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Religion & Belief (Alor Pothay) => Islam => Ramadan and Fasting => Topic started by: ymislam on August 23, 2009, 05:33:00 PM
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Dear Readers,
Do you ever ask yourselves questions like:
* Who am I?
* What am I doing on earth?
* Does my life have any purpose?
* What will happen after I die?
* etc.
Ramadhan is the month of reflection for the Muslim. Our Book for reflection was revealed in this month. The first word, "Iqra", meaning 'Read', 'Gather Knowledge', 'Read & Reflect' was revealed during this month. The complete book, the Qur'an answers any questions that we may have of our Creator, Allah.
To get us started on reading and reflecting, I will InshaAllah post one brief article each day of Ramadhan. If you are interested, pls read. You can also post any question that you like.
The articles collectively form a tafsir of the Qur'an. Each Verse is explained using other verses from the Qur'an. Self-tafsir is avoided as much as possible.
May Allah guide each of us.
-Yousuf
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1. Sura Fatiha or the Opening Chapter - (Day 1)
If we count the number of times Allah has asked us to recite Sura Fatiha in Fard Namaz and compare this with the number of hours that we are normally awake what would we find? Mathematically, we will find that Allah has asked us to read Sura Fatiha approximately once for each hour that we are awake! Why is this? Is Allah telling us something? Is He warning us about something?
In the following Verse, Allah separates the seven verses of Sura Fatiha and gives them equal importance alongside the whole Qur’an!!
“And We have bestowed upon thee the Seven Oft-Repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur'an.†[15.87]
What could be the reason? Could the seven Verses be an abstract or a summary of the Qur’an? Could they be a gateway to understanding and interpreting the Qur’an? Could they be explaining how and why we should be reading the understanding the Qur’an?
Let us examine each verse and use other verses from the Qur’an to shed light on the significance of each Verse under study.
1.1 “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious{1}, Most Merciful{2}â€
This is the first of the seven verses of Sura Fatiha. This Verse introduces Allah as a Being who is condescendingly indulgent on the one hand and most merciful on the other. What does “In the name of†mean? “In the name of †is given as a phrase in the Encarta Dictionary as “By the authority of â€. Paraphrasing, the first Verse may be written, “By the authority of Allah, the condescendingly indulgent and most mercifulâ€. The verse therefore affirms that whatever follows in the sura and in the rest of the Qur’an is recorded given the authority of Allah. Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah confirms that the Prophet has not invented any verse:
“(This is) a Message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds. And if the apostle were to invent any sayings in Our name We should certainly seize him by his right hand and We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart:†[69.43-46]
A person who understands the meaning of this Verse is immediately in a bind. If the person really believes that he/she has been created then the Allah’s Words are addressed directly to him/her. This therefore is a communication sent by the Creator!
Yet, however:
“…These are the Signs (or Verses) of the Book: that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth; but most men believe not.â€
[18.1]
Allah ties in-depth study of the Qur’an with proof of belief in the following Verse:
“Those to whom We have given the Book study it as it should be studied: they are the ones that believe therein: Those who reject faith therein – the loss is their own.†[2.121]
Allah tells us that if we do not study the Revealed Words, it means that we do not believe! Let’s imagine that one of our Muslim friends has received a letter written in the German language. As he does not understand the German language, he simply pronounces the words in the Roman alphabet and puts the letter, after kissing it, away on top of a cupboard. If you observed this, what would you say to him?
1.2 “All praise belongs to Allah, the Cherisher{3} and Sustainer{4} of the Worldsâ€
Why all praise? The difference between the Creator and the created can be likened{5} to the difference between an ‘anime cartoon writer’ and the cartoon world that he/she has created. Whom does all credit for creating the cartoon world and all that ensues belong to? Sole credit for creating, caring, giving free-will with options and sustaining every moment in our lives belongs to Allah.
Which “Worlds†is Allah talking about? Looking through the Qur’an we find another verse that defines two worlds:
“Praise be to Allah to Whom belong all things in the heavens and on earth: to Him be Praise in the Hereafter:..†[34.1]
Right at the outset, Allah is telling us that He has created two worlds – the current world with everything in it and the Hereafter! When we praise Allah, it is simply acknowledging this truth – giving due credit where credit belongs. He is the Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer of both the current world and the next world in the Hereafter. Regardless of whether or not we acknowledge the truth, i.e. whether or not we give credit where it is due:
“…verily Allah is He (that is) free of all wants worthy of all praise.†[31.26]
Hypothetically imagine if engineers were able to design the planet earth and all that is in it. How many engineers would we need and how many years would it take? Allah gives us an indication of the extent of His Own Handiwork:
“And if all the trees on earth were pens and the oceans (were ink) with seven (additional) oceans behind it to add to its (supply) yet would not the Words of Allah be exhausted (in writing)…†[31.27]
Is there any being other than the Creator that we can credit anything to? By praising Allah, the individual essentially places himself/herself in context as part of creation confirming the truth; Allah does not ‘need’ praise.
Notes:
{1} Gracious: condescendingly indulgent and generous to perceived inferiors.
{2} Merciful: one showing extreme mercy. He forgives again and again during the learning period on earth [38.66].
{3} Cherisher: The Encarta Dictionary gives three meanings for cherisher: one who loves and cares for somebody, one who gives high value and one who constantly retains in mind.
{4} Sustainer: One that supports and upholds (Encarta Dictionary, 2005)
{5} Likened: Now, if the writer were able to give intelligence and free will to the cartoon characters, what kind of interaction would be necessary between the writer and the cartoon characters? Given free will or free choices, the writer would essentially have to consult the choices made by the characters as he/she would have to arrange the script to reflect the choices taken. On whom would the ultimate outcome of any event depend? Who would be writing the script giving success? If a cartoon character were then successful in any thing, whom would the credit belong to? What, then, is the only thing that a cartoon character could be held accountable or responsible for?
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Dear Sir,
May Allah do a lot of Rahmat on you for your good work.
I am happy to read this.
Umme Kulsum
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"Each Verse is explained using other verses from the Qur'an." yes, this is what all of us should know that each verse of the Qur'an should be explained using the other verses.
Let's read the glorious Qur'an understanding the meanings.
regards
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Sura Fatiha contd: (Day 2)
1.3 “Most Gracious{1}, Most Merciful{2}â€
How is Allah Most Gracious and Most Merciful? Any ideas?
Let us examine one aspect of our life – food. And look at just one food item – milk. How many types of milk products are there? What is the relationship between these products and the human body? Is this relationship similar to the relationship between a car and petrol/diesel or Combined Natural Gas?
To provide nutrition, if Allah had instead created a Combined Natural Food (CNF) pump where we could fill up our daily requirement against a meter, would it have done the same job or performed the same function?
Instead, Allah has given us so much variety and a tongue to enjoy our food! This is an example of how much Allah loves and cares for us! Allah gives us examples in the Qur’an:
“We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors above a great part of Our Creation.†[17.70]
Consider the fact that we thank anyone for the smallest of favours. We normally classify this as being good manners! What should be our personal attitude to the One who has given us our beings, made us unique, made us intelligent and given us faculties and opportunities and choices for the fulfillment of our lives?
“It is We who have placed you with authority on earth and provided you therein with means for the fulfillment of your life: small are the thanks that ye give!â€[7.10]
On the other hand, how do we ourselves react to ungrateful people, i.e. people who are not grateful for favors given? Do we ourselves use any of the 17 opportunities (during our Fard Namaz) to thank Allah for what He has given us each hour of each day?
What would you say to a cartoon character that became self-righteous and arrogant instead of being humble and grateful? This leads us into the next verse of Sura Fatiha. Allah tells us that He is the
1.4 “Owner of the Day of Judgmentâ€
Why do we need a Day of Judgment? What judgment will Allah deliver? Allah tells us:
“And on that Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire (it will be said to them): "You received your good things in the life of the world and you took your pleasure{3} out of them: but today shall ye be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: for that you were arrogant{4} on earth without just cause and that you (ever) transgressed."â€[46.20]
An arrogant{5} person not only places himself/herself above others, he/she actually places himself/herself equal to or above the Creator. The Creator has given all, whatever the person has, e.g. existence, wealth, health, property, status, knowledge, abilities, beauty, physique, wisdom, skills, children, success, etc. Therefore, being arrogant implies:
• Crediting own self for blessings that the Creator has given;
• Denying credit to the One who deserves credit;
• Being ungrateful for the blessings that the Creator has given;
• That the person has not used his/her intelligence to work out who has originated what.
At a point between this world and the next, Allah alone will judge and decide:
“Yea to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth; so that He rewards those who do evil according to their deeds and He rewards those who do good with what is best.†[53.31]
The test is individual – we will be accountable for our deeds alone as we stand before our Creator who has Created our individual environments as a test bed:
“Nor strain your{6} eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to parties of them the splendor of the life of this world through which We test them: but the provision of thy Lord is better and more enduring.†[20.131]
What we should be doing is saying with full conviction…
1.5 “Thee (alone) do we worship and thy aid do we seekâ€
We actually instinctively know Who it is that helps us out of trouble, however:
“When trouble touches men they cry (directly) to their Lord turning back to Him in repentance{7}: but when He gives them a taste of Mercy as from Himself behold some of them pay part-worship{8} to other gods besides their Lord. (As if) to show their ingratitude for the favors{9} We have bestowed on them! Then enjoy (your brief day); but soon will you know (your folly).†[30.33 – 34]
Therefore, from human beings, the Creator wants:
• a correct understanding of blessings and success granted by Allah.
• to acknowledge Allah’s contribution to one’s life by giving Him the priority that He deserves
• ask Him directly for help and success in all activities.
• to be grateful and thank Him regularly.
Notes:
{1} Gracious: kind and polite, full of tact, full of kindness and politeness, condescendingly indulgent and generous to perceived inferiors.
{2} Merciful: one who shows mercy.
{3} Pleasure: deriving pleasure without acknowledging the truth by being grateful to the One who gave everything.
{4} Arrogant: the synonyms of arrogance are given as pride, haughtiness, egotism, conceit, etc. The antonym is given as humility in the Encarta Dictionary.
{5} Arrogance: The Encarta Dictionary defines ‘arrogance’ as ‘contemptuous pride: a strong feeling of proud self-importance that is expressed by treating other people with contempt or disregard’.
{6} Your: the old English word ‘thine’ used by Abdullah Yusuf Ali has been replaced by ‘your’ by the researcher.
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Sura Fatiha (contd): - (Day 3)
Being weak and susceptible to temptation [4.26 – 4.28], we ask Allah to…
1.6 “Show us the straight wayâ€
A minimum of 17 times each and every day we plead to the Creator to show or to guide us to the straight or proper way – the way that would meet His Approval. How can the Creator guide the person who asks?
“Praise be to Allah Who has sent to His Servant{1} the Book and has allowed therein no crookedness: (He has made it) straight (and clear)…†[18.1 – 2]
It is the Grand Qur’an or the Book accompanying Sura Fatiha that contains the Guidance that we seek and that we need. Together with Sura Fatiha we are therefore asked to recite a part of the Qur’an. The straight way is given in the Qur’an. The Words of the Qur’an should therefore be seriously studied to find the way that would please Allah. A translation is available in every current language of the world. Allah tells us that:
“Verily We have made this (Qur'an) easy in thy tongue in order that they (you) may give heed.†[44.58]
Any ideas on why we need to ask Allah to show us the straight way so many times?
With the passage of time, could the failings of the people who received Revelation earlier afflict us as well? Would it then be instructional to find out what the previous peoples did wrong? If we are interested, both good and bad examples from the past would help us practically compare our day-to-day lives today. If we are not interested in learning and adopting Revelation, Allah clearly tells us:
“"And if you reject (the Message) so did generations before you: and the duty of the apostle is only to preach publicly (and clearly)."†[29.18]
In the next Verse, we therefore ask Allah to show us practical examples from the lives of those who previously received Revelation – ways that pleased Allah and ways that displeased Allah.
1.7 “The way of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy Grace, those whose portion is not wrath and who go not astray.â€
To help us understand, we ask Allah to show us three ways of those who received Revelation before us:
• on whom You (Allah) bestowed thy Grace
And guide us away from the way of those
• with whom You (Allah) are angry and
• who have moved away from the straight path
How can we benefit from the ways followed by those who were given Revelation before? Would it be pertinent for believers to ask themselves why indeed has Allah enjoined these verses{2} a minimum of 17 times each day? Allah asks:
“Has not the time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of (examining) the truth which has been Revealed (to them) and that they should not become like those to whom was given Revelation aforetime but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard{3}? For many among them are rebellious transgressors.†[57.16]
To examine the truth we need to thoroughly analyse each Verse [39.18] Revealed by Allah and compare with our lives today [2.186]. Each verse Revealed is a Sign [32.26] from our Creator, Allah. If we simply recite the Verses like a parrot and do not to study or understand what Guidance Allah has sent, Allah asks for a story to be told, perchance we may understand:
“Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent Our Signs{4} but he passed them by: so Satan followed him up and he went astray. If it had been Our Will We should have elevated him with Our Signs; but he inclined to the earth and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him he lolls out his tongue or if you leave him alone he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our Signs; so relate the story; perchance they may reflect. Evil as an example are people who reject Our Signs and wrong their own souls.†[7.175 – 7.177]
Two such Verses that talk about people of previous Revelations with whom Allah is displeased or who have gone astray are given as examples below. It is left to the reader to decide why Allah is relating these verses to us or why indeed we are asked to recite such verses so many times a day. Can parallels be drawn with our day-to-day attitudes?
“And they say: “None shall enter paradise unless he be a Jew or Christianâ€. That is their vain desire. Say, “Produce your proof, if what you say is true.†[2.111]
“The Jews say, “The Christians have naught (to stand) uponâ€; and the Christians say, “The Jews have naught (to stand) upon.†Yet they (profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say, who know not{5}; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.†[2.113]
Summary of Sura Fatiha: Allah has given Sura Fatiha equal weight as the rest of the Qur’an. He has asked us to recite this sura at least 17 times each day – once for every waking hour. This spells the importance that we should give to this Sura! Allah tells us at the outset that He has created two worlds – the current Universe and the Hereafter and that He is overly indulgent to mankind. On the Day of Judgment He will separate those who acknowledge this truth by being humble, grateful and work righteous deeds from those who are arrogant, ungrateful and work evil. We therefore plead that it is He alone that we worship, and He alone that we ask for help! As we are weak and given to temptation, we ask Him to show us the straight way by giving practical examples of those who received Revelation in earlier times. We need to seriously study the Words of the Qur’an, as a proof of our belief, to find out whether we are following the wrong paths of those who received previous Revelations and make sure that we follow the path that would please Allah. With such repeated Guidance at hand what excuses would we put forward on the Day of Judgment?
