Empire
No one wants
to be about here
anymore, dull drivel
painstakingly normal.
It's far flung Xing-zhou!
Tse Tse Frou Frou!
C H I N A
shipping the train
flashes an iron
clad grin, old school
monnikers blast
through Benson
toward Deming,
the Eastern Seaboard
to the big time: tarnation.
"The right of freedom of speech consists in speaking the truth."
24.3.13
Ding
Could that bells taken apart
stretched mm angel barks
appreciated, adored,
drenched in golden golden-ness
drip dropped, dangled
as though bubbled
glide towards heaven
synchronized, split off
from blast & smelt & smoulder
quick flown and flashed
not drum, not singsong
just a pouring
up like that
shock ink mess
of sound, tender and lost.
but of course
the stars, the precious moon
a next stop.
17.3.13
Crossing
For a week the blood
smear as deer had
dragged herself
on broken legs to a side
of the road and lay there
like a hand swipes
a frozen window.
There she watched the last cars
and shooting stars, took a final hit
off the moon where no Injuns
ever stood either and she promised.
Praiseworthy Appearance
On Friday night
the fox speeds up
to make it -
away from the town
full of light and actions.
The way he smooths on by -
a little train of feet, film
made of fur and tail
in one brilliant line.
Left to right as if
a switch lifted and the chute
opened through which
he aimed and shot.
For a week the blood
smear as deer had
dragged herself
on broken legs to a side
of the road and lay there
like a hand swipes
a frozen window.
There she watched the last cars
and shooting stars, took a final hit
off the moon where no Injuns
ever stood either and she promised.
Praiseworthy Appearance
On Friday night
the fox speeds up
to make it -
away from the town
full of light and actions.
The way he smooths on by -
a little train of feet, film
made of fur and tail
in one brilliant line.
Left to right as if
a switch lifted and the chute
opened through which
he aimed and shot.
16.3.13
Sleep Heresy
Here, my ears ring uncontrollably.
I am not sure if it is the electricity
or the avarice of my mind waking up
to the fact: another day, get used to it.
How I crave sleep, how embarrassed
I am when at last I don’t turn off the TV
so sleep isn’t exactly what it is that comes,
more like a moth on a curtain
waiting to get out, hoping.
Here, my ears ring uncontrollably.
I am not sure if it is the electricity
or the avarice of my mind waking up
to the fact: another day, get used to it.
How I crave sleep, how embarrassed
I am when at last I don’t turn off the TV
so sleep isn’t exactly what it is that comes,
more like a moth on a curtain
waiting to get out, hoping.
4.3.13
Just a Quick Reminder
I dreamt a donkey and a tunnel of snow,
we went up into the places
crawled through the openings
up into the nooks and the crannies.
Oh! it lasted so long that
when I awoke to pray
the fajr prayer, it seemed
years and years had passed
but when I returned
to bed nothing but a cold
dark sleep until the sun
and breeze, until then.
I dreamt a donkey and a tunnel of snow,
we went up into the places
crawled through the openings
up into the nooks and the crannies.
Oh! it lasted so long that
when I awoke to pray
the fajr prayer, it seemed
years and years had passed
but when I returned
to bed nothing but a cold
dark sleep until the sun
and breeze, until then.
21.2.13
R***** at February
The snow at night turns blue, sparkles
between the two states of ice and art
as sweetly sings a sparrow near dark,
a moon side of us, a dusk distance
and she is definitely dying, we know this.
All of the water in the world spies
for her, steals color and in that
rainbow of teardrops, a breath is counted.
We each ask Allah to give her a year or two
from our balance as slaves might do,
bartering our beatings as if this will suffice,
as if that could stop all that is random,
as if the snow stops as it does for an hour
to give us time to wander home.
The snow at night turns blue, sparkles
between the two states of ice and art
as sweetly sings a sparrow near dark,
a moon side of us, a dusk distance
and she is definitely dying, we know this.
All of the water in the world spies
for her, steals color and in that
rainbow of teardrops, a breath is counted.
