Dark tavern of souls

In the black tavern of sorrows we knelt

On seats of wonder and bewilderment

Though, in the darkness we could not see,

Yet we found our way to fill our casks,

That we may forget where we are.

In one night, a new guest arrives

A lady with fire in her hand

She smelt like the running water of clear rivers

And stood among us, as if awaiting the attention of all souls,

All whilst holding a fire that lit our dark cavern

We could not know who she was, nor did our minds grasp the words she said

However, our eyes did what they were born to do.

They gazed.

She spoke of things we did not know,

She spoke of dreams,

of aspiration, of people,

of Love

We feared what she said, but I stood up and shouted

“You speak of what we can never see, what will never be”

And she gazed upon my eyes, that were made for her

She said “Yet it is here”

And the fire she held in her hand kept burning

I stood angrily

Walking toward this lady of light,

My wonder and bewilderment ran away

Her voice became noise

Her smell soot

She threatened my despair,

My darkness

And eyes turned to me

So I put my hand in the fire

And it was no more.

And she never went

My recent time spent in Albion

Dear Lord of London,

  Finally time has been permitted to me that I might sit down to write this letter to you. This is written to thank you for the time (as short as it might have been) spent in your city of wonder named London by the masses. I wish to, if God willing I am able, to make clear the manners of which made me known to be Blessed by you, your Grace surely showered me and I am humbled, for one like me is nothing, but an unloyal servant, but Your kindness knows no bounds. 

  I came to Your city, unknown to me of what will happen, but thinking this can not be worse than the wretched experience I faced during my time in the city of Swans. I failed in more ways than one and was reminded of my place, and that was good. But I am human, a frail, weak human blind to his fault, blind to his sin, eager to see light (true or apparent), thirsting for success, however superficial, recognition however insignificant and irrelevant. For before embarking on my time in the Swan city, I was filled with self-praise, which lead to the illusion of self-confidence, that lead to the illusion of inherit worth, because I thought I was loved and I loved. It felt absolutely wonderful, the ecstatic power it brought to my being was of no measure, I could climb mountains and run marathons, but all was for not, for in the end I was reminded of some things regarding the truth of this temporary place, that it ends, that life ends, that love ends, that there is nothing concrete but One. 

    I came to Your city, unknown to me where I shall be, but thinking this can not be worse than the horrific truth of what happened in Swan town. I failed in more ways than one and was reminded of my place, and that was hard, but good. I spent the nights seeing the days born again, not able to succeed, not able to do what I was meant to do...What was I meant to do? to go through the linear passage (school, degree, job, marriage, house, children and then the child repeats the mantra) , from the desire of the one that bore me in her mercy. I wished to fulfill her command as I did all my life, but this time, I could not, no matter how hard I tried. For I was chained to my fate or a rampant sub-conscious for some years, and I lost, perhaps.

Beyond these double doors I swam in an overflowing ocean

    I came to Your city, huffing and puffing, carrying heavy bags to the area of Willesden Green in the north west corner, there I was welcomed in a Turkish Oasis, sheltered, fed and given home. There I met my old good friend Berat, kind and ambitious soul, who was vital in me finding this oasis in Your planet of a city. I met him in his home of Turkey, in a retreat to the heavenly haven of Konya, there lies the bodily resting place of the saint of poetry today, our lord Jalal Uddin Rumi Al-Balkhi, or Rumi for short.





 









  I came to Your city, in pursuit of hope, but I lied to myself. I came to Your city in escape of reality, but I also lie. I came to Your city by Your command, and that is all. I did not know, nor plan my arrival to Your borders, but it seems that it happened none the less and I am grateful. I came to complete 2 dream internships, not every one gets the opportunity to work in what they love and I love interfaith. From one side it encompasses the matters of the Divine, on the other it is the work of peacemakers.  inherently in itself it attracts people of faith, those in pursuit of knowledge and seekers of the path, those eager for what is coming, those hearts filled with contentment. Also, I learned it is not only people of faith who are keen for interfaith cooperation, but children of Adam who consider themselves non-religious also wish to be torch bearers of peace, and the more the merrier.


Thank You,

Abdullah

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Walk in the Night and do not worry, God is with us

 
It took me about 6 months, but finally did I have the honour of completing the book "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross. a book for those who wish to tread on the path to God, instructing and reminding of what in the words of the saint, will definitely happen to those eager for union with the Beloved. That being the night of the sense and the night of the soul, called the night, that it is a passive purgation of sin, like the child who was used to the milk of their mother's breast, being put down that they might learn to walk alone. Called nights for the light of illumination is so powerful, that it blinds, like the staring at the sun.  Called the night, for it illuminates the soul so greatly, that the darkness within the heart is shown, for the few to the very root of their sin, that it might be plucked by the contemplation and hiding in the garments of faith, hope and charity, that one would ascend the ladder to God, through God, by God, who illuminates the will (desire to love) and the understanding (knowledge).

I would like to share one passage from the book that was not consistent to how the rest of book is written, but has profound advice:

"Therefore, O spiritual soul, when thou seest thy desire obscured, thy affections arid and constrained, and thy faculties bereft of their capacity for any interior exercise, be not afflicted by this, but rather consider it a great happiness, since God is freeing thee from thyself and taking the matter from thy hands. For with those hands, howsoever well they may serve thee, thou wouldst never labour so effectively, so perfectly and so securely (because of their clumsiness and uncleanness) as now, when God takes thy hand and guides thee in the darkness, as though thou wert blind, to an end and by a way which thou knowest not. Nor couldst thou ever hope to travel with the aid of thine own eyes and feet, howsoever good thou be as a walker."

