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How Islam Tackles Old Age Concerns

A typical impression about old age, the last and the seventh stage of the eventful biography of man in general, according to Jaques of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, has been conjured up in these words:

The last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion. Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

The final phase of human existence is marked by a return to infantile weaknesses, a loss of the undercurrent that preserves a sense of identity against a background of turbulent and radical changes, and a tragic depletion of non-renewable resources that energize connectivity with nature. This phenomenon of the reversal of creation (Qur’an, 36:68) or of the obliteration of what was intellectually acquired (16:70) that is collateral to old age has figured in the Prophet’s teachings.

Old Age: Phase I
Old age has two phases. The phase in which the physical and mental powers have not suffered much decline is a highly respected phase. Prophet Abraham, his wife, Sarah, Moses’ father-in-law, and Zachariah (may all of them be peace) reached this stage. Zachariah describes the characteristics of this phase, ‘My bones have grown feeble and the hair of my head glistens with grey.’ (19:3). Reaching this phase after years of dedication to God is a Divine blessing. Such a person is blessed with insight, experience, and wisdom and he is looked up to with reverence for guidance and counseling. This age becomes an asset and a qualification for leading congregational prayers. It entitles the person to a certain advantage over men of youth, as he would have earned more merit through a higher volume of service and dedication to God. The social culture of Muslims is characterized by esteem for the aged and affection for the youngsters.

The esteem, reserved for old age, will be seriously compromised if it is tainted with errant behavior. Any major sin in this age sounds like the death knell of such esteem. Having lived up to this age, one must spare time and thought to examine if life had been lived properly. One must make an earnest effort first to seek Divine guidance and then to live by it. If the long life given by God is not utilized to secure God’s pleasure, one exposes one’s self to God’s anger.

Sometimes esteem for old age tends to get exaggerated. People begin to conform blindly to the traditions of yore on the ground that the wisdom of the elders is behind them and this unexamined conformity obliges one to turn a deaf ear to the plea of the revealed scripture to prefer Divine wisdom to the elders’ wisdom.

Old Age: Phase II
Old age has another phase in which amnesia and other weaknesses emerge with a devastating force. An old man then becomes a poem of pity and an embodiment of utter helplessness. His children are inclined to look upon him as an undesirable liability. The Qur’an advises them (children) to suppress their annoyance and to reinforce their kindness and devotion towards their old parents.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted to avoid this phase of old age. His prayer was: ‘O Allah I seek refuge in You from idleness and old age.’

Caliph Umar said, ‘The Prophet sought refuge from five things: cowardice, miserliness, old age, narrow-mindedness, and punishment in the grave.’

Anecdotes from the Prophet’s life
There are several anecdotes in the Prophet’s life that bring out the enlightened nature and perennial value of his teachings. One of the daughters of his closest friend, Abu Bakr was Asma. Her mother visited Madina to see her.

Asma sought the Prophet’s advice with regard to the type of welcome that she must extend to her non-Muslim mother. The Prophet’s advice was, ‘Treat your mother with all the courtesy due to her.’

In Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, it is reported that a person complained to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that his father was demanding money from him. The Prophet urged him to oblige his father. The son represented again that his father made demands over everything that he had. The Prophet’s advice to him was not to disobey his old parents even if they demanded a whole lot from him.

Another anecdote is more graphic. A son complained to Prophet (peace be upon him) that his father was taking away his money as and when he pleased The father was sent for. He came leaning on his walking stick. He was very old and weak. He explained to the Prophet, ‘O Messenger of Allah! There was a time when my son was weak and dependent. At that time I was strong and rich. My son was penniless; I never denied him anything that he wanted. Today I am penniless and he is affluent. But he is keeping his money beyond my reach.’ On hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was moved to tears and he informed the son, ‘You and your money belong to your father.’

The Prophet practiced what he preached. Abu Talib, his non-Muslim paternal uncle, stood by him through thick and thin, and thus he had a very deep attachment to him. On account of this attachment, he devoutly wished that Abu Talib should die as a Muslim. But it was not to be.

Abu Tufail narrates, ‘I watched the Prophet (peace be upon him) distributing flesh at J’araana. Meanwhile, a woman appeared and approached him. The Prophet spread his shawl for her and she sat upon it. On inquiry, I learned she was Halima who had the privilege of suckling him.’

The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent back many of his followers who came to pledge themselves for migration and for Jihad and asked them to serve their old parents and to keep them cheerful and said that they would get the reward from God for their intention to migrate and to take part in Jihad.

