The Imam Is A Film Actor? Ramadan In Cairo
"Who is that famous Imam?", I asked the taxi driver as we sat in traffic on the 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt, a few days before the start of Ramadan.
Huge advertising billboards with pictures of men and women towered over the bridge. One had the picture of a man with a beard and turban so I thought he must be some famous Imam. Hence my question to the taxi driver.
He told me this is not an imam but an actor and that these huge billboards are promoting several upcoming ramadan TV series.
Ramadan extravaganza
These big budget TV series – many made especially for Ramadan – have become popular across the Arab world. In the competition for viewers, many push the social, cultural and Islamic boundaries and generate controversies.
There have been calls to ban Tunisian-made series, Fallujah, which claims to deal with the dark side of local student life, complete with drug deals. In Iraq, a historical drama series called "Muawiya" (Muawiya headed the first Umayyad Caliphate), has also caused controversy. Egypt and several other Muslim countries also have many TV series covering various topics.
Ramadan lillah
My taxi driver explained that people can watch them all night - from iftar till suhur. He then said 'Ramadan lillah' [Ramadan is for Allah] and that these series take people away from the worship of Allah (swt) in the blessed month of ramadan.
Imagine someone watching the latest TV series instead of engaging in dawah, reading Qur'an or praying taraweeh in the mosque?
Elephants in Madina
The conversation in the Cairo taxi reminds me of something that happened in Madin in in the time of Imam Malik (ra). The great Imam Malik used to teach Qur’an, fiqh, hadith and other Islamic sciences.
One day, as he was teaching, someone came and said Elephants had been brought to Madina. Elephants were a very foreign thing so it was absolutely amazing to see them in Madina.
On hearing of the Elephants, all the students got up, and left Imam Malik's class in order to go and see them. All, except Yahyha bin Yahya Al Laithi.
Imam Malik asked him why he didn't go like the others. He said, "I came to Madina so I could see you Imam Malik and learn from you. I did not come here to see the Elephant".
That is something to think about in Ramadan - and beyond. There are things that make us forget the purpose of ramadan and chase them instead, taking us from from the worship of Allah (swt).
In Ramadan, we have many Elephants: including the Ramadan TV series, social media, socialising, etc.
In the rest of the year, we have other Elephants: numerous global sporting events, TV series, concerts and national festivals aimed at distracting people from the life and death issues that face our ummah.
In events such as huge raves in the Saudi or Qatari desert , today’s so-called Muslim rulers are happy to promote immoral and un-Islamic behaviour.
There are even trends in Egypt and other Muslim countries where governments actually discourage people from spending too much time gathering in the Mosques in Ramadan.
May Allah enable us to ignore the Elephants inside and outside Ramadan. May Allah enable us to have that spiritual revolution and renewed connection with Him (swt) so we run to obey Him and run from disobeying Him, inside and outside Ramadan.
Surely, that is the meaning of attaining taqwa (being mindful of Allah).
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَمِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah˺. [Al-Baqarah 2:183]
Please share the newsletter or go to this link and sign up to receive it https://www.tajimustafa.com/newsletter . Thanks
Love and salams,
Taji
🧔 What have I been up to?
I gave a talk at an iftar gathering:
Watch-> Salahuden: Battle of Hattin and the liberation of Al-Quds
📖 Ayah and Hadith
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
O believers! Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves,1 and do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission ˹to Him˺. [Ali-Imran 3:102]
Quote of the Week
“If Allah didn’t love you, He would never have let you fast the days of Ramadan and stand its nights. He only gifted you this because He wanted to forgive you.”
― Sheikh Mohammed Aslam
❤ My Favourite Things
Article – UK aid charities told to provide details of payments made in Gaza
How the UK government is trying to bully UK based Muslim charities working in Gaza. Another sign of the UK supporting the apartheid zionist entity.
Muslims should not be silent about this and should expose this hypocrisy.
Read past newsletters at tajimustafa.com