Nabeel stresses that opposition in Bahrain cannot be quashed by pressure, repression, and imprisonment because that will only strengthen people’s resolve to peacefully create a rights-based society.

One of the leaders of the uprising in Bahrain has been active against the country’s monarchy since a young age. Now he is joined by a new generation of protesters who seek to bring change to the island kingdom.

His slogans against the Bahraini regime used to be daubed on school walls. Thirty years on, the slogans have turned into tweets, documenting the daily pains of the Bahraini people.

The medium may have changed, but the message has not. Nabeel Rajab has dedicated himself to campaigning for his people’s freedom by whatever means. This has given him the largest Twitter following in Bahrain, and the fourth largest in the Arab world.

Born in 1964 to a long-established pro-regime Bahraini family, Rajab began his life of activism at the age of 16. He was expelled from school for his political dissent, despite his academic excellence. He was also active in the student movement at a university in Poona in India, though he avoided joining any single political faction.

Upon returning to Bahrain in 1988, he began campaigning in an organized, albeit clandestine fashion, establishing links with international human rights organizations.

He was one of the co-founders of the Bahrain Society for Human Rights. Originally set up in London, it operated underground in Bahrain until it was legalized in 2001.

In 2002, Rajab helped establish the Bahrain Center for Human Rights along with his colleague and mentor Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, currently in prison on charges of planning to overthrow the regime.

Rajab’s voice rises slightly as he speaks of his determination to secure his friend’s freedom. “Al-Khawaja is part of my education. We worked on issues that nobody was allowed to touch, especially the ruling family’s privileges, sect-based discrimination, and migrant labor rights. I owe it to this person not to let him remain in jail.”

He stresses that opposition in Bahrain cannot be quashed by pressure, repression, and imprisonment because that will only strengthen people’s resolve to peacefully create a rights-based society. “This is what the regime fails to understand.”

Rajab’s work has kept him under scrutiny. His wife and children are constantly threatened, and have lost any sense of security since the February 14 uprising. His elderly mother has lost her hearing and is now almost blind. “Perhaps that is fortunate,” he remarks. “That has spared her a lot of pain. She doesn’t know what is happening. When they fired tear-gas canisters at our house, we told her the noise was coming from a faraway village.”

Rajab became almost synonymous with the Bahraini uprising during the Pearl Roundabout sit-in. He found himself on the front line.

“I did not appear in the media much before February 14” he explains. “But that day forced me into a new position. I didn’t plan it.”

The arrest of many of his fellow human rights activists and lawyers compelled him to come forward, taking the cause of his detained colleagues to the press and media, and talking about the uprising.

Rajab has much to say, and many anecdotes to relate, about events during the uprising, and the repression unleashed by the regime since.

“The authorities went very far to try to stop the revolution. They invited in the armies of other countries to suppress the revolutionaries. Moreover, the region’s complexity and sectarian climate allowed the regime to succeed in portraying it as a sectarian revolt,” he says.

Prior to the Gulf military intervention – abetted by the West’s double standards and its shared interests with the Gulf monarchies – the deployment of “thousands of mercenaries” by the regime had failed to deter the people from demonstrating daily. Rajab is particularly proud of the role played by women. “They went on demonstrations for the first time, which is unprecedented in a conservative country like Bahrain, and insisted on participating in decision-making.”

On a lighter note, he recalls how a taste for dark humor developed among protesters facing the brunt of the crackdown by regime and Gulf forces. Cracking jokes – a skill he inherited form his father – became a way of alleviating suffering, “People were dying, and we were poking fun at government statements.”

Rajab does not adhere to any theory of Gulf exceptionalism. There is a clamor for self-determination throughout the region, he says. But he concedes that the Gulf lags behind the rest of the Arab world politically. “A handful of families continue to run our countries as though they are private businesses.”

Rajab’s activism appears to be perturbing the US government too. The State Department refused to meet him during his latest visit to the US where he received an award from a pro-democracy foundation honoring his courage in fighting for democracy in Bahrain.

Despite the daily threats he faces at home, he refuses to leave Bahrain. “That’s what the state wants,” he says. “All the independent journalists are gone. Some of them were sacked from their jobs and targeted because of their politics. They number more than 60, including a blogger and a founder of a newspaper who were tortured to death.”

Everything in Rajab’s life revolves around the struggle these days. His new-found status as a role model for young revolutionaries prompted him to finally give up smoking at the start of the new year.

A wry smile comes over his face when asked about the choice of Manama as Capital of Arab Culture for 2012: “No country has violated cultural rights as much as Bahrain has,” he remarks. “Historic mosques have been demolished, merely to insult the beliefs of some people. Many have been arrested and tortured. This regime ought to be boycotted at every level, political, economic and cultural.”

Already banned from the local media, Rajab worries about social media being subject to the control of censors in the Gulf states, following Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal’s purchase of a large amount of stock in Twitter. That could undermine the effectiveness or credibility which social media acquired during the course of the Arab uprisings.

Rajab’s demand is for the democratic process to be respected, and for people to be empowered to choose their rulers, even if that means Islamists rising to power. But he does not accept the term “Islamist.”

“There are different Islamist schools of thought in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The societies in revolt today will not never accept extremism. They have experienced oppression, suppression and tyranny, and they will not accept the same in religious guise,” said Rajab.

Rajab’s latest platform for activism is the “Gulf Centre for Human Rights” which opened recently in Beirut. It will issue statements and reports, as well as conduct training in the field of human rights. These are activities which Rajab has devoted his life to in his quest to bring freedom to the Gulf states.

—
Source: AlAkhbar English. Article translated by Mariam Abdallah.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

None could reach his level of excellence in the qualities he possessed, and all expectations were fulfilled with his coming. He appeared at a time that society was prepared for him because it needed him

Previous Prophets mentioned some of the characteristics of the Prophet of Islam in their heavenly books, giving their followers the glad tidings of his future appearance. As the Quran says: “Those to whom We sent books (the Jews and the Christians) know well of Muhammad and his truthfulness, just as they know their own children, but some of them obstinately hide the truth, although they are well aware of it.” (2:145)

In the troubled world of those days, cultural and moral decline, together with polytheism and idolatry and all their ramifications had submerged the whole globe. Even the heavenly religions that had followers in different parts of the world had undergone radical change in the course of time; not only had they lost all vitality and ability to guide mankind, but their most creative elements had fallen prey to decline. There was no hope of infusing a new spirit of life in them, of making blood course once again through their hardened arteries.

The People of the Book were therefore waiting for some profound eruption and the emergence of a new heavenly personality who would bear on his capable shoulders the heavy burden of guiding mankind, leading them away from decaying systems of thought to a new and progressive teaching.

The world had reached the end of its tether in the midst of all that confusion and unrest. It longed for a whole new environment, different from the poisoned one in which it lived, and waited for a hand to emerge from the sleeve of the unseen which would destroy the crumbling structure of the old order and build a new one on its ruins.

Each of the peoples and nations that were then dominating the world had in some way fallen prey to anarchy and confusion. The Arabs who lived at the crossroads of the great powers of that age and whose broad homeland was traversed by the caravans of international commerce felt more powerfully each day their weakness and impotence vis-a-vis their powerful neighbors. The danger of complete extinction that faced the Arabs because of their lack of an organized political structure and because of the power of their oppressive neighbors, was plain to any farsighted person.

