Random thoughts on our era (with reference to the Islamic sources)

 A strange encounter

Those who know me, know that I am a contemplative and very private person. I am not in the habit of sharing information, especially of a sensitive or personal nature, online. Yet, a very small incident just occurred which was so disturbing that I could not resist to record my thoughts in this blog post. 

I was in a movie theatre, in the middle of the day (when theatres tend to have very limited attendees), in a back row. Randomly, a man comes, sits next to me, asks abrasive and rude questions such as "what are you doing, you aren't enjoying the movie?" seemingly criticizing me for looking at my phone. When I told him I am minding my own business (in as calm a fashion as possible), he says, "keep minding your own business" and walks off. It may be important at this stage to state that I was sitting alone, quiet, in no way bothering anyone. The aisle I was sitting was empty, minus the man (who was sitting about ten seats away from me), there would have been no glare from my phone. In other words, there was no excuse or logical reasoning to have been approached in such a fashion. I took his behavior as threatening. 

Taken aback by it, I went to report the incident to security, and, as it turns out, there is no security, not one security guard. This was surprising because in a Las Vegas context, almost all the theatres are attached to Resort hotels/Casinos. The manager seemed sympathetic but out right told me there was nothing he could do. I simply returned to the theatre hall, finished the movie, and left.

In analyzing my behavior before and after, I could not see anything I did wrong or provocative. I am unsure if it was racially motivated, it certainly was not religiously motivated (I was not dressed in clothing associated with Islam).

It is a small incident admittedly, however, in concert with many other recent happenings left unmentioned on this blog post, it made me think about some of the observations of the Prophet Muhammad, the final Nabi of God, Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam. 

The diminishing of knowledge, the abundance of ignorance

One of his profound statements is that in the age near the end of things, one of the things unique to that time is "knowledge will be diminished, yet ignorance will be abundant" (yaqillul 'ilmu, wa yaktharul jahl)(ft.1)

I take this hadeeth to mean that knowledge will not be respected, those who possess authentic understanding of (any) fields will be disrespected, disregarded and dismissed, in light of more flashy presentations. This is not just within religion, but in all fields. Suddenly, a google search or employing of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) program has more value than those who have taken years of academic training, with certificates and degrees from recognized places of learning. 

In a similar vein, "ignorance" is not simply lack of knowledge on a subject. Indeed, we are all ignorant of one thing or another. The "ignorance" (jahl) is really uncivilized thinking and behavior. It is driven mainly by unguarded and negative emotions, such as jealousy, arrogance, and even the disease of racism! In other words, there is no logic to their behavior!  The Prophet asserts that this is the sort of situation we see in the age of the end of things. His words should not be easily dismissed. 

It is very telling that Moses (Musa, 'alayhis salaam), the Prophet and liberator, prays to Allah "I seek refuge with Allah from being among the ignorant" (Q 2:67)

وَاِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰی لِقَوۡمِہٖۤ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَاۡمُرُکُمۡ اَنۡ تَذۡبَحُوۡا بَقَرَۃً ؕ قَالُوۡۤا اَتَتَّخِذُنَا ہُزُوًا ؕ قَالَ اَعُوۡذُ بِاللّٰہِ اَنۡ اَکُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡجٰہِلِیۡنَ

Misdirected violence

The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace and blessings, has also remarked that even a murderer would not know why he is committing the murder, nor would the victim understand the reason. (ft.2)

This is a situation we see in American society in abundance! While slightly different criteria exist to measure violence, the GUN VIOlENCE ARCHIVE has recorded atleast 400 mass shootings in 2023 (ft.3).

I have had conversations, in the context of my work, with victims of these things. The random and seemingly senseless nature of it is what has the most impact on victims, and society at large. It happens so often that we don't even register it as a surprising or abnormal event. This is truly disturbing. It is not our intention to present any theories as to the ultimate causes of random violence in American society, but rather to show that the Prophet's statement indicates that senseless violence is one of the signs of a deteriorating society!

