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Does Utopia exist?

If I told you, you were given one wish, what would you wish for? Would you wish for endless wealth? Would you wish for eternal happiness? Or would you wish for the return of your loved ones?

All of these are valid wishes that should bring about a certain sense of peace. However, the dominant wish today is a world without evil. Wishing for world peace amidst the chaos prevalent in our world today. Where evil does not exist. Where children are not suffering. Where our loved ones would never leave us. Essentially, this is a reference to a utopian world envisioned by many.

Robert Nozick proposes an “Experience Machine” which offers an alternative reality to achieving a world of ultimate peace. He states:

“Suppose there was an experience machine that would give you any experience you desired. Super-duper neuropsychologists could stimulate your brain so that you would think and feel you were writing a great novel, or making a friend, or reading an interesting book or living your wildest dreams. All the time you would be floating in a tank, with electrodes attached to your brain. Should you plug into this machine for life, preprogramming your life experiences? Of course, while in the tank you won't know that you're there; you'll think that it's all actually happening. Would you plug in?”

In this simulation, all of your wildest dreams are fulfilled. It would seem a no-brainer to enter this machine and live your life within it. A life without evil. A life where your invention has changed the world. A life where you are given the Nobel Peace Prize. A life where your name is cheered throughout the streets by your people in honour of you. And the best part about this? You don’t even know you are in the machine. All of this is real to you. You can live in this machine forever. You never have to come out.

Similarly, in the anime series, “Naruto”, the antagonist “Madara Uchiha”, attempts to establish this same experience machine. Madara realized the world was inherently chaotic. That the nature of the world was evil. He says, “As long as we have the concept of winners, there will be losers”. He attempts to enslave the entire world in a huge illusion called the “Infinite Tsukuyomi”, in order to finally obtain world peace and allow everyone to live out their dreams. In other words, he creates a false reality, similar to the experience machine, wherein the dreams of people are fulfilled, and they are experiencing maximum pleasure. This false reality doesn’t subject its victims to the same pain that this world and their world does.

Characters in the show begin to live out their wildest dreams. For example, Hinata, a woman in love with Naruto, finally lives a life where he loves her back. She’s been hopelessly chasing after him for years and she’s aware his heart belongs to someone else. Imagine the pain of loving someone and them not loving you back. However, in this alternative reality, he has fallen in love with her and they can spend the rest of their lives together. Imagine the happiness she is in thanks to this reality. Similarly, Kiba, a man obsessed with becoming Hokage (King of the Village), has immense competition for this title and realizes the unlikeliness of his goal. He works hard but recognizes his competition is far superior to him. In the “Infinite Tsukuyomi”, he sits atop the throne of Hokage, achieving his lifelong dream and ordering around his village members. A dream which could not be attained in his real-life can now finally be achieved in this reality.

Judging from these two examples, one can feel the happiness they achieved from their alternative reality whereby allowing them to live out their wildest dreams. Now the following question needs to be answered: “Would you choose to live in this simulation”?

Most people would respond with no. The problem with this is it’s a false reality. Yes, we want people to have all their wishes fulfilled. Yes, we want people to live in peace, for people to be happy. But there’s a sense of unease for us knowing that it’s artificial. Even though we are maximizing our pleasure, we still are hesitant.

So, if this isn’t the solution then what is? How can we live in a world where children are not forced to undergo intensive chemotherapy only to die in pain? Where children are not being bombed to death. Where orphans don’t exist. Where children have clean water. A world in which everyone is content. A world where everyone’s wildest dreams come true.

Fortunately, that world does exist and it’s possible to get there. However, it requires hard work from us. It requires us to be patient during tribulations. To be grateful for the blessings we have been given. To love for humanity what we love for our self. To spread peace. To forgive others when we have been wronged. And most importantly, to turn back to the One who created us. To turn back to Allah. That world is paradise.

Paradise is a place where children are not suffering immensely only to die of cancer. A place where children are not being bombed to death. A place where children have clean water. A place where evil doesn’t exist. A place where everyone’s wildest dreams come true. This destination is our goal. Only here, does a true utopia exist.

“It is (the believers) who will have the Gardens of Eternity, with rivers flowing under their feet. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and wear green garments of fine silk and rich brocade, reclining there on raised thrones. What a marvelous reward! And what a fabulous place to rest! (Quran 18:31). Similarly, “Allah has promised to the believing men and women gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever), and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success (Quran 9:72).

Thus, although the experience machine provides an alternative method to achieving a utopia, it is a false reality that brings a sense of discontent and a sense of unease. Paradise, on the other hand, provides a true reality that brings a sense of contentment. Paradise is everything we can imagine and more. That should be our ultimate abode and a place we should strive towards. May Allah allow us to become inhabitants of paradise. Ameen.

