In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Another year has passed, and another Feast of Thanksgiving has come upon us. As families across our great nation gather together, eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, gravy, and the like, it is a natural time for us as Americans to reflect over those things for which we should be thankful. As an American Muslim, I took my reflection a little deeper this year, and I have been thinking about this for many days leading up to this week's national holiday (during which I will likely be working...hmpf!).
God is beyond an all-encompassing description. There is no way I can fit the Lord God into a box and say for sure "This is God." Having said that, in His infinite Mercy and Compassion for us, our Creator has sought to describe Himself in the scripture so that the inherently imperfect human mind can begin to comprehend what is truly an Awesome God. Thus, the "99 Names of God" come to mind.
In Islamic tradition, it is believed that God has 99 names or attributes that describe God for the believer. These include the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Loving, the Shaper, the Maker, and many more. A great deal of these names are found in the Qur'an, and others are found in the Prophetic literature. Here is a particularly beautiful example:
This is the God, other than which there is no deity: Knower of the invisible and the evident, the Benevolent, the Merciful. This is the God, other than which there is no deity: the Sovereign, the Holy, Peace, the Giver of Safety, the Protector, the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Overwhelming; glory to God, beyond any association they attribute. This is the God, the Originator, the Creator, the Shaper, to Whom refer the most beautiful names, celebrated by everything in the heavens and the earth, being the Almighty, the Perfectly Wise (59:22-24).
Muslims have placed these 99 names on beautiful frames to be hung in the houses of God and His servants. The 99 names of God have been written in beautiful calligraphy on mosque walls across the Muslim world. They have been stamped on amulets of gold and silver, to be worn around the necks of the Muslim faithful. They have been sung in songs and chanted in Sufi gatherings. They are part and parcel of Muslim spiritual life.
Yet, is this all for which they are useful? Should there not be more to the 99 names of God than wearing them around your neck, or even chanting them aloud in a group? I believe there should. I believe we should deeply reflect over the meanings of each of these names and attributes of God and understand what they mean to each of us. It is essential for us to get to know our Creator, with Whom a strong, loving relationship is key to success in this world and the next.
Thus, in honor of Thanksgiving, I want to reflect over a particularly fascinating name for God: Al Shakur, or "The Appreciative." There are several verses of the Qur'an which speak of God as "appreciative":
...And if anyone willingly does what is good, God is appreciative and cognizant. (2:158)
Why would God punish you if you are grateful and faithful, since God is most appreciative, most cognizant? (4:147)
As God will pay them their due and more, from the bounty divine, for God is most forgiving, most appreciative. (35:30)
And for anyone who brings about good, We will add goodness to it, for God is forgiving, appreciative. (42:23)
If you advance God a good loan, God will multiply it for you, and forgive you; for God is most appreciative, most clement. (64:17)
This is truly, truly amazing. The Lord God - Originator of the heavens and the earth, Creator of all that exists, Giver of Life, the Most Powerful of all things, the King of all kings - is al Skakur, or "the appreciative."
Appreciative of what, however? What have I done, as a servant of God, so that He would be appreciative of me? He gave me life when I was dead, yet I return that debt by being sinful and disobedient. There is nothing that I could do for God; yet He still is al Shakur, or the Appreciative. He is appreciative when I "do what is good," or "advance God a good loan," or if I am "grateful and faithful." What an amazing, awesome God we have.
It is a tremendous manifestation of God's Infinite Love. He loves us so much that He is merciful towards us. On top of that, He is appreciative of the faith and service we give to Him, even though we constantly sin against Him. What an amazing, awesome God we have.
So, what are the implications of that fact? What should it mean to me that God is al Shakur, or the Appreciative? It means that I should redouble my efforts to serve and please the Lord; I should redouble my efforts to try to avoid sinning against Him. It is the best way of my showing gratitude to God for His being so loving, merciful, and appreciative. If God is al Shakur, then the least I could do is be grateful for this by trying my best to stay on His path of obedience.
