Naeem's Blog

Let me start on a narcissistic note. Empowered Muslim Youth has put up an interview with this humble blogger. If you’re a sucker for punishment, head on over there.

Does this news about American permanent bases in Iraq surprise anyone?


The good sister at What She Said posted this news item on Turkey dropping its ban on Hijab.


And finally, check out this amazing series of photos featuring a great white shark attacking a seal off the coast of South Africa.

Humza’s been a bit under the weather lately with a runny nose and the sort. He’s not yet learned how to efficiently blow his nose, so he’ll take a tissue and wipe his nose once and then throw it to the side. After a few minutes, you’ll see him next to a pile of barely used tissues all crumpled up. He can literally go through an entire tissue box in less than a day.

I finally got fed up with him and yelled, ‘Humza! Stop wasting these tissues. You think they grow on trees?!’

Smart-aleck Maryam looks up and says, ‘But Abujee, tissues *do* come from trees.’

Flustered, I quickly reply, ‘Fine, but that’s not my point...’

Humza interrupts with a confused look, ‘Tissues grow on trees?’

Maryam continues in her Ms. Know-it-all voice, 'Tissues are made of paper and paper comes from trees. Right, Abujee?'

'Cool', says Humza as he wipes his nose with another tissue from the box.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I walk away mumbling to myself, ‘You kids may have won this round...'

========================

Just for fun (and moreso, to irk my wife), I wanted to see how my kids would react to the topic of polygyny. I first asked Maryam how she would act if her husband wanted to marry another wife.

She replied, 'He better make sure to take care of me...or else.'

Interesting response...I think there is some sort of osmosis phenomenon going on between her and her mother.

Then I turned to Humza and asked if he would ever get married twice. Without even thinking, he blurted, 'No way!' Puzzled, I asked how come.

(His exact words) 'They are too hard.'

'Strong within you, the force is, young Skywalker,' I thought proudly.

No doubt about it here, folks...there is definitely osmosis between me and him.

UPDATE 1/04/09: In addition to the blatantly one-sided letter that Obama wrote to Khalilzad (below), Obama has revealed his true colors through his silence on the current Israeli onslaught. He may be correct when he states that there is only one President at a time, yet that slight technicality didn't prevent him from making his statement of condemnation on the Mumbai attacks. Nor has it prevented him from holding regular press conferences to address the nation's economy. So why now has he decided to take the stance that America can have only one President at a time??

UPDATE 1/29/08: It seems that the infamous letter is authentic. Here is a picture of the letter and the related news story. (Thanks to Amy for providing the links). Now if someone could please explain to me the eerie silence by the mass media on this issue. Media coverage of the leading candidates has kicked into high gear, so whenever Obama scratches his ass, its headline news. How come this letter didn't receive any airtime by the MSM?

I just ran across this letter 'written' by Obama to the US Ambassador to the UN:

Dear Ambassador Khalilzad,

I understand that today the UN Security Council met regarding the situation in Gaza, and that a resolution or statement could be forthcoming from the Council in short order.

I urge you to ensure that the Security Council issue no statement and pass no resolution on this matter that does not fully condenm the rocket assault Hamas has been conducting on civilians in southern Israel...

All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do this... Israel has the right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.

The Security Council should clearly and unequivocally condemn the rocket attacks... If it cannot bring itself to make these common sense points, I urge you to ensure that it does not speak at all.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

Now I'm no fan of Obama, and his unwavering support for Israel is no different than any other US politician's, but the authenticity of this letter is in serious doubt.

First of all, the only place I could find this letter was on some message board, a few blogs, and a second-rate news outlet.

Secondly, is it normal practice for Senators to include a bunch of '...' in their official correspondences?

Finally, one of the sources often cited is this Haaretz link. Its a blog of their Chief US Correspondent, Shmuel Rosner. He doesn't source the letter, so I remain in doubt.

Anyone have a concrete, reliable source for this letter?

If not, I'm guessing that it was 'leaked' by the Obama camp to shore up support from the pro-Israel voting bloc, where he's taking a beating.

Saudi Arabia provides a very interesting case of a society aggressively welcoming the indoors-oriented 21st century but equally mindful of its passion for nature and the outdoors.

I've spent the past 5 years in Riyadh and have been witness to an amazing economic boom taking place, with a construction pace only bested by the likes of Dubai and Beijing. But even though malls and business offices are filling the Riyadh skyline and the Saudis are getting plugged in (Internet, satellite dishes, 3G cell phones, etc.), they somehow are still retaining their connection to the outdoors.

The most popular pastime remains weekend outings to the desert or to the local park. There are a number of public parks sprinkled throughout the city and during the weekend, you'll be hard-pressed to find a patch of grass to sit on. To meet the high demand, there are even a handful of private parks, available to those willing to pay a small entry fee.

You see, everyone flocks to the park at weeks end. Most people either live in apartment flats or homes that lack a front/backyard. So the women and children are cooped up indoors without a place to roam outside their homes. And if they ever dared to venture outside, the neighborhoods are not designed to allow for casual strolls, with the absence of sidewalks and presence of drivers oblivious to the concept of pedestrian right-of-way. Thus, the only remedy is to spend a few hours in the park.

