One interesting phenomenon that I have noticed, however, is that racism is alive and well within social media.  Although some people would have us believe that racism has faded from our societies, the truth is that most racist people just do not have the audacity vocalize their hatred.  But in the anonymity of the Web, they feel quite comfortable expressing their lewd and bigoted opinions.

Whether that bigotry is directed at African Americans, Muslims, Jews, or any other group, the formula is usually the same.  The commenter is always anonymous, and the comments reflect deep-seated stereotypes and prejudices that many will pretend to have long forgotten when you meet them face-to-face.

I have no statistics to actually measure just how prevalent this phenomenon is, and short of tracing the origin of each comment, there is no way to know how many are from the same small group of people.  Still, it is a not a rare thing, particularly when it comes to YouTube videos.

The other day, I saw a video that portrayed an African American man saying something funny.  The video was presented as being humorous, so it is not surprising for comments to also be humorous, but at least one comment carried stereotypes with its attempt at humor.  ”This man should be paid with a lifetime supply of fried chicken and grape soda,” the commenter said.  Other comments are more blatant, using the “N” word, calling all Muslims terrorists, and other more direct textual attacks.

Racism is not dead at all.  It is still in the hearts of many, and when they have no fear of their identity being exposed, racists hold nothing back and make their hatred known.

OK, I am making a joke to cover my concern about the news that Disney is purchasing Marvel for $4 billion.  Sure, it means that we will probably see an X-Men theme park in the future.  And yes, Disney has an impressive history of not injecting their own products into their subsidiaries (i.e. we haven’t seen Miley Cyrus giving commentary on SportsCenter — as far as I know).

Still, it just seems like Marvel has lost some of its innocence in a weird, twisted kind of way.  Yes, Disney is supposed to be the juvenile innocent one, but Marvel’s purity was its humble beginning and its fanboy attraction.

My one and only fear is that Marvel will become more of a commodity than it already has.  Disney is all about pushing merchandise.  The cash register goes cha-ching for Disney like every millisecond (note: I have no actual proof of this, but you get the point).  My hope is that Marvel does not become too commercialized.  I shutter at the thought of Disney characters dominating Comic-Con, but technically it could happen.

I’m just going to keep hoping that all will turn out for the best.  After all, our favorite superheroes have faced greater odds, more sinister plots, and villains with bigger speech impediments than Donald Duck.  We will live to fight another day.

6dkqmi847u

Sorry I had to say it. The full story is here.

“The style is very different from what we’ve done in the past,” Cooper said. “It’s far more mobile than we’ve done in the past on SG-1. The concept is that we wanted to shoot this a little bit like a documentary crew would shoot a ride-along to a space ship out in the universe — that maybe we could get audiences to embrace the science fiction elements and the characters in a realistic way if we shot the show using the ‘language’ of documentary and reality.

What the flip?  OK, my skepticism just escalated.  Please tell this does not mean a wobbly camera running through the forest chasing aliens.  Please, tell me that.  Please?

“Hugh Jackman has described himself as “heartbroken” by the leak of X-Men Origins: Wolverine which saw an incomplete version appear on several BitTorrent websites ahead of the official 1 May US release date…”

What the flip?  Heartbroken?  Come on Wolverine!  Man up!

We always knew that Jim Brown had multiple talents: playing football, acting, er…um… diplomacy?  Apparently he has been masquerading as Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations.  Take a look at the photos.

In what is being called the final season of Stargate Atlantis, how dare they toss in a flashback episode!  The latest episode, “Inquisition”, is perhaps aptly named.  Watching it was almost like being tortured in the Spanish Inquisition.  Naturally, they did develop a little story around the flashbacks, but it was not worth remembering, unlike the flashbacks themselves, of which I didn’t need a reminder.

If you don’t have the manhood to make a full episode, just show a rerun.  Don’t tease into thinking we’re getting a new show, only to see a rerun in disguise.  That’s just wrong.

I’m sure the majority of people would answer yes, but what I’ve also found is that everyone says, “Oh, I never win those things.”  So, my question is, does anyone really win?  If you’ve ever won anything, any of those contests that say “no purchase necessary” as if they’re daring you to not buy the product and see if you can actually still win just by mailing in your entry, then please post a comment here telling us about your experience.