It was under these circumstances that the promised deliverer Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was born at dawn on Friday, the seventeenth day of the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal, fifty three years before the migration (hijra), corresponding to the year 570 of the Christian era, in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula. It was a land of stifling repression, the very symbol of a sick and decadent society where ignorance was actively cultivated. It was like a swamp where the waters of corruption stagnated, a pit in which humanity had been buried.

It was in such a place that the Prophet first set eyes on the world and the light of his splendor first shone on the horizons of human life; it was there that this quintessence of being who was destined to bring human thought to maturity generated a new energy and an inexhaustible vitality in mankind.

None could reach his level of excellence in the qualities he possessed, and all expectations were fulfilled with his coming. He appeared at a time that society was prepared for him because it needed him. Not only the Arabian peninsula but the world at large was prepared for his coming, because the whole of the ancient world was longing with all of its being for the appearance of a man who would take it by the hand and guide it to its goal.

The sphere of the heavens, in its prolonged and ceaseless rotation had never been able to bring forth a creature like him whose substance was pure and free of all defect, who was completely untainted by all imperfection. History bears witness that this blessed infant, whose splendor shone forth from the arms of his mother, Aminah, over the whole world, came to establish the most creative of all faiths and the purest, most profound and pervasive of impetus, for the cultivation of knowledge and spirituality.

By prohibiting flattery and subservience before the thrones of the emperors and the powerful, he awakened to new life the dormant minds of human beings and created a suitable environment for their cultivation. He drove away idols from the threshold of their veneration, instructing them instead in the mysteries of Divine unity and teaching them how to live and die with dignity.

As a result of his teachings, idolatry gave way to monotheism and the worship of the one true God; ignorance yielded to knowledge and science, brotherliness, compassion, and other human virtues took the place of hostility, hatred and discord; and those who had been reared in an atmosphere of corruption and ignorance became the choicest specimens of humanity.

Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, was a descendent of Ishmael. His was a truly human heart, a heart that overflowed with love, fidelity and mercy. After marrying Aminah, he went trading in Syria, accompanying a caravan that was leaving Mecca. Aminah was already pregnant and impatiently awaited the return of her husband. But a severe illness laid hold of Abdullah, drawing the life out of him so that he died far away from his homeland.

He closed his eyes on the world and its pleasures, full of painful regret that he would be unable to see Aminah again or the child that she was to bear him. After a time, the young mother learned that in the sixteenth year of her life she had been widowed and left alone with a small infant.

Her father-in-law, Abd al-Mutallib, took her and the infant to his own house, and then decided to send his newborn grandson to the Banu Sa’d in the desert, to be suckled by them and to grow up in the pure air of the desert.

Four months had passed after the birth of the Most Noble Prophet when the wetnurses of the Banu Sa’d came to Mecca and one of them, a woman of pure disposition called Halimah, declared herself ready to suckle the orphaned Muhammad.[1]

Halimah returned to the desert with the child to take care of him there and he stayed among the Banu Sa’d continuing to grow until he was weaned. Still, however, his grandfather continued to leave him in the care of the tribe until he was five years old, and throughout this period the kindly wetnurse took good care of him and paid attention to his upbringing. He learned the best and most authentic dialect of Arabic, and imbibed the most eloquent forms of Arabic speech. Halimah took him to see his mother two or three times, and on the last of these occasions she turned him over to his mother. When a year had passed, Aminah left Mecca, taking him with her to show him to the wetnurses who lived in the villages between Mecca and Yathrib. Full of joyous satisfaction, she reached the dwelling places of the wetnurses, but she was not destined to return to Mecca.

Aminah died in the course of her return journey and was buried where she died. Her infant orphaned son, now six years of age, was left alone at the side of her grave.[2]

He had never seen his father nor had he fully enjoyed the kindness and affection of his mother for just as he was about to begin benefiting from her upbringing, fate snatched her away and left him alone in the awesome expanse of the desert.

At the time of the death of his mother, the infant Prophet had reached the age when intellectual and spiritual characteristics begin to develop. His grandfather, Abd al-Mutallib, for whom he was the only reminder of his own son, Abdullah, and a source of consolation for his weary heart, then assumed responsibility for his care and fulfilled this trust worthily until his death.

This period in which the Prophet enjoyed the care and protection of his grandfather, which were like a soothing balm placed on his wounds, did not last long. Just as he reached the age of eight the life of Abd al-Mutallib came to an end. A new grief assailed the Prophet, lines of sorrow and pain became apparent in his face, and the powerful spirit that was never troubled by the perils he faced throughout his life was gripped by the pain of bereavement.

However, Divine favor had bestowed on him the ability to accept and endure these setbacks. For an orphan who was due to become the father of humanity and the comforter of all the burdened and oppressed in the world had to become acquainted, from childhood onward, with all forms of deprivation and affliction; he had to have a spirit as firm and resistant as a mountain in order to carry on his shoulders the otherwise unbearable burden of the Divine message. The ability to resist and withstand all kinds of obstacles and difficulties was essential for him, and his lofty and expansive spirit was a sign that he possessed precisely this ability.

The orphaned boy next moved to the house of his paternal uncle, Abu Talib, a great and noble person who was the full brother of his father. Although he was surrounded by the kindness of his cousins in his uncle’s house, Muhammad, upon whom be peace, naturally felt lonely.

One morning he learned that his uncle Abu Talib was planning to journey to Syria, leaving him behind. Muhammad, upon whom be peace, then approached his uncle and asked him for permission to accompany him, but his uncle refused, since he was still too young to endure the rigors of travel.

When the caravan was about to depart, Muhammad’s eyes filled with tears, and Abu Talib was deeply moved by the sad expression on his face. He was compelled to take him with him on his journey to Syria, and thus it was that at the age of twelve he set out on a journey to distant lands.

Before the Quraysh caravan reached its destination, it passed through the city of Bostra where the party met a monk called Buhayra. Buhayra passed his days engaged in devotion in his cell, and being a man deeply learned in Christianity, he was revered by all of the Christians.

As soon as Buhayra caught sight of Abu Talib’s nephew, he found himself profoundly attracted by him. His piercing and mysterious glances seemed to indicate some secret hidden in his heart. Finally Buhayra broke his silence and asked to whom this child belonged. The party pointed to his uncle, and Abu Talib said, “This is my nephew.” Buhayra then said: “This child has a brilliant future in front of him. This is the promised Messenger whose coming and prophethood have been foretold in the scriptures, and I see in his person all the signs mentioned in those books. He is that true Prophet whose name and family I have read of. I know where this great personality will rise to fame and how the Divine religion he brings will conquer the whole world. However, you must conceal him from the view of the Jews, because they will destroy him once they become aware of this.”[3]

Historians have clearly discerned in all dimensions of his person great spiritual energy and power, together with all the other qualities that are fitting in a great leader sent by heaven.

No researcher or scholar can claim that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, fell prey at any point in his life to moral or spiritual deviation or to nervous excitement. Although the characteristics of the Prophet of Islam are more clearly and fully known than those of other people who have left their mark on history, in the near or distant past, history cannot point to the slightest rebelliousness, ill-temper or evil conduct on his part, nor even to a single error or sin.

The remarkable life of the exalted Prophet of Islam is clearly and completely known in all of its aspects: the period before his birth, his infancy, his youth, his moral characteristics, his travels, his marriages, his conduct in war and peace.

Recorded history bears witness that the slightest trace of corrupt belief cannot be found to have clouded his brilliant visage. Although he had no access to any form of instruction, he had no connection with the Age of Ignorance surrounding him, and vice was never able to take root in him.

