Radiant Reality November 2012

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November. 2012 . Vol. 13 , No: 164.

Editorial

Question Answer

Lesson from the Quran

Lesson from Sahih al-Bukhari

Racial Equality in Islam

The Arrows of Satan

Conveying the Message with ClarityArrogance, ?Humbleness and . . .

Quranic Sciences

My Mothers Hands

A Miracle Please

The Spiritual Wayfarer

The Corruption in Muslim Childrens

Orphans . . . With Parents!

From Debt to Death

The Ideal Prophet

The Innocence of White PeopleBitterness is a Killer!....

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Radiant Reality www.islamkashmir.org Nov.. 2012

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[[

All thanks for Almighty, the most Merciful and Exalted

EDITORIAL

Do you know the ratio of the Muslim

population in your area? After knowing this,

what is the percentage of those who assem-

ble together five times a day - facing a single

direction, Qibla, according to the instructions

of the revealed book, and in following their

only Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam),

pray to the one and only Lord? What is the

percentage of those who keep fast in the

month of Ramadan with utmost conscious-

ness and carefulness? How many are those

on whom Zakaah is obligatory and they keep

on paying it continually? How many of those

having the competence to go for Haj have

fulfilled this obligation? Presently you may

find it unnecessary to answer these queries

but in future the feel of this need will be ac-

companied by regret and remorse. If you

have risen to address these issues it is also

incumbent upon you to stimulate those who

are asleep. In case they dont respond to you

and the danger is eminent and close, stir

them and stir them well. In the state of negli-

gence, they may spell out harsh words on to

you; in this conflict, you may feel shocked by

their approach, but will you, because of these

apprehensions, forget your responsibilities?

How many mosques are there in

your locality and what is their condition? Are

they well-attended and in good condition or

desolate and in need of necessary repairs?

What about the Islamic schools (madrassas)

and their maintenance? Is there any arrange-

ment for the education of orphans and down-

trodden? Any means for providing livelihood

to helpless widows? Something to meet the

basic requirements of life for aged, paupers

and crippled ones? Have all the people of

your locality, your friends, relatives,

neighbours, servants etc., become familiar

with the important and fundamental princi-

ples of Islam? Are the teachings of Quran

being disseminated far and wide? Do people

take cognizance of the religious issues and

worldly affairs? Are your neighbours aware of

their obligations and what it means to be a

Muslim? If you have been able to compre-

hend the upcoming dangers, isnt it then im-

perative upon you, irrespective of whether

you will be rewarded infamy or disgrace for

your endeavour, to warn those unaware and

unconcerned?

Do the people of your locality con-

sider it necessary to take part in the activities

beneficial to Muslims? How much have they

helped different religious and educational

efforts? Have they been able to recognize the

value of the Islamic newsletters and pam-

phlets? Have they taken it seriously to buy

and publish the Islamic literature? Have they

learnt the lesson to coalesce with the Muslim

brethren outside; grieve on their grief; turn

restless for their wounds? If their sensitivity

has faded away and they are ignorant with

regard to the worth of their multifaceted life,

then, doesnt the responsibility lie upon you,

and arent you supposed to question your-

self?

Acquisition of material wealth in worldly grad is not as harmful as theacquisition of worldly gain under guise of the Deen.


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Nov. 2012 www.islamkashmir.org Radiant Reality

(Vol.13, No: 164) 3

Question.

How long after a proposal is it advis-

able to make nikaah?

Answer.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)

advised Ali (radiyallahu anhu) thus: Dont

delay in executing three things:

Salaah when the (mustahab) time

enters.

A Janaazah when it is ready to beperformed.

An unmarried person when you find a suit-

able partner for him/her. (Sunan Tirmizi

#171)

From the above hadeeth we under-

stand that the nikaah should be done as

quickly as possible after the proposal. Not

adhering to this advice of Rasulullah

(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) very often leads

to haraam contact between the boy and girl

and many other wrongs and unnecessary and

unfounded formalities.Therefore, the nikaah should be per-

formed as soon as possible. And Allah Ta'ala

knows best

Question.

I am living with my in-laws and I am

expecting and was wondering what are the

islamic views regarding going to my mothers

house for confinement. People keep taunting

and saying its not permissible.

Answer.Just as on other occasions you may

go to your mothers place, there is no prob-

lem in going to the mothers place for the

confinement. Generally people prefer to do

the confinement at the mothers place so

that the daughter may receive special atten-

tion and recuperate completely with some-

one who she is very comfortable. However, it

is good that this is done with the mutual un-

derstanding of the spouses. And Allah knows

best

Question.

Is it permissible for a woman to per-

form Umrah with her friends who are travel-

ling with their mehrams in a group?

Answer.

According to the Hanafi school of

thought, a woman can only travel on a jour-

ney of more than 78 kms (about 48 miles) be

this for Umrah, Hajj or otherwise, if she is

accompanied by her husband or a Mahram

relative. Mahrams refer to those males that

are perpetually haram for her to marry, like

her father, grandfather, brothers of her fa-

ther and mother, sons, grandsons, her broth-

ers, and sons of her brothers and sisters.Hence if the woman concerned does

not have a mahram then she cannot travel in

this way i.e. with her friends and their Mah-

rams. And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Question.

Is it allowed to wear abayas with

stones and embroidery fixed onto it? If it is

allowed, up to what extent can it be

adorned?

Answer.Beauty is supposed to be displayed in

the home in the presence of the husband,

children, and mahram relatives. It is not

meant to be displayed in public. The beauty

of a woman is a private treasure and not a


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public property to be enjoyed by one and all.

Thus, the purpose of the Abaya is to

conceal the body and make one unattractive

when emerging from the home. Needless tosay, beautifying the abaya defeats the very

purpose of the abaya.

The Quran commands that women

should not even stamp their feet in a way

that part of her beauty may be revealed. How

can then it permit them to publicly adorn

themselves with outer garments that are at-

tractive or revealing? A hadith actually curses

the woman who uses any type of perfume at

a place where its fragrance would reach non-

mahram men. Further, it categorically states

that women should stay out of public view.When she leaves her home the shaitan looks

for ways to tempt people through her.

Hence, abayas that have revealing

features or any type of attraction are not only

impermissible but they are shameful and a

cause of fitnah and evil. May Allah protect us

all.

However, if the Abaya is worn at

home and only in the presence of other fe-

males or one's husband, then it could be

beautified. And Allah Knows Best.

Question.

I live in the UAE, and my parents are

considering conducting my nikah online via

video conferencing to a girl who is currently

in the US. If all the guardians (wakeels) are

present, is the nikah on video conferencing

permissible? If yes, how would we sign the

nikah document? Can it be signed later via a

courier service?

Answer.

Nikah (marriage) cannot take placeon telephone, or via video conference where

both the contracting parties and the neces-

sary witnesses are not at the actual/physical

location of the contract, because it is a neces-

sary condition for a valid contract of marriage

that at least two witnesses should be present

at the time of marriage and should witness

both offer and acceptance by the respectivespouses or their representative. This neces-

sary condition cannot be fulfilled in a tele-

phone conversation or via video conference

etc.

However, if A wants to marry B with-

out both being present at one place, he can

authorize anyone of his friends or relatives

living at the place where B is to contract his

marriage and appoint him his agent to pro-

nounce offer or acceptance on his behalf. If,

for example he selects C to be his agent for

this purpose, he should authorize him in thefollowing words: "I authorize you to contract

my marriage with B, daughter of D, on a sum

of .... as dower."

Then, at the time of marriage cere-

mony in presence of at least two male wit-

nesses, the girl may pronounce her offer say-

ing, "I married A, son of E on a sum of .... as

dower."

If there is a Qadi or a Nikah Khwan

duly authorized by the girl, he can also pro-

nounce offer in the following words: "I gave

B, daughter of D in marriage with A on thesum of .... as dower. "

C, the agent of A, will say in reply, "I

accepted this marriage on behalf of A.

The offer can also be initiated by C as

an agent of A. In this case he will address B in

the following words: "Being a duly authorized

agent of A, I marry A, son of G, to you on a

sum of .... as dower.

In this case B will reply, "I accepted

this marriage."

