away from this racist view.  Islam teaches that the only thing that distinguishes people is their degree of “taqwa” or piety.  There is no place for racism in Islam – the religion of Muhammad, an Arab Prophet and his Companions; Bilal, an Ethiopian former slave and first to give the Call to Prayer; Salman, an Iranian from a Zoastrian family who converted first to Christianity and then to Islam; Sa’id, a Byzantine Christian covert to Islam; and Abdullah ibn Salam, who converted from Judaism. 

The newest generation of Muslims, regardless of race, color or national origin, has grown up within the “Clash of Cultures” and they have decided that clash or not, we are Americans.  The late Samuel Huntington, who wrote the book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, felt that with modern complex societies comes inevitable conflict and violence. [40] His last book, Who are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity, predicted the increased polarization of American society due to Hispanic immigration.  Others like Edward Said remain optimistic that removal of obstacles such as stereotypical beliefs and cross cultural ignorance will lead to better relationships.[41]  But, Muslim Americans like Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Zaid Shakir, assert that they can be fully American and fully Muslim.

Echoing the feelings of many born in this country, an African American sister commented, “We don’t want to practice a watered-down Islam. But that is what many people want us to do.  They think Muslims shouldn’t be seen or heard.” [42] We do not want a modernized Islam; Islam does not need “modernization.”  We want to practice Islam in our homeland - America.  We want to explore our American Muslim identity. We want to live, work, play and serve. We want to stand with both our feet firmly on this shore!  

(Continued in Part 2 - footnotes are found at end of Part 2)

Al-Furqan: The Most Distinguishing Criterion

Al- Furqan  25:45. Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to thy Lord?—
How He doth prolong
The Shadow! If He willed,
He could make it stationary!
Then do We make
The sun its guide;

46. Then We draw it in
Towards Ourselves,
A contraction by easy stages.

47. And He it is Who makes
The Night as a Robe
For you, and Sleep as Repose,
And makes the Day
(As it were) a Resurrection.

Allah SWT, in these ayaat, reminds us again of his signs.  Here in Surah Al-Furqan, He refers to the Criterion.  The word furqan is from the root, FRQ, which means to distinguish, to discern.  The word furqan is the most expansive version of this meaning, similar to the word, rahm or mercy and rahman, the most merciful.  The furqan is the best, most distinguishing criterion. 

Allah SWT mentions the shadows.  He is the one in control of the Heavens and the Earth.  The shadows change through out the day.  The shadow depends on the light.  It begins with the sun rise and moves shorter and shorter until the noon, when the sun is at the zenith and there appears no shadow.  Then the shadows lengthen again as the day moves into the sun set.  The Shams, the Sun, is the dalil or proof of the dhalal – the shadow or shade.  Besides a beautiful use of the Arabic language in the words dhalal and dalil, Allah SWT also reminds us of shade and light, of ignorance and knowledge.  The Sun, the Light is a guide, steady and true, the shadow is transient, temporary. 

Our lives begin like the shadow under the sun at dawn,  slowly we strengthen and the light replaces the darkness as we learn and grow, then we reach the full brightness of our maturity, and then we decline, our shadow ever lengthening until the night of death.

Allah draws the light back to Him in slow stages, just as He will draw us back to Himself after the stages of our lives.  Inna lillahi wa inna ilaa llahi rajiun

When the Night comes – in our lives, as a time of rest and repose – at the end of our lives, as a more complete sleep, before the dawn of resurrection.  It is said that Allah SWT takes our souls when we sleep and returns them to our bodies when we wake.  When we die, this process becomes permanent. 

48. And He it is Who sends
The Winds as heralds
Of glad tidings, going before
His Mercy, and We send down
Pure water from the sky,—

49. That with it We may give
Life to a dead land,
And slake the thirst
Of things We have created,—
Cattle and men in great numbers.

50. And We have distributed
The (water) amongst them, in order
That they may celebrate
(Our) praises, but most men
Are averse (to aught) but
(Rank) ingratitude.

