Regarding Mehdi Hassan’s recent video criticizing Muslims who advance voting for a 3rd party candidate this election:

1) There was no “Muslim ban” under Trump, just a temporary slowdown of persons getting in from 5 Muslim majority countries which people from Yemen and Syria still got in during his presidency. We need to be truthful and accurate - وقولوا قولا سديدا

2) Obama’s drone warfare killed more than Trump’s though he put the blame on Trump for drone escalation killings of Muslims

3) Obama, not Trump, began arming UAE and Saudi in the most intense bombing of Yemen.

4) Trump didn’t literally tell people to inject bleach for COVID-19 though Trump behaved like an idiot.

*Worse than all of these was Mehdi placing blame on imams for starting off a statement, encouraging voting 3rd party, with the Qur’an about ayah of standing for justice in which he said that quoting the Qur’an is “weaponizing” Islam then references religious extremism and extremists. He is centering his secular, leftist framework and sensibilities while using an Orientalist trope to advance that we should separate our deen from politics.

In full disclosure, I am a signer of that imams letter.

We should not demonize any Muslim whether they vote for Harris, 3rd party or Trump. I take the common Muslim as being against genocide and sincere in their voting, but Mehdi is peddling inaccuracies here. That’s not acceptable given his large platform.

When a man came to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal saying that it was difficult for him to say that so & so is a weak narrator or a prolific liar, Imam Ahmad replied, “If you are silent and I am silent, when would the ignorant know what is correct from what is false?!”

It is not backbiting to warn others from persons who spread misinformation or lies about the deen. If persons are masquerading as scholars or shuyukh, it is also not blameworthy to tell others to avoid their gatherings and classes, especially when they are eloquent or charismatic and are drawing students with facades and deviant beliefs.

“The strongest of people is he who is strongest against his ego.”

- Imam Ali كرم الله وجهه

“The most ignorant of people is one who takes to acting without knowing while the more knowledgeable of the people is one who acts with what he truly knows. And the best of the people are those who are reverently fearful of Allah the Most High.”

- Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah رحمة الله تعالى عليه

May Allah protect the people of Beirut against the actions of the brutal Israeli war criminals

https://t.me/Sheikhjameelhalim/4816

In organizing spaces, one may often hear the phrases of “Where does the power lie?” or “In order to build power, ...”

In reality, a Muslim in these spaces needs to remind his or herself that “There’s no power nor might except with Allah” - لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله. No good can come about except by Allah’s will, nor should we expect the ability to have a good outcome or benefit - التوفيق - by having clear intentions other than seeking the pleasure of Allah and obeying Him.

Being empowered isn’t simply about having access to political authority nor having a lot of numbers. Remember the Battle of Badr when Muslims were outnumbered by over 3 to 1 and had extremely sparse material means compared to the enemies of Islam, yet those 313 companions who heard and obeyed were given victory.

We must beware of absorbing leftist sensibilities in the name of “building power” for Muslims.

#TowardsSacredActivism

Today is the first day of Shahr Rabi’ ath-Thani.

عن أوس بن أوس رضي الله عنه قال :
قال النبي ﷺ :
((إنَّ مِنْ أفْضَلِ أيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ فَأكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ فِيهِ ؛ فَإنَّ صَلَاتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَيَّ))
رواه أبو داود.

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله