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Islam is Deen of Discipline

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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 
 
The regulation of man's conduct within one system of life is one of the most important reasons of success and stability. The absence of this regulation is one of the greatest crises a man suffers from in his life. This happens when man is left without guidance from Allah (S.W.T.) or without proper upbringing based on that divine guidance. Under these circumstances, man's life becomes miserable on this earth and he will be amongst the losers in the Hereafter. 
 
The Noble Qur’an teaches us about the nations of people and individuals that were blessed with financial wealth, and physical strength, but they refused to live their lives according to the regulations of Allah (S.W.T.), so He destroyed them and their wealth. This happened in the past it is happening now, and sure it will happen in the future until the Day of Judgment. 
 
From the mercy of Allah (S.W.T.) is that He did not leave man without a system to regulate his conduct and behavior. So, He (S.W.T.) sent legislation to make man's life the best on this earth so that he will be happy in this life and in the Hereafter. Allah (S.W.T.) says about Qur'an in surat At-Takwir, (verse 27&28), which is translated as, "Verily, this (the Qur'an) is no less than a reminder to (all) the Alamin (mankind and jinn), to whomsoever among you wills to walk straight." 
 
Allah (S.W.T.) ordered His prophet (S.A.W.) and the believers to be disciplined based on Islam and taught them not to transgress: Allah (S.W.T) says in surat Huod, (verse 112), which is translated as, "So stand (O Muhammad) firm and straight (on Islam) as you are commanded and those who are with you (your companions) and do not transgress…" Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said: "There was no verse in the Qur'an harder on the prophet (S.A.W.) than this verse." For this reason, when the companions of the prophet (S.A.W.) said: "Your hair is getting gray early", he replied: " Surat Hood and its sisters made my hair gray.” 
 
Allah (S.W.T.) ordered His prophet (S.A.W.) in another verse in surat Ash-Shuora, (verse 15), which is translated as, "So unto this (Islam) alone then invite (people) (O Muhammad) and stand firm and straight (on Islam) as you are commanded…" 
 
Imam Muslim reported that a man said O Messenger of Allah; tell me something of Islam, which I will not ask anyone else about it. He (S.A.W.) said: "Say, I believe in Allah and then be steadfast.” Imam An-Nawawi said: "This hadith is one of the great ones that Islam is based on." To be steadfast is to abide by Islam and it is a high degree that shows complete belief and great strength. Omar (R.A.) said: "Steadfast is enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil and not deceit like the deceit of the fox." This means discipline according to the Islamic system. 
 
Islam teaches us how to regulate our behavior and conduct in all aspects of the Deen; in the Aqeedah, in the Ibadat, in human relations, and in the rules of Halal and Haram. 
 
In the Aqeedah, We must believe what Allah (S.W.T.) requires us to believe without additions, deletions, or changes. 
 
In the Ibadat, Islam teaches us how to perform Ibadat. Islam did not leave the Ibadat to be performed according to someone's whims and desires. The person cannot worship Allah (S.W.T.) in whichever way he chooses, nor can he worship Allah (S.W.T.) whenever he wants. This is the best discipline. The prophet (S.A.W.) says: "Pray as you see me pray." He also said: "Take from me your rituals of Hajj.” Islam also clarified to us the rules of Zakah and fasting. 
 
If we take, as an example, Salah, which is a frequent Ibadah one that is performed 5 times a day, we will find it to be a set of specific acts that were handed down to us from the prophet (S.A.W.). So, it is not allowed for anyone to add to it, or delete from it. This teaches us to discipline our life because Ibadat is to follow and not to invent. 
 
If we look into the prayer of Jama'ah (prayer in congregation) and its rules, we will find a great lesson of discipline. The Imam stands in front of the people, lines the people in straight rows. If he says Allah Akbar, they say Allah Akbar, and if he says Ameen, they say Ameen. If he bows down, they bow down. If he prostrates, they prostrate. If he stands up, they stand up. If he says Assalamu Alaikum, they say Assalamu Alaikum. 
 
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There are many authentic Ahadiths that order the Muslims to follow the Imam and order them not to differ with him during the prayers and not to perform any act of the prayer before he does. All this shows that Islam teaches us discipline and regulates our conduct, actions and behavior. This is one of many benefits we derive especially from the prayers. However, it does not end there, discipline involves all acts and worship. 
 
Islam also taught us to be precise with the time of all Ibadat. Allah (S.W.T.) did not order us to perform prayer only, but He (S.W.T.) ordered us to perform it at specific times in surat An-Nisa', (verse 103), which is translated as, "…Perform As-Salat. Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed times." Jibreel clarified to the prophet (S.A.W.) the beginning time and the ending time of every prayer. If someone wanted to pray prayer only minutes before it is due, it will not be accepted. This is a great lesson. It occurs five times a day and teaches us discipline. 
 
The same thing applies to fasting. Allah (S.W.T.) ordered us to fast the month of Ramadan. The prophet (S.A.W.) told us how to begin fasting the month of Ramadan and how to end it. He also forbade us to start fasting the month of Ramadan before it is due and forbade us to fast the day of Eid. He specified to us that fasting is from dawn to sunset. The prophet (S.A.W.) commanded us to delay Souhoor (special meal before dawn) till sometime before dawn, and commanded us to break fast immediately after sunset. All of this injunctions aid to the disciplining process. 
 
The same thing applies to Zakah. If it is the Sadaqatal fitr (break fast charity), the prophet (S.A.W.) specified the time when it should be given away, and that it must be paid before the prayer of Eid. He also specified all the kinds of things from which we can give Sadaqatal fitr. If it is the Zakah of Money, he (S.A.W.) specified to us that it be once a year upon the rich. He also specified to us the amounts of Zakah prescribed for gold, silver, farm, animals and all kinds of monetary possessions. Islam specified to us whom Zakah should be given to. So, none of us can spend it as he wishes. This teaches us discipline. 
 
As to the Udhiah (sacrificing animal), Islam specified its rules to us all. It is to be done after the Eid Salah, and if it is done before the Salah, it will not be accepted. This teaches us discipline. 
 
As to Hajj, it is an obligation that cannot be performed except within a certain period of time and in a specific place. If someone wanted to perform Hajj when it is not due or in a different place, it will not be accepted. This teaches us discipline. 
 
These examples show that Islam teaches us to discipline ourselves and to regulate our actions, sayings, conduct and behavior so that we become disciplined individuals, families, and societies within the system of Islam. 
 
Islam also taught us to abide by all its rules concerning human relations, and business transactions. Some of them are not allowed. They have conditions that must be met before they become valid. The same applies to the rest of the rules of Halal and Haram. This teaches us discipline. 
 
Islam also taught us to discipline ourselves through its political system that is followed by the Islamic state, starting from electing the ruler, his conditions, qualifications, responsibilities, to appointing governors, judges to their positions, responsibilities and how to terminate them and so on. All this teaches us discipline. 
 
Islam is the Deen of Allah (S.W.T.) and it is a complete way of life to all humanity. Whoever believes in it and acts accordingly will be raised to discipline his life and regulate his actions and stay away from chaos. 
 
So, it is a must on all of us, (old, young, parents, children, male, and female) to be disciplined and our conduct is to be regulated and also to call others to do the same. 
 
Friday speech delivered by Imam Mohamed Baianonie at the Islamic Center or Raleigh, NC on June 9, 2000 
 
<a href="http://www.islam1.org/iar/imam/archives/2000/06/09/islam_is_deen_of_discipline.php#more" target="_blank">http://www.islam1.org/iar/imam/archives/2000/06/09/islam_is_deen_of_discipline.php#more</a> 
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Islam is Deen of Discipline

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. The regulation of man's conduct within one system of life is one of the most i...

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Overcoming Depression - Dr. Uthman Lateef

Overcoming Depression - Dr. Uthman Lateef

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Skills for Success as a Student

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Success as a student only comes if one assesses what they are bringing to the learning experience. As a student, you must be aware of not only your study skills, but the presumed philosophies about education, the teacher-student relationship, on line learning, traditional learning and your history as a student/learner. 
 
Many of us find that public schooling has left us without understanding of what 'education' truly is. 
Our natural love of learning, which Allah placed in our fitra as human beings, has been covered up. It is important to understand that the experience of education is different than schooling, and one must rid oneself of the negative impact public education has had on us. 
 
A good reading for this is John Taylor Gatto's "7-lesson School Teacher" which can be found at <a href="http://www.worldtrans.org/whole/schoolteacher.txt" target="_blank">[http://www.worldtrans.org/whole/schoolteacher.txt]</a> 
 
In drawing nearer to Allah, we draw nearer to our fitra, and our love of learning. 
 
Traditional Knowledge 
In deciding to become a student with SunniPath Academy, you have taken the initiative to learn the traditional knowledge presented here. As the student, you are responsible for completing the readings, doing necessary research, asking questions and keeping an open line of communication with your teachers. 
 
There are neither grades nor any responsibilities to any of the staff or teachers. As Imam Zarnuji states in Instruction of the Student, the purpose of study is to 
".strive for the pleasure of God, the abode of the Hereafter, the removal of ignorance from himself and from the rest of the ignorant, and revival of religion, and the survival of Islam." (Zarnuji, p. 5) 
 
We at SunniPath Academy highly recommend that you read Imam Al-Zarnuji's book in its entirety. 
As a starting point, here are a few of the methods of learning Imam Al-Zarnuji recommends to students. 
 
