nourradiance's Blog

      I can't write the next installment to this blog entry until I get a replacement for the book I quoted from below.
I had the opportunity to meet Abdul Hakim Murad (Timothy J. Winter) and his dear wife in Kuala Lumpur and so I gave the book to them.  I have to get another copy before I can continue. 

      I'm so happy with the opportunities that God presented to me everytime I stood up for the unity of the Muslim ummah.  I had to cause some minor discord with issues that I brought up in relation to the various Muslim sects and the inclination for some Muslims to alienate one another. The first time, I discussed this with a group of Muslim women in Jeddah, and I felt that God rewarded me with a personal conversation with Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and the chance to meet and hug his dear wife, Liliana.

     Recently, at a conference with Malaysian and Turkish scholars, I raised the issue for Sufis to find ways to include other Muslims in a unified way, and I was misunderstood and misquoted as anti-Sufi by a Bangladeshi professor, and even other academician from Malaysia.  Alhamdulillah two days later, I found myself greeting Timothy Winter and Nabila Winter who came to Malaysia from Cambridge to highlight the opening of a new Islamic university in Malaysia called As-Sofa University.

     These are true bounties for me, to get up close to people who represent spiritual strength and intellectual prowess, and not only that, they humbly share their knowledge with the rest of us.  May Allah allow us to benefit from them and others like them.

      I'm slowly getting it....the knowledge is trickling into the crevices of my brain, and once I truly grasp it - I pray that my heart will beat in tangent with the hearts of the saintly ones.  This is my only goal in seeking this knowledge.  And I know that my rational brain is not enough to grasp it.  I must wake up at night, like I used to do when I was attempting to memorize the Qur'an and connect the dots one by one.  I must continue to pray hard and courageously memorize whichever part of the Qur'an that He deems to be my allocated share of knowledge.  I will not follow a system anymore.  Memorize whatever seems relevant in my life.  A verse for healing my sick child, a verse for imploring God to protect me from temptation, a verse to help my parents clear off their debts...memorize as the needs arise.

      The exciting news is that I might soon find the teacher I've been looking for.  I won't waste time trying to describe him.  Let me quote my teacher who describes his teacher, who I might be worthy of also calling my teacher:

Al-Attas, following Al-Raniri and many intellectual Sufis before him, on the other hand constantly distinguishes between the ideas and teachings of the higher Sufis from those of the pseudo Sufis such as the Sophists (sufastaiyyah) and the deviating wujudiyyah (wujudiyyah mulhidah) or ignorant and popular Sufis whose doctrines are grossly erroneous.  The ideas and practices of the former group are firmly rooted in knowledge which is based ultimately on intitive experience.  The pseudo and the ignorant Sufis uphold, among their major doctrine, that God is one or identical with or incarnated in His Creatures.  They also uphold that the external world, including man, is illusory; that the various particular forms in existence are merely subjective and mental, and that nothing exists except God Himself.  They also believe in reincarnation and the transmigration of the souls.  It follows epistomologically, that they do not believe in the possibility of knowledge of the realities of things.  Some of them also reject religious laws, from which they claim that they are EXEMPTED.  Therefore, they do things like reject prayers, for example, and contend that contemplation is sufficient instead.  They likewise emulate laziness as a way of life, encouraging begging and soliciting alms and charity. (Wan Mohamad Nor Wan Mohamad Daun, The Educational Philosophy and Practice of Syed Muhamma Naquib Al-Attas, p.38)

        I'm entering a new phase of my life. 

        I will have to leave soon to start my own blog somewhere else in cyberspace.

       My new mission is bigger than I am.  I am not quite the person to carry it, but
   
       destiny leads me to this right now.  

       I am in the philosophy circle  now - Imam Al-Ghazali was in the philosophy circle, then he rejected it

      and chose the Sufi circle.  I was in the Sufi circle, and I sadly have to keep walking because
     
      no sufi master takes my hand. 

      Anyway, our mission has started and it needs more people on board.

      Our mission is to move beyond being the servant of God.  Some of us do this job well,

      serving God in daylight and darkness.  Some have trouble getting a grip of their own lusts

     and greed.  But being a servant of God is not enough.

     We need to realize our full potential - that is to be the vicegerent of God.

     We are setting up the agenda to get down to the nitty gritty business of defining

     what it means to be human.

    What does it mean to be a receptacle of knowledge from God.

    And what we should do with this knowledge.

   

Knowledge is from God.  Don't believe it? Who taught you the language you speak?
Your mother? Your father?
Your faculty of hearing, your sights are the primary ones in connecting the nerves for the acquisition of words.
You hear your caregiver's voice, sounds or babbles and your eyes see the motion of her lips or the vibration of her vocal cords and your nerve cells pick everything up to prepare you to do the same.
The more senses you use, such as smell, touch and instinctual feelings - the easier your learning process is because you can make multiple connections about one object or word.

Who gave you all these senses?  Who connect them all into one packaged whole, or a learning kit let's say?
It's the Creator.

In the Qur'an He declared, "Arrahman.  'Allama al-Qur'an.Halaqa al-Insan. Allamahu -l-bayan."
"The Kind God. He taught you(Muhammd) the Qur'an. He created humans.  He taught them language/speech."
(Chapter: Ar-Rahman in the Qur'an)

The proof for those who are so inclined to accept Truth, is in the nature of human languages.  Languages can be categorized into groups, according to its common origin.  We have the language tree to show that some languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuguese and English are all from a common root.  Then we have other languages that come from a common root.  And these roots, are actually branches...branches from one trunk.  The tree of life you might want to call it.  And it is God that caused these tree of human existence, cooperation and communication from ONE.

It's up to you to find what that one language was as it survives today, I think.

Language begets more knowledge.  And that's from God too.  In the Qur'an, a similarity to the book of Genesis is in regard to the creation of Adam, the first man.  Not on'ly did God created him a vessel (his body), God blew Life into him, causing him to be alert.  Then God started the engine of his rational mind (brain), by teaching him the names of everything in the Garden. 

"Wa 'allama Adama -al-asma 'a kullaha." (Baqarah:2:31)
"He taught Adam all the names.  Then He showed him to the angels, asking them "tell me the names of these if you are truthful."

The angels were just previously protesting to God, when He informed them about the creation of Adam and his human descendants (US!).  In the Qur'an 2:30, the Angels questionned why a creature with the propensity to cause discord is placed on earth.  So now God tested the Angels and answered their concerns about the  "bad humans" that God has created.  So, they humbly declared their lack of knowledge, unlike us human..
"Glory be to You! We do not know other than what You taught us.  You Alone are All-Knowing and All-Wise"

So, God then showed off Adam's special ability to them and warned them "Did I not tell you(angels) that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth and all that you reveal or hide?" (Qur'an: 2:34)

Later on, when God commanded the angels to bow down to Adam, they had no problem with accepting Adam's higher position in relation to them.  It is reason.

Our reasoning ability is our ladder to success or, our downfall.  We can go up to the level of angels, or we can fall into the abyss that Lucifer (satan) wants us to be in.  The choice is ours.

But all knowledge has its origin in God.

Today knowledge has been separated into two compartments - secular and religious.
What this implies, is that our brain is not in tangent with our heart.  Our body is not in tangent with our spirit within it.  And we need to bring this back together, in order to feel harmony.

Harmony
Equilibrium
Peace

HAPPINESS.

it's a scary moment. why would i want to be a philosopher. isn't that what Imam Al-Ghazali ran away from.
Well, I'm supposed to write a thesis proposal to join a graduate program, and the philosophers seem to be keen on accepting me as one of their disciples.  I made the Decision Prayer (Istikharah) to Allah already, and it seems that I kept stumbling upon written materials that discuss epistomology. Time is running out and I couldn't finish.  I don't have the motivation right now.  I want to study religion not, about religion.  I don't know why Allah fated that Sheikh Hamza Yusof suggested that I study with them.  I must be wrong about them.
God help me.

