June 6, 2007 by editor.

June 6, 2007 by editor.

You recently published an autobiography entitled: “From Darkness to Sunlight”. What do you mean by “darkness” and “sunlight”?
 
If you read the book, you will notice that there are a number of areas that can be interpreted as “From Darkness to Sunlight”. I grew up in a very poor family, even though we never went to bed hungry. Thank God my grandmother pretty much took care of us. I lived in Brooklyn, NY and I came from a very dysfunctional family. That could be termed darkness for me. My mother and father never spoke one day in my life. I grow up with a lot of bad people in the city of Brooklyn. That could be interpreted as darkness. But now that I have become a Muslim, I have 1.4 billion people in my family, and that’s the sunlight.
 
Another form of darkness – when I was 16 years old, I spent time in prison for a felony. But Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, made it possible for me to come out from prison, so that could be a form of sunlight.
 
Being able to become a gifted basketball player in New York and being able to become an NBA player for 10 seasons, that’s also sunlight.
 

My education that I have taken in the university is sunlight, coming from the darkness of public schools in Brooklyn.
 

These are four examples of darkness to sunlight.
 
Was your early life a typical reflection of the African American community under the oppression of racism at that time? How did that environment affect you?
 
The four examples I gave you of coming “from darkness to sunlight” are just a few. There are five or six other examples in the book that I speak about. One of the examples was me, coming from a predominantly black society in Brooklyn, coming to Iowa which was a predominantly white society.
 

How did it affect me? It did affect me enormously, culturally more than racially. Even in terms of friends, now I have friends from all types of races and religions. They might not have embraced the Islamic faith but they are good people. So I try to be kind to them to let them know that this is what Islam is. I try not to be closed. I try not to be in the darkness. I try to make my actions speak louder than my words. I try to care for people, and love people from all types of races, nationalities and religions.
 
In the religion of Islam, our Prophet, grace and blessings be upon him, was surrounded by Jews and Christians, and he treated each one of them in a good fashion. Some of them even embraced Islam and some of them didn’t. But even if they did not believe in what the Prophet was saying to them, they loved him too. And I feel it is our responsibility as Muslims to be caring for all other creatures.
 
 

You brought up a good point. One of the challenges Muslims face in America, or in the West in general, is how to breach the gap between their identities as Muslims and as Americans. And you have succeeded in that. You have made a great contribution to this country and to your religion at the same time. How can Muslims become better Muslims and better citizens at the same time?
 
We just have to do the basics. Just be kind and considerate. Be concerned with your neighbor, feed the poor, and help people. Make Islam visible. Make it something positive that people want to become. They say that 75% of communication is non-verbal. What we say from our mouths is not actually what people see – it is your actions. There was no one as kind as our Prophet, may peace be upon him, so why can’t we try to be kind like he was?
  
Coming back to the life journey, after the difficult childhood times, you were selected to play basketball at Iowa State University, and from there you began your NBA career that lasted for 10 consecutive years. How would you describe these years?
 
When I wrote my book, “From Darkness to Sunlight”, one thing scared me, which was that anywhere along the way I could have blown it. Anywhere in my life I could have run into severe consequences. Things like… I was sitting with kids injecting heroin, and then when they would ask me, would I want some?  At a young age, I didn’t do it. Me saying no to myself. God didn’t want me to do it. Like in college, when I played I never got a major injury. I didn’t skip my courses, I graduated 6 months after my due date. I never had a bad attitude which could have prevented me from being drafted to the NBA. But in each step along the way, God, subhanahu wa ta’ala, helped me. Each step of the way God was there. And it was up to me to find God. And I finally did in 1975 (1974 to 1976). That was the period where I started studying and I found Islam to be the true religion.
 
How did you find Islam?
 

I was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a cold Milwaukee day, it was about -10 degrees, and there was about 2 feet of snow. Practice had just ended. At that time I was a Catholic and I had a cross around my neck. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came over to me while I was shooting free throws. He whispered to me and said: “What’s that?” I said: “What’s what?” He said: “Around your neck, what’s that?” And I had a cross on. I looked down, and God subhanahu wa ta’ala let me know that I was wearing an ornament, a crucifix, and couldn’t explain the meaning of it.
 
Was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a Muslim at that time?
 

