Jābir bin ʿAbdillāh ʾal-ʾAnṣārī

عن عبد الله بن مغفل المزني قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الله الله في أصحابي لا تتخذوهم غرضا بعدي فمن أحبهم فبحبي أحبهم ومن أبغضهم فببغضي أبغضهم ومن آذاهم فقد آذاني ومن آذاني فقد آذى الله عز وجل ومن آذى الله يوشك أن يأخذه

ʿAbdullāh bin Mughaffal ʾal-Muzanī narrates that Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, “[Fear Allāh! [Fear] Allāh in regards my Companions! Do not make them a target after me. He who loves them, loves them due to loving me. He who hates them, hates them due to hating me. He who harms them has harmed me. He who harms me [aims] harm at Allāh, Most Mighty and Majestic. And Allāh will soon seize he who [intends to] harm Him. [ʾAḥmad]

Another reminder that I have not written in a while, and this reminder specifically mentioning Syria. Yesterday I met someone who returned from his third welfare trip to Syria. He told me that each trip only adds to his confusion on the situation there, rather than clear up the facts. How then do I comment at this stage on Syria? As for other matters requiring exercise of the intellect, my mind does not focus on any topic right now. So perhaps if for nobody’s benefit other than my own, I shall put pen to paper on matters of the heart, not the mind.

I know that on the Day of Reckoning I do not have any deed worthy of presentation. I do not recall observing even a single prayer in my entire life, with my thoughts solely focussed on my Creator. My only hope lies in the intercession of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and Allāh forgiving me without taking me to account for my deeds. Yet both these are dependent on the recipient having faith. Am I truly a believer? Faith lies between hope and fear. What gives me hope, that I do indeed have faith, is the love for the Companions of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ which overcomes me. I thank Allāh for granting me such joy when thinking of them, which no soccer, cricket, Hollywood or Bollywood fanatic can match in his/her love of those idols. I just cannot get my mind across why a Muslim would adore such people, when a single Ḥadith or story of the Companions should be enough to make one an ardent admirer of that Companion and all Companions in general. I am especially irked when these fanatics include scholars and people otherwise ostensibly linked to religion. I may even be accused of being too informal when speaking of the Companions, but I am convinced that if I do have the honour of meeting them, they will fully understand that I was motivated by love, unlike the judgemental Muslim ʾUmmah who will not understand anything out of the straight and narrow.  

I spend days pondering over a particular Companion. Currently it is Jābir bin ʿAbdillāh ʾal-ʾAnṣārī (may Allāh be pleased with him) who fills my thoughts. As a student of Ḥadīth, it struck me how often Jābir (may Allāh be pleased with him) was associated with miracles. It would be bold of me to say that most miracles of the Prophetic era were associated with him. It may even be possible. However, such a statement cannot be made, even if I had the capacity to actually research and record each such event, for there may be miracles which have not been recorded. However, what I can confidently state, is that the number of miracles mentioned in the Ḥadīth, are out of proportion associated with Jābir (may Allāh be pleased with him) as compared to the general body of the Companions. Of these, I shall mention two:

1.    The Continuously Increasing Dates

عَنْ الشَّعْبِيِّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، أَنَّ أَبَاهُ اسْتُشْهِدَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ ، وَتَرَكَ سِتَّ بَنَاتٍ ، وَتَرَكَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنًا ، فَلَمَّا حَضَرَ جِدَادُ النَّخْلِ ، أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقُلْتُ : " قَدْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ وَالِدِي اسْتُشْهِدَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ ، وَتَرَكَ دَيْنًا كَثِيرًا ، وَإِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَاكَ الْغُرَمَاءُ ، قَالَ : " اذْهَبْ ، فَبَيْدِرْ كُلَّ تَمْرٍ عَلَى نَاحِيَةٍ ، فَفَعَلْتُ ، ثُمَّ دَعَوْتُهُ ، فَلَمَّا نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ كَأَنَّمَا أُغْرُوا بِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَةَ ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى مَا يَصْنَعُونَ أَطَافَ حَوْلَ أَعْظَمِهَا بَيْدَرًا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ، ثُمَّ جَلَسَ عَلَيْهِ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ادْعُ أَصْحَابَكَ ، فَمَا زَالَ يَكِيلُ لَهُمْ حَتَّى أَدَّى اللَّهُ أَمَانَةَ وَالِدِي ، وَأَنَا رَاضٍ أَنْ يُؤَدِّيَ اللَّهُ أَمَانَةَ وَالِدِي لَمْ تَنْقُصْ تَمْرَةً وَاحِدَةً "

