Sincerely,
Another Non-believer in Islam scared to put my name for fear of retaliation

It is with reticence that I write this. I do not wish to place myself on the moral high ground, or to sermonise anyone. This chapter tries to show the truth and importance of dreaming of our Holy Prophet Muhammad . These words seek to confirm that ours is a Prophet of Mercy, a Witness, and a Bearer of Good Tidings. It also aims to portray the consequence of da’wāt in the Masjid al-Harām. It is moreover meant as a method of encouragement for our children to some day continue with the Prophetic Tradition of raising an orphan for the sake of Allāh, The One of Unbounded Grace. So that they may by this means know that there is more to life than just prayer and fasting. And that they should give of themselves unreservedly. That they might through it also, temper their adhkār with compassion.

We were asleep at the Mashrabiyya Hotel in Khalid bin Walīd Street in Shubayka, Makkah al-Mukarramah when, by the Mercy of Allāh, I had the most beautiful dream. I saw myself standing in the holy presence of our Truthful Prophet Muhammad . The appearance of the Holy Messenger of Allāh matched scriptural records.
Our Prophet was spotlessly dressed in white robes and a white turban. I stared aghast. Our Prophet stood about two metres away and faced me directly. Someone so unimaginably holy, so indescribably handsome, one will not come across. I do not have the words with which to suitably portray this most wonderful man, the Seal of the Prophets .
I reached for my turban, embarrassed for having only a skullcap on my head.
“Leave it,” I said to myself. “You are in the Company of the Prize of creation.”
Brilliance shone from our Guided Prophet . Our Prophet smiled at me. His smile radiated light. I stood alert, too humbled to speak. I wished that the dream would last forever. The heavenly smile lasted between ten and fifteen minutes, it felt like.

Al-hamdu-lillāh. I had never considered myself deserving of such an enormous honour. This was a spiritual experience of the first magnitude. “What does that smile mean?” I wondered. “Why is our Heroic Prophet Muhammad so extremely pleased?” I asked myself over and over again. I stared at the House of Allāh for extended periods, contemplating its meaning.

Deep in thought, I barely noticed the usually persuasive central-African women selling bird-seed as I walked back and forth from the Masjid al-Harām. I was hardly aware of the Turkish female who was dealing in steel daggers on the side of the street. Two men earnestly collecting on behalf of Bosnian refugees also failed to draw my attention. I half-heard a Pakistani lad calling out the price of bottled perfume to prospective customers alongside the road. Malaysian girls trading informally with scarves only just caught my eye. Part of the street had been freshly tarred.

“Unless you receive the sort of treatment that a host bestows on a guest, don’t ever think that, because you have performed the ziyārah of the Baitullāh, you’ve been the guest of Allāh,” my father had once counselled me.
A similar comment from my uncle, Haji Suleiman, I had further recollected. He had said to me: “Die persoon was Makkah toe – vra vir hom wat het hy gekry.” This rendered into English, says: “The person has been to Mecca – ask him what he had received [there].”
I considered his observation a bit harsh then, but the force of his remark was now bearing home on me. He knew what he was talking about. “’Ammie Haji” had taught the Haj for more than fifty years. For him it had happened very quickly. Aged twenty-five on his first Haj in 1949, Haji Suleiman had landed inside the Holy Ka’aba when someone lifted him head-high and tossed him over the 2.25 metre high threshold of the Baitullāh. Not just anyone is allowed into the Holy Ka’aba.
“Did you not get hurt?” I inquired further. “No!” he responded excitedly. “I was young and fit, and had landed on my feet,” he continued proudly.
Once over the doorsill, he did not have too far to fall, as the inside floor was 2.2 metres above the ground.
’Ammie Haji performed two cycles of discretionary salawāt once inside. From then on, he would wonder who had done him the good turn.
A number of Muslims before our time had believed that someone who had been inside the House of Allāh would not return home. Such was ‘God’s Will’, they had resolved resignedly. ’Ammie Haji chuckled as he recalled years later how the neighbours in Salt River, on learning of the incident, came to commiserate with his mother on his impending death in Mecca.

Every Muslim who had walked on the holy soil had the potential for such an experience, I realised. Such incidents might have been more prevalent than was ordinarily heard of, I thought. I had for a long time suspected that at least some pilgrims who repeatedly visited the Holy Land, apart from drawing from its built-in holiness, did not preclude themselves from offerings of this nature. It would be silly to think that parallels could not be drawn with al-Madinah al-Munawwarah in occurrences of this kind. It would also have been reasonable to expect wondrous incidents of this nature to occur in Jerusalem, as the major Middle Eastern religions agreed on the sanctity of this, the City of the Farthest Mosque. Thinking that this sort of happening was in any way unique to myself, was ludicrous.

Part of my da’wāt in the Holy Mosque in Mecca, was to ask Allāh, The One Who Makes Clear to us His signs so that we may be grateful, to Grant to ourselves the opportunity and blessings of raising an orphan for His sake.

Having the money with which to afford to go on Haj has always been its first consideration. There were many people who had performed the Holy Pilgrimage more often than I. With regard to my parting from the Holy City, though, I had received a fascinating send-off.

My wife and I had, over a number of years, tried to adopt a baby by applying at several local agencies, and were given all sorts of excuses which disqualified, and sometimes discouraged us. Reasons given were that we were not married according to South African law, that few babies from local Muslim parents came up for adoption, and the fact that we have children of our own. We were also faced with, what was to my mind, the worse aspect of the South African race laws. These regulations and those administering it, in this case, the social workers, prescribed that a ‘brown’ orphaned child had to be matched with ‘brown’ adoptive parents. A ‘yellow’ baby could only be placed with prospective ‘yellow’ adoptive parents, a ‘white’ orphan could not be raised by ‘black’ adoptive parents, and so on. They played dominoes with human lives. Some social workers were more ready to read the ‘race act’ than others.
In an interview and in response to a question on whether we would mind adopting a child from a ‘lower rung’ of the colour scale, I told them that “a nice green one would do.”
A jab to my ribs from my wife quickly halted the acid flow down the sides of my mouth. Stirring the ire of our then masters by criticising their political beliefs would not help, she meant. “When the white boss tells a joke, and regardless of its lack of humour – laugh!” she chided me later.
Race inequalities existing at the time ensured that hundreds of black orphans went begging in more ways than one. It virtually excluded us from adopting a child. No orphans that matched our race and blood mix were on offer and they weren’t likely to easily present themselves for adoption. My wife is of Indian (as in “Indian” from India, as opposed to “American” Indian) stock and I am of (well) mixed blood.

On the morning of Wednesday, 1st June 1994, just three days after arriving back home from Haj, we received a telephone call from Melanie Van Emmenes of the Child Welfare Society. She explained that a five-month old girl had come up for adoption. The baby had earlier undergone successful abdominal surgery and she asked whether we would adopt the child. We jumped at the chance.

A rush of adrenaline replaced the after-effects of travel. We were rejuvenated. Capetonians usually visit local pilgrims before departure and also on their arrival back home. We excused ourselves from the few visitors and asked my mother-in-law to host them in our absence. My wife and I immediately went to the Adoption Centre in Eden Road, Claremont. We signed the necessary papers.

Afterwards, we told our children that we were about to receive an addition to the family. We plodded through a maze of red tape in order to legalise the process. (My wife and I had to marry in court because Muslim marriages were not recognised then, believe it or not). A few days later, my wife, brother and I collected the petite infant from a foster-mother in Newfields Estate. I shall never forget the joyous feeling when I first carried the frail waif past the front door. Her name is Makkia. We named her after the great city from which we had just returned.

I shall always be grateful to the people who had assisted us with the adoption. In a letter of recommendation to the social workers, Haji Achmat Lalkhen al-Qādirī al-Chisti wrote that he could vouch for my decent parents. Sheikh Mogammad Riefaard bin Moegsien Manie al-’Alawi al-Qādirī al-Chisti had stated as a character reference that I was ‘of sober habits’.

Taking her into our modest home is one of the better things that we have done. Makkia has added a marvellous dimension to our lives. She is part of our life’s-work.

Adoption is a superb act of charity and the most effective form of da’wah. If every able married couple took on an orphan, the world would be a better place. Raising an orphan means giving from the innermost recesses of one’s heart. Adoption springs from the soul of the adoptive parent.

We cry when a child is orphaned. God cries more.

The meaning behind the glowing smile from our Trustworthy Prophet Muhammad had played itself out in the most delightful way. My dream shows our Prophet’s level of awareness and highlights his profound love for orphans and how kindly he looks on raising an orphan. It demonstrates that raising an orphan is an immensity before God. In our Prophet we have a beautiful pattern of conduct. Our Affectionate Prophet Muhammad , also, had raised a destitute child. Our Divinely-inspired Prophet is the first of the God-fearing. No person is better than him. He had scaled the peak of human tenderness. Our Prophet Muhammad is the leader of the prophets. He is without sin. Our Faultless Prophet is the foremost of those who submit to the Will of Allāh. An exemplar to those who worship God, our Kind-hearted Prophet Muhammad is the beacon of the pious. Religion is a feature that has encompassed all cultures throughout history. He had brought a religion of kindness and peaceful coexistence. Like a lamp that spreads light, the Messenger of Allāh invites to the Grace of Allāh by His leave. He is an inspiration to those who are thankful to God and the leader of those who remember Allāh . How should I express gratitude to the Holy Messenger of Allāh for his kind intervention? I am unworthy of untying the thongs of our Prophet’s sandals.

