2.02 ACTION

God says

Never shall you attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you cherish yourselves; …. Q.3: 92

True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west* -- but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and revelation,** and the prophets; and spends his substance – however much he himself may cherish it – upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer,*** and the beggars, and for freeing human beings from bondage, and is constant in prayer, and renders purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God. – Q.2 : 177

*Thus the Quran stresses the principle that mere compliance with outward forms does not fulfil the requirement of piety. The refernce to the turning of one’s face in prayer in this or that direction flows from passages which dealt, a little earlier, with the question of Qibla.

** In this context, the term “revelation” (al-kitab) carries a general significance: it refers to the fact of divine revelation as such. As for belief in angels mentioned here because it is through these spiritual beings that God reveals His will to the prophets and, thus, to mankind at large. (Adaptation from Asad’s explanation)

*** The Arabic expression ibn as-sabil (lit., “son of the road” denotes any person who is far from his home, and specillay one who, because of this ciecumstance, does not have sufficient means of livelihood at his disposal.

Never shall you attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you cherish yourselves; -- Q.3: 92

Prophet said

1. “Never has anyone eaten a better food than what he has eaten out of the labour of his own hands” – H: Bukhari. N: Miqdam-b-Ma’de Yakrab.

2. “Wretched man is he who follows his low desires and (then) rests hope in God”-- H: Tirmizi and Ibn Majah. N: Shaddad-b-Aus.

3.. “By Him in whose hand is my life you must enjoin good and forbid evil, otherwise it is near that God will send chastisement upon you from Himself. You will then call Him but you will not be responded to”-- H: Tirmzi. N: Huzaifa.

2.01 SEEKING REFUGE OF GOD (concluded)

God says:

“When you do read Qur’an seek refuge with God from Satan, the accursed.”*- Q.16: 98

*That means protection against whispering of ‘all the evils forces both within man’s own soul and within his social environment which tend to undermine his moral convictions and to lead him away from God.

And say: “O my Sustainer! I seek refuge with Thee from the promptings of all evil impulses;* and I seek refuge with Thee, O my Sustainer, lest they come near unto me!” -- Q.23: 97,98

*Lit., “of the satans” or “satanic forces”

Say: “I seek refuge from the Sustainer of the rising dawn, from the evil of aught that He has created, from the evil of the black darkness when it descends, and from the evil of the human beings bent on occult endeavors and from the evil of the envious when he envies.”- Q.113: 1-5

Say: “I seek refuge from the Sustainer of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the whispering elusive tempter who whispers in the hearts of mankind – from all [temptation to evil by] invisible forces as well as men.”-- Q.114: 1.6

Prophet said:

1. “O God! I seek refuge to thee from the evils of what I have done and from the evils of what I have not done” – H: Muslim. N: Bibi Ayesha.

2. “O God! I seek refuge to thee from undesirable manners, actions and passions” – H Tirmizi. N: Qutbah-b-Malek.

3. “No harm shall befall the person for the duration of his stay who, upon entering a house, says: ‘I seek refuge in the perfect words of God against all created evil’ ” – H: Muslim. N: Khawla-b-Hakim.

2: 01. SEEKING REFUGE IN GOD

God says:

O you who have attained to faith! Surrender yourself wholly unto God, and follow not Satan’s footsteps, for, verily, he is your open foe. -- Q.2: 208

Say: “some [of you] He will have graced with His guidance, whereas for some a straying from the right path will have become unavoidable: for, behold, they will have taken [their own] evil impulses [shyateen] for their masters in preference to God, thinking all the while that they have found the right path!” -- Q.7: 30

If a prompting from devil stirs you up (with blind anger) * then seek refuge with God; for He is alert and aware.-- Q.7: 200

* I.e., anger at the rejection of the truth by “those who choose to remain ignorant”. The words “to blind anger” interpolated between brackets are based on a Tradition according to which the Prophet, after the revelation of the preceding verse calling for forbearance, exclaimed, “And what about [justified] anger, O my Sustainer?” – whereupon the above verse was revealed to him (Tabari, Zamakshari, Razi, Ibn kasir)

Verily, they who are conscious of God, bring God to their rememberance whenever any dark suggestion from Satan touches them – whereupon, lo! they begin to see things clearly,- Q.7:201

Prophet said:

1. "Seek protection of God from the turmoil of calamities, attacks of misfortune, the evils of decree and the joys of enemy" – H: Bukhari and Muslim. Narrator: Abu Hurairah.

2. “O God! I seek refuge to Thee from cares, anxieties, weakness, indolence, cowardice, miserliness, burden of debt and suppression by men” – H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Anas.

3. “O God! I seek refuge to thee from a learning which gives no benefit, and from a heart that does not fear (God), and from a desire which is not satisfied and from an invocation which is not responded to” – H: Muslim. N: Zaid-b-Arqam.

Note: After the name or the title of the Prophet please say “Sual-lal lahu ‘Alaihi wa Sal-lam”; after the name or the title of every prophet (nabi) and apostle (rasul) say “ ‘Alai hissalaam”; and after every name of the family member, as well as, companion, say “Radi Allahu ‘Anhu”.

DEAR READER...

A year has passed by since I began this weekly blog. Hence  there have been 52 postings to date. 

