For Catholics (I'm not sure if this holds true for other churches) the word of the pope is the word of God, and in so having this creedal basis they tend to look for similar structures in other religions such as Islam. Always trying to find the ONE who speaks for God, which is why the whole mufti debate in Australia was so misunderstood. Muslims saw Hilali as one scholar, he makes mistakes like everyone else. While for Australians he was the MUFTI, which they understood as the highest scholarly authority for Islam in Australia. Many even questioned the sanity and intelect of Muslims for blindingly following this figure.
The same applies in the wider global context. Old islamic institutions such as Al Azhar or Medina or Mecca are of course holy, but they by no means who exclusivity to interpreting Islam. Many islamophobes site this wierdo scholar or that scholar who have crazy opinions, and pose them as speaking for all Muslims just because they're from one institution.
Why am I talking about this ? Because I just read the Friday sermon for Shaikh AbdulRahman AlSudais (famous for his recitation).
The Sermon goes deeply into the importance of staying united and following and obeying the Jama3a (which means the group)
He goes on to eloquently and poetically cite opinion after opinion and verse after verse and hadith after hadith espousing the importance of sticking the the jama3a because that's who Allah swt is with.
One such Hadith states :
فيمَا يَرْويه أبوهريرَة رضي الله عنه : (مَن خرَج عَنِ الطَّاعَة وفارَقَ الجَمَاعَة فَمَاتَ، مَاتَ ميتَةً جاهِلية، ومَن قاتَل تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عُمِّـيَّة، يَغْضَب لِعَصَبِيَّة، أو يَدْعو إلى عَصَبيَّة أو يَنْصُر عصَبِيَّة فَقُتِل فَقِتْلَتُه جَاهِليَّة، ) أخرجه مسلم وغيره
Roughly translated: Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet pbuh having said "Whoever so ceases to obey and leaves the fold of the majority (jama3a) and dies, he will have died a dead of Ignorance.
Whoever so fights for an ethnicity or a nationalism and dies, he will have died a death of Ignorance...."
Collected by Muslim and
All those meanings are true and all the verses and the other sources are also very true and authentic, and in other circumstances any one would have agreed with them wholeheartedly. However the timing chosen to remind us of our religious duty to stay with the jama3a is what irks me and many many others who would have heard this sermon.
This sermon comes in a me when young and old Saudis are unhappy with the way Saudi Arabia is being run. Mismanagement, cronyism, vast contrasts in all levels of government and society, I could go on.
I heard sermons such as this in other countries like Iraq, Egypt and others. All roughly the same. All start with verses and opinions and tightly worded reminders that if we want to be good muslims who have to stay with the Jama3a, we have to follow the Wali (leader). We have to make bay3a (allegance) and if we don't then we are basically kuffar (infidels).
I Don't know if anyone in mosques actually believes that. I don't know if there are those who hear it and out of a naive effort to be a good muslim keep on putting on with all the oppression and injustice happening to them and others around them every hour.
Fact: ALL Arab countries are being run undemocratically by elites who have not earned the right to rule. Puppet rules for puppet governments.
Fact: ALL Arab countries have an incredibly sophisticated system of intelligence, police and security apparatus to keep any dissent in control. Thousands languish in jails as bad as Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib
Fact: No Arab Country is run according to the Sharia or any form of justice secular or otherise.
Fact: Arab countries are very very very very very rich, of minerals, of agriculture, they are placed so strategically they can run world trade. This is not happening because most of that wealth goes to the 5% ruling elite and multinational western companies.
It is the natural, logical, RELIGIOUS duty then of every person is the Arab World to seek to change this oppressive vampire regime with one that actually represents the majority and where the wealth of the country is enjoyed by the populace. Change it how ? Peacefully of course, Mr ASIO man !
One method of keeping the populace downtrodden and happy with their minuscule share is by dealing them drugs. In the form of television shows and music and sports that keep them busy.
There is also the age old Opium of the masses, religion.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling Islam Itself a drug. I do believe that any religion can be used as a drug. This is one case. There is even a term in arabic for those who peddle in this trade = وعاض السلاطين which I will translate as Yes Men.
There is an old joke About Hosni Mobarak (before his stepping down that is).
Husni was visiting the Queen of England, and asked how she was able to know if David Cameron was a good PM, she said easy "I just told him this quiz, IF a person is your father's child but not your brother, who is he?"
Hosni was intrigued "and what did he say?" The queen says "He said David Cameron ! he got the right answer, and that's how I knew he was a good PM"
Hosni goes back to Egypt and asks his cabinet the same question and the don't know. Then he asks his mufti "Mufti, who is the child of your father and is not your brother?", the mufti says, Ya rayys if you want, I can draft you a fatwa and that person can be whoever you want him to be"
Hosni says "No you idiot ! It's David Cameron!"
So it's always been known that there have been men of religion who used it to justify different things.
This of course has cause many to turn away from religion itself. who can blame them ? When you live in a country that hemorrhages money on cars and chocolates and expensive European holidays with african sex slaves while you're driving a taxi because you can't find a job with your university degree.
I just want to say also that not all scholars living in the Arab world are of this categories. There are brilliant men who have served the community and continue serving with blood sweat and tears. The majority of scholars are God fearing men of principle who would not sell themselves out.
