Dr. Pasha on Islam,
Muslims and the World
(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time)
www.IslamicSolutions.Com
(1001-1100)
Last updated 22 Sept 2021
Poor, Poor, Poor Muslims!
Just How Does One Deal with Them?
And How Does One Reach Them?
Or Talk to Them? [Quote – 1100]
I am coming in cold this morning. And not from the weather.
I have not read many of my recent mail. Afraid to touch them.
But I was going to suggest, tentatively again, we try to go for Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons for our so-called Arabic Program.
That should give us two days together and the rest of the week to recover.
In the meantime, the more I see, and hear, the Muslims the more my back wants to curve. Feel like echoing a Tennis player: Are You Serious?
But I also feel a new surge of compassion for Muslims. And pain.
And I hurt for them, which I always have done, as we all should do.
And wish to say: Poor, poor Muslims -- Beycharey Musalman, as Iqbal said -- they love their Deen so much that they are afraid to face it.
Or talk about it candidly -- and honestly and openly.
They have been so burned by the imaginary thunderbolts that will scorch them if they uttered one wrong word. Or even thought a single unsanctioned thought.
A thought unapproved and un-cleared unsanctioned by their self-appointed Minders and Handlers.
They are afraid to talk about their Deen, like they would talk about everything else in life. Freely, openly, fearlessly.
Their Jum'ah Khutbahs are a hash and their Mimbars are Occupied Territory. No room for a breath of fresh air from those Mimbars!
It almost seems like the old days, and the not-so-old days: gatecrash the Masaajid and demand the right to speak. And possibly get thrown out or beaten up.
Or simply, like the Old Days, stand at the door or steps of a mosque and speak away!
Wish the Muslims will let me speak! They let everybody else do!
At least now, when we are all growing very old, very fast, and many of us are already packed up and gone. With the rest of us standing in queue.
I am saying that partly because that is the only way to reach the Muslims, if you can ever do, talking to them. And doing so on the Day of Jum'ah from the Mimbar of a Masjid.
Muslims are not a reading people. You can write what you want, Muslims will not even look at it. So, how on earth do you reach Muslims?
How on earth do you get their attention?
How on earth do you talk to them?
They keep doing the same thing over and over and over and expect that this time, somehow, miraculously maybe, the results will be different. Einstein, I think who it was that, defined it as Insanity?
That is why, in part, I am afraid to open some of the more recent mail. But I will. Inshallah, as they say.
And that is why I am cold today. And not from the weather.
END
Tears of Blood Never Stop! [Quote – 1099]
If you are a Muslim, the kind that knows, feels and cares, and it is the only kind of Muslim that matters, chances are your tears of blood would never stop.
You would think of the Qur'an and you would cry tears of blood!
A book sent down by the Almighty to his creation everywhere, and that book would become an abandoned property at the hands of God's own very special creation, the Muslims?
As the Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihis Salam, himself would say, addressing Allah:
Ya Rabbi,
Inna Qawumit-Takhazuoo Haadhal Qur'ana Mahjoora!
Paraphrase:
"My Rabb!
My people have indeed abandoned this Qur'an!"
And your tears of blood would never stop when you realize that people have to "urge" and beg people to come forward to embrace the opportunity to read Qur'an?
I mean a collective reading, each on his or her own, to complete a Khatm -- Complete Reading -- every week?
In the first place, shouldn't everyone be "urging" everyone to join and try to make this a truly Global Event?
I mean the collective reading of the Qur'an and completing one full reading every week?
Doing one Khatm a week?
And, then, shouldn't everyone be fighting to find a place on that list?
And then also shouldn't we all be grateful and glad that there are individuals among us who are willing and able to shoulder the enormous task of organizing and coordinating the collective reading -- Khatm -- of the Qur'an on a weekly basis?
END
Just Where Are We All Headed? [Quote – 1098]
A world without Truth. A nation without direction or purpose. And a people without values.
Newspapers without news. And a Media independent of and oblivious to facts.
We seem to be living all these, improbable as this seems.
Where are the Muslims on any or all of these?
END
Hiding the Hadith Is Denying the Hadith [Quote – 1097]
Ask yourself this question: How is Hiding the Hadith different from Denying the Hadith?
Someone asked the other day why were we not told about this or that or some other Hadith?
I say, when were Muslims ever told in a serious and systematic way about the Hadith in general?
