Day 30: Responding the Qur'an Burning Threat

Article Summary:

This article considers the proposed Qur'an Burning Event by an American Christian Church and provides a Muslim's response. It further explores the various historical attempts by the Church and the Evangelical Missionaries to undermine Islam and the reactions of the Muslims. It finally addressed the Muslims on how to and how not to react to the current threat. This article is written purely from a Muslim's perspective.

The Qur'an Burning event by an Evangelical Church is definitely an emotional torture. Seeing what you love being trashed in such ghastly manner is very emotionally challenging. Hearts will be hurt, tears will be secretly shed. Try the following tips to enable a meaningful and civil response to the situation:

Tip #1 - Know their purpose and do not make them achieve their vain purpose:

The Event is intended to make Muslims angry and overreact, therefore do not be angry and just take this as a test of strength. Be strong in the face of torture!

Tip #2 - Understand that these people are ignorant and extremist in their thinking:

All extremists, be they Muslims, Christians, Zionists, Hindi etc are ignorant. Understand this, pity them and think of how to enlighten them with patience and intellect.

Tip #3 - Gauge Your Reaction:

Muslims are expected to live within standards moderated by the God's Words (as contained in the Qur'an) and the examples set by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called the Sunnah. Think of how God encourages dialogue and with wisdom and beautiful oratory (Qur'an Chapter 16 verse 125).

Tip #4 - Employ Legal Tools and Follow Procedures:

All societies are structured to be able to promote harmony and protect its citizens. There are legal means of preventing such hateful incitements. Seek these and follow procedures and achieve your purpose in such a way that it will prevent any such events even in the future.

Tip #5 - Be Positive and Think Positive: Every bad situation will have its opportunity. See the brighter side of this publicity that the Qur'an will get, and espouse its lovely contents. Show what its says about things that are important to everyone.

Read the full article at: www.muslimmessage.blogspot.com 

Day 29: The Heart @ Peace

Fasting in Ramadan disciplines the body and the soul to acquire humane spirit of fellow feeling and a desire to attain a peace in the mind, peace in the community and peace in the world. Islam facilitates a peaceful status quo as a result of surrendering the hearts, souls and society to the obedience of God. The greeting of Islam is “peace be upon you” and the institutions within Islam strives to establishes global brotherhood of people of diverse races, language, culture and background. There are no artificial and material segregation, there is inter-marriage, because the more you interact, the more tolerant and at-home you are wherever you go.

The heart at peace is a heart that is not hateful, but humbled; not self-serving, but social solution driven. The heart which treats every God-created human being as people - not de-humanised objects. This precisely is the key to unlocking that heart at peace. Hence, the Qur'an provides guidance on human interaction to protect and every body, to show respect and have a feel for other people. God says: “O you who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), nor let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after (you have attained) faith. And whoso turns not in repentance, such are evil-doers. O you who believe! Shun much suspicion; for some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful. O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Verily, the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.” (Qur'an 49 verses 11-13)

During conflicts, we are mandated to still see people as human deserving of respect and justice, we may hate their actions, but we can still deal with the action without dehumanising them or condemning their entirety. Remember, they may be your enemies today; they may turn out to be your friends tomorrow. Therefore, they may be holding different opinion or position from you, but they are still like you because they are driven by their experience, by their needs and aspirations. They have families and loved ones like you and just like you they may be a victim of their upbringing, their experience or their reality which they may not have any control over.

Avoid personalising the issues, particularly if the issues are nothing personal. Offences against God is not personal. God himself is aware of their misdeeds, but He let them be for a purpose. God states clearly, “… if any reject Faith let not his rejection grieve thee: to Us is their return and We shall tell them the truth of their deeds: for Allah knows well all that is in (men's) hearts.” (Qur'an 31 verse 23) Therefore, their misdeed cannot be an excuse for justifying your warring hearts including injustice to them. God says, “And let not your hatred of a folk …seduce you to transgress; but help ye one another unto righteousness and pious duty. Help not one another unto sin and transgression, but keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is severe in punishment.” (Qur'an 5 verse 2)