To that end, you'll see families gathering at parks, men sitting on one blanket grilling some kebabs, women sitting on another blanket sipping tea, and kids running around wreaking havoc. These grass-filled parks are especially nice as greenery is an scarce commodity in the desert oasis of Riyadh.

People here are so starved for outdoor activities, that I've seen many families park their cars at the outer limits of the huge mall parking lots (where traffic is sparse). They lay out a blanket on the concrete and proceed to have a small picnic with their kids enjoying the open space. I've actually done that myself with some friends – while our wives were inside shopping, we took the kids outside to play in the parking lot (away from traffic, of course) and relaxed on a small patch of grass.

However, if the crowded scene of the parks in the city is not your cup of tea, the expansive desert that surrounds Riyadh provides a more serene setting.

What really amazes me is the widespread popularity of the desert. At first, I didn't understand the appeal of spending time in the desert – isn't that where the merciless sun beats down on its visitors and scavenging vultures circle overhead?

So I was initially surprised when I heard that droves of families go out to the desert as a social outlet. It was only after I tried it myself that I found something eerily calming with the open desert. The lack of visual distractions really forces a more meditative frame of mind. The adults seem to engage in more introspective discussions while the kids are forced to entertain themselves in innovative ways.

And when nightfall arrives, the obligatory campfire brings its natural flickering light to the dark abyss of the surrounding desert. Sitting around the fire, drinking Arabic coffee and munching on dates, under the starry sky, surrounded by friends and family brings out the romantic in even the most hardest of hearts.

I find this magnetic relationship with the outdoors programmed into the social fabric of this society – and I'm not simply restricting it to the Saudis. Many of the participants are in fact expats from all over the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It's so refreshing to see this zeal for the outdoors very much alive, starkly contrasting the murky electronic age in which most of us are mired.

And what's most wonderful is the simplicity surrounding these social settings. Whereas entertainment in the West often revolves around an event, such as a concert or a ballgame or a carnival, laying down a blanket in a park or the desert is a sublime act of the greatest simplicity requiring nothing more than a group of family and friends, accentuated with some nice mint tea.

Here's an amazingly accurate guide on the Do's and Don'ts of raising kids.

I've been thinking some more on the issue of Islamic polygyny, specifically about the humanity (or lack thereof) surrounding the practice. A commenter from my last post referred to the pain experienced by the first wife:

"but tell me, if tomorrow you decided to take another wife, how would your wife FEEL? proud? happy? excited? or would she feel embarassed and EXTREMELY hurt that perhaps she is lacking something? who would be proud telling their mom 'guess what mom. my hubby is taking on another wife! yay'"

On top of that, I found this very interesting post by Achelois, where some very real, agonizing questions have been introduced into this discussion – questions revealing the very human aspect of this issue.

I appreciate these often-overlooked perspectives for they provide an insight that is sorely lacking in this discussion.

But the reality is that sometimes there is serious pain involved in fulfilling social responsibilities. And that is how I view Islamic polygyny – as a social responsibility to be practiced in the context of extenuating circumstances. I view polygyny as a most effective means of caring for orphans and single mothers. I see it as a means of providing for women when there is a dearth of men capable of providing for these women.

I don't see it through the twisted lenses of men who are looking for kinky, sexual pleasures. I don't accept that lame excuse that it helps curb adultery. I don't buy the statistical argument that there are more women than men. I don't paint my opinion of Islamic polygyny with the abuses of the countless men indulging in their sexual fantasies.

I view the institution of Islamic polygyny as a necessary aberration to address societal 'situations'. I see it eerily similar to Islamic Jihad.

The hallowed institution of Jihad is universally accepted by all Muslims, regardless of its many abuses across the globe. Even with the prominence of Al-Qaeda and their jihadist brethren, no Muslim will ever opine that Jihad has become an outdated institution.

No sane Muslim will talk of the personal difficulties created by Jihad as justification for its abrogation.

Surely there is pain involved in taking the soul of another human, the horror of ending a life which had the potential of becoming a beloved servant of God, the anguish of creating another widow and another orphan, the mental and emotional toll it takes on the participants, the torment of the wife who kisses her husband one last time before he goes out to fight, and so on.

These are very real issues created when fulfilling the responsibilities of Islamic Jihad.

But these truths don't detract from the harsh reality of having to pick up a weapon and fight for the sake of Allah (when the requisite conditions have been met).

Nor should the pains involved in polygyny sidetrack individuals from fulfilling their social responsibilities (when the requisite conditions have been met).

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This final part is work-in-progress:

[And just like the requisite conditions for Jihad have been spelt out in our tradition, I believe that a similar effort ought to be undertaken for Islamic polygyny. There are many rules with regards to declaring and carrying out Jihad that have been extracted from the principles of the Quran and Sunnah. Why shouldn't there be similar rulings outlining the do's and don'ts of polygyny.

Sadly I fear that is something that will never happen. For it is the condition-less practice of polygyny that allows men to indulge and abuse this most sanctified of Islamic institutions.]

This recent post by Sister RadiantLight got me thinking about Islamic Polygamy and how its being treated by our current generation as if it’s the second coming of the plague.

Back when my wife used to teach a class of young girls at the local masjid, I would advise her to address the topic of polygyny in a positive, receptive manner, with the intent of freeing the girls from all the negativity often associated with it. Unfortunately, the complexities behind this phenomenon that has afflicted the mindset of modern-day Muslims cannot be fully confronted in a weekend classroom.

