“And We did not send any messenger but (speaking) in the tongue of his people…” Surah Ibrahîm – 14 : Verse 4: Ma’ariful Qur’an – Mufti Shafi Usmani

And We did not send any messenger but (speaking) in the tongue of his people, so that he might clearly speak to them. So, Allah lets go astray whom He wills and lets find guidance whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.  Surat Ibrahim: 4

Commentary

Mentioned in the first sentence of this verse is the particular blessing and convenience granted by Allah Ta’ala that whenever He has sent a messenger to a people, He has sent him speaking their language, in order that he would convey Divine injunctions to them in their language and usage whereby understanding these becomes easy on them. If the language of the messenger had been different from that of his addressees, it is evident that his people would have to undergo the burden of having to translate the injunctions before they could understand them and, still, the understanding of injunctions correctly would have remained doubtful. Therefore, when a messenger was sent to the speakers of the Hebrew language, the language of the messenger was also Hebrew. The language of the messenger sent to the Persians was also Persian. The language of the messenger to the Berbers was appointed to be Berberi. It is possible that a person who was assigned to be a messenger would be an individual from among the same people to whom he was sent and his mother tongue would have been the language of those people, and it is also possible that the language into which he was born may have been other than that of the people he was sent to, but as Allah Ta’ala would have it, He had things arranged in a manner that the messenger learnt the language of the people he was to work with – as it was in the case of Sayyidna Lut (A.S). Actually, he was a citizen of ‘Iraq where the language spoken was Persian. But, after his migration to Syria, he married among the people there and the language of the Syrians became his own language. Then, Allah Ta’ala made him the prophet of a region of Syria.

As for our noble Messenger , his mission is, in terms of the area of operation, for the whole world and, in terms of the time duration, it is universally applicable right upto the last day of Qiyamah. No nation or group of people in this world, no matter which country they belong to and what language they speak, could be outside the circle of his mission as a messenger and prophet. And every new nation and every new language which comes into existence upto the day of Qiyamah shall all be counted among the community to which the Da’wah (call) of the Holy Prophet will reach. This is expressly mentioned by the Holy Qur’an: (O people, I am the messenger of Allah [sent] to you all – 7:158). According to a narration of Sayyidna Jabir (A.S) appearing in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet , while pointing out to his five distinctions among the universal community of prophets, has said: Before me, every messenger and prophet was sent to his people and community. Allah Ta’ala sent me to all peoples who are the children of Adam (on this earth).

Allah Ta’ala willed that humankind on this earth should originate from Sayyidna Adam (A.S) whom He made the first prophet of human beings. Then, in proportion to the increase in human population in terms of its social and economic status, arrangements to convey the right guidance to them through messengers and prophets kept being made by Allah Ta’ala. Injunctions, laws and religious codes relevant to every period of time and to the needs of every people continued coming. Finally, when the development of the human scene reached the stage of maturity, Allah Ta’ala sent the foremost among the line of prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, as the Rasul of the whole world, and the Kitab and Shari’ah He gave to him was given in its most complete and workable form which was valid for the whole world and for all times right upto the Last Day of Qiyamah. It was said in the Qur’an: (That is, ‘Today, I have perfected your religion and made My favour complete for you – 5:3).

The religious codes of past prophets, may peace be on all of them, were also perfect and complete in terms of their time and region. They too cannot be called imperfect or wanting. But, the perfection of the Shari’ah brought by the Holy Prophet is not restricted to any specified time and region. It is absolutely perfect (that is, without restrictions or exceptions in any respect, or circumstances) and seen from this angle, the perfection of religion is exclusive to this Shari’ah, and this is the reason why the chain of prophethood was discontinued after the appearance of the Holy Prophet who is the Last among the blessed prophets, may peace be upon all of them.

Why Was the Qur’an Revealed in the Arabic Language?

When messengers who spoke the language of past communities were sent among them, they did not have to work hard on translating the message brought by prophets. Now, a question arises here as to why the Holy Prophet was sent to Arabia alone with the Arabic language? And why was it that his Book too was revealed in the Arabic language specifically? But, a little deliberation would make the answer very clear. Everyone can understand when the mission and call of the Holy Prophet became common for all peoples of the world speaking hundreds of different languages, then, there existed only two alternatives for the guidance of all of them. The first alternative was that the Qur’an be revealed separately into the language of every group of people, and the teachings and instructions of the Holy Prophet also be made available separately in the language of every community of people. In view of the most perfect power of Allah Ta’ala, managing something like that was not difficult at all. But, the great objective of sending one Rasul, one Kitab and one Shari’ah for all peoples of the world, an objective which sought to forge a religious, moral and social unity and mutually shared orientation, despite the existence of thousands of differences among all these peoples, would have remained unrealized in the event that such an alternative was taken to.

Then, there was the other alternative of letting the Qur’an and Hadith for every people and every country be available in their separate languages. If this was ever done in that manner, it would have thrown the gates of interpolation in the Qur’an wide open through which countless inroads in it could have been made. Thus, the miraculous quality of the Glorious Qur’an, that its original words still remain perfectly protected, a quality which cannot be denied even by non-conformists and deniers of the Qur’an, would have not survived intact. What would have happened that despite there being one religion and one book, its adherents would have been dispersed on so many different tracks that there would have remained no single rallying pivot of unity. We can have some idea of this problem if we recall the amount of differences that arose in the interpretation and exegesis of the Holy Qur’an despite that it was revealed in the single Arabic language – though, these differences did remain within permissible limits. As for differences engineered through false and impermissible means, they just have no limits. But, notwithstanding all this, there is a viable unity and a sense of distinct identity still present among all those people who observe and practice what the Qur’an teaches, no matter in whatever degree it may be.

In short, the assumption that the Qur’an could have come for every human group separately making the mission and teaching of the Holy Prophet universal is something even a person of ordinary intelligence would not find correct. Therefore, it becomes necessary that the Qur’an be sent in one single language and the language spoken by the prophet should also be the same language of the Qur’an, and then its translations into other languages be made and circulated. After the Holy Prophet , his deputies, the ‘Ulama of the community, should spread out the teachings and rules of guidance left behind by him among their peoples and in their language. Therefore, Allah Ta’ala chose the Arabic language over all languages of the world for a number of reasons.

