Al-Hasan al-Basri

Intro here

Unfortunately, after the passing away of Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him), the Ummayid ruling family returned to it's old ways of lavishness and excessive love of worldly pleasures. However, Allah (swt) blessed the ummah of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with pious scholars and people of dawah who stood against this wave of materialism to remind the people of the true essence of their deen.

Of those great scholars of that time, Sheikh Nadwi singled out Imam al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah be pleased with him).

His early days
He was born 21 A.H. His father Yasar was the servant of Zaid bin Thabit, the companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him). His mother Khayyirah was the servant of Umm Salamah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and it is in her house that al-Hasan grew up and met many of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and heard from them, making him of the greatest of the Tabi'een (followerd of the companions).

His knowledge and passion
He had vast knowledge of the Quran and Hadith. Moreover, he was attentive to the details of the society he lived in: its different classes, manners, illnesses and cures. He was also a very articulate and charismatic person, one who captures and moves people with his words. Most importantly, his passion, sincerity and eman were what made his words sink right into the hearts of the people. Al-Ghazali describes him as "one whose words are the closest to the words of the prophets (peace be upon them), and whose guidance is the closest to that of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them)."

His method of dawah
Al-Basri's advise to the people revolved around reminding them of the shortness and treachery of this life, and the ever-lastingness of the Hereafter. He described in his talks the times of the companions and compared it to his time, and how much the faith and manners of the Muslim ummah had deteriorated.

He also displayed courage in facing the rulers with the truth and reminding them of their duties and responsibilities for which they will one day be held accountable by Allah (swt).

Al-Hasan al-Basri was not just another scholar or man of dawah who lectured or gave classes. He combined practical tarbiyah (disciplining/upbringing) with spiritual tazkiyah (purification) and was able to guide many to live the true Islam and taste the sweetness of Iman.

His death
He passed away in 110 A.H. in Damascus. It is narrated that his funeral was after Friday prayers and that all the people were busied by it that day to the extent that 'asr prayer did not take place in the city's masjid that day because there was no one left there to pray.

May Allah (swt) be pleased with him and bless us with some of his sincerity and passion for guiding the Muslim ummah to the straight path, ameen.

The first Revivor: Umar bin Abdul Aziz

Intro here

Sheikh Nadwi mentions several key characteristics that marked the short Ummayid rule of the Muslim world. Those include the return of the tribalism mentality and the idea of the superiority of one race over another (particularly Arabs over non-Arabs), which the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) had worked hard to eradicate. Also, there was a very dangerous change in the drivers and motivators of people, for many no longer performed good deeds (fighting in battle, generosity to neighbours,...) to get closer to Allah (swt), but rather to be talked about amongst the people.

There was also the unjustness of the rulers who would take from the poor and spend on their lavish lifestyles. Thus came to existance a very pampered 'aristocratic' class of people who were preoccupied by worldly pleasures. Nevertheless, this did not affect the majority of the ummah who still had a great respect for scholars and rightoeous people.

This is the world into which Umar bin Abdul Aziz was born and in which he was raised. It was said that his perfume could be smelt everywhere he went and that he had a particularly elegant walk which some of the women would try to learn. That was before his ascension to the 'throne' of khilafah.

The first thing he did was replace the unjust rulers of the Muslim provinces. He stopped the opressive taxes and was strict about rulers not accepting gifts or bribes, and about them not spending lavishly of the people's wealth.

On a personal level, he returned all the gifts he got to beit al-mal (the treasury of the ummah)and gave of his wealth and his wife's jewlery in charity. His zuhd and aversion of worldly comforts and pleasure was beyond that of any of the worshippers, let alone kings. He was also very conscious about not spending any of the ummah's wealth on himself. He would put off a candle which was fueled by money from the treasury if one busied him asking about himself (Umar's wellbeing).

He opened his doors to the people and announced rewards to those who would bring him news of the true state of society, or would advise him on something of benefit to the ummah.

He was able to embody the role of a true Muslim khalifah, one who takes responsiblity of the administrative and ruling affairs of the state, yet is also responsible for the knowledge and righteousness of the people (a role which had become restricted to the scholars of the time). He would send letters to the rulers of the Muslim provinces reminding them of their duties, guiding them to the straight path, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil.

Afterall, Umar bin Abdul Aziz was a knowledgable scholar of his own right. Mujahid (a famous scholar of the time) had said of him:"we came to him to teach him, but we did not leave until we learnt from him".