There are too many forces that are painting this horrifying picture of Islamic polygyny as some abhorrent behavior, only practiced by the most barbaric of men and most naïve of women.

Now I clearly don't see polygyny as the normative mode of marriage, but I also believe that it shouldn't be viewed as some horrible anomaly. It should be embraced as a healthy alternative to nonstandard circumstances.

Too many young women are being raised with the belief that being in a polygynous relationship is socially unacceptable. They are being taught that only the most desperate and most abused are ever partner to such a relationship. They are being told that these are the misguided ways of misogynistic men.

We need to break this ugly trend and begin to teach our daughters and sisters that a family with one husband and two wives can be as healthy and functional as any monogamous relationship. We need to teach the women that it is a completely acceptable situation.

And more importantly, the teaching needs to be done to the men as well. They need to be taught that marrying a second wife is not to be taken lightly, based solely on one's sexual desires or born out of apathy towards the first wife. They need to be taught the Prophetic way of marrying more than one wife and more importantly, the staunch warnings against treating them unjustly.

They need to be taught that in some circumstances, it would be irresponsible for them NOT to marry a second wife. Unfortunately, there are men who would be prime candidates for having more than one wife (proper religious understanding, upright character, financially sound, etc.), but have resigned themselves to one wife, for one reason or another.

And what's even more unfortunate is that men who are absolutely *unqualified* to ever get married to even one woman are the ones marrying two or three at a time.

My point is I find it very troubling that there are so many women out there, struggling to find a husband, that simply would never entertain the thought of entering a polygynous marriage, regardless of the upstanding character of the man and the accepting nature of the first wife.

And if ever a woman is willing to consider such a situation, the parents would never allow for it, citing social pressures and the like.

That's just too bad.

That mindset needs to change.

Yes, me. And others like me.

The vast majority of voters in America are simply not going to put in the required effort to educate themselves where each candidate stands on the myriad issues.

Just not gonna do it.

And that is why leaving the vote to numskulls like myself is the greatest of travesties.

The masses are so easily swayed. Votes can be manipulated, bought, or simply cast in outright ignorance.

And even those who put a semblance of effort in understanding the differences between the candidates, they are influenced by the all-powerful media which frames the discussion of the issues and the candidates (see how they're hamstringing the Kucinich campaign by excluding him from the debates).

Look at the two frontrunners in the Democratic party, Obama and Clinton. Most will agree that a vote for Clinton is a vote for the status quo. But few will admit the same of Obama.

A cursory look at his platform shows that he is a man of the establishment, for the establishment, with nary a chance of rocking the boat (h/t to gess).

Obama's team of advisors are a bunch of recycled politicians from Clinton's presidency. And one doesn't raise as much campaign funds as Obama ($80M as of last September) without serving the interests of some powerful lobbying groups in Washington. And a closer look at his foreign policy shows many similarities to that of Mitt Romney's.

I'm afraid that many Muslims will get lulled into voting for him, in the same manner that they voted for Bush 8 years ago. The man is charismatic, saying all the right things, and is promising change, yet has accomplished very little on the political scene (domestically and especially internationally).

And then there are those who are advocating voting for these Obama/Clinton based on their racial and gender minority status. (Many voted with that same spirit in the past two elections - voting for the candidate from the mentally handicapped minority group - and look where that got us?...OK, that was cheesy - couldn't help myself)

But to even suggest that a leader be elected based on gender or race is extremely ignorant. But I'm sure most votes will be cast with that being the major factor.

How pathetic.

And don't even get me started on the change-resistant nature of the two-party system. What a joke!

Let me be clear that I'm not against representational governance. I'm just fed up with all this hoopla about western-style democracy being the greatest thing since sliced bread. Lets acknowledge the absurdity of the claim that democracy is the height of man's political evolution.

Check out the list at Dunner's blog.

A few months ago, I had posted about the astonishing rate of military suicides (around 120 per week since 2005), primarily linked to the stresses of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I had written:

"War is not only ravaging the innocent families over in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also those families who have foolishly sent their loved ones to fight these unjust invasions."

That's why it was little surprise when I read this NY Times piece detailing the sad plight of some soldiers who end up committing homicide:

"The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war. In many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of deployment — along with alcohol abuse, family discord and other attendant problems — appear to have set the stage for a tragedy that was part destruction, part self-destruction.

Three-quarters of these veterans were still in the military at the time of the killing. More than half the killings involved guns, and the rest were stabbings, beatings, strangulations and bathtub drownings. Twenty-five offenders faced murder, manslaughter or homicide charges for fatal car crashes resulting from drunken, reckless or suicidal driving.

About a third of the victims were spouses, girlfriends, children or other relatives, among them 2-year-old Krisiauna Calaira Lewis, whose 20-year-old father slammed her against a wall when he was recuperating in Texas from a bombing near Falluja that blew off his foot and shook up his brain."

And that's simply the tip of the iceberg, with many more veterans suffering in other ways:

"Clearly, committing homicide is an extreme manifestation of dysfunction for returning veterans, many of whom struggle in quieter ways, with crumbling marriages, mounting debt, deepening alcohol dependence or more-minor tangles with the law."
[...]
"Today the focus is on PTSD, but military health care officials are seeing a spectrum of psychological issues, with an estimated half of the returning National Guard members, 38 percent of soldiers and 31 percent of marines reporting mental health problems, according to a Pentagon task force."

