A Ben Kingsley/Jonathan Bloom documentary/narration on Islam : a dry, academic but nonetheless absorbing and honest look at the spread and influence of Islam from the perspective of Orientalists...
Part 1 : Click Here
Part 2 : Click Here
Part 3 : Click Here
"Even if your reign on the imperial throne seems everlasting , don't be taken in
One day a hostile wind will blow...."
Suleyman the Conqueror
An Islamic History of Europe : Click Here
A broad guideline for Muslim unity:
"Whoever prays as we pray and turns to our qiblah and eats what we (ritually) slaughter is a Muslim and is under Allah's and His Prophet's protection (dhimmah)."
As to the rest of our differences, leave them to God to decide.
Salafism, Wahabism,Sunnah WalJamaah, Tarekat, Sufism, Sunni, Shiite, Arab, non Arab , Ajami, African, Asian,Malay, Indonesian, European, American, Traditional and liberal.........Leave that all to God to decide. "The best of you are the ones who have piety".
The alternative could be worse: We at the present time are in the varying states of being swallowed whole by the 'wolves' of the 21st century that appear in many forms and shapes, more shadowy now than The Ferdinands and Isabellas of the Andalusian era. Our very aqidah are in tethers.
The Andalusions of the 15th century knew what was in store for them : compliance or death. We in the 21st century are lulled by 'the feel good factors'. What they are doing must be good for the ummah! A catharsis of sort....removing the 'bad guys' from the main body...the carbuncles ,the pus...
Demonisation, talibanization and 'pariahrisation' of whole people and nation states
Is that true??!!
If people in the K2 area or Afghanistan want to run their lives according to Shariah the way they interpret, why not. What business has America and its cohorts to decide otherwise?
Just next week yet another Muslim country will be cut and divided. Soon South Sudan will be run by Exxon, Royal Dutch etc and etc. African Union armies financed by UN will maintain enough peace for the plunder.
Iran is waiting in line for the next slaughter. What next?
Related Articles:
Conversation with Robert Fisk[ 20 / Nov/ 2010 ]
State Terrorism: Prof Noam Chomsky [ 11 / 11/ 2010 ]
War on Terror Thru Muslims' Eyes[ oct / 2010
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Divinity of Jesus [ and redemption of sin by ultimate sacrifice ]....
Prof Bart Ehrman in Conversation:
Jay Smith and Shabir Ally:
[ or the not 'so fine art' of going in circles...]
On the day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company. (85) And drive the guilty unto Hell, a weary herd, (86) They will have no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord. (87) And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. (88) Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing (89) Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, (90) That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son, (91) When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son. (92) There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave. (93) Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering. (94) And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone. (95) Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love. (96) And We make (this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the froward folk. (97) And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound? (98)
Surah Maryam , 19 : 85- 98
Jay Smith and Shabir Ally:
[ or the not 'so fine art' of going in circles...]
On the day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company. (85) And drive the guilty unto Hell, a weary herd, (86) They will have no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord. (87) And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. (88) Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing (89) Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, (90) That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son, (91) When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son. (92) There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave. (93) Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering. (94) And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone. (95) Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love. (96) And We make (this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the froward folk. (97) And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound? (98)
Surah Maryam , 19 : 85- 98
Khutabah Series : Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick.....Slavery, Islam,and Keys to The Garden
Bio of Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick
Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick is a historian, social activist and religious leader of African and Native American descent. He has travelled to over 58 countries doing research and delivering lectures to various communities. His qualification in Islamic Studies comes from a BA from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia and his history background is shaped by an MA and PhD from the History Department of the University of Toronto, Canada.
" There will be a time in the future when my Ummah would read the Qur'an in perfect melodious tone but their reading would not get beyond their throat"
Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things. (284) The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers - We make no distinction between any of His messengers - and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the journeying. (285) Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. (286)
Al Baqarah , 2 : 284-286
Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick is a historian, social activist and religious leader of African and Native American descent. He has travelled to over 58 countries doing research and delivering lectures to various communities. His qualification in Islamic Studies comes from a BA from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia and his history background is shaped by an MA and PhD from the History Department of the University of Toronto, Canada.
" There will be a time in the future when my Ummah would read the Qur'an in perfect melodious tone but their reading would not get beyond their throat"
Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things. (284) The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers - We make no distinction between any of His messengers - and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the journeying. (285) Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. (286)
Al Baqarah , 2 : 284-286
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Redzha Revisited......
