Always blaming the West for our wrongs: Is that good Islam?

In Pakistan, an armed group claiming to represent Islam tried to capture the Karachi airport. In Iraq, a group claiming to be Islamic killed 1,700 members of the Iraqi army in the name of Islam. In Nigeria, an Islamic group abducted 300 women and called it part of their Islamic struggle. In Syria, with the help of Iran, Lebanon, and others, the regime caused millions to flee the country and the opposition did not show any mercy to those partnering the regime.
The typical response of Muslims is that the western powers are responsible for all that. Or the world media is involved in an anti-Islam campaign or the groups responsible for these acts are outside the pale of Islam.
Many suggest that these groups are sponsored by anti-Islam powers and are sustained by their money and arms. They even suggest that even suicide bombers are trained by anti-Islam powers.
Only an insane can believe such people. Regardless, whether they are sponsored by the anti-Islam forces or by fringe Islamic groups, the main responsibility to question their legitimacy, existence, and ideology belongs to Muslim leadership and intelligentsia as well as governments.
If they are sponsored by anti-Islamic forces, then it is the responsibility of Muslim media, and governments expose them and prosecute them for inciting violence or acting against the interests of their people. By simply making the assertion that foreign agents are involved in such acts, the problem will not go away. It will linger and create havoc.
Those who say that they are fringe groups of Islam also need to be more active in substantiating their claim. Why have they not spoken about such tendencies within their own communities? Why have they not taken a stand against groups that distort Islam and the divine message? Why do not they question their legitimacy in matters of deen?
The fact is that the house of Islam is divided vertically and horizontally and we are not willing to accept and admit it. The fact is that there is little tolerance among Muslims to accommodate a minority perspective  The reality is that we do not condone violence the way we should have done. We have scholars who constantly tell us that those who blaspheme our religion should be killed. We have learned people who tell us that apostates should be killed and we have the clergy that tells us that we are the only people who are sincere in our commitment to God.
We do not have one definition of Islam and one style of Islam. There are vast differences and in the mind of each of these different groups, the others are deviant or incomplete Muslims. Look at the differences that exist among shias and sunnis or among salafis, tablighi or ikhwanis and you will not be surprised to find the level of hatred they have towards each other.
The sectarian and factional divisions that exist and manifest themselves are self-evident. They have caused our people to live in perpetual fear of the other or in the perpetual idea of superiority, that is, in fact, a sense of inferiority. Many of us have brought this sectarian bias in our new homes in Europe, Australia and Americas. Thus, our masajid are divided on ideological lines. Anyone who questions the existing practices is discounted and often humiliated. There is hardly any dialogue on the real issues. Even among scholars, such discourse is non-existent. Our scholars are mostly used to monologue and if anyone questions their perspective, he or she is discarded. We have developed an authoritarian culture in our masajid and institutes.
How is it possible that we can serve the cause of the divine who describes Himself as the Lord of the universe. We act as lords of our own territories and then reject all those who do not identify our views.
Our extremism is evident towards women and others who do not subscribe to our views. Women are assigned the least pleasant space in the masjid. They are considered a fitna for men and their acts of worship in masajid are generally not approved favorable. Even in societies where equality has been constitutionally accepted, they do not find in Masajid equal and respectable space.
With those whom we have differences, we are quick to dismiss them as non-Muslims or deviants. We are quick to humiliate others and deprive him or her of his dignity and yet we claim that we consider everyone equal. We would not let a non-conformist to come to our masajid and give a talk. We have problems in seeing the people of other sects pray in our masajid.
There are no effective policies to run our masajid even in the US. We have by laws, but how many masajid follow the bylaws. Our masajid deal with cash and many of our religious teachers and scholars are offered cash incentives. None of them report this to the IRS and no one talks about tax evasion.
How long we will continue to live in this duplicity and apathy. If we want to reclaim our Islam, we have to empower ourselves with the true understanding of the Quran by relating ourselves to it without the intervention of any individual or group. We have to develop internal strength in our convictions and commitments to Allah. We have to realize that we are here in this world to lead a self-disciplined life to ensure that show our responsibility toward fellow humans and to God, Almighty.
It is easy to blame others for the wrongs that are prevalent in our community. It is tough to look at ourselves critically. But that is the only way to improve ourselves. The Quran and its message offer itself as a criterion and the character and Sunnah of the Prophet give an example to evaluate and make an educated decision about ourselves. Once we do that, we would reclaim our Islam. Otherwise, we would remain confused and would confuse others.

