Can we get an Alhamdulillah? :)
http://sulaymanf.blogspot.com/2006/07/protest-against-israels-actions.html
http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2006/07/19/why-i-love-non-muslims-especially-orthodox-jews
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Yahoodi!
Orthodox Jews protesting against the Israeli agression in the middle-east outside the Israeli consulate to the UN in NYC.
Can we get an Alhamdulillah? :)
http://sulaymanf.blogspot.com/2006/07/protest-against-israels-actions.html
http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2006/07/19/why-i-love-non-muslims-especially-orthodox-jews
Can we get an Alhamdulillah? :)
http://sulaymanf.blogspot.com/2006/07/protest-against-israels-actions.html
http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2006/07/19/why-i-love-non-muslims-especially-orthodox-jews
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The Trouble with Rage
By Imam Suhaib Webb
As we sat together in the back of Al-Azhar, the heat of the sun was apparent more than its light. The air was thick; a fusion of Cairo’s pollution, dust and its famous humidity. Like birds on a scarecrow, we sat motionless under the shadow of an ancient Ottoman pillar as the Sheikh’s face and words proved more than sufficient to illuminate our dark circle: “Sheikh Ahmed Derder was the Sheikh of the Malikis (a school of legal thought in Islam) in his day. He used to teach in the back of the mosque. One day the Sheikh was taking his lunch and he noticed a cat sliding through the wall of students. Suddenly one of the students hit the cat and pushed it aside. The Sheikh stood and scolded the student reminding him that this poor creature should be treated with dignity. At that moment the Sheikh began to crumble his food and serve the cat. From that day onward the cat would come to the Sheikh at lunchtime and purr his way into the Sheikh’s heart. And every time the Sheikh would serve the cat as a servant serves his master. A short time later another cat came, until, after a few weeks, whenever the sheikh would enter the masjid, there were no less than a hundred cats following him, and he would do his best to serve them whatever he had.” As we listened to this story our hearts flew as birds over high mountains. Then, suddenly, the Sheikh paused, looked at us and said, “Here is one of our greatest legal scholars, a saint and teacher. Look at how he treated a cat! And today, people are killing innocent human beings in the name of Islam!” Sadness overcame the Sheikh and he paused and suddenly, although in front of us, it was though he had traveled a 1000 miles away from our small circle.
“Did you hear what happened in London today?” At that moment I began to recognize an evil voice. It was the echo of a voice that visits me on certain occasions. It is dark and haunting, but it comes and overpowers me until I’m forced to bow before its reality. “No,” I responded. I’d just returned from the Sheikh and my heart was still flying and had not heard any news on the streets. “There were five explosions! Many people are dead and they’re saying it was us!” Yes … it was that voice. I ran home and quickly checked the BBC. As I read the reports of carnage and bloodshed, I began to reflect on the words of the Sheikh and found my heart jumping and legs shaking.
I felt compelled to help explain the relationship and rights that our fellow non-Muslim brothers and sisters share with us. It is my hope that the Muslim communities in the West will mature and move towards a more inclusive role with their fellow countrymen. And that our non-Muslim brothers and sisters will learn to distinguish between orthodoxy, which possesses a great history of compassion and mercy, and the actions of those, who out of religious zeal, have rocketed past the tradition, values and moral teachings of Islam.
LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER
Prior to, but particularly after, 9/11 a large number of Muslims repeated, “The West needs to learn about Islam.” Indeed, as a citizen of the West, I couldn’t agree more! However, the Qur’anic model for building relationships does not encourage one to sit and listen while others sermonize. The basis for this understanding is found in the following verse: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other” (Sura Al-Hujurat, verse 13). The word “to know each other” in Arabic represents an action that involves two parties. Thus, the “knowing” here is not merely a one-way street, but involves active participation by both parties. Instead of saying that the West needs to know about Islam, we should say, “We need to learn about each other.” Based on this principle Western Muslims should take the time to learn and benefit from their fellow brothers and sisters. It is sad to see a large number of our community completely out of touch with the trends, history and situations that exist within their countries of origin.
