Knowing and Believing

Man is the smartest of all species. From the time life began, man has used his mental capacity to such an extent that would astound our predecessors; from the amazing hi-tech advancements to the scientific breakthroughs, man has been able to step onto the moon and reach beyond the boundaries of earth. And so, we have entered an era of technology where science has taken over most if not all logic.

Allah has given us immeasurable wisdom, wrapped in the realities of this universe, so that man may unravel it, bit by bit, and achieve the very purpose he was created for; to recognize the majesty, glory and magnificence of Allah. We have come a long way in our quest for knowledge but instead of bringing us closer to our creator, our greater understanding of the world is pushing us away in another direction.

Yes! People are very smart. We seem to know everything; we acknowledge Allah’s sovereignty and His complete right to be worshipped, we are aware of the ‘halaal’ and the ‘haraam’, and are thoroughly familiar with the concept of heaven and hell. We are all so well informed indeed; yet somehow, strangely enough, so misguided at the same time, unwilling to take Allah’s word seriously.

Hence, besides being smart, I’m guessing man must also be very bold. Brave are the women, who know Allah has commanded them to cover their ‘Aura’ when in the presence of male company, still, they choose otherwise. Equally brave are the men, who stubbornly persist in drinking, gambling, fornication, lying, cheating, devouring interest etc; and yet they maintain that they know all.

Unfortunately, having mere knowledge isn’t enough; it is more like being stuck in the dark, not knowing what to do with all the information. It’s when we start believing that the light of ‘Imaan’ enters the hearts and enables us to find our way in the darkness. Every time Allah mentions 'people of paradise' in the Quran, He says, it is those who ‘believe’ not those who ‘know’. Understanding without faith is inadequate; it is our belief that inculcates in us the love for Allah and the fear of Him; a force that hinders us from evil and motivates us towards good.

And so, we must not only strive to learn, but we must, in all fairness to our souls, strive to strengthen our ‘imaan’ and prove our merit through submission, for knowledge without belief is fruitless, and belief without obedience is just bold defiance.

Is Ignorance Bliss?

It’s wonderful not knowing the negative consequences of a seemingly innocent pleasure. One can indulge in its sinfulness without carrying the burden of any guilt. After all, you can’t be held responsible for something you didn’t know about in the first place. It’s a common notion supported by most of us; made infallible over centuries by the accursed Satan and further adorned by our own whims and fancies. We give ourselves up to the devil and allow him to steer us along a blinded path and so live a life we hardly have any control over. But, is this how we want to continue to live until ultimately death pushes us into the realm of afterlife?

Since man began to live in clusters, there have been rules, spoken and unspoken, to make sure life proceeds smoothly. Man needs some kind of direction to give him a sense of purpose. This direction is outlined by laws and regulations to ensure peace and stability. Imagine living in a country where the law is hardly implemented and corruption is widespread; a land where there is no sense of security; a state that lacks the basic infrastructure. Think of Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan etc. Why are the resourceful ones settling in the west? What compels people to move out of their homelands, leave their families and choose to live in places that are usually in contrast with their culture, religion and social values? You see, where there’s no consideration for the law, essentially, there is insecurity, fear, confusion and eventual chaos. People choose to go to the developed world due to its stern adherence to the laws; this not only leads to a deep sense of safety but gives way to numerous opportunities, which finally culminate in peace, stability and contentment.

It’s much the same when it comes to our Akhira as the outcome rests exclusively on our ability to keep to the fundamentals. Like everything else, religion is composed of a set of rules too; a guideline for all to follow if we want to achieve this state of true peace and tranquillity. There are only two possible ends to our existence; heaven or the hell. One is a result of confusion, doubt, negligence and disregard of the divine principles; the other is a consequence of knowledge, understanding, realization and complete obedience. If one genuinely ignorant of the traffic rules, drove, in all innocence, on the wrong side of the road, would that exempt him from being fined? If a killer finds justification for his crime claiming purity of intention and goodness of the heart; would that deter the law from prosecuting him? Freedom comes only with sticking to the law of the land. Why do we then suppose, that in matters of religion, we’re free to choose our own way?

We must stop living in this common delusion and instead of remaining in our ignorance, strive for knowledge and understanding. The more we learn and the more we struggle to abide by the divine laws, the better will be our chances of attaining immortality in a state of indescribable ecstasy rather than chaotic wretchedness. I’d rather be aware and in control of my future than take the foolish risk of losing paradise for there is not a soul that would ever knowingly trade absolute bliss with eternal damnation.

