Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Arranging The Book
Al-Qiyama (The Resurrection) - Chapter 75: Verses 17-19

"It is for Us to collect it [in your heart] so you may recite [and compile it]. But when We have recited it, follow its recital [as promulgated]: Nay more, it is for Us to explain it [through your tongue]."

It is commonly acknowledged that the arrangement of ayat (verses) and suras (chapters) in the Quran is unique. The layout does not follow the chronological order of revelation, nor does it follow subject matter. What secret lies behind this arrangement is best known to Allah, for it is His Book. Now if I play the unscrupulous editor and re-arrange the words of someone else's book, changing the sequence of the sentences etc., then altering the entire meaning of the work becomes tremendously easy. This end product can no longer be attributed to the original author, since only the author himself is entitled to change the wording and the material if the rightful claim of authorship is to be preserved.

So it is with the Book of Allah, for He is the sole Author and He alone has the right to arrange the material within His Book. The Qur'an is very clear about this.

Only the Prophet, through divine privilege and revelation, was qualified to arrange verses into the unique fashion of the Quran, being the only privy to the Will of Allah. Neither the Muslim community at large nor anyone else had any legitimate say in organising the Book of Allah.

Compiled From:
"The History of the Quranic Text" - Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami, p. 70

From Issue: 889 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Takfir

The Shariah forbids the attribution of disbelief, blasphemy or heresy to a Muslim. This is a normative principle which is applied even to cases where one suspects another of disbelief (kufr). Thus, if a believer observes a fellow Muslim uttering words or indulging in acts which might be suggestive of disbelief, he must give him the benefit of the doubt, and avoid charging him with disbelief in all cases which fall short of self-evident proof. Even in the latter event it is strongly recommended that people should avoid charging others with infidelity and disbelief. Apart from the emphatic tone of a large number of prohibitive Hadiths on this subject, the issue is so sensitive and complex that only a judge or jurisconsult (mufti) who is wellversed in theological sciences is authorised to determine what exactly amounts to disbelief.

Since unity in faith is the very foundation of the Islamic fraternity, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has warned the believers to avoid accusing one another of disbelief. Thus, according to a Hadith reported by Abd Allah Ibn Umar: "When a man calls his brother 'kafir' one of them is afflicted with the charge. Either it is as he says or [if the accusation is not true], it befalls the person who uttered." [Muslim]

According to yet another Hadith, reported by Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari: "Whoever charges another person with disbelief, or calls him an 'enemy of God', while this is not so, will have the charge rebound upon himself." [Mishkat]

The message in the preceding Hadiths is not confined to the prohibition of takfir, but extends also to transgression or sin (fisq) and the unfounded attribution of crime and sin to others. A Muslim is thus forbidden from charging others with fisq. This is the purport of another Hadith which declares in the brodest of terms: "No man accuses another of transgression (fisq) or disbelief (kufr) without partaking of it himself if the accused is not what the accusation claims he is." [Mishkat]

All that a person may do when he suspects that disbelief, heresy or apostasy is being committed by another is to give him good advice in the true spirit of the Quranic principle of hisbah (promotion of good and prevention of evil). A person who witnesses the incidence of heresy and disbelief would have fulfilled his duty if he provided the necessary evidence to establish the truth, and then left the matter in the hands of the authorities.

Compiled From:
"Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp. 186-189

From Issue: 860 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Buddies and Bullies

A lot of times, when a parent or teacher tells a kid that they are using words to hurt and/or scare another kid, they try to pass off their remarks as just jokes. "I'm only teasing her," you hear bullies say. But hurtful cracks are some of the cruelest weapons that bullies can use against a helpless kid.

Sure, I understand that everybody jokes around. And there's nothing wrong with having fun with your friends. None of us wants to be too sensitive. There's nothing wrong with being able to take a joke.

But everyone needs to know the difference between "good" teasing and "bad" teasing. There are some very clear ways you can tell the difference between jokes among buddies and harmful insults from bullies.

Buddies:

• Joke around in ways that make you both laugh.
• Don'ts joke to hurt your feelings on purpose.
• Stop joking if they think they might hurt your feelings.
• Don't get angry if you joke back with them.

Bullies:

• Always use jokes to hurt you.
• Refuse to allow you to joke in return.
• Keep insulting you even after they know they have hurt your feelings.
• Often get upset when you ignore their jokes.

Compiled From:
"Life Strategies for Dealing with Bullies" - Jay McGraw, pp. 21, 22

From Issue: 738 [Read original issue]