Hatred is not always only directed at people on the other side. Many of our hearts are weighed down because of relationship with people very close to us. While warring with close relatives, we are instructed to still protect them, do our duty as usual and always keep in mind they are human. God says in Qur'an 64 verse 14: “O you who believe! Truly among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to yourselves: so beware of them! But if you forgive and overlook and cover up (their faults) verily God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

The heart at peace cannot be reached without two key ingredients. First, anyone seeking a peaceful heart must see everyone as equals to himself or herself and also treat everyone the same way. Secondly, such a person must increase their stewardship towards all of God’s creation. When you heartily and sincerely serve people, you will feel them and see the humanity in them. 

An example of a heart at peace is the heart of Saladin Al-Ayubi. There was an interesting discussion on his gallantry and humane-ness from the chapter titled Peace in Wartime in the book, The Anatomy of Peace: How to Resolve the Heart of Conflict by the Arbinger Institute (pages 20 to 28). It made an interesting read and further beautiful exploitation of the theme “The Heart @ Peace.”

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 27: Is Islam Practicable Today?

I shall now touch upon …whether Islam can achieve supremacy in the modern world, whether the other communities of mankind can be expected to embrace Islam, and how, and whether, Islam is a practicable creed in the present age?

We should be clear that we cannot expect the rest of mankind to offer to embrace Islam without any effort on our part. Indeed, no community ever made any such offer during any period of the history of Islam. Even the Prophet of Islam did not receive any spontaneous response when he first called mankind to the path of Islam. Great movements that seek to revolutionize human society and the ways of men can succeed only if they have behind them a powerful personality who is determined to break the resistance of fossilized tradition and to change the shape of things and the course of the events. Take Communism, for instance. It sought to bring about radical changes to make a clean sweep of private property and bring all wealth under state control. And yet, when some powerful persons set themselves to the task and resolved to achieve the end at all cost, they succeeded. There is therefore no reason why an Islamic revolution should not be successful in the present age.

Similarly, the question whether Islam is a practicable creed in the present-day world is clearly absurd. Islam has always been a practicable religion and will remain practicable for all times to come. The point is whether there is any nation in the world today that is prepared to adopt the Islamic way of life totally and without any reservations. As I observed earlier, the starting point of the history of Islam as a world force was the acceptance by the whole Arab nation of the social, economic, political and cultural system of Islam and its willingness to mould individual character and communal life in harmony with the principles of the new Faith. That nation not only rallied round the banner of Islam but also resolved to carry that banner into the outside world, to dedicate itself to the cause of Islam and to die for it if necessary.

Similarly, if any community of men today adopts Islam in its entirety, organizes its life and conduct fully in accordance with Islamic principles, and dedicates itself totally to the cause, there is no reason why the rest of mankind should not be persuaded to embrace and adopt Islam today. It is, of course, impossible to achieve anything merely though discourses and discussion and pugilistic writings, indeed, even to convince others that Islam is still practicable. But if we can establish in time and space a system of life truly embodying the ideals, principles and doctrines of Islam, all right-minded people are bound to be attracted by it and, in course of time, to accept it.

Since, by God's will, I was born in this particular nation and belong to it, it is but natural for me to wish and pray that my nation should have the proud privilege of leading an Islamic revolution in the present age, of being the first of the present day nations to adopt Islam in its totality, and to set up a model Islamic society which should serve as an example and a beacon for the rest of mankind.

(Extract from Islam Today by Abul A'la Maududi, an analysis of the past, present and future of Islam in a lecture delivered in Karachi on December 10, 1963)

Day 24: The World @ War

“…there is no blame on them if they arrange an amicable settlement between themselves; and such settlement is best; even though men's souls are swayed by greed.  But if ye do good and practice self-restraint Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” (Qur'an 4 verse 128)

We are in a warring world, where anger is more likely than favour, where war equipments are more than food-farming equipment and where in almost all countries, the defence budget is higher than the health budget and research into destructive weapons has far more funding than research into weapons of enlightenment & progressive skills of reading, writing and access to education. However, since we went unashamedly into war with our own blood and neighbours, ethnic, race and citizenry and even fellow-adherents, nature has since joined in the destruction. The massive catastrophes are all unfolding all at once from the Pakistani flood, China’s landslides, Russia’s heat wave cum wildfires etc.

