Lulua
09-02-2002, 07:56
FRIDAY NASEEHAH - issue 24
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QUR'AN
"Believers! if you fear Allah he will grant you a criterion and will cleanse you of your sins and forgive you. Allah is Lord of abounding bounty. "
(Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils) 8: 29)
[Commentary: "'Criterion' signifies that which enables one to distinguish between true and false; between real and fake. This is the shade of meaning conveyed by the Qura'anic term 'furqan'. If a man is God-fearing and tries his best to refrain from acts which displease Allah, He will create in him the ability to discern for himself at every step which action are proper and which are not...This inner light will serve as a pointer at every turn and crossing, at every up and down in life, guiding him to when he should proceed and when he should refrain, telling him which is the path of truth and leads to God, and which is false and leads to Satan. (Towards Understanding the Quran-- Abul A'la Maududi)]
[Contributed by Br. Junaid Mirza]
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HADITH
Adas Ibn Umayra (R) said : 'I heard the Prophet (SAW) say : "Allah will
not punish the public (with His torment) because of the bad deeds of a particular people, till the public sees the Munkar (Evil) amongst themselves and they are able to change it but they don't change it. If they do this, then Allah (SWT) will punish the particular people who have been doing the wrong and the public as well."'
(Collected by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
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Life of Sahaabah (Companions of the Prophet (pbuh))
Umar Ibn al-Khattab (R) said, "There is no Islam without Jama'ah (Collective work) and no Jama'ah without leadership and no leadership without obedience."
(Taken from "Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm" by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (Rahimahullah))
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EXCERPT
"Jama'ah (Collective work)- A means to accomplish the Objective"
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"A Muslim is not the one who fights Satan with his sword only and gets catapulted into Jannah (paradise), but rather the one who interacts actively with his environment in order to make a difference: (Allah Says in Qur'an): "That man can have nothing but what he strives for; that [the fruit of] striving will soon come in sight; then will he be rewarded with a reward complete." (53:39-41). Our actions are witnessed not only by Allah and His Messenger (S) but also by others as well. Hence, the Muslim is not living in a vacuum; he is continuously acting and interacting with his surroundings. What makes him or her a better Muslim? According to the following Hadith: "People are dependents of Allah; the closest to Him (Allah) are the ones who are most useful to His dependents (i.e. other creature)," (Sahih Muslim). Thus, the criterion for being a better Muslim is not simply Salah (prayers), fasting, Dhikr, and tasbih (glorifying Allah); it's one's utility to others! In this context the following principle should alarm us: "He who does not concern himself with the affairs of other Muslims is not one of them." The task of a jama'ah (group) of Muslims is not to serve itself; it is to serve others! The group is not the objective, for in reality it is only an organizational means to accomplish the objective. The interest of such an organization must be subservient to the interest of the Ummah (Nation) and of the outside world. The Messenger of Allah (S) directs us: "Have mercy on those in the land, so that the One in Heaven will have Mercy on you," (Reported by at-Tirmidhi). Muslim groups which confine themselves to their membership are losing sight or their objectives are becoming self-serving. In fact, all the preparation and training of the organization's members should be directed towards serving their nation. To establish an organization for the sake of the organization is like building a house for the sake of the house. The environment and the population of which the Da'iyah (Caller to Allah) is a part, are the only mediums through which he can perform. They are the only fields of operation in which Allah is testing him during his life."
(Taken from "Training Guide for Islamic Workers", pg. 15-16, by Dr. Hisham Altalib)
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PRACTICAL ASPECTS
The medicine of envy....
"Be aware that envy is one of the most dangerous diseases of the hearts, and there is no medicine for the diseases of the heart except with knowledge and deeds.....These are the medicines for envy, and they are very effective, but they are bitter on the hearts, but the effectiveness is in the bitter medicine, so whosoever cannot be patient with the bitterness of medicine cannot get the sweetness of the cure"
(Taken from "Ihya 'Uloom ad Deen", by Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (Rahimahullah).)
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QUR'AN
"Believers! if you fear Allah he will grant you a criterion and will cleanse you of your sins and forgive you. Allah is Lord of abounding bounty. "
(Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils) 8: 29)
[Commentary: "'Criterion' signifies that which enables one to distinguish between true and false; between real and fake. This is the shade of meaning conveyed by the Qura'anic term 'furqan'. If a man is God-fearing and tries his best to refrain from acts which displease Allah, He will create in him the ability to discern for himself at every step which action are proper and which are not...This inner light will serve as a pointer at every turn and crossing, at every up and down in life, guiding him to when he should proceed and when he should refrain, telling him which is the path of truth and leads to God, and which is false and leads to Satan. (Towards Understanding the Quran-- Abul A'la Maududi)]
[Contributed by Br. Junaid Mirza]
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HADITH
Adas Ibn Umayra (R) said : 'I heard the Prophet (SAW) say : "Allah will
not punish the public (with His torment) because of the bad deeds of a particular people, till the public sees the Munkar (Evil) amongst themselves and they are able to change it but they don't change it. If they do this, then Allah (SWT) will punish the particular people who have been doing the wrong and the public as well."'
(Collected by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life of Sahaabah (Companions of the Prophet (pbuh))
Umar Ibn al-Khattab (R) said, "There is no Islam without Jama'ah (Collective work) and no Jama'ah without leadership and no leadership without obedience."
(Taken from "Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm" by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (Rahimahullah))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPT
"Jama'ah (Collective work)- A means to accomplish the Objective"
<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
"A Muslim is not the one who fights Satan with his sword only and gets catapulted into Jannah (paradise), but rather the one who interacts actively with his environment in order to make a difference: (Allah Says in Qur'an): "That man can have nothing but what he strives for; that [the fruit of] striving will soon come in sight; then will he be rewarded with a reward complete." (53:39-41). Our actions are witnessed not only by Allah and His Messenger (S) but also by others as well. Hence, the Muslim is not living in a vacuum; he is continuously acting and interacting with his surroundings. What makes him or her a better Muslim? According to the following Hadith: "People are dependents of Allah; the closest to Him (Allah) are the ones who are most useful to His dependents (i.e. other creature)," (Sahih Muslim). Thus, the criterion for being a better Muslim is not simply Salah (prayers), fasting, Dhikr, and tasbih (glorifying Allah); it's one's utility to others! In this context the following principle should alarm us: "He who does not concern himself with the affairs of other Muslims is not one of them." The task of a jama'ah (group) of Muslims is not to serve itself; it is to serve others! The group is not the objective, for in reality it is only an organizational means to accomplish the objective. The interest of such an organization must be subservient to the interest of the Ummah (Nation) and of the outside world. The Messenger of Allah (S) directs us: "Have mercy on those in the land, so that the One in Heaven will have Mercy on you," (Reported by at-Tirmidhi). Muslim groups which confine themselves to their membership are losing sight or their objectives are becoming self-serving. In fact, all the preparation and training of the organization's members should be directed towards serving their nation. To establish an organization for the sake of the organization is like building a house for the sake of the house. The environment and the population of which the Da'iyah (Caller to Allah) is a part, are the only mediums through which he can perform. They are the only fields of operation in which Allah is testing him during his life."
(Taken from "Training Guide for Islamic Workers", pg. 15-16, by Dr. Hisham Altalib)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRACTICAL ASPECTS
The medicine of envy....
"Be aware that envy is one of the most dangerous diseases of the hearts, and there is no medicine for the diseases of the heart except with knowledge and deeds.....These are the medicines for envy, and they are very effective, but they are bitter on the hearts, but the effectiveness is in the bitter medicine, so whosoever cannot be patient with the bitterness of medicine cannot get the sweetness of the cure"
(Taken from "Ihya 'Uloom ad Deen", by Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (Rahimahullah).)
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