Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Dreams
Yusuf (Joseph) Chapter 12: Verse 4

"Joseph said to his father: 'Father, I saw in a dream eleven stars, as well as the sun and the moon; and I saw them prostrate themselves before me."

As we continue to read the rest of this Sura we must inevitably believe that some dreams prophesize something that will happen in the near or distant future. Two reasons may be identified here: the first is that Joseph's, his two fellow prisoners' and the King of Egypt's dream all came true. Secondly, in our own lives we find that some dreams come true and this is frequent enough to make it impossible to deny the relationship.

So what is the nature of dreams then? The school of analytical and psychology considers them as the subconscious expression of suppressed desires. This accounts for some dreams, but not all of them especially the prophetic dreams.

First of all we have to say that whether we know dream's nature or not does not affect the fact that there are such dreams and that some of them are true. We are here only trying to understand certain aspects of man's nature, and some of the laws God has set in operation in the universe.

Time and place constitute barriers that prevent man from seeing what we call the past, the future or the whole of the present. The past and future are screened by a time factor, while the present that is not in our immediate vicinity is screened by a place factor. A sense which we do not know about in man's make-up may at times become alert or may at times have extra strength and go beyond the time factor to see vaguely what lies beyond it. This is not true knowledge, but rather a form of discerning, similar to what happens to some people while awake and to others while asleep, when they are able to go beyond the barriers of either time or place, or indeed both. We do not in fact know anything about the true nature of time, nor is the nature of place or matter known to us fully.

Compiled From:
"In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 10, pp. 41, 42

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Candidacy

Elections require several candidates from whom to choose for a position. Caliph Umar nominated six distinguished persons from whom one might be chosen as a candidate for the caliphate to succeed him. Some argue against such a procedure from an Islamic point of view, arguing that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"By Allah, we do not appoint in a public position one who had asked for it." [Muslim]

According to scholars in this field and jurists, this is interpreted as a warning against asking for a public position merely for a personal benefit without considering its responsibilities and the required capabilities for fulfilling them. One who is capable for a public position, fully aware of its responsibilities, and thinks that he or she can fulfill them and commits himself or herself to do so, can ask for the position and mention his or her qualifications for it, as the Prophets Yusuf [Joseph] and Sulayman [Solomon] did.

It goes without saying that presenting the candidate's merits and capability for the position, and criticizing other's incapabilities should follow the legal and ethical principles of Islam. The requirements for a candidate, or what may bar a person from a candidacy, can be decided in the light of Islamic legal and moral teachings and according to social circumstances.

Compiled From:
"Islam in a Modern State: Democracy and the Concept of Shura" - Fathi Osman

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Islamic Call

[.. continued from previous issue]

The Five Results

First: to attain the position of inheritors of the Prophets, for they were the first callers and beacons of light in the field of propagation.

Second: to obtain prayers for your forgiveness from the creation for having taught the people goodness. Even the whale in the ocean will pray for the caller to truth.

Third: to gain great rewards equivalent to that of those invited. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever calls to a good tradition will have the reward as the one who followed it without reducing from their reward.'

Fourth: the development of the caller from being on who is called to one who calls. He influences others and is not influenced by others who call to evil.

Fifth: the caller will become a leader among his people and they will follow him. Allah Almighty describes the righteous and notes that they call upon Him saying: 'Cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!' (Quran 25:74)

Compiled From:
"Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast" - A'id Abdullah al-Qarnee