Ramadan: Beyond Thirst and Hunger

Every year in the month of Ramadan, especially among a growing number of Muslim American households, Ramadan iftar parties have become an attractive event. With several different types of snacks and a lavish number of main entrees, the parties offer a spectacle of affluence, extravagance, and luxury. Why should it not be like this? After all, we are told that if you help a Muslim break his fast, you get huge rewards from Allah. So, all these parties and functions are for Allah as commanded by His prophet. Our reward increases with the presence of a Sheikh and probably with the increase in the number of dishes. 

But wait a minute? Most, I mean all, of the people who come to these parties are people who are well off, affluent and can easily afford to offer meals to others. Didn't the Prophet advise us to focus on those who are less affluent and less fortunate? Didn't Allah want the resourceful people to share their fortune with other less resourceful? Probably, Allah and His messenger might have meant that. But when we invite ordinary people who are not of our status and our class, we usually compromise our positions in the community. How can we, the affluent and less affluent be equal? We worked hard to earn what we have. We are entitled to enjoy the way we want to enjoy. Moreover, they are not aware of the etiquettes behaving in the company of the affluent.

This is how Ramadan is celebrated in some of the Muslim homes who have been endowed with resources. In our Mosques, depending on their size, the situation is different. Huge expenses are incurred by individuals and the management for iftar and meals. Many people justify these expenses, saying that Ramadan creates the spirit of brother and sisterhood and brings the entire community together. True! People feel rejuvenated and feel the spirit of the month by coming to the Mosque in large numbers, yet the resources that are spent could probably be used better. What if Mosques offer simple milk, water and dates for iftar and individual families bring extra food to share with those who are unable to afford it? It would require some organization and some serious efforts on the part of the management and families, but it would definitely create stronger solidarity. Rather than throwing lavish food, parties at the Mosque, if we follow simplicity and offer nutritious food supervised by nutrition experts, probably, we would utilize our resources better.

We do not have to wait for the entire community to have a consensus on these issues. Those who feel that such practices are genuine should follow them.

Let us look at the positive aspects of the month of Ramadan. For an entire month, we live in an environment where we are conscious of our creator every second, regardless of where we are, provided we are fasting or aware of the importance of fasting. It is a month where we can train ourselves in some of our behavioral aspects.

Some of our scholars remind us that we should focus on offering extra prayers and extra reading of the Quran. But in addition to these, there are two other aspects that were part of Prophet's behavior, yet ignored sometimes.

The prophet was very generous this month and he spent long hours seeking the protection and forgiveness of Allah. Obviously, the Prophet taught us that the month should be used to evaluate our own behavior and attitude towards ourselves and others and seek protection in the guidance of Allah. In other words, besides being generous, he taught us to ensure that we control our anger, egos, arrogance, and show humility, politeness, kindness, and forgiveness to others.

Fasting demonstrates our ability not only to conquer hunger, but also our capacity to control psychological aspects of our behavior, such as our reaction to things that we dislike. If we learned how to tame our ego, everything that we do will multiply in reward in our life and if we fail, then regardless of the number of nightly prayers and extra reading of the Quran, our fasting would not go beyond an exercise in controlling our hunger.

Here are a few suggestions that we can try to incorporate in our daily Ramadan and beyond.

We should:

• ... Not react immediately if we dislike anything. Rather, we would take time and try to respond in a calm and polite manner.
• ... Ignore those useless talks that serve no purpose.
• ... Ensure that we do not indulge in backbiting or demeaning anyone.
• ... Ensure that we show kindness to youngsters and respect to elders.
• ... Do not focus on food and consume things that are not nutritious because of Allah asks to be mindful of our health also.
• ... Control our anger, egos, arrogance, and trash-talking. 
• ... Do not hurt anyone and if we cross our limits, we would immediately apologize.
• ... Maintain quietness most of the time.
• ... Greet everyone with a sweet smile.
• ... Visit the mosque with our family at least once a week if possible. 
• ... Give our children a feel of Taraweeh prayers by praying with them this nightly prayer.
• ... Invite the poor and the needy families to our homes at least once in the month of Ramadan to honor them. 
• ... Be generous in sharing our resources to the poor and the neglected.
• ... Try to read the Quran with translation and understanding if we do not know Arabic and with reflections if we know Arabic.
• ... Spend some time alone to observe prayers and recite the Quran and reflect on our life.
• ... Focus on some of the suras of the Quran so that we could either memorize them or understand them in depth. 
• ... Invite some non-Muslim neighbors or colleagues to our homes to share the Ramadan spirit at Iftar time.
• ... Give the Zakat ul Fitr so that the money could be distributed in an organized manner to the poor and the needy. 
• ... Ensure that not a single prayer is delayed.
• ... Give one book on Islam to anyone who wants to learn more about Islam.
• ... Hug our children, our parents, and our dearest ones, to thank them for their presence in our lives and to remind ourselves of the importance of family.
• ... Ignore the minor or major behavioral issues of people and treat them with patience.
• ... Ensure that we would not visit internet sites that are provocative, or that promote immorality. 
• ... Help our spouses in home chores and avoid criticizing them for their mistakes.
• ... Always remember that all that we are doing is to fulfill our obligations to our Creator who seeks our well being in this life and the life hereafter.

