News of yet another death in my former place of torment, Guantánamo Bay, comes with great sadness, but little surprise. When three young Muslim men detained in Guantanamo returned home in coffins last year – two Saudis and one Yemeni – the US commander, Rear Admiral Harry Harris and assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy Colleen Graffy, the described the alleged suicides as acts of ‘asymmetric warfare’ and ‘a good PR move’. These tactless words proved embarrassing even for the usually hard-line President himself. Henceforth, the stated aim of Mr. Bush was that he ‘would like to see Guantánamo closed’. It’s almost a year to date since these men died, yet results of the autopsy have still not been released. Since attention regarding these cases tapered off into insignificance for the Bush administration conditions in Guantanamo have deteriorated according to visiting detainee lawyers, human rights organisations and the handful of released prisoners.
I’ve spoken with some of my former cell mates released this year who tell me conditions have worsened and are unbearably bleak and harsh in all sections of the camp. Concentrations of large numbers of prisoners in tiny cells, with no natural light, solitary confinement, constant glaring lights, no communication with the outside world and very little recreation have brought many more people to breaking point than the US administration would have us believe.
Instead of informing families directly, the US administration has deemed it more appropriate to simply release a terse press statement which mentions only the dead man’s nationality and time of death. When I called the Guantanamo public affairs office they were unable to confirm the name or the number of the deceased man. There are over 60 Saudi families with loved ones held in Guantanamo and I’ve been on the phone with a few of them already. They are undoubtedly distraught with anxiety, each one bracing itself for the worst. One of them is the family of my friend, Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national and South London resident, whose British family – including a son he’s never seen – have waited for him in anguish for five and a half years. He has been on hungers-strike for over six months, kept alive having liquid food forced through his nasal passage into his stomach. Shaker has spent a total of over three years in solitary confinement. When I received a letter from him last year he was in a state of paranoia – feeling he could trust no one. One of the last letters received by his family states:
“I am dying here every day, mentally and physically. This is happening to all of us. We have been ignored, locked up in the middle of the ocean for years. Rather than humiliate myself, having to beg for water, I would rather hurry up the process [of dying] that is going to happen anyway.
“I would like to die quietly, by myself. I was once 250 lbs (17 stone 12 lbs). I dropped to 130 lbs (9 stone 4 lbs) in the first hunger strike. I want to make it easy on everyone. I want no feeding, no forced tubes, no ‘help’, no ‘intensive assisted feeding’. This is my legal right.
“The British government refuses to help me. What is the point of my wife being British? I thought Britain stood for justice, but they … abandoned us [British residents], people who have lived in Britain for years, and who have British wives and children. I hold the British government responsible for my death, as I do the Americans.”
The British government maintains that it cannot make representations on behalf of non-UK citizens held in Guantánamo, the way it did – after three years – for me. But only a few weeks ago Bisher al-Rawi, an Iraqi national and British resident, was returned to the UK and released after the UK government negotiated his repatriation due to ‘special interests’. We – including Bisher – are all agreed that the UK government’s stance is now untenable. They must call for Shaker’s return home – if it isn’t already too late. Some of the last words Shaker related to his (and my) lawyer in Guantanamo, Clive Stafford Smith, was the US military response to his protest against treatment and imprisonment without charge or trial:
“Do you think the world will ever learn of your hunger strike? We will never let them know…We care nothing if [any] one of you dies.”
I used to escape from Guantánamo every night in my sleep – praying that I’d never awake. Waking up the next day was part of a slow death which I was finally delivered from. Many Guantánamo prisoners I believe now make the same prayer, and if they are not released, more of them will be escaping: in coffins.
And I’m definitely one of them. And always have been.
It seems that this most recent step in the Kwik-Save saga of store closures will finally lead to the closing down of the chain altogether. What a sad piece of news.
Being the bargain-hunter champion that I am, every true money-saver knows the loyal cohort that Kwik-Save has so faithfully been over the last decade or two.
It’s attraction for me has not really been its very cheap “basics” range (although I’m sure many of us will remember well the 1p cans of baked beans era from our student days), but rather its incredible deals involving branded items.
I’d often go down every few weeks to see what kind of mental offer they had on and buy enough to last me for a few months (or the year!). The offer of 3 for the price of 1 on the newly released (then that is) Weetabix mini-bites with fruit and not, honey, or chocolate variations brings a smile to ones face – I think I went down in an estate car and bought 100 boxes or something? Fabulous.
