'The Soul of a Butterfly' by Muhammad Ali and Hana Yasmeen Ali

So slightly late, as the first night of Ramadan starts tonight, but I finally managed to finish "The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey" by Muhammad Ali and Hana Yasmeen Ali. It was definitely quite different from what I was expecting. It's odd having this persona of Muhammad Ali (based on... nothing, really) in your head as this big, arrogant, loud fighter broken down by this book of his spiritual journey and life lessons.

Not having much familiarity with Muhammad Ali before, the book really inspires me to learn more about his life. With the book, I've seen his actions through his eyes, but it was before I had a proper understanding of his actions through the eyes of the rest of the world. Regardless, it's so incredible to hear of the incredible feats he accomplished in his life all that he had done to push forward the civil rights movement, the anti-vietnam movement, the nation of Islam (especially after its break to Sunni Islam) and more. His friendship with Malcolm X is really fascinating.

I'd definitely recommend reading this to people who are familiar with Muhammad Ali and would like to know more but... as a general read, it was okay.

"My faith has evolved over the years, and I now follow the teachings of mainstream Sunni Islam. But, a part of me will always be grateful to Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam for opening my eyes and giving me something greater than myself to fight for."

Throughout the book, he really pushes this idea of 'his purpose in life,' and working for something 'greater than himself.'

"If someone asked me what in life I considered real, I would have to say that for me, the only thing that is real is the spiritual. Only God and love are real. Pain, sickness, old age, even death cannot master me because they are not real to me. Fame, wealth, and material things are empty and meaningless without a developed spirituality. We give them value and importance in our lives. But we must be careful not to value them too much at the expense of what really matters in life. Honesty, integrity, kindness, and friendship are the true treasures we should be seeking."

(con't later, on the next page)

"Many people said I was afraid to go to war. The truth is it was tougher to stand up for my religious beliefs against the United States government and millions of people who turned against me for my decision than it would have been to go to war. The government offered me all kinds of deals. They told me I would never hold a gun. They told me I would giving boxing exhibitions and that I would never come near a battlefield. Even if this had been true, I still couldn't go. They wanted to use me to lead other young American men into the war. They didn't seem to realize that to take their "deal," I would have to denouce my religion, my faith, my beliefs. But I was free and I was determined to be true to myself and God. If I had turned my back on my religious beliefs, my life would have been like aship without a rudder on the open sea. Nothing could be more frightening to me than to try to live without my faith.

So they took my title, my financial security, and they tried to take my freedom. But they could not take my dignity, my pride or my faith, because those were solid, real, and constant in my life."

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Just 2-3 more books to finish and I can clear my "actively reading" shelf and move on. I'll work on the Muslim ones during Ramadan and then others through this semester, iA....

Obama says Ramadan Mubara(c)k too

Dear Mr. President,

Thanks.

Sincerely,
f

Hadith of the Week 21

Ramadan Mubarak, everyone.

Talha ibn ‘Ubaydallah (radhiallahu `anhu) reported that two men came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) who had accepted Islam at the same time. One of them used to partake in Jihad more-so than the other, and so (one day) he fought in a battle and was martyred therein. The other remained behind him for another year, and then he passed away.

Talha said, ‘I saw in my dream that I was at the door of Paradise when behold, I was with both of them (the two men). Someone came out of Paradise and allowed the man who passed away later to enter first. Then he came out again and allowed the martyred one to enter. Then he returned and said to me, ‘Go back, for your time has not come yet.’
Talha woke up and began to inform others about this and they were all surprised. This reached the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and when they informed him of it, he said:

من أي ذلك تعجبون؟ قالوا: يا رسول اللهّ هذا كان أشد الرجلين اجتهاداً ثم استشهد ودخل هذا الآخر الجنة قبله فقال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وسلم) : أليس قد مكث هذا بعده سنة؟ قالوا: بلى. قال: أدرك رمضان فصام وصلى كذا وكذا من سجدة في السنة؟ قالوا: بلى. قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وسلم): فما بينهما أبعد مما بين السماء والأرض

He (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘What are you surprised about?’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Out of them both, this one strove harder (in Jihad) then he was martyred but this other one was entered into Paradise before him.’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Did he not remain behind him for one year?’ They said, ‘Yes (he did).’ He said, ‘Did he not reach Ramadan, fast and pray with such and such number of prostrations in the year?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘So the difference between them is greater than what is between the heavens and the earth.’

