TASAWWUF
PURIFICATION OF THE HEART AL-BAYAN
‘THE CLARIFICATION’ THE MUSLIM STUDENT NEWSMAGAZINE AT THE UNIVERSITTY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
MARCH 2001/DHUL-HIJJAH 1421
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Contents
In this Issue... PERSPECTIVES
COVER
A Fake Peace for Palestine: The appalling disparity between the demands and the concessions By Javad Hashmi Page 2
Tasawwuf: Shedding light on the study of the purification of self. A historical and didactic perspective. By Saudah Mirza Pages 4 & 5
ISSUES Women in Islam: The role of women, with an emphasis at the university level By Nura Jundali Page 6 Islam and the Environment: The Importance given to our planet by Islam By Hooma Multani Page 6
CAMPUS Poetry: The Quest By Abdul Kabir Upcoming Events: Islamic Awareness Week 2001 is here! Details on back page. ON THE COVER: 3-dimensional view of the human heart
Al-Bayan - March 2001
Editorial In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. Growing up in a time of unprecedented heedlessness towards Allah, far removed from traditional societies and scholars, and without proper role models to emulate, us American Muslims are often left to wonder why so often our practice of Islam seems to be lacking a deeper spiritual reality. So often are we left yearning to experience pure and true love for Allah and His messenger, peace and blessing be upon him. How often do we encounter people who outwardly seem to be devout Muslims but whose relations towards others and society are plagued with envy, anger, miserliness, lies, and treachery? People who do not go a day without speaking ill of others and causing fitna (disputation) between people. And as we watch these Muslims, we stop and wonder what has happened to their hearts. Many young Muslims can testify that they have been left disillusioned with the true meaning of Islam after witnessing these seemingly “religious” Muslims act in ways contrary to the noble character of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The problem lies in our failure to recognize that our beautiful deen (religion) includes following both the outward and inward commandments of Allah and both the outward actions and the inward state and character of the Prophet (pbuh). This involves learning and applying the Shariah, or sacred law, both inwardly and outwardly until our hearts are brought to life. Tasawwuf is the vehicle that allows for this inner awakening and purification of our hearts that will allow us to unite with each other sincerely before Allah. Tasawwuf involves the systematic removal of undesirable traits such as showing off in our acts of worship and arrogance, and the incorporation into our lives noble characteristics such as generosity and humility. A major part of one’s practice of Tasawwuf involves always turning back to Allah and sincerely asking Him for His help. Hallmarks of true seekers of Allah are tawba (repentance), shukr (gratitude), and dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Many young American Muslims are seeking to fill this missing piece of our practice of Islam by going abroad to study and to be in the company of those who have integrated the complete practice of Islam into their lives. Others have made it a point to spend more time learning from those in our own area who themselves have been abroad, such as Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi and Hamza Yusuf of Zaytuna Institute. Our deen is our matter. We all need to take the time to learn more about all aspects of Islam in order to live and die having worshipped and pleased Allah as He is deserved to be worshipped.
Al ! Bayan Staff Editors Adil Khan
Salman Alam
Advertising Sadia Zafar
Distribution Shayrun Ali
Staff Writers: Faiz Ahmed Reema Dodin Elsa Elmahdy Tashfeen Ekram Nazish Ekram Rashid Felwellen Basim Elkara Javad Hashmi Adnan Iqbal Nura Jandali Maliha Khalid Sauda Mirza Hooma Multani
Genene Salman Zaakir Yoonas Nadia Yusef
Special Thanks to : Abdul Kabir Farhan Naeem Khurram Nizami Ahsan Shaikh Bassel Tleimat
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? SUGGESTIONS? CONTACT US AT AL_BAYAN@YAHOO.COM
Al-Bayan is operated solely by students on a voluntary basis. Signed articles represent the views of their respective authors, not necessarily those of the Al-Bayan staff or the University of California. Unsigned articles represent the views of the majority of the staff.