Rarely do you find peaceful hearts in today’s world: a heart without anger, hatred or malice of anyone or anything. Rarely! Hardly!! Start with yourself, is your heart completely free of antagonism towards anyone or anything?

Yet, a pure and peaceful is the guaranteed way of a glimpse of hope that you may be headed towards Paradise. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was sitting with a group of the companions and he said "A man will now enter who is from the people of Paradise." Just then a companion walked in. This happened again the next day. Another companion named 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas wanted to find out what was so special about this man. So he asked the man if he can stay over his house for 3 days making up some excuses. The man allowed him to stay. 'Abdullah noticed that the man didn't do anything out of the ordinary: He didn't fast all the time, he didn’t pray all night, etc. So after the third day, 'Abdullah told him what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said about him and his desire to find out why he has been described as from the People of Paradise. The man couldn't think of anything, but after a while he said perhaps it may be because he does not go to sleep with any ill-feelings towards anyone from his heart and his willingness to forgive anyone who has done anything wrong towards him. This is a Man with a Heart at Peace, this is a Man from the People of Paradise.

To have a world free of war, communities must be populated by hearts at peace. This cannot and will never happen by accident, but must be a deliberate and calculated effort. Ramadan is a tool for achieving such sublime, selfless and peaceful hearts. We Muslims have the mandate to lead this change as part of our destined purpose as God’s vicegerent or stewards on God’s earth. My intention is to encourage hate-free hearts this Ramadan, hope you will try to join me in this effort.

“And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility and when the ignorant address them they say "Peace!"” (Qur'an 25 verse 63)

Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 21: Living the Qur'an

"The Qur'an is the source of true knowledge and true worship of Allah, the only true God. Yet the cruel jokes which Muslims play with the Book of Allah are so inane that if we saw someone else doing such things in any other spheres of life, we would mock them and even brand them as lunatics!

"Tell me, what would you say if somebody got a doctor's prescription and hung it around his neck after wrapping it in a piece of cloth or washed it in water and drink it? Would you not laugh at him and call him a fool? Yet this is the very treatment being given before your eyes to the matchless prescription written by the greatest of all doctors to provide a cure for all your ailments and nobody laughs!

"Tell me, what would you think if someone who was ill picked up a book on medicine and began to read it, believing, thinking that this would cure? Would you not say that he was deranged? Yet this is how we treat the Book, which the Supreme Healer has sent for the cure of our diseases. We think that just by flicking through all its pages, our diseases will disappear without following the directions given in them or abstaining from the things, which they pronounce harmful. Are we not in the same situation, as the man who considers that reading a book on medicine will cure his illness?

"If you receive a business letter in a language you do not know, you would go to a man who knows the language to find out what it says. You remain anxious and restless until you have found out what the letter says, even though it will bring only some paltry worldly profit. But the letter sent to you by the Lord of the worlds, which can bring you all the benefits of this world, and the Eternal Life is carelessly set aside. You do not show any uneasiness at not understanding its contents. Is this not astonishing?

"Reflect for a while on these facts and your hearts will tell you that the greatest injustice is being done to the Book of Allah. Ironically the culprits are the very people who proclaim their readiness to sacrifice their lives for it. No doubt they have faith in it, but the pity is that it is they who treat it outrageously."