Each point is expounded upon in great detail in the book: 
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<li>Pure intention, sincerity, and high resolve</li>
<li>Seeking Allah's assistance, through earnest supplication. Among the Qur'anic supplications for seeking knowledge is, "O Lord, increase me in knowledge." [Rabbi zidni `ilma]</li>
<li>Respecting knowledge and those who have it, for the sake of Allah.</li>
<li>Earnestness, perseverance and diligence in the pursuit of learning</li>
<li>Being organized and not overwhelming oneself-rather, to strive for consistency.</li>
<li>Relying on Allah entirely.</li>
</ul>
Choosing the best times for study, which are those went one's mind is clear and one does not have other distractions-such as dawn and late evening. Take notes, in all lessons you attend, and of all beneficial knowledge you hear or read. In this way your knowledge will be firm. If you try to just memorize, it will flee. Be wary of what you eat, that it is pure and not contaminated, both physically and spiritually. Be wary of falling into idleness, excessive sleep, or wasting time through idle talk. 
Sit facing the Qibla, whenever possible. 
 
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How to increase memory 
Memorizing and retaining knowledge is a skill. Like other skills, it takes practice to perfect. The following are some of the recommendations of scholars: 
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Be industrious and committed</li>
<li>Be patient, repeat what you are trying to memorize, and then review it regularly</li>
<li>Try to memorize when you mind is clear of concerns</li>
<li>Reduce your eating</li>
<li>Increase night prayer</li>
<li>Read Quran</li>
<li>Send blessings on the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)</li>
<li>Use a siwak</li>
</ul>
Acquiring Knowledge 
The Companion of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), Mu`adh ibn Jabal (Allah be pleased with him) said, 
"Acquire knowledge because doing so is good. Seeking it is worship. Reviewing it is glorifying Allah. Researching it is jihad. Teaching it to the ignorant is charity." 
 
Serving the scholars is a way of drawing near to Allah because knowledge is the path of ascension to the stations of Paradise . It is a companion in isolation and a comrade in distant lands. It speaks to you in solitude. It is a guide to prosperity and a shield against adversity. It beautifies one among friends and is a weapon against enemies. With it Allah elevates people and makes them guides and bellwethers of good. 
 
"The scholars are people whose words are sought and whose actions are imitated. The angels long for the scholar's company and comfort them with their wings. Everything, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth, the predators of the land and sea, and the cattle pray that blessings come upon him. 
 
"This is because knowledge enlivens the heart against ignorance, illuminates the eyes against darkness, and strengthens the body. It transports the servants to the mansions of the select and the righteous and to the highest ranks in the world and in the Hereafter. Contemplating it is equivalent to fasting, and reviewing it is equivalent to the Night Prayer vigil. With it, kinship is united and the lawful is distinguished from the unlawful. Knowledge is an imam which leads to righteous actions. It is craved by the people destined for Paradise and shunned by people destined for Hell." 
 
Source: al-Hanbali, Imam Ibn Rajab (d. 1392 CE). The Heirs of the Prophets (translated by Imam Zaid Shakir, pg. 37-38. Chicago , U.S.A. Starlatch Press, 2001). 
 
http://uaekhutba.com/index.php/articles/50-education/41-skills-for-success-as-a-student </div>

Skills for Success as a Student

Success as a student only comes if one assesses what they are bringing to the learning experience. As a student, you must be aware of n...

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

Islamic Online University (IOU)

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In 2010 Islamic Online University (IOU) launched the world’s first tuition-free, online Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies. This path-breaking initiative utilizes the worldwide presence of the Internet and advanced open source online learning technology to bring low-cost, university level Islamic education within reach of anyone on the planet who has access to a computer and the Internet. 
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Sign up for a online program today, visit IOU website: <a href="http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/" style="color: #0066ff; outline: none;" target="_blank">Islamic Online University</a> 
Thus IOU now has two separate virtual campuses: the degree campus and the diploma campus. Each campus is hosted on its own dedicated server. 
 
"Making authentic Islamic knowledge readily available to the world through the Internet solely for God's pleasure is a noble life-goal and a mission well worth sacrificing all of one's energies and means for."  Dr. Bilal Philips, Founder and Chancelor, Islamic Online University 
 
The Islamic Online University aims to grant global access to quality undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level Islamic education programs for students at virtually no cost. Its mission is “to change the Muslim nation and the world situation through appropriate education.” 
 
The principles upon which the IOU is based are: 
 
Knowledge: Quran and Sunnah 
 
God said: “Indeed it is only the knowledgeable among His servants who truly fear Allah.” (35:28) 
 
The Last Prophet said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim.” 
 
Accessibility 
The Islamic Online University already provides a golden opportunity to access Islamic courses wherever people may be and whenever they wish, without having to travel overseas or even leave the confines of their homes. Its goal is to be for anyone, any place at any time. 
 
The Last Prophet said: “If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads to Paradise.” 
 
Affordability 
The IOU demonstrates its continued commitment to spreading authentic Islamic knowledge by progressing from an absolutely free certificate and diploma level courses to a tuition free BA, thereby making higher Islamic education easily affordable worldwide. Free tuition for all students provides equal access to an education that few could afford if they attended traditional institutions of higher learning around the world. 
 
God said: “Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9) 
 
Community 
No student will be prevented from studying at Islamic Online University, regardless of their religious, ethnic or social background. The IOU affirms that its doors will remain open for all, irrespective of the borders existing in the real world. It has already spawned a global community of over 18,000 students who seek Islamic knowledge from over 160 countries and share their knowledge and concerns in supervised student forums. 
 
God said: “Cooperate with each other in righteousness and piety... ” (5:2) 
 
 
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Islamic ethics 
It is the fundamental belief of the Islamic Online University that the Muslim teacher is essentially different from a teacher who merely happens to be a Muslim. Likewise, the Muslim student should be distinctly different from a student who so happens to be a Muslim. The IOU expects all its students, faculty, staff, administrators and volunteers to function as Muslims first and foremost in their respective positions and fields. Doing so will naturally entail maintaining the highest standards of personal integrity, honesty and responsibility. 
 
The Last Prophet said: “Indeed, Allah loves from each of you that whenever he or she does work, that is done according to the best of his or her ability.” 
 
Quality and Application 
Islamic Online University is committed to providing a top quality online academic experience, suitable in its scope and depth to convey authentic and practical Islamic knowledge, while at the same time enabling its students to face the contemporary challenges of the 21st century. IOU will assess and re-evaluate every aspect of its academic model on an ongoing basis and will not only encourage its students to study diligently, but also emphasize that they must strive their utmost to put the knowledge gained into practice. 
 
The Last Prophet said, “The best of you is one who learns the Qur'aan and teaches it to others.” 
 
He also said, “The best of you is the one most beneficial to people.” 
 
The Last Prophet's disciple, Ibn Mas'ood said, “We used to learn knowledge and its application together.” 
 
Imaam Sufyaan ath-Thawree related that as a youth, when he first began to attend classes, his mother advised him, “If you write down 10 words and your faith hasn't improved, check yourself.” 
 
Sign up for a online program today, visit IOU website: <a href="http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/" style="color: #0066ff; outline: none;" target="_blank">Islamic Online University</a> 
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Islamic Online University (IOU)

In 2010 Islamic Online University (IOU) launched the world’s first tuition-free, online Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies. This path-brea...

Sunday, February 07, 2016

Dawah Training - Beyond the Shahadah

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Beyond the Shahadah</div>
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Brief online training session called “Beyond the Shahadah” to assist you in real life situations when someone becomes Muslim with you and takes their shahadah in a street dawah environment. The common question that every da’ee would ask at this stage is: ok, so now that he/she has taken shahadah, what should I do next ? This course will teach you how to help them to build a solid foundation of Islam in their lives from the very beginning of their journey. 
 
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It will answer the following important questions that arise around the Shahada: 
<ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 20px 20px 0px; padding-left: 40px; text-align: left;">
<li>How can I get quality shahadahs?</li>
<li>What should I do next?</li>
<li>How to effectively keep in touch with a new Muslim?</li>
<li>What are the most important points I need to teach him from the very beginning of his journey?</li>
<li>Online training session at: <a href="http://www.missiondawah.com/training/beyond-the-shahadah/" style="color: #0066ff; outline: none; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">http://www.missiondawah.com/training/beyond-the-shahadah/</a></li>
</ul>
Training 
FREE Online video and audio dawah training - <a href="http://www.missiondawah.com/training/dawah-training/" style="color: #0066ff; outline: none;" target="_blank">click here</a> 
 
New Muslims 
Muslim Now is the new Muslim department of iERA dedicated to welcome, empower and provide education for New Muslims - <a href="http://www.muslimnow.com/" style="color: #0066ff; outline: none; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">click here for more information www.muslimnow.com</a>. Existing Muslims should also take note of this course material so that they may better communicate Islamic practices to new Muslims and non Muslims.</div>
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Dawah Training - Beyond the Shahadah

Beyond the Shahadah Brief online training session called “Beyond the Shahadah” to assist you in real life situations when someone becom...

