SOMETHING THERE IS THAT DOES'NT LOVE A WALL…

SOMETHING THERE IS THAT DOES'NT LOVE A WALL…
Robert Frost's POEM: Mending Wall.

The true love of a believer is likened to a moth attracted to a burning flame. The moth with all intensity circles closer to the flame until it comes so close to it that it burns itself to death in the flame. Similarly, making tawaf around the Kabaa first from a distance and then desiring to come closer and closer until you touch the Kabaa and that intense feeling wells up tears in your eyes, making you know that your return is to Allah and the instinct desire is to meet Allah in that very condition…..you turn your face and you see the multitude of Muslims of all shades aspiring for the same place and your heart has a change of feeling: 'Why do these people push so much…' 'Something there is that does'nt love a wall' knocks on the heart for the first wall to break down is looking at the ummah as a single body and not as different nations.

22 March 2004 Sheikh Ahmed Yassin wheeled himself for fajr salaah to meet with his Beloved – Allah. After salaah F-16 jets fly overhead to muffle the noise of approaching helicopters as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin keeps to his routine path home when suddenly, missiles from helicopter gunships speed menacingly towards its target – wheelchair-bound 67 year old cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and killing him. The aftermath led to praise from Israel saying that they have taken out the Palestinian Bin Laden whilst the rest of the world looked upon with shock and awe at the lethal dose of WMD on a paraplegic hoping that the smoking gun would be enough evidence to bring Sharon to justice. Nay! It only led to more arrogance and allowed Israel to continue with its plans – continues to build that great wall of divide! 'Something there is that does'nt love a wall' rings in the hearts of people but we keep to old thinking that 'Good fences make good neighbours' and we talk but do nothing to break the walls that separate us from looking at the ummah as a single body but understanding that 'Allah has created us into different tribes so that we may understand each other' (Quran, Al-Hujurat ayat 13).

The mood is joyous as the polls get clogged with voters putting their mark to bring in the next phase of democracy in South Africa on 14 April 2004. It is clear that the majority of people look towards that party that broke down walls of divide and continue to do and generally stare with derision at those parties that talk of breaking down the walls of division in sunny South African yet, cannot take a moral stand on the Wall of Divide in Palestine nor condemn the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Ten years of freedom makes you wonder of what we have achieved and how our world views have changed by this freedom. 'Something there is that does'nt love a wall.. that wants it down' is the ringing words on 14 April 2004 because the whole election is aimed at uniting a nation never to divide it again for the walls of racism and divide created hate! Hate the ingredient to build walls.

The above scenarios is what we talk about and in doing so we get to see how people think and how they react to issues beyond their little world of perfection and comfort zones. In doing so we realise how we as Muslims right here in sunny South Africa divide ourselves with the walls we build in our hearts. The walls of indifference! especially when we found excuses in our mind not to participate in the elections of 2004 and we said that crime was out of control, education is in mess and the likes yet, we live off the fat of land accumulating wealth thinking it will last forever. This is just one example of what we do to keep ourselves happy with what we have and be totally indifferent to what happens beyond our homes, shops, classrooms, kitchens, degrees, diplomas and everything else. The question that remains is how do we answer to 'Something there is that does'nt love a wall… that wants it down'. We would find it difficult because we feel that we are going to lose our comfort zones and we fear people staring at us for our different views especially when we enjoin in good and forbid evil. This is the wall that needs breaking down – fear!

Iraq! becoming the graveyard for allied forces builds the wall of divide between the modern world and terrorists – another word that means Muslim. So we are in this divided world now where we have to understand how our own personal hates limit our potential to see beyond the deception of word play in the media. Therefore, we have to begin by looking at the ummah as a single body. When we do so then we would be able to realise that we are not each others enemies because of the different approaches to hajj, salaah, fasting, zakaah and the likes but it is our common desire to fulfil these pillars of faith regardless from where we come. Therefore, we have to begin here in sunny South Africa by participating in the system of democracy by working with all people and promoting what is aimed at human togetherness and standing up against issues like abortion etc. How would you want others to listen to you when you refused to take part in the building the country to establish things that would help people?

How can you go for Hajj and not take part in all the forms of ibadaah and still want people to listen to you about Hajj? To attain the love of Allah means going beyond the logical appearance of things. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in his condition could well read his fajir salaah in his home, yet his life shows that he went to salaah in that wheelchair and died in it to. He met his Beloved-Allah, in a state of prayer! Yes, been involved in the fight against oppression is an ibdaah (prayer) in itself therefore, look into your life and see how much of it is a prayer beyond the five compulsory prayers. Now when we look at the walls of divisions we have built and the indifferences we have developed about sunny South Africa, Walled Palestine, Burning Iraq, Forgotten Kosovo, Destructed Bosnia, Unknown China, Troubled Kashmir, Hunted Bin Laden Afghanistan and Boiling Burma we realised that we know and feel so little for the ummah because we are comfortable with what we are walling in and with what we are walling out. Is this not true? Just how vibrant is our homes with rich conversation about world issues, politics, education, race relations, books and so much more?

