Bravo Egypt! Imam Zaid Shakir

Bravo Egypt!

By Imam Zaid on 11 February 2011

The Egyptian people have accomplished one of the major objectives of their historic revolution. They have brought the thirty-year reign of Hosni Mubarak to an end. As they celebrate, from Alexandria in the north down to Aswan in the south, they realize that this is only the beginning of the long and arduous march to a free and open system that will guarantee their dignity and fundamental rights. However, every journey has a beginning and this glorious beginning is a harbinger of a glorious end. As the great Egyptian sage, Ibn ‘Ata Allah Sankadari, mentioned, “An illuminated beginning is a portent of an illuminated end.” May that be so in the case of the Egyptian Revolution.

The size and strategic position of Egypt, her central place in America’s geostrategic planning, her historical leadership of the Arab world and the sheer magnitude of the security “apparatus” that the people had to overcome to reach this point will ensure that the ongoing revolution will be deeply studied by many for decades to come. Here are some of my reflections on the revolution thus far.

First of all, I do not write these lines as someone unfamiliar with Egyptian society. Upon completing my graduate studies in 1986 I departed for a year of Arabic studies in Cairo. As a poor student with only the irregular salary from my part-time job as an English teacher at the ‘Aziz Billah Mosque in the Zaytoun section of Cairo, I ate what my neighbors ate, namely a steady diet of Ful and Ta’miyya sandwiches, supplemented by pickled turnips. I slept on the floor of the masjid with my brothers during my Ramadan retreat. And I rode the crowded buses, becoming adept at grabbing the pole and jumping into the backdoor of those constantly moving, diesel-belching wrecks.

I also had an opportunity to become familiar with the expansive reach of the secret police, the Mukhabarat. One day while walking to one of my classes, I was offered a “taxi” ride to the mosque where the class was being held. In my then broken Arabic and through pointing I indicated that the mosque was only two blocks away. The driver and the passenger in the front seat insisted that they take me to the Mosque. I was adamant in my insistence that I walk the remaining distance. Finally, one of them flashed a badge and demanded that I get in the car. Upon doing so, I was bombarded with a barrage of questions asking what I was doing in Cairo, did I know this or that Muslim personality, where was I really going, etc. Finally, convinced that I was just a student from America they let me go, but not before rifling through my briefcase and helping themselves to a few “souvenirs.”

I was allowed to go on to my destination, but for far too many Egyptians, their “taxi rides” ended on the “dark side.” I had the opportunity to get first hand descriptions of that “dark side” by talking to many Egyptians who had been in the “Zinzanah,” the torture cells of the regime. They spoke of the beatings, the cigarette burns, the dogs, and other horrors they had experienced directly or witnessed. This is part of the reality that contributed to the revolution that has succeeded in ousting Hosni Mubarak.

In the events leading up to and now culminating with Mubarak’s resignation there are accusations, such as that articulated in an editorial in the Israeli daily, Haaretz, that Obama will go down in history for losing Egypt. This sentiment succinctly expresses the deep, dehumanizing racism that has driven the policy of supporting authoritarian dictators in the Middle East. These paternalistic tyrants will keep their “children” in their “place” to protect foreign interests. The same racist sentiment also drives the idea of Muslim “exceptionalism.” Muslims in the Middle East, we were told, are too irresponsible, reckless or just plain undeserving of governing themselves.

The people of Egypt have shown that they are not the property of any foreign power to be owned, used, abused and then discarded or possibly “lost.” They are human, men and women determined to carve out a dignified existence for themselves and their progeny. In so doing, they have shattered, to this point, virtually every myth and stereotype encouraging Americans to view Muslims as our inherent enemies. For example, we have been told that Muslims are bloodthirsty savages. We have been told that political Islam is a totalitarian system that knows of no compromise. Yet in Egypt, as in Tunisia, we have seen a majority Muslim population engage in a nonviolent revolution. The Muslim ideologues in the movement, including the Muslim Brotherhood, have cooperated with their Christian and secular fellow citizens aspiring to a new Egypt, not as a domineering and condescending force, but as full partners.The youth have been universally recognized as the visionaries who expanded the realm of the politically possible. Finally, women have been accepted as equal if not surpassing agents of change -the heroine of the revolution is a brave and defiant woman, Asmaa Mahfuz, whose youtube appeal was critical in the success of the pivotal January 25, 2011 mobilization. All of these characteristics make the Egyptian revolution one of the great sociopolitical developments of this new century.
Here in the United States many politicians and pundits are asking, “Why didn’t we see this coming?” I will offer my answer here. Specifically, American policy-making towards the Middle East has become dominated by anti-Muslim bigots. They have projected their own fears onto the governing elite and created such an obsession with so-called radical Islam that the latter has accepted the draconian (and profitable for some) measures being put into place to fight it, including support for “moderate” regimes like Mubarak’s. All the while, they have failed to take note of the real, dynamic politics on the ground in the Middle East and the civil society that has sprung up around those politics. The Egyptian Revolution has shown just how weak and marginal so-called radical Islam is in most Muslim societies. In one of the great ironies of history, the violent nihilists of “radical Islam,” besides the army, represent one of the few potential counter-revolutionary forces in Egypt.

The road ahead in Egypt will not be an easy one. There are powerful interests, both in Egypt and in other countries who were profiting lavishly from the ancien regime and the system of crony capitalism it has put in place to syphon off the country’s wealth. They have much to lose from a new system and will fight hard to preserve at least some of the privileges they formerly possessed. New institutions will have to be built. A new balance of power will have to be hammered out between the groups the protesters represent and the older, more established parties and groups who supported the protests, along with those who did not. The healthcare and university systems, both of which have been destroyed by mindless and neglectful policies, will have to be rebuilt. The minefields of the Palestinian situation will also have to be traversed.  However, that is tomorrow’s work and tomorrow’s worry. As for today, let the people of Egypt celebrate. Bravo, Egypt, Bravo!

Game Over…We Win?

The current uprising in Egypt, coming in the aftermath of the popular revolution in Tunisia, is a monumental event that is altering all of the political calculations currently governing how we think about Middle Eastern politics. The emerging popular movements in the region have led to a swift reshuffling of the mental furniture governing the way Tunisians, Egyptians, and likely other people in the region see themselves and their relationship to those who have been ruling them with repression, fear and intimidation. The new thinking shows that the people are no longer afraid of their rulers and their dreaded security apparatuses. Now that that reshuffling has occurred, as one of the most popular Tunisian protest posters declared, “Game Over.” No matter what happens in Egypt going forward, the old game is indeed over.

Middle Easterners are not the only ones whose mental furniture needs reshuffling. Here in the United States, we need to begin to critically assess our silence in the face of the atrocities we support, or knowingly turn a blind eye to. Our officials know that the money we have been pumping into the Mubarak regime for the past 30 years has done nothing to improve the lot of the average Egyptian. Rather, it was being used to strengthen the Egyptian military and the internal “security” forces, which is a euphemism for the forces of torture and political repression. For example, the State Department’s 2008 Human Rights Report for Egypt mentions:

Police and the SSIS reportedly employed torture methods such as stripping and blindfolding victims; suspending victims by the wrists and ankles in contorted positions or from a ceiling or door-frame with feet just touching the floor; beating victims with fists, whips, metal rods, or other objects; using electric shocks; dousing victims with cold water; and sexual abuse, including sodomy. Victims reported that security officials threatened them and forced them to sign statements for use against themselves or their families should they in the future lodge complaints about the torture. Some victims, including women and children, reported that security officials sexually assaulted or threatened to rape them or their family members. Human rights groups reported that the lack of legally required written police records often effectively blocked investigations.

What is mentioned in this report is the tip of the iceberg concerning the abuses that every Egyptian knows of. The dehumanizing horrors occurring in the “Zinzana” are not well-kept secrets. However, what did the United States do about these atrocities after documenting them? We did the same thing we did about the rigged elections that kept falsely affirming Mubarak and his gerontocracy in power. We did the same thing we did in the face of the grinding poverty of the country, only accentuated by the regime’s enthusiasm to accept neoliberal economic policies that only funneled money from the impoverished masses and into the clutches of the wealthy elite managing their society on behalf of their western sponsors. Namely, nothing. In the name of our war against terror, in the name of our security interests, in the name of our economic interests we did nothing.

It is time for Americans to acknowledge that when we prioritize our interests in foreign lands over the interests of the citizens of those lands in many instances those citizens are starved, politically disenfranchised, tortured and sometimes killed. We have to realize that this is not only true in the Middle East, it is just as true in the Congo, Haiti and elsewhere.

Tunisians and now Egyptians have bravely stood up and challenged the hypocrisy, brutality and illegitimacy of their rulers. It is blatant hypocrisy for America to pontificate about the need for peaceful political reform in the Middle East and then support the violent repression of peaceful reformers or circumvent internal reform all together by imposing political change through the barrel of an M1 Abrams tank. It is time that the people of this country stand up and challenge that hypocrisy. The masses in Tunisia and Egypt should be a source of courage and inspiration for us in this regard.

The popular movements emerging in the Middle East are giving birth to watershed events that may well redefine the political map of the region for the next century. We should work to make sure that the vision and hope they embody are not confined to the Middle East. Now is the time for us to express our solidarity with the people of Egypt and elsewhere as they struggle to carve out a dignified existence for themselves and their progeny. If we do so with courage, conviction, vision and principle we may all live to see a day when the old game will be over everywhere. If that happens, we will all be the winners

Saving the Ship of Humanity

Saving the Ship of Humanity - Imam Zaid Shakir

The theme of the recently concluded Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference in Toronto, Canada, was Saving the Ship of Humanity. In the words of the programme’s brochure:

“When a ship is lost at sea, it is in imminent danger of sinking, or if it has been hijacked, the captain sends out an SOS. This acronym is Morse Code for, “Save Our Ship.” When an SOS is received by any agency, all available resources are mobilised to save the threatened ship –the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and any civilian vessels in the vicinity. Our planet is currently sending out an SOS. The waves of pollution and environmental degradation are washing over its bow. The gathering storms of warfare and strife are threatening its course. It has been hijacked by the pirates of racism and xenophobia. Massive icebergs of disease, hunger, and economic marginalisation litter the sea all around it. As an Ummah, it is time for us to mobilise all of our resources to help the save the ship of humanity, before it sinks, or is forever lost at sea.”

It does not take an exaggerated degree of intellectual acumen or keen insight into international affairs to realise the truthfulness of the above quote. The issue for us Muslims is determining how we respond to the waves of crises currently befalling humanity. A wise and effective response requires that we look beyond the surface of the events that dominate the headlines and garner a disproportionate share of news coverage. Responding at that level will see our community scrambling in haphazard fashion from one set of ad hoc responses to a particular crisis to an equally ad hoc and ill-conceived response to another. A more effective response will require that we look beyond the surface of current events to identify some of the deeper issues that give rise to various events and crises.

In one form or another, all of these issues are manifestations of an un-godly philosophy of human relations. Our relations, both international, and inter-personal, generally speaking, are based on competition. That competition leads to placing an exaggerated emphasis on the acquisition of power; as it is power that gives us advantages and affords us privileges in our relationships with others. At the international level, this idea –the primacy of power in relations between states– has been steadily refined from Machiavelli to Hans Morgenthau, and it has culminated in a situation that has rendered attempts at meaningful international cooperation inconsequential. This was witnessed in the collapse of the talks in Copenhagen to address the issue of global warming.

At issue is not a lack of lofty principles or ideals. What we see is the subordination of ideals to the imperatives of power. Ideals are fine and operable until they conflict with the dictates of power. Spreading self-determination to long oppressed peoples is a lofty ideal advocated by powerful western democracies, but when a dictatorship, or a ruthless oligarchy better serves the interests of those nations that ideal is scrapped. Addressing the current and future ravages of climate change is an important ideal endorsed by all highly industrial nations, but when proposed policies will affect their potential power, either in strategic or economic terms, that ideal is abandoned, at least by most of them.

This critique is also applicable to many Muslims. There are those of us who quote verses in the Qur’an declaring the inviolable sanctity of civilian life. Yet, for some of us, when we see the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians enhancing our power, those verses and related prophetic prohibitions become void. This is a sad consequence of the ethos of power.

We can no longer bear this situation, especially in a world that has been shrunken by increasingly efficient means of transportation and communications. What happens in one part of the world increasingly affects people living elsewhere, and in many instances the immediate or future implications of those effects are communicated almost instantaneously. As Muslims, we have been blessed with another ethos, one we have largely neglected. That is the ethos of cooperation. God mentions in the Qur’an,

“Cooperate in good and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and enmity.” (5:2)

God also reminds us that power is an ends to a means and not an end, in and of itself. For example, God mentions in the Qur’an, “Those who if We give them power in the earth they establish regular prayer, pay the poor due, command good, forbid wrong, and unto God is the end of all affairs.” (22:41) This verse states that power is a means for the establishment of God’s worship and reverence, serving the poor, spreading good, and limiting evil. When it is divorced from these or other enlightened goals, it is no longer desirable, for at that point it is either an end itself, or it is a means to nefarious ends.

This verse also reminds us that power comes from God, “Those who if We give them power in the earth…”, it does not accrue merely as the result of human effort. Therefore, it is worthless for Muslims to abandon our principles in the pursuit of power, even when that power may be ostensibly sought for lofty ends, thinking that abandoning principles will lead to an enhancement of power. God gives power to whomsoever He chooses based on His wisdom; we do not take it based on our tactics. He tests nations with strength and weakness. The important thing for us to remember is that whether we are weak or powerful, we are not to transgress the limits set by God, for transgression involves oppression, and God warns us that He does not love oppressors. This understanding is critical if we are to begin moving away from the ethos of power.

Now is the time for us to emphasise the need for normalising the ethos of cooperation as the most effective basis for both international and interpersonal relations. In a world where our ability to destroy not only each other but all life on this planet is a reality; by nuclear, biological, chemical, and now electro-magnetic weaponry, the idea of conflicting nations must be replaced with the idea of cooperating humanity. In a world where ever scarcer resources threaten to lead to ever more intense conflicts to control them, the idea of an exclusive national interest must be replaced by the idea of shared human interests. In a world where nations, non-state actors, and even individuals can possess the means to undermine each other’s security, the idea of national security must be replaced by the idea of collective security.

Effecting such changes will involve an immense struggle. That struggle cannot be undertaken by isolated individuals. It will require the full force of an enlightened and committed community. We are challenged to be “the best community brought forward for the benefit of humanity.” (3:110) However, leadership in this regard requires the strength of character and spirit that can only be brought forth by a firm commitment to the highest ideals of Islam, and the internalising of their fruits through a steady, ongoing process of worship, reflection, study and spiritual refinement. May God bless us to be an enlightened, committed community working with others to move from the pursuit of power to the power of cooperation.

Preparation for Returning to Allah

Preparation for Returning to Allah

by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

Translated by Shaykh Zaid Shakir

Ibn Abbas, radiyallahu anh - may Allah be well pleased with him, said that the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam - peace and blessings upon his noble soul, said one day to Iblees from whom we seek refuge to Allah: "How many of your beloved are from my Ummah?"

He (Iblees) said: "Ten groups: The tyrannical leader; the arrogant; the wealthy one who is not concerned about how he earns his wealth, nor how he spends it; a religious scholar who supports the leader in his tyranny; the treacherous trader (in business); the one who monopolizes a commodity in order to drive up the price; the adulterer; the one who deals in interest; the miser who doesn't care from where he has accumulated his wealth; and the drunkard." Then he, peace and blessings upon his noble soul, said: "How many enemies do you have from my Ummah?"

He (Iblees) said: "Twenty groups: You Muhammad...I hate you*; the scholar who acts on his knowledge; the memorizer of Quran if he acts on what is in it; the one who calls for the five prayers and he loves the poor, downtrodden and the orphans; the one possessing a merciful heart; the one who humbles himself before the truth; a young person who grows up obeying Allah; the one who eats the halaal; two young people who love each other for the sake of Allah; the one who strives to make prayer in congregation; the one who prays at night while the people are asleep; the one who holds himself back from haraam; the one who gives sincere advise to the Muslim brothers with no ulterior motive; the one who remains in a constant state of wudu'u; the generous one; the one possessing good character; the one who confirms the truth of what Allah has guaranteed him; the one who does good to chaste widows; and the one who prepares for death."

Following a Madhhab - Imam Zaid Shakir

Blessings of the day of Ashura - Imam Zaid Shakir

Imam Zaid shakir (teacher at the zaytuna college) talks briefly about the importance of Ashura, the 10th of the first month of the islamic calender, Muharram. He highlights the benefits of fasting on this day, as well as some of the lessons we are to learn from the heroism displayed in the battlefield of karbala, by the prince of the Ahle Bayt, Imam Hussein (may Allah be pleased with him and his noble family).

Trials and Tribulations of the Ummah by Iman Zaid Shakir

Why We Must Follow One of 4 Imams? By Imam Zaid Shakir

A Year end Message from Zaytuna College - Imam Zahid Shakir

Dear Friend,

As Salaam ‘Alaykum.

