Martial Arts - Self-Defense or Self-Realization?

Martial Arts for Self-Defense or Self-Realization?

Toward Resolving the Dilemma of Identity among
Contemporary Muslims:
Modeling the Way and Life of the Pendekar


By
Abdul-Lateef Abdullah


Traditional Arts of War – the Original Path and Purpose

Within the original understanding of many of the world’s traditional warrior arts, also known today as ‘martial arts’, the concept of “self-defense” is non-existent. In modern times, martial arts are taught and learned under the guise of ‘self-defense’, which connotes a purely physical exercise aimed at acquiring skills to preserve the physical body or property from external attack or threat. It is an activity taught and practiced almost entirely on the physical level. The traditional approach to warrior arts, however, regardless of their place or people of origin, is not as the defense of self but toward the actualization of Self to its true and authentic state. This path contains many stages that a student must progress through in order to achieve Self-realization. The great masters of the traditional warrior arts knew – as some still do today - that the origins and source of all war lies within the weaknesses of the human Self, and it was only by ‘becoming war’ through a life of self-purification, training and exertion, and the acquisition of authentic spiritual knowledge that the human Self could be purified and transformed into a tool for achieving and establishing real peace.

This tradition can be found in the Malay warrior arts such as Gayong, for example, an art whose philosophical and spiritual foundation is rooted in Islam and the science of tasawwuf. In this tradition, as the student increases his or her knowledge and perfection of Gayong on a physical plane, he moves simultaneously – through knowledge acquisition and spiritual striving -- toward perfecting himself on a spiritual one. As a result, as the Gayong practitioner becomes more physically capable in the martial aspects of his art, in contrast, his demeanor increases in humility, selflessness, politeness and an overall peacefulness that others notice and want for themselves. His ferocity is limited to the training sphere (gelanggang), unless in the rare case that his skills and abilities are called upon as a result of external aggression. For as the murid (disciple) increases in outward ability, inwardly, his heart moves closer to intimacy with his Lord, for he knows that all of his skills, abilities, knowledge, trials, tests and fortunes are from Him. In the process, the student gains further insight along the way as to his own true nature; its strengths, weaknesses and utter dependence on God (faqr).

The Way of the Pendekar

In time, from the deep peacefulness and God-realization emerges the authentic Self of the pendekar (traditional Malay warrior). When the authentic Self is liberated from the bonds of the lower self and its worldly attachments, the pendekar’s purpose and mission becomes manifest. The soul is then liberated and free to do the work for which it was created. Self-realization turns into complete God-dependence and intimacy, resulting in a pure and total devotion toward servanthood. The warrior, in turn, becomes a healer whose lifelong efforts turn toward healing the hearts of his fellowmen men through knowledge of God and the path of surrender to Him. The war, therefore, whose main sphere was the Self, shifts to the outward realm, where the authentic Self goes about its work of service to its Lord.

The work of achieving and abiding in the authentic Self is the way of life of the pendekar. It is not merely analogy and historical account, moreover, for such masters still exist today, though they may be difficult to come by. Those who know such people, however, know that as walis or ‘friends of God’, they bear the mark of humility. Without pretense, they go about their work without regard for titles, attention, or public regard of any kind. They eat humbly, speak humbly, act humbly and live among the people, yet at the same time remain a degree removed from them. They make no outward displays of religiosity and often times, only those who have benefited from their services or assistance even know of their spiritual gifts and stations. Quite simply, they are known only through their simple and humble behavior and service to their neighbors and fellow man. Their “identity” as masters is known only to Allah, and perhaps their families, students, fellow teachers and few others.

The pendekar, in his simple way, is essentially identity-less. He is not preoccupied with forging an identity, or of creating an image for himself, for he knows that what people think of him is Allah’s will and not his to worry about. As a true servant, he has little need for portraying himself as something. His striving is with his heart and his deeds, for his only object of desire is his Lord. He is not preoccupied with making himself known; rather, he only desires to be known by those who need his help. He would rather stay anonymous, do the work he is asked to do, and return to remembrance and worship of his Creator, his source of true joy and contentment. Though he is often called on to help others, he is never ungrateful for the inconveniences he might be forced to suffer, or the lack of compensation that his work might entail. In a word, he is grateful for whatever his Lord sends him, and whatever he receives from Him is sufficient.

The pendekar’s years of physical and spiritual striving, Self-discovery, and acquisition and application of knowledge from his masters wipe away any trace of preoccupation with status and prestige. Through his struggles he has found his true Self and knows with total conviction and clarity who and what he is. His heart is filled and fixated only on Allah, the source of everything. His identity is not formed from an ego-driven need to be known. His identity, rather, is that which he is known by, which is his usefulness to creation, purity of heart and unflinching willingness to help others without prejudice.

From the humble life of the pendekar, legends are born. Many a tradition in the Malay Archipelago exists of the walis of Allah who have lived their lives in this simple yet noble manner. Though the most humble of men, their life stories are preserved and passed down through the generations. Masters become masters because they do not seek elevation in the eyes of men. They seek Allah and because they seek Allah, He raises their rank in the eyes of men, for He has power over ALL things and takes care of His friends. The pendekar is thus loved, feared, hoped for and admired by men precisely because he makes no effort toward obtaining the admiration of human beings.

Toward an Authentic Muslim Identity: Integrating the Lessons of the Pendekar

The lessons of the pendekar and the traditional warrior arts are integral toward understanding what we truly seek in our quest for Muslim identity. In this day and age, many Muslims, particularly those living in the West, are deeply concerned with the issue of obtaining and preserving a ‘Muslim identity’. We are very concerned, it seems, with others knowing who we are, and even more importantly, our youth knowing what it means to identify as Muslims. Unlike the example of the pendekar, however, the modern-day need for an identity often equates to portraying a certain Islamic image, rather than what it means – in practice - to be human beings living in a state of surrender to the Divine. Muslim identity in the former vein focuses on form and image rather than the quality of character and actions.

Muslim identity among the spiritual elect is about behavior that is a product of God-consciousness (taqwa), rather than appearance or mimicry. Identity is not about trying to appear as anything, but about realizing what and who we truly are and being conscious of it at all times. Too often, we try to build an identity by mimicking actions based on what we have been told is ‘Muslim behavior’. This usually takes the form of our dress, our speech, and our ‘persona’. Outward displays of religiosity, however, without the inner intention and sincerity of purifying the heart are harmful rather than helpful. They build up the false Self, (i.e. the ego-personality, the nafs), which lies to us by telling us that by appearing a certain way, we will be, in fact, Muslims. In actuality, we will be doing nothing more than acting like Muslims, playing the part if you will, rather than living in a state of heart and mind-full surrender to Allah. For the latter requires humility and the lack of desire to be seen by others as pious or religious.

When the heart is fixated on Allah, what results is the natural inclination toward servanthood. Servanthood’s mark is - obviously - service, which is manifested in behavior that aims at forging unity, for Allah is the One who loves unity. Servanthood contains no pretense and thus no image. An individual can serve in any number of ways. The Prophet (SAW) himself said the best among you are those that give the most benefit to others. Beginning with our obligatory worship to Allah (of which all forms are sadaqah) and then to our communal responsibilities, the list of service is virtually limitless – plant a tree, feed a child (even your own!), help an older person, pick up trash, sweep the floor, etc, etc.

Muslim identity is thus not forged by a desire to be seen by men. This is image-building which is from the false Self and arguably a form of shirk – ‘playing God’ if you will. Living in a community as Muslims, i.e. in a state of Islam (surrender), that is not out to impress others but whose focus is on Allah, self-discipline and hard work, humility, compassion, selfless service and working toward creating peace and unity – is a community worthy of being known. Work and surrender in these difficult times are virtues that should be the mark of Muslims and will set us apart if we are sincere. They will not set us apart in a way that forges division, however, but in such a way that draws others to us and in so doing, elevates everyone to greater heights of human understanding, conduct and character.

If, on the other hand, we are preoccupied with portraying an outward image of religiosity that exudes exclusivity and pretense and is coupled with a personality to boot, this can only result in more division rather than unity. And we all know that ‘divide and conquer’ is the great weapon of Iblis. Why might Iblis, the great enemy of God and man, use division to destroy us? Perhaps because it is the opposite of what Allah wants, which is unity? Is not Allah the Divine Unity and does not ultimate success lie with and in Him? Superficial notions of identity can bring no benefit to us or anyone, no matter how ‘Islamic’ our egos might tell us they are.

Substance over Form

The examples of the pendekar are thus lessons in substance over form, and practice over pretense. The only identity that matters to such a one is that which stems from sincerity and action -- a reward for what exists in our hearts. Allah will always show us a mirror image of ourselves through others’ perceptions of us and how we carry ourselves. Our concern, therefore, should not be on how to forge an identity for the purpose of winning others over but rather on being and behaving in a manner that is worthy of Allah’s grace and support. This can only come about when we begin to see ourselves as servants above all else and the world as a place in need of unity and peace rather than division and tribal competitiveness.

Lest we forget...

If you adhere to the things that I am leaving behind, you shall never be misguided.

- Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ja'bir bin Abd'Allah

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"

Oh Lord, Where Shall I Seek You?

When Moses conversed with God, he asked, "Lord, where shall I seek You?"
God answered, "Among the brokenhearted."
Moses continued, "But, Lord, no heart could be more despairing than mine."
And God replied, "Then I am where you are."

-Abu’l-Fayd al-Misri, “The Kashf al-Mahjub”

Belief is Not Inherited

...It is not correct to say that Muslims are Muslims simply because they were born into their religion. This is, in fact, not a position that is religiously acceptable according to the teachings of Islam. Every single Muslim is religiously required to acquire personal conviction of their religion. This personal conviction is reached by contemplating the many signs that God has placed for us to prevent us from being confused regarding what He wants of us.

