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Voice of Unity Committee
Dear brothers and sisters, Assalam u alaykum w a r ahm at ullah Wit hin our v aried spher es of daily life be it in school, univ ersit y or at work - we m ay oft en find ourselv es in sit uations wher e w e ar e obliged t o wor k wit h people who do not shar e our v iews on life and our fait h in Allah ( SWT) . I t can be difficult t o decide how best t o int eract wit h such people. Should we adopt an aggressive at t it ude t owar ds t hem ? Or perhaps we should sim ply t ak e st eps t o avoid com -
Voice of Unity
TP , Allah ( SWT) illust r at es t he Holy Pr ophet ( SAWW) s at t it ude t owards t hose who r ej ect ed his invit at ion in t he most sublime manner when He addresses him by saying: The n m a ybe you w ill k ill you r se lf w it h gr ie f, sor r ow ing a ft e r t he m , if t h e y do not be lieve in t his a nn ou nce m e n t . Such was Prophet Muham m ad ( SAWW) s concern for t he disbelieving Ar abs t hat he w ould be in a st at e of deep dist ress and anguish about t heir m isguidedness. Yet t hese w ere t he sam e people who would insult and abuse him and his com panions. I m m Al ( AS) also addresses t his point in his renowned let t er t o M lik al- Asht ar aft er his appoint m ent as gov ernor of Egy pt . He say s, ( People) are of t wo kinds, eit her your brot her in r eligion or one like you in creation. They will commit slips and encounter mistakes. They m ay act w rongly , wilfully or by neglect . So ex t end t o them y our forgiv eness and par don in t he sam e w ay as y ou would like Allah t o ext end His for giv eness and pardon t o y ou. I t is report ed t hat on t he day of sh r , I m m Husayn ( AS) was seen weeping. When questioned about t he cause of his grief, he replied t hat he was crying for his adversaries, who would be sent t o hell because of the murderous actions they were about to commit. Dear brot her s and sist ers, it is not sufficient t o m er ely be concerned about our own br et hr en. We m ust learn t o ex t end our hum anit y t o all of hum anit y. Oft en we m ight act virt uously with our fellow Muslim s but not apply t he sam e I slam ic st andards when dealing wit h nonMuslim s. I f we int end t o present I slam t o t he West in its purest form , we m ust act honourably wit h all whom we com e acr oss, for t his is surely t he et iquet t e adopt ed by t he I nfallibles ( AS) . We pray t o Allah ( SWT) t o hast en t he reappear ance of our beloved I m m ( ATF) , and t o gr ant us t he oppor t unity t o assist him in filling t he eart h w it h peace and j ust ice. Wassalam u alayk um wa rahm at ullah
Editor: Br Ali Mawlawi Voice of Unity is a publication of the Islamic Unity Graphics: Br Hamed Society. Heshmati
Inside this issue: Mailbox: Letters to Editor Feature: Islamic Unity - Covenant of Strength Science / Social: Clinical Depression: A Comparative Analysis Extra: IUS Online Communication Centre Poetry: Shipwrecked Noticeboard: Important shout outs! Personality: Kumayl b. Ziy d alNakh ' Philosophy: Affirming the Existence of God Faith: A Prerequisite to Allegiance
Voice of Unit y Com m it t ee
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Br Abbas Al-Masuadi Br Musa Naqvi Sr Motahare Yadegarfar Sr Noor Al-Safar Sr Farah Al-Safar Sr Sarah Al-Bachari Sr Noor Abbas Br Hussain Hamid
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** Letters to the Editor ** im. ahmani Rah Bismillahi R
Your Comments: barakatu. Dear Edit or, mat Allah wa h ra a w m u ve ik I of interest. Assalamu ala I f you have any com m ent s, found them d n a , st a p e th in cr it icism s or suggest ions s e a few issu I have read about t he cont ent of Voice of r. u fo d to praise yo a h st ju . I d t Unit y, please em ail t he edit or a a , th to re real pleasure f which a s a w n at e dit or @iu s.or g.u k io o ress reasons, one ying to iece on dep p s u s o i ri d u va r sa a fo , M tr Br Abbas Al- om depression for years en really proactive in ss they fr be le d n ve re u I e , . ff le ts p su n o re e I ve ange p h my pa ch it w t o s n lt guilt y m fe le es b o Allah d ve always I being pro t e a m th ti l e fu m d , min the sa not being overcome it mselves, at art of it stems from e th in h it w p t is e back of change wha epressed- undoubtedly ought, at th th ys a lw a d I ve ot get deabout being blessings, so and a Muslin should n d more y m r fo gh n k thankful enou my Iman is really wea ake me feel more lost a t m a th my head, only serve to ese thoughts pressed. Th ill be slim youth w ily u M d e ss down. re , fam a dep roblem worse k IUS her issues p ot e n th o d ke e a m ch tou I really thin ms that just The article pe mechanis wit hin our communities. r to bring about a sc e f o we aware f trust as a real po p through talks nd a lack o er means, h th hel o l pressures a a d ic an ct y ra it here other p e of Un ic d o n V a s gh e u d s a real gap u ro it re th e tt a th t, in u o es d chang article pointe meaningful ce. As your vi d a g in d vi and pro to thank to fill it . lt that I had fe I ; le and we have ic rt a Muslim s the y publishing m. You have made this having b p e st st fir lf You took the cognition to the proble t with myse e and upse re n g lo n a vi gi ss r le fo el you I fe lighter and heart a little read it. u yourselves sed wit h yo a le p me e b ill Allah w to remove so Insha Allah, Judgement for helping of on the Day f. e ri of my g ubarak. Ramadan M
Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem,
Many thanks and du e praise as ever to the ing Allah (swt) and ou Voice of Unity team r beloved Ahlul Bayt for your ceaseless co (as). And for maintain flections on a vast sp mmitment to serving this fine platform ectrum of topics in for expressing perso addit ion to spreadin vised format of the ne nal reg the wsletter is indeed im pressive and it s espe pure illuminated message of Islam. The on the social and pra recially encouraging to ctical applications of see the greater emph our Deen, which could sion of the so-called asis be broadened furthe taboo issues rarely touched upon, such r to include more dis Alhamdulillah the gre as the feature on de cusater range of topics pression in your las included cater for a may provide more op t issue. wider audience, and portunity for sharing perhaps an interacti an even wider variety ve forum of perspectives. May Allah (swt) multip ly your blessings and to preserve and upho all the contributors to ld the torch of truth gu VOU, and grant you taw iding us closer to Allah fiq to continue (swt).
