Issue 165 » April 12, 2002 -
General
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Living the Quran
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Translation:
Surah al-Fajr (The Early Morning)
Chapter 89: Verses 15, 16
"As for man, whenever his Lord tries him with honor and tests him with His favors, he says: My Lord has honored me! But whenever He tries him by restricting his means, then he says: My Lord has left me humiliated!"
Commentary
Such is man's thinking about the various forms of trial Allah may set for him, be it comfort or hardship, wealth or scarcity.
In both situations the human concept is faulty. Wealth and poverty are two forms of a test Allah sets for His servants.
At the time of its revelation, the Qur'an was addressing a kind of people, common to all ignorant societies, who lost all their relations with a world beyond our present life. Such people adopt this mistaken view about Allah's granting or denial of wealth, and apply a set of values which reverse all honor to money and social standing. Hence, their craving for wealth is irresistible. It makes them covetous, greedy, and stingy. The Qur'an reveals their true feelings and states that their greed and stinginess are responsible for their inability to understand the true significance of a divine trial by granting wealth or denying it.
[compiled from "Fi Zilaal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Quran)" by Sayyid Qutb]
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Prophetic
Guidance
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No "Special" or "Preferred" Justice
During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam), a woman from the powerful tribe of Makhzum stole jewelry and confessed to the crime when the case was brought before the Prophet. Her tribesmen wanted to avoid the shame of having the Qur'anic punishment applied to her, so they asked Usamah ibn Zayd who was close to the Prophet to intercede on her behalf.
When Usamah approached the Messenger of God, he became very angry with him and said: "Do you dare to intercede in one of Allah's fixed punishments?" He then called the people together and delivered a sermon in which he said,
"The people before you were destroyed because they let the nobles go when they stole, but applied Allah's punishment on the weak when they stole. By Allah, if my own daughter Fatimah stole, I would cut off her hand!"
[reported in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud]
The Prophet showed us how universal justice can be realized in society: when no preferrential treatment or disproportionate leniency in shown to the rich, powerful or influential especially in matters of upholding Law, and at the same time the poor, simple-minded, and weak are exploited by fake expressions of 'justice' and 'due process'.
Islam considers all humans the same with regards to their obligation to submit to divine laws and in their responsibility for breaking them. No government, Muslim or otherwise, should pretend to be upholding God's laws, the Shari'ah, or claim piety for themselves while they are selectively applying His commandments for their own benefit or their 'royal families' or to gain credibility while clinging to power. A society is truly just, and hence Islamic, when those most likely to be wronged - the poor, lower class, disenfranchised, foreigners, and non-Muslims - can testify to their fair treatment, not the rich and well-connected!
[parts from "The Evolution of Fiqh" by Shaykh Abu Ameenah Bilal Philps]
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Quotes
to Ponder Upon
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Islam did not come to obliterate the personalities of men and turn people into clones of one another, or to make them as if they were all cast from the same mold. Islam came to develop the unique and special characteristics of each individual Muslim so that they can be employed in the service of Islam.
Islam does not seek to turn everyone into a scholar or to make everyone into soldier who brandishes his sword in Allah’s cause. Nor does it seek to turn everyone into devotees who pray all night and fast all day. Quite the contrary, Islam addresses people with what suits their individual temperaments.
Someone who is strong in the time of ignorance remains strong after accepting Islam. A person who is naturally very devout and strongly emotional will find fulfillment in Islam and become engaged in worship and devotion. A man who is brave and strong will find in Islam the duties of jihad. A person with an active mind will find that Islam encourages people to think and to seek knowledge. Perhaps the Prophet (peace be upon him) was alluding to this fact when he said: "Everyone will find easy what he is created for."
[from "Personality Development in Islam" by Shaykh Salman al-Oudah]
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Community
& Society
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How do we keep the bonds of Islamic brother/sisterhood intact to fulfill our goals as an Ummah, especially in North America, where our diversity is even more marked than in other parts of the world? In the continuing series, we will present ten practical ways you and your community can build unity.
5) Avoid taking a strong position on smaller points
There is what's called a "Fiqh of priorities" (fiqh al-awaliyaat) and this essentially means that there are some aspects of Islam that are more important than others. For instance, it's more important to emphasize that Muslims establish prayer than whether or not there should be a curtain between men and women in mosques.
Knowing what our priorities are will help us avoid making secondary issues of the faith factors of division in our communities. Muslim leaders, especially, must not only understand this, but implement it in their communities across North America so that small differences do not kill Muslim unity.