|
Reflections |
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful |
When Death shall Die
We are all born to die.
Death is the greatest and perhaps the most neglected reality of life. Some
fleeting moments and then off we go. We may fall to the deception of this
transience -- but not for long: the dawn of life relentlessly gives way to
the dusk of death everyday only to herald the advent of a new dawn, a new
life. The process continues and life goes on under the shadow of death.
Inexorable is this practice, unrelenting this law.
And then one day, the
glorious sun and the milky moon, the dazzling stars and the stormy seas
–would also meet their fate:
At the time [O People!]
when the sky is rent asunder, and when the stars are scattered, and when the
seas burst forth, and when the graves are opened, at that time each one [of
these people who have wronged their souls] will come to know what he has
sent forward and what he has left behind. (82:1-5)
And then, as this verse
says, man would be made to stand before his Lord. He who was vanquished by
death would now forever be free from its claws: ‘Death shall be no more:
death thou shalt die’.
But realize he should:
Death he may have overcome – but now he would face a dilemma more critical:
the blissful life of Paradise or the torment of Hell.
Before such a time comes,
would that we all remember that on that fateful day:
The disbeliever would
cry out: ‘Would that I were dust’. (78:40)
Author:
Shehzad Saleem
Topic URL:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=386
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In this Issue |
Reflections
* When Death shall
Die
|
Read & Reflect
* The Religion of
Islam
|
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum:
Islamic Customs & Etiquette
return
to the top ^
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Express & Explain
*
General Discussion
Forum:
Establishment of
Khilafah?
return
to the top ^
Pause & Ponder
* Recitation
for
Departed Souls
Announcements
* Successful
Participants
Read and Reflect |
The Religion of Islam
Author
Javed Ahmad
Ghamidi
(Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)
The Sources of
Religion
Islam is the guidance which was
first inspired by the Almighty in human nature and after that it was given by
Him with all essential details to mankind through His prophets. Muhammad (sws)
is the last of these prophets. Consequently, it is now he alone who in this
world is the sole source of this religion. It is only through him that man can
receive divine guidance and it is only he who, through his words, deeds or tacit
approvals, has the authority to regard something as part of Islam until the Day
of Judgement.
From the Prophet Muhammad (sws),
this religion has been given to the ummah through the consensus of his
Companions (rta) and through their perpetual practice and recitation in two
forms:
1. The Qur’ān
2. The Sunnah
1. The Qur’ān
Every Muslim knows that the
Qur’ān was revealed by Allah to Muhammad (sws) – the last of the prophets – and
it has since then remained with the ummah with the unanimous verdict from the
ummah itself that it is this very book which was revealed to the Prophet (sws),
and which his Companions (rta), through their consensus and through their
perpetual recitation, delivered to the world without the slightest alteration.
2. The Sunnah
By Sunnah is meant that tradition
of Prophet Abraham’s (sws) religion which the Prophet Muhammad (sws) instituted
among his followers as religion after reviving and reforming it and after making
certain additions to it.
There is no difference between it
and the Qur’ān as far as its authenticity is concerned. Just as the Qur’ān has
been received by the ummah through the consensus of the Prophet’s Companions (rta)
and through their perpetual recitation, the Sunnah has been received by it
through their consensus and through their perpetual practice and stands
validated like the Qur’ān in every period of time through the consensus of the
ummah.
The Essence of
Religion
The essence of religion, in
Qur’ānic terms, is ‘ibādah (worship) of God. Worship means humility and modesty.
If this humility and modesty exists in a person with a true cognizance of the
mercy, power, providence and wisdom of the Almighty then it is instrumental in
totally humbling a person before Him with His great love and great fear. This
humbling of a person before the Almighty is, in fact, an internal feeling.