How many hours in a day, week, month, year -- in a Lifetime -- do Muslims spend studying the Hadith? Reflecting on the Hadith?
How many mosques hold how many sessions a week or month or year devoted to the study of the Hadith?
How many Muslim Organizations organize how many national, regional, local and international conventions and conferences on Hadith?
No Muslim will ever admit they Deny the Hadith. Nor will anyone own up to being part of Hiding the Hadith?
But given the way things are, just what do you think is going on?
So, ask yourself this: When was it last that you actually stared at the face of a Hadith?
Your answer will tell you all you need to know about yourself; about Muslims; and about the world.
So, what connection can people like that claim to have with Rasulullah, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, whose blessed words and actions the Hadith Collection represents?
END
Inviting People to Allah Is Onerous Work [Quote – 1096]
The work of inviting people to Allah is akin to dragging the Himalayas from Asia to America. With the Himalayas themselves running in the opposite direction at warp speed.
So, you can imagine the challenges.
That is because changing and building humans is more demanding than moving mountains. Again, that is because that is how their Rabb, Rabbul Aalameen, made them.
Moving mountains, yes. Changing people, not that easy.
But we have to do it, and keep on doing it, because without doing it there is no Islam, no matter for how many months we camp out at Haram Sharif.
Except for those special people who do special things of that sort and accomplish special goals.
END
Reacting to Qur'an and Hadith [Quote – 1095]
Qur'an and Hadith both are in their own special way a measure of who and what we are as human beings.
I never thought of Hadith -- and its parent source Qur'an -- as being delightful stuff.
Even though Qur'an and Hadith both are known to bring immense bursts of joy to those with the right kind of hearts.
For, all of human life on earth comes down to making meaningful personal connection with both Qur'an and the Hadith.
If you open your heart and see, you will realize one stands for Allah while the other stands for Allah's Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
Nothing less!
Everything else is little more than details.
Commentaries if you will.
END
Qur'an and Hadith Hold a Mirror to You!
They Reveal to You Who and What You Really Are! [Quote – 1094]
Recently, I had sent out some Ahaadeeth (Plural for Hadith) on doing Khatm -- complete reading of all 30 Juz of the Qur'an.
And I was awaiting reaction. One came. And here is its gist:
"Subhanallah, what amazing set of Ahadeeth these are! Why have these Ahaadeeth been hidden from us, so to speak, and no one till today mentioned them to us. It seems Shaytan will have us do anything but the Qur'an."
Allah bless the person behind that comment! This reaction on the part of the reader brought a lot of joy to my heart.
For, how we react to Qur'an and Hadith tells us a great deal about who and what we are. That is because the Qur'an -- and by extension Hadith -- is like a mirror in which we see our true face.
As to why these Ahaadeeth (plural for Hadith) are not widely shared among Muslims, the explanation is pretty much the same old one: The overdependence that Muslims have developed on convoluted lectures by the Qussaas and Storymongers.
Muslims would rather give and listen to lectures without direction or purpose than provide systematic and authentic education to each other.
And good Muslims, it would seem, gravitate to these professional Lecturers and Storytellers, with titles like Shaikh, Imam, Mowlana, Mufti and the rest, like moths to fire.
And the results are obvious. They get burned.
And then Muslims complain -- Good Muslims more than others maybe -- that things are not getting better for Muslims.
END
Allah's Dhikr and Qur'an [Quote – 1093]
There is no better pursuit in this world than Allah's Dhikr.
And there is no better way to do Allah's Dhikr than reading the Qur'an.
And there is no better activity to reach out to others than to get them involved in reading the Qur'an.
I seem to recall a Hadith Sharif that says that those who complete the reading of the Qur'an in less than three days may not be able to understand what they read.
Now, what does that say to you about the relationship between reading the Qur'an and understanding it?
END
Islam Is Doing What We All Must! [Quote – 1092]
Allah bless Muslims! What else can I say?
The world does what it does, but those who understand Islam try to do what they must. What they are supposed to do.
That is my understanding of Islam:
Everyone of us doing what we all must.
And doing it well.
And keeping on doing it till we breathe our last.
No matter who is around and who is not!
No matter who watches and who does not!
Secure in the knowledge that Allah is right in front of you. And even if you do not see him, then for sure at least he is seeing you!
Wa In Lam Takun Taraahu,
Fa-Innahoo Yaraaka!
