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Current Affairs articles

Pride, Power and Politics

An Open Letter to the People in Power

“The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and rebel in the earth without justification; for such there will be a painful torment.” [al-Shoora 42:42]‏.‏ 

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him) said: “O you people! You recite this Ayah: Take care of yourselves! If you follow the guidance no harm shall come to you. I indeed heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) saying: ‘When the people see the wrongdoer and they do not take him by the hand, then soon Allah shall envelop you in punishment from him.'” (Jami`at-Tirmidhi, Book 33, Hadith 11)

This is a disclaimer before the letter starts, this letter is being written after having worked with Muslims, for Muslims, helping Muslims and working within the Muslim community, realising all is not what it seems and all that glitters is not gold. Many people who seem to be religious and practising are not as holy and angelic and sanctimonious on the inside as they may seem on the outside. A lot of people in power don’t seem to use their power justly and productively, rather they abuse their power unlawfully, unfairly and unethically. After working for Muslims, I started to look at everything from a leadership lens. The good and bad of every school, masjid, organisation, family and even country were directly related to the quality of their leaders.  The aim and purpose of this letter is to remind those in leadership and in power of their duty and the fact that they are answerable to Allah. You have been put in a position to lead by the book of Allah SWT and deal with people fairly and justly as Allah states in the Qur’an:

He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan (i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allahs sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet SAW in a perfect manner), and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed” [an-Nahl 16:90]. 

When leadership is great, success inevitably follows. Likewise, when leadership is poor, failure inevitably follows. Think about it: give me some examples of successful countries, businesses and masjids and I will point you in the direction of the strong leader that orchestrated their success. This letter can be forwarded to Ulama, Imams, Chaplains, Principals of Madrasahs/Darul Ulooms, Headteachers of Boys/Girls Schools, as well as Muslim MPS and Councillors, it can be even sent to Non-Muslims in the above positions.

Abdullah bin Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock. An Imam is a shepherd and he is responsible for those in his care. A man is a shepherd in respect of his family and is responsible for those in his care. The woman is a shepherd in respect of her husband’s house and is responsible for what is in her care. The servant is a shepherd in respect of his master’s property and is responsible for what is in his care. All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock.”

What is the modern-day equivalent to the word shepherd in this hadith? IT IS A LEADER! So re-read the hadith above, but this time, replace the word shepherd with the word leader.

I believe that it is our responsibility to become leaders, because that’s what our beloved Prophet ﷺ taught us to be, and that is what he was. He exemplified leadership in all areas of his life, and, if we are truly followers of his example, then we will seek to do the same. Also, by looking at the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through this lens of leadership, my hope is that we will gain an even greater appreciation of how incredible he was, and our love for him will increase. We will gently remind those in power of their duties and qualities which naturally over time wear off, but need to be revivified.

To Begin…

  1. Ikhlaas – Sincerity is very important before taking up any position. You must be doing it for the sake of Allah SWT and to seek his pleasure. Narrated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.” (Bukhari) Some intentions to make and questions to ask yourself:

How are we influencing or making a positive impact in the world?

How are we influencing our families, communities, co-workers, children, cities and countries?

If the Prophet’s mission was about changing the world, shouldn’t ours be too? Should we not also be people of influence?

We are only doing this role to please Allah, not for worldly gain.

2. Fear of Allah – Narrated Ma’qil (Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, “Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise.”  (Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 89, Hadith 264)

Before making any decision, before advising anyone, before deploying someone, you must think of Allah SWT and remember that you will need to answer to Him one day.

Nepotism is growing uncontrollably, people are given preference because of family ties, or because of beauty and honour and lineage. Whereas preference should always be given to the best man for the job. “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqoon (the pious)]. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, AllAware” [al-Hujuraat 49:13] 

The advisors of the Messenger included Muslim men of all tribes, races and colours. Their hearts were filled with Tawheed and they were brought together by their faith and piety – such as Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) from Quraysh, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him) from Bani Hashim, Bilal the Ethiopian (Allah be pleased with him), Suhayb the Roman (Allah be pleased with him), Salman the Persian (Allah be pleased with him), rich men like ‘Uthman (Allah be pleased with him) and poor men like ‘Ammaar (Allah be pleased with him), people of means and poor people like Ahl al-Suffah, and others (Allah be pleased with them all).

