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Reflections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Name of Allah, |
Surrendering to God's Will
According to the Qur’ān, a
Muslim should always try to remain thankful to the circumstances the
Almighty has ordained for him. Our objective as a Muslim is to surrender to
His will since we know that He always means well for us. It is His will
which has to ultimately prevail and it is to this will that we must submit.
This is the essence of Islam.
In this regard, the true philosophy
of life should be understood. We have been created to be tested and tried
regarding our deeds. This trial has been conducted through the circumstances
which we are put in. If we are put through good circumstances, then our trial is
whether we remain thankful to the Almighty, Who gave us without asking and
without our having any right. If we are put through difficult circumstances,
then our trial is whether we show perseverance and patience in these times or
not.
Both these circumstances generally
come in a person’s life. They are his real test. He cannot be given total
happiness or total misery since that would make the trial profoundly difficult.
It is evident from the Qur’ān that the Almighty tests us through difficult
circumstances:
i. to punish us for our own
misdoings (42:30), iii. to sift out the evil within us (3:179),
iv. to give us the opportunity to
earn reward by showing patience (3:142, 76:12). In such circumstances, it is expected that a person surrender to God’s will and always seek Him. He is our only saviour and refuge – One Who we will never lose like our other relations.
Author: Shehzad Saleem
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=448
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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: Arguments regarding the Existence of God
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Forbidding Wrong Author: Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
Tr. by Asif Iftikhar
One of the necessary requirements of faith is
that people be exhorted to do good and to abstain from wrong. Both the
exhortation and admonition should be done with sagacity and benevolence in the
manner of suggestion and advice. The righteousness or deviation of people is a
matter that is in God’s hands. He is aware of those who have deviated from His
path as well as of those who will be guided. Therefore, in calling people to
truth and justice, no one should play the keeper of morals or decree Heaven or
Hell for any of his or her addressees. It is obvious from the Qur’ān that, in
his role of calling people to the truth, none of the messengers of God was
allowed to go beyond effective and clear communication or exhortation and
reminding. God Almighty says:
Your task is to admonish; you are not
responsible for their supervision.1
However, matters are different in the domain of
authority. For example, on attaining maturity, a man may become a husband to a
wife and, as a consequence of this relationship, a father to his children.
Nature and religion entail that a certain degree of authority be granted to him
in both these roles. Similar is the role of institutions and governments. When
they are formed, their heads are also granted a certain degree of authority. It
is regarding the ambit of this authority that the Prophet (sws) is reported to
have said: He amongst you who sees a wrong should redress it by hand; if he does not find in himself the strength to do it, then by his tongue; and, if even that is not possible, he should despise the wrong in his heart -- and this is the lowest level of faith.2
The Arabic word used here for “wrong” is munkar.
It doesn't refer to sins of purely religious nature; instead, it refers to those
wrongs that all humankind, regardless of religion or creed, regards as evil.
Theft, perjury, dishonesty, misappropriation, embezzlement, fraud, adulteration,
violation of others’ rights, indecency, causing injury to life or damage to
property or honour, and other violations of these kinds fall within the category
of munkar. This statement attributed to the Prophet (sws) also relates to these
wrongs. It is an offshoot of the Qur’ānic directive of amr bi’l-ma‘rūf
(commanding right) and nahī ‘an al-munkar (forbidding wrong). The Prophet (sws)
has warned that, if, in the realm of one’s authority, one does not even regard
these wrongs as evil, one falls below the lowest level of faith. The words in lam yastaṭi‘ also need to be properly understood. They do not refer to the kind of ability that entails responsibility. The reason is that in the absence of this kind of ability, a person does not remain accountable and therefore does not fall in the levels of faith. In this reported statement, the words connote “strength” and “courage” that may increase or decrease with the level of one's faith. It is therefore only in the sphere of one's authority that one might be considered as having fallen to lower levels of faith if one does not remedy a wrong by hand. The reason for this difference is that, in this latter case, the person does not make the required endeavour to eradicate evil despite having the right and the authority to do so. The moral imperative here does not at all mean that, for achieving a higher level of faith, people have the right to gather their followers on their own and go out as vigilantes to end wrong. Such steps, if taken, translate into the worst kind of disorder, which has no sanction at all in religion. All directives in religion are given in relation to one’s ability and authority. Lā yukallifu Allāh nafsan illā wus‘ahā3 is an unequivocal principle that is kept in consideration in all the directives of religion and the Divine law. It is this principle that should be kept in consideration to understand the Prophet’s statement regarding the prohibition of wrong.
(Translated by Asif Iftikhar)
