Muslims Wake Up!

Muslims Wake Up!

Shariffa Carlo

I have noticed a disheartening trend among our teachers of Islam. Too many are trying to "make the deen easier" by watering it down. This can range from the "sheikh" who, when I became Muslim, told me it was halal to take a loan with interest because my education was a necessity to the "teacher" who uses the weak narration:

"We have returned from the lesser jihad to embark on the greater jihad." They said: "What is the greater jihad?" He said: "The jihad of the heart, or the jihad against one's ego." to the "Imams" who stood by silently while mujahideen in Afghanistan were making tawaf at the graves.

In all these cases, if they have done even the most rudimentary research in these areas, they would have to know that they were stating incorrect information about Islam, which amounts to lying against Allah and His messenger. Yet, they felt, for whatever reason, that by minimizing the importance of the concepts, the questioner would not hate Islam and would be a better Muslim. This puzzles me. How can one be a better Muslim when one is committing haram acts and considering them halal?

For the first, we know that necessity in Islam is defined as life and death - and only as much as is necessary to sustain life. For instance. I am in jail. I am given pork to eat and alcohol to drink. I am starving and if I do not eat or drink I will die. In this case, it becomes halal for me to eat and drink what will sustain me -- keep me from death.

This becomes not only halal but fard upon me. Now, let's analyze: I would not have died if I had not gone to school that semester. It would not have been life-threatening for me to wait until I had saved enough money. Yet, the "sheikh", probably under the fear that telling me it was haram would have taken away from Islam, tried to "ease" me into Islam by telling me it was O.K. The danger here was greater. He did not realize that what he did was indeed more dangerous. He taught me that the rules in Islam are very flexible, like the Christianity I had just left. I now believed that I could interpret them to suit my needs.

Under this understanding, anyone can use interest for anything he/she "thinks" is necessary. So, when I thought it was necessary to own a car - or I could not get to work, I took a loan. It also made me understand that all the credit cards I had were O.K. cause I needed them. The reality was that I did not need the car, I could have taken a bus; I did not need the cards, I could have been patient, I did not need anything because my life was never in danger, but I had been taught that necessity in Islam was defined by what I considered necessary. This led me to inadvertently commit many sins that put me "at war" with Allah.

Allah says:

O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and relinquish what remains (due) from usury, if you are believers. But if you do (it) not, then be apprised of war from Allah and His Messenger; and if you repent, then you shall have your capital; neither shall you make (the debtor) suffer loss, nor shall you be made to suffer loss. 2:278-79

How did this help me be a better Muslim?

The second issue, is an apology for the Islamic concept of Jihad. This has successfully served to "keep us in place." The Muslim who is only concerned about Jihad of the self, sits idly by while Muslims are being exterminated, calling his congressman or holding protests, thinking he is accomplishing something instead of getting his lazy rear off his chair, going out to the lands of jihad, and risking his life and property for the sake of Allah. Allah says,

Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,- 4:95

Also, the Prophet said

"When you deal with interest, and hold fast to the tail of the cow, and become contented with agriculture, and you leave Jihad in the Way of Allaah, Allaah will permit your humiliation and will not lift it from you until you return to your deen." (Sahih: Taken from a speech by Al Albaani: www.ucl.ac.uk/~uczxisl/jihad.htm)

This so-called hadith about jihad of the self being the greater jihad can be easily exposed. Sheikh Al Albaani declared it weak as did Al Hafiz ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in the Tasdid al-Qaws. Al Hafiz Al Iraqi said in the Takhrij Ahadith al-Ahya': 'Al Bayhaqi transmitted it with a weak chain of narrators on the authority of Jabir, and Al Khatib transmitted it in his history on the authority of Jabir.'"

Anyone who is even an elementary student of Islam, must know this or can find it. No one who seriously cares about his deen will narrate something unless he knows it is sahih. Because even the ordinary Muslim on the street knows that narrating against the Prophet what he did not say will gain him a seat in the hellfire. The Prophet said: "...And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 56, Number 667.

So why would someone teach such a concept? It waters down our deen and makes us like the Prophet warned that we would be as the Prophet warned:

"The nations summon each other upon you as you call guests to eat from a plate of food", they said , "will we be few in number on that day O Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "no rather you will be many on that day, but you will be like the foam on the ocean. And Allaah will remove the fear in the hearts of your enemies and place in your hearts al-wahn". They said, "what is al-wahn O Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "love of this world and hatred of death."' (Sahih: Taken from a speech by Al AlBaani: www.ucl.ac.uk/~uczxisl/jihad.htm).