     I've been through a big move across the Atlantic.  I've been through the big wave and truly I've lost my balance.  I did so many things in life and I thought that I did it for God's sake, but no it was all a mirage.
I had an easy god-fearing life in Saudi Arabia cause I just didn't have anything better to do.  I studied Qur'an because I had nothing better to do.  I appeared my most pious because all the friends surrounding me were pious and they expected me to be on par with them if not outdo them.

    Now that I'm back in my old country Malaysia - things are so different.  There are so much expectation for high prosperity in this Muslim-dominated landscape, but  Feng Shui driven country.  Malaysia is such a mixture of various worldviews: a blend of post-colonial Western liberalism, the anxiety of a money-making Asian tiger, the self-consciously self-absorbed and shy Malay cultural legacy and feverishly religious Muslims values.
It's dizzying!
   
    I found myself swept up in the different currents - I was this one day and that, the next day.  I went to a multi-level marketing lecture that claims to help the poorer Malays uplift themselves economically.  But instead of encouraging them to work hard, it shows real life examples of people who become millionaires within a short span of time through multi-level marketing - where usually people prey upon their own relatives and friends in order to make their business strategy succeed.  In fact, I got so turned off when the emcee of the program played a video of a recent millionaire with his luxury dream car while fast music was beating in the background.  Then, he asked the attendees to stand up for the guy when he entered to join him on stage.
The Malay people has a soft nature of complying to any request and naturally got up on their toes without thinking - well, NOT ME.  I have no business standing up for a mere millionaire.  What contribution did he make for me?  Or my people, country or religion?  He's just a millionaire. So what? 

      He probably spent it $$$ all already!

     My life in the past 6 months was spent thinking of my own next business venture.  I was seriously moving from one idea to the next, of how best I can make money - until I went to that marketing scheme lecture.
It stopped me on my track and made me realize that I was chasing after a shadow.   I was getting distracted by the buzz around me and almost fell in the abyss of lie that this world is all about.  I forgot to think about God. I pushed His remembrance aside, so I can ponder and day-dream about my business plan. 

       What God wants me to do is already in my hand.  I am already busy with my children's needs and my husband's needs.  When I married my husband, he was a simple social worker with a degree in history.  I married him because he was religious.  He praised my academic credentials and told me he always wanted to be in an Ivy League university that I was studying in.  But he couldn't afford it.  I always thought that I would have been somebody if hadn't married him.  But now it's clear that he's moving up the ladder we never thought was available for someone like him.  He is so averse to assuming a leadership position, yet that's what God gives him.  It stresses him out daily that he is now assuming the position of a Director in a leading educational company.  I was so jealous of him without realizing it because I always wanted somekind of positions.  But he was jealous of me for learning religious knowledge that he didn't have time to pursue.

       I've finally come to a realization that God is bestowing His blessings on me for not giving me what I want.  My heart is not sincere.  I will get nothing in the Hereafter but punishment if I do good for the sake of my own ego, or for the praise of people.  Thank God I have nothing for myself but my kids and my husband.   This is what God wants for me.  I should say thank you and do my best.

I should be happy to just serve my husband and kids, and whoever enters my sphere of friendship and love.
For His sake only, inshaAllah (God willing)...

Anti-Muslim Sentiment Clouds $1M Gift To Joplin Schools

Posted: 8/10/11 02:55 PM ET

 



 


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-turner/anti-muslim-joplin-schools_b_923251.html




 

It was one of those feel-good stories that have popped up day after day since the May 22 Joplin Tornado.

The United Arab Emirates embassy pledged half a million dollars to the Joplin Schools for the One-to-One program, which is designed to give every high school student a laptop for the 2011-2012 school year.

That pledge is backed by an additional pledge of another half million if other donors can match the original amount.

The following passage was included in the school district news release:

"The entire world was touched by the devastation caused in Joplin by the May 22 tornado. Given the scale of the disaster, including the destruction of the community's only high school, we felt it was important to provide assistance," said Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. "The One-to-One initiative is a truly innovative idea that will not only give current students the tools they need to start the school year, but position future Joplin Schools students on the cutting-edge of learning."

Joplin Schools and the UAE Embassy anticipate this grant as the start of a longer-term partnership between the two organizations. JS and the Embassy hope to work together to develop programming that will deepen cultural understating and awareness between the U.S. and the UAE.
 

 

At least $500,000 and probably $1.5 million being used for the benefit of students whose lives have been forever changed by the cataclysmic forces of nature.

Who could argue with such an outpouring of humanity? Who could argue with the evidence of the effect Joplin has had on the world?

Sadly, some of those who are arguing come from within Joplin. They lurk on the comment sections of blogs, including mine, and the local newspaper.

Deep torrents of bigotry are unleashed in these comments, almost always by people who hide behind the cloak of anonymity.

The first reaction on my blogThe Turner Report, was what I expected when I printed the school district's news release on the gift:

The same country that brought us the 9-11 hijackers!

Another one wrote:

Did Joplin Schools sell their souls?

Those are the ones that I allowed to remain on my blog. I do not intend to become a surrogate for the type of hatred that runs rampant among certain elements in our society. Other comments, which contained profanity and anti-Muslim slurs were removed immediately.

The Joplin Globe apparently took a different approach. Its story on the gift, on the homepage of its website, has been scrubbed of all comments.

I don't pretend to speak for the Joplin School District, Joplin High School or this city. As an educator, my job is to make sure that students get past blind hatred and prejudice and learn to reason. There are times when I wonder if I am swimming against an overwhelming tide.

It is difficult to promote reason when our culture is dominated by conversations in which those who can shout the loudest and have the catchiest soundbites are prized more than those with the ability to discuss an issue using the force of reason.

Our culture is a recipe designed to pull us apart, not bring us together.

But I have watched over these past two-and-a-half months as the most horrific event in Joplin's history has brought together not only the people of Joplin, but the people of the world.

The basic tenets of love, decency, and generosity are not limited to one country, one religion or one color.

When someone reaches out with a helping hand, we should never respond with slurs and undisguised hatred.

The correct response to the gift of the United Arab Emirates, the one which has been overwhelmingly provided by those in Joplin who do not hide their venom behind fake names or "Anonymous" is "thank you."

 

The Prophet Muhammad said, "The religious scholars are the inheritors of the Prophet".  A religious scholar has a responsibility of keeping the message of Islam true to its nature, as taught by the Prophet Muhammad, and not marred by anger and jealousy, nor desire for fame and greed for money.  Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi (above) is related to the Prophet Muhammad, not only by his status as a scholar/cleric, but also by blood.  He is one of the Sayyids or Shareefs, the Noble descendants of the Prophet through his daughter Fatima, and her two sons Hasan and Hussein.   Any Muslim who dare act aggressively against the descendants of the most beloved of God, should know where his place in the Hereafter will be.

For years in Muslim countries, religious scholars are trained by government-approved universities and paid a monthly stipend so that they will read from a script during Friday sermons.  The direct consequences of this is a Friday sermon that repeats itself week after week. Each one offers not a glimpse of current events other than the general demise of Muslims morality and the certain culprits, Western societies.  The unavoidable consequence of such sermons is that a portion of the attendants fall asleep while their bodies were upright, trying to obey God's commandment of attending Friday sermons.  This method pacify certain governments that have something to hide from its people.  Governments that want people to remain quiet about things that matter to them.
 
