MSA Reunion Halaqa

First the bigger picture:
What is the MSA? Where does it come from? What does it do?

In the late 1800’s Jamaluddin al-Afghani started going around the Ottoman Empire spreading around ideas that Muslims need to go beyond sectarian, ethnic, cultural, and geographic differences. They need to realize that they are all Muslims. That they are all one people. He was given support by the Ottoman caliph, who could use this as a means to motivate people to defend his empire against the threat of european expansion. After all, he was the caliph of all Muslims, which means all Muslims should help defend his empire. Muslim Unity was good. It was for a reason.

Anyways, After the empire ended, and the khilafat faded away. The muslims in various independent regions began movements to bring Islam back into some sort of political power. There was no need for teaching the basics of Islam to the members of the movements, there were madrasas and mullahs and qaris for that. So what the movements focused on was molding a perspective of a political and social role of Islam among its recruits. These movements, the Ikhwan al Muslimun in the Mid-East, the Jamat e Islami in South Asia, reinterpreted Afghani’s Pan-Islam into an Islamic nationalism. The goal was to replace the colonial order with a new order.

By the late 60’s members of these movements were making their way to the New World. Many hoped to go back and continue the struggle, In the mean time while in college they would pursue higher education and seeing a vacuum they created Muslim organizations to serve their needs. The goal was to keep from assimilating while here. MSA was born.

But this is only the history of a few who founded the formal organizations, what happened next was unexpected. Members of the movements were not the only Muslims in America. I think there are four distict streams of Muslims in America. One is the movement stream with al-Afghani as the key common figure. Another is based on Black Nationalism. The black race in America has faced many challenges and one of them is to gain Power, power lost through slavery and years of dehumanization and discrimination. Figures like Noble Drew Ali, Elijah Muhammad, and Malcolm X linked this stream to Islam. The third stream is made up of Converts who went overseas to learn the traditional sciences of Islam. The fourth is people like my parents, part of the global shifting of populations, the immigrant experience.

With the easing of immigration laws after the civil rights reforms passed, Muslims looking for opportunities to make a living and support their families back home made their way here. They cared little for the political and social agendas of the Islamic movements, but they did want to be able to practice their religion. They were coming here to stay. They joined the MSAs. To be able to Pray Jummah, establish mosques, teach the basics to their kids. Survival was their goal. It was a small community and they all worked together and tolerated each other’s opposing perspectives on Islam.

That was then…
We are their children, Our time has its own challenges, Its own needs.
What is the MSA to us?

Is it about fullfilling a religious need?
-The need to worship?
-The need to learn about Islam?
-The need to believe in something?
--The need for meaning.

Or, is it about fulfilling a human need?
-The need to find a home?
-The need to eat?
-The need to socialize?
--The need to belong.

Or, is it about fulfilling an educational need?
-The need to find the best teacher?
-The need to find a study group?
-The need to pass a test?
--The need to learn.

Or, is it about fulfilling a political need?
-The need to raise awareness of an issue?
-The need to know our rights?
-The need to unite?
-The need to organize?
--The need for justice.
----The need for power.

Maybe its NOT about fulfilling a need…
-There’s a mosque if you need a place to pray.
-There’s your friends to satisfy the need to belong.
-There’s College Advisors to help you find learning aids.
-There’s a multitude of movements out there seeking power.

Maybe its about fulfilling WANTs…
-We want things to be easy.
-We want to be with those we feel most comfortable with.
-We want to feel like we are doing something meaningful.
-We want to think we are pleasing God.

So, what IS the MSA?
Throughout its history, since 1967, it’s been all of the above.
Sometimes satisfying one need, sometimes satisfying another,
…almost always satisfying a desire.

I think an MSA of our size and ability can easily lose focus, so i will list the 3 basic types of things that a group of Muslims at UT can create for themselves:

1-A means of building character in UT students…
-this does not need an organization only a small group people helping each other.

2-An outlet for issue based activism by UT students…
-needs some organization and lots of volunteers committed to that issue or cause.

3-An institution that provides services for UT students…
-needs lots of organization and access to professional resources + continuity.

To do one is easy and success is measurable, but to do all three requires hard work, a solid organization and lots of support.

That’s what we Alumni are for. Use us.

In the 60s, there was a need for us to get organized. Why?
-To give us something to belong to, and overcome feelings of isolation.
-and To assist that small group of isolated Muslims in the practice of Islam.

In the 70s and 80s, there was the need for us to build our institutions. Why?
-In order to accommodate a growing community, and its children.
-and To provide resources for those interested in knowing about Islam.

