Oprah en route to “Israel”

This is a really rushed post so forgive me:

Last year, Elie Wiesel traveled to Auschwitz with Oprah Winfrey, a visit which was broadcast as part of The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 24, 2006.

This week, Oprah accepted Wiesel’s invitation to come to the land “where the major war against terror is currently taking place”. Winfrey was honored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity for her advocacy of humanitarian issues. In her acceptance speech, Oprah said she sympathized with the suffering of the people of Israel. Does that include all the people living there? Does that include all the people who once lived there?

When I heard about her proposed trip I wanted to gather more details about her current position on the crisis in the holy land. In surfing the net I found nothing about it in the mainstream news. Perhaps there is a fear of an extreme reaction from the Muslims.


How will we react? Will we express outrage that she should show solidarity with the Israelis and turn her back on the suffering Palestinians. If so, how would such a reaction further our cause?

Will we send emails to Oprah en masse, in an effort to “educate” her about the plight of the Palestinians Christians and Muslims?

I am not a fan of Oprah at all but I do recognize the position she holds. She reaches the homes of millions, not just in the US. She is considered to be one of the world’s most powerful women. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Gillerman, is quoted to have said that “a visit of a figure with such influence on the international media could help bring an end to the indifference towards the terror threat faced by Israelis.”

What is our position as Muslims in this situation, before she leaves for the holy land?

What will each of us do?

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Be Careful What You Ask For (Part 2)

“Baby Emilio” was on a respirator for six months, suffering from a progressive illness which destroys brain functions. Though his doctors saw no hope of recovery, he smiled and turned his head when he heard voice. These were signs of life to his mother, a life she could not let go of.
Soon she found herself in a legal battle with the hospital. She fought to continue his medical care. Her opposition was the hospital that had diagnosed him to be “medically futile”. Their objective was to remove him from “the machines (that were) keeping him alive”.

This weekend, while still on life support, Emilio died in his mother’s arms.

The medical authorities did not take his life. His mother did not end his 19 month old life. Allah, in his divine measurement, carried out what only Allah has the power to do.


Those times when we realize just how powerless we are, we can feel frustrated, stomp our feet, punch a wall, break down in tears, but in the end we simply have to let go of all our false ideas of security and power. What do we really have control over in this life? More importantly, what do we have some control over in regards to the akhira? We have to stand “naked” before Allah and actually beg him to use us as his servants.

That sms was not “bad news”. It was simply news. That text message contained information from Allah that served to build up the muscles of my iman. Without such challenges, how could I ever expect to become stronger and more sincere in my faith?

Have I asked him to make me humble before him? Yes, I have. I believe that each time he humbles me I grow closer to him and that is all I truly want in the world. I wondered how he would answer this prayer. Under what circumstances would I find myself humbled before him. I was a bit scared, but still I prayed for that humility. So through that simple text message, he has simply answered my own prayers. That short message served to remind me of Allah’s omnipotence.

Thinking a bit further, I remind myself that I have also asked him to provide for my needs. So as for those four walls closing in on me I need only blink and they are gone. They become what I choose to see around me. They become four arms around me embracing me with loving mercy.

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Be Careful What You Ask For (Part 1)

It was truly a long day yesterday…
I met people I was surely destined to meet
I had conversations I was destined to have,
to express feelings I needed to share
to obtain valuable advice
Then Allah sent me solutions to two very urgent ridiculous problems,
Through two kind souls Allah solved those two problems, just in the nick of time.

I went to bed too sleepy to really take it all in
but thankful for this strangely wonderful mercy from Allah.


Then, this morning I woke to the sound of an incoming text message. It was from overseas.
BAD NEWS

It was both unexpected and devastating. Someone I trusted had really let me down. The information in that text message had far reaching ramifications.

My first reaction was anger towards that person. How could they have put me in this position? Why weren’t they more honest about the details from the beginning? Why didn’t’ they keep me informed when all along my situation here was growing worse and worse. They lead me into a disaster that could have been avoided. The extent of the disaster spread itself before me similar to the way your life flashes before your eyes during a trauma,
…and the tears began to fall.

My second impulse was to turn the anger towards myself. How could I have allowed myself to be put into this position. Even if I had no reason to doubt that person, why did I take that chance. What a fool. How clear it was that I should not have trusted that person.

I then found myself overwhelmed with panic and I began to sob. I thought ‘what a mess I am in, what am I going to do?’

Why should I have believed I had any amount of security?
Did I really think that person I trusted had total control of their ability to keep their promise?

This was no longer a question of blaming and person or any thing. It had become a time to recognize and pay my respect to the true director of this drama.

I sent this reply to the sender of the bad news:
This is quite serious. I can’t begin to tell you how much trouble I am in now. I feel like four walls are closing in on me. I have absolutely no faith in anything or anyone but Allah. I have no choice but to surrender.

Finally the humility began to take over my body…..

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Sabr-Shush-Self Inspection-Sabr

Ever get the feeling that your prayers are not being answered?
Of course, you can’t equate making dua with ordering fries at McDonalds. For some, people it feels more like…sending a letter to Santa Claus. You know, the way kids do. They actually address and mail letters. (I wonder what the post office does with them. My daughter says that she read once that the postal service simply shreds them).

Allah has blessed me with greater sabr in the past few years but I’ll be the first to admit that whispers don’t go unheard. While I’m working on waiting patiently, “you know who” is on standby, also waiting patiently. He waits till just the right moment and says….


”hey, what are you waiting for? when are you gonna wake up and smell the coffee? you’re going down the wrong road…can’t you see that—“

Before I get carried off in his lies, I turn and tell him “hey! why don’t you get from behind me. Stop whispering in my ear. From the stench of your breath, I’d say that you can’t even begin to offer me what I’m truly looking for.”

And then he just looks at me with a smirk on his face, and just as fast as I wish him away he’s gone.

Next, I know I’ve got to clean up shop. I’ve got to look at my deen. Am I on track? How am I living my life. I don’t believe that Allah will answer my prayers unless I am sincerely working towards improving my inner and outer practice of Islam. Just looking at myself that way humbles me and I can more easily go back to the business of being patient, waiting patiently for what only Allah can give me, by his divine measurement.

I read the story below at a forum I belong to. It reminded me of the inner struggle I describe above. I don’t’ know the origin of the story, but I hope you find it inspirational.


Just Push

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to Push against the rock with all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface
of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, Feeling that
his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by
placing thoughts into the weary mind: (He will do it every time)!

You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't
moved." Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and
disheartened the man.

Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to The Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting
all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to
serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against
the rock with all of your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.

But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass
that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your
calling was to be Obedient and to push and to exercise your Faith and
trust in My Wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the
rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He Wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains, but know that it
is still God Who moves The Mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong

Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down

Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should

Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due

Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you

Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray

U = Until

S = Something

H = Happens

To this I’d like to add
PRAISE HIM before and after “something happens”
PRAISE HIM whether “something happens” or not
because
only he knows what is in our best interest

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Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz

I’ve got mixed feelings about the scale and type of “development” that has occurred in the birthplace of our prophet (sal allahu aleihi wa salaam), but

when I heard of the death of our brother who was responsible for much of that development, my only thought was ‘May Allah have Mercy Upon Him’.

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What is so irresistible about the smell of paradise?

“…The Islamic revival has taken many forms, from Hezbollah in the Lebanon to Bhumiputra in Malaysia. Most of it is a peaceful and genuine search for a new balance between religion and secularization, between local traditions and the ongoing march of globalization.”
Two polish filmmakers ask:
“What inspires the Osama’s of this world? What drives people to fight against (the) Western world with the Qur’an in one hand and a rifle in the other, with Truth as their only argument? What drives people who are prepared to sacrifice their life utterly convinced that this is the only way to save or create the world as they want it to be? “
Marcin Mamon and Mariusz Pilis travel around the world for a decade meeting with “warlords, clan-leaders, emirs and mullahs” along the way. On this journey with starts in Chechnya in 1995, and ends in Waziristan, along the Afghan-Pakistan border, in the summer of 2004, they encounter for the most part “common believers of Dar al-Islam, the abode of Islam.”
(The above quotes are from the filmmaker’s website)
For a much closer look at the film

