Archive for Essay
02.20.07
Posted in Current Events, Essay at 8:07 pm by Abbas
I recently interviewed Dr. Shahid Alam, the author of “Challenging the New Orientalism.” Here is an excerpt:
Q: After being featured on “Jihad Watch,” being blacklisted by David Horowitz and being accused of being “un-American” by Bill O’Reilly, what was your motivation for publishing the book knowing that you may be putting your academic career at risk?
A: My motivation is the same that I had in writing the essays. I wanted to bring some history and objectivity into the public discourse on relations between the West (including Israel) and the Islamicate world. That was a difficult goal. My essays were carried only on some left-leaning and Islamic websites in the US. I am hoping that publishing them in a book may help to bring my arguments a bit into the mainstream.
My essays have received some adverse attention – even hostile attention. But I have survived, with a few scars. And I am ready for a few more if this helps to advance a better understanding of the world we live in.
Visit Hot Coals for full interview - click here.
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10.18.06
Posted in Current Events, Essay at 11:57 pm by Abbas
Bismillahirrahmanirraheem. Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alameen. Wa salaatu wa salaam ‘ala sayedina wa mowlana habibi quloobina abal qaasimi mohammad. wa ‘ala ahlul bayti tayabeena tahireen.
All praise belongs to Allah, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Allah has fashioned you, and I through his Infinite mercy and blessing. He is the eternal Being that has put life into us and has given us the opportunity and ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from false. No eyes, ears, or hands are able to fathom His greatness because He is the indescribable Being that has blessed us in order for us to serve Him.
DhalikumuAllahu rabbukum la ilaha illa huwa khaaliqu kulli shai faa’budoohu wa huwa kulli shai-in wakeel. (6:102).
That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all things, therefore serve Him, and He has charge of all things.
We have been put on this earth, so that we may be able to recognize Him.
My Respected Brothers and Sisters,
Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakahtu
He has made the absolute perfect system for us and any perceived imperfection in this system is relative to our perceptions. This is the problem with atheists. Imam Ali (a) has said,
“One of the four pillars of an atheist is that he or she is filled with hatred and anger because he or she is dissatisfied with the perfect system.”
Allah has not only just put us on this earth, but has put us on this earth as humans.
Laqad Khalaqnal Insana Fi Ahsani Taqweem. [95:4]
Certainly We created man in the best make.
He has endowed and granted us countless gifts and bounties. He is so merciful that if we’d like, not only can we use these resources provided to us, but we can also enhance them to better our lives. Other creations such as the animals were also created for the same primary purpose of servitude and worship. Allah has placed them in this universe, so we may be able to acknowledge our sophistication. For example, a lion goes and attacks its prey. And then simply wipes off the blood with dirt and dust. However, we have our feasts on a table, with table coverings and candles. We sometimes like to romanticize our eating and we love to decorate and add extra ingredients to our foods. We are given such sophistication, that we can manipulate creation, including ourselves, and at the same time are able to survive and possibly live longer and healthier. We have the capability of finding cures and discovering new scientific methods and materials that would be used to resist certain diseases and illnesses. Using our intellect, we have stopped and cured some of the most dangerous illnesses known to mankind. Allah (swt) has given us the best of instruments in this universe, so that we can reach Him.
With that being said, man is at loss ’till this day. We are at loss because we have failed to admit that God has put forth these numerous gifts and tools for us as a mercy to mankind. In fact, we have forgotten that Allah has created us through His infinite mercy.
Islam, is the best instrument we were given. I remember my co-worker complaining how there such much fictitious stories in the bible. How its filled with fairy tales of how Prophets used to wrestle God, and so forth. Islam dissects each and every of these fairy tales and breaks them apart. Non-muslims have praised our great religion. Harold Bloom has written in his book, Genius, that the Quran is the only book, where God is the sole authoritative author. Michael Hart, a Christian, has written and rated the Prophet (saw) as the number one most influential person in history. After his publication, right wing evangelical groups condemned him and asked him to take Muhammad’s name off the list. However, Hart in his second publication insisted and rated Muhammad as the most influential person known to mankind.
It is not only a religion, but it is a way of life in order for us to be victorious in this world and the hereafter. This great religion of Allah has been revealed to us by the Prophets, whom endured great pain and suffering and has been protected for us by the holy Imams, whom sacrificed everything they had for Islam’s sake. Most of our Imams were so oppressed that they were not even allowed to see sun-light, because they were imprisoned and tortured for so long, yet they resisted and persisted and never loss their faith in God. Imamate is central to our belief system. Imamate completes the circle in our deen or religion. Any school lacking this article of faith is at loss. And this is an obvious observation. With all due respect, our brothers and sisters in Ahlus Sunnah have yet to agree upon where the Prophet (saw) placed his hands during prayer. Prayer was the most conspicuous act that the Prophet performed; yet the majority of Muslims have yet to come to a consensus on where the Prophet placed his hands.