A distinguished companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) complained that in one day’s Fajr Prayer, there was a lack of concentration. In the discussion that followed it came to the light mat he had overtaken an old Jew while proceeding toward the mosque. This was considered an inadvertent act of disrespect to old age.

The Prophet did not consider it infra dig to minister to the needs of the aged. An old lady was struggling to carry a heavy burden. The Prophet (peace be upon him) volunteered to carry the burden for her and to accompany her. On the way, the old lady told him she was leaving the place to escape from the influence of a man, called Muhammad, who was preaching a new religion in which idolatry and polytheism were not permitted.

The lady was very impressed by the Prophet’s courtesy and helping attitude. She advised him to shun the new preacher. The Prophet (peace be upon him) disclosed to her that he was the person from whom she was trying to escape. The old lady realized her folly and declared her allegiance to Islam.

Once an old lady sought an audience with the Prophet and on securing it she requested him to pray to Allah to admit her to Paradise. He remarked humorously that old ladies were barred from Heaven.

Failing to comprehend the humor in his statement, she was emotionally perturbed and started to retrace her steps. Then it was brought home to her that old person would be transformed into young people before they gained entry into Heaven. She must have been relieved beyond measure after the initial shock to learn that she would not only be admitted to Heaven but also regain her heavenly youth.

Even in parables, the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed the concerns of old age. In a parable of three travelers that he narrated, the first one was a dutiful son. Along with two other travelers he took shelter in a cave to escape from inclement weather but all of a sudden a rock rolled down and sealed the mouth of the cave. It was a situation that desperately demanded Divine intervention. So each traveler sought God’s help by invoking a good deed done exclusively to secure God’s pleasure.

The first traveler’s story is as follows: O Allah! My parents were too old and my children were too small. I eked my livelihood by tending sheep. One day I returned home late. My parents had gone to sleep. As it was my wont, I secured milk from the sheep.

Carrying it in a bowl, I went to my parent’s bed. It was not proper on my part to wake them up; it was also not proper on my part to give milk to my children without serving it to my parents. Clinging to my legs, my children cried for milk. I steeled my heart and turned a deaf ear to their cries. Tired of crying my children went to sleep. I stood there with the bowl of milk in my hands until the rose-fingered dawn peeped through the window. O, Allah! I waited on my old parents in order to secure your pleasure only. Through the blessing of this act of mine, I request that the rock be moved a little so that the sky could be seen through the gap. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that in reply to this prayer, God moved the rock a little and the sky was seen.

The sunset of life
Old age is the sunset of life when the orb of flame loses its heat and illuminating power and slowly sinks into the liquid bosom of oblivion and conceals its shame of privation. The frightening prospect of surging darkness urgently requires the reassurance of Divine help. The following invocation meets that requirement: ‘O Lord! Make your provisions large and abundant for me, when my age is advanced and when my end draws near.’

The attitude that the Prophet (peace be upon him) so painstakingly inculcated among his followers towards old age is reflected in the conduct of his revered companions.

His Caliphs issued instructions to the effect that during the state of war, old men should be spared along with priests, women, and children. Caliph Umar introduced an old age pension for both Muslim and non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic State. Abu Hurairah advised a young man as follows:

‘Do not address your father by his name; do not walk ahead of him; and do not take your seat before he is seated.’

In fact, the mercy that the Prophet (peace be upon him) symbolized encompassed the concerns of the old people with exemplary and loving care.

Be Humble: It’s A Sunnah

The Prophet knew that Allah created us with weakness and that driving those who sin out of Islam would leave the Ummah empty. The essence of being Muslim is being humble.

The word “Muslim” itself means to submit oneself in ultimate humbleness to Allah.

But it is a great irony of the human soul that when we become more humble and submissive to Allah, we fall into a grave trap. We tend to grow in arrogance because we feel our level of submission is better than that of others.

It was this same trap that Satan fell into. Once upon a time, Iblis (Satan) was so pious that he was allowed to worship with the angels. In one twist of events, Iblis was cast out and became accursed.

He refused to bow to Allah’s creation of man because he thought himself to be better than man.

{(Remember) when your Lord said to the angels: ‘Truly I am going to create man from clay. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him…

(Allah) said: ‘O Iblis! What prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I have created with my own hands? Are you too proud (to fall prostrate to Adam) or are you one of the high exalted?’