In both cases, it will be a valid con-

tract between A and B, where after they willbe treated as husband and wife duly wedded

to each other according to Shariah. (adapted

from Contemporary Fatawa - Mufti Taqi Uth-

maani). And Allah Knows Best.


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 5

Commentary: Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Surah Al-Imran 1-6Imran is the name of the father of

Sayyidah Maryam (AS). Al-Imran means prog-

eny or family of Imran. In verses 33 to 37,

reference is made to this family, and there-fore this Surah is named after it. Most parts

of the Surah were revealed at a time when

the Muslims, after migrating to Madinah,

were facing different hardships from their

enemies. The battle of Badr was the first was

the first formal encounter with the pagans of

Makkah. Even though the battle was won by

the Muslims, it fuelled the enmity of the pa-

gans against Muslims, and the next year they

attacked Madinah where the battle of Uhud

was fought with a temporary setback to the

Muslims. Although the Muslims were in di-

rect conflict with the pagans of Makkah, the

Jews and the Christians living in and around

Madinah started supporting the pagans, in

violation of their pacts with the Holy Prophet

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). On intellectual

level, argumentation with these groups was

also going on . This is the background against

which most verses of this Surah were re-

vealed.

Surah 1: Al-Baqarah has addressed

mostly the Jews with brief hints to the Chris-

tians, while the main focus of the present

Surah is on the Christians with some refer-

ences to the Jews. A delegation of the Chris-

tains had come to the Holy Prophet

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) from Najran. Al-

most half of this Surah from the beginning

deals with their arguments, explaining the

correct status of Sayyiduna Masih (AS) (Jesus

Christ), and establishing that the consistent

message of all the prophets (AS) has been tobelieve in the Oneness of Allah without even

a slightest departure from it. In this context,

the Muslims are also warned against the con-

spiracies of the Jews. A detailed account of

the battles of Badr and Uhud has followed

with ancillary issues that emerged from

them. The Muslims are directed to learn les-

sons from these battles, especially from the

Uhud in which the Muslims faced a setback

due to some nave mistakes. Some Islamic

rules and injunctions also Zakah, Riba

(interest or usury) and mostly about Jihad are

also mentioned, and at the end, all the peo-

ple are invited to ponder on the marvelous

creation of heavens and the earth and the

wise system of time and space, so that it may

lead to appreciate the Power and Wisdom of

their Creator and to believe in His omnipo-

tence and Oneness.

Verse 1-6

12

3


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4 56

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-

Merciful.

Alif. Lm. Mm.1

[3:1] Allah: There is no god but He, the

Alive, the All-Sustaining. [3:2] He has revealed to you

the Book with the truth, confirming what has been be-

fore it, and has sent down the Torah and the Injl *3:3+

earlier to give guidance to mankind, and has sent down

the Furqn (the Criterion of right and wrong). Surely,

those who have rejected the verses of Allah, for them

there is severe punishment. Allah is Mighty, the Lord of

Retribution. [3:4] Surely, Allah is such that nothing is

hidden from Him, neither in the earth nor in the sky.

[3:5] He is the One Who shapes you in the wombs as He

likes.2

There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise.

[3:6]

1. These are isolated letters found in the begin-

ning of different Surahs are called Al-Haruf-ul-

Muqattaat. The correct position about them is that their

exact meanings are not known to anybody. It is a divine

secret that may be disclosed only by Allah in the Hereaf-

ter. Since no practical issue depends on their knowledge,

our ignorance about them does not have any adverse

effect on our faith or practice.

2. As mentioned in the introduction, the begin-

ning part of this Surah was revealed as answer to the

arguments of the delegation of the Christains that came

from Najran. They argued that the birth of Masih (AS)

(Jesus Christ) without father is a proof to his being god.

This verse says that all people are created by Allah. He is

the One who shapes them in the wombs of their moth-

ers, no matter whether they are born in normal way

through a father or in an abnormal way without a father.

The birth of Masih (AS) was in fact a manifestation of

Allahs power, because he was shaped by Allah in the

womb of his mother like any other person, but without

the mediation of a father.

Opposites makes a

MatchA very pious and soft na-tured lady married a veryill-tempered husband. One

day the wife said to herhusband You are indeed

unfortunate. You havebeen staying with me forsuch a long time and yetyou have not reformedyourself. The husband

replied, Why call me un-fortunate? Could there be

anyone more fortunatethan me, that I have a wife

like you. In fact you arethe unfortunate one thatyou have a husband like

me.

At times marriages seemto be a combination of twopersons with direct oppo-site personalities. If onesmarriage feels the same,

then keep in mind that thisis common. All we need todo is to turn to Allah and

thereafter to work as a cou-

ple through our differ-ences. Many have done itand enjoy a happy mar-riage. You too can do the

same.


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 7

Dr. Rafiq Ahmad

The Book of Ablution

perform ablution but they could not find it.

Later on (a pot full of) water for ablution was

brought to Allah's Apostle . He put his hand in

that pot and ordered the people to perform

ablution from it. I saw the water springing out

from underneath his fingers till all of themperformed the ablution (it was one of the

miracles of the Prophet).

Comments

Hadhrat Anas (RA) says that one day

the time of Salaah set in and they looked for

the water to perform Wudu, but they could

not find it. A man got some water in a pot for

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). This

much water was insufficient for a large num-

ber of people to make Wudu. Rasulullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) placed hisblessed hand in that pot and water started

flowing out from his fingers like a fountain.

All the Sahaaba present performed Wudu

with this water and also drank it. This is one

of the miracles of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam) that water flowed from his

blessed fingers. Imam Bukhari (RA) has got

this Hadith here to prove that Tayammum

becomes mandatory only when all the means

to find out water have exhausted. Secondly,

the Ulema have inferred that it is permissible

to perform Wudu with Zam Zam water asSahaaba performed Wudu with the water

which flowed out of the blessed fingers of

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) which

obviously is more sacred than Zam Zam.

Note: Ulema are of the opinion that

it is Makrooh to perform Wudu with Zam

Chapter 32 : To look for water when the

time of Salaah is due.

Hadhrat Ayesha (RA) says, Once the Fajr Sa-

laah was due and water was searched for (for

Wudu) but it was not found. Thereupon the

verse of Tayammum was revealed.

Purpose of Tarjamatul Baab

Imam Bukhari (RA) is of the opinion

that to search water for ablution becomes

mandatory once the time of Salaah sets in

and not before that. Since before the time of

Salaah sets in, Salaah itself is not mandatory,

so how can it be necessary to search waterbefore it. If anyone arranges water to per-

form Wudu before the time of Salaah, it is

preferable but not mandatory.

Hadith No. 166

-

-

--

--

Narrated Anas bin Malik (RA)

I saw Allah's Apostle when the 'Asr prayer

was due and the people searched for water to


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Zam if water is available.

Chapter 33 : Status of the water with which

human hair has been washed (whether it is

usable for ablution or not).

Ata bin Rabah saw no harm in making threads

and ropes of human hair and the utilization

of the thing that is licked by a dog and thepassing of dogs through the Musjid. And

Zuhri said, If a dog puts its mouth in the pot

containing water and there is no other water

available for ablution then this water can be

used for ablution. And Sufyan Thouri said,

This is the juristic verdict in real sense, Allah

said, And if you find no water then perform

Tayammum (4:43). And this (left over water

of dog) is after all water only, but an appre-

hension comes to mind whether it can be

used for ablution or not, so it is better to per-

form ablution with it and also to perform Ta-yammum as precautionary measure.

Purpose of Tarjamatul Baab

While further supporting his opinion

that one should explore all the means of find-

ing out water for ablution before doing Ta-

yammum, Imam Bukhari here says that if wa-

ter is available, one should perform ablution

even if it is left over of a dog and that if hu-

man hair falls in it, it can still be used for ab-

lution.

Imam Bukhari here agrees withHanafite school of thought that the human

hair is Taahir i.e., ritually pure even if de-

tached from the body. In other words it

means that if there is human hair in food or

water, there is no problem to consume or use

them. Imam Shafaee (RA) is of the opinion

that human hair detached from the body is

Najas ritually impure.

