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Reflections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Name of Allah, |
The Keep-it-Simple Rule and Islam
Are God’s expectations from
humans easy to fulfil? If they are, should we not let others do what they
are doing and not get involved in unnecessarily disturbing them by declaring
what they are doing as un-Islamic? Also, should we not let non-Muslims
remain what they are? Isn’t it an unnatural expectation from them to convert
to a completely new religion? If we are expecting non-Muslims to convert,
why shouldn’t Muslims be expected to conform to the truth within their own
faith? Is changing from one religious view to another not difficult? If it
is, how then is Islam easy to follow? Why can’t we follow the Keep-It-Simple
rule in Islam?
God Almighty wants us to make
things easy for us. This is what He has to say: “Allah desires ease for you;
He does not desire hardship for you.” (2:185) The Prophet (sws) strongly
urged his followers to “make things easy and don’t make them difficult. Give
them good news and don’t scare them away.”1
However, easiness in religion has to be done in the way the Almighty wants
us to do it. It should not be mistaken for casualness. Here are the outlines
of the easy way, as I understand, the Almighty wants us to follow:
i) One has always got to
remain open to truth. It is only in that way that one acquires true faith.
Laziness in matters of truth is an offence, though hopefully a minor one,
but unjustifiable stubbornness in the matter of truth is an inexcusable
crime. By the latter what I mean is that you refuse to take interest in the
truth simply because you are already attached to some other ideology and you
don’t want a new one to disturb you. In the process of comparing the
contestants for truth, if I am confused, the Almighty would accept it as a
valid excuse, inshā Allah. Ignoring the truth, however, can never be a part
of the otherwise desirable keep-It-simple formula.
ii) There is no Muslim vs
non-Muslim divide in the eyes of God. No one is at a disadvantage in this
trial of life. Muslims are expected to be open to truth quite as much as the
non-Muslims are. Those non-Muslims who know that the message of Islam is
from God and are still spurning it out of arrogance are criminal kāfir (the
condemned disbelievers) in the eyes of their Creator. Likewise is the case
of Muslims who are guilty of a similar crime in any aspect of the truth that
comes from God. So long as a person is confused about whether a certain
message is from God or not, he is not guilty. The ultimate decision on all
such matters will be taken, thankfully, by the All-Knowing God Himself.
iii) In matters of practice,
the rule is that you are expected to follow the truth as much as is
possible. God has promised that His expectations are simple. However, we
need to understand them in order to follow them. That strategy would ensure
that things are kept simple.
iv) In matters of new
findings on religion, science, or any other discipline, we again need to
remain open. Of course, not everyone is interested in everything, but if
someone tells me that what I am doing right now is not acceptable to my God,
then I cannot take it lightly. Even in non-religious matters, once we jump
into a discussion, we have to behave like truth-seeking believers and not
like truth-spurning kāfirs.
v) God Almighty has promised
that He is not going to make any soul accountable for anything more than
what his potential is. He has also promised that He will forgive people who
repent after realizing that what they were doing was wrong and that He will
only punish those who were insisting on a wrong, criminal attitude
knowingly. What better keep-it-simple approach could there be than this?
vi) One of the things I am
expected to do as a good believer is to get involved in the process of
correcting those who are closely linked with me. Likewise, I should allow
others to influence me positively whenever I am going wrong. Such an
attitude of mutual correction is a demonstration of the believers’ concern
for the welfare of each other. In no way does it demonstrate an unnecessary
interference in the affairs of others. In fact, not doing so would be
indicative of a lack of interest in the spiritual and moral welfare of the
other person.
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Read & Reflect
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Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Family & Marriage: Core Issues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* General Discussion Forum: Concept of Kaneez in Islam
Launched
Surah Ghashiyah Uploaded
(English & Urdu)
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Evidence from the Holy
Qur’ān Author: Imam Hamiduddin Farahi
Tr. by Tariq Hashmi
It has been
sufficiently proved that the basic purpose of an oath is to
ratify a statement. It has also been established that
gloriousness of the muqsam bihī is not a necessary
characteristic of the oath. This is an additional thing
obtained only when the oath is taken by God and His sha‘ā’ir.
It has also been explained that sometimes oaths are brought
merely as evidence. These premises make it clear that the
oaths of the Qur’ān upon which objections have been made are
the oaths brought to furnish proofs and bring evidence from
the facts mentioned as the muqsam bihī, for the claims made in
the muqsam ‘alayhi.
