Mecca, Mecca, Mecca. My, oh My!

I’ve copied and pasted below an entry from 2005 that was the first one I wrote on my original blog.  (The images are not from the original though)  These were some thoughts that I had before going for the Hajj in 2005, and in a day or two I’ll put up an entry that I had written when I had returned from there.

For those who are interested, the Islamic Center at NYU will be sponsoring an Umrah trip in March of 2010 in conjunction with Dar es-Salaam Travel Agency entitled The MeccOdyssey.    Details of it are at the bottom of the entry.  I would highly recommend to everyone who is even slightly interested in attending to push yourself to do.   The cities of Mecca and Medina are truly unlike any other wAlhamdulillah.

Pre-Hajj Thoughts 2005
It only occurred to me a few hours ago how important and real my journey to Mecca is. When I decided to go for hajj a few months ago, the thought of it all was somewhat intriguing. My mind would sometimes wander here and there, thinking about everything from the kaaba to the masjid of the prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salaam, to being able to eat a halal whopper from the burger king next to the haram. But now as I sit on my bed less then twenty four hours away from leaving the United states, my thoughts lie elsewhere.

Today a lot of people who I have been blessed with being close to said good-bye to me. For the next three weeks I will have no communication with them whatsoever. I am leaving behind the emails, the instant messengers, the blackberries, and the text messages. When I put my hand in my pocket it won’t be to silence a vibrating cell phone, beckoning me to answer it by the rhythmic tremors it unleashes upon me until I give in to its whims. When I awake in the morning, my first inclination won’t be to run to my laptop to see what new correspondence I might have received electronically during the course of the night. When I return to my place of rest in the evening from a day out in the world, it wont be in a state of tiredness that disallows the formulation of any coherent thoughts; a state that is further inhibited by an array of broadcasted images spewing notions of violence, hatred, anger and injustice from all over the world. None of this will be with me when I leave from here. What I will take is myself and the advice that has been given to me.

All around me people have been telling me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. Literally about 200 people have sent me emails with their advice, their insights, but most importantly their requests for du’aas. The idea that their name might be mentioned in the holiest city in the world is an opportunity that they cannot let pass them by. But then the thought enters my mind that who am I to seek anything on their behalf? That it is true that I will be in the city, but what justice can I do to the sanctity that embodies it? That here is the place where Hajar alayhi salaam ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa, ascending to their very summits in hopes that she might find some nourishment for her infant child Ismael alayhi salaam. That here is the place when Ibrahim alayhi salaam, the friend of Allah, built, or rebuilt, the blessed Kaaba along with Ismael Alayhi salaam, many years ago. That this House, the kaaba, throughout time was under the protection of Allah, even when armies marched with elephants against it and the people fled to the hills, their fleeing was done with the understanding that Allah would protect His city, and protect He did. That most importantly in this city some generations late the best of creation, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, salallahu alayhi wa salaam, would be born; that that streets are not just streets, but they are more that that because he walked on them; that the winds are unique in that they carried his blessed words throughout the town to anyone who would hear it; that his blessed forehead prostrated on that same ground that potentially two million hajjis would be prostrating upon in the coming weeks. What then could I possibly offer to such a noble place? In trying to find answer to this question, I was reminded of some words that a close friend and teacher of mine sent to me when I was going to visit Mecca before. Although at that time I was going for umrah, a smaller pilgrimage, his overall message still applies.

“Dear Khalid, Umrah is a great blessing to this Ummah and the Tawfeeq to perform it is indeed a special mercy from Allah Ta’ala, a manifestation of His love for you, for with the open invitation for all here is His guidance for you to actually embark on this noble and virtuous journey to the sacred house of Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala, any invitation to ones home is a symbol of affection and care and remember the nonbelievers are not even allowed therein and of the believers only a privileged few, this is the smaller pilgrimage and pilgrimage is a migration from all else to Allah swt, an act of devotion and a quest of the pious, every prayer there in is multiplied, every Subhaan Allah, every Allahu akbar even to gaze at the holy ka’aba itself is an act of reverence and a measurement of your love for Allah ta’ala.

You may pray and beg for everything and every one and maybe even for me but most of all ask for the victory of Allah for the Ummah of His beloved Muhammad saws, pour your heart out let the heart ache you feel for the rest of this glorious nation find representation in your dua and tears there in the holiest of places, the pain of orphaned children, the hunger of our poor, the bleeding heart of our mothers, the screams of our tortured and the agony of our elders and pious, may almighty Allah change our hearts and the material mind set we have cultivated and the negligence to Salaah and our collective distance from the sacred Sunnah for victory comes from and only with righteousness and verily everything else is temporary and deceiving, may Almighty Allah in His greatest kindness accept and bless you your sacred Umrah.”