Allah SWT is so generous to man.  He sends down winds as heralds of life giving rain, just as He sends Messengers as heralds of life giving guidance.  Allah SWT uses the same word, arsala, for both.  And He sends down the rain.  The rain, this water from the sky, is life giving and it is purifying.  He provides us a means to purify ourselves from all filth, physical and spiritual. 

Allah sends down these gifts to revive the dead land, and the dead souls.  Elsewhere Allah mentions that those who do not believe are as if dead in their hearts and souls.  The water of revelation, of guidance, is capable of reviving their dead hearts, if they but take advantage of it.

Allah SWT has created the many men and animals, and He has SARAFNAHU, He has distributed the water of His Mercy among them in order for them to remember Him, but most are forgetful and ungrateful. 

We all should remember Allah.  He created us from before and gathered all of the Bani Adam before Him and asked, “ are not I your Lord?”  and we all said, “balaa – yes you are our Lord.”  But most now forget.  They are lost in the shadow and do not take advantage of the light of Islam.

53. It is He Who has
Let free the two bodies
Of flowing water:
One palatable and sweet,
And the other salt
And hitter; yet has He
Made a barrier between them,
A partition that is forbidden
To be passed.

54. It is He Who has
Created man from water:
Then has He established
Relationships of lineage
And marriage: for thy Lord
Has power (over all things).

55. Yet do they worship,
Besides God, things that can
Neither profit them nor
Harm them: and the Misbeliever
Is a helper (of Evil),
Against his own Lord!

56. But thee We only sent
To give glad tidings
And admonition.

57. Say: "No reward do I
Ask of you for it but this:
That each one who will
May take a (straight) Path
To his Lord."

58. And put thy trust
In Him Who lives
And dies not; and celebrate
His praise; and enough is He
To be acquainted with
The faults of His servants;

Next Allah SWT provides us an analogy of water.  He mentions that He created man from water.  He created lineages and marriage.  He created these things we love of families and mates, of genetics and sex.  All of this is of His creation. 

He has also created the fresh water and the salt.  The fresh water gives us life.  The salt can harm us.  People lost at sea can die of thirst despite being in the midst of water, and if they drink the water, it will over saturate them and kill them. 

What is the difference between these waters? Remove the salt and the sea water can be fit to drink and water plants.  Humans are by nature, religious.  We have an innate need to worship something.  If Allah did not provide guidance, we would make things up, and we have.  In the past, we invented idols.  Today, we invent space aliens or other fanciful things.  Either way, if we worship them along with Allah, we are engaging in Shirk.  We are taking this perfectly good life giving water of the ability to worship Allah, and adding salt to it, which will only end up killing us. 

But Allah SWT does not force us to believe, He only sends messengers to give us glad tiding and an admonition, and not to demand any reward for that. 

If only we would put our trust in the One who created us, who did not begin and who will not die.  Only to Him should we raise any praises.

May Allah SWT forgive us and guide us always to His truth, to His deen.  We praise Him and seek His forgiveness.

51. Had it been Our Will,
We could have sent
A warner to every centre
Of population.

52. Therefore listen not
To the Unbelievers, but strive
Against them with the utmost
Strenuousness, with the (Qur-ān).

If Allah SWT had willed, he would raise from every village, a warner.  If Allah SWT had willed, He could raise a prophet from every single village and center of human population.  Instead, He has raised one from every people, or made it so that every person has an opportunity to hear the message. 

He has completely fulfilled this by sending Muhammad SAW, the khatma al anbiyyah, the seal of the Prophets, who came for all Mankind.  And He commands us to be a witness to all the world.  Some might say, we have not heard, but Allah SWT tells us not to listen to those who deny.  Through modern media, we are able to reach every corner of the globe. 

All we need to do is strive.  Many have misused this word for striving – jihad – it means to strive, to exert effort, in this case, in the path of Allah – to witness unto mankind the guidance brought to us by the Prophet Muhammad SAW.  When we take the shahada, we say these words not just to mouth words, but to vow to witness unto mankind, to be shaheed, witnesses as to the truth of Islam, that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger of Allah.  And we commit to put that faith into practice, which is the real meaning of jihad – strive, to act in accordance with our beliefs.  Our greatest means to witness, to testify to others about Islam is our own actions.  How do we treat our families, our friends, the people we don’t know?  Do we smile, are we just?  Are we fair, and honest? 

