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.

I am not doing anything with my life - rant

This is not to undermine the people in the my life, or the time I spend with them. I love my family - my parents, siblings and inlaws. I love serving them, learning from them and yes, goofing around with them :) This rant is basically to shame me into studying more and taking my religious/professional goals more seriously.

My early religious training was in the Islamic faith. This, however, was a matter of birth, not choice - our early religious training is generally in faith of our parents. Later in life, our religion is usually accepted as a matter of fact. We, however, question and examine everything except our family religious traditions, particularly if we are from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The Qur'an, being the Islamic textbook, is a source which I read in its original language (Arabic) many times. Almost every Muslim home contains the Arabic Qur'an, but it is generally used as a mantelpiece decoration. The Qur'an is a book that nobody knows but everyone reads. As bizarre as it may sound, inspite of being charmed by the glamour of many sins, Muslims take pride in the Qur'an. We hypocritically revere and idolize the Qur'an because although we claim that its source is Divine, we are indifferent to its message.

Alhamdulillah, Allah rescued me from this state of ignorance. Alhamdulillah, I can recite the Qur'an with some fluency, I can translate many words of the Qur'an from memory. Alhamdulillah, I can do tafseer of most of the Qur'an with a few supporting verses and ahadith. Alhamdulillah, I consider myself very lucky. I do not hesitate to state that a vast majority of Muslims today are oblivious of even the basic pillars of Islam and requirements of faith. But Allah has been very generous to me; He endowed upon me the blessing of knowing and understanding His Deen; living with and studying under renowned scholars, possessing scores of authentic and unbiased literature on Islam. But in turn, have I proved myself a worthy adherent? Did the comprehension, books and teachers rectify my life? How well am I serving Allah? How well am I serving humanity? What am I doing with my life?

I still shudder when I see the news, the  blood-curdling slaughter, rapine and destruction, the tales of incest, rape and other vile obscenities that make headlines everyday. I get more weirded, angry and disgusted everyday. Living in the West, one would think that I would be impressed, by the technological advancement, the sky scrappers and the foods. But I am replused. I hold the Western society in abhorrence. It stands for drunkardness, debauchery and oppression. Alhamdulillah, again I have a chance to change all of that. I am privileged to earn a degree in political science. I can go to Law School. I can work for justice. But I am not! I am taking these favours for granted. Shame on me!

The Criminal Mind - of children

Children are cute fuzzy little cuddly things until they become teenagers. The Cambridge (England) study in Delinquent Development studied over 400 boys from age 8-25, in the years 1961 - 1980. This study offered psychologists a wealth of data associated with offending with respect to gender, socioeconomic class, income, parenting and race. Scientists Thornberry and Figlio concluded: (a)The peak ages for most offenses is 16-17 years; (b) juvenile and adult crime are closely related; (c) as the number of convictions increases beyond six, so the probability of further convictions become greater; (d) juveniles convicted at the earliest ages (10-12) become the most persistent offenders. In this post, I hope to outline the criminal thinking patterns most common young offenders and contrast them with Allah-fearing and virtuous intelligence and reasoning in the child companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). I had to write an essay on the rise of youth offenders. I am sharing my notes from two scholarly readings: (1) "Cognitive-Behavioural Interventions with Young Offenders" by Clive R. Hollin and (2) "Child Companions around the Prophet (peace be upon him) by Sameh Strauch (Darussalam). The purpose of this post is to help start a discussion on saving our children from criminal impulses and raising them with Islamic disposition.

Several cognitive theories claim that young offenders share 50 styles and errors of thinking which defines their criminal minds. These theories encompass the following conclusions:

• Ross and Fabiano blame criminal activity on the omission of thought between impulse and action. They say that children lack reflection; they fail to stop and think; fail to generate alternative responses to conflicts. 
• Rotter suggests young offenders lack internal control; they perceive their behaviour as determined by influences outside their personal control such as luck, friends and authority figures. 
• Chandler reports young offenders lack empathy, that is, they are incapable of seeing things from someone else's perspective; they do not have the capacity to care at an emotional level - they are egocentric. 
• Hain and Ryan explain that young offenders have a moral problem; they have self-serving, hedonistic and anti-social values. 

"Psychology and Crime" by R.V.G Clarke, 1977, Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 30, p.281 address the elements contributing to the occurrence of a criminal events in children. he article claimed that early environment and upbringing (broken homes, inconsistent discipline, criminal father etc) coupled heredity traits like low IQ, emotional lability, poor conditionality etc cause cognitive criminal behaviour. Children living under these conditions are most likely to develop criminal personalities: become extraverted, impulsive and aggressive. This is especially true if children are young, boys and unskilled. Living circumstances and crisis events like inner-city residence, delinquent associates, truant football fan, drinking over the weekends or failing a course, getting beaten up in school, having a friend who was arrested etc also strengthens criminal behaviour. The criminal act is finally trigged when such children are perhaps on a poorly lit street with no police patrols, nearby unlocked cars or self-service shops; they are bored, fed-up, want money or thrill and they see low risk in crime and high reward. 

You must be thinking, my kid is not a criminal. Though this may be true, it will still be pretty ghastly to know that according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act 2006, for every 100,000 youth in Canada between the ages of 12-17, 8000 were charged with criminal code offenses (excluding traffic), and additional 4000 were charged with property crime and 2000 more with violent crimes. Canada produced 14,000 criminal children in just one year! So alhamdulillah, if your kid is not stealing or hurting someone, but they may be hanging out with other children who are. This puts your kid at risk of being exposed to learning crime or worse, becoming an accessory to crime.

