Prayer for the Dying – Seal

Prayer for the Dying – Seal

Fearless people,
Careless needle.
Harsh words spoken,
And lives are broken.

[The careless needle may refer to a drug user or it may refer to a sloppy medical practitioner. The idea of hurtful words that ruin lives suggest a judge giving a sentence or a couple deciding to divorce each other]

Forceful ageing,
Help me I’m fading.
Heaven’s waiting,
It’s time to move on.

[Clearly the speaker is on his deathbed. These lines remind me of Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door," another song about dying. But though he's asking for help, he seems to be at peace. He sees that death is a transition between two different kinds of existence.]

Crossing that bridge,
With lessons I’ve learned.
Playing with fire,
And not getting burned.

[I think Seal is talking about the bridge between life and death. But from an Islamic perspective, it sounds like the sirat, the needle-thin bridge between Heaven and Hell. It's  interesting how he talks about using fire. We use dangerous things like fire and knives all the time. We don't realize how dangerous these items are until they cause us pain.]

I may not know what
you’re going through.
But time is the space,
Between me and you.

[I could say something really deep here about how time and space are interconnected but I'll spare you.]
Life carries on… it goes on.
Just say die,
And that would be pessimistic.
In your mind,
We can walk across water.

[Life truly does go on. Even the one man most beloved to Allah, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, died, and life continued. The part about walking on water alludes to Isa (Jesus), who performed many miracles. The Bible speaks of him walking on water (Mark 6:45-52) though the Quran does not. ]

Please don’t cry,
It’s just a prayer for the dying.
I just don’t know
what’s got into me.

[Seal is taking an Islamic perspective on death. He's resisting the urge to cry and focusing on prayer. This is not to say that Muslims do not cry when people die. Of course they do. But Muslims prefer to deal with death spiritually rather than emotionally.]

Been crossin’ that bridge,
With lessons I’ve learned.
Playing with fire,
And not getting burned.
I may not know what
you’re going through,
But time is the space,
Between me and you.

There is a light through that window
Hold on say yes, while people say no
Life carries on
Ohh!
It goes on….oh-ee-oh,
whoa-ee-oh ho oh…

I’m crossing that bridge,
With lessons I’ve learned….
I’m playing with fire,
And not getting burned….
I may not know what
you’re going through.
But time is the space,
Between me and you.
There is a light
through that window.
Hold on say yes, while people say no
Cause life carries
on….oh-ee-oh,
whoa-ee-oh ho on…
It goes on….oh-ee-on,
It goes on.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Life carries on.
When nothing else matters.
When nothing else matters.

[Death is a reminder of the importance of the soul and the fragility of the body. When one dies, does it matter how much money one had, or how big one's house was, or what kind of car one drove? ]

I just don’t know
what’s got into me.
It’s just a prayer for the dying.
For the dying.

Something I Learned from Today’s Khutba

Did you know that there is a simple three-step process to making an effective dua (invocation)?

Here it goes:

1) Begin with praise for Allah using His most beautiful names and attributes. Choose one or two that are connected to whatever you want to ask for. For instance, if you want to do well on an exam, call out to him as Al-Hakim (The Wise) and Al-Alim (The All-Knowing).  If you want help in a financial matter, you could use Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Ghani (The Wealthy, or The One Who Is Free of Need). Allah loves to hear the dua of a believer who praises Him.

2)  Bless Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  You can simply ask Allah to bless His Last Messenger. Or you can do elaborate durood (blessing of the Prophet) asking for peace and mercy for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his noble wives, his descendants, and all of his followers.

3)Ask for whatever you want and/or need. Do not be afraid to ask for minor, simple things. For example, the Sahabah (companions or disciples) sometimes made dua for shoes. They saw Allah as the solution to all their problems  - big, medium, or small.

But if that is not your style, look to the classics. One simple yet profound dua is “Rabbana atina fi dunya hasanatau wa fil akhirita hasanatau wa qina azaban nar. (Our Lord, give us the best in this world and in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the fire.)”

You can ask Allah to use His wisdom to grant you whatever He knows is best for you. You can ask Him to fill you with contentment with the mercy and blessings that He bestows upon you.

Don’t neglect the Ummah in your duas. I’ve heard many different duas for the Ummah, but one has a very special place in my heart. It is the dua of my grandmother who simply prays, “O Allah, make the Muslims behave like Muslims.”

