Experience, Reflection and Right Action: Developing Spiritual Intelligence Among Young Muslims

By Abdul-Lateef Abdullah


Youth are spiritually disconnected. This is the complaint of many concerned adults who sense that problems among young people are growing more extreme. Even those young people growing up in ‘religious’ homes are among the victims of a number of social ills. The disconnect they sense is young people learning religion yet not practicing it, not realizing it, and not having it influence their lives in a meaningful way. The disconnect they sense is between the knowledge that they are receiving and that knowledge translating into meaningful action and positive, healthy human and spiritual development. As such, the fear is a growing culture of meaninglessness among youth. In such a culture, the only value that many young people receive from the society at large is materialism or the pursuit of physical pleasure. The understood purpose for existence is no more than an accumulation of ‘things’ (Garbarino, 1999).

Youth researchers across the globe acknowledge the war of values taking place inside the hearts and minds of young people. Youth are in desperate need of the skills, knowledge and competencies to moderate the worldliness of our age with understanding that can only come from the wisdom that applied spirituality, also known as spiritual intelligence, can provide.

The gap referred to above is focused around how to transform knowledge of religion into intelligence, i.e. intelligent behavior, which, according to Ford (1994) requires “a motivated, skillful person whose biological and behavioral capabilities support relevant interactions with an environment that has the informational and material properties and resources needed to facilitate (or at least permit) goal attainment”(p.203). For Muslim youth in development, rather than those goals that they might aspire to given personal tastes and affinities, goal attainment in a general sense can refer to their healthy development to adulthood and the subsequent attainment of positive life outcomes. Spiritually, this might refer to the notion of ‘ultimate success,’ i.e. success on a worldly as well as heavenly level, the latter often referred to as paradise or proximity to God. Such success requires a life lived in voluntary, conscious surrender to God’s will and commands. The question before us, therefore, is how to transfer knowledge of religion to young people in a manner that cultivates spiritual intelligence, or the ability to apply, manifest, and embody spiritual resources, values, and qualities to enhance daily functioning and wellbeing (Amram and Dryer, 2007).

Along these lines, we must identify a general process that can be applied to obtain the desired goal of the transformation of knowledge into intelligence behavior. Morris (2005), from his lifelong study of the spiritual life and works of the great Muslim saint, Ibn ‘Arabi, describes the complex process of developing spiritual intelligence into three general phases: experience, reflection and right action. Specifically, he states that:

“…the heart’s distinctive activity of ‘reflection’….refers to two equally indispensable aspects of that universal process of spiritual intelligence. First it points to the complex intellectual and spiritual processes of ‘remembering God (dhikr Allah)’ – to what the Qur’an variously refers to, on every page, as our seeking, looking, probing, thinking, understanding, pondering, contemplating, recalling – all so that we might come to recognize the divine Source and meaning of those phenomena, that task which is our distinctively human capacity, finality and responsibility. Secondly, it alludes to the ongoing practical processes and actions of purification and spiritual discipline, to the often painful task of polishing the mirror of the heart, so that through these trials and lessons it can eventually become a true and effective reflection of each of the divine qualities, of the “Most Beautiful Names” (p.2).”

The process of reflection, therefore, is that stage where experience and knowledge meet, interact and result in a more refined end product, namely, right action or the manifestation of the more refined human being, also known in Islamic terminology as ihsan. Thus, spiritual intelligence is the application of spirituality into right action, the nexus of experience and knowledge, mediated by the human being’s capacity for meditation, contemplation and meaning making culminating in manifested behavior worthy of God’s pleasure. The missing ‘link’ previously mentioned, therefore, is addressed by way of a holistic process that makes use of the entire human being – body, mind and soul – to engage in the development of spiritual intelligence.

It begins with how a person experiences life through the world of the senses. In an effort to make meaning of what is seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted, the experiences are filtered through the lens of ‘ultimate concerns’ (Emmons, 1999), whereby reflection is applied. The reflective process is guided by way of right knowledge delivered through the medium of the spiritual or religious teacher or guide. Reflection on the experience makes use of knowledge, discourse, reason, meditation, contemplation and prayer, and through the application of these tools, meaning of the experience is arrived at by the individual. Once meaning has been arrived at, the experience becomes internalized or integrated into the individual’s makeup, influencing future action based on the notion of truth put forth by the guide in the form of right knowledge. Thus, right action results, reflective of the right knowledge provided by the guide and confirmed through the experience of the individual.

This transformative, experiential learning cycle is exactly that, a process of application of spiritual knowledge into right action resulting from experience and deep, guided reflection. Providing an experience alone does not create learning per se. The learning comes from the thoughts and ideas that flow as a result of the experience (Boyd 2001), which is achieved through the various processes that occur in the reflection stage. For example, in the context of youth work, between a youth worker and a young person, the learning is two-way and shared. In the youth work context, unlike other formal educational arrangements, the youth worker and young person learn from one another. Learning is not one directional but a process of sharing and mutual benefit. Together, the worker and young person share experiences and engage in a process of guided mutual reflection and understanding thus allowing for mutual growth. Youth workers, therefore, must know how to use experiences with youth to create ongoing learning and values development. This is a conscious "learn by doing" experiential process; the youths’ ongoing contact with the youth worker allows for the establishment and nurturing of this special kind of developmental relationship.

In the case of spiritual intelligence development, the key missing link, therefore, is addressed. The gap between the young person’s worldly experiences and the spiritual or religious knowledge that adults so much wish for youth to acquire is met. The process fully validates the experiences of young people, no matter how mundane or materialistic adults may think them to be, while at the same time applying spiritual knowledge in an effective manner through the spiritual resources reflected in the process of guided reflection and meaning making.

Rather than starting with religious knowledge and transferring it solely in a closed, classroom environment where young people are essentially removed from their everyday settings, the development of spiritual intelligence in the abovementioned manner can improve the facilitation of spiritual understanding and deeper meaning of the everyday. This can help young people to better understand the sacredness in everything they do and experience, making the oneness of God (tawhid) a living reality, rather than a static book-rendered classroom subject.

In this process is the development of spiritual intelligence, and the need for it. Without it, young people cannot connect their lives and the events taking place around them to anything greater and more meaningful; they cannot see the wholeness of life and how they and what they do fits into it. Without spiritual intelligence, it is difficult for young people to strive for ‘ultimate success’ while at the same time live in the world with a fully present heart and mind, understanding both the temporal and eternal significance of every moment in life. The author is thus convinced that the missing link is spiritual intelligence.

Remembrance, Recognition and Realization
Spiritual intelligence, from an Islamic approach can be understood or described as ‘discernment resulting in right action,’ or the ability to comprehend the spiritual reality and thus deeper meaning behind the outward form, and to act accordingly based on that realization. Discernment is what allows us to see with the inner eye of the heart, and to go beyond the physical eye that is limited to the world of form and structure. Intelligence implies action, not merely having knowledge but applying it in a manner that leads to greater well-being for the individual and others. That is why intelligence is often defined or alluded to as problem-solving, and why spiritual intelligence does not stop at merely ‘being spiritual’ or having a certain spiritual inclination or worldview.

Spiritual intelligence as discernment is not limited to extra-sensory experiences, mystical states or special, transcendental meditative abilities, either, for these imply something other than everyday experience. Rather, spiritual intelligence from the Islamic viewpoint is the ability to ‘see’ the spiritual in the mundane and to experience the Divine Hand at work in even the most habitual of acts. It is the ability to discern reality more holistically and to peer beyond the surface and toward the essence of matters.

Along these lines, we can refer to the famous Hadith of Gabriel, and to the Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) description of the term ihsan as “worshipping Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.” This description implies excellence resulting from witnessing, which is why ihsan is often defined as spiritual excellence, as a result of consciousness of Allah at all times and in all matters. In this, there is the implication that spirituality is not relegated to exceptional mystical states or experiences, but every moment of ordinary life. Spirituality in this way is not a form of escapism to another realm of existence but rather a deeper knowing and recognition of the reality that exists before us at all times. The spiritually intelligent, therefore, are those that are conscious of and can see the Divine hand at work in every aspect of life, sometimes referred to as theophany or Divine manifestation in the form of Allah’s Names and Attributes.

Those who believe everything to be created by God see Him in everything.
They find comfort in regarding the Creator and not His creation.
All problems stem from the illusion that created things hold the ultimate power. -Al-Nuri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"

The spiritually intelligent use this insight and ability to achieve excellence in their deeds and do not discriminate between ‘spiritual’ acts and ‘worldly’ acts, but realize that the two are at play simultaneously in a paralleled harmony and unity of existence. Continuous remembrance of God allows us to recognize Him everywhere, resulting in realization of this Truth.

Troubles and Terrors....

This world is an abode of troubles; the world hereafter of terrors.
Humans are in the midst of troubles or terrors until they reach the final abode of Paradise or Hell.
Happy is the soul that has detached itself from troubles and terrors and has attached itself to God alone.

- Al-Hujwiri, “The Kashf al-Mahjub”

When God's Decree Becomes Your Pleasure...

When God’s decree becomes your pleasure, you become a willing slave, not because of burdening yourself, not on account of recompense, but by virtue of the nature now so pure that wherever divine edict may take you, living and dying will appear the same. You live for God, not for riches; you die for God, not from fear or pain.

- Rumi

Attributes and Essence

Everyone can see the effects of God's mercy. But who, except God himself, understands the essence of his mercy? Most people cannot understand the essence of any of God's attributes; they only know his attributes through their effects -- and also through analogy.

