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Life Without Faith

Can anybody imagine this life without faith? The answer will be very hard to accept because our life will be meaningless, futile, and absurd. In other words, it is faith that gives meaning and substance to this life.

All of us have heard of mercy killing (scientifically called euthanasia) which refers to some people’s desire to put an end to their life because they suffer from an incurable disease. It is legalized in some countries such as Holland, where the patient signs an agreement with the doctor or the hospital to put an end to his life.

These patients seem to have no faith at all. They think of disease as a kind of physical torture and they would like to put an end to this torture. In contrast to them, people who have faith have a different point of view on disease. They think of it as a kind of tribulation. Allah is testing their faith: how forceful and strong it is, “Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe”, and that they will not be tested?‘ (Qur’an, 29:20)

Although there are some people who seem not to believe in Allah, yet they have inborn, inner faith. This is so apparent when a natural disaster takes place, you find all people crying “O, God.” So in times of distress and disasters, they turn to Allah because deep inside them, they know that He is the only one who can help them. We read in the newspaper that the highest rate of suicide, according to official statistics, is in Sweden, the country that enjoys the world’s highest standard of living and individual income.

What is so shocking is that more than 90% of those who commit suicide are young people aged between 15 and 25, although Swedish law provides all types of freedom including sexual freedom (it is legalized for a man to ‘marry’ another man and for a woman to ‘marry’ another woman). What is so ironic is that there are a lot of companies working in the field of suicide organizations!

This can be easily explained because most of, if not all, these young people do not believe in Allah. This absence of faith makes their life empty, boring, and aimless and this is why Satan moves them as the player moves the pieces of chess on the chessboard.

There is an American psychologist who wrote a book entitled Back to Faith, in which he comes to the conclusion that, after his long experience with patients, he found that it is faith that has the healing effect. A man without faith will never be able to get rid of his psychological problems.

An Exalted Example Of Character

The uniqueness of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is that he was not only a great person in his own time, but he is great for all times, for all people of any race, color, nationality or geographical location. His example was good for the 7th century Arabs and it is good also for the humanity living now at the beginning of this 21st century. He is an excellent example for the rich and poor, for young and old, for rulers and ruled, for the most intelligent as well as the most common people. Allah sent him as His Prophet for all humanity.

Allah says in the Quran: Say (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah – to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He). It is He Who gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him), the Prophet who can neither read nor write ( i.e. Muhammad, peace be upon him) who believes in Allah and His Words[(this Quran), the Taurat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) and also Allah’s Word: Be! and he was, i.e. Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), peace be upon him], and follow him so that you may be guided. (Al-A raf 7: 158)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) practiced what he preached. He very carefully and meticulously followed the Quran, Allah s Word that was revealed to him. He followed and lived the Quran at every moment in every detail of his life. His life was the reflection of Allah s Words. He became the Quran in person, the embodiment of the Quran, or one may even say in a metaphorical sense the Word in flesh. It is reported in a Hadith: Sad ibn Hisham said that he askedAishah, Prophet’s wife (Allah be pleased with her) Tell me about the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him). She said, His character was the Quran. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 24139)

Some of His attributes
The morality of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not restricted to just a few moral attributes but included diverse traits and aspects of life. He was kind, compassionate, caring, generous, and humble, but he was also strong, brave, eloquent, wise and insightful. He was a great planner, organizer, and thinker, yet he was also a man of faith, trust and devotion to Allah. He was involved and active with his family and community but he did not neglect his prayers, fasting and devotion to Allah. Actually, he prayed so much that no one prayed like him. He was exemplary as a teacher, preacher, Imam, leader, statesman, judge, and commander of the armies as well as a husband, father, grandfather, businessman, neighbor, and friend.

Before he received the honor of nubuwwah (Prophethood), he was known among the people of Makkah as As-Sadiq Al-Amin, the most honest and trustworthy person. He kept this character throughout his life. He never broke a pledge or promise. Even his enemies could not accuse him of being dishonest.

