The world is inundated with the news of the loss of one man’s life these days. Osama bin Laden is top of the headlines and on the mouths and minds of people from sea to shining sea. Heck, I don’t even have a television and I never watch or read the news, and even I know all about it!
From conversations to Facebook posts I feel like I have a play by play. I even read a blog by one of my favorite Imam’s (Khalid Latif) explaining why a burial at sea is not against sharia (Islamic law). It may be the first time that I do not totally agree with the man…but that’s off topic.
So really, what can I add and why am I writing about it? I am no scholar of Islam. In fact, I am like a newborn in this faith, having only reverted 4 years ago. And what drew me so swiftly to this beautiful religion was the totality of the Koran. The justice and peace I was preached in every Surah moves me even still today. And, in every comment, in every rendition of what’s happened to Osama bin Laden, I’ve rarely heard reference to these fundaments of our faith.
As Muslims, it is not our right or place to judge another. Our greatest example was in Rasulallah, the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). This beautiful man endured profane acts of terrorism from every which direction, including from within his own family. He was beaten, his life was threatened countless numbers of times, for heaven’s sake, he and his family were almost starved to death. Yet, time after time after time after time, our beloved Prophet (PBUH) prayed over his enemies, sought every opportunity to offer peace where war was waged, and (most importantly) forgave. He forgave his trespassers. He forgave his enemies. He forgave and sought to forgive.
Rasulallah (PBUH) experienced the divine mercy of Allah (SWT) and with every ounce of his being he sought to bring that mercy to each and every one of us. This is our faith. This is our Islam!
We may rejoice at a hindrance to the operations of a terrorist network. I am ecstatic to see Muslims and non-Muslims unite over the demise of a false representation of Islam. But we should never excite ourselves over the death of another human being. Like it or not, every human on this earth has the same opportunity to seek Allah (SWT) until his last breath. And it is not ours to judge or decide his soul's journey. Our FAITH is that we come from our Creator and to our Creator we return (inna illahi wa inna lillahi rajioun). How we live in this world (dunya) is our choice, but how we live in our hearts, in our minds and in our prayer is known and judged only by Allah (SWT).
Let us not get caught up in the hatred. If we accept our faith and live it with true Iman, we will seek to protect ourselves from the darkness of worldly judgment.
For Osama bin Laden, I say: inna illahi wa inna lillahi rajioun.
You put into words which was in my mind...and you put it so eloquently.
ReplyDeleteAlhamdulillah for the strong people he has guided to this faith. Yes the true faith and not the one that people portray us to be.
Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) who is the most truthful (of the human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) said: Verily your creation is on this wise. The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother's womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.
ReplyDeleteDear Zee:
ReplyDeleteYou did indeed make your point eloquently.
I am a secualar Canadian - well, with Buddhist leanings - who abhors the barbaric American celebrations of the death of bin Laden.
YES, bad characters like bin Laden should be hunted down. BUT THEN held for trial at the International Criminal Court.
The American assassination of bin Laden goes against all Honor and Justice.
If tried at the Criminal Courts, no doubt bin Laden would have been convicted for Crimes Against Humanity and duly put to death.
Only then should anyone - especially Americans - "celebrate," not the death of a man, but fair and just legal process which led to the death.
The American assassination of bin Laden was barbaric, and Americans should hang their heads in shame.
But then, this is a country with a long, long history of war-mongering, barbarism, torture, and genocide.
America may be going to hell: http://americanotstandingstill.com/