Lack of Leadership and the Muslim Personality

Many of us have heard the lamenting voices of Muslims across the world saying that there are no real leaders, there are no Muslim men and women willing to step up to the plate when it comes to responsibilities which need to be shouldered in our communities. This statement can be heard from every level of society: global, national and local. So how did we become a nation searching in every nook and cranny for people to lead us, when we were once led by very intelligent and capable people who were catalysts to helping Muslims fulfill their purpose in this world? This is an issue which can be discussed from many perspectives because it’s cause is not one. The roots of this crisis stem from many directions. These articles will make an attempt to focus on one key aspect, that being the development and maintenance of the Muslim personality.

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Light of the Scholar: Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi al-Maliki D. 1285 A.H

The Prophet [May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him] said:

“The virtue of the scholar, in comparison to the worshiper, is like the virtue of the full moon in comparison to the stars.”

The Hadith:

This is part of a long hadith related by al-Tirmidhi on behalf of the great companion Abu Darda [May Allah be pleased with him]. Al-Tirmidhi states that the chain of this narration does not connect to the Prophet [May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.]

Fiqh of the Hadith:

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The Question:

Should I send my children to a well established public school or a not so well established Islamic school? I am constantly being told by family members to send my son to a state school as the level education is better, I would prefer to send him to an Islamic school because of the environment, because I don’t like the godlessness and immoral environment in state schools.

Answer:

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In “Secret History of the Credit Card,” FRONTLINE^® and The New York Times join forces to investigate an industry few Americans fully understand. In this one-hour report, correspondent Lowell Bergman uncovers the techniques used by the industry to earn record profits and get consumers to take on more debt.

“The almost magical convenience of plastic money is critical to our famously compulsive consumer economy,” Bergman says. “With more than 641 million credit cards in circulation and accounting for an estimated $1.5 trillion of consumer spending, the U.S. economy has clearly gone plastic.”

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As long as our community allows these kind of things to take place, we will have no one to blame but ourselves when we get, as a good friend of mine Sh. Yusuf al-Shawkani said, “Andalused.” Our greatest threat is, as has shown to be true over the last few years, amongst us. Coupled with violent pasts, leftist hip-hop philosophy and an extreme fetish for literalism, some Muslims in the West are going to sink the ship for everyone else. To be quite honest, I’m still at a loss of words regarding this? Perhaps some of our sisters and brothers from the U.K could shed some light on this? How do we stop such things? What can our communities do to educate and protect others from such anarchy?

The Keys to Humility
by A Muslim Brother

Many of us, Islamic blog writers, students of knowledge, activists, khatibs, or any of the groups of people in between who’s Islamic activities are public affairs, find ourselves in a difficult situation. We know the importance of humility and know that it is constantly under attack.

From khutbah compliments, to blog comments, to proving a young brother or sister’s incorrect point of view to be incorrect and helping them understand a point of fiqh or arabic or ‘Aqidah - true humility is the part of our castles which shaitan unleashes his battering ram on day, after day, after day. We take the steps towards being humble, and then…recognize to ourselves that we have taken these steps, thus causing us to become proud of ourselves. It is a vicious cycle. More knowledge, more wisdom…more to lose in the battle for humility. And on top of this, how do we keep our “humility” from turning into a destruction of our self-confidence and sense of self worth? Where is the balance? How do we keep from shows of self-demeaning: “brother, if you know me you’d know I was a pile of…” types of extreme responses to compliments.

How do we protect ourselves? How do we truly remove the pride from our hearts? Is hearing the Hadith about pride really sufficient? Is that enough fuel for us to do the job?

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After looking at some of the comments here, I felt compelled to post a few signs of a cult that I have found in various places. Keep in mind that a cult does not have to be the type that lives in a compound. It is a state of mind. I took a few of them for you all to judge in light of some Muslim movements here in the US and their relationship to other Muslims and the society in general:

Isolation from society:

Like I said, this doesn’t necessarily mean that one has to be living on a compound with all other sect members and waiting for the end of the world. However, one of the defining marks of a cult is to control the surroundings of the members. This makes it easier to control their minds. They are constantly warned of the dangers of being away from the other sect members at all possible times. (Note: This is different from keeping good company)

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Reminder – Intentions in writing

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

This is a reminder for myself first and foremost, and for those who strive for sincerity.

Alhamdulila, Allah has given some of us, the passion to write and has facilitated us through many means to expose our writings. We all desire that we share with the world our ideas, and express our views. The best motivation, and the enthusiasm which one can draw from in becoming successful in whatever he/she pursues, is from sincerity.

Yet, we are always under the watch of Shaytaan, ever ready to make us slip at any opportunity we may find in pleasing Allah. He is our open enemy, and I pray Allah protects our deeds, and grants us sincerity in all our actions. Ameen.
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Asalamu alaykum,

While many of your are enjoying the breath of summer, I’m still suffocating under exams. I hope and pray that you will keep me in your prayers during these days and remember this miskin in your sujoods.

I have been trying to get one of my little ones to start making some of the more important supplications before bedtime and man has it been like pulling teeth. Last week Allah blessed me to come up with an idea that, so far, has been quite effective:

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The role of the father in the life of his child is paramount. The Qur’an likens this relationship to that of the Sun. Allah says,“I saw in my dream 11 stars and the Sun and the Moon prostrating towards me.” It is well known that the 11 stars represented the brothers of Yusuf (as). However, according to Al-Tabari, the Sun represents the father.

Fatherhood is a great honor representing ones ability to pass on the Prophetic legacy to his offspring. However, in many communities, fathers are AWOL? Young boys and girls are left alone replacing the important guidance and teachings that a father provides with DVD’s, video games, DSL and television. Here are 5 important steps that, inshallah, will help us actualize fatherhood, lead our families and fulfill the command of Allah,

“Oh you who believe, protect yourself and your families from the fire of Hell.”
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