- Sahih narration from Ibn Majah (2/345, 346) and al-Albani’s ‘al-Silsilah al-Sahihah’

Make the most of Ramadan, we seriously don’t realize its greatness, worth and reward.

Source

Unrequited Love and Shifa...

Reposted, from kuhlsnotes

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf told one of the most beautiful stories on love, unrequited love and shifa during the RIS Knowledge Retreat last winter in Toronto, Canada -

Speaking of the generosity of ‘Aisha (Rd.) -

“… she also was very generous – Bareerah was a woman that ‘Aisha (Rd.) purchased and then set free, and the famous story about Bareerah was that she was married to someone named Mugheeth. Now if two slaves were married and then the woman was freed, then she can leave/divorce her husband if she wants to because now she’s free and the husband is not, so there is no parity between them.

So Bareerah wanted to leave Mugheeth, but Mugheeth loved her. He went into total distress, and he literally was walking behind her around Madina begging her to take him back.

Abbas (Rd.) was with the Prophet (saw) one day and they saw Bareerah and the Prophet (saw) said: “Isn’t it strange how much Mugheeth loves Bareerah and how much Bareerah dislikes Mugheeth?”

And the Ulema say when the Prophet (saw) said “Isn’t it strange”, the Arabs use the word “strange” only when the means/cause (sabaab, lit. ‘door’) of/to something is unknown – and that there is no need for something to be called “strange” if the cause is known.

So the Prophet (saw) was calling him to the point the strangeness of love. Love is very strange.

Why do people fall in love?

Why are our hearts are attracted to some people and not other people?

Why love is sometime unrequited (un-returned)?

Because the worst type of love is unrequited love: when you love somebody and they don’t love you – there is nothing worst than that in the world, unrequited love. And obviously the worst type of unrequited love is with God, because we want the Love of God. That’s why Abu’l-Hasan ash-Shadhili (teacher of Ibn ‘Ata’ Illah al-Iskandari ) use to say:

“Oh Allah -
make my wrong actions, the wrong actions of people whom You Love, and
don’t make my good actions, the good actions of people whom You do not Love.”

In other words – I would rather have wrong actions and be someone who You Love, than have good actions and be someone who You don’t Love.

So the Prophet (saw) went to Bareerah, who was the freed slave of ‘Aisha, and he said: “Won’t you reconsider Mugheeth?” And she said: “are you telling me to do this, because if you are telling me to, then I have to do it.” He (saw) replied: “I am only interceding on his behalf”.

And that’s his Shifa – ‘he finds it difficult things you find difficult’. The Prophet (saw) saw Mugheeth suffering and he wanted to help him. That shows you his shafaaqa, even in love he wanted to help this poor man who was suffering from the loss of his love.

So when the Prophet (saw) replied that he was only interceding, Bareerah replied: “I don’t have any need for him”. So there was something arrogant in her answer, as she was free and he was still a slave – there was something there from her nafs.

Now when Mugheeth saw that Bareerah rejected intercession from the one that even God had given intercession, Mugheeth suddenly lost all desire for her – it was just taken out of his heart.

And at that point when he lost all desire for Bareerah, suddenly she fell madly in love with him – like a punishment for rejecting the intercession of the Prophet (saw) – he did not want anything to do with her, yet she was now begging him to take her back now!”

SubhanAllah.

- Shaykh Hamza Yusuf,
RIS Knowledge Retreat 2008, Toronto, Canada

"In the Footsteps of the Prophet" by Tariq Ramadan

Every rendition of the seerah leaves me feeling the same. I'm finally finishing up Tariq Ramadan's book "In the Footsteps of the Prophet." Easy to read and interpret, Dr. Ramadan highlights the seerah and spells out lessons that we can learn from the Prophet (saw)'s example. It's so refreshing to see not just the events that took place in the Prophet (saw)'s life, but his reactions to them and the profound wisdom behind his actions.

I haven't finished it yet and the deeper I get into the book, the more difficult it gets for me to finish. I remember the end of Dr. Jackson's seerah, feeling like there was this tremendous weight on our shoulders as Muslims to uphold the example of the Prophet, to implement the Message he brought to us in our lives... and most of all, to do all of this without his help and guidance. To lose someone who has such supreme love for you is always difficult in life... and it still strikes me whenever I hear these hadith of the Prophet which showcase his care and compassion for his Ummah.