Building relationships with one’s fellow countrymen is an excellent way to start. The Prophet (may the Peace and Mercy of God be upon him) was given the ability to speak multiple dialects of Arabic by God. In fact, the Prophet said, “I’m the most eloquent of those who speak Arabic.” In addition, the Prophet (may God’s blessings and mercy be upon him) was aware of the events and happenings that surrounded him. Once K’ab bin Malik came to the Prophet. This was prior to K’ab’s acceptance of Islam. K’ab was known as a great poet. When he met the Prophet (May God’s blessings and Mercy be Upon him), the Prophet asked him his name. He responded, “K’ab bin Malik.” The Prophet (may God’s blessings and mercy be upon him) looked at him with a warm smile and said, “The poet!” K’ab stated later after his conversion to Islam, “That was the most beloved day of my life.” Thus, it is crucial that we take the time to learn and understand our environments so we can play an active role in benefiting it.
OH THOSE INFIDELS
It is common to see the word “infidel” used by many non- Muslims when quoting Muslims. Although a misunderstanding of the actual word, there are still a group of Muslims who insist on using the word for non-Muslims and, in some extreme cases, Muslims themselves. Our discussion here is not based on a mistranslation of the word, but its usage.
If we look towards the Qur’anic model we find that non- Muslims are usually addressed with words which are more polite and respectable. For this reason Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi states:
The Qur’an teaches us not to address others with the term, “Rejecter of faith” even if it is true. Instead it teaches us to used terms such as, “Oh Mankind” (Sura Al-Baqara verse 21), “Oh Son’s of Adam’ (Sura Al-Araf, verse 31), “Oh People of the Book” (Sura Ali Imran Verse 71), and “Oh My (God’s) servants” (Sura Al-Zumar, verse 53). In fact, you will not find the term ‘Rejecter of faith’ used as a direct address to anyone except twice in the Qur’an. One used for those who rejected faith in the Hereafter. The second was addressed to those people who tried to kill the Prophet (may God bless him and give him peace) and his companions and expel them from their homes. (Sh. Qaradawi, “Our Address during the Age of Globalization”, p.44)
Thus, the norm for the Muslim is to address his fellows with terms that are honorable and respectable. The Qur’an states, “Say to My servants to speak speech which is excellent” (Sura Israh, verse 53). By replacing the word “Rejecter of faith,” with “non-Muslim”, we can look at our fellow friends and countrymen with a merciful eye. Such a feeling is extremely important if we want to better understand and grow together.
DID HE SAY OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
Another important and often neglected Qur’anic teaching is that of brotherhood between men. A common misunderstanding amongst Muslims is that they share a brotherhood which prohibits fraternal relations with others outside of their faith. This is based upon the following verse, “Indeed, the believers are only brothers.” (Sura Al-Hujurat, verse 10) However, is that truly the case? It is well-known that Muslims believe in most of the Prophets mentioned in the Bible. If we take a close look at the Prophetic models found in the Qur’an, we’ll find a clearer understanding of this concept of brotherhood. God, Most High, says, “The people of Noah rejected the Messengers. When their brother Noah said to them, ‘Won’t you be dutiful to your Lord?’” (Sura Shura, verses 105-106) In the story of Lot we find, “The people of Lot rejected the Messengers. When their brother Lot said to them, ‘Won’t you be dutiful to your Lord?’” (Sura Shura, verses 131-132) Notice how in both verses the people of Noah and Lot are described as “rejecters of faith”. However, the Qur’anic address emphasizes, even under such conditions, the brotherhood and fraternal bond that exists between them. Thus, the Qur’anic picture of brotherhood is quite vast and encompasses different types. From the brotherhood of faith shared as a special relation with one’s fellow Muslim, to a more global inclusive brotherhood which is shared amongst one’s fellows. If Western Muslims adopt such an outlook they will find it easier to work with others, build solid relationship and make important positive contributions to their societies.