I want to meet some real winners, real people who have actually opened a bottle cap and seen something other than “We’re sorry.  Please try again.”

The majority of us have been experiencing a “financial crisis” since Bush stepped into office, but we’re only now hearing about it in the media when the fat cats need to be bailed out to save their billions from flushing down the toilet.  The rich stay rich, and according to Michael’s analysis, they might even get richer after this bailout. 

Shake your wanny fanny fu-unky song!

I’ll give a prize to the first person who can comment with the show where that song originated.

Oh yeah, and it never hurts to head butt the flag of a communist country now and then.

Warning: this is not for the faint of heart or a weak stomach.

Meat.org

My first one has to be about the Michael Vick case.

I’m not going to comment on whether I think he was treated fairly or on the media circus that has resulted from it. I just want to take this moment to tell Michael Vick how stupid it was to be involved with dog fighting.

He could’ve done cock fighting, gerbil fighting, heck, even people fighting wouldn’t have drawn the negative publicity and collective outcry of shame that dogfighting has rained on him.

This is America, land of baseball and apple pie, yes, but it is also land of the dogs. Dogs have their own houses, their own beds, their own dishes, toothbrushes, spas, doctors…need I go on? Think about it: Rin-tin-tin, Spuds MacKenzie, Scooby-Doo, Lassie, Benji, Snoopy, heck, even Cujo got respect from Americans.

For Americans, dogs are more important than just about anything else. Many Americans would rather have dogs than children. They love their dogs, Michael. Why would you hurt the one thing Americans would actually sacrifice themselves for? At one time, dogs probably had more rights than African Americans (no I’m not kidding).

This is serious business, folks. Michael Vick could have shot a black man in the back of the head in the middle of his front yard and buried him in plain sight, and it wouldn’t have generated as much anger from the American public.

But shooting a dog? Bro, you can forget it. Pack your bags. It’s not even about animal rights. Americans will kill bunnies to have nice looking makeup on their runway models. But dogs? No, you couldn’t even kill a dog for food if you were starving to death. It’s twisted but true. In America, all dogs go to Heaven, and all enemies of dogs go to Hell. And it’s hot, Michael, hotter than the hottest days in Atlanta.

“We’re like Fox News. Only smart. And not crazy. And we don’t lie.”

So true.

Perhaps this is their way of reducing him to nothingness…becoming the deckhand of his pirating secular oppressors. Even politically, he’s an apostate. Was he really hiding from Muslims all those years or from the embarrassment of being famous due to controversy rather than good writing.

And so, I issue him congratulations. Whatever it is he desires from this world, I’m sure he will have it.

Whoever desires the harvest of the hereafter, we give him increase in his harvest, and whoever desires the harvest of this world, We give him thereof, and he has no portion in the hereafter. (Qur’an 42:20)

Amir Sulaiman’s latest: Like A Thief In The Night was on my Amazon.com wishlist. So, she ordered it for me, and it came probably a week before my birthday. She assumed that it was the correct CD, but when she gave it to me and I opened it, I found Isaac Hayes’ Shaft in my hand.

How on God’s green earth do you mistake Shaft for Amir Sulaiman? It’s not like the CD covers look remotely similar.

Anyway, she complained, and they sent the correct one, received yesterday. SubhanAllah, it takes me back to my roots. Hard hitting, east coast beats under fresh, pleasantly poetic lyrics. He transcends boundaries of race and religion and delivers exactly what the dying hip-hop community needs. It is rich with a tapestry of self-reflection, calls to action, lamenting the suffering of the down-trodden, and foretelling of a victory for the righteous. Absent is the typical lyrical bravado and self-aggrandizement of most rappers (even many Muslim rappers).

Make no mistake about it, he is Muslim and apparently a lover of Ahlul-bayt (peace be upon them), and it’s not unusual for him to fall into the ecstasy of his own lyrics and start chanting “la ilaha il-Allah (there is no god but Allah).” In that way it has the symbolic texture of classical Islamic poetry…as though it were the modern-day qasida or ghazal.