Had they allowed the clerics to speak on  behalf of people, they would have been more civilized.  Clerics who are trained in the Prophet's example (not the literal-type who tend to read with an extremist's eyes) would know how to balance the rights of a ruler with the rights of the people.  He would exercise respect where necessary and urge the people to think highly of their government efforts and on the other hand, urge the government to consider the people's opinion.  Unfortunately, such a cleric has long been lost from the radar of the government - and the  bright and educated clerics were no where to be found, due to the boredom that their government assigned job inflicts on their intellectuallism.  As it so happened, many amongst the populace refuse to acknowledge clerics who work for the government.

Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi is not one of those.  When Muslims are in a state of confusion listening to clerics who forbid them to question the government, he is one who speaks his commitment to God.  He has nothing to gain and lots to lose from his "freedom of expression".  Still, there are clerics who claim to be the Head of the Muslim world, yet succumb to government oil checks and declare the fight for freedom to be un-Islamic.  The same group of clerics, allowed its own government to send its armies into a another Muslim country that is killing its own people, just because they are not Sunnis like the ruling class.  In Syria, it is the opposite - the Shi'ite ruling class is attacking the Sunnis.

Muslims need to read the Qur'an themselves, and not allow the lines in brackets, cloud their judgement of right and wrong.  Clerics who are bent on the extreme, are ready to supply their way of anger and superiority complex on the very Qur'an translation that Muslims hold in their hands.  Their intrepretation of the Qur'an is already written in the brackets they supply in the English (or other languages) translations, that Muslims find it surprising to learn that their religion does not seem as peaceful as they had learned, growing up.  Yet, if one arms oneself with the knowledge of Arabic, and the Qur'anic explanation by classical scholars of Islam, the differences that emerge seem like night and day.

When one sees a sincere and humble cleric, then one has been blessed with guidance from God.  We all need help to understand the message of the Almighty, for He has blessed some of us with more understanding than others.  If we don't understand, it is not right to blame God.  We must seek answers from clerics who are sincere, humble and truthful.   Then, no matter what injustice comes our way, we can respond instinctively, without fear.

        It's now the 5th day of fasting and every single time, fasting turns out to be easy once you get into the swing of it.  I was really worrying about the "torture" of going hungry, thirsty and hot!  This Summer, the dawn breaks at 4 something AM, and night breaks at 8 something PM in America.  So....that's not what I'm used to ever since I fasted my first Ramadhan at 7 years old. 
       Lots of articles and blogs have been written to encourage people to fast for the sake of God this Ramadhan.  I like one in particular that told us to prepare before Ramadhan by fasting every few days and lessening our food intake and pleasure intake (fasting is not just refraining from food and drinks, but also vices!)  So, this author likens it to the rocket propulsion mechanism.  If we shoots off the first day fasting without prior preparation, we're likely to lose steam quickly.  Instead, if we prepare ourselves in advance, we can have a steady take-off, more like an airplane departure.  Slowly gaining momentum and stability.
      Surprisingly, I got my best motivation from a Hindu lady.  It's Gandhi's mom - to be specific.  In his authobiography, Gandhi wrote about how his mom was fasting almost daily.  For the Hindus, it seems that the breaking of the fast is when one can see the sun disappears.  (Tell me if I'm wrong!)  So often, her mom who would tell her kids to watch out for the sun setting, and if the sun was not in view, then she just couldn't break her fast.  So she would continue fasting till the next day.  Well, in Islam the Prophet Muhammad specifically mentioned that we must break our fast promptly and not delayed the breaking of fast unintentionally.
        So anyway, my fasting been's great so far.  It was not hard at all and I didn't have the pressure of an ethnic Muslim woman who has to prepare a Ramadhan galore for fast-breaking and pre-dawn meal.  No pakoras, samosas, spicy Malay fried Lo Mein (mi goreng) to cook.  We just head out to the mosque and they have a spread of cultural food over there.  The first day, we did have it at home.  The second day, at the Turkish mosque in Brooklyn (www.iqramasjid.org).  The women are super-friendly over there.  And the Imam recite a chapter of the Qur'an daily from 6.30pm.    Then, the third day a Pakistani fair at the Hamza mosque in Elmont.  They serve a big meal daily as well. (www.masjidhamza.com)
       The best meal we got was from my brother-in-law.  He's not a Muslim, but he wanted to enjoy the fish he caught and our favorite seafood together, so he actually waited to eat dinner.  Instead of his usual 5pm, he cooked everything with his brother (my beloved!) and ate the sumptous fare at 8.11pm last night.  It was the best iftar (fast-breaking) so far cause there was cornbread, potato salad, and coleslaw as well.  I also made coffee cake for dessert, unfortunately my mother-in-law didn't touch it yet, cause I reduced the amount of cinnamon-sugar I put on top. Urggh big mistake!  
        I always wanted to have Ramadhan in my home-country Malaysia cause there are so many street hawkers selling all kinds of food.  So nobody has to cook anything.  Of course some of our family traditional foods is best cooked by my mom.  But then, my husband is right in preferring the Ramadhan in America.  It's simpler and truer to the Islamic spirit of reducing food intake and enjoying small blessings.  In Muslim countries, all we think about is food food and more food, during Ramadhan.  
        This year, the idea of going hungry is more realistic than ever.  There are actually a whole population of Muslims who are dying from hunger not because of Ramadhan.  The children in Eastern Africa are waiting for us to fling some of our grand Iftar (fast-breaking) food their way.  We can't think of this Ramadhan as just another fun family get-together.  Muslims always say, Ramadhan is obligatory so we can practice going hungry and know how poor people feel.  Well, this year it is no practice.  We should part with some of our money, food, and life comforts.  Muslims and the humanities should feel themselves as one.  When one is suffering, the other should not go about their normal lives.   They need our help today.

www.islamic-relief.com
www.irusa.org/
http://www.uwt.org
www.mercy.org.my/

Thomas Jefferson’s Iftar

 

 

 

29 July 2011

In 1805, Thomas Jefferson hosted what some consider the first iftar at the White House.

 

“Ramadan,” said President Obama at a White House iftar dinner in 2010, “is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.”

The dinner to which the president referred took place on December 9, 1805, and Jefferson’s guest was Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, an envoy from the bey (chieftain) of Tunis who spent six months in Washington. The context of Mellimelli’s visit to the United States was a tense dispute over piracy on American merchant vessels by the Barbary states and the capture of Tunisian vessels trying to run an American blockade of Tripoli.

Mellimelli arrived during Ramadan, and Jefferson, when he invited the envoy to the president’s house, changed the meal time from the usual hour of 3:30 p.m. to “precisely at sunset” in deference to the man’s religious obligation.

Jefferson’s knowledge of Islam likely came from his legal studies of natural law. In 1765, Jefferson purchased a two-volume English translation of the Quran for his personal library, a collection that became, in 1815, the basis of the modern Library of Congress.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

Read more: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/inbrief/2011/07/20110729153019kram0.3508199.html#ixzz1UAv8FSFZ

The Midnight Sun Masjid

 

 A remarkable story:

Inuvik is an arctic town in Canada’s Northwest Territories with a population of about 3,500 people.
It’s located right at the tip of North America facing the Arctic Ocean.
With a polar climate and harsh living conditions, one wouldn't expect to find a town there, let alone a town with Muslims.
But there is a Muslim community there and a growing one, too.
So much so that the trailer that was being used as the mosque ran out of room and this community now
needed a new masjid.

Building a masjid in the Arctic, however, is far more complicated than it is anywhere else.
The scarcity of skilled labour and material makes the cost of such a project skyrocket and this undertaking is
simply impossible for a small community of a 100 people.
Their situation is akin to that of the Muslims in Edmonton, who despite all odds managed to erect Canada’s first
masjid in 1938.
With faith in God anything is possible.
At a time like this, the Inuvik Muslims could have simply prayed for a masjid to be shipped over.
And that’s exactly what they were about to get.

