Risala – To a Young Man on the Edge

Ya Walad – with these words our great scholars and Awliya have started their letters of counsel and guidance on the path of our sublime Deen. They were in every case words on the future life of the youth so that he should achieve maturity, and strengthen the Muslim community not only by good actions in their service but by obeying the command to set up a family, treating both the wife and later the children of the next generation with that wisdom and compassion that would guarantee that the Deen of Islam would flourish as promised by the Merciful Lord, and spread in increase and nobility.

Ya Walad – today this does not happen. Today the Muslim youth is living in such a chaos, in such a disaster zone that he not only is frankly ignorant of the Deen but also ignorant about life. In the Qur’an, which, I can assure you, you have never been taught, Allah, glory be to Him, addresses the kuffar – and warns them: and the muminun – and guides them: and mankind itself, the human race – both guiding and warning them.

You will not know that to the palaeontologists who study the evidence of mankind’s presence on the planet, it is marked by the indication that the human species had human burial sites. In other words the human species begins with the knowledge that human life is sacred. Burial honours the dead. Man is buried with honour because he is in life the container or the vessel of a Divine Contract.

In Surat al-A’raf (7:172) we find:

When your Lord took out all their descendants
from the loins of the children of Adam
and made them testify against themselves
‘Am I not your Lord?’
they said, ‘We testify that indeed You are!’
Lest you say on the Day of Rising,
‘We knew nothing of this.’

It is this Contract which elevates mankind above all the creation. With it comes the gift of self-awareness, of the faculty of recognition, that is seeing the object and also evaluating it. This entails the capacity to reflect, that is both the ability to see the object or the event and attach a meaning to it. Access to the mithal is itself the means to recognising Allah’s Names and Attributes. This, oh youth! is who you are.

Allah explains in Surat al-Baqara (2:29-33):

It is He who created everything on the earth for you
and then directed His attention up to heaven
and arranged it into seven regular heavens.
He has knowledge of all things.

When your Lord said to the angels,
‘I am putting a khalif on the earth,’
they said, ‘Why put on it one who will cause corruption on it
and shed blood
when we glorify You with praise
and proclaim Your purity?’
He said, ‘I know what you do not know.’

He taught Adam the names of all things.
Then He arrayed them before the angels and said,
‘Tell me the names of these if you are telling the truth.’

They said, ‘Glory be to You! We have no knowledge
except what You have taught us.
You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.’

He said, ‘Adam, tell them their names.’
When he had told them their names,
He said, ‘Did I not tell you that I know
the Unseen of the heavens and the earth,
and I know what you make known
and what you hide?’

Here Allah the Glorious tells you openly:

It is He who created everything on the earth for you.

And in the last ayat He warns:

and I know what you make known
and what you hide

Ibn Taymiyya has told us that if we want to understand the human situation today which may seem incomprehensible, because so complex, we must go back to its beginning where the primal model of mankind will be clear to us, that is, with the first family of mankind, that of Sayyiduna Adam, ‘alayhi salam.

In Surat al-Ma’ida we are told (5:27-31):

Recite to them the true report of Adam’s two sons
when they offered a sacrifice
and it was accepted from one of them
but not accepted from the other.
The one said, ‘I shall kill you.’
The other said, ‘Allah only accepts from people who have taqwa.
Even if you do raise your hand against me to kill me,
I am not going to raise my hand against you to kill you.
Truly I fear Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.
I want you to take on both my wrongdoing and your wrongdoing
and so become one of the Companions of the Fire.
That is the repayment of the wrongdoers.’

So his lower self persuaded him to kill his brother,
and he killed him and became one of the lost.

Then Allah sent a crow which scratched at the earth
to show him how to conceal his brother’s corpse.
He said, ‘Woe is me! Can I not even be like this crow
and conceal my brother’s corpse?’
And he became one of those who suffer bitter remorse
on account of that.

Here we see the confirmation of the previous ayats which informed us that Allah knows both the seen and the hidden. What is of importance to us in this is that the matter not just of killing but of human life itself is a matter of the profoundest and gravest implication.

Now we can categorically deduce from this that taking the life or lives of another or others having this importance – the taking of one’s own life is of the same spiritual significance.

In the ayat which follows, Allah the Almighty grants authority for the killing “in retaliation or for causing corruption on the earth.”

unless it is in retaliation for someone else
or for causing corruption in the earth

However, you cannot kill you!

Let us look coldly at the event itself and its intention before we examine the ugly and sordid background that has made the earth a suicide zone of young men and women who have been ordered into dementia.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, declared in a renowned Hadith: “The ‘Amal is by the Niyyat.” This means the action is not a thing in itself. It springs from the inward – from the self. Whatever the situation, whatever the role of others, whatever urgency may be found in the event – at the moment of making a human action – this must be understood – that same human action cannot take place as event in-itself. It begins as conscious intention. The action is triggered by the order that the Niyyat be fulfilled. That is: the action is the firing of the lethal bullet. The trigger awaits its order to fire. The subject, his finger pulls the trigger. The finger obeys the order of the subject. In law, and therefore, in reason, the subject is responsible. If the action is haram, then the subject is criminal and answerable.

I say, oh youth, that before we can examine who and what has led to the momentous moment of the suicide action – it must be clearly understood that you are responsible. And as we shall see, guilty of a terrible crime whose end is not your demise or the havoc and murder around you, but in the Next World where a terrifying punishment awaits this absolute and unconditional failure of yourself to recognise who you were, and what Allah had created you for – nothing less!

In Surat an-Nisa (4:29) Allah the Powerful declares:

You who have iman! do not consume one another’s property
by false means,
but only by means of mutually agreed trade.
And do not kill yourselves.
Allah is Most Merciful to you.

Ya Walad! You dare not act in this matter without being fully aware that this is an affair in which there has been no doubt whatsoever through the long centuries of historical Islam. Let us first look at this uncompromising ayat and how our renowned mufassirin have put this ayat to the point of test and examination.

Firstly: Imam Al-Qurtubi. He says:

“The people of interpretation have agreed that it means ‘do not kill one another’.
It allows for the meaning of a man who kills himself through his anxiety over Dunya and the search for wealth, so that his obsession with this illusion leads to ruin.
It also includes the meaning of ‘do not kill yourself’ in a state of distress or anger.
And all of these are forbidden.”

