June 29, 2009
For all the faithful massive, I am delighted to tell you that the long wait is almost over:
I’ve just received this poster right now and I understand that various retailers will be getting hold of the boxset through PG in the next few weeks which is when advertising properly starts on TV and the internet etc.
Anyway, forget all the deeni content, trust me you’ll want this boxset just for my baistee being done in the two hours of outtakes at the end…
June 26, 2009
Folks, prepare for an all-out assault on your senses over the next few weeks.
With the death of Michael Jackson – undoubtedly the most famous musician of our time – millions upon millions of people across the globe will be grieving and reminiscing over a person who shaped a generation, gave them happy times and fond memories and allowed people to share in the “magic” of celebrity. You’ll be hearing MJ’s tracks and seeing his moves not just on the normal places that we avoid, but on the news channels, in the supermarkets, on the streets and just about everywhere you can think of non-stop as people “remember the time”.
And no, the Muslims will not be immune from this either. I like to generally divide those “practising” brothers and sisters from my generation (the 30-somethings) into two groups: the first are those who were always basically good people and remained roughly on the straight and narrow right until this day. The second group are those who have been to the Dark Side, have been well past the edge, delved into hedonism and pretty much immersed themselves into everything the culture of kufr has to offer (and indeed even become leaders/players in that culture?) only to re-surface and enter back into the Light by the immense grace and mercy of Allah jalla wa ‘ala.
I’m definitely from the second group and to Allah I complain of my weakness. And if the discussions after Jumu‘ah today are anything to go by, the death of MJ has clearly shown that there are many more of us than we imagined. So this little piece is for you folks and for you alone.
It’s for those who are confused at this moment: you are hearing about the death of a person who quite simply defined your childhood, who gave you unforgettable moments when you waited on edge for the next video release, when you heard beats that shook the soul. It’s for those who used to love music and the effect it had on the heart, and indeed for those who still get affected the same way when they listen or hear it today. It’s also for those who don’t wish to hear music due to that effect and the memories it brings back, and the hold-up it creates in moving forward purely into the Deen of Allah and the memorisation of His Perfect Speech.
Yes, it’s about dealing with those musical skeletons in our closets. Either beat them and move on, or move to MJ’s “Beat It” and go backwards.
For us such people, music was nothing more than bliss for the soul, a shudder for the spine, bass to rumble the joints. It had the power and ability to take people and transport them instantly across huge divides and even time gaps back into history. Its effect is vastly under-estimated which is why many Muslims simply cannot understand why their fellow brothers and sisters are making such a big deal of an artist as talented and masterful as Michael Jackson. I read something from Puff Daddy (or whatever they call him these days) today that he said about MJ, “He was the first person to actually show me the beat.” For those who know their music, this is a perfect description of the magic MJ possessed.
I feel that Muslim scholars deal with the topic of music very poorly. Many of them simply (and rather fortunately!) cannot appreciate the hold music can have over the hearts of its victims. When one starts to practice Islam seriously, it becomes very easy to see how busy a person needs to be keeping their hearts pure, clean and memorising that which brings us closer to Allah jalla wa ‘ala. Remember what Imām al-Shāfi‘ī said when he asked his teacher Wakī‘:
I complained to Wakī‘ about my bad memory,
and he taught me that I should keep away from sin.
He said that knowledge of Allah is light,
and the light of Allah is not given to the sinner.
The more you remember the pointless, the less space is left for that which benefits. Trust me. I’ve just so been there.
The problem comes when those who know nothing about music simply to try to write it off as something disgusting, evil and satanic. Sure, much of music might be exactly that in its content, but Muslims don’t get rewarded from abstaining from music in their lives because it’s a meaningless past-time. Rather the reward is proportionate to the huge sacrifice it takes to stay away from something that the soul desires for so much, misses during the lonely times, yearns for during the party times, and weeps over when reminded of it in times such as these when the airwaves and every other wave in the public will be brimming of musical tributes to the greatest musician of his generation.
