Some Muslims, perhaps many, are too wedded to information passed on to them in their books about early Islamic history based on a particular sectarian slant. It is important to revisit this information as Abu Dharr shows in this ongoing series of articles.
In his regular column, Abu Dharr continues to clear the web of confusion surrounding early Islamic history that has engulfed Muslim minds for centuries.
After the Prophet (pbuh) left this earthly abode, those that took over leadership position of the Muslims did not impose themselves. Solidarity between the Muhajireen and Ansar was strong that enabled the Muslims to confront the challenge in the war of Riddah.
Uthman ibn Affan was the son-in-law of the Prophet (pbuh) and a generous companion. He provided immense financial support in various battles and provided equipment and other war material. Abu Dharr continues to shed light on the early history of Islam.
In his ongoing series about the early history of Islam after the Prophet (pbuh) passed away, Abu Dharr looks into the life of Uthman, the third Khalifah. He urges readers to rise above our pre-conceived notions when examining the lives of early personalities in Islam.
If Muslims study the early period of Islamic history after the Prophet (pbuh) left this earthly abode carefully, they will discover that there was no polarization between Umar ibn al-Khattab and Imam Ali. True, they had their independent opinions on issues but there was no ill-will whatsoever.
If the early Muslims had an opportunity to put in place a proper institutional framework, the tragedy that erupted during Uthman’s khilafah may have been avoided.
The third Khalifah, Uthman’s deviation from the policy established by the Prophet and his two successors (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar) by apportioning a share of the Islamic state treasury to his relatives caused deep unease among most Muslims, leading to deep fissures in society.
When the Prophet (pbuh) left this earthly abode, the vast majority of Muslims were newcomers to Islam, hence not fully immersed in the values of Islam. Even the Prophet’s committed followers (the Muhajiroon and Ansar), at time made decisions concerning issues of justice and equality that may have fallen short of the Qur’anic and Prophetic standard. We should not, however, impute ulterior motives to them.
In his continuing discussion of what constitutes Quraish, Abu Dharr explains that it does not refer to the tribe but primarily those who were with the Prophet (pbuh) in Makkah and then migrated with him to Madinah.
The persons around the Prophet (pbuh) were the founding fathers of Islamic self-determination. While not all of the same ranking, they were the first among the first (al-Sabiqeen). This was the generation of the Muhajiroon and the Ansar. They suffered persecution and torture but remained steadfast in their loyalty to the Prophet (pbuh).
The Islamic system of governance as exemplified by the Prophet (pbuh) and his two successors should not be confused with the western concept of “democracy”. Islam’s system was and is unique. It needs to be understood well to avoid the pitfalls that emerge from faulting thinking
Let it be known that the Khilafah ruling method is based upon the concept of bay‘at. This means that the citizenry in an Islamic socio-governmental order is involved in deciding who their “chief executive” shall be. One way of understanding the Khilafah is to say that it was a “social contract” between the executive decision maker(s) and the resident citizens on the basis of Shura.
The Prophet (pbuh) was chosen by Allah for a divinely-ordained mission. He received guidance from on high but on worldly matters he consulted his companions. Unless divinely instructed, he allowed them to decide on issues through mutual consultation.
Allah (swt) told His beloved Prophet (pbuh) to make decisions through mutual consultation with his followers. Despite being guided from on high, there were occasions when the Prophet (pbuh) sought the opinion of his companions and accepted it even when it was contrary to the opinion he held. This has important implications for Muslim life.
In his continuing series reflecting on the divergence of opinion in early Islamic history, Abu Dharr takes up the issue of the Shi‘i and Sunni understanding of the word ‘ismat (from which the word ma‘sum) is derived.
Comparing the policies of Umar and Uthman shows how the problems arose in early Islamic history and the deleterious consequences that followed
In his regular column, Abu Dharr narrates how Abu Bakr and Umar adhered, to the best of their abilities, to the Qur’an and the Prophetic example in conduct of state policy. Usman, however, fell short when his family—the Bani Umayyah—wormed their way into the political system and subverted it from within.
The toxic impact of sectarianism based on ignorance has caused much havoc in the Muslim Ummah.
The Prophet’s successors—Abu Bakr and Umar—followed strictly the high standard set by Allah’s chosen Messenger in discharging their duties. In his regular column, Abu Dharr sheds light on this.
The Prophet (pbuh) set an example of a selfless decision-maker and a noble leader. This unselfish character in the highest office of the ummah was illustrated by both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar before ‘Uthman with the proviso that they themselves admitted; i.e. they are imperfect and vulnerable as are all human beings.
Relations between Imam Ali and the Khulafa were always cordial. The Ahlul Bayt also maintained a good attitude towards them, contrary to some sectarians. While sectarianism exists on both sides, there are prominent Shi‘i scholars who have shown respect for the khulafa and urged their followers to do likewise.
Contrary to common-held misconceptions among some segment of the Muslim population, Imam Ali had maintained very cordial and warm relations with the Khulafa. Muslims need to remove their blinkers and view their history correctly in order to overcome prejudices of sectarianism
In his continuing series on the early history of the emergence of Islamic leadership after the Prophet (pbuh), Abu Dharr highlights the circumstances that led to such decisions. He also exposes the deep-seated prejudices of Muslims wedded to their sectarian outlook.
In his regular column, Abu Dharr invites readers to rise above their sectarian prejudices and see the cordial interaction between Abu Bakr, Umar and Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all) soon after our beloved Prophet (pbuh) left this world. Our prejudices are preventing us from creating genuine unity among Muslims.
In his continuing series, Abu Dharr highlights the close relationship between Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all), striking a blow at the sectarians of all stripes.
The meeting convened by the Ansar at Saqifah immediately after the Prophet (pbuh) joined Heavenly company was not based on malice. The meeting led to the appointment of Abu Bakr as Khalifah of the Muslims to avert chaos. Unfortunately, sectarians (both Sunnis and Shi‘is) have turned this into a contentious issue. It shouldn’t be.
