Dynamic Faith, Everything's Good, Love of Books
Issue 228 » June 27, 2003 - Rabi-al-Thani 27, 1424
General
| Living the Quran |
Al-Anfal
(The Spoils of War) Meaning of Wajl Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, says: "When hypocrites perform worship duties, nothing touches their hearts as they mention God. They do not believe in any of God's signs, and they do not rely on Him. When they are alone, they neither pray nor pay Zakat. Hence, God describes them as unbelievers, and then He describes the believers..." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir) Umm al-Darda, may Allah be pleased with her, a lady Companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A feeling of awe (Wajl) is similar to a burning sensation that causes you to tremble. When you experience that, then pray to God, for such prayer is sure to give you comfort." Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, has said: "Wajl (awe) can be likened to the spark of a burning palm-leaf. When one of you feels that, let him resort to supplication. (Ibn Jarir, Alusi, Shawkani, Manar) Faith is not Static A man's faith grows as he is able to confirm and submit to the command of God which he comes across. This is especially so where he submits to commands which go against his own personal predilections. For, if he hesitates to respond positively to God's command, his faith is diminished. One thus learns that faith is not a static, immobile object. Both belief and unbelief are capable of growth and decline. However when belief and unbelief are mentioned as a basis for membership of the Muslim community or in connection with legal rights and responsibilities as necessary corollaries of that membership, the determination of who is a believer and who is not will depend on the basic minimum of belief regardless of quality of belief. Placing Trust on God Ibn Kathir explains the significance of placing trust in God fully as he says: "They place their hopes in none other than Him, turn to no one other than Him, seek no one else's protection, address their appeals only to Him and turn for help to no one other than Him. They know that whatever He wishes will be accomplished and what He does not will never take place. They also know that He alone has complete control over the whole universe, with no one needed to endorse, ratify, or confirm His judgement. He is also fast in reckoning. For this reason, Said ibn Jubayr says: 'True reliance on God is the net sum of faith.'" To rely on God alone does not prevent anyone from taking action or precaution. A believer takes precautions against any eventuality as a sign of believing in God and obeying Him, as He has ordered us to do so. But a true believer does not consider his actions and precautions as the only cause to give the effects they produce. Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
Dealing with Worries and Stress The believers in Allah whose faith is correct and motivates them to do righteous deeds that reform their hearts and characters, and change their status in this world and the next, have the basic principles according to which they deal with every kind of joy and grief that they may face. They receive blessings and joys with acceptance and thanksgiving, and put them to use in beneficial ways. When they do this, they feel happy and hope that it will last and will bring them reward for their gratitude, as well as other things that will supersede the original goodness and blessings. When faced with distress, harm, worries and anxieties, they try to resist them and reduce them as much as they can, and they react with befitting patience to the things in which they have no choice. They gain a lot of benefits as a result, such as: resilience and toughness as is appropriate; useful experience, strong willpower, patience, the hope of reward, and many other benefits which reduce the distress felt. Thus their anxiety is replaced with joy and the hope of blessings and reward from Allah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated in the sahih hadith: “How marvellous is the affair of the believer! Everything that happens to him is good, and this does not apply to anyone except the believer. If something good befalls him, he gives thanks for it, and that is good for him. If something bad befalls him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him.” Source: |
| The Islamic Civilization |
Love of Books Muslim men of letters preferred the study of books to gatherings and discussions, for being close to books was closer to their hearts than being close to the Caliph or the Ruler. When al-Jahiz wanted to visit Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Ziyat, a literary figure and a minister, he thought the best gift to give him would be the book by Sibawayh, the master of Arabist of his time. The minister accepted the gift joyfully and said to al-Jahiz, "By Allah! Nobody ever gave me a gift more beloved than this gift of yours." Sahib ibn Ubad, instead of accepting the highest post in the royal palace of Nuh ibn Mansur al-Samani, opted for the company of books in a library, since he was in love with his library, he could not leave it and could not take it with him. So he preferred to live where his heart was. This was the spirit of the learning on whose basis our learned men, the rich and the noble, showed such zealous attachment to books and collected them. They considered the loss of their domestic goods much less than the loss of books. With this spirit of learning, people would compete with each other in purchasing books. As soon as a book neared completion, people approached the author or compiler to buy it. For example, the ruler of Andalusia, Hakam, learnt that Abu al-Faraj Asfahani was writing his famous literary book al-Aghani. He sent him a thousand dinars as the price of one copy of this book and asked him to send it as soon as it was completed. So this book found its way to Andalusia and was being read there long before being available in his own county - Iraq. Source: |
