Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Message of Consolation
Al-e-Imran (The House of Imran) - Chapter 3: Verse 195 (partial)

"... Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, whether male or female ..."

This is an encouragement to the believers who were experiencing severe torture and persecution for actively responding to the Islamic message during its most critical phase. The torture and persecution, however, could not make the believers abandon their faith and revert to their previous state of unbelief.

The Muslim community was passing through a phase of hijrah and jihad. They are the ones who supported the cause of truth, risking whatever they possessed for the love of Allah. These early Muslims included the free as well as slaves, and men and women who suffered horrendous forms of torture and persecution, so reprehensible in fact, that just reading about them makes one's hair stand on end. The enemies of Islam specially targeted weak Muslims, women and the slaves. It was indeed the miracle of Islam that all these hardships and persecution failed to make even a single Muslim renounce his or her belief. The poor and weak ones among them proved to be far more firm and resolute during this trial.

The special message of consolation and encouragement given in the above verse for the oppressed Muslims has a special significance. They served the cause of Allah's din, Islam, and they all, men and women, will receive their full recompense. The addition of the words "whether a male or a female", confirms that Allah's promise of reward includes all men and all women striving and suffering for the Divine cause, and striving side by side. How great an encouragement it must have been for these oppressed men and women, and how important the light of hope that it enkindled in the hearts of these oppressed women who were subjected to the worst forms of persecution simply because of embracing Islam.

Compiled From:
"Pondering Over The Quran: Surah Ali Imran" - Amin Ahsan Islahi

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Transmission

Our Community has a long history of protecting its prophetic legacy and defending it against being misconstrued, and it considers lying about the Messenger to be something which will take anyone who does it to eternal punishment in Hell because it involves falsification of the deen and forging lies against Allah. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said, "Lying about me is not like lying about anyone else. Whoever lies about me deliberately will take his seat in Hell." [Bukhari]

Scholars who study the Sunna have laid down five preconditions for the acceptability of hadiths of the Prophet: three concern the isnad (chain of transmission) and two the text itself.

1. The isnad must be comprised of transmitters with good memories who are precise in respect of what they hear and then report it accurately.

2. As well as having an intelligent grasp of the text, they must also have unimpeachable morals and a conscience which fears Allah and refrains from any temptation to adulterate it.

3. These two qualities must be applied to every one of those who make up the chain of transmitters. If any chain is lacking in one transmitter or one of the men in the chain is unsure, then the hadith is less than sound.

When the isnad has been found to be acceptable on this basis, then we examine the text transmitted by it. i.e. the text of the hadith itself.

4. It must not be aberrant.

5. It must not have a fault which renders it unacceptable.

Aberration arises when the text concerned contradicts a reliable transmission from a more reliable transmitter. When those with expertise see such an impairing fault in the hadith, that moves them to reject it.

These preconditions provide an adequate guarantee of the precision of the transmission. Indeed, in the whole history of human culture, there is nothing comparable to this firm establishment and determination of reliability of any other tradition. The important thing is to apply these criteria properly.

Compiled From:
"The Sunna of the Prophet" - Muhammad al-Ghazali

Blindspot!

Known and Unknown

At various places in the Quran and in different ways goodness is referred to as maruf (known), meaning that which is generally known. And evil has been called munkar (that which is unknown). In other words, vice is that which by instinct is unfamiliar to mankind. The innate nature (fitra) of man prompts him on what is wrong. Regardless of how many sins mankind may have committed or how many times they may have been involved in wrongdoing or in creating false philosophies, a vast majority of people never accepted established goodness to be evil, or evil to be good. The universal good has been recognized everywhere at all times. Collectively, the nations of the world have never agreed to a premise of accepting good to be evil or vice versa.

Those people who consume intoxicants day in and day out agree that drinking is injurious. Those who take riba (interest on loans) admit that riba is detrimental. Those who are involved in zina (adultery or fornication) agree that it is wrong and a source of degradation of a society. Nobody accepts or praises zina as a righteous act. Although it has been tolerated and defended by some, history of nations testifies to the fact that a greater part of mankind never accepted this wrong and perverse act to be good. There are people whose ways of life have been corrupted, but a vast majority of mankind has never insisted on declaring the known good deeds to be evil or those which are known evils to be virtuous.

Compiled From:
"A Righteous Heart: The Axis of One's Deeds" - Khurram Murad