By L. Cochrane and W. Chellan

Poll results and mainstream media suggest that higher levels of poverty equate with higher levels of religious adherence. Broadly speaking, this generalization appears to hold true. ((See, for example: http://www.gallup.com/poll/116449/Religion-Provides-Emotional-Boost-World-Poor.aspx)) However, correlations of this nature do not occur in isolation. Wealth and poverty are also correlated with regional location, leading some to suggest that wealth and poverty are linked with geography. ((For example: Diamond, J. (1999) Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. W. W. Norton & Company: New York.)) Correlations can also be made between poverty and education, crime and a host of other social and economic factors. A critical analysis of the link between poverty and religious adherence is important because, based upon this claim, some suggest that religion is only “useful” as a means to address insecurity, instability, uncertainty and stress. Indeed, some turn to faith in times of need (e.g. Qur’an, 10:22). The claim that there is no inherent need or value of faith, for anyone at anytime, beyond a coping mechanism is what we suggest requires critical scrutiny.

Is it true?

These claimed linkages are limited to statistical correlations, not causations. In other words, the global polls describe a trend, but do not offer an explanation as to why that situation exists. The cause depends on how the data is interpreted and what other factors are sufficiently accounted for. The selection of data can influence the trends that are identified. However, does the statistical data confirm that these correlations exist? Our recent paper sought to clarify this and related questions. ((Cochrane, L. and Chellan, W. (2015) “We Were Extremely Poor But We Were Pious”: Exploring the Interrelationships between Religious Adherence and Economic Status in the Muslim World. Global Humanities 2: 112-128))

We first point out that it is quite easy to identify case studies to “prove” a point. Almost two-thirds of Senegalese live in extreme poverty, and the vast majority are religious. At the same time, Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world, wherein the majority are religious. To overcome the challenges of selectively using data, we utilized a Pew Research Center data set of more than 38,000 interviews conducted in 114 countries, and focus on Muslim majority countries (80% or greater). The findings suggest the picture is far more complex than the one presented in popular media and polls:

• The relationship between higher GDP per capita and a greater percentage of Muslims in the population is weak and insignificant. In other words: wealth or poverty in Muslim-majority countries is not correlated with greater or fewer identifying with the faith.
• There was no relationship between higher GDP per capita and the percentage of people that pray several times a day. In other words: the level of wealth did not impact on how frequently or regularly people pray.

Other findings also suggest that the “link” between poverty and religion is complex. For example, there are strong geographical trends with regard to religious practice, suggesting that poverty is not the primary factor affecting religious adherence. Also, higher GDP was correlated with declining support for Islamic Law; this suggests that politics (i.e. the political implementation of “Islamic Law”) play a significant role (recall that economic status was not correlated with the number of people who regularly pray, but support for “Islamic Law” was).

All of these statistics are “playing the same game” in that we are only able to describe trends, but not understand the causes of them. Nonetheless, we find that the statistical claims being made are incorrect (or, at best, only part of the story). We also explore lived experiences of Muslims in South Africa, a country where significant rises in GDP per capita have taken place. The diversity of experiences confirms that the relationship between poverty and religious adherence is complex, with some people becoming more religious and others not as wealth rose. The life stories align with our statistical data: there is no correlation with religious practice and wealth (or poverty) and certainly no evidence to suggest causation. Like the global data, the life histories indicate that local and regional history, politics, culture and society have a far greater influence on religious adherence than economic status.

Viewed from another perspective:

We also explore the theological perspective of poverty in Islam, all of which reinforce the complexity of the issue. For example: specific economic indicators are commonly used to measure poverty, but the theological conceptualization of material poverty includes diverse definitions, such as the poor (fuqarāʾ), the destitute (masākīn), chronic or temporary poverty (e.g.: ibn al-sabīl and ghārimīn). Furthermore, like the Noble Prize winner Amartya Sen, ((Sen, A. 2009. The Idea of Justice. Harvard University Press: Cambridge)) they suggest the need to distinguish between intentional asceticism (zuhd) and material poverty. Islam also conceptualizes a different form of poverty, separate from material and economic status: spiritual poverty. Popular media and the polls do not take any of these factors into account. In fact, we suggest, the theological tradition can enhance our understanding of poverty and its various manifestations.

The Prophetic tradition provides insight into the way poverty can be understood, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be unto him) made the supplication: “I seek refuge with You [God] from poverty,” ((Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Nasāʾī. Sunan al-Nasāʾī: Kitāb al-ʾistiʿādhah, bāb al-ʾistiʿādhah min al-dhillah. Aleppo: Maktab al-Maṭbūʿāt al-ʾIslāmiyyah 1986)) which he encouraged others to do as well. ((Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal: Musnad al-ʾImām Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad Abū Hurayrah, ḥadīth 10973. Beirut: Muʾassasah al-Risālah liʾl-Ṭabāʿāt waʾl-Nashr waʾl-Tawzīʿ 2001)) At the same time, there are warnings against wealth: “By God I do not fear poverty for you, but I fear that you will lead a life of luxury as the past nations did, whereupon you will compete for it as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it had destroyed them.” ((Muḥammad Ibn ʾIsmāʿīl al-Bukhārī: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, kitāb al-maghāzī, bāb shuhūd al-malāʾikah badrā, ḥadīth 4015. Beirut: Dār Ṭūq al-Najjāt 2001; Muslim Ibn al-Ḥajjāj: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, kitāb al-zuhd waʾl-raqāʾiq, ḥadīth 2961. Beirut: Dār ʾIḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī 1991; Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī: Sunan al-Tirmidhī, abwāb ṣiffah al-qiyāmah waʾl-raqāʾiq waʾl-warʿ, ḥadīth 2462. Cairo: Sharikah Maktabah wa Maṭbaʿah Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalbī 1975)) As well as: “Is it poverty that you fear? By the One in Whose Hand rests my soul, this world will come to you in plenty, and nothing will cause the heart of anyone of you to deviate except that.” ((Ibn Mājah al-Qazwīnī: Sunan Ibn Mājah, abwāb al-sunnah, bāb ʾittibāʿsunnah rasūl Allāh, ḥadīth 5. Damascus: Dār al-Risālah al-ʿĀlamiyyah 2009)) These narrations suggest, as does the entirety of the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions, that life ought to be lived in moderation, avoiding excessiveness to the best of one’s ability, and pointing to the inherent dangers of extremes.

