TENSION IN THE AIR - ANY SOLUTION?

Most people are well aware of the fact that tensions in Kenya are very rapidly escalating, and have turned the country into a pile of super-dried firewood just waiting to burst into flames. We make dua to Allah that He brings down upon this firewood drenching rains of peace, even before any matchstick can get anywhere close to it. However, for this rain to come, the blockage that is stopping it from showering down upon us must be removed. Removing this blockage is the only solution for the tension we find ourselves in. This blockage is our sins, our spiritual sicknesses, our evil actions.

Today we leave no stone unturned in blaming everything else and everyone else for what we find ourselves in, but we conveniently forget that it is we who are to blame – the problem is in us, the problem is in me. Allah states in Surah Room – “Strife, havoc, and problems have become manifest in the land and in the sea, due to the (evil) actions of the people, so that Allah can make them taste some of the consequences of their evil deeds, and so that they may turn back (to Allah.)” In this deeply beautiful aayat, Allah is telling us that the problems we face – whether on a domestic level, a national level, or problems affecting the entire world – are due to the earnings of our own hands It is we who have brought upon ourselves the dire and grim conditions we are complaining about. We, the Muslims, who are bound by the commands of Allah, are very busy in stoking the fire of sins at every chance we get, wherever we are. We have become bold, open, and fearless in violating the injunctions of Sharia, and throwing behind our backs the beautiful lifestyle of our beloved Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. When grave sins like watching TV and movies, indulging in animate pictures, free intermingling of sexes, music, women emerging from their homes uncovered, men cutting or shaving their beards below a fist length, men letting their garments reach their ankles, unbridled indulgence in material luxuries are so rampant and rife in our society, then what peace and mercy are we expecting? We constantly defy Allah, and yet we expect His help to rain down upon us?

The only solution to our difficulties, not just in Kenya, but all around the world, is for us to make tauba – repent and turn to Allah. The only way that negative conditions can be changed is if we give ourselves over to Allah in total humility and subservience. We need to extinguish the fire of disobedience that we have set alight, with tears of repentance. We need to become true slaves of Allah for every moment of our remaining lives, till we breathe our last. Failing this, no security guards, and no CCTV cameras are going to be of any use.

This is my humble, heartfelt plea to all Muslims residing in Kenya specifically, and all Muslims in the world in general – let us cleanse and purify our lives from both external and internal sins, before it is too late, and we are left with nothing but regret in a time when regret will be futile.

I, the weakest and most sinful of all, repent from all my sins, open and hidden, and turn to Allah in regret and tauba. May Allah forgive me and all Muslims.

Servant,

Madrasah Fadhlul Uloom

USAGE OF TV AND THE PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES OF PROPAGATING DEEN - PART TWO

In the first part of this article (if you haven't read it then please do read that first, it is the post right before this one, or click here - USAGE OF TV AND THE PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES OF PROPAGATING DEEN - PART ONE ) we discussed in some detail the fact that the forces of Dajjal are using the TV to infiltrate right into our living rooms, and control our domestic lives, so as to stop us from reaching our objective and goal of establishing a firm and unbreakable connection with Allah Ta'ala. This, as we mentioned, serves as an introduction to what we want to discuss in this second part - can this same TV be used for the propagation of Deen?

Very sadly and disturbingly, there are some contemporary Ulama who not only spread the idea that it is perfectly fine to use a TV for Deen, but they regularly and eagerly come on it themselves. The same TV which had left many Muslim homes due to the continuous efforts of our great and pious Ulama spanning more than half a century, warning about the myriad of sins and dangers that were part and parcel of a TV, was now making a triumphant come back in those very same homes, due to 'some Ulama' claiming its permissibility. And those who continued to watch it and didn't throw it out, but used to do so with a guilty conscience, at least to some extent, now began to view it without any qualms and misgivings, content that what they were doing, far from being a sin, was now acceptable in Islam, and in some cases, even 'rewardable.' The third category, those who watched the TV without any guilt, now (in this new 'fatwa') found a weapon with which they could lash out with fury at any pious soul who dared to advise them to repent from this sin.

