loading

Today's Reminder

March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 19, 1445

Living The Quran

Islamic Status
Al-Nisa (The Women) - Chapter 4: Verse 94 (partial)

"Say not to those who greet you with peace (al-salam): 'you are not a believer.'"

Determining the faith or disbelief of a person is to be based entirely on obvious and explicit evidence without any reference to the hidden thoughts and feelings of people, which are known only to God. This is the implication of this Quranic verse.

If just the utterance of the salam is evidence enough to establish a presumption in favour of a person being a believer, then it is obvious that the Quran does not permit inquisitions of any kind to establish the Islamic status of individuals. All that a person may do when he suspects that disbelief, heresy or apostasy is being committed by another is to give him good advice in the true spirit of the Quran.

Compiled From:
"Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp. 187-189

From Issue: 691 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Test of Honesty

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was well-known for his honesty. The pagans of Makkah—who were openly hostile towards him—would leave their valuables with him. His honesty and reliability was tested when the pagans of Makkah abused him and tortured his companions and drove them out of their homes. He ordered his cousin, Ali bin Abi Talib to postpone his migration for three days to return to people their valuables. (Ibn Hisham)

Another example of his honesty, trustworthiness and reliability is demonstrated in the Truce of Hudaibiyah, wherein he agreed to the article in the treaty which stated that any man who left the Prophet would not be returned to him, and any man who left Makkah would be returned to them. Before the treaty was concluded a man named Abu Jandal b. Amr had managed to escape from the pagans of Makkah and rushed to join Muhammad. The pagans asked Muhammad to honor his pledge and return the escapee. The Messenger of God said: 'O Abu Jandal! Be patient and ask God to grant you patience. God will surely help you and those who are persecuted and make it easy for you. We have signed an agreement with them, and we certainly do not betray or act treacherously.' (Baihaqi)

Compiled From:
"Muhammad: The Messenger of God" - Abdurrahman al-Sheha

From Issue: 937 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Knowledge of God

Anyone who will look into the matter will see that happiness is necessarily linked with the knowledge of God. Each faculty of ours delights in that for which it was created: lust delights in accomplishing desire, anger in taking vengeance, the eye in seeing beautiful objects, and the ear in hearing harmonious sounds. The highest function of the soul of man is the perception of truth; in this accordingly it finds its special delight. Even in trifling matters, such as learning chess, this holds good, and the higher the subject matter of the knowledge obtained the greater the delight. A man would be pleased at being admitted into the confidence of a prime minister, but how much more if the king makes an intimate of him and discloses state secrets to him!

An astronomer who, by his knowledge, can map the stars and describe their courses, derives more pleasure from his knowledge than the chess player from his. Seeing, then, that nothing is higher than God, how great must be the delight which springs from the true knowledge of Him!

A person in whom the desire for this knowledge has disappeared is like one who has lost his appetite for healthy food, or who prefers feeding on clay to eating bread. All bodily appetites perish at death with the organs they use, but the soul dies not, and retains whatever knowledge of God it possesses; nay increases it.

An important part of our knowledge of God arises from the study and contemplation of our own bodies, which reveal to us the power, wisdom, and love of the Creator. His power, in that from a mere drop He has built up the wonderful frame of man; His wisdom is revealed in its intricacies and the mutual adaptability of its parts; and His love is shown by His not only supplying such organs as are absolutely necessary for existence, as the liver, the heart, and the brain, but those which are not absolutely necessary, as the hand, the foot, the tongue, and the eye. To these He has added, as ornaments, the blackness of the hair, the redness of lips, and the curve of the eyebrows.

Compiled From:
"The Alchemy of Happiness" - Al Ghazali

From Issue: 1025 [Read original issue]