We each ask Allah to give her a year or two
from our balance as slaves might do,
bartering our beatings as if this will suffice,
as if that could stop all that is random,
as if the snow stops as it does for an hour
to give us time to wander home.
12.1.13
One Poet to Another in a Small Town
I wonder, did you ever write one about our
tryst in which we awaken after many years
Rip Van Winkle-like in Safeway’s snack shop .
Here is where adultery stops and whispers
into the ears of old birds in line at the pharmacy window
until I realize this one belongs to me and begin.
As far as the lovemaking goes, yes there are memories
yet those were merely acts in the night by dove light.
I was never so lonely and alone, as all adulteresses
naturally are, usually in tears, broken, beaten down.
Homing in on hope, relief, sorrow. Paring it down to pain.
Now here in this well-lit town square near the salads and slaws
we sit with cold cuts and those within earshot
struggle to comprehend what we don’t bother to hide.
You talk about Gilbert and Gerber , I about their signatures.
We are famous today near the half-off –Christmas-bulk!
We’ve both known so many of our kind as if
you weren’t even one of them and I just a nurse
moonlighting while people lean and stoop to hear
our clandestine clamor about blood sugars and petit mal!
Yet we throw caution to the wind every time we meet
blurting out narratives for which we’ve kept in touch
all these years, taking the occasional pulse of an old secret.
15.12.12
29.11.12
25.11.12
Heat Seeking
Despite the war: harmonicas.
We'd have been who we are
only taller, our shirts less worn.
Scriptures are rewritten
into dictionaries of the absurd
before they matter.
This is the moment in time
that to forget
is to remember strongly
the real myth
a mirror locks on
to the target, bam
and it is over.
Despite the war: harmonicas.
We'd have been who we are
only taller, our shirts less worn.
Scriptures are rewritten
into dictionaries of the absurd
before they matter.
This is the moment in time
that to forget
is to remember strongly
the real myth
a mirror locks on
to the target, bam
and it is over.
24.11.12
The Sound of Olatayo
I've known people who were passengers
on high-jacked planes.
They were assholes before they hit Libyan airspace
and probably still are.
I've seen a black man
come out of the sea
like an aboriginal -
Mexican sand on his face,
hair twisted into tribal knots.
It was the week after he stormed out
of the Que Pas, a community college diner
where I met Olatayo Sowandi too,
watched him and the other Nigerians
as they listened to the sound
of foreigners eating.
Not a word between them and I recall
how sweet their silence felt
when I was in it with them.
As Mahdi busted out of the sea
I remembered his anger that day
when the Arabs at the cafe -
Saadi Sartawi the Kuwaiti, Faisal the Libyan, Wassim
the Palestinian brothel owner's kid from Egypt -
kept calling him abed in conversation
instead of just calling him
the Sudan-ee because he was
definitely not their slave, he was just
from Africa and knew
how to make an impression
when walking out of the sea at Kino Bay.
Reprint from 2006 but written sometime in the 80/90's most likely, Remembering the Sudanese before I knew what that meant. Almost Juvenalia by now.
"Abed" is literally "slave" in Arabic and a common name in terms of being a slave to Allah (Ab'dallah) however it also carries a certain connotation of bigotry when used by Arabs in reference to those with 'dark skin'. Arabs tend to be either comfortable with the usage and not necessarily bigoted when using it or 2) we as outsiders to the language impose our own meaning on it and hence we feel and perceive a bigotry that is actually our own. Not sure really but at the end of the day I choose the alternative meaning which is Mahdi saw it neither way as they were all muslims involved in the cafe incident and he didn't like being considered differently from the other muslims as we consider ourselves as one type, all slaves, all equal. My experience in the muslim world has shown me that the Sudanese overall are highly respected and some of the most gracious of all the muslims. This is a view that is shared by a majority of muslims worldwide. I find it to be a nice poem to revisit upon my return from Liberia.
The irony of this piece is uncovered later (as is the case with poems from the heart) that "Mahdi" itself has profound meaning within Islam. I won't go into that particular detail except to say Mahdi in this poem has a saving grace.
I've known people who were passengers
on high-jacked planes.
They were assholes before they hit Libyan airspace
and probably still are.
