Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Dreams Yusuf (Joseph) Chapter 12: Verse 4 "Joseph said to his father: 'Father, I saw in a dream eleven stars, as well as the sun and the moon; and I saw them prostrate themselves before me." As we continue to read the rest of this Sura we must inevitably believe that some dreams prophesize something that will happen in the near or distant future. Two reasons may be identified here: the first is that Joseph's, his two fellow prisoners' and the King of Egypt's dream all came true. Secondly, in our own lives we find that some dreams come true and this is frequent enough to make it impossible to deny the relationship. So what is the nature of dreams then? The school of analytical and psychology considers them as the subconscious expression of suppressed desires. This accounts for some dreams, but not all of them especially the prophetic dreams. First of all we have to say that whether we know dream's nature or not does not affect the fact that there are such dreams and that some of them are true. We are here only trying to understand certain aspects of man's nature, and some of the laws God has set in operation in the universe. Time and place constitute barriers that prevent man from seeing what we call the past, the future or the whole of the present. The past and future are screened by a time factor, while the present that is not in our immediate vicinity is screened by a place factor. A sense which we do not know about in man's make-up may at times become alert or may at times have extra strength and go beyond the time factor to see vaguely what lies beyond it. This is not true knowledge, but rather a form of discerning, similar to what happens to some people while awake and to others while asleep, when they are able to go beyond the barriers of either time or place, or indeed both. We do not in fact know anything about the true nature of time, nor is the nature of place or matter known to us fully. Compiled From: "In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 10, pp. 41, 42

Understanding the Prophet's Life Candidacy Elections require several candidates from whom to choose for a position. Caliph Umar nominated six distinguished persons from whom one might be chosen as a candidate for the caliphate to succeed him. Some argue against such a procedure from an Islamic point of view, arguing that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By Allah, we do not appoint in a public position one who had asked for it." [Muslim] According to scholars in this field and jurists, this is interpreted as a warning against asking for a public position merely for a personal benefit without considering its responsibilities and the required capabilities for fulfilling them. One who is capable for a public position, fully aware of its responsibilities, and thinks that he or she can fulfill them and commits himself or herself to do so, can ask for the position and mention his or her qualifications for it, as the Prophets Yusuf [Joseph] and Sulayman [Solomon] did. It goes without saying that presenting the candidate's merits and capability for the position, and criticizing other's incapabilities should follow the legal and ethical principles of Islam. The requirements for a candidate, or what may bar a person from a candidacy, can be decided in the light of Islamic legal and moral teachings and according to social circumstances. Compiled From: "Islam in a Modern State: Democracy and the Concept of Shura" - Fathi Osman

Blindspot! Islamic Call [.. continued from previous issue] The Five Results First: to attain the position of inheritors of the Prophets, for they were the first callers and beacons of light in the field of propagation. Second: to obtain prayers for your forgiveness from the creation for having taught the people goodness. Even the whale in the ocean will pray for the caller to truth. Third: to gain great rewards equivalent to that of those invited. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever calls to a good tradition will have the reward as the one who followed it without reducing from their reward.' Fourth: the development of the caller from being on who is called to one who calls. He influences others and is not influenced by others who call to evil. Fifth: the caller will become a leader among his people and they will follow him. Allah Almighty describes the righteous and notes that they call upon Him saying: 'Cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!' (Quran 25:74) Compiled From: "Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast" - A'id Abdullah al-Qarnee