, here’s Neil Seiling’s review, which I received in the Mosaic Intelligence Report newsletter dated May 1, 2007.
“The Smell of Paradise is a very up close and personal look at a variety of Muslim mujahidin, generally fighting against the Russians or Americans. It's a road adventure, with no great structure or story arcs. Rather, it's more a procession of people who open up to the camera and present a face of the Muslim resistance that people in the West almost never see. The filmmakers had amazing access in risky situations and the result is a solid look from the point of view of the mujahidin. Some audiences might see the film as being too cozy with alleged terrorists and it's true that the filmmakers aren't hard on the subjects of the film.
The film begins with an introduction from the Polish filmmakers and their desire to engage with the leaders of various mujahidin groups and to enter "their world and their thinking." The filmmakers don't challenge what is said and use language in the narration that is supportive of the subjects, or at least they don't frame the subjects in a negative way. The evocative music, often slow and haunting, is also very respectful to the presentation of the people and the issues.
The harrowing nature of the doc, and the real risk taken on by the filmmakers, is shown by the fact that the first three people interviewed died soon after the interviews were conducted. For example, Chechen resistance leader Yandarbiev was interviewed in Qatar and soon thereafter died in car bombing instigated by Russian agents who were then tried in Russia, found guilty, and then released right away to public acclaim in Russia.
The film goes into the historical context on Chechen/Russian battles over centuries. Contrary to assumption that guerrilla resistance by religious 'jihadists' is a recent occurrence, the speakers invoke religion as having been key to Chechen/Russian conflicts going back hundreds of years and they say no wars were ever fought by a secular Chechen state against the various Czarist/Russian/USSR state forces.
A later speaker lays out the motivation of the resistance and cites the comforts of knowing that Paradise waits for people "of truth and faith" and who lead a "dignified earthly life." He concludes with invoking "the smell of paradise" that is the title of the film. His comments are a telling contrast with Western assumptions that what the mujahidin consider to be Paradise is a place where the main motivation is "70 virgins" et al.
The film moves from interviews with Chechen rebels to following them to Afghanistan when the Taliban was still in power. What follows are interesting stories of encounters with Mullah Omar, but also several intense anecdotes of bad behavior by the Taliban, critiques that sting all the more coming from people who would also be considered fundamentalists.
The film then moves to encountering Ismail Khan in Herat, but unfortunately does very little on the context on Khan's life as a major Afghan warlord and political power player before and after the Taliban's rule.
The road trip ends on the Afghan/Pakistani border where a local tribe feels squeezed by exiled leaders like Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden and their sympathizers, and also by the Americans who they feel acted badly and didn't keep their word.
A recurring theme through out the doc is on the incommensurate world views of the mujahidin and other fundamentalists with the political philosophy and world view of Western democracies. The mujahidin reject democracy out of hand as being too tied to the world of people and not conscious enough of the dominant position of God. There isn't room for compromise and The Smell of Paradise certainly points to continued conflicts between these positions.”

To watch the film, catch it on Mosaic Link TV
Or download here

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When Our Prophet is a Brother’s Role Model

Tears fell from my eyes as I read a weblog post from a grieving wife, this morning।

I rushed to post a comment, only to find that she is no longer accepting them.

He didn’t die in a traffic accident, or succumb to cancer, but she is “mourning” his loss.

Surely Allah has helped her cope with this trial and in this post we find her reminiscing about him as a husband, as a father, as a friend.

I read her post and was reminded of our prophet (salallahu aleihi wa salaam) at some points.

Her post begins:

“His voice would wake me in the night, sometimes his low recitation, sometimes his deep sobs in duah.

The sound of the front door would wake me at fajr, as he would leave every morning to go to pray his fard in the Masjid.”

Her blog no longer shows archives but you can read the post here.

Learn more about how she lost him

and

inshallah you will, like me,

make dua that she find him again,

if not in this life, in the hereafter

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Can we "All Just Get Along"?

I'm expecting to have a bit more free time in the very near future.....planning a change of lifestyle actually. Inshallah it will come to fruition and then I will be able to begin the studies I have longed to start; Arabic and Islamic history and more.

