On Allah's Mercy

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

On Allah's Mercy:

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

55:78 Hallowed be your Sustainer’s name, full of majesty and generosity! (audio)

Listening to contemporary discourses in our local masajid (mosques), we are frequently encouraged to adopt the idea of "Fear" in our relationship with, and in matters pertaining to, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Perhaps the connection to God has been jealously guarded by those who have set themselves up as the "guardians" of faith, and for that they do not want the hoi polloi to get direct access. Or perhaps the reason why people are made to fear Allah is because through fear they can be easily controlled by these self-appointed guardians.

Despite our best efforts, and the efforts of Tawhid purists against anthropomorphism in context of God,  a cursory survey of our younger generation reveals a shocking phenomenon. The imaginations of our youth converge on an image of God as a vengeful old man (white beard? white clothes? golden crown/throne?), who is waiting to punish them in the most horrendous manner (نعوذ بالله من ذلك  May Allah protect us from such {a terrible thought}).

Fear of God, for them is like fear of death, lightning, a short-tempered dad, the police, a tiger etc (نعوذ بالله من ذلك  May Allah protect us from such {ideas}). This fear is encouraged, and reinforced by vivid descriptions of punishment in this world, the grave, the Hereafter and of course Hell (types and kinds, and the full menu of punishments available).  It is also drilled into them via some unfortunate mistranslations (for example Taqwa(تقوى), which is akin to "God consciousness", according to Muhammad Asad, and "piety" according to various other interpreters, is mistranslated as "fear").

In fact, to my knowledge, the view held by the overwhelming majority of the greatest scholars of Islam is quite the opposite.  Love and proximity to Allah has been encouraged throughout the mainstream discourse. Fear, if mentioned, is limited only to the context of "fearing the displeasure of the rabb (Sustainer) and the Beloved".  The purpose of today's blog post is to revisit this classical understanding of Allah as God of Love and Mercy through a diverse list of quotes.

In the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, tells us:

هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

33:43 He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to those who Believe. (audio)
I have highlighted (يُصَلِّي) in red because recently one of my dear friends shared an apocryphal story about "tahyat and salwat" during the Prophet's(ﷺ) ascension.  (I will write a small blog post explaining its origins, later insha Allah.)

And this has been known and taught by all the Prophets (alayhumussalaam), for example the Prophet Yaqub (Jacob) (alayhissalaam) advises his children of it, and further elucidates that it is a matter of kufr (rejection) if we are devoid of this hope:

يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُواْ فَتَحَسَّسُواْ مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلاَ تَيْأَسُواْ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

12:87 O my sons, go forth and try to obtain some tidings of Joseph and his brother; and do not lose hope of God's life-giving mercy: verily, none but the kafiroon (people who deny the truth) can ever lose hope of God's life-giving mercy. (audio)

I would also like to quote something which was shared by a fine gentleman, and teacher, Lee Weismann  . According to the Talmud (Bavli - Brachot 7a can be seen at : http://halakhah.com/berakoth/berakoth_7.html), in the name of Rab:

"May it be My will that My mercy may suppress My anger, and that My mercy may prevail over My [other] attributes, so that I may deal with My children in the attribute of mercy and, on their behalf, stop short of the limit of strict justice"

In the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, tells the Prophet(ﷺ) to tell us incontrovertibly:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

39:53 SAY: “[Thus speaks God:] ‘O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives ALL sins - for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dis­penser of grace!’  (audio)

And the Prophet(ﷺ) reinforced it through a wide variety of hadith, even until just before he passed away, for example it is quoted in Muslim:

وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو دَاوُدَ، سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النُّعْمَانِ، عَارِمٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَهْدِيُّ بْنُ، مَيْمُونٍ حَدَّثَنَا وَاصِلٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ لاَ يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Jabir b. 'Abdullah al-Ansari (RA) reported:
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)  say three days before his death: None of you should die but hoping only the best from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. (Reference from sunnah. com)

It is stated in the Qur'an that Allah has decided for Himself to be Merciful, as can be seen in the following ayaat (verses) of the Qur'an:

وَإِذَا جَاءكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَن عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

6:54 And when those who believe in Our messages come unto thee, say: "Peace be upon you. Your Sustainer has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy - so that if any of you does a bad deed out of ignorance, and thereafter repents and lives righteously, He shall be [found] much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace." (audio)

وَاكْتُبْ لَنَا فِي هَـذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَـا إِلَيْكَ قَالَ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاء وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَـاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

7:156 And ordain Thou for us what is good in this world as well as in the life to come: behold, unto Thee have we turned in repentance!" [God] answered: "With My chastisement do I afflict whom I will - but My Mercy encompasses everything:  and so I shall confer it on those who are conscious of Me and spend in charity, and who believe in Our messages (audio)

 In Mishkat (مشكاة المصابيح), a detailed version of Al-Baghawi's Masabih al-Sunnah, Muhammad ibn ʻAbd Allāh Khatib Al-Tabrizi (rahmatullah alayh) describes several hadith in an entire chapter dedicated to how merciful Allah SWT is (باب في سعة رحمة الله ):

When Allah created the world, He wrote (إن رحمتي سبقت غضبي. في رواية: غلبت غضبي), which in effect is the governing principle behind the functioning of this Universe. The statement literally means that "Allah's Mercy encompasses His Anger".

In his sharh of Mishkat (مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح), Mullah Ali Qari (rahmatullah alayh) writes about its source from within the primary books of hadith:

 ويؤيد الثاني رواية للشيخين إن رحمتي تغلب غضبي. (سبقت غضبي وفي رواية غلبت غضبي) الرواية الثانية للبخاري فقط أوردها في بدء الخلق، ولفظ مسلم تغلب، وكذا وقع عند البخاري

Accordingly, in Sahih Bukhari, the hadith is found as (referred from sunnah. com):

Narrated Abu Huraira(radhi Allahu anh):
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne, "My Mercy overpowers My Anger (wrath)."

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُغِيرَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْقُرَشِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لَمَّا قَضَى اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابِهِ، فَهْوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي غَلَبَتْ غَضَبِي ‏"‏‏.‏

And in another version in Bukhari as well (referred from sunnah.com)

Narrated Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh):
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)saying: "Before Allah created the creations, He wrote a Book (wherein He has written): "My Mercy has preceded my Anger.' And that is written with Him over the Throne." 

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي غَالِبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، أَنَّ أَبَا رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ كِتَابًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ الْخَلْقَ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي سَبَقَتْ غَضَبِي‏.‏ فَهْوَ مَكْتُوبٌ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ ‏"‏‏.‏

And the hadith is found in Sahih Muslim as (referred from sunnah.com)

Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)said:
When Allah created the creation as He was upon the Throne, He put down in His Book: "Verily, My mercy predominates My wrath.:

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُغِيرَةُ، - يَعْنِي الْحِزَامِيَّ - عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابِهِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي تَغْلِبُ غَضَبِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Tabrizi continues this further by sharing the following hadith from Bukhari:

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab (radhi Allahu anh):
Some sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and women only) were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet (ﷺ) said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet  (ﷺ) then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son."

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَسَّانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَدِمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَبْىٌ، فَإِذَا امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ السَّبْىِ قَدْ تَحْلُبُ ثَدْيَهَا تَسْقِي، إِذَا وَجَدَتْ صَبِيًّا فِي السَّبْىِ أَخَذَتْهُ فَأَلْصَقَتْهُ بِبَطْنِهَا وَأَرْضَعَتْهُ، فَقَالَ لَنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَتَرَوْنَ هَذِهِ طَارِحَةً وَلَدَهَا فِي النَّارِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَا لاَ وَهْىَ تَقْدِرُ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ تَطْرَحَهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ اللَّهُ أَرْحَمُ بِعِبَادِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ بِوَلَدِهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

In another famous book,(رياض الصالحين) Riyadh us Saliheen, Imam Yahya Ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (rahmatullah alayh), compiled the following hadith from Bukhari and Muslim (referenced from sunnah.com):

وعنه قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ، صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول‏:‏ “جعل الله الرحمة مائة جزء فأمسك عنده تسعة وتسعين، وأنزل في الأرض جزءا واحداً، فمن ذلك الجزء يتراحم الخلائق حتى ترفع الدابة حافرها عن ولدها خشية أن تصيبه‏"‏‏.‏
‏"‏وفي رواية‏:‏ ‏"‏إن لله تعالى مائة رحمة أنزل منها رحمة واحدة بين الجن والإنس والبهائم والهوام، فيها يتعاطفون، وبها يتراحمون، وبها تعطف الوحش على ولدها، وأخر الله تعالى تسعاً وتسعين رحمة يرحم بها عباده يوم القيامة” ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏
ورواه مسلم أيضاً من رواية سلمان الفارسي، رضي الله عنه ، قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ “إن لله تعالى مائة رحمة فمنها رحمة يتراحم بها الخلق بينهم، وتسع وتسعون ليوم القيامة‏"‏
‏"‏وفي رواية‏:‏ ‏"‏إن الله تعالى خلق يوم خلق السماوات والأرض مائة رحمة كل رحمة طباق ما بين السماء إلى الأرض، فجعل منها في الأرض رحمة، فيها تعطف الوالدة على ولدها، والوحش والطير بعضها على بعض، فإذا كان يوم القيامة، أكملها بهذه الرحمة”‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh) reported:
Messenger of Allah  (ﷺ) said, "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration in Muslim is reported by Salman Al-Farisi  (radhi Allahu anh): Messenger of Allah  (ﷺ) said, "Allah has hundred mercies, out of which one mercy is used by His creation for mutual love and affection. Ninety-nine mercies are kept for the Day of Resurrection."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy". (That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day).

In addition to the above ayat and hadith, there are vast amounts of literature regarding Allah's rahmah (Mercy), especially about His Beautiful Names, and a simple search can reveal far better works on this issue than anything than the amateur writer of this blog can muster. However, there is one name, that is not commonly known, so I would conclude by writing about it.

When the Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalaam) was excommunicated by his father, his parting words are recorded in the Qur'an, surah Maryam as:

قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا

19:47 [Abraham] replied: "Peace be upon thee! I shall ask my Sustainer to forgive thee: for, behold, He has been extremely kind and generous to me.