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Br Abbas Jaffer then surely Allah is sufficient for you; He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with the believers; And united their hearts; had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them; surely He is Mighty, Wise. -
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efore the desirable concept of Unity
in I slam is achieved, w e need t o underst and w hat t he t erm m eans. Does it m ean t hat Muslim s should unanim ously adopt one school of t hought and cast aside t he rest ? Or does it m ean t hat t he com m on feat ures of all I slam ic schools of t hought should be t aken up and t heir differences glossed over t o creat e a new denom inat ion w hich is not com plet ely t he sam e as t he previous ones? Or does it m ean t hat I slam ic unit y is in no w ay relat ed t o t he unit y of t he different schools of fiqh ( j urisprudence) but signifies t he unit y of t he Muslim s and t he unit y of t he follow ers of different schools of fiqh, w it h t heir different religious ideas and v iew s, vis- Ă - vis t he nonMuslims? The first t w o definit ions are im pract ical and t hat sort of unit y w ill not em erge w it hout Divine intervention. Without doubt, by the term 4
I slam ic unit y, t he int ellect ual I slam ic ulam ( scholars) m ean t hat all Muslim s should unit e in one line against their common enemies. These scholars st at e t hat Muslim s have m any t hings in com m on, w hich can serve as t he foundat ions of a firm unit y. All Muslim s w orship t he One Alm ight y and believe in t he Prophet hood of t he Holy Prophet ( SAWW) . The Qur n is t he Book of all Muslim s and t he Ka bah is t heir qiblah ( direct ion of prayer) . They go to hajj pilgrimage with each other and perform t he haj j rit es and rit uals like one anot her. They say t he daily prayers and fast like each ot her. They est ablish fam ilies and engage in t ransact ions like one anot her. They have sim ilar w ays of bringing up t heir children and burying t heir dead. Apart from m inor affairs, t hey share sim ilarit ies in all t he aforem ent ioned cases. Muslim s also share one kind of world view , one com m on cult ure, and one grand, glorious, and long- standing civilization. This is t he kind of bond t hat m ay w ell t urn t he Muslim s int o a unified nat ion t o serve as a m assive and dom inant pow er before w hich t he big global pow ers w ould have t o bow dow n. This is especially t rue in view of t he st ress laid by I slam on t his principle. According t o t he explicit w ording of t he Qur n, t he Muslim s are
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- : Feature : brot hers, and special right s and dut ies link t hem t oget her. So, why shouldn't t he Muslim s use all t hese ext ensive facilit ies accorded t o them as the blessing of Islam? This group of ulam are of t he view t hat t here is no need for t he Muslim s t o m ake any com prom ise on t he prim ary or secondary pr inciples of t heir religion for t he sake of I slam ic unit y. Also it is not necessary for t he Muslim s t o avoid engaging in discussions and w rit ing books on prim ary and secondary principles about w hich t hey have differences. The only considerat ion for I slam ic unit y in t his case is t hat t he Muslim s - in order t o avoid t he em ergence or accentuation of vengeance - preserve t heir possession, avoid insult ing and accusing each ot her and ut t ering fabricat ions, abandon ridiculing t he logic of one anot her, and finally abst ain from hurt ing one anot her and going beyond t he borders of logic and reasoning. I n fact , t hey should at least observe t he lim it s w hich I slam has set fort h for invit ing nonMuslims to embrace it: "Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good -
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All m ah Am ini w hen elaborat ing on w het her his great w ork, " al- Ghad r" has a posit ive or a negat ive role in est ablishing I slam ic unit y, on t he occasion of a plaque of honour forw arded from al- Azhar said, People are free t o express view s and ideas on religion. These ( view s and ideas) will never tear apart the bond of Islamic brot herhood t o w hich t he Holy Qur n has referred t o by st at ing t hat 'surely t he believ ers are bret hren'; even t hough academ ic discussion and t heological and religious debat es reach a peak. This has been t he st yle of t he predecessors, and of t he sah ba and t he t bi n, at t he head of t hem .
A charter for Muslim unity
, is a m ovem ent built around t he verse of the Holy Qur'an: And hold fast by t he covenant of Allah all t ogether and be not disunited, and remember the favour of Allah on you when you were enemies, and then he united your hearts so by His favour you became brothers; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you
m ovem ent w as convened by senior Muslim com m unit y figures in London and t he US. I n London, t he conveners were Massoud Shadj areh, chairm an of t he I slam ic Hum an Right s Com m ission and form erly a close colleague of Dr Kalim Siddiqui in t he Muslim Parliam ent of Great Brit ain, and Maulana Faiz ul- Aqt ab Siddiqi, Head of t he I nt ernat ional Muslim s Organizat ion and Principal of the Hijaz University College, UK. The third convenor is Imam Mohammed Al- Asi of Washingt on DC, one of t he I slam ic m ovem ent 's forem ost English- speaking int ellect uals and a columnist of Crescent International. Massoud Shadj areh describes t he spread of disunit y as 'a scourge' w hich is blight ing t he at t em pt s of Muslim s t o im prove t heir condit ions in every circum st ance. He says, The at t em pt t o split t he global I slam ic m ovem ent along sect arian lines t o isolat e t he I slam ic Republic is obviously t he highest level at w hich t he kuff r are u sin g se c t a r i a n i sm against Muslim s. But t his, in a sense is t he easiest to counter. Just as serious are t he problem s creat ed by sect arianism w it hin com m unit ies, in w est ern count ries, and in count ries like Pak ist an and Afghanist an. We m ust rem em ber t hat Sh Sunn issues are not t he only form s of sect arianism or disunit y. The grow t h of 'fascist ' Muslim m ovem ent s, groups w hich claim t hat t hey have m onopoly on I slam , and are m ore concerned w it h fight ing ot her Muslim s t han nonMuslim s, is perhaps even m ore dangerous. The grow t h of rival Muslim groups all claim ing t hat t hose w ho don't follow t heir part icular unyears of Sh - Sunn problem s ever did. Nat ionalism and r acism are ot her form s of disunit y w hich are also causing unt old dam age. Shadj areh em phasizes t hat t he only w ay of count ering t hese dist urbing t rends is by developing a spirit of t olerance am ong Muslim s, based on t he Qur nic verse:
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Sr Syeda Tatheer Zahra Shamsi * I don t feel like get t ing out of bed in t he m ornings. Things ar e get t ing t oo m uch for m e. I don t have t he ener gy t o do anyt hing at t he m om ent . I ve com plet ely lost m y appet it e. I m not int er est ed in anyt hing anym or e. Not hing you can do w ill m ake m e feel bet t er . Life is r eally get t ing m e down.
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t is w hen such negat ive t hought s
and feelings becom e so serious t hat t hey lead t he indiv idual t o despair of life it self, t hat t he diagnosis of clinical depression can be m ade. Clinical depression is not sim ply an em ot ional st at e of unhappiness or sadness in react ion t o difficult sit uat ions and event s in life. Unlike norm al sadness it is not t ransit ory; and t he person affect ed feels paralysed and loses hope of ever feeling any bet t er. Such em ot ions and st at em ent s as above are ot herw ise felt and m ade by m ost of us at given t im es in our lives. They are recognisable st at es for m any people in difficult circum st ances and during t est ing periods. So if m ost of us are aw are of what it feels like to be depressed, and are able t o sooner or lat er get over feeling m iserable, st ressed and anxious, t hen w hy can depression be such a debilit at ing and chronic illness for many others?