He was a most humble person. He used to mingle with the poor and sit with them. He stopped people from standing up for him. He used to sit wherever there was a place available in an assembly and never sought a prominent or elevated place. The newcomers sometimes would not know who was the Prophet among the people. When he entered the city of Makkah as a conqueror leading a big army, he entered in a most humble manner. In a unique demonstration of humility, his forehead was touching the saddle of his camel!

A mercy to mankind
He was the most merciful person. Allah called him (a mercy to the Alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists ) – Al-Anbiya 21: 107. He was merciful to his family, followers, friends, and even enemies. He was merciful to young and old, to humans and to animals. Those who persecuted him in Makkah and killed his relatives and his followers, when they were defeated in the battles and brought as captives, were forgiven by him. He did not ever take revenge or retaliated. He was the most forgiving person.

Constancy was a very important aspect of his moral behavior. Once he established some good way or practice he used to follow it and adhere to it always. He used to say: The dearest deed to Allah is the one that is performed regularly, even if it was a little. (Al-Bukhari, No. 5983)

His names:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has many names reflecting his attributes and qualities. Some of the most beautiful names of the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned in both the Quran and Hadith are the following:

Muhammad (the praised one), Ahmad (most praiseworthy), Hamid (the giver of praise and thanks), Ar-Rasul (the Messenger), An-Nabi (the Prophet), Shahid (the witness), Rashid (the righteous), Bashir (the giver of good news), Nadhir (the warner), Da’i (the caller to Allah), Hadi (the guide), Mahi (the remover of evil), Fatih (the conqueror), Ra’uf (the compassionate), Rahim (the merciful), Mujtaba (the chosen one), Mustafa (the selected one), Murtada (the well-pleasing in the sight of Allah), As-Sadiq (the truthful), Al-Amin (the trustworthy), Musaddiq (the confirmer of truth), Habibullah (Allah s beloved one), Safiullah (the one selected by Allah), Najiullah (the one protected by Allah), Shakur (the most grateful one), Karim (the noble one), Hakim (the wise one), Sayyid (the leader), Siraj Munir (the shining lamp), Jawwad (the generous one), `Adil (the Just), and Khatam Ar-Rusul (the final Messenger). May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him!

Islam’s Unique Features

Islam is a religion without any mythology. Its teachings are simple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrational beliefs. The oneness of Allah, the prophethood of Muhammad, and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its faith. They are based on reason and sound logic.

All of the teachings of Islam flow from those basic beliefs and are simple and straightforward. There is no hierarchy of priests, no farfetched abstractions, no complicated rites or rituals.

Everybody may approach the Qur’an directly and translate its dictates into practice. Islam awakens in man the faculty of reason and exhorts him to use his intellect. It enjoins him to see things in the light of reality. The Qur’an advises him to seek knowledge and invoke Allah to expand his awareness: “… My  Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (20: 114) Allah also says: ” … Are those who know equal to those who know not? It’s only men of understanding who will remember.” (39: 9)

It is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that: “He who leaves his home in search of knowledge (walks) in the path of Allah.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi) and that “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” (Reported by Ibn Majah and al-Bayhaqi) This is how Islam brings man out of the world of superstition and darkness and initiates him into the world of knowledge and light.

Again, Islam is a practical religion and does not allow indulgence in empty and futile theorizing. It says that faith is not a mere profession of beliefs, but rather that it is the very mainspring of life. Righteous conduct must follow belief in Allah. Religion is something to be practiced and not an object of mere lip service. The Qur’an says: ” … Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah) and work righteousness, Tuba (all kinds of happiness or name of a tree in Paradise) is for them, and a beautiful place of (final) return.“ (13: 29)
 
Thus Islam’s simplicity, rationality, and practicality are what characterize Islam as a unique and true religion.