Enter, the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation.
The Zubaidah Tallab Foundation is a charity based out of Manitoba.
The remarkable individuals at this organization decided to give the Inuvikans a hand and took it upon
themselves to ensure that the masjid got built.
After evaluating the cost of locally building the masjid, they came up with a plan which at first sight would
easily be dismissed as insanity.
Build the masjid in Winnipeg and ship it 4,000 kilometres away to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.

As insane as that may sound, this was the most economical way of getting the masjid built.
Part of the masjid’s journey was going to be on roads (2400km) and part on water (1800 km).
The goal was to get the mosque on to the last barge heading towards Inuvik for the season.
Not only was this going to be a logistical nightmare but it was to be a race against time as well.
With receding water levels in the Mackenzie River, the shipping company decided to push up the
departure date by 3 weeks.
 

The 1,500 square-foot masjid was built in Winnipeg and started its journey on a semi-trailer.
The over-sized trailer made its way through back roads and country highways, struggling to make it to the barge in time;
it was delayed further by Labour Day celebrations and highway regulations.
To complicate matters even more, the bridge across Reindeer Creek proved too narrow for the trailer.
The driver had to remove the back wheels and a second truck was brought in to balance the back of the flatbed as the
masjid was moved carefully across bridge.
But this wasn't the biggest scare.
All hopes and dreams came close to being shattered when the masjid almost fell off the trailer into a creek near
the Alberta border.

The organizers managed to request the shipping company to hold the barge for two extra days and
perhaps by divine intervention, the barge was delayed further due to poor weather.
With lots of prayer and a little bit of luck, the trailer managed to get to the barge just in time.
The masjid was loaded on to the barge and set off for its journey towards the North Pole.

The barge arrived in Inuvik, on September 24th2010.
After an excruciating 3-week journey, the little masjid arrived at its destination; all in one piece.
The Inuvik Muslims gathered around the port to witness the historical event.
They chanted prayers to praise and thank God as they waited.
Some jumped around with joy while others were overwhelmed with gratitude and came to tears.

Numerous finishing touches needed to be added and it took about a month to get the mosque ready for use.
Fathallah Fargat, a carpenter from St. Catherines, Ontario was inspired by the story and traveled all the way to Inuvik to
help set up the masjid.
He even helped build a 10-meter minaret to accompany the newly erected masjid.
 
The Midnight Sun Masjid, as it is now called, was inaugurated on November 10th 2010 to become
North America’s northern most masjid.
All in all, the entire project cost about $300,000.
The Zaid Tallabah Foundation, which still has outstanding payments to make, is looking to raise another $21,000.

The Inuvik masjid is a stellar example of what can be accomplished by unity, hard work and faith in God.
For those let down by the petty attacks on masjid around the West, this story should rejuvenate your spirit and give you hope.
If people can manage to build a masjid in the Arctic, then building one anywhere else should be far from impossible.
 




















(Written by Bashir Tejani)The M

 


       For years, the only message American-Muslims and generally, Western Muslims hear from so-called scholars is that Muslims cannot co-exist with non-Muslims.  Many scholars tend to read the Qur'anic verses in regard to non-Muslims and Muslims relation based on the  uneasy periods leading to the Prophet Muhammad's conquest of Mecca.  There is no consideration given to the fact that the Prophet Muhammad was a leader of diverse communities of Muslims, Jews and Polytheistic tribes in Madina.  Peace was the main objective of his leadership.

Sheikh Abdullah ibn Bayyah is again returning us to the Mercy that is, part and parcel of the Final Prophet by recognizing that Muslims and non-Muslims are brothers in humanity.  We can work hand-in-hand for the benefit of our communities. 

"Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what YOU can do for your country (or community)." -JFK

For the sake of God.

          Whenever you want to do something good, God is always there to help you.  A few weeks back when the Bible Belt of America was hit by a rampage of tornadoes, I told my husband that I'd like for us to go down South to help out.  The images of the people having to deal with water everywhere, brought back my fears when my family and I were caught in our car, as flood water entered it.  We had to climb out of the window and then console the little ones while huddling in the rain.  Lucky for us, God opened up a maze of bushes and there within it was a golf club, our shelter for a few hours.  May God bless the Mexican-American man that helped us that night. 
          Anyhow, my husband needs more push to bring out the activist in him (which is, nil at this point in time!).  I told him I'd bring my teenage son to accompany me in my mission.  My son, didn't want to come either, but just the thought of his mom doing crazy things on her own, is not an option! LOL!  Anyway, we just shrugged the whole thing off cause we all know that I don't have enough money to do anything anyway. 
         But now that my husband's vacation had brought us back to America, I found that I did save up some money.  I am currently looking up the Internet for some opportunities to volunteer my time and what little money I have.  The charity group that I volunteered for last Summer, has a special program to help the children of Haiti.  They also have a fundraiser in a few weeks, and I am planning to ask the guy who is in charge about his plans for the flood-hit areas.  I have to make my plans pronto because ever since I've arrived back in the States, the gadget fever is flooding on me like mad.  My Dad-in-law recommended his Kindle, and my Mother-in-law swears the Nook's much better!  With the pamphlets from the gadget stores flooding into the house, I am tempted to get one. 
           That will surely reduce my saved up money by a significant bit.  I am like a kid who saved up his/her allowance and trying not to spend it on a milkshake...well, once upon a time!  Nowadays everyone's into the same thing.  Kids also want to buy the Tablet, IPAD2 and what have-you's.  It is THESE kinds of things that are taking our will-power to help OTHERS.  Really... if we think about it.  The next time we say we can't help out anybody because we are in dire financial state as well, rethink the statement.    It's not that we don't have enough to eat (the majority of us), but it's more because if we contribute this much money, it will take away from our plan of switching to the latest phones or Tablets.  If not that, then it's the new fad in clothings and shoes, or our expensive vacation to Europe or India - a must-visit for the re-discovery of our ancestry, let say!  Everything is a must-do and a must-have...
          In the end, we have become numbed to the challenges that others are facing.  Everyone faces a challenge that God sent their way to strengthen them, or sometimes, to awaken them from a mistake committed somewhere along the way. And this challenge will redemp us from our past mistakes.  It is all good.  Whatever God sent our way is good, though we may not see it as so now.  
In the Qur'an God teaches believers, that money or provision is not given just to them.  In fact, in every portion of provision that we get, a part of it belongs to someone else, someone in the community who God destined to survive through our help.  If we don't do our part, our community will falter, and crime will increase out of necessity.  We owe it to ourselves to remind one another, and force our hands to peel open our wallets and purses. 
         I am searching online and through friends, for a network or group of people who actually use their time and energy to help out a community in need.    I can just send money, but I want to be there and give my support.  I have nothing better to do right now, then to search online.  I'd like to feel that my time is spent doing something beneficial.   I am sure many of you can simultaneously buy and use the latest gadgets and perform various tasks towards the good of the community with it.   It is such a blessing from God!  There is nothing wrong in making use of God's blessings especially when used for the sake of good.  If you know of any community work that I can get involved in, please drop me a line!   I pray that God opens the way soon.

"Verily the Pious shall drink a cup of wine mixed with the spring water of Paradise (called Kafur).  A spring wherefrom the servants of God will drink, and that causes it to gush forth abundantly.  They are people who fulfills their vows and they fear a Day whose evil will be wide-spreading.  And they give food, inspite of their love for it to the poor, the orphan and the captive, saying "We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only.  We wish for no reward nor thanks from you.   
Verily, We fear from Our Lord a day hard and distressful that will make the faces look horrible.
So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day and gave them light and joy.  And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient."
(Qur'an: Al-Insan: 76:5-12)

So we've all heard about Strauss-Kahn "romantic" gesture-turned-violent event.  I am not here to judge anybody anymore because our world is currently rift with conspiracies and the timing of everything is just plain suspect.  Anyhow, the vacant seat in the IMF now is being questioned in terms of the role of IMF as an International body hence the name, International Monetary Fund.  Should the new head be European or Asian? 
Europe claims that Europe should have the lead since Europe is currently suffering a financial crisis?  Then, we should argue that someone in crisis would naturally be consumed by his/her own problems and fail to help other economies in the world.  Wouldn't a thriving economy (such as Asia's) be in the better position to distribute it's dynamic economy around the world?

