Tag: Principles

  • Is there really only one ONE straight path?

    More often than not, references to this ‘straight path’ is made in arrogant and condescending tones denoting that only a single interpretation of Islam is possibly acceptable and that everyone else are misguided deviants. This is like saying that there is only black and white and every colour in between doesn’t exist. I’ve seen this and many other similar sentiments appear on Tumblr, and the only emotions it stirs in me is the same frustration I experience when I sit in the masjid and listen to the condescension and rhetoric flowing thick and fast from the tongues of so many self-righteous imams that barely represent the sunnah in their physique, manner or disposition. 

    Islam is not a monolithic structure with a hierarchy that has only a single route to the top. There is only One Allah. This is indisputable and is also the only unforgivable sin. There are a million ways to achieve Allah’s pleasure and mercy, so assuming that there is only one interpretation or practice of what ‘THE straight path’ is, is a fallacy most often grounded in self-indulgent piety.

    This same inflexible thinking is what gives rise to sects and madhabs and so many other deviations that are hardly ever the teachings of the true pious scholars but instead are excessive interpretations by their over zealous followers. Those sects that were formed through the self-proclamation of its founders are blatantly misguided, and those that were formed through the proclamations of its followers have always been questionable. 

    The lazy ones insist on labels. The arrogant ones judge without true knowledge. The fools pronounce takfir on others without concern for their own standing with Allah. The same way that there is a million ways to give charity, and each way earns Allah’s pleasure, there is a million ways to be a Muslim without deviating from the principles that Islam has established through the example set by Rasulullah (SAW). Anyone that insists otherwise is at risk of judging others from a position of religious arrogance rather than true concern. 

    Sahih Bukhari ~ Vol 3, Book 49. Peacemaking. Hadith 861.

    Narrated By ‘Aisha : Allah’s Apostle said, “If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected.”

    Principles, not traditions. Far too often we confuse the two and end up hopelessly refuting people on the basis of arrogant affiliations rather than true contradictions or innovations that violate the principles of Islam. May Allah protect us all from such ignorance and arrogance, the combination of which is fatal to our iman.

  • My life is not a linear process. I live not in a box, nor in a pigeon hole. And I most certainly don’t base my self-worth on how well I appease those around me. I was born rebellious, but resolute. At times my resolve has earned me affection, but most times it has earned me scorn. Nonetheless, it is my resolve and I resolve to always be true to my principles, even though I may have betrayed them in the past. It was an emotionally expensive experience I needed to acquire, because in its absence I was misled to believe that people are worth the sacrifice of principles. They’re not. One sacrifice of such gravity will always beget another. There is no appeasing the egos of others, and only those that are self-obsessed will stand idly by watching you compromise that which you hold dear with their only interest being your fulfilment of their fancies. So I resolve not to succumb to such dictates, because it has only ever left me wanting, and never fulfilled. Standing true to my principles may have left me standing alone, but it has never left me stirring in search of peace.

  • Random thoughts about people and me

    I’ve often felt like life was a losing battle. No matter how often I would extend myself to those that I accepted as significant in my life, I found myself grovelling rather than being appreciated. Grovelling for attention or reciprocation that is. The more I extended myself, the less I was appreciated, which in some twisted way actually makes sense.

    We take for granted that which is most readily available. We only appreciate and nurture things that we realise are precious and hard to come by. Otherwise we kick into consumerism mode and forget about the blessings at hand (I hate the fact that I can’t even use the word ‘blessings’ and similar words without feeling like I’m being a religious zealot simply because of all the scripture-thumpers out there).

    Anyway, at the risk of sounding cryptic, I think that focusing on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of ourselves is more important than focusing on external factors that we cannot control. What I mean is the ‘what’ should be our decision about what is or isn’t truly important in the bigger scheme of our own lives, right? While the ‘how’ is our decision regarding how we choose to accept or achieve how the ‘what’ plays out in our lives.

    I guess what I’m trying to say is that if the focus is on making conscious decisions regarding what affects us, and learning to accept the things we cannot influence about the behaviours and decisions of others, we’ll find ourselves less often in a position to be trampled upon or taken for granted. This approach, whilst it took forever to realise, has worked well for me. At times it threatened to isolate me from people that I wasn’t willing to let go of, but it also made me realise that if I was significant at all to them, they would realise the potential loss and do something about it to avoid the rift from happening.

