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Reflections: Orientalism 4.11

What the orientalist thinks of an oriental is that the orientals cannot rule themselves nor can they manage their riches. The westerners (orientalist) take it upon themselves to do the job for the orient. The westerners see orientalist as incapables whose only interest is their lust. The occidents not only take it upon themselves to take over and control the riches of the oriental countries, but go further and claim that “we have to run their country for them as well”. This case is different from the colonialism in that they are not directly, or let’s say publically, running the show but some local puppets are. Puppets who are either trained in the west or trained in the east by missionaries or orientalists themselves. By riches we don’t just mean oil fields as in Iraq but oil pipes and rich mineral mines (e.g. uranium) as in Afghanistan and some African countries. The westerners pretend they respect the orient but they don’t and it is, actually, on the contrary. They look down upon the orients. To the westerners, an oriental has no value. They believe the oriental is happy as long as he has his partner and animals. In western movies, the orientals (Arabs, Muslims, Africans) are shown as the source of evil and the source of problems in the west. One example in early 90s is showing Arabs as the source of gas shortage in the US.

This article is both summary of book “Orientalism” by Edward W. Said and my reflections.

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Reflections: Modern Islam 10:27

How can we modernize Islam? Does it need to be modernized? An orientalist will answer in affirmative. A western government will answer in affirmative. Because they want to control the world and have influence on every aspect of people life. This is why they are against home schooling. As Muslims, we believe that Allah decided to reveal this book and complete the ‘deen’ (religion) for people. Deen that we call religion is translated as the way of life. The way or the path we need to walk on to be successful in this world and the hereafter. Allah knew how life is going to be and what man is going to accomplish, but still He decided to send the final revelation in the middle of The Arabian peninsula on an unlettered man. And He revealed that if you stick to his teachings you will attain prosperity. Many ask how Islam is going to adapt to today’s life. Individuals like Macron (the French boss) states that Islam is in crisis. As a manner of fact, Islam is not in crisis. Humanity is in crisis. The solution to this crisis and the problems we are going through is Islam. The real Islam not the Islam portrayed in western media or defined by the orientalist or Macron. Islam provides solution to all the problems humanity is facing in 21st century. All we have to do is to adapt ourselves to the true teachings of Islam and our beloved prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

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Reflections: The Idiot

You find in many fields many specialists, but you don’t find practical people. People who can solve problems. You have many engineers, experts in various fields, and professors. Yet your economy has been going down. Yet the unemployment rate is on the rise while you live in one of the most resourceful countries on this planet. Why is it that those who are talented in field are not used in that field? On the contrary, those who occupy crucial positions are ordinary and sub-ordinary individuals. Is money to be blamed for this? Our prophet (PBUH) has been reported to have said: if you have a mountain of gold, you would wish for a second. And if you have the second mountain, you would wish for the third. The desires of human being are limitless while the resources of this world are limited. Pursuing this world greedily never ends. The greedy one is not satiated until he dies and is turned to dust. Will this kind of individual ever feel happy? A true feeling of happiness when one feels upon helping a fellow human being. Never forget your share from this world, but always be content with what you have.

This is a combination of summary, notes, and some reflections from the book: The Idiot by Dostoevsky.

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Reflections: Orientalism & the real Islam 10.24

What we believe is that Allah Himself protects the Quran and Islam. So if Muslims stick to this noble book and follow the teachings of the beloved prophet (pbuh), they will be successful in this world and the hereafter. As it has come in the Quran: “do not forget your share from this world.”(23:77) Here comes the confusion. How much is my share? Imagine we are riding a ship. For a ship to get to it’s destination, it needs to go through waters (sea, ocean, river). The ship needs the water to float. The ship needs the water outside it not inside it. This world is like water for our ship in our journey to the hereafter. If we indulge too much in this world, then the amount of water increases and raises so high that it will enter the ship and we will be drowned in this world. We will be so occupied that we will forget our goal in this world. We are here temporarily and to be successful, we must obey our Lord. All our actions must please Him. And the best way to please Him is to serve the humanity. This is Islam. What one Muslim asks himself is what is the real Islam? Who represents the real Islam? Certainly not the politicians since they consider their own interests and their bosses and not that of their people nor their creator. This is how they can keep their positions or achieve a higher position. Then there are scholars who are supposed to be the knowledgeable individuals in the society. They are the point of reference for people. Unfortunately, there are scholars who are linked to the politicians, so they cannot be trusted either. There is another group of scholars that are not Muslims but are scholars of Islamic studies. These are the orientalist as mentioned in the book “Orientalism” by Edward W. Said. This movement of educating western individuals about Islam and Arabs started in late 1700s when Napoleon Bonaparte started invading/colonising Egypt.