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Depression has historically been conceptualised and researched w it hin t he realm s of Abnorm al Psychology. Yet w e know t hat t he t ypes of feelings and behaviour discussed above are not abnorm al. Alt hough t here are bit t er opponent s of t his labelling of t he depressive st at e as abnorm al, a psychiat r ic disorder or m ent al illness, t he reasons for t his m ovem ent in psychology and psychiat ry lie w it hin t he scient ific traditions of these disciplines. The t heories t hat have developed of t he causes of depression have been influent ial in t he w est ern w orld in t he labelling of depression as a m ent al illness. Moreover, as t he associat ed t herapies or t reat m ent put forw ard by t he t heorist s have had som e posit ive effect s, t his furt her st rengt hens t he cont ent ions of such m odels. There are a num ber of current m odels in academ ic and clinical psychology w hich describe t he causes, progression and t reat m ent of depression in a persuasive w ay. Tw o of t he m ost pert inent and w idely accept ed are t he Biological and Cognit ive m odels, w hich w e can touch upon briefly. The biological m odel prom ot es t reat m ent of depression by physical and / or biochemical
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- : Science/Social : m eans. According t o t his m odel, depression is a disorder of t he body, and speculat ion has cent red alm ost ent irely on t he brain. I n part icular, t he focus is on a class of subst ances ( biogenic am ines) t hat help t ransm it nerve im pu lses acr oss t he gap s ( synapses) bet w een nerve cells. The im port ant finding of course, w hich m ust be acknowledged is that depression has ( at least in t he short t er m ) b een su ccessf u l l y t reat ed for years w it h drug t reat m ent s ( t ricyclic ant idpressant s and m onoam ine oxidase inhibit ors) based on this model. Sim ilarly, t he cognit iv e m odel has seen rising success as it has been ut ilised and developed over decades. Cognit ive t h eo r ist s v iew par t icu lar t hought s t hat t he indiv idual has as t he crucial cause of depressive sym pt om s. One view is t hat depression is caused by negat ive t hought s of t he self, of ongoing experience and of t he fut ure, and by errors in logic. Cognit ive t herapy for depression, w hich is a form of psychot herapy, at t em pt s t o count er such t hought s or cognit ions. The aim is t o ident ify and correct t he dist or t ed t hink ing pat t erns and dysfunct ional assum pt ions underly ing depression. I n addit ion, t he individual is t aught t o m ast er sit uat ions and conquer problem s t hat he or she previously believed w ere im possible t o overcom e. Cognit ive t herapy, and it s derivat ive, cognit iv eb eh a v i o u r a l t herapy, are globally applied form s of psychot h e r a p y w hich are found t o be of g r eat
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benefit to the individual. I t is w idely acknow ledged t hat no one t heory of depression has been able t o explain all t he phenom ena associat ed w it h t his condit ion. But each of t hem seem s t o have a piece of t he t rut h and m ost salient ly, t he t heories are not , by and large, incom pat ible. I n fact , t he current preferred m et hod of t reat m ent is a com binat ion of m edicat ion and psychot herapy. How ever, w e also know t hat t his t reat m ent does not alw ays w ork. I s t here som et hing m issing in t r adit ional w est er n approaches t hat people of religious convict ion m ay benefit from ? This seem s m ore and
m ore likely as Muslim and Christ ian healt h pract it ioners, am ong ot hers, are bat t ling t o look beyond t he scient ifically recognised approaches for causes and cures w hich m ay be m ore applicable t o believers. The view of t he fait hful has been t hat depression is frequent ly accom panied by an exist ent ial and spirit ual crisis t hat leads t he indiv idual t o no longer see t he value of liv ing. For t he Muslim , fait h in God and at t achm ent t o Him const it ut es t he sole prevent ion and prot ect ion against depression. Believing psychologist s w ould say t hat t he t ranscendent m eaning of life proposed by religion is t he best ant idot e t o depression, and
leads t o a p h y sical, m ental, social and sp ir it u al h ar m on y . The general belief is t hat w hile m edical t reat m ent is oft en necessary t o t reat t he biochem ical im balance, spirit ual and social support is also essent ial t o address t he spirit ual im balance. This is t o guide t he individual t o com ing t o t erm s in his or her own w ay, w it h t he dem ands of post- m odern life w hich is oft en em pt y of values, founded on w ellbeing and pleasure, and in w hich econom ic profit counts as the supreme goal. But w hat of t he w est ern practices of assessment and treatm ent w hich are devoid of at t ent ion t o t he spirit ual needs of t he individual, but w hich adhere t o t he com m only em braced scient ist - practitioner fram ew ork? This fram ew ork is com m it t ed t o using a research base t o guide pract ice and evaluat e out com es of professional pract ices and act iv it ies. I s it really feasible t o refut e such st rong findings in favour of less rigorously st udied and applied approaches t o t he t reat m ent of depression? And as Muslim pract it ioners, can w e really adopt unt est ed t echniques w hich go against our scient ific t raining but which we nevertheless believe t o be effect ive? One of t he answ ers lies in t he focus of research, and t he t raining of psychologist s, t o include t he elem ent s of religious beliefs and pract ice. One posit ive developm ent is t hat t his is already t ak ing place in a num ber of Muslim count ries, but t he real t est lies in int roducing it in a det erm ined w ay t o t he long- est ablished w est ern institutions.
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Dr. M. Al-Bachari * * Consultant Psychiatrist
Introduction
D
epr essiv e
t icular reference t o t he Muslim youth living in the West. disor -
ders can have far- reaching effect s on t he funct ioning and adj ust m ent of young people. These disorders confer an increased risk for illness, int erpersonal and psychosocial difficult ies t hat m ay persist long aft er t he illness has r esolved. There is also an increased risk of suicide and subst ance m isuse. These disorders oft en go unrecognised by fam ilies and doct ors alike. They m ay be m isconceived as norm al m ood sw ings t ypical of adolescence. Muslim yout h have t he addit ional burden of dealing w it h cult ural, educat ional, religious and polit ical conflict s. This art icle w ill at t em pt t o deal w it h issues relat ed t o depression, it s feat ures, com plicat ions and t reat m ent approaches, from a clinical psychiat ric perspect ive, w it h par-
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So what is depression? Depression is a m ent al st at e charact erised by excessive sadness. Oft en behaviour is governed by pessim ist ic or despairing beliefs and sleep, appet it e and concent rat ion are dist urbed. I n addit ion excessive boredom , guilt and social isolat ion are com m on problems. Factors that may lead to depression Mult iple fact ors; social, psychological and biochem ical can cause depression. St ress is a w ell- know n com panion t o m odern liv ing. I f unresolved, st ress can lead t o biochem ical changes in t he brain t hat m ay lead t o depression. Maj or life ev ent s lik e ber eav em ent , problem s in childhood, ill
healt h, looking for a j ob and m oving house can lead t o st ress and d ep r essi o n . Ev e n h ap p y event s like m arriage, childbir t h and going on holiday can be stressful. Personalit y also plays a part , some people are more vulnerable t o depression t han ot hers due t o t heir genet ic make- up and environm ent , for exam ple, som e people t hrive on challenges w hile ot hers becom e frust rat ed and feel hopeless, w hich m ay m ake t hem m ore prone t o depression, yet doesn t m ake depression inevitable. Personalit y also plays a part , some people are more vulnerable t o depression t han ot hers due t o t heir genet ic make- up and environm ent , for exam ple, som e people t hrive on challenges w hile ot hers becom e frust rat ed and
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- : Science/Social : feel hopeless, w hich m ay m ake t hem m ore prone t o depression, yet doesn t m ake depression inevitable.
s) is a t im e of rapid change, including physical and horm onal changes w it h t he added progression int o independent t hought s and opinions. Yout h w ish t o creat e a self- ident it y and est ablish a role in societ y, t hey also crave excit em ent and new experiences, yet oft en lack t he experience in facing such life event s. I t could result in r apid ch an g e s in se lf co n f id en ce; f eel i n g v er y grow n up one m inut e and very young t he next . Oft en yout h find it difficult verbalising t heir new experiences and
adolescent s have felt so m iserable t hat t hey have cried and have w ant ed to get away from everything. How ever, adolescence is not j ust a difficult st age provoking depression, it can be a t im e w hen t he process of grow ing up can help people t o m ake posit ive changes and t o put t he problem s of t heir past behind t hem . I ndeed m ost of t he difficult ies are not serious or long- term. For young Muslims who live in the West, many added factors often come into play. Other issues for Muslim youth include m igrat ion and it s effect s on t he fam ily and conflict bet w een fam ily values, religious values and t he values of t he West ern societ y. I n ot her w ords t here is oft en a discrepancy bet w een fam ily values, values of t he societ y and conform ing t o social norm s, w it h bot h a lack of life experience and a range of su r r ou ndin g posit iv e and 9
negat ive fact ors, it m ay prove difficult for t he yout h t o int egrat e int o societ y w hilst t rying t o est ablish an ident it y for t hem selves. The differences
in values could include social act iv it ies, relat ionships bet w een girls and boys, opport unit ies t o play a prom inent role in societ y w it hout com prom ising personal or fam ily beliefs et c. I t is a w ell- known fact t hat Asian young w om en are at a higher risk of selfharm or suicide t han t he general population.
tions to overcome and avoid depression: .
