WEEKEND OASIS

In Search of Our Priorities

Continued from April 18th…

Changing the Status Quo
Continued from April 18th…

It is important here to note that all Muslims, especially government-directed scholars, share the blame for tiptoeing around the void which a few angry, disheartened young men attempted to fill in their own way, changing the status quo.  We could have done without their version of change.  All Muslims, especially educators, share the blame for ignoring the void in young Muslim hearts, a need for an energized, practical, application of inspiring goals. 

Some youngsters looked to the western model for inspiration, copying its surface design while ignoring its depth, contenting themselves with superficial change and a reckless attitude.  Others looked to the ‘Islamic’ model, also copying its surface design and filling the depth with a holier-than-thou attitude, often directed against their own parents or peers.  Both groups of our youngsters sought to change the status quo; we could have helped them do better.  We should have helped them do better. 

It is not surprising that we now feel caught in an either/or situation: Westernization versus ‘Islamization;’ One we consider too loose, the other too tight.  But if everything ‘Islam-style’ seems too tight, often too much of a burden, don’t we all share the blame?  Perhaps we did not make it so ourselves, but we also did nothing while the shallowest, most restrictive of interpretations was being regenerated and maintained, despite Qur’anic evidence to the contrary.  Qur’anic evidence shows that God knows our weaknesses and His Messages are intended to lighten our burdens HQ 4: 28:

“God intends to lighten your burden, for the Human was created weak.”

How did we allow our burden to become so heavy? Where were our priorities?  Oh, yes.  We misplaced them.

Filling the Void

Our status quo is unacceptable, and we owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to our Creator to make the attempt.  Today.  We have to start filling the void; the void where a proper list of priorities should have been.  By undertaking that, we will fill the void in our hearts. 

This becomes more of a challenge on the communal level for, as we well know, it is on that level that we face walls of zealotry, ignorance, and apathy blocking our paths.  As Muslims, apathy or indifference, is perhaps our major setback.  How many of us are willing to actually get up and do something constructive?  But no matter.  Even a handful of dedicated persons can change the tide, with God’s help.  Remember: we are well-practiced in the use of our gear! 

Thanks to our training in the self-denying, confidence-building techniques imbued in our acts of worship, we can release ourselves of debilitating fears and embark with hope and conviction upon this priority-seeking journey. 

What route should we follow? 

How can we be certain that it is the right one?

What do we measure our progress against?

[17:9]
“VERILY, this Qur’ān shows the way to all that is most upright, and gives the believers who do good deeds the glad tiding that theirs will be a great reward.”

The answers is here.  We have the Qur’an to guide us, and when we do things the way they should be done, we will also have God’s blessings. 

How do we do this? 

We should use whatever equipment we find, similar to that of the first generation of Muslims.

Where do we begin? 

At the very beginning, in the name of God The Creator, The Unceasingly Compassionate.

This time however, there should be no constricted, superficial, or misconstrued interpretations! 

We shall study the Qur’an with the depth and gravity it deserves, in line with the first of its commands:  ‘IQRA!’  Linguistic research has shown us the AMAZING meaning of this one word:

IQRA: [i]

Gather knowledge, and retain it.  Proceed with purpose, and bear witness to what you know.  Be timely and hospitable.

Truly amazing!  This command is what brings us here today, having worked very hard since December 27, 2009 with the intention of gaining an understanding of the entire Qur’an during 2010.  By this attempt, with the aid of Qur’anic context and linguistic reference (using 1,000 year old lexicons), we seek to understand the Arabic Qur’an from its original source, rather than human interpretation.

And so we have set this project as our FIRST PRIORITY for 2010:    

As we go through the Qur’an, two pages at a time, each of us should, God-willing, begin to recognize our Priorities.  We will fulfill our roles as Readers/قُرّاء  of God’s command ‘IQRA,’ our demeanor and actions bearing witness to the knowledge we gain, even as we grow in compassion and hospitality by sharing with others.

God Bless You All!

---

[i] ‘Mu’jam al Maqqayees fil Lugha’ by Ahmad Ibn Fares Ibn Zakaria, deceased 1004 A.D. (see side-bar).

    إننا نجد فيه أن "اقرأ" من أصل واحد صحيح هو "قري"، وأن المواد السِت الآتية هي أهم فروعه:

1.        قري: أصل صحيح يدل على جمع واجتماع، ومنه "القرية".

2.       القَرى: الظَهر وما يحمل، يقال ”ما قرأت هذه الناقة سلىً“ أي ما حملت قط.

3.       القرو: القصد، ويقال "قريتُ" و "قروتُ" إذا سلكتُ.

4.       القارئة: الشاهد، وجمعها القواري وهم الشهود. إنهم يَقْرون الأشياء التي يجمعونها عِلماً ثم يشهدون بها. ولهذا يقال: الناس هم قواري الله تعالى في الأرض.

5.      القرء: الوقت: يقال: هبَت الرياح لقارئها – أي لوقتها، وجمعها "قروء".

6.      القراء: الضيافة، و"القِرى"ما يقدّم إلى الضيف".