"Birakanulai Majakura Phylosophy" Of MDP / Enjoy Without Fear- Is it a Great Policy? - Some Comments

A Different perspective on Some Comments to the article " Other religions will not be allowed under MDP Government says Nasheed". . Minivan News Article

@ A said ...

"... Understood your line of reasoning. It has some merit though I don’t share your view point- ie all f it. Couldn’t help but laugh at the penguins."

In reply to .. 

@ A B S who said - 

".... (2) MDP’s “birakaanulai …”, i.e. “enjoy without fear” is a great policy, in fact. Did you know that the most popular reason for youth taking to drugs is due to boredom? I believe MPD’s policy is aimed at solving that particular problem.

---

I wonder what is there for @Ali, to understand about "Enjoy without Fear" with respect to BOREDOM faced by youth?

In our view the striving of all Muslims must be to work towards this beautiful Koranic middle path of -
 "working for the good of this life and the next life". True success is to ENJOY life in this world (within the context of "good in this life") - without loosing sight of the FEAR of loosing eternity on account of some temporary enjoyment in this world. Lets ponder on these revealing verses of the Quran & the Hadith given below which clarifies the relationship that exists between our immediate life we live in and the life in the hereafter. [1]

“…
Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter” (Quran, Al-Tawbah: 38).

“…

as compared with the life of the hereafter, the life of this world is nothing but a brief passing enjoyment”  (Quran, Ar-Rad: 26).

“...

And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house in the hereafter for those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious). Will you not then understand?” (Quran, Al-An’aam: 32) -[2]

The Prophet (S. A. W. S.), too, clarified the value of this life in relation to the hereafter. He said, “The life of this world compared to the hereafter is as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again then compare the water that remains on his finger to the water that remains in the ocean” [Sahîh Muslim (2858)].

Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (S. A. W. S.) took me by the shoulder and said: “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler/wayfarer.”

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said ..“By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that this world will be spread out in front of you as it was spread out in front of those before you, and then you will vie for it as they vied for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them" [Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous) by Imam Nawawi]. [3]

Thus a rational human being shouldn't ignore the one certainty in life - Death. He would heed the many warnings in the Koran regarding what follows after Death- the DAY OF JUDGEMENT. The holy Koran warns us repeatedly the consequences of disobeying Allah's Commandments - Time in Hell.

Bluntly put ENJOY to your hearts content -WITHIN THE LIMITS SET BY ALLAH; [4]

Enjoy! in answer to Allah's Word in the Quran to seek the GOOD in this world - within the limits set by Allah! Our enjoyment if with "The intention of Obeying Allah & seeking Allah's pleasure", becomes ibadat. Islam is UNIQUE in the world in not accepting a separation between the activities of this world & the next but offers the means by which worldly pursuits of this world takes on meaning in the next. The very first Hadith in Sahih Bukhari makes abundantly clear how this could be so.

"Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended....."

It cannot be repeated enough that PRUDENCE dictates that when we enjoy ourselves we must not loose sight of the FEAR of transgressing the limits set by Allah swt & thus earn Allah's wrath.Thus HOW COULD IT EVER BE ... "Birakanulai Majakolla"? For a Muslim it should always be: 
"Enjoy"! - without loosing sight of the fact that we will be held answerable for all our actions on Judgement day. [5]

Lets read the Sirah of the prophet, the writings of the great writers in Islam both young and old and be impressed with the cognisance of fear in spite of the high stations those early Pious Generations were blessed with. Take lessons from how the Prophet sal;  in spite of being the Chosen of the chosen, demonstrated to his Companions the fear, love and longing that he (sal) always had for Allah swt. 

Thus its clear that in order to achieve success in this world and the next we need to do what Allah swt has commanded and avoid at all costs what Allah swt has prohibited. To arrive at the happy state of accepting this we have to get to know our Creator. [6]

The Glorious Koran invites one to ponder on its verses and to look around us in whichever direction we wish to and ponder on the many signs of the Creator stamped everywhere; for those seeking Allah swt with a sincere heart yearning for Allah's swt Help & Guidance. With the Knowledge of Allah swt comes fear and love of Allah swt and Insha Allah the desire to please Allah swt by Obeying His Commandments to actualise the Shahadah in ones life, perform Salat, Fast, Pay Zakat and do the Hadj - In a nutshell to follow the Prophets example in ones life as Allah has ordered us to do. [7]
(pls reffer earlier posts).