The Distinctions of Arabic

First of all, the Arabic language is the official language of the heavens. The language of angels is Arabic. The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz ) is in the Arabic language as the Qur’an tells us: (Rather, it is a glorious Qur’an in the Preserved Tablet – 85:21,22). Then, there is Jannah, the Paradise which is the real home of human beings and to where they have to return – and its language is also Arabic. In the Mu’jim of al-Tabarani, Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Shu’ab al-’Iman of Al-Baihaqi, there is a narration from Sayyidna’Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas which reports that the Holy Prophet said: (That is, ‘Love Arabs for three reasons: (1) That I am an Arab; (2) and the Qur’an is in Arabic; (3) and the language of the people of Paradise is Arabic’ [In Mustadrak, Hakim calls this narration 'Sahih.' The same rating appears in al-Jami' al-Saghir. However, some Hadith experts have called it weak and not authentic]. According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the subject of this Hadith is proven and cannot be rated any lesser than ‘Hasan’ or good (Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami’ al-Saghir, p. 179, v. 1).

There is a narration reported in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that the language of Sayyidna Adam in Jannah was Arabic. When he was sent to the earth, and after his repentance was accepted, so (A.S) me changes in the Arabic language itself gave birth to the Syriac language.

This appears to support narrations which have been reported from Sayyidna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas and others. They say that the original language of all books Allah Ta’ala has revealed was Arabic. It was archangel, Sayyidna Jibra’il al-Amin who relayed it to the prophets by translating it to them while they conveyed it to their communities in their language. These narrations have been reported by ‘Allamah Al-Suyuti in Al-Itqan and by most commentators of the Qur’an under their comments on this verse. The gist of these reports is that the original language of all Scriptures is Arabic. But, with the exception of the Holy Qur’an, other books have been given as translated into the language of a country or people. Therefore, their meanings are all from Allah Ta’ala, but there is a change in words. It happens to be the unique feature of the Qur’an alone that, like its meanings, the words too are but from Allah Ta’ala. And perhaps, this is the reason why the Qur’an extended a challenge that even the combined force of the Jinns and human­kind of the whole world could not produce the likeness of a small Surah, rather of one Ayah of the Qur’an – because, in terms of its high status in word and meaning, it is the Word of Allah and a Divine attribute which cannot be imitated by anyone. Given their spiritual status, other Scriptures too are the Word of Allah, but none of the other Scriptures made such a claim, perhaps because they were not in their original form in Arabic but were its translation. Otherwise, in terms of being the Divine Word like the Qur’an, the uniqueness and inimitability of every such book was certain.

One major reason for the choice of the Arabic language is the inherent treasure of capabilities of the language itself for it has countless forms and methods through which a sense could be expressed.

And there is another reason too that Allah Ta’ala has naturally gifted Muslims with a certain affinity and congruity with the Arabic language because of which everyone goes on to learn the language easily as needed. This is the reason why, in every country the Sahabah reached, it took very little time when, without any compulsion, the Arabic language came to be the language of the whole country. Take Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Arabic was not their language. Today, they are known as Arab countries.

There is yet another reason for this phenomena. The Arabs were, though involved in serious evil practices, yet their capabilities, qualities and feelings can be called unmatched even under such circumstances. That is why Allah Ta’ala raised His greatest and the last messenger from among them, and chose his language to be the language of the Qur’an, and gave instructions to His prophet that they are the ones who should be the first to be guided and educated: (and warn your close relatives – 26:214) – and the very first step taken was that He assembled around His messenger the kind of individuals from among these very people, individuals who sacrificed their life, wealth and children, almost everything for the sake of the Holy Prophet taking his teachings to be dearer than what they had, even their lives. And it was the result of this pattern of behaviour that their personalities became so deeply coloured by his company and teaching that an ideal society rose in the world the like of which was never witnessed by humanity on this earth and under these skies. The Holy Prophet charged this unique group with the mission of spreading the teachings of the Qur’an and said: that is, ‘Convey everything you hear from me to my people, even though it is a short verse.’ His Sahabah, alert and sacrificing as ever, took this order of their master so seriously that they fanned out far and wide around the world and made people become familiar with the Qur’an and its teachings. Not even twenty five years had passed after the departure of the Holy Prophet from this mortal world that the message of the Qur’an started reverberating throughout the East and West.

On the other hand it was a wisdom of Allah’s creation and a wise arrangement of His destination that He inculcated in the entire Ummah of da’wah (i.e. all those addressed by the call of the Holy Prophet including the mushriks and the Jews and the Christians), a special aptitude and zeal towards learning, teaching, writing and publishing books and promoting their respective ideas, a parallel of which is not found in the past history of the world. It was for this reason that the non-Arab nations not only acquired the disciplines of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah with a great enthusiasm, but the advances made by non-Arabs in the acquirement of the Arabic language and its promotion and wider dissemination did not lag behind the Arabs.

It is certainly an astonishing fact that, in our time, the number of books on Arabic language, usage and grammar present in the world happen to have been written by non-Arabs. And their contribution to the services rendered for the collection and documentation of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and in its exegesis and explication, has not been any lesser than Arabs.

So, it was in this manner that the language of the Holy Prophet and the Book he was given, despite being Arabic, overtook the whole world. At least, for all practical purposes of Da’wah (Call) and Tabligh (Spreading of the Message), the difference of Arab and non-Arab was eliminated. In every country and community, and among peoples speaking non-Arab languages, rose such ‘Ulama’ who communicated to their own people the teachings of Qur’an and Sunnah through their indigenous languages, easily and effectively. Thus, the wisdom of sending a messenger speaking the language of the addressed people stood realized and proved.

Toward the end of the verse it was said that it is for the convenience of people that Allah Ta’ala has sent His messengers speaking their language, so that they can explain His injunctions to them clearly and satisfactorily. But, it is still beyond human control to bring someone onto the right path. The truth is that it lies in the power of Allah Ta’ala alone. Whom He wills He lets go astray and whom He wills He would give guidance. He is Mighty, and Wise.

From: Ma’ariful Qur’an – Mufti Shafi Usmani: Surah Ibrahîm – 14 : Verse 4

First of all, the Arabic language is the official language of the heavens. The language of angels is Arabic. The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz ) is in the Arabic language as the Qur’an tells us: (Rather, it is a glorious Qur’an in the Preserved Tablet – 85:21,22). Then, there is Jannah, the Paradise which is the real home of human beings and to where they have to return – and its language is also Arabic. In the Mu’jim of al-Tabarani, Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Shu’ab al-’Iman of Al-Baihaqi, there is a narration from Sayyidna’Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas which reports that the Holy Prophet said: (That is, ‘Love Arabs for three reasons: (1) That I am an Arab; (2) and the Qur’an is in Arabic; (3) and the language of the people of Paradise is Arabic’ [In Mustadrak, Hakim calls this narration 'Sahih.' The same rating appears in al-Jami' al-Saghir. However, some Hadith experts have called it weak and not authentic]. According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the subject of this Hadith is proven and cannot be rated any lesser than ‘Hasan’ or good (Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami’ al-Saghir, p. 179, v. 1).