Al-Bayan - March 2001
JAVAD HASHMI AL-BAYAN STAFF WRITER The virulent Middle East has recently exploded into violence yet again. Everybody wants an end to the violence, but the true question is at what cost are we willing to do so? Said Martin Luther King Jr.: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.” Although the number of casualties may indeed drop after the Israeli/US proposed peace plan is enacted, the greatest casualty of all will be Justice. Aside from the fanfare, the supposed “peace” process has brought nothing but misery on the Palestinian people and has been used as a tool to keep them in subjugation and oppression. The Palestinians demand an international peace, brokered at an international summit under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). In fact, every country except the United States and Israel has agreed that the matter should be decided by the UN. Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East all sympathize with the plight of Palestinians and strongly condemn Israel. Seventyone UN resolutions have been passed against Israel, more than any other country in the world. Twenty-nine more resolutions against Israel were vetoed by none other than the United States, which gives Israel more than $8 billion a year ($18 million a day). The Camp David Accords, with the United States as arbiter, is nothing but a farce adopted by Israel and the U.S. After all, if it were not, then why would Israel refuse to broker a peace in front of the whole world? Israel can’t imagine anything better than having their fellow cohort, the United States, be the mediator of such a peace process. In 1940, the Palestinians owned 94% of the land known as “Israel”. By 1950, the number dropped to 45%. By 1970, it was depleted to a measly 25%, and today the percentage stands at less than 4%. This is what the peace process has done to the Palestinians—very reminiscent of what happened centuries earlier to the Native Americans. Palestinians, like the Native Americans, kept signing peace treaties, got pushed onto crumbling lands tantamount to reservations, and eventually even had those crumbs stolen from them. Today, more than five million Palestinians roam the globe, comprising the largest such refugee population in the world! What have Palestinians gotten from this peace process? Absolutely nothing except misery. In fifty years, the Palestinians have never benefited from the
Perspectives
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A Fake Peace for Palestine
various peace agreements, which have only been used to pacify the people from rising up for their rights. Meanwhile, between such agreements, the Israeli military machine recharges itself for the further annexation of yet more land. The Camp David Accords and the Oslo agreements, widely hailed by Americans, was for Palestinians their undoing. Since then, the Gross National Product of the Palestinians dropped 40% less than what it used to be before the peace agreement. Israel was supposedly giving land in exchange for peace, and yet more than 700 Palestinian homes have been demolished since 1993. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers, much like the American pioneers who displaced the Natives, increased in population by 40% between 1992 and 1998. Israel was to return the West Bank and Gaza Strip, known even by Israelis as the Israeli Occupied Territories, but the actual dynamics of the Oslo agreement show otherwise. Explained Yitzhak Rubin to the New York Times, “[Israel will] create in the course of the next 10 or 20 years conditions which would attract natural and voluntary migration of the refugees from the Gaza Strip and the west Bank to Jordan.” Four percent of the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank was appropriated to the Palestinians. Sixty to seventy percent of the land was completely under Israeli control. The remaining thirty to forty percent of the land was labeled as “semi-autonomous,” which means that Israel has military control over the area while Palestinians have domestic control. This enables Israel to reap the benefits of occupation while ignoring the domestic responsibilities. The Palestinian control is now limited to taking care of sanitation, while Israel controls all else, including the resources coming into the cities such as the all-important water supply. Americans cheer when Israel agrees to create these “semi-au-
tonomous” areas, but in actuality, this is merely a euphemism for “reservations” and “ghettos.” Israel has endeavored hard to ensure that Palestinian land is disjointed and in patches, much like the practice known as gerrymandering. Getting into and out of the Palestinian cities requires going through armed Israeli guards, literally making the citizens prisoners in their own land. The Palestinians have grown exhausted of Israeli soldiers moving onto their land and claiming it on some unfair peace agreement. They are rebelling against their Israeli masters in what is called, even by the Israelis, as the Second Intifada (Uprising), literally translated as “the shaking of.” Any Palestinian that favors a peace agreement through Israel and the US instead of through the international community is lauded by Israeli and American media. Arafat and all the other Uncle Tom Palestinians are assigned as the spokespeople for the Palestinians. The Israelis have refused to negotiate in the world community so they obviously are trying to undercut the Palestinians, which would require a “willing partner in the Palestinian people.” If the current Palestinian Authority actually wanted to negotiate a just peace, would the Israelis really give them the platform to speak? The corrupt members of the Palestinian Authority, especially Yasser Arafat, are being used by Israel to pacify the Palestinian people as more and more of Palestinian land is given away under some “peace process”—or rather, a “piece-by-piece process.” In order for any peace agreement with Israel to be just, there are certain points that must be dealt with. The Right of Return must be given to the more than five million Palestinian refugees, a right accorded to all people of the world according to the Geneva Conventions for Human Rights. The ex-
pelled must be allowed to return or receive compensation for what they lost. Said UCB Professor Hatem Bazian: “Israelis still demand retribution from all countries, businesses, and entities that benefited in any way from Nazi Germany fifty years ago. We have nothing against that. But let these same Israelis know that in fifty years we will demand EVERY SINGLE PENNY that they stole from us! We will demand retribution for every one of the more than 800 businesses they liquidated of ours in 1948! We will demand every single tree they uprooted of ours! We will demand every house they burned down of ours! We will demand every inch of land they stole from us!” Israel to this date has refused to extend the Right of Return to the Palestinian people. Israel must also stop expanding settlements including those in East Jerusalem and allow the UN to investigate the issue. Israeli soldiers must completely leave the Golan Heights and parts of every other country they occupy against UN order, retreating to the UN partition lines of 1947, or at least those of 1967. Israel must also end apartheid in the country, one in which 92% of the land is owned by the Jewish National Fund, which under its constitution can not sell land to nonJews. Until Israel follows these guidelines and others set by the United Nations, we cannot hope to see a viable peace anywhere in the near future, forcing Palestinians to fight for their rights. Although the military, economic, and political Uprising to capture people’s lost labor, capital and land is waged in the Middle East, the moral, intellectual, and spiritual uprising to capture people’s lost hearts, minds, and souls will be waged the world over! Javad is a freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science at UC Berkeley.
