The American Ummah

Salam wr wb,

I appreciate your concerns in this post, but perhaps you should have a good opinion of your fellow Muslims brothers/sisters in America and consider other possible avenues of why they support Obama or have love for their country. Assume the best of them and hold them in the highest possible opinion, even if remotely possible. That too is from the Sunnah.

W/ regards to Obama, no other candidate w/ the slightest chance of winning has an ideal foreign policy concerning the Muslim world. So it’s a matter of lesser of two evils. Moreover, his victory is significant in the sense that it breaks the historical pattern of white-only leaders and policy-makers for the nation, which opens countless doors of opportunity for minorities, including the future of Islam in America, which quite frankly could very well be the greatest hope the Ummah has today of rising out of its present downtrodden state [but that's another discussion]. There are already two congressman that are Muslim. Imagine after five or six generations. W/ Muslims in positions of making policy for the most powerful nation in the world, it would seem that the result would be favorable for the Ummah. That would probably be very hard for our brothers/sisters in the US to accomplish over the long term if they had a furious hatred for anything/everything that is American, and showed that hatred through burning flags and the like, which is definitely against the Sunnah. Myabe part of why they honor that flag.

Finally, loving one’s people is a Sunnah of all the Prophets (peace be upon them all). Allah Ta’ala refers to many of them as the “brother of his people” in Surah Hud. A brother is someone who is from the family, cares for the family, loves the family, and wants the best for the family. Our Beloved himself (peace be upon him) had immense love for Quraysh, and the Quran says he would almost kill himself out of desire that they be guided. Is it so wrong for an American Muslim to love Americans and love that they too be guided? One can hate policy and oppression while still having the prophetic compassion and mercy for all the worlds, especially one’s own family. Even for non-prophets, like the man in Surah Yasin. His oppressive people actually killed him, and yet upon entering Paradise who was he thinking about, in a manner of love and longing for their well-being? His own people, his own murderers… “If only my people knew, of how my Lord forgave me and honored me so!!!” This is the spirit of our message, of all the Beloved Messengers and their followers, and perhaps this is where the American Muslims [your brothers/sisters mind you] are coming from. And Allah knows best. wa’salam.

Salam Abu Yusuf, I pray you are well.

For the record, i do love my American brothers and sisters, very much. I wish and pray that they (and all those who love their country a bit too much) feel a bond between their brother and sisters elsewhere in the world and base their world view and actions on how things will affect the Ummah as a whole and not just a small part of it. We do this with our own family and we should be doing this with our extended family which is the Ummah.

Wa’salam wr wb

My point was that perhaps by being more “American” and connected to their people, customs, and nation, American Muslims would be in a more favorable position to help their extended family. I believe they very much have the entire Ummah in mind when they are being more “American.” Their patriotism and service to the American people can open tremendous doors of benefit to Muslims everywhere. Our vision and discourse as an Ummah must be far-sighted, keeping the long-term in mind, as opposed to reactionary and short-sighted. Everytime you see an American Muslim waiving that US flag and “being as American as apple pie” then just have great hopes in that brother/sister of yours that he/she very well has the Ummah in mind and can use his/her position in the American fabric to serve the Ummah.

And w/ regards to loving one’s people/country a “bit too much”… would wishing for their guidance to the point of almost killing oneself be “a bit too much?” That’s how Allah Ta’ala describes our Beloved (peace be upon him) in Surah Kahf. That’s how he (peace be upon him) felt about the polytheists of Mecca who were oppressing the Ummah so much…and waging war against the Best of creation(peace be upon him). What an amazing Sunnah!! To love your people – Kuffar/Mushrikeen people mind you – so much, while they are oppressing you so much! Did he (peace be upon him) love his people “a bit too much”??? And the irony is that most Americans have no ill-will towards Muslims…they’re just fed a bunch of garbage regarding Muslims and are therefore misinformed. They are much more innocent than many of the Mushrikeen of Mecca. Allah knows best. May He guide us all to that which is most pleasing to Him, such that we may inculcate and exemplify even the most difficult of Sunnahs. Ameen.

Salam

I think you have a very good point Abu Yusuf and i agree with you in that there is nothing wrong in loving your people or country. If we look into the seerah we can see that Rasulallah (saw) certainly had a lot of love for his people and for Mecca.