Remembering God, expressing gratitude to Him, fearing His displeasure, devoting
one’s self to Him, showing trust in Him, submitting one’s self and all of one’s
affairs to Him and pleasing Him at every step – all of these are the inner
manifestations of this relationship between the worshipped God and His
worshippers. In his external self, this humility and modesty appears in the
external manifestations of worship: kneeling, prostrating, glorifying and
praising the Almighty, supplicating before Him and devoting life and wealth for
His pleasure. However, since a person is not mere beliefs; he also has a
practical existence in this world, this worship relates to this practical
existence as well and in this manner becomes inclusive of obedience. It now
requires that a person’s outer self also bow before the Creator before Whom his
inner self has bowed.
Definition of
Religion
When “worship”, in order to
fulfill the rights of the relationship between a servant and His Lord,
prescribes metaphysical and ethical bases, determines rituals and stipulates
limits, then in the terminology of the Qur’ān, this is called “religion” (dīn).
The form of this religion which the Almighty has explained to mankind through
His Prophets is called “the religion” (al-dīn) by the Qur’ān, and its followers
are directed by the Qur’ān to fully adopt it in their lives and not create any
divisions in it.
Contents of
Religion
The metaphysical and moral bases
of this worship which have been prescribed by religion are called al-Hikmah, and
the rituals and limits prescribed for it by religion are called al-Kitāb by the
Qur’ān. The latter is also called sharī‘ah, which means law.
al-Hikmah has always remained the
same in all revealed religions; however, al-Kitāb has remained different due to
evolution and change in human civilizations and societies.
A study of divine scriptures
shows that the sharī‘ah constitutes the major portion of the Torah and the
hikmah generally constitutes the Injīl. The Psalms are hymns which glorify the
Almighty and are a forerunner to the hikmah of the Injīl. The Qur’ān was
revealed as a masterpiece of literature comprising both sharī‘ah and hikmah
giving warning to those who evade it and glad tidings to those who follow it.
al-Hikmah basically comprises the
following two topics:
1. Faith
2. Morals and Morality
al-Kitāb comprises the following
ten topics:
1. The Sharī‘ah of Worship
Rituals
2. The Social Sharī‘ah
3. The Political Sharī‘ah
4. The Economic Sharī‘ah
5. The Sharī‘ah of Preaching
6. The Sharī‘ah of Jihād
7. The Penal Sharī‘ah
8. The Dietary Sharī‘ah
9. Islamic Customs and Etiquette
10. Oaths and their Atonement
This is
all as far as the content of religion is concerned.
Read URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/viewissue.aspx?id=171
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|
Debate and Discuss |
Course Forum:
Islamic Customs and Etiquette
Module
1: Sneeze and the reply
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
What is the ceremonial reply to a sneeze and what is the wisdom behind it?
Is it "Yarhamukallah", but
I do not know the wisdom behind it.
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
Do you know what the reply
means?
mulaz77
Yarhamukallah is said to remind is that we will get blessings from Allah only
when we are grateful for what we have. What an awesome thing to say! Growing up
we always used to say "God bless you" with out thinking anything behind it.
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
That's right. We need to ponder on what we are accustomed to do.
I
thought "YURHAMAKALLAH" meant that you wished that person "RAHMA" , which is
equivilent to peace/blessings. Please correct me if i am wrong.
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
Actually, there are two things involved in case a person has a sneeze. One is
that the person who sneezes says "Al-Hamdulillah" (Gratitude be to Allah) and
the other is that the person who hears these words "Gratitude be to Allah" says:
"Yarhamukallah" (Allah's mercy be upon upon) to the first person.
The response of the first person to a sneeze denotes that Allah will descend
upon His mercy upon those who are grateful to Him. The second reply is actually
to invoke the mercy of Allah for the one who is thankful to the Lord.
