General
From Issue: 401 [Read full issue]
| Living the Quran |
Al-Hashr
(The Gathering)
The 'Fear of Allah' is akin to love; for it means the fear of offending Allah or doing anything wrong that will forfeit His Good Pleasure. This is "Taqwa", which implies self restraint, guarding ourselves from all sin and injustice and doing good. It is not merely a feeling or emotion: it is an act, a doing of things which become a preparation for the Hereafter- 'the Morrow'. This whole worldly life is "today", whose "tomorrow" is the Day of Resurrection, which is going to follow it. Just as we work hard to have food and shelter for the days to come we need to pay heed doing good deeds for the Hereafter. Unless a person develops in himself the sense of what is good for him and what is evil, he cannot appreciate whether what he is doing will make his future in the Hereafter or mar it. And when this sense becomes active in him, he will have to contemplate and see for himself whether the way in which he is expending his time, wealth, energies and capabilities leads to Heaven or Hell. To do so is in his own interest; for if he does not do so he will ruin his own future itself, Forgetfulness of God inevitably leads to forgetfulness of one's own-self. When man forgets that he is slave to somebody, he will inevitably form a wrong view of his position in this world and his whole life will go wrong because of this basic misunderstanding. Likewise, when he forgets that he is slave to nobody except Allah, he does not serve the One Whose slave he is, in fact he goes on serving all others. Man's remaining firm and steadfast on the right path entirely depends on his remembering God at all times. For as soon as he becomes heedless of Him he becomes heedless of himself and this very heedlessness turns him into a sinner. Compiled From: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Blessed be the lonely! “Islam started in loneliness, and will end as it started in loneliness, blessed be the lonely.” [Muslim] The loneliness of Islam does not at all mean its weakness. The same applies to the loneliness of those who believe in it and who defend it. It does not mean their weakness or their insignificance. It means that they are uniquely distinguished and that their personality has not dissolved in others, actually they are the pride of their people. In some versions of this Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) described the lonely in the following manner: “those who repair what others have abused in my tradition.” [Tirmidhi] These lonely people are neither desperate nor negative in their societies, but rather, they repair what others have abused in terms of the traditions of Islam, and revive its good behaviour and morality, which had declined. There is nothing in the Hadith that indicates that the loneliness is general, comprehensive and lasting. As it was mentioned by Ibn Al Qayyim, this may happen in one country but not the other, to one people but not the other, in one time but not the other. Then the conditions change, and the weak become strong and the defeated become victorious. In this respect, the following Hadith of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, cited in Al-Bukhari is often quoted: "The era you are living in is always better than the era that will follow.'' This Hadith should not be taken literally or in its absoluteness and generality. The Prophet wanted this Hadith to advise the group of followers who heard it, in order for them to be prepared for the changes yet to come after the time of the Prophet. So neither should the conditions they will experience after him, nor the tremendous changes they will see afterwards discourage them or shake their belief in their religion and their path. Without this understanding of the Hadith and reality, one would not understand why the time of Omar Bin Abdulaziz was better than the time of the Umayyads before him. The following Hadith by Ahmed and Tirmidhi thus brings hope and good news to the Muslims: “The case of my Ummah is like that of rain, one knows not which is better, its beginning or its end.” Compiled From: |
| Blindspot |
The Grave- Companion of the Dead 'Not a single man dies without being called by the pit in which he is buried, which declares, "I am the house of gloom, and of loneliness and solitude! If you were obedient to God during your lifetime then today I shall be a source of mercy for you, but if you were rebellious then I am an act of vengence against you. The obedient who enter me shall come forth joyful, while the rebellious who enter me shall emerge in ruin".' - Ubaid bin Umayr al-Laythi 'I have heard it said that when the deceased is set in his tomb his works amass around him and are given to speak by God, so that they say, "O bondsman, alone in his pit! Your family and friends are now separated from you, so that today we are your sole companions".' - Yazid al-Ruqashi Compiled From: |