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2018 in Review

Subhanallah what a year 2018 was. We tend to look back onto the previous year and claim that we have changed, sometimes significantly. 2018 was the most remarkable year of my life. First, let me describe how I was before the year started. I spent a good chunk of my time watching basketball and football. I was addicted to the Celtics and Steelers. When the Steelers were playing, nothing else was relevant at that time and I would watch EVERY game live. Aside from watching the game, I would check Twitter updates regarding them and then watch sports “analysts” debate what occurred in their games. Honestly, I was addicted to sports. Also at that point, I was not even an executive in the MSA. I would show up occasionally to events and it didn't play a big role in my life. At that point, my deen was not at an ideal stage. Fajr was rarely prayed, Quran rarely recited, and no khushoo in salah. And honestly, the weird part is I didn't even feel bad about it. I completely ignored it. Most of the time I would only pray when my dad told me to. Then 2018 began. 

In 2018, alhamdulillah I turned 20. The day I hit 20, I remember I was hit that day with the realization that I needed to get my life together. The shift from 19 to 20 is minimal however it was immense for me. I began to think about what I wanted my life to be and what my goals were. It all began once I watched a documentary about Malcolm X. I loved his story however there was so much more to know about the man. So I decided to go to the library and get his biography and learn about him. At that point, I was never a reader in my life. I never saw it as fun, rather as a chore. I can truly say, the life of Malcolm X was the reason my life changed. After that book, I continued to read and I just wanted more. Weekly, I would be at the Library picking out new books and going through them quickly. It was like a stimulant that I continuously needed. Everything was going well until THAT situation happened. THAT situation truly hurt me mentally. I seriously contemplated if I should marry her and at one point I thought that I should even if my parents were against it. I could not sleep that entire night. The next day the situation began to eat me all day at work. Alhamdulillah, I got my cousins to give me advice on the matter which helped clear my mind. The next few days I spent lots of time self-reflecting. I went on walks alone and began to read at certain spots. I’ve never had serious mental health issues, however, this minor one ruined me and controlled my brain. May Allah help those individuals going through tough times. Ameen. After that, I began to do a lot of research on my own in a plethora of topics, mainly Islam. I began to watch Islamic lectures and fell in love with Shaykh Hamza Yusef. This man has had a profound impact on my life and is someone I consider a mentor. To this day, his lectures teach me about Islam, character, and striving to be an individual who will positively impact people. May Allah preserve this brother. Ameen. In March, I believe I formally joined the MSA. Honestly one of the best decisions in my life. Next, Ramadan came and it seemed like it was going to be the typical Ramadan. I fast for 30 days, catch up with old friends and lead Taraweeh however this year it was different. For some reason, Subhanallah my spiritual connection/emaan began to increase significantly. The connection I had with Allah was something I never had before. Eventually, I came out of Ramadan putting an emphasis on my deen and especially my fajr salah. My fajr is something that I was only praying in Ramadan however after that Ramadan, I continued to keep up with it. And my connections with the MSA only bolstered my emaan by constantly reminding myself that I am a Muslim who will follow his religion’s teachings. The History class I took gave me a great idea about the history of the modern middle east. Truly one of my favorite, if not favorite, classes at SFU. Aside from that, I continued to read and do my research on my spare time. I began to utilize my time more efficiently than before. In that Summer, I began to finally lead Jumah. Leading Jumah is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now but I finally began it. Initially, I was a bit nervous but quickly I began to enjoy public speaking and now it seems that I get a feeling of Euphoria while giving the khutbah. It's something I truly love doing. This was the inception of my public speaking days. The end of August was significant because that was when I became the MSA President. I was given a lot of responsibility: to take care of the Muslims on campus. It is a role that I should be working for harder. I need to prioritize it. May Allah make it easy on me. Ameen. 

In 2018, Allah has truly blessed me with many friends. I have made friends which I can rely on and which share similar values as I do. I have become closely related to the Muslim community of metro-Vancouver and their organizations. Subhanallah at every event I go to, I will see numerous Muslims that I am friends with which I vibe with completely. I now have numerous brothers which I can rely on and go to if I need any help. 

In the coming months, I realized that criminology is not for me and now I am in the Humanities department learning about things I find interesting. Inshallah, the next goal is law school however I will be studying until the day I die. Studying is something that I love and will continue to do Inshallah. Maybe I will do an Aalim course or maybe study Islam from an academic institution. Also, from January until now, I have not cut my hair. I am almost about to hit the 1-year mark. Everything that I have talked about so far is in regards to my mental aspect but growing out my hair has given me a distinctive look. I tend to stand out now because of my man-bun but standing out is something I want to do. I do not want to follow the masses and “fit in”. I want to be someone who will make a change and for that to occur, I need to think, behave, and maybe even look differently. 