What a beautiful way of living!
And dying!
END
If Health Is a Human Condition,
Healthcare Is a Human Right! [Quote – 1091]
For well over 30 years, I told everyone who will listen, using every platform I could put my feet on, that If Health Is a Human Condition, Healthcare Is a Human Right!
No ifs or buts about it.
I rejoiced when Bill Clinton charged First Lady Hillary Clinton with a full mandate to produce a complete Healthcare Package for America, or at least so I thought, and provided her with all the resources needed to accomplish that mammoth undertaking.
And then, also, I cried tears of blood when Mrs. Clinton failed in that job as miserably as anyone could.
And then when Bernie Sanders found his voice on the question of universally mandatory Healthcare for All, I glimpsed a ray of sunshine on the horizon. But will that lone voice turn into a crescendo of demand from every side, I was not sure.
And it did not.
But then, right in the thick of the COVID-19 Pandemic, President Joe Biden gave an informal State of the Union Address to both Houses of Congress.
It was 8:00 PM Wednesday night, April 28, 2021, and here is what I heard him say, in my own paraphrase: "Healthcare should be a Human Right in America!"
I never thought I would hear those words coming out of the mouth of a sitting American President. But I did.
To what degree these presidential words will be turned into official policy by the American Government, I do not know.
And to what extent Muslims of America will be in the forefront of this battle to secure Universal Healthcare for All Americans, and for all human beings, I have no idea.
But this I do know: Islam is about struggling to provide people -- all people -- the basic needs and rights of life, such as food, water, shelter, and Healthcare!
END
A Nation at Risk [Quote – 1090]
A Nation that fails to guard the health and wellbeing of its people is a nation at risk.
And a Nation that gets rich trading on the health and wellbeing of its people is a nation in need of treatment herself.
END
A Mother's Day Message:
This Mother's Day, Give Mom Her Motherhood Back! [Quote – 1089]
This Mother's Day, return to Mom her most precious possession that the world stole from her: Motherhood!
And then guard your Mom's Motherhood with your life for the rest of your life.
And, thereafter, make everyday of the rest of your life a Mother's Day. For, there is not a day of your life, for the rest of your life, that your mother will cease to be your mother.
Let everyone who is born of a mother -- and who in this world isn't? -- know that Mothers and Motherhood are not to be trifled with.
And tell them that every single day that they live on this earth is a Mother's Day, in which Motherhood is honored and celebrated and cherished.
Tell them that without their mothers, they will not be living on this earth even for one single day.
END
Reflecting on Coronavirus Rampage in India --
And Other Places [Quote – 1088]
These are tough times for the world. Practically every place is reeling under the impact of Coronavirus.
But some places are hit harder than some others. What is needed is a proper and thorough professional and scientific analysis of the causes, the course, the solutions and outcomes with regard to each situation.
That is Islam 101.
After that, the application of relevant Aayaat -- and which Aayat is not relevant -- and Ahaadeeth is called for.
Judgments must also be made considering a range of correlations and questions.
For example, is this whole Coronavirus Situation a punishment from Allah? The kind the Bible says, and the Qur'an confirms, Allah visited upon Pharaoh and his people.
Has this thing got any relationship with what some Western Nations did to Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Afghanistan and other Muslim lands, over the past some years?
And does India's Particularly Dire Corona Situation have anything to do with the way the Fascist Janata Party of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah locked up 10 million Muslims of Kashmir using an overwhelming and brutal military force of nearly one million for over a year?
There are no Yes-No Answers to these questions. But these questions are worth thinking and talking about.
And Thinking is the first requirement that Islam imposes on people.
Because it is through thinking that Life and Liberty advance in this world.
And it is through Thinking, as Ibrahim, Alaihissalam, shows, that a human being is put on the Road to Finding God.
And where Thinking does not exist, Bondage and Backwardness overtake human life, and Superstition, Hearsay, Empty Gossip and Make-Believe become the norm.
And humans seriously limit their chances and opportunities of discovering God in their lives.
END
What Do Muslims Really Want? [Quote – 1087]
Someone, somewhere should ask this question:
What Do Muslims Really Want?
Or, stated alternatively, someone should ask:
What Is the Muslim Agenda in This World?
I think, personally, these questions are not only fair but also timely, and, if you ask me, quiet pressing. Even though I don't hear either of these two questions being tossed around much in Muslim circles.
