a reminder for Muharram

The testimony of faith is the single greatest positive statement that begins with no. 

It is this statement which makes us Muslim in the first, and it is sufficient enough to guarantee us heaven in the greater life to come, in the last. 

The Arabic “La” is negation, and the first part, of the first part, of the testimony is literally “No gods”. 

It is an incredible emphasis on self reliance and innate ability. 

Prior to Islam people worshipped gods to seek their favour, with the coming of the religion we recognised the power and the glory of the one True God and seek His pleasure. And we use our God given ability in seeking that. 

Those who understand the religion know that what God loves most is those that do good, are good to the people, and help them. And the first of that help is in helping them recognise the mercy and grace that God has on each of us, that gratitude to Him is an unbounded blessing. 

In this month of Muharram we should be careful about what it means to be Muslim. For Islam is the testimony of faith, it is reliance on ability, the throwing off of ignorance, the recognition and then reliance on the Most Gracious and then lastly in the affirmation of the finality to the Last Messenger, Muhammed (saw). 

That with him the connection between heaven and earth ended, and full circle we are back to the first of the testimony - self reliance, with fear and hope. 

The fear of self doubt and the hope of His acceptance of our endeavours. 

Not all those who claim to be Muslim acknowledge this finality of the Messenger (saw), and we should be clear that therefore they are not Muslim. 

For the Shia in particular believe in a connection being maintained through the lineage of their Imams. A finality that God dispatched with force when He declared “Muhammed is not the father of any man amongst you”.  

And then even whilst we should recognise this, it does not mean that we should be offended, or call then our as being non-Muslim. Rather we welcome their use of the name, and hope the God guides them. 

But be clear in your mind that they are not. For part and parcel of the testimony is the finality of the last Prophet, may he forever be blessed. 

The authority that every Muslim recognises begins, and ends, with God and His Messenger. And no man no matter how pious, or knowledgeable, or honourable he may he has any authority except that it is derived from that. 

And all things are flawed, except the Quran. And no man is perfect. 

When you stand forth as an Imam you assume a role and a responsibility, and no title belongs to you. 

For us there are no priests, and no hierarchy of the pious. 

But two palms that you stretch in surrender and raise in supplication. 

And a tongue to ask, a brain to know, and a heart to feel. 

Knowledge is sought through study and contemplation, and not through lectures, nor this above. 

STOICISM

Stoicism is all the vogue, from Batman’s Dark Knight to Russell Crowe’s Gladiator. 

But what does it really mean to be a stoic?

-To soldier on amidst great suffering. 

-That there are necessary evils that we must traverse to get to the promised land. 

-That your morals should not get in the way of you doing the right thing.

-That collateral damage is often necessary. 

Bruce Wayne “suffers” the split of an essentially demonic personality in the name of bringing criminals to justice. 

Teresa May, the daughter of a clergyman, was arguably being stoic when she said that she would willingly press the nuclear button and condemn millions of innocents to suffering, if she had too. She was willing to suffer the burden of being the cause of misery to millions. 

 However on the other foot, Malcolm X’s “By Any Means Necessary” feels wrong. It feels not so stoic, not so principled, and it feels like a knee jerk reaction without a promised land in sight. 

Is stoicism white and privileged?

After all Malcolm’s promised land was no different from King’s, except he spoke from the language of black power defining an equality of treatment, whilst the other from an idea of working within the system, however flawed, to simply make a point, in the hope that it will effect change. 

And furthermore why should we accept the rules of their game? Because Stoicism is essentially that: it is accepting that for every gain there must be commensurate pain, but the adage here refers to a moral pain or ethical pain. That the Stoic is willing to bear the burden of a moral or ethical pain of doing the WRONG thing for the RIGHT reason. 

It is accepting the zero sum narrative, that if one wants to gain then another has to loose. And if we want our Nation to gain, then it stands to reason that another Nation must suffer. 

And if that must be, then it must be. 

I would not dare call Trump stoic because of his flippancy, and yet his Nation State morality is the same as Theresa May’s. 

That to better our collective lot, we must be prepared to suffer the ethical consequences of our conscience screaming at us. 

But the Muslim’s morality and principle is far far better, for we believe in al-husna. 