A couple of lengthy highlights from the book are below. I definitely recommend the read as an introduction to seerah. However, I think it's important to note that whenever anyone is trying to teach lessons from a story, we should bear in mind that there may be alternate interpretations of the same story as well. In the meantime, I'll continue to crawl through these last few pages, inshaAllah...

"One day, the Companion Hanzalah al-Usaydi met Abu Bakr and confessed to him that he was convinced of his own deep hypocrisy because he felt divided between contradictory feelings: in the Prophet's presence, he almost saw paradise and hell, but when he was away from him, his wife and children and daily affairs caused him to forget. Abu Baker in his turn admitted that he experienced similar tensions. They both went to the Prophet to question him about the seemingly dismal state of their spirituality. Hanzalah explained the nature of his doubts, and Muhammad answered: "By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain the [spiritual] state in which you are when in my company, and remember God permanently, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and along your paths. But it is not so, Hanzalah: there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, amusement]." Their situations had nothing to do with hypocrisy; it was merely the reality of human nature, which remembers and forgets, and which needs to remember precisely because it forgets because human beings are not angels." [Page 112]

"The Prophet held one of his Companions, called Abu Lubabah, in great esteem, so much so that he had left him in charge of Medina when he left for the first Badr expedition. Some time later, a young orphan came to Muhammad to complain that Abu Lubabah had taken from him a palm tree that had long been his. The Prophet summoned Abu Lubabah and asked him to explain. Investigations showed that the palm tree did belong to Abu Lubabah, and the Prophet judged in the latter's favor, greatly disappointing the young orphan, who thereby lost his most precious belonging. Muhammad privately asked Abu Lubabah, justice having now been rendered, to give the tree to the young orphan, for whom it was so important. Abu Lubabah adamantly refused: he had gone to such lengths to assert his right of ownership that to concede to this request was inconceivable. This obsession veiled his heart and compassion. Revelation was to recall, on both the individual and collective levels, the singular nature of the spiritual elevation that makes it possible to reach beyond the consciousness of justice, that demands right, to the excellence of the heart, that offers forgiveness or gives people more than their due: "God commands justice and excellence."

It was not a question of giving up one's right (and Abu Lubabah had been justified in requiring it to be acknowledge); rather, it involved learning to sometimes reach beyond, for the sake of those reasons of the heart that teach the mind to forgive, to let go, and to give from oneself and from one's belongings, moved by shared humanity or love. The Prophet was saddened by the reaction of his Companion, whom he held in great esteem: he realized that Abu Lubabah's almost blind attachment to one of Islam's recommendations, justice, prevented him from reaching the superior level of justness of the heart: excellence, generosity, giving. Eventually, another Companion, Thabit ibn Dahdanah, who witnessed the scene, offered Abu Lubabah an entire orchard in exchange for that single palm tree, which he then gave away to the young orphan. Muhammad rejoiced that outcome and did not resent Abu Lubabah's attitude.

48 Random Things

Here are the rules: post this list on your profile (in Notes) replacing my answers with yours. Then tag 25 people to do the same thing (including me).

If I tagged YOU, it's because I want to know more about YOU!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Today.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It is not fobby.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Sliced turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Hell no. I don't need another me.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? never

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep. But I've been loading up on ice cream in case of a tonsil emergency.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe...

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey bunches of oats... and/or cheerios.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I can't remember the last time I untied my shoes.

12.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? Shirts? I dunno.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Depends.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Depends on the person.

15. RED OR PINK? Pink.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Same as not-me-farah -- my lack of confidence.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? your mom.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Meh.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Light blue, dark blue and white striped PJs, no shoes (but if i was wearing shoes, they'd totally be my homer simpson slippers)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Jaan Stewart being awesome.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue!

