Sufi Journeys

Converting to Wordpress

2008-03-08T09:27:00.003+08:00

Salaams one and all. I am now a convert to Wordpress. I have found Wordpress to be much easier and neater to manage my blog. So, from now on I will not be updating my blog at Blogspot anymore. Please visit my Sufijourneys Wordpress blog. Update your bookmarks or feeds. Click here - sufijourneys.wordpress.com.

I thank blogspot for giving me the opportunity and the entry point to express my thoughts, etc in my blog entries. Time to move on...

Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism

2008-03-07T01:05:00.002+08:00

Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism
Secret survey exposes widespread radicalism

Posted: February 23, 2008
9:51 pm Eastern(c) 2008 WorldNetDaily

An undercover survey of more than 100 mosques and Islamic schools in America has exposed widespread radicalism, including the alarming finding that 3 in 4 Islamic centers are hotbeds of anti-Western extremism, WND has learned. The Mapping Sharia in America Project, sponsored by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, has trained former counterintelligence and counterterrorism agents from the FBI, CIA and U.S. military, who are skilled in Arabic and Urdu, to conduct undercover reconnaissance at some 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers and schools across the country.

"So far of 100 mapped, 75 should be on a watchlist," an official familiar with the project said. Many of the Islamic centers are operating under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian government and U.S. front groups for the radical Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt.

Frank Gaffney, a former Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, says the results of the survey have not yet been published. But he confirmed that "the vast majority" are inciting insurrection and jihad through sermons by Saudi-trained imams and anti-Western literature, videos and textbooks. The project, headed by David Yerushalmi, a lawyer and expert on sharia law, has finished collecting data from the first cohort of 102 mosques and schools.

Preliminary findings indicate that almost 80 percent of the group exhibit a high level of sharia-compliance and jihadi threat, including:

* Ultra-orthodox worship in which women are separated from men in the prayer hall and must enter the mosque from a separate, usually back, entrance; and are required to wear hijabs.
* Sermons that preach women are inferior to men and can be beaten for disobedience; that non-Muslims, particularly Jews, are infidels and inferior to Muslims; that jihad or support of jihad is not only a Muslim's duty but the noblest way, and suicide bombers and other so-called "martyrs" are worthy of the highest praise; and that an Islamic caliphate should one day encompass the U.S.
* Solicitation of financial support for jihad.
* Bookstores that sell books, CDs and DVDs promoting jihad and glorifying martyrdom.

Though not all mosques in America are radicalized, many have tended to serve as safe havens and meeting points for Islamic terrorist groups.

Experts say there are at least 40 episodes of extremists and terrorists being connected to mosques in the past decade alone. Some of the 9/11 hijackers, in fact, received aid and counsel from one of the largest mosques in the Washington, D.C., area. Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center is one of the mosques indentified by undercover investigators as a hive of terrorist activity and other extremism. It was founded and is currently run by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Imams there preach what is called "jihad qital," which means physical jihad, and incite violence and hatred against the U.S.Dar al-Hijrah's ultimate goal, investigators say, is to turn the U.S. into an Islamic state governed by sharia law.

Another D.C.-area mosque, the ADAMS Center, was founded and financed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has been one of the top distributors of Wahhabist anti-Semitic and anti-Christian dogma.Even with such radical mosques operating in its backyard, the U.S. government has not undertaken its own systematic investigation of U.S. mosques.

In contrast, European Union security officials are analyzing member-state mosques, examining the training and funding sources of imams, in a large-scale project.Some U.S. lawmakers want the U.S. to conduct its own investigation."We have too many mosques in this country," said Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y.

"There are too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully."

Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57141

Reflections of a British Muslim Extremist

2008-03-05T16:15:00.001+08:00

British activist Ed Husain was seduced, at the age of 16, by revolutionary Islamist ideals that flourished at the heart of educated British culture. Yet he later shrank back from radicalism after coming close to a murder and watching people he loved become suicide bombers. He dug deeper into Islamic spirituality, and now offers a fresh and daring perspective on the way forward.

Listen to an interesting account of his interview by Krista Tippet from Speaking of Faith. Click here or go to the following website:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/britishradical/index.shtml

Better still, you can read his book "The Islamist". I believe the book is available at Wardah Books. You can also read about the book on Amazon.

Search. browse and book your hotels and flights through Yahoo! Travel

Lecture Series by Habib Umar Bin Hafiz

2008-02-05T15:32:00.001+08:00

Lectures By
HABIB UMAR BIN HAFIZ

Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, an eminent scholar from Yemen and Principal of Darul Mustafa, will be delivering a series of lectures in Singapore from 6 to 9 February 2008.

The lectures series is organised by Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque, in collaboration with Al-Abdul Razak Mosque, Ba'alwie Mosque, Hj Muhd Salleh Mosque, Al-Mukminin Mosque, Al-Amin Mosque and Arab Association of Singapore. The following are the details:

Wednesday 6 February 2008
Short Lecture: Hikmah Di Sebalik Musibah
Time: 12.45 p.m.
Venue: Hj Muhammad Salleh Mosque
37 Palmer Road Singapore 079424
(Short lecture before/after solat Zuhr)

Lecture: Ummati! Ummati! Menjawab Seruan Rasulullah (saw)
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque
90 Lorong K Telok Kurau Singapore 425723
(Event starts with Maghrib prayers and Maulid recitation)

Thursday 7 February 2008
Short Lecture: Renungan & Mengingati Allah (swt)
Time: 4 p.m.
Venue: Al-Mukminin Mosque
271 Jurong East St 21 Singapore 609603
(Short lecture before/after solat Asar)

Lecture: Penyakit-Penyakit Hati
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Ba'alwie Mosque
2 Lewis Road Singapore 258590
(Event starts with Maghrib prayers and recitation of Ratib)

Friday 8 February 2008
Friday prayers with Habib Umar Bin Hafiz
Time: 12.45 p.m.
Venue: Al-Abdul Razak Mosque
30 Jalan Ismail, off Jalan Eunos
(Nasi Beryani Amal will be provided to raise funds for the upgrading works at Al-Abdul Razak Mosque)

Lecture: Kecemerlangan Ummah Melalui Apa?
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Al-Istighfar Mosque
2 Pasir Ris Walk Singapore 518239
(Event starts with Maghrib prayers and Maulid recitation)

Saturday 9 February 2008
Lecture: Patience – An Attribute of a Believer
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Al-Wehdah Arab Association
No. 11 Lorong 37 Geylang Singapore 387908
(Lecture will be translated to the English language. Event starts with Maghrib prayers followed immediately by the lecture)

Kuliah Subuh (6 to 10 February 2008)
Habib Umar will pray Subuh (Fajr) at Al-Abdul Razak Mosque (30 Jln Ismail) from 6 to 10 Feb 2008, afterwhich he will share some religious advice (kuliah).

All of the above lectures will be delivered by Habib Umar Bin Hafiz in the Arabic language, with intermittent translations provided to the Malay language, except for the lecture on Saturday 9 February 2008 which will be translated to the English language.

ALL ARE WELCOME.

