Recommendations

I kind of made this decision to stop expounding my pseudo-intellect on many issues at the moment. Reason? It's time to walk the talk and get myself busy on the ground rather than becoming the new al-Ghazali pretender. Anyway, here is a couple of book/video recommendations. Theme of the day: Changing our perception about what Islamic State is all about. I guess many people (especially non-Muslims) will be scared if we mention Islamic State - all they think about is totalitarian style moral policing. There is no one to be blamed but ourselves. All I can say is: There shouldn't be any Big Brother in an Islamic State. Owh wait, who needs an Islamic state in the first place? Ok enough of pseudo-intellect.

Who Needs an Islamic State?

Reviving the Spirit of Islamic Spain - Hamza Yusuf

Just emo...

Sometimes I feel (or I think?) this world has so many temptations, to a point that it is pretty hopeless to be steadfast in fending them all. My charge is: This modern world is just a messed up world to live in.

For a start, everyone has feelings by 18 (max), and one is supposed to abstain oneself from any form of 'dodgy involvement' until perhaps 25. The thing is, not everyone shares this spiritual struggle as some people just couldn’t be bothered that much about being true to the Law (maybe I’m just a hypocrite, I stumble all the time too).

Of course, the common argument is: Get yourself busy and you won’t have time for this and that. Well honestly, school work itself is driving me crazy already, add my activism and other extra-curricular activities, I’m pretty much half-dead most of the days. So yes… I’m busy and there always seems to be not enough time for everything.

But you can’t say: I’m too busy to a point that I don’t feel like eating. Well, maybe that happens during some odd days when you’re so busy, but not everyday for 5 years right? So yes I’m busy, but that doesn’t mean, for example, I don’t feel like talking to someone I’m not supposed to talk to (let’s just consider this as a hypothetical case).

So I guess I have to continue fighting myself for the next five years. That seems like a monumental feat that borders on being impossible to do. I know it should be: I live my life for You - a statement that is way easier said than done. Usually it’s more like, I live my life for my own nafs. What ungrateful servant!

Note: It is a rahmah that in this world other people are veiled from seeing the content of our heart, what we actually do behind everyone’s back, and who we really are. If we really know all those things, we won’t be able to even sit with each other peacefully. Of course we can’t run away during that Day.

What Did Muhammad Teach You?

Today, as I was walking home after tarawikh, suddenly someone shouted at me from my back, "WHAT DID MUHAMMAD TEACH YOU?" I turned around and saw the guy: An old man, homeless, begging for money beside the road, and he looked rather drunk. I just smiled at him; I didn't have money with me; any attempt at conversation seemed unwise given his temperament. I guess the sight of a person wearing white kandoorah (jubah putih) in the middle of downtown is still perturbing to some.

I always wonder... How is it like to be a sister wearing the niqaab in the western world? The sense of ghuraba' that one feels. I guess she must be getting insults on regular basis - some niqaabi sisters related to me that they do get unkind words from time to time, but experiencing it oneself is another matter all together. Anyway, the incident reminded me of Dawud Whansby's awesome song, Don't Talk to Me About Muhammad:-

As we walk along together, we will get along just fine...

As we walk along together, we will get along just fine...

As I travel down life's road, I will get along just fine...

From Youtube's video info:-

The Prophet (pbuh) offered to help this woman, and all she does throughout their encounter is to mock and malign the Prophet (pbuh). Yet, he says nothing. He continues to help the woman with her load. He does not lash back at her; he does not pray for God's destruction upon her; he does not drop her stuff and let her fend for herself. No. He helps the woman anyway, and when she finds out who he is, all she could do was follow him into Islam.Yet, the fact that she became Muslim is not the most important aspect of this story. It was the Prophet's character thats amazing the most. It is this aspect of the Prophet's sunnah that many of us have completely neglected. to read about this story in the hadith (I have no idea abot it's authenticity), go here: http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/missing_the_point/

Syaikh Yahya Rhodus' Advice to Students: Contextualizing Tradition

This is just my note on SYR's lecture at UofT. So it is only my note, any flaws is on my behalf.

Advice to a student contextualizing tradition
Allah SWT is beautiful and loves beauty. The Prophet SAW was beautiful in conduct and manners as Prophet Yousuf AS was. We ask that Allah makes our lives beautiful and that we enter a life of eternal beauty despite the hardships of the current life. The extent that we beauty our current selves will help extend our abode in the Next Life.

In looking at the current modern environment,
Nasiha: The religion is sincere advice-this term combines sincerity and advice and this is in relationship to Allah, the Prophet SAW, Muslims, Imams, etc. This combines sincerity and this falls strongly in worship and how one practices religion.

All of ones effort should be placed in worship and this is one of the deepest drives within humans-‘whoever works hard will find’. It’s part of our make-up that we find/yearn for answers-this tranquility is exposed through experience and there are thus different levels/platforms of knowledge and the seeking of knowledge is something that is sacred and desirable.

The greatest desire is knowledge getting one to Allah SWT; thus, religious knowledge is different from secular knowledge as it can lead you to an ultimate station. It requires intention and the destination is purity and Light-such that a heart becomes fertile and knowing of Allah SWT’s presence. People can attain this through their lives such as Khidr AS during the time of Prophet Musa AS.

Contextualizing tradition: Tradition may be thought in different ways but what is meant here is how Islam has been preserved and passed on. It is also how traditional knowledge goes against modern ways.

The meaning of the word Tradition comes from ‘handing down’ and in an all-inclusive meaning, it would involve how our Religion has been handed down through scholars. If it wasn’t through their works, it would have been futile. The preservation of the Isnad, Ansaab, Ihraab allows us to access to the meanings and it has been of great benefit as we can understand the Religion in the same instance as the past.