(Iblis) said “I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.} (Quran 38: 71-76)

It is true that we, mankind, and Iblis and his kind, were created differently. And it was this difference that caused Iblis to be proud, to hate mankind, and become cursed by Allah. We can see this same arrogance and haughtiness playing out every day in the hearts of mankind.

Whether we perceive ourselves to be more pious, more intelligent, better at making money, or just from a better race of people, we too often get caught in the trap of thinking we are better. And we end up hating those who are different from us out of arrogance.

Allah says: {And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, God likes not each arrogant boaster.} (Quran31:18)

Allah has created all of us differently with an array of strengths and weaknesses.

So, how can we avoid becoming arrogant toward others as Satan is toward us?

How can we truly be humble?

The best example is that of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). After all he was indeed the best of creation and the most humble.

Prophet Muhammad knew that no one is more important than another…  “A woman who was afflicted with partial derangement in her mind said: “O Messenger of Allah, I want something from you. He said: ‘see on which side of the road you would like (to stand and talk) so that I may help you.’ He then stood aside with her on the roadside until she got what she needed.” (Muslim, 2326)

In this short hadith, we will find many examples of the humility of the Prophet. If he wanted to, the Prophet could have stood in the road and spoken to the woman. And he would have been praised for it. But he did not think himself so important to block the road even while doing a good deed.

In addition, Prophet Muhammad does not admonish this woman for approaching him in such a coarse way. Nor does he turn his nose up at her because she is disturbed. He instead treats her with kindness and provides her with what she needs.

Prophet Muhammad knew that no one was more important than another. He also knew that if Allah had willed him, he would be in the same mental state as the woman.

The Prophet’s Humility at Home
When Aishah was asked about what the Prophet would do in his house, she said: “He would serve his family and when the time for prayer came he would go out and pray.” (Al-Bukhari, 676)

As a husband and father, Prophet Muhammad was kind, helpful, and humble. The Prophet didn’t expect to be waited on. He did not shout orders at those in his care. Never did he say that his work was outside the home. Wherever there was work, he would pitch in.

Prophet Muhammad understood that the higher your rank the more of a servant you become. And if Allah had willed, Allah would have made him a slave to man.

The Prophet’s Humility with the Poor
in this hadith, we see the stellar manners and humility of the Prophet shine. “Once, I was walking with the Messenger of God while he was wearing a Yemeni cloak with a collar with rough edges. A Bedouin grabbed him strongly… I looked at the side of his neck and saw that the edge of the cloak left a mark on his neck. The Bedouin said: “O Muhammad! Give me [some] of the wealth of God that you have.” The Messenger of God turned to the Bedouin, smiled, and ordered that he be given [some money].” (Al-Bukhari, 6088)

Again in this hadith, we see the stellar manners and humility of the Prophet shine.

In the face of rudeness, we find that the Prophet doesn’t allow his ego to be wounded. He does not feel the need to exert dominance or even return to the harsh treatment. He is not insulted in the least. He laughs at the situation, relieving the tension.

Then even after being treated rudely, The Prophet doesn’t send the Bedouin away or abuse him because of his lower economic status. The Prophet treats the poor Bedouin with mercy and sees that the man gets what he needs.

The Prophet Muhammad knew that whatever wealth we have comes from Allah. If Allah had willed, he would have been in the Bedouin’s situation.

The Prophet’s Humility with the Less Pious
The Prophet was not too proud to associate with this man who committed a major sin.  A companion of the Prophet named Nu’ayman was addicted to alcohol and continued to drink it despite knowing the ruling against intoxicants. Nu’ayman struggled with his addiction and was flogged twice for being drunk.

Upon the second flogging, Umar who was angered by Nu’ayman’s behavior quipped: “May God’s curse be on him.”

The Prophet, upon hearing this, was quick to intervene: “No, no, don’t do (such a thing). Indeed he loves God and His Apostle. The major sin (as this) does not put one outside the community and the mercy of God is close to the believers.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet was not too proud to associate with this man who committed a major sin. He did not isolate this man because of his faults. Nor was he too proud to defend Nu’ayman from Umar’s insult.

The Prophet knew that Allah created us with weakness and that driving those who sin out of Islam would leave the Ummah empty.

We need to protect ourselves from thinking we are better than others, as Iblis believed he was better than us. We must understand that the foundation of humility is knowing that if we are elevated in status it is only because of Allah. We can be brought to the level of those we look down on if Allah wills.

Prophet Muhammad asked Allah for humility by saying: “O Allah, make me live humbly and make me die humbly, and gather me among the humble on the day of resurrection.” (At-Tirmidi, 2352)

It is this tradition that we need to cling to so that we can also be gathered on the day of resurrection with the humble, with the Prophet, peace be upon him.