From here I start my journey. I’ll be back in a few weeks inshallah and my posts will be more regular then I request of all of you who are reading to please keep my in your prayers; that Allah accepts my Hajj and the Hajj of all those who have gone before me, who are going now, and will be going in the future; that He makes things easy for all of those who we are leaving behind and allows us to be together again soon, and that He accepts all of our prayers and secret wishes, as there are no secrets from Him. He is the All-Knowing, the Merciful. Ameen.
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so if you’re interested, the IC is going to Mecca and Medina inshallah.   Details can be found at www.icnyu.org/umrah or below.  Please do share with your networks and friends.

**AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON VISA APPROVAL PROCESS FOR THOSE TRAVELING WITHOUT MAHRAM**

We have received many inquiries from individuals wanting to participate in our upcoming Umrah Trip but are concerned about getting visa approval without a mahram.   We are in conversation with the appropriate offices right now to get the necessary approvals and will need to show them a list of registrants at some point soon.  As such, it would be very important for those of you who are interested in attending to register so that we can show those offices that there is a high need for the approval.   In the event that the visa approval is denied, you will be refunded any deposits and subsequent payments that were made. So please do your best to register in a timely fashion as the more people we can show them require this accomodation, the more likely they will be to approve it.

Reigstration information can be found below as well as on our website at www.icnyu.org/umrah

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Join the Islamic Center at NYU for its first ever Umrah Trip this Spring!

Over Spring Break 2010, the Islamic Center at New York University will be leading students, alumni, young professionals and Muslims from the U.S., Canada and more, in a one-week religious experience like no other.  This trip is open to all Muslims, regardless of their affiliation with New York University or otherwise.  We’re working with Dar El Salam Travel Agency, a leader in hajj and umrah travel for many years, to ensure that people from all over the United States, Canada and other parts of the world can travel with us.

This one-week package includes all of the following for one low per-person price:

Round-trip flight from New York’s JFK to Jeddah via Dubai on Emirates Airlines.  Depart New York Saturday, March 13, 2010, and Return Sunday, March 21, 2010.

One-Way Airfare from Jeddah to Madinah (or ground transportation based on arrival time) on Sunday, March 14

Three nights accommodation at the four-star Dallah Taibah or four-star Harmony Hotel in Madinah: Classes and organized trips to the Prophet’s Mosque.

Half-day sightseeing trip of the Madinah “Mazarat”: A guided tour of Islam’s most sacred sites.  With learned guides, you’ll experience Islamic history like never before.

One-way Ground Transportation from Madinah to Mecca

Three nights accomodation at the four-star Zamzam/Al-Safwa or five-star Hilton Towers in Mecca.  Package will include ‘umrah at the Haram, as well as classes and visits to the sites surrounding Mecca.

Quad Room Price: $1,775.00 per person*
Triple Room Price: $1,820.00 per person*
Double Room Price: $1,950.00 per person*

Child Rates
Up to 2 years of Age: $250 only
2 – 7 years of age without bed: $1350 no bed
7 – 11 years of age with bed: -$250 from the adult rate
12 years of age and up:  Adult rate

**** Register today by clicking here ****

* These prices are based on travel from JFK, and include all the above services and features.  Other departure options include Toronto, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles and will be an additional $300 per person.

Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at any time at 212.998.4712 or via email at umrah@icnyu.org.

For more information, please visit www.icnyu.org/umrah

The Status of Jesus and Mary in Islam

The following lecture was delivered at the University of Alabama in Birmingham some time ago .   Check it out and do share with others if you think it is of benefit.

you may have to turn the volume up a little bit

So Now that you are Muslim, you should probably think about getting married….

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of converts to Islam in my life. Most of them face a series of challenges as they seek to adjust to their new lifestyles respectively. Today I was reminded of one of my favorite experiences with a friend who is a convert from about eight years ago.

A young woman had converted in our community and the usual excitement was in the air. A large group of people had welcomed her at her conversion and then a smaller group of people began to teach her the basic things she needed to know. I thought things were going well for her but a few weeks later I noticed she was kind of down. When I asked her what the problem was she said she was concerned about how to find someone to marry. I thought for a moment and then told her that she was only 19 years old. Then I reminded her that she had been Muslim for only about three weeks and maybe she should finish learning how to pray first before thinking about the lovely hardship in a young Muslim’s life that is called marriage.

