Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Book in the Left Hand
Al-Haqqah (The Reality) - Chapter 69: Verses 25-29

And as for one who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, “Would that I had not been given my book. And did not know of my reckoning. Would that it were the final end. My wealth availed me not. My power has passed from me.”

Those given the book in the left hand will be cast into Hell for their deeds. About receiving this record, the Quran also says, but as for one who is given his book from behind his back, he will cry out for destruction, and will enter a Blaze (84: 10-12). To reconcile v. 25 and 84: 10, commentators say that the left hand will be tied behind the back. Would that I had not been given may imply a desire to avoid punishment altogether; or it may indicate that the shame at witnessing one’s deeds is worse than the pain of the Fire, and that it would be preferable to be cast into the Fire without being forced to endure the shame of judgment and reckoning.

Verse 27 is understood to mean, “Would that death had been the final end, and there had been no Resurrection.”

The negative particle ma in verse 28 could also be understood as an interrogative particle, in which case the verse is understood as a rhetorical question, “What has my wealth availed me?” Both translations echo the broader Quranic theme that the things that provide advantages in this world are usually of no avail in the next.

My power in verse 29 translates sultaniyah, which indicates authority and warrant; that it has passed means that those who receive the book in their left hand no longer have any control over their own destiny and will regret all that they neglected to do to prepare for the Hereafter. Here and in other verses, sultan also connotes “argument”or “proof”, meaning that they no longer have any capacity to argue against the reality of the Resurrection or even to argue for themselves, as the true reality of how they lived their life will be clear when their very limbs testify against them on the Day of Judgment and Reckoning and they are forced to admit their sin.

Compiled From:
"The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary" - Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Powerful Force

Arguably, the disease of hatred is one of the most devastating forces in the world. But the force that is infinitely more powerful is love. Love is an attribute of God; hate is not. A name of God mentioned in the Quran is al-Wadud, the Loving one. Hate is the absence of love, and only through love can hatred be removed from the heart. In a profound and beautiful hadith, the Prophet said, "None of you has achieved faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself" [Bukhari, Muslim]. The 13th-century scholar Imam al-Nawawi comments on this hadith saying:

When the Prophet says "brother" we should interpret this as universal brotherhood, which includes Muslims and non-Muslims. For one should desire for his brother non-Muslim that he enter into the state of submission with his Lord [Islam]. And for his brother Muslim, he should love for him the continuation of guidance and that he remain in submission. Because of this, it is considered highly recommended and divinely rewarding to pray for a non- Muslim's guidance. The word "love" here refers to a desire for good and benefit to come to others. This love is celestial or spiritual love and not earthly love or human love. For human nature causes people to desire harm to befall their enemies and to discriminate against those who are unlike them [in creed, color, or character]. But men must oppose their nature and pray for their brothers and desire for others what they desire for themselves. Moreover, whenever a man does not desire good for his brother, it is from envy. And envy is a rejection of God's apportionment in the world. Thus, one is opposing how God meted out sustenance in concord with His wisdom. Therefore, one must oppose his own ego's desires and seek treatment for this disease with the healing force of acceptance of the divine decree and prayer on behalf of one's enemies in a way that suppresses the ego [nafs].

Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf

Blindspot!

Social Change

Custom (urf) which does not contravene the principles of Shariah is valid and authoritative; it must be observed and upheld by a court of law. According to a legal maxim which is recorded by the Shafii jurist al-Suyuti, in his well-known work, al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair, 'What is proven by urf is like that which is proven by a shari proof.' This legal maxim is also recorded by the Hanafi jurist al-Sarakhsi, and was subsequently adopted in the Ottoman Majallah which provides that custom, whether general or specific, is enforceable and constitutes a basis of judicial decisions.

The ulema have generally accepted urf as a valid criterion for purposes of interpreting the Quran. To give an example, the Quranic commentators have referred to urf in determining the precise amount of maintenance that a husband must provide for his wife. This is the subject of sura al-Talaq (65:7). In this ayah, the Quran does not specify the exact amount of maintenance, which is to be determined by reference to custom. Similarly, in regard to the maintenance of children, the Quran only specifies that this is the duty of the father, but leaves the quantum of maintenance to be determined by reference to custom (bil-maruf) (al-Baqarah, 2:233).

The rules of fiqh which are based in juristic opinion (ray) or in speculative analogy and ijtihad have often been formulated in the light of prevailing custom; it is therefore, permissible to depart from them if the custom on which they were founded changes in the course of time. The ijtihad rules of fiqh are, for the most part, changeable with changes of time and circumstance. To deny social change due recognition in the determination of the rules of fiqh would amount to exposing the people to hardship, which the Shariah forbids. Sometimes even the same mujtahid has changed his previous ijtihad with a view to bringing it into harmony with the prevailing custom. It is well-known, for example, that Imam al-Shafi laid the foundations of his school in Iraq, but that when he went to Egypt, he changed some of his earlier views owing to the different customs he encountered in Egyptian society.

Compiled From:
"Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, p. 249