As hectic of a year 2018 has been so far, I am missing the most important one. The biggest accomplishment I have in my life. Alhamdulillah, with Allah's permission, I finished my Hifzul Quran. What an accomplishment. I could only have done it with Allah's guidance. This is something which I have been working on since I was 8. I need to reflect on this accomplishment because it is one of the greatest blessings we can achieve in this Dunya. May Allah make my review strong and fluid inshallah. Ameen. 

In conclusion, 2018 was a crazy year that I never expected would end up like this. Everyone makes a New Years resolution however it typically fails within a couple days. I don’t think I made one however I have made changes in numerous aspects of my life which have benefitted me and could only occur because Allah had willed it. Always put Allah first and you will never be last. Sometimes you are put in situations where you cannot see the blessings however its only once we make it out of the tunnel that the light becomes visible. 

Moving forward, I will only be making one new years resolution. It’ll be to work on myself in every aspect and to constantly improve. I don’t see much wisdom in only focusing on one aspect and aiming to perfect that while ignoring the rest. Everything as a whole needs to be worked on because if one is flawed then the others may appear flawed as well. Focus on being the best person you can be. Your only competition should be yourself, ignore the others. Strive for greatness as Lebron says. May Allah give me a beneficial year in 2019 as he did in 2018.  Ameen. Let’s see how 2019 goes. 

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Islam and Evolution

Nothing has impacted religion’s validity more than Evolution theory. The Scientific community at large accepts it with little criticism however it is heavily criticized by religious folks. In a nutshell, evolution theory claims that all life forms are interconnected through their family tree; that all life forms can be traced back to one. The issue with Muslims is with human evolution. Muslims believe that humans have always been homosapiens which contravenes with Human evolution. This is where the clash lies. Muslims believe that correct science cannot contradict with the Quran. Either the science is incorrect or our understanding of the Quran is incorrect. There cannot be correct science which contradicts with a correct understanding of the Quran. In the contemporary scientific community, Evolution theory is widely accepted. However, we have witnessed in the past that accepted theories have been proven false and then modified. This may be the case with Evolution so we must be patient. An issue with this theory is there are politics involved in questioning this theory which is an indication that this theory is outside the realm of science. The chances of publishing a scientific journal criticizing Evolution theory are minute. This way, it is perceived as though all scientific journals have agreed upon a consensus that Evolution Theory is indeed legitimate. This results in the inability to challenge the empirical findings of this theory. If it cannot be challenged, then it cannot be proven false. Maybe Evolution theory contains numerous flaws however we may never know because of the inability to criticize it. Therefore, although Evolution Theory seems it is based on empiricism, the truth may be that it contains imperfections which may not be revealed because the politics involved will not allow those findings to be published.   

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Rise of Atheism

As a society, our morals differ from generation to generation. Societies views hundreds of years ago are dissimilar with our modern ones. An ideal example of this is Atheism. 200 years ago, a person who rejected God was ostracized and became a pariah. In contemporary society, individuals who reject God are celebrated while those who believe in God are looked down upon. The morals of society are continuously evolving and new ideologies are emerging. Multiple individuals have led to the rise in Atheism however one of the prominent ones was Karl Marx. Marx believed religion was a tool utilized by the rich to subjugate the poor and is known for his quote that “Religion is the opium of the masses”. Marx created his “Marxism theory” which led the foundations for the creation of “Communism”. Atheism is a fundamental belief within Communism. Communism became the dominant political philosophy of Russia and China. As a result, Atheism began to be seen as the norm in Communist countries and spread rapidly.

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Origins and rise of Atheism

In today’s society, we see the emergence and popularity of certain ideologies. When discussing theism, we must discuss its antonym, Atheism. Atheism is broadly defined as the disbelief of God. Disbelief in God has been around for thousands of years, however, the rise of Atheism has only become a recent phenomenon. How did Atheism become prevalent? To understand how we must first analyze the history of the Catholic Church. During the 15, 16 and 17th centuries, Europe was under control by the Catholic Church. The Church essentially controlled all of Europe. The views posited by the Church were seen as inherently true and there was no debate regarding their statements. The Church taught its adherents theology, science, education, morals, etc. Everything that was known to Europeans came from the Church. They were seen as infallible and binding. Two prominent scientists, Galileo and Copernicus, challenged the Church and argued that their views on the Sun orbiting the Earth were incorrect. Their arguments were based on empirical statistics however the Church forced them to neglect their views or they would be persecuted. Eventually, the emergence of science proved the Church’s teachings were erroneous. This led Europeans to doubt because it contravened science and was proven fictitious. These doubts led people to question the validity of the Church’s theology because of it’s inaccurate scientific statements. Simultaneously, the doctrine of the Church was being questioned by Martin Luther and the Protestants. The scientific discoveries and rise of the Protestants combined to diminish the influence the Church had on Europe. As a result, Europeans began to discard the Church and drop religion altogether and which results in the inception of modern Atheism.  

