October 2021
A Most Beautiful Character
Those who suppress their anger, and forgive other people assuredly, Allah loves those who do good.? (3:134)
Bukhaaree and Muslim relate that Abdullaah ibn Amr (radee Allaahu anhu – may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah, (sall-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) was never immoderate or obscene. He used to say, ‘Among those who are most beloved to me are those who have the best character’.
They also narrate that Aa’ishah (radee Allaahu anhaa – may Allah be pleased with her) said: ‘Never was the Messenger of Allah (sall-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) given the choice between two things without choosing the easier of them, as long as it entailed no sin. If it did entail sin, he was of all people the most remote from it. Never did he seek revenge for something done against himself; but when the sanctity of Allah was challenged, he would take vengeance for His sake alone.’
The meaning of a good character is the inclination of the soul towards gentle and praiseworthy acts. This may take place in one’s personal actions for Allah Most High, or in actions that involve other people. In the former case, the slave of Allah has an open and welcoming heart for His commandments and prohibitions and does what He has imposed on him happily and easily, and abstains from the things which He has forbidden him with full contentment, and without the least dissatisfaction. He likes to perform optional good acts and abstains from many permitted things for the sake of Allah Most High whenever he decides that to abstain in that way he would be closer to perfect slavehood to Him. This he does with a contented heart, and without feeling any resentment or hardship.
When he deals with other people, he is tolerant when claiming what is his right, and does not ask for anything which is not; but he discharges all the duties which he has towards others. When he falls ill or returns from a trip, and no-one visits him, or when he gives a greeting which is not returned, or when he is a guest but is not honoured, or intercedes but is not responded to, or does a good turn for which he is not thanked, or joins a group of people who do not make room for him to sit, or speaks and is not listened to, or asks permission of a friend to enter, and is not granted it, or proposes to a woman, and is not allowed to marry her, or ask for more time to repay a debt, but is not given more time, or asks for it to be reduced, but is not permitted this, and all similar cases, he does not grow angry, or seek to punish people, or feel within himself that he has been snubbed, or ignored; neither does he try to retaliate with the same treatment when able to do so, but instead tells himself that he does not mind any of these things, and responds to each one of them with something which is better, and closer to goodness and piety, and is more praiseworthy and pleasing. He remembers to carry out his duties to others just as he remembers their duties towards himself so that when one of his Muslim brethren falls ill he visits him if he is asked to intercede, he does so, if he is asked for a respite in repaying a debt he agrees, and if someone needs assistance he gives it, and if someone asks for favourable terms in a sale, he consents, all without looking to see how the other person had dealt with him in the past, and to find out how other people behave. Instead, he makes “what is better” the imam (leader) of his soul, and obeys it completely.
Good character may be something which a man is born with, or it may be acquired. However, it may only be acquired from someone who has it more firmly rooted in his nature than his own. It is well known that a man of sensible opinion can become even more sensible by keeping the company of intelligent and sensible people and that a learned or a righteous man can learn even more by sitting with other people or learning or righteousness; therefore it cannot be denied that a man of beautiful character may acquire an even more beautiful character by being with people whose characters are superior to his own.
And Allah gives success!
By: Imaam al-Bayhaqi
Jannat Mein Behisab Rizq Milay Ga
Let Us ‘Renew’ Ourselves And Become Strong
The important part of a building is the foundation, if the foundation is strong, the building will be strong too. In Islam it is exactly the same: if your pillars (Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Haj) are strong then your other fundamentals will also be sound.
The two angels who are charged with questioning the dead come to him and ask him what he used to believe in his earthly life, who was his Lord, what was his religion, and who was his Prophet. If he gives a good answer, that is good, but if he does not answer them they inflict a severe and painful beating on him. (Tirmidhi) These are the three basic principles that every Muslim should know: knowledge about his creator (Allah), knowledge about his religion (Islam), knowledge about his Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These are the answers to the questions which will be asked by everyone in the grave.
Allah, the Merciful has made the final test easy for us by telling us the questions. We just have to work hard toward it so that we can remember and answer them because our final test can be any time. We have to seek knowledge about these questions without associating any partners with Allah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Allah has promised that anyone who says this three times every morning or evening will be happy on the Day of Resurrection.” “I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad (peace be upon him) as my Prophet.”
Are we pleased with Allah as our Lord? If yes, then why do we complain about His decree, His commands, and indulge ourselves in pleasing others by disobeying Him. ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)saying,” If anyone seeks Allah’s pleasure at the expense of people’s anger, Allah will be pleased with him and will cause people to be pleased with him. However, if anyone seeks people’s satisfaction at the expense of Allah’s anger, Allah will be angry with him and will cause people to be angry with him.” (by Ibn Hibban)
Are we pleased with His religion and His Messenger? We say it but we don’t act upon it. We follow what satisfies us and pleases others. Islam means to surrender our will to Allah, so why don’t we obey the commands of Allah and submit to His teachings willingly.