Hadith No. 167

--

Narrated Ibn Sirin (RA)

I said to 'Ubida, "I have some of the hair of

the Prophet which I got from Anas or from his

family." 'Ubida replied. "No doubt if I had a

single hair of that it would have been dearer

to me than the whole world and whatever isin it."

Comments

Hadhrat Ubida says that it is dearer

to him than the whole world and whatever is

in it to have a single hair of Rasulullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). From this Imam

Bukhari (RA) proves that the hair is Taahir

because Najas things are not preserved as

sacred.

Hadith No. 168

-

-

Narrated Anas (RA)

When Allah's Apostle got his head shaved,

Abu- Talha was the first to take some of his

hair.

Comments

This is an incident of Hajat-ul-Wida,when Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

shaved his blessed head at Mina. He asked

Abu Talhah (RA) to distribute his hair and Abu

Talhah (RA) was the first to get some of it.

Contd on page 23


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 9

Probably one of the most wonderful

things about Islam is that its history is rich

with the representation of many races. In

Islam, no race ever had to fight for equality.

No matter where you go in the world, Mus-

lims of all races and colors stand shoulder toshoulder in prayer as equals. Despite all the

politics and culture, when it comes to Islam,

we all pray together in the same row. This is

especially apparent in Hajj where people

from all over the world stand together.

In Islam, the people who are consid-

ered more superior or higher in rank or level

are those with the most Taqwa (piety) and

knowledge. In the Quran it says,

{Verily the most honorable of you with Allah

is that [believer] who has Al Taqwa} (49:13)

During the Prophets (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) farewell speech, he said,

People come from Adam and Adam came

from dust. There is no superiority of an Arab

over non-Arab, or of a white person over a

black, except in terms of piety (Taqwa).

And realize that this superiority is

not the type in which people exercise today,

one of showing off or being self righteous,

but it was something completely normal and

these people of greater Taqwa are those that

also live humbly among the people.

We have so many examples of this

equality in our history. On the conquest of

Mecca, the Prophet (Scommanded Bilal (whowas Ethiopian) to climb on top of the Kabba

and give the call to prayer. Before Islam, the

Kabba was a place of honor and a sanctuary

for the Arabs but between the Muslims no

one saw anything wrong in a black person

stepping on it with his feet. This act by the

Prophet 1400H years ago was more of a

statement of human dignity and an affirma-

tion of Bilal deserving this honor to make thecall to prayer because of his faith and knowl-

edge regardless of his skin color.

One day the Prophet (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) heard Abu Dharr saying to a

man, Oh son of a black woman! The

Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) immedi-

ately rebuked him saying, Are you insulting

his mother?!? Verily you are a man in whom

there is ignorance. This statement by the

Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is a

strong statement implying that it is ignorance

that leads to racial discrimination and there is

a clear line between knowledge and igno-

rance in an Islamic civilization.

There was another story when the

Muslims went to conquer Egypt and they

were able to reach Babylon. The ruler, Al Mu-

qawqis, was willing to negotiate with the

Muslims and requested a delegation from

them to be sent to him. Amr ibn Al Aas, the

leader of the Muslims, sent a delegation of

ten men and put Ubadah ibn Al Samit as the

delegation spokesperson and leader. Ubadah

was a very tall, very black man and upon

looking at him, Al Muqawqis, became scared

of his blackness. Keep this black man away

from me and let someone else speak to me,

said Al Muqawqis. All of the men of the dele-

gation said, This black man is the best

Sibai Mustafa


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10 (Vol.13, No: 164)

among us in wisdom and knowledge (taqwa); he is our leader

and the best among us. We all refer to his opinion, and our

leader (Amir) has issued instructions to him and not to us, and

has commanded us not to go against what he says. How canyou be pleased that this black man is the best among you; rather

he should be the least among you, replied Al Muqawqis. Not

at all! said the Muslims. Even though he is black as you can

see, he is one of the highest in position among us; he is one of

the earliest Muslims, and one of the best in wisdom and knowl-

edge. Blackness is not something that is despised among us. So

Al Muqawqis looked at Ubadah and said, Come forward, O

black man, and speak to me kindly, for I am afraid of your black-

ness and if you speak harshly you will make me even more

afraid. Ubadah, seeing that he scared al Muqawqis said to him,

Among our army are a thousand black men who are even more

black than I am.Here is another story. Abdul Malik ibn Radwan made a

declaration during Hajj that no one was allowed to issue any

fatwas to the people except Ata ibn Abi Rabah who was the

Imam of the people of Mecca, a scholar and faqih (jurist). Ata

was also a black, one eyed, flat nosed, crippled man. Can you

think of any other civilization throughout history that gave such

an honor to a man despite his color and physical condition? This

was over a thousand years ago and Ata was so honored, loved

and revered and so many thousands of white men graduated

from his teachings at his school.

Our history is flooded with stories like these. Of black

people and those of other races who were scientists, literati,respected source of Islamic Jurisprudence, etc. Another example

was Kafur Al Ikhshidi who was the black slave who ruled Egypt in

the fourth century hijri and who was written about and praised

by the poet Al Mutanabbi. Many people dont know that Imam

Muslim and Bukhari were not Arabs. Some say they were Per-

sian others say they were from somewhere near Russia. But

they were skilled in the Arabic language and were able to under-

stand the Quran and Hadith and are till today respected sources

of knowledge.

Its funny how today the most racial discrimination is

found in the most advanced and prominent countries. Even his-

tory is made to seem that it was the white man who did any-thing and everything. However, Islamic history gives credit

where it is due and we are indebted to all people, blacks, whites,

Arabs, Persians, Turks and all other races for helping our religion

grow and prosper. And it is the only civilization that is also rich

with prominent women from the beginning to the present day.

Will we DrinkPoison?

In the last verse of SurahFaatiha, the Quraan de-

clares:

Not (the path) of thosewho have incurred Your(the Jews) wrath, nor of

those who have goneastray (the Christians).Daily in our salaah, we

are making this dua that

Allah saves us from theways of the Jews and

Christians. The questionis, as Muslims, do wehate their ways as we

should? If we truly detesta particular way of life,we will not follow it. Ifwe are always seeking

protection from a certainpoison, is it possible that

when it is offered to usthat we immediately

drink it? We are dailyasking for protection

from the ways of the Jewsand Christians. Why dowe then follow them inour manner of eating,dressing, marriages,

business dealings andsocial dealings? Let us

bring alive our actions in

accordance to our beauti-ful Deen and follow thelifestyle of Rasululullah(sallallahu alahi wasal-lam) in every aspect of

our lives.


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 11

Satan readies himself and chooses his

prey carefully. He is determined as he shoots

the arrows of looks to go through your eyes,

tearing the veils of modesty and chastity. This

arouses the desires of the weak heart, which

commands the body to pursue the satisfaction

of such desires. The tongue speaks, the legs

walk, and thus, unlawful acts are committed

and the soul falls into the mire of sin.

That is purer for them

In order to ward off this Satanic cycle,

Allah The Almighty instructed his believing

slaves, both men and women, to lower their

gaze. He told them that this would purify

them. Allah The Almighty Says (what means):

{Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of

their vision and guard their private parts. That

is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is acquainted

with what they do. And tell the believing

women to reduce [some] of their vision andguard their private parts.} [Quran 24:30-31]

Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy

upon him, said in Al-Fawaaid that Sahl ibn

Abdullaah, may Allah have mercy upon him

says, "Abandoning the order is greater than

committing the prohibition in the sight of Al-

lah because Aadam (Adam), may Allah exalt

his mention, was forbidden to eat from the

tree and when he ate from it Allah accepted

his repentance, but Satan was ordered to

prostrate to Aadam, when he refused and Al-

lah did not accept his repentance."Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy

upon him, said in Ad-Daa wad-Dawaa, Look

at the accuracy of the Quranic expression in

the order to lower the gaze, as if Allah The

Almighty reminds us that not lowering the

gaze causes the doom of the doer and his suf-

fering in this life and in the Hereafter. Failing

to lower ones gaze is the basis for the prob-

lems that afflict man. An unlawful look gener-

ates thoughts, then thoughts generate ideas,

then ideas generate desires, then desires gen-

erate will, which develops into resolve and

determination, then the action inevitably

takes place if there is nothing to prevent it.This is the destructive cycle of Satan,

which traps the one who does not lower his

gaze, then records the images and scenes seen

by his treacherous eyes. Satan waits for the

moment of weakness in man's faith to release

these images and scenes in his mind and soul,

igniting his sexual desire, which dominates the

heart that commands the body to disobey

Allah The Almighty, and so on in a consecutive

sequence. The more the images vary, the eas-

ier arousal and falling into sin will be. On the

other hand, the less the images and scenes,the weaker their impact and influence on the

heart will be. According to a saying, "Patience

over lowering the gaze is easier than patience

over the pain of its consequences."