- Rumi

Saiyyidina Ali's Mathematical Brilliance

DIVIDING 17 CAMELS

A person was about to die, and before dying he wrote his Will which went as follows:

"I have 17 Camels, and I have three sons. Divide my Camels in such a way that my eldest son gets half of them, the second one gets 1/3rd of the total and my youngest son gets 1/9th of the total number of Camels."

After his death when the relatives read his will they got extremely perplexed and said to each other that how can we divide 17 camels like this.

So after a long hard thought they decided that there was only one man in Arabia who could help them: "Imam Ali (AS)."

So they all came to the door of Imam Ali (AS) and put forward their problem.

Imam Ali (AS) said, "Ok, I will divide the camels as per the man's will."

Imam Ali (AS) said, "I will lend one of my camels to the total which makes it 18 (17+1=18), now lets divide as per his will."

The eldest son gets 1/2 of 18 = 9
The second one gets 1/3 of 18 = 6
The youngest gets 1/9 of 18 = 2
Now the total number of camels = 17 (9+6+2=17)


Then Imam Ali (AS) said, "Now I will take my Camel back."

Islam is a State of Being

The word "Islamic" does not really exist. It denotes or implies "coming from Islam" as though "Islam" were a time, place or thing. It is not. It is a State - of being at Peace with God, and you are either in it, or you are not. The word "Islam" is simply the command, in Arabic, to Surrender.

- Ali Ansari

Outward Conformity and Inward Reality

It may be true that there are levels of outward understanding and compliance with outward conformity that can and should be observed by common people in their daily lives. But to deny the proven and accepted inward realities of life and religion is simply to deny the self any opportunity to realize and truly know God. And truly knowing and glorifying God is our primary responsibility. If that is not fulfilled, of what use is the fulfillment of all of the outward observations except for the benefits of conformity, and to be in the good graces of men and society. And that is truly the association of partners with Allah and a carryover of the basic ignorance of tribalism that has led to the degeneration of the lofty teachings of Divine revelation
and which that very revelation was sent to correct.

- Ali Ansari

Being born into Islam does not mean being born into Surrender...

Being born into Islam does not mean being born into Surrender. The influences of Muslim parents on their children to become "good" Muslims are exactly the same as the influences of any parents anywhere to have their children succeed in the skills of their particular society. So there remains in the soul of the child the desire to manifest, and the sense of rebellion that wants to make the right decisions based upon true experience, and not upon the acquired experience provided by parents, education and society....

...True Surrender must be discovered, realized and accepted by each individual through the process of a quest for true self-understanding. This process was, is and has been preserved by them who seek it. And they are those who have heard and follow true guidance. They are not satisfied with the outward life of picking up a book, reading it, and proclaiming themselves knowledgeable. They realize that there is and must be more to life than simply learning how to compete, succeed and excel in the outward goals of material acquisition.

- Ali Ansari

Is this what our youth are telling us? That they are merely rebelling for more genuine experiences? That they want to know -- and true knowing means through experience -- who they are? Does that mean that we -- adults -- are not providing them with the genuine knowledge and experiences they need to learn about who they are and who Allah is? The amazing thing is that this is confirmed by everything we know in youth development. Young people WILL develop, they will discover themselves, whether we like it or not, for that is the way Allah has programmed the human being and his/her life in this world. The question for us is, how will they do it? If we are truly guiding them, then we will provide them with the authentic knowledge, nurture, experiences, support and opportunities to discover who they REALLY are according to their fitra and human potential. Or, we can let them go and allow the streets, media and their oft-ignorant peers to provide them with the experiences and pathways for 'development.' It's simply a matter of guiding them to know Allah by His Mercy, or by His Wrath, and the ultimate responsibility and burden of what results will be on us.

Forcing young people to 'be Muslim' according to some superficial picture is not the same as teaching a young person what it means to live in surrender to the Creator. This is where our current educational process is wrong, beginning from the family all the way through the formal education system. We choose to 'inculcate' rather than educate. True education, as my teacher taught me, is about understanding through knowing, and it touches on every aspect of life, confirmed through the Book and the Way of the Prophet (SAW). This is a far cry from the forced instruction that our children go through on a daily basis in the so-called education system.

Until we understand this, the difference between 'being a Muslim' and living in true surrender will remain hidden and our young people will continue to cry for attention through rebelliousness and anti-social behavior.

On Knowing Reality

Prayer of the Prophet

- Ali Ansari

"O Allah! Show me all things as they are."
"Allahumma, Ara`ani kullu shay`in kama hiya"

This is the constant heart prayer of the true gnostic and the vocal expression of the essence of the endless, ongoing quest.

To know, see, and be in reality at all times is, at least, to be free from the trap of our mental perceptions and it can be done, or at least asked for. This prayer, even though ongoing, is answerable, and here's how I feel the answer.

"Things as they are" are never as they seem. We are asking for a direct vision of reality. This certainly implies its possibility. And if the certainty is not granted immediately upon request, it implies the presence of veils, which are also part of the reality, and which must become known and recognized in order to be removed. So now we must accept the reality of "veils".

The removal of veils implies the removal of the visual impedances held in the outer, central and deeper regions of the hearts by incorrect or unreal beliefs in "other than" Allah, which are the results of and cause our personal distortions of reality. Distortions in perception are not changes in reality but misguided interpretations, incorrect assumptions and understandings that keep us "out of touch" with it. The singular "cure" for this is the seeking and following of guidance. This search for and following of guidance is called 'sulook', or 'traveling', or 'walking'. It is the long-honored process of self-education in the approach to reality, or on the pathway to God, as we like to say.

What is Reality? Reality can never be what we "think" it is simply because by the time we get a "mental" fix on it, it has changed and we are left with a flash picture, like a photograph. Our perception of reality is made up for the most part of photos in archive, and the only way we can ever get through it is to posit the existence of a transcendent, objective truth, a goal, and approach it. Otherwise we are left collecting pictures of ourselves, wading through our own archives, destroying pictures. That's why the Zen people teach the phrase, "Zen mind, beginner's mind", because every moment is a new beginning.

How, then, can we "trust" anything? You might well ask.

Reality is quite reliable on its own and neither asks of us nor needs of us any mental participation. It obviously does not exclude such, but the results of mental participation become "reality" too, "our contribution", so to speak. Hence the confusion and difficulty in distinguishing between what is "really" true, and what is just true for a moment. The mind is based on attainment, but the soul is already established in the love of God. Shifting our focus from one to the other is the process of the journey. Self-acceptance (Surrender to the reality of Soul) is what dissolves the illusion of conceptual self. It simply melts in its own reality. "I see who I am and surrender to that", is the first step of "seeing things as the are". Then we come to understand the phrase "The world is but a reflection of how we see ourselves in it."

Mental purification (God-realization through remembrance exercise) is the means and goal of Islamic Healing. So we start in our minds, positing the existence of God, the Divine Being from Whom and by Whom all things emanate. Then we investigate what religions and spiritual paths have to say about such a being. Upon conclusion that such a being exists, we set about our search for means of discovery. And soon we discover the heart of the matter, ourselves. When we realized that the depth of the secrets of reality lies within our own beings, we also realize what lies within the depths of other beings and we set out on our journey in earnest, to be healed and educated by others, and to thereby bring healing and education to others.

This necessity and quest for self-understanding is what brings humanity together. We approach those in whom we feel the healing energy and wisdom of truth, peace, love and, and while discovering them on our paths, we ourselves are discovered by others on a similar quest....

New Sa'udi-Wahhabi Crime in Medina

Riyadh - In keeping up with their war against Sunni Muslims, the Sa'udi usurpers of al-Haramayn chose to impose a wall around Jannat al-Baqi, the blessed cemetery of Medina, thus preventing Muslims from visiting and supplicating by the graves of the Family of Muhammad, the Fatimid Imams of Bani Hashim, of Imam Hassan the son of Ali son of Fatimah, daughter of Rasul-Ullah, of his nephew Imam Zaynu-l-'Abidin, of his son Imam Muhammd, surnamed the Wider of Sciences by Imam as-Shafi'i, of His son Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq who gave his silsilah from 'Ali to Imam Abu Hanifah, and by the graves of the Outstanding Companions who were buried in Medina and honored by the Salaf.

According to al-Alam TV, the known theologian of Bahrein Abdul-Azim Al-Muhtada said that this is a further step in the path of disrespect and insolence toward the Family of the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions. All this continues as the Saudi monarchy goes on supporting the evil cult of the pseudo-Salafi Wahhabis.

- Istituto Culturale della Comunita' Islamica Italiana

Feeling Overwhelmed is Part of Allah's Plan

Sometimes the feeling of being overwhelmed overwhelms us. We feel like we are drowning -- so many things that have to get done and so little time. Promises we have made, deadlines to keep and the desperation in our minds of, 'how the heck am I going to do all this?' But the amazing thing is that somehow, it always gets done. Why? Because all these things are also from Allah and part of His plan. He only sends them our way because He knows we CAN get them done, and He makes sure that they do get done -- usually in ways that we never could have imagined -- just like the Qur'an tells us (i.e. Ayat seribu dinar). Trust and surrender -- then do the work that needs to be done. These are the words of wisdom that one great teacher spoke that must be referred to at such moments.

That does not mean, however, that we should not from time to time be afraid to say 'no thanks' to people that ask us to do things. We also have to be fair and just to ourselves and those who we have already made commitments to, along with those who have rights over us such as our families and the like. I guess, in the end, this is the delicate balance of life that we must maintain with constant hope and prayer. It's just another sign of how dependent we are on our Lord every moment of every day.

The Blessing of Helping

Alhamdulillah, Allah truly works in mysterious ways. I am often reminded of the gift of Islam by the fact that for no reason that I can think of, I am asked to help someone in some small way - whether it be helping a friend get through a trying time, helping a colleague at work, or helping a fellow Muslim make sense of what Allah has created for them. What we often don't realize I think is that blessings come in the opportunities that Allah gives us to serve Him. So it's not only the more 'obvious' blessings of our daily rizq, our families, our health, our means of livelihood and the like, but that Allah would send someone in need to our door. The opportunity of helping a child that calls on us for assistance, whether it be a child of our own or that of someone else, for instance.

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have - may Allah forgive me - rolled my eyes at being 'troubled' by someone coming to me in need of something. What a tragic mistake on my part! Such incidences are wonderful opportunities to truly put our role as 'servant' to the test. We must always see such incidences as blessings -- Allah has honored us by using us as a tool for His mercy and assistance of another of His creatures. How great is that? But if it is so, I wonder, why is it so hard for us to see it that way? Why, for example, would I even consider 'rolling my eyes' at someone in need, no matter how small that need is? These are some of the things that trouble me about me. It is 'the work' that I need to do. Thank God Almighty I am still alive to be able to do it.

Material Desires and the Desire for Allah....

She heard a voice in her ears: 'Be careful, lest you want me to fulfill your material desires, and take away your desire for me. Material desires and the desire for me cannot exist within the same heart.'

-Attar, "Rabi'a"

Another revealing statement on the current sickness of our age called 'materialism.' Where do we as Muslims stand in relation to this question? Let's all take a good hard look at ourselves and find out...

The Perils of a Corrupt Heart...

Many prayers are declined because of the rank odor of a corrupt heart rising through the beautiful words. Let the words be wrong, but the meaning right. That flawed utterance is dearer to God.

-Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"

A wonderful reminder for us to always be in tuned to the music of the heart. We should heed these beautiful words by the great wali and seek to go beyond the outward appearances of things. Anything else is plain old materialism -- the number one illness of our times....

A Wife

A Wife

- a talk by Sheikh Abdullah Adhami

By getting married you are not just getting a wife, you are getting your whole world. From now until the rest of your days your wife will be your partner, your companion, and your best friend.

She will share your moments, your days, and your years. She will share your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your dreams and your fears. When you are ill, she will take the best care of you; when you need help, she will do all she can for you;

When you have a secret, she will keep it; when you need advice, she will give you the best advice. She will always be with you: when you wake up in the morning the first thing your eyes will see will be hers; during the day, she will be with you, if for a moment she is not with you by her physical body, she will be thinking of you, praying for you with all her heart, mind, and soul; when you go to sleep at night, the last thing your eyes will see will be her; and when you are asleep you will still see her in your dreams. In short, she will be your whole world and you will be her whole world.

The best description that I personally have ever read describing the closeness of the spouses to each other is the Qur'anic verse which says:

"they are your garments and you are their garments" (Surah Al Baqarah 2:187).

Indeed, spouses are like garments to each other because they provide one another with the protection, the comfort, the cover, the support, and the adornment that garments provide to humans. Just imagine a journey in the winter of Alaska without garments! Our spouses provide us with the same level of comfort, protection, cover, and support in the journey of our lives on this earth as garments would do in the Alaskan journey.

The relationship between the spouses is the most amazing of all human relations: the amount of love and affection, intimacy and closeness, mercy and compassion, peace and tranquility that fills the hearts of the spouses is simply inexplicable. The only rational explanation for these most amazing of all human feelings is that: it is an act of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala,

"And Allah has made for you Mates (and Companions) of your own nature ..." (Surah Al Nahl 16:72)

Only our Almighty Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in His Infinite Power, Boundless Mercy, and Great Wisdom can create and ingrain these amazing and blessed feelings in the hearts of the spouses. In fact Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is reminding those who search for His signs in the universe that these feelings in the hearts of the spouses are among the signs that should guide humans to His existence as He says in the Qur'an,

"And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquillity with them and He has put love and mercy between your hearts: verily in that are signs for those who reflect." (Surah Al Rum 30:21)

But Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala knows that the human heart is not a static entity, it is sometimes weak and at times dynamic. Feelings can and do change with time. Love may wither and fade away. The marital bond might weaken if not properly cared for. Happiness in marriage cannot be taken for granted; continuous happiness requires constant giving from both sides. For the tree of marital love to remain alive and keep growing, the soil has to be sustained, maintained, watered and nurtured.

Remember that our Prophet Muhammad Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam had found the time to go out to the desert and race with his wife Aisha. She out ran him but later after she had gained some weight, he out ran her.

Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam took his wife to watch the young Ethiopians playing and dancing their folk dances. The show of emotions is necessary to keep the marital bond away from rusting and disintegrating.

Remember that you will be rewarded by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for any emotions you show to your wife as the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said "one would be rewarded for anything that he does seeking the pleasure of Allah even the food that he puts in the mouth of his wife."

Never underestimate the importance of seemingly little things as putting food in your wife's mouth, opening the car's door for her, etc. Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam used to extend his knee to his wife to assist her up to ride the camel.

Try to always find some time for both of you to pray together. Strengthening the bond between you and Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is the best guarantee that your own marital bond would always remain strong. Having peace with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will always result in having more peace at home.

Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam gave glad tidings for those couples who wake up at night to pray together. The Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam even urged the spouse who rises up first to wake the other spouse up even by throwing cold water on his/her face.

Always try your best to be good to your wife by words and by deeds. Talk to her, smile to her, seek her advice, ask for her opinion, spend quality time with her and always remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said

"the best of you are those who are best to their wives."

Finally, it is common that spouses vow to love and honor their spouses until death do them part. I do believe that this vow is good or even great, but not enough! It is not enough that you love your wife. You have to love what she loves as well. Her family, her loved ones must also become your loved ones. Don't be like my colleague who was unhappy about his wife's parents coming to visit for few weeks. He candidly said to her "I don't like your parents." Naturally, she angrily looked at him straight in the eye and said "I don't like yours either"... Also, it is not enough that you love her until death do you apart. Love should never end and we do believe there is life after death where those who did righteousness in this world will be joined by their spouses (Surah Al Zukhruf 43:70) and offsprings.

The best example in this regard is the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam whose love for Khadija, his wife of 25 years extended to include all those she loved and continued even after her death. It was many years after her death and he never forgot her and whenever a goat was slaughtered in his house he would send portions of it to Khadija's family and friends and whenever he felt that the visitor at the door might be Khadija's sister Hala, he would pray saying "O Allah let it be Hala."

Allah is Always Near

The Almighty Allah says,
"When a servant thinks of Me, I am near.
When he invokes Me, I am with him.
If he reflects on Me in secret, I reply in secret,
And if he acknowledges Me in an assembly,
I acknowledge him in a far superior assembly."

-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah

How a Muslim Should Deal with Stress and Anxiety

This is most useful...

How A Muslim Should Deal With Stress and Anxiety: 25 Ways to Deal with Stress and Anxiety

- Author unknown

1. Ask Him. He Listens: DU`A

Turn each anxiety, each fear and each concern into a Dua (supplication). Look at it as another reason to submit to God and be in Sajdah (prostration), during which you are closest to Allah. God listens and already knows what is in your heart, but He wants you to ask Him for what you want.

The Prophet said: Allah is angry with those who do not ask Him for anything
(Tirmidhi).

The Prophet once said that in prayer, he would find rest and relief (Nasai). He would also regularly ask for God's forgiveness and remain in prostration during prayer praising God (Tasbeeh) and asking for His forgiveness (Bukhari).

Allah wants you to be specific. The Prophet advised us to ask Allah for exactly what we want instead of making vague Duas. Dua is the essence of worship (the Prophet as quoted in Tirmidhi).

'Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for Allah loveth not those who trespass beyond bounds. Do not make mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, but call on Him with fear. And longing (in your hearts): for the mercy of Allah is (always) near to those who do good' (Quran 7:55-56).


2. Tie your Camel: DO YOUR PART

One day Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, 'Why don't you tie down your camel?' The Bedouin answered, 'I put my trust in Allah.' The Prophet then said, 'Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah' (Tirmidhi).

Muslims must never become fatalistic. Although we know only Allah is in control and that He has decreed all things, we are each responsible for making the right choices and doing the right thing in all situations of our lives. We must take action (link to planning articles on SV). We must work to alleviate the hardships we, our families and our communities face.

Ask yourself the following questions if you are worried about the state of the world: are you part of the peace movement? Is your Masjid part of the peace movement? Are you part of an interfaith group with an agenda of peace and justice? Are you working with a group fighting discrimination? If your answer is no, it is time that you sat down to plan your share of time and money in finding solutions to the problems you face.

'Verily Allah does not change men's condition unless they change their inner selves' (Quran 13: 11).

Turn each worry into a Du`a and each Du`a into an action plan. That will show your commitment to your request and will focus your energy in the right direction.


3. Remember that human responsibility is limited

While we need to carry out our duty to the best of our abilities, always remember that you don't control the outcome of events. Even the Prophets did not control the outcome of their efforts. Some were successful, others were not. Once you have done your duty, leave the results to Allah. Regardless of the results of your efforts, you will be rewarded for the part you have played.

However, never underestimate your abilities. Understand the concept of Barakah (blessings from Allah) and remember that Allah can and Insha Allah will expand them if you are sincerely exerting your energies for the right path.


4. Leave the world behind you FIVE TIMES A DAY

Use the five daily prayers as a means to become more Hereafter-oriented and less attached to this temporary world. Start distancing yourself as soon as you hear Adhan, the call to prayer. When you perform Wudu, keep repeating Shahada, the declaration of faith, as water drops slip down your face, hands, arms, and hair. When you stand ready to pray, mentally prepare yourself to leave this world and all of its worries and stresses behind you.

Of course, Shaytan will try to distract you during prayer. But whenever this happens, go back and remember Allah. The more you return, the more Allah will reward you for it. Also, make sure your Sajdas (prostrations) are talking Sajdas, in which you are really connecting to God and seeking His Mercy, praising Him, and asking His forgiveness. (link to Sajda article...ramadan page)


5. Seek help through SABR

Seek help through Sabr and Salat (Quran 2:45).

This instruction from Allah provides us with two critical tools that can ease our worries and pain. Patience and prayer are two oft-neglected stressbusters. Sabr is often translated as patience but it is not just that. It includes self-control, perseverance, endurance, and a focused struggle to achieve one's goal. Unlike patience, which implies resignation, the concept of Sabr includes a duty to remain steadfast to achieve your goals despite all odds.

Being patient gives us control in situations where we feel we have little or no control. 'We cannot control what happens to us but we can control our reaction to our circumstances' is the mantra of many modern-day self-help books. Patience helps us keep our mind and attitude towards our difficulties in check.


6. Excuse Me! You are Not Running the World, HE is.

It is important to remind ourselves that we don't control all the variables in the world. God does. He is the Wise, the All-Knowing. Sometimes our limited human faculties are not able to comprehend His wisdom behind what happens to us and to others, but knowing that He is in control and that as human beings we submit to His Will, enriches our humanity and enhances our obedience (Uboodiah in Arabic) towards him. Read the story of the encounter of Moses with the mysteries behind God's decision (Quran: 18:60-82). Familiarize yourself with God's 99 Names, which are also known as His Attributes. It is a powerful way of knowing Him.

'God-there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All being. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave? He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to aught of His knowledge save that which He wills them to attain. His eternal power overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. And He alone is truly exalted, tremendous.' (Quran 2:255).

The Prophet recommended reading this verse, known as Ayat al kursi, after each prayer, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. Once Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, approached the Prophet during a difficult time and he found the Prophet in Sajda, where he kept repeating 'Ya Hayy Ya Qayyum', words which are part of this verse.


7. Birds Don't Carry their Food

Allah is al Razzaq (the Provider).

'How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is Allah Who feeds them and you, for He hears and knows all things (Quran 29:60).'

By reminding yourself that He is the Provider, you will remember that getting a job or providing for your family in these economically and politically challenging times, when Muslims are often the last to be hired and the first to be fired, is in God's Hands, not yours. As Allah says in the Quran:

'And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion (Quran 65:3).


8. God controls Life and Death

If you fear for your physical safety and security, remember that only Allah gives life and takes it back and, that He has appointed the time for it. No one can harm you except if Allah wills. As He says in the Quran:

'Wherever you are, death will find you out, even if you are in towers built up strong and high!' (Quran 4:78).


9. Remember that life is short

It's easy to get caught up in our own stress and anxiety. However, if we remember that our life is short and temporary, and that the everlasting life is in the Hereafter, this will put our worries in perspective.

This belief in the transitory nature of the life of this world reminds us that whatever difficulties, trials, anxieties, and grief we suffer in this world are, Insha Allah, something we will only experience for a short period of time. And more importantly, if we handle these tests with patience, Allah will reward us for it.


10. Do Zikr, Allah, Allah!

'... without doubt in the remembrance (Zikr) of Allah do hearts find tranquility'
(Quran 13:28).

If you commute, use your time in Zikr. Pick any Tasbeeh and do that instead of listening to the radio or reading the newspaper. Maybe you can divide it up between Zikr and planning. Personally, I recite the Tasbeeh of 'Subhana Allahe wa be hamdihi, subhan Allahil Azeem' 100 times as I drive. The Prophet taught us these two short phrases which are easy to say but will weigh heavy on our scale of good deeds in the Hereafter.

When your heart feels heavy with stress or grief, remember Allah and surround yourself with His Zikr. Zikr refers to all forms of the remembrance of Allah, including Salat, Tasbeeh, Tahmeed, Tahleel, making supplication (Dua), and reading Quran.

'And your Lord says: 'Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer)...' (Quran 40:60)

By remembering Allah in the way He has taught us to, we are more likely to gain acceptance of our prayers and His Mercy in times of difficulty. We are communicating with the only One Who not only Hears and Knows all, but Who can change our situation and give us the patience to deal with our difficulties.

'Remember Me, and I shall remember you; be grateful to Me, and deny Me not'
(Quran 2:152).


11. Relying on Allah: Tawakkul

When you awaken in the morning, thank Allah for giving you life after that short death called sleep. When you step out of your home, say 'in Your Name Allah, I put my trust in Allah, and there is no power or force except with Allah' (Bismillahi Tawakal to al Allah wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah). At night, remember Allah, with His praises on your lips.

Once you have established a plan you intend to follow through on to deal with a specific issue or problem in your life, put your trust in the most Wise and the All-Knowing.

'When you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah' (Quran 3: 159).

Rely on Allah by constantly remembering Him throughout your day. When you
lay down to sleep, remember that sleep is death. That is why one of the recommended supplications before going to sleep is 'with Your (Allah's) Name I die and become alive'.


12. Connect with other human beings

You are not alone. Muslims are not alone. We are not suffering in silence. There are millions of good people who are not Muslim with beautiful hearts and minds. These are people who have supported us, individually and collectively, post-9/11, by checking up on us and making sure we are safe. These are individuals and organizations who have spoken up in defense of Muslims as we endured harassment and discrimination.

We must think of them, talk to them, connect with them, and pray for them. Through our connections, we will break the chain of isolation that leads to depression and anxiety.


13. Compare your dining table with that of those who don't have as much as you do

The Prophet said: Whenever you see someone better than you in wealth, face or figure, you should look at someone who is inferior to you in these respects (so that you may thank Allah for His blessings) (Bukhari, Muslim).

Next time you sit down to eat, eye the table carefully. Check out the selection of food, the quality, the taste, the quantity, and then think of the millions of others who don't have even half as much. The Prophet's Hadith reminds us of this so that we can appreciate and thank God for all that we have.

Also remember that the Prophet only encouraged us to compare ourselves to others in two respects: in our Islamic knowledge and level of belief in God (Deen). In these two areas, we should compare ourselves with those who have more than what we do.


14. Say it Loud: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar: Takbirat & Adhan

Find a corner of a lake, go out in the wilderness, or even stand on your lawn at your home and call the Adhan with your heart. While driving, instead of listening to the same news over and over again, say Allahu Akbar as loudly as you can or as softly as you want, based on your mood. Year ago, I remember calling Adhan on a Lake Michigan shore in Chicago after sunset as the water gushed against my knees. I was calling it for myself. There was no one else accept the waves after waves of water with their symphony. It was relaxing and meaningful. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.


15. Pray in congregation (Jamat)

Pray with other people instead of alone. If you can't pray all five prayers in congregation, at least find one or two prayers you can pray with others. If you are away, establish Jamat in your own family. During the Prophet's time, even though the Muslims endured great persecution, including physical beatings, they would sometimes meet on the side of a mountain or valley and tried to pray together. This is a great morale booster.


16. How is your Imam's Dua?

Does the Imam at your local mosque make Dua silently or out loud? Ask him to supplicate with the whole congregation. Suggest Duas for him to make. Ask him to make Dua for other people.


17. Work for the Unity of Muslims

Bringing Muslims together will not only help the Muslims, but it will also encourage you to focus your energies on something constructive versus zeroing in on and consistently fretting about difficulties you are going through.

Invite Muslims from other ethnic groups to your functions. Visit Masjids other than yours in your city. When you meet a Muslim leader, after thanking him for his efforts, ask him what he is doing for Muslim unity. Ask Imams to make Dua for this. These are just small ways you can help yourself and the Muslim community.


18. Sleep the way the Prophet slept

End your day on a positive note. Make Wudu, then think of your day. Thank Allah for all the good things you accomplished, like Zikr and Salat. Ask yourself what you did today to bring humanity together and what you did to help Muslims become servants of humanity. For everything positive, say Alhamdu lillah (Praise be to Allah). For everything negative say Astaghfirullah wa atoobo ilayk (I seek Allah's forgiveness and I turn to You [Allah]). Recite the last two chapters of the Quran, thinking and praying as you turn on your right side with your hand below your right cheek, the way the Prophet used to sleep. Then close your day with the name of Allah on your tongue. Insha Allah, you will have a good, restful night.


19. Begin the Day on a Positive Note

Get up early. Get up thanking God that He has given you another day. Alhamdu lillahil lazi ahyana bada ma amatana, wa ilaihin Nushoor (Praise be to Allah Who gave us life after death and unto Him will be the return). Invest in an audio tape driven alarm clock so you can get up to the melody of the Quran. Or Let Dawud Wharnsby's joyful notes put you in a good mood. Sing along if you like. Develop your to do list for the day if you didn't do it the night before. Begin with the name of Allah, with Whose name nothing in the heavens or the earth can hurt you. He is the Highest and the Greatest.

(Bismillahillazi la yazurru maa ismihi shaiun fil arze wa la fis samae, wahuwal Alee ul Azeem).The Prophet used to say this after every Fajr and Maghrib prayers.


20. Avoid Media Overexposure: Switch from News to Books

Don't spend too much time checking out the news on the radio, television or internet. Spend more time reading good books and journals. When you listen to the persistent barrage of bad news, especially relating to Muslims nowadays, you feel not only depressed, but powerless. Cut down media time to reduce your stress and anxiety. It's important to know what's going on but not to an extent that it ruins your day or your mood. (similarly, when you are in a sad mood, refrain from wallowing and listening to sad songs)


21. Pray for Others to Heal Yourself.

The Prophet was always concerned about other people, Muslims and non-Muslims, and would regularly pray for them. Praying for others connects you with them and helps you understand their suffering. This in itself has a healing component to it. The Prophet has said that praying for someone who is not present increases love.


22. Make the Quran your Partner

Reading and listening to the Quran will help refresh our hearts and our minds. Recite it out loud or in a low voice. Listen to it in the car. When you are praying Nafl or extra prayers, pick it up and use it to recite portions of the Quran you are not as familiar with. Connecting to the Quran means connecting to God. Let it be a means to heal your heart of stress and worries. Invest in different recordings of the Quran and their translations.

'O humanity! There has come to you a direction from your Lord and a cure for all [the ills] in men's hearts - and for those who believe, a Guidance and a Mercy' (Quran 10:57).


23. Be thankful to Allah

'If you are grateful, I will give you more' (Quran 14:7).

Counting our blessings helps us not only be grateful for what we have, but it also reminds us that we are so much better off than millions of others, whether that is in terms of our health, family, financial situation, or other aspects of our life. And being grateful for all we have helps us maintain a positive attitude in the face of worries and challenges we are facing almost daily.


24. Ideals: ONE STEP AT A TIME

Ideals are wonderful things to pursue. But do that gradually. Think, prioritize, plan, and move forward. One step at a time.


25. EFFORTS not Results Count in the Eyes of Allah

Our success depends on our sincere efforts to the best of our abilities. It is the mercy of Allah that He does not demand results, Alhamdu lillah. He is happy if He finds us making our best sincere effort. Thank you Allah!

Pondering 37...

As today is my 37th birthday, I find cause to reflect on the meaning of one more year in this world. One of the things I find interesting is that as we get older, birthdays tend to take on new meaning. I recall my mother telling me not to remind her of the fact that it was her birthday as she said it just reminded her of how old she was, or how old she felt. For kids, on the other hand, birthdays are a time of celebration. I guess once we outgrow the parties and the celebratory aspects of 'the birthday,' the meaning does start to change.

For me, today's early morning reflection was devoted to trying to understand the significance of the birthday from the perspective of my life as a Muslim. As in Islam, we have no theological reason for celebrating birthdays, nonetheless, on a personal level the birthday should mean something to our lives, as it is an indicator that we have been graced By Allah with another year in this world. On that note, Surah al-Asr is a very poignant reminder to us about the gift of time and how, if we are blessed with it, we should approach it. Though short in length, al-Asr is powerful in its clarity and meaning:

"By the declining day,
Lo! man is in a state of loss,
Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patient endurance."

The message for me on this my 37th birthday is a clear reminder from the All-Merciful. Celebrating another year in this life is only warranted if in fact that time is used for the blessed purpose of living in a manner that is aligned with Allah's pleasure. Praying for more time here is, therefore, conditional -- ask for it if you're going to make good use of it. If not, what are we wishing for?

Alhamdulillah that Allah has given me another year in this world, surrounded by wonderful people, a loving family, an honest living to wake up to every morning, good health and all that I could ever need to make it through the day. In fact, maybe that's the purpose of celebrating birthdays. Another year to take stock and make the futile attempt to actually count all ways that Allah has blessed us.

On this, my 37th birthday, I am humbled by my pondering over what this birthday really means -- a time for reflection and gratitude...

“And if you would count the favours of Allah, never could you count them. Truly, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (An-Nahl 16: 18)

I am Being Seen by God...

If you were to live your life every day with each moment and every breath carrying the direct perception that I am being seen by God, your whole life would change.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

Why Should I Grieve Because of a Thorn?

Why should I grieve because of a thorn?
Once it had made laughter known to me.
Whatever you lost through the stroke of destiny, know it was to save you from adversity.
One small affliction keeps off greater afflictions; one small loss prevents greater losses.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

...This Week, The Statement Arrives...

"Last week, America ran up the credit card. This week, the statement arrives."

- Yahoo News story on President Obama's first state of the union address

Equip Man with a Sword and What Will He Be?

Had the world been conceived just to praise God, there would be no fervor in glorifying God. Equip man with a sword, remove his infirmities, and see what he will be: a brave knight or a devious thief?

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Seek a True Friend

Seek a true friend,
for a friend seeks the benefit of a friend,
Do good to the people for the sake of God
or for the peace of your own soul
that you may always see what is pure
and save your heart from the darkness of hate.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

We Have a Teacher - Let's Follow Him

Omar Mukhtar, the great Muslim leader from Libya, when his people wanted to murder the Italians because they'd murdered the Libyans, said: "They are not our teachers. We have a teacher, who is the most noble of people and the most amazing of people. So, why should we behave any different than he did?"

Are We Really Independent?

Freedom: The First Step is Dependence
Summer 2004


In this discourse, Sheikh Din illuminates one of the great paradoxes of the spiritual path. He provides a twist to our tradition of celebrating Independence Day July 4th, by explaining that the first step to freedom is dependence! In our endless longing for freedom and peace, we learn that human beings are intimately connected to everything around them and, ultimately, dependent upon God/Allah.

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim.
In the Name of Allah, most Merciful, most Compassionate.

I would like to discuss the concept of "freedom." After all, no matter what approach one takes to the spiritual path, inevitably all desire "freedom" as the outcome of the journey. The Sufi Tariqat (Arabic: Sufi Way) is intended to be the road, one's life path, which leads to liberation. The Sufi Community is meant to be the alliance of supportive company for the "travelers" along the way, so that they might make a smooth journey.
For a moment, let us contemplate what life would be like if we were looking at it through the eyes of total freedom. There would no longer be the necessity to adhere to a formalized spiritual path. Why? Because, we would be free! The structuralized approach to the spiritual process only arises to meet the need and address the growing desire of those longing to be free. The longing for freedom intensifies to the degree that one consciously realizes that one is in bondage. Bondage is suffering. The freedom that I am referring to here is also known as "enlightenment, liberation, peace, paradise, heaven, unconditional love or divine servitude" among the various religious texts.
All grapple with attempting to reconcile the boundaries of body and mind as well as desire and attachment. Each person is struck with the internal conflict in which there is a never-ending, endless desire for more and more and more. No matter how many creative techniques or methods one applies to materially accumulate, achieve or control, the endless desire is never satisfied. The longing for freedom continues.
The subject of freedom is not nearly as abstract as it might appear. As a matter of fact, everybody intrinsically understands the meaning of "freedom." It's not necessary for me to define it for you, because we are perfectly adequate to do that together. We all know inherently what we long for. You hear the word "freedom" chimed about; now let's find out what it means to us.
Community Response: It means to:
" not be stuck
" live without fear
" surrender my personal will to the Divine Will
" have no artificial controls
" have an open heart
" be totally conscious
" be real, to be true
" be fully expressed in individuality and creativity
" be completely responsible
" exist without boundaries have neither self-imposed nor socially imposed nor internally imposed nor externally imposed boundaries
" to live without the consequences of one's actions

Listen to all that was said here. Look at the list. It is extraordinary, isn't it? Yet, this list barely begins to describe how our innermost feelings pine for "total freedom." Freedom in its essence. Even further, this list proves that we all understand the subject of which we speak. Ultimately, we all do know what we desire, and we can intuit the idea of living freely. We experience the idea of it in our longing. What would it mean for one to live as an absolutely and completely free person?
The Sufi Path that we follow describes total freedom by the word salaam, from as-Salaam, the name of God that appears in the Holy Qur`an meaning "Peace." The word Islam is derived from the same root. Obviously, it should go without saying that if one possessed all of the attributes of freedom that were mentioned above in the list, he or she would be in a state of complete and total peace. Why are the "salaam" of the Sufis and the concepts of total freedom synonymous? Because the Sufis teach that the true state of salaam (peace) is one in which there is no more resistance to anything. This is the way of Islam (peace), total surrender or submission.
A realized Muslim, therefore, is one whose state of salaam or peace is unfettered, undisturbed and remains constant no matter the time, place, circumstance or condition. The true Muslims are complete in peace, because they are surrendered to the makings, workings and the direction of the Divine Will - Reality As It Is. Here I am drawing a distinction between Reality As It Is and an individual's personal projections. The true Muslim is not stuck being misidentified with his or her individual personality. The liberated ones have transcended the limits even of their own individualities. They are free. Sufism teaches that this freedom or peace is the natural and original state of the human being. The process of coming to, attaining and/or returning to this state of freedom and peace is what we call the practice of "Divine Remembrance."
Among the great Sufis and their literature there is much emphasis on remembrance as both the culmination of life as well as its practice. Jelaluddin Rumi, the great mystic poet of Konya, likens human remembrance to the sound of the reed flute that has been cut from the marsh. When one blows across the reed, it makes a sound of bittersweet wailing as if it were "remembering" the marsh, its true home from which it was cut. It longs to be home.
Likewise, a human being is like a long flute standing on two legs. The breath blows across the reeds of our nose and mouth making the sounds of life. The sighing and moaning sounds of our expressions are the "music of longing" as we strain to remember our own true home. We naturally long to return to the reed bed from which each of us was cut. Freedom and peace are the original and natural state of a person. We are on the path and in the process of remembering.
In order to help understand our process of remembering or returning to freedom, it might be helpful to highlight some of the keys to becoming a "free person." We've developed the idea of remembrance. Let's examine how one becomes free.
The first key to becoming a free person is to fully realize and to fully accept that you are not independent. This might confront your previous ideas and opinions. It may challenge your beliefs and expectations. Yet, no one is unto him or herself. No one individual, no personality is self-subsisting or forever existing.