A Tribute to My Father: Muhammad Muslim

Maulana Muhammad Muslim Saheb was one of the founders of Majlis-e-Mushawarat (the apex consultative body of Muslims) in India. He was a member of the Jamaat Islami's Shura Council for more than 3 decades and former editor of the Daily Dawat.  Here are my personal reflections on his life
By Dr. Aslam Abdullah
There were days when we did not have enough food to feed ourselves and he would advise us to learn how to live within means. There were occasions when he would ask us to donate the monetary gifts we received during Eid celebrations to the needy and the poor we never knew. There were times when he would buy us second-hand clothes from the flea market while wearing a Sherwani (long jacket) without a shirt,  because he had given that to someone he found shirtless in the streets. There were moments when we saw him giving a helping hand to a mehter (janitor) carrying human waste. There were also days when we saw him fasting for days because the food he would consume might serve his children or even guests. There were nights when he would ask us to sleep on the footpath out in the streets because there were homeless elders or children and women who had nowhere to go and they had to be accommodated in our home.
In our young and tender age, these images were imprinted in our minds but we did not know why he was doing what he was doing.
There were recollections when we saw him standing up late at night praying alone crying. There were mornings when we saw him focusing on a page of the Quran gazing at the horizon for hours not even responding to our questions. There were hours when we saw him waking up in the middle of the night writing on a piece of paper.
We observed all this, but we were unable to understand why he was doing what he was doing?
There were also times when we watched him go alone risking his life to pacify mobs that were advancing to Muslim homes to destroy them during Hindu-Muslim riots. There were occasions when we saw from the roof of our home his efforts on persuading angry Muslim mobs to spare the lives of Hindus who were living in our neighborhood. We knew what he was doing, but we did not understand why.
There were times when he would not return home for several days or months and years and we would not know where he was only to discover later that he was in prison for days or months or years of writing something that was objectionable to the authorities who had accused him of defying them.
But, we also saw him totally submissive and quiet when his elder brother would admonish him or yell at him for not informing him of the financial strains our household had gone through. He would smile and politely refuse any monetary support his own elder brother would offer in times of crisis.
We saw India’s President Shankar Dayal Sharma visiting our depleted one-bedroom house in the crowded Old Delhi offering condolences at the demise of his elder brother in the quietness of late-night and we also saw Inder Kumar Gujral, a powerful minister in the cabinet of Mrs. Indira Gandhi visiting our family when he was in prison during the emergency. We remember the times when Kuldip Nayar and other journalists would visit our house to have a discussion with him in the room while we were running around and we saw several prominent Muslim leaders and scholars sharing whatever food we had during long hours of discussion.
We grew up observing all this. I remember the day when I returned home shirtless and shoeless on a cold night, my mother asked me several questions. He was attentive to what I was saying. I told her that I had given my shirt and shoes to a person whom I found semi-naked in the streets of Delhi.
I saw his face light up and I still remember what he told me with a smiling face on that night: It sends goosebumps whenever I recollect that. He said; “this is the beginning of your understanding of Islam and the Quran.” I did not understand then how would giving a shirt and a shoe teaches me Islam and the Quran. Only when I learned to read the Quran with translation and then in the Arabic language, I realized what he had meant.
We learned Islam observing him. He never gave us long lectures on the importance of the Quran or Islam. He never recommended any specific books for us to develop our comprehension of the deen we were born in. We did not even have the money to buy the books published by his own organization and he would never ask for a free copy of any. But he taught us how to pray and how to read the Quran through personal example. We acquired our basic understanding of Islam and the Quran while imitating him.
Later on when we began to read what he was writing in Daily Dawat or had written in Daily Nadeem, a newspaper he was editing before moving to Delhi from Bhopal, his native town, we realized that he was probably writing his own journey to Islam because we had seen him walking that.
In his understanding of the deen, the dignity of human beings, regardless of their background was central. Islam’s essential message, as we discovered from his writings, is to create a community of believers that would not allow the weakest and the most vulnerable to suffer humiliation because of lack of means and resources. When his brother would tell him that it was impossible to change the world, his typical response was, “one has the capacity to change oneself.”
We discovered in his writings that he would advocate equality of human beings, regardless of gender or religious differences. All human beings are created by the will of Allah and all of them deserve a dignified existence.
We found out in his writings strong advocacy of the right to dissent in matters that are not already settled by the divine writ as explained by the Prophet. People would differ with him on many issues, but he would smilingly and politely conclude the conversation by saying “I hope you are right.” I never found him saying a disrespectful word against those who were against him.