It is superfluous in the light of the above to add anything more on this subject however for the sceptics out there amongst us it might pay to ponder on the Wager of Pascal - the French Mathematician & philosopher & to draw ones own conclusions. [8]

A Surprising & eye-opening comment  ...

"In short, our youth need to have avenues for them to socialise within the laws of our land. As adults we start to forget that the youth have so much energy and we need to direct that along the right channels. Forward with “birakaanulai ….” [9]

Which one of us haven't thought in like manner at some point in our lives? Which one of us listened to such musings sympathetically? In the light of what was written above it would now seem that there is much more to the stakes than meets our eyes, at a first simplistic glance. Simplistic glance because it ignores completely man's reality after death and seems to be fixated only on man's youth, Energy & his enjoyment. Isn't it frightening that we are ignoring the oft recurring warnings by Allah in His Own words in the Noble Quran such as ...

1. Those are they who have bought the life of this world at the price of the hereafter (Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah: 86). and again ....

2. “Let not then this present life deceive you” (Quran, Surah Fatir: 5).

3. “…Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter” (Quran, Al-Tawbah: 38).

4. “And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house in the hereafter for those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious). Will you not then understand?” (Quran, Al-An’aam: 32) [10]

A] Isn't it a fact that after accepting Islam we are (youth included)- MUSLIMS FIRST and only after that anything else - Maldivians or otherwise? In this context shouldn't the above comment read :-  
"In short, our youth need to have avenues for them to socialise WITHIN THE LAWS OF ISLAM  &; the laws of our Land - which  DON'T GO AGAINST the Commandments of Allah.". (We see how the institution of the Parliament works and how easy it is for parties literally to buy MP's loyalty to manipulate a majority & pass Laws and Parliament regulations which go against the basic Quranic principles of the rule of law). [11]

It's in our youths interest - (the cream of them  included) to be encouraged to study the diverse branches of knowledge in Islam in order to make Islam as taught by our Prophet sal, a 'living" dynamic & intelligible "WAY OF LIFE" for the 21st Century. Isn't it time that we ask ourselves why the Muslim Ummat no longer produces the likes of Imams Hanaffi, Maliki, Shaafi, Ahmed & Gazzali?   [12]

Most of these great scholars of Islam were attracted to the pursuit of Islamic Knowledge in their childhood and tender youth. They were not only leading luminaries in their chosen fields - offering application of divine revelation to the problems of their times; but also  reached the pinnacles of Spirituality by doing Compulsory and supererogatory deeds to get closer to Allah. We are reminded of the Qudsi Hadith in this regard: 
"....My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory (extra) works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. .... " [13]

Isn't this the call of Islam to the YOUTH in Maldives & the Muslim Ummat in the 21st century???? To study Allah's Revelations & contribute to "INFORMED OPINION" on All branches of knowledge in Islam, bringing Islam within reach, understandable and loved by both the young and old in the Ummat? [14]

B]. Any given act can have diverse opinions as to it being "Good" or "Bad"- because different people think differently and have different criteria or yardsticks to decide what is good or what is bad. What is seen as good by some people today might be be seen by them as bad tomorrow. This is the nature of things. Among the many views on something being "good" or "bad" figures not only ones own opinion but also Allah's view on it being "Good" or "Bad". Allah swt has given Man the choice of choosing between the Creatures (other peoples or own) opinion of what is "Good" / "Bad" or What Allah swt The Creator has decided & decreed what is "Good" or "Bad". [15]

Since Allah Willed to terminate direct binding revelation from Allah with the passing of Prophet Muhammad sal what Allah swt revealed to the Prophet pbuh as "Good" or "Bad" CANNOT CHANGE. 

