Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Al-Rad (Thunder)
Chapter 13: Verse 3

Tauhid, Resurrection, Accountability
And it is He Who has spread out the earth, and fixed the immovable mountains in it, and made the rivers flow on it. He has created in pairs every kind of fruit, and He covers the day with the veil of night. Surely there are great Signs in these for those who reflect upon them.

After citing some heavenly Signs in support of the doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter in previous verses, a few Signs are being cited from the earth for the same purpose. Briefly the following are the arguments for Tauhid, Resurrection and Accountability:

(1) Tauhid: The fact that the earth is closely connected with the heavenly bodies (which help create life on it), and the fact that the mountains and the rivers are so inter-related with that life are clear proofs that all these things have not been created by separate and different gods nor are being governed, by gods with independent powers and authorities. Had it been so, there could not have been so much harmony, congruity, accord and unity of purpose among them; nor could these relationships have continued for such a long time. For it is quite obvious that if there had not been One All-Powerful and All-Wise God, it could not have been possible and practicable for different gods to sit together and evolve out such a harmonious system of the universe without any discord or conflict between its myriad's of bodies.

(2) Resurrection: This wonderful planet, the earth, is itself a great proof that its Creator is All-Powerful and can, therefore, raise the dead whenever He will. For it is floating in space round the sun and it has high mountains fixed in it and has large rivers flowing on its surface: it produces countless fruit-bearing trees and it brings about the cycles of the day and the night with precise regularity.

All these things bear witness to the boundless power of its Creator. It would, therefore, be sheer folly to doubt that such All-Powerful Creator is incapable of raising mankind to life after death.

(3) Accountability: The earth, with all its wonderful and purposeful signs, is a clear evidence of the fact that its Creator is All-Wise. Therefore it cannot even be imagined that He has created man, His noblest creation, without any purpose. Just as His wisdom is apparent from the structure of the earth, its mountains, its rivers, the pairs of its trees and fruits, its night and day, so it is quite obvious that it has not been made the habitation of man without any purpose, nor will it be brought to nought without the fulfilment of that purpose. Clearly mankind shall be accountable to its Creator for the fulfilment of that Divine purpose.

Source:
"Towards Understanding The Quran" - Syed Abul Ala Mawdudi

From Issue: 473 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Learning and Teaching

It is narrated by Abu Musa that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain-water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain- water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, (making their animals drink from it) and to irrigate the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then the land was of no benefit).

The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's Religion and gets benefit from the knowledge which Allah has revealed through me and learns and then teaches it to others. The (last example is that of a) person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's Guidance revealed through me (He is like the barren land.)"

[Bukhari]

From Issue: 652 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Clarify Expectations

Clarifying expectations is to create shared vision and agreement about what is to be done up front. This is one of those behaviours that people rarely pay enough attention to. It is the behaviour of prevention because if you focus on this one up front, you will avoid heartaches and headaches later on.

Clarifying expectations can be challenging. We each bring our own meaning to language and experience. Meaning is not in things; it's not even necessarily in words. Meaning is in people. So even if you and I agree on something, we need to make sure we understand the words we're using in the same way.

Clarifying expectations makes a huge difference at home. If you're married, for example, consider how much disappointment and contention come as a result of unclear or differing expectations regarding roles and responsibilities. Maybe your spouse expects you to handle the finances, discipline the children, or take out the garbage because that's they way it was done in the home where he/she grew up - but you expect your spouse to do those things because that's the way it was in your home. You've never really gotten the issue out on the table and come to a resolution, so it's always a sore spot in the relationship.

If you're a parent, consider how much time and energy are wasted when you don't take time to clarify expectations concerning responsibilities or other issues at home.

Keep in mind that clarifying expectations is always a two-way street. People have to have the opportunity to push back, to help come to an expectation that is realistic and will work from both points of view.

Compiled From:
"The Speed of Trust" - Stephen M. R. Covey, pp. 193-196

From Issue: 828 [Read original issue]