Abdullah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, after me you will see preferential treatment, and matters that you dislike.” They said: “Then what do you command us [O Messenger of Allah!]” He said: “Give them their rights, and ask Allah for yours.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2190 

حَدَّثَنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ إِنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ بَعْدِي أَثَرَةً وَأُمُورًا تُنْكِرُونَهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَدُّوا إِلَيْهِمْ حَقَّهُمْ وَسَلُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي لَكُمْ ‏”‏

It was narrated from Umm Salamah (Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “You refer your disputes to me and I am only human. Perhaps some of you may be more eloquent in presenting your case than others, so I rule in your favour because of what I hear from you. If I pass a judgement in favour of one of you that detracts from his brother’s rights, then he should not take it, because it is a piece of fire that is given to him which he will bring forth on the Day Resurrection.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 3, Book 13, Hadith 10)

3. Seeking name and fame is blameworthy in all circumstances. The believer should be modest and humble, and he should not like to be chosen. One of the main factors that corrupt a person’s efforts to reach his Lord is his love of fame and prominence among people, and the love of leadership over them.

At-Tirmidhi (2376) narrated – and classed it as saheeh – that Ka‘b ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Two hungry wolves sent against a flock of sheep cannot cause more damage to them than a man’s eagerness for wealth and prominence causes to his religious commitment.”

One of the worst outcomes of the love of fame and prominence, and striving for it, is for a person to seek the praise of people, whether it is deserved or not.

Ahmad (16460) narrated that Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Beware of praising one another, for it is like slaughter (i.e., fatal).”

Al-Mannawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Praise leads to self-admiration and arrogance, and it is fatal like slaughter, hence it is likened to it. Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) said: If someone does you a favour, if he is one of those who like to be thanked and praised, then do not praise him, because part of fulfilling his rights is that you should not approve of his wrongdoing, and his seeking thanks is wrongdoing. Otherwise, you may show him gratitude so that he will continue doing good.

Ibraheem an-Nakha‘i (Allah have mercy on him) and al-Hasan al-Basri (Allah have mercy on him) said: It is sufficient trial for a man to be pointed out with regard to religious or worldly matters, except the one whom Allah protects.

End quote from az-Zuhd by Ibn as-Sirri (2/442).

Once we understand this, there can be no doubt that it is safer for a man to prefer anonymity and be humble towards his Lord, and to refrain from seeking fame and prominence, even with regard to permissible worldly matters.

4. Shukr – Be grateful to Allah for the position you have been given. You should pray 2 rak’ahs daily thanking Allah for this blessing and pleading to him for his help to guide you.

5.Humility – A quality which is found in very few leaders and people in power. The saying is famous, “Money and Power changes everyone.” People forget who they were and where they were. Money makes people delusional and power leads people to think they are above the law of the land and the law of Allah. Some men have no fear of god, whilst others think they are actually almighty god. The Prophet ﷺ  once said ‘the leader of a people is their servant’. He demonstrated this throughout his life from personally building his mosque to partaking in digging during the battle of the Trench. He was not a self-serving in of a higher cause. This was accompanied by humility and living a simple life. He didn’t have a throne and sat among his people as one of them, such that when foreign visitors came, they could not immediately tell from a gathering who the Prophet ﷺ was.

6. Patience and Wisdom – The Prophetﷺ  was wise but practical at the same time. Once a Bedouin came to the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and when the call of nature came he began urinating within the mosque and prayer area. Naturally this infuriated the other worshippers and companions of the Prophet ﷺ who started marching towards him in anger. The Prophet ﷺ intervened, not only by stopping the possibility of the Bedouin getting beaten up, but actually told the worshippers to let the Bedouin finish urinating!