One of the greatest favors of this revivor on the Muslim ummah is his attention to the Hadith of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). For although hadith was written as early as the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), it was Omar bin Abdel Aziz who started the movement of collecting and preserving it by focusing the scholars' attention to it, just as his great grandfather Omar bin Al Khattab had encouraged the first khalifah Abu Baker al-Sideeq to do with the Quran (for more on Hadith collection, check out this post).

The effects
The reforms which Omar bin Abdel Aziz began were not favoured by all, and some worried they would lead to financial crises and losses for the ummah. However, what happened was to the contrary. The Muslim ummah was blessed with prosperity and security to an extent that the rich did not know where to spend their zakat. Yahya ibn Saeed narrates that Umar bin Abdul Aziz sent him to collect zakat from Africa. He did so, but could not find any poor people deserving of the money so he used it to free slaves.

The great khalifah passed away in 101 A.H., only two years and five months from the day he took responsibility of leading the Muslim ummah. May Allah (swt) have mercy on him and reward him for his great deeds.

An inspiring read...

It's called Rijjal al-Fikr wa ad-Da'wah fi al-Islam [Men of Thought and Dawah in Islam]. The book came about when the great Indian Muslim scholar Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadawai , may Allah (swt) have mercy on him, was invited to give a series of lectures at the University of Damascus. After much thought he picked the topic of revivors throughout Islamic history. The lectures were a huge success and were eventually turned into a very popular book. I've been trying to get my hands on it for a couple of years now and finally managed to borrow a copy, alhamdulilAllah. (Funny thing with books of knowledge, Allah (swt) sends them at the perfect time.)

The book covers seven giants of Islamic history, may Allah (swt) have mercy upon them and be pleased with them: Omar bin Abd-el-Aziz (62-101 A.H.), al-Hasan al-Basri (21-110 A.H.), Ahmad ibn Hanbal (164-241 A.H.), Abul-Hasan al- Asha'ri (270-324 A.H.), Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (450-505 A.H.), Abdul Qadir al-Jilani(470-561 A.H.), Jalal ad-Deen ar-Roumi (604-672 A.H.).

The power of the book lies in the fact that it is not simply a collection of biographies. Rather than focus on the lives of the great scholars, the author chooses to present their lives and achievements in the context of the larger historical events and the particular challenges facing the dawah movement and the Muslim ummah at the time, be them theological, societal, or political (usually a combination of the three).

Although each reformer had his own personal characteristics and faced unique challenges, there is definitely a consistent theme throughout the book: particular traits that are common in all of the above named scholars.

There are the obvious ones: Their solid knowledge of the deen which they acquired though spending years with great teachers of their time. However, their insatiable quest for knowledge did not distract them from their ibadah (worship) nor their work and worldly duties (ruling, teaching, working,...). This balance was essential.
There was also their unparalleled motivation and sincerity to use their knowledge and abilities to benefit their ummah the best way they can. They all worked tirelessly for the sake of this deen until their very last breath, may Allah (swt) reward them for their efforts.

There was also their zuhd, their complete disregard for the pleasures of this world. Not only did they refuse to sell their knowledge for worldly gains, or be satisfied with high-ranking positions in governmental institutions and universities, they stood against the tyrants of their time and were not afraid to speak out against the injustices committed by Muslim rulers, sometimes in the name of Islam.

However, what really distinguished these inspirational figures was their ability to not only grasp the sacred knowledge and be famous scholars and leaders within academic circles, but to also understand the unique challenges of their times and societies well and be able to bring about a revolution of thought in applying the sacred knowledge to revive the people's faith and fight falsehood, which ever form it may have taken.

Out of the many powerful points made in the introduction of the book, there was one key point which stood out. The Muslim ummah has gone through many turbulent times and been exposed to numerous external and internal threats, yet Islam remains strong and virtually unchanged 1400 years later. Why? First, it the vitality of this religion which Allah (swt) has made to be appropriate for all places and all times. The second is that Allah (swt) has promised to provide this ummah with strong, pious, knowledgable, fearless revivors to ensure the the continuity and regeneration of this deen till the end of time, a blessing which he has not provided to any other religion or group.

The author goes on to point out that history books may only highlight a handful of individuals, thus it may seem that the lineage of revivors is scattered and discontinuous. However, for those who dive deep into the books of history and knowledge, it becomes obvious that the movement of Islamic revival is a continuous one, for there has never been a time which was devoid of righteous groups and individuals striving to call out to the truth, speak out against injustice, challenge tyranny and corruption, and open new windows of thought and reform.

