Young American Muslims hope to help, educate

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-07-17-muslim-club_N.htm

By Jeff Karoub, Associated Press

DEARBORN, Mich. — They filled the cafe night after night. To the casual observer, it might have appeared to be a roomful of 20-somethings with enviable amounts of idle time.

Yet the 30 young Muslim men and women who met for 30 days had serving society, not socializing, on their minds. And the group calling itself 30/30 emerged from the meetings with an agenda: to help teens in their community deal with social ills such as drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness — and to teach those on the outside about their faith.

A few goals emerged from the caffeinated conversations, now being fine-tuned in follow-up sessions: Establish mentorship and counseling programs for high school students, offer leadership retreats for young adults and develop brochures that explain Muslim practices such as women wearing head scarves.

"We had a list of objectives when we first started," said Mariam Zaiat, 22. "Part of it is to educate. Part of it is there is a void and we need to fill the void. Part of it is that we are capable and what are we doing?"

The quest seems well-suited for the young activists in a community with one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the country. Many are the children or grandchildren of immigrants. They are training to be doctors, lawyers, nurses, social workers and therapists. Their sense of mission took root at the Islamic Center of America and affiliated Young Muslim Association.

"I really think that the previous generations, when they came here, they were thinking this is temporary and we're going back home, so they didn't want to invest too much in this. Their main goal was survival: 'We need a job, we don't speak the language, we're in a foreign country,"' said Zaiat, who is working toward a master's degree in occupational therapy.

"With us, people that are born and raised here, and got to school, this is our community. We never think, 'Oh, we're going to go back somewhere.' So that's another reason why we invest so much is because our hearts are here."

That investment begins with tackling internal problems, such as substance abuse, mental illness and domestic violence. The 30/30 sessions became a workshop for the nascent Muslim Youth Social Support Network, which will pair young leaders with high school students, and offer an online forum and a hotline.

They aren't bigger issues for Muslims than for any other ethnic, racial or religious group, members say, but treating them can be trickier in a culture that uses shame to deter socially unacceptable behavior.

"There's a big stigma around receiving help in this community, so it's going to be an anonymous forum online," said Latifeh Sabbagh, a 24-year-old who leads the support network and serves as a social worker in the Dearborn Public Schools.

"When people disclose their information, sometimes there's shame, embarrassment. If they can do it and it's anonymous, it's so much easier for them to open up about what it is..."

The area offers many human service programs, but none focusing on youth and led by young adults from a Muslim perspective.

"We're not reaching out to these kids," said Ali Dabaja, a medical student who grew up in Dearborn. He spoke by phone from New York, where he recently started his residency. "They don't have a good support structure."

Dabaja, a founder of the Young Muslim Association and networking and advocacy group Allied Muslim Youth of North America, came up with the idea for 30/30.

"I was trying to foster this sense of activism, this sense of taking responsibility for the direction of the community," he said. "Just one day I was thinking, ... 'How about if we just get together for 30 days and bring the best and brightest of the community together?"'

Dabaja says it's important to be apolitical and independent of existing organizations because young people typically seek a less bureaucratic experience. But the group would work with others if that's what it takes to get something launched.

Another goal is to produce brochures and distribute them nationally to mosques, which would offer them to visitors seeking information about Islam. Jennifer Berry said the idea is to explain why women wear hijabs, or why followers pray five times a day or fast daily for one month a year.

Islam "is under a lot more scrutiny because it's under the scrutiny of the media right now," said Berry, 28, who expects to finish her nursing degree next year. "When you have the media pushing out negative ideas about Islam, people are going to have the same negative ideas."

On a recent morning, four group members gathered at Caffina Coffee, the site of their meeting marathon back in May. The shop is owned by the family of member Dewnya Bakri, 21, who starts law school in September.

Bakri says enlightening others also can come through conversations — and her group can use the life lessons it's learned.

"We're blessed with education. We understand the cultural barriers, and we understand how to relate to non-Muslims, how to discuss things with them in a way they would understand it," she said.

For Dabaja, the internal and external missions of 30/30 are inextricably linked.

"I want a thriving, flourishing, righteous, God-conscious community that Americans can look at and say, 'Wow, look at what Muslims can do in America,' he said. "We want to change our immediate environment, and people will take notice."

