The Rapture - The Devil

Jamiroquai - Corner of The Earth

The Unveiled Vigils - Prayer #1

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ar-rajeem, 
Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim

Lord, I am utterly useless

If I put myself first, and expect You to care for me 

to the exclusion of the world

then I am as a deluded heretic

and if I put myself last, and regard myself as the least among Your agenda

then, like so many, I pretend that I can manage on my own

I can neither insist on Your exclusive attention nor trust in my self-reliance

My conundrum in requiring more from myself while needing You more

means I must rely on myself to do worthy deeds and attract Your Love

but myself is unreliable in securing Your Love

it is only through Your Mercy that myself wishes to seek You

Because it is only by You that I get to You.

Lord, You are completely managing the whole affair-

I am just a vessel; a medium of nothing

I am totally dependent on You

This is all Your story, not mine-

So write it as You see fit

You are the best Author, Writer, Speaker

Lord of 'Be and it is!"

Let it be that these moldy, unread pages of my life

contain some eloquent and riveting tale

of adventure and excitement

of joy and laughter

of intrigue and pleasant surprise

of trial and heroic sacrifice

of drama and moving love

of benevolence and great service

of determination and satisfying triumph

of 'God is Greater!' in Your worship

O Lord of "Be and it is!"

Let it be so, for You are Everything to aid me

and I am nothing to aid myself
Help Your servant to write this story well

Ameen ya Rabb al-'alameen

The Benefits of Studying Hypocrisy & Acting The Opposite

It is beneficial to study the qualities of hypocrisy (nifaq) and hypocrites (munafiqun) because it is by doing the exact opposite of hypocrisy that one can achieve the highest state of piety known as ihsan and be a muhsin, bi idhnillah. 

The hypocrites do not believe in God and the Last Day, they deceive themselves and they have a disease in their hearts [Qur'an 2:8] so believers should believe in God and the Last Day as well as as the divine mission of Muhammad (saw), not deceive themselves and seek a cure for the ills of the heart by seeking knowledge and the path of purity from those who have knowledge and achieved it. The hypocrites make mischief [2:11] have secret pacts with the disbelievers [2:14] and have bartered guidance for error by wagering on this life and being doubtful about the next [2:16] they are deaf, dumb, and blind, [2:18] so the believers should be making peace and having open alliances with the faithful and should barter error instead for guidance by wagering on the next life and being doubtful about the nature of this life, they (believers) should be paying attention by listening, observing, and being thoughtful and reflective of the signs of Allah. The hypocrites turn away from revelation and religious injunctions when they are invited to it [4:61] so believers should turn toward the revelation and religious injunctions when invited to and when there is no invitation. They (hypocrites) do not honor their oaths and promises so the faithful should honor their oaths and promises and take them seriously. Hypocrites do not struggle in the cause of God and show their backs (i.e- turn away) in the face of difficulties so believers should struggle in the cause of God and not show their backs when the going gets rough. The hypocrites make a show of their good deeds while anxiously hiding their bad deeds, so believers should conceal their good deeds as they conceal their bad deeds and not make a show of either. They make a dazzling display of speech but do not have any real substance (action) to back up what they say [2:204] so believers should be modest in their speech and put their substance in their actions instead. The hypocrites are afraid of being found out and discovered, they have an understanding with each other to enjoin evil and forbid justice and they have forgotten Allah such that Allah has forgotten them [9:64-7] therefore, believers must not be afraid of people knowing their true natures (because Allah already knows it) and they should have an understanding with each other to enjoin and promote good and prohibit/discourage evil and they must never forget Allah, lest He forgets them (God forbid.) The hypocrites obstruct people from the path of God, their exteriors are polished and pleasing as if to appear holy and pious, and when prayer is offered for them they turn away in arrogance (thinking that they don't need it) [63:2-5] so the faithful should never hinder anyone from the path of God- rather promote it in word and deed, and focus on rectifying their interiors more than making their exteriors pleasing, and humbly accept any and all who pray for them or on their behalf.

By using the hypocrites qualities and doing the opposite we can, bi idhnillah, safeguard ourselves from hypocrisy, inshaAllah ta'ala.  The Qur'an says the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire, [4:145] so then wouldn't the opposite of them be the people who will be in the highest heights of Jannat al-Firdos inshaAllah? May Allah (swt) grant us all ability (tawfiq) to implement good deeds over good words and help us to be true to God and to the prophets (peace be upon them all) and true to ourselves and the world around us, and to remove whatever qualities of hypocrisy we may have and replace them with the qualities of a sincere devotee of God ameen ya Rabb al-alamin.

On Muslim Crazies, Islamophobia and Real Islam

I am appalled by the tragedy met by U.S Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other Americans who died for no reason other than guilt-by-association for some anti-Islamic video that went viral and again, stirred up rage riots that took the life of innocents and diplomats. However, I am even more upset at the fact that these barbaric acts continue in the face of Islamophobia and indeed perpetuate the myths and stereotypes that Muslims are savages with no morals. Truly the lands of Islam are living in the dark ages where true guidance is forgotten, obscured or unknown and ignorance has taken precedence. As a practicing Muslim, I feel its my duty to not only condemn these attacks but explain how distant their reaction is to the prophetic model of patience and forgiveness in the face of bigotry, hatred, insults, and personal injury.

