Ignorance Is NOT Bliss

In the last few years, I have seen people’s understanding of Islam get stranger by the day. Plus, with the influence of international media and ancient culture, I have seen new traditions and customs in the religion that hold no place in it. Still what shocks me more than anything is where Muslims are putting a major part of their beliefs and the ignorant practices they follow.

Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) was certainly one of the greatest man that ever lived; so were the Prophets who were sent before him. All the Prophets preached the same basic principles, the only difference being that Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) was sent to all humanity for all time while the others were sent to specific nations at specific times.

Yes, he does hold a special place for respect and half our belief is based on believing in him, but we have to remember that he was mortal, a human being. And like human beings, he does not hold the power of life and death or accepting prayers or supplications. That authority is reserved only for Allah.

At the time of Prophet Muhammed’s (P.B.U.H) death, the Muslim Ummah was shocked to the core. They would not believe it had happened until they would see it with their own eyes. At a time like this, when the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) closest companion were stricken with grief, Abu Bakr As Sidiq, the first Caliph and one of the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) closest companion,  announced:

To proceed, if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad , then Muhammad is dead, but if (anyone of) you used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die. Allah said, “And Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful.” (Al-E-Imran : 144)

When the Prophet Muhammed’s (P.B.U.H) closest companions believed that he was just a messenger and no more, how is it that a major part of the Muslim Ummah gives more to him rather than Allah. How is it that during the fasts, when it is a time for Mercy and Blessings, when one should perform as many good deeds as possible, when one should pray and read Quran, many people sing praises of the Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H)? How come during Sahar or Iftar, the ideal times when supplications are accepted, people put on Naats and praises of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) rather than praising Allah?

Moreover, there is the lyrics of such praises; lyrics about how respectable it would be to prostrate in front the Prophet (P.B.U.H) or about how all the rest of Allah’s messenger want Prophet Muhammed’s (P.B.U.H) approval and companionship (rough translation). Being Muslims we should be aware that we are not allowed to prostrate before anyone except Allah and Allah’s messengers seek only Allah’s approval. Moreover, many believe that invoking Allah by calling on Prophet (PBUH) is going to help in getting their prayers and supplications accepted? How is this possible when it is clearly mentioned in the Quran:

…مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشۡفَعُ عِندَهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِهِۦ‌ۚ…

…Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave?… (Al-Baqarah : 255)

Keeping this in mind, let us consider, are we not doing the very thing that the Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) was sent to forbid us from, the greatest sin, Shirk, by giving preference to Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) over Allah?

And it doesn’t end here. A major part of the Muslim Ummah has entombed saints and decorated their places making them into places of worship where many go to plead for acceptance of their supplications. Why do we need someone to intercede on our behalf when Allah is closer to us than our jugular vein? Many respond to this citing the piety of saints making closer to Allah. But does not Allah listen to those who do not believe in Saints, does He not accept the prayers of those who have done wrong and are trying to make amends? Asking saints of something that only Allah has authority of is a form of the Shirk, the only unforgivable sin.

If we understand what Islam is about, we do not need anyone to ask Allah for His help, mercy and blessings. It is very clearly said:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle (P.B.U.H) said, “When it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends every night to the heaven of the world and says, ‘Is there anyone who invokes Me (demand anything from Me), that I may respond to his invocation; Is there anyone who asks Me for something that I may give (it to) him; Is there anyone who asks My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’ ” (Bukhari 8.75.333)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle (P.B.U.H)said, “The invocation of anyone of you is granted (by Allah) if he does not show impatience (by saying, “I invoked Allah but my request has not been granted.”) (Bukhari 8.75.352)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said, “On Friday there is a particular time. If a Muslim happens to be praying and invoking Allah for something good during that time, Allah will surely fulfill his request.” The Prophet pointed out with his hand. We thought that he wanted to illustrate how short that time was. (Bukhari 8:75:409)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said, “When the Imam says ‘Amin’, then you should all say ‘Amin’, for the angels say ‘Amin’ at that time, and he whose ‘Amin’ coincides with the ‘Amin’ of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari 8:75:411)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari 3:31:125)

When it is made clear that Allah listen favorably to the supplications of His creations, then why is our faith and our belief so weak that we need someone to intercede?

Islam is a very simple and direct message. We do not need all the added rituals, customs, or traditions to become successful Muslims or human beings. All we need to do is follow the basic principles, do good, and abstain from evil to be successful. After all, that is all what Islam is about.

In the end, to achieve pure bliss, we need to end ignorance.