Yes.  So, during the next couple of days I went to the Milwaukee library and I started studying the different religions, and I found the Qur’an. The Qur’an just spoke to me. I said, “This is the way!”  For instance, I was asking myself: “If Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven, what about people who lived before Jesus?” Then I said: “There would have to be somebody else to have that mission, just common sense, because Jesus wasn’t there yet.” So I started thinking about questions like that, and then I said: “Yes, there were prophets before Jesus, and they came with a Message. Since Jesus wasn’t there, then their Message was Tawheed, Oneness of God. Whatever message people followed at that time was the straight way. And that’s what Jesus said, that was his message: following the path of all the prophets, whatever that path was at the time.
 
 How was people’s reaction to the news that you converted to Islam?
 

Back then, people didn’t know what to say. Even to this day, when I tell people, “Zaid Abdul Aziz,” they don’t know who that is. Then I have to say, “Don Smith,” and then it makes sense to them. It was almost like Don Smith just disappeared and then there is this new guy, Zaid Abdul Aziz, because people didn’t understand. That’s why in my book I put “The Life Changing Journey of Zaid Abdul Aziz (Don Smith)”, only to let people know that those two people are the same human being, but a different person.
  
Later on, you went to Saudi Arabia to coach the national team and some other teams, and you had payment and treatment problems with some teams. Was it a shock to receive this kind of treatment from people in a country representing the belief that you had just embraced?
 
That was a tough time for me. But you know, when I look back, this was one of the best times in my life. I did have a chance to go to Medina and Mecca and make Umrah. The problem I had was a civil contractual problem that can happen anywhere, even here in the US.
 
 

How was your Hajj experience?
 

Some elders say that, if your Hajj is accepted, you’ll never be the same again. And after doing my Hajj, I haven’t been the same again. When we are invited, it is God who is inviting us. Being in the desert of Saudi Arabia, giving up the comforts of the world, and performing rituals with people from all over the world… it will affect you tremendously.

What are the key things that you want people to learn from reading your book?
 

I would want them to know the Mercy of God, subhanahu wa ta’ala. That He would take a kid from Brooklyn, NY and protect him and give him the miracle of being able to play in the NBA not only one season, not two seasons, but 10 seasons. Somebody took a survey of who becomes an NBA player and came to the conclusion that only 1/30th of a percent of those who try actually become NBA players. They say that becoming an NBA player is harder than becoming an astronaut.
 

That’s what I want people to see, that everything is possible. We just let God guide us and try to be good people.
 
Is there any last thing you would like to say to our readers?
 

I just want to thank Mercy Magazine for this interview. I wish you all success. It is a great endeavor for its team to undertake and to spread this beautiful message of Islam not only to Muslims but to all people.
 

Posted in Interviews, Spring 2007 Issue, Youth | Print | No Comments »

June 6, 2007 by editor.

Keynote Address by Imam Abdessalam Yassine
Translated by Farouk Bouasse, from the Arabic 

1st North Dakota Islamic Conference, Fargo, North Dakota, USA 
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2005 | Rabi’ al-Khayr, 07, 1426

I seek refuge with God from Satan the Evil One. In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful…

“Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of all creatures, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment, You (alone) we worship and You (alone) we ask for help.  Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray.”  Amen!
In the next few days, we’ll be celebrating the noble birthday of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (God bless him and grant him peace), an occasion for our souls to rejoice, a chance to revive the aspiration for a better future for the Muslim community worldwide – and for all mankind on earth.
 

A celebration of the Mercy of God that He – Exalted be He – sent to all creatures.  God says in the Qur’an: “And We have not sent you but as a mercy to all creatures.”  A happy commemoration and a holy day.  A constantly revisited event that renews the hope and the suffering of all Muslims who see their brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere being dispossessed, raped, and slaughtered.
Humanity is in desperate need of a compassionate hand that will rescue Man from his wretchedness, loss, and spiritual depravation.  Mankind in this era, just as in any other era, needs to be reminded of – and awakened to – its eternal truth and worth.  Humanity is ever in need of being reminded that it has a unique Creator Who commands to justice and excellence in worship (al-‘adl wa al-ihsan) – Who commands equality for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

“Injustice shall manifest as darkness on the Day of Resurrection.”  So said the merciful Prophet Muhammad (God bless him and grant him peace), whose birthday we’ll be celebrating in the next few days.  He was sent as a mercy to all creatures in the sense that he came to remind Man of what is awaiting him after death, when he – and his deeds – will be exposed and judged by the Almighty.  On the Day of Reckoning, he will be asked how much good he did in his life, how charitable and generous he was to the needy, or how abusive and unjust he was.  He will have to account to God for all his acts, and so will all his fellow humans.