Source

The beginners imperfection in the habit of Pride

I wanted to share this astounding passage from "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross, as it regards to Pride that befalls the beginner on the path to God, this point among 8 others really blew me away:

"5. Some of these beginners, too, make little of their faults, and at other times become over-sad when they see themselves fall into them, thinking themselves to have been saints already; and thus they become angry and impatient with themselves, which is another imperfection. Often they beseech God, with great yearnings, that He will take from them their imperfections and faults, but they do this that they may find themselves at peace, and may not be troubled by them, rather than for God’s sake; not realizing that, if He should take their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still. They dislike praising others and love to be praised themselves; sometimes they seek out such praise. Herein they are like the foolish virgins, who, when their lamps could not be lit, sought oil from others.1"

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1- St. Matthew xxv, 8. [Lit., ‘who, having their lamps dead, sought oil from without.’]

St. John of the Cross and the Dark Night

The following is a beautiful poem I read in the beginning of a book titled "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross (Which I bought for 1p from Amazon). In fact, the whole book is mostly commentary on the first 2 stanzas in this poem:

STANZAS OF THE SOUL

1. On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings—oh, happy chance!—
I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest.

2. In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised—oh, happy chance!—
In darkness and in concealment, My house being now at rest.

3. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart.

4. This light guided me More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me— A place where none appeared.

5. Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!

6. Upon my flowery breast, Kept wholly for himself alone,
There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him, And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.

7. The breeze blew from the turret As I parted his locks;
With his gentle hand he wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended.

8. I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.

Istikhara for every movement & action by alsha'rani (God have mercy on him)

The following is an excerpt in Arabic from a book titled "لطائف المنن والأخلاق في وجوب التحدث بنعمة الله على الإطلاق" more so known as  "المنن الكبرى"  and is translated as  the greater blessings (rough translation by me) by Sh. AbdulWahhab Al-Sha'rani (God have mercy on him) on utilizing the Istikhara prayer for every movement and every action, it is in Arabic I'm afraid and I'm quite hesitant to translate it myself, this is the passage in full: 

من كلام الإمام الشيخ عبد الوهاب الشعراني رحمه الله ورضي الله عنه وعنا به ومن كتابه القيم الثمين المسمى بـ [لطائف المنن والأخلاق في وجوب التحدث بنعمة الله على الإطلاق]المعروف بـ: المنن الكبرى فيص 427 طبعة دار التقوى/دمشق :


((ومما أنعم الله تبارك وتعالى به علي: صلاتي كل يوم للاستخارة على مصطلح ما ذكره القوم، بقصد أن الله تعالى يجعل جميع حركاتي وسكناتي ذلك اليوم، أو تلك الليلة ، أو تلك الجمعة ، أو ذلك الشهر، أو تلك السنة، صالحة محمودة، وكان على ذلك الشيخ محي الدين بن العربي والشيخ أبو العباس المرسي وجماعة، وصورة ذلك كما قاله الشيخ محي الدين في وصاياه آخر كتاب الفتوحات المكية: أن تصلي يا أخي ركعتين عند ارتفاع الشمس كرمح ، أو بعد صلاة المغرب، أو كل يوم جمعة، أو شهر، أو سنة، تقرأ في الركعة الأولى فاتحة الكتاب، وقوله تعالى: {وربك يخلق ما يشاء ويختار ما كان لهم الخيرة سبحان الله وتعالى عما يشركون} [القصص: 68]،و: {قل يا أيها الكافرون} [سورة الكافرون] وفي الركعة الثانية فاتحة الكتاب، وقوله تعالى: {وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة إذا قضى الله ورسوله أمراً أن يكون لهم الخيرة من أمرهم ومن يعص الله ورسوله فقد ضل ضلالاً مبيناً} [الأحزاب: 36]، و: {قل هو الله أحد} [سورة الإخلاص] . فإذا سلم دعاء بدعاء الاستخارة الوارد ويقول بدل الموضع الذيأمر العبد أن يعين فيه حاجته: اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن جميع ما أتحرك فيه أو أسكن فيه في حقي وحق أهلي وولدي وإخواني، وجميع من شاء الله تعالى في ساعتي هذه إلى مثلها من اليوم الآخر، أو الليلة الآخرى، خير لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبةأمري وعاجله وآجله فاقدره لي ويسره لي، وإن كنت تعلم أن جميع ما أتحرك فيه أو أسكن في حقي وحق غيري من أهلي وولدي وسائر من شاء الله من ساعتي هذه إلى مثلها من اليوم الآخر أو الليلة الآخرى شر لي في ديني ومعاشي ، وعاقبة أمري، وعاجله وآجله، فاصرفهعني، واصرفني عنه، واقدر لي الخير حيث كان ، ثم رضنيبه.

