Intermittent Dark Nights of the Soul

روى مسلم ‏ ‏عَنْ ‏ ‏أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏ (‏أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏قَالَ ‏ ‏بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا ‏ ‏وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا أَوْ يُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ ‏ ‏بِعَرَضٍ ‏ ‏مِنْ الدُّنْيَا).

 [Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (p) said: "Hasten to good works before being tested with intermittent dark nights; a person may have faith in the morning and reject it in the evening, or have faith in the evening and reject it in the morning, selling his religion for mundane worldly goods.]

It is a common misconception that the "dark night of the soul" -- being gripped by existential uncertainty and anxiety -- is a phase that the faithful overcome only once in their lifetimes, as soon as they find light. This is not an accurate description of the human condition, which goes through several such episodes.

Two parallel examples help to shed some light on intermittent dark nights of the soul: one is the story of Ibrahim (p) in the sixth chapter of the Qur'an (Cattle 75--82) and the other from the life story of the Prophet (p).

1. First Darkness and Dim Light

They both begin in seemingly total darkness (6:75--76):

{وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِيۤ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُوقِنِينَ} 

[Thus we show Ibrahim the invisible realm of the heavens of the earth, so that he may attain certainty.]

{فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْلَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَباً قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لاۤ أُحِبُّ ٱلآفِلِينَ}

[When dark night enveloped him, he saw a planet, and said: "this is (a symbol of) my Lord", but the planet set, and he said: "I dislike objects that set"].

The parable is clear: Even in the darkest night of the soul, we can see the dim light reflected from a distant planet.

Like Ibrahim (p) before him, the Prophet (p) was not satisfied with the idol symbols of faith in his society, and sought illumination in the solitude of the cave of Hira'. Intermittently over several years, he spent time alone in the cave seeking illumination, until one night he was gripped by the archangel Gabriel, who commanded him to "recite" (إقرأ), but he didn't know how or what to recite.

He returned home in terror of this vision. To allay his fears, his wife Khadijah's (r) took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal, who assured him that this was a divine revelation through the angelic form of Gabriel.

Seeking more illumination, the Prophet (p) returned to the cave, several times, but nothing came. Night after night, he found nothing but darkness, just like the story of Ibrahim where we left it: the luminous planet had set.

2. Second Darkness and Brighter Light

The story of Ibrahim continues (6:77):

{فَلَمَّآ رَأَى ٱلْقَمَرَ بَازِغاً قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِن لَّمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلضَّالِّينَ} 

[Then he saw the moon shining, and said: "this is (a symbol of) my Lord", but when the moon also set, he said: "unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the misguided"].

The light of the moon is also reflected light, just like the light of Venus, but the moon is close enough to earth to reflect sufficient light that allows us to see other objects (whereas the light reflected from Venus allowed us to see the planet and not much else).

Likewise, the revelations that came to the Prophet (p) after the first one, followed by an extended silence, was not intended for him alone!

During the extended period of silence following the first very brief revelation, the Prophet (p) was approaching despair. Finally, he saw a vision of the archangel Gabriel filling the horizon. The vision shook him so deeply that he could not stop shivering, and his wife Khadijah (r) cloaked him at his request... 

Then revelations resumed, somewhat continuously, starting with instructions for a mission (74:1--5):

{يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ} * {قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ} * {وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ} * {وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ} * {وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ}  

[O, cloaked one, rise and warn people, glorify your Lord, cleanse your garments, and avoid all idols.]

But this light, which he shared with the world, would also set, just like Ibrahim's moon. When Jewish scholars challenged him to give answers on (i) the people of the Cave, (ii) the man who conquered East and West, and (iii) the nature of the Spirit, he promised them answers the next day (without saying "God willing" إن شاء الله). But no revelation came that day or the next, or the next, to the point that the idolators rejoiced cynically: "Muhammad's Lord has abandoned him" (رب محمد قد قلاه).

3. The Undeniable Directness of Sunlight

In the story of Ibrahim, his night ends, and sunlight shines directly and undeniably on him and his interlocutors (6:78--79):

{فَلَماَّ رَأَى ٱلشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّي هَـٰذَآ أَكْبَرُ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يٰقَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيۤءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ}

[Then he saw the sun shining and said: "This is (a symbol of) my Lord; this is the biggest (source of light)", but then the sun set, and he said: "You see, my people: I denounce all that you associate with God."]

{إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرْضَ حَنِيفاً وَمَآ أَنَاْ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ}

[I turn my attention exclusively to the creator of the heavens and the earth. I am not a polytheist.]

After the second prolonged interruption of revelation, which likewise caused great anxiety for the Prophet (p), revelations finally resumed, and this time they continued without any further interruptions to the end of his life, staring with reassurance (93:1--3):

{وَٱلضُّحَىٰ} * {وَٱللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ} * {مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ}

[By the (light of) day, and the darkness of night, your Lord has not abandoned you.]

But just like the sun had to set in the story of Ibrahim, the direct light of revelation ended with the death of the Prophet (p). Many Muslims were shaken and couldn't believe that he had died. Abu Bakr (r) reminded them that they were not worshipping Muhammad, who had died, but worshipping God, who never dies. 

4. Faith and Comfort in Darkness

The light is still always there, even when you cannot see it. God is near even when you don't feel it.

Look carefully when the night is darkest, and you can see a dim reflection from a distant star, and then stronger reflection from the next moonrise, followed by day, and the cycle goes on. The story of Ibrahim's debate with his people concludes thus (6:80--82):

{وَحَآجَّهُ قَوْمُهُ قَالَ أَتُحَٰجُّوۤنِّي فِي ٱللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانِ وَلاَ أَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ بِهِ إِلاَّ أَن يَشَآءَ رَبِّي شَيْئاً وَسِعَ رَبِّي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْماً أَفَلاَ تَتَذَكَّرُونَ} 

[His people continued to debate with him. He said: are you still arguing, even after God has guided me. I do not fear what you associate with him, unless my Lord had wished some harm. My Lord knows all, do you not reflect?]

{وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلاَ تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَٰناً فَأَيُّ ٱلْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِٱلأَمْنِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ}

[How can I fear what you associate with God while you don't fear that you have associated others with Him that were not endowed with any power over you? Which side of this comparison is more likely to be safe?]

{ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوۤاْ إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُوْلَـٰئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلأَمْنُ وَهُمْ مُّهْتَدُونَ} 

[Those who have faith and have not polluted their faith with idolatry, they are the ones who have safety and guidance.]

The Gift of Tranquility

 {و اتقوا الله و اعلموا أن الله مع المتقين} البقرة ١٩٤

Be God-conscious and know that God supports those who are God conscious

In our age of anxiety, we can rarely find peace of mind without Divine assistance, which takes the form of tranquility (in Arabic = سكينة). This quietude descends upon the faithful to give them a temporary sense of peace, albeit short of serenity (in Arabic = طمأنينة), the permanent station that we hope to reach before we die. 

Ibn Qayim al-Jawziya recounted in his quasi-Sufi manual مدارج السالكين that whenever he or his teacher Ibn Taymiya felt anxious or disturbed, they would contemplate the six verses of the Qur'an in which tranquility = سكينة is mentioned ... and this is the plan for my sermon today.

The Prophet (p) advised us to conjure up a human version of this tranquility as we travel to the mosque:

روى البخاري و مسلم: عن أَبَي هُرَيْرَةَ  ( سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ  صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ  يَقُولُ  إِذَا أُقِيمَتْ الصَّلَاةُ فَلَا تَأْتُوهَا  تَسْعَوْنَ  وَأْتُوهَا تَمْشُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ السَّكِينَةُ فَمَا أَدْرَكْتُمْ فَصَلُّوا وَمَا فَاتَكُمْ فَأَتِمُّوا ).

[Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (p) said: "When prayer is called, do not approach it in a rush, but walk calmly with tranquility upon you; then pray whatever you catch and make up whatever you miss."]

Then, as we contemplate the Qur'an here, actual Divine tranquility = سكينة would descend upon us:

روى مسلم: عن أبي هريرة (… وَمَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِلَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّكِينَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمْ الرَّحْمَةُ وَحَفَّتْهُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَذَكَرَهُمْ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ…)

[Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (p) said: "Whenever a group gather in one of the houses of God, reciting His scripture and studying it, then tranquility descends upon them and angels gather around them and God mentions them among His host."]

