{mosimage} The 3rd March 2010 was the 86th anniversary of
the destruction of the Khilafah. After tasting the bitter fruits of
socialism in the 1950's and then the mirage of independence throughout
the 1960's and 1970's, the situation of the Ummah across the world
remains the same if not worse. As a result, the problems the Ummah faces
have ballooned into many other issues.
The Ummah faces a number
of challenges since the destruction of the Khilafah that would need to
be overcome for change. Challenges such as poverty, development,
healthcare as well as sustainable economic growth, distribution of
wealth and industrial development have for long been the centre of
debate and discussion between policy makers, intellectuals and
government ministers. Unfortunately such a debate has skewed the
discussion of change, and whilst many material obstacles need to be
overcome by the Ummah, change from some perspectives remains a
physiological barrier rather than material i.e. do the Ummah believe
change is possible.
The birth of any nation would require those
who espoused change and those that participated in its emergence to
ascertain the nation's strengths and advantages. Those elements
considered necessary but absent would need the development of policies
so they can be overcome.
Otto Van Bismarck oversaw German
unification which set the nation on the path to industrial supremacy.
Beginning in 1884, Germany established several colonies outside of
Europe in order to overcome its shortage of mineral resources. Bismarck
managed to achieve unification of the German lands which many had
attempted for nearly a thousand years. Such unification meant German
resources and minerals could all follow one unified policy and for once
Germany could be domestically developed without facing any secessionist
calls.
Similarly Japan by the turn of the 20th century
had managed to develop its industries. However the rapid growth of the
economy had made Japan painfully aware of its limited natural resources.
Japan overcame such disadvantages through a programme of aggressive
territorial expansion through conquering the Korean peninsula and
surging deep into China in order to exploit labour and resources. In a
similar manner the British Empire conquered foreign territories for
export markets and utilised slave labour to overcome small workforce.
These
examples show that all nations need some very basic ingredients to
emerge as a powerful states and ones that can very quickly establish a
prosperous standard of living for its people with secure borders. The
development of infrastructure, defence industries and energy are
fundamental for any nation, the possession of mineral resources would
therefore be a strategic strength and a huge advantage for the emergence
of a nation. The examples of Germany and Japan are examples of
societies - rightly or wrongly, who overcame shortages of the key
building blocks for a new nation.
When one looks at the potential
of the Muslim Ummah, the Muslim lands do not just posses the key
building blocks for a new nation, but over a beyond this reality the
Khilafah would emerge a very powerful state due to the many strengths it
will inherit that are present in the Muslim lands.
"Alif. Lam. Ra.
This is a book which we have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you
might bring mankind out of darkness into the light by the permission of
their Lord - to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy." [Ibrahim, 14:1]
The propagation of Islam is achieved through
projecting an image of strength globally, so that those who have designs
on the Ummah should consider the existence of its deterrent force so
powerful as to render success in an attack too doubtful to be
worthwhile.
"And
prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the
frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and
others besides them, whom you do not know (but) Allah knows them; and
whatever thing you will spend in Allah's way, it will be paid back to
you fully and you shall not be dealt with unjustly." [Al-Anfal: 60]
All of this makes it essential for the Khilafah to
field an advanced military and have a strong manufacturing base.
The
Muslim Ummah collectively possesses over 700 billion barrels of oil and
half of the world's gas. Both the worlds key energy sources. It is for
this reason the Muslim countries produce half of the world's daily oil
requirement and 30% of the world's gas needs. Alongside this Saudi
Arabia posses the worlds largest oil field, whilst Qatar and Iran posses
the worlds largest gas field.
The Ummah globally number 1.6
billion, more importantly over 60% of the Ummah is below the age of 28.
The importance of a large population is critical for domestic economic
development and defence. The absence of a large pool of labour means the
nation cannot be constructed or in many cases would take decades before
it was able to become self sufficient. On the emergence of the Khilafah
for the defence of its borders the Khaleef will have the capability to
deploy armed forces of over 4 million personnel.
Alongside this
the Ummah will inherit many of advantages. The geographical distribution
of the Ummah and the Muslim lands means some of the world's key
strategic waterways and airspace will be Islamic periphery. 40% of the
world's oil passes through the Straits of Hormuz waterway that straddles
between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf in the
southwest. This fact alone makes it the most important waterway in the
world. The Suez Canal is considered one of the world's most important
waterways as it links Asian markets to the Mediterranean and Europe.
7.5% of global sea trade transits the canal. Similarly the Messenger of
Allah ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู ensured that key trade routes in the Hijaz
were under Islamic control, which severely weakened the enemies of Islam
to manoeuvre and weaken the Ummah.
Whilst many in the Ummah live
in severe poverty, this by no means is due to the absence of agriculture
in the Muslim lands. In fact the facts on ground, with the right
polices will make the Khilafah the worlds bread basket. Egyptian
agriculture takes place in some 6 million acres of fertile soil in the
Nile Valley and Delta, It has made Egypt amongst the worlds largest
agricultural producers and is the worlds largest producer of dates,
second largest producer of geese meat and the worlds third largest
producer of buffalo and camel meat. Pakistan's not only irrigates more
land than the whole of Europe combined, but Pakistan is also the world's
largest producer of ghee (Clarified Butter), the 2nd largest producer
of chickpeas, buffalo meat and milk, the 3rd largest producer of Okra
vegetables, the 4th largest producer of apricot, cotton, goat's milk and
mangos and the 5th largest producer of onion and sugar cane. At the
same time Turkey is the world's largest producer of hazelnut, fig,
apricot, cherry, quince and pomegranate. The Ummah already before the
Khilafah is the world's breadbasket.
The Muslim lands also posses
the world's largest aluminium smelter in Bahrain, critical for
industrialisation, the worlds largest open pit Gold Mine in Uzbekistan's
Qizilqum Desert, the worlds largest aluminium plant in Tajikistan, the
world largest coal field in the Thar dessert in Pakistan and the worlds
largest producer of tin - Indonesia.
The real question that needs
to be asked is how is it possible for a people so rich and so plentiful
in resources, to be so poor in reality? There is only reason for this
and that is the rulers over the Muslim lands have never had any
intention of making the right use of such huge wealth for their people.
The Muslim lands posses all the necessary ingredients to take its own
destiny into its own hands; it now just needs a ruler who fulfils the
destiny of the Ummah. The Ummah has no need to colonise other peoples or
engage in territorial expansion as Germany and Japan and the British
Empire did, as it has all the necessary ingredients within its own
borders.
{mosimage}The definition of Brotherhood varies
between dictionaries, ranging from blood relationships to associations
based on common interests and activities such as unions and professional
associations.
Islam redefined brotherhood in a new and
profound manner by changing the relationship from one based on personal
interest or mutual activity to a permanent bond based on belief and
acceptance of Islam.
"The believers are nothing
else than brothers. So make reconciliation between your brothers, and
fear Allah, that you may receive mercy." [Al-Hujjurat,
49:10]
The Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู also said
about brotherhood: "None of you truly believes until he loves
for his brother what he loves for himself." [Bukhari &
Muslim]
Upon completion of the Hijrah and
building the masjid in Madinah, the Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู proceeded
to establish one of the main pillars of an Islamic community -
brotherhood. He paired up the Muhajireen and Ansar, who were virtual
strangers to each other prior to this. The two groups understood and
accepted the responsibilities that came with this pairing, leading to
unique acts, such as sharing wealth and other brotherly deeds, which
helped ease the difficulties facing the Muhajireen who left everything
behind in Makkah.
This action had brought about a profound
transformation in perception of what brotherhood means between members
of the Muslim community. It redefined the concept of brotherhood beyond
the typical understanding of blood or tribal relationships. This was
clearly demonstrated by Mus'ab Ibn Umayr when he found his blood brother
Abu โAzeez - who was among those captured during the battle of Badr.
Upon reaching Madinah, Abu 'Azeez was lodged with Abu Yusr Alansari, and
Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr said to Abu Yusr: "Treat him harshly, for his
mother is a wealthy woman." Abu 'Azeez said: "Brother
is it for you to give this counsel?" "You are not my brother," replied Mu'sab, "my brother is the one who is tying up your
hands." [Ibn Hisham]
The brotherhood established after Hijrah
came with explicit and implicit responsibilities between Muslims, as
individuals and as members of the Islamic State. It was the
responsibility of the strong to help the weak, of the rich to help the
poor, and of the knowledgeable to help those seeking knowledge.
