See trailer for Unmosqued:

Distress and the Breakdown of Community

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/extreme-states-mind/201304/distress-and-the-breakdown-community

One of the most destructive problems is the breakdown of community, and it is this breakdown that has often led to the breakdown of persons. Though we may put many around us, we are alone. Relationships have become superficial, there is no longer concern for the other, and we are pressed by societal and financial pressures to focus on our own survival. We do not concern ourselves much with the plight of others except a few we may call family or friends, and even then, our concern and attention is waning.

It is this which is leading to numerous dilemmas for our children and the diagnosis of a gamut of so-called mental disorders and the mass drugging to subdue them and force their conformity to a system of madness, a system they and most despise but which continues to perpetuate itself. Today, do we even know our neighbor; do we even care to know our neighbor?

And so we go along wearing masks throughout the day, playing the game, taking upon us the various roles. I see the impact of this upon our children, who become torn when made a pawn in this game. Families seek to project the goodly image to the outside while the reality is that there is immense turmoil and conflict. For some of these children, they begin to become part of the masking reality as well. I recall a young man I worked with whose family life was strained and there had been a lot oftraumatic events and harshness. In the beginning, he presented his family as ‘golden’, and denied that anything anyone had noted was of truth. But fortunately over time, he came to grasp the courage and ability to think critically to challenge the way things were and to present reality to the family. And it certainly did require immense courage as in these situations the secrets are safely guarded and no one wants them exposed for what they are. The reaction was to be expected, the blame was shifted, and the young man was made to be the scapegoat and threats issued as to what would happen if he did not change his thinking and accept the myth the family held to. The only way that the young man was able to finally come to the point of challenging the family system and surviving the verbal assaults was by having one from the outside who had been able to forge a connection with both him and the family. In this, it was possible to advocate for the young man and also challenge the other family members but in a diplomatic way. This tactic worked and it was agreed upon that certain ways of interacting would need to be worked upon. They left behind the myth and came to face reality.

So if we are to truly be alive, to truly move beyond surviving to thriving, if we are to truly be human beings rather than alienated beings or drugged zombies, then we are going to need to return to the sense of community, to lay aside the barriers, and to be able to realize our common humanity. We are going to have to abandon the myths and the games we are often so entrenched within, and accept truth, even when painful.

There are powerful forces at work which pull us to and fro and infect us with ideas of who we are what we should be, and often block us from becoming. These forces arise within our social and familial structures. We are sent repetitive messages and they become deeply engrained. We may have been told we are not attractive or too attractive, not motivated or too achieving, etc. And we enter the social sphere having absorbed these messages. As we do so we begin a painful process of comparisons. There becomes a striving for something or sometimes nothing at all. But if there is striving, it is for what and for whom? Some sadly seek only to survive; it is all they can do. But if we can realize that no matter what has been dumped upon us and what the conditions are, we retain the choice to become! We have the choice to allow these powerful forces to consume us or to be defiant in the face of them and develop a process of unlearning. In this unlearning, we may be able to break free and emerge into a new world of being.

Life is to be lived compassionately. Life is to enjoy and behold each moment as precious. We should look upon all occurrences as part of thenature of things. All things change, nothing is permanent. The cause of emotional distress and turmoil lies in this desire to make things permanent that are impermanent and changing. If we understand that all is changing, and we see our experiences for what they are, we can attain peace and tranquility. We can transcend struggles and sufferings for we will understand the nature of existence. We should seek to master our minds to understanding that each moment in which we exist can be lived joyfully. Troubles that befall us and sufferings arise because we live in a world that has not understood how to live compassionately; a world that seeks to fulfill only the desires of the self and does not realize that all things exist in a unified web of being. We should seek to walk a path towards compassion, to live rightfully and joyfully. We should not hold hatreds or be bound to rigid laws. We will not gain from externals and ritual, but from what exists in the heart. We should seek transformation and insight and mastery of ourselves. We must come to know that we are of the human family; the sufferings of one are the sufferings of all. Truth does not exist in excess and glamorous trappings; it exists neither in an institution nor in a singular person or authority. Truth is something that is created in our hearts when we seek to put aside our attachments, when we seek to understand reality. Within humanity lies the innate nature and ability to do that which is benevolent. This spark of benevolence remains with every being, though it may be covered by the filth of greed, aggression, animosity, and other impure thought. We are like a mirror that will reflect this benevolent image fully only after we have been able to clean away these things that cause the reflection to be dimmed. Truth does not exist in the arrogance that only a singular path or a singular entity or authority is the guardian of Truth. Truth manifests in many ways, and there have been throughout the ages and cultures, many who have manifested Truth as it would be understood to the people of that age and culture. The truth was given as the mirror reflecting a radiant image, but it has always been that through the addition of dogmas, through the quest for power, through greed and avarice, which the Truth manifested has not remained in the hearts of some. The unifying message of all those who have brought these messages of truth, lies in compassion and removing selfish aims. The disunity arises out of what has been added to the message not from the message itself. When we become dogmatic and we hold to irrational ideas, we are bound to create barriers to love.