R e ci t i n g Qur n and du
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Talking- sim ply t alk ing about your feelings is helpful; exploring and confront ing t he possible reasons for being depressed i.e. addressing t hem head- on and finding solut ions. Wit h t he lack of energy and m ot ivat ion of depression, t his m ay prove t o be difficult t ask at first , w hich requires courage and pat ience. Som et im es it is hard t o express your real feelings so t alk ing w it h a t rained councillor, psychot herapist or psychiat rist , w it h t heir expert ise in list ening, em pat hising and non- j udgm ent al advice m ay prove beneficial.
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D on t bot t le t hings up. Wit h recent bad new s, or m aj or upset s in your life, t ry t o t ell people close t o you about it and how it feels. I t helps t o re- live t he painful experience several t im es, t o cry, t alk t hings t hrough. This is part of t he m in d s n at u r al h eal in g m echanism . Therefore deal w it h difficult ies by discussion with family and friends.
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Do som et hing. Go out doors, regular exercise, and keep up w it h day- to- day act iv it ies, even housew ork! This prevent s t he m ind from concent rat ing on painful feelings and prevent s t hem from sw eeping over you.
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H a vin g a dia r y - daily recount ing of act ions and em ot ions and set t ing of t argets. I ndeed I m m Al ( AS) has advised his people of t his very sam e m et hod. He said, I t is incum bent on m en of reason t o pinpoint t heir short com ings in religion, opinion, behaviour, and manners and to gather in
Meeting the challengeHow to cope with and cure depression. The m ore t he psychological resources ( e.g. religion, educat ion, fam ily and social net w ork, st abilit y) a person has, t he m ore equipped t hey are t o resist or overcom e depression. That doesn t m ean t hat Muslim s cannot becom e depressed, but it does m ean t hat pract ising Muslim s are less likely t o develop depression and if t hey do becom e ill t hey can com e out of it m ore easily. Muslim s are fort unat e enough t o benefit from t he psychological guide in t he Holy Qur n and t he t eachings of t he Prophet ( SAW) and Ahlul Bayt (AS). The following is a list of op-
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the Ho l y daily .
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Br Ali Mawlawi
Launching the new IUS Online Communication Centre
W
h a t is t he I US On line Com m u -
nication Centre? The I US OCC is designed t o be an effect ive int erface ( kind of m iddle m an) bet w een t he I US com m it t ees and t he I US m em bers. One of t he m aj or aspect s of t he I US OCC is t o enable I US m em bers nat ionw ide know t he lat est about t he I US at a click of a but t on. The I US OCC is designed in such a w ay t hat it is consist ent in it s look and is easy to use for both the administrat or of t he sit e and t he end users. The sit e is pow ered by a w ellest ablished t echnology called ASP w hich m akes t he sit e dynam ic in it s cont ent by display ing w hat you see from a dat abase. I n addit ion, it is designed t o be a com m unicat ion cent re for all t he m em bers, i.e. w hat ever I US w ishes t o com m unicat e w it h it s m em bers or vice versa can be achieved via the site. W ha t n e w fe a t u re s a r e t he r e a nd
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how does it differ from the old site? Ot her t han t he new look t o t he sit e, t he m ain feat ure is t he dynam ic nat ure of t he sit e. By t his I m ean it is easy t o keep up- to- dat e and hence it is easier t o k eep our m em bers up- todat e w it h all t he lat est inform at ion. Click ing on t he New s or Event s sect ions inst ant ly brings up all t he lat est new s and event s in t he order t hat t hey w ere post ed. The Dow nloads sect ion gives our I US m em bers t he abilit y t o dow nload t he audio or video of any event s t hey could not at t end in an organised syst em w hich is consist ent t hroughout . This m eans t he webm ast er can concent rat e on m aking new addit ions t o t he sit e rat her t han w orrying about keeping it up to date. W h a t ca n I dow nloa d fr om t he site? Present ly you can dow nload any recordings of event s held by t he I US. Norm ally w e w ill put up t he flyers, applicat ion form s and m em bership form s on t he sit e as soon as t hey are released. One of t he m ost popular feat ures of t he gallery gives our m em bers t he
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- : Extra : be a m em bers sect ion insha- Allah. This w ill be accessible t o m em bers only and w ill require passw ord access and an act ive m em bership. The m em bership area w ill encom pass such areas as new slet t ers, forum s, m em ber art icles and m any ot her int eractive features. chance t o view pict ures of our past event s or t o rem ind t hem selves of t he superb I US event s t hey at t ended! I nshaAllah t here w ill be m ore dow nloadable feat ures as t he site expands.
W h e n is con st r u ct ion of t h e sit e e x pe ct e d t o be completed? The public area of t he sit e is m ainly com plet ed w it h sm all addit ions t o be added in various places. Wit h t he m em bers sect ion launched, t he
H ow e lse ca n I be n e fit from the new site? Whenever you have an enquiry you can log on and post an enquiry via t he w ebsit e. I f you require any inform at ion on t he I US and it s event s t hen t his is t he place t o get t he inform at ion. Soon t here w ill be an online donat ion sect ion for t hose able t o donate to the IUS. D o I n e e d t o be a n I US m e m be r t o a ccess t h e site? The current w ebsit e is available t o t he general public t o access. How ever t he proj ect t o cont inue expanding t he w ebsit e w ill cont inue on int o next year by w hich t here w ill
em phasis w ould m ove ont o providing a cont inuously high st andard of service for our
. Please don t hesit at e t o post in suggest ions for t he m em bers area and don t forget t o include us in your du a so t hat t he pr oj ect w ill go as smoothly as possible.
Islamic Unity - Covenant of Strength, :
Muham m ad is t he Prophet of
-
).
Maulana Faiz ul- Aqtab Siddiqi highlight s a part icular dam aging t act ic seen in m any areas: t he playing of t he sect arian card for polit ical reasons. He says, Som e Muslim leaders and polit icians find it convenient t o raise sect arian issues in order t o rally support for t hem selves, and isolate or discredit others. This is ext rem ely serious. I t am ount s to polit icians deliber at ely dam aging t he com m unit y in order t o advance t heir personal polit ical goals. This is a t ot ally im m or al, t y p ically West ern polit ical st r at egy based on t he idea t hat t he end j ust ifies t he m eans. Unfort unat ely, som e part s of our com m unit y are suscept ible t o such polit icking. Muslim s m ust change t heir at t it udes so people w ho use such t act ics are isolat ed as unwort hy of leadership in I slam . is being adm inist ered by t he I slam ic Hum an Right s Com m ission, London. Several hundred or-
XX, UK.
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- : Poetry : -
s with your words But you contaminated the glas wealth Your debris, all your handsome
Sr Sakina Ahmed at first The glass was full to the brim My beloved made sure of that el etched on its base With a blinding sheen - an ang single rose Scented with the strength of a purity splashing the echoes of Excited in itself, with waves of your beautiful names content s and with it my desires Controlling the currents of its A gift so beautiful, a balance for my goodness and solace for The brightness was a magnet my heart ping it as such I would repay my beloved by kee ld I wou learn - that was my Perhaps difficult, but with time intention light I was warned never to dilute the ss and against myself would Or else I would wonder in darkne be the fight taminated the container each Foolish was I - my tongue con time I drank ed at the bottom of that empty land I felt as though I had glass, I had sank
s And with my chipped broken glas e? alon How dare you leave me I had failed rn to the rose water I once And when I did work hard to retu had sweet scented honey And worked harder to create the bitter wine! Why were you so You made me drink the most bad? seas is helpless to cleanse, Now the water in all the seven mend the broken glass like waste, rotten a thing of Which was thrown away by you t pas old the d It landed on a distant green islan e, nothing else to do but No way to bring back the shin th and bow, My beloved please To put my head low on the ear return.
n remained unheard Now look, my attempts to clea and my eyes blurred Not only chipped, but darkened
I asked again and again ised to hear me And in the night as you had prom ain, see my tears You did when from sin did I refr t up Cutting through the grime buil t green island spelt out the The pearled pebbles laid on tha you way to
I dreamed I would make it sparkle again calming night and l cefu Like the brightest star on a pea delight, for the and s the focu My heart - the Qibla would be t ligh rnal inte glowing
cried those diamond tears As I lay there alone, helpless I again glass and clean out the polluthe d buil to They were enough tion and mend
For many months I did clean it breakage My patience would mend the the cracks er sold ld Eagerness and love wou lot Well I thought about doing it a sight of the plot But time after time I would lose And it was your fault, oh World! would be with me throughout You told me you loved me and my life
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elsewhere for love My beloved told me not to look But I leaned on you dazzled my eyes You made me feel helpless and d beautiful eyes And my limbs followed my blin
e more I believe I filled it with you onc In my repenting state, share that space with the My beloved did return, never to world again Always there but I did not see I am glad my beloved returned, ed to turn until I had My only love.