If you have a perspective that you would like to submit for publishing in AlBayan, please contact Al-Bayan at Al_bayan@yahoo.com. (Note: Articles may be edited if chosen for publication.)
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COVER PURIFICATION OF THE SELF
SAUDAH MIRZA AL-BAYAN STAFF WRITER In the modern day and age, Tasawwuf has come to be looked upon as some sort of “mystical” version of Islam and is considered by many to be a bid’a, or reprehensible innovation within the religion. In reality, however, Tasawwuf plays an integral role within the traditional Islamic framework and additionally, it is an essential ingredient of a serious Islamic revival. The term Tasawwuf, the Arabic version of the English word Sufism, was not known as a name to the first generation of Muslims. The first to mention either the term Tasawwuf or the word Sufi was the great scholar Hasan al-Basri, who died in 110 Hijri. Even though the early community did not know Tasawwuf by name, the origin of the science of Tasawwuf is from the first Muslim community. The historian Ibn Khaldun wrote in his book, the Muqaddima, that: “This knowledge is a branch of the sciences of the Sacred Law that originated within the Umma. From the first, the way of such people had also been considered the path of truth and guidance by the early Muslim community and its notables, of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, those who were taught by them, and those who came after them. It basically consists of dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah, the Most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. This was the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, and the early Muslims, but when involvement in this-worldly things became widespread from the second Islamic century onwards and people became absorbed in wordliness, those devoted to worship came to be called Sufiya, or ‘People of Tasawwuf.’” Thus, the word did not exist during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, but this is also the case of other Islamic sciences, such as tafsir, or “Quranic exegesis” or ‘ilm at-tawhid, or “the science of belief in Islamic tenants of faith.” These sciences are extremely vital for the accurate preservation of Islam, without which some of the fundamental aspects of Islam would have been lost. Similarly, Tasawwuf has served to preserve aspects of ihsan, or worshipping with a pure heart, that the first generation of Muslims realized through the Prophet (pbuh). To them, the way of Tasawwuf was simply a state of being, but as the next generations began moving away from this state, the strict discipline of Tasawwuf came into being. The centrality and importance of Tasawwuf is clearly shown Hadith Gibraeel, a sahih (rigorously authenticated) hadith. The hadith was related by Umar ibn al-Khattab (r) and says: “As we sat one day with the Messenger of Allah a man in pure white clothing and jet black hair came to us, without a trace of travelling upon him, though none of us knew him. He sat down before the Prophet (pbuh) bracing his knees against his, resting his hands on his legs, and said: ‘Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and to perform the prayer, give Zakat, fast in Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the House if you can find a way.’ He said: ‘You have spoken the truth,’ and we were surprised that he should ask and then confirm the answer. Then he said: ‘Tell me about true faith (iman),’ and the Prophet (pbuh) answered: ‘It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His inspired books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in destiny, its good and evil.’ ‘You have spoken the truth,’ he said, ‘Now tell me about the perfection of faith (ihsan),’ and the Prophet (pbuh) answered: ‘It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you see Him not, He nevertheless sees you.’” The hadith continues to where Umar (r) said: “Then the visitor left. I waited a long while, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me, ‘Do you know, Umar, who was the questioner?’ and I replied, ‘Allah and His messenger know best.’ He said, ‘It was Gabriel, who came to you to teach you your religion.’” (Sahih Muslim) This hadith establishes three components to the din of Islam: Islam, which involves the body and physical acts, Iman, which involves the mind and beliefs, and Ihsan, which involves the heart. Each of these three components of Islam was taught through different Islamic disciplines. Rules
for Islam are found in the Shariah, or “sacred law,” while rules of Iman are found in Aqida, or “tenents of faith,” and finally, Ihsan is taught through Tasawwuf. Thus, Tassawuf is one of the fundamental disciplines that each Muslim is obligated to learn about and then apply to their lives in order to obtain a Qalbun Saleem, or “Purified Heart.” A Sufi is not everyone who practices Tasawwuf; rather, a Sufi is someone who has reached a realization of Allah. The famous traditional definition of a Sufi used by Tasawwuf teachers is that a Sufi is “a man of religious learning who applied what he knew, so Allah bequeathed him knowledge of what he did not know.” A Sufi has “religious learning” because according to a famous hadith one must know the Shariah and apply it in order for one to approach Allah. Allah not only commanded Muslims to follow the words and actions of the Prophet (pbuh), but also his states. These states are found in
TASAWWUF: Jalaluddin as-Suyuti “At-Tasawwuf in itself is the best and most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) and to leave innovation.” Shaikh Muhammad ‘Abduh “Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It was cleansing the self and straightening the conduct and giving knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence.”
the heart and include good characteristics such as love of Allah, love of the Prophet (pbuh), presence of mind in the prayer, godfearingness, sincerity, reliance on Allah, mercy, gratitude, and humility. There are also undesirable traits that the Prophet (pbuh) did not have such as fear of anyone other than Allah, despair, arrogance, envy, showing off in acts of worship, and anger. All Muslims must by order of the Quran and Sunnah learn about the characteristics that they either need to get rid of or need to attain. If one honestly looks at oneself and asks, “Do I really love Allah, and trust in Him, and thank Him, and fear anything other than Him? Do I love the Prophet (pbuh) and try to embody his words, deeds, and states? Do I show off in any way, such as by praying a little longer in front of others to be called religious?” One second of thought will answer the question of whether one needs Tasawwuf or not. These habits are not easy to change, which is why one needs the help of true scholars of the Tasawwuf, who have already traveled the path to Allah. Another main aim of Tasawwuf is to strengthen one’s Iman. The main way to do this is through dhikr, or remembrance of Allah. In a sahih hadith related by al-Hakim, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “‘shall I not tell you of the best of your works, the purest of them in the eyes of your Master, the highest in raising your rank, better than giving gold and silver, and better for you than to meet your enemy and smite their necks, and they smite yours?’ They said, ‘This-what is it, O Messenger of Allah?’ and he said, ‘dhikr of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.’” Dhikr builds love for Allah and awareness of what he has forbidden. During the time of the first community of Muslims, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was the one who helped change and purify the hearts
STORY of the Muslims. Allah says in the Quran, “Allah has blessed the believers, for He has sent them a messenger of themselves, who recites His signs to them, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom” (Quran 3:164). After the Prophet’s (pbuh) death, different sahaba, such as Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Sayidduna Ali, continued to teach others what the Prophet had taught them regarding the inner states. Thus, the knowledge was preserved over the generations by being passed from teacher to student. Around the 11th century the different methods of purifying the heart and gaining awareness of Allah was codified in tariqas. Each tariqa, or spriritual order, had a particular method of purification and dhikr with which to reach Allah . Knowledge was still taken from a shaykh who had been given permission from his shaykh to teach the discipline. A tariqa is synonymous to a madhab, or a particular way to learn the rules of the Sharia. The goal of each madhab is the same, to define the rules by which one can properly perform ones worship and run ones lives (i.e. rules of prayer and fasting to the rules of buying and selling). Similarly, the goal of all tariqas are the same, to reach Allah through a specific method of
A FEW SCHOLARLY PERSPECTIVES Abu al-‘Ala’ al-Mawdudi “As for Tasawwuf, it asks questions about your heart: Did you repent and turn to your Lord in your prayer? Did you empty your heart of the preoccupations of the world in your prayer? Did you pray in fear of Allah and knowing that He sees and hears you?... If you did all this and other things, then your prayer is correct according to Tasawwuf, otherwise it is defective...Tasawwuf is the establishment of the Law of Islam to the utmost point of sincerity, clarity of intention, and purity of heart.”
Ibn Khaldun Tasawwuf is one of the latter-day sciences of the Law in the Islamic Community. The foundation of Tasawwuf, however, is (more ancient, as seen in the fact) that these folk and their way have always been present among the Salaf and among the most senior of the Companions and the Successors, and their way is the way of truth and guidance. teaching. The interrelationship between the shariah and Tasawwuf is best described by Imam Malik, founder of the Maliki school of fiqh who said, “he who practices Tassawuf without learning the shariah corrupts his faith, while he learns Sacred Law without practicing Tassawuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true.” The relationship between the two can be illustrated by imagining a circle, the circumference of which is the Shariah, the middle point is the goal, or Allah , and the radius a tariqa, which helps you get from the circumference to the center. Thus, the shariah is not left behind because it governs the tariqa. The proofs for the legitimacy of tariqas are the facts that the Prophet (pbuh), himself, was the Shaykh of the first generation, that Islamic knowledge has always traditionally been passed from scholar to student, not just through books, and that a state of being must be learned from the example of someone who has attained the state through another all the way back to the Prophet. Many different tariqas have existed throughout the history of Islam. Some of the better known tariqas include the Qadiriya, Naqshbandi, Shadhili, and Chishti. Members of these tariqas with authentic chains of transmission of Tasawwuf back to the Prophet (pbuh) can still be found today. Among the great Sufis of earlier generations are Ibn Ata’illah, Imam Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti, the Hanafi scholar Muhammad Amin bn ‘Abidin, Faqr ad-Din ar-Razi, Imam al-Ghazzali, Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi, the hadith master Imam al-Nawawi, the Qadri Shaykh Uthuman Dan Fodio of northern Nigeria who is considered to be one of the righteous caliphs in the early 19th century, and the famous woman Sufiya Rabia al-Adawiya. Tasawwuf has always been a part of the lives of all classes of people, from