I have offered an alternative to persons undergoing extreme states of mind, persons who have received labels of 'schizophrenia', 'schizoaffective', or 'bipolar'. Many of these persons sought help within thepsychiatric system but found that the 'treatments' only squashed theircreativity, did not respect their experience, and in many circumstances, did them great harm and was traumatizing not to mention insulting to their dignity and autonomy. What is unfortunate is that because of the current bio-psychiatric paradigm, it is difficult to maintain this work. It has been my desire to expand this work of creating 'sanctuary' and a center for persons undergoing 'spiritual emergency'.

Often times in the various crises, persons come into conflict with the dominant worldview, and they begin to feel alienated and isolated. There are some who respond to crisis through excessive worry and others who develop apathy, or complete despair. I have argued that people do not need drugs, rather people need people. It is necessary for there to exist a supportive network to help the person through the crisis so it may reach a transformative ending. It is possible after undergoing such a crisis to emerge with new insights, to develop new meanings, a renewed sense of purpose. But, it is necessary for there to be a journey, a journey in togetherness, where the person can feel safe and supported in conquering fears, to be able to face the intrusive thoughts and feelings of dread that haunt them. In this journey is the process of being able to shed the false self, to actually be able to be a human being with another human being, and to no longer feel that they must repress their feelings or must 'play the games' or wear the masks that society imposes upon us. To be able to come to a radical authenticity, a mastery of past traumas where we make the choice to live and be rather than merely react.

I've never seen anything quite like the new extended trailer for Celebrate Mercy which was just released yesterday and has already gotten thousands of views. Please watch, benefit, and share.

Transcript from Salafi Muslims: Following the Ancestors of Islam (Interfaith Voices)

What is your own relationship to Salafi Islam?

“Well, I guess, twenty years ago when I was a teenager, I would have definitely self-identified as a Salafi Muslim. Over the course of the last decade or so, I’ve sort out of grown out of the movement now.”

What does that mean – “grown out of the movement”?

“I found that the movement is not as intellectually stimulating as I would like it to be. I think that it’s not really capable of addressing modern issues. It’s very intransigent in the way that it views certain ideas. It’s also very hostile to any who disagree with its interpretation. So I find myself disagreeing with quite a lot of the methodological issues associated with the Salafi movement.”

• Threat of Loss of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

• Highest Number of Hate Crimes since 9/11.

• Highest Number of work related discrimination cases.

These challenges should come as no surprise as American Muslims are often under represented in the professions that have the ability to effectuate change in these areas. 

Enter the Islamic Scholarship Fund. 

The Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) aims to address the challenges facing the American Muslim community by supporting fields of study that give American Muslims a stronger voice in politics and media. 

ISF supports students and parents by:

Educating and encouraging parents and youth to consider ISF supported fields of study; 

Assisting students financially through scholarships and grants;

Facilitating mentorship and internships;

Providing networking and career advancement opportunities

Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization that provides academic support to Muslim students in the United States who pursue college and post graduate degrees in humanities, social sciences, liberal arts and law. 



ISF’s mission is to improve the understanding and acceptance of Islam and those who practice it by increasing Muslim American representation in professions that influence public policy and public opinion.



Goals:

1. Increase number of Muslim students graduating in ISF supported fields of study.

2. Increase number of Muslims obtaining jobs in public policy and public opinion shaping professions.





• ISF is currently accepting scholarship applications. Please share that news with your community. For a list of qualified majors please click here: http://islamicscholarshipfund.org/about/isf-supported-fields/ 



• The deadline to submit a complete application is March 21st. 



• Students can apply here: http://islamicscholarshipfund.org/apply/ 



For more information about our program and to sponsor students, please visit our website at www.islamicscholarshipfund.org or contact us at contact@islamicscholarshipfund.org 650-995-6782

The following article is currently one of the top five most popular articles on The Economist

Islam and Science – The Road to Renewal

After centuries of stagnation science is making a comeback in the Islamic world

THE sleep has been long and deep. In 2005 Harvard University produced more scientific papers than 17 Arabic-speaking countries combined. The world’s 1.6 billion Muslims have produced only two Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics. Both moved to the West: the only living one, the chemist Ahmed Hassan Zewail, is at the California Institute of Technology. By contrast Jews, outnumbered 100 to one by Muslims, have won 79. The 57 countries in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference spend a puny 0.81% of GDP on research and development, about a third of the world average. America, which has the world’s biggest science budget, spends 2.9%; Israel lavishes 4.4%.

