Part 1 of powerful lecture series “Classified” held at Fanar, Qatar.
Hamza Tzortzis – Status Quo
AI: Summary ©
The speakers emphasize the importance of Islam in shaping human subjectivity and social pressure, including its use in politics, the crisis of children dying from lack of food and lack of sanitation, and the need for a new way of thinking. They stress the importance of providing water, food, shelter, and clothing to people who need it, as well as addressing root causes of poverty and the potential for globalist influence. The success of Islam is seen as a result of the people being strong and confident in achieving their spiritual goals.
AI: Summary ©
In an hamdulillah
wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah.
To proceed. The one of what respected elders brothers are lemma. I greet you with a womanist Islamic greetings of peace. As salam o Allah Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
The brothers and sisters, today we're going to be talking about a very important topic, a very significant issue, which we have called status quo.
And what we mean by status quo is the ideological and civilizational dominance that is occurring in the 21st century.
The reason why I'm going to speak about this is because we want to find out how Islam has a safe, did it have a say? And how did it have a say, with regards to human civilization growth, progress, justice, accountability, tolerance, and
economy.
Now, the current status quo, as many of you know, is what you would call this broad umbrella of secular liberalism, secular liberalism. Now, what is secular liberalism?
secular liberalism, liberalism essentially, is the idea that divorces God, Allah subhanho wa Taala, away from social and political affairs, in terms of our social values.
Significantly, the liberal aspect of secular liberalism is that it sees the human being the individual, as an abstract entity divorced from social attachments that the individual is, is the thing we must focus on. And we must view society through the lenses of the individual. This essentially is liberalism.
As professor will kymlicka, He is a professor of political theory. He says that all versions of liberalism, based the view on individualism, seeing society, just through the individual, whereas we know and we're going to discuss this much later that Islam is not individualistic, it has a balance between individuals and society, individual rights and social rights. So, to summarize, secular liberalism is the idea that religion of God or Allah Subhana, WA, tada, even Islam has no say, in the social political arena, concerning politics, or even values.
And the liberal aspect is that they view society through the lenses of just the individual. So this is the status quo. This is what you call the current civilizational dominance in the 21st century, it dominates from the shores of America, to even the shores of Japan, from one end of the world to the other end of the world, we have the status quo. Now, my contention today is that I strongly believe and many of you are going to strongly believe and many believe this, and there is a consensus and edema amongst the trilemma on this issue, that Islam has something very positive to say concerning the major pillars of civilization.
Now, before I talk about how Islam can deal with the major pillars of civilization, namely tolerance, economy, justice and accountability, I really want to go into the past just a little bit. So we see how the question itself is a little bit wrong. Because when we talk about Western civilization, we are actually talking about Islam.
You have to realize this, a one and a kawatte. Brothers and sisters, when we talk about the status quo, the origins of the status quo, we have to speak about Islam Islam is a essential and necessary ingredient in the ideological civilizational cocktail that produced Western civilization.
Let me give an example. Let me give you three examples for you to understand how the Quran, Allah azza wa jal, the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam actually influenced directly the key foundations of Western civilization.
Let me start with progress. Progress. Now who has an iPhone
Brother has an iPhone, you have an iPad. He has an iPad. The reason we have things like an iPhone, and an iPad, and a computer, and a laptop, and all of these things is because of Islam, because of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is because of the Quran. Now you may think, wait a minute Hamza. When I read the Quran, he doesn't tell me anything about the iPad or the iPhone? Of course not. But I want you to understand that the values that Islam gave the world facilitated things like the iPad and iPhone, the computer. Let me give an example.
When the Muslims crossed the Iberian Peninsula
and took over Spain,
we know it created what you what the historians call a convincing, convincing meaning of coexistence. Now, this coexistence between Jews, Christians, Muslims and other peoples was directly facilitated by the Quran and the Sunnah, because the framework that was loosely or even directly implemented, was from the Quran and the Sunnah. And we see that the framework the social environment, was one of tranquility, of justice and progress. For example, we know the famous Hadith, the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, which is the motto water Hadith. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Whoever harms a me, a non Muslim under the
protection of Islam, harms the Prophet himself.
Look how serious this was, if you harm a non Muslim, under our protection, under the protection of the Muslims, it's like harming would assume the loss of Allahu Allah who said,
so look at that direct kind of driving force for that moral behavior to create that type of tranquility. We have the likes of I believe, the 15th century theologian mm qaddafi. He talked about the rights of the minorities and even Karachi. He says that if they harm you, if the non Muslims harm you, be tolerant,
still overlook, take care of the needs. Do with the pool, protect the wealth and the honor and the dignity. These are the values from Islam.
And we see of course, values of justice
that were implemented in Islamic Spain we have a hadith from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he said it taqwa Velma, Velma, dolomiten, Yama, gamma, be conscious of oppression and injustice, for is going to be darkness, many shades of darkness on the Day of Judgment.
We have for instance, principles of justice and when Allah is the word Genesis three times in the Quran, in the law, you will mix it in indeed, unquestionably, without a doubt, Allah loves the just
loves the just.
This is the reality of the Quran and the Sunnah was implemented at the time of Islamic Spain. So it created that tranquility that was needed, and it was necessary for people to look into the interconnecting principles of nature.
If you go to England, where I'm from in the United Kingdom, we have a thing called a 20 pound note is 20 pounds. On the front is the queen at the back is Who knows?
Adam Smith,
the 18th century founder of modern capitalism, in one of his essays, and you can find find this essay in Adam Smith essays published in London. He says, and I quote, The modern founder of capitalism, I quote, he says, The Empire of the caliphs, just like Islamic Spain, was the first state the first state that ensured the needed tranquility for people to look into the interconnecting principles of nature, to revive the curiosity of mankind.