As I did in my previous post, I implore you to read the Chris Hedges article at the Nation where he interviews 50 soldiers. The horrifying stories they narrate display the sheer inhumanity and gross disregard for life and law with which these wars are being carried out. Its no surprise why so many vets come home in such a miserable psychological state.

"'He came back different' is the shared refrain of the defendants’ family members, who mention irritability, detachment, volatility, sleeplessness, excessive drinking or drug use, and keeping a gun at hand.

“You are unleashing certain things in a human being we don’t allow in civic society, and getting it all back in the box can be difficult for some people,” said William C. Gentry, an Army reservist and Iraq veteran who works as a prosecutor in San Diego County."

My sweetheart has finally shown her true colors. After 14 years of marriage, I’ve discovered that she’s a closet Arab Supremacist. The discussion below is proof of my findings:

(Humza is H, Maryam is M, Naeem is N and my Arab Supremacist Sweetheart will be...oh wait...that doesn’t sound right. Let’s instead call her ASW for Arab Supremacist Wife – that’s better).

(Sitting in the car, looking for a way to pass the time)

N: I got a game, think of a name that starts with the letters of the alphabet. Start with A.

H: Ayah

N: B

M: Bilal

N: C

H: Cat!

(confused look on all our faces, silently praying for his future wife)

Game goes on through all the letters, until P, when no one can think of a name, so I jump in...

N: Parveen

H: Is that even a name?

N: Yeah, its my sister’s middle name

ASW: (snorts)

Then, we get stuck at U and again, I chime in with Umbreen. Then all hell breaks loose when I suggest Vaseem for the letter V:

ASW: (in her look-at-me-imitating-Naeem dorky voice) Perveen, Umbreen, Vaseem (back to her normal dorky voice) What’s with all these Paki-stanki names? (in the spirit of full disclosure, she actually said Pakistani and not paki-stanki, but I know she was thinking it)

N: What do you mean? They’re not Pakistani...they’re just normal Muslim names.

ASW: Yeah right. What’s up with Vaseem? Its supposed to be Waseem, with the Arabic ‘waw’, not the Urdu version of it ‘v’. That’s just straight up retarded. (again, she didn’t say that last part, but was definitely thinking it!)

N: Listen, certain cultures adjust the Arabic names to better suit their indigenous language. The Turks did it with Mehmet, which is the Turkish version of Mahmood or Muhammad.

ASW: Well, they’re dorks also. You wouldn’t change the pronunciation of the Quran to suit your lingual deficiencies, would you? The Arabic name is supposed to stick to the original pronunciation. Anything else is simply unacceptable.

N: Not true. What about your good buddies from Egypt (ASW's best childhood friend is Egyptian). They changed Jamal to Gamal, right? Are they dorks also?

ASW: (stunned silence)

N: (turning to Maryam, with my strongest desi accent) Vat u tink Maryam, I vill reply vith the ‘Boo-yah!’

On a serious note, I’m really intrigued by the way the different regions across the Muslim world have incorporated Arabic names into their local languages.

The Balkans are a good example with surnames like Hadžiosmanović (son of Hajji Osman) and Izetbegović (son of Chief Ezzat) and first names such as Dunja (Dunya), Ilijaz (Ilyas), Ejup (Ayub), and Yekup (Yaqub). The Turks have many as well with Ahmet (Ahmad), Murat (Murad), and Zeynep (Zainab). Africa has its own with names like Imamu (Imam), Sefu (Saif) and Mamadou (Muhammad).

Cool stuff.

(h/t to American Muslim)

UPDATE 1/9/08: Based on some comments, I felt it necessary to clarify that while I disagree with the overall undertones of this video, I have the utmost respect for those involved in its production. I'm no fan of arm-chair Muslim critics, who whine and moan about our screwed up situation without lifting a finger. May Allah (swt) bless these individuals who actually stood up and did something constructive (as much as I may disagree with their approach). Good for them!

I'm really not diggin' the vibes in this video. I feel its too... apologetic... submissive...

I understand that Muslims are in dire need of a PR makeover.

I understand that far too many media outlets seek out the bearded FOB with the broken English as representative of the entire American Muslim community.

I understand that the war on terror has made the Muslim into the 21st century Commie/Nazi/Bogeyman.

I do understand all that.

But what are we aiming to achieve with this public service spot? Is a message consisting of 'Hey look at me! I'm just as American as you. I love Britney Spears and the NFL just like every other Joe Six-Pack. Please accept me! Oh and I also cheated in high school' really worth saying?

It seriously irks me the lengths we go to in order to humanize ourselves to those hellbent on dehumanizing us.

I would much rather prefer a more substantive portrayal of Muslims in America with signs stating our hatred for the economic injustices of capitalism or the disgust for the racism ravaging American cities or intolerance for the greedy crooks running the big pharmaceuticals.

How about a video with more substance - reflecting the higher principles we stand for as opposed to the weaker image of a domesticated people asking to be accepted?

While I won't knock the MAS Media Foundation and the dedicated individuals who put this video together (May Allah continue to motivate them to help the situation of Muslims in the West), I just don't feel its necessary to show our American-ness by citing Grey's Anatomy or Justin Timberlake or Victoria's Secret.

