British Values and Muslim Values

Born and raised in Britain I do think (believe) that, overall, I can quite comfortably (and rightly) call myself a ‘British Muslim’.  Now, there are those who would want me to remove that second descriptor, and there are others who would prefer it to be placed before the first one, but it is what I am: A British Muslim.

Born here, raised here, and able to practice my faith here.

Simples.

As for my values, I’ve always seen the two (British and Muslim) to be so alike that they’re quite indistinguishable.  Maybe my view of traditional British Values are ‘old school’ - I grew up in the 80s and 90s and a number of my teachers (God bless them all) grew up in the 50s and 60s, so perhaps these aspects have had an effect on me overall?

(Traditional) Muslim Values	(Traditional) British Values	(Current British Values?)
Honour Your Mother and Father	Honour Your Mother and Father	Honour Your Mother and Father (this is definitely still a part of being British, despite how individually and separately we live our from our parents)
Be good to your neighbours	Be good to your neighbours	Don’t trust your neighbours…but try to be good ones, ideally
Help those in need	Help those in need	Help those in need (but help yourself first and if you have a bit of time then maybe help others)
Freedom of religion (I know, this one’s a shocker to Muslims and non-Muslims ;) )	Freedom of religion	Freedom of religion
Obey the laws of the land you are living in [provided they do not conflict with Islamic law (so, for example, in the unlikely event that a law was passed that everyone had to eat pork twice a week, Muslims (vegans, vegetarians etc) would not obey it)]	Obey the laws of the land, but if they look to become oppressive then step forward and fight for what’s right (It’s a long process, but it’s got to be done)	Obey them, but if you can get away with not doing so then good for you
One (overall) law for all, but the laws of a person’s religion will take precedent in certain matters (marriage, inheritance, etc)	One (overall) law for all	If you’re rich and/or famous then you can get away with certain things (If you’re an MP etc then you might be able to get away with certain other things)
Education is a basic and fundamental right	Education is a basic and fundamental right	Education is a right - if you can afford it, and even then we might dumb things down a bit (a lot)
Work hard	Work hard	If you can figure out a way to not work then good on you!
Be of benefit to those around you	Be of benefit to those around you	Grab whatever you can, and sod other people
Instil discipline in your children	Instil discipline in your children	Let them run free, you’re not the boss of them
Your home is your castle	Your home is your castle	Your home could be mine if you’re not around and I want in (okay, not really, but it sometimes seems like it’s going this way…)

Some of what I’ve listed in ‘current’ are likely to be dismissed by many people - the ‘help those in need’ one, for example (we Brits are known for opening our hands towards worthy causes, but I think there are people out there who will agree that it’s become less of a ‘let’s pull together as a community and society’ and more of a ‘give some money and hopefully the problem will go away’).  There is something of a change in values, but the core ones (the ones in that middle column) are still there and still strong, Alhumdulillah, despite areas of the media putting more emphasis on the 'bad'.

Ibn Taymiyyah gave a ruling a long time ago - one which is known more through its mis-transmission rather than its actual ruling.  The actual ruling, with regards to Muslims living in a non-Muslim state (nation) is that:

'The Muslims living therein should be treated according to their rights as Muslims, while the non-Muslims living there outside of the authority of Islamic Law should be treated according to their rights.'

Over the years, the focus of certain groups has been on the first clause - the rights of Muslims.  Alhumdulillah, despite some people's claims to the contrary, this country I have been blessed to have been born and raised in, does allow Muslims to be treated according to our rights as Muslims.  The second clause, though, seems to one which these groups tend to dismiss/disregard/ignore.

Ibn Taymiyyah's ruling was one that promoted balance and good and peaceful living between Muslims and non-Muslims.  It is something that fits in well with British society - a society which has values that mirror and complement Muslim values - and if it is one which Muslims collectively embrace then our relationship with each other and everyone around us will be all the better for it, Insha'Allah.

Halal - just what the heck is it?

For weeks (years, really, it's a cyclical thing) there's been talk, misrepresentation, misunderstanding, confusion, accusation, and so on, about what 'Halal' is.  There are details on numerous Islamic websites by numerous scholars, but they're either unknown (most likely) or ignored (I don't think this is a wilful thing for the most part, as the quest for answers is, for most people, a genuine one).

As always, the likelihood of something I post making a difference or bringing understanding to someone is minuscule, but I'm going to give it a shot - can't hurt, right?

So what is 'Halal' and why has it been kicking up a storm?

