General
From Issue: 400 [Read full issue]
| Living the Quran |
Al-Nahl
(The Bee)
This instruction is very important for those who are engaged in the propagation of Islam. They should always keep in view two things - wisdom and excellent admonition. Wisdom demands that one should keep in view the intelligence, capability and circumstances of the addressees and convey the Message in accordance with the requirements of the occasion. Moreover, one should refrain from applying one and the same method to each and every person or group but should first diagnose the real disease of the addressee and then cure it by appealing to the heart and mind. Excellent admonition implies two things: Firstly, one should not be content with convincing the addressee with arguments alone but should also appeal to the nobler emotions of man. For instance, one should not confine oneself merely to arguments in condemning evils and deviations but should also try to evoke the instinctive dislike to evil which is embedded in human nature. In addition, one should also create in the addressee interest and love for righteous behaviour. Secondly, admonition should be administered in such a manner as to show sincere sympathy, compassion and concern for the addressee. Nothing should be said or done to create the impression that the admonisher is looking down upon him and taking pleasure in his own feeling of superiority. On the contrary, he should feel that the admonisher is filled with the strong desire for his reform and welfare. Compiled From: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Cultivating and Farming Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Never a Muslim plants a tree, but he has the reward of charity for him, for what is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beasts eat out of that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short) none incurs a loss to him but it becomes a charity on his part." [Muslim] Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If the last hour comes and in your hand you have a date palm seedling, then if you are able to plant it before that, then do so." [Ahmed] Shaikh Nasir ud-deen al-Albanee, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, "In these noble sayings there is nothing more clearer than to encourage one to cultivate, in particular the last hadith. For it contains a strong incentive to seize an opportunity in the last period of one's life in the path of cultivating, so that people can benefit after your death. Then the reward will continue and it will be recorded as an act of charity until the last day." And it is reported from the companions that they were keen to act upon this tradition of the Prophet - encouraging each other to build up one's deeds for the future, even if it was by planting one seed. Ibn Jareer related from Umarah bin Khuzaimah bin Thabit who said: "I heard Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, say to my father, "what prevents you from cultivating your land?" My father said to him, "I am an old man and I may even die tomorrow." Umar said to him, "I think you should cultivate it." Then I saw Umar bin al-Khattab planting with his hands along with my father." Compiled From: |
| Blindspot |
To live in the Shade of the Quran To live "in the shade of the Quran" is a great blessing which can only be fully appreciated by those who experience it. It is a rich experience that gives meaning to life and makes it worth living. I am deeply thankful to God Almighty for blessing me with this uplifting experience for a considerable time, which was the happiest and most fruitful period of my life - a privilege for which I am eternally grateful. It is a great honour to feel that God Almighty should be addressing me, a humble and insignificant human being, with the blessed and inspiring words of the Quran. They lifted my spirits, and I was raised to a unique vantage point from where I could observe the tumult of human life. I was able to gain a new perspective into man's endless quest for the trivial and the mundane, and the clamour for ephemeral and childish pursuits. I was astounded by the extent of our ignorance and our neglect of the Quran's sublime and Divine Message which has the power to uplift and entirely transform human perception, experience and history on this Earth. I had the opportunity to study the Quran at length and ponder over its clear and full conception of creation and existence, and their purpose. I could compare the impact of those ideas with that of others put forward by men throughout history. And I wondered: How has life been allowed to degenerate into such darkness and despair, while this rich treasure of guidance and enlightenment is readily available? I lived in the shade of the Quran, filled with appreciation of that perfect harmony and balance inherent in God's creation, between man's actions and the movement of the Universe around him. I was able to see clearly the dire consequences of the conflict between the two. I could see the folly, indeed the catastrophe, to which humanity is being driven by wicked and ungodly miscreants. Pity the human race, indeed! Compiled From: |