No! our homes are the hotspot generally about fashion, preparation for big weddings, cars, cell phones, parties, movies and the likes so much so that we built a wall of divide between us and them – the have and the have nots. Therefore, the wall in Palestine shallows down to an 'Ag shame so bad' response whilst participation in the country's development brings the cry 'What have they done…' and when asked to do something for others it always brings the hue and cry of 'And what about my rights and my life..' These responses in general reflect the walls we have built to save ourselves from the truth thinking that our life is the life of everyone else. Therefore, we have to become aware of how we think by interacting with more people and see how enjoining in good and forbidding evil can be so much a pleasure than a problem. It is only when we break down our personal walls of divide would we understand the greatness of Islam because Islam preaches submission to the will of Allah.

It is Allah who says that ' We have created you in different tribes and nations so that you may understand each other' nothing is said about dividing. It is about understanding each other that requires breaking the walls of division down – both physical and mental. When we took part in protest marches for a cause we felt strongly about, we met with people of different shades and shared a common experience. The difficulty lies in progressing that experience to greater good by breaking the walls of indifference, hate, division and apartheid mentality to promote a culture of enjoining in good and forbidding evil to recognise Allah as one with no partner. To do this, we have learn to love Allah and know that to Allah is our final return. The factor in the equation is how are we going to meet Allah – with walls of indifference to the ummah when it was bleeding, with walls of hate for fellow humans who Allah created, with walls of materialism as vanguards for our 'future', with walls of insincerity?…. Personally I hope not.

A great scholar of Islam was asked if his last day was today how would he live it. He replied like how I do everyday. When asked how is that he replied that everyday he lives in the remembrance of Allah as how he understood it from the noble life pattern of Nabi Muhammed (S.A.W). This surprised the person as he expected to hear about having to do an act of superior martyrdom to meet with Allah – his Beloved. Similarly, if we were asked the question, we would conjure images of valour and bravery, piety and total submission to Allah and a death in HIS path yet, when we look into our lives realistically, we have so much of walls that divide us from that which we really want – a death in the noble pleasure of Allah.

How did Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and other silent servants of Islam achieve this in this age? The answer lies in how they led their lives. They led it in the service of humanity to please Allah. They led it in enjoining in good and forbidding evil. They were the moths that showed expression of their love of the light by been annihilated by it, similarly these people of iman became so close to Allah that they became absorbed in the light of Allah's greatness that gave their life to unite the ummah and humanity to recognise Allah, the Creator with no partner. To do this they broke down walls that divide us all, walls of self denial, walls of dislike, walls of indifference, walls of conceit, walls of arrogance…perhaps you can include some of your own here ______________, _______________________......


The message therefore is for us to become involved and practical with our Islam to a point where we do not use it to divide. I remember fondly the time a relative of mine, Uncle Yakoob Sujee, who for 13 years gave his life in the service of Islam by living in the 13th Avenue Mosque, Mayfair died in that mosque on a Friday after performing fajr salaah with congregation, and doing all the other nafl ibadaah until sunrise and seeing to the affairs of the foreign jamaats. The death touched the hearts of thousands local and abroad and the question was how. It comes to the simple standard of breaking down walls that divide us to establish the iman of humanity until the day of Qiyamaat. Consider the place you are in and work in that mode. No wall separated Mayfair from Greater Johannesburg and no F-16s fly overhead to muffle an attack on muslims going to the mosque and so the approach to practice Islam and to take it to others is so different and begs the question: 'Why don't we do more to break down the walls of misconception of Islam the people have because of the Western media when we are so free and why didn't I take part in this country's democracy?'

The life we lead is the way we either separate ourselves from greater humanity or divide ourselves from it. Therefore, know that our actions are our greater masters and the more our actions serve to divide the more, we humanity moves away from us and the more our actions brings unity and belief in Allah with no partner, the more humanity loves our existence to a point when we depart from the world, humanity misses us and we feel happy that now we have become united with our Beloved – Allah. Is this not success - when you depart from this world living unity, fighting oppression, spreading Islam and enjoining in good and forbidding evil and breaking down walls that divide?

If you have to depart to met your Beloved-Allah today in the way you live your life how would you? We leave this space for you to fill out.

Remember fill out but don't fall out for there are just so many walls to break down. 'Something there is that does'nt love a wall ..that wants it down.'


Abdullah Sujee