The Arrogance of Ignorance

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling,
wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where
graceful youth should have filled their features out, and
touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled
hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and
pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat
enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No
change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any
grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has
monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him
in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but
the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie
of such enormous magnitude.

'Spirit. are they yours.' Scrooge could say no more.

'They are Man's,' said the Spirit, looking down upon
them. 'And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers.
This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both,
and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy,
for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the
writing be erased. Deny it.' cried the Spirit, stretching out
its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye.
Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse.
And abide the end.'

- Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"
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Bismillahirrahamanirrahim,

As-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,

Alhamdulillah. I'm writing this as a personal adjunct to Sidi Yursil's most recent post on the attack on Islamic "traditionalism" by the leaders of progressive Islam and the lemmings who follow them. From the current trend, I think 'traditionalism' may have beaten out 'fundamentalism' for top spot on the "Dirtiest Word in Religion" list. Sidi Yursil's essay is well-written Mash'Allah. However, the grit and guts of this cogent and intelligent piece may fly right over the cuckoo's nest of his intended audience, if they be of the Eteraz's and Manji's and Ayaan Ali Hirsi's of the World. Their PHD's in the farce of "exposing" the dangerous ills of 'cattle-driven' Islam,( and whitewashing the crimes of Islam's self-declared enemies), are just duplicitous badges of "boldness" pinned on a headless-chicken. They tout & peddle this chicken to the masses of wide-eyed, fence-sitting spectators, calling it progressivism. But what is this progressivism? I may have an idea.

It's the neo-syndrome of blameless non-conformism which has become an integral ingredient in the recipe for liberal democracy in this age. But to what end? When all is said and done, the circular logic of these "revolutionaries" seeks again to be part & parcel of the elite body of the Intellectual Cream. Or at least a group of like-minded dissenters. Ah! Acceptance!

The democratic value system, especially in this country, has been eroded and replaced by the hard and fast rule of 'desensitization to all which was once cherished'. Be it religious, or racial sensitivities, or just the universally accepted code of human decency. Not immediately stepping on something you don't understand is considered 'weak' and 'behind-the-times'. For those who understand - It is clear: When nothing is sacred, and you're not bound by adhering to the principles of courtesy, then acts like Defecating on the Cross become Art, sold to the highest bidder. Anyone who disagrees is obviously an enemy of free speech. Jyllands-Posten anyone?

So what happens when THAT becomes the norm, I wonder? What is happening here? Quite plainy, the abandonment of God in one's life has ramifications. Turning oneself to Allah not only gives purpose and direction, but strength as well (gaurding against depression, suicide, or at the other end of the spectrum - wild, uninhibited acts of appetite - all appetites). When that abandonment is on a pandemic level, and it's endorsement bombards your brain from every channel available - an organized anarachy against traditional principles results, as is currently happening today. When the ego is given free-reign in a mob-based movement-the pre-occupation of amusing oneself becomes the utmost priority and the focus of one's existence.

Just read Eteraz's essay on "The Hoor", or as I call it - "Jackass" for the literati. Clearly an *blank* now, Eteraz descends into incoherent babble in his liberature, struggling to shock his audience into submission with each "progressive" sentence, as well as deigning to have a point to his purpose: Raucous attacks on the Qur'an, denigrating the mercies of Allah, and outright blasphemy drowned in the futile ambitions to make a name for oneself. What has he found with that piece of his, I wonder? A few seconds of euphoric pride? An outlet to vent his frustrations at his own ignorance or his ineptitude in finding the truth? Or just an exercise fueling a massive ego-pump of self-pleasuring proportions? Whatever it is, (All of the above?), maybe the real question we should be asking this guy is - "Are you happy?"

I may already know the answer. And for those who can think - you might know it as well. As long as we make an enemy of the one who is sustaining us with each breath, we can never be truly happy. These progressivists seek the love and acceptance of those they feel that can provide them with a liberated, unaccountable lifestyle - fearing no one and nothing. Invincibility...with a catch. What then if the Dons don't receive their monthly protection money? Will these free-thinkers be strong enough, then to endure their wrath. Failing to realize that fearing creation at the expense of the creator is the real loss,...well,...is the Real Loss.

If they spent half of a neuron in half a minute to seek the love and acceptance of the One which gave them life, instead of trampling their own graves, (As He will eventually give them death) -, if they use even an atom of the intellects they carry in titles and certificates, in the years of education which brought them to this point, towards seeking the Sunnah (and keeping it once found) of the Holy Prophet(ASWS,) instead of daring to stand and point a finger(a middle one at that), to the Almighty and His Beloved, - they may realize what it means to submit. To be a Muslim. Maybe. If not, then, they may find the realities of an after-life to be indigestible. I hope well-articulated pieces such as Sidi Yursil's will be the panacea to this diseased ideology. May Allah guide them before their souls are "liberated" from their bodies. I ask Allah to save us all from such a fate. For the sake of the Holy Prophet (ASWS), Sheykh Mevlana, and Sheykh Effendi. Ameen, Ya Rabbul Alameen. I'm going to follow this up with a Sohbet of Sheikh Effendi's that is immediately relevant to the 'progressive predicament'. Insh'Allah Rahman.


Was-Salaam wa Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu

"Holy Prophet (saw) is saying, 'The second Jahiliyya is going to be worst than the first one.' And this is what we are facing today. The second Jahiliyya time. He said that it is because people in the second Jahiliyya time will know certain knowledge and they are not going to accept anything from anyone. "

- Sheikh Abdul Kerim al Hakkani al Kibrisi

*edit: I've removed the word apostate from this post, only because it reminded me of the story of Hazrat Umar(RA), and the Munafiq, and the reaction of the Holy Prophet(ASWS). I fear to be stricken from the company of Allah's beloved by daring to walk on what the Prophet(ASWS), himself, considered "thin ice". However, the rest of the post still stands - I feel the bankruptcy of self-assessment in this world needs some recognition, and progressivism needs to know, no matter how hard it shuts its eyes, and clicks its heels, the boundaries will remain. Respect the boundaries.