sent by Zaahied Sallie

Allah

THE MONTH OF MERCY

Life. It needs water. Every living creature does. It also needs something more subtle but equally important to thrive: raḥma—the Arabic for mercy.

The triliteral root rā ḥā mīm, meaning to have mercy, occurs 339 times in the Quran in nine derived forms.

Its cognates, womb and relations occur 12 times under the noun category. The womb, a symbol of mercy, is connected to the mother and signifies life. All relations originate from the womb and are an extension of that mercy.

The balance of the 339 occurrences of the triliteral root rā ḥā mīm mainly points to God.

Hence, mercy is the quintessential attribute of the Divine and forms two of God’s most beautiful names: Raḥmān—The Indiscriminately Merciful, and Raḥīm—The Especially Merciful: ‘Allah’s are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them’ [7:180]. Grammatically, these are intensive forms, of which Raḥmān is higher in degree because of its expansiveness. These two names predominate in the Quran. Only the superlative and unique name Allāh, which occurs 2,851 times in its triliteral root form hamza lām hā, surpasses them.

God is not our father nor our mother, but our Creator. He created all mothers and their wombs and shrouded them in mercy. Every ounce of mercy a mother ever extended to her offspring came from God.

The closest representation of God’s mercy on earth is that of parents toward their children. Singled out is the mother because of the labour of her womb. For these reasons, God connects the parents to Him and commands us to be good to them: ‘Serve Allāh, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents’ [4:36].

Regardless of our parents’ nearness, God’s mercy remains closer, more complete and indiscriminately vast.

There exists a verse among the five verses (2:183-187) concerning Ramadan that we must deeply fall in love with and forever adore. In it, God gifts the sāīm—fasting practitioner, a bottomless urn of mercy: ‘(Prophet) When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way’ [2:186].

There’s a subtlety about the verse we might miss, an absence of something we might not expect. But it’s precisely due to its absence that we must fall in adoration. This verse does not reference Ramadan or fasting, while the other four do. In it, Allah tells us that He is indeed close to us and listens to every suppliant. He does not say every fasting suppliant, which is what we may anticipate.

This verse is a beautiful illustration of al-Raḥmān—The Indiscriminately Merciful, and al-Raḥīm—The Especially Merciful and indirect proof that God is nearer and advances His special mercy to the fasting petitioner.

The Prophet (s)

IDENTITY CRAFT

We often view objects and achievements as monolithic and rarely view them in light of the aggregation of all their components, thereby reducing what had taken the craftsman years to master, the scholar thousands of hours to study, the businessman decades to build, and the earth millennia to forge, only to their most impressive expression.

Take Hoerikwaggo (the indigenous name for Table Mountain), Cape Town’s magnificent mountain range. When gazing upon it, we might only see one beautiful rock face. But the truth is that it’s an assemblage of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks formed between 450-510 million years. These rocks are further composites of other materials forged in high-pressure environments.

The truth is the same for our lives. We are an amalgam of life lived in varied circumstances over time. The parts of the amalgam which predominate are who we become. Our continued beingness or our repeatedness forges our identity. Who we believe we are shapes what we do, and what we do shapes who we are. The question is, what are we repeating and thus forging? And more importantly, who do we believe we are? Being clear about the last question best drives the first.

Now, let’s look at the magnificent personage of the Prophet (s). He (s) was a Muslim (one submitting to God’s Will) who sculpted his life in the image of the Quran, God’s Will made manifest. The Prophet’s life was thus a synthesis of the Quran’s 6200 plus verses. The Prophet (s) understood that the best way to build Quran-centric habits meant setting his identity as a living, breathing Quran.

Muslims must aspire to emulate the Prophet (s). We should discern our approach and begin in a particular area. Rest assured, it will bleed into others. So, there’s no need to fear your focus is too narrow. Actually, the more focused, the quicker the results. This strategy allows us to establish our Prophetic identity piecemeal and is a much gentler, more manageable, and sustainable approach. ‘Nature does not hurry, yet accomplishes everything’, said Lao Tzu.