Furthermore, it was a responsibility of brotherhood to enjoin the good
and forbid the evil.
We should always keep these actions of
the Sahabah at the forefront of our minds, since they are the practical
interpretation of brotherhood as defined by Islam.
Brotherhood is an obligation,
not a choice
The evidences (Adilla) regarding the
obligation of brotherhood in the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the life of the
Sahabah are strikingly clear. We must be extremely vigilant in correctly
upholding this concept to prevent transforming the relationship into a
shallow bond, lacking the true essence of Islamic brotherhood.
Sadly, one of the issues facing Muslims
in the West is "life in the fast lane," and due to this lifestyle, we
tend to rush our dealings with one another. We should, for example, try
to take a few minutes after Jum'ah prayers and greet our brothers next
to us with Salaam, and introduce ourselves to them. We should neither be
shy nor be afraid of a cold response, keeping in mind that we are only
seeking the pleasure of Allah ุณุจุญุงูู ูุชุนุงูู and following the Sunnah of
the Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู .
The Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู said: "You
will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe
until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something which if
you carry out you will love one another? Spread salaam amongst
yourselves." [Muslim]
It is necessary to let our brothers know
that we care for their well-being, that we sincerely love them as we do
our own blood brothers, and that we are ready to help them in any way
we are able to.
It has been narrated by Al-Bukhari in
Al-Adaabul-Mufrad that the Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู said: "If
one of you loves his brother for Allah's sake, then let him know, since
it causes familiarity to endure and firmly establishes love."
Muslims have the responsibility to give
sincere advice to their fellow brothers and sisters to abstain from
haram and stay on the course of halal in every aspect of life, following
the basic rule of verifying every action with Hukum Shar'iee - whether
in our ibadah (worship) or muamulat (social transactions).
The Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู said: "Each
of you is the mirror of his brother, so if he sees a fault in him he
should wipe it away from him." [Tirmidhi]
Brotherhood in Islam imposes a great
responsibility on us to protect our brothers and sisters from harm, even
from their own selves. We should ensure that we do not allow ourselves
or others around us to engage in activities that could affect the unity
of the Muslim Ummah. One such activity is backbiting; we must refrain
from initiating or participating in it. Allah ุณุจุญุงูู ูุชุนุงูู revealed:
"O you who believe! Avoid
much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither
backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead
brother? You would hate it. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One
Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful." [Al-Hujjurat, 49:12]
Envy and jealousy are also forbidden,
which are the common causes of problems amongst brothers and sisters.
The Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู said: "Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other
Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slave of
Allah! Be like brothers with each other. It is not allowed for a Muslim
to desert his brother for over three days." [Muslim &
Tirmidhi]
We should also be aware that a brother
or sister in Islam has five rights over us, as the Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู
ูุณูู said: "Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim:
to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral
processions, to accept an invitation, and to respond to the one that
sneezes." [Bukhari & Muslim]
It is clear from the above examples
that, in Islam, brotherhood is not merely a word we mention to each
other when we meet casually or when we engage in business transactions.
Rather, it is an obligation, and a deep sense of responsibility and
caring for the well-being of our brothers and sisters, not only in our
local communities but around the world as well.
Muslims are like one body
One of the most fatal ideas to the
concept of brotherhood that has been promoted is the concept of "Ummah
fragmentation." This concept suggests that issues of Muslims in one
country should not be of concern to Muslims in other countries. The
fragmentation of the Ummah is like a fatal virus that, when adopted
intentionally or unintentionally by the Muslims, leads to a clear
violation to the aforementioned evidences in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and
consequently causes a complete decay in the obligation of brotherhood.
The Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู described
the Ummah as one body; if one member becomes sick then the other
members of this one body will take care of the sick one:
"The Believers, in their mutual
love, mercy and compassion, are like one body: if one organ complained,
the rest of the body develops a fever." [Bukhari & Muslim]
The media outlets and internet have no
shortage of news revealing the turmoil that Muslims are living in around
the world: from occupation of Muslim lands to the dire poverty of our
brothers and sisters. This is where a sense of brotherhood becomes the
vital connection between Muslims around the globe. It is our obligation
to be politically and intellectually aware of all affairs impacting
Muslims everywhere. Allah ุณุจุญุงูู ูุชุนุงูู has described the believer as a
brother to another believer, and therefore it should pain us - just as
it would if it were our own blood brother - when we read about the
plight of our fellow Muslims.
Sustaining the sense of
brotherhood
The enormity of events facing Muslims,
coupled with the visible impotence and corruption of the ruling regimes
in Muslim lands, are creating frustration and an artificial sense of
helplessness among Muslims. This sense of frustration and helplessness
is also further fuelled by the daily pressures of life facing Muslims.
All these factors lead to a gradual decline in reacting to the turmoil
facing Muslims outside of their immediate circle of friends and blood
relatives - causing a fatal departure from the very foundations and ties
of the Ummah.
Muslims should always gravitate toward
the concept of brotherhood and the obligation of helping and
sympathizing with our brothers and sisters in Islam regardless of where
they are or what their condition is.
Although helping our brothers and
sisters may not be physically possible in all circumstances, it is
imperative to always care and be concerned for their affairs, regardless
of geography or language, and do whatever is possible within the
circumstances. It is imperative to care, or even train ourselves to care
for Muslims in nearby or remote parts of the world by reminding
ourselves that our bond with all Muslims is that of brothers and
sisters.
Preserving our Muslim identity is both
an obligation and a challenge at the same time. It is paramount for
Muslims anywhere and at anytime to remain aware of the concept of
brotherhood as a most critical tool in striving to keep our distinct
identity, especially in the West. Therefore, it is an obligation to
follow the lead of the Prophet ุตูู ุงููู ุนููู ูุณูู and his Companions in
this manner and do whatever is necessary to maintain it.
May Allah ุณุจุญุงูู ูุชุนุงูู bless us with
the same brotherhood the Sahabah had under the shade of Khilafah
Rashidah. Ameen.
"And hold fast, all of you
together, to the Rope of Allah and be not divided among yourselves, and
remember Allah's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but
He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became
brethren, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you
from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear to you, that you may be
guided." [Al-Imran, 3:103]
{mosimage}Open source is a concept of free sharing of technical information that
has been around for much longer than most of us would imagine. When we
think of open source today, we usually think of software. As wonderful
and widely used as open source software is, according to Linus Torvalds,
"the future is open source everything." From foods and beverages to
scientific and health research studies and advanced technological
innovations, the world has turned to open source.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the
Most Merciful!
All praise is to Allah and peace and blessings on our Prophet Muhammad and his
righteous companions and followers
Dear brothers and sisters
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
All praise is to Allah the Lord of the Worlds, we ask Allah Almighty to accept
all our efforts. We ask Allah Almighty that he provides us with beneficial
knowledge.
The topic of this article is "Battle of hearts and
Minds". Let me start by reading to you a quote from a report from Rand
Institute in 2007 which states that:
"The struggle under way throughout much of the
Muslim world is essentially a war of ideas, its outcome will determine the
future direction of the Muslim world".
So there is the struggle of ideas going on, right now, in the Muslim world.
And according to the Defense department, the US Defense Department in its quadrennial
defense review report:
"The United states is involved
in a war that is both a battle of
arms and a battle of ideas. A war in which, ultimate victory, will be achieved only
when extremist ideologies are discredited in the eyes of their host
populations and passive supporters".
So according to Rand and according to the Pentagon and truth fully so, there is
a struggle of ideas going on in the Muslim world, but what is their position
regarding this internal affair, this affair that concerns Muslims, this battle of ideas
between those who want to follow Islam as it was reveled to Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah on him), they want to follow Islam in its entirety and those
who want to pick and chose from Islam, they want to follow Islam selectively.
Now, this issue is not new with Muslims, In every age, there are Ahl-Haq
(people on the Right Path - KC), and there are those who want to deviate
from the true path, through out our history this was a struggle that Allah
destined to remain and it even existed among the believing nations before us.