The world in which our  live, learn and play is a mirror or their atittute and expectations. Our children are bound to behave like the environment we leave them in. So it is important to select their school, friends - programs they watch on TV, games they play etc with the greatest care, because this very "environment" is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into their minds is extracted. This is how they shape their beliefs, interpret values and attach meaning to events.

Ramadaniyoon

I can't believe its been a year already. I remember writing about Ramadan not so long ago and here I am again, trying to rekindle the fasting spirit. What is life but a series of events? Each event seems like a long episode, more significant than all the previous occurrences in our life but after some time, it too becomes a mirage in the oasis of our memories. 

Each Ramadan I make resolutions to strength my emaan. I fast in repentance, to seek forgiveness and for deliverance from punishment. Yes, fasting is much more than not consuming food and drink for certain hours during the day. It is a meditation and sacrifice of sorts. Its toning, humbling and awakening the soul. 

Any act often repeated soon becomes a habit. Some people habitually clean, play video games, eat, facebook, bike, sleep. Its like they cannot realize any other purpose in life except what they already are accustomed to doing. To be honest, my mom likes to cook. If she can spare a single breathing moment away from students, she will stand in the kitchen and cook - even when no one is hungry. She will be so tired from standing and teaching that her ankles will swell and crack but she will continue to servant the stove. I don't know this but I can guarantee you that my mom even dreams about recipes when asleep. My father on the other hand loves to sleep. Period. He will sleep even if there are people around. He fell asleep during my wedding. My husband also has his share of interests that occupy his time. Granted, we all suffer from very carnal routines. So I think of Ramadan as an event to cap our base passions and desires that dictate the pattern of our existence. Fasting from food is not the entire reason for Ramadan, Fasting is for Allah.
Every year, right before Ramadan, I feel a distance between myself and my Rabb. I really don't know how it works but exactly when I begin to feel an emptiness and sadness in my heart because of neglecting my commitments to Allah; socializing too much; not spending enough time with Him and not spending enough time doing things for Him - subhanAllah, its Ramadan.

We defile ourselves with our obsecene and wasteful habits. Fasting is not a ritual, a diet program or a punishment. In truth, fasting is for getting closer to Allah via sacrifice of material things. The motive of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and to focus them completely on Allah; the reward of the Hereafter. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to Allah, and to ourselves that we are serious about our servitude to Him. Again, many people just fixate more over sleep and food during Ramadan when this month is for redirecting our attention and loyalties to Allah. It is an opportunity to express ourselves as individuals living for the reason of worship, virtue and simplicity. 

Maybe this makes us Ramadniyoon - Muslims who are conscious of Allah only in Ramadan? If not the entire year, if not every day, at least alhamdulillah, in Ramadan we remember Allah. Something is better than nothing right? So lets do something this Ramadan. Lets do something that will help us remember Allah always. I personally don't like sharing my plans lest I lose barakah in my intention and efforts. But since Ramadan is so ravishing, we should make special exceptions, thereby encouraging each other

1a.  Salah is our best connection with Allah, I want to inshaAllah study Namaz-e-Nabwi with Dr. Farhat 

1b. Memorize new duaas to recite in Salah inshaAllah

2. Journey to Allah by ibn Rajab inshaAllah

3. Recitation of complete Qur'an inshaAllah

Bid’ah – Innovations

Bid’ah – Innovations

Muhammad Sajid Aga

“A bidah is anything that has no basis in the Qur’an, Sunnah or sayings of the companions”

                                                                                    - Imam  Ash-Shaafi.

Linguistically, Bidah means a newly invented matter.  In Islamic terminology, Bidah are those beliefs and actions that are not supported by any authentic proof from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Bidah are innovations in the religion intended to seek nearness to Allah and His reward through self-proclaimed means.  

Following are guidelines that will help recognize innovations:

1.       Act of worship based on a fabricated Hadith:

Many people perform acts of worship acquired from fabricated hadith. It is the responsibility of every Muslim to study ahadith and confirm their authenticity before implementing them. The Prophet (s.a.w) specifically warned us against innovations because acts of worship derived from fabricated ahadith are not acceptable to Allah. He (s.a.w) said, “He who innovates something in this religion of ours that is not in it, will be rejected.” – Bukhari and Muslim.  Moreover, innovations stray from the revealed path of the Deen and cause deviations. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, “You must keep to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs, cling to it firmly…beware of newly invented matters, for every new matter in the religion is an innovation and every innovation is misguidance.”  - Abu Dawood , at-Tirmidhi.

2.        Act of worship the Prophet (s.a.w) did not perform:

Many acts of worship are attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w), but he did not perform such as celebrating his birthday (mawlid), reciting and completing the Qur’an in a group (Qur’an Khani) during special occasions like moving into a new home or commemorating the deceased after forty days of their death (chaaleeswan). These acts of worship are performed to seek reward from Allah. However, they were not advocated by the Prophet (s.a.w) or performed by him, although there were no preventing factors. With respect to religious matters, we must follow the distinguished example of the Prophet (s.a.w) because he (s.a.w) was divinely guided by Allah. Allah only rewards those acts which the Prophet (s.a.w) did. Allah says, “nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.” – Surah an-Najm, 53:3-4. Furthermore, Allah has praised the Prophet (s.a.w) and He wants us to follow his example (s.a.w).  “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” – Surah Ahzab, 33:21.

