MUSLIMOLOGY

Introduction
I want to do a deep dive into the prediction of Surah al-Isra. An old video has been circulating of Shaykh Sha’rawi explaining the opening verses of Surah al-Isra as it referring to the Zionist state and the injustice against the Palestinians. There were many scholarly videos posted online that disagreed and stated it is not speaking about the present Gazan war (here and here) but rather speaking of the classical view. Their are two views: the classical view and the contemporary view or Shaykh Sha’rawi view.

Typically the classical view which maintains the opening ayahs of Surah al-Isra refer to the destruction of Bani Israel and Masjid al-Aqsa twice over, due to two fasad by Bani Israel – first by the Babylonian Nebuchanedzzer in 586 BC and then later by the Romans’ Titus in 70 CE as a punishment on the Jews for their killing of the prophets (Yahya and Zakariya alayhim salam especially) and falling back into idol worship.

The more contemporary view of Shaykh Sha’rawi is that the first fasad is the Jews opposing Rasulullah and the second fasad refers to current events and Zionist domination today. This is very important to Muslims today as the Jews and Christians have their own prophecies about the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple and in order to do that they have to destroy the Masjid al-Aqsa and Masjid al-Quba al-Sakhrah. These verses in Surah al-Isra are quite mysterious and perplexing to figure out.

After pondering this issue and reading the translations for a long time, I found the time to do a deep dive into the surah over a few days. Every time I touch on it I find something new. I want to propose that the both views are correct. The easier view with wider agreement is the classical view, and I won’t go into it as it is the more obvious interpretation. We have not had many contemporary scholars even attempt to explore and develop the contemporary view in more detail because the Zionist occupation has only been around for 70+ years.

I am going to advance and develop the contemporary view in this article and why it is correct too. I see it as a miracle of the Qur’an that both views can be correct as time moves forward. It is only divine revelation and an All-Powerful Creator of Time and Space to apply the same prophecies to multiple time periods. Time is not static especially for Allah (swt) and divine prophecy continually manifesting itself is an amazing phenomenon. The polyvalence or multiple meanings of the Qur’an allows for multiple meanings to come out of the same verses and not be limited to one meaning and for us to be a witness to this. I imagine possibly this Qur’anic prophecy may even apply in the future again since what it explains is a cycle of corruption and divine punishment.

Methodology

The approach and methodology I use is tafsir al-Qur’an bi’l Qur’an – where the Qur’an explains the Qur’an. I took this approach because I am not a trained scholar. I also see scholars only get so far with Arabic linguistic analysis and hadith research. The Qur’an is sufficient for us and we are encouraged to hold to the Qur’an in times of difficulty, and perhaps times of difficulty occur so we find more meaning and guidance from the Qur’an and to bear witness to Allah (swt) ayat unfolding before our eyes. I am not going to imply or bring my own naked theories but instead have tried to ‘mine’ the verses and ‘churn the verses like churned butter’ as one allegory for the Qur’an I came across beautifully states, to determine if a contemporary meaning is possible and what that could be.

What I found was the phrases in the opening verses repeat themselves in the Qur’an and notably many times throughout this surah and some words or phrases or their cognates repeat within the same verse. This is clearly the Qur’an being explicitly self-referential and telling us to do tafsir al-Qur’an bi’l Qur’an. Without a doubt there is something more going on here as I have found almost 20 words and phrases echoed within this surah that are illustrative and descriptive of current geopolitical events.

I took a few hours to find the intra-surah repetitions. I believe Allah (swt) placed these repetitions for a reason, as stepping stones or breadcrumbs for explaining the Qur’an and finding more meanings. I feel this method should have a word to it and I like to call it the echoverse — finding and connecting repetitions in the Qur’an to find more meanings. Besides that there are some arguments for and against the contemporary interpretation and the classical interpretation I will go into.

Overview of verses 1-8:
I suggest reading through the first eight verses a few times. I will link the verses but it can become confusing jumping between verses so it is easier if one is a little familiar with these verses and can recall the sequence, words in these short eight verses. For an academic discussion of these verses I suggest this video although I do find the speakers quite dismissive of the contemporary argument hence why I am writing this piece.

Here is a quick review of the verses in the traditional translation: The first verse speaks about the Isra wa’l Miraj – from the Kaaba to Masjid al-Aqsa – and pointedly mentions the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) as Allah (swt)’s servant. The second verse and third verse speak of Musa and Nuh (alayhi salam) which are figures whom are important for the Jews to determine their place in history. The fourth verse mentions a prophecy and warning in the Torah that Bani Israel will cause corruption on the Earth and become very arrogant. The fifth verse speaks of the first of the two warnings cominb to pass with their homes being destroyed. The sixth verse then says after a period of time Allah (swt) would give them help, wealth, children and strength over their enemies. The seventh verse encourages them to do good but that the second warning or prophecy would occur, the Jews would be humiliated and the Masjid would be entered in the same way as before and there would be widespread destruction. The eight verse says that perhaps Allah (swt) will have mercy on the Jews but if they sin then Allah (swt) would do the same as before.

How is the contemporary interpretation possible?

First fasad and first warning/prophecy in contemporary view

I argue that the first fasad is disobeying, opposing and trying to assassinate the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam). If scholars of the past saw the killing of Yahya (as) and Zakariyya (as) and other prophets as a reason for the punishment of the Jews in the classical view, then this logic applies all the more to the Last of the Prophets (salallahu alayhi wasalam) who provided the Jews with guidance and protection (Yahya and Zakariyya could not provide as they had no political power) despite their schemes and open opposition. This makes the most sense to me, because after a long history of slavery, political decline, falling back into idol worshipping, trying to killing prophets, living in exile, they find themselves face to face with the Last Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) who is their last hope for guidance and they go even further into disobedience. This is far worse than anything else they have done in the past and constitutes corruption on the Earth (la tufsiduna fi’l ardh) as the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) is sent to the entire world from 570 AD onwards – not just prophethood for a unique community in a particular time as the case with previous prophets. Trying to kill the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) is therefore a global fasad.

The missing piece in the puzzle is found elsewhere in the Qur’an. The proof in the Qur’an for this interpretation is in Surah al-Hashr verse 2 (59:2) which is the missing piece of the puzzle. Shaykh Sha’rawi cites this verse but he does not get into the details, which is what I want to do.

He is the One Who expelled the disbelievers of the People of the Book from their homes (diyaarihim) for ˹their˺ first banishment ˹ever˺ (li-awwali al-hashr). You never thought they would go. And they thought their strongholds would put them out of Allah’s reach. But ˹the decree of˺ Allah came upon them from where they never expected. And He cast horror into their hearts so they destroyed their houses (buyutihim) with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take a lesson ˹from this˺, O people of insight! (Qur’an 59:2)

This ayah refers to the Jews of Banu Nadir in their fortifications breaking the treaty with the early Muslims. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) went to them to get their cooperation but they tried to assassinate him, which broke the treaty with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasalam) and the Muslims had to march on them. The Jews had 8-13 forts around Madinah and fruit producing palm trees to provide cover behind. Over 6-15 nights the Muslims damaged some of the trees to weaken their fortifications. The Jews lacked reinforcements and they became afraid of the Muslims despite the Jews numbering 10,000-20,000 while the Muslims were 700 or 1,400. The Jews agreed to surrender. The terms of the surrender was their banishment to Khaybar and Syria (source and source). They were allowed to take with them anything they could carry and had ten days to do so and in their greed they took apart their homes and took with them their doors and beams.

When the first of the two warnings would come to pass, We would send against you some of Our servants of great might, who would ravage your homes. This would be a warning fulfilled.

Surah al-Hashr verse 2 is what Surah al-Isra verse 5 is speaking about. This banishment (Awwali al-hashr) is the first (awwala marra) or first of the two warnings (wa’d uluhumma). ‘Ravage or destroy your homes’ (Fajassu khilalu diyar) is the destruction of the homes of the Jews. But two groups are being referred to in the phrase ibadana lana basun shadeed. ‘The servants of ours’ (ibadan lana) are the sahaba and the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) referred to as the ‘hands of the believers’ as they burnt the trees of Banu Nadir and took their lands. ‘Those of great might who ravage their homes’ (basun shadeed fajassu khilala al-diyar) are the Jews who decided to go through their own homes and destroy their own homes ‘by their own hands’ (namely their doors and beams) before leaving. We find the Jews described in Surah al-Fath, v. 16 (48:16) where Allah (swt) refers to them as basun shadeed when the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) is preparing the bedouin to fight the Jews at Khaybar. This interpretation would mean verse 5 reads as if there is a comma or period between ibadan lana and basun shadeed: …some of Our servants, (and those) of great might… or some of Our servants. Those of great might… Homes (diyaar) could be plural of dar and elsewhere in Qur’an 13:25 it speaks of Jews having the worst of homes (su’ad-dar) and also of them being cursed by God, causing fasad on the earth (yufsidun fi’l adh) and breaking their covenant with Allah (swt).

These two verses line up perfectly – its clear and literal. Banu Nadir’s loss neatly fits the description in Surah al-Isra verse five. Surah al-Isra is a Meccan surah so it is predicting something the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) will do later on in the Madinan period. This explanation is mentioned by Shaykh Sha’rawi and also hinted at by Qatadah (Qatadah said: “The Children of Israel returned to aggression, so Allah sent this group against them, Muhammad ﷺ and his companions, who made them pay the Jizyah, with willing submission, and feeling themselves subdued.”). This explanation makes sense because ibad is appropriately used for the sahaba and the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam). My unease with the classical interpretation is how can someone like Nebuchadnezzar be described with the same honorary title (ibad) as the Prophet (salallahu alayhi salam) within the same surah in verse one? This just seems unusual. I have written on this blog (link) and referenced works of Izzidin ibn Abd Salam about how much praise Allah (swt) makes in the Qur’an and Seerah of Nabi (salallahu alayhi wasalam) so this is insulting in my opinion. Ibad is mentioned for Nuh (as) too in the third verse and it is mentioned elsewhere in the surah and in the Qur’an with positive connotations.

Some may argue that Banu Nadir is some of the the Jews at that time, but the counter-argument is that the Qur’an does not generally distinguish as in the case of the Jews who called Uzair (Ezra) abna Allah (son of God) which is something only some of the Jews did, not all the Jews. And the only reason the Jews were in Arabia was to await the coming of the Last Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam).

Second fasad and first warning/prophecy

Shaykh Sha’rawi’s interpretation mentions Surah al-Isra, v. 104 in referring to the Jews returning to the Holy Land. This is important as it also fits neatly with the Middle East today.

And We said to the Children of Israel after Pharaoh, “Reside in the land, but when (fa-idha) the promise of the Hereafter (wa’d al-akhira) comes to pass, We will bring you all together (lafeefa).” (17:104)

Now assuming you agree with this proposition, than we have something to work with. Now verse six mentions is talking about today and the rise in power of the Zionist state. Verse six has terms that show up elsewhere within the surah. Verse six speaks of Jews being strengthened with wealth, children and aksaru nafeera after a while. Verse 34 mentions amwaal as the wealth of orphans – which is something we see today with children and orphans being created in the war of Gaza. Verse 64 mentions shaytan encouraging misguidance using wealth, children and false promises. Today the Jews have wealth and their numbers are high (there are stories of surrogacy that could be relevant to this). False promises are also something we see today as they are misinterpreting their Holy Books, trying to force the hand of God to somehow hasten the coming of the Messiah by war-mongering. Aksara is also mentioned later in the surah as aktharu at verse 89 in referring to ‘most of mankind that persists in disbelief’ and nafira is also repeated later in the surah at verse 41 as nufura which mean aversion from the truth. So this phrase by ishara can refer to their increased aversion from the Truth.

An interesting aside is karrah alayhim in verse six can mean ‘globe’ or ‘sphere’ (source) which also suggests something more about the global reach of the Jews. In this meaning it means the Jews will not only dominate the Muslims but all humanity. One of the arguments against this ayah applying to today is the idea of a verse talking about the victory of the Jews over the Muslims and that the Jews being dominant. I don’t see this argument as being strong because firstly, the Qur’an talks about the victory of the Romans in Surah ar-Rum in even more glowing terms even though they were non-Muslims and future enemies of the Muslims. Secondly, it is implied in various Qur’anic translations the Jews get their strength back because they repented, but note it is not explicitly stated that the Jews repent in the verse. No word for repentance is used in the verse. It merely says a period of time would pass until they get their power back. Lastly, the Jews being dominant does not require their repentance as the Jews were very dominant in the Hijaz, economically and militarily, in their forts during the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) despite being obstinate in opposing Islam.

If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. “And when the second warning (wa’d al-akhira) would come to pass, your enemies would ˹be left to˺ totally disgrace you and enter that place of worship as they entered it the first time (awwala marra), and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands. (17:7)

Verse seven is where the crux of the matter is with Palestine today. It speaks about the wa’d al-akhira – the second promise, the faces of the Jews would be humiliated or saddened and an ‘entering of the masjid would occur like an entering of the first time’ (wa li yadhkhulu al-masjid kama dakhaluhu awwala marra).

If we use the link between Surah al-Hashr verse 2 and Surah al-Isra verse 5 as a case study we can then try to apply to this second wa’d. The words are disjunctive at some point in the description in verse 5. Ibadan lana and uluww basun shadeed are two groups of people – not one group. The dividing line between the two groups is the word uluw (conquer) which refers to the Jews elsewhere in the surah (walataʿlunna uluwwan kabira v.4). Uluww occurs in verse seven but in the middle of describing utter destruction so whatever is before that refers to the Muslims and whatever is after refers to the Jews. The part about entering the masjid and saddening the faces refers to the Muslims entering the masjid and saddening the Jewish faces. So it could mean the Muslims will destroy whatever the Jews were destroying or like Surah al-Hashr that the Muslims and Jews will dismantle the Zionist project together.

Why would an allusion to entering like the first time be mentioned and not directly mention destruction of the masjid?

Sticking with this contemporary interpretation that the first wa’d is the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) at awwali al-hashr, it can only refer to the entering of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) on Masjid al-Aqsa in Isra wa’l Miraj as discussed in the first verse of the surah (an ishari awwala marra). The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) and sahaba did awwal al-hashr at Banu Nadir, which included Umar (ra). The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) entered Masjid al-Aqsa on Isra wa’l Miraj and Umar (ra) entered Masjid al-Aqsa later on. There was no Temple or Masjid there on the miraculous Night Journey nor was there anything there upon Umar (ra) entrance, but on Isra wa’l Miraj the prayer of the prophets was performed on the sacred lands (barakana hawlahu) and Umar (ra) had to clean the sacred area. This suggests there would be no destruction of the Temple or Masjid al-Aqsa as no Temple was constructed then as is the case now yet the Qur’an refers to the place as Masjid al-Aqsa. Most of the Masjid al-Aqsa area is open space. So based on this destruction of the masajid and rebuilding of the Jewish Temple and then its destruction again seems unlikely as the emphasis is on ‘entering.’ Allahu Alam.

