Assalamoalikum,

I’ve shifted my blog from this site to here. This page will no longer be maintained, all new posts will be posted on the new page

It was time of the year again, when kids swarm every cow,  goat and camel in the street, and no matter how hard you try, you ultimately fall to one of the ‘cow dung’ traps strategically placed enroute to the masjid

But, today is Eid and over the next few days the animals will disappear from the streets, leaving naught but a few evidences of their brief stay with us. May Allah accept the sacrifice of every Muslim this Eid, and make it one in which we learn the true spirit of sacrifice for Islam and for our fellow brothers and sisters in Islam.

May this and every Eid to follow bring happiness and joy to everyone! I leave you with this video from Mr Moo, ‘Hitler wants  a united Eid’

Humanity. What exactly is humanity? It’s the quality, or state, of being human. Very short, by definition, but very profound by depth of it’s meaning. The definition itself is ambigious, but really- any ‘human’ should be able to grasp it’s inner meaning. As humans, it’s just the state of being ourselves, living our lives with our innate senses and feelings, and in a manner that justifies the status of epitome of creation.

So, the question I ask today is- Why do humans find it so difficult to live humanely? It’s one I haven’t found an answer to yet. Where does the difficulty lie in accepting others for who they are, without any sort of discrimination? In realizing that who you are today is but a direct result of coincidence of creation? Why is it so hard, to go beyond these slavish bonds by which we tie ourselves? You could have been any one of the other 6.5 billion people on the face of earth- if you were someone else, would that have made you a lesser or greater human?

As one fictional superhero puts it- ‘With great power, comes great responsibility’, and the greatest power that man has is the power to think and decide. And it is his responsibility to decide well in terms of his actions. Whether you believe in the hereafter or not is secondary in the issue of acting humanely- all humans consider themselves to be the best of all beings, and that in itself merits the responsibility of living well.

I’m not implying that mankind should settle all their ideological differences. But just try to learn to live with the differences that exist. There’s nothing wrong with believing what you believe in is correct, and trying to show others your point of view- but what is wrong is forcing your opinion down another’s throat. That is where inhumanity takes force. The root of all ideological conflicts throughout the world, is this mistake that man fails to, and will continue failing to, learn from. What are wars and international conflicts, but an embodiment of this mistake? Take any conflict you like- this element will always exist as it’s cause.

I know what I suggest is something that can never find implementation globally as long as man exists on this earth, for there always will be bigots who believe only they are the morally upright of the human race. But the real question is, are enough of us willing to accept our differences, and thus truly earn the right of humanity?

I’m kind of busy these days with a lot of things, so time to update the blog is hard to come by. So, apologies to anyone who visits and doesn’t find anything new that’s worthwhile here!

Anyway, so as I’m stuffed up with things to do right now, I thought it would be best to offer some advice to deal with such situations- when you’re so busy you hardly have time to breathe. The best advice that I can give anyone is to keep it real, especially when you’re busy. Really, it often appears to us that we don’t have time for anything, even though a lot can be managed through a little prioritization and time management. Prioritize your life- know what’s important and needs to continue alongside and what can be put off till later, when you have a bit more time. It might seem like a very simple task, but when you’re caught up in the flow, you often don’t realize when you start spending time on things that are trivial comparatively.

One solution that I use to avoid this problem is to take out time to think in solitude, and review what I’m doing, once in a while. Obviously, there are times when I go wrong, but this way I think I can catch the problem early.

Makes you think.

I’d like to share this article, which discusses the de-merits of the education system in Pakistan, and why it’s so important to bring about a change in the minds of the young. Creativity, Innovation, Imagination- forgotten words in the vocabulary of Pakistani students, who learn to see the world only as they are taught, without questioning it, or giving thought to it at least! The author does a brilliant job of shedding light on this issue by an interesting narration, which provides food for thought for all.

And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields etc.), and date-palms, growing out two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm ), watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs) for the people who understand. (Surah Ar-Rad, Ayah Four)

After reading this Ayah, one can not but say ‘Alhamdulillah’ at the creation of Allah, it’s diversity, and it’s perfection.