Still, his lyrics are also very political, very pro-black, and very anti-oppression. He is part of the new wave of hip-hop artists trying to reclaim the culture that was abducted and molested by the mainstream music industry. And with guest appearances by cultural pioneers such as the Last Poets and hip-hop reformist and fellow Muslim Mos Def, the message certainly hits home.

The only complaint I could really have about the CD is that it’s not enough. I’d like to sit and pick this brother’s brain for hours, and unfortunately, I only get a little over 50 minutes. May Allah reward his efforts and purify the bounties that he receives through his jihad. I give Like A Thief In The Night a five [change gonna come by the fire by the gun by the word by the deed by the heaven by the street]…out of five.

I love the store, but there is one problem. Their size charts assume that everyone is a lanky beanpole. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but men in my family have big chests and broad shoulders. I wear a size 44 in chest comfortably. 43 starts to get tight and 42 makes me feel like I have a kid’s shirt on.

According to Shukr, 44, which is an XL (extra large), is for people over 6 feet tall! Imagine the chest on a 6-foot+ guy only being 44 inches, hence the beanpole reference. Anyway, my shirts end up being below my knees, so I have to get my dear mother to hem them (yeah, my wife just doesn’t do that kind of stuff).

There you have it readers: the silliest post I’ve ever written.

Anyway, the Department of Public Works (i.e. waste management) said that they were no longer picking up dead birds because of the bird flu. So, they told us to call the Health Department…problem is, they don’t answer their phone.

Is that a bad sign?

A habitable planet has been found. Let’s call it New Caprica! Oh wait, it already has a name: Gliese 581 c (ugh!).

Dip your breadsticks in hummus. It’s delicious!

The good news is, according to GateWorld, there will be two SG-1 movies sometime in the near future. That’s pretty cool.

Also, Amanda Tapping (Colonel Samantha Carter) will be making several appearances on Stargate Atlantis.

“Tavis J. Hampton, author of the Golden Scrolls has been featured at Leicester Review of Books and Blogcritics.org in an interview conducted by Ambrose Musiyiwa. The interview highlights his inspiration for writing The Golden Scrolls, his goals for future writing, and some aspects of his personal life.”

Make sure to check it out at one of those sites.

Your results:
You are Obi-Wan Kenobi
You are civilized, calm, and have a good sense of humor, even when those around you don’t. You can hold your own in a fight, but prefer it when things don’t get too exciting.

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)
Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Test

So far…Isn’t it lovely?

Read the Full Story by Robert Fisk

Listen to the segment at Democracy Now!

Read the transcript

I think, if we were able to spin the dryer fast enough, we could achieve fission. That would explain how socks always come up missing. Hmmmm…

“This North Island brown kiwi hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., this week-only the second of these rare birds to hatch during the zoo’s 116-year history.

“Kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered with their eyes open and begin foraging for small worms and berries after their first week of life, since they receive no help from their parents.”

Isn’t it cute?

Mace Windu (Played by Samuel L. Jackson): “We have to get off of this planet!”
Padawan: “Yes, Master…Wait a minute! I thought you were dead?”

Mace: “I don’t have time for this now.”
Padawan: “No No, I’m sure of it. You were dead. I saw you fly out of the window in Episode III. That was quite a dramatic scream.”

Mace: “This is before that”
Padawan: “Before what?”

Mace: “This is before Episode III”
Padawan: “Master, how is that possible?”

Mace: “The ways of Lucas, I mean the Force, are unknown to many. This is before. Episode III was then.”
Padawan: “I thought Episode III was now?”

Mace: “No, now is now. Episode III was then.”
Padawan: “I thought now was before?”

Mace: “Before IS now!”
Padawan: “Well, when will now be then?”

Mace: “Soon. Now, let’s go.”
Padawan: “But Master, if this is before Episode III, and Episodes I and II were also then, what is now?”

Mace: “This is Episode 0.1″
Padawan: “Master, how is that possible?”

Mace: “It’s a prequel.”

Padawan: “But I thought Episodes one, two, and three were the prequels?”

Mace: “And this is the prequel to the prequel, now get in the ship!”
Padawan: “Yes, Master.”

(The Padawan boards the ship).
(Master Yoda enters).

Yoda: “Full of questions, the young boy is.”
Mace: “I don’t trust him!”