That ultimately goodness will prevail and is not colour biased, nor does it necessitate the abasement of another in the raising of yourself, or our Nation. 

And GOD, the Most Gracious, is the source of all goodness, to whom all gratitude is due and from whom gratitude comes. 

The overarching and overpowering ability of the idea of al-husna is completely immersive, and once believed shades every thought process. 

For those He blesses with the ability to be thankful are indeed the most blessed, the richest and the ultimate winners. Even that is when the World sees them as losers.

For they are the richest because even when they are dirt poor, they still have the capacity to give and share and then be thankful. 

 (Vis a vis the Muslim response to the anti-Christ (ad-Dajjal) the liar of whom we were all warned). 

Indeed the Day of Judgement is a Day without Doubt. The truth of it we each know because our conscience constantly reminds us of it. That we call ourselves to account when we do wrong, is just a premonition of a greater calling to account - a greater righting of all wrongs. 

On that Day whole Nations will be charged with crimes. And we will be raised with our Nation and bear the crimes wholesale for all that we did not speak out against, and all the wrong that we placidly agreed to. 

For read S Saba (chapter 34 of the Quran verses 31-33, and think about the conversation), and there you will find the argument between the leaders of society and their follower before the torment and threat of Hell. 

How the followers in pleading for the oppressor to bear his burden, lets fall the truth that he knew of his leaders “plotting day and night” and was therefore complicit in it. 

Then our leaders who wrong on our behalf, will not agree to bear the burden of our complicity. And the argument will be proved true against us, unless that is we inveigh against all wrong. 

Here, today and now. 

Pay your taxes, but fight with your words and ideas against all that is wrong, and for all that is right. 

For that is the good fight.  

And stoicism is the wrong fight masquerading as the good fight. 

For it denies the Most Gracious. 

And on the day of decision, the Most Gracious will deny the Stoic. No matter how vogue, or film-able. Or how good a story it produces. 

END

Knowledge is the product of study and contemplation. Not lectures, nor this above. If I have erred then the erring belongs to me, if there is any goodness in the above then indeed the Most Gracious is worthy of all praise, most Merciful. 

the Heart of a Warrior

The singular reason that Napoleon was able to carry his cannons over the Alps, and in this way surpass Hannibal who took his infinitely more mobile elephants, was because he made it a point to study what was possible in his youth. *1

The study of the biographies of others opens the doors to us of what can be achieved, and should enliven us with the elan vital to try to go beyond. 

To learn nobility of spirit you should immerse yourself in the life of the one who showed us all what true nobility meant. 

For the Arabs of Quraysh, nobility was a thing to be sought, even before the coming of the religion. 

For this reason they sent their children into the untamed dessert to learn a purity of language, and to inculcate the nobility of soul. 

And then a Messenger (saw) came to them, and us all, who took that nobility to an entirely new level. Where truth became more important than brotherhood, and yet brotherhood was never diminished, nor eclipsed. 

For he taught that brotherhood dictated that you shared the truth; that you stopped your brother in his erroneous ways; that you forbade his wrongdoing as a means of being kind kind to him and of looking out for him, whilst also suffering to  overlook his minor indiscretions. 

That true nobility was not devoid of feeling, as the English stiff upper lip would wish, but was all heart.

And heart can carry the day. 

For with every stiff upper lip is a weak chin. 

And with every true heart is a noble soul. 

For the Messenger (saw) taught the Arab patriarchal society that manhood can and should be compassionate. 

For he (saw) said to the Arab

“How can compassion be shown to one who cannot show compassion”

(In reference to the Day of Recompense). 

It is Muhammed (saw) that redefined what it meant to be a man. 

A warrior, a legislator, a father and a leader. An example to be followed. 

Who lived in the full light of history, with every believer hanging on his every word and every deed- recording it all for us. 

To learn nobility of spirit it is enough to immerse yourself in the life of such a man. And that is arguably his greatest gift to the whole of mankind. 

Knowledge is sought through study and contemplation, not through lectures, nor talks nor this above. 

*1 Napoleon in military college immersed himself in the biographies of the generals that preceded him. At that time Europe was a collection of militarised waring states. 

It was his positive outlook and immense energy that created in him a mindset that no problem was insurmountable. 

And this inspired his men so much, that when the beast of burden failed, his men did not.