Blow the Trumpet - Part 1

 

It is long overdue that you call a spade a spade. Wisdom is required though and that is sadly lacking. Rhetoric is the order of the day as if you are living in end times.

The economic upheaval, caused by one who blows the trumpet, with a false tune ,while thinking he is trumping everyone. This, though, is organised chaos. This seemingly rogue president has been let loose on the world causing the gold price to share the jittery sentiments. The end goal is control. Yet it won’t be Trump. He has merely been set loose to create chaos which includes the Palestinian issue. How much further they will provoke Iran into a war? Well Iran is not innocent in that affair but so too neither the colonised Arab countries. Something has got to give, but the aim is Agenda 2030 and world domination. The world has been on the brink for a while now but, with no let up, it is slipping ever further into the abyss.

Wisdom dictates that you join the dots. That is not that easy a task overall, but some things are so apparent that only the heedless will miss it. The most important point for a Muslim is, without doubt, their eemaan (faith in Allah). This must be premised in the way Allah ordained it that you worship none but Allah and that you disbelieve in anything or anyone else. Allah is the sovereign. You must, in no way, commit partnership with Allah like giving Allah’s attributes to other than Allah. Having conviction on this and dying upon this belief will be your entry into paradise. Islam is against oppression in any form. It matters not whether the oppressed is Muslim or not, but that such oppression must be opposed. The organs and institutions created over the last century were not for freedom, justice and peace. It was, and is, about world domination. Then see who was behind this and how these institutions came into being. Know your history. As boring as what you think it may be, many of the answers lie in looking at recent history (last century and a bit) and joining the dots. You can go back further to get a more in-depth understanding.

The first thing for a Muslim is to assess his belief and understand what it entails. Had Muslims been firm in their eemaan, the way it ought to be, not the way Non-Muslims wish to portray Muslims, then much of the world would have been different.

 See - part 2 The Cape Muslim Dialogue: Blow the Trumpet - Part 2

Picture courtesy: https://leadthechange.bard.edu

Blind following of misguidance - Part 7

 

Cultish behaviour, amongst Muslims, has become far more pronounced than ever before. This forum is not the place to make takfeer (pronouncing someone to have left the faith of Islam) of anyone and no one should rush to do so anyway. However, the ongoing calling to the correct path is necessary.

The details of proper belief must be learnt from credible teachers. Titles may have value, but it is not enough. Again, when learning about the transmission of knowledge, you will find that character was one such factor that was highlighted as a key part of etiquette. This is a subject in itself. But how will those who are ignorant know this when they incline not to true knowledge? Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught mainly matters of aqeedah in the first thirteen years of his prophethood. Today, some people get into others subjects without having gained sufficient knowledge of aqeedah. The flip side of it is that those who are effectively the cult leaders, love the attention they get while some of them know the truth. This group of people will surely get more rope in the trespass. The call, in any way, to attach any attribute, which is solely Allah’s, to any of His creation is blasphemous. This is the true understanding of blasphemy. To call out anyone, specifically those who have public platforms, for their incorrect belief is important to safeguard the eemaan of many.  Slander is when you speak a lie against someone while they are, of course, not guilty of it. No preacher can claim innocence to his flock, as in a disclaimer, if he makes statements in public. You speak the truth and must stand by your statement. If, however, you made a mistake, you correct it and not leave it to the laymen. And if, another scholar corrects you, you accept and move forward with humility. Arrogance is unbecoming of anyone, let alone the one claiming to be a scholar.

Those who are in a cult do not actually realise they are in a cult. This is much like a drug addict will not initially realise that they are addicted. The truth is not like that because it allows your to differentiate between good and bad while you are in a lucid state.

 

 

See previous: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/04/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-6.html

 

 

Picture courtesy https://www.verywellmind.com

 

 

Blind following of misguidance - Part 6

The predominant reason for people falling into misguidance is their lack of grounding in aqeedah (belief). When a scholar makes a mistake, then because you understand that they are not infallible, you don’t have to necessarily hold them accountable. I use the word “necessarily” only as a qualification that not all mistakes can be overlooked without it being important to correct it.