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{Notes}:
{1} Servant: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), through whom these Verses were Revealed.
{2} Verses: Sura Fatiha accompanied with Verses from the Grand Qur’an.
{3} Hard: the Words of the Qur’an have no effect on a ‘hard heart’. We hear and recite the Words, but do not listen and obey – we hear the Verses but do not want or care to know the meaning of the words or even why the Words are addressed to us. Read Verses 8.21 – 8.22.
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About the Obvious Existence of Allah
From the moment man opens his eyes to this world a great order surrounds him. He needs oxygen to survive. It is interesting that the atmosphere of the planet on which he lives provides more than just the adequate amount of oxygen he needs. This way, he breathes without difficulty. For the existence of life on this planet, the existence of a source of heat is essential. In response to this need, the sun is located just at the right distance to emit just the exact amount of heat and energy man needs. Man needs nourishment to survive. Every corner of the world abounds in astonishingly diversified provisions. Likewise, man needs water. Surprisingly, three-fourths of the planet is covered with water. Man needs shelter, and in this world, there is land on which it is suitable to build and all sorts of materials to make shelters.
These are only a few among billions of details making life possible on earth. In brief, man lives on a planet perfectly designed for his survival. This is certainly a planet "created for human beings".
A person's interpretation of the world rests on "acquired methods of thought." That is, he thinks in the way he has been taught, or, less kindly, the way in which he is indoctrinated. Under this misguidance, he often dismisses all the aforementioned as "trivial realities." However, if he does not side-step the matter, and start questioning the conditions making our existence possible, he will surely step out of the boundaries of habitual thinking and start to think:
How does the atmosphere serve as a protective ceiling for the earth?
How does each one of the billions of cells in the human body know and perform its individual tasks?
How does this extraordinary ecological balance exist on earth?
A person seeking answers to these questions surely proceeds on the right path. He does not remain insensitive to things happening around him, and doesn't plead ignorance about the extraordinary nature of the world. A person who asks questions, who reflects on and gives answers to these questions will realise that on every inch of the planet, a plan and an order reigns:
How did the flawless order in the whole universe come into being?
Who provided the delicate balances in the world?
How did living beings, incredibly diversified in nature, emerge?
Keeping oneself occupied with relentless research to answer these questions results in a clear awareness that everything in the universe, its order, each living being and structure is a component of a plan, a product of design. Every detail, the excellent structure of an insect's wing, the system enabling a tree to carry tons of water to its topmost branches, the order of planets, and the ratio of gases in the atmosphere, are all unique examples of perfection.
In every detail of the infinitely varied world, man finds his Creator. Allah, the owner of everything in the whole universe, introduces Himself to man through the flawless design of His creation. Everything surrounding us, the birds in flight, our beating hearts, the birth of a child or the existence of the sun in the sky, manifest the power of Allah and His creation. And what man must do is to understand this fact.
These purposes owe their existence to the fact that everything has been created. An intelligent person notices that plan, design and wisdom exist in every detail of the infinitely varied world. This draws him to recognition of the Creator.
So you never plead ignorance that all living beings, living or non-living, show the existence and greatness of Allah. Look at things around you and strive to show appreciation in the best manner for the eternal greatness of Allah.
The existence of Allah is OBVIOUS. Ignoring it would only be the beginning of the greatest damage we could ever do to ourselves. That is simply because Allah is in no need of anything. He is the One Who shows His greatness in all things and in all ways. Allah is the owner of everything, from the heavens to the earth. We learn the attributes of Allah from the Qur'an:
Allah! There is no God but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqarah: 255)
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Dear Yusuf Sir
"By (the Token of) Time (through the ages),
Verily human beings are in loss,
Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance or patience."
Al-'Asr
Imaam Shafi (may Allah be pleased with him) said, this verse is enough for a human being to go to Jannah. Four things are there:
1. Having faith (Imaan)
2. Doing righteous deeds
3. Calling n advising people to truth (to the way of Allah)
4. Calling and advising each other to patience n perseverance.
Under normal circumstances, nobody will enter Jannah without fulfilling the following criteria. If Almighty Allah forgives someone, that's a different thing. "Doing Daw'ah is compulsory in Islam." It's a FARZ like acquiring knowledge.
I think we, muslims, should give topmost priority on Daw'ah. People of different religions and sects have misconceptions towards Islam. Most importantly, International Media is maligning Islam. Everyday more than 1 book is being written against Islam. After 11 September, it has reached an epidemic level. It is the duty on every Muslim to remove the misconception of Islam. We should do Jihad to propagate Islam. We think Jihad means holy war. No, it's not. It means to strive and struggle. A student striving to pass the exam is doing Jihad, a doctor striving to save a patient is doing Jihad. The best Jihad, according to our prophet(pbuh), is to control one's evils, to check NAAFS.
Last but not the least, we Muslims should strive to establish a peaceful society where there will be the laws of the Qur'an.
Rgds
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Shibli,
Thank you for your thoughts. How do we define 'Iman'? Is it simply saying by our lips that I believe in the Creator?
-Yousuf
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The first three articles completed the Seven Verses of Sura Fatiha. Since we recite this Sura a minimum of 17 times each day, if we go through the tafsir, it may help us understand why Allah has given so much importance to Sura Fatiha.
Today's installment continues with Sura Baquarah. Here is the first article.
Sura Baquarah
2.1 “A.L.Mâ€
If we look through the Qur’an to find a clue as to what these initials{1} may represent; as examples we find:
“Ha-Meem. By the Book that makes things clear. We have made it{2} a Qur’an in Arabic; that you may be able to understand; and verily it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, high, full of wisdom.†[43.1 – 43.4]
“…this is a Glorious Qur’an, (inscribed{3}) in the Tablet Preserved†[85.21 – 85.22]
From a study of the Verses above it is evident that there is a Book with Allah (in a tablet preserved) from where the present Verses{4} have been Revealed. All 29 Chapters in the Qur’an that start with similar initials immediately or subsequently talk about the “Book†in one form or another. Given this fact, the initials could be references{5} to places in the Book with Allah{6} from where the Verses have been extracted. Allah best knows the format of the initials. It is sufficient, however, to say that these initials are Signs from Allah that lend authenticity and authority to the Verses written down in printed form for human beings.
After giving the source from where Revelation has been given, Allah proceeds to categorize the types and natures of people to whom Revelation is addressed.
Verses 2.2 to 2.5 define those who are grateful and humble, i.e. who believe.
2.2 “This is (from) the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allahâ€
The Revealed Verses contain Guidance for those who acknowledge the Creator’s total supremacy and hold over everything and thereby fear Him. Why would the One who has created everything and every moment of our lives need to Reveal Verses?
“And Allah doth advance in Guidance those who seek Guidance;…†[19.76]
As we have been given free-will, we are free to feel that we are self-made and do not need guidance. However, if we want to be grateful for being given existence and want to thank or please Him, we need to study the Verses Revealed:
“And it certainly is a Guide and a Mercy to those who believe.†[27.77]
If a beautiful painting could understand the fact of its own creation, how should it look upon its artist? If the artist gave a ‘manual’, what should the painting do? The ones that seek Guidance are:
2.3 “Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer and spend out of what We have provided{7} for themâ€
The environmental systems that support human beings and the situations that we face in our day-to-day lives cannot be automatic or self-created. There has to be a huge driving force that is creating and sustaining everything in our day-to-day lives!
“Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth and has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure (both) seen and unseen?...†[31.20]
Although we cannot see the Creator, we should easily be able to work out that any functional system cannot be automatic. Can a functional device such as a ‘car’ create itself or come into being randomly? The petrol, diesel, gas or power it needs has to be created as well. This book is Guidance for those who wish to demonstrate their gratefulness to the unseen Creator by regularly saying their prayers and spend from whatever resources Allah has given them. Spend for what purpose?
“…spend out of (the gifts) We have bestowed for their sustenance secretly and openly; to{8} turn off evil with good...†[13.22]
Allah continues the definition of a believer:
2.4 “And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee and sent before thy time{9} and (in their hearts) have the assurance{10} of the Hereafterâ€
If one does not believe that the Creator sends and has sent Revelation, Allah asks:
“No just estimate of Allah do they make when they say: "Nothing doth Allah send down to man (by way of revelation)": Say (or ask): "Who then sent down the Book which Moses brought?...†[6.91]
Allah explains who He is, and who is it that does not believe:
“Your Allah is One Allah: as to those who believe not in the Hereafter their hearts refuse to know as{11} they are arrogant.†[16.22]
Can anyone other than our Creator to send ‘Revelation’? The Verses are addressed to those who are apprehensive of the Day when they will have to stand in front of their Creator and stand trial for their deeds. Who are those who do not fear accountability?
“Such as fear not the meeting with Us (for Judgment) say (or think): "Why are not the angels sent down to us or (why) do we not see our Lord?" Indeed they have an arrogant conceit of themselves and mighty is the insolence of their impiety!†[25.21]
Allah confirms that it is those that meet the criteria of Verses 2.2 to 2.4 are the ones who are on the straight path and will fulfill the purpose for which they have been created:
2.5 “They are on (true) guidance from their Lord and it is these who will prosper.â€
Having given us free will, Allah has provided Guidance to His Purpose of the sojourn on earth:
“He Who created Death and Life that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might Oft-Forgiving.†[67.2]
Allah questions:
“Did ye then think that We had created you in jest{12} and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?†[23.115]
“We created not the heavens the earth and all between them but for just{13} ends. And the Hour (of Judgment) is surely coming (when this will be manifest)...â€
[15.85]
The Creator has given man free will. Having made everything and given man opportunities for the fulfillment of their individual life [7.10] should the Creator tolerate arrogance? Can free will be meaningful without responsibility and accountability?
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{Notes}:
{1} Initials: to mark a document with initials, especially in order to show approval or give authorization. (Encarta Dictionary)
{2} It: what We, i.e. what Allah has sent down.
{3} Inscribed: the idea being that what you are reading is inscribed in the Glorious Qur’an preserved in a ‘tablet’ with Allah.
{4} Verses: constituting the Qur’an given in Arabic so that the people around the Prophet could understand in their local language at the time of Revelation.
{5} References: source referred to – Allah best knows the format of the source and the reference.
{6} Book with Allah: the Book could be defining the purpose of Creation and the opportunities that would be given to test mankind. See for example, Verse 5.48.
{7} Provided: all abilities and resources provided by Allah.
{8} To: To complete the sense of the sentence the researcher has used “to†to link the ideas in the Verse. Consult Verses 61.11, 28.77 in support of this point-of-view.
{9} Before thy time: previous original Revelations sent to Prophets from the Creator, e.g. to Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
{10} Assurance: confidence that there is a purpose to Allah’s creation.
{11} As: The researcher has used the conjunction “as†to complete the meaning of the Verse. Read Verse 25.21 in support of this,
{12} Jest: The Encarta Dictionary gives synonyms of jest as joke, prank, hoax, etc.
{13} Just: to establish truth and justice. Synonyms of ‘just’ given in the Encarta Dictionary: correct, moral, ethical, good, appropriate, proper, right, fitting, etc. See Verse 45.22.
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Sura Baquarah contd - (Day 5)
Today, the cross-referenced study of the Qur’an continues with Verses 2.6 and 2.7 that define the second category of people who are essentially declared disbelievers.
2.6 “As to those who reject Faith it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.â€
In another place in the Qur’an, Allah gives an example of the characteristics of those who clearly disbelieve:
“The life of this world is alluring{1} to those who reject faith and they scoff{2} at those who believe. But the righteous{3} will be above them on the Day of Resurrection; for Allah bestows His abundance without measure on whom He will.†[2.212]
Wealth, power, children, qualities, abilities, achievements, successes, status in society not only give a false sense of security and a false sense of pride but at the same time provide things that can be ‘worshipped’ besides or in preference to the Creator. Such are things granted by the Creator only as a test to see who is grateful (for whatever the Creator has given) as opposed to the one who becomes proud preferring the glitter of this life. Allah has given all these things as conveniences of this life; He explains however that:
“And on that Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire (it will be said to them): "You received your good things in the life of the world and you took your pleasure{4} out of them: but today shall ye be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: for that you were arrogant{5} on earth without just cause and that you (ever) transgressed{6}."â€[46.20]
A person who becomes proud and arrogant has not understood who has originated what. Being humble and grateful is proof of belief. As the purpose of our temporary stay on earth is to separate the ungrateful from the grateful, it is not Allah’s Will [2.256] to force anyone to believe:
“If it had been the Lord's Will they would all have believed all who are on earth! Will thou then compel mankind against their will to believe?†[10.99]
Allah does not need our worship, our gratitude or our praise.
“And He gives you of all that you ask for. But if you count the favors of Allah never will you be able to number them: verily man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.†[14.34]
“To Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth. Verily We have directed the people of the Book{7} before you and you (O Muslims) to fear Allah. But if you deny Him lo! Unto Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth and Allah is free of all wants worthy of all praise.†[4.131]
“Verily We have revealed the Book to thee in Truth for (instructing) mankind. He then that receives guidance benefits his own soul: but he that strays injures his own soul.†[39.41]
By worshipping Allah we are not doing Him a favour! He does not need our worship! By worshipping Him exclusively we are simply acknowledging the truth that He is the Giver and we are the beneficiaries; by being grateful for all that He has given us – the favour is on us! By acknowledging the truth we demonstrate our understanding of who originated what and thereby fulfill the purpose of our creation!
After ample opportunities and warnings, Allah completes the test and then as punishment He removes further opportunities to believe:
2.7 “Allah sets a seal on their hearts and on their hearing and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).â€
After repeated opportunities and tests to acknowledge and be grateful to Him, Allah removes the opportunity for a change of heart:
“Then after him We sent (many) apostles to their Peoples: they brought them Clear Signs but they would not believe what they had already rejected beforehand. Thus do We (then) seal the hearts of the transgressors.â€[10.74]
So that we realize that we have a fixed limited amount of time on earth and realize that opportunities are slipping by:
“It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a reflecting{8} light and measured out stages for her: that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but (to help establish) truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain his Signs in detail for those who (wish to) understand.†[10.5]
“But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come: and Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that you do.†[63.11]
From the preceding, it is evident that Allah has not only left many ‘signs’ of His handiwork, but has also sent mankind Revelation through prophets to inform us of the purpose of creation and given us time to correct our mistakes. If, after this, we still reject His sole Authority, He ‘locks’ up our understanding as punishment. However, He allows us continue to enjoy [15.3] our arrogant ways as this is what we have preferred. After the seal is set, the individual would no longer be able to recognize Allah’s handiwork – the examination/answer scripts are taken back after the time allowed by the Examiner.
