Zakat – Purification of Worldly Wealth

Allah’s command to give zakat* is equal to His command to establish the daily practice of salat, so much so that they are frequently mentioned together – in fact, 25 times (matching the number of prophets named in the Quran). Our worldly income, if not shared with others (if we can), turns into a burden on our souls, weighing them down and even can nullify our salat prayers. Everything, and I mean everything, interrelates. Money and other forms of wealth form a most powerful “heavy” relationship to people, for whom it is felt as a primary essential benefit. It’s quite easy for money to dominate our direction in life, making us forget Allah the Exalted, the Source of all resources and all wealth, and Who alone controls all these complex interrelated “worlds.” His name Lord of all worlds (Rabb Al-‘Alameen) expresses this comprehensive authority, and Allah’s all-encompassing generosity. When we don’t spend in His Way, we violate this generosity and our gains can become worthless. When we do give, Allah increases His giving to us as a reward.

*(Alternate spelling zakah, but I prefer zakat as it’s closer to the original Arabic.)

Divine vs. Worldly Compound Interest for Investment and How Loans are Weaponized

The subject of usury is way too large for a blog post, so first I will compare “compound interest” as it is commonly understood now to Allah’s Divine “compound interest” in the Quran, only used for investment, because Allah only gives, and show how this same principle of compound interest applied to loans (which in Islam, and other religions, is defined and prohibited as usury), is used to create monolithic income inequality, hence is the major source of the problems that result from that in the modern world, arguably even climate change.  

Great Video: The Existential Threats of the Modern Banking System, etc, and Islam – Sh Abdal Hakim Murad

With another US Bank, First Republic, about to be nationalized by the US government in an effort to prevent the entire U.S. banking system from collapse —!!!!!— and no guarantees this will do the job — now is a good time to discuss how Islam approaches wealth and finance, as well as what makes us fulfilled and happy and what does not. He cites several studies showing an inverse relationship between wealth and satisfaction/happiness, and a heightened incidence of depression among those with greater wealth. And a very reasonable Islamic approach to the current crisis.

https://youtu.be/8_8UcjFLeGI

Well worth your time. The interviewee is the dean of the Cambridge Muslim College in the UK.

Sura 92 Al-Layl’s Beautiful Structure and Meaning

Surat Al-Layl 92 is the gift that keeps on giving unexpected insights, tightly integrated on many levels. Its 21 ayat/verses can be divided into 3 parts of 7 ayat each, a striking symmetry, and this within a separate ring arrangement based on the division between this world and the Hereafter. The sura’s emphasis on the primacy of charitable acts as proof of faith and other meaningful details are powerfully reflected in its structure as well. 

Salat, Our Connection to Allah and More

Salat as a practice is central in the Quran, but certain aspects of it can cause confusion due to differences between what is understood in English and what the Quran means in Arabic. It is a connection, a two-way street, and as such, involves reciprocity, which itself needs explanation. But it also is something one “establishes” by its regular practice. And what does it mean to “connect with” Prophet Mohammad? These are concepts that people dispute over for issues relating to language as well as concerns over not violating monotheism, yet are absolutely crucial in Islam to understand. 

Compassion and Justice: Their Essential Symbiosis in Islam

Compassion cannot coexist with Injustice. Justice is at the heart of compassion.

Several years ago, I posted this piece about compassion being the “overriding principle” of Islam. It was written in response to the destruction of Muslim societies by the hand of brutal dictatorships imposed on the citizens of majority-Muslim countries, as well as the Islamophobia Industry’s branding of Islam and the Quran as “promoting violence,” and more specifically, “terrorism,” a term which has strayed far from its original application, for acts of violence perpetrated by an aggrieved party against civilians in response to acts of oppression by a government or army. Now it has become a classification of crime outside the normal justice system of due process and protecting the rights of the accused. Instead, such rights are cancelled by then Patriot Act and other elements of the so-called Global War on Terror, allowing governments including the United States to avoid democratic norms of justice, legalizing torture, long prohibited in democracies, against people who had been accused but not duly convicted of “terror”-related crimes. In other words, the War on Terror had become a justification for subverting and thwarting justice itself. That in turn became a war on compassion and truth, into which the ascendancy of Trump became both emblematic and promotional.

And the number one suspect category for this exemption from justice and human rights? Muslims. Whose religion prioritizes justice, human rights, and compassion more than modern democracies or even religions do.

What Is the Law of Reciprocity in Islam?

Of all the major guidelines given us in the Quran, one of the most important is the Law of Reciprocity, repeated frequently in the Quran but of course, not using that term. I use the English term to convey its universality, as it is the Divine comprehensive application we discuss here, analogous to Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” What makes it so fundamental is that it applies not only to the physics, biology, and human social behavior of this life, but also to Al-Akhira, the Hereafter, insofar as what we do in this life brings consequences in the next. Not only that, but Allah the Exalted applies it not only to humans, but to all of creation in a sense, and even more stunningly, Allah applies this principle to Himself, as in the expression that Allah has “decreed mercy on Himself.”

Ramadan: Purification and Emptying Out

As this most sacred of months, Ramadan, continues, we think about what its true meaning is. It’s about more than fasting from food and drink, because one must also abstain from bad behaviors, such as lying, slander or profanity, and obviously from committing any crimes, or from acting with cruelty to others such as bullying or mocking others, in person or online, openly or in secret. Not only must one abstain from sexual activity of any kind (and one considers that for Muslims this will be marital, lawful), but refrain oneself from any sexual thoughts or innuendos or behaviors that approach this area, including viewing sexually explicit materials online or elsewhere. Even excess anger is prohibited. One strives, in other words, to be a truly good person, thinking about it, being aware of Allah. So it is a kind of emptying out of those things of this world that lead us away from thikr Allah, actively remembering Allah and calling upon Him and invoking His name while alert. It is a kind of purification of the heart. We also strive to be compassionate and kind and thoughtful to others. So it is an emptying out of the selfish part, our tendency to be driven and moved by our selfish desires.