This was not only very considerate of him but most wise. He ﷺ recognised that this was not an act of aggression but rather the simple Bedouin did not know about the etiquettes of the mosque and needed to be taught. This was the wisdom of the great teacher—the Prophet ﷺ, who proceeded to counsel the foolhardy Bedouin.

One of the most apparent qualities of the Prophet was his incredible patience. For 13 years he endured abuse and persecution at the hands of his fellow Makkans, including times when his companions were beaten, tortured and in some cases killed. Even the Prophet ﷺ wasn’t spared having animal entrails thrown at him as he prayed. One of his most perilous moments was in Ta’if when the people and their children stoned the beloved Prophet ﷺ until he was bleeding extensively.

Yet he had to remain patient and resilient through the suffering while painfully seeing his beloved followers grossly mistreated. His internal strength and patience, gave his followers strength and patience until God gave them some ease.

7. Courage, Compassion and Competence was in abundance in the Prophet ﷺ who sought to reflect the compassion of the Divine. Once, an elderly who would regularly throw rubbish in the pathway of the Prophet ﷺ fell ill. In seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ did not celebrate this situation rather showed care and compassion by going to visit the old woman, and preparing food for her. His courage was apparent during every battle and every challenging period faced by his people. Once at night during the Madinan period, the companions were awoken by a frightening loud noise. As they cautiously stepped out of their homes to see what was going on, they saw it was an out of control horse, but luckily someone brave had swiftly come out and brought the horse under control. It was none other than the courageous Prophet ﷺ.

He embodied the Quranic framework of Al-Qawi Wal Amin. Hence strong, competence and able, while being trustworthy. Today we find that sometimes good people aren’t the most competent, while the most competent aren’t always being good. The Prophet ﷺ role modelled the need to be both. He was known to be an able communicator who had the gift of ‘jawam’ul kalim’—a poetic way with words enabling him to say much with only a few words. He was an expert swordsman, with excellent equestrian skills but also had day to day practical skills from construction to sewing.

With regard to the imam’s role in society, there is no doubt that it is an important role. How can it be otherwise when he is leading the prayers which are the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn (twin testimony of faith)? The Imam is the leader and the worshippers behind him are his followers. The imam guides and leads his jama’ah (group) by giving lessons and talks. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Rightly-Guided khaleefahs used to hold gatherings in the mosques where the Muslims would gather so that they might consult with one another concerning religious and worldly matters and so that they might teach the people about Tawheed, fiqh, good manners, and also enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.” 

See Ahkam al-Imamah wa’l-I’timam fi’l-Salah by al-Muneef, p. 64 

The imam should check up on those who are absent (from the prayers), and visit the sick, He should strive to meet the needs of the Muslims who pray with him, teaching the ignorant, admonishing the negligent, advising the erring, reconciling those among whom there are differences, bringing them closer to one another and striving to foster friendship and love between them. He should strive to solve social problems that arise among them such as family quarrels, disputes between neighbours and the like. To sum up, the role of the imam is very important and should be appreciated as such. The group should help him to achieve the aims of sharee’ah and ward off anything that is bad or harmful. And Allah is the Source of strength.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The whole Muslim is sacred to another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (one who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure)