God willing, I hope to be able to post glimpses of the scholars lives from the book in the coming weeks...short stories which I found particularly touching and inspiring (if I get lazy please start nagging).

May Allah (swt) make us of those whom He uses in His Way, ameen.

Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam

Eagerly seizing on the stereotype-busting possibilities of “an 18-year-old from Casablanca with spiked hair, or a 20-year-old from Dubai wearing goth makeup,” LeVine would like us to see them as the faces of an emerging Muslim world, potentially a much less monochromatic place than the one represented on TV by the usual “Death to America” brigades. “Heavy Metal Islam” turns the notion of irreconcilable differences between Islam and the West on its head, appealing to the universality of youth culture as “a model for communication and cooperation” in the Internet age. LeVine reckons the likes of Metallica and Slayer provide a brute lingua franca that knows no borders, opening up breathing room in cloistered societies, gradually undermining rigid belief systems — a benign, bottom-up brand of globalization as opposed to the ruthless corporate or state-sponsored kind.

Continue NYT book review here

Mark LeVine, the author of the book, is definately one of UCI's coolest and most interesting professors:

The hirsute-headed history professor, author, world musician and activist has stared down bulldozers in protest, worked in Harlem and taken refuge in the shadows of Hamas mosques.

After earning a doctorate from New York University in Middle Eastern Studies, LeVine began to peer at and pen about the Arab world from many different angles. As a guitarist, he has strummed from stages in Damascus, Casablanca and Istanbul. As an author, he's written for the Boston Globe, al-Jazeera International and other media outlets – not to mention several books.

Continue here for OC Register interview

This is all interesting from a political and social perspective; however, I can't help but wonder if it is helping or hurting the Muslim youth. Expressing oneself, connecting with people from other cultures, resisting unjust political systems is all good, but is it leading to a grey (or black) area of ignorance and lack of identity? Is it a struggle towards or away from the soul of Islam? Probably a bit of both...I'm not sure.

Advice from Imam Hassan Al Banna

Fellow Muslims, listen !

Through these words, I wished to clarify to you your ideology. For it is possible that critical times await us, and the communication between me and you will be cut off for a while so that I may not be able to speak or write to you. Therefore I advise you to ponder over these words carefully, learn them by heart if you can, and accept them whole-heartedly. For behind every word lie manifold meanings.

Dear brothers, you are not a welfare organization, nor a political party, nor a local association with strictly limited aims. Rather you are a new spirit making its way into the heart of this nation - reviving it with the Qur'an; a new light dawning, dispelling the darkness of materialism through the knowledge of Allah; a resounding voice rising high - echoing the message of the Apostle (PBUH). In truth and without being excessive, you should feel that you are the bearers of a burden the rest of mankind has shrugged off. If someone asks you: "To what are you calling?" Say: "We are calling you to Islam, which was brought by Muhammad (PBUH): Government is part of it, freedom is a religious obligation." If someone should say to you: "This is politics!" Say: This is Islam, and we do not recognize such divisions.

If someone should say to you: "You are advocates of revolution!" say: "We are advocates of truth and peace - we believe and take pride in this. If you rise up against us and stand in the path of our mission, Allah has permitted us to defend ourselves, and you will be the unjust rebels." If they say to you: "You are asking the help of individuals and associations!" say: "We believe in Allah alone, and reject that which you were associating with Him." If they persist in their hostility, say: ‘Peace be unto you! We have no desire for the ignorant." (Surat-al-Qasas (28), ayah 55)

Taken from Between Today & Yesterday by Imam Hassan Al Banna

Lessons from the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him)

How is Dr. Tariq Ramadan's latest book different from the many other sirah books out there? The insightful lessons drawn from the stories of Prophet Muhammad’s life nd applied to ours today is what, to me, makes this book unique.

The book doesn’t overwhelm its readers with names and dates (as other more comprehensive history books sometimes do). Instead the author focuses on the morals and the teachings that can be derived from the different incidences. He truly delves deep into the Prophet’s character, at the same time subtly correcting common misconceptions about our beloved Messenger and his message (jihad, treatment of women, interfaith relations, etc…)

I whole-heartedly recommend this book to Muslims and non-Muslims, young and old alike.

Below are excerpts from passages that particularly touched and inspired me.