"Every day should be Thanksgiving." I have heard some Muslims say this to me in an effort to persuade me that Muslims should not celebrate Thanksgiving because it is a "non-Muslim" holiday. While I do not subscribe to this view, I do agree that every day should be Thanksgiving. Each and every day, I must celebrate the beautiful fact that God is al Shakur, or the Appreciative. And I do so by following the commands of God to the best of my ability. And If I do that, God told me that He will shower his blessings upon me because He is "most appreciative, most clement." What an amazing, awesome God we have.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Dr. Hassaballa in the Chicago Tribune
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
The following article was published in the Chicago Tribune on November 19, 2006.
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LUNG CANCER
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To screen or not to screen: A case for early detection
By Hesham A. Hassaballa
November 19, 2006
"Wasn't there any way I could have found out sooner?"
This is one of the most common questions patients ask when I tell them they have lung cancer.
"It is very difficult to do so, because lung cancers begin as tiny spots that cause no symptoms," I tell the patients.
Then they often ask: "Is there no way to screen for lung cancer like other cancers?"
That question ignites one of the most contentious debates in modern pulmonary medicine, and the results of a study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine have only added to the controversy.
Researchers from more than 30 hospitals around the world, led by Weill Cornell Medical College, used CT scans to screen about 31,000 people who were at a high risk for lung cancer.
They found cancer in 484 of those participants, 412 of whom had Stage 1 disease, the earliest stage. Most had surgery, although some were treated with chemotherapy and radiation as an alternative to surgery. Eight patients received no treatment.
The researchers estimated that 88 percent of patients with Stage 1 lung cancer would survive 10 years. And if patients begin treatment within one month of their diagnosis, it is estimated that 92 percent of them would be alive 10 years later. The eight patients who received no treatment all died within five years.
These numbers are earth-shattering. Although lung cancer is not the most common cancer, it is the most deadly. It will kill an estimated 160,000 people this year.
On average, only 75 percent of patients with Stage 1 lung cancer will survive for eight years. Furthermore, previous lung cancer screening studies have failed to show a greater rate of survival in patients who received regular screenings.
In spite of the study's findings, none of the major cancer societies has recommended routine CT scans for people at risk for lung cancer.
1 study is not enough
Dr. Robert Smith, the director of screening for the American Cancer Society, said the findings "show real promise" for cutting the leading cause of cancer death. "But," Smith added in a statement, "health policy isn't made on the basis of one study."
One of the limitations of the study is that it was not a randomized trial, in which a control group of patients that had not been screened is used for comparison. That kind of study is the gold standard in research. Such a trial is under way, with results due in a few years.
But it is hard to argue with positive results. Even though a small percentage of the more than 31,000 people screened developed lung cancer, those 412 patients with Stage 1 lung cancer are more than statistics. They are real people who benefited from receiving screening CT scans of the lungs.
How can I deny such a potential benefit to my patients who are current or former smokers and are at risk for developing lung cancer?
Therein lies the rub. Not every spot on a CT scan is necessarily lung cancer. We live in an area where airborne fungi and other organisms are endemic, and infection with these organisms can cause a spot on the lung that looks like early-stage lung cancer. A biopsy is the only way to know for certain whether the spot is lung cancer.
Yet a lung biopsy is not without risks. Complications such as bleeding and the collapse of a lung can occur, and they can be painful, costly and ultimately unnecessary.
Biopsy has risks
Furthermore, many patients with spots on their lungs have other diseases, such as emphysema or heart disease. This further increases the risk of complications. Thus a lung biopsy recommendation is not made lightly.
It can be a terrible dilemma for patient and doctor. Unfortunately, definitive answers are years away, if they come at all.
So what do I do with an anxious patient in my examining room? I talk to him or her and lay out everything on the table. I explain the potential benefits and risks. The most important thing is to have my patients fully informed so they can feel comfortable about the decisions they make.
In addition, I try to counsel and comfort my patients. Many of them are scared when they are told, "You have a spot on the lung." This is especially true if they have seen a family member with lung cancer suffer and die. Helping my patients feel a little better by saying, "I understand you're scared, but it's OK," is one of the best parts of my job.
Still, despite the caveats and cautions, the results of the study are very exciting. Lung cancer is a ravenous, brutal beast that can kill its victim in a matter of weeks.