The Prophetic model of relations is a blessing we can ill afford to dismiss. At a time when the voice of Islam is drowned out by flaring unorthodoxy, it is my hope that Western Muslim communities and their fellow non-Muslim counterparts will take the time to get to know each other, build long-lasting relationships and synthesize the positive aspects of each other’s religious and cultural heritage.
If my essence is from dust, then dust (wherever it is)
is my homeland
And every creature upon the heavens and the earth
represents a close relative.
— AN ARAB POEM
Suhaib William Webb is an American-born convert to Islam. He currently lives in Cairo where he studies at Al-Azhar University with a primary focus on Islamic Law. The article is taken from his (now-deleted) blog, which was a treasure of knowledge and wisdom. I hope we all benefit from his works.
As we sat together in the back of Al-Azhar, the heat of the sun was apparent more than its light. The air was thick; a fusion of Cairo’s pollution, dust and its famous humidity. Like birds on a scarecrow, we sat motionless under the shadow of an ancient Ottoman pillar as the Sheikh’s face and words proved more than sufficient to illuminate our dark circle: “Sheikh Ahmed Derder was the Sheikh of the Malikis (a school of legal thought in Islam) in his day. He used to teach in the back of the mosque. One day the Sheikh was taking his lunch and he noticed a cat sliding through the wall of students. Suddenly one of the students hit the cat and pushed it aside. The Sheikh stood and scolded the student reminding him that this poor creature should be treated with dignity. At that moment the Sheikh began to crumble his food and serve the cat. From that day onward the cat would come to the Sheikh at lunchtime and purr his way into the Sheikh’s heart. And every time the Sheikh would serve the cat as a servant serves his master. A short time later another cat came, until, after a few weeks, whenever the sheikh would enter the masjid, there were no less than a hundred cats following him, and he would do his best to serve them whatever he had.” As we listened to this story our hearts flew as birds over high mountains. Then, suddenly, the Sheikh paused, looked at us and said, “Here is one of our greatest legal scholars, a saint and teacher. Look at how he treated a cat! And today, people are killing innocent human beings in the name of Islam!” Sadness overcame the Sheikh and he paused and suddenly, although in front of us, it was though he had traveled a 1000 miles away from our small circle.
“Did you hear what happened in London today?” At that moment I began to recognize an evil voice. It was the echo of a voice that visits me on certain occasions. It is dark and haunting, but it comes and overpowers me until I’m forced to bow before its reality. “No,” I responded. I’d just returned from the Sheikh and my heart was still flying and had not heard any news on the streets. “There were five explosions! Many people are dead and they’re saying it was us!” Yes … it was that voice. I ran home and quickly checked the BBC. As I read the reports of carnage and bloodshed, I began to reflect on the words of the Sheikh and found my heart jumping and legs shaking.
I felt compelled to help explain the relationship and rights that our fellow non-Muslim brothers and sisters share with us. It is my hope that the Muslim communities in the West will mature and move towards a more inclusive role with their fellow countrymen. And that our non-Muslim brothers and sisters will learn to distinguish between orthodoxy, which possesses a great history of compassion and mercy, and the actions of those, who out of religious zeal, have rocketed past the tradition, values and moral teachings of Islam.
LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER
Prior to, but particularly after, 9/11 a large number of Muslims repeated, “The West needs to learn about Islam.” Indeed, as a citizen of the West, I couldn’t agree more! However, the Qur’anic model for building relationships does not encourage one to sit and listen while others sermonize. The basis for this understanding is found in the following verse: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other” (Sura Al-Hujurat, verse 13). The word “to know each other” in Arabic represents an action that involves two parties. Thus, the “knowing” here is not merely a one-way street, but involves active participation by both parties. Instead of saying that the West needs to know about Islam, we should say, “We need to learn about each other.” Based on this principle Western Muslims should take the time to learn and benefit from their fellow brothers and sisters. It is sad to see a large number of our community completely out of touch with the trends, history and situations that exist within their countries of origin.
