My Life Goal

So do you think that you know me pretty well? Either you know me in person or you read my blog--what is it I'm looking for? Maybe you know... maybe you don't. I'll tell you, in one word: knowledge. 'Ilm, precisely, Islamic knowledge. Every smaller goal in my life only serves this greater goal, which is to learn more about Islam, to learn more about my Lord, and to better serve Him.

It's a serious business, and very important to have the right intention. Related by Bukhari and Muslim, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab narrated that the Prophet (saaws) said:

Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he
intended.

Moreover, Abu Dawud related that Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (saaws) said:

He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the Pleasure of Allah but for worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection.

In fact, we know of another hadith reported by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that among the first people who will be judged on the Day of Judgment is a martyr who fought only to be called brave, so he will be thrown into hell, and a person who gave charity only to be called generous so he will be thrown into hell, and a person who learned and studied Islam only so that he would be called a scholar. So I reiterate that it is important, absolutely necessary to have the right intention in acquiring knowledge, which means solely for the pleasure of Allah.

So why would I want to acquire knowledge in the first place, instead of just trying to do a lot of worship? First of all, I have Allah alone to thank for guiding me to Islam--and yet this is only one of the many blessings the Most Merciful has given me. And yet, Allah says in the Qur'an (35:28) what means:

Only those fear Allah , from among His servants, who have knowledge.

So it takes knowledge to be a true servant of Allah, who sincerely fears Allah. And if we are to be between hope and fear, then knowledge is essential to cultivate a true understanding. Allah also says in the Qur'an (39:9) what means:

Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.

This ayah is just full of the value of knowledge... I really can't say any words to better describe it than these so I won't even try. Knowledge is also a means of gaining reward in the Hereafter, since Allah has also said (58:11) what means:

Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.

And He told His Messenger Muhammad to say, this du'a (20:114):

My Lord, increase me in knowledge.

Rabbee zidnee 'ilma.

So we can ask now, is knowledge a blessing? And yes, of course it is. Bukhari and Muslim have reported that Mu'awiyah narrated that the Prophet (saaws) said:

When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of
Deen.

And what about just searching for knowledge, since it does not come handed to us on a silver platter? Is the path for knowledge blessed? Yes! Searching for knowledge is a way to find Jannah. Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saaws) said:

Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge.

Similar hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud tell us that the angels lower their wings over a person seeking knowledge, and that the inhabitants of the earth from an ant in its hole to the fish in the sea, supplicate for that person's forgiveness. In fact, searching for knowledge is a kind of jihad in its own right. At-Tirmidhi reported from Anas that the Prophet (saaws) said:

He who goes forth in search of knowledge is considered as struggling in the Cause of Allah until he returns.

But the truly beautiful hadith, the one that constantly compels me to seek knowledge, is the one which compares the worshiper to the person of knowledge. From Abud-Darda, reported by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, the Prophet (saaws) said:

The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars.

So the devout worshipper--the person who serves his Lord and offers prayer at night, and charity, this person is like one of the stars in the sky, and there are plenty of stars. But the person who has learned knowledge for the sake of Allah, who we know truly understands and fears Allah, that person is like the full moon in brightness among a sea of stars.

Rabbee zidnee 'ilma! My Lord, increase me in knowledge!

What to say to Hadith Rejecters?

Once upon a time, I thought it was okay to be a Qur'an-only Muslim. My 3-yr shahadah anniversary passed just last month, so about 3 years ago I was in the "I am not sure I want to be a Muslim" stage. Shortly after that I moved into a Qur'an-only mentality, since I accepted the Qur'an but didn't understand some of the stickier aspects of Shari'ah and Fiqh. I just didn't want to accept the Sunnah as a source of Islam.

It might be a position that might be unfamiliar to many born'n'raised Muslims, since they have grown up hearing stories about the Prophet Muhammad (saaws), hearing his sayings which directed them towards righteousness and good manners. On the other hand, Muslims who convert (like me) might be exposed to anti-Muslim websites that take ahadith out of context and really try to smear the character of our noble prophet (saaws.) So even though a hadith rejecter might accept the Qur'an and the prophethood of Muhammad (saaws), he might be faced with statements from him which seem, through some twisting while out of context, to be contradictory to Islam.

One tactic of a hadith rejecter is to say that Muhammad (saaws) forbid his Companions (raa) from writing down his sayings. This is true--but of course, where do they find this information? Of course, it's a hadith. So that line of reasoning is flawed to begin with, but I want to try to respond to it anyway in case anyone else has wondered about this. I have heard from several sources that even though Muhammad (saaws) did forbid his Companions (raa) from writing down his sayings, he did later allow them. I haven't found a specific reference for it, though. They also explain the reason for the prohibition--it was not so that the sayings of Muhammad (saaws) wouldn't be preserved, but rather so that they would not be confused or mixed in with the Qur'an, so that the Qur'an would remain pure in their writing of it. And we know that once this was assured, the Companions (raa) were allowed to write down hadith as well.

I think the best way to start to respond to anyone who wants to reject hadith, however, is with the Qur'an, the Noble Book and Speech of Allah Almighty, Lord of the Worlds. When the Lord of the Worlds has bestowed on us revelation, how can we argue with it? And glorified and exalted be He, He has bestowed on us such revelation.

The Lord of the Worlds has said what can be translated as:

4:59 O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result..

4:60 Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray

4:61 And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger," you see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion.

4:62 So how [will it be] when disaster strikes them because of what their hands have put forth and then they come to you swearing by Allah , "We intended nothing but good conduct and accommodation."

4:63 Those are the ones of whom Allah knows what is in their hearts, so turn away from them but admonish them and speak to them a far-reaching word.

4:64 And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah. And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful.

4:65 But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.

I pasted the entire passage just to show the whole context. In this passage we see that Allah has told us to obey Allah, and to obey the messenger (i.e., Muhammad saaws;) to refer our judgments to Allah and to His messenger. And then Allah describes the Hypocrites, who instead of turning to Allah and the messenger they turn to other things which they find more important. They are told to come to what Allah has revealed (i.e., the Qur'an), and to the Messenger. Why to the Messenger...?

But then Allah describes them as hypocrites, the people who turn away from the Messenger. And then Allah reminds us that He sent Messengers to be obeyed! Not just revelation, not just scriptures sent down from the heavens, but Allah (SWT) sent us Messengers as well. Then He (SWT) tells us that true belief and submission is to make Muhammad, the final messenger, who was sent to all of mankind, a judge over their matters.

I ask Allah (SWT) to make us not among the hypocrites, but to be among those who submit to His will, who obey His messenger, and to be counted among the believers. I think this is the better way to begin a discussion with a hadith rejecter: with the Qur'an. And in the Qur'an our Lord has commanded us to obey the Messenger.

A+ Civics

This morning I decided to take the mock citizenship test on msnbc. I'm thinking that since this week is the Fourth of July--the day we celebrate our national independence, the day we decided that we don't want to be ruled by a foreign government that doesn't have our interests at heart--there have been extra articles and stuff online about patriotism and American-ness.

I surprised myself by getting all 20 questions correct. Most of them I will say I flatly knew, and a few I was pretty sure about, and on one I just made a good guess. And of course they were all multiple choice which made it decidedly easier. For passing the test, I got a message at the end which read:

Welcome to the United States! (And, truth be told, you know more about this great land than most Americans.)

So a test that is required to become a citizen, most Americans couldn't pass? So being a good American doesn't hinge on knowing trivia like how many amendments there have been to the constitution or the line of presidential succession? What does it take to be a good American these days? (Just in case anyone wants to be called such, that is.)

I ask because a while ago I remember listening for only a few minutes (couldn't stand any longer) to Sean Hannity's radio program, while his call in guest informed him that he, Hannity, was a great American. To which Hannity replied to the caller, "You're a great American." Why all this patting on the back? What makes them such great Americans? I can sum up in three basic points.

1) "Support the troops"
2) "Support Bush"
3) "Support Israel"

In other words, be a blind neo-con who gets violently angry at any criticism of the government, the military, or Israel.

What I think is sad though, is that there was a time in this country when God came first. All this blustering about patriotism (Obama's speech got waaaay too much press) just makes me wonder when Americans started worshiping their country instead of God? Now it seems like everyone just wants to outdo the crowd in their love of country. I think it's a kind of radical extremism bound to land America, all its proud wealth and democracy, in the toilet.

So what will I be doing on the Fourth of July? Just like the rest of the Muslims all over the world, I'm going to jummu'ah. InshaaAllaah.

Don't Say If

This is a reminder for me first, but I thought I'd share it here as well. It is reported in Saheeh Muslim, in Kitab ul-Qadr (The Book of Destiny), chapter 8. It seems really appropriate to my situation.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying:

A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your "if" opens the (gate) for the Shaytaan.

When is a good time to let go?