Friday, February 05, 2016

‘Tawhidic-Singularity’ As A New Philosophy Of Islam – Analysis

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One of the realities about Islam as it is represented today is that very few understand its meaning in a contemporary social context, let alone be able to apply it to the world that is organic, emotionally unstable, and constantly evolving as patterned by organized chaos and complexity. 
What is missing in the discourse of contemporary Islam is the idea of the fluidity of One-ness and the bounded-ness of Multiplicity as twin paradoxes of what philosophy in this age of cybernetics, terrorism, and ‘neo-frankensteinism’ means. 
 
In other words, what Muslims of today need is not a debate, dialogue, and discourse about “what is the correct ideology that constitutes Islam”, but a radical rephrasing of the question itself: what is this notion of peace within the self, as it interacts with the outer boundaries of the self and how must the ‘self’ behaves in a world of complexity of beings without losing the fundamental believe in the holistic and philosophic-ness of the self itself. 
 
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This is the notion of ‘tawhid’ in traditional Islamic discourse we wish to explore. 
 
The authors of this essay propose a reconstructed ‘Tawhidism’; one that is not exclusively about the Islamic concept of it, with the cultural baggage of Arabism; rather, it is about the interplay between contemporary idea of Singularity and Multiplicity we frame using some version of Complexity Theory. 
 
In the foregoing discussions we will focus on the Islamic notion of the ‘knowledge of the One-ness of god’, from the philological and philosophical perspective and see how this idea can move nations, especially as we see the relevance to the Muslims in Malaysia. 
 
We chose Malaysia as a case study because of its interesting evolution not only as a plural society but also one socio-psychologically impacted by contemporary advances in globalised and networked technologies and ideologies. 
 
In our discussions we will also allude instances of the idea to existing religious traditions applicable the problems of this century. In doing so, we believe it would be more effective and logical not to craft another essay on the ‘glory of Islamic philosophy derived from the past’, but to write about the Oneness-Manyness, holistic-particularistic, and self-to-Self continuum and dichotomy; about the principle of Singularity which lives in all things cybernetic, as Chinese philosophers too would propose in the concept of the Yin and Yang of existence. 
 
Death of Islamic philosophizing 
 
We begin our discussion on the death of philosophizing in Islam, taking Malaysia as a case in point. In the Malaysian scenario, a ‘version’ of Islam began being imposed upon the rakyat (people) since the 1980s during a first phase of ‘Islamisation’. The reign of Mahathir Mohamad brought mega-changes such as the imposition of Malaysia Incorporated, a crony Privatization Policy, and The Look East policy. 
 
It also brought the push to ‘Islamize society’, through the work of Mahathir’s deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, now incarcerated on charges of sodomy. Educational, cultural, and governmental institutions were made to be more ‘Islamic’, and the nation was hegemonized by this idea of moral and intellectual leadership. 
 
As this idea evolved and permeate through the system, this ‘Islamic version of Malaysia’s developmentalist paradigm’ became one that couldn’t be questioned as to its singularity, where any person even hinting of deviating from the official view would face authoritarian consequences through the ‘Sharia police’. 
 
In this sense, ‘Islam’ in Malaysia today has been put above the constitution. Islam in Malaysia now restricts the basic rights and fundamental liberty of both individuals and communities to express themselves. Sharia authorities use the ‘precepts of Islam” as a vague term to define anything that suits in the ever growing stronger political Islam theology in Malaysia. 
 
What was once Malaysia’s official religion is quickly becoming Malaysia’s only religion. Any deviating opinion is quashed. Malaysia is now under an Umno Caliphate for all intents and purposes. 
 
The last decades saw the increase of Sharia vs Constitutional-related court cases ranging from the fight for custody of children in inter-faith marriage to the controversy over the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay-translated version Christian Bible or the ‘Al-Kitab’, used in East Malaysia. 
 
We see a fight between singularities. The Islamic bureaucracy in Malaysia has been growing stronger and stamping and stomping its version as the ‘one and only’ Islam, where any deviation is savagely jumped upon and prosecuted. Any hope of plurality is fast going. 
 
The Islamic bureaucracy has placed heavy ‘qualifications’ upon anybody who would dare speak out, against the prevailing form of Islam prescribed today. Malaysia has gone the path of a skewed literal understanding, with its hudud debate, and shut out the layered interpretations that were once diverse throughout the region. 
 
Like in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), peaceful coexistence of various interpretations are no longer allowed to exist. Any plurality is considered deviant, where total obedience to the ‘infallible’ ulama is now expected without question. Dissent became criminalized. Ideas of any potential Islamic reformism went away with the passing on the prime ministership from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Najib Abdul Razak. 
 
There is no agreed methodology on how to interpret the meaning within the Quran. Scholars have begun to acknowledge the fact that the text is ‘cultural-bound’ and speaks of the time and place unique to the people of the Middle East. The stories in the Quran are essentially about prophets and messengers of the land of Arabia. 
 
There is then the problem of universalizing the experience of reading the text without ‘transferring the culture embedded in the language itself’. This has led to immense disagreement and conflict in how to approach the spiritual text of the Muslims without a culture subjecting itself to the process or even the onslaught of Arabization. 
 
In addition, centuries old Islam-predated cultural ideas such as animism in parts of South-East Asia included have been planted their roost in the psyche of the peoples, giving the unique identity such as those manifested in the idea of Javanese syncretism. 
 
Especially in South-East Asia, Hindu-Buddhist philosophy was already in vogue in the early kingdoms such as those in Srivijaya, Mataram, Singahsari, Majapahit in Java and in the kingdoms in Champa and Siam. Islam came at a later stage through the work of Arab traders and also those deliberately trying to spread this new religion from Arabia. The triumph of Islam is clear today: the Muslim man is becoming the Arabian man. 
 
Many read Islamic doctrine literally, Allah is merciful, and as a consequence fate should be merciful, i.e. Allah is watching over all Muslims. However this ignores a holistic interpretation where verses such as 13.11 clearly put destiny in ‘human’ hands. 
 
A karmic superstitious dogma has developed dating back to animism, where there is a belief that one will pay for sins against Allah, i.e., esoteric cause and effect view of the world. This appears to be deeply embedded within the cultural ‘psyche’ of Malays today. 
 
Yet within the Quran, our consciousness within the specter of the Tawhid is part of a greater consciousness which links individuals with community, nature, and something much larger that the human imagination, the concept of a universal creator. The Quran sends out a challenge to humankind, a challenge to pursue life in quest of knowledge for the betterment of the spirit, mind, and community. 
 
This is a humbling quest as the Tawhid overshadows any individual or community with something much greater, a universal creator. 
 
There are a number of paradoxes within Islam that have laid the foundations of historical frictions: 
 
The context of pre-Islamic tribal laws and customs and those practices today by ‘Arabic’ Muslims, and emulated by other Muslims across the world. What is Islam and what are residual tribal customs, i.e., on the status of women, hudud, and rituals such as female circumcision. 
The shifting of the context of jihad, a Muslim’s duty to strive and struggle, from the inward struggle to discover the pure nature within oneself and the shift towards an external struggle against those who are perceived to threaten the faith. This is a human rather than divine reinterpretation, and has now come to mean not just war against infidels, but other Muslims who are seen to view Islam differently. 
The contemporary use or hijacking of the concept of jihad makes no apology for ignoring the tenant within Islam that one should not kill another, i.e., committing suicide and going to heaven is a contradiction, irreconcilable within Islam. Is Jihad now a crime against the Tawhid? 
Much of Islamic understanding today is made up of a collective understanding by Islamic scholars, i.e., hudud, not something that comes from the Tawhid within the Quran. Consequently, much of Islam today is manufactured like Judaism, Christianity, but portrayed as set, by political forces of Islam. 
A paradox between the mystical and spiritual heritage of Islam and the political and destructive aspects of Islam. 
Nowhere is the collective wisdom of the Quran used as a compass in public policy and decision-making, particularly in Malaysia where there has been an ongoing competition between the United Malays National Organisation, (Umno) and the Pan-Islamic Malayan Party (PAS) to boast the ‘best’ Islamic credentials. 
 
Certainly there is no shura (collective) decision-making in any country within the Islamic world, where ironically the West has taken up this aspect of Islam. Malaysia tends to follow a model of dictatorship, while trying to put Islamic connotation upon this style of leadership. 
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We should push the point that the concept of Shura is Islam, it is inclusive and an alternative model west proves works, but paradoxically, Islam is repressive on minorities wherever it exists. 
 
What the Islamic world has developed is a pseudo-legalistic and political Islam that is almost singularly used for the purpose of justifying an elite group to remaining unchallenged in power. 
 
Unfortunately, to the authors’ knowledge, Islam has never been utilized as an ethically-based means to solve contemporary social, economic and political problems from an ethical moral and Tawhidic view. 
 
The models are powerful alternative paradigms to social organization purposely ignored by ruling power elites of Islamic countries, because they are empowering. Instead, empowerment has been replaced with the repressive parts of the Syariah and in Malaysia the hudud card was dealt out instead. 
 