Shaban: A pragmatic approach to understanding some of the practices

Sha'ban is the eight-month of the Islamic lunar calendar. In the pre-Islamic era, the month following Rajab was regarded as a month of trade and warfare and other worldly affairs. Ibn Kathir explains that during this month the tribes would plan plunders and raids after the month of Rajab.

In Islamic traditions, the month came to be known as the month of supplementary fasting. Umma Salama explains that the Prophet used to observe supplementary fasting for almost the entire month of Sha'ban. (Abu Dawood: 2336)

Ummul Momineen (mother of the believer) Ayesha also reported that the Prophet liked the month of Sha'ban more than any other month as far as supplementary fasting is concerned. (Bukhari: 1969)

However, there are ahadith that suggest the prophet prohibited people from fasting after the 15 of Sha'ban. Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet said, “when half of the Sha'ban is over, do not fast.” (Nasai: 2351)

Some scholars argue that this recommendation is for those who are weak and who fear a decline in health for excessive pre-Ramadan fasting.

The Prophet is also reported to have said as narrated by Abu Huraira, None of you should fast during the last days of Sha'ban for one or two days except those who are habitual of fasting regularly. (Bukhari: Book of Fasting)

The month of Sha'ban is also known as a month of Laylatul Bara (Night of Salvation), Laylatul Rahmah (Night of Mercy), or Laylatul Mubaraka (Night of Blessings) or the Shabe Barat (Night of Salvation, Persian) in South Asian and Central Asian traditions The night of fifteenth of Sha'ban is observed as a blessed night in certain parts of the world and people make special prayers, or visit cemeteries and graveyard and spend the whole night offering supplementary prayers in a specific way. However, there are scholars who do not regard this night a blessed night and they say that none of the ahadith quoted to support the sanctity of the night are authentic. Among those scholars are Abu Bakr bin Al-Arabi and Shaikh Abdullah bin Baz.

They also refute the claim of many other scholars who say that verses three and four of Surah (chapter) Dukhan refers to the night of nisf Shaaban and describes it a blessed night.

Those who say that the fifteenth night of Sha'ban is a special night quote several ahadith that are found in the books of ahadith compiled by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja. For instance, one such hadith says that Allah comes down on the heaven of the earth on this night and forgives people more than the hair of the goats of the tribe of Kalb. (Tirmidhi: 739) In another hadith, it is reported that Allah gives special favor to His servants on this night and forgives everyone except those who are polytheists and Muslims who have malice and animosity towards their fellow Muslims. (Ibn Maja, 1290). In another hadith, it is mentioned that when the 15th night of Sha'ban arrives, stay the whole night and fast during the following day. On this night Allah descends on the first heaven and stays there until the dawn and guarantees His servants forgiveness, sustenance and salvation from calamities. (Ibn Maja: 1388) Another hadith says that on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban Allah offers special mercy to His creation and with the exception of two people, He forgives all: the one who has malice towards others in his heart and the other who takes the life of fellow human being unjust. (Ahmad: 2:176)

In the book Fazail ul Auqat by Baihaqi, it is mentioned that on this night all the names of those who would be born and who would die in this year are presented to Allah and on this night, the decision about sustenance is made. The same book also suggests that there are five specific nights in which the prayers of people are never rejected, the night of Rajab, the night of Nisf Shaaban, the night of Juma, the night of Eid ul Fitr, the night of Eid ul Adha.