Basically it means 'permitted' or 'allowed' or 'pure' - depending on the context in which it is used (I'll try to detail this more fully as I go on, but if a non-Muslim is reading this (I hope there are a few who are!) then one thing you need to bear in mind is that Islam is 'a way of life', and there are rules, guidance, and suggestion for every aspect.)

The opposite of 'Halal' is 'Haram' - things that are 'not permitted', 'not allowed', 'impure'.

Let's start on the food side of things.

Halal isn't about slaughter - that is Zabihah (the word literally means 'slaughtered') - and animals such as sheep and goats are halal for a Muslim to raise and handle, whereas a pig is not.  So before it is slaughtered a chicken, lamb, goat, cow etc is halal - it is a pure animal (we'll ignore the whole 'feeding it things that are contrary to what it should be eating' side of things).  Regardless of how a pig is slaughtered it can never be considered halal for a Muslim to eat (the extreme circumstance of there being literally nothing else to eat, is just that: extreme.  It's unlikely to happen.  The other example of being force-fed does not place responsibility on the one being force-fed, so doesn't count, either).

So, again, Halal isn't about the method of slaughter.  The method used, however, determines whether the slaughtered animal/poultry can still be considered halal.

Snapping a chicken's neck is not permitted.

Suffocating a chicken is not permitted (but it's done in some poultry farms in the UK (anyone remember Jamie Oliver's piece on this a few years ago?) and has been approved by the FDA in the US).

Electrocuting a chicken to death is not permitted (but, again, is done (usually inadvertently) in some poultry farms in the UK.

Suffocating an animal to death is not permitted (and it's not legal in the UK (yet), either (although that's changing/changed with regards to poultry)).

Electrocuting an animal to death is not permitted (and it's not legal, either, but it is known to happen).

Shooting an animal with a bolt is not permitted (but is legal)

Shooting an animal in the head with a gun is not permitted (but is legal)

The above are the main ways an animal is prepared for slaughter: either rendered unconscious with gas (CO2 or an inert gas), electrocuted unconscious, or shot in the head (and either rendered unconscious or killed).

In the UK the norm in all slaughter (other than Jewish/Kosher and around 10-15% of Halal slaughter) is to stun the animal unconscious and then proceeding with the slaughter. 

Here's where one of the complaints kicks in: 'we don't want non-stunned animals for our meat'.  You have more chance of there being horse meat in your mince than you have of having a non-stunned animal's meat in your mince.  Why?  Because of the odds of you eating Kosher or non-stunned Halal meat is pretty much zero unless you're frequenting certain places (although, I understand that certain parts of the carcass from Kosher slaughter is often either passed off as Halal or sold off to the regular chains, so if you do end up (inadvertently) eating meat of a non-stunned animal, it's likely from a Kosher source rather a Halal one).  Pizza Express, KFC, GBK etc are not one of those places.  In each of those places the chicken you would be eating would have been stunned and then slaughtered.

The other complaint is that of 'I don't want to be eating something that's been blessed for something I don't believe in'.  Okay (ignoring the fact you don't believe it, so it shouldn't really harm you), for Christians one of the things you need to keep in mind is that Paul (in his interpretation of Jesus' (as) words) made it clear that it didn't matter what you ate because what goes in isn't what counts, it's what comes out of your mouth you need to pay attention to.

(For Muslims, we have a 'you are what you eat' thing - eat or drink impure things and they will become part of your body and so render you impure)

The third issue is: 'we didn't know and it's not right that we didn't know'.  Here I totally agree with you, but one thing you need to bear in mind is that most of the Muslims in the UK didn't know, either.  Think about it: if Muslims knew (and believed) that the (regular) lamb being sold in Tescos was halal would they bother going to their local halal butcher?


Which foods are Halal and Haram (in the UK)?

Baked Beans are Halal - the delicious tomato sauce, the whole suitable for vegetarians thing...delightfully halal

Baked Beans and Sausage are Haram

Cucumbers are Halal

So are tomatoes, peas, kidney beans, squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, onions - all Halal

Battered cod is Halal

Beer battered cod, though, isn't :(

Fries, chips, onion rings (fried in veggie oil etc) are all Halal

Fries, chips, onion rings fried in animal fats are not - and they're not suitable for vegetarians, either

Ketchup is Halal

Cheese made without using enzymes from animals are Halal (and suitable for vegetarians)

Cheese made with using enzymes from animals are Haram (and not suitable for vegetarians)

Veggie quiches are Halal

Quiche Lorraine is not (and it's not suitable for vegetarians, either)

Walkers' Cheese and Onion Crisps are suitable for vegetarians (and Halal)

Pringles Original, Sour Cream etc are either vegan or vegetarian (and Halal)


Vinegar is Halal

Clean water is Halal.

