Republican party propaganda is terrifying. All of its leaders and speakers are trying to make those who are watching vote out of fear. Observing the Democrats, I have learned this: It takes time for ideas from the grassroots to work their way to the leadership. Especially when the leadership is beholden to a donor class that does not want revolutionary changes. Things are not bad enough among the masses for a majority to want revolutionary change... in either direction. Fascism nor Communism. But, observing the Republicans, I have learned this: It takes no time at all for ideas from the leader to influence the grassroots. Especially if fear is used and ignorance is exploited. As a reader of History, it is fascinating to witness the decline of a superpower. As a Republican, it is sad to see that it's the party I belong to play the leading role in it. 

We should be scared of a party that advocates for America to become a police state ruled by a corrupt family. I remember voting for  people who, while flawed, cared deeply about America and Americans. Over the past few nights of listening to the speakers at the 2020 Republican convention, I don't hear ideals i can believe in and I don't see a concern for real problems facing our country. I hear nothing but hate, lies, and fear-mongering.

I registered to vote in 1991, I registered as a Republican. My father was a Republican. I never really asked him why he was a Republican. But I can understand that when he came to the United States in the 70s and gained citizenship in the 80s, The major difference in the parties was one of class. Democrats advocated for labor and welfare, while Republicans advocated for business and individualism. Religious and racial politics were not as divided. We are in Florida, the Southern racists and Bible belt believers were democrats until the 90s. I am sure it is because of those racist southern democrat memories that we have the black conservatives we see in the Republican party propaganda. Any ways, my father was Republican, so I registered Republican.

My parents were small business owning immigrants striving to make enough money to not only establish ourselves but also support famliy back in Pakistan. I didn't mind being a Republican. As they became more religiously conservative, most of us who were mosque going believers found the conservative values to be in line with what we heard in our immigrant established mosques and sunday schools. But through the college years, as the cold war ended and the new emerging enemy of Islamic Terrorism became more of the focus of the propaganda, things began to change. It wasn't too distinct at first. The bosnians and kosovars, and chechans, being persecuted by socialists during the clinton years were Muslim. But then 9/11 happened. 

America survived. But the Republican party did not. The party i joined has no room for my secular, kind of libertarianish, immigrant, small business capitalism that favors common sense policies that provide a safety net for the poor, and regulations that keep our water, air, and land clean, with an outlook that invests in the future. We were the ones who used to be able to show that we can make money while being smart about what keeps our nation and ALL its people, as a whole, strong. Maybe my memories are those of naïve youth and it has always been like it is now. Only as a cynical adult can see it clearly.

I have never been partisan in my politics, or sectarian in my religion. I live by a simple idea that Success comes when to you have faith, and do good deeds, and are there for another when they need you.

the rival caliph chapter 1

Chapter 1: A meeting with the Governor

60 years after the hijra of the Muslims from Mecca to Madina, Khalifa Muawiya dies in Damascus, Syria.

Muawiya had accompanied his father and brother in the army that conquered Syria. And after a plague killed the first 2 governors, Umar, the Khalifa at that time appointed Muawiya. He was an able administrator, and his strong leadership earned the loyalty of the army and his clan, the Banu Umayya, most of whom had settled in Syria. He was reconfirmed as governor when his cousin Uthman became the Khalifa after Umar. And he eventually took the Khalifate a few years after Uthman.

But before Muawiya's death is made public in Madina, a pledge of allegience to his son Yazid needs to be taken from a couple of important people. The Umawi governor of Madina and his closest advisor recieve orders from Damascus to get the pledge.

A prominant 56 years old man of Madina, sitting in the Prophets mosque with his companions, is summoned to the governor's house. He decides to go, but not alone. He tells his companions to prepare themselves. The Banu Umayya cannot be trusted. Accompanying him are some of his Banu Hashim cousins as well as his half-brothers, sons of Ali with wives after the death of Fatima az-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet. They are coming along to protect their imam, their amir, their chief, al-Husayn, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

As he gets closer to the residence,

Husayn sees the gate where it all began,

the day that Khalifa Uthman was murdered...

24 years earlier, Husayn the son of Ali, along with his brother Hasan, his cousin Abdullah the son of Zubayr, and Marwan the Khalifa's first cousin and secretary, all stood together to keep out the rowdy mob of Iraqis and Egyptians determined to break down the gate and drag the Khalifa out.  All four of them were about 30 years old, just a couple of years apart in age, in the prime of their lives.  Three of these four would later go on to become Khalifas.  Three would die tragic deaths. Peace would elude them all. But we'll get to that later in the story.  On that day, 24 years earlier, they all stood together at the gate of what was then the Khalifa's residence, the gate of what would later become the governor's residence when Madina was no longer the Muslim capitol city. 

The four young men stood at the gate trying to keep order and peace as the angry mob grew rowdier.  A few men broke in through the window during the commotion. One of them was a young man about 22 years old named Muhammad. And although he was the son of Abu Bakr, his mother had married Ali after Abu Bakr's death.  He had never known his real father, having been born after Abu Bakr died, it was Ali who raised him and loved him like a son. And it was Khalifa Uthman who, in the past few days, had appointed him the new governor of Egypt.

Muhammad was furious at the Khalifa, in his hand were two official letters, both with the Khalifa's seal.  Uthman had been sitting on the floor reading a Quran with his wife. "So you give me a letter appointing me the new governor of Egypt, and then you send your fastest messenger with another one ordering your current governor to execute me upon my arrival there?!" As Muhammad said this, the other men who came with him, grabbed the nearly 80 year old Khalifa and picked him up off the floor. His wife Naila was pushed to the corner of the room.

The holy book dropped from Uthman's hands, open to the pages that Uthman had been reading. Muhammad grabbed the Khalifa by the beard, saying "let's see who executes who."  "I did not order your death, that letter is not by me, I have never seen it before," said Uthman. "Is this not your seal?" asked Muhammad, with anger in his voice.  The stately Uthman, unafraid of death, replied calmly, "Yes, it is. But I did not write any other letter then the one I gave you. You must believe me. I am innocent,"  "Who is in charge of your seal?" asked Muhammad. But Uthman continued as if he did not hear the question, "It was your father who brought me to Islam, you know. He was a good friend. You are a good man, Muhammad. Fear Allah, you are not a murderer. Oh Abu Bakr!, I am glad you are not alive to see things come to this." 

Hearing this, Muhammad let go of the beard and backed away. "This was a mistake, lets go." said Muhammad as he walked back towards the window through which they had entered. But the men who were holding Uthman started to beat the old man till he died. Muhammad tried to pull them off but it was too late. They all hurried out the window as Uthman fell to the floor, splattering blood onto the Quran that lay nearby.  Outside the Khalifa's house, there was still disorder.  Things didn't get better when Uthman's wife came out screaming "Somebody Help! The Khalifa has been murdered!" The four young men at the gate rushed inside to help.

Some in the crowd started to celebrate, others were shocked at the news. The leaders among the rebel mob called out for Ali as they backed away from the gate and turned towards the Prophet's mosque. As the four young men entered the room where Uthman lay, they see the blood and his motionless body and realize there is nothing they can do. "It is to Allah we belong and to him that we return." they all said as they leaned over the body of the man known as the "possesor of two lights" due to his marriage to two of the Prophet's daughter's. 