As this year comes to a close, it is a time for reflection, not just on what we all have done in the past year, but especially on what we should aspire to do in the coming year.

At Zaytuna, we are looking forward to our most important and crucial year so far, as we plan to welcome the first freshman class of America’s first Muslim college, insha’Allah. Many eyes will be upon us as we launch this historic project. We need your prayers—and your financial support—to ensure that the coming year is our best yet.

The past year has been filled with a number of noteworthy changes, some significant milestones and many bright spots for the future of the College. We created a strong Management Committee that is working diligently with the staff to develop and implement the operational infrastructure for the College. We have had an extremely successful second year of the Summer Arabic Intensive. And we finalized our majors and curriculum for the Bachelor’s degree program, and opened up applications for Fall 2010.

Looking ahead to 2010, we have a significant amount of work to get done before classes begin in Fall—starting the accreditation process, investing in an expanded Summer Arabic Intensive, selecting our first freshman class, hiring top-notch faculty, and raising funds for operations, property acquisition and endowment.

That is why we are reaching out to all of you. As you prepare to make your year-end donations, please consider doing your part to launch the first accredited Muslim college in America. To ensure your donation is counted as a 2009 tax deduction, please make your online donation now or mail us your check before December 31.

Thank you for your continued support and for being part of this great endeavor.

With best wishes for the coming year,

Omar Nawaz

VP for Operations

Zaytuna College

Eid Message from Imam Zaid Shakir (11/2009)

Eat, Drink, and Remember Your Lord - Imam Zahid Shakir

Eat, Drink, and Remember Your Lord

Eid Mubarak

Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of the Sacrifice, has its origins in the life of our spiritual forefather, Abraham, alayhi salaam. His story we know: He was prepared to sacrifice his own son to demonstrate his devotion to God. We are reminded by God, however, that He needs neither meat nor blood (Qur’an, 22:37). Abraham’s son, therefore, was spared. God was testing Abraham’s piety, specifically the depth of his desire to sacrifice for the sake of his Lord. Abraham, alayhi salaam, passed that test with distinction.

In the spirit of Abraham, alayhi salaam, let us ask ourselves: What are we willing to sacrifice for our Lord? Certainly, we are not being tested as he was, but we should, nonetheless, examine our own lives. Is there more we can do, or spend, or offer to help ensure that the monotheistic tradition, which Abraham, alayhi salaam, was so instrumental in shaping, lives on in the world?

One of the purposes of this holiday is to reflect on the teachings of our religion and to remember God. About Eid al-Adha and Ayyam al-Tashriq (the three days following Eid al-Adha), the Prophet(saaw) mentioned, “They are days of eating, drinking, and remembering God (Hiya ayyamu aklin wa shurbin wa dhikr Allah).”

As we enjoy the bounties our Lord has so generously bestowed upon us—and we should certainly enjoy these bounties—let us not forget to remember Him. Reflecting on these bounties and appreciating them is one of the greatest forms of remembrance.

Many of us can relate to the myriad ways God graced His Prophet, Muhammad(saaw). He reminds him, Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? He found you wandering, and guided you. And He found you impoverished and enriched you (Qur’an, 93:6-8).

How many of us were orphaned when we left our families in our homelands to venture to America, this strange, exciting land filled with opportunities and contradictions? How many of us were lost and wandering, ignorant about our great religion, before God blessed us with intellectual and spiritual growth? And how many of us were impoverished, wondering if we would go destitute to our grave, and yet God enriched us in ways we could never imagine?

As we reflect on these and other graces, let us thank God, and the many people who God enabled to contribute to our success. At Zaytuna College, we are also reflective and appreciative during this blessed holiday. We would be remiss if we did not thank all of you who have been supportive as the college moves towards opening its doors for its inaugural class. Without your prayers, well wishes, and generous financial support, we could have never made it this far. God willing, with your continued prayers and support, we can reach our goal of being America’s first accredited Muslim college.

Eid Mubarak! May you all have a blessed, joyous holiday filled with eating, drinking, and the remembrance of God.

Your brother in Islam,

Imam Zaid Shakir

SOURCE

The Virtue of the Day of Arafat

The Virtue of the Day of Arafat

By Imam Zaid on 26 November 2009

The following excerpt is from Lata’if al-Ma’arif by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali concerning the virtue and some of the actions to be undertaken on the Day of Arafa (pp. 487-495) I wanted to get this out today for the benefit of the believers so I have not taken the time to edit and proofread it. Therefore, if you find some typos and a few glitches, I will tighten it up after ‘Id, Insha Allah.

It is related in the sound compilation of al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that a Jewish man said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful! There is a verse in your Scripture, were revealed to us Jews we would have taken it as a holiday.” ‘Umar asked, “Which verse?” The man said, This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor unto you, and I am pleased to have Islam as your religion. (5:3) ‘Umar said, “I know the day and place this [verse] was revealed. It was revealed as the Messenger of Allah, peace upon him, was standing on the Mount of Arafa on the Day of Jumu’ah. A similar narration is mentioned by Imam al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. That version mentions, “It was revealed during the ‘Id Day, on Jumu’ah, during the Day of Arafa.” [1]
‘Id is an occasion of joy and happiness. The joy and happiness of the believers in this world is with their Lord, when they gain the victory of completing acts of obedience, and when they gain in full measure the reward of their actions by trusting in the promise of His grace and forgiveness to them for undertaking those actions. This is consistent with what He, Exalted is He, says [in the Qur’an], Proclaim! In the grace of Allah, and in His mercy, in this let them rejoice. It is better than any worldly thing they gather. (10:58)

One of the spiritual elect mentioned, “No one rejoices in other than Allah, except owing to his heedlessness of Allah. Therefore, the heedless one rejoices in his sport and play, while one mentally alert rejoices in his Lord.” When the Prophet, peace upon him, came to Madina there were two festive days the people were making merry in. He said, “Indeed, Allah has substituted for you two days better than those two, the Day of Fitr [2] and the Day of Adha [3].” [4] Allah has substituted for this community two days of remembrance, thankfulness, forgiveness, and divine pardon; for two days of sport and play.

In this worldly life the believers have three holidays: a holiday that reoccurs every week, and two holidays that both occur annually. As for the weekly holiday. it is the Day of Jumu’ah. It is associated with the completion of the daily prayers [during the previous week], as Allah has ordained for the believers completing five obligatory prayers during the night and the day. The days of this world revolve around seven days. When one of these weekly cycles is completed, and the believer completes the obligatory prayers during it, one of the worldly expanses bringing the termination of the world closer has been completed. At this time there is a gathering to listen to divine remembrance, admonition, and the Jumu’ah prayer. This is made a holiday for them [the believers].

In attending the Jumu’ah prayer there is a similarity to the Hajj. It is related that it is the Hajj of the poor people. [5] Sa’id bin al-Musayyab mentioned, “Attending Jumu’ah is more beloved to me than a voluntary Hajj, and arriving early for the prayer takes the place of the sacrificial animal one slaughters [during the pilgrimage rites]. The first arrivals are like those who sacrifice a camel, then a cow, then a ram, then a chicken, then an egg.” [6]

Attending Jumu’ah also atones for one’s sins until the next Jumu’ah, as long as one refrains from the major sins, just as a righteous Hajj atones for the sins of that year until the next Hajj. It is related, “If one’s Jumu’ah is free from sins, all of one’s days will be free of sins.” [7] It is also related, “Allah forgives every Muslim on Jumu’ah.” [8] In a rigorously authenticated narration from the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him, it is related that he said, “The sun neither rises nor sets on a day better than Jumu’ah.” [9] In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad it is related that the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him, mentioned, concerning Jumu’ah, “It is better with Allah than the Day of Fitr and the Day of Adha.” This is the weekly holiday which is associated with the completion of the obligatory prayers, which is the greatest pillar of Islam an its foundation, after the Declaration of Faith.

As for the two holidays that do not reoccur during the year, but they occur once every year, the first of them is the holiday that is associated with the fast of Ramadan, which is the third pillar of Islam. When the Muslims complete fasting the month that has been made obligatory for them they gain forgiveness and liberation from Hellfire. Its fasting necessitates these two, as fasting Ramadan atones for previous sins, and its latter days involve liberation from the Hellfire. During it those deserving to be punished owing to their sins are liberated from the torment of Hell. Hence, Allah has made for them in the aftermath of their completing their fast a holiday where they gather to thank Allah, remember Him, and to extol His greatness for what He has guided them to. He has mandated for them during that holiday prayer and charity. It is the Day of the Prizes (Yawm al-Jawa’iz) when the fasting people take the full measure of their reward, and they go away from their holiday with forgiveness their lot.

