"Mujahid stated, 'Four Ayaat (verses) at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah describe the believers, two describe the disbelievers, and thirteen describe the hypocrites.'" (At-Tabari 1:239. Found in Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Four and Two compared to Thirteen! Something to think about.
"We mentioned that four Ayaat (verses) in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah described the believers. The [next] two [] Ayaat describe the disbelievers. Afterwards, Allah begins to describe the hypocrites who show belief and hide disbelief. Since the matter of the hypocrites is vague and many people do not realise their true reality, Allah mentioned their description in detail..." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Taqwa
"The root meaning of Taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Al-Khattaab asked Ubayy bin Ka'b about Taqwa. Ubayy said, 'Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?' Umar said, 'Yes.' Ubayy said, 'What did you do then?' He said, 'I rolled up my sleeves and struggled.' Ubayy said, 'That is Taqwa.'" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Guidance to know the path, Taqwa to walk its rugged stretch.
Struggling through, Shunning doubt.
Holding out, Having faith.
Guidance to know the path, Taqwa to walk its rugged stretch.
Struggling through, Shunning doubt.
Holding out, Having faith.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
6.4, Ways of Doing Good
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We know our obligations towards people, and we understand the rights of animals, but what, if anything, does Islam say about plants, gardening and agriculture?
Jabir (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “When a Muslim plants a tree, whatever is eaten from it is charity from him and whatever is stolen is charity and whatever is subtracted from it is charity.” (Muslim)
Another narration says: “If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows a field, and men and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is charity from him.”
We see here the importance of gardening and agriculture, and how rewarding it can be as a pastime. Also, the one for whom it is an occupation; we see the reward for bearing patiently any loss suffered due to theft or loss.
Returning back to the rights of men, Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “He who performs his Wudhu perfectly and comes to Jumuah prayer and listens (to the Khutbah) silently, the sins which he has committed since the previous Friday plus three more days (i.e., 10 days) will be forgiven for him. One who distracts himself with pebbles during the Khutbah will not get the (Jumu`ah) reward.” (Muslim)
Firstly, we see here a duty on the part of the Khateeb (the Imaam) towards the attendees to deliver a brief Khutbah, and to try and make it as engaging as possible. Further, he has a duty to arrive on time, to make the necessary preparations, to rest beforehand so that he is concentrated, and so on.
Secondly, we see a duty on the part of the attendees towards the Khateeb to make the necessary preparations and arrive early, to listen silently, to not make conversation or gestures with those around, to not play with objects nearby, to rest beforehand so that they do not sleep through the sermon, and so on.
If these requirements are met, then the excellence of Jumuah (the Friday prayer), which includes the sermon, is that the minor sins committed in the previous ten days are forgiven.
Lastly, I end with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (SAW): “Allah will surely speak with every one of you without an interpreter. He (the man) will look at his right side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before, and he will look to his left side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before. Then he will look in front of him and will find nothing but Hell-fire facing him. So protect (yourselves) from (Hell) Fire, by giving in charity even half a date; and if he does not finds it, then with a kind word.”
We know our obligations towards people, and we understand the rights of animals, but what, if anything, does Islam say about plants, gardening and agriculture?
Jabir (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “When a Muslim plants a tree, whatever is eaten from it is charity from him and whatever is stolen is charity and whatever is subtracted from it is charity.” (Muslim)
Another narration says: “If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows a field, and men and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is charity from him.”
We see here the importance of gardening and agriculture, and how rewarding it can be as a pastime. Also, the one for whom it is an occupation; we see the reward for bearing patiently any loss suffered due to theft or loss.
Returning back to the rights of men, Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “He who performs his Wudhu perfectly and comes to Jumuah prayer and listens (to the Khutbah) silently, the sins which he has committed since the previous Friday plus three more days (i.e., 10 days) will be forgiven for him. One who distracts himself with pebbles during the Khutbah will not get the (Jumu`ah) reward.” (Muslim)
Firstly, we see here a duty on the part of the Khateeb (the Imaam) towards the attendees to deliver a brief Khutbah, and to try and make it as engaging as possible. Further, he has a duty to arrive on time, to make the necessary preparations, to rest beforehand so that he is concentrated, and so on.
Secondly, we see a duty on the part of the attendees towards the Khateeb to make the necessary preparations and arrive early, to listen silently, to not make conversation or gestures with those around, to not play with objects nearby, to rest beforehand so that they do not sleep through the sermon, and so on.
If these requirements are met, then the excellence of Jumuah (the Friday prayer), which includes the sermon, is that the minor sins committed in the previous ten days are forgiven.
Lastly, I end with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (SAW): “Allah will surely speak with every one of you without an interpreter. He (the man) will look at his right side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before, and he will look to his left side and will see nothing but (the deeds) which he had done before. Then he will look in front of him and will find nothing but Hell-fire facing him. So protect (yourselves) from (Hell) Fire, by giving in charity even half a date; and if he does not finds it, then with a kind word.”