- Sheikh Hamza Karamali

What Money Can't Buy

You will not be able to give anyone happiness by means of your wealth, so do it by means of a cheerful countenance and good humor.

-The Prophet Muhammad in Qushayri: al-Risalat al-Qushayriyya

Life is about Allah, Not me

One thing it might help to remember is that this life is not really all about you and you personal happiness, and when you make it such, that's when you make yourself unhappy.
This life is about Me, and knowing Me and loving Me in every moment, in every pleasure and in every pain.
In fact, pleasures and pains are quite alike in that they are both simply tests of your love for Me. They are able to distract you or able to strengthen you in your love and devotion to Me.
If you turn away from pleasure and you turn away from pain, then you will truly be My slave and know My Love and Appreciation.
It is through the self that you know Me, but not for the sake of the self but for My sake.
It is through the self that you see the Land, and through the Land that you see the self.
But focus on the Land, not the self.

Sitting with your Dissatisfaction...

Sitting with your dissatisfaction seems to mean being at peace with your conflict.
If you're involved in your conflict, then you have vested interest, you have conflicting interests, a conflict of interests; you are on one side in favor of that and against another, if you are involved with your conflict.
If you are at peace with your conflict, then you are not involved with it and you can resolve it. Basically what that means is to find peace first and then resolve your conflict.
The process of healing is the process of finding your peace.
From there you can resolve what we call residuals.
That's why we surrender first, then we can learn our faith (Iman) from experience.

- Ali Ansari

Punishing Kids...

As long as families have to exist in a permissive culture, psychologically healthy families need more than healthy communication. Children also need to be punished when they have done something wrong. After all, punishment is a part of the reconciliation process, and unpunished guilt can cause psychological problems of its own.

As I said in the previous section, punishment is just a simple psychological technique to decrease specific behavior. But to be effective, it must be used properly. The punishment, then, must be just: it must be consistent, fair, and adequate to the transgression. And it must be tempered with mercy.

In its psychological sense, mercy means to withhold some—or all—of the punishment demanded by justice if the guilty person shows deep sorrow for his or her behavior. But this is just the easy part. A parent can’t expect to administer punishment by remaining uninvolved. In fact, to administer punishment is to get involved.

Don’t expect to take away a child’s driving privileges and then say, “Well, you need to drive to school, so you can use the car for that. Just come home right after school.” What child couldn’t see through that nonsense—and learn to abuse it immediately? So wake up. You will have to drive your child to and from school, no matter what the inconvenience to you. Don’t expect to confine a child to the house and then expect that you can come and go, leaving the child alone in the house, while saying “Don’t go anywhere.” Wake up again. You will have to stay home and monitor your child, never letting him or her leave your sight. Homework must be done under your supervision, not alone in a bedroom. Meals must be eaten together. Entertainment must be in your presence. Everything must be done in your presence, and, as a result—like it or not—you will be drawn closer to your child. Sound hard? Well, that’s why there are so many family problems: the parents are always too busy to really get involved in the punishment. In the end, you have to accept the fact that the punishment will hurt the parent as much as the child. If it doesn’t, it will never be effective.

- Raymond Lloyd Richmond, PhD

Speaking to Children...How to Say 'No'

I’m always deeply saddened when someone attempts to discourage a child’s behavior by saying, “You don’t want to do that.” But of course the child wants to do that! It’s perfectly obvious he wants to do it, or he wouldn’t be trying. So why confuse the child by denying what you both know is perfectly true?

Here, then, is a special hint on how to say “No” to a child without causing psychological hurt. You do this by acknowledging what the child wants and then, without making the child feel guilty or bad simply for having childish desires, explain why the child cannot have what he or she wants.

To a young child say the following:
I know you want to [have some candy, play in the water, chase the birds, whatever . . .] and there are times when you can’t always have what you want.

To an older child (or another adult, for that matter) try saying something like this:
I know that you really would like to [stay out past dark, bungee jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, or whatever . . .] and [the danger of getting mugged, the law, insurance regulations, etc.] just won’t allow it.

The point of such statements is to show the child (a) that you recognize and respect the child’s desire and (b) that since the world is filled with conflicting desires, one’s own desires can’t always be fulfilled. This is an important lesson for children to learn. (Too bad most adults haven’t learned it.)

Said in another way, it’s not that the child’s desire is wrong, it’s simply that, because the world is unfair, all desires cannot always be fulfilled. It’s important to learn that apparent “evil” is, in many cases, simply the conflict between two “goods.” This is why you use the word and, rather than but, between the two parts of your statement.

- Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D.

Beware the Black Stain of the Heart

When a believer gives in to temptation, a black stain appears on his heart.
If he repents and asks for forgiveness, that stain disappears.
But if he continues to transgress, the stain continues to grow until it blackens the entire heart. That stain is the rust the Lord Almighty refers to: "Nay, rust has fallen upon their hearts for what they have earned."

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

Subdue the Lower Soul

The lower soul dissuades from conforming to faith.
The more the self is subdued, the easier it becomes to glorify God.
When the ego is annihilated, worship becomes sustenance, just as it sustains the angels.

-Al-Hujwiri, “The Kashf al-Mahjub”

Looking for God...

God is in the water of the lake;
He is also in the cracked bed of the lake, when the lake has dried up.
God is in the abundant harvest;
He is also in the famine that occurs when the harvest fails.
God is in the lightning; He is also in the darkness, when the lightning has faded....

Brothers and sisters, you pile up stones to make shrines, imagining that God will make Himself present there.
Then you are surprised when these shrines do not ease your cares and worries.

-Hallaj, "Tawasin"

Beautiful Du'a

My Lord, how great my desire to meet You, how earnest my hope of Your reward. O Most Gracious, Hope of all hope, O Adored by all, if I be unworthy of You, and my endeavors not deserving of devotion, then gladly shall I confess to my infirmities, my sins. For who could be more forgiving than Yourself? But should You choose to chastise me, I will satisfy myself in the knowledge that no one could be more just than You.

-Sha'wanna, "Rabi'a the Mystic"

I Am With My Slave When He Remembers Me...

Remembrance is not remembered.
I do not remember whether or not God remembered me in the past; He remembers me now. God does not remember whether I remembered Him in the past; I remember Him now.
His remembrance is my remembrance, and mine is His.
Can two beings who remember one another not be in union?

-Hallaj: Tawasin

Real Learning

Real learning, real understanding doesn't come from the collection of intellectual data. We all know that there's a big difference between knowing about something and knowing it directly. True knowing is in being and experiencing. Philosophy conjectures what might be possible, realization confirms the Reality as an experience.

There's a difference between actually smelling the scent of a rose and reading a whole book of poetry about the beautiful rose by someone who smelled one. Do you know what makes the rose poetry beautiful? It is after you've already smelled one for yourself that you can remember and recognize the essence of the rose through the recall of your direct experience.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

The Importance of Ego

An absolute and all-encompassing entity has no limits or terms, and therefore cannot be shaped or formed, and cannot be determined in such a way that its essential nature can be comprehended. For example, light undetermined by darkness cannot be known or perceived. However, light can be determined if a real or hypothetical bounding line of darkness is drawn.

In the same way, the Divine Attributes and Names (e.g., Knowledge, Power, Wisdom, and Compassion) cannot be determined, for they are all-encompassing and have no limits or like. Thus what they essentially are cannot be known or perceived. A hypothetical boundary is needed for them to become known.

In our case, this hypothetical boundary is our ego. Ego imagines within itself a fictitious lordship, power, and knowledge, and so posits a bounding line, hypothesizes a limit to the all-encompassing Attributes, and says: ‘This is mine, and the rest is His.’ Ego thus makes a division. By means of the miniature measure it contains, ego slowly comes to understand the true nature of the Divine Attributes and Names. Through this imagined lordship, ego can understand the Lordship of the Creator of the universe. By means of its own apparent ownership, it can understand the real Ownership of its Creator, saying: ‘As I am the owner of this house, the Creator is the Owner of this creation.’ Through its partial knowledge, ego comes to understand His Absolute Knowledge. Through its defective, acquired art, it can intuit the Exalted Fashioner’s primary, originative art.

- Said Nursi

Religion....

If we are merely involved in religion through the taking of measurements,
the study of statistics and the rote memorization of scriptures, but have no direct experience of God, then the religion, philosophy and study become our God instead.
God is no longer God; the study about God is God.
Yet, if we never apply ourselves to the task of learning Allah's "ways" through discipline, obedience and study, we will not be ready or able to experience that which is beyond our own limitations.

On the other hand, if we want the direct experience but haven't prepared ourselves with organization and discipline, then we've abandoned our responsibility in the world.
We have deserted the structure that gives us the moral integrity and personal and emotional strength that allows for true experience!

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

Find Out Who You Really Are

One great Saint of our century, Meher Baba, once said,
"Desire for nothing but to be desireless.
Hope for nothing but to be beyond all hope.
Want nothing and you will have everything."
One who is like this no longer has the cycle of suffering in their life,
because they let go of everything that was not who they really are.
This is the crux right here,
let go of the things that are not really you to find out who you really are.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

The Secret Conversation

God, the supreme being, is neither circumscribed by space, nor touched by time;
he cannot be found in a particular direction, and his essence cannot change.
The secret conversation is thus entirely spiritual;
it is a direct encounter between God and the soul, abstracted from all material constraints.

-Ibn Sina, "Kitab al-Najat"

The Highest Person

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

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

Truth

Truth is in the understanding, the realization of the difference between that which is permanent and real, and that which is impermanent or changing. That is Truth.
Truth is located in the real, in the permanent, in the absolute.
The definition of Truth in this sense, as in this verse, is the Truth that is so "true" that it cannot be changed, and that it is never ending -- Permanent Truth, the Underlying Reality, the Supreme Reality of all things. Truth.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

Complete Faith or Blind Faith?

