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Today's Reminder

March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 19, 1445

Living The Quran

One Community
Al Anbiya (The Prophets) - Chapter 21: Verse 92

"Surely, your community is but one community, and I am your only Lord. So, worship Me alone."

Having discussed many Prophets with the suffering each had to bear and of which they were then relieved by God, and by discussing the distinguished aspect of the character and mission of each, the Quran declares that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not bring a different religion: and, thus, all the Prophets and their followers, from the first day of human history on the earth to the Last Day, constitute a single community with God being their Lord, Who alone must be worshipped.

The basic foundation of this faith and the basic point of unity among the believers, which is also the main dynamic against disunity among them, is believing in God as the only Deity, Lord and Sovereign of the whole creation, including, of course, humanity, and worshipping Him alone.

This is the community of Prophets: a single community, sharing the same faith, following the same course, and turning to God alone. Thus we have a single community on earth, and a single Lord in heaven.

Compiled From:
"The Quran: Annotated Interpretation in Modern English" - Ali Unal, p. 678
"In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 12, p. 70

From Issue: 654 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

A Way Made Easy

A special, distinguishing quality of the way of the Sunnah is its facility, its convenience and tolerance. Nothing exists in the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that hinders the people in their religious life, or oppresses them in their worldly life. Rather he says about himself: "Indeed I am a mercy sent [to you]." [Tirmidhi] He said: "Assuredly, God did not commission me for affliction, nor for bringing affliction to others; on the contrary, He commissioned me as an educator and as a means of ease for others." [Muslim]

He dispatched Abu Musa and Muadh to the Yemen with succinct, comprehensive instruction: "Urge ease, and do not urge hardship; offer good hope [lit. glad tidings], and do not provoke aversion; listen to one another, and do not provoke differences." [Bukhari, Muslim]

About his Messengership, he said: "Assuredly I have been commissioned [to impart] a tolerant true-religion." [Tabarani] He said: "O people! [what is incumbent] upon you is actions that you can bear. For surely God does not tire [cease to persevere] until you tire [cease to persevere]. [Bukhari, Muslim]

Compiled From:
"Approaching the Sunnah" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, pp. 8, 9

From Issue: 671 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Liberation

All Revelation reached the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the course of his earthly experience, with the exception of the verses that establish the fundamental pillars of faith (al-iman) and the duty of prayer (as-salat). The Prophet was raised to heaven to receive the teachings that were to become the foundation of Islamic worship and ritual, al-aqidah and al-ibadat, which require that believers should accept their form as well as their substance. Unlike the field of social affairs (al-muamalat), which calls for the creative mediation of people's intellect and intelligence, human rationality here submits, in the name of faith and as an act of humility, to the order imposed by Revelation: God has prescribed requirements and norms that the mind must hear and implement and the heart must love. Raised to receive the injunction of ritual prayer, the Prophet and his experience reveal what prayer must in essence be: a reminder of and an elevation toward the Most High, five times a day, in order to detach from oneself, from the world, and from illusions. The prayer enables us to liberate our consciousness from the contingencies of space and time, and fully comprehend the meaning of life.

Compiled From:
"In The Footsteps of The Prophet" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 73, 74

From Issue: 742 [Read original issue]