I pray that Allah, the Answerer of Prayers and the Most Merciful, grants us the power to make more effective duas for our sake, for the sake of His Noble Messenger, Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, and for the sake of our entire Ummah. Ameen.

Counterfeit Chocolate?

It seems like a shame to me to let 10 tons of chocolate go to waste.

France seizes 10 tons of counterfeit chocolates

Customs officials recover 33,000 boxes of fake Ferrero Rochers

 

updated 11:01 a.m. CT, Tues., Dec. 23, 2008

PARIS – Ten tons of chocolate bonbons could stuff a lot of stockings this holiday season – but instead they will be under the lock and key of French customs agents.

The French customs service announced Tuesday that officers at the giant Rungis international market outside Paris seized nearly 33,000 boxes of gold-foil-wrapped morsels, on suspicion that they were counterfeit Ferrero Rochers, a popular Italian chocolate brand.

Lab tests and an examination by Ferrero itself found that the seized candies were harmless but low-quality copies. They arrived in France by refrigerated truck from Turkey and were seized in late November

Legal proceedings are under way between Ferrero and the chocolates’ importer, said Sophie Hocquerelle, a spokeswoman for the French customs office.

“It was the first time we had ever seized chocolates,” Hocquerelle said – and what a seizure: 10 tons of coconut-filled dark chocolates and milk chocolate balls worth an estimated $312,000.

The customs office said the fake Ferreros confirmed a trend seen in recent years of counterfeiters moving on from luxury goods like leather handbags and expensive perfumes to more day-to-day consumer goods like food, medicine and car parts.

By last month French customs agents had seized 5.4 million counterfeit items this year, up from 4.6 million in all of 2007.

As for those chocolates – they’re to be destroyed.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28366872/?GT1=43001

 

Counterfeit Chocolate

I Was Wrong

I was wrong. So very wrong.

I’ve been reviewing the Quran and the Hadith on this matter. I’ve also been reading your comments on the post. And the clear message I’ve received is that Islam does not recognize homosexual relationships.

Here’s some textual evidence:

“And (remember) Loot (Lot)! When he said to his people, ‘Do you commit Al‑Faahishah (evil, great sin, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, sodomy) while you see (one another doing evil without any screen)

Do you practice (sic) your lusts on men instead of women? Nay, but you are a people who behave senselessly.’

There was no other answer given by his people except that they said: ‘Drive out the family of Loot (Lot) from your city. Verily, these are men who want to be clean and pure!’

So We saved him and his family, except his wife. We destined her to be of those who remained behind.

And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). So evil was the rain of those who were warned”

[al-Naml 27:54-58 - interpretation of the meaning]

It is pretty clear from these verses that Allah condemned the people of Prophet Lot (alaihis salam, peace be upon him) because they practiced homosexuality. Yes, the word lust is used here and one could argue that there is a difference between being attracted to men and lusting after men. But the common sense interpretation of this passage is that homosexuality has no place in Islam.

Here’s a Hadith that really made me open my eyes:

G – It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘There is nothing I fear for my ummah more than the deed of the people of Loot.’”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1457; Ibn Maajah, 2563. This Hadith was classed as saheeh by  Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1552).

Prophet Muhammad (salla allahu alaihi wa salam, peace be upon him) said that there is nothing he dreaded more for the sake of his followers that homosexuality. That is stunning. He did not say shirk, kufr, or adultery, but homosexuality.

Furthermore, Islam recognizes two types of relationships – familial and marital. The bond between parent and child as well as between brother and sister are sacred in Islam. Also, when a man and woman choose to commit to a lifelong relationship through marriage, that is held sacred as well. Islam does not recognize boyfriends, girlfriends, or common-law (living together) spouses.

As for living in a secular state, I believe we have no right to compel non-Muslims to practice Islam. However, when one chooses laws for one’s society, one must take ethics and morals into account. Also one must consider the effects that an action will have on society. Even in the U.S., a Muslim politician should choose the laws that will be best for society. Take alcohol for example. If there were a law forbidding ads for hard liquor on network TV, I would expect a Muslim politician to support it because he or she knows that Allah forbade alcohol because its harms outweigh its benefits. Even atheists support or oppose legislation based on morality. Just because one’s morality is based on one religion does not mean one should ignore morality in secular contexts.

I’m Not Crying

“Oh, I’m not crying, no
There’s just a little bit of dust in my eye
That’s from the path that you made when you said your goodbye.”

