Arabic cartoon not sure about subtitles
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Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Technology is Man's greatest fallacy
Technology is Man's greatest fallacy
We live in a time where man thinks that technology can save him. All this is means man is progressing. I watch movies on my phone, I can see the people who I am talking about, I use this machine to this and that. One of my friends said have you noticed that all this technology is about "i"? We seem to think that technology is man's yard stick for progress and this is somehow making us better. Technology can help us save lives yet look at the arms industry why are we learning of more ways to kill people?
We sit on machines wondering what to do with them. We move from one machine to another without realising what is going on. Man is alone but cannot communicate because he can speak using his laptop better than he can with his own lips.
Is this progress? Is man progressing? Making great strides thanks to a machine that is made obsolete. As soon as it reaches you there is another piece of rubbish to take its place.
If man is so advanced as a race then why are making bombs to kill other people. All these countries who take pride in their wealth and their advanced societies are the same ones teaching and training others to kill their own.
In this time that people are deceived into lying to their people and themselves in some sort of vain belief that if people follow them then this will vindicate their lies.
We are lost using our machines whilst the machines of war kill innocent people in the name of democracy. Freedom is spelt differently in those lands possessed by foreign invaders it’s spelt free-doom because that’s what it is, doom for free. Except it’s not for free it’s at a cost, the greatest cost, is the loss of human life and the next is their natural resources.
They come to liberate you from your bodies, liberate your families from this earth, and liberate your homes from the ground. Lets us cheer as they blame religion and join in their lies.
Bombs made in factories that people don’t care; exported to military bases all over the world then dropped on the heads of the innocents. It was an accident, it is collateral damage? No, that’s a lie. They massacre innocent people as their natural resources are stolen from them as you set one against the other.
This is mans great progress? Isn’t it? Well to me this is the lie of the last century and this new one that everyone is asleep watching our DVD’s as they kill claiming its for you and me.
They kill to exploit and they kill to mock. We sit here and don’t even question. When will they enter the dock?
Just because you have your iphone means nothing because I can speak and communicate to real people. Don’t cry if they take it away from you.
Technology means nothing even these words mean nothing because I am using this medium to contact you.
Is there another way? Yes there is, get rid of what you don’t need and realise what Orwell wrote, “Freedom is slavery, War is peace and Ignorance is strength.” We are all ignorant and we are happy. We think invasion is freedom and war is setting things right. Who gave us the right?
Wake up people this is the looking glass and you are not going to like what you are going to see just like Alice.
Technology is not going to help you into Paradise, is it?
Sheikh Hmza Yusuf - Planning for Tomorrow
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/sheikh-hamza-yusuf.html
The Life of this world
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-of-this-worlddunya.html
We live in a time where man thinks that technology can save him. All this is means man is progressing. I watch movies on my phone, I can see the people who I am talking about, I use this machine to this and that. One of my friends said have you noticed that all this technology is about "i"? We seem to think that technology is man's yard stick for progress and this is somehow making us better. Technology can help us save lives yet look at the arms industry why are we learning of more ways to kill people?
We sit on machines wondering what to do with them. We move from one machine to another without realising what is going on. Man is alone but cannot communicate because he can speak using his laptop better than he can with his own lips.
Is this progress? Is man progressing? Making great strides thanks to a machine that is made obsolete. As soon as it reaches you there is another piece of rubbish to take its place.
If man is so advanced as a race then why are making bombs to kill other people. All these countries who take pride in their wealth and their advanced societies are the same ones teaching and training others to kill their own.
In this time that people are deceived into lying to their people and themselves in some sort of vain belief that if people follow them then this will vindicate their lies.
We are lost using our machines whilst the machines of war kill innocent people in the name of democracy. Freedom is spelt differently in those lands possessed by foreign invaders it’s spelt free-doom because that’s what it is, doom for free. Except it’s not for free it’s at a cost, the greatest cost, is the loss of human life and the next is their natural resources.
They come to liberate you from your bodies, liberate your families from this earth, and liberate your homes from the ground. Lets us cheer as they blame religion and join in their lies.
