The Iman System

The body's defence is the immune system;

the heart's defence is the iman system.

Just as the immune system has to be maintained by

eating well,

stopping smoking, and

exercising;

so the iman system has to be maintained by

doing ibadah well,

avoiding sins, and

doing da'wah.

✌🏻😎

Team Islam

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We shall
support Islam
like we support a football team:
We shall
bully into submission
people who have views we don't agree with;
to show you just how powerful we are.
We shall
yell bigoted slurs
in public places and social networks;
to show you just how un'apologetic' we are.
We shall
not shy away
from slander and labeling others;
to show you just how righteous we are.



But,
said a wise friend of mine (paraphrased):
"If you can't find answers to the questions against your faith,
then you should question what sort of faith you have"

For
in Islam, iman (faith)
doesn't just embrace a person's heart,
it also engages the person's intellect.

In other words,
we do not support Islam
like we support a football team;
blind, emotional support
merely because we were born into the religion.

We cannot support Islam
like we support a football team;
because if we do we will be far from
being warriors of Islam,
and closer to being hooligans.

And hooliganism is a symptom
of a lack of self-esteem;
itself a manifestation
of a lack of knowledge;
brought about
by a lack of asking questions.



Your questions will not
'ruin' Islam somehow;
this God-given Deen is complete enough
to always have an answer.

Have faith in that.

Muhasabah Rusholme

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It's easy to walk down the street
and complain.

Complain about
the litter on the ground,
the inconsiderate drivers,
the unsmiling faces of passers-by.

Society.
It's society's fault,
all of this. Always.

It's easy to complain;
difficult to actually DO SOMETHING.
Like pick up that litter,
or drive properly
or smile.

But how can you complain about the problem
when you are not part of the solution?

‪#‎muhasabahRusholme‬

A Note on Racism

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary's definition for the word 'Racism' is:
"Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race
based on the belief that one’s own race is superior."

The correlation of this 'modern' definition with the saying of a man in a desert 1400 years ago is amazing:
that man, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that there are 4 characteristics of jahiliyyah (ignorance) which will stay with the Muslims.

The first two he listed are:
1. Boasting of ancestral nobility
2. Finding fault in other's ancestors


After reading this hadith it is less of a surprise to me
how supposed adherents of a religion which is fundamentally anti-racist,
can themselves act so racist
(to both non-Muslims and fellow Muslims)
when Islam came to abolish racism 1400 years ago!

The Prophet's prediction (as always) has come true;
racism is well and alive in today's ummah.
But
I am quite sure that the Prophet didn't just mention the above as a mere 'fun fact',
because a central part of the beautiful Deen he taught
is that of continuous struggle against jahiliyyah.
He, peace upon him, was warning us of the evil of racism.
And to STRUGGLE against it.

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Selfie

These days we are happier

to smile at a camera

than to each other

#thebestselfieismuhasabah

Xgi Masjid

"Beriman kepada qadha' dan qadar":

rukun iman ke-6.

Kenapa aku x gi masjid?

Dan kalau pergi pon,

lambat?

(Dapat tangkap rakaat terakhir je?)

Sebab ak busy study la bro..

Study tu penting jugak..amanah kot..!

Sebab ak penat la bro..

Klau x cukup tido..x sihat la..!

Sebab ak nak jumpa kawan la bro..

Hubungan baik dgn kawan2 penting..baru boleh dakwah..!

Sedangkan kita percaya

(kononnya)

bahawa results exam,

kerehatan,

dan persahabatan

semuanya ketetapan Allah?

Na'udzubillah min zalik

Mungkin aku xpegi masjid

atau lambat gi masjid..

Na'udzubillah min zalik 

..sebab ada sekelumit perasaan dlm hati

xpercaya rukun iman ke-6.

Na'udzubillah min zalik

(Maaf klau berat.

First and foremost,

peringatan kepada diri sendiri)

😔

#jomgimasjid

Complain

I've got a feeling that
the act of complaining
is very much
human nature.

After all,
do we not do that from an early age
to our parents?
"Mama..Adik has a better toy than me..!" [said with eyes tearing up]

To everybody on Facebook via our status updates?
"I love her so much..why can't she love me back..??" [typed with eyes tearing up]

Heck we have departments in most of our institutions dedicated to handling complaints
"Why did I not get any chips with my cheeseburger? Where is your manager?? I AM GOING TO SUE THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!!!" [no teary eyes..just lotsa expletives]

There is something comforting about just being listened to;
whether the person you complain to
can help or not..is not the point, really.

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Hence the context of why I find the following to be such a sweet ayat:

"He [Zachariah] said, "My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy.""
[Surah Maryam, 19:4]


Through the act of his servant Zachariah, God gives us a tip on how to call to him (du'a):

Complain.
Plain and simple.

But do it sincerely..from the bottom of your heart.
Of course God knows what you are going through. Duh. He is God kot.
But complain anyways..
and yes, let your eyes tear up ;')

I guarantee it will feel much better than complaining to
mere mortals, or
to Facebook, or
to a (probably hugely ineffective) complaints department.

True peace will come
when you complaint to the One
who can actually do something about it.
He does not tire in listening to you.

So what are you waiting for?
Start now. Complain.
But this time..
do it to the right department ;)

Wallahu'alam

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