I've seen a black man
come out of the sea
like an aboriginal -
Mexican sand on his face,
hair twisted into tribal knots.
It was the week after he stormed out
of the Que Pas, a community college diner
where I met Olatayo Sowandi too,
watched him and the other Nigerians
as they listened to the sound
of foreigners eating.
Not a word between them and I recall
how sweet their silence felt
when I was in it with them.
As Mahdi busted out of the sea
I remembered his anger that day
when the Arabs at the cafe -
Saadi Sartawi the Kuwaiti, Faisal the Libyan, Wassim
the Palestinian brothel owner's kid from Egypt -
kept calling him abed in conversation
instead of just calling him
the Sudan-ee because he was
definitely not their slave, he was just
from Africa and knew
how to make an impression
when walking out of the sea at Kino Bay.
Reprint from 2006 but written sometime in the 80/90's most likely, Remembering the Sudanese before I knew what that meant. Almost Juvenalia by now.
"Abed" is literally "slave" in Arabic and a common name in terms of being a slave to Allah (Ab'dallah) however it also carries a certain connotation of bigotry when used by Arabs in reference to those with 'dark skin'. Arabs tend to be either comfortable with the usage and not necessarily bigoted when using it or 2) we as outsiders to the language impose our own meaning on it and hence we feel and perceive a bigotry that is actually our own. Not sure really but at the end of the day I choose the alternative meaning which is Mahdi saw it neither way as they were all muslims involved in the cafe incident and he didn't like being considered differently from the other muslims as we consider ourselves as one type, all slaves, all equal. My experience in the muslim world has shown me that the Sudanese overall are highly respected and some of the most gracious of all the muslims. This is a view that is shared by a majority of muslims worldwide. I find it to be a nice poem to revisit upon my return from Liberia.
The irony of this piece is uncovered later (as is the case with poems from the heart) that "Mahdi" itself has profound meaning within Islam. I won't go into that particular detail except to say Mahdi in this poem has a saving grace.
19.11.12
30.10.12
A First Walk
The poverty of Africa
is an engine, a pool
of mud where birth and death
mean mostly the same.
I cannot begin to understand
her ranting on the corner:
She sent her boy to cut me!
her jaw abscessed for weeks now
as a nurse I beg to look in
between her clenched and mighty teeth-
yellow polish
on her black black hands
studded with grains of sand
from a bottle nearly empty
congealed -
what kind of jaundiced beauty
this? How terrifying.
As passers-by stop to stare.
-at me, not her.
The poverty of Africa
is an engine, a pool
of mud where birth and death
mean mostly the same.
I cannot begin to understand
her ranting on the corner:
She sent her boy to cut me!
her jaw abscessed for weeks now
as a nurse I beg to look in
between her clenched and mighty teeth-
yellow polish
on her black black hands
studded with grains of sand
from a bottle nearly empty
congealed -
what kind of jaundiced beauty
this? How terrifying.
As passers-by stop to stare.
-at me, not her.
True Love America
Begins near 20 and 24th
streets in Monro-via,
in front of the JFK
Memorial hospital-
People go there to die and work,
limping in and out
on one leg, maybe two
but most never go and the girl
at the bus stop sells used towels,
your uncle Ned's pajamas
to a Godwin or Cornelius.
These clean people have hearts
inside their hearts
bigger than the Mets versus the Yankees
times the Sox.
Their love is ne plus ultra.
Begins near 20 and 24th
streets in Monro-via,
in front of the JFK
Memorial hospital-
People go there to die and work,
limping in and out
on one leg, maybe two
but most never go and the girl
at the bus stop sells used towels,
your uncle Ned's pajamas
to a Godwin or Cornelius.
These clean people have hearts
inside their hearts
bigger than the Mets versus the Yankees
times the Sox.
Their love is ne plus ultra.