For Habib Umar's profile, click here. More details can be found at www.aleemsiddique.org.sg

Doa-Doa Hari 'Asyura

2008-01-18T12:41:00.001+08:00

Salaams one and all. Been a while ain't it. Been caught in the middle
of politics and bickering amongst people. May we all receive Allah's
continued Guidance and Protection, Ameen.

The Imam of Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque in Singapore wrote a simple
note with supplications for the month of Muharram. It's good to read
the doa and dhikr spelt out, even if you have missed the date of 10
Muharram you can still read them. Unfortunately, the meaning is in
Malay. Those who wish to translate it to English feel free to do so.

Special Film Screening: Al-Ghazali Alchemist of Happiness

2007-12-05T16:39:00.001+08:00

Al-Ghazali - The Alchemist of Happiness

A Special Screening of the Film with Professor Abdal Hakim Murad, the film's executive producer

Date: Saturday 8 December 2007
Time: 8 pm
Venue: Al-Wehdah Arab Association
No. 11 Lorong 37 Geylang
Fee: $10 per person
Click here to register online or call 91380014.

Seating capacity limited, register now!
Not open to public. Entrance only by registration.

Jointly Organised by simplyIslam.sg and Al-Fathhu Learning Centre

About the Film
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali is among Islam's most influential scholar. This film is an account of the transformative period in Al-Ghazali's life where, in the midst of worldly success something deep within him stirred and moved him to leave it all behind in search of the ultimate Truth. The great achievement of Salazar's film is to portray the unportrayable -- the profound inner transformation that is the goal of every spiritual man, yet which few achieve in this life. Through a subtle and sensitive cinematography that takes us on a great journey through Central Asia, Salazar imperceptibly puts us in Al-Ghazali's shoes.

In today's world, where Islam is usually only considered in the light of its worst representatives, Salazar reminds us of a man who has, since his lifetime, been universally considered by Muslims themselves to be one who attained the ideal of their religion. Anyone seeking to better understand Islam and Muslims, as well as anyone who feels the inner attraction of the spiritual life will appreciate this film.

About Prof Abdal Hakim Murad
Prof Abdal Hakim Murad (also known as Timothy John Winter) is a British Islamic thinker and scholar, and a lecturer in Islamic studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is one of the few contemporary Muslim figures who is equally well-versed in both Islamic intellectual disciplines and modern academic methods. Born in 1960, he was educated at Westminster School, and graduated with a double-first MA in Arabic from Cambridge in 1983. He went on to study at the al-Azhar University in Egypt where he delved into the Islamic sciences at a deeper level. In 1989 he returned to Britain and went to the University of London where he studied Turkish and Persian. He began a doctorate at Oxford University were he studied the religious life in the Ottoman Empire.

He attended courses in the traditional Islamic sciences in Cairo and Jeddah, where his teachers included Shaykh Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad and Shaykh Ismail al-Adawi. He has translated several classical Arabic works, including Imam al-Bayhaqi's "Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith" and "Selections from the Fath al-Bari". He has also translated into English some sections of the Ihya Ulum al-Din of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali - "Remembrance of Death and the After Life", "Disciplining the Soul and Breaking of the Two Desires" published by the Islamic Texts Society and has been involved in writing for numerous other Islamic works. His Al-Ghazali's work has been widely acclaimed as remarkable pieces of literary work by many scholars. He is General Editor of the Islamic Texts Society's al-Ghazali series. He is a member of Pembroke College, Cambridge and holds the Sheikh Zayed Lectureship in Islamic Studies. He is also Director of Studies in Theology at Wolfson College and the Trustee and Secretary of The Muslim Academic Trust.

Ar-Rihlah: Camp+Retreat for Youths

2007-10-26T10:20:00.001+08:00

Salaams Everyone. SimplyIslam (Singapore) is organising "Ar-Rihlah", a camp and retreat for youths from the age of 13 to 17. Details of the camp+retreat are shown in the poster shown below. More info can also be found on their website www.simplyislam.sg/rihlah.htm

For phone enquiries, please contact Sis Saira Elley at Tel 65474407 or email saira@simplyislam.sg

Eid Mubarak Saeed

2007-10-16T08:58:00.001+08:00

Salaams. I would like to take this opportunity of the joyous occasion of Eidul Fitr to wish one and all Eid Mubarak Saeed. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as they wish in Southeast Asia. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our prayers and deeds of Ramadhan. May Allah Grant us His Blessings, Guidance, Protection, Mercy and Bounties. Ameen Ya Rabbal 'Alamin.

Eid Mubarak Saeed. Kullu aam wa antum bikhair.

Ajmer Sharif Blast

2007-10-16T08:51:00.001+08:00

Salaams one and all. I have received the following email from my friend Syed Salman Chishty who is from the family that manages the Maqam of Khawaja Moinudin Chishty in Ajmer, India. This is pursuant to the recent atrocious blast that killed a couple of people while injuring many. Read on...

Date : 14th Oct. 2007 Time : 00:30 am
Place: My Study room, Chishty Manzil – Ajmer sharif.

Dear Editor, its nice to read some very real words about how and what measures should be taken up to deal with the terrible acts similar to what happen in blessed Ajmer sharif.

The whole incident has shaken all of us very deeply, I still couldn't believe what I saw, heard and witnessed on that fateful Thursday evening as I sat in our balcony facing the Daragh sharif to break my daylong fast with other members of my family .Our house 'Chishty Manzil' is just opposite the blessed Dargah and from our balcony you get a very clear view of the "Ahata e Noor" where this terrible act of violence took place .

I was sitting quietly over the "DastarQhwan" as the clock was ticking slowly for the time of breaking the fast i.e. 06:14 pm and as ticked I said a two line prayers of breaking the fast and kept a piece of Date's in my mouth and the next moment I heard a loud bang which sounded like an explosion and it was powerful enough to make me feel the vibrations. I stood up and couldn't and still can't believe what I saw.....there was a huge cloud of smoke over the "Ahata e Noor" and people were screaming, running and shouting; nobody understood what had happened out there in the middle of the blessed shrine. I immediately ran towards the Dargah and was shocked, terrified and helplessly broken to see what had happened in the blessed "Abode of Peace".

There was confusion and commotion everywhere as people shouted for help and assistance - everybody was shouting bomb explosion, stay away and to evacuate the "Ahata e Noor". I saw pool of blood, masses of flesh and blood soaked bodies, nothing seems to be real and as if I was in a state of terrible trance.

For me, the blessed Dargah of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz is the safest place on earth because its here that I had been born and brought up, grown up, as kids we have played and ran across the blessed compound of the Dargah Sharif and the feeling to witness such a terrible thing at the very same peaceful place is something I am afraid I could ever put in words......!

Nobody was prepared for such a terrible situation, nobody knew how to react to such gross act of violence which has never been seen or heard in the past 800 years peaceful history of Ajmer sharif. Somehow I gathered some strength and was able to join in with some of my Khadim brothers and other young men who were helping, carrying and rushing the injured to the Hospital. One thing I would really like to appreciate about our Khadims brothers and young men that despite of very strong possibilities of a second bomb explosion, nobody deterred away from giving a helping and a life saving hand to the injured. I think that was very courageous of the simple people of Ajmer sharif - a small and peaceful town, who could had never ever imagined to be in the middle of such an act of terror and violence .

