Logical Progression: post #231 — TG.ME

I personally like uwt.org and still give there. But best of all is to give it in cash to folks in your local community. Give directly. Be involved. There are so so so many people in debt, on the poverty line, all here around you. Be more confident of your Deen and your studies and apply the rules of Zakat as you have been taught. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to discover folks in need. And you don't need to put them through the Spanish Inquisition each time to see whether they're deserving of it or not. Have some faith. And if that's too difficult for you, then give it "back home" to family who can distribute it to hundreds of people in a blink of an eye.  3. Reciters and your desires As the last ten nights kick in, Qur'an recitation becomes in vogue again. That's another mess which is only getting worse, and again, from all sides. Ultimately it is WE who have created this industry where we slather over auto-tuned performances from studio set-ups in Salah, that have turned this from God's work into a real catastrophe for the intentions of the reciters themselves, may Allah forgive us and them, and protect them. The Sunnah will be thrown out of the window. You want long, emotional, crying du'as of witr, whereas the Sunnah is the exact opposite. But of course you will win. And your Masjid will cater for you. And they will get that du'a in for you sometime soon. There are plenty of reciters practising for it! Likewise the reciting: you desire tuneful, sing-songy performances with drama and theatrics that Youtube is more than happy to serve up. Before it was just nasheed artists having a foray, but now the young ones who should know better after studying with the masters cannot resist either. This example is perhaps the least offensive and yet look at the theatrics, look at the fake facials - it's little more than showmanship. Similar to the witr du'a performances, this is of the same ilk - a set group of verses revised again and again for a IG/YT performance, polished to perfection to use in public again and again. As for the private? As for fulfilling the haqq of the opportunity and blessing that you have been gifted? Allahu'l-Musta'an. This is how the young reciters today have become addicted to fame and adulation, because you the public want such performances. Insist on better. From yourself and from them. When you hear takalluf and showmanship, vote with your voice and feet. ————- Finally a note for the students of knowledge on the Sunnah of giving advice. It always starts in private, maximum effort, until there is no other option left but to go public and try there, and if that fails then we warn the masses from the danger and misguidance and let the community do its part. In the IFG example, we see the blessing of sincerity. A few private messages from myself to their main folks and they immediately jumped into action and fixed the issue. In the latter example, no such luck with the private hence the public, and then even the public previously hasn't done the job so now we advise stronger. Yes it's embarrassing for me that one of my very own students misread the room and used a fatwa to satisfy an urgent community need from Zakat funds. And yes it's embarrassing for me that one of my very own children is so in love with his own voice and not in love enough with the silence, hard work and years needed of effort and wisdom and bruises to lead the community in every way he should be. But I can tell you something even more embarrassing - just one second in front of Allah jalla wa 'ala trying to justify our silence. So never let any excuse get in the way of doing the right thing folks. Reflect on this key act of 'ibadah too in these last ten nights, not just prayer and du'a, but the irreplaceable and essential act of worship of our time: enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. May Allah forgive us for our mistakes, allow us all to learn and grow, purify our intentions, allow our best actions to be performed in these generous times, and may He accept from us all of it. Ameen.