All aspects of this life are litmus tests for all of us mortal beings. Especially in sorrow, loss, poverty and hardship and even in wealth, pleasure and relative abundance. But of all these, sorrow and loss represent 'pain' to the inner souls of men.
An unexpected death of a sister from a fatal car accident some 31 years ago affected us siblings in many different ways. The persistence of pain and loss coloured indelibly our ongoing lives forever. At the personal level I was not new to this kind of pain having lost my dear father at the 'ripe old age' of eight, nonetheless 'sibling loss' usually is more painful to the young soul. It persisted forever and this kind of personal 'heartache' one seldom have the capacity to share with the spouses however close we are, or with other siblings.... as it is a very private inner sadness.
I cannot help but shed a few tears as I read this heartfelt sorrow expressed by Dr Hajjah Wan Maimun ,another sister of mine, in her blog entry yesterday.
I hope to God that this state of sorrow and loss is not entirely reflective of our varying state of 'non redza' to His "al qada' wal qadar". God forbid.
Insyaallah, inner sorrow and loss, if taken in the right spirit, should be looked upon as part of the 'experiential' route towards faith.
Unto Him is the journeying.
http://wanmaimun.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Redha
I read my brother's blog regarding his subsequent redha on the death of our beloved sister due to a fatal accident in Pahang in September 1979. He wrote "My other brothers and sisters and even parents were fast to redza and after a short period of mourning ,life went on as usual for them ,alhamdullillah. I had fits of depression and lounging for years to come." How wrong he was - his depression was the guilt but mine was the loss.
I was depressed for years as I was closer to her than to any other persons in my young life. We shared alot together. She was a big part of my life - guiding me and always being there for me. For the few months after her passing I was virtually under the care of friends in college who ensured that I go through my daily life safely as I just wanted to die along with her. I would crossed roads without looking at the traffic as I just don't care. I didn't care about my personal hygiene for days as I don't care if I rot as I didn't have the will to live. I felt empty and hollow inside. Everything was a blur as I numbed my feelings and emotions. My brain was shut down and I think I was able to pass my 4th year in university due to compassion from lecturers. I was just going through the motion. Every free moments I had I would be praying for her - I would be imagining her crying at the gate of our house, calling out our names, wanting to be back with us and the feeling of helplessness was heart-wrenching and excruciating.
I was angry at my brother and sister for delaying our departure to the hospital where she was in coma. I could still remember the sadness and the tense mood in the car and my complete breakdown upon seeing her body laid on the stretcher. She died alone - on a stretcher at the cold corridoor of an alien hospital. The subsequent events - being in the van with her from Pahang to our hometown in KB, holding her, praying and hoping that she would move or open her eyes and that this was just a bad dream, and then the burial, was and still is the worst time of my life. The last night I remembered her alive was on her wedding night - all of us were exhausted and sleeping. She woke me up in the middle of the night and asked to borrow my "kain sembahyang" as hers was too small and kept slipping. Too tired and too sleepy I did not get up to give her mine but sleepily told her to tie up her sarong in a double knot and she quietly went out of my room. Three days later I was at the public phone in UTM trying to call her, when my brother came to the university to inform me about her accident. I didn't believe him and prayed intensely to hear her voice over the phone - she's going to pick up that phone and I felt at that moment I need to tell her how much I loved her, to say sorry for all the selfish things I did to her while she had unconditionally loved and cared for me. I carried the anger, the guilt but most of all the deep sadness and longing for years and years.
I still dream of her. Whenever I have the opporturnity I would tell my husband and children about her - how pretty she was, how everybody loved her, how all of us would call out to her at the dinner table to tell her our day, how she helped me to find my books or things lost, how she would patiently coax me whenever I sulked, how she ate her rambutan and asam boi, and how compassionate she was. To me at that time she was my anchor, she was perfect and like an angel.
I guess all of us siblings and my mum suffered in our separate ways - we never talked about how deep the loss was to us. On the exterior "life went on as usual". But we never play the game of cards "Ginrami" as a family again - the laughter, the secret code, the excitement can never be replicated and be echoed ever again. I could never see anyone who looks like her without an ache and longing. Redha? - of course we redha it is God's will. I never question that. But her death changed me forever. AlFatihah.