I have seen this happen, and it is devastating. I hope this study is the harbinger of a future in which this terrible disease can be detected in its early stages.
Given the results of the Cornell study, more research needs to be done, whatever the cost, because the stakes are high. For far too long, lung cancer has wreaked havoc on the lives of thousands. Perhaps one day, doctors can say the words "cure" and "lung cancer" in the same sentence.
----------
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago pulmonologist and writer.
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
The following article was published in the Chicago Tribune on November 19, 2006.
--------------------
LUNG CANCER
--------------------
To screen or not to screen: A case for early detection
By Hesham A. Hassaballa
November 19, 2006
"Wasn't there any way I could have found out sooner?"
This is one of the most common questions patients ask when I tell them they have lung cancer.
"It is very difficult to do so, because lung cancers begin as tiny spots that cause no symptoms," I tell the patients.
Then they often ask: "Is there no way to screen for lung cancer like other cancers?"
That question ignites one of the most contentious debates in modern pulmonary medicine, and the results of a study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine have only added to the controversy.
Researchers from more than 30 hospitals around the world, led by Weill Cornell Medical College, used CT scans to screen about 31,000 people who were at a high risk for lung cancer.
They found cancer in 484 of those participants, 412 of whom had Stage 1 disease, the earliest stage. Most had surgery, although some were treated with chemotherapy and radiation as an alternative to surgery. Eight patients received no treatment.
The researchers estimated that 88 percent of patients with Stage 1 lung cancer would survive 10 years. And if patients begin treatment within one month of their diagnosis, it is estimated that 92 percent of them would be alive 10 years later. The eight patients who received no treatment all died within five years.
These numbers are earth-shattering. Although lung cancer is not the most common cancer, it is the most deadly. It will kill an estimated 160,000 people this year.
On average, only 75 percent of patients with Stage 1 lung cancer will survive for eight years. Furthermore, previous lung cancer screening studies have failed to show a greater rate of survival in patients who received regular screenings.
In spite of the study's findings, none of the major cancer societies has recommended routine CT scans for people at risk for lung cancer.
1 study is not enough
Dr. Robert Smith, the director of screening for the American Cancer Society, said the findings "show real promise" for cutting the leading cause of cancer death. "But," Smith added in a statement, "health policy isn't made on the basis of one study."
One of the limitations of the study is that it was not a randomized trial, in which a control group of patients that had not been screened is used for comparison. That kind of study is the gold standard in research. Such a trial is under way, with results due in a few years.
But it is hard to argue with positive results. Even though a small percentage of the more than 31,000 people screened developed lung cancer, those 412 patients with Stage 1 lung cancer are more than statistics. They are real people who benefited from receiving screening CT scans of the lungs.
How can I deny such a potential benefit to my patients who are current or former smokers and are at risk for developing lung cancer?
Therein lies the rub. Not every spot on a CT scan is necessarily lung cancer. We live in an area where airborne fungi and other organisms are endemic, and infection with these organisms can cause a spot on the lung that looks like early-stage lung cancer. A biopsy is the only way to know for certain whether the spot is lung cancer.
Yet a lung biopsy is not without risks. Complications such as bleeding and the collapse of a lung can occur, and they can be painful, costly and ultimately unnecessary.
Biopsy has risks
Furthermore, many patients with spots on their lungs have other diseases, such as emphysema or heart disease. This further increases the risk of complications. Thus a lung biopsy recommendation is not made lightly.
It can be a terrible dilemma for patient and doctor. Unfortunately, definitive answers are years away, if they come at all.
So what do I do with an anxious patient in my examining room? I talk to him or her and lay out everything on the table. I explain the potential benefits and risks. The most important thing is to have my patients fully informed so they can feel comfortable about the decisions they make.
In addition, I try to counsel and comfort my patients. Many of them are scared when they are told, "You have a spot on the lung." This is especially true if they have seen a family member with lung cancer suffer and die. Helping my patients feel a little better by saying, "I understand you're scared, but it's OK," is one of the best parts of my job.
Still, despite the caveats and cautions, the results of the study are very exciting. Lung cancer is a ravenous, brutal beast that can kill its victim in a matter of weeks.
