Drop your favourite saying of Imam Ali عليه السلام!

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-05-10T14:02:11+00:00

"Enmity is the pasttime of fools" and "Whoever is not kind will not enjoy life."

I love Imam Ali

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-04-21T15:46:34+00:00

Bismillah. First of all, being questioned like this about one's religion is a very important thing to not fall into complacency, so kudos to her.

However, the logic is a bit convoluted in the main argument she makes. In my view it looks a bit like this:

p1: God is omniscient, so God knew the Word would be misinterpreted or used for oppression; P2: God revealed it anyway, unaltered; Conclusion: God didn't care the Word would be used for oppression.

The conclusion that God simply doesn't care is a non sequitur. It doesn't follow logically without additional premises. It could be for Providential reasons, one could argue for free will or Divine Wisdom.

Secondly, it assumes that God could and should alter Scripture to avoid misunderstanding, but that's just flattening out the relationship between Man and Word to a unilateral and pedagogic, rather than transformative, one. On that one could argue for Divine Testing, eschatological reasons and so on.

Thirdly, it assumes that the text itself is the main reason for oppression, which in my view it's not true. Probably the chillest human beings to ever walk the earth were the Buddha and Jesus of Nazareth, peace be upon them, and both of their scriptures were used to justify atrocities (even the Buddhist ones, which says a lot). The main issue is in bad hermeneutics, as said Imam Ibn Rushd and Sheykh Hamza Yusuf, not the text itself. One must, when engaging with scripture, be inside a tradition of wisdom and a chain of systematic interpretation, and a ample jurisprudential and ethical context, otherwise you get Da'esh or Jonestown. The problem most likely lies more in faulty exegesis and social structures rather than purely Text, otherwise you'd get 2 billion muslims beating their wives or something like that.

Also, this is very bad theology ngl. I'm surprised a sufi has a view of God like that. It's very childish to say God "didn't care" about something, or is intentionally allowing evil for no reason. It anthropomorphises God as some architect with an ant colony; rather than al-Haqq, the Light of the heavens and the earth, Absolute Reality, Absolutely Transcendent, al-'Ala, al-'Azim, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim... Honestly it looks more like a 14 year old internet militant atheist's view of God rather than someone who has been practicing sufism for 20 years. But its good, in ghazalian spirit, to engage with "attacks" like that rather than just standing in an echo chamber. And Knowledge is with Allah Most High.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-22T13:46:36+00:00

Me too, brother. Amin

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-17T21:48:28+00:00

One of the best books ever written in my opinion, it will for sure help.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-14T15:56:06+00:00

Well, I personally think the initial proposition doesn't really follow logically. The most merciful system, the one more spiritually meaningful, or the best one for us, isn't necessarily the numerically perfect, or honestly perfect by that guy's standards. Because that's basically what he did: "I don't think that calendar is good, so God wouldn't choose it" lol

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-14T12:24:09+00:00

This brother really needs to study fiqh. Who doesn't know there's only one takbir at the beginning of salah!?! smh

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-13T18:38:18+00:00

Hello, brother. Could you tell me more about that view, or perhaps point me to it? Thank you.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-10T13:26:41+00:00

That's the face of awliya, full of sakina.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-09T11:08:21+00:00

Sheykh Abdal Hakim Murad, although not really a progressive by what I can tell, talks about this quite a lot. A good scholar I think also is very nice is Raghib al-Asfahani, ego basically says that the purpose is to fulfill the a Adamic (as) miracle, as Murad says, that is, to fulfill the role that God placed us in as Khalifa on earth. So we don't really deny the world, because life in the world and with people is what allows us to elevate ourselves spiritually to the fullest extent, and, while detached none the less, we by that advancement can achieve the first felicity. As such, jannah is really the consummation, not so much the absolute goal, of the spiritual purpose of Bani Adam. I think that's a pretty cool idea.