There was confusion and commotion even in the hospital as even they were not prepared for such a situation as well but the experienced doctors and young medical students were very quick to understand and react to the whole situation, I also appreciate the efforts of young Dr. Ruqquia Syed who also happen to be my first cousin and doing her first year of internship in the same hospital who came in as an volunteer to help the victims of this bomb blast.

We ran across the multi floor hospital's blood bank to get the required blood for the critical blast victims, we took some of the injured on stretchers for the X-ray's, C.T. scans. In all there were 2 people who were brought dead and 17 injured, thanks to the quick treatment and positive attitude of the doctors that there were no casualties among the injured after reaching the hospital.

All this was done in a state of shock, terror and grief. In fact, its only today and you - the Editor of Times of India are the first person that I am writing to and expressing what I saw and felt in words. Last night I tried to logon to my laptop to open my mailbox which was flooded with emails from Family and friends across the planet concerning the Ajmer sharif blast, our safety, security and situation in Ajmer sharif . I trembled as my fingers wouldn't move to type anything and any account of what I saw, felt and experienced!!!!

Today, the biggest irony for me is to write what I am writing to you when a festival of Hugs, Peace, Joy, Celebrations, Sweets, Blessings from elders - The beautiful day of Eid ul Fitr is just a few hours away!

Tonight, while sitting in my study and typing out this mail I am having a very strange feeling as I had never experienced such a crude silent night before the blessed Eid day, ever in my life. I can see the blessed Dargah sharif and the lanes surrounding it from my study room and they never looked so strangely silent. The night before Eid, had always been lively as people are busy with last minute shopping, men and boys waiting in lines outside the Barbers shops to get the right look for the Eid day and everybody is in a cheerful and festive mood. Unfortunately, tonight nothing of that is happening anywhere around the lanes of Dargah sharif as we all decided to observe Eid in a very simple manner by just offering our Eid prayers in the morning in a very modest of manners.

I just came home from the Hospital, where i had gone with my friend Khalid to visit the injured. On the way we bought new Kurtas and Topi's (Prayer Caps) for the victims as some of them can go for their Eid prayers in the morning, Alhamdulilah. They were happy to see me as we have become a sort of friends over past two days, a couple of them calls me by my name but rest who can't recall my name simply call Khadim saheb ( Mr.servant ). We gave each a Kurta and a Topi, the smile on there face was priceless. I think its that priceless Smile that has given me the strength, courage and ability to write what I am writing tonight.

I greeted them Eid Mubarrak, and wished them a quick recovery. I shall be going again to meet them in the morning after Eid prayers as I want to share the moments of happiness, peace ,joy's and smiles .....which had been lost in past two days of violence, shock and terror!

Alhamdullilah, by the Karam of great Awliya Khawaja Gharib Nawaz - the unholy and shameless efforts and desires of the foe's of Humanity to disharmonize and disintegrate the people of India has avail them noughts. There hadn't been a single incident of backlash's or communal tensions in any part of our blessed India which proves now and again that "My Khawaja's India is Great ".
Let us all put in our own small or big efforts to spread the blessed message of Love, Peace, Beauty and Tolerance as brought and taught by in Khawaja Gharib Nawaz's own words - " Love towards all, Malice towards None".

Thank you for your patience in reading a long heartfelt mail of this humble servant (Khadim) of Sultan ul Hind Hz. Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty (ra).

Love, Peace, Blessings

Syed Salman Chishty
S/o Late S.M.Usman Chishty
Chishty Manzil
Jhalra street ,Dargah sharif
Ajmer sharif ,Rajasthan
India

Some Ajmer sharif blast related news links :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Eid_drums_fall_silent_at_Ajmer_in_796_years/articleshow/2456358.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/In_a_first_CBI_may_join_state_in_Ajmer_probe/articleshow/2454215.cms
http://www.khabrein.info/i ndex.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7202&Itemid=88
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1127097
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ajmer-blasts-bear-distinct-huji-imprint-probe/50488-3.html
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Govt_wants_CBI_to_probe_terror_attacks_in_states/articleshow/2454191.cms
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/227456.html
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/14/stories/2007101460591200.htm

Our prayers goes toward the people of Ajmer, and those who suffered from the blast. Wassalam.

My Photos...

2007-09-18T15:03:00.000+08:00

Salaams. I have uploaded some of my photo collections onto Google’s Picasa. Initially tried with Flickr and Myphotoalbum but realised there were some space limitations. Google provided (as usual!) huge spaces so I guess it was ideal (something like 1GB plus). The photo collection includes pictures of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani in personal moments in Singapore recently, and other Naqshbandi related images. Also included are images of my recent ‘umrah trip. Plus I have uploaded some images of Mosques all around the world, including Makkah and Madinah images. More images coming, as soon as I sort out my remaining collections.

Please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/sufijourneys

Hope you enjoy them!

Ramadhan Mubarak

2007-09-14T10:42:00.001+08:00

Salaams to one and all. Ramadhan Mubarak.

Subhanallah! We have just been blessed with the visit and programmes by the eminent Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, a great Sufi master of our time. May Allah protect him. We’ve learnt so much and benefitted immensely from his visit. Now we are blessed once again with the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadhan.

Shaykh Hisham mentioned that Ramadhan means “to erase”. The blessed month is a period of seeking for Allah’s forgiveness for ourselves and humanity. It’s a good time to ask Allah to give us clarity in this period of utter confusion and to ask Allah to give us strength in this period of tribulations.

Have a Blessed Ramadhan.

Lecture Series by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

2007-08-24T10:45:00.001+08:00

Masjid Abdul Aleem Siddique (Singapore) will Insha'Allah be organising a lecture series by the eminent scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani.

About Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
Born into an eminent religious family in Lebanon, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani is a world-renowned Muslim scholar, author, and lecturer. Educated in Shari'ah in Damascus, he also studied Islamic spirituality under renowned spiritual guides like Shaykh Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani and Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani. Shaykh Hisham Kabbani also studied medicine in Lowain, Belgium.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani is Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), a non-profit religious organization based in Washington DC. ISCA has spearheaded a number of peace initiatives, hosted notable conferences, actively engages in inter-religious dialogue, and promotes traditional, moderate Islamic views. Shaykh Hisham has addressed numerous world bodies such as the U.N. and continues to advise the U.S. Department of State on issues regarding Islam and religious tolerance.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has written numerous books on Islam such as "Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine", "Liberating the Soul - A Guide for Spiritual Growth", "Muhammad The Messenger of Allah - His Life and Prophecy", "Angels Unveiled" and many more.

Click here for a detailed biography of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani.

Details of the lecture series by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani are as follows:

Lecture 1 (Short Talk)
The Saints of Allah
Date: Wednesday 5 September 2007
Time: 12.45 p.m.
Venue: Masjid Hj Muhd Salleh
Maqam Habib Nuh
37 Palmer Road
Click here for map of venue

Lecture 2
Glimpses of Light - The Blessed Ramadhan
Date: Wednesday 5 September 2007
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Venue: Masjid Abdul Aleem Siddique
90 Lorong K Telok Kurau
Programme begins with Maulid recitation
Click here for map of venue

Lecture 3 (Public Lecture)
Save the Earth - Nature's Plea to Mankind
Date: Friday 7 September 2007
Time: 7.45 p.m.
Venue: Singapore Post Auditorium
Level 5, Singapore Post Centre
10 Eunos Road 8
Next to Paya Lebar MRT
Click here for map of venue

Click here to download the event poster. Admission is FREE for all lectures. All are Welcome. No registration is required.