We have a duty and an opportunity.  Our duty is to witness, to be shaheed.  Our opportunity is use our everyday encounters with others to perform jihad – striving in the cause of Allah SWT through our righteous actions. 

On day of judgment, Allah SWT will hold us to account, and how will we answer Him?  And those around us, those who may even call us friends, what will they say?  Did we reach out to them?  Did they hear the message, the guidance? 

Yes, we need to support Islamic media efforts, but we can each do something every day, in those little brief encounters in our lives.  This is our Jihadan Kabiran, our great jihad.  May Allah SWT give us all His refreshing rain of guidance and help us to share it with others.

61. Blessed is He Who made
    Constellations in the skies,
    And placed therein a Lamp
    And a Moon giving light;

62. And it is He Who made
    The Night and the Day
    To follow each other:
    For such as have the will
    To celebrate His praises
    Or to show their gratitude.

63.  And the servants of (God)
    Most Gracious are those
    Who walk on the earth
    In humility, and when the ignorant
    Address them, they say,
    "Peace!";

64. Those who spend the night
    In adoration of their Lord
    Prostrate and standing;

65. Those who say, "Our Lord!
    Avert from us the Wrath
    Of Hell, for its Wrath
    Is indeed an affliction grievous,—

66. "Evil indeed is it
As an abode, and as
A place to rest in";

67.  Those who, when they spend,
Are not extravagant and not
stingy, but hold a just (balance)
Between those (extremes);

68.  Those who invoke not,
With God, any other god,
Nor slay such life as God
Has made sacred, except
For just cause, nor commit
Fornication;—and any that does
This (not only) meets punishment

Here in lies the furqan, the distinguisher between Heaven and Hell.  Those who follow the light, who night and day praise Allah SWT and show Him gratitude, those who stand at night in fervent prayer, who adore Allah and ask for him to avert from them His wrath and remove them from the punishment of Hell, the evil abode. 

Allah SWT reminds us that He is the source of all of our wealth, and that we should be neither spend extravagantly nor be stingy and hoard money.  We should act in a wise manner with all that Allah provides.

But most of all, we must not commit shirk, nor slay any person, nor commit sexual crimes – these are the greatest kaba’ir or great crimes, and if we avoid these, we will avoid the grave punishment awaiting those who commit them.  May Allah SWT prevent us from sin and give us His guidance and Mercy.

May He make of those who fit the criterion of those who will be with Him in the jannat al-firdaws, the highest heaven.  May He accept all of our prayers and fasting, our qiyam wa siyam, and make us of those who strive in the path of Allah, for His sake alone and for His pleasure.  And may Allah SWT grant us all the jannat al-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.

What is Shariah Law?

 Islamic Shariah Law:  Principles and Objectives

Islam is based on three qawaaid, or principles;  Freedom, Equal Dignity, and Justice.  These three qawaaid underlie the Maqaasid al Shariah - the Overreaching Objectives of the Shariah. 

Many people are confused about the term Shariah.  They have been scared into believing it to be the imposition of cruel punishments on innocent people.  It is often equated with injustice and violations of human rights.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Shariah is Divine Law, legislated by the Divine Legislator, who knows us better than we know ourselves.  He, alone, knows what is best for us in reality, and He is All-Merciful.  With Him is no injustice or cruel inhumanity.  

Man-made law, on the other hand, has changed drastically over time and is subject to the whims and fancies of the times.  Just a few years ago, in the 1970's, a woman could not contract because she was still considered property of either her father or husband.  Now, women have a great many rights, although they still do not have the right to equal pay to which they are entitled under Shariah Law.

What many rightfully complain about when it comes to Shariah Law, is the incorrect or even corrupt interpretation and enforcement of this Divine Law.  Shariah is contained in the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (more on this later if Allah SWT gives us life).  But it is frail humans who must do the interpreting and enforcing.  The interpretation or extraction of the law from the sources of Qur'an and Sunnah is called "fiqh," or "understanding."  This understanding can be flawed, as can all human endeavor.  

