Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Operating the Divine Will
Al-Qamar (The Moon) Sura 54: Verse 50

"Our command is but once, like the twinkling of an eye."

It takes just a signal or one word and everything, great or tiny, is done. In fact there is nothing to distinguish great from tiny; it is all part of how human beings see things. Nor is there a question of time, not even the twinkling of an eye; it is merely a metaphor to help people understand. Time is no more than a human conception that arises from the position of the earth and its rotation. As far as God and His plans are concerned, it has no significance.

The command is given just once and this entire universe comes into existence. Similarly, any change in it can be accomplished. Just one command and it will all go away as God wishes. In everything, the command is given once only: bringing anyone into life, taking it here or there, causing it to die, bringing it back in some shape or form, resurrecting all creatures from all generations to gather them for the reckoning and reward. It is a once only command that requires no effort or time, because it comes from the Almighty in due measure and with perfect ease.

Compiled From:
"In the Shade of the Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol 16, p. 271

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Harmonious Recitation

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"Recite the Quran as long as your hearts are inclined to it. When they differ from it, then get up [and remove yourselves] from [reciting] it." [Bukhari, Muslim]

Ibn Katheer has stated that in this hadith, the Messenger of Allah has instructed this Community to recite the Quran as long as their hearts are attune to the recitation, thinking and pondering over its meaning. They are not to be reciting it while they are preoccupied or bored with its reading. In those cases, they will not be achieving the goal of its reading. Hence, they should discontinue reading under conditions like that.

Compiled From:
"Purification of the Soul: Concept, Process and Means" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, p. 305

Blindspot!

Showing Off: Is It an "In Thing" with Allah?

Ours is a society that thrives on showing off: showing off how much money a person makes, what clothes a person wears, even showing off who one dates! Take sports stars, actors, actresses, and musicians, most live a life of luxury and live that life very publicly.

Many of these people will develop a complex in which they feel they have earned these luxuries on their own, and through their own hands they achieved their fortune. As a result, these individuals no longer see that God blessed them with their current lives and hence they are not thankful to God.

As if bragging and flaunting aren't bad enough, what comes after this is jealousy and envy. Enough becomes not enough and we begin to envy those with more than ourselves. We may create jealousy in others. Even worse, we begin to belittle others we perceive as beneath us. For example, if we purchase a new pair of Jordan's or a Coach purse, we may tell others to "check this out; I got it for $120. I'm the first person to get them. They're limited edition."

If Allah has blessed us with money, then it's understandable we purchased such an item. But we see this quite a bit in middle school students - they begin to point out - going with the shoe example - shoes and say things like "look at those shoes, they are from Pay less" or "those Nike (or Converse, etc.) are out of style; no player wears them," and they mock the student wearing those shoes.

When we make people feel bad for what they are wearing or we make them feel embarrassed, then this is a clear indication that we are in need of an ego check. Think about the many examples throughout history of people who would show off and boast and how Allah humbled them.

Compiled From:
"The War within Our Hearts: Struggles of the Muslim Youth" - Haseeb Quadri and Sa'ad Quadri, p. 76.