million sins gathering

"im happy the way i am", are you?

Is Allah happy with the way you are now?

D&T is about

improving one's character. The Prophet pbuh once said

"I was sent to perfect good character"

So it is on this journey that we hope to, but not necessarily achieve, completeness.

If we used to complain and whine a lot, (hopefully) Allah makes us a bit more tolerant and patient.

If we used to fill our time with 'just for fun', (hopefully) Allah fills our time with preparations for the Hereafter.

If we used to brag and boast, (hopefully) Allah turns us into humble, obedient servants.

Hopefully. Because we're always at the mercy of our Creator.

What do we do? we stick to the righteous path no matter what the obstacles, and hope that Allah admits us into his Paradise.

Catastrophe, but not much longer

Today is 15th May. Do you know what day it is?


It's Nakba Day,  يوم النكبة, 'the Day of Catastrophe', commemorating the displacement of thousands of Palestinians as a result of the creation of the state of Israel.


Israel was 'officially' pronounced as a state on 14th May 1948. The creation of this state is analogous to stabbing a knife in the heart of the muslim world. 

its even shaped like a shard of glass

The Palestinian lands started being occupied much earlier, when it was designated as a British Mandate in 1917.  I won't go into the details here, for that you could refer to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakba_Day.

Palestine is as not a concern for the Arabs, nor is it a concern or the UN, nor is it a concern of palestinian NGOs. It is a concern for anyone who calls themselves 'muslim'. And it is a concern for anyone who has the slightest bit of humanity in them. Imagine if this situation happened in malaysia:

being expelled from our homes, prevented from returning

having our water supply siphoned for the use of 'the State'

..and prevented from being reunited with our families

These are just some of the indignities that the palestinians have to face on a daily basis. No one should have to endure such intentional suffering, even if he wasn't a muslim.

So it is our duty to do as much as we can to to free palestine from oppression. Money, aid, campaigns, changing profile pictures, this is all good. But its mostly short-term and serves to lessen their burdens on a daily basis.

But what is even more important is this : we need MEN. Men like 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Salahuddeen Ayyubi, men who have, in the past, brought freedom and justice to al-Quds. We need men who are lions by day, and cry in front of Allah at night. And men who are serious about their mission, who dedicate their whole lives to islam and wouldn't do something if it wasn't for islam.

If we allow our time to be occupied by insignificant things, time-wasting things, then don't talk about 'Freeing Palestine'. It will just remain talk. al-Quds wouldn't be free at the hands of those kind of men. 

In fact, the enemies of islam like people who have lots of fun and forget about their mission in life. That is one of the reasons why they feed us with mind-numbing things like movies, songs, football, etc. What really bothers them are men, especially young men, who have only one purpose in life. Now you're talking.

Final note, to cheer us up. The Crusaders entered Jerusalem in 1099. Salahuddeen freed it in 1187. That's a period of 88 years.

If we take 1948 as the beginning of the Occupation, its only been 64 years. another 24 years before we catch up to Salahuddeen.

Assuming someone is 21 years old now, in 24 years he will be 45 years old. At that age, someone will be old enough and mature enough to plan and to lead an army.

Will we be the ones to free al-Quds? possibly. If Allah wills.

palestinian hunger strike

a gift to mothers, courtesy of RP

Question : What is the best gift for Mother's Day?

The answer is already given in the Quran: 

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship and she brings him forth with hardship, and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty (30) months, till when he attains full strength and reaches forty years, he says: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will)." (46:15)

this ayah commands all human beings to be kind to their parents, because bringing us up is no easy task.

See, its not an easy thing. Since we first got our legs, we started kicking our moms. After we came out, she needed to change our diapers every few hours. She prepared our food. She helped us walk and talk. In the ayah above, we only reach maturity and full strength at the age of forty. Imagine that looooooooong period of upbringing. And even after forty, our mums will still think of us as her little children. 

