It’s one of those days. You woke up late and missed a make-up test for a test you missed before because you woke up late. You just got a call from your manager and you’ve been “laid off.” Your friends are being acting up. Your laptop died mid essay writing. You walked home soaking wet because you, like a genius, forgot your umbrella even though rain has been forecasted for three days. You just looked at your calendar and realised that it’s early March and assignment deadlines and final exams loom in the not so distant horizon, dark and threatening a violent storm. It seems like the hours of the day are getting shorter while your to-do list just keeps stretching out; there seems to be no relief in sight.

In situations like this, it’s so easy to wallow in misery and let bad feelings fester. So, here are a few reminders that insha’Allah will help to keep yours and my chin up!

 - Umar al-Khattab (radiallahu anhu)  whenever he faced any difficulty, he would be take heart and say:

1)     The calamity is not losing one’s deen. 
2)     It could have been worse.
3)     Allah forgives my sins for my suffering.
4)     Any loss after losing the Prophet (SAW) is nothing.

- The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wassalam) said : “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2999). 

- The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wassalam) said: “The du’aa’ of the person who is in distress is: ‘Allaahumma rahmataka arjoo fa laa takilni ilaa nafsi tarfat ‘ayn wa aslih li sha’ni kullahu laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah, for Your mercy I hope, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for the blink of an eye; rectify all my affairs. There is no god except You)’”

 - And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) has said in the Qur’an: (translation) “Verily with every difficulty there is relief.” [Ash-Sharh 94:6]

And really, at the end of the day, how bad do we really have it? There are people who have lost loved ones. There are people facing bombs, occupation, earthquakes, famine and homelessness. Allah has blessed us, and real calamities (may Allah protect us) and these off days are excellent in reminding us to be thankful. Alhamdulillah. 

The Harper administration and the conservative Party of Canada have named Gerard Latulippe to be president of the federal organization responsible for promoting human rights and democracy around the world.

This is man that was rejected by all three opposition parties, Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois due to his hyper-partisan. But, the Harper government decided otherwise and named him late at night after the 11pm broadcast of the news.  

Gerard Latulippe wrote a report that warned the provincial government of Quebec in 2007 against Muslim immigrants. According to Latulippe assimilation with Muslim immigrants can’t occur and that allowing such immigrants increases the risk of domestic terrorism. 

“Geographic concentration of more and more immigrants from Muslim countries” undermined “the proper functioning of Quebec society.”

It seems as if being Islamophobic is plus for the Harper government to let one access taxpayer money, some of which comes from the Muslim immigrants.

“I did have intimate relationships for a period that lasted throughout most of last year with women other than my partner.”    - Adam Giambrone, 32, Toronto Transit Commission Chair 

These were the words of confession of a seemingly emotional and apologetic former mayoral candidate after the widespread public news emergence of his multiple affairs. Although Giambrone denied the allegations at first, the countless text messages and phone conversations that his famous former paramour, Kirsten Lucas, a 20 year old university student, could provide, were things which could not be overlooked.  Seeing that his primary pretences were being proven false in front of his very eyes, Giambrone confessed many days later. His live-in partner of many years, Sarah McQuarrie, had no comment. 

The manner in which one deals with the issues which arise in their personal life, be it a politician or not, speaks measures about their personality. Cheating and deceitful ways, whether in a position of power in the bedroom, or the courtroom, are easily transferred from one aspect of the person’s life to another. A high profile authority figure’s tampered reputation, especially that of a politician, undoubtedly raises concerns and questions about the future of the governed region as a whole. “If he could have hid this, then what else could he be hiding?”. 

The question here isn’t about the fact that one of his mistresses was twelve years his junior, or about the fact that numerous City Hall secrets were disclosed to her… The question here is about whether it’s any of our business. 

If we as human beings, began to care less about the faults and aberrations of others, and began to focus on our own thinking and behaviour, we’d actively become conscious of how much it is, that we have yet to learn. Acknowledging where we have blundered, and pinpointing where we have tripped, will allow for us to pave the path upon which we travel on, in a smoother direction. Picking out another’s miscalculations, misapplications, and missteps, in a condescending manner, concerning the cohesiveness of their conduct with that of their religion is an act of blasphemy. So the child has stolen, the woman has lied, and the man has cheated… How can we assume ourselves the right, or the God-like quality, to judge another’s actions and the intentions behind those actions? The answer: we can’t. 

So Adam Giambrone, age 32, Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission, had multiple affairs with women other than his partner throughout the course of last year. So it is so. What have you done?

 

Recently, I was going through some of my old Philosophy work and I happened to come across some work on atheism, the doctrine or belief that there is no God, and I came across this interesting exchange between student and teacher.

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new students to stand and...

Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?
Student has no answer.

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.

To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving and alive.

Nowadays, we have science proving everything to us, left and right. Many a times, we get lost in the wonders of the scientific findings and perhaps lost our faith just a little. We must remember that without faith, we have nothing.