Frankly, not even once have I heard either of these two questions asked by anyone in a Muslim gathering of any kind, formal or informal, large or small.
And these two questions are actually both the same: They are two variants of one single question.
As for me, I live, and, as they say, learn. And everything new I learn leaves me stunned.
And here is one.
It has become clear to me that there should be a book called: How Muslims Lost The Arabic Language.
But who will write such a book, and does anyone even care? That is why to me a good question is: What do Muslims really want?
What is the Muslim Agenda in and for this world?
Another book should address the question: What books, if any, do Muslims read?
And what books, if any, have Muslims read -- in the past one week, one month, one year?
Long time ago, if I recall right, I even started something called A Muslim Book Club.
So, what do Muslims want? Other than Jannat, that is.
But in the meantime, what happens to them -- Muslims -- while they are still in this world?
And what happens to this world?
God Almighty's world which God Almighty placed in their care and trust when he declared he was appointing them as his Khalifah or Manager in this world.
Innee Jaa-'ilun Fil Ardi Khaifah.
So, Islam is all a joke and a hobby then?
And a supposed ferocious pursuit of Next Life (Aakhirah) without any regard for This Life (Duniya)?
END
Why Did www.IslamicSolutions.Com Crash? [Quote – 1086]
People should start thinking how and why www.Islamicsolutions.com crashed and then what happened. What consequences, if any, did its crashing produce?
And, also, while the Website was on and running, what use was it to anyone? What results, if any, did it lead to?
In Science, and in Business, this is called Evaluation.
In Islam, it is called Muhaasabah.
And everywhere, all it means is coming to terms with what we set out to do, and how well we succeeded -- or failed -- in achieving what we said we were going to achieve.
To run a website like www.Islamicsolutions.com, and not to expect consequences is a bit naïve, don't you think?
For, there are folks who are going to be more interested in us, and in our work, than we ourselves are.
Given all that the world is, and all that is happening in the world, should that be a surprise to us?
Especially, those of us who say we read the Qur'an?
Doesn't Allah say:
Wa Makaroo Makran Kubbaaraa!
Paraphrase:
What all Conspiracies they hatched!
END
Is This Virus Plague an Opportunity for Muslims? [Quote – 1085]
Coronavirus has shocked and shaken the world as few things have. Perhaps, not since the Flood has the entire planet been so profoundly affected.
Shut down virtually.
Noah, Alaihis Salam, is not with us. But his message is. Fully documented in the Qur'an.
While this Virus seems to have all the earmarks of a Biblical Plague, it has also produced amazing opportunities for Muslims to act. And to make an impact on the world.
Muslims can act and make an impact by reaching out to the non-Muslims of the world and reminding them about God Almighty and his role in our lives and in this world.
Muslims can tell the non-Muslims of the world that at least now they all should turn to God and (A) Repent and (B) Pray.
They must Repent from their follies.
And they must Pray to God to turn this plague away from them and from the whole world.
At the same time, Muslims can turn the present situation into an opportunity. Since pretty much everything is online and virtual these days, maybe Muslims should utilize every hour, every minute available to them to unleash an educational revolution for their own people.
And that means teaching Muslims of all ages, men and women, the Qur'an and the Hadith. Not labored commentaries of them but basic texts and their simple meaning.
Starting out with teaching every Muslim child and adult, male and female, how to read the Qur'an correctly, with correct pronunciation of words.
And then teach the meaning of the words of the Qur'an.
Make it all time based. For example, roughly 30 hours for learning to read the Qur'an correctly.
And then go from there.
END
Lending a Hand [Quote – 1084]
Islam is, as they say, all about Lending a Hand.
We Good Muslims tend to load up all kinds of responsibilities on those stray individuals among us who come forward to shoulder them: In the name of Islam or Allah or whatever.
And after that we ignore them, forget about them, and leave them to their fate.
Whereas what is needed is for each and everyone of us to step up to the plate and lend a helping hand.
Offer help. Ask how you can help.
And if they have no requests to make of you, offer ideas and suggestions by saying: Can I do this for you, or that, or something else.
Don't give them Marching Orders telling them: Do This! and Do That!
But ask them: Can I do this to help you or Can I do that?
And if it will help motivate you, or give you the incentive, let me mention a Hadith that comes to mind:
Wallahu Fee Awunil Abdi,
Maa Kaanal Abdu Fee Awuni Akheehi!