As a consequence, too much emphasis is placed on rites and ritual within Malaysian society today. Rites and ritual have become Islam. Hence, we encounter a Fardu Ain/Kifayah paradox, where ritualism is all important at the expense of action in Islam today. 
 
We now come to the paradox of static verses dynamism, where Islam has anchored societies to maintaining a state of static entropy rather than the dynamism of progression that Islam really seeks. Arabism is setting in, antagonism against non-Muslims and returning to middle age rule seem to be the tenant about how Islam is interpreted today. 
 
On Tawhid 
 
The principles of Tawhid, or oneness of God and the idea of Singularity aforementioned; a principle central to the belief system of the Muslims regardless of school of thought or sect. 
 
The building blocks of Tawhid are the concepts of al-iman (belief), al-ilm (knowledge) and al-amal (pious acts and efforts). Al-iman is the belief in the existence of one God and Creator, with a commitment to His teachings and revelations, revealed through the Al-Qur’an, and Prophets, through the Hadiths and Sunnah, i.e., What the Prophet Muhammad said, did, agreed or disagreed to. 
 
Faith in Allah must be reflected in daily behavior, influenced by our moral system formed and contained within us. It is our inner self; 
Faith is not expectations and not outward ornamentations, but implanted in the heart and Al-iman is deepened by al-ilm, which is the responsibility of all Muslims to seek in order to fulfill and perform al-amal. Knowledge (spiritual, wisdom and scientific) is the foundation of all acts of al-amal which would be futile and unproductive without the search for further knowledge to enhance the well-being of society. 
 
Islam places great importance on scientific discovery, knowledge and wisdom to develop civilisation. Al-iman and al-ilm manifested through al-amal is the basis of the advancement of civilization for the benefit of humankind and the Ummah (Muslim community), in particular. This is undertaken under the principle of ad-din (relating humans to Allah through spiritual acts), which is referred to as ibadah. 
 
In Islam a person, who of faith, knowledge and pious devotion, manifested in effort and acts, using reason and experience and adheres to the teachings of the Al-Qur’an and Prophets is a person of Taqwa, adhering to the philosophy of Tawhid. He or she is fulfilling their purpose on Earth to perform ibada to God, through obedience (ta’ah), which conforms to his or her true and essential nature (fitrah) of humanity. 
 
This relates a person to God through everything an individual does, including spiritual duties, thoughts, actions, and deeds to other people. 
As humans operate in a social environment, Islam prescribes a number of forms of business organizationz, through which obligations can be fulfilled. A mushharakah (organization) can take a number of forms. Such business organizations are founded and operated on the principle of al-ta’awun (mutual assistance and cooperation) among members of a society for both their mutual benefit and that of a society as a whole realized through actions. (Ibn Najjar and Dailami) 
 
Islamic business is governed by the rules of sharia, the path by which all Muslims should follow. The sharia is the divine law that establishes the standards of justice and human conduct, as well as what is permitted and prohibited in action. 
 
The sharia is based on the Al-Qur’an, Sunnah and interpretations by Islamic scholars. Some Muslim scholars have stated that these standards are beyond human and are a goal or path of guidance, where others see these utopian ideals as mandatory for advancement of the community. 
Central to the sharia are the concepts of Halal and Toyyibat, which govern all the economic activities of man in wealth production and consumption of wealth, where certain means of gaining a livelihood are declared unlawful. 
 
Halal means lawful or permitted for Muslims, a concept that is much wider than just issues of food, concerning as to whether things are undertaken according to the sharia. Toyyibat is a much wider concept, meaning good, clean, wholesome, and ethical in the Islamic concept. In nutrition, toyyibat is much wider than halal, as food must also be clean, safe, nutritious, healthy and balanced. 
 
Toyyibat would also mean that agriculture must be undertaken within sustainable practices, and in business all things must be undertaken with good intentions. 
 
In Islam, the individual’s vision, mission and objectives in business is to achieve both success in this world and the hereafter. This is al-falah. Islam puts very little restriction upon the scale of worldly success, except specifying, it must be reasonable, provides the comforts of worldly life, with consideration to the poor and suffering, and within the balance of worldly and spiritual life. Human success must also serve the legitimate needs of the ummah. 
 
Allah equipped humans with the faculties of understanding right and wrong, so they may obtain a bright destiny. Humans have a free choice in what they choose. Opposition and straying from his/her true nature (fitrah) will bring discord to the individual where negative attributes will distort his or her true nature, which could lead him into doing evil deeds. 
 
The individual has his al-iman and al-ilm to keep him from this path of self-destruction (al-fasad), which would manifest itself through nepotism, favoritism, envy, greed, corruption, injustice and ignorance. This in Islam is the influence of satan, manifested in many different ways to humankind to lure one away from God’s chosen path. Humans can become unfocused through ignorance and lack of knowledge. 
 
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Achieving al-falah means that a human has lived up to God’s trust placed upon him or her, through performing ibadah, while obeying all the laws of the sharia. This is where humankind can overcome their general weaknesses in the service of Allah through righteous deeds (amal), in the obligation of fard kifayah. A human has reached the state of amanah, fulfilling the trust God has put in him or her. 
 
Islam also specifies the way organizations should be operated and managed. An organization must base all its work on al-amal and ibadah with the overall management objective of achieving al-falah for the organization as a whole and each individual within it. 
 
This is based upon a foundation of al-iman and al-ilm, within a civilization based upon a tawhid philosophy, so that employees have the opportunity to achieve taqwa and avoid straying towards the state of al-fasad. Central to achieving this are the concepts of shura (participation in decision making and community learning) and adab (justice and rights). 
 
Shura is total organizational community participation in decision making to ensure an organization gets the best views, is creative, to develop employees understanding of decisions made, to achieve better implementation of decisions and strengthen the Islamic fraternity. 
 
Shura is can also be seen as an organizational control mechanism to prevent management and individuals within the organization from straying down the path of ignorance, greed and oppression, so that the organization can continue to serve its members and the wider community and thus sustain itself. Shura creates a positive learning environment within and organization, similar to the concepts of learning organization proposed by the management guru Peter Senge in the 1990s. 
 
The Al-Qur’an states that the concept of shura is mandatory upon an organization. 
 
An organization should build its foundations upon the basic principles of human rights in its administration based on the concept of adab. Adab is based on the existence and recognition of Allah and recognition of his commands and laws (sharia). 
 
Within an organizational context, adab persuades a person to do good and avoid evil (al-fasad), in accordance with the nature of man (fitrah) and nature of his action (al-amal). Adab comprises four major responsibilities, 1. responsibility to God, 2. responsibility to oneself, 3. responsibility to society and other human beings, and 4. responsibility to the universe and other creatures. 
 
Over the last few decades Western management ideas and ethics have moved closer to Islamic principles and ethics. Stephen Covey, a devout practicing member of The Church of Latter-Day Saints, evangelistically preaches personal development, fulfillment and spirituality within the context of the organization. 
 
We see ‘Western non-Islamic’ societies that have embodied many principles within the Tawhid within their legal and juridistic codes, playing out a farm of ‘secular’ Islam based up knowledge, fairness, and compassion, that don’t exist within the contemporary Islamic world. 
 
Complexity Theory and Islam 
 
The world of today continues to evolve in all its complexity. Advanced digital communication technologies, high speed informational flow that instantaneously send images and ideas of change, the process of globalization itself that alter and compress time and space and even decide the course of human and social events – all these continue to fragment the human self. 
 
Religion, such as Islam which claims to be adaptable to changing times is also affected by the destruction of the ‘singularity of the selfhood of the Muslim’. New ideas and inventions challenge Islamic orthodoxy and open up new debates that demand new perspectives, or edicts, or “fatwas” to be written to safeguard the ‘fragmentation of Islam’. 
 
In short, the Muslim of today lives in a spiritual world of deconstructionism; ideas bombard the self into multiplicity rather than hold it as a ‘Singularity’, as how promoters of Islam orthodoxy would demand. 
 
Complex systems require a complex view of looking at phenomena. The idea of complexity brought about by the post-Industrial world and as it impacts the mind, body, and soul of the Muslim individually and collectively as an ‘ummah’ (a millinearistic supra-nation of Oneness before Allah,) has brought fragmentation among the believers of this religion. 
 
From the historical conflicts of the major schools of thought, to the violent departure of ideological Islam in the Shia-Sunni schism, to the ‘crisis of identity’ plaguing Muslims of today especially post-9/11 – these characterize fragmentation that have led to never-ending violent conflicts in the Islamic world. Muslims are living in a world of Islamic chaos, so to speak. 
 
If we take the idea of Chaos Theory as one that tries to explain small changes leading to larger systemic changes over a long period of time (the ‘Butterfly Effect’,) and apply it to the phenomena of Islam’s evolution as an institutionalized religious ideology, we could see that there is the need to look the core issue of the loss of ‘the principle of Singularity’ or ‘One-ness’ or ‘Unity’ brought about by Muhammad. 
 
There is a loss of the sense of and the understanding of ‘Tawhid’ or the deep understanding of the knowledge and application of the principles of the one-ness of god or Allah that not only should unify the self but society. 
 
