General
From Issue: 461 [Read full issue]
| Living the Quran |
Al-Baqara
(The Cow)
The ayahs above were revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Medina in support of his mission to aid him in his dealing with the Jews of Medina. But the sad reality is that these Ayahs reflect the condition of the Muslims today. As many commentators of the Quran have mentioned in the past, these stories of the Children of Israel are for us to reflect on and to improve our own situation. The Average Joe Among the Jews of Medina there were some who were ignorant of the Scriptures, unaware of the principles of faith as enunciated by God in His Book, unaware of the rules of conduct that He had laid down, and of the teachings which are of fundamental importance for man's salvation. Because they lacked this knowledge, they fabricated a whole religion out of their desires and fancies, living in a paradise built on false hopes and illusions. Is not this the situation of the Muslims today? Most of us do not access the scriptures with understanding, nor do we refer to the Islamic guidelines in our day-to-day activities. We attribute our success to our own abilities, and blame our failure on others. God seldom plays a role in our lives. On top of that we have decided what Islam should be all about and concentrate on propagating our beliefs as that of Islam's. The Scholars The next set of ayah refers to what their learned people did. They were not content with misinterpreting the Word of God. They also interjected into it their readings of the Scriptures and their explanatory comments thereof, stories from their national history, superstitious ideas and fancies, philosophical doctrines and legal rules. The result was that the Divine and the human became inextricably mixed. They claimed, nevertheless, that the entire thing was divine! Every historical anecdote, the interpretation of every commentator, the doctrine of every theologian, and the legal deduction of every jurist that managed to find its way into the Bible became the 'Word of God'. It was thus obligatory to believe in all that, and every deviation from it became tantamount to deviation from the true faith. Is this not also a reflection of a large section of our “religious” men? Truly, we are blessed in that throughout the ages we have had scholars who have stayed true to Islam and preserved it for us. But there are still many innovated practices, false beliefs, and likes which have crept into our religion because of “so-called” scholars who have taken advantage of our naivety to exploit us. Few Days in Hell There was a general belief among some Jews and their religious leaders that they felt sure that no matter what they did, they would remain immune from hell-fire just by virtue of being Jews! The worst they could conceive of was the possibility of a transient punishment before they were transported to heaven. Is this not exactly how most Muslims view Hellfire? It is common to meet people who are happy to rely on their belief that ultimately they are going to Jannah since they were born-Muslims. As such, many refuse to change their sinful ways since to them the punishment of hell-fire will only be temporary. Yet, they choose not to remember the description of the hell-fire and incredible punishment that the resident of the Hell-fire will go through. It is delusional belief that Shaitan wants us to perpetuate so that we do not correct our wrongs in this life. Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
Forgiving Enemies Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl, was one of the worst enemies of Islam. So much so that initially after the Opening of Makkah when a general pardon was granted to everyone in Makkah, he was among the few who were excluded. He had left Makkah in fear and only through the efforts of his wife, was a pardon secured for him and he returned to Makkah. The following conversation took place on his return and has a lot for us to reflect upon. As Ikrimah approached Makkah, the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, told his companions: "Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl will come to you as a believer and a muhajir (a refugee). Do not insult his father. Insulting the dead causes grief to the living and does not reach the dead." Upon arrival, Ikrimah went straight to the Prophet, who got up and greeted him enthusiastically. "Muhammad", said Ikrimah, "Umm Hakim has told me that you have granted me an amnesty." "That's right, you are safe." The Prophet replied. "To what do you invite?" asked Ikrimah. "I invite you to testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the servant of Allah and His messenger, to establish Prayer and pay the Zakat and carry out all the other obligations of Islam." "By God," responded Ikrimah, "You have only called to what is true and you have only commanded that which is good. You lived among us before the start of your mission and then you were the most trustworthy of us in speech and the most righteous of us." Stretching forth his hands he said, "I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger." The Prophet then instructed him to say, "I call on God and those present here to witness that I am a Muslim who is a Mujahid and a Muhajir". This Ikrimah repeated and then said: "I ask you to ask God for forgiveness for me for all the hostility I directed against you and for whatever insults I expressed in your presence or absence." The Prophet replied with the prayer: "O Lord, forgive him for all the hostility he directed against me and from all the expeditions he mounted wishing to put out Your light. Forgive him for whatever he has said or done in my presence or absence to dishonour me." Ikrimah's face beamed with happiness. "By God, O messenger of Allah, I promise that whatever I have spent obstructing the way of God, I shall spend twice as much in His path, and whatever battles I have fought against God's way I shall fight twice as much in His way." From that day on, Ikrimah was committed to the mission of Islam. Often he would place the Quran on his face and say, "The Book of my Lord, the words of my Lord" and he would cry out of fear of God. Source: |
| Blindspot! |
Willing Choice Choice to sacrifice should be made willingly. This means that you should, by your own choice, come forward to offer whatever you can to secure Allah's pleasure. Your will should harmonize with His will. This does not mean that one should not feel any pain or discomfort while making a sacrifice. Once you give up your love or your desire or your value, to feel pain is only human. Indeed, if you feel no pain in giving up something, that giving up may not be worth being called a sacrifice. You are throwing away something which is of no value to you. Rather, the greater the pain, the greater the worth of the sacrifice. But pain ought to be followed by contentment; contentment for having given up something you considered valuable for Allah's pleasure which is really the most valuable, for having willingly borne pain for the sake of your love for Allah which supersedes every other love. Source: |