For example, with Banu Israel (Children of Israel - KC), there were
those who held on to the truth and then there were those whom Allah Almighty
said about in Quran:
"They change the meanings of the words". (Surah 5. The Table, The Table Spread, 13).
So, they would take the words of the Bible and they would change it. And some
of that was done to please the authorities of the time, because we know that
Bani Israel lived under various nations. For example they lived under the Roman
rule, and that time the Romans were pagan. And they lived under the rules of
the kings of Babel, and they were pagans too. And according to a story
mentioned in Tafseer (Explanation of the Quran - KC), that at a
particular time some of the Rabbis of Bani Israel gave a Fatwa to the King of
Babylon allowing him to have a forbidden relationship, but they gave him such a
fatwa to please that king. So they changed the rule of Allah the Almighty, in
order to please a human being!
So this conflict of ideas, that is going on in the Muslim world, what are these
non-Muslims doing about it! According to the US news and World report:
"Today Washington is fighting
back after repeated missteps since the 911 attacks, the US government has
embarked on a campaign of political warfare unmatched, since the height of
the cold war. From military psychological operations teams and CIA covert
operatives to openly funded media and think tanks, Washington is plowing
tens of millions of dollars into a campaign to influence not only Muslim
societies but Islam itself."
Now hear this again "The US is trying to change Islam itself!!!".
Without any shame, they are openly stating that we have a desire not only to
influence the Muslim societies but we want to change the religion itself!
Probably at the time of Bani Israel those Rabbis who were changing the book of
Allah never dared to say so openly! These, without even hiding it, are saying
that we want to change Islam, yes we do!
And then the article carries on to say that:
"In at least two dozen countries, Washington has
quietly funded Islamic radio and TV shows, course work in Muslim schools,
Muslim think tanks, political workshops or other programs that promote
moderate Islam. Federal aid is going to restore Mosques, publish Quran and
even build Islamic schools".
Well as we see here, they are trying to promote this modern Islam, modern
according to their definition, and they are spending millions of dollars to do
so.
Bothers and sisters, when a Muslim, a true Muslim, hears this, he hears that
non-Muslims who have no knowledge about the religion, who do not believe in
Allah Almighty who don't believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) and don't take Quran as the book of Allah, when a Muslim hears that
such a people, are openly claiming that we want to change your religion, this
should make any Muslim who has any love of Allah Almighty angry!
How dare you?! And who are you?! To tell us what Islam is and isn't. In fact we
even find that President Bush is standing in front of the microphone, teaching
us about Islam, giving us Khutbah (sermon - KC) about Islam. In an
address he gave in 2002, he asserted, "Islam is a faith that brings
comfort to a billion people round the world and has made brothers and sisters
of every race it is a faith based upon love not hate".
Now his statement is true, I mean that Islam is a faith that brings comfort to
people around the world and it has made brothers and sisters of every race and
is a religion that is based upon love not hate. I mean that the statement to
some extent is right. But who is Bush to tell us what Islam is and isn't? Who
gave him the authority, to speak for Islam?
And, praise is to Allah we found that some Muslims at the time were happy and
proud that Bush has spoken in this way about Islam. But the issue shows the
arrogance and the condescending view that these Kuffar (unbelievers - KC)
have, they think that we are in need of somebody to tell us what Islam is and
what it isn't. In fact, this condescending view didn't go unnoticed even from
some non-Muslim commentators.
One of them said, sarcastically that the
"Political leadership
collectively appears to have acquired an instant post graduate degree in
Islamic studies enabling them to lecture the population concerning the
true nature of Islam".
In another report by Rand, and by the way, Rand is a sixteen hundred employee
nonprofit organization that provides analysis to the US Department of Defense.
So it is connected to the Pentagon and some how Rand Cooperation has taken in
liking, lately, on this issue of "Battle of minds and
hearts" and they have written more than one publication on this topic. And
I will, in this article, quote from some of their publications.
In this report titled "Civil democratic Islam" by Sheryl Bernard, she
is a Jew married to an apostate, it can't get any worse! Her husband is Zalmai
Khaleel Zad, the apostate if he ever was a Muslim, who held some very high
posts as you know in the US administration. He was an ambassador to the UN at
one point, ambassador to Afghanistan, ambassador to Iraq, so they are putting
him in some pretty sensitive posts!
So this Sheryl Bernard is his wife, she published her report, for Rand titled
"Civil Democratic Islam" so from the title you can see what kind of
Islam they want! What kind of Islam they want to force upon us! And by the way,
they are willing to go to the extent of sending their armies to enforce on us
their particular version of Islam that we are supposed to follow. Brothers,
praise is to Allah, Muslims should stand up and unite against such arrogance!
Some of her recommendations, she said that, she is talking about these moderate
Muslims
"Publish and Distribute their
works at subsidized costs",
Before I go any further, who is the moderate Muslim, according to them? Well,
they have even provided a list to define, who is a moderate Muslim and who is
not; you know they have pretty detailed work! Let's see here who is the
moderate Muslim according to them.
"Characteristics of moderate Muslims" this is from Rand
publication :
1) Democracy
So a moderate Muslim is who believes in democracy and believes in the
democratic system.
Now, there are some Muslims who adopt democracy and they say that Shura
(Islamic government system. The Shura Council is the council of elite Muslim
scholars that are consulted by the Emir in the matters of the State - KC),
the Islamic system of Shura, is similar to democracy, so we could use the term
democracy as Muslims, in reality we believe in Shura, but they say it is more
appealing for the West, when we talk about democracy, because they don't
understand the Islamic concept of Shura. I am quoting to you what some Muslims
believe and what some Muslims say. And they believe that they could get the aid
and the assistance of the West to change the dictatorship that exists in the
Muslim world if they mark themselves as people who want to bring in democracy
and there is a serious problem with that, because
1) Democracy isn't Islamic, democracy is a system and Islam has brought us a
completely different system. And a few in reality, believe in the system of the
Islamic state and Shura, then say Shura call it what it is and don't call it
democracy. That's number one.
2) This trick is not going to pass on these people at Rand because they have
given a detailed definition of what democracy do they expect from a moderate
Muslim!
3) So they say and I am quoting here "A commitment to democracy as
understood in the liberal western tradition"
So don't tell me democracy, as I understand it from Islamic point of view. No!
That is not satisfactory! What we want is a commitment to democracy as
understood in the western liberal tradition!
And they went further to say "Support for democracy implies opposition
to the concept of the Islamic state"
So a moderate Muslim, is a Muslim who believes in a democratic system that is
opposed to the Islamic state!
And then they say
"It follows from the above that for a group to declare itself
democratic, in the sense of favoring elections as the vehicle for establishing
government as in the case of the present Egyptian Muslim brotherhood is not
enough."
2) The second characteristic of this moderate Muslim is "acceptance of
non-sectarian sources of law"
Meaning you follow man made law willingly and openly and they say here in the
report "the dividing line between moderate Muslims and radical Islamist
is whether Sharia should apply"
So to them any Muslim who wants Sharia (Laws revealed by Allah) to
apply, is an extremist and a moderate Muslim is a Muslim willing to accept
French law or the British law or International law or call it whatever, as long
as it is manmade.
3) The third characteristic of a moderate Muslim is "respect for the
rights of women and religious minorities"
Now we believe in rights of women and we believe in rights of religious
minorities, but not according to their definition. According to their
definition, if there is an Islamic state that enforces hijab, that is
extremism. If it charges the Christians and Jews jizyah (tax) they are
extremists!
4) And then the fourth characteristic of a moderate Muslim is "opposition
to terrorism and illegitimate violence"
So a Muslim who defends his lands, a Muslim who refuses occupation, a Muslim
who wants to live according to Islamic rule, is an extremist. And the moderate
Muslim is a Muslim, who invites the US army to come and invade his land, and is
happy to follow manmade laws and is a person who has no honor and dignity to
defend himself against aggression. This is a moderate Muslim!
So from what you see, a moderate Muslim to them, is in reality a non-Muslim!
Because according to these four definitions, the definitions that they gave,
this is Kufr this is not Islam! So from now on, I am not going to call it a moderate
Muslim but I think a more appropriate term would be a "Rand Muslim".