For enquiries, please call Mohamed Nassir at Tel 63460153 or email nassir@aleemsiddique.org.sg

Signs of the Last Hour - Tall Buildings

2007-08-16T12:35:00.001+08:00

In the famous Hadith of Jibril which we often hear, what we don't usually know is that in the same hadith the Prophet actually prophesied about the appearance of tall buildings at the end of time. See the full hadith below:

`Umar ibn Khattab (Allah be well pleased with him) said: "As we were sitting one day before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a man suddenly appeared. He wore pure white clothes and his hair was dark black—yet there were no signs of travel on him, and none of us knew him. He came and sat down in front of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), placing his knees against his, and his hands on his thighs. He said, "O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God; and to perform the prayer; pay zakat; fast Ramadan; and to perform Hajj to the House if you are able."

The man said, "You have spoken the truth," and we were surprised that he asked and then confirmed the answer. Then, he asked, "Tell me about belief (iman)."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "It is to believe in Allah; His Angels; His Books; His Messengers; the Last Day; and in destiny—its good and bad."

The man said, "You have spoken the truth. Now, tell me about spiritual excellence (ihsan)."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "It is to serve Allah as though you behold Him; and if you don't behold him, (know that) He surely sees you."

"Now, tell me of the Last Hour," asked the man.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "The one asked knows no more of it than the one asking."

"Then tell me about its signs," said the man.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "That slave women give birth to their mistresses; and that you see barefoot, unclothed, beginning shepherds competing in the construction of tall buildings."

Then the visitor left, and I waited a long time. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, "Do you know, Umar, who the questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said (Allah bless him and give him peace), "It was Jibril. He came to you to teach you your religion." [Sahih Muslim]

Further to my earlier posting of the article Mecca's Hallowed Skyline Transformed, I thought it was interesting to read some of the prophecies of our Beloved Master, Sayyidina Muhammad, Blessings and Prayers of Allah be upon him and his family. Prophet Muhammad (s) mentioned some interesting things some 1400 years ago. Read on…

Among the signs of the Hour mentioned by the Noble Messenger of Allah - Allah bless and greet him and his Family and Companions - in Sahih al-Bukhari is "when the destitute (al-buhm) camelherds compete in building tall structures." Another version in al-Bukhari has: "when the barefoot and the naked are the top leaders (lit. "heads") of the people." In Sahih Muslim: "you shall see the barefoot, naked, indigent (al-`âla) shepherds compete in building tall structures." Another version in Muslim states: "when the naked and barefoot are the top leaders of the people." A third version in Muslim has: "when you see that the barefoot and naked, the deaf and dumb are the kings of the earth."

Ibn Hajar said in commenting this passage of the hadith in Fath al-Bari:

It was said that "bear-foot and naked," "deaf and dumb" are their attributes by way of hyperbole, showing how coarse they are. That is, they did not use their hearing or sight in anything concerning their Religion even though they are of perfectly sound senses. The Prophet's (saws) words: "The heads of the people" means the kings of the earth. Abu Farwas' narration names the kings explicitly. What is meant by them is the people of the desert country, as was made explicit in Sulayman al-Taymi's and other narrations: "Who are the barefoot and naked?" He answered: "The Bedouin Arabs."

Al-Tabarani relates through Abu Hamza, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas from the Prophet Muhammad, sallahu alayhi wa sallam, that "one of the signs of the change of the Religion is the affectation of eloquence by the rabble and their betaking to palaces in big cities."

Al-Qurtubi said: "What is meant here is the prediction of a reversal in society whereby the people of the desert country will take over the conduct of affairs and rule every region by force. They will become extremely rich and their primary concern will be to erect tall building and take pride in them. We have witnessed this in our time as well as the import of the hadith: "The hour will not rise until the happiest man will be the depraved son of a depraved father (lukka` ibn lukka`)," and also "if the leadership is entrusted to those unfit for it, then expect the hour," both found in the authentic collections."

Maulana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani also discussed this in detail in his book The Approach of Armageddon. It's just so interesting. Interestingly, scholars say that those are observations and prophecies of the Prophet and not clear and explicit prohibitions for people to erect tall buildings.

Also, read another posting Five Towers to Overshadow Ka'aba.

Singapore Lectures by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

2007-08-13T23:54:00.000+08:00

Salaams Friends,

Darul Arqam Singapore, in cooperation with Al-Falah Mosque and Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque, is organizing a series of talk by a renowned speaker, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf from New York, USA. Indeed, the speakers' knowledge and experience in the religious field promises to make the session an interesting learning venture. The details of the lecture are as follows:
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In-House Talk
Steps for a Successful Muslim
Tuesday 14 August 2007
8 pm
Venue: Darul Arqam Auditorium (32 Onan Road)
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In-House Talk
Islam & The Muslim World: Intersection With Non-Muslims
Wednesday 15 August 2007
7.30 pm
Venue: Al-Falah Mosque (Bideford Road)
By Registration Only. Email yusri@alfalah.org.sg or call 62353172.
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Public Talk
Connecting With The Divine
Thursday 16 August 2007
7.30 pm
Venue: Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque (90 Lorong K Telok Kurau)
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Public Talk
Building A Stronger Muslim: A Global Perspective
Friday 17 August 2007
8 pm
Venue: Singapore Post Theatrette
(Level 5, Next to Paya Lebar MRT)
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In-House Talk
Muslims & The Way Forward
Saturday 18 August 2007
8 pm
Venue: Darul Arqam Auditorium (32 Onan Road)
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Free Admission for all events. All Are Welcome.
For more information on Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, click here.
Please help to disseminate this information.
For enquiries, please call 63488344 ext 33/35 or email haryanti@darularqam.org.sg or junaidi@darularqam.org.sg.

Mecca's Hallowed Skyline Transformed

2007-08-13T23:48:00.001+08:00

By Salah Nasrawi (Associated Press Writer)

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- These days it's easier to find a Cinnabon in Mecca than the house where the Prophet Muhammad was born. The ancient sites in Islam's holiest city are under attack from both money and extreme religion. Developers are building giant glass and marble towers that loom over the revered Kaaba which millions of Muslims face in their daily prayers. At the same time, religious zealots continue to work, as they have for decades, to destroy landmarks that they say encourage the worship of idols instead of God. As a result, some complain that the kingdom's Islamic austerity and oil-stoked capitalism are robbing this city of its history.

"To me, Mecca is not a city. It is a sanctuary. It is a place of diversity and tolerance. ... Unfortunately it isn't anymore," said Sami Angawi, a Saudi architect who has devoted his life to preserving what remains of the area's history. "Every day you come and see the buildings becoming bigger and bigger and higher and higher." Abraj al-Bait is a complex of seven towers, some of them still under construction, rising only yards from the Kaaba, the cube-like black shrine at the center of Muslim worship in Mecca. "Be a neighbor to the Prophet," promises an Arabic-language newspaper ad for apartments there.