My Last Day of Medical School

Today was the last day of my medical school career. Four years of my life have gone past so quickly, almost effortlessly. Time has that affect on memory I guess, or is it the opposite? Experiences good and bad become diluted, emotions fade, wounds long past heal, attenuated and painful periods contract. And as I walked into this particular hospital one last time, time would once again leave an impression on my mind. A lasting, meaningful one? Perhaps. Only time would tell. Or would it?

Opening the stairwell door to leave the intensive care unit, a friend I had worked with for several years hurried past me in a frenzy. I stopped her to inquire as to why she was in the hospital, and she explained that her 22-year-old brother’s heart had suddenly stopped and in the next day or so they expected that he would pass away. She was a girl in her mid-twenties; a black scarf was draped over the corners of her exhausted face in the traditional Yemeni way. Her black eyeliner was freshly applied, but without that precision most girls pride themselves for. I followed her to her brother’s room, offered some contorted almost rehearsed words to comfort her mother. The mother uttered a few praises in Arabic asking God to help me succeed in life, and returned her full attention to her son. I stepped out. I almost felt ashamed that I had walked in there. I reminded her of her son; tall, dark, Arab. And she probably resented me for that. I peered into the room before leaving and saw her softly place the side of her face on her son’s chest as she wept quietly. It was too unbearable to see a mother mourn in this way. The gravity that normally permits a downward course when you walk down stairs felt unusually heavier this time as I made my way down to the hospital lobby. There was a heaviness in my heart. Instead of feeling joy for finishing medical school, my mind started to wander to thoughts of life, self, spirit, inadequacy and death. I felt like a fool—naked, exposed. I was an ungrateful punk about to start a new life in medicine without having a clue. I couldn’t help but think how time had jaded me.

I made my way to medical education and said my last goodbyes to the staff. I cleaned out my locker, turned in my badge and checked my beaten up pager one last time before giving it up. Tired, somber and somewhat relieved, I took off my soiled white coat and stuffed it in the trash bin while exiting the hospital. It had so many holes and stains that I had patched it up with white tape. It was hideous. I stepped out onto the parched asphalt, and just then a brisk rainfall poured down while the sun broke through a cluster of clouds. I never believed that all things happen for a reason. But that moment couldn’t be a coincidence.

Rain is a good omen in the Islamic tradition. It represents God’s mercy. It brings hope, new beginnings. I looked to the grey sky as droplets hit my face and recited several prayers. I asked God to bring good days my way, to strengthen me, to let time work in my favor. My mind started to rationalize and reinterpret the rain in the way it always does with obscure ideas and events. Maybe the heavens are crying for me? No, about me, and my life thus far, and my state. Maybe, just maybe, the rain abruptly stopped to signal to me that I had missed an opportunity in my yesteryears. The ample opportunities that God had provided me, from his infinite mercy that I had ignored or wasted. I opened the door of my car and plopped myself onto the leather seat. The humidity was suffocating, so I cracked the windows before driving off.

The rain passed and the streets seemed to drink up every little drop of water that had fallen. My mind continued to wonder as I drove. I had always struggled with the concept of time. I would sit down sometimes to attempt to write about it, to understand it in a vacuum, but it proved to be elusive. And today, as the sun shines through the dusty clouds, with clarity I say that it is because time is pegged to our memories and thought processes, to our actions, successes and failures. With every moment that passes, we shape and continue to reshape ourselves and we choose how time affects us. And I thought, that perhaps at some point, I had chosen a path of jadedness. Allowed time to impress on me the worst of it. I absorbed it, allowed it to seep into my being, into my eyes, my sight, my spirit.

Bint Al-Houda, a famous religious female scholar and activist tortured and killed by Saddam came to mind. All of what I had just pondered she had summed up in one utterance and took it a step further. “It shall not be that time will leave its imprint on me, but rather I shall leave my imprint on time”. How visionary, I thought. A vision that perhaps I had failed to see all these years. AH Dabaja

What Kind of Shi'a Are You?

Are you a Shi'a by name? Do you walk around "proud to be Shi'a", wearing your faith on your sleeve for all to see? Are you a part of a greater movement to identify yourself as part of Shi'a Islam for socio-political gain and status in your community? What does it take to be a "real" Shi'a?