1.10.12
W. K. Vanderslice Silver Cup and Saucer
Gothic Revival silver cup and underliner made in the middle of the 19th century by one of the important American silver makers of San Francisco. Probably made of coin silver with a nice warm patina. Beautiful condition without dents, damage or repair. Gilded interior. Exterior embossed with a fine Gothic Revival pattern and monogrammed/engraved for the child John B. Daggett (both pieces/matching set) in a Gothic Revival script. Marked 810 Montgomery St. San Francisco California with the makers mark below. Machine turned, hand engraved/embossed. Lovely lovely find!
I noticed it at the Salvation Army and wasn't too sure as the price sure was steep....10 bucks for the pair. I hedged my bets and took a chance without knowing the history of the company or the composition of the piece which at the time I took for silver plate (most likely). The gilded interior threw me off as it seemd to be a sign of silver plate on copper with the base metal exposed.
15.8.12
Reposted from 2008
More Notes From Extremists to Other Extremists
regarding the nature of "stone" and "idol" worship
Generally speaking, having read the various apologistic explanations it is clear that many muslims do not understand the origin of their practices. This leads them into vulnerable straits where certain rituals are discussed, especially those of idolatry. Therefore I think redacted's point is an extraordinary one and most likely cannot be answered by many of the posters here.
The idea that mysteries are needed to explain all things is convenient but it is also the case that not "knowing" something does not constitute a "mystery" of Islam or the declaration of same. There are mysteries and there are mysteries. Going to Mecca on Haj is not of either type i.e. mysteries based on the actual "unseen" and not a mystery of religion of the type claimed by Christian theologians like the virgin birth (which to muslims is not a mystery at all).
If Allah states cirumambulate THIS stone and not THAT stone, it is not indicative that muslims are stone worshipers. That is in the eye of the beholder when it is clearly stated in the Quran that the notion of a Qibla is a clear one. Clear as mud to non muslims and when faced with those, attempting to explain it is about as good as conversing with a brick wall (also made of stone) because Allah made some people unable to hear, see and/or understand.
I am no expert particularly in the area of Haj ritual behavior but it is my understanding that the stones that are tossed at three objects in the same manner that Ibrahim (SA) smashed the stone idols which can represent a vast number of things including the rocks themselves. In one instance they are said to represent a dream that was experienced by three people (the prophet, Hajar and Ismael) on three consecutive nights. The whole ritual of Haj requires a person to have a guide. Few people actually go to Haj without one you know and those that do usually have already made at least one Haj or an Umra and "know the ropes".
It is one of the most critical points in all of Islam that only through "emulation of a practice" is that practice preserved. Formally it is referred to as the Sunna. Underestimating it, particularly by non muslims is common. Haj itself, in the Quran is the major distinguishment Islamic Monotheists have that defines them as a special class of Monotheism. It is the whole reason non muslims are not permitted into Mecca itself. Only a muslim NEEDS to go to Mecca...others need not go there if that is not what floats their boat.
It can be compared to the fact that in the initial days of the Last Messengers mission, muslims were told to dye their beards red with henna in order to distinguish which people had accepted Islam. After a certain period however the Messenger abrogated that ruling because after a certain critical number of the umma (muslim population density) had been reached, it was no longer possible to know that anyone in particular was especially "loyal" to the last prophet or to Islam. Some of the last submitters, Abu Sufyan in particular (the father or "thought to be" father of Mu'aw'iya), only submitted when it was clear that he was one of the only ones left in the area that hadn't. At that point, most people had already joined ranks with Mohamed and his Ahl Bayt (immediate family), Sahaba (Companions, disciples, friends), the Ansar(the hosts at Medina who protected and fed the Muhajirs) and Muhajirs (the migrationists who migrated with the prophet to Mecca). Having a red beard would make no difference and in fact, a large number of muslims at that time were not really believers but were incredibly good fakers. Which ones? Not my business of course. I will say however that the Shia ruling against persons such as the notorious Mu'aw'iya being included in the group known as "sahaba" is discounted by Jaffar Al Siddiq using a ruling in which the last prophet declared his Sahaba were a given few and that is all. That occurred at a specific place and time and there were no Sahaba to be included in that group after that and that would include the notorious anti Islamist Mu'aw'iya.