There are a few possible candidates for the job, and impressively two of them are Muslim women.  In the midst of current devilish image of Muslims and Muslim countries, it is imperative that Muslim women be given the opportunity to proof their true worth. 

Besides, they are also qualified.

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Bloomberg
 

Sex Scandal Is Another Travesty at IMF’s Door: William Pesek
May 18, 2011, 5:50 PM EDT

By William Pesek

May 19 (Bloomberg) -- In the annals of career suicide, Dominique Strauss-Kahn may warrant his own chapter.

The sex charges against him in New York are a matter for the courts. Yet we do know this: The International Monetary Fund may lose a capable leader; French voters may say au revoir to a man who might have become president; and Europeans are questioning how the scandal might affect the debt-crisis rescue.

Asians should be asking a different question: Isn’t now the time to install one of their own as IMF managing director?

Tradition holds that a European runs the IMF, while an American heads the World Bank. It’s as anachronistic as the idea that the West still comprises the core of a financial system that is tilting toward Asia. Europe wants a local to help it oversee the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal. It makes more sense to tap someone from a region that rebounded from its own crisis in stunning fashion.

Here are four of many worthy Asian nominees who should be considered to run the IMF.

-- Haruhiko Kuroda. Since 2004, the Japanese economist has headed the Asian Development Bank with remarkable success. The former Ministry of Finance bigwig brought a sense of purpose and accountability to an unwieldy, Manila-based lender with more than 2,800 staffers around the globe. He focused his institution on upgrading infrastructure and education, a move that will broaden the benefits of rapid growth and boost competitiveness.

Among the tragedies of Strauss-Kahn being charged with sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper is that he was good at his day job. My most memorable interview with him was in 1998, when he was French finance minister. In his Paris office, we discussed the IMF’s huge missteps a year earlier in Asia. A decade later, Strauss-Kahn would be in a position to correct those errors as Europe went the way of Asia.

Course Correction

Kuroda might be able to engineer an even bigger IMF course correction: a more forward-looking take on where the global economy is heading. He also may have the clout in Tokyo to keep officials from balking at the mounting reconstruction costs following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

-- Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Few developing nations have made bigger advances over the last dozen years than Indonesia. During her stint as finance minister from 2005 to 2010, Sri Mulyani did a stellar job reducing growth-squandering regulations, modernizing the banking system and increasing accountability in ways the nation hadn’t seen in generations. Her anti-corruption campaign cheered investors and Transparency International alike.

Street Credibility

She was so effective that Indonesian opposition parties engineered her departure to a senior gig at the World Bank -- to get her out of the way. Why not invite her to walk down 19th Street in Washington to run its sister institution? The IMF would get some serious street credibility among developing nations and the Muslim world. And judging from my own conversations with Sri Mulyani, she would know better than to stay in a $3,000 hotel suite.

-- Zeti Akhtar Aziz. She is as internationally respected a central banker as any these days. The Bank Negara Malaysia governor played a key role in turning Kuala Lumpur into the global hub of the $1 trillion Islamic finance industry.

Zeti also was part of the team that bet against the IMF and won. In the late 1990s, it seemed inevitable that Malaysia would join Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea in accepting multibillion-dollar IMF bailouts and stringent conditions like raising interest rates, cutting spending and letting irresponsible companies fail.

Malaysia said no and Zeti helped it weather the turbulence. And then she watched the U.S., in the height of hypocrisy, do all the things it told Asian officials not to do. Zeti would bring a different perspective to the IMF, one much-needed.

Different Angle

-- Montek Singh Ahluwalia. As the former head of the IMF’s independent evaluation office, Ahluwalia, also has seen the institution at its worst. The deputy chairman of India’s planning commission would come at the job from a grass-roots angle. He was a top Finance Ministry official in 1991, when India began opening its economy. While it’s a work in progress, his handiwork helped set the stage for today’s 8 percent growth.

India is an example of a financial system that did a better job than the West at navigating the 2008 crisis that killed Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Say what you want about India’s inefficiencies and corruption -- its regulatory environment has served the nation well in recent years. One possible demerit: At 67, Ahluwalia may be deemed too old for the job.

There are many other Asian possibilities. Min Zhu, a special adviser to the IMF and a former deputy governor at China’s central bank, may get a look. So might Singapore Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former Hong Kong Monetary Authority Chief Executive Officer Joseph Yam and, a bit farther west, Kemal Dervis, Turkey’s former minister of economic affairs.

New Chapter

Europe has some solid candidates. Christine Lagarde, France’s finance minister, is a case in point. Gordon Brown is not, given his unsteady leadership while serving as U.K. prime minister. Brown’s successor, David Cameron, would be right to oppose his bid for Strauss-Kahn’s job.

Cameron is even more correct about something else -- that it might be time for a candidate from another part of the world. With $6 trillion of currency reserves and the kind of dynamism and demographics so many investors are counting on, that part is Asia. The world is ready for a new chapter in Washington.

(William Pesek is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.) 

 
American Muslim scholar declares: Terrorists are mass murderers, not martyrs

 BY RICHARD SCHEININ  San Jose Mercury News,  Published Sunday, Sept. 16, 2001

Tuesday's terrorist attacks have saddened and maddened  millions -- and raised questions for many about Islam. Speculation abounds that the hijackers were inspired by terrorists like Osama bin Laden, who teach that violent acts can pave the way to paradise.

But what does Islam really say about such matters? About jihad and martyrdom?

We asked Hamza Yusuf, an Islamic scholar in the East Bay, who said the attackers were ``enemies of Islam.'' Not martyrs, but ``mass murderers, pure and simple.''

Yusuf, whose articles about Islam are published internationally, talked about the attacks, the hysteria that he fears could grip the United States, and the role that Muslims and others must play in opposing violence. ``We've got to get to some deeper core values that are commonly shared,'' he said.

 Q  Why would anyone do what the hijackers did?

 A  Religious zealots of any creed are defeated people who lash out in desperation, and they often do horrific things. And if these people indeed are Arabs, Muslims, they're obviously very sick people and I can't even look at it in religious terms. It's politics, tragic politics. There's no Islamic justification for any of it. It's like some misguided Irish using Catholicism as an excuse for blowing up English people.
They're not martyrs, it's as simple as that.

 Q  Because?

 A  You can't kill innocent people. There's no Islamic declaration of war against the United States. I think every Muslim country except Afghanistan has an embassy in this country. And in Islam, a country where you have embassies is not considered a belligerent country.

In Islam, the only wars that are permitted are between armies and they should engage on battlefields and engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ``Do not kill women or children or non-combatants and do not kill old people or religious people,'' and he mentioned priests, nuns and rabbis. And he said, ``Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies.''

The Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet, say that no one can punish with fire except the lord of fire. It's prohibited to burn anyone in Islam as a punishment.  No one can grant these attackers any legitimacy. It was evil.

 Q  What role should American Muslims have in opposing this brand of violent Islam?

 A  I think that the Muslims -- and I really feel this strongly -- have to reject the discourse of anger. Because there is a lot of anger in the Muslim communities around the world about the oppressive conditions that many Muslims find themselves in. But we have to reject the discourse of anger and we have to move to a higher moral ground, recognizing that the desire to blame others leads to anger and eventually to wrath, neither of which are rungs on a spiritual ladder to God. It's times like these that we really need to become introspective.

