Mount Mercy

Imagine that you were at Jabal (Mount) Rahma 1430 years ago. (*1)

Imagine that you were privy to hearing the last Messenger (saw) sent from the Most Gracious ensure that his Nation was left in no doubt about the things that mattered. 

Imagine his foresight in doing so. 

Famously there he said, in front of tens of thousands of Arabs, that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab. 

These words were not ideology, nor assumption, nor supposition, but were treated as fact by those that heard them. And not facts for a rainy day, but facts to live and die by. 

Indeed it is these words that warranted the explosion from Arabia that changed forever the history of the World. 

For the Messenger of the Most Gracious never once insinuated that Muslims should conquer.

The closest thing that he ever said that was remotely to do with other Nations both occurred on that day. 

‘No Arab is superior to a non-Arab.’

And then a little later ...

‘Those present tell those absent perchance they may understand all the better.‘

And they understood from this a mission, sacred. That is mentioned as a parable in the heart of the Quran. 

Now, imagine that, after delivering the sermon, you were standing there on that most holy day and place, a re-enactment of the day of recompense, and you heard the Messenger ask the people...

“O people, have I delivered the message?”

Would you respond with the tens of thousands, in one voice, “Yes”. 

And then he (saw) said, thrice: 

“O Allah, bear witness”. *2

So, if you are able, then intend for the Hajj next year, and on the Day of Arafat ascend Jabal Rahma and imagine that you were there, and ask in earnest supplication “O Allah t’ala count me amongst those that were there that day, count me amongst those that bore witness to the truth of Muhammad (saw) and that he did indeed deliver the message. “

Three months later the Messenger (saw) accepted an invitation and returned to his Maker. 

Within ten years that which he prophesied when the whole of Arabia came to attack him at Medina came to pass. 

“With the first I saw the red palaces of Syria, with the second the white palaces of Madain (within Persia), with the third the gates of Sana (the Yemen)”. *3

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. 

And he shall speak Peace to the Nations, his rule will be from the sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the Earth. 

Just as Zachariah prophesied, and Jesus (as) reminded us all of. *4

What I have said here is my opinion. If it is wrong then that wrong belongs to me. 

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

the Honour of Hajj

Salaams brothers. 

Jumaa Mubarak 

The honour of Hajj is in exhausting yourself in completing the prescribed rites, in the correct order and at the correct times, even whilst hundred thousands of your fellow brothers and sisters do the same. 

The honour of Hajj is in the shaven heads, the removal of the glitter and pomp of the world and the symbolism that skin deep we are all the same. 

The honour of Hajj is in the return when your brothers see the evidence of your shiny scalp, even as the army of Khalid (ra) was dumbfounded when he crossed, and then returned across, the Empty Quarter whilst they marched from Iraq to Syria believing him to be in the rear. 

The honour of Hajj is to make it early in your youth, to honour the holy sites that all men were called to when Ibrahim (as) - Abraham (may God br pleased with him)- announced the Pilgrimage three thousand years ago.  

And then if you feel that your debt encumbers it’s acceptance, ask on the day of Hajj - at the promised meeting place on the plains of Arafat- that God bring you back again to this blessed place, on this blessed date, free from debt that He might grace you. 

The beauty of Hajj is in the simple things that you can do to make your brothers and sisters happy in the blessed places - sharing a prayer mat- making space for one another- offering food, drink and shade- and smiling and hugging even whilst you know not their language and they know not yours. 

The beauty of Hajj is in the small miracles that attest every day to the majesty of the place. 

The beauty of Mecca is in the Kaba, whose beauty is only enhanced by other beautiful things that surround it. 

The first house. 

The first return after the Hajj. 

And the seven circuits, that the angels make above us, and along with us. The symbolism of a life lived with the Most Gracious at its centre. 

THE BEQUEST: it’s insistence on rationality

What distinguishes Islam from all other religions, including it’s prior manifestations before the coming of Muhammed (saw), is it’s insistence on rational thought. 

For when the Messenger (saw) left us, he left us with two things the Quran and his Sunnah. 

And it is the Quran that insists from the outset that there is no doubt, or contradiction therein (S2 Baqara, v2), and by these very first intimations declares the necessity of trying to rationally understand it. 