Bombs made in factories that people don’t care; exported to military bases all over the world then dropped on the heads of the innocents. It was an accident, it is collateral damage? No, that’s a lie. They massacre innocent people as their natural resources are stolen from them as you set one against the other.
This is mans great progress? Isn’t it? Well to me this is the lie of the last century and this new one that everyone is asleep watching our DVD’s as they kill claiming its for you and me.
They kill to exploit and they kill to mock. We sit here and don’t even question. When will they enter the dock?
Just because you have your iphone means nothing because I can speak and communicate to real people. Don’t cry if they take it away from you.
Technology means nothing even these words mean nothing because I am using this medium to contact you.
Is there another way? Yes there is, get rid of what you don’t need and realise what Orwell wrote, “Freedom is slavery, War is peace and Ignorance is strength.” We are all ignorant and we are happy. We think invasion is freedom and war is setting things right. Who gave us the right?
Wake up people this is the looking glass and you are not going to like what you are going to see just like Alice.
Technology is not going to help you into Paradise, is it?
Sheikh Hmza Yusuf - Planning for Tomorrow
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/sheikh-hamza-yusuf.html
The Life of this world
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-of-this-worlddunya.html
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Habib Ali Al-Jifri
From Protest to Engagement – notes on Habib Ali al-Jifri’s speech, London
(May Allah subhanu wa ta'ala reward the donor)
All praise is due to Allah and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
To start, Allah subhanu wa ta'ala says in the Quran: “And we wished to shower benefit upon those who have been subjugated or impoverished or made weak/ impotent upon the Earth to make them from the inheritors…”
“Weakness” comes in two forms in the Quran.
(1) In one form it is a weakness that leads people down a slippery slope
(2) In another form it is a weakness that leads people up to the lofty heights
And because God is ‘The Just’, and because the state of weakness and impotence isn’t something that a person just experiences once- the fruit of that state is good because if the fruit of that state was not good then this would take it out of Justice and it would be tyranny.
And the fruit, the end result, of tyranny is not in the hand of the tyrant, but in the hand of the one who tyrannised.
The kind of impotence that leads to loss is an impotence to which a person reacts in a way that takes him out of his obedience to God.
Allah subhanu wa ta'ala mentions in the Quran: “..a place in Hell in which the oppressor and the oppressed meet for dialogue..”
Because the oppressed did not react to the oppression in a way that was befitting-
“They say, those who are oppressed to those who are haughty, ‘Were it not for you we would have been believers.’”
“But they say those who are haughty to those who are oppressed, ‘Was it we who stopped you from following guidance when it came to you? Nay you are people of corruption.’” (Quran)
Because the oppressor can take your rights, beat you, kill you but he can never make you leave the path of the serving of your Maker.
That is why we started by citing the verse which talks about those who rose to lofty heights in spite of their oppression- And Allah says “And we gave a gift to those who were oppressed upon the earth and made them leaders and inheritors.” They rose to heights because of their reaction to their oppression, and became leaders that other people wished to be in the position of.
So, Allah’s subhnau wa ta'ala wish for those people was to make them leaders. And Allah says in another ayah “And we made them leaders for the people when they showed patience and had certainty in Our signs.”
So, what Allah requests from us (after the way we deal with our oppression) to reach leadership is:
(1) Patience
(2) Certainty
Hence, Patience is described in the Quran- “fa sabrun jameel”- “And beautiful Patience.”
And when your state of patience and adversity becomes heavy to carry, remember you can always turn to Allah subhanu wa ta'ala, the One who assists.
Why have patience? Because of the fruits of patience if you are a person of Certainty in the signs of God- Why do you believe these words? Because they are the words of your Maker-
This is something we have been hearing since the middle of today from the inheritors of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
If you take the advice of Sheikh Ali Al Jumuah (who spoke earlier) when he said that we should renew our connection with the seerah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam- You will understand also that all the glad tidings of openings, establishment, firmness and ease, come after the darkest hours.
I’d like to conclude (a) with answering a question that many people repeat to themselves sometimes in their own monologues, (b) and with Glad tidings.
As for the Question, people ask- “Why at this time in particular many people want to talk to us about the moderate discourse? The discourse of the middle way? Is it because we are facing so many adversities that it is being said in some quarters that make the Muslims soft and easy going so we can carry on doing what we are doing?”