To show how much we’ve grown as a community, today, eight years later, a young woman entered into my office looking for some advice. She had been told by many of her friends that she needed to start thinking about marriage because she was getting older. She became a Muslim about a month ago.

Are you kidding me?

**Sigh**

Marriage itself seems to plauge most Muslims’ minds across the world. The desire and pursuit of companionship most definitely becomes a critical factor in most peoples lives, making it all the more frustrating when it doesn’t happen as easily as one would like it to. For a convert though it becomes a substantially more frustrating experience, as they at times have to deal with everything a person who has been born into a Muslim family has to deal with and even more. Its important for those of us who were born into Muslim families to reflect on the experience of a convert so as to not cause undue hardship on someone for the simple reason that we didn’t think where they were coming from.

Those of us who are not Muslim should really imagine what it would be like to be a part of a non-Muslim family. For most it becomes quite the struggle, as you are trying to learn the religion yourself while at the same time be a spokesperson for it to people who don’t know anything about it. Whether the family is accepting or rejecting of the conversion, it can still be a very stressful situation where one is expected to know the answer to everything. This becomes a problem when our help of those who are converts stops 10 minutes after we’ve given them a hug the day of their shahada. It becomes an even bigger problem when those of us who decide to give advice start off by saying things like “you should probably think of getting married now”. Can you imagine if you are a 19 year old girl and you come home to talk to your parents’ about your newly found religion and then tell them that you were told you have to get married soon? When I was 19 years old I told my dad I wanted to get married and he told me I was stupid and to stop saying stupid things and my parents are Muslim alhamdulillah.

Another factor thats key to understand here is how hard it can be for a convert to find someone to get married to. I participated on a panel in which one of the speakers stated quite matter-of-factly that parents always know whats best for children and when it comes time to get married, one should fully rely on their families to help them find someone. Afterwards a young girl came up to me quite concerned, stating that not only is her family not Muslim, but they don’t even like Islam. So how can that be the way for her to get married? The cultural norms that dictate “proper” ways to get married can be quite confusing to many Muslims, not just converts. There is no expectation of someone to commit a cultural apostacy upon embracing Islam. Rather one should be able to infuse their Islam within their own cultural dynamic, allowing for even further evidence as to how truly beautiful this deen is that it can be applied anywhere and at anytime for any person or people. Yet our attachment to “our ways” can be more detrimental than we even realize.

I met a young Chinese girl once who approached me asking questions about Islam. Usually when I speak to someone who is interested in converting, I ask them what issues they have with the religion, so as to not waste time speaking about things that already make sense to them. After meeting with me a few times, the girl told me that she did have one issue with Islam. She couldn’t understand why if she became Muslim she would have to marry someone who is Chinese. I asked where she got that from. She said her friends’ parents tell them quite often that they can only marry people from their own cultural background, and if they don’t they are bad Muslims. That is what kept her from becoming Muslim.

A final point of importance would be to realize that there is a good chance that prior to entering into Islam, a person who converts might have had a relationship with someone that makes it that much harder for them to deal with the hardships of marriage after. If you’ve dated someone, been physically engaged with someone, it can become that much more of a struggle to be alone because you’ve felt what its been like to not be alone. Here its also important to realize that if someone has been in a physical relationship prior to their embracement of Islam, its not something that we should hold against anyone after they’ve become Muslim. Especially for women who are unable to cover up sexual experiences from their past, the consideration should consistently be there that they are not lacking in any way because they are not virgins. Its not for us to define someone based off of our relative definitions of whats “good” and whats “bad” when Allah has decided that these people are so good that He erases from their records anything wrong that they’ve done up until that point and keeps only that which is good.

Sorry if thats a lot of rambling. I might finish this later inshallah

Like One Body: A Muslim’s Responsibility to the Ummah

Imam Zaid Shakir and Shaykh Yasir Qadhi will be at NYU this Thursday speaking at an event sponsored by one of our student groups, the United Muslim Association.  More details are below.   Do come by if you are in the area.  Dinner will be served and all proceeds go towards Islamic Relief’s Orphan Fund inshallah

Real Men Don’t Hit Women

I’ve been traveling a lot in the last few years of my life speaking to different communities both in the United States and abroad.  In at least the last two years of my travels, there hasn’t been a lecture or event that I’ve participated in that hasn’t introduced me to at least one young woman (and usually more) that has been abused in some way during her life and, subsequently, doesn’t know what to do about it.

Rape, molestation, beatings, verbal abuse, emotional distress, the issues continue on end.   In most instances, the hardest part of it all seemingly stems from the young woman being unable to find someone to speak to about it.    And so she will follow suit unknowingly to those who came before her and experienced similar abuses, left to talk only to herself.    Critical questions of why it happened to her in the first place now take on the form of self criticism, and in most instances the young girl will begin to blame herself for everything that has happened.    Why did my husband hit me?  Why did my uncle take advantage of me?  Why did my husband cheat on me?  Why did that boy end up not marrying me after having an intimate relationship with me?  Perhaps it is my fault and I deserve it.

As a Muslim man, I can say its already difficult enough to understand how to be Muslim in the context of the United States.   I think its also important for us to acknowledge that most of us haven’t grown up being taught how to be men.   If you are a man and you are reading this, at no point in time should you ever think its ok to hit a woman.

I spoke at the University of Pennsylvania on the topic of Dealing with Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community a couple of weeks ago.   You can hear some of my thoughts on the subject matter in the videos below.  Please do share with others if you think its worth it.   I’ll write something more in depth in the future.

Can’t Take it with you: Photographs of Muslims in America 2002 – 2009

Gallery statement
Gallery FCB is pleased to present Can’t Take It With You, a selection of photographs from seven years documenting American Muslims by New York based photographer Omar Mullick.

Pulled from the photographer’s numerous road trips through Muslim communities, the exhibit shows unparalleled access to halfway houses, artists, Balkan immigrants, veiled music producers, a Chicago funeral in the African American Muslim community, Muslim school children at play, Sufi gatherings to American madrasahs — all places and events to which Mullick was often the only person allowed to take photographs. Anchored in the photographic traditions of Walker Evans, Robert Frank and Gordon Parks, Mullick’s work stitches together an intimate, visual tapestry of the American Muslim experience from within and, in the process, expands on the visual record of who we understand to be Americans.

Repeatedly the photographs present an aesthetic vision strikingly different from the visual associations of Islam with war and extremism that occupy the mainstream. Avoiding hysteria, the photographs lean in to a stillness and intimacy with the subjects that suggest an insider’s stance at every turn. More than that, they admittedly attempt to address a religious community on its own terms, sidestepping the usual political or socio- economic filters through which religion is typically viewed. Mullick has said in an interview, “I understood the virtue of just documenting this community, their very existence in a visual document was worthwhile and even overdue, but I also wanted the religion to be about itself, in an absence of the usual academic reductions with which it is often treated. I could allow every thing from the banal to the transcendent so long as it was personal – any thing less would have felt like a betrayal of those being photographed.”

At a time when President Obama used the example of American Muslims in his Cairo address to indicate that Islam had “always been a part of America’s story…” the exhibit presents a culmination of one photographers deliberate effort to take the visual language of black and white 35mm photography, through which 20th Century America has often looked at itself, and open up that narrative to include the latest birth pang in American cultural life. To that end, Can’t Take It With You, which was pursued with singular purpose by a photographer deeply engaged with the idea of what it means to be American, promises to be one of the more important visual documents of the young 21st Century.

Bio
Omar Mullick was born and raised in London, after which he attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He spent six years in fashion photography and the film industry, shooting music videos and commercials before turning to documentary photography. Since then his work on Muslim Americans has appeared in the New York Times and National Geographic, receiving fellowships and awards from the M100 Foundation, the Western Knight Center for Journalism and Annenberg, along with sponsorship from Kodak and recognition from the American Academy of Religion. Selected works have shown at the Safe-T gallery in Dumbo, along with recent publication in National Geographic’s book ‘One World, One Day.’ This is his first solo show.

Artist Statement
The irony is not lost on me that I am driven to photograph people’s relationships with the unseen, and I’ve gone around the country and this particular community in that effort. Photographers have pointed a camera at every thing — I am acutely aware of that. I suppose then I am interested in nudging a photograph to breaking point in its capacity to address a person’s relationship with something intangible, some thing that cannot be held. I joked with a subject once when I gave them a print and said ‘here you go – here’s the proof.’ And we did not articulate it beyond that. It got a small laugh, and I liked that. But seriously, it must fail, the effort to articulate something of this breadth. That does not mean it’s not worth it. I think of a Beckett quote I love: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ I don’t know what it is that moves me about photography and this violence of light on a piece of film. I know it is something to do with when the results intimate something beyond the frame, something that provokes awe. And when that happens there is little else that seems more worthwhile than that.

Who has the right to judge? Judging the Judgmental

Recently Shaykh Mohamed Tantawi, Shaykh Al-Azhar of the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, came to the forefront of various media outlets for his public dismay at the dress of a young woman who had come in front of him. Surprisingly, this young woman wasn’t talked down to because she was wearing too little; rather his irritation stemmed from her wearing too much.