 Although this permissibility is said (by the Ulama responsible for it) to be only for 'Deeni TV' or 'Islamic TV' (what a disturbing oxymoron), all are aware that cable network packages don't ever come with just one channel. Thus accompanying the 'Islamic TV' there will be a vast array of various other channels designed to steal the Iman of a Muslim which will exercise their magnetic pull to ensure they don't go unwatched. As a result, this 'fatwa' became a tacit approval for every TV channel imaginable. This is assuming that the 'Islamic TV Channel' is itself permissible, or that something like Islamic TV can actually exist, as is contended by those who were bold enough to throw water over the sacrifices of their pious predecessors. In reality, such channels are haraam, and TV can never become Islamic, in much the same way that we can't have 'Islamic pork.' For ages people have always been listening to bayans, not watching them, and they fared much better than us in their spiritual levels. They benefited tremendously by just listening to talks, and no one felt that hidayat was dependent on watching the gestures and facial expressions of the speaker. Then why suddenly the desperation for visual stimulation in talks of Deen? The truth, which may be shocking for some, is that these TV bayans and video bayans are all part of the carefully woven plot of Dajjal to paralyse us spiritually without us even realising it. They are designed to turn Islam into an entertainment show and give us a shallow and superficial version of Deen to bolster the feeling that we are making great strides forward, while leaving us hollow and empty on the inside. The stark reality that we are facing, and which I have been wanting to point out, is that the fitnah of Dajjal has reached a new level of severity - it is now using the very same weapon of mass destruction (TV) to wreak the same havoc it used to before (if not more), all in the name of Deen, to ensure that no one ever makes taubah, labouring under the false notion that they have achieved lofty ranks of wilayat (sainthood.)

Allamah Yusuf Binnori Ra, the great and illustrious student of Allamah Kashmiri Ra and the founder of Binnori Town in Karachi, Pakistan, was once requested to deliver a lecture on TV, and he refused to do so. At this same time, the question of whether the TV and videos can be used for Deeni and Tableeghi purposes or not was discussed. What Allamah Yusuf Binnori Ra had to say about this is something worthy of being written in golden ink, an eye-opening discourse filled with incredible wisdom, insight, and foresight, in which he beautifully expounded upon the salient and timeless principles of the propagation of Deen. Hereunder I am relating his words which I have translated into English -

"With regards to this, I want to explain a matter of principle - that we have not been made responsible for this from the side of Allah that in whichever way possible, we must make each and every person a pious Muslim. Yes, we are responsible for exerting our full effort by employing every possible permissible means in our control for the propagation of Deen. Whenever Islam has given us the command of propagating Deen, it has also taught us the dignified etiquette and methods of how to go about doing it, and we are responsible for the propagation of Deen within the limits of these methods and etiquette. If within these limits, using only permissible means, we are granted success in our efforts of propagation, then that is an excellent result. However on the other hand, if we do not achieve complete success using the permissible means available to us, then we are not responsible for adopting impermissible means in inviting people towards Deen and throwing the manners and etiquette of propagation behind our backs, making an effort to bring people into our ranks using every permissible and impermissible method. If through permissible means, and with observing the required etiquette of propagation we make one person follow Deen in totality, then our Tableegh is a success, and if, by using impermissible means, we make a hundred people join our group, then such a 'success' has no value in front of Allah (in fact it can't even be termed a success, in reality it is a failure.) The reason for this is that the Tableegh (propagation) in which the commands of Deen are destroyed isn't the propagation of Deen, it is the propagation of something else. TV and video in itself is against the commands of Islam (even if it is deceptively flaunted as 'Islamic'), thus we have not been made responsible for using it in Tableegh. If anyone is ready to accept our invitation towards Deen in which only permissible and dignified methods have been used, then our eyes and heart are spread out for him as a carpet to walk on. However, that person who is not ready to listen to the talk of Deen without seeing a video-filmed bayan (as has become the case today), then we are excused from inviting him using video/TV. If we are not going to stand firmly on this position of ours, then today we will start using video/TV for Tableegh, in consideration for the temperament and likes of the masses, tomorrow we will start using uncovered women for this same objective, and we will hold functions and gatherings of music and singing to try and call people towards Deen. In this way, in the name of Tableegh, we will become guilty of destroying one by one the commands of the very same Deen which we claim to propagate."

