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From Issue: 305 [Read full issue]

Living the Quran

Al-Naba (The Tiding)
Chapter 78: Verses 9-11

A Truce for the Human Soul
 “And (We) made your sleep a cessation of activity. We made the night a mantle, and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood."

God has willed that sleep should overpower man and make him lose consciousness and activity. When asleep, man is in a state which is unlike life and unlike death. It ensures rest for his body and mind and compensates both for whatever effort they have exerted during wakefulness. All this happens in a way the true nature of which man cannot conceive. His will plays no part in it and it is impossible for him to discover how it happens. It is one of the secrets of man's constitution and of all living creatures, unknown except to the Creator Who has made sleep essential for life.

Sleep does not merely satisfy some of man's physical and mental needs. It is, indeed, a truce for the human soul from the fierce struggle of life. Sometimes, when one is low-spirited, mentally exhausted, possessed by fear and alarm, sleep may overpower one, for a few minutes perhaps, and bring about a total change in one's condition. Sleep does not merely renew one's strength, but it may revive one in such a way as to wake up a new person altogether.

Cessation of activity and consciousness through sleep is a prerequisite for the continuity of life. Yet it can be given only by God. It is mentioned here by way of inviting man to contemplate his own creation and constitution.

God's perfection of creation has provided a correspondence between the movement of the universe and that of living creatures. As man requires sleep after his day's work, so God has provided the night as a covering mantle for man to enjoy his slumber. Day is also provided as a period of activity for man to pursue his livelihood. Thus perfect harmony is established. The world is perfectly suited to the creatures who live in it, and God's creation is endowed with those characteristics which fit in easily and gently with the universe. What perfect planning by a scrupulous Designer!

Source:
"In the Shade of the Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 18, pp. 15-16
Understanding the Prophet's Life

Love is the foundation of the Muslim society

Islam establishes societies on the basis of love and mutual support, as is mentioned in the hadith: "The believers, in their love, mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever" (Muslim). Affection, compassion and keeping in touch form the basis of the relationship between the members of the Muslim society, be they old or young, rich or poor, rulers or subjects.

The teachings of Islam support the concept of spreading love in the society, as is mentioned in the hadith: "None of you truly believes until he wishes (loves) for his brother what he wishes (loves) for himself" (Bukhari & Muslim). The believers may live in a society free from selfishness and exploitation, where they could help each other to face the problems of life, so that whosoever "helps his brother, God will help him" (Tirmidhi, Ahmad). "Allah will help His servant as long as His servant helps his brother" (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud)

The relationship among believers rest on mutual respect. The rich man does not look down on the poor, nor the ruler on the subject, nor the strong on the weak. "It is evil enough for a man to humiliate his Muslim brother," said the noble Prophet, peace be upon him (Muslim).

The relationship between a Muslim and his brother could be weakened or broken at the moment of anger, but this should not last for more than three days: "It is not lawful for a Muslim to forsake his brother beyond three days" (Bukhari & Muslim).

The foundations of love are supported by the giving of presents and charitable gifts. "Give gifts to one another and love one another" (Abu Yala, Ibn Asakir).

Source:
"Madinan Society at the Time of the Prophet" - Akram Diya al Umari, p. 79
Cool Concepts

Meaning of the word 'ILAH'

Dictionary Meanings
The root of this word consists of the three letters, alif, lam, and ha and the connotations of various derivations, as one finds in lexicons are as follows:

  • Became confused or perplexed.
  • Achieved peace and mental calm by seeking refuge with someone or establishing relations with him.
  • Became frightened of some impending mishap or disaster, and someone gave him the necessary shelter.
  • Turned to another eagerly, due to the intensity of his feelings for him.
  • The lost offspring of the she-camel rushed to snuggle up to its mother on finding it. Became hidden, or concealed. Also, got elevated.
  • Adored, offered worship to.

If we reflect upon these original meanings, we can gain the necessary idea of how the verb came to mean the act of worship and the noun to denote the object of worship. There are four considerations to bear in mind in this connection:

  1. Foremost among the factors which engender a sentiment of some degree of adoration for some one is a person's own state of being in distress or need. He cannot even conceive of worshiping someone unless he has reason to believe that someone to be in a position to remove his distress, to fulfill his needs, to give him shelter and protect him in time of danger, and soothe his troubled heart.
  2. It goes without saying that the above belief is accompanied by a belief also in the superiority of the other in status, power, and strength.
  3. It is also a matter of fact that where any of the needs of a human being are met under the ordinary process of give and take, which takes place perceptibly before one's own eyes, it leads to no sense of reverence, much less of adoration, for the other. That sentiment arises only when there is some element of mystery surrounding the personality, the power, or the ability of the other to fulfill peoples' needs or to influence events. That is why the word chosen to denote an object of worship includes in its meanings the senses of mystery, perplexity, and superiority in status, etc.
  4. Lastly, it is only natural that if one believes another to be in a position to fulfill one's needs, to provide shelter and protection, to soothe a disturbed heart and fill it with peace and calm, one turns eagerly to that person as a matter of course.

We may therefore safely conclude from the above that the connotation of the word ilah includes the capacities to fulfill the needs of others, to give them shelter and protection, to relieve their minds of distress and agitation, superiority, and the requisite authority and power to do all these, to be mysterious in some way or hidden from men's eyes, and the turning of men eagerly to him.

Source:
"Four Basic Quranic Terms" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi

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