قال أشياخ الطريق:فمن فعل ذلك كل يوم وليلة فلا يتحرك قط في كل حركة، ولا يسكن، ولا يتحرك أحد في حقه إلاكان ذلك خيراً له بلا شك. قالوا: وقد جربنا ذلك، ورأينا عليه كل خيرلما فيه من الأدب مع الله تعالى ، والتفويض إليه. قالوا:وإذا فرغ من دعاء الاستخارة فليشرع فيما استخارالله لأجله، من فعل أو ترك مع انشراح الصدر، فإنه إن كان له فيه خير فلا بد أن الله تعالى يسهل عليه أسبابه إلى أن يحصل، وتكون عاقبته محمودة، وإن كان عليه فيه شر فلابد أن يضيق منه صدره، ويتعذر عليه أسباب تحصيله، وحينئذ يعلم أن الله تبارك وتعالى قد اختار له تركه، فلا يتألم لفقده، بل يحمد ربه على ذلك، لأنه تعالى أعلم بمصالح عبده من نفسه. قالوا:

 ومعنى قوله: ((وأستقدرك بقدرتك)) أي: إن كان لي في فعله خير فاقدرني على تحصيله بقدرتك التي تخلقها في عبادك، فإنك تقدر أن تخلق لي القدرة على تحصيله ولا أقدر، أي ليس لي قدرة أحصلهبها.

ومعنى: ((وأنت علام الغيوب)) أي: ما غابعني مما تعلمه أنت دوني.

ومعنى: ((فاقدره لي)) أي: فاخلقه من أجلي،وأظهر عينه على يدي.

 ومعنى: (( فاصرفه عني)): أي لكوني استحضرته في خاطري، حتى أنه اتصف بضرب من الوجود وهو تصوره في خاطري أي فلا تجعله يا رب حاكماً علي بظهور عينه على يدي، مع أنه ليس لي خير في فعله .

 ومعنى: ((واصرفني عنه)) أي حل بيني وبين وجوده في الخارج، واجعل بيني وبينه الحجاب الذي الوجود والعدم حتى لا أستحضره ولايحضرني.

 ومعنى: ((واقدر لي الخير حيث كان)) أيك لأنك عالم الأماكن التي لي الخير فيها من غيرها،

 ومعنى: ((ثم رضني به)) أي اجعل عندي السروروالفرح بحصوله أو بتركه ، انتهى. فاعمل يا أخي بذلك ولوفي كل أسبوع، أو شهر، أو سنة، أو سنتين، أو أكثر، وتقول: اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن جميعما أتحرك فيه، أو أسكن من يومي هذا، إلى مثله من الأسبوع الآخر، أو من الشهر الآخرأو من السنة الأخرى، وهكذا، والله تبارك وتعالى يتولى هداك ، وهو يتولى الصالحين،والحمد لله رب العالمين)).
 انتهى كلامه رحمة الله عليه ورضي الله عنه وعنا به.

وقال في لطائف المنن رحمة الله :- ومما أنعم الله به علي أني لا أسأله تعالى شيئا من أمور الدنيا والآخرة إلا مع التفويض ورد العلم إليه تعالى بعموم قوله تعالى (وعسى أن تكرهوا شيئا وهو خير لكم وعسى أن تحبوا شيئا وهو شر لكم والله يعلم وأنتم لا تعلمون) فأقول في دعائي : اللهم أعطني كذا وكذا إن كان فيه خير لي واصرف عني كذا وكذا إن كان فيه شر لي ثم كل شيء وقع بعد هذا التفويض كانت عاقبته محمودة من عطاء أو منع . انتهى

الحمد لله رب العالمين

May God Makes us of those who are raised by His Grace and see His work for what it is, not through our nafs (ego). 

ما ذكر الله في القرآن في ما أنزل على موسى عليه السلام

this is my first post in Arabic, sorry to those who might don't know the language:

التالي جزء من بحثي عن التوراة، و هي جميع الآيات في القرآن الكريم التي فيها لفظ "التوراة" أتمنى ان تجدوا منها الفائدة: 

قال الله في القرآن: (اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ. نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ. مِن قَبْلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ ۗ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ) [آل عمران 3: 2-4]

قال الله: (وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ) [آل عمران 3: 48] والمقصود بهالآية عيسى عليه السلام كما ذكر في الآيات التي قبلها

و قال الله: (وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَجِئْتُكُم بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ) [آل عمران 3: 50] هذه الآية هو ما قال عيسى ابن مريم لقومه عليه السلام

و قال الله: (يا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَا أُنزِلَتِ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالْإِنجِيلُ إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ) [آل عمران 3: 65]

و قال الله: (كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّا لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرَاةُ ۗ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَاتْلُوهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ) [آل عمران 3: 93 ]

قال الرب: (وَكَيْفَ يُحَكِّمُونَكَ وَعِندَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِك وَمَا أُولَٰئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ. نَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ) [المائدة 5: 43-44 ]

و قال الله: (وَقَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ) [المائدة 5: 46]

و قال الله: (وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِم مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِم ۚ مِّنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَعْمَلُونَ. يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ. قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ تُقِيمُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۗ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم مَّا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا ۖ فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ) [المائدة 5: 66-68]

و قال الله: (إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا ۖ وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ) [المائدة 5: 110]

وقال الله: (قَالَ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ. الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ) [الأعراف 7: 156-157]

وقال الله: (نَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ) [التوبة 9:111]

وقال الله: (حَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ ۗ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا) [الفتح 48: 29]

وقال الله: (وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ) [الصف 61: 6]  

و أخيراً و ليس آخراً قال خالق السماوات و الأرض وما بينهما: (مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ) [الجمعة 62: 5]

و الصلاة و السلام على جميع رسل و أنبياء الله 

Is this Love? (self-reflection)

Love is an old toothless elderly smiling in simplicity, Love is a mother who's maternity drives her to joy in sacrifice. Love is a young man who's madness leads to death in the hands of his Beloved...