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bakers and merchants, to the ruling classes of the Islamic empire. However, despite the obvious Islamic basis for Tasawwuf, it is still regarded by the mainstream American community as something outside Islam. There are several reasons for this widespread belief. One of the basic reasons relates to the condition through which Islam was spread to America. Many believe that the older generation did not come to America with the intention of spreading Islam. Rather, they came to make money. These people ended up staying and raising children far removed from traditional scholars, often forcing them to rely on the media and orientalist scholars including university professors to teach them their religion. To many American Muslims, Sufis are seen as deviant from Islam. The reason for this widespread belief can be traced back to two early “Sufi” groups. The first of them, the Sufi Order, was brought to America in 1920 by Inayat Khan of India, who in India was a part of the valid Chisti tariqa. However, when he came to America, he adopted two new reprehensible innovations. The first was that he separated Islam from Tasawwuf and the second was that he gave four non-Muslim women the status of murshida, basically meaning a shaykh. One of these women was Rabia Martin, who in 1912 in San Francisco made the first open declaration of “Sufism” in the West, although a corrupted version. Another one of his famous students was Samuel Martin, know as “Murshid Sam,” who, although himself not a Muslim, claimed that he had inner initiation from all the prophets including the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Inayat Khan believed that Sufism was a part of all religions and that the outer shell of the religion itself did not make a difference. The second group included Westerners who were in the Shadhili tariqa and were all initiated either in North Africa or by Westerners authorized to initiate others. These Westerners were all supposedly converts to Islam; however, they had one fundamental flaw. They believed in the universal validity of all religions as taught by one of the first Western Shadhilis, Ren Gunon. Obviously, both these “Sufi” groups have fundamental flaws. One major consequence is that books in English on Sufism spread the false notion that all Sufis believe in the anti-Islamic concept of the universal validity of all religions, turning off many American Muslims from learning more about Tasawwuf. According to Nuh Ha Mim Keller, translator of the Shafi fiqh manual Reliance of the Traveler, this concept “Besides being a lie against the high, pure way of Sufism, this idea is kufr that places those who hold it outside of Islam-in hell eternally, if they die on it-by negating the basic tenet of faith that Islam is the final religion that abrogates all previous religions.” Similarly, there is no basis for Sufis being exempt from Islamic practices. In his Al-Maqasid , Imam Nawawi discusses Sufism and concludes that a major part of Tasawwuf is to live ones life according to the sunna of the Prophet and to fulfill Allah’s (swt) commands, including praying supererogatory prayers in addition to the obligatory ones. Many orientalists and modern-day reformers of Islam have attempted to discredit Tasawwuf as a traditional science crucial to Islam and to every Muslim. Books written after the colonial disassembling of the Islamic tradition offer either an Islam and Shariah without Tasawwuf orTasawwuf without Islam. But if traditional books are read, one finds that Tasawwuf, like many other Islamic sciences, is a part of Islam from the time of the Prophet (pbuh) as he said: “Truly, Allah does not look at your outward forms and wealth, but rather at your hearts and your works” (Sahih Muslim). Muslims here in America and throughout the world need to recognize that Islam is the only hope for a better future for this darkened and materialistic modern world, as Islam not only deals with brotherhood and justice outwardly, but also love of Allah and illumination inwardly. Our lives and our character would be dramatically affected by Tasawwuf. For example, our relationships with others would improve since we would rid ourselves of feelings of jealousy and anger. In the words of Nuh Ha Mim Keller, “Muslim scholars knew firsthand the value of Sufism as an ancillary shari’a discipline needed to purify the heart, and this was the reason that the Umma as a whole did not judge Sufism to be a bid’a down through the ages of Islamic civilization, but rather, recognized it as the science of ikhlas or sincerity, so urgently needed by every Muslim on ‘a day when wealth will not avail, nor sons, but only him who brings Allah a sound Saudah is a freshman majoring in heart’ (Qur’an 26:88-89).” Arabic and Business at UC Berkeley
Al-Bayan - March 2001
Issues
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Islam and the Environment HOOMA MULTANI AL-BAYAN STAFF WRITER The everyday actions of a order and balance in the skies and Muslim reflect an overall aim for on the Earth is a constant reminder cleanliness. Before prayer we make of the infinite power of our Lord. ablution, cleaning ourselves physi- “Verily, all things we have created in cally. We prayer five times daily, proportion and measure” (Surat-alcleansing ourselves spiritually. And Qamar, 54:49). “Every single thing we abstain from that which is harm- is before His sight, in due proporful: food and drink, including pork tion” (Surat-al-Ra’ad, 13:8). “And and alcohol as well as destructive the firmament He has raised high, He behaviors. In every aspect, a Mus- has set up the balance” (Surat-allim is striving for cleanliness. Our be- Rahman, 55:7). Within the limitless havior as Muslims should embody universe, the Earth is a part of the total cleanliness. For this reason Al-