In this Ayah, Allah (SWT) mentions ‘neighbouring tracts’ or pieces of land placed next to each other- indicating the different properties of the soil and the earth found in neighbouring lands. While a piece of land may be dry, dead, and totally incapable of supporting life, a close by region may have land that is fertile, and capable of growing a vast variety of products of human and animal benefit.

Then, Allah (SWT) goes on to mention the varieties of plants, i.e. some that multiply from a single stem root, while others that do not. All these are mere examples of the diversity, and the complexity of His Creation. What Allah (SWT) says next, is truly something wondrous when one ponders about it.

“Watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat.” Indeed, the same water, with the same constituents, suffices for the vast variety of plants and trees on this earth, and the same water enables them to grow into apple, mango, and banana trees, or date and coconut palms, or other fruit and vegetable bearing plants, or any of those that do not produce edible fruits or vegetables. This is an obvious Ayah of the perfection of the Creation of Allah (SWT).

When you stop and think about it all, only then do you realize the millions of miracles of this world. There are indeed Ayat in them for people who understand. May Allah enable us to see and accept them,  and make them a source of strengthening our faiths. Ameen.

This is a story of a seeker of Truth, the story of Salman the Persian, gleaned, to begin with, from his own words:

I grew up in the town of Isfahan in Persia in the village of Jayyan. My father was the Dihqan or chief of the village. He was the richest person there and had the biggest house.

Since I was a child my father loved me, more than he loved any other. As time went by his love for me became so strong and overpowering that he feared to lose me or have anything happen to me. So he kept me at home, a veritable prisoner, in the same way that young girls were kept.

I became devoted to the Magian religion so much so that I attained the position of custodian of the fire which we worshipped. My duty was to see that the flames of the fire remained burning and that it did not go out for a single hour, day or night.

My father had a vast estate which yielded an abundant supply of crops. He himself looked after the estate and the harvest. One day he was very busy with his duties as dihqan in the village and he said to me:

“My son, as you see, I am too busy to go out to the estate now. Go and look after matters there for me today.”

On my way to the estate, I passed a Christian church and the voices at prayer attracted my attention. I did not know anything about Christianity or about the followers of any other religion throughout the time my father kept me in the house away from people. When I heard the voices of the Christians I entered the church to see what they were doing. I was impressed by their manner of praying and felt drawn to their religion. “By God,” I said, “this is better than ours. I shall not leave them until the sun sets.”

I asked and was told that the Christian religion originated in Ash-Sham (Greater Syria). I did not go to my father’s estate that day and at night, I returned home. My father met me and asked what I had done. I told him about my meeting with the Christians and how I was impressed by their religion. He was dismayed and said:

“My son, there is nothing good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better.”

“No, their religion is better than ours,” I insisted.

My father became upset and afraid that I would leave our religion. So he kept me locked up in the house and put a chain on my feet. I managed however to send a message to the Christians asking them to inform me of any caravan going to Syria. Before long they got in touch with me and told me that a caravan was headed for Syria. I managed to unfetter myself and in disguise accompanied the caravan to Syria. There, I asked who was the leading person in the Christian religion and was directed to the bishop of the church. I went up to him and said:

“I want to become a Christian and would like to attach myself to your service, learn from you and pray with you.”

The bishop agreed and I entered the church in his service. I soon found out, however, that the man was corrupt. He would order his followers to give money in charity while holding out the promise of blessings to them. When they gave anything to spend in the way of God, however, he would hoard it for himself and not give anything to the poor or needy. In this way he amassed a vast quantity of gold. When the bishop died and the Christians gathered to bury him, I told them of his corrupt practices and, at their request, showed them where he kept their donations. When they saw the large jars filled with gold and silver they said.

“By God, we shall not bury him.” They nailed him on a cross and threw stones at him. I continued in the service of the person who replaced him. The new bishop was an ascetic who longed for the Hereafter and engaged in worship day and night. I was greatly devoted to him and spent a long time in his company.

(After his death, Salman attached himself to various Christian religious figures, in Mosul, Nisibis and elsewhere. The last one had told him about the appearance of a Prophet in the land of the Arabs who would have a reputation for strict honesty, one who would accept a gift but would never consume charity (sadaqah) for himself. Salman continues his story.)

