Category: Islam

  • Imam Al-Ghazzali on Feeble-Mindedness

    …the parable of the feeble-minded person who thinks that the light of the sun is the result of its rising, is like the parable of an ant which as it happened upon the surface of a sheet of paper, was endowed with reason and thereupon watched the movement in the process of writing, only to think that it was the work of the pen, but would not go beyond that to see the fingers, and behind the fingers the hand, and behind the hand the will which moves it, and behind the will a deliberate and an able scribe, and behind all, the Creator of the hand, and the ability, and the will. Most people do not look beyond the nearby and earthly causes and never arrive at the Cause of all causes.

    Imam Al-Ghazzali (The Book of Knowledge)

  • Another tiring post

    cynicallyjaded:

    The day that science creates something out of nothing is the day that I will seriously reconsider my position about atheism. As long as man is manipulating what is already in existence, and as long as we always find more questions with every mystery that we solve, I’ll always marvel at the intelligence, form, function and ‘interconnectedness’ of this universe. We’re tiny and almost entirely insignificant specks of life that exist in this massive space, and we have barely scratched the surface of the true wonders of just the human body, yet we’re arrogant enough to believe that our theories about what might have occurred billions of years ago substantiated by assumed interpretations of our current state is authority enough to declare that we’re here because of a fluke of ‘stuff’ interacting and evolving over billions of years to eventually result in intelligent life that has reason and logic, and choice and emotions, and wisdom and beauty and so much more…

    The entire subject is the biggest brain fuck you could ever get. We assumed that the speed of light was unbreakable for decades…and then, quite by accident, we break it, but yet we continue in our arrogance to assume that we understand well enough to make absolute statements about what is and what isn’t true about life, death, this universe, and everything that exists within it, and in the process proclaim that there could not possibly be intelligence behind it all…it’s simply astounding the lengths we would go to just to obtain a level of peace so that we don’t have to accept our impotence and insignificance when faced with the grand design.

    After reading an article last week about atheists presenting questions specifically to Christians about scientific facts that the writer believed to be at odds with religion, I was prompted to search for this post that I wrote late last year. Given the use of language, it was obviously something that was proving to be an annoyance at the time, given how many posts I wrote about atheism and theism at the time.

    The one thing that struck me about this article that I read was that in almost every single debate brought on by atheists, they assume that the only view they need to challenge is that of Christianity, when in fact Islam is just as strongly positioned against atheism as any other religion. But more often than not, and this is played out in the mainstream media on a daily basis, the general awareness of the true aspects of Islam escapes most non-Muslims which is why there is this general misconception that Christianity is probably the only monotheistic religion other than Judaism. This although Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with a large portion of its growth from reversions rather than procreation.

  • In trying to maintain my focus in salaah, I often find myself trying to picture myself standing directly in front of Allah. But given my lack of knowledge regarding what image should be conjured in my mind from such a thought, I’m left with a feeling that me, being a minuscule molecule on a dust ball in the middle of a universe that teems with magnificence well beyond our arrogant imaginations, am not able to present myself before Allah, but only to Allah; whilst Allah, in His infinite grandeur and majesty, is greater than what we can grasp of this universe while others debate what His true form is. Since this universe is part of the created, how much greater must the Creator be?

    I consider the scale of creation that allows me to observe the tiniest known particles of creation, and then I consider how much unimaginably greater the scale must be between me and Allah. My nafs will always prevent me from grasping the true meekness of my existence, yet despite this, I have the promise of bliss that even the most elaborate of imaginations will fail to grasp.

    I’m often reminded of the description of just the dust of Jannah the beauty of which will leave us standing and marvelling at it for 40 years. That’s just the dust. I cannot imagine myself beholding a piece of dust with such amazement that I would be entranced by it for 40 earthly years, let alone 40 heavenly ones. How futile must it be then to attempt to contemplate the beauty of Jannah or the magnificence of Allah?

  • Asmaa’ bint Yazeed رضي الله عنها reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

    “Shall I tell you who is the best of you?”

    They replied: “Yes”.

    He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Those who remind you of Allah when you see them.”

    He went on to say: “Shall I tell you about the most evil ones from amongst you?”

    They said: “Of course.”

    He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Those who go around with Nameemah. They make enmity between friends and they seek problems for the innocent.”

    “Musnad” of Imaam Ahmad and al-Bukhaaree in “Al-Adab Al-Mufrad” (323) and graded as “Hasan” by Shaikh al-Albaanee


    I’m often reminded of this hadith when I engage with many learned members of the Ummah. Some pretend to be more learned than others, but in most of my interactions, I’ve found that those who profess to be truer adherents of the Sunnah often had the most repulsive of manners. I’ve seen learned men, and men recognised as leading scholars of their time and in their communities speak with condescension and aloofness about those that did not agree with them, or revere their opinions.

    But similarly, as someone recently posted, it’s often those most humble without realising it, and those most subdued in their proclamation of virtues and practises that are the ones that have reminded me of Allah most. Rarely have I been reminded of Allah at the sight of an imam, or others that claim scholarly and leadership titles to embellish their profiles. Most often, those that maintain an overt appearance with distinction lack sincerity and moderation in their rebuking of others.

  • culturalcrosspollination:

    A lone worshiper in a mosque in Isfahan, Iran

  • 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.

  • It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad; and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words.

    Sahih Bukhari

  • The strangeness of the self-proclaimed strangers

    I sometimes think that it requires a healthy dose of arrogance and pompousness to assume that I am from amongst the strangers that Rasulullah (SAW) has referred to. There are so many that profess to be on this path, that if each were to be believed, it would render the endless debates on Tumblr null and void, especially if each were actually correct. 

    Sifting through the opinions and interpretations of numerous scholars, ulama, wannabe scholars and others makes such a quest even more difficult. That is, the quest of determining whether or not I’m on the right path. The principles of Islam and characteristics of one who is inspired by the Sunnah is visible in sincere adherents across many different schools of thought, and even sects.

    The arrogance and condescension of some in their chosen forms of propagation of their views generally dissuade me from taking advice or guidance from them, which is a shame. It’s a shame because there is so much good that could be overlooked or dismissed because of the unpalatable nature of the attitude of those that may actually be in possession of valuable and beneficial knowledge. 

    I sincerely hope that Allah accepts me amongst these ‘strangers’ that are of meritorious character. But trying to determine, in my lifetime, whether or not I am a part of this blessed group will probably be a self-indulgence that will most probably result in arrogance before it benefits me with humility. So I’d rather live with doubt about my affiliations, rather than delusions about my merits.