And then within the same stanza suggests that rationality can compass the belief in the unseen. 

We are rational beings. 

And Islam was revealed in truth, just as the cosmos was created in truth (S Anam 6, V73). 

And belief is both intelligent, and nuanced (sophisticated). 

Then the duty falls to each and every one of us that we must attempt to use our rational faculties when we consider the precepts of our beautiful religion.  

Whilst at the same time recognising that rationality is limited as are all things including belief. For our belief is, by its very definition, incomplete and unfulfilled. 

Thus we should exercise this duty when any man stands on a pulpit and speaks, just as you should here and now as I speak. For how else can we hold those to account, who are over us. 

Appeals to authority, by for example the Khateeb quoting the opinion of a celebrated forbear, should no less escape our scrutiny. For did not some of the acclaimed companions hold that Abu Bakr (as) was chosen because he was the one who best knew the Quran. 

Below are some of the tools that you should acquaint yourself with before so doing, and questions that you must at all times be ready to ask.    

In no particular order..

1- Whenever anyone references a Hadith, consider simply is it a specific Hadith or a general Hadith. 

If it cannot be taken generally, then understand that it is specific to it’s circumstance. 

2- Can you find counter examples from what you already know of the

Messenger of Allah and his Seerah. 

The search for counter examples is a necessary tool to shore up truth, and then to uncover those things on which you should not rely. 

The search for counter examples should always precedes the search for backing evidence. As with all things we tend to want to conform, want to agree and find the best in all things. Whilst this sentiment is beautiful, it should only follow once we have determined an element of truth through the search for counter examples yielding no brake.  

3- Is it reasonable? 

Consider the consequence of the speakers approach. 

When his demand is taken to its logical extension, does it still stand the test of reasonableness?

4- Is it of benefit? And to whom?

5- Does the proponent practise what he preaches?

6- All of are past predecessors have agreed that whilst rationality is to be lauded, it has its bounds. And we should all be careful to know those bounds. So whilst Allah t’ala loves the intelligent believer, when you come across a thing that you cannot comprehend, submit yourself in full humility to The Most Gracious, even as David (as) submitted with the litigants or King Solomon (as) submitted on listening to the speech of the ants. 

Allah t’ala loves the strong who humble themselves before Him, more so than the weak who also humble themselves. 

Know that Islam is resplendent with questions just begging to be asked, just as is the Quran. 

If contemplation does not yield fruit, then do not give up. Sometimes people spend years contemplating one verse, or one stanza and keep coming back to it. 

Persist, and make Jihad with the Quran, even as was the first command to do so. 

I hope that these six things can help you make sense of all the different opinions that you hear daily. 

And to disagree with something that someone has said it is not necessary for there to be an argument between you both. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, just as everyone is entitled to have their opinion questioned, even that is when they shroud it as fact, or the opinion of another. Context is everything. 

And when someone says something that is at odds with your understanding of the religion, do not blindly accept it, even if its impact on your religion is negligible. 

Many small things adding up together can be substantial. 

Instead consider and weigh it using the above six steps as a guide. And then either reject it, or accept it. 

Allah t’ala is the guide of us all, and if He guides us then none can cause us to stray, but if He leaves us to stray then none can guide us. 

And He blessed us with rationality and told us of our original capacity to name things, and then gave us a sound source of knowledge. 

But we must use our intellect to fathom it, and never give up trying to understand it. 

And that is the reason that the Messenger (saw) was the seal of the Prophets, and that none would come following on from him. 

May Allah t’ala guide us all, forgive us all, bless us all and put love between us all, even when we disagree with one another. Ameen. 

What I have said here is my opinion. If it is wrong then that wrong belongs to me. 

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

The foundations of Muslim society

Is it not remarkable that within the first ten verses of the S Baqara, at the start of the Quran, that Allah talks about the hypocrites?

It is not remarkable when you consider that He chooses to preface the Quran, and everything in it*, with His name and attribute- ArRahman- the Most Merciful. 

For we, the Children of Adam, are a social and cogent creation, that live our lives within social hierarchies and groups that determine everything about us- from what we aspire to, to what we achieve, or do not achieve, to the method of our living and eventual dying. 