I remember one time when we went back to our kampung for Hari Raya. My mum wanted to help my grandma make some ketupat, but she said "takpe, kau tak reti buat ni" (it's ok, you don't know how to make this). Just like what my mum says to us little kids. teehee.

After this period of upbringing, what should be the result? The end product? what should a 'good child' be like?

Allah answers this in the ayah. The good child will ask Allah to "Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims"

He will ask Allah to

- make him and his parents grateful for Allah's blessings

- make him do righteous deeds

- give him good children

- forgive him

- make him a muslim, a person who submits to Allah

Nowadays, when we want to please our parents, we think of

- getting a good job. preferably being a doctor, lawyer or engineer if you're Asian

- buying them all the things they want

- taking them on holidays

- etc

But Allah is saying that material things shouldn't be our considerations. Material things might bring our parents away from Allah. For all their hard work and sacrifice, do we want to repay them with Allah's wrath?

Surely not.

That's not the right way to obey them.

The best gift that any child could give is

To become a child who obeys Allah in everything, and invites his parents to do the same.

the candle that burns itself

zainab al-ghazali (may Allah have mercy on her) wrote a shocking memoir about her time in prison, under Gamal Abdel Nasser. In English its called 'The Return of the Pharaoh'.


One story that struck me was zainab's recounting of how the Muslim Brothers lived in prison. This particular episode was regarding food.


Besides the Brothers, there was also a group of socialist youths, if i remember correctly. And zainab wrote in admiration about the difference between the Brothers and the other youths.


When the Brothers got their food, they didn't fight over it. They distributed it among themselves, even if it was a single piece of bread. But the other youths, they used to fight over such things like the bed, measuring it to make sure no one crossed his line. 


This spirit of selflessness, i believe, not only helped the Brothers to survive prison. It was the key to their success in calling people to Allah. Their sincerity struck at the hearts of people. "he doesn't want anything from me. he doesn't want my money, my food, my things. he's not asking from me anything other than islam. this religion must be true."


i long to see such men, and lament their absence. Where is our selflessness? today i see people uphold the policy of 'our stomachs first'. 


I remember back in the days when i was new in D&T. One day, someone cooked something, but some people were not satisfied by it. So they went to a nearby restaurant. But they went quietly because they did not want the brother to get offended. They were embarrassed and hid what they did. No words, what more photos and updates.


Let us rekindle the spirit of selflessness. If we think we have it tough, remember that others are having an even more difficult time. While we eat luxurious food and spend freely, others are struggling because they don't even have lunch money.


This is a reminder to myself first and foremost. forgive me if i've been selfish dear brothers :'(


everything takes time, i guess. To love our brothers more than we love ourselves is a hard attitude to build, especially in today's individualistic society. But its not impossible.

in a land far far away

Insyaallah.

then taste this.

i came across this verse today:

وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَلَى النَّارِ أَلَيْسَ هَذَا بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

And on the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire (it will be said to them): "Is this not the truth?" They will say: "Yes, By our Lord!" He will say: "Then taste the torment, because you used to disbelieve!" (46:34) 

Think about this verse for a few seconds. What is the situation like?

People will be exposed to the Fire. They will see it in front of their own eyes. They're feeling the immense heat from the flames. 

They will be taunted, "IS THIS NOT THE TRUTH?"

In surah al-Ahqaf, there are two verses which begin with "And on the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire". The other one is

وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَلَى النَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَاتِكُمْ فِي حَيَاتِكُمُ الدُّنْيَا وَاسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهَا فَالْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ 

On the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire (it will be said): "You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your pleasure therein. Now this Day you shall be recompensed with a torment of humiliation, because you were arrogant in the land without a right, and because you used to rebel and disobey (Allâh). (46:20)

Is this not the truth? Allah asks.

You used to deny the punishment of Allah. You wasted your time, you were given good health but you didn't call people to Allah. a lot of money but you didn't spend it for Allah. "alah, mati lama lagi" (death is far away) This is the Fire in front of you. Isn't this true???

