Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Baptism of God
Al-Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 138

"The baptism of God, and who is better than God in baptism? And we are worshippers of Him."

The baptism of God renders sibghat Allah, which could also be translated "the coloring of God." The verb sabagha means "to dye," which involves plunging cloth in liquid and more generally means to cause someone to enter into something. The baptism of God can refer back to the creed of Abraham or it can be read as an adverbial clause connected to We believe in God. Thus one explanation is that the baptism (sibghah) is the primordial nature (fitrah) in human beings, which they bear the way a cloth bears its original color and which is the upright religion.

Some commentators mention Christian baptism and understand this verse to assert the superiority of Islam, as the true baptism of God, over the Christian rite. Other interpretations include sibghah as "purification" and also as the wont of God, God's "wont" being His unchanging actions in relation to the world. For others the sibghah may denote God's religion. These interpretations can be seen as complementary, as God's wont, religion, creed, and purification have overlapping significance, and all are brought out by the range of meaning in the term sibghah in the sense of an original dye or coloration by God in the fabric of existence.

Compiled From:
"The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary" - Seyyed Hossein Nasr

From Issue: 871 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

God's Presence

When we study the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life, we find him glorifying God and praising Him at every moment of his life. He would wake up before dawn, leaving his bed when the dark curtain of the night still covers everything. He then says: "Praise be to God who has returned my spirit to me, given me physical strength and permitted me to glorify Him." [Tirmidhi] Consider how he welcomes life, full of optimism: "Praise be to God who has returned my spirit to me." Life is a gift from God and we are able to do many good things in a day. The Prophet expresses his gratitude for his well-being. We may reflect long on the last part of this supplication, which mentions God's permission to glorify Him. That is an expression of complete devotion that words can hardly describe.

The Prophet's awareness of God's presence never left him for a moment, and He praised Him at every juncture and before every action. The Prophet is therefore the perfect role model for all believers. Some of us may wonder whether we have to repeat all these supplications all the time. Scholars rightly make clear that although they are all recommended, none is obligatory.

Compiled From:
"Muhammad: His Character and Conduct" - Adil Salahi

From Issue: 957 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Train Your Will Power

Many people fail to get ahead because they have no willpower to do what they know they should be doing. Nor can they help themselves to avoid the things which they know will ruin them. Many such people would like to give up smoking, to stop using drugs, or to avoid affairs outside of marriage. Many find that gambling or alcohol addiction is wrecking their lives. Yet these people have no willpower to set their life on the right course. They feel helpless, and they have to deal with a nagging conscience that pricks them with what they could have done, or should have done.

Yet there are some strong-willed people who seem to be able to do what they know is right and avoid what they know is wrong. Such people experience peace of mind knowing that they are doing the right thing. Their willpower is obviously working for them.

But how do they do it? What is the secret? The secret is that you can train your willpower.

Suppose you made a resolution to skip lunch for a month and actually stuck to your decision. You may save your lunch money, lose a few pounds, develop sympathy for the poor, and give your digestive system a much-needed rest. More importantly, you will strengthen your willpower.

The reason this works is that you teach yourself to avoid lunch even when you know you could have it if you decide. Your stomach may growl, but you won't listen. Thus you train yourself to ignore the calling of your lower physical self and reach for the higher goals of real human achievement. If you stick to your decision day after day for a month you can develop a regular habit of doing the right thing even when your desires are calling for something else.

Every year, for one month, able Muslims go through a similar fasting exercise. They observe the fast as a compulsory practice which God prescribed in His revealed messages, especially in His last revealed book. One of the many benefits they experience from fasting is its training aspect. The willpower they develop in the one month helps them to continue doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong throughout the year. They find the fast such an effective method of spiritual training and of achieving a closeness with their creator that many Muslims also keep some additional, optional, fasts on other days of the year. They eat an early breakfast before dawn and a late dinner after sunset. From dawn to sunset they would have no food or drink; they would also refrain from sexual activity. Whereas the baser selves regularly call for these things, Muslims train themselves with the help of God to fulfill their natural needs in the time and manner which God declared suitable for human dignity and well-being.

During the fast Muslims also train themselves to always avoid lying, cheating, backbiting, and all manner of false speech and immoral actions.

Compiled From:
"How to Train Your will power to work for you" - Shabir Ally

From Issue: 539 [Read original issue]