We discovered in his writing acceptance of all genuine practices in Islam. We saw him visiting masjid of Shia community as well as the Bohra community and encouraging them to work with the Muslim community on broader issues to live a genuine Islam.
We also discovered in his writings the importance of modern education for expanding and explaining Islam’s basic message.
He wanted to see Muslims become an effective component of Indian society with full participation in all spheres of life permitted by Islam regardless. He advocated political participation, social welfare, academic excellence and unity of purpose within the Muslim community.
We saw him working long hours for helping Muslim organizations and groups thrashing out their differences and working for a common cause. People would come and talk about others in a hostile manner, and he would listen trying to persuade them to change their opinion of others. He would never repeat the assertions of people about each other. Rather, he would give a positive perspective on each organization and individuals.
We never saw him taking a day off from his work not even during his illness. He at one time was diagnosed with tuberculosis, but he continued to write his column even during the illness.
When he was active in organizing the Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat after the wave of bloody riots in different parts of India, he was accused by many including his friends to have compromised the position of his organization. Yet this did not change his relations with them. He was still their friend. Many of these people visited him at home and rebuked him of changing the nature of the work of his organization; he would patiently listen to them without defending himself personally.
He was not a scholar as he did not have big degrees attached to his name. He never went to an institute of higher learning. He did not memorize the entire Quran and he did not master any books of ahadith. But he knew how to respect knowledge. He lived it. He never sought any limelight for anything. He was an average person in terms of his educational skills as he had not gone beyond high school because of his family conditions. He had lost his parents when he was under the age of 4. He was raised by a friend of his grandfather. He studied Arabic, Persian, Urdu, English and Turkish from his grandfather. He never pretended to be a scholar. However, he used the knowledge that he gained from his basic understanding of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet in an effective manner to the best advantage of his community and faith. He never hesitated to speak the truth, even if he was in the presence of a prime minister or anyone else.
His vision was simple. The Quran and the one who introduced the Quran to humanity are the sources to acquire basic traits of our character. Building character is a life long process and one should not wait until the perfection to start working for the ideals of the Quran. He devoted his life to this ideal. When he was part of the Khaksar movement, he was working for the same object and when he was part of the Jamat e Islami, his mission did not change.
He was a salaried employee of the Jamat-e-Islami’s newspaper Dawat. His request to all of his children was very simple: “give back every penny that I have earned as a salary from the organization.” So, after his death, one of our brothers took it upon himself to ensure that his request is lived. We know how happy our mother was when my brother returned home after returning the amount to the president of the organization.
I was in England working when I got the phone call from one of his friends about his demise. I had never thought that I would be away on that day because, during his long years of illness, I was the one who always had the honor of serving him in the hospital or home. When I called home, I was told by my younger brother that we did not have enough money to buy his shroud and buy the grave. We borrowed money to buy the shroud. The grave was given free by the in-charge of Dargah Shah Waliullah on the outskirts of Old Delhi. He left the world without complaints. He breathed his last on the prayer rug on which he had just concluded the early day prayer. There was not a single penny in his household on the day when he left this world. How rich he had left this world, we now realize.
He lived in a rented home with his wife and 11 children in a 10x10 room for 35 years without even thinking of buying a bigger home. He refused to move into a bigger home when his organization offered him that. We still rent the home. From the property that he had sold in his native home, he bought a piece of land in Delhi to be given to a person who was in need. He once was given a shop by his friend to run a bookstore in the most expensive area in Delhi, near the Jama Masjid. He gave this shop to the organization voluntarily because it was needed to distribute the literature.
He never complained about anything. He never talked about his financial conditions with anyone. But we often heard him apologizing to our mother for putting her through a life of hardship and challenges. We never heard him raise his voice in his home. We never heard him say anything hurtful to her or to us. We never saw him angry except on one occasion when I had asked him to use the influence of his friend in government to find me a position on the All India Radio. He told us to work for our own livelihood and not be dependent on his contacts to win any favors.
So, on July, 3, the day he passed away, I take the day off from everything else to spend time alone reflecting on his life and works quietly and reminding myself how deep his commitment was in the Quran and the messenger of Allah. We find him speaking to us in our imagination saying life and death of individuals do not alter the nature of the message of the Quran and the Prophet. “Do whatever you can, always raising the bars of work with sincerity and dedication without expecting any reward and you will leave this world rich and contented.”
May Allah inspire us to dedicate the life to the Quran and Sunnah the way he and many others before him and along with him lived.

