MUSLIMNESS.COM: guest posts

How To Confront Islamophobia, Sheikh Nuh Keller, SunniPath

Posted by Zaufishan events, guest posts, islamic courses, islamophobia, muslim blogs Friday, April 22, 2011

From Allahcentric | By Khuram Zaman

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم

Last Sunday April 17, over 1,200 people registered for SunniPath’s live event, “Confronting Islamophobia.,” with our venerable scholar of Islamic Law and Spirituality, Sheikh Nuh Keller. If you were not able to participate live, you can click {here} to access the full audio.

This memorable and timely event laid out numerous examples from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Alhamdulillah, we learned new things about the dunya (material world), our Lord Allah Most High, and things about yourself.

Unfortunately, the reality after many Islamic lectures is that we gain new knowledge and we benefit, but often we just return to our normal routine—and our new knowledge leaves us quicker than it came. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead of letting your knowledge leave you, take this opportunity to increase it and fulfill the Quranic command: “My Lord, increase me in knowledge” (20:114).

For example, Sheikh Nuh talked about the environment, the series of natural disasters that we have witnessed either physically or via the media. How can you learn more about your role in the Environment and its implications? What is the best way a Muslim can overcome such trials? Register for SunniPath’s new course, “Islam and the Environment,” to increase your knowledge in this subject and learn how to deal with the environmental crises from an Islamic perspective.

Or, how about being like ‘Umar radiAllahu ‘anhu in his courage, affection, and justness? Increase your knowledge by taking our class “Navigating the Stars” with our academy director, Dr. Ashraf Muneeb, to analyze your life through the sahaba. Learn how to implement examples from the lives of the sahaba to enhance, rejuvenate, and guide your life.

The most important lesson from the live event was, of course, learning more about your Lord and the intricate ways He tests and tries us. At the same time, al-Lateef (the Subtle One) is one of Allah’s Beautiful Names and we must do our utmost to understand His hidden and delicate loving Gentleness.

“Introduction to Islamic Belief” addresses common questions people have about matters of belief, such as human responsibility and predestination; the meaning of “God;” and literalism and the Attributes of God.

Don’t be one of the those “I listened to one lecture and now I’m done with my Islamic education.” Act now and register to increase your knowledge.

SunniPath's online summer semester starts May 3, 2011. {Register}

Reposted with permission from Allahcentric the blog.

What To Take Away From The Egyptian Revolution

Posted by Zaufishan Current-Affairs, guest posts, Middle-East, muslim blogs Wednesday, February 02, 2011

From Muslimology | By Dawud Israel

Egypt In Pictures: {Guardian.co.uk}

What can we learn from the Egyptian Revolution? Well the short answer as to what to take away is just how much determined Muslims are capable of, even this late in the hour. I think this has opened everybody’s eyes that despite how weak our sense of self-worth has become we still have a spark in us. The giant has awoken. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of what we can achieve. And I think that is the biggest thing to come out of all this: dignity. It says that we are not just the neglected subjects of an American hegemony, nor are we just the enemies of Israel, nor are we just angry, but we are people and we are not limited by the simplistic outlook of ideology. I think that is exactly the sort of mentality that is needed to revive Islam today because it speaks to living Islam and that is what Islamic rule is about - it is not just about dying for Islam, but living it. It speaks of a courage and calm calculation that is remarkable to see spring into action.

There have been some weak statements from Hamza Yusuf's recent Sandala blog post, Imam Zaid's 'Game Over, We Win?' post and others, that really disappoint in terms of leadership and action. I don’t think we should be looking at Islamic scholarship for leadership in this regard anymore since they have their own issues to deal with and their hands are tied. I will say of course there is still speculation about the USA backing ElBaradei and the fact that this whole revolution is orchestrated by activists who were trained by the USA and that's something worth reading up on - so we should be taking it all with a grain of salt.

There is also a sort of resentment among Muslims that "this isn’t an Islamic revolution" and that it should be or else its a discredit or disloyal to Islam. Islamic political parties have a history of being unsuccessful in government and often just end up attracting trouble and violence. The Muslim Brotherhood I think realizes it can’t offer much and even if it were to come into power, it would be paralyzed and unable to help the Egyptian people, so that it would be better for them to back down somewhat and play it smart. It is naive to think that just because a group is an “Islamic” political party that it has some gold badge from God, when in reality they are just ordinary folk and can make mistakes. Allah doesn’t need an Islamic party to work though. I think this revolution is actually how it should be: most of the people are Muslim so what more do people want? People are praying in the face of water cannons, which is much more “islamic” than shooting off firearms and thumping Qur'ans, right? People are being responsible for their government, there is a civic responsibility there and real courage. They have the courage to correct what is wrong amongst themselves so I imagine it will bear fruit. God doesn’t punish people for trying.

Rebelling Against Ones Political Leader in Hadith?

There is the usual pattering of discussion saying that good Muslims should not rebel against their leaders. I think that is hogwash in this instance. Yes there are hadith that mention that, with the idea being to choose the better of two evils, to reduce bloodshed and chaos, but in this case, Mubarak is the cause of greater bloodshed. It’s safe to say there is more good in this protest than in not protesting. The lesser of two evils is protesting, and there is lots of good that has come out of this protest: organization and camaraderie in keeping the streets safe, protecting the museum of Christians and Muslims protecting each other when they pray - and that is how it should be in true Islamic values. And there is really no going back so its wishful thinking to think this can all just stop, and the only ones telling people to give - in are usually old people who don’t know any better, government thugs or people who are loyal to a certain Arab monarch.