As an example, the words of Sura Fatiha are ‘delivered’ to us a minimum of 17 times each day as are the Verses that we recite in tandem – these are all Signs from Allah. Yet, if we ignore these Signs (the Words of the Qur’an) by not giving due weight to the meaning of what we are saying, the following Verse delivers a serious warning.
“Verily We have propounded{9} for men in this Qur'an every kind of Parable: but if thou bring to them any Sign the unbelievers are sure to say{10} "You do nothing but talk vanities{11}." Thus does Allah seal up the hearts of those who (wish to) understand not.†[30.58 – 30.59]
When we ignore people who explain the Qur’an or avoid reading the meaning of the Qur’an we effectively demonstrate our disbelief. When we recite the ‘Kalimah’ we testify our belief, and then if we ignore Allah’s Signs given in the Qur’an, what are we doing?
“That is because they believed then they rejected Faith: so a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not.†[63.3]
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{Notes}:
{1} Alluring: extremely attractive, tempting and able to arouse a strong desire (Encarta Dictionary)
{2} Scoff: ridicule or make fun of (Encarta Dictionary)
{3} Righteous: those who support the truth and justice of the Creator.
{4} Pleasure: deriving pleasure without acknowledging the truth by being grateful to the One who gave you everything.
{5} Arrogant: The synonyms of arrogance are given as pride, haughtiness, egotism, conceit, etc. The antonym is given as humility (Encarta Dictionary).
{6} Transgress: to overstep the limits of proper and just behavior (Encarta Dictionary).
{7} People of the Book: people who were given previous Revelations from the Book [85.22] with Allah.
{8} Reflecting: The researcher has added the word ‘reflecting’, to point out that the moon reflects the ‘shining glory’ of the sun and helps us keep track of time. During the day, man has also used sun dials to keep track of time.
{9} Propound: put forward by way of explanation for mankind to consider
{10} Say: or equally think as Allah is thoroughly acquainted with our inner thoughts.
{11} Vanities: self-made extrapolations or concoctions in th
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"Everyone is a house with four rooms: PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL and SPIRITUAL. Unless we go into everyroom every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person."--Rumer Godden.
No doubt, Allah has bestowed upon you a tremendous ability, that is your writing skill. May Allah give you the ability to write to remove the misconceptions of Islam that nonmuslims as well as muslims have, ameen.
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Shibli,
Jazak Allah! Allah has given you good writing abilities as well!
We need to look at three concepts.
1. What does belief mean? Is belief like trust? Can we say to someone, I trust you 50% or even 99%? Similarly can we say to Allah, I believe in you 50% or even 99%? Allah either exists or He doesn't, i.e 1 or 0. It cannot be 1 when we are in trouble and 0 when we are happy with things around us. It cannot be 1 before exams and 0 after we get a good grade. It cannot be 1 when we are in trouble and 0 when He has got us out of trouble. If He does exist, what does it mean in our day-to-day lives?
2. Allah has given us abilities and opportunities to lead fulfilled lives. When we achieve something should we become arrogant or should we thank Allah? When we become arrogant, whom are we thanking for the success? What moral does the story of Iblis carry? What moral does the story of Phiraon carry? Does thanking Allah demonstrate belief that He has provided all?
3. What should we be doing with the opportunities provided to us? With the potential abilities what should we be doing? Should we be good to those with less?
Which of the above would we be asked about on the Day of Judgment?
Your thoughts?
-Yousuf
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Sura Baquarah contd: (Day 6)
Of 19 Verses at the beginning of Sura Baquara that classify three types of people to whom the Qur’an is addressed, 13 Verses are devoted to those who give ‘lip service’ to the Creator, i.e. their mouths say that they believe in Allah, yet their actions or thoughts do not support the attitude of a believer. Allah declares these people as disbelievers and thereby hypocrites.
2.8 “Of the people there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day" but they do not believe.â€
What is Allah talking about? People who claim that they believe, but do not believe?? How many people are there around us who say, “I believe in Allah� As believers are defined by Verses 2.2 to 2.5, comparing the day-to-day attitudes of such people with these Verses what would we find? Just like actual believers these people say they ‘believe’ but…
• do not seek guidance from the Qur’an, i.e. do not bother to understand what the Creator has said in His Manual for mankind [2.2]
• do not ‘fear’ the Creator, e.g. do not care to be grateful to Him or to acknowledge His exclusive contribution to their lives [2.2]
• do not appreciate that the Creator is beyond what can be physically observed around them [2.3]
• are not steadfast and sincere in prayer, i.e. not persistent, committed and dedicated to prayer as an expression of gratefulness and humility [2.3]
• do not spend out of the resources provided by the Creator to combat evil and do good [2.3]
• do not follow the Qur’an as something revealed by the Creator to be adhered to [2.4]
• do not believe that Revelations (in their original form) through the ages are from the same one and only Creator [2.4]
• do not firmly believe that the hereafter is for those who prove their belief in the Creator and that each would have to stand trial for denying the truth on the Day of Judgment [2.4]
Verse 2.5 confirms that Verses 2.2 – 2.4 are the qualities of believers – those who do not do these things are not believers, even if they ‘claim’ to believe. Such people are not ‘true’ to what they themselves say, hence are ‘false’ to their own proclaimed words.
An incident from the time of previous Revelation illustrates how the Creator demonstrated that many people who claimed belief did not really believe.
“Moses said: "O my People! If you do (really) believe in Allah then in Him put your trust if you submit{1} (to Him)."â€[10.84]
“They said: "In Allah do we put our trust…†[10.85]
“But none believed in (what) Moses (said) except some children of his People because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs lest they should persecute them;…†[10.83]
Allah demonstrated and proved to those who really trusted and feared Him exclusively:
“We took the Children of Israel across the sea: Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. At length then We overwhelmed them with the flood…â€[10.90]
Allah thereby clearly showed how these people were wrong to fear Pharaoh more than the Creator:
“And Allah by His Words does prove and establish His truth however much the sinners may hate it!†[10.82]
Whom did we actually fear more – Allah or other things like poverty, loss of face amongst peers or bosses? Allah tests each individual, i.e. checks the importance and the priority we give Him given the situations in our day-to-day lives. For example, if we plan to go on Hajj when we have nothing else left to do in our life what does it imply? In our list of priorities where have we placed Allah, our Creator, Provider and Sustainer – and the things He has asked us to do?
“Do the Unbelievers think that they can take my servants (other creation{2}) as protectors besides Me? Verily We have prepared Hell for the Unbelievers for (their) entertainment.†[18.102]
Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah gives another example of those who really do not believe.
“When trouble touches a man he cries unto Us{3} (in all postures) lying down on his side, sitting or standing. But when We have solved his trouble he passes{4} on his way as if he had never cried to Us for a trouble that touched him! Thus do the deeds of transgressors{5} seem fair in their eyes!†[10.12]
The trouble that Allah gives each individual person is only a test to examine whether the person who calls on the Creator to remove or alleviate his/her problems, actually believes that it is exclusively Allah that has removed the trouble. Do we thank Allah when we have successfully passed our exams? Do we remember to thank Allah when we are cured of an illness or are we full of praises for the doctors?
“Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere†[2.155]
There are people who find it difficult (or demeaning) to approach the Creator directly as this requires being humble; some such seek intercessors to apparently ‘mediate’ between them and the Creator. Has Allah appointed any of these mediators? What honorarium would these get for mediating? Allah aptly dubs these mediators ‘partners’.
“They serve{6} besides Allah things that hurt them not nor profit them and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: "Do ye indeed inform Allah of something He knows not in the heavens or on earth? Glory to Him! And far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!"†[10.8]
Is it the thought of appearing small that makes some children approach parents through their brothers and sisters when they need something?
To help these people further understand, Allah asks in Verse 2.13, “Do they believe that humble and grateful ‘believers’ are fools?†If hypocrites happily believe that they alone are on the ‘right path’ – they deceive none but themselves! Who else, other than the Creator [3.60], can define the truth? The Creator or Manufacturer of human beings has given ‘books’ through the ages, to different peoples, just as a car manufacturer would give maintenance manuals. What value does the purchaser of a car place upon the manufacturer’s manual? Also, what would you say to the car owner who often recites the manual like a parrot without understanding a word?
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{Notes}:
{1} Submit: give in to someone’s authority, demands or control. (Encarta Dictionary)
{2} Other creation: other human beings and rest of creation that is subservient to Allah [16.48]; the rest of creation does exactly as Allah has commanded.
{3} Us: the Arabic language has an additional royal first person that has been translated as “Us†or “We†by the translator Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Note that the person initially prays to the Creator, fully realizing that it is only the Creator that can get him/her out of trouble.
{4} Passes: forgets or intentionally overlooks thanking the Creator for getting him/her out of trouble. He/she may feel pleased that the trouble has gone away or he/she may credit himself/herself for coming out of trouble.
{5} Transgress: overstep limits of just and proper conduct.
{6} Serve: many of us serve/worship religious recluses [9.31] commonly known as ‘pirs’ and make excuses of the need for intercession.
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To me, true faith is based on knowledge that came from Allah. Yes i do agree that we claim we believe, but many of us actually don't believe. Does faith fluctuate? or is it because of our ignorance? Are we hypocrites knowingly? Why what we do or say often leads to SHIRK or disbelief.....You have exquisitely clarified who can be called believers as well as what we should do to be believers.
Whom did we actually fear more – Allah or other things like poverty, loss of face amongst peers or bosses? Allah tests each individual, i.e. checks the importance and the priority we give Him given the situations in our day-to-day lives---yes you are absolutely right. But one can listen to peers or bosses or parents until and unless the commandments don't go against those of Allah and Muhammad (sm). Opinions, views n perception vary; it's better if we accept them n live in consensus without making chaos n FITNAH, which are much worse than slaughter as The Qur'an says.
Allah has told us that He will forgive all sins for the one who repents to Him. He says (interpretation of the meaning):“Say: ‘O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful’†[al-Zumar 39:53]
This includes all sins, even shirk. Whoever repents, Allah will accept his repentance.
With regard to repentance from shirk in particular and the acceptance thereof, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him/her on the Day of Resurrection, and s/he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful†[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]
Allah mentions the kufr and shirk of the Christians, then calls them to repent. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Surely, disbelievers are those who said: “Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).†But there is no Ilaah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilaah (God —Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them.
74. Will they not turn with repentance to Allah and ask His forgiveness? For Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful†[al-Maa'idah 5:73-74]
No matter how great the sin, the forgiveness, generosity and kindness of Allah is greater.
What we, muslims have to do is to turn to Allah, regret what we did and resolve not to do it again. Then receive the glad tidings of the bounty and mercy of Allah, for Islam wipes out whatever sins came before it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him): “O ‘Amr, do you not know that Islam wipes out whatever came before it.†Narrated by Muslim, 121; Ahmad, 17861.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.†Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as hasan by al-Albaani.
If a person repents to Allah, Allah accepts his/her repentance and forgives him/her. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sinsâ€[al-Shoora 42:25]
“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him/her who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)†[Ta-Ha 20:82]
We have to think well of our Lord and hope that He will accept our repentance, for Allah says, “I am as My slave thinks I am.†A hadeeth qudsi narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7066; Muslim, 2675. According to Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad: “I am as My slave thinks I am, so let him think whatever he wants.â€
With regard to strengthening our faith, this may be done in many ways, such as the following:
1 Remembering Allah a great deal, reading His Book and sending a great deal of blessings upon His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We should read Qur’an a great deal and ponder its verses, for in that there is healing for what is in our heart, if Allah wills. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We send down of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe†[al-Isra’ 17:82]
2 Regularly offering the obligatory prayers on time and offering a lot of naafil prayers, so that one may attain the love and support of Allah as it says in the hadeeth: “Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.†Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6137.
3 Keeping company with good people who will help us to worship and obey Allah and discourage us from disobeying Him.
4 Reading biographies of righteous people among the scholars, ascetics (zaahids), devoted worshippers and those who repented. Allah narrated the biographies of the prophets in the Qur’an to make the heart of his Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the believers with him, steadfast. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad) of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby. And in this (chapter of the Qur’aan) has come to you the truth, as well as an admonition and a reminder for the believersâ€
[Hood 11:120]
5 Keeping away from everything that reminds us of sin and calls us to it.
6. Knowing all types of Shirks including big and small that you mentioned and others and refraining from those by doing the above and seeking refuge to Allah. Thus, in general, we can increase our faith.
Finally, "Do not feel weak before your enemy, and do not let him gain any power over you. Seek the help of Allah and do not feel helpless – as Your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has enjoined you. Remember that “ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytaan (Satan)†[al-Nisa’ 4:76].
O Allaah, make faith dear to us and make kufr (disbelief), evildoing and sin hateful to us, and make us of those who are rightly-guided.
May Allah reward you for all your efforts especially for the last posting, an excellent one, indeed.
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Sura Baquarah contd. (Day 7)
Verse 2.8 talked about those who say they believe in Allah, yet are arrogant, ungrateful and do not support what is just – these people are defined as ‘hypocrites’ by Allah, i.e. they are not true to the words they say. Allah continues with the characteristics that identify such people.
2.9 “Fain{1} would they deceive Allah and those who believe but they only deceive themselves and realize (it) not!â€
Such people happily feel that they are smarter than those who are humble, grateful and show piety to Allah. Do such people really believe that Allah will not understand? Do they think their claim to belief will be left untested?