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? jasmines. freshly baked goods. after it rains. distant bbqs.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? some loser

25.HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? The first girl's party I attended in CoMO was at not-me-farah's house! I showed up on time. No one was there except for her and she was practicing...some musical instrument. I wanna say the violin, but I dunno.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? futbol and bball

27. HAIR COLOR? depends on my scarf

28. EYE COLOR? brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope, alh

30. FAVORITE FOOD? why would you ask a fat person this?

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Just forced my sis to watch "Coming to America"... watched "District 9" earlier today.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Depends on the location.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Personal bubbles.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Anything from Mr. Rumi

37. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP? haha it's a cup of a bunny head that we got at some garage sale back in the day. bunny's wearing a pink hat and one of its ears is the handle for a mug. Hehe when I went through my glass painting phase in HS, I tried some blue glass paint on the mug to see how it would come out. It sucked :-/

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I haven't tagged anyone yet!

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished "In the Footsteps of the Prophet" earlier today; trying to finish "Soul of a Butterfly" before ramadan.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? my finger?

41. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Nope

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Karachi, Pakistan

44. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Totally not reading any of your responses. Probably. Jk.

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? shaq's appearance on conan, followed by some tds

46 . WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Depends on what you count as home.

47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY? a ring made of 3 intertwined rings. if found, please let me know :(

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER? I didn't

What. The. Hell.

Neil Cavuto and guest discuss how universal healthcare can open the doors for terrorist Muslim doctors to be allowed into the country. No, seriously.



Or watch here.

I don't understand how it's okay to make some of the comments/conclusions he does on a nationally syndicated "news" channel and not get reprimanded. I really hope we can look back years from now and be astonished at what was deemed somewhat 'acceptable.'

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)'s Last Sermon

I went through my blog to relink, but I guess I haven't posted this before. Surprising.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)'s Last Sermon

Date delivered: 632 A.C., 9th day of Dhul al Hijjah, 10 A.H. in the 'Uranah valley of Mount Arafat.

After praising, and thanking God, he said:

"O People, listen well to my words, for I do not know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Treat others justly so that no one would be unjust to you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (riba), therefore all riba obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital , however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. God has judged that there shall be no riba and that all the riba due to `Abbas ibn `Abd al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived.

Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabi`ah ibn al Harith ibn `Abd al Muttalib.

O Men, the Unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which God forbade, and to forbid that which God has made permissible. With God the months are twelve in number. Four of them are sacred, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Sha`ban. Beware of the devil, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights over your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under God's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. It is your right and they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste...

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God (The One Creator of the Universe), perform your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your financial obligation (zakah) of your wealth. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before God (The Creator) and you will answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of God (the QUR'AN*) and my SUNNAH (the life style and the behavioral mode of the Prophet), if you follow them you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people.

*The Qur'an: Revealed to Prophet Muhammad during the period from 610-632 AC. The first five verses revealed are: (1) Read in the name of your Lord, Who created. (2) Created man out of a clot that clings (in the womb). (3) Read and your Lord is the Most Bountiful. (4) Who taught by the pen. (5) Taught man that which he knew not.

Source, and a short article on how "The Last Sermon Confirms the Main Points from the Quran" by Dr. Shahid Athar

Hiatus

I love that it took 4 days at home for me to remember that I'm not the person I want to be.

Small towns suck, but man are they an impetus for reflection. Time to restart.

Islam & Hip Hop Debate on Imam Suhaib Webb's blog

There seems to be quite the debate going on at Imam Suhaib Webb's blog. If anyone's interested...

The original post: Hip Hop in the 21th century: The Rise Of Satanism In Urban America by Sh. Abul Hussein

To Muslim Hip Hoppers and Entertainers -- where Imam Suhaib encourages "our dear brothers and sisters to take a year off, learn the religion, learn tajwid, getting an ijaza in one of the 7 ways of reading, master a book in every major science; and participate in one of their local Islamic Centers dawa programs. If one is already doing this, or done it, then do it again. Perhaps one would say that this applies to all Muslims? No doubt, learning here is of greater importance because our artists are trying to shape a discourse. This discourse must be based on knowledge and submission. I would encourage Muslims to avoid these superstars, inviting them to events, paying them big sums of cash and treating them with such pageantry."

An Important Post By Br. Mustafa Davis

Muslim Entertainment-An Insider’s Perspective by Brother Dash

my personal fav: Islam and Hip Hop by Brother Ahmad James


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a couple of others that I don't necessarily think are as relevant to the discussion (or at least not as eloquent and clear), but include for the sake of completeness:

Muslim Hip Hop an Important Conversation

A Response to A Well Intended Hip Hop Brother