Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Persuasion
Al-Fussilat (Clearly Expounded) - Chapter 41: Verse 34

"Nor are the good deed and the evil deed equal. Repel evil with what is better; then will he between whom and thee was hatred, become, as it were, thy friend and intimate."

The message in this verse is that wickedness must not be allowed to perpetuate itself: if evil is reciprocated with evil, then this will be the necessary outcome. To avoid this, the Quran enjoins the Prophet, peace be upon him, to repel evil with what is better and, by doing so, to turn potential hatred into friendship.

Another point to be noted here is that God Most High has granted no one, not even the Prophet, absolute freedom of speech. For the Prophet is given specific guidance as to the way he must propagate his call and communicate with people through good advice and courteous methods of persuasion.

Compiled From:
"Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, p. 129

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Knowledge

Seeking and getting knowledge is both an act of worship in itself as well as a means to further purify one's soul. The act of seeking knowledge itself is a potential means of receiving forgiveness and mercy from Allah while it, in turn, has an effect upon the person that leads to even more benefits. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,

"Whoever follows a path in order to seek knowledge thereby, Allah will make easy for him, due to it, a path to Paradise. No people gather together in a house of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility is descended upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah makes mention of them to those in His presence." [Muslim]

Compiled From:
"Purification of the Soul" - Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 292, 293

Blindspot!

Education

Education means 'drawing' or 'guiding' individuals out of themselves so that they can establish a conscious relationship with themselves and their physical and social environment. When we are born, we are all physically dependent on our parents or carers. We need to be welcomed into the world, fed, protected and looked after if we are to survive, live and reach the first stages of learning. This dependency in itself requires education, and it is only then that the individual begins to revolve naturally.

Being a human being means, first of all, 'becoming a human being' ... and it is only through education that we become human beings. That is why education is a basic, inalienable right that must be guaranteed in all human societies. Education has as much to do with the transmission of a value-system, behavioural norms and elements of culture as with the transmission of pure knowledge and the skills pertaining to what is usually called training. If there is one universal principle common to all spiritualities, religions, philisophies, civilizations and cultures, it is education. Education is a precondition for man's humanity, and it is an immutable and inalienable right.