6.3, Ways of Doing Good
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed, and I begin in the Name of Allah, the Most Glorified and Exalted, who says in the Qur’an, “… and whatever you do of good deeds, truly, Allah knows it well.” (2: 215)
And in another place, Allah says, “So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.” (99: 7)
More often than not, when we are advised to increase in good deeds, what comes to mind is spending more time in the Masjid, making extra prayers, increasing in Tasbeeh, reading Qur’an for longer, and so on. But, in doing so, by equating good deeds to these acts alone we limit our Islam and forget that this is a way of life that not only defines our relationship with our Creator, but also defines our relationship with the created, i.e., people, animals, plants, the environment, and so on.
I ended previously with the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), “Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim)
In a strong sense, what we see here is a social obligation. But, this cheerfulness should be something that comes to us naturally in all of our day to day interactions and dealings. Whether it is the friend you see at university every day or the friend you haven’t seen in years, this cheerfulness should be as fresh as the radiant face you would take with you to a job interview, and as welcoming as the smile that comes upon hearing good news.
And why not when we have so much to be cheerful for; from the health and wealth that we enjoy, to the family and friends that provide us with so much comfort, to the Islam and God-consciousness that give us peace and protection from all evil and depression.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “Every day the sun rises charity (Sadaqah) is due on every joint of a person: that you administer justice between two men is a charity; and assisting a man to mount his beast, or helping him load his luggage on it is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take (towards the mosque) for Salat (prayer) is a charity and removing harmful things from the road is a charity.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
When we hear this, it becomes clear how many opportunities for charity we pass every day. Think about it, how many times have you seen a mother struggling to take her pushchair up a set of stairs, or a friend feeling slightly down in need of a visit or a kind word, or an elderly neighbour carrying a large load of shopping, and upon seeing this you thought to yourself, “he’ll be ok”, or “I’m busy, somebody else will help him”, or perhaps you passed by without thinking anything at all? These are opportunities gone missing. Not only for our selves, but also opportunities to improve the general negative impression that these individuals are likely to have built against Muslims from the media circus around them.
This Hadith and the previous one are with regards to our dealings with people. What about animals? Does Islam give any rights to animals?
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well and went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: ‘This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.’ So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins.” The Companions asked: “Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?” He (SAW) said, “A reward is given in connection with every living creature.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
There are slight variations in the narration, but in all it emphasizes the importance of kindness to every creature, including animals, because Allah is pleased with such kindness. We also see here that Allah’s mercy and forgiveness is immensely vast. If He wants He may forgive a person even on account of a minor good action done by that person.
And in another place, Allah says, “So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.” (99: 7)
More often than not, when we are advised to increase in good deeds, what comes to mind is spending more time in the Masjid, making extra prayers, increasing in Tasbeeh, reading Qur’an for longer, and so on. But, in doing so, by equating good deeds to these acts alone we limit our Islam and forget that this is a way of life that not only defines our relationship with our Creator, but also defines our relationship with the created, i.e., people, animals, plants, the environment, and so on.
I ended previously with the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), “Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim)
In a strong sense, what we see here is a social obligation. But, this cheerfulness should be something that comes to us naturally in all of our day to day interactions and dealings. Whether it is the friend you see at university every day or the friend you haven’t seen in years, this cheerfulness should be as fresh as the radiant face you would take with you to a job interview, and as welcoming as the smile that comes upon hearing good news.
And why not when we have so much to be cheerful for; from the health and wealth that we enjoy, to the family and friends that provide us with so much comfort, to the Islam and God-consciousness that give us peace and protection from all evil and depression.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “Every day the sun rises charity (Sadaqah) is due on every joint of a person: that you administer justice between two men is a charity; and assisting a man to mount his beast, or helping him load his luggage on it is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take (towards the mosque) for Salat (prayer) is a charity and removing harmful things from the road is a charity.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
When we hear this, it becomes clear how many opportunities for charity we pass every day. Think about it, how many times have you seen a mother struggling to take her pushchair up a set of stairs, or a friend feeling slightly down in need of a visit or a kind word, or an elderly neighbour carrying a large load of shopping, and upon seeing this you thought to yourself, “he’ll be ok”, or “I’m busy, somebody else will help him”, or perhaps you passed by without thinking anything at all? These are opportunities gone missing. Not only for our selves, but also opportunities to improve the general negative impression that these individuals are likely to have built against Muslims from the media circus around them.
This Hadith and the previous one are with regards to our dealings with people. What about animals? Does Islam give any rights to animals?
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well and went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: ‘This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.’ So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins.” The Companions asked: “Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?” He (SAW) said, “A reward is given in connection with every living creature.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
There are slight variations in the narration, but in all it emphasizes the importance of kindness to every creature, including animals, because Allah is pleased with such kindness. We also see here that Allah’s mercy and forgiveness is immensely vast. If He wants He may forgive a person even on account of a minor good action done by that person.
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