Building relationships with one’s fellow countrymen is an excellent way to start. The Prophet (may the Peace and Mercy of God be upon him) was given the ability to speak multiple dialects of Arabic by God. In fact, the Prophet said, “I’m the most eloquent of those who speak Arabic.” In addition, the Prophet (may God’s blessings and mercy be upon him) was aware of the events and happenings that surrounded him. Once K’ab bin Malik came to the Prophet. This was prior to K’ab’s acceptance of Islam. K’ab was known as a great poet. When he met the Prophet (May God’s blessings and Mercy be Upon him), the Prophet asked him his name. He responded, “K’ab bin Malik.” The Prophet (may God’s blessings and mercy be upon him) looked at him with a warm smile and said, “The poet!” K’ab stated later after his conversion to Islam, “That was the most beloved day of my life.” Thus, it is crucial that we take the time to learn and understand our environments so we can play an active role in benefiting it.
OH THOSE INFIDELS
It is common to see the word “infidel” used by many non- Muslims when quoting Muslims. Although a misunderstanding of the actual word, there are still a group of Muslims who insist on using the word for non-Muslims and, in some extreme cases, Muslims themselves. Our discussion here is not based on a mistranslation of the word, but its usage.
If we look towards the Qur’anic model we find that non- Muslims are usually addressed with words which are more polite and respectable. For this reason Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi states:
The Qur’an teaches us not to address others with the term, “Rejecter of faith” even if it is true. Instead it teaches us to used terms such as, “Oh Mankind” (Sura Al-Baqara verse 21), “Oh Son’s of Adam’ (Sura Al-Araf, verse 31), “Oh People of the Book” (Sura Ali Imran Verse 71), and “Oh My (God’s) servants” (Sura Al-Zumar, verse 53). In fact, you will not find the term ‘Rejecter of faith’ used as a direct address to anyone except twice in the Qur’an. One used for those who rejected faith in the Hereafter. The second was addressed to those people who tried to kill the Prophet (may God bless him and give him peace) and his companions and expel them from their homes. (Sh. Qaradawi, “Our Address during the Age of Globalization”, p.44)
Thus, the norm for the Muslim is to address his fellows with terms that are honorable and respectable. The Qur’an states, “Say to My servants to speak speech which is excellent” (Sura Israh, verse 53). By replacing the word “Rejecter of faith,” with “non-Muslim”, we can look at our fellow friends and countrymen with a merciful eye. Such a feeling is extremely important if we want to better understand and grow together.
DID HE SAY OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
Another important and often neglected Qur’anic teaching is that of brotherhood between men. A common misunderstanding amongst Muslims is that they share a brotherhood which prohibits fraternal relations with others outside of their faith. This is based upon the following verse, “Indeed, the believers are only brothers.” (Sura Al-Hujurat, verse 10) However, is that truly the case? It is well-known that Muslims believe in most of the Prophets mentioned in the Bible. If we take a close look at the Prophetic models found in the Qur’an, we’ll find a clearer understanding of this concept of brotherhood. God, Most High, says, “The people of Noah rejected the Messengers. When their brother Noah said to them, ‘Won’t you be dutiful to your Lord?’” (Sura Shura, verses 105-106) In the story of Lot we find, “The people of Lot rejected the Messengers. When their brother Lot said to them, ‘Won’t you be dutiful to your Lord?’” (Sura Shura, verses 131-132) Notice how in both verses the people of Noah and Lot are described as “rejecters of faith”. However, the Qur’anic address emphasizes, even under such conditions, the brotherhood and fraternal bond that exists between them. Thus, the Qur’anic picture of brotherhood is quite vast and encompasses different types. From the brotherhood of faith shared as a special relation with one’s fellow Muslim, to a more global inclusive brotherhood which is shared amongst one’s fellows. If Western Muslims adopt such an outlook they will find it easier to work with others, build solid relationship and make important positive contributions to their societies.