Yet here, the Muslims should count their blessings and be very grateful to the religion of Islam. Alhamdulillah, our Lord gave us something infinitely more perfect, beautiful, melodious and devastatingly impactive upon the soul: al-Qur’an’l-Karim.
For every MJ fan, there is a Minshawi. For every Presley fan, there is an Abdul Basit. For every Timberlake fan, there is a Ghamidi. For those who have no-one they cared about in the music industry, “…fallāhu Mawlāhu.”
Can you imagine life without the Qur’an? Can you imagine not being able to just pick it up and read a page and then experience that sensation where one struggles to breathe in amazement at what you’ve just read? Can you imagine having a heart in your chest that hasn’t physically quivered when a certain verse has been recited, even if by the poorest of reciters?
That’s why I feel so sad when I hear some music playing somewhere – excellent music at that – from back in the day. I think of all the people who are finding it as stunning as I am, but then having nothing else to turn to as an alternative. I fully understand the almost ridiculous outpouring of grief that has been witnessed from fans upon the loss of their musical King – what else do they have left? What else will they move on to other than to keep replaying the same old tunes and keep up the entertainment game, as Shaykh Hamza famously once said, an industry that has no other purpose but to keep it all going for as long as possible and entertain you to death. Literally.
But I digress. This wasn’t meant to be about Muslims gloating that we have something better than what the world can produce.
This is about dealing with the guilt that we feel when we start to replay all the lyrics, relive all the memories, the tragedies and the good times that come rushing back upon those few lyrics that you hear. It’s about the benefit that we took at those times, and then how we protected ourselves then from music’s inherent harms, and how we can continue to protect ourselves today. What we must do is to be able to understand what we are enjoying and what we shouldn’t enjoy from what we hear; what we admire and what should be criticised.
We mustn’t become lazy and just paint the entire canvas black. Although understanding the methodology of those who are happy to throw the baby out with the bath water, I’d prefer to give some easier options to those who are still addicted to music or those who are struggling to come to terms with their inner demons when confronted by this musical assault on our hearts.
I feel sad when I read some of the lyrics of the more soulful songs that we used to listen to and recognise how some Muslims are missing out on important lessons. There are complete societies of Muslims that have never interacted with a culture of love, romance, heartbreak, absence and the general issues that affect relationships, and it is so obvious when we deal with their problems. There are large numbers of Muslims that due to their excellence and cautiousness, protect themselves from such issues and experiences due to the impermissible aspects found in music, and yet some of them don’t replace the good things and experiences via a deep study and appreciation of Ahmed Shawki, or Iqbal, or even Qadhi ‘Abdul Wahhab al-Maliki (!)
If a type of Islam is promoted that has a complete block on art and emotion that (correctly) shields them from some of the corrupt aspects of popular Western culture today but yet at the same time doesn’t replace this with poetry or love stories which the Muslims have always had in huge abundance, then we get the kind of marital difficulties and breakdowns of relationships that we experience today from a people who have never heard the lyrics to “I just can’t stop loving you”. Can you imagine a wife never realising that her husband loved her more than the guy in the above song, but might have been able to save her marriage if both of them had the industry and guts to show their love for one another either through a song or a poem or the mutual sharing of a deep and personal moment in ways that Muslims are just so poor at dealing with?
I remember a senior scholar who once told me that whenever he goes through a difficult patch with his wife, he will just sit there and recite Arab poetry to her, describing her in terms better than Layla herself. That’s a quality that many Muslims are missing in their lives, and although I’m not advocating that due to our collective weakness in classical poetry we should all go back to listening to music, I still think that we are not as guilty as we might make ourselves out to be for reflecting upon lyrics, messages and emotional experiences that we felt or indeed feel when reminded of times gone by through the medium of music.
Let me do the obligatory thing and quote an MJ lyric. Let’s use the chorus of “Man in the Mirror”:
I’m starting with the man in the mirror,
I’m asking him to change his ways
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
‘Cause when you close your heart
You can’t close your… your mind!
