Dr. Waffie Mohammed
The first Trinidad national to have earned a doctorate in the study of Islam, Dr. Waffie graduated from the University of Karachi with a PhD in Islamic Studies, obtained in parallel with Al-Kamil certification from the Aleemiya Institute established by Dr. Fazlu R. Ansari.
On his return to Trinidad, Dr. Waffie contributed to the development of the Muslim communities located throughout the country and the region, while at the same time serving the wider national communities. This led to his appointment to the Senate in 1981, and his later appointment as Director of the Muslim World League regional office for the Caribbean and Latin America, a position in which he contributed to global Muslim development, until his retirement in 2003.
Dr. Waffie is currently serving as the Principal and Director at the Markaz al Ihsaan Institute of Islamic Theology. He also serves as a spiritual leader of the local chapters of the Qadri and Nakshbandi Orders within Islamic Spirituality Circles.
The author of numerous books, articles and publications dedicated to Islam and contemporary social issues, Dr. Waffie also has a growing number of pioneering works in contemporary Islamic studies. Dr. Waffie blogs often at http://drwaffie.blogspot.com
The Fitnah (temptation) of carnival
- By Dr. Waffie Mohammed
- Published 02/13/2010
Allah says in Surah Tin:
“We have
indeed created man in the best of mould, then do We reduced Him to
the lowest of the low” (Chapter 95, verse 4-5)
Man has been
created in ‘the best of mould’ because on one hand he has the capacity
to benefit from all that Allah has created in the universe. On the other hand, He (Allah) can
allow us to ‘go down’ to the lowest of the low. For example
we begin life as helpless creatures. We are dependent on others
for care and attention for a while. Other creatures aren’t so.
They start out their life very differently. Some start taking
care of themselves from day one.
Man is the
vicegerent of Allah, however today look at how some of His ‘representatives’ behave
and act, especially around this carnival period.
At the time
of Prophet
(s), during the period of ignorance they used to run naked around the Holy
Kabah, and today it is no different. Unfortunately for them nothing has
changed. Remember good and evil cannot mix, so you can’t participate
a little and think its alright.
This period
is indeed a challenge especially for our younger ones. We need
to culture them to refrain from things such as carnival and if successful
we would have achieved a lot. Satan decorates the evil for man
so we need to tread carefully. Purify your eyes and ears, especially
around this period. Sometimes Satan uses those unfortunate impressions
against us when we are trying to get closer to our Lord, for example
when we stand for Salaat (prayer) Satan reminds us of the images of carnival
we’ve seen and this can have a damaging effect on us.
For the materialist,
carnival is the most beautiful thing. In their eyes their enjoy
the ‘expression of art’, the spiritually damaging music and the
animalistic behavior. For the true believers who are striving
and struggling to get closer to their Creator it is indeed a test because
whether you like it or not the fitnah of carnival is all around us.
So we need to tread carefully and pay close attention to our younger
ones. Help culture and cultivate them to refrain from the evil
and accept and propergate the good.
We beg Allah to keep us safe, physically and spirituality, during this period, and may He protect all the believers internally and externally from the fitnah of carnival.