Take-away messages:

• Claims of religiousness and poverty are, at best, correlations, not causations.
• Statistical data that demonstrates the connection between religious practice and wealth (or poverty) is, at best, weak.
• Lived experiences confirm the complexity of this relationship and the diversity of responses to wealth and poverty.
• Religious adherence is correlated with geographical location more than economic situation.
• Local politics, history, culture and society appear to have much greater influence on religious adherence than economic situations.
• Islam offers unique insight into how poverty and wealth can be understood, particularly in understanding the diverse manifestations of poverty.
• The Prophetic traditions warn against the problems of poverty and wealth, pointing towards moderation and moderate living.
• Islam postulates its adherents to have a mutual obligation to one other, and humanity at large, to alleviate poverty and the burdens of others, while at the same time supporting others to avoid the ills associated with extreme wealth.

By Anum Zamir

The path to paradise is outlined most brilliantly in the following verse of Surah Ahzaab (The Confederates):

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالصَّادِقَاتِ وَالصَّابِرِ‌ينَ وَالصَّابِرَ‌اتِ وَالْخَاشِعِينَ وَالْخَاشِعَاتِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقَاتِ وَالصَّائِمِينَ وَالصَّائِمَاتِ وَالْحَافِظِينَ فُرُ‌وجَهُمْ وَالْحَافِظَاتِ وَالذَّاكِرِ‌ينَ اللَّـهَ كَثِيرً‌ا وَالذَّاكِرَ‌اتِ أَعَدَّ اللَّـهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَ‌ةً وَأَجْرً‌ا عَظِيمًا

Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.

(Qur’an, 33:35)

This verse works like a blueprint. By so powerfully mentioning both men and women together yet separately, Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), highlights the equality and justice with which He views His servants. It is this justice that also affords women a distinct status in general society.

Surah Ahzaab empowers the Muslim woman in ways previously not seen in Arabia, specifically with regard to inheritance and marriage. Interestingly, it is reported that this verse was revealed after Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), had requested greater mention of women in the Qur’an¹.

The Framework

1. Belief. The believing Muslim submits entirely to Islam. Surrendering one’s own will and desires to that of Allah (swt), the Muslim prefers the Divine Commands and Decree over all else.
2. Faith. A greater degree than belief, faith requires accepting the six pillars (Allah, the Angels, the Books, the Prophets, the Last Day and the Divine Decree). It is to worship Allah (swt) with ihsaan (excellence)—knowing that Allah can see us—and implementing knowledge into action.
3. Obedience. True obedience is omnipresent—on one’s heart and tongue and limbs, in every place and at every point in time. Whether at the grocery store or at a relative’s house, at the workplace or at the mosque, the obedient Muslim is compliant to Allah (swt) with every action and every statement. No deed is too small. “And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and earth. All are to Him devoutly obedient,” (Qur’an, 30:26).
4. Truthfulness. The siddeeqeen (truthful ones) have a rank alongside the prophets of Allah (swt). A believer might be many things across the vicissitudes of life, but can never be liar². Avoiding the hypocrisy in lying³, the Muslim always speaks the truth, solely to please Allah (swt).
5. Patience. Prophet Ya’qub `alayhi as salaam (peace upon him) said it best: “Patience is most fitting,” (Qur’an, 12:18). And Allah (swt) says, “O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, God is with the patient,” (Qur’an, 2:153). The patient Muslim trusts that Allah (swt)’s decisions are the best possible, and knows that with it, ease and reward are most certainly ahead.
6. Humility. Across the spectrum of life, humility refines and beautifies a person. The Muslim is aware that all blessings are from Allah (swt), and humility is in return an essential form of gratitude. Equally necessary is humility before people. Good character is the essence of Islam, and without it, a person’s faith is incomplete.
7. Generosity. Spending on one’s parents, relatives and the poor and needy purifies wealth and intentions. Financial assistance is encouraged, but spending one’s time and efforts in these causes is just as laudable.
8. Fasting. A deed that in turn increases one’s obedience, patience and humility is also a pillar of Islam. The Muslim prioritizes fasting days both involuntary (during Ramadan) and voluntary (three days of each lunar month, for example).
9. Modesty. Physically adorning one’s self with the dress code mandated by Allah (swt) coupled with the appropriate characteristics in thought and speech illustrates modesty. Spiritually, the Muslim is modest in character. Modesty is a “branch of faith”⁴, and a hallmark of Islam.
10. Remembrance of Allah (swt). On the tongue, in the heart and in actions, the remembrance of Allah (swt) is habitual for the Muslim. Never forgetting Allah (swt) is a responsibility, whether by uttering “subhan Allah” (glory to God) upon seeing a beautiful sunset, or guarding one’s prayers with due diligence on a daily basis.