As for the second holiday, it is the Holiday of the Sacrifice; it is the greatest and most virtuous of the two holidays. It is associated with the culmination of the Hajj, which is the fourth pillar of Islam. When the Muslims complete their Hajj they are forgiven.The Hajj is complete with the Day of Arafa and standing on the Mount during it. It is the greatest pillar of the Hajj, as the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him mentioned, “The Hajj is Arafat.” [10]

The Day of Arafat is the day of liberation from the Hellfire. Allah liberates from Hell those who stand upon Arafat and those who do not from the population of the distant towns. Hence, the following day is made a holiday for all of the Muslims in all of their homelands. Those who participated in the rites of the Hajj season and those who did not, as they share in the liberation from Hell and the forgiveness that pervaded on the Day of Arafa.

The fact that not all of the Muslims are required to go to Hajj every year is a mercy and source of ease from Allah to His servants. He has made Hajj binding once in a lifetime and not binding every year. However, it is a communal obligation occurring every year. [11] This is different from fasting, which is an individually binding obligation on every Muslim, every year. When the Day of Arafa is completed, and Allah has liberated His believing servants from Hell, all of the Muslims then celebrate a holiday. Then there is a common rite that they all undertake [the pilgrims and those back home] to draw near to Allah, slaughtering the sacrificial animal. [12]
As for the specific virtues of the Day of Arafa, they are many. Among them:
It is the day the religion was perfected and the favor completed. It is a holiday for the people of Islam as was mentioned by ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbas. It is said that it is the Shafi’ (even) that Allah swears by in His Scripture, the Witr (odd) being the Day of the Sacrifice. It has been related from the Prophet, Blessings and peace upon him, from the narrations of Jabir, in a narration mentioned by Imam Ahmad [13]and al-Nasa’i in exegesis.

It is also said that it is the Shahid (witness) that Allah swears by in His Scripture. He says, be He exalted, By the witness and the witnessed. (85:3) In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, it is related on the authority of Abu Hurayra, both from himself and on the authority of the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him, “The witness is the Day of Arafa and the witnessed is the Day of Jumu’ah.” [14] This has been mentioned by Imam al-Tirmidhi on the authority of the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him. It has also been related as a saying of Imam ‘Ali. Imam al-Tabarani mentions, from the narrations of Abu Malik al-Ash’ari, on the authority the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him, “The witness is the Day of Jumu’ah and the witnessed is the Day of Arafa.” [15] In this regard, when the Day of Arafa falls on Jumu’ah the witness and the witnessed have been combined.

It is related that it is the best of days. Ibn Hibaan mentions in his Sahih, from the narrations of Jabir, on the authority of the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him, that he said: “The best of days is the Day of Arafa.” [16] This is the opinion of a group of scholars. However, among them are those who opine that the best of days is the Day of the Sacrifice, based on a Hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah bin Qurt, on the authority of the Prophet, blessing and peace of Allah upon him, that he said, “The greatest days with Allah are the Day of the Sacrifice then the following day (Yawm al-Qarr).” [17] This Hadith has been mentioned by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, and Ibn Hibban in his Sahih. This is his wording.

It is related from Anas bin Malik that he used to say, “The Day of Arafa is equivalent to ten thousand days,” –meaning in its virtue. It is related by ‘Ata that he said, “Whoever fasts the Day of Arafa will have the reward of fasting two thousand days.”

It is the day of the Great Hajj in the opinion of a group of early scholars. This is the opinion of ‘Umar and others. However, others differ. They say the day of the Great Hajj is the Day of the Sacrifice. This latter opinion has been related from the Prophet, blessings and peace upon him.

Also, fasting the Day of Arafa atones for the sins of two years. We will mention the Hadith substantiating this shortly, Insha Allah.

It is a day that sins are forgiven, passed over, liberation from the Hellfire occurs, and it is a source of pride for the people standing on the Mount of Arafat. These statements are consistent with a Hadith mentioned by ‘Aisha on the authority of the Prophet, blessing and peace upon him, that he said: “There is no day when Allah liberates more people from the Hellfire than the Day of Arafa. He draws near (not in a physical sense, but in a way befitting His incomparable essence and majesty), and they are a source of pride with the Angels. He says, ‘What a great thing these [worshipers] are seeking.’” [18]

In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad it is related by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As, on the authority of the Prophet, Blessings and Peace upon him, Allah sees the people assembled on Arafa as a source of pride with the Angels. He says, look at my servants, they have come to me disheveled and dust-covered.” [19] It is also mentioned by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih.

Fasting the Day of Arafa [has a great reward]. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim, from Qatadah, on the authority of the Prophet, peace upon him, that he said: “I anticipate Allah expiating the sins of the previous and coming year for one who fasts the Day of Arafa.” [20]

[There is a great reward] for one refraining from sin on that day. It is mentioned in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, from Ibn ‘Abbas on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, “The Day of Arafa is a day that one controlling his hearing, vision, and tongue will be forgiven.” [21]

[Among the virtues of the day of Arafa] is constantly proclaiming the Declaration of Allah’s Oneness with sincerity and honesty, for it is the foundation of the religion that Allah completed this day and its base. It is related in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As, that he said, “The supplication the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, would repeat most often on the Day of Arafa was, “There is no god but Allah, He is alone without partners. His is the dominion and unto Him is all praise, in His hand is all good, and He over all things has power.” [22]

It is also related by al-Tirmidhi with the wording: “The best of supplications is the supplication of Arafa, and the best thing I have said, and that said by the Prophets preceding me, peace upon them, is, “There is no god but Allah, He is alone without partners. His is the dominion and unto Him is all praise, and He over all things has power.’” [23] It is also mentioned by al-Tabarani from the Hadith of Imam ‘Ali and ibn ‘Umar.
One should be excessive in supplicating for forgiveness and liberation from the Hellfire [during the Day of Arafa]. It is hoped that during it the supplications will be answered. Ibn Abi al-Dunya, relates from Imam ‘Ali that he said, “There is no day on earth except that during it Allah liberates sinners from the Hellfire. And there is no day when more people are liberated from Hell than the Day of Arafat. So repeatedly say, ‘O Allah! Liberate me from Hell, and expand my lawful income, and ward off from me the perverse jinn and humans. This is the most comprehensive prayer uttered this day.”

One should seek to avoid the sins that prevent forgiveness and liberation from the Hellfire. Among these sins is arrogant conceit. We have related from the Hadith of Jabir on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him that he said: “There is no day when more men and women are liberated from the Hellfire than the Day of Arafa. However, Allah does not forgive the arrogant, conceited one.” Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani mention this narration, as do others. Al-Mukhtal is one full of himself, arrogant. Allah mentions in the Qur’an, Allah does not love any conceited, vainglorious boaster. (57:23) the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, mentioned: “Allah does not look at one who drags his garment on the ground behind himself out of pride.” [24]

[Among those sins] is persisting in the commission of major transgressions. Ja’far bin Siraj relates from Yunus bin ‘Abd al-‘Ala that he made Hajj one year and saw the leader of the pilgrimage in his dream announcing that Allah had forgiven everyone on the pilgrimage except a man that had molested a young boy. He thereafter ordered that that be announced to the people. Ibn Abi al-Dunya relates, [25] along with others that a man saw in his dream that Allah had forgiven all of the Hajj pilgrims except a man from Balkh. He was sought out until he was located. He was asked about his situation. He said that he was an alcoholic. One night he was drunk. His mother rebuked him for that as she was firing up the oven. He grabbed her and flung her into the oven where she burned to death.

O one longing from liberation from the Hellfire, yet prevents himself from the mercy of Allah by persisting in major sins and transgressions! By Allah! You have not been sincere with yourself! No one stands in your way except you. You prevent your own salvation with your sins. Then, when you are denied forgiveness you say, “How did this happen?” Say, “It is from yourself.” A poet mentioned:
Blame yourself for going there and not the beast you used,
...and die in a dejected state for you have no excuse.

End of translation from Lata’if al-Ma’arif by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
May Allah bless us to take advantage of this day, the Day of Arafat, and all of our days to do righteous deeds, especially those mentioned above, and to work for our salvation and eternal bliss.