The first verse that mentioned tranquility = سكينة appears in the second chapter of the Qur'an, and connects directly to the Hebrew version of the word = Shekhinah, tied to the Israelite tabernacle (the tent that served as their mobile temple) and the ark of the covenant (in Arabic = التابوت), which is described as "carried by angels", in possible reference to the ancient-Egyptian-style cherubim decorations the Israelites had carved on its lid:

{وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ آيَةَ مُلْكِهِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ و بقية مما ترك آل موسى و آل هارون تحمله الملائكة إن في ذلك لآية لكم إن كنتم مؤمنين} البقرة ٢٤٨

[And their Prophet (Samuel) told them: "The sign of his kingship is that the ark (of the covenant) will come to you, in it (you will find) tranquility = سكينة from your Lord, and relics from the families of Moses and Aaron, carried by angels. This will surely be a sign for you if you have faith.]

The context, recounted in the biblical books of Samuel, is that the Israelites had carried the Ark to battle up North, where they lost it, causing great anxiety that God had abandoned them. Thus, the Prophet Samuel told them that Saul (in Arabic = طالوت) will be their king, and that recovering the Ark will be a sign that this was God's will, and that He had not abandoned them.

The next two mentions of tranquility = سكينة are in the 9th chapter, and they recount, in reverse chronological order, two tests that could have meant the end of Islam. The first is the battle of Hunayn, in the 8th year after Hijra, shortly after the Muslims had entered Makkah without fighting, and thought that they were finally safe. Then allied tribes, including the mighty Hawazin and Thaqif, came to attack them in Makkah, but the Prophet (p) decided to meet them outside, in the direction of Ta'if:

{لقد نصركم الله في مواطن كثيرة و يوم حنين إذ أعجبتكم كثرتكم فلم تغن عنكم شيئاً و ضاقت عليكم الأرض بما رحبت ثم وليتم مدبرين * ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ جُنُودًا لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ} التوبة ٢٥-٢٦

[God has helped you on many fields, and on the day of Hunayn, when you were proud of your numbers, but they did not help, and the vast land seemed to collapse on you, and you turned in retreat. Then God sent down His tranquility = سكينة upon His messenger and the faithful, and He sent down forces that you did not see, and He punished the unfaithful, for such is the fate of the unfaithful.]

The second mention of tranquility = سكينة in the 9th chapter goes back to the migration of the Prophet (p) from Makkah to Madinah. He and Abu Bakr (r) were hiding in a cave (غار ثور) from the idolators who had caught up to them. Abu Bakr (r) told the Prophet (p): "If one of them just looks at his sandals, he would surely see us," and the Prophet's (p) answer was immortalized in the Qur'an:

{إلا تنصروه فقد نصره الله إذ أخرجه الذين كفروا ثاني اثنين إذ هما في الغارإِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَمْ تَرَوْهَا و جعل كلمة الكافرين السفلى و كلمة الله هي العليا و الله عزيز حكيم} التوبة ٤٠

[You are not the ones who help him, for God had already helped him, (for example) when the unfaithful expelled him; he was the second of two in that cave, and he said to his companion: "Do not grieve, for God is with us," then God sent down His tranquility = سكينة, and supported him with forces that you did not see; and He made the word of the unfaithful the lowest and God´s word the highest; for God is mighty and wise.]

The last three mentions of tranquility = سكينة appear in the 48th chapter, which chronicled a time of great anxiety after  the treaty of Hudaybiya, which was heavily biased in favor of the idolators, but miraculously turned out to be a blessing in disguise. So, we conclude with those three verses:

{هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ و لله جنود السموات و الأرض و كان الله عليماً حكيما} الفتح ٤

[It is He who sent down tranquility = سكينة into the hearts of the faithful, thus to increase their faith. To God belong the forces of the heavens and the earth; God is knowing and wise]

{لقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا} الفتح ١٨

[God was well pleased with the faithful when they gave you their covenant under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility = سكينة upon them, and rewarded them with near victory.]

{إِذْ جَعَلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ و ألزمهم كلمة التقوى و كانوا أحق بها و أهلها و كان الله بكل شيء عليما} الفتح ٢٦

[When the unfaithful ignited in their hearts the fierceness of ignorance, then God sent down His tranquility = سكينة upon His messenger and the believers, and made them steadfast in God consciousness, of which they were the most deserving, and God knows all.]