The Orphan and his Educator
One evening, he [Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)] heard that a wedding was to be celebrated in Mecca and he wanted to attend. On the way there, he reported, he suddenly felt tired; he lay down to rest and fell asleep. … The One, always present at his side, literally put him to sleep thus protecting him from his own instincts… This natural initiation into morals, remote from any obsession with sin and fostering of guilt, greatly influenced the kind of education the Prophet was to impart to his Companions. … this teaching method is most valuable and reminds us that a moral sense should be developed not through interdiction and sanction but gradually, gently, exactingly, understandingly, and at a deep level.

Incidence with the blind companion(referred to in Surah `Abasa)
Thus the prophet is a model for Muslims not only through the excellence of his behavior but also through the weakness of his humanity… No one must ever let power or social, economic, or political interests turn him or her away from other human beings, from the attention they deserve and the respect they are entitled to.


Hijrah


Battle of Badr
The Messenger’s authority in human affairs was neither autocratic nor restricted… The Prophet gave his Companions, women and men alike, the means and confidence to be autonomous, to dare to address and contradict him without his ever considering it as lack of respect for his status. Through this attitude he showed them deep respect for their intelligence and for their heart…


Spirituality
He [Prophet Muhammad] thus invited them [the Companions] to deny or despise nothing in their humanity and taught them that the core of the matter was achieving self-control. Spirituality means both accepting and mastering one’s instincts…

Battle of the Moat [Ditch/Confederates]
Muhammad took part in the work [digging the ditch], and his Companions would hear him sometimes invoking God, sometimes reciting poems, sometimes singing songs in which they would all join. … the Prophet enabled the women and me in his community—beyond their communion in faith and ritual prayer—to commune through the voicing of emotions and the musicality of hearts articulating their belonging to a common expression of the self, a collective imagination, a culture.
…
All his Companions had witnessed, in all the circumstances of his life, that seemingly surprising blend of infinite generosity of heart, unambiguous determination in adversity, and strict management of time.

Death of his son Ibrahim
The trial of faith and of humanity, which made the Prophet shed tears, consisted precisely in learning how to find,…, the strength to face the finitude of the human, sudden departures, and death. The sign of the One’s Presence at the time of a person’s death lies not in the occurrence of any miracle but rather in the permanence of the natural order, in the eternity of His creation…

Final teachings
…faith would not leave them [the Muslim community], he said, but the world with its illusions would colonize them, and both would, unfortunately, coexist with them.

In History, for Eternity
The Messenger may have left the human world, but he has taught us never to forget Him, the Supreme Refuge, the Witness, the Most Near. Bearing witness that there is no god but God is, in effect, stepping towards deep and authentic freedom; recognizing Muhammad as the Messenger is essentially learning to love him in his absence and to love Him in His presence.

A must-read for 21st century Muslims

The Christian Science Monitor called it one of the "Best Non-fiction Books of 2004". For those of you who know me, you've probably noticed my obsession with Tariq Ramadan's Western Muslims and The Future of Islam.

What do I like most about the book? Its comprehensiveness. The topics Ramadan discusses in this book include everything from spirituality to social commitment. He truly portrays Islam as a way of life; one that is not only compatible with but is necessary for the 21st century.

Ramadan does not just summarize texts or reword old ideas; he brings forth a new way of thinking. More importantly, it is one that is deeply rooted within Islamic scripture.

What makes this book more powerful is the language used. I will not attempt to rephrase Ramadan's words because I know I will fail miserably. I will however quote a few of my favourite statements from the book, in hope that this encourages people to read the book and think about the ideas and solutions proposed.

Introduction

"While our fellow citizens speak of this 'integration' of Muslims 'among us', the question for Muslims presents itself differently: their universal principles teach them that wherever the law respects their integrity and their freedom of conscience and worship, they are at home and must consider the attainments of these societies as their own and must involve themselves, with their fellow-citizens, in making it good and better. No withdrawal, no obsession with identity, on the contrary, it is a question of entering into authentic dialogue..." (pg 5)

Encounter with the Universal:

"The second teaching of the revelation is to invite individuals to a deep study of their own inner lives. The search for God and the sense of "the need of Him" may also arise from the indefinable work of looking inward that is required of each of us. The knowledge of God leads us to our self, and the knowledge of our self leads to God." (pg 13)


The Way (Al-Sharia)

"...the shahada translates the idea of "being Muslim", and the Sharia shows us "how to be and remain Muslim". This means that,..., that the Sharia is not only the expression of the universal principles of Islam but the framework and the thinking that makes for their actualization in human history." (pg 32)