And the people, now feeling this intense heat, knowing that the Fire would consume them, they must be desperate. They would acknowledge that this is true. In fact, they would swear by Allah that it is true.

"Yes, By our Lord!"

They acknowledge their sins. They acknowledge that they had wasted the life that Allah had given. Usually in court people would say 'GUILTY' to lessen their sentences. "because you confessed to being guilty, the court will give you life imprisonment instead of the death penalty".

But in the hereafter, its no use. Their confessions only serve to increase their feeling of despair. Then Allah says

"Then taste the torment, because you used to disbelieve!"

If Cik Kiah was to say the same lines in a Cerekarama movie: "Rasakan, dulu nak sangat masuk sini".

out of thin air

It is true what Allah said in the quran;

وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ
And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised. (Az-Dzariyat : 22)


Our food, our clothes, our laptops, all our provisions, they don't come from our own work and our own hands. They come from the provider of rizq, Allah SWT, who is also called by Ar-Razzaq (The Provider). But sometimes we get more than what we need. Allah is also al-Wahhab, the Giver of Gifts.

But our provisions are not likely to come like this:

That is the beauty of Allah. He is also al-Lateef, the Subtle, and sometimes He gives you blessings from sources that you could never imagine.

Today i was given something that seemed to have come out from thin air.

It started from last week. At our local mosque, there is a young Somali brother. The most i've ever said to him was 'salam' or 'how are you brother'. Then last Thursday he asked me if the glasses i wore were the only glasses i have. 

i said 'yes' 

and he said 'ok, i have a few pairs, in this country you're lucky, you can go to an optician with the frames and put some presciptions on them. you know, we as muslims we have to take care of one another. I have to go to Switzerland tomorrow, i'll be back this tuesday so i'll see you then insyaallah.'

And he went off in a hurry before you could say 'banana peel'.

So came tuesday (today), and i totally forgot about it. But after 'Asr prayers, this young man came to me

"i believe we had an appoinment"

and he gave me a case. Inside was a brand new pair of glasses. 

I was overwhelmed, and didn't know what to say. "its okay brother, take it. in islam we are brothers and we have to take care of each other's needs". This was a man i had only talked to once or twice. But the purity of his heart was worth more than a million words, and it was as if we had known each other for a lifetime.

Provisions can come from anywhere. The glasses were awesome, yes, but the gift of 'seeing' how small deeds could have big impacts, that is even more awesome.

celebrity treatment

Being a da'ie is like being a celebrity. You're being scrutinized all the time.

I remember when i first met my murabbi (a person who gives tarbiyyah). I was looking at lots of things.

I had this image of what an usrahman must look like. (this is not an exemplary behaviour, but what to do, i was a bit picky *sigh*). What should an usrah guy look like anyways?

Being a da'ie is a tough job. People look at us all the time, and they expect us to be 100% perfect. 

- must be sweet-smelling

- must brush his teeth

- must be smiling all the time

- must have never passed wind all his life

- must must must must must....

"eleh, macam awak tu perfect sangat, nak murabbi yang perfect", (you're not so perfect yourself) said mr. Tom. 

That is why we as D&T-ists must be very careful. Because every little helps. Either they help make it easier for us to convey our message, or help push people away.

Be careful of the qudwah (examples) that we are giving. A good example will be followed throughout the rest of that person's life, and we will get all the rewards as long as he/she keeps doing it. On the other hand, a bad example will also haunt us for the rest of our lives.

And if we are under the guidance of someone else : cut our murabbi some slack. He/she is also human, just like us. And he/she is also trying to improve, just like us. :-)

ticket to controversy

This is a true story. It happened to a friend of a friend of mine.

This person is a government-sponsored student. And as stated in a typical contract, the government will pay for a ticket the first time you go overseas and when you are coming back for good.

