It has been confirmed. Last night, we had a tornado. For those of you who do not live in the “Midwest” United States, yes, that’s unusual in February. In all of my life, I’ve never heard of a tornado in the winter. I don’t know if this is a sign of strange things to come, but I wouldn’t be too surprised.
Well, maybe not, but my tire is. It looks like I’ll miss Salatul-Jum’ah this week. Americans put the strangest things in the road, you know; matresses, 2x4s, toys, shoes, pets…and, in this case, nails.
My days are now passed on the camel’s back…
The master of traditions (ahadith), Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Ya’qub b. Ishaq al-Kulaini al-Razi, may Allah shed infinite Mercy upon him, related in al-Kafi from Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (Allah’s peace be upon him), from his immaculate forefathers, that the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) dispatched his soldiers to battle to fight the enemy, and upon their triumphant return, said:
“Greetings on those who have successfully carried out the “Minor Struggle” (jihad al-asghar), but have yet to engage themselves in the “Greater Struggle” (jihad al-akbar). He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the “Greater Struggle?” To which he replied, “Struggle with the self (jihad al-nafs).
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to a man:
“Indeed you have been made the doctor to yourself, the ailment has been made manifest to you; you know the marvel of health and have been shown the cure, and yet look at how you treat your soul!”
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The truly powerful person is the one who has conquered himself.”
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said,” He who does not have a preaching heart, a reproaching self and a guiding friend will be easily overcome by his enemy.”
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated on the authority of the Imams before him, that the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him and his family peace), in his advice to Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) said, “O Ali, the best thing about self-struggle (jihad al-nafs) is when a person wakes up with no desire to wrong anyone.”
The above narrations have been authenticated and related by al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Hurr al-’Amili (d. 1104 A.H.), [may Allah make his grave fragrant] from his great canonical Hadith collection, Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, in the volume entitled Jihad al-Nafs, graciously translated by Nazmina A. Virjee (ISBN 1-904063-14-4).
I remember, in the early days of my acceptance of Islam, that I was scolded (even if indirectly) on numerous occasions for various “offenses” that I committed while in the masjid. Often times, it was due to ignorance, but at other times, due to my own understanding, which would later prove to be correct.
I distinctly remember the odd feeling I got when I heard an entire congregation (jama’ah) agree that Muslims should not use a tasbih (beads used for counting remembrance of Allah — thikr) because Muslims had “copied” it from Catholic rosaries. I don’t fault them for their uneducated logic. After all, in their minds, Christianity came first. Anything in Islam similar to Christianity, especially the archaic rituals of Catholicism (their thinking, not mine), must have been appropriated from Christians.
Imitating unbelievers is forbidden, they say. It wasn’t until many of the other arguments they had used to reprimand me began to crumble, along with my whole conception of Sunnism as being the “orthodoxy” of Islam (as I was told by other converts), that I decided to revisit the question of the tasbih. I did this many years ago, but I am just now realizing that I should probably document it.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,
“…it is certain that among the Mohammedans the Tasbih or bead-string, consisting of 33, 66, or 99 beads, and used for counting devotionally the names of Allah, has been in use for many centuries.”
Evidence also suggests that nearly all religions, all cultures, and any group that included ritual devotions that were either orally or mentally counted, used some form of counting mechanism. It was not unique to Catholics, and since the actual rosary was not formalized in the Catholic Church (1214 C.E.) until after Islam had spread through much of the world (approx 670 C.E.), one can deduce that Muslims could not and did not import prayer beads from Catholics.
The purpose of this post is not to prove that it is permissible for Muslims to start using beads after the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him and his family peace), but, it is sufficient for me to note what is related in Abu Muhammad Ordoni’s Fatima The Gracious:
In reference to Fatima’s beads, it was reported in Makarim al-Akhlaq that it was made of woven wool threads which had knots by the number of Takbir (Allahu Akbar), until when Hamza Ibn Abdal Muttalib (A) was martyred, she made them from the mud of his grave.
Since the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (A), people have been using the mud surrounding his tomb for making beads for the great blessings, which lie in it.
Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Beads should be made with blue thread and thirty four (34) beads, which was the way Fatima’s beads were made after Hamza’s martyrdom.”
It is the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet and his pure household (May Allah send blessings on them).
I knew that I’d have to say something about black history. The challenge was finding something that would not be old information to most, and yet would still be relevant. Most “American” history of black people, or Blackamericans, revolves around two major historical eras: 1. Slavery and 2. the Civil Rights Movement. But before Dr. King, before Reconstruction, before America was even America, before the first slave ships sailed 9,000 miles on a journey that left the Atlantic ocean floor littered with bodies, and even before Christopher Columbus, there were Africans on this land.
There are many books that have documented this reality, but the most acclaimed (and also most controversial) is Ivan Van Sertima’s They Came Before Columbus (ISBN: 0-394-40245-6). In captivating narrative form, the German author details the journeys of great African explorers and even quotes excerpts from Columbus’ own journal, where he provides abundantly clear imagery of African people that he encountered upon arriving in the “New World.”
