Allah/God is our only Ballast

Many people who think themselves modern or of a superior worldview disparage religion (although with the ongoing genocide by Israel is changing people’s outlook), and in particular disparage the “idea” of God, as if God was nothing more than an idea. Although this contradicts the narrative of Jewish faith one thinks of in the public sphere, where God is One, ineffable, and interacts with humanity in a very real and tangible way, more or less like Islam, if one examines how the rabbinical and general interpretive stream goes, it tends toward muddying the waters between human and Divine.  As per below:

God is not a static being, but a dynamic becoming. Without human participation, God remains incomplete, unrealized. It is up to us to actualize the divine potential in the world. God needs us.

As for the “dynamic,” this is very true and I’ve often argued that very point, that “God is not a static Being,” as shown in the Quran. But “becoming” can be understood as “not yet realized” whereas Allah the Exalted is completely and fully realized. The problem with this is “realized” in the next sentence in bold which uses the word “becoming” to imply an insufficiency on God’s part which humans supposedly fulfill. This is false and totally contradicts truth. God/Allah is free of need, and does not “need” us at all. The Quran repeatedly tells us this!

O mankind, you are the ones in need of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the Free of Need, the Praiseworthy. (35:15)

Indeed, Allah is our only true Ballast. Without Him, we have neither true north nor south, nor any direction whatsoever, and truth becomes an invention, something anyone can make up, a fantasy, and thus we lose both balance and direction, rendering life itself pointless and meaningless. Which is where the “modern” mindset, denying God/Allah outright, has taken us. Yet many still have their conscience, their innate Fitrah.

Why Don’t Muslim Countries Help Palestinians or Stop the Genocide?

The video above answers this question in about ten minutes. I would add that among the “leaders” he mentions as having been the target of the U.S. and Israel is Bashar Al-Assad, himself is a tyrant who was waging a war on his own people when they came out in peaceful demonstrations against his Nazi-style rule in the wake of the Arab Spring. Israel had no problem with Assad or his father Hafez whom they once said “did even more than us” in terms of brutality against “rebels” among his own people. Many of the leaders taken out in coups were themselves dictators, but all the Israel-US alignment did was replace them when they got problematic. But it may be the genocide itself shows these puppet regimes that Israel does not hesitate to kill anyone – and these are not the sort of guys to sacrifice themselves for a cause other than themselves.

Why Does Allah Allow the Genocide in Gaza?

This is an important question, and Nouman Ali Khan gives us a fantastic and true answer to it.

The genocide in Gaza is an extreme example of fitnah, a test – not to be confused with fitrah which refers to the basic sense of right/wrong and true/false installed in all humans by God – of both the aggressor-oppressor and the victim. The oppressor has already failed his test by the oppression and the more it continues the greater the failure and Allah’s wrath; the victim, however, is also being tested.

The disbelievers support one another. If you do not do the same, there will be persecution in the land and great corruption. (8:73)

The Palestinians have supported one another, and persevered in their faith beyond most people’s imagination! They are an example to the world. And no matter how horrible the test, it is temporary – this life itself is temporary – but the reward in Paradise is everlasting and absolute bliss.

So their Lord answered them, “I shall not let the work of any worker among you, male or female, be in vain; each of you is like the other. So those who emigrated, and were expelled from their homes, and were hurt in My way, and fought and were slain—I shall absolve them of their sins and shall make them enter Gardens with rivers running below, a reward from God. And God, with Him is the most beautiful reward. (3:195)

CIA Predicts Hamas Defeat in Gaza & Arab Victory Over Israel

Here, C.J. Werleman speaks about how not only the CIA but even the Israeli top brass say Israel will lose to Hamas, even saying that the Arabs in the region, such as Jordan, will likely join the fight if provoked. Of course, the CIA is not an authoritative source on the future or Allah’s plans, but it’s worth mentioning because they have a vested interest in this situation, usually siding with Israel. What we know from the Quran is because the Palestinians are fighting for the sacred human right to live without the constant threat of persecution and killing, especially for precious children, they are obviously on the right side to whom Allah has promised victory. And they’re fighting for their very religion, to worship God in their sacred mosques without being desecrated by violence while praying, or prevented from praying in their own sacred places, invaded by those who seek to destroy the them, calling them “human animals.”