The New Knowhow

If you are not following what is happening on a micro-scale, I suggest you should at the very least, take notes on how activism is operating in Egypt and online. If you don’t have a Twitter account, think about getting one. The major aspect of this revolution is that social media has facilitated the organization and speedy movement of information. Twitter and Facebook have conveyed information but also given the next steps of providing instant commentary on speeches and developments, the criticism, the new ideas, the inspiration from all around the world, the global solidarity are all part of this. Its the new way to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot with your brothers in Islam. But some creative ideas have come out of this - Google helped Egyptians convey information using an international phone number in the event of the internet blackout and other Internet anonymizer services have been operational. There is also the use of open source documents listing the missing that is circulating.

There is a lot of innovation going on and I can’t summarize it all here, but its important to note all this because its a learning experience. We learn things from one revolution and carry it over into another revolution. I don’t need to really comment on how it might be hard to see a revolution happening this successfully, this quickly, in countries that have little access to Internet. The grass-roots mobilization provides a rubric for other countries and makes one think that if they are capable of this much in a few days, how much more are they capable of?

MUXLIM VIEWERS: Watch {Aljazeera's video of police hosing praying Muslims}

Muslims in the West

I think there is a lot to be said in this incidence about where Muslims are in the West. A number of things came to light. There is little Western Muslims can do in this event and little Islam can do for them politically. "Islam in the West" has become a victim of circumstance and really impotent and suffocated from helping our brothers. That is a harsh reality to face.

What we did see was Maajid Nawaz, a secular-bent Muslim who is all around hated by British Muslims, who turned out to have connections to the proposed transition Egyptian government because of the time he spent in Egyptian prisons when he was a radical. That says something about keeping good relations amongst all stripes and colours of Muslims. Islam as a political ideology is more often than not an insult to the religion, because it concentrates Islam amongst a few, which is unfair, distorted, and creates a resentment and victim mentality, rather than spreading Islam out amongst the masses, which is the empowering reality we see in Egypt today. We need to pause and rethink. We can operate as plain, old normal people do, right? Perhaps we can do more that way than we can by waving a shahadah flag.

We should realize that there is information and knowhow in the West that we can convey abroad via the Internet. Just because we can’t do much in terms of money and physical support doesn’t mean we can’t do anything at all. We can do lots via dua and a lot more intellectually via the web. There are books and articles on political activism in the West and techniques that can be shared abroad via the web. This is something that cannot and should not be ignored.

Intergenerational Divide and Cultural Patterns

The revolution in Egypt is carried out by the youth and that says something about the global, intergenerational divide that we are witnessing between a generation that came out of colonial rule, and a generation that never experienced colonial rule which has been reawakened to Islam - but wants to go further in their lives than just the local mosque. Bani Israel disobeyed Musa 'alayhi salam because they had a slave mentality, and Allah commanded them to wander the desert for 40 years, a period of time in which the old generation of slaves died and a new mentality took its place, one that would lead to political leadership and autonomy for Bani Israel. We are seeing a similar situation today.

A few other things I noticed: There seems to be a small divide among Muslims - some of the more indigenous, African American brothers are ignoring Egypt, whereas the immigrants whether they are Egyptian or not are watching closely, and I think that leaves something to be desired about closer brotherhood though I would give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Also the fact some Egyptians do not want to get rid of Mubarak because they see him as a grandfather figure, a war-hero and feel guilty kicking him out, really says something about how we venerate elders and how too much veneration can hurt us. It says something about the weakness of patriarchy in Muslim countries. And lastly, am I the only one who is reminded of masjid tyrants and the politics at the local masjid in all this?

Read more on current affairs, spirituality and American Muslims on Muslimology

Freedom To Choose, Lucy Bushill-Matthews

Posted by Zaufishan books, converting to Islam, guest posts, iconic muslims, parenting, writers Monday, January 17, 2011

From emel | By Lucy Bushill-Matthews

As more and more people, especially women, convert to Islam, Lucy Bushill-Matthews reflects on their freedom to be able to enter and leave a religion.

There has been much fascination with the recent conversion to Islam of Lauren Booth, Tony Blair’s sister-in-law. Muslims are almost universally delighted that yet another ‘sister’ has chosen to embrace the faith; in contrast, by Booth’s own account, many people have reacted with “shock and horror.” But, don’t we all have the freedom to choose? The Qur’an upholds the principle: “Let there be no compulsion in Religion.” (2:256) Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human rights states: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” It includes the freedom to choose which religion to enter - if any, the freedom to choose how to live out our lives with that faith as a guiding compass, the freedom to bring up our children within that framework, and – controversially - the freedom to leave that faith.

When the Prophet Muhammad began preaching to the community around him in 610 CE, he was initially alone as a Muslim. Whilst there had been throughout history many muslims (with a small m), literally meaning those who submitted themselves to God, there was no one else who believed in the complete creed, “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is His (last) Messenger.” Yet the circle of believers slowly grew. In that era, every Muslim was a convert. Muslims rejoiced when somebody else accepted Islam, and the polytheistic tribal leaders of the Quraish became increasingly agitated, at one point banishing the entire Muslim community into a barren valley for three years.