Then they have a questionnaire, to hand over to a Muslim for him to answer, and
then they would categorize him as being a moderate or being an extremist, and
praise be to Allah, you would not fail to see the arrogance in all of this and
the condescending view they have of Muslims, here they are testing our Aqidah
(Belief, Imaan, Faith), they are testing our faith and they are giving us
the scores!
The questionnaire is:
"Does the group or individual
support or condone violence, if it does not support or condone violence
now, has it supported it or condoned it in the past"
So they are not going to even leave you alone if you speak against violence
now. If you have a history of violence in the past then you are going to be
held responsible about that.
Next question,
"Does it support democracy, and if so does it
define democracy broadly in terms of individual rights?"
Following question,
"Does it support
internationally recognized human rights?"
Next question,
"Does it make any exceptions?
For example, regarding freedom of religion"
So if you want to enforce the law of Riddah (apostasy) then that's
extremism!
"Does it believe that changing
religions is an individual right?"
So if a Muslim wants to become a Jew, if a Muslim wants to become a Christian,
if a Muslim wants to worship a cow, or a monkey or a snake, they should have
the right to do so! If a Muslim who was guided to the straight path and honored
by becoming Muslim and he knew Allah the Almighty and he followed Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allah be on him), if such a person whom Allah Almighty
has blessed, wants to worship a cow after that, he should have the right to do
so! ?
"Does it believe that the
state should enforce the criminal law component of Sharia?"
So there should be no Hudood (Plural of Hadd, legal limits that have
punishments in the Islamic law)!
"Does it believe that the
state should believe the civil law component of Sharia?"
Regarding for example, marriage issues, polygamy.
"Or does it believe there
should be non-Sharia options?"
Praise is to Allah! What are we talking about here? In a vegetable market
buying potatoes and onions?! What are you talking about non-Sharia options? No
country in the world, gives you options regarding law. There is one law,
regarding every issue. Here they want us to have options, so you walk in to
court and you are handed out a multiple-choice question โWhich law do you want
to follow'!!!
Allah Almighty says in this ayah
"But no, by thy Lord, they can have no real faith until they make you
judge in all disputes between them and find in their souls no resistance
against your decisions but accept them with the fullest conviction".
(Surah 4. The Women, 65).
No Muslim is a Muslim, if he does not accept the law of Allah Almighty. No
Muslim, is a Muslim if he refuses to accept the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
And then the questionnaire carries on
"Does it believe that numbers
of religious minorities should be entitled to the same rights as Muslims?
Does it believe that a member of religious minority could hold high
political office in a Muslim majority country?"
And we answer no to that question; they cannot hold high office because Allah
Almighty
says,
"O you who believe, take not into your intimacy, those outside your
ranks, they will not fail to corrupt you, they only desire your ruin. Rank
hatred has already appeared from their mouths and what their hearts conceal is
far worse. We have made plain to you the signs if you have wisdom". (Surah 3. The Family of Imran, 118).
So this ayah does not allow us to take the Jews and the Christians as bitanah,
as advisors, or to put them in high office.
The questionnaire carries on to state
"Does it believe that members
of religious minorities are entitled to build and run institutions of
their faith in Muslim majority countries?"
Now the Islamic law regarding that is they are allowed to have their original
Synagogues and Churches but they are not allowed to build any new ones as
according to the codes regarding Ahl Az Zimmah (People of the Book living in
the Lands of).
And then,
"Does it accept any legal system
based on non-sectarian legal principles?"
So the whole thing is Kufr! That is what makes for them a moderate Muslim!
We go back to the recommendations of this Sheryl Bernard her first
recommendation is,
Muslims under the Shariah "We should publish and distribute the works
of Rand Muslims at subsidized costs"
This is to promote the falsehood!
Her next recommendation,
"Encourage them to write for
mass audiences and for the youth"
Because they recognize that the mass, the masses in the Muslim world can
discern the truth and they know who speaks for them and who doesn't.
And they understand that the danger comes from the youth because the youth are
the ones who stand for al-Haq (The truth). Ibrahim (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) was a youth, when he destroyed the idols. And we know from
the story of the cave in Surah Kahf (Kahf meaning Cave, A chapter in the
Quran), that those men who went in to the cave were youth. And we know from
the Seerah (Life Story of the Prophet) that the early followers of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were youth. So now she is
encouraging the deviance of the youth!
Her next recommendation,
"Introduce their views into
the curriculum of the Islamic education"
And they have already taken some concrete steps in that direction, they have
ruined the curriculum in many Muslim countries, entire sections were wiped out
and changed, any thing that talks about Jihad, talks about Hudood, talks about
the rules of Allah have been taken out of the curriculum!
Next recommendation:
"Facilitate and encourage an
awareness of their pre and non-Islamic culture, in the media and the
curricula of relevant countries"
So for example lets revive the Pharoic civilization. Let us talk about the
Pharaohs and lets present them in a positive light. And lets talk about their
civilization and their achievements and the development that they achieved in
those early days, let that take place, instead of talking about the Islamic
civilization! And lets revive the local culture of the societies before Islam!
So lets talk about pre-Islamic Arabia and Arabic nationalism! Lets talk about
the history of the Berber people in the North Africa. And let us talk about the
Raman and Greek history of al-Sham (Syria). That's why we see there is great
attention given by archeologists to the pre-Islamic history of the Middle East.
They talk a lot about Mesopotamia and about Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs.
We should be ware of this, and we should not have any pride in our pre-Islamic
history! It is all Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) and it shouldn't even be
called a civilization because it is not! It is the path to Jahannam (Hell
fire) it is Zulumaat, darkness upon darkness! And pharaoh is a symbol of
evil; he should not be presented in any positive light.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed with
his army next to Diyar Thamuud (A tribe from those that passed who were
destroyed by a punishment from Allah), the dwellings of Thamuud, and some
of the Sahabas (Companions) wanted to go in, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) did not allow them to. Why? So that they should
not be impressed with what they see and he told them
"Do not enter into their
dwellings except if you going to weep and cry (to the faith that befell
them)".
It should be
taken as a lesson. And when they drew water out of the well in Thamuud, and
they used it for the dough for the bread, Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) told them to feed this dough to their animals and not to eat from
it themselves, and not to drink from the well of the people of Thamuud. This is
to establish a barrier between us and these Kuffar.
Her next recommendation,
"Encourage the popularity and
acceptance of Sufism"
So she wants to promote Tassawuf (Sufism) not because of her love of
Tassawuf itself, but because of its position on Jihad (Fighting in the way
of Allah) in the path of Allah, because of its non-violence, but would they
promote for example the Tassawuf of Umar al Mukhtar, or some of the other
movements that existed in North Africa or in the sub-continent?
And then under the title of Confront and oppose the Fundamentalists she has a
few recommendations,
The first,
"Reveal their linkages to
illegal groups and activities"
Next,
"Publicize the consequences of
their violent acts"
Now, in war there are people who are gonna be killed and some of them are
innocent, that is the nature of war, but Muslims, try their best, to avoid
killing innocents and there are strict rules that were laid out by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding Jihad in the path of
Allah. For example, non-fighting women and elderly and the monks should not be
killed, trees and plants should not be burnt and cut down etc.
What she is talking about here, is that we should take the unintentional
accidents that happen with the Mujahideen (Holy Islamic fighters) in the
path of Allah, for example some innocent people will be killed, and let us blow
it out of proportion and make a big deal out of it. And when the US army kills
and bombs entire residences and kills everybody inside it women, children and
elderly, keep that aside and not talk about it, and forget about it, and if it
becomes revealed to the world then we will find an excuse! However, if the
Muslims in their fight in the path of Allah commit a mistake or an
unintentional accident happened lets make a big deal out of it and blow it out
of proportion. And we see this happening all the time, to the extent that now it
is imprinted in the
minds of people, that Muslims are violent people who have no regards what so
ever, for the rights of innocent human beings. Why? Because this is a fallacy
that has been spread by the Western media, this is the agenda of the West; it
is to put the Muslim in such a light. But any descent human being, with the
least amount of intelligence, would be able to see, that it is the US now who
is killing innocents in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and else where
throwing bombs indiscriminately in areas of Muslim population.
In the embargo that was placed on Iraq prior to the war, more than one million
have died, and now we have an entire generation, of Iraqis who is living the poverty
caused by such an embargo, and the spread of diseases that was brought by that
embargo.