You see the good thing about Kwik-Save is that they were big enough to do huge offers but small enough for you to go and have a chat with the manager and negotiate deals on certain stock items and quantities. What a shame it was the day Didsbury Kwik-Save turned into Somerfields and we lost our long-running business partner that was the old miskeen manager of Kwik-Save.
And of course, one can’t forget how dependent we used to be on Kwik-Save during the good old days of Walimahs and ‘Aqiqahs when massive orders of drinks would be needed. The newbies would be off to the cash and carry whereas the clever money went to Kwik-Save and bought a hundred bottles of whatever was a quarter of the price at the time.
Admittedly, the astute one is still able to find similar offers with the other big chains but their regularity and quality can not be compared to that which used to be
I only wish that either my wife (‘aqiqah) or my wife (walimah) would give me another excuse to try my hand at finding cheap suppliers again…
Some of it is just utter bakwas, some of it is true and you just know that when you read the headline “MP’s son guilty of huge cash scam” on the BBC’s UK page, that a Pak had to be involved somewhere.
Oh well, maybe the BBC ain’t hatin’ on the Paks – it’s us Paks ourselves.
Insha’Allah, I will resume giving the Khutbah every fortnight at Cheadle Masjid starting from this Friday the 25th of May after a long (and deserved he cries!) break.
It will be in Arabic and English as previously, starting at 1.15pm and I hope to be finishing earlier than usual. Please come early to not miss the obligatory sections.
All hecklers welcome, especially women. No tomatoes unless I’m wearing black.
It’s probably one of our most common and indeed biggest individual problems that we face in our salah/namaz/prayer every day and that is to actually know what you’re doing, where you are, what you’re saying, what’s going on, feeling the presence and making it a real act of worship.
And by keeping it real, I mean keeping it real. Not false. Not a waste of time. Proper. Correct. Beneficial. Rewarding. Insha’Allah.
There is not a single person on this planet that is safe from this fitnah and very effective tool of Shaytan and indeed weakness of our nafs: to mentally wander anywhere but within the domains of the prayer itself.
I was recently reading something beneficial on this subject from the late Shaykh al-’Uthaymin (rahimullah) who used to mention that one of the great benefits of utilising all the various different Sunnah wird/du’a/dhikr that has been narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa-sallam) in the different parts of the prayer is that it leads to hudhur al-qalb i.e. makes your heart feel more alive and present in the moment.
This increased awareness and presence of the heart and thus the mind stems from changing our normative behaviour in any action, let alone the prayer. For example, when you stand for prayer and have made your niyyah and then say “Allahu Akbar”, the first thing that happens to all of us (except that lucky one upon whom is the mercy of Allah) is that we go into cruise control.
We slip through the gears as if setting off from the traffic lights, into 2nd, then 3rd and into 4th, as natural as you like. We take the foot off the clutch with “Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika…” and then make ta’awwudh, and then slip into the basmalah, and then smoothly into al-Fatihah and then we slow down because there is a potential hazard in the road: the need to choose a surah.
So, we choose that surah and then let the car do the driving for you until…hold up…what’s this? Oh, into ruku’ we go, up again, yep, I know this route like the back of my hand…
And this really is the reality behind our prayers as they become the monotonous acts of ritualism they sadly turn into.
Except if we change it up a little here and there and start to feel more alive and with it.
There is only so much benefit that learning the meanings of what you’re saying will bring you. There is only a limited amount of benefit that seeking refuge with Allah from the whisperings of Shaytan will produce. There is only so much help that your du’as for greater presence of mind will grant you.
The one thing that is really a great tool in your hand is the ability to mix it up, to utilise new supplications, to utilise the immense and beautiful variety that has been narrated in the tradition.
It’s amazing when you say “Allahu Akbar” at the beginning and automatically start ““Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika…” and then suddenly you stop and say, “Hold on! I don’t want to say that today. Actually, let’s have a “Allahumma ba’id bayni wa bayna…” for once.”
Your presence of heart and mind during your new du’a (or maybe your well-known du’a but the first time you’ve used it today) will be incredible. Try it. And don’t tell me how great it was. Been there, buzzed off it.