Jābir bin ʿAbdillāh ʾal-ʾAnṣārī narrated that his father was martyred at the Battle of Uḥud. He left behind 6 daughters and debts. When the season for harvesting the date-trees arrived I went to Allah's Messenger and said, "O Allah's Messenger! You know that my father was martyred on the Day of Uhud and owed much debt, and I wish that the creditors would see you.” [and thus accept the small harvest as full payment, as per Bukhārī]. He said, "Go and collect the various kinds of dates and place them separately in heaps." I did that and called him. On seeing him, the creditors started demanding [full payment] against me immediately. When he saw how they behaved, he went round the biggest heap three times and sat over it. He then said, "Call your companions [i.e. the creditors]." Then he kept on measuring and giving them, till Allah fulfilled my father's obligations. It would have pleased me if Allah had only cleared the debts of my father but in fact [the harvest] had not decreased by a single date [after the full payment]. [ʾAbū Dāwūd]

2.    Ever Increasing Mutton and Bread

فقد جاء في الحديث المتفق عليه أن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنهما رأى جوعاً شديداً بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فانطلق إلى بيته، وأخرج جراباً فيه صاع من شعير، وذبح شاة، وجهز هو وزوجته طعاماً، ثم دعا رسولَ الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - إليه، فلما رأى جابرٌ النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم – وبصحبته أهل الخندق فزع من ذلك المشهد ، وذهبت به الظنون كل مذهب ، وقال في نفسه : كيف يمكن لهذا الطعام أن يكفي كل هذا الحشد ، فعلم النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم – ما يدور في نفس جابر رضي الله عنه فأخبره بألا ينزل القدر، وألا يخبز الخبز، حتى يأتيه ويبارك فيه، ثم أكلوا جميعاً وشبعوا، والطعام كما هو.

Jābir bin ʿAbdillāh (may Allāh be pleaded with father and son) saw the Prophet Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, suffering from intense hunger. He went home and took out a jar of containing a Ṣāʿ measure of barley and slaughtered an ewe. He and his wife prepared food. He then invited Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. When Jābir saw the Prophet bringing the army of the Trench with him, the scenario made him anxious and various thoughts played out in his mind. He said to himself, “How can this food suffice this mass of people?” The Prophet  صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ knew what was going through Jābir’s mind and commanded him not to bring down the pot, nor finish bake the bread until he arrived and blessed it. The army ate to its fill, yet the food remained to the amount it originally was. [Meaning found in Muslim and Bukhārī]

The Supplication of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

I would ask, “Why so many miraculous events and blessings in the life of Jābir (may Allāh be pleased with him)?” I would venture that it is the result of the following incident, wherein the teenaged boy, Jābir, sacrifices his personal desires for the sake of others and thereby gains the Duʿāʿ of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, which surely profited him for the rest of his life. May Allāh imbue us with such qualities and fill our hearts and lives with love for Allāh, His Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and the pious. 

فقال النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏تزوجت يا ‏ ‏جابر ‏ ‏قلت نعم قال بكرا أم ثيبا قلت ثيبا قال ‏ ‏هلا جارية تلاعبها وتلاعبك أو تضاحكها وتضاحكك قلت هلك أبي فترك سبع أو تسع بنات فكرهت أن أجيئهن بمثلهن فتزوجت امرأة تقوم عليهن قال فبارك الله عليك

“O Jābir,” the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ asked, “Have you married?”

“Yes,” I replied. “A virgin or not?” he asked.

“An elder woman,” I replied.

He said, “Why not a young girl? You could play with her and she play with you!”

I said, “My father is dead and left behind seven or nine daughters [the narrator is in doubt]. I disliked that I bring to them someone the same like them, so I instead married a woman who can raise them.”

He said, “Then may Allāh bless you!”

[ʾal-Bukhārī]

سليمان الكندي
Twitter: @sulayman_Kindi

Arabic vs. English – A Spiritual Comparison

 

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ

لِّسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَـذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ

Indeed We know that they say that a mere mortal teaches him; whereas the tongue of he to whom they impute this is non-Arab whilst this is a clear Arabic tongue. [ʾan-Naḥl : 103]

 [Retraction: It appears that my source in regards the etymology of "decision" in below article is unsubstantiated at best, possibly wrong. Servants of truth must acknowledge falsehood emanating from themselves, even if in error - Sulayman al-Kindi, 11 Ramadaan 1441]


I strongly recommend “Muḥammad Rasūlullāh” the biography of Allāh’s Final Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, written by Shaykh Sayyid Mawlānā ʾAbul Ḥasan ʿAlī Nadwī, teacher of my teacher. Although the commonly available English translation is not the most reader-friendly version ever, the Sayyid strikes a perfect balance between conveying facts and expressing his love for our Guide صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. Some books express love, but do not teach much, others are cold, analytical and emotionless, as if they had been written by orientalists.

