Tag: innovation

  • What’s your reason?

    The moon and star symbols were never used during the time of Rasulullah (SAW), nor during the time of the rightly guided caliphs thereafter, and not even for a few hundred years after the demise of Rasulullah (SAW). So what’s your excuse for using it? Because you found your forefathers doing so? Or because the corrupt house of Saud uses it to deface the two most sacred mosques?

    Does the fact that it stems directly from pagan worship have no effect on you? Or do you think that it’s ok to adopt such symbols and apply it differently, whilst being passionately vocal about other so-called innovations and subscribing to sects that never existed during the time of Rasulullah (SAW) or the chosen generations that followed?

    Are you actively contributing towards the double standards that plague the Ummah? Or is everything assumed to be ok because there’s so much worse that we could be doing? I find it weird that some can go around condemning others for grave worship of Muslim ‘saints’ and other sins while at the same time proudly using the pagan symbols to confirm their identity as a Muslim.

    Why is it that no one is willing to engage on this? Is this the proverbial elephant in the room for the Ummah? 

  • The Crescent of Stupidity

    Oh noooo….this is wrong on so many levels! Please, I’m begging every single one of you. Google it, Bing it, Yahoo it, or just pick up any old history text book that deals with Islamic history and the Ottoman Empire, and please please please pay attention to the fact that the crescent was adopted into Islam directly from Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt! This has no relevance in Islam. It stems from pagan worship and in no way represents anything Islamic. Wallahi, I am not making this up. 

    Please, please, please just take a few seconds to Google the origins of the moon and star in Islam and you will see that I am not making this up. Our insistence on sighting the moon of Ramadaan as opposed to calculating it further entrenches this idea in people’s minds that the crescent symbol is somehow related to that ritual, but it’s not. It never has been, and most importantly, it was never used during the time of the Prophet (SAW), the rightly guided caliphs, nor the numerous generations that followed for a few hundred years! 

    Audhubillah! Please abandon the use of this symbol. It has no benefit whatsoever and only creates links between Muslims and Pagans, and nothing else. If you wish, you can find more info under this tag of mine. Please, discourage the use of these symbols wherever you see them. May Allah save us from this horrible innovation. Imagine performing salaah while you have the symbol of Diana embellishing everything around you, including our mosques, homes, prayer mats, etc.!

    Astaghfirullah!

  • Moderation of Purpose

    On my way home from work today I was stuck in traffic for much longer than anticipated. It seemed certain that I would miss Asr salaah if I stayed on my route, so I took a detour and stopped at a mosque along the way. The mosque was embellished with the moon and star symbol which left me mildly ambivalent about entering. However, given my recent realisation as described in a previous post I proceeded without paying much attention to the voices in my head trying to dissuade me from going in.

    I’m quite settled with the fact that there is more blatant and sincere worship of Allah in that mosque than any inclination towards the paganism suggested by that symbol. I was reminded about the many arguments and debates I’ve had around this issue and the recurring thought that the intrinsic value of the symbol is lost to Muslims. All that did was allay my concerns about performing salaah in that mosque. It didn’t alter my views about the symbol and its inappropriateness in Islam.

    Another comforting sight was the 99 names of Allah and the numerous Qur’anic verses inscribed on the walls around the inside of the mosque. That was reassurance that the structure was indeed built to praise and worship Allah. But the presence of that symbol still troubled me knowing that I stood below it, and was further reminded of it because of its inclusion in the design of the prayer mat laid out for the imam.

    But I managed to perform my Asr on time, Alhamdulillah, and I stayed for Maghrib with congregation as well. Perhaps this is the beginning of the moderation that I sought to achieve in this matter, even though there is still a strong urge within me to want to speak out against that horrid symbol to anyone that will listen. Perhaps that day will still come, Insha-Allah. Building better ties of unity with the community will hopefully make them more receptive to what I want to share with them when the time is right, Insha-Allah.

  • On the Occasion of My Death

    With all the news this week about deaths, and supposed deaths, affecting people I know and love, and people I thought I knew, it got me wondering what it is that I would want people to realise on the occasion of my death. So this would be my eulogy to me:

    Please remember that the tears you cry are tears for your own loss, and not for me. If you were thinking of me, you’d realise that happiness is called for, and not sadness. My struggles are finally over, and what lies ahead can only improve but never get worse. So if you grieve for me, know that you’re grieving in vain, because it is only good that is done in my memory that will benefit me, not time wasted grieving over something that cannot be undone. 

    I lived a life of seeming hardship, but in fact, there were many that were more downtrodden than me. Save your sympathy for those that are alive, and rejoice at the news that those that are dead suffer the anguish of this world no more. Do not commit acts of innovation in my name, nor commemorate the cycles of the years upon the anniversary of my death. I never recognised these superficial occasions in my lifetime, so please don’t dishonour me by commemorating it on my behalf after my demise.

    Death has always been waiting, and relative to the expanse of eternity, our lives are literally a blink of an eye. Some blink longer than others, but nonetheless it is no more than a blink. Too many focus on the challenges and punishments that we’re cautioned about, but most never contemplate the blessings. Our challenges are limited to this finite time that we’ve been placed on earth, while our rewards are celebrated for eternity. So those that think that Allah is cruel or harsh in subjecting us to this life of trials and tribulations, let them be reminded that such hardships are short lived, whilst its rewards, if endured with dignity and faith, are eternal. 

    So please don’t mourn for me. Every tear you shed is a reflection of the compassion and yearning of your own soul before it is a symbol of what lies ahead for me. It is natural to grieve, but know without a doubt that that grieving is for your loss, not for my demise. Life is for the living, not for the dead. If you wish to benefit me at all, remember the good that I may have shared with you, forgive me for the bad, and always remember me fondly while overlooking my shortcomings. 

    Beyond this, I request nothing more from you. Like we have been reminded by the Prophet of Allah (SAW), speaking ill of the dead only affects the living, so don’t hurt those that may have held me endearingly in their hearts by reminding them of my faults. Celebrate life with goodness and cheat death by making such goodness the inheritance of your offspring. 

    “To Allah we belong, and unto him is our return”