The whole point of "stoning" the devil is an attempt to do something that EMULATES what the great prophet Ibrahim did that extraordinary day when he basically outlawed human sacrifice from the law books of all humanity:
"This is where pilgrims perform the ritual of throwing stones at pillars that mark the spot where the devil is believed to have attempted to prevent the prophet Ibrahim - the biblical patriarch Abraham also revered by Muslims - from obeying divine orders. "
Why, the Kaaba itself "our Qibla" is that which is gone to, migrated to and migrated away from and even, sadly, not taken seriously by some muslims as that thing which was ordered by Allah to travel to. It was erected by Ibrahim and Ismail (May Allah be pleased with all of his apostles) and not by the other brother Ishaq (pbuh). It was erected in the exact spot where the sacrifice was to be made and then, it was abrogated by Allah and a sheep was substituted for a human being. Literally "a son" and it can be compared and contrasted with the mistaken Christian notion of a "son" being sacrificed to atone for the sins of others. It is the same story over and over and it is best defined from the beginning (Adam) who was told to follow the advice of Allah and not the Shaitan to the end of the story which is the whole basis for the last Messengers final order when he completed Islam for everyone, not just the Arabs. The whole point of it is contained allegorically in that safety of the boat upon which Nuh traveled during a storm and is one of the fundamental axis around which Shia teaching revolves. I cannot speak for Sunni Islam and wouldn't try.
Anything that one follows instead of following the advice of Allah can be considered to be idol worship and it is not limited to mere objects but to the things those objects represent. Afterall, we use money and not gold and we cannot even eat gold. If it was the case that what we "eat" could also be a subject for idolatry (it is) then our ideology would be gluttony. Eating is oft mentioned in the Quran because it is the one single thing that human beings consume and it becomes a "part" of their very own bodies. It is necessary (as is money) but when overdone, it becomes the source of our own suffering.
Like the spider who eats its own web and then takes it to "the next abode" i.e. and respins a new web. We carry those things within us much like the spider carries this immensely frail yet deceptively strong material called web fluid which is literally his next home AND his nourishment The Spider is basically a tafsir of the highest order in the Quran, one that allows the Quran itself to provide evidence for the premises contained within it. And really, what is a parable anyway except Allah's own tafsir?
The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider's house did they but know. -The Spider
Allah makes abundant the means of subsistence for whom He pleases of His servants, and straitens them for whom (He pleases) surely Allah is Cognizant of all things. -The Spider
And how many a living creature that does not carry its sustenance: Allah sustains it and yourselves; and He is the Hearing, the Knowing. -The Spider
And this life of the world is nothing but a sport and a play; and as for the next abode, that most surely is the life-- did they but know! -The Spider
As an interesting aside, it is very common in Arabic literature and media to liken the excesses of government and leaders to that of "eating" wealth, very common. Arabs often say, "He ate the money."
I'd like to add that the last part of redacted's question is perhaps the most intriguing to me because it is that act of leveling a charge as opposed to the real issue in Islam which is to gather adherents who share faith in Allah and perhaps even, a given approach to the demonstration and verbalization of that faith.
The Quran itself systematically defines various practices and you cannot find any single human practice not defined in there. They are categorized in various ways all the way down to categorizing the color of people versus their culture and way of life. Including the categorization of the animal kingdom.
The point being necessarily is that an individual "qualifies" themself for membership via whatever it is they practice and also, they can qualify themself to various nations based on ethnicity (the Jews being the prime example of that in the Quran).
A muslim does not pray ten times a day or once a week. A muslim prays five salaat per day and that is UNIVERSAL and not an act shared by any other religion. A muslim makes Haj and that is also not an act engaged in by any other type of believer.
Charity, good will, etc...those are things engaged in by many athiests worldwide and cannot be the basis for our assumptions. I don't think that it is the intent of most muslims i.e. to label anyone.
Fasting is engaged in by Catholics but it in no way makes them muslim.
Non Islamic Monotheism is Monotheism that does not accept the last prophet and everything that goes along with that aspect of the Shehada. It can be likened to "Deism" of the type Thomas Jefferson, et.al. advocated.