Scholars such as Hasan al-Basari and Albani consider all the above-mentioned ahadith fabricated or weak and deny the special status of this night.

During the night, people offer special prayers. There is a tradition of offering 100 raka's (unit of prayer) with Surah Ikhlas and Surah al-Hamd, 1000 times in each Raka. Some people offer 12 or 14 Rakas while reciting Surah Akhlas 30 times in each. Abdul Qayyim Aljauzi and Imam Nawawi describe these prayers as innovations that must be avoided.

In this night people spend their time and resources in fireworks in certain parts of the world. Some offer special food to their friends and relatives and the poor and the needy. Some people change their crockery on this night and others paint their dwellings as tokens of blessings. Many people also believe that the souls of the dead people visit the world on this night.

But, Ahmad bin Hajr and Mullah Ali Qari (Miratul Mafateeh: 4:243) describes all these practices as innovations and un-Islamic.

Finally, some people quote the hadith mentioned in Tirmidhi (663) that the prophet asked: which day of fasting is the best after the fasting of Ramadhan and then he replied: the fast of Shaaban that is observed in honor of Ramadan. Shaikh Albani describes this a fabricated hadith.

The above discussion clearly demonstrates that the house of Islam is divided on the issue of the significance of the nisf Sha'ban. There are three positions taken by people, scholars included.

1. Those who consider this night a blessed night and recommend that special prayers should be offered from evening to dawn.

(2) Those who consider this night as a night of socialization and display of special skills and talents besides considering it a night for visiting the cemeteries and graveyards.

(3) Those who reject any special significance of this night and describe every act of worship besides obligatory prayers as innovation.

Obviously, these are strong opinions and each side produces its own interpretation of the Quran and references from ahadith in support of its claim. The masses as usual either act in a partisan manner or remain confused.

So, how should we look at this whole debate? Should we observe or should we not observe this night? What would happen if we observe it or if we do not? What is authentic and inauthentic? Because those who are quoting ahadith in support of their argument claim that their references are authentic and those who are rejecting it are labeling others as unauthentic.

It is really a matter of serious concern that in the last 1100 years of our recorded history, we do not find much effort seeking a reconciliation of opposite views. Rather, our scholars have indulged in debates about the validity or non-validity of certain activities on the basis of their perspectives on halal and haram. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly impact the future.

Those who consider this night sacred should realize a few things.

1. Allah is not only the Rabb (Lord) of 15th Sha'ban or Ramadan, but the Rabb of the whole year and all the years.

2. He listens to each and every one of us whenever we call him.

3. The issues pertaining to our life and death and sustenance occur on the basis of the divine laws that we are not fully aware of.

4. Ibadat or acts of worship are serious matters and they should never be lost sight of.

Those who do not regard this night significant or different than other nights should also realize the following.

1: They are not qualified to declare things halal or haram. This decision belongs to Allah only. They can only express their likes and dislikes.

2. Future research may make us change the perspectives we have today. Hence, to claim that the ultimate truth has been discovered through a methodology adopted by our scholars is a contestable issue.

3. Those who observe this night as special are as sincere in their commitment to their deen as others are. 

Those who use this night to show their special skills or to have fireworks should also realize that the purpose of life is to remain committed to the divine guidance in all walks of life and there should never be experimenting with the act of worship.

Based on this understanding, we can have the following conclusion.

Those who want to offer special supplementary prayers on this night should do so believing that Allah would respond to the prayers and add to their reward as He never disappoints His servants.

Those who do not consider this night any different than other nights should at least stay away from passing judgment on the level of Iman of those who observe it.

Those who want to show their special skills and talents should direct them to serve the poor and the needy and helpless. Let them spend the night and day visiting the places where the poor dwell, feeding them and giving them a sense of dignity.

As far as those who want to fast, they should remember that the Prophet used to fast on this month more than any another month of the year except for the obligatory month of fasting of Ramadan.

We are the ones who can make anything ordinary and extraordinary through our actions. I would rather listen to Allah about determining the significance of my action than anyone else.