Islamist Retreat from God

The following is an extract from the book titled "Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty" written by Mustafa Akyol

    "Despite all its religious brouhaha, then, Islamism was in fact a "secular" political project – as in apparent in its slogans. Egyptian activist Hasan al-Banna, who in 1928 founded the Muslim Brotherhood, which would become one of the two pillars of Islamism (along with Mawdudi's Jamaat-e-Islami), contrasted "Islam" to both socialism and capitalism and, of course, argued that it was superior to both. The problem was not only the shallowness of this rhetoric – Islam does not provide a blueprint for governance – but also its relegation of Islam to a collectivist "system," devoid of personal religiosity.

    Wilfred Cantwell Smith, the late professor of religion observed this strange trade-off  between God and politics in the study of the evolution of the Egyptian journal Majallat al-azhar from 1930 to 1948. During that time, the journal had two editors. The first, from 1930 to 1933, was al-Khidr Hussain, a traditional Muslim. He saw religion as a "transcendent idea rather than political or historical entity," and he was confident enough to criticize Muslim behavior. The journal's articles were full of either moral instructions or theological contemplations. The sublime beauty of nature, for example, was interpreted as a sign of God's majesty. God, apart from everything else, was the object of veneration.(1)

    In 1933, Farid Wajdi, an Islamist, took over the magazine, and the content became increasingly political. Wajdi's main goal was to assure his readers that Islam as a "system" was perfect, especially when compared to Western systems. "The human reality of Islam," in other words, was the new object of veneration, and "this earthly value had in some sense replaced the transcendent God." According to Smith, a "profound irreligiousness" pervaded Wajdi's journal, and God appeared remarkably seldom throughout its pages.(2)

    Quite tellingly, this retreat from God did not bring any happiness on earth. In every country where they came to power – Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan – Islamists failed to create the heaven they promised. For it was not "Islam" in power, but totalitarianism in Islamic garb, and any totalitarianism is doomed to fail.

    Allowing Islamists to engage in this trial-and-error process is perhaps better than allowing them to cling to an untested utopia. In places where they were not allowed to compete politically, they grew more radical, and ultimately violent. In Egypt, the brutal suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood by the country's successive Herods – Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak – created more radical offshoots of the organization. Sayyid Qutib, the Arab counterpart of Mawdudi, grew more and more strident as a result of the torture he suffered in Egypt's  terrible prisons. His consequent call for Jihad would inspire many radicals, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, who, after having his own share of Egyptian torture, became the mastermind of al-Qaeda. (3)

    The stories of these modern-day Zealots are not well known in the West – ever since some of them decided to attack the very heart of modern day Rome on September 11, 2001. Since that tragic day, concerned Americans and other Westerners have focused on and discussed "the trouble with radical Islam."

    An equally important discussion should be held on how the more inspiring interpretations of Islam will be able to flourish. We have seen that the secularist project is a part of the problem, and not the solution. The attempt to push religion out of Muslim minds creates, in its worst forms, authoritarian regimes. Even its mild forms are unhelpful, for they fall short of addressing the religious aspirations of Muslim societies, something  that is here to stay in the foreseeable future. We, after all, live not in a secularizing world but a de-secularizing one. (4)

   But we have also seen that these two extremes – secularist and Islamist Authoritarianism – were not the only options facing Muslim societies a century ago: there were also an emerging Islamic modernism that synthesized liberal politics with Muslim values. Was that an oddity of a bygone age? Or is it still a promising idea?

    This is a question many minds from all over the world, Muslim and non-Muslim, are pondering these days. And the most interesting answer comes, again, from good old Turkey."

 ________________________________________________________________
Some references used: 

(1) Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Islam in Modern History (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1957), pp. 94-95; Armstrong, A History of God, p.367.

(2) Armstrong, A History of God, p.367.

(3) "For a connection between the experience of torture and radicalization, see Chris Zambelis, "Is there a Nexus between Torture and Radicalization?," Terrorism Monitor (Jameston Foundation) 6, no. 13 (June 26, 2008)."

(4) "See Peter L. Berger et al., eds., The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999)."

________________________________________________________________

I will hopefully put in more extracts in the future that deal with the questions in the end of this section and more. =)

my fall (self reflection)

It is very odd indeed the matter I have put myself in. I find it hard to comprehend and harder to articulate. To my parents it seems I have grown lazy and less independent, like a couch potato, and in some way that is quite true. The real issue is, what happened? what triggered the flip from professional hard working aspiring student to the flop of careless, fatigued me now.

I have no idea what to say at this juncture, it is quite a nuisance, a disturbance in the force if you will, it is odd , as odd as Edd's odd world Odyssey. .

These matters have transpired beyond my comprehension, through my mind and intellect. I am losing the war, after gaining so much grounds in battles, it might be true what they say, that what matters is who laughs in the end. If that was so, then the final whistle has not been made yet, the dust has not settled,,there yet few battles to fight, fewer than the past, we are getting there

We are getting there

 It seems as though the end is upon us, the sun is rising again. The vampires are disintegrating, the wolves are reverting, the sword is rusting, the skeletons are dying again. What is there to do I wonder again and again as I do , as I have  been Recently . It is just annoying

Annoying very much dare  I say. I think I’m falling, but who is there to pick me up, no parent, no friend, and surely no lover.

But My Lord the Lord of All is observing, intervening at His will, what is His plan have I been in wonder. What is  it I’m meant to do, truly I don’t know , I really don’t , If I did, I won’t be typing this gibberish.