 The fact that there are any Muslims -- no matter how statistically insignificant their numbers -- who consider these acts to be religious acts is in and of itself shocking. And therefore we as Muslims have to ask the question, ``How is it that our religious leadership has failed to reach these people with the true message of Islam?'' Because the acts of these criminals have indicted an entire religion in the hearts and minds of millions.

 These people are so bankrupt that all they have to offer is destruction.

 Q  Why do some people regard the hijackers as martyrs?

 A  That's an abomination. These are mass murderers, pure and simple. It's like Christians in this country who blow up abortion clinics or kill abortion doctors. I don't think anyone in the Christian community, except a very extreme fringe, would condone that as an acceptable Christian response. In the same way, there's no Muslim who understands his religion at all who would condone this.

 One of the worst crimes in Islam is brigandry -- highway robbery, or today we'd say armed robbery -- because it disrupts the sense of well-being and security among civilians.

 Q  Suicide bombers have cited a Koranic verse that says, ``Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.''

 A  That is meant for people who are legitimately defending the lands of Islam or fighting under legitimate state authority against a tyrannical leader. There is no vigilantism in Islam. Muslims believe in the authority of government.

 Imam Malik, an early Islamic legal authority, said that 60 years of oppression under an unjust ruler is better than one hour of anarchy.

 Q  Then why is there such strong support in parts of the world for the attacks?

 A  Because we're dealing in an age of ignorance and an age of anomie, the loss of social order. And people are very confused and they're impoverished. What Americans are feeling now, this has been business as usual for Lebanese people, Palestinian people, Bosnian people.

 Q  What about Israeli people?

 A  Certainly the fear element is there for Israeli people -- that's true, and the terror that they've felt. And there are still a lot of Jewish people alive who remember the fear and terror of what happened in Europe, so that's not far from people's memories.

 It seems at some point, the cycles of violence have to stop. It's a type of insanity, especially when we're dealing with nuclear power. People are saying that this was an attack on civilization -- and that is exactly the point. And I think the question we all have to ask is whether indiscriminate retaliation is going to help preserve civilization.

 The perpetrators of this and, really, all acts of terror are people who hate too much. There's a verse in the Koran that says do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Being just is closer to piety.

 The evil of wrath is that justice and mercy are lost.

 Q  How do you explain Palestinians and others celebrating the attacks in the streets?

 A  When you see ignorant people in the streets, rejoicing -- the Prophet condemned it. It's rejoicing at the calamities of your enemies, and Islam prohibits that.

 They do have a lot of anger toward America, because America produces much of Israel's military hardware and so many American tax dollars go to support Israel. You have a lot of animosity in the Arab world. But the vast majority of Arabs are horrified by what's happened.

 Q  The concept of jihad has been widely used to justify violence.

 A  Jihad means struggle. The Prophet said the greatest jihad is the struggle of a man against his own evil influences. It also refers to what Christians call a ``just war,'' which is fought against tyranny or oppression -- but under a legitimate state authority.

 Q  What is the Arabic word for martyr?

 A  Shaheed. It means witness. The martyr is the one who witnesses the truth and gives his life for it. There are people in this country like Martin Luther King who would be considered a martyr for his cause.

Also, if your home, your family, your property or your land or religion is threatened, then you may defend it with your life. That person is a martyr. But so is anybody who dies of terminal illness; it's a martyr's death.  Because it's such a purification that whatever wrongs they once did, they're now in a state of purity.

 And the greatest martyr in the eyes of God is the one who stands in the presence of a tyrant and speaks the truth and is killed for it. He is martyred for his tongue.

 Q  What does Islam say about suicide?

 A  Suicide is haram in Islam. It's prohibited, like a mortal sin. And murder is haram. And to kill civilians is murder.

 Q  What is a martyr's reward?

 A  The Prophet said that a martyr who dies doesn't have a reckoning on the Day of Judgment. It's an act through which he is forgiven. But the Prophet also said that there are people who kill in the name of Islam and go to hell. And when he was asked why, he said, ``Because they weren't fighting truly for the sake of God.''

 If there are any martyrs in this affair it would certainly be those brave firefighters and police that went in there to save human lives and in that process lost their own.
 

Ten Years Later: Reflections on my Post 9-11 Interview with Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury
07/05/11

  http://sandala.org/blog/2011/05/07/ten-years-later-reflections-on-my-post-9-11-interview-with-richard-scheinin-in-the-san-jose-mercury/ 

  

 


The Messenger of God, Muhammad was asked about the most excellent war waged for the sake of God, and he said, "A word of justice in the face of despotic power."
Abu Said al Khudri related his saying, with tears in his eyes. (found in Abu l-Qasim al-Qushayri's  al-Risala)

We need a better world for everyone!  We need to urge everyone on to secure peace and freedom.

Abu Said al-Khudri was narrating the message from the Prophet with tears in his eyes perhaps because at his time, it was unthinkable that the Muslim people would be abused and terrorized by their own leaders.  Fast-forward a thousand or more years later, the leadership of the Muslim world became more corrupt until eventually the religious authority has no influence whatsoever on the uprightness and justice system of the governments.  Therefore, we now have to see suffering and poverty. 

Not for long....  I am so happy to have met my best friend from Egypt after a year of separation. She told me that things are looking up in Egypt.  The progress is still slow, but Egypt will eventually be a beacon of hope for all Muslim countries.  Tunisia made us proud by attempting to take care of the Libyan refugees at their border even though we all know they are suffering themselves.  Turkey is making her ancestors proud by helping the Syrians who are refugess from their dictator.  Many, many Muslim countries are finally standing up to the justice that the Prophet Muhammad taught us to stand up for, except for a few extreme ones - who are just so cowardly and arrogant of their "special" status, all the while looking down on other Muslims and non-Muslims. 

There are other hadiths of the  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that cautioned Muslims of the end of time (Muslims to today) to avoid rebelling against a Muslim government.  So, this seems to contradict the hadith/narration of the  Prophet above?  No, the Prophet taught us that Islam is moderation.  When you have instances of him cautioning something towards the extreme right and another one pushing towards the extreme left, what Muslims must do, is to attempt to stay in the middle.  There are times, when we must be patient with our government for the sake of peace and to avoid anarchy.  But there are other times, when the government has demonstrated themselves as pure evil, and at times, worse than the open enemies of Muslims.  Then, it's time for them to go.  Freedom is a God-given right!

Bring Back the Peace (Salem) in Jerusalem

BRING BACK THE "SALEM" (PEACE) IN JERUSALEM  
Free Palestine by horus2012 
(Music by OUTLANDISH)



           Something good comes out of the Arab Uprising.  While the majority of the populations in Arab regimes decides to part ways with fellow comrades in throwing out their tyrants or demanding reforms, the Arabs in Palestine actually join their ranks.  Finally!

          For years, the two extremes had remained so like water and oil.  Extreme Hamas in refusing to give peace a chance and extreme Fatah in kissing up to the violent occupiers.  The Prophet Muhammad had always told us that Islam is moderation.  Now, can two extremes come up with moderation?   Can the moderate version of Palestine emerge and bring on peace for at least a few years?

         The Palestinians has struggled almost forever with lost of lives, homes, education and the previous old normal life!  But they never lost HOPE!.  With every marriage and every child born, the hope is rekindled.  Every time I meet a Palestinian, I feel SHAME.  I feel shame as a Muslim that God's fate on them is carried solely by their shoulders.  God destined Jerusalam to be holy.  God destined that people of all religions love this city and seek peace in this city.  Yet, the promise of the Kingdom of David - 4,000 years ago made it morally right in the eyes of the world to deliver the decendants of the Israelites of that ancient kingdom, to Jerusalem and the Levant today, and simply displaced the gentiles who has been living there by default.  The world is not piqued by remorse or guilt by this very act.