3.       Habitual acts not from Qur’an and Sunnah:

 These are acts of worship we have learned through our parents and ancestors but they are not instituted in the Qur’an or Sunnah. They are a practises and customs of our culture but not our religion. For example, kissing the thumbs when the Prophet’s name (s.a.w) is mentioned or kissing the thumbs when Ashhadu annaMuhammad arRasool Allah is proclaimed during the Adhaan. These acts should be avoided because they are Bid’ah and hence there is no reward in performing them. Allah says, “And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” – Surah al Hashr, 59:7. Moreover, Allah commands, “So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet's order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.” – Surah Nur, 24:63

4.       Performing prohibited acts with intentions to please Allah:

Ironically, some prohibited acts are implemented with the intention of pleasing Allah. For example, nasheed artists sing about Allah using musical instruments, sometimes even in concerts where men and women are sitting together, without following proper etiquettes of modesty. Musical instruments are prohibited in Islam. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, “Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa, silk, alcohol and musical instruments…” - Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan, no. 5590; narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91.

Conclusively, Bid’ah are acts of worship not founded upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is very important to perform worship correctly because the crux of our religion is worship and the purpose of our existence is worship. Allah says,

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” – Surah adh Dhariyat, 51:56

Allah created the human beings to worship Him. Allah commanded us to perform all acts of worship in exactly the same manner as the Prophet (s.a.w) did them.

Following are some guidelines on worship:

1.       The act of worship should agree with a Sharee’ah¹ reasoning. For example, it is part of our Islamic faith to love the Prophet (s.a.w).  Anas (r.a) narrated, the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “No one of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the people.” – Bukhari and Muslim. However, celebrating al-Mawlid (birthday of the Prophet s.a.w) out of love for him is considered a bid’ah, because it was never legislated in the Qur’an by Allah as an act or worship or performed by the Prophet (s.a.w) in his lifetime. Allah says, “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.” – Surah an-Nisa’, 4:59. 

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^{1 “}Shari’ah is the sum total of Islamic which were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and which are recorded in the Qur’an, as well as deducible from the Prophet’s (s.a.w) divinely guided lifestyle called the Sunnah” – Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, The Evolution of Fiqh (Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2006) 16.

2.       The act of worship should agree with the Sharee’ah in its category. For example, Hajj is an act of worship and sacrificing a goat or camel on the third day of Hajj is also an act of worship. Allah commands us to go to Hajj. “And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.” – Surah Ale’-Imran, 3:39. Furthermore, it is recorded in Zaa’d al Ma’aad by ibn al Qayyim that Ali (r.a) narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) sacrificed camels on the third day of Hajj and gave permission to Muslims to continue sacrificing till three days after it. The best animals to sacrifice are camels, cows, sheep and goats. Sacrificing any other animal at Hajj like a horse or a duck will be prohibited because it does not comply with the Sharee`àh category.

3.        The act of worship should agree with the Sharee’ah in quantity. For example, fasting in Ramadan is an obligatory act of worship. Allah says, ``The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it.`` - Surah al Baqarah, 2:185. However, fasting less than the month of Ramadan or more (considering it to be obligatory) would be rejected because it does not abide by the quantity prescribed by the Shareeàh.

4.       The act of worship should agree with the Sharee’ah in performance. For example, performing wudu before offering the Salah is an act of worship. Allah says, ``O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.`` - Surah al Mai`da, 5:5. For this reason, wudu` is done in a specific sequence. Disarranging the sequence is not acceptable because it opposes the performance order and process mandated by the Sharee’ah.

5.       The act of worship should be performed in the exact time stated in the Sharee’ah. For example, Abu Hurairah (r.a) narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Indeed for Salat there is a beginning and an end. The beginning of the time for the Dhuhar prayer is when the sun passes the zenith, and the end of its time is when the time for Asr enters. The beginning of the time for the Asr is when its time enters, and the end of its time is when the sun yellows (turns pale). The beginning of the time of Maghrib is when the sun has set, and the end of its time is when the twilight has vanished. The beginning of the time for Isha, the later one, is when the horizon has vanished, and the end of its time is when the night is at its half. The beginning of the time for Fajr is when fajr (the dawn) begins, and its end is when sun rises."  - Hadith No. 151, Chapters on Salat, Jami' At-Tirmidhi, Vol. 1. Hence, all Salah have obligatory timings. Offering  Dhuhar Salah before the sun has reaches its zenith or after the time of Asr enters is not permissible because it does not coincide with the time recognized by the Sharee`ah.

6.       The act of worship should be performed at the location legislated by the Sharee’ah. For example, Umrah means performing Tawaf around the Ka`bah and Saì between al Safah and al Marwah.  Circling any building other than the Ka`bah or walking between any two mountains other than al Safah and al Marwah will not constitute as Umrah because the Sharee`ah does not subscribe to it.

In other words, the essence of worship is submission to Allah following the methodology and the way of the Prophet (s.a.w). This includes worshipping Allah for the same reasons (intentions), categories, following the same quantity and quality, time and place used by the Prophet (s.a.w).

Importance of following the Sunnah

The Prophet’s example should be followed in all aspects of worship and religious observances because:

1.       “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” – Surah Al Ahzab, 33:21

2.        “Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.” – Surah an-Najm, 53:3-4

3.       “And whatever the Messenger has given you – take it; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.”  -Surah al-Hasr, 59:7.