Secondly: Abu Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabi in his renowned Ahkam-ul-Qur’an.

“There are three different judgments on this.
One: Do not kill the people of your Millah (community).
Two: Do not kill one another.
Three: Do not kill yourselves by doing what has been forbidden to you.
These are all correct, though some have more validity with regards to the Deen and a more complete meaning.
And the one I consider most correct is the third, and the previous two are included within it.”

Thirdly: Ruh al-Ma’ani.

“One: It means ‘do not kill one another’.
Two: Another judgment is that it means: ‘Do not send yourselves to destruction by committing wrong actions like consuming one another’s property by false means, or by any other acts of disobedience which deserve punishment.’
Three: Another judgment is that it means a prohibition of killing oneself in a state of anger or difficulty.
Four: It is also said that it means ‘Do not put yourself at risk in battle by taking on an enemy you cannot overcome.’
Five: And it is said the meaning is: ‘Do not trade in enemy lands so that you find yourself alone! And from this Imam Malik takes a proof that it is makruh to trade in enemy lands.”

Fourthly: Ibn Juzayy (and the Sultan al-‘Ulama of our time, Shaykh Shadhili an-Nayfar, said of him: “Among the mufassirin he has the last word!”):

“Ibn ‘Atiyya says, ‘The mufassirin agree that the meaning is ‘do not kill one another’.’
And I say that the expression encompasses the meaning ‘killing one’s self’, that is suicide. For this was how ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas understood it, and the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not disapprove of this when he heard it.”

Fifthly: Ibn ‘Atiyya.

“The mufassirin have agreed that intended in this ayat is the prohibition on people killing each other.
And it contains the meaning of a man who kills himself, having made the intention to do so.
And the prohibition contains all these elements.”

Ibn Juzayy’s conclusion has to be seen in the confirming Hadith in Imam Muslim’s Collection on the authority of Abu Hurayra, who told that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“He who killed himself with a weapon will exist forever in the Fire of Jahannam. He will have that weapon and be thrusting it into his stomach forever. He who drank poison and killed himself will be taking it in the Fire of Jahannam where he is doomed to remain forever. He who killed himself by flinging himself from the top of a mountain will be perpetually plunging downwards in the Fire of Jahannam, forever.”

Thabit bin Dahaq reported the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as saying:

“He who killed himself with a thing will be tormented on the Day of Rising with that very thing.”

Now according to the primal Madh-hab of the ‘Amal Ahl-al-Madinah, suicide was utterly unknown as a method of warfare and could only be imagined as the last recourse of a man in terminal agony who could no longer bear the pain. Further, among us all, there is a legal term called the ‘Ijma of the Community. This expression is to define the blessed situation of the Muslim ‘Ummah as defined in the statement of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “My people cannot go entirely wrong.” In other words the Muslim Jama’at in every time and at every place is protected by the Book, the Sunna, and the ‘Amal of the People of Madinah, the Place of the Deen.

So it has been through centuries that the curse of suicide, induced by other men who do NOT die, has only manifested once. When it did it manifested amongst a body of men who adhered not to Islam but to the post-Islamic religion of the Shi‘a, and that in a most extreme form. We mean by this the Isma‘ili deviants in the Lebanon whose activities ended in the aim of assassinating the great Muslim ruler, Salahuddin. We will examine these evil people, later.

Before that we must force your attention on a matter which young men before you with this sick ambition of self-inflicted death seem never to have considered.

As a result of the impact of these suicide-bombers and their macabre publicity, some ignorant and unbalanced youths have copied the suicide-bombers and car-drivers in, as it were, a spontaneous copy-cat act of self-immolation, saying, “How spectacular. Our lives are worthless. Let us copy these men. Let us go out with a bang. Let us make the late TV news and the morning paper!” These small groups of what we may call ‘improvisers’ are few, indeed a bi-product of the main body of suicide-bombers, who are part of an organised social activity.

In general, the matter proceeds as follows:

1. A political leadership which is local, hidden and anonymous directs the affair. They constitute a Secret Society. No one elected them. Nor did they stand out and declare themselves publicly as Renewers of the Deen. They are leaders without legitimacy. There was no Bay’at. No acclamation. There is no territory that can be declared a State under their aegis. They are not prayed for from the mimbar, and no Islamic Dinar and Dirham are struck in their name. Zakat is not collected by Collectors in their name, nor is Zakat paid by them to an Amir. They are, in Islamic terms, outlaws. Also, their continued vagabond existence grants kuffar armies the right to massacre Muslim families, bomb Muslim villages and cities, as well as persecute, torture and humiliate innocent Muslims on a world scale.

2. These robber barons of the political class have licensed their military ‘wing’ to prepare and groom the young men, and now even women, to kill themselves, so that in their programme a fantasised day will come that the ‘enemy’ will submit to their Terror. Here is where we reach the heart of darkness.

3. Worse than the leadership – below them come the executioners. The true Assassins. The suicide-bomber is not an assassin. He wreaks havoc. In that havoc are innocent men, women and children, often with Muslims among them. But the one with the Semtex strapped to his belly is not the assassin. He is the victim. Just as the sexual pederast grooms his victim to submit to seduction, this political pederast grooms his victim to submit to death. Is it his son he sends to death? Is it his neighbour’s? Or does he send them off to die but his son is safe? Do the parents know him?

The high Islamic ethos of the Sahaba and ever-after of Muslim fighting men and of great Sufis has been what we call preference – Tafteel. It was demonstrated at Badr and the first ghazwats. A Companion dying of thirst and wounds refuses the water-casket. He passes it on to his suffering brother. He in turn refuses it for the man dying next to him. And so the water-casket is passed down the line. It is preference. Let me die so that he can live. These men who strap on the dynamite, tying it around these pure, deceived youths’ bellies – they represent the cynical abolition of the Muslim ethos. No. They will not die – let the next generation die. Let the evil old ones live. They do not believe in the battle. They do not fight. They do not believe in the future. They have sent it to its death. They do not believe in Allah. They do not trust in His Mercy.

Allah the Exalted says in Surat al-Ma’ida (5:11):

You who have iman! remember Allah’s blessing to you
when certain people were on the verge
of raising their hands against you
and He held their hands back from you.
Have taqwa of Allah.
The muminun should put their trust in Allah.