Moon Sighting to Moon Fighting

Some time ago when the Sultan of Turkey decided to introduce electricity in the Mosque of the Prophet, the religious scholars and leaders opposed it on the ground that something created artificially cannot occupy a sacred place. It was not different than the opposition, the scholars raised to the printing press when it was first introduced. They, in fact, banned the printing of the Quran and declared it haram (not permissible). Then the loudspeaker was introduced and the religious scholars opposed its use in Masajid saying that the voice radiating from it is artificial. Then the television was introduced and Muslim scholars called it the daughter of Satan and then the internet also met the same fate.

At every turn of human progress, the so-called Muslim religious scholars have always created major obstacles causing immense loss to people who followed them. The irony is that when the progress bulldozes them and make them irrelevant, they succumb to the changes and shamelessly accept them denying vehemently their own earlier stance. For instance, the traditional religious scholars of Islam in India were opposed to the learning of English language and they even called it an act of disobedience to Allah, yet their descendants are not only living in English speaking countries but also making appeals for funds in the English language. In fact, their sustenance is dependent upon their knowledge of English. 

There is only one word that describes their attitude: hypocritical. Our community is led in religious matters, by and large, by those who are hypocritical in their attitudes. A hypocrite is the one who acts on the basis of self-interest in matters involving people and changes his or her position accordingly.

As long as the leadership of the community is in their hands, Islam would remain a stranger for Muslims and an irrelevant faith to people in general. 

They and people like them are the ones responsible for the current sorry state of affairs of Muslims in the world. They are the ones who get the podium week after week and they are the ones who run our Islamic centers and masjid. In the words of the Quran, "Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not return (to the path). (2:18) 
Their attitude to change is best described in the Quran in the following verse when it says "

"When it is said to them: "Follow what Allah has revealed:" They say: "Nay! We shall follow the ways of our fathers." What! Even though their fathers Were void of wisdom and guidance? (2:170)

Their attitude is based on their defiance of the Quran and the Uswa (example) of the Prophet

They are still adamant in their refusal to acknowledge the supremacy of the Quran and the way the Prophet implemented it. Moon sighting is one such issue that has become a moon fighting issue. A few years ago, a scholar of Islam refused to lead the Taraweeh prayer on the first night of Ramadan, saying that according to his school of thought, the moon has not been sighted and the method of calculation to determine the new month is haram (prohibited).