O Muslim who does not lower his

gaze, if your eyes roam around looking at the

charms of beautiful women, you would plant

in your heart thorns of loss and regret.

Allah knows that which deceives the eyes

Allah The Almighty Says (what

means): {He knows that which deceives theeyes and what the breasts conceal.} [Quran

40:19] This is a great verse and the interpreter

of the Quran, Ibn Masood, may Allah be

pleased with him, tells you its meaning, "It

refers to a man who enters a person's house


12/40


12 (Vol.13, No: 164)

female who is unlawful to him. Other people

commit adultery in the figurative sense by

looking at the prohibition or listening to adul-

tery and its relevant affairs, or by touchingwith the hand a non-Mahram (marriageable)

woman or kissing her, or by walking to commit

adultery, seeing, touching, or forbidden talk-

ing with a non-Mahram woman, or by inner

thoughts. All these things belong to meta-

phoric adultery. By "The private parts affirm

that or contradict it" it means that adultery

might actually happen through the private

parts or might not take place by entering the

male genital organ into the female genital or-

gan even if he is close to doing it. Allah knows

best.

Public corruption

Giving free rein to the gaze has cor-

rupted most human beings; the display of

beauty no longer has limits, and indulgence in

luxury no longer has restraints. Adornment,

clothing and fashion have penetrated our

minds, surpassed all the restrictions and barri-

ers, and has become like a sea of chaos where

good taste is drowned and the pure, chaste

heart is spoiled.

Destruction of homes

It is noticeable that one of the most

important causes of problems in many homes

is failing to lower the gaze. When the husband

releases his gaze, a comparison will seep into

his heart between his wife and the corrupting

programs made by some people to tempt oth-

ers. This comparison causes many problems in

homes, when the husband asks his wife to give

him what he sees from dissolute women and

provocative images are imprinted in his mind.

It is also noticeable that releasing the

gaze is one of the main reasons for the delay

in marriage. That is because the young man

already has in his mind multiple examples of

beautiful girls, especially those whom he

Contd on page 21

where there is a beautiful woman among

them, or that a beautiful woman passes by

them, and while they do not notice him, he

looks at her; when they see him, he lowers hisgaze. However, Allah The Almighty knows that

he inwardly wishes to see her private parts."

The great scholar, Al-Ameen Ash-

Shinqeeti, may Allah have mercy upon him,

said in Adhwaa Al-Bayaan, "The verse con-

tains a warning for the one who betrays with

his eyes by looking at what is unlawful for him.

The slave of Allah will stand before Allah and

be questioned about his senses. Allah The Al-

mighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the hear-

ing, the sight and the heart - about all those

[one] will be questioned.} [Quran 17:36]If you will be questioned on the Day

of Resurrection about your stares and looks,

have you prepared an answer for this?

The fornication of the eyes

To make this act more repugnant to

the souls, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasal-

lam, called it adultery of the eyes. It was nar-

rated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may

Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet,

Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "Allah has

written for the son of Aadam his inevitableshare of adultery. The adultery of the eye is

looking (at what is prohibited), the adultery of

the ears is listening (to what is prohibited), the

adultery of the tongue is uttering (what it is

unlawful to utter), the adultery of the hand is

doing (what is prohibited), the adultery of the

legs is walking (to what is prohibited) and the

heart desires and wishes for (adultery) and the

private parts affirm that or contradict it." [Al-

Bukhaari and Muslim (this is the wording of

Muslim, may Allah have mercy upon him)]

In Sharh Saheeh Muslim, An-Nawawi,

may Allah have mercy upon him, said, The

meaning of the Hadeeth is that a share of

adultery is written for the son of Aadam. Some

people commit actual adultery by entering the

male genital organ into the genital organ of a


13/40


(Vol.13, No: 164) 13

lecture could be even better by not leaving

Arabic terms or phrases untranslated. I have

seen this many times with teachers, espe-

cially the more advanced they get. Some-

times, it is central to the theme of the sub-

ject. So, for example, you have to translate"urf", or Qur'anic verses completely, other-

wise it is less effective for the audience. It is

frustrating for a listener to be following you

every step of the way, and then lose you at

your main point because you used language

they don't understand.

Observe General Etiquette on Stage

Nothing is more discouraging or dis-

heartening to your audience than seeing a

presenter or speaker texting away on the

stage, or looking around randomly. It shows,fairly or unfairly, that you don't care, and that

you don't want to be there. If you don't want

to be there, why should anyone else? Like it

or not, this is what people are thinking. Yes,

sometimes it is necessary in coordinating

events, but keep it to a bare minimum.

Do Not Be Sarcastic When Answering a

Question

No matter how ridiculous a question

seems to you, laughing sarcastically is the

worst thing that can be done. Keep in mind,at least that person is asking to try to find out

the truth. By mocking their question, you are

telling them, "What a stupid question to ask."

Is that going to encourage them to come to

the masjid, lecture, or class in the future or

discourage them from doing so?

The student of knowledge, Da`ee

(caller), or Scholar has been given a great

blessing by Allah to be in a position to learn,

and teach others. However, with teaching

comes a great responsibility, as you are re-

sponsible for people's spiritual well being.With this in mind, I feel it is important to

highlight a few ways to be more effective for

those who are in positions of teaching or

preaching, be it a small weekly halaqa (study

circle), a course, or an Islamic conference.

Do Not Assume People Know

This is a mistake we see often in our

religious teachers. Just because you don't

even think twice about who Imam Nawawi is,

or who Ibn Qayim is, does not mean anyone

else has a clue who these great individualswere. It would be more effective to perhaps

mention something briefly about them, and

proceed. I remember one time, someone

mentioned the term "Malikis", as in followers

of Maliki fiqh (jurisprudence), and a brother,

who regularly prays and fasts, asked, "Are

they Muslims too!!!" This was not inten-

tional; he just had no idea what the term

meant. Also, people in your audience are

constantly changing. New generations are

there for the first time, people who have

started taking their religion seriously arethere for the first time, new converts, etc. By

being clear, you are only helping all of them

out.

Don't Forget to Translate

An inspiring or informative class or

By: Omar Husain


14/40


14 (Vol.13, No: 164)

It has been called ummul-amradh, or the root of all sicknesses of

the heart. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, warned that a

person having even an iota of it in his heart will never enter paradise. This

deadliest of all sins is kibr, or arrogance.

No one likes arrogance in others. We never like a person who is

haughty, too proud, or condescending. We detest a person who belittlesus and has a huge ego. Similarly we love people who are humble, polite,

and easy to talk to. We love people who give us respect and honor. Thus if

we follow the principle of treating others the way we like to be treated,

most of these problems might be cured. In reality, the treatment of ummul

-amradh requires a deeper look.

For that we need to appreciate the difference between adab or

manners, on the one hand and akhlaq or morals on the other. While adab

deal with ones external disposition, akhlaq as defined by Islam deal with

our inner thoughts, feeling, and attitudes. In a healthy personality, the

manners and morals are in harmony. But it is also possible to have the for-

mer without having the latter. The first concerns itself with how a person

deals with others. The second is concerned with what a person thinks ofhimself. Two persons showing humbleness in their dealings with others,

may have exactly opposite ideas in their minds. One may do it out of his or

her generosity; the other may do it because he genuinely thinks that he

is not better than the other person. The first person only has a shell of

humbleness, which will crumble when tested. It is the second person who

is really free of arrogance.

