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Compiled by: Azeem Ayub |
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Reflections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Name of Allah, |
The Lesson I Learned Much as I wish to live a happy life I am compelled to live a miserable one. My aspirations are shattered and my dreams are eroded beyond repair. The peace and serenity I plan to bring to my life is somehow impeded by the irony of fate. One after the other obstacles keep popping up, eventually leaving me weary and tired. Paradoxically, the more perseverance I demonstrate, the more trying circumstances I am put through. Increased patience, instead of attracting the favors of Heaven, adds to my misery and grief. So much so, the friends and the relations I trust and hold dear seem to have little time for my recurring problems. The earth appears to be narrow despite all its spaciousness while the Almighty seems to be so apathetic to inequity. As I deliberate, this hum of complaints turns into a full-blown pandemonium engendering in me feelings of hopelessness and confusion. My desperation reaches to the extent that I clutch my head between my fists to stop the echo when suddenly a voice whispers in my ears and says:
‘This is so typical of humans. They jump so quickly to conclusions no matter if it is their Creator and Cherisher they are going to pronounce a judgment against. How could it be that their Master would be ignorant of their circumstances? It is He who places some in difficulty and some in prosperity according to His own ordained scheme. The underlying objective, however remains to test them to see which one of them is best in deeds. The truth is that nothing can ever escape the watchful eye of the omnipresent and no notion passes through a person’s heart but He is aware of it. The fact that must be appreciated is that He is completely devoid of the hastiness that man is brimful with. He neither rushes to punish the wrongdoers nor does He hurry to reward the pious. His scheme is firm and His strategy is based on an all-embracing wisdom and sagacity. He has indeed laid down many objectives for the pains and agonies that a person has to suffer in this world:
a) To shield him from greater misery (18:74, 18:79), b) To give him the opportunity to earn reward by showing patience (3:142, 76:12), c) To make him mend his ways (30:41), d) To punish him for his misdoings (42:30).
Hence, if it is not to prevent him from attracting more problems then it is for affording him a chance to show perseverance in order to win fabulous rewards. If it is not for cleansing him of his sins, it is for him to suffer punishment in this very world to avoid the greater one in the Hereafter. In a nutshell, as one test fulfills the first objective, the next begins to achieve the second one. Thus move on the wheel of life always in favor of the rider provided he understands and appreciates the scheme of the Almighty by surrendering to His will in all circumstances.
Another fact that a believer must keep in mind is that the Almighty has ordained that relief shall immediately follow hardships (94:5-6). He should be hopeful that ease would replace difficulty when the appointed time comes. The virtue of patience if adhered to will illuminate his path to help him cruise through difficulties to his destination. No doubt, there come times in a person’s life when the flame of this virtue flickers and a sudden upsurge of emotional weariness endeavors to extinguish it for good. Then the Almighty has provided him with another weapon to protect and nourish it. A prayer rekindles the flame of hope and gives the seeker strength and courage to better combat the tough circumstances. He should place all his feelings and emotions in his stretched hands and present them humbly before his Master. The Ever Merciful would surely accept the ‘gift’ and always return the seeker with a better one…’
You who have done great things, O God, who is like You? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up again. You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again. (Psalms, 71:20-1)
Author: Jhangeer Hanif
URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1100
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In this Issue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reflections | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Read & Reflect
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Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Belief in God | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* General Discussion Forum: Prayer Keeps away from Indecency & Evil
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The Islamic Law of Jihād Author: Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
Tr. Shehzad Saleem Peace and freedom are two essential requirements of a society. Just as various penal measures help in protecting a society from the evils and excesses committed by an individual, resorting to armed offensives sometimes becomes essential to curb the evils perpetrated by countries and nations. As long as diplomatic relations and negotiations can be used to resolve matters, no one would endorse the use of force for settling affairs. However, if a nation threatens to disrupt the peace and freedom of the world and its arrogance and haughtiness exceed all bounds, a stage may come when the use of force and power may become essential to keep it in check. In such cases, it is the inalienable right of humankind to forcibly stop its subversive activities until peace and freedom of the world are restored. The Qur’ān asserts that if the use of force would not have been allowed in such cases, the disruption and disorder caused by insurgent nations could have reached the extent that the places of worship – where the Almighty is kept in constant remembrance – would have become deserted and forsaken, not to mention the disruption of the society itself:
وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا (٤٠:٢٢) And had it not been that Allah checks one set of people with another, the monasteries and churches, the synagogues and the mosques, in which His praise is abundantly celebrated would have been utterly destroyed. (22:40)
In religious parlance, this use of force is called Jihād1, and in the Qur’ān it can be classified in two distinct categories: Firstly, against injustice and oppression. Secondly, against the rejecters of truth after it has become evident to them. The first type of Jihād is an eternal directive of the Sharī‘ah. As stated, it is launched to curb oppression and injustice. The second type, however, is specific to people whom the Almighty selects for delivering the truth as an obligation. They are called witnesses to the truth; the implication being that they bear witness to the truth before other people in such a complete and ultimate manner that no one is left with an excuse to deny the truth. Bearing witness to the truth in such a manner is called ‘شهادة’ (shahādah). In the history of mankind, for the very last time this status was conferred on the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and his Companions (rta):
وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا (٢ :١٤٣) And similarly, O Companions of the Prophet! We have made you an intermediate group2 so that you be witnesses [to this religion] before the nations, and the Rasūl be such a witness before you. (2:143)
Once the process of ‘شهادة’ (shahādah) is complete, the truth is unveiled to a people in its ultimate form, and if they now deny it in spite of being convinced about it, they are punished in this very world. At times, this punishment is through earthquakes, cyclones and other calamities and disasters, while, at others, it emanates from the swords of the believers. As a result, those who have denied the truth are totally vanquished in their land and the truth reigns supreme in it. In the case of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and his Companions (rta), the divine scourge took this very form. Consequently, just as they were asked to wage war against oppression and injustice, they were also asked to wage war to punish the rejecters of the truth once it had become totally manifest to them. This was actually a divine plan that was executed through human beings. They themselves were not authorized to even think of such an undertaking. It is to this very fact which the following words of the Qur’ān allude:
قَاتِلُوهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمْ اللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ (٩ :١٤) Fight them and God will punish them with your hands. (9:14)
In the following pages, this writer will attempt to explain the directives of the Sharī‘ah regarding both these categories of Jihād.3
For more URL : http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=422
1. The literal meaning of Jihād is to strive for a cause with full force. In the Qur’ān, it is used in this general sense as well as to denote an armed offensive in the way of Allah. Here this second meaning is implied. 2. This means that the Companions (rta) stood between the Muhammad (sws) and the rest of the world of their times who were able to observe the whole process of shahādah. 3.The verses on which these directives are primarily based are stated in bold.
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It also happens that human's intellect and wisdom misguides them, While we believe in God based on our intellect and wisdom, how we can ascertain that our wisdom has not deceived us? ibrahim (Moderator) We do need to be certain because we are not asked by God to be certain in this matter. To strive with competence and sincerity is what is required even if one ends up on a wrong conclusion. This is what is called human error. That's why our Prophet (sws) has told us that when one reaches a correct conclusion by using his/her intellect one get's double reward. On the contrary one reward is given even if the reached conclusion was wrong. faysal99 Can we extend this human error and Ijtihad results (of reward) to Karl Marx, Charles Darwin or Nietzsche and other highly influential philosophers who used their intellect at best and gave their theories about Evolution, communism or post modernism or its only specific for Muslims (For example, contemporary Muslim Scholars gave political interpretation of Islam, which has resulted in chaos and gave rise to several Jihadi movements, but we reference above Hadith to defend or safeguard their ideologies? One more thing in this regard is that what should be our behaviour to such things practically because the final decision of being right or wrong be taken by God and will be declared on the Last day. We must accept or even reject any opinion on the strong basis of Quran and Sunnah. This way it's possible that one thing that is right in my opinion may be wrong in yours. We'll have to act upon our opinions but must keep our ears open for others always and must carry on analysing our's and other's reasoning. Read on: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=3607&lang=&forumid=63
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rimsoo:
[29: 45]:
Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil.
ibrahim (Moderator):
No, it does
not mean. This Verse Just means that the Prayer has the Potential to do So
Provided it is offered in the best possible way. rimsoo: I am very much grateful to brother ibrahim for your kind reply!
waseem:
023.1-5
See: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2599&lang=&forumid=1
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