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Compiled by: Azeem Ayub |
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Reflections |
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The time of the great fair had come again. I would have been deprived of the tremendous opportunity to view it had I not left home to buy for my father some medicines from the market. The heat was on; rhythmic sounds of the drums, a long series of outstretched golden shawls1, devout youth with red lips2 and their lively dance with bare feet, all revived the picture that roams before my eyes when I ponder on the damage caused by mysticism. The devoted young fellows were headed for the shrine of Miyān Mīr3 to humbly enshroud his grave with those sacred shawls on the annual ‘Urs (anniversary celebrations). Their dance would turn into wild and frantic African rumba if some ladies happen to watch the devotees from over their balconies. It is very likely that one dancer should lose his senses and faint owing to dancing ‘faithfully’: this is indeed desirable and commendable; because he, it is erroneously believed, gets a chance in his faintness to see and converse with the Great Mystic, Miyān Mīr. Securing awe and applaud from people standing on both sides of the road, the procession moved on to the holy shrine carrying the shawls with utmost respect. Generous as people were on the way, they would drop into the shawls currency of varying denominations, though one should not suffer from the illusions that they pay Zakāh as much devoutly that is imposed on them by their True Master.
A more despicable picture comes to view as one enters the precinct of the shrine. It is always packed to the fullest at this time of the year with the mixed gathering of males and females of all ages. Oddly enough, sentimental enthusiasm mesmerizes the Muslim ladies more effectively who, with a lot of make up on, come to attend the ceremonial event in gay dresses. This event also provides to the forlorn lovers a wonderful opportunity to deceive their families and obtain a chance to meet. Side by side, the business of prostitution finds yet another safe haven to be transacted in a place that is originally intended to be holy. In many circles of the Qawwāl (vocalists), tribute is paid to the mystic in words that entail transgression in terms of polytheism. Many ladies are observed to ambulate around the tomb of Miyān Mīr much like the way the Muslims circumambulate around the House of the Lord. Away from this frenzied state of affairs, the spiritual disciples are observed to sit in various groups; some are found preoccupied with struggles to cross the boundaries of mind and body with the help of marijuana, and others are heard to give a vent to the slogan Haiderī Qalandrī4 while enjoying the hemp they prepare to make most of the event. Thus, the ceremony, with all its activities, runs quite averse to the scheme of the religion of Islam.
The Lord has blessed us with as clean and fine a soul as a transparent object is. Like glass is left with the traces of our fingers – if nothing else – once we touch it, our soul gets contaminated with even the slightest of blemish when we expose it to evil influences. The Holy Qur’ān vehemently proclaims that the Almighty wants us to come back to Him with a cleansed and purified soul. He has created us in His image. We are supposed to preserve this image at every cost. Our life may become a bit dull, replete with the treadmill of routine, and devoid of much fun but we need to adhere to the image that is all good and exclusive of evil in all forms and faces.
As Muslims, we strongly believe that this world is transitory in nature, and that a Day is soon to come when the good will be separated from the bad; the first pocket will be rewarded fabulously and the second will be cast into the abyss of destruction in accordance with the sublime principles of perfect justice. In addition to this, what we need to always keep in view is the criterion introduced by the Holy Qur’ān that will demarcate an evident line between the good and the bad. The Book of Allah asserts that good is indeed the person who saves his soul from all contaminations and nurtures what is decent in it. In other words, success in the afterlife is destined for those who succeed to purify their soul in this life period provided to them. To quote the words of the Holy Qur’ān:
He succeeded who purified his soul and remembered his Lord and offered the Prayer. But you prefer the life of this world when the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (87:14-7)
At another place this idea has been explicated in the following words:
He succeeded who purified his soul and he failed who contaminated his soul. (91:9-10)
After studying the Holy Qur’ān, the picture of a believer that springs to mind is like a humble man who stays miles away from activities that are likely to undermine the purity of his heart. He knows that the time he has now must be spent wisely and not to be dissipated in trivial engagements. He does not loathe the members of the opposite sex nor does he endeavor to destroy their repute. He extends to them the same respect as he does to his parents and siblings. He firmly believes in the principle of lowering gaze and preserving modesty. His eyes are always set on the reward of the Hereafter instead of the pleasures of this world. In his heart and mind, he is fully convinced that there is no intermediary between Allah and him as the Book of Allah has stressed. In addition, he knows that every person, in the Hereafter, shall be judged on an individual basis and none will be able to transfer to him some good deeds or share his burden. The realization of these facts definitely plants within him a deep sense of accountability that compels him to lead a responsible life in this world. He faces boldly the perils of life taking them as an integral part of the trial of life and never resorts to drugs to overcome the obstacles.
