Living The Quran & Understanding the Prophet's Life

January 29, 2021 - Jumada Al-Thani 16, 1442
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Living The Quran

Rule for Salvation
Al Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 112

"Indeed, whoever surrender themselves to God, while being sincere, shall have their reward with their Lord; they shall have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve."

Since the face of a person is the most expressive part of his body, it is used in classical Arabic to denote one's whole personality, or whole being. This expression (aslama), repeated in the Quran several times, provides a perfect definition of Islam, which - derived from the root-verb aslama, "he surrendered himself" - means "self-surrender to God": and it is in this sense that the terms Islam and Muslim are used throughout the Quran.

It is sincerity on which depends the weight and worth of an act. Allah will not accept anything that is not purely for Him. Pure sincerity need to be produced through the conviction of the heart and mind.

Thus the verse lays down a rule for salvation. It does not lie in being a Jew, a Christian, or a Muslim. It lies in total submission to Allah and in leading a righteous life in accordance with the dictates of the Revelation. Quite unmindful of this rule, the Jews, Christians and Muslims, all lead a life of sin with total disregard for the Hereafter, and yet fasten hope on their Lord that they will be ushered into Paradise simply because of the fact that they are Jews, Christians or Muslims.

Compiled From:
"Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani" - Syed Iqbal Zaheer, vol. 1, pp. 140, 141

From Issue: 640 [Read original issue]

Understanding the Prophet's Life

Danger of Praise

While journeying to God we will be put to many tests. One of those tests pertains to people's praise for what they assume about us. People's praise is a serious danger. A man praised another greatly before the Prophet. The Prophet said, "Woe to you! You have cut the neck of your friend." The Prophet repeated this sentence many times and said: "If you have to praise someone, then you should say, 'I think that he is so-and-so,' if he really thinks that he is such. God is the One who will take his accounts, as He knows his reality and no one can sanctify anyone before God." [Bukhari]

In another tradition, the Prophet said: "When you see those who shower praise upon others, throw dust upon their faces."[Muslim]

People's praise may change one's intentions from pleasing God to pleasing people, earning their praise, or avoiding their criticism. It also discourages one from doing additional good deeds, if he really believes that he is perfect and has done great actions. Another negative aspect of praise is that it makes one overlook his flaws and, instead, look at his merits.

People praise based on assumptions and what they know from the external things they see. But we know ourselves and our flaws better than others do. When you are highly praised by people, you should turn within and hold yourself accountable for the flaws you know. This will make you pray to God to forgive your sins and help you mend your flaws.

Compiled From:
"A Journey to God: Reflections on the Hikam of Ibn Ataillah" - Jasser Auda

From Issue: 980 [Read original issue]

Blindspot!

Exercising Judgment

That an act of physical purification can help the seeker along the path of spiritual purification is a lesson contained in the conversion story of Umar ib al-Khattab. Initially one of the staunchest enemies of Islam among the Meccans, Umar was enraged when he discovered that his sister Fatima had become a Muslim. After a violent argument with her, Umar asked to see the parchment from which she was reading a passage of the Quran. Fatima replied, "My brother, you are impure in your polytheism and only the purified may touch it." After Umar rose and washed himself, his sister gave him the page on which was written Sura Ta Ha (20). Reading the words, Umar declared, "How fine and noble is this speech!" Then Umar went to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and declared his conversion to Islam.

One notable aspect of this story is that Fatima exercised her judgment in what is often reduced by many Muslims to a simple Islamic legal issue, viz., whether it is permissible to touch the mushaf - or a portion of it - without having performed ritual purification. In strict legal terms, it is impossible for a non-Muslim to complete ritual purification, since a condition of this act of worship, like all other acts of worship, is that one forms the explicit intention (niyya) to perform this act in Obedience to God in accordance with the instructions of the Prophet Muhammad. If no other relevant factors are taken into account, the logical conclusion is that no non-Muslim should be permitted to handle the mushaf. However, sound Islamic legal reasoning entails consideration of many factors involved in a case - including assessment of the harms and benefits (al-darr wa'l-nafa), the common good (al-maslaha al-'amma), and the broad goals of the Law (al-maqasid).

Thus, through the centuries, Muslim scholars, like this early Muslim woman Fatima, exercised their judgment in determining when and how it might be permissible to give or sell a mushaf to a non-Muslim. At the same time, it is probably accurate to say that the strictly legal requirement of purity for touching the mushaf is less of an issue to most Muslims than the concern that the mushaf will be treated in a disrespectful fashion. It is this same concern that led many scholars to discourage or forbid young children from handling the mushaf, since their inability to truly understand the sacrality of the text could lead them to handle it inappropriately.

Compiled From:
"The Story of the Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life" - Ingrid Mattson, p. 155, 156

From Issue: 521 [Read original issue]