Regarding the Houston Arrests!

This post is in regards to these news article here, here, and here and here and here and here and the list goes on 1 2 3. I was initially not going to write about this but I jsut thought about sharing a few thoughts regarding this topic after listening to Kobie’s lawyer Alamdar Hamdani (awesome guy, gave us good tips write about that later) this past friday after jumu’ah prayer.

as Salaam ‘Alaykum wa Rahamtullah

It’s pretty sad when you know all four of the brothers that have been arrested in the past few days. It’s even crazier when you realize after looking back that you have worked with each one separately on community or da’wah programs or events, or attended halaqas with them at the masjid.

Masha’Allah they are really good brothers as far as I know, and they are the most friendly and helpful brothers around and some of the hardest workers that I have seen. I never even thought that they would get into such a situation ever, but Allah’s Will is Supreme, and all we can do is surrender to His Will and make du’aa to make it easy for them and for Allah to forgive their sins through this means and for Allah to have Mercy upon them.

I know I feel very indebted to Kobe/AbdulKabir for taking me to those street da’wah days, and I remember I paired with him the first few times, and can’t forgot all the awesome things I learned from him.

I remember back in the days over 8 years ago, when I first started Sunday school, Syed Maaz used to be one of my best buddies and even after we stopped going there, usually people tend to forget other if they haven’t seen them in a long time but after Maaz left for almost 4 years, when I saw him I remembered him. I remembered him but he wasn’t the same person, he had grown and was actually involved in his community and campus in Dallas and Houston with various community projects.

I would spend hours with Shiraz Qazi chillin’ at the ‘Dawah House’ talking about lectures we have heard, and what the new releases ILMQuest has, and watching Dr. Zakir Naik, and dancing sufi (the crazy kind) videos and entertaining ourselves.

Also not to forget Adnan Mirza who I worked with for the ICNA conference 6 months ago and helping out the Somalian/Afghan Refugee ghetto relief project in Houston during Ramadaan.

The point I am trying to make is that all these brothers were some of the most hard working and helpful brothers around. And when we are afflicted by calamities like such we have to stay firm and stick to the sunnah, and recite as the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam) taught us – inna lillahi wa inna ‘alayhir rajioon. And we should not forget rather we should never forget our brothers in our dua’s and ask Allah to keep them firm upon the Sunnah, and strengthen their eeman. And we say that it’s tests like these that are upon us, that are decreed by Allah upon us so that we may be tested and purified. The strong amongst us whom Allah guides, find their eeman increasing and being raised and they continue to stand for that which is just and that which is the truth, while the weak amongst us, those whom Allah leaves to go astray, find them losing their eeman and find it being lowered and running away from all that which is true. And I am not saying weak and strong in respect to physical strength, it is evident that the strongest of men when faced with such trials can can give up and cry like a baby and seek their needs from and put their trust in other than Allah, rather I talk about a strength of aqeedah which only real men have, which the frailest of men can have and face the greatest of trials and conquer them by standing strong and patiently by looking straight into it’s face like our Imam Ahmed (rahimullah) did and those trials that he faced. It is trials and tests like these that we ask Allah to protect us from, and it is these tests that we fear will take our eeman away, thus we ask Allah to protect us and the believers from such tests.

And I ask that Allah decrees for us death before we loose our eeman.

and Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’ala) Knows Best