Nowadays, we like to complain about the smallest of matters. We want the world in our hands, by showing no effort. We want to live life without trials and tribulations. However, we need to know that without these trials and tests, we will never be able to really enjoy the pleasures and treasures of life.
Innallahi ma’as saabireen.
Allah is with those that are patient. All of these tests are nothing but a gift for us. At the end, they will give us strength and patience. We must not despair because Allah will never put us in a situation, where we will not be able to handle.
It is similar to the schooling system. You do your homework, go to class, study your material, and take your exams. And after four years or so depending on how much effort you put in you get a degree or a diploma. That degree is the reward we receive from our hard work and effort.
Now that we have al-Islam, we need to use it to our own advantage. We have been given the tools to survive and succeed, and now it is a matter of using them. We have been blessed with the greatest of examples, the Prophet and the pious Ahlul Bayt. We need to follow them and mimic how they lived their lives. We need to study them and their lives, so we can implement their traditions in our lives. There is not a single situation or circumstance where we cannot relate back to the Prophet or the Imams. We must become pro-active in our schools, communities and societies. We cannot limit ourselves based on our gender or age. Alhamdullah, in the plains of Kerbala with Imam Hussain(a), there were both man and woman, and both young, and old, so this excuse holds absolutely no weight. If we are able to use our intellect we are certainly in a position to make change. In fact, we have no choice, but to devote ourselves for the cause, especially being amongst the followers of Ahlul Bayt.
And the best way to effect change is to first change within by reflection and introspection. We need to understand our purpose and why we were put on this earth. And we must understand the instruments and the tools that we have been given. And most importantly, we must understand ourselves.
Imam Ali said,
“In order to know Allah, we must know ourselves.”
We must be sincere in all of our actions. We need to purify our hearts and souls for Allah because He is worthy and deserving. We must dig deep into our hearts and remove any dark spots developing, before it is too late. If we wait too long our heart will be covered with darkness and it will be next to impossible to cleanse. We must continue renewing our intentions and reminding ourselves about why we are doing what we are. It is similar to cancer. If we catch the caner early on, its possible to extract the cancer cells and possible survive. However, if we wait too long the cancer cells will spread into our blood stream and bodily organs. And that will be tantamount to our destruction I will conclude with a saying from Imam Ali (a), which I want everyone here to ponder upon. He stated,
My God, I do not worship You in fear of Your Fire, nor in desire for Your Paradise, but I worship You because I find You worthy of worship.
wa salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakahtu.
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08.17.06
Posted in Personal, Essay at 2:33 pm by Abbas
When we strike out to do something good for the community or the Ummah, especially if it involves public involvement (ie. rallies, talks, meetings, etc) people tend to hesitate. This is because we have fear in our hearts. We can get involved and be passionate and at the same time be rational about it. We need rationality, with determination and faith to be truly successful. We cannot let all of the Islamophobic pressures get to us and ultimately lead us to be ashamed of labeling ourselves Muslim. And with the same token, we cannot let the extremist and the pseudo-Salafi pressures lead us to detest and hate the religion of al-Islam (or make us into “progressives”).
As Muslims, activism is a very integral part of our faith. Allah has commanded us to spread the message of peace and justice by any means permissible to us. We need to uphold the message and defend it at all costs. It is incumbent on every one of us. We need to be firm and confident on our beliefs and stances.
For Allah (swt) has said in Quran(chapter 4, verse 135),
O ye who believe! Be ye staunch in justice, witnesses for Allah, even though it be against yourselves or (your) parents or (your) kindred, whether (the case be of) a rich man or a poor man, for Allah is nearer unto both (them ye are). So follow not passion lest ye lapse (from truth) and if ye lapse or fall away, then lo! Allah is ever Informed of what ye do.
We cannot discriminate in regards to whom we speak out against. And if you think you can, remember that Allah is the best of planners and he very well knows what you are upto. What is wrong is wrong, regardless of who supports it. However, depending on whom we are dealing with, the means we use to approach them with will be different. We need not to put forth our personal agenda(s), but the agenda of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
We need to dig deep into our hearts and find ourselves. Once we find ourselves, we will be leaning towards His path. Once we find ourself, we will be fearless. True freedom is liberation from the worldly matters and enslavement towards Allah (swt) and His path.
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08.01.06
Posted in Personal, Essay at 1:30 am by Abbas
Due to popular demand I am pasting the link to an entry I wrote concerning respect and compassion while defending the Sufi master of the Naqshibani Order, Shaykh Nazim Haqqani. If one has comments please comment on this entry and not the old one.
