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Concealing The Weaknesses Of Others

A very bad and dirty habit to be commonly found is to reveal and make public the fault of other people. People don’t think for a second to comment upon any other fault or weakness. While avoiding harm to others and concealing the weakness of one’s fellow human beings is a prominent theme of the moral teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah. Please have a look at the Few Sayings of our Prophet are as follows:

1-  “If a person conceals the weakness of another in this world, Allah will conceal their weakness in the hereafter”
[Al Nawawi, Riyad al Salihin p 135, Hadith no 245; al Ghazali, Kitab Adab p 344]

2- “Whoever protects the honor of his brother, will have Allah protect his countenance from the fire on the Day of Judgement ”
[Al Nawawi, Riyad al Salihin p 488, Hadith no 1530]

3- “Do not harm Muslims, and do not revile them, nor pursue their imperfections. For verily, whosoever pursues the imperfections of his brother shall have his own imperfections pursued by Allah ”
[Sunan of al Tirmidhi, as quoted in Principles of State and Government in Islam, p 85]

Whoever sees a Muslim’s imperfection and then conceals it is like one who gives new life to a female infant buried in the desert.
[Bukhari]

Verily, Allah does not like people who are obscene and who spread obscenities.
[Bukhari]

Taqwa And Its True Meanings

Taqwa is a central concept that has been frequently mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, especially in verses that deal with individual behavior in social relations. Some of the common English translations of the word taqwa are “piety” and “heed” or “God-fearing.”

Each of these translations gives only a partial understanding of this word’s true meaning because it is an attitude that combines many feelings, such as fear of God, heeding, and above all being God-conscious.

Is Taqwa Simply Fear?
The term fear, when used to refer to God-consciousness in the Islamic context, does not mean being scared of God because being scared excludes any feeling of love or respect.

Fear of God means to fear His disobedience and punishment, on the Day of Judgment, and to fear forgetting Him and losing His blessings.

Another partial meaning of fear, which is nobler, is the fear of displeasing God, the One Whom you love. For example, when two people love each other, you find each of them trying their best to please the other and to avoid even forgetting their anniversaries or birthdays. If this is the attitude of humans toward each other, then it is more appropriate that people fear God’s displeasure. People should love God most because they owe everything to Him: their lives, property, and, above all, His guidance to know and worship Him.

So, fear of God is not founded on a vengeful concept of hate and fear of God. It is actually based on love, which leads to a feeling of fear of God’s displeasure.

God-Consciousness
The meaning of taqwa was clarified in a statement made by Umar Bin Al-Khattab, the second Caliph after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Umar compared being God-conscious to a person going through a narrow path with thorns while he is trying to snatch his clothes to protect himself from any harm.

In Arabic, clothing is used as a metaphor for a person’s character and the thorns are a metaphor for the temptations in life, such as greed and wanting to get money from any source whether legitimate or illegitimate or temptation towards illicit relationships.

This similitude means that the person goes through life trying to protect his moral and pure character, which was endowed on him by God, from all other diversions, deviations, or temptations that surround him.

Hajj And Tawheed

Allah, the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an, “And whoever respects the signs of Allah, this surely is (the outcome) of the piety of hearts.” (22:32)

Respecting the signs of Allah means inculcating Tawheed in each and every act of worship in its full magnitude, so that one may gain Taqwa. It is now the blessed season of Hajj, when people travel long distances to perform this noble task. Therefore it is up to the person that this act becomes an act of worship and not just a tiring journey, with no spiritual benefits. This act must coincide with the divine saying of our God “The pilgrimage is (performed in) the well-known months; so whoever determines the performance of the pilgrimage therein, there shall be no intercourse nor fornication nor quarreling amongst one another; and whatever good you do, Allah knows it; and make provision, for surely the provision is the guarding of oneself, and be careful (of your duty) to Me, O men of understanding.” (2:197)

One must undertake this journey to gain the tremendous reward mentioned in the following Hadith..

“He who came to this House (the Ka’bah) (with the intention in performing Hajj) without speaking or committing indecencies, would return (free from sin) as on the day his mother bore him.”  (Muslim, 2/3129)

This is the one chance for a person to display before Allah, his humility in the utmost sense in words, action and appearance. This is the main purpose of his creation. Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful says in the Qu’ran : “And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should worship Me.” (51:56) Here worship means showing humility or being humble.

Before commencing the journey one must do some brain-storming. Like one must ask themselves, what are the internal per-requisites one must instill before saying, “ Here I come O! Allah”? Is our Hajj in accordance to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him)? Does it fulfill the demands of Tawheed? What is the connection of ‘Laailaha Illallah’ and the Talbiya which one repeats over and over again in Hajj?

Ramadhan Is Approaching! Are You Ready?

Success in whatever we do depends on how clear we are on the objectives we want to achieve and how well we plan for them. Even a recreational activity such as going on vacation takes much planning. It is not feasible for a person to simply just get up and depart to a vacation destination without planning, especially if one wants to have a good vacation or recreational activity.  For example, if one is going to Disney World, usually planning is done months in advance of the trip. In addition to making traveling and accommodation arrangements, people consult friends, read literature, and research how to get the most benefit while there. Time and effort are spent deciding beforehand as to which rides should be given preference, which shows should be watched and which sites or theme parks should be visited, in what order, and at what times of the day so that one can get the maximum benefit at minimum cost in a reasonable time. People make significant efforts to plan the trip because it means so much to them to make such a trip.

What does Ramadhaan mean to you? Does it mean more to you than going on a vacation? Are you mentally and psychologically ready to attain all the goodness and blessings Ramadhaan has to offer? Are you then spending enough time and taking pains to plan how can you get the most benefit from the opportunity Ramadhaan affords you?

Some people do plan for Ramadhaan, but that planning is only to the extent of who to invite for Iftaar, where to go for one, what special foods to prepare, or how to get the best deal on dates and iftaar delicacies. But is this the type of outcome that is the objective of Ramadhaan?

The objectives of Ramadhaan are to:

  • Increase our Taqwa
  • Make us more charitable? both financially and in our social dealings
  • Develop patience and willpower to resist temptations
  • Prepare us for our life-long Jihaad to remain steadfast on the path of Allah’s obedience
  • Strengthen our relationship with the Holy Qur-aan, celebrate its revelation; and
  • Thank Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala for guiding us so kindly.

Earthquakes: Allah’s Wrath Or Geological Occurrence?

WHY do earthquakes occur? A student of geology will say they are a result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. That’s the process of how earthquakes occur, but not an answer to why earthquakes occur.

A better-phrased question will be: Who causes earthquakes to occur and why? Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Say: ‘He has the power to send torment on you from above or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you taste the violence of one another.’” (Qur’an, 6:65)

Allah sends earthquakes as a punishment for some because of their sins and as a reminder or warning for others to repent and mend their ways. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And We sent not the signs except to warn…” (Qur’an, 17:59)

Just as Allah sends down blessings for His creation in the form of rain, good cultivation, and abundance of sustenance, He also sends down warnings and punishments in the form of earthquakes and tsunamis. Allah says:
“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (Qur’an, 42:30)

The above verse is of particular importance. It shows that whatever calamity strikes us is a result of our wrong deeds. Moreover, Allah pardons a lot. Meaning, the punishment doesn’t come except when people have crossed all limits. The place where a calamity strikes may have both good and bad people. When sins rise in a community and punishment is sent down, it also affects the good people. While that calamity is a punishment for the sinners, it becomes a source of purification or a reminder for the good doers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to seek refuge with Allah from His torment and punishment.

An increase in the frequency of earthquakes is also a sign of the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until (religious) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of religious learned men), earthquakes will be very frequent, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, murders will increase and money will overflow amongst you.” (Al-Bukhari, 2/17 no. 146)

The prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) seems ever approaching. Time is passing by quickly, though the day still has 24 hours. The religiously learned are fewer than in the past and the crime rate has increased multifold.