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- : Noticeboard : -
Clinical Depression: A Comparative Analysis,
prepared to deal with day- to- day situations.
: ...their
heart or in a book and work on eliminating t hem . .
Eat a good, balanced diet t o m aint ain a healt hy w eight and avoid excess t ea coffee and smoking.
.
Regular sleep pat t ern, especially avoid sleeping during t he day i.e. lat e night s and late mornings.
.
Avoid isolat ed act iv it ies e.g. long sessions on the computer.
.
Hobbies- engage in hobbies such as painting, sports or trips. . Socia l n e t w or k - t ry t o becom e part of a yout h group, t his w ill increase your feelings of belonging and support. . Antidepressants- in m oderat e t o severe cases, ant idepressant t ablet s m ay be offered, but your doctor must decide this. . Alt e r na t ive t r e a t m e n t s- Herbal m edicines e.g. St John s Wort , arom at herapy et c. m ay help you t o relax m ore and feel m ore
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I n conclusion, alt hough depression is com m on in m odern societ y it a t reat able and prevent able illness. By adopt ing a healt hy lifest y le, being a m em ber of a support ive and cohesive com m unit y and by pract ising I slam ic w ays and m eans of liv ing you w ill be able t o increase your psychological resolve; hence reducing t he possibility of becoming depressed. How ever, if you do becom e clinically depressed t here are various psychological, m edical and social int ervent ions w hich can help you t o conquer depression and prevent it from com ing back. I m m Al ( AS) has said, No belief is like m odest y and endurance, no at t ainm ent is like hum ilit y, no honour is like know ledge, no pow er is like forbearance and no support is m ore reliable t han consult at ion. References . .
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. .
- : Personality : -
K
um ayl has t he dist inct ion of being
Sayyed Ali Raza Rizvi
addressed by I m m Al ( AS) in Nahj alBal ghah m any t im es. I n a st at em ent in Tuhaf al- Uq l, Al ibn Abu T lib ( AS) has addressed him fort y- t w o t im es saying, O Kum ayl! This show s his closeness t o I m m Al ( AS) and t hus his closeness t o Allah ( SWT) . I n t he follow ing t radit ion, Kum ayl has asked a seem ingly easy quest ion from t he Com m ander of t he Fait hful ( AS) , however, t he reply of t he I m m ( AS) is very deep. This dem onst rat es t he know ledge and spirit ual calibre of Kum ayl, as t he I nfallibles ( AS) addressed t he people according t o their level of intelligence. Here is the tradition:
Al ( AS) : The realit y is discovering t he m agnificence of t he Glorified ( Allah) , w it hout indicat ing t ow ards any direct ion.
Kum ayl asked Al ( AS) a m et aphorical quest ion int ending t o underst and t he Unit y of God [ t aw h d] . He asked: What is t he realit y [ haq qah] ( of God) ?
Kum ayl: Explain m or e clearly!
Al ( AS) : realit y?
Kum ayl: Explain m or e clearly! Al ( AS) : ( The realit y is) elim inat ion of t he imagined with clarity of the identified. Kum ayl: Explain m or e clearly! Al ( AS) : ( I t is) t earing t he veil, for it is overcom ing t he secret . Kum ayl: Explain m or e clearly! Al ( AS) : ( I t is) a light t hat shines from t he daw n of t he et ernit y [ azal] and show s t he bodies of it s signs. Al ( AS) : Sw it ch off t he lam p, t he daw n has appeared.
What have you got t o do w it h t he
Kum ayl: Am I not t he one w ho t akes secret s from you? Al ( AS) : I ndeed, you share m y secret s! I w ill grant you, but only w it h t he drops t hat m ay splash out from m y ocean. Kum ayl: Does a person like you m ake his seeker hopeless?
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I n anot her t radit ion of t he Com m ander of t he Fait hful ( AS) , Kum ayl has been addressed and t he m essage given t o him indicat es at his closeness t o t he I m m ( AS) . I t is as if t he I m m ( AS) is speaking t o t he people living in
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- : Personality : our t im e and for it s im plicat ion for our t im e I have m entioned all of it below. Kum ayl ibn Ziy d al- Nakha says t hat once I m m Al ( AS) put his hand in m y hand and t ook m e t o t he graveyard. When he passed t hrough it and left t he cit y behind, he heaved a sigh and said, Kum ayl, t hese heart s are cont ainers of t he secret s of know ledge and w isdom , and t he best cont ainer is t he one w hich can hold t he m ost , and w hat it holds it can preserve and prot ect in t he best w ay. Therefore, rem em ber carefully w hat I am t elling you. Rem em ber t hat t here are t hree kinds of people: one kind is of t hose learned people w ho are highly v ersed in t he et hics of t rut h and philosophy of religion, second is t he kind of t hose w ho are acquiring t he above know ledge and t he t hird is t hat class of people w ho are uneducat ed. They follow every pret ender and accept every slogan, t hey have neit her acquired any know ledge nor have t hey secured any support of firm and rational convictions.
Remember Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth because it protects you while you have to guard wealth. It decreases if you keep on spending it but the more you make use of knowledge the more it increases. What you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears but what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you.
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O Kum ayl! Know ledge is pow er and it can com m and obedience. A m an of know ledge during his lifet im e can m ake people obey and follow him and he is praised and venerat ed aft er his deat h. Rem em ber t hat knowledge is a ruler and w ealt h is it s subject. O Kum ayl! Those w ho am ass w ealt h, t hough alive, are dead t o realit ies of life, and t hose w ho achieve know ledge w ill rem ain alive t hrough t heir know ledge and w isdom even aft er t heir deat h, t hough t heir faces m ay disappear from t he com m unit y of living beings, yet their ideas, the knowledge w hich t hey had left behind and their memory, will remain in t he m inds of people. Kum ayl says t hat aft er t his brief dissert at ion, I m m Al ( AS) point ed t ow ards his chest and said, Look Kum ayl! Here I hold st ores and t reasures of know ledge. I w ish I could find som ebody t o share it w it h m e. Yes, I found a few , but one of t hem , t hough quit e int elligent , w as unt rust w ort hy, he would sell his salvation to get hold of the world and it s pleasures, he w ould m ake religion a pret ence t o grasp w orldly pow er and w ealt h, he w ould m ake t his Blessing of Allah ( know ledge) serve him t o get suprem acy and cont rol over friends of Allah and he w ould t hrough know ledge exploit and suppress ot her hum an beings. The ot her person was such t hat he apparent ly obeyed t rut h and know ledge, yet his m ind had not achieved t he
t rue light of religion, at t he slight est am biguit y or doubt he w ould get suspicious of t rut h, m ist rust religion and w ould rush t ow ards skept icism . So neit her of t hem w as capable of acquiring the superior know ledge t hat I can im part . Besides t hese t w o I found som e ot her people one of t hem is a slave of self and greedy for inordinat e desires, w hich can easily dr ag him aw ay from t he pat h of religion, t he ot her is an avaricious, grasping and acquisit ive m iser w ho w ill risk his life t o grasp and hold w ealt h, none of t hese t w o will be of any use t o religion or m an, bot h of t hem resem ble beast s having appet it e for food. I f sensible t rust ees of know ledge and w isdom t ot ally disappear from hum an societ y t hen bot h know ledge and w isdom w ill
su f f er severely, m ay bring harm t o hum anit y and m ay even die out . But t his eart h will never be w it hout t hose persons w ho w ill prove t he universalit y of t rut h as disclosed by Allah, t hey m ay be w ell- know n persons, openly and fearlessly declaring t he t hings revealed t o t hem or t hey m ay, under fear of harm , inj ury or deat hs hide t hem selves from t he public gaze and m ay carry on t heir m ission privat ely so t hat t he reasons proving t he realit y of t rut h as preached by religion and as dem onst rat ed by His Prophet m ay not t otally disappear.
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- : Philosophy : -
T
Br Musa Naqvi o
prove
to
som eone
t hat
Allah
( SWT) exist s is a difficult t hing t o do, as t hey w ould ask for an em pirical proof of His exist ence. They m ay argue t hat w e have not seen Allah ( SWT) , not t alked t o Allah ( SWT) , but have j ust learned of t he at t ribut es of t he One, Who is responsible for t he creat ion of everything. How ever, one m ay t ry t o explain and argue His exist ence t hrough a series of m at hem at ical and logical argum ent s. We w ill consider argum ent s such as t he argum ent from design, first cause and probability. The argum ent of first cause, as put forw ard by St August ine of Hippo t h Cent ury, claim s t hat som et hing could not have com e form not hing. Logically, everyt hing has a cause and t he w hole of life is a chain of causes, so t here m ust have been a First Cause t hat began everyt hing. However, t his First Cause m ust be regarded as being et ernal because it cannot have a cause t o being it self ( t herefore one m ay call t his first cause Allah (SWT)). The argum ent put forw ard by St Thom as Aquinas com es under crit icism by t hose w ho ask, What caused Allah ( SWT) ? Or Why is t here a requirem ent for a first cause? This chain of
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causes could go on infinitely backwards. One m ay count eract t hese crit icism s by using the law of finitude. This law states that some of t he causes t hat ascend philosophically proceed from som e ot hers, which m ust have a beginning, i.e. a first cause t hat does not precede form a prior cause. Therefore t he succession of causes cannot go on t o infinit y since every effect is j ust a relat ion t o it s cause. Thus all existing effects are relations. Relat ions require an independent realit y at w hich t hey st op. I f t here is no beginning t o t he chain of causes, t hen everyt hing is an effect of t he chain, m eaning t hat everyt hing is linked t o ot her t hings. I f t hen asked w hat is it t o w hich t hese effect s are linked, t hat is, if a chain of causes involves a cause w hich is not subj ect t o the principle of causality and is not in need of a cause, then it would be the First Cause. So if Allah ( SWT) is described as t he First Cause, t hen He Him self is in no need of a cause, since a cause it self does not require a cause prior to it rather it requires an effect that follows it. Anot her argum ent t hat m ay be put forw ar d t o
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- : Philosophy : -
explain t he exist ence of Allah ( SWT) is t he argum ent from design. William Paley is an im port ant exponent of t his argum ent . He asked us t o consider finding a w at ch in a field. I f we found t he w at ch and exam ined it s com plicat ed m echanism s t hat allow ed it t o funct ion, w e m ust conclude t hat t he w at ch did not com e about by accident but t here m ust have been a w at chm aker. Sim ilarly, consider t he w orld. I t is so com plicat ed t hat it could not possibly have been t he result of an accident ; it m ust have been creat ed by a Maker w hom we call Allah (SWT). People w ill t hen quest ion t he exist ence of Allah ( SWT) by saying t hat if He does exist and is a Perfect Being t hen why is there suffering and evil in t his w orld; and if evolut ion is a fact t hen t he argum ent from design is incorrect because surely a perfect Creat or would create a perfect world. These quest ions m ay be t ackled by t ak ing int o account t he idea of Freew ill and by analysing carefully t he origin and exist ence of evil and t he effect s t hat suffering m ay have on people. Since w e as hum ans, as ashraf al- m akhl q t ( t he best of creat ion) , are able t o m ake choices rat ionally ( or irrat ionally for t hat m at t er) , it is possible for us t o different iat e bet w een w hat is w rong and w hat is right . I t is som et hing t hat w e are born w it h; a child, for exam ple, has t he abilit y t o t ell t he difference bet w een good and evil. I t is an inherent or an inbuilt
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m echanism . I f, for exam ple, t he child lies on purpose t hey know t hat t hey have done som et hing t hey w ere not m eant t o do. We can argue t hat t his inbuilt m echanism , t his abilit y t o m ake decisions and t o be able t o t ell t he difference bet w een good and evil m ust have a Divine origin. A com plicat ed being such as a hum an, w hich has t he abilit y t o m ake com plex decisions, cannot possibly have been t he result of an accident. I f everyt hing w as t o be predet erm ined by Allah ( SWT) , t here w ould be no need or purpose for creat ion, no need for a heaven or hell and no need for a Judgem ent Day because t hen existence
w o u l d be no different t o t hat of a puppet , w it hout t he abilit y to think or take part in a decision- m aking process since all t he decisions w ould have been m ade. So by having t he idea of freew ill w e can explain t hat som e suffering is of hum an origin; direct ly as a result of hum ans exercising t heir freew ill, for exam ple by inflict ing pain or suffering on other humans. People m ay t hen argue t hat t he freew ill argum ent does not provide a com plet e explanat ion of suffering because suffering can also be of nat u-
ral origin like volcanoes, eart hquakes, or t ornados. How ever, t hese nat ural phenomena occur for specific reasons. They are all signs for t he exist ence of an Alm ight y Being w hich is in cont rol of t he m echanism s of t his Universe ( a form of revelat ion) . These signs m ay be int erpret ed as punishm ent , like in t he case of Sodom and Gomorrah . They m ay be scient ifically explained, for exam ple t ornados occur in order t o m aint ain a balance in at m ospheric pressure, or volcanic erupt ions occur t o release nut rient s for t he land and ozone t o m aint ain t he ozone layers. So w e m ay argue t hat t hese phenom ena are caused by Allah ( SWT) in order t o m aint ain t he nat ural equilibrium of t he environm ent t hat w e destroy through our activities. As far as t he conj ect ure of ev olu t ion is co n ce r n e d , ( conj ect ure and not t heory because it has not been proved t o be t rue) one m ay regard it as being com pat ible w it h religion because it could be argued t hat Allah ( SWT) caused Evolut ion t o occur. People m ay t hen argue t hat if Allah ( SWT) is a Perfect Being then surely His creation would be perfect and fault less and t hus it w ould not require evolving and perfect ing it self. How ever, we m ay t hen argue that if Allah (SWT) had to creat e a perfect world and everything in it to be perfect then t here w ould be no need of creat ion since not hing w ould be able t o progress since it is perfect . Our creat ion m ay be regarded as being perfect for
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- : Faith : -
I
has been heard early in t he m orning at fajr. The call is from none ot her t han I m m alZam na ( ATF) . Our I m m has called his follow ers. Three hundred and t hirt een m en and w om en are going t o t ake one st ep out of t heir front door and be t ransport ed t o Makkah. Are w e going t o be in t hat group? Do w e have t he qualities to be amongst the chosen ones? We do not know w hen t his sit uat ion w ill be placed before us. I t is t im e t hat w e all m ade a crit ical analysis of ourselves and asked ourselves the following question: 'How do we becom e such m u m in n ( believers) t hat w e w ill w elcom e t he I m m w it h open arms?' The key t o t his is fait h. Making our fait h st rong, m aking our fait h such t hat w e w ill never w aiver com e what m ay. Once our fait h is st rong and deep root ed, everyt hing else w ill follow. This issue needs t o be analysed in t hree st ages. The first is t o underst and w hy it is so difficult t o hold ont o fait h in t he cur rent global sit uat ion. The second is t o define fait h. The t hird is t he pract ical st eps required t o elevat e our fait h t o such a level t hat it w ill never waiver. 18
Sr Fatema Dhala
m agine t he follow ing sit uat ion. A call
, has said: O People! Give up false hopes and do not give w ay t o sinful desires w hich are driv ing you t ow ards vicious w ays of life. Do not blindly j um p into the whirlpool of sin and vice created by the societ y, avoid it s ways and give it a w ide birt h. I m m Al ( AS) s words paint a perfect pict ure of our societ y t oday. We are surrounded by m at erial dist ract ions w herever w e t urn. I slam is under at t ack around t he w orld and is increasingly being associat ed w it h t errorism in t he m edia. Living in such a societ y and refraining from com m it t ing sin is alm ost as difficult as holding fire in one s hands. I m m Al ( AS) explains t hat societ y can be divided into four major categories: Those who abst ain from vice and villainy because t hey are t oo t im id and cow ardly and have neit her t he m eans nor t he wealt h t o do otherwise. Those w ho are only int erest ed in securing a high place in societ y w it h t he pret ence of being holy and pious.
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- : Faith : Those w ho are weak in m ind and depraved in charact er and t hink of not hing except how to acquire money. And lastly those tyrants of the w orld w ho have sold t heir soul t o t he devil and have openly declared t heir evil intentions. Those w ho are pious and God fearing are a sm all m inorit y. These people are driv en aw ay from t he societ y of t heir fellow beings, oft en t errorised, hum iliat ed and persecut ed due t o t heir st eadfast ness on the right path. Thus w e should expect t o face difficult ies if we int end t o
: Do m en t hink t hat t hey w ill be left alone on saying, We believe , and t hat t hey will not be t est ed? I f Allah ( SWT) does not t est us how can w e expect t o elevat e ourselves? I t is only t hrough t est ing t hat our fait h is put int o act ion. This leads us ont o t he next st age which is defining exactly what faith. Fait h, in the P r o p (SAWW)
t he w ords of Holy h e t is:
A com binat ion of convict ion in the heart , speaking out by t he t ongue and deeds by t he lim bs. The Holy Prophet ( SAWW) s w ords reit erate the w ords of t he Holy Qu r n abov e. Fait h is not som et hing t hat you can be obt ained overnight . I t has four pillars: tawakkul, t aw f dh, ridha and
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t asl m .
does not w onder w hen we are praying. This is not an
Tawakkul is relying on God. This m eans underst anding t hat w hat ever w e have com es from Allah ( SWT) and t hat t here is no one in t his w orld on w hom w e should depend. I f t his is fully underst ood, a person can ent rust his affairs t ot ally t o Allah ( SWT) and t his becomes t aw f dh. As a result of ingraining t hese concept s in our m inds, we w ill be sat isfied w it h t he divine decree of Allah ( SWT) as we have t ot al fait h in Him alone. The final pillar is t ot al subm ission t o the will of Allah or t asl m . Once w e have reached t he level of t asl m , not hing can shake us. A shining exam ple is none ot her t han I m am Husayn ( AS) on t he plains of Karbal , having sacrificed everyt hing for t he sake of Allah ( SWT) , a voice is heard from the heavens: O Soul in com plet e rest and sat isfact ion, ret urn t o your Lord w ell pleased. - ) So how do w e achieve t his? What pract ical st eps can we t ake t o reach such a st age t hat w e w ill w elcom e I m m al- Z am na ( ATF) with open arms? One w ay t o do t his is t o t ake it one st ep at a t im e. The best place t o st art is sal h. How oft en have w e been t old t hat if our prayers are accept ed t hen all our deeds w ill be accept ed? So let us st art w it h m ak ing our daily sal h t he m i r j (ascension) that it should be. The first t hing w e need t o address is concent rat ion in sal h; ensuring t hat our m ind
easy task. How many of us solve our problem s or plan our day w hilst praying? Before we st art t o pray w e should prepare ourselves, not j ust st and on our prayer m at s and st art st raight aw ay, especially if w e have been busy doing ot her t hings right before we pray. We should st art with adh n and iq m ah, t o slow ly det ach ourselv es from t he m at erial w orld and focus on t he spirit ual j ourney w e are about t o t ake. We should know exact ly w hat w e are saying t o Allah ( SWT) and ponder over it . For exam ple, w hen w e say 'Allahu akbar' w e should ponder over t he fact t hat Allah ( SWT) is t he great est , t hat every t hing in t his w orld belongs t o Him , t hat any t hing w e are able t o achieve is only by His w ill. We need t o fam iliarise ourselves w it h t he reasons behind t he act ions w e are perform ing. An exam ple of t his is in sajdah ( prost rat ion) . When w e bow our heads in saj dah we are t elling Allah ( SWT) t hat w e are in com plet e subm ission t o His w ill as w e are in t he low est posit ion a hum an being can physically be in. I f we can m ake our sal h a t rue m i r j t hen we w ill be on t he pat h t o becom ing one of t he t hree hundred and t hirt een net w ork leaders for our Hujjah (ATF). May Allah ( SWT) giv e us t he t aw f q t o achieve t his and t o hast en t he reappearance of t he I m m of our t im e.
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- : Continued : Kum a yl b. Ziy d a l- N a k h ' , :
How m any are t hey and w here could t hey be found? I sw ear by Allah t hat t hey are very few in num ber but t heir w ort h and t heir ranks before Allah are very high. Through t hem Allah preserves His Guidance so t hat t hey, w hile depart ing, m ay hand over t hese t rut hs t o persons like t hem selves. The know ledge w hich t hey have acquired has m ade t hem see t he realit ies and visualize t he t r ut h and has inst illed int o t hem t he spirit of fait h and t rust . They t ake easy w hat t he easygoing regard as hard. They feel happy in t he com pany and associat ion of t hings w hich fright en t he ignorant and uneducat ed. They live in t his w orld like everybody else but t heir souls soar t o t he height s of Divine Em inence. They are m edium s of Allah on t his eart h and t hey invit e people t ow ards Him . How I love t o m eet t hem O Kum ayl! I have told you all that I have to say, you can go back t o your place w henever you like. This say ing is self explanat ory, in t he sense t hat t he m essage it cont ains is very clear, how ever, one m ust j ust ly evaluat e him self t o fit I m m Al ( AS) s crit eria of a Sh ah. I t w ould not be w rong t o say t hat Kum ayl w as am ongst t he ones I m m ( AS) has praised in t his saying. As it w ould also be right t o say t hat Kum ay l w as of such a rank t hat he could carry t his secret , ot herw ise, t he I m m ( AS) w ould not t ell him either.
also in Nahj al- Bal ghah:
room for improvement.
O Kum ayl, direct y our people t o go out in t he day t o achieve noble t rait s and t o go out in t he night t o m eet t he needs of t hose w ho m ight be sleeping, for I swear by Him Whose hearing ext ends t o all v oices if ev er som eon e pleases anot her s heart , Allah w ill creat e a special t hing out of t his pleasing so t hat w henever any hardship befalls him it w ill com e running like flow ing w at er and drive aw ay t he hardship as w ild cam els are driven aw ay. The above and all other tradit ions from and about Kum ayl prove his high spiritual status. His brief life hist ory t hat has reached us also show s t he m odest y and sim plicit y of his life. The lifest yle of t he I nfallibles ( AS) is a role m odel for us; how ever, t he lead t o t he life of t he I nfallibles is t hrough t heir t rue com panions. One can be very m uch sure about Kum ayl being one of t hose w ho can lead t o t he w ay in w hich t he I m m s wished us to follow. References . Haq qah can be t ranslat ed as truth, fact and essence. . Et ernal: t he One wit hout beginning. . Bahjat al- m l Rawdh t al- Jann t
, .
.
Nahj al- Bal ghah
.
.
Nahj al- Bal ghah
.
Charles Darw in, w ho developed t he idea of evolut ion ( w hilst on a voyage on HMS Beagle t o t he Galapagos, and has w rit t en t he book on The , w as him self a devout Christ ian and believed in t he idea of evolut ion as w ell as a believ ing t hat God caused evolut ion t o occur. How ever, there are scientific books such as Darw inism on t rial, w hich provide solid ev idence against t his conj ect ure. So it seem s ( if not useless) , ineffect ive t o use t he conj ect ure of evolut ion t o disprove t he exist ence of Allah (SWT). The t hird argum ent t o prove Allah ( SWT) s exist ence is t he argum ent of probabilit y based on t he m at hem at ician Blaise Pascal s ideas on condit ional probabilit y. This argum ent can be very sim ply represent ed by t he t ree diagram below. From t he diagram above we can see clearly t hat one is at an advant age in believing in Allah ( SWT) w het her or not He exist s. I f He does exist and w e believe in Him and obey Him t he w ay He is t o be obeyed, t hen w e w ill be rew arded. I f we believe in Him and He is non- exist ent t hen not hing is gained but not hing
Affirming the Existence of God, :
-
it s funct ion at a specific t im e but sim ult aneously w e m ay not be perfect as beings w it h
Kum ayl has narrat ed anot her t radit ion, very short and ext rem ely high in m essage. I t is m ent ioned in m any books of t he ulam and Shaykh Bah has w rit t en it in his collection of forty had t h. It is
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% chance t hat
- : Lantern of path : w e m ay end up going t o hell, so probabilist ically t here is only one possible gain - if one does believe in t he exist ence of Allah (SWT). These t hree argum ent s are
of Allah ( SWT) , but none provide w hat w e w ould regard as em pirical proof. They only help t o est ablish t he fact t hat it is m ore rat ional t o believe t hat Allah ( SWT) exist s and leaves us to exercise our right of freew ill; w het her t o believe in Allah ( SWT) or not , given t he fact t hat probabilist ically w e are in a bet t er posit ion if we do believe in Him.
at ing from Christ 's College Cam bridge. Books include Evidence of t he Exist ence and t he At t r ibut es of t he Diet y . Sodom ( Tham d) and Gom or rah
(AS) and H d ( AS) were sent as m essengers. The nat ions w er e dest r oy ed by v olcanic eruptions by Allah ( SWT) - a punishm ent for practising hom osex ualit y .
References
few of t he m any series of argum ent s t hat m ay be put forw ard t o prove t he exist ence
St Augustine of Hippo - Rom an African ( Algeria in Africa was part of t he Rom an Em pire) . He was a philosopher w ho becam e t he Bishop of Hippo. For him , Christianit y was a m at t er of spirit not law.
Cit y of God, by St . Augustine
Origin of Species, by Char les Darwin
) - Becam e an Anglican Priest aft er gradu-
Lantern of the Path
)
Whoev er has not t hrown off his anxieties, been purified of t he evils of his self and it s appetit es, defeat ed Sat an, and ent er ed under the guar dianship of Allah ( SWT) and t he securit y of His prot ect ion, cannot properly enj oin what is good and forbid what is evil; and since he has not at t ained t hese aforem entioned qualities, w hat ev er affair he t ackles in at t em pt ing t o enj oin what is good and forbid what is evil will be a proof against him , and people will not benefit fr om it . Allah ( SWT) said, W ha t ! D o you e n j oin m e n t o be good and n e gle ct your ow n sou ls? ) Anyone who does t hat is called upon t hus: Oh t rait or! Do you dem and from My creat ion t hat which you hav e rej ect ed for yourself and hav e slack ened t he reins [ in t his regard] upon yourself? I t is r elat ed t hat Tha labah al- Asad asked t he Messenger ( SAWWS) of Al lah ( SWT) ab ou t t h is v er se: O you w ho be lie ve ! Ta k e ca r e of your sou ls; h e w ho errs cannot hurt you when you are on the right way ) The Messenger of Allah ( SWT) said, Enj oin what is good and for bid what is evil, and be for bearing in what ev er afflict s you, until such t im e when y ou see m eanness obey ed and passions followed, and w hen ever yone w ill hav e conceit about t heir own opinion, t hen you should concern y ourself only wit h y our self, and ignore t he affairs of t he com m on people. A person w ho enj oins what is good needs t o be knowledgeable about what is per m issible and w hat is for bidden; he m ust be fr ee from his personal inclinations regarding what he enj oins and forbids, giv e good counsel t o people, be m er ciful and com passionat e t o t hem , and call t hem wit h gent leness in a v ery clear m anner , w hile r ecognizing t heir different charact ers so t hat he can put each in his proper place. He m ust see t he int rigues of t he self and t he m achinations of Sat an. He m ust be pat ient in what ev er befalls him , and m ust not seek com pensat ion from people for t hat which he inst ruct s t hem in, nor com plain about t hem . He should not m ak e use of v ehem ence or passion. He should not becom e angry for his own sak e. He should
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Our Philosophy , by Ayat ullah Muhammad Baqir as- Sadr
by Imam Ja`far as-S diq (AS) m ake his int ention purely for Allah ( SWT) , and seek His help and desire Him . But if people oppose him and are har sh t o him , he m ust be pat ient ; and if t hey agree w ith him and accept his v er dict , he m ust be t hank ful, ent rust ing his affair t o Allah ( SWT) and looking t o his own fault s. How the Men of Knowledge are Ruined Caut ion and fear ar e t he legacy of k nowledge and it s m easure; knowledge is t he ray of gnosis and t he heart of belief. Whoev er is denied caution is not a m an of k nowledge, even if he can split hairs in dealing wit h obscure it em s of knowledge. Allah ( SWT) said: ) Men of knowledge are r uined by eight t hings: gr eed and m iserliness, showing off and par tisanship, love of praise, delving int o t hings whose realit y t hey cannot reach, affect at ion by t aking excessive pains t o beaut ify t heir speech wit h super fluous expressions, lack of m odest y befor e Allah ( SWT) , boast fulness, and not act ing upon what t hey k now . Jesus ( AS) said, 'The m ost w ret ched of all people is he who is k now n for his knowledge, not for his actions.' The Holy Pr ophet ( SAWWS) said, 'Do not sit wit h every presum pt uous caller who sum m ons you from cert aint y t o doubt , fr om sincerit y t o showing off, from hum ilit y t o pride, fr om good counsel t o enm it y , and fr om abst inence t o desire. Draw near t o t he person wit h k nowledge, who sum m ons y ou from pride t o hum ilit y , from showing off t o sincerit y, fr om doubt t o cer t aint y , from desir e t o abst inence, from enm it y t o good counsel.' None are fit t o pr each t o cr eat ion except t hat person who has gone beyond t hese evils by his t rut hfulness. He sees t he fault s of speech and knows what is sound fr om what is unsound, t he defectiv eness of t hought s, and t he t em pt at ions of t he self and his fancies. Al ( AS) said, 'Be like t he k ind, com passionat e doct or who places t he r em edy where it will be of benefit .' They asked Jesus ( AS) , 'Wit h whom shall we sit , O Spirit of Allah ( SWT) ?' 'Wit h one t he sight of whom rem inds y ou of Allah ( SWT) ,' he replied, 'and whose speech increases y ou in knowledge, and whose act ions m ak e you desire t he nex t world.'
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