You see, the problem isn’t just that “Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika…” becomes attached to the opening takbeer, but it’s that “Qul huwallahu ahad…” becomes attached to “Ameen” and “Subhana Rabbiyal-’Adheem” becomes attached to the takbeer of the ruku’ and so on etc until the whole prayer just turns into a blur of fleeting moments and pauses, until possibly you pause for thought at the end of “Innaka Hameedu’m-Majeed” and suddenly think, “Right, what now?” and then you choose a du’a if you’re lucky (or you don’t if you’re an Asian and you just flow straight into “Rabbana Aatina…” or “Rabbij-’Alnee…”) and then salams and then you think, “Wow. That’s another salah that bites the dust.”
I won’t patronise anyone here by saying this is unacceptable, because it isn’t. It is totally unacceptable. And we have to find our own solutions. And fast.
So just as you found that a new du’a for istiftah (when you say “Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika…”) was great for waking you up in the prayer, try some of the following:
1. Change the position of your hands slightly, a little bit up or a little bit down. Physical changes like this, within the range of legislated acceptability, have a marked effect on ones mental state as well.
2. Change the exact height of where you raise your hands to whilst making the opening takbeer, i.e. from your thumbs being level with your ears or touching them, to the finger tips being level with the ears instead. Both are acceptable and authentic derived understandings.
3. If you’re struggling learning some new Istiftah du’as, leave out your current Istiftah on a very rare occasion, just to show yourself that it is not an obligation and shock you into a change of routine, and also to instill its importance in you the next time you recite it and realise how beautiful a wisdom it is to be able to praise Allah in the most excellent manner before you are about to beg Him for salvation in al-Fatihah.
4. Change the ta’awwudh/isti’adha (saying “A’udhu billahi…”) by seeking refuge from the additional tricks of Shaytan.
5. Learn a different qira’ah (such as Warsh, Qalun) of al-Fatihah.
6. Study a tafseer of al-Faithah. You’ll wish you never recited anything else in the prayer after that.
7. Learn some new surahs, and chop and change regularly. Practise the new ones in the prayer as well, knowing that you can always fall back on something you know if you get stuck.
8. Instead of saying takbeer and going down for ruku’, stop. Add another surah to the one you just recited. Which one? Any one, especially al-Ikhlas but others are ok too.
9. Just getting into your rapid threesome of “Subhana Rabbiyal-’Adheem”? Well, make it a single for the sake of reminding yourself that only once is an obligation. In the next ruku’, make it a 9 or 11. Sorry – those numbers have been politically imprinted on my heart so that my whole Deen must revolve round them right?
10. Add a bit of spice. The du’as for the ruku’ are many, and although not taking the place of “Subhana Rabbiyal-’Adheem”, they make a great addition such as “Subbuhun, Quddusun…”
11. In your standing position again, change your du’a a bit, add a bit as well and make it a nice long standing of contemplation as you praise Allah ‘azza wa jall with “Mil-assamawati…”
12. The next time you get up from ruku’, go straight down with no time wasted. You’ll appreciate the previous time more and you’ll look forward to using your new du’a again next time.
13. Well, now that you’re all the way down here, you might as well add some new du’a and dhikr in your prostration. There are loads to choose from – its open house down here minus the reciting of the Qur’an.
14. And open house means your own personal du’as. Plenty of it. And here’s a gift from my school and their scholars: whilst you’re learning the Arabic equivalent, you can make your personal supplication in your own language so that you can really feel the moment. Don’t over abuse this though because you’ll just get greedy!
15. Whilst sitting between the two sajdahs, try learning one or two supplications for this position.
16. Back into the next sajdah, why don’t you do the exact opposite of what you did in the first one – make it long and personal if it was a quick one first time, or do the opposite. At least you’ll know where you are and your prayer will be anything but monotonous.
17. The Tashahhud has also got various versions that can help bring it to life. Learn them.
18. You see that finger? Use it. If you don’t believe in moving it all the way from the beginning, make sure you take great spiritual strength from the very moment you do when you declare that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah. Feel it. Live that witnessing, and don’t let it just be a flick of the finger.
19. And if you do have a trigger finger then use it to good effect as the scholars would mention, using it to make supplication with and making sure that it keeps Shaytan at bay. Concentrate and focus on that finger as it flows your spiritual energy and words into a physical servitude of itself to its Lord.
20. The sending of salutations upon our Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) should be a great moment, not just because we can change the versions between those authentically narrated but also because those who are too lazy or forgetful to do this outside the prayer, have a real opportunity to focus and pick up a bargain right here during your obligatory prayer. May Allah grant our beloved Messenger the very highest station in Paradise, ameen!