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Personal Dignity Al-Imran (The House of Imran) Chapter 3: Verse 84 "Say: We believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes, and in the scriptures that God sent to Moses and Jesus, and the Prophets. We make no distinction between them and we are Muslims." The Quranic recognition of the truth and essential unity of the revealed faiths is not confined to Christianity and Judaism but extends to all the Prophets preceding Moses and Jesus and their teachings. Thus it is stated that belief in all of them is an integral part of the Muslim faith. Affirmative references to other revealed religions is one of the major themes of the Quran. These recur in several places in the Book and they consistently confirm that Islam does not deny the followers of other faiths the freedom, both within and outside the territorial domain of Islam, to choose, retain and practice the religion they wish to follow. This is precisely the conclusion that commentators have drawn from the totality of the Quranic evidence. Referring to these verses, Fathi Uthman writes that 'Islam rejects compulsion even if it be the only way to Islam itself ... for worshipping God and the enforcement of His law cannot be properly achieved unless man is free from fear ...'. The Quran is most explicit on the dignity and nobility of man, both individually and collectively, and it repeatedly expresses the theme that a person's dignity is ultimately related to his or her freedom - particularly freedom of conscience. In sum, the Quran is consistent in its affirmation of the freedom of belief and it fully supports the conclusion that the objective of the Shariah cannot be properly fulfilled without granting people the freedom of belief, and the liberty to express it. Compiled From: "Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp. 102, 103

Understanding the Prophet's Life Ridicule One major cause of social discord is ridiculing others, especially in being contemptuous of others. One's superiority complex prompts one to belittle others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has provided a graphic account of him who mocks others, as he will face a penalty in the Hereafter: "Those mocking others will be shown a door to Paradise and be asked to enter. As they reach the door it will be closed and the same will happen again. This will be done so many times that they will lose strength and spirit to approach any door." [Bayhaqi] Some resort to imitating others as a means of mocking them. The Prophet took strong exception to Umm al-Muminin Aisha's (may Allah be pleased with her) mimicry of someone, saying: "I do not approve of this, even if I am given any material thing as an incentive for doing so." [Tirmidhi] Compiled From: "Inter Personal Relations" - Khurram Murad, p. 24

Cool Tips! Islamic Call [.. continued from previous issue] The five means of propagation First: the individual method; that is, to invite the person individually if the matter pertains to him specifically. Second: public or mass propagation such as in lectures or exhortations that benefit the generality of people. Third: private lessons to students each in his specialty. This is the task of the scholars who specialize in their disciplines. Fourth: propagation through writing, correspondence and authorship with guidance and benefit for those who are called. Fifth: propagation using modern means of communication to advance the cause of truth or any means within your own individual capacity. [to be continued] Compiled From: "Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast" - A'id Abdullah al-Qarnee

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Birr Al-Baqara (The Cow) Chapter 2: Verse 177 "The birr does not consist in your turning your faces towards the East or the West, but true birr is this, that one believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Scripture, and the Prophets; that one gives one's own wealth howsoever cherished it may be, to kinsfolk, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, and beggars, and also for the sake of slaves; that one performs the ritual prayer, pays the alms. And those who keep their covenant when they have once covenanted and who are patient in distress and hardship: there are they who are sincere; these are they who are Godfearing." The word Birr is perhaps among the most elusive of the Quranic moral terms. In any case, the usage of the word in Quran indicates that a very prominent place is given to factors relating to justice and love in human relations, so much so that - to take two representative elements - the act of rendering religious service to God and that of feeding the poor are made to stand almost on the same footing. This should not surprise us, for the Quran as a whole gives an outstanding emphasis to justice and love in social life. Piety, in other words, cannot be piety unless it manifests itself in various works motivated by the will to practice justice and love towards others. The word birr seems to lend further confirmation to this view. The above verse furnishes a contextual definition of the word. A glance at the elements here enumerated as constituting true birr would make us understand at once that there is practically nothing to distinguish it from true iman. We see at the same time why this term has been so variously translated in English. It may very well be rendered as 'piety'; it may no less justifiably be rendered as 'righteousness' or 'kindness'. But any of these translations taken alone, cannot possibly do justice to the original word which includes all these and perhaps still others in its complex meaning. Compiled From: "Ethico Religious Concepts in the Quran" - Toshihiko Izutsu, pp. 207, 208