Many blame Islam’s supposed innate hostility to science. Some universities seem keener on prayer than study. Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, for example, has three mosques on campus, with a fourth planned, but no bookshop. Rote learning rather than critical thinking is the hallmark of higher education in many countries. The Saudi government supports books for Islamic schools such as “The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Qur’an: The Facts That Can’t Be Denied By Science” suggesting an inherent conflict between belief and reason.

Many universities are timid about courses that touch even tangentially on politics or look at religion from a non-devotional standpoint. Pervez Hoodbhoy, a renowned Pakistani nuclear scientist, introduced a course on science and world affairs, including Islam’s relationship with science, at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, one of the country’s most progressive universities. Students were keen, but Mr Hoodbhoy’s contract was not renewed when it ran out in December; for no proper reason, he says. (The university insists that the decision had nothing to do with the course content.)

But look more closely and two things are clear. A Muslim scientific awakening is under way. And the roots of scientific backwardness lie not with religious leaders, but with secular rulers, who are as stingy with cash as they are lavish with controls over independent thought.

The long view

The caricature of Islam’s endemic backwardness is easily dispelled. Between the eighth and the 13th centuries, while Europe stumbled through the dark ages, science thrived in Muslim lands. The Abbasid caliphs showered money on learning. The 11th century “Canon of Medicine” by Avicenna (pictured, with modern equipment he would have relished) was a standard medical text in Europe for hundreds of years. In the ninth century Muhammad al-Khwarizmi laid down the principles of algebra, a word derived from the name of his book, “Kitab al-Jabr”. Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham transformed the study of light and optics. Abu Raihan al-Biruni, a Persian, calculated the earth’s circumference to within 1%. And Muslim scholars did much to preserve the intellectual heritage of ancient Greece; centuries later it helped spark Europe’s scientific revolution.

Not only were science and Islam compatible, but religion could even spur scientific innovation. Accurately calculating the beginning of Ramadan (determined by the sighting of the new moon) motivated astronomers. The Hadith (the sayings of Muhammad) exhort believers to seek knowledge, “even as far as China”.

These scholars’ achievements are increasingly celebrated. Tens of thousands flocked to “1001 Inventions”, a touring exhibition about the golden age of Islamic science, in the Qatari capital, Doha, in the autumn. More importantly, however, rulers are realising the economic value of scientific research and have started to splurge accordingly. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, which opened in 2009, has a $20 billion endowment that even rich American universities would envy.

Foreigners are already on their way there. Jean Fréchet, who heads research, is a French chemist tipped to win a Nobel prize. The Saudi newcomer boasts research collaborations with the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and with Imperial College, London. The rulers of neighbouring Qatar are bumping up research spending from 0.8% to a planned 2.8% of GDP: depending on growth, that could reach $5 billion a year. Research spending in Turkey increased by over 10% each year between 2005 and 2010, by which year its cash outlays were twice Norway’s.

The tide of money is bearing a fleet of results. In the 2000 to 2009 period Turkey’s output of scientific papers rose from barely 5,000 to 22,000; with less cash, Iran’s went up 1,300, to nearly 15,000. Quantity does not imply quality, but the papers are getting better, too. Scientific journals, and not just the few based in the Islamic world, are citing these papers more frequently. A study in 2011 by Thomson Reuters, an information firm, shows that in the early 1990s other publishers cited scientific papers from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey (the most prolific Muslim countries) four times less often than the global average. By 2009 it was only half as often. In the category of best-regarded mathematics papers, Iran now performs well above average, with 1.7% of its papers among the most-cited 1%, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia also doing well. Turkey scores highly on engineering.

Science and technology-related subjects, with their clear practical benefits, do best. Engineering dominates, with agricultural sciences not far behind. Medicine and chemistry are also popular. Value for money matters. Fazeel Mehmood Khan, who recently returned to Pakistan after doing a PhD in Germany on astrophysics and now works at the Government College University in Lahore, was told by his university’s vice-chancellor to stop chasing wild ideas (black holes, in his case) and do something useful.