June 6, 2007 by editor.

Translated and Forwarded By Michael Dann

Translator’s Introduction
 

God says in the Qur’an, “God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe! Send blessings on him, and salute him with all respect” (33:56) and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The people nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection are the ones who send the most blessings on me” (related by al-Tirmidhi).  If there were no other verse or hadith concerning the virtue of sending blessings (salat) on the Prophet, this verse and hadith would be sufficient encouragement for the people of faith and intellect to dedicate themselves to sending blessings on him.  Indeed, doing salat upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a pillar of Muslim devotional life.  Ubayy ibn Ka’b relates that he said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “O Messenger of God, I send abundant blessings upon you, but what portion of my supplication should I devote to it?”  He said, “As much as you wish.”  I said, “One quarter?”  He said, “As much as you wish, but if you increase it will be better.”  I said, “Half?”  He said, “As much as you wish, but if you increase it will be better.”  I said, “Two thirds?”  He said, “As much as you wish, but if you increase it will be better.” I said, “Should I make all of my supplication for you?”  He said, “If you do then God will suffice you your concerns and forgive your sins” (related by al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and al-Hakim). 
 

Scholars devoted great attention to the subject of salat upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, devoting entire books to the subject, and the saints of this umma sent salat upon him hundreds or thousands of times per day.  The following article is composed of excerpts from the book Jala’ al-Afham fi al-Salat wa al-Salam ‘ala Khair al-Anam (Clarity of Understanding Regarding Sending Blessings and Salutations on the Best of Creation) by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya.  In this book he dedicates a chapter to discussing the benefits of sending salat on the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, and mentions forty benefits in it.  We will mention only a few of them here, asking God that He allow us to be among the true lovers of His Messenger and among those who send abundant blessings upon him. 
 

Love Reigns Supreme
 

Sending blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a reason for the servant’s love of him to abide, increase and multiply, which is one of the necessary components of faith (iman) without which it is incomplete. The reason for this is that the more the servant remembers his beloved, evokes his presence in his heart and recalls his beautiful characteristics and qualities that bring about love for him, the more his love and his longing for him will multiply, until it fills his entire heart.  But if he leaves his remembrance, calling his presence to mind and the recollection of his beautiful characteristics in his heart, his love for him will decrease.  Nothing is more pleasing to the eye of the lover than the sight of his beloved, and nothing is more pleasing to his heart than the recollection of him and his beautiful characteristics.  This recollection increases and decreases in accordance with the increase and decrease of love in the servant’s heart.  What we experience in our daily lives bears witness to this.  Even some poets have written poetry with this meaning:
 

I am amazed by the one who says, “I remembered my love.”
How could I forget her, so that I must remember the one I had forgotten?
 

This lover was amazed by the one who says, “I remembered my beloved,” because remembrance must follow forgetting, and had this person’s love been complete he would not have forgotten his beloved.  Another one wrote:
 

I want to forget her but it is as if
Layla appears before me in every direction
 

He informs us that his love for her prevents him from forgetting her.  And another one wrote:
 

Some want that this heart would forget you
But the innate nature rejects their desire
 

He says that his love for these people has become part of his very nature, so it rejects anyone who wants from him other than that.  As the famous saying goes, “Whoever loves something remembers it abundantly.”  Another one wrote, in a beautiful expression of this most honorable meaning:
 

If my heart were opened and its midst was viewed
They would see your remembrance and tawhid inscribed therein
Thus is the heart of the believer: the oneness of God and the remembrance of His Messenger are inscribed in it and they cannot be erased or removed
 

Sending blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, is also a reason for him to love the servant that does it.  Just as it is causes an in increase of love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the one who does it, so does it cause the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to love him. 
 

“Are they equal, those who know and those who do not know?”
 