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Reflections: Orientalism 10.23

Disappointment turns into rancor; rancor turns into hatred; hatred waits for the right moment and it turns into action. This a quote from the must-read book “Orientalism” by Edward W. Said. How is this quote connected to the murder of a French teacher who was simply exercising his freedom of speech? Was the action of that individual the result of hatred? After this event Monsieur Macron comes out and says Islam is in crisis. How could we link all these together. This is not the first time this type of crime has happened on a western soil. Let’s look at this from the view point of an “oriental.” I will discuss this term later. This oriental sees no future for himself in his home country. From the media and propaganda, he envisions a hidden paradise in the west. He goes through so much trouble to reach the hidden paradise. He comes with a large baggage. Not a baggage that contains his clothing. A baggage of culture, mentality, and a set of beliefs. He comes to find out that it was a mirage. There is no paradise, no democracy nor freedom. Actually, all of these exist, but defined differently. As in the above case, there is freedom of speech, but you can’t talk about any subject in any manner you want. There is freedom of choice, but you cannot wear any type of clothing you want. If you go to the beach, you have to undress yourself. There is freedom, but you cannot educate your child anyway you wish. The state has to educate your children since a group of strangers know what’s best for your children than you. Some call this hypocrisy. So when this oriental faces this hypocrisy, he is disappointed. Whose fault is this? Islam is to be blamed. This means Islam has to be modernised. And this is going to be done by a scholar of Islamic studies who is obviously not a Muslim. He is an orientalist.

Reflections: Corona

It has been a couple of months that the whole world is battling an insignificant yet powerful enemy. A virus called Corona, Aka COVID-19. Allah says in chapter 74:31 And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. We believe nothing happens without the will of Allah. Does Allah want bad and suffering for His creations? Parents would never want to see their children go through any hardship. Allah loves His creations much more than parents love their children. We also believe that He is a loving, caring, and the most merciful. He is in control of all. Why then He would allow such a pandemic happen to us all? If He wills, this virus can disappear from the face of the earth as were the dinosaurs. Then why is Allah allowing the virus to cause some much pain? Let us see what Allah says in chapter 30:41. He says: Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]. SO maybe instead of blaming everything on God or others, we reflect on what we are doing. We reflect on how we live our lives. How much damage are we causing the environment? Every action has a reaction. Our actions have consequences that will come back to us. It might not necessarily be what we as individuals are doing or are not doing. It could be that the leaders or politicians are making decisions and we are oblivious about these decisions. To make it clear let us look at an example given by our beloved prophet. Two groups of people are aboard a ship with two decks. One group on the upper deck and the other on the lower deck. The group on the lower deck makes a hole on the floor of the ship to get water. The second group does not prevent the first group. what is the result? Everyone drowns. We cannot just sit and be indifferent about the actions of others in our society and on our planet. We all have responsibilities. We have responsibilities toward ourselves. This means we are responsible toward our body. This is the reason some actions are prohibited in Islam. Smoking drugs (including cigarette) and drinking alcohol, for example, are harmful to the body, so these are prohibited. We are responsible toward our family then toward our community.

Let us look at another verse from the Quran. Allah says: And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. 2:155. This is the reality of the life of this world. Allah tests us all. Calamities fall in our lives in different forms and shapes. We persevere, put our trust in Him, and never lose faith.

Reflections: Fasting

We muslims fast in the month of Ramadhan. Let’s start by asking why. Why do we fast? What is the purpose of fasting? What are we supposed to get out of fasting? What do we we gain from it? what did we gain from fasting previous years? Unfortunately, for many of us, fasting Ramadhan has become a custom. We don’t do what breaks the fast like eating and drinking. By doing this, we get content that we fasted during this blessed month. If we ask some muslims about the reason of their fasting, the reply is to share the feeling that the poor people have. This is a very good point. When we are thirsty or hungry, we are supposed to remember the poor and the needy and their difficult life. What is the result of this? First, be grateful for what Allah has given us. No matter how little it is. Second, try to help the needy as much as we can no matter how little it is. Do not belittle an act of goodness. It can be huge in the eyes of Allah. It is not about the quantity, but the quality of our actions. We should not forget that the poor do not have food to eat to almost the entire year. While we experience thirst and hunger for a fraction of the day for only a month. They might get food or they might not. We, on the other hand, have a fridge filled with food and have someone preparing food for us. So we know there will be food when we are breaking our fast. Then how can we have the same feeling as them? There is a big gap.

Our beloved prophet PBUH has said in a narration to this meaning that some people fast in this month and all they from they fasting is thirst and hunger. May Allah not make us one them.

Allah says in quran that fasting is prescribed to us so we gain taqwa (تقوی). what is taqwa? Dues to the richness of the arabic language, this word has many meanings in the English language. One of these is to have God-consciousness. what this means is that in all situations we are conscious of Allah. That He is aware of our situation and aware of what we do. So let us ask ourselves how much taqwa we gained in the past years. If we did not gain any taqwa, then what did gain from fasting? When we gain more taqwa, we get closer to Allah. This will automatically make a better human being. This in turn, will make us care for other human beings. So we work hard during this blessed month to get closer to Allah, so we become better believers and hence better human beings. This will help us build a better community.