In the early 90s, there was again a need for us to organize. Why?
-It was time to make MSA relevant to a Muslim American generation.
-With the community needs taken care of by the mosque, MSA began to look outward, to others with needs. Hello Dawa Table!
-To voice support for Palestine. for Bosnia. Against Oppression. MSA’s rawest purist activism for the highest cause…Justice! MSA members joined Student Gov, Texas Union, The Daily Texan. All to support the activism, and to show that we belong in these campus institutions because we are just as much a part of the campus as any other group.

We’ve heard the names: Ayloush, Riz, Monem, Asaduddin, Almouti, Hajjar…
We've heard the legends…
-Riz getting busted for praying at old UGLy here,
-Palestinan Flags at Hillal Rallies on the west mall,
-Monem trying to distribute condoms at the dorms…WHAT???

I had a chance to participate in the tail end of that period of our MSA’s history.
-And then a challenging new era began…
--The challenge of living up to expectations!
--The challenge of continuing traditions!
--The challenge of growth!
--The challenge of finding a meaning!

It starts with a vision…camp!!

"Dear Imam Siraj,
Please find along with this letter the vision statement itself. What I would like to do here is try to give you a background on what led us to this point. Working with MYNA, MSA, local masaajid, and other various Muslim organizations, a few of us kept noticing that each had very similar problems. After looking at their histories, we found that none had a formalized vision and goal(s). This being the case, they acted more on a reactive basis, rather than proactive one.

What this vision statement attempts to do is lay out a vision for Muslims in America. Although an ambitious task, we strongly feel that if left malleable, it can serve the needs of our North American Community. The "group" I am referring to is very loose in nature. Most have either graduated from college or are very close to being so. Each is active enough to have a taste of how Muslim organizations operate.

I hope this letter and the accompanying vision statement are clear and I look forward to speaking with you at ISNA (either Friday or Saturday after Fajr).

--the vision statement and introduction:
Every traveler must have a destination in mind or the passage of time will reveal a life without achievement, the loss of opportunity, and the agony of failure. Muslims are now poised to establish a historic movement in America that could change the world. We have the human power, the economic resources, the knowledge, and the guidance of Islam. But do we have that destination in mind?

Our vision is to endlessly promote a society of thinking muslims proactive to the needs of the North American community.

Muslims must tear down the rigid walls of close-minded ignorance and open themselves to a world of creative, and fresh ideas. We must embrace the blessings and benefits of all the approaches within Islam past and present, as they reflect the many shades and complementary colors that make our deen whole. Muslims should analyze, not blindly assimilate, as we actively reach out to the Muslim community to serve its needs. As these needs are met, the North American Muslim Ummah must excel all others to lead America towards the benefits gained from the wisdom and balance of Islam."

After much discussion our group finally came to an agreement on what we are going to ask our leaders and scholars.
1.We agreed that we should begin by explaining how we were formed thus: "A group of people from all over Texas noticed that there is a problem with organizations in North American and saw that all these problems came down to the fact that they (the organization and groups) did not have a comprehensive vision for North America. What we have done after toiling for a year is come up with a vision"
2.The vision statement and the introduction written by Adil would then be told to the person
3.Then we would ask them "What do you think about the vision and do you feel it falls within the bounds of Islam?" This is basically giving them the answer. If they response by saying they think it is haram, then we would ask them why and end the conversation. But if they don't think there is anything wrong then move onto the next question.
4."Our methodology for implementing this vision is through a list of priorities. Do you agree with having priorities and what do you feel are the most important for Muslims in America?"
5.And the last question would be "What are your feeling about a new movement in North America?" - this is a controversial question

Why are we approaching them?
1.To legitimize ourselves and to let people know that we exist and this is what we are thinking
2.The conversation should be tape recorded if possible
3.Basically what we want for them is elaboration and their input and view point

I think we were idealistic and ambitious, just like we should have been at that age. And although we never formed any new organizations, we carried that vision with us as individuals. I still do.
This vision was incorporated into a new charter for UT’s MSA.

Well, I left UT at the beginning of this new millennium, coming home at the end of 2000.
-I had participated, then I had began to organize, and eventually I had led…
--and Throughout …I grew!

I gained wisdom.
-Wisdom: its more than knowledge.
--There’s awareness of a thing
---Then knowledge of that thing
----Then doing that thing
-----Then finally a Wisdom based on experience.

I became aware about myself…
-My abilities, My limitations, My emotions

I became aware of my friends…
-The nature of friendship, family, brotherhood…LOVE!

I became aware of my surroundings…
-My teachers, fellow students, the great city of Austin.

I don’t know how much was the result of the MSA and how much was because of the way I am, but I do know that the MSA was very much a part of who I am.

For me MSA wasn’t about Dawa, or Power, or Knowledge, or Friends.
-It was about finding a means to BE ASAD!
-For many, the MSA is a means of satisfying Identity issues.