A group of Arab leaders from the Kalb tribe passed through Ammuriyah and I asked them to take me with them to the land of the Arabs in return for whatever money I had. They agreed and I paid them. When we reached Wadi al-Qura (a place between Madinah and Syria), they broke their agreement and sold me to a Jew. I worked as a servant for him but eventually he sold me to a nephew of his belonging to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. This nephew took me with him to Yathrib, the city of palm groves, which is how the Christian at Ammuriyah had described it.

At that time the Prophet was inviting his people in Makkah to Islam but I did not hear anything about him then because of the harsh duties which slavery imposed upon me.

When the Prophet reached Yathrib after his hijrah from Makkah, I was in fact at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master doing some work. My master was sitting under the tree. A nephew of his came up and said:

“May God declare war on the Aws and the Khazraj (the two main Arab tribes of Yathrib). By God, they are now gathering at Quba to meet a man who has today come from Makkah and who claims he is a Prophet.”

I felt hot flushes as soon as I heard these words and I began to shiver so violently that I was afraid that I might fall on my master. I quickly got down from the tree and spoke to my master’s nephew.

“What did you say? Repeat the news for me.”

My master was very angry and gave me a terrible blow. “What does this matter to you’? Go back to what you were doing,” he shouted.

That evening, I took some dates that I had gathered and went to the place where the Prophet had alighted. I went up to him and said:

“I have heard that you are a righteous man and that you have companions with you who are strangers and are in need. Here is something from me as sadaqah. I see that you are more deserving of it than others.”

The Prophet ordered his companions to eat but he himself did not eat of it. I gathered some more dates and when the Prophet left Quba for Madinah I went to him and said: “I noticed that you did not eat of the sadaqah I gave. This however is a gift for you.” Of this gift of dates, both he and his companions ate.

The strict honesty of the Prophet was one of the characteristics that led Salman to believe in him and accept Islam .

Salman was released from slavery by the Prophet who paid his Jewish slave-owner a stipulated price and who himself planted an agreed number of date palms to secure his manumission. After accepting Islam, Salman would say when asked whose son he was:

“I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam.”

Salman was to play an important role in the struggles of the growing Muslim state. At the battle of Khandaq, he proved to be an innovator in military strategy. He suggested digging a ditch or khandaq around Madinah to keep the Quraysh army at bay. When Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Makkans, saw the ditch, he said, “This stratagem has not been employed by the Arabs before.”

Salman became known as “Salman the Good”. He was a scholar who lived a rough and ascetic life. He had one cloak which he wore and on which he slept. He would not seek the shelter of a roof but stayed under a tree or against a wall. A man once said to him:

“Shall I not build you a house in which to live?” “I have no need of a house,” he replied. The man persisted and said, “I know the type of house that would suit you.” “Describe it to me,” said Salman. “I shall build you a house which if you stand up in it, its roof will hurt your head and if you stretch your legs the wall will hurt them.”

Later, as a governor of al-Madain (Ctesiphon) near Baghdad, Salman received a stipend of five thousand dirhams. This he would distribute as sadaqah. He lived from the work of his own hands. When some people came to Madain and saw him working in the palm groves, they said, “You are the amir here and your sustenance is guaranteed and you do this work!”

“I like to eat from the work of my own hands,” he replied. Salman however was not extreme in his asceticism. It is related that he once visited Abu ad-Dardaa with whom the Prophet had joined him in brotherhood. He found Abu ad-Dardaas wife in a miserable state and he asked, “What is the matter with you.”

“Your brother has no need of anything in this world,” she replied.

When Abu ad-Dardaa came, he welcomed Salman and gave him food. Salman told him to eat but Abu ad-Dardaa said, “I am fasting.”

“I swear to you that I shall not eat until you eat also.”

Salman spent the night there as well. During the night, Abu ad-Dardaa got up but Salman got hold of him and said:

“O Abu ad-Dardaa, your Lord has a right over you. Your family has a right over you and your body has a right over you. Give to each its due.”

In the morning, they prayed together and then went out to meet the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Prophet supported Salman in what he had said.

As a scholar, Salman was noted for his vast knowledge and wisdom. Ali said of him that he was like Luqman the Wise. And Kab al-Ahbar said: “Salman is stuffed with knowledge and wisdom–an ocean that does not dry up.” Salman had a knowledge of both the Christian scriptures and the Quran in addition to his earlier knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion. Salman in fact translated parts of the Quran into Persian during the life-time of the Prophet. He was thus the first person to translate the Quran into a foreign language.