حَفِيًّا is an interesting word. Although not identified as one of the Glorious Names of Allah, it is mentioned in the Qur'an in surah Maryam 19:47  and in Al-A'raf (7:187). In the notes to 7:187, Muhammad Asad writes that the verb ahfa means "he did [a thing] in an excessive measure" or "he exceeded the usual bounds in doing [something]". So حَفِيًّا is used by the Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalaam) to refer to Allah as "Extremely kind, generous and gracious, exceeding the bounds".

My understanding is reinforced by the usage of the term in one of the supplications (doa) in Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (الصحيفة السجادية) by sayyidina Ali bin Hussain (radhi Allahu anhuma) Zayn al Abideen, also known as imam Sajjad, due to his commitment to prayers and prostration:

         اللَّهُمَّ قَدْ تَعْلَمُ مَا يُصْلِحُنِي مِنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَايَ وَ آخِرَتِي فَكُنْ بِحَوَائِجِي حَفِيّاً

O my Allah, You know what will set my affairs right in this world and the next, so be ever gracious toward my needs! (referenced from الصحيفة السجادية الكاملة - الإمام زين العابدين )

This doa indicates the understanding of  (ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ), that Allah is the Possessor of ultimate Majesty and Power, coupled with ultimate Generosity and Kindness. If we remember this, we will never suffer from dismay or depression, nor will we suffer the consequences of worrying. As believers in Allah's Perfect Knowledge, and Kindness, we believe that whatever Allah chooses for us is the best for us. In the words of the poet:

کارساز ما به فکر کار ماست
 فکر ما در کار ما آزار ماست

My Caretaker is busy taking care of all my cares, What will my worrying bring, except (unnecessary) pain?

Hassan Al Basri (rahmatullah alayh) advised us:

المؤمن أحسنَ الظنّ بربّه فأحسن العملَ ، وإنّ الفاجر أساءَ الظنّ بربّه فأساءَ العمل

"The believer assumes the best about his Lord so he does the best deeds. The sinner assumes the worst about his Lord, so he does evil deeds"

May Allah always help us in remembering how Loving and Merciful our Beloved is, and then help us to be on the right path and do good deeds.


والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)  

On Sin and Forgiveness

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

On Sin and Forgiveness:

The presence, nay, prevalence of sinning whether by us, or around us often creates doubts in our minds. We sin, and repent, and hope for forgiveness. Is it not what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala promises us in the Qur'an ?

    وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى 

20:82 Yet withal, behold, I forgive ALL sins unto any who repents and attains to faith and does righteous deeds, and thereafter keeps to the right path. - (audio)


However, there are also those amongst us you pursue a different line of argument. Whether those who feel that there are no consequences of our actions, or those who limit the scope to this life alone, will form the subject of another post, insha Allah.

Then there are those who argue that we cannot sin without Allah's permission, and so we are not accountable.  And perhaps, we sin with Allah's approval.  Or those who believe we were born in sin, inheriting the sin of our father, Adam (alayhissalaam).

For those, I would quote the unequivocal rejection of sin by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in surah Az-Zumar verse 7, as well as the rejection of the idea that we are bearing the burden of sin of another:

    إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ 

39:7  If you are ingrate, behold, God has no need of you; none the less, He does not approve of in­gratitude in His servants: whereas, if you show grati­tude, He approves it in you. And no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden.  In time, unto your Sustainer you all must return, and then He will make you [truly] understand all that you were doing [in life]: for, verily, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. (audio)


And also, there are those who question why sin was created, if it was such a bad thing? This post will talk about the importance of repentance (taubah توبه ) and hence, implicitly, the importance of sin in Divine design.

For those of us familiar with the story of Adam (alayhissalaam), the first human being, the first prophet, and by some accounts the first sinner.  In my understanding, Adam (alayhissalaam) made a mistake in forgetting the injunction of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

 

وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا

20:115  We had already, beforehand, taken the covenant of Adam, but he forgot: and We found on his part no firm resolve -(audio)


but as soon as he realized it, he (they) repented and was (were) forgiven.


Al-A'raf (The Heights) (7:23)

     قَالاَ رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِين

7:23  The two replied: "O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves -and unless Thou grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!" -(audio)


Ta-Ha (20:122)

ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَى

20:122 Thereafter, [however,) his Sustainer selected him, and accepted his repentance, and bestowed His guidance upon him - (audio)

The above verses (ayaat) make it clear that Allah does not approve of sin, and we do not inherit the burden of sin, and that Adam (alayhissalaam) was forgiven for his mistake made in forgetfulness. But the ayat 20:122 adds an interesting dimension, that not only Allah accepted the repentance of Adam (alayhis salaam) but also chose/selected him.

There are a couple of hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in Sahih Muslim, that can be misunderstood, but definitely shed some further light in this regard:

Abu Ayyub Ansari(رضي الله عنه‎) reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:
If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon.

حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عِيَاضٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفِهْرِيُّ - حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا اللَّهُ لَكُمْ لَجَاءَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا لَهُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Reference from Sunnah .com

 

Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه‎) reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ having said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْجَزَرِيِّ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الأَصَمِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ لَمْ تُذْنِبُوا لَذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ وَلَجَاءَ بِقَوْمٍ يُذْنِبُونَ فَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ فَيَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏
 

 Reference from Sunnah .com



To understand the above hadith, we are made to conclude that repentance (taubah توبه ) grants a unique status and position in front of Allah, that might not be achieved otherwise. Those who perform taubah توبه are on the sunnah of our father, Adam (alayhissalaam) and may Allah give Adam (alayhissalaam) a share of all the taubah توبه that we do. To my understanding, the above hadith do not encourage sinning, but rather elucidate the great benefits of repentance.  If we err, and fall, it is acceptable to Allah as long as we get up, dust ourselves, ask for forgiveness and continue our journey towards him.