You’ve just read a lyrical gem from that duo from New Zealand known as Flight of the Conchords. Check out their work on YouTube. “Think About It” is very good especially if you like monkeys.

Lyrics to I’m Not Crying :
So, you’re leaving, aren’t you?
I knew it when you said just then when you told me you were leaving
That’s when I definitely knew
But if you’re trying to break my heart
Your plan is flawed from the start
You can’t break my heart, it’s liquid
It melted when I met you
And as you turn around to leave
Don’t’ turn back to me
Don’t turn around and see if I’m crying
I’m not crying

I’m not crying
It’s just been raining
on my face
And if you think you see some tear tracks down my cheeks
Please. Pleasee, don’t tell my mates
I’m not crying
No, I’m not crying
And if I am crying
It’s not because of you
It’s because I’m thinking about a friend of mine who you don’t know who is dying
That’s right, dying
These aren’t tears of sadness because you’re leaving me
I’ve just been cutting onions
I’m making a lasagna
For one
Oh, I’m not crying
No
There’s just a little bit of dust in my eye
That’s from the path that you made when you said your goodbye
I’m not weeping because you won’t be here to hold my hand
For your information there’s an inflammation in my tear gland
I’m not upset because you left me this way
My eyes are just a little sweaty today
They’ve been looking around
They’re like searching for you
They’ve been looking for you
Even though I told them not to
These aren’t tears of sadness
They’re tears of joy
I’m just laughing
Ha ha ha-ha ha
I’m sitting at this table called love
Staring down at the irony of life
How come we’ve reached this fork in the road
And yet it cuts like a knife?
I’m not crying
I’m not crying
I’m not cry-y-y-y-
-y-y-y-y-ing
[ I'm Not Crying Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

Why I Support Gay Marriage

Why I Support Gay Marriage

This blog serves many purposes. Sometimes I used it as a forum to talk about music. Today I want to use it as a sort of soapbox. I want to share a view of mine that may be controversial, especially for my Muslim readers.

I support gay marriage, the right of homosexuals to marry each other and receive the same associated marital privileges as straight couples. Why?

Look at it this way. Imagine the situation facing gay and straight people were reversed. Imagine that gay people were in the majority and held nearly all the political offices in the world. What if they said that straight couples could not get married? Would that make sense? Would that be just? I do not think so. We cannot simply use the fact that we are in the majority or that we are “normal” to justify policies that are discriminatory.

Here’s another argument. Society does not have the choice of a world without gay people. It can however choose what kind of relationships it wants to promote. What should society promote – promiscuity or marriage? Without the option of marriage, gay people are more likely to have promiscuous relationships. Is it better to have a society where more people are promiscuous or where more people are married? One must also think about the potential spread of STD’s and associated health care costs.

Some might argue that allowing gay people to get married would mean redefining marriage. It could even lead to the legalization of polygamy. I think both are outcomes we should welcome. There was a time when blacks and whites could not marry in many parts of the United States. Such a marriage was not considered legitimate. But society progressed forward and changed those laws. Allowing men to marry men or women to marry women could lead to states deciding that one man can marry multiple women or vice versa. Why not? Solomon is said to have had multiple wives and he is revered both as a prophet and one of the wisest men of all time. Many cultures throughout the ages have allowed polygamy. But I don’t want to change the subject.

I realize people might respond by quoting verses from the Quran or from the Bible that condemn homosexuality. They might point to the story of Lot, peace be upon him. But I would argue that Sodom and Gomorrah were not condemned for mere homosexuality but for lust and for greed. The Sodomites were extreme in their lust after men. They attacked Prophet Lot’s house because they wanted to seduce his guests. Also, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were highway robbers. So they were full of lust and greed.

Consider this as well – the United States is a democracy, not a theocracy. If we lived in a state ruled by religious law, one could make a legitimate argument for banning gay marriage based on scripture. But in a democracy, a secular government, how can one argue against something because one feels it displeases God? And that is how many arguments against gay marriage are formed.

I would love to read your comments and opinions. Feel free to sound off.

Interesting Dilemma – NFL or Rhodes?

Here’s an interesting dilemma. Say you went to college and played football. Meanwhile, you’re also a pre-med. You excel at both and as a senior you have the choice of either a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford or a spot in the NFL. Which do you choose and why?

Check out the article: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/02/will-he-or-won%E2%80%99t-he/#comment-479718