Imam Khassaf, in his book, Adab al Qadi, warns those who would assume to interpret the law that to do so when not qualified will land one in hell.  Yet, to have the ability and refuse to serve the community in this capacity, will also land one in hell.  It is a sirat - a tightrope, but the Qadi and Faqih must walk a fine line, using all his abilities diligently.  Only then, according the famous hadith, will Allah reward him ever if he errs.

The mantle of the Prophet is not worn lightly.  My sheikh nearly collapses under its weight each time he is asked to give a fatwa.  Yet we have youth, who have read a book or listened to a tape, and then consider themselves faqih and qadi.  How foolish they are, and how arrogant.  True knowledge only brings humility and submission to Our Lord.

So here is a brief summary of the difference between Shariah and Fiqh:

Shari’ah:  The Law

–The Divine Legislation from the Divine Legislator

–Shari’ah: literally means “a path to water” and refers to God’s legislative intent. It is by its nature perfect and an ideal to be sought after through diligence and exhaustive inquiry.

Fiqh: The Code

–The rules derived from the sources of law

–Fiqh: Literally means “understanding” and refers to the human approximation and understanding of divine legislative intent. It is by its nature imperfect and subject to dissenting opinions 

This distinction relates fundamentally to the very nature of Islamic law – The Shariah is Divine, the Fiqh is Derived by Man.  

 

There is no doubt that there are those who do not properly derive the law from the sources, who incorrectly and corruptly derive Fiqh.  They use their own whims and fancies, or traditions and cultural practices; things that have nothing to do with Islam.  On the other hand, those who properly exercise Ijtihad or Due Diligence, use the qawaaid of freedom, equal dignity, and justice and the Maqaasid Al Shariah of protection of Deen, Life, Property or Mal, Dignity and Lineage, and Reason or Aql, as the guides to correct interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

When we use the tools of reason/aql, logic/mantiq, qiyas/analogy, and rational principles such as maslaha and istihsan, then we are capable of creating a just system, a just wilayyat, a Wilayyat al Ummah with an independent judiciary ensuring justice and the watchful eyes of the shuhadaa to ensure that no oppression or injustice creeps in to the system and all are treated with equal dignity.

 

Mu'akhaah-Brotherhood in Islam

 

Al-Hujuraat 49:10. The Believers are but A single Brotherhood: So make peace and
Reconciliation between your Two (contending) brothers; And fear God, that ye
May receive Mercy. 

Islam is  call to Peace and a call to cease hostilities with Allah and with each other.  The law, the Shariah sets forth guidelines for our relationship with Allah and our relationship with each other.  The Qur’an provides the basis for a basic social contract between humans and calls upon Muslims to set up a social system based upon brotherhood and sisterhood.

In the modern world, many of us have become obsessed with the individual, the personal.  America has exported its concept of the supremacy of the individual world wide and has been very successful in convincing all of us to “have it your way.”  Considering that the current world economy is precariously tottering on the unstable whims of individual consumption, it is no wonder that we are bombarded with messages to think only of ourselves.

However, Allah calls us to brotherhood and sisterhood, and to a balance between the individual and the social.  Considering how the current economic downturn has revealed the interconnectedness of all people and all countries, how can we ignore our social side?  Only Islam, of all the world’s religions and ideologies is capable of balancing what appear to be competing interests and creating a complete and balance society capable of meeting our individual and social needs.

And it began 1400 years ago in the city of Madina. 

When the Prophet and his Companions made the hijrah to Madina, they left everything behind.  Their wealth and property was confiscated by the Quraish and they were barely left with the izar around their waists.  Allah then revealed ayaat like the one quoted above;

We have a duty as muslims to treat one another as brothers and to establish friendship with one another.

In order to fulfill this duty , the Prophet (SAW) established the institution of mu’akhaah or brotherhood, an institution based on mutual trust and mutual support.