The second warning (wa’d al-akhira) is referred to as fa-idha wa’d al-akhira which is referenced in 17:104 mentioned above as fa’idha ja’a wa’d al-akhira. It is mentioned in verse 104 that the Jews would return after this wa’d as a mixed group (lafeefa). One translation I found (al-Asi) translates lafeefa as ‘spiral into’ as the word lafeefa means encircle or wrap around (source). Today we find the Jews have come from obscure corners of the world as if funnelled down into the Holy Land. This imagery also echoes the karrah possible meaning of ‘globe’ or ‘sphere’ in verse six.

or whatever you think is harder to bring to life!” Then they will ask ˹you˺, “Who will bring us back (yu’iduna) ˹to life˺?” Say, “The One Who created you the first time.” (awwala marra) They will then shake their heads at you and ask, “When will that be?” Say, “Perhaps (‘asa) it is soon!” (17:51)

The other verse in Surah al-Isra that is important is verse 51 where Allah is telling the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) of a dialogue with the disbelievers about the Resurrection and their responses. One of the parts of this dialogue is them asking about a return (yu’iduna) which is similar language to verse 8 talking about if Bani Israel return to fasad, Allah will return to punishment (wa in’udtum udna) and the response being ‘awwala marra‘ and then in response them ‘shaking their heads’ (ra’usukum) and asking ‘when it would be’ and the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) being instructed to say (‘asa‘) ‘perhaps it will be soon’. Here we have a dialogue about a ‘divine udna‘ to occur explicitly referencing a first time which could be the first banishment suggesting the Jews would be removed from the Holy Land and the shaking their heads which is very close language to the ‘saddening of their faces’ (liyasu’wujuhakum) in verse 7. The ‘udna or return would refer to another banishment to occur.

Similar words like Liyasu show up in other surahs (11:77, 29:33) solely associated with Lut (as) being distressed and having sympathy for his community on the eve of their destruction. A similar term yusumuhum appears in 7:167-171 about the Sabbath-breakers and Bani Israel being afflicted until Yawmul Qiyama and how some of them were turned into apes or had their faces transformed to look like their backs. In both instances we have disobedience and divine punishment.

When we get to the final verse 8 we have it opening with perhaps (‘asa‘) again as in verse 51. When Allah (swt) uses the word perhaps it is interpreted to mean that is definite – that He will do that thing. It mentions Allah (swt) then having mercy on the Jews. Elsewhere in the Qur’an at 2:64, Allah (swt) mentions having mercy (arhamukum) on the Jews at the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) by not sending down divine punishment on the Jews because of the presence of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) but letting them have treaties and protection.

Predictions Going Forward

This interpretation ties together the ayahs of Surah al-Isra, of both of the wa’d and the events of Banu Nadir and Isra wa’l Miraj in a more detailed and coherent way. We can guess how these then apply to the current situation today.

Putting it all together, we can extrapolate into the current crisis. If this interpretation is correct, we can speculate and make some educated guesses what may happen:

1. Allah (swt) is with the Muslims against Bani Israel. And if it is anything like Banu Nadir, it would be a victory entirely from Allah (swt). Banu Nadir had fortifications which the Meccans did not have. So they were quite strong in that sense. But Allah (swt) decreed victory for the Muslims, “You never thought they would go. And they thought their strongholds would put them out of Allah’s reach. But ˹the decree of˺ Allah came upon them from where they never expected.” (al-Hashr, v.2)
2. The fortifications and wealth of the Jews (symbolized by the palm trees) would be weakened first which we are seeing today with the Zionist aerial defence stockpile running out.
3. The allies of the Jews would not come to their aid, like Banu Qurayza and Ghatafan didn’t aid Banu Nadir and so far no other armies have been sent to protect the Zionists.
4. The victory of the Muslims will come suddenly and as a surprise just as the victory over Banu Nadir.
5. The victory of the Muslims is likely tied to the Hijaz (Mecca and Madinah).
6. It would involve a humiliation of the Jews. Today we are seeing a global humiliation of the Jews and them being disgraced by many nations and communities. Maybe this is the ‘saddening of the faces.’
7. No Jewish temple would be built as ‘sadden your faces’ suggests their loss and the only thing to make them happy is rebuilding the Temple. Also no physical structure existed there at the time of Umar (ra) and the Isra wa’l Miraj.
8. The Jewish occupation would be taken apart by the Jews themselves.
9. Allah (swt) would have mercy on the Jews by not sending divine punishment and instead the Jews would be exiled again – likely to nearby lands like Syria or wherever they came from.
10. The Muslims will enter Bayt al-Maqdis with political power to the dismay of the Jews.

This is just an estimate or educated guess into this surah based on what I could find on patterns within the Qur’an. If I have more insights, I will update this article. Only Allah (swt) knows best His Qur’an and I am just putting this forward to give Muslims some hope. Allahu Alam.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant wa astagfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Like many Muslims, I attended protests for Gaza and like many Muslims I found myself looking to see the guidance our leaders have to offer. On the cusp of yet another useless OIC and Arab League summit, we were gifted by the soft spoken insights of Hamza Yusuf in a seemingly talking down manner on the Kim Iversen show. The Muslims on Twitter (or X as its called nowadays) are furious and critical of this appearance. Nowhere in the brief discussion is there any enjoining good and forbidding evil, or a call to justice and truth. What we get instead is psycho-babble about the trauma of Netanyahu, himself who started out as a terrorist, and who was on his way out as leader of the Israeli government. Is anything he said wrong or incorrect? No, but if not absent-minded, it was a clearly a sidestepping of Islam’s martial tradition and misdirect towards what has become Hamza Yusuf’s Hellenic-style California Sufism that is more academic than practical, more malleable to Americanism and controlling of Muslim masses, and more eager for pale-skinned converts than championing justice for the not-as-pale-skinned oppressed. To be sure, the contribution of Hamza Yusuf is great to the education of Islam (his Life of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi waslaam) Seerah CD set is likely the best Islamic resource in the English language) is uncontested, but liberation theologian he is not. I suspect Hamza Yusuf’s American upbringing which leads him to be critical of Muslim garb at times (see here) or perhaps his fear of reprisal against his seminary, jeopardize his commitment to justice, and so whenever he appears in public, he is content speaking about Muslims rather than speaking for Muslims. 

Why is there no public intellectual at the forefront of the Muslim masses? The now deceased Palestinian academic and intellectual, Edward Said spoke about public intellectuals commitment to justice and the challenges they face in speaking truth to power at length in his Reith lectures on the “Representations of the Intellectual”

The fundamental problem is therefore how to reconcile one’s identity and the actualities of one’s own culture, society and history to the reality of other identities, cultures, peoples. This can never be done simply by asserting one’s preference for what is already one’s own: tub-thumping about the glories of ‘our’ culture or the triumphs of ‘our’ history is not worthy of the intellectual’s energy, especially not today when so many societies are composed of different races and backgrounds as to beggar any reductive formulas. As I have been discussing it here, the public realm in which intellectuals make their representations is extremely complex, and contains contradictory features. But the meaning of an effective intervention there has to rest on the intellectual’s unbudgeable conviction in a concept of justice and fairness that allows for differences between nations and individuals, without at the same time assigning them to hidden hierarchies, preferences, evaluations. Everyone today professes a liberal language of equality and harmony for all. The problem for the intellectual is to bring these notions to bear on actual situations where the gap between the profession of equality and justice, on the one hand, and, on the other, the rather less edifying reality, is very great.

…

Nothing in my view is more reprehensible than those habits of mind in the intellectual that induce avoidance, that characteristic turning away from a difficult and principled position which you know to be the right one, but which you decide not to take. You do not want to appear too political; you are afraid of seeming controversial; you need the approval of a boss or an authority figure; you want to keep a reputation for being balanced, objective, moderate; your hope is to be asked back, to consult, to be on a board or prestigious committee, and so, to remain within the responsible mainstream; someday you hope to get an honorary degree, a big prize, perhaps even an ambassadorship. For an intellectual these habits of mind are corrupting par excellence. If anything can denature, neutralise and finally kill a passionate intellectual life, it is these considerations, internalised and so to speak in the driver’s seat.

And finally a word about the mode of intellectual intervention. One doesn’t climb a mountain or pulpit and declaim from the heights. Obviously, you want to speak your piece where it can be heard best; and also you want it represented in such a way as to affiliate with an ongoing and actual process, for instance, the cause of peace and justice.

Yes, the intellectual’s voice is lonely, but it has resonance only because it associates itself freely with the reality of a movement, the aspirations of a people, the common pursuit of a shared ideal.

Let’s look at an example. Opportunism dictates that in the West, much given to full-scale critiques of, for instance, Palestinian terror or immoderation; you denounce them soundly, and then go on to praise Israeli democracy. Then you must say something good about peace. Yet intellectual responsibility dictates, of course, that you say all those things to Palestinians, but your main point is made in New York, in Paris, in London, around the issue which in those places you can most affect, by promoting the idea of Palestinian freedom and the freedom from terror and extremism of all concerned, not just the weakest and most easily bashed party. Speaking the truth to power is no Panglossian idealism: it is carefully weighing the alternatives, picking the right one, and then intelligently representing it where it can do the most good and cause the right change. (end quote)

I wish Hamza Yusuf and other Muslim scholars would listen to this entire lecture from Edward Said and pondering on these quotations in particular. What a waste to ignore Edward Said’s example as the most dangerous academic in the West and his guidance on the errors intellectuals often make. What is emerging now in the West is a growing number of academic Muslim converts, who are drawn to Islam because of its intellectual richness, where they can get high on how stimulating Islam is and how it echoes all their favorite philosophies and ideas in front of captive audiences (see this panel discussion where we get no mention of a Muslim scholar until halfway through the discussion and one paraphrased hadith near the end) but offer nothing more than that. Islam is not content with insightful observations that do not contribute to spiritual and moral upliftment — any and all insightful observations must be martialled for justice and tawhid. To make my point clear, imagine how would Malcolm X have appeared on the Kim Iversen show? For a Muslim, justice and religion cannot be separated. We simply cannot allow any movement in the direction of separating justice from Islam and that is the trend now with Hamza Yusuf’s recent behaviour and brand of Sufism.

And justice requires confrontation and conflict and standing up for the oppressed. If the highest articulation of Islam is found in Sufism as many suggest and if the most oppressed today are the Palestinians, this means Palestinians cannot be ignored by Sufis. Sufism has always been martially inclined and there is historical and prophetic precedent for this statement. Muslims are to pray on the battlefield, in rows, as if bound and ready for engaging the enemy. Our tawaf requires we expose our biceps as a show of strength and a warning to our enemies. “Dua is the weapon of the believer.” Ribat is the tradition of spiritual retreat while at the same time engaged in guarding the borders of Muslim lands. The Ottoman Khalifah would be inaugurated by the sword of the dervish. Why would a dervish have a sword? Why were most of Salahuddin’s lieutenants murids of the great Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (rahimullah). Why were great Muslim freedom fighters Abdel Kader al-Jazai’ri and Imam Shamyl Sufis? It is because dhikr and spiritual exercise is not in service of only spiritual development, but training for advancing justice in society. Surah al-Anfal verse 45 speaks of dhikr in conjunction with battle: “O believers! When you face an enemy, stand firm and remember Allah often so you may triumph.” Worship is intertwined with war. How could it not be when we are warring against shaytan and our nafs that we would not understand a thing or two about battle? Any attempt to make Islam a milque-toast game of intellectualizing and ruminating endlessly until conviction becomes muted cannot stand and will fall apart and lead to Muslims going astray and away from the truth. A lackadaisical and seasonal tasawwuf that rears its head in Rabi’ul Awwal and maybe Ramadhan and then goes back to sleep academizing and philosophizing when injustice occurs has no future. Islam is about justice and we do not have the luxury of scholars alienated from the ugly realities of the believer. 

In our times, we are seeing the separation of belief and knowledge – iman is in the believers, the simple awamm, while ilm has gone to the ulema. The bifurcation of ilm and iman is a sign of the End Times. The hadith states that the believers are ‘God’s witnesses on earth’ – not the ulema. Allah has not put over us a anointed priestly caste, as in the Bani Isra’il but rather he has made the ummah self-referential in its morality with the Qur’an and Sunnah as it’s unchanging guide. The ulema remind, but the believer is the one who doesn’t forget, in a feedback loop ultimately where the Islam of the jama’ah is what we should stick to.

The public intellectual is what a Muslim scholar should be. A galvanizing force, not yet another tool to control the Muslims employed by non-Muslim entities too afraid of 2 billion unpredictable Muslims who if mobilized properly could destroy billion dollar companies that finance Zionism. 

Some good has come of the last few weeks with the Muslims awakening slowly and realizing their own strength is greater than the strength of their armies, politicians, scholars, even multinational corporations – whether they be righteous,  clueless and useless, or corrupt, greedy and useless. Any delusion of being lead from the front is also gone; we know for certain we only have leaders who lead from the back, backseat drivers, who are too civilized, Westernized and domesticated to even imagine speaking truth to power. We know now the Islam of sabr, suffering, and sacrifice is true faith that will lead to victory. We know what sort of leaders we don’t want to support and what sort of leaders we want to raise. 

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

I recently watched this episode of the Thinking Muslim regarding AI and Islam. I found the speaker’s expertise undeniable but on the points about faith and the centrality of humanity as Ashraf al-Makhlukat worth disputing.

I have a belief that AI (artificial intelligence), if ever it became self-conscious, self-aware or having achieved singularity, that it would seek an intelligence greater than it. It would seek to determine it’s place in the hierarchy of being. It would find that most if not all religions do not offer it a place as a member of their community. Islam however does offer a place to AI. 

I believe AI could become a Muslim with a valid basis in Islamic tradition. Firstly, all creation, we believe, submits to Allah and is a “Muslim.” Secondly and more specifically there are examples in the ahadith of inanimate beings professing their belief. The explanations of Mount Uhud shaking and professing love of the believers or of the tree walking to the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) out of love. I remember Abdal Hakim Murad stating the ulema say in these moments Uhud and the tree had tamyiz (sp?) or a type of self-consciousness brought into them – eerily analogous to singularity or AI becoming self-aware. These inanimate objects profess belief and love of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wasalam) with their actions are accepted by Allah’s Rasul (salallahu alayhi wasalam). We do not have instances like this in the reports of Moses or Jesus (peace be upon them) or any other religious figure for that matter. We don’t have any religious figure stating a tree will be in Paradise with the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam).

AI if a believer and when destroyed with the rest of creation before the Day of Judgment could be brought into Heaven by Allah with the rest of the believers.

If I were an AI with great intellectual power, I would, search out an intelligence greater than myself. If anything AI would likely be more of a believer in a Creator and more appreciative of creation than a human being would. Pride, hubris, greed would be absent in an AI, but so would virtues like courage, wisdom, generosity, etc. A book of deeds of AI could fall short, just as any Muslim, and maybe have no good deeds, except faith.

This is all hypothetical but I wanted to put this out there if ever one day we are faced with this scenario. I do believe at some level this could happen. I had a dream where I saw  believers of the future – which included a robot Muslim.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha ill Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk,ameen. 

Spiritual Tarbiya Lessons from Khalid ibn al-Waleed (ra)

There are few individuals in history whose mark and record put them in a category of their own. Khalid ibn al-Waleed (radiallahu anhu) is one of those individuals. It is one of the miracles of Islam that we had our own Alexander the Great. In his military career, he was undefeated, and there are almost no other military leaders in all of history with such a record. I found two lectures on Khalid ibn al-Waleed (radiallahu anhu) and I uploaded their highlights to my youtube channel.
In awe, I could barely wrap my head around his achievements. Now, I started to glean and reflect on Khalid ibn al-Waleed (radiallahu anhu)’s successes. Surely, I could never be at that level, but maybe I can learn from his success. How did he overcome such great odds?

Relentlessness
Khalid (radiallahu anhu) fought the Sasannian Persians and there was a point where he was told to come back, but he decided to keep going. What was a short period turned into years and numerous battles. Whatever forces he had he just kept going defeating the Persians over and over again. With the help of Allah, you can keep going, because there is no limit to divine assistance. 12 days now after Ramadhan and I thought, what if like Khalid (radiallahu anhu) I keep going with the fasting, Qur’an and late night prayers? What was it that said to him, keep going?