Five times the blessing

The last few days, as I mentioned in my last post, have been pretty awful. They are getting better, alhamdulillah... and alhamdulillah. The best part of every day though is the salaat. Especially dhuhr and asr, for some reason, because it really causes an interruption in whatever I'm doing. When I have to take a break from everything and just remember Allah, it is so powerful to let all my worries and concerns come out. In one sense I am going to my Lord, but in another, He is calling me to Him. It's almost like He is checking in on me at each of these times--even though He is All-Aware, and a Witness over everything.

Last week, on a Catholic forum I sometimes visit, some posters were criticizing the fact that Muslims must pray five times a day. First, they didn't think it was right or appropriate to have to stop work during the day to remember God. Then they said that they (Catholics) prayed more during the day than Muslims do and that they can do it without "bothering" anyone else. Praying when they get up, before their meals, and a few other times--I can't remember what all they mentioned. For a Muslim to hear something like that, it's almost a little laughable.

Because Muslims "pray" at all these times too, and more. It's what we call supplication though, or du'a, and not the salaat which is the 5 daily prayers. Because the 5 daily prayers are a ritual in addition to all that--and many people pray even more than those 5 ritual prayers in a day. It's kind of like the bare minimum, that a person stops his day to pray at these times.

And why during stated times? Why not just, whenever? This is such a blessing I think we Muslims all too often overlook. Because it's precisely when we are busy doing worldly matters that we need to be reminded of Allah. That we need Him to check on us. And then the remembrance of Allah becomes part of our daily routine.

So when the prayer time comes and the adhaan makes, we really should hurry to go pray, to remember Allah. It's the most important meeting of our lives, five times a day--maintenance for our bodies and our souls, a chance to focus on our purpose, to let go of our worldly concerns and place our tiny problems before Allah Almighty, Lord of the Worlds. And He is listening to us!

What a blessing we have, how merciful is our Lord.

Moved

The last few days have been really awful--there's just no other way to put it. If I had to describe what I felt like right now, I'd say it's like a dirty rag someone has been trying to clean so they dip it in the water and keep wringing it out. Wrung out. Hung out to dry maybe, but more precisely in a constant state of wringing.

And I've been making du'a, my eyes and face stained red from tears... if anyone is reading this, please make du'a for me. I can't say why, just please...

Last night I moved into a new place. It wasn't a pleasant experience, the moving. I'm glad it's over though. The image in the picture is the view from my new room. It's a lake. It is such a peaceful scene but it does nothing to calm the storm in my heart right now.

Oh my Lord, help me!

Music Lessons

I started playing the clarinet in 6th grade, determined to be good at it. And not just good, but exceptionally good. The best. I practiced every day. And I excelled far above the students in that beginner-level class. In fact, when I was in 7th grade I was placed in the 8th grade (advanced) band instead of 7th grade (intermediate) and actually placed above some other 8th grade students. By 8th grade I placed 5th in the county, and being somewhat disappointed with that performance, I placed 1st in the district (which is larger than the county, about 1/5 of the state and my district had some of the strongest schools.) A few months after that I went on to place 4th in the state. So I wasn't the very best, but I was up there with the best. In high school I went on to consistently place in the top 3 in district and the top 10-15 in the state until my senior year when I placed in the top 10 at district (can't remember exact placement).

So for those seven years, I set my aims to be the best I could, and consistently performed at the top level for clarinetists my age. In my youth I spent a lot of time alone, in my room, practicing. It took hours of practice. Hours a day. And I learned a lesson: hard work pays off. Practicing pays off.

The lesson has reinforced lately--I don't play the clarinet anymore. In fact I sold it for twice what I paid for it last year and still feel like it was stolen. But I do play the piano. I never had formal piano training as I did with the clarinet, so I'm mostly self-taught. Although, I do think that only a real pianist would be able to tell the difference. Just like I had to spend hours playing the clarinet, I found that practicing piano consistently would make me better. I can literally see the improvement. I can play a song faster, I can play it more accurately, I can sing along. I can begin to perfect it by just spending some time and effort on it, on a regular basis. I may pick a song to play, and really butcher it the first time through. But then I can come back the next day and it'll be better. And I can come back a third day and it begins to feel natural, and each day it gets better and better--if I keep practicing.

This is the lesson--even if I have to suffer through something painfully slowly, just to finish it, I know that if I do finish it, and make myself get through it, I know that putting that effort in will yield marked improvement. I know that regular consistent practice is key, and I know that it pays off. I know it does, I have the experience to prove it.