Tackling the sensitive issue of succession of Muslim leadership after the Prophet (pbuh) joined heavenly company, Abu Dharr guides readers through the ground realities at the time and peels away the layers of prejudices that have shrouded those events in early Islamic history.
Unfortunately, most Muslims are trapped in peripheral disputes relating to Fiqh while completely ignoring the much more important issues of Islam and proper understanding of Islamic history. Such dereliction has caused unnecessary problems and conflict.
There are sectarians among the “Sunnis” and there are sectarians among the “Shi’is”. Both must be confronted in order to establish a genuine Islamic ethos in the Muslim world where regrettably many “Islamists” seem not to be able to develop a clear understanding of the challenges facing them.
US-zionist client regimes in the Middle East are acting as “Islamic legitimizers” to enable the imperialists and Zionist to sneak back into Afghanistan. Taliban, beware!
How to study and understand the hadiths is very important. Abu Dharr continues with is enlightening discussion of this vital topic.
Abu Dharr continues his review of hadiths, true and made-up or misinterpreted, so that Muslims would have a better understanding of this vital subject that has often been used for partisan point-scoring.
In his regular column, Abu Dharr continues to delineate correct hadith from those that have been inserted to suit vested interests. Readers show pay attention.
In hadith literature, there are some hadiths that purport to report verbatim what the noble messenger (pbuh) said while others reflect the meaning of what he said. In his ongoing series, Abu Dharr sheds light on this point.
Inviting the thinking Muslims to ponder, Abu Dharr in his regular column repeatedly emphasizes that hadiths must be evaluated against the ayats of the noble Qur’an. No hadith, no matter what the chain of narrators, can be accepted if it contradict the noble Qur’an.
Thoughtful Muslims need to understand that everything attributed to our beloved Prophet (pbuh) may not necessarily be correct. There were some characters in early Islamic history that attributed to the noble Messenger (pbuh) statements that he could not have said because they contradicted the Qur’an.
In his continuing series on Hadith compilation, Abu Dharr calls upon Muslim from both sides of the sectarian divide to set aside their preconceived ideas and begin to see the other’s point of view with an open mind.
In his ongoing examination of the compilation of hadith literature, Abu Dharr continues to provide insights that should enlighten sincere Muslims to look at this crucial issue with greater clarity.
The Prophet (pbuh) had expressly forbidden his companions from writing his hadiths. That explains why there are few hadiths narrated by his close companions yet there are others that have taken much liberty with them. It is a serious matter that needs close attention.
In his insightful discussion on the question of Hadith literature, Abu Dharr offers further food for thought and reflection. It is not meant for the ignorant but for those with a thinking mind.
In his ongoing series on hadith, Abu Dharr reminds us that while appointed by Allah and protected from sin, Prophets were still human beings. And in mundane worldly affairs, they need not be experts. That, however, does not diminish their stature as Prophets.
In this series of articles, Abu Dharr aims to separate the sound hadith from the forged ones. For the thoughtful enlightened Muslims, this is a welcome contribution; for the literalists and stuck in cultural traditions, this would cause heart-burn.
There is a difference between what the noble Messenger (pbuh) said and what was reported that he said. Since Hadith literature was compiled many centuries after our beloved Prophet (pbuh) left this world, it is important to sift through the copious volumes of Hadith literature.
Muslims must sharpen their critical thinking and look very carefully at what passes for hadith. Not everything attributed to the noble messenger (pbuh) may be correct because some vested interests in early Islamic history needed to furbish their credentials through forgeries.
Muslims must carefully examine the origin of Hadith literature and consider whether some vested interests have deliberately manipulated these to suit their own agenda. It is important to sift the genuine hadith from fake ones, using the Qur’an as standard.
Tackling on the sensitive issue of hadith compilation, Abu Dharr posits that any hadith that contradicts the Qur’an must be rejected. The noble Messenger (pbuh) who taught us the Qur’an could never go against its teachings. There is need to sift such hadiths.
Some Muslims have elevated hadiths to the same level as the Qur’an and even more than the Qur’an (nastaghfirullah). It is time to sift the hadith literature to distinguish the genuine hadith from those that cannot be fully verified. Abu Dharr embarks on this arduous task.
Did the Coronavirus spread from animals (infected bats) to humans or was it made in a lab to target America’s enemies after its failures on the military fronts? Why China and Iran have been so badly affected? The Shaytani mind, it seems, never takes a break.
While Shia-Sunni unity is essential for Muslims’ survival, there are some people in Islamic Iran that seem to be pursuing a sectarian agenda creating divisions. Abu Dharr, a sincere Muslim revolutionary, opens his heart to the Rahbar, Imam Khamenei about this troubling situation.
Zionist Israel and their backers are in panic mode. They witness the rise of Islamic Iran and the Resistance axis with alarm and feel the heat. In their desperation, they might trigger a war with Islamic Iran that would put paid to the illegitimate entity in Occupied Palestine.
The riots in Iraq, Lebanon and Islamic Iran are interconnected. The hands of imperialists and Zionists and their local minions are all visible if only one opens ones eyes…
Muslims will have to reject the Saudi-Wahhabi distortion of the Prophetic Sunnah and Sirah to truly respect and love the Prophet (pbuh).
The Bani Saud’s anti-Muslim policies that have driven them to open subservience to imperialism and Zionism have brought them nothing but shame and defeat. They are staring into the abyss.
It is time for Muslims to come out of their comfort zones and understand their history better, especially the disastrous subversion of Khilafah into kingship with its attendant bloodshed including the martyrdom of Imam Husain.
Sectarianism is not a one-way street. There are Sunni sectarians and there are Shi‘i sectarians. Both responsible for creating divisions by remaining entrenched in their rigid positions ignoring the other’s perspective.
The zio-imperialists’ last line of defence against Muslim self-determination: Wahhabi Arabia that is a veritable hate factory pitting Muslims against one another. Even the noble sanctuary in Makkah has been corrupted for this nefarious campaign.
If Muslims were to remove their sectarian blinkers, they will discover that a Sunni is a Shi’i and a Shi’i is a Sunni.
