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Sheik Ali Jomma |
Quite simply, in my opinion, the hardest part in ritualistic commitments for a Muslim, alas, is the Friday service. For someone who lives in the land of Azhar, Egypt—the oldest functioning university and the eternal light of traditional Islamic scholarship and intellectualism—this is saddening indeed. There are several issues that one cannot dismiss, such as the government’s hand in tailoring 'an Islam' to suit a Western-oriented, half-hearted secularism—the sad story of matchmaking between Islam and modernism! Then there are the self-appointed spokesmen/sheikhs in mosques: men who have no proper traditional education, ijazas, or "certificates of authorization", and no experience of isnad— the chain of transmission of religious sciences through having read long-established opus magnum texts under qualified sheikhs. In addition, one cannot ignore the trend to (re-)prioritize Islamic principles, varying ideologies to make it a religion of activism.
In general, there are two types of unqualified preachers. You have the screamers, on the one hand, bashing Israel and America praying to burn both—instead of Allah guiding both and my 'guilty' mind always tells me to dismiss altogether all that is said by the screamers. The Prophet's compassionate and gentle disposition is a "lost art"—if one may say. On the other hand, you find the naysayers, with their unintelligent, unintelligible lessons. The same circular tale, everyone is wrong and everyone's Here-after is not Paradise.
Still, nothing is more dazzling than a 'great' Friday service—like that of the exceptional, to say the least, Sheikh 'Ali Jomma, the contemporary Mufti and a sun of knowledge, adab and wisdom —to charge up one's heart with faith and light. It is an addictive spiritual ecstasy, where to be a 'good Muslim' does not mean to be an ideologue. The number of people attending his mesmerizing services is increasing exponentially, filling up the enormous masterpiece of Islamic architecture, the Sultan Hassan Mosque.
However, since 9/11, as an Azhari sheikh asserts, the government has ordered new training courses for mosque sheikhs in order to create a new ["more submissive"] Islamic discourse. This has been a cause of resentment, as it is viewed as a betrayal of Muslims due to the pressure of American subscribed (dictated?) reform. Still, it is good that sheikhs get more training in preaching.
Take it or leave it, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—the master of the gift of comprehensive speech— says it the best:
"Surely, Allah gives support to this religion (i.e. Islam) even through [the acts and sayings of] an evil man." (Reported by Al-Bukhari).
If this is our situation in Egypt, then may Allah help Muslims living in non-Muslim lands. The situation is self-evident, with all that uproar about the deportation of imams from Europe. One would think that having an imam in a non-Muslim land would be a cherished gift, but let us think about it differently: amongst the principles that the unapologetic and sincere Sheikh 'Ali Jomma calls upon, is the hierarchical principal: Allah comes first, then Islam and then Muslims. As an example, it is more important to bring an agnostic or an atheist to monotheism than to bring someone to pray five times a day. Furthermore, bringing someone to the tenet and worldview of Islam is more important than getting that same individual to be an activist for the Palestinian cause.
Muslims living abroad are both Muslims and civilians belonging to wherever they are. Of course, to respect national laws and traditions is to respect being a Muslim— courteous and respectful to the surroundings. Do not think that this confers a blessing on the French deportation of an imam (we will not dwell on the particulars of the French story or its Italian counterpart), but the argument is that unqualified imams are, simply, unqualified to carry out their weighty responsibility. As for the qualified imams, a more culturally and socially sensitive approach is a must…is it not?
The reason for Muslim (not Islamic) militancy and terrorism is that un-qualified people appoint themselves as absolute Muftis, and therefore it must be good to get rid of these people. However, it is an altogether different story to let Islamophobic fixation stab us with its blade of hatred and ignorance, allowing it to expel the symbols of our religious preaching and silencing our voices—to allow this is an impossibility. The essence of Islam is the spiritual struggle and purification, and this is not to say that activism or having political views is wrong, they are just not the essence of Islam. But, if a true 'alim (scholar) and imam raises concerns about partaking in the wanton invasion of Iraq by the coalition, why should he be treated differently to all the other protesters in the anti-war rallies and be deported? What does the mere fact of being Muslim have to do with it?
Still, whatever the priorities of the agenda(s) of imams is/are, in a non-Muslim land ideas that can be bastardized as misogynistic, fanatical, or terrorist—not that Islam bears any of that at all,—are not a pressing need. Battling against spiritual decay, moral struggle, the struggle of the soul, learning Qur'an, propagating adab and the social responsibility of balancing between an Islamic worldview and existing social codes and communal openhandedness are far more needed. Having a good well-educated and "qualified" imam is more needed than ever.
Islam is submission based on knowledge. Its inner manifestation is towards the divine, and its outer manifestation is akhlaq (character traits) in this case towards the surrounding non-Muslim society. The bottle should always be half-full, and this is a good chance to filter out the self-appointed imams and charlatan muftis, who unwisely preach ignorance and who are culturally insensitive. Traditional Islamic background and a refined Western identity is the key. Examplary are the emphasis of the Islamic European Collage in Lampeter, in the UK, on making integration and assimilation into Europe a critical part of their da'i-preparatory (Islamic preacher) institute. Another shining example is the Al- Zaytuna Institute in America, headed by the esteemed Sheikh Hamza Yusuf; a feat on the path towards creating a true traditional Muslim ethos in a non Muslim land. There is also the self-sustained, ecologically friendly, and indigenously sensitive al-Madrasa, a true reincarnation of Islamic refinement near Granada, the Muslim Andalusian capital, with its traditional philosophy, agricultural wisdom, and green surroundings. All such small, yet giant projects are a source of optimism. Unlike the deporation story, such works—done by righteous and sincerely committed and enlightened Muslims to educate Muslims on their path of knowledge with proper education and cultural and intellectual sensitivity—in deed, are the best support to Islam.
Against that, once again, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says it best:
"Surely, Allah gives support to this religion (i.e. Islam) even through an evil man"
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