Science is even crossing the region’s deepest divide. In 2000 SESAME, an international physics laboratory with the Middle East’s first particle accelerator, was set up in Jordan. It is modelled on CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory, which was created to bring together scientists from wartime foes. At SESAME Israeli boffins work with colleagues from places such as Iran and the Palestinian territories.

By the book

Science of the kind practised at SESAME throws up few challenges to Muslim doctrine (and in many cases is so abstruse that religious censors would struggle to understand it). But biology—especially with an evolutionary angle—is different. Many Muslims are troubled by the notion that humans share a common ancestor with apes. Research published in 2008 by Salman Hameed of Hampshire College in Massachusetts, a Pakistani astronomer who now studies Muslim attitudes to science, found that fewer than 20% in Indonesia, Malaysia or Pakistan believed in Darwin’s theories. In Egypt it was just 8%.

Yasir Qadhi, an American chemical engineer turned cleric (who has studied in both the United States and Saudi Arabia), wrestled with this issue at a London conference on Islam and evolution this month. He had no objection to applying evolutionary theory to other lifeforms. But he insisted that Adam and Eve did not have parents and did not evolve from other species. Any alternative argument is “scripturally indefensible,” he said. Some, especially in the diaspora, conflate human evolution with atheism: rejecting it becomes a defining part of being a Muslim. (Some Christians take a similar approach to the Bible.)

Though such disbelief may be couched in religious terms, culture and politics play a bigger role, says Mr Hameed. Poor school education in many countries leaves minds open to misapprehension. A growing Islamic creationist movement is at work too. A controversial Turkish preacher who goes by the name of Harun Yahya is in the forefront. His website spews pamphlets and books decrying Darwin. Unlike his American counterparts, however, he concedes that the universe is billions of years old (not 6,000 years).

But the barrier is not insuperable. Plenty of Muslim biologists have managed to reconcile their faith and their work. Fatimah Jackson, a biological anthropologist who converted to Islam, quotes Theodosius Dobzhansky, one of the founders of genetics, saying that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”. Science describes how things change; Islam, in a larger sense, explains why, she says.

Others take a similar line. “The Koran is not a science textbook,” says Rana Dajani, a Jordanian molecular biologist. “It provides people with guidelines as to how they should live their lives.” Interpretations of it, she argues, can evolve with new scientific discoveries. Koranic verses about the creation of man, for example, can now be read as providing support for evolution.

Other parts of the life sciences, often tricky for Christians, have proved unproblematic for Muslims. In America researchers wanting to use embryonic stem cells (which, as their name suggests, must be taken from human embryos, usually spares left over from fertility treatments) have had to battle pro-life Christian conservatives and a federal ban on funding for their field. But according to Islam, the soul does not enter the fetus until between 40 and 120 days after conception—so scientists at the Royan Institute in Iran are able to carry out stem-cell research without attracting censure.

But the kind of freedom that science demands is still rare in the Muslim world. With the rise of political Islam, including dogmatic Salafists who espouse a radical version of Islam, in such important countries as Egypt, some fear that it could be eroded further still. Others, however, remain hopeful. Muhammad Morsi, Egypt’s president, is a former professor of engineering at Zagazig University, near Cairo. He has a PhD in materials science from the University of Southern California (his dissertation was entitled “High-Temperature Electrical Conductivity and Defect Structure of Donor-Doped Al2O{-3}”). He has promised that his government will spend more on research.

Released from the restrictive control of the former regimes, scientists in Arab countries see a chance for progress. Scientists in Tunisia say they are already seeing promising reforms in the way university posts are filled. People are being elected, rather than appointed by the regime. The political storms shaking the Middle East could promote not only democracy, but revive scientific freethinking, too.

 http://www.economist.com/news/international/21570677-after-centuries-stagnation-science-making-comeback-islamic-world-road

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1.      You realize the power of Allah’s Lordship over you.

2.      You realize your abject servanthood and your complete state of resignation and brokenness before the will and power of Allah.

3.      You are lead to sincerity with Allah because one has no place of return in putting off or defending against the calamities except to Him.

4.      You return to Allah and become suddenly fervent in your desire of your Lord.

5.      You are lead to a humbled state before God and are also lead to prayers calling on Allah.

6.      You are forbearing to the One who has afflicted you.

7.      You forgive others as one of the greatest rewards is for forgiving people who have done you wrong.

8.      You become patient during the tribulation – “Allah is with the patient ones”

9.      You become happy, glad about what is happening because of these benefits.

10.   You become grateful for it because of what are contained in there of the benefits.

11.   You become purified from wrongs and sins due to the calamities that have befallen you.

12.   You become compassionate as Allah enables you to show compassion people that are in tribulation and you go and help them.

