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02 May 2011 By El-Hajj
Mauri' Saalakhan
Assalaamu Alaikum
(Greetings of Peace):
Forwarded announcement.... A
Statement On The Passing Of Hodari Abdul Ali The
family of Brother
Hodari Abdul-Ali
wishes to share with you that Hodari returned to his
Creator on Saturday, April 30, 2011, surrounded by his
wife and children. The
funds will be sent safely and securely and will be
used for his burial and to assist his widow and their
family needs. Hodari
Abdul-Ali was an international peacemaker who has
combined a career of business, journalism and
community activism and who has helped create
understanding about Muslims around the world. "From
Allah we are created and to Allah we return. May Allah
wipe away his sins and shower him with mercy and
welcome him into jannah-tal firdous (highest rank of
paradise)."
A Personal Note on the
passing of Br. Hodari I will
not be able to attend today's service for our brother
Hodari, because I'm in Texas at present to prepare for
this weekend's protest rally for our sister-in-Islam,
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. (And I feel certain that Hodari
would want me to be precisely where I am right now.) ALLAH
has stated in the
Qur'an:
"If two parties among the believers fall into a
quarrel make peace between them... Make peace between
them with justice, and be fair; for ALLAH loves those
who are fair and just. The believers are but a single
brotherhood; so make peace and reconciliation between
your two contending brothers; and fear ALLAH, so that
you may receive mercy." (S. 49: 9-10) These
ayat (verses) of the Qur'an have a special relevance
for Hodari and I. For most of the years that we've
known each other, we've had a warm relationship. But
over the past few years our relationship had cooled
considerably because of an unfortunate disagreement
that erupted between us at the height of the Darfur
crisis (a crisis which ironically we both shared
similar positions on). As a
result of that unfortunate rift, whenever Hodari and I
would see each other publicly, we would exchange
greetings, but the warmth and brotherly banter that we
were once known for was no more. Not long after our
disagreement I made an attempt to mend fences, but
unfortunately the time wasn't right, and so I never
attempted again. I simply decided, it will happen
when, and if, it's supposed to happen. (That time came
recently.) Not
more than a month ago, I was either entering or
departing a masjid for the evening salat (prayer) when
I encountered a mutual friend who informed me that
Hodari was gravely ill (with cancer), and that I
should try to visit him if possible. I thanked the
brother, and made a mental note to try to contact
Hodari at the earliest convenience. A few
days later, while on an out-of-town trip, I got an
urgent call from another mutual friend (Jihad
Abdul Mumit), who wanted to know if I was aware of the
health related challenges of both Hodari Ali and
Mahdi Bray. I told him I was, and he
encouraged me to call them both - but with a special
emphasis on Hodari, because of the seriousness of his
condition, and his own awareness of the rift between
us. (I don't recall ever speaking to anyone about our
differences, but there were folk who had become aware
of the rift nevertheless.) After
ending my conversation with Jihad, while driving
somewhere in the southwest, I called both Mahdi and
Hodari. I spoke to Hodari for about 20 minutes. It was
a good conversation. We both expressed our regrets
about the way things had gone between us, and we spent
the rest of the time talking about life itself; about
it's challenges, it's cycles, and the opportunities
that we are fortuitously provided with (by The
Creator) whenever life's vicissitudes reminds us of
our own mortality. I
shared with Hodari a little of my own health-related
challenge, and how it has helped to crystalize for me
the things that are most important in life - i.e.
healthy relationships, and a determination to live
one's life with as much real purpose as possible.
Hodari applauded me for being "consistent" (his
words) with my human rights work over the years, and
he expressed a special note of thanks for the work I
was doing for "the sister" (Aafia
Siddiqui). We
ended the conversation with me assuring him that I
would see him soon, insha'Allah. That day came about a
week or so later, on Sunday, April 24, at a
very beautiful (and fitting) tribute that was
held for him at Busboys & Poets in Washington, DC. When I
walked into the room I was momentarily taken aback by
the sight of my brother, uncharacteristically frail
and seated in a wheelchair. I walked up and put my
hand on his shoulder and gave him the salaams. When he
looked up and saw who it was he took my hand and
kissed it. (Needless to say, I was deeply touched.) I
gently patted his shoulder, and told him I would talk
to him later insha'Allah. Today
I am again reminded of why Muslims are encouraged to
always invoke the conditional phrase insha'Allah
(if
God wills)
whenever we speak about the future. We can never know,
with certainty, what tomorrow may bring. It was my
intention to pay Hodari a visit when I returned
from this trip in Texas. Little did I know that April
24 would be the last time I would see my friend of
many years alive. (We've known each other since the
early 80s.) I am
eternally grateful to ALLAH (SWT) for the
reconciliation that we were blessed with before my
brother's transition this past weekend. I am grateful
for the fitting tribute - in song and speech
- that he was given on April 24. I am especially
grateful for the deeply personal, balanced
and touching reflections that were made on that
evening by his son (when Hodari's four offspring took
the stage). Hodari
was not a perfect man (none of us are); but
he was a man who touched a whole lot of people in very
positive ways. There are many people, both here and
abroad, who have been enriched by that legacy.
May his good works be accepted; may his sins be
forgiven; may ALLAH make the grave easy for him, and
award him with a place in Paradise. Ameen.
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI
RAJI'UN
(From ALLAH we come, and to
Him is our return)
El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan
The Death of
Osama bin Laden Osama
bin Laden recently killed in a firefight and buried at
sea? Please!
Forgive me if I find this announcement a bit
anti-climatic. I have been of the opinion that Osama
bin Laden has been dead for some time now; and that
opinion has not changed with these
sensationally presented announcements. What I
do find both interesting and regrettable is the
following: 1. How
no one in the media (as of yet) seems to notice that
bin Laden is once again being presented as the
mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Some of us
may recall that Osama became the face of 9/11 even
before the buildings came down at "ground zero" (and
the investigation had begun)! Later Osama was
replaced as official "mastermind" by
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (after the
government needed to justify waterboarding revelations
and other related matters). Now
we're back to Osama as mastermind again. It's almost
laughable.
Meanwhile, in the list of charges that has appeared on
the
FBI's "Most
Wanted" website (for years now) the 9/11
attacks have never been among the charges
leveled against bin Laden. Why? Because the FBI
admittedly never had the evidence to make that
particular case! (But
who needs evidence when you have an ethically
compromised media, a compliant leadership class, and
millions of blind-following citizens prepared to chant
USA, USA, USA, at the drop of a hat!) 2. I
also find regrettable the Muslim organizations in
America who race to release statements of acceptance
and congratulations for the official line on
"the world's worst terrorist," while maintaining a
deafening silence regarding the state-sponsored
terrorism being committed on a daily basis - by their
own government against their own people! (The scores
of "collateral damage" that we hear about every day in
the
Muslim world!) And we
wonder why our communities, our nation, and our world
is in such bad shape (and getting worse) - from man
made disasters, to record breaking back-to-back
natural disasters, that man has absolutely no control
over! As Thomas Jefferson said: "I tremble for my
country when I reflect, God is just; His justice can't
sleep forever." May
ALLAH bless us all to wake up to this reality
before it's too late! |
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