Wednesday 30 November 2011

The Holy Qur'an: Allah's magnificent bequest to humanity


The Holy Qur’an

Allah’s Magnificent Bequest to Humanity



The greatest miracle for which we bless Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S every moment of the day worldwide is the Holy Qur'an.

He was unlettered. No one could ascribe the revelations to his own authorship. Allah has challenged the unbelievers, humans as well as jinns, to band together and produce, if they can, even a small chapter of comparable grandeur and truth.

None could even attempt it: "Say: if the whole of Mankind and Jinns were to come together to produce the like of the Qur'an, they will not be able to produce anything like it, even if they backed up and helped each other (to the utmost)".  (Holy Qur'an: Surath Bani Isra'yeel: 88)

The text is 100% authentic and has remained in perfect and inviolate form through the 1,419 years and more that have passed since it came to us. The Holy Qur’an is the everlasting, unchanging and unchangeable word of Allah, (the original text of which is) preserved for us forever, in the seventh heaven, where the most exalted throne of Allah is:

Bal huva Qur’anum Majeed fee Lav’him Mah’fooz!
“It is the Glorious Qur’an on a most guarded and preserved tablet.”
(Surath al Burooj: 21-22)

The Holy Qur’an is the most ancient of all Holy Books. And by the Grace and Glory of Allah it has remained with us Muslims in its most authentic  form, inviolable and inviolate.  Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has informed us: “Allah wrote a document two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.  This is kept near His Throne. He revealed (to humanity) the  two aayaath with which He concluded Surath al-Baqarah. If they are recited in a house for three consecutive nights, the Shaythaan will not approach it.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 4/274 and recorded in Saheeh al-Jaami).  Please read the translation of these two aayaath in the chapter on FAQ’s at the end of the book.
]               It is the mother of all sciences. The more closely we read it and understand its deep and yet deeper meaning, the more of the mysteries of the universe we are able to solve.

The very first Revelation that was brought to Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S. on his initiation as the Last and Final Prophet of Allah in the cave of Hira near Makkah, in 610 C.E., exhorts us to acquire knowledge.
Adam, the first man’s aspiration for “Ilm”, the most precious bequest, that earned us, from Allah, the title to primacy over all other creations.
“Read! In the name of your Lord, read!
And your Lord is the Most Gracious
(Who) teaches (you how to use) the pen,
teaches you that which you knew not (before).
(Surath al Alakh: 1-5 excerpts).

Islam therefore upholds knowledge as the key to our spiritual awakening and to our recording higher and higher achievement in all departments of life here and in the hereafter.

With sound reason and irrefutable evidence the Holy Qur’an demolishes the antiquated structures of ancient thought and beliefs built on conjecture.  The Book of Allah conveys true knowledge and wisdom to us. These are divine bequests of inestimable value that can never be had from any other source.

It was Islam that ushered in, and still upholds, the ‘modern’ scientific temperament. The Holy “Qur’an decries myths, legends and guess work: “Opinion and wishful thinking can never take the place of knowledge” (Surah 53rd:an Naj’m:, The Star: 28). It wants us to break out of these fetters from the past and to earn the Approval of  Allah, our Creator and realize the high destiny He has specified for us.

As the great Imam Abu Hanifa R.A.A. says in his celebrated treatise  Al Fiqh al Akbar:

The Holy Qur’an is undoubtedly the word of Allah,
preserved in writing and in our memory, recited by our  tongues and
conveyed to us by the Prophet of Islam S.A.W.S..

The Holy Qur'an will ever remain the best guide to all humanity on

 how to conduct our lives,
 how to overcome misfortune,
 how to pray and  secure from Allah a destiny that is more glorious than is ours today,
 how to chart our path through life to the glory of the Hereafter, and
 how to earn an abode in heaven, inspite of our sins.

Allah grants, to whom He wills, His pardon for all sins other than shir'k:  that is the deadliest and unpardonable of all sins.

The foundation of our Faith is that Allah is One and there is no other God.  Allah is the Supreme Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.  To Allah and to Allah Alone is our worship due.  The antithesis of faith is Shirk.  It is the concept,  belief or actual act, of equating with Allah, any being, human or otherwise, dead or alive, in any form.  Whether it be an idol, a figurine or symbol or whatever else, that object is not the creator of man but a mere creation of his own fevered imagination.