Posted by Wan Maimun at 6:25 PM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
Older Posts
....................
That my friends, is 'redza' ,a simple word but deep in meaning and connotation .Shaikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani in a short discourse put Islam as "Following what are prescribed for you by The One and Only ,enjoying what is halal and avoiding what is haram ,and lastly Redza to what is thrown in your way " .One does not have to have an IQ like Einstein to enjoy our faith .
Related blog entry:
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2009/01/pearls-gem-redza.html
....
An unexpected death of a sister from a fatal car accident some 31 years ago affected us siblings in many different ways. The persistence of pain and loss coloured indelibly our ongoing lives forever. At the personal level I was not new to this kind of pain having lost my dear father at the 'ripe old age' of eight, nonetheless 'sibling loss' usually is more painful to the young soul. It persisted forever and this kind of personal 'heartache' one seldom have the capacity to share with the spouses however close we are, or with other siblings.... as it is a very private inner sadness.
I cannot help but shed a few tears as I read this heartfelt sorrow expressed by Dr Hajjah Wan Maimun ,another sister of mine, in her blog entry yesterday.
I hope to God that this state of sorrow and loss is not entirely reflective of our varying state of 'non redza' to His "al qada' wal qadar". God forbid.
Insyaallah, inner sorrow and loss, if taken in the right spirit, should be looked upon as part of the 'experiential' route towards faith.
Unto Him is the journeying.
http://wanmaimun.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Redha
I read my brother's blog regarding his subsequent redha on the death of our beloved sister due to a fatal accident in Pahang in September 1979. He wrote "My other brothers and sisters and even parents were fast to redza and after a short period of mourning ,life went on as usual for them ,alhamdullillah. I had fits of depression and lounging for years to come." How wrong he was - his depression was the guilt but mine was the loss.
I was depressed for years as I was closer to her than to any other persons in my young life. We shared alot together. She was a big part of my life - guiding me and always being there for me. For the few months after her passing I was virtually under the care of friends in college who ensured that I go through my daily life safely as I just wanted to die along with her. I would crossed roads without looking at the traffic as I just don't care. I didn't care about my personal hygiene for days as I don't care if I rot as I didn't have the will to live. I felt empty and hollow inside. Everything was a blur as I numbed my feelings and emotions. My brain was shut down and I think I was able to pass my 4th year in university due to compassion from lecturers. I was just going through the motion. Every free moments I had I would be praying for her - I would be imagining her crying at the gate of our house, calling out our names, wanting to be back with us and the feeling of helplessness was heart-wrenching and excruciating.
I was angry at my brother and sister for delaying our departure to the hospital where she was in coma. I could still remember the sadness and the tense mood in the car and my complete breakdown upon seeing her body laid on the stretcher. She died alone - on a stretcher at the cold corridoor of an alien hospital. The subsequent events - being in the van with her from Pahang to our hometown in KB, holding her, praying and hoping that she would move or open her eyes and that this was just a bad dream, and then the burial, was and still is the worst time of my life. The last night I remembered her alive was on her wedding night - all of us were exhausted and sleeping. She woke me up in the middle of the night and asked to borrow my "kain sembahyang" as hers was too small and kept slipping. Too tired and too sleepy I did not get up to give her mine but sleepily told her to tie up her sarong in a double knot and she quietly went out of my room. Three days later I was at the public phone in UTM trying to call her, when my brother came to the university to inform me about her accident. I didn't believe him and prayed intensely to hear her voice over the phone - she's going to pick up that phone and I felt at that moment I need to tell her how much I loved her, to say sorry for all the selfish things I did to her while she had unconditionally loved and cared for me. I carried the anger, the guilt but most of all the deep sadness and longing for years and years.
I still dream of her. Whenever I have the opporturnity I would tell my husband and children about her - how pretty she was, how everybody loved her, how all of us would call out to her at the dinner table to tell her our day, how she helped me to find my books or things lost, how she would patiently coax me whenever I sulked, how she ate her rambutan and asam boi, and how compassionate she was. To me at that time she was my anchor, she was perfect and like an angel.
I guess all of us siblings and my mum suffered in our separate ways - we never talked about how deep the loss was to us. On the exterior "life went on as usual". But we never play the game of cards "Ginrami" as a family again - the laughter, the secret code, the excitement can never be replicated and be echoed ever again. I could never see anyone who looks like her without an ache and longing. Redha? - of course we redha it is God's will. I never question that. But her death changed me forever. AlFatihah.
