The Reminder (Sofar 1436)

8/9/2019 The Reminder (Sofar 1436)

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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | FOREWORD 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................... 3

AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 .......................................................................... 4

ADAB:Etiquettes of Dawah ........................................................................................... 9

THAQOFAH: Comprehensiveness of Islam........................................................... 17

HADITH: Moderation in Islam.................................................................................... 24


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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | FOREWORD 3

FOREWORD

.

All praise is due to Allah who loved the pious among His slaves1and

raised the level of the knowledgeable among the believers2, He sent the

messengers and revealed guidance to them in order to save humankind

from the darkness and narrowness of ignorance to the light and vastnessof knowledge. We thank Him and appreciate His Will to assist us on

guidance.

At this age where promoters of falsehood are unrelenting in their

efforts, using all kinds of media and tools at their disposal to promote

misguidance; it is equally obligatory for those whom Allah has assisted

on guidance and elevated with knowledge to promote the truth.

This booklet is produced from lecture notes of the tezkiyyah workshop

of TMC National Headquarters as an alternative for non-Yoruba

speakers and a written record for posterity of the invaluable materials.

With the Help of Allah, we hope that the information contained in this

edition of the series will be of general benefit to the Ummah and further

inculcate the habit of reading in order to revive the moral foundations of

Islamic culture.

If you find anything to criticize in this volume, please do not let it

destroy your enjoyment of the rest. Your feedbacks and suggestions will

always be appreciated.

1Refer to Surat-ul-Imran 762Refer to Surat-ul-Mujadilah 11


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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 4

AL-QURAN : Suratul Mursalat 16-28

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16. Did we not destroy the former people?

17. So shall we make later generations to follow them.

18.

Thus do we deal with the Mujrimun (polytheists, disbelievers,

sinners, criminals, etc.)!

19. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!

20. Did we not create you from a worthless liquid (semen, etc.)?

21. Then we placed it in a place of safety (womb),

22.

For a known period (of gestation)?23. So we determined, and we are the best to determine


25. Have we not made the earth a container?

26. For the living and the dead.

27. And have placed therein firm, and tall mountains; and have given

you to drink sweet water?



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Title

THREATNING THE DISBELIVERS AND WARNING THEM AGAINST

DISBELIEF

Explanations

1. This surah is one of the surahs revealed during the Makkan

period; like other Makkan surahs the focus is to establish

Islamic belief and most especially the belief in Allah and the

Day of Judgment.

2. In some hadiths, the prophet is reported to say: whoever believes

in Allah and the Last Day before he gives a very important

instruction to the believers, which signifies the important

correlation between belief and obedience. The belief in Allah

and the Last Day are among the greatest part of creed and themost important for correct actions, therefore both are often

repeated simultaneously by Allah and His messenger more than

any other, also because other articles of faith depend on them.

3. After warning the disbelievers of what will be the consequences

and manifestations3of their disbelief and the horrible events of

the Day of Judgment, Allah reminds them of the destruction that

3Disbelief is the original reason for disobedience and crimes. When man denies

reality of the unseen, he disbelieves in Allah and the Last Day, the original

concept of submission and accountability will be lost, he will become arrogant

and demonstrate his capacity over oppression and destruction. Muslims with

traces of disbelief can also demonstrate such disobedience and crimes in the

areas where they are deficient in belief. People of the Scripture (i.e. Jews and

Christians) who still have some traces of belief can demonstrate obedience

similar to a believer in the areas where they have such belief. For example, a

Christian may spend generously because he believes in the reality of reward onthe Day of Judgment. It is all about complete true belief which Allah instructs

clearly in the Quran: O you believers enter into Islam completely and do not follow

the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.(Q2:208).


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befell similar arrogant nations of past generations, perhaps they

may take lessons.

4. The people of prophet Nuh were the first to start idolatry, their

forefathers exaggerated about their pious righteous leaders, the

later generations were further misled through ancestral

reference. Wadda, Suwaaha, Yaguutha, YahookohandNasraare

names of devoted worshippers and scholars at the time before

prophet Nuh, all these five scholars died in just one month, it

was a shocker and big trial for the people. Shaytan came and

whispered to them, they drew their portraits and kept forremembrance purpose. After this generation passed away,

shaytan came and whispered to their offspring to carve statue of

those pious worshippers that their father have preserved in

picture, they accepted the deception and carved their statues

only for posterity purposes. After this generation passed away,

shaytan came and whispered to their offspring that their

forefathers had preserved these pious worshippers for them to

worship, they accepted the deception and started idolatry taking

the statues as intermediaries between themselves and Allah.