Her next recommendation,
"Avoid showing respect, or
admiration, for the violent feats of the fundamentalists, extremists and
terrorists."
And then look at what she says,
"Caste them as disturbed, and
cowardly not as evil heroes"
Some times you would show respect for your enemy because of a certain quality
that he holds, for example, the west could not hide their admiration for
Salahuddin, his chivalry his courage! Throughout history we find that war has
erupted between different nations and peoples, nevertheless, the enemy would
show the other side some respect and some admiration. In particular eras they
would say, for example "Yes it is true that these are our enemies but we
need to speak the word of truth, they are courageous". "Yes it is
true that these are our enemies but nevertheless, they have a point"
things like that.
According to Bernard, we are not supposed to show such an admiration, we should
never even caste them as "evil heroes"! And then she specifically
wanted them to be presented or caste as disturbed, and cowardly. And this
"cowardly" thing, we have been hearing it again and again. And I am
amazed to see that some Muslims, like parrots, are repeating this accusation,
and praise is to Allah, I fail to understand how, the Israeli soldier wearing
his bullet proof vest, and his steel helmet, cowering behind the pile of sand
bags and still runs away from the stones thrown by Palestinian children is
courageous! While the Palestinian children charging at the soldiers full speed,
armed with nothing but rocks and wearing nothing but trousers and t-shirts are
cowards! I fail to understand that!
And the American "heroic" soldiers, fighting from the comfort of
their armored Bradlees and Strikers but nevertheless boiling inside layers of
bullet proof gear in the boiling heat of the Iraqi summer, are
"courageous" while the Iraqi Mujahideen armed with nothing but the
light weapons of Guerilla war-fare are "cowards"!
And what I really fail to understand, is how can the martyr, the Shaheed, who
willingly and happily, hands over his soul to Allah, who walks towards his
faith, with pleasure, and faces death with a smile, what I fail to understand
is how can you call such a person a "coward"!
But that is what they have been called. And that is what the parrots in the
Muslim world have been repeating, that these peoples are cowards.
And then she goes on to say,
"Encourage journalists to
investigate, issues of corruption, hypocrisy, and immorality, in
fundamentalist and terrorist circles"
Well she could have also said, lets fake up such things against them, and take
them to court and sentence them to ridiculous sentences in jail for such fake
accusations! Imam Jameel Ameen in America was sentenced to life, because he was
accused of killing a police officer!
Humeidan at Turki, the head of al-Basheer publications in Demver Colorado was
sentenced to life, because he was accused of raping his servant!
And we could go on and on with a list of people whom the US government has
faked against them false accusations just to liquidate them, and to get them
out of the scene! Take for example, the story of Captain Yee, the Imam at
Guantanamo. Allah knows what the reason was, even though he was a marine
soldier, and is an employee and is with the US government, some how they didn't
take a liking to him for one reason or another. So they accused him in the
beginning, of espionage, of passing over classified information to Syria! When
that didn't hold up, praise is to Allah, what they accused him with? Of
pornographic material on his laptop! And the crime is, that this laptop is
government owned property so how could he have pornography on it! And they
accused him of adultery, and they tried to ruin his family, and then in the end
nothing held up so all of the charges against them were dropped!
In this article by US news and world report, says
"but individual CIA stations
overseas are making some gusty and innovative moves, among them pouring
money in to neutralizing militant anta US preachers and recruiters"
And then they say, "If you found out, that Mullah Omar, is on one
street corner doing this, you set up Mullah Bradley on the other street
corner to counter it".
Well, I wonder how many Mullah Bradlees they have in the Muslim world now!
And then she says
"Encourage divisions amongst
fundamentalists"
Dear brothers and sisters we are not only victims, of US military and political
aggression, but we are also victims of US lies!
They have been lying about our brothers, charging them with false accusations,
until they put hatred of them in our hearts, and they have planted the seeds of
disunity amongst us!
And now she is stating openly that we want to encourage divisions among
fundamentalists!
Take for example, whenever an Islamic group tries to enforce the law of Allah
Almighty, how they try to ruin their reputation! And unfortunately, this lie is
believed by many Muslims! Because they are victims of this western media and US
lies. We need to be aware! We need to be careful. And we shouldn't rely on
their sources, when it comes to information about our Muslim brethren! Take the
information from valid sources.
Allah Almighty says
If a Fasiq -a corrupt Muslim! - Brings you information fatabayyanu (Surah
49. The Dwellings, verse 26- "O ye who believe! If a sinner comes to you
with any news, ascertain the truth...")-you need to check- if this
information is correct, what if the source is not a Fasiq but a Kafir? So we
need to be very careful on what we hear!
For example, when the Taliban were ruling over Afghanistan, you heard a lot of
things about them, there was a lot of lies about them in the media, this is so
the Ummah would hate them, it is to try to plant the seeds of disunity among
us. And when the Islamic rule was applied in Somalia, what did they say about
them too? So Muslims, we need to be very careful.
We talked about some of the recommendations that were in the Rand report and
how to deal with this issue of separating between the modernists or the Rand
Muslims, and the extremists or the real Muslims, true Muslims.
And these efforts have been going on since 9/11, not to say that there was
nothing of this sort before, but 9/11 gave it some more importance, and as I
mentioned to you from the US News and World report says
"after repeated missteps since
the 9/11 attacks, the US government has embarked on a campaign of
political warfare unmatched since the height of the cold war".
So the emphasis on this issue of "The battle of
Ideas" has been post 9/11.
So there is a good seven years now, of the US putting its intelligence
resources, financial resources, human resources, into changing Islam, what are
the results?
Brothers and sisters, if the British Empire, the greatest empire of its time,
dominated the sea, the US military, in contrast, dominates at every level-
land, sea, air and space!
The US spends more than the next 14 countries combined, accounting for almost
50 % of global defense spending. And the US also spends more on defense
research and development than the rest of world put together!
So the US, the strongest force of our time, whose army is spanning the globe,
is spending millions into this effort nevertheless it still cannot defeat the
true Muslims and can still not win in this war of ideas!
In an article, in the Washington Post, Shibli Talhami, a member of a White
house appointed advisory group and public diplomacy and Brookings institute
scholar, said
"its worst than failure.
Failing means you tried and didn't get better but at this point, three
years after September 11 you can say that there wasn't even much of an
attempt and today Arab and Muslim attitudes towards the US and the degree
of distrust in the US are far worse than they were 3 years ago, Bin Laden
is winning by default!"
So they are failing, and Miss Bernard and her cronies at Rand and Pentagon
should know that their plan would fail because Allah is the best of planners!
And that the fundamentalists and extremists, whom they despise, are not only
going to win in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they will continue their march, until
they drag your people, the Jews, out of the Holy Land and plant their black
banners on the roof tops of Jerusalem. Their efforts are a failure and Allah
Almighty says,
"surely those who disbelieve, spend their wealth to hinder people away
from the path of Allah, so they shall spend it, and then it shall be to them an
intense regret, then, they shall be over come and those who disbelieve, shall
be driven together to Hell".
(Surah 8. The Spoils of War, 36)
They will spend millions of dollars, and it will be fruitless! And then in the
end they will lose, and then after that they will be in Hell-Fire!
The results in the realm of ideas, is more important brothers and sisters, it
is more important than the victories, of the Mujahideen in the battlefields. It
is more important to talk about the methodology that they carry. Because when
Allah Almighty talked about the people of the Trench in Surah al Burooj, they
didn't win in the battlefield, they lost, and they were killed. The king, dug
for them trenches and they were burnt alive. But because they held on fast to
the truth, because they were steadfast, Allah Almighty said,
"That is the great victory".
So we should be more concerned, about what is in the hearts and minds of Muslims
rather than what happens on the battlefield!
In this area, brothers and sister, praise is to Allah, even though it is true,
that many Muslims might be deceived by this plan of the US, there were many
Muslims who were asleep before, are probably by now they could be declared
brain dead, but on the other hand, it is amazing to see the revival, specially
among the youth. The clarity of thought and the maturity of understanding that
we find in some youth today is amazing!