By Theresa Corbin

What Makes Muslims Believe That The Quran Is Not Written By Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?

What makes Muslims believe that the Quran is not written by Prophet Muhammad? Does the Quran claim that it is from God? Could the Prophet have copied some portions of the Bible? Are there scientific facts in the Quran?

Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is not the author of the Quran. God is its Author. The following points bear the fact:

*First of all, the Quran itself, in a number of places and in different ways, says that it is from God. One of the claims runs thus: “This is indeed a Quran most honorable, a Book well-guarded…a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.” (Quran 56:77-80)

(Here, one ought to know the features of the Quran to understand the claim better. For instance, if the Quran consisted of a number of books, and each book was made up of a number of chapters, then each of the books had to claim that it was from God in order to render the WHOLE volume as coming from God. But, this is fortunately not so with the Quran. The Quran is just ONE Book made up of 114 chapters. So, if the Quran claims, in any of its chapters, that the Book is from God, then the WHOLE Quran is from God. Yet, the Quran does not make the divine claim only once, but several times in different phrases and in different chapters.)

*If the Prophet had written the Quran – a Book par excellence – surely he would have claimed credit for it, but he did not. He could not claim what was not his. Indeed God says: “This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God.” (10:37)

*The Prophet was unlettered. However, even if he was educated and had written the Quran, how could he be bold enough to make this statement: “Do they not consider (ponder over) the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein discrepancies”. (4:82)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, commenting on this verse (verse 4:82) in his English translation of the Quran, says: “From a mere human point of view, we should have expected many discrepancies, because (1) Prophet Muhammad who promulgated it was not a learned man or philosopher, (2) it was promulgated at various times and in various circumstances, and (3) it is addressed to all grades of mankind. Yet, when properly understood, its various pieces fit together better than a jigsaw puzzle even when arranged without any regard for chronological order. There was just the One Inspirer and one inspired.”

*The Quran took 23 years to complete. Had the verses of the Quran been written by the Prophet, he would have needed a number of drafts and the work would have needed editing, updating, etc. But this did not happen, yet the information is consistent throughout the Quran. The verses were taken down as dictated by the Prophet only once and no redrafting, editing, or updating took place after that.

*At a number of stages during the 23-year period, challenges to reproduce, even a chapter of the Quran was made. If the Prophet had written the Quran, he would not have made the challenges, for fear that the learned

Arabs and eminent poets of his time would have taken up his challenges and shamed him. One of the challenges goes thus: “And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed (from time to time) to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a chapter like thereunto…” (2:23)

*The Quran says that the Prophet was not learned.

So, if the Prophet was educated in some institution but mentioned in the Quran that he wasn’t, he would have been accused of being a liar and his mission would have fallen through.

*Even if the Prophet was learned, how could he have written such an inimitable Book of Information and Wisdom without resorting to consultation with prominent scholars and the best books from the best libraries in the world?! If he did this, it would surely have been known, since every move he made was known to people. The Prophet was a historical figure, not a mythological figure.

*The Prophet was the busiest and most active person in history. So, how could he have found the time to write (even if he were educated) such a comprehensive and extensive Book of Guidance which would have needed years of seclusion and concentration to complete?

*In the Quran, in Chapter 111, it is mentioned that Abu Lahab, one of the Prophet’s uncles who was always against Islam, would never accept Islam. This Revelation came some ten years before the death of Abu Lahab. How could the Prophet have dared to write this chapter because all he (Abu Lahab) needed to do to prove that the Quran was not the Words of God, was to accept Islam dishonestly?

*The Prophet was mentioned by name in the Quran only five times whereas Jesus Christ’s name was (honorably) mentioned 25 times. Could the Prophet go to such an extent of honoring someone more than himself if he had written the Quran?

*There is a chapter in the Quran entitled and dedicated to “Mary”, the mother of Jesus Christ, while there is no chapter called, or dedicated to, the Prophet’s own mother, Aminah, or daughter, Fatimah, nor were their names mentioned in the Quran. Could this have happened if the Prophet was the author of the Quran?

*Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is glorified in the Quran as a “woman of all nations”. Why would the Prophet glorify a woman he had never seen and one from another race, saying that she was chosen (by God) above all women unless the formulation of the verses had nothing to do with the Prophet’s own authorship but that he only repeated what was inspired to him by God?