“Do men think that they will be left alone on saying "We believe" and that they will not be tested?†[29.2]
Allah summarises His overall test plan for all mankind below:
“To thee (Prophet Muhammad pbuh), We sent the Qur’an in truth confirming the scriptures that came before it and guarding it (the Qur’an) in safety; so judge{2} between them by what Allah hath Revealed and follow not their vain{3} desires diverging from the truth that hath come to thee. To each (peoples) among you (mankind) have We prescribed a Law and an clear way{4}. If Allah had so willed He would have made you a single people{5} but (His plan is) to test you in what He has given{6} you: so strive as in a race{7} in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah{8}; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute (with each other).†[5.48]
Despite being fully aware of the Creator, many people who claim to be ‘religious’ still are not humble and grateful and do not do as believers do [49.15]. Yet, if simple questions are asked of these people, the reply is uniform … Allah:
“Say: "Who is it in whose hands is the governance of all things who protects (all) but is not protected (by any)? (Say) if ye know." They will say "(It belongs) to Allah." Say: "Then how are you deluded?"†[23.88 – 23.89]
Allah calls this a double standard or hypocrisy a disease:
2.10 “In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease and grievous is the penalty they (incur) because they are false (to themselves)â€
Once Allah has completed His cycle of tests on an individual who is false to his own or her own words, in this case a ‘hypocrite’, He shuts the possibility of future improvement by way of punishment! This is withdrawal of further opportunity to believe similar to the case of declared disbelievers (Verse 2.7). The following Verse asks a very logical question:
“To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and on earth and to Him is duty due always: then will you fear other{9} than Allah?†[16.52]
The word ‘false’ has other implications – in addition to being false to the concept of ‘belief’, one goes against one’s own innate hunger for peace and satisfaction:
“Those who believe (are those) whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.†[13.28]
If one feels that it is wealth, etc. that gives satisfaction, Allah categorically points out:
“That it is He Who gives wealth and satisfaction;†[53.48]
Some of us make mental or verbal promises, i.e. make a covenant{10} with Allah:
“Amongst them are men who make{11} a covenant with Allah that if He bestowed on them of His bounty they would give (largely) in charity and be truly amongst those who are righteous.†[9.75]
“But when He did bestow of His bounty they became covetous{12} and turn back (from their covenant) averse (from its fulfillment).â€[9.76]
“So He hath put as a consequence hypocrisy into their hearts (to last) till the Day whereon they shall meet Him: because they broke their covenant with Allah and because they lied (again and again).â€[9.77]
Verses 9.75 – 9.77 above clearly talk about people who classify themselves as having faith, e.g. they pray to Allah and call themselves ‘Muslims’! Those who make mental or verbal promises during prayers in return for favors, yet become ungrateful and arrogant after the favor is granted. Therefore, simply classifying oneself as a ‘Muslim’ is not automatic ‘faith’! One has to very seriously evaluate his/her state of faith or ‘Iman’. It is only by developing a proper understanding of faith through contemplating on the Qur’an and practicing accordingly would one gain success in faith.
Imagine a situation where one has applied for a job. The person prays to Allah to grant him/her the job. The person then arranges a bribe to be paid to a board member. Thinking that this may not also work, the person arranges for a political party person to put in a good word. Do the thought processes of such a person demonstrate that the person believes that Allah is exclusively the Giver of everything? In Bangla, the expression that describes the thoughts in this situation would be, “jodi ekta leigga jai!†Allah clearly answers the question in our heads:
“(The answer will be:) "This is because when Allah was invoked as the only (object of worship) you did reject Faith but when partners were joined to Him you believed! The command is (only) with Allah Most High Most Great!"†[40.12]
Also, if any find this unacceptable, Allah says:
“Verily We have propounded for men in this Qur'an every kind of Parable: but if thou bring to them any Sign the Unbelievers are sure to say, "You do nothing but talk vanities" Thus does Allah seal up the hearts of those who understand not.â€
[30.58 – 30.59]
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{Notes}:
{1} Fain: happily or gladly (Encarta Dictionary)
{2} Judge: decide what is just and what is wrong.
{3} Vain desires: desires arising from arrogance, conceit and pride (Encarta Dictionary)
{4} Clear way: straight forward, easy to follow path – ‘clear way’ is used in place of ‘Open Way’ translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
{5} Single people: i.e. people without differences.
{6} Given: Allah has given us everything; our beings, physique, beauty, status, wealth, health, children, qualities, skills, success, failure, food, or absence of any of these things.
{7} Race: synonyms of race are given as contest, competition, sprint, etc. It is the differences between people that allow us to exercise our virtues.
{8} Allah: Allah has originated all you have and constantly supports you. Just as in a company one looks to please the ‘boss’ as it is the boss who hands out the paycheck, in a similar manner we should look to please Allah as He is the Creator, Giver and Sustainer. The test is whether we worship the things given by Allah or Allah Himself.
{9} Other: many fear poverty, fear loss of status among peers, fear not being ‘in’ with the crowd, etc., if they are humble and demonstrate their gratitude by being pious.
{10} Covenant: synonyms given are agreement, contract, treaty, pledge, etc., i.e. we hastily make mental or verbal promises to Allah in return for certain favors like getting us out of trouble or a promotion, etc.
{11} Make: the researcher has used ‘make’ in the present continuous tense instead of ‘made’ in the past tense, to complete the sense in English. Once Allah has completed His Part of the agreement, it is just that we follow through with our promises.
{12} Covetous: greedy
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THE SUPERIOR CHARACTER TRAITS OF A BELIEVER
1. He or she should be vigilant against the wiles of Shaytan
2. should have understanding, tolerance and forgiveness
3. should have steadfastness
4. should utter good words
5. should have thoughtfulness
6. should have hospitality
7. should have mutual peace and respect
8. should avoid anger and dispute
9. should avoid suspicion and gossip
10.should avoid sarcasm
11. should have self-sacrifice
12. should act fairly
13. should have honesty
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Sura Baquarah contd. (Day 8)
The preceding Verses 2.9 and 2.10 talk about people who claim belief in Allah, yet who feel that they are wiser than those who are humble{1}, grateful to Allah and do good work. They may feel or even say, “Bhalo manusher toe aei prithibitay jaiga naiâ€. Some such people look for ‘clever’ ways to make a living. If any one comments on their ways of making money, Allah characterizes the response of such people in the next Verse:
2.11 “When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth" they say: "Why, we only want to make peace!"â€
To help us understand, Allah gives examples of ‘mischief on earth{2}’ from those who received Revelation before us.
“And We gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the Book that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance†[17.4]
The fact that one wants to resort to evil ways to earn a living is an expression of disbelief in the blessings and provision of the Creator. Allah reminds us of the demonstrations of His Blessings and provision to the Children of Israel and instruction not to do ‘mischief on earth’:
“And remember Moses prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with thy staff." Then gushed forth from there twelve springs. Each group knew its own place for water. So eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah and do no evil nor mischief on the earth.†[2.60]
One of the ways of promoting ‘mischief on earth’ is given in the Verse below:
“…They learned from them the means to sow discord{3} between man and wife…†[2.102]
Verse 2.102 refers to the time of Solomon regarding learning magic from the evil ones [35.6] among the “Jinn{4}â€. It also tells us that the Jinn taught “how to sow discord between man and wifeâ€. This is one example of how to, in the name of peace, create mischief on earth, i.e. provide catalysts for people to sin. An example therefore would be people who promote, in the name of entertainment, display of women in seductive poses in glossy magazines, advertisements, television, movies and on the Internet. What effect does such display have on our youngsters and, in particular, on marriages in our society? Do any other current day examples of people or groups creating a source for strife in the name of peace come to mind?
2.12 “Of a surety they (themselves) are the ones who make mischief but they realize (it) not.â€
Such people make apparent profits out of doing ‘mischief’ and have a false sense of power; however, Allah makes clear…
“The House of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high-handedness nor mischief on earth: and the End is (best) for the righteous.â€
[28.83]
Allah asks about how justice should be implemented?
“Shall We treat those who believe and work deeds of righteousness the same as those who do mischief on earth? Shall We treat those who guard against evil the same as those who turn aside from what is right?†[38.28]
Hypocrites suffer from delusions of grandeur and feel that they are one-up on those who are humble, grateful to Allah and do good deeds.
2.13 “When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe" they say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" Nay of a surety they are the fools but they do not know.â€
Hypocrites believe people who are humble and content with their lot to be fools! They feel that it is money that will ensure satisfaction and safety from all ills. Allah explains their underlying motivation:
“You will indeed find them of all people most greedy of life even more than the idolaters; each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years;...†[2.96]
Hypocrites’ greed exceeds that of an idolater! As a mark of belief, it is obligatory for a believer to put complete trust in Revealed Verses, if not then:
“They will further say (on the Day of Judgment): "Had we but listened or used our intelligence we should not (now) be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire!"â€
[67.10]
Hypocrites claim that they also believe, giving ‘lip service’ to believers, however, Allah reveals their inner thoughts and secret counsels:
2.14 “When they meet those who believe they say: "We believe" but when they are alone{5} with their evil ones they say: "We are really with you we (were) only jesting."â€
Allah warns us as to the trial of the ‘evil ones’. Just as Allah tested the belief of Adam and Eve, Allah tests us each of us to see whether we understand who Allah is.
“O you Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you in the same manner as he got your parents out of the garden stripping them of their raiment to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without faith.†[7.27]
The evil ones including Satan among the Jinn are only there to test mankind’s belief in the Omnipotence and Knowledge of the Creator! With invitations of the ‘evil ones’ those without faith would move further away from the purpose for which they were created!
“"Did I not enjoin on you O ye children of Adam that ye should not worship
Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?†[36.60]
“So, by thy Lord, without doubt We shall gather them together and (also) the Evil Ones (with them); then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell.†[19.68]
2.15 “Allah will throw back their mockery on them and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (to and fro).â€
The expression “give them rope†in the Encarta Dictionary is given as to give somebody enough rope to hang himself or herself, i.e. to give somebody enough freedom to make mistakes or irrevocably reveal his or her shortcomings. Allah explains this:
“Say: "If any men go astray (Allah) Most Gracious extends (the rope) to them. Until when they see the warning of Allah (being fulfilled) either in punishment or in (the approach of) the Hour they will at length realize who is worst in position and (who) weakest in forces!†[19.75]
The current world is a test of free-will Allah gives us opportunities and rope to do as we please. Hypocrites are deluded and feel that they are on the right path, when in actual fact they are wandering in darkness.
------------------------------------------
{Notes}:
{1} Humble: by definition, a humble person understands who is the Sole Giver and who is it that only receives, i.e. that human beings are totally dependent on the Creator for everything and that thereby there is nothing to be arrogant about.
{2} Make mischief: do something that acts as a source of harm or trouble to others, e.g. activities that may lead others to harm themselves/others or carry out sinful activities.
{3} Discord: disagreement, conflict, friction, dispute, argument, etc. (Encarta Dictionary)
{4} Jinn: Allah tells us that He created the Jinn from ‘fire free of smoke’ [55.15]
{5} Alone: alone with their thoughts influenced by the ‘evil ones’.
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Sura Baquarah contd (Day 9)
The preceding Verses 2.11 to 2.15 talk about people who feel that humble and grateful persons are fools. Many such people feel that they are self-made and do activities that incite others to sin, yet they claim to be spreading peace! Allah tells us that these people only fool themselves and that He has given them ‘rope’ to prove the ultimate punishment in store for them. These people, who feel that they are above Guidance (which of course, is only for fools), only fool themselves. Allah tells us what these people have accomplished in the next Verse:
2.16 “These are they who have bartered Guidance{1} for error: but their traffic{2} is profitless and they have lost true direction.â€
Whatever achievements such people have will not be of any benefit to them…
“Do they not travel through the earth and see what was the end of those (who lived) before them? They were more numerous than them and superior in strength and in the traces{3} (they have left) in the land: yet all that they accomplished was of no profit to them.†[40.82]
They are blinded by the splendor of their apparent achievements, without acknowledging who created them and who has given them the ability and the success in their endeavors.
“It is We who have placed you with authority on earth and provided you therein with means for the fulfillment of your life: small are the thanks that ye give!â€
[7.10]
To help us understand, Allah gives an analogy of how such people are blinded by their achievements.
2.17 “Their similitude is that of a man who kindled a fire; when it lighted all around him Allah took away their (own) light{4} and left them in utter darkness so they could not see.â€
Achievements may lead to self-praise and pride, so much so that we are blinded by our own arrogance. Did we create our own abilities and successes – or did the Creator give us abilities and create situations so that we can flourish? Who gives us success?
“And He gives you of all that you ask for. But if you count the favors of Allah never would you be able to number them: verily man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.†[14.34]
The Qur’an and history are replete with stories of arrogant people and the end they met:
“Do they not travel through the land so that their hearts (and mind) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind but their hearts which are in their breasts.†[22.46]
2.18 “Deaf, dumb and blind they will not return (to the path).â€
In the Verse quoted below, Allah gives an analogy of those whose ‘hearts’ are deaf, dumb and blind. How many of us say our prayers mechanically and feel that we have done our duty? When we attend Friday prayers, to how many of us is this an automatic response to the call/cry of a ‘Moazzen’? How many go to the mosque with other purposes in mind, e.g. to show off cars, discuss achievements, have a chance meet with a big shot, etc? How many go there to bare their souls, thank the Creator and seek forgiveness?
“The parable of those who reject faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries; deaf dumb and blind they are void of wisdom. O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him you worship.â€[2.171 – 2.172]
“And the places of worship are for Allah (alone): so invoke not anyone along with Allah†[72.18]
2.19 “Or (another similitude) is that of a rain-laden cloud from the sky; in it are zones of darkness, and thunder and lightning: They press their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunder-clap the while they are in terror of death. But Allah is ever round the rejecters of Faith!â€
The Creator supports and sustains all regardless of whether or not they believe that all blessings are from Allah. The rain-laden cloud is a simile of a person puffed up with pride and arrogance riding high. The arrogant person likes the good that has been given to him, but does not want to know, hear or evaluate the bad or warnings of death – while it is the same Creator who gives good, bad and warnings of death.
Allah has created everything – the cloud, the contained rain, zones of darkness, thunder and lighting. This points to man, the reasons for his arrogance, various experiences, warnings and tests. All experiences are given so that man understands the truth of the Creator and is grateful. Who holds up the clouds [24.43, 30.48]? The warnings and signs of Allah are not heeded by those who feel that they are self-made and give themselves credit for all that they have – acknowledging the Creator would diminish their self-image! They therefore do not want to know!
2.20 “The lightning all but snatches away their sight; every time the light (helps) them they walk therein and when the darkness grows on them they stand still. And if Allah willed He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing; for Allah hath power over all things.â€
These people do not realize that they constantly need the Creator even to see what they are doing! They use faculties and resources given by Allah to do what pleases them. When Allah removes any resources, these people either despair or do nothing. They do not evaluate the power of their Creator. If Allah wanted, He could totally remove His Mercy – will they not understand?
“It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections: that ye may give thanks (to Allah).†[16.78]
Summary: The Originator and Sustainer of everything and every moment has succinctly categorized the natures of His creation in Verses 2.2 to 2.20. The three categories given apply to all intelligent beings that have freewill. Of these, Verses 2.6 – 2.7 cover the declared disbelievers. The remaining Verses cover those who say they believe in a Creator and a Day of Judgment. As the Qur’an is addressed primarily to those who claim belief in Allah, among these are those who do actually believe, Verses 2.2 – 2.5 and those who do not, in actual fact, believe – the hypocrites (Verses 2.8 – 2.20). The hypocrites are actually disbelievers! As the credit for sustaining every moment belongs to Allah, an arrogant person therefore cannot be a believer. Anyone who wishes to be sincere about his/her belief needs to seriously classify his or her own status as a ‘believer’ by comparing these Verses to their individual characteristics.
----------------------------
{Notes}:
{1} Guidance: they feel that they are above the Creator’s Guidance as they have found ‘clever’ ways to make money to live a good comfortable permanent life?