Complete faith is different from blind faith, because complete faith offers a relationship with God/Allah that allows one to actually feel and experience.
"My Lord, at this moment, whether life seems good or bad, uncomfortable or luxurious, understandable or perplexing, confusing or clear, whether You are hidden from me or whether You appear to me, it doesn't matter. I trust in You. Your course work is Your custom design for me for whatever I need completely."
This is an understanding of complete faith not blind faith.

- Sheikh Din Muhammad Abdullah al-Dayemi

Shari'ah in our Times...

"I am compelled to say I personally find the article interesting, but not "excellent". It seems that Tawfik Hamid has no knowledge of Islam and of Shari'ah, except for what he learnt inside Jama'at Islamiyyah. That is the reason why he confuses the dictates of Shari'ah with the aberrant way in which Shari'ah is re-interpreted by terrorist groups. That is the reason why he forges against the Shari'ah of Islam some accusations which are to be directed only toward the perverted notion of "Shari'ah" which is common among deviant non-Sunni groups.

When he writes "Shariah, for example, allows apostates to be killed, permits beating women to discipline them, seeks to subjugate non-Muslims to Islam as dhimmis and justifies declaring war to do so. It exhorts good Muslims to exterminate the Jews before the "end of days", none of his claims has a base in Shari'ah.

Shari'ah only permits to kill an apostate when there exists a state of war, and when the apostate is considered guilty of treachery in war because of his apostasy. Even in this case, an autorization from the Caliph or of his deputy is needed for execution. Since in our time there exist no Caliph who could order the execution of an apostate during a war, the Shari'ah - contrary to what Tawfik Hamid claims - STRICTLY FORBIDS killing apostates, and consider those who kill an apostate GUILTY OF MURDER.

As for beating women "beating" women, the Shari'ah explain that it is an extreme measure, and should never exceed the force one can apply by BEATING WITH A HANDKERCHIEF. However, when the law of the State forbids it, even beating with a HANDKERCHIEF becomes forbidden, since obeying the Law of the State in everything which does not contradicts Islam IS COMPULSORY according to the Shari'ah.

As for Jews and Christians, the Shari'ah dictates TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR BELONGING AS DHIMMIS, and an Arab should know that the word dhimmi means "they one who must be protected" and not "the one who must be subjugated. Apart from this, the Shari'ah also forbid resorting to cohercion in matter of religion. War is justified by Shari'ah as a mean for self-defense, and not as a mean of cohericing others. The claim according to which the Shari'ah of Islam "exhorts good Muslims to exterminate the Jews before the "end of days", is the upmost of ridiculous, since from the time of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, then of Salahu-d-Din al-Ayyubi, no one of the Muslim rulers who strictly applied the Shari'ah ever tried to "exterminate the Jews", but rather PROTECTED THEM against those who wanted to exterminate them, to the point that the same Babylonian Talmud deals with Umar ibn al-Khattab in very positive terms.

If a conclusion can be deduced from Tawfik Hamid's article, is that he is still enwrapped in the horrible counterfeit version of Islam and Shari'ah which is typical of groups he was involved with. Today he openly condemns was in the past he entusiastically appproved. It is a progress, but is not enough. He must realize that his involvement in criminal gangs like Jama'at Islamiyyah also depended on his deep ignorance of Islam and its Shari'ah. Now that he recognizes the evil neture of those gangs, he also needs to learn Islam for the beginning, instead on blaming what he goes on ignoring as he did before."

- Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Director, Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community

Real Men

Yesterday as I drove home from work as usual I was listening to "The Power" on XM radio, and they were wrapping up a discussion about what is a real man. I began to think more and more on the subject and realized I never really pondered this myself. I mean after all, I'm a man, so what makes a "real man"? The most I ever heard about the subject came from my uncle when I was 15 or so. I distinctly remember him telling me and my cousins that a man isn't defined by age, but more so by his responsibilities. He went on to add, once you have your own everything, and take care of it, then you begin to understand manhood. I knew that this was a covert criticism of one of my younger uncles, who at 26 or so, was still living home with grandma. Either way, I got the gist of the discussion, and to make a long story short, that was the last time I actually thought about it.

Over the years I have tried to be responsible and self-sufficient. I joined the Marine Corps fresh out of high school at 17 and I have been on my own ever since. I never borrowed money from my parents, and for the most part have been 100% self sufficient. It never once crossed my mind if these actions proved my "manhood" or not. Until yesterday that is.

Most have said and do say that I'm a "good" man. I mean, I'm on my second marriage, my 3rd serious relationship, and all the women I have ever been in a relationship with, well for the most part would agree that I have been honorable and took great care of them. I'm currently married with 5 little boys my marriage is happy and fun, we are doing good some would say great for a 25yr old with my "circumstances". I'm not trying to toot my own horn, just reflecting and wondering aloud of course, if this defines manhood.

As I went into reflection, as I often do these days, I realized the best and only way to define manhood for me would be in the context of my religious beliefs. It should be of no surprise to the readers of the blog and those that know me personally, that I context everything in accordance with my religion. So I sought out the Quran and decided to see what is said about this subject. What I came up with was various passages, that I believe would clear this question up, or at least place me in the right direction.

Allah declares in the Quran:"Men are the maintainers and protectors of Women". 4:34

"tell them that I have not created the invisible beings and men to any end other than that they may know and worship Me." 51:56

"then He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be, and breathes into him of His spirit: and thus, O men, He endows you with hearing, and sight, and feelings as well as minds: yet how seldom are you grateful!"32:9

So from this I derived these thoughts: A "real man" protects and maintains women, knows and worships God, and lives in accordance to that which God created him to be.

This is obviously a "meaty" subject, actually more so than I originally intended as I began typing these thoughts, so its probably easier if I handle these three verses separately.

Men are the Protectors and Maintainers of Women

In my opinion a "real man" ensures that women have the rights endowed upon them from God to be free. That means they should be free to worship how they want, study how they want, work how they want etc. The maintenance part comes in through our support physically, mentally, and spiritually. Anytime we are non-supportive to our wives, sisters, mothers, or women in general, we are not maintaining them. Anytime especially as married men, we don't financially support our wives in a manner that gives her the freedom to choose or do what she pleases, we are not maintaining properly. Proper maintenance of a women to me, is when she is secure. Security means different things for different people and especially women, but the basics tend to be food, finances, and shelter. We must ensure women have places to live, food to eat, and the necessary finances to pursue her endeavours, whatever they may be. There really is no way around this, especially as a Muslim. That is why the Prophet of Islam(saw) instructed us men to only get married once we can afford it. A woman should only work when she wants to. She is our first teacher, leader, and guide, if we have her burdened because of our lack of maintenance, what happens to the next generation? Better yet, what has happened to the next generation? Protection of women is also physical, mental, and spiritual. Domestic violence is out of hand. There should never be a reason to put your hands on a woman. She is not your child, she is your equal and the mother of civilization. How can you put your hands on the woman God created as your direct equal? That's a slight against God, for without the women, where would we be? Verbal abuse is just as bad. I'm not going to go too deep with this, but when you see her, you should see all that is right with creation, for without her, nothing could continue. It is only through her that we begin to unravel the mysteries of God, which is actually locked away in her womb. Would you disrespect God? We have allowed our women to become mere objects, some would debate the responsibilities in this matter, but I'm putting it on us. Let me be blunt for a moment: Turn on your TV. Do you think for one minute that Mary the Mother of Jesus(saw) would be caught looking like that on television? Would you want to see your mother, sister, niece, aunt, etc. on the television shaking there backsides? Then why would you allow or even tolerate someone else,s family doing it? The mark of the believer is that they want for their brother what they have for themselves. So if its not OK for your daughter, why should it be alright for mine? I used Mary as an example, because we are taught in Islam that she was the most righteous woman to have walked the Earth and is an example to women and the world. We should support our women in such a way that they want to emulate Mary who through her all nations were blessed, instead of wanting our women to only fulfill our carnal and low desires. You can judge a nation and civilization by the way they treat their women. If this is in fact the true criterion, how would we measure up?

Knowledge and Worship of God

Brief and to the point. You can't know where your going until you understand where you have been. When we reflect on our origins, ancestry, etc. how can we not look back in awe. What's even greater than that awe is that there is an Active force behind it all that make all that we imagine possible. Why shouldn't you reverence that? Why shouldn't you reverence the Creator and Origin of all that is? Leaders must also be lead and are judged by that which they follow. If the head of life is not that which Originated you, or you don't even feel the need to respect and reverence your Origin, why should one follow you, if they rely on you to show them the way. If you don't even reverence where you came from, who wants a leader who can't possibly know where they are going? The study and knowledge of who we are and where we came from ends up with God. That knowledge should lead us to worship God. A "real man" in this instance, is one who has sense of direction, drive, and knows where he has been. Based off that knowledge, he knows where he is going. A "real man" has aim and purpose in life and has a plan, because we all know those who fail to plan, plan to fail. If God isn't what you reverence, isn't your center, or that which directs your life, than who or what is?

A "Real Man" lives in accordance to that which God created him to be

You have all read it before, maybe in different books, scriptures, etc. but the message in any form is consistent. From the Bible to the Quran and everywhere in between, we are told that God created us in His image and likeness, we should have the mind that was in Jesus(saw), or we were created to stand in the place of God on Earth. This is a great task and serious undertaking. What is this "image" of God that we are created in? What is this "mind" that Jesus(saw) had that we should have? What does it mean to stand in the place of God? I have been taught that God=force+power. Therefore, anything that exercises force and power over something else can for all intensive purposes, be a god. Anytime your environment controls you, whatever in that environment that exercises force and power over you is your god. If you can't look at another without sexual intention, lust is your god. If you can't be faithful to your spouse of significant other, sex has become your god. If you can't function without the desire for more money and things, greed amongst others is your god. That addiction or habit you can't seem to break, is your god. If we are created in the "image" of God then that means we have the ability to create and destroy within the context of our present reality. That means that our environment shouldn't change us, but we should change our environment and create and destroy it according to our will. The mind we should have that Jesus(saw) had is that of submission. It was due to his submission and faith that all thing were possible by him and through him. If we had that mind, our potential would be limitless. We are are own worst enemies. When we start to act in accordance with these rules we become the men we were created to be. We can stand in the place of God on Earth in our homes, neighborhoods, and lives. We can be the masters of our universe. "Real Men" realize their potential, actively pursue it, and use it in such a way, to create and environment pleasing to God. Life is what we make it, literally. We have the power, but we have to recognize it and use it. We humans reverence or at least should, all that God created so it makes sense to follow Him, what do you suppose would happen if we became god in our lives? Do you think our homes would be broken? Do you think our neighborhoods would be filled with crime? Do you think society would be the way it is?