Today, converts are also greeted with mixed reactions, albeit without such severe consequences. There is a never-ending stream of PhD theses on such individuals, examining what could possibly lie behind their decision to choose Islam. While Muslim converts repeatedly talk about the theology of the One God and many prophets preaching the same message, the spiritual peace they find amongst adherents and the moral value system, it is hard for those not Muslims to accept these reasons as genuine if they continue to retain negative perceptions of Islam. Muslims are also surprisingly inquisitive about why anyone would accept their faith. When Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, was asked by a Muslim what had made him come to Islam, he simply replied, “Well why do you follow Islam? I am Muslim for the same reason as you.”

Unfortunately, many Muslims have not examined the foundations of their faith like Yusuf Islam had. Many Muslims are Muslim simply because their parents are. But this tendency is not limited to Muslims; the US-based National Study of Youth & Religion surveyed teenagers and found that adolescents were very likely to affiliate with the same religious group as one or both of their parents. Yet every adult – Muslim or not – who chooses to pray or fast is making an active choice every moment of every day. After all, as adults we – not our parents – are responsible for our own actions.

While children are young, however, it is only natural for parents to choose to raise them in their own faith. Unfortunately, if we experience a strict cultural upbringing, this can be confused with and blamed on the faith itself. Eve Ahmed, a Daily Mail writer who recently profiled a series of western converts, recounts her own Muslim childhood that totally put her off Islam, “No eating in the street or putting my hands in my pockets. No cutting of my hair or painting my nails. No asking questions or answering back.” The edicts she received on these matters are more a reflection of her parents’ culture and opinions than any genuine Islamic principles. On the contrary, Muslims are encouraged to question their faith, as Jeffery Lang notes in his book, Even Angels Ask. And eating in the street and answering back are impolite in traditional English culture too. However, for Ahmed the damage was done, and it is often hard to consider Islam as a realistic and rational choice after such negative experiences.

My children are already protesting at their Islamic upbringing, which attempts to include moral values and habits as well as the theological basis of the faith. “I want to have my own free will,” announced my pre-teen daughter, distressed about parental insistence on keeping her room in some kind of order. “My life would be so much better if I wasn’t Muslim,” she continued. “I have to pray and feed the rabbits, read the Qur’an and tidy my room – no one else has to do anything.” My eight-year-old son is also a great believer in personal freedom. He writes in his journal, “It makes me sad I have to do whatever I am told to do. It makes me happy if I get whatever I want. And it makes me happy if I get a chocolate bar every hour.”

While our children need us to guide them away from becoming slovenly animal-neglecting chocoholics, we must inevitably recognise and respect our children’s own choices as they mature. I have been asked a number of times by people, some of them Muslims, “When will you make your daughter wear the hijab?” as if the matter lay in my hands, instead of being an intensely personal choice. And, eventually I will even have to allow my child the right to live in chaos, although I am unwilling to give her that choice while she lives under my roof. In the meantime, my daughter is aware of many adults around her who have actively chosen the Islamic faith. And she has decided she definitely wants to make her own choice. “When I am older,” she says, “I’m going to look at all the religions and see which one makes the most sense to me.” I wish her all the best in her research, although as a Muslim myself, it is only natural that I would hope she chooses Islam.

But what about those who choose to leave? A girl recently got in touch via Facebook to discuss her ‘defection’ to Christianity. She was hiding her decision from all but one member of her local Muslim community, terrified of being disowned. A recent case in the US involved teenager Fatimah Rafiqah Barry who, on choosing Christianity, ran away from her Muslim parents alleging she would be killed if she returned. Yet it says in the Qur’an (4: 80), “As for those who turn away, we did not send you as their guardian.” In the Prophet Muhammad’s time, and with his knowledge, Ubaydallah ibn Jahsh left Islam and converted to Christianity. He lived freely as a Christian until he died. We may not agree with the choices that our family, friends and acquaintances make, including the choice to enter or leave Islam, but in these matters each person is accountable ultimately to God, and not to another person.

The Qur’an challenges us, “If it had been the will of your Lord that all the people of the world should be believers, then all the people of the earth would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to believe?” (10:99) One day, when my children grow up a little more, a time when I hope they will choose to feed the rabbits and ration their chocolate intake out of their own free will, they will indeed choose for themselves whether to believe in Islam. And, so will all of our children, of any faith or none. As Lauren Booth’s own family can affirm, we are not forever their guardians.

Lucy Bushill-Matthews, is author of ‘Welcome to Islam – a convert’s tale’

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Narcissism Pandemic

Posted by Zaufishan guest posts, mehreen omer, muslim character Sunday, January 16, 2011

By Mehreen Omer, Lahore, Pakistan | Find her on Facebook

Indubitably, our society today is sponsoring a scum of bloated egos mostly in the name of carving out our self-esteem. The ‘Generation Me’ syndrome has plagued almost every individual. The world has not only headed towards but is more egocentric. Our culture encourages hubris in our work and behaviour, instead of keeping it in check. This narcissism outburst has turned out to be a pandemic from an epidemic. And it has diseased our global society. Through the realms of marketing, advertising and consumerism, heedless self-indulgence has become rather a common phenomenon, with people becoming more and more self-involved, despite their denials.