A Vote Of Thanks

The last five days of Shaban and the first few days of Ramadan find the Muslim community excited and anxious. Every one is enthusiastic about the upcoming month of fasting and maintains a list of habits to drop in this month of mercy. Everyone is looking forward to asking for forgiveness and oh-so-much-more in this blessed month; praying regularly, giving to charity, reading Qur’an and so on. Ramadan is a month of forgiveness and mercy, a month where we are given a chance to turn towards our Creator and learn more about our religion, to understand what Islam is made of, its principles, its teaching, its code of conduct. Yet, many Ramadan come and go, and people fail to realize one of the key component of Islam: Thanks.

I had a particularly tough fast yesterday that left me dry-mouthed for over 12 hours. In the blazing heat, when my room feels like the inside of a boiler, I was thirsty for the entire duration of the fast. Time did seem to stop and all I could do was stare at the clock and count the minutes left until I take my first sip of water. However, my 12 hour thirst made me recall something I had learned back in the 6th or 7th grade in my Islamic Studies course:

“Islam teaches us Patience. It makes us realize what a large percentage of the human population feel; the percentage that does not have food on their table or water in their glasses.”

And that thought made me realize that while I am waiting for the Mu’azzin to call for the Magrib Prayer so that I can quench my thirst, somewhere in the world, someone would not have the privilege for a glass of water for even longer. It made me realize how much I am blessed with things that I take for granted; so much that makes my life infinitely better than a large number of people around the world. And yet the first thing I do when I talk to Allah is ask for something else without even giving a thought to the infinite number of blessings that I hold in my hands.

How many times a day do we say InshaAllah or Ameen or pray for something that we desperately want? Compared to that how many times do we say Alhamdollilah; one simple word expressing our gratitude to Allah for all that He has given us. And the list is a long one, there are so many little things that we take for granted when we should be humble and thankful for them: Alhamdollilah for parents, Alhamdollilah for the clothes on my back, Alhamdollilah for the roof on my head, Alhamdollilah for the food on my table and water in my glass, Alhamdollilah for my education, Alhamdolliah for my health, Alhamdollilah for my fitness, Alhamdollilah for my senses, Alhamdollilah for my sanity, Alhamdollilah for my intelligence, Alhamdollilah for my popularity, and Alhamdollilah for my youth.

Alhamdollilah that I have enough money that I do not have to depend on anyone, Alhamdollilah that I am respected by people, Alhamdollilah that I can get whatever I want to eat when I feel like, Alhamdollilah that I have choices in my life, Alhamdollilah that I woke up this morning, Alhamdollilah that I am independent, Alhamdollilah that I have friends, Alhamdollilah that I can fast and pray, Alhamdollilah that I was born a Muslim, and Alhamdollilah for my life in general and the countless blessing bestowed upon me.

Even when we have so much to be thankful for, when we bow down in front of Allah, the first thing we do is ask more or complain about our problems. And I wonder, when we have been blessed with so much, do we really have a right to complain? Moreover, when stand up to pray the first line we utter is a quick thanks to Allah, yet how many of us really mean it, or recall our blessings, when we say:

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ

“Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds” (Al-Fatiha : 1)

So today, when you raise you hands towards the sky to ask for something new, don’t forget to send a quick vote thanks for the safety and health of a loved one or that exam you cleared. It is about time we started signing the received slips.

وَءَاخِرُ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ أَنِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ…

“And the conclusion of their prayer will be: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (Yunus : 10)

From The Beginning To The End

Human Beings have the tendency to sort things into group to make it easier to remember or refer too. This act of grouping is also used when we are socializing. Ever since the beginning, due to varying circumstances, we  judge people based on external criteria rather than personality. Social standings, financial status, intelligence and even zodiac signs are some ways in which we analyze people. And these “generic analysis criteria” are inherited by all.

As we step into the age of thinking, we start analyzing people based on such criteria. For instance, in school, we tend to group people together as the nerds or jocks. Nerds are supposed to be really good in studies but not good in everything else while jocks are good in sports only. In short, we stereotype; define behavior of an individual based what class he belongs to and what group he joins. Such stereotyping at a young age seems harmless. But as we progress into adult life, thoughts like these affect our judgment of individuals and eventually our decisions.

It is often said that to find out about a person look at the company s/he keeps. As human beings, we do tend to seek out people we have something in common with, yet that doesn’t mean that we share the same personality. Even two friends may have completely opposite thinking. Yet we fail to realize this and the dislike of a particular individual simply makes us dislike his/her friends as well. And our reason for this dislike: if they are his/her friends, they would probably be like him/her.

Consider this: my friend has made some choices in his life that I do not approve of. You know about those choices and you do not approve of them either and you dislike him severely. Yet when you meet me, you would have already decided to dislike me based on your dislike of my friend. Hence, you will never know that I disapproved of his actions. And so, this premature judgment of my personality might have cost you a friendship you may have cherished deeply. Is this fair to either of us, the fact that another human being’s choices and personality define my personality?