- Robert Salaam

The World is an Abode of Troubles

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”

Imminence and Transcendence...

When you proclaim His imminence alone you limit God.
When you assert His transcendence alone you confine Him.
But when you maintain both side by side, you follow the right path, and gain both inner merit and command of gnosis.

-Ibn 'Arabi

Courage or Generosity?

Some people asked a Sufi master, "Which is better, courage or generosity?"
The Sufi master replied, "Those who are generous have no need for courage."

-Sadi, "Gulistan"

The Keys to the King's Treasury

...The interaction of free minds is like the connection of wires that bring light. But loose, individual wires don't light anything up, maybe you can use them to tie things up but they cannot light up anything.

Imam Ali says that God gave you the keys of His treasury when he gave you permission to call to Him. When He said, ‘Call upon Me and I will respond to you.' So when He said to you call upon Me, He guaranteed to you that He would respond. This is from the verse, ‘If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call to me. So let them respond to Me and let them have faith in Me so that perhaps they will be guided.'

- Dr. Asad Ali

Preoccupations

...Every time you are able to clear your mind of preoccupations you return to being a child. This is why Jesus said, ‘You will not enter The Dominion until you return and become like children,' that is until you have no preoccupations except with God. This is the idea of continuous childhood, this is the idea of the returning to purity...

- Dr. Asad Ali

Unity is Reality

Unity is Reality.
You cannot be "in" it and then "out" of it.
You can only "feel' separation,
but Unity is not about feeling one way as opposed to another.
That is separation and in Reality there is no separation.

- Ali Ansari

Allah is 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

An Important Hadith (As if they are not all important!)

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: `If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: `Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word `if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts".

- Muslim

A Lesson in Tawhid

In order to worship God, you must know God.
In order to know God, you must recognize his unity.
In order to recognize his unity, you must deny any possibility of describing how God is present, where he is present, and when he is present.

- Junayd: Tawhid

Patience

Patience comes in three stages: first, one learns not to follow the baser self; second, one learns to content oneself with one's fate; finally, one surrenders oneself to the Master's will and discovers within love and compassion, the greatest of all achievements.

-Al-Ghazzali, "Ibya Ulum Id-Din"

The Chosen People of God...

Once the Prophet was asked, "Who are the chosen people of God?"

He replied, "The truthful and the pure-hearted."

"O Prophet of Allah," they said, "truthful we understand, but who are the pure-hearted?"

"Those who neither fall into sin, nor transgress, who neither deceive nor bear malice. Such are the pure of heart."

-Hadith reported by Abd'Allah bin Amr

For all to see, Rasulullah's (SAW) words are so clear. God's chosen are not based on whether one calls oneself a Muslim, Jew, or Christian. To be God's chosen one must go beyond the superficiality of names and titles and look to the essence of the matter. We must focus on substance, not appearances -- for Allah knows all both within and without and it is only what lies inside our hearts and how we live our lives (the manifestation of that which lies within) that matters.

The Nature of Our Religion...

A hypothetical:

"I am the Lord thy God. Your lives and provision have been decreed. I want only of you recognition, not that you provide for yourselves. Let Me provide for you, and you worship Me. I have created you for this recognition. There is no way that you "can't" do it, I have built it into the depths of your very being. But there are created many distractions for you that will test your will and improve your strength and insight, so many of you "won't", for now. And it is for that choice that I have given you a free will.

"Knowing me is as simple as leaving your desires. To guide you in my direction I have sent you a revelation through a prophet perfect in character and understanding, yet human, that you be not discouraged. He describes for you that which you should practice and that in which you should trust, and exemplifies in his being the balance between them, the holding of them both in perfect harmony. He describes for you the religion of Surrender, which is the direct way of knowing Me for each one of you. He describes for you your faith. And He shows you the way to outer peace through inner peace. So believe now in Me and follow the way of Surrender I have revealed for you. It will lead you out of the suffering of your mortal illusions and into the true life that I have created for you."

On Self and God Realization

Because Allah is permanent, and this is without question, so is the manifestation of His creation that is beyond the time and space of worldly existence. And we are that manifestation.

But by that I do not mean us as the temporary and transitory manifestation of this life, which is only a moment in which we may discover ourselves and choose to abide in the truth or ignore it and pursue the illusion.

It is not that this temporary and transitory life is meaningless but that it is only a tool, a moment in eternity, by which we may gain knowledge of our transcendent nature. It is by means of this life that we gain our true recognition of God. It is by the very means of this life that we may learn to transcend it and know of and abide in our life forever in a garden not of our own making.

That is why I say often that the purpose of life, death, and everything in between is Self- and God-realization.

- Ali Ansari

Knowing Yourself...

People differ greatly in the amount of anxiety and worry they can stand: some can endure a great deal without being adversely affected, while others soon show signs of strain. You should observe yourself closely, so that you understand your own powers of endurance. By this means you will learn to divest yourself before any harm is done.

-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki

Winners and Losers

The Winner is always part of the answer;
The Loser is always part of the problem.
The Winner always has a program;
The Loser always has an excuse.
The Winner says,"Let me do it for you;"
The Loser says;" That is not my job."
The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem for every answer.
The Winner says," It may be difficult but it is possible";
The Loser says,"It may be possible but it is too difficult."
When a Winner makes a mistake, he says," I was wrong";
When a Loser makes a mistake, he says," It wasn't my fault."
A Winner makes commitments;
A Loser makes promises.
Winners have dreams;
Losers have schemes.
Winners say," I must do something";
Losers say, "Something must be done."
Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team.
Winners see the gain;
Losers see the pain.
Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems.
Winners believe in win/win;
Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.
Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.
Winners are like a thermostat;
Losers are like thermometers.
Winners choose what they say;
Losers say what they choose.
Winners use hard arguments but soft words;
Losers use soft arguments but hard words.
Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things;
Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.
Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you";
Losers follow the philosophy, "Do it to others before they do it to you."
Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.

- Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif

Our Worst Enemy...

Your worst enemy lies between your two ribs.

- Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

The most truthful words are often the least in number...

The Earth is Fixed? The Sunni Response...

A few weeks ago I posted a fatwa by the late Saudi scholar, Bin Baz, about his claim that the sun rotated around the Earth, based on his interpretation of certain Quranic ayat and ahadith. Below is a wonderful response and example, posted on Sunnipath.com, by a Sunni scholar about similar verses in the Qur'an pertaining to the sun and moon and how Islamic teachings are in perfect harmony with science. It also provides a glaring example of the difference between Wahhabism and Sunni scholarship.

Sun and moon verses in the Holy Qur'an
Answered by Sidi Sohail Hanif

I have a few questions regarding the nature of certain scientific verses related to astronomy in the Qur'an: In Surah 36,verse 40, Allah says:" The sun must not catch up the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion." In Surah 13, verse 2, He says, " ...Allah subjected the sun and the moon: each one runs its course to an appointed term..."Surah 36, verse 38: The Sun runs its course to a settled place. This is the decree of the Almighty, The Full of Knowledge."From these verses the notion that the Sun moves around the Earth seems to be implied. This is contradictory to modern science. Could you please explain the verses in the light of science and any other meanings they intend?

In the name of Allah Most Merciful Most Compassionate

Assalamu alaykum

The Qur'an is the word of Allah Most High, the One who knows the reality of everything. Therefore, everything mentioned in the Qur'an must necessarily correspond to reality and cannot contradict it. When seeking to compare our knowledge to what is mentioned in the Qur'an we must keep something in mind, namely the word 'reality'.

As we, the human race, learn more about the world, we realise how much we in fact do not know. Thus science may be described, as indeed it has been, as 'expanding horizons of ignorance', meaning we learn more and more about how ignorant we really are of the workings of the world around us. This is why science is always changing, and theories seen to be absolute, like Newton's laws of motion, after centuries of reliability and testing suddenly become restricted by others, such as Einstein's theory of relativity. It is therefore important for us to realize that a lot of what we believe or are taught are not realities, but rather theories that are yet waiting to be proven or dis-proven. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that one separates scientific fact from scientific theory.

The verses quoted in the question were indeed seen as problematic when the fact that the Earth orbits the Sun and not vice versa became common knowledge. The Sun was seen as a stationary entity around which the planets orbited. This of course was scientific fact...or was it?
It was certainly a fact that the planets orbited the Sun, so relative to them, the Sun was stationary, but did we know for sure that the Sun was indeed completely stationary? No, that was just an assumption as we did not see any reason why it would be in motion. The stationary nature of the Sun was therefore a theory waiting to be proven or disproven.

A number of decades ago, the truth was out. Further testing, and more advanced technology enabled us to get a better idea of not just the solar system in which we live, but also the galaxy in which we are and the universe in which our galaxy is in. We then became aware of the surprising fact that everything in the entire universe was in motion, nothing appeared to be stationary. Not only was everything in motion but there were several planes of motion that everything was subject to.

Of these celestial bodies is of course our Sun. The Sun has been proven to move in a number of manners.

