General
From Issue: 100 [Read full issue]
|
QURAN
|
Translation:
"And your Lord would never destroy human habitations wrongfully, while their inhabitants are righteous."
[Al-Quran- Sura Hud 11: 117]
Tafseer:
The Real Factors that had caused the
destruction of past nations:
They were favored with
God's blessings. But drunk with affluence, they resorted
to mischief on earth. Their collective conscience was also
completely vitiated. None or very few righteous persons
were left among them to prevent evil from predominating.
Lessons:
- It is imperative that there should always be a good number of righteous people in every society.
- A community that is prepared to put up with everything except a group of righteous people in its midst - people that call men to do good and forbid them from doing evil - is certainly destined for self-destruction.
- God's final decision, whether to punish a community or not, depends on the extent to which that community possesses the elements that would enable it to respond to the call of truth.
If we truly love the
society we live in and don't want the punishment of God
to come down upon us, we should try our best to develop
a group of people who will call people to do good and forbid
them from evil.
[Compiled from "Towards
Understanding the Quran", by S. Abul Ala Maududi,
vol. IV]
|
6
THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR ISLAM IN 2001
|
continued from issue
# 99....
2.
INCREASE YOUR TIME FOR THE MASJID (Mosque)
It's easy
to drop a couple of dollars in a Masjid donation box, but
it's not so easy to devote a couple of hours every few weeks
to Dawa (invitation to Islam) to the Masjid's neighbors.
When was
the last time your Masjid had an open house? When were your
non-Muslim friends invited to attend a party in the Masjid?
While everyone in Masjid is ready to work on a Masjid building
or a school project, there
are very few who are willing to spare time for neighborhood relations or media communication. Many times there is no one available to properly handle inquires left on the Masjid's answering machine.
are very few who are willing to spare time for neighborhood relations or media communication. Many times there is no one available to properly handle inquires left on the Masjid's answering machine.
Time is
our greatest resource, not money. Devote yours to causes
that deserve it. Also remember that when you are giving
time to the Masjid, your input and ideas are also more likely
to be considered by its
administration.
administration.
To be continued
in the next issue....
[Taken from www.SoundVision.com]
|
Hadith
|
Charity
for Every Joint
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abu
Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger
of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said:
Each
person's every joint must perform a charity (Sadaqa)
every day the sun comes up:
-
to act justly between two people is a charity;
-
to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it is a charity;
-
a good word is a charity;
-
every step you take to prayers is a charity;
-
and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.
(Collected
by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
[Lessons:
In this Hadith the Prophet
(peace be upon him) has given us a few examples of acts
of 'charity' (Sadaqa) that we should perform on
daily basis. Charity in this Hadith doesn't refer to the
act of giving money in Allah's way only, but in fact, it
is a comprehensive term that includes any act or gesture
that would help the community and would increase our awareness
of Allah and His bounties. There are many out there in this
world who think whatever power and material gains they possess
today are due to their own efforts! However, Islam teaches
us to reflect upon even the smallest of Allah's favors that
we often take for granted, such as the smooth and proper
functioning of our joints and organs in the body. We are
taught to be humble and to thank Allah by being kind, helpful,
and charitable towards our brothers and sisters, as well
as to anyone in the society, regardless of their faith and
culture. In addition, we realize from this Hadith that "Ibada"
(worship of Allah) doesn't only include the devotion through
acts of worship, but it also includes any
action to help and support the community, done to please
Allah, such as, visiting the sick, saying a word of advice
or kindness, giving someone a ride to the Masjid or school,
uniting two sisters or friends after an argument, etc.]
|
Reflections
on Tazkiya and Self-Development
|
Your
Mission: To be a Mumin & a Mujahid
Having
taken the first step and resolved to attain Paradise, you
may ask yourself, what does Allah require from me in order
for me to succeed?
What
Allah requires of you, in Quranic vocabulary, is for you
to be a Mumin and Mujahid. A Mumin is
one who is true and firm in his faith in God. A Mujahid
is one who strives his utmost, with all the means at his
disposal, to gain God's pleasure. If you are a Mumin and
a Mujahid, Allah will assist you to rise to higher stations
both in this world and in the Hereafter.
You
now have a mission: to become a Mumin and Mujahid. As you
embark upon this mission you may come to feel that your
knowledge of Islam is somewhat limited or perhaps that you
are unable to attain those heights of submission and purification
that you desire or others expect of you. This is only natural.
You must not, however, allow these feelings of personal
shortcomings to undermine your efforts to practice Islam.
Remember, Islam is a state of becoming not a state of
being! Each day you must strive to improve and better
yourself- and you will improve.
Principle
of Gradualism:
Tazkiya
or this program for self-improvement that you now find yourself
in, is a process that unfolds itself step by step. You cannot
expect to change yourself all at once.The Prophet (peace
be upon him) was always aware of this when he was dealing
with his companions. This gradual process of change is also
clearly reflected in the manner in which the Quran was revealed
over a period of 23 years. In all your efforts towards
becoming a better believer, you must bear in mind this principle
of gradualism, otherwise you may try to attain the impossible,
and when you do not achieve it, you may become frustrated.
Once
you have committed yourself to Allah, all that you have
must be spent in His way. This is the ideal. Ideals, however, are
always difficult to achieve- and this you must understand
and accept. Ideals are always to be pursued; if they are
easily and always achievable, they can hardly remain as
ideals. It is the seeking and striving to spend all our
efforts in the way of Allah that his known as Jihad
and alternatively, in this instance, as Tazkiya.
To be continued in the next issue....
[Taken from "In the Early
Hours" by Ustadh Khurram Murad (Rahimahullah),
edited by Riza Mohammed]
[A book review of "In the Early
Hours" is available at: http://www.youngmuslims.ca/bookreview/default.asp]