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http://thenlightenment.whatheblog.com/?p=16
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06.26.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events, Essay at 4:37 pm by Abbas
The past event, though it had very low attendance, was very good (quality-wise). The speakers were good. inshAllah, we do have recording, so any of those who want a copy can reserve themselves one. I also spoke (though - I could have delivered it much more effeciently and better) and I thought I would just paste a rough copy of my speech, so people can critique and comment on it. So here it is,
Brothers and Sisters
Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakahtu.
Living in the West, we are hounded and attacked from every corner. We struggle to find a place for ourselves in this society.
We often do not realize how much the religion of Islam is taken for granted by many of us. We like to think we are great Muslims when we are living with our families and close friends, but once we step out of the luxury and safety of our communities, we tend to hesitate, doubt and question our entire belief system. When removed from the Muslim setting and environment we begin to falter. This is because once we are given a choice to either accept or reject, we start questioning our Muslim identity. It is a form of Jihad for us living in the West. And those that do not understand what Islam truly stands for will unfortunately fail. This may come off as frightening, and living in the west may pose a grave danger to our faith. Yet, I cannot think of anything better for my faith that is to know that in these surroundings I will be forced to address the questions of what is Islam and why I am Muslim. Back in Muslim countries, many Muslims practice a faith of convenience, never really questioning their relationship with Allah (swt) because their faith has never really been challenged by the larger society that is already Muslim.
However, for us living here in non-Muslim surroundings, it means we are constantly being bombarded with situations and concepts that basically boil down to a decision between Islam and ignorance; precisely because Islam is a way of life and not something we limit to the temple or church like other religions, it is always there in the foreground of our lives– in our interactions with others, our opinions of people, the way we carry ourselves, the future we decide to build for ourselves and our families— nearly every decision we make and the way we lead our lives must be based on the principles set forth by Islam. Islam demands that we be righteous and just human beings every step of the way. If we can succeed in living under such a liberal environment and come out with our deen stronger and more refined, then I firmly believe that we are the better Muslims than those who are never challenged.
The college setting is a great example of an environment that requires us to negotiate our faith with the dominant American culture, especially for those that go away for college, like myself. Once we go to college, we, as individuals, have the freedom to do what we like. We have the ability to do almost anything. Your new friends, Muslim or not, and your professors will question you about your faith repeatedly. They will ask you “why are you Muslim?” Do we even know why we are Muslim? Is it because our parents are? Or is Islam something more than just an inheritance? If we are not properly prepared to answer these simple questions we may easily get stumped, which may lead us to doubt or worse, abandon our faith altogether, the faith that was sent to all mankind as a mercy in order for us to achieve proximity with our Creator.
On campus Muslim students will be confronted with temptation after temptation, and all sorts of peer pressure that threaten to distract us from the righteous path of Allah (swt). Alcohol, drugs, fornication, etc will all be “easy access.” If one cannot recognize oneself and his or her relation to the deen, one becomes easy prey and will most certainly fall victim.
In order to avoid all this, we must arm ourselves with the proper knowledge. However much we may read, we must be consistent. Not only must we read, but we also must reflect at the same time. Furthermore, we need to apply what we have read in our day-to-day interactions. And The Holy Prophet [s] said: ” Knowledge is Allah’s deposit on the earth and scholars are His trustees of it. Therefore, he who acts according to his knowledge, has really delivered His deposit….” Further, Imam Ali (a) has stated, “Knowledge without application is useless.”
We will never truly appreciate Islam until we apply it to our lives. We must practice Islam the way we do in here. Islam is a way of life meant to be practiced in and out of the masjid. At RIT, where I attended college, we sometimes had to pray on the fourth floor of the library, especially during finals week, when they would close the prayer room. At first people would stare, but eventually people got very comfortable and some even started to “observe” our prayers. They were astonished at our discipline and commitment. This in turn gave Muslims a good impression and strengthened our faith and gave us encouragement.
Another time a professor of an Islamic Art class I took unintentionally said, that “Men are superior in Islamic scripture than the women…” I was forced to correct him. He apologized for his comment and clarified himself, stating that he did not mean it to come out like that. Ever since that incident, which seemed pretty insignificant at the time, that professor has been corresponding with me and asking me questions that he has on Islam and Muslims before he makes any judgments. If we want to be a true leaders you must show it through our character and actions as a practicing and observant Muslim.
I know “obtaining knowledge” and “applying it to our daily lives” may seem very cliché, or overly theoretical for most people. But it becomes very practical if we befriend good people with morals and principles. This is why we must choose whom we associate with very wisely. A friend of mine gave me this very good analogy. “If you have a dirty shirt that smells and you put it back in your clean clothes drawer, then those clean clothes may be clean but they will start smelling like that dirty shirt.” The point is, that the stench is contagious. We can apply this to our lives. If we hang out with people whom are extremely corrupt we may also become corrupt. Corruption is contagious. We should not become friends with those that we cannot positively influence, or cannot be positively influenced by.
