Imam Khalid Latif and Haroon Moghul spoke at the University of Houston MSA and Risala Foundation last week. The topic: “Why me, Allah?”
Khalid spoke powerfully, eloquently, and deeply on individual suffering, especially faced by women in our communities, their trials, and our need to present compassion in place of judgment.
Haroon Moghul spoke on the topic of “Why us, Allah?” I touched on my own journey away from and back to Islam, how I predicted the Arab Spring (in a creepy way), and shared Allama Iqbal’s Shikwa with the audience.
Masha’Allah !!! Yes we always get the ‘BE Patient’ Speech…and it does not help most times. We KNOW the realness of Allah !!! Sometimes we need someone to listen to us and give us sound advice….like can they relate to what we are going through. Sometimes then seems to be no empathy…until it happens to THEM…they WE have to be so understanding…..WHY…
Amazing Masha’Allah! Changes your view in many ways and give you an idea of what many young muslims go through and how we must react to that and how to give advice in a better way. What is the book that Imam Haroon Moghul wrote?
Salam Wissem,
Hope you’re well in health and heart insh’allah. The book I wrote is ‘The Order of Light,’ published by Penguin. Used copies are still available on Amazon.com, I believe:
http://www.amazon.com/Order-Light-Haroon-Moghul/dp/0144000121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324915316&sr=8-1
Salam Imam Haroon,
Hope all is well with you and your family. I would like to just thank you very much for the link, and I am very excited to get this book. Last year for 8th grade, I did a report on the revolting in North Africa so I am very familiar with this topic.
imam suhaib webbs homeboy fo sho haha
While I thoroughly enjoyed listening to both talks, I didn’t really get how Br. Haroon answers the question “why us?”. He presented the collective psychology of defeat amongst Muslims, gave 2 common responses: anger and leaving the Deen, recalled his own personal struggle w/ the second response, and how he came back. But while the talk was beneficial, I didn’t see where the answer to “why us” was.
Unfortunately, that was addressed in an event the next day–which explored lessons from Muslim history and applied them to our present consciousness. I’ll also be writing on this for Islamic Monthly’s upcoming issue, in an article titled “Lies Your Colonizer Told You.”
Is there a recording of that event available?
جزاك الله خير
Salamualikum
I don’t understand why imam Khalid kept saying, “would you say be patient, Allah is testing you”.. Yes I would say that cause this gives the person an ease of mind that Allah tests the ones whom he loves and is a means of expiating their sins.. That’s why the prophet said, the affairs of the believers is amazing when Allah tests him he is patient and he gets reward for it and when Allah blesses him with something he is thankful and he gets reward for it. Than after reminding them of that, than I would Suggest for them a way out of it and counsel them in that affair… So can up please explain to me why you were pushing away from saying this is a test be patient.. Jazkallah khair and I really benefit from the lectures.
I do.
The main thing that you need when something awful or difficult happens and you go to someone, is firstly, that the person you go to understands. For someone who doesn’t know, then and only then, will you believe they are sincere when they say, Allah is testing you, etc etc. For those who do know, repeating this does not help.
What humans need are different things, hence why the response is not going to be the same, why you must care, must listen – some simply need to know they are not the only one, some need to know they are still loved and valid people in spite of it, some need protection and solutions. It is better to listen, understand and offer whatever they need but say “I don’t know” than to force some ruling you happen to know into a situation that may not fit well, just for the sake of responding with a ruling. Ultimately only Allah knows the why of what happens and sometimes He will let that person – and that person only – understand, eventually.
Sometimes we really don’t know whether something is right or wrong for specific individual people in specific individual situations. few things feel more alienating and hurtful than being among people yet none of them cares about or understands what you’re going through. Oftentimes something can be true yet still not be the right thing to say. Timing, order, priority, are incredibly important – and difficult.
because it is one thing to be tested with calamities were u r really helpless and being patient is the only thing u can do like passin away of loved 1 or not getting unwanted worldy desires fulfilled, poverty etc a whole another thing to be oppressed by family members or governments and giving a religious verdict to justify it were patience may work in the short term but never in the long term.
as for Allah putting us through trials as expression of love i dont think u can say this to ppl who r oppressed un-necessarily esp to women.