The young girl, said to be 16 years of age, had come to see the shaykh along with some of her classmates and caught the attention of the shaykh because aside from the scarf that covered her head (hijab) that matched those of her peers, she also wore a veil (niqab) that covered all of her face with the exception of her eyes. When asked to remove it by the Shaykh, she said no, upon which she was lambasted and told again to remove it, and ultimately she ended up doing so. He is of the opinion that the Niqab has no religious grounds in Islam and seemingly he took this young woman’s unwillingness to follow his opinion very much to heart, so much so that he had no qualms in breaking her spirit in front of masses of people. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi has written a more detailed account of the situation on the MuslimMatters website that can be found here.

A lot of things come to light from this whole escapade.

On an individual level, one can only imagine how hurt and emotionally distraught this young girl must be. How would we react if one of the most important, if not in fact the most important, figures in your entire country chews you apart in front of your friends, your classmates, and, most unfortunately, a media presence that brings the entire situation to the whole world. It becomes really hard to digest that a person could treat another person in that manner.

Thereafter, on a community level his statements prove to be quite detrimental. What he said in Egypt will most definitely have an effect on Muslims in other parts of the world. Already the Prime Minister of Italy has called for a ban to the niqab and they are quoting Shaykh Tantawi to further emphasize their objectives. Italian People of Freedom Member of Parliament, Barbara Saltamartini, has been quoted as saying that “banning the burqa cannot be considered anti-Muslim because it is not obligatory in Islam. The Imam of Al-Azhar university in Cairo, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, has just stated unequivocally that Muslim women have the right to their own identity and that the burka is not part of Muslim tradition.” Having traveled throughout Europe in the last couple of years and met many people on the ground, both Muslim and non-Muslim, I can safely assume that a lot of other places will follow suit.

One is left to wonder why he said it all in the first place. Aside from making things unnecessarily harder for a lot of people, it’s problematic enough that he hurt the feelings and reputation of a young woman who was just seeking to practice her Islam the way she best understood it. His words have the potential of lasting beyond the moment they were uttered and being preserved both electronically in the form of a sound byte for years to come, as well as internally on the heart of a young woman who probably is trying to make critical sense of what exactly happened to her. The unfortunate reality is that many of us are probably guilty of something similar at some point in our lives. Where we have spoken words not realizing fully the impact they might have, or even despite the realization that they might not be the best things to speak, we say them anyway regardless of the repercussions because we don’t like to have our personal ideals challenged, thus making us seem judgmental.

Most of us are probably guilty of being negatively judgmental at some point in our lives. When we see people acting in a certain way that we dont understand, it becomes easier for us to lash out in astonished horror rather than put in the effort to understand why they might be doing what they are doing. We become so offended that they would act in a way that challenges any of our ideals, that the only response we can come up with is one of anger, ridicule or condescension.

Our understanding of being judgmental has to begin with a definition of it. We as individuals give a certain amount of value to personal ideals that we have set up for ourselves to live by. When we are judgemental, we basically are pitting something or someone against one of these ideals to see how they compare. At times when someone acts contrary to an ideal that we have set for ourselves, we evaluate their action via our ideal. As such, it isn’t always that we have some kind of animosity or issue with that person as an individual, but rather we are looking at this person from a generalized standpoint that their behaviour doesn’t agree with our ideal. You are doing something that doesn’t fit into the way that I think things should be done, and I need to make a judgment call as to whether or not I am ok with this. This has both its positives and negatives.

I can be positive in my judgmentalness because it helps for me to reinforce my own personal values. I have set a certain standard for myself and via this process I can begin to truly understand how that standard factors in my life and if in fact it holds the worth that I claim it holds. It’s not only in the place also where I see you do something wrong. But if I praise you or complement you, then this is me being judgmental away.

However, in pursuit of this reaffirmation of our own values, it becomes problematic if we push it to the extent that we are no longer open to receiving the values or critiques of anyone else. When I begin to make claims that my perspective is the only perspective, in simple terms this is really bad, but its really bad moreso for me than anyone else. If I get to a point where I rely solely on my own perspectives, I have the potential to become complacent and passive in pursuit of knowledge. If I begin to think that I am always right, how will I grow? What would be my motivation to learn more if I’ve already made a determination that not only am I “good”, but I am also better than you? It puts us in a place where the development of our character and personality becomes so stagnant, because we are all the while seeking to elevate ourselves by denigrating those around us.