The Holy Qu’ran is our shield against the machinations of  Shaiythaan, who creates deviation in human thought and despoils man’s imagination.
 We must be able to recite one or more Surah’s or at least a few verses from the Holy Qur'an every day and pray to Allah for  protection from Shaiythaan’s inroads into our subconscious and for our success in the daily battle we wage against adversity and misfortune. Surah's Al Ya’seen, Ar Rahmaan, Al Va'qiyah, Al Saj’dah, Al Kahaf and Al Mulk, are specially commended for such recitation.

There is, however, equal sawaab, rewards, for reciting any other passage from the Holy Qur'an.

They can be our daily or weekly offering,  a gift of astral flowers, to our elders who have departed. We may recite a few pages from the Holy Qur'an with devotion and pray to Allah to kindly grant its sawaab, its reward as our gift to Our Beloved Prophet Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S and to our parents and other loved ones who are no more

Even after the advance of modern science and rational thinking, the primitive practice of ancestral worship is very much in vogue in many parts of the world. Even Muslims who have not tried yet to widen their knowledge of their Faith, plead guilty to kissing the graves and seeking the blessings of their elders and the saints who are no more.

Our Glorious Prophet S.A.W.S. has dispelled these unfounded beliefs as Shirk.  He said the dead are even more helpless than we are. We have life and the ability to perform good deeds.  We can dedicate them to our elders as our gifts so our acts earn us Allah’s approval and our offerings go to assuage the pain and suffering of those who have departed.

  For the dead are renderd incapable of even seeking forgiveness of  the misdeeds committed in their life on earth. Our offering of the sawaab from our good deeds, like Qur’ani recitation and the charities we give away on their behalf, will bring them invaluable blessings. And  Allah, the Most Merciful may kindly grant  our parents and other loved ones an abode in Jannathul Firdau’s, the most exalted of all heavens.

Even for our Beloved Prophet, at the conclusion of every Salaah, we beseech the Glorious Creator, with true love and devotion, to kindly bless and elevate Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S to the Maqaame Mah’moodah that has been promised him in the Holy Qur’an.  This is the pinnacle, the highest stage,  just beneath Allah’s Magnificent Throne. And  just one human being among all creation, may reach it: Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S. This honor to Our Leader S.A.W.S will also bring about, insha Allah,  our own elevation to be the best among all creation
Even if we are not well versed in Arabi, we will be able to recite the Holy Qur’an from either the Arabi text (if we can just read the script) or from its transliteration in Roman script.

We may also buy and listen to audio cassettes of the Holy Qur’an renderings in melliflous Qiraath by the renowned Abdul Ba’sith Abdus Samad.  The recent recitations of the Holy Qur’an by Ali bin Abdur Rahmaan al Hudaifi of Saudi Arabia are even easier to follow and learn from. We can practice the recitation ourselves with their help.

The reading of the Holy Qur’an, by itself, brings us rewards from Allahu Rahmaanir Raheem: “Va rath’thi’lil Qur’ana thar’theelaa“.  (And recite the Holy Qur’an in a measured and sweet tone). (Surath al Muzammil)

The beauty of Qur’ani recitation has won and continues to win millions of human hearts in every country. Professor Arberry is an eminent example.  He has paid a sincere tribute in his writings to Qur’ani recitation.
It was like music to his ears and, underneath its flowing melody, he felt himself drawn to an insistent rhythm, like the beating of his own heart!

Every Muslim house that rejoices the mellifluous recitation of Allah’s Word will be safe from the ravages of Shaiy’thaan and his kin. 

It will be a home blessed by Allahu Jalla Shaanuhu with happiness, good health, prosperity and the wealth of eimaan.

 Recitation leads us to the next step in our spiritual ascent.  We seek to understand the glorious meaning of the beautiful verses that fill our hearts with such radiance. 

 Once the incomparable message of Allah reaches our hearts and fills our minds with glory, all the doubts and inhibitions are shattered, that had held back our progress and advancement in life thus far. 

 Dynamism, in the fullest sense and the highest reach of the term, is imbibed by us as a benediction from Allah. 

 Dynamism is the stamp of genius, the inbuilt source of energy and drive, that powers a human being to high achievement and greatness and brings the person instant recognition  and honors in any society.

 And then, the next logical step: we put our energy and our resources to the service of the people to whom Allah wants His Message to be conveyed through us. 