Great scholars of the past have made mistakes, but when it comes to mistakes of belief then you have to be a little wary. More so when someone repeats those type of mistakes. When mistakes in aqeedah are not questioned, and you carry on as normal, then this is when you can call such a group a cult. A cult: a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. So, therein lies a danger for those not well grounded in belief.

Every scholar has its limits in knowledge to the extent that grand imams like Imam Malik bin Anas who often would answer “I do not know” to questions even though he had such a high stature. Actually, it is through his knowledge and his accompanied diligence and humility that he gained that rank. Today, everyone has answers for everything, and their knowledge is less than a drop in the ocean of true scholars. The view of the great imams was always that if I say something which is not in conformity with an authentic hadith, then my understanding is null and void and you must take the authentic hadith. Another point that is important is how, from a knowledge (transmission) point of view, we arrived here. This is an important point because, in short, there is a chain (of transmitters, narrators, teachers) that preserved knowledge for us. Any scholar, worth his salt, will know this and not belittle this. Such a person is lacking. Yet, it is cultish behaviour to not be teachable on the truth but hang onto every dear word of your sheikh.

The primary sources of information are Quran and Sunnah. These cannot be disputed except by the ignorant who lack understanding and have issues in belief. The influence of orientalists has caused some to question or belittle hadith. However, this is in itself a core aqeedah issue which can be decisive whether or not you are within the fold of Islam.

 

See previous: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-5.html

 

See next:    The Cape Muslim Dialogue: Blind following of misguidance - Part 7

    

Picture courtesy https://konouzeg.com

 

Blind following of Misguidance – Part 5

 

The doctrine of the Trinity was first established 325CE. I will leave you to fill in the blanks, but it certainly was not the universally accepted in Christendom until that time. Even then there were, and still are today, unitarians. Why is this important?          

Actually, this post has little to do with Christianity. Rather, it is to do with Muslims and them not making those mistakes, but rather understand the methodology of how knowledge is transmitted and what the main sources are of knowledge in Islam. That said, like the issue of Trinity being a fundamental belief of Christians, Muslims believe that to be a flawed belief. What is the Muslim belief? To believe that there is no deity worthy of worship and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. Understanding the “no deity” is important because this must include, in proper understanding, the rejection of all false deities, in whatever shape or form. Then it is to accept the Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, and follow him, for without that, your testimony of faith has shortcomings, and you cannot be a believer. This is the view of Ahlus Sunnah wal jama’ah. As for the pillars of eemaan (faith), then it includes the acceptance of all Messengers, sent by Allah, and divinely revealed books. Any deviation to this is a deviation from true eemaan and thus from Islam. Those who reject and curse the companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ have rejected ayaat from Quran and thus they have not fulfilled the requirements of basic beliefs and nullifies the testimony of faith. There are clergy (I think it is a better word to use in this instance) who proclaim that those who utter the shahadah (testimony of faith) are Muslim, without proper understanding and analysis. Muslims judge by what is apparent and not what is hidden. Utterances of kufr (disbelief) are apparent and cannot be excused without being rectified or drawing a verdict of kufr. There are acts of kufr which does not cause you to be out of the fold of Islam. Then there are acts and utterances which directly impacts your aqeedah (beliefs) which put you out of the fold of Islam. Some things are best explained with caution in the public domain.

In short, the Shi’a issue is, unfortunately, not well understood in the community. They are not of us, and we are not of them for their beliefs are not in line with Ahlus-sunnah. Even if you claim to be Sunni, and you do not honour the companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, then you have serious issues with your aqeedah. On other matters, you see people praying to the dead, as intermediaries, while at a point there was, in a community, people praying “unknowingly” to a donkey. Still, how can some still consider praiseworthy – Allah help us. This is how we are moving away from proper aqeedah because more emphasis is placed on the word of “clergy” than proper sources of knowledge. There are many more such cases of misguidance.