The towers are the biggest of the giant construction projects that have gone up in recent years, as the number of Muslims attending the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, has swelled to nearly 4 million last year. Saudi Arabia is trying to better serve the growing upscale end of the pilgrimage crowd, while investors - many of them members of the Saudi royal family - realize the huge profits to be made.

Saudi Arabia boasts that Abraj al-Bait - Arabic for "Towers of the House," referring to the Kaaba's nickname, "the house of God" - will be the largest building in the world in terms of floor space. Developers have said the completed building will total 15.6 million square feet - more than twice the floor space of the Pentagon, the largest in the United States. Three of the towers, each nearly 30 stories, are already completed, and the others are rapidly going up. A mall at their base has already opened, where customers - many of them in the simple white robes of pilgrims - shop at international chains such as The Body Shop and eat at fast-food restaurants. Other nearby complexes include upscale hotels.

The building boom is in some cases destroying Mecca's historic heritage, not just overshadowing it. In 2002, Saudi authorities tore down a 200-year-old fort built by the city's then-rulers, the Ottomans, on a hill overlooking the Kaaba to build a multi-million-dollar housing complex for pilgrims.

The holy sites have also been targeted for decades by the clerics who give Saudi Arabia's leadership religious legitimacy. In their puritanical Wahhabi view, worship at historic sites connected to mere mortals - such as Muhammad or his contemporaries - can easily become a form of idolatry. (Worship at the Kabaa, which is ordered in the Quran, is an exception.)

"Obviously, this is an exaggerated interpretation. But unfortunately, it is favored among officials," said Anwar Eshky, a Saudi analyst and head of a Jiddah-based research center.

The house where Muhammad is believed to have been born in 570 now lies under a rundown building overshadowed by a giant royal palace and hotel towers. The then king, Abdul-Aziz, ordered a library built on top of the site 70 years ago as a compromise after Wahhabi clerics called for it to be torn down.

Other sites disappeared long ago, as Saudi authorities expanded the Grand Mosque around the Kaaba in the 1980s. The house of Khadija, Muhammad's first wife, where Muslims believe he received some of the first revelations of the Quran, was lost under the construction, as was the Dar al-Arqam, the first Islamic school, where Muhammad taught.

At Hira'a Cave, where Muhammad is believed to have received the first verses of the Quran in the mountains on the edge of Mecca, a warning posted by Wahhabi religious police warns pilgrims not to pray or "touch stones" to receive blessings. In Medina, 250 miles north of Mecca, Muhammad's tomb is the only shrine to have survived the Wahhabis, and a monumental mosque has been built around it. But religious police bar visitors from praying in the tomb chamber or touching the silver cage around it. "You shouldn't do that," a bearded policeman tells pilgrims trying to pray at the site.

Outside the Prophet's Mosque, Wahhabis have destroyed the Baqi, a large cemetery where tombs of several of the Prophet's wives, daughters, sons and as many as six grandsons and Shiite saints were once located. Grave markers at the site have been bulldozed away, and religious police open the site only once a day to let in male pilgrims. The visitors are prevented from praying.

"It is pretty sad that our imams do not even have tombstones to tell where they are buried," said Indian pilgrim Zuhairi Mashouk Khan, who was weeping because he was barred from praying at the site. "They deserve a shrine as monumental as Taj Mahal."

Several Islamic groups, such as the U.K.-based Islamic Heritage and Research Foundation and the U.S- based Institute for Gulf Affairs, are campaigning to restore ancient sites. Khaled Azab, an Egyptian expert on Islamic heritage at the Bibliotheca Alexandria, suggests that the Saudi government should bring in UNESCO to help.

But after years of campaigning, Angawi is on the verge of giving up. "I have been saying this for 35 years but nobody listens," he said. "It is becoming hopeless case."

Lectures by Habib Salim As-Shatiri

2007-07-31T07:51:00.000+08:00

Salaams. The eminent Habib Salim As-Shatiri will be delivering a couple of lectures in Arabic, with translations in Malay. Unfortunately there is no translation in English. For those who can understand Arabic or Malay, please come and attend the programmes.

Listen to Islamic Songs

2007-07-23T10:57:00.000+08:00

Salaams. SimplyIslam.sg, an Islamic educational outfit based in Singapore has an interesting Islamic song jukebox on their website. There are over 100 songs that you can listen to (but you can't download!). Artistes in SimplyIslam.sg's jukebox include familiar names like Sami Yusuf, Mesut Kurtis, Yusuf Islam, Muhammad al-Husayn and Seven8Six. There are other artistes that may not be familiar to many that are equally as good as well like Nowseeheart (Malaysia), Haddad Alwi (Indonesia), Snada (Indonesia), Quadravox (Indonesia), Imad (Malaysia), Dzul Rabull Jalil (Singapore) and others as well.

Have a listen, I'm sure you would not be disappointed. You can just leave the website on and the jukebox will autoplay (shuffling the songs), and you can listen to the wonderful songs while you are doing your work, at home or office.

Click here

The Sultan of Madinah (Shahe Madina)

2007-07-04T16:37:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to share this...

The group Aashiq al-Rasul came up with a beautiful rendition in their song entitled "Sultan of Madinah" (see http://www.alifmusic1.homestead.com/RadioNasheed.html ). I am absolutely awed by the song. Firstly because it has Maulana Shaykh Nazim's voice in the beginning and it also has some mysterious Urdu lyrics. Listen to it.

By some sheer luck, I came across this wonderful Urdu song entitled " Shahe Madina" sang by some woman. It's a truly beautiful video and touching video and song (even if you don't know the meaning). By another stroke of luck I came across the lyrics and meaning of the "Shahe Madinah" song and I was completely strucked by the meaning, which can move you to tears. Actually the song is over 50 years old, I was told.

For the Shahe Madina video click here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9pgLS6QOHY

The Lyrics and meanings...
Shahe Madina

Shahe Madina, shahe madina, shahe madina
Taiba ke wali sare nabi tere dar ke sawali
Shahe Madina, shahe madina

The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina
The protector of good, all prophets seek answers at your door
The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina

Jalwe hai sare terey hi dam se, aabad aalam terey karam se
Baqi har ek shay, Naqshe khayale, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali
Shahe Madina, shahe madina

All attractions are due to you, the world progresses due to your efforts
All other aspects are imaginary images, all prophets seek answers at your door
The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina

Terey liye hi dunya bani hai, neele falak ki chadr tani hai
Tu agar na hota, dunya thi khali, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali
Shahe Madina, shahe madina

For you is this world created, this blue sheet of the sky spread out.
Without you the world would be empty, all prophets seek answers at your door
The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina

Tune jahan ki mehfil sajai, taarikyon mein shamma jalai
Kandhe pe tere kamli hai kaali, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali
Shahe Madina, shahe madina

You decorated the intimate gathering of this world, lit up the paths of history
Heaven rests on your shoulders, all prophets seek answers at your door
The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina

=== this part was not sung, but is actually the original lyric ===

Mazhab hai tera sab ki bhalai, maslak hai tera mushkil kushai
dekh ke apni umat ki khasta haali, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali

Your religion says that all should be advantaged, your laws make all difficulties disappear,
Seeing the benefits of it on your people, all prophets seek answers at your door

Hai noor tera shamso qamar mein, tere laboon ki laali sahar mein
Phoolon ne teri khusbu chura li, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali

Your light is in the suns and moons, the redness of your lips in the dawn,
flowers have stolen your fragrance, all prophets seek answers at your door.