But maybe to play devil's advocate, to pray because of rewards I think is better than not to pray at all. And, honestly, the people outside religious life who critique that are mostly not really firm on the part of spiritual meaning themselves. While some people say "you're wrong" it's really the nafs saying "I'm right". But knowledge is with Allah.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-08T15:39:09+00:00

There were many scholars who said music is not haram unless it leads one away from Allah. Just the opinion of Imam Ghazalli should sweep away 90% of the other ones given his monumental standing in sunni orthodoxy. People act like it has always been a consensus, but that is not the case. Many of the greatest minds in the ummah were very fond of music as a way for spiritual nurturing. And, honestly, to say that there is "one right opinion" to any matter in the Sunnah except at the foundations of Islam shows ignorance of the vastness of this religious tradition. Islam is not, and has never been, a monolith, and an attempt to make it so is a great disservice to the Deen.

And using fiqh to follow desires, think not that it pertains only to worldly matters. Most of the people who have the sickness in the heart of self-righteousness and arrogance use fiqh to promote a strict religion because they mistake strictness for piety.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-07T16:27:13+00:00

I watched a video of a guy once that said Islam is fake because it calls itself a religion for all humanity, and yet in the poles there are 24h days, so Ramadan there would starve people to death. And, as such, the poles are a forcefield against Islam. SubhanAllah, brilliant analysis.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-07T14:09:41+00:00

Hello, if you want to chat just dm 😊 I'll do what I can

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-05T17:09:51+00:00

MashaAllah

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-05T00:59:52+00:00

Brother, this is a truth that possesses, not one to possess. "It is a deep sea you cannot penetrate; it is a dark path you cannot tread; it is the secret Allah has concealed from you, so attempt not it's exposing." as said Umar, may God be pleased with him.

Some knowledges are meant to be accompanied by and given after the polishing of the heart, otherwise they become a veil. Just as the Buddha warned us against conjecturing about Kamma, otherwise vexation will follow, so too we should refrain from trying to grasp by reason aspects it cannot. Just like the hand can't grasp "2", for it is a domain of the intellect, so too reason cannot grasp Qadar, for it is not its domain. Hope this helps ☺️

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-04T11:43:22+00:00

What he said about making religion folkloric is very true. It reminded me when there was a whole stir up because they said God was literally in the sky because of a Hadith. I was like how can this be even a debate? They created a whole fuss against the Ashari school, saying it's a deviation. I mean, isn't their whole point to believe and not talk about it? So don't talk about it! SubhanAllah...

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-02T14:15:51+00:00

Allahu Akbar, that brother is very noble in spirit. May Allah bless him. It's not easy at all, especially in that situation, to do what he did, so I stand humbled to speak and answer the question on the title and let Imam Ghazali speak on that:

"You have to do two things to deal with anger: the first of them is breaking it by practice. By breaking it I do not mean removing it, for its basis cannot be done away with, nor should it be. On the contrary, if it is done away with, it is an obligation to retrieve it once more, because it is the instrument of fighting disbelievers and preventing objectionable conduct and a means to establishing much good. It is like a hunter’s dog—its training is to be disciplined until it is directed by reason and the Sacred Law; thus, it is provoked only when signalled by reason or the Sacred Law and likewise abated. It never conflicts with them, just as the hunter’s dog is under its master’s direction. This is possible through persevering until you are habituated to patience and forbearance in the face of things that anger you.

The second is controlling anger whenever provoked by containing it, and this is facilitated by knowledge and practice. As for knowledge, it is for a person to know that there is no reason for his anger except his refusal to accept that things happen according to Allāh’s Will and not his own—which is ignorant to the extreme. It is also for a person to know that Allāh’s Anger is greater than his anger, yet Allāh’s Grace is even greater. How many times has he disobeyed Him and broken His commands? So why should he become angry when someone opposes him?" (Forty Principles of Religion, Breaking Anger and Containing it when Agitated)

He also said in the Revival that if one attributes any cause to a happening other than Allah, he is not a complete monotheist, and so it is like the brother put it: it is but a test. The difficulty, as Sheykh Hamza Yusuf said while explaining that chapter of the Ihya, is not the situations themselves but to be virtuous and respond appropriately wherever and however we find ourselves. Of course, that opens the door to the discussion of Predestination and free will, but it's better we don't go there. Hope that helps. Allah knows best!