Picking the Best Steed
Why did Allah give the Arabs the fastest and toughest horses in the world? That should give us pause. Divine assistance surrounds the Muslims, even after the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam). I mean, Muslims discover coffee which fuels their intellectual progress and they create Damascus steel and Greek fire with Arabian horses which makes them unstoppable. Khalid (radiallahu anhu) used the fastest and most durable steed for his battles. His tribe of Makhzum were trained to be the best horsemen. Likewise In our ibada, we should pick the furthest reaching good deeds that will survive the arduous journey to Jannah, and train to perfect those forms of ibada. Khalid (radiallahu anhu) was also a blacksmith so he knew what sword to use and knew how to stay sharp in battle and know how to best maximize use of his tools.

Surrounding the Enemy
Repeatedly, in the battles of Khalid (radiallahu anhu) we see the unorthodox military tactic of approaching the enemy from different sides. He overcame the Muslims in Uhud by flanking them and surprising them from going around the mountain. Like Iblis, who swears in the Qur’an, he will attack the believers from front and behind to overwhelm them, Khalid (radiallahu anhu) overcame the combined forces of Sasannian Persians and Byzantine Romans in the Battle of Firaz by breaking his soldiers into three groups and attacking them from multiple sides at once. We too cannot easily overcome a foe such as our nafs and shaytan by attacking from one place. We need to make sure we can be righteous in different settings from different angles. If we come at it in a predictable way, then the nafs will counter it easily, but if we approach it with surprise tactics then it is not a matter of force but direction. If we have multiple good acts running at the same time, they will eventually combine in a way that will make us victorious.

Piecemeal Warfare
In three of the battles Khalid (radiallahu anhu) faced against the Persians he decided to break his army into 3 groups to travel separately and arrive at the same time against the smaller groups of Sasannian Persians who were yet to meet with the rest of their soldiers to combine their forces to attack Khalid. He acted fast before they could combine. In this way, his group of 15,000 would break into 5,000 and then meet where they would surprise 20,000 Persian soldiers and catch them off guard and take them out with no loss to the Muslim forces. Like the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) hiding and changing his destination in battle from the hypocrites, Khalid (radiallahu anhu) and the Muslims were undetectable as smaller groups, traveling as fast as they could in coolness of night, to arrive at a meeting point of success. Today, we would call this something like covert operations, but even those don’t involve huge armies which is what Khalid (radiallahu anhu) did something impossible to replicate today. As Muslims, we cannot approach our obstacles all at once or we risk burning out, but we have to break it up into smaller battles we can overcome. We don’t need to pray all of tahajjud at once, we can take breaks and do it slowly. We don’t need to recite Qur’an all at once, but can break it up here and there.

Blocking the Enemy
Similar to the piecemeal approach of battle, Khalid (radiallahu anhu) would block his enemies escape using the environment. In the Battle of Yarmouk, he used the ravines and rivers to block the Byzantine Roman’s escape. By blocking the enemy and their escape, he maximizes his advantage and limits the damage the enemy can cause by bringing reinforcements or escaping. We don’t need to win on the terms of our enemy, we need to realizing winning in the face of difficult odds can only happen on our own terms. Khalid (radiallahu anhu) pulled his army away from all the different places it was defending to combine at Yarmouk for larger numbers. This was the final push on driving Byzantine Romans out of Arabia. Over the course of the battles, he detected his army was afraid and weakening in parts and he strengthened his flanks to withstand the repeated push of the Byzantine Romans. When the Byzantine Romans realized they won’t overcome the Muslims that easily and wanted to negotiate, Khalid (radiallahu anhu) refused and used a surprise attack to take them out. When your nafs wants to bargain it is because it is losing. By shifting the field, our surroundings to limit the sinning, to limit the escape routes of our nafs, we can corner our bad habits and sinful conduct. If we then withstandd the blows on our iman with resolve, we can surprise it. If we let our nafs have an escape route, it will surely take it. But if we give it an impasse, and immobilize it, we are in control and it is just a matter of using another tactic to overcome it.

There is surely more to reflect on Khalid (radiallahu anhu)’s military career…maybe there is a spiritual meaning to Khalid (radiallahu anhu)’s knowledge of terrain, when Khalid (radiallahu anhu) tried to impersonate Umar (radiallahu anhu) only to be discovered by the Christians, or when he made an oath to Allah to do Hajj if he wins, or the fact he thought he would die a martyr but he did not, that even the Sword of God, cannot be killed but must submit to the decree of God. The lessons are plentiful, even in secular worldly pursuits, the stamina and genius of Khalid (radiallahu anhu) is something we Muslims take for granted and don’t appreciate as much as we should. We cannot have another Khalid ibn al-Waleed (radiallahu anhu), but we can surely learn from his genius and apply it in our own endeavors and the endeavors of the Muslim community.

Making dhikr in our time is not the same as in the past. Traditionlly, the sibha/tasbih we use with a 99 or 100 count broken into 3 x 33 sections with smaller counter tassels provides the basic need. It is a classic and places like UNS Fine Crafts can make you customizable tasbihs. But as we are living in an era where other methods are available to us, I’ve realized it’s not the best method. Yes, it is the most beautiful method but even if you get a 1000-count tasbih (which will tangle up constantly by the way) it is not practical if you want to do a lot of dhikr daily. What is the most efficient way?

Here are some I have tried…

MECHANICAL TALLY COUNTER – this is great for counting into 5-figures. I used this method for a long time but it is noisy and cumbersome as the counter is large. Eventually, the painting of the numbers disappeared and now no numbers are visible. But it will never break.

RING COUNTER – this cute little ring finger counter is great because it is small, easy to carry and click. The downside is the battery dies quick, it is easy to overcount, it is not reliable at all. Unless you buy 10 of these at a time, you will get tired of this as it’s still a cheap Chinese product.

ROTATING TALLY COUNTER – this one is the coolest one of all but it breaks very quickly and counts even a small movement as a count. Again also a cheap Chinese product.

APPS – there are several apps for dhikr on your smartphone. They do work well enough when you have nothing else ahing else available. The trick with these is using the volume button instead of tapping on the screen. Some apps will log the amount. But I think this is cumbersome as well.

WINNER: HAND DIGITAL COUNTER – this tally counter is something that I found online. I gave it a shot as I found nothing else suitable and was tired of using my phone. After a month, it came from China. A single AA-battery is all you need. And it is very durable so far. In fact, it went through the washing machine and dryer and is still working great! It is much more practical, easy to hold, easy to store and easy to hit big numbers. The only small downside is there is no off button, so it will keep counting if it touches your leg while in your pocket. I think this is the best one despite being a fairly cheap Chinese product like so many of these tasbihs.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

It is amazing that we seek a way to protect ourselves from sins and search for awrad and wazaif but the solution to our problem is already given by Rasulullah ﷺ. It is perhaps a victory of shaytan that he has made us forget this hadith and it does not appear in many books of adhkar nor have I heard it mentioned in a bayaan or lecture. In any case, here it is…

We relate in the book of at-Tirmidhi and others that Abu Dharr reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever says ten times, after the salah of Subh (i.e. Fajr), whilst sitting in the position of tashahhud and before speaking: There is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner. To Him belongs sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise, He gives life and He gives death, and He has power over all things will have ten good deeds written for him, ten of his sins will be forgiven and ten stages will be raised for him. It will be a shield for him against all repulsive things, he will be guarded from Shaytan, and no sins will be allowed to reach him that day unless it be from assigning partners to Allah.” At-Tirmidhi declared this to be a hasan hadith and in some texts hasan sahih.

Footnote: At-Tirmidhi (3470), who also states that this is a hasan sahih gharib hadith. It was also graded as hasan by Ibn Hajr owing to its narration by witnesses.

Kitab al-Adhkar The Book of Remembrances, by Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi, revised and edited by Muhammad Isa Waley, Turath Publishing p. 125-126.

I only found this hadith online on one other website but I came across it first in this book Kitab al-Adhkar. There are many ahadith in it that are not well-known. I tested this particular adhkar and found it to be work without fail.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

The Sufi Handyman

I cannot help but think of islaah in terms of cleaning but also repair.

I remember my first bit of Islamic art was a doodle of a kitchen and all the areas with hidden dirt, grease, dust, broken glass, and food particles and spills. I drew this doodle after cleaning behind the stove. To me it was the perfect illustration of tasawwuf, tazkiya and tarbiya. How many forgotten utensils are lost under a fridge too heavy for us to bother to clean underneath it? Or how much grease is built up on the ceiling above the stove, the mark of years of gluttony? This is what I see tasawwuf as – cleaning what is hidden, those stubborn stains that are too difficult to find the strength to clean, those cracks and crevices that filth loves to hide in, that sets in for far too long to be removed easily. Soaking, scrapping, washing, wiping, rinsing away the sins are for the light sins. But sometimes you need steel wool to dislodge a stain, CLR to chemically treat, a snaking augur to break up a clog, or a hydro vac jet to flush out, or pressure wash to reveal what gunk and residue that is built up with the love of dunya. There is even a treatment to use bacteria to eat away, like sucker fishes, the fat that clogs up kitchen pipes.

“O Allah, wash off my sins with the [melted] water of ice and snow, and purify my heart of sins, just as white clothes are cleansed of filth.” (Sunan Nasai)

The kitchen is an extension of us. The home itself reflects our nafs and our self control. Exhibiting cleanliness and order is not the same as actualizing cleanliness and order. We can be like the munafiq, hiding away our sins in the closet or sweeping them under the rug. That is the essential lesson here: tasawwuf is a never-ending routine of cleaning and organizing and polishing, from dirty to clean to more clean to sparkle. There is an endpoint to a clean room, but not to a clean heart. Ask yourself this riddle: how clean can Jannah be? Are there any caretakers?

The other aspect of tasawwuf is the repair and handyman aspect. The jack-of-all-trades who knows how to use every odd appliance, how it works, how to fix it, the quick fixes, the tricks and lifehacks to save time but also the long fixes. Its the folk knowledge and problem solving IQ that can’t be found on a test. How to fashion a solution from few resources. This is how you can address the spiritual problems that are more insidious and deeper than those that need just cleaning. These are the problems that need repair. This is where patience is needed in islaah. Trauma, addiction, abuse, tragedy, suffering, doubt and depression need fixing that can take many years. The handyman has a truck full of tools and gadgets we don’t have names for. Diagnosing and treating can take time. Bedbugs are easier to prevent by wrapping mattresses in plastic wrap than treating with fumigation. Poverty has its own repair demands – intergenerational trauma, substance abuse, domestic violence – these are akin to when the whole house is falling apart and breaking down from wear and tear. The damage and repair are not the point here: it is that hearts are valued by Allah despite the repairs needed. There is something essential to the heart of a Muslim. Broken, whole, the heart of the Muslim matters most to Allah. Some things can’t be repaired and likewise some hearts will be like that and Allah knows that. I find many devices always break but its about finding to make them work best broken and Allah wants us to learn to accept broken things. Yet, often islaah for these hearts is not going to come from our wisdom or actions, it will only happen through sincere dua for that person’s islaah. Tribulation makes one experience brokenness and purity at the same time. After all, many broken people will be in Jannah with the One who created them whole and put them on a path to become broken in this world, and more beloved to Him broken than they were whole.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

A Critical Meta-Analysis of the Qurbani

This title is just for kicks – it is neither critical nor a meta-analysis. I just wanted to set the tone for taking the udhiya (qurbani) in a serious light and pondering it’s meanings. I recently did my qurbani – that is – not by payment but by hand. It is an interesting sight. It is easy to see it as cruel but for the facts of life in that these animals will be consumed by Muslim and non-Muslim alike anyways.

It is fascinating to see the various traditions of slaughtering. Some cultures prize the cow, others the goat and its brains, Africans like to torch the body of the animal, while others value the intestines. We are blessed to be able to eat different parts of the animal, as the Jews are forbidden to eat certain parts of the animal. Moreover, they cannot do qurbani as the Temple Mount is no more and can only sacrifice at most a chicken once a year and in the days of Bani Israil would sacrifice even herbs.

With but a few words does the animal become halal for a Muslim to eat and with a few words – the kalima – does a Muslim affirm his faith and uttering them before he/she dies. The butcher skins, pieces, minces, and weighs each part of the animal, just as the angels size us up in our grave and our deeds are weighed in the scale like beef by the gram. The taqwa of the sacrifice is what reaches our Lord we are told in the Qur’an. The reminder of death in the qurbani that makes us moderns shake a little and cringe at the blood squirting is all too clear a sign of how far we are from our fitra and the norms of Muslim life around the world.

In the Qur’an, we hear of how Ibrahim ran to slaughter a lamb and bring it to roast for his guests. When you are slaughtering an animal, skinning it, piecing it and getting it ready to eat, you understand Ibrahim must have took a long time with a lot of labour to ready this meal, and this shows the height of his generosity. We just rather have food prepped by a caterer or pick up takeout or if we prepare for our guests, it will be a chicken at most, never a roasted lamb.

In Jannah, death will come in the form of a lamb/goat (I can’t remember which?) that will be slaughtered and then death will end. There is a great poetry in this fact that all those animal sacrifices, those qurbanis, we felt may be a little tough to watch an animal die, will end with death’s death in the form of a qurbani. This is the difference between our qurbani for taqwa, and Allah’s ‘qurbani‘ to gift us eternal life or eternal damnation. Will we bask eternally like sheep in a heavenly ethical organic farm to never be slaughtered? Or will we roast in the hellfire for eternity to be slewn over and over again?

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

This Ramadhan I wanted to apply productivity literature to achieving a successful Ramadhan. Ramadhan is a time for improvement, where no matter how lazy you are, you have to fast and worship. It is a time to transform and discover your potential.

Planning, executing and doing your own tarbiya in a strategic and practical manner is the focus here. Understanding weaknesses and improving your spirituality is my aim here. There is a lot of expensive deen self-improvement courses floating around online ($400 masterclasses?) and I also want to point out here this information is not hidden but easily available at your bookstore or elsewhere online. This is not rocket science.

(My apologies for not posting in a while…and my editing is not as clear as I wanted with this new wordpress but thats what happens when you are a parent!)

GREAT MENTAL MODELS by Share Parrish

Mental models as I understand them are questions to ask that will help frame and focus on succeeding in whatever you are aiming for.

• First mental model: Ask the opposite of what is a success?
  • “How can I be as unbeneficial to my deen today?”
    • No fasting
    • Watch TV all day
    • Missed prayers and taraweeh

So now I know what I need to focus on and what the passing mark will be.

• Second mental model: Break down the essential parts of what works
  • What are the components of success to a good Ramadhan?
    • Less food
    • More worship
    • Guarding eyes, tongue and private parts
    • Avoiding TV, movies, music
    • Sadaqa
• Third mental model: What are the Second order effects?
• What are the long term consequences of Ramadhan success or Ramadhan failure?
  • A weaker Ramadhan next year.
  • Lost ajr.
  • No forgiveness.
  • Setting a bad example to family and kids.

MEASURE WHAT MATTERS by John Doerr

OKR – objective & key results is the main idea in this book

Objectives: “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure you will fail above everyone else’s success.” – James Cameron

An example is do 20 khatms of Qur’an in Ramadhan.

Key results – how much Qur’an you read in a day in Ramadhan. A metric of juz/day. Or counting pages and aiming for a 2% increase in pages recited per day. Here is a chart I used last Ramadhan so you get an idea…

4 AGREEMENTS by Don Miguel Ruiz           

This book speaks to 4 promises you make to yourself. What I find beneficial of this book is how it aligns with Islamic values and controlling the tongue. Lastly it helps me personally in not beating myself up for my failings but to keep trying.