 We pray to Allah for help and guidance and we take up the drive to eliminate forever the divisive and fissiparious tendencies, the needless disputation and groupism, that have persisted in our societies for centuries and have wrought havoc in the ranks of Islam!

The Holy Qur’an, in Surath Al Jaasiyah verse 17, warns us to avoid the pitfalls of an earlier ummah. They had been specially favored by Allah and granted the knowledge of religion.  Yet they fell into schisms because of intense jealousy (and conflict) among themselves and they fell into disgrace.

Allah commands us to unite and avoid internecine strife:

‘And hold fast, all of you, to the rope of Allah and do not separate…
Truly Allah makes clear to you His revelations that you may be guided…”

“Let there arise from you a group of people inviting to all that is good,
Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
They are the ones to attain felicity.
Be not like those who are divided among themselves
And fall into disputations after reeiving clear signs (from Us).
For them is a dreadful chastisement”.
(Surah 3rd: Aale-e-Imraan: 103- 105)


The Glory of the Holy Qur’an: The Scholars of the Masjid and University of Al Azhar, Cairo,  have conveyed to Muslims the ten important features of the Glory of the Holy Qur’an

 It is the pinnacle of linguistic perfection. (Arabi is unique as the language that developed to preeminence 15 centuries earlier and has yet retained its dynamism and everincreasing appeal to all humanity. The Holy Qur’an adds lustre to Arabi as the best of all vehicles for human thought and Allah’s Commands).

 Its wonderful structure is unique: the beginning of verses, their transition and termination; the pauses earmarked and observed during its recitation.  The most excellent revelation of true knowledge, Irfaan, from Allah  The words are  beautiful, the meaning clear and easy to understand. They amazed and conquered the hearts of al-Arbaa, the right thinking dwellers of the desert.  And the dynamism of the Holy Qur'an inspired awe in the hearts and minds of the unbelivers and deterred them from creating rift, Fithna; and no one took up the challenge from Allah to band together and produce even a small passage that could be like it in any way.

 The forecasts in the Holy Qur'an have proved true time after time. Events happen exactly as Allah has promised Muslims. For example, the scenario of the conquest of Makkaathul Mukarramah: "You shall most certainly enter the Sacred Masjid if it pleases Allah, in total security, (some of you) having their heads shaved and (others) having their hair cut, (and) you will not (have any) fear." (Surah 48th: An Nas’r: The Victory: 27)

 Its authentic news about nations who vanished long ago. The Quraish were won over to Islaam by these. The divine origin of the glorious verses was clear to them as they knew that Mohammed S.A.W.S. was an illiterate who had no opportunity to meet with the learned, nor study under teachers in any school. He was raised among people unacquainted with books and were like virgin soil, Aarin, when it came to scientific inquiry, Al-Uloom al-Aqliyyah.

 Yet another of its glory: it clarified the truth to Jewish scholars and helped in the reinvention of Hebrew that had lapsed into a “dead language” over centuries. As Allah informs us, "Surely this Qur'an declares (the truth) to the children of Israel on most of the issues  they differ in (and are disputing about)."  (Surah 27th:  An Nam’l:  The Ant: 76).

 It revealed to the Messenger of Allah how the secret conclaves and the deadly plots hatched by those who opposed Islaam. This advance knowledge helped Muslims to frustrate those plots.

 It included true knowledge about the universe, from the minutest of particles to the vast and unmapped facets of the cosmos.  The Arabs’ total ignorance of these facts was quicly overcome they rose to be pioneers and world leaders in astronomy and allied sciences.

 Most important of all, the Revelations from Allah were a course of instruction and enlightenment to us through Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. SA.W.S. They established the science of Shari`ah and taught us how to deduce laws, pave the way to logical argumentation, Al-Hujaj al-`Aqliyyah.  They imparted us wisdom from the history of the past and taught us the best of manners and behavior. With our vision opened to the hereafter, we imbibed the right orientation to righteousness as the stepping stone to eternal glory.

 For a book of such size and comprehensive range of subjects and expanse, the Holy Book is free of contradiction. "If it had been from any other than Allah, they would have found in it much incongruity" (Surah 4th:  An Nisaa, The Women: 82).

 It is a living miracle for it is read everywhere in absolute uniformity, and Allah has promised to protect it. We have the clearest proof of its divine origin. While the miracles performed by,  and the Holy Books revealed to, all the earlier prophets vanished with their demise, the Holy Qur'an endures as Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S.'s eternal miracle. To him it was revealed and to us he recited the verses in total authenticity and his devoted companions recorded them immediately and passed on to us as Allah’s Inviolable Bequest to all Humanity.