The creedal environment in which he grew up was a compound of polytheism and idolatry, as is shown by the strong resistance of the Arabs to his summons to monotheism. The entirety of his early life was spent in the midst of an ignorant, evil-living and oppressive people and he never left that environment before the beginning of his mission with the exception of two journeys outside the Arabian Peninsula, once in childhood, in the company of Abu Talib, in the early part of the second decade of his life, and once in his mid-thirties when he went trading with the goods of Khadijah. Nonetheless, we find not the least affinity between his personality and the society in which he lived.

The aspect of his personality that was particularly valuable in that corrupt and polluted environment was his honesty, trustworthiness and unfailing sense of justice, together with his hostility to all the forms of humiliation from which mankind was suffering.

Muhammad, upon whom be peace, captivated the hearts of his contemporaries with his nobility of character and his kindness toward the weak and the afflicted. Friend and enemy are agreed that none of the men of his age even approached him in the perfection of his attributes and spiritual characteristics.

For example, Zayd b. Haritha, who had been separated from his family at an early age and was given by Khadijah to the most Noble Messenger, upon whom be peace, as a slave, spent his entire life with him. After a time, Zayd’s father came looking for him in order to reclaim him. Now Zayd had been emancipated by the Prophet, upon whom be peace, but he was still a slave to the love the greatness and the splendor of the Prophet, and captivated by the excellence of his conduct and behavior. So although he was free to return to his family, he preferred to remain with the Prophet and serve him.

Eloquence and profundity of speech, fairness in judging, superior intelligence and perception, heavenly disposition and brilliance of thought – all these were abundantly evident in the being of this great personage. They shone forth in all the varied scenes of his life, and he so lived that years before the beginning of his prophetic mission, he was awarded the title “amin”, ‘trustworthy’, an eloquent description of his whole mode of conduct.[4]

During one of the religious festivals of the Quraysh, an incident occurred that struck a blow at the rule of the idolators. In the middle of the festival, while the people were gathered around an idol and rubbing their foreheads in the dust in front of it, a few clear-minded and pure-hearted people such as Waraqa b. Nawfal, who were distressed by the corruption prevailing in Mecca, began to discuss the situation. They asked themselves how much longer it could continue and when the time of delivery would come. Why were those people prostrating in front of objects, and why had they distorted the religion of their forefather Abraham?

One of the things they said was this: “What is that piece of stone around which they are walking? A thing that neither sees nor hears, that does not breathe, that can give no benefit and inflict no harm!”[5]

As the Prophet grew into maturity of the body and mind, he became inclined to periodic retreat and withdrawal. His profound inward thoughts, together with the unsuitability of his environment, impelled him to seek solitude.

In his evaluation of phenomena he was never hasty nor dependent on his own ideas and perceptions. He clearly saw a hand that inscribed its will on the pages of nature, and this was itself an indication of the profundity of his vision and the exaltation of his thought.

He would spend the month of Ramadan alone in the cave of Hira, on the outskirts of Mecca, benefiting fully from the darkness and silence. Far removed from men and their corruption, he engaged in supplication and armed himself with the weapon of faith. He developed his spiritual personality through humble worship in the presence of the Majestic Creator that enveloped his whole being, and through cultivating the thoughts that welled up from the depths of his spirit. In the morning, overflowing with faith and certainty, with spiritual enthusiasm and vigor, he would leave the cave to engage in his daily tasks.

Love of God animated his kind and tranquil face, and he was greatly distressed by the polytheism and foolishness of his people who would prostrate before the idols they had manufactured themselves. He began to struggle against this idolatry, remaining steadfast in the truth through all the trials and hardships he underwent.

As his age approached forty, signs of anxiety and distress became marked in his behavior and speech, and he told his loving wife of sounds that were continually re-echoing in his ear and of a dazzling light that would envelop him.

Notes:

[1] Sirat ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 162.

[2] Ibid., p. 179.

[3] Tarikh-i Tabari, Vol. I, pp. 33-34.

[4] Ibid., Vol. II, p. 1138.

[5] Sirat ibn Hisham, Vol. I.

Source: Selected excerpt from Seal of the Prophets and His Message by Sheikh Mujtaba Musawi Lari.

Those promoting a NATO intervention should look at the track record of American-led interventions: through Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya; the story is always the same

The British media was full of sound bites last weekend from politicians expressing outrage against Russia and China for blocking a UN Security Council resolution based on an Arab League proposal for the Syrian crisis. This is the same Arab League that called for the no-fly zone in Libya which precipitated events leading to a death toll five times higher than the current total in Syria. It is supported by the same United States administration which has ordered drone assassinations in Yemen and Pakistan, along with widespread human rights abuses around the world. Along with the same United Kingdom government whose shadowy spooks in MI6 helped to provoke the Libyan uprising, and train Palestinian security forces in the black arts of torture. It is the same French government which armed and trained Libyan rebels; acts which, in the opinion of the chair of the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee, were in breach of UNSC resolutions 1970 and 1973.

NATO was not mandated to train or arm the Libyan rebels, or employ any forces on the ground, or bomb hospitals, schools and infrastructure; it was mandated to protect civilian life. With the death toll at more than 30,000 and counting, this cannot be considered a successful operation that fulfilled its mandated task.

After the recent Security Council result US Ambassador Susan Rice had the temerity to declare “The US is disgusted”. So why was it not disgusted over Fallujah, or Kosovo, or direct US involvement in Afghanistan which began with the widespread use of cluster bombs? Because the United States if the world’s greatest rogue state, the world’s greatest perpetrator of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the world’s greatest hypocrite.

Western media however is loathe the admit this. On Saturday, 4 February ITN was implying that Russia vetoed the proposal simply because Syria is a major buyer of Russian arms and provides the Russian Navy with a friendly port on the Mediterranean. The BBC was still leading with the story of Western outrage over the vetoes the following night. In the Independent on Sunday, Joan Smith called for the support, training and organization of the Syrian opposition along the lines of the deployment of NATO Special Forces in Libya. She should keep herself up to date. NATO already has training camps in Turkey for opponents of the Assad regime. According to Italian sources used by Pravda NATO snipers have been transferred from Libya to Syria; while MI6, probably in conjunction with the CIA, already has forces there.

Despite the involvement of Western military, David Hearst in the Guardian and Dr Alan George in the Independent on Sunday both asserted that military intervention is not on the agenda. Neither justified their assertion, which did not concur with the UN’s own report on the session which specifically mentioned Russian fears of such an event. Reuters reported that a vote was forced on the Council while Russian diplomats were still seeking alterations to the Anglo-French draft, while both Russian and Chinese representatives spoke of the need to seek peace between opposing factions. This important point was totally ignored in statements by American, British and French leaders who were more interested in apportioning blame than in seeking consensus.

The real reason for the Russian and Chinese vetoes is that they were duped by NATO’s involvement in Libya. What should have been the enforcement of a no-fly zone and a total embargo on military goods for the protection of civilian life was distorted beyond recognition by the alliance. Without Security Council authorization, rebels were armed and trained, a stable prosperous society was bombed into poverty and insecurity, atrocities were committed, much of the infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, the regime was overthrown and armed bands were left on the streets to fight among themselves and to kill and loot with impunity.

Having been fooled once, Russia and China cannot, and will not allow any authorization which could serve as an excuse for a US-led colonial project in Syria. In reality the Western politicians expressing outrage and crying crocodile tears for Syrians are intent on overthrowing the Assad regime in Damascus in total disregard to any suffering or harm that might cause. With a population more than tenfold that of Libya, a death toll in excess of 100,000 could result.