In Ruh al-Ma’ani this ayat is examined:

“…it is an indication of what more than one collected from Jabir. He related that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stopped at a place to rest, and the people split up looking for shade under the trees. He hung his weapon on a tree, then a bedouin came and took his sword. He unsheathed it. He then faced the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked, ‘Who will protect you from me?’

The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered: ‘Allah!’ The bedouin repeated it two or three times, and each time he replied ‘Allah!’ So the bedouin finally put the sword away. The Messenger then called his Companions and told them about what the bedouin had done. The bedouin was sitting next to him but he did not punish him.”

The ethos of suicide-bombing – its leaders, its military wing, its helpless victim youths – it is all an antithesis of Islam, an anti-Islam. Full of hate. Full of fear. Full of menace and threats. Devoid of hope. Devoid of Tawakkul. Devoid of Iman. Devoid of ‘Ibada. Devoid of men. No Jama’at. No Amir. Nothing! Nihilism – the bastard child of capitalism.

* * * * *

Footnote: The Isma‘ili terrorists were led by a hidden leader who hung out in the mountains from where his adepts initiated youths to participate in assassination projects with promises of the Garden and its Houris. When they were killed they were buried in special ‘Martyr Cemeteries’ – drawings of their faces were posted on their headstones and the next batch of terrorists were, as part of their indoctrination, sent to meditate on their coming immolation, by sitting among the graves. Their leader was called ‘The Old Man of the Mountains’. Their enemies were the christians and the Muslim leadership. Once people seemed to have taken Terror to its limits the Sect then declared that the time had come for the new dispensation. They abolished Islamic Shari‘at, permitted everything haram to be halal with the New Tolerance, and made all religions equal and identical. In other words the Isma‘ili creed sees Terrorism not as a prelude to an Islamic State, but rather as a releasing element to bring on the post-religious, thus to them, post-Islamic future. An end world – where nothing matters any more.

We seek the protection of Allah, the Mighty, the Great.

Allah the Exalted declares in Surat al-Ma‘un (107:1-3):

In the name of Allah, All-Merciful, Most Merciful

Have you seen him who denies the Deen?
He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan
and does not urge the feeding of the poor.

* * * * *

Source: Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi

See also:

• On Terrorism, Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi

Asking Questions

As for the Messenger of Allah (SAAS), he used to do wudu’ (ablution) while the Companions would see him. They would then copy him without being explained by him that this is a rukn and that is an adab. And when he (SAAS) used to pray they would see him and pray as they had seen him praying. (Similarly) when he performed hajj, people saw him and did as they saw him doing.

This was his (SAAS)’s general practice. He did not explain that obligation (furud) of wudu were six or four. Neither did he prescribe that if a man performs wudu without observing muwalat (1)(continuity) judgement would be made on the validity or invalidity of his wudu. On some occasions, however, he used to explain such things.

The companions rarely asked him about such things. It is reported on the authority of ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas (RA d.68/687), as saying: “I have never seen a people better than the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAAS). They did not ask him (about anything) until he passed away except for thirteen questions, all of which are (mentioned) in the Qur’an. These include, “They ask you about the fighting in the sacred month, say fighting in it is a serious (offence)” (2), and “They ask you about menstruation” (3). He added: “They used to ask questions only about those things which were beneficial for them.”

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar (RA d.73/692) said : “Don’t ask about that which did not happen, because I heard ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA d.23/643) cursing the one who asks questions about that which did not happen”. Al-Qasim (b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr al-Siddique) said: “Indeed you ask about (such) things, which we didn’t use to ask. You delve into things, which we didn’t use to delve in and you ask about things I don’t know what they are. Had we known them it wouldn’t have been permissible for us to hide them”.

It is reported on the authority of ‘Umar b. Ishaq as saying: “Certainly the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAAS) I met were more than those I missed. (But) I never came across a people who were more lenient in their attitude and less strict than them”.

It is reported on the authority of ‘Ubada b. Busr al-Kindi, who was asked about a woman who died with a people and did not have a legal guardian (wali). (In response) he said: “I have met people who were not as much strict as you are, and who did not use to ask questions like yours”. These traditions are related by al-Darimi (d.255/868).

 

 

[Shah Wali Allah Al-Dihlawi, Difference of Opinion in Fiqh, Ta-Ha Publishers, 2003, p22-23]

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(1) Muwalat: to perform all actions of ablution continuously and in their exact order and sequence.

(2) Al Baqara: 217

(3) Al Baqara: 232

Allah Knows Best – The Value of Being Impartial

Impartiality is a value, and it is a noble one. It exists in a spirit of objectivity and a love of knowledge, which despises prejudice towards any position or party.

Our pious predecessors expressed their impartiality with the simple phrase: “I don’t know.” They used to say: “Half of knowledge is to recognize that you do not know something.” They also said: “Whoever refuses to admit that he does not know, that person will soon be disgraced.”

Another way of expressing one’s neutrality and impartiality on an issue is to say: “Allah knows best.” This is more eloquent, since it comes with the added meaning of affirming Allah’s knowledge of all things.

Scholars of Islamic legal theory refer to this neutrality as suspension of judgment (tawaqquf). This is a specific scholarly position towards a matter of Islamic faith or Islamic Law, where the scholar determines the evidence to be equally weighted towards two variant rulings.

It is also an expression of extra caution in matters where a person fears speaking about a matter outside the scope of his or her knowledge. It is not a legal pronouncement, but rather a deferment of the matter to others. It is a sign of integrity and personal strength.

The Caliph `Umar b. al-Khattâb once, while delivering a sermon on the pulpit, read the verse 31 form Sûrah `Abasa: “And fruits and fodder.”

The word translated here as “fodder” and also sometimes as “herbage” or “grasses” is the Arabic word abb. `Umar admitted on the pulpit that he did not know what this word means.

The very same admission has also been related from Abû Bakr.

We would be hard-pressed to find in our history any Islamic scholar who never admitted he did not know certain things or who never declined to answer certain questions that were asked of him.

This holds equally true for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Someone once asked him: “Which land is most beloved to Allah, and which land is most despised by Him?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “I do not know until I ask the angel Gabriel.”

Thereafter, Gabriel informed him that the most beloved places are the mosques and the most disliked are the marketplaces. [Musnad Ahmad, Musnad Abî Ya`la, and Mustadrak al-Hâkim]

In stark contrast to the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Companions, and the eminent Islamic scholars throughout the ages, we find many laymen who are quite willing to speak with authority on every matter, great and small, regardless of how well informed they are. Sometimes, they take sides just to dispute. So if one person says “true” the other says “false”. If one says “lawful” the other says “forbidden”. Many people speak hastily before giving the matter sufficient study. Had they only done their research, they would easily have seen how wrong they are. Alas, some people are just not prepared, mentally or emotionally, to deal with difficult issues and to research them with the required degree of thoroughness and rigor.

The media has emboldened the general public even further. Many people now regard it as a weakness when a scholar remains silent on an issue or admits he does not know the answer. They feel ashamed themselves not to have an opinion about everything, even if it is a singularly difficult question of Islamic Law or a tenet of religious belief. Every topic has become the same – politics, economics, ancient and modern history – and it makes no difference how much specialization is required to do justice to the matter.

What makes matters worse is when people become polarized about these opinions. They identify themselves and others on the basis of the views that they hold. Then they rally to defend their views using whatever means and resources are at their disposal, often belittling and berating their opponents in the process. It is sad how people invest so much energy into these conflicts, where none of the opposing parties has any real appreciation of the issues or the alternatives. So often, such people become fully distracted by these arguments from the essential truths of their faith and from the worship of their Lord. Instead, their hearts become full of resentment and rancor towards others.

Once before I made an observation, comparing extremists in the West and among ourselves. I said that some extreme factions in the West have started to declare: “You are either with us or against us.” At the same time, some extremists among the Muslims say: “You are either with us or against God!”

This is why a scholar of jurisprudence once observed: “I find that the general public is more zealous about issues of Islamic Law than the scholars are.”

The reason for this is that a scholar who gives legal verdicts knows the issues and all the opinions and proofs that surround them. He knows the evidence for each opinion, and he knows who held it among the Companions, the Successors, and the leading jurists. On this basis, he gives preference to one opinion while being fully aware that other legitimate opinions exist that are also supported by evidence. Because of this, he does not state his opinion forcefully, nor does he become overzealous about it, nor does he overreact. On the other hand, we have a novice student or an average Muslim who receives this verdict from the scholar without having the proofs of the other opinions mentioned to him and without the issue being placed in a proper and objective framework. His heart becomes filled with the verdict and he sees it as if it is the religion itself. He becomes zealous about the legal opinion that he receives from the scholar and combative with anyone who disagrees with it, even if the one who disagrees with him is capable of juristic reasoning and might possibly be the one holding the correct opinion.

Al-Shâfi`î, universally recognized as one of the greatest scholars of the Sunnah, used to say: “I believe my opinion to be correct, while entertaining the possibility that it may be wrong. I hold my opponent’s opinion to be wrong, though I entertain the possibility that it may be correct.”

We need to get used to showing respect to ourselves and to others. We need to respect the very values that we believe in and not use them as a means to elevate our disagreements to the level of being some sort of conflict between truth and falsehood or between faith and unbelief.

Source: Islamtoday

See also:

• An ‘Alim’s Saying “I Do Not Know” Raises His Rank

• The Madinan View: on the Sunnah, courtesy, battles and history

Shaykh Muammad al-Ta’wil: The Special Characteristics of the Maliki Madhhab

“…This madhhab is the one that [our] fathers and grandfathers chose out of faith, conviction, authority, and proof, and casted off all other madhhabs that preceded it which some nations attempted to impose on them forcefully. In spite of that [coercion, it] only increased their faith, tenacity, and attention to judge from it in their devotional acts and interpersonal dealings; in their mosques, courts, market places, homes, and the rest of their private and public life. They sought out no substitute for it from the time they first came to know it. They used it to settle their disputes, unify their voices, secure their nation, and protect themselves from dispersion…”

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Source: Lamppost Productions

سُوۡرَةُ حٰمٓ السجدة / فُصّلَت

وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ .34

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ .35

Fussilat

The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. (34) But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient – and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and of a high moral character) in this world. (35)

The Danger of Self-Justification

All of us – to a greater or lesser extent – have a tendency to justify and rationalize our mistakes. It is part of our mindset that makes us try to flee from criticism and from having to make amends. At the very least, we sometimes try to find an excuse for our errors instead of shouldering the full weight of the blame.

This mindset can surface in all kinds of situations, even in our most private thoughts. It is a mindset bolstered and nourished by emotion, and if it comes to dominate our thinking, we can lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

This is because the power of emotional sentiment and self-interest, when coupled with a self-justifying mindset, is persuasive and dangerous. A person with this frame of mind is always ready to cover up his bad deeds or make them seem less onerous than they really are. The person does this at the expense of reason and logic. He ceases to think clearly. He only sees what serves his selfish interests, what absolves him from blame and responsibility.

In his mind, the fault is always someone else’s. Worse still, it is never just an innocent mistake. That other person is always deliberately and maliciously in the wrong and without any excuse.

When we let our thoughts take us in this dangerous direction, we cease to be self-critical. Instead of acknowledging our mistakes and resolving to avoid them in the future, we become determined to commit the same mistake again and again.

The most serious problem is a person’s ability to justify to himself his deliberate errors and misdeeds. It is possible for a person to convince himself that his worst transgressions and acts of injustice are true and correct. He can reconcile in his mind the most blatant contradictions with far-fetched interpretations that make integrity and deception synonymous terms. He ceases to distinguish his rights from the rights of others, his personal interests from the needs of society.

The self-justifying mind is one of oversimplifications. It is also very dismissive. It plays down the harm that one’s bad and selfish deeds causes for other people, for society, and for the environment. When it cannot deny that harm, it always finds a way to rationalize it. By doing so, it belies the basic values and ethics that the person would otherwise be very well aware of and that are essential for the proper functioning of human society.

Turning a blind eye to one’s mistakes is an easy to avoid guilty feelings and a sense of responsibility. However, this means that those mistakes will never be confronted and remedied. They invariably becoming larger, uglier, and more deeply-entrenched over time. Ignoring mistakes or justifying them does not make those mistakes go away. The only way we can make positive changes within ourselves is to be true to ourselves and in our dealings with others.

