THE REAL SOLUTION TO THE PALESTINIAN DILEMMA

On and off, we hear of, and see protests happening around the world with regards to Freedom for Palestine, marches and rallies to show solidarity and support to Palestinians, and at present, the apartheid week all around the world in general in February and March, and specifically in South Africa in this week. Notably, South Africa and the UK are at the forefront in organising such programs, protests and rallies. However, the question that should arise in our minds (sadly, most of the time it doesn't) is that after all these years of marching and rallying and protesting, has the plight of the Palestinians been eased? Has their suffering decreased in it's severity? Any person who has even a vague idea of what is happening there today will emphatically give a negative answer to that question. If anything, their problems have become worse. Why haven't all the marches and protests and programs made any difference? The answer to that lies in our outlook towards the Palestinian struggle. The stark reality which comes to the fore, if one were to ponder a bit, is that today it is considered to be an attack against an ethnicity, an attack on the sovereignty of a nation. It has ceased to be regarded (by the Muslims themselves) as an attack upon Islam, it has ceased to be regarded as a struggle between Haqq and Baatil, and this is as a result of successful propaganda by the media machine, controlled in totality by the Zionists. The proof for this, that this is how we view the issue, is found in these very same protests and programs - flagrant disobedience of Allah, fearless shattering of the commands of Shariat, and in fact, of the very tenets of our Deen. Because we do not see it as a spiritual struggle which the entire Ummat is part of, we have cast aside all the last remaining vestiges of spirituality from our so called efforts of Palestinian freedom. We locked our gazes on the asbaab (outward means), despite their mostly impermissible nature (in this particular case), and forgot The Musabbibul Asbaab (The controller of those means) - we left Allah out of the picture totally. Are we so naive as to labour under the deception that our protests and marches, mixed in with a plethora of violations of Shariat, will force Israel to leave the Palestinians alone, and stop their oppression of Muslims? The truth is that the Zionists know very well what exactly it is that can stop them dead in their tracks, and they are doing everything to keep the Muslim masses away from it. (They have even been bold enough to reveal it a number of times, trusting that the Muslims are too heavily duped by the media drug to make any use of this vital information. They have stated on a number of occassions that when the Masajid will fill up for Fajr like how they fill up for Jumu'ah, then we will surrender ourselves.) And that is why our protests and marches make no difference to them, in fact, they laugh at us when we do such things, laugh at how gullible we are, how easily we are deceived. A spiritual war cannot be fought by making noise on the streets, waving flags and placards, while disobeying Allah. Such actions yield the exact opposite result - they weaken the Ummat further, and act as blockades for the help of Allah. The only way to fight a spiritual war is spiritually - by building and strengthening our relationship with Allah, because it is only this which can bring down the help and mercy of Allah. Every condition in this world is from Allah, and it is only through the rectification of our actions that Allah will change the conditions from negative to favourable and positive. So, instead of creating a mass movement on the streets of crowds yelling out slogans, why don't we create a mass movement towards the Masajid, in which people can, with hushed voices and flowing tears, beg and beseech Allah for help? Instead of having a so called apartheid week, why don't we have a week in Jamaat, or a week in a Khanqah, or a week in a Madrasah? In this way we will have fulfilled our responsibility towards our Palestinian brothers and sisters. (On a side note, Palestine will most probably not be liberated until Hazrat Mahdi Ra comes and begins World War 3.) These are merely my humble observations, may Allah grant us the tawfeeq to understand and make amal.

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

FIDGET SPINNERS - THE LATEST DAJJALI TREND

                                 
In any other era, if we were to see an adult aimlessly and mindlessly spinning a silly, colourful, childish toy between his fingers, we would perhaps start to doubt the fact that his mental capacities were still functioning according to the Divinely set and apportioned harmonious equilibrium normally found in adults. Or, in simpler terms, we would consider calling the psychiatrist. But not in the era we are living in. This techno-tronic era we find ourselves in is an exaggerated form of The Brave New World of Aldous Huxley, and the 1984 of George Orwell, satirical works written many decades ago about a futuristic world devoid of, well, everything even remotely humane. An era in which Dajjal calls the shots (at least according to his deficient and limited mental scope), and we, the Ummah, obediently follow in utter subservience, choosing to ignore and lay to waste the great gift of intelligence given to us by Allah Ta’aala, and the ability to think for ourselves.

Fidget spinners, as these new toys are called, have been quite aptly named. It is claimed that they help bring about concentration and calmness, and remove fidgeting. Outwardly it may seem so, but in reality this toy has been cleverly designed to do just quite the opposite – it is nothing but a time-wasting distraction which causes excessive and dangerous fidgeting of the spiritual heart, and the fidgeting it is actually supposed to remove is quite different from anything we may imagine. The saddest and most distressful part is the fact that Muslims have been rushing to buy, and even sell the toy, despite knowing well that Allah has categorically and clearly stated in the Quran, “Beware! It is only and only through the remembrance of Allah that the hearts can attain peace, contentment, tranquillity, happiness.” Concentration and calmness cannot be achieved through fidget spinners when a person is involved in the disobedience of Allah, because to disobey Allah is to forget Him. Peace can only be achieved through staying away from sin, and involving oneself in salaah, dhikr, recitation of the Quran, pondering over the power and beauty of Allah, sitting in the gatherings of the Awliyaa, among numerous other praiseworthy deeds.

