Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Turning
Al-Tahrim (The Prohibition) - Chapter 66: Verse 8 (partial)

"O believers, turn (tubu) unto God in sincere repentance (tawbatan nasuhan). It may be that you Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and let you enter gardens with rivers flowing underneath ..."

God's limitless goodness and grace extend even to those faithless who have fallen into the temptation to commit the most heinous sin against God, the sin of idolatry, provided that they repent of their evil ways and return to the faith.

So all believers are strongly enjoined to turn to God in sincere repentance. It may be that God will forgive them their previous sins, committed consciously or unconsciously. A truly repentant heart merits even the reward of Paradise.

Throughout the Quran it is constantly emphasized that 'God turns (yatubu, from the same root as tawbah) towards who He will. It is interesting to observe that the same word tawbah, means 'repentance' on the part of man, and 'forgiveness' on the part of God. Man 'turns' towards God in repentance, and God 'turns' towards man with His grace. There is clearly a correlative relationship of 'turning' between God and man, and this is reflected in the semantic behaviour of the word tawbah.

The emphatic form from the same root, tawwab is also used very often. When applied to a man, it means 'one who repents very often'; when applied to God, it naturally means 'He Who is wont to turn to sinners in forgiveness, Who reverts very often from wrath to grace.'

Compiled From:
"Ethico Religious Concepts in the Quran" - Toshihiko Izutsu, pp. 110, 111

From Issue: 797 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Service to Other

Ibn Abbas reports that, while he was once in retreat (itikaf) to the mosque in the Masjid al-Nabi (The Messenger’s mosque) a certain man came to him, greeted him and sat down. Ibn Abbas said to him, “I see that you seem sad and troubled.” The man replied, “Yes. O son of the uncle of the Messenger, I am indeed troubled in that I have an obligation to fulfill towards someone. I swear by the holiness of the inmate of the grave of this honoured resting place that I am not able to fulfill this obligation.” Ibn Abbas inquired, “Shall I intercede with that person on your behalf?” The man replied, “By all means, if you so wish.” Ibn Abbas put on his shoes and proceeded out from the mosque. The man, seeing this, said, “Have you forgotten that you are in retreat to the mosque?” Tears filling his eyes, Ibn Abbas replied, “No, but the occasion is still fresh in my mind when I heard the esteemed inmate of this tomb say, ‘Whoever sets forth in the way of settling a necessary affair on behalf of his brother, that service shall be better for him than to perform retreat to the mosque for ten years; and whosoever performs retreat to the mosque for a day, God will spread three trenches between him and hellfire, the width of each trench being greater than the distance between heaven and earth.” [Baihaqi]

In the above tradition we are told that performing a service for one’s brother brings a reward greater than ten years of retreat to a mosque. For this reason Ibn Abbas broke off his retreat to the mosque. It was of course possible for him to continue it afterwards. The Sufis say that God has such sympathy for very few things as He has for a broken heart. It is for this reason that we have been so much warned of the appeals to God of that person whose heart has been hurt through any unjust treatment or persecution. Whenever the Messenger appointed anyone as a governor, in addition to advising him, he would also warn him to beware of the invocation (to God) of the persecuted.

Compiled From:
Ramadan: Motivating Believers To Action, "Retreat to a Mosque" - Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi

From Issue: 900 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Richness of Heart

The real wealth of this world and the Hereafter lies in the richness of heart. This is the fountainhead of all good. On the contrary, love of this world is the root of all evil. Value this wealth — the richness of heart. Protect it, strive to increase it, and attempt to fill in its gaps.

Piety lies not in altogether shunning this material world, but in eschewing its love. Do enjoy the legitimate bounties of Allah in full, but do not be a slave of any of them. Never develop an attachment with them of a kind that cannot be broken. Eat well, dress well, live well. You may earn and keep wealth too, but never have your heart in such things. Their availability or absence should be of no consequence to you. Strive to achieve a state of mind in which you accept not just Allah's bounty but also when He tests you by subjecting you to meagreness of worldly resources. Whether it be a sumptuous meal or a piece of coarse bread, or even the prospect of starvation, each state should be considered as Allah's gift for you. Be happy and at peace in each state. When the heart is free of the cares of this world, why would you disobey Allah on Whom you are dependent for all your worldly needs? And then, why should you be sad on losing the riches of the world? Never incur Allah's Wrath for the sake of this world; never make yourself sick and weary on account of this world.

Compiled From:
"Dying and Living for Allah: The Last Will of Khurram Murad" - Khurram Murad

From Issue: 1045 [Read original issue]