Taubah توبه is the essence of Ibadah عبادة(worship?),and we know what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about ibadah عبادة:

Az-Zariyat (The Winds that Scatter) (51:56)

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

51:56 And I have not created the invisible beings and men to any end other than that they may [know and] worship Me. - (audio)

"Abd" عبد  is often misunderstood or loosely translated as slave or worshipper.

Actually, Ibadah عبادة, the sole purpose of creation, in Arabic is closely related to Tadhallul (تذلل )  or obsequiousness .

In Arabic, a well trodden path that is worn down due to treading is called "طريق معبد " . Similarly a  camel who follows the master tamely wherever the master leads it is called "بعير معبد  ".  Tadhallul (تذلل ) should not be construed as a negative state , like humiliation, but rather to be in that state in front of Allah subhana hu wa ta'ala is to be in the highest elevated state.  Case in point is when the Prophet (ﷺ) was brought to the heavens, a pinnacle of human achievement,  the title used for him was عبد :

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

17:1 LIMITLESS in His glory is He who transported His عبد  by night from the Inviolable House of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [,at Jerusalem] - the environs of which We had blessed -so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.

About which, Iqbal says through the mouth of Hallaj in Javid Nama, which can be accessed here:

عبد دیگر عبده چیزی دگر
ما سراپا انتظار او منتظر

‘Slave’ is one thing, ‘His Slave’ is another;
we are all expectancy, he ﷺ is (His) expectation itself.


Based on this concept of Tadhallul (تذلل ) , Shaykh Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya talks about the methodology to reach the status of the Perfect Man, or the Perfect عبد  , and states in his Madaarij Saalikeen (مدارج السالكين بين منازل اياك نعبد واياك نستعين ) that you need four kinds of dhil (ذل ) (humility?) to achieve that state:

1. The humility of need and poverty (ذل الحاجة والفقر): Everyone is included, including those who believe in Allah, and those who don't, those we consider living, or those non-living. This is the understanding that we are unable to provide for ourselves and are dependent on Allah .

وهي ذل الحاجة والفقر إلى الله فأهل السماوات والأرض جميعا محتاجون إليه فقراء إليه وهو وحده الغني عنهم وكل أهل السماوات والأرض يسألونه وهو لا يسأل أحدا.

As Allah says in the Qur'an Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent):

55:29

يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ

55:29 On Him depends all creatures in the heavens and on earth; [and] every day He manifests Himself in yet another [wondrous] way.. - (audio)

And also in the Qur'an at Fatir (The Originator of Creation)):

35:15

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

35:15 O mankind! It is you, who stand in need of God, whereas He alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due- (audio)

2. The humility of obedience (ذل  الطاعة ):. This is the next stage, of a believer. One who starts believing and then obeying the Lord and fulfilling the commandments

ذل الطاعة والعبودية:
وهو ذل الاختيار وهذا خاص بأهل طاعته وهو سر العبودية

3. The humility of love (ذل  المحبة  ). The stage where the obedience is not for fear of punishment, or desire of reward, but rather obedience due to love of the Beloved, fear of incurring displeasure, and desire to please the Beloved.

 ذل المحبة:
فإن المحب ذليل بالذات وعلى قدر محبته له يكون ذله فالمحبة أسست على الذلة للمحبوب كما قيل:
اخضع وذل لمن تحب فليس فـي ** حكم الهوى أنف يشال ويعقـد

Describing these lovers, a poet (quoted in al-Asmai الاصمعى) writes:

 مساكين اهل العشق حتى قبورهم

عليها تراب الذل بين المقابر

The poor impoverished lovers till they die, and on their graves, have (nothing to show for but) the dust of dhill .

4. The humility of sinners (ones who have sinned and committed crimes) (ذل المعصية والجناية):

فإذا اجتمعت هذه المراتب الأربع كان الذل لله والخضوع له أكمل وأتم إذ يذل له خوفا وخشية ومحبة وإنابة وطاعة وفقرا وفاقة.
وحقيقة ذلك هو الفقر الذي يشير إليه القوم وهذا المعنى أجل من أن يسمى بالفقر بل هو لب العبودية وسرها وحصوله أنفع شيء للعبد وأحب شيء إلى الله.

This is what is the essence of this blog post. The highest level in spiritual progress is achieved by those who are humbled in front of Allah due to the burden of their sins.

Allama Iqbal, was discovered on the basis of the verses below, among his first verses, that reflect the importance of this concept:

موتی سمجھ کے شان کریمی نے چن لیے

قطرے جو تھے مرے عرق انفعال کے

Interpreted in English it would mean: Divine Grace gathered the drops of remorse from my forehead valuing them to be pearls.

One would assume that if sinners repent, the acceptance of repentance would be enough, but our Beloved promises much more. Reading part of the ayah from Al-Baqarah 2:222:

إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Allah truly LOVES those who repent and LOVES those who purify themselves.  (audio)

You can see that, not only do those who repent achieve forgiveness, but Divine Love. We can see this further from the following hadith of the Prophetﷺ:


Narrated Anas bin Malik(رضي الله عنه‎), in Sahih al-Bukhari (Reference from sunnah. com):
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert. "

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، أَخْبَرَنَا حَبَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏ وَحَدَّثَنَا هُدْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ اللَّهُ أَفْرَحُ بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ سَقَطَ عَلَى بَعِيرِهِ، وَقَدْ أَضَلَّهُ فِي أَرْضِ فَلاَةٍ ‏"‏‏.‏

  

The hadith is elaborated in Sahih Muslim as Anas b. Malik(رضي الله عنه‎) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said(Reference from sunnah. com):

Allah is more pleased with the repentance of a servant as he turns towards Him for repentance than this that one amongst you is upon the camel in a waterless desert and there is upon (that camel) his provision of food and drink also and it is lost by him, and he having lost all hope (to get that) lies down in the shadow and is disappointed about his camel and there he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of his nose-string and then out of boundless joy says: O Lord, Thou art my servant and I am Thine Lord. He commits this mistake out of extreme delight.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، - وَهُوَ عَمُّهُ - قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لَلَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ حِينَ يَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ كَانَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ بِأَرْضِ فَلاَةٍ فَانْفَلَتَتْ مِنْهُ وَعَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ فَأَيِسَ مِنْهَا فَأَتَى شَجَرَةً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي ظِلِّهَا قَدْ أَيِسَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ فَبَيْنَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا هُوَ بِهَا قَائِمَةً عِنْدَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِخِطَامِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ عَبْدِي وَأَنَا رَبُّكَ ‏.‏ أَخْطَأَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Shaykh Abu Madyan, in his Diwan, has reportedly said:

إنكسار العاصي خير من صولة المطيع

"The heart-brokenness of the sinner is better than the harshness of the obedient"

In his tafseer Tarjuman Al-Qur'an, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad quotes a Tabi'iee as having said some thing even better:

إنكسار عاصين  أحب  إلى الله  من صولة المطيعين

"The heart-brokenness of sinners is more beloved for Allah than the harshness of the obedient"



This is inspired from the following verses of Surah Ghafir (The Forgiver) where Allah states how all the angels pray for the forgiveness of one who repents:

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ

رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدتَّهُم وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

40:7  THEY WHO BEAR the throne of [God’s] almightiness, as well as all who are near it,  extol their Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and ask forgiveness for all [others] who have attained to faith: “O our Sustainer! Thou embracest all things within [Thy] grace and knowledge: forgive, then, their sins unto those who repent and follow Thy path, and preserve them from suffering through the blazing fire! -   (audio)

40:8  “And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the gardens of perpetual bliss which Thou hast promised them, together with the righteous from among their forebears, and their spouses, and their offspring - for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise – (audio)


So not only to the angelic beings pray for those who repent, in Surah Al-Furqan (25:70) Allah also promises a very unique reward, that will not be given except to a repenting sinner:

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

25:70  Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones - seeing that God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace, (audio)

With that, I would like to conclude with a doa of maghfirah that the Prophet ﷺ taught us to read a 100 times per day:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الْغَفُورُ

O Lord ! Forgive us, and accept our repentance, you are the Acceptor of repentance, and the Forgiver.


May Allah guide us, to repent with a sincere heart as soon as we err, or sin, and may Allah accept our repentance, bless us with forgiveness and all that comes with it.


والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)  

The Ephemeral World

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

The Ephemeral World:

The rapid pace at which we lead our lives is apparent in the observation that time flies.  Weeks fleet by, and sometimes we live from weekends to weekends, only pausing to catch up on our sleep. We are so focused in our careers, or our worldly goals and ambitions (the end of semester, the graduation, the job, the next pay raise, the house, the car and so on) that before we realize years have passed by, and the only thing we have to show for them are a few inches under the belt, and a few strands grey hair.


If, during history at any time, we were in doubt that this world is temporary and will not last for us, now certainly that doubt is over.  We harbor no illusions about our mortality, nor we back the permanence of this world.  We know it is all going to end sooner or later, and for us it will end the moment we close our eyes for the last time. If we expect or believe that there is a life Hereafter, that is lasting, then our goals in the life of this world become much simpler. So what should be our relationship with this ephemeral world?

Let us look first at what the  Qur'an advises us?

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

57:20 KNOW [O people] that the life of this world is but a play and a passing delight, and a beautiful show, and [the cause of] your boastful vying with one another, and [of your] greed for more and more riches and children.  Its parable is that of [life-giving] rain: the herbage which it causes to grow delights the tillers of the soil; but then it withers, and thou canst see it turn yellow; and in the end it crumbles into dust. But [the abiding truth of man’s condition will become fully apparent] in the life to come: [either] suffering severe, or God’s forgiveness and His goodly acceptance: for the life of this world is nothing but an enjoyment of self-delusion. - (audio)

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاء وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ

3:14 ALLURING unto man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and horses of high mark, and cattle, and lands. All this may be enjoyed in the life of this world - but the most beauteous of all goals is with God. - (audio)

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيب

42:20 To him who desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to him who desires [but] a harvest in this world, We [may] give something thereof - but he will have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come. - (audio)


The above three ayat are but a selection from numerous ayat that advise us against falling in love with this world.  And yet we spend our lives in pursuit of this world, barely delegating a fraction of our time or other resources for the life to come.