For those who solidify these ten qualities in their daily routines, Allah (swt) promises forgiveness and a great reward. Principally, it means entry into Paradise, along with a clean slate in the Hereafter, freedom from worries and concerns, limitless enjoyment and eternal peace. More simply, an abode better than any human being could ever imagine.

May we learn to embody these qualities and become worthy of the Almighty’s forgiveness and reward. Ameen.

Author’s biography:

Anum obtained a Bachelor of Science in Global Business and later a Master of Public Affairs (MPA). After graduating, Anum turned her focus and attention toward the study of the Qur’an, and has recently  completed a comprehensive Qur’anic tafseer certificate course. She plans on teaching, insha’Allah after completing her teacher certification. Her interests include teaching, blogging, reading and cooking, as well as Islamic studies and history.

References

1 Musnad Ahmad 6: 305; An-Nasai in Al-Kubra 6:431; At-Tabari 20:270

2 Imam Malik, Mishkaat Book 56, Hadith 19

3 Sahih al Bukhari 2749, Book 55, Hadith 12

4 Sunan an-Nasa’i 5005, Book 47, Hadith 21

Complete References

1. Umm Salamah radi Allahu `anha (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Prophet said, “I said to the Prophet, ‘Why is it that we we are not mentioned in the Qur’an as men are?’ Then one day without my realizing it, he was calling from the Minbar and I was combing my hair, so I tied my hair back then I went out to my chamber in my house, and I started listening out, and he was saying from the Minbar: O you who believe, indeed Allah says in His Book: (Verily, the Muslims: men and women, the believers: men and women…) to the end of the Ayah.”

[Musnad Ahmad 6:305; al-Sunan al-Kubra al-Nasa’i 6:431; At-Tabari 20: 270]

2. Malik related to me that Safwan ibn Sulaym said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, ‘Can the Believer be a coward?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He was asked, ‘Can the Believer be a miser?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He was asked, ‘Can the Believer be a liar?’ He said, ‘No.’ “

[Imam Malik, Mishkaat Book 56, Hadith 19]

3. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet ﷺ said, “The signs of a hypocrite are three: 1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 2. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise). 3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it).”

[Sahih al Bukhari 2749, Book 55, Hadith 12]

4. It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Faith has seventy-odd branches, the most virtuous of which is La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) and the least of which is removing something harmful from the road. And modesty (Al-Haya’) is a branch of faith.'”

[Sunan an-Nasa’i 5005, Book 47, Hadith 21]

By Rubab Shahid

To some, happiness is parallel to success and achievement. The satisfaction you feel when completing a difficult task, or when you accomplish a goal you had been striving to attain for a long time. Others will equate happiness with love, emotions of care and affection. Yet others believe happiness is escaping a difficult situation. These are all occasions of joy, as they should be. However, there is another type of happiness that all of us yearn for: the happiness that comes with finality, an ultimate satisfaction.

All of the types of happiness and the search that precedes them are in fact the hunt for something deeper; when we say we wish to be happy, what we mean is that we wish to be content. Content with who we are, what we look like, with our ways of speaking, our friends and our reputation.

Often, in trying to attain these things, we run after things that soon lose their value or perform acts we later regret. When our goals and desires clash with whatever life has in store for us we get depressed, feeling like the happiness we yearn for is just an illusion, like everything we do ends up going wrong anyway. When everything looks like it is just going to be messed up and the current will always be against us, giving up looks like the easiest way out. When everyone’s expectations seem like too much, we often decide to let all of it go. It’s the reason people turn to drugs—to numb the pain they have suffered, whether self-inflicted or inflicted by others. More than marijuana or cocaine, self-pity is the most addicting of narcotics. Self-pity arises when we believe that our problems exist because we have some innate problem, that we are not good enough, or that there is something wrong with who we are. That nature and nurture together just made us messed up people. It is easy to believe that you were just destined to be a failure. It is definitely easier than taking responsibility and hundreds of times easier than being an instrument of change.

But the truth is that God does not create failures. The same hand that created you created the masterful system of the universe that is ever bound in scientific law, where nothing is random, where everything has a purpose. Maybe you are angry with Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) because you believe that He made life hard for you and that He caused you to suffer so much. A lot of the time the painful things that occur are not immediately due to our own mistakes (or so we believe), so the first person we blame is Him.

Everyone has events happen in their life that hurt. Deaths, abuse, poverty, depression, to name but a few. And it is hard. It’s so hard to have hope sometimes, and we find ourselves fighting to stay positive. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, we feel abandoned, alone, and neglected. We feel like nobody cares or ever will. It exhausts us to be so angry and hateful, but the pain does not end, always threatening to drag us under. That black hole will always exist unless we find a way to drag ourselves out. But we can never do it alone.

I don’t know how you see predestination, but to me, it means that certain events have specifically been targeted to time periods in our life, whether difficult or joyful. All these events have been specially packaged for us for three reasons, all of which are intended for our benefit.

Firstly, they are manifestations of the truth that life is a test. In a test you must face problems and obstacles that you must overcome, and the bigger the reward the harder the test. The test separates the strong from the weak, and allows you to show what you are made of. Through the way we react to the tests He sends our way, Allah (swt) sorts us into successes and failures (like a Teacher, silently). Remember, Allah was the One who made the obstacle; but it is your choice whether you sit and cry and feel sorry for yourself, or stand up and take benefit from the situation. As the most Merciful, Allah (swt) has written your test because He knows you have the ability to pass it. Will you utilize your abilities or let them go to waste inside of you? Would you let down both God and yourself?

Secondly, bad things happen to us to save us from worse things. For example, a man wants to go visit his mother on Eid day, and she lives very far away. So he books a plane ticket and puts his ticket in his pants pocket, then goes to bed. The next morning he wakes up, puts on his pants and drives to the airport. When he arrives, extremely excited, he is told to take out his ticket. He reaches into his pocket and suddenly realizes his pocket is empty. It turns out that he wore the wrong pair of pants. If he goes back home now, he will miss his flight.

Now he could sit down and either start blaming himself or blaming God for his misfortune. He goes home thinking that God is unfair. He wanted to go help his mom; was that not a good deed? The next morning, he finds that the plane he would have been on crashed halfway to its destination.

Often it is not so obvious, but the principle is the same. Just because we fail to realize something does not mean that it is not the case. Allah (swt) sees everything with a bird’s eye view, while we only see the things that are directly in front of us. Try thinking back on things that happen to you and make a habit of being hopeful. Being positive does not change what is happening, but it makes you a stronger and happier person. Do not forget to be patient, too, because often things only reveal themselves at the end of the story.

The third reason bad things happen is sort of an extension of the first, but also my favorite, and the one that gives me most hope. Allah (swt) puts us in hard situations so that we turn back to Him; we are wandering around earth, trying to plunge ourselves headfirst into hellfire by our actions and open disobedience, and He takes pity on us. How is that pity manifested, you might ask?

It is human instinct to turn to a higher power when we are in distress, hence the saying, “There are no atheists in a foxhole.” We ignore God in our everyday lives, stubbornly believing everything we have is a result of our own intelligence. But then we blame all misfortunes on Allah (swt), which is quite unfair. The most tranquil way of life lies in the obedience of Allah (swt), and that is not a statement based on blind faith. The manufacturer of a product best knows how it should operate. We humans—ingenious creations with a system unparalleled by any technology just under the flesh of our skin—also have a manufacturer, who sent us an instructor, Rasul Allah [the Messenger of God] ﷺ (peace be upon him) with an instruction manual, the Noble Qur’an. The Qur’an is not just an instruction manual but letters from Allah to us with the solution to every problem, the cure for every disease, the light for every darkness. It is through hardship that Allah calls us back to what will benefit us the most.

True happiness comes from light—spiritual light that permeates our souls and lights the way through a forest of uncertainty and self-doubt. Perhaps a scripture might comment on the sudden shift from scientific method to abstract concept, and to that person who has paid such close attention, I ask: is happiness a scientific or psychological phenomenon? If you see happiness as nothing but the release of hormones into the bloodstream, see humans as machines playing a part in a gruesome play for no purpose, then it will be true that happiness is unattainable. But those who are willing to reach for hope and not just give up due to prejudice or laziness will find it with Allah, without a single shred of doubt.

All you have to do to begin is Read.

One of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s least known papers was an op-ed he wrote as an undergrad at Morehouse College in 1947. It was a call to question the purpose of education. I believe his call has yet to be answered.

Photo: Seattle.roamer

A recent national study, conducted annually as part of the American Community Survey, captured snapshots of undergraduate college students’ views on education. The respondents were asked to weigh different values and to rate them according to importance.

The percentage of students who found “being very well off financially” as “essential” or “very important” rose from 42 percent in 1966 to 80 percent in 2011. The percent of students who found “developing a meaningful philosophy of life” as “essential” or “very important” dropped from 85 percent to 47 percent. This trend in our views on education starkly contrasts with what King viewed as its true purpose.

King tells us that “education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.” For our (costly) educations to be truly worthwhile, we had better begin to ask ourselves the difficult questions. What is my stance on homosexuality–both morally and legally? Why are our prisons still filled with black people over sixty years after Rosa Parks’ sit in? What is our country’s role in the Middle East? Why are we over there anyway?

If those questions make us uncomfortable, that is a good sign. King contends that to begin the journey towards finding our philosophy of life, we must discover our moral and ethical truths. Our educations must challenge us to ask the questions that are not politically correct, to question our teachers, our leaders, and our gods; it is only in the sincere pursuit of truth that we can land on “worthy objectives upon which to concentrate” (King).

There may be serious repercussions if we do not. He ends with a warning I pass on to myself, my fellow classmates, and my teachers: “If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, ‘brethren!’ Be careful, teachers!”

Many of us recently celebrated MLK Day of Service with a great quote on Facebook, by volunteering for a day, or even by starting a service project. These are all great things. But to truly honor his memory and celebrate his work, it is the quest for meaning that we must all embark on together. This pursuit of meaning should enable us to question the status quo of today, not simply to remember what has already been done by greats like MLK. We must question status quos in the political sphere, the personal sphere, the religious as well as the social sphere. Our role as individuals with the potential for leadership and influence is to realize our personal duty to seek truth and meaning in our lives. It is from this platform that we can begin to change ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world for the better.

In the last article, we explored how Allah (swt) exonerated Aisha radi allahu `anha (may God be please with her) and Prophet Joseph `alayhi as-salaaam (peace be upon him) from unsubstantiated and untrue gossip, and we talked about the victims of slander. Today, it’s about the perpetrators of slander. It is about, quite possibly, you and me.