The love that Rasulallah (saw) expressed and had within his heart for his people and Mecca was, however, in perfect balance and proportion and that love never exceeded the permissible.

What I am referring to when I said “too much” is the very thing Rasulallah (saw) warned us against, that is the cancer of nationalism. When your actions and feelings towards your country or people is greater than your feelings and actions towards the Ummah, then there is a big problem. Why would Rasulallah (saw) warn us against this in ahadith such as “He is not one of us who calls for ‘asabiyyah, (nationalism) or who fights for ‘asabiyyah or who dies for ‘asabiyyah.” or “Leave it, it is rotten”, if it is not dangerous?

The Prophet of Allah would have never aligned himself with anything that would cause harm to any part of his Ummah. Would he of participated in the elections of the Meccan idolaters, especially if they said they would create wars against Muslims? The love he had for his Ummah was far greater than his love for his Meccan people and Mecca.

We should have the same reactions and feelings.

Let us not forget that national flags are idols (according to some ullema) that people salute and take oaths under, it is not befitting of a Muslim, who believes in the last day, to wave it, adorn it and (may Allah forbid) pledge allegiance to, in a manor that they do. Isn’t this shirk?

The point is that Prophet Muhammad ’s love for the people of Mecca and Mecca itself was in balance and not at the expense of the Ummah. We should learn from this and not align ourselves “too much” with these man made national boundaries that the Prophet Muhammad warned us against. We are an Ummah, we are one body – this is our nation and instead of waving the flags of the oppressors and hymning their anthems we should wave the flag of the kalimah and recite Qur’an and salawat.

If they have the “ummah in mind” then how can they support a man, government and nation that is at war with the ummah. It is this that I fail to understand

Wa salam

Wa’salam wr wb Sidi Hamza,

MashaAllah I appreciate your points and willingness to look at both sides of the argument. That is truly an admirable quality; May Allah increase us all in such traits. Ameen.

Let’s not go into the whole flag=idol debate, because like you said “some” scholars consider them to be so, while many others (equally qualified) absolutely do not, so we can leave it to them to hash it out while we can at least agree that as it is debatable, hence one cannot do “inkar” of it. It’s like tawassul or, for that matter, praying the fatiha behind the Imam. You have your opinion, I have mine, both are equally valid, so we can agree to disagree and leave it alone.

Again your comments are full of assumptions that the love that American Muslims have for their country is “more than” or “at the expense of” their love for the Ummah. This type of thinking is actually the root of the confusion. We have to understand that the two are not mutually exclusive. One can be a patriotic American that loves his country and his people, and wants the best for them in both abodes (through their being guided), while having more love and concern for the Ummah…it’s not one or the other. Again, we have to reflect deeply on the seerah…let us think of the context in which Allah described the Beloved (peace be upon him) as almost killing himself out of sorrow that his people weren’t guided…it was a context of war, torture, oppression, sanctions, humiliation, mocking, etc… And in that very context, he (peace be upon him) was so utterly concerned for his people. His companions asked him to make dua against them (think of our modern situation and how many of us love to pray for our enemies’ destruction), and he refused! (peace be upon him), saying “I was not sent as a curser.” Amazing! What a heart!!!

And w/ regards to the elections, a salient and pertinent event of the seerah comes to mind, one that is replete w/ invaluable lessons. The treaty of Hudaybiya. The Sahaba themselves couldn’t understand how/why the Beloved (peace be upon him) was agreeing to their stipulations, which “on the surface, through a short-sighted lens” seem absolutely unfair and unreasonable. Omar himself repeatedly objected directly to the Beloved! (peace be upon him) Yet he (peace be upon him) had the long-term in mind. Sometimes you have to make decisions that in the short-term aren’t too favorable so that in the long-term you can be in a better position, one that can be of greater benefit. This is of the utmost importance when considering our present-day condition. Obama’s victory is really not extremely favorable for the Ummah TODAY per se. But the doors that it opens for TOMORROW are very positive, for all minorities, including Muslims, including the Ummah at large. In the short-term, there isn’t a huge difference b/t McCain’s victory and Obama’s, for the Ummah at least. But there is definitely a HUGE difference b/t the two when looking 40 to 50 years down the road.