Next week I shall begin a new series of postings. Until then it may be a good idea for you to scroll past the previous topics and reflect on any one of them that you find speaks to you in a meaningful way.

It is when we reflect on the information we encounter that understanding occurs. It is only then that information turns into knowledge.

Until your next Friday Post, I pray to God that he blesses your pursuit of knowledge.

40. THE RESURRECTION

God says:

Let [all] this be a reminder [to those who believe in God] – for, indeed, the most beauteous of all goals awaits the God-conscious: gardens of perpetual bliss, with gates wide open to them, -- Q.38: 49,50

And the earth will shine brightly with the glory of its Lord: the record (of deeds) will be placed [open]…. Q.39: 69

… but the sentence of suffering will [already] have fallen due upon the deniers of the truth;* [and] they will be told, “enter the gates of hell, therein to abide!” And how vile an abode for those who were given to false pride!** - Q-39: 72
* I.e., as an inescapable consequence of their sinning which they did not repent. **and therefore refused the guidance offered by Gods Apostles.
And how excellent a reward will it be for those who labored [in God’s way] Q.39: 74

On the Day when the skies will be convulsed in [a great] convulsion and the mountains will move with an [awesome] movement -Q.52: 9,10


Prophet said

1. “When asked as to who would have the strength to stand before God on the Resurrection Day the Prophet said:` It will be made light for a believer so much so that it will appear to him like the ordained prayers” – H: Baihaqi. N: Abu Saeed Al Khodri.

2. “On the resurrection Day I shall be the leader of the Prophets and their spokesmen and, without boasting, the one who will intercede for them…” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Obai-b-K ‘ab.

This brings us to close of section number one, which included “Duties for others”,. Next friday inshaAllah, section two will begin and will include positive as well as negative sides of human character. Those who believe in the Resurrection and our return to God, as well as those who don’t, will find it a great opportunity for character-building.

40. THE RESURRECTION

God says

[His promise will be fulfilled] on the Day when earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens, * and [all men and women] shall appear before God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists. For on that Day thou wilt see all who were lost in sin linked together in fetters, clothed in garments of black pitch, with fire veiling their faces. [And all shall be judged on that Day], so that God may requite every human being for all that he has earned [in life]: verily, God is swift in reckoning!This is a message unto all mankind. Hence, let them be warned thereby, and let them know that He is the One and Only God; and let those who are endowed with insight take this to heart! -- Q.14: 48-52

*In the eschatology of the Qur’an the end of the world does not mean an annihilation -- i.e., reduction to nothingness-- of the physical universe but, rather, its fundamental, cataclysmic transformation into something that cannot now be visualized. This is brought out in many allegorical allusions to the Last Day.

And [know] that the Last Hour is bound to come, beyond any doubt, and that God will [indeed] resurrect all who are in their graves. - Q.22: 7

Prophet said

1. “The sun and the moon will be overthrown on the Resurrection Day ” * – H: Bukhari. N: Abu Hurairah.

*For the details of the Day, the Prophet recommended that one should see Chapters: Q.81, 82, & 84 (which are very short ones.)

2. “Those whose account will be strictly taken will perish” – H: Bukhari. N: Bibi Ayesha.

Note: This topic will be concluded next Friday (it will then also conclude this Section No.!)

39. THE WORLD AND THE NEXT (to continue)

God says

As for anyone – be it man or woman – who does righteous deeds, and is a believer withal – him (or her) shall We most certainly cause to live a good life;* and most certainly shall We grant unto such as these their reward in accordance with the best that they ever did. -Q.16: 97

*This relate either to life in this world – or to the happiness which awaits him in the hereafter, or to both.

… whoever is blind [of heart] in this world will be blind in the life to come [as well], and still farther astray from the path [of truth].* -- Q.17: 72

*This passage shows that man’s life in the hereafter is not merely conditioned by the manner of his life on earth, but is also an organic extension of the latter, manifested in a natural development and intensification of previously existing tendencies.

Behold, We have willed that all beauty on earth be a means by which We put men to a test,* [showing] which of them are best in conduct;* and, verily, [in time] We shall reduce all that is on it to barren dust! -- Q.18:7,8

* Real motive underlying men’s refusal to believe in God’s spiritual message (see preceding verse) is almost always their excessive, blind attachment to the good of this world, combined with a false pride in what they regard as their own achievements.

Say [O Muhammad “Shall we tell you who are the greatest losers in whatever they do? (It is) they whose labour has gone astray in (the pursuit of no more than) this world’s life, and who none the less think that they are doing good works: it is they who have chosen* to deny their Sustainer’s messages and the truth that they are destined to meet Him. Their deeds come to naught, and no weight shall We assign to them on Resurrection Day. Q.18: 103 105

and [on that Day] undone shall be he who bears [a burden of] evildoing -- Q.20: 111

Prophet said

1.. “By One in whose hand is my life, if you had known what I know, you would have certainly wept much and laughed little.”– H: Bukhari. N: Ummul ‘Ala al Ansariyah.

2.. “Whoever makes the anxieties a single anxiety -- the anxiety of his next world -- God will remove his anxiety of this world; and whoever has (0nly) a variety of anxieties of this world, God will not care in whichever of its valleys he perishes.” – H: Ibn Majah. N: Abduullah-b-Masud.