Anyway, when I was changing the tires, I was glad that I don’t have hubcaps. Those things can be nasty to have to pop off, and when you put them back on, you have to make sure they’re on well so they don’t go rolling down the street (not to mention that, in the neighborhood where I park, they get stolen all the time). I have some killer mags on my car (I’ll post a picture soon, insha’Allah). They’d have to steal the whole wheel to get them.

My days are now passed on the camel’s back…

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life

1. Grocery Bagger at a Supermarket
2. Tuxedo Salesman
3. Computer Technician
4. Librarian (Media Specialist) — this is my current job and only one I’ve ever liked.

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have

1. Star Wars, episodes 4,5,6
2. The Last Dragon (Sho Nuff!)
3. Coming to America
4. I’m drawing a blank…no I really am…that’s not a movie.

Four places I’ve lived
1. Indianapolis
2. Terre Haute, IN
3. Oak Lawn, IL
4. Chicago Ridge, IL
(those are the only four places I’ve ever lived).

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch

1. Monk (all the time)
2. Any Star Trek
3. Andromeda
4. Stargate SG-1 (and Stargate Atlantis is growing on me).
See a pattern?

Four Places I Have Been On Vacation

1. Mexico
2. California (including Hollywood)
3. Florida (I fell into the ocean when I was six…almost drowned).
4. Tennessee (my favorite place).

Four Websites I Visit Daily

1. MuslimMessage.net
2. Slashdot (yeah, I’m a geek)
3. OverdueMedia.com (I read the comic strip).
4. IndyMedia

Four Favorite Foods

1. Chicken 1,000 ways…seriously, any kind of chicken, anytime…but it’s gotta be zabiha.
2. Sambusas…no not those Indian samosas..I’m talking about some serious Afrikan food!
3. Anything Persian, especially from Noon-o-Kabab in Chicago
4. Kifta Kabab

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now

1. Home
2. Malaysia
3. Noon-o-Kabab
4. Bed

Four people whom I tag next (let’s get some brothas involved):

1. Akram’s Razor
2. Planet Grenada
3. My dear friend, Aiman
4. Indigo Jo

So, I figured this would probably be pretty good, right? Like some chicken-noodle soup, right? Just like mom used to make, right? Wrong! It was laced with secret indian spices! There was no flavor whatsoever…just spice. I felt so betrayed. That’s just wrong. Some things should NOT be spicy.

I am beginning to wonder if my wudhu is even valid with this stuff. Perhaps I should bathe in bottled water.

Every time a black woman comes on the screen in one of these movies, the men are awestruck. They stare, drool, and pant. This is not surprising, as most men actually do this (present company excluded). Where these movies differ is all in the camera angle. Suddenly, the camera zooms in on the woman’s rear end, and we’re “moonstruck” by the footage. There is usually no warning for this and no justifiable reason.

You’re probably thinking that it’s my own fault for watching these low-class movies. You are right. It’s just that, ever so often, I’d like to see someone with color (who’s not Tyler Perry in a gray wig) on the screen . Furthermore, movies that, in some cases, are otherwise quite wholesome are completely demoralized and cheapened by two or three bootyzooms. It’s sickening!

The only Blackamerican movies that do not include such exploits are extremely heavy dramas, such as Rosewood. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rosewood, but it’s from a rare class.

Black women, who are much more than just round objects that move from side to side (I should know, I was raised by one and am married to one), should be outraged every time they see it, every time they’re asked to do it, and every time a man watches it and enjoys it. Why do we even need to complain about the oppression to which we’re subjected when we have become the main catalysts? It must come to an end, even if the only black face I ever see in a movie again is Samuel L. Jackson playing someone’s sidekick or an angry cop holding white people hostage. Hey, he was probably just upset from the bootylicious movie that he watched the night before, so who could blame him?

A few days ago, a news station ran a report on Anthem (one of the biggest medical insurance companies in the world), having a toy drive to collect toys for those children who cannot afford them. Two observations: 1) If I could not afford toys, then I probably couldn’t afford food and clothes either. Give me the essentials first! 2) With all of the money that Anthem steals from poor HMO plans that cost people their arms and legs (sometimes literally), why would they need to collect toys from other people and then deliver them? Why don’t they buy all of the toys themselves?