Muslims shouldn’t be scared by challenges but rather, we should seek to respond wisely to the different challenges. Codified responses would form as a result of the challenges and this has left us with the opportunity to rise up and contextualize the religion for the people at the time.

The issue of living in a Western country, one could be optimistic or pessimistic but we have to deal with the bad things but we should be optimistic as well as it is the Truth and Allah SWT promised the success of Islam. Some will take part in the contextualizing of the Tradition.

These different responses to the onset of modernity should get us to think of where we stand, especially for the youth as it is incumbent on their backs. Looking at reports such as the RAND, we see their codifying of the Muslim environment (into secularists, modernists, traditionalists, extremists).

These different groups make conclusions and we should realize the importance of sticking to tradition. The handing down of the religion is something that can be likened to a tree; the passing down goes right to the roots and so, one should be firmly rooted in the tradition or else it would lead to confusion and removal from our religion.

Renewing the wisdom of the religion is thus very important even at different times that would address different people-clarifying matters in current times in the way one thinks and views the world. There is thus a deep understanding we can get in this Tajdeed.

Any Endeavour embarked upon should have inward and outward elements. Our religion has inward and outward dimensions and both must be fulfilled or else the deeds won’t be fruitful. This goes hand in hand for instance with fasting; one should be sincere and do it for the Sake of Allah and keep it in bounds of the religion.

The element of cleansing the heart is probably the most important base for us. Sincerity is second most important. Next, a sense of connection and turning to Allah SWT constantly (Tawajjuh) no matter what we do, we make righteous intentions and constantly returning to him. These inner realities should be in conformance with the Shariah and we should do it with Ihsan. We should strive for excellence always. Patience and perseverance is the last most important aspect and one should keep from being hasty with results or being sorrowful.

High spiritual aspirations and desire to ultimate posts should be another aspect where we strive for (Hima) always. Combining the meanings and prophetic inheritance to the inward and outward parts of our lives will help InshaAllah ensuring success in this life and the Next.

Note 1: Ramadhan hasn't really been going well, I feel bad about myself. We don't live in a perfect world, and sometimes, can we choose the lesser of the two evils? Or will I be condemned? But sometimes self-righteousness seems selfish to me.

Note 2: Sorry that I am not writing reports on the events. I didn't manage to attend the 'Dear Beloved Son' lecture at IMO, but I managed to attend some of SYR lectures at other venues. Maybe (If He permits), someday, but I'm not promising. Actually I got to catch up with Him.

Skule Again...

My 'engineering stress' diagram (CIV102)

First day of classes and I'm excited. Classes? Excited? Ok I am insane. Well, enough of babysitting jrs for the time being, a lot of things are at stake for me in these coming semesters.


ECE302H1F - Probability, Statistics & Random Processes
Statistics! I would have said yikes, but winner winner chicken dinner. No, of course I don't support gambling (or counting, whatever), but I just hope I am half as genius as he is to fly through this course.


ECE334H1F - Digital Electronics
Simple math, I like this. Just Ohm's law, KVL, KCL, Q=CV, and i=Q/t, everything else is just 'engineering intuition' (I think I am more of an intuitive sort of person rather than a number churner).


ECE344H1F - Operating Systems
Never thought I will be learning about Harry Potter in my engineering courses! Sounds like fun...

ECE361H1F - Computer Networks
I am a big fan of Alexander Graham Bell since I read his biography: The Reluctant Genius. Computer network is the modern day telegraphy - so to speak.

NMC273Y1Y - Islamic History to 1258
InsyaAllah will make full use of this course to refresh my memory and deepen my understanding on this very interesting subject.

A good reminder for back to school:

"Verily, Allah has enjoined excellence (ihsan) with regard to everything". [Muslim]

Imaginary Thought #1

Sometimes I have this big, bad imaginary idea - for the sake of simplicity - called 'saving other people'. Well this is just a cognitive stunt performed by my brain in order to trick myself into thinking: I can transcend my egocentrism. And sometimes things go awfully wrong; by that time I am bewildered as to even the sincerity of my own heart. Essentially I will run out of excuses to euphemise my selfish acts to secure my selfish needs under the banner: "For the good of all". So who am I? Is there a primordial evil inside me? Am I not just selfish? What's wrong with it? Don't I just love You?

Ramadhan mubarak.

"Those of Faith are overflowing in their love for God" (Qur'an 2:165)

Shaykh Yahya Rhodus in Town

[click on image to register]

We will get an exclusive event with him on Sept 6th, but it's a secret (*wink* *wink*).

p/s: I am not 'ultra-this' or 'ultra-that' (in my understanding), and please don't resent me for not being so... I respect everyone insyaAllah.

Some of My Fav Quotes

On principle, love, and fight. Essentials aren't they?

"I will keep the Law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold on to the principals received by me when I was sane, and not mad- as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against the rigour, stringent are they; inviolate they shall be" (Jane Eyre)

Temptations... I wish I am strong during such times. Inviolate they shall be!

"Sometimes, it is true, love comes as a result of a definite cause outside the soul, but then it passes away when the cause itself disappears: one who is fond of you because of a certain circumstance will turn his back on you when that motive no longer exists." (Ibn Hazm)

So true... No such thing as head over heels, even though that is perhaps the usual tendency.

“Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray - "O Allah, help him so that truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side, I may follow him." (Imam Syafi'i)

Keep it dispassionate and keep an open mind. Surely that is no easy feat.