lah (swt) also instructed not only to cleanse our inner environment but our outer environment as well. In addition to the commands for cleanliness, we are given the responsibility for the upkeep of the Earth. In Surat-al-Baqara, verse 30, mankind is referred to as the vicegerent of the Earth. We are instructed to take special care of the planet. We are told that “Servants of the merciful tread lightly on the Earth.” In today’s world man uses tractors and bulldozers to rape the land, cutting down forest that vital for our own survival. The Qur’an also warns us against wasting. “O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer; eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for Allah does not love those who waste”( 7:31). Furthermore, in Surat-al- Zal Zal , Allah (SWT) says, “On the last day the Earth will bear witness of how she was made to suffer at the hands of man.” Human kind has special task to understand and value all life. God created the Earth and everything on it for the benefit of Man provided he behaves responsibly. We are told that protecting the balance of nature is worthy of reward, while disrupting it is condemned. Islam teaches us that, as Muslims, we are protectorates of the Earth. Allah (SWT) has created everything in existence in such harmony that the
Divinely fashioned balance of proportion. In this context, Man’s duty is to uphold that balance and proportion as commanded, “in order that ye [mankind] may not transgress balance” (Surat-al-Rahman, 55:8). We are allowed to use the Earth for our survival and benefit, but we are expected not to abuse this special privilege. Yet, if the Divine warnings are ignored and this balanced is disturbed, then it is Man who will be made to suffer accordingly. The environment may become so disrupted that the planet will no longer be able to support the human race. A major warning sign is the disharmony on the land and in the sea. “Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that He may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back” (Suratal-Rum, 30:41). These particular types of signs have been numerous in recent years. Seas and rivers have become seriously damaged as a result of industrial wastes, thereby threatening and even killing several keystone organisms. On the land, forests are being cut down without proper planning and further depleted by brush fires. Many plants and animals have been brought close to extinction. The loss of plant cover has reduced the ground water levels, causing severe soil erosion, Please see Environment on 7
The Role of Muslim Women NURA JANDALI AL-BAYAN STAFF WRITER It is a sad statement about their prayers, (saying): I will not sufthe condition of our society when at fer to be lost the work of any of you one of the most prestigious cam- whether male or female. You propuses in our nation, female students ceed one from another…”(3:195). feel the need to exploit their bodies Women and men share a common in order to obtain a sense of self- bond, and the link which exists beworth. While rushing to get from one tween the genders is complimentary, class to the next, it is not uncommon not competitive or antagonistic. The to see bare skin in every direction. following verse of the Qu’ran lays Scattered amidst these exposed out a beautiful and definitive descripbodies are Muslim women who tion of the qualities Muslim men and have chosen to cover themselves in women should be inspired to posa manner that dignifies and elevates sess: “For Muslim men and women, them, forcing others to judge them for believing men and women, for not as sexual beings, but as humans devout men and women, for true worthy of respect. These women men and women, for men and have selected a path that addresses women who are patient and contheir humanity and cultivates their stant, for men and women who mental faculties. To understand humble themselves, for men and where these women are coming women who give in charity, for men from, let us explore the Islamic per- and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and spective on the status of women. The role of women within for men and women who engage the realm of Islam is first, and fore- much in Allah’s praise, for them has most, to be Allah’s servant. As hu- Allah prepared forgiveness and a man beings, Women, just as men, great reward” (33:35). This verse must maintain a relationship with their encapsulates the attributes all MusCreator by fulfilling the religious du- lims struggle to attain. Other responsibilities inties asked of them. These duties range from the remembrance of God clude the obligation to strive conthrough the five daily prayers, to tinuously in Allah’s path, developing being charitable to others. In es- spiritually, and seeking knowledge. sence, this requires complete sub- In fact, acquiring knowledge is so mission to Allah, or God, who is re- vital to a Muslims life that the Prophet garded as the Lawgiver. Unlike hu- Muhammad (pbuh) said, “seeking mankind, Allah defines justice and knowledge is a duty upon every thus his ordinances are neither op- Muslim man and woman.” And in pressive, nor unjust. Rather, they another saying “seek knowledge contain Divine wisdom, because even if it be in China.” Thus a Musbeing the Creator, He knows us bet- lim, male or female is obliged to imter than we know ourselves. Within merse in the wealth of knowledge the Qur’an, Allah emphasizes total the world has to offer. Both genders are strongly equality of men and women conadvised to expand their mind. The cerning their duties, responsibilities, actions, their rights. “Every soul will importance placed upon learning is be (held) in pledge for its deeds” clearly illustrated in the person of (74:38). A woman, is held account- Aisha, the Prophet’s (pbuh) wife able for her deeds alone, and is not who narrated over 2,000 ahadith responsible for the actions of oth- (plural of hadith or sayings of the ers. Women, like men are encour- Prophet). Men traveled great disaged to adopt characteristics that are tances just to learn and verify hadith honorable and avoid actions that are with her. Muhammad (pbuh) said of degrading. In another verse, the Aisha, “take half of your faith from Qur’an states “Whoever works righ- this young red-faced woman.” The teousness, man or woman, and has reverence the Prophet (pbuh) had faith, verily to him will We give new for his wife was such that he looked life that is good and pure, and We to her as an individual whom people will bestow on such their reward ac- could turn to as an exemplary role cording to their actions” (16:97). model. His reference to her as beThese verses clearly illustrate that ing a “red-faced” woman illustrates there is no distinction between men the intimacy and warm regard he felt and women. Each individual is re- towards his beloved wife. The first person to become warded based on their deeds and a Muslim was a woman named nothing else. Gender equity is a funda- Khadija. She was the Prophet’s mental part of Islam, and is empha- (pbuh) first wife and was 15 years sized in numerous hadith (sayings of his elder. She was his employer and the Prophet) and verses from the offered him a proposal in marriage, Qur’an: “…So their Lord accepted