That He would then want to bless us with the best and most just society, and so He starts the Quran with Baqara which is the foundation of our society. And then starts Baqara with warning us about those nefarious elements that will seek, at every turn, to undermine our society. 

Indeed of the five pillars that make the house of Islam, only the first two were revealed and made obligatory in the first thirteen years of the Prophet’s (saw) mission that was marked by Meccan persecution. 

And the prayer that we perform was then both a consolation, a means of attaining closeness, and a source of contentment and happiness in those trying times. 

Whilst we find the command to establish Salat (Prayer), that is most often heavily tied with paying the Zakah - poor due- in the Quran, were clearly revealed after the establishment of the Muslim polity. Just as were the fast of Ramadan, and the culmination of Ibrahim’s (as) religion with the purification of the Hajj. 

It is these five that determine how our society should be, and look. 

The happiness that springs from Salaat, where gratitude to the Creator preempts a gratitude to all. 

And where we are all brothers, as equal teeth on a comb- no matter our wealth or our heritage or our colour- we stand side by side. 

The need, by a rule and institution, to care for the less well off- not because of a guilty feeling, nor because of a demeaning charity- but because of a God Given right. 

(Zakat). 

And then the feelings of empathy- when you feel as they feel- and you know the hunger that they taste and the thirst that drives them to despair- that is our fast of Ramadan that enables us to give with compassion and with heart.

Imagine Allah’s grace, that He chooses for you a religion that makes us as a body - one. 

Without social division, without classes and hierarchies of wealth, without superiority or inferiority due to race or colour or heritage. 

For did not our Messenger (saw) say in his farewell sermon in front of thousands of Arabs-

“No Arab is superior to a non-Arab”. 

On the Day of Arafat, 

On the Day when that favour was fulfilled and Islam was perfected. 

On the Day that Omar (ra) wept. 

O Allah send our salutations upon the Messenger, Muhammed (saw), for he did eminently discharge his duty and we have believed in You and call him true. 

Who taught us that Islam is more than a religion, in the strict sense of the word, that seeks to build a just and true society where happiness prevails and freedom flourishes, and the believers are as one brotherhood. 

Ameen. 

*excepting Tauba. 

What I have said here is my opinion. If it is wrong then that wrong belongs to me. 

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

(Note: it will be an exercise of excellence on your part to find and read the verses in S Baqara that commend and command each of the five pillars of the house of Islam.)

IMAGE:

The building of a house taken from https://www.architecturelab.net/build-house-step-step-guide/

No copyright infringement intended. 

Plainly the analogy of the religion being a house is intended to show that it is both constructed and solid/ real. And the 5 pillars are there to hold the roof over our heads and protect us all. 

We each harbour multiple Personalities.

Following on from the session we had about multiple personalities, it’s interesting that whilst we found it difficult to agree on certain definitions (identity, personality) some things did transpire. 

So I think that we agreed that in our youth the experience was that yes we have multiple identities and were not simply wearing different hats. 

The difference between the two is that “hat” here denotes a role that you play- and is characterised by volition, that you choose to put on that hat- whereas a change in identity happens unconsciously. 

I would say that early in life we are socialised into recognising authority, and adjusting our behaviour to fit. 

In youth when we are amongst our peers, the bounds of what was acceptable behaviour in the past are stretched, so that then we experience a dichotomy. And we become adept at knowing what is acceptable and unacceptable depending on circumstance, so much so that our character seamlessly changes when we transition circumstance between home, school and the mutual company of our peers. 

Here what appears is the start of multiple personalities or identities. 

And then as we age, we gain authority and once again the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour change, and if we are not careful then we become adept at using our authority to the extent that we may even become sociopaths. 

This fear of authority never really leaves us, but it does get sudstituted by those we deem our betters. 

It is interesting here to quote Shakespeare, (foremost) “to thine own self be true”. 

I think that we all agreed that this sentiment is something to be tried for. 

It is interesting that Shakespeare got one of his characters to advice his audience, and us here, not to play a part- not to adjust your behaviour to satisfy your audience- but to be true to your own self first. A single identity that is true to yourself. 

And my question here is that it appears to me that in order to be true to oneself requires the acceptance of a greater authority that does not change with time, that is the Everliving, the Most Gracious?

Say Not That

Say Not That

Say not that they died 

Where a stood 

When they stood against oppression 

And wrong 

Say not that the battle is over

When it is not yet won 

And ere the sun rises 

Another day is begun. 

Say not that force of arms 

Are the only wars worth fighting 

For to hold the peace 

Is as of a thousand of all things 

Say not that walls protect you 

Whilst you cower behind them 

And the Capitalists monetise your fear 

Forgetting they once cared 

Say not that Democracy is dead 

When the party’s wants trump the peoples’ need

And you have yet the wind in your veins 

And the blood in your sails 

Say not that it can’t be done 

For all things start as possibilities 

And it takes a drop to cause a torrent 

And a river gushing forth. 

(C) Shafeesthoughts 14 April 2019

Flying home from Tunis. 

Entitled

Assalaamu Aleikum 

Jumaa Mubarak 

What primarily distinguishes the Sunni from the Shia is our marked lack of regard for personality. 

They can literally be rendered as “way / method” and the latter as “party”. 

The first being a reference to the way or method of the Messenger sent from God (saw), and the second referencing the people that supported Ali (ra). 

Of course the exception that we both agree upon is the Messenger of God (saw) whose life is both an open book, and a miracle in every respect just waiting to be read and contemplated upon. 

And then we do both hold people in regard, except the Sunni is not surprised by imperfection and error in another and compensates for it, and forgives because of it. And is thankful for the aid that one can provide to another. 

Whereas those other ways have a similarity to personality cults, which admit no error and gloss infallibility over people who simply have either charisma, or a birth right, or both. 

Indeed our very testimony of faith- there is no god but Allah, the true name of the Most High- admits that there is no power or authority except His, and those that He endorses. 

Therefore we are unique amongst the Abrahamic faiths in that we have no priesthood, no one that can claim an exclusive access to the Most Gracious. 

That Allah is ever near, to each and every one of us, ready to answer our call when we ask. And if we wrong, then forgiveness is but a sincere ask away. 

Then is it not sad, when we adopt and encourage a preponderance to titles. 

The natural culmination of which is the plethora of our celebrity Sheikhs. 

Indeed an Imam is not a title, but is a position. 

When a man steps forward he assumes the responsibilities incumbent on him in performing that role. 

Likewise “those that know” are not entitled in the Qur’an- they are simply those that have ability and are to use that ability towards the betterment of others. 

Their role is to provide answers and help people to appreciate and adopt those answers. 

For there are no Sheikhs in the Qur’an, but there are “people who know” whose duty it is to make their knowledge both relevant, accessible and understandable. 

And then also help those more able on the paths towards knowledge. 

The fixation with personality, and the adoption of various titles of no consequence is not the Sunni way, and is not part of the Sunnah. 

Knowledge is sought through nothing except study and contemplation, and we should all be on that path. 

There is nothing in a title, but everything in the act of helping others. 

When the Messenger (saw) was asked by a stranger to the Polity of Medina, “Who is your leader?” He responded without pause, “The one who best helps the people”. 

A lesson that was learned well by our next two heroes, who were most vested with continuing the Message of Islam, for they hated to adopt a title and then later settled on “Khalifah t’ RasulAllah”. 

So much so that the second of the two had as his “Khalifah t’ Khalifah t’ RasulAllah”. 

Both literally 

“The successor of the Messenger”

And secondly 

“The successor of the successor of the Messenger”. 

They both of them disdained from the now loved “amir ul mumineen”- leader of the believers which was only adopted as a title after the titling that they had started became cumbersome. 

For Uthman (ra) did also originally adopt the triple successor of the successor of the successor of the Messenger (saw). 

Until it’s cumbersomeness became all to apparent. 

Islam is an open book. 

And the Most Gracious is ever near. 

And the best that you can ask is for His guidance. 

If He were to guide you then none could lead you astray. 

But if He were to leave you to stray then none- not the most educated, nor the most celebrated, nor the most titled- could guide you and keep you safe. 

And thankfulness belongs to all, from the least to the most.  

Imagine brothers, if this message had been taught from the pulpits as it should be, then we would not have those gullible enough to believe that a man claiming to be a caliph - by the very fact of his claim- was so. 

What I have said here is my opinion. If it is wrong then that wrong belongs to me. 

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