    But the devil in all this is our often low self-esteem. When we assume that we’re not worth the effort, we become victims and martyrs to situations and desires that we believe we will never acquire for ourselves unless we sacrifice ourselves in the process. It’s a self-fulfilled unfulfilling prophecy. And if this is still sounding cryptic, it’s because that’s how life is. It’s the biggest puzzle we’ll ever try to assemble, which reminds me that the best way to build one of those massive 5000 piece puzzles is to start from the outside and work your way in. I think the same is true with life. We need to start by determining what our boundaries are, what we’re willing to compromise and what is non-negotiable. Once we have that nailed, we need to decide how we’re going to go about filling in the pieces that will complete us.

    This all reminds me of a simple thought process I often share in my workshops with others regarding brainstorming. It comprises of three simple components, and talks directly to the puzzle analogy. Output, Method, Resource. If we start by defining what the objective (output) is that we desire, we can then understand what methods or actions would be needed to achieve it. And once we know that, it will be that much easier to determine the resources required to make it all happen. That’s the easy part. Once we have that plan drawn up, it takes courage and determination to act on it and make it happen. That’s usually where most of us suck because of that same demon called self-esteem. A healthy self-esteem really is the best gift any parent can give their child, ever!

  • Between Martyrdom and Cowardice

    Don’t confuse the actions of a martyr with those of a coward. There are many that profess to be martyrs, but in fact hide behind their fear as cowards by presenting their acts as selfless acts, when in fact it’s nothing more than spinelessness. I know of many that lament their inability to live according to their principles. Who with one breath despise the oppression of society and with the next uphold the repulsive social structures that feed such oppression.

    We profess to uphold religious principles and moral high grounds until we’re faced with the reality of choosing between principles and daddy’s wealth, or principles and mummy’s acceptance, even though we know that both are steeped in cultural arrogance and societal bigotry. We embellish our profiles with elaborate degrees of knowledge, prestigious accreditations of piety and align with the most respected nobles of society, but succumb to the simple pressure of choosing between a life of comfort and acceptance, and a life of modesty and principles. 

    Being romantic in words and cowardly in action is easy. Both feeds an insatiable ego. The world will always be greater than our greatest aspirations if focused outwardly, but will fade from view the moment we seek to overcome the frailties within. I despise cowards, and cowardliness, especially when accompanied by a pretentious mourn for sympathy and understanding. Those that indulge the cowards are only appeasing their own need for such affirmation. That’s why a true martyr is rare, more rare than a coward ever will be. 

  • Muslim vs. Mu’Min

    One thing that always annoys me about these endless debates about sects and madhabs is simply this…how much of what you’re debating has any impact on your Imaan? Given that the majority of Muslims are focused on the rituals of Islam and most don’t understand or appreciate the principles behind it, it’s easy to see why the debates are always around the practises rather than the principles. 

    It’s tiring being a Muslim at times, but forever rewarding to be a Mu’min. There’s too many Muslims and too few Mu’mins. And that’s not just a play on words, because at some point it may be worth noting that Allah refers to the followers as Mu’min in the Qur’an more than ever referring to them as Muslims. There’s wisdom in that. I wish that all our wannabe scholars will apply this at some point so that we stop getting bombarded with these exhausting debates and in fact can start sharing true naseeha about how to deal with life rather than how to interpret history. 

  • Islam Is NOT a Cult!

    We’re so prone to deferring all questions or concerns about the interpretation or implementation of Islam in our lives to the scholars that we’re actively stifling any intellectual or meaningful engagement in the process. It’s as if we’ve been indoctrinated to believe that questioning the ‘elders’ is tantamount to disbelief!

    But in all this to-ing and fro-ing between the questioners and the followers of the scholars, we fail to ask what qualifies one as a scholar to begin with. We assume that in the present day if someone completes the mandatory 5-7 year course at an Islamic institute to earn the title of Sheikh, or Aalim, or Maulana, it automatically makes them a scholar and because they studied the Hadith in a formal and rigorous setting, under informed instruction, they’re automatically empowered to make fatwas and decide who is being a heretic or a kaafir, and who is a sincere Muslim on the path of the righteous. 