Sometimes in the name of “enjoining good and forbidding evil” we forget the sanctity of our fellow human beings and especially fellow believers. We spread things that are unsubstantiated in a bid to ‘warn others’ about possible deviancy. We are harsh in our words. We assume the worst. We forget that one of the best traits a Muslim can have is “thinking well of the servant of Allah” and for other Muslims to be “safe from his hands and tongue.”

We forget that the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) passed by a grave and he warned that the person was suffering in his grave because he would spread gossip. We forget that that person we are talking about may have our good deeds transferred to him simply because he is a victim of our speech.

Scary stuff? It is. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The majority of man’s sins emanate from his tongue.” (Tabarani)

To go back to the examples in our previous article, it was clear that those with power—the minister and the minister’s wife—knew the truth with regards to what was said about the Prophet Joseph (as). But they allowed the rumor to persist and put Prophet Joseph in prison. With Aisha (ra), we have even more details. The people who discussed the rumor were good Muslims. They discussed the scandalous nature of what was said, and in doing so, spread it far and wide. Shaytan created doubt: “Could it actually be true?” Allah admonished the Muslims when He informs us in the Qur’an about what happened:

“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, ‘This is an obvious falsehood?’” (Qur’an, 24:12)

Now some people might think this example is extreme. We would never spread such a rumor. But rumors and slander and gossip come in all shapes and forms. So if you hear something about someone that is unsubstantiated, do not fuel the fire. We are just as bad as those news networks we criticize, who pick up a story, and whether true or not, run with it.

This is not intended to shut down constructive criticism of public figures. There are ways of bringing people to account. There are ways of disagreeing and critiquing ideas and views, which are beyond the scope of this article. But in the age of the internet, anyone can write a piece and within an hour it is shared and read by many. And it would do us good to reflect on what our role is in this. We must remember that we will be held to account. So let us not put ourselves in a position to be asked about why we were careless in our research, harsh in words, and negative in our basic assumptions about others.

And remember that the Prophet ﷺ taught:

“A person’s eman (faith) is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright.” (Ahmad)

Allah is al-Haqq, the Absolute Truth. Al-Ghazali says:

“Al-Haqq—the Truth—is the one who is the antithesis of falsehood, as things may become evident by their opposites…

“Therefore, ‘true’ applies to existence in individuals, to existence in the intellect, which is knowledge; and to existence in speech, which is utterance. The thing which most deserves to be [called] true is the one whose existence is established by virtue of its own essence, forever and eternally, and its knowledge as well as the witness to its truth forever and eternally. So all that pertains to the essence of the truly existing One, and to nothing else.”

If Allah is the Truth, then His Words are the truth; His Promise is the truth; His Threat is the truth; and His Acts are the truth.

Thus if we are the creation of the Ultimate Truth, and we worship Allah the Truth, then we have to live this life by the principles of truth. As Allah tells us in the Qur’an:

“For that is Allah, your Lord, the Truth. And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted?” [Qur’an, 10:32]

If we truly love Allah and His attributes, then we need to be sincere lovers of truth over all else—even over our own selves and interests. Some may wonder what the difference is between truth and justice. Justice is the implementation of the truth. Truth is a value, and justice is its implementation.

Be a Truthful Person

So what are the practical effects of this Name? Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].” [Qur’an, 2:42]

As we know, the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) was known as as-Sadiq al-Ameen; the truthful and the trustworthy. He had a deep conviction in his principles, and revelation only made him stronger in them. When he wanted to publicly announce the message of Islam, he called out to the people. He said to them, “If I were to tell you that there is an army behind this mountain ready to attack, would you believe me?” and their answer was, “We never heard you tell a lie before.”

Being truthful means being truthful in our speech and in our actions. So we are not dishonest in our interactions because we know truth is something to be lived, and not simply spoken. We strive for justice in all our actions because that is true living in accordance with the principles of truth. Being truthful in words means saying the truth but also being wise with it. Remember that the Prophet ﷺ taught us to “show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it.” (Abu Dawud) There are truths that have to do with justice, and these must be said in a manner that is in the spirit of the way of the Prophet ﷺ.

A man once came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him, “When is the Hour?” He said “Wait for the Hour when trust will be destroyed.” One of the signs of the ends of time is that these principles are lost.

Understanding the Truths We are Taught

We believe that Allah is the Truth, and we believe that His Words are true. Therefore, what He has promised us is also true. So what truth does the Qur’an teach us? The truth of purpose, of accountability, of return to our Lord, of benefitting humanity, of cooperating with others for good, of standing up for the oppressed, and of the fact that Allah is with us and protecting us when we stand for truth, no matter what Pharoah is standing before us.

If we truly believe in the truth of the Qur’an, then we need to understand the purpose of our lives. We must work for something greater. We must take comfort in Allah’s promise when things are difficult for us.

Recognize Small Truths

The beauty of Islam is that it recognizes small truths. The Prophet ﷺ tells us, “The statement of wisdom is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it then he has a right to it.” (Tirmidhi) So we shouldn’t dismiss something because it is does not seem to be, in our view, as emanating from Islam. It is actually our duty to seek the truth as an affirmation of Allah’s Truth.

Be a Seeker of Truth

Try to seek truth in all its forms. As al-Ghazali says, realizing this Name means that a person “is so absorbed in the Truth that he has no room for anything else.” Imagine if all you ever wanted from your dealings is to ascertain the truth. It doesn’t matter if the truth is for or against you, whether revealing the truth means your co-worker would get the promotion and not you. What is important to you is that you are a follower of the truth.