*In the Quran, God is called “Allah” (in Arabic). He is also referred to by His Attributes, like the Cherisher, the Merciful, the Almighty. There are 99 such Attributes but none of these is “Abba” (Father) by which the Arab Christians of the Prophet’s time (and even today) refer to God. If the Prophet was the writer of the Quran, he would surely have used “Abba” as one of the names for God because of its familiarity and also because it was easier to say “Abba” than many of the Attributes.

*Although the Quran’s objective is basically religious, it does touch on certain principles and laws governing the universe. A French scientist, Maurice Bucaille, in his book, “The Bible, the Quran and Science”, says: “What initially strikes the reader confronted for the first time with a text of this kind (the Quran) is the sheer abundance of subjects discussed: the Creation, astronomy, the explanation of certain matters concerning the earth, and the animal and vegetable kingdoms, human reproduction …I could not find a single error in the Quran. I had to stop and ask myself: if a man was the author of the Quran, how could he have written facts in the 7th Century AD that today are shown to be in keeping with modern scientific knowledge?”

*The Quran mentions a number of scientific facts which were unknown to the world then. Some of them are:

-The moon has no light of its own and that what we see is the reflected light of the sun. (91:1-2),

-Every living thing began in water. (continuation of 21:30),

-Stages of reproduction of life in the womb. (22:5),

-Every living thing, including vegetable matter, is created in pairs (male and female). (36:36),

-All celestial body (namely, the moon and planets) have their own course of orbit. (7:54 and 21:33),

-Space travel is possible. (55:33), and

-There is also life (in whatever form) in other parts of the universe. (42:29).

-All these scientific facts were discovered only in the last couple of centuries whereas the Quran mentioned them 14 centuries ago. How could the Prophet, even if he were educated, have known these facts centuries ahead of recent times?

*Learned Arabs and other experts in the Arabic language acknowledge that the style, diction, and rendering in the Quran far excel those in the Hadith. Those in the Quran are inimitable, proving that the Quran is authored by God.

*Umar, later to become Caliph, had wanted to kill the Prophet because of his (Islamic) teachings. One day, Umar heard his sister reading something – the sound, diction, and meaning of which made him halt to listen. His sister, who had secretly converted to Islam, was reading (part of) the Quran. Umar realized that the Words he was listening to could not be the words of man. He submitted to Islam soon after.

*The Quran says: “If the whole of mankind and jinns (spirits) were to come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof even if backed up by each other with help and support.” (17:88) This is a bold statement indeed. If the Prophet had written the Quran, would he as a human being, dare make such an explosive statement? Would this statement go unchallenged by the learned Arabs of his time?

Prophet Muhammad, being an unlettered person, could not have written the Quran, a book full of wisdom and one dealing with varied subject matters. The Quran categorically states: “This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God. (It is a Book) from the Lord of the Worlds.” (10:37)

When Somebody Cursed The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Allah Cursed Him

Sahih Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 293:
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Verse:–‘ And warn your tribe of near-kindred, was revealed, the Prophet ascended the Safa (mountain) and started calling, “O Bani Fihr! O Bani ‘Adi!” addressing various tribes of Quraish till they were assembled. Those who could not come themselves, sent their messengers to see what was there. Abu Lahab and other people from Quraish came and the Prophet then said, “Suppose I told you that there is an (enemy) cavalry in the valley intending to attack you, would you believe me?” They said, “Yes, for we have not found you telling anything other than the truth.” He then said, “I am a warner to you in face of a terrific punishment.” Abu Lahab said (to the Prophet) “May your hands perish all this day. Is it for this purpose you have gathered us?” Then it was revealed: “Perish the hands of Abu Lahab (one of the Prophet’s uncles), and
perish he! His wealth and his children will not profit him….” (111.1-5)
Sahih Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 293:

Two points to note from this wonderful hadees, Allah personally cursed Abu Lahab, and even revealed a verse to curse him, when this person cursed the Holy Prophet Muhammed Salalaahu Alaihi wasallam, this is exceptional and reflects the close bond between the most beloved of Allah and Allah

The second point when the Holy Prophet Muhammed Salalaahu Alaihi wasallam wanted to call people for Islaam he first established his own credibility and those who accepted and endorsed him and those who did not raise doubts about him and did not question his command and his knowledge of the unseen accepted Allah, this shows that reverence, respect, and love of the Holy Prophet Muhammed Salalaahu Alaihi wasallam leads to belief in Allah, Allah never showed himself nor did he show us heaven and hell, neither did we see Gibreal bringing the revelation, neither did we see judgment day.