4.        “And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the people do not know.” – Surah Saba, 34:28

5.       “And establish prayer and give zakah and obey the Messenger that you may receive mercy.” – Surah an-Nur, 24:56.

6.       “…And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” – Surah al Hujurat, 47:14

7.       “Say, [O Muhammad] “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” – Surah Ale’ Imran, 3:31.

8.       “And the only statement of true believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, “We hear and we obey.” And those are the successful And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is conscious of Him – it is those who are the attainersl.” –Surah an-Nur, 24:51-52

9.       “And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” – Surah al-Ahzab, 33:71.

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1 “But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among  themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, wiling] submission.” – Surah an-Nisa’, 4:65.

1.   Abu Hurairah (r.a) narrated the Prophet (s.a.w) said, “Everyone from my Ummah [followers] will enter Paradise except for those who refuse.” The companions (r.a) asked, “Who has refused [to enter Paradise]?” He (s.a.w) said, “He who followed me will enter Paradise and he who refuses to follow me has refused to enter Paradise.” – Bukhari.

1.   “And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger – He will admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoever turns away – He will punish him with a painful punishment.” – Surah al Fath, 48:17.

Dangers of Bid’ah and its effects:

1.       Bidah precedes disbelief (kuffar)

2.       It accounts making unfounded and false statements about Allah and the Prophet (s.a.w).

3.       It elicits insinuating the sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w) is deficient and it lacks perfection.

4.       It elicits insinuating that the Prophet (s.a.w) did not convey the message of Islam completely.

5.       Committers of Bid’ah compete with the Prophet (s.a.w) in his Prophethood.

6.       Committers of Bid’ah change the religion by adding to and subtracting from its creed and deeds.

7.       Committers of Bid’ah Divide the Muslim community and cause fasaad (disputes).

Muslims are impervious to innovations. We mistake the practices and customs of our elders and society for religion and perform acts of worship without authenticating them from the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is our responsibility to study, collect accurate information and refrain from Bid’ah.  This is because Allah says, “On the Day [some] faces will turn white and [some] faces will turn black. As for those whose faces turn black, [to them it will be said], “Did you disbelieve [i.e. reject faith] after your belief? Then taste the punishment for what you used to reject.” – Surah Ale’ Imran, 3:106 Ibn Abbas (r.a) said regarding this verse, “The faces of the people who adhere to the Sunnah will turn white and bright while the faces of the innovators will turn black.” Al Qurtubi further commented, “He who innovates or changes anything of the religion of Allah will be amongst the black faced people who will be prevented from reaching the Prophet’s (s.a.w) fountain and therefore prohibited from drinking from it.” 

This is evidenced from Sahl ibn S’ad’s (r.a) narration about the Prophet (s.a.w). He said, “I heard the Prophet saying, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount (Kauthar), and whoever will come to it, will drink from it, and whoever will drink from it, will never become thirsty after that. There will come to me some people whom I know and they know me, and then a barrier will be set up between me and them." 

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri added that the Prophet further said: "I will say those people are from me. It will be said, 'You do not know what changes and new things they did after you.' Then I will say, 'Far removed (from mercy), far removed (from mercy), those who changed (the religion) after me! " -  Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 88, Number 174. While those who follow the Prophet (s.a.w) will not only drink from the fountain of Kawthar but also have the companionship of the Prophets, the Righteous, the Truthful and the Martyrs. Allah says, “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the Prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.” – Surah an-Nisa, 4:69

In the end, one must understand that the religion of Islam is very easy. Its concepts and commands are very clear and logical. Islam is open and uncomplicated. Allah says in the Qur’an, “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” – Surah Mai’da, 5:3. The perfection of Deen is that it is only sourced from the Qur’an and Sunnah. The Qur’an and Sunnah are a complete and comprehensive guidance after which we do not need any other authority on Islam. It is a favour of Allah that we do not need to speculate or follow the conjecture; the Qur’an and Sunnah are a sufficient direction for our worship, our life’s needs and hereafter.

Bibliography:

Ibn Rajab al Hambali, Bidah (http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Bidah.pdf )               

Enough with the Human Rights already!

We want humanitarian interventions against Syria because we think Asad is guilty of human rights abuses.  "Because the life, liberty, security and happiness of Syrians is in danger," shouts every media headlines, "intervention in Syrian is necessary."  Well, I am here to tell you that I am sick of the propaganda of Human Rights' claims in Syria. This article will prove that Human Rights is a tool to create perpetual war in the world, not peace. Humanitarian interventions are imperial instruments of the West through which they satisfy their economic and political interests.

Human Rights became essential after the American Revolution, as stated in their Declaration of Independence. But the rights were limited to rich, wealthy, well educated property-owning white men. It excluded women and minorities. Europeans were also selective in confirming rights to African slave workers and their colonial subjects. The Universal Declaration of Human rights was passed in 1948. The resolution was in response to the ordeal of the first two World wars. Yet, strangely enough, to this day, while the mass holocaust and degradation of humanity continues apace by the United States and Europe.  They use it as a lip service to shape normative discourse but do not really acted upon it themselves nor enforce it upon their governments. The United States and Europe are the first to engage in human rights violations wherever they see it is fitting to their own goals. Throughout history, US and Europe have used violence, war, exploitation, torture and mass murder for some natural resource gain or economic benefit, prestige or political advantage.