And this is not an accident because the Quran also tells us to look into the horizons even to look within ourselves. We'll feed on Fusco, my fellow Tootsie rune. I will admit effect goofy unfussy him, Do you they don't reflect within themselves? What can they really can do for somebody until a calming effect, and thus to explain our signs in detail for those yet terrific charoen. For those who reflect, you know what this means in the Arabic language, it comes from the root word fair care raw, which means the thing that you're reflecting upon the thing that you're meditating about the thing that you doing an analysis, think deeply think about its implications. Don't be a desert
romantic, touching the sun and looking at the stars. rather think deeply this what the Quran is telling you to do.
So facilitate this
environment there was tranquility, justice to facilitate a, an environment so people could look into the interconnecting principles of nature. And they were motivated but motivated by the values of the Quran that taught us to look into the horizons. Interestingly, brothers and sisters and listen to this very carefully acquire an awful lot. Listen carefully.
The French artistic critic, john Jacques levac, in his French criticism of Islamic architecture in Islam in Islam, his criticism wasn't negative, it was positive. And you know what he said? He critiqued jihad.
And he said, Jihad
was nothing to do with wanting to kill people. It was because they book the Quran, motivate these people, to look into the horizons,
to spread this beautiful Islam, that Peace and mercy and justice of our tradition, all around the world. And this is an interesting critique from Georgia Tech. From this perspective, you may get other perspectives from people who know war strategy and strategy is people who strategize about war. But as an artistic critic, he really saw how Muslims were motivated to spread not only the deen and the justice and mercy of Islam, but look into the horizon. They were motivated by going I want to go over there. Islam is on there, I'm gonna take it then I want to see what's there because the Quran tells me to look into the horizons because the truth will be shown even within themselves as
the Quran says. So look, look, it is unexplained. So I'm just giving you a taste of some values and principles of the Quran and Sunnah. And they were implemented in Islamic Spain. It is no wonder Islamic Spain was the bedrock, the foundation, the milestone, the necessary pillar for the Renaissance and the scientific revolution. If you, you don't have to believe me, go to the works, works of Professor Thomas Arnold, very famous historian, and very famous arabist. Professor Thomas Arnold says that Muslim Spain, Islamic Spain was that necessary milestone, that launching pad for Western civilization
to have the Renaissance and the scientific revolution.
If it wasn't for Islamic Spain, there would be no scientific revolution, because when the Christians took over Spain and took over Toledo, you had scholars from the west coming to Islamic Spain, and looking at manuscripts, this whole manuscript on astronomy, on physics, or mathematics on the interconnecting principles of nature, on biology, on medicine, on astronomy, on every subject, and they took it back and they translated these.
And when they translated them, then then they saw a, a myriad of knowledge, a vast ocean of knowledge that the Muslims preserved, developed, and took forever. This is why we have the likes of Eben sinner, who wrote the canon of medicine that was used in Western Europe for 600 years.
And this is why
I believe her name was Carolina. She was the ex CEO of HP, Hewlett Packard, the computer, the company that develops the computers, HP, she said in a public lecture. If it wasn't for Islam, we would not have computers, because the likes of environments like Islamic Spain created that tranquility for everyone to look into the interconnecting principles of nature, thus turning into the right environment for people to look into the sciences. And we developed the algorithm. If we never had the algorithm, you will not have the computer and you will not have the algorithm if you didn't have an environment like Islamic Spain, and you wouldn't have Islamic Spain if you didn't
have the Quran and the Sunnah.
So there's the link.
This is well known in western academia. in history. We have Maria Rosa manycore, who is a expert, a professor on Islamic history. In the Iberian Peninsula, I believe she's from yo University, she says Islamic Spain, we have a huge debt to Islamic Spain.
We have the likes of Robert
in his making of humanity talks about the debt that Europe and Western civilization own owes to the Islamic civilization.
So next time you go to the Apple Store is the one in Qatar Apple Store, go to the Apple Store and say I want a free iPad.
Because we Muslims develop this for you if you don't have the algorithm if you have the Quran and Sunnah that develop that environment to produce these people that
looked into these things. You wouldn't have the iPad and if they refuse, say, okay, change your marketing. After when you say Apple underneath you must say Al hamdu, lillahi Rabbil aalameen?
Because it came from Allah as a widget from this perspective, do you see the strong link? So Islam strongly influenced Western civilization from a scientific and progress perspective?
Let me give you another perspective.
In England,
when you walk into a court of law,
you are presumed
innocent, unless your name is Hamza of the law, how many kidding? You presumed innocent, okay?
So you walk into a court of law, you're presumed innocent.
This principle was also directly influenced by Islam.
There are many theories in history. But there is one particular theory that's quite strong, in my view,
which is the European conception of the presumption of innocence was developed by King Louie the night, because King Louise and I have traveled to the east and he met a monk. And this is according to his chronicler, by the way, and this monk, he read the Bible, he read the Quran and prophetic traditions that are Hadith. And he said, look at the East, look at the Muslims, that sort of justice, if you will, a successful civilization further ways. And he even mentions, quote, unquote, a Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, which I believe in is in Bihar. And he teaches it to King Louie the night, King Louie that it goes back to Europe. And he developed the presumption
of innocence before that time, to be innocent. To prove yourself innocent, you have to fight a Jew, or you be burnt alive. And if you survived, you're innocent, with few burns.
So look at this. Now, you may think Hamza, you're making this up. And many people on YouTube atheist they claim I make this up. No, I don't. Let's be academic, go to the academic journal, by Marcel boice. Od in 1980, which is entitled,
the probable influence of Islam presumption of innocence is all there, even the narrative of the chronicler of King Louis tonight. So we see again, another key pillar of Western civilization, the presumption of innocence. So when you go to court of law, if you happen to visit the states, or you happen to visit the United Kingdom, when you go to a court of law, say to the moon is Latin rubbish port and hamdu, lillahi, Rabbil alameen, put some Islam put some data because you, you owe this to the Muslims, because we gave you the presumption of innocence.
