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Issue 100 » January 12, 2001 -

General

QURAN

Translation:

"And your Lord would never destroy human habitations wrongfully, while their inhabitants are righteous."

[Al-Quran- Sura Hud 11: 117]

Tafseer:

The Real Factors that had caused the destruction of past nations:
They were favored with God's blessings. But drunk with affluence, they resorted to mischief on earth. Their collective conscience was also completely vitiated. None or very few righteous persons were left among them to prevent evil from predominating.
 
Lessons:
  • It is imperative that there should always be a good number of righteous people in every society. 
  • A community that is prepared to put up with everything except a group of righteous people in its midst -  people that call men to do good and forbid them from doing evil - is certainly destined for self-destruction.
  • God's final decision, whether to punish a community or not, depends on the extent to which that community possesses the elements that would enable it to respond to the call of truth.
If we truly love the society we live in and don't want the punishment of God to come down upon us, we should try our best to develop a group of people who will call people to do good and forbid them from evil.
 
[Compiled from "Towards Understanding the Quran", by S. Abul Ala Maududi, vol. IV]
 
6 THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR ISLAM IN 2001
 
continued from issue # 99....
 
2. INCREASE YOUR TIME FOR THE MASJID (Mosque)
 
It's easy to drop a couple of dollars in a Masjid donation box, but it's not so easy to devote a couple of hours every few weeks to Dawa (invitation to Islam) to the Masjid's neighbors.
 
When was the last time your Masjid had an open house? When were your non-Muslim friends invited to attend a party in the Masjid? While everyone in Masjid is ready to work on a Masjid building or a school project, there
are very few who are willing to spare time for neighborhood relations or media communication. Many times there is no one available to properly handle inquires left on the Masjid's answering machine.
 
Time is our greatest resource, not money. Devote yours to causes that deserve it. Also remember that when you are giving time to the Masjid, your input and ideas are also more likely to be considered by its
administration.
 
To be continued in the next issue....
 
[Taken from www.SoundVision.com]
 
Hadith
Charity for Every Joint
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
 
Each person's every joint must perform a charity (Sadaqa) every day the sun comes up:
  1. to act justly between two people is a charity;
  2. to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it is a charity;
  3. a good word is a charity;
  4. every step you take to prayers is a charity;
  5. and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.
(Collected by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
[Lessons: In this Hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) has given us a few examples of acts of 'charity' (Sadaqa) that we should perform on daily basis. Charity in this Hadith doesn't refer to the act of giving money in Allah's way only, but in fact, it is a comprehensive term that includes any act or gesture that would help the community and would increase our awareness of Allah and His bounties. There are many out there in this world who think whatever power and material gains they possess today are due to their own efforts! However, Islam teaches us to reflect upon even the smallest of Allah's favors that we often take for granted, such as the smooth and proper functioning of our joints and organs in the body. We are taught to be humble and to thank Allah by being kind, helpful, and charitable towards our brothers and sisters, as well as to anyone in the society, regardless of their faith and culture. In addition, we realize from this Hadith that "Ibada" (worship of Allah) doesn't only include the devotion through acts of worship, but it also includes any action to help and support the community, done to please Allah, such as, visiting the sick, saying a word of advice or kindness, giving someone a ride to the Masjid or school, uniting two sisters or friends after an argument, etc.]
 
Reflections on Tazkiya and Self-Development
Your Mission: To be a Mumin & a Mujahid
 
Having taken the first step and resolved to attain Paradise, you may ask yourself, what does Allah require from me in order for me to succeed?
 
What Allah requires of you, in Quranic vocabulary, is for you to be a Mumin and Mujahid. A Mumin is one who is true and firm in his faith in God. A Mujahid is one who strives his utmost, with all the means at his disposal, to gain God's pleasure. If you are a Mumin and a Mujahid, Allah will assist you to rise to higher stations both in this world and in the Hereafter.
 
You now have a mission: to become a Mumin and Mujahid. As you embark upon this mission you may come to feel that your knowledge of Islam is somewhat limited or perhaps that you are unable to attain those heights of submission and purification that you desire or others expect of you. This is only natural. You must not, however, allow these feelings of personal shortcomings to undermine your efforts to practice Islam. Remember, Islam is a state of becoming not a state of being! Each day you must strive to improve and better yourself- and you will improve.
 
Principle of Gradualism:
 
Tazkiya or this program for self-improvement that you now find yourself in, is a process that unfolds itself step by step. You cannot expect to change yourself all at once.The Prophet (peace be upon him) was always aware of this when he was dealing with his companions. This gradual process of change is also clearly reflected in the manner in which the Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years. In all your efforts towards becoming a better believer, you must bear in mind this principle of gradualism, otherwise you may try to attain the impossible, and when you do not achieve it, you may become frustrated.
 
Once you have committed yourself to Allah, all that you have must be spent in His way. This is the ideal. Ideals, however, are always difficult to achieve- and this you must understand and accept. Ideals are always to be pursued; if they are easily and always achievable, they can hardly remain as ideals. It is the seeking and striving to spend all our efforts in the way of Allah that his known as Jihad and alternatively, in this instance, as Tazkiya.
 
To be continued in the next issue....
 
[Taken from "In the Early Hours" by Ustadh Khurram Murad (Rahimahullah), edited by Riza Mohammed]
 
[A book review of "In the Early Hours" is available at: http://www.youngmuslims.ca/bookreview/default.asp]
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