The above paragraphs are the beautiful words of Abul A'la Mawdudi (in his book Let Us Be Muslims). He has nothing against reciting the Qur'an as we are being encouraged to do in Ramadan. His point is that our failing as an Ummah (the best and balanced community) stems from the fact that we are far from the Qur'an. We do not understand it, nor do we live by it; whereas the purpose of the Qur'an is to be lived and followed so that we are guided because "Allah's guidance is the (only) guidance and we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the worlds." (Qur'an 6 verse 71) 

When Aisha was asked about the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him) she said, he was the walking Qur'an. Mawdudi's opinion is that our mere practise of the Qur'an is enough da'wah to bring non-Muslims into Islam in droves. Therefore read the Qur'an (and in Ramadan, we are encouraged to attempt the whole of it) in a language you understand. Understand it and live by it. Your reward shall be immense. Read it also in Arabic (its pure form) sincerely. May Allah make our tasks easier for us. Amin.

Day 18: The Last Man to Enter Paradise

The people said, "O Allah's Messenger! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" The Prophet said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the moon on a full moon night?" They said, "No, O Allah's Messenger." He said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun when there are no clouds?" They said, "No, O Allah's Messenger." He said, "So you will see Him, like that. Allah will gather all the people on the Day of Resurrection, and say, 'Whoever worshipped something (in the world) should follow (that thing),' so, whoever worshipped the sun will follow the sun, and whoever worshiped the moon will follow the moon, and whoever used to worship certain (other false) deities, he will follow those deities. And there will remain only this nation with its hypocrites. …Allah will come to them in His appearance which they know, and will say, 'I am your Lord.' They will say, 'You are our Lord,' so they will follow Him.

“Then a bridge will be laid across Hell (Fire). My followers and I will be the first ones to go across it and none will speak on that Day except the Messengers. And the invocation of the Messengers on that Day will be, 'O Allah, Save us! Save us!' Over the Bridge, there will be hooks like the thorns of As-Sa'dan (a thorny plant). Have you seen As-Sa'dan?" They replied, "Yes, Rasulullah!" He said, "So those hooks look like the thorns of As-Sa'dan, but none knows how big they are except Allah. Those hooks will snap the people away according to their deeds. Some of the people will stay in Hell (be destroyed) because of their (evil) deeds, and some will be cut or torn by the hooks (and fall into Hell) and some will be punished and then relieved. When Allah has finished His Judgments among the people, He will take whomever He will out of Hell through His Mercy. He will then order the angels to take out of the Fire all those who used to worship none but Allah from among those whom Allah wanted to be merciful to and those who testified (while on earth) that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah. The angels will recognize them in the Fire by the marks of prostration (on their foreheads), for the Fire will eat up all the human body except the mark caused by prostration as Allah has forbidden the Fire to eat the mark of prostration. They will come out of it, completely burnt and then the water of life will be poured over them and they will grow under it, as does a seed that comes in the mud of the torrent.

“Then Allah will finish the judgments among the people, and there will remain one man facing the (Hell) Fire and he will be the last person among the people of Hell to enter Paradise. He will say, 'O my Lord! Please turn my face away from the fire because its air has hurt me and its severe heat has burnt me.' So he will invoke Allah in the way Allah will wish him to invoke, and then Allah will say to him, 'If I grant you that, will you then ask for anything else?' He will reply, 'No, by Your Power, (Honour) I will not ask You for anything else.' He will give his Lord whatever promises and covenants Allah will demand. So Allah will turn his face away from Hell (Fire). When he will face Paradise and will see it, he will remain quiet for as long as Allah will wish him to remain quiet, then he will say, 'O my Lord! Bring me near to the gate of Paradise.' Allah will say to him, 'Didn't you give your promises and covenants that you would never ask for anything more than what you had been given? Woe on you, O Adam's son! How treacherous you are!' He will say, 'O my lord,' and will keep on invoking Allah till He says to him, 'If I give what you are asking, will you then ask for anything else?' He will reply, 'No, by Your (Honour) Power, I will not ask for anything else.'