Allah sent prophet Nuh to warn them against this dangerous

digression from true belief but they refused arrogantly and Allah

destroyed them violently with water. Those who believed with

prophet Nuh were saved to begin another generation ofmankind. [Tafseer ibn Kathir, Surat-ul-Nuh verse 23]

5. The people of Aad and Thamud followed in disbelief and

disobedience to Allah, they belied the messengers and they were

also destroyed.


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6. The message was clear: Those who started disbelief were

destroyed after they ignored warnings from the messenger, the

later generations followed them in disbelief and they were also

destroyed, if this nation also ignores the warnings of this

messenger (i.e. Muhammad) and continues on disbelief, its

destruction is not far away. However, because the nation of

Muhammad is the whole world they will not be destroyed as a

whole until the Day of Judgment; each part will only suffer the

consequences of their disbelief accordingly. Hurricanes,

tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides are only fewexamples of similar means of destruction that befell past

generations; insecurity, abject poverty and severe hunger are

few subtle consequences of disbelief. Negligent and

materialistic population that never takes lessons from the

righteous past generations but follow the miserable path of

arrogant past generations will suffer consequences similar to the

arrogant disbelievers of the past.

7. A reminder of human weakness and delicate stages of growth,

from conception in the womb, is a good tonic for the soul to

reassess his actions against his Creator.

8. The earth is a sufficient container for the living and the dead.

The top of the earth for the living and inside for the dead. We

live on the earth and when we are dead we start the life of realityunderneath the earth. Our life both on the earth as a living and

inside the earth as among the dead are blessings of Allah that we

must appreciate; we enjoy many provisions of Allah on the earth

while alive and our honour as human beings is protected with

burial.


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9. Allah also made tall mountains as pegs to stabilize the earth that

was created on water. Today tourism has turned to ordinary

visual enjoyment; whenever faith is taken out of something it

will destroy it purpose. Objects of contemplation have now been

reduced to mere amusement and play. This verse is a good

reminder for believers to worship Allah and improve their

godliness through contemplation.

10. Woe that Day to the deniers: And after all of these warnings,

admonitions and reminders, whoever reject and persist on

disbelief will be fully deserving the wrath of that Day.


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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | ADAB: Etiquettes of Dawah 9

ADAB:Etiquettes of Dawah

Focus:Etiquettes of enjoining Al-Maruf (good) & forbidding

Al-Munkar(evil).

Preamble

Dawah literarily means calling but technically in Islam it means calling

to Allah, i.e calling the people to live according to the laws of theirCreator. Allah has legislated and commanded because of the larger

amount of good in them. He forbade what He forbade because of the

larger amount of evil in them. The fear and consciousness of Allah to

comply with this divine, logical and natural legislation is the basis of

true righteousness. The purpose of Dawah is to prepare and mobilize

the people for righteousness, which is required for their salvation.

This section will give some understanding and explain a few etiquettes

required for this noble task of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-

Munkar.

Definitions

Al-Maruf: It is a concise term for all matters of obedience to Allah;

seeking closeness to him, kindness to the people, doing all good things

and leaving all bad things.

Al-Munkar: It is the opposite of Al-Maruf; all the bad and ugly things

that is forbidden and detestable in the Shariah.

Summary:Al-Marufis all what Allah has commanded in the Shariah

andAl-Munkaris all what He forbade in the Shariah. This is because all

that Allah commands in the Shariah are good things and all that He

forbids are evil things.


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Over time, the Arabs corrupted the religion of prophet Ibrahim (i.e.Al-

Hanafiyyah) circumambulating the Kabah naked. When the prophet

(SAW) became messenger he corrected them on this open immorality,

but they replied with a wrong allegation against Allah:

And when they commit an immorality, they say, "We found our fathers doing it, and

Allah has ordered us to do it." Say (O Muhammad), "Indeed, Allah does not order

immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?"4

Allah has always commanded Al-Maruf (good things) and forbade Al-

Munkar (evil things). It is the responsibility of believers to enjoin Al-

Maruf on the people and warn them against Al-Munkar.

