Today's Reminder
April 1, 2025 | Shawwal 3, 1446
Living The Quran
Flee unto God
Al-Dhariyat (The Scattering Winds) Sura 51: Verse 50
"So flee unto God. Truly I am a clear warner unto you from Him."
So flee unto God may mean, "Flee from the Punishment of God to His Mercy through faith in Him, follow His Command, and work in obedience to Him"; or "Flee from obeying Satan to obeying God"; or "Flee from ignorance to knowledge". According to Ibn Abbas, this verse means, "Flee from sins and take shelter with God through repentance." Others understand it to mean, "Be cautious of everything other than God, because whoever flees to what is other than Him does not benefit from it".
Regarding the reasons one must flee unto God, al-Qushayri writes, "The human being is in one of two states: either the state of coveting something or the state of dreading something, either the state of hope or the state of fear, either the state of attracting benefit or the state of repelling harm. So his fleeing must be to God, for the one who benefits and the one who harms is God." Al-Qushayri goes on to say, "It is incumbent upon the servant to flee from ignorance to knowledge, from caprice to reverence, from doubt to certainty, and from Satan to God. It is incumbent upon the servant to flee from his actions that are a trial to his actions that are sufficient; and from characterizing Him in terms of God's Wrath to characterizing Him in terms of His Mercy". From this perspective, the command to flee unto God is placed after the creation of all things in pairs to emphasize that one cannot flee to anything other than God, since all things perish, save His Face.
Compiled From:
"The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary" - Seyyed Hossein Nasr
From Issue: 1031 [Read original issue]
Understanding The Prophet's Life
Changing Decree
"Nothing repels the Decree except supplications and nothing increases one's lifetime except righteousness." [Tirmidhi]
All scholars recognize that nothings occurs but by the will of Allah. However, Allah is able to do everything that He wills and there is nothing constraining Him. He may even change what He has decreed from one thing to another — although all of that was within His knowledge and His preordainment. He knew that certain causes would occur. This is why one's supplications and prayers have some effect. Allah changes the decree because of one's supplications. If there were no effect to prayers and a person only received what is decreed, this would imply that Allah does not actually respond to the supplication. That conclusion contradicts what is stated in this hadith. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to seek refuge in Allah from an evil decree. [Bukhari]
Allah erases or confirms whatever He wills of what has been decreed - although all of that is according to His pre-knowledge and what He has already recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Thus, Allah may confirm or change a person's lifespan, sustenance and so forth.
Compiled From:
"Commentary on the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, p. 1434
From Issue: 844 [Read original issue]
Cool Tips!
Ramadan Goals
- Eat, drink and be moderate
Almost all of us do it - once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it's hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we're supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let's try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.
- Give a dollar a day in charity...or five or ten
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let's open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it's the intention that counts.
- Go to Tarawih prayers
Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan's blessings. Don't miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least one week.
- Go on a technology diet
Even if you work in the IT industry, you can do this. Avoid checking personal email and surfing the web during your fast. After Iftar, instead of plopping yourself in front of the screen, go to Tarawih. The same goes for the television. The point is to try to give our full attention to spiritual elevation this month.
- Read 5 minutes of Quran a day...just five, not more, not less
Even if you feel you've got absolutely no time, set a timer or the alarm on your cell phone and find a relatively quiet place. You can read the first page of the Quran you open or follow a sequence. The choice is yours. The point is simply to connect with God through His revelation in the month of the Quran.
- Forgive everyone who has hurt you
Still got a festering wound from the fight with your friend last year? Still upset about something your spouse said during a heated argument? Or are you still bitter about the way your parents sometimes treated you as a kid? Let go of the anger and pain this Ramadan and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving someone is not only good for the body, but it's also great for the soul. And in Ramadan, ten days of which are devoted to Allah's forgiveness, shouldn't we lesser beings forgive too?
If you find it very difficult to forgive everyone, forgive at least three people.
Compiled From:
"10 great goals for this Ramadan" - SoundVision.com
From Issue: 590 [Read original issue]