Naeem's Blog

One just never knows these days... people are infl...

2012-05-18T14:42:44.774+03:00

One just never knows these days... people are influenced by their peers too, so even if they're not watching it but their friends are, who knows. It seems like Shaytaan is just everywhere, seemingly moreso than ever before.

Anyway, here's a link that concurs with your findings:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2146176/Bad-language-books-Harry-Potter-Twilight-encourage-teens-swear.html

@Anon, Aww isn't that cute, my wife's left...

2012-05-16T04:47:02.949+03:00

@Anon, Aww isn't that cute, my wife's left her first ever comment. Next time dear, pump the brakes on your hero-worship. :-)

@DL, nice comment. Appreciate the thought you put into it.

Totally agree with you about introducing teacher-moderated discussions about some pop-culture material. Complete censorship is a always problematic.

The onslaught of pop-culture is so overwhelming that our best bet is to counter it instead of trying to naively prohibit it.

WRT to younger ulama, I just don't think that's enough. Culture wars aren't won merely by lectures, but by offering better alternatives. And even then, the pressure of the dominant culture is all too often too much to resist.

Hey, my name is Humza. It used to be spelled Hamza...

2012-05-14T18:18:50.893+03:00

Hey, my name is Humza. It used to be spelled Hamza initially because I was born in Pakistan and it wasn't a problem there but in Texas people pronounced it HAM-za..so I started writing Humza instead of Hamza...that did help a bit but alot of people would pronounce it HOOOM-za which annoyed the hell out of me but gave me a reason to poke fun at them at their illiteracy. Later I didn't have any problem with it because I think people have become more familiar with the name now. I don't remember the last time I had an issue actually and its spelled Humza!

You'll always get criticisms of fads. I rememb...

2012-05-14T10:49:29.930+03:00

You'll always get criticisms of fads. I remember when I was young, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was massive, and i heard a story about some kid that went down into a sewer looking for them. I think most kids then (and now) do know the difference between fiction and fact.

But the lines can be blurred, and like you say those subtle themes are very dangerous.

But real and frightening consequences do occur too. I don't know if this is an outright imitation or an enactment of those subtle themes, but i've heard of vampire-inspired, hedonistic parties that teenagers go to where they extract vials of blood from each other (don't know if they actually drink it)...apparently this stems from the sensuality put forward in the vampire stories / movies like Twilight.

My wife teaches at a strict Islamic school, and their policy is that the girls aren't even allowed to discuss these books / movies in class. I think that's kind of hardline - because a teacher-moderated discussion (which adds a wise, Islamic perspective) is, i believe, more beneficial than just blocking it out.

But the fact is that even the kids from religious families are facing these things. And maybe it's easier in your environment to avoid such things - but for the rest of us, out in the wild 'west' - there's no escaping it. I actually read that Iran recently banned 'The Simpsons' and 'Barbie' due to the ideological conflicts that those western icons have with Islam. (of course, that was a big joke / oppressive censorship in the eyes of many non-muslims).

I think for most kids, those classical texts won't be appealing at all. WHich is why, in terms of deen, I think the younger ulama (e.g. Al Maghrib Institute and the like) are so critical - because they themselves are relatively young, they relate more to the youth, and they speak the language of our generation - which is exactly what we need.

Can I just be you and have your insight?

2012-05-14T08:45:18.983+03:00

Can I just be you and have your insight?

Assalamu alaikum, Sorry for the late reply but I ...

2012-04-29T12:55:31.881+03:00

Assalamu alaikum,

Sorry for the late reply but I just wanted to say good job brother for refuting Ghannouchi's statement. I agree that there's alot of misconceptions over what Islamic law is and it doesn't help that even Muslims are confused and ignorant as to what it actually is.

I can find the God by nature. The Problem is we do...

2012-04-16T15:19:07.808+03:00

I can find the God by nature. The Problem is we don't look into nature. Nature is what is all about around us like Forest, Mountain, soil, Greens , Trees, Moon and Sun etc every sort of beauty may lead to enhance the faith of an individual towards Allah Almighty.
Science concept is to investigate the universe what God made for us and how?

Personally, I like it.

2012-04-09T11:54:15.109+03:00

Personally, I like it.

Hello KAQ, Thanks for the comments. As always, m...

2012-04-08T05:22:32.962+03:00

Hello KAQ,

Thanks for the comments. As always, much appreciated.

I agree, there is no *contradiction* between science and faith. There is no epic battle being waged between the forces of good and evil (you can choose which side science and faith fall on)...

My post was just about the subtle sweetness of faith in being able to simply explain everything as a miraculous act of God.

With your example of the boiling water, how much more in awe of God would your child be if the explanation was that water is boiling because God has mysteriously provided mankind with this blessing by which we are able to enjoy tea?

I adamantly believe that ignorance is NOT bliss and thus am not calling for everyone to leave pursuit for knowledge and run to the jungles.

Just saying...

Hi Naeem Thanks for this post. It was great to re...

2012-04-04T15:27:08.157+03:00

Hi Naeem

Thanks for this post. It was great to read. Can you say a bit more about what conclusions you came to on Christianity and what you looked at to find out what Christians believe?

Hi Naeem, I think it's sweeter to be able se...

2012-04-04T15:10:42.958+03:00

Hi Naeem,

I think it's sweeter to be able see the intricacies of the world and the universe that scientists have helped us to see and then to know that God designed all this.

Also I don't see any contradiction between saying that atoms have caused something and at the same time God has caused something. If a young child asks his dad why water is boiling in a pan, his dad might say: "the gas is reacting with the oxygen to generate heat in the flame. The heat from the flame transfers to the pan which transfers to the water which affects the atoms in the water causing it to boil." The he asks his mum why the water is boiling. She says: "Because I am making a cup of tea". Both answers are true.

Similarly earthquakes occur because of the movement of tectonic plates but they also occur to show the power of God, the mortality of man and the brokenness of this world.

AA- @Fahad, and how exactly do you propose we fol...

2012-03-30T05:55:07.986+03:00

AA-

@Fahad, and how exactly do you propose we follow the example of the Prophet (saw)? After all, everybody and his brother is calling for the same.

@Anon, although the term 'democratic' is technically neutral, in our current political environment, its clearly referring to the Western liberal democratic style. Certainly, no one is referring to Iran's implementation of democracy, right?

So with such a skewed context, I really am weary of Muslims struggling to implement democratic reforms and what not.

We have to accept the stark reality that we are operating under the civilizational burden of centuries of Western subjugation and that toll is extremely taxing. And so, we are constantly playing the role of the slave and viewing the world through the master's tinted glasses.

From my understanding Secularism is unislamic the ...

2012-03-29T21:29:33.809+03:00

From my understanding Secularism is unislamic the same could be said of a theocracy. The challenge is how do we create a modern 'Islamic state.' that's also 'democratic'.

I appreciate the fact that you accept various inpu...

2012-03-29T15:25:09.928+03:00

I appreciate the fact that you accept various inputs and then try to reflect on this. This classical debate can be better understood when you try to analyze how the separation of church & state came about in the west. Karen Armstrong's book did a wonderful job of understanding what caused that separation to come about over the centuries. She explained it by the increase of logos (logic) and decrease in mythos (myth - the precursor & underlying theme of 'religion'). If muslims sincerely want the correct balance between secularism & theocracy we must first learn from the example of our beloved prophet & then use reason to charter new pathways in to our future..... my two bits.

AA- DL, Sorry for late reply, but I figured the t...

2012-03-22T05:37:07.364+03:00

AA- DL,

Sorry for late reply, but I figured the two Anons summed up by response.

If you've been reading my blog long enough, you'll agree that I am a staunch believer in the need for spiritual reform.

My only qualm is that the vast majority of the spiritually-inclined relieve themselves of their socio-political responsibilities.

For too long, we've been duped into this line of thinking. It must change.

Interesting post. Inspired by this post, I have ...

2012-03-17T22:17:25.643+03:00

Interesting post.

Inspired by this post, I have created my list of 18 things to accomplish before you are 18 and posted it here:

http://theshardulofallah.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/18-things-to-accomplish-before-you-are-18/

We are not Hakuna Matata people, we struggle on th...

2012-03-17T03:35:02.795+03:00

We are not Hakuna Matata people, we struggle on the inside, and on the outside. One is not exclusive of the other - just because we do zikr and try to refine our character does not mean we exempted from our community obligations. We need dawa, building schools, hospitals and stuggle

@Dreamlife I agree. But you also need community ac...

2012-03-17T03:28:25.230+03:00

@Dreamlife
I agree. But you also need community activism - people too often use the "change within" pretext to rule out any mobilization.

"Must we restrict ourselves to the ‘revolutio...

2012-03-15T08:33:41.234+03:00

"Must we restrict ourselves to the ‘revolution within’? In the midst of all this global uncertainty, where are the Muslims to offer their Divinely-inspired solutions?"

Change starts within. If each and every one of us changed within ourselves, it would mean we would live the deen the way we're supposed to - which then means that on a community, local, national, then international level, the changes would come.

It all starts from within...

Have been using squat toilet for the last TWENTY y...

2012-03-08T19:19:26.683+03:00

Have been using squat toilet for the last TWENTY years. Squat toilet over sitting toilet any day!

Reading about toilets is not a blog post I normall...

2012-03-03T08:52:08.764+03:00

Reading about toilets is not a blog post I normally expect to come across LOL! But thanks for the reminder about the benefits of squat toiletting brother! I admit to still being squeamish about using these things (we have a squat toilet right here in our Saudi apt and let's just say only male guests use it LOL!)We do use them however when necessity arises, like during trips around Saudi.
I think that if Muslim countries ever become economically developed Insha'Allah (through Islam of course) that we should not give up the people's use of squat toilets just for the luxury of living in homes with conventional toilets. They're more economically and environmentally sound and besides I've heard people used to squat toilets finding it uncomfortable using the type Westerners are used to!

I squat on regular toilets and then wash the area ...

2012-02-27T21:00:01.098+03:00

I squat on regular toilets and then wash the area with water and soap,I really don't understand the logic behind using only water,if you think about it you wash your hands with soap so why not the area as well.

dreamlife ..i felt exactly like your last paragrap...

2012-02-26T07:52:51.147+03:00

dreamlife ..i felt exactly like your last paragraph when giving birth

At my age and with a jilbab, it is definitely a le...

2012-02-25T07:29:04.915+03:00

At my age and with a jilbab, it is definitely a learning curve. Thanks for the hilarious video; will definitely share it on FB :)

Well if it's a sunnah, we already know it'...

2012-02-24T08:32:00.237+03:00

Well if it's a sunnah, we already know it's the best methodology - even without knowing the science behind it.

I must admit that it was something i dreaded when going to Saudi, and so i just avoided it (and thinking about it)...i was going to leave it until Mina (since the hotels all had 'normal' toilets) - but then i was forced to go out of necessity in Masjidul Qiblatain of all places....and i had to just do it.

Psychologically, i think the fears we build up during the anticipation is much worse than the actual event. And when you're forced to do something, you just break through all those barriers and do what you need to do.

The mind is a strange, but controllable thing :)