The Power of Imaan

The famous general of Islam, Taariq Bin Ziyaad on receiv­ing the command of the Khalifah, set off with a naval force of 7,000 Mujahideen to attack Spain. In the year 92 A.H., he landed at a place that now bears his name, viz. Jablut Taaariq or Gibral-ter.

During the voyage to Spain, he saw in a dream Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) giving him the glad tidings of him being the Conqueror of Spain. The first act executed by Taariq was to issue an order to set alight all the ships which had brought them to the shores of Spain. After having burnt out all the ships, he addressed his men: “In front of you is the enemy and behind you is the see.” In view of the glad tidings he had received from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), he was con­fident of victory over the Christians. The Christian king Roderick confronted Taariq’s relatively small band of Muja­hideen with a powerful army of 100,000.

The two armies – the army of Islam vastly outnum­bered — met on the banks of the Guadalete River. The fe­rocity with which Taariq and his men fought routed the en­emy resulting in a magnifi­cent victory for the Muslims.

The act of setting ablaze the naval ships will undoubt­edly be viewed as an act of insanity. Be it as it may. The power of Imaan is inexplica­ble to the people of the world. It was this power that drove Taariq to bum the ships and push on to victory.

The state of Taariq’s Yaqeen in Allah Ta’ala can be gauged from this episode which no one can ever accom­plish. The state of the obedi­ence of his troops also testi­fies to their degree of Taqwa. The troops readily submitted to the command. There was no fear and no mutiny. It was such states of Yaqeen and Taqwa that resulted in victory upon vic­tory against overwhelming odds.
[By Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Sadeq Desai]

Are you jealous of what others have?

Hasad (jealousy and envy) is among the most destructive emotions which a man may develop toward his fellow human being. With Hasad, a person will wish evil for others and will be happy when misfortune befalls them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against envy by comparing it to fire that completely burns the wood. He (peace be upon him) said: “Beware of jealousy, for verily it destroys good deeds the way fire destroys wood.” (Abu Dawood)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There has come to you the disease of the nations before you, jealousy and hatred. This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer); I do not say that it shaves hair, but that it shaves (destroys) faith.. (Al-Tirmidhi, No. 2434)

Hasad can take a person into disbelief because he may conclude that Allah has not been fair with him, while Allah is the Most Just. The person may forget all of Allah’s mercy and blessings bestowed upon him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “They are enemies of Allah’s bounties.” When asked, “Who are they?” , he replied: “Those who envy people for what Allah has given them of Bounty.” (At-Tabarani)

Allah through His Absolute Wisdom gave some people more wealth, intelligence, beauty, strength, and children than others. Discontentment comes from the slave’s ignorance of his Lord. If he recognizes his Lord with the attributes of Perfection, he would not be discontent and as a result would not develop Hasad. A believing Muslim should be content with what Allah has destined for him. Imam Ibn Qayyim said: “It (contentment) opens the door of peace and security for the slave.

“Allah favored some of you over others with wealth and properties- Do they deny the favors of Allah?” (Qur’an, 16:71)

“Do they envy men for what Allah has given them of His Bounty?” (Qur’an, 4:54)

“It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the mercy of your Lord is better.” (Qur’an, 43:32) This means that the mercy of Allah is better than the convenience of the world. Material things of this life do not make one superior over another. True superiority lies in Taqwa (righteousness and fear of Allah).

Allah said: “Surely, the most noble of you to Allah is the most God-fearing.” (Qur’an, 49:13)

“And the Hereafter with Your Lord is (only) for those who have Taqwa.” (Qur’an, 43:35)

What belongs to the transient world is of no significance at all before Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If this world were worth a mosquito’s wing before Allah, He would not give a disbeliever a drink of water.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

In order to discourage envy, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not look to those above you. Look to those below you, as it will more likely remind you of Allah’s favors bestowed on you.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)