 

One of the points discussed in “Muḥammad Rasūlullāh” is why Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ had to be an ʿArab. This discussion would of course link to the question as to why Allāh’s Speech was revealed in Arabic, bearing in mind that language is a clear map of the psychology of a nation. This post is not meant to address either question. Instead, these questions inspire recognition of the spiritual purity of the language of the final revelation. To demonstrate this, I shall gather a few examples of the spiritual depravity of English, which Arabic is completely innocent of.

 

 

Why English?

Well, obviously first and foremost, my writings and audience are English for historical and pragmatic reasons. English is also a medium to demonstrate that every language, other than Arabic, is imperfect. English is the child of both the Germanic and Romance worlds. Thus certain facets of English may be particular to it, but other facets may be shared by French, Latin, German etc.

 

English is decidedly pagan in vocabulary and outlook

Arabic words, like her Semitic sisters are very much mathematically derived from three root-letter structures, or equations as I think of them. K-T-B gives us kātib (scribe), kitāb (book) etc. Where words develop with added meaning, the outlook reflected is that of the wild, pure, untamed desert homeland, not the seemingly sophisticated paganism of Rome. For example, siyāsah, meant to tame a wild horse. When the loose Arab tribes became more politically organised, they saw a leader who had to tame wild politicians with different agendas to be doing a similar job. Thus siyāsah became used for “politics”.

 

Now let us look at the attitude of Pagan-Roman influenced English. With this influence alone, it is almost impossible to speak, write and - most importantly – think in English, without touching on its polytheism, something the language of the Qurʾān is certainly free of.

 

You would know that suicide is to kill sui (oneself). Homicide is to kill homo (a man). Regicide is to kill rex (a king). The list can go on, but you might be surprised to know that decide also fits into this list. So who exactly gets killed when one decides, when one makes a decision?

 

Before we look at the answer, let us first revise the Arabic and Islāmic concepts of decision. The Arabic root for decision is Q-Ḍ-Y, which simply implies completion. In other words, after a process of deliberation, a thought process is completed and a conclusion for action is reached. A pure, clean etymology for a word used in the Qurʾān. Over and above one’s personal thought process, is the instruction from Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to offer the ʾIstikhārah (seeking good from Allāh) Prayer, in order to help us reach a decision. Surely this is a most pure and innocent language, used as a vehicle by the most excellent Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

 

Now let us revert to the language of the modern civilised world. Just what does decide mean? Who gets killed? It is Deus – God! How to explain the misguided, pagan Roman-English mind? Their outlook, as opposed to the teachings of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, is that when one weighs various options and chooses one, one has seized the matter in one’s own hands and killed off God from the equation of indecision. Of course, we use such words innocently. The point however remains, ponder over the mentality of a people who deliberately construct such words. How satanic their thought processes must be! Praise be to Allāh who chose Arabic as the language of guidance. (By Arabic I mean the sweet language of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, not the braying colonialist legacy one hears on the modern Arab street).

 

Days of the week

The Arab named his days with the same simple desert mentality – Days One to Five, then the Day of Gathering and the Sabbath, a legacy of the Hebrew Prophets whom we revere.

 

Now how does the English world begin its week? The first day is the day dedicated to the worship of the sun. Monday is for worshipping the moon. Tuesday is Tiw’s day, the Germanic god of war. Wednesday is Woden’s day, the Germanic king of gods. Thursday is Thor’s day, the Germanic god of thunder. Freya’s day is dedicated to Woden’s wife! Saturday is Saturn’s day, the father of the king of the Roman gods!

 

Whilst the contemporary English-speaking Muslim does not associate the origin of “Friday” with ascribing a wife unto Allāh, we should see and appreciate the system and planning of Allāh, in keeping the language of the Qurʾān pure from such foolish pagan concepts.

