‘Whomsoever I kill, I am his ransom’

AFP has reported that Australian PM Kevin Rudd says that the holy warriors are cowards. We simply cannot hear this: it makes the Ali blood in our veins boil. These offensive words don’t call for explanation or interpretation, no matter whether their sayer is Rudd or Bush. ‘Grievous are the words which come out from their mouths.’ [18:the Cave:5]

Know, and God may guide us, that they, the holy warriors, are the martyrs of Love. The holy hadith ‘Whomsoever I kill, I am his ransom’ is a reference to their stage (maqam).

They are always under the crushing (sahq under qahr) weight of their affective experience (halan wa dhawqan), and have no moment of rest. For rest is in forgetting, and since they are in the stage of perpetual effacement (mahw da’im) -- awaiting execution -- there is no possibility for them of forgetting Allah (swt) and asking for forgiveness from infidels.

“The distinguishing mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel -- like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers -- that He may enrage the disbelievers with the sight of them.” [48:the Victory:29]

The degree of their realization and knowledge of all that which has been created is as perfect as the creator (khaliq), save the finest span between the finite and the infinite.

The first degree of realization (tahaqquq) they reached is the scene of istiwa in the highest part of the horizon (ufuq) which is the highest stage of the angelic force (jabarut), at which appear the two arcs -- the arc of creation, khalq and the arc of Godhead, uluhiyyah -- to meet each other. Here they heard a voice (saying): "Glory be to Me. I am the Lord of the angels and the spirits. My mercy subdues My wrath."

Then moving further beyond (wara’) the dualistic view (ithnayniyyat) they entered the state of awaiting or pending -- not terminated -- between the finite and the infinite, joining point (nuqtah, dot) of the two arcs, after which comes the phase of aw adna (or nearer) where all dualistic considerations concerning the two arcs disappear. The whole becomes a circle wherein the absolute infinite manifests overall encompassment and penetration. At this stage of total submission and absorption, they come into direct communion (munajat) with the infinite absolute and receive most important message which is known to them and their Lord.

Imam Ja‘far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq says: "It was in this state the command relating to wilayah or imamah with finality was revealed to the Holy Prophet." The Imam further says that "what he saw" has nothing to do with the ordinary sense of seeing but it refers to the realization the cognitive self of the Holy Prophet achieved.

So understand that mukhlas is the one who has been chosen by God and reserved for Himself. We can look for the truth of ‘the eye did not swerve, nor did it go wrong’ here. At this level Love means the will to obey. Here the object is to remove the evil objects. Therefore, when evil objects are removed – as per istiwa, the prophetic walayat is realized. After that, whatever progress we make will be in the area of prophetic perfections. ‘Our Lord! forgive us our sins and transgressions in our duties, establish our feet firmly, and help us against those who resist Faith’ [3:Ali Imran:147];

ربَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

Brotherhood of Believers

Funding a Winning Battle, Learned

Addressing the people who embraced Islam after the fall of Mecca, the Prophet (saw) once said: “If you spend in God’s way a heap of gold equal to the mountain Uhud, it will not be equal to a mudd – roughly a kilo – of wheat which my comrades have spent, nor even half a mudd.” This explains the greatness of the first Muslims who responded to the Prophet’s call and believed in him, devoted their lives, spent their wealth and rendered great services to Islam.

This is the reason why the Qur’an says:

لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ أُوْلَئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أَنفَقُوا مِن بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا

“You are not equal to those who spent money before the Conquest and fought; for they are far above those who spent afterwards and fought.” [57:the Iron:10]

Before the fall of Mecca the Muslims were a very poor community, so those who spent in the cause of Allah (swt) in such days of distress are superior to those who spent after the removal of poverty when economic prosperity was achieved.

It is a historical fact that the wealth of Khadijah al-Kubra (ra) inherited by Fatimah az-Zahra (ra) and her children was spent to feed not only the displaced muhajirs but also to finance the battles fought by the Holy Prophet (saw) to defend the small community of Muslims.