Posted by Wan Maimun at 6:25 PM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
Older Posts
....................
That my friends, is 'redza' ,a simple word but deep in meaning and connotation .Shaikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani in a short discourse put Islam as "Following what are prescribed for you by The One and Only ,enjoying what is halal and avoiding what is haram ,and lastly Redza to what is thrown in your way " .One does not have to have an IQ like Einstein to enjoy our faith .
Related blog entry:
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2009/01/pearls-gem-redza.html
....
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Theist vs Atheist Debate
The Height of Arrogance......
And Pharaoh said: O chiefs! I know not that ye have a god other than me, so kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake the mud; and set up for me a lofty tower in order that I may survey the God of Moses; and lo! I deem him of the liars.
Surah Al Qasas, 28 :38
Part 2 : Click Here
Part 3 : Click Here
Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, and when it sheddeth its light around him Allah taketh away their light and leaveth them in darkness, where they cannot see, Deaf, dumb and blind; and they return not.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 17-18
I shall turn away from My revelations those who magnify themselves wrongfully in the earth, and if they see each token believe it not, and if they see the way of righteousness choose it nor for (their) way, and if they see the way of error choose if for (their) way. That is because they deny Our revelations and are used to disregard them.
Surah Al Araf, 'The high ground', 7 : 146
The Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. And those who have no knowledge say: Why doth not Allah speak unto us, or some sign come unto us? Even thus, as they now speak, spake those (who were) before them. Their hearts are all alike. We have made clear the revelations for people who are sure.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 117-118
Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?
Surah Al Anbiya, 'The Prophets', 21 : 30
Is he who goeth groping on his face more rightly guided, or he who walketh upright on a straight road?
Surah Al Mulk, 'The Dominion', 67 : 22
What I cannot see, feel nor measure, does not exist...
The 'consumate' 21th century 'materialist-secularist'
RELATED TOPIC:
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/01/divine-decree-qada-wal-qadar.html
And Pharaoh said: O chiefs! I know not that ye have a god other than me, so kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake the mud; and set up for me a lofty tower in order that I may survey the God of Moses; and lo! I deem him of the liars.
Surah Al Qasas, 28 :38
Part 2 : Click Here
Part 3 : Click Here
Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, and when it sheddeth its light around him Allah taketh away their light and leaveth them in darkness, where they cannot see, Deaf, dumb and blind; and they return not.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 17-18
I shall turn away from My revelations those who magnify themselves wrongfully in the earth, and if they see each token believe it not, and if they see the way of righteousness choose it nor for (their) way, and if they see the way of error choose if for (their) way. That is because they deny Our revelations and are used to disregard them.
Surah Al Araf, 'The high ground', 7 : 146
The Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. And those who have no knowledge say: Why doth not Allah speak unto us, or some sign come unto us? Even thus, as they now speak, spake those (who were) before them. Their hearts are all alike. We have made clear the revelations for people who are sure.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 117-118
Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?
Surah Al Anbiya, 'The Prophets', 21 : 30
Is he who goeth groping on his face more rightly guided, or he who walketh upright on a straight road?
Surah Al Mulk, 'The Dominion', 67 : 22
What I cannot see, feel nor measure, does not exist...
The 'consumate' 21th century 'materialist-secularist'
RELATED TOPIC:
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/01/divine-decree-qada-wal-qadar.html
Monday, January 3, 2011
Divine Decree : "al qada' wal qadar"
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). (2) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; (3) And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. (4) These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. (5)
Al Baqarah , 2 : 1-5
That which Allah openeth unto mankind of mercy none can withhold it; and that which He withholdeth none can release thereafter. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
Al Fatir , 35 :2
That is because Allah never changeth the grace He hath bestowed on any people until they first change that which is in their hearts, and (that is) because Allah is Hearer, Knower.