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Intellectual Climate

Why do certain sects/ideologies emerge?

The creation of sects are typically emerged and influenced by the Intellectual Climate. But how do we define the Intellectual Climate? The Intellectual Climate is the collective general outlook of what people think, and beleive about particular ideas at a certain time frame. People absorp the ideologies of the Intellectual Climate and project them onto other ideologies which results in a new sect emerging. The Intellectual Climate has resulted in the creation of several sects in Islam. This is evident by analyzing the Shi’a tradition. Shi’ism emerged as a result of the political strife occurring in Kufa. Shi’ism began as political discontent against the Ummayyad’s. Eventually that political discontent transformed into a theological discontent which resulted in the establishment of a new sect. The adoption of the Intellectual Climate by the Shi’as is responsible for Shi’ism. Another example is Sufism. Sufism originated in Basrah which consisted of several religions including Islam, Buddhism, Mancheans, etc. The inhabitants of basrah began to debate religion, particularly the fight between the soul and body. They were intrigued by this topic and began to discuss in-depth about conquering the self and purifying the heart. The conclusion to this debate resulted in the creation of Sufism which is influential in the Muslim community today. The absorption of the debate was projected onto Islam which created Sufism. Had these debate never occurred, it seems unlikley that Sufism would have emerged. Lastly, in our modern times we have witnessed the formation of “Islamic Feminism”. Islamic Feminism is a new strand of Islam which was influenced by Feminism. Nowadays, Feminism is prevalent throughout our societies and is highly influential. As a result, certain women have begun to incorporate Feminism into Islam which led to the establishment of Feminism Islam. The reason as to why this sect is formed now rather than some other time is because of our Intellectual Climate which advocates for womens rights and equality. 

In conclusion, the Intellectual Climate has a significant impact of the formaton of new sects. These sects emerge when people absorp the ideologies of their time and then begin to project them onto Islam. Moving forward, when a new ideology emerges, we must not attempt to incorporate it into Islam to comply with societies new morals. The morals of society are continuoulsy evolving and reforming, with new groups emerging regularly, however we must not let Islam become reformed as it is complete the way it is. 

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Sectarianism in the Middle East

Sectarianism is strong support for the religious or political group you belong to, and often involves conflict with other groups. Basically, the mentality that my views are correct and others are incorrect and false. The Muslim world is currently in a disastrous situation. Muslim countries throughout the world have discrepancies in their creed and beliefs about Islam which is furthering sectarianism between one another. As a result, the cohesiveness of the Ummah is deteriorating and others, mainly the Western world, are spectating and enjoying this mess. Minute differences of opinion regarding Islamic theology have resulted in Muslims regarding other Muslims as “Kafr” or non-believers and isolating oneself from them. Certain sects even declare war on individuals whose views differ from them. This is evident in the first sect of Islam known as the “Kharijites”. The Kharijites regarded Muslims who cheat, steal and lie as non-Muslims because they fail to adhere to the Islamic teachings. The Khawarij eventually isolated themselves from the rest of the Ummah while believing their methodology was correct and everyone else was false. To distinguish themselves from the Khawarij, the other Muslims coined a term to identify themselves with. The term is called, “Ahlul Sunnah Wa Jamaah” aka Sunni. This term explains its adherents are people who follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) and constitute the majority of the Ummah. An interesting note is that throughout Islamic history, the majority of the Ummah has consistently been the “Sunnis”. Numerous sects have emerged within the past 1400 years however none have surpassed the Sunnis and none have been adjacent. A myriad of them have been extinguished while others have been reduced to a minuscule level. This reveals the legitimacy and power the Sunnis have maintained since the inception of Islam. 

In light of the current situation in the Middle East, what role should sectarianism play? 

The Ummah is drowning. In every sector of the Middle East, there is Muslim blood being shed and more importantly, being shed by Muslims. Creating more sects and dividing ourselves from one another will only exacerbate the situation. Although there are valid disputes regarding Islamic theology and creed, these factors need to be overlooked and cooperation between states must become necessary. Islamophobes don’t distinguish between us so why should we? They view all Muslims as inherently evil, not Shia or Sunni. Therefore, only by uniting can we resolve these conflicts and prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent lives. However, this can only be achieved by the elimination of Sectarianism and tolerating one another.