All those things listed above as Halal were not deliberately made Halal by their manufacturers as some weird way of getting one up on non-Muslims and drawing in Muslims.  They're just 'halal' by their very nature.  It's not a conspiracy against non-Muslims.

Moving on from the food side, there are other aspects:

Leather - Muslims (and Jews, and Jains (who won't wear any leather derived from any animal)) won't wear leather made from pigskin.  (as an aside, apparently a lot of leather-bound Bibles are bound in pigskin leather, but I haven't researched this, hence the 'apparently').  The method of slaughter 'doesn't matter' as the tanning process is considered to change the nature of the skin and render what was impure (if slaughtered in a way not permitted) into something pure.



Other things that are Halal and Haram

Holding your wife's hand: Halal
Holding someone else's wife's hand: Haram (exception, of course, where you're helping them up etc)

Buying, drinking, selling alcohol: Haram

Anyway, I'll leave it there, but I hope this has been of some help to some people.  Apologies for some of the rambling parts.

Ramadan in Cayman (part 3)

After Fajr, Br Mahmood narrated the second of the 40 Hadith.  This one is on the Foundation of the Sunnah and is, roughly, as follows:


'Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported: One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

Islam is to witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give the alms, the fast the month of Ramadan, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if he is capable of travel.

The man said, “You have spoken rightly,” and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly. Then he said, “Tell me about faith.” The Prophet said:

Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in the providence (al-qadr) (or destiny) of both good and evil.

The man said, “You have spoken rightly. Then tell me about excellence.” The Prophet said:

Excellence (al-Ihsan)  is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for verily, He sees you.

The man said, “Then tell me about the Hour.” The Prophet said:

The one who is asked does not know more than the one asking.

The man said, “Then tell me about its signs.” The Prophet said:

When the slave girl gives birth to her master, when the naked and barefooted will become chiefs of the people, and when the shepherds of black camels will exult themselves in constructing tall buildings.

Then he left and I stayed for a time. Then the Prophet said:

O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?

I said, “Allah and His messenger know best.” He said:

He was Gabriel (as), who came to teach the people their religion.'



After this, we had the opportunity to discuss a range of topics, including aspects of Zakat, clothing, and the instruction to have a will done up.









At Jummah, we welcomed a revert to Islam - Alhumdulillah.


The Khutbah had a focus on the Qur'an, its rights over us, and how it will be a witness for or against us on the Day.  There are those of us (and I put myself at the top of this poor list) who struggle to read the whole Qur'an at least once in an entire year and, in doing so, are deprived of so many blessings that are attained by reading the Qur'an.

We heard of those who would read the Qur'an 60 times during Ramadan, and others who would complete the Qur'an every two days through the Blessed Month.  We heard of those who had read the Qur'an 18,000 times in one part of their house, and one who would read the entire Qur'an in one rakat of salaat.  Subhanallah.

We heard of how the Qur'an would advocate on behalf of those who were about to be cast into the Fire, that those of us who would otherwise be in Hell would be saved because we had taken the time to read the Words of Allah (swt).

After the Jummah prayer and greeting the new Brother, we then had to wait patiently for the rain to ease.


After Isha, Br Mahmood continued with the description of the Noble Features of the Prophet (saw):

Anas bin Malik (Radiallhu Anhu) reports, "Rasullullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) was of a medium stature, he was neither very tall nor very short. He was very handsome, of medium built and his hair was neither very curly nor very straight (but was slightly wavy). He had a wheat-coloured complexion. When he walked, he leaned forward slightly".

He explained about the wheat-coloured complexion and how, when the Prophet (saw) walked (the word used in the hadith being 'Yata-kaf-fa-oo'), it was at a fast pace, with the leg lifted with force, and leaning forward slightly.  The description is that he walked quickly and did not walk with his chest pushed out with pride.  He also didn't drag his feet when he walked.

After this, there were further Q&A sessions on aspects of salaat and other areas.