Kaba ka kaba tera hi ghar hai, tere karam pe sab ki nazar hai
Dikhlade hum ko darbare aali, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali

The Kaba of Kaba is your home, all eyes are on your grace,
Show us the way, wise one of the court, all prophets seek answers at your door

Hain ap dukhyon ke aaqa sahare, Taje shafa at hai sar pe tumhare
Ham ko aata ho roze ki jaali, sare nabi tere dar ke sawali

You are the soother of those in distress, the crown of healing is on your head
Grant us the net of fasting (? not certain about this), all prophets seek answers at your door

Taiba ke wali sare nabi tere dar ke sawali
Shahe Madina, shahe madina, shahe madina"

The protector of good, all prophets seek answers at your door
The Shah of Medina, the Shah of Medina

My Brother The Bomber

2007-06-21T17:06:00.000+08:00

Mohammad Sidique Khan was the organizer of the London Tube Bombings of July 7, 2005 in which 52 innocent commuters were killed and 700 wounded, many grievously, when he and three others detonated their home-made bombs in the subway and on a bus. Shiv Malik dug deep into the background of Khan, even talking to Khan's cabbie brother, to write an article in Prospect magazine called "My Brother The Bomber." It's a long piece that's well worth reading.

Khan's story is one of alienation and frustration, where guys like him feel neither British nor Pakistani. It begins in a suburb of Leeds called Beeston, one of the poorest places in England, a Pakistani ghetto. The immigrants there had a strong sense of community until the drug dealers took over ten years ago. Now it's a fragmented community. This is where Khan walked out of his home one day, leaving his wife and child behind, to kill himself and as many infidels as he possibly could.

The older immigrants, illiterate and lost in their new land, had no clue what to do about the drug dealers. Some of the second generation did. About a dozen and a half of them formed themselves into a gang called the "Mullah Boys" who kidnapped addicts and held them until they kicked their habit, cold turkey. The Mullah Boys grew more religious and righteous as they went. Khan was one of their leaders. He went Wahhabi in his Islam about that time.

Marriage became another factor in the alienation of the young from the old. Malik explains that many of the immigrants in Beeston carry tradtions from the old country:

"Almost every family is ultimately from a rural part of Pakistani Kashmir called Mirpur, where the rules of tradition are strict and unforgiving. In Mirpur, as in many poor parts of the world, the basic structures of life—justice, security and social support—are organised by the local tribe and not by a central state. One consequence is that people can't just marry whom they want. If they did, then over time tribal lands would be broken up by the rules of inheritance, and the economic base of the tribe, or baraderi (brotherhood), would be destroyed. This is one reason children in rural Pakistan are often treated as the property of their elders and encouraged, or forced, to marry within the baraderi.

Families that allow children to marry for love are considered to have lost their izzat, or honour. In most circumstances, the only way for the family to regain it is to kill the offending boy or girl. Pakistan has the highest number of honour killings in the world."

However, the radical Muslims differ from the traditional Muslims on marriage:

"... traditional communities often inadvertently push their young into the arms of the radicals. Attitudes to jobs, dress, schooling and socialising all play their part in driving youngsters away from their parents' generation. But one of the biggest factors that has helped the growth of British Islamic radicalism is marriage.Islamism's most important tenet is that Muslims should not be divided by race or nationalism—that all Muslims are one. It therefore can offer an Islamic route out of having to marry your cousin.

[Islamist recruiter Hassan] Butt knows this because it happened to him. When, instead of marrying his cousin, Butt tried to marry his sweetheart, he found himself deploying the arguments of his Islamist recruiter against his own father—that compulsion in marriage is un-Islamic and that forced marriages were a cultural import from Hindu India. And when the forces of traditionalism refused to give consent, Butt, like many of his friends, ended up a pariah within his own community.

"When you're cut off from your family," Butt explained, "the jihadi network then becomes your family. It becomes your backbone and support." He added that when you join it becomes impossible to leave because there is nowhere else to go. The network starts operating like a cult."

Khan's alienation was exascerbated by falling in love with a fellow student at Leeds Metropolitan University, Hasina Patel. She was a Deobandi Muslim, a Wahhabi affiliated sect. He refused a traditional arranged marriage and married for love.

The traditional Muslims are also at a disadvantage economically due to the differing ways they and the Islamists fund their mosques:

"Since most of traditional Sunni Islam is devoid of an organised establishment, the money for running a mosque normally comes directly from the local Muslim community. In Britain, this means that in order to maintain community harmony, the teachings remain bland and the imam will avoid theological controversy. It also means that once there is enough money to run the mosque, there is no incentive to find new believers.

On the other side, British fundamentalists and Islamists are centrally funded. It is estimated that over the last two decades, Saudi Arabia has set aside $2-3bn a year to promote Wahhabism in other countries. It is not known how much of that money has come to Wahhabi groups in Britain, but one major recipient has been the Leeds Grand Mosque."

Where ever extremist Muslims perpetrate terror, there is a link to Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabi missionaries sent out from the darkest heart of Islam there exploit the alienation of the lost Muslim immigrants in the West to give them the strident radical identity which appeals to them.

Kahn left behind a martyrdom tape to taunt we infidels, we kuffars, from the grave. The part that pleases leftist sensibilities, where Khan condemns British foreign policy, has had a lot of play in the media. The majority of Khan's rant is about religion, a supremacist rant that has not been played:

"Our so-called scholars today are content with their Toyotas and semi-detached houses. They seem to think that their responsibilities lie in pleasing the kufr instead of Allah. So they tell us ludicrous things, like you must obey the law of the land. Praise be God! How did we ever conquer lands in the past if we were to obey this law?… By Allah these scholars will be brought to account, and if they fear the British government more than they fear Allah then they must desist in giving talks, lectures and passing fatwas, and they need to sit at home and leave the job to the real men, the true inheritors of the prophets."

It's not about the foreign policy. It's about the religion.

Shrine Politics

2007-06-21T17:00:00.000+08:00

Shrine Politics - Government Arrests "Plotters" in the South
By Amer Mohsen, 19 June 2007

Commenting on the recent bombings of Shi'a and Sunni shrines in Iraq, Al-Sharq al-Awsat’s Rasheed al-Khayyun penned a fascinating article discussing the history and politics behind the tearing-down of revered shrines.

One important element that al-Khayyun alludes to –- and which was mostly missing from the analysis of Western journalists –- is that extremist Wahhabi groups may have religious reasons to attack Iraqi shrines, aside from their general anti-Shi'ism, and al-Qa'ida’s political motives (in terms of mobilizing and radicalizing Iraqi Sunnis by inciting sectarian strife).

Wahhabism is one of the fiercest Salafi sects in its opposition to icons of all kinds. The building of shrines to commemorate dead religious figures is seen as akin to idolatry by the Wahhabi faith. Many of the homes and graves of the Muslim prophet and his companions were carelessly torn down in Mecca and Medina to make way for the building of highrises, since such historical buildings are considered to have no religious significance, and their preservation for their perceived religious value is sternly frowned upon. The departing kings of Wahhabi-dominated Saudi Arabia are traditionally buried unceremoniously in unmarked graves.