Sending blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a reason for the servant to be guided and it gives life to his heart.  The more that the servant sends salat upon him, the more his love will occupy his heart, until there remains not even the slightest trace of opposition to his commands in the heart, nor any doubt concerning that which he came with.  Rather, the Message that he came with becomes inscribed in his heart and he reads it continuously in the various conditions of his life, gaining guidance, success and various types of sciences (‘ulum) from it.  The more firm that he becomes in this gnosis (ma’rifa), and the more that it becomes clear to his inner vision, the more his salat upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, will increase. 
 

For this reason, the salat of the people who possess the knowledge of his sunna and his guidance and who follow his path is quite different from the salat of the common people, whose portion of it is merely agitating their limbs and raising their voices.  As for his true followers – those who know his sunna and follow what he came with – their salat upon him is of another kind altogether.  The more they grow to know him, the more that they increase in their love of him and in their awareness of the reality of the salat that Allah wants them to make upon him. 
 

And thus is the remembrance of God the Exalted: the more that the servant knows Him, obeys Him and is beloved to Him, the more his remembrance differs from that of the heedless and distracted.  This is something that can only be understood through experience, and merely hearing about it is not sufficient.  There is a difference between one who remembers the Attributes of his Beloved, praises Him and exalts Him with these Attributes while love of Him has possessed his entire heart, and one who merely mentions them as a word on his tongue, without knowing what they mean and without presence of heart.  This is like the difference between the mother who cries after losing her son and the woman who is hired to mourn a dead person she does not know.  The remembrance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his message and praising God, may He be exalted, for the blessing of sending him to us – these things are the very spirit and essence of life.  It was said in this regard:
 

The spirit of gatherings is mentioning him and his sayings
In this is guidance for every confused wanderer
If he is not mentioned in a gathering
Then its attendees are as dead, though living
 

An Honorable Mention
 

Sending blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a reason for the name of the one who does it to be presented to him and mentioned before him, as we mentioned in the sayings of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “Your prayers upon me are presented to me,” and “God has appointed angels to be at my grave and convey the greetings of peace (al-salam) to me on behalf of my nation (umma).”  It is a sufficient honor for the servant that his name be mentioned before the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.  It has been said in this regard:
 

The one who comes to your mind for even a moment
Is worthy of soaring high and advancing
 

And another poet said:
 

Oh, welcome for that of which I was so undeserving!
Glad tidings of release after despair
So lay down your load for indeed you have been mentioned
In that sacred place, despite your imperfection
 

How Could I Ever Repay You?
 

Sending blessings on him is an attempt to fulfill only an insignificant fraction of his right upon us, and to give thanks for the blessing that God has bestowed upon us through him. This is despite the fact that what he deserves (of rights and thanks) is far too great to even be conceived of, carried out or intended.  But God, in His generosity, accepts only a small amount of the thanks and rights due to him from His servants.
 

A Comprehensive Prayer
 

The salat upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, contains within it the remembrance of God, thanks to Him, and recognition of His blessing on His servants by sending the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.  The salat of the one who does it contains the mention of God and His Messenger and the request that God reward him through His salat upon him in the best manner, as he taught us about our Lord and His Names and Attributes, guided us to the way that pleases Him and informed us of what is in store for us after arriving to Him and traveling the path towards Him.  Thus, the salat includes all the components of faith (iman) – indeed it includes recognition of the necessity of the existence of the Lord who is being called upon, His Knowledge, His Hearing, His Omnipotence, His Will, His Attributes, His Speech, His sending of His Messenger, belief in all that he informed us of, and complete love of him.  There is no doubt that these are the foundations of faith, and the salat upon him includes the servant’s knowledge of all of that, his belief in it and his love of it, and it is thus among the best of deeds. 
 

In Conclusion…
 

Here is a beautiful, subtle point for the one who teaches the religion of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to his nation (umma), calls them to it, encourages them to follow it and has patience through all of that.  This is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is given reward equal to the reward of all those who follow him, in addition to the reward for his own deeds.  So if the one who calls others to his sunna and his religion and teaches good to this nation intends that the reward for all of this go to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and his intention in calling the creation to God is to draw close to God and to have the reward of those who are obedient to Him go to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, while they are still given their complete rewards, then the reward for his preaching and teaching will be in accordance with this intention.  That is the bounty of God, which He gives to whom He wills, and God is the Possessor of great bounty.