Ramadan in Cayman (Part 2)

Continuing the series, Insha'Allah

Last night (10th July) was the second Taraweeh, after which Br Mahmood gave a talk on Imam Tirmidhi's biography in preparation for his series of talks on the Imam's famous book, The Shamā'il Muhammadiyyah, often referred to as Shamā'il al-Tirmidhi or simply Shamā'il.  The book is a collection of hadiths compiled by Imam Tirmidhi regarding intricate details of the Prophet's (saw) appearance, mannerisms, belongings, and life.  The book contains just under 400 narrations, and is divided into 56 chapters.

After the Fajr salaat he began on the 40 Hadith of An-Nawawi.  The first Hadith is about 'intention', and an approximate translation of the hadith is:

'Verily, deeds are only with intentions. Indeed, every person will get rewarded only for what they intended. Therefore, whoever emigrated for worldly reasons or for a woman, then his emigration is for what he has emigrated to.'

Tonight (11th July), after the third Taraweeh, he began on the aforementioned book of Imam Tirmidhi.  The first chapter is about the Noble Features of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihe Wasallam), and the first Hadith Br Mahmood narrated to us is, roughly, as follows:

‘Anas (Radiallahu Anhu) reports: "Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) was neither tall nor was he short (like a dwarf--He was of medium stature). In complexion, he was he was neither very white like lime, nor very dark, nor brown which results in darkness (he was illuminant, more luminous than even the full-moon on the 14th night). 
The hair of Rasullullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) was neither very straight nor very curly (but slightly wavy). When he attained the age of forty, Allah the Almighty granted him nubuwwah (prophethood).He lived for ten years in Makkah (commentary) and in Madina for ten years. At that time there were not more than twenty white hair on his mubarak (blessed) head and beard.’

Br Mahmood broke down the hadith and explained various aspects of it, especially the last part which described the Prophethood as 20 years whereas the general consensus is that it was 23 years

Ramadan in Cayman (part 1)

Ramadan Mubarak

The following is something I originally posted on Facebook, but figure I should also post it here and then, throughout Ramadan, I'll post accordingly, Insha'Allah.

'So, we're well in to our first day of the Blessed Month, Alhumdulillah.

'For those of you who may be interested in how we're experiencing Ramadan in Cayman, I figured I'd do a few posts throughout the month.  As you may know, we're a small and mixed community of Muslims here, but we have no Imam - Alhumdulillah, for the past two years, we have been blessed with the presence of Br Mahmood, a Hafiz and Alim, who has volunteered to spend Ramadan with us.  He will be leading the Taraweeh prayers (and the 5 daily prayers), and giving us sermons, teaching Tajweed, commentating on the Qur'an, and doing his best to answer any questions we may have.  (I know first hand how grateful the community is to have him here)

'So, to continue:

'We had our first Taraweeh last night - somehow, I've been chosen to provide a summary of the recitation for each day, during Br Mahmood's short break.  After that, a lecture on the name of Surah Fatiha and then a brief summary of the surah was given by Br Mahmood.

'Sehri/Suhoor and then Fajr, after which Br Mahmood gave a brief talk about Imam Nawawi in order to give us some background of the great scholar before, over the course of Ramadan, briefly going through and providing some insight into the Forty Hadith of An-Nawawi.

'Other topics will be covered, Insha'Allah, after Asr and Maghrib throughout the month.'

So that's the first entry.  We're almost at the end of day 2 of the month and I'll try to post a little more about what's been happening soon, Insha'Allah.

Female Genital Mutilation (and Islam - a non-scholary approach)

The general flexibility in basic Islamic law is that if something is not directly forbidden (prohibited) then it is allowed.  As harsh as many people consider Islamic law to be, this openness of the law allows for a lot of tolerance overall.  However, it can be misconstrued, too, as it is in the case of female genital mutilation (‘FGM’) and how certain Muslims and non-Muslims consider Islam's stance on it to be.

Islamic law states that a woman can divorce her husband if he does not provide sexual satisfaction (we’ll ignore the fact that the egos of most men would not be comfortable, let alone accepting, of this being a reason for divorce, but that’s a matter for another day (maybe)).  This means that the sexual satisfaction of a woman is her right, Islamically.  (Does that really surprise some people?)

Now, going back to the ‘general flexibility’ outlined above, because there is no direct prohibition within the Qur’an or the Hadith regarding FGM there are those who would use that ‘silence’ as proof of its permissiveness.  Some will refer to one hadith where the Prophet (saw) said to a woman who used to perform such circumcisions in Medina ‘Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband’.  This hadith, found in Sunan Abu Dawud, is classified as ‘weak’ but it does, of itself, make clear that any FGM done should be minimal and should not have an adverse affect on the pleasures of either the woman or her husband.