Muslims need to grow out of their own versions of history to confront the challenges they face today. Historical fallacies or fantasies will not serve the larger Muslim interests.
Whether they know it or not, both the Salafis and Sufis are being used by the intelligence agencies of Western countries against the interests of Islam.
Islamic Iran has survived for 40 years because it adhered to Islamic principles but sectarianism and nationalism are gradually creeping in. These must be guarded against just as the Ikhwan must re-evaluate their conduct over the last 40 years to rectify their mistakes.
Donald Trump has touted his “America first” mantra but his overriding concern, as that of almost all members of Congress and other parts of the American establishment, are devoted to protecting the illegitimate Zionist entity. Ordinary Americans suffer as a consequence.
Exposing the Zionists and Bani Saud as bosom pals and enemies of Allah, the Muslims and of humanity at large.
Instead of adopting and living up to the Qur’anic description of being a Muslim or a mumin, many have fallen into sectarian labels that exclude the ‘other’ from their self-designated identity.
The brutal killing of Khashoggi is very much in the mould of the tyrants and kings that followed after the Khulafa al-Rashidoon. Muslims must study their history carefully.
Unfortunately many rulers in the Muslim world follow the same unjust and failed policies that led to major dislocations in early Islamic history.
Bani Saud show hypocrisy over women’s rights. While allowing them to drive cars, they have rounded up those women that had campaigned to have the ban lifted.
In their drive to Saudi-ize the economy, the Bani Saud have launched a war of attrition against foreign workers. Tens of thousands have been forced to leave under a relentless extortion racket demanding thousands of riyals from these poor souls.
The Arabians, including intellectuals cannot bring themselves to accept that Islamic Iran is right and they are wrong and acting in such a petty manner.
Paying tribute to the sagacity and wisdom of the late Imam Khomeini
The plot to create chaos and mayhem in the Middle East originates in the criminal minds of the Zionists that the Bani Saud pay for, their Bedouin cousins in Qatar facilitate while the US, UK and France execute them.
To divert attention from their subservience to imperialism and Zionism, Saudi sectarians have unleashed their paid agents to tarnish the image of Islamic Iran and its committed leadership.
With drums of war beating louder in the Muslim East (aka Middle East), the conflict will be between the victims (Resistance Front—Islamic Iran, Hizbullah, Syria, Iraq) and the aggressors (US, Israel, Saudi Arabia et al).
Appeal to Imam Khamene’i to continue on the revolutionary path of resistance.
Israeli firsters in the US have realized that their foolish policies have brought Turkey and Islamic Iran closer to each other. This is bound to strengthen the resistance front against Zionism and imperialism.
The Saudi-engineered Sa‘ad Hariri resignation has important implications for leaders of the Islamic movement worldwide. Are they prepared to learn the proper lessons or continue the chase the money trail with disastrous consequences?
Consumed by hatred of Islamic Iran and its allies in the resistance front, the Arabian rulers are not only spending billions of dollars purchasing weapons but have also fallen into the eager arms of the Zionists.
In one of the most bizarre statements to come out of the court clerics of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Rahman al-Sudais said American and Saudi rulers were the pillars of stability and peace in the world. What planet does Sudais live on?
Sayid Muqtada al Sadr’s visit at the end of July to meet Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman raised more than eyebrows. What was a respected Shi‘i alim doing sipping coffee with the virulently anti-Shi‘i Wahhabis?
Defeat of the Saudi-backed and financed elements in Mosul is in reality the defeat of Zionist Israel that has duped ill-informed and misguided Muslims into fighting and killing other Muslims.
The Saudis first launched their sectarian crusade against the Islamic Republic of Iran, now they have gone after Qatar, a fellow Wahhabi bastion. Their quarrel is pathetic and childish and aims to protect Zionist Israel.
For Najdi Bedouins, Zionist Jews are their historic cousins and, therefore, bosom pals. Shia Muslims are their enemies and deserve to die!
The success of the Islamic revolution in Iran exposed the secular nationalists both in Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
Unless Muslims begin to think outside the Sunni-Shia box, they will remain vulnerable to manipulation by the enemies of Islam as is happening today.
The Arabian rulers have exposed themselves by their unrelenting hostility towards the Islamic Republic when they should have embraced it. These hypocrites put on the appearance of being Muslims but are in reality stooges of Zionism and imperialism.
A Syrian sheikh (head of the Baqqarah tribe) Nawwaf al Bashir has dropped a bombshell by exposing how Syrian opposition ‘leaders’ have pilfered millions of dollars given by the Saudis. He has accused all of them of corruption.
The clannish rulers of Arabia have abandoned the values of Islam and reverted back to the days of Jahiliyah before Islam. Instead of being slaves of Allah, they are slaves of the Shaytan.
This month marks the birthday celebrations of the last two great Prophets of Allah. What is common between them is that they both stood for social justice, something most of their followers seem to have forgotten because they seem to have become engrossed in rituals.
Through massive propaganda, Muslims are led to believe that there deep differences between Shias and Sunnis. To advance this agenda, crises are deliberately engineered that lead to bloodshed.
3The Saudis are being set up for a fall but they think the imperialists and Zionists are their friends and will save them.
1Why the Bani Saud fail to understand that their Zionist-imperialist masters are setting them for a fall? When people have protruding bellies, their brains often become non-functional.
Using the garb of Sufism, the self-styled religious preacher, Fethullah Gulen has turned out to be a US-Zionist puppet who is prepared to advance their agenda. This is how the enemies of Islam operate.
2Has Hamas leadership realized the errors of its policy in aligning itself with oppressive Arabian regimes and abandoning the Islamic Republic, the one true friend of the Palestinian people? Recent statements by Hamas officials gives cause for guarded optimism.
The Najdi Bedouins’ Zionist allies seem to be setting them for a fall and grab the hundreds of billions of dollars they have stashed in US banks.
The dirty truth about the ‘return’ of the two Saudi islands—Tiran and Sanafir—from Zionist occupation via Egypt, with the permission of the Zionists! The Saudi cowards stand exposed.