The Only Way of Life

All religions are from Allah! All religions teach the same thing; to believe in one God, to believe in accountability, to help humanity and spread peace. Assuming thus, would it be right to follow one or all the religions? No, it would not. It would only go to show a person’s ignorance regarding origin of religion itself and its evolution into various forms of faith around the world.

Religion has evolved from the time Allah placed Adam and Eve on this earth. As civilization began to spring all over the globe, Allah made sure that each nation and each time period had their fair share of divine knowledge which Allah sent through His messengers. This process went on for thousands of years, until, Allah thought man was intellectually and spiritually mature enough to receive His last and final revelation.

This world is a test for the hereafter, and for mankind to be able to go through its various stages and challenges, Allah revealed to us His Word through prophet Muhammad (SAW). If we believe the Quran to be from Allah, His unique means of communication with man, then we must look into this heavenly book for answers. Who better to guide us than He who created the heavens and the earth and is the only sole possessor of all knowledge.

There would be many ways to look at the matter, but, as all religions point to the same thing; the coming of the last and final word of Allah, it would be much simpler to jump ahead and pick out our information from the best source available; the holy Quran. I could simply quote a verse from the Quran that says, ‘the only religion acceptable in the sight of Allah is Islam’ and arrest my case. However, it wouldn’t be fair to just stop there without digging a little deeper into the immense pool of wisdom given to us.

Allah is the master and the Lord. He doesn’t need our prayers, He does not rely upon our worship and nor does He need us to help his creatures. On the contrary, we are dependent on His mercy and grace; if we pray, we do it for our own salvation, if we worship it is to show our servitude. Allah does not need our charity; He’s well able to take care of His creation, if we spend we do it in hope to receive reward. All things considered, people generally do good to get into Allah’s good books, and rightly so, for whatever we do, it ultimately should be for the pleasure of Allah.

Sometimes, however, we are deceived and led into believing that all acts of goodness are worthy of reward. Logically, it seems to us, that no matter which ethnic or religious background a person belongs to, he would gain the pleasure of the All Mighty by contributing to the common good of humanity. There’s no doubt that an act of righteousness is always acknowledged and rewarded, for Allah is the fairest of all judges. Hence, recognition, honour and prestige are bestowed upon many in this world. However, to turn our deeds into means of deliverance for us in the hereafter, there’s a little more to our application of the good. The condition is set by Allah; for a good deed to be accepted, it has to have the purity and sincerity, in Arabic known as ‘Ikhlas’, based on our intention, ‘niyat’ that it was done solely for the pleasure of Allah. If the intention lies elsewhere, no matter how noble the act or how worthy the outcome, Allah will simply reject it, for Allah is too proud to accept anything that has been corrupted by a mixture of beliefs or emotions. So, to be able to earn ourselves salvation, we, first of all, have to be crystal clear in our concept of God.

Allah puts a question to us in the Quran, saying ‘do you suppose you would be left alone? You say you believe; would you not then be tested?’ Once we re-establish our faith in one true God, we must endorse it with our endeavors. Saying that we believe is not enough, it has to be proven as our actions are nothing but a reflection of our intentions. Are we then free to choose to live our lives the way we deem appropriate? Certainly not! Allah has set a path for us to follow. There are no two ways about it nor are there any shortcuts, instead, clear instructions for those willing to understand.

Allah is the ‘Always All Forgiving’ and the ‘Repeatedly Merciful’; the two attributes of Allah that appeal to mankind the most. In the Quran Allah says that He would forgive man everything if He so wills with the exception of ‘shirk’, the act of associating partners with Allah. In saying so, Allah has made it binding upon Himself not to show mercy to those who confuse other than Allah to be their God. Allah says in the Quran, ‘worship Allah the way it is His right to be worshipped’, hence, any other fancy of ours is an offense to Allah for which he has no tolerance.

We are reminded repeatedly in the Quran to be ‘mindful’, to ‘think’ about the signs (ayats) and to ‘contemplate’. How is it then, that we can assume all religions to be equally good? Allah says the worst kind of shirk committed is when it is said that Jesus is the son of God. Can we support a religion then, whose very foundation is a means of an insult to our Lord? Similarly, the Jews believe Hazrat Uzair to be Allah’s child, the Buddhists believe in Buddha as the highest diety, the Hindus have multiple gods and so the list of religions, corrupted through the ages, goes on. Can we respect all forms of theological beliefs, knowing they are offensive to Allah?