" .... This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam ...." Quran Al Maida- 5:3.  [16]

Allah Created Man & made known to him what was required of him through His Messengers. He made clear what was manifestly Good or Halal and what was bad or Haram and left what was in between unclear to man's discretion to exercise his judgement based on Allah's Revelations. In His Mercy Allah placed in man a piece of flesh that assisted man in making choices. It would seem that to take care of this piece of flesh was essential. Lets read and ponder the following, seeking Allah's Help & Guidance.

“Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return” (Quran, Sura Al-Baqarah: 28). [17]

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man bin Bashir (ra) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah(sas) say:"The halal is clear and the haram is clear, and between them are matters unclear that are unknown to most people. Whoever is wary of these unclear matters has absolved his religion and honor. And whoever indulges in them has indulged in the haram. It is like a shepherd who herds his sheep too close to preserved sanctuary, and they will eventually graze in it. Every king has a sanctuary, and the sanctuary of Allah is what He has made haram. There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily this piece is the heart." [Bukhari & Muslim [18]

Allah's Words below are instructive ...

"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupters)" (Quran, Surah Al-Qasas: 77).

O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship (Quran, Surah Jumaah: 172). [19]

A Muslim after considering the Universe he lives in, knows for a fact that Allah swt is One & that it's Allah Who Created Man and so readily submits his will to Allah swt and accepts ONLY what Allah swt decrees as "Good" and reject ALL other views - including his own . [20]

This is a conscious act of exercising CHOICE and  rejecting ALL other views (own view including) except Allah's view. Thus He/She submits His/Her Will to Allah swt, in Total Obedience, in all Sincerity, Humility and so attains Peace. The more sincere he is, greater his humility the more intensely a person submits to Allah, greater is the degree of  his/her Serenity and the Peace He/she attains. This is easily demonstrable and each and every person especially Muslims can TEST IT & should TRY IT! [21]

This explains why intellectually inclined people, living in modern licentious societies experiencing a sense of unease in the hullabaloo of Modern living are attracted to Submitting their Will to Allah swt and so attain Peace - not by withdrawing from society but by becoming a fuller member of society who is a boon to his/her family and fellow men and women. [22]

Such a person who has attained Peace and takes pleasure in Zikr of Allah & thinks at each step the horrors of the Day of Judgement promised by Allah swt for those who transgress Allah swt's Commandments will Insha Allah not have room in his/her life for Alcohol, Drugs, Illicit sex & the Devils invitations. [23]

HEREIN IS THE SOLUTION TO YOUTH BOREDOM & in fact the myriad woes of 21st Century society. He or She would work towards a family and a society of Believers in Allah & His Messenger sal, Submiting to Allah swt's WILL and so promote Good, forbid evil according to revealed Divine Will. Such a Community naturally reaches the heights of self realisation with its members seeing reflected in his/her bro/sis a reflection of himself. [24]

The more one takes the effort & trouble to Know Allah & understand HIS revelations to the prophet sal, the more completely he/she is able to submit to the Divine Will. He/She begins to experience peace, serenity and pleasure in his/her submission to Allah - weather in Salat, Fasting, paying Zakat, Going on Hadj or refraining from Alcohol, drugs, dancing, clubbing etc. In this state the Muslim is able to actualise in the perfect sense the duty of Loving his neighbour as himself. [25]



Human beings attain self realisation in the complete sense of the word by Submitting to Allah's Will to at last reach Peace, Harmony, Serenity & Tranquility. Its the most fulfilling of voyages of discovery. We need to discover and experience that Submission To Allah swt gives us Peace and drives away the blues & boredom with no hangups. Such youth will have NO TIME for Alcohol, Discotheques, drugs, illicit sex & crime. Instead they would strive to Love Allah & His Prophet, Obey Allah's Commandments & so love his neighbour as oneself - So touchingly demonstrated by the holy Prophet Muhammad sal, in his life. [26]

C] Tackling Drugs Use & Abuse is a noble cause. However first and foremost it's necessary to get to the root of ANY problem. The question that needs to be asked  is - why are youth bored? and delinquent? Often the answer is complex and a big part of the problem is that parents for whatever reasons have failed their children by not having taught them adequately about Allah and His Prophet. Such children grow with a lack of love for Allah & His prophet sal. [27]