From the Sahīh al-Bukhāri, Volume 7, Hadīth Number 224, translated from Arabic:
Narrated Sahl:
Allāh’s Apostle said, “I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise,” showing his middle and index fingers and separating them.

From the Sahīh al-Bukhāri, ‘the Good Manners’ (Al-Adab), Volume 8, Book 73, Hadīth Number 34, translated from Arabic:
Narrated Sahl bin Sa’d: The Prophet said, “I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this,” putting his index and middle fingers together.

From the Sahīh al-Muslim, Chapter 3: ‘Benevolent Treatment to the Widows, Orphans and the Poor’, Book 42, Hadīth Number 7108, translated from Arabic:
AbÅ« Huraira reported that Allāh’s Messenger said, “One who looks after the orphan whether he is his relative or not, I and he will be together in Paradise like this,” and Malik (explained it) with the gesture by drawing his index finger and middle finger close together.

From the Muwatta of Imam Mālik ibn Anas, the section called: ‘The Sunnah on Hair’, Book 51, HadÄ«th Number 51.1.5, translated from Arabic:
Yahya related to me from Malik that Safwan ibn Sulaym heard that the Prophet, may Allāh Bless him and Grant him Peace, said, “I and the one who guards the orphan, whether for himself or for someone else, will be like these two in the Garden, when he has taqwa,” while indicating with his middle and index fingers.

May Allāh, The One Who Befriends the righteous, Send His Richest Peace and Blessings Upon our Holy Prophet Muhammad and On his family and companions, as much and as often as Allāh Wills.

Allāh, The One Who Is Sufficient For those who put their trust in Him, Had Accepted our prayers and Granted our want through the barakah of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad .

I’ve been fairly constant about wearing a turban during ’ibādāt since.

Our good friend “Eleonora” refuses to address the central question of this article, whether Muhammed was a perverted sexual deviant or not, because she knows in her heart it is true and Muhammeds sexual proclivities are just too creepy to defend or even discuss.

Instead, she deflects the focus of the article and tries to twist it into a referendum on the evil hegemony of the oppressive West and the Great Satan. Since this is her “last post” I’ll make a few comments on her posts.

She proclaims “VIOLENCE IS THE SYMPTOM – OPPRESSION IS THE DISEASE. This has NOTHING to do with religion.” This may be true with most religions, but it is simply untrue with respect to Islam, because violence is part of the DNA of this’religion’. Violence was practiced by Muhammed, commanded by Allah, codified in the Koran, and exercised by the Ummah wherever the Ummah exist for 1,400 years.

In the early 1800′s, the United States faced their first enemy and engaged in their first war. The enemy was ISLAM. The Islamic governments of North Africa were raiding Americas unarmed merchant vessels, capturing and enslaving the crews, stealing their cargos, and blackmailing the United States for ransom. This wall all done in the name of Islam, with Koranic justification

Some of the United States most brilliant leaders, indeed the founding fathers, had to deal with this Islamic terror. Here’s what they encountered:

In 1786 Thomas Jefferson, then US ambassador to France, and John Adams, then US Ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Dey’s ambassador to Britain, in an attempt to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress’ vote of funding to pay ransom. These two future Presidents later reported to Congress the reasons for the Muslims’ hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts. They said:

“…that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.”

This was long before the Great Satan United States ever had a foreign policy, long before they were guilty of exporting hamburgers and Britney Spears, long before they had ANY overseas military bases, and long before they began their routine ‘brutal oppression’ of peoples around the world.

These attacks against the fledgling United States were motivated by Muhammed, inspired by Allah, and commanded in the Koran. It is well known that Thomas Jefferson owned a Koran. Why? Because he was trying to understand the enemy – he was trying to understand Islam.

In a broad sense I agree with Eleonora – that there is a titanic clash of civilizations going on. It is the Buddhist/Hindu/Judeo-Christian free world pitted against the Islamic totalitarianism world. It is Dar al-Islam fighting to force Dar al-Harb into submission.

Freedom or Submission.

That is what it’s really all about. I will not submit.