And we saw this type of justice resonating, which we're going to talk a little bit later. Another aspect concerning history, how actually Islam created the status quo, and can also change the status quo to make it even better.
It is from the perspective it is from the perspective of tolerance.
When you go to England, you're going to a lecture hall, you see so many different colors, white faces, yellow faces, pink faces, brown faces, black faces, all the colors of the human
palate, if you like, of the human spectrum.
And this is because they pride themselves on tolerance, and justice,
and togetherness, and having a mosaic society, as they say in Canada.
But this, again, was influenced by Islam. Because if we think about our brothers and sisters, the West wasn't always very tolerant.
Christianity used to fight Christianity.
Now, if we look in the Middle Ages, in the medieval period, we see that the Catholic Church was in power. And he was using the stiff arm of the state to prevent thinkers or normal individuals to develop a theory or doctrine that was in Congress different from the Catholic tradition or from the state perspective, the Catholic state perspective. So that created a clash between the church state and thinkers or people who want to progress
and now facilitated the likes of Martin Luther because we know Martin Luther was one of the reformists, one of the founders, if you like of the Protestant movement, he pegged on a church door in Wittenberg, his thesis attacking the Catholic tradition. Now these events plus plus other events, including trade law and other instances and oppression of other Christian minorities, you had what we will call
the religion
wars in Europe, you had the 30 year wars, the 80 year was the massacre in St. Bartholomew's day in 1573, I believe. I mean, blood was chin high in Europe, it wasn't always tolerant.
But after this may be necessary struggle, what happened was you had thinkers, the post Enlightenment thinkers that emerged to try and find theories of tolerance. And according to the professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, john chavi, he says very critically, that, that what they had to develop was an individualistic doctrine of rights. Now, you know, where individualism come from.
They had to develop an individualist doctrine of rights, they had to see the individual as a way from God's perceived will for society.
And that was the only way to ensure that people could live together that everyone was treated as an abstract individual.
This may have been a necessary compromise. So we had the likes of john Locke,
of
Puffin Dorf, and many other thinkers that developed treaties on tolerance, Erasmus of Rotterdam, the evil influence tolerance in Britain.
I want to particularly speak about one person, john Locke, Who's heard of john Locke,
Marshall, a few of you. This is good. JOHN Locke,
post enlightenment thinker, he wrote treaties on tolerance. He wrote a publication on civil governance, he wrote on essays concerning human understanding, actually have a 300 year old volume two volumes of his essays concerning human understanding. I collect old manuscripts, yeah, there's many in England, you find them very cheap, and sell them for a lot of money. No, you can't really. It's a dead hobby now, but it's really nice to have in Europe. Anyway, so john Locke, for example, he said that he was influenced only by one man at Oxford University and this man was, quote, Edward pokok. Now Edward Polk is seen as the first orientalist, the first Western Islamic scholar, if you
like, he used to travel to the east and collect manuscripts and have learning and do learning concerning Islam. And he would teach his students including john Locke, about theories on tolerance, which he took from the Muslims.
And john Locke took it from Edward pokok. And john Locke put it in his publications such as on civil governance. Listen to one another what brothers and sisters on civil governance john Locke describes the relationship between
the leader, the suitor, the governor, the President and the people, as a vice gerontocracy, translate vice jersey into Arabic.
Khalifa
Do I have to say anything else?
Do you see the direct influence here?
and john Locke influence the founding fathers of America treaties on tolerance in Europe.
And we know he and many others will key milestones, intellectual milestones to facilitate this tolerance. So look, what we've done. When we talked about the status quo, we define what is the status quo, the secular liberalism, we define what secularism was, what aspects of liberalism is, and was and how it was developed in the past. But before we talk about how Islam could change the status quo, we have to also ask the question, did Islam make the status quo and it did in many ways, especially the positive aspects. So we spoke about
progress and civilization is that explain that convince here. We talked about presumption of innocence coming from the Islamic tradition via King Louie the night.
And we spoke about just now treaties on tolerance. So just these three examples, you see how Islam actually made Western civilization, Western civilization isn't a huge debts isn't a huge debt to the Islamic tradition, especially on these three points, intellectual progress, scientific revolution and Renaissance presumption of innocence and tolerance.
It's amazing.
Now
let's now look into how Islam can change the situation today. How Islam, although it did create the status quo, the positive aspects of the status quo, how can it change the negative aspects of the status quo today, and this is the last part of the presentation. I want to give two examples where Islam will dramatically change the world number one
Global Justice. Number two,
economics and global poverty.
Islam is not just a religion of spirituality. In actual fact, Islam came to change our idea on what spirituality is.
Because the charity was only going to the church on Sunday, or even just praying, it is that but is much more. Because when we look at the term, ie Bader, we took a look at the term worship. We see that worship is a comprehensive concept in the Islamic tradition.
Because we know it is the single Allah out uniquely with regards to his oneness with regards to worshiping Him, and also with regards to seeking his help.
And in this act of singling him out solely for this, it develops a whole mentality that everything could be worship, because of a concept of a clause. A clause linguistically means to single something out.
And we know actions in the Sharia in Islam are accepted. If you have the right intention to please Allah azza wa jal which means to please Allah means to do it for his sake, to do it, to remove yourself from the punishment to do it to gain the reward or for all three.
So we do it for the sake of Allah, but with also the action has to be in line with the Quran and the Sunnah.