A simple act of determining the birth of the new moon has been presented in such a complicated manner by these scholars, that the entire Muslim world has been living under its curse for ages. The purpose of moon sighting as explained by the Prophet was not moon sighting itself, but it was to determine the birth of new moon to begin the new month in a scientific and calculated manner according to the tools of the time of the Prophet. The prophet knew the Quranic verse that says clearly: “It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light, and measured out stages for it (moon); that you might know the number of years and the calculations. (10:5) and his main objective was to ensure that unlike his tribal practices, Muslims should not fall to the trap of arbitrarily deciding the number of months or days of months.  In order to make his point clear about the purpose of moon sighting, the Prophet further elaborated that if you don't see the new moon on the 30th of the month, start the new month the following day. So simple and so pragmatic. In other words, determine the beginning of the month with accuracy. 
In our time, Allah has given us tools in astronomical science to determine the birth and sighting of the new moon. If we do not use it, we are not only denying the laws of Allah but also defying Him. And this is what is precisely happening in the Muslim world for centuries. No one is willing to take a stand on this issue because of the culture of intimidation these leaders have created. Any challenge to their position is easily turned into a challenge to God and anyone who challenges God is either ex-communicated or killed. The profanity of these so-called scholars has contaminated the mind of our youth who have been given a false understanding of faith.

Yet the so-called protectors of Islam, i.e., scholars have turned this simple act into a major conflict on moon sighting. Now every year, thousands of hours are wasted in deciding something that can easily be calculated according to the laws of Allah and about the laws of Allah in a disciplined manner. Nothing that is happening in the physical universe is happening without his laws and knowledge. We human beings are discovering his laws, according to our level of understanding. For almost 8,000 years we believed that the earth was flat, but we never longer now, because we have acquired the knowledge that was already in existence in the universe.

But our religious scholars say no to this knowledge and defies Allah and his laws by saying one does not need to understand these laws and use them for the purpose of improving one's life. Unfortunately, we have given them the responsibility of raising our younger generations. Our youth has been handed over to them like sheep and the future of Islam has become tied to their status and position. Their magical spell on people is as such that despite being rational in all matters of life, people refuse to see the absurdity of these scholars in their arguments.

In our world today, the so called religious scholars are the biggest impediment in developing a simple and accurate understanding of the Quran. They are defying God by reciting his words and they claim they are the protectors of religion. The Quran describes them aptly when it says: "The similitude of those who were charged with the (obligations of the) Mosaic Law, but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is that of a donkey which carries huge tomes (but understands them not). Evil is the similitude of people who falsify the Signs of Allah. and Allah guides not people who do wrong."(62:5)

A New Quran Center in Delhi

In the Zakir Nagar colony of New Delhi, a new Quran center has made a very humble beginning. Started by the sitting principal of Delhi's oldest college, the Delhi College, the Center offers free coaching classes to class six and class ninth and tenth students in mathematics, science, vernacular language, and social studies. There is nothing unusual about teaching these subjects, but what is unusual is that students would also have to spend one hour learning the meaning and message of the Quran. They would be required to take tests, if they fail in the Quran test, the privilege of tuition-free coaching would be withdrawn.
The new center is run by the Yumna Quranic Education Trust. This is the first effort of its kind anywhere in the world where students are encouraged to study the Quran with meanings combined with modern education curricula. There are several unique features of this center.
1. The money was not raised through fundraising appeals. Dr. Mohammad Aslam Pervaiz donated his hard-earned money to purchase the building and he assumed the responsibility of taking care of its running expenses.
2. Not a single dime was taken from any of the existing religious institutions or government agencies or foreign organizations. No Qatar, no United Arab Emirates, no Kuwait, and no Saudi Arabian money are involved in running this center.
3. The Quran Center does not belong to any school of thought or ideology. It has no loyalties other than the loyalty to serve Allah and His prophet and the people.
4. Its emphasis is on the understanding of the message of the Quran in a language that is understood by the students easily.
5. It is not dependent upon its survival on anyone other than on the one in whose name it is initiated, i.e. God Almighty.
6. It is not an intellectual exercise on the part of a few individuals, but a bold effort to impart the meanings to those who are sure to play effective roles in the upcoming generations of Muslims.
7. The idea is to duplicate this type of center to different parts of India depending on the need.
8. It is meant to help students improve their life on the basis of the teachings of the Quran.
The center is the logical culmination of two annual Quran conferences that took place in Delhi in 2011 and 2013 under the leadership of Dr. Pervaiz.The Center would ensure that these conferences are organized regularly not only in Delhi but in different parts of India as well.