But I smile moving on and on, I can’t let the loss phase me, I cant let my fear phase me. I must move on!!!. I can’t stop now, where I’m going….no clue. Wherever I’m lead, and by His grace, I give up the path for Him. Only He knows where I’m supposed to be. May He forgive my weakness, but I confess it , may He forgive what I have done to my parents, I have been a horrible son.

Tis the reason for the season Part 2 The Birth of Jesus in the Quran

In the previous part I quoted signs from the Quran that relate directly to Mary peace be upon her. Now I shall quote the tale of the Birth of Jesus peace be upon him from the Quran: 

   "The angels said, 'Mary, God gives you news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who will be of those brought near to God. He will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood . He will be one of the righteous.' She said, 'My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?' [The angel] said, 'This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something He only says, "Be", and it is." [The Family of 'Imran 3: 45-47] 

   "Mention in the Qur'an the story of Mary. She withdrew from her family to a place to the east and secluded herself away; We sent Our spirit to appear before her in the form of a perfected man. She said, 'I seek the Lord of Mercy's protection against you: if you have any fear of Him!' but he said, 'I am but a messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a pure son.' She said, 'How can I have a son when no man has touched me? I have not been unchaste,' and he said, 'This is what your Lord said: "It is easy for Me - We shall make him a sign to all people, a blessing from Us."' And so it was ordained: she conceived him. She withdrew to a distant place and, when the pains of childbirth drove her to [cling to] the trunk of a palm tree, she exclaimed, 'I wish I had been dead and forgotten long before all this!' but a voice cried to her from below, 'Do not worry: your Lord has provided a stream at your feat and, if you shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you, it will deliver fresh ripe dates for you, so eat, drink, be glad, and say to anyone you may see: "I have vowed to the Lord of Mercy to abstain from conversation, and I will not talk to anyone today."' 

    She went back to her people carrying the child, and they said, 'Mary! you have done something terrible! Sister of Aaron! Your father was not an evil man; your mother was not unchaste!' She pointed at him. They said, 'How can we converse with an infant?' He said: 'I am a servant of God. He has granted me the scripture; made me a prophet; made me blessed wherever I may be. He commanded me to pray, to give alms as long as I live, to cherish my mother. He did not make me domineering or graceless. Peace was on me the day I was born, and will be on me the day I die and the day I am raised to life again.' Such was Jesus, son of Mary." [Mary 19: 16-34]

  "Remember the one who guarded her chastity. We breathed into her from Our Spirit and made her and her son a sign for all people." [The Prophets 21:91]

My Journey with the Franciscan Friars in London

    Well where to begin. I went to a franciscan friary in a poor area of London. the friary had 5 friars. 1 of which is only there for a month from the states. In fact half the friars were american. 

    I was given a small room like themselves, there wasn't any cabinet or wardrobe. for they live a life of poverty and luckily I got a small feel for that. I say small because I had a mattress, and when I peeked into their rooms, all I saw were sleeping bags. It was as I thought it would be, a life of prayer and service. the complete surrender of the self to God, which came in the form of worship & service, what else could it be?

    They serve a soup kitchen for the poor 4 days a week. It popped a bubble I was in, to see people like that, dark fingertips and blood shot eyes. poor and homeless. the friars provide food and shelter, a place to have a shower, and one volunteer even gave hair cuts! But they had as they have to offer something more. As I see those folks, no wonder they become alcoholics or drug addicts, who wants to confront such a reality? Especially there, I remember seeing in the horizon of that area the big corporate buildings of London, but that's where the friars come in.

    I think when people have God in their hearts this suffering can become ever so more tolerable perhaps. One can see that in the life of those who went through poverty and had God in their hearts and by their side as it were. Like St. Francis, Job and The Final Prophet peace be upon him & people who lived in poverty yet had wide grins. because they are in a state of trust, reliance and love of God I think.

    This was a really important Journey for me to witness & be part of. I even got to witness the rosary with the friars for the first time. They said Hail marys so many times I memorized it!

    As I pray 5 times a day and prostrate to God, they also do the same every time they enter the chapel. 

    All this and the conversations I had with the brothers were really inspiring one way or another. Thanks be to God. One Father Jacob spoke to me about why he sees Christianity as the path to follow through modern day miracles and the Eucharist. Another Brother John Baptist who was your average enthusiastic american, where he helped me go through the motions of their 5 prayers and also decorate the Christmas tree, we spoke of pro-life issues and my reasons for actually being there. Then brother Justin who came to London for the first time for his break from Seminary school was a nice man who would stay in prostration for minutes, where the other brothers would prostrate for no more than half a second. Father Emmanuel who spoke to me of his calling to a life as a friar and the importance of being servants to the poor. Finally Brother John Bosco, who probably found it odd for a Muslim to visit a christian friary, that showed in his conversation with me as he believed my faith to be that of aggressors, when I showed him scripture, he recoiled to events that in my opinion are more rooted in politics than faith as evident for me anyway. It was a most intense conversation, I pray he sees Islam as it truly is. 

This is my take of my Journey to St. Fidel's Friary of the Franciscans of the Renewal.

Infanticide in Pre-Islamic Arabia

I came across a journal article from the International Journal of Academic Research titled: "Infanticide in pre-Islamic era: phenomenon investigation"  In it was discussed the prevalency of such an act, why and if there were any protest or action against it. 




I would like to quote to you some of what was in this article in regard to two matters:
 1- reasons for infanticide &
 2- How it was retaliated against. 


Helpful Definition:


Jahiliyya: generally used to identify the period pre-dating Islam in Arabia. Literally translates as the period of ignorance. 