21. You want to change the ritual? You’ve come to the right place folks. The moments just before the salam-giving is a treasure trove for those who know how to dig. Utilise this moment to express yourself with a huge variety of du’a and dhikr, even that which you’d normally say outside the prayer – bring them in from the cold and let them give you company in your nice and warm house!
22. You need more ways on how to chop and change in the prayer?! Give over!
This list really could go on and on, but the point is that although we might know all these variations and versions of du’a, know all of Shaytan’s armoury, know how much we like to wander in the prayer, know how easy it is to fall into the routine and get the job over and done with – although we know all this, we all need to increase our presence of mind in the prayer and these are just some suggestions to help us all do that insha’Allah.
And if you think you’ve benefitted from this little piece, then spare a thought for the immense grief we suffered and great loss to myself and thousands of other students when perhaps one of the greatest teachers in modern times, Shaykh Muhammad b. Salih al-’Uthaymin passed away in January 2001 and left us nothing but his wisdom through the writings of his students, may Allah have mercy upon him and grant him al-Firdaws.
During a seriously long period of rehabilitation for my injured left knee, I’ve had to be very patient in not doing most of the things I enjoy most such as playing sports and keeping fit etc.
I’ve had to resort to medication, scans, consultants, praying in a chair, putting on weight all sorts of bakwas, but alhamdulillah I’m pleased to say that we’re now reaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
I started to walk freely on it recently. That was a good test passed.
I started to jog lightly on it recently. That was a big test passed.
I started to sit on it properly (iftirashan) whilst praying in the last few months and that was a huge test passed.
In fact, I couldn’t believe it but I actually was able to pray sitting tawarrukan the other day. Now this was a massive step towards full recovery.
But my goodness me; the mother of all tests, the super mac-daddy test, the elite from the chaff test, the “I’m insha’Allah going to be better than I ever used to be” test was passed yesterday at Makki Masjid, Longsight, Manchester, England before the ‘Asr prayer…
Just in case my comment doesn’t appear on Hood’s discussion on abortion here, I’ve copied and pasted it here in order not to lose it. It’s not showing up over on his comments so there could be something wrong.
Go and have a read anyway. It’s interesting stuff.
Sorry for the delay Hood but I’ve been away – I wanted to read your post properly because you mention way too many different points and issues and I think the discussion has lost track as such. Let me likewise join in the anarchy and add some random thoughts.
Firstly and just as an anecdote, when I first started to read your email I got interrupted by my assistant to deal with a patient who wanted…yep, you’ve got it – EHC (Emergency Hormonal Contraception).
I think brother Isa above is based in the UK because we here also have the same system as Pharmacists. I also took the EHC prescribing course which is a separate legal requirement as such for initiating supply.
As has been mentioned already, there is very little dispute over the Islamic permissibility on preventing embryo development before 40 days, and indeed other than the Ahnaf in general (or Imam Abu Hanifah to be more accurate), even upto 120 days is generally seen as permissible albeit makruh. I found the alkauthar article interesting (and surprising) and would certainly be interested to see some of the evidences and basis for said statements.
In the UK, there are generally four camps with respect to EHC as I understand it:
1. The Christians: they base life on conception hence all pills of any sort other than the regular contraceptive pill is an abortifacient and a big no no.
2. The Govt. (and thus the Law): they keep changing the goalposts from 24 weeks to 22 weeks to God knows what it is these days and therefore EHC is not seen as an abortifacient and this is the default professional opinion.
3. The Muslims: who don’t believe that life begins at conception but differ from 40-120 days and hence EHC is no real problem in terms of legality. They often opt-out of supplying it due to the doubts or the surrounding morality issues etc.
4. The Others: who don’t care whatever and just give whatever whenever, or just refuse because they don’t want to be involved.
I give out EHC all the time. This is based on three points:
1. The majority of the scholars don’t believe that life has started within 40 days and Allah knows best. This is the Fiqh aspect.
2. Whatever opinion you hold, when a woman comes to you for EHC and you refuse, she will go to another professional to get it done. And it will get done, guaranteed. So all you’ve done is delayed the procedure which all scholars agree is worse for all parties and leads the procedure to become more doubtful and hated. This is the Maslahah aspect.