The chanting of Ali's name could be heard outside the house. Marwan looked up at Hasan and Husayn, "I guess your father needs you two right now. I'll take care of things here." Abdullah stayed behind to help Marwan as Hasan and Husayn ran towards the Prophet's mosque in search of their father.

Ali, was elected the new Khalifa by the mob that same day.  Regardless of his denials, the Banu Ummaya felt that, while he was not guilty of the murder of Uthman, Ali had a hand in the events. He too had criticized Uthman and the Banu Ummaya family members that Uthman had appointed in high places during the past 6 years of his Khilafat. 

The Banu Ummaya did not acknowledge Ali's khilafat.  So what, if Ali told the Iraqis or Egyptians who regularly came to him that rebellion against Khalifa Uthman was not going to solve their problems.  So what, if he sent his own sons to defend Uthman's house.  His actions before the murder of Uthman was outweighed by his inaction after being elected Khalifa.  They began to claim in Syria that Ali would not punish their Umawi brother Uthman's murderers. That Ali let the murderers fight in his army. That in fact some of the angry mob who had celebrated the death of Uthman were now generals in Ali's army. No reply Ali gave against these accusations was accepted by Banu Ummaya.

Ali moved the capital to the troublesome garrison town of Kufa in Iraq, and Malik ibn Ashtar became his right hand man. His step-son Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr was sent to govern Egypt. And his Hashimi cousin Abdullah ibn Abbas was sent to govern Basra.  Amr ibn al As joined forces with Umawi Syrian governor Muawiya seeking vengence for Uthman's murder. Nevermind that Amr too had been the orchestrator of the events that led to Uthman's death. And nevermind that Muawiya was surely strong enough to come to the defence of his cousin Uthman but did nothing.

Khalifa Uthman had many critics during the later part of his 12 year rule. Among them were some of the bravest warriors who had helped expand the Muslim empire. Amr ibn al As, the conqueror and then governor of Egypt was removed from his post. He had been one of the key organizers of the Egyptians that beseigeing Uthman's house, but when things grew out of his control he had convieniently retired to his estate in Palestine. Malik ibn Ashtar had brought a group of angry Iraqis to demand the removal of an unjust governor, not kill the Khalifa. 

Uthman's critics also included Ali, Zubayr, and Talha. All four of these men were members of the group of six legendary Shahaba that Khalifa Umar had appointed to select a his successor among themselves. Ali, the cousin and son in law of the Prophet, although always bypassed for the Khilafat, was seen by many as the spiritual heir of the Prophet. Ali had always been critical of Uthman's bringing his cousin Marwan back from exhile and making him a close advisor and secretary. The Prophet himself had expelled Hakam and his son Marwan from Madina. So what if Marwan was just a little boy then, how dare Uthman undo an order of the Prophet.

Zubayr was just as close a relative of the Prophet as Ali, in fact he was also the Prophet's wife's nephew. He was a warrior in the armies that conquered Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. The citizens of the garrison town of Basra in Iraq would come to him often for advise during Uthman's land reforms, and Talha was Zubayr's closest friend. Both of them were heroic defenders of the Prophet during the Battle of Uhad. Both of them were married to daughters of Abu Bakr. Where the two of them were, their sister in law Ayesha, the widow of the Prophet was not far behind.

After Ali relocated to Kufa, Marwan started organizing the Banu Umayya. They invited Zubayr, Talha, and Ayesha to lead their cause. They wanted justice for the death of Uthman. The Basrans who had wanted Zubayr to become the next Khalifa called him and encouraged him to make a move against Ali. Zubayr's son Abdullah rode by his side as they went to Basra at the head of a large army.

.2002

What followed was the first civil war among Muslims.  Hasan and Husayn went with their father to Kufa, to be by his side.  Marwan became a young leader among the Banu Ummaya in Madina. And while Abdullah went with his father Zubayr to pledge allegiance to his uncle Ali, he too started to wonder why the new Khalifa did not punish the rebels.

Eventually Ali was murdered by extremists, who rebelled against his attempts at peace.

Process:

1. RFP (request for a proposal) for Soil testing comes into the office by Phone/Email.
2. Work Requests for Soil, Concrete, Inspections come into office by Phone/Email

2. Discuss the Job with the client to get the details.

3. Prepare a Proposal/Work Order for new jobs.

4. Email/Fax the Proposals for new jobs.

5. Check for Accepted Proposals. Take Work Requests

6. Schedule the Job.

7. Assign Jobs to be done the next day

8. Do the Job
9. Prepare Field/Lab Report
10. Submit Report for Typing

11. Typed Report Signed and Sealed
12. Prepare Invoice
13. Invoice Logged

14. Mail/Deliver/Client Picks Up Report
15. Payment Made/Collected
16. Payment Logged

It's been two years since I posted on this blog...
Two years since I lost my uncle followed by my mother a few months later to cancer.
I think about what has happened to me since that time and it seems like my life stopped.
I seemed to have lost direction... lost focus... lost a sense of who I am and what I should be doing with my life.

I recently heard the analogy of treading water. Expending energy while not going anywhere in contrast to striving towards excellence. For a while it did feel like and still it still does, that I am not going anywhere...

But what if i am treading water to prevent from drowning? And now that I have saved myself I can start swimming.

This swimming analogy is not bad to understand what happened to me.
In 2013 my ship started sinking,
My uncle was the experienced swimmer who grabbed my hand and started to take us to the shore.
But when he dr....

Scratch that...

We were a sinking ship because we hit an ice berg and spring a few major leaks.
The captain of the ship escaped on a liferaft and left the 1st mate, navigator and mechanic to deal with the leaky boat. The ship kept moving on the preset course while we tried to path up the leaks. Then the mechanic drowned and we started to take on more water and the ship started slowing down. Then the navigator drowned and not only did the ship keep sinking but also drifted off its course. Leaving the 1st mate and a couple of deck hands to keep things afloat. The ship has not sunk. But it’s still sinking fast. And way off course. With the 1st mate having lost hope.

That’s me.
The first mate. Never quite comfortable and confident being the ships captain.
Mainly because I was only on the boat because my dad built it.

And just like that, My mamujan is gone.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
A few months ago I thought to myself,
Ain't no problem as long as mamujan is here.
But now that he is gone...

problem...

time to reevaluate


I hope the four months I was on the field was enough to give me the self confidence I need to do what he used to do. I hope the rest of the staff is good enough to deal with whatever I can't do.

Its been one thing after another

since June 2013



no time for rest and for things to settle down.
was there ever such a time.
is this what adulthood is like.
is this what my father's life was like.

OR do things get better.

If there is a god, and he makes things happen for a reason,
There better be a good one for all the suffering we have had to endure over the past three years. After giving almost my entire life to his service, he sure seems to be putting me through the ringer.

but in the end i dont think there is a reason to any of this.
these things happen independent of reason.
they just happen
and it is up to us to deal with them.
either we will grow in the process.
or we will succumb to the pressure and our own demons will take us down.

I was not by my father's side when he died.
So this was my first experience being at a loved ones side as he exhaled for the last time.


A client of ours, who worked with him for years, had this to say:

Its the good ones that get taken so early,
yet bastards who cause so much misery and pain get to live on.

It's the first time i really thought to myself:
why would a loving god do this?

If he is the one who makes things happen,
why make cancer happen in him,
The world gets one less good one.

One less person out there selflessly giving,
selflessly spreading joy and happiness.
sacrificing of his time and energy for his family,
his clients, his neighbors.