So that means when a sister has been cooking a curry for her husband, every day, for 30 years, that could be a bad instead of her saying, he wants that smelly curry again. She could say yeah, Alamo doing it for him I'm doing for you, to seek your face. To love you to glorify Your Allah, I'm doing it by you, as an act of worship. Every time you cook for your husband, you'll be a badger. Or like a fine if we know this, because of the class, every time we drink water.
or drink some tea. Or every time we go and we eat something and we say y'all, I'm eating this because I don't have to, biologically, but I'm doing it because I want to be a strong Muslim. And a strong Muslim is better than a weak one. And it doesn't mean just in muscles, but he can stand up in prayer and strong mind and strong soul.
Every time you eat well, it will be a bother.
Just from your perspective, your knee, your your your understanding.
Well, I understand this, because of the class really changes spirituality for you.
It changes everything because we know the deeds don't really mean anything by themselves. Because I could be on the Day of Judgment. And I could become the halifa and unite all the Muslims and we could have peace and justice all around the world. And I could go on the Day of Judgment, I'll be sent straight to jahannam
because I didn't do it for the sake of Allah did it for glory. I did it for fame. I did it for ego.
But that's how powerful Islamic spirituality is that we do it not for the knifes not for the ego not for social pressure. Other people wanting us to do this, but we do for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala. And it's hard. It's not easy, a soufiane ofori, one of the famous scholars of Islam what he says that one thing, I'm always worried about his IQ loss, because it lies in the heart, the color, the thing that wavers the boiling pot. Yeah. He like turns around all the time.
So
I want you to know, then things like economy and things like social justice and global justice are spiritual issues, not political issues.
Because how Islam sees them is some season from the paradigm from the lenses of the Quran and Sunnah, not from anything else. So therefore, you have these spiritual filters, meaning what does Allah want us with regards to economy and saving humanity? digitally nurse, we're here for the people Linares, not millionaires, not from them, but for them. We're here to take care of humanity.
So let me give you two examples of Islam now, which is the last part of the presentation now, how would solve the issues of the current status quo? So let's talk about justice.
One of the Pope's just before the birth of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I believe he was Pope Gregory, you can correct me if I'm wrong. He wrote a letter.
And he said, We live in an age of darkness, in injustice, in oppression.
We know cooled by the shade of God. We don't have the mercy anymore.
It was as if it was perfect timing for the birth of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so he could come and be a mercy to the world.
And what Pope Gregory said then applies now. Because when you look all around the world, you see injustice, normally economic injustice, which we're going to talk about later. But justice
in a general sense. Look what happened in Russia recently. Look at the history of Palestine. Look what designers are doing. They're creating a prison camp over brothers and sisters, and our brothers and sisters in humanity, because many of them are Christian Palestinians as well.
There was a time when people were eating grass.
There's even political injustice from the point of view, when they ask for a solution. They say the two state solution will lie This is wrong which no Muslim should support this. No politician support this in my humble opinion. Well, ah, you know why? Because the Tuesday solution is a state within a states. If you read the early narratives of the political rhetoric of the two state solution, Palestine will not have its own army will not have its own Air Force. It won't even have its own police can manage his own waters come in his own electricity. Is this a state?
It's a slavery is political slavery within another within a within the global within the greatest state, which they call Israel. So the two state solution even the solutions they propose are unjust, but many of us have bought these unjust solutions.
Also, we have to understand that
we have injustice everywhere look, in Tibet, for example, China was occupied Tibet, and culturally oppress the Tibetans for many, many, many years.
And there was many massacres of Tibetan Buddhist monks, which we know is against our tradition. When we know the words Abubakar radi Allahu anhu when the Mujahideen went to liberate lands, not to slit and slave them to liberate people to remove obstacles, to give the dollar to show the light of Islam, Abu Bakar rajala who said if you see a monk and they're worshipping leaves them don't harm them.
We have for example, in Central Asia, very oppressive regimes like was Pakistan that was led by the likes of Islam Karimov used to boil his political opponents to death, inject him with the AIDS virus, remove their fingernails, only because they were calling for Islam, calling Fatah heed, calling for the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
We see many massacres around the world.
It was not so long ago, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, hundreds of 1000s of innocent human beings incinerated incinerated
because of so called Japanese atrocities against the United States of America.
We saw
if you go to the UN reports depleted uranium that was coated on the tips of bombs in the Gulf, in the 91 war, he created almost like a nuclear dust cloud, around Iraq in surrounding areas. And mothers are given birth to children with no faces.
They don't know where to breastfeed the child.
No eyes, no nose, no mouth. This is a document go to the UN reports. depleted uranium is a covert nuclear war against the Muslims.
And non Muslims the Christian Iraq is as well.
We see 1 million people die in the Iraq war.
We see massacres everywhere, whether it's Muslim or non Muslim is wrong.
So the point here, there's injustice, there is global injustice, all because people want financial resources or global dominance.
Even in Bangladesh, who has been goalie here, or
even in Bangladesh, for example, India as a tight control of Bangladesh via shocks shahina has seen a weapon name is
May Allah guide her
that they turn on the dams, they turn the turn the water on, and that's why the floods in Bangladesh wasn't a geo geological crisis. It was a political crisis, because India said less floods Bangladesh and 1000s would die.
So there's injustice everywhere.
So how is this I'm going to solve
This well first and foremost we have to see this from a more philosophical perspective
saying something good Why on earth what to say this is good and this is right is an easy thing. saying this is halal is haram is easy. A book could tell you this, a robot can tell you this,
go to any human being, whether they're Muslim or non Muslim, they could tell you what good is. It's part of the fitrah it's part of the innate nature that Allah subhana wa has created within them to acknowledge what is good.
But what makes that good be really implemented on a socio political level ideological level, in my view, you have to have a strong anchor, the basis, the assume the foundation has to be very strong meaning we have to show that these values come from Allah azza wa jal, but our moral ethical framework comes from the divine reality. It's not based on human subjectivity, because in secular political framework, and rule these values change all the time, even in Britain, the discussing to change the human rights law.