Nevertheless, my #1 reason for celebrating my lack of celebration of Christmas is the “Christmas Spirit.” It is infectious like a disease and equally as maddening. This week, while driving to and from work, people have been honking at me, yelling, giving dirty looks, driving excessively fast, having accidents, etc. People are stressed, suicide and homicide rates are on high, and the general “spirit” of the holiday is that commercialization rules and everyone MUST be a slave to it. The wife who says, “Oh honey, we don’t have to do the gift thing this year,” doesn’t really mean it. And anyone who says, “Well, it’s the thought that counts,” will probably be at Wal-Mart on December 26th exchanging their light-up singing bowtie for something they can actually wear.

I’ve heard the “progressive” Muslims ask, “Why don’t Muslims celebrate Christmas? We should appropriate American culture!” We should appropriate materialism, high blood pressure, stress, and anxiety? I don’t think so. Even if I had not converted to Islam, I would not make December 25th anything special in my family. It is not the birthday of Jesus (peace be upon him). It is a polytheistic holiday that Christians of the new Roman Empire “appropriated.” Yes, it’s true. The date, the tree, and all of the trimmings are a sham.

If anyone really wants to chat with me, they can do it with jabber:

adibudeen@jabber.anywise.com

To find out more, go to http://www.jabber.org

Last time I mentioned anything about sports, the Colts were 9-0. Now they’re 13-0, clinched the AFC South Division Title, a first round bye in the playoffs, and home field advantage for the entire playoffs (excluding the Super Bowl, of course).

Now the question is, will Coach Tony Dungy play the starters or rest them for the next three games? I think most people are looking at the dilemma all wrong. They figure, if he plays them, they have a chance to do something only one other team has ever done in history, go undefeated. If he rests them, they’ll probably lose (although it’d be quite crazy if they still won), but the players won’t get injured.

The way I see it, though, playing is a win-win situation. The players haven’t been hurt up to this point, and I don’t believe in luck. Teams that are well conditioned (physically and mentally) tend to stay healthy. Anyway, the real problem with resting and why I think they should avoid it, is that the players will be TOO rested. They’re used to playing every snap of every game. They even hate missing a practice. Now imagine them being off for three weeks, plus the first round bye. That’s an entire month of not playing. They’ll be so rusty that they’ll probably lose their first playoff game.

You have to stay fresh, and if you have the momentum of a perfect season riding into the playoffs, I think I could sacrifice an injury or two (that might not even happen). Besides, “perfect” is so much better than just “good.”

You know, I almost want them to lose a game just so people will stop talking about the possibility of them going undefeated. It would serve them better to concentrate on getting home-field advantage for the playoffs and then getting to the Superbowl. Really, once the playoffs start, your record in the regular season no longer matters. Enough with all the records, stats, and standings. Just bring home a trophy, for once. Uh, go Colts.

On another note, Zahra has started praying the entire salat with us. Before, she would just pray parts and mess with us the rest of the time. The other day, her grandmother put a scarf on her. Well, that immediately turned her into a woman I guess because she started praying with us. Now, anytime we have salat, she’ll get mad if we don’t get her a scarf and lay out a rug for her. MashaAllah! It’s hard to believe she’s not even two years old yet. I told my wife, if we find her in her room one night praying tahajjud, I’ll take it as a sign.

He said, “These extremists distort the idea of jihad.” That is true, and they do. But one must also ask, what is Mr. Bush’s definition of jihad? Yes, killing innocent people is not jihad, but what about a war, for example, against the Israeli army? Is this also not Mr. Bush’s jihad? Is jihad only valid when it supports American interests? Or can a resistance movement, such as the one in the Philippines be considered a “valid jihad” by his standards? I suspect not.

Still, the most damaging truth that Mr. Bush reveals about his “ideology of hatred” is that he is on a crusade and that the “crusades of old” were valid and justified.

“Over the years, these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence: Israeli presence on the West Bank or the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia or the defeat of the Taliban or the crusades of a thousand years ago.”