“Suppose I told you that there is an (enemy) cavalry in the valley intending to attack you, would you believe me?” They said, “Yes

These people became the Muslims.

Hazrat Muhammad(PBUH) – The Preceptor Of Love

The Holy Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are explicit ratifications of the latter’s unique and exalted status amongst the entire mankind. Since many people follow no religion or religion other than Islam, an explanation based on scientific discoveries supported by Qur’an and Prophet’s life will be easier, more convincing, and more logical for them.

I have tried, here in this write-up, to uphold Prophet Mohammad’s position as the most revered apostle of Allah, on this planet, through a common, non-religious, and scientific perspective, since non-believers may find it difficult to accept only Qur’anic testimonies willingly.

Science basically deals with matter and its variable characteristics in different circumstances and while in contact with different solids, liquids, and gases.

The results not only enhance man’s knowledge but leave him awestruck at times, but it is a fact that Divine revelation is the re-affirmation of the fact that celestial knowledge is the most appropriate tool for guiding inherently the limited human intellect.

That’s why Allah despite giving senses and brain to man has regularly, at intervals, selected/appointed his messengers, from the very same people, who were taught by divine revelations and given knowledge about the man’s physical relation to soul and that of soul’s relation to the Almighty and warning about the accountability of performance in this world, in terms of good or bad.

Prophet Muhammad was chosen as the last Messenger of Allah; therefore, his teachings based on revelations sent down to him shall stand true and final for all human beings till the day of resurrection.

Mankind is the superb creation of Allah. The whole universe is so diligently designed that it supports the survival and existence of life and its necessaries. A question can be asked: “What would happen if the rotation axis of the earth is changed”? Scientists believe it is impossible but a close encounter with another body of a planet-size can do it and it will create tectonic upheavals. The surface of the earth would become molten. One would possibly survive it and the biosphere+atmosphere would be transfigured. The only survivors would be bacteria.

The Qur’an says: “You will not find any disorder or haphazardness in the creations of Allah, e.g.: you look at the sky and look at it again and again, you will not find any rifts on its surface or at the end. (67:3)

Lightning and thunder during the rainy season is a common thing to note. Sometimes, it is so strong and loud that one shivers at the thought of its possible devastation.

It is later learned that every minute there are 1,000 cyclones of various magnitudes erupting on the earth and every minute 6,000 flashes of lightning take place in the world.

The temperature at the source of originating point of lightning rises to 54,000 F, which is approximately five times more than the temperature of the sun.

And the lightning path is naturally to the ground and it needs the nearest point i.e. the highest structure to reach the ground, but the clouds conditions are so designed by nature that most of the time the lightning dissipates in the clouds only and once in a while out of 6,000 times of daily lightning, it strikes the earth or some structure on the earth. We just think it as normal but it is not. It is the part of the system that is running for the survival of mankind on the earth.

The Qur’an says: “He it is Who has made the earth subservient to you ( i.e. easy for you to walk, to live and to do agriculture on it); so walk in the path thereof and eat of His provision. And to Him will be the Resurrection. And: “Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause the earth to sink with you, and then it should quake?” (67:15-16)

So fine and delicate an adjustment is not a mere coincidence.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides, and volcanoes are all fine examples for the believers in the powers of Allah’s grip on everything and they do righteous deeds and always ask His forgiveness for mistakes and reward of paradise in return.

The Qur’an says: “Who has made the earth for you like a bed (spread out); and has opened roads (ways and paths) for you therein, and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation. eat and pasture your cattle (therein); verily, in this are Ayat (proofs and signs) for men of understanding. (20-53-54).

At another place, the Qur’an says: “Allah has made the Kaaba, the Sacred House, an asylum for security and benefits (e,g. Haj and Umrah) for mankind…” (5-97)

Further, if we draw a circle with a diameter of 8,039 km, its center will be Makkah, covering old continents with slight margins. If the diameter is made 13,300 km, then Makkah also becomes the center for new continents, covering Australia, North and South America. Thus, the Kaaba, the epicenter of Muslim worship, in Makkah falls exactly in the center point of the arid land of the Earth. (It is an established fact that cannot merely be a coincidence).

