Chaucer corrupted Valentine. Valentine hated Roman gods. Today he is a symbol of roman golden calf and eros. Ishmaelite festivals are specifically designed to avoid hero worship and commercialization.
Category: Sufi spirituality
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Islamic eschatology, rise of modern west and end of slavery
Prophetic Hadith predicting the rise of modern west and end of slavery. A good tool for spiritual paradigm shift among modern humans. Orthodox Islam should be skeptical of his anti-traditionalism but he is still a lesser evil than blind anti-traditionalists.
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Karim husbands: An Islamic text praising compassionate beta men
عن علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال :
( خيركم خيركم لأهله ، وأنا خيركم لأهلي ، ما أكرم النساء إلا كريم ، ولا أهانهن إلا لئيم )
وأنا أحب أن أكون كريماً مغلوباً من أن أكون لئيماً غالباً
Only a noble and chivalrous person respects women, and only a mean person insults them. I would love to be a passive noble person than to be a mean aggressive person.
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Islam and divine protection against fall from grace
Islam teaches prayers like this in spiritually and morally threatening situations. : Allahumma inna nauzubika min ilhaahish shahwati wa shamatatil adaai: O God I ask you for your refuge and protection against impulsivity of lust and mockery of enemies. May God make the faithful firm in spirit and commandments. The Ishmaelite Prophet peace and blessings be upon him prayed: Ya Muqallibal qulub thabbit qalbi ala deenika: O God who changes hearts, make my heart firm on your faith and religion.
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Hijrah and Aliyah
Ummah/spiritual community needs hijrah/aliyah out of melting pots of zina/adultery.{ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:24-26) }
If modern secular humans cannot make hijrah/aliyah to Masjids/Churches/Synagogues, then political hijrah/aliyah will be moral and spiritual failures.
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Did Prophet Muhammad really try to commit suicide?
Even if we assume the apocryphal report to be reliable, latest research shows a link between depression and leadership. Existential depression can cure the menace of modern forced positivity. Hadith teaches that God is near sad hearts and simple old graves. In terms of Sufi unity of being, lover cannot tolerate rejection and/or absence of Beloved. -
Future golden age of peace and Prophet Muhammad(p)
Mutual enmity and hatred will disappear. Every harmful animal will be made harmless, so that a small boy will be able to put his hand into a snake’s mouth without being harmed, a small girl will be able to make a lion run away from her, and a wolf will go among sheep as if he were a sheepdog. The Earth will be filled with peace as a container is filled with water. People will be in complete agreement, and only Allah will be worshipped. Wars will cease…” (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan, Tradition No. 4077, 2: 1363)
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Silent treatment of unjust brothers
Ishmaelite Prophetic descendant Imam Sadiq peace be upon him said: An oppressed brother should say to the unjust brother:” I am the oppressor” and should not give him silent treatment. God is just and he will give back the oppressed person his right.
فليرجع المظلوم إلى صاحبه حتى يقول له : يا أخي !.. أنا الظالم حتى ينقطع الهجران فيما بينهما ، إنّ الله تبارك وتعالى حَكَمٌ عدل يأخذ للمظلوم من الظالم
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Islam, Adam Grant, humble narcissism and authenticity
My message to Adam Grant:
I read your thoughts about humble narcissism and authenticity.
Islam teaches a middle path between passive monasticism and machiavellian action. Hadith teaches about self rights. The first Caliph taught: If I am right, cooperate with me. If I am wrong correct me.
Shariah or sacred law is an example of outside in transformation. When we grow our beards and cover our heads, we act pious and then the inward spiritual journey tries to reach the spiritual utopia the sacred outside represents.
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Explaining spiritualisation of mundane activities through dhikr to a Christian
Of course, on earth before death there is inevitable distance between loving believers and Beloved God. So, the best form of relationship on earth is to remember Him. Like Paul said: Pray without ceasing. Islam teaches how to pray without ceasing. Even when we go to market, go near husband, or go for call of nature we have sunnah prayers to remember God. Sunnah means Prophetic praxis because actions of remembrance are more important than empty words of boasting piety. So, even worldly activities become spiritualised. When we sleep we pray: O God with Thy name I die and rise up again. Because sleep is sister of death. When we wake up, we pray: All praise is to God who resurrected us after death and towards Him is the final resurrection. When we go to market we glorify God by saying: There is no god except God Alone who is without partner. When we answer the call of nature we pray: O God I ask for your protection against spiritual and physical impurities because our kidneys and stomach produce both physical and spiritual impurities which requires us to renew our state of impurity by ablution as a form of daily baptism. After we get a sense of relief after answering the call of nature we pray: All praise is to God who removed my sense of discomfort and relieved me. So, we thank God for even small blessings and comforts. When we have physical intimacy with our sexual partner in marriage we pray: O God protect us both from Satan and protect the baby which you will bless us from Satan. Today most people forget God as soon as they are outside Mosque or Church and even within Church people are thinking about greed and temptations. I agree with you that faith precedes Law. In Islam, the Companions or Prophetic disciples said: We learnt iman(faith) before Quran(Book containing commandments like Torah).
A spiritual Ishmaelite 