So, how does lessening the importance of Jihad make us better Muslims? It seems to me, it makes us weak and vulnerable.

The last example are the "Imams" who stood by silently while the mujahideen were making tawaf at the graves. When questioned about this, they said that they did say anything because the people were ignorant, and teching them this would cause fitnah and remove them from Islam. This floored me. I mean -- HELLO-- IS ANYONE HOME UP THERE???? Isn't this shirk??? Does not this act take them from Islam??? Where are our priorities? Here are our mujahids, the fighters for the sake of Allah, making tawaf to graves. What is left?

On a lesser level, our "scholars" are constantly trying to make things easier on us, telling us its ok to wear a headpiece with pants and call it hijab, saying it is O.K. to shave or trim the beard, saying it is acceptable to go to that social gathering at work even though alcohol is being served because we will lose our jobs if we don't, saying it is O.K. to sell alcohol or pork as long as we do not touch it or consume it, saying it is O.K. to take a house loan because we need to establish a base in this country, saying it is O.K to have a credit card cause we need it in case we want to rent a car or in the case of an emergency...the list is endless.

As Muslims we have to stop expecting out teachers, scholars, Imams etc... to spoon feed us what we want to hear. We have to make them tell us the truth. There are so many true scholars available to us. We still have the Quraan, the authentic hadiths, the understandings of the companions and our greatest scholars.

Why do we ignore this great body of evidence and insist on following the unsupported opinions of those who would have Islam be little more than a poor imitation of Christianity -- a religion of amilu without amilu. A religion of belief without action. Pick up the Quraan. How often do you see the word aminu - belief, without amilu beside it? Why is it that anytime someone calls to the truth -- showing the evidences, we call him a wahabi, a salafi, an extremist??? They are quoting the words of Allah and the words of His beloved prophet, and we are saying, "I think..."," I feel...", "But our deen is not hard...." What would we say to the Prophet himself? What horrible names would we call him because his words do not match our desires or our warped perceptions of right and wrong?

Lets WAKE UP!

Brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up. Allah did not put us here to get that illusive degree, that classy car, that great house, that beautiful wife, that perfect husband, those great kids. These are all distraction from the true goal. "O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers." (63:9) We are here to worship Allah. This life is not supposed to be easy or perfect. This life is our prison, if we are true believers.

We are supposed to be building an escape tunnel with our deeds and our faith. Instead we are asleep in front of the TV, smelling of nachos and fear while scenes of our brothers' and sisters' extermination flash across the screen.

Islam is not easy. It is not hard. It is a religion that takes effort, commitment and belief. We have a great reward but also we have a great responsibility. What will we say to Allah when He questions us about our life in this world? What will we say to Allah when He questions us about our brothers and sisters in Kosovo, Somalia, Sudan, Kashmir, Palestine, Bosnia, Algeria, Ethiopia, Lebanon, India etc..... What will we say when He questions us about our credit cards, our school loans our houses and even masjids built from riba? What will we say when He questions us about the ignorant among us that we failed to teach because we thought it would make him/her hate Islam or think it was too hard? What will we say when Allah asks us about the deeds that supported our beliefs? What will we say????

I leave you with the following hadith which emphasizes the obstacles Allah placed in our way:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: When Allah created Paradise, He said to Gabriel: Go and look at it. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, no one who hears of it will fail to enter it. He then surrounded it with disagreeable things, and said: Go and look at it, Gabriel. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, I am afraid that no one will enter it. When Allah created Hell, He said: Go and look at it, Gabriel.

He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, no one who hears of it will enter it. He then surrounded it with desirable things and said: Go and look at it, Gabriel. He went, looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might and power, I am afraid that no one will remain who does not enter it. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 40, Number 4726.

Ya Allah! Wake up the Muslims! Ya Allah! Wake up the Muslims! Ya Allah! Wake up the Muslims! Ameen.