Someone may, while admitting that
oaths are basically brought for bearing witness to a fact, claim that oaths have
been widely used for the sake of glorification of the muqsam bihī. This change
in its usage has grown to be a reality. The real essence of the oaths (i.e.
evidencing a muqsam ‘alayhi by force of evidence provided by the muqsam bihī)
has lost significance. That is why we have been forbidden to take an oath by
other than God. We will therefore not turn to the essence of an oath unless we
find a separate decisive proof for the fact that it has been taken in the
original (now obsolete) sense.
To this, our response would be
this. We do accept your claim. However, the Qur’ān itself has led us to the
conclusion that the essence of the oaths has to be taken in consideration while
attempting to interpret the Qur’ānic oaths.
Some of the Qur’ānic indications
leading us to this conclusion follow:
First, it is a general style of
the Qur’ānic expression. The Qur’ān applies a word to describe man here and
Almighty God there. In so doing, the Qur’ān uses different significations of the
word. A word applied to common mortals is not applied to Almighty God in the
same sense so that it does not mismatch the glory of God. In the Qur’ān, the
word ṣalāh, for example, is attributed both to men and God. When attributed to
men, it connotes to pray and when applied to God it means to bless. The word
shukr is another such example. When this word is used for men, it expresses
showing gratitude on some blessings and when applied to God, it connotes
considering and accepting the good deeds of the pious servants of God.
Similarly, tawbah (relenting),
sukht (resentment), makr (planning), al-kayd (scheming), asif (regret), ḥasrah
(grief) and the like have different significations. In fact, no word in the
Arabic language is applied to God without considering its proper signification.
Whenever we use any word for God, we take only in that signification which
corresponds to God’s exalted position. This principle cannot be ignored while
interpreting the Qur’ānic oaths. Oaths have different aspects and significations
from which we adopt the one which corresponds to the exalted position of God.
All other significations which are not appropriate for God cannot be taken to be
applied in the Qur’ānic oaths. Second, the principle of interpreting similar usages in the light of each other, and explaining verses with the help of their parallels also leads us to this. We see that the Qur’ān mentions an argument in the form of oaths at one occasion and then presents the same arguments, at other occasions, in simple form. In both these cases, the basic purpose is to evidence a fact for the benefit of those who ponder over the Qur’ān. God Almighty says:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the boats that sail the oceans with cargoes beneficial to man; and in the water, which God sent down from the sky and with which He revived the earth after its death and dispersed over it all kinds of living creatures; in the variation of the winds and in the clouds put to service, between earth and the skies: surely, in these there are many signs for men endowed with reason. (Q 2:164)
Verses of this kind abound in the Qur’ān. They refer to various signs in order to bring evidence for and prove some important theses. When we ponder over the oaths, we see that it is but these things which have been used in the oaths as evidences of certain facts. A reading of the oath verses would help us observe this fact. The Qur’ān swears by the heavens, the earth, sun, moon, night, day, morning, forenoon, winds, clouds, mountains, seas, cities, man, father, son, male, female, odd and even. These are but the same phenomena which are referred to as evidencing facts in other places. Thus their status of being evidence has been clearly explained by the Qur’ān itself in other places. These sign verses serve for us as a precedence to interpret the oaths. We may, therefore, not interpret such oaths as serving the purpose of glorification of the things put as the muqsam bihī.
Third, the nature of the muqsam
bihī itself shows that the oaths have basically not been brought to refer to the
glorification of these things. No man endowed with the power of reason can
imagine God Almighty placing His creatures on the position of a sacred deity,
especially when these things are never supposed to have any kind of sacredness
attached to them. What glorification do the panting horses and the winds that
scatter dust have? Things used as muqsam bihī, including the heavens, earth,
sun, moon, stars, etc, have elsewhere been clearly told to be among objects
controlled, harnessed and led on will. Merely swearing by these insignificant
things is enough proof that they are only brought as witnesses and proofs, and
not as anything glorious. Fourth, a study of logical relation and connection between the muqsam bihī and the muqsam ‘alayhi guides us to our preferred interpretation of this type of the Qur’ānic oaths. The Qur’ān has used such oaths in a style where a rational being never fails to discern that they testify to the facts sworn of. That is why we see that the author of Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Imām Rāzī (in spite of his view that the oaths express glory of the muqsam bihī and in spite of the fact that he has gone to excesses while explaining the oaths by the fig and the olive in terms of glorification) did not miss the general aspect of evidence in such oaths. While dealing with the oaths occurring in the beginning of Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt, he writes: “All these are evidences and proofs couched in the form of oaths.”1 Had he pondered over all such oaths which have been brought to evidence some facts in the Qur’ān, he would have opted for the same interpretation in all instances of the use of evidentiary oaths.