Then he will give covenants and promises to Allah and then Allah will bring him near to the gate of Paradise. When he stands at the gate of Paradise, Paradise will be opened and spread before him, and he will see its splendour and pleasures whereupon he will remain quiet as long as Allah will wish him to remain quiet, and then he will say, 'O my Lord! Admit me into Paradise.' Allah will say, 'Didn't you give your covenants and promises that you would not ask for anything more than what you had been given?' Allah will say, 'Woe on you, O Adam's son! How treacherous you are!' The man will say, 'O my Lord! Do not make me the most miserable of Your creation,' and he will keep on invoking Allah till Allah will laugh because of his sayings, and when Allah will laugh because of him, He will say to him, 'Enter Paradise,' and when he will enter it, Allah will say to him, 'Wish for anything.' So he will ask his Lord, and he will wish for a great number of things, for Allah Himself will remind him to wish for certain things by saying, "Wish for so-and-so.' When there is nothing more to wish for, Allah will say, 'This is for you, and its equal (is for you) as well." Abu Hurayrah noted, "That man will be the last person of the people of Paradise to enter Paradise." (Bukhari)

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK

Day 17: The Place for Everything and Everyone

For the responsible person, his house is the centre point of his living. It is his home. It is his safety and comfort; the harbinger of his success; the security of his acquisition; the nursery of his prosperity; and the museum of his past. It is from there that he prepares to face the day’s challenges and it is to it (his house) that he returns to refresh from life’s wears and tears.  

To perform these functions in the life of an individual, the house must therefore, be conceived, designed, structured and maintained with maximum concern. Little wonder than that the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarded a spacious home as one of the good things in life.

Just as it is with the individual, the community is also bound to conceive and maintain a physical centre-point, a convergence of their history, safety, and pride.  Different communities institute different landmark: the village square the city centre, the town hall or the conservation park, the palace, market, or a statue-filled arena. For the community of Muslims, the centre-point of our life is the Masjid (the Mosque).

The Masjid is the place for everyone and everything. It is the place of prayer (worship), it supports school and studies. Its courtyard and side halls serves a social functions as well as a business purpose. The masjid is the place of entertainment, a source of welfare and charity. It is the point of safety from aggression, oppression, racism, injustice and poverty. Allah says, “Remember We made the house a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and …a place of prayer…” (Qur'an 2 verse 125) 

It is built by individuals for Allah’s sake. Everyone regardless of origin, colour and language is allowed into the masjid. For as long as they abide by the etiquette of the masjid, they are permitted therein. No one should be discriminated against; rather, they should find solution in the masjid. Voices are not to be raised therein; sales should be discouraged in the main prayer hall. 

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 16: The Goal of Ramadan

As we are midway into Ramadan, it is necesary to remind ourselves of why we are fasting; what we are meant to achieve with the abstenance and discipline and the selflessness. God encourages us to remind ourselves as such reminders benefit the believers.

Fasting is worship and it draws us closer to Allah. Allah has prescribed it to purify our soul so that we are trained in good deeds and self-scrutiny. Hence, fasting means a temporary vacation from various forms of worldly enjoyment, including eating, drinking, sexual desires, shameless gazing, haram income, activities and places. By self-scrutiny we learn to be conscious of our every act because we consciously avoid all that may negate our fast. This attribute is contained in the goal of fasting for Allah says, "… that you may (learn) self-restraint." (Qur'an 2 verse 183)

The goal of fasting is not hardship by debarring us from culinary and sexual pleasure, but it is self-discipline and self-control, thus it includes the prohibition of verbal promiscuity. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Fasting is not [abstaining] from eating and drinking only, but also from vain speech and foul language." (Muslim)  In addition, it is a means of spiritual, physical, psychological and mental purification. It is a form of jihad nafsi (the Jihad against the selfish, materialist and mundane soul). Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said, "Allah said, 'all the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' FASTING IS A SHIELD OR PROTECTION FROM THE FIRE AND FROM COMMITTING SINS. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.'…” (Bukhari)

The fasting person must be on guard against any act that may cause him to lose the benefits of his fast. Thus, his fast will increase his God-consciousness, and Allah says in the Qur'an: "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you perchance you may attain God consciousness." (Qur'an 2 verse 183) God Consciousness is also derived from other acts which we are encouraged to undertake while fasting. The first is unshaken faith in Allah and complete trust in His promises. The Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever observed fast imbued with faith and with the expectation of reward from Allah, all his past sins are forgiven".