Source: http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=317&

The Fiqh us-Seerah Epilogue

The Fiqh us-Seerah Epilogue


Shaykh Muhammad al-GhazaliFiqh us-Seerah (Understanding the Life of the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) © IIPH 1997

A few days had not passed since the prophet's (sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) death when Islam became entangled in a fierce struggle with paganism, which suddenly came back to life, and Christianity, which controlled the north of the peninsula, prevented anyone from entering Islam and stopped its spread by force. The desert had not seen the like of these violent battles during the lifetime of the prophet himself. The battlefields were wielder, the costs more and the losses greater.

But the men whom the prophet had brought up with knowledge of the Truth and sacrifice for it were sincere in their actions to Allah and bore the heavy burdens that were thrust upon their shoulders as gallant heroes.

They broke the backbone of paganism in the peninsula, squeezed out its lifeblood and destroyed it forever. They routed the Romans at the borders where the latter had spread their arrogance. Then they returned to Medina not to relax but to spread out in the then populated world in a systematic order and by inspiration from a foolproof law. Within a few years Islam had filled land and sea, ear and eye.

Now after fourteen centuries have elapsed since that glorious era. Islam is no more ruling its Ummah, not to speak of steering the world to a land worth mentioning or to goodness worthy of thanks. The other religions are living on the brink of death, the existing civilizations do not allow religion to take hold of their reins. Paganism in India and the Far East as well as other places still has a great sway over the major part of the lives and behaviour of the masses.

Judaism is segregating its flock from the world in order to implant in their hearts hatred for mankind and to sweep away the greatest benefits for Israel by playing upon the split within the rants of the Muslim ranks. Christianity is like a creeping vine in the equator: it depends for its survival on the adoption of the prevalent philosophies and support of the ruling regimes in order to guarantee life (and what a life!) for its primary tenets of Trinity and vicarious sacrifice.

The Muslims have been stained with the pollutions of deviations and adherence to shells and rituals. The vices of weakness and ignorance have relegated them to a condition similar to what the Jews and Christians had been in during the era of prophethood and the rightly guided caliphs. Only an insignificant minority of them remains up to today fighting Jahiliyah and holding fast to the Truth.

If there is hope in the fact that Islam has remained preserved from the theoretical point of view in its two major sources, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, then this preserved knowledge can never make action superfluous. Nevertheless, it is to be noted that those who do correct work for Islam are encountering severe opposition from various other fronts and I mean the fronts which have opposed its spread since the time of its inception fourteen centuries ago and have never cooled off for one day in their enmity towards it.

Someone may ask whether the world today is in need of Islam. Our answer to that is if the world is in need of knowing Allah and preparation to meet Him and give an account for what was done in this earthly life them it must have Islam. Material advancement cannot substitute one bit for adherence of these great realities. One may say: but there are people who do not believe in any god or in the Hereafter and there are others who believe in these things but different to what Islam teaches so let the people follow their own beliefs.

Our answer to this is: let the people believe what they will but the blind do not have the right to dig out the eye of the one who sees or strangle him because he sees what they do not! They must leave him to walk with the guidance of his eyes and they must leave him also to describe what he sees or expects on his way. Whoever whishes to follow him without being forced has the right to go with him otherwise he should leave him alone and not put obstacles in his path. This is all that Islam asks for.

The mischief-makers hate Islam because it is the Truth with a voice which defends itself and proclaims whatever it contains and refuses to hide or keep silent. This characteristic of Islam, the characteristic of enforcing the Truth and decrying falsehood, has annoyed its adversaries and made them fabricate accusations against it. Thus, if it refuses to compromise it is the attacker and if it refuses to die under the plots of its enemies it is being spread by force!

This is the secret of the tale which is told that Islam was spread by the sword, though Islam only unsheathed the sword in order to save itself from the danger of the mob and the brigands. Had it been left without intrigues, it would never have lifted a knife and would have contended itself with the use of the tongue in place of the sword.

Yes, in this respect it is very firm. What else could be expected of it when it has to confront enemies who are spurred on by the haughtiness and prejudice of long centuries as well as erring ways which hide behind thick jungles of men and arms? Had it not been for this firmness, Islam's moral and scientific principles would not have remained intact to this day. Those religions before it which had weakened were dragged by their enemies in a hideous manner from their roots and have never been able to return safely to them. As for Islam, today you find it, if not in its adherents, then at least in its book.

