ISLAMIC ARTICLE ~ Allah guides those who struggle

"And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide themto Our
paths." – Al-Ankaboot, 29:69. Struggle may seem like something to be
avoided, but the alternative is to walk in dim light, seeing nothing
clearly. If our livesconsist of sitting on the sofa watching TV, doing
jobs without passion, shrugging our shoulders at the suffering of
others, and accepting the unreality that is pushed at us by
advertising and the media, then we are living in shadow, even when the
sun shines.
Yes, we all have bills to pay, and sometimes we work jobs that we are
not passionate about, in orderto support our families. I have a
website about money transfer services, and another about paying bills
online. They are boring, but I spend time on them because they earn
money. In my free time I struggle to do work that is important to me –
this website being a notable example. Even a short article might take
metwo or three days to write, because of the limited time I haveto
work on it. Longer articles can take weeks. And yet people sometimes
tell me that my writinghas changed their lives.
We can all find a little time every day to pursue what we love, and to
make a difference in people's lives, even in a small way. Beyondthat,
we must strive to represent truth in everything we do: in ourfamily
lives, our work, our entertainment – everything.
Imam Jamil Al-Amin wrote in 2006:
"In the heart there is an emptiness and a need which nothing can
satisfy except for theremembrance of Allah (swt). The only proof of
faith is in struggle, struggling in word and deed, in body and soul.
The lack of faith will crush you far more than defeat ever could. 'And
what willexplain to you the path that is steep?' (90:12). Conscious
struggle is the path that is steep. Struggle where bitter hardship and
misfortune and difficulty becomes sweet tasting to the soul."
There is no road to success except through the struggle for truth and
righteousness. This is actually good news, because if you're a seeker,
if you've got a nose for truth, if you care about justice, then you're
already struggling, walking a hard road. It's inevitable. Those who
pursue truth and speak it out loud are seen as strangers and
subversives. You might wonder sometimes if it's worth it, or if you're
moving in the right direction.
Don't worry. The fact that you're struggling means that Allah is
guiding you, and you're on the right road.

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ISLAMIC ARTICLE ~ love and kindness are secret weapons

love and kindness are not cute ideas or naive catchphrases. They are
elemental forces with the power to alter human hearts, and to change
the world. They are transformative emotions and behaviors that were
bestowed upon us by Allah, who is Al-Rahman (The Most Merciful) and
Al-Wadood (The Most Loving).They are stronger than hurricanes, and
they transcend the birth and death of individuals,and the rise and
fall of nations.
Don't we still have love for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and for
the Sahabah, all of whom livedmany generations and nations ago? In
fact we look upon them as our heroes and leaders and welove them as if
they were dear friends. This is proof of the enduring nature of love,
which survives when all else changes around us.
Faith, love and kindness are the secret weapons that Allah has given
us to conquer corruption, cynicism, hatred, racism, and evil, in
ourselves and in the world.
These ideas are not naive, as some might say. Was the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) naive? He suffered in his mission, but he persevered. His
mission was rooted in faith and love of Allah, and expressed through
kindness to all people. There are so many stories about him showing
tremendous kindness to rude andeven murderous people, and changing
their hearts in the process. He succeeded in the face of impossible
odds. His success is a testament to the power of thesenoble emotions
and behaviors.
That's why I illustrated this piece with a photo of sun rays shining
on a dark and snowy world. Because these powerful emotionsand
behaviors are not the stuff ofsunny afternoons, cotton candy and
daisies. They are like a guiding star that is only seen in the
darkness. They come into their own and show their true power by
confronting and overcoming hatred, bitterness, painful loss, war,
poverty and despair.
I describe them as behaviors because faith that exists only in the
heart is not true faith. Faith is proven by action. Faith is defined
by the way you live your life. Thesame is true for love and kindness.
Love is a verb, not a noun. It's not an abstract feeling in your
heart, but a matter of behavior, the way you treat people, the way you
help, forgive,and show mercy to people.