Unity of Matter and Spirit
A feature of Islam is that it does not divide life into watertight compartments of matter and spirit. It stands not for the denial of life but for the fulfillment of life. Islam does not believe in asceticism. It does not ask a man to avoid material things. It holds that spiritual elevation is to be achieved by living piously in the rough and tumble of life, not by renouncing the world. The Qur’an advises us to pray as follows: ” … Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good …” (2: 201)

Love, Fear And Hope

One of the most beautiful things about the concept of worship in Islam is the truly unique way in which it incorporates the feelings of love, fear, and hope within the hearts of the worshipers of Allah. Understanding how to combine these three qualities into the worship (‘Ibadah) of Allah is one of the most essential things that every Muslim must grasp.

No worship is complete without the presence of all three qualities: Love of Allah, Hope in His Mercy and Fear of His Punishment. Contemplate the opening Surah of the Qur’an – Surah Al-Fatihah – and you will see for yourself.

Verse 1: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.”

In this opening verse of the Qur’an, we have ‘Love’ of Allah, and every time we recite this verse we are testifying to our love for Allah. We are acknowledging that Allah is our Rabb and the Rabb of all the worlds. Rabb means that Allah is the Creator of everything; He sustains and nourishes everything; He gives life and death; anything good that we have is from Him; everything is dependent on Him and nothing can happen unless He wills it. Furthermore, for the Muslim He – the Rabb – is the One who has guided us to the Truth and given us good morals and manners.

Allah is the One Who has given us so many blessings – so many that if we tried to enumerate His blessings upon us, we cannot count them. So how could we not love Him? We should be overwhelmed in our love for Him and thank Him and say:

“All Praises [and Thanks] are for Allah, Rabbil-‘aalameen.”

Verse 2: “All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists).”

In the first verse, Allah mentioned that He was Ar-Rabb. In the next verse, two more of His beautiful names are mentioned: Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem. Ar-Rahman means that He is the Most Merciful, that is, His Nature or His Essence is Merciful. Ar-Raheem means that He is the Giver of Mercy, in other words, His actions are full of Mercy and He shows Mercy to His creation. (As explained by Ibnul-Qayyim (d.751H) in Badaa’i-ul-Faawaa’id and others)

When we mention these two names of Allah, then we have ‘Hope’. Since He has described Himself as so full of Mercy then we have hope that He will forgive our sins, and no matter how numerous our sins may be, we should never lose this hope, because Allah has told us: “O ‘Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an, 39:53)

The need to have ‘Fear’ in our worship is shown by the next verse of Surah Al-Fatihah:

Verse 3: “The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.”

When we recite this verse we are reminding ourselves of the Day of Judgement – that awful Day, when we shall all stand before Allah, naked, uncircumcised, and barefooted. Some will be sweating so much that it will go 70 arm-length into the earth. People will appear intoxicated though they are not. On this Day, every person will stand before Allah and account for his deeds, knowing that not even the smallest action which he did is hidden from Allah:

“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.” (Qur’an, 99:7-8)

So when we recite this third verse, we remind ourselves of the judgment and accountability, and that should bring about in us a sense of fear – that maybe our evil deeds will be too great and we will be responsible for them – may Allah protect us from such a fate.

Then the next verse goes on to say: “You alone we worship.” This means we single out Allah for our worship. And how do we worship Him? With Love, Hope, and Fear. And in order to achieve these qualities, we need Allah’s assistance, so we say then:

“The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).” (Qur’an, 1:4)
 –  Courtesy: Ad-Dawah il-Allah Magazine

The True Treasure

A BURGLAR scaled the wall of Maalik Bin Dinar’s house one night and easily managed to get inside. Once inside the house, the thief was disappointed to see nothing worth stealing. Maalik was busy performing prayer. Realizing he was not alone, he quickly ended his prayer and turned around to face the thief. Without showing any signs of shock or scare, Maalik calmly extended greetings of peace and said, “My brother, may Allah forgive you. You entered my home and found nothing worth taking, yet I do not want you to leave without taking away some benefit.”