In the Muslim world where the Quran has been reduced to the level of memorization, recitation, and reading without understanding, there is this bold effort to communicate the message to the younger generation of the grassroots. While memorization, recitation and reading are good, they are not the main purpose of the Quran. If this was the case, Allah would have revealed the rules of Tajweed along with the Quran. The rules of tajweed were developed by people who later came to be known as a scholar. They were based on the linguistic and sound notation rules to ensure that their recitation creates an impact on the heart. The main purpose of the Quran was and is to understand divine guidance and live one's life accordingly.
This is the purpose that one finds missing in most institutions created to teach the Quran. Recently, in fundraising, the director of a Quran Institute boasted that his school has produced 100 plus huffaz (those who memorize the Quran) in the last 15 years. How many of them really understand the Quran and grasp its meaning. He did not like the question and even memorization brings huge rewards. When you have a culture in established Islamic schools, that the Quran is not a book to be understood, how can you extract any guidance from it?
The ideal situation is that people understand the Quran in the language in which it is initially revealed. Yet in the last 1400 year history of Muslims, it did not happen. But until that happens the guidance cannot be postponed or understood through secondary or third sources. It has to be understood directly from the Quran and from the Prophet. This Center is making this task easier for our younger generation, at least in India.
The Center is also establishing the example that knowledge cannot be split into secular and religious. All knowledge is created by the Creator and hence without the one, the other is incomplete. Let us hope that this new effort succeeds and help our younger generation, at least in India to grow under the shade of the Quran to live a life that is meaningful and worthy of living.
The address of the Center is:
The Quran Center
244/5 Zakir Nagar, New Delhi 110025

Where are they? The Shia and Sunni leaders

The debate about the events some 1400 years ago that resulted in the martyrdom of Imam Hussain is still on in Muslim leadership circles all over the world. Each describes the other as deviant, unworthy of Islam and a violator of Islam's fundamental principles. Each justifies violence against the other to please God, they both believe in and each denounces the other as the worst enemy of Islam. Extremists on both sides are not tired of accusing each others' most revered personalities of crimes against them.
Yet, the religious leaders of both communities constantly engage in rhetoric reminding its followers that the Islam they preach is the most tolerant and the most peaceful religion.
Majority of Muslims that are not involved in this conflict among leaders is bewildered and often tends to believe that all these acts of violence are engineered by some hidden powers, including the not so hidden US, Israel, India, and Great Britain and many others. A few are willing to admit that there is a serious theological, political and social problem in relations between Shias and Sunnis.and those committing acts of violence are Muslims belong to either of the two communities.
The debate about Caliphate as championed by many Sunnis and Imamate as promoted by the Shias is irrelevant in our times. Even in places like Saudi Arabia, a 100 percent Muslim majority country with Sharia laws does not claim itself to be a Caliphate and the Shia Iran still waits for the arrival of its hidden Imam to return. Yet, in the name of their sects, both have been killing each other for long.
Non-Muslims have a right to ask this: "If Muslims cannot tolerate their internal differences and do not know how to handle them peacefully, how can we be assured that they would not act violently against others with whom they might have fundamental theological and religious differences?"
No one can resolve the differences that have existed among Shias and Sunnis forever. Even those who are considered the most pious among Muslims, i.e., the companions of the Prophet or their followers were engaged in these differences. So what can be expected from those who are living the legacy of their predecessors?
So what can be done?
Differences cannot be resolved, but the violence can be controlled. Rather than resorting to violence, the leadership of the two communities can engage in a serious, peaceful dialogue built on the fundamental divine principle that human life is sacred and it cannot be harmed. This is possible when those who are considered great spiritual leaders of the two communities instruct their followers that violence is not permitted in Islam and human beings cannot be killed for their theological differences.
The leadership has to repeat this message from every pulpit and vow to protect human life. It is possible to achieve peace between the two communities, but it requires a new style of leadership. This new style demands that leaders stop playing God and act as servants of God, whose obligation is to ensure the sanctity of human life of not only Muslims but of all others.
Without that, it is almost impossible to control the forces of violence unleashed by the hatred that has been nurtured for centuries in the name of Islam.
At people's level, we can stop promoting those leaders who talk the divisive language and incite them against the others. It is a difficult task, nevertheless, it is doable. At least in the US, those who are Shias and Sunnis can prevail upon their religious leaders to refrain from using a language of hatred and violence against each other.

