The stories of the Prophets (peace be upon them) are told as sources of inspiration. The hardships they faced and their response to the adversities are there to set an example for the rest of the Ummah. The stories of many Prophets are told in the Quran and one may be surprised to discover the detail through which the stories are narrated and the lessons that one can derive from them.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of this duniya, I stumbled upon a great parallel between the story of a Prophet and the hardships we are seeing Muslims faced with today. The story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) is one that is outlined in both the Bible and the Quran. It is a multi-faceted tale with many lessons to be derived. The account of the life of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) outlined in the Quran deals with issues of patience, trust, vengeance, jealousy and lust.

Although multiple parallels could be drawn between our lives and the issues that Yusuf (peace be upon him) faced, the one point of comparison I would like to delve into, is his patience and trust in Allah (swt) when he was unjustly imprisoned for nine years. After facing deceit from his brothers, he faced false accusations from a married woman who was in love with him. The Quran goes through the years of hardship Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) faced while in prison, and illustrates how he interpreted dreams of fellow prisoners. His virtue and patience eventually proved his innocence, and when he was released he did not seek revenge, but instead offered solutions to the problems his oppressors faced. He gave unconditional help without expecting reciprocation. The same society that oppressed him was the same nation that he helped and supported because he was now a resident of that country.

This holds a strong message of citizenship and it shows that we, as Muslims should be doing good deeds without expectation of reward and despite how you believe the other perceives you. One must expect reward from Allah (swt) in this duniya and in the hereafter, but while we are in this duniya, our job must be to be the best that we can be and aim towards bettering humanity. This does not mean that we should withstand injustice and be passive, but rather it means that we stand up for our rights where we feel we are being wronged, and we work towards building a greater whole.

We need to be conscious of the fact that we represent Islam in Canada (and other non-Muslim nations worldwide)—albeit as ethnic minorities, but as respectful and important integrals of society. Furthermore, we often forget that the Quran is not just a Holy Book that is meant to be read in Arabic, but should also be understood, internalized and seen as a guide to our way of life.

Once a man came to one of the early Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Adham (rahimahullah), asking about disobedience to Allah:

The Man said: "Oh Abu Ishaaq (Ibrahim ibn Adham), I have many sins, and I turn away from everything that invites me to improve my way of life."

Ibrahim said: "If you can fulfill five conditions, then sinning will never harm you, and you can fulfill your desires as much as you want."

"Tell me those conditions," exclaimed the man.

"As for the first, if you want to disobey Allah, then do not eat from His sustenance," said Ibrahim.

"What then will I eat, for everything on the earth is from His sustenance?" said the man.

"Listen," said Ibrahim "Are you being sensible when you eat from His sustenance while you are disobedient to Him?"

"No," said the man. "What is the second condition?"

"If you want to disobey Allah, then do not live in any of His lands," said Ibrahim.

"This is even worse than the first. All that is in the East and West belong to Him. So where then will I live?""Listen," said Ibrahim.

 "If you insist on disobeying Him while you eat from His sustenance and live in His lands, then at least look for some spot where He cannot see you, and disobey Him there."

"O Ibrahim!" exclaimed the man.

"How can I do that, when He even knows the deepest secrets that are in the breasts of men? What is the fourth condition?" he asked despondently.

"When the angel of death comes to take your soul, then say to him, 'Give me some respite, so that I can repent sincerely and perform good deeds.'"

"When the time comes, the angel will not accept that plea from me," said the man.

"Listen," said Ibrahim.

"If you cannot put off death in order to repent, then how do you expect to be saved?"

"Tell me the fifth condition," said the man.

"When the guardians of Hell-fire come to take you away on the Day of Resurrection, don't go with them."

"They won't let me!" exclaimed the man.

"Then how do you expect to be saved?" asked Ibrahim.

"Stop, stop! That is enough for me," said the man.
"I ask Allah to forgive me and I indeed repent to Him."

The man then dedicated his life to the worship of Allah from that day.

