General
From Issue: 113 [Read full issue]
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QURAN
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Translation:
"Satan said: 'Since You have led me astray, I shall surely sit in ambush for them on Your Straight Path. I will come upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left. And You will not find most of them thankful."
[Al-Quran- Sura Al-Araf 7:17]
Tafseer:
THE CHALLENGE
- Satan would make use of the respite granted to him until the Last Day, and he would do so to prove that humans did not deserve a position superior to his. So doing he would expose how ungrateful and disloyal a creature humans are.
WHAT WAS SATAN GRANTED?
[Sura Bani Israel (Al-Isra) : 61-65]
- Satan was granted the time and opportunity to mislead humans by appealing to their weaknesses.
- Satan was not granted the power to lead humans into error against their will.
- All Satan can do is:
- to cause misunderstanding;
- to make people cherish false illusions;
- to make evil and error seem attractive;
- to invite people to evil ways by holding out to them the promise of immense pleasure and material benefits.
THE FALSE ALLEGATION
- As for Satan's allegation that God Himself caused him to fall into error it is an attempt on the part of Satan to transfer the blame, which falls squarely on him, to God.
- The underlying stupidity of the statement is too patently obvious to call for any refutation, and hence God took no notice of it.
LESSONS
- Arrogance can bring downfall to even the most pious of worshippers.
- We only have ourselves to blame for all our wrong deeds and sins.
- Unlike Satan we should always be thankful for all that Allah has bestowed upon us.
[Compiled
from "Toward Understanding the Quran"
by Abul Ala Maududi, vol. III, p.10-11]
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HADITH-
To Soften our Hearts [Ar-Riqaaq]
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"Nothing
can fill the belly of Adam's son except DUST...."
<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
Ibn
Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If the son of Adam
(i.e. the human being) had two valleys of money, he would
wish for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of Adam's
son except dust, and Allah forgives him who (repents to
Him)- begs for His pardon."
[Collected by Al-Bukhari,
vol. 8, #444]
[Explanation: In this Hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) is warning us
against the consequences of addiction to the wealth
and greed, because a person continues to love
the wealth till he or she reaches the grave-
back to one's humble origin: earth and the DUST.
"...for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son
except death", indicates the fact that all this greed
and desire for worldly goods will eventually come to a
dreadful end, when one will no longer be able to
even think about collecting wealth.]
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Thought-provoking
Bits from Islamic Literature
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"The spring from which the Companions of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) drank was the Quran;
only the Quran, as the Hadith of the Prophet and his
teachings were offspring of this fountainhead. When
someone asked the Mother of the Faithful, Aisha (may
God be pleased with her), about the character of the
Prophet, she answered, 'His character was the Quran.'
The
Holy Quran was the only source from which they quenched
their thirst, and this was the only mold in which they
formed their lives. This was the only guidance for them,
not because there was no civilization, or culture, or
science, or books, or schools. Indeed, there was Roman
culture, its civilization, and its laws, which even
today are considered to be the foundation of European
culture. There was the heritage of Greek culture- its
logic, its philosophy, and its arts, which are still
a source of inspiration for Western thought. There was
the Persian civilization, its art, its poetry, its legends,
and system of government. There were many other civilizations,
near or far, such as the Indian and Chinese cultures,
and so on. Thus, this pure generation of believers
did not place sole reliance on the Book of God for the
understanding of their religion due to the
ignorance of other civilizations and cultures, but it
was all according to a well thought out method. An example
of this purpose is found in the displeasure expressed
by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when Umar (may God
be pleased with him) brought some pages from the Torah.
The Prophet said, 'By God, if even Moses had been
alive among you today, he would have no recourse except
to follow me.' [Reported by al-Hafidh Abu Yala]
It
is clear from this incident that the Messenger of God
(peace be upon him) deliberately limited the first generation
of Muslims, which was undergoing the initial stages
of training, to only one source of guidance, and that
was the Book of God. His intention was to prepare a
generation who witnessed and lived the Quran. That
is why the Prophet was displeased when Umar turned to
a source different from the Quran."
~ Syed Qutb Shaheed
[Rahimahullah] ~
[Taken from "Milestones"
by Syed Qutb]
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Etiquettes
& Importance of Celebrations in Islam
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= Entertaining
Guests at Walima =
In
order to celebrate a wedding, arrangements should also
be made to entertain the relatives and friends with a
dinner or some feast. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
himself invited people to his Walima dinners (a feast
arranged by bridegroom after the wedding) and strongly
encouraged others to do so.
Once
he said, "If you have nothing, then at least slaughter
a goat and feed (yours guests)."
If
one cannot participate in a wedding, he or she should
at least send a message or greetings of congratulations
and warmth. Presents offered on such occasions revive
the relations and strengthen the foundations of one's
friendship. However, the gifts should be in keeping with
one's financial position, and within limits, avoiding
extravagance and show.
[Taken from "Discipline
For Muslim Youth", by S. M. Madni Abbasi, Vol.
II, p. 72]