Tawhidic knowledge can perhaps de-fragment the self, bring it to holism and create an understanding that man is the vicegerent of Allah on Earth, as how the early teachings of Islam and the ‘early Tawhidists’ at the time of Muhammad would enjoin. 
 
Today’s Islam is a manifestation of deep rooted fragmentation and even destruction of the self as can be seen in the conduct of nations calling themselves Islamic. Whether the blame is put on geopolitical, political-economic, or post-industrial complexities of a multipolar world of today, or even the power play among empires such as Russia or the United States, the issue in the world of Islam is chaos and the multitudinality of conflicts as opposed to unity and strength of the self and society as taught by Islam. 
 
So how does Tawhidism interpret problems and offer solutions to major issues of today? 
 
Praxis and the Islamic state 
 
A need to rethink these puritanical teachings. Islam is about consciousness, not ritual. Islam has become totally intolerant of diverse views, even though there is a rich and diverse Ummah to contribute. 
 
The task of Muslims of today is to re-interpret Islam within contemporary contexts, rather than rely on the literal Arabic and tradition to craft discourses of action. The Arabic frame of interpretation is just as corrupting as any liberal interpretative frame. (i.e., rose-colored glasses phenomenon). 
 
To date text has supported opinion. However, there must be a balance between text and opinion, particularly when it comes to Hadiths. The tenants of Islam should not change, only the contexts, (i.e., the scenes). 
 
This requires relooking at Islam without any frames, be it Arabic or Liberal-Christianic. Liberal or tribal morals and traditions must not be allowed to skew the true meaning of Tawhid. 
 
Islam was once seen as a magnificent and progressive religion which took civilization to the forefront of advancement. However scholars today are forbidden and censored from taking any ‘unframed’ look at Islamic doctrine, the doctrine(s) held by today’s Islamic elite(s). 
 
The Islamic world of today has also suffered from the evolution of violent and chaos from the ideological and even philosophical conflict between the Sunnis and the Shiahs – conflict that began as a leadership succession crisis between the camp Muawiyyah and the family of Prophet Muhammad, led by the latter’s cousin, Ali’ ibn Abi Talib. 
 
The former believe that the mantle of the prophet should be with the democratically elected leader in Muawiyyah, but some believe that instead of Abu Bakr’ as the first khalifah, the political and spiritual leadership should come from the Ahlul Bayt or the ‘family of the prophet’. 
 
The famous claim that there is a hadiths/saying which goes “… if I am the treasure throve of knowledge, Ali (my cousin) is the holder of its key …” formed the basis of the claim to leadership by direct discordancy. The conflict culminated in the massacre of Ali and his children Hasan and Hussein, at Karbala (now in Iran.) The ‘massacre at Karbala’ became a historical foundation of what is now known as the Sunni-Shia schism and violent conflicts currently happening in the Middle East. 
 
The Tawhidic view of Islam necessitates one to look at the religion outside the realm of the destructive and cognitively-debilitating Sunni-Shiah schism. It requires the mind to enter the realm of discussions on the idea that amid chaos and complexity of the self and the outer world one inhabits lie a realm of totality of the self in which, as we allude in the first paragraph, the Singularity-Multiplicity Principle. 
 
It emanates from the idea that one must first think of oneself from an existentialist point of view and move on to conceptualizing the totality of the self as embodied by the sense of powerfulness, knowledge, and other qualities that makes up human nature. The poem below perhaps best allude to this idea of reconceptualization of oneself: 
 
The philosophy of the self 
is the constant – 
the Absolute – 
from which 
the Changing Concepts emanate. 
From the Absolute 
springs 
existence, 
eternity, 
harmony, 
oneness, 
power, 
destiny, 
knowledge, 
life, … 
and so on and so forth. 
From the Absolute 
springs 
Creationism 
within the Inner Self 
that one must govern, 
From the Absolute 
emanates 
Good and Evil, 
Heaven and Hell 
the opposites and the contradictions 
that one needs to mediate 
in one’s lifetime, 
From the Absolute 
emanates 
the knowledge of one’s 
Life, 
Death, 
and Resurrection 
one experiences daily, 
From the Absolute 
one sees 
the history of the creation of the Universe within, 
the Universe Outside, and 
the parallel universes that are being created 
outside of oneself, 
From the Absolute 
one finds The Love that Reigns Supreme, 
that conquers all, 
that evolves from Hate to Love 
from the being trapped 
in the love of oneself to 
the love of humanity, 
without boundaries 
From the Absolute, 
one commands the Guardian Angles 
to bow down to oneself 
and not to Kings, Sultans, 
Despots, Tuns, Datuk Seris, 
or the State, 
From the Absolutism 
of One’s Rulership in one’s kingdom, 
one governs the armies of senses – 
Sight, Hearing, Speech, Thoughts… 
From the Absolute 
one sees with the Inner Eye 
the daily battles within and decide 
who will be the winners and 
who will be the losers, 
From the Throne of Absolutism, 
one speaks 
with the ancient prophets and sages 
and instruct them 
to strengthen the authority and legitimation 
of this Inner Kingdom one constructed 
out of the realisation 
of an end of a journey 
one is rewarded with, 
The Absolute is Love, 
never changing, 
always travelling with this self 
of flesh and bones 
and consciousness 
that one gets the chance to encounter 
in one’s lifetime… 
if one searches for love. 
Love is the Absolute 
Only Love 
 
This takes us to the higher level of Islamic thinking. We see Allah not as an agent of judgement and hellfire, based upon literal reading of the Quran but as a unifying, non-physical, and a present universal consciousness, that is all loving, all creating, all embracing, all merciful, and absolute; a quantum, which Islam calls ‘Allah’. 
 
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‘Shura-democratic’ principles of transcultural Islam 
 
Borrowing a Socrates maxim, at the core of the issue is ignorance and the will to be stubborn to remain ignorant. There is a possible cure for this, a process philosophy framed from the tawhidic-singularity worldview. 
 
Muslims of today need a multi-culturalist, multi-vocalic, multi-accepting, and multi-diverse brand of progressive thinking to save them. In Malaysia for example, they need to embrace a new perspective in conflict resolution and peace-building: a ‘shura-democratic’ principles based on the idea of transcultural-humanism. 
 
By ‘shura’ we mean the practice of participatory and grassroots decision-making in which the leader will listen to the voices of dissent and consensus and turn them into artifacts of invention and social imagination in order to affect positive change. 
 
This form of progressive and altruistic liberalism that hybridizes tawhid with transcultural philosophies may promise to remove the glass coconut shell that has become a comfort zone, especially for the Malays and particularly of the Malay Muslims. 
 
‘Shura-democracy’ might be the long-awaited cure for this neo-feudalistic malady called ‘malaise-ness’ that hath plagued for example the Malays in Malaysia since they were enslaved first as ‘hamba sahaya’, by their own rulers of ancient times. At the macro-level as it pertains to the evolution of societies governed by Muslim leaders, it may be the best way to approach strategic designs for social change. 
 
‘Shura-democracy’, which begin with the deep understanding of the personacratic self is consistent with the idea of ‘wisdom’ or ‘fatanah’ as the highest level of knowledge acquisition and application in Islam. In speaking of seeking knowledge and in trumpeting Islam as a religion of high learning, progressiveness, and democracy that upholds the principles of human rights, Muslims in Malaysia too often quote the words of the first revelation, ‘Iqra’, ‘Read’, or “read in the name of Thy Lord who created thee … who created thee from a clot” as a signature of religious advocacy par excellence. 
 
In this case, he word ‘Rabb’ or ‘Creator’ or ‘the Lord’ is used in the translation and not the world ‘Allah’ in the first revelation ‘Iqra’. Maybe the concept of ‘Allah’ is a later formulation borne out of a philosophical quest to construct the meaning of god in Islam. Perhaps the idea of ‘Allah’ was already there in the texts of the Jews, Christians, and the Sabeans and the later Muslims had to invent a philosophically distinct one. 
 
Islam as it has evolved is not only an institutionalized religion influenced by texts and subtexts of ideas and ideologies that are in conflict with one another but also have brought about deadly conflicts. It is a religion that has deep cultural roots and continue to impose its Arabist shackle onto the believers. 
 
As such, a transcultural world view of this tawhid-driven belief system need to be brought to the center stage of the global movement of new ideas in Islamic philosophical reconstructionism. We believe that the believers need to help institutionalized and parochlized Islam evolve especially beyond the disabling realms of culture. 
 
We believe that and those using this system as a guide in life need to embrace a ‘transcultural worldview’ of this religion and strip Islam out of its exclusionary Arabist cultural entrapment. We believe that the idea of ‘shura-democratic principles’ of Islam as seen from the transculturalist worldview need to be the new playground of this new Islamic renaissance. 
 
Again, as we assert throughout this essay, the centrepiece of this vision of a new philosophical outlook lie in the idea of tawhidic-singularity of things. Muslims need to bring back multiple worldviews and diverse philosophies of human progress and intellectual freedom into the process of reconsctructing this new ‘tawhidic-singularity’ mode of organic thinking. 
 