It’s at this point, as grim as it is, that I think one should consider (without going into detail (sorry)) the different types of FGM.  The World Health Organization lists four major types of female genital mutilation:

1. Clitoridectomy
2. Excision
3. Infibulation
4. Other: all other harmful procedures to the genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing (yes, those who have their clitoris pierced ‘for fun, etc’ here in the West have undergone female genital mutilation), incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area

Now, in light of the harm the types of FGM bring about to the girl/woman (urinary tract infections, childbirth complications, infertility) they cannot be considered to be permitted Islamically.  Sure, I’m not a scholar but a key aspect of Islam (contrary to a lot non-Muslim assertion) is common sense.  Whether people exercise or recognize such sense, though, is a different matter, unfortunately.

(As an important aside, it should be noted that there's no record (as far as I'm aware) of any of the Prophet's (saw) wives (ra) or daughters (ra) ever being circumcised.)

So it’s not endorsed within Islam (even if some Muslims and non-Muslims think it is), and it’s something being practiced by people of numerous faiths, which then begs the question: why is it done?  When 3 million girls annually in Africa alone are at risk, it’s not an issue to be ignored.

Some of the ‘whys’:

-         reduction in female libido which, in turn, keeps her ‘pure’

-         a (invasive and gross) form of peer and social pressure (‘so-and-so had their daughter circumcised and so should we, otherwise the community will shame us’)

-         a much more invasive and painful way of safeguarding chastity (a ‘chastity belt’ utilizing flesh)

-         social control

Now, going back to the aforementioned ‘pleasure’ which, Islamically, is a right of both spouses – since it has been medically established that the removal of the clitoris, the prepuce (the most sensitive parts of the human body (thought to have more than 70,000 nerve endings!), and so forth reduce or eliminate the pleasures a woman can experience then, other than when it is a medical necessity, it’s haram.

If you think the West is ‘super-advanced’ with regards to FGM, then you need to take on board the fact that even in the early 80s, in the United States, there was promotion of female circumcision (Playgirl had an article called Circumcision for Women: The Kindest Cut of All (that was in the late 70s, but still)), and it was only in 1997 that it became a federal crime to make any non-medically necessary cutting upon the genitals of a minor girl for any reason, whether religious or otherwise, and to any degree. 

That’s barely 15 years ago!

So how about a different approach – instead of hurling abuse and accusations and so forth at those who are ‘practicing’ FGM, educate them.  Through education and understanding you’ll take away the overbearing social conformity aspect, you’ll give women the courage to step up and stop what they went through from happening to their daughters, you’ll give men an awareness that what they’ve been allowing to happen is wrong, you'll give boys the courage to protect their sisters...

Allah (swt) admonishes those who blindly follow and do the things their forefathers did (2:170, 5:104, for example) and, to a large degree, that’s the crux of the problem here: the practitioners are continuing with this because it’s what their forefathers did.  Insha’Allah, through education and understanding, this abuse and debilitating practice can be brought to an end – but, considering the fact it hasn’t even been two decades since the West ‘ended’ the practice, there’s no real moral high ground for them at this point in time.

Is it frustrating and horrifying to those of us who are against the practice?  Sure.  Patience and perseverance, though, will lead to awareness, change, and better things (Insha'Allah).

Time to step up

‘Nothing is heavier in the scales of a believer on the Day of Judgment than his good behaviour.  Allah (swt) detests a person who is obscene and shameless.’ (Tirmidhi)

Across the world we keep being exposed to ‘the two faces of Islam’:

-         death-chanting, aggressive, violent and ‘out of control’

-         peaceful, praying and calling for calm

The ‘second face’ is often ignored, side-lined and quickly forgotten (it’s not really ‘newsworthy’, especially when you can show images and footage of rampaging flag-burners), but there’s a problem within that ‘second-face’ – they keep shying away.

We need that ‘second-face’ to be out there and not back down.

We need the scholars and speakers to keep preaching and speaking and teaching.

And praying.

When the people of Taif pelted the Prophet (saw) with stones and chased him out of the city, he didn’t seek their deaths.  He prayed for them and their children.

When the woman who hurled abuse at him, daily, as he walked for the morning prayer wasn’t there one morning, he asked about her wellbeing and, hearing she was ill, went to see her.  He even addressed her as ‘mother’.