Prophet Muhammad: A Relation With God That Is Based On Love

The problem faced by human beings is that they are required to elevate themselves to the level of the highest society of the angels when they have been created of the clay of the earth. They are not required to be angels; that is beyond them since they are subject to the needs of their bodies. They are required to resist sinking into low depths by looking up to the sublime, to counter forgetfulness by God’s remembrance, and to overcome selfishness by human brotherhood. Having been granted life, they are required to dedicate their lives to God; they must not be preoccupied with their own needs. They should look up to the One who granted them life, directing all their life activity to the fulfillment of what He requires of them.

This needs more explanation. Angels do not eat, and as such, they do not need to grow their food and harvest their plants. Human beings need to do all that, but they become equal to the angels if they would only plant the earth, manage their harvests, and eat their food in God’s name. The time they spend in attending to all these activities is equal to the time the angels spend in glorifying and praising God if they will only reflect on God’s power and how He causes crops to grow and ripen, and appreciate His grace in providing them with sustenance, clothing, and shelter.

God has sent His messengers, from the beginning of human life, to guide people along this way. He has not sent angels as messengers, because angels have nothing to do with the tasks assigned to human beings. Unbelievers wondered at the fact that God has given His message to human messengers to deliver. They said: “Can it be that God has sent a human being as His messenger?” Say, “Had there been angels walking about on earth as their natural abode, We would have sent them an angel messenger from heaven.” Say, “Sufficient is God for a witness between me and you. He is indeed fully aware of His servants, and He sees all things.” (17: 94-96)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) provided the practical example of how people can live at the same level as the angels engaged in their glorification of God and thanksgiving. He has elevated mankind to a level in which we only see the rows of worshippers who praise and thank God or the ranks of those who dedicate themselves and their property to serving God’s cause. Muhammad certainly molded a human generation who were, in God’s measure, placed at the same level as the angels, because they abandoned all life temptations and followed the Prophet who dedicated his total existence to God, seeking only His pleasure, as the following words imply: “Say: My prayers, my worship, my living, and my dying are for God alone, the Lord of all worlds. He has no partner. Thus have I been commanded, and I shall be the first of those who surrender themselves to Him.” (6: 162-163.)

It is Muhammad’s clear knowledge of God, his continuous remembrance of Him, and His great share of the perfection that emanates from His attributes that mold his emotional and intellectual life. God has created man, giving him his form and qualities. He appointed him as His vicegerent on earth. He empowered him and assigned to him the task of exploiting the riches of the earth to build a life on it. He wants him to respect his own divine origin by not sinking into low desires. Man must be knowledgeable, noble, able, generous, compassionate, kind, and willing to give. He must fashion his life in line with the perfect qualities which God’s own attributes symbolize.

The world has never known, and will never know, a man who kept contemplating the sublime as Muhammad did. He walked on earth, but his heart was always looking up to heaven. He provided the model of perfect human life, both within himself as an individual and with his companions as a society. We see in his rational and emotional heritage all the elements man needs to fulfill the mission assigned to him in this life.

Consider the flow of powerful emotion in this heartfelt supplication the Prophet often said after obligatory prayers: “My Lord! You are our Lord and the Lord of all that exists. I bear witness that You alone are the Lord of all, without partners. My Lord! You are our Lord and the Lord of all that exists. I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. My Lord! You are our Lord and the Lord of all that exists. I bear witness that all mankind are brethren. My Lord! You are our Lord and the Lord of all that exists. Make me and my household sincere in our worship at every moment in this life and the life to come. You, the Lord of Supreme Majesty and unparalleled benevolence, answer our prayers. You, the Lord Supreme, Supreme! You are the light of the heavens and the earth. You, the Lord Supreme, Supreme! You are sufficient for me and I rely on You, the Lord Supreme, Supreme.”

When he feels that language cannot adequately express such a flow of feeling, the Prophet resorts to repeating the same words in order to express his love and veneration of God. It may be a repetition of words, but in effect, it airs a sense of greater love.

We note how Muhammad testifies to his being God’s messenger, and that this testimony comes in between asserting God’s oneness and the brotherhood of mankind. What does Muhammad’s assertion to his Lord that he is His servant and messenger signify? It is a kind of reconfirmation that he is willing to fulfill the task assigned to him and to complete his mission, delivering his message complete and intact to all mankind, regardless of how difficult they render his task by their rejection and false accusations.

– By SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI

 

What Pledges Were Required Of Muslims

To give a pledge is to make an undertaking of serious and important nature. In Islam, a pledge, or bay’ah, has a special place as it signifies the serious commitment that a Muslim violates at his own peril. He will have to answer to none other than God for such a violation. Therefore, Muslims take their pledges very seriously, knowing that a breach of the commitment cannot be overlooked. In the early days of Islam, those who joined the Muslim ranks and declared their belief in the Islamic message gave their pledges to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him).