[exerpted from the Arabic article "al-`Aql al-Tabrîrî fî al-Fi`l al-Ijtimâ`î"]

Source: Islamtoday

Kullama Nadayt Yahu

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Beware of the Emergence of a Local or Territorial Islam

Shaykh Allaamah Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (RA)

(This speech was delivered at the Islamic Centre of New Jersey on June 4, 1977.)

Friends and Brothers, It is my good fortune to meet you at this great Islamic Centre, This is my first visit to North America. Before it, I used to read and hear about this land and the progress Islam was making in it. I had, also, some knowledge of the religious inclination and solicitude of the Muslims who had taken up residence here. But I did not imagine that I would be meeting so many of my religious brethren in this far-off country or witnessing such a keen interest and enthusiasm for Islam.

On coming here I realized that Islam was trying to obtain a foothold in the United States which enjoyed the position of leadership in the contemporary world owing, largely, to its phenomenal advances in the fields of science and industry. By the grace of God, Islam has made its debut in. this part of the world and is making a steady headway, and, God willing, the day is not far when an Islamic society will be established here.

It is, of course, a good augury for Islam and a matter of joy for the Muslims, but I, also, have some misgivings by reason of what little knowledge I possess of history. The establishment of an Islamic society so far away from the centers of Islamic faith and civilization is open to grave risks and can lead to catastrophic consequences. Dr. Sulaiman Duniya, from whose writings 1, too, have profited, has very aptly remarked that Islam is not exclusive to any country. I wholly agree that Islam is not a territorial faith, yet, it also needs a distinctive environment, a congenial climate, and a predisposition that may transcend personal, cultural and intellectual standards and give forth, as one would say, the aroma of Islam. It requires an Islamic homeland for it is neither a mystical doctrine nor a philosophy nor a collection of soulless beliefs and rituals, but a real, living and all-embracing faith.

Islam, at once, is comprehensive of Idea and Action, Morality and Monetary Dealings, and Emotion and Intellect. In the same way, it, also, is a special kind of natural inclination and a peculiar state of mind. It embraces all the manifold aspects of human personality-spiritual and material, moral and physical, emotional and intellectual, and personal and social. It casts a man into a new mold. Whoever embraces Islam with an open heart believing it to be the chosen faith of the Lord and the Last of the Divine Messages will get cast into the mold of Islam. He will be transformed so radically as if be had been born anew because Islam is a complete and eternal plan of life which comprehends all the aspects of change and revolution and perfection and beauty. Islam is not a wooden dogma or a traditional religion, but a faith that permeates through the inmost recesses of the heart and soul.

If the true image of Islam is present before the mind’s eye, it would be evident that it is not something that can, simply, be transmitted through the written or spoken word or seen in the books, but a typical way of thought and a distinctive state of feeling. Hence it passes judgment about the goodness and badness desirability and undesirability of things. as is related about the holy Prophet that he liked or disliked many things. He, for example, liked to begin every good act with the right hand so much so that be started combing his hair from the right side or when he wore the shoes, he began with the right foot. Similarly, there were many things that gave him pleasure or made him annoyed and uncomfortable. Islam, in fact, is an Apostolic of empyreal way of life that has come down from the heaven of heavens and the Divine Messengers have been its bearers and custodians, and they have left it behind as their legacy.

This is why, God had described Islam as Sibghatullah (color of Allah). Were it only a body of doctrines or a code of conduct it would not have been called Sibghat which denotes a mark’, ‘a colouring’, and a distinguishing feature’. This can be possible only when Islam draws a clear line of demarcation between one man and another, between one life, character and temperament, and another life, character and temperament, and brings out clearly the difference among the standards of things and values of life. The criterion of Islam is quite different from the criterion of Infidelity. Hence, you will find warnings in the compilations of the Traditions and Sunnah of the Prophet against the Age of Ignorance and its practices. For instance, sometimes, it is said about a thing that it is a practice of the Age of Ignorance, and, sometimes, that is very much like the zealotry and arrogance of those days. It is set forth in the Quran;

“(O ye women); Bedizen not yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance.” (XXXIII : 33)

But why ? The Age of Ignorance having ended long ago, for what purpose did the Quran call upon men to shun it? It was because Ignorance was a definite way of life and had its own values and standards for judging the goodness and badness, lawfulness and unlawfulness of things, and it was a way of life which the Lord viewed with disfavor. It is mentioned in the Traditions that God looked at the earth and was displeased with the Arabs and non-Arabs who dwelt on it except for a few People of the Scripture”.

The Almighty disliked Ignorance; He cursed it, and declared it undesirable for the bondmen. Hence, it was said:

“Bedizen not yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance.” And, also: “When the unbelievers got up in their hearts heat and cant : the heat and cant of Ignorance.” (-XLVIII : 26)

Whenever the sacred Prophet noticed a trait of Ignorance in a Muslim, he took exception to it, saying: ‘You are still under the influence of Ignorance’. For instance, when he saw an illustrious Companion like Abu Zarr Ghifari ill-treating his slave and beating him up, the Prophet observed: “The inclination towards Ignorance has not yet gone out of you”. The worthy Companion, on his part, was so deeply affected by the rebuke that he, at once, started treating his slave like an equal, and gave him to eat and wear what he ate and wore himself.

Had Islam not been possessing a distinctive character and temperament, the Lord would not have used the word, color, in respect of it.

“The Color of Allah : and who is better than Allah at coloring.” (II: 138)

Exhorting, further, the bondmen to follow the Apostles, the Lord proclaimed, giving out a long and lustrous list of Divine Messengers:

“And We bestowed upon him Issac and Jacob; each of them We guided; and Noah did We guide aforetime; and of his seed (We guided) David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the good. And Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias. Each one (of them) was of the righteous. And Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot. Each one of them did We prefer above (Our) creatures, with some of their forefathers and their offspring and their brethren; and We chose them and guided them unto a Straight Path. Such is the guidance of Allah wherewith He guideth whom He will of His bondmen. But if they set up (for worship) aught beside Him, all that they did would have been in vain.” (-VI : 85-89)

And again : “Those are they whom Allah guideth, so follow their guidance.” (-VI : 91)

Afterwards, the Lord determined that the command was exclusively with regard to the Prophet Mohammad whose life was a perfect model for mankind and an ideal example. The following words were thus. addressed to the Believers through the holy Prophet :

“Say, (O Mohammad, to mankind); If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.” (-III: 31)

Islam is more sensitive than any other faith. It is enough for a man to call himself a Christian, and, after it, he can adopt whatever social, cultural or intellectual standards he likes. A friend of mine once said to an educated Hindu gentleman. “My brother, if a Muslim is asked who is a Muslim, he unhesitatingly replies that whoever recites and believes in the holy Kalima of Laa ilaaha Iliallaah, Mohammadur rasuluilaah (There is no deity save One God. and Mohammad is His Apostle) is a Muslim. This affirmation sums up the whole of Islam. Now, what will your answer be if the same question was put to you concerning a Hindu ? I do not want a long and exhaustive reply because there are enough books in my library by the help of which one can understand the Brahmin or Vedantic philosophy. I have only a few minutes to spare and I want you to explain Hinduism quickly”. My friend related that the Hindu gentleman paused for a while, and, then, said : “A Hindu can believe or refuse to believe in anything. If a person calls himself a Hindu, he is a Hindu, and, after it, it does not matter what he believes in or rejects. He remains a Hindu”.

But it is not the same with Islam. As I have said, it is a highly sensitive faith and is more quickly affected by things that are inimical to it than any other religion. Its limits are marked out very clearly. It leaves no one in doubt about itself In concrete, well-defined and clear-cut terms it makes it known that this is Islam and this is Infidelity; this is Islam and this is Ignorance; this is lawful and this is forbidden; and this is where Islam ends and Infidelity and Apostasy begin. Such an explicit concept of Apostasy, perhaps, does not exist in any other faith. In Islam, to be an Apostate is a mortal sin, the very thought of which makes the hair stand on end. It is stated in a Tradition that ,the sign of perfection in faith is that the idea of going back to Apostasy, after a man has embraced Islam, is as repugnant to him as being thrown into the fire.”

When such is the disposition of Islam, the responsibility of the Muslims who are settled in Europe or America becomes much greater. Had Islam, like the other faiths, been only a body of beliefs and practices, it would have been different, but if it is a color and a program of life, and stands, also, for a state of feeling and awareness, and is much more sensitive than the other religions as well, and calls for a fundamental change in the values and ideals of things, the matter becomes far more complex. We can, therefore, not rest content with reading books and treatises, however, weighty they may be. Books, of course, are necessary but we cannot cultivate the Islamic spirit wholly through them, nor develop the Islamic mood and temperament. Our real need is an Islamic region, an Islamic coloring and an Islamic environment in which we can see, hear and feel Islam directly. Personal contacts; social intercourse and the adoption of the Islamic mode of living are its essential conditions. We should go to places where the Islamic way of life and Islamic society are present in any measure and we can have some experience of Islam as a living force.

For this reason, the company of. Muslims and truthful Believers is necessary to the extent that God felt the need to tell the sacred Prophet, whose life was a model of perfection, to seek the company of pious and warmly devoted bondman.

“Restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn and evening seeking His countenance; and let not thine eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and obey not whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who followeth his own Just and whose case hath been abandoned.“(-XVIII : 28)

When such was the case with the sacred Apostle we can imagine how important it would be for common Muslims like us to spend some time with the truthful and the pure in heart.

“Oh ye who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful.” (-IX : 119)

The Islamic society here being in the initial stages of evolution, we must not neglect our duty towards it. I am confident that, by the grace of God, this infant society will not only endure but, also, flourish and attain maturity and the means and opportunities of training and discipline will be available to it which are nothing but faith and belief, study and investigation, learning and culture, and good company and exertion. Those who make sincere efforts for the glory of the Divine Faith, for them the Lord opens the doors of wisdom, faith and discernment that are beyond human imagination.

“And for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo, Allah is with the good.” (-XXIX : 69)

Such, in brief, are the responsibilities you owe to the society you have founded in this country. It would never have come into existence had you not migrated to America and taken up residence here. Now, with it, you should, also, take pains to assure that it develops into an ideal Islamic society and does not remain confined to the ideological sphere alone because, as we know, Islam is not merely a social, political or economic concept, but before all this, it is an indivisible and indissoluble creed that permeates the whole existence. It is a state of mind and a design of life. The Islam of the holy Companions possessed all these attributes. They were Muslims by all standards, spiritual, moral and practical, and criterion for all things. Hence, it was said by Abdullah bin Masud that what the Muslims consider good is good, also, in the judgment of God”. According to the authorities, the word Muslims’ here denotes the Companions. It will, thus, mean that what the Companions hold to be good is good also in the sight of the Lord and what they, collectively, regard bad is bad.

Islam and the Quran demand of the Muslims to be the criterion of truth and virtue. They should possess a genuine Islamic disposition so that the Americans, here, can see distinctly the difference between their own society which is being driven mercilessly by Materialism and the Islamic society that is pure, healthy and dignified-a society which spends its nights in prayer and repentance and days in seeking honest sustenance and rendering selfless service to mankind.

The creation of such a society will, positively, lead to the victory of Islam. On seeing it, the American will exclaim that the real joy of living is in the Islamic society and not in his own, and advance towards it instinctively and curse the stinking environment in which he has been brought up.

I fear the day, in America as elsewhere, when we will with- draw into our shells and get entangled in the labyrinth of study and research, and our connecting links with the real fountain- head of Islam and with the Islamic centers will be broken where, in spite of all drawbacks, Islam is, still. alive, and the springs of Islamic warmth and eagerness will dry up within us. It will be, then, that the American Islam, European Islam, and the Japanese, Iranian, Indian and Pakistani Islams will emerge, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other. They will be as different from each other as an American is from an Asian, or a Japanese from an Afghan, and Islamic societies will appear whose mental attitudes and natural inclinations and values will be widely apart.