I think the answer is in the question itself: If our people are at such a point where they believe that to call them to moderation and good character is to pave the way to their weakness and to add to their weakness and feeling of impotence- the answer is in the question itself- it means we have gone so far away from the teachings of this faith, which calls us to good character.
The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam articulated it when he said: “Truly I came exclusively (only) to perfect good character.” In Arabic, “Innma” – is an exclusive clause.
And how do we reconcile this with what our brother Yusuf Islam has said, that shirk is the greatest enormity and injustice a man can do, greatest injustice to his own soul- how do you reconcile this with what you have just heard about the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam coming only to perfect good character?
It means the affirmation of Divine Unity and the call to Him can only be done with good character.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam did not say he came to “establish” good character, but to “perfect” which tells us that it is something humanity has with them since it’s inception- so the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to invigorate and bring to life the primordial pattern Allah has placed within us.
And if we are from the nation of the Prophet, as his inheritors- how can we call others to the perfection of character unless we recognise traces of goodness in others and show them the way to its perfection.
And another angle to the answer of the Question: Are we talking about engagement today because we feel threatened, because we are scared, and because we fear? Is it because of shifts in perceptions, because we could be kicked out, because of expedients?
No, rather because this is our faith- Part of this faith is engagement, part of our faith is how we deal with others, how we engage with the people around us, how we carry their burdens and feel responsibility towards them.
And if the tables were turned and we were established upon the earth and we thought this was not the message we were to carry to mankind then we would be betraying the trust Allah has given us.
Because it is an act of worship placed next to salah, fasting, being good to your parents, keeping the bonds of kinship etc- next to all this is good character and it is a way that we get closer to our Creator.
I want us to leave this conference with the feeling of glad tidings in our hearts. And the giver of glad tidings is not the speaker, but it is Allah and the bringer of glad tidings is not the speaker before you, but the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
Allah subhanu wa ta'ala said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam: “And give Glad-tidings to My servants.” Who are these servants that Allah commanded glad tidings to be given to? The verse continues “those who hear what is said and follow the best of it.”
And I’d like to ask Fuad Nahdi and all that work with him in this goodness, that what was said on this day be put together in a booklet so others may benefit and it may be carried forth into action. And others including ourselves can help in this. Because when I heard Abdal Hakim Murad who spoke earlier I felt like a divine opening was coming forth from his mouth, as he spoke from within us in a way that was self critical.
And when I was sat before Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayah earlier, listening to his sublime speech, and the state with which he was before us. I felt like I was before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam speaking to his ummah. “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophet.”
May Allah reward you all with the best of rewards.
Dua’
(May Allah subhanu wa ta'ala reward the donor)
All praise is due to Allah and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
To start, Allah subhanu wa ta'ala says in the Quran: “And we wished to shower benefit upon those who have been subjugated or impoverished or made weak/ impotent upon the Earth to make them from the inheritors…”
“Weakness” comes in two forms in the Quran.
(1) In one form it is a weakness that leads people down a slippery slope
(2) In another form it is a weakness that leads people up to the lofty heights
And because God is ‘The Just’, and because the state of weakness and impotence isn’t something that a person just experiences once- the fruit of that state is good because if the fruit of that state was not good then this would take it out of Justice and it would be tyranny.
And the fruit, the end result, of tyranny is not in the hand of the tyrant, but in the hand of the one who tyrannised.
The kind of impotence that leads to loss is an impotence to which a person reacts in a way that takes him out of his obedience to God.
Allah subhanu wa ta'ala mentions in the Quran: “..a place in Hell in which the oppressor and the oppressed meet for dialogue..”
Because the oppressed did not react to the oppression in a way that was befitting-
“They say, those who are oppressed to those who are haughty, ‘Were it not for you we would have been believers.’”
“But they say those who are haughty to those who are oppressed, ‘Was it we who stopped you from following guidance when it came to you? Nay you are people of corruption.’” (Quran)
Because the oppressor can take your rights, beat you, kill you but he can never make you leave the path of the serving of your Maker.