    Unfortunately my personal experiences with men and women of such ilk has proven otherwise. I’m often reminded of the words of another admired scholar that says, “of what use is it to acquire more knowledge if we don’t practise on the knowledge we have?” Another point I’m constantly reminded of, and the irony of this is that this reminder is a result of the very same people that blindly quote what the ‘scholars’ proclaim, is that every single Hadith, without fail, has never once made mention of any sahabi via a title like the ones that we have endowed on our own scholars! Not once have I seen a hadith narrated by Mufti so-and-so, or Sheikh so-and-so, yet these were the stars of the Ummah by which we can accept guidance! So are our scholars suddenly more meritorious than the illustrious companions of our beloved Nabi (SAW) that we have to refer to them by titles? Obviously not. 

    Coupled with this is the fact that our scholars have gotten it wrong several times…’several’ being a substantial understatement. We’re so busy trying to prove whose version of Islam is more correct that we forget the simple principles that made Muslims great on this earth when they followed the principles and not the rituals! We have great scholars recognised by their peers and other blind followers as being great scholars who write great big kitaabs and produce other magnificent literature and content to educate the Awwaam (the masses) while they still believe that preventing women from going to the masjid is acceptable, and that the moon and star is not a significant bid’ah that needs to be dealt with decisively. 

    These are the same scholars that I’m supposed to trust blindly when they first issued fatwa after fatwa that TV was haraam, and then established and/or supported Islamic TV channels, and also issued fatwas that suicide bombings are acceptable, yet cannot show a single shred of evidence that suicide under any circumstances is permissible in Islam, let alone the indiscriminate killing of women, children, the elderly and unarmed civilians under the guise that they may take up arms against the Muslims at some point in the future, and other whimsical excuses!

    We have a clergy that lacks back bone. One of the signs of the hour is that the Ulama will be despised, and the usual assumption is that this will be because of a lack of understanding or humility amongst the Awwaam! I believe it’s because the Ulama will lose credibility because of their double standards and ignorance in defining fatwas due to their ignorance of present day realities, let alone their contempt for western technology. 

    It amazes me to see how many times we are so ready to reminisce about the great days of the past when Muslims contributed so magnificently to science, medicine, technology and almost every field of engineering and other intellectual pursuits, yet we don’t question the overwhelming ignorance and impotence of the Ummah in all these fields today. Exceptions exist, but that’s all the Ummah has offered in recent decades/centuries. Exceptions! Muslims were the leaders in all these fields as the norm, not the exception. But then we became arrogant and turned Islam into a cult rather than a way of life. We created hierarchies that prevent an ordinary Muslim from standing close to the Imam around the Haram in Makkah because those places are reserved for royalty or those close to them! (I have experienced this first hand!) We’ve created clerical structures that are not dissimilar to the structures of the grossly misguided Catholic Church and we revel in the order and pomp and splendour that exists in these structures. 

    I’m constantly reminded of the Hadith that encourages us to share our knowledge even if it is only a single verse, yet if scholars today are to be believed, then you’d be obliged to check with them before you quote anything or provide any advice unless of course such advice or quotes are in fact a re-quote of their words. The Ulama are disconnected from the Ummah, and the Ummah is disconnected from the Ulama. We’re in a sad state, yet we persist in excessive debates and interpretations of matters that are simple and straight forward. Matters that don’t affect the Iman of a person, but in fact, are only compromised by the intention of the believer, the sincerity of which can only be determined by Allah alone. 

    Nonetheless, there is never a shortage of Ulama ready to proclaim who is kafir and who is not. I shudder at the thought of making such a statement even with people I know well, and whose outward appearance is blatantly un-Islamic, because again, I’m reminded of the hadith that teaches us that if one person claims that another is a kafir, then one of them is. We’ve lost our way. That is why people are turning to Islam in droves, not because we’re setting a great example, but because Allah is raising a nation to protect His deen like He promised He would. 

    Islam is NOT a cult. It is not about ritualistic ideals and blind faith! And it certainly is not about an elite group of self-proclaimed scholars who rarely demonstrate the principles of Islam in their lives, other than what is obvious in their physical appearance. Many sincere believers who are knowledgeable and well-read on many aspects of Islam have been demonised and ostracised because they didn’t subscribe to this cult-ish version of Islam, yet those individuals have demonstrated a greater commitment to the true values of Islam than the scholars that compete for attention on a daily basis.