1- Reasons for infanticide: 

" Reasons for infanticide: Some of the Arabs used to resort to infanticide for various reasons (7). 

   First: Intense jealousy and fear of being shamed. Those were Banu Tamim, Kinda and other tribes. The background to this fixation was when Banu Tamim refused to pay ransom to Emir Nu’man ibn al-Munther. The brother of Nu’man, named al-Rayyan, fought them, plundered their belongings and enslaved their women folk. A delegation from Bani Tamim, made representations to the Emir regarding their captive women folk. He ruled that they choose between remaining in his household or, that he return with them. They included the daughter of Qays ibn ‘Assem. She chose captivity rather than returning with her husband. Thereupon, Qays swore to bury every daughter born to him, and he did burry scores of new born girls. In this connection, there is another version. The story tells that the tribe of Rabii’a was the first to have perpetrated infanticide. The tribe was raided and, a girl was abducted for the Emir of the raiders. He recovered her as a part of a peace deal, but she was given the choice, by mutual agreement, between going back with her father or, remaining with her husband. She chose to remain with her husband, which choice angered her father whereupon, he enacted the practice of infanticide amongst his people, and they followed his enactment.

   Second: Some of them would bury alive those newborn infants if their color was blue, or if their bodies carried many spots, or were hairy or, physically handicapped, because they regarded them as bad omens (8).

    Third: Some would perpetrate infanticide, out of poverty and fear of not being able to sustain their children.

    Fourth: Some would take it upon himself, to slaughter one of his children, if ten children were born to his household, as did Abdul Muttalib in his famous episode with his son Abdullah, father of the prophet (pbuh).

    Fifth: some would say, that the angels are the daughters of God, God forbid, wherefore they disposed of girls, one after the other."

2- How it was retaliated against: 

   "There were amongst the Arabs those who were enlightened, who would refrain from committing this heinous crime. Al-Qurtubi has narrated that “those honorable men amongst them would refrain from committing infanticide and would forbid others from committing it (2). Alussi narrates that: many wise Arabs did not accept that foul practice, and some of them would pay ransom to their parents to save them (3). We would have liked to see al-Qurtubi or Alussi mention the names of those who had refrained from committing that act, but they only mentioned the names of those who urged its abandonment. 

    Zayd ben Amr ben Nafeel used to resurrect the victims of infanticide and, would tell a man who wished to kill his newborn: Do not kill her, I would support her. He would take the infant and raise her until she become of age; then, he would take her to her father and say: if you wish it, I would deliver her to you, and if you wished otherwise, I would take care of her (4).

    Al-Qurtubi and al-Alussi narrated that (5), Sa’sa’a ben Najia, grandfather of the poet al-Farazdaq, used to buy the infants whose father wanted to bury them on grounds of destitution. He succeeded in saving sixty six such infants, up to the era of the Messenger of God. Al-Farazdaq proudly registers this feat in a poem, in which he boasts: From amongst us are those who resurrected the infanticide and Ghaleb and ‘Amr and those who opposed such acts. Those are my forefathers, show me their likes, if o Jareer we meet in confrontation.  

    Ibn Duraid narrates: “Sa’sa’a was a man of great standing. He would ransom the infants destined to die, during the Jahiliyya, and on the advent of Islam, he had thirty such infants in his hold. Sa’sa’a embraced Islam before the Prophet (pbuh) (6).

    Ibn Hajar quotes Sa’sa’a as having said: I had an audience with the Messenger of God (pbuh), and he recited to me verses from the Qur'an. I said: O Messenger of God, I have done good deeds during the Jahiliyya, would I be rewarded for them? The Prophet asked him: what did you do, and he narrated how he had ransomed infants threatened with infanticide. Al-Farazdaq the poet, boasts about it in the following verse (7). It was my grandfather who forbade infanticide, and resurrected the victims from perdition. It is claimed that he was the first to do that. I said, it has been proved that Zeid ben Nafeel used to do so, and therefore if is possible to give pride of place to Sa’sa’a over the Tamim and other tribes, and the precedence of Zeid over the Quraysh (8).

    Ibn al-Jawzi narrates in his biography of Sa’sa’a, his story with a man who wanted to perpetrate infanticide against his infant girl (9). I found cases during the Jahiliyya  where men protested against the practice of infanticide, but these were rare cases involving sisters, and do not match the feats of Zeid ben ‘Amr, or Sa’sa’a ben Najia. 

     Ibn Hajar narrates in his biography of ‘Olatha be Wahb ben Khalifa al-Ghanawi that “He wanted to burry two of his newborns during the Jahiliyya, and his son Rabee’ ben ‘Ollatha said to his father: why don’t you leave them alone, and he did. When Islam came, ‘Ollatha and his sons embraced Islam, including the two daughters (10). We found some cases where the perpetrator of infanticide felt deep remorse, and this is what happened with Bani Laquita. Khazanal al-Adab narrates a verse on Laquita, by poet Qurayt ben Onif al-‘Anbari. He said: If I belonged to Mazen [tribe], the sons of Laquita Would not have plundered my camels  

    She is Um Hisn ben Hathifa. She was given this name because her father did not have any other children, and the Arabs during that era were prone to commit infanticide. When he saw her his heart softened towards her, and said to her mother: breast feed her and hide her from the sight of people. Thus, she was named Laquita (11). 