First of all, it rotates upon its own axis, rather like the Earth. It completes one total rotation in about thirty days (for further information please see: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=615)

Secondly, it orbits, along with the planets, around the centre of mass of the solar system. The idea that the Sun is stable with all the planets orbiting it, is in fact a simplification. The centre around which the planets and the Sun rotate is actually the centre of mass of the solar system. However, since the Sun is so large compared to everything else in the solar system, with 99% percent of the mass of the solar system in the Sun itself, the centre of mass is only just outside the Sun so its orbit is very slight. For further reading see, http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=461

Thirdly, the Sun, along with its planets, orbits the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way at a speed of about 220 kilometres per second (792,000 kilometres per hour). Despite its shockingly fast speed, the Milky Way is a big place and it takes the Sun about 230 million years to complete one orbit of the Milky Way. The Qur'an in the above quoted verse from Sura Yasin aptly uses the verb tajri which implies fast motion to describe the movement of the Sun, 'The Sun runs its course to a settled place' (36:38). For further details please see, http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=96

Fourthly, the Sun, along with everything else in the entire Milky Way, is moving towards our neighbouring galaxy Andromeda. I am not aware of the speed of this motion.

Fifthly, the Sun, along with the entire Milky Way and Andromeda, is moving towards the Virgo cluster which is the nearest cluster of galaxies. Again I am not aware of the speed of this motion.

As is quite evident, a matter that was taken as fact not so long ago was subsequently proven to be not just inaccurate, but rather completely wrong. A number of lessons can be drawn from the preceding discussion.

Firstly, one must realise the importance of separating fact from presumption. This is an extremely important skill in all spheres of one's life, not just when looking at outer space. The Qur'an often alludes to the misguidance of people who take presumptions to be facts, 'They follow but a guess, and lo! a guess can never take the place of the truth' (53:28). Very often a number of presented facts will have concealed within them a presumption and it requires a discerning eye to pick it out; so be warned!

Secondly, one can see that the Qur'an consistently shows itself to be referring to nothing but realities, describing matters exactly as they are. Not only is it accurate and breathtakingly beautiful in its original Arabic it is observable that the Qur'an uses the most precise terms possible, such that if one were to search the entire Arabic language one would not find a more suitable word to put in place of a word chosen by the Qur'an. This study of the choice of Qur'anic words is a fascinating study undertaken by sholars of i'jaz, the study of the Qur'anic linguistic miracle.

Thirdly, when the Qur'an refers to Allah's signs in the universe, one must not just stop with analyzing the signs themselves; this is clear short sightedness. Rather, one must reflect on what the sign is quoted to show. The universe is Allah Most High's handiwork, and He teaches us that by reflecting on His handiwork one will gain more knowledge about the One whose handiwork it is. The above quoted verse from sura Yasin, after mentioning the motion of the Sun and the Moon, and the regulation of day and night, says, 'That is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing'. Allah Most High chose these two very specific names to describe himself in this verse as they are the most evident when looking at these aspects of His creation. The extreme size of the Sun, its rapid motion through its galaxy, the sheer size of its galaxy, the Milky Way, and the immense size of the known universe point clearly to the Might of the One to whom this universe is subject, coming into existence at His will, and submitting to His laws without exception. His infinite knowledge is clearly indicated by his determining everything in a perfect way to enable this entire universe to exist in harmony and setting laws that see to the seamless running of the universe, specifying the various materials that make up the universe and the very precise measurements that enable life to exist one our little Earth. One also learns of one's insignificance before Allah Most High and is humbled before His creation.

Lastly, Allah Most High turns our attention to a reality, more pressing and worthy of attention than the reality of the motion of the Sun in the above quoted verse, 'The Sun runs its course to a settled place'. This reality is that the Sun is running very fast towards its own demise, the place where, once reached, the Sun will not run anymore. This is to remind us that we too, like the Sun, are running, at a speed comparable to that of the Sun to a place after which we, also, will cease to run; namely the grave. These most formidable manifestations of Allah's power have an end so what of our end that is so very near to each of us? Is it not easy for the One who created this breathtaking creation to recreate us, judge us, and admit us to our eternal abodes? The one who reflects on the creation of the universe answers with a definite, 'Yes.'

We ask Allah Most High to show us His signs in the universe, and to enable us to reflect on the signs and to turn our reflection into action for His sake.

Amin.

Sohail Hanif

Music and the Heart

Know that God Most High has a mystery in the human heart. It is hidden in it just as fire in iron; when a stone is struck on iron the mystery (fire) is made manifest and plain. In the same way listening to fine music (sama-i khush) and rhythmic song (awaz-i mawzun) excites that essence in the heart. Something appears in it without a person's having any choice about it. The reason for this is the relationship that the essence of every human being has with the World of the Sublime: that which is called the world of spirits.

The Sublime World is the world of excellence and beauty; the basis of excellence and beauty is proportion; whatever is in proportion gives proof of the beauty of that world. For, every beauty, excellence, and proportionality that is perceived in this world is all the fruit of the beauty, excellence and proportionality of that world.

Therefore, a sweet, rhythmic, proportioned song also has a resemblance to the marvels of that world. Because of this, an awareness is awakened in the heart. A movement, a yearning or longing is born that the (listener) himself may not understand what it is. This is in a heart which is simple and devoid of being affected by passion and yearning. However, if it is not empty and is occupied with something, that with which it is occupied starts to move and brighten as does a flame when it is breathed upon.

For the person whose heart has been conquered by the fire of the love of God Most High, music is important, for it makes that fire burn hotter. However, for anyone whose heart harbors love for the false, music is fatal poison for him and is forbidden to him. (Alchemy of Happiness, p 425)

- From Khalid Ajmain, The Divine Secrets blog

Finding Yourself Where Nobody Else Looks

Feelings of abandonment leave loneliness, loneliness leaves hopelessness, hopelessness leaves despair and despair takes on addiction and addiction leads to further self abandonment, even though it is an attempt to find oneself.

So we might say that loneliness is the root cause of addictions and the ensuing self-destruction in the name of self-preservation. And loneliness is caused by feelings of abandonment.

So if we can find ourselves where nobody else looks, we will have saved our own souls. Hence the need for Community, Teaching and Teacher.

- Ali Ansari

Is Religion a Matter of Taste?

A true Muslim, by definition, is the one who submits to God consciously and willingly.
Consciousness refers to the recognition of the truth by the soul, whereas willingness is the soul’s acknowledgement of the truth through internal and external actions.
The Quran makes it very clear to all mankind that there is no compulsion in religion (Islam), which means, as long as there is compulsion, there is no true submission, i.e., Islam.
Compulsion is a condition when one acts contrary to his will; it means lack of conscience, and resolve.
Islam ultimately is what an individual desires for himself or herself, not what the family or the society desires of him or her.
Being a Muslim is not an inherited social status; it is rather a state of the soul, and no external authority can make it exist or disappear.
Hence, he in whom Islam never takes hold, has never been a Muslim regardless of whether his name is Muhammad or Abdullah.
Apostasy will never happen to a true Muslim. It only “happens” to one who has never been a Muslim.
Having said that, the true solution to the problem of apostasy is to have a proper education for the Muslim community.

- DR SYED ALI TAWFIK AL-ATTAS AND MD ASHAM AHMAD

On Allah and His Creation

Allah is far above His creation, unique, distinct and separate from it. Yet His creation is not separate from Him, and is a manifestation of His existence, and points to him.

- Ali Ansari

The Hinderances the World Causes

Even before accomplishing enlightenment a person knows that everything attests to the existence of God. But these virtuous feelings of innocence disappear as he begins to mingle with corrupt society, because worldly affairs hinder him from swimming in the vast ocean of insight.

-Al-Ghazzali, "Ihya Ulum Id-Din"

Real or Illusion?

God made the illusion look real and the real an illusion. He concealed the sea and made the foam visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest. You see the dust whirling, but how can the dust rise by itself? You see the foam, but not the ocean.

Invoke Him with deeds, not words, for deeds are real and will save you in the afterlife.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

What Should a Teacher Look Like?

For all of us who yearn to know the qualities of a great teacher, we just have to read about the many illuminaries that Allah has brought mankind throughout the history of Islam. Here's one good example...

"Shaykh `Ali al-Shabramallisi may Allah be pleased with him) became one of the greatest scholars of his age in all the religious discplines, but especially in the Shafi`i school of Sacred Law. He was someone that the scholars of his age returned to in order to solve difficult issues, and he had a powerful memory and a sharp understanding.

The noble traits that his biographers mention about him include the following:

(1) He was extremely gentle and forbearing, to the extent that no one recalls him ever having spoken any harsh word to any of his students, despite the time and energy that he would put into teaching them. If one of his students said something to displease him, the worst thing that he would say was, "May Allah rectify your state, O so-and-so." He was pleasant to speak to and interact with, and he would not talk about anything that did not concern him.

(2) He commanded respect and reverence from everyone to the extent that anyone who saw his illuminated face, his white beard, and his beautiful appearance would feel humbled and and would not want to part company with him. When he walked in the marketplace, people--Muslim and non-Muslim--would crowd and compete with one another to kiss his hand out of respect for him.

(3) He was unattached to the world. His gatherings were completely free of backbiting or speaking ill of people. He was so unconcerned with the affairs of the world that he wasn't aware of the latest happenings and he wouldn't spend time with people of worldly influence except in order to use his own standing to put in a good word for those in need. He used to spend all of his time reviewing sacred knowledge, reciting the Quran, praying, and worship.

(4) He would not get annoyed with investigating answers to difficult questions during his lessons. Rather, he would get upset if the students would not investigate these issues with him. If he investigated an objection to one of the early scholars, he would do it with the utmost respect.

Shaykh `Ali Shabramallisi used to say, "A single carat of proper behavior (adab) is better than 24 carats of knowledge." - Shaykh Amjad Rasheed

May Allah bless you and be pleased with you Shaykh 'Ali....

When reason reaches its peak...