For more URL : http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1181
2. Muslim, No: 177. 3. Q. 2:286: [In His directives,] God does burden any soul with what is beyond it.
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When do the children have the right to disobey the parents? saba2 Well can you please be more specific about the age of children. ibrahim Of course adult and mature children. saba2 If they are adult and mature then their is no question of disobedience is there? They are free to make their own choices which can also differ from their parents. I feel there is a very thin line between disobedience and making different choices. I think teenagers who can distinguish between right from wrong may come under the category of being disobedient adult and mature children cannot come under the category of being disobedient. A child can be disobedient when he is being asked to do what is considered gunnah or wrong in Islam and when he feels physically threatened sexually. ibrahim Well, we are bound to follow parents (and all others too) in the limits of Islam. So such disobedience has no value. You are right that there may be a very thin line between the two but one can still differentiate. I give you an example: Parents want to marry a child at one place but he/she want to marry at another. This is a choice difference. However when they ask the child to do any useful thing that he/she must do or ask not to do a harmful thing that he/she must avoid then this will surely be a disobedience. for example two mature kids are fighting with eachother (may be verbally) & when a parent ask them to stop. If they do not, they are disobeying. I hope I'm able to clear the point. Moreover you as a senior MOM can yourself give many examples of both cases. Don't You? It'll need just a deep thinking. saba2 So in the eyes of Allah disobedience is allowed when there is shirk committed and parents expect the children to join in or be a part of it. Is going to shrines and peers and asking them of favors from God considered Shirk? The example you gave of choice differences is the one parents have the most difficulty excepting. You hear all sorts of stories and maximum blackmail when it comes to marriage of choice. “Moreover you as a senior MOM” how can u tell if I am a senior mom? Hmm I like it, it gives me a lot of clout. Can some one please answer the question ibrahim Your described act is a shirk act but one may not be doing it as a shirk. That's a big difference. In Marriage case parents should have the courage to accept the choice of their kids in case of no settlement between them just because kids have been given the last right to choose their life partner. We as a parent can only try our best to guide them the best and in the best possible way. Read on: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2058&lang=&forumid=44
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General Discussion Forum:
aijaz47 Dear Mr. Hanif
Existence does not necessarily have to be physical. As regards Mermaids, their existence is imaginary or fictional. Thus if it has a name it exists.
Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not exist. One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids?
Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be provided when the question arises.
student1 This is your reply to Mr. Hanif but I would like to present my comments on your reply and I hope you wont mind.
quote:
Dear Mr. Hanif
aijaz47
So you agree that
denial does not mean that a particular thing does not exist. Thanks for
accepting my point.
aijaz47
aijaz47
This is in reply to
your question "who created Allah?"
aijaz47 Kindly go to Forums> History of Quran> Collection under Abu Bakar ( may Allah be pleased with him).
Jhangeer Hanif (modeator)
I think you want to
say that existence does not have to be 'actual'. Because we know that
mermaids do not actually exist; they are fictitious in contrast to
reality. We are not taking about the nature of God's existence -
spirirtual or physical; we are talking about whether it is actual or not.
Hence when we talk about mermaids, we know that their existence is not
actual or real. Is this the case with God?
In the second
response, you are again confusing 'actual or real' with 'physical'. I am
not talking about the nature of existence. I am talking about whether
something really exists? Hence the stress is on real. I had written
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The Christian God versus the Muslims God
Answer: Certainly, in Islam, the pre-dominant motive for people to come closer to God is love. There is certitude of His Love, Mercy and Kindness that is always there for humans to experience and benefit from, should they reflect.
The Qur’an itself begins by the expression: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim.” al-Rahman and al-Rahim, being the attributes of God Almighty, convey belief in a God who is Extremely Merciful, whose Mercy is Ever-Lasting. Verse 2:165 of the Qur’an says that “those (who are) of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah” - that as human beings, despite being equally capable of loving others as much, their strongest love is unquestionably reserved for God. Given the context of the passage, this is because when an intelligent human being looks around him, he finds that every creation is for his benefit, brought at his disposal by none other than the Master, who keeps providing out of Love. An intelligent observer inevitably finds himself over-whelmed by this extreme display of kindness and compassion.
In short, yes, the Islamic spirit is pre-dominantly the spirit of love from God, and for Him. But the love that the Almighty reciprocates is far stronger than all the love that we can all manage to ever put together. The Qur’an says, for instance:
And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Full of Loving-Kindness. (85:14)
These attributes are mentioned all throughout the Qur’an. His Mercy pre-dominates all other virtues that belong to Him. However, one thing needs to be mentioned. The Qur’an gives a complete understanding of God, which is not exaggerated towards any one particular attribute/understanding of His, at the expense of others. God is a complete and perfect Being, and therefore, has attributes that are all complete and good. And what is important is that understanding God through His attributes as mentioned in the Qur’an, one can relate them to our living lives, day in and day out. You do not end up having a utopian understanding of God, which although is very romantic, is far from reality, and brings disappointments as a result. Because when you have an understanding that is primarily and singularly of a Caring and Loving God, you will be at a loss to understand the sufferings and pain one finds in this world. How would you, for instance, comprehend the fact that He allows some people to unleash their evil desires and ambitions of greed and terror upon others?
It is when you understand God in the complete sense that you are able to accept the goings-around in the world today. Although love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and sympathy are His most significant attributes, yet, He is much more than that. He is simultaneously Loving, Fair, Wise, Strong... All His attributes put together make a complete picture; emphasis on one distorts the image. Love alone may help you when in need of a utopian understanding, but it will cater to a disability in reconciling it with the world around us. It is Islam that will tell us that His Love and His Sympathy results in providence and forgiveness, and at the same time, His Strength, and Wisdom renders forgiveness available to only those who seek it with utmost sincerity. Here lies the difference between the conception of the Christian God and the Muslim God.
In Christianity, belief in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is enough to enable access to the Love of God; in Islam, God is most certainly Loving and Caring, but His Love is available to only those who seek it - if you don’t, you miss it; if you do, it overwhelms you.
wassalam
Dr. Khalid Zaheer
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