Salman al-Farisi, one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, was a sincere seeker of truth. He came from a wealthy Persian family. He was even entrusted with keeping the fire that they worshipped. But one day, he heard some Christians speak about their faith. And he was astounded. He wanted to convert to their religion, so his father put him under house arrest. When he finally escaped, he accompanied a seemingly pious Christian leader. But that man turned out to be corrupt, taking people’s charity meant for the poor for himself. At that point, Salman radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) could have turned away. He could have said “What a hypocrite! What a religion! I don’t want anything to do with this!” But he didn’t. He knew that the Truth had nothing to do with the evil actions of men. He left the corrupt man, and continued seeking.

He finally found a pious Christian monk. He accompanied him and learned much from him, until that man was about to die. Salman asked him for advice concerning what he should do and whose company he should seek. So the monk told him of some of the signs of a prophet who was coming: a man who did not take charity but would accept gifts, in a place between two mountains, who had a seal on his back. So Salman (ra) set out to go to Arabia. He met some Arabs and told them he would give them money if they would take him to Arabia. But they took his money and kidnapped him in order to sell him as a slave! A Jewish man bought him, and eventually he was taken to Madina to serve one of the men from the Banu Nadheer tribe, one of the Jewish tribes of Madina. This was before the Prophet ﷺ arrived.

Imagine how you would have felt at that point. What do you think was going through his mind? ‘O God! I did all this for you, to seek the truth, and then you turn me into a slave?? I used to be a nobleman!’ But again, Salman wasn’t concerned with his hardships. He was concerned with seeking the truth. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, Salman (ra) heard that a man who people believed to be a prophet had come. So Salman tested the Prophet (pbuh), looking for the signs he was told about. And they were all there. So Salman (ra) wept, and kissed the hands of the Prophet ﷺ, and told him his story. The Prophet ﷺ collected money from all the companions in order to buy Salman’s freedom.

For this reason, all the companions wanted to claim him. The Muhajireen (immigrants from Makkah) and the Ansar (the supporters in Madina) both said that Salman was from them. When the Prophet ﷺ heard them, he said “No. Salman is from us, the people of the house,” i.e. the family of the Prophet ﷺ. Imagine arriving at such a station, by being a seeker of the truth.

A Beautiful Du`a’ (Supplication)

اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً، وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلاً، وارزقنا اجتنابه

Allahumma  arina al-haqqa haqqan warzuqna ittiba’ah, wa arina al-batila batilan warzuqna ijtinabah

O Allah! Show us Truth as Truth and give us ability to follow it and show us Falsehood as Falsehood and give us the ability to avoid it.

May Allah make us seekers of The Truth.

One of the trials that workers are often afflicted with is thinking that they are more important than they are. We work hard, we struggle, we have a few successes, and then we think that we have done something. We allow these successes to cloud our brains and our hearts, and we get fooled into thinking we are irreplaceable. We think that the work will not continue without us or that our opinion is more important than someone else’s. This is the beginning of a massive heart attack. It is the seed of arrogance. When this seed is left unchecked, we start disrespecting others when they disagree with us, we marginalize others in our decision-making processes, and develop incorrect perceptions of who we really are and what this is really all about. We lose focus.

In order to regain focus we must come back to the basics and ask ourselves: How can I combat this onslaught of arrogance? The first step is to look at the definition of arrogance given by the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him).

When asked about it, he defined it as two things: Rejecting the truth and looking down on people. The two questions that should come as a result of that definition are:

1. How do I know the truth?
2. How do I build the spiritual capacity that will prevent me from looking down on others?

These are heavy questions and questions around which revolve the sincere search for truth and beauty through submission and worship.

As to the first, there is no solution other than to study. In the modern world we often think of this as reading books. This was never the way that Muslims studied throughout history. They read, yes, but they never read by themselves without tutelage and rigor. It is disturbing to me when I give a sermon on Culture and Islam and people think that they have understood the topic afterward. It is a sermon. There has been no elaboration, no discussion, no application, no analysis, nothing. This is a huge topic. You have not yet understood. The scholars always say:

“Never take Qu’ran from someone who studied it through the mushaf (its written form) (and not through a teacher). And never take knowledge from someone who only studied it through books (and not with a teacher).”

This is truth, and it requires rigor, humility, and patience. It is only through such dedicated study that one can develop one’s understanding of Islam to the point that one feels JUSTIFIABLY comfortable in what one understands to be the truth. It is also through such study that one truly begins to realize how little one knows, which is one of the most important lessons one can learn in life. However, simply learning is not enough. To practice it requires another element, which relates to the second issue.

The second issue is our spiritual development. To not look down upon others requires us to have a true and honest understanding of ourselves. We have to know and recognize our shortcomings and be in a constant state of struggling to align ourselves to the teachings of Islam. This is what submission is about. The key to this path is adab (courtesy/etiquette). Without it the seeker is lost in his or her journey and will never reach their goal. It begins in adab with Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He), and manifests itself in the way we treat others. This is one of the fruits of sound spiritual development. It is reported that some of the sufis used to say that the one who is better than you in adab is better than you in Sufism. Ibn al-Qayyim, radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him), commented on this and said:

“Nay, rather the deen (religion) itself is adab, so the one who is better than you in adab is better than you in the deen itself.”

