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Issue 111 » March 30, 2001 -

General

QURAN

Translation:

"O you who believe! Take not for protecting friends and guardians (Awliya) (even) your fathers and your brothers, if they love infidelity above faith: If any of you do so,they are the oppressors. (O Prophet) Say to them: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, or your near and dear ones; the wealth which you have gained; the trade in which you fear decline; or the homes in which you delight-if all these things- are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and the struggle (Jihad) in His Way, then wait till Allah passes His judgment on you; for Allah does not guide the wicked people."

[Al-Quran- Sura Al-Tawba 9:23-24]

Tafseer:

OUR PRIORITIES: PUTTING ALLAH FIRST

  • In these verses Muslims are shown their priorities in terms of their obedience and love towards others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said, "There is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator (Allah)." In these verses Allah is advising and commanding us to not to heed the advice or opinions of even our beloved family members, if they do not love Allah and are simply 'consumers' of this world.
  • Allah recognizes in these verses that a person's heart clings to: (1) his/her own relatives and family members, (2) wealth and prosperity, (3) commerce or means of profit, or (4) noble buildings/structures, for dignity and comfort.
  • If these are a hindrance in Allah's cause and make us insensitive to the physical and spiritual sufferings of humanity, we have to choose which we love the most. It is not possible to claim that we love Allah and Islam, and our actions remain sinful, or we remain unconcerned about the numerous socially and morally sick people in our society, or we forget about those young and old Muslims who die every day in all parts of the world, defending the banner of Islam. Therefore, if we really love Allah, we should learn how to give sacrifices of all else, to prove our love to Him.
END OF THOSE WHO ARE 'ADDICTED' TO THEIR OWN WORLDLY PASSIONS
  • Let's also ponder upon the implication of 'addicting' to the worldly pleasures in our lives. Haven't we seen enough of chaos, violence, greed, sexually transmitted diseases, broken families, depression, suicides...etc., prevalent in our society, to wake us up? How much longer are we going to wait, before these anti-social, immoral, and degrading diseases afflict our own homes? Everyday we witness the end of those who run after the treasures of this world and are  in a desperate pursuit of fulfilling their desires to overcome their depression.
SUCCESS, STRENGTH, AND SACRIFICES OF THE SAHABA
  • One of the secrets of success and strength of the generation of Companions was that they knew how to love Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) over everything else in their lives. They drew their ideas, manners, priorities of responsibility and obedience, solely from the pure spring of guidance, the Quran- for which they gave innumerable sacrifices. But today, unfortunately,  we take this guidance for granted.
  • It is important to remember: If we love our worldly ties, comforts, profits, and our relatives who do not value the gift of Islam, more than we love Allah and therefore fail to respond to Allah's cause, it is not Allah's cause which will suffer. Allah's purpose will be accomplished, with or without us. But our failure to respond to His will and Jihad, must leave us bereft of Allah's guidance: "....for Allah guides not the rebellious." (9:24)
  • During the time of the Prophet (pbuh) most of his companions gave up every thing they had, strove and fought in Allah's cause, sometimes against their own family members. And they won through. But those who were not prepared for such sacrifices and whose hearts became blind to His guidance, their failure did not stop the accomplishment of Allah's plan and purpose.
[Compiled from "The Holy Quran" by Abdullah Yusuf Ali and other sources]
 
HADITH- To Soften our Hearts [Ar-Riqaaq]
"Two Blessings that many loose...."
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Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There are TWO BLESSINGS which many people lose: (They are) HEALTH and FREE TIME for doing good."
 
[Collected by Al-Bukhari, vol. 8, #421]
 
[Explanation: There are many people who do not use their leisure time and health for performing some constructive work for Islam and for their own good. How many times we see our friends "listening to music to kill their time."? Imam Ash-Shafiee (Rahimahullah) once said, "Time is like a sword; if you don't cut it (i.e. utilize it wisely), it will cut you." Another scholar of the past said, "One of the many signs that a person is disliked (by Allah) is the wasting of (one's) time."]
 
[Compiled from "Time in the Life of a Muslim" by Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi]
 
Signs Before the Hour- What have we prepared for it?
 
Scholars have identified the Signs of the Day of Judgment in THREE  categories:
 
1. The Signs that have already occurred - For example, Birth of the Prophet; the death of Uthman; the fall of Constantinople; the fall of Rome to the Muslims; fire in Medina resulted by Volcano eruption.
2. The Signs that have occurred and continue to intensify - intoxicants widely used; nakedness in the marketplaces with thighs fully exposed, so severe that people will fornicate in public places and the best of people will tell them to fornicate somewhere else; speed in travel of great distances, would traverse in a very short period of time; hop between clouds and earth; some people will dance with instruments in their heads and some would spend the whole night in that state; singing women will be prevalent in public places.
3. Signs that haven't occurred - Dajjal mentioned in the Quran implicitly; purple smoke in the sky.
 
[Written and Contributed by Br. Muttakin Reza, T.L. Kennedy High School, Mississauga]
 
Etiquettes & Importance of Celebrations in Islam
Greeting the Birth of a Child
 
Hussain bin Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) once told someone that the birth of a child should be greeted in the following words:
 
"May Allah bless you with prosperity in this gift and grace you with the ability to thank Him (Allah). May Allah enable your child to grow and enjoy youth, and may he be obedient to you."
 
[Taken from "Discipline For Muslim Youth", Vol. II, by S. M. Madni Abbasi, p. 70]
Friday Nasiha