Understanding the issue of aqeedah is to also look at the Jews and Christians and see the mistakes they made. Sticking to the basics is easier and better. Avoid taghut and the mere words of people/clergy. Strengthen your eemaan with true understanding of aqeedah and the acceptance thereof. Seek out those who are firm on aqeedah and learn from them.

 

We pray for His guidance and protection.

 

See previous: part 4: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-4.html

Do also read, share and comment on these links below:

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/ego.html

https://medium.com/@saleem.gamza/early-hours-part-3-068721466908

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/10/where-are-you-running-to.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/11/things-to-consider.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/they-dont-know-what-we-know.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/who-do-you-emulate.html

 

Blind Following of Misguidance - Part 4

 

It takes time to ponder, yet time, at least in our lives, are limited and rushed. This is evident in the modern era where the words of man have superceded the word of Allah for few take time to reflect upon Quran, the word of Allah. It is easier for most to listen to the speech of man, devoid of substance, being Quran and Sunnah, as if the last chapter of Quran has meaning in this instance.

Aqeedah/Belief is key to eemaan/faith for incorrect beliefs can nullify eemaan. Eemaan is believing in Allah and rejecting falsehood/false deities - taghut. The focus in the first period of prophethood of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was on strengthening belief. This note is a challenge to you to study the beliefs of Muslims through authentic sources. How did the early Muslims believe. Sometimes so much focus is given to the views and opinions of people that lived long after, that the true meanings are missed. What are the authentic sources that Ahlus-sunnah wa-l-jama’ah follow. If you know this and stick to this, then know that any opinion outside of that, is mere speech and has little, if any value, unless it is in total conformity. Conformity must have yardsticks and benchmarks. Yet today we are overwhelmed by beautiful words and speeches devoid of any proofs from authentic sources and people gobble these up. You have Quranists who reject hadith because they don’t understand Quran yet claiming to follow Quran. On the other hand, to support their deviancy, there are people who use weak and, at times, fabricated hadith to support their misguided viewpoints. The masses are gullible largely because they are ignorant while they may accept things in good faith.  This is the dilemma for most. The one point that cannot be missed is that people largely follow modern-day personalities, those with good voices, orators, charisma. Attaching yourself to these personalities can result in idol worship or cult worship. Simply put, when the words of these men are favoured above the words of Allah and His Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ, then your beliefs become questionable. And with that, your eemaan. The test can be simple in terms of who is right and who is wrong: Is what you are doing in conformance with Quran and Sunnah -strictly, or is it subject to interpretation? Is what another is doing, perhaps he is doing less than you, but can he be faulted in terms of Quran and Sunnah? If, in your opinion, he is blameworthy because he is not conforming to your standard, or he is missing out, then what proofs do you have from authentic sources?

The yardstick for following someone cannot be that he has acquired (some) knowledge, but rather, it must be, firstly, that he is strict upon Quran and Sunnah and fears deviating from it such that when a truth comes to him and is a correction on a previous action or understanding, he inclines to the correction. Secondly, see how much a speaker quotes from Quran and hadith versus how much they quote from secondary and other sources.

In conclusion for this topic, for the time being: As part of your beliefs, aqeedah, to affirm your eemaan is to have a solid understanding of taghut for rejecting taghut is necessary for your eemaan.

 

See previous :  part 3: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-3.html

 See next :  part 5: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-5.html

Do read, share and comment on these links below:

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/ego.html

https://medium.com/@saleem.gamza/early-hours-part-3-068721466908

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/10/where-are-you-running-to.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/11/things-to-consider.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/they-dont-know-what-we-know.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/who-do-you-emulate.html

 

 

 

Blind Followers of Misguidance

The blooming seed can become a most beneficial plant, it may be beautiful or indeed may be something much less. That determination is the decree of Allah. Guidance too is the decree of Allah for He is the One who guides.