The Prophetic model of relations is a blessing we can ill afford to dismiss. At a time when the voice of Islam is drowned out by flaring unorthodoxy, it is my hope that Western Muslim communities and their fellow non-Muslim counterparts will take the time to get to know each other, build long-lasting relationships and synthesize the positive aspects of each other’s religious and cultural heritage.
If my essence is from dust, then dust (wherever it is)
is my homeland
And every creature upon the heavens and the earth
represents a close relative.
— AN ARAB POEM
Suhaib William Webb is an American-born convert to Islam. He currently lives in Cairo where he studies at Al-Azhar University with a primary focus on Islamic Law. The article is taken from his (now-deleted) blog, which was a treasure of knowledge and wisdom. I hope we all benefit from his works.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
For People of Understanding..
The word "Islam" comes from two Arabic words - "As-Salam" and "As-Silm", meaning peace and submission respectively. The essence of Islam lies in the meanings of these two words, and it may be expressed as striving to obtain inner as well as outward peace as a result of submitting your will to the Will of Allah, The Benevolent and Merciful.
A "Muslim" is a person who makes a concious decision to accept Islam as his/her way of life, i.e. he/she decides to submit his/her will to the Will of Allah. To do that, the person requires -
a) a clear understanding of what is meant by "submit".
b) knowledge of what the "Will of Allah" really is.
Submission, in the Islamic context, implies living life and understanding it according to a particular ideology, set of principles, code of conduct etc. defined by someone else, in an absolute manner. Ya'ni accepting someone else's word as the only criterion for creating your definitions of right and wrong. Keeping that in mind, it becomes very obvious that a submission of such kind has to be the most important decision of a person's life. Each and every aspect of his/her life would be affected by it, and it would be foolish to make that decision without -
a) complete knowledge of the "thing" you're submitting to.
b) being completely convinced by it.
Since the "thing" that a Muslim submits to is Islam, he/she must have complete knowledge about the Islamic creed (aqidah) and other basics, and should be completely convinced by it. Here's where the definition of the "Will of Allah" comes in. The Will of Allah is anything and everything that Allah has asked us to do or to not do in His communications with us through the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Most of us are "Muslims by chance", or people who were born into the Islamic faith and accepted it without giving it a lot of thought because that was what we were expected to do; the herd mentality. It is no big secret that most of us do not know even the basics of Islam (understanding of tauheed, atleast at the Aqidah Tahawiyyah level, understanding of the concepts of shirk, sunnah, bid'ah, halal, haram, mustahab, makruh etc.), and a lot of us haven't read the Qur'an (with some understanding of Its meanings) even a single time. We've made the greatest decision of our lives without giving it the amount of thought it deserves.
According to most of our Ulema, this is the biggest of all our problems, and it leads to Muslims doing things that are contrary to Islamic values without them realizing it. The best solution to this problem is to encourage ourselves, our parents, siblings, cousins, relatives, friends and others to become "Muslims by choice", i.e. study Islam and re-accept it completely and entirely once they fulfil the minimum requirements of fardh 'aeyn Islamic knowledge, and are completely convinced about it being the religion chosen by The One True God for all human beings and djinns.
Shaikh Nasir Al-Albani said: "It was from the known rules of the Ulema that they used to say - bring the evidence and then believe; do not believe and then bring the evidence." This is precisely how we should "study" Islam, and accept it or reject it based on whether we're convinced by it or not. If we don't work towards this, I'm afraid our condition will remain similar to that of the monkeys in the previous post.
Islam is a religion that encourages us to think. "Li ulil albab", "La'allakum ta'qilun", "Li ulil absar" - these are phrases we hear frequently in our prayers. Islam is for people of lubbah (intellect/reason), and it is ironical that we Muslims refuse to use it to understand our religion.