Middle East Issues Today

Recently Mr. Trump ordered troop deployment to Saudi Arabia after the Oil attacks by the Houthis or Iran or the Us itself. First, if Houthis say it was them, well it means it was Iran since Iran created, supports and supplies them. second why do I say it could be done by the US? Of course I have no proof for this. It is simple. It is about money and control over the region. They sell Billions of dollars in Arms and weaponry to Saudi to strengthen their defence system. Then they say you cannot protect yourself. Let us protect you. We bring our army and defend you. Who is the winner at the end, the US. What the US wants, is the control over the oil-rich region plus control over the countries in the region so they don’t gain too much power. Another fear the US has it seeing the unity among the countries in the region. To avoid this, it has created divisions between them. examples are the problems between Iran and Saudi, Qatar and other gulf countries. Again, the winner here is the US. When the leaders of these countries are going to wake up and see what is happening to their countries and their people? Who knows. Maybe they are part of the whole game. Allah says: your situation/condition is not going to change unless and until you change what is within you. He knows the best.

Reflections Jan. 2019 Week2

In the eyes of Allah, it is all positive for us. Allah has given us a heart free of charge. He wants us to worship Him. If He had willed, he could have created us as trees. He chose for us parents. It rains a thick white rain and we get raised from the earth like trees. Parents, children, siblings are tests for us. The family unit is well the society will be well. None shall be worshipped besides Allah. Noone worthy of worship besides Allah. Be kind to your parents. He did not say obey them. Decline respectfully. Some parents abuse their children. People are good, devil is bad. Some people have bad habits. We are all creatures of Allah. Be good to your parents. Allah chose to make me through my parents. Let not problems seep to children. Can also educate parents. You correct someone respectfully. If you don’t correct people, there will be problems in the society. Don’t go behind their back. If you made a mistake, it is not the end. You are still a good person. We look at bad stuff not good. Tell children enjoy school and develop. Don’t stress them. Only one becomes first. May Allah make the end better. When it comes to big decisions, make mashvara. Don’t force children to do what they don’t want. Have a powerful relationship in family. Be very close to your children. Admonish children in a smart way. Turn off the wifi. Don’t over penalise your children. Don’t keep reminding them of bad stuff they did. Remind them of good stuff. Kiss your Children. Want the mercy of Allah, show mercy to your children. Purpose of marriage: sacrifice, work hard on relationships. Look after children. Spend time with them. The person getting married has the biggest say. Facilitate the marriage of your children. If we can resolve issues in the family, we can resolve issues in the society. Having siblings is a blessing. Learn to teach your children to play together. Every child grow at its own pace.

Quran and Hadith are similar to food and water. We need Allah. The biggest gift we have is that we are the Ummah of Quran. We would like Quran to intercede for us. Quran is not the decoration. Quran on the wall should be a means of reminder.

During this life we have limited freedom. We need to recognize the one who gave us this life. We are created so we lead our entire life as Allah has ordained. For this we have to recognize Him .

Life and death in the hands of Allah. Have mercy on your parents. Make dua for your parents. Don’t embarrass them by your deeds. Be kind to them. Don’t be harsh to your children.

Set limits at home . Respect each other. Both ways, husband and wife.

Prophet prayed for those who opposed him. Man looks at a creature of Allah and has an understanding of them. This understanding is affected by circumstances. We respect all the creatures of Allah. Above 70 is bonus. Engage in dhikr and prostration. Allah is in total control of us. We commit sin because of our weakness not to defy Allah. First establish five daily salawat. Allah is instructing us to avoid evil and immorality. Allah says cut it out. One verse is enough to change our life. Intentions could be contaminated if we except something in return instead of expecting allah’s pleasure. Social media has allowed us to multiply sins. We have bottons that can destroy us. Purify heart. Go back to Sunnah to resolve an issue. Love of one self means giving itself preference over others. Purify the heart. Make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today. Masses have lost respect for the leaders. Reason why we losing as an Ummah. Imam,s work is more difficult than ordinary ppl. Religious blackmail. High rank in the day of judgment goes for the muadhen.

The one who has been promised jannah equal to the one who is destined to hell fire? Who is more truthful than Allah?

We hope in Allah alone. Those who believe have special mercy. Allah is merciful to all, but the special mercy goes to and is reserved for the believers.

The problem is that we don’t know our Maker

Reflections Jan. 2019

We worship the one who made me. He is The creator. The relationship is between you and Allah. You confess only to Allah. Not anyone else since anyone else might have sins greater than yours. Allah will judge us on the day of judgment. Neither was he begotten not does He beget. You cannot have anyone at the same level as Allah. All the qualities of the prophet do not come close to Allah’s. If someone claims love, there should be actions associated with it. Words should be proven by actions. How can you love Allah and sleep during Fajr time. Always be conscious of Allah. This is taqwa. This will save you. The development of consciousness of Allah will protect us from His wrath. We don’t render an act of worship to anyone besides Allah. We don’t worship Allah based on how we feel. Iblis said I’m better than him. This was his downfall. This happens to us when we see someone with worldly possessions. We try to label him with accusations of Haram income and Haram conduct. We get inspiration from iblis.