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Today's Reminder

March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445

Living The Quran

Al-Ahzab (The Confederates)
Chapter 33: Verse 23

True Followers
"Among the believers are men who are true to their covenant with Allah. Of them some have fulfilled their obligations and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least."

The above Quranic verse captures the essence of the believers' covenant with Allah. It signifies the Islamic movement, the call to truth and the believers' unwavering and single-minded commitment to Islam. Implicit in it is also the assertion that the believers are ever ready to sacrifice all that they have for this cause.

Islam is synonymous with a pledge. It is to be seen how many of us are true to this pledge, for men are liable to forget their oaths. We must remind ourselves of the glorious examples of the Prophet's Companions. After professing Islam they paid no heed to praise or criticism of fellow human beings. Their only concern was their loyalty to Islam.

Our verbal profession of Islam is meaningless. We may bear Muslim names and our way of life may contain some Islamic elements. We may occasionally visit the mosque. Our main duty as believers, nonetheless, is to be true to our pledge to Allah. In our beliefs, acts of worship, conduct, dealings, way of life, social relations, marital ties, family and neighbourhood relationships and in every human activity we must behave as Muslims. Our commitment must be to divine laws.

Among the many billions of Muslims, some are specified in the above verse as being believers with firm resolve. Praise is heaped on them for their discharging their obligations to Allah. Then mention is made of those among them who have completed their appointed term and returned to Allah. They will be lavishly rewarded. Those still alive look forward to divine rewards and are true to their covenant. They have not changed their commitment in any degree.

Compiled From:
"Guidance from the Holy Quran" - Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, pp. 61-66

From Issue: 513 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Loans and Debt

Abu Yasif reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever is owed by one of his brothers and allows respite for the payment of the debt will be given the reward of charity for each day he gives respite to the debtor." [Ahmad]

Abu Musa al-Ashari related that the Prophet said: "After the major sins which must be avoided, the greatest sin is death in a state of debt, having left behind no asset to pay it off." [Ad-Darimi]

Abdullah bin Amr reported that the Prophet said: "If a person is killed in the cause of Allah, all of his sins are forgiven except his debt." [Muslim]

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: "The soul of the believer is held back because of his debt until the debt is discharged." [Tirmidhi]

Compiled From:
"A Treasury of Ahadith" - Mazhar U. Kazi, pp. 159, 170

From Issue: 775 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Keeping Commitment

Keeping commitments is the 'Big Kahuna' of all behaviours. It's the quickest way to build trust in any relationship - be it with an employee, a boss, a team member, a customer, a supplier, a spouse, a child, or the public in general. Its opposite - to break commitments or violate promises - is, without question, the quickest way to destroy trust.

Obviously this behaviour involves making commitments as well as keeping them. To paraphrase my friend Roger Merill, when you make a commitment, you build hope; when you keep it, you build trust. Given the impact of violating commitments, it's vital to be careful with the commitments you make.

However, the counterfeit of this behaviour is to make commitments that are so vague or elusive that nobody can pin you down, or, even worse, to be so afraid of breaking commitments that you don't even make any the first place.

Keeping commitments is based on the principles of integrity, performance, courage, and humility. It's the perfect balance of character and competence. Particularly, it involves integrity (character) and your ability to do what you say you're going to do (competence).

When it comes to dealing with a commitment to a client, people tend to be more rigid. But when it comes to a family commitment, they tend to be more flexible - sometimes simply because they're trying to provide for their families and they tend to justify breaking those commitments more easily. Because keeping commitments has such an impact on trust - and because trust is so vital to a thriving family culture - it's wise to keep in mind that commitments to family members are often the most important commitments of all.

Also, making and keeping commitments to yourself is the key to success in making and keeping commitments to others. That's where it all starts, and that's what gives you the power and confidence - the Self Trust - that enables you to build trust with others.

Source:
"The Speed of Trust" - Stephen M. R. Covey, pp. 215-220

From Issue: 494 [Read original issue]