A Salute to America

There, in the small curvy streets of the hill town Kathmandu, the Capital of Nepal, a few girls are being introduced to other residents of that small house. They all have one thing in common. Until they met, they were all living like slaves bought by their owners in India, Bangladesh or Pakistan. An elderly woman was instrumental in buying them back from the owners and bringing them to the house, she had prepared from her own money. Many of these girls came from Islamic and Hindu backgrounds.
No, that woman is not a Nepalese. Nor she is a Muslim or a Hindu. She is a white American woman who moved to Nepal to help these enslaved women buy their freedom. Once the girls are freed, she teaches them skills that would help them stand on their own feet financially. She teaches them dignity and living in harmony with others. She encourages them to continue to follow their faith.
Why?
Then there is this young man who was deployed in Pakistan in 2005 to assist the earthquake victims. Subsequently, he formed the Community Disaster and Relief Services and decided to settle in Pakistan to provide relief to deserving communities in Pakistan. With over 100 employees and hundreds of volunteers, this young man has devoted his life to educating the poor, the neglected and disadvantaged children so that they face the future challenges of life effectively. He left his well settled life in the US to live in conditions that many upper class rich Pakistanis would not identify with.
Why?
Then in Las Vegas, there are these 10 or 12 young men and women who take time from their busy professional life and go to Chennai, India, to live among young lepers who they clean with their own hands and who they teach music so that they can take pride in their own abilities despite the stigma that society attaches them.
Why
There are hundreds of Americans who have volunteered their life and resources to help the poor and the neglected mostly in the Muslim world. They are unknown to Muslims with the exception to their beneficiaries.
Then there is this group of immigrants who moved from Pakistan or India or Bangladesh to this country in the late 60s and made a life for them on the basis of their hard work and integrity. Now they are spending their resources in building schools in various smaller towns of Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to help educate the poor and the needy.
Why?
They do this because they believe in the goodness and they believe in serving humanity. Perhaps the verse of the Quran, “you are the people whose task is to serve and secure the good of the people,” applies to them most appropriately. Perhaps they are the ones who deserve at least silent thanks for each one of us as they do not want to be recognized for what they do.
They are there serving people regardless of 9/11 or 7/7 or violence that often permeates in Pakistan and Iraq or other parts of the world. They are there as a sign from God that good and evil are not equal and if someone is doing wrong, good should always be given the priority.
Many Muslims blame America for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and Muslims criticize America for drone attacks. But Muslims are not the only ones who feel this way. Millions of Americans have made their rejection of the military adventures in the past and continue to do so. But these Americans do not punish fellow Americans for the mistakes in foreign policies. They never abandon their commitment to good.
Can’t we Muslims be more rational, realistic and fair in our assessment of what the citizens of this country have been doing in different parts of the word? Can’t we Muslims be appreciative of them and remember them in our prayers for the good they are contributing and can’t we Muslims join their hands to strengthen their work rather than being critical of America always?
But this is the America we Muslims rarely talk in our institutions and homes. This is not how Muslim groups and parties in the Muslim world introduce America to their followers. They pick on everything that is negative in America while ignoring their own ills.
Don’t you think that these Americans deserve a salute from all of us, and don’t you think that we are blessed to be among people who have goodness in their action and no amount of negative talk about Islam prevents them from continuing to do what they have been doing.

Boston Bombing and Muslims: The inability to handle the dissent effectively is the main cause of violence

Every time an act of terror is attributed to a Muslim, the debate about Islam, Muslim history, culture and relationship with the West or the non-Muslim world becomes dominant in our academic circles, homes and the media. Muslims argue that the action of a few cannot be used to judge their community, while many non-Muslims view all Muslims as potential terrorists.

Both are right to a certain degree. If someone commits an act of terror in the name of a faith or an ideology, however, twisted their logic may be, what is the guarantee that others belonging to that ideology or faith would not follow the same behavior? Similarly, why is it that an entire community is punished and defined in the image of a few criminals, unknown to the community.