Understanding the Prophet's Life Five Favours God is kind and gives favours to everyone. Whatever people have is from God. Nevertheless, He bestowed special favours on each Prophet (peace be upon them) and community according to the dictates of the time. For example, Adam was favoured with the knowledge of the names (the keys to all branches of knowledge). Noah was endowed with steadfastness and perseverance; Abraham was honoured with God's intimate friendship and being the father of numerous Prophets; Moses was given the ability to administer, and was exalted by being addressed by God directly; and Jesus was distinguished with patience, tolerance, and compassion. All Prophets have some share in these praiseworthy qualities, but each surpasses, on account of his mission, the others in one or more of these qualities. Prophet Muhammad has all of the qualities mentioned above, except for being the father of Prophets. Moreover, because of the universal nature of his mission, he is further distinguished in the following five ways. As related by Bukhari, he says: "I have been given five things not given to anyone before me: God helps me by implanting fear in the heart of my enemies at a distance of one month's walk; the Earth has been made a place of worship and means of cleansing for me, so whenever it is time to pray my followers can pray wherever they are; the spoils of war are lawful for me, although they were not lawful for anyone before me; I have the right to intercede (with God on behalf of believers); and, while every Prophet (before me) was sent to his people exclusively, I was sent to humanity." Compiled From: "The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, p. 119

Cool Tips! Islamic Call The propagation of Islam was the mission of all the prophets and messengers of Allah. There was never a prophet who was not a preacher and teacher. All of them preached the same message: 'Worship Allah, you have no other god but Him.' They all called to their people saying: 'I do not seek any reward from you for this work.' There are five premises to the Islamic call, it has five approaches, and its results are also five. The five premises First: sincerity and truthfulness with Allah, and to seek His favour. Allah says: 'And, they were not enjoined aught but that they should worship God, sincere in their faith to Him alone.' (98:5) The Prophet (peace be upon him) foretold that the first with whom the fire of hell will be lit are three; among them a scholar who acquired knowledge so that people would say he is learned. Second: to practice what one preaches. Actually it is a scandal and disgrace that a person's actions contradict his words. Allah derides such people in His Quran: 'Do you bid other people to be pious, the while you forget your own selves - and yet you recite the divine writ? Will you not, then, use your reason?' (Qur'an 2:44) Third: gentleness in presenting the message. Allah advised Musa and Haroon (peace be upon them both) to adopt this measure with Pharaoh, the greatest tyrant of his time: 'But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might bethink himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension.' (Qur'an 20:44) And to Prophet Muhammad, He also cautioned: 'And it was by God's grace that thou [O Prophet] didst deal gently with thy followers; for if thou hadst been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee' (Qur'an 3:159). Hence it was on this basis the Prophet, declared: 'Make matters easy and do not make them difficult. Give glad tidings and do not drive people away.' Fourth: adopt a gradual approach to propagation. Do as Prophet Muhammad did in his mission by beginning with the most important matters; then follow them up in order of priority. This was clearly demonstrated in the advice he gave to Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him) before he sent him to Yemen. "You will come upon a People of the Book (Jews and Christians), the first thing you should invite them to is to bear witness that there is no God save Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they respond positively to this, then inform them that Allah had ordained for them five prayers each day and night.' Fifth: address every people with what is suited for them and their needs. There is a special approach to the people of the cities and another approach to the villagers. Similarly, there is a special approach to the Bedouin. The intellectual has his position and the ignorant has his position. So too, there is a style for the argumentative and an entirely different one for the submissive. 'And whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted wealth abundant.' [to be continued] Compiled From: "Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast" - A'id Abdullah al-Qarnee

The Assumptions.

I guess it comes with the territory that when you have a large family, when you are an old Muslim woman in the shoe that people will assume certain things about you. I suppose you think this will be a negative post but au contraire! People have grand assumptions about me, positive to the max assumptions about me that don't fit me whatsoever. All I have to do is show up, not doing anything at all but people will think that I am a connoisseur of many talents. First of all is cooking. Everyone assumes that I am a master chef! That I spend most of my day cooking succulent feasts in a humid kitchen for my large sprawling family. That I cook foods from all Muslim ethnic groups. Sorry I rarely cook. What are my children starving? Not at all. My husband does the cooking. Gasp! This is unheard of right? I think I've mentioned many times how I hate cooking, no I loathe it. So I don't. Well I did cook a few times a week before but now maybe once a month. Why the decline? I got MS a few years ago if you have been reading my blog. I can't stand for long periods of time. I suppose if I LOVED cooking I would just sit and cook but nah. Even baking has taken a back seat which I love. Mostly my kids have taken over. Another assumption is that I sew all my own clothes and most likely my children's. Although I took a sewing course when I was pregnant for my 4th because Islamic clothes were so hard to find, I found I lacked the patience. Wash the material,measure the material, stretch the material,cut the material, sew the material..yadda,yadda...I got so frustrated with it. I love the idea of it but it takes a kind of soft,gentle type of woman for such pursuits and I'm the type to want things done yesterday! So sorry my clothes are off the rack. Third assumption; I embroider my own clothes. Wow! Another endeavour that takes patience. I don't even know how to embroider. Never thought of learning either although in all historical romance books that I read pre-Islam the ladies of the gentry would always be sitting around quietly embroidering. Nah, also not happening. Sorry my clothes are embroidered by lovely women overseas either by hand or by machine, not quite certain which. I don't have an eye for such things.