He went in another room and came back with a jug full of water. He looked into the eyes of the burglar and said, “Make ablution and perform two units of prayer, for if you do so, you will leave my home with a greater treasure than you had initially sought.”

Humbled by Maalik’s manners and words, the thief said, “Yes, that is a generous offer indeed.”

After making ablution and performing two units of prayer, the burglar said, “O Maalik, would you mind if I stayed for a while, for I want to stay to perform two more units of prayer?”

Maalik said, “Stay for whatever amount of prayer Allah decrees for you to perform now.”

The thief ended up spending the entire night at Maalik’s house. He continued to pray until morning. Then Maalik said, “Leave now and be good.”

But instead of leaving, the thief said, “Would you mind if I stayed here with you today, for I have made an intention to fast?”

“Stay as long as you wish,” Maalik said.

The burglar ended up staying for a number of days, praying during the late hours of each night and fasting in the day. When he finally decided to leave, the burglar said, “O Maalik, I have made a firm resolve to repent for my sins and for my former way of life.”

Maalik said, “That is in the Hand of Allah.”

The man did mend his ways and began to lead a life of righteousness and obedience to Allah. Later on, he came across another burglar who asked him, “Have you found your treasure yet?”

He replied, “My brother, what I found is Maalik Bin Dinar. I went to steal from him, but it was he who ended up stealing my heart. I have indeed repented to Allah, and I will remain at the door (of His Mercy and Forgiveness) until I achieve what his obedient, loving slaves have achieved.”

(Al-Mawaa’idh wal-Majaalis: 85)
 – Adapted from ‘Stories of Repentance’ published by Darussalam

Easy-Going In Business Dealings

How often do we resort to harsh behavior with our fellow people? Islam has stressed forbearance while dealing with people. To be kind, easy-going, and helpful is very much valued in Islamic teachings. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi explains this in his book The Ideal Muslim:

The Muslim who understands his religion is tolerant in his dealings with people because he knows there is nothing like tolerance for the good man in this world and the next. His gentle attitude opens the way to people’s hearts and endears him to them, and it also earns him Allah’s pleasure, forgiveness, and mercy. This is stated clearly in the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on the tolerant man, when he buys, when he sells, and when he demands payment.” (Al-Bukhari)

Abu Mas’ud Al-Ansari narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A man from those who were before you was brought to account and no goodness was found in him, except that he was a man who used to mix with people; he was rich, and he used to order his employees to let off the one who was in difficulty. Allah said: ‘We should be even more tolerant than him, so let him off.’” (Sahih Muslim)

How heavy such an attitude will weigh in the balance, and how much will a man need it on that great and terrible Day of Judgment.

Grateful For Every Kindness

It was customary for the Arabs in Makkah when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born that they sent their newborn children to some Bedouins where the young ones were breastfed by wet nurses. They felt that spending the first few years in a desert environment ensured that the child would grow up physically and mentally strong. Indications suggest that Makkah suffered some infectious diseases, and its people felt that children would be spared such diseases in the desert’s open air. We have a detailed story of how the young Muhammad ended up with Haleemah, his Bedouin wet nurse. We need only mention that Haleemah and her family were most delighted to have him, feeling that the young child brought some subtle blessing into their life. Hence, after he was weaned, Haleemah begged Aminah, the Prophet’s mother, to allow her to keep him for some more time. This was agreed upon, and most probably Muhammad stayed with Haleemah until he was five years of age.

In normal cases, when a child spends the first few years of life with carers who are not of his own family, living away from his hometown, it is not expected that relations with such carers would be maintained into his adult life without an effort by both parties. Nor would it be expected that he would look at those days of his childhood with tenderness. Most of us remember very little of our early years. Besides, Haleemah and her people lived in the desert, while Muhammad (peace be upon him) spent the rest of his life in Makkah, except for his last ten years when he lived in Madinah. Yet we read that in his adult life, Muhammad showed genuine gratitude to those very people.