    Ibn Qutayba narrates that Imru’o al-Qays had girls and no male offspring. He was extremely jealous, and whenever a girl was born to him he would commit her to infanticide. When his women saw this characteristic in him, they dispersed their girls amongst various Arab quarters. When he was informed of this, he pursued and killed them (1). This story confirms that women were against infanticide and would protest against it.

    Perhaps the whole tribe, at the protest of women, would forgo infanticide. Thus Zuhra ben ‘Allab did not have any children, so he married ‘Aqila bint ‘Abdel-‘Ozza ben Ghira al-Thaqafi. She gave birth to three boys who died at a young age. He swore that if a baby girl were born to him, he would kill her. His wife did give birth to a girl, and he ordered that she be buried. The tribe of Quraysh said to him: the Arabs were prone to do that infanticide, because of abject poverty, and you have plenty of money. He told them about the circumstances surrounding her birth, and that he had ordered her infanticide, and how her mother hid her. Zahra then had a dream, with a voice telling him: perhaps a young friendly knight, and a leader amongst leaders, and a man of generosity in time of need, would be in the womb of that infanticide baby. Wherefore he kept her alive, named her al-Sawda, and she got married to Amr ben Ka’b, ben Sa’d ben Taym ben Murra (2)."

To find out more please go to the link at the beginning to read the full article. 

The question at the end is....Is the struggle for the protection of children then and now much different?

Tis the reason for the season Part 1 Who is Mary in the Quran?

I would like to share with you three passages of the Quran relating to Mary peace be upon her, let it not be said I didn't blog for Mary & Jesus. A most beloved people to our Lord. 


Note: The family of 'Imran mentioned is attributed to the family of Mary peace be upon her

"God chose Adam , Noah, Abraham's family, and the family of 'Imran over all other people, in one line of descent - God hears and knows all. 'Imran's wife said, 'Lord, I have dedicated what is growing in my womb entirely to You; so accept this from me. You are the One who hears and knows all,' but when she gave birth, she said, 'My Lord! I have given birth to a girl' - God knew best what she had given birth to: the male is not like the female - 'I name her Mary and commend her and her offspring to Your protection from the rejected Satan.' Her Lord graciously accepted her and made her grow in goodness, and entrusted her to the charge of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah went to see her in her sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He said, 'Mary, how is it you have these provisions?' and she said, 'They are from God: God provides limitlessly for whoever He will.'" [The Family of 'Imran 3: 33-37]

"The angels said to Mary: 'Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure: He has truly chosen you above all women. Mary, be devout to your Lord, prostrate your self in worship, bow down with those who pray.' This is an account of things beyond your knowledge that We reveal to you: you were not present among them when they cast lots to see which of them should take charge of Mary , you were not present with them when they argued [about her]. " [The Family of 'Imran 3:42-44]

"Mary, daughter of 'Imran. She guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her from Our spirit. She accepted the truth of her Lord's words and Scriptures: she was truly devout" [Prohibition 66:12] 

Next part to come soon! On the pregnancy & birth of Jesus peace be upon him  =) 

The first conflict among men

Found this amazing passage from the Quran =) it opened my eyes:

"Tell them the truth about the story of Adam's two sons: each of them offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one and not the other. One said, 'I will kill you,' but the other said, 'God only accepts the sacrifice of those who are mindful of Him. If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and become an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers' reward.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful. On account of [his deed], We decreed to the Children of Israel that if anyone kills a person -unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land- it is as if he kills all mankind, while if any save a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind." - [ The Feast 5: 27-32]

I would love to explain what I got from it, but I fear restricting it's full picture with my small views.

Defining the Radical

Picture of the awesome people who volunteered for the conference

     After attending FOSIS Annual Conference, I'm coming to a conclusion that this fear of non-violent "extremist" Muslims at home is all politics meant to distract us from the real threat to Britain and its freedom. Those who go to war against non-threats, killing innocents, claiming dominion, enforce ideology & separatism, calling all who dare to resist their foreign occupation a terrorist. Those who steal the wealth of others and dare to call you criminal if you wish to keep what is yours. Those who deem ownership over your life & property using fines, force and guns to impose this delusion. Those who wish to shape society by controlling what is taught to people when they are young. Those who make it unlawful to protect yourself from the aggression of others.

  Here I use this definition of terrorism:  "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion" (source: http://bit.ly/uA6Ja)


Please allow me to end with this, Radicals & extremists are all around us, in all shapes and forms, some are goths, & others are monks. Some are stoners and others are T-total. Some are anarchists, others are totalitarians. Some who dare to believe in a time of world peace, others who wish for humanity to perish. So if this is the case, and this is some of what makes up a free humanity in society, then by what measure can one judge our fellow free human beings as Virtuous or immoral? Good or evil?


Who's committing the aggression?

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Violence

‎Why I believe in non-aggression.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes: Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only LIGHT can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only LOVE can do that." -- The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

A libertarian stance on intervention in Libya

Recently I stumbled on this blog titled: The libertarian case for intervention in Libya

I decided to comment on it and I fancied to blog it, so here it is:

    I wish I can say I couldn't agree more, as I also wish for individual liberty to be unrestricted on anyone and everyone, but if we say its fine for this government to use the money of its own people to enforce or kill a dictator, then this IS government going out of bounds and it being a policeman of the world (Where do we cross the line?). The disagreement of intervention is not based on only that govnt should let people be. This of course is not the case locally where the least of government libertarians would advocate is one that would protect their natural & property rights from those who infringe it.

   I would instead advocate us as restricted free people to use our OWN resources to help deprived individuals as much as we say that charity should not be done by the state, also if we wish to put our lives on the line for another nation, we should be able to do so, without using govnt tactics as theft to fund it.