Real greatness belongs only to Allah, our Lord, Creator, and Mas-

ter. Human beings are just a creation of Allah and a very small creation

in comparison to the unimaginably vast universe. Anyone who under-

stands this will realize that our proper status is only that of servants of Al-

lah. In fact for a Muslim the real human model is none other than Prophet

Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, who is the greatest of all humanbeings. His greatness lies in being the humblest of all servants of Allah! It is

impossible for any person who has this consciousness to entertain any no-

tions of his own greatness.

This leads us to the definition of kibr, given in a famous hadith:

Kibr is to knowingly reject Truth and to belittle other people. This hadith

Come Pre-

pared

Y o u r

audience isgiving their

time, and often

money, to be

there. They

could be sev-

eral other

places, but

they chose to

come listen to

you. Showing

up without

properly re-viewing your

material and

wasting time

gathering your

thoughts be-

cause you did

not before kills

the momen-

tum of the

class, lecture,

presentation,

etc. Unlessyou've been

teaching a sub-

ject for years

and don't need

to review, you

owe it to the

audience.

M a y

Allah make us

amongst those

who have the

ability to con-vey the mes-

sage, and more

i mp o rt an t l y ,

follow it.

Ameen.

Khalid Baig


15/40


(Vol.13, No: 164) 15

exposes two strains of this deadly disease,

both dealing with our exaggerated ideas of

self-importance. The first suggests that I am

more important than the Truth. The secondsuggests that I am more important than other

people.

We know about the Quraish and

Jews of Arabia who had come in contact with

Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa

sallam, and who knew in the heart of their

hearts that he indeed was the Messenger of

Allah. Their arrogance, though, kept them

from accepting it. History has recorded state-

ments from some of them who said we know

he is the Promised Prophet but we will keep

on opposing him to maintain our leadership.While that was the most blatant

form of arrogance, we can witness the same

attitude on a smaller scale in our discussions

and arguments. A person realizes that he was

wrong, but then his pride keeps him from

admitting it. No matter how polite or

humble that person may appear to be ordi-

narily, this test shows the presence of arro-

gance in his heart. It is arrogance that keeps a

person from saying I am sorry.

The second strain involves our feel-

ing of superiority with respect to other peo-ple. Islams teaching is that one should never

consider oneself greater than other people,

because that Judgment will come from Allah,

and Allah alone, on the Day of Judgment.

None of us knows what our end will be,

whether we will end up being a winner or

loser over there. The person who appears to

be nobody here may end up with eternal bliss

because of his goodness that only Allah

knew. The person who is a big shot here may

end up among the sinners who will be pun-

ished there, because of his evil that only Allahknew. How foolish, it is then to congratulate

ourselves over our fleeting superiority.

What if a person does have edge

over another person in measurable worldly

terms? How then can he not consider himself

superior than the other person in that re-

spect? The point is sometimes made in half

jest: it is difficult to be humble when you are

so great. Islam does not ask us to reject real-ity and imagine we dont have what we really

do. Rather it asks us to take a deeper look at

the reality and not be misled by a superficial

perception of it. And the simple reality that

escapes many is that our health, wealth, tal-

ents, and power are not of our own creation.

Allah gave those to us as a test and He can

take them back whenever He wills. Those

who are conscious of this reality, their bless-

ings will produce gratitude in them; those

who are blind to it will develop pride and ar-

rogance.Some forms of kibr are subtle. If a

person is embarrassed to bow to Allah in the

presence of non-believers, that is a case of

kibr in the face of Allah, says Maulana Ash-

raf Ali Thanvi.

While throughout history humanity

had agreed on the evil of arrogance and the

virtue of humbleness (despite its failures in

practice), this century has seen new dogmas

that aim at changing the definitions of good

and evil. Humbleness is no longer desirable.

Rather, one has to avoid Inferiority Com-plex. Alfred Adler (1870-1937) gave us that

term. According to him, life is a continuous

struggle to move from a position of inferiority

to a position of significance. Those who fail to

make the progress, develop inferiority com-

plex, which can be treated by increasing self-

esteem. Unfortunately today such pseudo-

science is accepted as gospel truth.

The truth is that problems arise

when we turn away from reality. A humble

person is a happy, content, grateful person

who thanks Allah for his blessings and has nonotions of his own superiority. False notions

of superiority or of ones entitlements in life,

on the other hand, lead to frustrations and

complexes.


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16 (Vol.13, No: 164)

wherein they differ, and as a guidance and

mercy to a people who believe. (16:64)

In these verses the Quran makes itself

clear that the purpose of sending the Prophet

in this world was only that he may teach the

people the guidance of the Quran and its deep

knowledge and thereby guide them how to live

properly. Hence it is proved from the Quran

itself that the Prophets (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa-

sallam) teachings are a significant source of

exegesis of the Quran.

Even otherwise it does not call for alengthy reasoning to stress that the correct

meanings of the Book may best be explained by

the one on whom it has been revealed. There

can be no one more stupid than the one who

claims, that the, exegesis is better known to

him than the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasal-

lam) to whom the Quran was revealed.

Some people try to create a confusion

that the importance of the Prophets (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) sayings cannot be denied but

we cannot rely upon them as they have not

reached us through authentic sources.But this type of thinking casts asper-

sion on Allah that on the one hand He has sent

the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as the

Teacher of the Quran that every Muslim was

obliged to follow till the Last Day, but on the

other hand, He made no arrangement to pre-

SECOND SOURCE: TRADITIONS OF THE HOLY

PROPHET (Sall allah u Alai hi Wasal lam) The second source of exegesis of the

Quran are the traditions of the Holy Prophet

Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). The

Quran has clarified at many places that the real

purpose of sending him in this world was for

him to explain the Quranic verses through his

words and deeds:

And We have now revealed to you (O Prophet)

the Admonition that you may make clear to

mankind what has been revealed unto them.

(16:44)

In this verse Allah has made it clear

that the purpose of his advent was to explain

the Quran. It further says:

Certainly Allah has conferred a favour on the

Believers when He sent among them a Messen-

ger from themselves, who recites to them His

revelations, and purifies them, and teaches

them the Book and the wisdom, though before

that they were certainly in manifest error.

(3:164)

Further, it has been stated in Surah An-Nisa.Surely We have revealed the Book to you (O

Prophet) with truth, so that you may

judge between people by means of what

Allah has shown you. (4:105)

And We have not revealed the Book to you

except that you may make clear to them that

Justice Maulana Taqi Usmani

Nowadays a voice is being raised that every individual should take up the task of un-

derstanding Quran according to his own comprehension. Though it is all more neces-sary to understand the Quran but lack of fundamental knowledge in this regard candrive a person towards unknown extremes and wrong interpretations. This is the next

article in the direction of acquiring some fundamental requirements for interpreting the

Quran correctly.


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 17

serve his teachings and explanations. Can such

a thing be said by one who believes in the eter-

nal wisdom and supreme authority of Allah,

and who has read the following verse of theQuran?

Allah does not charge a soul save to its capac-

ity. (Al-Baqarah, 2:286)

Some people go to the extent of saying

that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

was the Teacher of the Quran as long as he

lived but in our times his teachings are not

needed. (I seek forgiveness of Allah for narrat-

ing it). This is to say that the Companions

needed a Prophet to teach them the Quran

although Arabic was their mother tongue, they

were aware of the nuance and idiomatic use ofthe words, and they not only knew the revela-

tionary background but in fact passed through

it and they witnessed the causes of revelation

of each verse. As against that people of our

times whose mother tongue is not Arabic who

do not go through the environment of revela-

tion and the revelationary background claim

that t hey do not need the guidance of aProphet to learn the exegesis of the Quran. Can

any reasonable and just man swallow such ab-

surd notions?

How reliable are the means throughwhich the teachings of the Prophet (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) have reached us is a very de-

tailed subject of study. Libraries have vast col-

lections of literature on the subject of Hadith

and Asma-ur-Rijal (the names and character of

men). It is a different matter, to hunt for ex-

cuses to satisfy personal bents but if these sub-

jects are studied with a sincere motive and un-

biased mind one cannot resist drawing the con-

clusion that Allah has not made the teachings

of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

obligatory without ensuring its preservation in

a manner that is beyond human imagination.

