Bernadette on a jumbo jet – A celebration of motherhood and femininity.

Once whilst being at London’s famous Hyde Park, speaker’s corner I heard of a male Muslim convert saying the words “they say a mother’s love for her child is great”, those words struck a cord with me and there was a certain resonance, so it remained with me. A mother’s love for her child is indeed something, great, something deep and universal and at the very core of the human experience as it is all of us who emerge from our mother’s womb after her cries of pain and pangs of agony. The following poem is a celebration of femininity and of a particular feminine experience, that of motherhood. Motherhood is indeed something special and in my eyes is a story of untold everyday heroism.

 

 

 

‘Bernadette on a jumbo jet.’

I once heard about a woman, who they said was a mother.

Who flew from one side of the world to the other.

Her son’s name was said to be Andrew.

And to Australia it was that she flew.

The woman her name was Bernadette.

She must have flown on a jumbo jet.

 

Engines, engines, engines roaring.

Plane, plane, plane soaring.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

 

Flying low, flying high.

Up up there all the way in the sky.

Bernadette on  a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

 

At times maybe her green eyes were crying.

At others she herself was full of sighing.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

 

Perhaps for her sick son, did she often weep.

Her love for him, being so, so deep.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

 

Tears of sadness, tears of joy.

All for him, for her little boy.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

 

 

Next time I see a jumbo jet, flying up high above.

Maybe I’ll think of a mother, a child and maternal love.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

Bernadette on a jumbo jet.

- Faatih, 2008.

Snow in London.

I don’t usually tend to write much about myself, partly because I believe it is somewhat selfish. Allah has given us time and different abilities so that we may use them productively. After we leave this life, we will be questioned as to our stewardship of the life that he gave us. All of what we have, our bodies, intelligence, free time, abilities, wealth and so forth are not from ourselves but from Allah. Look at your hand, examine the anatomy of the hand, the texture of the skin, how many molecules or atoms constitute this hand. Did you make it?

The answer is no. It was given to us by our creator and it is on loan – as if to speak – and then later we will be questioned as to what we did with it.

Having said that however, yesterday something very nice happened. There was snow in London.

Now in other parts of the world this is a common phenomenon, however in London when I was younger it used to happen every winter but not anymore. Yesterday as I was leaving a tube station in London, I could see there was snow and the streets were white. I immediately took a picture.

Snow in London, 20 December 2009.

I would have taken more pictures with my mobile, but when I tried to the snow hit my phone so I put it in my pocket. However as I walked the street’s back to my mother’s house, I really felt something special. Even for those people who don’t believe in religion, there is at times a tremendous awe of nature when facing the full beauty, majesty and greatness of nature. It can be a truly moving, or maybe even a spiritual experience.

The streets were white. However the whiteness instead of representing hardship and cold was a special type of white. It represented cleanness and beauty. The whole scenery looked like some of the pictures that we see of a white winter in London. In other words it looked picturesque. I also made dhikr (remembrance) of Allah as I walked through the snow. I knew it was He that caused it and I thanked Him for it and for witnessing this beauty of nature.

We know that in Islam, when it rains it is a time of blessing and your du’a (prayers, supplication) has greater power.

Jerusalem

 

Istanbul.

 

London.

- Faatih.

Islam and Buddhism – Part 1.

There are different accounts of the life of the Buddha,  however I will present the main agreed details of his life. He was the son of a King, in what is believed to be modern day Nepal and was named Siddharta.  He grew up in luxury and comfort, ignorant to the realities of the harsh world that we live in. It is said that there were predictions that he would become a holy man and that his father in order to prevent this however this was in vain. One day he went outside of the palace that he had grown up in. Having been insulated from the real world he first of all saw a man afflicted by old age, heavily wrinkled and in poor health, then later whilst walking he saw an invalid and after that a funeral procession which clearly illustrated human mortality and that death is an unescapable reality we must deal with. He then however in the end met an ascetic. It is safe to call this term a Hindu ascetic, a point which I will focus on later. The ascetic impressed the young Siddharta who was troubled and heart broken by the suffering that he saw. The ascetic had a calmness, serenity and a happiness which could be felt. This ascetic had renounced the material world and was also a beggar. Siddharta, it is said that happiness could never be attained by living a normal life in the material world. Accounts vary but eventually Siddhartha left his palace including his wife and baby and took up ascetism.  He became what can be called a “monk”, a “holy man” or  an ascetic. There were many ascetics like him in South Asia or what is now called India and he did not create something new in that sense. He studied with different monks and gurus and engaged in extensive meditation, yogic practises and also heavy fasting. He did this for a number of years, but this did not give him the satisfaction, or the answer to his questions that he wanted. He gave this up and eventually ended up in Isipatana near the famous city of Benares on the Ganges. He rested and meditated under a Bo tree or “Bodhi tree”

Bodhi tree.

It was there that the boy who had grown up in a royal palace in great affluence, and then later on saw the nature of suffering finally found what he had been looking for after so many years. According to Buddhist tradition, Siddharta, attained enlightenment. The fundamental teachings of Buddhism came into existence.

The teachings of Buddhism.

There are different sects of Buddhism and a diversity of different beliefs and practises. However I will focus on the key message of Buddhism common to all sects.

The Four Noble Truths.

1. The first noble truth is called “dukkha”. Life is essentially suffering. Life will inevitably include aging, death and of course other painful things, none of these can be avoided.

2. The second noble truth is called “Samudaya” or “Tanha” (Craving or thirst). The cause of suffering is man’s desire for something. If he fails to get what he desires he thus becomes upset. Man looks outside to external things to guarantee happiness.  External things are all temporary and will perish, so we can never base true, permanent happiness on them as they too will go.

3. The next noble truth then is called “Nirodha”, (Stopping suffering) which means that there is a cure to ending suffering.  That cure is to liberate oneself from any form of desire.

So the first, second, and third noble truths diagnose what the problem is, explain the cause, and then says there is a cure. The fourth noble truth prescribes the cure.

4. The fourth noble truth is called “Marga”. It says that true happiness and meaning can be achieved by following a life based on the Noble eightfold path.

The Noble eightfold path.

1. Right understanding ( samma ditthi).

To view the world correctly and to realize its impermanent nature. That life essentially consists of much suffering e.g. aging, sickness and death. Also to understand that every action produces subsequent actions i.e. karma.

2. Right intention (samma sankappa).

To have a resolve to change and to live one’s life the correct way.

3. Right Speech (samma vaca).

To not lie, insult others and to abstain from excessive or idle talk.

4. Right Action (samma kammantha).

To stay away from a: harming others b: stealing and cheating c: To stay away from sexual wrongdoing, celibacy is the ideal in Buddhism.

5. Right livelihood (samma ajiva).

To earn one’s livelihood in a moral way and not to:

a: Earn money from selling weapons.

b: Make money from using people e.g. slavery and prostitution.

c: Deal in meat whether it be selling meat or raising animals to be used as meat.

d: Business in intoxicants and poisons including drugs and alcohol.

6.Right Effort (samma vayama).

To essentially strive to keep ones mind from impure and unhealthy thoughts and to have a morally healthy state of mind. The unhealthy thoughts are categorized into 5 and are called “pancanivarana” (5 hindrances) they are sensual desire for material pleasures, ill feelings towards others, drowsiness, worry and anxiety and doubt. These thoughts are said to hinder the path to enlightenment and liberation.

 7. Right mindfulness ( samma sati).

To be aware and attentive to one’s mind, body, feelings, and to things around us. This means to have a clearer and better perception of the reality of the world and also of our own lives, to be in the present and to be conscious and aware of them.

8. Right concentration ( samma samadhi).

To concentrate fully, to focus all of one’s mind and thinking on one object. This is why Buddhists engage in meditation.  Meditation is said to lead a person into a better understanding of his reality.

This eight-fold path eventually leads a person to true enlightenment, to true awareness of the reality of life, of the world. In other religions this process is called “gnosis”. Ultimately it is held in Buddhism that one can attain “Nirvana”, a state of pure happiness and bliss and when one is free from desire.

Islam and Buddhism.

Islam differs from Buddhism in many fundamentally different ways. The most fundamental difference is the nature of the way the two faiths look at the universe. Islam says that the universe has been created and Muslims cite to the evidences of intelligent design. Buddhism has no definitive answer on whether a creator exists but it is important to note that the 1967 world Buddhist council ruled out belief in God. This is the most important difference between the two since any person who is seeking the answers to the nature of existence would wish to have a fully comprehensive answer as to how the universe came in to being, what caused it to come in to being and why. Islam states that the supreme omnipotent entity who is God created the world and created man to worship him. To give an analogy if a man woke up in a strange land one day e.g. a valley and had no memory of his life before that day he would wish to know how he had come to the valley and what happened to him before then. For many people with no particular religion looking for the truth they want definitive answers to the nature of existence and creation and not a vague silence.

 Islam is far more a socio-economic faith whereas Buddhism is essentially a private faith. The Quran admonished the pagan Arabs for their mistreatment of orphans, infanticide of young girls, the inequality of their society, their corruption and cheating in business, their abuse of slaves and other forms of immoral behaviour. It confronted the existing social system of the time and called for it to be reformed. Buddha did not call for any great social changes but like many Hindu Gurus of today prescribed a way for individuals to gain personal spiritual satisfaction. Islam believes that a truly great man is not one who makes himself happy but is one who makes others happy. For a man to attain Enlightenment in the Buddhist way he must at first be free, to be free to leave normal society and follow the way of the Buddha. However this is impossible if for example the man is a slave.

 Spartacus was a famous slave in the Roman era who led a revolt against the Empire. For a man like Spartacus to have lived an ascetic lifestyle engaging in meditation he would have first have had to won his freedom.

Gladiators in the Roman period, many of whom were slaves forced to fight and kill each other. An individual ascetic trying to gain personal spiritual happiness by himself or with other mystics would not have had any impact on this barbaric practise.

 

 Spartacus, a Roman slave, who led a rebellion for freedom against slavery.

Buddhist monk in seclusion.

Serfs in Russia. Even as recently as around 150 years ago in eastern Europe, the vast majority of the Russian people were serfs akin to being rural slaves owned by their landlords.

Slavery is not just something of the past, only as recently as 140 years ago the majority of Russians for example were serfs i.e. in effect slaves to their landlords. In many third world countries, millions must work in miserable conditions in order to survive and have no choice. Child labour is also a phenomena in many countries. Such people do not have the choice to not work and try to be ascetics or monks, they are dependent upon great social reformers or campaigners to improve their plight. The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was one such social reformer who was divinely commanded to:

1. Condemn the practice of female infanticide which existed amongst the pagan Arabs, this was in the form of them burying their young daughters alive.

When news is brought to one of them of the birth of a female child, his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief. With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on contempt or bury her in the dust? Ah! what an evil they decide on?” (Quran 16:59).

The practise of infanticide is common even today in countries such as India where often for economic reasons the birth of a girl as opposed to a son who will be a bread-winner is seen by some as a misfortune. The Quran says:

” To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female children to whomever He wills and bestows male children to whomever He wills” (Quran 42:49

 

God is the owner of the universe and creates all including wealth and one should not fear of poverty since as many Quranic verses remind us he is the one who gives provision and takes care of people. The prophet Muhammad peace be upon himself said:

“He who is involved in bringing up daughters, and accords benevolent treatment towards them, they will be protection for him against Hell-Fire”

2. Condemn the cheating of the pagan Arabs in their market places.

“Woe to those that deal in fraud. Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due. Do they not think that they will be called to account?-” (Quran 83:1-4)

3.  Condemn and eventually forbade the practise of usury which has contributed to many people being enslaved into a cycle of destitution.

“Allah will destroy Riba (usury) and will give increase for Sadaqah (deeds of charity, alms, etc.) And Allah likes not the disbelievers, sinners. ” (Quran 2: 276)

4. Prescribe the institution of zakat.

In Islam a Muslim is obliged to pay 2.5% of his wealth every year to certain types of poor people or in the Islamic state to the “bait ul mal” (public treasury) which then distributes it to poor people. It was this religious obligation and the institution of the baitul ul mal which was a huge and radical change at that time and was akin to the modern day practise of social support as it helped to alleviate and solve the problems of the poor and needy. Marxist scholars argue that religion is a tool to maintain the status quo and the power of the wealthy, however the practise of zakat obliged the rich to help those in poverty and it was a legal duty which if not carried out would entail punishment just like any other modern tax.

Zakat money could not be used to build public services such as roads or canals but could only be used for specific purposes e.g. to help the poor and needy.

“The charity is only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect (the charity, i.e. zakah), those whose hearts will be inclined (towards Islam) for slaves,for those in debt, for the Cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer ( i.e. destitute travelerl). It is an obligation imposed by Allaah, and Allaah is the All-Knower, the All-Wise.”  (Quran 9:60)

Buddhism does not have specific measures on how to combat poverty. Buddha, though coming from a royal family and having at least some experiences of seeing rulership did not address leaders to state how they could improve the lives of their subjects but instead encouraged individual reform and renunciation of the world.

A truly great moral belief will inspire those who are stronger to help those who are weak and needy, and not to ignore them and try to attain personal spiritual happiness. For the weak and oppressed ones of this world can often not change their plight, but need those who are stronger to help them, or do it for them.

Hospitality and charity in Islam

In Islam, an economically strong Muslim is better than a poor Muslim. The one who has money is in a position to help others, to contribute to the betterment of society. A famous hadith of the prophet (peace be upon him) states: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand”, which means the one who gives is better than the one who receives. A Muslim should not seek to be a burden on others but an asset to others and making their lives better.

Whereas in Buddhism, monks, travel around collecting food from laymen in order to sustain themselves, in Islam the pious Muslim should be giving food to others and the more he gives the more virtuous.

Islamically, a Muslim has a duty to entertain a guest for 3 days i.e. to let him live in his house. So even before the current century in many parts of the Muslim world if a person went and travelled to another city he would know that he could stay in another person’s house for at least 3 days. The writer of this article was personally allowed to stay somewhere for 3 days when he travelled to Lebanon. This is where the celebrated hospitality in much of the Muslim world comes from.

There is a hadith.

“My ears heard and my heart grasped (the statement which) the Prophet said, “The period for keeping one’s guest is three days (and don’t forget) his reward.” It was asked, “What is his reward?” He said, “In the first night and the day he should be given a high class quality of meals; and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should entertain his guest generously; and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good (sense) or keep quiet.” 

(Bukhari)

End of Part 1.

My father has passed away.

In the name of Allah the most beneficient, the most merciful.

All praise be to Allah the creator and lord of the universe. Peace be upon his final messenger, the best of creation Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

My father passed away on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 from a stroke which happened whilst he was carrying out wudhu in our bathroom.

