Remarks at Press conference [2/6/17]

( Below are my remarks made at a gathering organized by the Interdenominational ministers alliance, with regards to the various actions taken by the new Trump administration. A write up on the event itself can be found at[url] http://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2017/02/07/Community-comes-together-in-unified-show-of-support.html[/url]]


We gathered here almost a year ago with the same interests, same concerns, and, almost to a person, the same people present then are present here once again.

In the back of our minds, we believed that we would never reach a point where we would have to gather once again for the same issues.

There is much fear and feelings of uneasiness that is increasingly becoming prevalent these days, particularly in the Muslim community.

Yet, in the midst of that, we have gathered! Christians, Jews, Muslims, people of other faiths and with no faith, coming together because we see the same realities and want to change that picture or that reality into something better!

So perhaps we should view these things as blessings in disguise.!

The African American Christian theologian, Dr. Cornell West, recently said "Justice is what love looks like in public."

So if we are calling for love and acceptance for all, we are calling for justice. If we are calling for justice, we are calling for love.

Yes, we do invoke God, but we also come as a show of unity. We will not allow race, religion and class to divide us. If we are truly for love, we have to be for universal justice.

We call upon the new administration to exercise justice, to act with rationality and responsibility.

More than this, we call for all of us-as a society-to be inward-looking, to address our own thinking and our own souls- to abandon irrational fears and xenophobia, to truly make America great again by strengthening education, infrastructure, and real communal growth.

Thank you!

Universal Rally For Peace remarks

[ The following were my remarks given at the Universal Rally for Peace, which was held Friday December 4, 2015 at One Government Center in Toledo, Ohio]

                              In the name of God, The Compassionate, The Ever-Merciful


Good Afternoon! We have come here today to demonstrate publically that-quite frankly- to proclaim that WE ARE TIRED of what we are constantly seeing. Constantly, we are inundated with acts of violence in the name of religion or being associated with religion.


Religion teaches us that God is Just, and that likewise he demands justice in his creation. That makes sense, because God cares for all that He has created!

The Qur'an, the scripture given to the Prophet Muhammad, tells us that justice is an attribute of those who truly believe and proclaim their acknowledgement of God. For those who are interested, this statement is in chapter 3:18.

This statement is an evidence! The one who strives to bring injustice, usurping, talking away the lives of innocents, that person DOES NOT represent the Divine will.

We are here to proclaim that enough is enough. We speak not only of San Bernardino, California, but also of Beirut, Mali, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Ferguson, Missouri and Charleston, South Carolina!

There is a universal culture of violence in today's world. The actions and the results are the same, regardless of the identities of the victims or the perpetrators. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere."

So while we have focused upon what is grabbing the headlines globally, yet there were 355 mass shootings this year alone, as Pastor Heilman as already pointed out. So it's not a Jewish or Muslim or Christian problem, it is a world problem!

We need to be humans, to act as humans and return to the healthy ethos given by God's guidance. God says in the Qur'an, as well as in the Bible, that he who takes a life, it is as if he has killed off all humanity. He also says that life has been made sacred, so it is not to be taken. God also says in the Qur'an that he has given nobility to all human beings.

So reform is needed. The Voice of Peace and Justice must be LOUD. It MUST drown out the voices of chaos, bigotry and ignorance.

So let us work for peace and justice to prevail on Earth. Let us humans, of all faiths and of no faith, return to sanity, to that which our faith ultimately calls us towards.

Thank you.

The age of Ego and misrepresentation: Friday Khutbah in aftermath of Paris attacks

[ Note: the following is the Friday sermon delivered 11/20/2015, in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris. Note that we have in our formatting we have omitted the opening Hamd.]

Islam is the Deen which was preached by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. This process was completed with the coming of Muhammad the Prophet and the scripture sent to him, namely, the Qur'an.

All of these teachers, upon whom be peace, taught about God. Indeed, the Jewish tradition has what is called the Shema, which reads "Hear this, O Israel, the Lord Your God is One God." This is precisely the same message as Laa elaaha ill Allah, i.e. None deserves worship except Allah.

Thus, everything a  Muslim does is supposed to be part and parcel of that acknowledgement, that none but God deserves our worship. The life of a Muslim is supposed to be a series of steps that brings that person closer to God. The Qur'an mentions that Deen is supposed to be especially or exclusively for Allah [Alaaa Lillaahid deenul Khaalis]. However, we live in a time when Islam is "represented" by those who don't even follow it's basic rules and principles.

