The Real Cool Dude

Crack, Gulp, Bang!
A flash of fire in the eyes. Red rage on the face. Dry prickly throat. Tight, explosive fists.

Anger is a feeling that drives us insane. Its like a light switch. All you need is to push that wrong button and a menacing energy erupts in your mind. The next thing you know is that you are shaking, shouting and striking.

One really cool dude, who seldom got angry was Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan (r.a). He was one man that I know who was always composed and patient, at times when everyone would turn instinctively convulsed and outraged.

Amir Muawiya  (r.a) daily after Fajr prayer used to hear reports from the  military police. After that, he used to come to see the ministers, advisors, and chief associates of the government in connection with foreign expeditions. In this meeting, the subordinate court officials and administrators would read to him the reports and letters that came from the provinces. At Noon time he would come out of the palace to lead the prayer and sit down in the mosque itself. There he would listen to the complaints of the masses, receive their requests and then go back to the palace and meet other dignitaries. Then he would take the midday meal and then take a short nap. After 'Asr prayer, he would meet the ministers, associates and advisors. He used to take supper in the court together with everyone and give them one more opportunity to see him and this ended his day's work.

Amr bin Aas (r.a) says, I have not seen a man of greater perseverance and humility than Amir Muawiya (r.a). One day it so happened that I was present in his court and he was sitting with a pillow at his back. He received a report that the Roman emperor was about to attack with a huge army. Having read that paper, he threw it to me. I read it and waited to watch his reaction. However, he kept sitting in the same posture. He said nothing. A few minutes after that another report came saying Nayel bin Qais, the leader of the Khawarij, had collected an army and was about to invade Palestine. This report was also passed to me and Muawiya said nothing. I read it and kept waiting  for his order all the more anxious but he continued to sit in the same position. There was no trace of any change on his face. It was not long when a third report came to the effect that a captive at Mosul broke open the jail and fled away near Mosel. Muawiya (r.a) read it also and threw it towards me and kept sitting with the support of the pillow at the back. A few minutes later another letter arrived with the news of an attack on Syria. That letter was also throw toward me. All this time, he maintained the same sitting position as before.
My patience grew thin. I said to him, "Pieces of bad news are pouring in from all sides. What will you do now?" Muawiya (r.a) said, "Though the Roman emperor commands a big army, he will return after signing an agreement with me. Nayel bin Qais fights for the cause of his religion. He has captured a city and wants to keep it under his control. I shall  spare him so that he might be pre-occupied with it. The captive who fled from the jail cannot escape from Allah's jail. But as for Ali's affair, we have to think and plan how to avenge Uthman bin Affan's blood." Then he sat up immediately issued orders for the settlement of each issue, and then sat down with the pillow at his back.
Source: Amir Ali, "The History of Islam."
Amir Ali has Shi'i inclinations so read at your own discretion.  

I don't believe that a stress-free life is possible. Stress is a response to challenges in life, and life without challenges is too boring to contemplate. However, I do believe that most of the stress in our lies is unnecessary, and that it can be eliminated by a little bit of prudence and farsightedness. Yes, Muwaiya's stressors are a bit extreme for the rest of us but it exemplifies how he did not allow his temper to flare up or his mood to worsen when bad things happened to him. We are not the Master of this Universe. I know we sometimes wish we were, but acting as if we are is a sure way to get stressed out. Trying to control situations and people cannot work, and only serves to increase our anxiety and anger when it doesn't work. The only thing we can do is control ourselves. Learning to let go of our need to control others and the situations around us is a major step towards eliminating stress. Its true we cannot always cut off all bad things from our lives. There will be days when we will be exhausted, annoyed or bored etc. Still, it is our choice to not drain our energy trying to be dominant. We can choose not to panic or get frustrated. Like Muawiya, we can choose to be cool and witty. Averse situations can become friendly; stiff people can be yielded if we keep our cool and think clearly. 

Hard Work

Sometimes we get lazy and wish for things to happen sooner; wish it took less planning and effort to achieve our goals. Why do I have to go to university for two more years? Why does it take forty-five minutes to drive to Mississauga? Why don't the onions cut themselves? Why can't I have the washing machine to myself when I want to? It would be convenient if everything in life worked at our pace? Kinda like blink your eyes, wiggle your nose, bop your head and wow.... your room is clean. Fastantic!
But this is not the Sunnah of Allah. Look at how Allah raises water vapour out of the sea, makes clouds, blows wind and sends down rain to keep our fields green. We can wish ready made bread would rain own from the sky, and cooked meat, fish or vegetable dishes be raised from the earth but Allah cannot be our subordinate. He turend teh seawater into vapour with the scorching rays of the sun, then the high air bore it and took it to another plce, then its heat and freezing power created cheanges and caused the rain. Then the farmers made the land soft with  their oxen and equipment, and sowed seeds. Plants grew and they were looked after. When they ripened, they were harvested. Grain and chaff were separated. Then the grain was ground in a mill. It was kneaded and then by using a particular technique, bread was prepared. Contemplate it and see how in providing a load of bread Allah has chosen a prolonged and complex process. It would only be our foolishness if we demand to skip over the process. Keeping this in mind, yes, our process during the day may be hard and lengthy but it is necessary and beneficial for our life's goals. 