Such people have a shallow understanding of the hereafter & the day of Judgement. This results in indulgences in childhood and early youth and continues into adulthood with action that darkens that piece of flesh in man which when pure prompts one to do good and avoid evil. For them "Birakanulai Majakulai", "Raa Boan Vaane"& "Boaan Jehene" becomes a rallying call and like the pied-piper found out the rats (in us) young and old of all colours answered the call. A call that leads to Spiritual death and a ticket to Hell. [28]

The Devil prey on such youth and individuals inducing them to drink intoxicants, eat pork, do drugs, go insane on the dance floor, engage in illicit sex of all kinds and the Devil uses them to promote such activities amongst others. In five words they become Devils partners spreading corruption in the land. You would recognize them because they would insult Allah, insult the Prophet, reject Allah's Laws and Punishments and preach men to Disobey Allah's Law. [29]

D] Last but not least We need to come out of the DEEP WELLS that we find ourselves in & look around us and ask:-

WHY IS IT THAT "YOUTH BOREDOM" & IT'S ASSOCIATED DRUGS, ALCOHOL, SEX, CRIME, HEALTH RELATED ISSUES & A MILLION OTHER PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST IN THE SO CALLED DEVELOPED LIBERAL COUNTRIES ...If their model is what we need to copy? [30]

THESE NON-ISLAMIC SECULAR GOVERNMENTS  pursuing  
"Birakanulai Mjakolla - Kurriah Kurriah Baarah Kuriah PHILOSOPHIES  
SPEND BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THE HUGE PROBLEM RESULTING FROM "Birakanulai Mjakollai, Raa Boanjehene - Kurriah Kurriah Baarah Kuriah PHILOSOPHIES as practised in countries as in the USA, UK, EU, JAPAN, RUSSIA? [31]

 In these "advanced" Western liberal Democracies in spite of and in addition to all the Good they might possess they have a very dark side related to their Birakanulai Majakura Raaboanjehena thinking. Glimpse through any newspaper and glimpse through the world crimes statistics, Alcohol & Drug abuse statistics, Rape statistics, Domestic Violence stats, Drugs and Alcohol abuse related health statistics, sexually transmitted disease statistics, Abortion statistics, single parent and consequent abortion statistics. Who could possibly deny the extent of the problem? [32]

Which sane person would choose to copy this failed model - In its present form as seen in the "Developed" West? [33]

Indeed Youth Boredom and the related issues are complex issues. Imaginary easy fixes like Birakanulai use of Drugs, Alcohol, Sports Clubs, Clubbing, Tourism, Licentious same sex & hetro sex - has resulted in the youth in the liberal West & elsewhere going from the frying pan into the fire; with the youth CONTINUING TO REMAIN BORED.  We see this in the Capitals and cities of the "Developed" West. Live in  New York, Paris, London or any other "free to Enjoy without Fear society" and you will see the fruits of Birakanulai Majakura VISNUN:- [34]

Only a fool cannot see THROUGH the glitzy veneer of liberal secular societies where a rich elite grower richer whilst the majority throw away the Good of this life & Compromise the Good of the next life. 

The answer to our youth problems is not to ape the Birakanulai Majakuramun Boila Boenjehey philosophy  but to Submit Our Will to Allah! [35]

Peace!

Jasmine/ Maldivians For Islam Blog.

Reaction To Azra Naseem - Over Reaction or Justified

I cannot help but feel great sympathy for Azra Naseem. She is a young lady who was born in the wrong country at the wrong time, and who is struggling to accept the ground realities of the place, she has little choice but to call home. A product of a Maldives so occupied with $ & £ that parents had no time to teach their children the basics and so turned them into coconuts - brown on the outside, white inside but still a c'NUT.[1]

She hates to be called a propagandist but she comes out as a wannabe propagandist selling a "secular Maldives" that she had so hoped that her beloved MDP headed by President Nasheed had sprung on Maldives forever. However in spite of Nasheed's fervent efforts (championed by people like Azra, Farah, Dr Shaheed, Ibra) at secularisation of Maldives the effort failed; for two important reasons :- 1. Democracy introduced by MAG in 2008 and 2. Islam.[2]