It truly sucks when you think about how unfair it is.
Its the type of thing that makes one lose faith in a loving god.

mastering the craft

Back in 2003, I became president of a company with 2 professional engineers, 3 assistant engineers, 2 managers, 4 secretaries in the office, 3 technicians in the lab, 3 technicians for drilling, and 4+ technician driving around doing field testing.

I became president after spending about 5 years as a Vice President, the last 2 years of which involved shadowing and directly assisting the president and company founder. I learned how he talked to the clients, and maintained relationships and mutual respect, when he was firm and when he Cut people a break, when money mattered and when to compromise on an invoice to help a client out. I would spend my time thinking of strategic issues, and business processes. Trying to correlate what I learned in business classes to what i saw going on in the company.  And when I was not doing that I would assist with jobs in the field or help solve problems in the lab or office. 

Prior to becoming a Vice President, I had worked in the company for 8 years, since graduating High school. I was an assistant to the engineers and a field representative. My father founded the company and I remember him taking me to job sites whenever he could throughout my childhood. I was very young during its initial growth in the 80s, and being away in college for much of its expansion in the 90s,  I always looked at our company as a grand endeavor, with such a great legacy. But I did to see the simpler side of it, until recently.

When one of our professional engineers left in 2008, there was no worry, we had others. But when the others left in 2013, we were left in a position to fill that role with someone from outside. Someone who would need to be familiarized with what we do and how we do it?  I had never been in a position to do his work. He reviewed the reports and signed and sealed them as a licensed Professional Engineer.  Thus, providing the key product that our clients paid us for. 

To some clients it was only a piece of paper they needed to submit to a government agency to get the project to the next stage. There are plenty of Professional Engineers willing to review reports and sign and seal them. 

To other clients it was more, they hire us to do one of these things:

-make sure the property they are buying is not contaminated.

-give them a recommendation about what type of foundation will work best for their project.

-ensure that the soil they have compacted has achieved the minimum required density.

-ensure that the concrete they are purchasing is as strong as it is supposed to be.

Through 20 years of experience as a field technician and with the guidance of our experienced senior civil engineer, our team continued to do what we are hired to do:

We are hired by developers to protect them from contractor short cuts.

We are hired by contractors to protect themselves from blame.

I have...

...visited that site you want to purchase and sampled the contamination on the surface and in its groundwater and prepared the environmental site assessment report.

...drilled into its soil to find the muck unfit to be built upon and prepared the foundation recommendation and geotechnical report for you to give to your architect or design engineer, and submit to the city for a building permit.

...analyzed your existing construction on the site with a steel detector and also load tested it because it was either built without a permit and needed to be legalized or used for something it was not initially designed to be used for.

...inspected that new construction area excavation and certified its soil bearing capacity through a proctor test in the laboratory, and then verified with a density test in the field. Protecting your investment from settlement issues that will devalue it later on.

...monitored the installation of piles in those areas where your soil was so loose that it was more cost effective for you to by-pass it and install piles into the limerock layer deep below the surface.

...inspected the steel reinforcement that was going into your structure before the concrete is to be poured or after your masonary blocks were placed..

...tested your concrete for its required slump, air content, chloride content, depth of carbonation, and its compressive strength.

I have...

...set up the laboratory to do the testing

...repaired the rig to do the drilling

...established the office to write the reports

I have...

...prepared various templates for staff to write the reports

...written those reports

...invoiced those reports

...delivered those reports

All I have not done is review, sign and seal the report.

I have a P.E. for that.

way back in 2001

Yesterday, a client of mine emailed me a report for work that our company did for him in 2002, it had the address of one of our previous office locations. It triggered some fond memories of my return to Miami and working side by side with my father during the last couple of years of his life. The building was owned by my father and his office was on the second floor.  It was secluded from the rest of the workers.  I think back at that time and what I remember are a couple of major things.

1. reading a book that was the first of my purchases through my paychecks of english translations of any interesting classical work of islamic thought or literature of history.  It was "The way of Sufi Chivalry." A small book that I carried with me all the time. I would read it in my down time, or any time I had a break during work. I have a bad memory when it comes to quoting anything I read, but I remember that It was an awesome book. I'm sure left a deep mark in the way that I now think about activism and sufism.

2. going out to collect water and soil samples from the canals of Miami. I had gone out to meet the representative from the Engineering firm that we were working together on the project with at the end of one of the canals, that the events of 9/11 took place. another major event that left its mark on my approach to activism.  May the souls of victims of that day rest in peace.

Change is good!

A business goes through many changes in its history.
Changes can occur within the business or
they can occur in the environment in which the business operates.

Each moment of change brings with it opportunities
to do things that could not have been done otherwise. 

Here are some of the changes we have been through over the years:

In 1989, we made a major internal structural change,
we started to offer chemical and environmental testing
services in new laboratory in Boca Raton. It was a challenge
dealing with a completely new accreditation and
certification regime for starting a new type of testing service.
from scratch.  Eventually moving the new lab from Boca
to existing facilities in Miami to operate more efficiently.

In the middle of the 1990s we purchased and merged into our operations
an existing testing laoratory in Broward county that offered
services such as Asbestos and Roof Testing. It was a challenge
to integrate new technical and executive staff into a different
corporate culture than they were used to working in. Eventually
the executives of the purchased laboratory were phased out and
the new technicians with specialized skills were wholly absorbed.

In 2002, an internal change was forced to take place
after the death of its Founder and leader of the company,
the business transitioned from one person running the show.
to a team of his next generation bringing in more structured processes.
It was an opportunity to improve not only the quality of the
initial service, but the mechanism to collect and follow up.
All of which helped us grow through the building boom.

In 2009, an environmental change occured, with the onset
of the Great Recession. We went through a financial test.
We tried to balance efficiency with the value of loyalty and compassion. 
It was an opportunity to see if we could scale down our operations
without compromising our ability to help our clients succeed in
their projects, and providing a source of income for our employees.
It meant\relocating our office, and reconfiguring our accounting system.
We came out of the recession bruised but, alive and ready to grow.

Last month we went through our latest change.

chain of command

How best to run a family business....

There must be a clear chain of command. and ultimately only one boss.
As long as the rest of the family acknowledge the boss as boss.
things will go smooth.

It is easy when there is a father and child dynamic. and the father is the boss.
even if the child disagrees with the approach being taken on any matter,
the child will ultimately back down and do what the father says.
the father is boss.

Our business used to have this dynamic.
but the father cannot be there for ever.
He made the business a corporation.
not a partnership, or sole proprietorship
it was meant to out live him.

But with many members of a family involved,
It could seem unclear to people who the real boss is.
For people outside of the business as well as within the business.
Is it the person with the title of president?
Or is it the owner? Or maybe the Chief Engineer
Even in a partnership. One partner has to take the role of president, and the other must acknowledge that title and give that person the authority that comes with the title.

The owner is the boss of the president.
The president is the boss of management
The manager is the boss of the employee
A clear chain of command must be maintained for smooth operations.
otherwise there is confusion about what the employee needs to do.

when there is confusion, there is frustration.
when there is frustration, there is lack of motivation.
when there is lack of motivation, there is loss of productivity.
when there is loss of productivity, the job will not get done the way you want,
done when it is supposed to be done, or the way it is supposed to be done.

so regardless of what thing the employee is doing
that thing may still not be happening in the best way that it could be.
all because of confusion about who is the boss.
a manager of one department cannot tell the employee of another department what to do.
an employee reports to only one boss, his boss's boss, and the president.