Those promoting a NATO intervention should look at the track record of American-led interventions: through Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya; the story is always the same. High-tech super weaponry is used to destroy, kill, maim and pollute the local people and their environment, with minimum losses to the assailants. There is no positive aspect to this story for the victims. Following in the wake of NATO forces there is only destruction and death: devastation far in excess of the violence used to justify the attack.

Those who propose a NATO ‘solution’ in Syria should be able to justify their case by answering two questions.

One: If Russia and China had vetoed UNSC resolution 1973 (and assuming NATO had respected this result), what damage and death toll do they think might have resulted?

[It should be remembered here that no evidence has been produced to support the original allegations of “genocide” by loyalist forces which provoked the call for intervention.]

Two: If NATO gets sufficient excuse to attack Syria and carry out a regime change what damage and death toll might result (and how will this compare with current estimates of 6000 dead)?

The fact that nobody from the US administration has so far provided data which might answer these simple questions suggests that the answers might be inconvenient and embarrassing to those proposing yet another war under the guise of a humanitarian intervention.

—
Source: Palestine Chronicle. Article authored by Richard Lightbown.

Richard Lightbown is a writer and researcher. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

Worship is an act, which we outwardly consider as a type of humility, but it has deeper profundity. Worship stems from the soul; it springs from gnosis; it emanates from cognition; it originates from piety; it radiates from adoration; it derives from admiration; it comes from seeking refuge and assistance; and it arises from the love of the perfections of the Worshipped Being

Worship {‘ibadah} is the purpose behind our creation. The Qur’an states:

“I did not create the jinn and humans except that they may worship Me.” [1]

If the work we are doing is for the sake of seeking the pleasure of God, then it is an act of worship. It is so even though it may be a business or professional venture, the pursuit of knowledge, marriage, service to people, or anything that is meant to meet our needs or that of society.

That which makes an action an act of worship {‘ibadah} is the sacred motives behind its performance and in the parlance of the Qur’an, it has the “divine baptism” {sibghat Allah}.[2]

The Profundity of Worship

Worship is an act, which we outwardly consider as a type of humility, but it has deeper profundity.

Worship stems from the soul; it springs from gnosis {ma‘rifah}; it emanates from cognition; it originates from piety {taqaddus}; it radiates from adoration; it derives from admiration; it comes from seeking refuge and assistance; and it arises from the love of the perfections {kamalat} of the Worshipped Being {ma‘bud}.

Yes, worship is outwardly a simple act, but if it is other than the above, worship will not be entertained by man. Worship means emptying the heart of material things, letting the spirit fly, and allowing the feet to make steps beyond the seeable and hearable things. Worship guarantees the love of man whose politeness in relation to his Lord is sometimes expressed through eulogy and adoration; at other times through glorification {tasbih} and sanctification {taqdis}; and yet at some other times, through gratitude and gestures of submission.

Indifference toward Worship

Imam‘Ali (‘a) says:

“May I get blind if after having passed so many years of my life (and with the possession of all talent, capabilities, facilities, intellect, knowledge, and inspiration), I now turn into an animal in human form!”

Yes, civilization, technology and the progress of new instruments have made life more comfortable, bestowing comfort and welfare as a gift (to us), but does the perfection of man lie in attaining such material comforts?

If this is so, then the animals are more advanced than man in food, clothing, habitation, and the satisfaction of carnal desire!

In terms of food, they eat better, are more comfortable, and have no need of cooking and preparation!

In terms of clothing, they have no need for sewing, washing and ironing!

In terms of carnal desire, they satisfy it without difficulty and predicament.

In procuring a place for habitation, there are so many birds and insects whose technique in making nests and dens astonishes man.

In essence, has this technological advancement brought about progress in our humanness as well?

Have individual and collective corruptions lessened?

Has this comfort also brought tranquility?

In any case, just not placing the hand of man in that of the infallible and just leaders would be an injustice to humanity, if the heart of man is not linked to God, an insult would have been made to the station of humanity.

The pleasure of God as the axis of worship

Just as heavenly bodies and the earth always have a fixed axis though they make diverse rotations and revolutions, worship, with all its various forms and appearances, is also anchored in a fixed axis, which is the pleasure of God. This is in spite of the fact that spatial and temporal as well as individual and collective circumstances determine the type of movement along this axis.

For example, travel makes (a four-cycle {rak‘ah}) prayer a two-rak‘ah prayer; illness may necessitate changes in the form of the prayer. Yet, the two-rak‘ah or shortened prayer is still a prayer and it is based on the axis of remembering God, seeking His pleasure and performing His command:

“And maintain the prayer for My remembrance.” [3]

The Spirit of Worship

Worship is the nourishment of the soul and the best food is that which is absorbed by the body. Similarly, the best act of worship is that which is internalized by the soul; that is, if it is performed with enthusiasm and presence of heart. Eating too much food is not beneficial. What is important is eating useful food.

The Holy Prophet (S)[14] said to Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari:

Indeed this religion is firm. Therefore, act moderately in relation to it (and when you have no spiritual readiness for worship, do not impose it on yourself) so that the worship of Allah would not be detested by you.[4]

In another hadith, we also read that the Holy Prophet (S) said:

“Blessed is he who loves worship and is always fond of it.”[5]

Moderation in worship

The spirit of worship and devotion remains alive when man is moderate in its performance. This has been narrated in the books of hadith under the heading, bab al-iqtisad fi’l-‘ibadah {section on moderation in worship}.[6]

Man is healthy when there is proportionality in his bodily limbs, and if a certain body member is bigger or smaller than the normal size, it is considered deformed (or defective in general). In spiritual affairs, man should also harmoniously nurture all that is valuable in himself.

It was reported to the Holy Prophet (S) that under the pretext of worship, a group of his ummah {community} had abandoned their spouses and children and had secluded themselves in the mosque. The Prophet stated in a loud voice: “This is not my way and method. I myself am living with my spouses and reside in my house. Anyone who acts contrary to this does not belong to me.”[7]

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) narrates the story of a Muslim who had a Christian neighbor that embraced Islam. That Muslim had awakened the former Christian during the first dawn (prior to the time for the dawn prayer {salah as-subh}), brought him to the mosque and said to him: “Perform your supererogatory night prayers {tahajjud} till the time for the dawn prayer and thereafter, engage in supplication {du‘a’} till the sunrise.

Then, read the Qur’an up to the time for the noon prayer {salah az-zuhr}.” In this manner, the Muslim urged the former Christian to engage in prayer, recital of the Qur’an and supplication day and night. When the new Muslim returned home, he abandoned Islam and did not go to the mosque anymore.[8]

Yes, such extremism and lack of moderation in worship will drive people away.

The martyred professor, Murtada Mutahhari,[9] narrates that ‘Amru ibn al-‘As had two sons. One was a votary of Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a) while the other was a supporter of Mu‘awiyah. One day, the Prophet (S) said to the good son of ‘Amru ibn al-‘As (named ‘Abd Allah): “I have heard that you spend your night in worship and your day in fasting.” He said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (S) said: “This way is not acceptable to me.”[10]

We read in the traditions:

“Indeed, there is inclination and disinclination in the heart (of man).”[11]

You have to take advantage of wherever it inclines and leans to. And whenever it is not ready, do not exert pressure on it otherwise it will unconsciously show a negative reaction.