The failure to understand the causes of such behavior on the part of isolated individuals and groups would always lead us to behave in a manner that would further complicate the issue. Both, the Muslims and their critics need to evaluate their responses to incidents of terror when they occur.
Non-Muslims need to understand that Muslims are not a monolith group. Their diversity is self-evident in their divisions on social, ethnic, cultural, political and economic lines. They do not have a single leader. They are not represented by a single organization and no single group can claim to speak on their behalf. Often the differences among them are the manifestation of the power play of the opposing groups. They even have differences in their understanding of their scriptures on key issues. However, the general consensus among Muslims is that human life is sacred and it must be respected. If one acts contrary to the general belief, then, it should be considered an isolated action and the entire community cannot be held accountable for that.

The Boston bombing explains this clearly. Two brothers acting in isolation acted arbitrarily on the basis of their understanding of their faith and history and committed what Muslims rightly describes crime against humanity. Their action should be considered a deviation from the norm.
However, Muslims have to look at their own community critically and understand why do individuals commit these acts. The one issue that Muslims have often failed to handle effectively is the issue of dissent. How should they resolve the differences within them and with others? Despite the fact that the scriptures of Islam and the lifestyle and teaching of Prophet provide ample guidance to deal it effectively, Muslims have often responded to their differences in a tribal, feudal or conflicting manner. Dissent frowned within the community. Critical questioning is discouraged by many. Those who take an opposing viewpoint are either ostracized or isolated or even declared non-Muslims. It is not uncommon to see Muslims refusing to pray behind fellow whom they differ in details. Rarely one finds a Shia Imam leading the prayer of Sunnis and vice versa.

In our books of jurisprudence, the dissent is often punishable by death. Our history is a witness of the sectarian violence that has been led by religious leaders on the basis of their differences in the details of the faith. The war between Iraq and Iran is a testimony of that juristic style where both parties first declared each other non-Muslim and then engaged in mass killing on the basis of their readings of the Quran. In our history of the earliest Muslims, we read about wars among the companions of the Prophet on the basis of their political differences. The violence against the grandson of the Prophet is evidence of that methodology of dealing with differences arbitrarily on the basis of power play.

The use of this methodology where violence is justified against the opponent is malice, we have been living for centuries and it must be handled tactfully and directly by our generation of Muslims. The Quran is against violence. It describes war a reprehensible act. It invites people to peace and reminds the believers that the best way to resolve the difference is not to act on the basis of the feelings of revenge or anger, but on the basis of understanding others viewpoint or forgiveness or responding wrong with right. It even quotes the prophet when he was asked to tell those who were opposed to his ideals:
"O messenger tell your people “You may do whatever you choose; I will not interfere. On the other hand, do not interfere with my program. The results will soon show to whom success will eventually belong. Allah’s law is those wrong doers can never prosper.” (6:135) or 

"Remember! Deeds which create balance and harmony in society and in one's own self, cannot be like the actions which create chaos.  If disorder and chaos has affected society, the best way to get rid of these would be to do more constructive work.  (This would offset the ill effects of their misdeeds and stop further deterioration.  It would have one more advantage that) The severe enmity or hatred that has developed between yourself and the one who was responsible for creating disorder, would turn into a close friendship." (41:34)

The Quran suggests that dissent must be acknowledged and accepted.  It is thus imperative that we address this issue effectively. Unfortunately, the community, by and large, ignore the scriptures when it comes to seeking guidance. It accepts the interpretation of individuals in defining God and his message. It is a common practice among Muslims to quote this scholar or that scholar in defining verse of the Quran while ignoring the text. A great majority of Muslims lack a meaningful, direct connect with their scripture and the messenger, Prophet Muhammad. They rely on the understanding of the scholars of the divine guidance and the life of the messenger without attempting to directly relate to the Quran. The Quran for them has become a book to seek the blessings and not guidance. Thus, in crucial issues such as respecting human life, freedoms of expression, they tend to rely more on the opinions of those scholars who were influenced by their history, culture, and politics. It seems that they have left the task of following the Quran to the Prophet, while they are satisfied with their loyalty to their scholars and parties.

It is, thus, imperative that we address this issue urgently reminding ourselves of the ultimate purpose of the divine guidance that in the words of the Quran is to create a disciplined, non-anarchic society where the interests and dignity of all are secured and guaranteed, where Muslims' presence in communities the live with is a source of comfort and peace. This would happen when they assure them that they can live with each other peacefully without resorting to even a language of violence accepting the differences. Unless that happens, we should be prepared to suffer the consequences of violence for a long time.