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Issue 120 » June 1, 2001 -

General

QURAN

Translation:

"This (i.e. Quran) is a plain Statement to mankind, a Guidance (Huda) and Admonition (Mauidhah) to the God-fearing."
 
[Al-Quran, Sura Ale-Imran 2:138]
 
Tafseer:
 
True Purpose of Quran
  • The Quran is not simply a book of laws--of dos and don'ts-- but it is foremost a book of Tarbiyya (improvement and training), or a book that develops and allows people to grow spiritually and morally.
  • That's why Allah describes the Quran in this verse as "Mauidhah", which involves warning the person about the consequences of his actions and it involves, as the English expression states, "putting the fear of God in him", as well as making his heart soft and submissive to the Truth.
  • Hence, the Quran is a book that is meant to reform the individual, either changing him if he were void of guidance or improving him if he already was walking along the Straight Path. It brings him out of the death of Jahiliyya (Ignorance) to the life if Islam-- a message that imbibes in him the feeling of love, fear, and responsibility to Allah (Taqwa).
The Linguistic, Unique, Revolutionary Style of Quran
  • It is interesting to note that after every law stated in the Quran, Allah closes the relevant verses with remembrance of Allah and promises of rewards for those who stay within His limts.
  • The following four are the characteristics of the Quranic style that make it a revolutionary message for all those are Conscious of God:
    • The Quran presents what actually happens as if the reader is witnessing the event itself by exposing all the of the important aspects in a clear, vivid manner.
    • The Quran does not discuss essentially related matters in separate chapters like what one finds in science and philosophy books, but everything is tied together and presented as one unified, related whole.
    • At the same time, though, the Quran stresses various aspects of life in balance or proportion, as they deserve in Allah's sight
    • The Quran gives reality a life or breathing spirit that allows the Quran to influence the heart, soul, emotions, and intellect of the reader.
Message of Quran is Clear to the Open-minded and God-conscious
  • There are many people who know the Truth but who, nevertheless, remain immersed in falsehood either because they yield to their own desires and temptations, or because they fear to share in the  hardship which the followers of Truth may have to endure.
[Compiled from "How to Approach and Understand the Quran", by Jamaal-ad-Din Zarabozo, and "In the Shade of the Quran" by Syed Qutb Shaheed]
Know Your Islamic Vocab.

NAFL: (Plural: Nawafil) An Optional Act; an act for which one is rewarded if it is done but one is not punished if it is not done. Example: Praying two units of Prayer expressing your gratitude to Allah for His Blessings.

DAWA - Time to Come Out of our Boxes!  
  • Let's move out of our "boxes" and "loops". It is quite unfortunate to see today Muslims spending a great portion of their lives and efforts on "scholarly" debates or disputes- which may not be a priority for Muslims in these times and in this land. It is quite hypocritical because there are thousands out there who are waiting for our counseling, our time, our advice (Nasiha), our support, and our message. Therefore, our objectives and efforts need to be re-prioritized. As Imam Khalid Griggs once said, "Unfortunately, today, majority of the members of the "Dawa" organizations are usually doing Dawa to each other, across the table." It is now time to come out of this "box", and start interacting with the real society and think of creative and dynamic ways of projecting Islam to people. Dawa is about changing the lives of people before anything else! [To be continued in the next issue]

[Taken from the article "DAWA: Time To Come Out of Our Boxes" @ www.youngmuslims.ca]

Modesty [Haya] in Islam and Manners of Dressing

~ Aurah of Males ~

Besides the general instructions on dressing, Islam has also specified those parts of the body which the males and females must cover. Such a part, which is obligatory to cover, is termed as Aurah or Satr by the Islamic Law.
 
For the males, the Aurah is the part of the body between the navel and the knee, and it has been enjoined that one should neither uncover this part before another person, nor should one look at this part of anybody else:
  • "The male should cover that part of his body which is between the navel and the knee." (Related by Al-Mabsut).
  • Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) once said, "Do not uncover your thigh before another person, nor look at the thigh of a living or a dead person." (Tafsir al-Kabir)
This is a general command which should be observed in all situations, except obviously in the presence of one's own wife, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Guard your Aurah from all except your wives....." (Related in Al-Ahkam al-Quran, Vol. III, p. 37)
 
[It should also be noted here the difference between the Aurah and the "Hijab" of men. Hijab is a general term that could be loosely used to describe the act of covering a part of one's body due of Haya (sense of modesty) and shame. So, even though the Aurah (which is the bare minimum) for men includes the portion between knee and navel, it is considered highly immoral and indecent for men go around on streets and in their homes with half their chest and legs exposed--- an issue which is quite clearly defined by the scholars of Islam based on the Life of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but one which is rarely addressed today.
 
Therefore, it is part of Haya and Hijab of men to cover their whole body as much as possible. It is important to note that there are several reasons/situations due to which or in which Islam has taken a lesser strict position on the covering of man's body. One of these situations, for instance, is Hajj or Umrah (i.e. pilgrimage to Makkah), where men are given the provision and encouraged to leave their arms exposed during the Tawaf, to express a sense of strength, and to make the arduous act of pilgrimage itself easy.
 
We should remember, just as women are obligated to wear looser and decent clothes, so are men supposed to. Therefore, it is improper and immoral for men to wear tight jeans and tight T-shirts, as is the fashion in our society today. Our dignity, as Muslims, lies in our intellect, our contribution to society, our behavior, and our message, not in what we look like and how well we can "fit in". Why should we blindly follow what everybody else is doing in the society? It is interesting to note today Muslim youth love the latest fashion and fad because they would like to be 'unique' and to create their own 'individuality'. But it is quite ironic at the same time, because if we ALL are supposed to be following the latest vogue that everyone else in the society is adopting, then what makes you and I a 'unique individual'?
 
That's why those of us who run after the trends of this world their whole life, or at least in their youth, realize after a while, how useless and hollow their lives have become- a life of enslavement to the purposeless society, rather than obedience to God. We realize after a while that it isn't about 'individuality' or uniqueness, in fact it is about globalization and corporations-- the fact that these multi-national and multi-millionaire businesses and governments of the world, want the masses to keep themselves busy in their own little fantasy worlds of passions and fashions, while they themselves are utilizing their time and efforts quite 'productively' in bombing the children of Iraq and starving the Mujahideen of Afghan to death- a reality very few of the youth today realize!]
 
[Next issue will deal with Islamic rulings on the 'Aurah/Satr of females]

[Compiled from "Al-Hijab and the Status of Woman in Islam", by S. Abul Ala Maududi (Rahimahullah)]

Naisha (Advice) From!

"Do not look at the insignificance of your sins, but consider the greatness of The One you are disobeying." 

~ By one of the Pious Predecessors (Rahimahullah) ~

[Collected in Imam Al-Baihaqi's 'Shuab-ul-Iman' (5/430)]

Message From The Maintainer

[A Clarification: The intent behind last week's Quranic Tafseer (commentary) was not to imply that Contraception by itself is forbidden in Islam. It is a valid practice, the approval of which could be found in some Hadiths, as well as in the writings of several Islamic scholars of the past and present, including Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and more. Please refer to Shk. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi's "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam", on this issue, in the on-line library of www.youngmuslims.ca. The whole point of last week's Tafseer was to establish the fact that the source of our sustenance lies purely in Allah's Plan and Will. Jazakumullahu Khayran to Br. M. El-Bagoury for bringing this matter and clarification to our attention!]

[Taken from Online Quiz @ www.youngmuslims.ca]