This explains her veiled attacks on Islam because she & like minded secularists don't have the guts to launch a frontal attack on Islam. Instead she chooses to vilify the people who are calling people to Islam. Azra is unable to hide her rabid hatred for Sheik Imran because she rightly realises that the Sheik and his fellow Sheiks were the prime movers for Nasheed's downfall. With his miraculous  downfall the dream of spreading the religion of secularism was given a painful blow. She also hates to be reminded it was also the very same Sheiks who handed her hero the presidency of Maldives on a platter.[3]

Maldives was paradoxically saved *by Democracy. What Azra and her alter egos should realise for their own sakes is that post 2008 the will of the people is supreme. The ground reality is that in Maldives an overwhelming majority of people has no hesitation in calling themselves Muslims. This being a Democratic country the Sheiks such as Imran, Iliyas have every right to express their interpretation of the sacred texts. That's their right. Those people who wish to follow them have every right to to do so and let those such as Azra oppose them as they choose.  The Constitution and the statutes being the ultimate constraint.[4]

What Azra needs to accept is that the days of authoritarianism is over*. The pitiable sight and plight of Nasheed and his MDP lusting for power is proof of that. No amount of "writings" to please the farangiis is going to change *anything. The Sheiks *are here to stay. If she and her kind want to challenge them the BEST course open is to study the texts they studied and offer an alternative  interpretation to the texts and offer it to the people- that is if they want to be effective or relevant rather than keep on whining ad infinitum.[5]

To exploit a small child's horrors at the hands of a diabolical criminal is another  form of pedophilia and no sane person should or would do it. You are doing that child irreparable damage and should be ashamed of yourself keeping the fires burning forgetting that her parents, relatives, friends would read your words and you are keeping the torture of that child going on and on[5]. 

Take lessons from the MPS and minister Diana. Quietly with the minimum of fuss they are taking care of the child and dealing with that 45 year beastly freak (who deserves nothing short of death by public stoning). Instead you are raking mud around that child. Truly sick![6]

Azra  & Co wake up! We are no longer under authoritarian rule. just as people from Algeria, Morroco, Libya, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and now Syria WHEN given freedom to choose, ALL overwhelmingly chose proponents of Islam and the secularists were relegated to their dingy holes. Remember the secularist Saddam Hussain found in a spider hole, Gaddafi found in a sewage pipe. TAKE LESSONS![7] 

One final thought - to pray, fast, go on Hadj pay Zakat can be the most exhilarating of experiences and staying away from Alchol, eating pork, staying away from Zinna, usury really could be pretty Liberating - if we would only give ourselves a half a chance.[8

AN ATTEMPT TO START FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF.

786!   Peace!

Some of you who followed this blog when it started would perhaps remember that these pages saw light as a result of 2 happy-go-lucky girls starting their journey of discovery of themselves. In spite of being involved with the inevitable “paper-chase” we found the allure of PEACE & serenity compelling. On this journey we discovered the choice presented to us in Quran 2/200 & Quran 2/201 & the wonderful promise in 2/202.

002.200
ABDLH.YUSUF ALI :… …..“Our Lord! Give us (Thy bounties) in this world!” but they will have no portion in the Hereafter.

002.201
ABDLH.YUSUF ALI: And there are men who say: “Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and defend us from the torment of the Fire!”

002.202
ABDLH.YUSUF ALI: To these will be allotted what they have earned; and Allah is quick in account.

Both Ayesha & I were struck by the implications in these three verses for many months. We would talk and discuss and invite friends at uni in animated discussions and this lead us to reading about the final prophet –pbuh. This started something very beautiful within us. Not only in Ayesha & me but in many friends in our dorm of different faiths and outlooks to life. We exchanged ideas in those December wintry nights with a lot of passion and a few of us embarked on a long quest of self-discovery. That journey we discovered was amazing, confusing, frightening, exhilarating all at the same time …..

The Prophet* (* = Peace be upon him) is reported in Abu Dawood to have said “‘A Mu’ min is a mirror for a Mu’min.’ 