So this person requested a ticket. I saw this ticket with my own eyes.

one-way ticket HEATHROW - KLIA = RM16368. That's like 3326 pounds at the current rate. One way. 

To get a feel of how expensive that is, let me tell you how much i paid for my tickets so far.

1st year : london - KL - melbourne - KL - london = 700 pounds

2nd year : london - KL - london = 580 pounds

I was trying to 'husnuszhon', so i thought 'ok, maybe its last minute','maybe its a flexible ticket'.

But then i checked the Malaysian Airlines website. On that date, the price of a ticket including tax and all is about 500 pounds. 

malaysian taxpayers

There may be two explanations.

1. the price of a ticket bought through a travel agency is that expensive. 

2. someone working for the government couldn't be bothered. "its in our budget anyways. might as well spend it all."

If its reason #1, we can't really do anything about that can we.

But if its reason #2, then pity you, dear reader, because i'm going to give a khutbah right now.

*takes deep breath*

DO NOT, and i repeat, DO NOT be careless, especially when you're sitting in a government department handling the hard-earned money given by taxpayers. Yes, nobody's looking, and probably no one will ever know if you mishandle a few cents here, a few cents there.

But Allah knows. he watches us all the time. And we'll be held accountable on the Day of Judgment.

This is the mentality that we're trying to change, the 'tak apa' mentality.

"tak apalah, asalkan gaji aku masuk" (its okay, as long as i get my salary)

"tak apalah, kerajaan banyak kot duit" (its okay, the government has tons of money)

We must care, and we must be responsible. We're not doing a job just because it feeds us. We're the guardians of other people's money. They trust us to use it well. 

Corruption isn't something you can erase through having laws. When people see us, we're not corrupt. But when nobody's seeing, we become corrupt. That's not the way. corruption is erased through having integrity, having a fear of God and the Day of Judgment. People of taqwa won't take what isn't theirs, will be very careful, will ensure that whatever they manage, they manage well. 

And this goes to the rest of us. Fear Allah. Because when the time comes and He gives us a position of responsibility, we might be even worse then those people we call 'corrupt'.

change 3.0. in the spirit of bersih 3.0

Story of the day : i was coming back from class. i opened the door, entered the house and was met by this remark : 


"Eee, what an ugly blog name. I don't want to read your blog ever again!"


-.-


Yes, it doesn't sound so groovy. So why the name change? 


The previous name was conceived during my *coughcough*innocent*coughcough* years, and now it sounds a bit, err, vain?

*im a shy person~

And reason #2 : the message that we're bringing isn't supposed to be tied up to one person. Its been passed on from generation to generation and we don't even know the names of most of the people who've died along this path.

So even if i die, someone else could continue writing this blog and this message and people won't know the difference. We are just one link in the whole chain of truth. If we break, thousands of people will be waiting to replace us.

And that is why Reflective Perspectives will become anonymous. The previous author might have died already, you never know.


Besides, my father said : "media is about familiarity. It takes time for people to get used to a presenter/author/newsman, but when they become familiar they'll eventually like it."


So forgive me for the address. But let's hope that the message doesn't become as long and as hard to remember.

change again

apparently, 'reflectiveperspectives' was not available as a subdomain name -.-


so we'll have to settle for something longer


thereflectiveperspectivesblog.blogspot.com

Change we must

Starting tomorrow, there will be some changes to this blog.

The address will be changed to:

reflectiveperspectives.blogspot.com

The Subtle Empire, Part 2 - willing actors

Yesterday we talked about the current world system (click here for Part 1).

Today i'm pushing it a bit further, and i'm going to tell you a story. Its the story of how i got here and how i see myself in the grand scheme of things. How i became a willing supporter of the system. Maybe its your story too.

yesterday, we explained how the global Empire is supported by 3 pillars :
1. large financial institutions
2. commercial companies
3. colluding governments

In my opinion, there's a 4th element, and it is very important to ensure the stability of this system:

The Ignorant Masses.

i was part of the ignorance. We'll start at the year 1957. to be precise, 31st August 1957.

