Eid Mubarak!

Eid is a time of festivities, especially for children, and to express our gratitude for what Allah has blessed us with. We hope for everyone a blessed Eid.

It’s also important, as we focus on gratitude to Allah, to continue our efforts in behalf of Palestinians in Gaza and Palestine who are under not only a siege of bombing and sniper attacks on whole families and children in particular, but also literally being starved to death by Israel deliberately preventing food, water, medicine, and other aid to enter Gaza, as well as continuously attacking Palestinians in the West Bank and elsewhere.

Despite the horrors, Palestinians are working to keep the Eid festival a moment of relief and kindness for children. (This photo in Rafah)

There are many actions we can take to help, from bringing awareness by protesting and calling our government leaders wherever we live, to donating to some of the Palestinians themselves who have accounts with PayPal or GoFundMe, and other means one can find on social media, and much more. Israel doesn’t care about humanity, let alone their holidays, so we must always be alert to times like this not to become complacent. Enjoy, but also remember.

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.)

Gold Discovered in Gaza!

And it’s something the Israelis will never be able to find.

What Is Worship of Allah?

The word “worship” is not as obvious in meaning as it may seem. Although generally understood as a kind of dedicated devotion, often involving rituals or practices, differences in one’s idea of God may be rather vague. We should imagine God as Good in the highest sense, expecting of us to strive towards such things as justice, truth, beauty, compassion, thankfulness, generosity, reverence. But what is different here is that the Quran refers to all people as ‘abad or worshipers. We were created to worship, and so are worshipers by nature – but it’s up to us to choose who or what we worship, and therein lies the difference.

Satan, the First Racist, Tells Us “Be Arrogant” Like him

The above Quranic aya encapsulates what racism is: to say “I am better than he is/they are” because Allah “created me this way” and “created him/them that way.” It’s about saying I am better than someone only because of something they were created to be, not by anything they did. It’s an act of arrogance, and it is this arrogance that made Satan the expelled and accursed. So anyone who thinks he is better than another for being of another race or anything other than piety is actually claiming that Allah should prefer him/her to them. This is a judgment call on Allah the Almighty Himself, an act of extreme denial, and puts anyone who does so right down there with Satan. It’s also an act of extreme injustice, against Allah, oneself, and all humanity. And the consequences?

Allah the Exalted is not Petty and Islam Is Not About Things Being Haram

This inspiring video by Nouman Ali Khan beautifully explains the mistake people (both Muslims and non-Muslims) make, for various reasons, of thinking of Islam as a strict religion that makes everything prohibited, is against all forms of enjoyment in this world, just a kind of dour, restrictive religion, which is the diametrical opposite of the truth.

I associate this sort of thinking, nitpicking about hand positions in salat and which musical instruments are haram and which are halal, and the right and wrong way to wear hijab, whether or not to shave, “wear the beard” and detailed dress codes. But Allah the Exalted isn’t petty! Pettiness is practically defined as making irrelevant details the focus of one’s life, ignoring the looming and huge matters of faith, the Hereafter, charity, generosity of spirit, devotion in the heart, and a forgiving attitude towards others. And the fact that there is none like Allah, so study His book to know what He is like. The Quran is hugely communicative; it’s our responsibility to be receptive, not bark orders to others without humility or expressing love. May Allah guide us all. 🙂

Du’as for Giving Thanks

Showing appreciation to Allah Who gave us life, sustenance, enjoyment, and beauty surrounding us on earth and in the sky at day and night, is important way beyond what most people think or consider. In the Quran, the word kufr, often translated “disbelief,” really means denial and literally “covering up” – the root word means literally “to cover,” as you can even hear in the pronunciation of kufr like cover. The Quran frequently juxtaposes kufr in opposition to grateful or appreciative. With kufr as the primal sin from which other sins or wrongdoing are derived, this shows us that thankfulness is of monumental importance. The word “denial” encompasses the same two meanings: rejection of Allah the Exalted and His guidance, and denial that anything good is from Allah/God. In the current era, this denial is expressed as “self-sufficiency,” and randomness, that things just “happen” but there’s no meaning to anything other than “facts” devoid of significance except as empirical statistics. The Quran, on the other hand, shows us everything has profound meaning, purpose, and value which is freely given to all. By offering du’as of thanks and praise to Allah, we enhance this attitude and understanding – even science finds that the most balanced, beloved, and joyful people are the most grateful.  

Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and Allah’s Message in the Quran

Most people are familiar with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony’s epic conclusion in the choral piece “Ode to Joy.” The words being sung in German are from a poem of the same name by Friederich Schiller, one of the greatest German poets. Their meaning is below:

Examining the words of this poem, and the story of how Beethoven was driven obsessively to compose the music to most effectively present those words to a world suffering from war and conflict — the same problems we find in the world today — I found to my surprise these words express what in essence is the message of the Quran: all people are brothers on equal terms before God, and we are to act accordingly in justice. And it goes farther than that. 

The Meaning and Value of Ramadan: Memorable Video

One of the most meaningful and insightful explanations of Ramadan’s purpose in every sense that I’ve ever read or heard:

Dr. Nouman Ali Khan gives a beautiful explanation of the meaning of taqwa, how fasting Ramadan helps us develop it, and Ramadan as commemoration of the highly significant historical event of the Quran being sent down to humankind to guide us from darkness into the light. Plus the importance of understanding the difference between ease and hardship, and how that relates to short-term vs long-term success, and then applying this wisdom to eternity. He explains 3 out of 5, but wow, those are so vital.

His presentation gets to the heart of the matter, transcending divisions between schools of thought, traditional vs liberal, or other divisions between Muslims’ approach to Islam and the Quran. The core meaning is truly the point of this khutba, and that is universal truth.

Thankfulness in the Quran

Bird of Paradise flower (photo by author)

Last Ramadan, this post discussed the importance of gratitude, highlighting it as the primal attitude leading to faith and trust in Allah, the Giver of all we have to be thankful for. We would do well to be reminded of it today.