Serenity and Contentment at Dawn

 This is a draft for my sermon this week:

‏روى مسلم عَنْ ‏ ‏الْعَبَّاسِ قال‏ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏(ص) ‏‏ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا ‏ ‏وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏رَسُولًا 

[Muslim narrated on the authority of Al-`Abbas; the Prophet (p) said: "One has tasted faith who is content with God as lord, Submission as religion, and Muhammad as messenger."]

"Tasted faith," the Prophet (p) said, and taste is a temporary state = حال. This is the starting point of faith, but it guides us to the permanent station of Contentment = مقام الرضا, which is the final objective of faith.

The 89th chapter of the Qur'an brings glad tidings to those who achieve this station: "O soul at peace, return to your Lord, content and satisfied. Join with My worshipers into My heaven." (27--30)

It is often challenging to find serenity and contentment. So, the beginning of the chapter points to special times for solitary restoration, starting with the most hopeful time of all -- dawn, when darkness yields to light (1--5):

و الفجر
By the dawn
و ليال عشر
;and ten nights
و الشفع و الوتر
by the even and the odd
و الليل إذا يسر
.and by the passing of the night
هل في ذلك قسم لذي حجر
?Are these not significant for the mindful

This is consistent with the Prophetic tradition:

‏روى البخاري عَنْ ‏ ‏أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏ ‏عَنْ النَّبِيِّ ‏ ‏(ص) ‏ ‏قَالَ ‏... وَاسْتَعِينُوا ‏ ‏بِالْغَدْوَةِ ‏ ‏وَالرَّوْحَةِ ‏ ‏وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ ‏ ‏الدُّلْجَةِ 

[Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (p) said: "... and seek support at the beginning and end of each day, and part of the night.]

Corruption, oppression and injustice disturb our peace. But the chapter goes on to teach that we should adopt different timeframes when thinking about these civilization-scale issues. The only constant is change, but it happens at its own pace — over centuries, not lifetimes or years. We are thus reminded in this chapter how major changes have evolved over centuries (6--14): 

ألم تر كيف فعل ربك بعاد
,Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with `Ad
إرم ذات العماد
,Iram of the great pillars
التي لم يخلق مثلها في البلاد
;the like of which had not been created
و ثمود الذين جابوا الصخر بالواد
,and Thamood, who carved rocks in the valley
و فرعون ذي الأوتاد
;and Pharaoh, with the massive tents
الذين طغوا في البلاد
those who transgressed in their nations
فأكثروا فيها الفساد
,and multiplied corruption therein
فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب
;and thus your Lord poured severe punishment upon them
إن ربك لبالمرصاد
!for your Lord is ever watchful

Of course, we should not confuse contentment with inaction. On the contrary, being content with God's decree is conducive to good action, even as we acknowledge that only God can change the world. In one narration of the long Hadith of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, the Prophet (p) teaches him:

فإنِ استطعتَ أن تعملَ للهِ بالرضا مع اليقينِ فافعل ، فإن لم تستطع فإنَّ في الصبرِ على ما تكرهُ خيرًا كثيرًا 

[If you can work with contentment and certainty, then that is better; but if you cannot, then there is much good in perseverance through what you dislike.]

In the holy tradition (حديث قدسي) narrated by Bukhari on the authority of Abu Hurayra:

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏ ‏يُؤْذِينِي ابْنُ ‏ ‏آدَمَ ‏ ‏يَسُبُّ الدَّهْرَ وَأَنَا الدَّهْرُ بِيَدِي الْأَمْرُ أُقَلِّبُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ 

[Allah (s) said: The son of Adam insults Me by cursing time. But I Am Time, I control all, and alternate nights and days.]

The chapter then turns to the individual human time scale, the most relevant for us (15--20):

فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه و نعمه

فيقول ربي أكرمن
As for man, whenever his Lord tries him
,with honors and blessings
;then he says: My Lord has honored me
و أما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه
فيقول ربي أهانن
,but when He tries him with restricted provisions
.then he says: My Lord has humiliated me
كلا بل لا تكرمون اليتيم
,No! You honor not the orphan
و لا تحاضون على طعام المسكين
,and you enjoin not feeding the needy
و تأكلون التراث أكلاً لما
and you devour inheritance voraciously
و تحبون المال حباً جما
.and you love wealth unreasonably

This juxtaposition is reminiscent of the admonition of Ibn `Ata'-Illah:

اجتهادك فيما ضمن لك و تقصيرك فيما طلب منك دليل على انطماس البصيرة منك

[Your striving for what He has guaranteed for you and falling short on what He has required of you is a proof that your inner sight is blind.]