We often think of this institution of Mu’akhaah as a means of providing financial support to the muhajirun who had lost everything, however it was more than that.  Certainly the Ansar, the people of Madina, gave everything to their Muhajirun brothers. 

Al- Hashr 59:9. But those who Before them, had homes
(In Medina) And had adopted the Faith,— Show their affection to such
As came to them for refuge, And entertain no desire
In their hearts for things Given to the (latter),
But give them preference Over themselves, even though
Poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from
The covetousness of their own Souls,—they are the ones
That achieve prosperity.

The Muhajirun said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah!, We have never come to a people like the Ansar!  If they have a little, they are the best of people we have ever seen when it comes to giving support; and if they have much, they are the best in sacrificing it.  They have given us everything we need, allowing us to share in their happiness to such an extent that we are afraid that they would take all the reward from Allah.”  (Ibn Kathir – al-Sirah al- Nabawiyyah 2/320).

However, the brotherhoods were set up not just between Ansar and Muhajirun, but between Muhajirun themselves.  Abu Bakr and Umar were paired, as were Hamzah and Zaid ibn Harithah, Uthman and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Al-Zubayr ibn al Awwam and Abdullah ibn Masud, and the Prophet and his cousin Ali.

This shows that the mu’akhaah was not just for financial reasons, but a means of setting up a system of social support and cooperation.

In the beginning the brothers in Mu’akhaah even inherited from each other, but later this was abrogated by Allah after the Muhajirun gained more financial independence.  Some have taken this to mean that the entire institution of Mu’akhaah was also abrogated, but there a numerous reports of the Prophet establishing Mu’akhaah between Abu al-Darda and Salman al-Farsi, for example.  Salman became Muslim between the battle of Uhud and the battle of the Khandaq. 

Akram Diyaa al Umari in his book, Madinan Society at the Time of Prophet, notes that Mu’akhaah is an unabrogated part of our Deen.  And this overlooked and all but forgotten institution of our Prophet and his companions has many benefits for us today.

First,  this institution of Mu’akhaah teaches us to establish close personal relationships between each other, even when we are unrelated by blood.  In North America and Europe, where Muslims have often emigrated from other lands, the institution of Mu’akhaah is a way to gain the emotional support of family when we are far from home.

Second, Mu’akhaah teaches us to pool resources for mutual support.  It provides the basis for takafful or mutual insurance.  We know that standard insurance is haram under Shariah law for two reasons;  first because it involves gharar or uncertainty and is therefore, potentially unjust and oppressive, and second, because it has certain implications on tawakkul of Allah.  However, mutual forms of insurance are permitted by most scholars based on the mutual form of support practiced by the Prophet and his Companion, especially in Mu’akhaah.

Third,  when we establish close friendships, we establish a means to strengthen our deen.  If we chose our friends carefully, and we should always do so, we can encourage one another to birr and taqwa.  This method is used by many self-help organizations today, such Alcoholics Anonymous or drug rehab groups.  Members can call one another when they are tempted to drink or use drugs and gain support in those times of difficultly.

For Muslims, this kind of support is critical in a world full of temptations and bala. May Allah give us this kind of support, to have friends that amr bi al-maruf wa nahi anna al-munkar,  and prevent us from falling from his Sirat al-Mustaqim. 

This institution of Mu’akhaah is not just for brothers.  Our sisters need to support one another as well.  Islam teaches sisterhood.  But too often our sisters forget that Islam came to unite all humanity, and they focus too much on differences.  Competition is often thought to be a hallmark of male behavior.  We hear about men competing in business, but men also cooperate in business ventures, and form alliances with one another.  Competition is to often a hallmark of female behavior. 

We all know the stereotype of the mother in law and daughter in law.  How many marriages have ended in fitnah and divorce due to competition between these two?  Why does this practice persist?  

The Prophet (SAW) said,
"None of you has Iman (faith) until he desires for his brother (or sister) Muslim that which he desires for himself (or herself)." (Bukhari and Muslim)

He (SAW) also said,
"The Muslims in their mutual love, kindness and compassion are like the human body where when one of its parts is in agony the entire body feels the pain, both in sleeplessness and fever." (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
"On the Day of Judgement, Allah, the Most High, will announce, 'Where are those who love each other for the sake of My pleasure? This day I am going to shelter them in the shade provided by Me. Today there is no shade except My shade." (Muslim)

The Prophet (SAW) said,
"Do not be envious of other Muslims; do not overbid at auctions against another Muslim; do not have malice against a Muslim; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him; do not make an offering during a pending transaction. O' servants of Allah, be like brothers (or sisters) with each other. A Muslim is the brother (or sister) of another Muslim; do not hurt him (or her), or look down upon him (or her) or bring shame on him (or her). Piety is a matter of heart (The Prophet (SAW) repeated this thrice). It is enough evil for a person to look down upon his Muslim brother (or sister). The blood, property and honor of a Muslim is inviolable to a Musilm." (Muslim)

The Prophet (SAW) said,
"Keep company with a believer only, and let your food be eaten only by the righteous." (Abu Dawud and Tirmidi)

He (SAW) also said,
"A person is likely to follow the faith of his friend, so look whom you befriend." (Abu Dawud and Tirmidi) 


The Prophet (SAW) said,
"One who helps a fellow Muslim in removing his (or her) difficulty in this world, Allah will remove the former's distress on the Day of Judgement. He who helps to remove the hardship of another, will have his difficulties removed by Allah in this world and in the Hereafter. One who covers the shortcomings of another Muslim, will have his faults covered up in this world and the next by Allah. Allah continues to help a servant so long as he goes on helping his own brother (or sister)." (Muslim)


"The believers, men and women. are Auliya (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on people) Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamio Monotheism and all that Islma orders one to do), and forbids (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they offer their prayers perfectly (Iqamat-as-Salat); and give the Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His mercy upon them. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise." (At-Tauba 9:71)

The Prophet (SAW) said,
"A Muslim owes six obligations towards another Muslim: when you meet him (or her), salute him (or her) saying 'Assalamu Alaikum; when he (or she) invites you, accept his (or her) invitation; when he (or she) solicits your advice, advise him (or her) sincerely; when he (or she) sneezes and praises Allah, respond with the supplication Yarhamuk Allah (Allah have mercy on you); when he (or she) falls sick, visit him (or her); on his (or her) death, join his (or her funeral)." (Muslim)

We need to promise one another, brothers and sisters, to hold each other in mutual respect, to be as merciful and compassionate to one another as we hope Allah to be to us on Yawm al-Qiyaama, to keep company with one another and show mutual support in all our needs, to lower our wings to one another, and to work hard to reestablish this great Prophet Sunnah, long neglected by us.

As we shall see, this institution of Mu'akhaah is essential to Wilayyat Al Ummah, the Islamic Shurah Democratic System.  In order for consensus to function we have to respect each other and treat each other as brothers and sisters, as one great Ummah family. When we feel brotherhood with each other, we will be able to look beyond differences, and understand that we have a stake in crafting solutions together.  With Mu'akhaah and Shurah, we can form a democratic Ummah that will be able to ensure freedom for all.  When joined with an independent judiciary ensuring justice for all, and the ever-watchful shuhada'a ensuring equal dignity, human rights and freedom from oppression, the Islamic system will provide the most humane and balanced society possible, to the benefit of all humanity.  

Any good contained herein is from Allah, and I seek Allah's forgiveness for any error, which is only from myself.  May Allah SWT guide and bless us all.

M. Ali Sadiqi      Falls Church, VA

Wilayyat Al Ummah: Shura Consensus Government

Surah Al Nahl 

16:38 And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are decided with Shura, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them.

Allah SWT has commanded us to decide our affairs in Shurah.  Shurah means consensus, not just consultation.  This was the Sunnah of our beloved Rasul Allah SAW. 