When the woman who ordered the assassination of the Prophet’s (saw) uncle and later mutilated his body and chewed his liver, was brought before the Prophet (saw) years later…he forgave her.

With regards to the man who assaulted Zainab (ra), the Prophet’s (saw) daughter, causing her to miscarry…the Prophet (saw) forgave him.

Time and time again, he forgave those who abused and oppressed him.

Time and time again, he forgave those who abused and oppressed those dear to him.

Time and time again, he warned against becoming one of the oppressors.

Those out there seeking ‘violent retribution’ need to take a few moments to consider what it is that they’re actually doing.  Are they truly and absolutely ‘fighting’ for Allah and His Prophet…or are they giving way to their own frustrations?  On one occasion, when Ali (ra) was fighting in a jihad, he had his opponent ‘on the ropes’ when his opponent then spat on him.  Ali (ra), to the astonishment of the others there and his opponent, threw down his sword walked away, leaving his opponent alive.  Why?  Ali (ra) later said that he knew that if he had delivered the killing blow at that point it would not have been in a fight for God but because of the anger at being spat on, rendering him a murderer instead of a noble warrior.

So, in light of all this, those encouraging violence and those doing violence in response to the ‘movie’ need to re-assess their actions and motives.

It’s easy for me to say these things, ‘hiding’ behind this platform – but I’m not a scholar.  I’m not the kind of person others will listen to and adhere to and follow.  Those people, noted scholars and speakers, are out there…but they only seem to come forward for brief moments.  They need to step up and do more.

It doesn’t matter if their words aren’t receiving the ‘right press’, they just need to keep doing it.

Insha’Allah, they will.

Protesting is fine, rioting is wrong.

Allah (swt) warns us against becoming ‘transgressors’, going ‘beyond limits’ but, time and time again, Muslims across the world are shown ‘transgressing’ and ‘going beyond limits’.  They keep crossing the line and, for the most part, are unashamed in doing so.  They feel justified.

Their anger over the Prophet (saw) being slandered is righteous and is justified, but their targeting of people who have nothing to do with any slanderous comments made or the movies, etc, is neither righteous nor justified.

Frankly, the producers, director etc are lying when they claim they ‘didn’t expect this kind of reaction’.  It’s exactly the reaction they were looking; it’s exactly why they were so disappointed when no one paid any attention to the ‘movie’ months ago; it’s exactly why they ‘anonymously’ dubbed the trailer into Arabic, reposted and directed attention towards it.

The riots are exactly what they wanted so they could sit back and say ‘see?  We told you the Muslims are a murderous and bloodthirsty lot’.

The initial protest in Egypt was done ‘right’, so to speak.  Sure, it was aggressive but there was also unity – there were Muslims and Christians in attendance, both protesting the ‘movie’.  The Libyan one, though…certain people clearly had ulterior motives – why else would they turn up with RPGs and other weapons?

There’s also another thing these so-called ‘Christians’ enjoy ‘lauding’ and (whether wittingly or not) enjoy taking advantage of – the lack of slander and vitriol on the part of Muslims towards Jesus (as).  Yes, they’re ‘outraged’ when Muslims assert that Jesus (as) is not God and is not His son, but they take comfort in the fact that no Muslim will ever claim Jesus (as) was a paedophile or a womanizer or consorted with women of ill-repute.  It’s not because the texts, narratives, beliefs and so forth regarding Christ across the spectrum of Christianity are so ‘clean’ or beyond reproach, but that we, Muslims, love and revere him so much that we cannot and will not say anything slanderous about him.  For any one of us to do so would render us non-Muslim.  (so it's best left to their own scholars and writers to sully Jesus' (as) name, but when they do we, Muslims, must protest such things, too!)

It’s really that simple.

Going back to the protests: demonstrations commanding (encouraging) good and forbidding (condemning) evil are right and permissible; willfully and intentional inciting violence, however, is not.  Yes, some demonstrations will descend into conflict, but to go there with the intention of harming others…that is wrong.

The true purpose beyond protests and demonstrations is dawah – to bring awareness to others and to show them the truth through words and actions.  The words?  Lectures and narrations refuting, for example, allegations made against the Prophet (saw).  The actions?  Salaat (prayer).

If some of the protestors are ‘antsy’, they should drink some water and calm down.  If that’s not sufficient, they should sit down.  If that’s not enough, they should lie down.  Throughout it all, though, they should perform dhikr – remembrance of Allah (swt).