The chapter concludes by describing opposite destinations for the faithless and the faithful (21--26): 

كلا إذا دكت الأرض دكاً دكا
No! When the earth is pounded into dust
و جاء ربك و الملك صفاً صفا
,and your Lord comes amidst ranks of angels
و جيء يومئذ بجهنم، يومئذ يتذكر الإنسان و أنى له الذكرى
;and hell is brought forth
!then man will remember -- and what a remembrance
يقول يا ليتني قدمت لحياتي
.He will say: I wish I had forwarded for my true life
فيومئذ لا يعذب عذابه أحد
On that day, none other shall punish him
و لا يوثق وثاقه أحد
.and none other shall bind him

Abdul-Qader Al-Jailani mentioned in his exegesis of this verse that self punishment through regret is the worst. This is the fate of souls that do not find serenity and contentment.

As for those who do, may we be among them (27--30): 

يأيتها النفس المطمئنة
,O soul at peace
ارجعي إلى ربك راضية مرضية
;return to your Lord, content and satisfied
فادخلي في عبادي
Join with My worshippers
و ادخلي جنتي
.into My Heaven

The Foreigner Who Wants To Be A Citizen: A Fourth of July Sermon

 This is a draft of my sermon for this Friday, July 1, 2022 at ISGH Main Center.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا (الأحزاب: 70)

[O, Community of Faith, be God conscious and aim your words carefully (Allies: 70)]

Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra (r) that the Prophet (p) said:

بدأ الإسلام غريباً و سيعود غريباً كما بدأ فطوبى للغرباء

[Islam began as a foreigner, and it will again become a foreigner as it had begun, so blessed are the foreigners.]

And Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (r) that the Prophet (p) held him by his shoulders and told him:

كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب أو عابر سبيل

 [Be in life like a foreigner or a wayfarer.]

We find comfort in these teachings, and accept being perpetual foreigners in this sense, both in our native and adopted countries. 

But we also want to be citizens, and the legal basis for my naturalized citizenship of the United States, and for my children's natural-born citizenship, is the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. Article 1 reads:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

It was devastating late last week when the Supreme Court of the United States took away from American women a constitutional right that had been anchored fifty years ago in the same Fourteenth Amendment.

Leading legal scholars have noted that the ruling is oppressive to Muslim women, enumerating the different views on abortion in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence, while others have noted that several Muslim-majority countries allow legal abortion and many medieval Muslim jurists had allowed it in different circumstances, especially during the first trimester. 

But I would argue that as Muslim Americans, the dictates of Islamic jurisprudence on abortion are not relevant factors in defending the legal rights of others. To explain by analogy: I observe the Islamic prohibition of alcohol meticulously, but this does not mean that I would advocate for returning to early twentieth century prohibition laws (imposed by the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 and repealed by the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933). 

We are all protected by the separation of church and state. Whether it is the Taliban of Afghanistan, the Ayatollahs of Iran, or the so-called "religious scholars" of my native region, appeals to religion to take away human rights are nothing more than naked power plays -- which vary only to the degree that states allow it. 

In this regard, Al-Tabari narrated that Ali ibn Abi Talib (r) criticized the Khawarij who had insisted that only the Qur'an should settle the great dispute of his time by saying:

هذا القرآن إنما هو خط مسطور بين دفتين لا ينطق إنما يتكلم به الرجال

["This Qur'an is just a set of written words between two covers; it does not speak, but men speak with its authority."]

The same is true of the U.S. Constitution: Written words interpreted by men. No system is ever perfect, and we should strive to make progress by choosing interpretations that progressively increase human rights.

The constitutional right to abortion under Roe was anchored in the Fourteenth Amendment right to privacy (as part of liberty). In this regard, ACLU and other civil rights organizations had argued that the types of surveillance, manipulation and entrapment to which our community has been subjected in recent years were violations of our Fourteenth Amendment rights to privacy. Alas, in March of this year the Supreme Court dismissed disputation of the legality of sending undercover agents as spies who apparently  attempted to radicalize and entrap Muslims in Southern California. To be clear, our community, if anything, is excessively eager to cooperate with law enforcement, but nobody benefits when overzealous agents try actively to radicalize vulnerable people.   