Human rights and International Relations can be understood in four levels. The first level is that of International Law. The second stage is that of the United Nations. The third stage is that of state behaviour. The fourth stage is that of non-governmental organizations. In terms of International Law, the United Nations had made resolutions regarding human rights in three main areas: that of economic and cultural rights; resolutions against torture and degrading treatment. These in turn has become a form of customary law that is slowly becoming international law. It binds nations in how they behave towards others.
In the United Nations, there is the International Criminal Court in which the United States refused to ratify because it could jeopardize their citizens who has committed major war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court does not cover all crimes. They are largely concerned about war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. However, the ICC and the Security Council has never  prosecuted Americans for war crimes or brought a single European person to trial.  The United Nations, on the other hand has many Human Rights Councils and the Human Rights Commissioners. They are concerned about informing the media of Arab nations that do not comply with the Human Rights resolutions, but have no teeth against against the US. They don't even report against the US. When was the last time sanctions were enforced against the US or import linkage was broken to prevent monetary support to the US from the International community? When did the US use domestic cords to indite war mongers?

The rhetoric of human rights are largely very Euro-centric and even the leaders who claim to be following human rights are themselves hypocrites because human rights is a tool for them to justify military or economic warfare against states that are not aligned with Western imperialist agendas. There is a large disconnect between principle and practice for Western leaders who charge others on human rights but who themselves are more than willing to bomb, pillage, rape, maim, torture, and commit mass genocide on other people whenever it suits their goals. Mearsheimer said human rights is just a veneer and a façade for imperialism, and that even though it is a great normative standard that is worthy of political rhetoric, no state with any real power is willing to follow it to the letter or spirit because of their own national interests and strategic interests in other states.
with the growing role of non-governmental organizations or NGOs, they help to promote the value of human rights and making us aware of certain violations of states against their own citizens (although it is very selective and biased because it does not and never does target their own home state – like the United States for example). The NGOs has the power of shaming and degrading other states and making them look bad so that the international community can react and demand some kind of action must take place. The boomerang pattern says that actors with no resources of their own appeal to NGOs in order to get their message out and in turn this strikes back at the state doing the human rights abuses. This was the case in states like Afghanistan, Iraq Libya, and Syria where NGOs acted  as missionaries of empire and new imperialism under the cover of seemingly legitimate human rights concerns.
Its like a script...specific human rights are enforced upon states whether or not they like it because the US and Europe are doing it. Hence, there is a kind of pressure upon the Middle East to adopt Western values even if we have no need for them. Its like, in order to be seen as legitimate by the West, we must play by their rules.  According to the non-statist constructivist’s perspective by Keck and Sickink, normative mobilization encourages other states to adopt human rights values and liberalism in order to be accepted into the world community itself. In turn, this creates a normative cascade in which everyone eventually joins in on the group.

Human rights are largely Western-centered and focus too much on individual liberty, capital growth with little emphasis on religious and social values. Others say that human rights are a cover for other motives and generally as a means to sell empire and wars. It is also used as a tool to bring down those states that do not conform to western values and economic policies. There is also the inherent tension between state sovereignty and individual human rights. This tension is the cause of much debate ever since the notion of, “responsibility to protect” and, “humanitarian intervention” has been adopted by western corporate media and political analysts as a sacrosanct occult of a sort that on the surface sounds good but which really justifies the right to project power and the right to pillage and plunder, as well as purge the world of “wasteful” human beings, and endorses torture and other inhuman activities. In other words, human rights are simply a covert mask for insidious and often inhumane treatment of human beings. It is also a great public relations stunt to justify wars and imperialism in the new world order in which nations must comply and obey western imperialists or else.
The Middle East has always been a realm of human security. I grew up in the Middle East and I know i had more personal, economic, health, political, community, food and environmental security than I ever had living in the West. What I mean is that people in the Middl East are free from fear and free from the fear of want. Although we live under dictators and monarchs, we have the essential jobs, work and opportunities to be safe and secure. We have the opportunities, resources and skills to survives.  The West is the godfather of atheism, social darwinism and consumerism, which is far more deadly, lethal and destructive than any actions by authoritarian regime, real or imagined because the West uses these fake freedoms to control its grid over humanity.

Moving onto Just War theory and intervention, there are many traditions that try to justify the reasons to go to war, and the practise of warfare itself. In the western tradition, Cicero discusses that man has the means to resolve disputes by reason, and that violence is for brutes. In turn, going to war should be a last resort and only if it is for a just cause. War should not be applied to innocent human beings, but only to opposing professional soldiers. Secondly, Augustine argued that wrongdoing by the other side justifies war itself. Aquinas stated that sovereign sources can go to war, and that they should have a good reason for doing so as well. Michael Walzer argued that the common principles of just war theory are that of jus ad bellum, the reasons to go to war. These include justification to use force, self defense, helping an ally, and protection of innocents; as a last resort; right intentions; and reasonable chance of success. On the other hand, jus in Bello says that wars should be conducted in such a way that protects non-combatants; proportionality; and a civil, humane conduct of war that does not damage civilian life.
In practise, however, just war theory has caused more casualties than ever, and that it is in itself a justification to go to war. For example, the bombing of Libya was not justified because it grossly violated human rights and the concept of a just war. It also caused much unnecessary suffering and pain. The Americans could have settled for something less than unconditional surrender but they chose to bomb most of Libya, the only developed country in Africa half to hell. What happened to Human Rights then?