I wrote this because the way I treat other peoples’ difficulty with music and other sinful issues is by remembering my own times and difficulties first and starting there. Changing others means changing yourself first, and changing your love for music is about the most difficult thing there is out there. But it can be done. The more serious and deep an interest you take in your religion, the more you’ll become closer to the Qur’an. The deeper and more seriously and sincerely you advance, the better it will become insha’Allah.
It’s never been easy to leave the beat, but alhamdulillah for the wonder, serenity, and perfection of Allah’s Word. Music…beat it.
June 26, 2009
And I guess he spent his whole life looking in the mirror, knowing that he needed to make a real change but just ended up ruining his entire life.
Yeah, so I’m gutted that Michael Jackson has died but how can one not be? For crying out loud, the guy was like the most famous person in the world ever, despite all his actions and ignominy. He was just so talented, so ajeeb, so loved by so many people, and then just his complete collapse into insanity was so so sad.
I grew up with him, with “I’ll be there” as a tiny kid and then “Billie Jean” when I was slightly older. Do you know that I learned the lyrics of “Man in the Mirror” by heart in about 20 minutes? And yes, I still remember much of it all this time later.
A classic story I can remember as a young student in Pakistan was when the local Tablighi elders would swear to me that “their people” had gone to see Michael Jackson in concert (!) and had confirmed – oh yes – confirmed that he was actually a Jinn. Yep, that Jacko was a real and bonafide Jinn. That was right after Jacko did the moonwalk. You heard it right here. And a hundred other places probably.
Jacko had that ability to hold the entire world’s attention from the most irreligious to the religious to the extremists. I remember many bizarre conversations with people who would gladly cut heads off of non-Muslims show affection to Michael Jackson. As for the normal Muslims then how desperate they were to believe all the regular stories of conversions to Islam! Truth be told, in his heyday he polarised us all.
I know it’s not good to publicise people who have done much wrong, but I’m sad at this loss of a human at the very least, and I’m sad for his brother Jermaine especially, and his family for their suffering. And the hearts aren’t held accountable for what they feel. And there’s no shame in that.
June 21, 2009
“Don’t call it a comeback… “ said the Cool J Afridi. “I’ve been here for years.”
Indeed. Afridi has been around for AGES; it really does feel like 20 years as Sir Beefy mentioned! And knowing how NADRA operates back home, he probably is in his early forties too!
Well done Pakistan today and well done Afridi for another great performance (and about time!) in winning the T20 World Cup today.
Well done also to Younis Khan for having the guts to slap it in short and really surprise the truly outstanding Dilshan and other Sri Lankan batsmen. Well done to everyone’s favourite cricketeer Sangakkara for a wonderful effort to give his boys a fighting total – and you know that every Pak fan had butterflies in their stomachs all the way during the run chase until Afridi battered Udana for six. Truth be told, I thought Sri Lanka had taken the game once Mathews started slogging Umar Gul and the boys around at the end and getting a good total.
But I knew Pakistan had won the game the second Shahzaib got out. He had a nightmare and anyone replacing him was going to be good news and thus with another superb innings by the unsung hero of the team Shoaib Malik, we got what we needed to see us through. Alhamdulillah.
It’s sad news to hear of Younis’s sudden retirement from T20 because I think he’s a credit to the game. He’s excellent at pacing the batting, a safe pair of hands, and brave enough to make some crazy decisions despite the possible risks and criticisms. Personally, I think Pakistan should only be captained by Khans. All formats. For ever. But I would say that, innit? 
All that was left was the fun and smiles at the end – countless thanks to “the Allah” naturally – and then the good old Pak speeches etc. What about the fiqh from Fawad Alam (should that be ‘Aalim?) at the end who showed the rest of his team that facing the Qiblah is not a condition for a sajdat’l-shukr? Nice one. And was there anything more hilarious than Kamran Akmal’s face when he realised that he had to rub shoulders with the gori from the England Women’s Team at the photo call?? Absolute classic!