There is a narration reported in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that the language of Sayyidna Adam in Jannah was Arabic. When he was sent to the earth, and after his repentance was accepted, so (A.S) me changes in the Arabic language itself gave birth to the Syriac language.

This appears to support narrations which have been reported from Sayyidna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas and others. They say that the original language of all books Allah Ta’ala has revealed was Arabic. It was archangel, Sayyidna Jibra’il al-Amin who relayed it to the prophets by translating it to them while they conveyed it to their communities in their language. These narrations have been reported by ‘Allamah Al-Suyuti in Al-Itqan and by most commentators of the Qur’an under their comments on this verse. The gist of these reports is that the original language of all Scriptures is Arabic. But, with the exception of the Holy Qur’an, other books have been given as translated into the language of a country or people. Therefore, their meanings are all from Allah Ta’ala, but there is a change in words. It happens to be the unique feature of the Qur’an alone that, like its meanings, the words too are but from Allah Ta’ala. And perhaps, this is the reason why the Qur’an extended a challenge that even the combined force of the Jinns and human­kind of the whole world could not produce the likeness of a small Surah, rather of one Ayah of the Qur’an – because, in terms of its high status in word and meaning, it is the Word of Allah and a Divine attribute which cannot be imitated by anyone. Given their spiritual status, other Scriptures too are the Word of Allah, but none of the other Scriptures made such a claim, perhaps because they were not in their original form in Arabic but were its translation. Otherwise, in terms of being the Divine Word like the Qur’an, the uniqueness and inimitability of every such book was certain.

One major reason for the choice of the Arabic language is the inherent treasure of capabilities of the language itself for it has countless forms and methods through which a sense could be expressed.

And there is another reason too that Allah Ta’ala has naturally gifted Muslims with a certain affinity and congruity with the Arabic language because of which everyone goes on to learn the language easily as needed. This is the reason why, in every country the Sahabah reached, it took very little time when, without any compulsion, the Arabic language came to be the language of the whole country. Take Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Arabic was not their language. Today, they are known as Arab countries.

There is yet another reason for this phenomena. The Arabs were, though involved in serious evil practices, yet their capabilities, qualities and feelings can be called unmatched even under such circumstances. That is why Allah Ta’ala raised His greatest and the last messenger from among them, and chose his language to be the language of the Qur’an, and gave instructions to His prophet that they are the ones who should be the first to be guided and educated: (and warn your close relatives – 26:214) – and the very first step taken was that He assembled around His messenger the kind of individuals from among these very people, individuals who sacrificed their life, wealth and children, almost everything for the sake of the Holy Prophet taking his teachings to be dearer than what they had, even their lives. And it was the result of this pattern of behaviour that their personalities became so deeply coloured by his company and teaching that an ideal society rose in the world the like of which was never witnessed by humanity on this earth and under these skies. The Holy Prophet charged this unique group with the mission of spreading the teachings of the Qur’an and said: that is, ‘Convey everything you hear from me to my people, even though it is a short verse.’ His Sahabah, alert and sacrificing as ever, took this order of their master so seriously that they fanned out far and wide around the world and made people become familiar with the Qur’an and its teachings. Not even twenty five years had passed after the departure of the Holy Prophet from this mortal world that the message of the Qur’an started reverberating throughout the East and West.

On the other hand it was a wisdom of Allah’s creation and a wise arrangement of His destination that He inculcated in the entire Ummah of da’wah (i.e. all those addressed by the call of the Holy Prophet including the mushriks and the Jews and the Christians), a special aptitude and zeal towards learning, teaching, writing and publishing books and promoting their respective ideas, a parallel of which is not found in the past history of the world. It was for this reason that the non-Arab nations not only acquired the disciplines of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah with a great enthusiasm, but the advances made by non-Arabs in the acquirement of the Arabic language and its promotion and wider dissemination did not lag behind the Arabs.

It is certainly an astonishing fact that, in our time, the number of books on Arabic language, usage and grammar present in the world happen to have been written by non-Arabs. And their contribution to the services rendered for the collection and documentation of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and in its exegesis and explication, has not been any lesser than Arabs.

So, it was in this manner that the language of the Holy Prophet and the Book he was given, despite being Arabic, overtook the whole world. At least, for all practical purposes of Da’wah (Call) and Tabligh (Spreading of the Message), the difference of Arab and non-Arab was eliminated. In every country and community, and among peoples speaking non-Arab languages, rose such ‘Ulama’ who communicated to their own people the teachings of Qur’an and Sunnah through their indigenous languages, easily and effectively. Thus, the wisdom of sending a messenger speaking the language of the addressed people stood realized and proved.

Toward the end of the verse it was said that it is for the convenience of people that Allah Ta’ala has sent His messengers speaking their language, so that they can explain His injunctions to them clearly and satisfactorily. But, it is still beyond human control to bring someone onto the right path. The truth is that it lies in the power of Allah Ta’ala alone. Whom He wills He lets go astray and whom He wills He would give guidance. He is Mighty, and Wise.

About Us

Audio Library

Fatwa Board

Forum

I.C.I.S.

Kids Corner

Library

Matrimonial Service

Question & Answers

Guestbook

Search Site

Library Categories

About Classical Islam

Aqaaid

Hadeeth

History

Kids Corner

Miscellaneous

News

Pillars of Islam

Qur’aan

Reverts

Latest Updates

18/08/2008 True Salaf-e-Saliheen (True Salaf Saliheen) Views: 1676 18/08/2008 Barakah (Biographies of Sahaabah) Views: 1611 16/08/2008 Memoirs of the Noble Prophet [pbuh] (Seerah) Views: 2091

Feeds

XML – New pages XML – Latest Updates XML – Latest Topics

Subscribe

Subscribe Unsubscribe

Statistics

Hits this month: 2292 Hits last month: 19615 This site was last accessed on: 03/11/2009 23:02pm Total Visits: 12,258

---

//

Halaal Search halaalsearch.com Search engine targetting authentic knowledge on sites Halal Food Guide foodguide.org.uk Question and Answers regarding food researched and answered by Mufti Abdullah

The language of the Torah

Question: Moses (peace be upon him) lived in Egypt, as did his father and grandfather before him. Certainly, he spoke the language of the Egyptian people. So Was the Torah revealed to him in the Egyptian language, or was it revealed in the language of his forefathers – in other words, the language of Jacob (peace be upon him)?

Answered by Sheikh Fawzî Sa`âtî
Moses (peace be upon him) was of Hebrew blood. He was a descendant of Abraham through Isaac. Moses was born in Egypt and spent his formative years at the court of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

The reason for this is that at the time of Moses’s birth, Pharaoh has ordered the death of all male children born to the Hebrew people. So, when Moses was born, his mother hid him away for three months. Then Allah commanded her to cast the baby floating upon the Nile river, from where he was later retrieved by Pharaoh’s daughter.