Take education: students today, in general, would like to attain at least a ‘B’ grade simply because they attended all the classes. At home, spoiled children would argue with and answer back their parents that they “will not drink milk, because they already ate veggies and they can’t obey their parents on both occasions!” This is unjust.. Here, the parents and education system themselves are at fault. In the attempt to build up the confidence of the younger generation, institutions have puffed up their selves with a lopsided sense of self-worth. Children have become ever more demanding and unscrupulous. Most teenagers, Muslim or not, They would be annoyed if their parents are were not able to get them the latest tech gadget, even if all their other wishes had been fulfilled.

A very intricate demonstratione of narcissism can be displayed in a “normal” college heterosexual relationship today. In seeking attention and/or approval people try to make the other person cognizant of their favors in the name of "love". In this case, the young woman will respond with stronger emotional attachment to her beloved – and so continues the cycle of ‘feeding the nafs’ (human desires). People simply want to be appreciated for what they do superficially. Nothing is earned, or worked for through struggle and sweat. We want, we want, we want. Even when we carry out doing something good for others whom we love, we have this expectation at the back of their mind that it is ultimately ourselves who will be benefitting.

Many advertisements and programs tell us that “We Are Special”. The famous brand slogan of L’Oreal “Because you are worth it” inflates one’s ego and makes him us feel that he we deserves to be treated in an extra special manner. What are we worth? Why are we worth ‘it’? Advertisements exploit our innate fondness with self-improvement with horrendous ideals and needs. The ‘Me, Myself and I’ thinking culture carries a dysfunctional omen to the proper functioning of the society. The value of individualism is not socially cohesive at all and rather acts as a breakdown. Self-obsession is one result. People would take thousands of snapshots of themselves in hopes of becoming the world’s next top model; anticipating ‘likes’ and for comments from their friends and families' approval to say, “yes, you meet the social standard of outer-beauty, yes you are worth it”.

The infamous book ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne explicitly tells people that they can be their own gods. They can make their own destinies. All the ‘magic lies in us’; we just need to explore it. Many critics say that the book makes us greedy and self-centered. So we do not simply buy a car because we have to travel – because of a need, we buy one simply because we want one, and because “they have one”. Believing in oneself as “the ultimate” is a delusion, but seeing things for what they are is believing in reality. Also websites like YouTube allow users to post their own videos and gain attention; everyone can be a star on YouTube. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame.

Narcissism is arguably a direct result of the ideology of evolution, which promotes the philosophy of ‘Survival of the Fittest’. In that race to survive, everyone has to take the cup for him or herself. In the famous game of musical chairs, everyone runs to take the seat for himself. There is no such thing as sacrifice and selflessness in a narcissist world. People have become selfish. Most people, including Muslims, have become selfish. Even the syllabus of economics taught in schools and universities today highlights the importance of self-interest first - to beat the others - and so one must not surprised to see narcissism manifesting itself openly on educational platforms.

But we must ask ourselves, what is wrong in being a narcissist in the first place? People argue that as long as we are not causing any harm to others, what’s the big deal? This is the same as postulating that there is nothing wrong in being a criminal as long as we are being totally innocuous to the society. But there is a logical inconsistency here. A criminal is by his nature, bound to cause harm to the society. Hosting a ‘Me-Me-Me’ culture is in effect hurting social relationships. It is causing rift between spouses over trivial issues. Disputes are occurring between hardcore friends over some woman/guy. The concept of self-sacrifice and selflessness has totally disappeared. Everyone wants the trophy for himself, even if it means trampling others during the race. The ties of brotherhood and affection are becoming extinct. The so-called fraternities and sororities in popular culture are nothing but a manifestation of how lonely we have become, so that we need to affiliate ourselves with such groups in order to feel being part of a society. Then again a careful analysis of such organizations would show that it is rather more a need of affiliation that drives a person to join them rather than a result of development of conscious, or making them care about others.

So conclusively, this narcissism pandemic is here to stay unless there is a shift in the current paradigm which breeds ego-addled individuals. This must begin at home. Parents need to be develop discipline towards their children and tell them the rights of others, even animals, elders and children younger than them. Muslims should take more steps to be more integrated in their society and help the community in a positive manner. Whenever a difficult situation arises, we must not think only of ourselves, but of others too. The problem may be complicated, but the solution is simple.

But how can we turn to the secular paradigm to provide us with solution when it itself is their cause? In Richard Hawkins book ‘The Selfish Gene’, it is postulated that self-centered humans are the winners in the race of survival. So where exactly does the solution lie? Indeed, Islam comes forward teaching us humility in the best manner possible. It says in the Qur’an:

“Do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for Allah does not love arrogant or boastful people. Go at a moderate pace and lower your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of donkeys.” (Qur’an, 31:18-19)

Muslims especially need to be representatives of such a culture. But many Muslims today are sacrificing their family lives over their work and studies. Parents don’t have time for children; children don’t want to spend time with their parents. Each is concerned with his own work. Even in many religious lectures, there is an on-going competition to deliver the best lecture, not because they want to please Allah but because they want to earn name for themselves. Many Muslims today in the urge to earn rewards by converting someone to Islam are pushing boundaries. Islam teaches us intellectual humility and as the carriers of the truth, we Muslims are supposed to live Islam, not impose it on others. Anger is another direct ramification of narcissism. We grow angry because we feel our rights have been violated. We at that emotionally angering time do not even consider the situation that would have caused the other person to take such an action but become all boiled up because we want others to discharge their responsibilities towards ‘us’. In a nutshell, narcissism is a lethal disorder, we all need to fight.