Excerpts from Ayatollah SMH Fadlallah's lecture titled "Shiism in the View of Imam Al-Baqir (a): The Attributes of the Shiite" http://english.bayynat.org.lb/infallibles/baqir.htm

Imam Al-Baqir [a] says to Jabir bin Abdallah: “Is it enough for a person to embellish himself as our Shi'a (follower) by professing love for us, the Ahlul Bayt? Nay! By Allah, a person is not our follower unless he fears Allah and obeys Him. Our followers are only recognized, O Jabir, by their humbleness, submission, honesty, abundant praise of Allah, fasting and prayers; goodness to their parents; attention to the poor, needy, debtors and orphans living nearby; speaking the truth; recitation of the Quran; holding their tongues except for good words; and trustworthiness towards relatives in all affairs”.

Imam Al-Baqir [a] sent with Khaithama Bin Abd El-Rahman Al-Jaa'fi, one of his companions a letter to his Shi’a followers and to all Muslims. He says in the letter: "Convey my greetings to our followers and advise them to fear Allah, the Magnificent, tell them that their rich should sympathize with the poor, and their strong should sympathize with the weak. They should attend the funerals of their dead and visit one another, for their meeting keeps our cause alive. And that they cannot become among our followers except by piety, communication, unity, love, and remembrance of all the vital issues that gather all people. And their main concern is Islam in all its doctrines, rulings, values, and morals…"

AH Dabaja

Death is Our Wedding with Eternity

by Jaluldeen Rumi

Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? "God is One."
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.

-----------------------------

I must say, this is the most inspiring poetry I have ever read. This man's words cut through your heart straight to your soul. When I first read this poem I was so spiritually moved that I wept for God knows how long. His poems are a cathartic. He forces your mind into a flight of ideas.

AH Dabaja

Fatima al-Zahra (a): A Life of Responsibility

Fatima al-Zahra (a): A Life of Responsibility

By the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

Indeed Allah only desires to keep away all impurity from you, O people of the Household and to purify you a thorough purification. [Al-Ahzab, 33:33]

Preamble

We live in an era and in a world today where Islam and Muslims are being threatened both from within and from without, and where our planet and humanity at large is confronted with social, political, economic, ecological, and spiritual challenges. We live in a time when we no longer have the luxury of standing idly by; when the call of responsibility is asking each and every one of us to step up to the task. The task that we have been destined for; the task for which Allah (swt) says, “It is He who has made you the stewards of the earth” (al-An`am, 6:165).

But in order to realize this responsibility fully, we need a manual and we need a guide. Both Shi’i and Sunni sources relay the authentic proclamation of Prophet Muhammad (s) in his last pilgrimage: "I have been summoned (by Allah) and the moment is near for me to answer (to die). I leave among you the two hefty things: the Book of Allah the Almighty and my Household”. The Messenger of Allah (s) had completed his mission when he gave his community all the tools they would ever need till the end of time, for there would no longer be further revelations or messengers, in order to live their lives responsibly towards themselves, towards each other, towards their environment, and towards God.

In this discourse, I wish to focus on the life of Sayyida Fatima (a), who also went by the names al-Siddiqah (the truthful), al-Tahirah (the pure), al-Zakiyyah (the virtuous), al-Batool (the chaste), al-Radhiah (the content), al-Mardhiyyah (the one whom God is content of), al-Shahidah (the witness), and al-Zahra (the blooming flower, the radiant) who was the pre-eminent, peerless chieftess, the doyenne of the women of the world and the doyenne of the women in paradise. A life that was fully absorbed in the Message: the message of Islam, the message of peace and the message of submission to Allah (swt). A life, a striving, and a death for which every breath was for the sake of Allah (swt). A life of responsibility. Let us then immerse ourselves into her life, and live it even if 1%.

Mother of the Messenger and Mother of the Message

Instead of childish simplicity and an unawareness of one’s surroundings, we find someone who opened her eyes to the message and all of its difficulties. She grew up in what we’d today call a concentration camp, when the Hashimites were exiled to the valley of Abu Talib where they faced hunger, sorrow and loneliness under a complete social and economic embargo. It was there that she lost her mother, and with that her childhood. We see that at such a tender age she bears a sense of responsibility, like that of her mother, towards the Messenger (s) and the Message.

