Rage, Reason (lack of), dominance and not forgetting the infamous.. kill or be killed.
For those of you within the UK, frozen planet has been airing. If you haven't already watched it: *Clicky*. It's epic beyond proportion. The creation Allah (swt) is just flawless. A master behind unfathomable design. What intrigued me more was the animals. They inspired my title.
For years I've noticed a reoccurring theme in tafsir class. "He's a kafir!" "He's a kafir and here's my evidence!"
These guys are no better than the opposition. What they're preparing is religious ammunition. What they're doing is wrong. There's no getting through to stubbornness.
Yesterday in tafsir, 14 bodies present. A room full of raging testosterone. The times weren't working for me. I'm finishing towards midnight and I start work very early hours in the morning.
The other guys come late because of Gym, football and busy playing on Call Of Duty/Playstation throughout the whole night. I put my case across. No one said a word bar this one brother. This brother is known to be stubborn, reams of arrogance and he's an unreasonable guy.
He made it an issue. He continued to make matters worse with his sarcastic tone. He made it personal.
I have a thing against bullies. The whole room was sat there watching it go back and forth.
He's facing Mufti saab not even battering an eye lid "We all have responsibilities, he's not the only one."
One other student spoke up "It's not about that, he's working and you're not. Gym is flexible and work isn't. Be realistic."
Incoherent, lack of reasoning and going up in rage and arms. Strike 2. Words with ill intent.
What was a simple issue of timing he took matters to a whole new level. This is how fist fights in masjid have begun.
Come a couple of years ago. Brother, you don't speak like that if you have no intent of seeing them through until the end. That's where I come from and that's how we deal with things. I spoke very few words.
A time wasn't agreed. All the other students looking on like a bunch of garden gnomes. Individuals at 16 stone unable to talk because they don't want to offend him. Speaking the truth does come at a price.
I was pulled up afterwards. "We all know he's in the wrong. No one says anything to him, remember what happened last time with xyz? I asked myself why you didn't do anything. I know you would have taught him a lesson physically and verbally."
"I controlled my anger."
"Soulseek, you're wise. You won."
I sit next to this guy and we study 5 times a week until we now finish the qur'an. The time that has been set will now affect my ability to study the qur'an, granted I've sacrificed the past 3 years to make this compromise for the sake of Allah. It will also affect my external obligations because brothers wish to amuse themselves. Alhamdulillah.
Shaytaan inside of me thrills for things like these. I'm not going to entertain it. Fullstop. Especially not for where I've booked my tickets to.
Jannah; Have you heard of this place?
Mosque politics are the worst. My grandfather is the president of the local mosque so have heard about it for the last 20 odd years. Have they done their jobs properly to educate the masses about Islam? No. Have they changed/progressed? Nope. Will it continue this way? Yes. Unless the next generation take it in their own hands to try and implement change! Those who have their heads screwed on that is!
ReplyDeleteAs for the incorrect use of Kaafir by some people- you cannot call Muslims by this name as they are still Muslims but just committing sins. As for the war, Muslims against 'the rest of the world', it only exists because Muslims cannot work together within themselves. The basic divide and conquer rule which the Western world has taken advantage of! Anyone who blames the West, should look at themselves first and ask whether they actually implement the Quran in their daily lives. If you can't sort things out in your own back yard......
I don't know which I like reading more.. the ending to this post or SI's comment. :)
ReplyDeleteMashallah bro.. Allah (swt) is teaching you paitience. You passed!
It's really hard to "hold ones tongue."
I remember being in a conflict similar to this with different circumstances. I kept my mouth shut but inside it was like a war was raging inside of me. A rising steam of anger.. the kind of thing that is just really hard to swallow.
But when I parted ways with said "conflicters," I felt like I had won and simultaneously lost... yet the win was far more greater then the loss.
if that made any sense... lol.
Masjid fist fights.. subhanallah.. and I thought those kinds of things happened only in my messed up area.
SI - We're starting a new kind of revolution. The irony is everything you said.. I feel it comes down to 2 key things:
ReplyDeletei) Communication
ii) Leadership
There's one guy who pretty speaks my mind plus more. Boy is this guy blessed with wisdom. Check it out, you will love it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDf3_fe5nA
comps - I agree.
ReplyDeleteWe know how difficult it is because Allah (swt) in his all might wisdom says Surah Fussilat - V34:
The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.
Lets bring this back. I was ticked off at this brother. Yet I made the decision to go to his house for dinner yesterday. Alhamdulillah, there's nothing on my part and I felt the same in return.
I know that feeling because that's exactly how I felt. People take forgiveness and good natured approach as a weakness. Sad times.
As for fist fights, it's happening in more places than you know it. It happened when I was doing itikaaf and those sitting itikaaf would the ones going for it.
Crazy? I think so.
Not a revolutionist. No twitter account:) Watched Nouman. Agree with lots of it. Especially since it's not just about mosque and politics but can be applied in everyday life even within families and households.
ReplyDeleteEducation and children is definitely where it's at. A lot of the younger generation have good ideas but unfortunately it's not always taken on board by the older generation. This gap needs to be filled somehow.
Hafiz A (we'll call him that for now) said exactly the same thing. That these days, all the talks and khutbas are spoken/delivered in Arabic or a language that the younger generation don't always understand. How are they supposed to learn the moral lessons and values of the Quran when they don't understand what is being said. Also, sometimes it's not put into context i.e. relevant to our generation in this day and age and it actually can be.
As for the the fighting within mosque, it is sad. Not just fist fights but verbal fights as well. It puts a lot of people off attending the mosque and so people start going elsewhere to seek knowledge or just leave seeking it altogether. I started attending on Saturdays in one place and then decided to leave. I now attend on Sundays elsewhere.
Some people around my parts of the world don't even attend to read Eid salaah at the mosque anymore. They read it in the park instead. Eid in the the park. Hmm.
@Soulseek- fist fights by the ones doing itikaaf in the masjid? I dont know WHY I found this funny? One of those things that is so surreal that you cannot respond with anything else! :S
ReplyDeleteIts great that you went to his house and swallowed your obvious annoyance and anger at him and as the ayah you mentioned in surah al fussilat, when you remember it you take the higher road as you know better.
These situations always creep up as a test and are just there.Either you benefit from it or others do. Now, that brother may have learnt from how you handled this and possibly may have felt ashamed a little. The believer is ALWAYS tested there is NO pointless random occurrences in our lives.Think of it as something special made for you :) It always works!