{2} Traffic: The Encarta Dictionary gives synonyms of traffic as to-ing, fro-ing, commerce, trade, business, dealings, transactions and negotiations.
{3} Traces: signs of the work that they did.
{4} Light: Human beings need ‘light’ to see.
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"A believer is frank and decent, whereas a wrongdoer is deceitful and blameworthy." Sahih Al Bukhari
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Sura Baquarah contd (Day 10)
Verses 2.2 to 2.20 divide mankind by nature of belief – those who believe and those who don’t. Among those who do not believe, there are two categories – the majority being those who say that they believe, but in fact are hypocrites. It is imperative that we understand these categories, as it would be quite illogical to say “I believe in the Creator 50% or the Creator’s Wisdom 50%!†or “I believe in Him when I need Him†as a matter of convenience – either we have a Creator or we don’t!
The next Verse is a commandment for mankind’s benefit:
2.21 “O you people! Adore{1} your Guardian-Lord who created you and those who came before you that you may have the chance to learn righteousness.â€
Why should we adore our Creator? Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah says:
“It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place and the sky as a canopy and has given you shapes{2} and made your shapes beautiful and has provided for you Sustenance of things pure and good such is Allah your Lord. So Glory to Allah the Lord of the Worlds!†[40.64]
“He is the living (One): There is no god but He: Call upon Him giving Him sincere devotion. Praise (credit) belongs to Allah Lord of the Worlds (exclusively)!â€
[40.65]
The earth is our learning ground – our stay here is temporary [6.98]. We have been given the opportunity to learn and find out and do what is proper and ‘just’ – if we do not learn and also do what is just we will have wasted our time on earth. After the Day of Judgment, from Hell [35.36] many will cry out:
“Therein will they cry aloud: "Our Lord! Bring us out: we shall work righteousness and not the (deeds) we used to do!" Did We not give you long enough life so that you would receive admonition? And (moreover) a warner{3} came to you. So taste you (the fruit of your deeds): for the wrongdoers there is no helper."â€
[35.37]
Allah continues to tell us who He is in the next Verse:
2.22 “Who has made the earth your couch{4} and the heaven your canopy{5}; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals{6} unto Allah when ye know (the truth).â€
Who are ‘rivals’ and how does man set up these rivals? What truth do we inherently know? Allah explains:
“When some trouble touches man he cries{7} unto his Lord turning to Him in repentance{8}: but when He bestows a favor upon him as from Himself (man) doth forget{9} what he cried and prayed for before and he does set up rivals unto Allah thus misleading{10} others from Allah's Path. Say "Enjoy thy blasphemy for a little while: verily thou art (one) of the Companions of the Fire!"â€
[39.8]
In our day-to-day lives, how many times does ‘trouble’ touch us? The gravity of trouble varies from small things that cause us tension or stress to life threatening situations. Trouble can be relationships problems, exams, illness, competition, problems leading to success or failure, fear of poverty, not having children, etc. As human beings, what do we do in these situations and whom do we initially approach?
Allah tells us in Verse 39.8 that we pray or cry directly{11} to the Creator. Verse 41.51 tells us that some of us go into prolonged prayer{12} when in trouble! This indicates that we know who{13} helps us out of trouble – we know the truth and we do pray directly to the Creator. Allah asks:
“…Who (is it that) listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him and who (is it that) relieves its{14} suffering and makes you (mankind) inheritors{15} of the earth? (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Little it is that ye heed!â€
[27.62]
Is it right and just that we thank Allah directly when the wish or prayer is granted or the trouble relieved? What do we actually do when the Creator helps us out of the trouble? Among others we thank or credit are: our own intellect [41.50, 45.23], the means used, our luck, our ‘lucky charms’, religious leaders, ‘pirs’, ancestors, imagined deities, prophets, etc. Instead of thanking Allah, any that we credit or thank are rivals to the One who actually deserves our thanks!
The day-to-day troubles that we encounter are our moment-by-moment tests to check whether we actually believe!
“Be sure We shall test{16} you with something of fear and hunger some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently{17} persevere†[2.155]
“Do men think that they will be left alone on saying "We believe{18}" and that they will not be tested?†[29.2]
If we pray directly to the Creator asking for something, we effectively create a ‘contract’ where to keep our side of the bargain we need to thank Him! If instead of thanking Him we credit others we ‘blaspheme’ – we commit the worst possible sin! At this point, those who disbelieve would look for excuses. One excuse would be to doubt the origin or the translation of the Words of the Qur’an.
----------------------------------------
{Notes}:
{1} Adore: synonyms of adore are given as worship, honor, admire, venerate, be keen on, adulate, etc.
{2} Shapes: Allah has honored each of us by making each of us unique and giving us an individual personality – this indicates the amount of importance and love He has placed on each individual.
{3} Warner: A ‘warner’ can be the Creator’s books or a person who explains the Creator’s message to you.
{4} Couch: sofa, divan, settee, etc.
{5} Canopy: Awning, cover, shelter, roof, covering, etc.
{6} Rival: Someone equal, competitor, a match, counterpart, peer, opponent, etc (Encarta Dictionary) – in this case, it will be someone or something that we give equal or greater priority than the Creator.
{7} Cries: human beings inherently know that it is the Creator that will help them out of trouble.
{8} Repentance: to entice a favour out of the Creator, human beings often ask for forgiveness and/or make promises of becoming righteous or/and doing good.
{9} Forget: once the favour is granted, i.e. the trouble is relieved; human beings demonstrate their disbelief by crediting themselves or others, for getting out of trouble.
{10} Misleading: crediting others involves announcing/accepting or declaring that other beings/things have the same power to relieve – the Power that we called upon when we initially got into trouble, e.g. “if you go to that doctor, you are sure to have a baby; we got one as wellâ€
{11} Directly: regardless of religious affiliation, human beings pray directly to the Creator when in trouble.
{12} Prayer: for example, Muslims seek the Creator via their prayer ‘salah’.
{13} Who: we inherently know who has the power and who is the only Being that can help relieve the trouble that we are in. See Verse 6.106.
{14} Its: the soul’s suffering.
{15} Inheritors: receive land, wealth, characteristics or qualities as a result of it being passed down.
{16} Tests: each test presents an opportunity to demonstrate our belief in the Creator and thereby be righteous.
{17} Patiently: i.e. those who do not lose faith and keep up their prayers to the Creator.
{18} Believe: the people described in Verses 2.8 to 2.20 claim that they ‘believe’ in the Creator!
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Dear Sir
The number of people who are arrogant, so called self made, ungrateful to Allah, 'Blind, Deaf and Dumb' as The Qur'an says has been increasing in an increasing way over the years, i observe. Yes you are right. We say we believe but do we really believe? Allah says in the glorious Qur'an (interpretation of the meaning) that will you believe some part of the book then and some not? For example, i have found some of my believer colleagues enjoying feast in the hidden room in the time of fasting during this Ramadan.
I have personally observed that people, who have studied arts such as literature, drama, politics, language, philosophy, fine arts, mass communication, business, history etc, are more likely not to believe in GOD or believe partly. On the other hand, people who have studied Medical Science, Physics, Chemistry, Theology, Engineering, Neurology, Quantum Science and other science subjects are found to be believers. Why so?
People who study subjects related to human beings & society find that some religions are created by human beings themselves. They worship false gods. But we muslims don't worship such false gods.
Very few people think deeply, study theology and try to find out the truth. It's our duty to remove the misconceptions of the people regarding Islam.
Please keep writing....Zazakallah. May Allah accept all your efforts, ameen
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Dear Shibli,
Yes, since I am myself an engineer by study and profession, I look at life from the engineering point of view - how has Allah made all this? I marvel each day at the blessings given. Things we take for granted, e.g. creation of water and the feeling of freshness having taken a shower. If we as engineers made robots would we think of creating a system where the robot could clean itself, more so feel fresh after cleaning itself?
Was it necessary for Allah to give a feeling of freshness? To do so, can you imagine the number of nerve endings leading to the brain that He has created to give us this feeling? In addition, how many of us enjoy showers on a hot summers day? Is it difficult to work out why we call Allah, Raheem?
Literature people, language people read books by Bernard Shaw, etc. who have all tried to prove in eloquent language the non-existence of the Creator. If the Creator exists, they unfortunately become 'created' beings. Eloquent language also has to be created and given as a potential. Our credit is then only in the desire to use such language and not in the creation. We are then no longer 'gods' as we would have others imagine.
Contrary to this understanding, the humblest of us all - Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the most famous of us all, in all books of mankind.
Does this make sense?
-Yousuf
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Yes you are right, sir. Scientists are Not eliminating God, they are eliminating models of Gods, false gods that many people worship.
Islam is the most misunderstood religion in the world because hundreds of books are being written against it everyday.
A religion should be judged not by its followers, but by its scriptures.
They say, 'There is nothing but our existence in the world. We die and we live and nothing destroys us except for time.' They have no knowledge of that. They are only conjecturing(guessing). (Surat al-Jathiyah: 23-24)
Bernard Shaw said, "if Muhammad (pbuh) were alive today, he would succeed in solving all those problems which threaten to destroy human civilization in our times."
We all should study philosophy, theology n spirituality to understand that belief goes with logic
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Sura Baquarah contd. (Day 11)
Verses 2.21 and 2.22 tell us that when in trouble we know and realize Who [7.172] is the only One that can help us out of trouble. When out of trouble or when success is achieved we credit ourselves or others, instead of thanking/crediting the Creator who gave us relief/success. Denying credit to the One who deserves credit is disbelief [40.12]! At this point, those who find this logic unacceptable would look for excuses. One excuse would be to doubt the origin of the Verses.
2.23 “And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant then produce a Surah like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah if your (doubts) are true.â€
Allah replies to possible excuses one may look for:
“Or do they say "He forged it"? Say: "Bring then a Surah like unto it and call anyone you can besides Allah if it be you speak the truth!"†[10.38]
Can there be anyone else other than our Creator to send ‘Revelations’? It is the Creator who has told mankind how to achieve salvation/success, through His prophets and books in the various ages. The books are addressed to those who are apprehensive of the Day when they will have to stand in front of their Creator and be accountable for the life and blessings that the Creator has given.
Allah has given a challenge to those who doubt these words. This is not an empty challenge! Neither is it to be taken lightly! Even feeling that this does not apply to oneself is doubt or disbelief! If in doubt, follow through and check out any suspicions! This is a very serious matter – a matter that will decide your fate on the Day of Judgment!
2.24 “But if you cannot and of a surety you cannot{1} then fear the fire whose fuel is Men and Stones{2} which is prepared for those who reject Faith.â€
If you do not follow the commandment given in Verse 2.21 after the clear explanations given, you have sealed your own fate by using your own free will! All that is left is for you to be told what will happen to you after the Day of Judgment! These words themselves will stand witness that you were clearly instructed and given a chance to follow – but you rejected Allah’s words!
Allah asks:
“Did you then think that We had created you in jest{3} and that you would not be brought back to Us (for account)?†[23.115]
“We created not the heavens the earth and all between them but for just{4} ends. And the Hour is surely coming (when this will be manifest)...†[15.85]
The Creator has given man free will. Can free will be meaningful without responsibility and accountability? For those who take heed and acknowledge these words, Allah says:
2.25 “But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness{5} that their portion is Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits there from they say: "Why this is what we were fed with before" for they are given things in similitude{6}; and they have therein companions (pure and holy); and they abide therein (for ever).â€
By worshipping Allah we are not doing Him a favour! He does not need our worship! By worshipping Him, we are simply being grateful for all that He has given us – the favour is on us and we are simply doing what is right and just by thanking Him!
“And Moses said: "If you show ingratitude you and all on earth together (it makes no difference to Allah) yet is Allah Free of all wants, Worthy of all praise.†[14.8]
By acknowledging and thanking Him, we fulfill the purpose of our creation – we become righteous! Allah does [6.132 – 6.135] want to give each of us the “Gardens beneath which rivers flow†– but it is right or just that the righteous get this – those who command what is right and just and do what is right and just.
2.26 “Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things lowest as well as highest{7}. Those who believe know that it is (the) truth from their Lord; but those who reject Faith say: "What means Allah by this similitude?" By it He causes{8} many to stray and many He leads into the right path but He causes not to stray except those who forsake (the path).â€
To help human beings understand, Allah uses similes – He gives us similar examples. On earth we also have a taste of good things – we will have similar things after the Day of Judgment in our permanent life. Those who do not believe will continue to doubt examples given by Allah and will thus move further away from the path of faith. Allah defines evil:
“To those who believe not in the Hereafter applies the similitude of evil: to Allah applies the highest similitude: for He is the Exalted in Power Full of Wisdom.â€
[16.60]
Allah explains by a simile what He means by ‘cause to stray’:
“Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent our Signs{9} but he passed them by: so Satan followed him up and he went astray. If it had been Our will We should have elevated him with our Signs; but he inclined to the earth and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him he lolls out his tongue or if you leave him alone he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject our signs; so relate the story; perchance they may reflect.†[7.175 – 7.176]
Allah has given us intelligence to work out who has originated what – Who is the Provider and who is the receiver? Who is the One with Wisdom and who is the one created to learn? If we understand the above Verses and exclusively credit Allah without being arrogant, we will have fulfilled the purpose of our creation! If we don’t, would there be any difference between human beings and beings without intelligence?
-----------------------------------
{Notes}:
{1} Cannot: Allah has challenged hypocrites to produce a Sura similar to any given in the Qur’an; those who take on the challenge would certainly fail.
{2} Stones: The imagery is striking worth serious consideration! Can one imagine the temperature of a fire where stones are charcoal? At what temperature do stones melt inside a volcano? In this case, both stones and human beings will be used as charcoal to keep the blaze alive!
{3} Jest: synonyms for jest are joke, prank, hoax, etc. We have been created for a very specific purpose.
{4} Just: synonyms for just are ethical, moral, justified, correct, proper, appropriate, good, etc. The purpose of sending intelligent humans to earth is to separate those who support the Truth from those who don’t.
{5} Righteousness: synonyms of righteousness are given as virtue, morality, justice, decency, uprightness, honesty, etc. It is the Creator’s right to be acknowledged as the one who Gives Blessings.
{6} Similitude: synonyms of similitude are given as similarity, resemblance, likeness, sameness, etc.
{7} Highest: The Creator has no problems with similes – He is the Creator of every single thing!
{8} Causes: Allah explains this in Verses 7.174 to 7.177. To hypocrites, Allah gives further opportunities to prove or disprove their false claim to belief – thus allowing them to seal their own fate. Allah does not force anyone to believe or disbelieve.
{9} Signs: Words of the Qur’an which can also be looked upon as Miracles as these carry wisdom from outside our realm.