Bani Saud have caused havoc in the Muslim world. Their policies have resulted in the killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and displacement of millions of others. Their removal has become imperative otherwise Muslims will continue to pay a steep price.
For decades, the Bani Saud claimed to be leaders of the Muslim world. Now they claim to be leading the ‘Sunni’ world against the ‘Shias’. They are nothing but agents of imperialism and Zionism and stand exposed because of their own policies and actions.
1Amid all the doom and gloom, there is one country—Islamic Iran—that stands out as a beacon of hope for the oppressed Muslims, indeed all oppressed people. The Islamic State has entered its 38th year.
1The Bani Saud’s latest concoction of an ‘anti-terror alliance’ is no more than an attempt to appease their imperialist-Zionist masters to intensify Shi‘a-Sunni conflict.
First we had the shock and upheaval of September 11, 2001 (9/11), with all its hype and hyper hoopla, followed by all sorts of “terrorist” tremors in Madrid, London, Egypt, Mumbai, etc. And now we have the Friday-the-13th bloody rampage in Paris; if we are smart enough to learn from past experience there will be terrorist after-shocks wherever the handlers of this phenomenon deem necessary for their national interests.
Experience tells us that the “extremes” on both side of the Sunni-Shi‘i line of contact are going to be emotionally or mentally disquieted after reading this article.
The tight relationship between the Bani Saud and Bani Isra’il is coming out into the open. Both stand exposed as enemies of Allah and the committed Muslims...
There are three countries in the Muslim world that are on the Yahudi radar screen. The first and most obvious one is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The global Zionist “deep state” is playing good-cop, bad-cop with Islamic Iran. The “good cops” as well as the “bad cops” are divided among themselves. Europe doesn’t see things the way America does and Russia doesn’t see things the way China does when it comes to Islamic self-determination. But for now they act as if they have reached an agreement with Islamic Iran. How this will play out in the coming months and years will be interesting and instructive to watch.
It is premature to pass a final judgment on the agreement that was signed on July 14 in Europe (not in any Muslim country) between a nuclear club of nations on one side and a non-nuclear Islamic Iran on the other.
The Arabian and secular media have gone berserk over Islamic Iran’s influence in Iraq. We look at the reasons behind their angst.
The Islamic revolution in Iran turns 36 this month. To survive in a cruel world dominated by greedy barons and vultures is a remarkable achievement.
The Saudis thought they would sponsor the takfiris to cause mayhem in other countries. It seems the takfiris have established cells within the kingdom as well. The takfiris are coming home to roost.
There are two major Islamic currents in the world today: the Ikhwan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Ikhwan must decide whether they want to work with the Islamic Republic or continue to pander to the whims of illegitimate rulers.
Makkah and al-Madinah were always open to all Muslims but under the Saudis, these have become off-limits. If the Prophet (saws) or Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (as) wanted to perform Hajj today, the Saudis would insist they obtain a visa before coming!
A gigantic struggle is underway between Islamic self-determination (led by Islamic Iran) and ruthless exploitation (represented by US imperialism and Zionism). Where do the Muslim regimes stand?
The imperialists and zionists have realized that Islam is the future so they created pseudo-Islamic groups to fight the committed Muslims.
Examining the Saudi policy of setting the Salafis and Ikhwanis at each others' throats at a time when foreign powers have their fangs embedded deeply into the flesh of the Ummah.
The House of Saud has financed many mercenary writers to paint the Islamic Republic of Iran in a negative light. This hate-campaign, however, is not limited to Iran; even the Ikhwan in Egypt have become victims of Saudi vilification.
There is a long history of links between the Ikhwan and the Saudi monarchy. It has not always been a happy relationship but the Ikhwan have a choice to make: which side of the fence do they want to sit on.
A leading figure in the Syrian National Coalition haw come out openly to say the SNC is willing to sell the Golan Heights in return for Zionist support to overthrow the Asad regime in Syria.
Misleading a generation of Muslim youth to create a “Sunni” militia to launch sectarian warfare will ultimately recoil on the House of Saud. It is setting itself up for a fall.
This month marks the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It also marks a nightmare for the illegitimate regimes in the Muslim East led by the Saudi clan.
Hiding behind the veneer of religiosity, the self-imposed Saudi tribal monarchy can in fact be linked directly with Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab of yore. The religious veneer is meant to confuse ordinary Muslims.
1How Muslims frame an issue determines whether they will find a solution to the problem. Neither iman nor unity is a private or personal affair. “Individuals have access to taqwa; societies have access to iman.”
Bandar, the illegitimate son of Sultan born of an illicit affair with a black maid, is the black sheep of the Saudi family. It is not his skin colour but his dark deeds that have aroused so much contempt for him. Like Wahshi, the murderer of Hamza (ra), he is filled with hate.
The Ikhwan al-Muslimun have suffered greatly in Egypt but they have also made some terrible mistakes none of which match the “exclusivist” bug that has infected the thinking of some of their leaders.
The Khilafah was not abolished in 1924. When Muawiya declared himself king in early Islamic history, he abolished the Khilafah at that time. Muslims must get a better understanding of their history before they can take the steps to rectify the damage.
Who exactly is General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi? Born to a Moroccan Jewish mother, his maternal uncle was a member of David Ben Gurion’s political party. How did this Sephardi sleeper stay within the loop without being exposed for so long and rising to the top spot in the military?
Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has a long list of accomplishments as scholar, speaker and struggler but his recent position has stunned many in the Ummah. How could he, of all people, be advocating civil war among Muslims?
1ஒரு அறிஞர், பேச்சாளர், போராளி என்றளவில் ஷெய்க் யூசுஃப் அல்-கர்ளாவி நீண்டதொரு சாதனைப் பட்டியலைக் கொண்டவர். எனினும், அவரின் சமீபத்திய நிலைப்பாடு உம்மத்தில் பலரையும் அதிர்ச்சியடைய வைத்திருக்கிறது. அவர் முஸ்லிம்கள் மத்தியில் உட்பூசலையும் போரையும் தூண்ட முயற்சிப்பது ஏன்?