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Conclusion 
 
In the foregoing discussions, we have proposed a reconstruction of ‘Tawhid’, by framing it through the language of contemporary social transformation and social cybernetics. At the center of this Arabic word, ‘Tawhid’, which means one-ness and unity as a weltanscauung of the cognition and consciousness of the Muslim, we propose conceptual-constellations such as complexity theory, praxis, cybernetics, and futurism to denote and connoted the notion of Singularity to be applied to the behaviors of the Muslim as he/she is located in the State. 
 
We believe that the idea of ‘shura-democratic principles’ of Islam, framed from a transcultural worldview is needed by today’s Muslims. Today’s believer of this religion seem to be lost in this precarious world of globalization affecting the discursive evolution of Islam. We believe the principles of Tawhid are central to the functions of the State such as the economy, entrepreneurship education, and the relationship among nations. 
 
We propose that only when the self is governed as whole and the principle of One-ness exists in the realm of the One-ness of god, or the Tawhid and that Man knows why he/she exists, and when ethics, epistemology, and ontological vocation of Man as vicegerent of God is understood as a principle of living, the state of peace can be arrived at – beginning from the construction the peaceful self to the building and maintaining of peace in the family, community, and society, and finally moving on to the designing of peaceful solutions to world conflicts, in our dream of building that ‘peaceful world order’. 
 
The Islamic world of today, as a microcosm of the world in general, is not only fragmented but also an organic and metastasizing ground of violence is they visible, hidden, and structural. 
 
We believe that at least at the conceptual and theoretical level we must begin to re-conceive the Tawhidic idea of one-ness and to explore its potential as an organic and ‘praxical’ (or unity of theory and practice) philosophy so that the continuing fragmentation can be arrested. 
 
As the title of our essay suggests, we believe this is a philosophy of personal and social progress and transformation that will be searching for today’s Muslims in particular and for others in general. Tawhid is a philosophy of cybernetic-existentialism that can be appealing to the global citizen of today’s world: a world of materialistic Multiplicities in search of the metaphysical Singularity. 
 
Copernicus once argued that the earth was not at the center of the universe, which threw the Christian view of the world into chaos. Muslims must accommodate that Allah rabb al-àlamin is the Lord of the Worlds, and thus there are potentially multiple and parallel realities within Islam. 
 
This is the true Islamic revolution in developing a Tawhidic wisdom that is waiting. 
 
The literal Islamic worldview is just but one layer in meaning that needs to be peeled away so we can see the deeper meanings within Islam. 
 
The literal view is not the center of Islam. This has covered and hidden much deeper meanings of the Quran. Islam accepts that there are a multiplicity of worlds in existence, but Muslims to date have chosen to live within only one of them. Yet the Quran speaks of Allah al-ghaib, or concealed dimensions of reality. 
 
New understandings of Islam are necessary.</div>

‘Tawhidic-Singularity’ As A New Philosophy Of Islam – Analysis

One of the realities about Islam as it is represented today is that very few understand its meaning in a contemporary social context, let...

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Quantum Islam: Towards A New Worldview – Analysis

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In our essay on Tawhidic-Singularity as a new philosophy of Islam, we proposed that Muslims need to interpret the core teaching of One-ness from a kaleidoscopic perspective. We asked readers to reflect upon the applicability of Chaos or Complexity Theory to view Islam as an organic and living religion inviting its believers to look at the concept of One-ness as the manifesting of Many-ness. In this essay, we go deeper into the discussion of the soul of the Quran itself and how Muslims could perceive and read it as a postmodern text with multiple-level meanings based on his/her unique life experiences. 
 
We wish to propose the worldview of “Quantum Islam,” as a new way looking at this cultural belief system. We invite readers to think of Islam as more than just unquestioning faith and rites and rituals but as an evolving text to be made alive. The idea of a “living Quran” is a means of perceiving and feeling one’s existence as a world of interconnectedness. This world of deep personal connectivity is a world of the physical, emotional and spiritual self as it exists in the realm of the Universal self as a world designed as a Quantum being in itself. 
 
Multiple Universes and the Quran 
 
Islam is about what cannot at present be explained intrinsically through the science we know today. 
 
The Qu’ran is a deeply layered book of meaning. However, the majority of Muslims have tended to take literal views. The Qu’ran has also foreseen many scientific discoveries and defined the nature of our realities. Such a view of the cognitive and metaphysical nature of the text has been dominant at a time when Islamic philosophy was being conceived, especially in the debates between scholars trained in Greek philosophy with those trying to rid the influence of rationalism in epistemologizing the meaning of existence. 
 
The Qu’ran and Hadiths have shaped the worldview of 20% of the world’s population. But Islam today is viewed as a singular reality, embedded in ‘Arabism’ and ‘hellfire’ paradigms, coercing Muslims to follow literal views, within a ‘carrot and stick’ enlightenment and fear syndrome. 
 
As a consequence Islam has not been the means to a higher level universal wisdom that the Qu’ran can facilitate, if read with this understanding. 
 
Allah rabb al-àlamin, the Lord of the Worlds indicates a multiverse with parallel realities. There are parallel universes mentioned within the Qu’ran that we don’t have access to. These worlds are widely talked about within the Qu’ran, the world of the jinns, as in the verse ”And the jinn race, we had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind” Qur’an (15:27) 
 
The 99 names of Allah also suggest multi-existential paradigms. 
 
Challenges of constructing this multi-universal view 
 
The first challenge is to escape the unipolar world and live in, and transcend to the multipolar world the Qu’ran describes. i.e., atoms can be both a particle and wave and thus be in multiple places at the same time. True realities are multipolar dynamics, rather than unipolar statics. Thus, to understand the complexity of the environment, we must develop both our personal self-awareness and social awareness. So where reality is multi-layered and kaleidoscopic, layered and deeper meanings can be derived from the chaotic environment we exist within through contemplating the layered intricacies and meanings within the Quran. 
 
Muslims viewing the text of the Qu’ran as a living and evolving one, can find a meaningful guide to life and the universe, which we propose is what Quantum Islam means. What one sees with the naked eye, a phenomenon to be studied is just a level of Reality that we construct cognitively. However as one reads deeper into the meaning of the Quran, one may find the signs and symbols manifesting themselves in newer ways, which we digest and make meaning of through our self-awareness or spirituality. 
 
The second challenge is that we must understand that we are not at the centre of the world. We must override the assumption that modern humankind has adopted in that humans can control nature and nature is here to serve us. What we think and the assumptions behind our very thoughts may not actually resemble reality, and may not be the truth. Once we shed this egocentric view of the world, we come to realize that we cannot control nature and we must nurture nature. In the Quran it is said: ”Say: He is Allah, He is One, He is Eternal He Begets not nor is He begotten and there is none equal unto Him” Surah Ikhlas 112. 
 
Muslims engaged in a cognitive and metaphysical reading of the Quran may propose that human existence is both physical and conceptual, and that as a Platonic view would content, we are both Forms and Appearance, and that if the self is an invention/creation to manifest the “truth”. There is a larger truth of “being and nothingness,” in another world of the “unseen,”. This is the idea of corresponding reality of existence. Islam proposes that this view of Quantum state of beingness can only be understood if one understands the meaning of “selflessness” or the “destruction of the Ego,” and to allow the self to be liberated from the confines of a physical and mechanistic world. 
 
The third challenge is to read the question from a “culturally-neutral” perspective. This means stripping the notion that all that is Islam is Arabic and with fallacy, to believe that religious belief is not cultural. This is to begin to believe that to be a Muslim, one need not aspire to be or to become an Arab. If Islam is a universal truth, it is not ‘Arab-centric’, and many of the rites and rituals cannot be universal, if for example, Islam was to the truth on another planet like Mars. What would Islam be like without the cultural anchors that have grown around it and almost strangled the truth? If, as the last message of Prophet Muhammad would content — that Islam promotes a universal message of peace – and be viewed as the “final revelation,” and that only 20% of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are speakers of the Arabic language, what has been the consequence of Islam as religion that has been too much caught in the semiotics of Arabism? Simply put, why is being Muslim today synonymous of being or looking Arabic? 
 
The three challenges above, namely that we are living in a multipolar world, that our existence is not central to the Universe, and that religion is a cultural construct to present ways for Muslims to view Islam differently. The Quran, in its very first few words of revelation, “Read … in the name of thy Lord who created Thee …” is a clear enough proposition for believers in this religion to “read oneself and to read the world on is living in.” It is an invitation for readers to not only “read the world” but also to “write” a story of one’s life, based on one’s own worldview and to unshackle oneself from being defined by others. 
 
The challenges above are existential in nature, given by the Quran to the readers. 
 
“Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding; Men who remember Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the creation of the heavens and the earth (with the thought) Our Lord! Not for nothing have you created (all) this. Glory to you! Give us salvation from the suffering of the fire” Qur’an (3: 190-191) 
 
The Ummah as Singularity in Multiplicity 
 
The Ummah is an interconnection of oneness, not segregated tribes who are at war with each other. 
 
We are left to reflect upon the multiplicity of worlds that were created and understand that we are only a tiny part of it. 
 