Whereas the Israelis are fighting for their own greed for the lands and properties of others without right, according to an ideology (Zionism) claiming Jews are a master race over all other people whom they consider worthless animals, falsely using obscure and irrelevant Biblical passages (while they are atheists) to commit genocide against all Palestinians. Of course Allah will never give victory to those who deliberately massacre of thousands of women and children, targeting whole families, destroying everything: men, women, children, animals, plants, with utter, stupid, arrogant cruelty.

“The people of Gaza have become a living miracle”

While looking for another article I’d read before on Yaqeen Institute’s website (whose founder is Dr. Omar Suleiman), I discovered this headline: “How Gaza is Restoring Faith in God and Saving the World” by Dr. Ovamir Anjum. The title alone expresses what I’ve been noticing on every platform of social media, notably TikTok but also X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, even LinkedIn. And others. The title of this post is the first sentence of that article. Another great sentence from the article: “Hope for a new world, it has become evident, has come not from the shining capitals, technological feats, or trillion-dollar schemes, but from the rubble of Gaza.” In difference ways and from seemingly every corner of the globe, variations on this theme are being expressed by a vast array of people, united by this one astounding thing. At a time of unimaginable agony for people of conscience watching the unending horror of a genocide and extreme atrocities committed against innocent civilians, especially children, this is a much-needed positive take on the meaning and Divine purpose that transforms the evil demented deeds and goals of the perpetrators into a saving grace for the entire world. This is an article well-worth your time to read.

On Gratitude, Thanksgiving, and Islam

This Yaqeen Institute article entitled “Does Thanksgiving Make a Mockery of Gratitude?” gives us a brilliant and insightful discussion, with examples, of what gratitude is and is not, notably showing the distinct difference between how the Islamic empire grew and how European-style settler-colonial empires or projects grew. His examples include the horrors in Palestine now as well with America’s dubious relationship with the many indigenous peoples (actually nations but not organized as “modern nation-states”) whose lands the European settlers violently usurped. But he also helps us find the way forward.

We can easily see how true this is! Everything Israel accuses Hamas of doing is what Israel actually does and is continuously doing.

An article well-worth reading with historical background and some startling facts! This Smithsonian article also gives more on the more disturbing and accurate history of Thanksgiving.

Inspired by Palestinians, Many Now Read the Quran, Turn to Islam

This is such a big thing, especially on TikTok, that Zionists are trying to ban the social media site used by millions, a large number of whom are young people. Meanwhile, Israelis have humiliated themselves on TikTok with videos displaying the utmost arrogance and lack of humanity, so out of touch are they with moral values or actual compassion for people. Their dances are often explicitly sexual, showing the depraved nature of this genocide. On the other hand, the faith and resilience of Palestinians under the most dire of circumstances has inspired untold numbers of people around the world to read the Quran and find out more about Islam, often reverting/converting. But they, and all people of conscience, face an international movement to ban free speech, targeting anyone who opposes the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This is in opposition to democratic principles to circumvent those very principles for the despicable and greedy goals of destroying Palestinians entirely in a total genocide and usurping the oil off their coast.

“Invest your energy in one thing; Erasing Gaza from the face of the earth,” the Likud MK and former public diplomacy minister Galit Distel Atbaryan said. (The Times of Israel)

What Are the Sacred Months in Islam, and Their Significance?

