“1) American culture is the primary definition of the way we dress, the food we enjoy, the entertainment we seek (Movies, TV, video games).
2) Islam can be understood practically as a filter of the ‘bad’ aspects of the American lifestyle out of ones life. The bad aspects are the obvious haraam (forbidden actions). It can also be an encouragement of the ‘good’ aspects of American life.”
Response:
A culture can be understood as the output of a ‘program’ with various inputs. The inputs, in this case, are principles on theology, philosophy, human nature, rights, etc.
We can see this easily through examples. If the input is the principle that all humans are equal in all ways, then a culture emerges which reinforces that position, with regards to the overall lifestyle including the art, entertainment, workplace, definition of justice, and overall relationships.
The same can work in reverse. If the input is that humans are not equal at all, then a culture emerges which reinforces the degradation of the unfortunate class, and this permeates through the culture down all the way to how news is reported and how different people are depicted in art, film and even casual conversation.
Everyone accepts this so casually that it is largely a matter-of-fact, and we end up with American slavery and the colonial era.
Western culture is the output based on its own inputs, and the fact of the matter is that it is too young to have any firm inputs. The example of slavery is clear on this matter, within a few hundred years attitudes towards slavery changed as a result of new principles being applied. Within another few decades attitudes towards everything from body image, sexuality and religion have dramatically changed.
On the other hand, Islamic cultures which developed out of 1400 years of exposure to Islam also have had their own independent inputs. These principles have stood the test of time. Further to this, Middle Eastern and Eastern cultures did not just deal with Islam as a matter of choice or an alternative lifestyle, it totally consumed their whole being.
This went to such an extent that even non-Muslims in the polity were affected by Islamic culture, much like today where the situation is reversed and Muslims are affected by non-Islamic culture. And frankly, Muslims have been affected even more than their non-Muslim counterparts were in Islamic times.
The situation with Muslims today is that the West defines principles (inputs), and we get a culture out of it (i.e. modern consumer culture), and then Muslims attempt to filter the result through ‘Islam’. The problem with this approach is that Islam is not just a filter of culture. It contains within it the seeds of developing its own culture.
The principles of Islam, when applied in a thorough fashion, led people to a thriving, principally independent, culture from the west. We see in history, when Islam was applied and Islamic societies emerged, that Islamic art was not just ghetto art used now for Arabic calligraphy (link). Islamic music was not harmonizing boy-bands singing about the Prophet (S) (link). Islamic family lifestyle was not the American dream. Islamic governance was not based on boards of trustees. Muslim children weren’t raised with a Muslim muppet on TV (link).
But if Islam remains a filter, that’s all we’ll ever get. A slightly adjusted version of a culture we already know. We won’t get music that’s entirely our own, we won’t get a dress that is entirely our own, we won’t get art that entirely our own, we won’t have a perspective that is entirely our own, and we certainly won’t get a spirituality that is entirely our own.
Historically, converts to Islam, and specifically we see this in the European converts of the pre-industrial age, were people who totally accepted adoption of faith, principles and culture. When they converted, yes, they totally adopted the culture and perspective of the people which taught them Islam, and they abandoned that which was based on kufr in their hearts. They had no alternative, really. They knew what they were putting aside and what they were picking up.
But today, even Muslims born into the faith find it unfathomable to wrap their minds around the concept that some basic attachments to Western culture needs to first be abandoned in order to build something Islamic.
We all know the maxim, “if you see something wrong the least we can do is dislike it in our hearts.” But today we give excuses to this capitalistic materialistic society and try to find why it *is* Islam, and why its cultural output is ‘not so far’ from Islam. Just let us tweak it here and there. Add some minority-fiqh and it’s all legal too. Rationalization at its finest.
Forget abandoning Western culture and principles from which it arose, we don’t even want to dislike anything about it in our heart.
Is it even possible to put aside Western culture completely? Probably not. We can never forget Rocky or LOST. However, with commitment and a guide who is carrying that Prophetic message, we will see that slowly there is an independent alternative. Leaders such as that replace a void with something fresh and growing and alive.
But at the same time we must know it is difficult to separate from any lover, even ones who are bad for us. So, of course, inching progress will occur and compromises will be made. But until this fundamental decision is made in the heart to (at least) incline away from the current cultural hegemony, little progress towards a true Islamic lifestyle in one’s own household will be possible.
Q: What are your thoughts on how the media covers these issues? even your local paper, the New York Times you’ve been highly critical of it.
A: Do you want me to read my paragraph about my local paper?
…
“My feeling of superiority, and the sense of well-being that comes from that, increases with the number of poor people on the planet, whose lives are dominated by me or my proxies and who I nonetheless can completely ignore. I like to be reminded of those poor people, those unobstrusives. And then I like to be reminded of my lack of interest in them. For example while I eat my breakfast each morning I absolutely love to read my morning newspaper, because on the first few pages the newspaper tells me how my country treated the unobstrusives on the day before, deaths, beatings, torture, what have you… Then as I keep turning the pages, the newspaper reminds me how unimportant the unobstrusives are to me. And it tries to tempt me on its articles on shirts, to consider different shirts I would like to wear. Then it goes on as I turn the pages, to coax me to sample different forms of cooking, and then to experience different plays, films, different types of vacations.”
[Puts the book down]
In other words, the stories in the newspaper about Afghanistan are… partly true and partly false, but they are presented in a context that basically makes me feel alright about treating the people there as non-equals. Which obviously we do if we send an unmanned drone, and we are thinking of killing some person who we think is an enemy and we kill 15 members of his family. We wouldn’t do that to people who we thought were our equals, for example: friends.
Even if there was someone that we despised, or who wanted to kill us, in the middle of their family, we wouldnt kill the whole family, we just wouldn’t.
And the New York times helps me to take that as… totally normal!
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Transcribed from Interview
Tonight we will be observing remembrance of Laylatul Baraat, the 15th Shabaan.
Some Resources on the significance of this night:
The Night of the 15th of Sha`ban
“Laylatul-bara’ ah” (The night of freedom from Fire).
1) Imam Nawawi mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam al-Shafi`i from the latter’s al-Umm that it has reached him that there are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the 15th of Sha`ban.
**Note, of course, that the night of the 15th is the night before it.**
2) Imam Haskafi said in his Durr al-Mukhtar, one of the primary references in the Hanafi school:
“Among the recommended [prayers] are on. . . . the nights of the two Eids, the middle of Sha`ban, the last ten of Ramadan, and the first [ten] of Dhul-Hijjah. ”
3) It is reported from Sayyiduna `Ali (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Let all of you spend the night of mid-Sha`ban in worship (i.e. partly) and its day in fasting. Allah descends to the nearest heaven during this night, beginning with sunset, and says: ‘Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until until dawn rises.’” [Narrated by Ibn Majah with a weak chain.]
There are many other narrations from the Companions and early Muslims confirming this matter, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in his Lata’if al-Ma`arif, and others.
There is general consensus that weak hadiths may be acted upon for virtuous acts, such as voluntary fasting and prayer, as long as the hadith is not excessively weak, returns to a general basis in the Shariah, and one is not convinced that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) specifically prescribed it.
Mother of the believers, Sayidatuna A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her) says, I missed the Prophet (Sallahu alayhi wa salaam) one night so I went out to al-Baqi’ graveyard, and found him). He said: “Were you afraid that Allah would wrong”? I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I thought that you might have gone to visit one of your [other] wives.” He said: “Allah Glorious and Exalted descends to the nearest heaven on the night of mid-Shabaan (15th night) and He forgives more people than the number of hair on the hides of the flocks and herds of sheep of the tribe of Kalb. {Tirmidhi}.
It is recorded in books that the tribe of Kalb used to have the most number of sheep in Arabia, but some unfortunate people are still not forgiven on this night when Allah showers His mercy on mankind. Amongst them are 1) those who are habitual drinkers [alcoholics] 2) those who are habitual adulterous 3) those who are disobedient to their parents 4) those who break family ties 5) those who are mischief-spreaders and, 6) those who are back-bitters. In another narration mischief-spreader is replaced with those who make pictures. {Mukashifatul Quloob}.
In a long Prophetic narration, narrated in Ghunya tut-Talibin, the Messenger of Allah said, that is the night of mid-Shabaan (15 night) when Allah (Exalted is He) arranges the affairs of the year. He transfers [some of] the living to the list of dead, and records those who will make pilgrimage [Hajj] to the House of Allah that year, neither adding one too many nor leaving a single one of them out.”
Spend the night, as much as possible, in worship and on the 15th of Shabaan. It is written in Anees-ul-Waezeen that whoever fasts on the fifteenth of Shabaan the fire of hell will not touch him.
Next to the “night of Qadr” the night of 15th Shaban is the most auspicious night ( also known as “night of Baraat”). According to the Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali Al Baqir (AS) and Jafar Ibn Muhammad Al Sadiq (AS) The Almighty Allah has promised to fulfill every legitimate desire put foward to him tonight.
In another Tradition she says, “Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, would sometimes begin to fast continuously until we thought he would not stop fasting, and sometimes he used to stop fasting until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, fasting a complete month, except the month of Ramadan, and I have never seen him fasting in a month more frequently than he did in Shaban.”
SIGNIFICANCE OF SHAB’E BARAAT – 15th of Sha’baan
The night which falls on the even of the 15th of Sha’baan is called Shab’e Baraat.
THE AUSPICIOUSNESS OF THIS NIGHT
1. The names of those who are to die in the coming year are given to the Angels.
2. The names of those who are to be born in the coming year are given to the Angels.
3. Those who are to receive sustenance during the coming year, their names are given to the Angels.
4. After sunset Allah Ta’ala’s splendour descends on the first Heaven. This remains till dawn.
5. A proclamation is made by Allah Ta’ala for those seeking forgiveness so that they may be forgiven.
6. A proclamation is also made for those seeking livelihood so that they may be given livelihood.
7. A proclamation is made for those in trouble so that they may be released from their troubles.
8. Countless people are freed from Jahannum.
Ummul Mu’mineen ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, says, “Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast the whole of Shaban. I said to him, ‘Messenger of Allah, is Shaban your most favorite month for fasting?’ He said, ‘In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.”
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The reason for these appeals to lasting unions is simple: on every single significant outcome related to short-term well-being and long-term success, children from intact, two-parent families outperform those from single-parent households. Longevity, drug abuse, school performance and dropout rates, teen pregnancy, criminal behavior and incarceration — if you can measure it, a sociologist has; and in all cases, the kids living with both parents drastically outperform the others.Few things hamper a child as much as not having a father at home. “As a feminist, I didn’t want to believe it,” says Maria Kefalas, a sociologist who studies marriage and family issues and co-authored a seminal book on low-income mothers called Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage. “Women always tell me, ‘I can be a mother and a father to a child,’ but it’s not true.” Growing up without a father has a deep psychological effect on a child. “The mom may not need that man,” Kefalas says, “but her children still do.”
This turns out to be true across the economic spectrum. The groundbreaking research on the effects of divorce on children from middle- and upper-income households comes from a surprising source: a Princeton sociologist and single mother named Sara McLanahan, who decided to study the fates of these children with the tacit assumption that once you control for income, being part of a single-parent household does not adversely affect kids. The results — which she published in the 1994 book Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps — were surprising. “Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent,” she found, “are worse off, on average, than children who grow up in a household with both of their biological parents, regardless of the parents’ race or educational background.”
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