We know that it can give us great rewards in the Hereafter and that this world is only our transit period, yet we act on our own will.
Let us begin now by pondering upon our life and renew our faith in Allah and strive to learn the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and inculcate his sayings and actions in our lives so we can reap its fruits in the Hereafter and if Allah wills then in this world too. And most importantly, to answer the questions in our grave!
– by Lubna Ali
Bughz Aur Hasad
Verses From The Holy Quran On The Creation Of The Earth And Its Beauty
Here are some beautiful verses from the Holy Quran on the creation of the Earth and its beauty.
The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his stewards over it. The whole Earth has been created as a place of worship, pure and clean. Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded. If a Muslim plants a tree or sows a field and humans and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is love on his part.
1 – Surat Luqman: “Do you not see that Allah (SWT) has made what is in the heaven and earth subservient to you and made complete to you His favors outwardly and inwardly?” [31:20]
2 – Surat Al-Teen: “We have indeed created man in the best of molds.” [95:4]
3 – Surat Al-Sajdah: “He Who created all things in the best way and He began the creation of man from clay.” [32:7]
4 – Surat Aale Imran: “And to Allah belongs the dominion of the Heaven and Earth, and Allah is over all things. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.” [189-90]
5 – Surat Al-Roum: “Devote thyself single-mindedly to the faith, and thus follow the nature designed by Allah, the nature according to which He has fashioned mankind; there is no altering the creation of Allah.” [30:30]
6 – Surat Al-An’am: “And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but they are like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the book, and then to their Lord shall they be gathered.” [6:38]
7 – Surat Luqman: “He created the heavens without pillars as you see them, and put mountains upon the earth lest it might convulse with you, and He spread it with animals of all kinds; and We sent down water from the clouds, then caused to grow therein (vegetation) of every noble kind.” [31:10]
8 – Surat Qaf: “And the Earth, We spread it out, and cast therein firmly set mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds; to give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns to Allah.” [50:7-8]
9 – Surat Al-Raad: “And it is He who spread the earth and made in it firm mountains and rivers, and of all fruits, he has made in it two kinds; He makes the night cover the day; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.” [13:3]
10 – Surat Al-Raad: “It is He who shows you the lightning, causing fear and hope and who brings up the heavy cloud. And the thunder declares His glory and His praise, and the angels too for awe of Him; and He sends them thunderbolts and smites with them whom He pleases, yet they dispute concerning Allah, and He is mighty in prowess.” [13:13-14]
11 – Surat Al-Anbiyya: “Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the Earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” [21:30]
12 – Surat Al-Anbiyya: “And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.” [21:32]
13 – Surat Al-Nahl: “He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.” [16:11]
14 – Surat Al-Nahl: “And he has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon, and the stars are made subservient by His commandment; most surely there are signs in this for a people who ponder.” [16:12]
15 – Surat Al-Nahl: “Eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. there comes forth from within it a beverage of many colors, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this (life of bees) for a people who reflect.” [16:69]
16 – Surat Al-An’am: “And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees – of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] it’s ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.” [6:99]
17 – Surat Ghaafir: “It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape and made your shapes beautiful and has provided for you sustenance.” [40:64]
18 – Surat Al-Hijr: “And the Earth; we have spread it forth and made in it firm mountains and caused to grow in it every suitable thing.” [15:19]
by Khalid Latif.
Fikr-e-Akhirat Ki Zarorat
When Ants Sense Danger
WADEA Omrany notes a new scientific miracle in Surah Al-Naml (“Ants”), Verse number 18. This new miracle is about the scientific discovery that ants communicate with each other, especially when informing of impending danger.
God says what means in Surah Al-Naml: “At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: ‘O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts should crush you (under foot without knowing it).” (27:18)
The ant reported the imminent danger facing them in four successive stages as follow:
“O ye ants” – this is the first alarm given by the ant to draw the attention of the other ants quickly. On receiving this alarm, the other ants stand alert to receive the other signals given by the same speaker ant.
“Get into your habitations” – here the speaker ant follows up with another signal, ordering the ants to take the next step.
“Lest Solomon and his hosts should crush you” – in these words, the speaker ant shows the reason for this danger to her fellow ants.
“Without knowing it” – the ants, as a reaction to the previous alarms, will make a certain kind of defense, with these last few words. The ant shows its fellow ants that they don’t have to attack the source of danger because it is not from a real enemy; the danger doesn’t aim to attack the kingdom of ants since Solomon and his soldiers don’t know of the ants in their way.
Here’s what science says in this context.
Ants use chemical communication in situations of alarm and defense, when the fast exchange of information is necessary, and when they face expected danger. This alarm is generally expressed by the emission of chemical signals. The protective glands are responsible for the roles of alarm and defense.
The Australian ant is a case in point. When these ants face danger, they secrete some droplets from their protective gland – so that their fellow ants run and make a vibration with their antennas showing that they are in a state of alert.