The meaning of enjoining the people on Al-Maruf iscalling them to it

by making it attractive to them and explaining the reasons why it is

required for their salvation. The meaning of forbidding Al-Munkar is to

prevent the people from it by making it unattractive to them and

explaining the reasons why it leads to doom.

The importance and necessity of enjoining Al-Maruf and

forbidding Al-Munkar

The task of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is acompulsory and continuous responsibility on the Muslims, this is

because the Shariah of Islam is based on these two and the propagation

of the Shariah is a duty on all Muslim.

The Shariah is righteousness (i.e. doing Al-Maruf and forsaking Al-

Munkar) for the salvation of mankind. Dawah (i.e. enjoiningAl-Maruf

and forbiddingAl-Munkar) is the mechanism to sustain the Shariah.

4Surat-ul-Araf (Q7:28)


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Dawah is a specific obligatory responsibility on the messengers of

Allah, an obligatory responsibility of the scholars of the Shariah and a

general responsibility on the rest of the Muslim population.

Dawahis specifically obligatory on the messengers of Allah, they must

fulfil the mission completely because of the divine support they have,

these forms of support include: scriptures, miracles, guaranteed

protection and the firm assurance. The Scriptures are the most

comprehensive manual for guidance revealed and explained to the

messengers. They are the direct recipients of the message and have

communicated the information in truth. In the course of Dawah, there

are situations where the messengers as human beings are completely

helpless when all human intellectual, material skills and abilities will be

fruitless; a miracle becomes the only way out in such a situation as

Allah had always supported his messengers in the hardest times of their

mission. The messengers have divine guaranty of protection on their life

until the end of their mission, no amount of tribulations and trials areable to end their life abruptly; the Jews killed lots of the prophets, they

were not able to kill a single messenger; all the messengers fulfilled

their mission before their death5. The messengers were assured by

various means; notably, Musa was made to hear and respond to Allah at

the holy valley of Tuwa, Muhammad was taken to the heavens alive and

returned in a night to see some of the signs of Allah in order to better

assure him.

Dawah is obligatory on the scholars of the Shariah, they must fulfil it

to the best of their ability because of the knowledge they have. Good

5Except for prophet Isa (Jesus) whom Allah made ascend the heaven. He will bereturned alive as a reformer (not as a prophet or messenger) when the Day of

Judgment is very near, he will destroy the cross (signifying the end of

Christianity), kill the pigs and killAd-Dajjal (Anti-Christ).


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knowledge of the Shariah6 is a prerequisite to better understanding of

Islam and fear of Allah7

. It is natural that people who excel in

knowledge have been the leaders of their population; after the

messengers have gone, it is a duty upon those who have learnt the

Shariah to continue the task of propagation in order that Allah will

sustain the Shariah with their Dawah. The obligation of Dawah on the

scholars is based on the following statement of the prophet (SAW):

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The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, the prophets neither left dinar (gold)nor dirham (silver) to inherit but they left knowledge, whoever holds on to it has held

a firm grip.

Dawah is also a responsibility on every Muslim according to his/her

ability, the Muslim masses must support9 the scholars with whatever

means; material and physical. This is necessary to promote and

propagate what we believe as true guidance; it is also a demonstration

of believe and support for the mission of the messengers.

6Some people have erroneously taken only the knowledge of Arabic language to

mean the Shariah. Knowledge of the Arabic language is only a means to attain the

knowledge of the Shariah. The Quran, the Sunnah and most explanations of

scholars are written in Arabic, therefore the Shariah is best understood with theArabic language. Unfortunately, some Arabic language scholars and students who

did not study on Shariah subjects like Fiqh, Seerah, Hadiths, etc. present

themselves as leaders in the Shariah, many people have been misguided with

their ignorance.7Allah declared the knowledgeable as the people of piety, those who fear Allah

among his slaves are the people of knowledge (Q35:28) i.e. those who are

knowledgeable in the Shariah (not Arabic language).8vol. 1, pg. 81

9The general masses involvement can only be meaningful by giving supportorganized Dawah led by scholars, because sound knowledge and correct

methodologies are requirements to make proper Dawah. It is a responsibility on

the scholars to teach the masses the required knowledge and methodologies.