In its defense, I liked that the video conveyed an anti-alcohol, pro-abstinence, pro-environment, pro-social justice message.

But why is showing that a young Muslim is able to rap to all of Tupac's songs so important in establishing our American Muslim identity?

Its not about integrating into society. Its about elevating society.

One final note: I don't care much for the choice of the song. Generally speaking, its a nice song, but to even remotely intimate that Muslims are in America because they see it as a Paradise is highly questionable and quite insulting. Let's not feed the Amero-centricism so prevalent in American society.

I’d like to bring everyone’s attention to Br. Yursil’s latest post. He highlights a most beautiful saying by one shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaraghi, an 18th/19th century scholar from the North Caucasus region, speaking out against the Russian incursions of the time:

"Go to the mosques, weep and pray in repentance, shake dreams from your eyes and God will forgive you and restore you to the righteous path and arm you for great deeds.

Then [after purification of their souls] Almighty God will reinforce you for the battle against the kaafir. Azrail will fly over the Russian troops, their bayonets and cannons will not be dangerous to you and you will learn that God has more power than any earthly tsar.

You must be ready when the hour comes and you are called to battle. God will give me a sign when this day has arrived and I will tell you. Meanwhile, pray and weep."

I was particularly intrigued by the timing of the quote since over the past few days, my recent Pakistan post has spurred an interesting conversation in the comments section, with one brother calling on us to quit all this nonsense chit-chatting and do something more constructive.

My response to Young Skywalker was for us to focus first and foremost on personal rectification. Our automatic response to our problems is to jump into action and implement whatever solutions our minds can construct. The Ummah has fallen into a scientific worldview which sees everything as a worldly cause and effect. Change can only come from action, we boldly declare.

Sadly we have shifted from tawakkul (trust) in Allah (swt) to relying on our actions. While we say and preach that all results are from Allah (swt), our actions speak otherwise.

Our highest goal must be to work towards refined souls focused on achieving that state of Ihsan. These souls will then become the divinely inspired fountains from which all our actions will flow.

But I must add that there needs to always be a component of action to supplement this internal cleansing process. That is why I was so impressed with the approach of Sh. Al-Yaraghi. He wasn’t simply calling for an open-ended purification of the soul. He had a long term goal which integrated the corporal with the spiritual.

How come we are forced to choose between the two extremes? We either have politically oriented groups like the Jamati Islami or the Ikhwan, whose idea of tarbiyya (self-improvement) is to learn Fiqh-us-Sunna, or we have Sufi groups who solely focus on the spiritual, leaving the political to scoundrels and the like.

Where are the Sh. Al-Yaraghi’s of our time?

For those of you living anywhere near my old stomping grounds of Baltimore, Maryland:

Al-Madina Institute is pleased to announce its first one of a kind seminar entitled “The Portrait of the Prophet.” This will be a two day in-depth look at the wonderful book, “Ash’ Shama’il Muhammadiya,” taught by Shaykh Muhammad Bin Yahya Ninowy. This event will inshaAllah be hosted at Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB). For program details and registration information, click here.

In this post-Enlightenment, post-Renaissance, post-Modern time that we live in, reason rules the day. The times of bowing down to idols of stone and clay are long gone. The new supreme idol, second only to man's nafs, is his power of reason.

The tyrant ruling the kingdom of our conscious is intellect and it must be toppled. The role of king belongs to faith and reason is but a subject subservient to the king. While reason must play its role in advising the king, it must never be allowed to control the throne.

Rationalism is to be constrained and guided by servitude to the claims of faith.

In these days where science reigns supreme and almost every natural phenomena has a logical explanation, the power of man's intellect has grown exponentially while the scope of belief has diminished. The scientific worldview of modernity has usurped the religious worldview of tradition.

We need to corral our intellect and make it subservient to our faith. We have let it loose and that is as dangerous as letting loose our nafs. By their nature, both are in need of great disciplining.

Just as the nafs can only be controlled by going against its inherent nature (fulfillment of its worldly desires), the intellect is tamed by going against its nature (the need to know and understand everything).

And Who better to teach us this very difficult lesson than Allah (swt)?

The most perfect proof that our capacity to reason is limited and imperfect is found in the beginning letters of some of the suras in the Quran – the Muqatta’at as they are sometimes referred to.

Everyone accepts that these letters will never be understood by man – they are a clear demonstration from Allah that our intellect is incomplete and will never fully understand the Divine message. It is Allah's gentle way of teaching us that our intelligence is handicapped and we must never let it arrogantly assume that complete knowledge of the universe is a possibility.

Consequently, these verses are an appropriate counter-response to those who argue that surely Allah would not send a perfect revelation containing verses beyond man's intellectual capacity. If these Muqatta'at are agreed to be beyond man's understanding, why cannot other parts of revelation be equally inexplicable?

There are many verses in the Quran that present a challenge to my western-raised mind. My foundation is from a liberal democratic pluralist society and so my sensibilities are tinged by that upbringing. I find many teachings of the Quran and Sunnah to be quite challenging when harmonizing them with my intellect.

And that is the test presented to me by my Creator – my test is not to fight the urge to bow down to a wooden idol, but to bow down to my intellect and its thirst to rationalize everything.