Categories
Poems

Where are you from?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

indiaI am not Surti nor Bharuchi,

I am not Indian nor Pakistani,
I am just a simple Muslim trying to live fairly,
Trying to promote justice, love and equality.
They call us backwards and say our children are low class,
Because I am not from their gOm and proud not to be part of their snobby upper class.
It hurts when they say ‘we are better than you,’
I’ve smelt their narcissism their pride and the way they cuss too.
Wasn’t that also said by Shaytan?
Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are a Patel or if you are a Khan!
You hold your noses high, nearly reaching the sky,
Through your pride, you can lie, but you can also wave Jannah goodbye.
You claim that our kids are chavs and like riff-raff,
Don’t forget we are all slaves made from clay, maybe you find that a bit naff?
You hold your children like trophies ?,
At the same time indoctrinating in them racist stories.
“Surtis are stingy” and “Pakistanis are ignorant?”
There’s no point arguing when you people are soo defiant.
You live your life spreading all this hate,
Even though you know it’s wrong and it’s not up for debate!
My eyes are open wide,
The truth is bitter, it’s something you can’t hide.
Truly educated men can never be racist,
Education is to drive what is within,
Are we not all the same under the skin?
I have a heart ❤ and yes, I do care,
But the world is just soo racist and soo unfair.
It is rare to find people who are true and modest,
I’ll pay you if you find me someone who is clean hearted and honest.
Soften your hearts before your children marry,
You never know how your son in law could be from “the enemy.”
You claim you are better because your schools are “outstanding”,
You think too much of yourselves with your labelling and branding.
We can’t criticise you because you just think we’re all jealous,
I sometimes think maybe you’re all a bit overzealous?
These schools are not god and won’t guarantee you paradise,
Take heed and listen to my precious advice.
Else due to your arrogance in Hell, you will pay the heavy price,
Even you know that won’t be very nice.
This poem was written to highlight and illustrate how some of us look down on others, because of their background. How some people think highly of themselves because of the schools their children attend. How some people cannot accept criticism against their own people or own villagers. How arrogant and racist certain Gujaratis are.
Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (one who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure)
Categories
Poems

Hey Mr?! Don’t step the line…

fine lne

There is a fine line between being nosy and trying to help out,

There is a fine line between being arrogant and being confident.

There is a fine line between being obnoxious and being bold or brave,

There is a fine line between being argumentative and speaking up (haqq).

There is a fine line between being immature and cracking a joke,

There is a fine line between being passive or apathetic and being merciful.

There is a fine line between flirting and being polite,

There is a fine line between being two-faced and trying to compromise between two parties.

There is a fine line between treating your religion as a buffet (pick and choose) and having true spirituality and religiosity,

There is a fine line between acting hypocritical by being sweet with someone (on their face) and offering Salam and a handshake.

There is a fine line between being racist and having banter (racist jokes are just as wrong),

There is a fine line between simply being a coward (afraid to say the truth) and using Hikmah (to avoid a worse situation).

There is a fine line between bribing someone and being generous,

There is a fine line between complaining, moaning or whinging and constructively criticising.

There is a fine line between being negative and being a realist (perhaps the reality is negative),

There is a fine line between free speech and free hate; one encourages debate whilst the other incites hatred and violence.

There is a fine line between showing off (Riyaa) and showing your deeds to encourage or motivate others.

And finally, (lol) …There is a fine line between putting make-up on and looking as though you had a fight with Crayola!

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia

(One who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure).

8 Rabiul Thani 1437

Categories
Dhulm/Oppression

In Plain English…

I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Satan,

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

IMG-20140219-WA0020

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.” [Surah Ale Imran: 103]

“There was no Racism between the Companions of the Prophet (SAW), for they all believed in the principle that the most honourable amongst them was the one with the most Taqwa.” [Shaykh Saleem Dhorat Saheb, IDA, Leicester.]

From the title, you may already have figured out the contents of this article are going to be pretty hard-hitting, straightforward, straight to the point, somewhat bitter and a bit of a rollercoaster ride for those of us who are not accustomed to listening to the truth.

Out of the many problems we see in society, Racism is one that is still prevalent in our societies.

However, Racism is an issue that is still one that is not something that we see commonly discussed; not in the Mosques, not on the pulpits, nor do we often hear talks and lectures on this topic, why is this the case?

Is it because we feel hypocritical talking about it?

Is it because we don’t think we can eradicate Racism from our communities, that the problem has gone too far?

Is it because we are proud of being Racists?

Or is it simply, we just don’t find anything wrong with Racism, because we have normalised it within our homes, within our towns, within our cities, it has become so main scale in everyday society now?

Whatever the reason is, it is not a justified one!

“Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust” (1)

[Prophet Muhammad Sall’Allahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam]

Racism should be a key area of concern within our communities if we truly believe in the principles of justice, fairness and equality.