RULE #1 have a clear chain of command.
RULE #2 respect the chain of command.

Importance of the Ummah??

I was asked recently to speak at the reunion for Association of Longhorn Muslim Alumni on the topic of "Importance of Unity in the Ummah" but the person who wrote up the printed schedule for the event forgot to write the unity part in the title.  So what the organizers wanted me to talk about, what I actually talked about and what attendees thought I would talk about was probably way different.

First of all we must understanding the terms being used...
Ummah, Unity, Important

What is the ummah?
    Who is in it?
    What is the basis of their inclusion or exclusion?
What is Unity?
    Is it the coming together of a diverse people?
    What are they coming together to do?
    Or is it making people the same in some way?
    In what way? What is that one thing we must all become?
How important is it?
     Is it important in and of itself? why?
     or is it important because it is a pre-requisite
     for something? for what?
     are there other pre-requisites that are more important?

Instead of abstract things like Ummah,
lets think instead of real interaction between
people that can lead to the building of the
most basic elements of human community.

it starts with an interaction.
an interaction that can lead to an creation of a bond

It starts with simply acknowledging each other.
Then getting to learn about each other.
Progresses to accepting each other.
And finding a shared value.
Culminating into a bond of friendship.

Acknowledgement is the beginning of tolerance.
tolerating a person with all their goodnesses
and faults can lead to acceptance.
accepting each other and our rights
is the beginning of being a good neighbor.
being a good neighbor is considered by Imam Ghazali
as fundamental
and synonimous with being a Muslim.
to not cause harm and to help when help is needed.
is the basic characteristic of one who has submitted
to following Allah's way.

In his Ihya, he goes on to describe a level above muslim.

A mu'min,
one who is a good fellow,
a good companion,
a good friend.
beyond just being a passive neigbor.
one who is in a relationship with another person
where there is a commitment.
a bond of brother/sisterhood. Fullfill the rights to your fellow companion,
and you are one who has true faith in Allah.....

Asliyyat

I was driving to tampa to visit my mother my nani ammi was in the passenger seat to my side, she turned to me and said: "eik qissa sunati hun," in udru, the only language she will speak in. Though my brother in law always replies to her in english, adding that he knows she is only pretending not to know english.
Anyways, she wanted to relate a story to me.

There was a man who had a considerable amount of fame during her childhood. He was reknown journalist and author and also devotee of the famous sufi nizamuddin awliyah in delhi, thus he was called so and so nizami from delhi. He came to visit her father the grand mufti of hyderabad.

During the visit, nizami made a comment about how a man these days isn't considered much until he has property. To which my great grandfather responded, "well, I own this house. So I will be fine."

Nizami was surprised to hear the reply, so he added, "oh yes, cars, you are not anything unless you have a car." My great grandfather understood where this conversation was headed and replied "Yes, cars, I have one of those too... Oh yes, and I even have a radio."

A radio was a very rare thing to have in those days. Nizami had nowhere else to go with this conversation, "a radio?", he said in a surprised tone, " that is indeed a wonderous thing. You have one?" He asked, having to acknowledge that according to his materialistic standards, this simple looking religious man, was deserving of some respect.

My grand mother did not relate this story to tell me how privileged a childhood she had. she was not finished. She went on to say that regardless of the luxuries her father had in Hyderabad, serving as the chief religious advisor to the Nizam, he always felt at home and had no complaints when going back to their modest home in the mauvi muhalla neighborhood of Badaun. He remained connected to his roots, "his asliyath."

"Your father was like that too" she added.

This conversation had started much earlier in the drive when she remembered some sort of early mobile phone that my father had, and how these devices have changed so much. I noted how in her lifetime, communication had evolved so much, and she has been a witness to it all. She started with letters and telegrams, the rise of the telephone, then mobile phones; and she was there when a radio came into her house, then a television, then a computer, and now a portable laptop computer with the internet. All she needs now is  someone in the family to get an iphone that brings all these things together. Transportation was the thing that evolved in the lifetime of her parents. Getting physically from one place to another, from animals to carriages to trains to cars to planes. While she had been a witness to how we get information from one place to another without physically going or sending a messenger. She had been a witness to so much. This had reminded her about the incident with nizami. And that incident reminded her of a piece of wisdom to share with me.

It is interesting how each of these useful tools
can become a symbol of status
for the small minded people
who choose to think that way.

And that despite how things change
or get easier with time and money,
I should, like my father before me,
be able to get by on the basics,
without feeling like we can't live without these luxuries.

Because the truth of it is that
we came from humble origins
and should not only be able to return to them,
and survive in them,
but be completely comfortable and happy when there.
Because it is who we truly are.
It is "our asliyath"

have and have not

The conversation i had with my grandmother got me thinking about things that determine ones status in society. society is divided between those who have and those who have not. having means being in possession of something. that something does not have to be material.

I figure 5 things one can possess that determine his or her status in society:
Power - which determines political status
Wealth - which determines economic status
Knowledge - which determines intellectual status
Respect - which determines social status
Fame - which determines cultural status

One can possess one with out the others.
Each thing has its haves and haves nots.

being in possession of any one of these things can lead to pride.
pride is not bad. it is as awareness of ones own quality of being.
but it is when one who has looks down upon those who do not,
that the term elitist or snob can be applied to them.
their pride has turned into arrogance.

not being in possession can lead to wanting.
wanting is not bad. it is an awareness of ones need to grow.
but if not having leads to a feeling of inferiority,
that wanting can turn into envy.

there is the possession of a thing,
and there is the desire to possess,
... the wanting of it.

wanting can lead to satisfaction or wanting more.
wanting more is not bad. it is a continuation of the struggle to grow.
but when wanting more leads to taking from others,
wanting more can turn into greed.

and when one keeps what they have from others,
whether its the political power used to do good,
or economic wealth used to help the poor,
or intellectual knowledge used to teach,
or cultural fame used to bring happiness,
or social respect used to provide justice,
it is nothing but miserliness.

the issue of status seems to be interwoven into what the sufis called the diseases of the heart. we should think beyond having and not having. we should think about growth and development and being good. we should all realize that we come from a station that was below the station we are currently at. and we can always fall back down the ladder at anytime. and in the process of gaining these five types of things we should always remain humble and charitable.

to be humble means to be aware that you are not the most important. that ultimately there is a higher power than you. and to be charitable means that your time, energy and possessions are not the most important. that ultimately you will die and not be able to take anything with you, so use what you have to do good deeds.
The Quran is loaded with these two commands.
Success is through belief in god and doing good deeds.

My father was both humble and charitable, more important then any level of social status he achieved. that humbleness and charitableness allowed him to be connected to not only his former stations in life but the people who are at those stations, his "asliyat."

materialism

Let me me now focus on one specific status symbol: Material Wealth.
There are the haves and have nots, but it is probably more complicated then just this simple division...

those who have are divided between:

  1- those who are born having, among this group are:

    A- those who inherited their wealth
         and control their means of survival

      1- those who work, among this group are:

        a- those who are work harder to gain more, and

        b- those who work hard using a talent
            or to contribute to society, and

        c- those who work for fun,

      2- those who do not work.