When reason reaches its peak and the souls of His lovers feel helpless and disabled, they grow restless and stretch their hands in supplication, seeking comfort for their burning souls. When every manner of search within their power has been consumed, the doorway to Him is opened.

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

The Earth is Fixed! And Other Wahhabi Knee-Slappers...

In support of the notion that Wahhabism is anti-intellectual/anti-reason/anti-science and thus anti-Islam:

"Abd al-Aziz bin Baz was the chief cleric of Saudi Arabia, the head of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars for three decades. He had a great impact on the passing of regressive and oppressive laws in Saudi Arabia, including the ban on women's driving. A book authored by Bin Baz was published in 1975 carried the following title: "Scientific and Narrative Evidence for that the Earth is Fixed, the Sun is Moving and it is Possible to Go to the Planets." The book was not published by any publishing house; it was published by none other than the Islamic University of Medina.

In that book, Bin Baz complains about a new heresy; he is saddened to see, well more accurately, hear, people talking about motion of the earth and he wants to put a stop to that heresy. In page 23, Bin Baz after listing some hadiths issues a fatwa, asserting that those who believe that the earth is rotating are kafirs (disbelievers), and if they were Muslims before they become apostate. The Saudi leader does not stop there and explains the ramification of fatwa: any Muslim believing in the rotation of earth lose his or her right to life and property; they should be killed!

Bin Baz, in his book, quoted some verses and many hadith to support his position that the earth is fixed. After his expressing the religious verdict of death penalty for the apostates who believe in a moving earth, he included the following reasoning as his scientific evidence:

"If the world was rotating as they assert, countries, mountains, trees, rivers, seas, nothing would be stable; humans would see the countries in the west in the east, the ones in the east in the west. The position of the qibla would change continuously. In sum, as you see, this claim is false in many respects. But, I do not wish to prolong my words.""

- Edip Yuksel

Pure Awareness

The implication here is awareness, constant, perpetual, self-effulgent awareness for its own sake, and not an awareness of any particular created thing. Awareness of something is ghaflah –غفله – (distraction), because of it we will miss some other thing. But if we have a pure awareness, then we are open and made available, and the knowledge we need in any circumstance will come to us...

If we are sensitive enough, we find meaning in every breath, and then every occurrence that takes place in front of us has meaning. But we are generally insensitive, and if we do not see it as it passes, then it is gone forever and we have missed it…Every split second Allah is giving us a meaning in order to show us the total ecological balance in this existence, the mizan – ميذن - (balance)."

- Sheikh Fadhlalla Haeri

The Goal of Religion is Alchemy

In Alchemy it is said that a first minimum portion of gold is needed to enable the transformative process from lead into gold. It is the basic yearning for nearness with Allah, the Source of everything. This first godsend of Allah is required to enable the transformation from urge-driven human beings into believers. Every human being is in possession of this "start-capital" that he or she has received as a gift from Allah. Therefore we have to respect each individual person for being a carrier of this gift, this potential for transformation, even though thick layers of personality may cover it.

Religion is meant to support this transformation. Religion reaches far beyond our intellectual capacity, and its ultimate value cannot be comprehended by the mind.

- Peter Huseyin Cunz

Tawhid Involves Reconciling Apparent Duality...

Tawhid involves reconciling that which is apparently irreconcilable, there are mutualities between us and the people of Isa (as) and between us and the people of Musa (as). Let us accentuate those mutualities in a bid to revive the spirit of tawhid, to revive the dream of virtue and take on the characteristic of Allah Subhana Wa Tala. Why have we shortchanged ourselves and not aspire to that aspiration? This is a question we must ask ourselves.

The Prophet (pbuh) says if you find people without aspiration, leave them. The mu’min by definition is a visionary, he is by definition someone who is living beyond the apparent and who’s reference point is in the hereafter. Is that our reference point? Is that our reference in the way in which we interact with ourselves? Our reference point in the way we interact with others? We must have rahma upon ourselves and have mercy upon the creation of Allah and Allah will have mercy upon you.

- Imam Luqman Ali

On Tawhid and Shari'ah

...This is the completion of the message of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), that Allah Subhana Wa Tala is transcendent, He is majestic, and He is also beautiful. He is also closer to us than closeness and more approximate to us than we can imagine. The entirety of the deen and the Sharia is designed to minimise and bring to an absolute minimum, the inherent conflict in duality. If our Sharia results in the division of people, it is not tawhidi Sharia, it is not a tawhidi deen. It is Sharia being used by people for other ends, for power and other such corruptions.

- Imam Luqman Ali

The One You Desire is Before You...

This long journey can be shortened for you,
If you sit in The Presence.
The One you desire is before you,
Become eyes to see Him, surrender your thoughts of Him.
Because to think is to be thrown afar,
The Friend does not associate with otherness.

- Sheikh Mahmoud Shabistary

Five Things to Focus On...

Dhu'l-Nun was asked: "What causes a devotee to be worthy of entrance to paradise?"
He said: "One merits entrance to paradise by five things: unwavering constancy, unflagging effort, meditation on God in solitude and society, anticipating death by preparing provision for the hereafter, and bringing oneself to account before one is brought to judgment."

-'Attar, "Tadhkirat"

What is Soul?

What is soul?
Soul is conscious of good and evil, rejoicing over kindness, weeping over injury.
Since consciousness is the inmost nature and essence of the soul,
the more aware you are the more spiritual you are.
Awareness is the effect of the spirit:
anyone who has this in abundance is a man or woman of God.

-Mathnawi [VI, 148-150]

Persistence

Whether you are fast or slow, eventually you will find what you are seeking. Always devote yourself wholeheartedly to your search. Even though you may limp or be bent double, do not abandon your search, but drag yourself ever toward Him.

- Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi(rahmatullahi 'alayhi)

Beware the Invalid Aqidah of Wahhabism

Shaykh Jamil Effendi al-Zahawi al-Hanbali al-Makki on Wahhabism:

"... These verses [of the Qur'an] he [i.e. Muhammed ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab] interpreted in his own obscure fashion, having the gall to stand before Allah and facilitate the accomplishment of his own personal political ambitions by means of an unwarranted and unjustified exegesis of His holy text. His method here mostly consisted in applying these verses concerning the idolaters to Muslims and on this basis declaring that they had been disbelievers for the last six hundred years, that one may shed their blood with impunity and confiscate their property and reduce their land, the Abode of Islam, (Dar al-Islam) to a field of war against disbelief (Dar al-Harb)."

Sounds a lot like what we're up against today.... Using the Qur'an to declare war and unbelief against anyone that disagrees with them.... They are nothing but wolves in sheeps' clothing hoodwinking most of the Muslims because of our ignorance and tribalism... And how many 'imams' around us make du'a for these 'mujahideen' of calamity and suffering, while actually believing that they are fighting for Allah's sake as opposed to their own fascist political agendas (i.e. nafs)? I cannot support nor excuse fascism, whether it comes from Western leaders or Muslims... Right is right and wrong is wrong (Qur'an, 2:224; 5:8; 6:152; 16:09)...

The Shaykh continues:

"One of Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab's more enormous stupidities is this: When he sees reason going against his claims, he casts aside all modesty and suspends reason giving it no role in his judgment. He endeavors thereby to make people like dumb beasts when it comes to matters of faith. He prohibits reason to enter into religious affairs despite the fact that there is no contradiction between reason and faith. On the contrary, whenever human minds reach their full measure of completeness and perfection, religion's merits and prerogatives with regard to reason become totally manifest. Is there in this age, an age of the mind's progress, anything more abominable than denying reason its proper scope, especially when the cardinal pivot of religion and the capacity to perform its duties is based on the ability to reason? For the obligation to carry out the duties of Islam falls away when mental capacity is absent. Allah has addressed his servants in many places in the Qur'an: "O you who possess understanding" (cf. 65:10) alerting them to the fact that knowledge of the realities of religion is only a function of those possessed of minds.

"Now the time has come for me to give a summation of the vain and empty prattle of the renegade Wahhabi sect which it aspires to issue as a doctrine. Next, I shall discuss it in terms of the research that has been brought in its rebuttal and refute its argument. Their invalid creed consists of a number of articles:

1 - Affirming the face, hand, and spatial direction of the Creator and making Him a body that
descends and ascends;
2 - Making principles derived from narration (naql) prior to those derived from reason (`aql);
3 - Denial and rejection of consensus as a principle (asl) of Shari`a legislation;
4 - Similar denial and rejection of analogy (qiyas);
5 - Not permitting copying and emulating the judgments of the Imams who have in Islam the
status of those capable of exercising independent reasoning in matters of Shari`a;
6 - Declaring Muslims who contradict them disbelievers;
7 - Prohibition of using the name of the Messenger in petitions to Allah or the name of someone
else among the friends of Allah and the pious;
8 - Making the visiting of the tombs of prophets and of pious people illicit;
9 - Declaring a Muslim a disbeliever who makes a vow to someone other than Allah or sacrifices
at the grave or final resting place of awliya or the pious."

- Shaykh Jamil Effendi al-Zahawi al-Hanbali al-Makki

The Knowledge of Muhammad (SAW)

"Anyone not learned in the Knowledge of Muhammad dies insisting on unforgivable sin."
~ Sufi saying ~

This is an affirmation of the Sufi knowledge that he (Muhammad) is the first and the last of the saviours of souls. This is not a statement of exclusivity but of inclusivity, for the Healing or Salvation brought by the knowledge of Muhammad emcompasses, embraces and loves the knowledge of salvation and healing brought by all other prophets, saints and guides to this way of reality.

There IS only one way, the way of personal salvation and it is the personal way, the way of choosing to be in that way, to seperate yourself from ignorance, and join with the people of salvation. For salvation of the soul is attained only by the personal choice to realize and accept the Forgiveness of God, and through communion, accepting the guidance, tuteledge and education of the teachers of this way; by being saved, and by being among those sent to guide, tutor and educate others in the ways of Surrender to God's Mercy, Forgiveness and Abundance.

