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From Issue: 463 [Read full issue]

Living the Quran

Yunus (Jonah)
Chapter 10: Verse 85 (Partial)

Encountering Oppressors
"Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the oppressors"

The supplication of these devout youths covers a very wide range of meanings. Whenever a people rise to establish the truth in the midst of prevalent falsehood, they encounter oppressors of all sorts. On the one hand, there are protagonists of falsehood who would like to crush the standard-bearers of the truth with all the force at their disposal.

There is also a sizeable group of people who claim to champion the truth but who, despite their claim to be its devotees, are so cowed by the all-round supremacy of falsehood that they look upon the struggle to make the truth prevail as an unnecessary, futile and absurd pursuit. Such people are inclined, in order to somehow justify their insincerity to the cause of the truth, to prove that those who are engaged in the struggle to make the truth prevail are in fact in error. By so doing they seek to calm the uneasiness felt by their conscience concerning the desirability of struggling for the cause of the truth.

Over and above all these are the common people who observe, as silent spectators, the encounter between truth and falsehood, and ultimately support the party which appears to be winning regardless of what aspect that party supports.

In this scenario, every reverse that the votaries of the truth suffer, every affliction or hardship that they endure, any mistake that they commit, and any weakness that they show becomes a cause of trial for all these groups.

If the votaries of the truth are crushed or defeated, the protagonists of falsehood jubilantly claim that it was they, rather than those whom they opposed, who were in the right.

The lukewarm supporters of the truth would cry: 'Look! Did we not foretell that the conflict with such mighty forces would merely result in a loss of many precious lives, that it would be an act of sheer self-destruction, an act of wanton suicide, which has not been made incumbent on us by the Law of God. So far as the fundamental requirements of faith are concerned, they are being fulfilled by the performance of basic religious duties and rituals. As for the rulers, however oppressive they may be, they did not prevent them from performing those duties.'

As for the masses, their attitude is that the truth is known by the fact that it achieves victory. Hence, if a group comes forth as triumphant, the fact of its triumph proves that it was in the right. Similarly, if in the course of a struggle, the protagonists of the truth commit any lapse or betray any weakness in the face of heavy odds, or if even a single person succumbs to any act of immorality, this provides a good many opponents with a pretext to cling to falsehood. If the struggle meets with failure, people are so wont to lose heart that it becomes extremely difficult for any similar movement to rise for a very long time.

Viewed against this background, the prayer of the companions of Moses (peace be on him) appears very meaningful: 'Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the oppressors.' This prayer sought from God His grace that would protect them from their shortcomings and weaknesses, and would render their struggle successful in this world in order that their very existence might become a blessing for fellow human beings rather than a means, in the hands of oppressors, to inflict harm.

Source:
"Towards Understanding The Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, pp. 59-60
Understanding the Prophet's Life

The Voice of Moderation

Throughout their 1,400-year history, Muslims have argued and quarrelled over various interpretations of the Quran and religious traditions.

But it is a sign of the times that the most extreme interpretation of the Quran appeals to Muslim masses these days, and that far too many clerics are attacking Christians and Jews and delivering fire-and-brimstone sermons full of the imagery of war martyrdom. This is contrary to the message of the Quran -"Do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation other than in the most kindly manner (29:46)" - and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad: "Do not consider me better than Moses," and, "I am closest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary."

For all the emphasis that today's clerics put on the Prophet's war record, he spent a total of less than a week in actual battle in the twenty-three years of his Prophethood. He advised his followers to "be moderate in religious matters, for excess caused the destruction of earlier communities." A moderate himself, he smiled often, spoke softly and delivered brief sermons.

"The Prophet disliked ranting and raving," wrote Imam Bukhari, the ninth-century Islamic scholar of the Prophet's sayings. Ayesha, the Prophet's wife, reported that "he spoke so few words that you could count them." His most famous speech during the Hajj pilgrimage in AD 632, which laid down an entire covenant, was less than 2,800 words.

Muhammd was respectful of Christians and Jews. Hearing the news that the king of Ethiopia had died, he told his followers, "A righteous man has died today; so stand up and pray for your brother." When a Christian delegation came to Medina, he invited them to conduct their service in the mosque, saying, "This is a place consecrated to God." When Safiyyah, one of his wives, complained that she was taunted for her Jewish origins, he told her, "Say unto them, 'my father is Aaron, and my uncle is Moses.'"

Yet angry Muslims, not unlike African Americans not too long ago, pay little heed to voices of moderation.

Source:
"Being Muslim" - Haroon Siddiqui, pp. 33-34
Poetry

A Different Kind of Pain

By Found the Words

Note: This poem was written by a sister who had suffered a miscarriage.

So many moments passed where I wouldn't take the time to think about you inside of me, your little heart beating, your little hands forming. The time it took to absorb the shock of your existence was stolen away by the time it is now taking to grasp your departure my beautiful baby boy...

To only have you in my arms, to hold you close and tell you 'Mama loves you.' To hush away your cries and fulfil your needs, what I wouldn't give. I sit up at night and cry for you my beautiful baby boy. I spend my days thinking of the brief time we shared together, a time where you graced my inner being with your remarkable presence. I remind myself, over and over, I have to be patient, I have to persevere, I have to, it is my only way back to you my beautiful baby boy...

It is so difficult at times, I ask myself if you knew all along. In all the ultra sounds, in all the minutes I stared at you in awe, while you moved around and gave me a little show on screen, did you know, did you always know, my beautiful baby boy...

The profound difference you have made in my life, you were here and gone in the blink of an eye. Yet your impact will forever grow, because my faith in Allah tells me that you are safe and content while you do what babies do, my beautiful baby boy...

While you live a painless life, without any fear, amongst the angels, the Prophets, amongst Allah the One Who Willed your Creation, Alhumdulillah, Alhumdulillah, Alhumdulillah. As you rejoice in the Gardens beneath which rivers flow, remember that I anticipate our reunion, an Eternity of sweet kisses, warm cuddles, and soft embraces, while I whisper 'Mama loves you,' Ibrahim, my beautiful baby boy...

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