The chapter that I find most intriguing is about Abubakari II, king of the great Mali empire, who set sail from the coast of West Africa into the Atlantic ocean, determined to make the journey to the New World. He had no intentions of returning and took virtually everything that he would need on his journey, along with an entire fleet of ships. He also appointed his successor, his own brother, who would become known as Mansa Musa, the legendary king of Mali, celebrated around the world for his extravagant generosity on his journey to Makkah for Hajj. History records that Musa’s caravan included 500 people, each carrying a staff made of gold. He gave so much gold to poor people along the journey, that it altered the economy of the region for twenty years.
When Mansa Musa was asked about his extreme wealth and power, he replied that what he had was nothing and that the king who came before him left the shores of West Africa with his griot and a fleet of ships, never to be heard from again.
There was once a time when the house would stay clean, seemingly on its own. Yes, there was the occasional vacuum, the rare spill, or even the infrequent dusting. But now, a force has occupied our home and taken extreme measures to ensure that our house walks the path of dirtiness. She’s only about two feet tall, but somehow, she manages to control the destiny of our entire home.
On the one hand, I will be happy when she (and possibly future siblings) are old enough to clean up after herself. On the other hand, most elders tell me that the time passes too quickly, and you only wish that they could go back to being young, playful, and innocent.
Meanwhile, I’ve received a letter in the mail indicating that I might be laid off from my job this year. But, they say, I should not panic. I should just wait until May, when they make the official announcement. Right. So, here I am, back to making resumes and filling out applications. I feel too old for this, yet I’ve been told that I’ll change careers at least 3 more times in my life.
What I’d like to be doing is writing full-time, and preparing Bayt-al-Hikmah (which needs funding from imaginary sources…perhaps my successful writing career). Then again, who has time for that, while working full time and raising a family?
“In this pain, of passing days we lost track
Each day carried the pain upon its back
If days pass, let them go without fear
You remain, near, clear, and so dear.
Only the fish will unquenchingly thirst,
Surely passing of time, the hungry curst.
State of the cooked is beyond the raw
The wise in silence gladly withdraw.”
– Rumi
Last night the wife and I went to a Turkish Restaurant for our anniversary. It was excellent. Not only was the food good, but the ambiance was excellent. On the way there, we got lost, of course. I didn’t realize it was as far away as it was. Then, when we were finally almost these, Umm Zahra says, “Oh yeah, Ustadh said that it was over in this area.”
“What?” I said. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t think of it,” she said.
Anyway, I just had to call her out on that one, but we had fun. 
I was having trouble posting things yesterday. Hopefully, this will work now, inshaAllah.
Here is a link to Sayyidah Zaynab’s (peace be upon her) speech, given in Yazid’s court after his troops had forcibly taken the women from Imam Husayn’s camp to Damascus, without their covering (hijab).
Al-Majlisi (in Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. XI) has written a chapter, “His mourning and Weeping on the Martyrdom of his Father, May Grace of Allah be on Both”, in which he, inter alia, writes:
“And it is said that he (i.e. Imam Zayn al-’Abidin) continued to weep till his eyes were endangered. And whenever he took water to drink, he wept till the tears filled the pot. Someone talked to him about it and he replied: “Why should not I cry, when my father was denied the water which was free to the beasts and animals?
“And never was food brought to him but that he wept, so much so that a servant told him: “May I be your ransom, O Son of the Messenger of Allah! I am afraid that you would die (of this weeping)”. The Imam said: ‘I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah and I do not know. Never do I remember the massacre of the children of Fatimah but that tears strangle me.’”
And here is Imam ‘Ali Zayn al-Abidin’s speech to the people of Kufa, after Imam Husayn’s martyrdom:
The Kufans surrounded Imam Zayn al-’Abidin, peace be on him, so he thought that he had to address them to make them know the sin of what they committed against themselves and the community. He, peace be on him, lauded and praised Allah, and then he said: “O men, whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not, let me tell him that I am ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. I am the son of the man whose sanctity has been violated, whose wealth has been plundered, whose children have been seized. I am the son of the one who has been slaughtered by the Euphrates neither on blood revenge nor on account of inheritance. I am the son of the one killed in the worst manner. This suffices me to be proud.
“O men, I plead to you in the Name of Allah: Do you not know that you wrote my father then deceived him? Did you not grant him your covenant, your promise, and your allegiance, then you fought him? May you be ruined for what you have committed against your own souls, and out of your corrupt views! Through what eyes will you look at the Messenger of Allah when he says to you: ‘You killed my progeny, violated my sanctity, so you do not belong to my community’?”
Those slaves who blackened the face of history wept loudly and lamented, and they said to each other: “You have perished, yet you are not aware of it.”