         The world thought that it was exercising compassion due to the sins committed at Aushwitz and elsewhere that they turn a blind eye when violence begets violence.  Cruelty begets cruelty.  Racial arrogance and superiority beget just another type of superiority.  The world allows the victims to find another victim and bulldoze their houses and kick them out not just onto the street, but flows out to the streets of the world - into Egypt, Europe and wherever you find the Palestine diaspora.  Then, the world dare calls those left behind, either due to poverty or for love of motherland - terrorists.  Dare you leave your own land today, if some victims arrive on airplanes and ships and take ownership of your houses and lands, and incarcerate your fathers, sons and brothers if they dare stand their ground?

       When another group of victims emerge in Bosnia, and then Rwanda, and another....do we deliver them to another safe lands so they can victimize another and get their recompense?  Should we?

       Israel has another chance to give the world peace.  We all want to visit Jerusalam.  We have to pray for peace, so that we can get there and pray for peace there, where the blessings of God is supposed to be downpouring on those who seek God.  A Holy Land is such a place where God decreed that holy events occurred there in the past.  The Levant is filled with this place where Mary felt her pain of labor.  Where she wished she didn't even exist to feel that day (Qur'an, Chapter Mary).  Where Jesus was born and tried to convince the Jews to return to the purity of God's religion, without extreme dogma.  The Dome of the Rock, was the site that God delivered Muhammad to.  Then off he was taken by the angel Gabriel (Jibrael) beyond the layers of the universe, past the Lote Tree (SIdrat -al-Muntaha)  where no trespassing is possible (Qur'an: Chapter Rahman, Najm and Isra').  To meet with God (without the vision of Him, yet).

      If our eyes could penetrate the wavelengths of heavenly Light, we might see rays of Lights emanating from this city - Jerusalem.  However, under the occupation, we are all deprived.  Blessings have turned to bloodsheds.  And all we ask of Israel is to be compassionate and more considerate.  We only ask that the world's religion get to have their share of Jerusalam, to pray and to love one another, and bring out the spirit of this holy land.  We ask that Palestinians be allowed to take care of this land, as they had demonstrated over the years before the occupation.  The Palestinians (much like the Makkans who take care of the Ka'ba) has had an awesome job of making Jerusalem accessible to all the adherents of God's religions for centuries, until the Israelis arrived.

         God asked Muhammad, the last  Prophet to ask the Jews of Madina, "O you Jews! If you pretend that you are friends of God, to the exclusion of all other mankind, then long for death, if you are truthful."
"But they will never long for it because of what (bad) deeds their hands (Jews of Madina) have (done).  And God knows the Zalimun (Aggressors).  Say to them: Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you.  Then you will be sent back to (God), the All-Knower, the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do." (Qur'an:62:6-8)

          God knew that the Medinan Jews were afraid of death, even though it is a normal human expectation.  On the contrary, the true believers in God are not afraid of death.  The lovers of God, are waiting to be re-united with Him, and to enjoy the splendour of His Paradise that was prepared specially for them, according to their distinct taste.   Muslims too are in slumber, head over heels in love with the offerings of this world.  But not when you torture their lives!  No Muslims are in slumber when their homelands are taken, their natural resources are raped and their good names are being tarnished daily.  They are now wide awake!  The Libyans are being trained like lions that they once were.  The world may take whichever side that seems profitable.  But whoever the winner might be, in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen -  lands that God has bestowed the blessings of not being rich, arrogant and stupid - the armies are being prepared. 

We want peace!

So stop shoving and trampling on our feet - or else,

The shoes will fling for the final fling.


The Prophet Muhammad's prediction on the plight of the Muslim world:

Nations will call each other, as people make invitations to a meal, to make a concerted attack on you. Someone asked: ‘Will this happen because of our being small in number?’ God’s Messenger answered: ‘Rather, you will then be great in number, but as powerless as woodchips or straw carried in a flood. God will remove fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and implant in you fear of death and love of the world.’Abu Dawud, Malahim, 5; I. Hanbal, 5.278. 
 

         When a person leaves the world, his body is the testament to the fact that his soul is no longer there.  His human's essence has escaped the temporary nature of this world, so he has eyes but no longer see.  He has a heart that no longer beats, and a brain that no longer fires connections of thoughts.  The first thing, a Muslim should do to a dead Muslim, is close his eyes and whatever part that is open, such as the mouth. 
        Then one should move his joints lightly in order to make it flexible before it hardens up.  This is in preparation for the washing rite.  Then, a family member of the same sex (unless unavailable) should remove his clothes and cover him with a light cloth, covering him completely.  A heavy object can be put on his stomach to prevent bloating and to preserve his body as much as it is possible.
       Without delaying much, a close relative or trustworthy Muslim person is called on to wash the body.  The deceased differ from one person to another in respect of his bodily discharge, fluids and other things that belong to the realm of the dead, that only certain people should handle his body and keep whatever he discovers about the deceased to himself, as much as possible.  In Muslim communities, these information provides a glimpse about the person's place with God, though it is beyond anyone's ability to determine these things.
         While washing, the body should be covered as much as possible to maintain the dignity and honor of the deceased man or woman.  A woman can only be washed by her female relatives, a trustworthy Muslim woman, or her husband, or if necessary her male relatives that are her mahram (non-marriagable).  The washing should be done with a washcloth and cold water, and the washer should try not to look at the body of the deceased.  While cleaning, it recommended to force out waste from the stomach and to clean the private areas.  After that, an Islamic ablution (wudhu) is given, much like the cleaning that Muslims must do before any prayer.
         These are all preliminary part of the washing.  The actual washing is called "ghusl" and the washer must utter or maintain the intention for this before beginning to pour water on the deceased.  The washer will pour water that has been infused with "sidr" (lote tree - rhamus spina christi) leaves on the head (+beard) and body three times.  Hair and beard should be gently combed, and the strand that comes out placed back in the shroud later. In the last washing, camphor is added to the water.  The body is then dried with cloth.
         The shrouding includes three pre-washed white shrouds that is wrapped all over the body.  For a man it is merely obligatory to cover his navel,knees and what lies between them, and for the women, her entire body must be covered.  Generally the whole body is covered for both sexes whenever possible.  It is recommended to perfume the body as well, and to used scent on the shrouds from aloes, and to sprinkle the shroud with "hunut" (a compound of camphor), reed perfume, red and white sandalwood, and camphor.  Cotton and "hunut" is placed on body openings such as the eyes, mouth, nostrils and ears. The only exception is for people who die during pilgrimage.  For them, perfume and sewn garments are not allowed - and women must uncover her face and men must uncover his head.
           Now, the deceased is ready for his final prayer.  In Muslim communities, there is a saying that goes "Pray before you are prayed upon".  And this refers to this very rite.  Many Muslims ignore their covenant with God, that they must offer prayer five times daily.   Believers are reminded to return to this commandment to pray before it is too late to do so, and though one will be prayed upon as a deceased believer - the punishment in the hellfire still awaits those who fail to fulfill the covenant to God.  So the funeral prayer is one that is lead by an Imam.  The imam (or prayer leader) in this case, would still be the family member who was involved in completing the rites above.  He is preferred above the Imam (leader) of the mosque, according the the Shafi'e school of Islamic Law.
        During the prayer, the believers supplicate: "O Allah, this is Your slave, the son of Your slave.  He has left the spirit of this world and its spaciousness, in which were the things and people he loved, for the darkness of the grave and that which he will meet.  He testified that there is no god but You alone without a partner, and that Muhammad is Your slave and messenger.  You know him better than we.  O Allah, he has gone to remain with You, and You are the best to remain with.  He is now in need of Your Mercy, and You have no need to torment him.  We come to You in desire for You, interceding for him.  O Allah, if he did well, treat him the better and if he did wrong, disregard it and through Your Mercy show him Your good pleasure and protect him from the trial and torment of the grave.  Make his grave spacious for him and distance the earth from his sides and through Your Mercy protect him from Your torment until You raise him and send him safely to Your Paradise, O Most Merciful of the Merciful."   (g4.10 Reliance of the Traveller, Ahmad bin Naqib al-Masri)

