Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Conjecture
Al-Qasas (The Stories) - Chapter 28: Verse 50 (partial)

"Who is further astray than he who follows his own hawa without guidance from God? Verily God guides not unjust people."

He who follows his hawa in matters that concern religious faith is sure to stray from the right path. And those who follow the person who pursues his hawa will inevitably be misled far from God's way.

The word hawa may be said to mean, roughly, the natural inclination of the human soul, born of lusts and animal appetites. In the Quranic context it means invariably an evil inclination which is liable to mislead man from the right way. The act of following one's own hawa as opposed to 'knowledge' is, in ultimate analysis, nothing other than forming wild conjectures concerning God and His Revelation.

Compiled From:
"Ethico Religious Concepts in the Quran" - Toshihiko Izutsu, pp. 139 -141

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Sharing the Feeling

It is reported by Ibn Abbas that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions came to Makkah, they were weakened by the fever in Yathrib. Thereupon the idolaters said "A people weakened with fever have come to you and they are afflicted with evil." Allah, the Almighty, informed His Prophet (peace be upon him) about their saying. So he commanded them to jog through the first three rounds of tawaf around the Kabah, and to walk between its two corners. When the idolaters saw the Muslims jogging, they said: "Are those the people you said are weak because of the fever? They are stronger and sturdier than us!" Ibn Abbas added: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not command them to jog all through the seven rounds in order not to overexert themselves." This was reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud, whose wording is given here.

Umar was of the opinion that jogging be stopped as there was no longer any need for it after the Muslims had become strong and powerful. But he decided, however, to leave it (in its original form) so that the future generations of Muslims could share a form and a feeling similar to that observed and felt by early Muslims. Muhibbuddin At-Tabari said: "Sometimes certain instructions are prescribed in the religion for a specific reason, and later even though that specific reason no longer exists yet the instructions still remain valid."

Zaid bin Aslam reported from his father that he said: "I heard Umar ibn Al-Khattab saying: 'Why jog around the Kabah today? Why uncover our shoulders (in tawaf)? Allah has made Islam strong and powerful, and banished disbelief and the disbelievers, yet we shall never abandon what we used to do in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him)."

Compiled From:
"Fiqh-us-Sunnah" - As-Sayyid Sabiq

Blindspot!

Accomplishments

Great power comes from accomplishing something you set your mind to. In the legends, when a knight defeats an enemy in battle, he absorbs the strength of that enemy. So it is when we overcome a weakness, resist a temptation, or achieve a goal we've set. We absorb the strength of the challenge into our being and become stronger. For one, an accomplishment might mean getting straight As, for another it means making the drill team, and for another it's overcoming a weakness, like cleaning up your language.

There's always a gap between where we are and where we'd like to be. Sometimes the gap is small. Sometimes it's huge. Whatever your gap, stay positive, keep closing the gap, and beware of the perfectionist inside you who is never pleased. Closing the gap even a little is an accomplishment to be proud of.

Compiled From:
"The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make" - Sean Covey, p. 284