We just have to become more comfortable in understanding that there is a lot of diversity in our religion and that if I do something different from you, it doesn’t mean that I have to be wrong in order for you to be right or vice versa.

As this is getting long, I’ll probably stop here as I am sure my rambles are turning more ramblesome. Other thoughts that come into mind from this is what is the appropriate way to advise someone who is in a religiously authoritative position (ie how do you give advice to a sheikh/scholar), how difficult it is to be a young woman in pretty much any part of the world, the need for media training in the Muslim world, the relativeness of morals and ethics, what makes someone a “good muslim” – their knowledge or their character, how amazing the Prophet ‘alayhis ’salaam must have been as individual in that he had the ability to speak and teach anyone, and a whole lot of other things.

On a side note, I’ll be writing more from now on inshallah. Sorry it’s been so long since the last entry.

ISNU Eid Dinner

I am going to be in Boston tonight at Northeastern University for those of you who are in the area.

I know these last couple of posts have been somewhat weak but inshallah I’ll start being more consistent in posting starting this weekend.

Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community – UPenn Lecture

I am speaking tonight at UPenn on Domestic Abuse in the Muslim Community.   For any of you in the Philly area, details are as follows:

Lord Have Mercy – Asking of Al-’Afu

So I dropped a table on my foot last night and am now stuck on my couch.  I figured it’d be a good time to write.
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Its become pretty evident to me in the last few weeks that a lot of people don’t think Islam has anything to do with mercy.   But the reasons become rather perplexing to me.   Its not that most people are taken aback my negative media imagery or headlines that are painting Islam in a negative light.  But rather in day-to-day conversations, many have walked away from speaking to Muslims with the feeling that Islam is pretty devoid of any principles of Mercy.   Many non-Muslims that I’ve spoken to as of recent have been really amazed when we’ve sat down and spoken about the concept of Divine Mercy, Forgiveness, and Compassion that exist within the Islamic paradigm.   Even recent converts to Islam have said to me that an initial obstacle in their path to conversion came from conversations with Muslims who made Islam seem harsh.  Upon becoming Muslim and learning about Islam, they were amazed at the fact that Muslims didn’t speak more about the concept of mercy and forgiveness.  But I guess it makes sense that we don’t do things that make the most sense to do   **sigh**

I think one of the biggest issues that we have in conveying this most fundamental aspect of our religion to people stems from our inability to really grasp it ourselves.  I can’t really articulate to you something that I don’t get and in this situation its probably easier for me not to get the principle of mercy, because if I did I would then have to embody it more so for myself.  I would then have to check myself before getting angry, before telling a lie, before being abusive, before yelling or screaming, before raising a hand, before standing up after prayer without making du’aa, before being judgmental, before being condescending, before being irresponsible, before being malicious, before being untrustworthy, or before being simply mean.   It’s just easier for me to be those things.   Its also easier for me to sometimes believe I won’t be forgiven.  But the easiest options are not always the most beneficial.

Since I am going to be sitting a lot in the next few days, I’d like to take the opportunity to expound upon some aspects of mercy that I’ve been thinking about lately.   Especially during these last nights of Ramadan, its really important for us to start to think about these things.    Somewhat obvious at this time would be a brief discussion of the following du’aa as many of us will be theoretically hearing it, reading it, and saying it a lot throughout the remainder of Ramadan.  In it we call upon Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala by His Divine attribute of Al-’Afu.

`A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that she asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylatul-Qadr, what should I say during it?” And he instructed her to say: “Allahumma innaka ‘afu’wwun , tuhibbul ‘afwa, fa’fu ‘annee” (O Allah! You are Oft-Forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me). (Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and At-Tirmithi)

The issue we run into in understanding the depth of forgiveness that we are asking of Allah from this du’aa comes from elements of it being lost in translation.   There are a few words in the Arabic language that get translated into English as “forgiveness”.

For example, when we call upon Allah as Al-Ghafoor, we translate it sometimes as “The Forgiving”.  But Al-Ghafoor and Al-’Afu are two different words, so they can’t both mean the same thing.

The way the Arabic language works is very interesting.  Words are usually derived from a tri-lateral root and words that share roots have somewhat of a similar meaning.   For example, the word Muslim, Islam, and Salaam are all derived from the tri-lateral root sa-la-ma, and it’s easy to see how the words are linked.