She shared with the Messenger (s) all of his suffering, burdens and his pains. She was there to comfort him when some would taunt, curse, and mock him, calling him a sorcerer, deranged, and other such names. She was there to care for him when others threw dirt and stones at him. He (s) would say, “No prophet has ever been harmed as I have”. She stood by him, cared for him, and empathized with him.

She sensed the heaviness of the mandate of consciousness for humankind that he bore on his shoulders and the enmity that he faced. She would wait in anticipation for his return home, finding the marks of pressure, stress, injury and grief. She would embrace him with her sweetness, caress him with her kindness, shower him with her love, consol his worries, and heal his wounds.

She accompanies her father to support him in his loneliness as he was a stranger in his own city, with his own people and his own family. One day, she saw her father prostrating in prayer before the Ka’ba when a cruel man threw the intestines of a camel or a sheep with all its contents on the back of the Messenger (s). Sayyida Fatima (a) ran to him, removing the filth with her small hands, cleaning her father’s head and face, expressing her sadness and condolences to him with her tears, comforting him, and returning him to their home. She encourages the Messenger who carries the Word of God.

It is now that we can understand the meaning of the statement of the Messenger of Allah (s) when he said, “Fatima is the mother of her father”. What is profound is that Sayyida Fatima (a) is not only the mother of the Messenger, she is also the mother of the Message. For the Messenger (s) has also said, “Fatima is part of me and I am part of her; whoever harms her harms me and whoever harms me angers Allah” and also, “Whoever angers her angers me and whoever satisfies her satisfies me”, and also, “Allah becomes angry for her anger and satisfied for her satisfaction”. Thus we find that Sayyida Fatima (a) is not only a part of the Messenger (s), but that the Messenger (s) is a part of her, because both of them were part of the Message of Allah (swt). The message also survives through her husband and her two sons. Rasulullah (s) had said in the Hadith of Kisa (the Narration of the Cloak), “They are from me and I am from them” and in another famous narration, “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn”.

As Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah states, “Had the Prophet (s) not been fully aware of the depth of the personality of Fatima (a), and that she was an image of his soul, thinking, way and message, and that the Message was imprinted in her personality, and her personality dissolved in the Message, it would have been incorrect for him to bind his satisfaction to hers, and his anger to hers. This proves, very clearly, that Fatima (a) is infallible, pure and has reached the summit of perfection”. And with respect to the reference to Allah’s anger and satisfaction he says, “This text is an even stronger evidence than its predecessor in proving the greatness of Fatima (a) and her elevated position before Allah the Most High. What does it mean that Allah becomes angry for the anger of a person, and satisfied for her satisfaction? It means that this person has lived in all the locations of Allah's satisfaction, and has stayed away from the locations of His anger.”

Her Education

We find that from her very childhood, Sayyida Fatima (a) was unique. She, along with Imam Ali (a), received their education and upbringing from none other than the Messenger of Allah (s). They were the first students in the boarding school of Rasulullah (s). They were often present when the revelation was being revealed to the Prophet (s). It was through his education that their hearts and minds and souls were nourished. Together they would listen to, write, and read the revelation and its meaning. Moreover, they observed and etched into their character everything that they saw him do, thus manifesting his manners and spirituality. As a result, they became identical to the Messenger in thought, feeling, and action. This is why later on A’isha would narrate, “I have not seen anyone more similar to the Messenger of Allah in his speech, looks, guidance, sitting and standing than Fatima. When he used to see her coming he would stand up, kiss her hand, and seat her in his place.”

Al-Zahra (a): The Educator

So if this was Sayyida Fatima’s (a) childhood, what then was Fatima (a) the woman? Often when we hear of Sayyida Fatima (a), we hear of her domestic dimension and at times her spiritual dimension, both of which set an example par excellence for humanity. But what about her social and political dimensions?

One of the teachings that she would emphasize both inside her household and outside of it was that of building social capital – that is, building a society on the basis of trust, ethics, reciprocity, tolerance, justice, mercy, and other such values. We find her concern for society when she says, “And Allah has caused amr b’il ma’ruf (encouraging others towards goodness) and nahi ‘an al-munkar (discouraging other from evil) for the amendment and enhancement of society and the public”.

We have to relive the spirit of al-Zahra (a) who used to think of others before thinking of herself. Imam al-Hasan (a) has narrated, “On the eves of Friday I saw my mother standing in her prayer niche. She was continuously kneeling and prostrating till the dawn broke. I would hear her pray for the men and women, but she did not at all pray for herself. I said, 'Oh mother why did you not pray for yourself like you prayed for others?' So she replied, ‘Oh my son, first thy neighbour and there after your own house’. The biggest virtue that a human being can have is to equate others with one’s self. We find this theme constantly reoccurring in Sayyida Fatima’s (a) syllabus of education. She would repeat the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (s), “You are not a believer until you love for your brother what you love for yourself”. And she would also narrate, “A believer is not truly a believer, if his neighbours do not feel assured that he will do no harm to them. He who believes in God and the Day of Judgment does not hurt his neighbours”.

Al-Zahra (a): The Humanitarian

Her social responsibility was not limited to that of education. She was also the greatest humanitarian. There are many anecdotes of the humanitarianism of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), who used to spend their days in hunger, even as leaders of the expansive Muslim nation, and prefer to give the little food they had and share the company of the poorest. We find many accounts of them giving anonymously to unknown people. Their secret was to live, to strive, and to die for the sake of Allah (swt). Sufficient it is as an example that Allah (swt) has pointed to them as the symbols of humanitarianism when He revealed the verses,

“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the needy, the orphan, and the captive
(Saying),"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks.” [al-Insan, 76:8-9]

Al-Zahra (a): Champion of Truth and Justice

So we find that the social and public wellbeing was of paramount importance for Sayyida Fatima (a), and we find her stance a stance for truth and a stance for justice. A’isha would say of Fatima (a), “I have not seen anyone who is more truthful than her except her father”. And Imam Musa al-Kadhim (a) describes al-Zahra (a) as being the “truthful witness”, which coincides with the verse, “So how shall it be, when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness over them” [al-Nisa’: 4:41].

In Sayyida Fatima (a), we find someone who confronts all the challenges for the sake of truth and for the sake of justice. She was someone who transcended her personal interests, and this is what we can find of anyone who carries a message. Thus, with Sayyida Fatima (a) we find a pioneer and a dynamic force in the political role of women. Who can take from our Muslim women what Sayyida Fatima (a) and her daughter Sayyida Zaynab (a) legitimized for them?

Despite all of her personal suffering, al-Zahra’s (a) principle concern was that of protecting the Message and the Guardian of the Message. Sayyida Fatima’s (a) stance of protest is the stance of a responsible activist who wishes to awaken the conscience of others. She knew how to cut through propaganda. She gave voice to her side of arguments in sermons matching argument for argument, offering rebuke when strong rebuke could emphasize the meaning of truth, and being lenient when leniency and gentleness could be effective. We find her standing for truth and justice even in her last moments, when she addresses the wives of the Companions of the Messenger (s), saying:

“I tried to awaken them to their acts and show them the burden they had placed upon their own shoulders. Those who act oppressively are far from the blessings and mercy of God. Woe be to those people. They brought down a leader who was at the peak of the mission…"

"Woe be to them! Is it not more worthy to follow the one who guides rather than the one who cannot find his way if he is not guided? What has happened to you? What kind of a judgment is this? You have impregnated the earth with your act. Just wait until the time when it gives birth…”

"For then, the sharp swords of the dominations of the oppressors, anarchy and the rule of tyrants will overcome you. The oppressors will enslave you. No public assets except a small quantity will remain. They will cultivate with force what you have planted with love. At that time you will only sigh for there will be nothing that you can do because you were blind and could not see the truth. They will oblige you because you have turned your faces from the right way and you did not accept it." (How accurate her foresight. Is this not our condition today?)