    The day our Ulama have the courage to openly condemn the spineless acts of suicide bombings, the unfathomable atrocities of killing innocent women and children, the disgusting embellishment of the houses of Allah with those pagan symbols of the moon and star, and so many other blatantly haraam issues, that is the day that they may enjoy the respect and loyalty of the Awwaam. 

    For the record, as I stated previously, I despise this term ‘Awwaam’, but I use it to remind myself of the condescension with which the Ulama refer to those people that are not part of their circles or their structures. I doubt very much that Rasulullah (SAW) ever used such a condescending or derogatory term on even the most unkempt of Bedouin that may have approached him for advice. 

  • Should we follow our Madhab, or follow the Hadith?

    Knowledge before action & speech: Should we follow our Madhab or Follow the Hadiths? (When they contradict)

    albosnawee:

    If a person is learning fiqh from one of the four madhhabs, then he sees a hadeeth that opposes his madhhab; and so he follows it and leaves his madhhab – then this is recommended, rather it is obligatory upon him when the proof has been made clear to him. This would not be considered as opposing his Imaam that he follows, since they – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, ash-Shaafiee and Ahmad, radiallaahu anhum ajmaeen – were all agreed upon this fundamental principle.… As for the case whereby a person does not have any evidence which opposes the view of the scholars of the madhhab, then we hope that it is permissible to act upon it (the madhhab), since their opinions are better than our own opinions; they took their proofs from the sayings of the Companions and those who came after them. However, it is not essential to declare with certainty (al-jazm) that this is the Shareeah of Allaah and His Messenger, until the proof that is not contradicted in this issue is made clear. This is the action of the Salaf of this Ummah and its scholars – both previous and recent – as well as that which they criticised: namely having bigotted partisanship for particular madhhabs and leaving off following the proof… However, if there becomes clear to him something which necessitates preferring one saying over another; either due to detailed proofs if he knows and understands them, or because he holds one of the two people to be more knowledgeable about this matter and having more piety about what he says, and so he leaves the saying of that one for the saying of the other one – then this is permissible, rather it is obligatory. And there is a text from Imaam Ahmad concerning this.

    Shaykh ul-Islaam Muhammad bin `Abdul-Wahhaab

    Ad-Durur-Saniyyah (4/7).

  • Why follow blindly?

    There’s a thought that’s been in the back of my mind for some time now. I’ve touched on this in several posts recently but still feel a need to spill these thoughts further. I’m constantly confused by how much emphasis is placed on the actions of pious predecessors, especially when the focus appears to be on mimicking their actions rather than understanding and applying the principles that gave rise to it. 

    It gets even worse when I see people suddenly quoting examples from the lifestyles of the pious scholars, even though there are much more poignant and admirable examples from the life of our Prophet (pbuh) as well as his companions. And this all supports my view about the cult-ish tones that are rife in the Ummah these days. 

    We all believe we’re that one sect of the seventy three that will enter Jannah, yet I keep wondering what was really meant by that Hadith that talks about the strangers, and glad tidings to those strangers, and on what basis do any of us hold a claim to be that chosen group? Isn’t that in itself arrogance, which is an attribute of the dwellers of Hell? I worry incessantly about the Hadith that reminds us that if our destiny has been pre-ordained for us to be in Hell, that we will fulfill that fate in the last moments of our lives, despite having lived a good life to that point.

    Then I’m also reminded of the fact that our sincere duas and efforts can alter this destiny of ours, but since we have no guarantee that such duas are answered, the sincere humility that it begs is something we can never afford to take for granted. So it all brings me back to the start of this brain dump, which is simply, instead of trying to imitate the actions of the saintly, shouldn’t we rather be striving to understand and appreciate the principles of Islam that they subscribed to? Only through understanding are we ever able to implement it within the context of our own lives, which to me, is the foundation for sincerity of intention. 

    I don’t know…sometimes it just feels like we’ve taken the beauty and simplicity of Imaan and turned it into a ritualistic cult that only the conformers to other’s interpretations of Islamic customs qualify for admission, and none shall have a right to question such interpretations except the chosen few with the appropriate man-endowed titles symbolising their scholarly endeavours that separates them from the awwaam.