In conclusion – considering I see myself as a purist – the T20 format has produced another great spectacle and a wonderful tournament. From the bitterness of one of my favourite cricketeers Vettori to the magic of Gayle’s innings against Lee; there was Malinga’s slow ball full toss which is easily the most scariest ball of the tournament, forget Gul’s slow bouncer or Mendis’s magic. And what about Mathews’s quite astonishing fielding? Yet again the Sri Lankans truly amazed us this year.
The Dilshan scoop isn’t the joke it looks either. To get the scoop might be easy enough in principle, but to do it to a quick bowler off a length ball, and most importantly exactly time the drop of the head at the very last second is just sheer genuius and he well deserved Player of the Tournament.
And then of course, there was that catch. I think the word “game-changer” was probably created for that Afridi moment.
All in all, an excellent boost for the sad and suffering people of Pakistan who will gratefully accept any kind of good news to provide even a moment’s escape from their constant misery at the hands of a secular government and/or rabid extremists. No doubt though that cricket slapped the terrorists in the face today, and spat on their attempt to destroy the one ray of light that most average Pakistanis look to in the dunya those four months ago in Lahore.
Alhamdulillah, and Pakistan – Zindabad.
June 19, 2009
And too right as well! It’s about time Afridi turned up to the party with his bat – well done son. Clearly he’s been holding his place as a bowler but we all know why we want to see Afridi there. We want it out of the park mate.
But that wasn’t the thing that made me most happy about the Pak victory yesterday, rather it was the sense that they actually seem to be listening to some criticism for once and acting upon it, improving as things move on! Yeah, shock horror!
But seriously, did you notice the improvement in Shoaib Malik’s batting? He hasn’t been able to hit big all through the tournament so far which is one thing but even more criminal was that he hasn’t been using his feet and at least charging the bowlers to try and keep things ticking over. Yet yesterday, it was as if he had just found his feet again, and his movement kept our momentum going which was good stuff.
It’s a good thing that we won because there’s little doubt that Younis Khan tried his level best (Argh! Who introduced that word into the Pak school curriculum?!) to give victory to the Proteas.
I mean Allahu Akbar, what on Earth was he thinking of when he gave the ball to Fawad Alam? And then denying Umar Gul from bowling the 18th and 20th overs? Honestly, this was a mistake of monumental proportions and it should not be forgotten under the delight of a Pakistani victory. He really doesn’t have the acumen needed from a Captain and anyway, we all know that Afridi should be the captain of the T20 squad as the motivator behind the team.
In fact, the only thing more irritating than my local Mardan neighbour Younis’s captaining decisions is Wasim Akram’s commentating. My goodness me. How lame?
And for those who are still wondering why people like Younis speak so fast, then please review my comment on the Obama speech in the last post. Like I said, if you don’t really know what you’re saying, there’s nothing that beats the good old tried and trusted method of mumbling over the words super fast making it out that you know exactly what you’re talking about when of course, you don’t have a dally.
Against Sri Lanka on Sunday? I can’t see the Paks winning to be honest, not against Mendis and Malinga. But we’ll try our level best.
June 16, 2009
Obama in Cairo:
Sweet words from a sweet performer. Now we want the action. Enough of the rhetorical bakwas.
And seriously, anyone who can’t pronounce the word “al-Azhar” after preparing for two months is seriously over-rated. I had to rewind the clip like six times to try and work out what he was saying and then gave up in the end and just used the subtitled version! Apostate or not, surely we deserved better than that!
Hint: when someone says a word super-quickly, it’s usually because they don’t know what they’re talking about. Trust me. Been there. Done that. Recorded on Camera. Unfortunately.
Local BNP victories in NW England:
Nick Griffin MEP – it hurts doesn’t it? I remember one of the ‘Ulema many years ago telling me that the Muslim community in Europe (including the UK) was on the edge of the goodwill of its indigenous population, notwithstanding the proof of Bosnia etc. He said that the only thing which is keeping the peace is the healthy state of the economy but once that starts to suffer then you’ll see the results on the rest of the ethnic minorities.