Leaving aside the other branches of the science

of Hadith, if we just go through the subject of

Asma-ur-Rijal (The term literally means "Names

of the people" but in religious terminol-

ogy of Islam it is applied for "Names and char-

acters of the narrators of Hadith.") an achieve-

ment of the people of which they may feel

proud we will see that it has no parallel amongany other people. Every Hadith from the times

of the Prophet M till today is well recorded in

relevant Books with full information of its

analysis and the narrator. It includes details on

his birth, his education and lessons on Hadith

which of the narrators he had met, his general

character, the state of his memory, the cau-

tions he exercised in narrating a Hadith and the

opinion in which he was held by his contempo-

rary scholars and those after that time? These

books exist even today and if anybody desires

to find answers to these questions, he may gothrough the pages of these books and the an-

swer will be there.

We do not intend to initiate a detailed

discussion on the preservation of Hadith be-

cause a vast literature on this subject already

exists and can be consulted for this purpose.

However, we wish to point out that there is no

logic in denying the use of the Traditions of the

Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for an exe-

gesis of the Qur'an whether viewed through

the Quran, common sense and historical events

or through any other rightful method.However, it is true that in todays vast

collection of Traditions we find authentic as

well as unsound narrations. Therefore, before

taking a decision on the basis of a narration

found anywhere, one must thoroughly verify

the narration on the basis of relevant princi-

ples. The scrutiny of those narrations found in

the books of exegesis is particularly essential

because most of the commentators have just

collected all sorts of traditions in their book

without bringing their research and investiga-

tion into discussion in the Traditional manner.

Hence only such persons can benefit from them

who hold an expert view on the Science of

Hadith and its related subjects and who know

the principles of picking out the authentic from

the unsound narrations.


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18 (Vol.13, No: 164)

but the colour was not so smart etc.

As the day wore on, I grew weary.

Finally, at our last stop, my mother tried on a

lovely Brown Abaya that had lovely beige

ribbon trimmings. The Abaya had some bows

in front. As I stood in the dressing room with

her, I watched as she tried, with much diffi-

culty, to tie the bows. Her hands were so

badly crippled from arthritis that she couldn'tdo it. Immediately, my impatience gave way

to an overwhelming wave of compassion for

her. I turned away to try and hide the tears

that welled up involuntarily. Regaining my

composure, I turned back to tie the bow for

her.

Our shopping trip was over, but the

event was etched indelibly in my memory.

For the rest of the day, my mind kept return-

ing to that moment in the dressing room and

to the vision of my mother's hands trying to

tie that bow. Those loving hands that had fedme, bathed me, dressed me, caressed and

comforted me, and, most of all, prayed for

me, were now touching me in the most re-

markable manner.

Later in the evening, I went to my

mother's room, took her hands in mine,

kissed them and, much to her surprise, told

her that to me they were the most beautiful

hands in the world. Tears started following

profusely from her aged and weak eyes as I

narrated how I appreciated all that her beau-

tiful hands had done for me since I could re-member. I could not forget how she stood at

my bed side for days and fed me with those

beautiful hands while I recovered from an

accident. I was aged 17 at that time. Today at

33 and I can only pray that some day Allah

will let my hands, and my heart achieve such

The Noble Messenger of Allah

(sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, 'Come near

the pulpit,' and we came near the pulpit.

When he ascended the first step of the pul-

pit, he said, 'Ameen.' When he ascended the

second step, he said, 'Ameen.' When he as-

cended the third step,he said, 'Ameen.' When

he descended, we said, 'O Prophet of Allah

sallallahu alayhi wasallam, we have heardfrom you today something which we never

heard before.' He said, 'When I ascended the

first step, Jibra'eel appeared before me and

said, 'Woe to him who found the blessed

Month of Ramadan and let it pass by without

gaining forgiveness.' Upon that I said: Ameen.

When I ascended the second step, he said,

'Woe to him before whom your name is men-

tioned and he does not read/ send blessings

on you. 'I replied: Ameen. When I ascended

the third step he said,'Woe to him in whose

presence his parents or either one of themattains old age, and (through failure to serve

them) he is not allowed to enter Paradise .' I

said:Ameen."(Hadith-Reported by Haakim)

Motivational Story: My Mother's Hands

Eid was nearing and I felt it was nec-

essary to get my Mother a new Abaya (Cloak

or Jilbab) as her other Abayas were frail and

worn out. I stopped by on Saturday morning

and told my mum to come along as I have a

surprise for her.

I don't normally like to go shoppingand I'm not a patient person, but we set off

for the mall together. We visited nearly every

Islamic Clothing Store that carried ladies'

Abayas, and my mother tried on many. We

were so undecided as some were too huge

and others too small...some were just right


19/40


(Vol.13, No: 164) 19

a beauty of their

own.

Eid morning

came and before theEid prayer I entered

my aged mothers

room and requested

the honour of tying

the bow on her beau-

tiful Abaya. She gen-

tly nodded her head.

My eyes soaked with

tearsmy heart filled

with gratitude I

thanked Allah for this

great honour on thisbeautiful day of Eid.

"We have enjoined

on man kindness to

his parents: In pain

did his mother bear

him, and in pain did

she give him

birth." (Quran- Surah

al-Ahqaf; 46: 15)

The Prophet

M u h a m m a d

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa-sallam) is reported to

have said:

"Jannah (heaven) lies

under the feet of your

mother"(Hadith- ibn

Majah)

Let us not

wait for Mother's or

Father's Day or any

other occasion to

show kindness to our

parents!Do as muchgood today as our

parents may not be

with us tomorrow!!!!

Source: Talimi Board

The Great Knowledge and Insight of

Ibn Abbas from a Young Age

Narrated Ibn Abbas (RA)Umar (RA) used to make me sit with the elderly

men who had fought in the Battle of Badr. Some ofthem felt it (did not like that) and said to 'Umar "Whydo you bring in this boy to sit with us while we havesons like him?" Umar replied, "Because of what youknow of his position (i.e. his religious knowledge.)"

One day 'Umar called me and made me sit in the

gathering of those people; and I think that he called mejust to show them. (my religious knowledge). 'Umarthen asked them (in my presence). "What do you sayabout the interpretation of the Statement of Allah:

'When comes Help of Allah (to you O, Muhammadagainst your enemies) and the conquest (ofMecca).' (110.1)

Some of them said, "We are ordered to praise Allahand ask for His forgiveness when Allah's Help and theconquest (of Mecca) comes to us." Some others keptquiet and did not say anything. On that, 'Umar askedme, "Do you say the same, O Ibn 'Abbas?" I replied,"No." He said, 'What do you say then?" I replied,"That is the sign of the death of Allah's Apostle whichAllah informed him of. Allah said:

'(O Muhammad) When comes the Help of Allah(to you against your enemies) and the conquest (ofMecca) (which is the sign of your death). You shouldcelebrate the praises of your Lord and ask for His For-giveness, and He is the One Who accepts the repen-tance and forgives.' (110.3)

On that 'Umar said, "I do not know anythingabout it other than what you have said."Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, The Book of Exegesis of the

Quraan, Hadith No. 4642.


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20 (Vol.13, No: 164)

She stood alone on the rooftop look-

ing up at the night sky with tears that refused

to fall; they had already been falling for too

long. She asked Him, 'Allah, do you still love

me?'-She listened for an answer and didn't

hear anything. There was no sign sent from

above, there was no message in the clouds.She wanted a miracle. She wanted to see the

answer to her question laid out before her.

What she didn't realize though, was that His

answers were all around her, she just had to

open her eyes to see them. Often times we

call out to Allah, praying for a miracle, pray-

ing for something to change drastically and

instantly-but we look around and see noth-

ing. We go on living in a world without mira-

cles, constantly passing through days without

miracles. The truth is, it's not that there are

no more miracles; it's that we refuse to seethem for what they are.

Our Beloved Prophet (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) stood in front of the people

one morning, telling them of a journey he

made the night before. He told them of al-

israa wal-miraaj in which he traveled across

countries and rose to the heavens for a sa-

cred meeting with his Lord. Those listening to

the account split into two groups: those who

accepted the miracle and welcomed it open

heartedly and those who denied the possibil-

ity of any such journey taking place and de-nied the miracle all together. Those who ac-

cepted the miracle were instantly blessed

with the magnificent feeling of awe and love

for the One who made that miracle possible.

Those who denied the miracle didn't get any

such feeling of awe and love, nor did they

find themselves in a miraculous situation, one

we all wish to find ourselves in one day. Every

day, this same scenario occurs, on a smaller,

but still miraculous, scale. And every day, we

get to choose what group we will be a part

of: those who accept the miracle and are in-

stantly rewarded; or those who deny themiracle and reap nothing. What we don't re-

alize however, is that when we deny the

miracles that occur before our very eyes

every day, we deny their effect in our lives

and are left scrambling for hope.

Whenever we find ourselves in a dif-

ficult situation, the first and most important

thing we need to remember is that no matter

what happens, nothing we do on our own will

cause any beneficial change to occur. The

only One in our lives that can make a change

is Allah Himself-when He wills it and with Hismight, not ours. With this in mind we begin

our struggle with spiritual action rather than

physical action. Before even moving a muscle

we turn our hearts and minds to Him and ask

Him for a miracle. This, of course, doesn't

mean we should not put our own effort into

fixing our situation; rather, it means that we

recognize that our actions are simply a

means. The means is not what changes the

situation, the change lies in the miracle. With

that in mind, no situation is beyond repair, no

problem is too big, and no hope is too ambi-tious. On that same note, Allah has told us

that He is as we think of Him. If we do not

fully believe that Allah will change our situa-

tion, then He won't. If we do not think that

we will see miracles in our day-to-day lives,

then we won't. If we do not think that He can

Reehab Ramadan


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 21

miraculously change our lives from pits of

misery to a life of love and worshipping Him,

then he won't. When we full-heartedly be-

lieve in the miracles of our Lord, we will beginto see them each and every day.

Miracles don't necessarily have to be

a message in the clouds or a crystal clear

dream. Rather, miracles can be seen in the

smallest of things. It can be that moment

when we feel like we are too weak to carry

the burden that has been placed on our

shoulders, and then He shows us an ant car-

rying a load many times its size to remind us

that if He brought us to it, He'll bring us

through it. It can be seen in that excruciating

fear we go through when we realize we for-got to turn off the electric stove and our

house will surely burn down, and we return

home to find the rain caused the electricity to

go out, saving our house and our cooking

reputation! It can be seen in that moment

when we feel like our faith has hit an all-time

low, and He blesses us with people to give us

exactly the reminders we need, in the man-

ner that we need it in. These are not all

'coincidences'; rather they are miracles from

the One above, bringing us closer to Him. But

of course, it just depends on how we look atit.

Action Item: Try it for yourself. Over

the next few days, keep your eyes wide open

for His miracles, and feel free to ask for them.

You'll come to see they're everywhere; we

just have to wake up and pay attention.

The Journey Towards Peace and Tranquillity

One of the greatest Islamic theologi-

ans, Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazzali (RA) wrote

an account about the soul in his works Ihya

`Ulum ad-Din (Revival of the Religious Sci-

ences) and Kimiyai Sa`adat (The Alchemy of

Happiness).The nafs (soul) is the commander

and overseer of what the heart feels, the eye

sees and the tongue states. The soul is recog-

nized as a vehicle that can be guided and

trained to do good or bad deeds, and can

lead a person to eternal bliss or wrath.

Hence, the goal of a Believer is to realize his

full potential; in order to do so, he must un-

derstand the main purpose for coming into

existenceto worship the Creator so that his

soul can return safely to its blissful home.

The soul can be classified under twocategories: the rational, which meets spiritual

needs, and the non-rational, which is shared

with animals and humans, and meets physical

needs such as food, shelter, and the desire to

reproduce.

Balancing spiritual needs with physi-

cal needs reminds a person that he or she is a

traveller in this world and will not live for-

ever.

The great Imaam Al-Ghazzali (RA)

explains in the Alchemy of Happiness, The

soul should take care of the body, just as apilgrim on his way to Mecca takes care of his

camel; but if the pilgrim spends his whole

time feeding and adorning his camel, the

caravan will leave him behind, and he will

perish in the desert.

Contd from page 12watches on television and searches hard to

get one like them. Yet, he will not get what he

wants, because what he sees on television isgenerally deceptive beauty and false feminin-

ity, and thus leads him to delay his marriage

and affects the marriage of Muslim girls with

him.Source: islamweb


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22 (Vol.13, No: 164)

This example signifies that in order

to reach his destination, a traveller must

maintain and care for his transport in order

to keep it intact for the journey. More impor-tantly however, the traveller should not for-

get his ultimate destination in the process.

In the Quran, the soul is divided into

three stages of spiritual development re-

ferred to as:

* al-Nafs al-Ammara (the sinful soul),

* al-Nafs al-Lawwama (the lamenting soul),

and

* al-Nafs al-Mutmainna (the satisfied soul).

Imaam Al-Ghazzali (RA) writes,

These three conditions of the soul are not to

be thought of as distinct stages, but rather asdifferent aspects or potentials within the

soul, which are present simultaneously, some

being latent and others active. Their relative

strength is contingent upon four factors:

mans inborn disposition, which may be

good or evil, angelic or animal;

* his upbringing;

* his self-discipline in adulthood,

and finally, Allahs grace (Ihya `Ulum ad-

Din).

Al-Nafs al-Ammara is characterized

by evil, and if not checked, can lead to de-struction of itself and of other people. Imaam

Al-Ghazzali (RA) discusses the process of al-

Nafs al-Ammara by stating, Similarly, one

venial sin leads to another, until the basis for

salvation is lost through the destruction of

the basis of faith at the moment of death.

The state of Ammara is thus the absence of

faith that constitutes a meaningless life

where the soul no longer separates itself

from evil actions and has no sense of how to

balance its non-rational and rational sides.

Allah, warns in the Quran, Haveyou seen the one who takes as his god his

own desire? Then would you be responsible

for him? Or do you think that most of them

hear or reason? They are not except like live-

stock. Rather, they are [even] more astray in

*their+ way (25:43-44).

These verses reveal how one who

follows his whims and ignores Allahs (Exalted

is He) authority over him cannot be a servantof Allah, Almighty.

Such a person has misused the gift of

intellect and has gone farther astray than

cattle, which neither disobey a spiritual com-

mand nor commit injustices in this world.

The second potential stage of the

soul is al-Nafs al-Lawwama, which tries hard

to abstain from evil acts, consistently ques-

tions itself, and constantly repents.

Allah, Almighty states, And *by+ the

soul and He who proportioned it; And in-

spired it [with discernment of] its wickednessand its righteousness; He has succeeded who

purifies it; And he has failed who instills it

*with corruption+ (91:7-10).

The lamenting soul is crucial as it

represents the struggle for change within the

self: That is because Allah, Almighty would

not change a favour which He had bestowed

upon a people until they change what is

within themselves. And Indeed, Allah is Hear-

ing and Knowing (8:53).

The lamenting soul aims to become

aware of its actions and to stop itself beforecommitting an evil deed, or to replace an evil

deed with good.

This struggle between the self and

the soul fluctuates as one can easily become

occupied by the glitter of this world and for-

get the purpose of ones existence.

Imaam Al-Ghazzali (RA) narrates that

Sufyan al Thawri once said, Never have I

dealt with anything more difficult than my

soul, which sometimes helps me, and some-

times opposes me (Ihya `Ulum ad-Din).

Therefore, the key to balancing onessoul in favour of goodness is to understand

what the soul needs so that it will not fall into

a state of forgetfulness or neglect.

It is with the Mercy of Allah, Al-

mighty that He reminds us, So remember


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(Vol.13, No: 164) 23

Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to

Me and do not deny Me. O, you who have

believed, seek help through patience and

prayer. Indeed Allah is with the pa-tient (2:152-153).

Strenuous effort, determination, and

reliance on Allah, Almighty are required in

order to begin the difficult process of shaping

the self as an ally of the soul. Furthermore,

Allah, Almighty uplifts those among His ser-

vants who struggle to reform themselves, by

reaffirming, Say, O my servants who have

transgressed against themselves [by sinning],

do not despair of the Mercy of Allah. Indeed

Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is

the Forgiving, the Merciful (39:53).The struggling soul is given hope that

it may look forward and aim high at achieving

an elevated level that is nearer to Allah, Al-

mighty.