I have seen this happen, and it is devastating. I hope this study is the harbinger of a future in which this terrible disease can be detected in its early stages.
Given the results of the Cornell study, more research needs to be done, whatever the cost, because the stakes are high. For far too long, lung cancer has wreaked havoc on the lives of thousands. Perhaps one day, doctors can say the words "cure" and "lung cancer" in the same sentence.
----------
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago pulmonologist and writer.
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
Saturday, November 18, 2006
"So That You May Know One Another": The Role of People of Faith in the 21st Century
The following is based upon my keynote address at the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta Annual Building Bridges Award Dinner, delivered October 28, 2006.
Let us, for a moment, go back and listen in on an ancient and sacred conversation: "Behold, I am about to establish on earth one who shall inherit it," said the Lord God to the angels. They replied: "Will You place upon it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood - whereas we extol Your limitless glory, praise You, and hallow Your Name?" Alas, it seems that our reputation as human beings preceded our own creation. The Almighty replied: "Verily, I know that which you do not." In other words, the Lord God said, "I know what I am doing."
Let us, for a moment, go back and listen in on an ancient and sacred conversation: "Behold, I am about to establish on earth one who shall inherit it," said the Lord God to the angels. They replied: "Will You place upon it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood - whereas we extol Your limitless glory, praise You, and hallow Your Name?" Alas, it seems that our reputation as human beings preceded our own creation. The Almighty replied: "Verily, I know that which you do not." In other words, the Lord God said, "I know what I am doing."
That conversation is recounted in the verse 2:30 of the Qur'an, and it highlights the purpose of the creation of humankind: to be the inheritors of the earth, God's vicegerents, His representatives. As such, we have a tremendous responsibility placed upon us by the Lord God.
As Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Professor of Islamic law at UCLA, writes:
The Qur'an describes the moment of creation as the moment in which humanity was entrusted with a heavy responsibility...God made human beings God's agents or viceroys on the earth and entrusted them with the responsibility to civilize the land. [1]
Yet, what does "civilizing the land" mean exactly? Dr. Abou El Fadl continues:
Civilizing the earth does not mean constructing buildings or paving roads. It means striving to spread on the earth the Divine attributes such as justice, mercy, compassion, goodness, and beauty. In doing so, human beings spread Divinity itself upon the earth. In contrast, corrupting the earth - spreading violence, hatred, vengeance, and ugliness - means failure in discharging one's obligations toward God. The Qur'an teaches that the act of destroying or spreading ruin on this earth is one of the gravest sins possible - fasad fi al-ard - which means to corrupt the earth by destroying the beauty of creation, is considered an ultimate act of blasphemy against God. [2]
Indeed, the Qur'an speaks harshly of those who spread corruption on the earth:
...none does He cause thereby to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature] and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers. " [3]
Elsewhere, God says: "Now there is a kind of man whose views on the life of this world may please thee greatly, and [the more so as] he cites God as witness to what is in his heart and is, moreover, exceedingly skillful in argument. But whenever he prevails, he goes about the earth spreading corruption and destroying [man's] tilth and progeny: and God does not love corruption." [4]
Thus, our job as human beings is to civilize the earth: to spread justice, mercy, compassion, love, and beauty over all of the earth and its creatures. And this responsibility falls upon all human beings. Herein lies a problem: what of people of other faiths? How do we deal with those who are not Muslim? Are we - as many are wont to believe - hopelessly locked in a "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam? Are we doomed never to work together?