May Allah guide me to write about things that please Him. May Allah give me the taufeeq to practise what I preach. May Allah increase us all in our good deeds and efforts, and may Allah accept them from us.
Ameen, Ya Rabb Al-'Alameen.
P.S. - I hope I'm not labeled for quoting Shaikh Al-Albani, Shaikh Nadawi etc. I am not Salafi, Deobandi or anything else.
Part 1
A "Muslim" is a person who makes a concious decision to accept Islam as his/her way of life, i.e. he/she decides to submit his/her will to the Will of Allah. To do that, the person requires -
a) a clear understanding of what is meant by "submit".
b) knowledge of what the "Will of Allah" really is.
Submission, in the Islamic context, implies living life and understanding it according to a particular ideology, set of principles, code of conduct etc. defined by someone else, in an absolute manner. Ya'ni accepting someone else's word as the only criterion for creating your definitions of right and wrong. Keeping that in mind, it becomes very obvious that a submission of such kind has to be the most important decision of a person's life. Each and every aspect of his/her life would be affected by it, and it would be foolish to make that decision without -
a) complete knowledge of the "thing" you're submitting to.
b) being completely convinced by it.
Since the "thing" that a Muslim submits to is Islam, he/she must have complete knowledge about the Islamic creed (aqidah) and other basics, and should be completely convinced by it. Here's where the definition of the "Will of Allah" comes in. The Will of Allah is anything and everything that Allah has asked us to do or to not do in His communications with us through the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Most of us are "Muslims by chance", or people who were born into the Islamic faith and accepted it without giving it a lot of thought because that was what we were expected to do; the herd mentality. It is no big secret that most of us do not know even the basics of Islam (understanding of tauheed, atleast at the Aqidah Tahawiyyah level, understanding of the concepts of shirk, sunnah, bid'ah, halal, haram, mustahab, makruh etc.), and a lot of us haven't read the Qur'an (with some understanding of Its meanings) even a single time. We've made the greatest decision of our lives without giving it the amount of thought it deserves.
According to most of our Ulema, this is the biggest of all our problems, and it leads to Muslims doing things that are contrary to Islamic values without them realizing it. The best solution to this problem is to encourage ourselves, our parents, siblings, cousins, relatives, friends and others to become "Muslims by choice", i.e. study Islam and re-accept it completely and entirely once they fulfil the minimum requirements of fardh 'aeyn Islamic knowledge, and are completely convinced about it being the religion chosen by The One True God for all human beings and djinns.
Shaikh Nasir Al-Albani said: "It was from the known rules of the Ulema that they used to say - bring the evidence and then believe; do not believe and then bring the evidence." This is precisely how we should "study" Islam, and accept it or reject it based on whether we're convinced by it or not. If we don't work towards this, I'm afraid our condition will remain similar to that of the monkeys in the previous post.
Islam is a religion that encourages us to think. "Li ulil albab", "La'allakum ta'qilun", "Li ulil absar" - these are phrases we hear frequently in our prayers. Islam is for people of lubbah (intellect/reason), and it is ironical that we Muslims refuse to use it to understand our religion.
May Allah guide me to write about things that please Him. May Allah give me the taufeeq to practise what I preach. May Allah increase us all in our good deeds and efforts, and may Allah accept them from us.
Ameen, Ya Rabb Al-'Alameen.
P.S. - I hope I'm not labeled for quoting Shaikh Al-Albani, Shaikh Nadawi etc. I am not Salafi, Deobandi or anything else.
Part 1
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Condition of Our Ummah
In one of his Friday Khutbahs (sermons), Imam Yasser Fazzaga described the condition of our ummah in a very interesting manner, and I think it's definitely worth the space on my blog.
