Riad saloojee biography books
Letter To A Cape Townian Muslim, by Shaykh Riad Saloojee
Shaykh Riad Saloojee looks back at Cape Town. Triggered by the live stream dhikr from Awwal Masjid, he reminisces on the sounds and sights, the daily happenings and grand occasions, and penned this lovely letter of farewell to the city he loves and had to leave in haste.
Assalāmu‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātu,
I am writing this letter to you. But it’s also for me.
I left Cape Town for Canada in haste because of illness. I didn’t have time for a proper goodbye. It was a hard and fast break from the past. There was no time to reflect or reminisce or recollect.
A month has passed. My attention was devoted to convalescing. But even as my physical strength was returning, alḥamduliLlāh, I felt an inexplicable and barren sadness.
I first attributed this feeling to the frigid winter, grey-clouded skies and cabin-fever. I mentioned it to my wife. She told me to listen to the Awwal Masjid dhikr on MixLR.
And when I finally did yesterday, every dear memory of my 11-year life in Cape Town revived in me – and my frozen heart shattered into a million tears.
I’ve never been one to feel homesick. Is home really a physical geography? Other countries, too, neighbour on sea and mountains. How important is culture and custom in itself? Some prize difference even as others hold fast to the familiar. Geography, culture, custom are all valued only for the meanings woven into them by the fabric of our lives.
When the dhikr played, there was no memory of a Point where you could see an endless ocean South, East and West; or a mountain sculpted perfectly into a table (but only when you came at it from its good side); or daily weather so coquettish that it forces you to pack for four seasons; or waiting for fresh koeksisters on Sunday mornings with an aunty in curlers, a fireman and a policeman; or the shukrans of cashiers that are clearly not Muslim.
And other memories, so poignant, so moving, that I only have stren Allah is the Cause of all causes, the Originator of means and ends. Nothing exists except by His will and power. This belief is a necessary truth of his Divine unicity (tawhid). We seek nearness to Him by surrendering to His prescriptions and proscriptions and actualizing them in our lives. This striving is our worship (‘ibadah). Without practical surrender, internally and externally, our protestations of Divine love are hollow and meaningless. Our striving is necessary. But it is not sufficient. Even as we strive, we must never lose sight of the fact that any change and movement, within us or in the world, are by His will alone. As a Prophetic text teaches: Whatever He wills, will be; and whatever He does not will, will never be. It is in our nature to forget this reality. As we observe the positive consequences of our striving, we begin to attribute those results to our effort. We perceive that we are the cause of the effect – especially when the effects are pleasing to us and come in quick succession. Through this perception and experience of cause and effect, our hearts (qulub) gradually attach to the instruments of my action and detach from their awareness of the One who created them. This leads me to construct an intrinsic and inherent power within those means. At a deeper, and truer level, this is akin to a type of worship of the means. An indicator of this disease within me is that I become very frustrated when I don’t achieve what I work for. I am so conditioned to the results following my effort that, when they do not, I wilt within: anger, anxiety, resentment, doubt in the Divine, and even depression. Were I unattached to the avenues of my action to begin with, I would have found tranquility whether the means produced their intended outcome or not. I would have found tranquility in the Divine, the Real, the Permanent, and not in the vicissitudes of the finite. In instances where I am blessed with talents If you have a smartphone, you need this book. Digital devices have drastically shaped our lives and changed how we do almost everything. Because of their ease and convenience, we often make use of whatever is available without a second thought. Smartphones, social media, apps, internet, video games... If it’s new, easier, and faster, it must be better, right? Have we stopped to ask what are the benefits and harms of these devices? As we spend more and more time on our screens, what does this mean for us spiritually, psychologically, socially and even physically? Knowing the answers to these questions can help us make better choices. Digital Deceptions explains the proven harms behind those seemingly free and convenient devices and services, and shows us a liberating, practical and more balanced way to live, worship and parent in this digital age using the timeless spiritual and rational principles of Islam. “…comprehensively addresses a critical need of our time.” Shaykh Riad Saloojee, Al-Madina Institute Suhba Seminary Why you will want to buy this book: » Groundbreaking new book. » You want to know the truth behind all those convenient and free apps. » You are concerned about your own or your families device usage. » You are unsure about how your private data is used. » You would like to reduce your dependence on your device but not sure where to start. Comparative Religion & Contemporary Issues .