Subhanallah, what in depth wisdom and far reaching foresight is found in these words! What he has mentioned isn't just to do with using TV/video, but with using every such method which is in conflict with Shariah. As a result of his sincere advice going unheeded, we are sadly and painfully seeing his last two sentences above unfolding in front of our eyes today. Everywhere the commands of Allah are being flagrantly broken in the name of Tableegh. How many times haven't we heard about people going to haraam functions, where video filming, music, intermingling of sexes, and many other violations of Shariah are found, and justifying their going with the same rhetoric that has become a blanket permission for anything and everything - 'we are going so that we can bring the people closer to Deen.' Allahu akbar! We expect to bring others closer to Deen by disobeying Allah? When are we going to remove ourselves from this satanic deception of Dajjal? When are we going to open the eyes of our hearts and comprehend the grave reality found in the golden words of Allamah Yusuf Binnori Ra above? When are we going to understand that propagating Deen through impermissible methods, whether TV/video, or something else, isn't furthering the cause of Deen and Islam, but on the contrary is actually abetting and helping the spread of the fitnah of Dajjal? May Allah grant us the ability to open our eyes before it is too late, before we are brought in the court of Allah on the Day of Qiyamah and held responsible for championing the cause of falsehood. Aameen.

USAGE OF TV AND THE PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES OF PROPAGATING DEEN - PART ONE

The fitnah of Dajjal isn't a futuristic catastrophic clash with a gigantic prehistoric monster sporting a huge eye smack dab in the middle of his forehead who will suddenly emerge 'towards the end of time', as we would like to believe, or perhaps should I say, as we are led to believe. In fact this is how complete the deception of this fitnah is, which earns Dajjal the title of "Grand Master, Artist and Architect of Deceit and Treachery," that while this debilitating and paralyzing fitnah continues to persistently and viciously eat away at the very core of human existence and vicegerency on earth, in our minds we have relegated this greatest test of all times to a mirage of the future, something we can't see even if we craned our necks to look. We eagerly buy into this idea due to it's immense appeal and suitability - the fact that it further enhances and enforces the hollow complacency and indifference that has blanketed the Muslim Ummah today, that we can continue to enjoy the pleasures this worldly life has to offer without our peace and comfort being disrupted in any way. This is a grave mistake we have made, a deadly one which could prove fatal to our Iman, that is if we don't decide fast enough to awaken from our slumber and smell the poisonous coffee of deception that is brewing all around us, even in our very own homes. The stark reality of the matter is that the fitnah of Dajjal isn't merely 'an event that will happen much later and we probably won't see it in our lifetimes so why worry and lose sleep over it,' but it is a trial that is deeply rooted in the past, and in full bloom in the present. It is a fitnah which we are facing at this very moment, a fitnah which is surrounding us from all sides, a fitnah which is affecting and shaping each and every one of our lives, a fitnah from which are busting forth upon us stormy, unrelenting oceans of pitch black darkness, in which we are swimming in, are immersed in, and which threaten to totally engulf us, overwhelm us, and suppress us into spiritual oblivion and extinction. A vivid picture of this era which we are going through, painted by our beloved Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam in a famous hadeeth, comes to mind, "Soon there will appear such fitan (trials and tribulations) which will be like pieces of a pitch dark night, in which a Muslim man in the morning will be a kaafir in the evening, and a Muslim man in the evening will be a kaafir in the morning, having sold his Deen for a paltry sum of this Dunya."

A highly significant thread, and perhaps one of the most important, in this web of deceit that is being continually woven around us is the invention of the television. Indeed, it was with the introduction of the TV into literally every home that Dajjal and his henchmen and minions gained and solidified once and for all complete control over the lives of Muslims physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, finally forcing that chosen group of humans into complete subservience, which would normally and historically only bow down to The Creator - Allah SWT. This 'all seeing one eye' invaded the privacy of honourable homes, brought in and welcomed eagerly by the Muslims themselves, and given center stage in the sitting room. It exercised it's magnetic pull on every member of the household - young and old, and turned the home which was once an exemplary model of honour, morality, respect, dignity, and humility into a sordid, despicable, and gut wrenching display of violence, murder, foul and filthy language, music, idol worshiping, illicit relationships and immorality, explicit sex and sexual acts, drug addiction, alcoholism, disrespect, and much more.

As if all this wasn't enough, the TV turned into Dajjal's most effective weapon of psychological warfare. In fact, it was specifically designed to brainwash viewers with subliminal messages that enter deep into the subconscious and shape a person's thinking, views, and beliefs, thus chaining the unsuspecting victim into total mental and ideological slavery. This concept of mind control through TV is very informatively explained in an interesting article I recently came across, which I am including here for the benefit of my esteemed readers -

  

Many people may not realize that when they turn on the television in their home, what they see as a constant flow of images is actually flickering. Although we do not see this consciously, the repetitive pattern of flickering images creates a state that is similar to hypnosis in the television viewer.

