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Today's Reminder

March 19, 2024 | Ramadan 9, 1445

Living The Quran

Al-Qasas (The Story)
Chapter 28: Verse 50 (partial)

Capriciousness
"And who is further astray than one who follows his own whim without guidance from God?"

Physical action depends on one's capacity. When the desire and repugnance of the heart are complete and perfect, and the creature acts upon them to the best of his ability, he receives the reward due to one who performs perfectly. For there are some whose love, hatred, desire and repugnance are purely personal feelings, not in accordance with the love and hatred of God and His Messenger.

The basis of capriciousness is selfish love and hate. This in itself is not blameworthy, since it is beyond our control. It is blameworthy to act upon it. Love and hate lead to the acquiring of tastes when their objects are present, to passion, desire and so on. To follow these without the sanction of God and His Messenger is to follow one's whim without guidance from God. Worse, things may escalate to the point where one makes a god of one's whim. Capriciousness in religious matters is more serious than following the whims of the flesh, since the former is the condition of the unbelievers.

This is why those who depart from the requirements of the Quran and Sunnah - whether scholars or ordinary people - are classed as People of Caprice, just as they were named by the early believers. For whoever does not follow knowledge follows his own whim. Religious knowledge is possible only through God's guidance.

Compiled From:
"Public Duties in Islam" - Ibn Taymiya, pp. 83-85

From Issue: 531 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Spying

Spying on others, with a view to detecting their weaknesses, is a serious social evil, for it offends the victim. No one likes that his lapses become common knowledge. This also creates bad feelings in the hearts of others. Often spying cannot be conducted through reliable means. Thus one is liable to entertain a poor opinion of others based on some unreliable reports. The Prophet, peace be upon him, directed:

"Do not be after the weaknesses of fellow Muslims. For one who spies on others Allah will expose his weaknesses. Such a person who is exposed by Allah is bound to be publicly disgraced, even if he retires from social life." [Tirmidhi]

Compiled From:
"Inter Personal Relations" - Khurram Murad, pp. 23, 24

From Issue: 673 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Foreboding

There are two types of foreboding (tatayyur). One is based on normative experience observing things that consistently happen. For example, getting near a cobra usually results in it striking its victims. So when you see a cobra, get out of the way. There is no superstition in that. But it differs completely from some practices like avoiding walking under a ladder, staying clear of a black cat, and the culture that has evolved around the number 13 and its association with bad luck. These superstitions emanate from having a bad opinion of God, not recognizing His power and authority in the world, and attributing power to inanimate objects and delving into other similar practices. These superstitions are explicitly forbidden in Islam. While these practices have taken an aura of innocence and light humour, they are nonetheless connected to their pagan and idolatrous ancestry.

The way to cure this trap of superstition is for one to simply persist in what he was doing when confronted with something viewed as a bad omen. Altering one's course of action because of some perceived omen is admitting that the superstition has power.

Compiled From:
"Purification of The Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 91, 92

From Issue: 636 [Read original issue]