You may think that you have studied the life of Muhammad by following his history from birth to death but this is a grave mistake. You will never really understand the Sirah unless you study the noble Qur'an and the purified Sunnah. The amount that you derive from these will tell the strength of your connection with the prophet of Islam, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam.
______________________________________________________________

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=422

How Do We Confront the Efforts of the Enemies of Islaam

How Do We Confront the Efforts of the Enemies of Islaam

Shaykh `Abdul `Aziz ibn Baz

Words of Advice regarding Da`wah © 1998 al-Hidaayah

The leaders and the scholars should exert efforts to enlighten and direct the population of Muslims and combat the efforts of the enemies of Islaam, by retaliating with their own efforts.

The Muslim Ummah is an Ummah that has been entrusted with this religion and has the responsibility of conveying it. If we are careful to arm our boys and girls in Islamic societies, with knowledge, understanding and comprehension of Islamic Jurisprudence and accustom them to apply these things from a small age, then we will not fear, by the permission of Allaah, the Most High, as long as they continue to holding onto the deen of Allaah, glorifying it, following its laws, and fighting that which contradicts it. And indeed their enemies will fear them.

Allaah, the Most High, says in the Qur’aan,

O you who believe! If you help Allaah, He will help you and make your foothold firm. [47:7]

If you remain patient and become al-Muttaqoon (pious) not the least harm will their cunning to do you. Surely Allah surrounds all that they do. [3:120]

There are many verses in the Qur’aan which convey this message. The most important factor for us in fighting against the efforts of our enemies is raising and preparing a generation that knows the reality of Islaam. This can be achieved through guidance, taking care of the house and family, the method of educating them, the media and improvement of the society.

In addition to this is the role of steering and guiding which needs to be taken by the Muslim leadership, persevering in beneficial work and continually reminding the people that which will benefit them and make the belief within them grow and flourish.

______________________________________________________________

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=286

How Can We Confront Intellectual Attack

How Can We Confront Intellectual Attack

Shaykh `Abdul `Aziz ibn Baz

Words of Advice Regarding Da`wah © 1998 Al-Hidaayah

We must confront the intellectual onslaught represented in the radio, books, newspapers, magazines and writings which the Muslim communities in our present time have been afflicted with. The Muslim male and female spend most of their time with such, despite the fact that they contain deadly poison and misleading propagation most of the time. Therefore confronting this is a very important issue if we want to protect Islaam and the Islamic culture from its conspiracies and evil.

The da`ees and the defenders of Islaam must devote their time in writing beneficial researches, articles, periodicals and give da`wah. They should respond to different types of cultural attack and expose its defects and clarify its falseness. The enemies have gathered now and are preparing all their efforts and abilities to establish different organizations and various ways to scheme and plot against the Muslims and deceive them.

Therefore we must counter attack these enemies. We must refute and disapprove of their networks, expose them, and present Islaam as a faith, belief, legal system and a social and moral system. This should be done in a way that will make the people learn it, through good methods suitable for the age, and with wisdom and good admonition, arguing in a way that is best. We should use all the methods of the media, according to the resources available and our ability.

The deen of Islaam is a complete deen, which contains all good. It is the source of happiness for all mankind, and helps us in achieving righteous prosperity, sound progression, security, tranquillity and a noble life and victory in this life and in the Hereafter.
______________________________________________________________

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=288

Priorities of Islamic Activities in the West

Priorities of Islamic Activities in the West

Shaykh `Abdul Rahman `Abdul Khaliq

Priorities of Islamic Activities in the West © Dar Ihyaa at-Turath

Muslim minorities in the West need urgent help to preserve their identity, religion and their very existence. To achieve this, Muslims must:

1 -- Re-establish unity in this nation all over the world. Muslims must be loyal to other Muslims and disloyal to all Kuffar. This unity must be implemented by deed and not only by tongue.

2 -- Affirm the basic belief that Muslims are members of the best nation ever that was introduced to humanity. Affirm the correct Islamic beliefs that will make Muslims feel pride in their religion and feel the sweetness of Iman in their hearts.

This can be accomplished by teaching the correct belief end knowing the ways of the Kuffar, to avoid them. Muslims must feel the great bounty of Allah that He guided them to the correct religion. Religion must be understood and believed in. Muslims must study Christian beliefs. The struggle between Islam and Christianity will last till the end of time. Muslims must also preserve the Islamic code of dress, Islamic foods and marry Muslim women and, if they wish, only pure and good Christian women.