Whoever has seen a fidget spinner will know that they come in various colourful designs and shapes. When spun, the rotation of the designs creates a mesmerising, hypnotic effect similar to what is used in actual hypnosis sessions. Similarly, the spinner comes with an option of LED lights, for spinning in the dark. The effect created by these fast spinning, colourful LED lights is almost the same as the effect of flashing, pulsating, rotating disco lights. Disco lights aren’t how they are without any reason, the lights have been specifically designed to achieve sinister objectives. Disco lights were created to blanket the human mind into a mildly hypnotic stupor, and this is what happens with the LED lights on the fidget spinner. Not everyone goes to the disco, so they simply brought the disco lights home in the form of a seemingly harmless toy. From this we get to know that the spinning of the colourful designs and/or the LED lights exercises a tranquilising, hypnotising effect on the brain, relaxing its natural guards and alarms, so that the mind becomes more willing to accept subliminal messages and suggestions, and becomes more vulnerable and susceptible to subconscious programing. In layman’s terms, fidget spinners have been designed to make our minds more willing to blindly accept, consciously or subconsciously, whatever Dajjal and his cronies want us to believe, without every knowing what we are actually doing. It thus effectively removes the ‘fidgeting’ of the mind, otherwise more commonly known as critical thinking. Not coincidentally, television works according to the same principle of flashes of colourful lights moving with high speed, to achieve a similar objective.

Fidget spinners are extremely dangerous and harmful toys for adults as well as children, which can destroy our dunya as well as Aakhirat. Let us not become gullible, blind slaves to the fads and crazes being propelled by the West. Let us learn to think for ourselves, and look deeply into matters with the noor of the heart, to be able to see the reality that is not apparent at first glance. May Allah save all of us from the traps of Dajjal.

THE REALITY OF MUHARRAM AND AASHOORAH

As with all the other days which hold virtue and significance in Islam, Aashoorah too is a virtuous day regarding which there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings. It is thus necessary for us to clarify and understand what has been established and proven regarding this day and what hasn't. Below in point form, besides a few additions, is a summary of the writings and teachings of my beloved Shaikh Aarif billah Hazrate aqdas Maulana Shah Fazlur Rahman Azmi DB in this regard.                    

   - Muharram is one of the four sacred months, thus a general increase in ibaadat is encouraged, but     even more importantly, an extra effort should be made to stay away from all sins.                                                                                                                                          
   The only reason for the significance of Aashoorah is that on this day Allah granted Hazrat Musa AS and the Bani Israel salvation from Firaun. There is no proof for any other historical incident (related to the other Ambiya AS) to have happened on this day.                                                                                                                                                          
  - It is mustahab to fast on the 9th and 10th, or the 10th and 11th, or the 9th, 10th and 11th.                                                                                                                                              
  - It is makrooh e tanzeehi and reprehensible to fast only on the 10th.

  - It is haraam to look down upon anyone who doesn't fast on Aashoorah. Mustahab means we have a choice of not to fast. 
                                                            
 - The incident of the shahadat of Hazrat Husein Ra which happened on this day, has absolutely no connection whatsoever to the significance of Aashoorah.                              

  - Our great Akabireen have specified that it isn't even permissible to mention or talk about the shahadat of Hazrat Husein Ra in the month of Muharram or the day of Aashoorah, because this is imitation of the shias.
                                                                     
  - It is permissible for the head of the family to spend more on his family on this day in terms of food, and the virtue for this is that sustenance will be made easy for him for the entire year.                                                                                                                                
 - This absolutely does not mean that Aashoorah should be a day of exchanging gifts. Do not make it a commercial holiday like Christmas.                                                              

 - It is not permissible to cook any specific dish on this day (like kheeraj) and send it to others, nor is it permissible to send any food item to other people in commemoration of this day (as is generally done by the people of innovation.)                        

 - There is no specific, special ibaadat for the day or night of Aashoorah.                                

  - The incident of karbala that is normally narrated, and is common among the Sunnis as well is a lie fabricated by the shias, who themselves were the killers of Hazrat Husein Ra. The actual story of what really happened is very different.                              

 - It is not proven that Qiyamat will occur of the day of Aashoorah.                                  

 - Any virtue of any act that has not been mentioned above is a fabrication.

THE REALITY OF SHABE BARAA'AT - 15TH SHABAAN

Dear respected brothers and sisters,

Very soon inshallah, the night of the 15th of Shabaan will be upon us. It is necessary for us to briefly understand the reality of this night, and to differentiate that which is correct and valid from that which is wrong and innovated.

There are numerous ahadith that have been narrated with regards to the virtue of this night. All of them have a certain degree of weakness in them. However, some are very slightly weak, while others are extremely weak. Putting all these ahadith together, the virtuousness and blessings of this night have been proven to be valid.