In the Islamic instructions it is mentioned that you have to divide your time into four parts, and allot time for entertainment and enjoyment, for if you do so, you will also have enthusiasm for other activities.[12]

The Holy Qur’an gives the title of “violators” to the Jews who engaged in work and went fishing during the Sabbath Day:

“And certainly you know those of you who violated the Sabbath.”[13]

In any case, keeping zeal and ardor in worship is a principle which comes into being through moderation.

—
Source: Selected excerpts from the book ‘A Commentary on Prayer’ by Muhsin Qara’ati.

Notes:

[1] Surah adh-Dhariyat 51:56. In this volume, the translation of Qur’anic passages is adapted from Sayyid ‘Ali Quli Qara’i, The Qur’an with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (London: Islamic College for Advanced Studies Press, 2004). {Trans.}

[2] Surah al-Baqarah 2:138: “The baptism of Allah {sibghat Allah}, and who baptizes better than Allah? And Him do we worship.”

[3] Surah Ta Ha 20:14.

[4] Bihar al-Anwar vol. 71, p. 212.

[5] Bihar al-Anwar vol. 71, p. 212.

[6] Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 86.

[7] Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 496.

[8] Murtada Mutahhari, Sayri dar Sireh-ye Nabawi {A Survey of the Life Conduct of the Prophet (S)}, p. 213.

[9] Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari (1298-1358 AHS) was a scholar of unusually wide learning, a prolific writer, eloquent speaker, lecturer, and a cherished student of Imam Khomeini. He was a leading member of the Revolutionary Council until his assassination on May 1, 1979 by the terrorist Furqan group. {Trans.}

[10] Murtada Mutahhari, Taharat-e Ruh {Spiritual Purification}, p. 122.

[11] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 357.

[12] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 14, p. 41.

[13] Surah al-Baqarah 2:65.

As Muslims we often overlook how embedded social connotations are in our lives. For example, daily acts of worship like prayer are strongly recommended in congregation, even if there was only but two people.

Men of faith define the present times in precarious terms. Beneath the glamour of technological progress, any deeper assessment of the general human condition presents a far more sombre reality.

‘What is to blame for our current perils?’ one may ask. In essence, we are living the after-effects of the key intellectual battles of the twentieth century that pitched individual against society. Although seemingly abstract, the implications of this battle have permeated into virtually every sphere of our lives.

The dominant themes and trends of the present era have not escaped these influences. Frictions in society, intolerance, incessant war-mongering and de-humanization are mere manifestations of this slide. They are not arbitrary negatives that can be surgically isolated from a wider context.

As individuals and communities, we must continuously strive to develop a clear-sight of the world reality that surrounds us. Indeed, it is critical to engender a collective vision that unifies hearts and minds. But in order for the afore-mentioned to arise, we must first strengthen the bonds that hold together a community. 

In truth, the idea of a ‘community’ can be found at the heart of all faiths. Within the Abrahamic faiths, the history of religion often traces back to and draws inspiration from a resounding illustration of some form of collective ethos. In the Old Testament, the Exodus is arguably one of the most vividly retold stories. Central to its memory is that of a community unified by its suffering, followed thereafter by its march towards a new destiny.

In the Islamic tradition, the Hijra or migration similarly represents a defining moment. Amongst the most striking aspects of early Medinite society are its social hallmarks of fraternity, generosity and compassion. In addition to being a safe haven for the early Muslims, Medinite society is pictured as an emphatic contrast to the avaricious, materialistic and inward looking society of pre-Islamic Makkah.

For outside observers of Islam, one of the most intriguing aspects is the religion’s constant emphasis on society. So pronounced is this aspect that some western scholars regard the ‘just society’ as the primary raison d’être or telos (ultimate goal) of the Islamic message. In her book Islam: A Short History (2002), Karen Armstrong asserts that the creation of a just society is the “chief duty” for Muslims, adding that “the experience of building such a society and living in it would give them intimations of the divine, because they would be living in accordance with God’s will”.

Why then is so much emphasis placed on society? As Muslims we often overlook how embedded social connotations are in our lives. For example, daily acts of worship like prayer are strongly recommended in congregation, even if there was only but two people. If such is not possible, then Islam prescribes that we ought to congregate at least for the weekly Friday Prayer, which simultaneously conveys a common vision to the community. 

In his book ‘Society and History’, Shaheed Murtadha Mutahhari outlines the Islamic view regarding society. He begins by stating that human beings are “inherently” social creatures according to the Holy Quran. In parentheses, there’s an intriguing question to be asked: what form of society does Allah (swt) desire for us to live within? Even more importantly perhaps, how do our individual beliefs and actions measure against the convictions of this ideal society? Such questions are inescapable for those who wish to witness the promised rule of the final proof, Imam Al-Mahdi (atf). 

According to the Quranic perspective, the beliefs, conduct and destiny of any given society can be attributable to its members. Hence, by nurturing a healthy social existence we are in fact improving our individual selves too. Perhaps it is for this reason that the books of narration are replete with sayings that detail numerous social duties whose fulfilment counts as a sign of true faith: rights of kin, rights of parents, rights of teachers, rights of neighbours, rights of the poor and oppressed, and so on.

The practical life of the Holy Prophet (s) was an embodiment of these teachings. During the night, he was immersed in worship and prayer; and in the day, he served humanity with everything he had and all he could offer.

The Prophetic way that has been laid out for us invariably centres on these two elements. In order to gain divine proximity and realise our true potentials, we must strengthen our inner faculties through sincere and continuous worship. At the same time, this inner revolution must be in harmony with a conscious, outward fulfilment of social responsibilities. We must not neglect or belittle ‘simple’ social duties such as regular visitation of our fellow Muslims, because this will inevitably lead us right into the vortex of the countless contradictions and hazards of contemporary society. In the end, we would do well to contemplate deeply about the following tradition by the Holy Prophet (s): “A believer, for another believer, is like a single body. If one of the organs is in pain all other parts of that body are also troubled.”

—
Source: AIM Islam. Article authored by Ali Jawad.

Ali Jawad is a member of the AhlulBayt Islamic Mission (AIM).

Today the arrogant powers of the world feel helpless in the face of Islamic Awakening. You are dominant. You will win. The future belongs to you. What has been done is a great achievement. But the important point is that this is not the end. This is only the beginning.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Two Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon the Master of Messengers, the Master of all people, our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate household and chosen companions and upon those who follow him well until the Day of Judgment.

I would like to welcome all the dear guests, the honorable youth, the bearers of great news for the future of the Islamic Ummah. Each and every one of you is a bearer of a great piece of news. When the youth of a country awaken, there will be increased hope of a general awakening in that country. Today Muslim youth have awakened throughout the world of Islam. So many traps have been set in the way of proud and determined Muslim youth, but they have managed to eliminate these problems. You see what has happened in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Libya, in Yemen and in Bahrain. You see the movement that has taken place in other Islamic countries. This is all good news.

You dear youth should know that the history of the world and the history of humanity is at a great momentous juncture today. A new era is starting throughout the world. The great and clear sign of it is the attention to Allah the Exalted, the cries for assistance from the inexhaustible source of divine power and reliance on divine revelations. Humanity has passed through the days of materialistic ideologies and schools and thought. Today neither Marxism, nor western liberal democracy, nor secular nationalism has any appeal. You see what is going on in the cradle of western liberal democracy – in America, in Europe. They admit failure. Today among members of the Islamic Ummah, the greatest appeal belongs to Islam, the Holy Quran and the school of thought that is based on divine revelation. Allah the Exalted has promised that the divine and Islamic school of thought and the school of thought that is based on divine revelation can help humanity achieve happiness. This is a very sacred, very important and very significant phenomenon.