Instead of setting goals to drive behaviour, such as losing weight or gaining health, I should establish my identity as someone who eats as the Prophet (s) did. The Prophet (s) said: ‘The human does not fill any container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat what will support his back. If this is not possible, then a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for his breath’ [Ibn Majah 3349].

To stop eating while still having an appetite was the way of the Prophet (s) and an excellent standard to employ when curbing our food consumption. Every time you’re about to eat, set your intention to eat like the Prophet (s) did and invoke Allah to help you achieve this noble objective. This practice will bode well in all other areas where restraint is needed, especially the appetitive or base states. When we align our goals with the Prophet (s), we elevate our deeds by establishing the sunnah (Prophetic code).

Achieving results using the identity approach is far superior to the outcome-based method. Allah established the first adherents of Islam employing this strategy. In the first thirteen years of Islam, the focus was monotheism, not acts of worship. During this period, the budding Muslims developed the correct understanding of God and their place within the relationship, which allowed their identities to be deeply rooted in sound faith and prepared for a seamless transition from believer to practitioner. Allah says: ‘Believe and do good deeds’ [25:70].

This Quranic formula forms a virtuous cycle in which one reinforces the other and can be used to permanently and successfully establish any practice.

Here’s how—Believe (what do I believe?) and do good deeds (practices which prove the belief):

• Believe (I am a writer) and do good deeds (write daily, publish books, articles, essays, and newsletters.)
• Believe (I am healthy) and do good deeds (eat whole foods, stop eating while still having an appetite, do daily exercise, have meditative walks, and spend time in solitude.)
• Believe (I am a good father) and do good deeds (respect the mother of my children, speak to them gently and respectfully, consult them, include them in crucial discussions, spend quality time with them consistently, read to them, teach them good manners, inspire them, and affirm them.)

This approach focuses on developing superb humans who craft their practices in step with their identity. It’s not only about chasing after a particular result. Identity crafting is not simply about doing but becoming.

Zionists in My Closet – Lyrics, by Zaahied Sallie, Performed by Suno A.I.

Click to Listen

https://suno.com/song/b37d984b-71c6-4416-ae22-a606b6d8fbdf?sh=CCybbc5sFthVhrgB

LYRICS

[Intro] Zionists.

[Verse 1] They’re everywhere—in every nook and cranny, on every hanger, and in every drawer—Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Adidas. Give them three stripes, and toss the Reeboks, too. Cull the cat, not the Caterpillar—yes, that, too. I meant the Puma disguised as joyful shoes.

McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Pizza Hut. They happily fund Israel while you glut. Coca-Cola, Chevron, Caltex, Astron, Tesla, Amazon and Motorola. These viruses kill worse than Ebola. Caution! There’s no vaccine for your soul when your consumption turns Gaza into a genocide sinkhole.

Sniff. Phew! What’s that stank? Is it Airbnb’s settlement hostings in the West Bank?

Don’t binge on Disney; sell your HP and Dell. Choose a different chip and ditch the Intel. These mega corporations turn Palestine for Palestinians into hell.

[Chorus] They turn Palestine for Palestinians into hell. Palestine for Palestinians into hell.

[Verse 2] To K-Way, Poetry and Old Khaki, we say, No Way! Boycott Cape Union Mart and make Krawitz pay. Boycott! And make Krawitz pay.

Pay, but don’t Pick, design your site, but don’t use WIX, and eat chocolates, just not Kit. Nestlé’s Kat will make you sick. Beware, it’s not just the Kat but the entire brand.

Come on, take a stand.

[Chorus] Pay, but don’t Pick, design your site, but don’t use WIX, and eat chocolates, just not Kit. Nestlé’s Kat will make you sick. Beware, it’s not just the Kat but the entire brand.

Come on, take a stand.

[Outro] Resist. And give Palestine a helping hand.

Give Palestine a helping hand.

Give Palestine a helping hand.

Resist. And give Palestine a helping hand.

Ramadan Karim to you and your family

Until next week, InshaAllah

Zaahied Sallie

Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme

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