There are those amongst us who unabashedly pursue this world without regard to the consequences on their life Hereafter, may Allah guide them and us.

Then there are those who are apologetic in their approach, paying lip-service to the deen and the akhirah, but through their actions it can be observed that the life of this world - the hayat-ud-dunya - is clearly occupying most of their lives. This to me, seems to be the majority amongst us. May Allah forgive them and us, and show them and us the right path.  The ayah 42:20 should be particularly considered by such people. After reading this, should there be amongst us Muslims, who believe in the lasting life of the Hereafter, still desiring this world, at the expense of the life to come? Are we really paying heed to the advice of our Maker?

Then there is another minority amongst us that deludes itself in the pursuit of this world, convincing themselves that their intentions are for the akhirah.   This is a self-righteous, albeit self-harming state of mind, and may Allah enlighten them and us, and awaken them from their delusions and us from ours.

Lastly, there are amongst us believers, whose hearts are occupied with their Beloved, the by product of which being the Hereafter, no matter what they may be doing in this world. May Allah bless them, and make us all aspire to be like them.

Such are the people about whom the Prophet ﷺ reportedly said, as quoted by Ibn Umar(رضي الله عنه‎) in Bukhari (Reference from Sunnah. com ):
 "Be in this world like a stranger or a wayfarer"
  
The Prophet ﷺ reportedly warned us :
"By Allah, this world in comparison to the Hereafter is nothing but as though one of you dipped his finger in the sea. So ponder how much (of sea water), the finger returns with?" (Muslim, Reference from Sunnah . com)

"What is there between myself and the world? This world and I are just like a rider who stops to rest beneath the shade of a tree then goes and leaves it." (Tirmidhi as quoted in Riyadh us saliheen (Reference from Sunnah . com), Ibn Majah(Reference from Sunnah. com)

In the exegesis of the verse 57:20 above, Imam Qurtubi narrates advice of sayyidina Ali (عليه السلام) to Ammar (رضي الله عنه):

  وعن علي رضي الله عنه قال لعمار : لا تحزن على الدنيا ، فإن الدنيا ستة أشياء : مأكول ومشروب وملبوس ومشموم ومركوب ومنكوح ، فأحسن طعامها العسل وهو بزقة ذبابة ، وأكثر شرابها الماء يستوي فيه جميع الحيوان ، وأفضل ملبوسها الديباج وهو نسج دودة ، وأفضل المشموم المسك وهو دم فأرة ، وأفضل المركوب الفرس وعليها يقتل الرجال ، وأما المنكوح فالنساء وهو مبال في مبال ، والله إن المرأة لتزين أحسنها يراد به أقبحها

O Ammar, grieve not this world, for the world is but six things. That what is eaten, drunk, worn, smelled, ridden or sought for intercourse.

The best of what is eaten is honey, which is (nothing but) the vomit of a bee. 

The drink that is most consumed is water, and all the animals are equal in this regard.

The highest quality dress is made from silk, and that is the weaving of a worm.

The finest fragrance that you enjoy is musk, which is the from the mucous secretions of a deer

The finest ride is a horse, and upon them men are often killed.

Sexual intercourse with women is the meeting of places where we urinate from,  and by God, a woman beautifies her prettiest features, but is sought for her ugliest feature.

This really shook Ammar, and he never thought of the world the way he thought prior to hearing this advice. I hope that this jolts us awak too, and may Allah guide us, and help us remember our purpose in this life and prevent us from getting waylaid by spending our time and resources for trivial pursuits.

والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing) 

Crisis of Faith

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

Crisis of Faith:

Young people all over the world, including Muslim youth, are going through what should be best described as a crisis of faith. Our youth are increasingly treating belief in God as archaic, primitive or something for the ignorant masses, and not for the intellectuals. There is the enigmatic and enamoring Science that is all-pervading and all knowing. It is implicitly (although I might say incorrectly) assumed that Science rejects belief in God, the Hereafter and the like. And since science is so amazing, and has contributed so much to humankind, and it "all makes sense". Whether it is Hawking or Dawkins, sufficient doubts have been raised in their minds, so as to question belief in religion, and subsequently God. Rather than being held-back by their supposedly "primitive" belief structure, the youth are embracing this new found mantra of skepticism as their own.

They are certainly not to be blamed, because our society is dogmatic in its defense of these belief structures without offering any explanations. Many of us are ill-equipped to handle the highly nuanced arguments of the Dawkins' of the world. We are guilty of believing in religion in auto-cruise or auto-pilot mode, whereby we are unable to handle even a slight disturbance. So with nowhere to turn to, the youth are unable to open up for fear of criticism and ostracism within Muslim societies. Hence they, keep this to themselves, or to a select few amongst their circles, and frequently rely on Internet sources to inform themselves.

Although dealing with skepticism and atheism has been sufficiently treated by Muslim (as well as Christian and Jewish) thinkers for over a millennium, yet these resources are not easily accessible online, whether in English, or in simple words, as compared to the resources in favor of skepticism and atheism. Many of arguments in favor of existence of God are grade school level, and not appealing to our youth, or for that manner for anybody. Our so called scholars are busy with juridical (fiqhi) issues, completely oblivious to the rejection of belief in God, which is increasingly in vogue amongst the so called "new" intellectuals worldwide.

The issue is complex, and cannot be overly simplified. Traditionally, it is understood that once you believe in Allah and the Messenger (ﷺ) , then in whatever you receive from them, you should not entertain any doubt. This is good, and reasonable if people believe after convincing themselves thoroughly. However, most of us have belief handed down to us, and we are too young to question, and once we do have questions, they are not answered, or worse, are not asked for fear of ostracism. We should be concerned that if we are not convinced in our belief in Allah and the the Messenger(ﷺ),  the foundation of our worldview itself is unstable, and a simple shake can cause it to collapse.

In order to have a strong foundation, we should start with convincing ourselves first about belief in Allah, His Messenger(ﷺ) , all Prophets (عليهم السلام), the Hereafter etc. Once we have made our choice, then we can either choose to accept or reject the teachings completely. Unfortunately, this is hardly ever done, or encouraged, or even taught.

Muslim youth in particular carry the burden of a lot of short-comings in our societies, and look up to the developed countries for answers. And even in this matter, they are provided with ample avenues, and freedom to think, and decide for themselves. However, they cannot use the same freedom within their own societies, and hence the crisis. It can be tragically observed that many of our youth are outwardly Muslim, but inwardly either not fully convinced, disturbed, skeptical, or much worse atheists. And we do not have serious attempts to help alleviate this suffering, resolve these conflicts or address the problem head-on.

What should we do?

I myself am not qualified to handle this, as it is beyond my abilities. In this post I can only share why I am a believer. Despite having a background in Science and Engineering, and having read the philosophy of Science, and the Hawkings of our time, I still believe, and even more so.


About those who reject God, He says in the Qur'an 39:67 below:

وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّماوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

 (audio)
39:67. And no true understanding of God have they, inasmuch as the whole of the earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him on Resurrection Day, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand:  limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity! -

I will start with some assumptions in which I believe in myself, and if not agreeable to the reader, I welcome comments and discussions regarding the same.

1. We do not know everything, and there might be things out there, but not in our knowledge, and then there might be things beyond our knowledge and ability to either know, or comprehend.

2. Every one must have their own worldview, and I have mine, that continuously gets enhanced or may even get transformed.

3. Prior to formulating and consolidating our basic world-view we have to spend some effort in researching and understanding what is out there, before we convince ourselves to take a particular route to it.

One of my classmates had changed his belief structure (to what? We can see.), and was keen on convincing me to the same effect.

He started off criticizing Islam, and saying that he does not like this or that about the Prophet (ﷺ) . I wanted to establish whether he had a problem with Islam itself, or all religions. He said that he did not believe in any religion. After discussing further, I tried to establish whether he believed in God, and it was plainly stated by him, that he did not. He argued that Science had proved that God does not exist, and that we should not waste our time with it. He also did not believe in Scientology, so it was clear that his worldview was atheistic. I asked him about the foundation of his worldview, and he said scientific thought.

As you can see, had I started defending Islam, or the Prophet (ﷺ) , it would not have been fruitful, since, for him, the issue was much more deep-rooted than that. Also, the nature of the debate changes based on the world-view of the debaters.

I debated with him based on scientific thought, but since he had come from an Asian education system like me, he was also not well-trained in induction or deduction, so there was a lot of pointless going round in circles.

However, for the reader, I will put forth the points rooted in my assumptions above.

• Does Science have the answer to everything? No. Any rational scientist will tell you that everyday is a new discovery and there is still so much that we do not know, and scientists never claim to know everything. It is the believers in science who show blind faith in science and scientists, much like the believers in religion believe in their doctrines and their priests etc. For example, with the telescopes at our disposal, we can see far into the milky way, certainly beyond our solar system.  But is there any sane scientist who would claim that beyond what we see in our most powerful telescopes, nothing exists, because it cannot be seen?  Or is there anyone insane enough to claim that beyond doubt anything which cannot be seen by us does not exist? Perhaps it is common sense to admit that there are things/places/concepts beyond our reach right now, but as time passes we have the possibility of discovering them, or unraveling them.

• Does Science truly follow the scientific method of experiments and observations in everything? No. A lot of times, we are required "believe" in the opinions, theories and speculations of the "priests" of science. Especially as we scale down to the atom and within, or the outer space and beyond. For example, it was a common approach by scientists to extend what we observe here to beyond the realms of the solar system, and this has now been proven as a naive and incorrect approach. The Universe continues to throw surprises our way, case in point being "black holes".

• Does Science have the answer about life and death? Including what will happen after we die? So far no scientific theory or experiment has come even close to conclusively prove that either there is life after death, or there isn't.

The only epistemological entry point in this area comes from the long chain of Prophets (عليهم السلام), who , as upright people, consistently and across the history have asserted that there is life after death, and there will be Judgment.

We need to ask ourselves, if we have to believe in someone, should we believe in scientists, or in prophets?

For Muslims, you should start with whether the Prophet (ﷺ) , was a prophet, and a true prophet? What are the evidences (دلائل النبوة)?

For others, who are still sitting on the fence, we need to ask what is the proof that God exists? Also, if there is no conclusive proof that God exists, does it mean that God does not exist, or is there a possibility that God might exist and we do not know of it yet, scientifically?