Image:: Off Madison Ave

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Islam A Religion Of Peace (part 1)

Posted by Zaufishan guest posts, islamic definitions, quran Sunday, January 02, 2011

From Dinopak | By Hasan

Part I

Image:: flickr - Waleed Designs

For some time now, Islam has been a "question mark" religion for many people in the West. It seems to them as if peace and Islam are opposites of each other, as though 'they' teach peace and tolerance and 'Islam' teaches hatred. The other religions are approved in the media - Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and only occasionally analysed for what they teach, but Islam is categorically placed as a different and anti-world religion. Why should Islam be the odd one out?

One reason for this is that literally a few years after the establishment of an Islamic state in Madina (and later in Makkah), anti-Islamic powers began a propaganda that Islam is not the religion of consumerism they wanted. Instead, they preached Islam is for extremism and violence and it wants to compel others into belief by means of the 'sword'. This, while iconic and widespread, is incorrect. Muslims, since the beginning have suffered persecution but they remained tolerant. Early accounts both in Makkah and then post-migration (hijrah) in Medina hold the horrific stories of aggression upon Muslims. The proof against those opponents who allege that Islam was spread by the sword is that although the disbelievers of Makkah raised all sorts of objections, yet history stands witness to the fact that the people of Makkah themselves never complained that the Muslims had used the sword against the disbelievers to compel them to change their faith.

Secondly, what has given Islam a bad name is an ugly and awful image of extremism presented, whether knowingly or unwittingly, by some Muslim groups and organisations, and these groups unfortunately had personal vested interests. To find out the true teachings of Islam, we would have to study the Holy Qur’an and see what it says and not base it on the actions of some Muslims who have forgotten the teachings of the Holy Qur’an.

The Holy Qur’an commands us what to do in order to establish peace. God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an :

Whosoever killed a person – unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land – it shall be as if he had killed all mankind. (Qur'an, 5:33)

Explaining these verses a scholar said,

He who abandons kindness abandons religion. The Holy Qur’an teaches that whosoever kills a person without justifiable cause will be as if he has killed the whole world. In the same way, I say that if someone is not kind unto his brother, it is like he has been unkind to the whole world.

Now on this verse, this scholar has drawn the interesting conclusion that people who see Islam as an extremist religion have a gross a misunderstanding from external sources. At the core, Islam is saying that even if you treat your fellow human being unkindly, you are a cause of destroying the peace and harmony of the world. Forget hurting anyone, you should always be kind in your dealings with every person in the world and spread the peaceful message of Islam.

To be continued inshaAllah.

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Posted by Zaufishan Creative-Writing, edutainment, guest posts, muslim poetry, poetry, prophet muhammad Thursday, October 28, 2010

Questioning our Faith

Posted by Zaufishan converting to Islam, guest posts, spirituality, writers Wednesday, July 28, 2010

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم

By Shannon Landry, Louisiana USA

Over the past few months a common theme has risen in a lot of my daily observations. As a convert, the road that led me to Islam began with what I like to refer to as a "crisis of faith". About 12 years ago I began to question my core belief system due to a set of circumstances that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala put before me. These circumstances began to shake the ideas I had about Allah, and how I worshipped him. During this time I struggled to cling to my own faith, but I began to question my beliefs. I slowly began to realize the questions that were now flooding my brain from outside influences (at this point they actually came from another sect of Christianity) had no answer within my previous religion. I began to realize I practiced the religion of my Mother and Father purely because I was encouraged to do so, not because I subscribed to those beliefs. Thanks to Allah (swt), once I began to question my beliefs I was not able to accept anything these other influences offered either. For a long time I lived in ambiguity, thinking that my concept of Allah (swt) would never allow me to follow a religion again. My faith was in Allah (swt) alone and I could not fathom the idea that any religion actually allowed that.

About 6 years ago Alhamdulillah I found out differently and started putting my questions to Islam, where they were all answered. I would like to say since my conversion 3 years ago I have never had that faith tested, but honestly, every day since, something has tested my faith. The difference now, is that I have examined and consciously held onto my faith. Sometimes I do reexamine it to keep my faith fresh. This practice has helped me to understand and truly believe in what Allah (swt) has asked of me.

Since my conversion I have asked many Muslims if they have had this type of “crisis of faith.” Most look at me as if I have said something reprehensible. I often wonder why this is looked at so shamefully. Why is it alright for a convert to have gone through this time in life but for born Muslims, it’s not alright? Psychological research shows us that all humans all go through a point in their life where they grown up and decide what they believe as adults, so even Muslims who are born into the faith do have a ‘point of re-embracing Islam’. Even in Surah Al Ankabut (verse 2) it is written "Do people think that on their mere saying, 'We have attained to faith', they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to a test?" (29:2) Let us all face reality, life and realize that Shaytan will at some point cause us to question our beliefs. So why ignore the fact that this is going to occur? Isn't it dangerous not to periodically reexamine our faith and reaffirm ourselves in our iman (faith)? Would we invite trouble in this way? Asked differently, if you have a diamond in a box, will you sit the box in a corner and assume the diamond will not go missing? Will you not value it, polish it regularly, and check the contents occasionally?

It is the nature of humanity to question things and to strive to better understand our creator. Just as our prayers serve to bring us closer to Allah, so does the process of reaffirming our beliefs. When we seek knowledge about our deen we are granted rewards for this. Surah Al Mujadila (verse 11) says "Allah will rise up, to (suitable) ranks (and degrees), those of you who believe and who have been granted knowledge...” (58:11) As Muslims we all have a duty to constantly affirm and reaffirm our belief in Allah (swt) and his Prophet ﷺ. Our Prophet (ﷺ said "If Allah wants to do good to a person; He makes him understand and learn the deen" (Bukhari and Muslim).