3 -- Arabic must be the first language for all Muslims again. Learning Arabic during childhood and giving it its due place in the religion is a must. Arabic is a necessity of Islam that must be preserved.

4 -- Muslims must Perform Da'wah (propagate Islam) wherever they me be, (Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. And it is those who are the successful.) [3: 104].Religion must be held to be the reason behind our existence,

(And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except they should worship Me (Alone).) [51:56].

5 -- Ahlu As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jama'ah and the way and understanding of the companions are what Muslims should call for. Muslims should warn of all misguided groups and define the one righteous group. To fight against misguided groups and off-shoot sects is a necessity. This means that Muslims will fight against all five major misguided groups who have corrupt beliefs: Al-Khawarij, Shiites, Al-Jahmiyah, Al-Qadariyah and Al-Murji'ah.

6 -- Muslims of the West must be united in every matter. They must call to Islam and preserve their loyalty to Muslims and be disloyal to the disbelievers. Arabic must be their first language. Muslims should seek to socialize with, marry from and meet other Muslims in lectures, mosques, universities, picnics and general activities. Muslims must not be isolated from other Muslims.

7 -- Muslims must be concerned with Islamic education for their children from primary to secondary education.Muslims must establish Islamic schools that will preserve and teach Islam to their children in their first years. The first years of life are what will shape the beliefs and ways of later years.

8 -- Muslims must seek to preserve Muslim presence in Eastern Europe and strengthen this presence. Muslims in Albania and Bosnia must be provided with material help so they can defend themselves. Muslims must also help Muslims of Eastern Europe using all means possible. Also, Muslims everywhere must seek to protect the religious, educational and social rights of Muslim minorities in the West. Muslims of the West must not be prevented from practicing and propagating Islam, the true religion.

9 -- A higher authority for the benefit of Muslim immigrants must be established to protect the rights of Muslim minorities. This authority will coordinate between all Islamic organizations that operate in the West. Coordination will benefit and organize the activities of Islamic organizations and will provide them with vital and firsthand information about needs and the situation of Muslim minorities.

10 -- Establish committees composed of Muslim scholars that will teach the religion to Muslim immigrants and solve their problems according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah. These committees will have firsthand knowledge of the situation of Muslims and provide answers to their problems. These solutions will seek to preserve the religion, identity and existence of Muslim immigrants.

11 -- Establish a sound economic system that will benefit Muslim immigrants in the West. This economic system will provide an honorable life and financial independence for Muslims. This is better than the way that many Muslims of the West live, by seeking the help of the Kafir government or engaging in usury, prostitution, gambling or dishonorable acts.

______________________________________________________________

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=188

Islamic Revival Closing the Century

Islamic Revival Closing the Century

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick

From a Khutbah Reproduced In The Message Magazine [Audio lecture available in our audio section]

According to a report issued by The International Center for Population Studies, an affiliate of Al-Azhar University of Cairo, Egypt: Muslims are 23 per cent of the earth's population. Contrary to popular belief, there are over 170 million Muslims in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country.

There are over 70 million Muslims in China and over 54 million in the former Soviet States. The majority of Muslims, the study said are youth and children. Children below five years old represent 43 per cent of the Muslim world! By the year 2020 CE, our population will be expected to reach 2.5 billion, Insha Allah. In Canada, startling statistical data has been released. One in three children born in Canadian hospitals today is from a Muslim family! What does this mean to us?

The future is bright for Muslims if we make the right choices today. We are blessed with amazing riches in the Muslim world. Over 40 per cent of the mineral wealth of the planet lies under Muslim countries. We have thousands of doctors, engineers, scientists and intellectuals. We spend billions in technology, especially for the military.

But we still are humiliated and destroyed. We cannot wake up in the morning and forget Kashmir, Palestine, Bosnia, Chechnya, Algeria, Sudan, Kurdistan, Somalia and other parts of our Ummah. Almighty Allah has revealed at the end of Surah al-Hashr: O you who believe, have the consciousness of Allah and let every soul look to what it has put forward for tomorrow and fear Allah. Surely Allah is well aware of all that you do. And be not as those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Surely they are wrongdoers.

Nisayn (forgetfulness) is a state of mind. When the person forgets Allah, they are in a dangerous position. The path of Islam is clear, but who will take hold of Islam? Who will stand up and be true, sincere Muslims? Allah has also revealed in Surah Al-Balad: Did I not make for Man two eyes, a tongue and two lips? And did I not guide him to two Paths?