Hence the Muslim call to prayer is "come to Service and Worship, and come to True Success and Prosperity. "

- Ali Ansari

Whose Touching Our Hearts?

Hidden creatures good and bad always touch the heart. The touch of the angel is inspiration; Satanic touches temptations untold. Tarry with patience until your confusion is resolved and you know whom you rejected and who became the leader of your heart.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Practicing Youth Development: Teaching Young People to Strive and 'Follow Their Bliss'

On the death of Ed Bradley...

"Born June 22, 1941, Bradley grew up in a tough section of Philadelphia, where he once recalled that his parents worked 20-hour days at two jobs apiece. "I was told, `You can be anything you want, kid,'" he once told an interviewer. "When you hear that often enough, you believe it."

The above quote serves as support for the importance of having high expectations for children and young people. Youth development research tells us that adults who have high expectations for their kids, and support them accordingly, play a major role in nurturing resiliency in young people, particularly those that grow up in at-risk environments. Resilient youth are those that are able to succeed where so many others fail; who can pick themselves up when they are knocked down and who are less likely to fall victim to the lures of vice and unhealthy lifestyles. Resilient youth do not denigrate themselves because they know their own self-worth; they believe in the words of the adults that nurtured them and taught them that they can be something. To teach someone that they can be something implies that they already are something. Thus, if we teach our children how honored they are to be in the human family, how special a gift their life is, that Allah himself created them as the pinnacle of His magnificent creation and His khalifah, and raise and support them according to this mindset, they will believe it and expect of themselves excellence in life.

Teaching young people to follow their bliss means encouraging them to pursue that inner drive and direction about which the Prophet (SAW) said: "Act, for each of you will find easy that for which he was created" (Muslim). Don't deny young people this divine gift by forcing them to be something that they are not inclined to. Surrender to the God-given fitra that lies within and nurture young people to actualize themselves according to their divinely-created nature. Then, support them and guide them along this path of theirs and help them to learn about themselves along the way. Education, in the end, is ultimately about knowing oneself and "He who knows himself, knows his Lord." So let's practice youth development by encouraging and supporting our young people along the path of self-discovery, self-realization and self-actualization.

Islam is the Medicine the World Needs

If we Muslims simply see ourselves as healers, not warriors, and see Islam as the medicine, not the weapon, and learn to apply it, like all medicines, with a judicious perspective on the nature of disease and disharmony, then we will be successful in our endeavors to have the world understand the benefits and healing nature of Islam.

- Ali Ansari

Comprehend Your Relationship with Allah

Behold the words of the Qur'an:
"We are closer to you than you are yourself."
Comprehend your relationship with God!
He is closer to us than our own selves.
Yet through ignorance we search for Him
Wandering from door to door.

- Anonymous

Understanding Allah and Opposites

God created suffering and heartache, so that joy might be known as their opposite. Hidden things become manifest through their opposites. But God has no opposite; so he remains hidden. Light is known as the opposite of darkness. But God's light has no opposite. Thus we cannot know him through our eyes.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Reason and Knowledge

"Reason is that wherein man goes before all other earthly creatures and comes after God only.... For whereas God ... hath furnished other creatures, some with hoofs, others with other instruments, and weapons both defensive and offensive, man is left naked, and destitute of all these, but may comfort himself in that one endowment of reason...whereby he is able to govern them all."

- John Robinson


In Islam "...logic is an aspect of truth and Truth (Al-Haqq) is a name of God." (Nasr, Living Sufism). The use of logic is like the use of a rung in a ladder - properly used it can help man move upward along the vertical axis of his being. Reason is an innate ability within man which encompasses logic and which can propel him rapidly upwards along the vertical dimension. But in order to do this reason must be free of the taint of man's animal, material propensities. Otherwise reason can be subverted to provide spurious justification for man to attain his desires in whatever realm his desires may fall. Reason and correct knowledge must go hand in hand. "....one who has no reason secures no success. He who has no (correct) knowledge has no (correct) reasoning....A person devoid of reason cannot be conceived of except as a corpse." (Al-Kafi, The Book of Reason and Ignorance)

- Irshaad Hussein

Silence is Golden

Stop talking!
What a shame you have no familiarity
with inner silence!
Polish your heart for a day or two:
make that mirror your book of contemplation.

-Mathnawi [VI, 1286-1287]

The Power of our Belief

"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is." And the underlying belief of the nafs is in insufficiency and inadequacy - of being "without", rather than "within". When we look to the outside world, we see that we do not have it, so we see ourselves as "without" it. It is our first perception and reinforced as true by all around us who believe in it.

So belief in the world is belief in our perception of lack, of absence, for which the only cure is knowledge of God, which leads us back to the inner life and results in the disappearance of the universe. Then we live in the outside world, which is always changing, guided by our inner reality knowing the truth and behaving outwardly accordingly.

So be guided by those who lead to Heaven through transforming and guiding the inward understanding and who do not fall prey to the illusions of the existence of the outward world and give over their lives to the vain and futile struggle to change it according to their desires. Changing your inward IS changing your outward, for indeed, "as you believe, so shall it be."

- Ali Ansari

The Importance of Knowledge of God

I once saw a Christian monk gaunt through self-sacrifice and doubled over by the fear of God. I asked him to show me the path of God. He replied, "If you knew God you would know the way to Him. I worship Him although I do not know Him; you disobey Him though you know Him. With knowledge comes fear, yet you are self-assured; with heresy ignorance, yet I feel fear within me." His words moved me so deeply that since then I have refrained from wrongdoing.

-Abd'Allah bin Mubarak al-Marwazi, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"

The Scholars Have Spoken - Alhamdulillah!

Alhamdulillah for our learned who have responded with this wonderful letter in response to the infamous speech by the Pope. Rather than respond with 'demands for apologies' and political rallies, the scholars of our ummah have put together a thoughtful, scholarly and measured response in the spirit of truth, dialogue and mutual respect. May Allah bless them and allow this letter to highlight to the world the difference between true Islamic scholarship and politicians in the guise of the learned...

It is too long to include in full so please click on the link above to access it...

Be it the world or the space, He is with you...

Be it the world or the space, He is with you.
He chastises to make the impure pure.
Neglect devotion and be bound by fetters of pain and doubt.
Seek freedom, the remedy of all pain.
Seek the roots from which sprout leaves and fruit.
Water the roots and grow to perfection.
And when the fruit blossoms, give it to your friends.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

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.

-Rumi, Mathnawi [V, 1089-1090]

The Greater Jihad

I made peace with all the people in the world, resolving never to wage war on anyone, and I waged war against my self and have never since made peace with it.

-Kharaqani in Attar: Tadhkirat

Ramadan

Bismillâhi-r-Rahmâni-r-Rahîm


As-Salâmu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullâhi Wa Barakâtuh

Ramadan Mubarak

Dear beloved brothers and sisters,

Our beloved sister Amr has sent this jewel for your hearts, thank you Amr.
Ramadan Karim.
*********************

The Prophet Muhammad's (s) Sermon given on the last Friday of Sha'ban on the reception of the Month of Ramadhan

"O People !"

"Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies God; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honour your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked...

"O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

"O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven.

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?"

The Prophet (s) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water."

"One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the 'Siraat'...on the day that feet will slip...

"One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement...

"As for one who honours an orphan; Allah will honour him on the day of judgement,

"And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgement.

"As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him...

"Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him...

"Whoever performs an obligator prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

"And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

"He who recites one verse of the Holy Qur'an will be given the rewards of reciting the hole Qur'an during other months.

"O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."

------------------------------------------

The Month of Ramadhan.

We have all come from before endless time, passing through this experience and returning to endless time. Allah in His own description of Himself declares that nothing in this creation increases Him nor does it decrease Him by any measure of perceived creation or destruction. He sends souls to the Fire and He is not affected., He sends souls to the Garden and He is not affected. He is Himself, fulfilled and needs nothing. By His Love He manifested this creation to be known and worshiped. He gathered the Arwah (spirits) of all creatures and asked if He is not their Lord. All the Arwah (spirits) answered "yes!" This is the pre-???creational imprinting stamped on every created thing.

Each Ruh (spirit) is cloaked with nafs (soul) and through the heart (mirror) reflects the world around us. Face the mirror-heart towards what nourishes the primal imprint and command to 'know the Lord" and it will shine with the light of that realization. Face the mirror-heart towards that which distracts it from the pre-creational affirmation and it will languish in darkness and distraction. The heart is so vast by its nature, you may spend an eternity filling it with the pleasures and distractions of this world, yet still never be content. The heart was made to contain only the Light of Allah, therefore, it is truly "the heart of the matter"; the focal point to which Allah makes himself known. Allah in His overflowing and immeasurable bounty gifted mankind with the means to fulfil His intention, establishing His Khalifa in this world. Islam is the provided means and clear universal articulation of the path to fulfill His Love to be known and worshiped.

In this coming month of Ramadhan, Allah has spread the table wide for nourishing both the inner and outer. He provides the means to realizing His omnipresence and complete engulfing of our entire affair. Allah created the world on a dual foundation that permeates every experience and possibility. As we develop as human beings, there are basic energy centred facets of our nature that compound and play a major role in our lives. They are based on the universal law of duality. This universal dynamic expresses itself in our human experience in many ways. The essential way we experience the dual nature of things is through repulsion and attraction.

From even before we are born, we experience repulsion and attraction. We are cramped; we move. We are tired; we sleep. We are hungry; we seek food. As we develop from birth to childhood these wants and their resolution complexify into a fully developed personality we call "I", or me. Each one of us develops in different ways, but the basic foundation is the same for us all. For many of us, the way that these basic attractions and repulsion's were met, resulted in the pollution of the prime imprinting to discover His Lordship. So we ate, repulsed by hunger, seeking fulfilment (attraction) to food that may or may not have been the best for us. This is where the wisdom teachings of Islam are needed to bring about the best choices. But as children and later as adults we aren't always given the best, nor do we choose the best. It is as a long result of these errant exposures and choices that effect the development of our selves, its health or sickness. Ramadhan is the cure for these developments. It addresses the basic energies behind most of what motivates us. These are sleep, food, and sex.