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Allah describes this ummah of Islam as the best because of our attitude

towards Dawah. Allah said in the Quran:

You [Muslims] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-

Ma'ruuf and forbid Al-Munkar and you believe in Allah10

The believers, men and women, are supporters of one another, they enjoin Al-Ma'ruufand forbid Al-Munkar; they perform As-Salaat and give the Zakaat, and obey Allah

and his Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty,

All-Wise.11

The general responsibility of Dawah

Although organized12

Dawah is a responsibility for Islamic

organizations13

, the general Dawah of enjoining what is good andforbidding what is wrong is an obligation on every Muslim according to

his/her knowledge and abilities. This is evident in the instruction given

by the prophet in the following hadiths:

14

Whoever of you sees an evil act he should change it with his hand, if he is not capable

then he should change it with his tongue, if he is not capable then with his heart, andthat is the weakest of faith.

10Surat-ul-Imran (Q3:110)11Surat-ul-Tawbah (Q9:71)12Organized Dawah; propagating comprehensiveness of Islam in all facets of

human existence.13Organized Dawah is originally a responsibility of an Islamic government. It

only became a responsibility for organizations after the fall of the caliphate.

14 vol. 1, pg. 69


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Etiquettes of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar

Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil are among the

greatest acts of righteousness that a Muslim must take as responsibility,

it is a part of jihad, it is a trust of Allah and a protection for the Muslims

honour; therefore there are etiquettes outlined as follows:

1. Gentleness, easiness and mercy

Naturally, the people love those who are gentle and kind

towards them. The success of Dawah depends heavily on how

we relate with the heart of the people we call. Success from

Allah is related to gentleness. The prophet said: Allah is gentle and

He loves gentleness in all affairs, and he gives for gentleness what He does

not give for harshness15

2. Sincerity

The task of Dawah is rife with lots of challenges that require

strong determination. Sincerity is a good motivator for

determination. A sincere person will be determined to overcomeany challenges and achieve his goals.

3. Patience

The importance of patience is evident as it is often repeated in

the Quran, being mentioned up to 103 times in different

situations. Patience is an attribute of the messengers of strong

will and determination. Allah said: And whoever is patient and

forgivesindeed, that is from firm decision of affairs.16

4. Respect

A Dawah worker must show the people he calls that they are

important. He must practically show the people that he values

them. When the people perceive that they are being belittled,

they are less like to accept the call to Islam.

15Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 46, Hadith 3616Surat-ul-Shurah (Q42:43)


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5. Clarity and firmness when forbidding evil.

The most challenging aspect of Dawah is forbidding the wrong.

Although softness is generally encouraged for Dawah, it is

important that we are not too lenient to condone negligence and

mockery with the Shariah of Allah. We must be firm and

resolute even as we respect their right of choice. Clarity is a

requirement for spreading the message, the fear of rejection

from the people should not lead us to undue leniency in

presentation of the truth, Allah said:

And if you [people] deny [the message] already nations before you have

denied. And there is not upon the Messenger except [the duty of] clear

propagation17

6. Role model

The Dawah is most effective when done in practice. Our

righteous predecessors who had clear understanding and

etiquettes of Dawah upon reaching a community present the

Dawah to the people only by saying: O you people, be like

us; after a little observation, the people become convinced in

their sincerity and impressed by their patience, respect and

gentleness among other amiable characters. The people

embraced the righteousness of Islam without much effort. Theimportance of being a role model for Dawah is further stressed

in the following verse as the prophet was the master of all those

who do Dawah.

Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to

follow for whoever hopes in (the meeting with) Allah and the Last Day andremembers Allah much.

18

17Surat-ul-Ankabut (Q29:18)


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7. Knowing the condition of people

The Dawah worker must alsobe aware of the condition of the

people he is calling. He must tailor his strategies in a way most

suitable so that they can benefit better.

8. Knowledge of when appropriate to call openly or secretly

Sometimes it will only be appropriate to correct any observed

mistake of people by meeting them privately, most people feel

embarrassed when you correct their personal mistake in public.

However, in some situations it will be appropriate to donecessary corrections openly for the general benefit in it.

9. Breaking the necessary barriers

Sometimes, the people will be ready to accept the call but some

obstacles in their peculiar situation may be preventing them, an

observant Dawah worker should try as much as possible to

assist them break the barriers either through sincere advice,

other moral and forms of support as necessary.

10. Tolerance to differences where it is inevitable

A Dawah worker must be aware and respect standard natural

and religious differences and the right of people to their choice.

For example, Fiqh is a flexible interpretation of the Shariah,rulings may change according to place and situation of the

people, this flexibility should not be destroyed by unnecessary

intolerance.