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Sura Baquarah contd. (Day 12)
Words Revealed by the Creator and those crafted by man cannot be similar or of equal value. Verses 2.23 and 2.24 ask us to face our doubts regarding the Revealed Words and challenge all those on earth together to produce a Chapter like that in the Qur’an. If we say we believe, but do not adopt the Revealed Words in our daily lives, we will have proven our disbelief in the Creator. Verses 2.25 and 2.26 tell us that Allah helps us understand through analogies, however, these move hypocrites further away, as they do not wish to understand Verses such as 7.175 – 7.176. Verses 2.27 and 2.28 below question the attitude of hypocrites after they have professed ‘Shahadah’.
2.27 “Those who break Allah's Covenant{1} after it is ratified{2} and who sunder{3} what Allah has ordered to be joined and do mischief on earth{4}: such cause loss (only) to themselves.â€
The first thing to be expected is when a pledge is made that it should be fully abided by. For those who pledged loyalty to the Prophet (pbuh), Allah says:
“Verily those who plight their fealty to thee do no less than plight their fealty to Allah: the Hand of Allah is over their hands: Then anyone who violates His oath does so to the harm of his own soul and anyone who fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, Allah will soon grant him a great Reward.†[48.10]
Similarly, all ancestors in faith{5} entered into agreements or covenants with the Creator.
“Allah did aforetime take a Covenant from the Children of Israel and … Allah said: "I am with you: if you (but) establish regular prayers, practice regular charity, believe in My apostles, honor and assist them and loan to Allah a beautiful loan verily I will wipe out from you your evils and admit you to gardens with rivers flowing beneath; but…†[5.12]
And:
“From those too who call themselves Christians We did take a Covenant but they forgot a good part of the Message that was sent them:…†[5.14]
For those who pledge ‘Shahadah’:
“Fulfill the covenant{6} of Allah when you have entered into it and break not your oaths after you have confirmed them; indeed you have made Allah your surety; for Allah knows all that you do.†[16.91]
As with all legal agreements, the points agreed upon in a covenant are binding on subsequent descendents and heirs in the faith. If we profess to be of a certain faith, the code/rules agreed upon by our ancestors in faith are binding upon us. When we have entered into a covenant, it is just to honor it – this is what Allah indicates by joining that which should be joined.
“Those who fulfill the Covenant of Allah and fail not in their plighted word; those who join together those things which Allah hath commanded to be joined hold their Lord in awe and fear the terrible reckoning;†[13.20 – 13.21]
Verses 13.20 and 13.21 give an example of giving one’s word to keeping one’s word. Here Allah points out that there are people who sunder or separate things that He has asked to be joined and do ‘mischief on earth’, i.e. tempt, cause or invite other people to sin including misguiding those who say they believe. The onus is on us to prove that we actually believe!
As an example for ‘mischief on earth’ we find:
“…Every time they{7} kindle the fire of war Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth.†[5.64]
Allah asks:
“What cause have you why you should not believe in Allah? And the Apostle invites you to believe in your Lord and has indeed taken your Covenant if you are men of faith.†[57.8]
Allah questions the logic of our belief in the next Verse:
2.28 “How can you reject the faith in Allah? Seeing that you were without life and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will you return.
A little thought will show that among the things that we see, nothing can create itself nor can anything sustain itself without an external support or input. For example, human beings can neither create themselves nor can they survive without food, oxygen, etc. Before birth, we were without life and the Creator gave us life. As our Creator, Allah deserves priority in our day-to-day affairs, as is just and is His right as our Creator. Allah originated our life and will call each of us to account for our time on earth when we return to Him after death.
“It is He Who has created you from dust then from a sperm-drop then from a leech-like clot; then does He get you out (into the light) as a child: then lets you (grow and) reach your age of full strength; then lets you become old though of you there are some who die before; and lets you reach a Term appointed: in order that ye may learn wisdom{8}.†[40.67]
“Doth not man see that it is We Who created Him from sperm? Yet behold! He (stands) as an open adversary!†[36.77]
“The Unbelievers think{9} that they will not be raised up (for Judgment). Say: "Yea by my Lord you shall surely be raised up: then shall you be told (the truth) of all that you did. And that is easy for Allah."†[64.7]
All opportunities and every moment have/has been created by Allah for each individual to be grateful and demonstrate belief. Strengths/weaknesses are given by Allah as tests for which each is accountable.
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{Notes}:
{1} Covenant: synonyms for covenant are agreement, pledge, promise, etc. When the first commandment of any Revealed religion is accepted or when ‘Shahadah’ (First Kalimah) is pronounced, one pledges to willingly accept and observe the rights of the Creator. Historically, the prophets and their followers entered into such Covenants with the Creator, as we do now when pledging ‘Shahadah’.
{2} Ratify: synonyms for ratify are endorse, agree upon, consent, confirm, etc.
{3} Sunder: synonyms for sunder are sever, cut, separate, divide, split, break, etc.
{4} Mischief on earth: do things that tempt, cause or invite others to sin.
{5} Ancestors in Faith: the first people who professed to the faith and expressed fealty to their prophet announcing the particular faith.
{6} Covenant: This equally refers directly to the oath of fealty taken at Aqaba and/or even individually when the oath of ‘Shahada’ is pronounced by a Muslim.
{7} They: (corollary) a believer cannot or may not incite war!
{8} Learn wisdom: our stay on earth is our chance to learn. A brief study of history and the world around us will reveal that evil gives birth to more evil and good gives birth to more good. Among the most remembered, honoured and revered human beings are the prophets who were among the most righteous of human beings. They are the ones to take example from.
{9} Think: think, feel or evaluate the fact that they will be held accountable for all their intentions.
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To show that not following the ruling of Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) when a dispute occurs is a sign of hypocrisy, Allah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says:
"They say, We believe in Allah and in the apostle, and we obey; but even after that, some of them turn away; they are not (really) Believers. When they are summoned to Allah and His apostle, in order that He may judge between them, behold some of them decline (to come)....The answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is no other than this: they say, "We hear and we obey"; it is such as these that will attain felicity." [Qur’aan 24:47-51]
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When a believer gives his/her word, it is a pledge and it is expected that the pledge be honored. Similarly, when the ‘Kalimah’ is pledged it is mandatory for a believer to give priority to Allah and work justice. Verse 2.27 clearly points this out. If we do not keep our word and do things that invite/cause others to sin, Allah questions our disbelief in Verse 2.28. Verses 2.29 – 2.31 below tell us that all the faculties and facilities we use are created by Allah. It is Allah who provides everything! Will we continue to be ungrateful and feel self-sufficient? How unjust can we be?
2.29 “It is He who hath created for you all things that are on earth; moreover His design comprehended the heavens for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments{1}; and of all things he hath perfect knowledge{2}.â€
Allah has created all resources for human beings to enable them to live fulfilled lives:
“It is We who have placed you with authority on earth and provided you therein with means for the fulfillment of your life: small are the thanks that you give!†[7.10]
In addition to the things created on earth [17.70], Allah has also designed and created the seven heavens as a permanent home for those who are just. Abraham was just and therefore he said to his father and those around him:
“"(I worship) only Him Who made me and He will certainly guide me."†[43.27]
Having made and given all resources, do human beings have any responsibility? Allah defines the role of each [17.71] on earth:
2.30 “Behold thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."â€
The term “vicegerent†means “ruler’s administrative deputy†or a deputy appointed to act on the authority of the ruler – what a great honor! Each created person is therefore the Creator’s deputy and has a responsibility towards the rest of the creation. What a beautiful and complete way to describe our individual ethical responsibilities towards the rest of the world!
Angels have no free will. They simply carry out Allah’s commandments to the fullest – thereby glorifying/obeying Him! Human beings on the other hand have been given faculties for learning, free will, responsibilities and accountability. Human beings have the capacity to understand and learn, be grateful and do what is right! Not having free will, angels do not have the capacity to understand freedom nor understand the ability to be independently righteous as human beings are designed to be. As an example, Allah clarifies this for Prophet David:
“O David! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent on earth: so judge thou between men in truth (and justice): nor follow thou the lusts (of thy heart) for they will mislead thee from the Path of Allah: for those who wander astray from the Path of Allah is a Penalty Grievous for that they forget the Day of Account.†[43.26]
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know{3} each other (so that you may understand human characteristics). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he/she who is) the most righteous of you...†[49.13]
“He Who created Death and Life that He may try which of you is best in deed{4}…†[67.2]
To demonstrate the differences between the angels and the newly created human being, Allah demonstrated the learning abilities of Adam:
2.31 “And He taught{5} Adam the nature of all things; then He placed these before the angels and said: "Tell Me the nature of these if you are right."â€
Allah has placed a dictionary of all knowledge created for man in our brains. Learning involves making connections to the appropriate parts in the dictionary. Allah has not given the angels such ability. They can only do what is commanded and what they have been programmed to do. Man, on the other hand, has been given the ability to learn and use his knowledge and skills. Allah tells us:
“It is He Who has taught{6} the Qur'an. He has created man: He has taught{7} him speech (and Intelligence)†[55.2 – 55.4]
Regarding the nature of other things, Allah gives us examples:
“And thy Lord taught{8} the Bee to build its cells in hills on trees and in (men's) habitations;†[16.68]
The angels confirm the difference between man and angels in the next Verse.
2.32 “They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge we have none save that Thou hast taught us: in truth it is Thou who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."â€
The angels concede that they indeed do not understand and that is it Allah who is the Originator of all knowledge – Allah has programmed all that they know. In His Wisdom, He has created a separate breed of beings that have free will and have the capacity of learning and being “righteousâ€!
“"When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him (man) of My Spirit…†[15.29]
The Encarta dictionary gives the meaning of ‘spirit’ as “somebody’s will, disposition, sense of self or enthusiasm for livingâ€. Allah has given each human being sense of independent self and free-will similar to Himself. Can there be a greater honor [17.70]? Allah has honored us as His deputies, have we taken up the responsibility?
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{Notes}:
{1} Firmaments: He has created seven heavens for human beings [41.12]. It is just that only the righteous inherit these [4.124].
{2} Perfect knowledge: Allah has perfect knowledge of all our secret thoughts and secret counsels [9.78]. All options and subsequent events are created; even the event of a leaf dropping [6.59] has been created.
{3} Know: differences help us understand human characteristics and thereby enable us understand our own natures. If we realize this and respect the differences, others will also respect us. Respecting others is part of being righteous.
{4} Best in deed: each of us has the resources and the potential to be the best in the unique abilities [2.148] that we have been given. The differences between individual human beings give the potential to practically demonstrate efforts at being righteous. For example, Allah has created poor people around rich persons. The nearby poor person is an opportunity for the rich person to demonstrate his/her righteousness. At the same time, the poor person will have some special abilities with which he/she can demonstrate his/her righteousness. It is the differences between human beings that afford opportunities to be righteous. Allah, most Wise, has created these differences. If Allah gave everyone equal resources and abilities, we would not only have very little to do, life would become totally uninteresting and boring – we would have little or nothing to do and thereby nothing to learn.
{5} Taught: made knowledge of all things intelligible to Adam, i.e. created the capacity to understand and learn.
{6} Taught: made heavenly knowledge (the Qur’an) intelligible to man.
{7} Taught: Allah has given man the ability for intelligent articulation.