Thus we set out to “share & witness” in our little blog in the spirit of this beautiful Hadis. However we were forced to discontinue because we were repeatedly told that we were not Islamic scholars to talk about Islam. The response that we earlier got in our blog was phenomenal. We received many comments sharing people’s experiences and sharing what moved people in the texts. That was so useful, and helped us much in our journey. In the comments there was the good, the bad and the ugly. But that is how life is and from all of it we had take-home lessons. We are beginning once again trying to recapture what we lost and starting again what we shouldn’t have ever stopped.

We are inviting you to take a few minutes to help us on our journey. Maybe we will discover something of the failings within ourselves looking into your thoughts that you hopefully choose to express here. Let’s try to  turn ourselves into mirrors – one for the other vice-versa. Peace!

A reminder!

 Our understanding is that human beings are free to make choices and of course they are answerable for making those choices. In our blog we make no attempt to limit this freedom. We are really not interested who you are and what you are and from where you are. We are interested only in what you say and how you say it; for therein lies the take-home lessons. Thus whilst your comments are very welcome it’s your responsibility to control your pen. 

Jasmine.

Advice On How To Be Good

Counsels and maxims, from Reliance of the Traveller

t3.1 (Muhammad Sa`id Burhani:) Do not limit yourself to deep words and profound spiritual allusions but make provision for the afterlife before death comes, when fine words will be lost and the rak`as you prayed by night or day will remain..

t3.2 Give voluntary charity as much as possible, for you owe more than merely the zakat obligatory. Make provision for the afterlife by giving while you have health and want to cling to your money out of fear of poverty, seeing life before you. Allah Most High says, "Whoever is watchful against the stinginess of his own soul, those shall be the successful'' (Koran 59:9), meaning they shall be saved.

t3.3 Never obey anyone of Allah's servants, even father or mother, in an act of disobedience to Allah, for there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator.

t3.4 Do not wrong another person, for wrongs done to others are clouds of darkness on the Day of Judgement. Wronging others includes not doing what Allah has obliged you to do for them.

t3.5 Beware of enmity against anyone who has said, "La ilaha ill Allah' (There is no god but Allah), for Allah has honored them with faith, and particularly the righteous of them, for Allah Most High says in a rigorously authenticated (sahih) hadith, "He who makes an enemy of a friend of Mine, I declare war against,''

t3.6 Tell the truth when you speak. It is one of the worst betrayals to tell your brother something he thinks you are being honest about when the matter is otherwise.

t3.7 Be honest in your clothes and dress. It is an outrage against Allah to appear to His servants in the guise of the righteous while secretly contradicting it with the works of the wicked.

t3.8 Recite the Koran and contemplate its meanings. Reflect while reading it on the qualities Allah has praised, with which He describes the people He loves. Acquire these qualities yourself and shun those Allah has condemned. Do your utmost of memorize the Holy Koran by acts as you do by words.

t3.9 Never explain a verse of Holy Koran by your own opinion, but check as to how it has been understood by the scholars of Sacred Law and men of wisdom who came before you. If you comprehend something else by it and what you have understood contradicts the Sacred Law, forsake your wretched opinion and fling it against the wall.

t3.10 Beware lest you ever say anything that does not conform to the Sacred Law. Know that the highest stage of the perfected ones (rijal) is the Sacred Law of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). And know that the exoteric that contravenes the exoteric is a fraud.

t3.11 Take care to eat lawful food bought with a lawful income, for the entire body of someone who eats what is lawful, his hearing, eyesight, hands, and feet, are disposed to obey Allah whether he wishes to or not; while the whole body of someone who eats the unlawful is disposed to do wrong whether he wants to or not.

t3.12 Keep the thought of Allah Mighty and Majestic ever before you with respect to what He takes from you and what He gives. He takes away nothing except that you may show patience and win His love, for He loves the patient, and when He loves you, He will treat you as a lover does his beloved. And so too, when He gives to you, He bestows blessings upon you that you may give thanks, for He loves the thankful.

t3.13 Do not walk a step, take a bite, or make a move without intending thereby to draw nearer to Allah.

t3.14 Perform the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) silently and aloud, in a group and when alone, for Allah Most High says, "Remember Me: I will remember you'' (Koran 2:152). It is sufficient as to its worth that Allah is remembering you as long as you are remembering Him.

t3.15 Give frequent utterance to the axiom of Islam "La ilaha ill Allah'' (There is no god but Allah), for it is the greatest invocation (dhikr), as is mentioned in the hadith, "The best things I or any of the prophets before me have said is 'La ilaha ill Allah.'''