After having lived in a small town in the North West of England, (Blackburn), for the last 30 years, I have seen and heard enough comments and remarks made in this small community, to muster up the courage In Sha Allah, and write this as a response to ‘all that goes on’ behind closed doors.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dealt with these issues of Racism 1400 years ago. When Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) with, “You son of a black woman!” and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) got insulted, he went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

He told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “O Messenger of Allah, … this is what Abu Dharr has said to me.” 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Abu Dharr and said, “O Abu Dharr you are a man who still has the traits of ignorance in him! I am equally the son of a black woman, as I am the son of a white woman.” (This is because He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was breastfed by a black woman).

In another narration, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You are a man who calls to Jahiliyyah, whoever calls to the call of Jahiliyyah, he will be in the fire of Jahannam!” And the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) asked, “What if he prays and fasts?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Even if he prays and he fasts.”

This was simply because Racism was prevalent amongst the Arabs before Islam, but after Islam, it was successfully eradicated.

Some of us are impressed and inspired and even enthralled by the colour of people’s skin, this demonstrates just how shallow, we as Muslims have become.

Look around the world and you will see how, in particular countries, there are two individuals of equal education, two employees doing the same job, but one is paid more than the other!

Why?

Simply because one is white and one is of a darker complexion!

This is our state, we are mesmerised by the colour of a person’s pigmentation.

Now let’s look at how deeply these traits are entrenched within us…

We don’t need any interference from the US or anyone else to destroy us or disunite us – we do too good a job of it ourselves! If we delve deeper in to the history of how many states across  the globe ‘achieved’ so-called ‘independence’ as a separate entity in itself as a ‘new’ country, just look at any one of these countries, be this the abolishing of the state formerly known as ‘Hindustan’, the regions within the Yugoslav area, or even as recently as a few years ago when Sudan was split in to two, North Sudan and South Sudan. The reason why these countries separated and new border lines were created was simply because of the inherent preference of tribalism and ancestral pride, over the call of ‘La Ilaha Illa Allah!’

Isn’t this what we see everywhere in the Ummah, around the globe, in the UK and right here in Blackburn? All we see is people defending their ‘own’ how often do we hear the following statements on our very own streets?

“My country is the best!”

“My tribe is the most honoured!”

“My family has more prestige and honour than yours!”

We see Arabs who think that they are more superior than non-Arabs, Indians thinking that they are better than Pakistanis, and Somalis thinking that they are higher than Sudanese people.

IT NEVER FINISHES!

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve – an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black, nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piety and good action.” This was stated in the Prophet’s SAW last sermon on the Ninth Day of Dhul-Hijjah, 10 A.H. in the ‘Uranah valley of Mount Arafat in Makkah. He SAW further added:

Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer for your deeds. So, beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. (2)

Closer to home, all we hear is:

“I’m a Bharuchi!”

“I’m a Surti!”

“I’m a Raja!”

“I’m a Chaudhary!”

And calls of “We are better than you!”

“Our Masjid is better than yours!”

“Our Madrasah is bigger than yours!”

What a pitiful state we find ourselves in, how low have we stooped since the golden days of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when individuals were brothers by faith, not by tribalism, pigmentation, wealth or status.

Brothers and Sisters, by Allah!

When we are lowered into our graves, Allah is not going to ask us, if we were a Surti or a Bharuchi, rather Allah will ask us if we divided the Ummah with our words. You will be asked, “Who is your Lord?” “Which is your religion?” “Who is your Prophet?” You will NOT be asked, “Which country are you from?”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him ) said, “He is not from amongst us, who fights for Nationalism.”

How many times do we see sisters failing to get married, because although they may have found a suitable brother to marry, he wasn’t from the same country as she was, or from the same village as their family in India, they remain unmarried? We would apparently rather deprive our daughters of a good life, of a happy life, simply because our pride gets the better of us? How selfish and proud have we become? How blinded by nationalism and tribalism have we become?