As far as the fighting in the way of Allah (swt) is concerned none can be cited save Ali (kwj) whose valour and courage won all the battles fought by the Holy Prophet (saw).

Imam Ali (kwj) said: "Allah told the Holy Prophet: ‘Wealth is Mine. The possessor of it is a trustee. The poor and the have-nots of this world are My family. Woe unto those possessors of wealth who do not discharge their duty concerning My trust.’"

O you who inherit wealth! You must remember that what came into your hands should have been spent in the cause of Allah (swt) by your ancestors, who by hoarding it have already earned the displeasure of Allah (swt) and now you must not follow your fathers’ footsteps but “spend out of what He hath made you trustees.”

أَنفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ

Fighting a Winning Battle

For some the idea – hajis -- that Muslims could unite together into one unified Islamic State under the banner of a Khilafah is a distant pipe dream. But for us establishing the Khilafah is not a pipe dream. It is within the realm of qaba qawsayn, wait for that good time which is not so far.

To all Brothers & Sisters of Islam,

Firstly, we must all realize – tahaqquq -- that Allah (s.w.t) is not in any need of us. With Him lies all knowledge and power over all things. If we, the Muslims, embark on the mission to re-establish His deen in this world, we are indeed fighting a sure-win battle, for Allah (swt) will surely re-establish His deen on earth whether or not we contribute to the process. Hence, by taking part in this process, we are actually helping ourselves, and not helping Allah (s.w.t), for Allah only has to command "Be" and it is! -- kun faya koon. Hence, do not let shaytaan's whispers – waswas -- cast doubts in your hearts as to whether the caliphate is a practical reality, and let us place all our trust in Allah (s.w.t) and join in this process for which we already know the end result is victory to Islam. May Allah (s.w.t) reward us for our contributions and efforts.

Secondly, it might be of concern – himmah -- to some brothers & sisters as to how we can find a person who strictly leads an Islamic way of life and has the caliber to lead the entire Ummah in this time and age. Now, let's recall that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was sent to the tribe of Quraish, and he (s.a.w) was sent during the period of Jahiliyah -- ignorance. Most of the Quraishi were known to be corrupt evil-doers, and no one at that time could have imagined that the Messenger of Allah, the chosen one, would emerge from this sort of tribe. Eventually, he (s.a.w) managed to establish Islam to the perfect state by the will of Allah (s.w.t). Similarly, today, we find it unimaginable to find a truly righteous person who will be capable of leading the entire Ummah politically, socially, economically, militarily, etc. Hence, once again, we must place all our trust in Allah (s.w.t) to provide us such a rightly guided Imam -- Imam Al-Mahdi, and knowing that He is the All Mighty; we will find that chosen person as long as He wills. And judging from the authentic Hadith found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibnu Hambal which ends as ".... afterwards, there will be Khilafah according to the ways of Prophethood...." So, let us pray to Allah (s.w.t) to reward us with that rightly-guided Imam.

And Allah (s.w.t) knows best.

JazakalLah
Brotherhood of Believers

plot w/ a view: ANWAR PLOTTING OPPOSITION'S NEXT MOVE

ENTERING last week's election as the wild card in Malaysian politics, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has emerged from the polls as the politician holding the strongest hand, making him a serious contender for the national leadership.

As government politicians and analysts struggle to make sense of the stunning election results, which denied the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) its two-thirds majority and gave the opposition control of five state assemblies, Datuk Seri Anwar is plotting his next moves.

'We need to get the state governments in place and quickly show the people that this is not business as usual,' said the 60-year-old politician, who was sacked from government in 1998 and then jailed on corruption charges.

'We have to show that we can manage with prudence and make procurement policies transparent through tenders,' he noted, adding that the opposition will demand the same in Parliament of the BN.

The stakes are high for him and the ideologically diverse opposition coalition built around his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

For the first time in Malaysia's history, the opposition - which has little experience in governing - will be in charge of five states, several with established industrial bases and robust economies.