 

Months and names

Some English months are neutral. December is simply the tenth month as per the original calendar. Yet the original first month is dedicated to Mars, god of war, and there are other months with pagan meanings as well. As for Mr Mars, he does not live on in March alone, but the name, Mark, means one dedicated to Mars. Why would a society supposedly worshipping the One God, not find such names offensive at the time when the meaning was well known? This again points to the unique value of Arabic, a language divinely chosen and whose every word was weighed, appreciated and understood.

 

The Self-centredness of English

Consider that “I” is the only pronoun compulsorily written with a capital letter. In what other language does this occur? The self-centredness of the English language perfectly complements the savage rape of the planet by the British Empire.

 

English is the only European language which does not have a pronoun of respect for the second person. There is just “you”. Whilst the same may be said to be true of Arabic, the comparison is not accurate. Firstly, English exists in a continent where it manages to isolate itself with egoism. Arabic does not originate amongst that place and peoples and hence the comparison is not applicable in this case. Secondly, Arabic in its very structure is anti-ego. Its starts with the third person and reaches the first person only at the end. English of course starts with I and leaves the third person for the end. It is the language of “I”. Neither the modern English child, nor the Germanic and Latin parents, could ever have been a candidate for the pure vehicle of mankind’s spiritual reformation. Allāh chose Arabic.

 

A day in the life of pagan English

Did you have cereal for breakfast by any chance? Yet another dedication to Ceres the Roman goddess. Had it with natural orange nectar? Actually its impossible to drink nectar. It’s the drink of the Greek gods, sorry. As for your natural, Netjer were the Egyptian gods.

Now what cloth is appropriate for today’s weather? Just don’t ask goddess Clotho. Don’t find this amusing? Blame the Muses. Before you leave home, remember to take your medication for your chronic condition, named after Mr Chronos, god of time. Do remember to greet the janitor named after the god, Janus, especially if it is the month of January. If you are not polite he display fury, the spirit of vengeance. Then you will panic, a word from the goat god Pan.

 

In short dear reader, Allāh has chosen Arabic as His pure vehicle of transmitting guidance to mankind. It is free of the defects found in other tongues. If you are not in a position to learn and speak the language of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, the least you can do is value and respect it, which includes correctly pronouncing Arabic names, instead of making Arabic subservient to your culture.

 

سليمان الكندي
Twitter: @sulayman_Kindi

Arabic vs. English – A Spiritual Comparison

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ لِّسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَـذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ

Indeed We know that they say that a mere mortal teaches him; whereas the tongue of he to whom they impute this is non-Arab whilst this is a clear Arabic tongue. [ʾan-Naḥl : 103]

I strongly recommend “Muḥammad Rasūlullāh” the biography of Allāh’s Final Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, written by Shaykh Sayyid Mawlānā ʾAbul Ḥasan ʿAlī Nadwī, teacher of my teacher. Although the commonly available English translation is not the most reader-friendly version ever, the Sayyid strikes a perfect balance between conveying facts and expressing his love for our Guide صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. Some books express love, but do not teach much, others are cold, analytical and emotionless, as if they had been written by orientalists.

One of the points discussed in “Muḥammad Rasūlullāh” is why Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ had to be an ʿArab. This discussion would of course link to the question as to why Allāh’s Speech was revealed in Arabic, bearing in mind that language is a clear map of the psychology of a nation. This post is not meant to address either question. Instead, these questions inspire recognition of the spiritual purity of the language of the final revelation. To demonstrate this, I shall gather a few examples of the spiritual depravity of English, which Arabic is completely innocent of.

Why English?

Well, obviously first and foremost, my writings and audience are English for historical and pragmatic reasons. English is also a medium to demonstrate that every language, other than Arabic, is imperfect. English is the child of both the Germanic and Romance worlds. Thus certain facets of English may be particular to it, but other facets may be shared by French, Latin, German etc.

English is decidedly pagan in vocabulary and outlook

Arabic words, like her Semitic sisters are very much mathematically derived from three root-letter structures, or equations as I think of them. K-T-B gives us kātib (scribe), kitāb (book) etc. Where words develop with added meaning, the outlook reflected is that of the wild, pure, untamed desert homeland, not the seemingly sophisticated paganism of Rome. For example, siyāsah, meant to tame a wild horse. When the loose Arab tribes became more politically organised, they saw a leader who had to tame wild politicians with different agendas to be doing a similar job. Thus siyāsah became used for “politics”.

Now let us look at the attitude of Pagan-Roman influenced English. With this influence alone, it is almost impossible to speak, write and - most importantly – think in English, without touching on its polytheism, something the language of the Qurʾān is certainly free of.