{8} Taught: programmed as opposed to man’s ability to learn – the engineering architecture of beehives is identical throughout the world
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Belief in one God is the cornerstone of all religions_Mahatma Gandhi
Life with religion is like a ship without a rudder_M Gandhi
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বিষয়ঃ আল্লাহর নিকট দোয়া করা ও তার উপকারিতা
খতীবঃ শায়খ আব্দুল মুহসিন ইবনে আব্দির রাহমান
মহান আল্লাহর জন্যই সমস্ত প্রশংসা যিনি বনী আদম সৃষ্টি করত তাদের হিদায়াতের নিমিত্তে তাদের মধ্য থেকেই নবী প্রেরণ করেছেন ও তাঁর নিকট দোয়া করতে শিক্ষা দিয়েছেন। হাজারো দরূদ ও সালাম মানবতার মুক্তিদিশারী মুহাম্মদ সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়া সাল্লামের প্রতি। তাঁর পরিবার পরিজন ও সাহাবীদের প্রতিও রহমত বর্ষিত হোক।
সম্মানিত উপস্থিতি
আল্লাহ তায়ালাকে ভয় করে চলুন ও জেনে রাখুন দোয়া করা ইবাদাতের অন্যতম প্রকারের অন্তর্ভুক্ত। বিশিষ্ট সাহাবী হযরত নু'মান ইবন বশীর (রাঃ) থেকে বর্ণিত, প্রিয়নবী (সঃ) ইরশাদ করেন, “দোয়া করাই হলো ইবাদত।†অতঃপর তিনি পবিত্র কুরআনের একটি বাণী উদ্ধৃত করেন যার ভাবার্থ হলো, “তোমাদের পালনকর্তা বলেন, তোমরা আমাকে ডাক, আমি সাড়া দেব। যারা আমার ইবাদাতের অহংকার করে তারা সত্তরই জাহান্নামে দাখিল হবে, লাঞ্ছিত হয়ে।†(সূরা মু'মিন, ৬০)
এ বাণীগুলো সুনানে আবু দাউদ ও তিরমিযীতে বর্ণনা করা হয়েছে। এটি হাসান তথা উত্তম হাদীস হিসেবে পরিগণিত। মহান আল্লাহ তাঁর নিকট দোয়া করার জন্য অনেক আয়াত ইঙ্গিত প্রদান করেন, তা কবুল হওয়ার ওয়াদা করেন ও দোয়া প্রার্থনাকারী অনেক নবীদের জন্য প্রশংসাবাণী উল্লেখ করে ইরশাদ করেন- “তারা সৎকর্মে ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়ত, তারা আশা ও ভীতি সহকারে আমাকে ডাকত এবং তারা ছিল আমার কাছে বিনীত। (সূরা আল আম্বিয়া, ৯০)
তিনি আরো উল্লেখ করেন যে, বান্দার অতি নিকট থেকে তিনি তাদের ডাকে সাড়া প্রদান করে থাকেন। এ মর্মে ইরশাদ করেন- “আর আমার বান্দারা যখন তোমার কাছে জিজ্ঞেস করে আমার ব্যাপারে বস্তুত আমি রয়েছি সন্নিকটে। যারা প্রার্থনা করে, তাদের প্রার্থনা কবুল করে নেই, যখন আমার কাছে প্রার্থনা করে। কাজেই আমার হুকুম মান্য করা এবং আমার প্রতি নিঃসংশয়ে বিশ্বাস করা তাদের একান্ত কর্তব্য, যাতে তারা সৎপথে আসতে পারে।†(সূরাতুল বাকারাহ, ১৮৬)
মহান আল্লাহ তার বান্দাদেরকে সর্বাবস্থায় বিশেষত বিপদ-মুসিবতে তাঁর প্রতি কাকুতি-মিনতিসহ দোয়া করার নির্দেশ প্রদান করেন। তিনি আরও জানিয়ে দেন যে, একমাত্র আল্লাহ ব্যতীত আর কেউ বিপদগ্রস্ত ব্যক্তির করুণ আহ্বানে সাড়া দেয় না। তিনি ইরশাদ করেন- “বলতো কে নিঃসহায়ের ডাকে সাড়া দেন যখন সে ডাকে এবং কষ্ট দূরীভূত করেন?†(সূরা আন নামল, ৬২)
পবিত্র কুরআনে বিপদগ্রস্ত ব্যক্তিদের আল্লাহ তায়ালা থেকে মুখ ফিরানোর কারণে তাদের প্রতি ভর্ৎসনা করা হয়েছে। তিনি ইরশাদ করেন- “আর আমি কোন জনপদে কোন নবী পাঠাইনি, তবে এমতাবস্থায় যে, পাকড়াও করেছি সে জনপদের অধিবাসীদিগকে কষ্ট ও কঠোরতার মধ্যে, যাতে তারা শিথিল হয়ে পড়ে।†(সূরা আল আরাফ, ৯৪) এ মর্মে পবিত্র কুরআনে আরো ইরশাদ হয়েছে- “আর আমি আপনার পূর্ববর্তী উম্মতদের প্রতিও পয়গাম্বর প্রেরণ করেছিলাম। অতঃপর আমি তাদেরকে অভাব-অনটন, রোগ-ব্যধি দ্বারা পাকড়াও করেছিলাম যাতে তারা কাকুতি-মিনতি করে। অতঃপর তাদের কাছে যখন আমার আযাব আসল, তখন কোন কাকুতি-মিনতি করল না। বস্তুত তাদের অন্তর কঠোর হয়ে গেল এবং শয়তান তাদের কাছে সুশোভিত করে দেখাল, যে কাজ তারা করছিল।†(সূরা আল আন আম, ৪২, ৪৩)
একটি বিষয় চিন্তা করলে আমাদের আশ্চবাম্বিত হতে হয় যে, আল্লাহ তায়ালা সর্বদিক থেকে মুখাপেীহীন হওয়া সত্ত্বেও তিনি তাঁর বান্দাদের একমাত্র তাঁরই কাছে যাঞ্চা করতে বলেন শুধুমাত্র আমাদের প্রতি তাঁর অজস্র রহমত বরকতের ইঙ্গিত স্বরূপ। কেননা আমরাই তাঁর প্রতি সর্বেেত্র মুখাপেী। এ প্রসঙ্গে পবিত্র কুরআনে ইরশাদ হচ্ছে যার ভাবার্থঃ “হে মানুষ, তোমরা আল্লাহর গলগ্রহ। আর আল্লাহ; তিনি অভাবমুক্ত, প্রশংসিত।†(সূরা ফাতির, ১৫) আরো ইরশাদ হচ্ছে- “আল্লাহ অভাবমুক্ত এবং তোমরা অভাবগ্রস্ত।†(সূরা মুহাম্মাদ, ৩৮)
এ মর্মে হাদীসে কুদসীতে ইরশাদ হয়েছে- “হে আমার বান্দারা! আমি যাকে হেদায়াত দিয়েছি সে ছাড়া তোমাদের প্রত্যেকেই পথভ্রষ্ট। কাজেই আমার কাছে হেদায়াত চাও, আমি তোমাদিগকে হেদায়াত দেব। হে আমার বান্দারা! আমি যাকে খাদ্য দিয়েছি সে ছাড়া তোমাদের প্রত্যেকেই ুধার্ত। কাজেই আমার কাছে খাদ্য চাও, আমি তোমাদিগকে খাদ্য দেব। হে আমার বান্দারা! আমি যাকে কাপড় দিয়েছি সে ছাড়া তোমাদের প্রত্যেকেই উলংগ। কাজেই আমার কাছে কাপড় চাও, আমি তোমাদেরকে কাপড় দেব। হে আমার বান্দারা! তোমরা রাত-দিন ভুল করে থাক, আর আমি সমস্ত গুনাহ মাফ করে দেই। কাজেই তোমরা আমার কাছে গুনাহ মাফ চাও, আমি তোমাদেরকে মাফ মরে দেব।†(সহীহ মুসলিম)
আল্লাহর বান্দাগণ
জেনে রাখুন দোয়া কবুল হওয়ার জন্য কিছু শর্ত রয়েছে, সেগুলো পূরণ না হলে সাধারণত দোয়া কবুল হয় না। মহান আল্লাহ দোয়াকারীর দোয়া কবুল হওয়ার ওয়াদা করেছেন। তিনি যেহেতু ওয়াদা খেলাফ করেন না, তাই আমাদের অত্যন্ত বিনীতভাবে তাঁর কাছে দোয়া করতে হবে। দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার কতগুলো কারণ নিুে উল্লেখ করছিঃ
০ বান্দাহ যদি আল্লাহ কর্তৃক নির্ধারিত ফরযসমূহ লঙ্ঘন করে ও আল্লাহর নিষিদ্ধ কার্যাবলী ও তাঁর নাফরমানীতে লিপ্ত হয়ে থাকে, তাহলে দোয়া কবুল হয় না। এ মর্মে পবিত্র কোরআনে ফেরআউনের সাঙ্গ-পাঙ্গরা যখন পানিতে ডুবে মরছিল সে মুহূর্তে দোয়া করছিল, মহান আল্লাহ তাদের সে সময়কার দোয়া প্রত্যাখ্যান করে ইরশাদ করেনঃ “এখন একথা বলছ। অথচ তুমি ইতিপূর্বে নাফরমানী করছিলে এবং পথভ্রষ্টদের অন্তর্ভুক্ত ছিলে।†(সূরা ইউনুস, ৯১)
ঈমানদার ভাইগণ
দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার আরো একটি উল্লেখযোগ্য কারণ হল হারাম খাদ্য-দ্রব্য ও পানীয় গ্রহণ করা, হারাম পোশাকাদী পরিধান করা। নবী করিম সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লামের একটি বিশুদ্ধ হাদীস থেকে তার প্রমাণ মেলে। তিনি একদা এমন এক লোক সম্পর্কে আলোচনা করলেন; যে দীর্ঘ পথ সফর করেছে। ফলে তার অবস্থা হয়েছে স্কো স্কো ও ধূলিমলিন। এমতাবস্থায় সে তার হাত দু'খানি আকাশের দিকে প্রসারিত করে, হে প্রভু, হে প্রভু, বলতে থাকে। অথচ সে যা খায় তা হারাম, যা পান করে তাও হারাম, যা পরিধান করে তাও হারাম। এককথায় তার জীবন ধারণের সবকিছুই হারাম। সুতরাং কিভাবে তার দোয়া কবুল হতে পারে?†(সহীহ মুসলিম) এ মহান হাদীস থেকে বুঝা যায়, হারাম আয়-উপার্জন দ্বারা সংগ্রহীত যাবতীয় খাদ্য-পানীয় ও বস্ত্র গ্রহণ করা হলে তা দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার বড় কারণ দাঁড়ায়। এ মর্মে প্রিয় নবীর আরো একটি হাদীস প্রণিধানযোগ্য, তিনি ইরশাদ করেনঃ “তোমার রান্নাঘরের (তাতে যা রান্না করা হয় তা হালাল কিনা তার) পবিত্রতার দিকে ভালভাবে ল্য রেখো, তাহলে তুমি দোয়া কুবলকারীদের অন্তর্ভুক্ত হবে।†(মুসনাদে আহমাদ)
হযরত আবদুল্লাহ ইবন ইমাম আহমাদ তাঁর ‘আয-যুহদ' নামক কিতাবে উল্লেখ করেন, একবার নবী ইসরাইলের কতিপয় লোক পবিত্র থাকার নিমিত্তে এক জায়গায় যাওয়ার ইচ্ছা পোষণ করলে মহান আল্লাহ তাঁদের নবীকে নির্দেশ প্রদান করে বলেন, তোমরা একটি ভাল স্থানে যাওয়ার ইচ্ছা পোষণ করলেও মুক্তি পাবে না, কারণ তোমাদের শরীরে অবৈধ খাদ্য বিদ্যমান, তোমরা দোয়ার জন্য এমন হাতগুলো সম্প্রসারিত করছ যেগুলো নিরপরাধ লোকদের হত্যায় কলঙ্কিত, তোমাদের বাড়ী-ঘরে হারাম জিনিসে ভর্তি হয়ে আছে। কাজেই এখন আমি তোমাদের উপর অসন্তুষ্ট হলে তোমাদের তিই বৃদ্ধি পাবে।
সম্মানিত উপস্থিতি
উপরোক্ত বর্ণনা থেকে আমাদের সবার সাবধানতা অবলম্বন করা উচিত যাতে আমাদের খাদ্য-পানীয় ও কাপড়-চোপড় তথা জীবনের সর্বেেত্র হারাম থেকে সর্বাÃকভাবে মুক্ত থাকা যায়। তাতেই কেবল দোয়া কবুল হওয়ার আশা করা যায়।
০ দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার আরো একটি বড় কারণ হল, একনিষ্ঠতা ও আন্তরিকতাশূন্য অবস্থায় দোয়া করা। কেননা মহান আল্লাহ খাঁটি বিশ্বাসের সাথে দোয়া করতে নির্দেশ দিয়ে ইরশাদ করেনঃ “অতএব, তোমরা আল্লাহকে খাঁটি বিশ্বাস সহকারে ডাক, যদিও কাফিররা তা অপছন্দ করে। অতএব তোমরা আল্লাহ তায়ালার সাথে কাউকে ডেকো না।†(সূরা আল জিন, ১৮)
উপরোক্ত আয়াতগুলো সুস্পষ্টভাবে ইঙ্গিত প্রদান করছে, যারা আল্লাহর সাথে অন্য কাউকে অংশীদার সাব্যস্ত করে, কবর পূজা করে, আউলিয়া ও সৎলোকদের কাছে মনষ্কাম হাসিলের জন্য মানত করে, যেমনিভাবে কবরপূজারীরা মৃতদেহ নিকট ফরিয়াদ করে, এ সমস্ত লোকদের দোয়া কখনো আল্লাহ কবুল করবেন না। কেননা তারা আল্লাহর সাহায্য-সহযোগিতা থেকে সম্পূর্ণভাবে বিমুখ হয়েছে।
হাদীস শরীফে বর্ণিত হয়েছে, রাসূলুল্লাহ সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম ইরশাদ করেনঃ “বান্দা যখন স্বচ্ছলতায় আল্লাহর বিধান যথাযথভাবে পালন করবে, তাকওয়া অবলম্বন করবে আল্লাহ তায়ালা ঐ ব্যক্তির দুর্দিনে তাকে বিশেষ সহযোগিতা ও রহমত বর্ষণ করেন, ঐ ব্যক্তির সাথে আল্লাহর একটি বিশেষ সম্পর্ক গড়ে ওঠে। এর ফলে সে বিপদাপদে নাজাত পেয়ে থাকে। এ মর্মে হাদীসে কুদসীতে বর্ণিত আছেঃ মহান আল্লাহ ইরশাদ করেনঃ “আমার বান্দা আমার আরোপিত ফরয কাজের মাধ্যমে এবং নফল কাজের মাধ্যমে আমার নৈকট্য লাভ করতে থাকে। এভাবে (এক স্তরে) আমি তাকে ভালবাসতে থাকি। আর যখন আমি তাকে ভালবাসি তখন আমি তার কান হয়ে যাই যা দিয়ে সে শুনে, তার চোখ হয়ে যাই যা দিয়ে সে দেখে, তার হাত হয়ে যাই যা দিয়ে সে ধরে এবং তার পা হয়ে যাই যা দিয়ে সে চলাফেরা করে। আর যদি সে আমার নিকট কিছু চায়, আমি তাকে দেই। আর যদি আমার নিকট আশ্রয় চায় তাহলে আমি তাকে আশ্রয় দেই।†(সহীহ বুখারী)
যারা তাদের স্বচ্ছলতায় তাকওয়া অবলম্বন করবে মহান আল্লাহ তাদের বিপদের সময় সহযোগিতা করে থাকেন। যেমন ঘটেছিল তাঁর এক প্রিয় নবী হযরত ইউনুস (আঃ)-এর সাথে। যখন তাঁকে মাছ পেটে পুরে রেখেছিল। সে করুণ কাহিনীর কিঞ্চিত ইঙ্গিত প্রদান করে মহান আল্লাহ ইরশাদ করেনঃ “যদি তিনি আল্লাহর তাসবীহ পাঠ না করতেন তবে তাকে কিয়ামতের দিবস পর্যন্ত মাছের পেটে থাকতে হত।†(সূরা আস-সাফফাত, ১৪৪) যেহেতু তিনি একজন উন্নততর নবী ছিলেন এবং তিনি সর্বদা আল্লাহর তাসবীহ করতেন, সেজন্য আল্লাহ তাঁর কঠিন বিপদে বিশেষভাবে তাঁকে সাহায্য প্রদান করে বিশ্ববাসীর নিকট সত্যপন্থী ও তাঁর প্রতি নিবেদিতদের সহায়তার এক উজ্জ্বল দৃষ্টান্ত স্থাপন করেছেন এবং কিয়ামত পর্যন্ত মাছের পেটে থাকা থেকে তাঁকে নিষ্কৃতি প্রদান করেন।
অন্যদিকে ফিরাউন মহান আল্লাহর অস্তিত্বে অস্বীকার করে বিদ্রোহী হয়ে উঠে। অবশেষে সে তার সাঙ্গপাঙ্গ সহ নীল নদে ডুবতে থাকে এক পর্যায়ে ঈমানের ঘোষণা দিতে থাকে। কিন্তু সে সময়ের ঈমান আনা তার কোন উপকারে আসেনি। সে সত্যটি পবিত্র কুরআনে সুন্দরভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে। যার ভাবার্ত নিুরূপঃ
“আর বনী ইসরাইলকে আমি পার করে দিয়েছি নদী। অতঃপর তাদের পশ্চাদ্ধাবন করেছে ফিরআউন ও তার সেনাবাহিনী দুরাচার ও বাড়াবাড়ির উদ্দেশ্যে। এমনকি যখন তারা ডুবতে আরম্ভ করল, তখন বলল, ‘এবার আমরা বিশ্বাস করে নিচ্ছি যে, কোন মাবুদ নেই তাঁকে ছাড়া যাঁর উপর ঈমান এনেছে বনী ইসরাইলরা।†(সূরা ইউনুস, ৯০)
ফিরআউন ও তার সহচরদের যেমন আল্লাহর উপর খালিস বিশ্বাসের অভাবে ঈমান নসীব হয়নি, তেমনি এ যুগেও যারা বিভিন্ন মানুষের দোহাই দিয়ে ওয়াসিলা করে তাদের দোয়াও আল্লাহ কবুল করবেন না, কেননা তারা ইসলাম ও ইবাদাতের নামে বিদয়াত প্রবর্তন করত মূল ইসলামের চরম তি সাধন করেছে। ইসলামের কোথাও এ ধরনের ওয়াসিলার সঠিক প্রমাণ মেলে না; আল্লাহ কোন ব্যক্তির বা তার মর্যাদার ওয়াসিলা দিয়ে দোয়া করার বিধানও প্রবর্তন করেননি; বরং তিনি শুধুমাত্র তাঁর কাজেই দোয়া করার নির্দেশ প্রদান করেন। ইরশাদ হচ্ছেঃ “আর আমার বান্দার যখন তোমার কাছে জিজ্ঞেস করে আমার ব্যাপারে- বস্তুত আমি রয়েছি সন্নিকটে। যারা প্রার্থনা করে, তাদের প্রার্থনা কবুল করে নেই, যখন আমার কাছে প্রার্থনা করে। (সূরা আল বাকারাহ, ১৮৬) তিনি আরো ইরশাদ করেনঃ “তোমাদের পালনকর্তা বলেন, তোমরা আমাকে ডাক, আমি সাড়া দেব।†(সূরা মু'মিন, ৬০) এতে প্রতীয়মান হয় যে, আমাদের শিরক ও বিদয়াতমুক্ত দোয়া থেকে সম্পূর্ণভাবে মুক্ত থাকতে হবে যার খেলাপ আজ কোথাও কোথাও পরিলতি হচ্ছে।
বান্দার দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার আরো একটি কারণ হল অমনোযোগী ও আন্তরিকতাশূন্য অবস্থায় দোয়া কর। এ মর্মে হাদীসে ইরশাদ হচ্ছেঃ “তোমরা এ অবস্থায় দোয়া করবে যাতে তোমরা তা কবুল হওয়ার ব্যাপারে দৃঢ় বিশ্বাস পোষণ কর, জেনে রেখো মহান আল্লাহ গাফিল ও অমনযোগীদের দোয়া কবুল করেন না।†(হাকিম)
মু'মিন বান্দার দোয়া কবুল না হওয়ার আরো একটি কারণ হল সৎ কাজের আদেশ ও অসৎ কাজের নিষেধ না করা। হযরত হুযায়ফা ইবনুল ইয়ামান থেকে বর্ণিত, রাসূল সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম ইরশাদ করেনঃ “তোমরা অবশ্যই সত্য-ন্যায়ের আদেশ এবং অন্যায় ও অসত্যের প্রতিরোধ করবে। অন্যথায়, অচিরেই আল্লাহ তোমাদিগকে শাস্তি দেবেন। (গযবে নিপতিত হবে) তোমরা দোয়া করবে কিন্তু তখন তোমাদের ডাকে সাড়া দেয়া হবে না। (দোয়া কবুল হবে না) (তিরমিযি শরীফ) ইমাম হাকিম তাঁর মুস্তাদরাক কিতাবে হযরত আলী রাদিআল্লাহ আনহু থেকে বর্ণনা করেন, রাসূল সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম ইরশাদ করেন, “দোয়া মু'মিনের জন্য হাতিয়ার স্বরূপ, দ্বীনের খুঁটি বা ভিত্তির সমতুল্য ও তা আসমান জমীনের আলোকবর্তিকা স্বরূপ।†(মুস্তাদরাক হাকেম)
আল্লাহর বান্দাগণ
সবাই আল্লাহকে যথাযথভাবে ভয় করে তাঁর আদেশাবলী পালন ও নিষেধাবলী থেকে বিরত থাকুন। তাঁর কাছে কাকুতি-মিনতি সহকারে দোয়া করুন। এ মর্মে হযরত আয়েশা (রাদিয়াল্লাহু আনহা) থেকে বর্ণিত বর্ণিত আছে, রাসূল সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম ইরশাদ করেন, “কাকুতি-মিনতি সহকারে যারা দোয়া করেন মহান আল্লাহ তাদের পছন্দ করেন।†(তাবরানী শরীফ)