On the other hand, if he is placed at the helm of the state affairs, he makes arrangements to ensure that citizens are not caused to go astray and ultimately be a party to spreading disorder in land. Without restraining their freedom to practice the religion they wish to, he issues necessary orders and commandments that morality is not sacrificed under any circumstances. His foremost priority is to help conduct every ceremony in a manner as endorsed by the dictates of his sense of morality. He ensures that people are able to nicely discharge their responsibilities – which they perceive to be their religious responsibilities. In a nutshell, a true believer, whatever sphere of life he is placed in, epitomizes the moral ideals by leading and helping others lead a good moral life.
Author: Jhangeer Hanif
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=263
1. These shawls are carried to the shrine of a Sufi and laid on his tomb as a symbol of respect and veneration. 2. Allusion is to the custom of chewing betel leaves with catechu on such occasions of which the juice reddens the lips. 3. Miyān Mīr (d:1635) is a renowned Sufi who belong to the Qādariyyah Silsilah. He pledged Bay‘at at the hand of Khizar Savistānī. After a considerable period of training and making accomplishments in this Silsilah, he came to Lahore in the era of the Mughal emperor Jalal-ul-Dīn Akbar. He considered the Sharī‘ah to be binding and himself adhered to it. He was most respected by emperors of his time, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. (Saleem Hasan Mirza, Hazdrat Miyān Mīr, (Lahore: Allied Press, 1405 Hijrah)). 4. Haiderī has reference to Alī (rta); his second name was Haydar. Qalandrī perhaps refers to the title of another Sufi, Lāl Shahbāz Qalandar. This expression is a typical slogan of Majzūb Sufis and indicates that they are inebriated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Islamic Punishments: The Religion of Islam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* General Discussion Forum: Understanding Each other
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Read and Reflect |
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Fundamentals of Understanding Islam
In the exercise to form a sound understanding of the dīn, the Farahi School invokes three fundamentals of central import:
a) The holy Qur’ān is the distinguisher between and the sole criterion to define right and wrong in the realm of religious knowledge in Islam. It is the guardian (muhaymin) over all forms of the divine revelation. The primary purpose of its revelation is to judge the religious differences of human beings so that they are able to stand firm on truth. The Qur’ān itself claims this status for it. This principle leads to and entails the following fundamentals about the Book:
Firstly, the text of the Qur’ān is well defined. It is confined to what an overwhelming majority of Muslims all over world, with the only exception of parts of Morocco, recites the text recorded in their codices. This text is recited in accordance with the way known as qirā’ah al-‘āmmah (reading of the generality of the believers). Therefore, all other readings are not the Qur’ān and cannot be granted the status of the word of God.
Secondly, the Qur’ān is qat‘ī al-dalālah. It means that its words are capable of perfectly expressing the intent of the author with consummate certainty. A reader, who approaches it with the intention to follow its guidance and who tries to understand it on the basis of its language, can, therefore, be led to the intended meanings of the words it uses. It is only the lack of knowledge on the part of the readers and a failure to exert full efforts to understand it that results in his inability to get to the intended meanings of the divine text in some cases. This failure, therefore, cannot be attributed to any flaw in the language of the Qur’ān and the styles of expression adopted in it for the Book does not suffer from any inadequacy in this regard.
Thirdly, all the verses of the Qur’ān upon which guidance and misguidance of humans depends are muhkam (clear, completely comprehensible). Mutashābihāt (singular mutashābih) verses are those which metaphorically express a bounty of the Heaven to be conferred on the successful slaves of God on the Last Day or an infliction to be experienced by the losers in the afterworld couched in the idiom of parables or by way of analogy. These also include the verses which analogously refer to an attribute of God, His acts, or any other transcendent reality. Neither are these verses unidentifiable nor is their signification doubtful. Diction employed in this content of the Book is originally the clear Arabic (‘arabī mubīn), the meanings and signification of which can be clearly grasped. The only difference between the muhkam and mutashābih verses is that the reality and essence of the referents of the latter category cannot be grasped and comprehended by human understanding in the present world. However, the failure of human mind to grasp the reality of the referents of the mutashābih verses does not impair our understanding of the Book of God, hence the prohibition of hairsplitting discussion on them.