This is not about sloganeering or intellectual prowess. We are not competing for votes or trying to win popularity contests. This is about a sincere and humble dedication to the truth. Only with such effort can one begin to protect themselves from the disease of looking down upon others.

It is with these reflections that we turn to the verse which inspired this lesson. God (swt) says in Surah Muhammad:

“Here you are—those invited to spend in the cause of Allah—but among you are those who withhold [out of greed]. And whoever withholds only withholds [benefit] from himself; and Allah is the Free of need, while you are the needy. And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you,” (Qu’ran, 47:38).

This is a severe reminder for all those who seek to serve Allah (swt) in their lives. It is great that you are serving the community and working for the betterment of people, but do not ever forget that this benefits you more than it benefits anyone else. It is something that you have been called to do by the demands of your faith, and it is an honor and responsibility to answer that call. It is we who are in need of the mercy and love of Allah (swt). He is not in need of us. If we turn away, not only physically but also spiritually, by abandoning the path of deliberate self-criticism and reproach then He will replace us with others. You are great in potential, doing good things, but you are replaceable. Humble yourself.

This is the reminder that we take from this verse and the reminder that should cause us to reignite our commitment to the two pillars of learning and spiritual development.

5. Speaking a word of truth to a tyrant under the threat of death can be easier to accept than the daily struggle of working for this deen.

I hope this statement is in no way misunderstood as belittling the struggle that is going on in Egypt. Just as Musa (as) was told by Allah (swt) to remind his people to “Remember the Days of Allah” (Qur’an, 14:5) which Ibn Kathir describes as the days in which Allah (swt) saved the people from Pharoah, we hope that these events in Egypt once again are from “The Days of Allah” in our times and another Pharoah is removed by His permission. Yet at the same time, the verse shows that despite the ummah of Musa (as) being given such a blessing, they struggled in upholding the way of Allah (swt) afterwards. Experiencing the situation there, I realized that joining the protests was not as difficult as I would have imagined. Because of the blessing of iman (faith), once a person knows the cause is just, and they have come to terms with facing death or injury, as  the reward with the Almighty is incredible and the next life is better than this one, the desire to participate is innate and even overwhelming. Your whole being wants to go. As seen in the seerah (stories) of the Prophet ﷺ, it was easier for people to struggle physically in the economic boycott in Mecca than it was for them to struggle mentally and spiritually after the Quraysh ridiculed them for the Prophet’s ﷺ account of Israa and Mi’raj. Luxury and freedom can be a greater test of faith than fighting oppression. For example, Muslims around the world might be thinking, “I wish I could be there and protest with them,” while they recognize that doing so would be risking their lives. Yet how hard is it for those same Muslims to write a letter to their congressman when asked to for the exact same cause? How hard is it for them to get active locally in positive efforts and be patient with their brothers and sisters when shurah (advice) is made against their opinion? Subhan’Allah, awhile back I had a chance to speak to a community leader who had been imprisoned and tortured in Egypt and he had fought in the Afghan-soviet war. When I asked him what the hardest thing he ever had faced as a Muslim serving the deen was, he said it was being president of a Muslim organization—the challenges for that organizational role were much more difficult than facing death. I never could fully appreciate what he meant until I witnessed what happened in Egypt. At the same time, I realized if you can genuinely face the threat of death in the real world because of participating in a good cause, you have the strength to do a lot more than what you have been used to doing, and every fear you used to harbor seems miniscule in the face of the cause that you seek to serve, and the One you seek to please.

6. The significance of organized and structured teamwork at times like these.

One of the things that occurred on a nearby street with the neighborhood watch guards was a degree of confusion on how to work. They didn’t appoint an Amir (leader) initially so things were a bit unorganized. Different men would argue over how to guard the area, and shoot each-other’s ideas down quickly. They didn’t organize shifts so some young men were out there much longer and running on considerably less sleep than others. When a false alarm would happen, everyone would leave their posts and run in the direction of the noise, leaving their area unguarded. It soon became clear that a neighborhood cannot be protected properly by a group of individuals. It is protected by a team; a team whose members are disciplined enough to know the time for shurah and the time for just taking commands. In areas where people knew how to work as a team, the neighborhood watch ran like clockwork. At a time when cell phones and internet are blocked and people are in need of a host of services, teamwork and leadership training counted most. Subhan’Allah, people do not realize how much nafs, or ego, has to be fought in order to produce effective teamwork for the sake of Allah. The Islamic ethics of teamwork is something we must all seek to be trained in, as it is very much tied to having depth to our understanding of the deen on a practical level, as well as a spiritual level.

I realized that the people on that street never had the chance to experience the discipline and ethics of teamwork, organization, and shura-based leadership. It was against the law to organize grass-roots civic activities and assemble under the Mubarak regime. They simply didn’t have the tools and were doing the best they could with what they knew. It was here I felt deeply an old lesson that I previously knew, as if it was the first time I had realized it: the significance of our ummah being organized and structured in the way we approach Islamic work. If the country was left to only those who were confused with teamwork and barely able to organize, they would never have been able to meet the needs of an entire population, especially if they were struggling to just meet the needs of a single street. May Allah help them to “learn on the job” and allow us to benefit from the lessons of these experiences. Again, in order to work efficiently and as a team, we must train our souls to maintain love for each-other, even when we disagree, and still do our part when the team adopts an Islamically permissible decision which we dissagree with. This brings us to the next lesson…