You know, they make the gods in the evening and they eat him in the morning. This is they make the day at the object of worship human rights in the evening, and they have him for breakfast in the morning. Which reminds me of a thought from Omar rajala. He made a good from date. And then he got hungry he has got and he realized how stupid this was. This is saying this is the shift of conceptualization. Don't think should is not Oh, is this about object worship? Is concept worship, as well. Be very clear on this because Allah azza wa jal talks about the different levels of tawheed concerning authority, authority,
because Allah azza wa jal talks about the rabbi's in the months look at them, they took them as they know is the LA as the object of worship because they were the authority. And we see this in the Jewish tradition in the Talmud, the Talmud was this collection of rabbinical sayings became why it becomes revelation for them now.
And that's the authority. So remember, one hot towel here is very subtle. It's not just about object worship, but it's the worship of conceptualization.
And when it comes to things like the second politics, they may say good things, but why is it not implemented? Why does it change all the time is because the framework is based upon subjectivity and relativism, it changes over time based on social consensus.
If you agree, social consensus is an authority for your moral vision for society, then how can you say that killing 6 million Jews in 1940s, Germany is wrong? We know it's wrong, but how can you say it's wrong, because that was based on social consensus at the time.
So it's all about our theater, from this perspective, the lenses that you see the world.
So now we understand that the reason his phone would change is because it would imbibe in human beings via our via calling people to Islam, and via the Islamic thought and Islamic philosophy to show that these values are
changing, there are binding, they are authoritative. It is a framework that is objective, it is an anchor
that transcends human human subjectivity.
And that is the difference
from someone who could implement injustice, or someone who implements justice, is based upon the fact of where did it come from, if you believe believe it came from Allah, from God from the divine reality, then you're going to be stronger in implementing justice.
So you won't change due to the whims and desires of the collective pressure.
Also, we have to see the Islamic values of justice are very unique.
As we discussed before, Allah says three times in the Quran, in the La hibel, Moxie teen, Indeed, Allah loves the just,
it gives you this driving force, this social environment, that people need to be just that we have an accountability. So we have a moral, we have a moral motivation. We don't just believe we're gonna become Warren Buffet, we're just going to turn into dust. We're just going to be the meat and the food for the worms. No, we believe there's going to be an accountability, I'm going to be accounted by the Lord of everything that exists. This is a moral motivation. And this is why you had the injustice of the Communist Russia, when they used to torture Christians and they killed 6 million Christians, by the way.
When if you see the reports of those who survived the communist torture, as you know what is to say?
I could do what I want. There's no God. There's no accountability.
I am accountable to my own
So I can do what I want. We're going to become just one buffet so I could teach you and kill you.
Because you didn't have that more motivation.
more motivation is everything.
And more motivation counts when people are squeezed in a situation that you may come to London and think are beautiful people, and they are nice people,
nice people in Britain. But and I believe this to be true. Those people who don't believe in Allah, they don't have that strong framework for morality that transcends the subjectivity and social pressure. If there was a famine, a famine in London, they will be eating each other. I'm telling you,
I'm telling you, there'll be eating each other. We already saw this in the London riots. We saw this in the LA riots when people were squeezed, they forgot about morality. It's not about me and myself. What's in it for me? I'm all right, jack, because you don't have that moral authority. But from our perspective, individually, socially, politically, we have that moral framework. It comes from Allah azza wa jal.
So the values are unique as well.
Because we saw this presidents in clear, transparent, direct and timely accountability and justice, we know the famous story between Ali or Adi Allahu anhu, and a Jew.
They accused him of stealing his shield, but the judge favored the Jews. And not only rajala Andrew because Allie use one of his family members as a witness and this bias there. So that's not valid in the Sharia.
I tell you something, George W. Bush, could be accounted for
facilitating the murder in 1 million innocent human beings in Iraq. This is a case I'm telling you, you as a human being Joe Bloggs, john doe next door, Abdullah down the street. If you were to file, a court case against George Bush, your great great great grandson will see it filed.
bureaucracy in Islamic doesn't work that way. Is concise, is transparent, is timely. We saw this with the case of Elliot Rodger law and
if it was George Bush, it would have taken a century for anything to happen.
And this is why in the Islamic model
we have
the majesty of the Ummah that is a is like an entity,
that the people who come together to directly account the leader,
which is very important any state politics or even of katapola, who spoke to his people when he said almost of all people, the most just of us, he said to his people, if I'm going to sway from the Quran and Sunnah, what are you going to do? I'm one match to that with a sword as I went to fix you with this, and nobody was happy like this.
But we are free.
We count ourselves with Rama with other with a clock.
An account everybody else and this is the true justice of Islam. And we saw this in history with the Jews. Yes with the hood. Think about this unprecedented. This is why Uri avnery a Zionist journalists and Zionist journalists once said every on his do must think the Muslims for the preservation of the Jews will lie This is true. Check our history. Go to Philip mandsaur famous historian, his book Constantinople. He cites a primary source from 1453 in the 15th century era by writing a letter to the persecuted Jews of Europe and he says come to the land of the Othmani philosopher of the Ottoman period, come to learn of the Muslims richer the fruits of the earth were
not oppressed with heavy taxes, and we live in peace and freedom.
Another Jewish historian, I in your guts? I read Gratz 19th century Jewish historian, he said the Jews live favorably under the mohammedans.
But you know, de Rossi, Italian Jews and rabbis traveled to Baghdad wrote letters to the Father saying come to the land of the Muslims.
We have designs are a contemporary modern Jewish historian, he said Thus, when the Muslims crossed the Straits of Gibraltar in the Iberian Peninsula, the Jews saw the Muslims as liberated from Crystal
persecution. Even the Christians see this in the academic study by as tritan. Could Omar and his non Muslim subjects, he quotes, the Christians preferred Muslim rule to that of the Franks of the Christians.