Tribalism will lead us to destruction. Divisions based on color, organization, schools of Islamic jurisprudence, will decimate our ranks. We need a new Islamic World order. People who put the Qur'an and the Sunnah above all things. We need people who do not see color or focus on language, do not scandalize other believers and struggle with each other for power, who are part of our society, but not controlled by un-Islamic culture, who do not resort to Unbelievers to judge between them in their courts, people who are not afraid to speak openly but do not attack individuals without just cause.

If we do not change our ways and return to the path of Islam, Allah has made a promise: In Surah al-Ma`idah, verse 54, He says: O you who believe. If any from among you turn back from his religion, soon Allah will produce a people whom He will love and they will love Him.

They will be humble with the Believers and mighty against the Unbelievers. They will struggle in the path of Allah and not be afraid of the blame of those who find fault. That is grace of Allah which He gives to whom He pleases and Allah encompasses all and has knowledge of all things.
I say this and I ask Allah to forgive me and you and all of the Muslims from every sin. Turn to Allah in repentance for surely He isthe Oft Forgiving and the Most Merciful.

___________________________________________________________
Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=113

Changing the present and dreaming the future

Changing the present and dreaming the future

Tuesday 31 October 2006, by Tariq Ramadan

I want to share with you some ideas about the future.

I will start with some introductory remarks. It is my perception that we have continued the process of interfaith dialogue among ourselves without taking into account the reality of our present world. Our world has changed tremendously, especially during the last 10 years. We are going from one crisis to another; social crises, civilization crises and cultural crises and we have to deal with all these crises.

In the present time we are perceived as naïve, simplistic, far from the world. This is my perception and of others around me. I think that it is our responsibility, if we are true before God, true before our conscience, to come to a realistic and true commitment.

As we represent the faiths of the people, we have to deal with this reality and we have to face up to our responsibilities when we are dealing with these crises. If we are speaking about hopes we have to start by being realistic and face up to the responsibility. If we want something to happen, we should try and change not only the way we are dealing with each other but also the way we are dealing with the world we are living in.

When we speak about hopes and dreams, there is the Prophet’s peace upon all of them, who are dreaming the future and transforming the present. It should not be the other way around. By dreaming the present you are not helping me to deal with my problems. Therefore, dream the future, change the present and this is the way we have to deal with our values, with our teachings.

If I as a Muslim man, try to share my views with fellow citizens of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or indigenous spiritual traditions, I and others like me are very often perceived as naïve people, dreamers, far from reality. Is this true? If many perceive us like that, elementary psychology is telling us that we have to ask ourselves if there is any truth in this perception. I think there is.

Our discourse is sometimes far removed from the reality of people’s lives. We speak about love but as soon as we seek to promote love in this world, it becomes difficult. To love is difficult. We speak about peace, but to get peace, inner peace and collective peace, that is difficult. We speak about the importance of family. But people want concrete answers on how to build a family in this world today, within this reality of social crises and psychological crises. We are living in a world where we need to give answers.

My prayer and my hope are for us to be humble, more realistic and more committed to giving answers on how to get peace. Let us not only talk about peace but also tell people how to get there. Let us speak with people how to move closer towards the realm of love, with dreams of the future, as one family of humankind. As Muslims we regard man and woman to be brothers and sisters. Yet, it is difficult to be sisters and brothers. It is difficult for me to be your brother. It will be difficult, if you would dare asking me to forgive you. To understand why you are doing what you are doing today is difficult.

Let us hope that we are committed and that we are trying to change the world.

But while we are promoting this interfaith dialogue let us take into account that our world has changed. We are dealing with ignorance, with people not knowing each other, and today we are dealing with something more vicious and perverse than all that: a new ideology of fear. Fear is promoted everywhere: wherever you go, to the south or the north, to Muslim, Christian or Hindu communities, everywhere you will see and feel the same the same: fear.

We are not secure and we do not feel secure. In the United States, there is a great deal of fear after 9/11. In Israel, Palestine, India and other parts in the world, everywhere is fear. It is not only a state of mind, which we are witnessing. It is also used by politicians and by religious people, people of faith. If we are true and understand the meaning of faith, we will have to deal with fear. Then we can begin to understand that we live in a world where emotions are promoted and emotions have nothing to do with spirituality, in fact they are its opposite.