    Yet I must remind myself and all, that this same state as with the western backed monarchies of the gulf nations has deprived its people by taking their right to arms and self-defence. Also, this coalition government is no libertarian government, is it?  In one of the recent speeches of PM Cameron he used a term that is also used among neo-conservatives and its “Muscular Liberalism” I would reference you to this journal article:  http://bit.ly/dV5nH4

    You point out correctly the role of the state in justice, but I would disagree that the military has a duty to topple dictators, that's not libertarianism, that's neo-conservatism, is it not?

   I am personally a libertarian who thinks that tax payers’ money should be used for the tax payer or else this theft has no use.

   In the end, I would argue the state in itself has no international duties, but the service of its nation without force and coercion, which is not the case today in the UK. If some individuals wish to be of honour and put their life on the line for their fellow man, they have the right to do so, along with whoever wishes to join them and/or fund them, provided they don’t force steal people’s money to fund it. 

"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future." - George Orwell

An observation:


   3 examples:


1-  this is a quote from a tweeter @Iyad_elbaghdadi :

"Let's talk a bit about that quote: "Insurrection of thoughts always precedes insurrection of arms." It was said by Wendell Phillips. Phillips (http://j.mp/dLzdIG) was an abolitionist, calling for an end to slavery in the USA, and for equal rights for Native Americans. He made the case that slavery and oppression are chiefly in the mind of the slave. He won't allow his thoughts to stray too far. Therefore he said that the true end to slavery isn't in legislation or on the battlefield but in the mind of the slave. It starts with men not believing anymore that they're slaves, who believe they're free, who no longer recognize slavery as legitimate.This insurrection of minds, once it has taken hold in a person, is the true revolution  #Libya.  The Libyan people no longer believe themselves to be slaves to Gaddafi. They have broken those shackles of mind for good. #Libya"

2-  This example is an observation witnessed by a dear friend of mine who is studying a Masters degree on Islam in Britain. He is also on twitter: @Abdulazim


   He spoke of a vicious circle of the medias general view and narrative on young British Muslims. That when you impose an idea that young British Muslims are ticking bombs, that they are susceptible more than their peers to become violent, radical and criminal. Left alone, they will come to a crisis and two choices, either to leave their faith, or to truly become radicalised believing what he is told about himself, because of the media coverage. Then taking  the real Muslims as people who compromised. thus fueling the hate machine and entertainment news media. 


  he also added that this all comes down to: 


a) a lack of religious guidance from scholars
b) a rejection of the violence and imperalism of western states
c) an identity crisis 


3- this is my personal observation of what is happening to the people in Bahrain:


     The government is using all its resources to promote sectarianism, and today I can say from what I have seen, that I know how Nazi Germany can happen:
Control the media, control education, and control all important social institutions. How can you go wrong?.


    with the uprising of a nation of a majority shia populace where they are the oppressed! in the gulf where I am now, the local media wishes me to believe that unarmed civilians, (There is a gun ban in all GCC nations)  who only have old swords and kitchen knives are initiating violence and aggressing against an institution that has an armed and armored task force, another country's army and helicopters in the air to boost. (Just to add on this issue of media, reporters from outlets such as the CNN and BBC were not allowed in Bahrain) .


     The Sunni people in Gulf nations are made to think that their governments are protecting them from the threat of Iranian imperialism...That Collectively all Shia are terrorists who secretly wish the death of all Sunnis, that they would betray their fellow Sunni for a fellow Shia for any reason, that their allegiance is not to their own people, but to Iran and Hezbullah..


. These sentiments are not new, they are generations of hate indoctrination put to work now, from my father to my little brother. God knows if I didn't leave Qatar to the UK I would have still accepted such vile ignorance as fact. The funny thing is, these people who speak with such hate, would sometimes be the ones who commit what they accuse my Shia brothers and sisters of. The media narrative today of Bahrain and the embedded hate, can do nothing to a Shia individual, but make him possibly either confused or angry, and would give great publicity to the few radical elements among the Shia and nothing to a sunni individual, but confirm the lies


   The specific reasons of why sunni and shia would hate each other don't matter, because after I learned of the shia tradition from shia I knew what I was told was but lies. I needed nothing but to learn, which removed the shade of ignorance.


   There is however a more important aspect to all of this, that the govnt used this tactic to remove itself from blame, to make as if shia are up to their antics again, and accused it of promoting the sectarian divide, making the rest love their government more and more for "protecting" them. Hence people praised saudi when it went into Bahrain with its tanks to a different country to "battle" unarmed people.


Has anything I said rang a bell in some other issue, in some other place in a time past possibly?


In this issue in my opinion it comes down to these matters: 

• It begins with collective judgment: to assign a group of people to have a specific negative aspect to them based on colour, creed, nationality or some type of grouping
• It comes from a position of power: either in number of in status. 
• Its for the Ignorant masses that the person or people of power deem to represent. They are meant to believe this so much so, that the people of the group accused of this lie start to doubt themselves and sometimes believe it to be the case. 
•  the purpose is to propose a set of ideas, or to alienate the particular group, or to propose a set of legislation, all for the consumption of more power either real of imaginary.

Of course this analysis at the end is purely simplistic and it comes from an individual who is no expert on this issue. 


At the end I'd like to propose this article I read recently that speaks close to the issue this blog wished to raise: Politically Incorrect Authoritarianism 


I hope you have found this blog to be of use. 


God Bless ^_^