Since you all, now, know Arabic Language, Mashallah, which is the Language of Allah and his Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, figure out what that Hadith Sharif means: One word at a time.
Using nothing but a dictionary.
And you all lend me a hand when you carefully proofread what I write. Even after it has been posted on IslamicSolutions.Com.
It is a great way of helping me out. Lending me a shoulder.
That way, you ease my burdens. And bring relief and comfort.
And maybe that way Allah will ease the burdens in your life. As that Hadith Sharif seems to suggest.
Wallahu Fee Awunil Abdi,
Maa Kaanal Abdu Fee Awuni Akheehi!
END
Qur'an Is What You Get When Arabic Is Done Right!
But Who Is to Tell The Muslims That? [Quote – 1083]
If you want to see the strangest creatures on this earth, look at those who think that the Qur'an and Allah's Arabic Language are separate from, and independent of, each other.
If all too many Muslims fall into that category, what can we do other than shudder at the thought of the fate that awaits us.
The fact is Allah's Arabic Language and Allah's Book Qur'an are two locations on the same continuum. No matter at which location we begin, we will find ourselves transported to the other.
Therefore, when we do Arabic right, we automatically get the Qur'an. And there is no earthly way to study and understand the Qur'an without studying and understanding the Arabic Language.
Even though Many Muslims appear bent on accomplishing that miracle.
When people turn their back on the Qur'an, it is a sign that Qiyamat is not far behind.
Not necessarily as God's book on earth. But as the greatest wonder of all wonders that the human eye can see, or the human brain can fathom, right here on earth, as a phenomenon that can be perceived by the human senses.
END
Enemy Within [Quote – 1082]
This is one reason why I love the Muslims. There is an Enemy Within, and they sleep happily ever after.
They hear the footsteps of the prowler. In the basement and all over the house.
And they can at times even feel his breath. But they just roll over and continue to sleep.
And that Enemy Within is Shaitan -- The Devil!
Rasulullah, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, says Shaitan is running in your bloodstream.
And that Enemy Within is your Nafs.
And your Nafs is the sum total of all your inclinations and propensities to do all kinds of bad things.
And your Nafs is powerful and robust and resourceful. And it is on the prowl all the time.
Ready to pounce on you at a moment's notice. And often, without notice.
And it is a master of disguise, your Nafs. You can barely recognize him when you see him, which is almost always.
And how worried are we Muslims about this Enemy Within?
What protective devices have we put in place? What security cameras and what alarm systems?
Well, these are what people will say are Good Questions.
And that is one reason why I love Muslims.
END
Studying Qur'an is Part of Management Training
For Allah's Designated Managers on Earth! [Quote – 1081]
Muslims conveniently forget. And Professional Mullahs do a perfect job of being their Enablers.
But the fact is Muslims are Allah's Managers on Earth:
Innee Jaa-'ilun Fil Ardi Khalifah!
Now, all Management Cadres need training, right? So, why wouldn't those who, as Allah's Managers, are going to be occupying the Highest Positions of Power and Authority on the Entire Planet?
Studying the Qur'an is an integral part of that Management Training for Allah's Managers on Earth.
Then, along with that, comes Reality Check: Training in the affairs of the world, past and present. How the World of Allah Works -- Now and Forever in the past and future.
Everything in this world is a part of those two things:
a) Understanding the Qur'an.
b) Understanding the World.
All other things in life are a part of the Support System Allah provided us, so we will get on with our job.
Wa Lakum Fil Ardi Mustaqarrun wa Mataa-'un Ilaa Heen!
And that means all our jobs, and our families, and out businesses, and our wealth, and our worldly possessions are all part of that Support System.
They are not our goal. They are not the purpose of our existence on earth.
Nor are they the measure of our success or failure in this world.
Instead, they are all part of what Allah promised us he will give us, so we all can get on with his work.
That Aayat again:
Wa Lakum Fil Ardi Mustaqarrun wa Mataa-'un Ilaa Heen!
And Qur'an is the Instructions Allah said he will send down.
Fa-Immaa Ya'tiyannakum Minnee Hudan.
So, without studying that Hudaa -- Set of Instructions -- first, and most carefully, and first hand, how can we possibly expect to get on with our assignment of being Allah's Managers on Earth?
END