Imam Khomeini (ra) whose death anniversary falls this month (June 3) was an outstanding leader whose courage and convictions brought about meaningful change in Iran after the Islamic revolution. Other leaders, primarily in Egypt and Tunisia have failed to adopt bold policies.
The war on Syria is in reality a battle for survival by the House of Saud that has poured billions into the conflict. Ultimately, however, the Saudis will fail, resulting in their demise.
Sectarianism is the only fitna the Saudis know. Unfortunately it has spread far and wide, thanks to Saudi propaganda and the naivety of many Muslims that fall easy prey to such fitna.
The Saudi regime is good at only one thing: creating fitna of the sectarian kind. The war in Syria has provided it an opportunity to play dirty once again.
The Muslims have reposed high expectations in the people and leadership of Egypt. Will the new leadership follow in the footsteps of Hassan al-Banna and Syed Qutb or end up compromising with imperialism and Zionism?
In a tightly reasoned and passionately written article, Abu Dharr urges Muslims to be true in their honour and respect of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and love those whom he loved: his Ahl al-Bayt. Among these was Imam al-Husein who was martyred on the plains of Karbala.
Once King Muawiyah had usurped the Khilafah, the issue of power and authority was gradually removed from Muslim consciousness and Islam reduced to mere rituals. The sorry state of Muslim rulers today is the direct result.
Sectarianism exists on both sides of the divide. It is imperative to understand the root problems to overcome it, urges Abu Dharr.
How historical baggage has smothered Muslim minds to sink into sectarianism while ignoring the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
The war is on but this one may very well be the opening shots of Armageddon. The war parties are as diverse as they come.
During the course of the past 18 months the world in general and the Muslims in particular were watching the movement of people and the counter-movements of regimes.
This month 23 years ago, the oppressed Muslims as well as the toiling masses worldwide lost one of their own: Imam Khomeini.
This writer knows from many encounters with fervent Muslims belonging to different shades and colors of the global Islamic movement that there are those who fault the Islamic Republic of Iran on matters that extend from its form of government (where is the khalifah?) all the way to “Iran is our primary enemy, Israel follows” and everything in-betweeen.
Let us begin by emphasizing that the best known Islamic Party in the Muslim world, al-Ikhwan al-Muslimeen (the Muslim Brotherhood), is not an agent of any foreign or imperialist power or government.
Have you ever stepped back and looked at the crumbling regimes in the Arab East? If you did, have you realized they are republics and not monarchies; not that there is much of a difference between the two but the hype in the corporate media is about freedom, rights, dignity, democracy, and the rest of this political litany that is well-known.
Thirty-three years ago this month the world was witness to the fall of a Shah and the rise of an Imam. The Shah was Persian by culture, American by loyalty. The Imam was Persian by culture, Islamic by persuasion. The Muslims of the world along with the imperialist victims of the world rejoiced at this turn of events. Ever since that time Uncle Sam and his nephew Cohen have been playing their cards against the Imam and the Revolution.
1The world is babbling with news about Iran being on the threshold of going nuclear, in a military sense. Israeli words are coming out of American mouths. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told CBS news that Iran could build a nuclear bomb in a year or less (music to Israeli ears).
It is that time of the year again. Muslims from far and near prepare themselves for the lifelong journey to Ibrahim’s (a) final destination, to the emigre home of Hajar, to the life-threatened birth of Isma‘il (a), to the expatriate city of Muhammad (pbuh) and to the cradle of Islam — to Makkah al-Mukarramah.
Caution! This article is not written for the rationally disabled or for those who are reproach-free.
Sectarianism has been a time tested tool in the hands of illegitimate rulers since the Islamic institution of khilafah was subverted into mulukiyah nearly 1,400 years ago. Today, the illegitimate rulers of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are using this weapon to divert attention away from their oppressive policies and subservience to the West and to Zionist Israel.
After Tunisia and Egypt comes Bahrain and Yemen. Add to this popular wave of opposition the civil stirrings now observable in Algeria, Morocco, Jordan and Syria. This places us in front of an exhilarating arousal of people who have been dormant for decades, indeed centuries, when it comes to their own republican dynasties and monarchies.
This writer remembers the time — about 25 years ago — when friendly members of the Islamic Movement would ask: why can’t our brothers in Iran have a more subtle approach and a dodgy political posture when it comes to their official decisions as well as their public relations and information services?
Deep down inside the recesses of the Islamic movement there is what one may call a dichotomy — two mutually exclusive subclasses of the worldwide Islamic movement. One of them is centered on Islamic Iran and the other around what is today called “Saudi” Arabia.
September is the month of 9/11. How can anyone forget 9/11? Dare anyone forget 9/11?! And if it is beginning to slip out of a public’s mind that is really more interested in the New York Yankees than in the World Trade Center, then in comes the “controversy” to rekindle the flames of 9/11
If one thinks about it seriously, the world looks like a bizarre place. Scientific strides and technological developments make us think and believe that we are living in the “genteel” and “civilized” 21st century. Few can argue about the scientific and industrial progress in all fields of physical applications and material evolution.
You taught us that Muslims are capable of having an imam contrary to the beliefs of the traditional “Shi‘is” who maintain that there can only be one...
No one really knows the number of pro-Israeli and anti-Islamic forces stationed by the US in and around Arabia
As if a meteorological blizzard was not enough during this past winter, Washington is now afflicted by a psychological blizzard. The media mouthpieces are blowing hot and cold — declaiming wildly what an observer would call an arctic chill that is descending upon the political tundra between the Knesset and the White House...
Allah (swt), however, works in His own mysterious ways. Regardless of what the condition of Muslims may be at any given time, there is always something positive in it for them...
But Obama has been a huge disappointment to most Americans as well. Republican Scott Brown’s victory to the senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts since 1972 is reflective of this mood swing...
This year the Islamic Revolution in Iran turns 31; this means 31 years of independence, change, struggle, and accomplishments. What has emerged through the course of these 31 years, which in the lifespan of nations is still tiny, is the fact that Islamic Iran is Zionism and imperialism’s number one enemy...
