In the House of the King: Wondering about the Hajj

Alhamdulillah (praise and thanks be to God), it has been ten years since I was privileged with the Hajj.  I look back at this piece every year, more as a statement of who I was.  I was so young and so idealistic.  Now, I am so old and so jaded.  And, it has only been a decade.

Back then, this piece was a statement about the incomprehensibility of the world.  Now, it is a statement that — no matter how much I may change — we will keep revolving.

 

In the House of the King: Wondering about the Hajj

Written when I was a much younger man …

Jamil al-Amin at Benefit for Kwame Toure

Thanks to Abu Noor Al-Irlandee for the link.

Al-Awlaki’s transformation: Response to Abu Noor Al-Irlandee

In response to my blog postings/comments about Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki, Abu Noor Al-Irlandee poses the following response:

Regarding al-Awlaki and his alleged Transformation

There has a been a great deal of discussion in this blog as well as many places across the internet about the alleged transformation or ideological shift of Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki into one preaching fighting and armed conflict.

Similarly, I asserted that the comments on his blog (which has since been taken down) might not be from him.  Note, however, that I am not saying that he went through any ideological transformation.  Rather, the style of writing has changed. 

Muslim Inverse Tribalism

In a way, this post is a sequel to the post Reactive Nation. The concern is yet again relevant in light of recent events.

It began long before 9/11, perhaps after the first WTC bombing in 1993.   Perhaps it began with the Salman Rushdie affair at the end of the 1980s.  Perhaps it began earlier.  But, over the course of the decades, we have developed a particular, problematic, tribalistic culture in our community.  We’ve developed a posture in the community of apologizing and ostracizing.

Zaid Shakir speaks about Ft. Hood

Imam Zaid Shakir is one of the most respected Islamic scholars among the Muslims in America.  He writes  authoritatively about the shooting.

Short Open Letter to Anwar al-Awlaki

In response to his blog posting “Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing.”  I would post this letter as a “comment” on that blog entry, but I do not trust that that blog is legitimately his.  Some of the blog postings are so shortsighted and simplistic that I do not expect that they are from Anwar al-Awlaki or any scholar in his/her right mind.  Compare the loose accusations in the Nidal Hassan entry with the careful comments in this National Geographic interview.

Fatalism is Cocaine

Governments often seek to control land, wealth, and resources.  Religionists often seek to control hearts.  Governments often seek to control religionists.

Fatalism is Opium

It is easier to subdue an oppressed population with malicious theology than with the proliferation of vices.  Of course, we often find both together.  The liquor store on one block, and the temple on the next.

In the great discussions of theology we often find people locking horns over the simple question of Free Will vs. Pre-Destination.  I discuss the importance of moving the theoretical discussion into a practical result here.  Part of my concern regarding fatalism is that fatalism is often “fatal.”  Meaning, those who take a fatalist outlook on life often disempower themselves.  That is a serious problem. 

Charity, Truth, and the Inverse Capitalist Impulse

Of the many words in the Islamic tradition for “truth,” one is synonymous with charity, and another is synonymous with “rights.”  When you consider the giving of charity and when you consider the fulfillment of someone’s rights, consider it to be an act of “truth.”