Specially, if you talk about some youth in the West, who are second or third
generation Muslims, they are carrying on to clear understanding of Islam! It's
amazing to see that! It
"Allah Almighty brings life out of death"
These are living in the Den of the Lion, they are subjected, they are the first
line of defense in this war of ideas and they are subjected to the brunt of it!
Nevertheless, they are holding on to the truth!
The understanding that they have, of their responsibility as Muslims, and their
willingness, to fulfill these duties, their understanding of Wala' and Bara'
(Allegiance and acquittal), their understanding of the importance of
establishing the rule of Allah on earth, and establishing the Islamic Khilafah,
all of this is amazing to see! How many Muslims are waking up, from their
sleep, and in other areas other than the area of ideas and also including the
areas of hearts
and minds, we find that, praise is to Allah,
"If Allah Almighty wants a thing, then he will provide for it the
means".
We find that the US has fell into blunders that are amazing! For example, this
invasion, this American invasion of Iraq, is a total disaster for the US.
A US foreign service officer, states that this "series of outcomes
makes Bush's invasion of Iraq a fiasco without parallel in American foreign
policy since Vietnam, and the end is not in sight". That's right! The
end is not in sight! You have only seen the beginning!
And we find out that now seven years after 9/11, there are Muslims who are on
Al Haq in Afghanistan, there are Muslims who are on Al Haq in Iraq, there are
Muslims who are on Al Haq in Chechnya, there are Muslims who are on Al Haq in
Palestine, there are Muslims who are on Al Haq in Somalia. That wasn't the case
prior to September 11; things are improving for the Muslims.
Bush's invasion of Iraq, what has it brought?! It brought with it an
establishment, of the new plies of an Islamic state, an unintentional outcome,
in fact this is exactly what they wanted to prevent form happening! Because of
their mislead action, in fact, it is a trap set by Allah Almighty, because
America of today is the Pharaoh of yesterday. And for every Pharaoh their will
be a Musa (Peace be upon him)-Moses), and just as Pharaoh calculated his
steps and planned his moves, nevertheless, he would commit fatal mistakes,
because Allah Almighty wanted to give Musa and the people of Bani Israel
victory! We are seeing the same thing happening today with America, they have
dug for themselves a hole and fell into it, and they are unable to get out!
A recent event is the announcement of the establishment of an Islamic State in
Iraq, in Baghdad- the capital of the longest serving Islamic Khilafah
(Caliphate), of the descendents of al Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We know that Baghdad was
established by the Abbasids- the Abbasid Khilafah, and they made Baghdad their
capitol, and it served as the capitol for few centuries, a period of
enlightenment and civilization in the Muslim world. Baghdad at that time was
the greatest city in the World. So the announcement of the establishment of an
Islamic State in Iraq, in Baghdad, the capital, of the Abbasid Khilafah, with
the current head of that state being a descendant, of Hussein bin Ali
(Descendant of Hussein bin Ali- refers to descendant of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) carries a lot of importance.
It is a matter, which has either passed the West or they are intentionally
trying to ignore it.
Now whether this State survives to expand into the next Muslim Khilafah or is
destroyed by the immense conspiracy against the rise of any Islamic State, I
believe this to be a monumental event. Now we are not going to hang our hopes
on anyone or anything, that's not the way of Muslims. Because Muslims,
generation after generation, they come and go. I mean that the fate of Islam
didn't even depend on the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed
away Abu Bakr as Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) told the Muslims,
"If Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dies or is
killed are you gonna retreat back, are you going to leave your religion?" (Surah 3. The Family of Imran, 144).
So now when I am talking about this Islamic state I am saying that we don't
know about its future, it could expand or it could be crushed. However, the
declaration of it in it self, is an important event. And many Muslims
unfortunately are not aware, of the importance of this event, whether it
succeeds or not, it represents a move of the idea, from the theoretical realm
to the real world.The idea of establishing the Islamic rule and establishing
Khilafah on earth, now is not any more a talk, it is action! And it is a
reflection of the fact that this time, the Mujahideen are not going to do the
work and fight the fight only to let some one else bear the fruit of their
effort. But that their intention is not only to drive out the invaders from
their lands just to have a hypocrite filled in his place, but they posses, a
project of an Islamic state followed by the return of the system of Khilafah!
Brothers and sisters, we are inching forward to the final stage of the hadith
of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
"Finally it will be Khilafah on the path of Prophet hood"
(Narrated by Numan Bin Basheer, Musnad Ahmad)
Now the Americans have been mum about this Islamic state in Iraq. They have
studied the concept of Khilafah, and they realize the vitality of it, and they
realize the danger it poses to them and to their imperial agenda. So if the
majority of Muslims today are deep asleep with their eyes shut and their ears
stuffed why turn their attention to it! Thus they are trying their best to keep
the news of it shut, even though they are the with first hand knowledge of it,
due to the US military being in direct contact with the forces of the State. In
fact they are going as far as claiming as the Head of this State as a
fictitious figure. Now the Islamic state in Iraq is stating that they are
fighting a combined force of a one million strong nevertheless they are still
holding firm.
This idea of Khilafah is picking up steam in the West because now they see the
danger of it; they see that the Muslims are going towards that goal of
establishing the Islamic State again so we find out that there is newfound
interest in it. For some time they forgot about that idea or they kept it on
the backburner but suddenly they are all talking about it.
For example, Bush he said in October 2005,
"the militants believe that
controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses enabling them to
overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical
Islamic Empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia".
He even mentions Spain coz he knows about al-Andalus (Islamic Spain).
And on September 5th 2006 he said,
"This caliphate would be a
totalitarian Islamic Empire encompassing all current and former Muslim
lands stretching from Europe to North Africa, the Middle-East and
South-East Asia" and
then he said "we know this because al-Qaeda has told us" these
are the words of Bush.
Donald Rumsfield said,
"Iraq would serve as the base
of the new Islamic Caliphate to extend throughout the Middle-East and
which would threaten the legitimate governments in Europe and Africa and
Asia. This is their plan! They have said so! We make a terrible mistake if
we fail to listen and learn".
Tony Blair, he referred to the need to confront an evil ideology that included
"the establishment of
effectively Taliban states and Sharia law in the Arab world in route to
the one Caliphate of all Muslim nations".
And finally we have statements form General David Patrious, after this recent
surge in US troops in Iraq. He was trying to justify why we have demanded more
troops, he said
"it is to disrupt al-Qaeda in
its ability to conduct sensational attacks and to try to continue that
cycle of violence which they have been trying to do all along. In
addition, they are attempting to try to establish a real al-Qaeda
sanctuary in Iraq, a Caliphate".
So now all these people are talking about, al-Khilafah because they see it as a
real threat, something that is turning in from an idea to a reality!
So brothers and sisters, Yes, we should stand up and defend our religion
against this arrogant interference!
Yes, we should stand up and declare the truth and fight for the truth, but we
should also be confident that no matter what the enemies of Allah do, victory
is on the side of the Muslims. Because in the hadith al Qudsi Allah Almighty
says,
"Who ever takes, my Awliya', my friends as enemies, then I will wage
war against them" (Bukhari :: Book 8 :: Volume 76 :: Hadith 509).
America has taken the Awliya' of Allah as enemies; therefore they will be
fighting Allah Almighty. And the result and outcome is known!
But how are we to counter that? Yes, the religion of Allah will be victorious
but we want to have a part in that, we want to share in reward! We don't want
to be sitting on the sidelines and watching as spectators!
If the US is openly stating unashamed that it is bent on distorting Islam then
it is our duty to step up our efforts in defending our religion from this
distortion. We should, brothers and sisters, present the Islamic point of view
on the contested issues, we should speak clearly and loudly about our view
concerning the Islamic State, our view concerning the dominance and the rule of
Allah Almighty over the Land, our view concerning Khilafah. We should speak out
our view concerning democracy, and how it is classified in Islam, as an
un-Islamic system! We should speak about the Islamic alternative of Shura, and
what it represents. We should talk about our view concerning Hudood, the
criminal law, in Islam we should speak about issues such as polygamy, such as
women's rights such as human rights, where do we stand, regarding these issues,
what is our positions? We should speak unapologetically and honestly about
these issues and make it clear for the Muslim masses lest they are deceived by
this agenda of the West.
Number two, We should be ware of anything American!
They are willing to use everything in their arsenal for their ulterior motives!