Many of my contemporaries struggle with the verses on beating the disobedient wife, having sex with the female slave, capital punishment, and the like. I have tried for years to rationalize those components and harmonize them with my faith. I have read the works of Abou El-Fadl, Naim, Mernissi, Wadud, and Barlas and I have found nothing to placate my raging reason.

So instead of allowing my intellect to kidnap me to the badlands of doubt and disbelief, I suspend my reason and take it on faith that Allah (swt) has revealed certain verses in His infinite wisdom, beyond my capacity to understand - similar to those beginning letters.

Personally speaking, I see those controversial texts as tests of my faith in the message brought by Prophet Muhammad (saw).

In response, I have decided to humble my intellect and acknowledge my ignorance on matters of my faith that I cannot reconcile. Its actually quite refreshing and liberating.

But I understand how so many of my peers will find such a move as backwards and incomprehensible, for just like many of us are blinded by the nafs, others are blinded by the intellect.

In closing, I'd like to reference the balanced understanding that Muhammad Abduh reached, as stated in his Risala,

"How then can reason be denied its right, being, as it is, the scrutineer of evidences so as to reach the truth within them and know that it is Divinely given? Having, however, once recognized the mission of a prophet, reason is obliged to acknowledge all that he brings, even though unable to attain the essential meaning within it or penetrate its full truth. Yet this obligation does not involved reason in accepting rational impossibilities...But if there appears something which appears contradictory, reason must believe that the apparent is not the intended sense. It is then free to seek the true sense by reference to the rest of the prophet's message in whom ambiguity occurred or to fall back on God and His omniscience." (emphasis added)

So will we 'fall back on God and His omniscience' when our reason is unable to find the 'true sense by reference to the rest of the prophet's message' when confronted with an apparent contradiction to our reason?

That is the test of our times.

Finally, I'm working on a second part detailing the dangerous implications of my conclusions... hope to have it up in a few days, IA-

Side Note: Initially when I started to write this post, I thought to use the analogy of reason being an idol that needs to be slain, as Prophet Ibrahim (as) destroyed the idols of his time. However I found that analogy to be lacking as our duty is not to slay reason, for that would lead to taqlid (blind following), rather to discipline it, oust it from its undeserving place atop our conscience, and bring it down to its divinely sanctioned rank.

What a fitting ending to one of the most tragic years of Pakistan’s short history.

From the Red Mosque siege to the ensuing spat of suicide bombings to the failed military campaigns in the Northwest Frontier to the expelling of the Chief Justice to the hoopla surrounding Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto’s return from exile to the martial law escapade to this latest act of inane violence, 2007 has been a terrible year for the 'Land of the Pure' (translation of 'Pakistan').

I won’t get into all the varying theories of who killed Bhutto and why, I just wanted to chime in on the talks of the near future of Pakistan.

First of all, I’m not clear why the elections are so critical. I admit that I’m very cynical, but I can’t believe that people truly hope for some positive change coming from these upcoming elections. Haven’t the mock elections where Musharraf was elected for President (followed by him dissolving the Supreme Court in order to make sure the elections were not challenged) shown democracy for the sham it has become in Pakistan (as well as the Muslim world)?

Have people become so desperate that they’ve become politically delusional and are placing hope in democracy in Pakistan? That’s some serious grasping for straws people!

Secondly, I get a kick out of all the doomsday predictions of Pakistan spiraling into chaos. Pakistan is not Afghanistan or Somalia or post-Saddam Iraq. Warlords or militias do not run the country. The military is without a doubt in charge, as it always has been and as it always will be. I say that not with any sense of national pride or arrogance, simply as a sad fact of life.

I strongly recommend you all to open your minds and hearts and give this very interesting article on finding Allah on Xmas a read.

I'm very intrigued by my dear sister Suroor’s ability to connect with Allah(swt) in a Christmas mass. Eventhough I attended a Jesuit high school and went to many masses during those four years, I never fully appreciated its significance in the remarkable manner that Suroor explains in her writing.

I do believe that many Muslims (especially in the West) have lost the emotional connection with our prophet Isa and his beloved mother Maryam (peace be upon them both), as they casually write them off as icons unique to the Christian faith, with only historical significance in Islam.

Why don’t we read the Bible to connect with the teachings of prophet Isa? Surely there are unaltered parts that have retained the spirit of his teachings. Surely the predecessor of our own beloved Prophet is worthy of some attention.

“That day I learnt to love Maryam, the blessed mother of Jesus, just like I loved Fatima and Aisha (may peace be upon them all). I also discovered the love I have in my heart for Jesus.”

I wish to feel that love for Maryam and her miracle child Isa. Although I don’t feel it necessary to attend a mass to gain that feeling, I can't knock Suroor for doing so.

While I don’t agree with her sentiments that Jews and Christians are not to be considered disbelievers, as she states here:

“Amongst those who will go to Hell are those who “disbelieve and deny Our revelations” (Quran 5:10). According to this definition all Jews, Christians, Muslims (Shias, Sunnis and their sub-sects) are not Hell-goers. They neither disbelieve in God nor do they deny the revelations.”

I do believe that respect and love ought to be extended to our faith-brethren in a manner that is sorely lacking in our times. A joint Christmas luncheon is an excellent gesture towards achieving that goal.