Today Islamic countries have risen up against dependent dictatorships. This is a prelude to an uprising against global and international dictatorship, namely the tyranny of the corrupt and evil network of the Zionists and the arrogant powers. Today international autocracy and dictatorship is embodied by the tyranny of America, America’s followers and the satanic and dangerous Zionist network. Today they are acting like a dictator throughout the world by using different methods and different means. What you did in Egypt, what you did in Tunisia, what you did in Libya, what you are doing in Yemen, what you are doing in Bahrain – and strong motivation has built up in other countries to do the same – is part of a battle against this dangerous and harmful dictatorship that has been pressuring humanity for two centuries. The momentous juncture that I spoke about is the transition from the hegemony of this dictatorship to national freedom and the rule of spiritual and divine values. This will happen: do not consider discount it.

This is a divine promise: “And surely Allah will help him who helps His cause.” [The Holy Quran, 22: 40] Allah the Exalted stresses that if you help His cause, He will assist you. This might look unlikely from a materialistic perspective, a perspective that is based on material calculations. However, there were many things which used to look unlikely, yet they happened. Around fifteen months ago, would you have thought the Egyptian taghut would be humiliated and annihilated like that? At that time, if people had been told that Mubarak’s corrupt and dependent regime would be overthrown, many of them would have rejected the claim as unlikely, but it happened. Two years ago, if somebody had claimed that those amazing events would happen in North Africa, the majority of the people would have rejected it. If somebody had claimed that in a country like Lebanon, a group of faithful youth would manage to defeat the well-equipped Zionist army, nobody would have believed him. But these things happened. If somebody had said that the Islamic Republic would manage to resist for 32 years and achieve more power and progress on a daily basis in spite of all the enmity by the east and the west, nobody would have believed him, but it happened. “Allah promised you many acquisitions which you will take, then He hastened on this one for you and held back the hands of men from you, and that it may be a sign for the believers and that He may guide you on a right path.” [The Holy Quran, 48: 20] These victories are divine signs. They are signs of God’s overwhelming power. Whenever the people step into the arena, whenever we enter the arena with all our heart and soul, there will definitely be divine assistance. Allah the Exalted shows us the path: “And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them in Our ways.” [The Holy Quran, 29: 69] God will guide and assist. He will help people achieve their goals. The condition is that we should be present in the arena.

What has happened so far is very significant. For two hundred years, westerners ruled the Islamic Ummah by making use of their scientific advances. They occupied Islamic countries: some of them directly, some of them indirectly with the help of local dictatorships. England, France and finally America – which is the Great Satan – spread their hegemony over the Islamic Ummah. They humiliated the Islamic Ummah as much as they could. They planted the cancerous tumor of Zionism at the heart of the strategic Middle East region and they strengthened it in every way. They were sure that their interests and policies had been safeguarded in this critical part of the world. But the Islamic resolve of Muslim people and their presence wiped out all these impossible dreams and put an end to all these goals.

Today the arrogant powers of the world feel helpless in the face of Islamic Awakening. You are dominant. You will win. The future belongs to you. What has been done is a great achievement. But the important point is that this is not the end. This is only the beginning. Muslim nations must continue their struggle so that they can eliminate the enemy in different arenas.

The battle is a battle of wills. Any side whose will is stronger has the upper hand. A person whose heart depends on Allah the Exalted has the upper hand. “If Allah assists you, then there is none that can overcome you.” [The Holy Quran, 3: 160] If you get divine assistance, nobody will overpower you and you will move forward. We want Muslim nations that make up the great Islamic Ummah to be free. We want them to be independent. We want them to be honorable. We want them to avoid humiliation. We want them to organize their life with the lofty and progressive rules of Islam. And Islam can help them to do so. They kept us scientifically backward for many years. They trampled on our culture. They destroyed our independence. Today we have awakened and we will conquer the arenas of science one after the other.

Thirty years ago, when the Islamic Republic was established, the enemies used to say that although the Islamic Revolution had achieved victory, it would not be able to manage different areas of life. They used to say that the Islamic Revolution would back down. Thanks to Islam, today our youth have managed to make great achievements in scientific areas, achievement that would not have occurred to the enemies themselves in the past. Thanks to reliance on Allah the Exalted, today Iranian youth achieve great scientific accomplishments. They produce enriched uranium. They produce stem cells. They make great advances in biotechnology. They venture into space. And all of these things are due to reliance on Allah the Exalted and the slogan of “Allahu Akbar”. [Audience shout "Allahu Akbar"]

We must not underestimate our own capabilities. Among the biggest problems that western culture has imposed on Islamic countries is two wrong and misguided conceptions. First, they instilled a sense of incompetence into Muslim nations. They made Muslim nations believe that they were not capable of doing anything – neither in the political arena, nor in the economic arena, nor in the scientific arena. They told Muslim nations, “You are weak.” We Muslim nations suffered from this misconception for decades and we stayed backward. The second misconception that they instilled into our mind was that our enemies were invincible and that their power was overwhelming. They convinced us that America could not be defeated, that it was impossible to force the west to retreat, that we had to tolerate them.

Today it has become clear to Muslim nations that both of these conceptions are completely wrong. Muslim nations can move forward. They can restore their Islamic glory – Muslims used to be at the peak of honor, at the peak of scientific, political and social brilliance. And the enemy has to retreat in different arenas.

This century is the century of Islam. This century is the century of spirituality. Islam offers rationality, spirituality and justice to nations. The kind of Islam that is based on rationality, Islam that is based on thinking, Islam that is based on spirituality, Islam that is based on attention to God and reliance on Him, Islam that is based on jihad, Islam that is based on hard work, Islam that is based on action – these are divine and Islamic teachings for us.

Today the important point is that the enemy is designing plots to compensate for the blows he has received in Egypt, Tunisia and other regional countries. We must pay attention to the machinations of the enemy. We must take care not to let them hijack popular revolutions from the people. We must take care not to let them derail these revolutions. Make use of the experiences of others. The enemy does many things in order to derail popular revolutions and neutralize popular movements. The enemy does many things in order to counteract selfless efforts and the blood that has been shed. It is necessary to be careful. It is necessary to be vigilant. You dear youth are the driving force behind these movements. Be vigilant. Be careful.

We have gained a lot of experience over the past 32 years. It is 32 years that we have been countering hostilities. We have resisted and overpowered the enemy. [Audience shout "Allahu Akbar" and pledge allegiance to the Supreme Leader] The west and America have never refused to hatch plots against the Islamic Republic. If there was something they did not do, it was because they could not do it. They did whatever they could and they have been kicked in the mouth and defeated at every stage. [Audience shout "death to America"] The same thing will happen in the future as well. The Islamic Republic will continue foiling all their plots in the future as well. This is something that God has promised us and we do not have any doubts in this regard.

We do not doubt the truthfulness of God’s promise. We do not doubt Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted admonishes those who doubt Him. “And (that) He may punish the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the polytheistic men and the polytheistic women, the entertainers of evil thoughts about Allah. On them is the evil turn, and Allah is wroth with them and has cursed them and prepared hell for them, and evil is the resort.” [The Holy Quran, 48: 6] God’s promise is truthful. The Iranian nation has brought all its facilities into the arena and because we are in the battlefield, God will definitely assist us and the same is true of all other countries as well. But we must be vigilant. All of us must be vigilant. All of us must watch out for the machinations designed by the enemies. The enemy tries to counteract our movements and to foment discord.

