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\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n| \r\n QURAN \r\n |
\r\n\r\nTranslation:\r\n
\r\n\r\nSurah al-Nahl (The Bee)
\r\n
\r\n Chapter 16: Verses 98\"When \r\n you read the Quran, seek Allah's protection from Satan (Shaytan), \r\n the rejected one.\"
\r\nCommentary:
\r\nIbn al-Qayyim (Rahimahullah) \r\n has given the wisdom behind seeking refuge in Allah from Satan (by \r\n reciting \"A'uzu Billahi min-ash-Shaytan ar-Rajeem\") before \r\n reading the Quran:
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The Quran \r\n is a healing for whatever is in the heart; it removes whatever \r\n comes from Satan, be it his evil whisperings, lusts or evil desires. \r\n So first the person is asked to reject whatever is in his heart \r\n from acts of Satan. Therefore, the medicine (the Quran itself) \r\n will find the heart free and can take its proper place and have \r\n its proper effect. Then this healthy medicine comes to the heart \r\n and cleanses it from what can damage it.\r\n- \r\n
The Quran \r\n is the source of guidance, knowledge, and good in the heart of \r\n the reader, in the same way that water is the source that brings \r\n forth plants. Satan is a fire that burns down the plants, one \r\n by one. For every good plant that springs in the heart, \r\n Satan attempts to destroy it and burn it down. And Allah orders \r\n us to seek refuge in Him in order for Him to ruin what Satan is \r\n attempting to do. The first point stated above deals with \r\n the benefits of the Quran, while this one actually deals with \r\n the preservation and remaining of the Quran and its guidance in \r\n the heart.\r\n- \r\n
The angels \r\n descends upon the one who reads the Quran and listens to its recitation. \r\n This has been related in a Hadith in which Usaid ibn Hudhair (May \r\n Allah be pleased with him) was reciting the Quran and he saw a \r\n canopy with lamps in it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told \r\n him that those were angels. And the devils are the opposite of \r\n the angels. By taking refuge in Allah from Satan, one \r\n is left in the midst of only angels.\r\n- \r\n
Satan tries \r\n to disturb the one who reads the Quran with his steeds and feet \r\n until the reader is void of the meanings of the Quran. Satan comes \r\n in between his heart and the powerful meaning of the Quran. \r\n This is why the reader sometimes makes mistakes and his mind becomes \r\n confused. Thus the reader is not able to benefit from Quran. \r\n\r\n- \r\n
The reader \r\n of the Quran is engaged in a private conversation with Allah. \r\n And Allah listens closer to His words when recited in a pleasant \r\n way than a singer listens to her song. The song of Satan \r\n is poetry and music. The reader has been ordered to seek \r\n refuge from Satan so that Satan will be removed from the private \r\n conversation and Allah will listen to the person's recital. \r\n\r\n- \r\n
\r\nWhenever \r\n a person contemplates the doing of a good deed, Satan becomes \r\n even more zealous in his attempts to come between the person and \r\n the good action. Therefore, by asking Allah's refuge from Satan \r\n we prevent Satan from stopping this noble action.\r\n\r\n\r\nIbn Taymiyyah (Rahimahullah) \r\n elaborated on the last point and said that the one who prayers \r\n has to face more of Satan's whispering than one who does not pray. \r\n The same is true for those who are students of knowledge. \r\n Therefore, just imagine, how difficult would Satan make it for you \r\n to take initiative of reading, understanding, studying and \r\n implementing this revolutionary message of God? (Majmoo Fatawa \r\n ibn Taymiyyah, vol. 7, p. 282.)\r\n
\r\n\r\n \r\nIbn Katheer (Rahimahullah) \r\n notes that when seeking refuge in Allah from Satan-- in general, not \r\n only upon reading the Quran-- one recognizes his own inability to \r\n defeat that hostile but hidden enemy. That enemy cannot be \r\n repelled like evil humans by behaving kindly toward him. Instead, \r\n one must only turn to Allah to repel this arrogant enemy of humanity, \r\n and allow the person to freely read and benefit from the Quran. (Tafseer \r\n al-Quran al-Adheem, p. 21.)\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n[compiled from \"How to Approach and Understand the Quran\" \r\n by Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, pp.113-115]
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| \r\n UNDERSTANDING \r\n OUR TEENS \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThis \r\n series seeks to analyze some of the negative \r\n aspects of the 'teen culture', which go against \r\n our Islamic values and traditions. Every Muslim \r\n parent and teacher needs to recognize that not \r\n actively participating in your teen's lifestyle \r\n is not an option.
\r\n[Enjoyment \r\n & Fun: \"Check it out Yourself!\"]
\r\nThe \r\n teenage years are seen as the time to party, \r\n make mistakes, and have \"all the fun you can \r\n have before you have to grow up and act your \r\n age\". They are seen as the time to experiment \r\n with different lifestyles, including drugs and \r\n drinking, and see where one fits in. It \r\n is practically unheard of to learn from somebody \r\n else's mistakes, and even more unheard of is \r\n to stay at home on a Friday night instead of \r\n going out to a party. Anyone who stays home \r\n \"has no life, or no friends, or both\". The majority \r\n of my friends see every movie in the theatre \r\n the same week it comes out. They go out for \r\n dinner or to mall, or just to hang out downtown, \r\n to pass their time. Many \r\n people will give me funny looks if I say I have \r\n work to do and I can't go. The teenage years \r\n are seen as the years you spend entertaining \r\n yourself. In some crowds, there isn't \r\n even room for school work. [Narrated by two \r\n teenagers from Ottawa: Sr. Hoda Beshir and Sr. \r\n Noha Beshir]
\r\nAs Muslim youth, \r\n we must recognize we can always find and develop \r\n alternate or Halal means of entertaining \r\n ourselves. Life doesn't have to be boring \r\n or dull. In fact, even the Companions of the \r\n Prophet (peace be upon him) used to take a break \r\n and entertain themselves with games and modest \r\n jokes once in a while. However, \r\n what makes our form of entertainment different \r\n as Muslim teenagers is that we know that \"fun \r\n and temporary pleasures are not the ultimate \r\n goals of life.\" We know we have higher \r\n objectives to achieve in this life and in the \r\n life Hereafter.