The
reason for this thankfulness might be that when we sneeze , all the dust
particles and germs sticked in our wind pipe (with cilia) are sneezed
out......this is the great blessing of ALLAH that our windpipe become clean
again..........therefore we should thank ALLAH for it....for greater rewards of
following SUNNAH we can do it in Arabic (ALHAMDULILLAH) but otherwise can also
say it in our native language (in my opinion) like 'Thank GOD'
Sneeze:
A sternutation, sternutatory reflex or, more commonly known, sneeze is a
semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the nose and mouth. This air
can reach speeds of 70 m/s (250 km/h or 155 MPH). Sneezes spread disease by
producing infectious droplets that are 0.5 to 5 µm in diameter, about 40,000
such droplets can be produced by a single sneeze.[1]
Cause:
Sneezing is generally caused by irritation and some times bacterial clog up in
the throat, lungs or in the passages of the nose. Allergens such as pollens, pet
dander, house dust mites, as well as non-allergenic particles are usually
harmless, but when they irritate the nose the body responds by expelling them
from the nasal passages. The nose mistakes strong odors, sudden chills, bright
lights (see photic sneeze reflex), and even orgasms in some people for nasal
irritants, and it tries to defend itself with a sneeze.
--------
Itz really honest to thank Allah when we come across such a big event exposed by
our body.
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Express and Explain: |
General Discussion Forum
Establishment of khilafah?
Is it the
responsibility of Muslims to establish Khilafat?
It is a long
and complicated discussion but what I understood from history and many
authentic scholars.....Real khilafat (Administration point of
view)) was only 40 yrs after Rasool Allah (PBUH), then there was
only
kingdom or monarchy..
Our Muslim historians just not to be
embarrassed in front of non Muslims, tried to prove that Omayed,
Abbassi and Osmania Khilafat were real "khilafat".
In reality it was totally wrong, the only
truth that yes ! we got some pocket kings, in between, who ruled like real
"khalifa", but very few.
So this is our history , now after 1400
yrs we could establish a khilafat is "dewanay ki dream". (by
the way , it is my dream also, as I am also deewana). So almost
impossible.
Now as human , yes! we are and
we can live as khalifa of Allah in this world.
There are some
Muslim scholars who think that each and every Muslim has been asked by
Islam to strive to establish an Islamic state in case Islam does not reign
supreme in the country he is living in.
It needs to be appreciated that Muslims are
not required by their religion to fulfill any such obligation. Some
religious scholars do present the example of the Prophet Muhammad (sws)
and say that since he had established an Islamic state in Arabia, Muslims,
wherever they are, should follow his example. In this regard, it is
submitted that neither did the Prophet (sws) ever undertake the task of
establishing an Islamic state nor was he ever directed by the Almighty to
do so. The truth of the matter is that it is the Almighty Who according to
His established practice regarding His Messengers took matters in His own
hand in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and bestowed him and his
nation the supremacy of Arabia.
Scholars who are of the opinion that Muhammad
(sws) strove to establish an Islamic state in Arabia typically present the
following verse in support of their view:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ
بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ
كَرِهَ
الْمُشْرِكُونَ(٩:٦١)
It is He Who has sent his Messenger
[–Muhammad–] with Guidance and the Religion of Truth that he may proclaim
it over all religions, even though the Idolaters may detest [this]. (61:9)
On the basis of the phrase “all religions”,
it is understood that the followers of Islam must struggle for its
dominance in their respective countries and territories.
An analysis of the context of this verse
shows that it belongs to the class of directives that relate to the
established practice of the Almighty regarding His Messengers (rusul)
according to which a Messenger (rasul) always triumphs over his nation:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ
يُحَادُّونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ فِي الأَذَلِّينَ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ
لَأَغْلِبَنَّ أَنَا وَرُسُلِي إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ(٥٨:
٢٠-١)
Indeed those who are opposing Allah and His
Messenger are bound to be humiliated. The Almighty has ordained: “I and My
Messengers shall always prevail.” Indeed, Allah is Mighty and Powerful.
(58:20-1)
Muhammad (sws) was also informed that he
would triumph over his nation. He and his Companions (rta) were told that
they would have to fight the Idolaters of Arabia until the supremacy of
Islam was achieved therein and that these Idolaters should be informed
that if they did not desist from their evil ways they too would meet a
fate no different from those of the other nations who denied their
Messengers:
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
إِنْ يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِنْ يَعُودُوا فَقَدْ
مَضَتْ
سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ
الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ (٨: ٣٨-٤٠)
Say to the Disbelievers that if they now
desist [from disbelief] their past would be forgiven; but if they persist,
the punishment of those before them is already [a warning for them]. And
fight against them until there is no more persecution and prevails there
the religion of God. (8:38-40)
Consequently, it is to be noted that the word
al-mushrikun (the Idolaters) is used in 61:9 quoted above. The Qur’an uses
this word specifically for the Idolaters of Arabia of the Prophet’s times.