3. We must never try to judge or 2nd-guess the person in front of you and the reason for their request. This is a major problem for the many Muslim health professionals who don’t give out EHC because they just assume that she is a adultress, or sleeping about, or even worse – ya’ni the worse possible connotation is taken instead of a whole load of excuses being applied and this is to do with culture. I see it that this woman needs help, it’s not haram, and she could be doing it for a very good reason and it is not my job to open her heart and find out any more. This is the Moral/Ethical aspect.
So using these aspects, I make a supply. Incidentally, the 1st point was taught to us by the ‘Ulema, the 3rd point is anecdotal (totally) and backed by the general evidences in Shari’ah and the 2nd point was part of a full written fatwa I requested from Shaykh ‘Abdullah Juday’ as part for the EFCR, and he allowed me to supply the pill and cited this point as a supporting evidence.
What else were we meant to discuss?
Naturally, may Allah protect us all from getting involved with mifepristone which is a seriously nasty piece of work and a real abortifacient. EHC is something quite different.
On the 3 modes of action of EHC, you’ll maybe know that some countries try to hide the last mode which is the “Physical” action. If the first two modes fail which are effectively “harmless” hormonal actions to disrupt conception in a “cleanish” way, the last method actually forces the implanted embyro off the womb wall despite it being well before 40 days. They obviously omit this in the USA due to patients freaking out but should that be the case?
When I supply it, I always emphasise this final mode and tell them categorically that no studies have shown what the effect on the womb wall will be in the long term. This usually makes some women reconsider, and a lot of them commit to re-starting regular hormonal contraception. I find this useful and also to fulfil a further “moral” Maslahah in our community.
I think the discussion for post-40 days abortion (let’s call it that for the sake of argument) is out of the scope of this study because it comes under the remit of fatwa. Even if you believe (like I do) that life starts at 120 days, to destroy the zygote after 40 days is no joke and a real job (and a real mess too as I have seen wa nas’alallah al-’afiyah). There are serious considerations to be taken into account, not just physical but emotional as well for the woman, and the scholars or a board should rule on them individually ikhtiyatan. And Allah knows best.
Finally Hood, I think you’re looking for a more holisitic approach to the issue which has the intrinsic problem of becoming far too subjective.
Whether one takes conservative or liberal viewpoints on abortion, there is support for both positions in the Sunnah with the khilaf on ‘azl and the istihbab of increasing children supporting the conservative, and the Prophet’s (s) allowing of ‘azl and our need to focus on quality of children instead of quantity supporting the liberal (upto EHC level of course only).
In my opinion, EHC should be a personal choice guided by personal family circumstances such as children, sexual activity, finances and politics etc but guided by the maqasid of Shari’ah and a good grounding of the Sunnah. Hence, people will always differ on what choice they eventually make.
I’ve been given a whole bag full of (frozen) quails from a friend. Why quails? No idea - I don’t ask questions when it comes to gifts. Eat first, ask later.
So anyway, how does one cook them properly and all the rest of it? The last time I had quails was about ten years ago, cooked by a brother for a little dawat held for our study class at the time. All I can remember from that experience is a type of meat which tastes like Pakistani chickens (small, tough and tasteless aka halal and natural) and has more bones and hassle in it than possibly worth the eating experience.
Note: I’m not getting much help from the Interior Ministry with this one so my culinary resources are restricted to my microwave, my George Foreman Double, or of course one of you lot…
Oh well chalo khayr. Bayern were the better team just about, and they've deserved it this season to be honest. Well done. G'night. #UCLFinal8 hours ago
What great defending from Subbuteo! What great play from Weidergeezerbirdfella! What a great goal from Erdogan! What a dance from Klock! =/ 8 hours ago
Good news folks. I was right - Gündoğan is originally Turkish.
Good thing too because if he was a Pak, he might have to change that name! 8 hours ago
What the fish!? "Clumsy challenge!?" He nearly took his crown jewels out!
Anyway GAME ON!! Get in ya Turkish beauty! #UCLFinal8 hours ago
@YaminZakaria @WaleedKBasyouni Send it to: 1st Ethical, Unit 3a, Springfield Court, Summerfield Road (off Manchester Road), Bolton, BL3 2NT. 9 hours ago
@syamira If I was on a stage with Sh Kamal my sister, I'd probably die laughing too. It was hard work last time in Toronto believe me! =) 9 hours ago
@HashashinTag lol poor girl, ok ok you win. Have a few days in the limelight but don't take it personally if we Paks come roaring back soon! 9 hours ago