Let’s analyze what he’s saying here. Keep in mind that he has justified all of these things:

1. Israeli presence on the West Bank (legitimate)
2. U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia (legitimate)
3. Defeat of the Taliban (legitimate)
4. Crusades of a thousand years ago?

Why does he mention this? Were those crusades against Muslims, in which thousands of innocent Muslims were slaughtered, justified? Well, I guess in the defeat of the Taliban, thousands of innocent Muslims were killed (by indiscriminate bombing) as well. So, I suppose it’s no great stretch to include the crusades.

Bush is on a crusade, and like the “crusades of a thousand years ago” his goal is to not only defeat terrorists but to apply his own personal agenda to Muslims, to mold them with his own vision of Islam that is pacifistic, loyal to every American cause (regardless of how absurd it is), and that will accept secularism, materialism, sex, drugs, violence, and every other ill that comes along with “democratic” societies.

Unfortunately for him, just like the crusades of old, they will fail.

Instead of this being a major breakthrough news story, a German scum of a newspaper, the Bild, ran a story claiming that Koch used dead cats to power his car. It seems most of the “reputable” news agencies took this story and ran with it. I even read a post on Slashdot that had this claim but then linked to a CNN article that quotes the scientist refuting the very same accusation.

I would not be surprised if someone with a stake in the oil industry fabricated this story to divert people from the true benefits of this invention. (1). We can virtually eliminate our trash problem by turning it into fuel. (2). We can end the “oil wars” like the ones going on in Iraq and Afghanistan (yeah I said it).

But then, we are really reaching the heart of the problem. It’s not as if other fuel sources did not already exist (alcohol and hydrogen come to mind off the top of my head). The problem is that the oil industry and the politicians on their payroll are hellbent on making sure that oil continues to be the main source of auto energy until the last drop dries and most of the Middle East has been obliterated.

Meanwhile, on the real planet earth, a real human being, Christian Koch, has gone 106,000 miles in his car, powered by his trash.

There are also tons of books I want to read. Now one day is starting to seem like it’s not enough.

Anyway, the real culprit in this is Stanley Chevrolet, 5697 West Broadway, McCordsville, IN 46055. (317)-355-3000

These idiots did not tell us that we had to get our new car title from them. Today we went to the BMV to get one, only to be told that we had to get it from Stanley. So, we told them that, thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the rain had washed away our temporary plate. Stanley had told us that we could get a new one at the BMV. Well, the BMV chick, whose probably just one of the idiots I mentioned earlier, told us that we can’t get one from them.

So, I called the Stanley Chevy people, namely Jeff Farmer, and he went into this long sad-song speech about how usually the BMV will give you the temporary plate. And, “oh they didn’t tell you that you have to come here to get your title?” No, obviously! So, instead of just offering us a new plate, he goes on and on saying the same thing. Finally, he asked his owner to give us a new one, and the owner said OK. Now, good customer service would have been to do whatever he could to get a new one in the first place, even if it meant going to the BMV with us to make sure they either give us one or rectify the entire situation.

So, if you know what’s good for you, don’t bother buying a car from Stanley Chevrolet, if you are ever in the area. Do yourself a favor and find a place with better service. Allah is my Witness, and He is their Judge.

The Islamic concepts of zakat, sadaqah, and bayt-al-mal remedy these inequalities, but it would mean that the powers-that-be sacrifice quite a bit for the greater good of society. This, after all, is a society driven by usury.

What surprises me is that so many lower-class Americans are materialistic and obsessed with obtaining the elusive “American Dream”, all the time unaware that their personal struggle is part of the machine that oppresses them.

“If only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, “Sufficient unto us is Allah! Allah and His Messenger will soon give us of His bounty: to Allah do we turn our hopes!” (that would have been the right course).” (Qur’an 9:59)

So, I don’t have any composite drop shadows or transparency because I’m using an old ATI card that I had long ago, which still works unlike that cheap Jaton sorry excuse for a card.

Listen to the whole story

Unfortunately, the memory card for our new camera came today (i.e. one day too late), so I was only able to get a few decent pictures at the Zoo. And I spent like 15 minutes waiting for this rhino to get in the perfect position for a picture, only to find out that the image got corrupted when I got home. Other than that, everything else was cool. By the way, Digikam rocks!

Finally, it was determined that THEY never took out the initial payment (idiots). So, I’m just blogging them to let you know that Sprint sucks and you should never use their service, and I dare anyone who works for Sprint to comment on this blog! Alhamdulillah, I feel better.

1. Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light: Wang Tai-yu’s Great Learning of the Pure and Real and Liu Chih’s Displaying the Concealment of the Real Realm by Sachiko Murata with a foreward by Tu Weiming and a new translation of Jami’s Lawa’ih from the Persian by William C. Chittick
Note:This book essentially deals with the influence of Persian Sufism on Chinese Muslims and the how the rich 1400 year history of Islam in China has appropriated much of Chinese culture into their Islamic practice. (ISBN: 0791446367)

2. Prophetic Traditions in Islam: On the Authority of the Family of the Prophet by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri
Note: A brilliant explanation of Islam through traditional sources and according to the holy Ahlul-bayt (may Allah bless them and grant them peace). This book is originally written in English by a Shaykh that I highly recommend and admire for a firm grounding in sufi thought and practice according to the light of Ahlul-bayt. The book even explains its own purpose in eloquent terms that are beyond my scope:

“The first person to attach importance to the collecting of prophetic traditions was Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. Adhafir al-Sirafi has described how he once saw al-Hakam ibn ‘Uyaynah quesiton Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir. The latter was feeling averse to him and they fell to arguing over something. Abu Ja’far then sent his son to go and get the book of ‘Ali. He took out a great rolled up scroll and opened it, examining it until he had found the explanation of the matter in dispute. Abu Ja’far then said, ‘This is the hand of ‘Ali and the dictation of the Messenger of Allah.’ Then he went up to al-Hakam, saying, ‘Go with Miqdad and transmit it as you wish to the right and the left, for by Allah, you will certainly not find more sure knowledge amongst the people which has been revealed through the words of Jibril (Gabriel).’” (pg. XVIII)

(ISBN: 0946079870)

3. A Bundle of Flowers: from the Garden of Traditions of the Prophet and Ahlul-bayt (a.s.) compiled by Ayatullah Sayyid Kamal Faghih Imani .
Note: I have loved this book for years and have read it several times on al-islam.org, but I wanted my own copy. There is something so much better about holding a book in your hands, flipping the pages, even smelling the aroma of the paper. Nothing beats that experience. (ISBN: 9645691028)

4. Forty Hadiths: An Exposition of Ethical and Mystical Traditions by Imam Khomeini.
Note: This is another one that I have read pieces of online, but it’s simply too massive to comfortably read on a computer screen or print out on paper. I have searched for this book for years and never found it in print, until I finally found it at al-khoei center. It only has forty ahadith, but Imam Khomeini’s commentary is phenomenal, both from an exoteric Islamic perspective and an esoteric sufi perspective. (ISBN: 9643353583)

That’s all I can offer on the books now as I have not read them, but I will reveal more as I plow through them, insha’Allah.

In the meantime, I’m crashing over my brother-in-law’s house. You should notice that the design of the site has changed a little. I decided to make the top banner look a little more mature to fit the rest of the evolution that has taken place with the site. The picture was taken by a great photographer. Please check out more of his work.

The human being (al-insan) seems to always desire more from this world. No matter how much we deny our lusts for material gain, its amassing consumes us, and that which we do not have beckons us. All things of this world are not bad, and many of the beautiful gifts of Allah should be treasured, nourished, and used for the good of this life. But to desire these material objects, both organic and inorganic, and to refuse to let go of them is every good man’s undoing. I fear of this for myself and for my family. Adib, seek attachment to no one, not even family. Attach yourself to Allah alone and dissolve yourself into the flame of His eternity.

“The likeness of this world is as the water of the sea. However much (water) a thirsty person drinks from it, his thirst increases so much so that the water kills him.” — Imam Musa ibn Ja’far al-Kazim (a.s.)

It’s 4:59 AM, and I just finished making this blog. I’m using WordPress, for obvious reasons. We’ll see how this works out. I’m typing this in Firefox, for reasons I will not explain now. I should probably get to bed. I’ve already prayed Fajr, and I have to go to work at 8:30.