This opens up wisdom, develops humbleness, and increases empathy towards there being something greater than ourselves. The quintessential and foundational chapter of the Quran, Al Fatihah, or The Opening offer this idea of mercy, peace, gratitude, and wisdom in choosing between Good and Evil. It introduces the reader to the idea that the path of righteousness or the “Siratul Mustaqim” is the path of peace that will guide human beings in this journey through the bountiful and merciful world created by The Lord of the Universe. This path is a challenging one, as we can see that even the world “Islam” can be used to strike terror in others as well as create untold magnitude of destruction. The emergence of the ISIS “Islamic State of Syria and Iraq” or ISISL, The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant” or the Daesh (Darul Islamiyah) and the globalization of terror has is an example of how the word of Islam and the tawhidic message of peace can be misrepresented and be a guide to the path of “those cursed” as the last verse of the Al Fatihah reads. 
 
This takes us into the “tawhidic-singularity” realm of Islam with the idea of Gnosticism factored into the belief system – of the ‘alam al-ghaib’, the concealed dimension of reality. 
 
We are told within the Tawhid to submit to Allah and be part of the greater universe. Yet the behaviour espoused by Islam scholars today tends to deem that OUR humanity is at the centre of the universe. It puts humankind above the natural laws of the universe, in a state of arrogance, detested in the Qu’ran itself. 
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Today we see many political Islamic ideologies that seek to dominate all. 
 
This is contrary to Allah’s scheme of things within the Qu’ran. 
 
The continual return to referencing Allah as the Merciful and the Compassionate reminds us of the need for humility, not hostility and cruelty to humankind. 
 
Choice is open to humankind within the teachings of the Qu’ran. This implies man can choose the realities he wants to exist within: 
 
I control what I perceive 
I control what I think 
I control how I act 
I am responsible for the consequences. 
(13:11) 
 
This must occur beyond the bounds of ego-centric consciousness and the assumption that there is only one possible reality. 
 
The action upon literal translation of the Qu’ran is a denial of the true realities that the Qu’ran lays out in front of us. Literal scholarly understanding of the Quran has shackled our understanding to the cultural metaphors that have bounded Islam to its Arabness that we see today. This has blinded us to seeing the deeper dimensions of Islam and the messages of transformation towards Tawhidness. The Quran is a dynamic book, talking about change. It’s been interpreted as static dogma and doctrines, losing the central message about our journal of transcendence to the state of Tawhidness. 
 
The paradoxes of metaphoric and material universes 
 
The paradoxes of the Qu’ran advise humanity not to be too self-excessive and egocentric. Our greed, and other negative emotions, narcissism and other neurosis, addictions, pleasures, accumulation of wealth, and how we treat others is a quantum introspection that we are taught within the Qu’ran, in order to assist us seeing other realities (universes), that we have choice to enter and exist within. 
 
Only through this open awareness can we experience the realities of the world around us, learn to submit to the greater universe around us, which is called Allah. Our essence of purity through the state of spirituality is the only paradigm we can use to understand the deep meaning of the Tawhid and its greatness, far beyond any person, society, or time. 
 
Thus the Tawhid provides humanity with a meaning of life; that of being part of a greater existence; a worldview that accommodates not only the multiple worldviews of existing belief system but also respects the process of constructing emergent new ones. 
 
The introspection of a literal Allah is a neurosis that blinds us to Allah’s true greatness and our true appreciation of this. This is the true reality. 
 
In Islam, worldviews such as that proposed through Sufism takes Muslims away from the ordered mechanistic world view. The world can be seen for what it is, complex in almost mystical ways, as even the laws of nature itself can be seen beyond cause and effect, beyond karma which is too simplistic to explain reality. This is the Quantum view of Islam, which can also be found in the way Buddhism views the self, Reality, and existence. Buddhist ideas such as the self as non-existence and constantly evolving as the “being and becoming bodhisattva” journeys towards “nibbbana or Nirvana,” and constantly being aware of the impermanence of the self and the ephemerality of physical beings, and to live a principle of “non-attachment to this mechanistic and material world,”, and finally to view that life is a process of samsara or the evolution towards liberation, perpetual happiness, and next to enter the realm of “being and nothingness” – this view is where the similarity of Quantum Islam and core metaphysical teachings of existing cultural philosophies lie. 
 
Perception and feeling become more important than any form of quantitative measurement in understanding reality. The Qu’ran itself is not a quantitative work. It is a compendium of propositions inviting readers to think of multiple interpretations of the meaning of texts, subtexts, and cultural contexts. It is a postmodern text that has not proper arrangement or a sense of story of creationism. In other words, it is not a structured story about the metaphysics and physics of creation and Man’s place in the universe. The Quran, in short is merely a set of annotated readings inviting the reads to deconstruct meanings. It is a book about representations of alternate realities in which even the “speaker” or “narrator” of this grand text utilizes shifting pronouns in telling stories and passing down decrees. 
 
Reality and Quantum Islam 
 
The perception of reality is about awareness as the Qu’ran teaches. It is about how individuals transcend the universe through a journey towards a destination and seek the final reality. 
 
Mathematics breaks down in any view of reality, i.e., mathematics cannot explain 10% of infinity. Science cannot explain reality; as if we look at an atom we are not sure whether it’s a particle or a wave. There is a duality to everything, i.e., atoms can be in more than one place at the same time. Half of what we look at is in decay, so the “Schrodinger’s cat “is both alive and dead at the same time. There is a duality of consciousness that we must understand. It is both psychic and physical, full of emotion and emotionless, black and white, good and evil, hot and cold, attracting and repelling. Reality is thus an inter-connectiveness of nature and a web of relationships between humanity and spirituality, that makes up a unified whole within us. 
 
The form of our realities is the product of our observation of this. A tawhidic consciousness is therefore so important in our interpretation of reality. 
 
Seeing this is the order within the chaos that shrouds our minds by focusing too much on the poles of the existential paradoxes. Paradoxes can only be understood through balance. Then one can see the truths within people, relationships, and events. 
 
Many Islamic writers resorted to using poetry to enhance the understanding of non-linear world. 
 
The Qu’ran talks of a transition to a level where the duality of mind and body cannot be distinguished. We shift into a singularity where there is no time, no space, just a transcendence or universal oneness. We transcend the four dimensions that we understand into further dimensions which the Qu’ran speaks of but we have no direct prior experience. This is the state called Syurga. 
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The direct experience of reality is a psychic and emotional breakthrough to what Islam calls Al-falah. 
 
The only tool needed to see reality is a tawhidic transcending awareness, which is the key to openness and seeing something greater than our selves. 
 
This is why we rely on rituals such as Zikir (where prayer is incorporated) which builds up higher levels of consciousness. Zikir should help us create an empty mind so all thoughts are cleared to enable us to see the greater universe free of our own egocentrism. 
 
This is where insight come from as we experience ‘eureka manifestations’ of both personal and universal nature. Einstein wrote of this epiphanic moment in his journey to construct the “theory of relativity,” 
 
Our intellect is developed through our experience, which gathers knowledge and interprets meaning for us. The heart of all knowledge for a human is experience. For example, we cannot know what it is like to scuba dive, without actually scuba diving. 100 hours in a classroom cannot give you the same knowledge as a few minutes under the water. 
Without experiencing the universe we are blind. This blindness can only be overcome through being open and empathetic to the world around us. Blindness to the universe is a human neurosis. 
 
Science, sense, and soul 
 
A quantum view of reality puts an end to materialism. It is within this paradigm Quantum Islam that one need to look at reality in a different light, taking into consideration that life is not entirely founded upon Materialism. 
 
The Tawhid espouses us to transcend materialism. The non-physical element of our life is our existence, not material things, only their images and symbolic meanings within our minds. This triggers our emotions which create Al-fasad realities for humankind, bringing humans to a level of personal destruction through greed, etc. 
 
This also has repercussions in thought and future actions, and can be considered ill-intentions, contrary to what the Qu’ran espouses. This is our mystical jihad of finding our true uncorrupted existence. 
 
The worldly realities mediate and shrivel over our Tawhidic consciousness, which tells us what is right. Going against what is right is sin and our physical destruction. 
 
Tawhidic consciousness is the true universal wisdom, just as quarks within atoms possess energy which has its own consciousness described for example, by physicist such as Freeman Dyson. Like quarks, we have the capacity to make free decisions. 
 
The non-physical, all embracing empathetic and compassionate mind is what we can develop through Tawhidic guidance. This takes us into the realm of Allah and Syurga. 
 
Allah exists within our higher levels of consciousness, as we are told many times within the Qu’ran. 
 
The narratives of the Qu’ran are concerned with both individual and social (universal) consciousness, the yin and yang of our existence. 
 
This has great implications which haven’t been discussed within the Islamic world. Most are restricted to reading from the literal universe of the Qu’ran, and clinging to this unipolar universe. 
 
To see reality, we must discard the concepts of language and images. Structure gives bias and shackles our ‘knowing’. 
 
Higher intellect cannot be obtained through the processes thinking within mechanistic realities. This blinds us to the understanding of the essential nature of the universe. With a literal understanding of the Qu’ran we are in a paradigm lock within a singular universe of nature. Without paradox, we cannot see meaning, as paradox is the only way we can interpret. Paradox is the language above all other languages, the only way we can create benchmarks within our mind, in order to interpret the universe around us. 
 