7. Fight the Mubarak within!

I remember once reading something by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali where he encouraged the Muslims that when they see something ugly in someone else, to use that as an opportunity to reflect on the ugliness of that quality, then to interrogate one’s own nafs in harboring it, and finally to purify oneself from it with repentance. I reiterate the law of Allah (swt) that He will not change our condition as a people, until we change that which is within ourselves. So let us take a moment to go through this exercise. Mubarak is a symbol of arrogance, greed, and blindness to his own transgressions against others. How many people has he hurt, but he feels too important to apologize and admit it? How many of those whom he has harmed does he even remember? How obvious is it to the entire world that he is a horrible leader, and yet he refuses to step down? He worked only with those who would increase his status, and bulldozed over everyone who challenged or questioned his ideas. Subhan Allah, people even comment on how his evil even shows up in his facial expression and in the way he looks. Now let us look within. The Prophet ﷺ taught us that all of us are shephards and all of us will be questioned about our herds, and that we are not to transgress one another in either thought or action. Do we abuse our positions of power in life as dictators? Have we hurt and transgressed the rights of others and not apologized? Have we hurt people on a deep level and not even realized it? Do we harbor transgressions of ill-thoughts towards our brothers and sisters, and manipulate circumstances to make them look bad and limit their opportunities? Are we too arrogant to settle issues directly and in a civil manner or instead choose passive-aggressive means? Do we participate in “propaganda” to defame good people? Take a moment right now for tawbah (repentance), and seek forgiveness from your brothers and sisters. Let us help our brothers and sisters in Egypt, and the condition of our ummah at large by seeking to change ourselves! This is the time for sincere tawbah and reform! These are the “Days of Allah” in removing the Pharoah from our own souls!

Now lets take this reflection from the individual level, to the community level. Are we giving new people a chance?

One of the days right before we left, the “official adhan (call to prayer)” was not working in the nearby masajid or so it seemed. Instead I heard the harmony of young boys making the adhan from various masajid. Their voices were beautiful and innocent. I suspect someone had planned it in order to send a message to the neighborhood, that it’s a new day, a new era, and a new generation. I appreciated how much the older people on our street were encouraging the young people, calling the teenagers on watch ‘rijaal’ (men) and telling them how proud they are of them, and what an honor they are to their country. A lot of the leg-work in the protests was done by the younger people, and they were given the space to lead and direct. Yet the encouragement, wisdom, and mentorship came from the elderly. This combination is very beautiful. Young people are trained “on the job” and elderly people are honored for the wisdom that their life experiences can offer. It made me think about how our Islamic institutions in America need a similar spirit.

In the Mubarak regime, he was criticized for his version of reform simply being that the same people in office play musical chairs. I thought about how many masjid boards are criticized for having a similar dynamic. People who were on board when they were in their 30s are still there in their 60s. If a young 30 year old comes and wants to volunteer, they ask him to take care of the younger youth program. Sometimes they even say what Mubarak said, “I want to leave but am afraid of what will happen to the place if I do.” The delusion of grandeur is not exclusive to Mubarak. We need to take this moment to reflect on dictatorial issues in our own communities. Do we make space for those younger than us? Do we actually make real shurah in the efforts we lead? Do we tolerate those that we differ with and can we work with them on areas of agreement or do we shun each-other? Do we think everything depends on us or are we humble enough to realize that we are not only replaceable in our positions, but also replaceable with those who are better than us? When we haven’t fulfilled the amanah of our position, do we offer to step down in order to save the effort or do we cling to our titles and positions regardless of knowing there are those who are better suited to do the job who are available. Or is it that we can’t see them because we are blind to the good that others can offer and over-confident in our own abilities? Let us identify the “Mubarak” in our own nafs and dethrone him, and let us empower the new generations, investing in the future instead of our own egos.

8. Everyone has a role.

We should all make du`a’ (prayer) for the people there, and fast as well. But we can also get active from organizing a community Qiyam (prayer) to pray for the people, to participating in local protests. Du`a’ and tawakul (dependence on Allah) in Allah come with the responsibility of trying to “tie the camel” or “taking asbab” (using the reasons/means). Imagine for a moment if you saw an Imam praying in front of a table that he wants moved saying “Allahuma Harrik al-Tawilah, Allahuma alayka bi al-Tawilah, Allahuma laka al-Tawilah wa lana al-du`a’.” (Oh Allah move the table, Oh Allah upon You is the table, Oh Allah for you is the table and for us is du`a’). Wouldn’t it seem strange for someone to do that without trying to move the table with their hand? It wouldn’t make any sense. Now imagine the table is bolted into the ground and he is making the same du`a’. It still wouldn’t make sense for him to make that du`a’ while not even touching the table or trying to move it, or unbolt it from the ground. The du`a’ and tawakul must be coupled with our human effort.

Sometimes the effort might appear as seemingly ineffective as shaking the trunk of a palm tree —but we have no choice but to have faith and try. No matter what country we are in, we need to call our Muslim political organizations and ask them how we can volunteer for this cause. We might get asked to write a letter or make a phone call. That should not be belittled—because it is not the function itself that allows victory to come, but Allah (swt) who allows it. We need to prove in our efforts that we are a people who will sacrifice for His sake, and participate in the efforts available while believing in His promises. Either we will have our success in this life and the next, or we will have it in the next—but the point is, we will have it. He can and will replace us with a people better than us if we stop trying. And again, du`a’ and tawakul are efforts that must be coupled with action and each of us has a role—we simply have to be brave enough to seek it.