Her protest was the protest purely for the sake of Allah (swt). Her anger was the anger of the Messenger (s), and the anger of Allah (swt). Her last act of protest was when she asked her husband to bury her at night and level her grave, the location of which is unknown till today, so as to prevent those who oppressed her and who had confiscated the rights of the Message and its Guardian, Imam Ali (a), from taking opportunity of her death by burying their conspiracy along with her. Her motive was such that if the truth cannot be implemented, it can be proven and designed so that time will come to know of it. There are many Muslim historians who have hid her name and marginalized her role, so as to not give rise to the difficult questions that ought to be asked, causing the Muslim ummah to be deprived from the rich lessons of her life – a life dedicated from birth till death to the Message. However, her last act of protest had the foresight as she knew that people would start asking questions: Why would the daughter of the Prophet (s) request to be buried at night? What was happening? Therefore even after her death, she eternalized, gave life, and sustained forever the spirit of those who seek justice and oppose oppression. Her everlasting impact was beautifully expressed in the lamentation of her husband Imam Ali (a) at his returning of God’s gift to the Messenger and himself by saying, “she was a flower from heaven which was nipped in the bud, and returned to heaven, leaving its fragrance behind in the mind as memories”.

The movement of reviving the Message that desires truth, justice, freedom, liberty, equality, principles, morality, and God-consciousness, which opposes tyranny, oppression, discrimination, moral decadence, indifference, and complacency did not begin with Imam Husayn (a). Perhaps it culminated in him. But it began with his mother, Sayyida Fatima (a). Sayyida Fatima (a) ignited the conscience of social responsibility. Let us then heed the words of Imam Ali (a) who said: "two parties are required in order to bring about oppression. One is the oppressor and the other is the one who accepts oppression. Oppression cannot be one sided. An oppressor cannot perform oppression in the air. Oppression is like a piece of iron which is formed by the striking of the hammer of the oppressor upon the anvil of the oppressed." What he is saying is that in the defeat of a society, it is not just the victor who breaks it; society must also be broken.

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadhlallah beautifully captures the life of Sayyida Fatima (a) when he says that, “her stances were stances for the right, and her sorrow was the sorrow for the issue (Islam), and her joy was the joy of the message; the depth of Islam was manifested in the depth of her personality and she amassed within herself all the Islamic human virtues. Being the doyenne of the women of the world implies that she was at the highest level of spirituality and morality”.

To Love Her is to Follow Her

Thus we find in Sayyida Fatima (a) a role model for men and women. We must open up to her message. To follow her we must emulate her. Dr. Ali Shariati emphasizes that this needs both love and wisdom, heart and intellect. One gives an understanding and the other strength. In the words of a French scholar, ‘Wisdom is like the lights of a car which show the way. Love is like the motor which makes it move’. Each is nothing without the other. A motor, without lights, is blind love, which is dangerous. Hence, love for the great personalities of humanity is not only an emotion but a stance.

The greatest calamity today that ought to be the subject of lamentation is that we have limited the spirit of our great personalities to tragedies and miracles, while failing to absorb the rich lessons of their lives and reflecting it onto others. The Ahl al-Bayt (a) are ‘ibra (examples) and ‘abra (a bridge or medium). We have to move with the Ahl al-Bayt (a) not only in history but in reality. Loving them is motion, not mere emotion. Loving them is a stance. To love them is to follow them.

A Du’a from al-Zahra (a)

“Oh Allah! belittle me in my eyes and glorify and magnify Your station to me. And inspire in me Your obedience and the practice which may cause Your pleasure and the shunning and evading from things which are the cause of Your wrath, oh the most merciful of all!”

-----

Muhammad H

I consider this article derivative from the penetrating thoughts and analysis of two dynamic intellects, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah and Dr. Ali Shariati, whose writings and speeches are like a breeze of fresh perspective. Their objective when portraying the lives of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is to underscore their relevance and applicability to our lives.

References:

[1] “Fatima is Fatima” by Dr. Ali Shariati
[2] “The Infallible Fatimah (a): A Role Model for Men and Women” by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah

The Shi'a Condition

How do you see the Ahlul Bayt (as)? Are they perpetual victims in your eyes? Are they defined by the oppression they faced, the blood they spilled, the tears they shed? Or do you see them as eternal victors? Do you see their oppression, blood, and tears as the vehicles through which they triumphed over tyranny? When we listen to the tales of their tribulations, what emotions arise—sorrow, anguish, ire? Or maybe it’s admiration, hope, pride?

Their stories evoke the gamut of emotions within us; this is the essence of Ahlul Bayt (as)—they were the most extraordinary people in history yet they lived the simplest lives, and they are able to penetrate our souls so effortlessly. When you cry for any member of the Ahlul Bayt (as), do you cry because a bloody and tragic story is being relayed so passionately? Or maybe you cry humbled, knowing that regardless of the meager sacrifices we make (which seem so great to our selfish sensibilities), they can never match up to one iota of theirs?