The methodology that the Supreme Court used in Dobbs to overturn Roe, is so-called "originalism": The justices ask what the framers of the constitutional amendment meant at the time of writing. The basis of their ruling was that women did not have the right to abortion when the Fourteenth Amendment was drafted in 1868. This methodology (and I must say that the same applies to much of what sadly passes for "Islamic jurisprudence" today) is fundamentally ahistorical in its lack of respect for historical trajectory and modern advances in Humanities, Social Sciences and Legal Theory. 

The same legal methodology in Dobbs can be used to prevent or take away Fourteenth Amendment citizenship from naturalized citizens like me and natural-born citizens like my children. Indeed, the same Mr. John Eastman, now of the January 6th insurrection infamy, had argued before congress in 2005 that the Fourteenth Amendment should be interpreted within the narrow confines of its intended nineteenth-century goal of granting citizenship to emancipated slaves and their progeny. Native Americans were not granted citizenship at the time, because they were viewed as subjects of the jurisdictions of their "Indian nations," and hence not of the United States. This pseudo-historical legal jujitsu has been a mainstay argument for opponents of immigration and birthright citizenship.

We wish to defend our citizenship rights, and the best way to defend these rights is to defend the rights of others. In this regard, I close with another story attributed by Al-Tabarani and others to Ali ibn Abi Talib (r) as he predicted his own tragic murder a few years after the tragic murder of Othman ibn Affan (r):

There were three bulls in the forest -- one red, one black and one white. They were too strong together for the lion to attack any of them. One day, the lion told the black and red bulls that the white bull was visible from afar and dangerous to them. "If I eat him," he said, "you both will be safe in the forest." They let him. A week later the bull convinced the black bull that the red one is too arrogant because of his fancy color, so he let him eat the red bull. The lion came the following week and told the black bull "I'll eat you now," to which the black bull replied: "No, I was eaten on the day that the white bull was eaten."

Religion As Antidote for Religious Nationalism

 This is the draft of my sermon scheduled at ISGH Main Center on June 3, 2022.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (آل عمران: 200)

[O, community of faith, be patient, persevere in your patience and be steadfast; and exercise God consciousness so that you may succeed. (Family of  Amram: 200)]

0. The Global Problem of Rising Religious Nationalism

Anyone following recent election results in France and primary results in the U.S. must be concerned about the continued rise in Christian nationalism that targets Western Muslim communities like ours with special animus. This is particularly disconcerting in light of the growing tides of religious nationalism that have turned violent around the world: For example, Hindu-nationalist pogroms in majority-Muslim Indian villages, Buddhist-nationalist persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and Jewish-ultranationalist provocation and attacks on Arab populations in Israel and the Palestinian lands that it occupies.

In this sermon, I would like to make three points.

1. Religious Nationalism Cannot Be Countered by Another Religious Nationalism

I delivered a sermon at this mosque eighteen and a half years ago, denouncing Islamic-nationalist thought, which was invented in the middle of the past century by semi-educated activists who confounded the classical Muslim notion of Ummah (religious community) with the modern concept of nation (which was invented in the eighteenth century). I do not wish to rehash the same arguments that I made then. But I want to recognize that this unfortunate Islamic-nationalism was a reaction to subjugation of Muslim populations by European colonial powers. I also wish to warn against allowing it to resurface in reaction to the current wave of resurgent Christian nationalism in our backyard. Responding to Christian (or any other religious) nationalism with Islamic nationalism would only exacerbate the problem by providing further fuel and justification for anti-Muslim religious nationalism. 

Sociologists who studied the rise of religious nationalism have shown that it may arise even among groups who belong to dominant majorities but who feel that their identity and way of life is threatened by social currents. Thus, analysis has shown that Christian-nationalist sentiments in the United States are driven by the view that the country's dominant religion is in fact secular multiculturalism, which those groups find threatening. Several surveys have shown that adherents to this view have grown in numbers and conviction that Christianity is integral to Americanness, and that they view Islam in particular as an alien ideology that is incompatible with American values. Prominent former and prospective candidates for President of the United States and numerous lower offices have made statements to this effect explicitly on several occasions.

