Al Hallaj,Iblis and the Somali

[weydamal]

Brother Wired

Thanks for responding in such a civil manner. However, you sidestepped some questions I asked. Do you think you could favor us with a response or is it too hot to handle.

[Basra-]

Basra,


The brother does sound like Robinson Crusoe.

He does right? That's ok. Wired is a good people. His independent thought, and voluminous posts make him unique.


Wey, I am glad u took my humble advice. I do understand your point about misguided lecturers. Allaah swt protect us from misinformation and misguidance. Personally, I like Mufti Ismail when he recites Quran and translate. I get to use my brain, take further than the sheikh, in appreciation and analyzing .


Wired


Well , I am not u didn't mean it.

[WiredForGood]

Brother Wired

Thanks for responding in such a civil manner. However, you sidestepped some questions I asked. Do you think you could favor us with a response or is it too hot to handle.

When discussions are serious and participants are genuine like you, civility is a must. You are cool guy, educated and a brother. You are my own blood saxib. There should be no animosity, hatred or ill-will. We learn from one another and correct each other.


I wanted to avoid writing lengthy response in my previous post. I made it as compact as I could fitting in everything. Point out which questions I side stepped. Also, are you satisfied or think the replies were reasonable if not acceptable to you?

Nah, I am not a teenager. And if I was, I would expect you to judge me based on the quality of thought. Age is a number man. I live in America, perhaps the less sophisticated manners of speech is cultural. Unlike you, you write as if you studied and lived in England. Your English is superior to mine.

But I assure you, I am OLD. At least I feel that way.

[weydamal]

Wired

I will spare you the third degree.

However, I think I have made my point about seriously studying something before you become an authority capable of dispensing dictums. Though I talk about Somalis sheikhs assuming God like authority over their followers, despite their misguided Wahhabi leanings, I think the phenomenon is much more widespread in the Muslim world, especially in the peripheries. The heartland of Islam aka the Arabian Peninsula, is calm, prosperous, peaceful, enjoys all the materials comforts that money can buy. Ironically, the sheikhs in these heartlands and their third world acolytes, preach the militant, intolerant version of Islam and export it to the peripheries. The conflicts generated by militant Islam happen in the poorest Muslim communities, the Somalis(al shabab), the Moro Philipinos(abu sayyaf), the dirt poor Kanuri of Borno(boko haram),the Tuareg (ansar dine), the Chechens, the Afghans, the Yemenis and the list goes on. These movements are led by insane , intolerant Wahhabis. Look at pictures or clips Abubakar Shekau, the boko haram leader, he is clearly demented, often frothing at the mouth while speaking pidgin Arabic. This is the curse of Wahhabism.

The commonalities of these movements is that they are inspired by wahhabism/salafasim and they are exported and thrive in some of the most miserable, poverty stricken backwaters of the Muslim world. But the heartland that inspires this hate is safe , wallowing in the comforts of western materialism. Something is wrong with this picture.

The old Somalis respected their sheikhs, but they retained a healthy sense of scepticism, hence the saying:

Abeesadu dhul u eki bay kugu dishaa, Wadaadkuna dad u eki


Even the Sufis that you deride so much, have achieved so much in Africa, than the Wahhabi ever will. Take the Mourides of Senegal. Granted , they have many deviant beliefs, but as a sect, they have instilled values of hard work and a a work ethic among their followers. They have created a thriving, peacefull city, Touba, which is the second largest in Senegal, out of the bare , shimmering desert. They have built the second largest mosque in Africa, the magnificent great mosque of Touba. All this without a single cent from Saudia or the Gulf, but with the sweat and blood of the Mourides.

Tell me one Wahhabi/Salafi group in Somalia or the other peripheries I mentioned , that comes close. All thy have contributed is death, destruction, poverty, misery , ignorance and despair. Look at the magnificent mosque of Touba as you reflect on this.

[WiredForGood]

Wired

I will spare you the third degree.

However, I think I have made my point about seriously studying something before you become an authority capable of dispensing dictums. Though I talk about Somalis sheikhs assuming God like authority over their followers, despite their misguided Wahhabi leanings, I think the phenomenon is much more widespread in the Muslim world, especially in the peripheries. The heartland of Islam aka the Arabian Peninsula, is calm, prosperous, peaceful, enjoys all the materials comforts that money can buy. Ironically, the sheikhs in these heartlands and their third world acolytes, preach the militant, intolerant version of Islam and export it to the peripheries. The conflicts generated by militant Islam happen in the poorest Muslim communities, the Somalis(al shabab), the Moro Philipinos(abu sayyaf), the dirt poor Kanuri of Borno(boko haram),the Tuareg (ansar dine), the Chechens, the Afghans, the Yemenis and the list goes on. These movements are led by insane , intolerant Wahhabis. Look at pictures or clips Abubakar Shekau, the boko haram leader, he is clearly demented, often frothing at the mouth while speaking pidgin Arabic. This is the curse of Wahhabism.

The commonalities of these movements is that they are inspired by wahhabism/salafasim and they are exported and thrive in some of the most miserable, poverty stricken backwaters of the Muslim world. But the heartland that inspires this hate is safe , wallowing in the comforts of western materialism. Something is wrong with this picture.

The old Somalis respected their sheikhs, but they retained a healthy sense of scepticism, hence the saying:

Abeesadu dhul u eki bay kugu dishaa, Wadaadkuna dad u eki


Even the Sufis that you deride so much, have achieved so much in Africa, than the Wahhabi ever will. Take the Mourides of Senegal. Granted , they have many deviant beliefs, but as a sect, they have instilled values of hard work and a a work ethic among their followers. They have created a thriving, peacefull city, Touba, which is the second largest in Senegal, out of the bare , shimmering desert. They have built the second largest mosque in Africa, the magnificent great mosque of Touba. All this without a single cent from Saudia or the Gulf, but with the sweat and blood of the Mourides.

Tell me one Wahhabi/Salafi group in Somalia or the other peripheries I mentioned , that comes close. All thy have contributed is death, destruction, poverty, misery , ignorance and despair. Look at the magnificent mosque of Touba as you reflect on this.

I don't know what third degree means. Before I respond to the gist of your post, let me point out that we were talking about religious inventions not known by the prophet and his companions. The basic rule in Islam is that Islam was complete at the time the prophet died and he honorably conveyed all he was entrusted with by God. He left nothing out pertaining to Worship and how to live a life of an honest believer conscious of God. The prophet warned Muslims about innovating in their religion and said:

'Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not a part of it will have it rejected.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, no. 2697).. He also used to say at the beginning of his ceremonies: "… The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray…" (reported by Muslim, no. 867))..

Inventing religious practice regardless of how good it seems to be is not supported by Islam. Anyone doing something like that out of love for the prophet and Islam already should have what they need to satisfy their passion in Islam. This is how Islam remains still in its pure form from the time of the prophet. You need evidence for your practices in Islam.


With regards to what you mentioned about societies going through turmoil; Poverty, corruption and tribal politics is the common denominator for all of them. Remove those elements and they will not be susceptible to extremist groups and their ideologies. People become victims of extremist ideas when they are uneducated, economically poor or have a history of bigotry ethnically. 40% Americans fit the profile and hold extreme views that are distractive to society and to anyone different from them, and they are not Muslims.


Building institutions of learning, charitable organizations, peaceful communities and educating the youth can be done without inventing practices that are not part of Islam. When it comes to worship and practice of religion, the Prophet is the guide. He should be enough for a guide in how-to-in-Islam.

When it comes to the material world, be an innovator and come up with good ideas that benefit not only your society but mankind. No sane muslim will raise an eye brow.