Today the Islamic movement throughout the world of Islam is independent of Shia and Sunni. It is independent of Shafi’i, Hanafi, Ja’fari, Maliki, Hanbali and Zeidi schools. It is independent of Arabs, Persians and other ethnicities. Everybody is present in this vast arena. We must try not to let the enemy foment discord among us. There must be a sense of brotherhood among us. We must try to specify our goal. The goal is Islam. The goal is Quranic and Islamic rule. Of course, there are certain differences and similarities among Muslim countries. There is no single paradigm that fits all Islamic countries. In different countries, there are different geographic, historical and social conditions, but there are also certain shared principles: all of us are opposed to the arrogant powers, all of us are opposed to the evil hegemony of the west, all of us are opposed to the cancerous tumor, Israel. [Audience shout "death to Israel]

Wherever it is felt that something is being done which would benefit Israel and America, we must be vigilant. We must know that it is a foreign move. We must know that it is not an insider move. Wherever there is an Islamic, anti-Zionist, anti-arrogance, anti-tyranny and anti-corruption move, that move would be a correct move and all of us would be insiders. Then it would not matter whether we are Shia or Sunni, or whether we are from this or that country. All of us must think in the same way.

As an obvious example, notice that today all media companies of the world are trying to isolate the people of Bahrain and their movement. What is the reason? The reason is that the issue is a Shia-Sunni issue: they want to foment discord. They want to draw lines and separate Muslims. There is no difference between pious Muslims who have a tendency towards this or that Islamic denomination. Islam is the aspect that all of these denominations have in common. Unity of Islamic Ummah is the aspect that all of them have in common. [Audience shout "Allahu Akbar" and "unity, Islamic unity"] The secret behind victory and the continuation of the movement is reliance on God, trust in Him and maintaining unity and cohesion.

My dear children, take care not to let the enemy stop your movement. In two different parts of the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted tells His Messenger to be steadfast. “Then stand firm in the right way as you are commanded.” [The Holy Quran, 11: 112] “And stand firm in the right way as you are commanded.” [The Holy Quran, 42: 15] God tells the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) to be steadfast. Being steadfast means continuing one’s path in a determined way without stopping. This is the secret behind success.

We must move forward. This movement is a successful movement because the prospects are bright. The future prospects are bright. By Allah’s favor, there will be a day when the Islamic Ummah will reach the peak of power and independence. [Audience shout "humiliation is far from us"] While preserving their characteristics and differences, Muslim nations should come together under the banner of the call to God and the call to Islam. Then the Islamic Ummah will regain its dignity.

We have natural resources in Muslim countries. We have strategic regions. We have numerous natural resources. We have outstanding figures. We have highly skilled and talented manpower. We must make efforts and Allah the Exalted will bless our efforts.

I would tell you dear youth that the future belongs to you. By Allah’s favor, you dear youth will see that day and you will hand down your sources of pride to the future generations.

Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

—
Source: www.Khamenei.ir. Link to video of the speech with English subtitles: Press TV

The keys to happiness that Islam introduces are sometimes surprising, but always strictly logical. The first of these keys is contentment.

Happiness is perhaps the most encompassing and common aim in our lives. We judge everything in our life in terms of how it relates to our happiness. We hear people say countless times: ‘do what makes you happy’, ‘we wish you a happy life’, ‘your happiness is most imporant’.

What is happiness?

Happiness is perhaps best described as being in a state with which we are pleased and satisfied.

We take different paths on our journey to happiness. Some of us define happiness through material possessions, such as a particular house, car or general lifestyle. This is what most people are working towards when they say or think ‘I want to be happy’. Others define happiness through personal relationships, such as having a loving spouse, or loving family members around them. Yet others define happiness through personal achievement in a particular field of study or work.

Unfortunately, many people meet the goals mentioned above without achieving true happiness. Many people find that although their life is full with these pursuits, there are moments of a deep and hollow emptiness that engulfs them when they find themselves suddenly free in this extremely fast and busy world that we live in. Often there is nowhere to hide from this emptiness, and it often brings us to the conclusion that we are in fact not happy, despite having achieved all our set goals.

Islam introduces us to the secrets of this happiness that eludes us. The keys to happiness that Islam introduces are sometimes surprising, but always strictly logical. The first of these keys is contentment.

Contentment

Prophet Muhammad, _{peace be upon him and his progeny}, teaches us that:

“Contentment is wealth that never diminishes, “and “…a treasure that never perishes”. [1]

The Prophet defines ‘wealth’ not through material quantity but through need. According to the Prophet (pbuh), a person who does not feel needy towards something or someone in this world is wealthy, regardless of how much he possesses in material, quantitative terms. Therefore, a person who is content is very wealthy, because he does not feel he needs anything more.

Contentment is a strange concept in a world fuelled by ambition. Ambition can be positive, and often leads to great achievements. However, inherent to ambition is sacrifice, and it is what we sacrifice on the way to achieving our assumed happiness that can eventually make us deeply unhappy. It is good to have goals and work towards them, but on the journey towards them, we must remember that there are certain sacrifices we cannot afford to make.

If our ambition is not tempered by contentment, we often make sacrifices that we will later regret. Pursuing a career at the expense of family is one example, and pursuing wealth and position at the expense of religion is another. It is these kinds of sacrifices that will make us unhappy. A man came to Imam al-Sadiq (as) with a question, because his trade journeys took him to places where he could only pray on ice. The Imam (as) pointed to another man present in the gathering and said: ‘why don’t you be like him, he is content with a smaller amount (of profit) and does not seek trade in a place where he cannot pray except on ice?’ [2]

Contentment is the cure for many plagues of happiness. How many times have we grieved over what we have missed out on in the past? How many times have we spent hours and days in anxiety over what we may miss out in the future? How many times have we looked longingly at what others possess and felt sadness or jealousy? The point to note is that all such feelings are counter-productive. They harm us and do us no good. It is contentment that is the cure for these plagues of happiness.

These problems all stem from the false belief that if we are not anxious, ambitious and covetous that we will miss out on the good things in this world. This all stems from a lack of trust in Allah, the All-Merciful. Allah is too Merciful to let His beloved believing servant seek happiness through such ugly and oppressive means. Imam Hassan (as) assures us that:

“Abstaining from showing neediness never repelled sustenance and covetousness never led to the attainment of goodness”. [3]

The secret to achieving contentment is to put our trust in Allah, the Disposer of all affairs, and nurture in ourselves the belief that the All-Merciful God only sends our way what is best for us, and only keeps away that which is harmful for us. Granted, we must work and plan within reasonable means, but we must believe, always, that whatever state we are in currently is the best state for us, because otherwise the All-Merciful Creator would not have chosen it for us. Complete and absolute trust in Allah is the root of contentment, and contentment is one of the great keys to happiness.

The Prophet (pbuh) says: “Allah, Exalted is His Praise, says: by My Majesty and Glory. I have not created a creature of mine more beloved to me that my faithful slave. This is why I named him ‘mu’min’, just as My name is ‘Al-Mu’min’. I may deprive him of all that is between the East and the West, and that would be My good choice for him, and I may give him all that is between the East and the West, and this would be My good choice for him. So let him be pleased with My decree, patient over My afflictions and grateful for My blessings, I will write him, O Muhammad, among the Truthful with Me.” [4]

Notes:

The fact is that Israel has killed and plotted to assassinate people throughout the world; a number have been Americans

On Jan. 13 the Atlanta Jewish Times featured a column by its owner-publisher suggesting that Israel might someday need to “order a hit” on the president of the United States.