    B- those to whom sustenance is provided,

         who break down the same as the above group

  2- those who used to have not

those who have not are also divided between:

  1- those who work harder in order to become among
       those who have, among this group are:

    a- those who want to retain a connection to their life
        of not having and its values, and

    b- those who want to leave behind
        the life of not having and its values.

  2- those who work hard enough to sustain themselves,
       among this group are:

    a- those who wanted to work harder but are trapped
        and unable to gain more then sustanence

    b- those who are content to just survive and
        do not want to seek more.

  3- those who do not work hard, among this group are:

    a- those who have lost hope and gave up on work

    b- those who are unable to work

    c- those who are kept from working

the differentiation between people seems to be by how they gain what they need to survive. and what they do with what is extra. the extra can be accumilated to raise through the ranks, or can be spent on things that can be consumed.

purification vs. activism

a few days ago i had the joy of talking about my old days of being active in a youth group. first it was with a new friend here in kansas city who i may have crossed paths with back in the mid 90s. he is just like me now and no longer really active. and then it was with an old friend who is still active. these conversations i had got me thinking about a recurrent theme in my thoughts about activism.

selfish motiviations vs. utopian agendas

My concept of Ummah...
Community...
Brotherhood...

I've read the biography of the prophet Muhammad. and I've read the biographies of some of his closest companions. My take on what they were trying to do is this. they viewed Islam as NOT about creating some sort of ideal social order but more about fullfilling Personal Responsibilities so you could get rewarded by Allah in this world and the Afterlife. a reward in this world was tranquillity, peace of mind, happiness. a reward in the afterlife was a pleasure from being in permanent proximity to the Beloved. Thus, i must do my duty...

I have a duty, an obligation, to my lord, to myself, my parent, my spouse, my child, my sibling, my neighbor, my friend, "widows and orphans", other believers.
in that order!

as for my lord, he tells me i must believe in his oneness and do good deeds.
he also tells me i must worship him and fast and give 2.5%of my wealth away in charity

aside from the pillers of worship, the duties and obligations are all good deeds.

towards myself, I have a duty to keep myself healthy and sane.

...my parent, I must show them respect for all they did for me and care for them when they are not able to care for themselves.

...my spouse, I must be a pillar of support, an honest partner, and a loving companion.

...my child, I must feed, clothe, shelter, nurture, protect, and teach about Allah.

...my sibling, I must encourage, support, warn, advise, and be there when I am needed.

...my neighbor, I must greet, smile, get to know, and care

...my friend, know if there is a problem and offer to help before i am even asked.

...towards "widows and orphans" i must give money to clothes, feed, and shelter as I would my own family.

...towards other believers i must be there when they're own family, friends, neighbors fail them.

the merovengian was avicennian

while surfing the web i came across an interesting article
comparing the cosmology of avicenna and ghazali.

here is a breakdown of what ghazali believed:

everything works according to
cause and effect
predetermined by god

things are either (khayr)
good and appropriate
(advantageous and beneficial)
or they are (sharr)
evil (harmful and detrimental)

a person will be predisposed towards one
or the other based on conditions of upbringing
that are beyond control.

unaware that what the person thinks is a choice,
is actually an entire series of events
determined in a person by necessity (qadr)

we have a
god given (aql) mind and sensation
will believe something to be advantageous as opposed to harmful

which forces to operate -
(iradah) voluntary motivation
predetermined by god

which forces to operate-
(qudrah) power of action
predetermined by god

which leads to
motion
predetermined by god

that the person chooses simply means
that he is the locus of a volition
that comes to be in him by
(jabran) force of necessity
once the mind has judged
that the action is altogether good and appropriate.
even that judgement comes to be
by force of necessity.

it is god working through intermediaries:
supplying the obedient with
causes of their obedience
so that willy nilly they obey.
and the disobedient with
the motivations for disobedience
so that willy nilly they disobey

for whenever god creates distraction and desire
and the power to fullfill the desire
the act takes place through it
by determined necessity.

ghazali was critical of avicenna
for leaving god out of the equation.

Avicenna believed:
"all volitions come to be after not having been.
accordingly, they have causes which converge
and necessitate them.

a volition does not exist
because of a prior volition;
otherwise there would be
an infinate regression.

nor does it exist by nature;
otherwise the volition would be inevitable
as long as the nature exists.

Rather,
volitions occur because of
the occurance of causes,
which are things that
causally necessitate them.

Motivations are traceable
to earthly and celestial beings
and these necessarily cause
the occurance of a particular volition."

cause and effect.

in matrix reloaded....

Morpheus: You know why we are here.

Merovingian: Hmph... I am a trafficker of information, I know everything I can. The question is, do you know why you are here?

Morpheus: We are looking for the Keymaker.

Merovingian: Oh yes, it is true. The Keymaker, of course. But this is not a reason, this is not a `why.' The Keymaker himself, his very nature, is means, it is not an end, and so, to look for him is to be looking for a means to do... what?

Neo: You know the answer to that question.

Merovingian: But do you? You think you do but you do not. You are here because you were sent here, you were told to come here and you obeyed. [Laughs] It is, of course, the way of all things. You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect.

Morpheus: Everything begins with choice.

Merovingian: No. Wrong. Choice is an illusion, created between those with power, and those without. Look there, at that woman. My God, just look at her. Affecting everyone around her, so obvious, so bourgeois, so boring. But wait... Watch - you see, I have sent her dessert, a very special dessert. I wrote it myself. It starts so simply, each line of the program creating a new effect, just like poetry. First, a rush... heat... her heart flutters. You can see it, Neo, yes? She does not understand why - is it the wine? No. What is it then, what is the reason? And soon it does not matter, soon the why and the reason are gone, and all that matters is the feeling itself. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it, but it is of course pretense, it is a lie. Beneath our poised appearance, the truth is we are completely out of control. Causality. There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the `why.' `Why' is what separates us from them, you from me. `Why' is the only real social power, without it you are powerless. And this is how you come to me, without `why,' without power. Another link in the chain. But fear not, since I have seen how good you are at following orders, I will tell you what to do next. Run back, and give the fortune teller this message: Her time is almost up. Now I have some real business to do, I will say adieu and goodbye.

Neo: This isn't over.

my salvation

if i offer my help and you refuse, will i take offence, and not offer my help again...

if i offer my help and you refuse, i need you to come back later. i need you to give me more opportunities to help. i need this because my salvation depends on me doing as many good deeds as i can. i ask for nothing in return.

i consider myself a muslim, "one who follows islam"
islam is often described as having three aspects:
1-islam-ritually worshipping god
2-iman-believing in: tawhid-god's oneness; risalah-guidance; and akhira-final judgement
3-ihsan-having an awareness and conciousness of god's beauty, taqwa that comes from the removal of things like arrogance, envy, greed, and lust.

I'm trying to get better at doing the rituals, but am praying on god's forgiveness to help me out. There are times when my faith is not as firm as it should be, I hope it is true that "if ye act as ye have faith, faith will come to thee." Now that leaves taqwa...

for me to have taqwa I need to do as much good as I can. Because its through the doing of good that I will chip away at the arrogance, envy, greed, and lust that veils my awareness of divine beauty. the arrogance, envy, greed, and lust that focuses my attention towards creation.

a godfather for a muslim?

Our family had a big celebration last week. It was my son Zarar's first birthday. We celebrated it alongside the aqeeqah of my newest nephew Ahman Alexander. In the aqeeqah my brother-in-law introduced everyone to his son's godfather.