The baby refused to nurse at any woman’s breast until a certain Hebrew woman was brought to nurse him. This woman, unbeknown to Pharaoh’s household, was of course the child’s mother.

Allah says: ” And we ordained that he refused suck at first, until (His sister came up and) said: ‘Shall I point out to you the people of a house that will nourish and bring him up for you and be sincerely attached to him?” Thus did We restore him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted, that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true: but most of them do not understand.” [Sûrah al-Qasas: 12-13]

After he was weaned, his upbringing was taken over by Pharaoh’s court. Moses (peace be upon him) remained at Pharaoh’s court until he was 30 years old. Then, after being charged with murder, he fled to Midian, where he was to remain for the next ten years before returning to Egypt, and from whose people he was to marry. He was clearly able to converse with the people of Midian from the time he arrived there, and the language of Midian was very close to Hebrew. This means that Moses was clearly conversant in both the Coptic language of Egypt and the Hebrew language of his forefathers.

As for the term “Torah” is used to refer to the Five Books of Moses (or Pentateuch), namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It constitutes the first of the three parts of the Hebrew sacred book, the Tanakh, which includes 24 Books between its three sections. It is also recognized in Christianity as being the first five books of the Old Testament, which contains 39 books altogether.

These five books were originally in Hebrew. However, they were recorded later in various languages. Therefore the Torah was originally in Hebrew, but was later recorded in Greek and Latin.

And Allah knows best.

From: Islamtoday.com

See also:

• Is Arabic the Language of Adam? or of Paradise?

Rigorous mathematics and Deductive Reasoning

by Abdassamad Clarke

Mathematics uses five main elements: definition, axiom, hypothesis,
proof and theorem.

Definitions are created to ensure that the terms and concepts being
used in the arguments are clear.

The axiom is a concept which is so obviously true one does not have
to prove it; it is ’self-evident’. Sometimes axioms are also called
postulates. Based on the axioms, mathematicians make hypotheses or propositions.

A hypothesis is an unproven idea, a jump in the dark. Having done
that, the mathematician tries to prove it.

If he furnishes a proof for it by deductive reasoning, it is called
a theorem. A theorem is not the same as the saying, “O, but it’s only
a theory,” by which is meant ‘a hypothesis’.

Using this method, European mathematicians set about making a logical
system out of the mathematics that already existed. They were doing
the same thing that Euclid had done with geometry. By the end of the
eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century, they had built
a very impressive building of pure mathematics. The mathematics of the
preceding epochs was inextricably wed to physics and astronomy. Gradually
the discipline called Pure Mathematics, which had no apparent practical
uses, began to appear.

Remember that they had originally set out to know the mind of God.
It is like many human endeavours. Along the way they built a wonderful
house of rigorously proved mathematics and they forgot God. They forgot
the truth that Allah “created both you and what you do?.” (Surat as-Saffat:
95-96) They said, “We made this building.” Allah says, “If only you
had said when you entered your jannah (garden), ‘It is what Allah wills!
There is no strength but by Allah’.” Imam Malik said that this is a
dhikr to be said upon entering one’s house, because in Arabic a man’s
jannah is his house. This is the ayah about the man who owned a wonderful
garden, but who did not see the hand of Allah in his own work. Scientists
didn’t think of themselves as discovering the order that is in Allah’s
creation, but they thought they themselves had built an amazing science.

One day, the French mathematician Laplace presented his newest, most
extraordinary work, Celestial Mechanics, to the emperor Napoleon.
The emperor said, “Monsieur Laplace, they tell me you have written this
large book on the system of the universe and have never even mentioned
its Creator.” Laplace is said to have answered, “I have no need of this
hypothesis.”

It was almost precisely at this moment in the history of mathematics
that the cracks in the building began to show.

Allah says, “The building they built will not cease to be a source
of doubt in their hearts unless their hearts are cut to shreds. Allah
is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” They thought they had built a house which
was truth, i.e. completely sure and certain knowledge. Then they discovered
geometries other than Euclid’s which are equally correct mathematically.
They cannot both describe reality, i.e. be true. That means mathematical
theorems can be mathematically correct but not necessarily true. This
was a tremendous blow to the emerging religion of mathematical science.
Worse was to come.

Mathematicians found that the simplest things were not really proved
clearly and without doubt. Euclid’s geometry was not as sure as they
had at first thought. Some of the basic axioms he used were not so clear,
and he used others without saying that he was doing so. Subsequent work
based on Euclid or on his methods was also not so sure.

This was a great catastrophe. Mathematicians had to go back to the
beginning and try to prove a lot of what they had done again. It was
as if, having built a really wonderful skyscraper, the builder discovered
that there were very serious flaws in the foundations. No one would
want to demolish the building and start again, and neither did the mathematicians.

Yet more serious mistakes were found. In the twentieth century, Bertrand
Russell and Alfred North Whitehead wrote a book called Principia
Mathematica. Russell, a philosopher, logician and mathematician,
was trying to arrive “at a perfected mathematics which should leave
no room for doubts.” Sceptics said that there is no absolute truth.
Russell replied, “Of such scepticism mathematics is a perpetual reproof;
for its edifice of truths stands unshakable and inexpungable to all
the weapons of doubting cynicism.” This book is in three volumes and
even for a mathematician is an almost completely unreadable attempt
to prove all of mathematics logically from sure foundations.

Russell said later, “I wanted certainty in the kind of way in which
people want religious faith. I thought that certainty is more likely
to be found in mathematics than elsewhere… But as the work proceeded,
I was continually reminded of the fable about the elephant and the tortoise.
Having constructed an elephant upon which the mathematical world could
rest, I found the elephant tottering, and proceeded to construct a tortoise
to keep the elephant from falling. But the tortoise was no more secure
than the elephant, and after some twenty years of very arduous toil,
I came to the conclusion that there was nothing more that I could do
in the way of making mathematical knowledge indubitable.” The work had
failed. It was one of many blows to mathematics as a body of sure knowledge
beyond doubt.

You might ask why this should matter. Most people react to pure mathematics
with a commonsense, “Let’s get on with the real world.” However, science
is increasingly mathematical. If maths has holes, then science has holes
– big holes. However, the effect of mathematics is much further-reaching
than one would have imagined.

This axiomatic approach had already pervaded all of the sciences and
created new ones, although many of the new ones, such as economics,
were regarded as pseudo-sciences when they first appeared, as they are
in reality. An example of how far it has gone is the idea of constitutional
government one of whose foundation documents is the Declaration of Independence
of the United States.