The best of creation was Prophet Muhammad pbuh and the best of generations were the early generations. Today, there are people (in our lifetime) who are venerated more than the illustrious companions of Prophet Muhammad pbuh and the early generations. They are eloquent and give a sense that they are knowledgeable. Through this, gullible people follow them. Sadly, it is ignorance but Allah will surely guide those who are sincere. And Allah knows best who are sincere. Certainly, if you denounce truth with any amount of pride or arrogance, then are you sincere? If you are not open to be rectified, are you sincere? Thus, it starts off with understanding faith (eemaan) and then your beliefs. Importance must be given to that which nullifies faith (eemaan) because of incorrect beliefs that can nullify your eemaan. A believer and a non-believer are not equal. What makes you a disbeliever? There are clear signs and evidences that some of these acclaimed people have either committed an act/s of kufr (disbelief) or have disbelieved already. The latter is for those in authority to pass judgement. In instances, these have been done, but the followers of the misguided individuals pay no heed and therefore place themselves in harms way.

I write this note, because people ask on the matter (from what scholars have already mentioned). Some carry on in their original path and others, stop, acquiesce and take the safer option to protect their faith. To steer away from misguidance is the right thing even though much of what the speaker says is good. A believer and non-believer is not the equal.

see part 2: The Cape Muslim Dialogue: Blind following of Misguidance – Part 2

Blind following of Misguidance - Part 3

 

I was once asked how is it that intelligent people reject Islam/truth. The simple answer is about guidance. Allah guides whom He wills. Certainly, the sincere will be guided, for Allah is not unjust and He is all-aware, All-knowing.

Pride is something where you consider yourself better than another. This is a recipe for failure and humiliation. Over the centuries, Islam has experienced its own share of egomaniacs. Being on the right path is a mercy from Allah.  One of the ways to spot these people, is when they make statements relating to religion, they do so without proofs or by using contrived proofs. A group (eventually split in 2) were declared outside the fold of Islam because of falsities, contradicting Quran and Hadith, regarding Prophet Eesa (Yeshu) pbuh. There are more commonly known and Qadianis and Ahmadis. Now, there is a new claim by a certain individual who claims that Prophet Eesa (pbuh) died on the cross. This is total blasphemy. However, this individual wants to spin it such that he died for a second or millisecond, that he asserts this position while the Quran clearly says that Prophet Eesa pbuh was neither crucified nor killed. This is a major deviation to believe differently for now you are challenging the Quran.

Another error is that Orthodox Christians are believers. This is easily repudiated and there are plenty of examples in Quran. Thus, this statement is contrary to the Quran. So, by now you know the answer to this. In short, none are believers if they do not accept Muhammad ﷺ as a Prophet of Allah.

As for the Shi’a and having prayers with them, then you have aqeedah (belief) issues. This is related to eemaan (faith). Any person claiming to be a person of knowledge, have opened to the doors to deviation and misguidance. Only those with pride will remain stubborn upon this misguidance. The Shia issue is lengthy, and I don’t intend to cover that in more detail here, but I am happy to take that offline. Simple reason is that there is enough good information available and credible scholars to which this subject can be referred.

There are other deviants and some of those practices need to be highlighted (in further posts). The main issue is that of aqeedah. Unless you learn and understand aqeedah from authentic sources (with clear unadulterated proofs), then you will open yourself up to following misguidance. Added to this is that you must be principled. Religion is not something with which you play and be whimsical about. Your sincerity is important. Ego and pride are damaging traits and will lead to failure and humiliation. Humility and submission to His will and guidance is key to success and eventually paradise.

Those who ask, cannot claim ignorance. Those who hide lest they be exposed to the truth, have pride. Humility is from the means of acceptance of truth and gaining affection of the believers.

 

See part 2: http://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/blind-following-of-misguidance-part-2.html

 

 

Do read, share and comment on these links below:

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/01/ego.html

https://medium.com/@saleem.gamza/early-hours-part-3-068721466908

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/10/where-are-you-running-to.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/11/things-to-consider.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/they-dont-know-what-we-know.html

https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2024/09/who-do-you-emulate.html