When he first told me that his son was going to have a godfather, i thought to myself: "wasn't a godfather someone who participates in the baptism of a christian child. why would a muslim need one of those." What did it mean that he was going to do this:

was it a manifestation of an inferiority complex?
was it a conscious attempt at assimilation?
or was it just that he liked the movie a whole lot?
maybe it was a combination of all three?

at the event he said that he was going to do something a little modern.
but having a godfather is anything but modern,
it is quite traditional... among christians that is.

whatever the motivation was,
after thinking about it, I think its a good idea.

There is definately more to living as a Muslim in America then just Indegenizing traditional Muslim things into an American context. There is nothing wrong with Islamizing traditional American practices. Of course, an argument can be made that having a godfather is more then just a simple American practice like a thanksgiving dinner or a friday night fish fry, it is a specifically Christian thing to do. Hence for a Muslim to do it, would constitute a discouraged if not a prohibited thing, and something NOT to be done.

But to make such an argument one must prove that when Christians created such a thing called a "godfather," it was based on the teachings of anti-islamic elements of their religion and that it was not just a cultural thing that evolved in their societies. Some jews seem to have incorporated a godfather into circumcision ceremonies. So maybe Muslims can find a place for one in the Aqeeqah. I must admit I have to do more research, but based on a simple wikipedia search, it is a cultural phenomenon, and thus, in my opinion, an acceptable thing to assimilate into our American Muslim culture. A godparent seems to simply be someone other then a parent, who ensures a childs moral and religious upbringing. Maybe I'm wrong.

But if I am right, and it is something that we can Islamize, then what should be the role of my child's godfather? Traditionally a godfather's role is NOT that of care giver. I have certain responsibilities as a care giver to love, discipline, feed, clothe, and shelter my child. And if, God forbid my wife and I are gone, then another family member can be responsible for these things. But what about moral character, religious belief, and guidance.

As a Muslim father, I will have failed my children if they don't know basic morality and religion. akhlaq, islam, and iman. I am the primary person responsible for ensuring that my child:
1-believes in Allah, knows how to pray to Him, and read the Quran in arabic;
2-not only knows that giving charity is among the best actions, but learns how to do from my example;
3-is able to fast in Ramadan as soon as he or she is able to, without giving excuses;
4-believes that Allah will judge us for the good and the bad we do in our lives, and either reward us with happiness or punish us with pain;
5-believes in and knows about the life of Muhammad, that Allah guided us about what was good and bad through messengers like him, and that he, Muhammad Rasulallah was His the final prophet;
6-knows that the ultimate moral message of Islam is no different then the golden rule: treat others the way you would like to be treated;
7-and good moral character comes from controlling greed, jelousy, arrogance, anger (so no terrorism!) and what Imam Ghazali described as the 2 desires: food and lust (so no sex before marriage!)

Should I be allowed to subcontract the teaching of these things out to a godfather?
Ok sure, if I don't have adequet knowledge myself, then maybe the actual training can be done by someone else, if not a godfather, then at least a sunday school or something. ALL muslims should know and practice enough of the above to teach it to their own children, it is a sad sign that I've had to teach these things to high school age Muslims in sunday school. But anyways, I'm glad that their parents think enough about them to send them there.

As far as my own kids go, maybe I can do this myself, but it doesn't hurt to select a responsible person to ensure they get this minimum moral and religious guidance, as a backup if I am not able to do it. Aside from being someone who provides a moral and religious safety net, this person should serve the secular function of a mentor and good example throughout my child's life. It should be someone who practices what is preached, and even better if it is someone who has no need to preach, because my child goes willingly for advice, or for a second opinion (after mine of course). A young Muslim could use someone like this while growing up. Its tough being in a minority with different values from the mainstream. Most youth don't have a mother like mine who helped me gain the benefits of muslim youth groups. Its not a bad idea to designate someone I trust to keep an eye on my child (even if its from a distance), in case things go off track, or I fail, or am absent, or am no more.

This reminds me of an incident that happened after my father's death. I had arrived in Pakistan for his funeral, and an uncle of mine came to visit us. He lived down the road from where we were staying and said that he'd be back later that night to pick me up, to be ready. He didn't give me a choice. I had to go with him.

I figure that he knew that there were things I needed to be told, that there was a way you tell someone these things, and that he wanted to be the one to tell them to me. I don't know his reasons, all I know is that he wanted to prepare me for the next phase of my life. To guide me. And I wanted to be guided.

He simply took me for a drive around the city in the middle of the night. Just him and me. He would say something and ask me if I understood. I would say yes, and he would continue. This lasted a few hours. I didn't realize it then, but I am grateful to him now. I needed what he provided to me that night. I needed more then a friend to talk to, more then a parent to comfort me, more then a younger sibling to comfort, more then the stream of visitors uncomfortably telling me to stay strong. I needed a guide in the darkness. Someone to reminded me exactly who my father was, who I was, and what I needed to do next.

After that night, I knew who it was I would go to if I was feeling lost, or confused. Now... my guide in my darkest hour was not someone designated by my father as my godfather. If my father had picked someone to guide me, I don't know if that person would have done a better job, then this uncle did? But... what if that uncle was not there, down the block? And what if my father didn't have all those great friends of his telling me, "I'm here for you if you need me."?Well... a godfather would have been useful.
I guess I was lucky I didn't need one.

a false sense of security

I thought I wasn't ready... I was!

I agreed to it without knowing what it involved.

I went ahead and did it without planning and preparation.

I was not prepared financially.

I was not prepared legally.

Both of these things are vital to establish what is most important:

... a sense of security.

But without love

it is only a false sense of security

I was prepared to love.

love binds relationships.

love gives what is needed most to feel secure:

... the feeling that one is not alone.

alone to deal with debt

alone to deal with unemployment

alone to deal with the government

the lesson:

save money - but know that it can go as fast as it can come

clear debt - but know that new debt is right around the corner

have a job - but know that the overall economy can go down

learn the law - but know that a lawyer should be hired

get organized - but know that you are not in control

and be prepared to provide the most important thing of all...love.

the foundation for any real sense of security and peace of mind.

time to go find a job.

no peace of mind

i thought i was ready... i wasn't.
i agreed to it without knowing what it involved.
i went ahead and did it without planning and preparation.

i was not prepared financially.
i was not prepared legally.

both of these things are vital to establish what is most important:
...a sense of security.

no fear of debtors
no fear of employers
no fear of the government

the lesson...
have five to ten thousand dollars saved.
clear any past debt.
have a job that pays at least 50k.
learn about any legal issues involved.
get organized.

be able to provide that which is more important then love...
a sense of security and peace of mind.
now what do i do.

remembrance of death

A few hours ago I heard bad news.
a cousin of mine was shot and killed
The murder stole his cell phone and then shot him.
It is to Allah we belong and to Him that we return.

I am reminded of something Imam Zaid Shakir said in a lecture.
Imagine that I am on one end of a field.
There deep holes in various spots that can't be avoided.
I have to walk towards the other side.
But its dark so I don't know...
that hole can be right in front of me.

That hole in front of me is death,
The field is this world i live in.
To walk is to live life.
I cannot choose to stand still...
I cannot fear death...

If I know that I can die at any moment,
Then I know what sort of life I should live.
One without regrets...
And I know what sort of preparations I should make.
I know I have to go on a journey,
I better start packing my bags.

