Surah al-Maidah (The Table)
Chapter 5: Verses 100 (Partial)
 Good and Evil
"The evil and the good are not
equal, even though the abundance of the evil things might make you pleased
with them."
This verse outlines for us a standard
of evaluation quite distinct from the standards used by the superficial
people of our world today. For such people, for instance, a hundred
dollars are worth more than five dollars, since a hundred is more
than a five. But, according to this verse, if those hundred dollars
have been earned through corrupt means, entailing the disobedience
of God (such as by stealing, usurping the wealth of orphans or the
weak, selling Haram or forbidden things, or through Riba or
interest), the entire amount becomes unclean.
On the other hand, if a person earns
five dollars while obeying God, then this amount is clean and honourable;
and anything which is unclean, whatever its quantity, cannot be
worth more than that which is clean. A drop of perfume is more
valuable than a heap of filth; a just ruler is more worthy of obedience
and allegiance than a thousand evil, corrupt, and tyrannical leaders
of the nations; a young boy or girl who spends his or her youth
remembering Allah, helping others physically and spiritually, studying
hard, calling others for the establishment of good, peace, and justice
in the world, and helping others stay away from evil, is far more
productive and dignified than hundreds of superficial youth surrounded
by and subservient to their own desires, devoid of any higher purpose
in life, driven by the latest fad and fashion, and who are consumers
of whatever the media wants them to know, see, and buy! Surely they
can't be equal!
Yusuf Ali (rahimahullah) writes: "People
often judge by quantity rather than quality. They are dazzled by numbers:
their hearts are captured by what they see everywhere around them. But
the people of understanding and depth judge by a different standard. They know that good and bad things are not to be lumped together,
and carefully choose the best, which may be scarcest, and avoid the
bad, though evil may meet them at every step," such as through
ads, media, peer pressure, cultural practices, etc.
It is interesting to note the following
incidence, related by Imam al-Shafi'ee (rahimahullah), in this
connection: When 'Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz (a renowned righteous and just
Caliph from Umayyad dynasty) cancelled all the tyrannous taxes and returned
the wealth and property that had been misappropriated by the rulers
before him, one of his governors wrote to him and complained that by
annulling taxes and returning the wealth to their owners, 'Umar had
emptied the state treasury. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz (rahimahullah)
wrote back to him this verse.
Source:
"Tafseer Ishraq
Al-Ma'ani" - Syed Iqbal Zaheer, and
"Towards Understanding the Quran"
- Abul A'la Mawdudi
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The Teacher
Masjid al-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque) was not only a place of worship, but also the first Islamic university. In the Masjid, there was an elevated platform known as the Suffah.
Sometimes, people who had no place to live stayed on the Suffah, but more often, it was occupied by people who loved the Prophet, peace be upon him, so much that they did not want to part with the Masjid. These people came to be known as the Ashab al-Suffah.
The Ashab al-Suffah spent their days and nights praying, reciting Quran and studying Islam. They sat in groups and performed Dhikr (remembering Allah), or they studied Fiqh.
Once, the Prophet saw two meetings of Ashab al-Suffah taking place. In one assembly, people were making Dhikr. In the other, they were studying the religion of Islam. The Prophet said, "Allah likes both of these assemblies. Both are blessed."
Then he said, "I have been sent as a Teacher" and he joined the assembly where the Sahabah were engaged in learning about the Deen.
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Validating Faith
The need to challenge, re-evaluate and consciously adopt a faith applies to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Even those born into Muslim families must go through the process and accept their faith rationally. They, too, must make a personal choice and consciously adopt Islam, not just inherit it without much thought. This is vitally important because if one's intellect is not honestly and sincerely convinced of it, one's belief in Islam is invalid. To be acceptable to Allah, both heart and mind must witness the truth of the faith.
This conscious, deliberate re-evaluation of faith is beneficial for everyone. It frees individuals from the influence of the society. It allows non-Muslims to break the chains that bind them to the wrong beliefs of the society and enables them to discover the truth of Islam. It helps Muslims to keep their faith in Islam pure from whatever may have crept into the faith from non-Islamic influences. In addition, when people make their faith a personal choice, it becomes their own rather than something just passed along to them. This ownership develops the right level of commitment and loyalty for it.
To help people in this respect, our Gracious Lord has appropriately pre-programmed our psyche. Human beings cross the line of childhood into adulthood when they come of age. For this stage in people's lives, Allah built into human nature the urge to challenge the accepted beliefs and norms of society. This happens so that people can free themselves from what was indoctrinated into their minds by society and freely choose their own beliefs. It is only after this stage in a person's life that Allah holds human beings accountable for their actions.
Source:
"Islam: Adopting Its Paradigms" - Ayub A. Hamid, pp. 32, 33
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