18Surat-ul-Ahzab (Q33:21)


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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | THAQOFAH: Comprehensiveness of Islam 17

THAQOFAH: Comprehensiveness of Islam

Preamble

Islam is a complete way of life; it is the most comprehensive system

capable of governing human life. It combines the spiritual and material

aspects of human life most harmoniously. Other philosophies and

civilizations that claim capacity to govern human life have failed in

their inability to manage and regulate the immaterial 19 which areinseparable from human nature.

The comprehensiveness of Islam is a reason why its civilization remains

superior and triumphant over other civilizations; from its advent till

today, it is over a thousand years since it has being facing challenges of

materialistic civilizations, from the ancient Roman and Persian empires

to the recent Capitalism and Communism, Islam successfully eradicatedoppression and tyranny and the world enjoyed the peace of Islams call

to complete submission to the Creator.

The clash of civilizations

Historians have identified the clash of civilizations as a major reason forworld conflicts. For example, the Roman and Persian empires were two

powerful contemporaries; the Roman civilization that was based on

Greco-Christian syncretism20

and Persian civilization based on

idolatrous Zoroastrianism21

. Both were in sharp contrast to each other

and impossible to co-exist, the attendant results were a series of bloody

confrontations that lasted until the advent of Islam among the Arabs.

19Immaterial such as; sadness, joy, stupidity, intelligence, love, hatred etc20A mix of Greek philosophies and teachings of Christianity.21Fire-worship


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Every time Allah sent clear guidance to mankind through His

messengers it will be corrupted soon after the messenger left. The

message of Jesus (named as Christianity after his disappearance22

) was

the last divine guidance before the final message of Muhammad; the

last remnant of this message (i.e. Christianity) was the one adopted by

the Roman Empire but interpolated with Greek philosophies and further

corrupted with the false concept of trinity.

The final guidance of Islam

After the disappearance of Jesus, a period of about 400 years passed and

Allah sent the final messenger with the final message of guidance; this

time, the message was protected from any corruption, it is universal,

comprehensive and lasting till the end of the world.

When the light came darkness vanished. It is an obligatory

responsibility to announce the true guidance for human salvation and it

is a grave treachery to hide it. Islam announced its superiority and

universality from its beginning and presented its civilization as the final

to overcome all others.

It is He (Allah) who has sent his messenger (Muhammad) with the guidance and the

religion of truth (Islam) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the

polytheists hate it.23

And we have not sent you (Muhammad) except to the whole of mankind as a giver of

glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of the people do not know.24

22 Muslims do not believe in the death or crucifixion of Jesus, we believe in hisascension to the heaven until when the time is due for his return as a reformer.23Surat-ul-Saff (Q61:9)24Surat-ul-Saba (Q34:29)


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The challenge and the conflict

This unrestricted self-confidence and the obvious reality of its claim is a

great threat to existing civilizations, from idolatrous paganism to the

corrupted guidance of Judaism and Christianity. These forces are

always quick to mobilize against their common enemy Islam to prevent

it from survival. But all glory to Allah Who is always capable of his

Wish. Within a short period of only 23 years, the pagans suffered the

worst humiliation and the most important center of Arabia (i.e.

Makkah) came under the control of Islam; the messenger (i.e.

Muhammad) cannot live forever but Allah has assisted him to establish

the true message in the center of earth25

with his companions now ready

to spread it to the whole world after his death.

Soon after his death, the companions spread out to fulfill the obligatory

responsibility of protecting the religion from its open enemies and to

liberate the people from forced submission to their tyrant rulers

(through material26

and human forces) to the willing submission to their

Creator (through spiritual motivations and promise of supernatural

rewards). The world history recorded unprecedented and overwhelming

victories for Islam when centuries-long empires of Rome and Persia fell

with the advance of the young Muslim forces. However, loyalists to

these fallen empires continue in the fight against Islam; an example is

the Crusade War on the sacred land of Palestine.

25It has been geographically established as evident from the world map that the

Kabah in Makkah is the center of earth. Another clear evidence is that satellite

dishes and the antenna of TVs only get the best signal when turned to face the

Qiblah (direction of the Kabah). It is now relatively easy for Muslims to

determine the Qiblah for their solat while traveling just by observing the

direction faced by majority of satellite dishes.26Among the tactics of oppressive rulers is to constrict the natural resources and

prevent the people from enjoying its benefits, whenever they release only a little

portion of it, the people will praise them and be ready to obey their instructions.


