Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Al-Isra (The Night Journey)
Chapter 17: Verse 16

Crime of Luxury
"And when it is Our will to destroy a town, We command its luxury-loving citizens, and they deal corruptly in it; thus the sentence upon it is justified, and We destroy it utterly."

Luxury is the cause of destruction in the course of history, as it is the cause of audacity. And equally certainly, luxury is a reason for punishment in the world to come, because it results in grave sin. But, it is not only the individual who loves luxury who will suffer destruction and punishment; the community that permits the existence of such luxury will be similarly afflicted.

The 'will' here referred to in the verse is not predestination in the commonly accepted sense, but rather the law of cause and effect, or of reason and result. If there are luxury-loving individuals in a community and the community allows them to remain so, doing nothing against them; if it refrains from checking the causes of luxury; if it leaves the luxury-loving to pursue their corrupt way; then all these factors, because of their very existence, are causes that will inevitably result in the destruction and the downfall of the community. Such is the meaning of 'will' in this verse. That is to say, the results are related to the reasons, and the effects must follow where the causes occur; for such is the normative pattern which Allah has laid down for the universe and for all life.

There must be some outlet found for excessive resources. Generally, these outlets are trivial and take their form from the period and the social environment; but there comes a time when they pass this limit of triviality and take the form of license and depravity, both physical and mental, impeding not only themselves but also their followers in pursuing the way of truth; for so long as there are such, there will be weaklings who will flatter their pride, minister to their desires, and lose their personality like insects. Nor, is there anything strange in this; for lovers of luxury must have their easy, perverse, and sickly life; they must gratify their desires and have their pleasures; they must have around them followers and courtiers who are submissive.

This is what Islam sees in the crime of luxury; it is a crime that is basically individual, but when the community submit to it and does not check such an evil with hand and voice and heart, then it is a crime that produces its own fruits. The disease extends to the whole body of the community and issues ultimately in its destruction.

Source:
"Social Justice in Islam" - Sayyid Qutb, pp. 156-160

Understanding The Prophet's Life

A Women of Paradise

Ibn Abbas said to Ata b. Rabah: "Do you see that black lady? She approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: 'I suffer from epilepsy and during a fit, my body becomes exposed. So please supplicate Allah on my behalf.'

"Then the Prophet said to her: 'If you choose, you might rather bear it patiently and you will attain Paradise on account of it. Or if you like, I will beseech Allah to cure you.'"

"She said: 'I will bear it patiently. But my body gets exposed, so please beseech Allah that my body will no longer be exposed.'"

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) beseeched Allah for this."

[Sahih al-Bukhari (5652) and Sahih Muslim (2576)]

The woman's name was Suayrah – though some say her name was Shuqayrah – al-Habashiyyah al-Asadiyyah. She was known as Umm Zufar. She had been Khadijah's lady in waiting. After Khadijah's demise, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to show her extra deference and respect. When she grew older, she became afflicted with epilepsy, and her body would become exposed due to the severity of her seizures.

Here are five things we can learn from this incident:

1. We need to turn to Allah with our needs. It is Allah alone who can cure our ills and alleviate our suffering. Medical doctors admit that faith has a great affect on healing, often more pronounced than medications, though medications certainly can benefit us.

2. We also learn how virtuous the quality of patience is. When we bear illness in patience and fortitude, it is a means by which our sins are forgiven and by which we attain Allah's blessings and entrance into Paradise.

3. We can also see how the Prophet's glad tidings were a help and a comfort to her. It gave her hope. The role of a positive attitude in coping with illness and in aiding the recovery process is well-known.

4. We can see the respect that the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed this woman by his giving her the choice. He respected her right to make the decision for herself in a matter that affected her life. He let her know her options, while showing that he was well aware of the extent of her suffering. He knew it was best for her to be patient if she had the fortitude to bear her illness. However, he trusted her to make the decision for herself.

5. We can learn from this woman the value of modesty. We can see her concern for keeping her body from being exposed when she had a seizure, in her asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) to beseech Allah to protect her modesty when she was not able to control her movements and was free from all blame. We can also see how the Prophet (peace be upon him) readily complied with her request.

Source:
“Shouldn't I point out to you a woman of Paradise?” – Munâ al-Qâsim

Blindspot!

Ten Useless Assets

1. Knowledge that is not acted upon.

2. Deeds that have no sincerity or is not based on following the righteous examples of others.

3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter.

4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him.

5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah.

6. Love of Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure.

7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good.

8. A mind that thinks about useless matters.

9. Service to those who do not bring you closer to Allah, nor benefit you in your life.

10. Hope and fear of whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

Source:
"Ten Useless Matters" - Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah