& in conclusion

‘Sufism’ and US Foreign Policy Part III

Certainly those who would worship these without realizing that they acquired worth only through their connection to Allah’s Messenger would be wrong, but those who put more esteem in Burger King and KFC aren’t in any position to judge the others, who at least love the right people.

My point in the above is not to endorse any wrong practices rejected by the ulema, but to say that this Ummah has enough poison within to correct, and it’s unworthy to point to the RAND group and say that America is responsible for poisoning relations between muslims, while one powerful group is doing so for (and has been doing so for years, with oil money and sponsoring masjids and propaganda), and is noted for their arrogant and overbearing manner world-wide… when that’s so, while you might like to blame Kabbani for all the problems, it’d be ridiculous to ignore that his anger at Salafis/ ‘Wahabis’ comes from the genuine tension out there…

if you’ve missed that there’s a self-investigation going on amongst Salafis now about past arrogance and avoidance of social problems (see www.tariqnelson.com or www.umarlee.com for examples of those ongoing discusssions amongst Salafis), you don’t achieve any reconciliation of the Ummah, and you only perpetuate the conflict and oppression out there. To ignore that the powerful and dominant element in the community (that shuts out other views, and has the money to buy up mosques) has been the Salafis, and that other views within ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaat (Sunni Islam) are valid and worthy… well, you will then only help the RAND group and the enemies of Islam to divide us even more. look at www.translators.wordpress.com if you want to see intelligent commentary and insights from the Salaf on how to think about these problems.

Khalas. Khush.

Salaams, Dawud

Likewise it is not hidden that there are muslims these places of heritage seeking tabarruk from them , such tabarruk is not valid and its the DUTY of the ruler to prevent it in whatever form . Remember the hadith of ‘Umar where he cut down a tree .

I can quote stupid fatwas from all corners of Islamic groups which are extremely absurd which points only to the (mis)understanding of the mufti , nothing more or less.

I have nothing myself to do with the site, so can’t say about much about the people behind it (I can say that I know that Sami Angawi is well respected in his field, and everyone, including myself, can verify that most of the homes, wells, and mosques associated with the Sahaba al-Kiram and others of the Salaf as-Salih, radhi Allahu anhum ajma’in, have been destroyed over the last twenty-thirty years.

I also know that in March of 2004, when a flood during Hajj weakened an old bridge that was part of the Ottoman railway, that it was detonated by Madinah’s religious officials, without the permission of the authorities – and Prince Sultan, of the Historical and Tourism commission, complained loudly in the newspapers, which was new at the time.

As for what’s happened there, everyone (top to bottom) notices the KFC and McDonalds, anyone who know history knows the Ajyad fortress used to be there, anyone who looks can see the signs of the old Madinah Ummayad, Abbasid, and Ottoman constructions (in photos, or small elements) left in the Haramayn… denial isn’t a river in Egypt, eh?

In any case, I am not denying if any of what the website is saying, is happening. But, for now, I am not believing any of it until I see REAL evidence, not just some ‘he says, she says’.

But if there’s some reason destroying the house of Khadijah, the Prophet, and the ahl-ul-Bayt (to place a toilet) or the birth-home (thankfully now a library), while allowing the benefits of McDonald’s and Burger King to reach pilgrims is a far better achievement, do let me know… ( http://www.savethehijaz.org/ )

As to whether al-Hallaj was wrong, that’s pardon me, but as useless an argument as re-arguing ibn Taymiyyah and ibn Arabi, both of whom were scholars far beyond the vast vast majority of the partisans today to comprehend, let alone argue about. Take a look at what’s written on thetranslators.wordpress.com (brother Suhaib Webb and others) as critiques of the RAND reports and other efforts to split up the muslims.

as to the specific assertion that Saudi “as Orthodoxy, isn’t boring and unimaginative” – well, boring and unimaginative isn’t what I would call the fatwa to ban soccer, or force the players to wear shalwar kameez and play in 3 periods, etc… they certainly have imaginations when they say that women can’t go to the graveyard because “then young men will start thinking the graveyards are a place to meet women,” etc – that’s creative thinking for you.

I agree about humanizing Saudis – but to realize that the vast majority of those Bengali (et al) workers were tricked into going there with promises of high salaries, then are stuck in a small hut, working for low salaries (as little as 75 to 100 dollars a month) for years with their passport taken away, just trying to make enough to get away with their pride intact… those people also need to be humanized. And there are definite human rights abuses, most of which I heard from Saudis themselves, of Africans and others, which would be unimaginable in America – kids driving along and kicking an African worker? kids trying to commit suicide on the road, with stunts you can see online? child abuse and sodomy (1/3 of the kids who end up in the hospital for other problems turn out to have been physically or sexually abused, a headline in the pro-Saudi Saudi Gazette in 2005)…

not to mention that the prisons the muslim world (rightfully) condemns in Abu Ghraib and Gitmo have their counterparts (and larger, with thousands of ‘vanished’ prisoners) in the Arab countries – as is quoted from Isa, peace be upon him: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

One of the things I’ve done in the next two parts is humanize Saudis. I’m in agreement with your comments about the people from the Indian sub-continent, many of whom are extremely idiotic and as you mentioned “gawk” at women. I know a guy who dyed his hair to some strange colour so he could “gawk” at more women without suspicion, well that’s what I think.

Dawud, you’ll find that I’ve critiqued both Sufism and Salafism on certain aspects in the series as it progresses. I think the rigidity in Salafism basically balances a Muslim body that would incorporate new things like Sufism has done, and Sufism balances a Muslim body that would be too literalist and follow blindly without much intellectual exertion. They can be understood in an anthropological framework.
I wish we Muslim should stop using labels which are not only labels but ideas that spring out from mainstream Islam. We must all call pourselves Muslims and follow the Straight Path as outlined in the Qur’an. Well, that’s my opinion.

That there are valid differences of opinion agreed upon in Islam ( http://ammanmessage.com ) is valuable, and those Salafis who respect other communities, such as JIMAS and others in the UK, are more than welcome in other mosques. I would like to see the same from Saudi, and reference for instance the “Mafahim” of Imam Mohammad al-Maliki al-Makkah, who I referenced above, where he wrote down those “Understandings” common to ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaat, but still had takfir pronounced against him. If it can be recognized that this was wrong and ugly, then progress within this Ummah can be spoken about.

Until then, opportunists like Kabbani and his acolyte, the neo-con Schwartz, will have lots of firewood to burn…