Has this BNP victory been the one of the first signs of this prediction during the recession? Sure, there was more apathy this time round which always plays into the hands of the independents and committed ones, but it would be wise for the Muslims to take a lesson. Wallahu A’lam.
The roots of the crisis in the NWFP:
For the doubters out there who don’t believe the recent atrocities of the “Taleban” (or more accurately the original “Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi Party”) is the methodology of the Khawarij then please read the posts below in order – and reflect upon how they’ve got progressively more Muslim-blood hungry as is always the case.
I remember the start of Sufi Mohammed’s TNSM movement when I was in Swat at the time – perhaps 17 years ago – when it was all black turbans, Kalashnikovs, packed Toyota pick-ups driving up and down the road, jalsahs and the odd public humiliation of a barber or two. How things have changed.
How they have destroyed themselves the second they spilt the blood of another Muslim who says La ilaha Illallah! How little they valued the Shahadah and how they will be destroyed for their devaluation! Just like al-Qa’idah and Zarqawi’s animals in Iraq, you will see the humiliation of these so-called holy warriors. The crying shame? It is the Muslims and Islam that will suffer as a result of it at the end.
And now for some much-needed lighter stuff…
MP’s expenses:
For all those who are hatin’ on our MPs, just remember that these guys are small fry compared to American congressmen. I was reading a copy of “Foreign Policy” in a Jordanian hotel room a few weeks ago (yeah, sad I know!) and I fell off my fluffy hotel bed learning on how much they fleece their corrupt system. Trust me folks, whilst we talk about thousands and castle moats, they do millions and penthouse suites in 6-star hotels. Man, whatever we do, the Yankees do bigger.
The Champion’s League defeat:
The better team won. Messi was conclusively proven as the world’s greatest footballer once and for all which is also good news. Well done Barcelona.
That Afridi catch:
Clearly it’s not just matches that catches win! It seems they can perform miracles! The Pakistani Cricket team looked a whole different kettle of fish after that stunning effort by Afridi and you’ve got to say they’ve got a great chance this time to get the job done. I think. Insha’Allah.
Ronaldo:
Good riddance! Yeah great player and all that but kasmai hard work. A good sum of money for good service over the years, but now let’s hope we can keep Tevez and then you’ll see some serious football next year.
And that’s all I can do for now. “Don’t call it a come-back. I’ve been here for years…”
June 10, 2009
Anger, sadness, frustration and now desperation: these are the various emotions that go through one’s mind when thinking about the situation in Swat at the moment:
Anger because it is Fazlullah’s and al-Qa’ida’s extremists (may Allah destroy them) that have brought this misery upon the innocent Muslims of the NWFP.
Sadness because the NWFP was one of the most safe, beautiful and religiously devout areas in the world.
Frustration because the Pakistani army has been playing with the lives of innocent people whilst it played politics with Fazlullah, Afghanistan, the UK, America and all the other enemies of Islam who are currently benefiting from this disaster.
Desperation because that is now the true reality on the ground now: desperate.
Please help your brothers and sisters and donate generously. May Allah reward the good folks from Human Appeal and increase their efforts and success to help alleviate the distress of the innocent.
We can only ask Allah and complain to him of our inability to protect and provide for our weak ones, and our inability to get rid of the disease of extremism and violence from within our ranks. May He give us the tawfiq to change our condition and may He continue to shower us with His infinite mercy, ameen.
PS: for those in Manchester, don’t miss the Charity Dinner and Auction for the victims of this tragedy on Sunday 14th June at Eastern Pearl Banqueting Hall at 3.30pm.