However, these paradoxes are ruled by personal emotions, of which we both project and introspect with the dualities that define our world. It is within these dualities that we define ‘good’ and ‘evil’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘virtuous’ or ‘sinful’. 
 
Islam and particularly the Tawhid is a field of potential. It is a reality beyond our materialistic reality, and our consciousness which is intertwined with our ego-self. The Tawhid can only be entered into, discovered, or become an awareness through humility on the inside and compassion filtering to the outside, without the ego-self bounding us back to our materialistic existence. This dimension is a field of human and universal purity, full of wisdom; al-Falah. Islam is really about how we transcend the lower earthly dimensions of ourselves into the higher dimension of Tawhid-purity. 
 
This is Quantum-Islam; the potential to be, the choice that has been given to all humanity within the Quran. 
 
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Conclusion 
 
Exploring idea of Quantum Islam, as the name suggests, requires the mind of the Muslim to engage in the phenomenological and metaphysical experience of conceiving worldviews beyond the mechanistic view of the personal and physical self and move toward a higher plane of quantum physics and metaphysics. In other words, Muslims should raise the level of understanding Islam from mere doctrinal and cultural to philosophical and multi-universal and multi-dimensional. This requires a new understanding of what god is, beyond how this concept of a creator is understood. A Kuhnian shift in Islamic metaphysics and ontological evolution is needed, as how the idea of a Heisenberg Principle of observing Objectivity was conceived. Muslims need to explore the semiotics of believing itself and venture deeper into the meaning constructing the meaning of reading their “book of readings”: The Quran. 
 
Source: 
http://www.eurasiareview.com/12012016-quantum-islam-towards-a-new-worldview-analysis/</div>

Quantum Islam: Towards A New Worldview – Analysis

In our essay on Tawhidic-Singularity as a new philosophy of Islam, we proposed that Muslims need to interpret the core teaching of O...

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Monotheism [Oneness of God]

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Dear brothers and sisters: 
 
Tawheed briefly stands for the Oneness of Allah in Divinity, in Worship, and in His Names and Attributes. It includes three kinds: first, oneness of His Lordship which means to acknowledge that He is the only Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider...etc. of this world. The second is oneness of His Godhood [divinity] which means to worship Him alone with no Partner. The third kind is the oneness of his Attributes and Names and confirmation of these Names and Attributes to Him only. 
 
 
The Qur’an says, ‘ Say [O Muhammad]! God is One.’ [112-1] It also says, ‘Your Lord is One God, no partner with Him, He is the Most merciful, Most Gracious.’ [2:163] Belief in the Oneness of God is to worship Allah alone as an implementation of the words of truth: “there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah.” 
 
Belief in the Oneness of Allah is the focal point around which the religion of Islam revolves. It is the entire religion. It is to commit yourself to all aspects of this statement and to abide by its dictates under all circumstances in life; prayer, sacrifice, life and death…etc. 
 
The Qur'an has directed utmost attention to the doctrine of Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) as it is the greatest message of Islam and the mission of every Messenger and Prophet. In the Qur’an, Allah says: “We assuredly sent amongst every people a Messenger, (with the command), “worship Allah, and eschew taghut (all false deities worshiped beside Allah)” (16: 36). And “And question thou our Messengers whom We sent before thee; did We appoint any deities other than the Most Gracious, to be worshiped?” (43: 45). The Qur’an also says: “O my people! Worship Allah! Ye have no other god but Him.” (7: 59). “Not a Messenger did We send before you without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is no god but I, therefore worship Me” (21: 25). All these verses and many others prove that the message of all Messengers and Prophets since Adam till Muhammad is Tawheed [i.e. to worship one God] 
 
Dear brothers and sisters: 
The greatest act of injustice is to associate partners with Allah in worship. He says, “Whoever sets up partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise for him…” (5: 72). 
The Qur'an contains many verses that deal with the concept of the Oneness of God and the call to it. According to the Qur’an, salvation and pleasure in this life and in the Hereafter are totally founded on the absolute worship of Allah alone. 
 
Dear brothers and sisters: 
the opposite of Tawheed [monotheism] is Shirk [polytheism] which means to make partner with Allah in worship. This is called a major Shirk, and this type is not to be forgiven unless the person reverts. The Qur’an says, ‘Verily Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship” (4: 48). 
 
The minor types of shirk are many. It is unfortunate that some Muslims fall into actions that negate the principle of Tawheed. It is therefore necessary to explain the issues and rules that have to do with Tawheed. Such actions and minor types of shirk [polytheism] must be avoided. Some of these actions are: 
 
1. Uttering words or statements containing Shirk even if one does not intend it as such. Likewise is swearing by others beside Allah and whoever does that is on the verge of a dangerous sin. The Prophet said, “Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed Shirk.” (Ahmad) He also said, “Do not swear by your fathers or mothers or other deities beside Allah. And also do not swear by Allah unless you are saying the truth.” (Abu Dawud). Similarly, The use of despicable utterances like, “I depend on Allah and you.” Ahmad narrated that: “A man came to the Prophet and told him, ‘Whatever Allah and you will.’ The Prophet replied, ‘Are you making me an equal to Allah? Nay, it is whatever Allah alone wills.’ 
 
2. Wearing of talismans and the like, for doing such is part of Shirk. Turn to Allah alone in difficulties for He is the only one capable of removing hardships; consult a sincere scholars or imam when you are in hardship. The Qur’an says, “And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, He is able to do all things...” (Al-An’aam: 17-18). All these superstitious objects that people wear cannot prevent harm from touching them, nor can they cure them of any illness. One should therefore keep away from them. The Prophet said, ‘Whoever hangs a talisman [on his body], commits a shirk.’ [Ahmad] 
 
3. Visiting fortune-tellers, astrologers and soothsayers because they claim to possess the knowledge of the unseen. They are tricky and treacherous people and ask their clients to associate partners with Allah and to slaughter animals to others beside Allah. The Prophet said, “Whoever visits a fortune-teller and asks him anything, his prayer will no be accepted for forty nights.” (Muslim) He also said, “Whoever visits a soothsayer and believes him in what he says has disbelieved in what is revealed to Muhammad.” (Ahmad). He also said, “May Allah curse whoever slaughters for others beside Allah.” 
 
4. Among the aspects of minor shirk is to perceive evil omens in days, months or some birds is a prohibited act. Perceiving evil omens does not in any way change what has been decreed. The Messenger of Allah said, “(There is) no Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed without Allah’s permission), nor is their any bad omen (from birds) nor is there any (bad omen in a bird called) Haamah nor is there any bad omen in the month of Safar.” [al-Bukhari] 
 
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5. Seeking help from the dead, asking them one’s needs, slaughtering to appease them etc. are all forbidden acts. Allah says, “And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) beside Allah, such as will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection and are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them. And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection) they (the false deities) will become enemies for them and deny their worshipping.” (46: 5-6). 
 
6. It is not permissible to seek blessings neither from the Prophet’s grave nor from his birthplace or that of any Prophet or righteous people or to say, O such and such, O Hassan or Husain…etc. It is also not permissible to seek blessing from walls of any mosque, even the sacred mosque in Makkah. It is only recommended to kiss or touch Al-Hajar Al-Aswad. ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab also said while kissing the Black Stone, “By Allah! I know that you are only a stone that can neither benefit no harm, had I not seen the Prophet kissing you, I would not have kissed you.” (Muslim) 
 
7. It is a minor type of shirk to show off as the Prophet warned us in the Hadith, ‘On the day of Judgment, Allah will say to those who used to show off, ‘Go to those whom you showed off in order to reward you.’ The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Almighty Allah says, ‘I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism.'' 
[Muslim] 
 
8. It is also not recommended to extremely and excessively exaggerate in praising Prophet Muhammad for he forbids us to do that when he said, ‘Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Messenger. [al-Bukhari] the reason for this prohibition is mentioned the Hadith. 
 
Dear brothers and sisters: 
Keep your Tawheed pure and free from Shirk. The Qur’an says, ‘…So worship Allah, making religion pure for Him (only). (2) Surely pure religion is for Allah only. And those who choose protecting friends beside Him (say): We worship them only that they may bring us near unto Allah.’ [39:2-3] Allah also says, "You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help. [1:5]" 
 
Finally, it is the right of Allah upon us to worship Him alone and not to make partner with. Mu’ath Ibn Jabal said, the Prophet said to me “O Mu’aath! Do you know Allah’s right upon His slaves and the slaves’ right upon Allah?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He then said, “Allah’s right upon His slave is that they should worship Him and associate nothing with Him in worship, and the slaves’ right upon Allah is that He does not punish whoever does not associate anything with Him.” (Muslim). 
 
Finally, we ask God to guide us all. 
 
Sheikh/ Khalifa Ezzat 
Muharram 29, 1431 – Jan. 15, 2010 
 
http://iccuk.org/page.php?section=religious&page=khutbas 
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Monotheism [Oneness of God]

Dear brothers and sisters: Tawheed briefly stands for the Oneness of Allah in Divinity, in Worship, and in His Names and Attributes. It...

Tuesday, January 12, 2016