The problem is that often the idea of questioning our faith is considered taboo in society. Today we have come to think questioning and examining our faith is a sign of weak iman. But in examining our faith we remove our doubts, increase or iman and become stronger against the things that would take us from our relationship with Allah (swt). So let us not shy away from those questions that come to our minds about Allah (swt) let us seek the knowledge we need to answer those questions and in doing so bring ourselves to a new level of iman. As Surah Al Fatir states, “It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah” (35:28).

Peace & respect ★ www.Muslimness.com

What isn't wrong with Maryam Namazie’s view of Sharia law?

Posted by Zaufishan Current-Affairs, guest posts, shariah, uk, writers Monday, July 12, 2010

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم

From: Adam Deen

Maryam Namazie, who is part of the very much disgruntled Council of Ex Muslims, takes another opportunity to strike at Islam with her recent article in the Guardian, “What isn’t wrong with Sharia law ?”.

She claims that the current Muslim arbitration tribunals which operate under the arbitration act and Sharia councils are a demand of ‘Islamism’ to restrict citizens rights, in particular those of women, and that Sharia law is functioning as a parallel legal system here in the UK.

Sharia courts do not in anyway work as parallel systems, but work in conjunction with British Law, so that tribunals can only result in rulings that comply with UK law. Maryam mentions child custody as an example of alleged dissonance between the systems of law, claiming that custody reverts to the father at a preset age regardless of circumstance, whereas in British law, the child’s best interests are the court’s paramount consideration. This is a false comparison, since she compares the detailed rulings (Hukm) of the Sharia law, which is the prefixed age, with British law’s purpose of the law (legal theory), which is the Child's best interest. Her false comparison ignores the fact that in Sharia law, the child reverts to the father after the age if seven, in the view that it is in the Child’s best interest. The child’s best interest remain the primary consideration and were the father not considered the best carer, custody would not revert to him, just as it wouldn’t to a mother in British law in the opposite scenario. This simplistic assessment, which claims that, unlike other legal systems, sharia law is fixed regardless of the circumstances, is an erroneous conflation of Sharia law (the ideal) with the application of the law (fatwa). A fatwa is a Juristic verdict or the general Sharia ruling applied to a specific situation. If the situation is such that the child’s best interest are compromised, then a fatwa would be ruled for the child to reside with the mother instead of the father even if the prefixed age of the child is meet.

Similarly, British law views that the ideal is that children should reside with the mother until a certain age, but this can change if the best interest of the child dictates that the child be better off with the father...

Read the full article and share your thoughts on Adam Deen's blog.

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Buckle Up Sisters And Brothers

Posted by Zaufishan guest posts, Muslim-Media, Muslim-News, social issue, writers Wednesday, June 30, 2010

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم

By Usman Ali | Like Media.tv

Buckle up sisters and brothers. We need to stop reacting, begin to really understand our priorities, and start contributing. It’s our time to act.

A very close non-Muslim friend from primary school added me on Facebook the other day. I was surprised but pleased that he remembered me, and I spent some time reminiscing looking through his profile. Unfortunately, my heart sunk when I saw that he had been strongly for the ‘Draw Mohammed Day’ and had even designed some distasteful images of the Prophet ﷺ in the name of ‘Freedom of speech’ (according to his profile). This got me thinking… Firstly, how should I react to this? Secondly, do we as Muslims know enough about our beloved Prophet ﷺ to engage in discourse with others about him?

 I’m fairly certain we all saw the wall of the group “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” a few weeks back. A cursory glance at the posts on the ‘wall’ of the group made it clear that the outcomes had little to do with promoting freedom of speech and everything to do with insulting Islam and generating anger. Once again, the question of free speech versus respect for religion received world attention – but this time through a medium we ALL engage with on a daily basis.

Aside from being grossly offended by distasteful depictions of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, just as we would be offended by distasteful depictions of our Prophet Jesus, we young Muslims have to reflect on the issue of freedom of speech with same Islamic intelligence that comes from our tradition. Seeking to lock out of the debate those that seek to offend us will not allow us to challenge their distasteful views – rather, their views will remain the same and we will drive them further away. Do they have the right to draw cartoons? Yes. Does that mean that it is appropriate to exercise that right to such offensive extremes? Probably not. Europe has longstanding parameters on freedom of speech – the same parameters that facilitate free thinking within a PRODUCTIVE context, and we should acknowledge and adhere to that tradition. In Britain, the country I’ve grown up in, one has the freedom to discuss unfettered – but with very firm laws to prevent incitement to violence and hatred. Though Facebook claims it abides by certain rules and regulations in terms of offensive comment, this one slipped through the cracks too easily – and it’s up to us young users of such social media to challenge not the forum itself (as Pakistan and Bangladesh have done) but the ideals behind this – because we believe in upholding them, too. The Qur’an and the Sunnah teach us that the actions of Islamophobes are nothing new. It is too easy to be like the grizzly bear poked by the little stick a few too many times before we're out of control - the greatest promoter of “Draw Muhammad Day” were not the originators themselves – Muslims, without realising, spearheaded the promotion and hype for them with our plans for boycotts and angry comments.

