Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Munajjamun
Al Isra (The Night Journey) - Chapter 17: Verse 106

"And (it is) a Quran that We have divided, that you may recite it unto mankind at intervals, and We have revealed it by (successive) revelations."

The Prophet's arrival signalled a new and exciting era in the history of Yathrib. Hitherto a small, insignificant agricultural settlement, Yathrib was suddenly wrested from the obscurity in which it had been shrouded. Not only did it become the centre of history in Arabia, but also the hub of a cosmological event of stupendous character. It became the focal point of Divine revelation.

More than anything, it was the sound of the Quran that transformed the whole atmosphere of the place, its every aspect and element, into a new and sublime reality. The Archangel Gabriel was a frequent visitor, descending with portions of the Quran, in response to the situation. For the Quran was not revealed in its entirety on one occasion, but gradually in portions.

Exegetes have described this special manner in which the Quran was revealed as Munajjamun (in portions). It was not revealed as former Scriptures were believed to have been, in the form of a complete book. The impact of the Quran was so great for this reason, that it interacted dynamically with people and events, every revelation being concerned with a concrete happening or event.

Compiled From:
"Sunshine At Madinah" - Zakaria Bashier, pp. 45-46

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Intellectual Capacity

God's Messenger, peace be upon him, always assessed a person's or an audience's spiritual and mental capacities accurately. He spoke directly to a particular individual at a particular time and under particular circumstances; he had no need for flattery or falsehood. One time Husayn, an eloquent speaker renowned for his persuasive rhetoric, sought to dissuade him from his mission. God's Messenger listened carefully to his argument and then initiated the following dialogue:

- Husayn, how many deities do you worship?
- Eight; one in the Heavens and the others on Earth.
- Which one do you call upon when misfortune befalls you?
- The one in the Heavens.
- Which one do you call when your goods are gone?
- The one in the Heavens.

God's Messenger asked a couple of similar questions, and, upon receiving the same answer to each question, asked: "According to you, the one in the Heavens alone answers your call. Yet you continue to associate partners with Him. Isn't this what I have been preaching? There is no deity but God. Become a Muslim and be saved." [Ibn Hajar] This apparently simple argument defeated Husayn with his own logic.

Compiled From:
"The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, pp. 92, 93

Cool Concepts

The Hijrah

Anyone who has fled from a dangerous or threatening situation to a place of safety has made hijrah. Anyone who has courageously said "no more" or "not today" to a destructive, unhealthy habit or relationship or situation and begun a journey to something better has made hijrah. Anyone who has broken free from a cage of restriction and entrapment, where all possibilities are closed and the light of hope has been all but blocked, and set out in search of a new place of hope and possibility and freedom has made hijrah. Hijrah is the dynamic principle that animates the very foundations of lived Islam, for it represents the daily migration to a better place, a better state, leading ultimately to a blessed reunion with the One who made us and opened up the prophetic pathways for us to come home.

Hijrah also stands unshakably as the cornerstone of Islam in history, for it was only after the Prophet made his historic migration to Medina that Islam, as a complete religion and way of life, came into full realization. For the very first time, the community was free to assemble and establish the complete and comprehensive way of life. For the very first time, the Prophet was able to lay foundations for a more organized and systematic expression of monotheism, foundations that - for many - are believed to manifest the ultimate synthesis of politics and religions in Islam. For this reason, Muslims have ever regarded the year of this hijrah as the first year of the Islamic calendar.

Compiled From:
"In the Light of a Blessed Tree" - Timothy J. Gianotti, pp. 101, 102