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.