 Even 1400 years later, we can still look to the example of the Prophet ﷺ and his wife `Aisha, who out of love for the Prophet yelled the following at a naysayer of Muhammad’s: “May the curse of Allah be upon you, and his punishment, and his…!” The Prophet ﷺ stopped her, saying: “Calm down oh `Aisha, calm down. There is no gentleness in anything, except that it becomes more beautiful, and there is no harshness in anything except that it makes it ugly. So be calm, oh `Aisha.”

Looking ahead, amidst all the stories of crazy Muslim extremism, glam preachers-of-hate and the world of veil banning, it is my view that today as young Muslims actions speak louder than words. Now more than ever, we need to remember our priorities as Muslim youth and make sure this is what people know us for – our duty to the orphan, to feeding the poor, to our parents and relatives and to the world at large. It is this very duty that has driven me to do what I do today in the National Union of Students – working for students in Britain at large, Muslims and non-Muslims included.

What a wonderful time it is to be a young Muslim today in Britain. Many of us are amongst those who have become very British and also remained steadfast to our religion, striving to become more involved in civic life and working hard to evolve with our religion. We are united in our angst over expensive University fees and worried about the media coverage of “extremist Islam,” hate the injustice over Palestine (like the recent flotilla attack), and generally seek to go about our days getting our work done, helping the community and our families, and staying afloat of any major crises. With the ‘ordinariness’ of this routine most of us engage in, we sometimes forget that it is WE who keep getting talked about! Let’s use our voices in a positive way and contribute to the conversation – but in a productive and peaceful way!

Read more:

Brother Mustafa on Like Media.tv

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Musa & Safurah: a Courtship, a Romance

Posted by Zaufishan guest posts, imams, marriage, relationship, suhaibwebb.com, writers Saturday, June 26, 2010

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم

From SuhaibWebb.com, by Hena Zuberi

2910910883_6b2156e34a_o I am from Generation X. Raised on ‘Pretty in Pink’ and Sweet Dreams romance novels, some of my friends read Mills and Boons, others raved about the unattainable love in the Thorn birds; but I preferred the grand passion of Wuthering Heights. That was my idea of a romance – filling each other completely, a religion of love.

It also came from Indian movies; rich girl falls for poor guy, they dance around trees in the rain, then drama ensues from the family, enter Prem Chopra character, the guy runs off with girl, the end. Sometimes, he would dash in with a monologue and take her away while she was getting married to someone else. How many girls are still waiting for their Sir Salman/Saif/Shahrukh Khan to take them away on a white horse in a red lehnga?

When in love, according to Freud, “against all the evidence of her/his senses, a wo/man who is in love declares ‘I’ and ‘you’ are one, and is prepared to behave as if it were a fact.” This love is so destructive, so impossible. Based on these notions, I have nursed many a heartbroken friend: in ER after she burnt herself with a cigarette because she wasn’t allowed to see him, helping hide another’s bruises under makeup, where hepunched her for talking to his buddy. My own quest was less for the pain, more for the eternal flutter in my heart. What were we thinking? Allah made us; He put these feelings in our heart, so why didn’t we ever think of turning to His book to see how ‘boy meets girl’ really works? It’s all in there.

I read of a great courtship, a love story that is so romantic it’s divine. The setting – Madyan, the land of frankincense, I can almost smell it lingering in the air. Historian Abdulla Al-Wohaibi writes that Madyan was “a flourishing ancient town with numerous wells and permanently flowing springs whose water had good taste. There were farms, gardens and groves of palm trees.”

Here we meet Safurah, the daughter of Shuyab `alayhi assalam (peace be upon him) at the side of a gushing spring, ‘keeping back, stopping her sheep from drinking with the sheep of the shepherds.’ And Musa (عليه السلام‎), a fugitive on the run for eight days, crossing the burning desert sands from Egypt, feeding off nothing but tree leaves.

Their meeting is a beautiful example of chivalry; a perfect model of what it means to be a man and a woman. She didn’t need him; this was her daily routine and she waited out of her sense of modesty. She and her sister were strong women, after all herding their father’s flock wasn’t easy work. They were surrounded by rowdy men, reminding me of sceners from Liberty market in Lahore, Cairo’s Khan Khaleeli or the Westfield mall in Generic town, U.S.A. where rowdy boys hang out – men yelling, pushing, with little dignity or sense of composure. He, however, was a gentleman amongst the uncouth.

She didn’t need his help, she could have waited until all of the other men were done and then watered her flock, but that’s what makes it so special – that he still stood up to help her. Musa (عليه السلام‎) was thirsty too but his sense of doing the right thing was stronger than his fatigue or his hunger. He was honorable – he could have ignored the sisters, could have said “I’m too tired, too important.” He had no relationship with these women. He didn’t know what family or religion they were from. All he saw was someone was being treated unfairly and for the sake of Allah, he was ready to help.

Sisters, a man like that will get you far in life. He will be just with your children, your parents and his parents. He will help you in your faith, your home and your life. As for the ones pushing each other to get the water from the well, they are the same brothers who will keep fighting for the dunya: keep working away for the next promotion, the next beamer, and you will be left on the side like the two sisters from Madyan.

When Musa (عليه السلام‎) approached the water, he saw that the shepherds had put over the mouth of the spring an immense rock that could only be moved by ten men. ‘Musa embraced the rock and lifted it out of the spring’s mouth, the veins of his neck and hands standing out as he did so.’ He watered their sheep and put the rock back in its place.