~ The Infidel Alliance

Nobody got killed for criticizing their Prophet.

United States is a superpower stabilizing the world order. Bombing Tripolis by Reagan brought Ghadafi to his senses. Bombing Serbia brought Milosevic to his senses. Bombing Afghanistan, brought Taliban out of power. Bombing Hitler… You got the picture. There are many haters of this successful country which took the main burden upon itself to stabilize the world during the two world wars and thanks to America we have 64-year old Pax Americana. After Sept. 11 America faces a different, more elusive enemy scattered around the world (very cruel and fanatical, killing thousands of innocents every year). This is why they need many bases, most of which are devoted to intelligence operations.

I understand that terrorists are only defending themselves against unspecified “attackers”. Is this why a century after Mohamed Islam “defended” itself in India and Spain? And currently Muslim terrorists “defend” themselves in the streets of Denmark, England or in New York? The problem IS NOT oppression but a total backwardness of Muslim countries which are unable to build adequate economies to give their people meaningful work but instead they direct anger on external “enemies”. Communism did the same. Something is amiss if instead of a productive activity we can see dissemination of anger and aggression.

I just see your referenced comment. Boy – you’re one helluva kind!

“My local Muslim friends [remark: the Nazis always braged about their Jewish friends too] rushed to assure me that he was deranged and he does not represent Islam. Here you have Eleonora who states the opposite.”

I check out of this discussion but please do me one favour: do NOT distort my statements in such an obvious way. Your instructors must have really been lousy – they should be fired. Didn’t they teach you how to do this in a subtle way?

My statement was:

VIOLENCE IS THE SYMPTOM – OPPRESSION IS THE DISEASE

This has NOTHING to do with religion. You know that. Your friend knows that. Everybody who follows this discussion knows that.

So why do yu put yourself in the embarassing situation of being caught lying? Is it truly worth it?

BTW what about the Mormones and their harems? Untouchable, I know …

Switch off your alarms, sleep well and now I’m definitely logging out of this. “Hebed’s guet zäme”

My dear Omar

“You anger me to the extreme…” – did nobody in the training camp tell you that you should never show your anger? What kind of lousy instructors did you have to put up with? I’m truly sorry for you. Neither should you be calling your adversary names because that’s a sign of you standing on loosing grounds. It always and only happens at the point when one doesn’t have logical and cognitive arguments anymore … which you never had to start with.

Consider this as a PS to my last posting as I view this discussion as closed. You do have the blinders firmly in place and someone has effectively tampered with your brain but don’t worry this is curable. But I worry that hell will freeze over before you and people with your mindset will be able to understand and come to accept that other people do have the same rights.

My little boxer of 4 years has come to understand that he can not kill cats just because they’re of a different race – 5 cats had to dye before he understood that every time he kills one he gets punished by us. Eventually he understood. Do you get the idea?

“Retaliation brings more violence …” Yes I know that one – turn the other cheek. Now let me ask you a simple question coming from a simple minded person like I am: why did and does the US not adhere to this “Christian” principle? … But then the Muslims should … hhhmmm makes kind of sense … question is to whom?

You hang all your arguments on “petty” isolated incidents because you’re afraid of looking at the bigger picture. What are you scared of? Why are you so absolutely unable to look beyond your little world? Are you scared to discover that you’ve been had? Le me tell you a secret: behind your limited horizon there is a whole wide world waiting to be discovered by you. Aren’t you interested?

You don’t expect me to address the charade called “Peace Nobel Prize for Obama” – or do you truly?? Be a Mensch and give me a break. There are no just wars except if your homeland is attacked (e.g. in case you don’t comprehend = what’s heaped onto the rest of the world incl. the Muslims) by America.

Why don’t you – next time we meet in another forum – give me a good explanation as of why the US needs over 800 (!) military bases all over the globe? To protect its homeland? To spread freedom and democracy? Why does the US have to occupy practically every land on earth? I mean we only have some 139 countries altogether. Do you know that the land occupied by US bases is 46,566 square miles? As a comparison: the land area of North Korea is 46,541 square miles.

As another comparison:
The Roman bases at empire’s peak (AD 117) were: 37
The British bases at empire’s peak (1898) were: 36

I guess though that you don’t get the connection with the military bases either.

So be it.

But this one is just too good to let go of it! You suddenly claim to be “Swiss” . Then I’m an Inuit… Swiss people never have your mindset irrespective of how much someone plays with our brains. You know the expression “Omar, the tentmaker” … such folks can simply not be Swiss. As we say: “bisch gäng ume e guete Giu aber de isch der abverheit.”