Quite the opposite. In fact, Dr. Samuel Huntington, the originator of the much-touted "clash of civilizations" theory, recently decried the misuse of his theory by politicians and pundits. In an interview with Islamica magazine, Dr. Huntington said: "I think it is a mistake, let me just repeat, to think in terms of two homogeneous sides starkly confronting each other. Global politics remains extremely complex and countries have different interests, which will also lead them to make what might seem as rather bizarre friends and allies." When asked whether his thesis has been used by people for their own agendas, he replied: "Oh absolutely, all the time. There isn't much I can do about that." [5]
Indeed, the Qur'an anticipates the fact that there will be a plurality of religious communities on the earth, a fact which does not threaten it. Numerous verses speak about this:
Unto every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community: but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you ... [6]
Have, then, they who have attained to faith not yet come to know that, had God so willed, He would indeed have guided all mankind aright? [7]
And [because He is your Creator], it rests with God alone to show you the right path: yet there is [many a one] who swerves from it. However, had He so willed, He would have guided you all aright. [8]
For had God so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community; however, He lets go astray that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]; and you will surely be called to account for all that you ever did! [9]
If it had been your Lord's will, they all would have believed - all who are on earth. Will you, then, compel the people, against their will, to believe? [10]
And had thy Sustainer so willed, He could surely have made all humanity one single community: but [he willed it otherwise, and so] they continue to hold divergent views. [11]
Given this knowledge, what are Muslims to do? What are the implications of this fact? How are Muslims and non-Muslim supposed to interact? They are supposed to "know one another": O people! Behold, we have created you from a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes to that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware . [12]
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl elucidates what it really means to "know one another":
God's appeal to human beings to engage in ta'aruf, or knowing the other, is not a call for a heartless process of collecting data about other human beings. It is, however, Divine guidance and an exhortation to believers to realize that essential to knowing and loving God is to know and love God's viceroys on earth. [13]
Once we "know one another," we can then work together in the spread of Godliness - justice, mercy, compassion, love, and beauty - on this earth for all to enjoy. The Qur'an makes this exact demand of people:
For, every community, faces a direction of its own, of which He is the focal point. Vie with one another in doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto Himself: for, verily, God has the power to do anything. [14]
Unto every one of you We have appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community: but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you. Vie], then, with one another in doing good works. Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ. [15]
The Arabic word used in the verses, fastabiqu, literally means "to race." Thus, we - Muslims and non-Muslims - should race, or alternatively, compete with one another - not in gaining converts from each other's communities - but in doing good on this earth. The best of us are those who are most conscious of God, and that is only for God to judge.
As a result, people of faith should work together to end poverty and hunger. People of faith should work together to fight for justice for all, not for the few. People of faith should work to protect God' creation, not only other human beings, but the environment as well. People of faith should strive to prevent the loss of any innocent life, whether it be in Tel Aviv, Gaza, or in any of America's cities and towns. Whenever something good can be done for this earth, people of faith should always be found in the vanguard.
This is only natural for people of faith, because it stems from their belief in, and more importantly, their love of God. And they love God because God loved them first. It is a very common perception among many non-Muslims that Islam does not have love of God as central to its theology. Many people, including some Muslims themselves, think that the God of Islam - who is the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus - is a distant, cold, and aloof God, who is not loving at all.
This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, the very basis of the relationship between God and humanity, in my reading of the Qur'an, is one of profound love. God loved us before we were. How do I know this? Because He gave us life when we were dead. What better act of love can there be besides this? And out of His love stems His tremendous mercy and compassion. It is no accident that every chapter in the Qur'an save one begins with the phrase: "In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful." One of God's 99 names in the Islamic tradition is Al Wadud, or "The Loving."
Thus, since God loves us, we love Him back, and as a direct consequence of this love for God, we have love and compassion for all His creation. This love and compassion for God's creation, the most important of which is fellow human beings, leads us to work to eliminate poverty, hunger, injustice, and oppression. And in our struggle to do this work, we seek others who know and love God to help us: other people of faith. They are natural allies.
I must say that I do not imply that those without faith can not, therefore, also love God's creation, or have no role in the spread of Godliness on earth. Far from it. They are human beings as well, and they are welcome partners in the spread of good on earth. Furthermore, because I speak as someone who believes in God and feels tremendously privileged to be in communion with his Creator, this does not mean that I disparage those who do not have faith or who do not believe in God. Once again, far from it.
Nevertheless, as a person of faith, I am commanded by God in the Qur'an to seek out other people of faith - regardless of what that faith is - and work with them to do good on earth. That is the reason we were created. That is our responsibility as human beings, as viceroys of God on earth. That is our role in the 21st Century, and it is a major struggle: a true jihad in its very essence. But it is a jihad which no one should ever fear.