One of the things that I have been curious to know more about is how the people of Madina lived together. I want to know this so that I can think of it as a model. I relate it to how we Muslims should live with non-Muslims today.

I came across an interesting point of view on this subject that I would like to share...

The article is entitled "The Trouble with Rage" and it was written by Imam Suhaib Webb

here is an excerpt:

"I felt compelled to help explain the relationship and rights that our fellow non-Muslim brothers and sisters share with us. It is my hope that the Muslim communities in the West will mature and move towards a more inclusive role with their fellow countrymen. And that our non-Muslim brothers and sisters will learn to distinguish between orthodoxy, which possesses a great history of compassion and mercy, and the actions of those, who out of religious zeal, have rocketed past the tradition, values and moral teachings of Islam.

...The Prophetic model of relations is a blessing we can ill afford to dismiss. At a time when the voice of Islam is drowned out by flaring unorthodoxy, it is my hope that Western Muslim communities and their fellow non-Muslim counterparts will take the time to get to know each other, build long-lasting relationships and synthesize the positive aspects of each other’s religious and cultural heritage."

If my essence is from dust, then dust (wherever it is)
is my homeland

And every creature upon the heavens and the earth
represents a close relative.

— AN ARAB POEM

This is a bit hard for me to swallow, but I don't disagree with this totally. I'm not living in the "the west" now, but I am currently living in a multi-cultural and multi-religious setting. I see a great need to respect the lives of non Mulims, but not at the expense of our deen. I would hope that by living amongst the Muslims (those that practice Islam in its purest and most traditional sense) non-Muslims might see the light of Islam and answer it's call independently and more importantly, with conviction.

What do you think?...

(Click here to see the full article by Imam Webb)

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Which Version Did You Read?

A salaamu aleikum,

Hoping you and your family are all well.

I'm still trying to bounce back from having an article printed about me that misrepresented me (Utusan's Muharram/hijra pullout cover article) but after reading about another woman's story, I think my situation was NOTHING!

For therapeutic and other reasons, I want to write about my "brush with the Malaysian media", but before I do I am trying to be very careful, very sensitive to cultural issues and do some background reading. I came across this woman's story and thought I ought to share it with you to encourage you to be careful about what you read. (It's an excerpt from a longer article which you can find here)


WHAT HAPPENED...

What happened to her is horrible: A woman was gang-raped in a remote Pakistani village by members of a feudal clique that bullied the local populace. Her father tried to get into the house where the crime was being committed and later threw his shirt around her and walked her home; the village imam expressed outrage about the crime from his pulpit; a Pakistani journalist publicized her cause. They and other Muslims helped her to bring the perpetrators to justice, and death sentences were meted out thanks to shariah’s capital punishment for rape. Because a higher court took into consideration the legal checks and balances built into the country’s judicial system, the death sentences were overruled and lesser sentences imposed, causing many in the Pakistani society, including feminists and other supporters of women’s rights, to stir public debate about the handling of her case and the injustice of the lighter sentences. She was awarded punitive damages and with the money, opened a girls’ school in her hometown, surviving the horrific ordeal with her dignity and strength of soul.

WHAT WAS REPORTED IN THE US...

A New York Times columnist broke the story to U.S. readers in September 2004. In his version, the woman had no supporters in her family, there was no concerned mullah on her side, and her entire society only wanted her to commit suicide. Readers were told that Mai’s entire village watched her walk home “naked” and did nothing to assist her. The columnist did not acknowledge his fellow journalist whose work helped bring Mai’s cause to the public, or if he did, an editor must have dropped the reference. The support of Mai’s father and other family members and the advocacy role played by the small-town imam were also left out. A photo that accompanied one early Internet report of the story showed only a veiled Muslim woman with her head bowed, weeping. Mukhtaran Bibi’s strength was left out of the story, and she was turned into a mute marionette needing Western rescue. Her faith was left out. The positive role of shariah — yes, shariah — in punishing the rapists was left out. The existence of many people in the Pakistani society who were outraged at what happened to her was left out, as was any mention of the fact that there are laws against rape in Pakistan and a judicial system that is willing to enforce them within the limits of rules of law, which exist in the U.S. and should exist in any democracy.