Fasting helps us to experience the realities of the poor and needy. This induces in us a moderate and considerate lifestyle, and a compassionate relationship evolves. We are then moved to help. Therefore we are encouraged to provide others with the means of breaking their fast (iftar) and engaged in the acts of sadaqah (charity) more in Ramadan. Ultimately, we want to seek the long time solution: the ability of the poor and needy to sustain themselves.

Thus is the goal for which Allah has dedicated this month. This is the goal which the over one billion Muslims would be striving to achieve this month. How many will really score, how many would have achieved their aims with this Ramadan. Now that you know what the goal of Ramadan is, what targets have you set for yourself and how do you intend to achieve them?

Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 15: Flood Them with Your Mercy - Please!

“O you who believe! Bow down prostrate yourselves and adore your Lord; and do good; that you may prosper.” (Qur'an 22 verse 77

This month presents us with an opportunity to bow down to Allah’s Will, show our love and obeisance of Him and engage in good deeds. These –Faith, Worship and Deeds - lead to prosperity in this life and in the life-hereafter. The deeds are not directed at your persons, there are selfless actions from you towards other people.

The biggest calamity yet this year is the current flood destroying lives and livelihood in Pakistan. This flood has brought deaths to thousands of lives. It has caused vicissitude to the status of thousands. It is changing the landscape of hundreds of communities, destroyed thousands of farms and homes. It has displaced millions of people rendering them homeless, defenceless and distraught. If this is the worst of calamities today, offering them a flood load of your good deeds is the greatest good you can do today, outside your immediate scope of responsibility and concern, that is.

Ramadan is a month of mercy and we Muslims must prove this to be true. And we are doing this already. The British public (including a sizeable number of Muslim populace) has already raised over £30 millions. A local mosque in Oxfordshire where I prayed Asr yesterday has raised over £16,500. And this is happening all over the world. If you have not donated, now is the time to do it. Remember while you break your fast with sumptuous meals, those affected by the flood, may not be fasting and those who are, will be doing so with even more difficulty than it used to be.

Our Creator says, “Those who give alms (donations), both men and women, they lend unto Allah a goodly loan, it will be doubled for them, and theirs will be a rich reward.” (Qur'an 57 verse 18) In essence, do it for your own benefit if not for the sake of the humanity we see suffering the cold and diseased caring flood.

Don’t know about you, buy the video clips of the flood humbles me. I marvel at those who see all these and do not FEEL the need to give even a widow’s mite. They probably lack humanity as they do not see humanity in the flood victims. “… their hearts were hardened and the devil made all that they used to do seem fair unto them!” Qur'an 6 verse 43.

Please for the sake of Allah and the sake of the Day of Judgement, let us this Ramadan throw open the flood gate of benevolence as our beloved Prophet used to do. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) “…was the most generous of the men; and he was the most generous during the month of Ramadan when Jibril visited him every night and recited the Qur'an to him. During this period, the generosity of Messenger of Allah waxed faster than the rain bearing wind.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

This act may count in our benefit on the Day of Judgement like we read in the hadith below on the importance of care and concern for those in difficult situations. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "A person (from amongst the people who lived before you) was called to account by Allah on the Day of Resurrection. No good deeds were found in his credit except that he being a rich man had (financial) dealings with people and had commanded his servants to show leniency to those who were in straitened circumstances. Upon this Allah, the Exalted, and Majestic said: `I am more entitled to this attribute, so waive (his faults)’.'' (Muslim)

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 14: A Husk and a Kernel

The goal of fasting is the acquisition of one of the qualities of God, namely steadfastness (samadiya), as well as following the examples of the angels by abstaining as far as possible from the desire of the flesh, for they are immune to such passions. The human status is superior to that of the animals, since man is able by the light of reason to tame his lust; yet it is inferior to that of the angels…. The angels are near to the presence of God, so those who follow their example and model themselves on their character will likewise draw near to God. To resemble one who is near is to be near. This nearness, however, is not spatial but qualitative.