The Holy Qur`an, in the Ayat al-Kursi (Verse of the Throne) of Surah al-Baqara (Chapter of the Cow/Heifer), beautifully depicts Allah, the Supreme Divinity, as the only Existence that is Self-Subsisting and requires of nothing, nor has need of anything other than Its own Self to exist.

Allah! There is no God but Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, Supporter of all. No slumber or sleep can seize Him. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is it that can intercede in His Presence except as Allah permits? Allah knows what is (appears to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they encompass aught of Allah's knowledge except at He wills. His "throne" extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. For Allah is Most High and the Supreme in Glory and Power.- SURAH AL-BAQARA, 2:255

The created, including humanity, is not like that! Only the Creator, God is That. Although it is said that the true Self, lying quiescent within the human heart is part and parcel to the Supreme Divinity, the individuality of personhood is limited and dependent. An individual human being is not limitless. The reason why I say that individuality is not limitless is because individuality will die. I understand that it can be argued, "The true Self, the Soul never dies. It is eternal."
However, I am not talking about that! The fact is, regardless of all the grandiose "spiritual truths," created individuals will expire and come to an end. Time will go on, places will change, people will be born, live and die, and history will continue to be made long after the existence of our individuality. We are not independent. We are dependent.
The reason why this concept of dependency challenges our many notions is because of the emergence of "rugged individualism" through the Protestant work ethic that has culminated in unbridled capitalist egotism. The last four to five hundred years of industrialization have wreaked havoc on this planet, its environment and its social systems, not to speak of the health, mentality and emotional conditions of its people. Albeit we have acquired many modern conveniences, but have we really progressed? Listen to the slogans, "Move west young man. There's gold in them thar hills. Seek fame and fortune. Bigger is better. If you've got it, flaunt it. Anyone can grow up and become the President of the United States. Are you kidding? I certainly don't need anybody. Doesn't affect me, what do I care? Congratulations, we've raised your credit limit."
We have developed a driving, obsessive-compulsive, social ego behavior of personalized self-worship. These behaviors are egged-on and coached by the latest psychological and "New Age" approaches which have us chant more and more individualistic affirmations like, "I am somebody. I am woman; I am strong. I'm O.K. You're O.K. Feel good about yourself! Go on. Pat yourself on the back. I am successful. I am thin, and I am sexy."
Although it seems like these ideas encourage a person to find one's "inner strength" and that they are harmless enough, in reality these affirmations drive a person to constantly seek approval, avoid conflict and discomfort and to become increasingly more self-obsessed. Rampant self-obsession and consumerism have us addicted to wanting to have what we want, when we want, how we want and whenever we want, regardless of anything other than what we want.
Worse yet, we have carried this obsessive behavior into our spiritual teachings and spiritual lives. We talk a good game of "surrender and submission," but when the "other shoe drops" and "push comes to shove," we refuse to let go of the neurotic attachments that we have to wanting everything to be how we want it . . . except . . . now we're "spiritual." The great modern day Tantric Buddhist Master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, called this trap "spiritual materialism" and insisted that this ego obsession had to be cut in order to perform real spiritual work, let alone have any spiritual realization.
Consider all of the wacky definitions that people have created for the "heaven or paradise" of the afterlife. They are full of wishful projections that include no loss to our materialist conceptions, even after we die! We recreate our attachments with fantasies of spiritual real estate that include all of our dead relatives, dead friends and even our dead pets. In heaven, all of your favorite foods are there endlessly, and you don't have to worry about getting fat, because you're in heaven. Do anything you want! There are no consequences. You don't have to work, and there's no need for money. It is a continuous Rainbow Gathering. You're in heaven.
Sounds like "freedom," . . . don't it?
We stake our claim on some place other than taking the responsibility for being here in order to be free. Freedom is for later, and when we get to there, we can have everything the way we want it. We don't have to depend on anybody or anything, other than being "saved" of course, and then we can go back to behaving however we want, even in heaven. We want to move there (away from here) as fast as possible. We want instant gratification, and we want what we want now, without any work and without relying on anyone else. We want peace and freedom for ourselves, so that we can own it, take it home and enjoy it as we please without any interference or threat that somebody might get some of ours.
We fool ourselves. We fool ourselves, because we have made ourselves believe that the acquisition of things, personal control, power, name, fame, prestige, money, influence and the exercise of personal choice are all taking place. In reality, I am always depending upon somebody or something else to keep up the illusion. I am not unto myself; I cannot do anything by myself.
One needs to eat, so one depends upon food in order to provide for nutrition and sustenance. Where does the food come from? Commercialism has trained you to depend on some golden corporation to make you hot food and have it available and waiting as quickly as you drive your late model, bank-financed luxury car around the building to pick it up at the delivery window. Of course, this is only after shouting the order of your desire into a microphone that looks like a clown.
Where does food come from? Somebody had to grow it, harvest it, prepare it, store it, ship it, manufacture it, prepare it again, cook it, serve it and then clean it up. Oh my God! I almost forgot about how and why food even grows to begin with. What gives it life? The Qur`an likens the growing of food to a divine miracle. Fertile fields and growing food are among the ayats, signs of God, showing Allah's existence to those who see.
Water falls from an open sky onto seemingly barren ground, and by nothing we can ascertain through the naked eye, living plants grow. On what, who and where are we depending for rain to fall? On what, who and where are we depending for the earth to be fertile? What causes a seed to sprout? I don't know how successful and powerful you are, but I have never been able to make a seed spontaneously sprout simply upon my command.
We've done a lot of gardening in this Community, and we always had to break the ground, till the soil, hoe the weeds, add nutrients, mulch, raise the beds, pick our timing and work the fields. We do all of this work hoping, praying and depending on some mysterious force that will make seeds sprout. Have you ever been able to command a seed to sprout by your personal willpower?
How did we come by our clothes? How did we develop our ideas for social acceptance? How have we tracked intelligence and passed down knowledge? Where does our education come from, and from whom have we learned? Why, among every indigenous culture, are there prayers venerating the ancestors, sages, scientists and enlightened ones that have come before? Why do human beings make such a big deal over funerals and the rites of death? Everything that we have experienced, that we are experiencing and that we will experience, is the consequence of a previous cause. We are completely dependent on everything that has come before us and that currently exists to allow us to be. Might we be thankful?
Food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and luxury all come from something that was cut out of something that existed before. What was before that? And, before that? And, before that? What is the primal cause? What, ultimately, do we depend on to keep our hearts beating and that allows us to breath? Can you depend on the fact that you will remember to take your next breath? Will you be so distracted by the world or lost in emotions that you will forget to breathe? I doubt it.
What is it that we depend on to awaken us each morning after laying down to sleep at night? Such a great dependency isn't it, when you can become completely devoid of your self-awareness for hours on end, and trust you will return to your senses. How much more vulnerable can you get? In the Jewish tradition there is a prayer upon rising in the morning that thanks God for restoring our souls. No wonder!
I don't really care what you call that thing you depend on for life, other than to get you to recognize that you are utterly dependent. If you would like to call what you rely on "God," fine. If the word God disturbs you, and you would like to call it a "scientific system," ten-four good buddy. If a system seems too impersonal, and you'd like to call it "Krishna," well then okay. If Krishna seems too anthropomorphic arid personal, and you would like to call it "Allah, the All Pervading Reality," akbar (great)! If the word Allah seems too foreign and scary, just too Islamic, because you've just watched the terrorist segment on the nightly news and would now like to call the universe your own "Divine Mother," well then Jai Ma!
The point is that no one, and I mean no one, is unto him or herself and independent. Just as we have depended upon others for the provision of our basic necessities, everyone is more so depending upon the existence of an eternal, unnamable, unseen, immeasurable and intangible force. All created things are relying upon it. That ineffable, eternal force that we have called "Spiritual Divinity" is accessible to us in the form of our lives through time, place, person and circumstances. We are comprised of body, mind and spirit. We rely upon all of these things so that we can simply do our trip, whatever our trip is, even if our trip is to deny God's existence or our dependence. The Divine Reality still allows us to be.
The favorite subject of an atheist is God, because an atheist is depending upon the concept of God in order to offer a point of view. If there isn't a God, there can't be an atheist, because there would be no more subject. Hardcore atheists build their whole life around arguing against the existence of God. Obviously they are still depending upon God in order to even have an argument.
As you realize that you're not independently standing alone, you will begin to see that all things, crossing time, place, person and circumstance as well as everything that is physical, mental/emotional or spiritual, are connected and interrelated. Not only are we not independent, we are entirely interdependent on everything that is. We comprise part of a whole of creation and exist as interlocking strands of fabric. In each part of creation, including human beings, is a "particle" of pure reflection of the whole of Reality that is the Divine Unity. Although the Divine Unity is One, it expresses Itself diversely as different pieces and parts; however, it is the sum total of all of the parts together that forms the whole of creation.
Rivers, lakes and streams depend upon the ocean for their own existence, and unto the ocean do they return, only through rain to recycle again. Although water is indeed water and is of the same essence as all water, it would be foolishly arrogant for a single raindrop to declare that it didn't need the ocean, or even worse yet, was the ocean, as it was falling from the sky. Eventually the drop will find out that the rain, rivers, lakes and streams come and go, but the ocean remains. In the end, the single raindrop is recalled back to the ocean from whence it came.
Here is my basic problem with the commonplace, New Age mentality of pop and pseudo-spirituality. People are walking around professing the belief that they are independent in a co-created universe by simply affirming: "I am light. I am love," and even "I am God." Not that they aren't imbued with the essence of light and love and God within, but the statements coming from their mouths are ones of egotism irrespective of their dependence on the One God, Allah.
It is egotistical for the raindrop to proclaim, "I am the ocean" until that drop literally falls into the ocean and discovers how vast the ocean really is. It would be better to witness, "I'm in the process of remembering my `oceaness.'" It is more humble and more sensitive to approach the ocean with respect realizing that it has provided the drop of water with the same essence as itself, time and time again.
In realizing our dependence, we let loose the grip of the illusion of our self importance. Placing yourself within the context of the whole of creation, and that you are merely one miniscule part therein, flies in the face of self-importance. What a notion it is that you are making yourself successful, self-reliant, self-subsistent and independent. No individual personality is the center of all, yet we behave in such a manner. It seems as if each person is emotionally addicted and endlessly fixated on their small self.
The Holy Qur`an beautifully illustrates this reminder:

Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater (matter) than the creation of men. Yet most men understand not. Not equal are the blind and those who (clearly) see: nor are (equal) those who believe and work deeds of righteousness and those who do evil. Little do you learn by admonition! - SURAH MU'MIN, 40:57-58

To realize dependence makes one vulnerable. Vulnerable to what? We are vulnerable to all and most vulnerable to the Creator of All. To travel the Sufi path means to participate in the collective process of humanity's enlightenment as much as it means to strive for one's own God realization. It is the saying of the great Bengali Saint Sri Ramakrishna's monastic order, "Realization of the Self and Selfless Service." It is also the protocol of the Sufi. "Serve Allah by serving Allah's creation." We do not exist alone. We exist in an environment that's a delicate eco-balance of people and nature.
When we forget where all of our resources came from and who they ultimately belong to, when we think that we are independent and that all of our resources are endless, when we behave as if we can do whatever we want whenever we want, we have cut ourselves off from the Reality of the Great Unity. From this perspective it would be impossible to attain any spiritual realization whatsoever. God's great principle of cause and effect will inevitable shut down all who stray from the course of nature.
So we're not alone. We are utterly dependent. We are dependent upon potable water, breathable air, arable soil and the protective ozone. We are dependent upon the five fundamental elements that are the building blocks of created life: earth, water, fire, air and ether. We are dependent upon the balance betweens all species living together in one eco-system, as well as between the individuals living and sharing in the social collective. We are dependent on the principle of homeostasis, between the centripetal and centrifugals forces of life, for equilibrium.
Otherwise, our hearts would blow up in our chests, and our eyeballs would pop out of our heads. Without being able to depend upon the physics of creation and its inherent, primordial properties, we wouldn't be able to stand up against gravity, and the earth wouldn't spin on its axis. We are utterly dependent. We are dependent on and vulnerable to each other, whether we want to be or not, whether we think we are or not, or even whether we like other people or not. Dependence is not matter of our choice.
It is only a matter of time before one's misery causes one to cry out for help. It's only a matter of time wherein one's separation from the "true home" causes such longing to return that we must actually turn to someone for help. Babies cannot stay alive without that help, without that embrace. They must be held and nurtured or they will die. Help comes to the dependent one in the form of love. The touch of love causes us to remember the reed bed and the longing to return home. Home is freedom and peace. "This is it. This is what I want. I want to be free!"
To return to the complete remembrance of our original state of spiritual peace and freedom, we have to first acknowledge and then accept our dependence. Ironically, human perfection as was demonstrated by the Prophets of God is the state of complete dependence on God. It is said when one empties one's self of one's self, Allah fills what remains. Fana wa baqa (Arabic: annihilation and fulfillment).
Quit fighting and resisting the fact that you are dependent in this world. Rather than fighting for your ego-driven individual rights, why not fight for the beneficence of cooperative dependence, so that the realization of the greatest potential is made available to all? Develop unconditional love, and become the servant of all. Discard the futility of attempting to make all others, and even the creation itself, serve you without end or consequence. Without your service through unconditional love, freedom and peace is impossible.

Charity for God's Sake...

Charity for God's sake has a hundred signs within the heart--
the good deed, a hundred tokens.
Though in charity riches are consumed,
a hundred lives come to the heart in return.
A sowing of pure seeds in God's earth, and then no income! Impossible.

-Mathnawi [IV, 1757-1759]

Over and Again God Admonishes Us...

In separation from God you have become arrogant; pay heed before His scourge strikes you down. Do not exult because of your good fortune. Over and again God admonishes you with the examples of the transgressors before you. If you really want to enjoy the limitless bounty of Allah, surrender yourselves before His will and endure all afflictions with fortitude.

-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"

Wake Me Up Inside....

More songs from our youth....

"He who remembers his Lord and he who does not are like the living and dead."

-The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)


Wake Me Up Inside

by Evanescence

How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors?
Lading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.

Without a soul,
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
Until you find it there and lead it back
Home.

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breathe into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie.
There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life.

Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.

(All of this sight,
I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark
but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.
(Without a thought
Without a voice
Without a soul
Don't let me die here.
There must be something more).
Bring me to life.

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside.
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside.
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run.
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone.
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life.
(I've been living a lie. There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life

Nobody's Home...

We can learn a lot about youth by the words they use in their music... So, adults, what can we learn about our youth from these words that they are singing? Remember, music today is the poetry of yesterday. Just as the poets were once the commentators of society, music today in many ways plays that role. Especially when it comes to our young....


"Nobody's Home"

by Avril Lavigne

I couldn't tell you why she felt that way,
She felt it everyday.
And I couldn't help her,
I just watched her make the same mistakes again.

What's wrong, what's wrong now?
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you left behind.
Be strong, be strong now.
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Her feelings she hides.
Her dreams she can't find.
She's losing her mind.
She's fallen behind.
She can't find her place.
She's losing her faith.
She's fallen from grace.
She's all over the place.
Yeah,oh

She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah
She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah

Life Without Repentence...

Life without repentance is spiritual agony;
to be absent from God is immediate death.
Life and death both are sweet with God’s presence:
without God even the Water of Life is fire.


-Mathnawi [V, 770-771]

Surrender is the Source of Life....

Surrender is the Source of Life. It is not, and cannot be a concept. It must be a complete acceptance of God and Self as a manifestation of Divine Will. It is not the goal of the Work but the beginning. After spending time with God as God is, alone, we will eventually return to our "senses" so to speak, cleaned, refreshed and inspired. This 'return is the reality of self-realization. We cannot truly know ourselves without knowing God first. So how do we get to know God? By learning, accepting and being guided by His revelations. And through knowing God, we know ourselves. And we cannot know the Reality of God without including ourselves.

- Ali Ansari

A Glorious Way to Go...

One cold winter day a group of us were crossing the Mississippi River, and it was frozen solid. Someone brought up the inevitable question when crossing bridges, "What if the bridge collapsed and we all fell in?" Another person replied, "Wow, that would be an ugly way to go. That'd be real bad." I retorted, "No it wouldn't! It wouldn't make any difference. How you die has nothing to do with how 'ugly' it is or it's not. It is the 'way' you die that matters."

An ugly way to go is the following: Having regrets. Dying in fear. Having shame. Wishing that you could have done things differently, but you didn't. Wishing you had more time, but you don't. Laying on your death bed while underneath your carpet is all of the crap of your life that got swept under there that you don't want anybody to know about, you don't want anybody to see, you're embarrassed that you did, and you never came to terms with it. Dying in a state where you haven't forgiven and have not been forgiven - that's an ugly way to go. It has nothing to do with whether you fall off a bridge, or if someone picked you out of a crowd.

On the contrary, a glorious way to leave this world would be when there is nothing left of you. You lived life to its fullest. You did it. The firewood of your life has all become ash. "Here I am Lord. I used my life for what you gave it to me. There's nothing left. I made my mistakes, and I offered them to you. I had my successes, and they all came from you." In this state, every corner of all of your rooms and closets, every recess from the attic to your basement is clean and open to examination. Having lived a fully integrated spiritual life means that there no longer remains anything of you left swept under the carpet. All four corners have been turned up.

You should be able to look into the mirror of your own conscience and know without doubt, "There is nothing left for me that I could do, want to do or could have tried. I used all my sincere effort. I used every faculty, every breath, every thought, every word, and every action to fulfill myself for the purpose of why I was given this life. I took care of my life just as I would have a rare gift, a trust." That's a glorious way to go.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

Islam as the Creation of Synergy

In Islam, salaat is the prayer-exercise of the surrendered who are aware of the effects and benefits of a synergistic alliance or commonality with the Prophet. We might see the purpose of Islam as being to create synergy toward the common goal of a heavenly life for all. And we might see the (violent) history of Islam (i.e. Wahhabism) as being all about the creation and destruction of this synergy.

- Ali Ansari

The Highest Person

The highest person is he who is of most use to humankind.

-'Ali bin Abi Talib (ra), "Masters of the Path"

What is Justice?

What is justice? Giving water to trees.
What is injustice? To give water to thorns.
Justice consists in bestowing bounty in its proper place,
not on every root that will absorb water.

-Mathnawi [V, 1089-1090]

Awe and Intimacy

The effect of awe is the disappearance of self; the self which is in a state of awe, disappears. Levels of awe may be measured by the degree to which the self has disappeared; some people are at a higer level of awe than others.