Thank God for alternative media such as Islamica, whose interview with Mai set the record straight on some of those missing elements. It was incomprehensible, if you only read the Western story, how Mukhtaran Bibi had the fortitude to found a girls’ school with her reparations, how townspeople in a culture that values modesty would watch a rape victim walk home naked, or why she would want to continue living in her country after her trip abroad, if it is such a dungeon for women. My office-next-door neighbor, a white American feminist theory professor, came to me questioning the story as reported in the Times, saying “something seems to be missing here,” asking intelligent questions, and seeking alternative media sources.

Well, enough said.
Time for me to hit the sack. (It's 2AM in Kuala Lumpur)


ma'a salaama

p.s. If they are not alread in your duas, you may want to read this article entitled The Nightmare of Afghan Women

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What's on the Newstand?

A salaamu aleikum :-)

When was the last time you read a magazine written for Muslims? Even if you haven't read one recently, how many can you name? (I don't like to call them Muslim Magazines because only people can be Muslims).

Here's a list of magazines which I hope you will take a look at. Some, you may find at your local newstand. Some you may have to order through their websites, while others are online magazines. Instead of listing them in categories, I've listed them in alphabetical hoping you will end up perusing one that you might not have happened upon otherwise.

Inshallah you will find somthing interesting and share it with others. Inshallah you will find something inspirational.

Al Jumuah Magazine

Al-Hujjaj

Al-Ibaanah (The Clarification)

Al-Mu'min us-Sagheer (The Young Believer)

Al-Mu'minah (The Believing Woman)

Al-Talib

America’s Muslim Family

Azizah Magazine

Emel Magazine

Hudaa

Hullabaloo Kids

Illume Magazine Islam Magazine

Islamic Horizons

Islamic Ink Bulletin

Islamic Voice

Islamica Magazine

Islamica Magazine

IslamicPoetry.Org

IslamOnline.Net

Journal of Islamic Studies

Muslim Girl Magazine

Nida'ul Islam

Nisaa’ Magazine

Our Rising Star

Periodica Islamica

Q-News

Southern California InFocus

The Message International

The Muslim Creed

The Muslim Link Newspapaper

The Muslim Observer

Writeous Writings

p.s. If you would like to add more periodicals to this list, please post a comment or email me so I can update the list.

p.s.s. I can't vouch for all the content in these publications. If you find something inappropriate, by all means, write a letter to the editor. Not enough people do that.

p.s.s.s. For those of you who really have "something" to say, i think you should consider writing for one of these publications?

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Ashura Story...searching for time to read what I've found

A salaamu aleikum,

For those who responded to my last post, either by sms or email, I'd like to let you know that I've got quite a bit to read now.

I have collected the following texts so far:

The History of the Karbala by Abu Ammar

The Tragedy of Karbala by Dr. Musharraf Hussain Al-Azhari

Defence Against Disaster by Qadi Abu Bakir (translated by Aisha Bewley)

The plan: read them all then summarise them into one shorter story. I will have to then grade the language so that I can present it to the kids.

At first it seemed important to present it to them by Ashura but now I feel otherwise. I'd rather place importance on the story of prophet Musa's ('Alaihis-Salaam) victory over Firaun because this was the original reason why we were instructed by our prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) to fast on the day of Ashura.

Reading one account of the death of Hussain (Radiyallahu 'anh) while riding the LRT to work, really grabbed my heart. I could understand why some Muslims see Muharram and especially Ashura as a time to feel a deep sense of mourning. However, there are those that go beyond this, heightening the rememberance of this tragedy to the point of violence against themselves. This is doesn't seem appropriate in light of the fact that Husain himself, (Radiyallahu 'anh) advised his beloved sister Zainab, not to mourn over his death in this manner. Shortly before he was killed, he said, "My dear sister! I swear upon you that in case I die you shall not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or pray for your death" (Al-Kamil, ibn Kathir, Vol 4, pg 2)

So I will delay my Karbala tragedy story without regret. Inshallah I will be able to present it to them in a way that inspires them!

wa salaamu aleikum

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Ashura Story...searching to find the one

A salaamu aleikum,

For the past month I have been wanting to tell the story of Ashura in my Sunday school class. Unfortunately I have not been able to find one that is based on the teachings of Sunni scholars and historians. By the time you read this, Ashura will probably have come and gone, too late to tell the kids the story in a timely manner. However, I'd still appreciate any references you can send.