Fifth, the Qur’ān has at times sworn by all creatures in general terms. It has elsewhere also presented them in general terms as signs of the Creator Lord leading to certain truths. Almighty God says:
So I do call to witness what you see, and what you see not. (69:38-9)
This oath covers everything, hidden or manifest. This general reference has been made at another occasion:
There is nothing which does not exalt Him with praises. (17:44)
Everything in this universe praises Him and testifies to His glory. This type of generalization of the muqsam bihī and the signs of God resembles the use of opposites, as in instances where God swears by night and day and by the heavens and the earth. How can one believe that God glorified everything in general terms? Their status as open signs is obvious and understandable. Why then should we abandon the clear meaning and opt for an improbable implication?
More at URL : http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1167
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Discussion Forum:
Family and Marriage: Core Issues
Topic:
Module 1: Adam and Wife
Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator)
Why Adam had been
blessed with a wife?
salmant
To have pleasant
company, and to start a family with her perhaps!
indoau
It was the divine
decree of Allah (swt).
Abrar75
God made human and
He knows human desire. So it is very much needed for Adam. When God made world
for human and He gave every thing to humans, so why not a wife. The question
is may be not so good. if so one may ask why God made Sun, Stars, warter etc.
These all are for human.
sisterinislam
Allah (s.a.w) made man with an innate quality of
being a communal creature. I believe that it was Adam (a.s) who was feeling
lonely and wanted company so Allah
FirstFaith
Setting aside
human nature, the thing which comes to mind is that the purpose of blessing
Adam with wife was ofcourse the Allah's intension of starting a chain of human
beings, to test the souls.....either they would fullfil the oath they took of
accepting Allah as their Lord or not. And obviously to initiate the whole
system of this world ......the chain of prophets specially Muhammad (sws) for
whom this world is created......to test human souls ........to announce
results on last day and then to make difference in the life of every
individual in the hereafter..... Obviously human-beings require partners and
mates to live with in the form of brother, sister, father, mother, husband,
wife, and other forms an Allah has created affection amongst them but for the
Prophets and for other Olias and other pure and pious people Allah Alone is
more than enough. They love Allah and are attached to him and think about him
to such an extent that there remains no room to think about any other worldly
thing except when Allah wishes.....They have no desire except the desire of
ALLAH no wish but the wish of ALLAH.
raushan
The Qur’an says:
And all things We made in pairs, so that you may give thought. (51:49)
Muhammaderfan
Among his signs is
that he created mates from among your species that you may obtain comfort from
them
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nabyas Whenever I read the Quran I come often to a phrase which is translated as "What your right hand possess". What does it actually mean? Does it mean slave girls? And if so why is it allowed to have extra marital sex with them? Is it not Zina? When at all places in the Quran it states that Zina is Haram then how does one justify this treatment of slave women? They are also human and have feelings and why at one place in the Quran it says that their punishment and their inheritance is also half. How does all this relate with our religion which is so fair and protects the rights of everyone.
ibrahim (Moderator)
Yes dear you
are right, the said words means slave girls.
atifrafi I think its important to realize that Islam eliminate that evil gradually and now a days there is no concept of having extra marital sex with slave girls and the main reason for this is that the institution of slavery, as it was there, is no more present now.
Yes Atif, you are absolutely right.
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Can We call the Qur’an a Poetic Masterpiece?
Answer:
My understanding is
that the Qur’an incorporates in its text a style that is similar to poetry, but
unlike poetry, it is not based on exaggerated statements that have to do with
imaginations of the poet. A poet is tempted to go for untrue and exaggerated
claims because he has to bring rhyming words in his verses and also to stir
emotions of the readers. Qur’anic verses rhyme as well, but they are free of the
limitation of poetry, because the Lord has no limitation for expressing ideas,
and He is in no need to unnecessarily stir emotions of people. It is because of
the rhyming nature of Qur’anic text that it is amenable to memorizing much more
easily than prose.
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