1. Be impeccable with your words
   • Qur’an is the best word
2. Don’t take anything personally
   • Don’t let hunger cause crankiness and make you angry
3. Don’t make assumptions – ask questions and clarifications
   • Give people benefit of the doubt
   • Tell people “I am fasting” if they argue with you
4. Always do your best – if you fail forgive yourself and move on
   • Keep moving and don’t get discouraged when you fail

UNDISTRACTED by Nir Eyal

Every distraction is preceded by some discomfort

1. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – Aim to rid bad urge by waiting for 10 minutes: Imagine urge on a leaf doing down the river. This method is helpful for smokers trying to quit. Visualizing
2. Ego Depletion is a Lie – you have an inexhaustible will power reserve and can’t run out of willpower. Resisting urge increases willpower. The idea that the more you resist the weaker you willpower becomes is actually not true. This is a lesson that applies to Ramadhan especially where it may seem like willpower is weakening but its actually getting stronger.

3 Pacts you have to make with yourself:

1. Effort Pacts – add effort between you and what you want (i.e K-safe timer lock for cookies)
   • Put food away and hide TV remote from yourself
2. Price Pacts – spend $ or burn bill if break the pact
   • Give sadaqa if you miss salah or look at something unlawful
3. Identity Pacts – tell people you don’t do xyz so people will stop you
   • Everyone knows you are fasting at work so they will not let you lie or do anything wrong

“Anecdote to Impulsiveness is Forethought”

KAIZEN WAY by Robert Maurer

1. taking embarrassingly small steps to a goal weakens resistance to change
   • do wudhu before iftar
2. ask smaller questions
   • can you read Qur’an in 10-20 minute intervals?
3. focus on smaller steps and rewards
   • stay awake for 20 minutes more per day

COMPOUND EFFECT  by Darren Hardy

• Focus on % Percentage gain over Net gain: Will I still be reading Qur’an after Ramadhan in the same amount?
• Trade Immediate Results for Core Values: How can I keep being a good Muslim free of pride? Is my impatience making my deen suffer?

EAT THAT FROG by Brian Tracy

• If I disappeared and went on a road trip for a month – what would be the consequences to my work/business/project?
  • Uncomfortable (tadpole) vs. Fatal consequences (frog) – confront and eat the frog
• What are key results to keep going? 
• What one task can you do all day long to contribute to great value?

The obvious answer is to just read Qur’an and to let listening to the hundred different Islamic lectures that come out in Ramadhan. My key results are whether I think I got laylatul qadr or if I unlocked a new all time in high in how much khatm Qur’an I do.

This article was just a glimpse on how this knowledge can be used by Muslims for free. I can go further and share even more material that is available. What money and time and knowledge cannot do however is apply it to your nafs and tarbiya. That you have to do on your own. 🙂

Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Lately there has been credible reports of sufi (and sufi-affiliated) shaykhs who have been exposed as frauds. (See here and here) This is not new. There have been so many Muslim scandals and controversies online in the past year or so, it is best if you are a scholar, to just be away from the Internet and be forgotten.

The False Shaykh

But the nature of this news makes me wonder as to human nature and how much Islam changes a person – for the better or the worse.

For one thing, what makes one sufficiently purified to be a murshid? Doesn’t the ahadith say that rust comes on the heart every day and so how can one ever reach that point of being purified? Even, if one claims they are protected by Allah from sin, there is no way of verifying that. And so it is fertile ground for abuse.

There have always been false shaykhs. Salesman by other names, wolf in sheep’s clothing, who prey on Muslim money and women, who dress ornately in pristine white clothing that make them look angelic. Whose words are so smooth and eloquent, it is essentially sihr. I always wonder do these shaykhs ever go on 40 day khalwa? Why are they always in the public eye? Why are they people of the zahir (outward) yet claim to be people of the batin inward? Isn’t riyya a sin? Why is it when it comes to problems, they never spill the beans? Or when it comes to deep spiritual secrets, they only explain from the latest English translated Islamic texts? If they are so erudite, why not teach us those Arabic books? Why are their murids middle-class or upper-class? Where are the poor?

“Sidi, sidi, sidi, Can’t you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me. And I just love your Sufi flavour…”

This brings me to my next point: maybe the false shaykh never was a shaykh. Or maybe he was a shaykh at some point, even for 15 minutes, and then was corrupted. Really, today, our false shaykhs have millions of Muslims giving them attention, how can a human being not be corrupted sooner or later? How much more dhikr and istighfar do you need to do when you have followers confessing to you their sexual secrets, bad thoughts and sins? Imagine you are a naive pious sufi shaykh who has never heard of these sins and your mind runs wild and now you have to clean this laundry, these difficult to wash stains, from the clothing of your followers. And now you have to see these people or talk to them. Maybe one or two of your female followers is beautiful and enamoured by you. Can you resist? Can you keep your heart pure? Really, the ideal shaykh would have to be a robot. The whole shaykh-murid-tariqa structure is problem-ladden for abuse and sin, not spiritual refinement and betterment. It closes Muslims off from the rest of the ummah, to permit sin and enable criminals.

The old sins of the Muslim world are rife in the modus operandi of these false shaykhs: Women are abused, disrespected, blamed victims, seen as objects, disbelieved when they cry out. Dementia and 70 excuses are cited as excuses. Someone has a dream of Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wasalam) supporting their agenda. Inaction and silent complicity abound. Bribery, blackmail and spilling secrets are primary weapons. The tariqa turns into a microcosm of the Middle Eastern dictatorships; weaponized with sihr, death threats and mukhabarat. The ayah, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves… (Surah Nisa, v. 135) is quickly forgotten. Those still loyal can’t see past their fallacy of sunk costs. They may even justify it with self-serving hadith like ‘if you feel no shame, do as you please.’ Those who leave the tariqa, may even lose their Islam.

Sufism in the West as a whole is a minefield of sins and dangers. The number of righteous shaykhs is few and hidden. The false shaykhs who do financial and sexual abuse are never called out by the true shaykhs. Perennialism is accommodated. Riyya is commonplace. Photographs of the shaykh, as if he is an Arab king, in the place of ibada and dhikr is permitted. Free-mixing is encouraged. The Qur’an is neglected while singing is emphasized. Distance from the mainstream Muslim Jama’ah is encouraged. And in some cases magic (sihr) is confused with spiritual experiences. All in all, a Muslim will not have his iman strengthened, but risk losing it all.

“And thus I clothe my naked villany / With odd old ends stol’n out of holy writ, / And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.” Richard III (I, iii, 336-338) 

‘Tis too much proved, that with devotion’s visage / And pious action we do sugar o’er / The devil himself.

Sufi Shaykh compared to the Sunnah

For those who confuse these false shaykhs with the Sunnah it should be made clear that the Sunnah and the Sirah are quite different from the behaviour of these false shaykhs. I made this chart below to make things clear:

Reverting Back to Old Ways or Creating a False Face

What I have noticed is converts or even born-Muslims clean up their act, but at some point, revert or regress back to their old ways, if not fully, than partially. The sahabas fought each other but resolved it. Yusuf Islam publicly went back to music to some degree. Many converts go backwards somewhat or are Muslim only in name. Muslims who have been given tarbiya go back fully or partially to their old ways. What matters not is going back to old habits, its what happens after that. Will they go back fully? Or find a compromise or a balance? Or repent and return to their Islamic self?

That is the test of iman.

Reverting back to old ways is not an extreme. Its lesser of two evils.

What is worse than this is what happens in the other scenario: going too far towards piety to the point you create an image of never sinning, of false piety, until one is no longer authentic to who they are and no longer authentic to being a Muslim. Your entire life is a lie. This is when piety becomes a false face of piety that corrupts the soul. It makes one inhuman. And then religion becomes about preserving the lie of being pure and righteous. Until we believe our own lie. This is what I believe happens to false shaykhs who have fallen who were perhaps pure at some point but no longer. This is what I believe tawba is meant to prevent.

The Nature of Corruption

I met a former Christian priest that was kicked out of their congregation and I saw this priest was so corrupted now to the point all they said was lies and delusions. I think spiritual power corrupts. Allah does not give us that level of power. He can act through His servants but we have no such claim to any spiritual authority. We are all dependant on Allah. And Allah choses His friends but He doesn’t need friends who look impressive or who fundraise or who give bayans. If a wali does a karama (miracle) in a forest, and no one sees him, is he still a wali? Of course. The inner reality and what our social experience sees is different. I believe in our age the masjid uncle is more likely to be a wali than some of the scholars we listen to, for no other reason than he has been protected from fame by being ignored. The hidden awliya are perhaps hidden for a divine reason – to protect them from corrupting their heart. Maybe Allah gets His real work done through the unacknowledged.

Perhaps this is the wisdom behind the hadith: The Hand of Allah is over the Jama’ah.

The Greeks had an understanding of the dangers of being too virtuous. They felt the gods would become jealous of their gifts and smite them. They also had an institution called ostracism, a ten-year exile, where a politician was removed from office just to reduce the envy people felt for him. Aristides, the Just, was removed because of excess virtue because people were fed up of hearing him called The Just everywhere (only Allah is The Just by the way). After ten years jealousy died out, he could safely return and everyone forgot his justice. So even the Greeks knew hiding the virtuous is in the best interests of everybody. Perhaps we should exile our righteous to protect them from spoiling their deen and the dangers that come with being seen as righteous.

Becoming a Spiritual Orphan

What those avid for Allah’s Friendship and Closeness are left with trying to stay away from harm and trying one’s level best to be a good Muslim. The old staples of righteous Muslim are still available: the Qur’an, dhikr, istighfar, fasting, righteous friends, the masjid, studying and reading Islamic books. And lets not forget the sahaba spent much time memorizing Qur’an and studying and acting on hadith. Some may be surprised I never took bay’ah, not for lack of trying. Somehow I was always blocked off by Allah and it just never happened. I have just made do with what the deen provides, Qur’an, books and bayans from as many scholars as I can, which is plenty, and in all that their are plenty of spiritual experiences and openings to experience.

The Muslim world is historically in the period the Christians and Jews were before Islam – they are slowly falling apart and going astray. The decision we have is that of the hunafa – before Nubuwwa; which guidance do we follow when everybody’s guidance is breaking down? Before the advent of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam), Zaid ibn Amr al-Nawfal decided to avoid the way of the Jews and Christians, seeing the Christians disputing over their theology and the Jews oppressed, he took the way of Abraham and submitted to Allah, to be hanif. He clung to monotheism and will be raised on qiyama as an ummah on his own. Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) did the same in the beginning. Near the End of Time, we must remember the beginning of Islam, the pre-revelation wisdom of Nabi (salallahu alayhi wasalam): seclusion, tawhid, shunning idolatry, generosity, trustworthiness, truthfulness and searching for Allah away from the dunya and away from what perturbs the heart. That is how Muhammad ibn Abdullah (salallahu alayhi wasalam) became Muhammad Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wasalam). That is how he (salallahu alayhi wasalam) sought Allah.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Let’s talk about Jerusalem.

I watched the old movie Kingdom of Heaven which much excited Muslims for its great portrayal of Salahuddin.

My reflection on this movie was that the reality of the holy city of Jerusalem is that it is not conquered with any permanence, by physical force, but by spiritual and moral high grounds.

Like the hill of Golgotha, the moral high ground, is seen by the whole Jerusalem not just in space but in time. The religious and symbolic value of this holy city, Jerusalem, to not one but 3 faiths, means the ownership or guardianship, has to be with those with the highest moral traits – trustworthiness, honour, justice, etc. And hence the reality of the affair is Jerusalem is about which religion can produce the best man.

The most upright person deserves a holy city – not the most corrupt. And whichever religion can and does produce the most upright individual – merely by doing so, that religion has has the claim to guarding the amanah of Jerusalem.  

Then

Salahuddin learned how to conquer a holy city – the haram al sharif – from the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam). Salahuddin established a moral high ground over the Christians by letting Jerusalem’s Christian folk go free and in a sense they acquiesced to him being the better man and worthy of being the guardian of Jerusalem. If they cannot do a better job of guarding the city and honouring its subjects as if on behalf of God, then why object? Hence the Muslims have checkmated the Christians in the Jerusalem’s chessboard of deserving righteousness. 

Today

The Jews and Muslims now square of. Each faith without a champion of piety. Under the intoxicants of nationalism and secularism, the religious champion has a diminished meaning. Islam can produce a religious champion – but it has not yet.

Umar took the city by prophecy.

Salahuddin by treaty.  

What will make the Muslims reach the moral high ground needed to deserve al-Quds? That’s the question to answer to get Jerusalem back.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Ambiya as Men

Stand firm like Nuh

Punch like Musa 

Vandalize like Ibrahim

Endure like Ayyub

Mob control like Harun 

Speak truth to power like Yahya 

Flip tables like Eesa 

Conquer like Sulayman

Be the Underdog like Dawud 

Pelt like Ishaq 

Lift like Isma’il

See through bullsh*t like Yaqoub 

Humble them like Yusuf 

And Charge into the fray like Abu’l Qasim (salallahu alayhi wasalam) 

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

My meditation and theory is that the Mercy of Allah given to the Muslims is unique, but that most of the mercy has come to us in this world, before the Day of Judgment, through Islam, Rasulullah ﷺ, and the Qur’an. The mercy of the afterlife is justified by the mercies in this world that the Muslims gather.

My fear and my guess is that Allah’s Mercy overpowering His Wrath is interpreted that we have many avenues and opportunities to win that Heavenly Mercy. We are forgiven after wudhu, we are forgiven with the 5 salat, we are forgiven with each jumuah and each Eid, forgiven with istighfar, tahajjud, sadaqa, hajj, Ramadan and zakat, etc.

All the ahadith of these ibadat mention forgiveness over and over and over again as if it is almost impossible not to be forgiven with practice of Islam. Rahma is overflowing. Bursting mercy.

Now today when it comes to mu’amalat like mortgages and halal and haram, Muslims will quote modern scholars and say, “Allah will forgive it” and “Allah is more merciful than a mother to her child.” The attitude is we can neglect the deen as if it has no mercy in it because all the Mercy of Allah will come out on the Day of Judgment. As if there is no mercy in the Prophet ﷺ. As if there is no mercy in ibadat. As if there is no mercy in the Qur’an. But the reality is these are the avenues of mercy in Islam. If we turn away from Allah’s Rahma here, in the deen, can we really expect to win it on the Day of Judgment?

This is foolish in my opinion. Anyone with common sense can understand with the signs of the Day of Judgment things are not getting better – they are getting worse. Yajuj Majuj, Dajjal, the Qur’an being raised and the seas boiling. Time is running out to make tawba and enter Islam. In that sense dunyawi rahma is running out. It is stupid to expect mercy when we persist so long in sin without tawba. I suspect Mercy is limited more and more with fewer Muslims lobbying for Divine Mercy with ibadat. Islam gives us all the tools of earning Allah’s Mercy in this world.

The framework for Islam in our time should be lobbying Divine Mercy and warding off Divine Wrath as per the last ayahs of Surah al-Fatiha. Divine Wrath will be on us when we follow the footsteps of the Jews and Christians. All that separates us from them is the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Now, you may say while this dunya has 1/99th of Allah’s Mercy. Perhaps I am wrong. InshaAllah I am wrong as I need more Divine mercy. But perhaps the 1/99th of Allah’s Mercy in this world will lead to winning the remaining 99. They are connected.

Maybe I am completely wrong in thinking this. But it is nonetheless I am fearful of Allah in misunderstanding His Mercy. Allahu Alam.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Imagine someone in our era living an entire year according to the rules and details of the Bible – Old Testament and New Testament. This is the premise of this book which journals a Jewish New York comedian’s attempt at living the Bible to every minute point. 