That was the year our country received its 'independence' from a former colonial master and global hegemon, the British. Physically, the british were out of the country. No more administrators. No more Union Jack flying on buildings. But they left their system intact. The judiciary was largely based on british common law. the political system was molded according to the westminster system.

But more importantly, the country was ruled by people who were taught by the british and thought like the british.

The british also left behind another legacy : a divided economic system, where different races were segregated in different sectors of the economy. 

Economic inequality + perceived nepotism in the government = racial tension, which led to riots on 13th May 1969.

The new government then decided to take affirmative action to counter economic inequality. One of these steps is sending students overseas 

"we would like to say selamat hari raya to mum, dad, grandma, grandpa, our teachers , the cats at home, etc.."

i am part of this current, along with thousands of other young people from the 1970s until now. What is the intention of this policy?

engineering students came back to create the physical infrastructures of the country, like bridges, buildings, telecommunications networks etc 

accounting students were needed to decide how to use the resources of the economy in the best manner, becoming financial officers and accountants in companies.

and teachers? teachers are key, because they educate the young people,  putting them in a mindset which provides a continuation of the system.

And there's lots more. There are doctors who ensure a healthy workforce, architects who design residences and offices, and so on. What are we contributing to?

".. to reach high income status by 2020 while ensuring that growth is also sustainable and inclusive."

(http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/malaysia/overview)

Our value to the country is how far we can bring it wealth. That is why the majority of students are sent to do medicine or engineering. to build up infrastructure and make sure there's a healthy population to do it. It's very rare to get people who are sponsored to study humanities and the social sciences like history.

After World War II, Britain was severely weakened while America remained strong, because it was so far away that no army was able to inflict any lasting damage to the economy. After that, the US and the Soviet Union became locked in a 40-year Cold War for supremacy of 2 economic systems : capitalism and communism. Eventually, the communism fell under its own weight. The US, and the capitalist system that it promotes, became the undisputed 'guide' for the world.

obama (in the middle) : "duduk baik-baik noo, ikut belakang pok ni"

Were we victims of circumstance? probably. Probably because there's no clear alternative to capitalism. 

I used to have a certain view of my life : study, get good grades, work, get good recommendations, become Governor, take a pension, die.

"study, get good grades, get a good job, die"

Multiply that by a million.

"study, get good grades, get a good job, die"

So that is why the fourth pillar is : The Ignorant Masses. We allow ourselves to fall into the same mindset, becoming the same sort of robots. Outside, we're malaysian american bangladeshi  arab etc. inside, our aqeedah is the same : getting a good life solely from this dunya.

This is dangerous. We are not only robots, we are robots with submachineguns. allah gave us the gift of a higher level of intelligence. We will probably go back and serve as officers and bosses and decision-makers. We will be responsible for the livelihoods of thousands of people. A lot of people think only about their own stomachs and are indifferent to the suffering of others. 3.6% of our country's population still live under the poverty line, in a country blessed with a huge amount of natural resources. How are we going to answer in front of Allah?

Unless we reform, hell will be broken loose on us. 'Umar was asked, "can a nation be destroyed while it seems prosperous?"

He answered, "Yes. When bad people dominate the good people."

But alhamdulillah, throughout the years there have been efforts to reform. And we can take part in this reform. We can become the Enlightened Masses. That is..yes, for another blog post insyaallah.

The Subtle Empire, Part 1

  You must be familiar with 'the arrivals'

I disagree with such far-fetched conspiracy theories, because: 

1. It creates the impression that there is an invincible group with limitless power, putting their signs everywhere. This is giving them God-like abilities, and we know only God has those abilities.