Please see Women on 7
Al-Bayan - March 2001
WOMEN
Issues ENVIRONMENT
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to which he accepted. It was of her that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “I did not find a better wife than her; she believed in Islam when others rejected it; she comforted and reassured me when others took me to be a liar; she gave me all her wealth when I had none and she gave me all of my children.” Muhammad (pbuh) was fair in his assessment of his wife and gave her credit where credit was due. He looked to her as a source of comfort, support, and above all, as an equal. Because Islam acknowledges the bond, which binds men and women as a unique species, it does not in any way indicate preference over either gender. As the Qur’an states, “O, mankind, we created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honored among you before Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is wellacquainted with all things” (49:13). Men and women share a common origin, and from that origin have evolved into varying races only to know one another, and not for any other purpose. All the gender and racial differences that exist are only significant because they are direct illustrations of the creativity of Allah’s majesty and power. “(Allah is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: (Allah) has made for you pairs from among yourselves…” (42:11). Men and women coexist as equals. Each gender looks to the other as a brother or sister, and it is upon this level that the sexes interact. The relationship between the genders is built upon none other but mutual respect. This is clearly evident in the saying of the Prophet (pbuh) “women are the twin halves of men,” and in verse 71, chapter 9 of the Qur’an which states “and the believers, men and women are protecting friends of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, they observe regular prayer, and pay alms and they obey Allah and his messenger. For those, Allah will bestow mercy on them. Verily Allah is Mighty, Wise.” Companionship is the plateau upon which the genders relate. Rather than undermining one another, they protect and cooperate with each other. A sense of mercy, compassion, understanding, and above all, love of God is what binds men and women through the scheme of life. By promoting what is good and forbidding
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what is wrong, men and women look out for one another’s best interests since they share a common goal. Because Muslim men and women interact on a purely intellectual basis, it is essential for both
gain an education, all of which were denied to Western women until the 19th century. Centuries after the dawn of Islam, women all over the world continued struggling to achieve basic rights granted by Islam. While women were treated as the property
genders to dress modestly. As one hadith states, “verily Allah does not look upon your bodies and appearances, but rather he looks upon your hearts and your deeds.” This statement is profound, because it sets everything into perspective. It is a lesson for all human beings, and if people adhered to such a statement, many of the problems plaguing society today, and in the past, would have never arisen. Islam is a religion that values women for their humanity. In contrast to today’s popular culture, Islam does not exalt feminine sexuality, which debases and reduces women to mere objects whose sole purpose in life is to provide instant gratification to male spectators. Thus, the dress code for Muslim women consists of covering everything except the face and hands in front of none-related men. Dressing in this fashion serves as a protection and establishes her identity as a Muslim. The double standards rooted in modesty, found in other cultures, are not present in Islam. Both men and women are to guard their chastity and lower their gaze. Extra-marital relations, which through the course of this century have served no other purpose but to destroy the establishment of a stable family unit, are strictly prohibited, as there is a tremendous amount of wisdom behind that. In truth, the status of women in Islam has been none other but liberating. It has granted them the right to inherit, the right to keep their maiden names after marriage, the right to own land, the right to
of their husbands, in India, Greece, Rome, and even Europe, Islam came to lift the shackles of oppression. As Western countries continued to debate over whether women had souls or not, Islam did not only confirm this but taught humanity that men and women are equals in the eyes of God. Female infanticide was a common practice, but with the advent of Islam, such obtuse notions and customs were condemned and strictly forbidden. Muhammad (pbuh) came to rid humanity of these misogynistic ideologies saying “whoever has a daughter and does not bury her alive, does not insult her and does not favor his son over her, God will grant him entrance into Paradise.” The Prophet (pbuh) awakened a consciousness and a sensitivity that did not exist previously. Through his words and his examples, he was able to restore the dignity of women to its rightful place. He knew that achieving the liberation of women would guarantee the rights of society as a whole, since women make up one half of society and are the bearers of the other half. It is this ideal, not the reality of Muslim societies today, which often confuse culture with religion, that should serve as a model for true liberation.