I ask Allah ta’ala to give him jannatul-firdaws ul a’laa and to forgive him for all of his sins.

When we went to wash his body before the janaza (funeral) prayer we saw that his face was radiant and glowing, he seemed to be in a state of happiness and joy. He worked hard hard all of his entire life doing many different demanding jobs as well as taking care of his large family. I hope he forgives us for anything that we did that upset him and I am sure he has, insha’Allah, though only Allah is the all knowing.

I would like to thank Allah for bestowing him and us with many blessings including give him long life, 68 years, having the honour of having gone to the holiest two places on earth when he performed Hajj, for us his children. I thank Allah, the most generous, for taking my father in this world whilst he was in a state of worship to Allah i.e. performing his abolutions to be clean for prayer. I thank Allah for letting us his children see his peaceful, glowing and happy face before he was buried.

May we, his children, make him and our mother proud.

All praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon his final messenger, Muhammad, and his family and companions.

Atheism

The power of du’a (supplication).

Man, despite his pride, recognizes that fundamentally he is a weak and limited creature. At times of great despair and distress there is a deep-rooted primordial instinct in man to turn towards an omnipotent, all-hearing power who will help him. We call this power “God”, in Islam “Allah”. Examples of such times are if a man is drowning, or very close to death, or a loved one is sick and dying. Man, no matter how wealthy, successful, intelligent or proud he might be then realizes how powerless he is and turns to a greater power.

In Islam, praying as in the daily act of worship performed 5 times a day is called “salah”. The act of praying, as in supplicating to Allah and asking him for something is called “du’a“. However the act of asking the all-powerful one is something universal to all and usually done in times of great need.

According to Islam, Allah does not get tired of us turning to him, calling him for help. Humans however are the opposite. If we have a friend, no matter how close, they will eventually have some frustration if we constantly ask them for help.  Allah is the opposite, the more we ask him, the better. Du’a is an act of worship. It is an act which emanates from man’s realization that he is weak and limited and that the creator is not. Every time we turn towards him we are thus saying he is all powerful.

The Quran says: “And your Lord says: “Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer)!” ( Surah 40 Verse 60)

Anyone can turn to the creator and ask him in any language. However in Islam there are guidelines.

Best manner of du’a.

Islam tells us that the best way to do du’a is to raise your hands and to:

-Praise Allah and call him by his names in Arabic, i.e. “Ya Rahman” (Oh Merciful one) or “Ya Razzaq” (Oh provider)

-Ask for peace and prayers on his beloved prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him).

-To make the du’a three times. It is preferrable to do a du’a which the prophet himself (peace be upon him) did, but any du’a in any language is fine as long as it does not ask for something which is wrong.

- Then to finish the du’a by praising Allah and asking for peace and prayers on his prophet (peace be upon him) once again.

Best times for du’a

There are times or situations when du’a is more likely to be accepted or is stronger. These include

-  In the last third of the night, when pious Muslims often stay up engaged in prayer.

-  When one is a traveller.

- When one has been oppressed. The du’a of the oppresssed is very powerful, this is why in history many tyrants and mighty rulers have faced a humiliating end.

- When one is sick, or are visiting a sick person.

- After one has finished doing wudhu’ (ablutions to perform prayer).

- Between the time of the adhan (call to prayer) and the iqamah.

- When prostrating during prayer.

- Also du’a done in a group e.g behind an Imam after prayer is stronger than if it is done individually.

“Why is my du’a not answered?”

Du’a will only be accepted if a person’s income, the food he eats, and his clothing are not earned in a way which is against Islam. If a person sold drugs, which is against Islam, then his du’a would not be accepted.

Allah is the lord of the worlds, and the master of all. He is our master and we are his servants. He is not our servant and cannot be ordered by us. Du’a is not like going to a vending machine and putting in a coin and then getting a soft drink. This attitude is disrespectful to the lord of the worlds. Du’a requires humility and sincerity and at times can be likened to growing a plant. It will take time for the plant to come into full fruition, but we must be patient, water the plant and wait. If a person becomes impatient for his du’a to be accepted and even says “Allah does not grant my du’a” then his du’a will be rejected by Allah. If we are patient, and make du’a regularly and have trust in Allah and never doubt him and accept whatever his decision is, we will ultimately see the fruits of this and that du’a that we made will come to be, it will blossom as the trees do in spring.

Allah may chose to:

1. Give us what we ask for.

2. Not give it to us, but give us something else – maybe that particular thing which we have asked for – instead in the next world.

3. Avert hardship or problems from us.

However there is no obligation upon the lord of the worlds to accept all du’as. For example if a man is abusive towards his wife, this is against the teachings of Islam which encourage tenderness and love between couples. Here are some sayings of the prophet, peace be upon him, related to this.

“Allah is not merciful to he who is not merciful to people “. 

“The believers who show the most perfect faith are those who have the best character, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives”

(Hadiths – sayings of the prophet, peace be upon him, from Bukhari and Tirmihdi).

Allah does not love anyone being abused, the prophet informed us of an incident when a woman from the children of Israel who was a whore was thirsty and went to a well to drink. After quenching her thirst she saw a dog which was thirsty like her, seeing this she felt moved and climbed the well, put water in her shoe and then climbed back out and fed the dog. For this act, the prophet (peace be upon him) told us that this woman was given paradise by the lord of the worlds.

So if a man is abusive to others, cheats, commits sins, and steals and then turns towards Allah supplicating towards him, then Allah may reject his du’a due to his sins.

Making your du’a stronger.

We can make our du’a stronger by mentioning something which Allah loves. For example on a human level we can make a request to a friend stronger by saying things such as “Do you remember when I helped you?” or “I am your brother’s friend”. We can do a similar thing with Allah and in Arabic this is called tawassul.

The three universally accepted forms of tawassul in Islam (this is a deep and complex issue in Islamic jurispudence) are:

1. To ask Allah by his names and attributes.

So we can say “Ya Allah (Oh Allah), Ya Rahman, Ya Hakeem (Oh merciful one, Oh wise one) and then make our du’a.

We can also see this in our daily lives, if we address someone by his title or role then we will get a better response, for example instead of “Dear Leader, please help us” we could say “Dear Leader, you are the one who is the defender of this nation and its values, please help us”.

2. To ask someone more pious than us.

We can go to a Muslim whom we feel is a good person and closer to Allah than us. For example if someone was a weak Muslim and would do things which were wrong he could ask someone to make du’a for him. In our own daily lives we see that a person in authority would respond to the request of someone they were closer to, than us.

3. To mention your good deeds.

In our du’a we can say things such as “Oh Allah, I pray regularly, please accept my du’a.” or “Oh lord, by my fasting in Ramadan, accept my du’a”. Whether it be praying, fasting, even smiling at someone (which counts as a good deed in Islam), helping an old lady across the road and so on, the mention of a good deed makes our du’a far stronger, as it would do in our daily lives.

Reading the Quran.

The Quran is the most extraordinary book in the history of mankind. There is no other book which is held in as much reverence as it is. No other book memorized by heart by as many people as it has. Despite all the conflicts, differences between Muslims, this book has been preserved for 1400 years and is the same all across the world whether it be from Morocco or Indonesia. Years ago a man mentioned how the Muslims are like a man in a forest looking for his way out, whilst he has the map in his pocket. The Quran is such a map. One’s du’a can be made far stronger with the reading of the Quran. Aside from du’a however, the Quran should be read and recited anyway. The Quran is only in Arabic and no other language, everything else is merely an attempt to translate the meaning. After reading the Quran one can make du’a, and one can make one’s reading of the Quran a form of tawassul. The true nature of the Quran is not understood by many. It is not only a book for reading and contemplation but it is also akin to medicine or a perfume from which a sweet and fragrant odour emanates. The reading of the Quran in a house revives the house, and where there may have been conflict, bitterness and strife before, the fragrance of the Quran brings in happiness, peace and tranquility if recited regularly.

The recitation of the Quran bring in blessings to a home as we were informed by the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he told us that reading the second chapter of the Quran, i.e. Al-Baqarah led to shaytan being absent from the house for three days.

“Do not turn your houses into graves. Shaytan is barred from any home where Surah Baqarah has been recited.”

(Muslim).

So just as putting flowers or perfumes in our houses bring in a pleasant smell, the recitation of the Quran can be like an air freshener which removes or decreases the foul smell of sins. Every sin is something dirty and unclean. A child being rude to his parent, a woman not being respected by her husband, constant arguments and fights are all forms of sin and are all dirt. The way to end them if one is to turn to Allah and to do good deeds including the recitation of the Quran, especially Suratul-Baqarah (the 2nd “surah” i.e. chapter of the Quan).

The Quran is like a treasure full of precious jewels. There is a saying in the English language that “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. The Quran is full of diamonds and other jewels and is far superior. It can be the best friend of those who recite it in times of need. Just as precious stones have their own special qualities and properties, so do the surahs (chapters) of the Quran.

Fatiha

First Surah of the Quran, if recited properly can cure any sickness.

I myself read this surah once for a problem and soon after someone showed me a cure for a problem I had.

Yusuf

12th chapter of the Quran which is about the life of the prophet Yusuf  (Joseph, peace be upon him) and his trials and tribulations. It gives its reader happiness. It was revealed in what is called in Islam, “The Year of Sadness”, when the prophet (peace be upon him) saw both his wife and uncle, a supporter of the oppressed Muslims, die. I read it once whilst going through some problems and after a day or two inexplicably felt rejuvenated and happier.

Ya Seen

36th Surah of the Quran and can be used when there is some affliction or trouble which has befallen you. I have read it and it caused my problems to either lessen greatly or to be removed entirely.

Waqiah

56th Surah of the Quran. The prophet (peace be upon him) said of it:

“The one who reads Surah Waqiah at night will not face poverty.” 

(Bayhaqi)

I read it after a contract of mine had finished and I was looking for work. A few hours later I recieved a phone call regarding employment.

Ayatul Kursi (The verse of the Throne).

The Quran is the greatest book in the world, and ayatul kursi (ayah = verse, kursi = throne) is the greatest verse in the entire Quran and has huge power.

Ayatul Kursi, ‘The Verse of the Throne’.

Here is the transliteration: Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa, Al-Hayyul-Qaiyum La ta’khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm, lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-’ard Man dhal-ladhi yashfa’u ‘indahu illa bi-idhnihi Ya’lamu ma bayna aidihim wa ma khalfahum, wa la yuheetuna bi shai’in-min ‘ilmihi illa bima sha’a Wasi’a kursiyuhus-samawati wal ard, wa la ya’uduhu hifdhuhuma Wa Huwal ‘Aliyul-Adheem

Translation:

 There is no god but He,
The Living, the Everlasting,
Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep,
To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth.
Who is there that can intercede with His, except by His leave?
He knows what lies before them and what is after them,
And they comprehend not anything of His Knowledge save as He wills.
His throne comprises the heavens and the earth,
The preserving of them fatigues Him not,
And He is the All-High, All-Glorious.

I have read this verse in times of need and Allah helped me on many occassions, for which I thank him.

Verse 9, Surah Yasin.

The transliteration is:

Waja’alnaa mim bayni aydeehim saddan wamin khalfihim saddan faaghshaynaahum fahum laa yubsiroon.

Translation: And We have put a bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further, We have covered them up; so that they cannot see.

This verse is recited and then one blows into their hands and wipes over themselves. It makes others not notice you or oblivious to your presence. It is often used by practising Muslims with beards or hijab who encounter prejudice, hostile looks and so on.

 Taha

20th Surah of the Quran. Frequent reading of this, for example tens of times, with du’a can help one find a marriage partner for yourself or for members of your family.

To conclude du’a (supplication) universal to all human cultures across time and space and stems from a very fundamental awareness of man’s weak nature, his impotency and that there is one who unlike man is all-powerful. In our lives we are constantly asking and requesting for things, however the fundamental giver of all things is Allah. Whereas if we ask friends for something, if done frequently, then it can lead to annoyance. You are asking your friend to divert their own time and effort onto helping you, whilst your friend is busy with other things. Therefore we are accustomed to not asking too much. However with Allah it is different, every time we ask him something this counts as an act of worship, and the more we ask him, even if it be something as supposedly “trivial” as a shoelace (as mentioned in a statement of the prophet peace be upon him). Du’a has been described by the prophet (peace be upon him) as the weapon of the believer. With it he or she is able to overcome difficulties and hardships that he or she faces in this life, and this life is fundamentally a test. Du’a is something neglected by many Muslims and so is the reading of the Quran. The pious Muslims of the past would read around 20 pages of the Quran every day. For many of us, if we are new Muslims, or do not know Arabic this is difficult. However it should be done gradually, even if it’s just reading two verses every day for a year. With increased reading of the Quran and du’a we will see blessings flow into our lives and not just ourselves, but if many of us do this and pray for other suffering people we will see the state of the Muslim world and the world in general improve.

- Faatih.

“Religion is the cause of all wars.”

“Religion is the cause of all wars” is an often repeated phrase and is the subject of this article. The people who assert this are of course secular anti-religious people. This idea therefore comes from a wider viewpoint which considers religion as something inherently irrational. I discussed this a while earlier in a previous article where I said the following:

“This in a very simplified form is the way many atheistic or secular people view religion. Something almost hallucinatory and delusional. For them all that exists is the tangible, the material, that which we can see and touch. I will call this position “Materialism” or “Naturalism”. Some people just grow up with an inherit disposition to rejecting anything beyond the material (5 senses) world and some of these people become scientists and carry this prejudice into the field of science.” 

http://faatih.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/why-do-many-scientists-disbelieve-in-god/

Religion therefore is something irrational in the minds of such people, and thus any belief or action which emanates from religion is itself irrational. Believers are in a state of delusion and thus their actions are likewise deluded. However the inconsistency with this opinion is that often they view violence for secular purposes as being perfectly justifiable and “more rational”. I will come back to this later, however first let’s look at the statement “religion is the cause of all wars” in more detail.

There have been countless wars in history and we cannot look at them all to see if they were based on religion but however we can look at major wars, or major powers which engaged in a lot of war.

The British Empire.

The British Empire is the biggest empire the world has ever seen, unrivalled by any other in terms of sheer size and also in terms of the many parts of the world it covered. The world today is still seeing the legacy of this huge empire in many ways, from the dominance of the English language, to the administrative systems it left behind in countries such as India with its population of over 1 billion people. The British Empire did not conquer territory for the sake of religion but for economic and political reasons.

The American war of independence where the 13 colonies of what is now America fought the British government was not about religion but about what the settlers in America viewed as being able to govern themselves as they wished to. One of the key phrases of the independence movement was “no taxation without representation”. 

The British did not conquer India, the “jewel in their crown”, for religious reasons but for economic ones. One of the most bloody parts of British rule in India has been described by British writer George Monbiot.