The last verse revealed to the prophet (SAW) sums it all up. Allah says, “Today I have perfected your religion, and chosen for you the deen of Islam.” Either we continue to delude ourselves into taking all forms of religious ideology as sacred or we accept only that which Allah has perfected for us. In choosing anything other than this, we commit the grave sin of rejecting what Allah has clearly chosen for us. Furthermore, in Surah 3 verse 85, Allah says, “For, if one goes in search of a religion other than Islam (complete submission to the will of Allah), it will never be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the losers.”

We should therefore be sensible about what we ought and what we ought not to believe. We have been given something that is far superior, on the whole beautiful and most progressive; a way of life perfected by Allah Himself. We must take it, pursue it, cherish it, stay firm on it, respect it, and above all, learn to love it beyond all else.

Recognition

I wear the Hijab for the same reasons women indulge in designer goods.

I sometimes wondered why someone would hold on to, say, a Louis Vuitton or a Gucci bag considering they’re so unbearably uncomfortable to carry. The zippers get stuck, the leather is rigidly stiff and the pattern is tediously repetitive. If not for the brand logos etched on to the products, I doubt anyone would pay anything for them. Considering thus, I decided it was all about the name.

The label gives you recognition, it makes people look at you, admire you, even envy you… and that makes you feel good. As I said before, my Hijab does the same for me; it gives me recognition, and that makes me feel good too. Brands help you advertise your money; my outer garb helps me advertise my faith. The designer name boosts your confidence and portrays your modernity. My covering, likewise, makes me feel liberated and self-assured.

How amusingly similar the effects, yet, how starkly different the approach.

Perception

I wonder at the inability of certain people to accept me as a part of them.

I am reminded, almost every day, how irrationally it is that we’re sometimes judged.

My friend once shared with me a similar experience, when she went to attend a seminar on Human Resource Development at LUMS a few years ago. In her words, more or less, While they waited for the lecture to begin she noticed an oddly out of place , shalwar above the ankles, very plain looking, bearded man, walking about the stage and wondered what he was doing among the intellectually high end crowd. She refocused her attention thinking he was most probably there to fix up the mikes etc, only to be utterly amazed when that same person was announced as the key speaker. The auditorium remained dead silent throughout his talk, his words gripping, his ideas scholarly and his theme completely worldly. Later, my friend confessed that she would never have thought him capable of such wondrous wisdom had he not spoken. “It’s just that,” she said, “when you see a veiled woman or a bearded man, you can’t help but think that they’d have a brain the size of a pea.”

It all comes down to perception really. We all do it. We form preconceived ideas of people we’ve hardly met. A hippy looking guy with a pony tail, I assure you, would always pass off as an ‘artist’ and a chap who talks feminine, we think, must belong to the fashion industry.

So, I hardly blame those who, in my presence, feel intellectually superior. As I sit there, clad in my hijab, I don’t frown, but I smile at their dim ignorance… ironic! Isn’t it?

Man's Word Vs God's Word

Back in 2004, when my son’s school decided to have separate branches for boys and girls, they wrote letters to all the parents explaining their reasons based on research carried out in the UK. I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time as an all boys environment for my son was more than fine for me. A few weeks ago, however, I again stumbled upon hints from similar researches, and this time my curiosity got the better of me. I went online to look at what all the fuss was about.

I came across a multitude of studies carried out by various institutions on the subject of gender-separate classrooms. University of Cambridge, for example, has concluded after a four year study of gender differences in education, that single-sex classroom format is remarkably effective at boosting student performance. Similarly, The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) compared performance of students at single-sex and coeducational schools. Their analysis, based on six years of study of over 270,000 students, in 53 academic subjects, demonstrated that both boys and girls who were educated in single-sex classrooms scored on average 15 to 22 percentile ranks higher than did boys and girls in coeducational settings. Universities of Michigan, Virginia and the Stetson University in Florida have determined the same. The list of institutions that have either completed or are still undergoing research on the matter is too long for me to go on. Thus, for those of you, who may be shaking their heads at this (most probably in disbelief), here is the link to the Fifth International conference of NASSPE V, held in Atlanta (Georgia), October of this year (2009), which pretty much covers reports from around the globe.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-singlesexvscoed.htm

And so I wondered; that it is exactly what Allah has intended for us. Intermingling of the sexes is highly discouraged in Islam and we are given clear instructions regarding male relations we can freely interact with. Then how is it that we (Muslims) weren’t the ones to figure it out sooner. Why do we need others to tell us what we’ve already been told? Allah says in the Quran, that only He has a complete knowledge of all things and has but given only a minute part of it to man. Should not the Quran and its precise explanation by our Prophet (SAW) suffice? Instead, we toil and we struggle, we research and analyze, and we come up with what we think is best… at least for the time being. Remember when margarine was recommended by doctors as being heart healthier than butter. But now they’re telling us, ‘go back to having butter’, for margarine is terribly unwholesome with all the Trans fat… oops!