Salman, because of the influential household in which he grew up, might easily have been a major figure in the sprawling Persian Empire of his time. His search for truth however led him, even before the Prophet had appeared, to renounce a comfortable and affluent life and even to suffer the indignities of slavery. According to the most reliable account, he died in the year thirty five after the hijrah, during the caliphate of Uthman, at Ctesiphon.

Taken from “The Companions of  The Prophet”, Vol. 1, by Abdul Wahid Hamid

I’d like to share with you one of the sermons of Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA), the first Khaleefah of the Muslim Ummah, which highlights his extreme eloquence as an orator and his effective leadership skills. This sermon was delivered three days after the death of Rasulallah (SAW), in a time when the Muslims were in disarray due to the threats from within posed by people apostatizing from Islam, and also due to the external threat posed by the Romans who viewed the Muslims as vulnerable at this critical junction of time.

“O people, I am like you. And I do not know, perhaps you will heap upon me responsibilities which only the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was able to bear. Verily, Allah chose Muhammad from among all living beings, and He (SWT) protected him from defects and errors. As for me, I am not an innovator; rather, I am nothing more than a follower. If I become upright (in my affairs and in the way I rule over you) , then follow me. But if I go astray, then correct me. When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) died, not a single person from this nation was able to claim that the Prophet (SAW) had wronged him in the least… Lo! Indeed the Shaitan attacks me. So when he comes to me, stay away from me… Verily, there are some people who have forgotten their appointed terms (their deaths) and have worked for others (instead of doing deeds for their own Hereafter), so beware of becoming like them. Work hard! Work hard! Be quick! Be quick! Seek out safety! Seek out safety! For behind you is a quick pursuer (time or death). Be vigilant and ready for death. And learn from the lessons of your fathers, sons, and brothers. “[1]

“Allah accepts only those deeds that are done for the sake of His Countenance, so perform your deeds for Allah. Be sincere for the time when you will be poor and needy (ie, when you will be in need of rewards in the Hereafter). O slaves of Allah, learn a lesson from those among yo who have died, and reflect on those who came before you. Think: Where were they yesterday? And where are they today? Where are the tyrants who… were renowned for victories in the wars they waged? Time has caused them to waste away, and now their bodies are rotten and decayed… And where are the kings who more than anything else were enamored with lands and with buildings on those lands? They are far away now, and no one remembers them; it is as if they are non-existent. But they are not really non-existent, for Allah, the Possessor of Might and Majesty, has kept alive for them the consequences of their actions, though He has cut off from them their desires. Now that they are gone, their deeds remain theirs, though the world (which they once claimed to own) has fallen into the hands of others. Now here we are as their successors on earth. If we truly learn from them, we will be saved. But if we sink (to their depths and ways), we will be just like them. Where are the beautiful-faced ones who were so enamored with their youth? They have become dust, and the things regarding which they were negligent have become a cause of misery for them. Where are the kings who built cities, fortified them with walls, and built wondrous things inside of them? They have left all of that for those who came after them. Their homes are empty, while they are now in the darkness of their graves.

‘And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Can you (O Muhammad (SAW)) find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them?’ ( Qur’an 19:98)

Where are the ones you knew from among your fathers and brothers? Their terms (on earth) have ended, and they are now sent back to face that which they had sent forward (when they were alive). Having died, they are headed either towards happiness or misery. Lo! Allah has no partner, and there is no family relationship between Him and anyone from among His created beings. And so He does not give anyone good things or protect anyone from evil based on such a relationship- since such a relationship is non-existent (ie, in this world, we can expect a family member to give us out of a sense of familial love and loyalty, but since no such relationship exists between us and Allah- we are only His slaves and created beings- we cannot expect to receive help from Allah for the same reason). What Allah has (in terms of rewards) is achieved (by us) only through our being obedient to Him.”[2][3]

This sermon really made me wonder, and think about the reality of this life. Such a simply delivered message, so humble and straight-forward, and yet so effective.