I feel incredible guilt right now.
My last interaction with my cousin could have gone much better then it did. I must keep myself from thinking that I could have done something different, that maybe he still would be here instead of pakistan getting shot for no good reason.

It is said that we should remember death often.
Not so difficult when a member of my family or friends dies every few months.

As I write this I see a set of CDs I purchased a few months ago, its a commentary of Al-Ghazali's Remembrance of Death and Afterlife by Abdul Hakim Murad. Its time to open it and go to sleep listening to it tonight.

a time for introspection?

Setting off a bomb at a Marriott in Islamabad during Ramadan.
Who would do this?
Why would they do it?

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”
Is this law of physics relevant when dealing with human emotion?

What was the target of the bomb?
-An American hotel, a symbol of American cultural and economic influence?
-Foreign tourists and pakistani elite who utilize it for corrupt activities?
-Pakistani employees who are guilty by association if they work there?
-or Pakistani patrons who should not to go to such places?
(for corrupt activities like wedding banquets and ramadan feasts or eating out at its restaurant)

If it was done to send a message, who was trying to send what message?
Was it a message to the American government?
Was it a message to the Pakistani President or government?
Was it a message to “the west” and its associates?
or Was it a message to certain Pakistanis?

based on my own feelings after the bombing of the world trade center,
I see a couple of possible reactions:

reaction #1
Pakistani people may react against those who claim to carry out the bombing...
-the Pakistanis may call for action by their military against these terrorists;
-maybe the people on the street will carry out vigilante mob justice;
-or welcome more American military activity rather then condemning it.

reaction #2
Pakistani people may react against the perceived cause of the bombing...
because the bombing itself is a reaction to some other thing, anger over that other thing which instigated such violence and desire to kill is possible...

fanatics (whether religious or political) who are blinded by hatred are indeed a minority and it is very difficult to get rid of them without you yourself becoming like them, but if you are not blind and arrogant you can see where their hate comes from. often their hate is rooted in a real injustice that is taking place or real vice that exists among the people they target.

It was strange that after the WTC bombing I was just as angry at our government as I was at those who carry out, promote, or justify terrorism.

But... anger is a vicious thing, often leading to nothing but more violence and death.
there is only one thing that can overcome anger.

reaction #3
compassion for the victims of such violence may outweigh an immediate desire for vengence, giving them a chance to think about the consequences for the course of any action against the criminals.

that poor soul who was walking with a limp through the rubble wearing a tie, blood on his face and what used to be a white shirt, pants torn up, seemed to be looking for someone to tell him...
"come here, let me treat your wounds, you will be OK, I'm here to help"

I think in the coming days we will see all of the above...
May Allah guide us to do what is right in this blessed month.

downsizing

I've been having difficulty sleeping. I see the faces of the people I have to lay off. I see them with their families, I see them working hard at their jobs. I've made decisions to fire people who have done something wrong, violating company policy, etc. But, I've never had to lay someone off because I wasn't able to pay them.

A few minutes ago was the first time I did that, It was difficult to hear the employee mention that he also has bills to pay and a family to feed. It was an employee that has been working with us for many many years. What is worse is that I have to do it again later in the day with a couple more employees.

Never before have I been doing in my company what was being mentioned in the news as going on in the overall economy at the same time. I hate the fact that is coincides with the words "job cuts".

There is only one rule for survival.
bring in more money then you spend.

over the past several months I've been having trouble doing both. 1-bringing in money, and 2-controlling expenses.

when the building boom was going strong, I didn't have to think about it. enough money was coming in, there was no need to control expenses. I was even able to get a raise for myself.

but the boom is over, and bills are coming in faster then the money.

I speak to those who have experience and am told that the company must cut expenses immediately. the goal is simple:
get the company in the black.
And aside from cutting expenses by 25%, they recommend that I downsize the company immediately.

I took over as president of the firm in 2002, during the boom. Before then, my father ran the firm. I've never had to downsize before. what do I do? So I've meet with the supervisors and decided where to make the cuts. Every department will see a reduction in staff. Every department. That's at least 5 people who I must lay-off or shift to part-time status.

It is said that when downsizing you retain as much of the middle management as possible. The executives at the top will not be able to do the work of the bottom tier, neither will the technicians at the bottom be able to do the work of the top tier. But the supervisors in the middle can step down to do tasks that are below their level as well as step up to jobs higher then their level. It makes sense. They must teach this statement at business schools because I heard it from a couple of different folks.

There is a little uncertainty in my mind,
I must eliminate this uncertainty.
I must stay determined.
... stay strong
... stay focused
... keeping the company profitable is my job.

I am certain that...
I must make the decisions that no one else can make.
I am the Chairman.

It is certain that employees did not fear me.
By the end of this week they will.

It is certain that fear is good.
It establishes a realization of consequences for inaction.

It is certain that the company will become profitable with these cuts.
The first cuts are where we are obviously overstaffed and unnecessarily spending. The next cuts are at the executive level and where we are paying too much.

It is certain that when the company is smaller, the productivity will increase. No more thinking that someone else is there to do the job. We will be maximizing our potential output.

It is certain that when incentives are in place, people will produce. Pay less but give bigger bonuses. If people get paid to produce, they will.

It is also certain that we can become more efficient if we change some policies and procedures. these are only short term fixes to the problem. changes will have to be made in how we operate, to ensure success in the long term.
My goal is that by the end of March. This company is ready to take on this recession.

suffering and doubt

i've lost count of how many times i've heard agnostics or athiests mention that the main reason they have left religion is its inability to give a satisfactory answer to one question:

why does god allow people to suffer.

if He is all powerful
if He is loving

then why?

what is suffering
what is love
what is power
what is god

i think the problem happens when we limit our understanding of the nature of the divine force we call 'god'. our universe is dynamic and complex. things are more interconnected to each other then we percieve... action/reaction... cause/effect... I think god knows more than a human can ever know, and so it makes sense that god would do things a bit differently. maybe god's reason for making this universe with all its suffering is beyond our ability to understand. a universe that consists of powerful forces that scientists still try to make sense of. a universe with humans that have the ability to cause great harm or great good. maybe there is a reason I can't have joy ALL the time. We know of power, through experiences of powerlessness. and what we think we would do, if we had that power, we want god to do. no suffering for example.

the people who lose faith, really lose faith in the literal meanings of the bible or quran.
I think it was in one of Averroes' works where he describes different levels of understanding for different people. god has made his word universally applicable for all peoples and times. if the literal meaning does not make sense anymore then its time to look at deeper meanings. The literal stories are for those who cannot think beyond them. It is the starting point of understanding, not the end.

Now... I don't always understand the philosophical writings and interpretations of people who follow the mystical teachings of Ibn Arabi, and I don't always agree with literal interpretations of people who follow Ibn Taymiyyah. But, why should it be one OR the other? god has sent his word to guide me, and clear things up in times when I need clarification. Sometimes the literal interpretation is good guidance for me and make a whole lot of sense, like when it comes to deciding what I eat or drink. Sometimes the philosophical interpretation makes sense, like when it comes to deciding how I deal with friends who are gay.

