Tumbled Thoughts On American Muslim Life

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In his seminal and pioneering work, al-Risala, al-Shafi’i, the founder of juridical usul al-fiqh, laid down the following maxim:

“God has obliged us to follow everything the Prophet instituted (sunna). And He has rendered adherence to this obedience to Him and turning away from it disobedience [to Him] for which He excuses no one.”

Al-Shafi’i’s discourse in al-Risala suggests that the ultimate aim of these words was to confirm the Prophet’s authority as an independent source of law whose legislation was binding even on matters about which the Qur’an was silent. Because, however, his aim was merely to establish rather than define the Prophet’s authority, al-Shafi’i’s formulations remained broad and imprecise. This imprecision raised in turn a number of perduring questions: Was indeed everything the Prophet said and did binding upon the Community? Or was there a distinction to be made between what he said and what he did, or between “binding” (wujub) and some other legal category, for example, “recommended” (nadb) or “licit” (ibaha)? Did this sunna, which al-Shafi’i identified as binding, consist only of the Prophet’s statements and actions concerning public matters, or were his statements and actions in his private life equally authoritative? What about purpose and intent; were those statements and actions in which a clear purpose was discernible equal to those that yielded no such inferences? And what would become of those actions from which no clear purpose could be inferred? If purpose and intent were material, was the Prophet to be second-guessed where he made no explicit declarations about purpose?

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— Sherman Jackson from his article, From Prophetic Actions to Constitutional Theory: A Novel Chapter in Medieval Muslim Jurisprudence.

Muslims as a Marginal Minority in America

I have often wondered about the way Muslims use the word “ummah.” In a technical sense, it clearly refers to the entire Community, the unqualified collective of all who espouse, “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger.” And yet, it commonly manages to connote certain parts of the world to the marginalization if not mild exclusion of others. The Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia clearly make it in, while America, Canada and Jamaica are barely brought to mind. Ultimately, of course, numbers play a role here. Where Muslims are a majority or even a ‘significant minority’ (as, e.g., in India or parts of Africa), it is simply easier to see their sufferings, obsessions, preferences and even sensibilities as reflecting the pulse and interests of the “ummah.” Where they are a small, marginal minority, on the other hand, (as, e.g., in America or Canada) this is far less likely to be the case.

Read the rest of the article here.

“For me, America is home. Home.” Dr. Sherman Jackson.

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Dr. Sherman Jackson on Diversity from Taleef.

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كثير من أنفق الدنانير والدراهم ولاكن من أنفق الروح قليل

There are many who invest dinars and dirhams. But those who invest their spirit are few.

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— Ibn Ata Allah, Taj al-Arus from Dr. Sherman Jackson’s Sufism for Non-Sufis?

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فالحق سبحانه لم يرض أن تكون محبا بل محبوب

Indeed, God the Exalted is not pleased by your state of loving Him but rather by your state of being loved by Him.

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— Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, The Bride-Groom’s Crown/Taj al-Arus al-Hawi li Tahdhib al-Nufus, from Sherman Jackson’s Sufism for Non-Sufis?

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لا يدخل عليك الإهمال إلا باهمالك عن متابعة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم, ولا تحصل لك الرفعة عند الله تعالى إلا بمتابعة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

Neglect will find no way to you except through your own negligence in following the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And you will not be elevated in the sight of God except by following the example of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

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— Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, The Bride-Groom’s Crown, from Sherman Jackson’s Sufism for Non-Sufis?

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فإنه لا مجلس مع الله أنفع لك من مجلس توبّخ فيه نفسك

Indeed, there is no audience with God more beneficial than one in which you are critical of yourself.

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— Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, The Bride-Groom’s Crown, from Sherman Jackson’s Sufism for Non-Sufis?

"If God is truly one’s caretaker, one cannot imagine that one’s own devices in repelling enemies or securing sustenance and social esteem can be superior to God’s."

— Sherman Jackson, Sufism for Non-Sufis?