Do all this and we would truly provide a slap in the faces of all those inciting Muslims to violence.

Do all this and we would truly be upholding the honour of our beloved leader, the best of mankind, the mercy from Allah (swt) – our beloved Prophet (saw).

Ramadan outrage

Anger and outrage.

Most likely, that will end up being a common ‘theme’ when I post.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19280339

We’re nearing the end of Ramadan and murders happen.  It makes me wonder if these murderers even took part in the Blessed Month.  Whether they had fasted and helped those they could help.

Perhaps, for them, the fast only resulted in hunger…

There are far too many misguided, ill-educated and misinformed people around, and not just with regards to the Sunni-Shia divide/differences.  The S-S differences, however, shed blood.  Lots of it.

A lot of what we’ve been seeing over the years is through various ‘leaders’ within Muslim communities inciting and encouraging such…animosity.

There’s no need for that.

Yes, we have our differences but at the base level (and on this numerous scholars agree) we’re Muslim.  Are there deviants out there?  Yes.  Are we ‘supposed’ to kill them?  Generally, no.  Why ‘generally’?  Well, if they’re creating mischief in the land, inciting, killing, etc, then the onus is on us to fight back; we, however, are not meant to oppress or transgress.

(I'm going to avoid a rant...for now...)

To Allah (swt) we belong and to Him we return.

A supplication to Allah (swt)

Oh Allah
 
Help me to speak words of truth in the face of adversity, to stand up for what is right and good and fight back against what is wrong and evil...
 
Help me to refrain from speaking or thinking ill of others, or to lie in order to gain the admiration of others...
 
Help me to be loyal and steadfast to those around me.
 
Oh Allah
 
Should You bless me by giving me wealth, do not take away my happiness...
 
Encourage my hands (and heart) to be open and giving and allow me to be a benefit to others, near and far.
 
And should You bless me by giving me strength and might, do not take away the wisdom You have graced me to have...
 
Permit me to help others shoulder their burdens and to be a good example, and draw me away from being oppressive or transgressing on the rights of others (because I know You do not love those who oppress or transgress).
 
Oh Allah
 
Should You give me success, great or small, do not take away my humility...
 
Shy me away from arrogance and open my eyes and heart to the plight of others, and use me as a source of comfort for them.
 
Oh Allah
 
Should You give me modesty and lower my gaze and soften my voice, do not take away my sense of dignity...
 
Help me uphold the dignity of those around me by hand and by mouth.
 
Oh Allah...
 
Help me to love others as I love myself; to want the best for those nearest and dearest to me and those around me.
 
And teach me to be firm and to judge myself as I judge others...
 
May any such judgment not be wanton and aggressive and be through understanding and based on righteousness (and not self-righteousness).
 
Oh Allah
 
Teach me that forgiveness is one of the greatest steps toward strength, and one of the greatest gifts You have given us...
 
(Allow me to follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (saw), who forgave those who were the cause of such torment - including forgiving those who had killed his beloved uncle and mutilated his body).
 
Oh Allah
 
Do not curse me with arrogance should I be successful, or fill me with despair and hopelessness should I fail. Permit me to be humble (and aware that all success is from You) yet willing to step up and use the gifts You have bestowed upon me in grateful and proper ways...
 
Oh Allah
 
Remind me always that failure is the trial that comes before success...
 
For both success and failure allow me to be aware of the fact that 'this time, too, shall pass'.
 
Oh Allah
 
Should You take away the wealth You have given me, allow me keep my hopefulness and trust in You...
 
And should I fail, please let me keep the power of determination...
 
Grant me steadfastness and perseverance that I may embrace any trials You put me through and do my utmost at working through them
 
And should You take away the blessing of good health, please permit me keep the blessing of faith that You have Graciously bestowed on me...
 
Please strengthen my Iman through adversity and comfort, and increase my appreciation and awareness of You.
 
Oh Allah...if I have harmed others, or ever do harm to others, give me the courage to swallow or cast away any pride and to apologise...
 
And if others harm me, then I beseech You to bless me with the strength and compassion to forgive them...
 
You have decreed that Your Mercy shall surpass Your Wrath, please allow me to be the same regardless of my impotence and minuteness compared to Your Majesty and Grandeur
 
And... should I, somehow, forget You and the blessings You have bestowed upon me and those around me... Ya Allah, I beg that You should not turn away from me and exclude me from Your great Compassion and Clemency, for You alone are the Greatest, the All Powerful. The Ruler, The Sustainer, The Nourisher, The Provider, The Guider, The Light on all things that were, are and ever will be.
 
