NB Saturday night 1/14/2012 - Br. Shaida's house

Salaam all,


We will have be having our Nahjul Balagha session this coming Saturday 14th of January 2012 @ Br. Shaida's house where we normally have it. Time is 5 pm sharp. Please try to make it.


We are going back to Saying # 1. Maulana Sekaleshfar has sent me the commentary and his assessment of the saying which is followed in the post. IA we will benefit immensely from these commentaries.


Here is the original Arabic text of the saying:

 قَال(عليه السلام): كُنْ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ كَابْنِ  اللَّبُونِ ، لاَ ظَهْرٌ فَيُرْكَبَ، وَلاَ ضَرْعٌ فَيُحْلَبَ.

Translated as "During civil disturbance adopt such an attitude that people do not attach any importance to you - they neither burden you with complicated affairs, nor try to derive any advantage out of you" in our applications and our English NB books.

However, the literal translation of this saying is quite difference as you will be able to tell from Maulana's essay about this saying. (The rest of the post is the email that Maulana sent me).

Amīr al-Mu’minīn (alayhis-salām) said:

“During times of adversity, be like the calf of a camel (ibn ul-labūn), which has no (strong) back (hump) to be ridden upon and has no (fully developed) udders to be milked from”

The term labūn is referring to camels that can be milked. Ibn ul-labūn is the calf whose parent – after two years – starts feeding the next offspring. Hence, the ibn ul-labūn (calf) starts becoming independent after two years i.e. the time when its parent goes and nurtures the succeeding calf. Even after two years, though, the calf can neither be milked nor carry goods/people on its back.

Adversity can either arise between two camps or parties of evil (two hizb al-shaytāns i.e. where the governing authority is illegitimate in nature) or between two parties, groups or camps where one is ahl al-haqq (legitimate) whilst the other is ahl al-bāṭil (illegitimate). For reasons that will be mentioned below, the tradition here is referring to adversities of the former genre (see later).

Ibn Maytham Bahrānī (b. 679 AH) states that during such times of difficulty and adversity – between two camps of evil – one must (i) weaken oneself (one’s physical dimension) so that one’s life does not be of any use for either camp for purposes of war (i.e. not to be used as a soldier or combatant by either side) and (ii) compromise one’s wealth or afflict oneself with poverty so that one’s wealth not be abused by either side. Being physically weak is on a par with the calf having no back and being materially poor is on a par with not being a source of ‘nutrition’ to others (hence ‘...has no back...and...no udders’). As a result, on seeing such persons, the camps of evil will not have or acquire any expectation from such a weak and poor person during times of adversity and so they will not and cannot abuse them in any way; after all, they are of no use to them and for their objectives. They have no back, esoterically referring to having no physical power and they have no udder, esoterically referring to them not being able to benefit the evil side materialistically. In this way, one will not be attracted or deemed competent to assist the cause of wrongness and falsity. “Be weak and poor!” is the slogan for such eras of difficulty.

This is one way of understanding Bahrānī’s commentary. The late Lebanese scholar Sheikh Maghniyyah (d.1980) has an interpretation which can also be applied to Bahrānī’s commentary. Maghniyyah’s idea is that there is no need to actively make yourself physically weak or materialistically poor. “NO!” why should you? Rather it means that you can have your physical power and material wealth BUT just don’t give it away or spend it in the line of injustice i.e. be like (i.e. act as) the ibn ul-labūn (camel’s calf) who cannot contribute vis-à-vis carrying freight or providing milk. Act as if you can’t but there’s no need to actively harm yourself in such a manner.

There is one problem though! Things can be too late sometimes! i.e. after being known amongst the people as one who has physical might and a lot of wealth, it may be too late to act as the calf; after all, they all know you are lying. Allahu Akbar! What is one’s duty here? Maybe Amir al-Mu’minīn is, in fact, referring to a deeper reality (see later). In any case, once everyone knows your physical and material status quo, it’s almost impossible to act as the camel’s calf; you will, for sure, be brought into the battlefield and it’s nearly impossible to refuse. Your interests will be at stake! It needs a strong divine soul to say no to the camps of evil! After all, one’s interests will fall down the drain in the absence of one’s assistance. They will show no mercy to you, your life and your property. Moreover, your soul will help the oppressors under the pretence of “well I have no choice, I have to help”; didn’t you have a responsibility to avoid this situation in the first place? Assisting with evil is evil; look how one can easily justify polluting one’s soul, day after day after day. The Imam, however, has provided us with a protocol. “Be like a (camel) calf!”

To avoid such situations, two methods are possible; either you refrain from acquiring physical strength and material wealth (appreciating that you are a weak person and one day these will bring about your downfall) or you can acquire them but never disclose these powers to the public. Don’t let others ever get to know! Acquire strength and wealth but do not disclose it. “Be like the calf” from the beginning i.e. even before times of adversity so that when adversity does arise, you will be safe and you will be able to abide by the Imam’s protocol. Most people will fall though! It’s like the famous discussion that one can have a big house, big car, etc. whilst being ascetic and recalling Allah constantly i.e. by not occupying one’s heart with other than Allah. The practical truth of the matter is, that most of those with big x’s and big y’s DO fall. It requires a strong resolution; a strong sense of determination. The key to this determination is highlighted in 3:159 i.e. tawakkul is the key. Assuming one cannot acquire this determination, maybe it’s best to avoid such endeavours; it’s not for you! If you are sure you will not fall, then that’s okay! But be sure not to disclose it! Because if you do, you will most probably fall rather than survive!

The reason that scholars suggest that the adversity is in relation to two camps or candidates of evil, is because if one camp is evil and the other just or legitimate, here according to the explicit logic of the verses of the Quran and traditions of the Ahl al-bayt, one must endeavour and fight against injustice and support the holy camp (inshallah if necessary, I shall bring the verses and traditions for next time).

Another point is this: the key to spiritual wayfaring is one; the underlying rationale to spiritual wayfaring is one i.e. recalling Allah. During times of adversity, how can one manage to preserve that ‘recalling’ whilst in the middle of all this bedlam? The Imam says “be like the calf!” and in this way, one continues recalling Allah as one should do. Otherwise, acting differently will lead one to forget Allah and thus fall. Think over this carefully!

As American Muslims, is this maxim relevant to you today? Elections are approaching! Can one help one party over the other? Do we have two camps of evil or not? Can we assist one of them in general terms? If not, are there any exceptions? If there are exceptions, what are they and how do they apply here? This was added just for you to deliberate and understand the potential applications of the maxim. Inshallah more on this will be said in future sessions (after all, this is primarily a fiqhi discussion).

Finally, is there any Quranic reference of this weakening of the self from a physical and non-physical perspective in order to distance one’s truth and competency from the enemy? Ibn Arabi says yes; he refers to a delicate story which has many esoteric dimensions, one of which is in reference to breaking the self to the extent that the enemy does not approach you. This is one of those incredible stories in the Quran. It’s in chapter no.18! Inshallah we shall cover this for the next session.  

Jazakallah and see you all on Saturday iA!!