13.   You acquire the blessing of having true knowledge of the extent of the blessing of well-being.

14.   You are rewarded in the akhirah on these varying ranks.

15.   You realize what is hidden inside of the folds of these calamities.

16.   You are prevented from acquiring arrogance, evil, pride, and tyranny.

17.   You acquire contentment (ridha) as whoever is pleased with the calamity knows that paradise is better than anything in this world.

Al-Habib Ali Al-Jifri (الحبيب علي الجفري) beautifully recalls the loving companionship of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his loyal wife Khadijah. He explains how this love story began and continued even after she passed away; and most importantly, what lessons we can learn from this story for our own marriages. For more videos, LIKE Celebrate Mercy on Facebook: facebook.com/CelebrateMercy



This video was recorded for the "Love & the Beloved" CelebrateMercy webcast about the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) married life. See more videos at CelebrateMercy.com and subscribe to us on YouTube. 



CelebrateMercy's program is a web-based semi-annual presentation about Prophet Muhammad that takes place on the internet. Founded in 2010, it is a non-profit organization that aims to instill a deeper understanding of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) among Muslims and friends of other faiths, by dispelling stereotypes and common misconceptions about him. This is achieved through videos shown on global interactive live webcasts of prominent scholars and performers discussing his character and life, as can be seen on this trailer: celebratemercy.com/trailer



CelebrateMercy also mobilizes Muslims to embody Prophetic character. When some Muslims engaged in violent protests against the offensive YouTube video, CelebrateMercy asked Muslims to "respond to evil with a good deed" by sending condolences to the family of slain Ambassador Chris Stevens. This "MercyMail" campaign went viral with over 7,700 condolence letters from 115 countries, receiving coverage on BBC, CNN, and The Huffington Post. This interview with Chris Stevens' sister recently appeared on the front page of CNN.com: www.bit.ly/cnnCM.



Music Composed by Benammi @ JR Studio www.jrstudio.ae

"Why Mawlid?" by Ibn Percy

Last night I sat down and listened to the beautiful recitation of the Quran. I then heard him recite poetry praising Allah and asking Allah to send peace, blessings and mercy upon the best of creation, Muhammad ibn Abdallah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I then listened to a poem written by Habib Umar about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I then heard a short talk on what type of love we should have towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by a student who studied in Syria (may Allah help the people there). We then heard again another poem about the Prophets of Allah, the mothers/wives of the Prophets and the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all). It then ended with a dua asking Allah to increase the love of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in our hearts and prayers for all Muslims around the world.

That my folks is a mawlid. The name maybe be derived from ‘to give birth’ in Arabic and in English it would be translated to the Prophet’s birthday, but the reality is it is beyond that. It is not just about the birthday. It is about reviving the love the companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) had for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They were eager to be as closest as possible to him. They were eager to walk in his exact footsteps. They followed him to the exact point. They even wanted his sweat because it smelled of musk and of it’s blessings.

The mawlid is not fard, but what we do in a mawlid is fard. Allah commands us to send peace and blessings upon Muhammad (33:56). So whether you call it mawlid, dhikr, salawat, etc. Do it. Just do it. Your heart will be at ease and I guarantee you will feel better.

As for doing it once a year, there is not a single scholar I know who says it should be done once a year. In fact I have heard Shaykh Hamza Yusuf saying it is a biddah to ONLY do the mawlid once a year. We should do it every night and every morning. Bilal (ra) used to send salawat 100 times every friday. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a hadith that is why he was in Jannah. That is a mawlid in modern day terminology. Last night many of the poetry recited was sending salawat upon the best of creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Again, the actual word ‘mawlid’ is not from the Quran or the Sunnah. What is done in a mawlid is from the Quran and Sunnah.

“Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.” (Surah al Ahzab, Ayah 56)

So whether you call it mawlid, dhikr, salawat, etc. at the end of the day it is something all Muslims should do every day and every week. I personally believe that the ‘mawlid’ event of bringing Muslims together to revive the obligation to send salawat upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is necessary. People don’t do it. I don’t do it as often as I should. Many in our community do not do it. Instead of hanging out with friends watching a movie or sports (which is okay), we can also hang out and sit for some time and send salawat upon Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

It’s all about sending blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If it was as common as it was during the earlier generations there probably would be no need for mawlids, but we do because we have strayed. Just like there were no Islamic weekend classes taught by Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) or there were no annual conventions hosted by the Association of Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during the time of the earlier generations because it wasn’t needed. We need Islamic weekend courses and we need Islamic conventions. We also need gatherings of dhikr and salawat.