Obama in his Nobel Peace Prize message stated that the instruments of war do have a role to paly in the preservation of peace…which is to say that war is peace. Although Obama laid out the principles of just war, jus ad bellum and jus in bello, the reality is that Obama contradicted everything that he promised to the American people, and betrayed the world once again by going on murderous wars of peace. In fact, in Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech, the word, “war” had been used 33 times. September 11 itself was later used as a justification to wage a just war on Afghanistan, and then Iraq because of its past invasion of Kuwait and alleged weapons of mass destruction, which later when they were not found was then forgotten and instead, the war and invasion was justified as imposing democracy throughout the region by using Iraq as a test-ground for “democracy.”  Yet, even the conduct of wars does not match what Obama said in his Nobel Peace Prize speech. The real conducts of wars to this day are still as barbaric, precise, and deadly as ever. Depleted uranium for example is still used in most missiles and bombs which in turn do a lot more harm than just a “clean” bomb. The Geneva Conventions, even though so many states have signed them has no real meaning because every state whenever it can, still abuses human rights, and engaged in torture. 

The Responsibility to Protect Doctrine was created by Gareth Evans and backed up by the Canadian government in order to sell the right to project force and power throughout the world under the cover of protecting civilians by bombing them to prevent them from being killed by other rogue elements within a state.  The Responsibility to Protect outlined the reasons why states should intervene in other nations’ affairs by stating the oppression by other states justify intervention; and that non-intervention should yield to human rights because civilians are much more important than national sovereignty. 
In the 2005 World Summit, R2P was adopted except by a few other states that abstained. It also mentioned collective security, diplomatic and humanitarian intervention by military means; and it also cited Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter which authorizes the uses of force. R2P is extremely subjective; it justifies war and human rights abuses itself; it exasperates and worsens the situation; and it is also a failure. It is also easy to abuse, hypocritical, and is simply a means of projecting empire whenever it is convenient for western imperialists to do so.
In practice,  the intervention in Somalia did not work out according to United Nations diktats because the United States engaged in human rights abuses themselves before they were forced to pull out under Clinton. In Libya, the entire state is a failed quagmire of death and destruction while it is being Balkanized and broken apart into warring factions. Libya is a modern case of the failure of R2P and its use as a means by American forces (pretending to be NATO) to “save” the civilians by actually engaging in discriminatory bombing sorties and human rights abuses of their own. According to Walzer, Libya violates the norms of what is considered a just war because of the end consequence, while the Council on Foreign Relations (an American neoliberal/neoconservative thinktank) which said that Libya is a model case of the “success” of the responsibility to protect doctrine which is so subjective, vague, and open to abuse that it is a failure in and of itself as an imperial marketing ploy to sell wars based on lies from start to finish (all wars are based on lies from beginning to conclusion).

Humanitarian intervention is so full of holes and errors in reasoning, judgment and usage that experience teaches us that R2P (responsibility to protect) is nothing more than the right for western imperialists to engage in wars of aggression; to pillage, plunder, and purge the world into a chaotic bloodbath for profits sake; and to project their own powers wherever they find that they have some vital interest at hand that under the cover of humanitarianism can be utilized to justify the war itself as a “just war.” No war is ever just because war itself is a grave injustice upon humanity, it is not natural for humans to go to war, and its destructive power is simply psychopathic, sadistic, and barbaric.

Playing Chess with the United States

Source: Soft Balancing against the United States

Pape, Robert Anthony, 1960- International Security, Volume 30, Number 1, Summer 2005, pp. 7-45 (Article)

Published by The MIT Press

I should have technically written about this long time ago but considering my perceptions have no supports in the political arena, why bother? But then I thought, would Tony Stark do this? Would he back down because no one could get a read on him? No he would say, "I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy...I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right." The US has bullied the world for far too long. It has unilaterally abandoned the Kyoto accords on global warming, rejected participation in the International Criminal Court, and withdrawn from the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, among other foreign policies. It has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq on false pretexts and maimed millions of civilians in the process. Undermined  the Geneva Convention. It has threatened Iran and Syria. Effectively launched a rhetorical global crusade against Islam. It refuses to be give accountability to its misdeeds. Why hasn't anyone done anything to stop the US? Why are we all sucking our thumbs reading the horrors of US led war on terror?

Did you know WWII was preventable? If the League of Nations prevented Hitler from breaking the Treaty of Versailes, achieved disarmament and enforced collective security instead of appeasement, there would have been no such thing as the Holocaust! UK and France believed  that Hitler would be appeased if allowed to invade  Poland, Czechoslovakia and neighbouring states - that he would stop after amassing some power, territory and wealth. They wanted to weaponize Hitler's fascism to defeat Stalin's communism. But appeasement only encouraged Hitler. He didn't stop at anything until he had destroyed half of Europe. So should we keep appeasing the US?

BTW,  all this is legit history, grade 10 stuff.
Well here is how the international community can play chess against the US:
(a) traditional hard-balancing measures, such as military buildups, war-fighting alliances,
(b) Soft balancing using international institutions, economic statecraft, and diplomatic arrangements.

Although soft balancing may be unable to prevent the United States from achieving specific military aims in the near term, it will increase the costs of using U.S. power, reduce the number of countries likely to cooperate with future U.S. military adventures, and possibly shift the balance of economic power against the United States. For example, Europe, Russia, and China could press hard for the oil companies from countries other than the United States to have access to Iraqi oil contracts, which would increase the economic costs of U.S. occupation of the country. Europeans could also begin to pay for oil in euros rather than in dollars, which could reduce demand for the dollar as the world’s reserve currency and so increase risks of inflation and higher interest rates in the United States. Most important, soft balancing could eventually evolve into hard balancing. China and European states could also increase their economic ties with Russia while ontinuing or even accelerating support for Iran’s nuclear program, a step that would eventually bring the US to its knees.