Emotions are superficial reactions. Not superficial in a bad way, but the first reaction surfacing when something happens. Spirituality is something different. It is about effort, about something that you experience deep in your heart. Spirituality is the way to master your emotions, not to be or to submit yourself to your own emotions. It is of vital importance to talk about our spiritual teachings. What do they tell us of mastering emotions?

Why is it so important to go beyond our emotions? Because they put us in a position where we perceive ‘us’ versus ‘ them’ and where we have to defend our identity. That mindset is perverse, it is vicious in the world that we are living in to see each other as separate, always protecting myself from you and you protecting yourself from me. It makes dialogue quite impossible.

Today we are living with virtual wars, we are scared and we do not know how to deal with this. At the local level this ideology of fear is nurturing and is nurtured by suspicions. In which way do we trust each other? At a conference it may be easy to trust each other, but in our daily life it is different. How can we transmit this mutual trust at the local level, at the grassroots level? This is the commitment, this is the challenge, to create spaces of mutual trust, to move away from this globalized fear, to return to our own traditions and plan to contribute something concrete.

This is my hope: first to reconcile us with the complexity of the world around us and to make it clear that to have a spiritual heart and to nurture a spiritual heart, you need to build a critical mind. Spirituality has nothing to do with naivety. Spirituality has nothing to do with just dreaming. It has to do with a critical mind enabling us to make an effort, a spiritual effort to take a distance from our emotions and to try and understand the world. It means to learn to listen and it is not easy to listen when you are emotional. Very often people are speaking about Muslims saying that we do not listen. We listen suspecting you to say what we want you to say and so we do not listen to the words said.

This is happening daily, this is concrete life. We have a complex heart, living in a complex world. To learn to listen is not just dreaming about being together, it means to get to know each other more and to promote something which is very simple.

Let us be committed to reconcile us to this world with complexity and not make simplistic statements about love and peace and family. Such statements are far from the people, so people will listen to us from very far. This is when we think that we are a minority.

We are promoting majority values, majority teachings, majority feelings, but we are far, and we speak alone and as a minority. Why? It is not because people are far from the content of what we say. It is because we are far from their lives. That is a totally different thing.

If we move closer to the complexities of daily life, it is my hope that all that we are doing is a road to the civil society at the social level. Let us work together so that our ethical input becomes visible, our understanding of the ethical imparity before God to say something about social issues.

How should we promote ethics in our society? Let us take education as an example. Is it our sole ambition to add one hour on religion in our school systems? Is that all we desire? Should we not see the importance of ethics in a more global, integrated multi-disciplinary way?

I am convinced we must promote ethics in every discipline. To be satisfied with only one additional hour per week will again mean disconnecting ethics from reality. It will not convince students of our deep commitment towards creation.

To promote ethics in every discipline makes visible our deep concern about education, social justice, discrimination and gender issues. It is promoting a new, deep femininity and it is more than a struggle for rights. It is a struggle for being. We must engage in the world showing that we are committed to understand and promote majority values.

People who want to change the world are challenged by two biased feelings: that they are a minority and that they are victims. If we are true to our religious traditions we have to get rid of those feelings. We are not victims and we are not a minority.

If we are true before God, we will understand that this is a challenge. We have to be the subject of our history, subjects of our own lives and not victims of the lives of others.

Let us change this mindset and reconcile us with complexity. This is the way to connect with other people.

Let me conclude with two final remarks:

Firstly, we have to be accountable when attending international interfaith meetings. If we engage in dialogue only at conferences, then we are not living up to our spiritual commitment. We must be committed to go back to our communities and share what we have learned and put our words into actions.

Secondly, we must invest in trusting each other. Mutual trust is possible.

I was in Sarajevo a few weeks ago and there, ten years after the war, an Eastern European was asking a Western European: “Let me ask you one thing: After what happened and us being Muslims, how could I trust you?”

This question of trust is essential. How are we committed to promote this mutual trust? We must network at the local level, understanding this global strategy and ideology of fear, and we must create spaces for mutual trust.

When we do that, we are changing the present and dreaming the future.

SOURCE : Lecture given in Geneva in June 2005 during the conference organised by the World Council of Churches : "A Critical Moment in Interreligious Dialogue"
"Changing the Present, Dreaming the Future" edited by Hans Ucko
Website : http://www.wcc-coe.org/