After Musa (عليه السلام‎) did this kind act, he went back in the shade of the tree and made du`a’. Unlike some MSA brothers who like to walk the sisters to their apartments and then ask them if they have food in the fridge, he didn’t ask the girls “Hey! I did you a favor, can you help me out now?”

No, he lies down on Allah’s green earth and makes this beautiful du`a’:

28:24

“So he watered (their flocks) for them, then he turned back to shade, and said: ‘My Lord! I am truly in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!’” (Qur’an, 28:24)

`Ata’ bin As-Sa’ib said in Tafsir ibn Kathir: “When Musa (عليه السلام‎) made that du`a’ the women heard him.” What a beautiful du`a’ to make for all of us who are looking for a good partner or bliss in our married lives. This one du`a’ to Allah gave Musa (as) a job, a house and a family all at once. When you have nothing left except Allah, than you find that Allah is always enough for you.

The two sisters came home with the well-fed sheep, surprising their father Shuyab (as). He asked them what had happened, and they told him what Musa (عليه السلام‎) had done. So he sent one of them to call him to meet her father.

She said: “My father is inviting you so that he may reward you for watering our sheep.” In Tafsir ibn Kathir it states there came to him one of them, walking shyly, meaning she was walking like a free woman. Narrates `Umar ibn-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: “She was covering herself from them (Musa) with the folds of her garment.”

Safurah is intelligent and intuitive. Abdullah bin Masud praised three people’s intuition:, Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) about `Umar ibn-Khattab, Yousuf ‘s (as) companion, and Safurah’s when she asked her father to hire Musa (عليه السلام‎). “Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.” Her father said to her, ”What do you know about that?” She said to him, “He lifted a rock which could only be lifted by ten men, and when I came back with him, I walked ahead of him, but he said to me, walk behind me, and if I get confused about the route, throw a pebble so that I will know which way to go.”

He didn’t follow her, looking at her from behind – subhan’Allah. Imagine the scenario: he was a prince who must have had women throwing themselves at him but he ‘lowers his gaze’, which is the hukum for all Muslim men, but how many really adhere to that? Here Musa (عليه السلام‎) is not Safurah’s husband yet, so he asks her to walk behind him, knowing very well that he doesn’t know the way but she does. It wasn’t a matter of ego or superiority; he was concerned about her honor as she was alone, without her sister; this way he was protecting her. Look at their society too – if all the men were such boors, could you put it past those people to gossip about her walking with him?

I often wonder how Musa (عليه السلام‎) grew up to be this way? He came from such privilege, so much corruption existed in the court of Pharoah; he could have had any woman he wanted. But he learnt how to honor women from his pious foster mother, `Aasiya (ra); and continued this respect even hundreds of miles from his mother’s eyes. Mothers can be shields for their sons – even if the fathers are Pharoah.

Back to our courtship: Musa (عليه السلام‎) takes Safurah’s ‘lead’ by making her throw stones to direct the route. Brothers, there’s a lesson for you here: it’s ok to ask for directions and consulting with a woman. Such a man’s bravado would be insulted today; he would be considered crazy or sexist asking a woman to walk in his shadow and then make her do all the work! Armed with our liberal arts education, we often undervalue a man’s masculinity. Such hoopla is made over where the husband walks, in front, side by side, behind you. My husband is a foot and some taller than me, so big deal if he sometimes walks faster than me, he’s got longer legs. Other times he walks behind me especially in crowds and he is often there by my side. It doesn’t define us. Shouldn’t it matter more whether he is ahead, behind or by my side spiritually?

Safurah then hired Musa (عليه السلام‎) and chooses to marry him under her father’s guidance. There was no long engagement and no endless conversations – no promises of unending love. How many times do we pass up great partners because we haven’t clicked? What did she like about him in those short meetings? First of all, she sees he is not a wimp, he stood up for her when they were strangers, imagine what he would do for her when she becomes his wife.

He complements her life; she needs a man in her household, to help her run her business (we see the same theme in the blessed union of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and our mother, Khadijah (ra). This story reinforces in me the reason why my husband is always going to be the leader of my family. He leads well, so that I may willingly follow.

Musa (عليه السلام‎) agrees to the terms Safurah’s family sets for their marriage. She admires his trust in Allah, his ability to problem solve, his strength and his manners. If women looked for his four characteristics in a man, instead of the countless other things we focus on, will we not find our own beautiful Musa?

Further, if we are consumed by the love we have for our spouse, will there be space in our hearts for Allah? Heathcliff and Catherine of Wuthering Heights had replaced God for each other. They needed to fuse their identities and thought they had attained heaven. Bronte’s mysticism notwithstanding, love like theirs is asocial, amoral and irresponsible. After reading Musa and Safurah’s love story though, I learned to love my husband for the right reasons: for his support, his strengths, and his sense of responsibility for the sake of Allah. After ten years, he still makes my heart flutter; but he doesn’t need to complete me. It’s enough that he complements me. And it is this evolving courtship that will inshaAllah knock the tunes out of every Indian movie.

References:

Abdulla Al-Wohabi, The Northern Hijaz In The Writings of The Arab Geographers 800-1150 B.C., p. 142

Emily Bronte, Imelani. Religion, Metaphysics and Mysticism.

Reposted with permission from Suhaib Webb.com, discussions and musings. Subscribe for free updates.

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