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Although it is quite easy to defeat the sponsors of falsehood, the process

to eradicate philosophies upon which they are based is a long

intellectual struggle. This can be identified by efforts of Islamic

scholars to intellectually destroy these philosophies through the pages

of their voluminous works which is highly effective and commendable.

However, shaytan is unrelenting in his efforts to misguide mankind and

Islam is ever ready to challenge any misguidance until to its defeat. The

victory of Islam over the Romans, the Persians, the Crusaders, and the

Mongols became records of the past; with the explosion of modern

technologies, the challenges from the enemies of Islam becomesserious, tricky and tedious; but the final victory is for the truth.

Communism and Western secular democracy27

are the two current

powerful civilizations. The soviet states united to promote communism

in the East with its atheistic28

philosophy posing major threat to Islamic

monotheism, but with the relentless effort of Muslims it was defeated

and the unity of oppressive states came to an end. Soon after that, othersunited in the West to promote a subtle but oppressive philosophy,

secular and liberal democracy was sponsored and promoted as the glory

for human prosperity. However, this democracy must be practiced

according to the outlines of its pioneers, it must be secular29

and

liberal30

, and any nation that refuses this offer or attempts to adulterate

it will face the wrath of its sponsors. Communism had been destroyed;

westernization with her secular liberal democracy is the current

challenge yet to be overcome.

27Democracy is not the problem for Islam; it is the secular and liberal concepts.28Elimination of Gods existence29Secular: meaning to eliminate God, as evident in its definition as thegovernment of the people by the people and for the people.30Liberal to permit unrestricted freedom for humans, as evident in its legality of

alcoholic breweries, cigarettes and tobaccos manufactures.


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Westernization and Islamization

Westernization is the project of propagating Western civilization which

is an extension of Greco-Roman civilization that was based on rational

empiricism. Secular democracy is a proud glory of Western civilization;

in their desperate attempt to achieve liberation or freedom for man,

the West promoted secularism31

in governance as the solution.

However, like other civilizations besides Islam, the inability of

democracy to effectively manage and regulate human internal forces

and emotions such as sadness, joy, intelligence, trust, love, hatred,

stupidity, temperament, etc is a deficiency that is already taking it to its

downfall in all spheres32

.

High rate of organized crimes, promiscuity and hooliganism has

become uncontrollable despite all the material and human security as a

result of elimination of obedience to the Creator. All human beings

were born the same way, the natural feeling of original equality with

fellow human can never make it possible to control other human beings

without the intervention of God, the concept of worship or obedience to

God is the reason for successful administration in Islam. Any religion,

philosophy, nation or organization that ignores or eliminates this

concept of divine obedience can never escape downfall in its

administration.

Although, the West have claimed Islamic extremism or violent

jihadism as the major threat to their democracy, that is only an

allegation to experiment their military might and justify oppression over

the Muslim population. The New York Times carried an article stating:

31Elimination of the concepts of worshiping God32They have recently witnessed financial crisis in the economic sphere, the ever

increasing rate of criminal offenses has almost destroyed their social co-

existence.


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Muslim fundamentalism is fast becoming the chief threat to global peace and

security as well as the cause of national and local disturbance through terrorism. It is

akin to the menace posed by the Nazism and fascism in the 1930s and then by

communism in the 50s33

Professor Samuel Huntington dismissed the claim and identified Islam

as the actual challenge to Western civilization:

The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam, a

different civilization whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and

are obsessed with the inferiority of their power. The problem for Islam is not CIA or

the U.S. Department of defense. It is the West, a different civilization whose people areconvinced of the universality of their culture and believe that their superior, but

declining, power imposes on them the obligation to impose that culture throughout the

world. These are the basic ingredients that fuel conflict between Islam and the West34

Islamization is the project of propagating Islamic civilizations. Islam is

a concise name for peace and submission. Peace is an expensive basic

requirement in all aspects of life; communism sought to achieve it in its

economy with socialism, it failed; democracy seeks to achieve it in its

economy with capitalism, its failing; they tried to achieve what is

originally internal with external material rewards and punishments. The

core of Islams message remains simple: attain real peace through

complete submission to the Creator. The comprehensiveness of Islam is

a reason for its survival, it has the ability to manage and regulate all

aspects of life including the internal forces; this comprehensiveness isimplicit in the legislated acts of worship and faith; for example, the

belief in the Qadaror divine predetermination is a good regulation for

sadness and joy. Allah said:

33The New York Times / International Herald Tribune, 9/9/9334The Clash of Civilizations, pp. 217-8


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No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of decrees (Al-

Lauh Al-Mahfuz), before we bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.35

In another verse, Allah regulated hatred and love:

.