And in a hadith qudsi, "Were the seven heavens and seven earths placed on one side of a balance scale and'`La ilaha ill Allah' placed on the other, the latter would outweigh them all.''

t3.16 Train you children in points of Islamic behavior so they grow up to be Muslims who love Islam and respect the religion of Islam.

t3.17 Do not seek exaltation on earth, but have humility in whatever degree Allah has raised you to. For Allah has brought you forth from the earth, you mother, and it is unseemly to exalt yourself above her. As a hadith says, "Allah has charged Himself to raise nothing in this world, save that He will lower it again.''
So if you are such a thing, you may expect to be lowered by Allah.

t3.18 Always visit those who are ill, as it helps one reflect and take admonition, for someone ill is close to Allah. One has only to consider that the sick person has no one to call upon but Allah, nothing to reflect on but Allah, and his condition reminds one of the blessing of health (al-Hall al-sadid li ma astashkalahu al-murid (y46), 29-32).

Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Burhani was a major Damascene Hanafi faqih and Sufi.

May Allah Bless the author, the translator and Ayesha and all those who made the site "Islam The Modern Religion" what it is.

Islamic Day.

Islamic day was first celebrated in the late fifties or early sixties in the Maldives. Today "this day" has penetrated the consciousness of Maldivians more than before, maybe because our Government has taken the opportunity to mark the day with different programs to demonstrate how much more “Islam friendly” they are in comparison to the 30- year regime.

Centuries ago our forefathers accepted Islam, and today many of us like to boast; an increasingly contested statistic that we are 100% Muslims. Whatever the truth may or may not be, it’s an incontestable fact that Maldivians by and large have enjoyed historically (recent, at least) homogeneity with respect to their belief system. How much this homogeneity engendered brotherly love and harmony between the sons and daughters of this country, I leave for you to ponder.

By the Grace of Allah we have been fairly consistent in our acceptance of the Oneness of Allah and the acceptance of the Holy Prophet as Allah’s slave and Messenger. I dare say until recently the ordinary Maldivian had no difficulty in accepting the supremacy of the Shariah with regard to his day to day life. Thus I put it to you the reader that the Shariah was not given its due place in our lives mainly due to the failings of our leaders and even more importantly the failings of our scholars & elite.

It is in this light that we have to face facts and take stock of the present situation that we are faced in. On the one hand, in our day to day lives we consiously or unconsiously completely deny any preponderance or supremacy of the Shariah in our lives and on the other hand we consciously and actively give value and preference to a system of life that goes against the grain, letter and soul of the Shariah. We are now spending more and more time, wealth and all our energies in divisive politics and letting the strongest, richest, loudest and meanest amongst us to wedge hatred and ill feelings amongst us.

So in the many gatherings, celebrations, lectures in forums, TV and radios we are marking this day with unusually robust fashion. Alhamdulilahi! I wonder how many of you would stop and think that centuries ago our ancestors accepted by Allah’s Grace Islam as taught by Allah’s own prophet – who underwent insult upon insult, trauma upon trauma and pain upon pain to pass the Message of Islam entrusted on him by Allah in all it's pristine purity.

I invite you to make the firm resolution today that Insha Allah we are going to strive to uphold the attestation that THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH & THAT PROPHET MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER. Brothers & Sisters, the “mighty oak tree” was once only a seed. Together Insha Allah we can strive to reclaim our lives, our ethos, our being for ALLAH & ONLY ALLAH.

003.103 YUSUFALI:

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.

A Women’s Day

It’s the sign of times…. in that we name a day, then coo and pooh, and end up preening shooing over how modern we are and how evolved we are and how clever we are. Its good economics, good psychology and an opportunity to play the great deception.

In principle what it should be all about is the alleviation of the suffering of women and ameliorating the perception of women. The first step towards solving any problem is identifying the problem.

The fact is that since the beginning of time, we have been abused as women, in every conceivable way. In bygone eras, we had been identified primarily as a means of satisfying men’s lusts and secondarily as a means of producing children. In Christian Europe until the 19 & 20th centuries women were considered mere chattel and it was often hotly debated if we had even a soul. Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist perception of women was little different.

From East to West, North to South, from the stone ages women were subjected to brutality, unfairness and hardship. She was recognized as sex objects and often treated as quasi sex slaves with no recognized rights to her self and her property. Inequality and injustice seemed women’s only birth rights.

Which of the above would anyone deny?

The crux of the problem has always been that down the ages women were perceived as only useful for sex and procreation. Since she could poorly defend herself she was subject to all kinds of harassment both blatant and subtle and exploited for sex and hard labour. This is what happened then, and this is what happens now. Thus in most so called developed societies where reliable statistics are available, every few seconds a women is raped, every few seconds a women is battered, every few minutes a women is murdered, every few seconds a women’s right and honour is trampled, and every few moments women are exploited.

Their in lies the problems faced by women THEN and NOW. Whether it be a women living 5000 years back or a women living in Europe, Asia, North or South America NOW, is different only in the shades and subtleties of discrimination and this being the result of the differences in social and economic realities across the ages. There is in varying degrees exploitation of women based on her sex and brutality, rape injustice for no other reason but her sex.

What is the solution?

More laws …..; as the MUPPETS - both men and women amongst our midst advocate? If laws were the answer! Law-enforcement was the answer; we would have women living in equality, harmony sans prejudice, sans exploitation, harassment and free of violence, hindrance & honour in the bastions of Western democracies. However even in these very countries women have the most startling and horrendous statistics; thus belying the stated premise that ….. “Law and law-enforcement” offers the solutions to problems faced by us women.

I boldly state that the solution to Women’s problems lies in following Allah’s Commandments to the letter. In other words, following the Holy Koran and the Sahih Hadis. In short our rights to human dignity, and our sort in this world and the next can only be guaranteed by following Allah’s deen ONLY.

Let’s all turn together and grasp the rope of Allah. Let’s fight tooth and nail for our salvation and for the salvations of the children that we bear Insha Allah tomorrow. Let’s remind our brothers the great testament that our beloved prophet, the Messenger of Allah – Peace and Blessings be on him, his family & companions, left us on his final sermon on his farewell pilgrimage.

“Maldivians for Islam” back on track.

“Maldivians for Islam” in my opinion is by far the vast majority in these islands. This site attracted at one time many Islam enthusiasts and offered a platform for great exchange of views. I managed to track Jasmine and had lively discussions as to the reason why she let the site run down.

With a wry smile, Jasmine told me that she did not have the expertise to talk Islam so she “shut up”. I was told that she took to blogging simply because she thought with the recent political changes in Maldives she was scared that Islam in Maldives was in danger. Apparently she now was happy that this was not so and felt content that Islam in Maldives was not at risk.

When I suggested that she should keep up the good work she started she just said that she was too scared of mistakes she might do, and without solid grounding in the sacred texts she was scared of what she would have to answer on Judgment day. When my friends and I needled her that she was abandoning her readership, she said that her readers would understand her stand.

She wanted us to restart a new blog. We pointed out that this site was already started and many came here, so it was a waste of energy to start all over again. Jasmine was the kind of person who listened well, and she agreed that it made sense to let “Maldivians for Islam” continue. However she has handed the reigns over to us.

Jasmine likes to see faith as a plant, and her eyes glint and radiate eagerness and earnestness whilst on the topic of Islam and Muslims in Maldives. Perhaps she sees her “Maldivians for Islam” as a plant that has already withered and died. She agreed that Muslims should not just give up, but turn to Allah and with prayers on our lips strive.

So sisters and brothers, lets try to get “Maldivians for Islam” back on track. May Allah Help us!