Destruction of family units

Those who are familiar with traditional Muslim literature will recognize that there is a false messianic figure prominently mentioned, known as Al Maseeh Ad Dajjal. While I have my own thoughts on the precise meaning of this expression, what is interesting is that the literature has made mention of "deceivers" (in the plural) and actually says it will be " lying dajjals, close to thirty" (dajjaloon kadhdhaboon qareebun min thalaatheen). (ft.4) 

This is indicative of the fact that in the times towards the end of things, there are a number of doors to misguidance, and what is interesting is that we have at least two narrations that indicate that women would form the bulk of the followers of the deceiver. One narration even state in rather blunt language that it would be the responsibility of the men to recover their women from the clutches of these deceivers. (ft.5) 

I believe the overall meaning of these narrations is that women will be more emotionally inclined to the overall message of the deceiver(s), a message which is-essentially- the opposite of the Divine message. This is perhaps also an indication that the role of men in society will be under attack, to the extent that men end up unable to guide families properly, and thus, leaving families to the "mercy" of the  deceiving, outright malignant  devils (be they from human or non-human origins), The deceivers preach a message of conflict between the sexes, extreme individualism and addictions to both natural and unnatural intoxicants, replacing the real and organic world created by God in exchange for the digital.

Another aspect of this is taking advice from unqualified parties, be it from internet sources or social acquaintances.  Unmarried folks giving destructive advice in relationships, generating more and more unnecessary conflict. The unqualified advisors are simply following a lifestyle that has been promoted by the great deceiver(s) through popular media, assuming that such a philosophy is what is supposed to be followed. 

Islam promotes a healthy culture.

Among the beautiful qualities of Islam is its ability to integrate itself organically within a culture. It does not ask us to give up our own cultures in exchange for another, but rather, simply to discard forbidden practices and ideas in exchange for better ones. Thus, a traveler will notice the abundance of cultural diversity within the Muslim world, all the while holding firm to the religious precepts. 

In a Western context, I believe that this has to take shape in several formats, including the necessity to maintain healthy family ties (if they are actually healthy in the first place)(ft.6), reconciliation between parties(ft.7) , communal living, modest lifestyles, and the promotion of things in the wider society such as morality, values, injecting such teachings into the mainstream political environment where possible, I do not advocate too much religious debates, as  it has a rather limited benefit. 

Conclusion

It is only with God's guidance that we are able to identify what is good and what is bad. This does not mean that all opinions reached by believers will be correct or agreed -upon, but if Allah's guidance serves as a base, we can navigate the stress of this life with relative safety. One may accurately point out the rather horrible things happening to our folks, such as in Gaza, in an attempt to refute the above point, but it is with Allah's guidance inside of the Qur'an that tells us that such things are limited, they won't last forever. Moreover, it is Islam which has provided the people of Gaza, as it does elsewhere, the strength to endure, a lesson applicable to us all, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. 

Footnotes

(1) Saheeh Al Bukhari 81:23, and other sources, with slightly different wording.

(2) Saheeh Muslim 54:69.

(3) See United States tops 400 mass shootings in 2023 | CNN Politics

(4) For more details on the signs of judgement day, see Shamsuddin Waheed: Judgement Day: Lessons From The Qur'an And Sunnah

(5) Musnad Ahmad 5353.

(6) Toxic family situations are also addressed within Islam in ways which are surprising to most. Islam actually advocates taking steps for protection in such circumstances. A brief discussion can be found at our video "Ramadan Reflections day 13: Tosic family and friends" RAMADAN REFLECTIONS DAY 13 ( toxic family and friends) by Imam Shamsuddin Waheed (youtube.com)

(7) The Qur'an and Sunnah are both filled with texts advocating reconciliation between parties, be it in a political or social arenas. See Q 4:35, 4:128, 49:9-10. Indeed, we even have a hadeeth which states that the one who invents (yamnee) a good attribution to others, with an intention to reconcile parties, is not to be perceived as lying. (Saheeh Al Bukhari, 53:2: 2692). Also see the tradition narrated by Umm Kulthum found in Sunan Abu Dawud 4920, with a similar text in Saheeh Muslim 2605. 

A briefing on Satan

 It should be remembered that according to Islam, Satan (known as Shaytaan) is more of an enemy to mankind, rather than a rival of equal status to God. Islam teaches that Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'alaa is the most powerful, nothing is comparable or equal to Allah.

With that said, we should understand that Satan does have abilities! Satan has the ability to attack us through vices, addictions, and appealing to the most negative of emotions. Satan appeals to our fears and weaknesses in order to stunt our progress. Satan also conflicts centered around race and tribe. It is fair to say that Satan is (according to the Quranic presentation) the first racist ( Q 38:76)! Indeed, the Qur'an informs us that Satan likes to fuel conflicts (Q 28:15). There is great wisdom in being told by Allah himself that we are to seek Allah's protection from Satan even before reading the Qur'an itself, because we don't want Devilish influences to taint our understanding of the scripture( Q 16:98).