Remember the story of Uhud.  After Badr, the people were enthusiastic to support Islam and gain rewards - some for the hereafter, and some of this duniyah, in the form of booty.  Either way, when the army from Makkah headed for Al-Madina, the people were eager.  Some wanted to go out and meet the oncoming army.  Others were more cautious and wanted to stay in Al-Madina, since it was a very defensible city.  The Prophet SAW was one of these.  However, after the community came together and discussed the matter, they crafted an agreement to go out to Uhud.  

The going out to Uhud is a wonderful example of a carefully crafted agreement by the Ummah.  Here all parties had a chance to express their views and reasons.  Each was equally heard and respected, and each stakeholder got a "seat at the table."  Then the community came to a mediated decision that respected those who were eager to meet the impending army, and those who felt that defense of the city was also important.  Going to Uhud meant that the Muslims would look strong, and they could build adequate defenses for their forces, and they would still be close enough to Al-Madina to defend it, should it be attacked.  

By allowing all stakeholders to express their views and reasons, the Ummah could draw on the collective experience and intellect of all of its members, not just a few "leaders."  The Ummah could explore all possible actions, the pros and cons of each, and consider all possible outcomes.  They could craft a decision.  

Studies have found that people are more likely to comply with decisions in which they have a stake.  For example, people are 33% more likely to comply with a mediated settlement, than with a judicial decree by a judge.  People do not like being told what to do, as much as they prefer to do what they have voluntarily agreed to do.  Just as mediation or sulh allows people to voluntarily agree to settle a legal dispute, shurah allows communities to voluntarily decide their affairs.

In this ayat of Surah Al Nahl, Allah SWT tells us that deciding our affairs in this manner is part of answering the call of Allah SWT, of being obedient to Him.  And it is as important as establishing the prayer in a community and spending in the cause of Allah.  

Shurah is not Islamic dictatorship or kingship, with the tyrant "consulting" the people. It is democratic consensus government.  The same as that utilized by some Native American tribes in Canada, and some municipalities and international bodies.  

As described by the great shaheed, Sayyed Muhammad Baqir Al Sadr, Islamic democracy based on Shurah and Wilayyat al Ummah or governance by the people, is the foundation of a proper Islamic State.  

The Prophet SAW was not the father of any man among us, as the Qur'an notes.  The wilayyat or governance after him falls on the Ummah.  Allah SWT notes in Surah Al Baqara, that mankind was created to be the Khalif of this world.  We are the stewards of the earth.  This Khulafa' is the duty of all mankind.  But Wilayyat or "protecting governance" is for the Ummah of the Believers, the Muslims.  

Wilayyat is not for one tribe or another.  It is not for the Bani Umayyah, or the Bani Abdul Muttalib.  It is for the entire Ummah.  This was clearly laid out by Sayyed Al Sadr.  Sayyedna understood the Qur'an so deeply, and so he knew that the Qur'an itself provides proof of this Wilayyat through the ayat we have mentioned.

Many today desire a new system, one that is free of the corruption of the old, imperialist-supported regimes, free of tyranny, free of sin and rancour.  They want a system that is Islamic, really Islamic, not a veneer of Islam hiding an "old boy" network of thugs and mujrims.  They want material success - the Twitter/YouTube/FaceBook social networks and fast food conveniences.  But they also want morality, and freedom, and a say.  And they want it in a manner comfortable for people who care about community, and who are not the Western ideal of a rugged, lonely individualist.  

Sayyed Al Sadr, in the Introduction to his great book, Iqtisaduna, discusses this need for the Muslim world to have Muslim solutions; solutions that organically rise from within it, not that are imposed from without by a system which is underpinned by a vastly different ethos.  

So we suggest Wilayyat Al Ummah coupled with the La Rabawi/Zakat economy as a viable alternative to the Democratic/Capitalist system, ill-suited to the world of tribes, families, and communal identities.

If Allah SWT give us life, we will explore the attributes of both this Wilayyat Al Ummah, and the La Ribawi/Zakat economy in future posts.

May Allah forgive my many faults.  I ask for His forgiveness and seek only His Face.