Al Anfal , 8 : 53
Allah created you from dust, then from a little fluid, then He made you pairs (the male and female). No female beareth or bringeth forth save with His knowledge. And no-one groweth old who groweth old, nor is aught lessened of his life, but it is recorded in a Book, Lo! that is easy for Allah. (11)
Al fatir , 35 : 11
That no laden one shall bear another's load, (38) And that man hath only that for which he maketh effort, (39) And that his effort will be seen. (40) And afterward he will be repaid for it with fullest payment; (41) And that thy Lord, He is the goal; (42) And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep, (43)
An Najm , 53 : 38-43
In my humble estimation if anyone were to explain the complex intracacies of 'divine decree' or 'qada wal qadar',Shaykh Mokhtar Al Maghroui would be in the best position to do just this. He has a double PHD in Physics and Electrical Engineering...he delves in the physically visibles...the intellectually visibles[ photons,atoms,CERN particles, the nature of light,etc and etc],...and by his sufic background, the purely INVISIBLE, The Unseen !
I have been looking for a definitive explanation of "al qada' wal qadar" or rather the nebulous concept of divine decree for over thirty years and this has eluded me. At best, at the end of the day, over these years I know my intellectual limitation and come to accept the safe and rather simplistic notion that:
[1] perfect understanding of "al qada' wal qadar" belongs to the realm of 'ilm al ghaiba', 'ilm of the Unseen', and it is beyond my comprehension,and
[2]that the will of God is supreme and within that context there exist some freeplay of my own will,as allowed by Him, within the overall context of the will of God!,and
[3]The 'pen and ink' with respect to my life in this universe and all the quantum within this universe, is already 'dry', the die had already being 'casted' but that His knowledge before 'time' and 'beyond time' does not negate the free will that He afforded to his abdals and all created things.
A mouthful but insyaallah by this way my simplistic aqidah remained intact! Insyaallah.
Our comprehension are limited by TIME, SPACE, MATTER, cause and effect which are just part of created things....matter, anti matter, space, wills and thought and even time, are all created things, all within the socalled four dimension. Allah's realm is 'the realm beyond realm', the realm of KUN FAYAKUN
HE is the CREATOR. We are just synonamous with that 'gold fish in a silver goblet rested near a windowsill in downtown Manhattan'. An example I gave in an earlier article on destiny a year back. We can hear the din of the city,crowd, trains and people down below. The best and brightest of us can theorise from those'din' and noise, and make postulates and hypotheses of the world beyond the goblet, but none us 'gold fishes' could comprehend what goes in the head of the owner of The White House, how he looks like, and worse still , the extent of his knowledge. Some of us may not want to know or refuse to aknowledge that he exist ! That in analogy is the level of our ignorance and 'kufrness' !
Shaykh al Maghroui today has opened up my comprehension a lot better, insyaallah, putting my aqidah on firmer ground. Mashaallah! Alhamdullillah! May Allah bless his soul and give him long life to carry on his daawah.
Listen, and please do listen hard.....as "al qada wal qadar" is in the dimension of aqidah.'Qada wal qadar' is the ilm of Allah, and in this respect Al Maghroui in this 3 hours of lecture or so has simplified things for our understanding. Philosophers and thinkers in the past have lost their way navigating on this issue of 'qada' wal qadar'. Do enjoy this almost sublime lecture.
[ I posted it some 2 years ago, but only now discovered the most important missing part 1 !]
part 1:
[ at 15.00 ]
..........God's knowledge is instantaneous and comprehensive; all reality is totally and simultaneously accessible to Him. Dimensions of time and space lose all their properties. God alone knows the 'hows', 'what' and 'when' of the future: "And verily We know who go forward among you and verily We know the laggards. Lo! thy Lord will gather them together. Lo! He is Wise, Aware " ( Ibrahim : 24-25).
[ at 52.00 ]
......we in this temporal world is a '3-dimensional entity',the soul is a 'four dimensional entity', it is freer...
part 2 :
[ at 04.15 ]
.....Oh my son, you would not taste iman until you know that what befalls you is not meant to miss you, and what misses you was not meant to befall you.....
[ at 07.00 ]
Oh 'Pen', write!..What do I write?....Write the 'muqadir' of every thing till the Day of Judgement.....Ilmu al-Ghaiba.......
part 3:
part 4:
And no burdened soul can bear another's burden, and if one heavy laden crieth for (help with) his load, naught of it will be lifted even though he (unto whom he crieth) be of kin. Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord in secret, and have established worship. He who groweth (in goodness), groweth only for himself, (he cannot by his merit redeem others). Unto Allah is the journeying. (18) The blind man is not equal with the seer; (19) Nor is darkness (tantamount to) light; (20) Nor is the shadow equal with the sun's full heat; (21) Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves. (22)
Al Fatir , 35 : 18-22
These 'ayats' from Surah Al Fatir though still definitely related to the above topic of discussion, but I put it here because of it's beautiful cadence[ in its original Arabic prose, must have been more beautiful ], the lonely sense of isolation our lives are, and the sadness related to our fate if we CHOOSE to remain impervious to His message for our own salvation. That CHOICE, constitute FREE WILL.
