Friday Nasiha

General

Surah al-Qasas
Chapter 28: Verse 86

Translation

“[O Prophet!] You never looked forward for the Book (Quran) to be revealed to you. It is out of sheer Mercy of your Lord that it was (revealed to you).”

Commentary

This verse is presented as one of the proofs of the legitimacy of Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Prophethood, and the fact that Quran could not have been authored by other than God.

Muhammad (pbuh) Before the Revelation

The Makkan were familiar with Prophet Muhammad's life before he came down from Cave Hira with a revolutionary Message. They knew about his occupational activities, his manner of discourse, the subjects on which he dwelt, and his interests and concerns. It was a life replete with truthfulness, generousity, honesty, decency, and chastitiy. There was nothing in his life which foretold that this noble man would become a Prophet!

Chosen by God - A Moment of Awe, Shock, and Fear!

But lo and behold, this man suddenly rose with a world-shaking Message, started a revolutionary movement, came forth with a piece of literature that had no parallel, expounded a fully-fledged philosophy of life, and set about promoting a system of ideas, morality, and civilization that was universal! All this was far too big a change to be, psychologically speaking, the result of deliberate preparation and concious efforts of a simple man like Muhammad, given the fact that Prophet Muhammad was himself illiterate.

In fact, it is well-known that Prophet Muhammad was seized by shock and fear when the Angel Jibrail ('alayhi-salam) first brought the revelation to him. Prophet Muhammad came down from the mountain, trembling and went home, crying out: "Cover me, cover me!" out of fear for his life. [See Bukhari and Muslim under the chapter "Wahy" for the full story].

Had Muhammad Desired and Anticipated Prophethood or Leadership...

1- Had Muhammad (peace be upon him) been anxiously waiting for the Angel's arrival, he would have gleefully jumped up and down the mountain with gusto, instantly proclaiming that he had been appointed a Prophet. He would not have ran home crying out, "Cover me, cover me."

2- No one is more knowledgeable about the mental state and thoughts of a husband than his wife. Had Khadijah known that her husband Muhammad had been preparing himself for 15 years to assume the role of Prophet and leader, she would not have been so surprised herself. She would have said, "Why should you worry? You have received what you have been looking forward to for so long. Go out and proclaim!"

[compiled from "Towards Understanding the Quran" Vol. VII by Abul Ala Mawdudi,
(The Islamic Foundation, UK), pp. 250-2]

Worry for the Hereafter

In one Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If one becomes worried, he hurries up, and if he hurries up, he sooner reaches his destination." [at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim]

Explaining this Hadith, Attayyibi says: "The Prophet gave this as an example to illustrate man's journey to a safe haven in the afterlife. Satan, supported by man's evil desires and wishful thinking, obstructs his way. If he is fully aware and has kept purity of intention regarding his deeds, he is safe from Satan's conniving." The example can be true in the case of the person who has set himself targets, and is worried lest he should be encountered by obstacles before reaching them. He, therefore, makes a greater effort in order to reach his targets.

[taken from http://www.islaam.com/Article.asp?id=599]

Last words of the Liberator of Egypt from Rome!

Amr Ibn Al-Aas (May Allah be pleased with him) liberated Egypt from the tyrannical rule of Rome. In A.H. 43 death caught up with Amr Ibn Al-Aas in Egypt, where he was ruling. He recaptured his life in the moments of departure saying, "In the first part of my life I was a disbeliever, and I was one of the fiercest people against the Messenger of Allah, so if I had died then, the fire would have been my fate. Then, I swore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, and there was no person more dear to me than he and more glorious in my eyes than he. If I wanted to describe him, I could not, because I was not able to fill my eyes with him on account of being in awe of him. If I had died back then, I would have wished to be of the inhabitants of Paradise. Then after that I was tested with command and with material things. I do not know if they were for me or against me."

Then he raised his sight to the sky in awe, calling upon his Lord, the Merciful, the Magnificent, saying, "O Allah, I am not innocent, so forgive me. I am not mighty, so help me. And if Your mercy does not come to me, I will surely be of those destroyed."

And he continued in his yearning and his prayers until his spirit ascended to Allah and his last words were, "There is not god but Allah."

[Compiled from "Men Around the Messenger" by Khaalid Muhammad Khaalid. pp. 485,486]