 Those who read it in true devotion never tire of it. Those who hear it are drawn to its beautyand the rhythm of its expression and they are inspired to learn its maning and acquire true wisdom and rightful motivation. of its  by it. And everyone who  recites it, falls in love with it.

 It includes clear proof and the true knowledge it conveys is proved as divine. Those who understand the meaning derive proof and find religious dictum at the same time when they consider the way it is read and the way it is understood. 
It is as amazing as it is concise, balaghah, that confirms its miraculous        character and conveys Allah's Commands and His warning to His servants everywhere. 
Learning it by heart, hifdh, has been made easy. (There are millions of Hafidh’s around the world, both Arabs and non-Arabs, who have been gifted by Allah and they have committed to memory in perfection all the 6,666 Arabi verses of the Holy Qur’an.)
The fear that comes to the heart when hearing it and the humility it inculcates in us before Allah, are beyond description.

The Glory of the Holy Qur’an: The Scholars of the Masjid and University of Al Azhar, Cairo,  have conveyed to Muslims the ten important features of the Glory of the Holy Qur’an

 It is the pinnacle of linguistic perfection. (Arabi is unique as the language that developed to preeminence 15 centuries earlier and has yet retained its dynamism and everincreasing appeal to all humanity. The Holy Qur’an adds lustre to Arabi as the best of all vehicles for human thought and Allah’s Commands).

 Its wonderful structure is unique: the beginning of verses, their transition and termination; the pauses earmarked and observed during its recitation.  The most excellent revelation of true knowledge, Irfaan, from Allah  The words are  beautiful, the meaning clear and easy to understand. They amazed and conquered the hearts of al-Arbaa, the right thinking dwellers of the desert.  And the dynamism of the Holy Qur'an inspired awe in the hearts and minds of the unbelivers and deterred them from creating rift, Fithna; and no one took up the challenge from Allah to band together and produce even a small passage that could be like it in any way.

 The forecasts in the Holy Qur'an have proved true time after time. Events happen exactly as Allah has promised Muslims. For example, the scenario of the conquest of Makkaathul Mukarramah: "You shall most certainly enter the Sacred Masjid if it pleases Allah, in total security, (some of you) having their heads shaved and (others) having their hair cut, (and) you will not (have any) fear." (Surah 48th: An Nas’r: The Victory: 27)

 Its authentic news about nations who vanished long ago. The Quraish were won over to Islam by these. The divine origin of the glorious verses was clear to them as they knew that Mohammed S.A.W.S. was an illiterate who had no opportunity to meet with the learned, nor study under teachers in any school. He was raised among people unacquainted with books and were like virgin soil, Aarin, when it came to scientific inquiry, Al-Uloom al-Aqliyyah.
 Yet another of its glory: it clarified the truth to Jewish scholars and helped in the reinvention of Hebrew that had lapsed into a “dead language” over centuries. As Allah informs us, "Surely this Qur'an declares (the truth) to the children of Israel on most of the issues  they differ in (and are disputing about)."  (Surah 27th:  An Nam’l:  The Ant: 76).

 It revealed to the Messenger of Allah how the secret conclaves and the deadly plots hatched by those who opposed Islam. This advance knowledge helped Muslims to frustrate those plots.

 It included true knowledge about the universe, from the minutest of particles to the vast and unmapped facets of the cosmos.  The Arabs’ total ignorance of these facts was quicly overcome they rose to be pioneers and world leaders in astronomy and allied sciences.

 Most important of all, the Revelations from Allah were a course of instruction and enlightenment to us through Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. SA.W.S. They established the science of Shari`ah and taught us how to deduce laws, pave the way to logical argumentation, Al-Hujaj al-`Aqliyyah.  They imparted us wisdom from the history of the past and taught us the best of manners and behavior. With our vision opened to the hereafter, we imbibed the right orientation to righteousness as the stepping stone to eternal glory.

 For a book of such size and comprehensive range of subjects and expanse, the Holy Book is free of contradiction. "If it had been from any other than Allah, they would have found in it much incongruity" (Surah 4th:  An Nisaa, The Women: 82).

 It is a living miracle for it is read everywhere in absolute uniformity, and Allah has promised to protect it. We have the clearest proof of its divine origin. With the demise of earlier prophetsvanished not only the miracles performed by them but also the original form and substance of the Holy Books revealed to them. But even today, 1360 years after the death of the Prophet of Islam, the Holy Qur'an endures as Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S.'s eternal miracle. To him it was revealed and to us he recited the verses in total authenticity; and his devoted companions recorded them immediately and passed on to us as Allah’s Inviolable Bequest to all Humanity.

 Those who read it in true devotion never tire of it. Those who hear it are drawn to its beauty, its rhythm and the joy of its expression are at once inspired to learn its meaning.  And thereby they acquire true wisdom and the right motivation in the conduct of life. And everyone who  recites it, falls in love with it.

 It includes clear proof and the true knowledge it conveys is proved as divine. Those who understand the meaning derive proof and find religious dictum at the same time when they consider the way it is read and the way it is understood. 
It is as amazing as it is concise, balaghah, that confirms its miraculous        character and conveys Allah's Commands and His warning to His servants everywhere. 
Learning it by heart, hifdh, has been made easy. (There are millions of Hafidh’s around the world, both Arabs and non-Arabs, who have been gifted by Allah and they have committed to memory in perfection all the 6,666 Arabi verses of the Holy Qur’an.)
The fear that comes to the heart when hearing it and the humility it inculcates in us before Allah, are beyond description.

May Allah kindly inspire all our breakaway factions to abide by this Command and return to the right and unalterable course of Islam chalked out for us by the Glorious Prophet Syedinaa Mohammed S.A.W.S S.A.W.S. and his four illustrious Khulafaaye Islam (R.A.A.).

The tragic events that followed their demise have shaken us to our roots. So much Muslim blood has been shed. And yet, the trauma continues. Muslim advancement has been set back by centuries.

Allah and Allah Alone knows the truth.  His is the Infinte and Ultimate Wisdom.  He has already punished whoever was at fault for the tragedy. It is not for us to be debating those long dead issues. 

To persist in this farcical exercise is tantamount to questioning the wisdom of Allah and the propriety of His Will, especially as we know from the Holy Qur’an that no disaster befalls humanity nor any historic development occurs anywhere except by Allah’s Will. And Allah’s is the Infallible Judgment that no human can question.. 

We must learn to forgive and forget the past and usher in lasting unity among Muslims. That is the pragmatic way for us if we are a positive minded people aspiring to live with honor worldwide.

                We do not know for sure who plans and who executes the scourge of periodic and preplanned massacres occurring in Muslim societies and if the socalled suicide bombers are really Muslim.  One thing is certain. These tragedies  make us hang our heads in shame. The ordinance is clear and emphatic in Islam that every act of murder (the unmerited and unwarranted killing of one human being by another) is not just another crime against society. 

Murder is an unpardonable sin in the eyes of Allah. This is why we have proclaimed to the world that terrorism and similar practices are repugnant to Islam. Muslim or non-Muslim, individuals or groups whoever resort to them, are not safeguarding Islam. All of them are undermining Islam and destroying all the good work done by rightly guided Muslims over many centuries to earn friends everywhere for Islam!

Islam despises aggression and brutality. “He who sides with his tribe in aggression, is not one among us!” said the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S.  If anyone has the good of  Humanity at heart, he/she must ensure the survival of Islam with honor. That would guarantee survival to humanity with all bounties from Allah.
It is our urgent duty to reclaim for Islam the universal esteem it deserves.  Islam means “Peace.” Our best salutation to the prophets and also to one another  among ourselves is “Peace!” 

Islam is committed to world peace and Muslims are exhorted to establish goodwill and harmony among all nations.

We need to put in superior talents to work and project sheer excellence in our work ethic and in our behavior towards others. Whatever the job or profession in which Allah has placed us, we must realize that it is auspicious and mabrook to us.

It is the gateway Allah has opened for us to put our best talents to use and rise to the highest potential we are capable of.

This is what Syedina Umar R.A.A. exemplified as he followed the example of  the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S. and rose to be the best ruler of all time. 

This is what Ibn Sina (Avicenna) exemplified as he set new standards of research and delved deep into literature under the inspiration of the Holy Qur'an’and Hadith and left us a vast body of literature, of which the medical branch has earned such renown worldwide. 

This is what Emperor Shah Jehan exemplified as he built the Taj Mahal as the world’s most wonderful fusion of architectural harmony, poetic charm,  lyrical imagery and immortal love.