Wisdom from Surah Al - Nahl (The Bee)

Al- Nahl 16:37 And those who shun the worst of sins and indecencies and, when they are angry, forgive,

38 And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are decided with Shura, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them,

39 And those who, when great wrong is done to them, defend themselves,

In these ayaat, Allah SWT gives us a list of actions we can affirmatively take that we know are pleasing to Allah. 

1.     to shun the major sins, the kabaa’ir and to shun indecent behavior

2.     to forgive when we become angry

3.     to respond to Allah SWT, obey Him and to establish the prayer and worship Him

4.     to decide our affairs in consultation

5.     to spend out our wealth, which He has given us

6.     and when we are oppressed, to defend ourselves

This list contains such a wealth of wisdom, and it is not easy to mine its depths.

First, none of us are perfect.  We are human and Allah SWT understands that we can be weak.  We can sometimes sin.  But we are humanly capable of shunning the major sins and of behaving decently.  We can avoid things like murder, theft, shirk, and sexual crimes.  Our conscience and natural inhibitions are capable of inhibiting such behavior, so if we give it a sincere try, we can avoid these things. 

Second, Allah SWT also understands that we do sometime react and become angry.  Fight or flight is a natural reaction to stress.  But we also have reason, so we can control this reaction and forgive those who we think have offended us. 

Third, we are responding to Allah’s call.  We say Labbayyak Allahumma Labbayyak.  We are here Allah.  And we can obey Him and worship Him.  We have the freedom of intention to do so, and Allah SWT gave us this ability so that we could worship and respond to Him.  We are capable of a personal relationship with the one who created us, in a way that only those who can turn to Allah freely can.  What a wonderful opportunity he has given us!

Fourth, consultation in governance is an integral part of this deen, in this worship of Allah SWT.  As noted by Sayyed Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr,  mankind is the khalif of Allah and walaiyyat or governance is in the Ummah, all of it.  In order to provide the best and most just governance, the government cannot be oppressive of the governed.  It must be government by the Ummah for the Ummah, and this is achieved through shurah or consensus.  This is not ijma, or unanimity, which is impossible, but consensus governance where the Ummah comes together to craft a decision with which all can be comfortable. 

One important point here is that even “worldly” affairs, such as governance, politics and social interaction, are “sacred” in Islam.  There is no separate secular world.  All of our actions must be in conformity with the will of Allah, including how we govern ourselves.

Fifth, we must recognize that all we have come from Allah and that He is the source of wealth.  We may be fooled into thinking that our wealth comes from our own efforts, or from our boss.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Our wealth comes from only one source – Allah SWT.  And so we should be willing to spend. 

Moreover, spending fuels the economy.  So here Allah reminds us that not only political matters, but economic matters must be in conformity with the will of Allah.  We should spend and not horde.  We should spend in the way of Allah, on spreading the Deen, on helping the poor, on education, and health care, and all social needs and causes.  We should understand the evil of hording, of accumulation of capital.  Causes by greed and selfishness, this evil has accumulated most of the world’s wealth in the hands of only a tiny percentage of people, who are not really consumers.  They buy luxury, specialty goods, and contribute nothing to the overall economy.  On the other hand, those that do consume, the working and middle classes, have less and less resources with which to contribute to the economy.  And so the capitalist economy is failing. 

Islam has a different approach.  La ribawi or non-riba/zakat economic system and shura consensus democracy are a viable and Divinely inspired alternative, we should now be offering the world.  Better to do so now, then to wait for the current system to crash down around us.

Finally, Allah reminds us that we are commanded to strive against oppression.  Oppression is worse than killing because it kills a whole society.  We must strive against it patiently.  Allah reminds us that maseebah may in fact be oppression, and not of our own doing.  Especially when it is happening to many people, to the whole of society, then it is more likely oppression, and we are commanded by Allah to oppose it. 

When we are afflicted by maseebah, we need to examine our situation and see if the cause is in ourselves, or is it system-wide, and therefore, fitnah and dhulm.  If it is in ourselves, we need to repent and be patient, relying soley on Allah and His infinite Mercy.  If it is system-wide, we need to strive patiently to change the situation.  But most of all, we need to ask Allah SWT for forgiveness and guidance.

(Excerpt from Khutbah)