How can Muslims support a gov’t that is at war w/ the Ummah? a very fair and reasonable question. But perhaps, just maybe, by getting involved in that gov’t (which obviously requires an attitude of patriotism) and by becoming indiginized Americans, the Muslims in the US could actually CHANGE what the gov’t is doing! Maybe that’s how these wars will stop. Honestly, there is a much greater chance of the wars stopping by that stance than by one of marginalization and disassociation, because then when the Muslims in America object, their voice simply won’t count and won’t be considered. If they remained living there as foreigners, disconnected from the fabric of the country and from it’s gov’t, like outsiders just visiting, then really why should Americans and their gov’t give 2 cents to what they say, think, or feel???

Again, it’s not one or the other…patriotism to the US vs the Ummah…My point is that they can be one and the same thing… Patriotism to the US and involvement in its gov’t as a MEANS to better the Ummah and heal the ailing body, over the long-term mind you. And we can’t assume that American Muslims don’t have such an intention…we must hold them in the best of opinions. We can’t see their hearts. Only Allah Ta’ala can. So let’s assume the best, give them 70 excuses, and hope that their efforts will indeed result in the betterment of the Ummah. And it’s not far-fetched. “And that is not difficult for Allah .” And Allah knows best.

Wa’salam

Sorry, I forgot to mention one last point. Another amazing thing about the Treaty of Hudaybiyya is its effects (over the long-term). What was the surah that came down afterwards? It was Surah Fath! The Surah of victory and opening! The Surah of the rise of the Ummah! And that’s exactly what happened…as a result of that Treaty – the Treaty of trading the short-term for the long-term – the Ummah rose out of its condition and opened Mecca! Fath Mecca was a direct result of Hudaybiyya. A lot to reflect on considering our present-day condition.

Wa’salam

Salam

Mashallah, you raise a good point in The treaty of Hudaybiya, it certainly got me thinking. What did come to me was that the fact that the agreement between our beloved Prophet Muhammad and the mushriqeen contained the terms that they were not to fight and to have peace for 10 years, this was broken by the Mushriqeen and so The Messenger of Allah marched upon Mecca in Jihad with 10.000 of the Sahaba (ra).

Your point about making decisions that in the short-term aren’t too favorable so that in the long-term is a very good point and i totally agree with it. It is true however that no such agreement exists in the context of this discussion. The only agreement (unwritten, unagreed and unsigned) I can see is that the American government promises to protect its citizens (Muslim or non Muslim) if they live in America and pay their taxes. This seems to be reasonable on the face of it, and Muslims do this willingly, however that doesn’t stop the American government from going down the road and dropping a 30lb bomb on innocent Muslims lying in their bed.

How can we “agree” to anything so heavily weighted to one side (the American government) and that consists of accepting the fact that the government will make war against your brothers and sisters. This is surely unacceptable! I for one do not accept these terms and i believe that The Treaty of Hudaybiya would not have been signed and accepted if the same conditions were presented to the noble Messenger of Allah .

The underlying point in all of this is the safety and health of the collective ummah should take priority over any individual part. Rasulallah (saw) signed a “peace agreement” for the WHOLE UMMAH not just a part of it.

Until America and Britain etc agree to peaceful terms for Muslims everywhere I cannot see how Muslims can align themselves with them. Prophet Muhammad saw the big picture of the whole ummah so we should lift up or heads and see the big picture of the whole ummah too. Unfortunately, there are some of us (and i have been mainly focusing on American Muslims but it is true for many others) that do not lift our heads up and make decisions based upon the benefit of the whole ummah, in the manor of Rasulallah (saw), quite the opposite in fact.

You stated “let’s assume the best, give them 70 excuses. I agree in principle with this (obviously) but we can only look at what is apparent, we don’t know the interior and the apparent is this:

Man wants to get elected and promises little or nothing to the Muslims in America and promises war to Muslims in Afghanistan and elsewhere and full unwavering support for Israel. Muslim thinks okay, and supports him, calls towards to him and votes for him.

What am I to say or think of that?

You state

But perhaps, just maybe, by getting involved in that gov’t (which obviously requires an attitude of patriotism) and by becoming indiginized Americans, the Muslims in the US could actually CHANGE what the gov’t is doing! Maybe that’s how these wars will stop

When has that ever happened in the history of mankind to actually become a reasonable tactic? Islam never grew or spread like like this – this is not the way Allah or His Rasul (saw) taught us.

Anyway, gotta go. I have enjoyed it Abu Yusuf. You are a very reasonable brother and hope we can have further discussions on this blog.