The effect of intimacy, by contrast, is alertness; those who are intimate, are alert. A person who is fully intimate, could be thrown into a fire, and the intimacy would not be disturbed.

-Qushayri, "Risalah"

British and Saudi Intelligence Recruit Terrorists In British Mosques

December 10, 2008 (LPAC)--The British think-tank Policy Exchange produced an exhaustive and fair-minded report, "The Hijacking of British Islam; How Extremist Literature Is Subverting Mosques in the UK," in 2007. An initial review shows how the whole framework of facts-on-the-ground in Britain, proves in the starkest terms that the British Muslim terrorists found in Chechnya, Bosnia, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are no coincidence, but the result of the fact that British and Saudi intelligence are up to their elbows in cooperation in recruiting and deploying them in Britain.

First of all, the great majority of British Muslims, over two thirds of an estimated 1.8 million (half born in Britain), are of South Asian origin, mostly Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Indian. But the outside financing and control of mosques, is much more Saudi than it is South Asian. Indeed, under Saudi financing and control, the complexion of religious belief of Britons of Pakistani origin has been shifting rapidly since 1970 and later, with the rapid growth the Saudi-allied Deobandi movement, which was previously a minority of perhaps 20%. In September 2007, the London Times claimed that "almost half of Britain's mosques" were by then under Deobandi control.

Most of the South Asian Islamic terrorist movements are Deobandi-linked; the others are linked to various other Saudi-financed sects.

For this study, teams of Muslim researchers visited almost 100 representative British mosques, to see whether "extremist" literature, preaching hate or violent jihad, was available there. It was available in 26 mosques, or almost one-quarter. But what is more interesting is that a large part this hate literature had actually been shipped over from Saudi Arabia. If you include pamphlets produced with Saudi subsidies, it would be a clear majority.

Hate literature of this sort is an integral part of the recruiting of terrorists, as case studies have repeatedly shown.

The report's authors, who are scholars of Islam, place primary responsibility on Saudi Arabia for the growth of Islamic extremism and therefore terrorism in Britain, but omit to mention that all this is taking place under the nose, and therefore with the complicity, of British secret domestic intelligence MI-5, and by extension British secret foreign intelligence MI-6.

Forty-eight percent of the hate pamphlets were in English, 45% in Arabic, and 7% in Urdu, a Pakistani language. But one single institution of many such in Saudi Arabia, the Islamic University of Medina, publishes texts in no fewer than 47 languages. "This is an institution within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the authors report, "dedicated to Islamic propagation (da'wah). It was founded in 1961 when members of the [London-hatched] Muslim Brotherhood who had been exiled from Egypt, persuaded the Saudi king to found a Wahhabite institution that might become a rival to Cairo's famous al-Azhar Mosque and University."

Most revealing is that it is precisely those Islamic institutions which are most extremism-ridden, which official British government bodies have chosen to "partner" with, and thus to support and sponsor. These include the Islamic Foundation and its associated Markfield Institute of Higher Education. The Muslim Safety Forum, which described itself as the "key advisory body ... on issues concerning British Muslims," with which the Metropolitan Police Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers were working unreservedly, had as affiliates three of the worst offending mosques and institutions.

In their conclusions, the authors demand that the Saudis come clean on what they're doing with their money and their extremist literature, and even ask them whether all Saudi clergy sent to Britain are given diplomatic status, in view of the fact that those recently approached by British police on any matter turn out to have diplomatic status, and therefore immunity.

The Destroyer of All Other "gods"

Love is the flame which, when it blazes,
consumes everything other than the Beloved.
The lover wields the sword of Nothingness
in order to dispatch all but God:
consider what remains after Nothing.
There remains but God: all the rest is gone.
Praise to you, O mighty Love, destroyer of all other "gods."


-Mathnawi [V, 588-590]

Londonistan Becomes Talk Of The Town In Arab World

December 5, 2008 (LPAC)--The British harboring, using and controlling of so-called Islamic terrorists is once again on the agenda in many Arab countries. It is not, however, because of the Mumbai terror attacks, but another case of flagrant British dirty tricks. One of the leading Al-Qaeda spiritual leaders who has played a crucial role in recruiting new members for Al-Qaeda in Britain and Europe since 1993, Omar Mahmoud Abu Omar, aka Abu Qatada, was rearrested in London for violating his bail conditions. The British Interior Ministry stated that Abu Qatada was hiding in preparation for fleeing to Lebanon to join another British-asset, Omar Bakri, leader of the London-based terrorist group Hiz-bu-Tahrir, who left Britain for Lebanon in 2006. Needless to say that in Lebanon, both Bakri and Abu Qatada would be performing new missions in the service of Her Majesty's BAE-Prince Bandar Wahhabi destabilization operations.

The question which is being raised is not why he was rearrested, but why he was set free in Britain in the first place, when all evidence pointed to the fact that he played a key role in recruiting terrorists, including Zakaria Mousawi (the only indicted terrorist in the USA for the 9/11 attacks), and Richard "shoebomber" Reid.

The Jordanian leading daily Al-Rai provides the answer to the question. Abu Qatada is Jordanian by origin and has two life-sentences awaiting him in Jordan for planning and conducting terrorist acts there. In spite of major efforts by the Jordanian government in the past years, the British government has refused to extradite him.

Saleh Al-Qallab writes today in Al-Rai today: From the first day of his arrival in Britain escaping Jordanian justice, Abu Qatada joined terrorist activities. Despite that, the British turned a blind eye to what he was doing. The reason is that they needed his services, the same way the U.S. intelligence needed the services of Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman. When he was still performing dirty security operations in the service of British interests, Abu Qatada was a man of opinion, who was to be protected, and all the Jordanian demands for extraditing him were met with absolute refusal. Then, when he has been exhausted and no longer able to perform these dirty services, the British suddenly discovered that he was posing a grave danger to their security.

The Arabic section of the LaRouche movement have prepared a special report on the British role in the Mumbai terror attacks, putting together the different EIR press releases. It is posted on the Arabic website (http://nysol.se/arabic/media/mumbai.html) and has been sent to all relevant Arabic media and government institutions in Arab countries

Healing: The Art of Correcting False Assumptions

Most of healing is dealing with the consequences of unconscious behavior.
The art of healing is the art of correcting the underlying assumptions that are the causes of unconscious behavior.
It is complete when understanding and forgiveness set in.

- Ali Ansari

On Purity...

Since man is made of clay, he can never be completely pure.
Since clay is basically foul, how can humans escape their basic nature?
Purity does not lie in rituals, nor can human nature be changed by effort.
Those who love God and remain conscious only of their Beloved attain purity.

-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"

Understanding the Face of Fascism in the Midst of a Financial Meltdown

Leaving out the Keynesian Sixth 'C'

November 3, 2008 (LPAC)--While invoking the honored name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, yesterday's Sunday Telegraph--a.k.a. the 'Torygraph,' proposes a series of decidedly non-FDR, pro-Keynesian measures a new President of the U.S. should take. The proposal focuses on "the five Cs: capital, credit, confidence, change (of the regulatory variety) and closure," while managing to leave out the all-important sixth "C". Now that the bailout is under way, the new President should create "a climate of confidence" in the financial markets, and restructure the "outdated and outmoded" regulatory system by creating "one super-regulator" attached to the Fed.

These measures are explicitly fascist, which leads us to the unspoken sixth "C", for CORPORATISM. John Maynard Keynes, later Baron Keynes, explicitly endorsed fascist economics in the preface to his 1937 German-language edition of his "General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money." Keynes wrote in his foreword that his theory were best "adapted to the conditions of a totalitarian state," an admission which was not included in the English-language versions of his book. It is this overtly fascist Keynesian view that the British are pushing under the guise of a New Bretton Woods, in direct opposition to a return to the nation-building philosophy of FDR. One could truthfully argue that the British approach is actually the three Cs, corruption, criminality, and corporatism.

For more on the 6th C, check out LPACTV: What is Corporatism?

Remedy for the Global Financial Crisis: Tell the British to Sit Down and Shut Up

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

For those totally confused by the cause of the world's financial problems but wanting a solution, John Hoefle of the LaRouche news weekly, Executive Intelligence Review (Washington), gets straight to the point in this 28 second video:

http://www.larouchepac.com/news/2008/11/01/tell-british-sit-down-and-shut.html

and forward it to to your friends, relatives and colleagues and get it onto the Blogs. It will help the population see the 'big picture'

It appears on www.larouchepac.com which gives daily updates of the financial meltdown and the LaRouche movement's long struggle to replace this bankrupt and inhuman system internationally.

Kind regards,
Mohd Peter

Cast Aside the Jug and Seek the Water

The outward form of things passes away, but the essence remains forever.
How long will you be besotted with the shape of the jug?
Cast aside the jug, and seek the water.
If you look too closely at the form, you miss the essence.
If you are wise, you will always pick out the pearl from the shell.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

The Beauty and Mercy in the Crying Eye....

Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry.
Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.
Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake.
Laughter always follows tears.
Blessed are those who understand.
Life blossoms wherever water flows.
Where tears are shed divine mercy is shown.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Remember Allah for Allah to Remember You

Allah says, "I am with My servant when he remembers Me and his lips move in My service."

- Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah

This Religion is Easy....

This religion is easy.
Do not make it a rigor, or you shall be overcome.
Be steadfast, seek the closeness of Allah, grow in virtue, and implore His appeasement day and night.

- Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah

Colin Powell on Religion in the U.S.

"...He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is (i.e. a Muslim)? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America," Powell said. "Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"

- Former U.S. Sec. of State Colin Powell, responding to a question about Barack Obama's religion