“In his book Late Victorian Holocausts, published in 2001, Mike Davis tells the story of famines that killed between 12 and 29 million Indians. These people were, he demonstrates, murdered by British state policy. When an El Niño drought destituted the farmers of the Deccan plateau in 1876 there was a net surplus of rice and wheat in India. But the viceroy, Lord Lytton, insisted that nothing should prevent its export to England” [1]

This policy resulted in the deaths of millions of people but had nothing to do with religion, but just sheer human greed.

Another major war during the British Empire was the Boer war, noticeable, since that is the first time concentration camps were created.

Boer guerilla fighters. The Boers were white settlers in Africa of Dutch origin who fought the British.

The Boer war was about a variety of different things including about control of valuable territory which contained valuable mineral resources.

The British Empire was not a Christian fundamentalist empire and never sought to forcibly impose Christianity, so its wars in Africa, the Carribean, America, Asia and Australia had nothing to do with religion but to do with conquering new land, economic reasons and geo-politics.

The Mongols

The British Empire was the biggest empire in history and the Mongol Empire came second. However it is the biggest contiguous land Empire stretching from the yellow sea in China to eastern Europe.

The Mongols were bloody and brutal and massacred whole cities. They sacked the capital of the Abbasid Empire, Baghdad in 1256 destroying huge numbers of books on many different subjects thus causing the world to be deprived of valuable works from an Arab civilization which not only transmitted the works of ancient Greece to Europe but had many great intellectual, engineering and literary accomplishments of its own. Centuries after the Mongol conquest, Iraq was still recovering ecologically due to the destruction they had bought.

The Mongols were a nomadic people who loved war and conquest and fought not for religion but to extend their power.

Alexander and Rome.

Alexander of Macedonia, often called “the Great” is also one of history’s great warriors. His conquest of a huge territory comprising many lands of different races, languages and cultures was not inspired by religion but by the desire to conquer to realize personal greatness. Many of the rulers of the ancient period conquered, merely for the sake of conquering. The greater the territory they controlled and the more people, the greater they themselves were. This was a case of territorial and personal self-aggrandizment often driven by a masculine need to increase the personal glory of a certain ruler, to show his virility. A ruler in some cultures of the ancient past who was not a warrior, was not a true man and in some cases was seen as a weakling not fit to rule.

Actor starring as Alexander.

Whereas Alexander conquered south-west Asia and Egypt, the Romans conquered Europe and the mediterranean. They have left a huge impact on western civilization and their Empire lasted for centuries. They did not conquer their Italian neighbours the Etruscans, or their rivals the Carthiginians and conquer France, Spain, England and other countries due to religion but once again for political and economic reasons. When the Romans conquered Carthage, which was then their rival for supremacy of the mediterranean, they burnt every single house and building in the city and killed and enslaved all its people, this was not done since they felt that their gods would told them to, but to prevent Carthage from once again ever being a threat to the Roman domination in the Mediterranean.

If we look at the wars of the ancient past, and also of the past millenia we can see that wars were not carried out primarily for religious reasons whether it was the native American Indian tribes that fought each other prior to the arrival of Europeans, or the Ming, Tang and other dynasties of China, or wars carried out by the Bantu-speaking kingdoms of Africa.

Let us now look at some more recent examples of war.

The first and second world war.

These wars took place due to tensions between the major European powers. Religion was not the reason, but the interests of different nation-states. When the Japanese bombed pearl Harbour they did not do so because of Shintoism but since they saw the US as a threat. When the US dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they did not do so because they thought the bible taught them to do so.

The atom bomb being dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

The superpower conflict that followed the defeat of Nazi Germany, between the US and USSR, called “The Cold War” was not about religion either but about two competing secular ideologies, capitalism and communism. One way the cold war manifested itself was in the Vietnam war.

The Vietnam War.

This war saw a communist North Vietnam seeking to take control of the whole of the country with western powers such as the US opposed to it. It has become embedded in the collective psyche here in the west and especially in the US since it happened during the 1960s that great period of cultural change. Many young people who may not have been that politicized went out on the streets rallied to action by what they felt was an unjust and pointless war which was causing many young Americans to die, as well as the suffering of the Vietnamese. In this war agent orange which has horrific results such as deformities to newly born babies was used.  Laos and Cambodia were also bombed during this war.

“From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance over Laos during 580,000 bombing missions – equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years.” [2]

One of the key men responsible for this appalling savagery was war criminal Henry Kissinger. Kissinger never ordered such bombings due to any religious belief but out of a desire to thwart communism.

War criminal, Henry Kissinger.

Communists also murdered many people through out the world including in Stalin’s USSR which also saw things such as mass deportation of whole ethnic groups and the creation of gulags in Siberia, as well as the 1 million Cambodians killed by the atheist Khymer rouge.

Children who were victims of the Khmer rouge communists. Estimates of the number of people killed by the Khmer Rouge range from 850,000 to 2 million.

Even those conflicts which are ostensibly based on religion are often in reality about different things. There are of course conflicts which have been caused due to religion, abuse of religion and so forth. However they do not compare to the amount of wars and lives lost due to secular reasons. The biggest example is of course the greatest bloodbath that humanity has ever witnessed, the second world war, which saw the death of over 50 million people. The Nazi party was not a religious organization, and nor were any of its major enemies such as the US, UK or the Soviet Union, religion-based states, Nazism is a race-based ideology believing in the superiority of the Nordic race.

The world since time immemorial has seen countless wars in every part of the world. However wars are just one form of human conflict and violence. Violence can manifest itself in the form of a man abusing his wife, or football fans fighting each other. At such a level no one argues that it is caused by religion. Divorces do not occur due to religion but because two people cannot live with each other. This maybe a myriad of different reasons, such is the case when two nations or states cannot resolve their differences and resort to war. The phrase “religion is the cause of all wars” is clearly false as can be seen by any objective study of war.

The irony is that the same type of people who say this false claim are also sometimes the same ones who regurgitate what Karl Marx said about religion, that is “religion is the opium of the masses”. There is a huge contradiction here.

1. “Religion is the cause of all wars” – it causes people to rise up and fight.

2. “Religion is the opium of the masses” – it causes people to sit down and be quiet.

As we can say they are contradictory.

Marx said his famous phrase in a certain context. The vast majority of people in Europe at the time were peasants, or in Russia, serfs were they basically slaves to a landowning elite. The Church did not call for the restructuring of this social system but legitimized and perpetuated it. It called for obedience to the monarch or the status quo and said that hardship in this world would be compensated by happiness in the next. This statement of Marx’s came from a certain reality which existed. However this labelling of religion as causing people to be violent on the one hand, and then labelling it to be the cause of people to be submissive and quiet on the other is a reflection of the inherent prejudice against religion held by certain people. This prejudice is so strong that they utter commonly regurgitated phrases such as “religion is the cause of all wars” in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary.

There is a certain annoyance that people believe in anything beyond the material, at some times even an anger at such “irrational” beliefs. People believing in the existence of things beyond the material world are “stupid”, and in a form of insanity. Thus the supposedly rational and intellectually superior atheist or agnostic due to his hatred of religion say it is the cause of all wars, ignoring the fact that Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Alexander, Hitler, Stalin Kissinger never killed due to religion but for secular reasons.

We can point to religious extremists who wage war in the name of religion. Their existence is undeniable.

However the reason why people kill, whether it be on a personal level or on a collective level is primarily nothing to do with belief in the divine.

Columbine killers, who massacred individuals.

Hitler, who massacred whole nations.