The term of the pledge new Muslims gave to the Prophet are well defined. Ubadah ibn Al-Samit reports: “I was one of the headmen who gave their pledges to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him). We pledged that we would never associate any partners with God, steal, commit adultery, kill anyone without proper cause, take away other people’s property, or disobey God’s orders. Should we fulfill our pledges, we would be rewarded with admittance into heaven, but if we commit any violation, then judgment for such violation is up to God.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Another version of the same statement is given by Al-Tabari quoting Ubadah as saying: “We were with the Prophet when he said to us: ‘Pledge to me that you would never associate partners with God, steal or commit adultery. Whoever of you fulfills his pledges will have his reward with God, and whoever commits any violation and it remains concealed, his case will be judged by God who may forgive or punish him as He pleases.”

In both versions, Ubadah ibn Al-Samit is referring to the first pledge, or bay’ah, given by the Ansar, the new Muslims from Madinah, to the Prophet. We need to clarify that the first people from the Ansar to accept Islam were six individuals who met the Prophet during the pilgrimage season in year 11 of the start of the Islamic message. This means two years before the immigration of the Prophet and his companions from Makkah to Madinah, the event that signifies the start of the Islamic calendar. The Ansar were the people of Madinah who accepted Islam and pledged their support to the Prophet, earning this title, Ansar, which means “supporters”. When the six people accepted Islam, they did not give any special pledge to the Prophet other than to fulfill Islamic requirements and observe Islamic values.

The following year, twelve people from Madinah, including the first six, met the Prophet in the pilgrimage season and declared themselves Muslims. It was then that the Prophet accepted their pledges to which the reports given above refer. No one was given the status of being a headman on this occasion. In the next pilgrimage season, i.e. year 13 of the beginning of the Islamic message, a total of 73 men and two women from the Ansar met the Prophet at Aqabah in Mina and pledged their full support to him, requesting him to join them in their city. This signaled the start of the Muslims’ immigration from Makkah to Madinah where the first Islamic state was established. It was during this third meeting that the Prophet asked for headmen to be chosen and 12 such headmen were named, including the reporter of the Hadith.

In the last of these pledges, with the larger number of the Ansar giving it, they pledged extending full protection to the Prophet when he arrived in their city, declaring their readiness to fight and repel any aggression. As for the first pledge, mentioned in the reports quoted above, this included no promise of fighting and no mention of the Prophet’s immigration. A full statement of the terms of this pledge is also given by Ubadah ibn Al-Samit: “We were eleven men at the time of the first pledge at Aqabah. We gave to God’s Messenger the pledge given by women: that ‘we will associate no partners with God, and will never steal, commit adultery, perpetrate any falsehood with regard to the parenthood of our children, kill our children or disobey him in any reasonable matter.’ Whoever of us fulfills his pledges will be rewarded with heaven, and whoever commits any violation his case will be judged by God who may forgive or punish him, as He pleases.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

These terms of the pledge are known in Islam as the “pledge of women” because they are specified as the terms women should give when they pledge their loyalty to the Prophet and commit themselves to Islam. They are specifically mentioned in Verse 12 of Surah 60 in the Qur’an. They provide a complete framework of Islamic morality and Islamic life, which should maintain the highest standard of honesty and truthfulness, as well as fair dealing. The first item in the pledge is the one no Muslim can violate, “never to associate any partner with God.” Should anyone violate this condition, he is not a Muslim, because Islam lays maximum emphasis on monotheism. No one can ever be thought of as equal to God in any way, and no one can be given a divine status. Stealing and adultery are two of the worst crimes that Islam strictly forbids. They are indeed forbidden in all divine religions. The fourth term of the pledge prohibits the fabrication of any falsehood with regard to the parenthood of children. This refers to a situation in which a woman gets pregnant in an adulterous relation and claims that the child belongs to her husband. The next pledge committed those Muslims never to kill their children. This is important in all societies, particularly where poor people often kill children shortly after their birth. It was specifically important in those early days of Islam when the Arabs often resorted to killing their daughters for fear of poverty or shame. The last term of the pledge committed Muslims to obey the Prophet in every good cause. Needless to say, the Prophet never ordered anyone to do anything other than what is good. Indeed, he taught us every good thing, upheld every moral value, and established every honorable principle. He never espoused anything that could cause anyone to shy away or to feel uneasy about. He was the epitome of all goodness.

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