Blog

  • The Arrogance of Religiosity

    My pet peeve on Tumblr, and in general regarding the way we address each other, is still the haughtiness that is displayed by people that pretend to be sincere in their use of the term ‘Oh so-and-so…’. Then there are those that use words like ‘Indeed’ and ‘Verily’ in their posts disguised as advice as if they are such authorities that such a pompous use of language is warranted.

    I say this about both the layman and the scholar alike. This use of language is taken from the style that is evident in the translations of the Qur’an, which is obviously fitting for Allah to use when addressing His creation. But to use it when talking to people or addressing people on Tumblr? Really? We think we’re so accomplished and aloof that we can address others as ‘O Muslims’ or ‘O Believers’ or use condescending terms like ‘Ahlul Bid’aa’ or the ‘Awwaam’ and the like?

    The annoyance I have with many people that assume a position of authority after studying Islam in some form or another is that more often than not they cease to engage meaningfully with others, and instead start assuming a level of superiority that is rarely, if ever, warranted. We’re so steeped in arrogance that the moment we study Islam formally, we assume that it’s our responsibility to start preaching before we even start practising.

    These are generalisations, I admit. And like all generalisations, there are exceptions. But look around you and I am quite certain you’ll agree that the number of sincere and humble scholars of the present day are few and far between. Most people that ascend the pulpit these days assume that by putting in the general disclaimers about what supposedly refers to them before it refers to anyone else is sufficient to disguise the arrogance and condescension with which they engage with those that don’t formally study Islam.

    It’s the same old thing. We forget what it’s like to be Muslims, because we’re so indulgent in wanting to tell everyone how they’re supposed to be Muslims. I’m often reminded of the stories of the Sahaba when they used to travel to foreign lands. They didn’t first need to learn the language and the culture and make big bayaans and write extensive treatises in their efforts to spread the word of Islam. They convinced others about the superiority of Islam over any other way of life simply through the way they conducted themselves. By contrast, these days we’re told that we are not qualified to engage in debate or discussion with anyone about Islam unless we hold a man-made title that signifies our level of proficiency in Islamic studies.

    We’ve turned Islam into an academic pursuit, embellished with sects and madhabs and pretentious scholars, while forgetting how to simply be Muslims. May Allah save us from ourselves.

  • To Blog or Reblog?

    I think I’ve figured it out. The reason why so many people are rebloggers more than they are bloggers. They lack inspiration, the same way I do this morning. Hence my inclination to reblog so many things, although my restraint has been keeping me in check. So, like the rebloggers, I’m tempted to borrow inspiration as if I’m licensed to be a curator of what may inspire others, all the while parading my reblogs as my inspiration to share with the world.

    I’m feeling somewhat deflated, I found myself trawling some of the tags that I follow in the hope of finding something that may be worth sharing. It was partly due to a need to want to share something meaningful, as well as wanting to fill that gaping void on my dashboard that taunts me if I don’t bleed out some thoughts at least once every other day.

    But I’m tired. Too tired to note all the beauty in the insanity around me, apart from the way the sun shone through the leafless tree this morning while the clouds literally raced across a crystal clear blue sky. The icy winds drove me to retract into a self-embrace trying to fight off the cold, while sitting at the entrance to the smoker’s balcony at work provides me with regular gusts of ice cold misery each time some nihilist steps out to rape a cigarette.

    I feel obligated to write out these rambling posts while I rarely read. That feels somewhat hypocritical. I have barely enough attention span to read through the dosage directions of aspirin these days.

    Nothing like the sound of a massive diesel generator grunting in the background to support my efforts to procrastinate on Tumblr during yet another unplanned power outage in this miserably cold part of Johannesburg today. This is the kind of post that gets deleted the morning after the night before. I keep wondering when is someone going to notice that the venom that I spit in my posts is actually a reflection of my own self-image?

  • A Can of the Best

    crappycoffee:

    I think a lot of people need to kick back and crack open a can of silence sometimes. Designed by FLOWmarket.

  • Anger

    Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

    Mark Twain

  • 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!

  • Growing Up

  • Inner Struggle

    A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.

    George Bernard Shaw (via dropkicksoul)

  • Question – Handwriting Analysis

    remorsecode:

    Picture of my handwriting, needing cynicallyjaded to interpret my handwriting for me!

    Ok, here goes nothing…again. 🙂

    There’s a few interesting characteristics in your handwriting, but unfortunately due to the blurry nature of the image, it’s difficult to note the more subtle details. So here’s a high level take on what I think your signature and handwriting says about you.

    1. The signature indicates a very resolute disposition that suggests a high level of confidence and an extroverted nature
    2. However, the signature also suggests that you may be somewhat rigid in your views, although you tend to internalise a lot of it before you actually express yourself to others, but once you’ve decided on a position or stance, you drive it through without wavering
    3. On the other hand, your handwriting suggests that you have some underlying doubts in the way in which you formulate your opinions. Even after you arrive at what you believe is a reasonable outcome, you hesitate to follow through. (Not sure if that makes sense?)
    4. Despite your confidence, you have an introverted side to your personality but you don’t let it show easily
    5. You’re still finding your ‘rhythm’ so you fluctuate in your personal communication style sometimes being measured, yet other times being impatient, but almost always with a heavy focus on detail
    6. One more thought about your signature, you switch off once you reach a point of certainty that you’ve expressed yourself sufficiently beyond which any attempts to discuss an issue further will probably not make much progress at all.

    Keen to get your feedback about this. I could be way off the mark, but either way, I’d like to gauge what may or may not be true from what I’ve stated above.