You would know that suicide is to kill sui (oneself). Homicide is to kill homo (a man). Regicide is to kill rex (a king). The list can go on, but you might be surprised to know that decide also fits into this list. So who exactly gets killed when one decides, when one makes a decision?

Before we look at the answer, let us first revise the Arabic and Islāmic concepts of decision. The Arabic root for decision is Q-Ḍ-Y, which simply implies completion. In other words, after a process of deliberation, a thought process is completed and a conclusion for action is reached. A pure, clean etymology for a word used in the Qurʾān. Over and above one’s personal thought process, is the instruction from Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to offer the ʾIstikhārah (seeking good from Allāh) Prayer, in order to help us reach a decision. Surely this is a most pure and innocent language, used as a vehicle by the most excellent Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Now let us revert to the language of the modern civilised world. Just what does decide mean? Who gets killed? It is Deus – God! How to explain the misguided, pagan Roman-English mind? Their outlook, as opposed to the teachings of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, is that when one weighs various options and chooses one, one has seized the matter in one’s own hands and killed off God from the equation of indecision. Of course, we use such words innocently. The point however remains, ponder over the mentality of a people who deliberately construct such words. How satanic their thought processes must be! Praise be to Allāh who chose Arabic as the language of guidance. (By Arabic I mean the sweet language of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, not the braying colonialist legacy one hears on the modern Arab street).

Days of the week

 The Arab named his days with the same simple desert mentality – Days One to Five, then the Day of Gathering and the Sabbath, a legacy of the Hebrew Prophets whom we revere.

Now how does the English world begin its week? The first day is the day dedicated to the worship of the sun. Monday is for worshipping the moon. Tuesday is Tiw’s day, the Germanic god of war. Wednesday is Woden’s day, the Germanic king of gods. Thursday is Thor’s day, the Germanic god of thunder. Freya’s day is dedicated to Woden’s wife! Saturday is Saturn’s day, the father of the king of the Roman gods!

Whilst the contemporary English-speaking Muslim does not associate the origin of “Friday” with ascribing a wife unto Allāh, we should see and appreciate the system and planning of Allāh, in keeping the language of the Qurʾān pure from such foolish pagan concepts.

Months and names

Some English months are neutral. December is simply the tenth month as per the original calendar. Yet the original first month is dedicated to Mars, god of war, and there are other months with pagan meanings as well. As for Mr Mars, he does not live on in March alone, but the name, Mark, means one dedicated to Mars. Why would a society supposedly worshipping the One God, not find such names offensive at the time when the meaning was well known? This again points to the unique value of Arabic, a language divinely chosen and whose every word was weighed, appreciated and understood.

The Self-centredness of English

Consider that “I” is the only pronoun compulsorily written with a capital letter. In what other language does this occur? The self-centredness of the English language perfectly complements the savage rape of the planet by the British Empire.

English is the only European language which does not have a pronoun of respect for the second person. There is just “you”. Whilst the same may be said to be true of Arabic, the comparison is not accurate. Firstly, English exists in a continent where it manages to isolate itself with egoism. Arabic does not originate amongst that place and peoples and hence the comparison is not applicable in this case. Secondly, Arabic in its very structure is anti-ego. Its starts with the third person and reaches the first person only at the end. English of course starts with I and leaves the third person for the end. It is the language of “I”. Neither the modern English child, nor the Germanic and Latin parents, could ever have been a candidate for the pure vehicle of mankind’s spiritual reformation. Allāh chose Arabic.   

A day in the life of pagan English

Did you have cereal for breakfast by any chance? Yet another dedication to Ceres the Roman goddess. Had it with natural orange nectar? Actually its impossible to drink nectar. It’s the drink of the Greek gods, sorry. As for your natural, Netjer were the Egyptian gods.

Now what cloth is appropriate for today’s weather? Just don’t ask goddess Clotho. Don’t find this amusing? Blame the Muses. Before you leave home, remember to take your medication for your chronic condition, named after Mr Chronos, god of time. Do remember to greet the janitor named after the god, Janus, especially if it is the month of January. If you are not polite he display fury, the spirit of vengeance. Then you will panic, a word from the goat god Pan.

In short dear reader, Allāh has chosen Arabic as His pure vehicle of transmitting guidance to mankind. It is free of the defects found in other tongues. If you are not in a position to learn and speak the language of Allāh’s Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, the least you can do is value and respect it, which includes correctly pronouncing Arabic names, instead of making Arabic subservient to your culture.

سليمان الكندي
Twitter: @sulayman_Kindi