That is why we started by citing the verse which talks about those who rose to lofty heights in spite of their oppression- And Allah says “And we gave a gift to those who were oppressed upon the earth and made them leaders and inheritors.” They rose to heights because of their reaction to their oppression, and became leaders that other people wished to be in the position of.
So, Allah’s subhnau wa ta'ala wish for those people was to make them leaders. And Allah says in another ayah “And we made them leaders for the people when they showed patience and had certainty in Our signs.”
So, what Allah requests from us (after the way we deal with our oppression) to reach leadership is:
(1) Patience
(2) Certainty
Hence, Patience is described in the Quran- “fa sabrun jameel”- “And beautiful Patience.”
And when your state of patience and adversity becomes heavy to carry, remember you can always turn to Allah subhanu wa ta'ala, the One who assists.
Why have patience? Because of the fruits of patience if you are a person of Certainty in the signs of God- Why do you believe these words? Because they are the words of your Maker-
This is something we have been hearing since the middle of today from the inheritors of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
If you take the advice of Sheikh Ali Al Jumuah (who spoke earlier) when he said that we should renew our connection with the seerah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam- You will understand also that all the glad tidings of openings, establishment, firmness and ease, come after the darkest hours.
I’d like to conclude (a) with answering a question that many people repeat to themselves sometimes in their own monologues, (b) and with Glad tidings.
As for the Question, people ask- “Why at this time in particular many people want to talk to us about the moderate discourse? The discourse of the middle way? Is it because we are facing so many adversities that it is being said in some quarters that make the Muslims soft and easy going so we can carry on doing what we are doing?”
I think the answer is in the question itself: If our people are at such a point where they believe that to call them to moderation and good character is to pave the way to their weakness and to add to their weakness and feeling of impotence- the answer is in the question itself- it means we have gone so far away from the teachings of this faith, which calls us to good character.
The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam articulated it when he said: “Truly I came exclusively (only) to perfect good character.” In Arabic, “Innma” – is an exclusive clause.
And how do we reconcile this with what our brother Yusuf Islam has said, that shirk is the greatest enormity and injustice a man can do, greatest injustice to his own soul- how do you reconcile this with what you have just heard about the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam coming only to perfect good character?
It means the affirmation of Divine Unity and the call to Him can only be done with good character.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam did not say he came to “establish” good character, but to “perfect” which tells us that it is something humanity has with them since it’s inception- so the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to invigorate and bring to life the primordial pattern Allah has placed within us.
And if we are from the nation of the Prophet, as his inheritors- how can we call others to the perfection of character unless we recognise traces of goodness in others and show them the way to its perfection.
And another angle to the answer of the Question: Are we talking about engagement today because we feel threatened, because we are scared, and because we fear? Is it because of shifts in perceptions, because we could be kicked out, because of expedients?
No, rather because this is our faith- Part of this faith is engagement, part of our faith is how we deal with others, how we engage with the people around us, how we carry their burdens and feel responsibility towards them.
And if the tables were turned and we were established upon the earth and we thought this was not the message we were to carry to mankind then we would be betraying the trust Allah has given us.
Because it is an act of worship placed next to salah, fasting, being good to your parents, keeping the bonds of kinship etc- next to all this is good character and it is a way that we get closer to our Creator.
I want us to leave this conference with the feeling of glad tidings in our hearts. And the giver of glad tidings is not the speaker, but it is Allah and the bringer of glad tidings is not the speaker before you, but the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
Allah subhanu wa ta'ala said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam: “And give Glad-tidings to My servants.” Who are these servants that Allah commanded glad tidings to be given to? The verse continues “those who hear what is said and follow the best of it.”
And I’d like to ask Fuad Nahdi and all that work with him in this goodness, that what was said on this day be put together in a booklet so others may benefit and it may be carried forth into action. And others including ourselves can help in this. Because when I heard Abdal Hakim Murad who spoke earlier I felt like a divine opening was coming forth from his mouth, as he spoke from within us in a way that was self critical.
And when I was sat before Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayah earlier, listening to his sublime speech, and the state with which he was before us. I felt like I was before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam speaking to his ummah. “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophet.”
May Allah reward you all with the best of rewards.
Dua’
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