——-

Concerning Ramadan, here are a couple of good places to visit-

1. Ramadan Reflections: A Daily Journey Through the Quran
2. Kicking the Habit- The 6-Step Ramadan Advice

In exactly 24 hours time (from the time of writing this post), we’ll know whether Ramadan will be starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 or Wednesday, September 3, 2008 in Pakistan. Now that’s really not a very long time, and not at all enough to do everything required to prepare for this blessed month- but it’s still enough to get to know the virtue of Ramadan, get in the right mindset to make the most of it, and set some goals to accomplish during this month Insha’Allah.

Virtue of Ramadan

Okay, so the first thing to do is establish the virtue of this month, and that isn’t a difficult task at all in light of the tremendous amount of Ayahs of the Qur’an and Ahadith on this subject-

1. “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 183)
2. Allah the Most High said, “Every action of the son of Adam is for him except for fasting; it is for Me and I will reward him for it (beyond measure).” (Sahih Bukhari – Hadith Qudsi)
3. “The five daily prayers, from one Jumu’ah to the next and from one Ramadan to the next are an expiation for (sins committed) in between, so long as you avoid major sins.” (Sahih Muslim)

Getting in the Right Mindset

What exactly do I mean by ‘getting in the right mindset’? Well, what I mean is that we spend a lot of time doing a lot of different things throughout the year, which may or may not be of any consequence in the Hereafter. Hence, for this special month, we should try to make sure that we put aside some time to devote for acts that we aren’t able to do the rest of the year. And the only way to do that is by planning in advance and freeing up our schedule to perform enough acts of personal benefit so that at the end of the month we can look back and say ‘Man, I really made the most of that month!’

Setting Goals

It’s essential to set some accomplishable goals to achieve any results- be it your semester grades you’re looking to improve, or win the local kabaddi competition (Now why would you want to do that?). The same goes for Ramadan. If you want to accomplish anything in this month, set realistic goals in advance and track your progress throughout. The goals you set are obviously something only you can decide, but I’ll give you some of my personal ideas, as food for thought-

1. Almost all of us commit intentional sins throghout the year. This Ramadan make a resolution to break atleast one of those ‘bad’ habits. Actually, I think Ramadan is a really good time to make any resolutions for a Muslim- rather than New Year’s Eve or Independence Day. But resolutions shouldn’t just rot in your old notebook that you never open again. Try to get a head start by researching about the Islamic viewpoint on the particular sin you commit, why it’s prohibited, and how you can get rid of it. Then make a sincere intention to not indulge in it again and try your best to stay away from it. If you can do that in the month of Ramadan, that’ll give you courage to avoid it the rest of the year
2. I’m sure most of us aim to finish reciting the Quran entirely ourselves or hear it during the Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan. But how much time do we give to trying to understand the true message of the Qur’an? Recitation of the Qur’an undoubtedly has a lot of merit- but the purpose for which the Qur’an was revealed is GUIDANCE. It’s essential that we try to understand the Qur’an by reading it’s translation (if we don’t know Arabic) and an explanation of its verses. We should atleast know the meaning of the Surahs we recite most often during Salah so that we know exactly what we’re saying to Allah! Therefore, add another point to your Ramadan Resolution list, if it isn’t there already- Read and UNDERSTAND portion of the Quran (atleast).
3. We’re poor beyond poor in our knowledge of our own beliefs and importants aspects of the religion we believe in- so increasing knowledge of Islam generally could be a goal.
4. The importance of Laylatul-Qadr can not be over-emphasized. So, setting some specific goals for the nights among which Laylatul-Qadr can be found would be helpful.

What Next?

The next thing would be to try to achieve the goals you’ve set, silly! Once you’ve planned it all out, try to stay a bit ahead of your plan because you never know your plans might be disrupted by some unkown twist of fate. Insha’Allah you’ll be able to stay on track and achieve what you’ve set out for (And me, what I’ve set out for!)

One final note- have a little faith in your abilities and in Allah who gave them to you. Making dua to Him to help you make the most of this blessed month, and forgive your past sins as a result, can work wonders. Especially when you feel down and disheartened, and unable to do anything good. Insha’Allah if you’ve a sincere intention and a strong faith, nothing can stop you!

———

A couple of places you can turn to for more information on preparing for Ramadan (from where I’ve borrowed some of my stuff)

1. Hitting the Ground Running in Ramadan
2. Ramadan on HalalTube
3. Ramadan Reminders