Spirituality and Emotions

"Muslim spirituality, as we have said, is demanding and, through the Islamic teaching, touches all the dimensions of life. ... This humility [before God] should spread wide and deep through all areas of life: at every stage of working on one's self there will be a struggle against complacency, pride, and the pretentious human desire to succeed alone, using one's own resources (on the social, professional, political, or intellectual level)." (pg 122)

Toward a Reform of Islamic Education

"Public schools already teach the basic subjects, it is for Muslims to find complimentary, alternative, and original ways of providing the knowledge they judge to be essential to comply with the requirements of the message whose followers they are." (pg 137)

Social Commitment and Political Participation

"The liberating dimension of Islam insistently demands, on the basis of the universal principles, that reality be challenged in order that it be reformed, not that its deficiencies be added up in hope that we may at best adapt to them or at worst successfully protect ourselves from them. ... It is about getting out of the logic of exception and necessity and thinking of our presence in terms of faithfulness to principles in the strict sense." (pg 160)

"The globalization with which we are presented and that is imposed upon us today sanctions above all the absolute primacy of the logic of economics over every other consideration... The picture would be very dark were it not for a widespread movement of resistance: when faced with neoliberal economics, the message of Islam offers no way out but resistance." (pg 173)

Economic Resistance

"The rich countries, like the wealthy merchants of Mecca in times past, cannot fail to see a danger in local and national movements whose aim is to remove themselves from the "classical" economic system. ... The prohibition of riba, which is the moral axis around which the economic thought of Islam revolves, calls believers to reject categorically an order that respects only profit and scoffs at the values of justice and humanity." (pg 188)

"But zakah is anything but that: the levying of this purifying social tax,..., must be considered within the purpose of establishing a real system of collective solidarity and social security, women into the very fabric of society, that aims at freeing the poor from their dependence so that eventually they themselves will pay zakat." (pg 189)

Interreligious Dialogue

"Interreligious dialogue should be a meeting of "witnesses" who are seeking to live their faiths, to share their convictions, and to engage with one another for a more humane, more just world, closer to what God expects of humanity." (pg 208)

The Cultural Alternative

"To be Western Muslims is to confront reality with all its challenges and, sustained every day by the "need of Him", to take on all our responsibilities." (pg 223)

The Alchemist...Islam-influenced novel?

I finally got the chance to read Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist a few weeks ago. Overall, a good read but there were a few things that really grabbed my attention. For those of you who didn't read the book: don't worry, I won't ruin it for you.

I don't think it was a coincidence that a big chunk of the book was set in a Muslim land. I think the attributes of the Creator in Islam fit perfectly with Coelho's idea of the One, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, All-Knowing Supreme Being.

Moreover, makes these attributes of the Creator seem like they should be intuitive to anyone. Coelho chooses his words carefully so as to make it seem that it is unnatural and arrogant of us limited, mortal human beings not to acknowledge His Presence and His Powers. To use Islamic terminology, human beings are denying their fitrah by being oblivious to (or worse, challenging) the Creator.

Even Coelho's description of a shephard's life reminds me of the prophets and messangers of Allah. They were all shephards at one point in their lives and that lifestyle helped that ponder on the creation and connect with the Creator.

There are a few quotes which I particularly liked:

"God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom"- This very closely mirrors the Islamic concept of there being 2 types of ayahs (signs) of Allah: the material ones (the marvels of the world around us: mountains, trees, birds,...), and the perfect and miraculous verses of the Quran.
"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding." [3:190]

"Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there" - Substitute "heart" with ruh (soul) and "the Soul of the World" with Allah and you get a Muslim's idea of his/her beginning and end.

"But my heart is agitate...Well, that's good. Your heart is alive" - The word for heart in Arabic (qalb)comes from the root verb meaning to turn upside down or change the state of. An agitated heart is much better than a spiritually dead one or an oblivious one that just "goes with the flow". At least it is alive and kicking, struggling to get closer to Allah.
Umm-Salamah, the wife of Prophet Mohamad(pbuh) narrates that the Prophet's most frequent dua` was : "ya muqalib al-qulub thabitt qalbi `ala deenik" (Oh changer of hearts, keep my heart steadfast on your deen) [Sunnan Al-Tirmithi, 3444]


Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Coelho's turning Muslim anytime soon (you never know though). But his portrayal of Arabs, Muslims and Islam is not the orientalist garbage we see/read too often, and some of his philosophies resonate strongly with Islamic beliefs. Ok, I'll stop here with the semi-philosophical mumbo jumbo. But if you've read the book and have any thoughts on it, please do share!