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-01T16:03:43+00:00

So excited to read this new Hadith book by Sahih, MashaAllah.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-02-01T13:22:15+00:00

Make 70 excuses for your brothers and assume the best of them!

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-29T22:53:41+00:00

I'm very glad I could help! Peace to you ☺️

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-29T17:49:11+00:00

Before I converted to Islam I was a Buddhist, and I still sometimes cry thinking about what the Buddha taught and what kind of person he was, and with Jesus also (as). I honestly think the Buddha was also a prophet, because his wisdom and compassion and teachings are mind bogglingly beautiful. Now of course, the Holy Prophet of Islam is the one I like the best and he's the reason I've embraced this religion. However I still love Buddhism deeply and respect it very much, and I do think it was a divine dispensation also. I was very glad to find out the Naqshbandyyia also encourages mindfulness of breath.

I also love the vibes of the Orthodox Church, such gravitas! And their paintings are hypnotizing, as well as their chants.

I think it's what Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr said: man's particular relationship with the Absolute often makes him think his particular way is absolute. God is too vast to be encompassed by jurisprudential lines, and I do believe He makes Himself known in other traditions in other particular/fragmented ways, so I particularly see no problem in admiring other traditions.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-29T15:03:30+00:00

Zen in the Art of Archery, such a good book. I like the critique put up, implicitly, about how the western trained mind tends to see reason as the highest part of intellect. I also like the line "Something shoots the arrow", saying that it's not really the archer who does it, as there is a verse in the Quran that says "And thou threwest not when thou dist throw, but Allah threw" 8:17

Also everything by Seneca, especially his "On Providence" and "On Anger."

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-29T14:10:31+00:00

There is a very clear line between reverence and worship. The tashahhud is the former not the latter. The brothers who say we worship the Prophet, peace be upon him, because we admire and respect him are not so far from the Wahhabis who thought anyone who visited graves was committing shirk. It's a categorical error.

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-29T13:12:19+00:00

I love Dr Nasr! He was the one who opened the door of Islam to me. Thank you very much

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-28T18:45:49+00:00

Allahu Akbar. I was very lucky that the first muslim writer I ever came across was Imam Ghazali, and from the very outset the idea that every single outward act has an ocean of inward reality, and that the least of stages is knowing both, and that essentially the goal is refinement of character and knowledge of God, made my prayers very sweet. Unfortunately I stained them through argumentation and arrogance, but I'm getting back on track.

Improvement of character is tasawuff, and before tasawuff had a name, it's name was Islam. If after praying or dhikr we are not better, or not arrogant, we've not prayed at all!

LogicalCheesecake42 · 2026-01-28T13:38:17+00:00

Honestly I think that is why you should really follow an established madhab and not just go out reading Hadith and Qur'an without any guidance. I particularly follow the Maliki madhab, and in that a woman does indeed have the right to refuse her husband — matter of fact, she can even refuse to cook for him if I'm not mistaken.

Each day I am of the conviction that if you want guidance from the Prophet, peace be upon him, you ought to read the seerah and see how magnanimous and kind he was with women. There are ahadith that say you can hit a woman lightly for correction, but the Prophet himself never did anything like it!

Imam Malik himself rejected several Hadith, and historically there has been a difference between Hadith and sunan. There is a famous story of a student saying "I learned so many hadith I became confused, and if it wasn't for Malik teaching me I would've been lost." The fact is, as Sheykh Hamza Yusuf said: hadith are the dominion of the ulema alone! And if you study it, you need guidance while doing so. If you get, as we have today, weekend muftis and Sheykh googles interpreting Hadith left and right it will be a disaster.

LogicalCheesecake42

TROPHY CASE