So for the last week, I have been studying tajweed. There were basically two levels offered by Bayyinah when they were here--101 and 102, but I seemed to be between the two.

The first level, 101, was instruction in the basic letters and accents in the Arabic language. It was for people who had not been exposed to Arabic before, and/or were not able to recognize letters and their sounds in the Qur'an. I was past that--I could pick up a mushaf and read it, albeit very slowly.

The second level, 102, was instruction in the rules of tajweed, beginning with phonetics, moving on to accents, rhythm, and stopping/starting. The basic prerequisite was the ability to read a mushaf... although I think my slowness put me early on in the bottom of the class.

So you want me to say that I practiced for a week and now I'm an expert? Uhh, nope! But since I have been reading Qur'an every single day for about 10 days now, I have noticed that I am reading much faster. Of course, since a lot of time I'm reviewing what I've already read I can read those parts much faster, but even new material I can read faster than I could at the beginning of the class. Alhamdulillah.

So I did take the second class and learned the basic rules of tajweed, and I'm glad. The first class ended with reading single words together. The second class we were reading whole surahs, one ayah (or part of an ayah at a time) instead of sounding out each letter. I won't say that my tajweed is great or anything (it's definitely not) and I'm not proficient at reading either. But I can get through, and the practice is only making me better. And because of my experience in music, I know that consistent practice is necessary to improve performance, and I know that consistent practice does improve it. It works.

And because I am talking about Qur'an now, the book of Allah, I know there are other benefits to making an effort to read it.

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah the Almighty said:

I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than
it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.

The fact that I am going toward Allah (SWT) an arm's length--i.e., by trying to read the Qur'an--means I know that He will come nearer to me--by making it possible to read and understand it. and I know that because I am trying to get closer to Him, that He will come closer to me. I am doing what little I can, but I have the confidence of knowing that even the little steps I take towards my Lord are multiplied, and that He is taking large steps towards me.

So I am practicing reading Qur'an--even though I'm not perfect at reading, and worse at reciting, I do want to get better. So I keep trying, keep practicing. One benefit is that I get better. Another is that I'm rewarded for my effort (of course assuming my intention is to sincerely worship Allah (SWT).) Another is that I can soon read and recite even better--to worship Him more. And that I can more easily learn the meanings, and understand what I am supposed to do. It's a win-win-win situation. There's no reason not to try to read Qur'an, even if it's hard now, even if it's slow, even if I make mistakes. There is only the submission to Allah (SWT), and that is every reason to keep practicing.

Balancing Jihad

About a year ago, I was asked to give a short (20 min) presentation on Islam to a group of campus police officers. Unfortunately I wasn't very well prepared--I had a presentation that was geared towards social studies students in my arsenal but that's about it. I hadn't been trained in speaking to law enforcement so overall I don't think it was one of my best. However, I did try to include topics which would be interesting or useful to them, rather than what might be interesting to students in a world religions course.

One topic I decided to include briefly was jihad. It intrigued me at the time how Muslims vs. non-Muslims view the concept of jihad. As we all know, the West will almost universally translate the word jihad to mean "holy war." And Muslims typically object to that translation as it is not only incorrect, but also imbued with negative connotations which don't help at all when historically examining the Muslim world. Unfortunately, the objections force emphasis on the other end of the spectrum--a personal, internal struggle. The average Joe isn't going to be able to reconcile two concepts so very far apart, I think--it's likely he will choose one interpretation to be correct, and one to be false. Now, while some people (I'm talking about Western non-Muslims) do take the opinion that jihad is in fact a peaceful internal struggle. But I think the majority opinion is the opposite--that jihad is violent, Taliban-esque, funded by Saudi Arabia, and trying to bring down the American "Empire." And they conclude that all of us Muslims who say jihad is personal, internal, or spiritual--they say we're liars.

Now, I'm not trying to blame the Average Joe for not being able to fully understand the concept. Perhaps the problem is the way we as Muslims think and talk about jihad. Maybe it is an issue we are afraid to talk about? Maybe we find the idea of a physical jihad (even though this certainly exists in Islamic history) to be somewhat at odds with American ideologies and try to downplay or ignore it. Or maybe we're just afraid of being labelled a terrorist if we dare say that jihad actually can (and sometimes should) mean fighting.