There are four sacred months in Islam. Sacredness is usually upheld by specific kinds of prohibition. In this case, fighting is prohibited in these four months. But also, it can be said “injustice in The 4 Sacred Months in Islam is the greatest sin.” Notably there is often much injustice and irreparable damage in war. Also, good deeds such as charity and kindness, piety expressed in mindfulness, prayer, and dhikr (remembering by invoking Allah) are especially encouraged during these months, with the promise of a greater reward. Three of these months – Thul-Qa’da, Thul-Hijja, and Muharram – are related to the Hajj pilgrimage, as they are adjacent months, with Thul-Hijja, the month of the Hajj, in the middle, surrounded by the other two months. This creates a protective barrier of time during which people can travel safely to and from the Hajj in peace. Before the modern era, the trip could take a month or more each way. Since the Hajj itself takes place between the 8th and 12th days of Thul-Hijja, safe travel time would be even longer. The fourth sacred month, Rajab, occurs six months after Muharram, thus preventing prolonged wars. Even a half-year’s fighting is therefore prohibited. No “forever wars” in Islam! Note also that these months form a {3,4} set: 3 adjacent months relating to Hajj, and one, the 4th, on the other side of the calendar, cutting the year in half. One can think of these months as a kind of sanctuary in time, a way to secure peace.

Lies Mined from the Bible Used to Promote Genocide

I’ve been in a state of dread since Israel began its declaration of “war” – a euphemism for genocide, mass murder, slaughter, sadistic systematic killing of children, women, and men – on an entire region of 2.2 million civilians, not soldiers, kept in an open-air prison surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders. Easy targets for an IDF whose conscience has been excised. They are openly and with intent ethnically cleansing all Palestinians including those who have nothing to do with Hamas. Death toll: over 10,000 civilians plus journalists, doctors, and international aid workers, and of course, over 4,000 children. Israeli Zionists are atheists who use selectively interpret Biblical references to promote their war crimes to their ardently blind supporters among Christian Zionist “evangelicals,” a group with an international reach. Meanwhile the real reason for the genocide is oil off the coast of Gaza, technically belonging to the Gazan people. Israel is willing to kill or displace over 2 million human beings in an epic Holocaust for that oil. It’s all about greed and religion is merely a pretext.

This article explains exactly what this biblical reference is all about, making an arbitrary mythological connection between Palestinians and an ancient group of people long gone, and how they invoke this to lure Christians to join the Zionist genocide brigade.

In Dark Times, There Can Be Light

Now we face the dark powers of the Zionist-Oppressor Alliance between genocidal Israel and their European & American toadies, both vassals of one another in shared criminality, especially mass murder and atrocities, as the inheritors of the Nazis’ evil, against whom many brave people of conscience fought and often died in WWII. War profiteers are rejoicing, IDF Nazi invertebrates are indiscriminately bombing children from their sterilized cubicles in the air where they don’t have to face their victims. They now turned off power and internet to hide the atrocity. But they can’t hide. Everybody already knows this is genocide and those who did it and their supporters are already on a massive downward slide to hell in this world and the next. But there’s something important we can do in whatever capacity we have. Listen to this visionary Friday khutba.

Hi-Tech “Islam Experience Centre” in Netherlands is a Wonderful Idea!

The symbol on the upper left-hand corner is for his Islamic Experience Center, and apparently many local

Joram van Klaveren was a far right-wing politician in the Netherlands who was also an anti-Muslim activist. But while researching for a book he was writing to expose what he thought were the evils of Islam, he discovered the truth was quite different than what it had appeared to be prior to such study, and he surprisingly converted to Islam. He developed a high-tech center to literally experience Islam in different ways, learning about its history and values, beliefs, and accomplishments. An important idea to dispel the many false narratives and myths about Islam that others would do well to emulate.

You can read his story in brief here. Now he has established a high-tech “Islamic Experience Center” using advanced technology to allow people of all backgrounds and interests to experience many aspects of Islam in unique and sophisticated ways, including virtual reality, holograms, and 8D sound.

How to Distinguish Good from Evil

The Number One Question should be “Is this (action or belief) Just or Unjust? “Indeed God commands justice, virtue, and giving to kinsfolk, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression. And He admonishes you, that perhaps you will be reminded.” (16:90) Obviously, this is no small matter and reams could be written about it, not a mere blog post. But the Quran is also called Al-Furqan, which means “the Criterion,” which refers essentially to the Quran being a guide for the human soul, and as such gives us the criterion and criteria (plural) by which to distinguish good from evil.