"Paganism" itself, like all other things can be of any variety and some even suggest that certain branches of Orthodox Catholicism engage in excessive amounts of it. Therefore, you can describe a Catholic believer as being polytheist if they hold that Allah is in three parts or pagan if it is they worship icons as some (not all) of the Orthodox Catholic traditions teach. It isn't about blame but rather, it is about description of the various groups to which all human beings belong, one way or another.
Muslims too can suffer the effects of Paganism and/or Polytheism. When they drink/take drugs or gamble, they in effect disqualify themself from the path i.e. no one does it to them but they do it to themself. They do this when they use "black magic" and it is alot more common that you think. No offense to anyone here but in Saudi Arabia it has become the norm, not the exception. Paganism can be a type of "superstition-ism" which can affect any believer of any type. It isn't necessarily just a person who bows to a crystal or a false deity. Native Americans still practice ritual paganism but many of them would argue with you if you thought that they didn't hold that there is a Creator and Sustainer of the entire system. Hinduism in all actuality was originally a monotheistic tradition and "polytheism" is noted in the Upanishads themselves as the eventual result of ignorance and in essence, the demise of original Monotheistic Hinduism:
"The central theme of the Upanishads is not Monism but Monotheism, the concept of an all pervasive, immanent supreme being. "
-from http://www.dvaita.org/shaastra/upanishad.html#section_2
..therefore some of what some have said here has an element of truth but one ought to provide direct evidence of that rather than mere opinion you know.
It's their problem and not ours especially if they themselves are perceiving their own problem right about now (and they most definitely are). Allah stated clearly that Islam was not in competition with any other thing. He stated clearly that it would be made superior to all other systems. I think it is important to take Allah at his word on that one and avoid playing the comparison games in which non muslims usually end up confusing muslims who aren't very clear about their Islam.
More Notes From Extremists to Other Extremists
regarding the nature of "stone" and "idol" worship
Generally speaking, having read the various apologistic explanations it is clear that many muslims do not understand the origin of their practices. This leads them into vulnerable straits where certain rituals are discussed, especially those of idolatry. Therefore I think redacted's point is an extraordinary one and most likely cannot be answered by many of the posters here.
The idea that mysteries are needed to explain all things is convenient but it is also the case that not "knowing" something does not constitute a "mystery" of Islam or the declaration of same. There are mysteries and there are mysteries. Going to Mecca on Haj is not of either type i.e. mysteries based on the actual "unseen" and not a mystery of religion of the type claimed by Christian theologians like the virgin birth (which to muslims is not a mystery at all).
If Allah states cirumambulate THIS stone and not THAT stone, it is not indicative that muslims are stone worshipers. That is in the eye of the beholder when it is clearly stated in the Quran that the notion of a Qibla is a clear one. Clear as mud to non muslims and when faced with those, attempting to explain it is about as good as conversing with a brick wall (also made of stone) because Allah made some people unable to hear, see and/or understand.
I am no expert particularly in the area of Haj ritual behavior but it is my understanding that the stones that are tossed at three objects in the same manner that Ibrahim (SA) smashed the stone idols which can represent a vast number of things including the rocks themselves. In one instance they are said to represent a dream that was experienced by three people (the prophet, Hajar and Ismael) on three consecutive nights. The whole ritual of Haj requires a person to have a guide. Few people actually go to Haj without one you know and those that do usually have already made at least one Haj or an Umra and "know the ropes".
It is one of the most critical points in all of Islam that only through "emulation of a practice" is that practice preserved. Formally it is referred to as the Sunna. Underestimating it, particularly by non muslims is common. Haj itself, in the Quran is the major distinguishment Islamic Monotheists have that defines them as a special class of Monotheism. It is the whole reason non muslims are not permitted into Mecca itself. Only a muslim NEEDS to go to Mecca...others need not go there if that is not what floats their boat.