Jihad is ordained for you (Muslims) but you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a

thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah

knows but you do not know.36

O you who believe! stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the

enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice, be just: that is nearer to piety, and

fear Allah. Verily, Allah is WellAcquainted with what you do.37

Areas of comprehensiveness

Apart from being all-inclusive complete way of life having the ability to

manage and regulate all aspects of human life including the emotions,

mental processes and other internal forces, Islam also:

1.

Protects human life.2. Protects properties.

3. Protects the human intellect.

4. Compatible at all times, places and people.

35Surat-ul-Hadid (Q57:22)36Surat-ul-Baqarah (Q2:21637Surat-ul-Maidah (Q5:8)


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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | HADITH: Moderation in Islam 24

HADITH: Moderation in Islam

:"

"

Abu Huraira narrated: The Prophet said: "The religion

[of Islam] is very easy and whoever overburdens

himself in his religion will not be able to continue in

that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to

be near to perfection and receive the good tidings

that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by

worshipping in the mornings and in the nights."38

38Sahih Bukhari: Book 2 (Book of faith), Hadith 32


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Explanations

The ease of Islam

And we shall make easy for you (O Muhammad) the easy way.39

Excellent examples of easiness is evident throughout in the life of the

prophet: in the way he spoke, in the way he perceived information, in

the way he thought, in the way he handled matters, in the way he

organized his personal affairs and of others; whenever he was given

options, he chose the easier one. His wife Aisha narrated: The

messenger of Allah is the most gentle in the home, smiling and laughing

(with his family).

Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim reported a hadith from Anas bn

Maalik that the prophet said: Make things easy and dont make itdifficult

1. The ease of I slam in names: Islam recommends easiness in

everything including the names of people as evident in the

following hadiths:

a. One day a man came to the prophet, when the prophet asked

him his name he said azzan (i.e. difficult), the prophetadvised him to change the name to a gentle one but the man

said he cannot change the name that his father gave to him.

Ibn Musayyab who narrated the hadith said: the man faced

lots of difficulty in his life after that.

b. Ibn Umar said the prophet changed the name of Aasiyah

(sinner) toJameela

(beautiful).

40

39Surat-ul-Aala(Q87:8)


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Unfortunately, today some Muslim youths take pleasure in calling

themselves bad nicknames, the will even change their good names to

bad ones, this bad practice have increased them in misguidance such as

open immoralities, hooliganism and various crimes. It is a pre-Islamic

ignorant practice; it is a sad trace of disbelief which Allah condemns in

the Quran. Indeed, bad names have significant effects on character and

lifestyle.

And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [bad and offensive]

nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after faith. And whoever does notrepentthen it is those who are the wrongdoers.

41

2. The ease of I slam in the nature of Prophet Muhammad: Allah

describes him in the Quran:

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written

[i.e., mentioned] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoin

upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for

them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their

burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed inhim, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down

with himit is those who will be the successful.42

3. The ease of I slam in its core message (i.e. Quran):The Quran

has been made easy to recite, easy to memorize and easy to

teach and explain. Allah said:

40Reported by Imam Muslim41Surat-ul-Hujurat (Q49:11)42Surat-ul-Aaraf (Q7:157)


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And we have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember,

Then is there anyone who will remember (or receive admonition)?43

4. The ease of I slam in i ts mode of worship: The traveler can

shorten his four-unit prayers to two and he can combine solat

zuhr and Asr, magrib and Ishai. Tayammum can be performed as

alternative to water ablution if water is scarce or insufficient or

we fear it will increase our illness or when the weather is

extremely cold. The solat can be performed at any clean place

we are when the time reached. Hajj is obligatory only on those

who are capable once in lifetime. The sick, the traveler, the

nursing-mother, the pregnant and the old can postpone their

fasting until their condition is easy; the menstruating woman and

the mother with post-birth bleeding must also leave the fast until

their condition is over.