In the blessed month of Ramadhan, we are awakened when we would sleep. We eat at unaccustomed times, and we curtail our sexual desires until permitted, by the wisdom teachings of Ramadhan. All these basic energy centres are affected, making it possible for old and negative patterns to be broken and transformed. Fasting through the month of Ramadhan makes it possible to realign these basic energies, giving way to a new and realised approach to the health and well being of the Soul.

The natural result of curtailing these basic energies is that it makes us more sensitive, capable of more readily perceiving the subtle nature of our being. Fasting from the engagement of these powerful primal energies frees us to direct our focus on the true purpose of heart and being. It is as though we are removed from the bodily needs, bringing forth a focus on the needs of the soul. It is in a way a mythal of the meaning of La ilaha illa 'llah, there is no god but God. Denial of one (La ilaha) brings about the realization of the truth (illa Allah). Close down the path to the appetites of the nafs and the pathways of nourishing light are opened. From constriction comes expansion, and it is in the practice of fasting that we are raised to a higher state of consciousness. Ramadhan is a great gift and if entered into with the intention to fast for Allah alone, the reward will be for what you intend.

Allah Created Sin for the Sake of Forgiveness

Abu Sirma reported that when the time of the death of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari had drawn near, he said,

I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger. He said, "Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them." (Muslim 37:6620)

Allah created sin so that He could forgive because He, the Most Forgiving, loves to forgive... SubhanAllah!

This should encourage us to never despair of Allah's mercy... No matter what we have done. Of course, this implies us taking the humble initiative to repent, repent and repent to the One who hears all...

Esoterics of of Al-Fatihah

As for the opening chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah), it contains a synthesis of the whole book, and as noted earlier, its recitation marks the beginning of every daily service. It has a role in Islam that is analogous to that of the Shema' in Judaism and of the "Lord's Prayer" in Christianity, and is divided into two parts. The former contains a mention of the divine names, while the latter is a request of guidance and of protection against deviance.

Its words mean:
1. In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
3. The Merciful, the Compassionate,
4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
5. Thee we worship and Thee we ask for help.
6. Guide us to the straight path,
7. The path of those whom Thou hast favored, not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who go astray.

Abu Hurayrah, one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, narrated that he heard him say: "God, mighty and sublime is he, had said:

I have divided the service between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds," God says, "My servant has praised Me," and when he says, "The Merciful, the Compassionate," God says, "My servant has extolled Me." When he says, "Master of the Day of Judgment," God says, "My servant has glorified Me." When he says: "Thee we worship and Thee we ask for help," God says: "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." And when he says: "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favored, not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who stray," God says, "This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for."

This mention of divine answers to the recitation of the creature leads us to understand in which sense the service is considered an intimate colloquium between the creature and his Creator. After completing the reading of al-Fatihah, the worshipper adds other verses from the Qur'an, and then bows, to show that he has not added anything to the praise which Allah gives to himself, but as only manifested by means of his created tongue, the uncreated Word which — according to Islam — is one of the divine attributes. After bowing, the believer stands again, and while coming back to the erect position says what means, "God listens to the one who praises him." This is a further clarification of the intimacy with the Divine Essence that is reached by means of the service, since God is not actually listening to the words of his servant, but rather to his own Word, which descended upon the tongue of his servant. As a consequence of this divine epiphany, the same individuality of the creature is temporarily abolished, and the worshipper prostrates with his forehead to the ground, symbolically coming back to the earth he came from. No individuality can stand in front of God, and the prostration represents a condition of extinction (fana' in Arabic) of the created nature, which is like a temporary mirage, like a contingent shining which made God's light manifested. Even so, extinction in God is not conceived in Islam as a permanent condition, but as the first stage, which in the Islamic terminology is referred as "the journey from the creation toward the Truth." It is immediately followed by subsistence in God (baqa'); i.e., by the "journey from the Truth toward the creation." After being extinguished in God, the creature is sent back to himself, and this is represented by the seated position, which follows the prostration. That subsistence through God, the coming back to one's createdness while remembering the precedent, relative union with God, is itself transitory, and is followed by the stage in which the creature is again extinguished through the "extinction of the extinction" (fanu-l-fana'), which is represented by a second prostration.

- Shaykh Abdul-Hadi Palazzi, "What Do We Want the Other to Teach
About Islamic Prayer and Liturgy?"

Oh Allah, You are Peace and From You is Peace

O God,
Thou art Peace and Peace comes from Thee,
And Peace cometh back to Thee.
Let us enter,
Our Lord,
In the abode of Peace
And grant us access to Heaven.
Thy abode is an abode of Peace,
May Thou be blessed and exalted,
Thou art the Owner of Majesty and Generosity.

- Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

Imam Shafi's Love of Truth

Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong,
or to expose him and win victory over him.
Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray --
O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart
and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side,
he may follow me;
and if truth be on his side, I may follow him.

- Imam Ash-Shafi (rahimullah)

A Beautiful Du'a

OH ALLAH, I thank YOU for this day.
I thank YOU for my being able to see and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because YOU are forgiving and understanding.
Oh Allah, YOU have done so much for me & YOU keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything I have done,
said, or thought that was not pleasing to YOU.
I ask YOU now for YOUR forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day;
To clear my mind so that I can hear from YOU.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.
Let me continue to see sin through YOUR eyes and acknowledge it as evil.
And when I sin, let me repent, and receive YOUR forgiveness.
And when this world closes in on me, let me remember YOU;
- To slip away and find a quiet place to make DUA...
It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't make DUA, YOU listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do YOUR will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
I make DUA for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I make DUA for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I make DUA for those who don't know YOU intimately.
I make DUA for those that will delete this without sharing it with others
I make DUA for those that don't believe;
But I thank you that I believe.
I believe that Allah changes people and Allah changes things.
I make DUA for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member in their households.
I make DUA for peace, love, and joy in their homes;
That they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
Ameen.

- Author Unknown

Letter to the Editor: Pope’s Speech Being Used to Fuel a Divisive Agenda

The Muslim world is aghast once again at another seeming ‘low-blow’ to the faith by none other than Pope Benedict. Upon reading the Pope’s speech itself rather than relying on press accounts, the Pope makes reference to a dialogue carried on in 1391 by the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, as mentioned in an obscure book written by one Thomas Khoury. In reading the Pope’s words in the context of his full speech, it appears that his only crime is in his choice of using Thomas Khoury’s book and the weak and obtuse arguments presented in it to make a broader scholarly argument about the incompatibility of violence and faith across all religious traditions. Though it is unclear why he chose Khoury’s book and its provocative language as a reference, his arguments can be easily refuted with even basic knowledge of the role of reason in faith from the perspective of Islamic thought. That being said, the Pope’s speech is evidently being manipulated once again by those that aim to benefit from more hatred and violence between the Western and the Muslim worlds, in step with the Danish cartoon incident. Unfortunately, many Muslim leaders and groups are falling for the trap and making irresponsible comments, even after admitting they did not read the speech but based their reactions entirely on what the press had written. Instead of asking for apologies and protests, perhaps the response should come in like form to the Pope’s original statements; that of a scholarly dialogue on the issues discussed in his speech. In so doing, perhaps we could turn another potentially disastrous incident into a positive one by moving toward a dialogue of civilizations rather than a clash of civilizations.

Read the speech here: http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=94748

The Perfection of Awareness

There are three stages to the perfection of awareness (at the end of which you are no longer aware, it is only Al-llah! who is aware). They are:

Islam - Acceptance and Surrender (to the way of the peace and the love) - Surrender begins with the realization that guidance cannot be and should not be 'self-provided', that it must be sought at the hand of a realized teacher; and acting in accordance with that knowing. At this point, according to your level of Himma (willingness), you will be put into contact with the classical Islamic learning process.

Iman - Correct faith (with experientially verifiable certainty). The perfection of faith is its conversion to certainty (Yaqin) yielding correctness in behavior and knowledge coming from the complete realization of Truth and a deep understanding of the human situation. This process has three phases: Hearing the Truth, Seeing the Truth, and Being the Truth.

`Ilm ul Yaqin - Hearing about a knowledge of which you wish to learn more. The Power of the mind used and developed for the accomplishment of this stage is known in Sanskrit as Dharana (concentration, focus, search, contact, discovery, identification), and the accomplishment is achieved by a combination of pure intent and asking the right questions.

`Ain ul Yaqin - This is the stage of actually doing the work necessary to complete understanding. It requires the development of a sufficiency of dedication, determination and commitment, and a continued use and development of the Powers of Dharana, focus of attention or concentration.

You might notice that the development of each one of these powers of the stages of process requires the use of the entire process - identification, contemplation and comprehension.

Haqq ul Yaqin - Being the Truth. Attainment. Becoming the reality (a
carrier) of this Certainty. Complete comprehension.

Ihsan - Perfect guidance (finished, liberated, able to guide others). Spiritual Liberation implies the perfection of one's understanding of purpose and purity of intention. It does not imply the kind of liberty that supports childish behavior and undisciplined carelessness. This is the holy station of 'Salik al Majdhubi", the contained and sober intoxicated; the Sufi who is the union of the way of the walking (Shari`at - Muhammadun Rasulullah) and the Ultimate Reality (Haqiqat - La ilaha illa 'llah).

The completion of this process of alignment is the ultimate fulfillment and the end of personal desire and hence the end of the ruling power of the perverse ego (both your own and others'), since ego is the defensive aggressive tool constructed for the purpose of attaining personal desire. Personality is thence put to the uses that Al-llah! intended for it in the first place, namely service, friendliness and education.

- Ali Ansari