A sheikh and his students were once travelling in a boat. The students noticed a group of fellow passengers singing, drinking and dancing and understandably got very upset.

“How dare they act in such a lewd manner in the presence of our esteemed teacher? Don’t they know that a wali (friend) of Allah (swt) is accompanying them in the boat? What an insult to our sheikh!”

So they rushed back to their sheikh and informed him of their findings. They beckoned him to make a dua’a against them and pray that Allah (swt) punish them for their blasphemous actions.

The Sheikh raised his hands and with his students eagerly anticipating a stinging rebuke, he prayed, ‘Ya Allah, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, we are Your servants and slaves and we humbly beg of You to bless those youth with the same ability to drink and dance in the highest levels of Jannah as you have allowed them in this life.’

His students were shocked. ‘Oh teacher, how can you make such a lofty dua’a for these depraved, lost souls?!’

The sheikh sighed, ‘Have you not learned that entry into Jannah is reserved for the pure souls? So have we not prayed for Allah (swt) to purify their souls, guide them down the path of sincere repentance (taubah), and make them worthy of entering Jannah.

‘Do not let your anger cloud your judgments from the most perfect way of our beloved Prophet.’

My brother-in-law, who is notorious for his lack of intelligence, came up with a brilliant idea and I felt the need to share it with everyone.

He recently began recording short interviews with his parents in hopes of sharing these tidbits with our future progeny. The topics for his interviews would be specific to their upbringing back in Palestine as well as other interesting stories from their past.

What an ingenious way to share the past with our future!

Every so often, I find myself thinking about the countless sittings with my parents and grandparents back in Pakistan and the various tales they’ve shared with me, wishing I could impart these gems to my children (and even their children). And here is a simple yet powerful way to accomplish that!

So I salute you dear Moutasem for a simple idea that even 7-yr old Humza could have thought of, but one that escaped his 34-yr old father.

I had written down these thoughts from my last Hajj of two years ago and I figured now would be a good time to share them with everyone:

This was my second time around as an honored guest of Allah (swt), although it would be the first time accompanying my better half. And even though I had performed the Hajj before, I actually felt more prepared this time - the countless number of Umrahs enabled me to concentrate on the internal aspects rather than burdening myself with the details of the Hajj rituals.

Ree and I had talked of going for the past year but our major stumbling block was securing a place to stay for Maryam and Humza during our 6-day pilgrimage. And it was this act of entrusting our kids with another family, purely for the sake of Allah (swt), which would begin our profoundly symbolic Hajj.

When invited to a lavish social event in which children are not welcome, the onus of finding babysitting is normally left to the guest. However, Allah (swt) is no ordinary host and the Hajj is no ordinary social event. In our case, He graciously took care of the babysitting as well.

As an amazingly unexpected blessing from our Lord, Maryam’s second grade teacher volunteered to take care of both our kids. And now with two weeks left before the days of Hajj, we began the logistical preparations – finding a Hajj group, packing our bags, packing the kids’ bags, tying up all loose ends with friends and family – as well as the mental/spiritual preparations – studying the rites of the Hajj, contacting everyone to ask them for their specific prayers as well as for their forgiveness, spiritually preparing for the Hajj.

And it was then that I started to realize the symbolic similarity between what Allah (swt) had asked prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice and the angst we were feeling as our journey was in its initial phases.

Both of us were feeling extremely nervous about leaving our kids for an entire week. It would be the first time for both of us to simultaneously be away from them for such an extended period of time (Maryam is seven years and Humza is five).

Our worries spanned the entire spectrum, from the emotional – who would comfort them when they cried? – to the mundane – how would they bathe and clothe themselves? And to top it all off, three days before our departure, Humza started running a very high fever with coughs and nighttime vomiting! It was so confusing and heart-wrenching that Ree was even considering not going.

And it became very clear to me that this is exactly what the Hajj is supposed to be all about. It is a journey of sacrifice. A journey of turning away from this life towards the after-life. A journey of sacrificing our deepest fears, worries, desires, and attachments for the edicts of Allah (swt). As our father prophet Ibrahim was asked to make the ultimate sacrifice, Ree and I were being asked to make a similar sacrifice (relative to our spiritual level).

Our attachment to our children was being put to the test. Our trust in our Lord was being put to the test. Once we both came to this realization, it became that much easier to accept this as a test from Allah (swt) – a test of our faith.

Every pilgrim seems to go through some sort of tribulation which I believe is part of the purification process of an accepted Hajj. And so for me, my purification came in the form of pain and unease caused by what most would consider very minor injuries.

When I first arrived to Mina, the tent city next to the stoning pillars, I somehow got a very serious infection inside my right nostril.

This infection would slowly increase in size and pain causing redness as well as swelling of my nose, with pain shooting into my head and down my neck. And only now, three days after returning from my Hajj and ten days after first noticing it in Mina, has the boil inside my nose begun to reduce in size, by way of emitting its disgusting mixture of brownish blood and yellowish pus.

I chose to describe the nauseating nature of the discharge as it is befitting the nauseating nature of my sins that I pray were similarly discharged from my soul during the Hajj. In fact the sins that I have committed must be even more disgusting in the sight of my most Loving Creator as He has continued to bless me day-in and day-out, yet I have relentlessly opted to turn away from Him and commit countless egregious acts of disobedience.