At a time when the world’s attention is focused on the horrible crimes the Zionists perpetrated in Gaza exactly a year ago and continue to do so against hapless Palestinians today, the Zionists are busy demonizing Iran...
Far away from the corporate course of managed information and at a distance from the bromide cliches being spouted by a network of America-centered Iranians who lost in Iran 30 years ago and will lose again today, take a look at Islamic Iran from another, quite different angle.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, government and people, are gearing up for presidential elections that are scheduled for the first half of June 2009. There appear to be two prime candidates for the presidency: Mr. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Mr. Mir HosseinMoussavi. Both fine men are qualified beyond doubt to lead the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Movement of the world during the coming four-year term, which will probably be the most challenging time in the history of the Islamic Movement and state.
If it were another government it would have caved in by now, but the heavenward Islamic government in the world has survived. The Islamic Republic of Iran, whatever one’s view of it, has weathered political pandemonium, economic earthquakes, and media twisters the likes of which we have not witnessed. This is a government and leadership with a people and population extending beyond its geographical frontiers.
The Obama administration is off to a sluggish start in foreign policy. The strategic toxins that have been lodged in the organs and tissues of the American body politic throughout the previous decades of successive administrations are pathological and substantial. When it comes to dealing with the Islamic movement and State, American politics are downright malignant and cancerous.
The Israeli Amalek just do not get it. Their military failure in the summer of 2006 against Hizbullah in Lebanon did not register. Their American supplied weapons have gone to their head. And now they are not relearning the lesson they failed to learn inLebanon; and that lesson is: you cannot defeat the up-and-coming Islamic forces of self-determination — Hizbullah in Lebanon,Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine.
Never fall asleep when a “superpower” is watching you, especially if that “superpower” is a Zionist-crazed, anti-Islamic regime as is the case with the outgoing and incoming American administrations. In the past eight years the world has had to endure distress, be subjected to vicious wars, and be forced to abandon hope because of a group of politicians in the US called the neo-conservatives.
As if the worldwide zionist led media campaign about Islamic Iran’s “nuclear bomb” was not enough, we now have a Saudi-led whisper campaign about Islamic Iran’s “sectarian aggression.” The voices and spokespersons for this latter campaign may not know how and why this is so, thus it becomes necessary to shed light on this.
There has always been debate within the Islamic movement about the propriety and importance of engaging the West or subsystems of it (such as Christian churches) in discussion about issues that divide Muslims from Jews and Christians. Such low-decibel but high-profile discussion has produced numerous platforms for “inter-faith” dialogue or trialogue, countless ecumenical meetings, and now a proverbial “dialogue of civilizations”, conducted on the part of the Muslims by a bewildering range of official and non-officials institutions and “leaders”.
The United States of America, the sole superpower in the world, or the so-called “hyper-power”, the one with the most advanced armed forces, with satellites in the air and spies everywhere, is getting its nose bloodied in Afghanistan and suffering military defeat in Iraq. And who is inflicting these humiliations? Mujahideen armed with little more than iron determination to expel the occupiers from their homelands.
The self-inflicted wounds on American imperialism and Israeli zionism in Iraq and Afghanistan are easily seen. The public memory is blank to the commander-in-chief who claimed the “end of major combat operations” just a few months after initiating the war against Iraq in March 2003.
Five years and still sinking. That is what may well best describe the overall status in the world of its “sole superpower” as it careens from one war-euphemism to another. The United States of America, the inheritor of twentieth-century superpower rivalry, has been scrambling propaganda flares to distract attention from its downward movement ever since it invaded Iraq.
In the early years of Muslim history we had most of the political pulses that we have today. Not many Muslims, not even many intellectual Muslims, are willing to examine human nature, cultural influences, social trends and political priorities fourteen hundred years ago as well as today.
While the public mind waits to see what drama we will have next in the American-led (but Israeli inspired) war on Islamic self-determination, otherwise known as “the war on terror”, zionists or people working for them succeed in assassinating ImadMughniyyeh, a commander of Hizbullah, in – of all places – the diplomatic quarter of Damascus, the capital of Syria.
1This month, Muslims all over the world should be celebrating the 29th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, alongside other informed and conscientious people concerned for the oppressed and downtrodden of the world. But the harsh reality is that only a tiny fraction of these people will be commemorating the rise of Imam Khomeini and the success of the Iranian people in toppling the “king of kings”, the last Pahlavi shah of Iran. Nearly three decades ago, the Islamic Revolution that took place in Iran resonated among virtually all Muslims and many other of the world’s oppressed peoples.
What you are about to read in this article may be regarded by some as controversial. These words are put together during the season of the Hajj, which is a good time to try to counter the tons of misinformation we have about the Saudi regime, which has done so much to diminish this annual expression of the independence and power of the Ummah to little more than a ritual void of warmth, enthusiasm, and spirit.
The main factor exacerbating the situation of Pakistan and Pakistanis is the state of the local Islamic movement there. The Jama‘at-e Islami is in no position to show anyone the way out of the morass that Pakistan has become. Likewise the Ikhwan – the Jama‘at's analogue in the Arab world – are running around in circles in Egypt.
On 20 March, 2003, the government of the USA sent its full range of armed forces intoIraq, obliterating its infrastructure and smashing its civil life like a lion devouring a rabbit. Since then almost one million men, women and children have been killed, and uncounted others have been wounded. No one wants to say so, but consequently the Iraqi people are teetering on the brink.
The imperialist monster is disrupting its own international order. Even the laws of its own heartland are no longer the rules that are supposed to govern its activities. The United States has been trying to jump-start a worldwide diplomatic initiative that will result in military action against Islamic Iran by ignoring the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and by forcing European and Asian governments to line up with US strategy vis a vis Islamic Iran.
The United States regime, never shy about showing its zionist colors, has come out swinging again; this time, its target is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic State in Iran, which it plans to brand as a “terrorist organization”. Of course, the politicians in Washington are free to say whatever they want – thank God it’s a free country, with freedom of speech and all that. The thing to notice, though, is whether such “made in Tel Aviv” statements are serious policy or simply political rhetoric.