The Quranic Mandate to Serve Justice against Oppression

The Quran is full of admonitions stating that believers, those who truly surrender to Allah the Exalted, must work for Truth and Justice. Notice that Justice has to be based on Truth; with a capital T to highlight that Allah Himself is Truth. So we should all be truth-seekers, and based on truth we should fight for justice. How can one be just without some knowledge of a situation, using reason and logic to come to a conclusion that resonates with one’s heart or intuition? We should develop this sense and become seriously passionate about it because it matters immensely in both this world and, as consequences, in the next. This also means that we should be alert to the misuse of religion by people of no faith or morals, as a means of perpetuating their own injustices, “faithwashing” their crimes as “self-defense” or self-preservation, and painting their victims as criminals. For example, this has particular resonance in the case of Zionist Israel and their treatment of Palestinians, as this Quora post eloquently explains.

Ramadan in Places of Conflict and War

While we offer du’as to Allah for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors and friends, we should consider also offering du’as to Allah for Muslims who suffer from war and conflicts inflicted on them by aggressors from outside of their country. Such conflicts have sadly been common between people throughout history. Here are featured Ramadan in Palestine and Yemen, both victims of well-known conflicts that primarily affect children and civilian populations, and have been imposed upon them by more powerful aggressors, such as Israel backed by the UK, the US, and many allies in the West, and in the case of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. However there are also many other conflicts either ongoing or where ppl suffer the after effects. For links to more pics from other places, see the bottom of this post. (Featured photo above is iftar in Ramadan in Iraq.)

Muslims Should Not Stand Idly By to Oppression

There is much conflict and egregious oppression going on in the world right now, yet it seems most Muslims are oblivious, content to go and pray in the mosque and Friday, work and live their lives, take care of their families, and that’s it — and this is for the “better” Muslims who actually pray and give Zakat and are certain that Allah is One. And I’ve seen wonderful responses to drives for charity for those abroad suffering from natural disasters. But oppression — the tyranny of those in power over innocent populations — should also concern us. Often it seems beyond help; what can we do about, for example, the Uighurs in China? Or the Rohingya escaping from Myanmar and living (the lucky ones!) in refugee camps? There are agencies to help the Rohinjya and others, but we also need to speak out about oppression and call out those in power who could make a difference. And what about the Palestinians? Where is the Muslim support and activism? Young people and minors are being slaughtered and the media is not covering it. Israel is conducting an “operation” called “Break the Wave” and its name says it all — it’s “not only targeting members of certain factions, but any semblance of confrontation to its colonization of Palestine. Intensifying its use of live ammunition, Israel loosened its shoot-to-kill policy last year. ” Is this even legal?

Allah’s Victories Are Always Complete, Unlike Ours

We may sometimes wonder why Allah mentions in the Quran about how He completely destroyed whole nations/communities of deniers, not leaving a single person or trace. People erroneously project human qualities on Allah the Exalted, saying He is “showing off” how wrathful or vindictive or destructively powerful He is, thus missing the point. He is telling us about Himself for us to know the difference between us and Him as a reassurance (for those who trust in Him) and a warning (for those who deny Him) about this: how all His actions are, by His categorical nature as Almighty, always complete. Unlike us, whose actions are never complete, but always deficient, missing something. Often something important. Except when we are supported by Allah and a specific victory, promise, or fulfillment/completion is also ordained by Allah. Even as a response to a human du’a (supplication/prayer). The Most High never “shows off” in the human sense. Because what He completes is always a balance of might and mercy (and mercy is also tied to Justice). 

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. 

Islam and How the Power Brokers Manipulate ”Other” Countries – Powerful Khutba

Why are Muslim, so-called ”developing”, and other non-European/ US countries embroiled in poverty, chaos, dictatorships, lacking in having a voice in their own economies and governments? Why are even ordinary Americans struggling to live? This sweeping and powerful khutba speaks truth to power, puts into simple language and Quranic truths why this is happening and what to do about it. But first, knowing how the power-brokers deliberately destroy millions of lives empowers us to change.

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.