A social research organization once conducted a research on a group of ten monkeys. The monkeys were locked up in an empty room, and a bunch of bananas was hung from the ceiling (and we all know - when monkeys see bananas, they go bananas!). A table was placed in the middle of the room so that the monkeys could climb on it and reach for the bananas. Ten hosepipes were also brought in, and they were connected to a supply of ice-cold water. Now, as the monkeys were let loose, one of them jumped onto the table and started reaching for the bananas. As soon as he tried to do that, he and the rest of the nine monkeys were hosed with the ice-cold water. The same thing happened a few times, and all the monkeys were hosed each time. The monkeys were quick to learn, and they soon gave up their attempts to get the bananas. The next day, they removed all the hosepipes, and replaced one of the monkeys with a new one. The new monkey obviously went nuts after seeing the bananas and started to climb the table to reach for them, but before anything else could be done, the rest of the monkeys ganged up on him and beat the living daylights out of the poor fellow, who had absolutely no idea why he was beat up. The next day, they did the same thing, i.e. replaced an old monkey with a new one. The same thing happened. The rest of the monkeys, including the monkey from yesterday (who didn't know anything about the hosepipes) beat him up. They repeated the process again and again until all the monkeys from the original group had been replaced, and they kept getting the same result. None of the new monkeys in the room had witnessed the original event, but just 'cause they saw the others doing it, they joined in without thinking. The threat no longer existed, but instead of analyzing the situation and thinking it out themselves, they were contented to follow the crowd.
I don't know if the story is true or not, but it is definitely a classic example of the 'herd mentality' we find in our Ummah.
In my next post inshaAllah, I'll discuss why the 'ulema think that this is the root of most of our problems, and how it affects our Islam and the way we live it.
The khutbah was on "The Fiqh of Priorities", and the khateeb made several interesting points in it. InshaAllah, if I find the time, I'll post about them as well in the near future.
A social research organization once conducted a research on a group of ten monkeys. The monkeys were locked up in an empty room, and a bunch of bananas was hung from the ceiling (and we all know - when monkeys see bananas, they go bananas!). A table was placed in the middle of the room so that the monkeys could climb on it and reach for the bananas. Ten hosepipes were also brought in, and they were connected to a supply of ice-cold water. Now, as the monkeys were let loose, one of them jumped onto the table and started reaching for the bananas. As soon as he tried to do that, he and the rest of the nine monkeys were hosed with the ice-cold water. The same thing happened a few times, and all the monkeys were hosed each time. The monkeys were quick to learn, and they soon gave up their attempts to get the bananas. The next day, they removed all the hosepipes, and replaced one of the monkeys with a new one. The new monkey obviously went nuts after seeing the bananas and started to climb the table to reach for them, but before anything else could be done, the rest of the monkeys ganged up on him and beat the living daylights out of the poor fellow, who had absolutely no idea why he was beat up. The next day, they did the same thing, i.e. replaced an old monkey with a new one. The same thing happened. The rest of the monkeys, including the monkey from yesterday (who didn't know anything about the hosepipes) beat him up. They repeated the process again and again until all the monkeys from the original group had been replaced, and they kept getting the same result. None of the new monkeys in the room had witnessed the original event, but just 'cause they saw the others doing it, they joined in without thinking. The threat no longer existed, but instead of analyzing the situation and thinking it out themselves, they were contented to follow the crowd.
I don't know if the story is true or not, but it is definitely a classic example of the 'herd mentality' we find in our Ummah.
In my next post inshaAllah, I'll discuss why the 'ulema think that this is the root of most of our problems, and how it affects our Islam and the way we live it.
The khutbah was on "The Fiqh of Priorities", and the khateeb made several interesting points in it. InshaAllah, if I find the time, I'll post about them as well in the near future.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The need of the hour...
"The need of the hour is that your life should be revolutionized. The revolution should not be an individual one but a collective one. The change should be concerning your iman(belief), your morals, your actions, your dealings, your decisions, and your efforts. Your life in every way should become a beacon of guidance and it should become a means of Da'wah."
- Abul Hasan Ali Al-Hasani Al-Nadawi aka Ali Mian rahimahullah
- Abul Hasan Ali Al-Hasani Al-Nadawi aka Ali Mian rahimahullah
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