HAhmed.com

Brother Haroon (the Zaytuna AV guy) graciously notified me that the latest Zaytuna Videocast has just been uploaded to the Zaytuna ZIKR Podcast. I just wanted to publicly thank him for the update!

(Thank to Brother Haroon, you heard about it the latest Videocast here on hahmed.com first, even before it was updated on zaytuna.org!)

I will update the streaming video code (google video) as soon as its uploaded there. For now I highly recommend you add the Podcast to your favorites and download and watch the latest Videocast as soon as possible.

(UPDATE 8/4/06: NOW ADDED)

In this second videocast, Shaykh Hamza comments on the disappointing lack of outrage on the latest Israeli-Lebanon conflict and the heedless state most of us are living in today. Shaykh Hamza criticizes the US Government with a moral statement questioning why the US responded to the conflict by aiding Israel with more weapons instead of helping to curb the conflict. Mashallah he remains unbiased and tells it like it is.

In light of all of this Shaykh Hamza quotes a book of Jewish theology by Rabbi Kohler, written in 1918:

Even to dumb beasts, God extends his mercy. This Jewish tenderness is an inheritence of the shephard life of the patriarchs, who were eager to quench the thirst of the animals in their care before they thought before their own comfort.
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This has remained a characteristic trait of Judaism… this His tender mercies are over all his works.
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Whosoever has compassion on his fellow creatures, on him God will have compassion.

Shaykh Hamza asks Christians, Muslims, and Jews to contemplate and act on what our faiths tell us to do. The problem is the absence of religion; the absence of ethics and metaphysics from the politcal world- and Shaykh Hamza believes this is at the root of this greater problem in the world.

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Subhanallah, we are so grateful to have Shaykh Hamza and other shayukh to clear-headedly give wisdom and advice to us. Regarding this conflict in particular, I have intentionally refrained from commenting on the conflict not because I am not paying attention to it, but rather I simply dont know what to say regarding the brutal violence in which the majority of Lebanese casualties are women and children. Like Shaykh Hamza mentions near the end of the Videocast, we really have to re-think our strategies in dealing with these problems. Lets all keep our suffering brethren around the world in our duas!