2. It creates an unnecessary fear, and as believers we only need to fear Allah.

3. 'They' (the people creating havoc on earth) are humans like us, and Allah says

وَلَا تَهِنُوا فِي ابْتِغَاءِ الْقَوْمِ إِنْ تَكُونُوا تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمُونَ وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَرْجُونَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا
And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy; if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allâh (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not, and Allâh is Ever All­Knowing, All­Wise. (4:104)

They are humans just like us, and they can suffer from bad planning, anger, uncertainty and everything else that humans suffer.

We believe in conspiracy theories because we don't know how to explain big events that are beyond our control. So we say they are the works of 'hantu', 'illuminati', and the like, eventhough they are only the results of humans doing what they believe in. We don't know how the system works.

So today insyaallah we will try to dispel this veil of ignorance. We will try to give an insight into how the system works.

I myself gained an insight into the workings of the system while reading a book a few days ago. Its called Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Its written by a man who previously worked as an economic hitman (EHM).

this is an EHM. He looks like you and me, only with smarter suits.

he will create economic forecasts on how to develop a nation's economy and exploit its resources

Big financial institutions like the World Bank use these forecasts to give loans to the country.

Effectively, the money never leaves the US. It goes out from the financial institutions and into the pockets of  US companies

The contractors then build 'modern facilities'

..Which brings popularity to local leaders

..But the ones who get rich are people at the top, while the people who labour like slaves to support the economy are neglected.

Meanwhile, the loans still have to be repaid.

This debt becomes a chain on those countries : they'll have to do what the US says and become part of the Empire.

They could then be used to protect the interests of the US. Fall in line, or face the consequences.

What happens if people rebel against this system? They have other tools.

They can send in saboteurs and spies to destabilise the county.

If that doesn't work, they still have ye Olde Grand Army.

This is what the author reveals, based on his many years being an insider of the system. I think it has a ring of truth to it. 

As the author argues, this is not a conspiracy theory. Its just a 'close-knit group of people sharing similar values and beliefs', filling up their pockets while at the same time expanding the Empire by putting other countries in debt. This belief is that

Economic Growth will benefit all of society.

Being a student of accounting & economics, this is what we've been taught to believe in every single class. Look at the numbers. Look at how much the country is growing overall. But this is a false concept.

If the country has an output of 1 TRILLION DOLLARS, is it rich? "Yes", i hear you say.

Even if 1 person holds that 1 trillion, the country is still considered 'rich'. Even if the rest of the people live in total poverty, has little to eat and can't send their kids to school.

But the people at the top do not care. "Let the 'engines of growth' become rich. we reward the politicians and the lucky entrepreneurs. The rest can live or die, it doesn't matter, there's lots of them", they say.

This is the story of how we've come to live under an Empire that expands its power very subtly, we don't even notice it. It has expanded through greed, supported by leaders who can be easily corrupted. They have spread capitalist values and materialistic outlooks, creating a 'Pax Americana' (American Peace) all over the globe. People of different colours and languages share the same values : love of wealth. They eat at the same  fast-food restaurants, wear the same shoes, have the same ideas about beauty, because? the Empire said so. 

It's not a global conspiracy : its just people, accomplishing what they believe in, whether that belief is true or false.

This, in my opinion, is the fitna (trial) of the dajjal described by Rasulullah in his hadeeth. I used to think that the dajjal would be a big one-eyed monster.

But if that monster came out, people would immediately know him as the dajjal and it would be easier to shoot arrows at him or whatever.

This fitna is subtle. No guns, no visible armies coming to conquer us. Their weapons are words like 'freedom, prosperity, growth', which sound beautiful. Their front-line armies consist of economists, statisticians, scientists, and other respectable people. Our minds are being brainwashed without us noticing. We are being carried far from our religion. We think we are independent, but in reality we are obedient citizens of the Empire, swallowing whole everything it teaches us. 

Hopefully, this short post has enlightened your outlook on life and dispelled the superstitions. If the one-eyed monster does come out, then i'll be glad. Then everyone can wake up.

There is a way to reform this system, to bring it down, but that's a topic for the next post.