Tickets from:
Br. Asad Zaman 07812 332481
Br. Hamid Salim 07551 571497
Rolex Book Store 0161 225 4448
World Of Islam 0161 256 3232
Venue:
Eastern Pearl
250 Plymouth Grove
Manchester
M13 0BG
0161 257 3333
May 9, 2009
Having already posted a heart-wrenching reminder on the importance of showing respect and appreciating our parents – in particular our mothers - it’s now time to give our fathers their due share. Let those tears flow for all the things you’ve said or done out of turn to your parents…
My thanks to Ustadh Imtiaz Damiel for passing it along – it is truly a remarkable piece. Whereas the last video concerning our mothers was produced on a Muslim TV show, this wonderful little production has been produced by a young Greek non-Muslim director. And thus what really struck me was that it seems this video was produced virtually 100% to illustrate the statement of Allah jalla wa ‘ala:
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـناً إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلاَهُمَا فَلاَ تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلاَ تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلاً كَرِيمًا وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا
And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be excellent to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them, but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your mercy as they did bring me up when I was young. (Isra 17:23-24)
Wallahi, ‘ajeeb!
May 1, 2009
One of the most gentle, knowledgeable and supreme characters the modern world has seen has passed on to the Mercy of Allah subhānahu wa ta‘āla.
Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn.
Quite simply, I don’t know what to say. May Allah jalla wa ‘ala give him the very highest place in Paradise. May He jalla wa ‘ala fulfil His promise of allowing a man’s knowledge that he taught to benefit him after his death – Subhānallah, this man was a fountain of knowledge rahimahullah.
I request all of you who have benefitted from any little thing that I may have done to make a special du‘ā for this supreme scholar – Shaykh Muhammad Salim’s share in that is huge because my time with him changed my life forever. You know how you meet some people who have an incredible effect on your thought-process, your mindset, your methodology, your objective in life – well, he was that man nawwarallāu qabarahu.
By the Lord of the Ka’bah, the world has been struck a mighty blow today, and we can only ask Allah for his ‘āfiyah.
My heart is truly broken at this moment. I shall write more when I pull myself together insha’Allah. For now, let the words of Shaykh Bin Bayyah suffice:
انه عزاء ودعاء .. في هذا اليوم الذي نودع فيه علماً من أعلام الأمة علماً ودعوة وخلقاً بقية السلف وإمام الخلف وأستاذ الجيل وجامع علمي المنقول والمعقول الشيخ العلامة محمد سالم ولد محمد عال ولد عبد الودودرحمه الله رحمة واسعة وأسكنه فسيح جناته مع الأنبياء والصديقين والشهداء والصالحين وحسن أولئك رفيقاً.
ونعزى أبناء الفقيد الكرام وعائلته الشريفة الخاصة وآل ددو واليعقوبيين ومن حوته العباء ونعزي الموريتانيين في كل مكان والمسلمين جميعاً.
كما نعزي المجامع الفقهية التي تشرفت بعضويته منذ وقت طويل وكل أندية العلم ومواطن الخير.
وإنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون.
عبدالله بن الشيخ المحفوظ بن بيه
April 28, 2009
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs,
Running down the wing,
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs
Running down the wing,
Feared by the Blues,
Loved by the Reds,
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs…
Yeah you know love it – the best cover version of “Robin Hood, Robin Hood…” ever!
I actually remember Ryan Gigg’s debut for Manchester Utd back in the dark days when one was just finishing school. His victory in the PFA awards is great for football and just good old common sense.
But let’s be fair, he certainly wasn’t the best player this season, something which should have gone to Frank Lampard in my opinion or Steven Gerrard, both players who have carried their teams on their own. Chelsea have been nothing this season except for Lamps and Steven Gerrard has taken the Scousers to the brink again. If Torres had been fit all season, every Red (both sides of the Mersey) would know deep down that the Scousers would be Premiership champions this year.
But anyway, who cares. I got what I wanted, the Premiership’s greatest ever footballer by a country-mile has finally been crowned with what he deserves. And it’s also confirmed the fact that not only am I Shaykh’l-Islam of the modern era but that I’d also give Alan Green a run for his money too…