The Qur'an states: "Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the Heavens and of the Earth, prepared for the righteous - those who spend (freely) whether in prosperity or adversity; who restrain anger and pardon all men; for Allah loves those who do good." [3:133-4] further it states, "You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your [personal] selves; and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve you, from those who have received the Book (i.e-scripture) before you and from those who worship many gods. But if you persevere patiently, and guard against evil- then that will be a determining factor in all affairs." [3:186]

The Prophet Muhammad (S) endured countless insults, mockery, and injury at the hands of unbelievers but did not resort to violence over attacks on his person. [See Quran 15:6, 16:103, 25:4-5, 38:4, 68:51, etc.] One of the Prophet's own uncles and enemy (Abu Lahab) would torment him by way of insult and injuries: Tariq bin 'Abdullah al-Muharabi narrated that he wouldn't stop at simply insulting the Prophet (S) but would throw stones at him until his ankles bled. Abu Lahab's wife would tie bundles of thorns with ropes of twisted palm-leaf fiber and scatter them in the paths which the Prophet (S) was expected to take. One day when the Prophet noticed there wasn't any thorns in his way he went to go inquire about the health of his aunt to see if she was feeling ok. Abu Lahab's and Abu Jahl's households would even throw the womb of a sheep and entrails of camel upon his back while he prayed but he still did not retaliate and only removed the animal parts with a stick and continued with his business. At Ta'if he was mocked and pelted with stones again until he bled and had to leave the city. Still all he did was pray to God for their forgiveness even though the angels offered to punish them for their rebellion. (The Sealed Nectar 87-9, 124-5) We can also see from the following hadith how tolerant the Prophet (S) was in the face of seemingly blatant disrespect in a place of worship:

 Anas b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "While we were in the mosque with Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), a desert Arab came and stood up and began to urinate in the mosque. The Companions of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: "Stop, stop!" but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "Don’t interrupt him; leave him alone." They left him alone, and when he finished urinating, Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) called him and said to him: "These mosques are not the places meant for urine and filth, but are only for the remembrance of Allah, prayer and the recitation of the Qur’an," or Allah’s Messenger said something like that. He (the narrator) said that he (the Holy Prophet) then gave orders to one of the people who brought a bucket of water and poured it over.” [Sahih Muslim Book 2, #559]

These are only a few examples in the life of the Prophet (S) of how he dealt kindly and justly with those who attempted to belittle him and how he always returned good for evil. [23:96, 41:34] If you read his full biography and life story you will find much more. There have been extremists in every faith who taint the image of the community for every faith-based group and Islam is no exception. The kharijites (an early extremist group) killed the Prophet's own cousin 'Ali ibn Abu Talib (ra) and were responsible for much discord in early Islamic history but that didn't stop the majority of peaceful followers from acting kindly and righteous, especially toward non-muslims [60:8] The Quran includes the People of the Book (Jews, Christians, Sabians) as those who will attain God's reward in the Hereafter: "Those who believe (in the Quran) and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve." [2:62, 5:69] God is not careless with words. This is stated twice in the Quran and those who argue it is an abrogated verse need to reflect on this point.

Prophet Muhammad (S) has stated: "Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God." (Sahih Bukhari) In a historic document known as the Charter of Privileges (Achtiname of Muhammad) with the monks of St. Catherine Monastery, the Prophet (S) explains further the depth of care for non-Muslim citizens:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

This is the Prophet of mercy we Muslims believe was sent as the "Mercy to the Worlds" [21:107] One who was peaceful with all who wanted peace and forgave offenses to his own self but fought to defend his community only when it was absolutely necessary after enduring 13 long and difficult years of persecution and misery in Mecca. So I say to those who claim to "defend" the Prophet's honor- there is no need, for God has already honored him above the creation. [68:4] I also say to them to remember our Prophet's love and commitment to all who sought peaceful relations, for they will be held accountable by God for killing those who do not kill and make war with them. If it were not for the U.S help in removing Ghadafi, Libya would still be under his boots. I also say to them that if they do hear anything distasteful - so what? Its not anything that hasn't been said or done before. Let them say what they will, its between them and God. And lastly, I quote the Quran, "So lose not heart nor fall into despair for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith" [3:139]  

Notes

- Holy Quran

- Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

- The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet (Ar-Raheeq al-Makthum) by Safiur Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri

Native Deen ft. Junaid Jamshed - SubhanAllah

Zain Bhikha ft. Dawud Wharnsby - Can't Take It With You

The Price of Humanity

By Ruhudeen Ali

September 6th, 2012

Yesterday I wanted eggs

to power my skinny legs

today I crave for chicken

as my body begins to lengthen

Years of supervision and play
sleepless nights with no pay
just to see me smile and be gay

I need a hundred pounds of meat a day
just to be bred and raised as a vicegerent of clay

But I have to build the mind before the spirit

and before the mind comes the body

so feed me tons of things

and do the same for my kin

Kill life to feed and grow mine
and destroy their homes that I may build mine

and rip off skins of animals to cover mine
and pillage the Earth to discover ores

to make tools to help with my chores
all these things I need of worth
just to make this all work

But wait, I still have more demands
I need a house and cars, plus trips to the sands of Qatar
I need an education to aid my contemplation
I need comfort in my deprivation
I need richness for meditation
that I may finally attain to that exalted station-

Still not there yet, the truth hasn't set
you see, we are the products of the sacrifices bled
for being in charge of this Home that was meant
to be the seat of vicegerency
incalculable is the cost to raise humanity

So you have to be the best that you can
it was the reason so much was given to you from the lands
for this high price we were raised
and the only way to pay back is to be worthy of praise

So reflect over all that went into making you
and secure yourself against what goes into breaking you
and live by what is best in the most honored hue
and praise God for Whom all praise is due.