উপরোক্ত বর্ণনাগুলোতে সুস্পষ্ট হয়ে উঠে দোয়া মূলত বড় ধরনের ইবাদাতের অন্তর্ভুক্ত। কেননা তা আল্লাহর নিকট অতিশয় বিনয় প্রকাশ ও বান্দাহ যে প্রতি মুহূর্তে তাঁর প্রতি নির্ভরশীল তা দোয়াতে সুস্পষ্টভাবে প্রকাশ পায়। অপরদিকে যারা দোয়া করে না তাদের অন্তরের কঠোরতা, অহংকার ও আল্লাহবিমুখিতার ইঙ্গিত বহন করে যা জাহান্নামের অধিকারীদের গুণাবলীর অন্তর্ভুক্ত। এ মর্মে পবিত্র কুরআনে ইরশাদ হ
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“তোমাদের পালনকর্তা বলেন, তোমরা আমাকে ডাক, আমি সাড়া দেব। যারা আমার ইবাদাতে অহংকার করে তারা সত্তরই জাহান্নামে দাখিল হবে লাঞ্ছিত হয়ে।†(সূরা মু'মিন)
অন্যদিকে আল্লাহর নিকট দোয়া করা জান্নাত লাভের কারণসমূহের অন্যতম। এ মর্মে জান্নাতবাসীদের বক্তব্য পবিত্র কোরআনে অত্যন্ত সুন্দরভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে। ইরশাদ হচ্ছেঃ “তারা একে অপরের দিকে মুখ করে জিজ্ঞাসাবাদ করবে। তারা বলবেঃ আমরা ইতিপূর্বে নিজেদের বাসগৃহে ভীত-কম্পিত ছিলাম। অতঃপর আল্লাহ আমাদের প্রতি অনুগ্রহ করেছেন এবং আমাদেরকে আগুনের শাস্তি থেকে রা করেছেন। আমরা পূর্বেও আল্লাহকে ডাকতাম। তিনি সৌজন্যশীল, পরম দয়ালু।†(সূরা আত্ তুর ২৫-২৮)
সম্মানিত উপস্থিতি
দোয়াতে সর্বদা আল্লাহকে একনিষ্ঠভাবে ডাকুন ও বেশি বেশি তাঁর নিকট দোয়া করুন, বিশেষত কোন বিপদাপদে পড়লে তা অত্যধিক দোয়া করুন। কেননা মাঝে মাঝে আল্লাহ তায়ালা তাঁর বান্দাদের বিশেষত আলিম-ওলামা ও দায়ীদের বিপদাপদ দ্বারা তাদের ঈমান, আকীদা পরীা করে থাকেন।
আল্লাহ আমাকে ও আপনাদের সবাইকে এ মহান পবিত্র কুরআনের শিা থেকে উপকৃত হওয়ার তাওফিক প্রদান করুন। এ কথাগুলো বলে আমি আমার নিজের ও আপনাদের সবার জন্য তাঁর প্রতি মা প্রার্থনা করছি। আপনারাও তাঁর প্রতি মা প্রার্থনা করুন, তিনি মাশীল ও দয়াময়।
ভাষান্তরেঃ ড. মুহাম্মদ ওয়ালি উল্লাহ,
সহযোগী অধ্যাপক, দারুল ইহসান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, ঢাকা
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I enjoyed the post.
May Allah bestow favour to all of us to be tagged with Islam at all Circumstances. Amin.
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Dear All,
Good to see many of you reading the forum posts.
Today saw the publication of the 133rd article on 'The Revelation' in News Today. The article attempts to summarize Sura Baquarah. It is worth the read if you can make time.
The link to this article: http://www.scribd.com/doc/32471617/Can-belief-be-hypocritical
Best regards.
-Yousuf
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Assalamualaikum,
We need to doa to Allah Subhanu-o-tala for all the time being as well as we need to try from our side to survive from danger. Because Allah Subhanu-o-tala said "I shall not help them, until they do not try by themselves". On the other hand he said "I accept all the dua of my people, but some times the results may delay depending on my people’s betterment'. So we always need to do the work by dawa(play active roll to survive) and doa with real iman.
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The month of Ramadan: the month of Atonement, the month of Divine mercy and blessings for mankind is coming pretty soon. Depending on the lunar calendar this month is starting on Wednesday (11th August, 2010) in most parts of the world. This is the month when the Final Testament - The Quran was revealed to mankind from Lord. In this month the 1.79 billion and more faithful Muslims across the globe will be fasting in the name of Lord, for the sake of Lord to attain rightousness, to attain closeness to God.
Fasting has its spiritual and religious merits and dimensions. At the same time this practice of fasting which recommended in all faiths and religious tradition also have great scientific and medical benefits that are revealed as advanced medical science is researching on it. A short compilation of the Science of Fasting is what follows:
Fasting - an "operation without surgery"
"Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment... it is the 'operation without surgery'... it is a cure involving exudation, reattunement, redirection, loosening up and purified relaxation. While fasting, the patient improves her or his physical health and gains much. But he or she will have neglected the most important thing if the hunger for spiritual nourishment that manifests itself during fasting is not satisfied." -Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., Germany's great, self-described "fasting therapist". Read the full article 'Why Fasting' that focuses on medical benefit of fasting here.
Fasting As a Natural Nutrition Therapy
Dr. Elson M. Haas, M.D., offers some very beneficial information about fasting, addressing preventive and integrated medicines, natural nutrition therapies and detoxification (fasting).
Fasting and your Biological Rythms is a beautiful article by Doctor E. Kazim where he describes how fasting release special types of tranquilizing natural chemicals that not only tranquil our mind but also elate the mind. Also how fasting positively affects our sleep is discussed from scientific research
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Miracle of Fasting is a very religion independent investigation on the benefits of Fasting. It talsk about how fasting is necessary for the internal purification, how fasting conserves vital force and how it cleanses toxins out. read here.
Healthier Living through Fasting is an article by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph.D. who is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of Louisville School of Medicine. The article focuses on how Science Favors Fasting interms of longevity, effect on weight, lipid metabolism etc. full article here.
Fasting enhances mental acuity
Not only internal digestive organs and others, fasting also enhances the mental faculty.
Perhaps the most instructive testimony as to the acuteness of mental powers during fasting comes from Dr. Herbert Shelton who supervised the fasting of more than 40,000 people over a period of fifty years. His message is that the freer the body is of toxic materials flowing through the blood and lymphatic system, the clearer is the ability to think. continue reading here.
Fasting decreases triiodothyronine receptor capacity by GC Schussler and J Orlando (Science, Vol 199, Issue 4329, 686-688).
Fasting for Health and Spiritual Development
Yoga magazine has an article by Swami Satyananda Saraswati that talks about not only spiritual but also physical development relating to fasting. Along with other issues it talks about fasting and its relation with Somo-psychic or psychosomatic, balancing of the hormones and concentration of mind. (continue here)
A Healthy Fast Is as Good as a Fresh Start
The article published in Buddhist Channel gives an outline how fasting can be seen as a healing treatment that purifies our bodies. Fasting restores the body’s innate self-healing ability that we have forgotten- mentions the article. “Hunger is perhaps the most intense discomfort people can feel. Our bodies recognize fasting as an emergency state. Autonomic nerves that were hibernating become alive, and react very sensitively and violently. They begin to throw away all the unnecessary things, leaving only the minimum needed for survival. In this process, all the waste and toxins are being eliminated,†say Prof. Shin Hyun-dae at Kyung Hee Medical Center.
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Some medical benefits of Ramadan Fasting :
Weight Management
Fasting has been used by patients for weight management, to rest the digestive tract and for lowering lipids.
Calorie
The calorie intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the nutritional requirement guidelines.
Long Lasting
The lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after
Ramadan, there effects will be long lasting.
Effect of Fasting
The Effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure.
Treatment of Mild
Fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity, and essential hypertension.
Improve Physical Condition
In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan", held in Casablanca, entered 50 extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. Improvement in many medical conditions was noted. Such as, fasting did not harm any patients' health or their baseline medical condition.
Improves Memory
There is a beneficial effect of extra prayer at night. This not only helps with better utilization of food but also helps in energy output. There are 10 extra calories output for each unit of the prayer. Again, we do not do prayers for exercise, but a mild movement of the joints with extra calorie utilization is a better form of exercise. Similarly, recitation of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart and mind, but improves the memory.
Caring for Health
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone." (Muslim)
A Swiss physician Dr. Barsilus noted that: The advantages of hunger as a remedy exceed those ingesting medicine several times.
As readers are well aware, several physicians advise patients to skip meals, sometimes for a few days, before prescribing them a controlled diet.
Generally speaking, fasting hastens the destruction of the decaying tissues of the body by means of hunger, and then builds new tissues through nutrition. This is why some scientists suggest that fasting should be regarded as an effective means of restoring youthfulness and longevity. However, Islam exempts from fasting sick and old people whose health is bound to deter.
But fasting should have its regulations too, and not simply the in orderly skipping meals, that is bound to harm health and stamina, rather than improving them. Here again Islam provides the answer, and in order to realize the benefits of fasting, it recommends the late midnight meals called Sahar (before the formal start of a fast) and the breaking of the fast at the time prescribed. Of course, to ensure good health one should abstain from
gluttony after breaking fast.
Moderation: It is difficult to identify the moderation in the desires for food and sex because of the different needs and energies of individuals. Moderation of an individual may be considered as exaggeration or shortage for another. The relative moderation is to have only the quantity that is sufficient, away from greed and fill. The best criterion in this regard is that which was stated by Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS): "Son! May I instruct you four words after which you will no longer need medicine? Do not eat unless you are hungry. Stop eating while you are still hungry. Chew food deliberately. Before sleeping, go to toilet. You will not need medicine if you follow."
In the holy Quran, there is a Verse gathering the whole matter of medicine. It is: "...Eat and drink but do not be excessive." (7:31)
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nice
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Truly, I am proud to be follower of Islam.
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Thanks for sharing.
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Thank u sir this is really nice i will try read Qur'an every day because it touch my heart and Allah give us more opportunity to read Qur'an so i use this opportunity May Allah give us bless
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Thank you for the post and thereafter a lot of related information . Before watching the fault of others, if we can see our faults; which will help us. Lets start from today
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O Allah you are merciful. I always pray to get your merci. Please help us Allah.
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2.2 “This is (from) the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allahâ€
Is it ,'this is the book, or 'That is the book', what is the meaning of Zalika?