Fourthly, no khafī (indirect) or jallī (direct) revelation external to the Qur’ān can validly affect or alter the divine injunctions spelled out in the Book. Even the recipient of the Book, the Messenger of God, cannot alter it in any degree. All that we can take as part of the religion has to be defined in the light of its clear and plain verses. Similarly, it serves as the only judge in the exercise of discarding something which is erroneously taken as a religious reality. Every tenet of ‘īmān (beliefs) and every discussion on ‘aqīdah (theological principles) is to be gleaned from the text put between its two covers. All types of wahī, ilhām, ilqā’, conclusions based on a research and viewpoint of individual scholars should be gauged on its basis. Views and works of towering scholars of the past like Abū Hanīfah, Shāfi‘ī, Bukhārī, Muslim, Ash‘arī, Māturīdī, Shiblī and Junayd are to be judged in the light of its eternal words. No view, no matter however exalted its source, can be entertained in defiance of its verdicts.
b) The Sunnah, in Islam, is identified as the religious tradition instituted by the Prophet Abraham which the last Prophet of God (sws) revived, restored in its pure form and enriched with additions and instituted afresh among the believers as part of Islam. For the Qur’ān directed the Prophet (sws) to follow the millah (the religion) of Abraham. This tradition (i.e. the sunnah comprising religious practices) was a part of the religion of Abraham. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad (sws) was obliged, as entailed by the above mentioned verse of the Qur’ān, to follow it himself and command the believers to adopt it. The authenticity and historicity of the Sunnah is as compelling as that of the Book of God. The only difference between the two is this. The Book of God was communicated by the Prophet (sws) to the whole body of the Companions who transmitted it to the next generation with consensus as a written and spoken text. Similarly, the Prophet taught the Sunnah to the entire generation of the Companions who received, adopted and practiced it collectively and transmitted it with consensus to the next generation. During the course of the subsequent history, both of these sources have been transmitted from generality to generality by each layer in the generations of the ummah. Just like the Qur’ān, the Sunnah too has always been received and established by the consensus of the believers in a given point of time during the course of Muslim history. Therefore, there is no room for any dispute and contestation regarding its authenticity and epistemological force.
c) Dīn is confined to the contents of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. Nothing external to these two sources is the part of dīn in Islam. Nor can one validly introduce any foreign practice or concept as part of the religion. The the Prophetic Hadīth, a name given to the reports about the sayings, actions and tacit approvals of the Prophet (sws) transmitted through individual to individual (akhbār-e ahād) do not add to the beliefs and practices in the religion. It does not mean that they do not discuss the contents of the religion at all. However, their purely religious content explains and clarifies the religion housed in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. They can also carry the paradigmatic example set by the Prophet (sws) in the performance of the religious practices and in carrying out the divine commands. The Hadīth plays no role beyond this. Thus a report bearing religious knowledge in ways other than this cannot be a valid Hadīth. Nor can such a report incorporated into the religion and accepted as its part merely because it has been attributed to the Prophet (sws).
All the Hadīths that explain and clarify the religion and thus plays the acceptable role have a binding religious force for a believer who is convinced of the veracity of a Hadīth report and believes it to a valid transmission of a saying, action and tacit approval of the Prophet (sws). He is obliged to follow it and can no more validly contradict it. Rather if the Hadīth in question contains a Prophetic command, it becomes necessary for this believer to unquestionably submit and surrender before its verdict.
(Translated by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi)
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1230
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Zakiyah
Difference between
Nabī and Rasūl
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saba2 In Pakistan we live in constant fear,violence is on the rise intolerence and isolation of factions is leading to more and more to misunderstanding. Is this going to be our legacy to our children? Will they be always looking over their shoulder? Why cant we talk to each other accept each others' point of view, can all people come together express their point of view without fear on this forum.
My first question Pakistan was created for muslims to practice Islam and live without fear. Whose version of Islam? and are we living without fear?
aboosait quote: ..........Whose version of Islam?.........
Of course the version of the
One who named us Muslims. وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ
And strive in His
cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline).
"Why cant we talk to each
other accept each others' point of view, can all people come together express
their point of view without fear on this forum."
Thank you for the
warm welcome Hina.
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Pause
and Ponder |
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Question:
What is the context in which
blasphemy was made punishable by death. Is there a historical event related to
this, apart from any verses in the Holy Qur’ān and Hadīth. Answer:
Notwithstanding the fact that many
scholars of this Ummah believe that blasphemy should be punished by death, I am
afraid that this crime was not made punishable by death either through the Holy
Qur’ān or the Sunnah. No doubt, it is a wicked crime and thus indeed is
contemptuous to humanity as well. Yet, it was never made punishable by death
through the two fundamental sources of Islam. There has indeed been much
hullabaloo over it in the last couple of centuries. However, we must know that
Allah has explicitly prohibited killing of any human being except for two
reasons: a court of law may deliver capital punishment to an intentional
murderer or someone guilty of spreading anarchy in society. Apart from these two
situations, any killing would be equivalent to slaughtering all of mankind. The
Holy Qur’ān reads: URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=935
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