(FROM 6) which then turns fertile fields into only shrub or desert. These real threats to the ecological balance on the Earth are common place in the world today. There are several examples of good practices corresponding to good principles during the early years of Islam. It was declared forbidden to cut down any trees or to kill any animals around the sacred Ka’bah. Parts of the holy cities of Madina and Taif were established as natural conservation areas and/ or commons by the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him. And during the mating season of birds, hunting was banned. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, announced that God would reward the one who changed an arid, infield land into fertile land, and that person would obtain the reward of an act of charity as long as people or animals continued to benefit from that land. (Fayal alQadir, II 39). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also stated: “The one who kills an animal for sport will be questioned about it on Judgement Day.” (Darimi,II 11). “The nests of birds must not be destroyed and neither their eggs nor young hurt.” (Abu Dawud, al-Janaz’iz, 1). “The outside of our houses, squares, streets and districts should be kept clean” (Kashf al-Khafa, 1,224). The world is a trust from Allah (SWT) to Man. It is here for our shelter, food, enjoyment, rest, and an environment to worship in. We are permitted to benefit from it, but we are also warned against damaging it. We are supposed to improve it by building on its usefulness and beauty, but must always be wary of the consequences of our actions. Hooma is a senior majoring in Conservation and Resource Science at UC Berkeley.
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Nura is a sophomore majoring in Near Eastern Studies and Mass Communications at UC Berkeley.
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Al-Bayan - March 2001
POETRY THE QUEST In search of the secret that lies within, wandering a long trail of woes. Each a riddle, misfortune’s boon after many years learning to un-know. When the gates finally open, the chalice escapes the lips. Was it poison or the sweet wine of eternal bliss? There was a cruel savagery to the age. The sagacious kings were long forgotten, when the selfish child was first begotten. The bee hives of duty buzzed with folly in service to the queen of money with her hips of honey. And there was a method to the madness in her womb. That first bite from this precious fruit at the ripe age of honor’s bridle, Truth, that resplendent friend, rode beside through the lonely night, his stallion pride, his magic eyes, could no longer hide the rapture of his soul with the elixir of her sigh.
Woven with mystery’s luminous tongue, the arrows of injustice in the march of progress were the love wounds of Azrael that pricked their hearts with oblivion like a thorn in the side, speaking a secret language of the soul that grows old as the body withers, and time cries. O candle that burns brighter from the night’s recital! The sorrows that bother the body whither and die! The company of saints has made them more fresh and alive, alone with a draught of that mad soma to nurse the soul like a penitent mystery wrapped in words, like gold he kept beneath a cloak, to open his heart with the alchemy of love, the philosopher’s stone. It was all a journey on the never ending road.
JULIE’S
Healthy Cafe
2564 Bancroft Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704 510-486-8322 COOKIES & NON-FAT DESSERTS, YOGURTS, ETC. ESPRESSO DRINKS HOT & COLD HOT & COLD SANDWICHES, SOUPS & SALADS FRESH BAKED ORIGINAL NON-FAT MUFFINS & OTHER FRESH SQUEEZED FRUIT & VEGETABLE JUICES
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--- Abdul Kabir
UPCOMING EVENTS The Muslim Student Union at UC Berkeley
Islamic Awareness Week April , 2001 MONDAY AMERICAN SLAVERY AND ISLAM 2060 VLSB 7 PM TUESDAY WOMEN IN ISLAM -- PANEL DISCUSSION 2060 VLSB 7PM WEDNESDAY JOURNEY TO ISLAM: THE CONVERT EXPERIENCE 2040 VLSB 7 PM THURSDAY ISLAMIC ECONOMIC SYSTEMS 123 WHEEELER 7PM FRIDAY SALATUL JUMUAH (FRIDAY SERMON AND CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER) 12:30PM UPPER SPROUL April 12 MSU Talent Show (Time and Location TBA) Questions? Look for the MSU Table in Upper Sproul Monday through Friday. A tent will be up during Islamic Awareness Week. For more information contact Reema Dodin at (510) 649-7786 or <jude530@hotmail.com>