Notes:
[1] Tirmidhi, 3046
[2] The holiday commemorating the breaking of the fast of Ramadan.
[3] The holiday of the 10th of Dhu’l Hijjah, commemorating the culmination of the Pilgrimage to Mecca.
[4] Nasa’i, 3:179; Ahmad, al-Musnad, 3:103; 
[5] Al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal, 21,031
[6] This saying of Sa’id, concerning the earlier arrivals being like those who sacrifice a camel and so on, agrees with a Hadith related in Bukhari, Muslim and elsewhere. See a summary of these narrations in Targhib wa’l Tarhib, 1:498-500.
[7] Suyuti, Jami’ al-Saghir, 685.
[8] Al-Hindi, 21,046
[9] Tirmidhi, 3336
[10] Tirmidhi, 2975 Arafa and Arafat عرفة / عرفات refer to the same hill where the pilgrims gather. Hence, we find the occasional variation in its English spelling.
[11] Meaning some Muslims have to undertake it on behave of others or the entire community will be guilty of sin.
[12] Many westerners misunderstand the Qurbani, or the rite of sacrificing that is associated with ‘Id al-Adha. It is not a blood offering to God, who states in the Qur’an that He has no need for meat or blood (22:37). It is an opportunity for the poor members of the community, who in some instances pass the entire year with no meat, to enjoy this great blessing. I have been in Syria during the time of ‘Id al-Adha and participated in taking meat from the sacrificial animals to the poor villages around Damascus. In some instances, people were in tears as they received the gift of meat. I have also spent the ‘Id in Morocco and witnessed the streets fill up with impoverished villagers who descend from the mountains rural districts into the towns, lining the streets, to receive the gift of meat from the wealthy folks in the cities. The meat of the animals is also shared with family members and neighbors. In these western societies where meat is readily available and plentiful –with devastating ecological consequences, it is easy to take the blessing of meat for granted and to misunderstand the importance along with the social and economic impact of the ‘Id al-Adha.
[13] Ahmad, 3:367
[14] Ahmad, 2:298
[15] Tabarani, al-Kabir, 3:298
[16] Ibn Hibban, 6:26
[17] Ahmad, 4:350
[18] Muslim, 1348
[19] Ahmad, 3:224
[20] Muslim, 1162
[21] Ahmad, 1:329
[22] Ahmad, 2:210 His wordking is:  لا إله  إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك و له الحمد بيده الخير و هو على كل شيء قدير 
Laa ilaaha illa Allah, Wahdahu laa sharika lah, lahu’l Mulk wa lahu’l Hamd biyadihi Khayr wa huwa ‘Ala kulli Shay’in Qadir.
[23]Tirmidhi, 3585   لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك و له الحمد و هو على كل شيء قدير
Laa ilaaha illa Allah, Wahdahu laa sharika lah, lahu’l Mulk wa lahu’l Hamd wa huwa ‘Ala kulli Shay’in Qadir.
[24]Bukhari, 10:258
[25]Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Dhamm al-Muskir, 58.




SOURCE New Islamic Directions

Imam Zaid Shakir - ISNA 2009

Imam Zaid Shakir - Back to the Basics of Islam

Agenda to Change our Condition

First published in 1999, this expanded edition provides clear and effective guidance for rectifying our state as conscientious and productive Muslims. With an emphasis on Taqwa (God-consciousness) and Ikhlas (sincerity), Agenda To Change Our Condition is an indispensable handbook for all Muslims striving for excellence in character and self-refinement. Topics covered include: Taqwa: Its Definition and Its Benefits, The Heart and its Treatment, Practical Steps to Change Our Condition, a series of exercises for achieving Taqwa as well as three new appendices.

Submission - Faith & Beauty

Written by the Muslim scholar, Dr. Joseph Lumbard, and co-edited by Imam Zaid Shakir and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, this thoughtful and well-written work beautifully and succinctly summarizes the core beliefs of the Muslim faith.

From The Back Cover: 
 

Islam is the most maligned religion in the West. We have grown accustomed to assertions about Islam that appear almost daily in the media or in the statements of Western leaders that would be considered unacceptable and condemned as the bigoted and racist remarks that they are, if they were made about any other major world religion.

The Western view of Islam is rooted in centuries of mistrust, ignorance, and stereotypical attitudes—the inherited biases of the premodern clash of civilizations. These attitudes are no longer viable or warranted given the immense interdependence shared between the West and the Muslims. In addition, there is the very real presence in the West of millions of law-abiding Muslim citizens, now threatened and feared by large numbers of people who see them as adherents of a fierce and fanatical faith that demands of its followers blind obedience to a system of belief rooted in hatred.

The civilizational project will not be secure until there is mutual understanding between the three militant civilizations of the West, Islamdom, and China. Knowledge of Islam has, in effect, become a serious security issue in geopolitics. It is to forward this mutual understanding that Zaytuna Institute commissioned this thoughtful and well-written work that beautifully and succinctly summarizes the core beliefs of the Muslim faith.

This small book can do much to edify those concerned citizens in the West about the beauty and truth of Islam—and, by doing so, help guide the Western understanding of the religion from one based upon distortions, to one rooted in authentic knowledge.

Reflections on the Hajj

Reflections on the Hajj

By Imam Zaid Shakir

During these blessed days the great pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj, is concluding. Millions of Muslims have descended on the City of Mecca and its environs to reenact ancient rituals, most of which are associated with the prophetic patriarch, Abraham, upon him be peace.

The Hajj, which occurs at the end of the year, based on the reckoning of the lunar calendar, serves as both a culminating act, and the signal of new beginnings. It is the concluding spiritual event in an annual progression of rites which define a Muslim’s life. Beginning with the fast of ‘Ashura, which occurs on the tenth day of the first lunar month, Muharram, the “spiritual” calendar proceeds to Rabi’ al-Awwal, the month that witnessed the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace. The reflection of that day, and the attendant celebrations undertaken by many are followed with voluntary fasting that is generally encouraged during the sacred month of Rajab. Rajab is also the month the night journey and ascension (Al-Isra wa’l Mi’raj) of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, is commemorated.

Following Rajab is the month of Sha’ban, a month where voluntary fasting is greatly encouraged. The fifteenth night of Sha’ban (Layla Nisfi Sha’ban) is one of the nights of the year specifically designated for intense devotion and supplication. Sha’ban is followed by blessed Ramadan, the time of the month-long fast and nightly devotions. Ramadan gives way to Shawwal, the month to begin preparations for the Hajj, and a month when fasting six days, preferably in succession, is highly encouraged.

During Dhu’l Qa’da the preparation for the Hajj continues. Dhu’l Hijja, the actual month of the Hajj, begins with ten days that are described as the most virtuous days of the year. During these days, fasting, supplications, invocations, and other acts of worship are encouraged. The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, said concerning these days, “There are no days during which righteous deeds possess more virtue than [the collectivity of] these ten days.”[1]

These ten days also contain the Day of Arafa, the ninth of Dhu’l Hijja. The virtue of this day is immense. The Prophet said regarding it, “There is no [single] day more virtuous with God than the Day of Arafa.”[2] The virtue of that day manifests itself in the magnitude of God’s Forgiveness that is witnessed during it. In addition to the atonement of the sins of those who fast it, it is related that, “There is no day when God liberates more of His servants from the Hellfire than the day of Arafa.”[3]

These events, and others we have not mentioned, serve as milestones for the servants as they make their way to God. The passing of each year is demarcated by the Hajj, which serves as a reminder for us that we have moved all the closer towards our destiny. This idea, that the Hajj, an event that involves an actual journey, is symbolic of a deeper spiritual journey is hinted at by God’s saying: …and take ample provision, and the best of all provisions is righteousness. [2:197]

God is reminding us that the spiritual journey this life involves requires its own unique provision, and that the Hajj is a symbol that serves to remind us of that greater, more significant journey.

As mentioned above, the Hajj also symbolizes new beginnings. One who undertakes a successful Hajj, returns home cleansed of all previous sins, prepared to begin life anew, from a spiritual perspective. This idea is based on the saying of the Prophet, upon him be peace, “Whosoever undertakes the pilgrimage to Mecca, free from any indecent or corrupt actions, leaves behind his sins and returns to the state of purity he was in the day his mother gave birth to him.”[4]

With the passing of the Hajj, we know that the new year will soon be upon us. That realization encourages us to stop and reflect on both our accomplishments and shortcomings during the past year. It is a good opportunity to thank God for our accomplishments, and to seek to understand the reasons which contributed to our shortcomings as part of an effort to avoid them during the coming year.