I say to my Bharuchi brothers and sisters, as well as Surti brothers and sisters – you only have ONE bridge that separates you in Gujarat. Why are your hearts divided? You hate each other as though you are enemies! And now for my Indian Muslims and my Pakistani Muslims, you are only separated by ONE border, but the Kalimah unites you – remain united.

On a positive note, it is nice to see inter-racial marriages, Indians marrying Pakistanis, Bharuchis marrying Surtis and Bengalis marrying Pakistanis. I believe this was the practice in Ancient Arabia to defuse friction between clans. But, having said that, we still find some parents very staunch – Allah purify our hearts. Ameen.

“If there comes to you one whose religious commitment and attitude pleases you, then marry [your female relative who is under your care] to him, for if you do not do that, there will be tribulation on earth and much corruption.” (3)

We must remember that every race and nation has its good qualities and bad qualities.

What follows is something I wasn’t going to include in this post, but just to open our minds a little, so that we can look ‘beyond our noses’ – below is my opinion on the khayr and goodness in some races:

Arabs

Generally, as an Asian myself, I find that as Asians we look down on Arabs because of their outer appearance (dhahir) doesn’t look ‘Islamic’. Although the Hadith clearly states that Allah looks at the heart, not the outer look (albeit identity is important in my opinion), Arabs are at the top of the list when it comes to generosity and hospitality. Which nation can we say supersedes us all in certainty and yaqeen? In firmness and conviction?

Bengalis 

I have always found Bengalis to be the most humble and open-hearted of people. We don’t have as many in Blackburn but sadly, it seems that they are looked down upon wherever they are situated.

Gujaratis

As a Gujarati myself, I find that it is difficult to deal with your own ethnic group impartially. It is difficult to deal with your own whilst being fair. I believe that Gujaratis are known for their Islamic productivity – they are well advanced and are usually ahead of everyone else when it comes to building Islamic schools and Madrasahs. Gujaratis educate their sons and daughters thoroughly in terms of the deen, and produce Hafidh and Alim(ahs) in abundance – although, at times, this sometimes leads to their haughtiness.

Pakistanis

Who else can we find that fight for causes of justice and stand up for the Ummah more than Pakistani men and women?

Who else can we find with pure hearts, sincerity and honesty more than Pakistanis?

Who else can we find with more Gheerah/Ghayrat (protective jealousy) than Pakistanis?

Unfortunately, Pakistanis are judged by the actions of a few ignorant ones and thus they are deemed to be one and the same.

The respected and honourable Malcolm X (Allah have mercy on him) a Muslim Human rights activist once said. “That it would probably do America well to study the religion of Islam and perhaps it could drive some of the Racism from this society as it has driven Racism from the Muslim society”.

Charles. R. Swindoll said: “Prejudice is a learned trait. You are not born prejudiced, you are taught it.”

How far have we drifted from this? From the equality that Islam has delivered to us.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Two matters are signs of disbelief on the part of those who indulge in them: Defaming and speaking evil of a person’s lineage, and wailing over the dead.” [Muslim].

Let us take a look at our Masajid, places that are meant to be places of worship and places for devotion and acquiring the Love of Allah, in Islam we call them the ‘Houses of Allah’. But how many of these Masajid do we know that have constitutions that are built on Racism! I am no great scholar, but just as Alcohol is Haram, Fornication is Haram, Murder is Haram, similarly, Racism is also Haram.

Let alone the same country, if you are not from ‘our village’ in India you cannot be a member of our Masjid. And it doesn’t end there, we don’t allow Non-Indians to become members of our Masajid, so we charge their children extra fees in the Madrasah.

How is that even remotely fair, when an Indian child and Pakistani child receive the same level of education?

Why the discrimination?

Simply because his father is from Pakistan?

To be judged on ethnicity? Something we cannot choose, something that Allah has chosen for us!

Shame on such Masajid and shame on such racist committees. I have always wanted to ask one question to such people,

“Why do you take Lillah (charity) money off Pakistanis and Bengalis to use in the Masjid?”