The belief in a creator, the belief in the divine, and that the world is not merely confined to the material, pensensory (5 senses) world does not automatically cause one to be violent or to wage war. Religions such as Islam or Christianity as much as some may claim to the opposite with misuse of certain verses out of context do not call for killing for no reason. The desire to vilify religion as something malevolent by those who merely belief in the material, that which is tangible  is fruitless as belief in the creator and in the soul and in the hereafter will always exist. Religion can not be potrayed as a wholly malevolent phenomenon when it has been the cause of much good in the world, be it from those who restrain themselves from doing things they wouldn’t normally do, causing racial barriers to come down for the sake of a trans-racial brotherhood, those who go out and help others inspired by a message of abandoning greed and personal self-fulfillment and changing the lives of others.

- Faatih.

 

1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/dec/27/eu.turkey

2.http://www.legaciesofwar.org/traveling-exhibit/history/history-bombing-laos

2008

This should be my last blog of 2008, as tonight I will be going away.

All praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon his final messenger, Muhammad and his family and his noble companions.

I would like to thank Allah for this year, for having let me seen this year. I thank him for having eaten well, slept well, for having gone on one or two trips abroad. I thank him that I have my health and so do my family too. I know that he is the most merciful, and the most kind and that his word is true. He, the most high, has said that if we thank him, he will give us more.

2008 has been an interesting year.

We have seen oil prices go up and up, and now recently we have seen them decrease dramatically.

We have seen the world’s most powerful country elect their first president, Senator Barack Hussein Obama.

Obama for me has many Kennedyesque (to coin a term) qualities and whilst Jack Kennedy represents a story of unfufilled potential, perhaps Obama can be different in that he can serve his term in its entirety and preside over a period of change and improvement.

Whatever happens, the election of Obama is a monumental landmark in the history of the United States and the world generation, and there are some who would covet us for being witness to such an event.

We have seen a recession starting and continuing all over the world.

We have seen the continuing rise of China even manifested in their great success in this year’s Olympics.

We have seen the Russian bear once again reasserting its strength in its war with Georgia.

We have seen the Albanian eagle soar into the clouds and into the skies with joy as Kosova takes its rightful place in the family of nations after years of suffering.

We have seen bloodshed in the middle east, south asia and many other parts of the world.

We have seen jobs being lost, houses being repossessed and lives affected severely in Europe and America.

We have seen many things, but we hope that we will continue to see, to continue to hear, to breathe and to be on this earth. We thank Allah for once again having seen another year and that we may yet again see the year to come, and to improve ourselves and to use the very short amount of time alloted to us on this earth wisely and in a better way and for us to truly realize our potentials as his creatures.

Thank you for taking time out to read this, I wish you and your family and friends all the best for the next 12 months.

- Faatih.

Gratitude in Islam.

Gratitude in Islam

Gratitude in Islam is one of the most fundamental aspects of this religion. A Muslim is not merely one cognisant of the fact that the creator of the universe is one and is responsible for everything he has in this life i.e. his consciousness, his health, his family, his sanity and his wealth but also realizes that it is his obligation to express gratitude to his lord.

The Arabic word for gratitude is “shukr” and the opposite of gratitude is “kufr”, which also happens to be the word for disbelief. So rejection of Allah and his religion is intimately connected to ungratefulness.

Why is life so difficult?

Many of us focus on our problems and difficulties and say in despair “why is life so difficult?”. This is natural, but it is not something a Muslim should do as he should be stronger in character. There are different reasons why people say “why is life so difficult?”.

Someone may have all the basic necessities of life but want something else. This may be caused by different reasons. It may just be caused by pure greed, a desire for sensual fulfillment or by the sort of people they mix with. A rich kid may want a ferrari for his 18th birthday and fails to get it, and is then filled with frustration and anger. The question then we have to ask ourselves, the thing which we desire and cannot attain, do we really need it? If we do really need it can’t we wait for longer? If we can’t wait and we are impatient this highlights the fact that we are impatient. Patience is something key to the Muslim character and is something developed upon during the month of Ramadan when we fast from dawn to dusk.

Many of us today are compared to the people of the past or of poorer countries, greedier, more impatient and more frivilous. I will try to illustrate this by giving an extreme example.

The Menendez brothers were two brothers in the United states from a wealthy family who murdered their parents in cold blood born in 1968 and 1971 In 1988 the two brothers who had grown up in wealth and apparently stole $100,000. They were saved from going to jail by their father paying heavy amounts of money to a top lawyer. The following year the Menendez brothers repaid their father by murdering him.

Lyle Menendez, who murdered his mother and father.

After murdering both of their parents and using a lawyer to try to somehow claim that they had been deprived and abused by their parents, a false claim belied by the fact that the two went on a spending spree including expensive watches, travel abroad, fancy cars and so forth. The rules of life, which some call “karma”, which Islamically is something we have in our own religious texts to, eventually led to these two to being imprisoned where they still are to this very day.

This is a very extreme example, however though none of us are as bad as these two murderers, we in our own way have a Menendez brothers streak in us, in our own impatience, lack of gratitude and complaining. Whilst these two were eager and impatient to live a materialistic and hedonistic lifestyle even if it meant murdering their parents, our eagerness and impatience to get what we want can often lead to us complaining about how “unfair” life is.

In comparison to us, the Menendez brothers lived in luxury, how could they be so ungrateful we ask? However in comparison to others we ourselves with our comfortable homes, computers, relatively free and peaceful societies live in great wealth. The relationship between us and people in some poorer countries is in some ways like the relationship between us and the Menendez brothers.

Two boys in Argentina, far poorer than the Menendez brothers.

Examples of poverty from Argentina.

Just as the Menendez brothers, Kyle and Erik, who obviously knew many people were far worse off than them, we also know many others are worse off us. However that does not give us the mental strength, resilience or gratefulness to desist from complaining.

Life is beautiful.

Life is beautiful. Every breath we take is a gift. If one of our beloved ones is close to death it is then we start to appreciate life more. The thought of them not surviving brings to the fore how precious life is. Let us look at what Islam says about gratitude:

“And He subjected for you the sun and the moon, continuous [in orbit], and subjected for you the night and the day. And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor [i.e., blessings] of Allaah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.” (Quran, 14th Surah, verse 32.34)

Allah also said in the Quran:

“‘If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more” (14th Surah, verse 7)

It is this which is the most important message which I am saying here.

Modern studies have shown that if we look at the glass as half full rather than half empty, and if we always focus on what we have, make light of our difficulties – which in no way means not trying to resolve them or accepting injustice – then that positivity attracts positivity. Statements are like du’a (supplication). We have to be careful what we say, because words have power, words are not “just words” but something far greater. If a man were to say every day of his life for one year “I’m going to break my leg, I’m going to break my leg, I’m going to break it”, then there is a good chance that this will happen. For words can be self-fulfilling prophecies. Islam tells us to be careful with what we say, and to try to speak good. Islam also tells us to be optimistic in what we hope for the future, but realistic in our assessment of the present.

We will have difficulties, we will have problems. We may lose loved ones. We may ask “Why? Why me? Why is this happening to me?” However this indicates a lack of understanding. For though we cry and lament and it is only human we should accept that this is part of life. Let us take a look at the life of the prophet peace be upon him.

- He was essentially an orphan and never saw his parents.

- He was beaten and physically assaulted whilst giving his message. He is the beloved of Allah and the best of creation, yet he was stoned by young children with blood dripping so much till his sandals were stuck to his feet. This was in Taif.