The first substance detected by the ants is an aldehyde hexanal. This draws their attention. As a result, they agitate and raise their antennae to search for other odors.
When they detect hexanol (the first message was in the form of alcohol), the ants go into a state of alert and run in all directions in search of the source of the problem. When undecanone is emitted, it attracts the ants toward the source of danger and makes them bite all foreign objects in the anthill. Finally, when they come closer to the target, they discern the butyloctenal, which increases their aggression and their readiness to sacrifice themselves.
Chemical communication is the most important method of communication for ants. They give out different kinds of substances, each having a different code denoting a certain message.
These messages are the same as those of the ant in Surah Al-Naml Verse 18.
The substances that an ant gives out of its body in a situation like this are divided into four, with each substance having a certain language and code.
The successive scientific stages of the reaction of the ants are as follows:
* aldéhyde hexanal is the first chemical substance that an ant emits if it senses danger. It is like a siren. On receiving this substance, ants begin to gather at one point where they remain alert and ready to receive the rest of the signals. This identifies with the first phrase uttered by the ant in the holy verse “O ye ants.”
* Then the ant emits the second chemical substance, hexanol. On receiving this substance, the ants begin to run in all directions to determine the source of this substance. The ant that emits the chemical substance should determine the way lest the rest of the ants stray elsewhere. And this is what the ant of Prophet Solomon did when it asked the other ants to enter their habitations by saying ” get into your habitations.” This is an instruction from the speaker ant to its fellows to go in the direction of the habitations. So, it must have determined the way and this is the same as directing the movement of ants in general.
* Undécanone is the third substance that the ant emits.
This substance shows the cause of the danger, and that was what the ant did when it said in the third phrase “lest Solomon and his hosts should crush you (under foot).” In this stage, the ants that receive this substance get ready to face the impending danger.
* In the fourth stage, the speaker ant emits butylocténal. This substance gives an order of defense and determines the kind of defense. And so it was said in the last phrase “without knowing it.” By doing so, the ant prevented the other ants from entering the stage of an attack that would lead to death.
So Prophet Solomon smiled tenderly and mercifully as if saying they needn’t worry as he had seen them and would not allow any harm to befall them.
These scientific facts were mentioned in the Holy Qur’an more than 1,400 years ago.
Israf Kya Ha?
Oaths And Their Atonement
Pledging oaths carries a great significance in Islam. Keeping one’s word is a fundamental part of Islamic ethics. Oaths emphasize an assertion to the ultimate extent. When a person swears by the Almighty on an intention or a plan that he wishes to carry out, it is as if he has called the Creator of the heavens and the earth to be a witness over his word. In a society, oaths have always remained the real means of stability regarding various contracts as well as various social, political, and cultural affairs. Owing to this very reason, the Israelites were reminded by the Almighty in the Qur’an of the covenant they had made with Him through an oath they had pledged. They were warned that they must not break this oath — something over which they have made the Almighty as witness:
Fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have entered into it, and break not your oaths after you have confirmed them: indeed you have made Allah your witness over yourselves; for Allah knows all that you do. (16:91)
In spite of this importance that oaths and covenants occupy, many a time it becomes impossible for a person to honor his word or may feel that fulfilling a certain oath might be instrumental in infringing the rights of the Almighty or of his own self or even of others. In such cases, one can break one’s oath. In fact, in some cases, breaking an oath becomes a moral necessity. In the Islamic Shari’ah, an atonement (Kaffarah) has been fixed for a broken oath. In the following paragraphs, this writer will attempt to explain the Qur’anic law regarding oaths and their atonement.
Allah will not hold you accountable for your inadvertent oaths, but He will definitely hold you accountable for oaths you swear with solemn intention. If such an oath is broken, its atonement is the feeding of ten needy persons, of a standard with which you normally feed your own families or the clothing of ten needy people, or the freeing of one slave. But whosoever cannot afford these should fast for three days. That is the atonement for the oaths when you have sworn. And be true to that which you have sworn. Thus Allah explains to you His verses that you may be grateful. (5:89)
Following is a summary of the directives upon which this verse sheds light:
1. At times, an oath is totally absurd, nonsensical, and meaningless. No doubt, a believer should refrain from pledging such oaths; however, it is a great favor and blessing of the Almighty that He will not hold people accountable for the fulfillment of such oaths, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter.
2. On the other hand, if an oath is pledged with a solemn will and intention or if some contract has been made on its basis or it has an effect on the rights and obligations of the parties involved or infringes upon the injunctions of the Shari’ah, the Almighty would definitely hold a person responsible for it. So a person must not be careless and indiscreet in this matter. On the contrary, he should act in a very responsible manner in this regard.
3. If owing to some reason, a person is forced to break such an oath, then he must atone for it. For this, he is required to feed ten poor people with the standard of food he normally feeds his own family or to give them clothes to wear or to liberate a slave. If he is unable to do either of these, he must fast for three days.