The Imam continued his speech, saying: “May Allah have mercy on anyone who acts upon my advice, who safeguards my legacy with regard to Allah, His Messenger, and his Household, for we have in the Messenger of Allah a good example of conduct to emulate.”
So they all said with one tongue: “We, son of the Messenger of Allah, listen and obey, and we shall safeguard your trust. We shall not turn away from you, nor shall we disobey you; so, order us, may Allah have mercy on you, for we shall fight when you fight, and we shall make peace when you do so; we dissociate ourselves from whoever oppressed you and dealt unjustly with you.”
In response to this false obedience, the Imam said: “Far, far away it is from you to do so, people of treachery and conniving! You are separated from what you desire. Do you want to come to me as you did to my father? No, by the Lord of those (angels) that ascend and descend, the wound is yet to heal. My father was killed only yesterday, and so were his Household, and the loss inflicted upon the Messenger of Allah, upon my father, and upon my family is yet to be forgotten. Its pain, by Allah, is between both of these (sides) and its bitterness is between my throat and palate. Its choke is resting in my very chest.” Then the Imam refrained from speech, turning away from those treacherous conniving people who were the mark of disgrace against mankind. It was they who killed the plant of the sweet basil of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, (i. e., al-Husayn), who came to free them and to save them from the oppression and tyranny of the Umayyads. After that, they repented and wept over him.
Source: The Life of Imam Zayn al-Abidin by Baqir Sharif al- Qarashi
Here is another one from my friend, Alidost. Another lesson from the life of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him). This one is good, mashaAllah.
“Oh the followers of Abu Sufyan, if you do not believe in hereafter, at least live a life of the open-minded in this world.”
These were the words of Imam Hussain to the troops of Yazid, as they approached the tents to attack women & children.
Lesson1:
Imam Hussain doubted that his enemies believed in hereafter
Lesson2:
Imam Hussain did not give up giving advice to his enemies
Lesson3:
This also voids the Wahhabi/Salafi propaganda that Shia Muslims killed Imam Hussain
Lesson4:
This also voids the Western misinformation that Sunni Muslims killed Imam Hussain, or that somehow, this was a Shia-Sunni battle
Lesson5:
Imam Hussain defined the enemy of Ahlul-Bayt: “Followers of Abu Sufyan”
Lesson6:
Attacking civilians is considered the work of those who do not believe in hereafter, and those who are not open-minded
Lesson7:
Imam Hussain did not just say! : “Do not attack the children!” Instead, he provided two options: believe in hereafter or live a noble life
Lesson8:
Living a noble life automatically comes with believing in hereafter
Lesson9:
Yazid’s troops proved to have no belief in hereafter and no open-mind
Lesson10:
Imam Hussain did not accuse or slander his enemies, and gave them the benefit of doubt by starting his advice with the word “If…”
So many lessons in one phrase.
Imagine what an be learned from his entire life?
This was sent to a mailing list of my closest friends by a good friend of mine, AQ Alidost:
“Master! Allow me to fight and kill a few of these corrupted men!”
“No, Abbas! I do not want history to write that the Prophet’s family members were killers. Instead, why don’t you fetch water for these children.”
Lesson1:
Abbas, Imam Hussain’s half-brother (Imam Ali’s son), respects the authority of Imam Hussain to the degree that he does not call him “brother”. This shows the importance of leadership and the crucial role of followers, and how a follower should behave.
Lesson2:
Abbas did not call his enemies “Kaffirs”. Instead, he referred to them as “Faasiq” (ie Corrupt). Meaning, you can never call a Muslim “Kaffir”, no matter how corrupt they may be.
Lesson3:
Imam Hussain did not object to the term “Faasiq” being used to refer to Yazid’s troops.
This itself is a litmus test of measuring True Muslims against Corrupt Muslims.
Lesson4:
Killing and fighting corrupt people is not always the preferred me! thod of confronting the corrupt.
Lesson5:
Imam Hussain was very well aware about the historical impact of his actions and the actions of his followers.
So should we.
Lesson6:
Imam Hussain did not just say “no”, instead, he provided an alternative to calm down an angry soldier. The solution is completely the opposite of what was requested.
Fighting and killing were requested, but Imam Hussain offered the alternative of water (life) and helping children (future of mankind).
Lesson7:
Abbas did not act alone, and before he could act on anything, he stepped forward and asked for permission.
Lesson8:
When permission was denied, he did not argue or rebel or ask questions. He obeyed and went to fetch water for children.
Lesson9:
Imam Hussain’s mission was not to fight or to kill. His mission was to establish the true Islam, and show to the world the difference between his Islam and the Islam of Umayyads.
!
Lesson10:
Imam Hussain explains why he is refusing the request, providing a rational explanation that includes the message of peace.
So many lessons in one dialogue. Imagine all the lessons you can learn by studying the entire event of Karbala.
Those who do not know Hussain, indeed do not know Islam.
And I stand firm by this statement on Judgement Day.