The position I hold is if they can’t be members, then equally refuse their Lillah donations. But no we won’t do that, we quickly and greedily take their money! Other Masajid, on the other hand, will not even give Ghusl (ritual bath for the deceased) if the deceased is a Pakistani. La Hawla Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah!

I won’t stop there, in the United Kingdom we have certain graveyards where only people from a certain province/state in India can be buried there. One wonders how do such committee members sleep at night, and more importantly, once they sleep in their graves how will they answer to Allah on the Day of Judgement?

I remember in high school my Science teacher once said, “I don’t know if there is a God but he sure did make a mistake creating everyone different colours!” At that time I was highly offended and did not have an answer, later in life, however, I did Alhumdu Lillah. So this is for him and all those who fail to understand why Allah made everyone from different tribes and nations:

“O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (3)

Do we not recall how the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were of different skin colours, different cultures, varying races yet they loved each other more than blood brothers.

Bilal Ibn Rabah, Wahshy Ibn Harb, Sumayyah bint al-Khayyat, Usama Ibn Zayd (Allah be pleased with them) were all from Ethiopia or surrounding areas.

Salman Abu Abdullah and Fayruz al-Daylami (Allah be pleased with them) were from Persia.

Suhaib Ibn Sinaan (Allah be pleased with him) was from the provinces of Rome, Abu Dharr (Allah be pleased with him) was from Gifar, Al-Najashi was an Abyssinian King who converted to Islam, Maryah (Allah be pleased with her) the Copt was the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Nabi Musa ﷺ, Dawood ﷺ, Sulayman ﷺ, Yahyaﷺ and Isaﷺwere Hebrew (Bani Israa’il). Peace be upon them all.
Muhammad ﷺ , his caliphs and most of his companions were Arab.
Salahuddin (Allah have mercy on him) and Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy on him) (mother’s side) were Kurdish.
Imam Abu Hanifah (Allah have mercy on him), Imam Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) Imam Tirmidhi (Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Muslim bin Hajjaj (Allah have mercy on him) were Persians (Faris).
Muhammad al-Fatih (Allah have mercy on him), Selim and Suleyman (Allah have mercy on him) were Turks.
The Mughal Empire’s rulers were Mongol (central Asian) and the great muhaddithin of South Asia were Indians (Allah have mercy on them).
Tariq bin Ziyad (Allah have mercy on him) was a Berber, Ibn Hazm (Allah have mercy on him) was Andalusian, the Mamluks (Allah have mercy on him) were Turkic and Circassians and the list goes on and on…
In all of this is a constant reminder that nationalism, racism and tribalism are simply inconsistent with Islamic teaching and its history.
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” The Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Hujuraat (The rooms), Ayah 13.

 

The differences in language, colour and race were not considered as levels of quality or degrees of superiority but rather as an expression of diversity and richness in Humanity.

We loudly and proudly attribute ourselves to Islam and its teachings, but we fail to practise upon what Islam really says. We narrate stories to our children in Madrasah of how Bilal Ibn Rabah  (Allah be pleased with him) suffered in the streets of Makkah and how his rank was elevated to that of the Mu’addhin (caller to prayer) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), despite formerly being a slave and despite being from Ethiopia. We have numerous Masajid named after Bilal (Allah be pleased with him), absolutely beautiful Masajid costing over a million pounds, ‘MASJID BILAL’, but if Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) was alive today, would he even be allowed to become a member of your Masjid? We all know that his descendants are refused.

I personally have had my own experience, where I have walked into a Masjid and been made to feel unwelcome. Simply because I do not share the same village in India. For the record, I am neither a Surti nor a Bharuchi, nor does it matter. Neither should I feel the need to state what I am. My belief is that we should judge people by their words and actions, not stereotype people and look at the village they are from or where their ancestors descend from. I humbly request some of these racist, xenophobic, ethnocentric and nationalistic brothers and sisters to remove the pride and the prejudice from their hearts. Islam is not JUST about Salah and Sawm, it is also about the purity of the heart. A biased and racist person can never have a clean heart. Imam Ibnul Qayyim (Allah illuminate his grave) used to say, “If you want to get a taste of a person’s heart look at his tongue.”