Should it succeed it crafting investment policies that will create jobs and bring an end to the patronage form of government that has characterised past BN administrations, analysts say the opposition alliance could make a credible bid for national power in future polls.

But it won't be easy, they say.

Apart from PKR, a Malay-dominated multiracial party, the alliance includes the predominantly Chinese and left-leaning Democratic Action Party (DAP). At the other end of the spectrum is Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which only recently dropped its demand to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state should its come to power.

Datuk Seri Anwar played a crucial role in getting the two traditional political foes to set aside their differences to create an unlikely three-way alliance for the election.

He acknowledges that forging a middle ground comfortable enough for PAS and the DAP to co-exist will continue to be a challenge.

'Three months ago, I knew that we could easily secure at least one-third of the parliamentary seats. My partners weren't convinced, but I told them as long as we remain a cohesive force we can deny the BN the two-thirds and get more,' he said.

There is no denying that the Anwar-led opposition can claim credit for shifting the axis of power that has long shaped Malaysia.

The huge electoral setbacks suffered by Umno means that it cannot establish a government on its own.

Umno, which has long been used to dictating how the government is run, is now weakened, a prospect many analysts fear could stymie decision-making in government.

Datuk Seri Anwar's return to mainstream politics is the latest twist in a political odyssey of one of Malaysia's most popular and powerful politicians.

In the 1970s, he set up a foundation to tutor poor Malay dropouts and led a 40,000 strong Muslim youth movement called Abim, which championed Islamic, social and human-rights causes.

The often caustic attacks against the government led him to jail in 1974 for a period of 22 months after he organised demonstrations against national agricultural policies which hurt farmers.

With his growing national stature, Datuk Seri Anwar was being actively courted by PAS. But it was former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who in 1981 persuaded the young Anwar to join the ruling party.

Datuk Seri Anwar rose quickly through the ranks and in 1991 was appointed to the powerful post of finance minister, and two years later became Umno's deputy president, a position which made him a clear successor to Dr Mahathir.

But the partnership came unstuck with the onset of the Asian financial crisis, which resulted in Datuk Seri Anwar's sacking from government and his subsequent imprisonment.

Looking a little rested from a punishing two-week campaign, Datuk Seri Anwar said the internal bickering in Umno, which helped the opposition's election campaign, will also give his coalition time to put its own house in order in the states where it will govern.

He is reluctant to talk about his immediate political plans or his chances of becoming premier.

His aide Khalid Jaffar said his boss is likely to contest a by-election once the prohibition barring him from holding office expires next month.

'The big task is to push ahead with this multiracial deal that we are offering Malaysians,' Mr Khalid said.

Now for the hard part
PACING the long corridors of his double-storey home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim fields telephone calls from his opposition colleagues, trying to hammer out compromises for new state government positions.

'You think winning the elections is difficult. It is also difficult after winning,' he tells The Straits Times in a wide-ranging interview.

He says the opposition coalition he heads is still coming to grips with huge advances in the weekend elections. He also ruled out any unity government with the BN. Here are excerpts: [Full Story HERE]

BN confident of winning polls

PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional is confident of winning a two-thirds majority in the upcoming general election, its deputy chairman, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said yesterday. The deputy prime minister, who is also Umno deputy president, said despite the current issues being played up by the opposition, BN was confident of achieving it.

"Yes, of course. We are positive (about winning) and we must have that positive attitude," he said after chairing the National Social Council meeting at the Implementation and Co-ordination Unit in the Prime Minister's Department.

"Obviously, we are hoping to get more than that (two-thirds)," Najib said, adding that voters would not be easily swayed by accusations hurled against the BN by the opposition.

He said the opposition would make all sorts of promises to entice voters.

"In the first place, do we need to respond to their antics? Their promises are nothing and unrealistic."

The latest gimmick by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was that it would pay allowances to housewives if the party won in the general election.

Najib said voters knew BN's track record and appreciated what it had done to improve the quality of life of the people.

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