This article in US News and World report states that "among the ideas using
music, comics, poetry, and the Internet to get across America's view to the
Arab world ". They can use everything, so we need to be very careful!
Number three,
If these people at Rand have said that they want to discredit the true Muslims
and want to suppress the Haq that they posses and that they want to, as she
states over here, "encouraging journalists to investigate issues of
corruption hypocrisy and immorality in fundamentalists and extremists
circles" and the Defense Department's quadrennial defense review
report, says that "we want to discredit the extremists ideologies".
It becomes our duty to promote the scholars and the Da'es (preachers)
who are speaking the truth! If they want to discredit them then we want to
promote them. If they want to suppress the truth that they speak, we want this
truth to prevail we want it to spread. And it becomes a duty on every Muslim
because, remember you are standing in front of a very resourceful nation and it
is heading a coalition of other nations and Allah Almighty says
"Prepare for them"
So it is our duty just as they are intending to change our religion and promote
falsehood and to turn us to Rand Muslims, we need to promote Al Haq.
Number four, We need to spread out the material of al-Haq. Anything that promotes the truth
we should promote it, we should spread it out, and we should spend from our
wealth in this effort.
Number five, We should practice the Jihad of the word and Jihad of wealth. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says
"Wage jihad against the disbelievers with your self, and with your
wealth, and with your word"
And spreading Al Haq is a form, this Jihad in the path of Allah.
And finally brothers and sisters,
We should develop the awareness of the Muslims of their true identity. If they
are trying to attach us to our pre-Islamic past, we should spread out
information about our history, about who we are! And we should also establish
the concept of Ummah, that we are part of an Ummah, and this needs to go beyond
the nation state and the nationalism that exists in the world today or the
tribalism that existed in the world yesterday!
We should look at our selves' as one nation. Different colors, different races,
different languages, but we are one Ummah and this should take precedence to
any other association that we have!
So brothers and sisters, we should not take it for granted that since Allah
Almighty is going to give victory to the Ummah that we don't have to do our part.
NO, we should stand up and do our part if we want to be part of the
Ta'ifah-al-Mansurah, the Saved sect the Firqah- an-Najiyah, because now the Bida'
(innovation) are not going to be spread by limited resourced groups, but
are going to be funded by the US government and their allies.
So now in this
battle of ideas and it is the responsibility of the people of Haq, no matter
how few they are, to present the truth to the World!
- Presented by Ghazali Ridzwan, a servant of Allah. http://www.ghazaliridzwan.com | Adapted from an usrah(talk) by Imam Sheikh Anwar Al Awlaki
Dear brothers and sisters, you are encouraged & welcomed to share, re-distribute and publish this article in an effort to promote truth (haq) . May Allah accept our efforts. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise, Most Merciful. http://www.ghazaliridzwan.com
{mosimage} As Muslims, we have to
adhere to ethical standards, not only in business but also in all
aspects of life. Both business and ethics are interrelated. There is a
reference to this point in the Qur'an,[For you in the Messenger of Allah is a fine
example to follow](Al-Ahzab 33:21).
It is worthy stressing
here that when Muslims stick to ethics in their daily lives, they will
become good examples to emulate in today's world. They will help rectify
some aspects of the distorted image about Islam in today's world and
thus they will become worthy ambassadors of their religion.
Open-source software movement has emerged relatively unscathed from the
economic downturn.
New York University anthropologist Gabriella Coleman was the opening keynote speaker at
Linux.Conf.Au, a trans-Tasman conference held in Wellington last week
that attracted more than 600 open-source software developers and
enthusiasts.
She took the plunge and immersed herself in the world of
open source in 2001, perceiving it was a culture worthy of academic
study.
"Anthropologists know a lot more about Maori than computer
hackers," she says. But conferences like Linux.Conf.Au are critical to
the movement's wellbeing.
Hackers is a term used by the community to describe people who write open-source software, not criminals who write malware.
Most hackers have kept their jobs in the downturn, and there are tens
of thousands of open-source developers involved in thousands of
projects. But even the highest-profile initiative under way โ open
source server and desktop operating system Debian โ is largely being
driven by a core team of about 100, she says.
A growing proportion of hackers is employed by information
technology firms that have a commercial interest in the success of the
open-source projects they sponsor. Conferences have allowed these
virtual projects to scale, while reinforcing the community's values and
ethics.
Ms Coleman said Linux.Conf.Au was more technical and less
"political" than many, but that was before open-source software guru
Benjamin Mako Hill took to the stage to rail against proprietary
software and the evils of its "antifeatures".
Mr Hill, who is a senior researcher at MIT's Sloan School
of Management, has set up a mock website where people can report
unauthorised public performances of "Happy Birthday [to you]", to poke
fun at the iniquities of intellectual property law. The song is still
protected by copyright, says Mr Hill, making renditions at birthday
parties technically illegal.
He says open source products are not always more functional
than the proprietary products they are designed to supplant โ and
sometimes less so โ but they are at least free of "antifeatures"
intended to exploit users, which are much more common than many
computer users might suppose.
These range from "spyware" and trial programmes that
software-makers pay to have installed on new PCs, in the hope of
gaining recurring revenues to digital rights management software, and
code that deliberately limits the functionality of software. This can
be to segment markets โ so developers can charge more for software that
is essentially the same but used in different circumstances โ or to
prevent devices using third-party adds-ons.
He says an example of an antifeature is a firmware update
that Panasonic developed for its digital cameras this year that stopped
them working if their owners were using batteries bought from
third-party suppliers. Panasonic said it did this because some
third-party batteries did not include devices to protect against
overcharging.
Mr Hill believes some printer manufacturers have begun to
engage in a similar tactic, using sensors to detect "non-genuine" ink
cartridges and reducing the resolution of print-outs if they find them.
Consumers are paying for such "antifeatures" and businesses are
employing tens of thousands of people to create them, he says.
"The world of proprietary software is a world full of software that people hate."
Google Linux evangelist Jeremy Allison said Microsoft had used a range
of tactics to stall the open-source software movement.
These included developing complex proprietary protocols
that made it hard to integrate open-source products with Microsoft
software and, controversially, persuading the ISO to endorse Office
Open XML as a standard.
Despite Microsoft's protestations, he does not believe the
culture at the top has changed. "Their business model depends on the
maintenance of a monopoly on the desktop."
But Microsoft was not a monolith. "Microsoft internally is
a series of warring tribes. They dislike the open source community, but
they hate each other much more. That makes Microsoft harder to
predict."
Microsoft's tactics had not worked, but it was turning to
the "nuclear option" โ using its array of patents to threaten lawsuits
against developers of open-source software, he says.
Mr Allison says Microsoft's decision in February 2009 to
sue TomTom for features, including Linux features, in its satellite
navigation systems "for me, crossed the line. "That was the first nuke
going off. I know Microsoft's open-source team were horrified about it
when they read about it in the press, because that completely undid all
their work.
"Before, Microsoft said they only had software patents for defensive purposes."
Microsoft says Linux's kernel violates 235 of its patents, and it has
been trying to discuss a licensing arrangement with TomTom for more
than a year.
Computer users should lobby against software patents
wherever they are proposed in the world, Mr Allison says. "Eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty."
Open source faces another challenge in the form of cloud
computing, he says. Companies delivering IT services through the cloud
are not actually selling software. That means they can build on
open-source software without having any obligation to offer their
innovations back to the community.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) delivered his last sermon (Khutbah) on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah (12th
and last month of the Islamic year), 10 years after Hijrah (migration
from Makkah to Madinah) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat. His words
were quite clear and concise and were directed to the entire humanity.
After praising, and thanking Allah he said:
"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know
not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again.
Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE
THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city
as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred
trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt
no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet
your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has
forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest
obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours
to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has
Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to
Abbas ibn โAbdโal Muttalib (Prophetโs uncle) shall henceforth be waivedโฆ
Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has
lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big
things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with
regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that
you have taken them as your wives only under Allahโs trust and with His
permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right
to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind
to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is
your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do
not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your
five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give
your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority
over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a
white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority
over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is
a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one
brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a
fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not,
therefore, do injustice to yourselves.
Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer
your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness
after I am gone.
O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO
NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and
understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things,
the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will
never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others
and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words
better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH,
that I have conveyed your message to your people".