As a result, “all the religions” in the conjugate clause can only mean all
the religions of Arabia at that time. So, the verse has no bearing on
Muslims after the times of the Prophet (sws).
Therefore, striving to achieve the political
supremacy of Islam is not any religious obligation of a Muslim, let alone
waging jihad to achieve this supremacy. The verses from which this
obligation has been construed specifically relate to the Prophet Muhammad
(sws).
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Pause
and Ponder |
Recitation for Departed Souls
Question:
It is a common religious
practice among the Muslims of our society to arrange a collective recitation of
the Qur’ān for the benefit of a recently departed soul. Is it proper to do so?
Answer:
Any religious practice
which has no real basis in the Qur’ān and Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah be
pleased with him, is a bid`at ie a religious innovation which is a highly
condemned transgression in Islam. The Prophet of Allah declared unequivocally:
"The most detestable of
practices [in religion] are those innovated in it, and each innovation is a
deviation [from the right path]." (Muslim, Kitaab-ul-Jum`a)
The authentic sources of
the Sunnah suggest no indication of the existence of any practice of recitation
of the Qur’ān to benefit the deceased during the days of the Prophet (sws),
neither by an individual nor by a group of people collectively. Imam Shaf`i had,
therefore, rightly pointed out:
"Had there been any virtue
in practising it [recitation for the departed], they [the companions of the
Prophet] would certainly have taken lead in adopting it", (Ibni Katheer, Sūrah
Najm)
Recitation of the Qur’ān to
benefit the dead is, therefore, unquestionably a bid`at. The Qur’ān, moreover,
clearly states that in the life to come each soul would be rewarded or punished
for its very own deeds:
"Man shall receive only
that for which he strove." (53:39)
It is therefore, difficult
to imagine how the benefit of recitation of the Qur’ān by someone living can be
transferred to the account of someone dead? The very idea that the living can
influence the record of performance of the dead seems alien to the spirit of
Islam. The Qur’ān urges its believers to reform their conduct before it is too
late ie before the inevitable moment of death arrives. The concept of transfer
of credit of virtues, on the contrary, suggests that it is never too late: Even
though you’d be dead, your record would be open for improvement. Anybody who
holds this belief would, therefore, have hardly any urgency to reform before
death, for death, after all, is not going to be, in his opinion, the end of the
world for his deeds.
There is a tradition of the
Prophet, may Allah be pleased with him, which says:
"When a person dies, his
record is sealed except (for the credit he continues to receive) from three
areas: philanthropic acts which continue to benefit others after his death,
scholarly works which continue to enlighten others, and the prayers of pious
children for the deceased." (Daarmi)
All the three possibilities
of the post-death benefit mentioned in the tradition are in fact extensions of
the deceased person’s very own acts. Philanthropic acts, of course, are
initiated by the individual himself in his life time. Same is the case with the
light of knowledge that continues to serve others. Prayers of the pious children
too owe their origin to the expired individual’s own efforts in bringing them up
to the standards of piety.
There is, therefore, no
room for a credit accruing to an individual’s account of deeds because of an act
not attributable to his own efforts. Transfer of credit of virtuous acts to the
account of the dead, we may conclude, is an idea not consistent with Islamic
teachings.
wassalam
Dr Khalid Zaheer
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=908
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Announcements: |
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Course |
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11787 |
Arrangement of the
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Belief in God |
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10975 |
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Belief in the Hereafter |
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Family and Marriage:
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Family and Marriage:
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800 |
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Adaab i Mu`asharat |
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Ta'ruf i Hadith |
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