One of the things we try to do in this column is to confront false impressions head-on. This month, we address the myth that America is trying to “spread democracy” in the Islamic East, although the use of this argument has been declining in almost perfect proportion to the increasing military failures of the armies of the US and its allies – particularly zionist Israel – wherever they have tried to pursue their interests through war. Listen to the speeches of the highest officials of imperialism in America, and the change of tone is inescapable.
It would be wise to infer that the latest visit of Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, to Washington is meant to fuse zionist and imperialist objectives even further vis a vis Islamic Iran. We can read what the mainstream media, ever the servants of the imperial-zionist nexus, have left out of their reports; i.e., the top echelons of both the political and military establishments in Tel Aviv and Washington are finalising their plans for the only government in the world that is close enough to Israel to defy its expansionist schemes.
The threat to Muslims from an imperialistic American-Israeli power will not go away even if “Islamic terrorism” ends. The war-elites in Washington and Tel Aviv spent most of the last century sapping the resources of the world in what was supposedly a life-and-death struggle with communism. When communism collapsed, the politicians went looking for a new enemy to justify continuing their aggressive policies. Unable to find any convincing enemies to promote, they set about creating one from the movements of resistance created by their own policies; and so we now have “Islamic terrorism” or “Islamo-fascism”.
Something easy to get is easy to lose, as the Japanese say. Their neighbors the Chinese would say: the lone sheep is in danger of the wolf. The ancient wisdom of these people is not lost on Muslims of Imam Husain’s heritage. Our only Islamic Revolution and Islamic state (as imperfect as they appear from time to time) were not easy to come by; and therefore should not be easily relinquished.
There is probably no government in the world that has done greater harm and damage to the Muslims of the world than the one that presents itself as the Guardians of Makkah and Madinah. Yet much that is commonplace about this regime among those familiar with the Saudi government is little known elsewhere because people hesitate to say it in public.
It should have been “justice done” by Muslims but it has been turned into “the rise of sectarianism” by the zionist-imperialist masters of the world. Saddam Hussain was used by his imperialist handlers as an agent par excellence during his bloody life, exploited further in his gory death.
All over the world, the confrontation between the forces of Islam and kufr is intensifying, with the forces of the Islamic movement taking on the kuffar – represented in the modern world by the zionist-US dominated West – in many very different ways. And all over the world, we are seeing the kuffar hitting back in one very dangerous way: the promotion of sectarianism and internal discord among Muslims.
The United States of America, the sole superpower in the world, or the so-called “hyper-power”, the one with the most advanced armed forces, with satellites in the air and spies everywhere, is getting its nose bloodied in Afghanistan and suffering military defeat in Iraq. And who is inflicting these humiliations? Mujahideen armed with little more than iron determination to expel the occupiers from their homelands.
Consider the following: the recent confession by an Israeli general that Israel dropped more than 1.2 million cluster bombs on Lebanon during the recent war; an American columnist saying "Israel is doing the Lord's work"; the head of the American Republican National Committee saying "Today we are all Israelis"; the reinforcement of Euro-American military forces in occupied Afghanistan; the positioning of foreign military forces inside of a ‘sovereign' Lebanon; and the intensifying daily reports of explosions, slaughter, and death squads in American-occupied Iraq. Bearing all this in mind, why do so many in the Islamic movement find it so difficult to understand fundamental truths and realities about our West-dominated situation?
Hizbullah has won a stunning victory over Israel in its first all-out military conflict with the zionist state. Between its formation in the early 1980s and its victory in 2000, when Israel was kicked out of most of occupied Lebanon, Hizbullah was in resistance mode.
In previous columns, we have examined the methodology of the Islamic Revolution and movement; now we must move to questions concerning the very survival of the Islamic Revolution and movement. As this column is written, the zionist military machine is launching wave after wave of air-raids and naval bombardments on the northern part of the Holy Land – Lebanon.
Some clear truths are too serious for diplomatic dissemblers to acknowledge. One of these it the clear reality of the nature of theWashington regime's foreign policy. For at least half a century, American foreign policy has matched Israel's in its hostility to the self-determination of Muslims.
Since the death of Imam Khomeini (ra), a group of parasitical politicians have worked their way into position to influence the policies of government of the Islamic State of Iran. They may not hold the highest offices in the government, but they appear to hold sway over some of those offices.
Al-mu'min mir'atu akhihi (“a committed Muslim is the mirror of his brother”). In other words, we Muslims should be building on our perceptions of each other. One should be able to identify one's own characteristics as a Muslim through the character andbehavior of another Muslim.
The images are still fresh in our minds, the characters are still around, and the memories will not go away. In Islamic centers and masajid, Islamic annual conferences and halaqat, even at hajj and the ‘umrah, books, tracts, essays, and pamphlets, and sometimes cassettes and CDs, were liberally distributed, free of charge.
There are less than three years left for the US's neo-conservative leaders – the current set of pro-Israeli decision-makers inWashington – to make their mark on history. They have had five years in power and the only rallying cry they have produced was 9/11.
As the Islamic New Year approaches, there is every sign that it could be as significant as the year of the Ahzab (the coalition of the willing mushriks). This time, instead of Islamic Madinah being besieged by Arabian military forces, it is Islamic Iran surrounded by American military forces.
The thrusts and counter-thrusts into each other's enclaves by Iraqi Sunnis and Iraqi Shi‘is – both reinforced by their unwitting and well-meaning supporters among Sunnis and Shi‘is outside of Iraq – and resulting in a growing number of innocent victims as sectarian violence threatens to become the basis for a protracted war between Sunnis and Shi‘is. Such a conflict would not be of their own planning, but is becoming almost inevitable as each side is drawn into deeper and deeper resentment, hatred and cruelty. This sectarian mindset that is taking root in Iraq is also liable to spread into surrounding countries, and bleed the Muslim Ummah to either death or debility for years to come, at a time when it can least afford to be at anything less than full-strength.