Al-Khayyun reminds us that the Shi'a shrines in Iraq, housing the graves of the Imams, were equally threatened over two centuries ago, when southern Iraq experienced repeated raids by the Wahhabi armies, originating from Najd (a region in today’s Saudi Arabia) and expanding northward into Iraq’s hinterland, starting from the 18th century all the way into the 1920s. One of the objectives of the iconoclastic Wahhabis was to seize and destroy the revered shrines of Karbala and Najaf. The last such raid occurred in 1922, al-Khayyun says, and resulted in a Sunni-Shi'a conference in Baghdad, in which Sunni clerics announced that they would defend the holy shrines of 'Ali and Husain.

It should be noted that not only Shi'a shrines fell victim to al-Qa'ida’s bombs, several Sunni and Sufi temples were also targeted by the extremist group. The destruction of al-Qadiriya shrine last month was a major calamity for millions of Sufis around the world, who witnessed the grave of the revered Sheikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani turned into rubble. It is also noticeable that Rasheed al-Khayyun refrained from using the term “Wahhabi” throughout the article, and referred to the armies of Ibn Wahhab as “the Ikhwan.” Khayyun writes for Saudi-owned al-Sharq al-Awsat, in which any criticism of the Saudi regime or the Wahhabi sect is virtually forbidden.

Islamism, not Islam is the Problem

2007-05-30T10:34:00.001+08:00

Islamism, not Islam is the Problem
By M. Zuhdi Jasser
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: May 18, 2007

Is there a difference between the faith of Islam, and "Islamism" as a political tool and aggressive ideology? FSM Contributing Editor M. Zuhdi Jasser, a consistent proponent of peaceful Islam, gives some educated, elegant insights into this controversy. This is worthy of your attention.

Most of the attention, scholarship, and punditry in the United States given towards Islam and Muslims since 9-11 have focused upon problems with comparatively little attention toward solutions. Understandably motivated by a need to improve security and understand the enemy, American curiosity about Islam, Islamism, and militant Islamism continues to grow. Yet, comparatively American Muslims have offered few solutions except for the few rare voices of Muslim moderation (anti-Islamism) across America, Canada, and Europe.

At times there is only a binary choice in the public ether between the voices who say that "Islam is the problem" and the tired voices of the Islamists who provide endless apologetics, denial, victimization, and every deflection possible short of responsibility or actual ideological solutions for a counter-jihad and reformation. Certainly, the Islamists, no matter how peaceful, who look at the world through the lens of political Islam are at the core of the ideological problem. They knowingly and unknowingly feed the enemy's central political construct of society—political Islam. Yet, we so need to separate political Islam (Islamism) from the spiritual faith of Islam as a faith. Is it easier said than done?

An anti-Islamist devout Muslim like myself - and so many others who believe we are in the majority - can only shout in the wilderness for so long, before there becomes a need to begin to address some of the most difficult but central questions, which many Muslims ignore either out of pride, self-righteousness, or impatience. Whether many pious Muslims acknowledge it or not, non-Muslims who believe that 'the religion of Islam is the problem' are growing in numbers. I can either dismiss their arguments as "Islamophobic" as so many do, including the Islamists, or I can begin to address some of the central issues raised positively in the spirit of understanding, logic, and most importantly in the spirit of American security.

We need the anti-Islamist Muslims
Most should understand that strategically, identifying 'Islam as the problem,' immediately alienates upwards of one quarter of the world's population and dismisses our most powerful weapon against the militant Islamists—the mantle of religion and the pulpit of moderate Muslims who can retake our faith from the Islamists. The majority voices in the middle, the non-Islamist and anti-Islamist Muslims who understand the problem, have to be on the frontlines. They cannot be on the frontlines in an ideological battle being waged, which demonizes the morality of the faith of Islam and its founder, the Prophet Mohammed. We cannot win this war only on the battlefield. Political Islam has a viral recurrence in the form of an infection which needs a Muslim counter-jihad in order to purge it. Thus, we cannot win this ideological war without the leadership of Muslim anti-Islamists. The radical and political ideologies of Islamism, Wahhabism, Salafism, Al Qaedism, Jihadism, and Caliphism, to name a few, cannot be defeated without anti-Islamist, anti-Wahhabi, anti-Salafist, anti-Al Qaedist, anti-Jihadist, and anti-Caliphist devout Muslims.

So often, attempts by anti-Islamist Muslims to claim that our faith has been hijacked or our faith has been twisted are dismissed by non-Muslims. They simply take common interpretations of Wahhabis and say rather that, 'it is the anti-Islamist Muslim who is deluded and who is misrepresenting the faith of Islam". They use the citations of the militants from our Holy Qur'an's scripture and from many authentic and questionable Hadith (discussions of the Prophet Mohammed) to marginalize moderate Muslims and claim that they have no theological framework from which to claim legitimacy.

The question remains-- who or what defines Islam, and under what authority? Islam has no clergy and is represented only by a book, the Holy Qur'an (what Muslims believe in Arabic, is the communication from God to Muslims). Islam's naysayers by accepting radical interpretations of scripture are thus handing the militants the mantle of religion with hardly the benefit of the doubt or patience toward long term opportunities for reform by anti-Islamist Muslims within the general Muslim population.

The process of theological renewal and interpretation in the light of modern day thought—ijtihad—as it is known in Islam is in many ways hundreds of years behind Western enlightenment today arrested around the 15th century. This process can either be facilitated by non-Muslims or hindered by the belief that it is impossible. There is quite a bit to be said for the value of a necessary critical facilitation (nudging) of Muslim reform (as opposed to blind uncritical apologetics). But there is also a fine line between useful criticism of Muslims and especially of political Islam and the less than helpful alienation of all Muslims through criticism of the faith of Islam in general. Most of the same arguments targeting Islam can similarly be made against Muslims and their interpretations while just not blaming Islam as a faith, which needs to be part of the solution.

Too nuanced for practicality? Not necessarily when our most critical allies within the Muslim faith are those that are strong enough to love their faith enough to wake-up and want to take it back from the Islamists and their barbarians like Al Qaeda.

Political Islam (Islamism), not Islam, is incompatible with Americanism and pluralism
Like most believers of any of the major world religions whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, I, as a Muslim believe that Islam carries the same messages of humanitarianism and compassion shared by the religions of the God of Abraham and deserves an equal place at the table of world religions and is not in conflict with our American Constitutional government. Some Muslims may behave, interpret, and express ideologies which are not from God but contrarily evil and from Satan, but they are still Muslim. I cannot deny that. We have no church to excommunicate them.

However, we also should remember that every God-fearing Muslim believes that the religion of Islam as a faith comes from God in the same way as Judaism and Christianity. The identification of 'Islam as the problem' is arguable from a pedantic standpoint since it is hard to disagree with the fact that "Islam is as Muslims do and say." But academically, when dealing with the faith of one-quarter of the world, and with its history, a central morality of individual Islam (the personal character of most Muslims) has generally demonstrated synergy with Judaism and Christianity. It is just that in the past few centuries, political religious movements, which exploit the personal faith for political oppression and often fascism, have controlled the leadership.