Similarly, one who is blessed with a successful Hajj realizes that he or she has undertaken one of the essential preparations for a new life: the life of the Hereafter. We are reminded by the Prophet, upon him be peace, “An accepted Hajj is better than the world and all it contains. The fitting reward for an accepted Hajj is none other than Paradise.”[5]

It is fitting that such a powerful event as the Hajj would have an entire chapter in the Qur’an named after it. This chapter is extremely rich. However, its many lessons are seldom expounded on by English writers. I would like to use the balance of this article to reflect on two verses from that chapter, Sura al-Hajj.

In the first, God addresses the prophet Abraham, Proclaim the pilgrimage to humanity, [they will respond] walking, and riding every type of beast, made lean by the lengthy journey; coming from every distant place. [22:27] Abraham is asked to announce to humanity that God has established a sanctified house; therefore, they should undertake a pilgrimage to visit it. This momentous announcement is one that transcended time and space. When given this command, Abraham mentioned, “How can I make this proclamation to all of humanity when my voice cannot reach them.” God responded, “You make the call and I will convey it to humanity.” It is related that God caused the mountains to lower themselves; Abraham’s voice carried to all corners of the Earth, and was heard by everyone destined to make the pilgrimage from that day until the end of this world, as we know it.[6]

That call has indeed reached the ends of the Earth, for annually we witness the great assembly of the Hajj, and indeed people come from every corner of the Earth, even from the farthest corners of the United States. From Maine to California, there are Muslims who mobilize for the journey to Mecca.

This great gathering shows us the true potential of humanity. Peace and brotherhood are possible, for we witness them during the Hajj. Black and white, rich and poor, all come together in a setting where the distinctions of race, ethnicity, as well as social and economic class are all set aside, while the primacy of the common yearning for God manifests itself. This beautiful display of humility before God is fitting, for as we have been informed by the Prophet, upon him be peace, “God does not consider your physical forms or you wealth, rather He considers your hearts and your deeds.”[7]

Although this state of peace, where race and class are transcended, endures for only a few days and involves only two or three million people, it shows us that real brotherhood is possible. The challenge for us lies in finding the ways to extend that peace, both in terms of its duration, and in terms of the number of people it touches. One of the greatest means to do that is by reminding people of the importance of putting God first in our lives. The true spirit of religion will foster peace. However, to attain to that spirit we will need to subordinate our desire to use our religious teachings as a justification for our own mundane desires and passions.

Our passions for wealth, power, domination, and status are perhaps the greatest reasons underlying our propensity for war. Far too often those passions are justified in the name of religion. However, true religion, regardless of its particular manifestation, would lead its possessor on a spiritual pilgrimage, a Hajj, to his or her Lord. To undertake this journey successfully, one would truly need an abundant store of piety. A true journey to God, like the Hajj, would subordinate the differences born of racial and class distinctions along with the passionate competition for hegemony that seeks to exploit those differences. A deeper understanding of the prophetic guidance will render religion a cure and not a cause of war.

Today humanity stands at a definitive crossroad. To proceed we will either uphold the loftiest principles bequeathed to us by the prophets sent by God for our guidance, principles that contain the basis for a sound human and ecological future; or we will abandon that heritage, and continue down the path to a future divorced from God, in any meaningful way. This latter path is a path that all indicators have shown will lead to our collective destruction.

An informed reader will note that what I am saying is in stark opposition to what many atheists are currently advocating. They argue that our survival involves divorcing ourselves from the “irrational fiction” of religion. Failure to do so will inevitably led to an unbearably bloody future. I counter that religion, neither in letter nor spirit, is responsible for the slaughter of the hundreds of millions of human beings who lost their lives during the “atheistic” wars and purges of the last century.

Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, who collectively killed well over fifty million people, and the movements they led were all atheists. Similarly, the intellectual foundations of fascist thought have very little to with traditional religion, while owing much too secular or outright atheist philosophers. Thinkers such as Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, Gustave Le Bon, Barres, George Sorels and others directly or indirectly contributed to the ideas that would lead to the megalomaniac slaughter perpetrated by Mussolini’s and Hitler’s regimes.[8] We might add that the series of wars, invasions, and military interventions undertaken by the United States throughout the latter half of the twentieth century were also not motivated by any religious considerations.

The “enlightened” and detached scientific logic and method that many atheists currently advocate to serve as the basis of our moral and ethical systems is the very logic and method that led to the creation of the hydrogen bomb, napalm, white phosphorus, “daisy cutters,” and the other instruments of mass death developed and most effectively employed by the progressive sons of human reason. In light of recent history, the increasingly loud cry that a faithless approach offers us the best chance of surmounting the daunting obstacles in the path of human progress rings hollow.

The Hajj shows us that faith-based solutions to our problems are possible. Peace is possible through God, as is brotherhood. That possibility has to be proclaimed to all people. However, it is up to us Muslims to create an attractive and viable model. To do that we must endeavor to embody the very best of our ethical system, and enter onto the road of our spiritual Hajj with the same enthusiasm, determination, and sincerity we display in undertaking our religious Hajj.

The other verse I wish to discuss is the final one in the chapter:

Strive in the cause of God, as you rightfully should. He has chosen you and has imposed no religious difficulties on you; [this religion] involves the way of your spiritual patriarch, Abraham. It is he (God) who has named you Muslims previously, and in this [revelation]; In order that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and you witnesses for humanity. Therefore, establish regular prayer, give charity, and hold firmly to God [through trust and reliance]. He is your protector –what an excellent protector, what an excellent helper! [22:78]

I wish to examine a single passage from this somewhat lengthy verse, namely, God’s saying: … [This religion] involves the way of your spiritual patriarch, Abraham.

This passage reminds us that Islam is not a novel religion. It is based upon the monotheistic foundations established by Abraham. Therefore, the Muslim’s belief and practice are rooted deeply within the rich soil of the prophetic legacy. Concerning its strict monotheism, God mentions in the Qur’an, We have sent to every previous nation a messenger, [who] instructed them to worship God, and to avoid false deities. [16:36]

Similarly, all of the acts of worship undertaken by the Muslim predate the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, although some of the particulars relating to those acts may have been altered somewhat. For example, as we have mentioned above, Abraham established the Hajj. We read that both the ritual prayer (Salat), and the binding charity (Zakat), were undertaken by Jesus, peace upon him. God mentions in the Qur’an that amongst the words Jesus uttered when he spoke in the cradle were the following, And He has enjoined on me the ritual prayer and the binding charity as long as I may live. [19:31]

The practice of fasting was also known among the earlier religious communities, although the fast of Ramadan contains unique aspects. God mentions: O you who believe! Fasting has been ordained for you, as it was ordained for those preceding you, in order that you become more mindful of God. [2:183]

Therefore, the Muslim should not see her faith as something novel. Rather, she should view it as a culmination of the prophetic teachings that began with Abraham. She should also see her religious striving as a preservation of those teachings. If these teachings are lost, a great and irreplaceable part of our human heritage will be lost.

Holding on to these teachings, at a time when they are under a vicious attack, will require Abrahamic courage. During his youth Abraham had the courage to challenge the idolatry of his people. He was able to demonstrate the baseless nature of their worldview by smashing their idols (21:58, 37:93).

If, for reasons outlined above, the 20th Century could be called the “century of mega-murders,” it could also be called the “century of the self.” The rampant egoism and narcissism unleashed by the worship of the self has predictably led multitudes of people away from God. We read in the Qur’an, Do you not see the one who takes as his god his personal whims; while in that state, God causes him to stray, in spite of the knowledge [he arrogantly claims]. [45:23]

The greatest weapon in destroying the idol of the self is good character, for good character will always lead one towards dedication to others. In this regard, Abraham also serves as an exemplary model. He is described as constituting a nation. One of the meanings of this is that he embodied all of the virtuous character traits one would normally find distributed among the members of an entire nation. For example, he epitomized courage (21:60), forbearance (11:75), loyalty to his parents (9:114), thankfulness to God (16:121), acceptance of God’s commandments (37:102-109), worship (2:133), wisdom in affirming truth (6:76-81), and sacrifice for future generations (14:35).

All of these characteristics will be needed as we endeavor to deepen our servitude to God and to His creation. Largeness of spirit, magnanimity of character, and the depth of our faith, will help to provide us with the provision we need as we struggle to maintain our human dignity in the face of the forces arrayed against us. Each of us has the ability to tap into that Abrahamic potential, and we will have to struggle to find the courage to do so if we are to make a meaningful and healthy contribution to our collective future.

There is always much more to be said whenever we endeavor to articulate our reflections on the Qur’anic message. However, for now we will limit ourselves to these few remarks and conclude by wishing you all a belated ‘Id Mubarak! May God bless all of the pilgrims to return safely to their homes, and may this season return to us in the coming year and find us all in a good state physically and spiritually, a little further down the road of our Hajj.