In Arabic, the word ghafara, yaghfir is similar in meaning to satara, which means to cover up (words that one might know are sutra, satr, etc.)  When we are calling upon Allah and asking Him for this kind of forgiveness, we are asking Him to not expose our sins, in essence to cover them up, both in this world and in the next.   ‘afa, yafu‘ means to erase.  When one calls upon Allah as Al-’Afu, one is essentially asking Him to erase from all records any consciousness of that action existing.

Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon Him, says:  ‘How many humans are there whose faults are put [by Allah] under cover, yet they do not appreciate and are deluded by His grace.’

When a person commits any act, there are some witnesses to it:
1) the place where the action is committed:  In the 99th chapter of the Qur’an, Al-Zalzala, Allah says the translation of which is:

“When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion,  and the earth brings forth her burdens, And man says: What has befallen her? , On that day she shall tell her news , Because your Lord had inspired her , On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out, to be shown the deeds that they (had done), So. he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it , And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.” (99: 1-8)

Thus, every piece of land will have the ability to testify for us or against us.  This is where we derive the logic of praying in different places, because each piece of earth that we pray on will bear witness that we did so.   Similarly, each piece of earth that we done something wrong on will speak out against us.

2) the angels seeing the deeds:  In the 82nd Chapter of the Qur’an, Al-Infitaar, Allah says “And most surely there are guardians over you.”(82:10).  This verse alludes to the angels that have been appointed over us and precedes the verse that speaks of the third witness

3) the records that have been written by these angels:  “Honorable and Recording”(82:11).  The angels are putting in record notice of each and every deed and action that we have committed, both positive and negative.

4) an individuals’ body itself:  In the 24th Chapter of the Quran, An-Noor,  Allah Says ” Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware (of the evil), are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement.  On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions. On that day Allah will pay back to them in full their just reward, and they shall know that Allah is the evident Truth.” (24: 23-25).

(its interesting to note that these verses also include explicit mention of speaking ill of women.   Something to discuss in a later post perhaps)

When one calls upon Allah as Al-’Afu, one is asking from Allah for forgiveness in such a way, that any recollection of the action in question taking place is erased from all of these witnesses.   That the land that you committed the act upon, the angels that saw you commit it, the records that they recorded the action upon, and the very limbs that committed the action all have it erased from each one respectively.

A final point that becomes important to note here is that one can seemingly embody this trait on a human level.   If you see someone doing something wrong, and you cover up that person’s mistake, then inshallah Allah will cover up your mistakes.   We don’t want to be taken into account for our mistakes or misdeeds and its key to understand that we need to begin to treat people the way we want Allah to treat us.

Jurair Ibn `Abdullah reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is not merciful towards people, will not be treated mercifully by Allah.” (Imam Ahmed)

Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “You will not be true believers until you are merciful with one another.” They said: “O, Messenger of Allah, we are all merciful!” He said: “It is not that you should be merciful to each other, but you should also merciful in general.“ (agreed upon)

Allahuma innaka ‘Afu

Tuhibbul ‘Afwa

Fa Fu’anna

Oh Allah, Indeed you are Forgiving

You love to Forgive

So Forgive Us.    Ameen.  Ameen Ya Rabbal ‘aalameen.

So I dropped a table on my foot last night and am now stuck on my couch. I figured it’d be a good time to write.
******
Its become pretty evident to me in the last few weeks that a lot of people don’t think Islam has anything to do with mercy. But the reasons become rather perplexing to me. Its not that most people are taken aback my negative media imagery or headlines that are painting Islam in a negative light. But rather in day-to-day conversations, many have walked away from speaking to Muslims with the feeling that Islam is pretty devoid of any principles of Mercy. Many non-Muslims that I’ve spoken to as of recent have been really amazed when we’ve sat down and spoken about the concept of Divine Mercy, Forgiveness, and Compassion that exist within the Islamic paradigm. Even recent converts to Islam have said to me that an initial obstacle in their path to conversion came from conversations with Muslims who made Islam seem harsh. Upon becoming Muslim and learning about Islam, they were amazed at the fact that Muslims didn’t speak more about the concept of mercy and forgiveness. But I guess it makes sense that we don’t do things that make the most sense to do **sigh**

I think one of the biggest issues that we have in conveying this most fundamental aspect of our religion to people stems from our inability to really grasp it ourselves. I can’t really articulate to you something that I don’t get and in this situation its probably easier for me not to get the principle of mercy, because if I did I would then have to embody it moreso for myself. I would then have to check myself before getting angry, before telling a lie, before being abusive, before yelling or screaming, before raising a hand, before standing up after prayer without making duaa, before being judgemental, before being condescending, before being irresponsible, before being malicious, before being untrustworthy, or before being simply mean. It’s just easier for me to be those things. But the easiest options are not always the most beneficial.

Since I am going to be sitting a lot in the next few days, I’d like to take the opportunity to expound upon some aspects of mercy that I’ve been thinking about lately. Especially during these last nights of Ramadan, its really important for us to start to think about these things. Somewhat obvious at this time would be a brief discussion of the following du’aa as many of us will be theoretically hearing it, reading it, and saying it a lot throughout the remainder of Ramadan. In it we call upon Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala by His Divine attribute of Al-’Afu.

`A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that she asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylatul-Qadr, what should I say during it?” And he instructed her to say: “Allahumma innaka ‘afu’wwun , tuhibbul ‘afwa, fa’fu ‘annee” (O Allah! You are Oft-Forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me). (Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and At-Tirmithi)

The issue when we run into understand the depth of forgiveness that we are asking of Allah from this du’aa comes from elements of it being lost in translation.

There are a few words in the Arabic language that get translated into English as “forgiveness”.

For example, when we call upon Allah as Al-Ghafoor, we translate it sometimes as “The Forgiving”. But Al-Ghafoor and Al-’Afu are two different words, so they can’t both mean the same thing.

The way the Arabic language works is very interesting. Words are usually derived from a tri-lateral root and words that share roots have somewhat of a similar meaning. For example, the word Muslim, Islam, and Salaam are all derived from the tri-lateral root sa-la-ma, and it’s easy to see how the words are linked.

In arabic, the word ghafara, yaghfir is similar in meaning to satara, which means to cover up (words that one might know are sutra, satr, etc.) When we are calling upon Allah and asking Him for this kind of forgiveness, we are asking Him to not expose our sins, in essense to cover them up, both in this world and in the next.
‘afa yafu’ means to erase.  When one calls upon Allah as Al-’Afu, one is essentially asking Him to erase from all records any conciousness of that action existing.

when a person commits any act, there are 4 witnesses:
1) the place where the action is committed: In the 99^th chapter of the Qur’an, Al-Zalzala, Allah says the translation of which is:

“When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion, and the earth brings forth her burdens, And man says: What has befallen her? , On that day she shall tell her news , Because your Lord had inspired her , On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out, to be shown the deeds that they (had done), So. he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it , And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.” (99: 1-8)

Thus, every piece of land will have the ability to testify for us or against us. This is where we derive the logic of praying in different places, because each piece of earth that we pray on will bear witness that we did so. Similarly, each piece of earth that we done something wrong on will speak out against us.

SayyidnE Hasan

Al-Basri

‘How many humans are there whose faults are put [by Allah]

under cover, (i.e. He did not disgrace them), yet they do not

appreciate (and are deluded by His grace.’

2) the angels seeing the deeds: In the 82^nd Chapter of the Qur’an, Al-Infitaar, Allah says “And most surely there are guardians over you.”(82:10). This verse alludes to the angels that have been appointed over us and precedes the verse that speaks of the third witness

3) the records that have been written by these angels: “Honorable and Recording”(82:11). The angels are putting in record notice of each and every deed and action that we have committed, both positive and negative.

4) an individuals’ body itself: In the 24^th Chapter of the Quran, An-Noor, Allah Says ” Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware (of the evil), are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement. On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions. On that day Allah will pay back to them in full their just reward, and they shall know that Allah is the evident Truth.” (24: 23-25).

When one calls upon Allah as Al-’Afu, one is asking from Allah for forgiveness in such a way, that any recollection of the action in question taking place is erased from all of these witnesses. That the land that you committed the act upon, the angels that saw you commit it, the records that they recorded the action upon, and the very limbs that committed the action all have it erased from each one respectively.

A final point that becomes important to note here is that one can seemingly embody this trait on a human level. If you see someone doing something wrong, and you cover up that person’s mistake, then inshallah Allah will cover up your mistakes. We don’t want to be taken into account for our mistakes or misdeeds and its key to understand that we need to begin to treat people the way we want Allah to treat us.

Jurair Ibn `Abdullah reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is not merciful towards people, will not be treated mercifully by Allah.” (Imam Ahmed)

Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “You will not be true believers until you are merciful with one another.” They said: “O, Messenger of Allah, we are all merciful!” He said: “It is not that you should be merciful to each other, but you should also merciful in general.” (agreed upon)

Allahuma innaka ‘Afu

Tuhibbul ‘Afwa

Fa Fu’anna

Oh Allah, Indeed you are Forgiving

You love to Forgive

So Forgive Us. Ameen. Ameen Ya Rabbal ‘aalameen.