      However, the shorter usual supplication is this: "O Allah forgive those of us who are alive and those who are dead, those present and those absent, those wo ar young and those who are old, those who are male and those who are female.  O Allah, let those of us You give life, live by Islam and let those of us You take back die in a state of faith."  If the deceased is a child, we say "O Allah send him ahead to smoothe the way for his parents, and make him/her a reason for reward, a treasure, admonition, reflection, and intercessor.  Make the scales of their good deeds heavy through him/her, and fill their hearts with patience."    All in all, the believers must raise his hands and say Allahu Akbar four times, before ending the prayer with turning to the right side, and saying "salam" or peace to the angel on our right side.
        Another exception is also given a Muslim who's body is not found.  For him only a prayer is given from a distance.  If only part of the body of a Muslim is found, it has to be washed, shrouded and prayed over.  During the Prophet Muhammad time, he performed a funeral prayer for the King of Abyssinia, Negus - who died as a Muslim while his subjects and land was a Christian one.  
        So, after the funeral prayer is completed, the shrouded body will be placed in the earth.  We were made of dirt and we return to this state, bodily - though not spiritually.  Spiritually we are immortals - only to be determined the abode of hell or paradise based on our devotion to the One God and our deeds.  The grave is digged in an L-shape called the "Lahd".  The idea is that the dead body will have a sort of ceiling above him and he lay hidden under that ceiling and not laying flatly on the soil where the hole is dug.  It is offensive according to Islamic Law to put him in a coffin unless the earth is too soft and moist.  In his grave, he lay facing the "qibla" or direction of prayer, towards Mecca.  The Prophet Muhammad informed us, that the dead can indeed hear the speeches of the living who are around him.  Therefore, further prayers are done, and instructions is given to the dead in regard to questions that God will ask all the deceased, and will be delivered by two angels named: Munkar and Nakir.  The questions would be:  Who is your Lord?  What is your religion?  and Who is your prophet?
               Thus, ends one insignificant segment of our lives.  The Test.  If we pass this test,  we can have a spacious grave waiting for us without any torments in the form of "mythical" creatures and stern angels, as if the Angel of Death is not stern enough.  But the meadows that await after this period of transition (Barzakh), is pure Heaven!    
             Finally, every rule must have exceptions.  Not all Muslims will have the honor of such a complete funeral.  In fact, for a martyr there is not much to it.  One who dies defending the religion of God, must not be washed or shrouded.  He must be buried in his blood-stained clothes (from battles) and be buried at the spot.  Many Muslims ask for their bodies to be sent back to their home countries to be buried close to family members.  In actuality, burying should be in the location (the country) where one dies.  The Prophets of God must be buried at the exact spot where they died.  That is why, we have the Prophet Muhammad's body in the chamber of his wife 'Aisha, in what is now part of the Prophet Mosque of Madina (Masjid an-Nabawi).  Muslims go there to relay their greetings of peace (salam) to the Prophet, who many of us believe can hear us.  If someone dies on a ship and it is impossible to bury him on land, the body is placed between two planks (in order to prevent bloating and disfigurement) and thrown into the sea.  The objective is for the body to reach a shore somewhere, and for a Muslim who find this body to bury him/her is he/she deserves to be buried according to God's command. 
            May God bestow a meaningful and happy life for us in this current life, and deliver us safely and securely through His period of transition - the life in the grave, and finally be resurrected for the final Enjoyment that is Everlasting and Blissful - with God Himself, in our gaze.

(The reference is according to Imam Ash-Shafi'e school of Islamic Law, so some aspects might vary from other schools of Islamic Law: Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali, and the modernist-reformist methodology (manhaj) called Salafi or Wahhabi)
"Reliance of the Traveller" by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, translated by Nuh Keller
Warning: Not all Islamic fatwa/rulings from the classical age applies in the same exact way for the 21st century.  Advice from contemporary scholars should be sought out.

        I am feeling really excited about the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  They look so beautiful together.  I hope and pray that their marriage will bring peace and prosperity to them and their families, as well as the world.  The world is interested in whatever the British royalties do because they have influenced many of our lives after colonizing our countries.  Some aspects of the legacy of colonialism have brought modernity and efficiency, while others have resulted in loss of identity, confusion and inferiority complex.  Yet, as Muslims I remember the Prophet Muhammad's advice is that everything is from the will of God.  For a Muslim everything is good - and time will tell.
        Prince William is no ordinary prince.  He is the people's prince.  This is a prince that was born with a glittering silver spoon, but was always given a wooden spoon (chopstick?) or a plastic spoon (take-out foods?) to sample every now and then.  This is a prince who was educated with the commoners, enjoy food and outings like the commoners, trained and fought war with the commoners, and now he is to marry a very attractive looking commoner.
I wonder if people would be open to such a people's prince to be their ultimate leader?
      Even the birthland of democracy, Athens had gone through various transformation before and after its installation of democracy.  With the current climate of axes of evils working together in the form of elected government, business tycoons and media organizations (whichat times consist of all three elements  - Bloomberg TV, Fox News etc), the people, the poor "peasants" that we all are, needs something that suits our need today.  We are fed the idea that only democracy is right, as if it is somekind of religious idealogy that it is not.  I am not against democracy - in fact I conduct my day to day lives according to this idea - the majority rules.  Yet, there is no denying that other forms of ruling is also possible. 
         One of the most efficient ruling system is said to be monarchy! 
What?  No, that will result in the rise of dictatorship or tyranny won't it?  Yes, it tends to be so over periods of time.  However, when you have one trustworthy, wise, just and brave individual who is meant to be the master for a group of people, what you have is the benevolent king (or queen such as the Biblical/Qur'anic Queen Sheba).   I had wanted to believe that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was such a king.  He has been admired profusely by his own people and others.  Naturally, the land of Saudi Arabia is a magnet for many Muslims overseas, and many wish that they can be accepted or naturalized one day.   But it remains a dream.  This aside, a benevolent king, is benevolent towards his subject, and the Saudi monarch's influence can span beyond his political boundaries, if he assumes such a responsibility.  So what does this king dish out to his subjects recently?  Millions of Saudi riyals to organizations, a minimum wage of 3000 riyal a month (US$798) and a freeloader's dream of 2000 riyal a month (US$532) for the unemployed! 

      But, how might Britain and the world be transformed when William is King?  It depends on what Queen Katherine believes the people deserve. Behind every great man is a WOMAN.
Do people want leaders to tell them what to do ?
(Please spend all your money so the economy can regenerate millions to the axes of evil above?)
Do people want leaders who show their love by spoon-feeding them and turning their muscles, especially brain muscles to mush?
Or would people rather have a monarch that will give them their support when needed.  Don't people want a monarch that will provide the crutch for them to learn to walk again, after a bad fall and a fracture?           

                 "Each single one of our citizens, in all the manifold aspects of life,
                is able to show himself the rightful lord and owner of his own person,
              and do this, moreover, with exceptional grace and exceptional versatility."
                                               ~ Perikles (c. 495—429 BC)  

There's a prediction out there by a certain Cyprus sheikh (spiritual guide).  I saw it on You Tube.  He predicted the Arab Revolution before it happened.  He predicted the rise of a true British king. 
Could his name be William?

Dear God, bless this marriage and bestow on them happiness for their obedience to you in upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.  Bless our leaders and rulers with fear of Your retribution oh God, so they give us justice and compassion.  And bless them with wisdom and endow us with the desire and the guts to stick out for justice for ourselves, our families and our societies. Amin.