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Islamic Article ~ TO VEIL OR NOT TO VEIL, THAT IS THE QUESTION

The Oprah Show did an introduction of Islam on October 5, 2001, which
was called Islam 101. Oprah, whose program is broadcast to most of the
world, wanted to introduce Islam to the American public. "Since our
world was horribly shaken three weeks ago," she told her viewers, "all
eyes have focused on a part of the world and a set of beliefs thatmany
of us know very little about. We're told that terrorism violates the
teachings of Islam, but what is Islam? Who are Muslims? What are their
practices?"
This was promising. Moreover, Oprah was friendly and open to what
Muslims, who constituted the majority of the audience during that
show, had to say. Even the expert she had asked to the show,
anthropologist Akbar Ahmed, was Muslim. But did we discuss the meaning
of being Muslim, or the problem of violence, or even the rage caused
by American foreign policy in the region? No, the Muslim audience had
more pressing things to discuss. The show proved to be a mirror of our
intellectual bankruptcy, a mirror of our true obsessions and
fixations, becauseafter a quick discussion of what Islam was about,
the show veered off to discuss women in Islam, particularly the dress
code. The "after show" segment, which the program puts daily on its
website after the live recording inthe studio, was entirely about
"Hijab." This was both insightful and disheartening. It seemed that
the gender question in Islam had become the central issue and what
Muslim women wear the core of the debate on Islam, both internally and
externally. It was disgraceful to see how our contemporary discourse
as"modern Muslims" has become sofocused on the scarf at the expense of
the real paradigms that define Islam, its history and its universal
values.
It is truly sad to see a certain culturally and historically specific
edict with controversial roots andimplications--becoming the
raisond'être for contemporary Muslims while the larger parameters of
Islam and its challenges are rendered into obscure shadows in the
background.
In a pervious show, a woman from Oprah's audience, asked if Muslim
women could take off their scarves, at least until things calmed down.
Oprah had to apologize in this show for that question after a big
amount of mail from Muslims was sent to her(When did Muslims start
writing so much mail? If it is about the Hijab, I guess, we will
write). But, Oprah did not have to apologize for something the very
religious establishment in the Middle East had raised in the last few
weeks. This was a legitimate question, although it was received with
hostility, even when it came from Imams in the form of affirmative
fatwas in the larger community, published in Al Majalah magazine a
couple of weeks ago-- allowing women to remove their scarves in the
wake of recent events.
I understand Muslim women's sensitivity regarding the recent fatwas or
the question on Oprah'sshow. They feel this is who they are and they
are not about to quitwhen the going gets tough. They perhaps even feel
somewhat betrayed by such fatwas, since wearing the Hijab has not
always been easy anyway in a society which has equated it with
genderoppression and fanaticism. But for Muslim women living in North
America, keeping the Hijab in the current crises has also represented
a spirit of defiance against racism and ignorance. This shows the
contextual nature of Hijab, which could be a symbol of oppression or
courage and independence, depending on the circumstances. In fact, an
American women organization called for American women to cover their
hair on October 8th asa sign of solidarity and protest against racial
harassment.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that the scholars acted out of concern and
open mindedness. But I also find it interesting how, for the first
time since the Hijab has become central to our identity in the last
few decades, the scholars suddenly realized the relativity and
conditional nature of the verses dealing with covering, andthe
principles of recognition and safety implied in them. --In the case of
early Islam, free women were asked to cover to be distinguished from
slave women while slave women were not allowed to. I do not think the
well-meaning Muslim women in Oprah's audience knew anything about this
or even wanted it airedin front of Oprah.
I have always hesitated to discussthe issue of Hijab in public, or its
controversial historical roots I had come across in my reading
ofclassical Islamic texts for fear of falling into the same hole of
centralizing this marginal edict of Islam. I also did not want to
associate myself with an issue that I consider marginal, yet so
sensitive to the entire Ummah. In fact, I adopted a culturally
specificcode of dress for myself. I cover in Muslim circles and the
Middle East and do not in the West. If I do otherwise, I will put too
much time into having to explain why I am not wearing it or why I am
wearing it, depending on where I am.
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ISLAMIC ARTICLE ~ There is only one criterion for evaluating man that Allaah explains

