Jihad…it’s not a dirty word!

Allow me to steal a line from one of my favorite musicals, Rent: How do you measure the life of a woman or a man? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee? In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife?

How do you measure life?

A little over a year ago, a friend gave his explanation of the purpose of life (as a Muslim): To earn your way to jennah (heaven).  Of course, we spoke at length, but nothing stood out more than this statement.  What I have taken away from that conversation is that life is simply an obstacle course; a test of faith that ultimately determines our station in the akhira (hereafter). 

Now that’s an incredible thought. Life is just a test of faith.  So the stronger your faith, the easier life becomes? I suppose we each have to answer that for ourselves.  But, allow me to interject my personal belief: YES!

When you operate from a place of faith, then the world and its complexities become so simplified!  Even the tough stuff becomes minor league.  Eventually, every frustration becomes an opportunity to express patience; every adversity an opportunity to deepen your faith and express forgiveness.  We actually become blessed with 524,600 minutes every year to be thankful.  But is that realistic!?  Hmmmm…therein lies the TEST!

The truth is, we all struggle at some point to find our balance, to see and seek the good in ourselves and the world around us.  If we place Allah in the center of this struggle, what we really have is a personal jihad (striving).  And isn’t this the goal?

Our beautiful Koran, and the example of our beloved Prophet (PBUH), expound on all the ways to overcome life’s difficulties.  Reliance on Allah, turning to Allah, and praising Allah are surely the answer.  And yet, our test is in believing, and then practicing. 

It amazes me how wrapped up we can become in the day to day of living.  We are all guilty of allowing the guy who cut us off on the highway to agitate us for hours instead of thanking God that we didn’t have an accident.  We give so much importance to the people around us and the commodities we obtain, that we actually allow ourselves to live for them.  But our parents don’t earn our deeds, and no asten marten will drive to heaven.  And inasmuch, we are all in need of engaging in our own personal jihad. 

When Allah is at the center of life, our struggles become opportunities, our accomplishments are blessings, and every day is truly a gift.  It is amazing what happens to the world around us when we strive to live it as the test it really is. 

So, I dare you to strive a little, take up your own personal jihad, and see how life transforms.  Who knows, you may just find your way to heaven!

Jihad has many purposes in Islam.  This is one aspect. I am not a religious scholar, and I have no desire to argue the tenets of jihad in its various forms.  Thank you J

One Girl's Take on U.S. Relations...and Islam

With the utmost respect, I am honored and proud to call Barak Obama my President. I believe he has gone a long way in attempts to rectify the beleaguered relations between the “west” and “Islam”. The President’s speech in Egypt at the onset of his term was an enormous step forward; a breath of fresh air – if I may. Unfortunately, these efforts have slipped, and today barely hold weight. Recent events concerning Osama bin Laden sadly seem to have brought all progress to a halt.

With the fate of so much at a crux (Obama’s Presidency, the reputation of Islam, and U.S. relations with critical states around the globe), there are a few things I wish the Administration would consider. These are my humble thoughts:

1.     What makes a terrorist is not his religion, but his socio-economic position. People join extremist groups because they’re looking for a better way of living, and zealots of any sort are always willing to provide one. Take a look at inner-city gangs. The difference between a violent street gang and a violent terrorist group is the collateral damage they’re able to inflict.

2.    There are loose cannons in every faith who manage to gain a large following. The largest in the U.S. that I am aware of went by the name of the Ku Klux Klan and claimed to represent Christianity. Every society, every religion, and every race has its extremists. The question no one has managed to answer (hmmm…did they ever ask it!?) is: how do we effectively appeal to the followers? I haven’t seen anyone offer the disenfranchised youth who get wrapped up in carrying out the bad deeds of bad people a better alternative. (Did we learn anything from the Cold War?)

3.    I’d venture to say that most Muslims wouldn’t be offended if President Obama stated: I’m not a Muslim, but I don’t know why it matters. Walking on eggshells afraid to offend one group or another only breeds distrust among us all. A good strategic effort to clarify misinterpretations between what is Islam and what is terrorism would go a long way in soothing the open wounds on both sides of the table. Feed people the truth! Eventually they’ll have to sit down and take a bite ;)

4.    Osama bin Laden was not loved by most Muslims, but he was a man, created by God, and inasmuch, we respect his right to decency in death. This is a doozy! How do you explain this to a world of people who can’t see past their hatred? I have no good answer. But I say, President Obama should. His advisors and field  specialists should. At this point, the only explanation it seems that he can provide is an apology that tinges on sincere understanding of the Islamic perspective, and a sincere stance that he acted in the best interest of his country. (I may or may not agree with that decision, but I’m not the leader of the free world!)

5.    If we are to get anywhere in rectifying relations with America and Islam, it will only be done with soft power, sincere and consistent efforts, and the advisement of those who actually practice the faith. Really, it’s quite necessary to receive intelligence on Islam from qualified (and I mean professionally qualified, i.e. religiously, politically and academically – we do exist) Muslims. If America can learn to speak to Arabs as Arabs, Muslims as Muslims, and nations as nations, we would find ourselves in a much different place.

These are just the musings of one American muslimah! Feel free to share your own (kindly).

To love or hate the life of a man: The death of Osama bin Laden

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.