Lupe Fiasco Performs At “Taking it to the Streets”

Check out Lupe Fiasco in his best form at Taking it to the Streets in Chicago, IL last weekend.

The Hijab of Dena

I am in awe at the moment of this sister’s strength. May Allah preserve her and keep us all inspired to stand up for what we believe in.  Ameen.

Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) – The Beloved

I must admit, I was very excited when I heard Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) would be returning to the music scene after a 30 year hiatus. I know that I was not alone in that, and it can be seen from all the press he got, that the world has been waiting for 30 years for another album from the amazing writer and composer. Below is a video from one of my favorite tracks of “An Other Cup“, entitled The Beloved.

Fear God and You’ll Save My Life

“Fear God and You’ll Save My Life”… the words keep ringing in my head….

Kareem Salama wrote a song last year specifically for the ISNA National Convention in Chicago, IL, entitled Prayers at Night. The above qoute, and title of this post, are taken from that song. I have had the CD to that song since last year, about 9 months or so, and it wasn’t until just a few days ago that I really was able to catch most of the words and let them sink in. Sink in, they did, however, and when I realized the beauty of the words, I couldn’t help but be moved by them.

So, that brings me to the words above in quotation marks. In the song, Kareem is relating his experience on the 4th of July as a child, celebrating with his parents and having a good time, to the horrendous acts which took place in Lebanon last July, and in that, he used a fictional character of Fatima and painted a picture of what she would have gone through on last years 4th of July in Lebanon.

And, in the song, it comes a point where little Fatima is faced with the aggression of an oppressor who wished to take her young life. It is at the moment, and with such conviction, that she utters the words, “Fear God and You’ll Save My Life”. And with those words, little Fatima passes away, under the cruelty of heartless cowards.

This post, and subsequently my entire blog is a dedication to the lives of all those lost to unjust rulers, tyrants, and oppressors, who have abused their power and influence in seeking material gain at the cost of human life. I cannot help but shed tears at the loss of innocent human life, and feel helpless inside. It makes me realize, that any so-called problem, of difficulty we go through in life is pale in comparison.

Seeking Peace of Mind

I came to a stark realization recently, that I am not happy. Don’t get me wrong, I have happy moments, and find happiness in many of the things that I share with my fellow human beings, such as family, friends, etc. But, that is not what I mean. I mean, that I am not happy internally. My heart, and my soul have been in a constant turmoil for such a long time, that I think I had gotten used to it, and it became the default feeling for me from day to day. However, I don’t believe that a human being, regardless of who they are, can live like that for long. Either they will choose to make a change, fall into some mental problem(s), or choose to end their own life, of which only the first option is of positive result. For me, personally, obviously I didn’t choose option 3, and option 2 doesn’t sound fun at all, so I decided to take what is behind door number 1 and run with it. So, make a change it is. As MJ said years ago, I am talking to the man in the mirror, I telling him to make a change. And, now is the time. In fact, there has been, and never will be a better time than now.My time has come. Change is inevitable. I only ask for the help of Allah, and the willpower to go through with it all. 

My Biggest Enemy

Trying to maintain a proper balance as a Muslim in the world today is a difficult task to say the least. Perhaps it has always been this way, and we only find room to complain about our current situation without realizing what others went through before us for the simple reason that we find more pain from our own suffering than we can relate to those of afore time.

But, what is the point of it all you might ask. It seems almost natural for human beings to seek out someone or something to blame for all their problems when difficulties arise in life. For example, the Nation of Islam in the mid-1900s chose to blame the “White Devil” for all the miseries African Americans were going through. Albeit, the white people of America were not free of blame when it came to the suffering that African Americans went through in this country, not by a long shot. However, by placing the blame on an outside source other than looking within for faults first, does allow room for problems and “enemies” from within to be overlooked. A similar thing is going on right now in Iran, where the general population spends their weekends discussing how much the Iranian government is to blame for even the slightest, un-related difficulties an individual may go through.  I am sorry, I have just recently returned from Iran, and the government there is in no way to blame for the fact that your mobile phone is outdated or that you cannot walk on the street half naked.

So, let me reel myself back in before I digress to far. What am I trying to get at, and what is the worth of all this typing. Well, I feel that in general, we as individuals tend to find outside blames for our own personal problems as well. And, in particular, when we are looking at spiritual issues we struggle with everyday, we need one to blame for leading us to sin. In the spiritual realm, and within the Muslim faith, that one to blame is Shaytan (or Satan). For every shortcoming, and misfortune we face, it must be Shaytan tempting us, otherwise we would be perfectly fine. Or, so we think. As I have thought about this, however,  I am starting to get the feeling that Shaytan is used as a scapegoat, whereas many times we must blame ourselves, and no other. Yes, it is true that Shaytan has an influence over our lives (although limited to an extent). Yes, it is true that Shaytan has made a promise to Allah to lead astray as many of the children of Adam as possible. And, yes, it is true that Shaytan won’t give up in achieving his goal.

So, does my argument have any weight, or am I just making stuff up. Well, it would require some thinking outside the box perhaps. But, I really think, if we analyze ever bit of our lives as closely as we possibly can, and take into consideration all the times we have wronged our own soul, we can see truth in decisions we have made to go towards the sinful or wrong actions. I for one will admit, and accept that I have an enemy possibly greater to me than Shaytan, and that is my own self. For, if we cannot even control our own self, how can we even begin to fight against the evil whispers of Shaytan.

Now, I may be completely wrong, and some people may not agree with me at all. That is perfectly fine, as I was not put on this earth to try and please everyone. I am just speaking my mind here, and it is my hope that perhaps someday, someone will read what I have written here, and it will positively impact them.

* AM * 

Back in the Habit

So, it has been 3 weeks since my last post. I have recently returned from traveling to Iran, and having perhaps the best rest I have had in years.

Iran has been a mainstay in American Media as of late. Unfortunately, much of what is said about Iran are lies, lies, and more lies. Honestly, I could eloborate, but it is 6:30 AM, and my mind has still not woken up. I will leave it at that for now.