I also of course respect the shaikh Sudais and wish him all the best and wish and pray that he is not a Yes Man to anyone.
Wallahu A3lam
I may be barking up a completely wrong tree, if you think so, please comment and let me know your thoughts.
The same applies in the wider global context. Old islamic institutions such as Al Azhar or Medina or Mecca are of course holy, but they by no means who exclusivity to interpreting Islam. Many islamophobes site this wierdo scholar or that scholar who have crazy opinions, and pose them as speaking for all Muslims just because they're from one institution.
Why am I talking about this ? Because I just read the Friday sermon for Shaikh AbdulRahman AlSudais (famous for his recitation).
The Sermon goes deeply into the importance of staying united and following and obeying the Jama3a (which means the group)
He goes on to eloquently and poetically cite opinion after opinion and verse after verse and hadith after hadith espousing the importance of sticking the the jama3a because that's who Allah swt is with.
One such Hadith states :
فيمَا يَرْويه أبوهريرَة رضي الله عنه : (مَن خرَج عَنِ الطَّاعَة وفارَقَ الجَمَاعَة فَمَاتَ، مَاتَ ميتَةً جاهِلية، ومَن قاتَل تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عُمِّـيَّة، يَغْضَب لِعَصَبِيَّة، أو يَدْعو إلى عَصَبيَّة أو يَنْصُر عصَبِيَّة فَقُتِل فَقِتْلَتُه جَاهِليَّة، ) أخرجه مسلم وغيره
Roughly translated: Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet pbuh having said "Whoever so ceases to obey and leaves the fold of the majority (jama3a) and dies, he will have died a dead of Ignorance.
Whoever so fights for an ethnicity or a nationalism and dies, he will have died a death of Ignorance...."
Collected by Muslim and
All those meanings are true and all the verses and the other sources are also very true and authentic, and in other circumstances any one would have agreed with them wholeheartedly. However the timing chosen to remind us of our religious duty to stay with the jama3a is what irks me and many many others who would have heard this sermon.
This sermon comes in a me when young and old Saudis are unhappy with the way Saudi Arabia is being run. Mismanagement, cronyism, vast contrasts in all levels of government and society, I could go on.
I heard sermons such as this in other countries like Iraq, Egypt and others. All roughly the same. All start with verses and opinions and tightly worded reminders that if we want to be good muslims who have to stay with the Jama3a, we have to follow the Wali (leader). We have to make bay3a (allegance) and if we don't then we are basically kuffar (infidels).
I Don't know if anyone in mosques actually believes that. I don't know if there are those who hear it and out of a naive effort to be a good muslim keep on putting on with all the oppression and injustice happening to them and others around them every hour.
Fact: ALL Arab countries are being run undemocratically by elites who have not earned the right to rule. Puppet rules for puppet governments.
Fact: ALL Arab countries have an incredibly sophisticated system of intelligence, police and security apparatus to keep any dissent in control. Thousands languish in jails as bad as Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib
Fact: No Arab Country is run according to the Sharia or any form of justice secular or otherise.
Fact: Arab countries are very very very very very rich, of minerals, of agriculture, they are placed so strategically they can run world trade. This is not happening because most of that wealth goes to the 5% ruling elite and multinational western companies.
It is the natural, logical, RELIGIOUS duty then of every person is the Arab World to seek to change this oppressive vampire regime with one that actually represents the majority and where the wealth of the country is enjoyed by the populace. Change it how ? Peacefully of course, Mr ASIO man !
One method of keeping the populace downtrodden and happy with their minuscule share is by dealing them drugs. In the form of television shows and music and sports that keep them busy.
There is also the age old Opium of the masses, religion.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling Islam Itself a drug. I do believe that any religion can be used as a drug. This is one case. There is even a term in arabic for those who peddle in this trade = وعاض السلاطين which I will translate as Yes Men.
There is an old joke About Hosni Mobarak (before his stepping down that is).
Husni was visiting the Queen of England, and asked how she was able to know if David Cameron was a good PM, she said easy "I just told him this quiz, IF a person is your father's child but not your brother, who is he?"
Hosni was intrigued "and what did he say?" The queen says "He said David Cameron ! he got the right answer, and that's how I knew he was a good PM"
Hosni goes back to Egypt and asks his cabinet the same question and the don't know. Then he asks his mufti "Mufti, who is the child of your father and is not your brother?", the mufti says, Ya rayys if you want, I can draft you a fatwa and that person can be whoever you want him to be"
Hosni says "No you idiot ! It's David Cameron!"
So it's always been known that there have been men of religion who used it to justify different things.
This of course has cause many to turn away from religion itself. who can blame them ? When you live in a country that hemorrhages money on cars and chocolates and expensive European holidays with african sex slaves while you're driving a taxi because you can't find a job with your university degree.
I just want to say also that not all scholars living in the Arab world are of this categories. There are brilliant men who have served the community and continue serving with blood sweat and tears. The majority of scholars are God fearing men of principle who would not sell themselves out.
I also of course respect the shaikh Sudais and wish him all the best and wish and pray that he is not a Yes Man to anyone.
Wallahu A3lam
I may be barking up a completely wrong tree, if you think so, please comment and let me know your thoughts.
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