It is important to be academic about this assessment and not assume that what appears to be the silence of the majority of Muslims equates to agreement with the Islamist leadership who exerts a stranglehold over the community. We are doing our national counterterrorism efforts and Muslims a disservice if we assume that the 'lowest hanging fruit,' which comprise all currently Islamist organizations (CAIR, MPAC, or ISNA - to name a few) and their proportionally limited membership speak for all American Muslims. Their silence on the need for reformation and the need for Muslims to lead an anti-Islamist effort from within our faith community represents their own Islamist agenda of the members and donors but does not represent the general Muslim population.

In debate, it can become easy to lose the focus of the argument when resorting to criticism based on identity rather than on ideology. For example, so many Islamists locally and nationally resort to attempting to demonize me as an individual rather than deal with my anti-Islamist ideas as a Muslim and as an American. Our Islamist enemy dreams about uniting all Muslims under one nation—the transnational Muslim ummah. To declare our ideological battle against Islam is to hand them the easiest tool toward that unification (ummah-tization) strategy for which they dream and to dismiss our most potent weapon against the jihadists—anti-Islamist Muslims who can lead a counter-jihad from within the Islamic community. Only anti-Islamists Muslims can de-ummahtize the Muslim community and articulate an Islam, which inspires morality but leaves national politics to the governments of our nations.

A shared moral tradition
For many non-Muslims engaged in the debate to accept the fact that Islam is not the problem, it stands to reason that they must first feel that Islam as practiced and held by Muslims fits into the predominant moral framework of American spirituality and values of the God of Abraham (a Judeo-Christian-Islamic morality, if you will). This is evidenced by the moral behaviors of the vast majority of Muslims in America and around the world. This morality certainly comes from God and for Muslims the faith of Islam is the source of it no different than Judaism or Christianity is for Jews and Christians.

Now, bring political Islam into this mix, and one is left with many questions. Is Islam compatible with democracy? Can Muslims separate mosque and state? Can Muslims be anti-theocratic? Can Muslim behavior and thought today be consistent with modernity while so many current Muslim legal constructs enacted in the name of sharia law seem not to be? How do Muslims reconcile their history of an empire ruled by a Muslim Caliphate, an empire which had varying rules for its citizens based upon faith with today's more pluralistic universal laws of American society blind to one faith? How do Muslims reconcile the plight of women's rights in 'Muslim' societies with their faith and the West? Those are just a few of the questions so many thoughtful writers have tried to answer since 9-11.

Before embarking upon a discussion of any of those questions, which can fill texts, a more fundamental question remains concerning the central principles of any Muslim's faith. Is the foundation of Islam as felt and practiced within each Muslim a moral one?

From a counterterrorism assessment, formulating a threat assessment of the ideologies at play are very necessary. Before blanketing the faith of Islam as a threat to Americanism (religious pluralism), Americans first need to be able to separate Islam from Islamism and Islam from what some Muslims do.

Americans will find that for most Muslims generally - as it is for Jews or Christians or any God fearing individual - the central defining principles of faith are not dictated by the specific interpretations of God's laws (sharia for Muslims) or to any single one of the interpretations of various passages of the Qur'an peaceful or otherwise. As a Muslim, my faith as I see it and as it has been taught to me in its most devotional expression is simply-- my personal relationship with a moral God—the God of Abraham. The stronger and more personal is that relationship, the more pious an individual may be. Thus piety is not measured by others or by outward actions or expressed beliefs, but rather piety is dependent upon the intensity and purity of that internal relationship with God.

The essence of the nucleus of the primary cell of Islam as an organism of faith is a human being's manifestations and choices for goodness over evil which includes love, honesty, compassion, empathy, courage, integrity, humility, character, behavior, self-control, creativity, discipline, and gratitude to name a few of the faith defining human principles most faiths share. When our families taught us about faith and God, most of the time was spent on these principles. To most Muslims, the countervailing 'evil' choices to these positive human characteristics come from Satan and not from God. The existence of evil and its acts only demonstrates that God has given humanity free will. Without the existence of evil, humans would not have choice or free will. Often evil will exploit religion to defeat that which is good.

It is this inherent human tendency toward good and away from evil, which is the central notion of Islam as it is for Judaism and Christianity. From this then arises a spiritual life with a deep personal relationship and communication with God as seen in all of the faiths recognizing the God of Abraham.

From this spirituality, this goodness, then arises the character, which an individual carries to life and to our theological texts and their derived interpretations. While the body of laws available today may not all contain a modernized interpretation, it can certainly be modernized if the Muslims doing the modernizing are of sound moral conviction and integrity and education. It is the corruption, tribalism, and ignorance of so many in the Muslim world, which has poisoned any moves towards enlightenment. But this conflict between good and evil is one, which will be won by the righteous when pious Muslims who fear God, and respect universal humanitarian principles are empowered to stand up to evil under the moral courage of the inspired principles of the God of Abraham.

My family always taught me that a Muslim will not miraculously find his or her character within the pages of the Qur'an or Hadith. But rather, a Muslim's interpretation of our holy text is through the lens of one's established moral character, which is developed on a personal human level from within the soul and conscience not a textual one.

Our own moral compass and its inherent principles are a lens for life which is produced in an early stage of youth and adolescence that sets the tone for how we interpret life and religion. While the details of religion can inspire and direct this compass, life's core direction toward good is formed and maintained internally between an individual's soul and God early on. Suicide bombers, jihadists, and other militant Islamists are evil at their core and just turn to the language of Islam found in the Qur'an or the Hadith to justify their barbarism, coercion, and doctrine of the ends justifying the means and of political Islam. Granted, this is much easier to do with the ready availability around the world of radical and medieval interpretations so desperately in need of 21st Century enlightened pluralistic re-interpretations.

Accepting this common Muslim formulation of faith is vital to marginalizing the militancy of current radicalized interpretations most of which are of Salafist derivation and rather expressing a core positively guiding morality for the vast majority of Muslims. It will take Muslims who love their faith to articulate a modern Islam to create an etho, which accepts the radical interpretation as immoral.

Certainly, the ubiquitous jihadist and Caliphist interpretations of Islamic literature and jurisprudence are in need of an overwhelming alternative narrative to the fundamentalist interpretation, which so often dominates the airwaves. We must believe that the predominant Muslim morality as derived from God and exemplified in the life of the Prophet Mohammed and in the vast majority of Muslims is one of good, one of the Golden Rule, of compassion, and of humility.

Once we can accept that most Muslims are moral and believe in a faith with an inviolable moral nucleus, than we can find hope that the seeds of reformation of formal textual interpretations will be planted for freedom and liberty, for free will over coercion, over theocracy and over political Islam.

If most Muslims were immoral, the world would have perished a long time ago. It is Islamism, which deserves our combined energies in critique and ideological deconstruction. Muslims, however, who are anti-Islamist and practicing a modern moral Islam are the key to its defeat.

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FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor M. Zuhdi Jasser is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and the Chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy based in Phoenix, Arizona. He can be reached at Zuhdi@aifdemocracy.org.

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