[1] Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad bin Isma’il al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari (Sidon, Beirut: Al-Maktaba al-‘Asriyya, 2005/1426), 172, no. 969.

[2] Imam Muhammad bin Hibban, Sahih ibn Hibban, Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut, ed. (Beirut: Al-Mu’assasa ar-Risala, 1997/1418), 9:164, no. 3853.

[3] Imam Muslim bin al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar ‘Ihya at-Turath al-‘Arabi, 2000/1420), 579-580, no. 1348.

[4] Al-Bukhari, 266, no. 1521

[5] Al-Bukhari, 304, no. 1773

[6] This incident is related by Imam Tabari, see Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir at-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan fi Ta’wil al-Qur’an (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1997/1418), 9:134, nos. 25,039-25,044

[7] Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad bin Majah, Sunan ibn Majah (Riyadh: Dar As-Salaam, 1999/1420), 604, no. 4143

[8] Owing the essential intellectual poverty of Hitler’s National Socialism, the influence of these thinkers on Mussolini’s fascist ideology is much more traceable.

Source: Zaytuna.org

Responding to the Fort Hood Tragedy

Responding to the Fort Hood Tragedy

By Imam Zaid on 12 November 2009


This is my response to the Fort Hood tragedy and events both associated with it and ensuing from it. I begin by expressing my deepest condolences to the families of all of the dead and wounded. There is no legitimate reason for their deaths, just as I firmly believe there is no legitimate reason for the deaths of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani civilians who have perished as a result of those two conflicts. Even though I disagree with the continued prosecution of those wars, and even though I believe that the US war machine is the single greatest threat to world peace, I must commend the top military brass at Fort Hood, and President Obama for encouraging restraint and for refusing to attribute the crime allegedly perpetrated by Major Nidal Malik Hasan to Islam. We pray that God bless us to see peace and sanity prevail during these tense times.

Introduction

One of the greatest foundations of Islam is truth. One of the ninety-nine names of God is al-Haqq (the Truth) It is unfair to distort the truth, to present falsehood as fact, or to present half-truths as definitive declarations. Truth, along with Goodness and Beauty are the three great transcendental realities that Islam and all other religions strive to aid us towards both realizing and actualizing in our lives. In the Arabic/Islamic lexicon these are known as al-Haqq (the Truth), al-Ihsan (Goodness), and al-Jamaal (Beauty).

Concerning the truth, our Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, taught us to pray, Allahumma Arinal Haqqa Haqqan wa Zurqnat Tiba’ahu, “O God! Show us the truth as truth and bless us to follow it.” The Qur’an presents the truth as a powerful, self-evident reality that is distinguishable from falsehood without any need for extraneous clarification (2:256). The mere presence of the truth is enough to dispel the clouds of darkness and falsehood (17:81). Therefore, a great objective of our religion is discovering and then following the truth.

One of the unfortunate consequences of tragic and highly emotive events like the shootings that recently occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, is that such events are used to advance agendas that by their very nature make a mockery of the truth. This event is no exception. There are those who seek to use this event to portray the Muslim community in this country as an inherent menace whose very existence has to be challenged. Traveling the length and breath of this country in the service of that community, I know this is not the truth. The Muslim community in this country is a peace-loving, law-abiding community that has in ways great and small advanced the general welfare of this nation and its citizenry. To present it otherwise is a blatant lie.

Like any other community that has a fairly large percentage of immigrants among it members, the Muslim community does have those elements, especially older members or those newly arrived from the Muslim world whose strongest sentiments, emotional and cultural attachments may be towards the lands they have come from than to the country they find themselves in. This is true for many members of most immigrant populations. However, generally speaking, such attachments are not found among Muslims born and raised here, nor do they translate into animosity towards or a desire to do harm to this country.

Saying that is not to deny the existence of Muslims who may be agitated by the injustices and inequities they find in American foreign policy, or the increasingly prejudicial or even racist attitudes being advanced by some parties towards America’s Muslims. Among them is a small minority whose anger and frustration may render them vulnerable to the appeal of demagogues who would attempt to exploit their emotions to advance a nefarious agenda, or a number of factors may converge in their lives pushing them towards acts of violence against their fellow citizens. This might prove to be the case for Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who has been identified as the shooter at Fort Hood, and a few other random individuals. However, it is not and never will be anything that can even begin to approach the norm in our community.

There are those who will argue that the problem is those random “few” Muslims who may snap at any time. That is certainly a problem. However, if the recent history of this country is any indication, those few have been less in number and responsible for far less carnage than the “few” from the non-Muslim population, the postal workers, high school or university students, or the random individuals who have snapped and gone on to wreak havoc in our society.One of the great tragedies in this situation is to view the crime Major Hasan is being accused of as a specifically Muslim problem. It is a human problem and if it approached as such perhaps we can learn something from it that will help us to get to the roots of the violent outbursts that are becoming increasingly widespread in our society.

We can debate the issue of violence at large in our society and we can debate the issue of “Muslims” violence. What is unequivocally true about the latter, to the extent that it does exist, is that attacks against the lives or property of American citizens in this country have nothing to do with Islam. There are no teachings from the normative corpus of Muslim political writings that allow a Muslim to violate the security of the public square, to endanger the lives of the general public, to attack non-combatant civilians, even in a battlefield situation, or to aggress against soldiers who are not in a battlefield. This is especially true where Muslims have entered into an explicit or implicit covenant of protection from non-Muslim political authorities and constitute a distinct minority in a particular land.

Much of the balance of this article will be dedicated to presenting Islamic teachings that substantiate what I have mentioned above concerning the duties of Muslims to protect the public square in a non-Muslim land they may find themselves in, and those teachings that warn against foolhardy, ill-conceived attacks that only bring harm and hardship to innocent, unsuspecting people, Muslims among them.

My argument is a direct refutation of Muslims who seek to distort Islamic teachings to motivate ignorant Muslims to undertake ill-advised and unsanctioned actions against the citizenry of this country. It also restates my position on this issue. [1]
No Room for Vigilante Treachery in the Divine Law

In his expansive work, al-Jihad wa’l Qital fi al-Siyasa al-Shar’iyya (Sanctioned Warfare and Fighting in the Divine Law) Muhammad Khayr Haykal mentions, concerning the implications accruing from an oath of protection: [2]

The cessation of hostilities that is mentioned here might be a consequence of an oath of protection given by non-Muslims to Muslims, or a consequence of an oath of protection given by Muslims to non-Muslims. In both cases, it obligates a cessation of hostilities against the members of the opposing community who might technically be at war with the Muslims. [This is so] whether the Muslims have granted the oath of protection or it has been granted to them. [3]

Haykal continues:

It is not permissible for Muslims who have been granted an oath of protection from members of other communities to launch into fighting them, because this is treachery. [4]

Two concepts are critical in what Haykal mentions here, one is the idea of treachery, and the other is the idea of reciprocity. Islam is predicated on honorable behavior. It is the height of dishonor to violate the trust that is extended to a person given the right to move about freely in a particular land based on the assumption that that person has accepted the responsibility to protect and preserve public order in that land and the lives and property of its people.

In his commentary on al-Mughni, one of the definitive compendiums of Islamic law according to the Hanbali rite, Imam al-Maqdisi mentions in this regard, “If an oath of protection is given to a non-Muslim population, it is forbidden to fight them, usurp their wealth, or to expose them to any harm.” [5] Imam al-Shafi’i clarifies that this includes Muslims who have entered into a non-Muslim land. He states, “If a group of Muslims enter the land of non-Muslims with an oath of protection, the others are safe from them […] they [the Muslims] have no right to oppress or betray them.” [6]

It should be clear that a Muslim is not allowed to transgress against non-Muslims as long as he or she resides in their lands under their protection. Any aggression from their quarter is unsanctioned treachery. If they feel they can no longer accept the perceived or real abuses or injustices of the host people then they are obliged to leave that land if remaining there would push them into acts of violence or aggression against the host community.

The idea of reciprocity is critical in this particular area of inquiry. All of our major legal texts discuss this idea. It is the idea that the responsibilities expected of non-Muslims minorities in Muslim lands are incumbent on Muslims in non-Muslim lands. Hence, just as it would be unacceptable for a non-Muslim residing in a Muslim land to attack the people of that land, civilian or military, it is unacceptable for a Muslim residing in a non-Muslim land to engage in similar acts. This is an undeniable principle in our law. Hence, respecting it is not a stratagem or a convenient contingency; it is upholding an inviolable principle.