The prohibition of extremism

Islam warns against unnecessary harshness and extremism in the

religion. Ibn Mashood narrated the prophet said: May the extremists

perishhe repeated it three times. The extremists are those who handle

things with harshness in a situation that it is not necessary. Muslims are

justly-balanced nation as described in the Quran 44 ; sometimes,harshness may be required to ensure justice, in those situations it will be

considered as justice and not extremism.

The moderation of Islam extends to the way a Muslim should relate

with the one who commits major sin. There was a man in the time of

the prophet, he used to make the prophet laugh a lot with his jokes,

however, he was addicted to alcohol, many times they will bring him to

43Surat-ul-Qamar (Q54:22)44see Surat-ul-Baqarah (Q2:143)


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the prophet and the prophet will instruct that he should be flogged

eighty lashes according to the fixed punishment of Allah, one day he

was brought for the same crime and the prophet instructed that he

should be flogged again, one sahabah stood up and said: may the curse

of Allah be on you, you have been brought too many times for this same

crime, are you not ashamed of yourself, the prophet interrupted the

sahabah and said: dont curse him, verily he is beloved to Allah and His

messenger.

Lessons: (1) Be gentle with people and be considerate with their

conditions. The man had been addicted to alcohol in the days of pre-

Islamic ignorance, it was very hard for him to quit suddenly, he needed

some time to adjust himself to his new religion. (2) We cannot be

lenient with the fixed instructions of Allah. (3) We are living in a

society today where open immoralities and crimes are proudly

sponsored and attractive, we must commend the courage of those who

choose guidance over misguidance and help fellow Muslims to improvein their religion as gradual and considerable as possible.

Piety is in the practice of authentic sunnah according to how it has been

described to the best of our ability and not to overburden ourselves

beyond our capacity. A good lesson of success from the seerah of the

prophet is to start from the easiest. Many Muslims today have neglected

many recommended acts of worship because they want to start from theideal which they are not capable of doing. For example, if you have

never observed tahajjud or solat duha before or you have a long time

ago, start today even with only two rakats then you will progressively

increase.


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Moderation in worship

1. Moderation in reading: The Quran is the best Book to read and

its recitation is an act of worship unlike any other book, themeaning of Quran is what is read often. However, a Muslim

should not be too occupied with its reading until he cannot have

time for other mundane activities in his life. Abdullah ibn Amr

ibn Al-Aas said: I used to fast for a whole year and finish

reading the Quran every night; the messenger of Allah called

me and said: they have informed me that you fast the whole year

and you finish the Quran every night, I replied yes oh prophet

of Allah, I did not intend anything with it except good (i.e. I

want to attain righteousness by doing so), then the prophet said

(correcting the extreme): Fast the fast of prophet Dawud because

he worshipped Allah the most, I said, oh prophet of Allah and

what how is the fast of prophet Dawud, he said: he will fast a

day and break the next day (i.e. he alternates the days withfasting and eating) and the said finish the Quran once every

month, I said, Oh prophet of Allah, but I can read better than

that, he said then finish it every week and dont do more than

that. Abdullah added: but I did more than that (contrary to the

advice of the prophet) and I was overcome (i.e. I could no

longer continue like that after some time), I regretted I had

ignored the moderation of the prophet.

2. Moderation in learning and preaching: Ibn Masud narrated

that he prophet will not give lectures to us on the day we did not

like (i.e. the days we are busy with our business and other

mundane things). A Muslim scholar and preacher should lecture

the people at times most suitable for them when they will listen

and be attentive. The speech or lecturing should not also be toolong until it becomes uninteresting and the people become

bored.


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3. Moderation in spending: The rich and the poor should spend

according to their wealth; they cannot be equal in spending. For

example, when a millionaire donates five hundred thousand

naira, the poor should not sell all his properties because he

wants to donate same. Each person should donate according to

his capacity. Allah said:

Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resourcesare restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah

does not put burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will

grant ease after hardship.45

4. Moderation in food, drink and clothing: Allah said:

O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every

mosque, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those

who commit excess.46

Amr ibn Shuhaib narrated from his father and from his

grandfather that the messenger of Allah said: eat and drink and

spend and cloth without pride and extravagance, verily Allah

loves to see His blessings on His slaves.

Lessons from the hadith

1. Ease in Islam is comprehensive across all aspects of life.

2. Moderation and justice in all things.

3. Condemnation of extremism individually and collectively.

45Surat-ul-Talaq (Q65:7)46Surat-ul-Aaraf (Q7:31)


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Documents

The Reminder (Sofar 1436)