If this is the meaning of fasting among men of profound understanding, what benefit is to be derived from postponing a meal only to combine two meals after sunset, while indulging in other passions the whole daylong? If there were any good in such conduct, what could the Prophet (peace be upon him) have meant by saying: “How many of those who fast get nothing from it but hunger and thirst?”

This is why Abu-Darda said: “How fine is the sleep of the wise and their non-fasting! Don’t they put to shame the fasting and wakefulness of fools? A mere atom from those possessed of certainty and true piety is better and weightier than the seeming mountains of worship by the misguided.” For the same reason, one of the scholars said: “How many who fast are not keeping fast and how many who do not keep fast are fasting!” 

The fasting non-faster is he who keeps his limbs and organs pure of sin while still eating and drinking (not in Ramadan); the non-fasting faster is he who goes hungry and thirsty while giving full licence to his limbs and organ. Those who understand the significance of fasting and its secret meaning are aware that he who abstains from food, drink and sexual intercourse while breaking fast by involving himself in sins, is like one who performs his ablution by wiping part of his body three times (in compliance with the external legal requirement), yet neglects what is really important, namely the actual washing. Because of this stupidity, his ritual prayer (salaah) is rejected. By contrast, he who does not abstain from eating yet does fast in the sense of keeping his organs free from all that is unworthy is comparable to one who washes the proper parts if his body only once each. God willing, his ritual prayers is accepted, since he has paid due attention to the essentials, even if he has omitted the details. But he who combines the two may be compared to one who does not only wash each part of his body, but does so three time each, for he attends to essentials and details alike, and this constitutes perfection.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said: “The fast is a trust, so let each of you keep his trust!” And when he recited the words of Allah, “Surely Allah bids you restore trusts to their owners.” (Qur'an 4 verse 58), he touched his ears and eyes, saying: “Hearing is a trust and sight is a trust.” If speech were not likewise a trust of the fast, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not have said: “Say: I am fasting.” In other words, “My tongue has been entrusted to my care, so how can I release it to answer your insults?” It therefore becomes apparent that every act of worship has both an outer and an inner aspect, a husk and a kernel.

-Imam Al-Ghazali, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship.

Day 13: Ramadan Sermon

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a very powerful sermon on Ramadan. It is concise and rich and no doubt if you sincerely want to benefit from Ramadan, you would almost memorise this sermon. This sermon emphasised the value, use, opportunities, and the uniqueness of Ramadan. Enjoy the sermon:

Importance of Ramadan: O People! Ramadan…is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which is the best of months with Allah. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered.

Usefulness of Ramadan: So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honour your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans.

Free Yourself with Ramadan: Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked. O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and  know that Allah swears by his might: that there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds. O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven. [Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water.”]

Actions for Ramadan: One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the Siraat (the Bridge over the Hell) on the day that feet will slip. One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement. As for one who honours an orphan; Allah will honour him on the day of judgement. And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgement. As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him...Whosoever performs a recommended prayer (nawafil) in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him. Whoever performs an obligator prayer (Salaah) Allah will reward him with seventy prayers’ worth in this month. And whosoever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

Ramadan, What A Wonderful Month: He who recites one verse of the noble Quran will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Qur’an during other months. O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; the doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month the Shaytan is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.

And the words of the Rasul (peace be upon him) are true!

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 10: The Wing of Humility (Part 2)

The instruction to lower our wings of humility is directly from our Creator who knows all that has transpired between us and our parents. He has not permitted rudeness under no account. The Qur'an says: “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you are kind to your parents.  Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life say not to them a word of contempt nor repel them but address them with words of honour. And out of kindness lower to them your wing of humility and say: "My Lord! bestow on them Your Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood’.” (Qur'an 17 verses 23 and 24)

For those who had grudges against their parents due to previous incidences of abandonment, neglect, abuse, discriminations, etc and have in turn abandoned their parents or have been rude to them or even disrespected them privately or publicly, God offers forgiveness in the verse immediately following the above: “Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts: if you do deeds of righteousness verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence)” (Qur'an 17 verse 25) You may well wonder why you need to seek forgiveness for giving them a dose of their own pill? Well, under no circumstance are you allowed to behave injuriously to your parents!