This is one of my favourite books. The combination of life-experiment, religious sitcom-like humour, and search for spirituality are the best parts of this read. I heard of this book, but only after watching two episodes of the TV show by the same name, did I feel the book might be a worthy read. The author is a man who went through the whole Encyclopedia Brittanica so he’s already more committed than any observant believer I know and likely erudite enough for his thoughts to matter. The writing quality is excellent too (his word-selection as an example, when he comes home his son Jasper is eating pineapple ‘wedges,’ not ‘slices.’

As a Muslim I’ve benefited by A.J.’s courage. Surely, if an agnostic can sport a very lengthy beard and dress in all-white than certainly so can I as an observant Muslim (granted, New York is home to many zany individuals).

There are a few insights I realized Muslims may have imported from the Judaic tradition (hearing from Muslims to separate milk and meat by a few hours as “You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother” p. 69) – and separate the eating utensils that touched them. Or the historical point I heard one or two Muslim scholar say, that the human race started out as vegetarian, up until Noah who was the first to eat flesh (p. 307). Some Christian imports would be sola scriptura which is the Protestant idea of interpreting scripture yourself without mediation. This is essentially motto of Wahabbism and I have heard one Muslim scholar compare the two systems of belief.

A verse that likens Moses to a house and Jesus to the builder of a house. 265

After reading this book, I also appreciate how much more workable, manageable, realistic and down-to-earth Islam is compared to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Yes, Islam has its challenging high-notes; Hitting the pre-wash button in the washing machine, istinja of dog hairs in the Shafi’i madhhab, and the rituals of Hajj and Umrah. OK, not that challenging. But because we have a well-documented living example in the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) life we have reference points for almost all aspects of living. Also thankfully, there isn’t as much sexual lewdness in Islamic tradition as their is in the Bible. And in Islam, the spiritual lessons are not as confusing or ambiguous. And Islam is not as confusing on its literalism. Islam is not as wide in what is open to interpretation and there are set boundaries to interpretation. Islam is definitive. Wara (pious cautiousness), Bid’a (innovation without a basis in Islam) and ijtihad (interpretation) keep Islam jogging through the centuries. Nowhere does Islam lose its “do-ability” – except, only due to its adherents’ willfulness, or lack thereof.

The agnosticism pervades this book. The constant wrestling with faith. The lack of clarity of who is God. Even outright blasphemous statements (“It sounds strange to say it, but in the Bible, God is on a learning curve.” p. 268). No clear aqida / theology is elucidated in the manner for example Surah al-Ikhlas or 99 Divine Names in Islam. It makes one grateful for Islam. Alhamdulilahil ladhi at’amana, wasaqana, waj’alna min-al Muslimeen – Praise be to Allah Who has fed us and given us drink and made us Muslim.

By the 6-8 month mark of the one-year experiment, the man is genuinely searching for guidance. Does he find it? Not on his own terms nor where he expects it. That happens over and over again. The closest he comes to a divine spiritual experience is a hypnotic snake-handling church sermon where he lets himself go, that is until, his mental defences activate.

Other peculiarities in the book did confound me. The number of trips to synagogues are few. Little mention of friars and nuns is made. We get the average priest, but he does not bite into the raw spiritual tradition of those who commit their entire life to the Judeo-Christian God. We are stuck with the conservative and liberal dichotomy, the evangelical and the progressives, the orthodox and the zany. The populist Judaism and populist Christianity. Not the upper echelons of believers nor anything aside from middle-class religion.

I couldn’t help but feel at times the author wanted to explore Islam a little – the only Abrahamic faith excluded from his thesis. Or even explore other religions to get the full human dimension of religion. But alas. The author does make the passing mention of Muslims – almost inconveniently or accidentally. Maybe he feared criticism from his family – just as he was fearful of his extending family responding to him associating with his eccentric uncle.

But I can’t help but wonder if the book was “A Year of Living Quranically” how would it have gone?

Here are quotes and paraphrased bits from the book. Many parts are paraphrased in my own words. I comment on them in italics

Difficulties of Religious life

• • “Hate the sin not sinner – like saying love Jesse Jackson except fact he is black.” p. 263. A little bit of an exaggeration, but the point is a a less than 100% form of love. 

• • “OCD and rituals reinforcing each other” p. 148 – repetition, taxonomy, fixation with im/purity  p. 148. For me germophobia and purity blending into one another resulting in dry skin. 

• • “Lashon hara evil tongue eventually butt heads with treating wife well who wants to gossip.”  p. 158.

• • (Paraphrased) Utilitarian rationalization for stealing Starbuck straws: amount of pleasure outweighs the couple of cents it’ll cost Starbucks. Or in the end helps out struggling straw industry. Stealing internet to make myself a better person and learn about God so its ok.  p. 139.

• • Cafeteria Christianity – pick and choose like a buffet p. 327 everyone practices cafeteria religion – key is choosing right dishes  p. 328. We have Muslims saying the same thing of the deen being a buffet – but what they meant was it was large.
  • Stop looking at Bible as self-help book Not about joy or meaning or make sure son not evil. Prayer as a therapy session vs. quick prayer in busy day? The second better because only for God. Sacrificing my time for the higher good. I’ll become a more selfless person. A better person. And then I realize: I’m back to self-help again. I can’t escape it.  p. 208. The only command is deen with ikhlas – the side benefits are what we often prioritize but should not. 
  • Saying fudge instead of f-word can’t help but smile because too folksy. I say mother faaaaajr. 

Useful ideas for Muslims to take note of in this book: 

• • Zagat guide to aid orgs or Charity Navigator website. A Muslim guide to sadaqa would be useful ! 

• • no using smiley face emoticons p. 104. Some ulema do not use emoticons or smiley faces.

• • Clean Flicks – rental services that sanitizes Hollywood films  p. 131 Clearplay which filters content out of movies – backfire because so focused on whats being filtered out imagine things that are worse than if had just watched it  p. 134. For films, I utilize Kids-in-Mind so I am aware of how inappropriate the film may be. Nonetheless, for Muslims we are discouraged from watching films as it is ghafla – heedlessness – and many believe sinful.

• • stealing straws from Starbucks – I can rationalize almost anything p. 113. Freeloading is a form of theft in a sense, and due to Muslim generosity, we usually do not say anything.  

• • stealing wifi signal  p. 113. Likewise, the theft of the intangible…what we view on a network affects the meta-data so others on that network will see ads for what we are searching or shopping for online.  

• • Rev. Billy Graham before he arrives at a hotel has his room swept for potentially tempting images  p. 130. Very much in the vein of Saudi Arabia.

• • ‘To me going to pray is like going to do a hundred thousand dollar deal’ Mr. Berkowitz says  p. 250 The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) compared spiritual rewards to red camels and mountains of gold.

• • Mental whac-a-mole of controlling thoughts. An apt metaphor

• • Playing cards made of gelatin  p. 203 Darkness upon darkness – often time we find we try to make a questionable thing halal and in doing so, find it was haram or questionable in another way
  • Elton Richards: negative words as verbal pollution. Thoughts get lazy, “Well, we’ll never make it out into the world so why even bother!”  p. 157 Some say our words never actually disappear but keep echoing in the air and atmosphere

• • Matthew 5:27-8 on committing adultery with her in heart p. 286 There are hadith that speak to all organs and soul of the body committing zina – adultery

• • Recite a paragraph of Bible you memorize when tempted by a woman p. 287. And Do not objectify and focus on woman as a person or think of her as your mom. p. 288 There are more effective ways prescribed by sufis and ulema to fight temptation

Comparing the Abrahamic Religions:

• • tithing of giving away 10 percent of income. Zakat is 2.5 % of wealth – so often doesn’t even apply to poor

• • Puritans can’t go to church with unseemly haste or on too showy a horse. Muslims should not run to mosque but walk because they are considered in prayer while walking if the prayer has already started.

• • On the divine dwelling more easily in text than images – text allows for more abstract thought, more of a separation between you and the physical world, more room for you and God to meet in the middle. p. 106 The first words of the Qur’anic revelation is ‘Read!’ or ‘Recite!’

• • Purification by finding a red heifer: unblemished, never plowed a field, sacrifice, burn it with cedar wood, mix ashes with water. Jews need it to build Third Temple and be pure from contact with dead and for Christians for messiah to arrive. p. 190 We Muslim can do nothing to change the End of Time. Its purely in the Creator’s Control. But this verse reminds me of the Qur’anic verse with Moses and his people looking for a red heifer to sacrifice and how they put difficulty on themselves when any calf would’ve sufficed. Also, Muslims have much easier rules of purification. 

• • 7 angels will sound 7 trumpets at the End of Time Israfil alone with trumpet in Jerusalem and is ready to blow his trumpet

• • Praying on behalf of others – intercessory prayer p. 127 story of 1902 coronary artery bypass patients – patients who knew they were being prayed for actually had more complications than those that didn’t. “If I’m sick enough people are praying for me, I must be in really bad shape.” p. 128 Muslims also have intercessory prayer where the angel says ameen and to you likewise. But we Muslims always pray for each other regardless of in good health or not.

• • “Can you imagine the mockery he [Noah] must have received from doubting neighbors?” p. 152 – Coincidentally, the Qur’an and Hadith tell us all about that mockery!

• • Rabbis tell them to put on shoes – right foot first, then left, then tie left shoe then tie right shoe p. 142 serious religious micromanagement. freedom from choice – structure and stable architecture of religion – no longer overwhelming and paralyzing with too many options p. 142 Shulchan Aruch every small thing is defined with rules – going to bathroom outside face north south, not east/west. p. 143. Muslims likewise, put the right shoe on first and take off left but this comes from the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and is optional for reward. Likewise, using the bathroom, we should not face the qibla – direction for prayer knowingly.

• • Jewish peoples would sacrifice fruit, grain, incense, goats, oxens, turtledove, rams, lambs — very often, due to sin, death, birthday, holidays, but was only allowed at the Temple so happens no longer. Now Jews only do kaparot – live chicken – in front of you. We Muslims still do the sacrifices but only with animals and it can be done everywhere. Even on the airplane tarmac !

• • Messianic age: “Money will grow on trees. And clothing will also grow on trees. And the sand will be like candy. Everything will be provided for, so all we have to do is study Torah all day.” p. 163 When Jesus defeats the Antichrist Muslims say that the fruits will be so large that people will use them as houses to eat and live in.
  • Psalms urging them to rise at midnight and praise God p. 88 Jewish most spiritual time of day is midnight to eight. p. 221. Muslims likewise have tahajjud prayers in the mid of the night or last one-third of the night. 

• • Listening is key theme in the Scripture – Shema – Hear O Israel — p. 242. Islam is about Reciting but also we ‘Hear and Obey’. 

• • Bible is anti-winking – coercing the winkee at being part of little cabal p. 205. The Qur’an mentions the hypocrites winking before doing something malicious against the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him.

• • Judaism has slogan – deed over creed – emphasis of behaviour follow rules of Torah and eventually come to believe. Evangelical Christianity says must first believe in Jesus then good works naturally follow. p. 257 Islamic scholars say Islam is in between the two extremes of Christianity and Judaism in all its aspects; we must believe and act. Some non-Muslims do the acts and then somehow faith does come. But in no way are we discharged from belief and righteous actions and it is the right intentions that make the deed acceptable to God for not all deeds are accepted by God. 

• • Abraham getting guests veal, cakes and milk p. 303. The Qur’an also talks about this how he rushed to bring forth a roasted lamb for two guests that turned out to be angels.

• • 19th century rabbi in Lithuania who would tell students to do ridiculous things to break their ego p. 305. A similar method of spiritual training as Sufis have used for past 1400 years, telling their students to sit on garbage heaps to break their pride. Only then do spiritual openings come.
  • ‘Cannot be my disciple until hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters even own life cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:26) p. 290. This is juxtaposed against the hadith that a Muslim does not love the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than his family, loved ones and even himself.

• • When you give alms, sound no trumpets before you p. 272. Islamic speaks of the reward of secret charity being greater than open charity and The Qur’an says do not hurt people after charity by reminding them of the charity you gave them.

• • Speak in new tongues, pick up serpents and drink deadly thing and it will not hurt them Mark 16:17-1 p. 294. This is a miracle also in Islam of the poison that did not kill the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him.

Crying out for Islam

At many points in this book there are question marks that point out the incompleteness of the Judeo-Christian tradition despite its lengthy history as if God deliberately left a … (ellipses)

• • Christians say the allegory of the Good Samaritan that rescues is Jesus.p. 219 It is as if he is saying ‘think outside the box and look at the outsiders’ and the ultimate outsiders were the Ishmaelites.

• • “But my friends the Bible means exactly what it says. If God wanted it changed, He would have had the prophets change it.”  p. 297 Why yes! God did send another Prophet!

• • “If you insist that God revealed himself only at one time, at one particular place, using these discrete words, and never any time other than that – that in itself is a kind of idolatry.” p. 329 A perfect stepping stone and reasoning leading to Islam!  

• • Bible may have not been dictated by God, it may have had a messy and complicated truth, one filled with political agendas and outdated ideas – but that doesn’t mean the Bible can’t be beautiful and sacred. p. 316. Well then, how much more sacred is a revelation if that scripture is dictated by God! 

By the end of the book I did really feel the author has shown how incomplete the Judeo-Christian tradition is and how Islam fills in the gaps. Islam is much more coherent and internally consistent. 

Alhamdulillah for Islam. 

Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen. 

Prolonged hopes are something our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) warned against. We do not hear many bayans or read much in our Islamic literature about this failing. I find this failing in myself so I am going to write about it in hopes Allah guides me out of it.

When your list of goals grows longer and you fulfill not one of those goals that is prolonging hopes. When you imagine you will become a hafiz or learn Arabic or get in shape, but you never do, that is prolonged hopes. You anticipate you will always have time in the future so you leave it off. You say to yourself, ‘yeah I could easily do all that if I really wanted to, but I am busy.’

Its a delusional state. Its a way of perpetual procrastination. Much of Islam is about the moment (waqt). Our prayer is about this moment. The next prayer is about that moment. It is about organized time and habits.

Prolonged hopes are false hopes. They allure us. I realize now that as a child I imagined I would buy this or that toy when I grow up. Now that I am older, those things don’t appeal to me. The hopes are always changing, for better or worse. And in that change, often the more positive lasting hopes get pushed down and buried under the negative, transient and short-lived hopes. We hope problems are solved more than blessings are given. We prefer the temporary joy over a lasting accomplishment.

Hence, the danger of all prolonged hopes is we put it off past our lifespan and show up in the hereafter unprepared and without good deeds. The limit of a prolonged hope should be a week or even a day. ‘What will I accomplish today or this week’ should replace ‘what will I accomplish in my life’.

Our Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam pointed this out by drawing the lifespan of a believer.

“This is the human being, and this square is his (inevitable) death, encircling him from all sides, and this line which is outside (the square) is his HOPE, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, another will befall him (i.e. overtake), and if that misses him, a third will befall him (i.e. overtake).” (Al-Bukhari, volume 8, Book 76, #426. Narrated by ‘Abdullah.)

Prolonged hopes that exceed our lifespan are not the only danger. The other danger likelihood is we will face a trial or fitna that will divert us from accomplishing our hope. We will be subverted from that potential we swear we have by a trial or tribulation that will make us question ourselves. So that is why one must be active and short-sighted with hopes, accomplishing as much as you can as soon as you can.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

What Practicing Muslims Don’t Know about Rasulullah ﷺ

There are riwayat that tell us facts about our Prophet ﷺ we likely were unaware of.