References
2. Ibid, pp. 129-130.
3. Qur'an 2:26-27.
4. Qur'an 2:204-205.
5. Interview with Samuel Huntington. Islamica, Issue 17, 2006, pp.29-35.
6. Qur'an 5:48.
7. Qur'an 13:31.
8. Qur'an 16:9.
9. Qur'an 16:93.
10. Qur'an 10:99.
11. Qur'an 11:118.
12. Qur'an 49:13.
13. Khaled Abou El Fadl, The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From The Extremists,
HarperSanFranscisco, 2005, p. 281.
14. Qur'an 2:148.
15. Qur'an 5:48.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
For Those Who Are Conscious Of God
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
The following is my first colum in the new Illume Magazine, a publication about Islam out of the West Coast. The first issue was published in October 2006, and monthly issues will start January 2007. I am blessed and honored to be a part of this project.
For Those Who Are Conscious Of God
I remember hearing a hadith, when I was much younger, in which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have said that there will come a time when holding onto one's faith will be as painful as holding onto a hot coal. I, in fact, quoted this hadith in a college admission essay, describing how difficult it was trying to remain faithful to my Islamic duties back then. Yet, that time pales in comparison to the difficult time in which I find the Muslim community today.
Every day, I read of more innocent Muslim brothers and sisters being mercilessly slaughtered. The overwhelming majority of the world's refugees are Muslims, like me. There is so much injustice that infects the Muslim world today, both from inside and outside. Wars continue to ravage many Muslim lands, and we are powerless to stop it. And if my heart aches at the sight of this suffering, there are some who call this an "ummah-itis," an affliction that must be eradicated.
From the swamps of this injustice rises the choking weed of "Islamofascism," or so it is called here in the West. Self-proclaimed "holy warriors" murder innocent men, women, and children in their quest to "defend the Muslims" from the "onslaught of the West." With each year that passes, more digits are added to the pantheon of terror: 9/11, 3/11, 7/7. Terror plots are foiled, and diabolical plans of beheadings and mid-air destruction of civilian aircraft flood the airwaves.
On top of this, Muslims kill each other with evermore fantastic and vicious methods; not even Friday prayers are sacred, where mosques are repeatedly targeted by murderous suicide attackers. As a result of all of this, the vitriol against Islam and Muslims grows more vicious. More people look at us as brutal terrorists; our Prophet is maligned as a violent pedophile; our wives, mothers, and sisters are spit upon because they wear hijab; our mosques are firebombed. It is enough to drive anyone mad.
And it is easy to despair. Converts have left our fold because of the enormous negative pressure. Many more have contemplated such a move. Our youth become disillusioned and are tempted to leave the fold as well. All the lights have gone out, and all that is left is thick, black, stifling darkness. Yet, our people have been down this road in the past. The community of believers have been there and done that.
Our Lord says: Do you think you could enter paradise without having suffered like those [believers] who passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and so shaken were they that the apostle - and the believers with him - would exclaim, "When will God's victory come? " (2:214) In the selfsame verse, God proclaims: "Oh, verily, God's victory is always near!" Elsewhere in the sacred text our Lord says: Verily, God will ward off all evil from those who attain to faith; [and], verily, God does not love anyone who betrays His trust and is bereft of gratitude. (22:38)
Let us remember our Master Noah (pbuh). For 950 years, he preached ceaselessly to his people, and they answered his call with rejection and humiliation: [And after a time, Noah] said: "O my sustainer! Verily I have been calling unto my people night and day, but my call has only caused them to flee farther and farther away [from Thee]." (71:5-6) When there was no more hope in his people, the Lord asked Noah to build a boat - in the middle of barren desert. ...And every time the great ones of his people passed by him, they scoffed at him... (11:38) His building of the Ark seemed to confirm to them that Noah (pbuh) was a madman. It seemed hopeless for our Master. Yet, when the torrential waters came, our Master - and the tiny number of believers with him - were saved from utter destruction. The end was for those who were conscious of God.
Let us remember our Master Abraham (pbuh). With a few fell swoops of an axe, he utterly destroyed the foundations of his people's idolatry. Yet, rather than accept the truth of the One God, they decreed: "Burn him, and [thereby] give victory to your gods, if you are going to do [anything]!" (21:68) And they built the fire. It was an enormous fire with which they planned to burn the Friend of God. It seemed hopeless for our Master. Yet, when he was thrown into the fire, our Lord said: O fire! Be thou cool, and [a source of] inner peace for Abraham! (21:69) And Abraham (pbuh) was saved. The end was for those who were conscious of God.