Studies by researcher Herbert Krugman have shown that within 30 seconds of television viewing, brain waves switch from predominantly beta waves, indicating alert and conscious attention, to predominantly alpha waves, indicating an unfocused, receptive lack of attention.

The brain's left hemisphere, which processes information logically and analytically, tunes out while the person is watching TV, while the right hemisphere of the brain, which processes information emotionally and non-critically, is allowed to function without hindrance. Due to this phenomenon, television transmits information, which is not actively thought about at the time of exposure, much like hypnosis. When viewing television, we do not consciously rationalize the information resonating within our unconscious depths at the time of transmission and the viewer becomes more open and suggestible.

Because of the passive, hypnosis-like viewing of television as well as its predominance in the homes of nearly all Americans, the television is one of the most powerful tools used today. As of 2009, six companies controlled all of the major media outlets in the United States. That is a very small number of people controlling all of the information that streams into millions of homes across America each day through their television sets. In recent years, a number of investigations and exposes have revealed that these giants’ silence independent voices and investigations, discourage journalism that interferes with the agendas of special interests, and eliminate diversity in the information they provide. Because of the control that these companies have over the information that most Americans receive on a daily basis, these criticisms and revelations are never known by most of the American public.

These media giants work hand and glove with the federal government as well as many multinational corporations to disseminate carefully planned messages. Through the television and other forms of media, they tell you what to think about, what to worry about, what to smile about, and what to be scared of. They have sold the public on the idea of the newscaster being an extension of the family, a trusted figure who encourages the acceptance of the information being presented as true and accurate. In 2008, the pentagon spent more than $2 billion compensating major media outlets for disseminating public relations messages. These messages are delivered to the television viewer as news produced by the television station, not as paid and produced by the pentagon. In the same year, pharmaceutical companies paid television outlets more than $4 billion for advertising, which included Video News Releases (VNR), specially tailored pieces that appear within the nightly news disguised as researched and reported by the local stations.

And yet while all this has been happening behind the scenes, the American public has been duped into staking all their trust in select major media outlets as they express brand loyalty in television stations, newspapers, and magazines. Many people have been tricked into believing that the mainstream media reports only objective news while any information delivered from outside the mainstream is to always be questioned. Somehow the public has bought into the idea that the TV wouldn't lie to them. Many people will not pay any regard to information that is not covered by the major media; if they did not hear about it on the nightly news then they simply don't care. This is the mindset that the major media moguls want us to have, as we are willfully ignorant and obedient to their every direction. Our unanalytical and loyal viewership is in their best interest.

Major media news networks continually bombard us with the possibility of an endless amount of scenarios, which produce fear and then shape our reactions to real situations. This is predictive programming; it gets us familiar with an idea so that when it happens we expect it and do not react and question.

Although most people refer to television programming as the shows that are aired on television, it can also refer to the programming of the people that occurs on a daily basis. Most people believe they are just simply being entertained, but they never realize that their way of life is being shaped for them and their thoughts are actually being given to them. They are being familiarized with ideas, concepts, and fear so they won't question certain interventions in the future.

TV gives us what messages must be imprinted in our minds, gives us what button to push in what sequence, and if it's done the right way with the right production and the right propaganda then the public will react and do exactly as they've been programmed to do.

When one continually controls the information, one controls the people absorbing the information. The manufactured and controlled information on TV can be referred to as the signal and that constant signal is what shapes and guides the masses to their conclusions. In order to take back our minds, we must first learn to "Unplug the Signal."

By turning off your TV you will realize the world that you're living in is suddenly very unfamiliar to you. You will see that news of no importance is constantly debated and analyzed, and as you listen to the conversations of people around you, you realize they're talking robots just repeating what they've heard on the news. This is exactly what Zbigniew Brzezinski talked about in his book "Between Two Ages". He said, "Shortly, the public will be unable to reason or think for themselves. They'll only be able to parrot the information they've been given on the previous night's news."

It is for these very clear reasons (besides of course, the fact that a TV displays animate pictures, which are haraam in Shariat) that our Akaabireen - our great Ulama - have unequivocally declared the TV to be outright haraam, with absolutely no exceptions, and have spent more than half a century in trying to warn the Ummah in every way possible of the dangers that lurk in this seemingly harmless entertainment box.

With this article (Part 1) serving as an important introduction that is crucial for us to understand, we will inshallah continue in Part 2 with the main purpose and objective of our writing this.