Constitutionalism

The Declaration of Independence begins, “We hold these truths
to be self-evident…” i.e. these are the axioms. This approach
is mathematical without involving numbers or calculation. However, one
does need to scrutinise each ‘truth’ which, even though
it seems on the surface very wonderful and idealistic, contains a great
number of contradictions.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created
equal, …

Of course, they are largely equal in having two eyes each, two legs,
hearts, livers, love and hate, and in other matters, but are they equal
in wealth, intellect, talent, beauty, social standing, strength, wisdom
or any other thing? If the equality does consist in having two eyes
and other physical attributes does this mean that invalids, crippled
people and physically impaired people are less equal, an idea abhorrent
to modern people?

…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, …

How did their Creator endow them with these rights? Where is this
written? In what revelation? Has the Creator revealed that in Christianity,
Judaism, Islam or in any other historical revelation? Or is the writer
of this declaration a new prophet with a new revelation?

…that among these are Life,…

Life is a fact rather than a right. Disease, natural disaster and
accident may terminate it. People who haven’t read the Declaration
of Independence or who do not agree with it may put an end to it.

…Liberty, …

Where does liberty end? Am I at liberty to take my neighbour’s
life? Obviously not, because he has the “inalienable right”
to life. But am I at liberty to sleep with his wife or his daughter
if I so wish and if we all think that we are not going to hurt anybody?
Perhaps my neighbour even agrees to that. If I am not so at liberty,
why not?

…and the pursuit of Happiness.

If my pursuit of happiness makes someone else miserable, then what?
What happens if I do not want to be happy? Perhaps I would like to be
miserable. For example, perhaps I want to accumulate a great deal of
money and be resented, feared and disliked by large numbers of people,
like the late Howard Hughes. Did Genghis Khan want happiness? Did he
want to be liked? Had he the inalienable right to do what he did and
to seek his fulfilment? Did he care whether he had or not?

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
…

Here the passive verb “are instituted” cleverly avoids
confronting the question “who institutes them and how?”

…deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
…

How do the governed show their consent? This is not a small problem.
Is it the consent of all of the governed, or most of them. How do ‘most
of them’ get defined – we have not even broached the problematic
nature of statistics in this work. What questions do you ask them to
find their consent?

…That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of
these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
…

What defines its being “destructive of these ends” and
who is to decide that it is so? Who are the people? If I disagree with
the majority am I then not one of “the people”? If the majority
are ignorant and one person is knowledgeable, must he bow to their will?
If he knows that some activity is suicidal or destructive and the majority
do not care and indeed rather like it, must he be silent?

…and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

“Seem most likely” was what the Bolsheviks thought when
they formed the Soviet State, and that resulted in almost eighty to
a hundred million dead people in Russia, China, Cambodia, etc., and
an incalculable amount of human misery.

As you see, whatever seems axiomatic to one person is not always going
to be so to another. In fact the people who drew up the above document
were as aware of all of the above objections as we are, but they thought
that it was only a matter of filling in the details, e.g. by defining
the people as “the majority of the people” as shown in elections,
etc. This leads to the great complexity of detail involved in constitutional
government, to the plethora of paragraphs and sub-clauses, amendments,
plebiscites, referendums, etc.

Orientalism

Another example of the spread of this technique into other areas than
mathematics, and perhaps the most anti-scientific and dishonest example
of which we can think is the contentious subject of orientalism. We
use this term here to refer to western studies of Islam. Orientalism
too contends that it is a scientific discipline. It is clearly a weapon
of the enemies of Allah. However, the Muslims have largely failed in
dealing with it because they deal piece-meal with its multitudinous
propositions, whereas what should be dealt with is its dishonestly unstated
axiomatic base. Euclid and subsequent mathematicians stated all their
definitions of terms and their axioms; orientalists state none of these
things.

For example, what is perhaps the bible of orientalism is the Leiden-published
Encyclopaedia of Islam. This is a distressing and ugly, but
apparently erudite, set of tomes. It is the clearest evidence of the
entirely unscientific axiomatic base of orientalism – we
seek refuge with Allah from the evil of it and His forgiveness for mentioning
it – that is that the Messenger of Allah was a perfectly ordinary
human being who did not receive revelation but compounded the entire
edifice of Islam from fragments of poorly comprehended jewish and christian
materials, and that where it disagrees with the Qur’an, the Biblical
literature is always decisive. They insist that subsequent Islamic thought
elaborated Islam on this basis, and added into it stolen pieces of Buddhism
and neo-Platonism, etc., etc. The proof that these axioms are false
is that they have never been clearly stated as being the axioms and
the premises of orientalism. An axiom, to be a correct basis for a scientific
study, must be so self-evidently true that it needs no proof. This ‘axiom’
is a mere prejudice, and at best a proposition which is impossible to
substantiate and which, if stated as a proposition, would be easily
refutable.

If these were not the axioms of orientalism we should expect at least
an equal amount of literature examining propositions based on the opposite
axioms, i.e. that Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and that the Qur’an is the revealed Speech of Allah confirming that
which came before it of other revelations to other prophets and messengers
and clarifying the many distortions to be found in other scriptures.
However, sceptical orientalism regards this as merely a proposition
which has to be proved, whereas the other is self-evidently true and
needs no proof, only needing subsidiary propositions merely to fill
in the details in this prejudicial picture.

Thus, many naive Muslims strive mistakenly within the academic nexus
thinking that orientalism is a rather well-meaning judaeo-christian
affair which just needs to be guided aright. They combat bravely various
sub-theses of this monstrous lie, without ever confronting the central
thesis, the deceitfully unmentioned axioms.

Modernist Islam

Within Islam too, this mathematical approach has found a home. Muslims
who believe in deriving shari’ah from ‘Islamic principles’
are following the same method. The ‘principles’ are axioms,
and are not the same as the traditional usul – ‘roots’
or ‘sources’. These latter are the sources of the din –
among which are the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the people
of knowledge, etc. By following ‘Islamic principles’ one
very often arrives directly at a result that contradicts the well-known
shari’ah of Islam.

For example, Abu’l-A’la Maududi, founder of the Jama’at al-Islamiya
in India and Pakistan is a classic case of someone who follows this
method. We take a few examples at random from only one of his books,
The Islamic Way of Life, to illustrate this approach.

In Chapter one, The Islamic Concept of Life, Maududi says,
“There are certain postulates which should be understood and appreciated
at the very outset.” Postulate is another term for axiom, so here
Maududi has clearly set out his intention to create a new type of Islam
based on this mathematical approach, rather than on the traditional
usul.