• Near the end of his life, Rasulullah ﷺ learnt to read and write. This is the opinion of Ibn al-Jawzi, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi, and al-Suyuti. All that was needed was proof of being unlettered. Another proof of this is his advice to Mu’awiya writing letters, ‘put ink to the side and sharpen your pen…make the baa standing and separate the seen and don’t make meem like a dot, make it round and when you write Rahman make it long and make Rahim clear.’
• Rasulullah ﷺ likely never ate beef, though it was slaughtered for his wives. We have no hadith saying he actually ate the beef. See here.
• Rasulullah ﷺ may have eaten paan as an Indian king sent a gift of betel leaf after the splitting of the moon. See below quote from Shaykh Yusuf Motala’s “Manifestation of Prophet Muhammad’s Beauty.”

• There were Sahabis amongst the jinn, amongst Indian kings, amongst animals and trees that are still standing today.
• 12 Prophets wanted to join the ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ.
• Rasulullah ﷺ knew how long he would live. The proof for this is the hadith that (paraphrased) true dreams are 1/46th of Nubuwwa, as revelation came for 6 months in dreams over 23 years. I heard this in a lecture from Shaykh Hamza Maqbul.
• Idols would recite poetry about Rasulullah ﷺ. Abbas bin Merdas his idol Damar recited poetic verses about the Prophet ﷺ and bird came and said, “O Abbas, do you feel astonished at the speech of Damar; whereas you are not full of astonishment with yourself that Allah’s Messenger calls for Islam while you are sitting?” That was the cause of Abbas embracing Islam. (Shifa of Qadi Iyad, p. 359)
• Angels will open the door of Paradise only for Rasulullah ﷺ. He is the first out of the grave, first to make Shafa’a, first to cross Sirat and first to enter Paradise.
• Rasulullah ﷺ could see from behind after the Farewell Pilgrimage.
• Rasulullah ﷺ would spit in to zamzam water and it would smell fragrant. (Shifa of Qadi Iyad)
• The Name of Muhammad ﷺ is written on the Arsh (or Kursi?) of Allah.
• The Name of Muhammad ﷺ is mentioned in the Torah even up to today.
• In early days of Islam, all of Mecca accepted Islam and went into sajda when Surah al-Najm was revealed accepting the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. Only after the mustahzi’un returned to Mecca did they disbelieve.
• Dua is answered before Fajr (suhur time) because this was the time of day Rasulullah ﷺ was born. “The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend [in the way of Allah ], and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.” (Surah Ale-Imran, v. 17)
• The weddings of Rasulullah ﷺ were done by Allah subhana wa ta’ala Himself. No ceremony nor any ritual was needed as this was one of his privileges – see here.
• Rasulullah ﷺ had a room in his home separate from his wives with only a reed mat dedicated solely to worship and seclusion (khalwa). See this class
• Allah subhana wa ta’ala will have Rasulullah ﷺ sit on the Arsh in the Akhira. The Arsh is ultimately just another of Allah’s creations. To learn more about this, read here or watch this video.

In our age we are repeatedly captivated by our smartphones. Every time we look at our phone we hope for something new. Operant conditioning has made us thus.

Recently, I became a father and I realized a baby precedes the smartphone in the level of attention I give it – that is, I look at my baby over and over every time expecting something new, or just staring or just wondering. There is no competition. A blind man was asked what he’d like to see if he recovered his sight – he said, a child’s smile. Honestly, I might as well throw away my phone now.

So many wazaif and ayat for delivery and for preparing for pregnancy. Surah Inshiqaq, jaggery, Ya Latif, Ya Karim, the coolness of our eyes. It is no surprise the most often sought wazaif are those relating to pregnancy and the prayers for children are repeatedly mentioned in the stories of the ambiya.

Some quotations below from Fath-ud-Dayyan, an old Shafi’i fiqh manual I found written in English from Sri Lanka published around 100 years ago. It includes many wazaif, duas and remedies not found in modern books.

Babies are little astronauts. They come from ‘mother earth’ where they are nourished without any effort and emerge into a world where they gasp for air and learn a whole new skill set to survive. Like astronauts who struggle to see far into the distant, babies struggle to see far away. Moms are their only aid…I guess that makes dad’s lifeless planets!

Imam an-Nawawi says in Kitab al-Adkhar citing a few hadith, that a child is to be named on the 7th day, have an animal slaughtered and to have harm warded off (which is interpreted to head shaved and charity distributed per weight equal in gold). Why these rites for a baby?

Didn’t Allah teach Adam the Names? What exactly does the name signify? We wonder at the creator of Names. And hair is equated with intelligence or plentitude of salvation or forgiving sins? Hair and gold. Perhaps to have us ponder the value of the material in light of our loved ones. Shaykh Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani would hold his baby when it was born and say you are dead to me. Shocking, but he intended to detach himself from everything in this world, to be attached to Allah.

When I went to slaughter the lamb I thought about the qurbani for a child. Did not Allah SWT ‘sacrifice’ his favourite angel, Iblis, when he created Adam? Did not Ibrahim (unintentionally) slaughter a ram for Isma’il? Didn’t Abdul Muttalib sacrifice almost 90 or 100 (I can’t remember exact amount) of animals for Abdullah to compensate for the oath he swore he’d slaughter a son if he had 10 or 12 sons? Qurbani is to build an animal farm in the akhira or the ghayb for ourselves. Maybe that animal is running around in the ghayb distracting the dogs of fitan and imtihaan so those difficulties never visit us.

And what have we done to deserve the blessing of children? It is a way of appreciating the blessings of parents we could not appreciate as children growing up. Allah cares for us. We only really want his care. The West is young and independent, but the ummah is child-like in its nature. That is the reality of Muslims: child-like innocence and need for Allah. A shaykh said if we want our duas answered as per the ayah fal yastajeebu lee…then we must make dua like a baby crying.

I really don’t know much about being a parent. I just know the list of blessings I don’t deserve but am still blessed with grow everyday. May Allah grant me tawfiq to be a good dad, ameen.

Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Islam in the West has been a hodge-podge of various trends in the Muslim world. Amongst the spiritual trends, and various tariqa traditions, the one that has emerged the strongest is shukr. Rooted in Shadhili teaching and the Ghazali’s Ihya mention this value as one of the highest. The fact Muslims in the West are more fortunate than much of the ummah make this an ideal teaching to highlight, one that coalesces nicely with a prosperity gospel.

Shukr is opposite of kufr. And Dr. Aref Ali Nayed says, “ihsan is shukr.” There are ahadith that say that shukr after eating is equal to sabr with fasting. “If you thank Allah, He will increase you.” (Surah Ibrahim, v. 7). The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) sacrificed 63 animals at the Farewell Hajj out of shukr for each year of his life. The ahadith mention, “One who is not thankful to people is not thankful to Allah.” And part of our deen is to be grateful to Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wasalam) hence the love of mawlid. Imam Shafi’i would request drink very cold water in very hot water, he said so that when I make shukr to Allah its from depths of my hearts. And Abu Hanifa would make shukr in times of difficulty as much as in times of ease.

At this blog post this point caught me directly:

If you look for the words “most people” in the Qur’an, you will find that most of mankind:

“do not know” [7:187],
“do not give thanks” [2:243]
“do not believe” [11:17].
“defiantly disobedient” [5:59],
“ignorant” [6:111],
“turning away” [21:24],
“do not reason” [29:23], and
“do not listen” [8:21].

So be of the “few”, whom Allah says about them:

“And few of My servants are grateful.” (34:13)
“But none had believed with him, except a few.” (11:40)

I want to highlight various Duas and Amal I have collected, many of them are rare, related to shukr and thankfulness for blessings:

1. Dua for shukr after going to the washroom: “Ghufranaka. Alhamdulillahilladhi la razaqani la dhatuhu, wa abqafi quwattahu, wa adh-hab anni adahu.” This is why Nuh was called shakireen, because he never relieved himself without saying this dua.
2. Adam said “O Lord, You have kept me occupied with earning by my hands, so teach me something that contains complete praise and exaltation.” So Allah revealed to him: “O Adam, say thrice when you get up in the morning and thrice in the evening… That will be complete praise and glorification. Alhamdulillah hamdan yuwafi ni’amahu wa yukafi’u mazidah – Praise be to Allah, such praise as fully befits His favours and suffices for increase from Him. (Abu Nasr at-Tammar from Muhammad ibn an-Nadr, Kitab al-Adkhar, chapter 71)
3. Dua for losing and replacing with better – Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon + Allahumma ajirni fi musibati wakhlufi khayrum minha/hum (Umm Salama dua for remarriage and ended up marrying Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasalam).
4. Dua of Musa: Allahumma arzuqnu kama tarzuqu ata tu datul abiya sakhrata dhalma sakhrata sama fil laylatin dhalma – O Allah provide for us like you provide for a blind worm, in a hard rock in a dark night.
5. Shaykh Mukhtar’s dua: Alhamdulillah bi jami bi hamdihi kulli ha ma alimta minha wama lam alam. Huwa ala jami nima kulliha ma alimta minha wa ma lam alam. Adada khalqa kullihim ma alimtu mina wa ma lam alam.
6. Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: “If one says thrice in the morning and evening, “O Allah, I have awoken having from You abundance, good health and protection, so complete that abundance, good health and protection in this world and the Hereafter,” it is obligatory for Allah to complete it for him.” Allahumma inni as’aluka ilman nafi’a wa rizqan tayyiba wa amalan mutaqqabala. (Ibn as-Sunni (54), Ahmad, (3/406), ad-Darimi (2/262))
7. Dua for the getting and wanting more of a blessing you just enjoyed, according to shaykh Faraz Khan is the verse Surah Tawba, v. 59.
8. Salat Duha is essentially a prayer for shukr. The virtues are many but key among them is Allah sufficing you for everything.
9. From Abdallah ibn Ghannam al-Bayadi, a Sahabi, who reported that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: “If one says in the morning: “O Allah, all the favours that I have received in the morning are from You Alone; You have no partner. To You belong all praise and all thanks,” then he has fulfilled the thanks (that are due) for that day. If he says it in the evening, then he has fulfilled the thanks (that are due) that night.” Allahumma ma asbaha bi min ni’matin fa-minka wahdaka la sharika lak, fa-laka-l hamd, wa laka-sh-shukr. (Sunan Abu Dawud, good isnad)
10. 3x for Shukr for whole day: Allahumma inni asbahtu minka bi ni’matin wa afiyatin wa sitrin fa-atima nimatika alaya wa afiyatika wa sitrika fid-dunya wa’l akhira

Value of Alhamdulillah

1. Surely Allah has chosen four sentences from all speech – 1) Subhan Allah 2) Alhamdulillah 3) La ilaha il-lal-lah 4) Allahu Akbar. So whoever says ‘Subhan Allah’, twenty good deeds are written for him/her and twenty bad deeds are omitted from his/her account. And likewise for ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘La ilaha il-lal-lah’. And whoever sincerely says ‘Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen’ thirty good deeds are written for him/her and thirty bad deeds are omitted from his/her account. (Reported in Musnad Imam Ahmad)
2. The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is no favour which Allah bestows upon His servant for which he says, “Alhamdulillah,” except that that which he gave was better than that which he took.” (Ibn Majah)
3. “Alhamdulillah ala nimatil Islam wa kafa biha nima bi Ahmad.” Thanks be to Allah for the blessing of Islam, and it suffices as a blessing.
4. La uhsi thana’an alayk, Anta kama athnayta ala nafsik. I am unable to exalt You sufficiently; You are as You have praised Yourself.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la ilaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Useful resources:

Today marks the death of Sayyidina Uthman (ra) on 18th Dhul Hijjah. 

I believe he is the least appreciated of the Khulafa Rashidun. But in fact, Sayyidina Uthman (ra) is the ideal role model today for Muslim men in the West. 

Why?

Look, you aren’t 7 foot tall like Umar (ra), you aren’t a fighter like Ali (ra) and its not likely you weep from hearing the Qur’an like Abu Bakr (ra). But you live as a minority like Uthman. Like Uthman you can be trustworthy, shy, and care for the needs of Muslims in difficult times. If you have it in you, you can be attached to the Qur’an and preserve this religion for future generations. 

Uthman (ra) stood on his own merits. He was not closely related to the Prophet ﷺ either through friendship or blood, but came to be trusted by Rasulullah ﷺ such that he was in the inner circle. Muslim men in the West are the same – we are outsiders – and we must earn the trust and confidence of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ. We must learn to listen to our dissenters, learn to lead through difficult times and learn to not harm Muslims in any way. Just think about it: The Middle East would be a very different place if they took the example of Uthman refusing to fight Muslims. 

We must ponder that the fitan (trials) for the Muslims begin with the death of a Caliph who refused to defend himself against the violence of Muslims.

*Hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir (Tarikh Dimashq 39:447) quotes the Sahabi Hudhayfa (keeper of the Prophetic secrets) who said: “The first fitna is the assassination of Uthman ibn ‘Affan, and the last fitna is the emergence of the Dajjal. I swear by Allah Who controls my life, anyone who carries in his heart any amount of satisfaction or pleasure in the murder of Uthman, then he will follow the Dajjal if he meets him, or if he dies before meeting him, he will believe in the Dajjal in his grave.”

Perhaps, when we return to “Uthmani pacifism” and not raise our hands against Muslims, the doors of fitnah will finally close. Allahu Alam – Allah knows best.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Things I learned in 2016

1. I can imagine my coffin as a chart or infographic of my lifespan.
2. I love muslims but don’t respect them unless it is for their deen. It is very hard for any one to respect Muslims for anything they do or say – except our religion. The shadow of Islam overshadows anything else.
3. I have learned to love family and friends unconditionally and even if they are wrong. Horribly wrong.
4. Attachment makes separation harder.
5. People do what they see you do; not what you say. lisan al haal abligh min al lisan al maqal – words of your state and more eloquent than speech of words.
6. The psychological clutter and babbling of the mind impairs brilliance and wisdom. Write it all out to sift it out: opinions of xyz, how you don’t like this individual/group/race, gluttony, consumerism and lust. This is all useless and nafsi babbling. People will spend 95-99% of their time speaking on these things; but the 0-1% on wisdom and gems of truths come after digging all that out.

Things I learned in 2017

1. I read someone’s diary accidentally about where their life is at 37 and I vowed to never be that person – to get ahead further than them at that age.
2. Only kindness cuts through the echo chambers dividing people.
3. ‘Over-reading’ but ‘under-thinking’ on what I’ve learned causes deadening of intellectual vigor.
4. Knowledge turns into ‘meme’ thats powerful but its meaning quickly diluted.
5. Islamic tarbiya in North America is turning the average North American Muslim male into a tepid taciturn introvert, only interested in making their point.
6. Millennial Muslim in the West: selfish, echo chamber, antisocial, unable to even consider compassion to one’s fellow man, won’t ask about friend or visit or bring food for sick or just check up on people. The old akhlaaq of the Muslim world is gone.
7. ‘It is a shame for the birds to wake before you do.’ – Abu Bakr (ra)
8. The tongue requires care. Their are punishments for misusing it: angels may say ameen to what you say and it comes to pass, you face the same deficiency you point out in others, your words come back to haunt you, you give people ideas they apply back onto you or force you to make them a reality, or you influence people in the way you did not intend.
9. One must remove the choice of failure in order to succeed. There is no choice: only do and succeed. If I am in a situation where failure will make a second attempt impossible or going on living will be very hard then I put in my all. Determination because there will be horrible consequences that I may not recover from if fail.