We should take up the challenge and get ready to meet the threat now when the things have not gone far and the Islamic leaders, are, to some extent, active and effective. The wisdom behind the obligatoriness of the Haj Pilgrimage and the congregation of the Muslims, with all their different social. cultural and linguistic characteristics, at a particular place and at a particular time, is that nothing about Faith remained vague or unclear and stock was taken, at the same time, of the Muslims of the world and their Islamic lineaments and local innovations and un-Islamic influences they might have accepted owing to the negligence and apathy of the Ulama or as a result of living together, for a considerable length of time, with other peoples and communities could be ascertained and plans evolved for their eradication. As Shah Waliullah has admirably put it, “Had the Haj not been there, the Islamic faith and the Muslims of the East and the West would have been the victims of change and alteration, like the other religions, and it would not have been discovered for ages.”

So, brothers, beware of the emergence of a local or territorial Islam and the establishment of Islamic societies that are devoid of the spirit of Islam and built upon foundations that are not genuinely Islamic.

Believe me, it is not a figment of my imagination. I attach the highest importance to it, and, I am sure, when you will go home and think over it you will appreciate the gravity and magnitude of the danger I have indicated.

Source: at-Talib

See also:

• What is the Jama’ah that you have to hold on to?

Calamity : a result of our sins or a trial from Allah ?

By Asif Uddin

…is this calamity a result of our sins or is it a trial from Allah? In either situation, there are practical steps the believer…

Our beloved Prophet said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection people will wish that their skins had been cut with scissors in this world, when they see the reward of those who were struck with calamity.’1 A woman is going through a divorce; a man has lost his father who he loves dearly; and a family have lost their home to an earthquake. Many of us either go through trials or know people who have been afflicted with some type of calamity. Are these calamities a trial or a punishment and how should we react in such a situation? The nature of man is that he will go through a range of emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger and remorse. These emotions are ever changing and so we maybe happy one day and sad another. Our lives may pass trouble free one year and difficult to bear the next, as the great companion Ibn Masud (radiallahu anhu) said “For every moment of joy there is a moment of sorrow, and no house is filled with joy but it will be filled with sorrow.” So it is with certainty that we will face a calamity, but how do we react? The first thing we must ask ourselves is that is this calamity a result of our sins or is it a trial from Allah? In either situation, there are practical steps the believer can undertake in order to react in a way that is pleasing to Allah.

Be patient when the calamity first strikes
From a psychological perspective, this helps the believer tremendously. When a man loses his father, he should try to remember that as time goes by the memory of his father will slip away and he should seek comfort in this great blessing from Allah, who allows man to forget easily. In truth no one can remember every single calamity that has befallen them. Seeking Allah will bring him great solace and help him deal with the pain he is going through. The grieving individual will be a source of comfort and inspiration for his family and be an example to others of how a believer reacts in a situation like this. The initial moments in which the calamity first strikes are the most important as this will set the path for the emotions of that person for the period to follow. It is for this reason that our Prophet said with great wisdom that ‘Verily patience (is only Sabr when practiced) at the first hit (of news).’2 This is a distinguishing character of a believer, at its foundation is a great wisdom, and it is only after some time does he/she realise its true effects. Indeed it was said, ‘A man, with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience).’3

Ask yourself if this calamity is a result of a sin or a trial
In order to resolve a problem, it is crucial to identify the cause. Thus, the believers should ask themselves as to the cause of the calamity. Has it occurred as a praiseworthy trial from Allah with which he wills well for me? Or is it because of my sins and transgressions against Allah? Either way, the calamity is a blessing in disguise, as Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you than a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah.’ If it is a praiseworthy trial, then it is because Allah wants well for us. The rewards for such a situation are so numerous that one of the scholars of the past stated that ‘were it not for the calamities of this world, we would come empty-handed on the Day of Resurrection’. It is only through reflecting upon the rewards of patience in the face of hardship will a true slave of the Most High realise the great wisdom behind it.

Al-Fadl ibn Sahl said, ‘There is a blessing in calamity that the wise man should not ignore, for it erases sins, gives one the opportunity to attain the reward for patience, dispels negligence, reminds one of blessings at the time of health, calls one to repent and encourages one to give charity.’ It is a way of gaining expiation for sins and increasing rewards, as our Prophet said: ‘The believer is not harmed by a thorn or anything greater, but Allah will raise him in status thereby, or erase a sin thereby.’4 If it is a punishment, then it is a blessing from Allah that He punishes us in this short life rather than punish us in the hereafter, ‘When Allah wills good for His slave, He hastens the punishment for him in this world, and when Allah wills ill for His slave, He withholds the punishment for his sins from him until he comes with all his sins on the Day of Resurrection.’5 In grasping this very important tool, the believer raises his status, providing himself with a sword of virtue, which strikes down any calamities he may face, and with it he takes on many of the characteristics of the believers. For instance, pondering on the cause will drive out one’s blameworthy characteristics, such as arrogance and weakness and replace it with humbleness and strong resolve. Most importantly, it makes the believer turn to Allah in a way that he has perhaps never done before. As was succinctly said by the great scholar of al-Sham, ‘From among the perfection of Allah’s bounty upon His believing servants is that He imposes difficulties and hardships upon them in such a way that it forces them towards believing in His Oneness. They then call upon Him in total devotion, they hope from Him and from no one else. In so doing their hearts are attached to Him and no one else.’6

Turn to Allah alone
This is a time when we realise that no on one can truly help us except Allah, however, many people seek aid from as well as complain to people. There will come a time when we excessively seek assistance and complain to our friends and family to the extent that they will become agitated and annoyed. So why don’t we ask the one who has the ability to resolve our problem and Who in contrast to humans, becomes angry if we do not complain to Him. The Prophet said, ‘Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him.’7 One of the scholars said that when you ask the people first and Allah last, then Allah will give you what you want last. So, if we truly claim to profess: ‘iyyaka nasta’in’ (In you alone do we seek assistance) several times a day, why is it that our actions are contrary to this? If we truthfully want to overcome our problem, then we should seek help from Allah alone and not the people. As Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad said, ‘If you lose hope in all people and you do not ask anything from them, your Lord will give you all that you want.’

Du’a (supplication) and the Prayer
The greatest form of supplication we can make to Allah is through the prayer. It is through this prayer that we communicate to our Beloved, a time that we have an opportunity to have a private meeting with the One Who created us all, The Lord of the ‘Alamin. Is it not far better to speak directly to our Creator than any king, president or prime minister? Indeed He is the One who never breaks his promise and the One who has the ability to make those matters that seem impossible, possible. How many people in the past have pleaded with their leaders to resolve their problems, or alternatively on their deathbeds begged their doctors to save their lives? How shameful it is that we feel comfortable doing this to the creation and yet we forget to beg from Allah. The prayer is an embodiment of begging Allah for his vast mercy and showing our thanks of the bounties he has bestowed upon us.

