Issue 141 » October 26, 2001 -
General
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QURAN
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Translation:
Surah Yunus (Prophet
Jonah)
Chapter 10 : Verses 57
"O humankind, there has come to you an admonition from your Lord and a Healing (shifa'a) for the (diseases) in your hearts and for those who believe, a Guidance (huda) and a Mercy (rahmah)!"
Commentary:
The reader should approach the Quran realizing fully the answer to the following questions: For whom is the Quran a mercy? For whom is this Book a healing? For whom is it a guide? In fact, for whom has the Quran actually been revealed?
The answer to all these questions is one and the same: The Quran is a mercy, healing and guide, and has been revealed for the sake of EVERY individual who wishes to believe in it and follow it. Hence, in essence, the Quran has been revealed for the reader himself or herself!
Furthermore, by following it and accepting its teachings, a person is acting in the best interests of his or her own soul, as God says in the Quran: "Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whosoever sees it, will do so (for the good) of his ownself, and whosoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm!" [Surah al-An'aam: 104]
Khurram Murad states in "Way to The Quran":
"No doubt the Quran was sent down at a specific point in history, and you have received it indirectly through persons, time and space. But the Quran is the word of the Ever-Living God, it is eternally valid and it addresses every person. So let all these intermediaries recede for a while and allow yourself to read the Quran as if it is talking directly to you, as an individual and a member of a collectivity, in your time. The very thought of such direct reception will keep your heart seized by what you are reading... Indeed, there is not a single passage in the Quran which does not have a personal message for you, only you have to have the insight and desire to look for it!"
When was the last time you approached or opened the Quran with the thought of receiving the mercy, guidance, and healing from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, directly?
[compiled from "How to Approach and Understand the Quran"
by Shaykh Jamal-ud-Din Zarabozo, pp. 167-172]
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REMEMBERING
THE "DAYS OF ALLAH"
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The Month of Sha'baan
Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was asked by one of his Companions: "O Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Sha'baan so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month." The Prophet replied: "This is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the Universe, so I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting!"
'Aisha (radhi Allahu 'anha), the wife of the Prophet, narrates: Prophet Muhammad would sometimes begin to fast continuously until we thought he would not stop fasting, and sometimes he used to stop fasting until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting a complete month except the month of Ramadan, and I have never seen him fasting in a month more frequently than he did in Sha'baan.
She asked him, "Messenger of Allah, is Sha'baan your most favorite month for fasting?" He replied, "In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting!"
[compiled from "Sha'baan: Merits, Do's, and Don'ts" by Mufti Taqi-ud-Din Usmani,
contributed by Sister Karimah Mohammed]
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22
SYMPTOMS OF WEAK FAITH
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Series continued from YMFN Issue #140
Following are some of the signs and symptoms of weak faith that one can use to assess whether he or she suffers from spiritual death or disease:
7- Not practising what one preaches: Allah says in the Quran: "O you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not do!" [al-Saff 61:2-3]. No doubt this is a kind of hypocrisy, and the person whose deeds do not match his or her words is blameworthy before Allah and despicable in the eyes of his or her fellow human beings. The people of Hellfire will soon discover the reality of the one who enjoins good but does not do it, and forbids evil, but does it himself or herself.
8- Fear and panic when disaster strikes or problems arise: So you will see such persons shaking and losing their mental balance, with no focus, staring wild-eyed and having no idea what to do when faced with calamity. They are ruled by their fears and can see no way out; they cannot face reality with a strong and steady heart. All of this is the result of weak faith, for if their faith was strong they would be steadfast and would face the worst disasters with calmness and strength.
...to be continued...
[from "Weakness of Faith: Causes and Cures" by Shaykh M. Salih al-Munajjid
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SHATTERING
HOLIDAY MYTHS
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Ah, October! If you haven't seen it already, malls, schools, and grocery stores will soon be decorated in garish orange and black paraphernalia in preparation for the age old ritual of Halloween. What tugs the heartstrings though, is not the gaudy decorations, the sales of cavity-inducing candy and plastic pumpkins, but the adorable children dressed like Pokemon, the Teletubbies, Spiderman and Wonderwoman. And let's not forget: devils and witches.
Halloween has evolved and been influenced by a number of different cultures and religions, the most important of which are paganism, the Romans, the Celts (the people of Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Wales) and Christianity. However, almost all of the traditions surrounding Halloween as we know it today can be traced back to the Celtic "Day of the Dead", a pagan holiday.
Samhain was the Druid god of the dead. The Druids were a religious order amongst the Celts. On this day (Oct. 31st), they would try to appease their Lord of Death. These Druids also believed that witches rode on broom sticks and that ghosts were the cause of supernatural occurrences!
The belief was that on the eve of the Celtic New Year (which for them was October 31), the souls of the dead people roamed the land of the living. The Devil, spirits and witches were also believed to be moving about and at the height of their power.
Halloween was also a time for MAJOR Shirk (idolatory and paganism). There were games and rituals involving fortune-telling, palmistry, and astrology. Young people, for instance, would try to see what their marriage prospects were, using omens like apple pairings that were thrown over their shoulders, or nuts being burned in a fire.
Then the Christian Pope, in the eight century, decided to Christianize this pagan holiday since he wanted people to abandon the occult and idolatrous practices associated with it. He declared November 1st "All Saints' Day" or "All Hallows' Day". It became a day to remember the Christians who had died for their faith. October 31 was then considered All Hallow’s Eve, and this word later evolved into the modern day Halloween!
Following is some advice from the Islamic scholar, Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick, to Muslims on dealing with Halloween:
[for more information, check out http://www.soundvision.com/halloween/]
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HOW
ISLAM REVOLUTIONIZED THE WORLD
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Series continued from YMFN Issue #140
...to be continued...
[from "A Revolution Without Revolutionaries" by Sherif Mohammed,
read online at http://www.dawanet.com/nonmuslim/intro/islam/revolut1.html]