One may be born an orphan or gifted with a silver spoon; has an IQ of 80 or endowed with a brain like Einstein or Dawkins; become a billionaire or remain just a pauper; lives long life or rightaway strickened with poor health or foreshortened by cancer....such are the trials and tribulations of life...but the choice of being with HIM or going against HIM remain ours.
That to me is what constitute 'al Qada wal Qadar'.
Our life on this planet is just a transient 'sojourn', a test if you may. The hereafter is the ultimate joy and our final station.
Unto Him is our journeying
Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). (2) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; (3) And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. (4) These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. (5)
Al Baqarah , 2 : 1-5
That which Allah openeth unto mankind of mercy none can withhold it; and that which He withholdeth none can release thereafter. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
Al Fatir , 35 :2
That is because Allah never changeth the grace He hath bestowed on any people until they first change that which is in their hearts, and (that is) because Allah is Hearer, Knower.
Al Anfal , 8 : 53
Allah created you from dust, then from a little fluid, then He made you pairs (the male and female). No female beareth or bringeth forth save with His knowledge. And no-one groweth old who groweth old, nor is aught lessened of his life, but it is recorded in a Book, Lo! that is easy for Allah. (11)
Al fatir , 35 : 11
That no laden one shall bear another's load, (38) And that man hath only that for which he maketh effort, (39) And that his effort will be seen. (40) And afterward he will be repaid for it with fullest payment; (41) And that thy Lord, He is the goal; (42) And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep, (43)
An Najm , 53 : 38-43
In my humble estimation if anyone were to explain the complex intracacies of 'divine decree' or 'qada wal qadar',Shaykh Mokhtar Al Maghroui would be in the best position to do just this. He has a double PHD in Physics and Electrical Engineering...he delves in the physically visibles...the intellectually visibles[ photons,atoms,CERN particles, the nature of light,etc and etc],...and by his sufic background, the purely INVISIBLE, The Unseen !
I have been looking for a definitive explanation of "al qada' wal qadar" or rather the nebulous concept of divine decree for over thirty years and this has eluded me. At best, at the end of the day, over these years I know my intellectual limitation and come to accept the safe and rather simplistic notion that:
[1] perfect understanding of "al qada' wal qadar" belongs to the realm of 'ilm al ghaiba', 'ilm of the Unseen', and it is beyond my comprehension,and
[2]that the will of God is supreme and within that context there exist some freeplay of my own will,as allowed by Him, within the overall context of the will of God!,and
[3]The 'pen and ink' with respect to my life in this universe and all the quantum within this universe, is already 'dry', the die had already being 'casted' but that His knowledge before 'time' and 'beyond time' does not negate the free will that He afforded to his abdals and all created things.
A mouthful but insyaallah by this way my simplistic aqidah remained intact! Insyaallah.
Our comprehension are limited by TIME, SPACE, MATTER, cause and effect which are just part of created things....matter, anti matter, space, wills and thought and even time, are all created things, all within the socalled four dimension. Allah's realm is 'the realm beyond realm', the realm of KUN FAYAKUN
HE is the CREATOR. We are just synonamous with that 'gold fish in a silver goblet rested near a windowsill in downtown Manhattan'. An example I gave in an earlier article on destiny a year back. We can hear the din of the city,crowd, trains and people down below. The best and brightest of us can theorise from those'din' and noise, and make postulates and hypotheses of the world beyond the goblet, but none us 'gold fishes' could comprehend what goes in the head of the owner of The White House, how he looks like, and worse still , the extent of his knowledge. Some of us may not want to know or refuse to aknowledge that he exist ! That in analogy is the level of our ignorance and 'kufrness' !
Shaykh al Maghroui today has opened up my comprehension a lot better, insyaallah, putting my aqidah on firmer ground. Mashaallah! Alhamdullillah! May Allah bless his soul and give him long life to carry on his daawah.
