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Issue 119 » May 25, 2001 -

General

QURAN

Translation:

"And Do not Kill your Children for fear of want. We will provide for them and for you. Surely, killing them is a great sin."
 
[Al-Quran, Sura Al-Israa 17:31]
 
Tafseer:
 
Background
  • The Arabs were addicted to female infanticide. In a society perpetually at war, a son was a source of strength, whereas a daughter was a source of weakness. Even now infanticide is not unknown in other countries for economic reasons. This crime against children's lives is here characterized as one of the greatest sins (Khit-an-Kabeeraa).
Abortion & Prevention of conception = Infanticide today
  • This verse totally demolishes the economic basis on which birth control movements have arisen in different periods of human history. In the past, fear of poverty drove people to infanticide and abortion. Today, it drives people towards a third alternative: prevention of conception.
  • However, according to this provision of the Islamic manifesto, a human being is required not to waste his/her energies on the destructive task of reducing the number of mouths to be fed, instead, he/she should devote his/her energies to constructive tasks which, under God's Law, leads to increases in the production of wealth.
God alone Provides and Controls
  • It is evident from the above verse that one of man's major blunders is that he often decides to put a brake on procreation for fear of poverty. The verse warns us that in no way do we control the process of providing sustenance for God's creatures. It rests with God alone.
  • Now, in the same manner that God has provided men with their sustenance in the past, He will also do so in future. Human history also bears witness to the fact that economic resources in different parts of the world have increased in proportion to the growth of human popul-ation; and at times, these resources have increased at an even higher pace than growth in population. Hence, man's amateurish interference in the providential arrangements of God amounts to nothing short or folly.
  • This explains the fact the since the time the Quran was revealed and until the present, Muslims have, as a whole, never cherished any ideas that might be considered genocidal.
[Compiled from "Towards Understanding the Quran", by S. Abul Ala Maududi, Vol. V, p. 39]
Know Your Islamic Vocab.

JIHAD: Literally, means Striving. Any earnest striving in the way of God, involving either personal effort, material resources or arms, for righteousness and against evil, wrong-doing and oppression. Where it involves armed struggle, it must be for the defense of the Muslim community or just war to protect even non-Muslims from evil, oppression and tyranny.

[Contributed by Br. Junaid Sohail, University of Toronto, Erindale Campus]

DAWA - Time to Come Out of our Boxes!  
  • Use Wisdom and speak only what is needed. Often times, we begin to explain Islam to non-Muslims the way we were taught Islam traditionally, without giving the true spirit and wisdom behind the message. For instance, it is not wise to give all the details of the rituals of Prayer and Wudu, to a seeker of Truth, before even explaining why should everyone pray to God, in the first place. Similarly, generally speaking, it is not wise to use present day Muslims, as examples; instead, we should emphasize how Islam is supposed to change the character of those who truly posses and practice this beautiful faith. In addition, keep in mind, the more unnecessary information we give away, the more we confuse others. Therefore, we should really come out of these "cultural boxes" or "conventional loops" that limit our vision and potential for an effective Dawa to people. As Br. Dawud Wharnsby-Ali says, "If someone asks us, 'What do you believe in?' it is more effective to say, 'I believe in One God', instead of saying, 'I believe in Islam,' because by doing that we automatically open the doors for them to explore Islam, since many of them, at first, would probably prefer to know more about One God, rather than this 'label', called Islam"...... [To be continued in the next issue]

[Taken from the article "DAWA: Time To Come Out of Our Boxes" @ www.youngmuslims.ca]

Modesty [Haya] in Islam and Manners of Dressing

Injunctions on Clothing & Covering of Nakedness

The purpose of Preventative Measures developed by Islam, is to reform the social system, so that the weaknesses of the individual on account of his/her defective moral training may not develop into practical action. Thus, they help to weaken the factors leading to sexual anarchy and eradicate all forms of indecency that might land the social system into confusion.
 
In this regard, Islam has first of all eradicated nudity and specified the shameful parts which the males and females have to cover. As regards dress, the conduct of the so-called 'civilized nations' of today is not any different from that of the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The Arabs would  strip themselves naked before each other (Related by Muslim). even while having bath and attending to the call of nature, they did no bother to have a covering. So much so that they performed the ceremony of moving around the Kabah (called Tawaf), in a naked state and considered it as an essential part of worship. More than that, the women would perform this ceremony in perfect nakedness (Related by Muslim).
 
Islam has taught human beings the first lesson of civilization in this regard: "O Children of Adam! We have sent down to you clothing in order to cover the shameful parts of your body, and to serve as protection and decoration." (Quran 7:26) According to this verse, covering of the body has been made obligatory for every male and female. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) gave strict rules as follows:
  1. "Accursed is the one who casts a look at the shameful parts of his brother." (Ahkam-al-Quran, by Al-Jassas)
  2. "No man should look at a naked man and no woman should look at a naked woman." (Muslim)
  3. "By God, it is better for me to be dropped from the skies and torn into two, than that I should look at the private parts of somebody or that someone should look at my private parts." (Al-Mabsoot)
  4. "Beware, never strip yourself of clothes, because with you is the One (i.e. Angel), Who never leaves you alone, except at the time when you attend to the call of nature or have intercourse." (At-Tirmidhi)
  5. "When one of you goes to his wife, he should cover his nakedness even at that time; he should not make himself naked like donkeys." (Ibn Majah)
According to another tradition, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to the pasture meant for the camels, and saw that the camel-herd was lying naked on the ground. The Prophet ordered his removal forthwith, and said, "We have no use for a person who is shameless."
 
[Next issue will deal with Islamic rulings on the 'Aurah/Satr for males and females]

[Taken from "Al-Hijab and the Status of Woman in Islam", by S. Abul Ala Maududi (Rahimahullah) , pp. 174-176]

Naisha (Advice) From!

"You must present a model and an ideal way of life which may make them (the non-Muslims) interested in studying Islam, and eager to know the source of your Guidance which has enabled you to follow a particular way of life and worldview. This is the only radical way in which you can play an effective role in non-Islamic societies.

However, if you assimilate yourself fully into their society and take to their way of life, as a result of either some inferiority complex or out of sheer imitation whether in the U.K., or in India or in Africa or in any part of the world, you can never influence them, nor can you ever bring about any change in them, even if you live in their midst for centuries!"

~ Shk. Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Rahimahullah) ~

[Contributed by a Brother from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada]

Quiz Yourself!

Last week's Answer: What was the first complete Sura of the Quran that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?  c) Al-Faatiha 

[Taken from Online Quiz @ www.youngmuslims.ca]

Friday Nasiha