Or maybe, just maybe, you cry because their sadness makes you realize the utter destitution of the human condition; those favored by Allah (swt) have suffered at the hands of other people—people like us. We like to think we would be with Ahlul Bayt (as)—exhibiting the bravery of Imam Hussein’s companions as opposed to the cowardice of the people of Kufa—but then we realize the sad truth. We would not be with them; rather, we would watch them suffer, and it would tear us apart, but we would do nothing. The stark reality is that our worldly lives are too important to risk. It is the Kufans who were the real cause of Imam Hussein’s demise, more so than the accursed Shimr.

But this is a moot point. It happened, and we are willing to cry for it, not learn from it. “Everyday is Ashura and every land is Karbala” has become a euphemism for the permanent state of mourning into which we have thrown ourselves. To us, Ashura was a tragedy, not a revolution.

How can I say such harsh things? It’s simple: we sit back and watch this oppression everyday with anger, sympathy, sadness, and helplessness. But we watch; “watch” is our verb, our action word. Ayatullah Khomeini (ra) once said that there are two types of people in this world: the oppressed and the oppressors. We are the oppressed, and we are the oppressors. We like to focus on the former, blaming everything and everyone but ourselves for our condition. Being a victim is painful, but that pain is too easy compared to facing the flip-side of our cruel, self-inflicted reality. Each and everyday we contribute—in some way, in some form—to oppression. I do not exclude myself from this, and I am humbled and ashamed by it.

Today, where do Shi’as stand? Are we a people who worship with our emotions alone? We have built up these traditions and institutions of demagoguery, and we are so intent upon preserving them that we cannot see any flaws in our ways. We have strayed from the path of Ahlul Bayt (as), and this is the source of the problem. Are we a people who have lost all interest in bearing the standard of Ahlul Bayt (as)? Not the tear-stained standard of sadness, but the blood-and-sweat-stained standard of victory. That is their legacy. Are we able (i.e. willing) to let go of our perpetual victim-hood and move forward with a mission and a message, or will we remain mired in moroseness?

The choice is ours…

Zeinab Chami

A Strong Mission Gives Good Results

I thought I would share this with some of the aspiring youth activists and organizers. This group came up with a beautiful charter which includes a mission, vision, etc. They put some hard work into it. I do hope they succeed in the endeavors. I know they will! Good job brothers!

Mission Statement (Bayaan Al-Muhima):

We are a youth-based Islamic brotherhood working to better the condition of our Ummah in the absence of the awaited savior, Imam Al-Mehdi [aj]. We seek to serve his ultimate mission of establishing peace and justice among humanity through self-building and encouraging socio-communal progress.

Vision (Ro‘iya):

We aim to build strong Islamic role models, valuable contributors to society and quality leaders within our brotherhood by providing a forum for mentorship, innovative religious activities, and community service. This will ultimately lead to a strong faith-based community.

Goals: (Ahdaaf)

1. Provide community service opportunities for the young Muslim brothers offered through local institutions, mosques, and organizations.
2. Proactive outreach initiatives to attract the young Muslim brothers of the community into faith.
3. Hold recreational programming including outdoor activities and sporting events for brothers.
4. Provide weekly programming appropriate for maintaining an Islamic environment for the brothers.
5. Proactive Outreach initiatives aimed at other faith and ethnic groups.

Mannerism of Those Who Wait (Adab Al-Muntathareen):

Manner 1. We will respect all institutions, organizations, scholars and reference authorities.
Manner 2. We will promote impeccable manners among the brothers by refraining from vain talk, back-biting, jest and time-wasting activities.
Manner 3. We will be good role models for the young and old by having positive attitudes, developing solid Islamic knowledge, and always having compassion and sincerity in faith and action.
Manner 4. We are life-long students of one another, respecting others and their ideals and promoting dialogue to foster the unbreakable bonds of brotherhood.
Manner 5. We will completely avoid environments that promote idleness and indecency, ensuring that we hold ourselves to the high moral standards befitting of a follower of the 12th Imam [aj.].

For more information on this organization please visit: http://shababalmehdi.org

AH Dabaja