After the “shock and awe” hype of the Pentagon boss Donald Rumsfeld, and the extravagant claims of “Mission Accomplished” by his commander in chief in the White House, a clearer picture of the war in Iraq has gradually emerged, even in the US. Now we see a US government that finds itself stuck in aunwinnable war against the Islamic movement.
In some parts of Iran there is an "American problem." The so-called "upper classes" of Iranian society are infatuated with everything American, and that infatuation trickles down to the ‘lower classes', who then either succumb to the American temptation or resist it.
There has been an air of excitement in the Ummah since the presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The older generation of Imam Khomeini’s friends and followers, this writer included, are uplifted by the fact that “one of us” – a Revolutionary – has become the president of an Islamic state that was, during the incumbency of the last two presidents, losing its Islamic character while promoting its nationalist and sectarian inclinations.
There has been an air of excitement in the Ummah since the presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The older generation of Imam Khomeini’s friends and followers, this writer included, are uplifted by the fact that “one of us” – a Revolutionary – has become the president of an Islamic state that was, during the incumbency of the last two presidents, losing its Islamic character while promoting its nationalist and sectarian inclinations.
Being an Islamic state is not easy. We know this from the history of the first Islamic state founded by our revered Prophet (saw). That state – with its Islamic groundwork and Qur’anic political orientation – survived for only a relatively short time, the the epoch of al-khulafa’ al-rashideen. After that it began to founder; the model of social altruism and a leadership in the service of the people – exemplified by the rule of the khulafa’ – gave way to recusant nationalists and tribal irredentists led by the Umayyad dynasty and the rest of the monarchies that followed, from Baghdad to Istanbul and from Cairo to Tehran.
As long as the government of the United States of America is zionist, and as long as the government in Iran is Islamic, there can be no common ground between the two. It is only when the government in Washington begins to de-zionize itself (which is a pipedream) or when the government in Tehran begins to secularize itself (which is the dream of secular Iranian nationalists and Shi‘i traditionalists who cannot stand the word wilayat-e faqih) that we will have diplomatic pouches exchanged between Tehran and Washington.
The global Islamic movement, spreading all over the world, and the Islamic State in Iran, the leading edge of the movement, have one major problem in common: the sectarianism of the Muslims within them. And yet all these Muslims are blind to the sectarianism of Muslims in their own communities, those they regard as” our type of Muslims. Thus, “Sunni” Muslims are often oblivious to individuals and leaders in their own communities who cannot tolerate “Shi‘i” Muslims; and equally, “Shi‘i” Muslims are unconscious of individuals and leaders whose attitude to non-Shi‘is is deeply sectarian.
"The tiger is a dangerous animal." This sentence is simple, self-explanatory and straightforward. Any adult - or even a child beyond a very simple stage of development - understands what this statement means and knows to steer well clear of tigers. However, insert different nouns in the same very simple sentence - "the government of the United States is a shaytani buzurg (a giant Satan)", for example - and somehow the clarity of meaning disappears, at least for many leaders in the Islamic movement and politicians and officials in the Islamic State of Iran.
The politically organized people of Iran erupted against centuries of misrepresentation and misrule twenty-six years ago. Under the fearless and forward-moving leadership of Imam Khomeini (ra) and the politically conscious ulama with him, Iran was declared an Islamic Republic. It also proclaimed itself to the bi-polar Cold War world as belonging to neither America nor the US; the proud boast of the time was: “NeitherEast nor West; Islam is the best.” It also presented itself as a fresh alternative to the Sunni-Shi’a dichotomy, determined not to be distracted or consumed by sectarianism: “Neither Shi’i, nor Sunni; rather an Islamic Revolution.”
In this column it is sometimes necessary to raise issues that others are reluctant to discuss, and many reluctant to hear. It is our conviction that knowledge is superior to ignorance and always preferable to it, and that an informed public is better able to decide its future than one kept in ignorance.
An Islamic state is an ideological state; it is not a nationalist state and it is not a sectarian state. Achieving this, however, is easier said than done. An Islamic state rooted in an ideological Qur’an and a strategic Sunnah proved difficult to sustain for the early generations of Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace. It is now proving just as hard to reconstruct after the death of Imam Khomeini (r).
One interesting feature of the current world dichotomy – the division between the United States and its “war on terrorism” and the Islamic movement, with Islamic Iran at its heart – is the emerging realization in the central countries of the two sides that they can no longer rely on their principal constituents...
That the Islamic movement has venomous and ruthless enemies appears to be among the most difficult lessons for Muslims to learn. In all the Islamic movement literature that we are familiar with, from that of the docile tablighis to that of the revolutionary jihadis, we have never seen a book (or even a booklet) called “Know Your Enemy”...
The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 was a watershed in contemporary history. Those of us who are old enough to remember the time before the Revolution remember a period in which Muslims everywhere were subject to repression whenever they tried to establish Islam in its entirety...
One of the virtues of the Islamic Revolution of a quarter of a century ago, and of its forthright and plain-spoken leadership, was its ability to go beyond generalizations and vague language. The Muslims of the world have been in a linguistic limbo for ages. Such words as “kafir,” “mushrik,” “munafiq,” “mustakbireen,” “mustad’afeen,” etc...
Revolutions have many enemies. The enemies of an Islamic Revolution are one of two types: those that confront it from the outside and those that creep up on it from within...
1They must be etched into the memory of every activist of the Islamic movement – the triumph of Imam Khomeini, the culminating success of the Islamic Revolution and the defeat of the Shah, together with the failure of secularism and of the Israeli agents entrenched in the Pahlavi dynasty and establishment...
During the heyday of the Islamic Revolution, under the capable and visionary leadership of Imam Khomeini, Muslims were faced with two accusations in response to the challenge posed by the Islamic leadership, the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic state to the powers that be...
In order to properly understand the achievement of the late Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and the Islamic Revolution in Iran, we need to understand them as being simultaneously located within four concentric circles: the oppressed peoples, the Islamic peoples, the Shi’i peoples, and the Iranian peoples...
One of the first messages to have been proclaimed by the Islamic Revolution and the line of the Imam was that the Islamic Revolution in Iran is neither of eastern nor of western affiliation...
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