Science, technology, research, theories; nothing can be entirely reliable. Why would we not then listen to our Allah? Allah, who already knows everything and has been kind enough to share some of that knowledge with us. Yet, we’re stuck in our own insecurities, too easily impressed, forever influenced, trying to modernize ourselves according to the standards set by today’s world, not realizing that we already have a very up to date, advanced religion which, if followed precisely, would ultimately render us as progressive and enlightened.

Allah encourages learning, gaining knowledge and being constantly in pursuit of advancement through all means available, however, along the way we must not forget to refer to the Quran; a manual put together by our creator for the effective and most efficient running of every aspect of our lives.

It’s strange how we always take man’s word, try to understand it, trust it and endeavor to act upon it while we almost always ignore the word of Allah, neglect it, doubt it and ultimately reject it.

My Return to England- December 2009

My journey back home, and I say home merely because it has always felt like home, held much drama. The airline this time was Etihad, chosen for the successful completion of a plan devised to surprise and shock my family. For the surprise to work I had to get to the house on my own and since the said airlines has a chauffeur service for it’s business class travellers, I was generously treated to travel in style.
The flight was at an inconvenient hour, 3:45 in the morning, but together with my 5 year old, we excitedly embarked upon our journey, wide eyed and eager. The interior of the plane was indeed impressive; cabin style seats with maximum privacy, big screen TV, and an a la carte menu was all too grand. And thus we soon made ourselves comfortable and with another eight hours in the plane to London I convinced my son to sleep for the three hours we had to Abu Dhabi. Well rested, we were more than willing to explore the Abu Dhabi airport which sadly had not much to offer except store after store of all possible designer names you can think of, not very tempting to one free of brand phobia. So instead, we relaxed some more in the airline lounge and patiently waited for our next flight to be announced.
The ensuing part of our travel started off with equal enthusiasm. The prospects of surprising my family by my unexpected arrival was thrilling enough and I just couldn't wait to get the eight hours over. My son reclined his seat, immediately loosing himself to the world of kids’ entertainment. I kept myself busy with a movie, my book of course and with the numerous tempting choices on the menu. It was precisely after the turkey bagel, during the last hour of our journey, that I took my son to the toilet; the moment in time that changed my outlook on many things and sucked out every bit of excitement there was replacing it with despair, remorse and a feeling of complete and utter helplessness.
Til today, I heart wrenchingly, lament the moment I took off my watch, my precious gold and diamond watch, in the toilet. Together with my diamond ring, I put the two things carefully on the top right shelf next to the hand lotion. Oh! what caused such negligence on my part I cannot answer, but the rest of the journey was as miserable as one can imagine. Within five minutes of returning to my seat I realized my folly and went back to reclaim my valuables, but they were gone. I should have created a scene, raised alarm; as a matter of fact there’s a lot that I should have done. It’s not my leaving my belongings in the toilet that haunts me but my inability to have done something about it. Instead I sat there in my seat, repeatedly assured by the members of the crew that they would carry out a search of the few passengers that were on board the business class upon our arrival. I was made to file an official report and led to believe that everything possible would be done to find my things. My mother’s watch, the ring that was a present from my sister, all the time there, in that little confined space, so close yet inaccessible to me. I wish I had taken matters into my own hands. But I just sat there, praying, hoping, wishing, waiting, trusting the crew’s false assurances, dreaming of the culprit being caught by the authorities and anticipating my pleasure at seeing my things once again. Alas! We landed, the aircraft soon came to a stop, my heart started racing in hopeful expectation; the doors opened, but instead of uniformed men standing ready to stop and search the passengers, everyone started disembarking without the slightest hint of an investigation. I looked imploringly at one of the crew members but he simply turned his head away. I felt betrayed, cheated but above all humiliated. The insensitivity of the crew shocked me. They did absolutely nothing to find my belongings. A monetary loss of such grave proportions, and not even an announcement was made!
I sat in my ride with a heavy heart, all else forgotten. Nearing my parent’s house, a lot went through my head. I had been careless no doubt, but someone else had also disregarded their social and moral responsibility, lack of which is nothing short of a crime in itself. I had only lost my possessions but that someone else had just lost a great deal more in gaining the displeasure of Allah. I was content again. The car stopped in front of the house and I got out with a smile on my face, following my oblivious son to the door where all happiness awaited.