The last and highest stage of the soul

is al-Nafs al-Mutmainna, in which the soul

has reached a state of peace and tranquillity

through aligning its will with the Will of its

Creator.

Imaam Al-Ghazzali (RA) remarks,

The aim of moral discipline is to purify the

heart from the rust of passion and resent-ment, until, like a clear mirror, it reflects the

light of Allah (Kimiyai Sa`adat 23). The anal-

ogy of the mirror enhances the idea that the

heart reflects truth only if it is pure. There-

fore, one needs to fill ones heart with com-

plete love for Allah, Almighty so as not to be

deceived by the outward appearance of the

world.

It is the nature of the human being

to love what Allah, Almighty loves and hate

what He hates. The spiritual soul is deter-

mined to become one with the command-ments of Allah, Almighty in order to fulfill the

desire to be with Him in Eternity. Blessed is

the soul that strives in the cause of Allah,

Almighty, for it not only lives under the

shadow and protection of Allah, Almighty in

this world, but will also be asked to return

happily to Him when it has succeeded in pre-

serving its pure and truthful nature.

Allah ,Almighty tells mankind, *Tothe righteous it will be said+, O reassured

soul; Return to your Lord, well-pleased and

pleasing [to Him]; And enter among My

[righteous] servants; And enter My Para-

dise (89:27-28).

This world is a station created to

shape ones heart and soul into the best of

moulds; purifying it to be worthy of residing

in the eternal bliss of Paradise.

Knowledge of the different states

can bring a person closer to ascending to the

highest state. The third stage is attainedthrough complete love, devotion, and trust of

Allah, Almighty

Allah, Almighty reassures, And

when My servants ask you, [O, Muhammad],

concerning Meindeed I am near. I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he

calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by

obedience] and believe in Me that they may

be *rightly+ guided (2:186).

May Allah, Almighty protect us from

a heart that does not fear, eyes that do not

tear, ears that do not hear, and from a soulthat is not satisfied.

Ameen

Submitted by: Muhammad Qasim

Contd from page 8

Hadhrat Anas (RA), the son of Ummi

Sulaim who was at that time married to Abu

Talhah, grew up in the house of his father

and therefore got this hair which Abu Talhah

had preserved.

From this Hadith, it is inferred thatpreserving the things of pious people as sa-

cred is permissible as Sahaaba themselves

used to preserve the hair of Rasulullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as a token of

blessings.


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24 (Vol.13, No: 164)

Let it be known that this slave, that

is, [al-Imam ar-Rabbani Mujaddid al-alf ath-

thani+ Ahmad ibn Abd al-Ahad, who is

greatly in need of Allahs compassion, thefirst of them being to protect him, his ances-

try, masters and disciples against the trou-

bles of the Rising Day, for which I offer Him

my invocations, has seen with regret that the

people of our time have become increasingly

slack in believing in the necessity of Proph-

ets (AS) coming, in the twenty-five Prophets

whose names are given in Quran, and in

obeying the religion brought by the Last

Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). More-

over, some powerful people with authorita-

tive positions have been persecuting piousMuslims who diligently follow Islam. There

have appeared people who mock the blessed

name of the Last Prophet and substitute the

blessed names given to them by their par-

ents with absurd names. Mosques are either

being demolished or turned into museums or

stores. Islamic cemeteries are being made

into playgrounds or places for rubbish. Disbe-

lievers churches are being restored in the

name of monuments. Their rituals and festi-

vals are being celebrated by Muslims, too. In

short, Islams requirements and Islamic cus-toms are being abhorred or totally aban-

doned. They are being called retrogressive.

Disbelievers and atheists customs, false

religions, immoral and shameless acts are

being praised. Efforts are being made to

Imam ar-Rabbani Mujaddid al-alf ath-thani

spread them. Depraved and squalid books,

novels and songs of the disbelievers are be-

ing translated into the languages of Muslims

and sold. In this way efforts to annihilateIslam and Islams beautiful ethics, which re-

sult in Muslims Iman weakening, are being

carried on while unbelievers and nihilists are

increasing. Moreover, even men of religion,

who must be healers for the disease of disbe-

lief, are falling for this disaster and drifting

into calamity.

I have studied the causes for this

corruption in Muslim childrens belief and

have scrutinized the origin of their doubts. I

have come to the conclusion that there is

only one reason for the slackness in theirIman. And the reason is that much time has

elapsed since Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam), while at the same time some fa-

natical, short-sighted, religiously nescient

politicians and some ignoramuses, who pass

themselves off as scientists, talk on religious

matters and have their words accepted as

true. I have spoken with people who read

and believe the writings of such sham scien-

tists and who therefore describe themselves

as enlightened, modern people. I have seen

that they err mostly in comprehending therank of prophethood (nubuwwa). I have

heard many of them say, Prophets endeav-

oured so that people should get on well with

one another and form beautiful habits. This

has nothing to do with life in the next world.


25/40


(Vol.13, No: 164) 25

hammad Ghazalis (RA) explaining ibadat in

his book; scholars of fiqh explained how to

carry out ibadat, but they did not describe

their subtle particulars because their pur-pose was to state the conditions for and

manners of performing ibadat properly.

They did not look to mens souls and hearts.

The task of describing devolved on scholars

of tazkiyah. Al-Imam al-Ghazali combined the

knowledge of religion that provided for

physical betterment and outward deeds with

the knowledge of tazkiyah, which enables

one to attain inner cleanliness. He explained

both of them in his book. He named the lat-

ter Munjiyyat, that is, teachings that prevent

calamity, yet he said that ibadat, too, weremunji. The way of making ibadat a means of

salvation can be learned from books of fiqh.

Those teachings of salvation which pertain to

the heart cannot be learned from books of

fiqh. They can be understood better by read-

ing the explanations of that exalted imam.

We have not seen the medical scien-

tist Calinos or the grammarian Amr Si-

bawaih. How do we know that they were

experts in those branches of knowledge? We

know what the science of medicine means.

We read Calinoss books and hear some ofhis statements. We learn that he gave medi-

cine to the ill and cured them. Hence we be-

lieve that he was a doctor. Likewise, when a

person who knows the science of grammar

reads Sibawaihs books or hears some words

of his, he knows and believes that he was a

grammarian. By the same token, if a person

knows well what prophethood is and studies

Quran and the Hadith ash-sherif, he will un-

derstand thoroughly that Muhammad

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was in the high-

est grade of prophethood. As ones belief inthe above-mentioned scholars would never

be upset, so the slanders and vilifications of

the ignorant and deviated will never under-

mine ones Iman in Muhammad (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam), since all the sayings and

Books of philosophy, too, provide ways of

getting on well and forming good habits.

Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali divides his book

Ihya ulum ad-din into four sections. In thefirst section he explains beautiful habits,

which he terms Munjiyyat (things that save).

In the other three sections, he writes about

salat, fasting and other ibadat. This book of

his resembles books of philosophy. And this

shows that ibadat are not munji (able to

save) and that salvation depends upon beau-

tiful habits. Others say, One who has heard

of the Prophet, his ayats and miracles but

who disbelieves this information because

centuries have passed ever since, is like a

person who lives in the mountains or in adesert and has not heard about the Prophet

at all. Like the latter, the former may not

have Iman, either.

In response to them, we say that,

Allah pitied human beings in the eternal past

and willed to send them Prophets to guide

them to perfection and to cure the diseases

in their hearts. In order to fulfil these duties

of theirs, Prophets must threaten the disobe-

dient and give good news to the obedient.

They must inform the former of the torment

and the latter of the rewards in the Hereaf-ter. Man desires to attain things that come

sweet to him. In order to attain them, he

goes astray, sins and harms others. The send-

ing of Prophets was necessary for protecting

men from doing evil and for providing them

with a peaceful and comfortable life in this

world and the next. Life in this world is short.

Life in the next world is endless. For this rea-

son, attaining happiness in the next world

takes precedence. Some ancient philoso-

phers, in order to sell more of the books they

had prepared with their own views andimaginations, embellished them with ways of

beautifying ones morals and doing useful

acts, which they had read in heavenly books

or heard from those who believed in these

books. Concerning Hujjat al-Islam I

Documents

Radiant Reality November 2012