What I do know is that if a man with as deep an understanding of philosophy, logic, and religion as Averroes believed in a god, then there must be a problem with my reasoning or my interpretation if i am having doubt. The problem is not with god's word, or with god's justice, or with god's love, the problem is with my interpretaion. It may be that I am missing some pieces of the puzzle.

my mother's hijab

On the drive to the airport our conversation turned to hijab...

it was triggered by a news report about a seller of hijab in jordan who said that those who wear it for fashion are too picky, they apperently want colors he does not have.

she was told by someone in miami that there are girls here too that wear it for fashion.
I said that there IS a difference between those who wear it because their older sisters were wearing it and those older sisters who decided to put it on for some reason. for some of the younger ones, its just another thing they grew up wearing, and the more fashion concious they get, the more fashionable the hijab gets. for some of the older ones its based on a search for identity and belonging, or a choice for modesty, or both.

I said we grow up here without a connection to a historical tradition of modest dress or hair covering, and those among us who desire to be as modest as God wants us to are left to read the original sources for our selves and figure out how to dress appropriately.

It just so happened that this vacuum was filled by revivalist arabs from the middle east who wore their head coverings in a particular way and called it the "hijab" or the "kufi". Not the "dupata" or the "topee".

The idea of covering the head as a traditional form of modesty goes all the way back to the Prophet. My mother mentioned that in Badaun, even to this day the men do not leave the house unless there is something on the head. Covering the head is a method of showing of respect and humbleness.

For the Women its a slightly different issue. My mother mentioned that modest loose fitting dress is what is most important, and it is what she made my sisters wear, and she would give them a scarf to place around the neck as an extra form of modesty.

She mentioned that when she came to america she did not wear the hijab. But she always had a dupatta as a extra piece of garment thrown over the bossom for modesty. And could be used to cover the hair when it was time to pray, or at times when it was important to humble oneself and show respect to the recitation of God's Word.

She said that it was an arab girl who first showed her the "hijab". she needed a place to stay during a break in university, and while living with us, she mentioned to my mother the places in the Quran where modest dress is mentioned, and how important it is for muslims in America to dress accordingly. My mother agreed. My mother said her father had always asked her to dress modestly. She even made a loose coat for herself for whever she would go out to university and along with the coat would be a dupata. But the dupata styles changed over time to the point that it was very hard for her to use. The dupata became more of a fashion statement.

My mother said that in the past, it wasn't like the dupatta was not fashionable, it was. There was a form of seclusion of women in society that allowed them to be very fashionable when they were among themselves and with their family in the "zenana", and they would go out in public with a "burqa" garment that could provide the necessary form of modesy as they went from zenana to zenana. Even the rickshas were covered to allow them to travel in seclusion. (the reasons and meaning of the seclusion of women to this extent is another topic). And, to this day, my grandmother wears a loose black burqa robe over her stylish dress when she goes outside. (wearing the burqa does not mean she wears a "niqab" to cover her face. my grandmother does not veil her face.)

Over time the notions of social modesty changed and the secluded zenana and concealing burqa became a thing of the past (or the "backward" as its critics might suggest) For people like my mother it made things challenging. She grew up in a family that valued traditional forms of modesty. For people like her, the fashions became too modern for her to follow. And in America, she had to resist the peer pressure of discarding the dupata entirely. She had to figure out how to be both, fashionable and modest. gone were the days of not worrying about modesty in fashion because they had a secluded zenana or burqa or loose long coat to wear outside. She even had to give up on dupata fashions and just wear an older style dupata or a nice scarf thrown over her shoulders.

it didn't help that my younger brother and sister would throw it off or remove it easily while they were in her arms. And when my sister and I got involved in muslim youth activities in the early 90's, my mother reconnected with the head covering called hijab she was shown many years earlier and how it was worn so confortably and stayed in place regardless of the kid in her arms... and so she started wearing it. and was emboldened when her own daughters started wearing it.

if i was on the Hialeah city council...

Among the issues that affect the prosperity of any city is the ability of that city to retain its citizenry, its businesses, and its industries. Its the citizens who live and work there that provide the taxes necessary for its survival. And its the citizens who give the city a reason to be.

So there are two categories of things that must be analyzed.
1- what can keep the citizens from leaving, and
2- what can drive them away

What can keep residents put can be simply stated as happiness.
What can keep businesses put can be simply stated as profitability.
What can keep industries put can be simply stated as a workforce.
the opposite of these can drive them away.
all of these are inter-related.

Now lets look at some major causes of unhappiness for citizen of my city:
-some high cost of living expenses like housing, food, & transportation
-low wages
-high property taxes
-lack of recreational and entertainment opportunities

the wages they earn are directly related to the issue of profitability of businesses.
the wages they earn are also directly related to them seeking to be a part of the local workforce.

It might be hard for a city government to control the prices of homes on the market, or the cost of milk on the grocery shelves, or gas at the pump. But, aside from these cost of living issues, there is much our city government can do to help local business stay profitable leading to higher wages, and help local industries find a trained workforce. And, for sure our city government can reduce property taxes and provide clean parks and recreation facilities.

Here's my idea:
How about we encourage local residents to work locally. It will reduce their transportation costs for sure. The encouragement can come in the form of an annual reward. A citizen can fill out a form with proof of residence and proof of employment and choose a reward that works best form them. One example of a reward that will also helps a local business includes a one-year free basic membership to a local gym. another is a discount on your property taxes if you own your property. another discount on property taxes can be given to those who live in the property they own. another can be given if the own a residential and a commercial or industrial property. another can be given if they own a residential property and own a local business.

Yes, these discounts may reduce the amount of money available for the city government...
So.. it does mean that the city would have to reduce some of its fat, become a little leaner. lets concentrate on the basics: sanitation, water&sewer, streets, police and firefighters. lets streamline the bureaucracy.

Our city is pretty much built out, and our goal is to keep the businesses and residents from leaving, so lets encourage them to make renovations and improvements on existing property. lets cut the requirements to upgrade an existing property to a minimum. just structural and safety related issues and design assistance when they run into problems with plan reviewers and inspectors.

We have a branch of the community college so lets encourage our local business to recruit a local workforce and give them incentives like waiving certain fees and free advertising on the city website or free banners on park fences if they do. And we can arrange for local students to get free tutoring through volunteers at the college or high schools. Or help the students at the community college get internships with our local businesses.

There is no shortage of ideas on how retain people and get them to spend in our city. And the above ideas will bring in people and business from outside of the city. So, while there may be a short term loss in revenue it will be offset with long term gains due to higher property values and more businesses and residents paying for permits to expand and grow.

Another problem our city faced in the 80s was the phenominom of "white flight". Over the past couple of decades our city has taken on a latin flavor and a brown skin tone that comes from genetics and not tanning. Well, there are very few whites to flee now. But I do not underestimate the power of America to assimilate its inhabitants. And in the process making itself culturally much richer. This will happen in our city too, if the current residents stay here. The children growing up cities and in our schools are bi-lingual, and while their parents or grandperents might not know english, they do. As long as these people do not move away, we will see a return to the use of english in most interactions over the next 20 years. If we keep our property taxes low and show the residents that there is no reason to leave. then the assimilation will continue. But if there is a constant turn around, with those who are able to move on, leaving to other cities rahter then expanding their roots here, and we have a city of mosty new immigrants, then not only is there no assimilation, but there is no growth. I think new immigrants benefit in a community where they have to interact with local residents who have an established local culture. And it is a good thing for us that our established local culture is no longer based on white nuclear families, we are much more dynamic now.