A lot of people may declare that they do not let another individual’s choice influence the judgment of the said individuals acquaintances. But this “influence” is something that is injected into our subconscious and it comes into play without us ever realizing it. Ever since high school we have been conducting a preliminary analysis of a person based on the company he/she keeps. And as we grow older, this analysis expands its targets from groups to entire communities. Eventually, we start judging people based on the communities they belong to, or their country, or even their race or beliefs.

What we fail to realize at this point is that our population for such an analysis has increased to much more than a group of friends. The person we are analyzing based on the community or race has not even met most of the people we are judging him/her against. His demographics or psychological background may be much different from the people we are comparing him against. And that does not give him/her a chance at fair analysis.

It is considered that an individual is a representative of his/her community or race. But s/he is also human and his choices should not be assumed to be the choices of his/her community (or race). Everyone in a community, everyone  has had varying experiences, some good and some bad. They have had different situations to deal with, different resources, backgrounds, upbringings all of which affect their choices. So while one individual from the same community may go on to win the Nobel Prize, another from the same community may end on the streets struggling for his/her mere existence. Now judging the entire community based on either of the individuals would be unfair to community as a whole or in short racism.

Most of us agree, that one individual or even a hundred are not a true representation of the thousands of people in the community. Yet such discrimination is what we witness every day of our lives, when a nation or a religion is shunned just because of its black sheep.

What I am trying to convey in this entire post is that racism is not just restricted to when you judge a group of people based on their race or beliefs, but it is also racism when you judge a person based on a group or his company. This criteria of judgments attaches itself to us from the moment we open our eyes to the moment we close them…from the beginning till the end. Stereotyping inevitably matures into racism.

A lot of people have tried their best to abolish racism but it cannot be truly abolished until we attack it at it its core. It is an education that should be imparted on individuals since their birth. It should be repeated over and over that individuals must not be judged on the company they keep or the group they belong to and another’s choices must not influence the analysis of an individual. Rather, individuals should be judged on their personality and on their choices alone.

However, this is easier said than done as this criteria of judgment is picked up by us, even against our parents wishes, through our environment: from our friends, in our school and from all those around us. But then again, it is mindset, a way of thinking, and it is never to late to change your mind.

People As I Know Them…

It is that time of the year again when I am in a dire need of a vacation. It is 5:00 am and I am depressed. Plus I have to study for a quiz. So here I am blogging as a way to vent of my frustration because of the various things that have been said this day.

Spending four years independently has taught me much: like how hard it if for me to be a social butterfly 24/7, how much I am addicted to my computer and games and silence, how I prefer to do things in the dead of the night because there is no life around…awake at least. It is my default configuration and I relish in it.

Which brings me to classify the default configurations of the people I’ve met so far.

Lets start with the common ones: People pleasers. You find a lot of them everywhere you go. They do not really have a mind of their own rather they would agree with everything you say just so you like them. It is hard to talk to them for when you put forth an idea to them, you never get an argument. So they tend to get boring after a while and annoying as well for you want them to disagree with you on one small thing.

Next are the nose pokers. My business is my business, your business is my business too…that is their motto. They would never leave you alone. Whatever you do is always wrong for them…even if it is what they proposed. They just prefer that you do not have a mind of your own. So there is not much you can do about them save ignore everything they say.

Then come the gossip mongers who always have something to say about someone. They tend to comment on everyone’s life and choice and feel great pleasure in flaunting others’ mistakes. Whether or not you want to listen, they will tell you about that third person who did “something that was awfully wrong” when in fact they has a valid reason. They have characteristics similar to nose pokers and you often find people who fall into both categories.

And then there are people who find it so easy to say the one thing that can bring everything apart…with dead finality none the less; who like to control (not that I am not a control freak) and find the most absurd comments when the situation is at their doorstep. Yeah, I know such people too. Freedom of speech is overrated for them, they do not give a second’s thought to your wishes, do not care about what you like, or think, or want. It should be according to their liking or it should be nothing at all.And they like to assume what they want and hold it against you for…ever? For they, in their minds, are the supreme beings. Most annoying assuredly.

Last but not least, there are those who do not fall into these categories. They are the good, kind people (yes they still do exist). They listen to you, give you a shoulder, help you out, encourage you, inspire you and be your pillar of support. You like talking to them because they have something good to say. You spend time with them because they always make it memorable. They are sincere and loyal and accept you for who your are; formal enough by not overstepping their boundaries and yet so close you feel they know everything about you. They are few and far between, hard to find. But if you do find such people, make sure you hold them with both your hands for in the rocky areas of life, they will turn out to be the shock absorbers.

VISION Online

Vision 2009, the annual departmental magazine of Computer and Information Systems Engineering at NED University, is soon to be launched. For details on contributions and other information, please visit:

VISION Online

Take care!