It can be compared to the fact that in the initial days of the Last Messengers mission, muslims were told to dye their beards red with henna in order to distinguish which people had accepted Islam. After a certain period however the Messenger abrogated that ruling because after a certain critical number of the umma (muslim population density) had been reached, it was no longer possible to know that anyone in particular was especially "loyal" to the last prophet or to Islam. Some of the last submitters, Abu Sufyan in particular (the father or "thought to be" father of Mu'aw'iya), only submitted when it was clear that he was one of the only ones left in the area that hadn't. At that point, most people had already joined ranks with Mohamed and his Ahl Bayt (immediate family), Sahaba (Companions, disciples, friends), the Ansar(the hosts at Medina who protected and fed the Muhajirs) and Muhajirs (the migrationists who migrated with the prophet to Mecca). Having a red beard would make no difference and in fact, a large number of muslims at that time were not really believers but were incredibly good fakers. Which ones? Not my business of course. I will say however that the Shia ruling against persons such as the notorious Mu'aw'iya being included in the group known as "sahaba" is discounted by Jaffar Al Siddiq using a ruling in which the last prophet declared his Sahaba were a given few and that is all. That occurred at a specific place and time and there were no Sahaba to be included in that group after that and that would include the notorious anti Islamist Mu'aw'iya.
The whole point of "stoning" the devil is an attempt to do something that EMULATES what the great prophet Ibrahim did that extraordinary day when he basically outlawed human sacrifice from the law books of all humanity:
"This is where pilgrims perform the ritual of throwing stones at pillars that mark the spot where the devil is believed to have attempted to prevent the prophet Ibrahim - the biblical patriarch Abraham also revered by Muslims - from obeying divine orders. "
Why, the Kaaba itself "our Qibla" is that which is gone to, migrated to and migrated away from and even, sadly, not taken seriously by some muslims as that thing which was ordered by Allah to travel to. It was erected by Ibrahim and Ismail (May Allah be pleased with all of his apostles) and not by the other brother Ishaq (pbuh). It was erected in the exact spot where the sacrifice was to be made and then, it was abrogated by Allah and a sheep was substituted for a human being. Literally "a son" and it can be compared and contrasted with the mistaken Christian notion of a "son" being sacrificed to atone for the sins of others. It is the same story over and over and it is best defined from the beginning (Adam) who was told to follow the advice of Allah and not the Shaitan to the end of the story which is the whole basis for the last Messengers final order when he completed Islam for everyone, not just the Arabs. The whole point of it is contained allegorically in that safety of the boat upon which Nuh traveled during a storm and is one of the fundamental axis around which Shia teaching revolves. I cannot speak for Sunni Islam and wouldn't try.
Anything that one follows instead of following the advice of Allah can be considered to be idol worship and it is not limited to mere objects but to the things those objects represent. Afterall, we use money and not gold and we cannot even eat gold. If it was the case that what we "eat" could also be a subject for idolatry (it is) then our ideology would be gluttony. Eating is oft mentioned in the Quran because it is the one single thing that human beings consume and it becomes a "part" of their very own bodies. It is necessary (as is money) but when overdone, it becomes the source of our own suffering.
Like the spider who eats its own web and then takes it to "the next abode" i.e. and respins a new web. We carry those things within us much like the spider carries this immensely frail yet deceptively strong material called web fluid which is literally his next home AND his nourishment The Spider is basically a tafsir of the highest order in the Quran, one that allows the Quran itself to provide evidence for the premises contained within it. And really, what is a parable anyway except Allah's own tafsir?
The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider's house did they but know. -The Spider
Allah makes abundant the means of subsistence for whom He pleases of His servants, and straitens them for whom (He pleases) surely Allah is Cognizant of all things. -The Spider
And how many a living creature that does not carry its sustenance: Allah sustains it and yourselves; and He is the Hearing, the Knowing. -The Spider
And this life of the world is nothing but a sport and a play; and as for the next abode, that most surely is the life-- did they but know! -The Spider
As an interesting aside, it is very common in Arabic literature and media to liken the excesses of government and leaders to that of "eating" wealth, very common. Arabs often say, "He ate the money."
I'd like to add that the last part of redacted's question is perhaps the most intriguing to me because it is that act of leveling a charge as opposed to the real issue in Islam which is to gather adherents who share faith in Allah and perhaps even, a given approach to the demonstration and verbalization of that faith.