- He and his followers were boycotted by nearly all of his tribe, ostracized with them having to live in a relatively isolated valley.

- His beloved wife Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) died during this period of boycott.

- The prophet’s only son, Ibrahim, died when he was 18 months old.

As Egyptian writer Hakal says:

“His (the prophet peace be upon him) heart was torn apart by the new tragedy, and his face mirrored his inner pain. Choking with sorrow, he said to his son, “O Ibrahim, against the judgement of God, we cannot avail you a thing,” and then fell silent. Tears flowed from his eyes. The child lapsed gradually, and his mother and aunt watched and cried loudly and incessantly, but the Prophet never ordered them to stop. As Ibrahim surrendered to death, Muhammad’s hope which had consoled him for a brief while completely crumbled. With tears in his eyes he talked once more to the dead child: “O Ibrahim, were the truth not certain that the last of us will join the first, .we would have mourned you even more than we do now.” A moment later he said: “The eyes send their tears and the heart is saddened, but we do not say anything except that which pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are bereaved by your departure from us.”

- The prophet did not lead a wealthy life. In the last ten years of his life he never ate wheat three days in a row. He used to sleep on a mate made out of date palm leaves.

So this is the beloved of Allah, the best human ever and the messenger of God and this is how he lived and what he had to experience, and yet we find people today complaining about things far smaller or questioning.

In Islam we are told that we should always look at those who are far worse off than us, and not those who who are better off than us. It is highly important that we cultivate patience, because lack of patience can turn us into animals, can make us aggressive, eager for material pleasure. Patience however humanizes us and makes us better people. Complaining too can also be evil and it is said “Complaining is from the Shaytan”. If we have problems, instead of speaking to our friend for 1 hour, we should at least make du’a to Allah for 1/3 an hour. For he is the one who has power of all things, whilst our friends do not. He is always there, whilst friendship comes and goes. He understands fully, even better than we do, whereas our friends may not truly understand what we are going through.

If we are sad and despondent we should try to read Surah Yusuf, a Surah which gives happiness and which was revealed to the prophet peace be upon him during “The year of sadness”, the year when his beloved wife Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) and his uncle, Abu Talib both died. I myself personally whilst living in Syria was going through difficult times, living in a foreign land and having lost my job. I was advised to read this Surah and after doing so I changed and inexplicably started to feel much happier.

When we are experiencing difficult times, we need to think of those around us who are worse off than us, or those before us or elsewhere who have suffered extraordinary pain or trials, and we need to focus on those things which we have. When we start to focus on what we have and are grateful for them, we shall see that they will start to multiply. When you are grateful, Allah will give you more. When you give to others, Allah will give even more to you.

So here is a recommendation. Everyday after Fajr (the morning prayer) please take 3 minutes or more out and mentally say to yourself all the good things you have in your life. Make them twenty, even if it is just that you have eyes whilst others are blind, or that you have limbs, or that all of your children are there, or that in your life you were fortunate enough to travel to Paris, or some city. I want you to thank Allah for all he has given you.

Do the same before you go to bed, make it twenty things, and then maybe if you wish to increase them with time. You will see that you become a more positive person, and that when you thank Allah he will give you more.

“‘If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more” (Quran, 14:7)

Positivity brings positive outcomes, gratitude and abundance bring more abundance.

How to pray Fajr on time.

How to pray Fajr on time.

As we all know a Muslim is required to pray 5 times a day, at different times. First before sunrise, second at noon, third at mid afternoon, fourth at sunset and fifth and final at night time. The first of these prayers which is to be performed before sunrise is called “Fajr”. Fajr time varies through out the year but it can be times such as 4, 5, or 6 am.

Many of us find it difficult to wake up on time to perform this prayer even if we have an alarm clock.

The prayer in Islam is called “as-salat” and for one to be consistent with it, it is better that they fully appreciate what it is. The prayer is a time where the Muslim, the servant of Allah, suspends his focus on the world and turns his attention to his master, the supreme creator of the heavens and the earth. The one who gave him life, who gave him the limbs with which to work, the eyes with which to see and who gives him his sustenance. The Muslim mentally. verbally and physically focuses on his lord. He stands up, sits and also prostrates in a manifest sign of complete and utter submission. The prayer is such a beautiful thing, for the creator has said that we do not need to go through any intermediary to address him, nor are we so lowly and impure that he will not let us address him. After the prayer the Muslim then raises his hands in du’a (supplication) with his eyes at times looking at the heavens and may ask his master for whatever he wishes or needs, be it help with an affair, a good job, for forgiveness, a partner and anything that is permitted.

The prayer helps to give us strength, forebearance and energy in a difficult world full of challenges.

The Fajr prayer is difficult for many due to the early time at which it must be done. There are different ways of overcoming this. One way is to focus on the benefits and reward of this prayer.

Hadith: ““One who performs `Isha’ prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat for half of the night. And one who performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat the whole night.”

(Reported in Sahih Muslim).

In addition to this there are ahadith which mention how the one who prays Fajr is under’s Allah protection.

Praying this prayer on time will bring extra blessings and reward in your life. If we were to be told that we could do something which would result in a huge pay rise, or that every morning we would have a sumptuous breakfast then our motivation would definitely increase greatly. So is the case with the Fajr prayer. The problems, difficulties we face in life are often the results of things that we do, sins that we commit and we must look inwards to see things that we are doing wrong and can improve. Fajr is a beautiful time, a time of fresh air. I remember sometimes having woken up and started walking outside, the environment is much different and there is a feeling of serenity, a feeling that we are on the verge of a new day, a new fresh start.

A mosque during Fajr time.

Let us now turn to what we can do to help us pray Fajr on time.

1. Buy an alarm clock. Many of us already do this, then one piece of advice is to keep the alarm clock as far away from you as possible so that you cannot just turn it off.

2. Sleep early. Modern science shows us that sleeping early is beneficial for us and more in tune with nature and producing the best form us both physically and mentally.

3. Recite the last 4 verses of Surah Kahf, the 18th surah of the Quran, before you go to sleep.

4. You can also pray 2 rakahs and then sincerely ask Allah to wake you up for Fajr.

5. Tell your mind strongly and confidently that you will wake up for Fajr.

6. Upon hearing the alarm clock, and then waking up remember Allah or try to say his name whether it be just Allah, or Allahu Akbar or Subahanallah.

“Abu Hurairah reported that Allah’s Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The Satan knots three knots on the nape of the head of every one of you when he goes to sleep. On every knot he utters, ‘There is a long night for you. So sleep.’ If he gets up and remembers Allah, one knot is loosened; when he performs ablution another knot is loosened and when he observes prayer the third knot is also loosened and he gets up in the morning in an active and delightful mood. But if he does not do so, he gets up in the morning as spiteful and lazy.” (Hadith reported in Bukhari).

7. Wake up an hour or two earlier than Fajr if possible and use your time constructively in that period until Fajr itself, be it in performing Tahajjud (the late night prayer) reading Quran or Islamic literature, or even something related to your studies or secular interests.

Try these things and may Allah give you and me success in this matter, and in this world and the hereafter.

- Faatih.

Why do many scientists disbelieve in God?

Why do many scientists and others disbelieve in God?

 Scientists are held in respect by society, the average layman consciously or unconsciously believes that the world we live in now with all its material and technological achievements and the relatively comfortable life we live now is as a result of these people. He has a trust and respect for these people. However many lay people mistakenly think that all scientists are atheists, when in fact many if not most believe in the existence of God, something many have concluded through scientific study.

 

The question now is why do many including scientists disbelieve in God and not only that, why are they so dismissive of belief in the divine as opposed to accepting it as a legitimate stance?

 

Materialism, naturalism.

 

Many people irrespective of their background, religion of their society, education through out the world believe that the only thing exists is what we can see and observe. For them something which we cannot see, touch, feel, smell or taste does not exist. From their viewpoint if they were sitting in a room with another person and there was nothing there besides two chairs, a table, the carpet, a window and the two people themselves, that is all that exists. If one of these two people said “There is another being in this room, one whom you cannot see” then they would dismiss this as absurd, and something hallucinatory. I have used this example since this is something which we could all relate to including theists and which would probably cause religious people themselves to be sceptical or dismissive of the person saying there was a third invisible person in the room.

 

This in a very simplified form is the way many atheistic or secular people view religion. Something almost hallucinatory and delusional. For them all that exists is the tangible, the material, that which we can see and touch. I will call this position “Materialism” or “Naturalism”. Some people just grow up with an inherit disposition to rejecting anything beyond the material (5 senses) world and some of these people become scientists and carry this prejudice into the field of science.

 

Science is in reality a method. It is to discover more about reality through an organized, systematic and empirical manner. As such science which is conducted by limited, human beings with the limited resources at their disposal is itself limited and cannot study that which is beyond the 5 senses, the tangible, material world.

 

Atheists contend that not believing in God is philosophically or logically the default position and the onus of proof lies with theists. However upon closer inspection this is not actually correct even according to the principles of logic and philosophy.

 

Let me quote an academic from New Zealand.

 

“Dr. Cooke is correct in noting that the theist who makes a positive claim regarding God’s existence is obliged to give reasons in support of that contention. This, however, does not mean that atheism is the default position unless sound arguments for theism exist, since atheism too is a positive claim about the nature of reality. “Atheism,” writes Jeaneane Fowler, “is clearly naturalism versus supernaturalism.”[5] And so, it is, as Madalyn Murray O’Hair explains, “based upon a materialist philosophy, which holds that nothing exists but natural phenomena. There are no supernatural forces or entities, nor can there be any. Nature simply exists.”[6] This is quite a remarkable claim! Since theist and atheist make positive claims about the nature of reality (unlike the agnostic who suspends judgement), the burden of proof is on them both to substantiate their respective positions of supernaturalism and naturalism.

It is important to bear in mind the central point of contention between Dr. Cooke and myself. As William Rowe observes, “[p]erhaps the best way to understand the struggle between atheism and theism is to note theism’s insistence on an agent explanation of various natural phenomena, including the existence of the universe.”[7] In my opening argument, I sketched out considerations that give us plausible reasons for thinking that God exists, such as the origins of the universe, its fine-tuning, etc. That is, these facts about the universe only find a plausible account through agent explanation (i.e. the existence of God). Dr. Cooke denies all of this. He thinks, presumably, that there is a perfectly fine naturalistic account–a “Grand Story” (as Craig and Moreland call it)–that will explain the facts of the universe and our existence in it.”

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/bill_cooke/cooke-aijaz/aijaz2.html

 

Thus both theism and atheism are positions on how the world came into existence and atheism is not the default position. From a scientific and logical viewpoint then, the objective scientist should not assert either of these positions to be true (he can personally believe or favour one, but not to publicly assert it to laypeople as correct). However many atheist scientists  have a prejudice, i.e. a pre-formed opinion on something against theism and thus “intelligent design”. This has even led to the loss of objectivity in the way they conduct science. Principles and ideas which they would normally not accept, are used by them in their quest to disprove the existence of God at any costs. What the mainstream media do not tell the public is that there is at the very least difference in the scientific community about the existence of an intelligent creator i.e. God, and what is also not known is many atheist scientists too have their own agenda, based on their own ideology and wish to try to twist science to proving them right. Examples have been given on other articles here on this site.

Whether the supreme, all-knowing entity that we call God exists is something which has been covered in other articles. However let us go back to the original example in this article about the two people in the room with just two chairs, a carpet and a window. There are other things in this world that exist between the 5 senses. Even man’s 5 senses are limited. We cannot with our naked eye see ultraviolet light properly. Are there things beyond the 5 senses?

Telepathy and intuition: Cambridge scientist Dr Rupert Sheldrake has stated through scientific study that telepathy exists. All of us in our own personal lives have thought or spoken of someone and then almost miraculously they contacted us there and then. Also it is widely known the sort of mental connection that many twins have, also the maternal connection between a mother and her child. Females have a stronger sense of intuition (since the right side of their brain, the part which deals with that is bigger) than men. How many females have had a gut feeling, a sense of intuition and were correct?

 

 

 

Dr Rupert Sheldrake of Cambridge University.

 

This sort of phenomena which does not fall within any of the 5 sense and is beyond them has thus been labelled “extra-sensory perception”, many of us call it 6th sense, intuition and so forth.

Dreams: Many of us have had dreams that have come true. Neither does this fall into the 5 senses. I will coin an adjective for that relating to the 5 senses and call it “pensensory”, pen being the Roman prefix denoting 5 as in the word “pentagon”.

Telekinesis: Dr Daryl J Bem of Cornell University published an article which spoke of experiments indicating the existence of telekinesis. It can be read here: http://dbem.ws/psi_world.html

 

The doctor also made some interesting comments about the subjective nature of scientific “proof” in that article, as certain sceptics and atheists are very resistant to any scientific research which challenges their pre-formed ideas and dogma.

One can also read http://www.metapsychique.org/Does-Psi-Exist-Replicable-Evidence.html.

 

I would call those things which are not perceived or explained by our 5 senses as “extra-material” (outside the material, tangible) or “supernatural”.

 

There are other things which can also be pointed to. The world that we exist in is not just composed of those things which we limited human beings can see with our 5 senses. The human being is not merely a collection of meat, bones, nerve wires and organs all clumped together whose distant ancestors were algae, fish and amphibians and who lives on this earth for no purpose, and who will die and whose very consciousness will cease to exist and disappear into a void of nothingness.

 

 

 

 Amphibian, many evolutionists believe that humans evolved from algae to fish to amphibians.

 

 The human being is so much more than that. He feels pain, he feels anger, despair and a so many other things in the vast spectra of human emotions. Throughout human civilization there has been continuous testimony of that beyond the material, of that beyond the pensensory world. The human experience is a vast one encompassing many things. To deny things such as intuition, the telepathic bond that a mother may have with her child and so many other things is to deny part of the human experience. Writers, poets and others in addressing our emotions, our imagination addressed something far beyond the material. The human being has a soul. He appreciates beauty in all its forms be it aesthetic, literary, and so forth.

 

 Art admirers in a gallery.

His appreciation of beauty is not a superficial one purely formed by his environment and other external factors, but comes from deeper, internal factors, it is at times a sense of awe and wonder when he encounters something truly impressive, immense and breathtaking. Not only are his nerve wires touched but so is his emotional, his spiritual side. The human being is not a robot composed of meat, bones and skin he is something special, and part of a universe which itself something truly special, something amazing and which continuously astounds scientists with its sheer complexity, intricacy and sophistication. He sees, smells, hears, tastes, touches but so also does he think, dream, ponder, revere. He is composed of both his body and his soul, the material and the extra-material.

 

To deny this is to deny an aspect of humanity and to never be able to completely appreciate the human experience, to live it fully and to make the most of it.

 

- Faatih