We have another contemporary Jewish historian I have this book is two volumes is called a World Within, written by Amnon Cohan. And he collected 1000 Records under the cardi and he analyzed them so that the Jews, although they were given the freedom, that the judicial authority to go to the rabbinical courts to go to the rabbis, the majority of them decided to go to the kadhi. Because then you justice lived in Islam.
There's a difference between concept and practice. Islam teaches concept, and it demands practice.
And that was the differentiator. And that will be the differentiator
concerning the change of the status quo into mobile justice,
which we're going to talk a lot more in codename terror in the election, one or two days.
And this is the irony. Even if you are a neoconservative, you know, sometimes the Muslims will blame the neo cons, or the neo cons are fought is the media. It's this that right?
The neo cons, the new conservative philosophy, if you read political theory is what it was to conserve. It says if it worked in the past, you don't have to change it. If it's not broken. You don't have to fix it. The irony is if the neoconservatives knew their history, they will be calling for Islam and not for Zionism.
Because it was only under Islam that had Jews, Christians, and Muslims working together in harmony, when in any other time as this happened.
Even in Israel, they can't have Muslims and Jews living harmoniously together.
We just have to know be blind to our history, you say, How did this happen? Why did this happen? Under what value did this happen? Under what ideological model does happen? Under what spiritual premise did this happen? It will happen because of Islam.
As we've seen from the this array of historians, talking about justice to the Jews, imagine to everybody else you mentioned to humanity at large, as we talked about the various ahadeeth.
Concerning this issue.
So let's go to the next point on how Islam would change the status quo, the negative aspects to positive and this for me is very dear to my heart. Because I'm Greek.
I look Pakistani, but I'm Greek.
And the reason because I was reading a article in The New Statesman the other day,
and the article is about Greece and Athens and it's become very fascist right wing. It's beating up Afghanis and Arabs and Pakistanis and Bengalis, because they blaming the foreigners for the crisis.
What crisis the financial crisis now this financial crisis, brothers and sisters and friends, acquire nakawa respected elders in which we listen to how Islam economies very profound.
This crisis is not only five years old, this crisis started to 300 years ago with the advent of capitalism. We mentioned Adam Smith earlier, the modern father of capitalism.
This crisis happened from this disease that has killed and murdered and terrorized humanity for two 300 years will lie, check the UNDP report, every seven years or so 20 million children Africa die because there's not enough food. Not enough food.
And we have this war on terror. Don't get me wrong. We don't believe in terrorism is wrong.
But we should have a war on capitalism when his ideas because it kills much more. Many more people, millions. And by the way,
more people die of dog bites in America than due to terrorism. I don't see a war on canines. A war on dogs. Yeah. If they want to be honest with their strategy, they have to have a global war on dogs.
because more people die of the terrorism of the canine than the terrorism of the so called Muslim which we disagree with any way we know you can't kill innocence. We discuss what aboubaker Raja Allahu anhu said, one of which was about the monks but there's many many more about innocence children, women, their various ahaadeeth referring to this as well.
So we have a we have a crisis 20 million children every few years because of no food.
2 billion people living less than $2 a day, 1 billion people having no sanitation. Even in America, 50% of the people require funds from the government. 25% of people need food stamps or they live underneath the poverty ladder. I was in Chicago just a few months ago.
And I was hearing a story about a child she only goes to school, because that's her only meal to eat. We were in Africa, in Burundi, the poorest country in Africa, children had to Mills.
America has become like Africa, because of its the systemic issues. Now we're not condemning America, we're not condemning human beings. We're condemning ideas here that facilitate this Carnage, this destruction.
Why is it that we have 60,000 deaths every day, just because of
bad water and no food?
Because it's based on a geopolitical myth that the capitalist want to teach you brothers and sisters, which is there are too many needs. Not enough resources.
Which is a lie.
It is alive one because the profits on the line what I did was I'm setting the Hadees and did a movie, he said the son of Adam, all he needs is food, shelter and clothing, defining our essential limited needs and increasing economic philosophy of distribution, not of competition, because there's so called too many needs and enough resources. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam 1400 years ago was in line with modern geopolitics. If you look at a study done by the Food, Agricultural Organization, they conclude there are enough calories on this planet. There's enough food on this planet to feed three planets. No one but three planets. Allah azza wa jal is oh rose
up, he is the provider. This is why I Li Raja Allahu anhu said in a very wise statement, when you see a poor person don't blame Allah, Allah gave us the resources, he's almost duck, blame the volume, blame the the oppressor, who's created a system that doesn't distribute the wealth to this person.
This is Islam.
This is a song that would change the world, especially by economy to liberate human beings from the clutches of the of the slavery of capitalism.
And we face this as Westerners in the UK, in Europe, in Greece in the country, my parents are from mothers are giving the children to the priests because they can't afford to take care of the children anymore. They wake up in the morning, banging on the pots and pans, the poachers, they have no food.
But where is the Greek Prime Minister? Where's the European Prime Minister? Where is the German Chancellor? Where are they?
But it was almost a banana cataldo Raja Allahu anhu when there was a feminine Medina, he was walking in the outskirts of Medina. When people were eating grass, he saw a woman she was cooking stones or water to keep her children from crying because she had no food and she noticed a man which was over but she didn't know it was over. And she said I'm going to account a mirror meaning Upon hearing this, because of that more accountability we discussed earlier, he went back to the biting man to the house of wealth. He collected the foodstuffs. And he carried it himself and his servants said, Yeah, ameerul momineen Let me carry that stuff for you. And he said, You're not going to carry my
luggage on the Day of Judgment.
And he went, he went, he went to the woman's house, and he cooked the food for them.
And then he slept nearby because he wanted to wake up to see the children smiling.
Where was the Pakistani,
Jelani Zindani, whoever they are. After the floods, they traveled to the five star hotels to discuss the promisee
This is why we need Islam
And you have it all in your hearts.