Under Basic Postulates Abu’l-A’la includes in number one, “Man
has also been invested with freedom of will and choice and the power
to use the resources of the world in any manner he likes. In short,
man has been given a sort of autonomy while being appointed God’s vicegerent
on the earth.” First, although the author invokes the mathematical
approach with the use of the term postulate, this postulate which he
uses has none of the rigour, tight definition and exactness of mathematical
postulates. There are so many elements in this one statement that it
is meaningless to call it a postulate.

Without entering the fruitless and forbidden debate between advocates
of free-will and advocates of predestination, Maududi has clearly and
immediately given very strong indications that he is ideologically a
member of the group who used to be known as the Qadariyyah – the
proponents of free-will and those who deny the decree of Allah. The
second part of that assertion is more evident by emphasis and omission
than by any declaration. When the angel Jibril, peace be upon him, asked
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to describe Iman
– belief – he enumerated its elements as, “That you
believe in Allah, His Messengers, His Books, His angels, the Decree
– the good of it and the bad of it, and the Last Day.” The
last two terms deal with the great paradox of human existence that everything
is decreed by Allah, exalted is He, from before the creation of the
cosmos, and that the human being must face a reckoning for his deeds.

Imam Malik said, “The people who believe in the doctrine of
free-will (al-Qadariyyah) are the worst of mankind. I see them
as fickle people of shallow intelligence and innovations because of
many ayat which there are against them, of which there is the words
of Allah, mighty is He and majestic, ‘The building they have built
will not cease to be a bone of contention in their hearts’ (Surat
at-Tawbah, 111), and of which there is ‘And He revealed to Nuh,
“No one of your people will believe except for he who has already
believed”,’ (Surah Hud, ayah 36) and He said, ‘And
they will not give birth to any but wicked disbelievers,’ (Surah
Nuh, 27), ‘You will entice no one to them except for him who is to roast
in the Blazing Fire,’ (Surat as-Saffat, 163) and He said, ‘but Allah
was averse to their setting out so He held them back” (Surat at-Tawbah,
46) and in many other ayat.’”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported
to have said a number of things about the proponents of free-will, including
that they are the worst of mankind. Imam an-Nawawi narrated, “It
is established as an authentic statement that he said, may Allah bless
with him and grant him peace, ‘The Qadariyyah are the Magians (i.e.
dualists) of this community’”. It is not our purpose here to refute
them or to enter into a polemic on the matter. Rather we want to show
how much a modernist like Abu’l-A’la al-Maududi has imbibed the mathematical
approach as shown by his language of postulates. His first postulate
contains by omission and by emphasis something, which is further repeated
and elaborated throughout his book, entirely against the Sunnah.

Again in Chapter three, Essential Features of Islamic Political System,
Maududi begins, “The political system of Islam has been based on
three principles, viz., Tawheed (Unity of God), Risalat (Prophethood)
and Khilafat (Caliphate).” Here postulates are exchanged for principles,
but the thinking is the same. We only note that the equation here fails
in the first term “political system of Islam” because it introduces
two terms which would not be recognised classically: “political”
and “system”, and introducing matters into Islam is called
classically bid’ah. Maudud was enamoured of all things western so much
that he wanted to remake Islam entirely in its image. Yet, he did not
have enough knowledge of western society to know of the immense literatures
in criticism of ‘politics’ and ’systems’.

By the process of these three principles Maududi further arrives at
‘the State’ and ‘Islamic democracy’. The State was no part of early
Islamic thinking and is clearly another innovation. If we examine the
Arabic term dawlah, which is often translated as ’state’, it means a
‘turn of fortune in battle’. The word does not occur in the Qur’an but
another word from the same root does, doolah and it means a ‘turn of
fortune in terms of wealth’. The former is ‘political’ and the latter
‘economic’. However, our term ’state’ is related to ’static’ which is
precisely the direct opposite of the Arabic term. The obsessive drive
to create a state is a desperate fear of the dynamic nature of history
and of the turning this way and that way of fortune, i.e. Allah’s eternal
decree of the winners and losers. The state in western thinking is also
something which legislates, i.e. creates laws. The dawlah for the Muslims
may never create laws, but it can only implement Allah’s revealed law.

With respect to Islamic democracy, another innovation, Maududi says,
“Every person in an Islamic society enjoys the rights and powers
of the caliphate of God and in this respect all individuals are equal.”
Here we see the ‘equality’ of the French Revolution raising its not
so unexpected head. These words hark back to a group called the Khawarij
– literally ’seceders’ – who also affirmed a kind of
radical understanding of equality, which led them to murder Sayyiduna
‘Ali, may Allah honour him, murder being the ultimate weapon of egalitarians.

Again later in the same chapter, Abu’l-A’la introduces the concept
of Fundamental Human Rights for all mankind. This is clearly another
innovatory introduction of something foreign into Islam.

In Chapter IV Islamic Social Order, he begins, “The foundations
of the social system of Islam rest on the belief that all human beings
are equal and constitute one single fraternity.” We have already
questioned the concept of equality. It is doubly questionable here because
Allah, exalted is He, specifically refutes it in many ayat in the Qur’an,
e.g. where He says, “Say: ‘Are the blind and sighted equal? Or
are darkness and light the same?’” (Surat ar-Ra’d: 17) And, “Do
you make the giving of water to the pilgrims and looking after the Sacred
Mosque the same as believing in Allah and the Last Day and doing jihad
in the Way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah
does not guide the people of the wrongdoers. Those who believe and emigrate
and do jihad in the way of Allah with their wealth and themselves have
a higher rank with Allah. They are the triumphant.” (Surat at-Tawbah:
19-20) In this latter ayat, Allah differentiates the people who struggle
in the way of Allah from other believers. The ayat which differentiate
Muslims from jews, christians and other unbelievers are too numerous
and too well-known to mention. It is complete nonsense to say that humans
are all equal and one great brotherhood. But of course ‘brotherhood’
is the last term from the slogan of the French Revolution. That brotherhood
was to be achieved, as Marat proposed, by the removal of, “Two
hundred and sixty thousand aristocrat heads.”

Al-Maududi continues in the same chapter to say, “The foremost
and fundamental institution of human society is the unit of the family,”
but the family is not the unit of the society, but a unit possibly of
a clan or a tribe or a race. Islamic society begins when people pledge
allegiance to their leader, not because of any familial relationship
or tribal culture.

Most significantly in Chapter V, Economic Principles of Islam, Maududi,
says, “Islam has laid down some principles and prescribed certain
limits for the economic activity of man…” Note here that
Islam rather than being ’submission’ and ’surrender’ has now become
an active entity laying down principles. This leads on to something
quite crucial, “Islam does not concern itself with time-bound methods
and techniques of economic production or with the details of the organisational
pattern and mechanisms.” The statement is ambiguous. It can lead
easily to the interpretation that the economic patterns of the right-acting
first generations are not a source for our shari’ah. That cuts us off
from a clear model of a non-usurious economy and leaves us adrift in
the sea of ‘Islamic Principles’. That was what actually and quite conveniently
led many of Maududi’s followers into directorships of Islamic banks
and other similar usurious institutions.

Perhaps, this is sufficient to show the penetration of this type of
mathematical approach into the thinking of just one of the exponents
of now out-dated modernist Islam. However, please note that any mathematician,
philosopher or person trained in that type of thinking would faint at
the weakness of thought displayed here, the falsity of its logic, and
the emptiness of its conclusions.

We put these examples here, to illustrate how widespread is the basic
idea which is at the core of the mathematisation of science, and how
much damage it can do.

From: Abdassamad Clarke

See also:

• A study of the book ‘Root Islamic Education’ by Shaykh Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi led by Hajj Abdassamad Clarke

Shaykh `Abdalhaqq Bewley: Legalised Deviation of Tassawuf Imposed Inside Muslim Tariqahs

Download

From The 12th International Fiqh Conference via the Muslims of Norwich Community Website

Do Not Despise The Sinners

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Translated by Shaykh Yusuf Laher

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “That person who taunts and ridicules his Muslim brother over a sin from which he has repented, will not die until he himself commits that same sin.” For example, you come to know that a certain person committed or was involved in a particular sin and you also know that this person has repented from it. To think low of him or to taunt or ridicule him because of that sin, by saying something like: “You are the one who was involved in certain evil actions”, is in itself a sin.

Through repentance a person has corrected his relationship with Allah Most High. Through repentance not only has the sin been forgiven, it has also been erased from his book of deeds! Allah Most High has erased it from his book of deeds but you, because of that sin, are thinking low of him and treating him with contempt. You are taunting and ridiculing him. This action is extremely despised by Allah Most High.

This is regarding a person whom you know has repented. If you don’t know whether he has repented or not, then there is always this possibility that he, being a mu’min (believer), has repented or will repent in the future. Therefore, if someone has committed a sin and you do not know whether he has repented or not, you still do not have the right to hold him in contempt. It is possible that he has repented. Remember! Abhorrence should be for the sin and not the sinner! Hatred should be for sins. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not teach us to despise those who sin.

On the other hand, the sinner is worthy of pity and compassion, for this distressed person has been overtaken by a sickness. If a person is overtaken by a physical sickness, do you abhor his sickness or the person who is sick? Does the sick person become the target of your hatred? Obviously, the sick person is not deserving of your hatred. Yes, despise his sickness. Concern yourself with removing his sickness, so make du’a. The sick person should not be the target of hatred. He should be pitied for the reason that this poor person is caught up in a difficulty.

If someone is a kafir (disbeliever) then despise his kufr (disbelief), do not despise him. Make du’a for him that Allah Most High grants him guidance. Amin. How much did the kuffar (disbelievers) not persecute the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)? They shot at him with arrows, they pelted stones at him, and his body bled from various places, but the words that flowed from his mouth were the following: “O Allah! Grant my people guidance, for they do not know the reality” (of this din).

Take note that that he did not despise them because of their kufr, shirk (associating partners with Allah), oppression and transgressions. Rather, while expressing pity and affection, he made du’a for them that ‘O Allah! These people are ignorant. They are unaware of the reality; therefore they are treating me in this manner. O Allah! Grant them guidance’.

So when seeing someone involved in sin, have pity on him and make du’a for him and try to steer him away from sin. Advise and counsel him but do not think low of him. Perhaps Allah accepts his repentance and he surpasses you in the sight of Allah.

I have heard the following words of advice of Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi from my respected father, Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ and ‘Arif Billah Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on them): “I consider every current Muslim and every non Muslim, as far as the future is concerned to be superior to me.” “As far as the future is concerned” means that although the person is presently in the condition of kufr, maybe Allah Most High grants him the tawfiq (guidance) of repenting and he is freed from the burden of kufr. Thereafter, Allah Most High raises his status so high that he surpasses me!

“Every current Muslim” means that a person who is a Muslim, a person of iman (true faith), one whom Allah Most High has granted the wealth of iman. What do I know regarding his connection and status with Allah Most High? Every person’s relationship with Allah Most High is unique. How can we judge anyone? Therefore, I consider every Muslim to be superior to me.

In this statement of Hakim al-Ummah, “I consider every Muslim to be superior to me”, there is obviously no possibility of lies and deception, or that he just said it out of moral courtesy. He said it because he firmly believed it. Anyway, to think low of someone, even though it is due to his committing of sin, is not permissible.

This malady of regarding others with contempt is found mostly in people who have reformed and turned towards din (Islam). They were not concerned with din previously but now have changed and became steadfast on salah and fasting. They have made their dressing and appearance in conformity with the Shari’ah. They have started frequenting the masjid. They have become regular in performing salah with congregation.¹ Satan induces such a person with this thought that you are now on the straight path. These people who are involved in sin are ruined. The result of this thought is that he starts thinking low of them and treats them with contempt. He now starts criticizing them in a hurtful manner. This results in Satan involving such people in vanity, self-regard and pride. When a person suffers from self-regard and pride, all his good actions are destroyed.

When a person’s gaze falls on himself that he is pious and others are bad then he is caught up in vanity. Vanity causes all good actions to become worthless. Only that action is acceptable which is done with sincerity for Allah Most High alone. After performing the action the person makes shukr (gives thanks) unto Allah Most High that He granted me the tawfiq to perform this action (if He did not grant me the tawfiq, I would never have been able to carry out this action).

Therefore, do not treat anyone with contempt. Do not think low of any non-Muslim or any sinner.

It is mentioned in a hadith that when seeing a person afflicted with any sickness, recite the following du’a:

اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِىْ عَافَانِىْ مِمَّا ابْتَلاَكَ بِه وَ فَضَّلَنِىْ عَلَى كَثِيْرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ تِفْضِيْلاً

All praises are due unto Allah, who has granted me safety from that which he has afflicted you with, and granted me well-being over many of the creation. (Al-Hisn al-Hasin, p.349)

It is sunnah to recite this du’a when seeing an afflicted person. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us this (Note: it should be recited softly lest the afflicted person is offended).

Shaykh Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say: “Whenever I pass by a hospital, then, praises be to Allah, I always recite this du’a.” He would also make du’a that Allah grants the sick good health.

One of my teachers used to say that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us to recite this du’a when seeing a sick person, but I also recite it when seeing someone involved in sin. Sometimes when walking on the road I see people lined up at the cinema houses purchasing tickets. I recite this du’a on seeing them. Then I make shukr unto Allah Most High that He has saved me from this sin.

The reason for reciting this du’a when seeing a person involved in sin is that just as a physically sick person is worthy of pity, so is the sinner worthy of pity and sympathy, for he is also caught up in a predicament. Also, make du’a for him that: “O Allah! Remove this difficulty from him.”

It should be known that those who are presently involved in sin and you consider them low and worthy of contempt may later on receive the tawfiq of repentance and surpass you! So for what reason are you boasting? If you have been granted the tawfiq of abstaining from sin then make shukr unto Allah Most High. If they haven’t as yet received the tawfiq, then make du’a for them that Allah Most High grants them guidance and grants them relief from their afflictions. Amin.

Anyway, despise kufr, despise sin and transgression, but do not despise the person. In fact, you should treat him with love and kindness. When you speak to him, speak with softness and affection. Speak with feeling and love so that it may have a good effect on him. This was always the method of all our pious elders.

I heard this story of Hadrat Junayd al-Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) from my respected father Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him). While passing a certain place, Hadrat Junayd saw a person hanging from the gallows, whose hands and one leg was amputated. He inquired from the people regarding this person. The people informed him that this person was a habitual thief. His hand was cut when he was caught the first time. His leg was cut when caught the second time. Now on the third occasion he has been hanged. Hadrat Junayd went forward and kissed the dead man’s foot.  People said to him: “This man was such a big and habitual thief, and you kissed his feet?” He replied: “Although he had committed such a big crime and sin for which he has been punished, but he had a wonderful quality in him, and that is steadfastness (istiqamah). Although he used this quality in a wrong way, however, he remained steadfast on the manner of his chosen occupation. His hand was amputated but he never left his choice. His leg was amputated yet he remained steadfast on theft. His other hand was amputated and still he did not give up his occupation. He remained steadfast on theft until finally his life has been taken. It is now apparent that he had the quality of steadfastness in him and I kissed his foot because of this quality.” May Allah Most High grant us this quality in our worship and obedience unto Him. Amin.

Anyway, the pious servants of Allah do not despise people but despise the evils perpetrated by them. They (the pious) go to the extent of saying that if an evil person has any good qualities in him then those good qualities should be striven for! Concern yourself with trying to remove the bad qualities in a person by speaking to him with love and affection. Speak only to him and do not speak to others about him.

It is mentioned in a hadith: “A believer (mu’min) is a mirror to another believer” (Abu Dawud). If a person has a spot on his face and stands in front of a mirror, the mirror will reflect that spot on his face. The mirror is showing him his defects. In the same way, a believer is also a mirror to another believer. When a believer sees another with a defect, he should inform him with love and affection that you have this certain weakness in you, remove it.

It is just like when a person has a worm or any insect crawling on him, then out of concern you inform him that there is an insect crawling on him, so remove it. Similarly, if a Muslim brother has a dini defect in him, then with love and affection, inform him that he has this defect in him, because a believer is a mirror to another believer.

Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi says that this hadith teaches us that when you see a fault in another person, then inform only that person of this fault, do not tell it to others. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) compared a believer to a mirror. The mirror only exposes the spot on the face to the person standing in front of it and not to others. Thus, the duty of a believer is to inform the person involved that he has a certain weakness in him and not to inform others of his weakness. If a person also tells others then it implies that he has acted upon his own evil desires and this will not be an act of din anymore. If he only informs and advises the afflicted person with love and concern, then this is what iman (true faith) and brotherhood demands. But to despise or think low of him is not permissible under any circumstance.

May Allah Most High grant us the understanding and the guidance to practice on this. Amin.

---

1. Obviously this is not always the case. There are those among the reformed who are not like this. Also, there are those who have always been regular on their din but suffer from this malady. The respected author is saying that this malady is mostly found in such people, but not always. (Translator) ↩

From: Deoband.org

Read Ma`arif al-Qur’an by Mufti Shafi `Uthmani online

On Hoplessness

“Temperaments of people move faster towards hopelessness, because when hopeless a person does not regard himself responsible to take action and excuses himself from taking any action. Understand it well that this is a big trick of Satan and the self.”

Words and Reflections, Maulana Ilyas Khandehlawi

See also:

• Longevity, Negativity, and Positive Thinking

• Be Positive

• Don’t Be Sad – Da’iyah ‘Aaidh Al Qarni

Drunk with the love of resources

“Becoming hopeless on seeing shortage of resources is a sign that you are drunk with the love of resources, and your faith in Allah’s promises and His Invisible Power is very little. If you work with placing your trust in Allah, and with courage, Allah will gather the resources together; otherwise, what can a man do by himself? Courage and humanly possible effort is a pre-condition, however.”

Words and Reflections, Maulana Ilyas Khandehlawi

Du`a: Allah is Near His Servants

Surat al-Baqara: Verse 186

And when My servants ask you about Me, of course, I am near. I respond to the call of one when he prays to Me;’so they should respond to Me, and have faith in Me so that they may be on the right path. (Verse 186)

Allah is near His servants

Injunctions and merits concerning fasting and Ramadan were mentioned in three previous verses. This strain continues even after the present verse when details of fasting and I’tikaf appear in a long verse. In between, this brief verse has been introduced to persuade of Allah to obey the commands of Allah by recognizing how He, in His special grace, hears and answers their prayers. There is no doubt about fasting being a difficult obligation despite many concessions and permissions. It is to make the trial bearable that special grace has been mentioned – ‘I am near My servants. When they pray, I answer their prayers and take care of what they need.’

Under these conditions, it is befitting that servants of Allah should bear by hardships that come during the performance of given injunctions. Ibn Kathir has pointed out to another wisdom behind this sentence appearing in the middle of injunctions of fasting. According to him, this verse gives a hint that a prayer ( : du’a) made at the completion of a fast is accepted, therefore, one should be very particular about making prayers at that time. The Holy Prophet has said:

The prayer made by one who is fasting at the time of his iftar is accepted.

This is why the blessed Companion, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar would assemble his family members around him at the time of iftar and would pray.

Ruling

By saying (I am near) in this verse, it has been hinted that prayer should be made slowly and quietly; to raise voice while praying is not desirable. This is confirmed by the background in which this verse was revealed. According to Ibn Kathir, a visitor from a village asked the Holy Prophet : “Tell me if our Lord is near us, then, we shall pray in a lowered voice; and if He is far, we shall call Him with raised voices.” Thereupon, this verse was revealed.

Ma`arif al-Qur’an, Mufti Shafi `Uthmani

Patience

Ibn `Ata said, “Patience is to dwell in tribulation with the best of conduct.”