In addition to my nose, I was ‘afflicted’ by some very painful blisters on my right foot. As a result of wearing the wrong type of slippers while walking from Mina to the Kaaba and back, I got blisters in three different locations. And given that I was to make that trek several more times, my injury was that much more magnified.

It really struck me how fragile Allah (swt) has made man (or at least this man!) that even a small injury the size of a penny could cause so much grief and misery. This injury was infinitely lesser in comparison to the death of the stampede victims (over 300 died), yet it somehow impaired me enough to cause me constant pain and suffering. And only after I stole a pair of socks from Ree was I able to achieve some sort of relief. What a beautiful and powerful reminder from Allah (swt) of His great blessings and my even greater dependency upon them!

After having performed the stoning rituals, we proceeded to the Kaaba to perform our Tawaf-al-Ifaadah. With a crowd of millions, pushing and being pushed is the accepted course of action. More often than not, the pushing comes as a result of the massive crowd surges and thus out of the control of the individual. Nonetheless, it is recommended that one perform the tawaf with hands down by the side so as to prevent any harm to another fellow pilgrim. Sadly, every so often one is encountered by a small group of pilgrims who are intent on moving faster than the crowd and thus are forcing their way through. It is then that one’s patience is tested.

The first, natural reaction is to turn and either rebuke the individual, give him a stern look, or simply push back harder. Having been counseled against such actions, as they are unbecoming of a person on a spiritual journey to Allah (swt), the preferred reaction is to simply absorb the push and ignore it. Normally that is what I and the other 2.5 million pilgrims observed.

However, I feel that the best response and one that the Prophet (saw) would have himself enacted, as his character was the most refined and most beautified, would be to turn to the individual with a gracious smile, extend a hand of peace by patting him on the back, and kindly suggest to him to slow down. Surely, this takes an immense amount of restraint and patience, but I am convinced that it would not only calm the individual, but also teach him with love and mercy.

Sadly I was only able to muster up enough patience to do this a few times, but when I did, I noticed a very positive response. Their faces would at first have an unyielding look of determination while ignoring the barking reprimands of those they were pushing.

However, when confronted with a smile and an extended hand of peace, I noticed many would smile back and in turn relax their military-style march. Such was the sunnah of Muhammad (saw), was it not? Remember the desert Arab who urinated in the corner of the Prophet’s holy mosque? Truly if our actions and reactions would be carried out with this spirit of patience, mercy, and love, how elevated and exalted would our status become in front of Allah (swt)!!

The symbolic nature of our Hajj continued when we proceeded to perform Sa’ee, the running between the hills of Safa and Marwa, a reenactment of the desperate search for water by our dear mother, Hajar. The crowd was incalculably enormous on all three floors. It was actually even more difficult than the Tawaf, with both of us barely finding any room to walk.

And it was here that I realized how difficult it was to maintain my concentration on my prayers and remembrance of Allah (swt). I had become so engulfed in the actual performance of the Sa’ee, trying to avoid getting pushed and shoved, that I had lost track of the greater purpose of this ritual, the constant glorification of and beseeching to our Lord. In this fashion my life has passed me by, with its hustle and bustle consuming me to the extent that I have forgotten the ultimate purpose of my creation.

Life is like this unending stream of people running between the hills – it will continue with or without me. I will never be able to change its flow to fulfill my personal needs; rather I must accept it and move in conjunction with its natural direction. My ultimate goal is to move beyond the mechanics of this massive flow and concentrate on my own inner development. I must struggle to regain my focus and elevate myself from the earthly so as to reconnect with the heavenly.

What a subtle, yet beautiful lesson from our Beloved Creator!

As we were leaving the Haram to return back to Mina, I did notice a truly delightful trend amongst the millions. There was an immense amount of peace and patience. Like a spray of cool water during a hot summer day, the showering of divine Mercy upon the pilgrims established a sense of coolness around Mecca that no police force could have ever enforced. And even when the occasional person became so testy and voiced his anger, the pilgrims around him immediately jumped in to soothe his irritation with reminders of Allah (swt) and the holy state of our journey. Is that not how our life should be lived? Rather than simply witnessing confrontations or worse, egging them on, we should assuage such altercations with reminders of our Creator.

I will conclude with two parting thoughts. As we sat in the airplane on our way back, we both realized how amazing it was that throughout the Hajj, Allah (swt) covered us both with a blanket of inner peace allowing us to concentrate on the actual pilgrimage rather than being consumed by our worries for the children. That was one of my biggest concerns – that we would spoil our beautiful journey by the incessant uneasiness for Maryam and Humza’s welfare – yet Allah (swt) put our minds and hearts at ease allowing us to comfortably enjoy the sweetness of the Hajj.

What a truly remarkable Host is He!

And as guests visiting the home of a host, it is very disrespectful to talk badly of any mishap or hardship that took place during the visit. That was a mistake I made after my first Hajj – I was very censorious and critical of what I saw and went through. And to be sure, I heard many people complaining and criticizing during this trip, especially after the unfortunate stampede tragedy.

However, the eyes of my heart have been unveiled (to an extent) and I now realize that everything, and I do mean *everything*, is a blessing from our Lord – it is only due to my impatience and limited understanding that I am unable to appreciate it and accept it for what it truly is. And with that closing thought, I am able to declare that my Hajj was a sincerely beautiful journey!