So I'm sorry to burst your bubble. I'm just a regular sort of person who happens to have a large family. You still love me though right?

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Knowing Another Al-Hujurat (The Chambers) Chapter 49: Verse 13 (partial) "Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female and have formed you into tribes and nations so that you may get to know one another." The Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) greatest political achievement was to find a way of helping the Arabs to transcend the aggressive jahiliyyah that was tearing Arabia apart. Pluralisms and diversity are God's will; the evolution of human beings into national and tribal groups was meant to encourage them to appreciate and understand the essential unity and equality of the entire human family. But national and tribal chauvinism (asabiyyah), which regards one's own group as inherently superior to all others, is condemned as arrogant and divisive. Tribalism in this sense is still alive and well today. If we continue to make our national interest an absolute value, to see our cultural heritage and way of life as supreme, and to regard outsiders and foreigners with suspicion and neglect their interests, the interconnected global society we have created will not be viable. After the world wars, genocide, and terrorism of the twentieth century, the purpose of the tribe or the nation can no longer be to fight, dominate, exploit, conquer, colonize, occupy, kill, convert, or terrorize rival groups. We have a duty to get to know one another, and to cultivate a concern and responsibility for all our neighbours in the global village. Compiled From: "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" - Karen Armstrong, p. 144

Understanding the Prophet's Life Good Manners We should turn to Allah to seek His help in becoming a person of good character. It is recorded by Ahmad in different narrations from both Ibn Masud and Aisha that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say, "O Allah, You made my physical being beautiful, so make my character beautiful." Everyone should realize that good character is truly a great gift from Allah and it is only Allah who can bestow such a gift. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also used to make the following supplication, "Guide me to the best manners, no one can guide to the best of them but You. And turn me away from evil manners, no one can turn me away from them except you." [Muslim] Compiled From: "Commentary on the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, p. 1025

Blindspot! Intangibles The depression brought the world to the very borderline of understanding of the forces which are intangible and unseen. Through the ages which have passed, man has depended too much upon his physical senses, and has limited his knowledge to physical things, which he could see, touch, weigh, and measure. We are now entering the most marvellous of all ages—an age which will teach us something of the intangible forces of the world about us. Perhaps we shall learn, as we pass through this age, that the “other self” is more powerful than the physical self we see when we look into a mirror. Sometimes men speak lightly of the intangibles— the things which they cannot perceive through any of their five senses, and when we hear them, it should remind us that all of us are controlled by forces which are unseen and intangible. The whole of mankind has not the power to cope with, nor to control the intangible force wrapped up in the rolling waves of the oceans. Man has not the capacity to understand the intangible force of gravity, which keeps this little earth suspended in midair, and keeps man from falling from it, much less the power to control that force. Man is entirely subservient to the intangible force which comes with a thunderstorm, and he is just as helpless in the presence of the intangible force of electricity— nay, he does not even know what electricity is, where it comes from, or what is its purpose! Nor is this by any means the end of man’s ignorance in connection with things unseen and intangible. He does not understand the intangible force (and intelligence) wrapped up in the soil of the earth—the force which provides him with every morsel of food he eats, every article of clothing he wears, every dollar he carries in his pockets. Compiled From: "Think & Grow Rich" - Napoleon Hill, pp. 212, 213