The United States may be the sole superpower, but it is geographically isolated. To project power in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, it depends greatly on basing rights granted by local allies. Indeed, all U.S. victories since 1990—Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan—relied on the use of short-legged tactical air and ground forces based in the territory of U.S. allies in the region. Without regional allies, the United States might still be able to act unilaterally, but it would have to take higher risks in blood and treasure to do so.
Turkey mashaAllah did an awesome job by refusing to allow U.S. ground forces on its soil. This reduced the amount of heavy ground power available to the US against Iraq by one-third, thus compelling the it to signifcantly alter its preferred battle plan, increasing the risk of casualties etc.

France, Germany, Russia, and China could help by pressing hard for the UN rather than the United States to oversee the administration of oil contracts in Iraq, perhaps even working with the new Iraqi government for this purpose. Even if they did not succeed, U.S. freedom of action in Iraq and elsewhere in the region would decline. If the United States gave in, it would lose control over which companies ultimately obtain contracts for Iraq’s oil, and so pay a higher price for any continued presence in the region.
Speaking of oil, Today Europeans buy their oil in dollars, a practice that benefits the United States by creating extra demand for dollars as the world’s reserve currency. This extra demand allows the United States to run outsized trade and government budget deficits at lower inflation and interest rates than would otherwise be the case. A coordinated decision by other countries to buy oil in euros would transfer much of this benefit to Europe and decrease the United States’ gross national product, possibly by as much as 1 percent, more or less permanently.

Perhaps the most likely step toward hard balancing would be for major states to encourage and support transfers of military technology to U.S. opponents. For example provide nuclear technology to Cuba, Venezuela, Vietnam etc,  states that U.S. plummeted. The major powers block U.S. steps to put pressure on Pakistan and Syria. For instance, if the United States attempts to make military threats or impose economic sanctions, European countries should open their doors in wider in support for the victims. Without broad international support, the US will continue to spread of mass destruction to other countries using preventive war, aggressive illegal weapons and torture, which does not serve world peace interests. US has become a superpower authoritarian regime and menace to the world. Stop it before WWIII. 

In the near term, France, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, and other important regional states are unlikely to respond in this manner. Directly and indirectly confronting U.S. preponderance is too costly for any individual state and too risky for multiple states operating together, at least until major powers become confident that members of a balancing coalition will act in unison. Even then I know Europe and East Asia will never play chess with the US. This is something that we have to do. 

And this is why I must speak Arabic

Note: Did you know we are Christian, for most of the days in a year? Keep reading and you'll be just as shocked as I was when I began this research....I enjoy traveling and meeting people from different backgrounds. I respect multiculturalism but not at the expense of losing my own culture. 

It is understandable that there is a great concern as regards the various problems with one's original language in relation to second or third languages for communication. Most of our parents read and write a language other than English - Urdu, Panjabi, Maratti, Mandarin, Arabic or Portuguese.  Most of our kids speak English with different accent than ours'. And if we ever lived in a Scandinavian country then along with English, some of our family members can almost understand and somewhat even articulate in Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, French and/or German. Seems pretty cool innit?


Personally, I stoutly believe that a person's language constitutes his or her cultural, social and personal value. Our language is more than a tool of communication, it is a quantitative component of our existence. The way we perceive and comprehend the world ourselves and others is processed, structured and expressed by means of language. In this sense language makes our conscience, it formulates our identity as a person and distinguishes us from being simply a part of a mass, while, at the same time, language brings us closer to a specific group of people. The words of a language represents a collection of experiences, history, ethics and morals of a people who speak it. Thus, every language connects its speakers with the the past and the future, it gives them the physiognomy of a nation.  This is why language evolves and matures our beliefs and thoughts, it renews our commitments and our relations.


Learning a foreign language and replacing it with one's original languages means substituting one's reason, sentiments, morals and conception of the world with another. For example, my original language is urdu but I write, think, dream and speak in English. English is the unofficial language of present day Christianity and Paganism. Before everyone gets upset with me thinking I am calling English a Kafir language let me prove that deeply ingrained in English is an illustration of a "foreign" worldview.
For instance, English days of the week and months are named after pagan gods - Sunday is from sun god; monday, moon god; Tuesday is god Tyr; Wednesday is named after god odin, Thursday, god Thor, Friday, god Frigga and Saturday after god Saturn. January comes from Roman Janus, the god of power. Feb from Februa, the Roman festival of purification. March is named after the Roman god of war. April is from Aprilis, latin name for the goddess of fertility. May is Maia, Roman deity of growth. June is the name of the goddess of marriage, the wife of Jupiter. It is also attributed to Junius Brutus, the god of crop growth and ripening. July came from Julius Caesar and August is obviously Octavius Augustus Caesar. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. mean 7,8,9,10 in Latin.
English years are numbered after the birth of Christ. BC is Before Christ and AD is After Death of Christ (but Esa a.s never died, Allah saved him and he ascended to the Heavens). English academic school calendar revolves around polytheism, specifically prophet and saint worship - for example, there is the feast of St. Michael on Sept. 29, celebration of Trinity on Dec. 25th and festival of St. Hilary on Jan. 13th.  English special occasions are marked by observance of sin- Valentine's Day is a day of fornication. St Patrick’s Day is the day of drinking. Mother's Day originated with Christians going to "mother church" or cathedral. Halloween/ all Hallow's Day is appraising the powers of the devil. Even our food is contaminated. We eat Quaker Oats, Angel Delights, devil’s cake, brownies and hot cross buns.