What about our Master Moses (pbuh)? When all seemed to be lost, with the sea at his face and the forces of Pharaoh at his back, the Almighty split the sea and provided a safe passage for him and the believers with him. And our Master the Christ (pbuh)? Rejected by his
own people and being sent to his death, the Lord purified and raised him up unto Him, giving him victory over his earthly enemies. Let us, also, never forget our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Battle of the Trench.
Ten thousand Arabs, full of fury and poised to crush the Muslim enclave once and for all, gathered at the footsteps of Medina. The alliance with the tribe of Bani Quraizah was in tatters, and they prepared to attack from behind as the pagans were pushing from the front. When news reached that Bani Quraizah was coming, most of them, believers and Hypocrites alike, abandoned the Prophet (pbuh) at his most important hour.
It was, as the Precious Beloved describes, a most dark hour: Remember what you felt when they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes became dim and your hearts came up to your throats, and when most conflicting thoughts about God passed through your minds. (33:10) Yet, the victory of God came, and the Alliance of the Trench was rent asunder. No attack from the pagans was to ever come after that, and in a few short years, Mecca was taken with hardly a drop of bloodshed. The end is for those who are conscious of God.
Misfortune and hardship befell those believers who passed away before us, and so shaken were they that the Apostle and the believers with him, would exclaim "When will God's victory come?" The Lord God answers the question in the very next breath of verse: Oh, verily, God's victory is [always] near! (2:214) Throughout the history of humanity, the believers have been through difficult times, yet in the end, the Lord came to their aid and gave them victory. So will it be, God willing, with us.
All we must do is to keep working. We must keep building the Ark in the midst of the barren desert, enduring the mockery and smears of others, even if they are our own people. We must continue to strive to work for peace and justice for all, not just for us. We must continue enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, even if that evil is from amongst ourselves. We must never give up, and God willing, the Precious Beloved will come to our aid. God willing, He will not forsake us. When the floodwaters come, we will, God willing, be safe on the Ark. It is the promise of the Lord, and what better keeper of promises than the Precious Beloved, the Holy One on high?
The following is my first colum in the new Illume Magazine, a publication about Islam out of the West Coast. The first issue was published in October 2006, and monthly issues will start January 2007. I am blessed and honored to be a part of this project.
For Those Who Are Conscious Of God
I remember hearing a hadith, when I was much younger, in which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have said that there will come a time when holding onto one's faith will be as painful as holding onto a hot coal. I, in fact, quoted this hadith in a college admission essay, describing how difficult it was trying to remain faithful to my Islamic duties back then. Yet, that time pales in comparison to the difficult time in which I find the Muslim community today.
Every day, I read of more innocent Muslim brothers and sisters being mercilessly slaughtered. The overwhelming majority of the world's refugees are Muslims, like me. There is so much injustice that infects the Muslim world today, both from inside and outside. Wars continue to ravage many Muslim lands, and we are powerless to stop it. And if my heart aches at the sight of this suffering, there are some who call this an "ummah-itis," an affliction that must be eradicated.
From the swamps of this injustice rises the choking weed of "Islamofascism," or so it is called here in the West. Self-proclaimed "holy warriors" murder innocent men, women, and children in their quest to "defend the Muslims" from the "onslaught of the West." With each year that passes, more digits are added to the pantheon of terror: 9/11, 3/11, 7/7. Terror plots are foiled, and diabolical plans of beheadings and mid-air destruction of civilian aircraft flood the airwaves.
On top of this, Muslims kill each other with evermore fantastic and vicious methods; not even Friday prayers are sacred, where mosques are repeatedly targeted by murderous suicide attackers. As a result of all of this, the vitriol against Islam and Muslims grows more vicious. More people look at us as brutal terrorists; our Prophet is maligned as a violent pedophile; our wives, mothers, and sisters are spit upon because they wear hijab; our mosques are firebombed. It is enough to drive anyone mad.