So, I'm writing this post in response to Naeem's post, Reclaiming Jihad, to share what I have learned from my sheikh about explaining the balanced concept of Jihad. I now typically include a slide on jihad in the presentations that I give to non-Muslims (from churches, schools, etc.,) although I tend to omit it in shorter presentations unless the issue comes up as a question from the audience. The slide itself is very simple, but frankly I think it offers a decent way to describe jihad to non-Muslims, and something that might benefit the Muslims as well.

Linguistic Meaning
Despite all the bad press it gets, the word jihad does not equate to holy war. And in fact that is one of the worst and simultaneously most common misconceptions about jihad. To better understand the meaning of an Arabic word, we go back to its root and literal meaning. The word jihaad comes from a 3-letter Arabic root, J/H/D, or the verb jahada. This word means to exert effort, to struggle, or to strive. So the word we are talking about, jihad, has to do with struggling or striving, and with regard to Islam we mean striving for the sake of our Lord, Allah (SWT).

Four Categories
When we sat down with the sheikh to develop this slide, he described jihad to us as having four types or four categories of jihad. Each of the four is necessary to explain, because leaving one out leaves one with an unbalanced impression of jihad. The four categories are:

1. The struggle against the Self
2. The struggle against Satan
3. Delivering the message of Islam (da'wah) while being patient
4. Using force -- Restricted to an Islamic state

Looking at the fourth one is probably making your blood pressure rise already. But calm down--we'll get there and explain it once we've gone through the other three.

(1) Jihad Against the Self

This kind of jihad means striving to control the desires of the self. Our selves are hungry when we don't eat--our body literally tells us when it is time to eat. But yet, in Ramadan, Muslims act against the desires of the self, by refusing to eat even though they are hungry. The self is pleased with the physical world, and the things that give our bodies pleasure can try to lead us away from the path of righteousness. So we have to constantly struggle against our selves to keep our life in balance--spiritual and material.

For example, Muslims have to get up before the crack of dawn, every single day of the year, to make one of the five obligatory prayers. This task alone is a struggle for many Muslims in several regards. To start with, it means that the Muslim has to go to bed on time--especially when the prayer is at a very early time (4:30am) the next morning. That might mean foregoing activities which happen at night. It also means the Muslim has to leave his bed when it might be very cold outside. And on a cold, dark, maybe rainy morning, rousing oneself from the warmth of the bed can be very difficult, as the self tells the body to keep sleeping, to stay in bed where it is warm and cozy. On the other hand, it is a struggle to overcome that desire for sleep, to get up and wash up, and for some even go to the masjid to pray. This is an example of struggling against the self.

(2) Jihad Against Satan

This kind of jihad is similar to the first, but instead of tackling a person's own physical desires, he must also face the whispers of Satan (Shaytaan) who will come and try to lead him away from the path of righteousness. Muslims consider Satan to be a real enemy of the believers, and in fact all mankind, who tries to direct people away from God's path. The whispers are only one tactic, causing a person to get angry, or to talk about people behind their backs, and forget that what they are doing is wrong. The whispers will give a person excuses to delay his prayers and avoid doing good deeds.

An example of Satan's whispers that Muslims have to deal with constantly is during the five daily prayers. As soon as the prayer begins, it seems an endless string of random, irrelevant, or even useful facts, questions, or ideas pop into the person's mind. Maintaining concentration through all that and blocking it out can be a real, continuous struggle. During the prayer a Muslim is in many ways having a conversation with his Lord, and should be focused on that task, physically, spiritually, and mentally.

(3) Delivering the Message of Islam With Patience

This is a single category, don't be confused by thinking that patience alone as a jihad is a new category--having patience through difficulties could fit into either of the above categories, but this kind of jihad is referring to the patience one has when giving da'wah.

Da'wah--inviting people to the way of Islam--begins by simply conveying the message. And anyone who has actively engaged in giving da'wah to non-Muslims, or even Muslims who aren't attached to Islam, knows that sometimes the audience does not want to hear the message of Islam. They may ignore it, or worse, they might begin to mock Islam. They might mock other believers, or scholars. Even worse, they might slander the Prophet Muhammad (saaws), or ridicule the Qur'an, and even Allah (SWT). They might get hostile with the person who is trying to give da'wah--and that is where the patience comes in.

In the Sirah of the Prophet Muhammad (saaws), the hardest day of his life was not, as some might think, the Day of Uhud. It was actually the day he (saaws) went to Ta'if to tell the people there about Islam. But they didn't want to hear it, and in fact they were so hostile to the message and the messenger (saaws) that they sent their children running after him, throwing stones at him. But did he react with anger, or hostility in return? No. The Messenger of Allah (saaws) asked his Lord (SWT) to guide their children to Islam. This is true patience in conveying the message of Islam, which is the third kind of jihad.

The reason this category precedes the fourth is that in the life of the Prophet (saaws), this kind of jihad came first. The da'wah with patience came before any physical altercations was even allowed for the Muslims, meaning they were tortured in their own town (Makkah) but they did not have permission from Allah (SWT) to fight back.

(4) Jihad with Force

Once the Muslims emigrated to Medina, the first Islamic state was officially established. Instead of living as a small minority in a city hostile to their way of life, when they emigrated they became responsible for protecting the new state. That is why we say this kind of jihad is restricted to an Islamic state--it was not allowed for the Muslims until they moved to Medina. This category is also further broken down into two parts--force that is defensive, and force that is offensive.

Defensive
A defensive jihad means that the Muslims (who are fighting defensively) did not initiate the conflict. It simply means that if they are attacked, that Muslims were given the right to fight back to defend themselves. It's important to note that for 13 years in Mecca the Muslims were not allowed (by Allah!) to fight back--not until they were in Medina. When they were allowed to fight, we can read in the Qur'an what means:

Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors. Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors...(Qur'an 2:190-191)

The significance of the bolded portions is that the Muslims were allowed here to fight only those who had engaged them in fighting. They were not allowed to begin fighting another group.

Offensive
Some time after the Muslims were allowed to fight defensively to protect themselves against aggression, Allah (SWT) eventually allowed them to fight offensively. Why? To end oppression, to allow the spread of da'wah (note: to allow it, not to force islam on anyone), to prevent the torture of Muslims, and to end the oppression of people who are interested in learning about Islam but are forcefully prevented from doing so. This kind of jihad must be declared by a Muslim khalifa, and is an act carried out by an Islamic state, and not a "rag-tag" group of dissatisfied youths. And as it happens, though there are 56 Muslim countries, there is not an Islamic state with a khalifa.

Jihad Today
So if we don't have an Islamic state with khalifa, should we not do jihad? The answer is that we (by "we" I mean those of us Muslims who are in the West) are doing the first (3) kinds of jihad mentioned here, and must continue to do these three. Remember that the Islamic state in Medina was not established by jihad--so jihad is not a means to establish an Islamic state. The path to follow in that regard is the da'wah, by conveying the message of Islam.

Please forgive me for any mistakes I've made--they are my own. Anything good is from Allah.

The Fairest of Them All

When I was little, I always figured that "fairest of them all" meant the most beautiful. But considering that Snow White literally had skin as white as snow, perhaps "fairest" was referring to skin tone, instead of beauty--or are the two synonymous?

As I grew up, having fair skin was definitely a trait that would get listed in the negative column. The pretty girls were tan. The really beautiful girls had rich, dark, skin. Now as I spend my time around Muslim girls--many of whom have beautiful dark or olive skin tones, they feel like they don't quite fit into a society of whites, and don't quite admire their skin color like I do.

I was explaining to some friends last night how I remember a girl I went to high school with, walking across the gym floor at some sort of assembly. She was wearing a black miniskirt revealing her legs--and the girls behind me were snickering, making fun of her very fair, very light, very white skin. Have fair skin was almost like an illness, we were all supposed to 'get a tan.' My sister used to sit in the sun wearing baby oil to try to darken it--do you realize what kind of burns this causes? I recall being embarrassed to wear shorts early in the spring (before being able to spend time in the sun) because my own legs were so pale. I used to love that during band camp I would get a tan--and consequently refused sunscreen at times.

It's really sad that from such an early age, girls are trained to not be comfortable with their own bodies.

I'm not sure if this pressure has faded just since I've grown up, or because my friends now are mostly Muslim. I don't think Muslim girls, growing up, are able to totally escape the snickers and nasty remarks from their adolescent peers. However, I think that women who cover (and I'm not even talking about the headscarf here but just wear long clothes, pants/skirts and full sleeves, for example) are able to feel at least a little more comfortable with themselves and their bodies, because they aren't trained to expose themselves to everyone they meet. (Sadly, that doesn't mean that other Muslimahs, in private, are never cruel critics of the beauty of others.)
But on the other hand, I think that covering is not just about interacting with men. It can protect a woman from her own ego, and from jealousy.

Regardless of a woman's height, weight, skin tone, or hair, she ought to be able to respect herself enough to refrain from criticizing her peers, and to look into her own mirror and see that she too can be the fairest of them all.