Meanwhile, Beirut based company has produced a 3-D animated film that tells the story of the life and tragic death of our prophet's grandson Hussein. I found out about the film at the Al Jazeera site. Their article very briefly summarises the ashura story but I'm really eager to find an in depth account so please let me know if you've got something!

wa salaamu aleikum :-)

p.s. For those going the sunnah route (i.e. fasting 2 or 3 day combos within 9-11 Muharram), may Allah accept your fast and erase your sins.

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To Shake or Not to Shake ...

I stopped shaking altogether about five years ago.
For the most part, I believe the nodding of my head and smiling has not been taken as offensive. Some men (muslim and non-muslim) have taken a while to pull their hands back, time standing still while they come to the realisation that I don't wish to make that kind of contact. Perhaps some have walked away thinking me to be an extremist, but I truly doubt it. In fact, I received a compliment from an orthodox jewish manager of the company I used to work for. He said that his son had often reminded him that he should not shake the hands of women and that he respected my position.

Some say that it "comes with the job". They say that shaking hands is necessary when your vocation requires "good public relations". It is somehow an integral part of your work. If you don't shake, you offend. When in Rome...

Well, it's a matter of principles for me. There are some things I don't wish to compromise. I think I see my life (my spiritual path) as one that will cause me to accumulate more and more "things I don't wish to compromise". I feel that this is part of my increasing iman.

Just as there is no compulsion in Islam, I don't feel that anyone should stop shaking hands with members of the opposite sex unless they truly feel that it is wrong. So, I won't preach about it. I won't quote any qur'anic ayat or hadith. I will simply invite comments and hope that in the course of dialogue each will come closer to Allah's will.


p.s. The photographs I've chosen should not be taken to imply my approval of or disdain for Ahmadinejad or Rice. LOL, just happened to come across and like these particular photos. Besides, any talk about these two figures would need to be addressed in another post. Hmmm...

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Dhul-Hijjah is approaching fast!

What will you do during the first ten days of this special month? We all know that there are many Muslims who will make hajj this year. Perhaps someone we know is on their way now. But, how can we show spiritual solidarity with the pilgrims?

Inshallah I'm going to sit together with my eldest kids and make plans for the ten days ahead.
As I am learning and growing in Islam, I pass on my knowledge to them. (How important it is to educate females!) I must admit that before this year, I was not aware of the virtue of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Now that I know, I want my whole family to make a serious effort to maximise this time.

May we fill these days with sacrifice, good deeds and sincere repentance.

Like this ummah, my children are all so different, in terms of their personas, their levels of iman and their expression of love for Allah. Their hearts are in different states yet we always find ourselves agreeing that we truly need Allah. I've got a teenager and two preteens in the house and there are all kinds of crazy things going on lately. I'm thankful for this period of ten days. We can get together and focus on working together to achieve the goals we set for this period. We can come together to concentrate on serving Allah.

With all the devisive behaviour we are seeing from our brothers and sisters worldwide, I pray that during this first third of this month of Dhul-Hijjah we can stand together, not just on Arafat, but in Baghdad, Beirut, Palestine and all the other places where Muslims are killing eachother physically and spiritually. Even in "peaceful" places, Muslims allow themselves to be divided by factors such as "race", culture and nationality. If we could somehow put aside our differences for ten days, what would happen?

Read more about the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah

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You've read thousands of books of knowledge
But have you ever read your Soul?

You visit temples and mosques abound
But have you ever visited the depths of your Heart?

You go around fighting against Satan
But have you ever tried fighting against your Self?

(these verses are attributed to 17th century Punjabi sufi poet, Bulleh Shah)

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