Book Review: The Pious Caliphs:All comments and poetry aside, finshed "the pious caliphs" today. A little over 200 pages but was all new info for me. MIx has already requested for the book, so anyone else has to wait.
Good points about the book is that the author has given sufficient details about each of the 4 caliphs and events during his time. The villians in history have been pointed out. the succession and method of succession ahs been mentioned as well. It was really new to me that Aisha (RA) did not accept Ali's (RA) caliphate at the start until the battle between their armies.
Frankly I cannot comment about any of these caliphs since they have already reserved their places in that castle up there. But looking back at Uthman's (RA) rule, you somehow feel that we must not be lax with muslims but be strict in matters that can cause shirk. Uthman (RA) knew best about his times, but a general uprising that was coming about should have been exposed if muslim blood was not be shed.
Something that i did not understand is that one paragraph about the roots of tasawwuf and sufism being connected to Ali (RA) and hence to the Prophet (SAWS). Also missing was that commentary in which Abu Bakr (RA), while on his deathbed as the caliph, requested Aisha (RA) in terms of a Prophet's friend rather than her father or the caliph, to request her of the grave beside the Prophet (SAWS).
and the axe - it signifies the gruesome martyrdom of Uthman (RA). Even at the age of 82, the assassins did not have the least bit of sympathy.
12 comments:
Sounds interesting... what was the part about Sufism and Tasawwuf that you didn't get? I've seen it go out of whack in Pakistan (I'm sure the same happens in India), with the grave worshipping and intoxicated whirling dervishes... but in its pure form, in adherence with the Shariah, tasawwuf is a pretty amazing thing.
Lot of people with whom I talk about tasawwuf and sufiism, they start with negative feeling towards it. Philosophically, I like sufism. I am reading Imam Abu-Hamid Al-Ghazali's "incoherence of philosophers' and "the alchemy of happiness". He goes deep in meta physics of belief. I been cautioned that it can be bad for my faith if taken wrongly.
In india some people do go to dargah and pray there. Whom they pray I dont know. Islam spread in india thru lot of these sufis. They came before the armies of Mohammed Qasim and Ghori came. Interesting thing about dargah's and graves of sufis in india is Lots and lots Hindus and Sikhs visit them. And I have seen hindus and sikhs who are so devoted to them (AJMER, and one in Delhi). I heard , AR Rahman (music director - 'bombay' 'lagaan') has hindu parents, who converted-to/accepted islam and named their son after a sufi.
If you study sikhism, it was initially taken as a sect of sufism (and bakhti cult) during guru nanaks time. It was only later (guru arjun) that they called it seperate religion and codified it.
There Toufeeq!! even BK started with the same whack about Sufism that we have talked upon!!
I cannot speak for Hindus and Sikhs and their deity when it comes to dargahs. I feel pity for the muslim (if there is one) buried underneath there.
I know that desecrating graves and glorifying graves is forbidden in Islam- So how do you rid yourself of such things? Everyone does not understand metaphysics...
T1 u better watch out...BK is down with the sufiness
R, just because I asked the Quizno's girl if the soup was vegetarian doesn't make a me a Sufi ;-)
umm first of all that has nothing to do with it. second i never said u are sufi i just said u were down with it. and stop denying it!
RN I do not understand what "down with sufi" is as regards to BK. So BK are you anti-Sufi or pro-sufi? I will let you decide if that Quizno soup was vegetarian.
(Just a coincidence my Olive Garden Minestrone on Monday had a single piece of meat in it!! yeah yeah me and my halalness etc)
T1, get back to work. Am I anti- Sufi or pro- Sufi? Do you really want to have this conversation? I'm afraid that the tableeghi in you might not be able to handle it... Lol. And btw, I don't think Olive Garden has halal meat :p
don't be dissin the TJs BK...i'm down wit them...they came to my house last night.
oh ya and t1..."down with" means she likes them.
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come.
---Rumi [Masnavi, Book I]
I have nothing against the TJs dude, I'm a Pakistani... half of our population is tableeghi :p
T2, only original poetry please... lol.
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