In a broad sense, Islam has given guidance which should help us to be protected from Satan. They include (but are not limited to) the following items:

(1) Regular prayer and contemplation on God (salaah and dhikr) (2:2, 29:45 et al) 

(2) Total abandonment of intoxicants (Q 5:90)

(3) Fixing problems between people, especially if they are decent and God-fearing. ( Q 12:97, 100).

(4) Having a humble attitude before Allah and indeed with people generally. (Q 17:37, 53)

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Las Vegas Metro Police Department presentation on Laylatul Qadr

 (Below is the transcript of a recent presentation given at the Iftar dinner hosted by local law enforcement. A video summary of the program can be found at Night of Power - 2024 (youtube.com)) 

LAS VEGAS METROPOLITIAN POLICE DEPARTMENT NIGHT OF POWER

 

 

Bismillaahir Rahmaaner Raheem, In the name of God, the Compassionate, The Merciful.  To the organizers, community leaders, guests and friends, many thanks for the invitation to address the topic of “night of power” this evening.

 

I will begin by pointing to the month of Ramadan itself as the time in which Quranic revelation was initiated to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is the text of the Quranic revelation itself which states that fasting should occur in that month, abstaining from food, drink and intimacy from dawn to sunset. Travelers, persons suffering from illnesses and the like are not obligated to do the fast. ( Q 2:183-185)

 

Abstaining from those items allows us for less distractions and more focus on God and on Divine matters. It is also conversely a time for stronger social bonding, via dinners and communal prayers at night. In a similar vein, the fasting experience makes us more sympathetic to the needs of the poor and hungry.

 

In the last ten nights of Ramadan, we have a tradition of intense spiritual desires and longing. There is an actual “search” for the experience of what is known as Laylatul Qadr, usually translated as “night of power”. Tradition has it that the “night of power” experience will more than likely be experienced in the 27^th night, or at some point within those last ten nights, with emphasis on the odd- numbered nights. People tend to stay up in the evenings, making more prayers and supplications to God.

 

I want to give you some clues as to the import and significance of this experience by referring to some of the Islamic textual sources. The Qur’an refers to Laylatul Qadr as “more useful than 1000 months”, (laylatul Qadri Khayrun min alfi shahr) ( Q 97:3) which is roughly 83 years. Thus, its actual impact can be not only felt in the lifetime of a person, but felt well  beyond that.

 

If we are taking “night of power” in the traditional “religious” sense, with its intense moments of worship and the like, we are acknowledging that the decisions made, the life-resolutions considered during that time, will not only be guided by God, but will lead to bigger and better things in life. After all, the entire month has been one of avoiding the distractions we normally engage in, allowing us for more clarity, focus and paying attention to the Divine.

 

Many people look for and actually experience “miracles” in the search for “night of power”. While not dismissing them, we don’t see those experiences as decisive nor necessarily the over-arching goal, as they can be subjective in any case.

 

 

But what if, during the fasting experience, the time of focus, a person decides to give up intoxicants? They become inspired to make their morals better, their character better? To be better husbands , wives, parents and neighbors? What if our leaders have their moral compasses adjusted properly during that time? The impact of such resolutions are felt by the people involved, and for generations to come.

 

Thus, we are giving an idea of why and how “night of power” is important to Muslims. The Qur’an says that angels and the spirit of inspiration emerges to provide the necessary tool set for success, for overcoming obstacles. This was felt with the Quranic revelation to the Prophet Muhammad, but can also be felt by those with sincerity who are seeking for their compasses to be working properly. (Q 97:4)

 

The Prophet Muhammad taught a particular supplication that is associated with seeking out the   night of power. It reads “Oh God, Surely, you are the forgiver, the generous one. You love to forgive, so do forgive us.” The original Arabic is actually a bit more telling. The word translated as “forgiver” {‘afuwwun) actually has the meaning of erasing or wiping out. In other words, we are to ask God for a new life, in which we are not tied down to the sins or the mistakes of the past.

 

Here’s a lesson: if we ask God for that, then we should do it ourselves. We should not have self-loathing that prevents life progress. God loves to grant second and third chances, so we should do it for ourselves as well. We should do it for others as well. That is the teaching.

 

The Prophet’s prayer identifies God as “generous” (karim) . We already expect that from God, so shouldn’t we be that way within our own selves, and with each other?  That is the teaching.

 

There is much more that can be said on this, but I think this is sufficient. Sufficient for human happiness and proper progress in this world. We hope that all of your goodly aspirations are achieved, that second and third chances for light emerges in our lives, that we are blessed with experiencing Divine repair and generosity. Thank you.