\r\nAnother \r\n feature of our entertainment as Muslim youth \r\n is constant self-evaluation and making sure \r\n no harm is caused to others \r\n (for example, drugs, drinking, and dangerous \r\n driving should all be out of question for conscious \r\n and law-abiding Muslims). If you remember the \r\n supplication (Dua) of the Prophet (peace \r\n be upon him) when you leave your home in the \r\n morning, you understand how important it is \r\n to set our youth in the right mode and prepare \r\n them to have the right attitude during the day. \r\n
\r\nRather than saying \r\n to your teenager, before leaving home in the \r\n morning \"Go have fun\", \r\n may be if you send her out with this beautiful \r\n Dua, their lives may change: \"O \r\n Allah, I seek refuge in you not to misguide \r\n anybody or to be misguided; not to humiliate \r\n anybody or to be humiliated; not to oppress \r\n anybody or be oppressed; and not to mistreat \r\n anybody or to be mistreated.\" \r\n What a wonderful Dua! When a young \r\n boy or girl remembers, understands and \r\n repeats this Dua everyday when leaving \r\n home, he or she will naturally behave in a responsible \r\n way towards themselves and others. He \r\n or she will realize that they are created on \r\n this earth for a noble role to play and honorable \r\n objectives to achieve, not just to fulfill any \r\n desires whenever they like.
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n[compiled \r\n from \"Muslim Teens: Today's Worry, Tomorrow's \r\n Hope\" by Dr. Ekram & Mohamed R. Beshir, \r\n pp. 14, 15, 22.]
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| \r\n 22 SYMPTOMS \r\n OF WEAK FAITH \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSeries continued from \r\n YMFN Issue #151
\r\nFollowing \r\n are some of the signs and symptoms of weak \r\n faith that one can use to assess whether \r\n he or she suffers from spiritual death or \r\n disease:
\r\n22-Looking at matters in black-or-white terms \r\n of whether they are sinful or not, and taking \r\n the matter of Makrooh (actions \r\n that are discouraged but not Haram) \r\n lightly. Some people, when they want to \r\n do something wrong, do not ask about what \r\n good deeds they could do, instead they ask, \r\n “Will \r\n this be counted as a sin, or is it ‘only’ \r\n Makrooh?” This kind of mentality \r\n leads them into the trap of issues that \r\n are not clear-cut and deeds that are Makrooh, \r\n and eventually ensnares them in forbidden \r\n areas. The person who thinks like this has \r\n nothing to stop him from committing Makrooh \r\n or doubtful deeds so long as they are not \r\n actually Haram.
\r\nThis \r\n is exactly what the Prophet (Peace be upon \r\n him) was talking about when he said, \r\n “Whoever falls \r\n into doubtful matters (eventually) falls \r\n into Haram, like a shepherd who grazes his \r\n flock around a place where he is not allowed \r\n – he will soon enter it…” \r\n (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). When \r\n some people ask for a Fatwa (or ruling) \r\n about something and are told that it is \r\n wrong or Haram, they ask, “Is \r\n it very Haram or not? How much \r\n sin is involved?” People like \r\n this have no interest in avoiding bad deeds; \r\n indeed, they are prepared to commit the \r\n first level of Haram and they take small \r\n sins lightly, with the results that they \r\n have the guts to transgress even further \r\n and violate the limits set by Allah. \r\n
\r\nFor \r\n this reason, Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased \r\n with him) described the attitude of the \r\n believer and of the hypocrite as follows: \r\n “The believer sees his sins as if he were sitting \r\n beneath a mountain which he fears will fall \r\n on him, whilst the sinner sees his sins \r\n as if it were a fly passing his nose and \r\n he says such-and-such to it” \r\n – i.e., he shoos it away with his hand. \r\n (Reported by al-Bukhaari).
\r\n
\r\n[from \r\n \"Weakness of Faith: Causes and Cures\"
\r\n
\r\n by Shaykh Salih al-Munajjid][Note: \r\n This long and much-anticipated series has \r\n finally come to an end. If you like to further \r\n benefit from the message of this book and \r\n read \"Cures of Weak Faith\", you may do so \r\n on-line @ http://www.islaam.com/books/iman6.doc]
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| \r\n ISLAMIC \r\n VOCAB \r\n |
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMa'roof\r\n\r\n
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\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLiterally: \r\n Any action or thing 'Well-known' to human \r\n nature and having an affinity for it;\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAs \r\n technical term of the Quran and Islamic Shariah \r\n (law), it comprises of the acts, attitudes \r\n and behaviors that the normal people, with \r\n pure natures have approved in every age, regardless \r\n of their faith;\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTruth, \r\n keeping one's word, justice, peace, equity, \r\n and kindness, to name a few, have always been \r\n regarded as desirable and laudable;\r\n- \r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNo \r\n wonder, Quran has made \"inviting people to \r\n Ma'roof\" as a part of Muslim's mission \r\n in this world.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[from \r\n \"How to Attain True Piety and Righteousness in \r\n Islam\" by Amin Ahsan Islahi, p. 95]
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