And he just stays there.
We have to spread it around people.
So this is m would solve the economic crisis. Why? Because he has the correct geopolitical models, we said about the process of saying there are central limited needs, therefore, there's enough resources for everybody creates a philosophy of distribution. Also an Islamic economic theory what happens is, according to the Quran, and the sooner that is the preservation of Riba of interest, because it is the impediment
to the distribution of wealth.
Because if someone has paying more because of interest, they have less money in their pocket. If you remove the interest, they have more money in their pocket, that you may think, well, they could save that up. No, they can't. Because what happens, there is a tax zeca you can't hoard wealth is going to go down two and a half percent all the time. So that's an economic stimulus for you to take that wealth and injected back into society to create roads and schools and entrepreneurship.
Also, we're not taxed heavily. So there's more money in the hands of society. In America, people are taxed. 40% almost
is some teach not to tax people because it means more money in their hands, which mean they will go into entrepreneurship and businesses and building massage. It's
building roads and hospitals.
Also, our money is not free floating like in Europe, and in America. free floating means that money is printed, and is not dependent on wealth. It is too printed. It's Have you heard of the term quantitative easing. You hear this from CNN, sometimes quantitative easing. Do you know what that means? This is a push term for meaning, let's print some more money.
So when there's more money in society, doesn't mean there's more wealth and businesses are undervalued by and Islam is pegged and contingent on the gold or silver standard. So when there's more money in society means there's more wealth. So when a business has more money, it means it has more wealth.
So these are some of the principles of Islam, and the economy is far bigger than that even the oil. According to Hadees, from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, people are partners in three things, water pastures and fire, meaning the natural resources the lemma says the natural resources, the other hand is consenting minerals. The government only has the responsibility to take that money and injected back into the ummah.
There are some nations that don't do this.
Well live them on money, this Hadeeth revolution in some countries there.
I had Qatar pays ul,
umbrella. So some of the oil is back into your pockets.
But more can be done.
And we saw this pattern this this isn't history.
Well, like if you go to Turkey, into the Ottoman into the ultimate mosques. The massage that you see inside, I think is in the in the Sulaymaniyah mosque I believe there are these almost dome like structures with holes in them.
They were there to be filled of gold coins. So the rich to give sadaqa in the day they give good quotes and is quite deep so you don't know if you are giving or taking to preserve the dignity of the poor.
The historians say the western historians say
that he was always full
meaning under a state for the first time in history, everyone had food, shelter and clothing, Islam
in our history, when the administrators were taking the wealth of the care to give it to those who needed it. They came back to the creditor to the caniff and said here's the wealth, meaning everyone had food, shelter and clothing. Well law he the only time in history under a state
is forgive everyone food, shelter and clothing in Britain, it doesn't even happen. Hundreds of 1000s of people go into soup kitchens to have soup people to feed the poor. We have 25% of people underneath the poverty line in America itself 80,000 homeless children in the UK,
capitalism the solution is slamming values which change the status quo improve and make it better in spite it is going to improve it.
And let me end with a beautiful quote by Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz, one of the kailis of Islam, Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz and he sums up our view on economic justice.
This, he said, all people,
all people, make sure you put wheat on the top of the mountains, so that people don't say that we kept the birds hungry.
He was concerned about birds.
Because the model dealt with human beings.
These UDN brothers and sisters, it made the West a made the status cause we discussed from progress civilization, the iPad, the iPhone, by the algorithm by the tranquil environment in the Conservancy of Islamic Spain. It made the West consenting tolerance john Locke treatise on tolerance, civil governance, vise currency, influence the West concerning the presumption of innocence, muscle boy swords essay talking about the clinical writing by kingery, the ninth that traveled to the Muslim world, took a Hadees and implemented it in Europe practically.
Then we took talked about injustice and how Islam would solve injustice, we focus on the Jews and how we treated us greatly, amazingly, because of our values, and that metaphysical framework that our morals come from the divine that transcend the afterlife of him, human him, fallen, fallen and fallen,
that transcends human subjectivity to its binding is not relative and subjective. And we discuss economy, how capitalism is the terror of the world. 20 million children dying every so few years, according to the UNDP report.
But look, what Islam will do just give you like five or six key macro economic principles of Islam, that when implemented would change. The reality in the face of this earth will lie you had American scholars coming to England, teaching the Brits, that we should adopt an Islamic economic model
far more stable, and it's far more just
my beloved brothers sisters in Islam, anything that I've said that is wrong has come from my enough, or shaitan anything that's good has come from Allah azza wa jal. Forgive me for the mistakes. I hope you took something on board to inspire you. And if a lot of this information was a little bit high level for you, good.
You know, when you go to the gym, and you go to the pull up bar, in order to get stronger, you have to push yourself over the bar. Yes.
Same with knowledge.
I have a theory.
If we're always going to speak on a certain level to people that always stay that way.
The only reason I became a Muslim 10 years ago, I converted to Islam. The only reason I tried to learn mono is because I had some Elena, some students of knowledge, throwing things at me that had no clue and inspired me to sit to learn to read to look further.
Because I don't want this to be like as if we're suffering from spiritual diabetes, spiritual diabetes. As Eman goes down. This is spiritual insulin, the talk from Hamza or I feel great for a few hours. No, I want this to inspire you.
To say there was some interesting things about economy justice history. I don't remember the names may not remember the concepts, but I'm gonna go and research myself.
Because I need to learn about my team because we're gonna save humanity. Because we're awfully Jacqueline nurse. We're here for the people, not just from the people, we have a global responsibility.
There is a book called How to Read a book. It's quite funny. Does that mean I have to read the book before I read the book. So the book how to read a book says, If you read a book a little bit above your level, he said, Don't put it down. Many of you put it down. I said too much. We didn't put it down.