There is only one criterion for evaluating man that Allaah explains in
this verse,
"Verily, the most honourable of you with Allaah is (that believer)who
has piety." (Al-Hujuraat 49:13)
So the strongest in faith and best in deeds is the most honourable.
When the strange seed was nearly sowed among the pure Muslim society
during the Battle of Banee Al-Mustaliq, the Messenger of Allaah
quickly nipped it in the bud with his famous saying,
"Are you raising the slogans of the time of ignorance while I am still
in your midst?"
He was never pleased to see signsof racialism or tribalism among his
companions even in utterances. Abu Dharr once insulted a man and
called him, "You son of a black woman!" The Messenger of Allaah
angrily told him,
"Are you insulting him on accountof the origin of his mother? You are
indeed a man on whom there is a trait of the time of ignorance."
He also said in another occasion,
"He is not of us, the one who callsto nationalism, fights for
nationalism and dies for nationalism." (Abu Daawood)
It is therefore disappointing to find some Arabs these days calling to
nationalism and being proud of that in total disregard for the saying
of the Messenger of Allaah,
"Keep away from that (racialism), for it is stinking." (Muslim)
In the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet said,
"The first usury to be cancelled is our own usury: that of 'Abbaas son
of Abdul Muttalib. All of it is cancelled." (Muslim)
Allaah prohibits usury because of its grievous harm. It destroys the
conscience, ruins human life with covetousness, greed and selfishness.
It kills collective spirit, causes enmity and sows hatred among
people. Allaah declares war on its practitioners in this lifethrough
economic crises and psychological disturbances, and in the Hereafter
with a painful torment. He says,
"Those who eat usury will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection)
except like the standing of a person beaten by Satan leading him to
insanity." (Al-Baqarah 1:275)
The usury-based economic system is responsible for many financial
crises and woes that confront individuals, societies and nations.
In the Farewell pilgrimage, the Messenger of Allaah said,
"Fear Allaah as regards women, for you married them on a covenant from Allaah."
This saying highlights the protection and the respect that Islaam has
for woman's rights either in her capacity as a mother,wife or
daughter. It takes care of her rights from the beginning till the end
of her life. It makes her body forbidden to the glances of strangers
and gives her the right to inherit and acquire knowledge.It also makes
no distinction between her and man in reward and religious
obligations. Allaah says,
"Whoever works righteousness –whether male or female- while he (or
she) is a true believer, verily to him We will give a good life and We
shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what
they do." (An-Nahl 16:97)
In Islaam, we do not talk of rights of woman through empty theories
and useless conferences. But we invite every body to read the history
of the past women believers like Khadeejah, Sumayyah, Asmaa',
'Aaishah, Hafsah and Al-Hansaa'. We are opening for the humanity the
shining pages from the history ofthe Muslim women so that they can see
the living example of their feats. We invite the mankindto understand
how Islaam elevates woman, purifies her feelings, refines her
character andtakes her to the high aims and aspirations. The human
history has recorded for them glowing and everlasting achievements
that testify to their nobility and excellence.
As for those who appointed themselves as reformers and claim that they
are leading women to the right path, they accuse others who admonish
women to maintain their modestyand chastity with stupidity and
backwardness. But when you look deeply into what they proclaim, you
will find that their thoughts and behaviours are abnormal, that they
have naturally perverted and have become captives to their lusts.
These people have been surrounded by insinuations, so their aim is to
deprive the Muslim nation of its values, deprive the free women their
glory and the chaste her chastity.

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