Listen, and please do listen hard.....as "al qada wal qadar" is in the dimension of aqidah.'Qada wal qadar' is the ilm of Allah, and in this respect Al Maghroui in this 3 hours of lecture or so has simplified things for our understanding. Philosophers and thinkers in the past have lost their way navigating on this issue of 'qada' wal qadar'. Do enjoy this almost sublime lecture.
[ I posted it some 2 years ago, but only now discovered the most important missing part 1 !]
part 1:
..........God's knowledge is instantaneous and comprehensive; all reality is totally and simultaneously accessible to Him. Dimensions of time and space lose all their properties. God alone knows the 'hows', 'what' and 'when' of the future: "And verily We know who go forward among you and verily We know the laggards. Lo! thy Lord will gather them together. Lo! He is Wise, Aware " ( Ibrahim : 24-25).
[ at 52.00 ]
......we in this temporal world is a '3-dimensional entity',the soul is a 'four dimensional entity', it is freer...
part 2 :
[ at 04.15 ]
.....Oh my son, you would not taste iman until you know that what befalls you is not meant to miss you, and what misses you was not meant to befall you.....
[ at 07.00 ]
Oh 'Pen', write!..What do I write?....Write the 'muqadir' of every thing till the Day of Judgement.....Ilmu al-Ghaiba.......
part 3:
part 4:
part 5:
And no burdened soul can bear another's burden, and if one heavy laden crieth for (help with) his load, naught of it will be lifted even though he (unto whom he crieth) be of kin. Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord in secret, and have established worship. He who groweth (in goodness), groweth only for himself, (he cannot by his merit redeem others). Unto Allah is the journeying. (18) The blind man is not equal with the seer; (19) Nor is darkness (tantamount to) light; (20) Nor is the shadow equal with the sun's full heat; (21) Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves. (22)
Al Fatir , 35 : 18-22
These 'ayats' from Surah Al Fatir though still definitely related to the above topic of discussion, but I put it here because of it's beautiful cadence[ in its original Arabic prose, must have been more beautiful ], the lonely sense of isolation our lives are, and the sadness related to our fate if we CHOOSE to remain impervious to His message for our own salvation. That CHOICE, constitute FREE WILL.
One may be born an orphan or gifted with a silver spoon; has an IQ of 80 or endowed with a brain like Einstein or Dawkins; become a billionaire or remain just a pauper; lives long life or rightaway strickened with poor health or foreshortened by cancer....such are the trials and tribulations of life...but the choice of being with HIM or going against HIM remain ours.
That to me is what constitute 'al Qada wal Qadar'.
Our life on this planet is just a transient 'sojourn', a test if you may. The hereafter is the ultimate joy and our final station.
Unto Him is our journeying
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Surah Al Rum , 30 : 1-8
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) The Romans have been defeated (2) In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious (3) In a few (less then ten) - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice (4) In Allah's help to victory. He helpeth to victory whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Merciful. (5) It is a promise of Allah. Allah faileth not His promise, but most of mankind know not. (6) They know only some appearance of the life of the world, and are heedless of the Hereafter. (7) Have they not pondered upon themselves? Allah created not the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them, save with truth and for a destined end. But truly many of mankind are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord. (8)
Ar Rum, 30 : 1-8
Emperor Heraclius suffered defeat at the hand of the Sasanian king, King Sabur in their skirmishes over Greater Syria. This was noted by Allah in Surah Ar Rum. 'But you Muslims, do not despair, the Romans would come back victorious within 10 years'.
That was divine information given to Muslims during their early persecuted Makkan days. The Muslims were rooting for the trinitarian Romans to win while the pagans and idolaters of Makkah were behind the fire-worshipping Persians. Much like MU versus Bayern Munich of present day football!
The Romans did came back on the seventh year to hammer Sabur back into present day Iran.
Back to the present century, Judeo-Christian hegemony has spread far and wide,entrenching themselves physically deep into Muslim hinterlands. Afghanistan[ centre of knowledge and birth place of many Muslim thinkers ie Bukhari, Rumi, Imam al Ghazali, Jamaluddin Al Afghani just to name a few ], Iraq [ centre of Islamic thoughts and excellence ],Pakistan and India held Khasmir, Palestine and Syria. After next week, most probably Sudan.Yemen, almost there and not forgetting Somalia where successive syariah inspired governments were overthrown, directly or covertly. If the Royal House of Al Saud would have their ways, even Iran by end of 2011!