This is how a language engineers a person. It gives meaning to our words that structure our articles of faith, our conventions, and approach. Today's Muslims are more of a reflection of "Bend it like Beckham" and "Bride and Prejudice culture" - a brew of Hollywood and Bollywood than an ambience of the lives of the Sahaba (r.a) - companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). We are Muslims but we find modesty and covering, living on rent and taking the bus instead of mortgaging a house and leasing a car so estranged. We pity the Muslim who seek God instead of pride. We think its weird that some Muslims yearn for spiritual reward more than we lust after flesh, metal and plastic. We live for good taste and good looks and they are busy perfecting their intentions and actions. We think these type of Muslims are extremists, brainwashed, backward fundamentalists. But are they really losers or we are?


Back home and in the West we learned English, French or German for the sake of educational and professional improvement in terms of income or social prestige. The foreign language gave us material success and status but this did not come without a religious deficit. Foreign language divorced us from Islam and liaised us to Kafir customs and mores.
Shakespeare, Herman Melville and Scott Fitzerald taught us in Romeo and Juliet, Moby-Dick and The Great Gatsby that hedonism and nihilism is the way of life and happiness. Mary Shelley and William Golding convinced us in Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies that human beings are nothing but fickle, foppish and ferocious fiends. George Orwell desensitized us to totalitarian governments in 1984. J.D Salinger and J.K Rowling explained in Catcher in the Rye and Harry Potter that power is acquired through superstition, magic and occults. Louisa M Alcott's Little Women, Amy Sherman's Gilmore Girls and Marc Cherry's Desperate Housewives showed us the different shades of the female gender. Homer Simpson, Ross Geller (Friends) and Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half men) set precedence for acceptable masculine behaviour.  Overall, our impressions of everything from personal hygiene and health, our choice of cars and cuisines, the dress we wear to the dreams we have -almost  everything is shaped by the language we speak. If we speak English then necessarily we'll read things which are English and watch English shows and unintentionally espouse English habits and philosophy on life. We may now pass as posh Canadians or Americans, integrated to the teeth but we have become very impoverished Muslims as a result. We don't even remember what real Islam looked like. And the worst part is, we don't even care.


"To have a second language is to have a second soul," said Charlemagne around 800 CE. If this is true then no wonder souls are devoid of a sense of Islamic identity, Qurni'c paradigm and sunnah consciousness because we do not understand the Islamic language - Arabic. Language doesn't just stir conversations but it allures our thoughts, perceptions, sensations, experiences and intuition. For example, in Arabic language, the duration of life is بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ morning and evening. So an Arab person lives life, one day and night at time. There is really no grief about the best or anxiety over the future. An Arab speaker assumes that he only has one morning or a single evening to live so he makes the most of it so he lives a life without regrets or stress. But this doesn't mean an Arab speaker will gamble his life away for drugs and women because he does not hope to live very long. He understands الْحَيَاةَ life which is from the root ح ي ي to be lived with modesty ( حياء ) and in moderation. An Arab speaker knows that he is خَلَقَ created, the very word denotes that his formation has a God and purpose. Similarly, in Arabic, the verb tomorrow is interpreted as the next life and Hereafter or Day of Judgment. So Arab speakers grasp the notion for tomorrow as the time and place when they will stand before the Creator and answer for their their life and actions on earth. When you ask, in perfectly normal Arabic and in the present tense, “What is your plan for tomorrow?” The Arab speaker thinks of tomorrow as life after death, the time of recompense. So he won't say he has a day of or he is going somewhere tomorrow. He will think of Heaven and Hell. How do we fathom destiny in English? It was Buster's destiny to win the pizza eating contest or  Cinderalla's destiny to marry the prince. In Arabic, destiny is not the same as a lucky coincidence or the fruit of one's labour or the highest aspiration of one's life but God's Will and Decree. So the Arabic language comes with its very own and unique Islamic cognitive toolkit which we cannot truly appreciate and benefit from while speaking English or Urdu or French, Japanese or Italian. 


So I need to learn Arabic. I feel every day I am moving further and further away from Islam. I pray, wear Hijab, eat halal, read the Qur'an etc in routine. I feel I am not being a conscious Muslim. Like I need to change the way my brain is wired or something, reprogram myself so I am in Allah mode all the time. So that my ideas, emotions, reactions, gestures and speech are Rabbaani. I wanna run away the Kafir mentality, attitude and dress. I want to resurrect the time of the Sahaba (r.a). Reinstate the environment of Madina at the time of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). I cannot think of any better way of achieving this than through learning the Arabic language. I think it would be ideal to go to Bayyinah Institute but I think for now I should start with Madina Books by AburRaheem Fha and various Arabic dictionaries at home. Slowly do the exercises and memorize new vocab and grammar rules.

Why And How To Learn Arabic - Nouman Ali Khan - Bayyinah Institute   

Reference: HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? [6.12.09]
By Lera Boroditsky http://edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html 
Does Your Language Shape How You Think? By GUY DEUTSCHER http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html?pagewanted=all