Every action in the prayer represents a position of a slave. It is only when we are standing straight in a high position that we recite the speech of Allah – the Qur’an – while we are prohibited to recite it whilst prostrating, the lowest of positions. We recite the favours that Allah has bestowed upon us whilst we are standing and beg and supplicate to him when we are lowly. And this is when the slave is closest to his Lord, ‘The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah much in it.’8 There are certain periods of the day when these private meetings are more blessed and the One Who created us is more likely to answer them. If we truly desire for our supplications to be answered – then we should seek to find out when these moments are. It suffices to say that these times are either connected to an act of worship or are done in a state of hardship. It is as though we are being informed that if we want our supplications to be answered, then it will be – whilst worshipping the Lord. Consequently, through his great mercy He answers the supplications of those who find themselves in difficult situations.

Seek forgiveness from Allah
If we find that Allah has not answered our supplications then perhaps the one who is supplicating is weak and full of sin. In fact, it could be that it is the sin itself that he committed that caused the calamity to befall him.

And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.9

So we should meticulously scrutinize all the sins that we have committed and seek Allah’s forgiveness for it. For some this is something difficult to do; this is why we are encouraged to repent once we have sinned. ‘The (angel) on the left hand raises his pen (i.e., delays writing) for six hours before he records the sinful deed of a Muslim. If he regrets it and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, the deed is not recorded; otherwise it is recorded as one deed.’10 And ‘Ali, the fourth righteous caliph of Islam (radiallahu anhu) said, ‘No calamity befalls except due to a sin, which is not alleviated except with repentance’11 How sad it is that the tears roll off the cheeks so easily when we are in a state of grief and anxiety and yet so difficult when seeking the forgiveness from Allah. We should be cautious of abstaining from that sin and we should fear returning to it more than fearing the calamity itself. This great companion of our Prophet also said, ‘Let a man not have hope in anyone except his Lord. Let a man not fear anyone except his sin’12.

Remember the benefits of calamities
A Muslim should remember how short this life is and reflect upon how eternal nature of the hereafter. We should live our lives as though we are in a constant period of calamity – this does not mean that we should not feel happiness, because it is through the worship of Allah that true happiness is attained. We should reflect upon the worship we perform whilst we are in a state of hardship and increase more in our worship in times of ease, as our beloved Prophet said, ‘Recognise and Acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity.’13 It is ironic that we remember Allah and beseech Him with all sincerity when we are in the midst of a calamity, like being imprisoned or tortured. We then recite and memorise much Qur’an and perform many supplications and voluntary prayer, but when we are free and removed from calamity we seemingly forget Allah; failing to recognise the blessings that He continuously showers upon us, praying only a little and neglecting supplications. It is incumbent upon us turn away from such heedlessness and live our lives as if we are imprisoned, for al-Mustafa said, ‘Indeed this world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.’14 A common problem facing the Muslims is that we have an imbalance of fear and hope of Allah; it is almost as though we hope too much and fear too little.

It is as though we have been guaranteed swift admission into Paradise as soon as we die. Instead, we should fear Allah more when we are healthy, and hope more when we are sick. This way our complacency will decrease. As the great Imam of Makkah, Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad said: ‘Fear is better than hope when a person is healthy. But when death comes to him, hope is better than fear’.

After hardship comes ease
How many calamities have we faced in our lives and have found comfort after it? It is human nature to feel as though the pain will never go away and that our life has ended once calamity strikes. However, the believer is one who analyses things in the long term and is not overwhelmed by short-term problems. Allah, the Exalted, says,

So verily after الْعُسْر(hardship) comes يُسْرًا(ease), verily after الْعُسْر(hardship) comes يُسْرًا(ease). 15

How many times have we heard and read this ayah, but have we pondered over it deeply? This is something we can take comfort in, that after this difficult period, we will find some rest and ease. The fact that Allah said this twice indicates the notion of emphasis. The word الْعُسْرِ (hardship) is in its definite form (it has ‘al’ in front of the word) which means that a person may have one problem, but the word يُسْرًا is in the indefinite form which means that after a problem, Allah will give you many eases (possibly of different types). And that the hardship mentioned in the first verse is the same as the hardship in the second, but the ease stated in the first verse is different to the second. So Allah has closed one door for us, but He will open many other doors. This ease will only come about after experiencing hardship. And we know the value of something after encountering its opposite. The Prophet said, ‘Know that victory (or achievement) comes through patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.’16

This life is full of joys and calamities, most understand the blessings of its joy but few comprehend the blessings in its calamities. Allah has blessed us with this understanding, strengthening our souls and mind. A great imam of Islam, Al-Hasan al-Basri, said, ‘Do not resent the calamities that come and the disasters that occur, for perhaps in something that you dislike will be your salvation, and perhaps in something that you prefer will be your doom.’ May Allah enable us with patience and piety.

[Islam 21st Century]

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Notes:

source: http://www.islam21c.com

1. Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
3. ‘Uddah as-Sabirin wa Dhakhirah al-Shakirin, Ibn al-Qayyim quotes from a ‘wise man’.
4. Sahih Muslim.
5. Sunan al-Tirmidhi
6. Ibn Taymiyyah, taken from, The Sunnah way of the Sufis by Harith al-Muhasibi.
7. Al-Musnad of Imam Ahmad.
8. Sahih Muslim.
9. Al-Qur’an: [al-Shura 42:30]
10. al-Tabarani.
11. Qa’idah fi al-Sabr, Ibn Taymiyyah, which is found in Jami’ al-Masa’il, edited by Muhammad ‘Uzayr Shams.
12. Ibid.
13. At-Tirmidhi.
14. Sahih Muslim.
15. Al-Qur’an, [al-Sharh 94:5-6]
16. Sunan al-Tirmidhi.

See also:

• Disobedience Devastates Blessings, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Experience

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. Life is but a continual course of instruction.

[Drops of Wisdom]