2. Religious Nationalism Cannot Be Countered by Courting Secular Ultra-Liberalism

Fortunately, many members of our community have seen the errors of Islamic nationalism of the previous century and sought to find better political responses to the rise of Christian nationalism that targets our communities in particular. They exercise the patience, perseverance and steadfastness that are enjoined in the opening verse of this sermon. This is the right approach religiously: not to respond angrily to insults. 

This is the central message of the verse:

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ (فصلت: 35)

[Yet none shall receive (this great reward), except the steadfast; none shall receive it, except those who are very fortunate. (Well Expounded: 35)]

In their commentaries on this verse, exegetes have cited the Prophetic Tradition narrated by Ahmad on the authority of Abu Hurayra (r) that Abu Bakr (r) was sitting with the Prophet (p) when a man insulted Abu Bakr repeatedly, while Abu Bakr (r) was silent and the Prophet (p) continued to smile in amusement. Then after the their third insult, Abu Bakr (r) answered the man, at which time the Prophet (p) left. Abu Bakr (r) followed him and said: "The man kept insulting me in your presence and I kept forgiving him and refraining from responding; but then when I answered him to defend my honor, you left, O Messenger of God." The Prophet (p) replied by saying:

" إنَّهُ كانَ يَرُدُّ عَنْكَ مَلَكٌ من المَلائكَةِ, فَلَمَّا قَرُبْتَ تَنْتَصِرُ ذَهَبَ المَلَكُ وَجاءَ الشَّيْطانُ, فَوَاللهِ ما كُنْتُ لأجالِسَ الشَّيْطانَ يا أبا بَكْرٍ"

[O, Abu Bakr, an angel was replying on your behalf, but once you decided to defend your own honor, the angel left and Satan came, and by God, I would not stay sitting down with Satan, Abu Bakr.]

That was from a purely religious standpoint, but of course patience, perseverance and steadfastness do not constitute an invitation to do nothing. 

Politically, what most members of our community have decided to do has been to ally themselves with the strongest political opponents of the Christian nationalists, who happen to be secular ultra-liberals. This is also a natural reaction, to align with the strongest opponents of your opponent, albeit just as counterproductive as using your own incoherent religious nationalism to counter a hostile religious nationalism. This is especially the case because the latter has adopted a "replacement theory" that suggests that Muslims were brought to this land to replace its rightful voters and workers. Thus, aligning exclusively with the mostly secular and ultra-liberal political opponents of Christian nationalism can only lead to escalation by reinforcing this narrative. Moreover, from a pragmatic point of view, coalitions of convenience with the ultra-secular liberal left are unlikely to survive for long because of the wide cultural gulf between the social preferences of rank and file Muslims and the social preferences of those allies of convenience. We have seen in recent elections how large numbers of religiously-conservative Black and Hispanic communities have not found this alliance to be viable.

3. Authentic Religion Is The Best Antidote for Religious Nationalism

Where does this leave us? Who can we court as natural allies to counter toxic religious nationalism? The answer may not be obvious at first, but it should be clear in retrospect. Our natural allies are other communities of faith: religious Christians to counter Christian-nationalism, religious Jews to counter Jewish-ultranationalism, religious Hindus to counter Hindu-nationalism, and so on. Those religious groups  have both the credibility and tools to defang their ultranationalist coreligionists by teaching their authentic religious doctrines that call for peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Toward that end, our best rhetorical tool is interfaith dialogue, and our best political tool is to form alliances with like-minded members who adhere to authentic (not nationalist) Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., regardless of their party affiliations.

Fasting as Anger and Pride Management

 This is a draft of my sermon for today.

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (البقرة ١٨٣)

[O Community of faith, fasting has been made obligatory for you as it was made obligatory for those who preceded you, so that you may attain God consciousness. (Al-Baqara: 183)]

This is the first of five verses on fasting in the second chapter of the Qur'an. The second and third verses discuss the specific days to fast (the month of Ramadan), exemptions and deferrals for the sick and traveling, etc. Then the fifth verse discusses what is permissible during the nights of Ramadan, and when the night ends.