It is also well-known amongst Muslim scholars that it is prohibited to undertake any acts that will result in widespread harm returning to Muslims. This is based on the prophetic Hadith, “There is no initiating or reciprocating harm.” [7] This Hadith has given rise to the legal maxim, “Harm is to be removed.” Hence, any action that is likely to result in widespread harm to Muslims is unsanctioned and necessarily removed.

In the current political climate in America where the demonizing of Muslims has evolved into an industry, where rules of civility and the rejection of any meaningful anti-defamation statutes allow for indiscriminate calls to murder Muslims on public airwaves; where Mosques and other Muslim organizations are infiltrated by agent provocateurs who are encouraging Muslims to engage in acts that could potentially unleash waves of anti-Muslim venom, it is clear to anyone with a modicum of intellect that attacks such as the one occurring at Fort Hood have no Islamic sanction, neither in principle nor from a tactical point of view.

Such attacks only give credence to those foul elements who desire to justify ongoing wars against Muslim populations. There are those in the Muslim world who think that by calling for such attacks they can draw America into deeper involvements in places such as Iraq or Afghanistan which will then become America’s Vietnam. Little do they realize that there are fanatical elements in these western lands that use such attacks to argue for a full-blown assault on Muslim lands as opposed to the current limited engagement. Some of those calls are for nuclear attacks, and their advocates would not be bothered seeing the number of dead Iraqis resulting from our involvement in that country growing from the currently lamentable number of over one million to five or six million.

Little do those Muslims realize that they are encouraging elements that would bomb Afghan towns and villages with the same insane impunity that was visited upon places like Tokyo, Dresden, Hamburg of Berlin during World War II; for they are arguing that Islam, like fascism, poses an existentialist threat to America and western civilization. One of the things giving any credence to their perverse arguments and turning a hesitate public towards their camp are belligerent actions they hope can be attributed to Muslims. We should neither contribute to such actions in deed nor should we applaud them.

Ibn Juzayy mentions in Qawanin al-Ahkam al-Shar’iyya:

If the Muslims know that they will be slaughtered in wholesale fashion it is fitting that they abandon fighting. If they know that they will be slaughtered and that their losses will do little to alter the strategic balance vis-à-vis the enemy forces, it is absolutely obligatory that they abandon any encounter. [8]

Any Muslim who thinks that an unsanctioned act of violence he may undertake in this country is going to alter the strategic balance is grandly deluded or inexcusably ignorant. His undertaking any violent act in this country is additionally forbidden because he is likely going to be killed, gravely injured, or captured in the encounter. Imam al-Shawkani mentions in al-Sayl al-Jarrar, “It is well-known legal reasoning that one who strikes out [against an enemy] knowing beforehand that he will be killed, captured or vanquished, has hurled himself to destruction.” [9] Imam al-Shawkani goes on to explain that such an act is forbidden based on the Qur’anic verse, Do not hurl yourself to destruction with your own hands. (2:195) [10] The discouragement of foolhardy acts of desperation based on this verse, is also made by Ibn ‘Abideen in his commentary on al-Durr al-Mukhtar. [11]

There is another salient point that we must mention in this context. No one, even in a Muslim land, has the right to undertake violent acts, even against a recognized enemy when the political authorities of that land determine that those acts will incur harm to Muslims [or other innocent people]. Dr. Haykal elaborates on this point at length:

The lawful authorities in a land possess the right, and this right is similarly conferred by valid legislative principles, to absolutely prevent any method, or any organization whose very nature would result in consequences that would expose the Muslims to grave danger and harm. Therefore, when the legislative authorities perceive that something that may originally be permissible has consequences that involve any degree of harm, it is their responsibility to prevent that harm. Rather, it is incumbent on them to prevent it. This is accomplished by preventing individuals from arming themselves and preventing them from forming armed militias that are independent of the standing army. Indeed, the divine law has given the authorities a number of legislative principles to use in order to cut off any path where the winds of harm may blow from. [12]

If this is the case for a Muslim country, what is the permissibility for vigilante acts and underground militias in a non-Muslim land where Muslims are forbidden to threaten public order or to independently implement any Islamic teachings related to strategic affairs?

Finally, as implied above, Muslim leaders have the responsibility to protect the faithful from foolhardy acts that will lead to unnecessary lose of life, and to warn them again individuals who would lead them towards such acts. For this reason, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, warned against reckless commanders who would expose the faithful to unnecessary hardship. This led to him advising his governors, “Do not appoint al-Bara’ ibn Malik over any Muslim army.” [13]

This warning was issued owing to al-Bara’s known recklessness and his ill-consideration of the consequences of his actions for his troops. It is a shame that there are Muslims who have no connection with this country yet are recklessly and insensitively endorsing actions that endanger innocent Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They are not on the ground in this country and are therefore not attuned to the nature of the struggles and vulnerabilities of our community.


Conclusion

So what are the Muslims of this country to do in the aftermath of the tragedy at Fort Hood? We have to do the good things we were doing before it occurred. Indeed, we need to increase that good. Our civil rights can be assailed, we can be denied equal protection under the law, our lawful and law-abiding organizations can be closed down, but no one can take our dignity from us, no one can prevent us from being decent neighbors, honest workers, dedicated students, faithful citizens, and pious believers. Furthermore, no one can prevent us from engaging in a heroic struggle to secure our God-given and constitutionally-mandated rights, and from working for the creation of the kinds of policies that will prevent the current bloodletting that is occurring in some Muslim lands with the active complicity of our country’s military and security apparatuses.

Certainly, the heightened levels of hate speech, the whispers of a coming backlash, and the elected officials who have gone on record promising to do nothing to mitigate such a backlash are all unsettling. However, if we preserve and remain ever mindful of the wise commandments that are available to guide our steps, we should rest assured that God will not abandon us. He states in the Qur’an, You will surely be tested in your property and your persons. And you will hear from [some of] those given the Scripture before you, and from the idolaters much abuse. If you patiently persevere, and remain mindful of God, surely this is a manifestation of prophetic resolution. (3:186)

So brothers and sisters, at this time when very powerful and well-financed interests are rallying against us; at this time when we can entertain no real hope of meaningful support from any Muslim country, we have to redouble our dependence on God; we have to live for Him and seek our strength through him. Whoever remains mindful of Allah, He makes for him a way out, He bestows His sustenance upon him from directions he could never imagine, and one who places his trust in God finds that He suffices him… (65:2-3) This is the way of the Prophets, peace upon them. Let it be our way.

Imam Zaid Shakir 11/11/09

Notes:

[1] My position on a number of controversial issues has been stated at length, among other places in my book, Scattered Pictures: Reflections of an American Muslim, published in 2005 by the Zaytuna Institute, and a 4-CD set entitled, Looking Back to Look Ahead, produced by Zaytuna Institute in 2006.
[2] In the modern context, such an oath of protection may result from the acceptance of citizenship, residency permits, visas issued for tourism, study or work, and other well-known means.
[3] Muhammad Khayr Haykal, al-Jihad wa’l Qital fi al-Siyasa al-Shar’iyya (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 1417/1996), 3:1499
[4] Haykal, 3:1502
[5] Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, al-Sharh al-Kabir ‘ala Matn al-Muqni’ (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, 1372/1972), 10:555
[6] Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i, Kitab al-Umm (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifa, nd), 4:248
[7] Ibn Majah, no. 2341
[8] Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, Qawanin al-Ahkam al-Shar’iyya (Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm li’l Malayin, 1374/1974), p. 165
[9] Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Shawkani, al-Sayl al-Jarrar (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1405/1985), 4:519
[10]There are those who argue that the correct interpretation of this verse is the opposite of what is implied here. Namely, it was encouraging those who stayed away from a battle in order to mind their crops and cattle to go forth to the fray lest they be destroyed by the advancing enemy forces. However, Imam al-Shawkani and others argue that the meaning is contingent on the situation. While that meaning may be the one applicable to the occasion of the verse’s revelation, to argue that the verse is discouraging involvement in foolhardy acts of desperation is also operative. This is so based on the interpretive principle, العبرة لعموم اللفظ لا لخصوص السبب al-‘Ibra li ‘Umum al-Lafdh, la li Khusus al-Sabab (The applicability of a verse is based on the generality of its wording not the specificity of its revelation).
[11] See Imam Ibn ‘Abideen, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar (Cairo: Matba’ Khidaywi Isma’il, 1286), 3:337
[12] Haykal, 2:1008
[13] Imam Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Sarkhasi, Sharh al-Siyar al-Kabir (Cairo: Jami’ al-Makhtutat Jami’ al-Duwal al-‘Arabiyya, 1372/1972), 1:62

Source - newislamicdirections