Firstly, in Islam, the consequences of someone’s failure will be faced by them either in this world or in the next world, and the consequence of your own actions will similarly confront you in due course. Therefore, do not let someone’s error cause your bitter reactions leading to unintended consequence – your doom.

The place of parenthood in Islam is such that kindness to parents is an act of piety, a measure of your humility and obedience of God. Love and care for parents is more than simple human gratitude, it is purely divine and spiritual. Abdullah Yusuf Ali similarly concluded, “our spiritual advancement is tested by this: we cannot expect Allah's forgiveness if we are rude or unkind to those who unselfishly brought us up.”

Although it is encouraged that though they may have failed once in a while to show you compassion and fairness when you were young, weak and helpless; now that they are old, weak and hapless and you are strong, viable and mobile, you should nevertheless still return the favour they bestowed upon you. Yes, that is true, but that is not the main reason why you should be kind and humble to them. It is basically the respect for the sanctity of parenthood. Did you not notice how God placed kindness to parent next to worship of Himself? “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you are kind to your parents….” Kindness to parents is akin to divine love and negligence of this duty is similar or equal to negligence of duty to your Creator. None of these can be excused. Never!

Patience and understanding is therefore important in dealing with aged parents. There is consequence if you take a dim view of this instruction.

For those who have lost their parents, there is still something you can do for them to show your kindness towards them. A man asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “O Messenger of God, is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death?” He (peace be upon him) replied: “Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends.” Simple! Islam does not ask you to do anything beyond your capability.

“On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error….” (Qur'an 2 verse 286)

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.

Day 9: The Wing of Humility (Part 1)

Kuffa is a town in Modern Day Iraq and it was a bubbling intellectual city. About 1,275 years ago, Imam Abu Hanifa was the undisputed Chief Judge of Kuffa. Everyone turns to him for legislative rulings or juridical clarification (fatwah). Everyone! But not his mother.

One day, his mother told him she needed to go out to ask for religious advice on what to do as she has seen some blood on her cloth. Imam Abu Hanifa gave her the ruling, but she said “No! You don’t know that much. I must go to Abu Zurha for the fatwah.” Abu Hanifa was amazed because Abu Zurha is not even amongst the legal luminaries of the day. He exclaimed, “Abu Zurha, The Storyteller?” “Yes!” She said.

Abu Hanifa humbly and patiently took his mother to Abu Zurha. Abu Zurha was surprised to see Imam Abu Hanifa in his compound. “Why?” he wondered. Imam Abu Hanifa went into Abu Zurha’s abode telling him that his mother wanted a fatwa from him. Abu Zurha shook his head, flatly refusing, saying he does not know the ruling on that question. He declared that he is not a scholar, but just a storyteller. Abu Hanifa whispered the answer in his ear and took him out to his mother. Abu Zurha listened to Abu Hanifa’s mother and pretended to ponder deep before giving a ‘scholarly’ (hmm borrowed) response. The old woman was satisfied, patted his son on the back saying, “You were right, you know!”

How many times have your opinion been rubbished by your parents, Uncles or older siblings? It’s a common phenomenon; parents always regard their children always as children regardless of their age and achievements. That should be expected and our efforts to convince close relatives (even sometimes including spouses) of the stuff we are made of have to be doubled. Too much familiarity brings contempt; and the family is fully familial. But the issue here is how do we deal with our parents no matter how annoying they are?

Imam Abu Hanifa, a true scholar that he is, had the humility to fulfil the mother’s desires without argument or abandonment. Even when he was vindicated, he was not haughty or naughty. He lowered his wing of humility, allowed his mother to ride on them. When our parents are old, surprisingly, they still have the energy to challenge us, because it’s just like yesterday that we were helpless and knew absolutely nothing and they taught us the basics in life. Thus their obstinate attitude to us; and this we must understand, appreciate and accept as human nature for which we might one day also be guilty of.

Part 2 continues shortly...

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.