Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Secure Handhold
Al-Baqarah (The Cow) Sura 2: Verse 256

"There is no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks, for God is All-hearing, All-knowing. "

This verse is the most profound declarative statement in the Quran. It is not the business of any human being to coerce another in matters of faith or religion. The all-powerful gives us complete freedom to believe or not believe, to follow whatever religion we choose. The ability to attain to faith is innate in human nature, and the means to attain faith is provided by revelation. Only our willing, informed convincement is the true measure of God consciousness. By implication, for individuals or society to coerce people is to interfere with and arrogate to themselves authority over a relationship which can exist only between God and each individual soul.

What is being made clear is that God is beyond any need or requirement. God does not need worshippers; it is human beings who need consciousness of God. Faith and religion, we are told, are based on recognising the distinction between truth and error; they are an exercise of reason and intellect, a work of knowledge as well as of spirit. Willing, informed and reasoned belief is laying hold of 'the most secure handhold that never breaks', the most liberating, empowering and comforting phrase in the Quran.

Compiled From:
"Reading the Qur'an: The Contemporary Relevance of the Sacred Text of Islam" - Ziauddin Sardar, pp. 180, 181

From Issue: 992 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Three Grave Sins

Imam Muslim relates from God's Messenger: On the Last Day, God will not talk to, pay attention to, or purify three types of people. A painful torment awaits them. These are the people who "trail their robes," who remind those they have favoured of their favours, and who try to sell their goods by false oaths.

The hadith begins with thalathatun (three), meaning any three, unnamed, unworthy of being named. In other words, they may be met anywhere, and they and their actions are so despicable that Muslims should avoid them. God will ignore such people in the next world. This is a severe punishment, for, as stated in Surah al-Rahman, speech is one of the foremost and greatest favours of God to humanity. Besides, we will be in dire need of speaking on the Day of Judgment, when we try to justify ourselves.

The first and most grievous sin is "trailing one's robe," an Arabic idiom for arrogance. Arrogance means to contest with God for the rule of the Earth. Human beings, despite their vast weakness, poverty, and powerlessness are nevertheless enchanted with themselves. They consider their abilities, skills, position, wealth, apparent accomplishments, and so on worthy of pride. This leads to self-conceit and self-pride.

The second grave sin is reminding others of the favours you have done for them. Those who regard everything as a gift from God understand that they can benefit others only if God allows them to do so. As a result, those who do the favour actually feel indebted to those who they have helped, for such actions allow them to receive a spiritual reward.

The last grave sin is deception in trade. According to the laws of Islam, merchants must disclose any defect in what they are selling.

Besides being connected with unbelief in and distrust of God, these three sins poison society's life and indicate weak character. Hence, the severity of their punishment.

Compiled From:
"The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, pp. 107-109

From Issue: 573 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Lonely Ramadan

For most Muslims, Ramadan is family time. You get up together, eat Iftar together, pray together, etc. But what if you don't have your family near you?

Waking up in a lonely apartment and eating food you've sometimes burnt in an effort to catch Suhur in time are some of the realities of being a single Muslim in Ramadan. But there are ways to make Ramadan special when you're on your own. Here are few ideas.

1. Establish a Suhur telephone tree
Get a couple of friends together and establish a telephone tree to wake each other up for Suhur. Establish a time to call and a schedule of who will call whom. Make it a little exciting by adding some funny phrases every week that will really wake everyone.

2. Invite people over for Iftar
Even if even you couldn't eat the food the last time you cooked, invite people over for Iftar. Make it a potluck, order pizza or if you can afford it, get it catered. The food isn't the thing. The blessing is in the company, and you'll be rewarded for feeding everyone. Make sure to especially invite those who are away from their families.

3. Attend prayers at the local mosque/MSA
Even if the Imam's recitation isn't the best and the behavior of other Muslims can be more than annoying, try to attend Tarawih prayers organized by your local mosque or your Muslim Students' Association (MSA). While praying alone in peace and quiet is great, praying shoulder-to-shoulder with other Muslims with whom you have nothing in common except your faith is a unique and uplifting experience.

4. Keep the Quran playing when you are alone
It's often tempting to keep the TV or radio on when we're alone to avoid the silence. This Ramadan, find a Quran reciter you like and play their recitations during those moments when you want to fill your place with some sound. Choose selections you'd like to memorize, like the 30th part of the Quran.

5. Take care of others
Know a new person at the school/office? Is a friend who lives nearby having problems with their spouse? Or is someone you know having money problems? This Ramadan, reach out with an attentive ear, a generous hand, and most importantly, an open heart to others. Don't let these small opportunities for gaining blessings slip you by.

6. Pick and pursue Ramadan goals
Choose at least three goals to pursue this Ramadan. Whether it's curbing a bad habit or starting a good one, doing this will help you focus and work harder this month to change for the better. It takes 21 days to establish a good habit. With Ramadan, we've got 30. Why not make the best of it by picking up the good? 

Compiled From:
"A single Muslim's guide to Ramadan" - SoundVision.com

From Issue: 694 [Read original issue]