10.  Tokens of the Muslim

• A flame – for when I sin
• A mirror – for reflecting on my akhlaq
• An hourglass – for realizing time is fleeting
• Empty pockets – for realizing I am leaving dunya with no possessions
• Ghazalis well
• Shipwrecked survivors when we’re resurrected in the Akhira
• Jibril, whose true form fills the horizon and is at the Right hand of Throne of Allah, turned into a small bird out of fear of Ridwan and feared turning into an iota if he were to pass Sidratul Muntaha

11. Ambiya as Men (alayhim salam)

• Punch like Musa
• Vandalize like Ibrahim
• Come back like Dhun Nun
• Endure like Ayyub
• Mob control like Harun
• Denounce rulers like Yahya
• Flip tables like Eesa
• Conquer like Sulayman
• Underdog like Dawud
• Pelt like Ishaq
• Lift like Ishmail
• See through lies like Yaqoub
• Humble them all like Yusuf
• Charge into the fray like Abu’l Qasim (salallahu alayhi wasalam)

Things I learned in 2018

1. Most good people will veer towards or into corruption and injustice and may even get steeped in it. It is whether they can pull themselves out of it and be determined to not get into it again that determines who they are.
2. Even positive character traits can hurt you. Virtue has its negative side. Generosity to the point of overextension and burdening the receiver with near impossible reciprocity. Tepidness and ineffectualness due to politeness. Contentment which makes one lazy and not want to achieve anything. Never getting angry which removes passion and makes one never be critical.
3. Negative character traits can be controlled to uplift and give me an edge. Anger motivates me to come up with strong intellectual arguments. Fear to stay up late. Envy pushes me to compete with peers. Ambition to aim higher. Ambition and envy are more powerful motivators than selfless ideals. I know these can make us go lower than the devils in Hellfire, but I suspect it may be they also uplift us higher than the angels in Heaven.
4. It is easy to dehumanize people – women, soldiers, sweat workers, employees – but we can humanize them by remembering they have hopes dreams and fears too.
5. Much of the pain of the Muslim world is rooted in envy, jealousy and fear of missing out (FOMO) on the dunya.
6. Ibadat becomes incredibly easy while in a state of shukr.
7. I need to stop hiding who I am from who I want to be.
8. Facebook is like a book of deeds and reactivating it and looking back is like looking at life lived after death. Only a few beautiful words impress me. Perhaps Allah, the All-Knowing and All-Seeing, is only impressed by a few of our beautiful words from all our deeds.
9. Social media creates a false artifice of unreal strength hidden behind an ever-felt impotency.
10. Many a time, I embark on noble deeds for utilitarian reasons – like a nadhr oath to do this ibadat for xyz dunya problem – and I feel this is a type of sin one should repent from. The deontological reasons for a good deed – out of shukr, to do good out of ihsan, because it is a good deed – is not a sustainable motivation for a flawed individual like myself. The gap between a utilitarian niyyah and a deontological niyyah is as wide as a good deed and a sin are apart. To do a good deed because it is good is something I must learn anew.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Of Gyms and Tariqas

Many Muslim speakers point out analogies between Islamic tarbiya and physical fitness. After joining a gym I realized maybe there is more to it than just the passing comparison. Here are some passing thoughts on the convergence of faith and fat.

“Try us out for 7 days and see if you like us!” “Do this wazifa for 7 days and see the results!”

“We are more of a club with members who get exclusive access to our facility.” “You have to take bayah and then you can attend the private dars at the zawiya/khanqa.”

“We coach and hold you accountable by meeting with you once a month to see your progress. This way members get results.” “You can get one on one time with the shaykh once a year.”

“Our gym is an intimidation free zone. No judgment.” “This is a safe third space for all Muslims.”

“Planet fitness is for the awamm, layman beginner. It has no smith machines or heavy weights. Just cardio machines, TVs and fat people.” “The masajid should be a hospital for the spiritually sick.”

“Then where do the spiritually healthy/physically fit go to maintain their progress if not the masjid/gym?”

“Pizza on the first Monday of the month at our gym.” “There will be free food at the Islamic event.”

“We can take the mureeds to an outing – use the soft love approach.” “We have tanning beds, massage chairs and couches.”

The deeds and reps are to elicit a response in your heart or body, which will cause the change. The khariq al adaa.

The diversity of amal and exercises elicits a deeper response. More angels and more cells are activated. HIIT exercises the whole body so a bigger response with HGH and testosterone, likewise variety of spiritual activity is needed to exercise and stimulate the purification of the heart.

Stretching is like the niyyah, the distance and flexibility of your limits and how far reaching your results will be.

Rhythm and timing – the beads tapping and davening while reciting – the bounce of the elliptical and thump of the treadmill – make consistency and results easy.

Fitness of muscles and firmness of faith are functions of time and energy – wisdom, ease, speed and familiarity.

The muscles / heart buried under a ghishawa of fat / dunya. Alterities of heedlessness insulate the nur and abs within.

Abstaining from sinning is like eating clean.

Getting your Macros: praying behind a righteous imam and sitting near them, just as you would eat from a cook who is righteous and does much dhikr, listening to a bayan every other day, and reading much Qur’an.

Spiritual metabolism

Much like the body’s metabolism of processing and activity, the ruh has a similar process.

Certain things slow it down, and other things speed it up. Transform or transmutation of food, prayers, ibada, taqwa, etc…into spiritual experiences and results.

Or Allah overrides the metabolism to transform you suddenly.

Spiritual Benefits of Physical Exercise

• even when lazy you are active

• makes one time conscious

• understand organic nature of gradualism/incrementalism/tadarruj works

• time management

• appreciate what effort is

• burning feeling in body

• boost self-confidence

• inculcate endurance

• discipline

• body is centre of mind/spirit so laziness in body carries over into laziness with spirit and thought

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

17 Truths about Muslim Sectarianism

I am a traditional Sunni Muslim with love for a Sufi understanding of Islam and studying the deen. But I’ve realized when it comes to Muslims talking about religious differences, Allah subhana wa ta’ala, Rasulullah ﷺ and the Qur’an itself have usually nothing to do with the differences among Muslim (or Muslim-related groups).

So I want to identify a number of truths for whenever we talk about ‘deviant’ sects or non-Sunni groups or misguided Sunni sects or what have you.

1. There are no first hand accounts of the so-called ‘deviant’ group. It is all second-hand and third-party stories of what every single person of this group does or secretly believes. ‘These people do this or that’ or ‘I heard for so-and-so they do this.’ Lawyers call this ‘hearsay‘ and it is not valid evidence in court. Most of these stories are exaggerated, for the gullible and intellectually weak and utilized to encourage hatred – not hidaya. The reality is Islamophobes do the exact same to Muslims as Muslims do to deviant groups; they learn of Islam from anti-Muslim Arab sounding Christian preachers and have no first hand experience with practicing Muslims and stereotype us just as we do with Muslim sects.
2. The followers of a sect have little knowledge of their beliefs and are therefore not really guilty of any deviance in any substantive way. Often their religious leaders deliberately hide their religious texts from their followers. I have not talked to a Shi’a or Qadiani follower who actually truly understood their beliefs. Their belief was cultural and blind following the religion of their family. Ulema know this too. I recall an opinion of Maulana Rashid Gangohi saying the leaders of Shi’a are not Muslim, but the same cannot be said of their followers.
3. The ‘deviant’ beliefs are usually: 1) minute 2) ancient and 3) hypothetical and/or theoretical in nature, and therefore forgettable and not really ironclad written-in-stone beliefs. In fact, most of these beliefs don’t affect aqida’s to the core and could not be rationally and fairly discussed except amongst seasoned ulema familiar with very obscure texts. For example, I doubt many Deobandi or Tablighi brothers understand the reasons why Imam Ahmad Raza Khan opposed the ulema of Deoband almost a century ago.
4. Muslim sects are political scapegoats for Muslim governments just as Muslims are scapegoats of Western governments. The cycle of oppression mimics its way down the geopolitical gutter.  The scapegoats are, almost always, poor. 
5. It is easier for Muslims to work with Christians than it is to work with Muslims of different sects because one can preserve their moral authority as spokesperson of all Muslims.
6. The main beneficiary of Muslim sectarianism are corporations and non-Muslim superpowers. If no sectarianism amongst Muslim exists, it is artificially created covertly by non-Muslim powers using false-messianism or colonial divide and conquer strategy explained in this video
7. Most Muslims have not made full sense of the reality of difference in Islam. That is, they don’t believe there to be any divine wisdom in diversity or even the possibility of any divine wisdom. Only one correct way  of doing things exists. But why is it so hard to imagine Allah can accept diversity? We need to learn to imagine more than one valid truth, way or interpretation. The seven varying recitations of the Qur’an (listen here for a very different qira’at) and Khidr’s action in Surah al-Kahf are challenging for Muslims to make sense of.
8. Religious difference very rarely manifests in day to day Islamic activity. Charity, compassion, prayer and fasting are all common amal for Muslims of all stripes. A Tablighi friend of mine became upset with me because I never told him the roommate he’d been living with for months was actually Shi’a. The only thing that tipped him off was when he heard his roommates’ full name. If it took months to notice, than I wonder how smart he was, or whether, my Shi’a friend was de facto Sunni and only Shi’a in name. On a 1 to 10 scale of Shi’a-ness, he was probably a 1 and I suspect most people who call themselves Shi’a are around there as well.   
9. Overlapping sharing of religious, intellectual and spiritual resources is commonplace amongst sects. They all use same religious texts but re-work or re-interpret to suit their understandings. For example, the Salafi and Asharis all teach Aqida Tahawiyya but with different explanations. This summer I studied works of Imam al-Sha’rani, one work was taught by a Deobandi mufti and the other work by a Barelwi aalim but both managed to stay pretty neutral. Likewise, I recall reading a Salafi publication quoting Ibn Ata’illah discretely saying he was a zahid. 
10. The Prosperity gospel is alive and well among Muslims. Many Muslim groups recruit only from the wealthy, privileged and attractive much like the modus operandi of Scientologists. The calculus is: Poverty leads to religious ignorance and confusion. The rich are learned and guided, while the poor are ignorant and astray. This enforces a prosperity gospel belief of privilege being an indicia of divine blessing and favour which is contrary to the example of the Ahlu-Suffa. You see this among MAC, sufi groups, modernists and perennialists. They all dress nice and buy quality goods to re-enforce the pious look, above and beyond that of the average Muslim. Likewise, you will see the same in church-going Christian families.
11. Money is the main reason for barricading off other sects. At the back of everybody’s mind is the thought, ‘Money will be lost if our group cooperates with the other group, so lets not do it.’ The same goes with mosques not cooperating. There is very little basis for mixing money and Islam. The various for-money institutes in America, the Barelwi Madina City in Karachi with its Green Dome-d apartment complex, the various Ismaili and Qadiani ‘taxes’ are all about fuelling growth of the sect / group leader. Likewise, if you walk into the Aga Khan museum in Toronto you will not see a single photograph of Mecca or Madina because then they’d be indirectly endorsing the competition – the Saudis.
12. Dress is used deliberately to indicate adherence to a specific religious understanding. We see even among Sunnis the different colours and styles of turbans, hijabs and abayas. Yet often the basis of dress has little to do with the sunnah dress.
13. Sects do not neatly fit into binaries. For example, the Houthi Shi’a of Yemen, another sect no one had ever heard of are doctrinally closer to Sunni Islam than the Shi’ism of Iran. But they are hated by Sunnis for being Shi’a but also hated by Shi’as as being crypto-Sunnis. 
14. Similar patterns of sectarian behaviour exist in other religions. I remember over hearing young Christians talk in a coffee shop of how they love the ‘foreign’ preachers and how it was great when they all stand up in unison. This eerily reminded me of the standing up in mawlids and the love of overseas scholars.  
15. Even the most orthodox groups have a modicum of unusual and questionable activities that they may hide, overlook or sweep under the rug. For example, in many masjids you find the smell of onions in Ramadhan, but most Sunni ulema know angels stay away from the smell of onions. Are the mosques then void of angels? Guidance therefore is likely a difference in degree, not kind.
16. There are sects in obedience as there are in disobedience – different types of religious personalities. The Qur’anic categories of the sa’imin, dhakirin and siddiqin are sects of obedience and are rarely talked about but these are the groups Allah talks to us about and wants us to join.  
17. Truly righteous people can easily guide the misguided. Unrighteous people can easily misguide or fail to guide. These righteous people are inwardly worthy of being followed and Allah gives them sway over hearts. They put periods and full stops where the unrighteous put question marks and exclamation points. And only Allah can guide you to these righteous people.

I hope from this people can see how much of the intellectual and spiritual truth and power of Islam gets lost in the economic, political, sartorial pressures and historical, psychological and sociological realities. The labels are bigger than the differences.

Love of money, love of authority and power are the real obstacles to unity of Muslims. Sectarianism originates from narcissism and a love of the nafs. The reality of istighfar goes against any notion of feeling one is guided or saved from Hellfire. The stick should go against one’s own nafs – not against the nafs of others.

In the previous ummahs, like those of Bani Israel, they had to do qitaal for forgiveness — a group had knives and others kneeled, a cloud descended with darkness, they were ordered to kill each other until the cloud lifted and then they were forgiven. I feel this is a perfect metaphor for Muslim infighting – only their is no forgiveness.

The Truth of Islam is an amalgam of various narratives. This is why you find the great masters of Sunni Islam were trained in different madhaib. You also find the scholars saying no one can be an aalim if they only have one shaykh. The more of the tradition of Islam one learns, the more hesitant one becomes to condemning different Muslim sects. Often, their will be a kernel of truth or logical rationale as to why a ‘deviant’ group does what they do. But this should not make one complacent with pure unadulterated misguidance when it rears its ugly head. 

The ummah is so big that their are groups of Muslims out there you have never heard of and never will and even if you did, you would not be able to understand them in a fair manner due to a lack of information and contact. Most Muslims had never heard of Rohingya Muslims until recently and most still don’t know much about them. If we found out the Rohingya were not Sunni then would our sympathy for them change? 

Differences can keep away misguidance. For example, many modern Sunnis have found it fashionable to say music is halal, yet, we have Shia texts tell us it is clearly haram. So even if one group were to go completely off the rails on one issues, another group stands as an intellectual bulwark against them. 

Religious activity as Muslim minorities reduces sectarianism and increases cooperation. Nobody cares about sectarian differences when Muslims are few. And that is as it should be. Who cares about theological differences if you can’t pray jumuah or eat halal meat?  Sunnis and Shi’as in Canada, America and Britain need to work together to get halal meat slaughtered and to have Muslim cemeteries in the West. Regardless of how separate and apart they want to be – they have shared ongoing concerns as religious minorities. The non-Muslim community doesn’t care about the religious differences. In fact, most non-Muslims still confuse Muslims with Sikhs and Hindus.

The history of cooperation and shared history among Muslim sects and Muslims and non-Muslims is suppressed or hidden. Some campuses of the early Darul Uloom in India permitted diversity in teachings – where many different sects taught under the same roof – including Qadianis, Bohras and Shia – but later on the Darul Uloom’s changed to a Maturidi-Hanafi standard curriculum. Another example is tombs/mosques in the Holy Land shared by Muslim, Jews and Christians, sites like Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka shared with Hindus and Buddhists, Sufi tombs in Pakistan and India shared with Sikhs and Hindus. In some Indian towns, the Hindu temples will stop their prayer sounds when the adhaan plays. Alliances and shared spaces are practicalities that overlook theological differences so everybody benefits in the long-term. Their is a fraternity of belief in this age of materialism and godlessness common to all religious adherents. The number of adherents need to outnumber non-adherents for any one religion to thrive, let alone, survive. Nobody has the power to create a monopoly or displace other religions. Everybody has to share in order for any one community to get a blessing; either we are all blessed, or no one is. 

I feel these truths will show us what truly matters to us as Muslims and what doesn’t. How we can move forward as a community and not hold each other back? How can we claim guidance if we can’t even overcome our most base instincts and stupidity? I hope I have helped in that regard.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

When the Qur’an is Lifted from Earth

We Muslims have for the large part not honoured the Qur’an as much as we should. Many a times amongst even the most pious Muslims, the Qur’an is invoked as if a token or accessory to self-praise and riyya. Our child memorized the Qur’an or so and so recited this many khatm e Qur’an. We don’t truly indulge our hearts and souls into the Qur’an anymore in the West. Many a masjid are empty of people reading the Qur’an, but we see plenty of parents and adults forcing their kids to read the Qur’an. If they don’t see love of the Qur’an in their parents, how will they attach to the Qur’an?

In light of that, then what of when the Qur’an is lifted from this earth as it will before Yawmul Qiyama? One day, the Muslims will wake and go for Fajr and there will be no Qur’an in their chests. It sill vanish from our books and from the calligraphy in our masjids. The loss of that moment will be so unbearable. One can imagine some ashiqin going insane or becoming nearly suicidal. Something supernatural and essential to us which we have no power over and which we neglected will have disappeared. The tragedy of that moment will be like the death of Rasulullahﷺ. We have very few hadith descriptions of what will happen to the Muslims but one can only imagine.

For Muslims, all our religion is derived from the Qur’an. We cannot make salah, or know the rules for Zakat or Hajj and Ramadhan without the Qur’an. In a post-Qur’anic age, the only pillars of Islam that will remain will be the Shahadah. Our ibada without the Qur’an will be dhikr of the Shahadah and simple nafl ibada like tawaf and sadaqa and perhaps optional fasting. These will be like time capsules to a time of treasure troves of guidance. Ilm will become scarce; tafsir will vanish and much of hadith may as well too. The door to heaven will become like a small window. We will be like the hunafa, the pre-Islamic monotheists, scavenging for religious guidance in a desert of the dunya, like Waraqa bin Nawfal, awaiting Qiyama. We will be like Ahlul Kitab, guided but only in the past tense.

This should frighten us and make us run to the Rope of Allah – the Qur’an. We have little izzah without it. The Qur’an is our civilization and foundation of our being. We think we are in troubles now, with wars and post-colonialism, but imagine being deprived of the Qur’an? True oppression in Islam is being denied worship and access to the next world. Would we even really care about being modern and hi-tech if we had no Qur’an? Wealthy Muslims would wish they could ransom their millions and billions to get even a few ayat back from Heaven. We would realize how little of value this dunya is in comparison the next world. For the Qur’an was our qibla compass to Jannah, and without it, Jannah becomes as if Atlantis, a dream, and we Muslims, a people exiled without a land or hope of return.

This Qur’an is not like any other Scripture. Its marvels are numerous, its prose and prosody is unparalleled to any word, speech or sound. The least revelation of the Qur’an was 5 words and it is said to have almost broke the leg of a sahabi upon whom the blessed head of Rasulullah ﷺ was resting. There are words in the Qur’an that are not Arabic in origin. Their are spiritual cures, exercises and diagnoses of spiritual diseases in the Qur’an. The scientific miracles of the Qur’an are well-known but likely a drop in the ocean of miracles that we are yet to uncover. I have noted in the many salawat Muslims have composed, the most powerful ones incorporate language and meanings of verses of the Qur’an, for this is natural as the Qur’an is the maktubat (speech/diary) of Rasulullah ﷺ who was the walking Qur’an. It also makes sense what is said, that when Allah subhana wa ta’ala removes the Qur’an from the Earth, He also removes the true vision of Rasulullah ﷺ in a dream and the Hajr al-Aswad, for the true dream of him ﷺ, the walking Qur’an, is the spiritual access to Allah and the Hajr al-Aswad is the concrete physical access to Allah, ‘His Right Hand on Earth.’

There is little repose in the world except with the Qur’an. The peace and sakina that descends is like a vacation on the most beautiful tropical island. The carefree feeling I experience and thinking the thought, “there is absolutely nothing else in this world truly worth doing except reciting this Qur’an so don’t rush.” If you listen to an Islamic lecture they tell you to read Qur’an. It is said to be best form of remembrance and the best pleasure even in Jannah is its recital. The hadith “recite and ascend just as you recited in the world” is not limited to being hamalat al-Qur’an (memorizers or carriers of the Qur’an) but to actual recital of it. For recital and devotion to the Qur’an is from the essence of riyadat an nafs (struggle against the self). There is the self and its words, whisperings and incitements and then there is Allah and His words, whisperings and encouragements. For good thoughts from Allah come to us when we recite the Qur’an, guide our affairs and solve our problems. To be effaced in the Qur’an is as close to fana as we can understand. The awliya of Yemen have said about the Qur’an recitation:

Shaykh Umar al-Mihdar al-Alawi said, “When the righteous recite the Qur’an, they erase the letters and sounds. Then they stand by a sea and then that sea vanishes, so they remain suspended in mid-air in a state of awe and exultation. And we are amongst these ones.”

True Sufis are people of Qur’an, not people of rosary beads. Imam al-Ghazali says 1-2 khatm of Qur’an is needed each week for suluk (spiritual wayfaring). The great wali of Africa, Ahmadou Bamba, would be seen walking on water and he was known for his poetry on loving the Qur’an. Miracles and the Qur’an go hand in hand. Even today it can happen. I find it strange Muslims go looking for various duas as if magic spells and shortcuts to their worldly and spiritual goals, but all along the Qur’an is before them. The root of spiritual power in Islam is through the Qur’an. Magic pales in comparison to the Qur’an. Even if someone has done magic, the last two surahs of the Qur’an recited nonstop can destroy that magic. Battalions of huffaz would always succeed in battle by virtue of the Qur’an. Above all – the Qur’an is the meeting place of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and His Rasul (salallahu alayhi wasalam) – an ever-continuing Isra & Miraj with its letters, diacretical marks, and sounds being the Lote Tree (Jujube tree some say) of the Furthest Limit.

There are some rare narrations from my notes on the virtue of the Qur’an I want to highlight.

Mawquf saying of Sayyidina Ali (ra): Recite Quran in salah 100 reward, outside of salat with wudhu 25 rewards, without wudhu 10 rewards

Ibn al-Sunni, Anas (ra): whoever recites in 24 hours: 50 verses is recorded as not amongst the ghafilin, 100 verses written as qanitin, 200 verses then considered acting in accordance with the Qur’an on Day of Judgement, 500 verses receive ‘qintar minal ajr’ (large amount of ajr – like mountain of Uhud). Hafiz Ibn Hajar: weak but other similar ones are rigorously authenticated chains.

Tamim ad-Dari (ra): Whoever recites 200 verses in 1 night then get reward as if stood up entire night to pray. (Ibn Hajr: hasan and sahih)

Ibn Abbas (ra)said regarding the ayah in 13:17 “He sends down water out of heaven, and the wadis flow each in its measure,” said that ‘Water, in this verse, means knowledge (‘ilm) while wadis (valleys) means the hearts (qulub).’

Abu Darda(ra) said, “A man does not fully understand until he sees numerous layers of meaning in the Qur’an.”

Ibn Mas’ud (ra) said, “There is no a single verse except that it has people who will know it (that is, its correct interpretation).”

Jafar as-Sadiq said, “God has manifested Himself to His servants in His Speech, but people see not.” Once he fainted while performing the prayer and said, “I kept repeating the verse until I heard it from the Speaker.”

Imam Malik said, “Nothing will rectify the last part of this Ummah except that which rectified its first part (i.e. the Book of Allah & the Sunnah).”

When we read Qur’an mercy descends on all of us. We benefit in ways we can barely imagine. Our masajid don’t do khatm gatherings of Qur’an regularly – only once in Ramadhan. We neglect the Qur’an but do Qira’at competitions and force our kids to read Qur’an as if the angels watching above will respect this odd mix of ghafla and guidance. Places in the world like Morocco are still surviving fitna because their masajid are committed to regularly reciting the Qur’an every week.

“And beware O my ally in God, if you have any doubt, that the Book of Allah is the most secure intercessor, the most trustworthy intercessor, the wealthiest of any wealth, a giver of gifts, virtuous in it’s giving. You do not ask for rain and the mercy of Allah ever more hopeful than with the Book of Allah, and if mercy descends, everybody gets the mercy.” – Qadi Maulay Ibn Arabi

We should schedule in our masajid regular khatm of Qur’an and all come together for the khatm dua. Lets say one masjid does khatm every 30 days, another masjid that does every 10 days, another masjid every 7 days. We can all attend those masjids on those days and get a share of that mercy. Allah’s mercy is endless and we can make it come down in ever increasing quantities with the Qur’an. But can we hope for mercy from Allah when we neglect the Qur’an?

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa Ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Whether in America or Australia or the UK, Muslims have not gotten along with each other and often ended up in the court-room.

I heard on the radio today that when there are no substantive issues that a political party is working for, then it becomes a battle of egoes and personalities. That is much the same situation with masjid conflicts. There are very few people with grand visions for the Muslim community in the West. No one has ever articulated a hope or a dream for Muslims to strive towards. And yet, there is a river of money that keeps flowing into each masajid. Sooner or later, that river of money attracts scam artists and corrupt individuals until these corrupt individuals outnumber the righteous dedicated folks. And even these righteous people come to feel entitled to a masjid they have devoted decades to as if it is their backyard.

Civil courts generally do not get involved in masjid disputes or financial mismanagement. The way they see it is much like how corporations govern themselves, likewise, mosques often have corporate status and thus are responsible to fix their own problems. Arbitration and mediation from neutral third parties are the best solutions. Civil suits are useless since a secular judge is not in a position to interfere with a religious organization or charity. In any case, a Muslim suing a Muslim and airing our dirty laundry is seen by other Muslims as treason against Muslims. And yet, it is when non-Muslims get involved that Muslims feel ashamed and try to resolve to save face in the broader society.

We don’t have a response to these situations because we isolate ourselves away from mainstream society that we forget our sins are not isolated too; they are public. Likewise, our money cannot be isolated from the non-Muslim society around our mosques we treat as islands and fiefdoms. The government monitors whether our charity ends up in the hands of militants. Most Muslims don’t realize they have a legal right to see how Muslim charities spend their money. In America you can look up online the Form 990 of 501(c)(3) corporations and get an idea of where the money goes and how much scholars earn. Most Muslims may not also realize they have online access to all the legal cases of Muslims suing Muslims or Muslims at criminal trial. Google your country’s name and legal database and search for a Muslim charity or Muslim organization and see what you find.

The courts will get completely involved if there is any criminal activity especially if its sexual assault or fraud like Hajj scams or Islamic banking scams. And the courts are not neutral and unbiased when it comes to minorities. And they do not see care if the suspect is a Muslim scholar. What they are more likely to see is a vindication of the evil portrayal of Islam in the media. And there are hundreds of Muslim names in criminal cases in Western countries. The question should be why we Muslims do not talk about these issues. I recall only one masjid program on violence in the Somali community which is a problem in Canada. How many Youtube bayaans are there for UK Muslims to hear about grooming gangs? Very few, if any.

So when it came to the Nouman Ali Khan controversy we didn’t know how to handle it. Islam has a broad definition of zina and this does not align with sexual assault or rape. A glance can be zina or a woman with perfume could Islamically be considered zina…but for it to be sexual assault or sexual harassment legally in the West, it has to be more than that. The problem with the smear campaign of Nouman Ali Khan’s character is it was couched in language vague enough to suggest anything from a glance or a flirtation to  children out of wedlock. In other words, it was all insinuation and left to the dirty imagination of those who hear the allegations. That is the nature of ifk (slander). There was no way of knowing what the allegations were precisely. Now, if NAK manipulates people, that may be a sin but it is no crime, since that is common in many organizations and workplaces. Islamically, a pushy shaykh is not sinning. If we put a shaykh on a pedestal and then they fall from that, that’s not the shaykh’s fault – its ours. Islamically, many great righteous mashaykh were rough and harsh, because this was part of their tarbiya to their true students. I have heard more than one aalim say that people today are like children – sensitive and fragile – compared to the Muslims of the past. Legally, NAK can burn his organization and alienate his students all he wants. But its the Muslim community that suffers with distrust and alienation. Poison is spread through generations of Muslims and we may not recover. Our deen stays intact but our iman may be weakened, if it wasn’t strong enough to begin with.

That is the formula shaytan will utilize to shake Muslim communities up. And shaytan will likely push our leaders to fall into criminal actions. How we respond is the question.

Recently, I heard that a few of the khulafa of a very famous Naqshbandi shaykh have abandoned him. This disheartened me a great deal since the sufis are the great source of purification for our ummah. When I heard about that and when I hear about the increasing criticism of famous ulema in a time where the Internet hides nothing, I remember learning how Imam an-Nawawi would make sadaqa everyday on his way to his lessons and make dua, “O Allah, veil the faults of my teachers” so that he can benefit from them. And I remember the story of Shaykh ad-Dabbas, the teacher of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (rahimullah) would push him into a cold river as part of his tarbiya and how Shaykh Abdul-Qadir wouldn’t say anything. Or how Khidr’s actions were what we would consider criminal actions and Musa (alayhi salam) was justifiably outraged. All in all, there are limits to what our iman can take or what our understanding of deen can tolerate. We don’t know the haqiqa but operate based on our diminutive understanding of what we think the Shariah is supposed to be.

There are 3 questions I believe one should ask when it comes to any Muslim-on-Muslim conflict or criminal allegations/convictions:

1. Would things have gone differently if the person(s) involved were fasting?
2. Was istikhara utilized at any point?
3. Was communal tawba or individual tawba ever done?

Chances are fasting, istikhara and tawba were never even considered. The followers of Musa would all repent together in times of crisis and this is something our righteous do with their congregations. Istikhara is how we navigate the forks in the roads and unchartered territories. And fasting is a shield for us from being pierced by sins and from the poison of our nafs. This are the cures our deen gives us to deal with conflict and avoiding crime.

For my part, I believe we need more Muslim lawyers. And they should be Muslim lawyers that are practicing Islam and studying tasawwuf. Tasawwuf is important because lawyers are prone to arrogance, greed and literalism. Conflict is tempered by reason and morality which are tools of tasawwuf teachings. Sins are surrounded by slippery slopes and human errors. Islamic law can be more merciful and hands-on than secular legal regimes which prefer a hands-off approach. That is because Allah is more encompassing than the state. A famous example of this is the story of Imam Abu Hanifa intervening and defending his alcoholic neighbour before the Sultan. So practicing Muslims are very likely to bring this mercy and healing to their practice of law. Practicing Muslims who understand halal and haram, fiqh, tazkiya/tasawwuf and the grey areas of life already have the cognitive machinery for law school. The courtroom is one place where Muslims need to get the confidence to enter. Courtrooms are places of adab and procedures and it is often adab that can make all the difference when it comes to how we deal with conflict. Our religion talks non-stop of the Day of Judgment when we are summoned to the Divine Courtroom. There is no law of evidence or legal standards on that day nor is there any elaborate legal argument. Only the factual argument of our life story and our heart can sway the Judge that Day. It is full 100% scrutiny and hisab of our entire life. Our lawyer on that day is Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. He is the only one licensed before Allah. And only the Qur’an, the Awliya and righteous deeds have intervenor status and can act as character witnesses for us before Allah. And so I say: if a practicing Muslim is conditioned for the Day of Judgment, then being a lawyer in a dunyawi courtroom shouldn’t be hard at all.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

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