What it means that atheists who reject even the possibility that God does not are equally dogmatic as our people who blindly assert that God exists. It is therefore seen that majority of the scientists worldwide either believe in a personal God, or Force, or merely state that at this point in time, we cannot conclusively prove either ways. There is a vocal minority who reject the notion altogether, but the arguments are not science, but dogma.

والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing) 

The Need for Certitude

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

Why the Need for Certitude?

For a Mo'min (believer), the whole foundation of faith must rest on (یقیں) yaqeen, or certitude. Iqbal considers lack of faith a major curse of the modern civilization.

!یقیں مثلِ خلیلؑ آتش نشینی

!یقیں اللہ مستی، خود گزینی

سُن اے تہذیبِ حاضر کے گرفتار

!غلامی سے بدتر ہے بے یقینی

(Bal-e-Jibril-088)

Yaqeen. Misl-e-Khalil Atish Nasheeni
Yaqeen, Allah Masti, Khud Guzini
 
Faith, like Abraham, sits down in the fire;
To have faith is to be drawn into God and to be oneself.

Sun, Ae Tehzeeb-e-Hazir Ke Giraftar
Ghulami Se Bad-tar Hai Be-Yaqeeni
 
Listen, you captive of modern civilization,
To lack faith is worse than slavery!

For Muslims who are ostensibly associated with such a great belief structure, they have to start by freeing themselves from the fact that they were born Muslims.  Instead we have to start asking ourselves why are we Muslim?

We must make peace with ourselves, and rest our doubts after being thoroughly satisfied that Rasoolullah ﷺ is a Prophet of Allah. Since our deen is based around that central tenet. If we doubt this very core principle of Islam, then we are truly on a shaky foundation that is about to collapse. Before we even arrive at that conclusion, however, we must be able to develop in ourselves the ability to be certain, to have certitude and faith.
Unfortunately, this is not addressed often enough, as laments Iqbal:

  يہ پيران کليسا و حرم ، اے وائے مجبوري

صلہ ان کي کد و کاوش کا ہے سينوں کي بے نوري

يقيں پيدا کر اے ناداں! يقيں سے ہاتھ آتي ہے

وہ درويشي ، کہ جس کے سامنے جھکتي ہے فغفوري

(Bal-e-Jibril-058)

Ye Peeran-e-Kalisa-o-Haram, Ae Waye Majboori!

Sila In Ki Kid-o-Kawish Ka Hai Seenon Ki Benoori

Alas! The mullah and the priest, Conduct their sermons so

That despite their efforts great, The hearts of listeners fail to glow.

Yaqeen Paida Kar Ae Nadan! Yaqeen Se Hath Ati Hai

Woh Darvaishi Ke Jis Ke Samne Jhukti Hai Faghfoori

O naïve fellow, get firm certitude, For it, upon you can bestow

Dervishhood of such lofty brand ’Fore which the mighty monarchs bow.

Jami too reminds us of the faith of Ibrahim  (عليه السلام) his magnum opus Haft Awrang, in the poem titled Yusuf(عليه السلام) and Zulaikha :

 خلیل آسا در ملک یقین زن
نوای «لا احب الافلین» زن 

Khaleel Aasa dar mulk e yaqeen zan
Nawa-e- "la uhibb al Aafileen" zan
 
Knock on the door of the kingdom of certitude like Khaleel (Friend/Title of Ibrahim (عليه السلام) )
To utter "I love not gods who set."  (referring to Ibrahim's utterance in Qur'an 6:76 below):

وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ

(audio)

 6:75 And thus We gave Abraham [his first] insight into [God's] mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth - and [this] to the end that he might become one of those who are inwardly sure. -

فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا قَالَ هَـذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لا أُحِبُّ الآفِلِينَ

(audio)
6:76 Then, when the night overshadowed him with its darkness, he beheld a star; [and] he exclaimed, "This is my Sustainer!" -but when it went down, he said, "I love not the things that go down"

والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing) 

Why am I a Muslim?

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

To write this blog, believing that the words of Allah are true, and that Islam is a source of good, I have to start with the first and foremost question.

Why am I a Muslim?

Given my background, I should probably write that I am born into a Muslim family, and decided to run with it.  Others fellow Muslims might offer different reasons, for example, "I chose to be a Muslim because of my loved ones". Still others might put forth a gamut of reasons. There are those who argue as to how good Islam is compared to other religions, and offer a host of logical, scientific and highly erudite arguments. All that is good in its own time and place.  My concern in this blog starts from a still much more basic level.

 Is it necessary to believe in God? 

or perhaps in other words:

Can I live my life just fine without having to believe in God?

As to the question of whether it is necessary to follow a formal religion, for those believing in God, and whether Islam is the religion of choice, is the scope of a separate, and I must say much later discussion.

If we were to ask about importance of God in our life, we must go back further and ask ourselves:

What is the purpose of our life, existence etc? Or, is there a purpose to our existence?

Perhaps one of the ways I can provide some perspective to myself, is by jotting down a couple of basic questions, and then writing a blog post about each one of them and see if it leads me to where I am right now. So here goes:

 

1. Is there a purpose to my existence, if so how can I know what it is? If not, how can I be sure?
2. Will there be life after death? If so, how can I know more about it, and how can I know that what I know is right? If not, again, how can I be sure?

والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)