Finally, I would like to end something which might seem slightly off topic, but I feel that it is related to the issue of ‘Unity’.

As we see the Ummah divided from every angle, in every shape and form, it is quite evident that it is not just race and nationality that divides us. We see different sects of the Muslim Ummah fighting and bickering over Fiqhi and sometimes hair-splitting issues; the mind boggles… I wish to elaborate more on this in a future blog In Sha Allah, but for the benefit of  readers I will start with a quote that dates back to 1920, Shaykhul Hind Mawlana Mahmoodul Hassan (Allah sanctify his secret) was only 69, not only was he one of the most distinguished scholars of his time, he had also spent a lifetime in political struggle. His audience was a gathering of Ulama, eager to hear the lessons of a lifetime of study, struggle and reflection. His conclusion: “Our problems are caused by two factors; abandoning the Qur’an and our infighting.” He spent the few remaining days of his life addressing these causes. (4)

The reasons Shaykhul Hind (Allah sanctify his secret) are as valid today as they were then. They are also related; the second being caused by the first. The Qur’an had declared us as one Ummah and had warned us against infighting. We have ignored those teachings and the billion-strong Ummah has turned into an Ummah fragmented into a billion segments.

Some people blame the four madhabs for the disunity. but if we look at each of the four Imams and their biographies we will see, not once did they promote this sort of sectarianism. Fiqh is fiqh, it is not Aqeedah/Beliefs.

As Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah our roots and fundamentals are the same,

One Allah, One Prophet, One Qur’an and one Qiblah, why are we not ONE Ummah?

Jannah has room for everyone! We seriously need to be careful before we declare people ‘Kafir’. It doesn’t matter if you are a Barelwi, Deobandi, Mawdoodi or a Salafi – Jannah certainly has room for us all, why do we choose to narrow the mercy of Allah? Why do we choose to divide on Fiqhi issues? Don’t get me wrong – debates and discussions are a good thing, when done sincerely, not merely for argument’s sake. The problem rather occurs when we overstate these differences. There was a difference of opinions in Fiqh amongst the companions, the Successors and great Mujtahideen. They disagreed but did they not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other.

The Brotherhood remained intact.

They had tolerance for the other view.

As I follow the Deobandi school of thought, I talk to my own first – because I believe that is the Qur’anic principle “Rectify your own first.” It is easy to get defensive and blame others, and I know amongst us Deobandis we have many people who harbour hatred, hate mongers and those that divide and cause disunity intentionally. Many claim that their organisation is doing the task that is the most important, and the work which is the only work of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them). A simple answer to those dear brothers, Jannah has eight doors, not one! People were created for different purposes, some preach, some teach and some are busy writing books, Allah accept one and all.

I end with a quote from Brother Malcolm X (Allah have mercy on him), “Our people have made the mistake of confusing the methods with the objectives. As long as we agree on objectives, we should never fall out with each other just because we believe in different methods, or tactics, or strategy.”

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (One who is in dire need of Allah’s Forgiveness, Mercy and Pleasure).

20 Rabeeul Thanee 1436

An article written on the completion of reading the biography of Malcolm X RH. I believe he was a man of courage and strength, a man who stood up for his people. Such men are rare to be found, we have a LOT of males, but very few men. One of his famous quotes, “To come right down to it, if I take the kind of things in which I believe, then add to that the kind of temperament that I have, plus 100% dedication that I have to whatever I believe in, these are ingredients which make it just impossible for me to die of old age – I know these societies have often killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the Racist cancer that is malignant in America – then all credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.”

Malik al-Shabbaz (Allah illuminate his grave)

References:

(1) – (Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi)

(2) – (Bukhari, Muslim)

(3) – (Tirmidhi)

 (4) – (Hujurat:13)

 (5) – (Adapted from a talk in 1963 by Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan which was published in the booklet ‘Wahdat e Ummat’)