AE ART

[slaveofAllah88]

Aslam o alaikum wa rahmatuAllahi wa barakatuhu, InshAllah something that can serve a short reminder for us everyone in this blessed month



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AE ART - The First Chapter

Allah jalla wa 'ala says:

"Seek help by (i) being patient and (ii) the prayer - though this is hard indeed for anyone but the humble." (2:45)

There are so many people out there who pray and are patient and think, "Wow, I pulled it off. I must be from the 'humble'. It's not that difficult to have "khushu'" after all is it?"

Oh really?

Actually your belief that you properly pulled it off, IS your proof that you didn't pull it off properly. You are your own living evidence that it is just as hard as Allah tells us it is. Only a fool would stand and pray, and think they're being patient against hardship and being patient in obedience to Allah, and suddenly think they've clocked it all.

If you *really* had sought help in patience and prayer, you'd realise that you're nearly always off the standard and that you need to do more, and better. This isn't to depress anyone but seriously the level of religiosity amongst modern Muslims is *so* poor, despite levels of activism being *so* high, that it really scares me. We have so far to go to achieving just the deeni levels of our PARENTS, forget about those who are really special such as the 'Ulema and Awliya' that it's really scary.

But you must never give up. Keep striving folks, especially at blessed times like now so that you can learn the habit. Just don't kid yourself, that's all.

 

[slaveofAllah88]

AE ART - The Second Chapter

Allah jalla wa 'ala says:

"He (Satan) always commands you to do what is evil and indecent, and to say things about Allah that you do not really know." (2:169)

You'd have to be a good few sandwiches short of a picnic, or just a complete plum - ya'ni really really stupid - to openly commit evil actions and be indecent. You'd be called out straight away, or the behstee of that haram would keep you in check and on the straight and narrow.

But do we realise from this ayah that we tend to focus on *some* of it but forget the *most* important and serious haram act possible right at the end? This ayah is a countdown of haram, which ends with the worst: to speak about Allah and His Deen without knowledge.

Ignorance is rampant. People think that just because Satan is locked up then all of his viruses that he's infected us with have also been quarantined. You couldn't be more wrong.

In fact, I'd say that it's Ramadhan when these viruses infect people to epidemic levels. The virus of ignorance reaches new heights at this blessed time when lay-people suddenly become Facebook Muftis, Twitter Molvees

At a time when talk is cheap, home and mobile internet with 3G allowances even cheaper, and status updates and retweets costing almost nothing at all, the disease of just wanting to make statements and pass comment on matters that most are utterly unqualified to speak about is really quite shocking.

Whether it's passing fatwa on people, or creating your own hadith, or giving your own opinion when you're not allowed to give Islamic opinion, or forwarding on those "pass-to-10-people-or-die" emails, or any number of ways in which you misguide people whether wilfully because you know you are not qualified, or even unintentionally as you try to promote what is good and prohibit the bad with what you thought was authentic knowledge but it doesn't turn out to be that: well son, be warned. Saying an untruth about the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) will give you a seat in the hell-fire. Saying an untruth about the religion and the Lord of the Prophet, well, I don't even *know* how to quantify the serious stupidity of that.

Don't be from those who believe:

"I can, so I will."

"I'm on Facebook. I'm on Twitter. So I might as well use them!"

This ayah warns us all that although we may not realise it but even making innocuous statements on the Deen, or reacting to others without deep study and experience, is something much more serious than you may think. Once you speak about anything Islamic, you are speaking about Allah. And I *swear* by Allah, you had better be 100% sure before you open your mouth that you're ready to stand in front of Him that day and defend your statement with a burning Shar'i proof.

Reflect my brothers and sisters. Reflect.

 

[slaveofAllah88]

AE ART - The Third Chapter

Allah jalla wa 'ala says,

"O you who believe, don't cancel out your charitable acts with reminders and hurtful words." (2:264)

This verse has SO many applications to Muslims today but the specific thought that came to mind last night is when we have some Muslims responding in the way that they do when some kind of tragedy/crime occurs in the wider community - when perpetrated by a non-Muslim - such as the horrible Newtown school massacre, or the Breivik murders or the Batman cinema murders in Denver.

Subhanallah. We see families, a community and a nation in mourning. So what *should* we do?

Condemn this inhuman psychopath. Express our sincere condolences with those suffering.

What *do* we do instead?

Condemn this inhuman psychopath, give our condolences and then add a cherry on top for bad measure:

"...BUT look at your hypocrisy of not calling the killer a terrorist because IF this had been a Muslim guy then blah blah blah."

"...BUT can you now see the difference between how you treat white criminals and black criminals?!"

"...BUT that's why we tell you Cinemas are places of evil and sin blah blah blah."

"But" this and "If" that - the killer sting at the end of the sentence, the awaited "but" to show your personal agenda as opposed to sincere condolence, indeed the harming of the one you're addressing after you were charitable and kind to them.

Do you think those suffering ones want to hear about your politics right now? Do you think expressing grief must come with your terms and conditions, such as your identity crisis, your unfortunate skill of showing who Allah talks about in the above verse perfectly with your reminders of past injustices and hurtful words?

There is a time for this, and a time for that. But when you give charity to someone, don't follow it by reminding the guy every time you see him miskeen. And when you're grieving with someone, then just grieve. Show at least some basic humanity. And shut up.

Incidentally, this is me being optimistic I guess by placing most insensitive Muslims in the above category. The sad reality is that there were probably loads of insane Muslims who were rejoicing at the deaths of "these infidels in their satanic lairs of sin and vice." For these guys there would have been no such condolence before the hurtful words. There'd just be stupid hurtful words!

This thought came to me when our Imam recited later on in the night in the same third chapter, the statement of Allah 'azza wa qa'il when He said:

"There are People of the Book who if you entrust them with a heap of gold, will return it to you intact, but there are others of them who, if you entrust them with a single gold coin, will not return it to you unless you keep standing over them, because they say, "We are under no obligation towards the gentiles."" (3:75)

Ya'ni, a basic principle is established. People are not the same. Non-Muslims aren't even the same. So don't paint everyone with the same brush and put them all in the same boat, when Allah doesn't put them in the same boat.

Don't make the miskeen father in the cinema with his kids who has no other idea how to raise his children, the same as the soldier who just programmed the drone strike on your innocent brothers and sisters in their village. Because they're not the same.

Sure, this can be difficult to swallow for a lot of us, but that's what we have to swallow. That's what people of the Higher Path have to aspire to. We might not see the differentiation at times, we can't separate those who might share all the same characteristics, but a closer study shows otherwise. And that's what your Lord is indicating here. And that's why the Qu'ran was sent down for us to deeply reflect over.