I had major issues going on in my life at the time I was in UT,
-I had transition problems from transferring into the Architecture school and I couldn’t be the architecture student I wanted to be. ...My professional identity.

-I had an ill father slowly dying of diabetes dealing with the stress of running a business at Home and I couldn’t be the son I wanted to be. ...My Siddiqui identity

-But in the MSA, I found a place where I could be the Muslim I wanted to be, that believer in God that does things for others, with others.

That’s what MSA became for me in the end:
-Not to struggle to establish an Islamic order;
-Not for dawa to gain new converts;
-Not a religious institution for the Muslims of Austin;
Simply a club on campus that provides opportunities for UT’s Muslims to practice Akhlaq together. and in the process develop a stronger relationship with Allah.

love

what is love? for some its simply an emotion that drives one towards a loving action like a kiss or a hug or a tear. the root of the compassion that feeds merciful acts. for others its a mystical abstract notion that gives order to the universe, the answer to the question "why?" the reason for being. is it this or that? a real emotion or abstract concept?

can't it be both?...a Rabia al-Basri poem: "I know about love the way the fields know about light, the way the forest shelters, the way an animal's divine raw desire seeks to unite with whatever might please its soul - without a single strange thought of remorse. There is a powerful delegation in us that lobbies every moment for contentment. How will you ever find peace unless you yield to love the way the gracious earth does to our hand's impulse."

...a poem by Hafiz: Because the Woman I love lives inside of you, I lean as close to your body with my words as I can -and I think of you all the time, dear pilgrim. Because the One I love goes with you wherever you go, Hafiz will always be near. If you sat before me, wayfarer, with your aura bright from your many charms, my lips could resist rushing you, but my eyes, my eyes can no longer hide the wonderous fact of who you really are. The Beautiful One whom I adore has pitched His royal tent inside of you, so I will always lean my heart as close to your soul as I can."

what the hell is fiqh of love ?

this morning I was thinking of something I’d heard my friend Riz say during dinner on Friday night at the UT reunion, "the fiqh oflove." In all of my readings about love theory, I had NOT come across this phrase before!! It made no sense to me. there is love, and there is fiqh. they are two different things. what the hell is "fiqh of love?" so I googled it... I've learned that fiqh is the science of figuring out the shariah. Books I read say that the shariah is for the protection of various aspects of human life: deen-life-intellect-lineage-honor-property being the traditional areas. And according to scholars of fiqh, in the life of a human, ACTIONS can be required-recommended-neutral-disliked-forbidden. Now... Love is either a feeling that is experienced in the brain, or an abstract principle created to make sense of life. It may be a motivator for an action. A very basic action may be Love motivating me to kiss a baby, or to say "I love you". I think Love happens in the realm of intention... so, maybe... I guess it’s kind of relevent to fiqh. we COULD possibly place it in the various aspects of life that the shariah protects: deen-life-intellect-lineage-honor-property-LOVE... But if we place love in this list, we are lowering Love's status. Love is like Justice or Mercy. It’s a higher principle designed to give meaning to mundane life. Not a category of mundane... Anyways, my point is that i can understand "the Fiqh of Marriage", or "the Fiqh of Ibadat" because marriage and ibadat can be said to deal with lineage, honor, or deen. but "Fiqh of LOVE"??? It makes no sense to me. Maybe I’m too dumb to understand? (don’t answer that!)... First you have to define what love is, and that is the realm of philosophy, psychology, or mysticism (Akhlaq not Fiqh)... so what is this "fiqh of love"? where is this phrase coming from?... Apparently there's a class being offered around the country where attendees learn about love and "marriage in islam." (according to the wahhabi sect). it’s a big hit among the young, sincere, naive, gullible recruits. If this class (or any other offered by the Al-Maghrib Institute directed by Muhammad Alshareef) is conducted in any city, the institute creates a qabila, oh sorry..."qabeelah" or tribe for the students to join, allowing them to compete with other cities in terms of test results (interesting idea) and do extracurricular "tribal activities," including dawah (recruiting more people to wahhabi thought). I once organized a lecture at UT called "The Lover and The Beloved" but it was about sufism (because sufi poets use such language to describe their relationship with the Divine), and while the speaker had no accent, he did have a harsh tone and ended up not speaking about love as much as I had wanted him to. I also remember when we had a Friday Cookie Halaqa on the topic of love given by some wahhabi preacher from Dallas. The dude was kind of repulsive. He also had a harsh tone and thick accent too. And he focused on marriage. These and other things motivated me to speak on the topic, the real topic "love". Unlike the other speakers we had that year, I focused on "what is Love?"... I wish more people spoke of just love... Anyways, My confusion about this damn "fiqh of love" was cleared up when I went to the Al-Maghrib website. It's simply a marketing ploy for a class about the allowable and the prohibited regarding marriage and the wahhabi approach to its fiqh. But this time its not like that harsh accented preacher from Dallas, the tone seems to be much softer. But it appears it’s too soft for some recruits (not wahhabi enough for them)! peace and love.