As for the rest of us.....we are already hearts and souls under Judeo-Christian influence, spiritually, morally and physically....
You don't believe me?
Ask ourselves and our children:
What we collectively think of the syariah [ Good Tan Sri, but a wee bit out of touch and not implementable in the current economic and social millieu ]; our dress code; our education system; our choice of life partners; our daily thoughts and aspirations and our vision of 'the here' and 'the hereafter'.
Only we are now left with our names: Ahmad, Ali, Isahak, Aminah, Zawahir and Nik Nathasha, Nik Anna Karennina, Carina and Karen and Karl....!
"Allah is He Who sendeth the winds so that they raise clouds, and spreadeth them along the sky as pleaseth Him, and causeth them to break and thou seest the rain downpouring from within them. And when He maketh it to fall on whom He will of His bondmen, lo! they rejoice; (48) Though before that, even before it was sent down upon them, they were in despair. (49) Look, therefore, at the prints of Allah's mercy (in creation): how He quickeneth the earth after her death. Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead, and He is Able to do all things. (50) And if We sent a wind and they beheld it yellow, they verily would still continue in their disbelief. (51) For verily thou (Muhammad) canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee. (52)"
Ar Rum , 30 : 48-52
Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) The Romans have been defeated (2) In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious (3) In a few (less then ten) - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice (4) In Allah's help to victory. He helpeth to victory whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Merciful. (5) It is a promise of Allah. Allah faileth not His promise, but most of mankind know not. (6) They know only some appearance of the life of the world, and are heedless of the Hereafter. (7) Have they not pondered upon themselves? Allah created not the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them, save with truth and for a destined end. But truly many of mankind are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord. (8)
Ar Rum, 30 : 1-8
Emperor Heraclius suffered defeat at the hand of the Sasanian king, King Sabur in their skirmishes over Greater Syria. This was noted by Allah in Surah Ar Rum. 'But you Muslims, do not despair, the Romans would come back victorious within 10 years'.
That was divine information given to Muslims during their early persecuted Makkan days. The Muslims were rooting for the trinitarian Romans to win while the pagans and idolaters of Makkah were behind the fire-worshipping Persians. Much like MU versus Bayern Munich of present day football!
The Romans did came back on the seventh year to hammer Sabur back into present day Iran.
Back to the present century, Judeo-Christian hegemony has spread far and wide,entrenching themselves physically deep into Muslim hinterlands. Afghanistan[ centre of knowledge and birth place of many Muslim thinkers ie Bukhari, Rumi, Imam al Ghazali, Jamaluddin Al Afghani just to name a few ], Iraq [ centre of Islamic thoughts and excellence ],Pakistan and India held Khasmir, Palestine and Syria. After next week, most probably Sudan.Yemen, almost there and not forgetting Somalia where successive syariah inspired governments were overthrown, directly or covertly. If the Royal House of Al Saud would have their ways, even Iran by end of 2011!
As for the rest of us.....we are already hearts and souls under Judeo-Christian influence, spiritually, morally and physically....
You don't believe me?
Ask ourselves and our children:
What we collectively think of the syariah [ Good Tan Sri, but a wee bit out of touch and not implementable in the current economic and social millieu ]; our dress code; our education system; our choice of life partners; our daily thoughts and aspirations and our vision of 'the here' and 'the hereafter'.
Only we are now left with our names: Ahmad, Ali, Isahak, Aminah, Zawahir and Nik Nathasha, Nik Anna Karennina, Carina and Karen and Karl....!
"Allah is He Who sendeth the winds so that they raise clouds, and spreadeth them along the sky as pleaseth Him, and causeth them to break and thou seest the rain downpouring from within them. And when He maketh it to fall on whom He will of His bondmen, lo! they rejoice; (48) Though before that, even before it was sent down upon them, they were in despair. (49) Look, therefore, at the prints of Allah's mercy (in creation): how He quickeneth the earth after her death. Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead, and He is Able to do all things. (50) And if We sent a wind and they beheld it yellow, they verily would still continue in their disbelief. (51) For verily thou (Muhammad) canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee. (52)"
Ar Rum , 30 : 48-52
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