Ameen.

After Ramadan...

For Muslims, one of the hopes of Ramadan is that they will be able to carry the drive and 'increase' they experienced through the blessed month forward into the year.  That they will:

- pray more;

- read the Qur'an more;

- learn more

That's all well and good, and commendable goals, but what about the other aspects of Ramadan?

- to reach out to those less fortunate?

- to provide food to those who would otherwise be hungry?

- to be a source of comfort (even if it's just momentary) to those in need?

These are also important (and fundamental) parts of Ramadan and being a Muslim, and are supposed to be a major aspect of our everyday lives.  For many of us, however, they only seem to be important at certain times of the year.

Many of us consider 'charity' to be 'giving some money or clothing I can spare'.  There are other ways of being charitable, the prime one being:

- volunteering a few hours of your time.

Instead of, for example, going to the cinema you could (schedule) to pop in to the local shelter and lend a hand.

You could help hand out food to impoverished children (London-folk, there are a lot of kids who are below the poverty line and don't get nutritious meals, especially during school holidays).

You could visit an elderly person.

Spend time with an ill person.

It doesn't have to 'cost' you anything other than a few hours of your time.

70,000 people volunteered to help out at the Olympics - imagine the change 70,000 people could make each week by merely giving 4 hours of their time...

The Unwanted Minority

Below is a repost of my recent Facebook 'status update'.

'Three of our children were burned to death in Burma,' said the female refugee, 'another two died in the boat getting here...'

Another refugee said:

'They slashed our children, and put a sharp sword on the ground. They held infants above the sword and let the infants fall on it...they killed the babies that way...'

Aung San Suu Kyi chose NOT to speak up for these people...she said she didn't know if they were Burmese...(is that REALLY supposed to make a difference?!)

NGOs have pulled their people out on the basis of the situation being too dangerous, and the Burmese government won't let outsiders in.

Usually my 'status updates' are jokey, or refer to movies or superheroes...

Now I'd like YOU (whoever's reading this and is moved by what they see and hear) to be 'a hero/heroine' and do what you can to bring this to the attention of those who can make a difference. It is said that there's strength in numbers...perhaps we can pull ourselves together enough to put an end to the waves of genocide and hatred...and bloodlust...that keeps erupting across our world...

http://www.vidjin.com/burman-muslims-being-burned-killed-slugged-where-is-un-recent-video.html

Go beyond the physical

Ramadan’s almost here!

 

Alhumdulillah.

 

One of the beautiful gifts bestowed on mankind is the art of cooking (some call it a science, but, whatever ;) ).  It’s something which, generally speaking, is often overlooked.  Yes, we have dozens of cooking shows, celebrity chefs, awesome parents etc, but the blessing we’ve been given in being able to do the things with food, spices and so forth, is…well…beautiful.

 

Those of us who will be fasting for the month ahead should bear in mind (and spare a thought for, at the very least) those of the Family of Man whose stomachs stay empty for days on end.

 

All of us (and you can choose not to believe if you so wish, that’s up to you) will be brought to account on a number of things (including, but not limited to):

 

-         how we spent our time

-         how we spent our wealth

-         how we shared our knowledge

-         how we helped others

-         how we used our bodies

 

For Muslims, this month brings with it so many blessings that, for those of us who take the time to ponder, it’s awe-inspiring.  We can agree to disagree, but life in general is full of blessings (seen and unseen) that are, themselves, awesome when pondered, that the fact that Allah (swt) has magnified all that in the Blessed Month is just…breathtaking.

 

I know, I know – some will say I’m speaking in hyperbole.  Like I said earlier, you can choose not to believe if you so wish.

 

Hand in hand with belief, though, is action.  To take steps to promote positive change; to do things which enhance the lives of those around you; to be a good neighbour, friend, sibling, relative and so on.  Time and time again, Allah (swt) says: ‘Those who believe and do good deeds’…they go hand in hand.

 

I raise my hand and admit that I don’t do anywhere near as much as I should do – but I hope and pray that (Insha’Allah) I’ll be able to do more and, Insha’Allah, be able to encourage others.

 

Please try to make a difference for those around us who are in need.

 

Remember, ‘fasting is bestowed on us…that we may attain taqwa (God Consciousness/Awareness), so go beyond the physical.