Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

The Worth
Fatir (Originator) - Chapter 35: Verses 34 (partial)

And they shall say, "Praise belongs to God, who has put away sorrow from us."

O Chevalier! The worth of the antidote is known by the snake-bitten, the worth of burning fire is known by the moth, the worth of Joseph's shirt is known by grieving Jacob. When someone is deluded by his own safety and is given the antidote, how will he know its worth? If you want someone to know the worth and gravity of the antidote, you need him whose spirit has reached his lips.

A poor man is needed, broken-hearted, suffering pain, and burdened with grief to know the worth of this caress and the exaltedness of this address: "Praise belongs to God, who has put away sorrow from us." Wait until tomorrow when that wounded-hearted poor man is placed on the throne of joy in the palisade of holiness while the serving boys and servants act like his slaves to spread the carpet before the seat of his good fortune. The night of tribulation will have come to an end, the sun of felicity will have risen from the horizon of generous giving, and the Exalted Presence will set forth for him the gentle favours of generosity. With the tongue of joy and coquetry, he will say, "Praise belongs to God, who has put away sorrow from us."

O indigent man! This world is the world of metaphor. It is clear what realities can be unveiled in the world of metaphor. It is obvious what can be painted on a gnat's wing. This world is a prison. What marks of prisoners can be given but sorrow, grief, and longing? For these grief-stricken ones, the day of the bazaar and the time of access will be tomorrow when the concealed gentlenesses and treasuries stored in the Unseen will come out from the covering of jealousy unscathed by hands and untouched by minds. A vast capacity will be given to the poor ones so that they may drink the wine of vision cup by cup, or rather, ocean by ocean. They will be shouting out, "Is there any more?" [50:30]. And praise belongs to God alone.

Compiled From:
"Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar" - Rashid al-Din Maybudi. pp. 411, 412

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Choice of Garb

"Eat what you wish and wear what you wish, as long as you avoid two things: extravagance and arrogance." (Al-Bukhari)

I read something from an Indian scholar in which he mentioned as a hadith from al-Bayhaqi, "You must wear turbans. They are the mark of the angels. Let them hang down behind your backs." I have read a number of hadiths about the excellence of turbans, related by at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud. They are all without merit: as Shaykh Muhammad Hamid al-Faqi says, "There is no sound hadith about the excellence of the turban." Turbans are Arab dress and not a mark of Islam. It is the same with the headbands of the kufiyya. The fact is that a hot environment necessitates covering the head and neck, and white, loose garments are recommended in it. In cold climates, the quest for warmth leads to more constricting garments and choosing dark colours.

We can see extravagance and arrogance behind many Arab and Western customs. People of good character and gravity rise above this excess in choice of garb, and so a person's worth is not based on the value of his clothes. Does Islam have one specific type of dress? No. Some young men imagine that the jilbab is the garment of Islam and that the suit is the garment of the unbelievers. This is an error. If we want to preserve "our identity", that is achieved by complete certainty, honourable behaviour, extensive knowledge and pleasant character.

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

Blindspot!

The Peace Maker

For the Prophet, peace was not a strategy he employed, it was the goal of his peace movement. He preached peace and justice leading to the establishment of a peace sanctuary in the city of Madinah where even animals cannot be harmed, hunting unless for food was forbidden and trees cannot be cut.

When preaching, he would ask individuals and tribes for just two things: believe in One God and work with him to establish peace and prosperity in the land.

A commitment to peace was a way of life for our beloved Prophet. The Prophet was described by his wife Aisha as a walking Quran, a person who embodied the Message of God, the One Who brings peace to hearts and nations. He was known for reconciling people at war and individuals in conflict. Even when he established the peace sanctuary of Madinah he developed written documents which Muslims call the first surviving written constitution of the world. It gave full religious rights and internal autonomy to it's Jews and Christians. He declared in that written constitution that Muslims, Jews and other signatories of that document constitute one ummah (ummatun wahidatun), one nation in the modern sense of the word.

God's choicest peace and blessings be upon the Prophet. We love him and follow him in our daily lives. Sallallahu Alaihe wa sallam.

Now it is our duty, as believers in God, to create a common agenda for the peace movement for our times so that the prophetic mission of encouraging people to establish justice continues in the future.

Compiled From:
"The Prophet, The Peace Maker" - Abdul Malik Mujahid