In the column, publisher Andrew Adler describes a scenario in which Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would need to “give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel.”

The purpose? So that the vice president could then take office and dictate U.S. policies that would help the Jewish state “obliterate its enemies.”

Adler wrote that it is highly likely that the idea “has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles.”

Numerous Jewish leaders quickly condemned Adler, who has now apologized for the column, resigned, and put the newspaper up for sale. An Israeli columnist noted that the hatred being stirred up against Obama is similar to conditions in Israel that led to the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist.

Many of those criticizing Adler claim that he defamed Israel by suggesting that it would ever do such a thing. Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), proclaimed: “There is absolutely no excuse, no justification, no rationalization for this kind of rhetoric. It doesn’t even belong in fiction.”

In reality, however, Adler’s expectation that Israel’s inner circles have explored such a course of action, and would be willing to undertake it, may be entirely accurate. The fact is that Israel has killed and plotted to assassinate people throughout the world; a number have been Americans. One alleged plot was chillingly similar to Adler’s suggestion.

There is evidence that in 1991 an Israeli undercover team planned to assassinate a U.S. president. The intended victim was George Herbert Walker Bush.

The first person to write of the plot was a former 11-term Republican congressman from Illinois, Paul Findley. In a 1992 article in the Washington Report for Middle East Affairs, Findley described the alleged scheme and how it was revealed.

Findley wrote that the U.S. Secret Service had received a warning that elements of Israel’s spy agency might target Bush when he went to Madrid for the opening day of the peace conference to be held that year.

According to Findley, a former Mossad agent named Victor Ostrovsky, who had written a book exposing Israel’s spy agency, told a group of Canadian parliamentarians that he had received secret intelligence suggesting that the “the Mossad’s hatred of Bush — and support for Vice President Dan Quayle — might lead to an attempt on the president’s life.”

Israel considered Quayle much closer to Israel than Bush. Bush had particularly angered Israel by attempting to pressure Israel into ending its illegal settlement expansion on confiscated Palestinian land by withholding loan guarantees until Israel ended this practice.

Findley wrote that Ostrovsky’s statements were relayed to Findley’s friend and former colleague Paul “Pete” McCloskey, a prominent former Republican congressman from California who had recently been named by Bush to the National and Community Service Commission.

McCloskey, a decorated Marine veteran and graduate of Stanford Law School who had at one time been considered a presidential contender, flew to Ottawa to debrief Ostrovsky in person and evaluate his information.

Findley reported that Ostrovsky told McCloskey that the Mossad wanted “to do everything possible to preserve a state of war between Israel and its neighbors, assassinating President Bush, if necessary.” Ostrovsky said that a PR campaign was already underway in both Israel and the United States to “prepare public acceptance of Dan Quayle as president.”

Convinced that Ostrovsky was legitimate and his information significant, McCloskey jumped on the next flight to Washington, where he reported Ostrovsky’s intelligence to the Secret Service and State Department.

The apparent plot never went forward, perhaps because Ostrovsky and McCloskey had given it away.

Ostrovsky gave more details about the plot two years later in his 1994 book, The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad’s Secret Agenda, published by HarperCollins.

In the book, Ostrovsky wrote that an extremist group within Mossad was responsible for the plan. He said they kept the plan secret from then–Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, though they believed that Shamir would have ordered such a hit himself if he hadn’t been constrained by politics. In the lead-up to Israel’s 1948 founding war, Shamir had headed up a terrorist group known for its assassinations.

In his review of Ostrovsky’s book, Ambassador Andrew Killgore, a retired career foreign service officer and publisher of the Washington Report, called the book an “insider’s probing exposé of some Middle East realities that have been hidden too long from all but Israeli eyes.”

Ostrovsky wrote that the Israelis planned a “false flag” operation, in which they would pin the assassination on Palestinians. They kidnapped three Palestinian militants from Beirut who were to be the scapegoats, took them to Israel’s Negev desert, and held them incommunicado.

“Meanwhile,” Killgore writes, “Mossad-generated threats on the president’s life, seemingly from Palestinians, were leaked. These were designed to throw suspicion on the organization of rogue Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal. Names and descriptions of the three terrorists were leaked to Spanish police so that, if the plot was successful, blame would automatically fall on them.”

Ostrovsky reports that after the assassination plot was eventually canceled, the three Palestinian prisoners were “terminated.”

Targeting Americans

If the plot had gone forward, this would not have been the first time that Israel targeted Americans for death. Nor would it be the first false-flag operation.

• In 1954 the Mossad planned to firebomb American installations, libraries, and other gathering places in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood was to be blamed for the attacks, thus causing American animosity toward Egypt. An accidental early detonation of one of the devices caused the plot, known as the Lavon Affair, to unravel before it could kill or mutilate the intended Americans.

• In 1967 Israeli air and sea forces perpetrated an almost two-hour assault in which they tried to sink a U.S. Navy ship with a crew of 300. While the attack failed to sink the ship, it succeeded in killing 34 Americans and injuring 174. Some analysts have conjectured that this was also a false-flag operation; it is highly likely that Egypt would have been blamed for the attack if the ship had gone down.

• In 1973 Israeli fighter pilots were ordered to shoot down an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane (at the time the U.S. was delivering massive weaponry to Israel to prevent it from losing the “Yom Kippur War” with Egypt and Syria). While the Israelis were unable to reach the altitude of the U.S. plane, they did manage that same year to shoot down a civilian Libyan airliner that had strayed over Israeli territory, killing 104 men, women, and children. One was an American.

• In 1990 a Canadian-American scientist and father of seven, Gerald Bull, was assassinated in Belgium. All indications are that it was an Israeli Mossad hit team that drilled five bullets into the back of his head and neck. (Israel has assassinated a number of scientists of various nationalities. The most recent is a 32-year-old father of a young son from Iran.)

• In 2003 it came out that Israeli leaders had officially decided to undertake assassination operations on U.S. soil. An FBI spokesman, queried about the Israeli plans, said only: “This is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws.”

• In recent years a growing number of American peace activists have been intentionally killed, maimed, and injured by Israeli forces, including 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, 21-year-old Brian Avery, 37-year-old Tristan Anderson, 21-year-old Emily Henochowicz, and 21-year-old Furkan Dogan.

All of this has been minimally reported in the U.S. press. While major news organizations from England to Israel to Australia covered the Jewish Times’ apparent endorsement of a possible Israeli assassination of a U.S. president, the scandal has been largely missing from U.S. media. Even Atlanta’s AP bureau inexplicably initially decided not to write a report on it, only finally sending out a story many days later.

Such news omissions concerning Israeli partisans are not rare. In 2004 a fanatic Israel loyalist wrote a letter saying that he was going to burn down Presbyterian churches while worshippers were inside (he was furious at the Presbyterian Church’s decision to divest from companies profiting from the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land). This grisly threat also received minimal media play.

Despite Israeli violence against Americans (even while American taxpayers have given far more of our tax money to Israel than to any other nation) American presidential candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, continue to vie over who is most devoted to Israel.

It is ironic that Adler considers Obama so bad for Israel, given that Israeli analysts have rated him second only to Mitt Romney in his fidelity to Israel. And Obama has now released a seven-minute video that may catapult our first African-American president into first place in pandering to an apartheid nation.

Perhaps he’ll be safe from assassins.

—
Source: Antiwar. Article authored by Alison Weir.