And I want to conclude with a hadith. The Holy Prophet [s] said: “Man is influenced by the faith of his friends. Therefore, be careful of whom you associate with.”
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05.17.06
Posted in Essay at 10:44 am by Abbas
I wrote this essay for the newsletter. I am going to paste the entire essay for everyone to view. Its on islamic unity. Comments, feedback and discussion is always good and helpful.
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ISLAMIC UNITY: A COMMANDMENT FROM GOD
Unity is a pre-requisite to a group’s strength and potency. Unity is emphasized in the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet. God states in the Qur’an,
“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.”
Muslim unity is based on two fundamentals. Firstly, to uphold the Holy Qur’an as the constitution of life, which dictates our actions and secondly, to accept our social responsibility towards each other as fellow Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace) has said:
“Whoever does not care about the affairs of the Muslims is not one of them,” and, “Whoever hears a man calling ‘O Muslims!’ and does not respond is not a Muslim.”
He (may Allah grant him peace) also used the parable of the human body to describe the Muslim ‘Ummah’ or nation. He described that if one part suffers, the entire body will suffer. Furthermore, one of the greatest achievements of the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace) was to unite the hundreds of fragmented and hostile Arab tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula into one strong nation. When he united them, he did not eliminate differences of opinion amongst them, but rather he enabled them to have dialogue with each other and come to a sense of mutual understanding and compassion. Under this notion the Ummah was formidable in the past and only with this understanding will it be able to return to a respected position among other nations of the world and play a significant role as it did in the past.
When properly channeled, the differences of opinion help contribute to the intellectual growth of the Ummah and reflect the vitality of Islamic culture. The competition amongst the different scholars in the different schools encourages them to strive with their maximum effort and ultimately help them reach the Truth. Diversity does not necessarily entail division, but is a part of unity just as it was during the time of the Prophet.
The enemies of Islam have taken full advantage of the volatile situation of the Muslims. Islamophobia is on the rise. Many Muslims live under military occupation or oppressive civil regimes. The concept or idea of unity in the Muslim world has been misunderstood and misconstrued by many, including even those within the Muslim community. Forging Islamic unity seems to be a very difficult and daunting task given the present state of affairs, however, it is definitely feasible and possible.
One may ask, “What does Islamic unity really mean?” Does it mean that one Islamic school of thought should be unanimously followed and others be set aside? Or does it mean that the commonalties of all Islamic schools of thought should be taken up and their differences be put away to make up a new denomination. Some groups promote forming a single ‘madhab’ or school of thought and some state we should abandon the madhab system altogether and just follow the “authentic” Quran and Sunnah. Both approaches are unrealistic and irrational in nature. Both go against the very foundation of the Quran and the Sunnah and hold the prospect of unification as a carrot on a stick, offering no real compromise and, therefore, no real solution. God states,
“O humankind We [God] have created you male and female, and made you into communities and tribes, so that you may know one another. Surely the noblest amongst you in the sight of God is the most God fearing of you. God is All-knowing and All-Aware” (Quran 49:13).
As we can see from the above verse, when true Islamic Unity is promoted, it does not advocate either of the aforementioned approaches. Muslims have many things in common, which can serve as the foundations of a firm unity. We all follow the five pillars of faith. We all strive to establish families and similar ways of bringing up children and burying the dead. Apart from minor affairs, we share similarities in all the aforementioned cases. We, as Muslims, also share one kind of world-view, one common culture, and one grand, glorious, and long-standing civilization.
Unity in the world view, in culture, in the civilization, in insight and disposition, in religious beliefs, in acts of worship and prayers, in social rites and customs can well turn the weakened Muslim world into a unified nation to serve as a massive and dominant power. This is parallel to what the Quran teaches us. The Muslims are brothers and sisters, and special rights and responsibilities link us together. So, why shouldn’t we use all these extensive facilities accorded to us as the blessing of Islam?
In true Islamic unity there is no need for Muslims to make compromises on the primary or secondary principles in religion, even if differences arise. Avoiding such issues is a mere misconception.
However, we must be genuine and sincere. We must avoid insulting and accusing each other and uttering fabrications, and abstain from hurting one another and going beyond the borders of logic, reasoning, and respect. The very least we should do is observe the limits that Islam places on us for interacting and inviting non-Muslims.
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner… “(16: 125)
A scholar once said, “Sunni and Shi’i are like two streams that end in the same ocean and have originated from the same source.” We must come to an understanding that we live in a time in which all schools claim to follow the Quran and Sunnah. We must show respect even if there is a difference and we must return to the way of the Prophet (saw). The Prophet (pbuh) united the tribes into one nation, while acknowledging the myriad of differences and preserving the different customs, traditions and cultures. We must strive for the same ideals and unite like the Prophet and the Quran commanded us to.
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