Don't struggle with it. That's the only way you will elevate yourself.
And this is the what the Quran did to the Sahaba how many questions from the Sahaba to the prophets of Allah while he was telling me the books of prophecy? I don't know this. What does this mean? What does that mean?
Because the Quran came with some ambiguity as well. Unsure these words, were the root application, the professor knows. So he explained to elevate the Sahaba.
So this is why I pitch it sometimes like this. So all of you can be elevated and you can do it so easy. Well, like all you have to do is do
well, like that's the number one problem with the Muslims. We just don't do we just think we plan we aspire. I plan to do this. I'm thinking about this. I'm gonna make do after this. I'm gonna do this for this. But we don't do.
We don't do well like all Allah wants us to do if I like just just on our successes, we'll all go to jahannam
If he judged us on our successes, we will be finished. But Allah judges us on the intention on our actions. So this dude, sometimes we don't do because we're scared of this person and CNN and media and
Zionists and next door neighbors and the politics and the government subpoena when I'm looking on my shoulder. This side. I'm looking at no media. Am I looking at Oh zinus It's a pound whispering to me. That's our biggest enemy. That was was that she that whispering? That shaytaan speaks to you in your own voice and you don't even know. Do you think it's you? Because we think I can't. I don't I shouldn't I won't. I not low self esteem. inferiority complex. We can't shake hands properly. we shake fingertips. We're very soft, humble father. We're like little mice.
humidities in the Harlequin hot. This is this Dean is the Dean of his of honor.
And the reason the Sahaba was so successful, because they didn't fear the material world they knew. They knew who Allah was. Allah as we always say that Hola Hola, quwata illa Billah there is no true power from the power of Allah. There is no true power apart from Allah of power. So this means whatever happens in the world is from the Quadro the power and the power of Allah.
No, because of job roles or design is when in the sun No, do we see the pros? I'm blaming other people,
even prophetic traditions where he says blame Allah to Allah. When does he What is he a victim? Moses has become victims. I know Yes, we're oppressed. Yes, we this. We know the story, how many times we're gonna pee will become half of the story. Forget the story. How do we react in accordance to the Sunnah know who Allah is? That means if everything happens, because of the will and power of Allah, then do we know his will?
We don't know what's gonna happen or Allah knows. So why are we saying I can't, I don't, I shall, I shouldn't. So that should empower us to say I can achieve whatever I can and try my best.
And if it's in accordance with the will of Allah than this cave, and everything is, and if we tried our best, and we failed, they still fail, in order to solve the policy, said, amazing is a situation of the believer. If something
good happens to him, he's thankfulness good for him is something of harm. strikes him, he's patient, and that's good for him as well. So it's all good for the Muslim anyway. So once we know who Allah is brothers and sisters, we won't have the Infinity complex, but les will be able to go into the marketplace going to the global village and see what we have to say and do the things that we have to do without fear of repercussions because we know as the Quran and Sunnah say, if the whole world would together to Hamas, they could never Hamas.
Unless it's the word of Allah. And if the whole world would come to benefit us, they will never benefit us. Unless it's in accordance with the will of Allah azza wa jal so don't listen to that voice that is your own that shaytan uses to trick you to think you're Muslim you can't
because you're a Muslim you can
because the only power is the power of Allah azza wa jal
so just do if you walk to Allah, He hurries to
if you walk to Allah He hurries to you. This isn't spirituality. This is in the hour. This is in learning about Islam just do get the ball rolling and then we Baraka in it. There will be Baraka Just do it. You know, we have all the intellectual tools at our disposal
the intellectual weapons our disposal, instead of find the intellectual trigger, we're thinking Which one should we use? It's a wall just pull the damn thing do something.
I love you guys.
Lie. This is something we like to do sometimes you know my father My father, please make dua Allah guides him Yeah.
He's a great kid, my mother, my girl, my family are guided to Islam. He from the age of zero to now he's 65 he still says I love you.
There are many in here that never heard that from their father for 50 years.
In the cave said where you see Rama, you see Islam.
The Prophet sallallahu wasallam said if you love someone tell them if you love someone tell them you love your kids tell them when the 717 and 70 By the way, they need love more 70 and they do at seven and they need more love at 17 they do at seven
but in especially in the Asian tradition, sometimes
We stopped loving our child when they don't look cute anymore. They've got a new one whisker. And that's it. But ah, yeah.
But yeah, well, yeah.
But will lie This is what is needed as well. You know a lot of agenda says that if you are not merciful to them, they will not have listened to you. What does this mean?
This means that delivering Islam is via the mechanism and the framework of Allah and mercy.
So we have to revive this aspect of love if one of the first one said our final Hadith, that you will not truly believe you're not enter Paradise and to truly believe, and you won't truly believe in two you love one another.
And he ends by saying one thing to show love is to split the Salaam, there are the Hadith that says to give gifts. But the Mk said, the objective here is to love one another. That's how you're gonna go to Paradise. So we need a bit of love. It's not a Christian thing. It's an Islamic thing. Okay, this is Islam. Okay. So when your father, maybe Western, maybe she did on some issues, which is fine. You have your own style. Don't forget to love your kids. Most of our problems in the West and in the world. This is the West, by the way, in my view. Yeah. Because you have money. You're both you know, Paul, you're the West. I mean, if you see
just around the corner debate, then it's more than the West.
Is the West cubed. Yeah.
So we're living in the West, and our Muslim teenagers don't have self esteem about their religion of themselves. I travel all the world aquat from America, Canada, South Africa, Africa, Malaysia, Europe, and I see 1000s of students of Muslims. They love the deen. But they're shackled by their own fears, and low self esteem and I believe it has nothing to do with something to do with parenting. And we just forgot that small little thing, which was to love them that little bit more.
Love each other one. I love you. So I want to come super Hannah Coloma humbucker
over to Blake somebody from LA