(Reference: See Al-Bukhari, Hadith 1623, 1626, 6361)
Sahih of Imam Muslim also refers to this sermon in Hadith number 98.
Imam al-Tirmidhi has mentioned this sermon in Hadith nos. 1628, 2046,
2085. Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal has given us the longest and perhaps the
most complete version of this sermon in his Masnud, Hadith no. 19774.)
{mosimage} There's
no question that the open source community is a passionate one -- and
one with significant influence on technology directions and options.
We're way past the days when people asked if Linux or Apache was safe
to depend on in business. Open source is now a mainstream part of the
technology fabric.
Yet it remains connected to its roots around
a passionate community working together to solve problems and share the
fruits of their labors with others. Any endeavor based in community is
bound to spark passionate debate. After all, without contention, how
else to determine the best way forward?
Since its emergence, open source has embodied
this spirit. Part defiant, part self-reliant, and often outspoken and
opinionated, those immersed in the community have worked both in tandem
and at odds, all with the intention of pushing the movement in as many
worthwhile directions at once.
It's so worthwhile that the drumbeat of
business can now be heard in nearly every corner of community, drawing
the attention of vendors and capitalists alike. And with greater
attention and potential has come a measure of added strife. Questions
of selling out and just desserts surface more frequently, yet not to
the jeopardy of the endeavor, as the code keeps proliferating, thanks
to those who participate.
Given the increased reliance on open source
by users and commercial vendors, as well as by the commercialization of
some open source projects, InfoWorld spoke with 11 thought leaders in a
roundtable discussion about the current open source climate to uncover
the most vibrant themes and conflicts shaping open source today.
From pioneers Bruce Perens and Eric S.
Raymond to technology strategists at Google, IBM, and Microsoft to the
new guard of entrepreneurs and developers working to transform projects
into products, each expert sheds ample light on the opportunities and
pitfalls ahead.
A collection of the meaning of some of the beautiful verses of the Qur'an for my rememberance.
{mosimage}
โAll praise be to God alone,
the Lord of all the worlds,
the All-Merciful, the Ever Mercy-giving,
the Master of the Day of Judgement.
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
Guide us on the Straight Path,
The path of whom You have blessed, not of those who incur You anger,
Nor of those who go astray.โ
(al-Fatihah 1: 1-7)
โWill they not, then, try to understand this Qurโan?
Had it come from anyone other than God, they would have found in it many an inner contradiction.โ
(al-Nisa 4:82)
โBlessed is He in whose hands is the Kingdom- who is powerful over
everything- who has created death and life, so that He might test you
as to which among you [proves that he] is good in conduct.โ
(al-Mulk 67: 1-2)
โSay: The Truth has come from your Lord. Let him who will, believe it, and let him who will, reject it.โ
(al-Kahf 18: 29)
โWhosoever chooses to follow guidance, follows it for his own good; whosoever goes astray, goes astray to his own loss.โ
(al-Israโ 17: 15)
[And God said to Adam] โGet you all down out of it; yet there shall
most certainly come to you guidance from Me, and those who follow My
guidance need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve.โ
(al-Baqarah 2: 38)
โSurely We have sent you [O Muhammad] with the Truth, as a herald of
good tidings and a warner, for there were never a people without a
warner having come among them.โ
(al-Fatir 35: 24)
โWe have sent you to the entire mankind to give them good tidings, and warn them; but most people do not understand this.โ
(Sabaโ 34: 28)
โThe Jews say, โThe Christians have no valid groundsโ; the Christians
say, โThe Jews have no valid groundsโ; and both quote the Book [of
God]. So do those who have no knowledge [of the Book] speak like them.
But it is God who will decide between them on the Day of Ressurection
about all on which they differ.โ
(al-Baqarah 2: 113)
โWhosoever holds fast to God, he has been guided onto the Straight Path.โ
(al-Imran 3: 101)
โSay: He is God, the One and Unique;
God, the Eternal source and support
Of everything;
He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
And none is His equal.โ
(al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4)
โIt is He who accepts repentance from His servants, and pardons bad
deeds, and knows all that you do. And He answers those who have faith
and do righteous deeds, and gives them- out of His bounty- far more.โ
(al-Shura 42: 25-6)
โThe true servants of the Most Merciful are those who behave gently and
with humility on earth, and whenever the foolish quarrel with them,
they reply with [words of] peace.โ
(al-Furqan 25: 63)
โTurn not your cheek away from people in scorn and pride, and walk not
on earth haughtily; for God does not love anyone who acts proudly and
boastfully. Be modest in your bearing and lower your voice; for the
ugliest sound is the donkeyโs braying.โ
(Luqman 31: 18-19)
[Successful are the believers]โฆwho are faithful to their trusts and to their promises.โ
(al-Muโminun 23:8)
โAnd be true to every promise- for, verily you willl be called to account for every promise which you have made.โ
(al-Isra 17: 34)
โIndeed, We sent Our messengers with evident truth, and We sent down
with them the Book and the balance (of right and wrong), so that people
might behave [with each other] with justice.โ
(al-Hadid 57: 25)
โNever let your enmity for anyone lead you into the sin of deviating
from justice. Always be just: that is closest to being God-fearing.โ
(al-Maโidah 5:8)
โDo you know the one who denies the (Day of) Judgement? It is he who
pushes the orphan away, and urges not to feed the needy. Woe, then unto
those praying ones, who are heedless of their prayers, who want to be
seen and praised, and refuse (to give) even little things in charity.โ
(al Maโun 107: 1-7)
โThe recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto; but if a
person forgives and makes peace, his reward rests with God; He loves
not those who do wrong.โ
(al-Shura 42: 40)
โGood and evil can never be equal. Repel (evil) with that which is
better, and see how, then, someone between whom and you was enmity
shall become a true friend. Yet none is given such goodness except
those who are patient; none is give this but the most fortunate.โ
(al-Fussilat 41: 34-5)
โYour Lord has decreed that you shall serve none but Him, and do good
to your parents. Should one or both of them reach old age with you,
never say โUghโ to them, nor scold either of them; but speak to them
kindly and respectfully, spread over them the wings of humility and
mercy, and say, โMy Lord, have mercy upon them, as they raised me up
when I was little.โ
(al-Isra 17: 23- 4)
โWomen have rights (over against men) equal to the rights (they owe men) โ but men have precedence over them.โ
(al-Baqarah 2: 228)
โVerily, that which is with God is the best for you, if you but knew
it: all that which is with you is bound to end, whereas all that which
is with God is everlasting.โ
(al-Nahl 16: 95-6)
โThe parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that
of a grain, out of which grow seven ears, in every ear a hundred
grains.โ
(al-Baqarah 2: 261)
โThe flesh of sacrificial animals does not reach God and neither their blood; but only godliness from you reaches Him.โ
(al-Hajj 22: 37)
โAnd they say, โNone shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a
Christian.โ These are their wishful beliefs. Say, โProduce your
evidence if what you say is true!โ
Nay, whosoever surrenders his whole being unto God, and is a doer of
good, shall have his reward from his Lord; on them shall be no fear,
neither shall they sorrow.โ
(al-Baqarah 2: 111-12)
The holy Prophet has stated the foremost purpose of his being sent down in this
world and the method of his call to the people in these words:
"I have been sent only for
the purpose of perfecting good morals."
--(Al-Muta)
That great message which has left
an indelible impression on the history of life, and for propagating which and
for bringing people under whose influence Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) worked
ceaselessly. Its purpose was nothing else but to strengthen the moral character
of the people so that the world of beauty and perfection may be illuminated
before their eyes and they may try to achieve it consciously and with knowledge.
Ghazali Ridzwan is widely recognized as an
expert on both technical and business issues related to the Web. He has
been published in numerous publications, launched a number of successful
Internet-related companies, and has written several business and technical
books.
He has also been involved in various projects which enhances the lives
of people, while continuously being passionate in working towards a better
future for every one
JOIN Join Ghazali Ridzwan's Friends
List & receive special gifts & updates from Ghazali Ridzwan.
Open-source software movement has emerged relatively unscathed from the
economic downturn. 
Subscribe
to the Latest Updates 
Facebook
Myspace
LinkedIn 
Twitter
