A Fatwa of Some Kind
Dr. Pasha
(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur'an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It --
And which One Does Not?)
Though technically carrying the credentials to be a Mufti -- giver of Fatwas -- I have been most vigilant in resisting the temptation.
Fatwa means an opinion. Just like judges issue their legal opinion. But a Fatwa is not a "Legal Opinion." For, no one appointed you a judge.
Nor is a Fatwa a "Religious Decree," as some idiots claim, importing Christian-Jewish Theology into Islamic culture.
Nor does a Fatwa have any binding power or authority.
The Fatwa, however, does have direct applicability on an audience of one. And it is the individual issuing the Fatwa himself or herself. For, females can issue Fatwas too, since they can pretty much do everything that the males can do.
And in Islam, scholarship -- seeking and acquiring knowledge -- is as much a requirement for women as it is for men. And a nation, society or people whose womenfolk remain shrouded in the darkness of ignorance has no worth or value in Allah's universe.
And the reason why a Fatwa is binding on the person issuing it is this: If an individual has a certain strongly held opinion, and is able to express it, and cite authority and documentation in support of it, then it is only logical that such a view should become binding on that individual.
Otherwise, that individual will automatically qualify for the title of Hypocrite: one who acts contrary to the conviction one holds.
If competent, qualified scholars give a Fatwa, their Fatwa is likely to be carefully considered, well studied and documented. It will carry behind it the full weight of their scholarship and integrity.
If half-baked people and mercenaries issue their opinions, then those are likely to be just what they are: fluff and mercenary garbage.
The reason why I am explaining all this is because I have just re-issued a Fatwa. "Reissued" because this is a Fatwa I issued a long time ago. And, of course, it applies to no one other than myself. And it is binding on no one except me.
So, here is this very special Fatwa, for myself: Anything other than Alhamdulillah coming out of my mouth, in my book, and for myself, is a Kalimat Kufr. Meaning a Kaafir Statement.
Not for others, but just for me.
Let me explain!
Meaning, how dare I, knowing what I do, and believing whatever belief rests in my heart, consider any situation in life, and then have the nerve and the audacity and the foolishness to say other than a simple statement of what exactly it is that I think and believe is going on.
And what is it that is really going on, no matter how you choose to look at it? Here is a summary of sorts.
1. God Almighty is running his world.
Simple! The day you or any of your friends can manage to make the sun rise and set, and the earth rotate on its axis, or even manage to hold on to life beyond your normal lifespan of 70 or 80, or even 125 or 150, without turning into a vegetable, then you can by all means lay claim to a share of the management of this world, in any shape or form.
2. The world that God runs is the world that he designed and created, all by himself, out of scratch -- out of nothing really.
He just said: Be! And there it was!
3. And God Almighty is the sole owner, master, manager and controller of this world and everything that is happening in this world. Not a blade of grass moves without him doing it.
4. And this particular situation, whatever it is we are looking at, is just a specific instance of his dispensation. That is how he decided to act in this particular situation.
5. If I am unhappy with his decision, or I have the slightest reservation or doubt, with regard to this particular decision of his, then the right and the honorable thing for me to do is to get out of Allah's Domain and go and live somewhere else.
6. And Allah has said that himself, addressing both Humans and Jinns:
Aaayat Karimah:
Yaa Ma'sharal Jinni Wal Insi,
Inistata'tum An Tanfudhoo Min Aqtaaris Samaawaati Wal-Ardi,
Fanfudhoo.
Paraphrase:
"O Jinns and Humans,
If you wish to, and if you can, get out of my Domain,
By all means, do so!"
7. Therefore, for any honorable person, to live in Allah's Domain, and make use of all the things Allah has placed at their disposal, and then to gripe about his decisions and dispensations is nothing but utter foolishness and sheer madness.
8. But that, anyway, is our title though, as Humans. Foolish Folks! Given to us by none other than Allah himself.
Right in the Qur'an.
Aaayat Karimah:
Innahu Kaana Zalooman Jahoola.
Paraphrase:
"What an utter fool a human being is!"
Hence this Fatwa that I have reissued. Maybe as a reminder for myself. More than anything else. And in no way applicable to anyone else.
For, Allah deals with every human being, male as well as female, on an individual basis. There is no one-size -- of anything -- that fits everybody.
So, by this Fatwa of mine, issued just for me, any time I say anything other than Alhamdulillah, I come perilously close to the most dangerous precipice any human being can ever face in life.
And that is Kufr! Simply put, turning your back on Allah, the Almighty, who made you out of clay, then breathed his Rooh in you, and then placed everything in the universe at your disposal.
Just think! For, Islam is all about thinking.
END