News about torture of Afghan prisoners always seemed to sink shortly after surfacing, particularly in Western media, but shadows of abuse and torture are starting to become too large to overlook. Many more accounts of torture and abuse at the US military’s Baghram prison in Afghanistan have emerged, now with much documented proof. Testimonies have been collected from first hand witnesses who describe human rights violations, similar to those exercised in Guantanamo Bay.

Human rights violations in the US military’s open air prison, Baghram, are uncountable and include treatment ranging from sleep deprivation, freezing temperatures and physical abuse with weapons. The only way the US and Canadian military members could have possibly justified any of this abuse and torture was to mentally dehumanize Afghan prisoners. Dehumanization would help them rationalize the abuse they put them through, making them less guilty conscious.

After many years of torture tales going untold, documented evidence has surfaced in the public eye, and the public awaits accountability and appropriate punishment for the wrongdoers. We can be hopeful that demanding accountability will stop further acts of abuse and force abusers to think twice before putting human beings through treatment worse than anyone would even imagine putting animals through.

Both the US and Canadian militaries and governments should, hopefully, face trials in which are due in any democratic society. Just because the majority view is the prevalent one, it is not at all necessary for it to be the correct view. All individual citizens of the state must realize the importance of upholding accountability in a democratic state; otherwise the true essence of democracy will soon begin to crumble.

A full public inquiry into detainee abuse has been called due to the pressure being built on the Harper government. The heart of democracy lies in dissent in which all viewpoints are vocalized and given the appropriate and due consideration. If we truly love our land, our patriotism should be evident through constructive criticism of the state as opposed to thoughtless conformity.

While working the night shift a guest calmly asked me, “Are you dangerous?”. Not knowing where this question was coming from I jokingly replied, “Only slightly”. The guest went on to explain that his friend had told him to ask all long bearded men whether they were dangerous. He seemed rather ecstatic explaining this to me. All the while his company informed me he was from Germany as if this was an explanation to the racist remark I had just heard. He went on to say, “I don’t think you’re dangerous”. Well, thanks?

I was awestruck by this. I didn’t know what to say. Later that night I experienced another guest mocking my name.

All I know is that racism has not been eradicated despite popular belief. No matter what naysayers may say; it’s healthy and live. It might be in a different form but it is there nonetheless. This may be a mild case of racism but if you want to see further evidence of racist thinking visit any Muslim related articles’ comment section on major press’ websites and you will see the sound of logic dummified.

Experts claim that through emailing, chatting, and other forms of online communication that our younger generation may be losing their ability to have a face to face dialogue in real time. Clever witty responses are the hallmark of online conversations but rarely do you see the same interaction in person. This is all because you are able to gather your thoughts and take your time when responding online. When put on the spot… Results differ.

The internet has also given us the ability to cloak our identity. We can be racist, of the opposite sex, younger, practically anything imaginable. This shield of anonymity has increased the incidence of bullying, pedophilia, and racial expression.

The popularity of being someone else has been the factor behind the high sales of the Sims first released ten years ago.  Cause everyone wants to be someone else and in control.

Makes me wonder do we despise real life interactions? Would you give it all up for a virtual reality? Or have we found the perfect balance?

We often underestimate, or at least under-appreciate the significance of family. This problem is evident in many various forms such as disobeying parents, fighting with siblings, hating relatives or bickering at one’s spouse. Family is a great blessing that we can never thank Allah enough for. Some of us may have larger families, others smaller. Some have their whole family tree rooted in close proximity, others have seeds planted globally. At the end of the day, we all recognize that at one point or another, we’ve been ungrateful for what we’ve been blessed with.

I don’t want to get all sappy or corny, and I do recognize that disagreements and arguments are a part of healthy relationships, but very often we see these small arguments escalating into large-scale wars. Family politics between relatives, hatred between siblings—particularly when they’re older and married into separate families, and most importantly, disrespecting one’s parents are all grave issues in our community. The West is more focused on the individual, while Eastern cultures are more family oriented on the whole. Living in the West puts us in a place where we have to balance the value systems of both worlds and recognize what’s important and how dearly we need to value what we’ve been blessed with.

All relationships hold their own significance and level of importance, but above all, the fact that we have people that we can call family is the greatest blessing of all. In many places around the world people are separated from family members loved ones involuntarily. They may lose them as a result of war, poverty, oppressive regimes or other external circumstances. A great majority of us are blessed, Alahamdulillah, to have our families with us, and have them support us through good times and bad. There is no doubt about the fact that we fight with those we love and care about, but we need to keep in mind that it is important to never let our egos get in the way. We are often deeply offended by a comment one may make, or gossip that one spreads about another, but we have to realize that we are the adults of tomorrow. We are going to be responsible for raising the next generation of children to grow up in this world, and we need to learn from the mistakes that we’ve seen around us.

Our time in this duniya (world) is temporary and we constantly need to make the most out of it. We often realize the importance of things once they are gone, but once people leave this world, it is impossible to bring them back. Let’s cherish our time with our beloved families, thank Allah swt for blessing us with what he has given us, a little or a lot, and realize that we have much more than most around the world. We need to start by spreading love and maintaining healthy relationships at home before we can get out on a global scale and make a difference in this world.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “The best of you is the best to his family, and I am the best amongst you to my family.” –Tirmidhi.

Path to Piety was a three day Islamic conference at Masjid Darus-Salaam in the east end of Toronto. It was held this Easter long weekend. The timing is a bit hard for university students but there were many present in the crowd.

The conference was free to attend and featured speakers: Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, Shaykh Ahmed Ali, Shaykh Shoaib Desai, Shaykh Sulaiman Moola, Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar & Shaykh Sulaiman M. Ravat. The event had no fancy seating arrangement all were expected to sit on the floor and the sisters’ area was to the back behind a partition. The aim of the conference was to have a more traditional feel.

The Shaykhs provided moving lectures as expected and were upfront and to the point with their lectures. They did not disappoint the crowd.  There were slight changes in the program guide as the weekend progressed. And the program timings did end up getting pushed back. Though, I don’t believe anyone minded.

The atmosphere was welcoming and the volunteers were courteous. And this year if you weren’t able to attend in person a live audio stream was available over the web. The audio had a slight buzz and would cut in and out but, the feature did help a lot of people listen in.  

First Nations groups have been participating in active, but peacefully demonstrations around the city of Toronto. These activists are demanding action from the McGuinty government, and are trying to make them acknowledge the long-term health effects mercury contamination in their water can have on their communities. Mercury poisoning has been occurring at Grassy Narrows for decades, and it has been given very little attention  because this area is namely made up of First Nations people.

The devastation of these communities is great and it is imperative that the McGuinty government take responsibility for the damages done. This has been an ongoing issue for over 40 long years, and now the health issues are starting to get worse. Downtown Toronto protests are pushing the provincial government to take “responsibility for allowing the Dryden Pulp & Paper Co. to dump 9,000 kg of mercury into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970.” (http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/791803--protesters-demand-action-on-grassy-narrows)

Any minority group that is being oppressed or discriminated against and is not given fair and safe living conditions in a nation such as Canada has the right to protest and voice their discontentment. The First Nations have been exploited and oppressed long enough, and it is about time that the majority starts to realize that issues of minorities are important and need to be addressed. Minorities are what make up the majority of Canada’s population, and if we do not stand together as citizens of a great nation in the name of justice and stand up against wrongdoing, the purpose we serve as a nation would be a failed one.

I’ll end off with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea.”

Too much time on our hands or too little? This question always has me going in circles. On the one hand everything is automated and digital. Who needs to go to the library when you have the internet? But, then again my high speed internet is too slow or my computer is lagging. What use to take a half a day to get to now takes minutes but, my bus is delayed oh man. 

Late for work, late on assignments.
Instant communication, instant food.

So, do I have too much time or too little. Wait let me click this youtube link. Okay, I’m back maybe I should ask my prof for an extension on this assignment.

Late for meetings, early to the movies.

Maybe I don’t have time for things I don’t enjoy? Maybe I want to be late or maybe I like feeling busy and therefore procrastinate. Do I have too much time or too little?