We live in a time when "ego" is put out there as the spokesperson for this Deen, whose true representatives were the messengers of Allah.

Today, Islam is "represented" by murderous "leaders". If that's not bad enough, they also, according to the reports, neither pray nor fast, and even involve themselves in selling drugs and alcohol. These people speak about a Khilaafat [Caliphate]. They want to revive the Caliphate. How can people whose entire existence runs contrary to the Divine principles do anything on behalf of Allah's Deen? Frankly, it makes no sense!

Comquering the Ego

We have a hadeeth associated with the battle of Badr, that after the battle the Prophet [Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam] said "We have returned from the smallest Jihad to the greatest Jihad."  It was asked "and what is the greatest Jihad?" The Prophet responds "It is the Jihad of the self [Jihaadun Nafs], the smallest Jihad was physical combat. [Wal As-gharu huwal Qitaal]".

In the Islamic discourse today, this hadeeth is declared Da'eef [weak]. Some even call this Mawdoo', a false narration wrongly attributed to Allah's Messenger by the Sufis. We could get into the technical details, but "weak" narrations do not equate false narrations. Even if this narration is "weak", it is strengthened by the Qur'an itself.

"Those who make Jihad [struggle] about God, God will guide them in our [i.e. Allah's ] paths [in life], and Allah is surely with those who [strive for] excellence." [Q 29:69]

Meaning, to attain nearness and pleasure of Allah, the calls of the ego, be it internal or influenced from the outside, those calls must be conquered. This goes hand in hand with the hadeeth cited earlier. There are atleast six other verses of the Qur'an we could cite, but hopefully this is enough.

I have to say directly that there are powerful forces out there, hidden behind the scenes. orchestrating plots to suit their own long and short term political goals, but even with that acknowledgement, those who are worshipping their own lusts, frustrations, and desires should not be seen as representing Islam, nor should they be listened to by either Muslims or Non Muslims!

It is important to remember that by and large, it is we Muslims who are the victims of these people. While Paris has received all the attention, just the day before the same organization took credit for a bombing in Beirut. The same types are currently creating havoc in Mali. So for us, their names are unimportant. They are still worshipping Nafs and serving the interests of Satan. May Allah give us the ability to see truth and to follow that, and the ability to see falsehood and give us the ability to avoid it.

These times are quite troubling for all humanity, so we have to be intelligent. We have to be observant, to develop the tools of analysis and to look beyond surface. Most importantly, we have to maintain faith. After all, Allah is still the God of all, and it is Allah's plans which ultimately prevails. Keep your mind and heart closely connected to the Qur'an, because it is the best source by which we can understand the world today. Never get diverted from that reality!

Some pictures

Salaam, every now and then I receive requests for pictures. So, here are some.

From the top, The Islamic center of Greater Toledo [ISGT], 9/11 program sponsored by UMAT. "Make a way for unity week" presentation at the University of Toledo. "Learning from Jesus: benefitting from the Messiah" program at Toledo Masjid Al-Islam. To the left is Imam Ibrahim A Rahim, and the right is Qari Haji Khatis.

A picture

Salaam, the following picture is from a recent talk at Masjid Saad foundation [Sylvania, Ohio], in which we discussed Soorah Al-Faatihah [Qur'an 1:1-7] and its relation to the Muhammadan universal reach. A more thorough discussion can be found in the CD Al-Faatihah and the Prophets available from Arifin Imports [P.O. Box 70617, Toledo, Ohio, 43607, website is www.arifinimports.com

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Multifaith council of Northwest Ohio's dinner

Held at the Congregation B'nai Israel in neighboring Sylvania, about 300 guests attended, and included tables and presenters from the Muslim community, Christians of various sects, Sikhs, Jains, Hindus and a variety of other religious groups.

It was a very warm environment and enlightening experience, I learned much from discussions with the various leaders.

Now, describing the pictures a bit, from top left is myself giving comments and benediction, the sanctuary of the Synagogue, the flame at the top of the picture is symbolic of God speaking to Moses [ Musa 'Alayhis salaam]. Bottom left, with Miss Ann, one of the organizers, and at the bottom right, with our friends and activists Ahmed Kadri and wife Amirah.


The guest speaker was Peter Adriance, an NGO liason for the U.S.Bahais, who spoke on the relationship between religious communities and efforts for environmental causes.


There is more I could say, but don't know where to begin. Needless to say, these sort of events are good ways to learn about others, but also to share information about Islam. We show ourselves as humans, and not fanatical monsters. That goes a long way.

Peace.