a mention of satan

I'd read that the mystic Hallaj had written a defence of satan. but I'm still searching for an english version of it. Till them I am searching through the works of some of the other Mystics. The Sufi Poet Farid'uddin 'Attar has a few mentions of Iblis in his masterpiece "The Conference of the Birds" I've reworked Peter Avery's translation: Enjoy! ...Moses was instructed in secret to go and ask Iblis for some advice. Iblis said, “Always bear this one maxim in mind: Do not say ‘I’ lest you become like me.” Go Ahead! Take this life to be your own, What you will have is not service, but atheism, the denial of Truth! Run this course knowing no gratification. Be like those courageous ones, who gain honor through a bad reputation. If you get gratification in this road, A hundred “I’s” would take you! Snap! Just like that!...

a side note about Darkness and Sight... The Mu’min said: “It is better for that newbie that he should be in darkness,‘Til he is completely obliterated in the Ocean of Kindness, Putting an end to a consciousness of existence, Because, if anything presents itself to his untrained sight, He might become distracted, and turn towards unbelief.” It’s in you, You Know It! that desire to acquire more and more, that inclination to argue and fight, The eyes of others see, not the eyes of you. It’s in you, You’ve Felt It! It’s like an ash-pit full of dragons. You in heedlessness have let them loose, Oh the trouble of looking after them day and night! Finding food for them to eat. Places for them to sleep. You’ve become nothing but dust and blood, And that which was once considered good and pure, Now… forbidden!, taboo! your Blood, your closest buddy, it’s making you filthy, it’s becoming your partner in crime! Whatever it is in that heart of yours, that thing is preventing you from knowing Oneness! and if its doing that, without doubt, its forbidden! If you’ve become aware of the pollution within, How can you just sit there like that? Not giving a damn!... a side note to the side note: On the chest of a Shaikh an unclean dog was wont to lie. The Shaikh made no attempt to avoid it. An inquirer said: “O great one of the righteous conduct, How comes it then that you have not spurned this dog?” Listen to the Shaikh’s reply: “You see this dog’s outside, its unclean. But that which is inside me, is not visible. What you can see clearly in one, Is concealed within the other. Since my inside is like the dog’s outside, How should I evade him?That dog has become my friend.” So… if the inner corruption is only a little, A hundred times more defiled are you. Because this little is all the same; If the slightest distraction blocks your progress on the Path, What is the difference if it’s a mountain or just a straw that holds you back?... **the primary source for Satan info for most of the muslim mystic philosophers is of course the Quran. but not a literal interpretation. I see their unique notion of Iblis as an attempt to reconcile the creation story with other places in the Quran where the concept of shaytan is mentioned in relation to human nature.

enough talk

It happened again today.
I was told to “do it.”
...“Enough talk Asad, just do it.”
...Do what?

... - Over the last few years, I’ve been sharing the ideas I have about youth work.
With ex-members of our old youth organization;
officers of the local youth group;
leaders of our masjid.

... - Well it was bound to happen.
One of those people basically said “well, do it already.”
It was my old Islamic School teacher, a former advisor of our old youth group.
I decided to stop by at a Muslim Teachers Conference she was helping organize.

... - I told her:
there are ideas to create a youth group at our masjid again.
old members of our group at another mosque are dong the same thing.
Its probably time to create some sort of regional structure.

... - Yeah Yeah, We tried it back in the mid 90s.
it probably wasn’t the right time,
maybe this time it’ll happen.

... - Maybe we can:
bring these old members together to create a board of advisors.
take requests for larger youth activities for the region and then select the best youth from among all the groups to organize it.

... - Good idea she said, just like another good idea you had a couple of years ago Asad.
So whats the hold up, will this also go undone like the last one.
By the way, we need to do a camp. Not organized by any masjid or any one youth group.
Organized by us, and this region idea you have is a good way to organize it.

... - Hey! just like back in the old days, when the East Zone of the Muslim Youth of North America used a camp to kick off our South Eastern regional structure, to bring together the various youth groups in Florida! We can do the same thing but for South Florida.

... - Sounds Good! But, don’t disappoint me this time!
You’ve become all talk Asad. Lets do this soon.
You’re worrying me Asad.

... - Yes Sister Naima.
Thank you Sister Naima.
I got to go now Sister Naima.
Salam Sister Naima.