And it is easy to despair. Converts have left our fold because of the enormous negative pressure. Many more have contemplated such a move. Our youth become disillusioned and are tempted to leave the fold as well. All the lights have gone out, and all that is left is thick, black, stifling darkness. Yet, our people have been down this road in the past. The community of believers have been there and done that.
Our Lord says: Do you think you could enter paradise without having suffered like those [believers] who passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and so shaken were they that the apostle - and the believers with him - would exclaim, "When will God's victory come? " (2:214) In the selfsame verse, God proclaims: "Oh, verily, God's victory is always near!" Elsewhere in the sacred text our Lord says: Verily, God will ward off all evil from those who attain to faith; [and], verily, God does not love anyone who betrays His trust and is bereft of gratitude. (22:38)
Let us remember our Master Noah (pbuh). For 950 years, he preached ceaselessly to his people, and they answered his call with rejection and humiliation: [And after a time, Noah] said: "O my sustainer! Verily I have been calling unto my people night and day, but my call has only caused them to flee farther and farther away [from Thee]." (71:5-6) When there was no more hope in his people, the Lord asked Noah to build a boat - in the middle of barren desert. ...And every time the great ones of his people passed by him, they scoffed at him... (11:38) His building of the Ark seemed to confirm to them that Noah (pbuh) was a madman. It seemed hopeless for our Master. Yet, when the torrential waters came, our Master - and the tiny number of believers with him - were saved from utter destruction. The end was for those who were conscious of God.
Let us remember our Master Abraham (pbuh). With a few fell swoops of an axe, he utterly destroyed the foundations of his people's idolatry. Yet, rather than accept the truth of the One God, they decreed: "Burn him, and [thereby] give victory to your gods, if you are going to do [anything]!" (21:68) And they built the fire. It was an enormous fire with which they planned to burn the Friend of God. It seemed hopeless for our Master. Yet, when he was thrown into the fire, our Lord said: O fire! Be thou cool, and [a source of] inner peace for Abraham! (21:69) And Abraham (pbuh) was saved. The end was for those who were conscious of God.
What about our Master Moses (pbuh)? When all seemed to be lost, with the sea at his face and the forces of Pharaoh at his back, the Almighty split the sea and provided a safe passage for him and the believers with him. And our Master the Christ (pbuh)? Rejected by his
own people and being sent to his death, the Lord purified and raised him up unto Him, giving him victory over his earthly enemies. Let us, also, never forget our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Battle of the Trench.
Ten thousand Arabs, full of fury and poised to crush the Muslim enclave once and for all, gathered at the footsteps of Medina. The alliance with the tribe of Bani Quraizah was in tatters, and they prepared to attack from behind as the pagans were pushing from the front. When news reached that Bani Quraizah was coming, most of them, believers and Hypocrites alike, abandoned the Prophet (pbuh) at his most important hour.
It was, as the Precious Beloved describes, a most dark hour: Remember what you felt when they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes became dim and your hearts came up to your throats, and when most conflicting thoughts about God passed through your minds. (33:10) Yet, the victory of God came, and the Alliance of the Trench was rent asunder. No attack from the pagans was to ever come after that, and in a few short years, Mecca was taken with hardly a drop of bloodshed. The end is for those who are conscious of God.
Misfortune and hardship befell those believers who passed away before us, and so shaken were they that the Apostle and the believers with him, would exclaim "When will God's victory come?" The Lord God answers the question in the very next breath of verse: Oh, verily, God's victory is [always] near! (2:214) Throughout the history of humanity, the believers have been through difficult times, yet in the end, the Lord came to their aid and gave them victory. So will it be, God willing, with us.
All we must do is to keep working. We must keep building the Ark in the midst of the barren desert, enduring the mockery and smears of others, even if they are our own people. We must continue to strive to work for peace and justice for all, not just for us. We must continue enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, even if that evil is from amongst ourselves. We must never give up, and God willing, the Precious Beloved will come to our aid. God willing, He will not forsake us. When the floodwaters come, we will, God willing, be safe on the Ark. It is the promise of the Lord, and what better keeper of promises than the Precious Beloved, the Holy One on high?
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