Today's Reminder
March 18, 2024 | Ramadan 8, 1445
Living The Quran
Divine Guidance
Al-Hadid (The Iron) - Chapter 57: Verse 16
"Is it not time that the hearts of those who believe should be humbled to the Remembrance of God and the Truth which He has sent down, and that they should not be as those to whom the Book was given aforetime, and the term seemed over long to them, so that their hearts have become hard, and many of them are ungodly?"
Many of the problems of western man, especially those of the environment, were from his having left the divine wisdom of revealed religion, which taught him his true place as a creature of God in the natural world and to understand and respect it. Without it, he burned up and consumed nature with ever more effective technological styles of commercial exploitation that ruined his world from without while leaving him increasingly empty within, because he did not know why he existed or to what end he should act.
Everything on the face of the earth, all moral and religious systems, were on the same plane, unless one could gain certainty that one of them was from a higher source, the sole guarantee of the objectivity, the whole force, of moral law. Otherwise, one man’s opinion was as good as another’s, and we remained in an undifferentiated sea of conflicting individual interests, in which no valid objection could be raised to the strong eating the weak.
Even in translation, the superiority of the Muslim scripture is evident in every line, as if the reality of divine revelation, dimly heard of all my life, had now been placed before my eyes. In its exalted style, its power, its inexorable finality, its uncanny way of anticipating the arguments of the atheistic heart in advance and answering them; it is a clear exposition of God as God and man as man, the revelation of the awe-inspiring Divine Unity being the identical revelation of social and economic justice among men.
Compiled From:
"Stories of New Muslims," Nuh Ha Mim Keller's account , pp. 94-98
From Issue: 898 [Read original issue]
Understanding The Prophet's Life
Preventing Ruin
Justice is often obstructed by intercession on behalf of those who do wrong. When the wrongdoer is a person of high position in society, there will always be those who can speak strongly on the offender's behalf. Under a dictatorship, it is often easy to thwart justice when the guilty belongs to the dictator's family or circle or party. Even in free societies, attempts are made to help those who wield influence to escape punishment for their offences. The Prophet (peace be upon him) made it clear that Islamic society allows nothing of this. For example, during the Prophet's lifetime, a woman from the Makhzum clan of the Quraysh was found guilty of theft. Aishah reports that:
Many people of the Quraysh tribe were troubled by the fact that such a noble woman was to be punished. They wanted someone to speak to the Prophet requesting a pardon for her. It was suggested that the best person to do so was the one who was dearest to him, Usamah ibn Zayd. Usamah obliged and spoke to the Prophet. The Prophet was upset. He said to Usamah: "Are you interceding to suspend a mandatory punishment decreed by God?" He then spoke to the people: "People, know that communities before you came to ruin only because when a nobleman among them was guilty of theft, they left him alone, but when a person of no influence stole, they applied the mandatory punishment. I swear by God Almighty, if Fatimah, my daughter, is guilty of theft, I will have her hand cut." (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
This hadith is very emphatic in requiring the Muslim community to ensure equality of all people before the law. None can be exempt from it on grounds of nobility, honour, social status or governmental position. Should a community allow such discrimination, it would come to ruin.
Compiled From:
"Muhammad: His Character and Conduct" - Adil Salahi
From Issue: 1006 [Read original issue]
Blindspot!
Mental Preparation before the Prayer
- The planning of your daily activities should revolve around the five daily
Salah. Do not plan everything else and then try to fit Prayer into your
busy schedule. Allah deserves a greater place in our lives than that!
- Ensure that you are conversant with all the rules and regulations
governing your Prayer. Research in depth the Quranic verses and
ahadith relating to the virtues of Salah. Uncertainty in how to perform
one's prayer perfectly is a major cause of distraction.
- Be punctual with your Prayer. Get into the habit of praying at the
earliest hour. Do not procrastinate. The Prophet said, "The deed most
loved by Allah is Prayer performed on time." (Muslim) and "only the
hypocrites intentionally delay their prayers"!
- Pray as much of your obligatory Salah in congregation as is possible. This is not 'just a good thing' but an obligation on every Muslim male. According to the Prophet, if we knew the good in praying in jama'ah we
would not miss it even if we had to crawl to the masjid!
- Avoid praying in a state in which you are mentally and physically
fatigued.
- Keep your mind free of worldly worries, evil thoughts, and ideas.
- Plan what verses/duas you are going to recite.
- If you do not understand Arabic learn the meaning of what you recite in your Prayer.
- Remind yourself that engaging in Prayer offers you an opportunity to
release yourself from the tensions of this world. The Prophet has said
that in Prayer was placed the comfort of his eyes. Therefore cherish the
opportunity to remove the burdens of this world from your shoulders.
- Use your Prayer to remain focused on your mission in life, which is to bring your entire being to serve only Allah.
- Use your Prayer as a source of strength, inspiration and enthusiasm for your life and activities.
Source:
"Salah - The State of Mind" - Young Muslims Publications. Please help distribute
From Issue: 466 [Read original issue]