The City of Knowledge: Toronto

Alhamdulillah, Toronto is a City of Knowledge. Apart from financial stability, emotional support, companionship and marriage, Muslims in Toronto are also seeking knowledge. Its true, many young Muslims are escaping from the rat race at work and meaningless university degrees to a life oriented towards learning Islam, purifying their hearts and enlightening their minds. Alhamdulillah, Toronto is the place to sit at the feet of scholars,  to pour out one's old self and drink up knowledge, to become anew. Toronto is where the souls radiate with emaan (faith), taqwa (such remembrance of Allah that it hinders from sin) and ahsaan akhlaq (most beautiful character). Alhamdulillah, it is a blessing to live in Toronto but also a fitnah (test). In the our zeal to learn, we Torontonians have fallen prey to many sins. One may ask, how can seeking something so fulfilling and beautiful like Islamic knowledge be a fitnah? How can such hard working, sharp and intelligent students of knowledge commit sins?

By far, the biggest disappointment and frustration for students of knowledge is disorganized and unwelcoming Islamic Schools and Masajids. There are hundreds of Study Circles and Musalahs in Toronto, but a vast majority of them do not teach the Classical Texts or maintain a state of coherence. Moreover, Muslim instructors and imaams do not live up to the ideals and standards they teach and expect others to follow. Because of this, many students give up their aspiration to study. Nevertheless, nothing of true value comes without pain and effort. Do not depend on any institute or person to give you knowledge. Rather be active and determined in learning Islam independently. Alhamdulillah, there are many opportunities to learn Islam online through www.kalamullah.com, www.farhathashmi.com, and http://www.halaltube.com/

Indeed, learning Islamic knowledge is from the most eminent of all purposes in life and the most significant of all occupations. However, it is only for the sincere and the serious, not those who are yearning to quickly become Mashaikh and Muftis.

It is said that, “`Ilm [beneficial knowledge] is jealous: when you give some of yourself to it, it does not give you much in return, but when you give all of yourself to it, it reveals the best of itself to you.”  Think about someone you would consider a scholar or expert in the fields of history, engineering or medicine, and then consider how many years it took them to achieve that state.  In the same way, it takes many years of study and dedication to reach a level of expertise and scholarship in Islam.
Some people attend a few lectures (in person or on youtube) and maybe skim through a few pages of a book only to assume that they are now in a position in the arena of Islamic discourse and debate. Such people are in fitnah, i.e. under the false impression that they are fully qualified to give opinions on Islam - Fiqh, Aqeedah, Da'wah and Shari'ah. We need to be realistic and keep in mind that an appropriate level of proficiency in Islamic sciences does not come after a few weeks or even months of studying. Granted that it it may not be so difficult or even very time consuming to learn Arabic, memorize the Qur'an or study a particular specialized topic. However, this in itself does not make one a shaykh or a shaykha, teaching others a myriad of Islamic issues and writing articles. Giving all of yourself to knowledge means excelling to your utmost ability in your studies, by having the best of focus and discipline, and by giving life to the information you learn by feeling/perceiving it deeply with the heart and then implementing it with your limbs.  It is only then that that one can fully internalize the knowledge one has attained, and build on it and grow.

Another fitnah for the students of Islam are poor life choices. Anger, arrogance, greed, lying, backbitting, illicitly talking to the members of the opposite sex etc are traits that would make any person unattractive. But these characteristics are even uglier and loathsome when they emanate from those who wear the mantle of knowledge. One does not become a learned person by volunteering at conference and serving scholars. Islamic knowledge comes at the cost of spiritual struggle: getting rid of long-held, deeply ingrained bad habits. By doing this, one shows to Allah his/her sincerity and seriousness to the path of knowledge.

Finally, the fitnah of getting lost - students are caught up in the varies methodologies and Schools of Thoughts. For example,  there is a lot of emphasis put on Taqleed (blindly following) and commemorating dead saints while others promote impassioned and unyielding understanding of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah). There is emphasis on folding hands on the navel and the chest, to fast in Shab-e-Baraat and not to fast. Overall, Toronto has become a center of fitnah: confusion, vitriolic debates and division. The obvious downside to this is that many students of knowledge are now reinventing Islam with their weak opinions and false evidences. Thanks to them, many strands of shirk and many types of bid'aah are practiced without hesitation, Islamic-attire is thrown at the back burner as unnecessary and some major sins such as listening to music, taking interest and eating haram foods is made halal. Toronto needs a holistic, broad-minded understanding of Qur'an and Sunnah in the context of implementing and practicing it in the West.
Allah calls the Ahl al Kitaab the worst and the most evil of His creation because they deviated from the true Islamic practices despite having knowledge of them. They purposely produced heretical teachings and interpretation of the Divine Scriptures revealed to them thereby disfiguring Islam and conflicting the religious community (Qur'an, 98).  The Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Verily the Jews differed until they became seventy-one sects. And verily, the Christians differed until they became seventy-two sects. And this Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in the Fire except one." The companions (r.a) asked, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He (s.a.w) said, "Those who are upon what I and my companions follow." - Al Qurtubi, At-Tirmidhi.

I hope that my article will not offend anyone. I feel that every blessing comes with a fitnah. Even knowledge presents many trials upon its students. We should be careful and not heedless, cautious but hopeful.