The specialty of this night is the forgiveness of Allah - according to the ahadith, a huge amount of people are forgiven on this night, and Allah casts a special gaze of mercy upon us from the very beginning of the night.

The salafis, due to their compound ignorance, refuse to accept that this night has any extra virtue over and above any other night, and in thus doing so deprive themselves of benefiting from Allah's forgiveness and mercy. We should be very careful and alert, lest we get deceived by their deviant methods of undermining the virtue of this night.

There is no special and specific ibaadat to be done in this night. One must strive to increase in all types of ibaadat generally - nafl salaah, recitation of Quran, dhikr, dua, taubah etc. Every hadeeth that is narrated regarding specific ibaadat on this night, or special surahs to be recited is fabricated.
Likewise, there is no exchanging and distributing of food or sweet dishes on the day of the 15th.

Shabe Baraa'at (or Laylatul Baraa'at) is not indicated towards anywhere in the Quran. It is famous among people that in this night the decisions regarding sustenance and death are made by Allah. This is not substantiated with any evidence, thus it is not correct, the Ulama have specified that such decisions, or any other decisions for that matter, are not made in this night.

Another misconception prevalent among the masses is that to fast on the 15th of Shabaan is sunnat. Please note that the fast of this day is not sunnat. If someone wishes to fast then he can do so, provided that he doesn't think the fast to be sunnat. To keep this fast thinking it to be sunnat is not permissible. There is no significance and virtue of fasting specifically on this day over and above fasting on any other day. 

In the ahadith there are a number of types of sinners mentioned who will be deprived of forgiveness on this blessed night -

1. The mushrik
2. The one who harbours hatred, malice, and enmity for others
3. The one who drinks alcohol
4. The one who disobeys his parents
5. The man who lets his lower garment cover his ankles
6. The one who indulges in zinaa
7. The murderer
8. The one who breaks off relations with family and relatives.

Respected brothers and sisters, it is still not too late, we still have a few days to make tauba from the above mentioned sins and completely purify ourselves from them before this night comes upon us, so that we can also be forgiven. On the contrary, if we will continue to indulge in these sins, then we will not be forgiven on that night, even if we stay up the whole night begging for forgiveness. From the above list, the most common is letting the lower garment touch the ankle - the vast majority of men are involved in this sin, and as a result deprive themselves every year from the blessings and forgiveness that are showered down in this night.

Let us all make a firm decision to once and for all get rid of these sins from our lives, so that we too can come under the protective blanket of the mercy of Allah.

THE REALITY OF THE 27TH OF RAJAB

                                                                                                                                                                    Dear respected brothers and sisters,                                                                                                       As we all know, we are approaching the 27th of Rajab, a night which is celebrated by many as the 'Night of Meraj.' There are a few important things we need to understand before discussing the applicable masaail -                                                                                                                                    1. To say that meraj took place on the 27th Rajab is wrong. 27th Rajab is one opinion among a myriad of other opinions. Numerous Ulama of the past have actually given preference to dates other than 27th Rajab. Thus, the exact date of meraj is unknown, and in fact even the year in which it took place is subject to a difference of opinion. The reason for this is simple - neither did Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam nor the Sahaba RA ever 'celebrate' the night of meraj in the years following the incident, they never gave any significance to the anniversaries of this event.                                            2. The virtuousness and auspiciousness of specific days or nights isn't dependent upon the opinions, whims and fancies of people. Rather it is something that it is entirely in the control of The Creator of these days and nights. It is Allah who has already chosen for us the days and nights which hold extra significance and virtue. And the only way for us to become aware of this decision of Allah is through the exemplary life of our beloved Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam.                                                         3. One big difference between the Sahaba RA and us is that they wouldn't celebrate anniversaries of special events, but the reality of those events would be found firmly embedded in their practical lives. For example, as mentioned above, they never celebrated the anniversary of meraj, but the reality of meraj - salaah and the other deep messages that Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam returned with - was a salient feature of their day to day lives. Similarly, they never celebrated the birthday of Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam, but they were walking copies of his mubarak lifestyle in totality. On the other hand, we today have relegated our Deen to be merely a collection of customs and celebration of anniversaries and birthdays thinking that this will fulfill the rights of Allah and Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam upon us, while the reality being that our daily lives are empty of any semblance of the profound practical significance that these events hold. We claim to fulfill the haq of meraj by celebrating on a certain night which we stubbornly insist is the very night it happened, while our lives are empty of salaah and it's reality, and filled with the sins the punishments of which were witnessed by Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam in this blessed journey. We celebrate the birthday of Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam on a day regarding which it has been proven to be impossible that his mubarak birth took place in it, while we proudly display a life that is in every way opposite to the lifestyle he came with.                                                                                                                                 Having understood the above, we will proceed with a few masaail -                                                   1. There is absolutely no special ibaadat to be done in this night.                                                              2. There is no extra virtue and reward for any general ibaadat done in this night.                                3. To fast on the 27th is not mustahab - there is no extra reward over and above the reward for fasting on any other day.                                                                                                                                      4. It is an innovation, and thus not permissible for people to exchange gifts and items of food specifically on this day.

May Allah grant us the ability to stay away from all such acts which are not part of our beautiful and complete Deen.

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.