The Quran itself systematically defines various practices and you cannot find any single human practice not defined in there. They are categorized in various ways all the way down to categorizing the color of people versus their culture and way of life. Including the categorization of the animal kingdom.
The point being necessarily is that an individual "qualifies" themself for membership via whatever it is they practice and also, they can qualify themself to various nations based on ethnicity (the Jews being the prime example of that in the Quran).
A muslim does not pray ten times a day or once a week. A muslim prays five salaat per day and that is UNIVERSAL and not an act shared by any other religion. A muslim makes Haj and that is also not an act engaged in by any other type of believer.
Charity, good will, etc...those are things engaged in by many athiests worldwide and cannot be the basis for our assumptions. I don't think that it is the intent of most muslims i.e. to label anyone.
Fasting is engaged in by Catholics but it in no way makes them muslim.
Non Islamic Monotheism is Monotheism that does not accept the last prophet and everything that goes along with that aspect of the Shehada. It can be likened to "Deism" of the type Thomas Jefferson, et.al. advocated.
"Paganism" itself, like all other things can be of any variety and some even suggest that certain branches of Orthodox Catholicism engage in excessive amounts of it. Therefore, you can describe a Catholic believer as being polytheist if they hold that Allah is in three parts or pagan if it is they worship icons as some (not all) of the Orthodox Catholic traditions teach. It isn't about blame but rather, it is about description of the various groups to which all human beings belong, one way or another.
Muslims too can suffer the effects of Paganism and/or Polytheism. When they drink/take drugs or gamble, they in effect disqualify themself from the path i.e. no one does it to them but they do it to themself. They do this when they use "black magic" and it is alot more common that you think. No offense to anyone here but in Saudi Arabia it has become the norm, not the exception. Paganism can be a type of "superstition-ism" which can affect any believer of any type. It isn't necessarily just a person who bows to a crystal or a false deity. Native Americans still practice ritual paganism but many of them would argue with you if you thought that they didn't hold that there is a Creator and Sustainer of the entire system. Hinduism in all actuality was originally a monotheistic tradition and "polytheism" is noted in the Upanishads themselves as the eventual result of ignorance and in essence, the demise of original Monotheistic Hinduism:
"The central theme of the Upanishads is not Monism but Monotheism, the concept of an all pervasive, immanent supreme being. "
-from http://www.dvaita.org/shaastra/upanishad.html#section_2
..therefore some of what some have said here has an element of truth but one ought to provide direct evidence of that rather than mere opinion you know.
It's their problem and not ours especially if they themselves are perceiving their own problem right about now (and they most definitely are). Allah stated clearly that Islam was not in competition with any other thing. He stated clearly that it would be made superior to all other systems. I think it is important to take Allah at his word on that one and avoid playing the comparison games in which non muslims usually end up confusing muslims who aren't very clear about their Islam.
14.7.12
At Thawr
When I save the spider, it is not as if I like them.
Astonished that they too have hair or maybe
dendrites, bad days, a past and some future.
It's not about that although it helps to consider
their unborn, egg sacs back home, the view
from the sixth floor they might have shown
to a neighbor just that afternoon while the rain
poured down around us all to leave
a clean world, a satisfying odor, wealth.
When I save the spider, it is not as if I like them.
Astonished that they too have hair or maybe
dendrites, bad days, a past and some future.
It's not about that although it helps to consider
their unborn, egg sacs back home, the view
from the sixth floor they might have shown
to a neighbor just that afternoon while the rain
poured down around us all to leave
a clean world, a satisfying odor, wealth.
10.7.12
30.6.12
To this day, my heart remains
a burglar on window sills
broken and entered in order
to investigate the cloths
of others, to examine
their exceptional pieces.
I remember that rush
outside in the garden
between their gates and doors
it is coming up, it is frozen
over poppies, under mops
that seeing is believing,
we have this, we own these.
a burglar on window sills
broken and entered in order
to investigate the cloths
of others, to examine
their exceptional pieces.
I remember that rush
outside in the garden
between their gates and doors
it is coming up, it is frozen
over poppies, under mops
that seeing is believing,
we have this, we own these.
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