6 Responses to “Rage Against the Machine”

1. Editor Says:
   May 8th, 2007 at 9:25 pm

   Ahh. I can’t believe you left out Wake Up! :P

2. fatimahye Says:
   May 10th, 2007 at 5:35 am

   well, lol, i didn’t wanna put up every one of their songs, so i thought about doing “most famous”, of which of course wake up would be a part, but settled on 1 from each album :)

3. Anonymous Says:
   May 19th, 2007 at 3:50 pm

   Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

   Subhan Allah, reading your blog (as a whole) brought back so many memories and filled me with so many feelings. I remember rage, in the sort of way someone remembers a dead child; even the smallest reminder floods the soul with emotions. I remember listening to rage for the first time, I remember hearing them live for the first time, I remember meeting them, I remember my band covering ‘wake up,’ I remember when ‘evil empire’ was first released and how it stayed in my car CD player for months without it being taken out…

   But here is the thing sister, I feel like your blog is something I wish I had never stumbled upon. Why? Well, I don’t like to remember rage and I don’t like to remember everything else associated with it. I feel like sometimes, when people start practicing the deen they still have in their heart a certain amount of love for their past. And I think we can both agree (I think, I could be wrong) that in actuality, in terms our deen, in terms of the shari’ah of Allah ‘azza wa jal, rage is from the munkaraat.

   So from there I say: to remember these things in this way, that can bring to out heart good feelings and pleasant thoughts, is a pathway/door of Shaytaan… at this point I know what you are thinking, and I admit, what I am saying does sound cliché, but is it not the truth as our fitrah knows it? We know that part of leaving a sin and making tawbah, is actually hating this sin in our heart. And along with this walaah wal baraa’ah (Allegiance and Disallegiance) is an important part of our deen. Loving what Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alaihi wassallam) love and hating what Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alaihi wassallam) hate. Until we have reached that state, until we have put aside and hated what Allah and his Messenger (salallahu alaihi wassallam) hate, have we completely submitted? As the Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wassallam) said: “None of you have completed imaan until their desires become conformed to what I have come with.”

   Just to share a quick story with you…
   A friend of mine (who is a very strong talibul ‘ilm and someone I hold in high esteem in terms of his deen) asked me for help one day. He wanted to do some audio recording and had just bought a studio mic online. The problem was that he didn’t really know how to work it. So he asked me if I knew what to do. After taking a look at it I realized that since it was a powerful studio mic it needed its own power source and would not suffice with the power from the computer. Now, the only place I knew where one could buy a power source (besides the net) for a mic like that was at Guitar Studio (I don’t know if you have this where you live, it’s a music store, mics, guitars, drums, everything), it’s the place I used to go to go check out guitars and buy guitar picks, strings, pedals, or whatever I was in need of. I told him it might not be the place he wants to go due to the fasad and whatnot, and that it would be better to order it online, but he insisted and said he needed it soon.
   So, we walk in, and it was like a trip back to my jahiliah, the people, the environment, the music that was playing, the instruments, everything. And lo and behold, who comes to help us? A girl who I used to know from before, all pierced and everything. Alhumdulillah though, she didn’t recognize me. After about 20 minutes we walk out of there, with the power source…job done. Right then my friend turns to me and says “man, shayateen, did you see them? This is what they want from us, to become like these people, to love these people, so we don’t care about our akhira so we don’t care about why we were put on this earth, so we don’t have pride in our deen.” And then I began to think how this place had had absolutely no negative affect on me, rather it brought back all these memories of my jahiliah. And at that moment I felt my heart sink, and realized that I still had a ways to go, to reaching proper imaan. May Allah guide us all, ameen.

   Khair, please do not take this as a personal criticism of you (even if it came of like that, wallahi this is not my intention). As Muslims we are in a constant struggle with Shaytaan to rectify ourselves, you and myself included. This is first and foremost a reminder for myself. May Allah rectify the state of the Ummah, bring back its ‘izzah and grant us janatul firdous. Ameen.

   Wassalaamu alaykum,

   Akhooki fid Deen.

4. fatimahye Says:
   May 20th, 2007 at 5:42 am

   Walaikum assalaam wa rahmatullaah, Akhi,

   Jazaakallaahu khayran for your comment - no I didn’t take it personally and I even know what you mean. I think it depends on what reminiscing “does” to you - I remember hearing a statement where the Sahaabiyyaat would sit and talk about their days of Jaahililyyah, and in the masjid too - I don’t think in ‘asl it’s wrong to discuss these things because we’re human beings and we have had diverse experiences - we didn’t start where we are now.

   But I do agree with the notion that if the reminiscing leads to a backslide into haraam or a discontentment with Islam, etc. it should be avoided. Wallaahu a’lam. I’m sorry if my posts caused you or anyone any type of fitnah, really- may Allah keep us on the Straight Path.

5. Anonymous Says:
   May 20th, 2007 at 11:18 am

   Assalaamu alaikum,

   You are correct in that the ‘asl in this matter is mubaahah. And indeed the Companions (radiAllahu ‘anhum) did sit and talk about their days of jahiliyah and their sins from that time, however, it would be in things which it was clear that all that was wrong. As you know music is a “controversial” subject these days (wallahul musta’aan) and I fear that Muslims may come to your blog and get the idea that you are condoning music and these bands. And since you are a practicing Muslimah (nahsabuki kadhalik) your opinions have weight by default (whether you deem yourself worthy of this being irrelevant). Maybe a caution or something to go along with it could help, Allahu ‘alam.

   Anyhow, jazakillahu khairah for not taking it personally. May Allah reward you for you good intentions. Ameen.

   Wassalaamu alaikum.

6. sasjamal Says:
   June 27th, 2007 at 3:29 am

   Rage SUX now anyway though

   Sas

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