Surprisingly, the fourth of those five verses seems to discuss something else altogether:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ (البقرة ١٨٦)

[And if my servants were to ask you about me, then I am near, answering the call of the one who calls to me; so let them answer My call and have faith in Me, so that they may attain discernment. (Al-Baqara: 186)]

Most exegetes did not question the location of this verse amidst the other four verses of fasting, even though it seems to me that the verse breaks the temporal day and night sequence to make an important point. Most exegetes merely pointed to the occasion of revelation of this verse: A bedouin asked the Prophet (p) whether our Lord is far, so that we may call to him loudly, or near so that we may whisper to him tenderly, and the verse came to answer that the Lord is near to whoever asks the question. (Of course, the Lord is both transcendent and imminent, far and near in different attributes of His divinity.)

The exegesis of Al-Fakhr Al-Razi was the only one that I could find that inquired about the location of this verse, and even he gave an unconvincing explanation that it follows the announcement that the believers should fast the full month and then glorify the Lord and be thankful to Him.

A more convincing explanation for the location of this verse -- between the detailed rules of fasting the day and what is permissible at night -- is that this "call" is integral to fasting, that the person who is truly fasting is constantly calling to her or his Lord. The word for "call" (دعا يدعو دعوة) implies both supplication and invitation. The verse implies that the Lord had already invited us to invite him in our lives, in our hearts and our minds, to transform us for the better.

Let me prove my point with a Prophetic Tradition that is agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim:

عن  أَبَي هُرَيْرَةَ  ( قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ  صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ  قَالَ اللَّهُ  كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ  آدَمَ  لَهُ إِلَّا الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ وَالصِّيَامُ  جُنَّةٌ  وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا  يَرْفُثْ  وَلَا  يَصْخَبْ  فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ  مُحَمَّدٍ  بِيَدِهِ  لَخُلُوفُ  فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ  ).

[On the authority of Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (p) said: "Allah said: All of the son of Adam's work is his, except for fasting, which is mine and I reward with it. And fasting is a shield. So, when it is your day of fasting, then refrain from sexual relations and from being a loud person; and if someone were to insult you or pick a fight, then say 'I am a fasting person'. By the one who holds Muhammad's soul in his hand, the bad odor of the fasting person's mouth is more beautiful to Allah than the smell of musk. The fasting person is happy twice: once when he breaks his fast and another when he meets his Lord.]

The first part of this Tradition is a Hadith Qudsi (a statement attributed to Allah Himself), and it is very puzzling. Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, the great commentator on Al-Bukhari, wondered: Aren't all acts of worship for Allah, and doesn't He reward for all of them? Why is fasting thus separated from the rest? He gave ten lengthy explanations why this may be the case, only the first two of which appear often in exegesis and other commentaries: namely, that hypocrisy is more difficult in fasting than in other acts of worship.

But hidden in the middle of Ibn Hajar's list of ten explanations, we get a hint in the fifth and sixth explanations, which are, respectively, that fasting is the only act of worship in which the worshiper seeks to get closer to Allah by emulating His or the angels' attributes. A more direct explanation along the same lines is that the fasting person refrains from many natural and common behaviors, going against his lower instincts and desires and leaves room for Allah to work on his heart and mind, invites Allah to transform his heart and mind. This would fit perfectly with the literal meaning of the Hadith Qudsi: "All other work is his, except fasting, which is Mine."

This also fits perfectly with the ordering of the verses as well as the next two parts of the cited Prophetic Tradition. The second part instructs us to go against our anger -- even when provoked by someone who insults or picks a fight with us. All exegetes agree that the verse "And if you are provoked by Satan, then seek refuge in Allah, for He is All-hearing All-knowing" [Al-'A`raf 200] refers to anger as satanic provocation. The third part of the Tradition goes against our pride in keeping good hygiene and pleasant smell (which the Prophet was also very keen on, always brushing his teeth, wearing perfume, etc.). Pride, we must remember, is the satanic essence: "He (Satan) said I am better than him (Adam); you created me from fire and created him from clay." [Al-'A`raf 12]. Pride is the satanic essence and anger is the portal through our limbic brain that Satan controls our actions, by shutting down our advanced cortical brain. Interestingly, this is also the analysis that Aristotle gave in his ethics and porto-psychology for anger as a destructive but perversely pleasurable emotion that emanates from pride.

So, while in the act of fasting, we suppress our lower nature of pride and anger, which emanate from our limbic system, our lower nature that is inviting to Satanic provocation. Instead, we invite Allah (s) to empower our higher nature, to make our angelic and rational natures prevail, to make us better people who can transcend pride and anger. With practice, day after day in Ramadan, and year after year, we hope to make that change permanent.