We just have to be at our best at all times and win over the world to Islam.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Sajdaye Thilaavath

Sajdaye Thilaavath

(While Reciting the Holy Qur’an)

    These eminent verses in the Holy  Qur'an are marked for "Saj’dah". 

      Surah Number                 Name of the Surah           Verse Nunber

                  7                                            Al Aeraaf                                                     206

                13                                           Ar Raad                                                                15

                16                                           An Nah’l                                                              50

                17                                           Al Is’raa                                                        109

                19                                           Al Mariam                                                           58

                22                                           Al Haj                                                                   18

25                                           Al Furq’an                                                           60

                27                                           Al Nam’l                                                              26

32                                           Al Saj’dah                                                            15

38                                           Sa’ad                                                                     24

41                           Fussilath (Ha’meem al Saj’dah)                   38

53                                           An Naj’m                                                             62

84                                           Al Inshi’qaq                                                        21

96                                           Al Alaq                                                 19


We make the Sajdaye Thilaavath on reciting any of these verses. While reciting the Holy Qur'an, (by ourselves or in Salaah), when we come to the spot where Saj’dah is due, we must perform this Saj’dah first and then proceed with the rest of  the Recitation and/or Salaah.
                      
It would be tantamount to sin if the Saj’daye Thila’vath is not performed when (and where) it is due. The person who hears the recitation, is also obliged to perform the Saj’dah.

Imam Shaafei has recommended that in Chapter 22nd, Al Haj, verse 77  of the Holy Qur’an, also qualifieds for Sajdayae Thilaavath.

During the Salaah in Jama’ath, when the Imam comes to such a stage in reciting from the Holy Qur’an, he says “Allahu Akbar” and goes into this Saj’dah and the congregation also does the same.

The Saj’daye Thila’vath is like the usual Saj’dah and we recite “Sub’haana Rabbiyal Aalaa” three times (and we make the Niy’yath in our hearts that we are peforming the Saj’daye Thila’vath for Allah).

The Saj’daye Thila’vath affords us the unique opportunity every time to deepen and intensify our faith and rededicate ourselves to the Cause of Allah. The prize we are looking for is the most coveted of all: the credentials and the right of passage to the far superior world of ultimate joy and fulfillment, the Jannathul Firdau’s,  the most delightful heaven.

We enter this, the Ultimate Paradise and those whom we loved truly on earth, will be there with us (if the objects of our love had been free of unpardonable sins, such as shir’k).  With them we enjoy the eternal life of unmingled happiness in the Jannathul Firdau’s:

 Where no care or worry intrudes upon our peace of mind, 
 where no rival nor enemy stalks our path,
 where our hearts are washed clean of malice and pettiness,
 where our minds are cleared of all doubts and fears,
 where we are in the Radiant Neighborhood created and pefected by Allah exclusively for His Glorious Saaliheen.

The greatest of honors will be ours when we are chosen by Allah to be in the glorious company of Allah’s Beloved Servants: the Holy Prophet Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S and his peers from Noah to Abraham A.S. to Jesus A.S. and the saints and the blessed martyrs who had sacrificed everything, including their lives on earth, for Allah.

The delights of this eternal life will be so perfect, so glorious and so magnificent that our earth bound imagination cannot even envision them.  All we need do now is to love and worship Allah and be devoted to His Chosen Rasool Syedina Mohammed Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

Monday 28 November 2011

The Hadith


The Hadith


It is our good fortune that every detail of Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S.'s life, his teachings and his mode of prayers, is well and clearly documented. What he said, what he did, what he approved and what he did not like, have been documented with integrity for posterity.

These compilations are available in English translation also.

These versions have since been subjected to intense scrutiny.  The most stringent standards of research methodology have been applied to them.  And they have been fully certified as true and authentic. 

Their integrity is guaranteed. If ever there is a minor variation, it is only due to the ongoing efforts to perfect some more the monumental work that Imam Bukhari initiated and his illustrious successors have perfected and completed.

According to the renowned historian Ibn Khaldun (who died in 1405 C.E.), this collection is known as Al Kuthub al Sith’tha. This is a compilation in six volumes of the Hadith that have been meticulously collected, researched and confirmed for authenticity. Each compilation is named after the respective scholar who compiled it:

The Jaame’i Al Sahih al Bukhari                      (the compiler died in 869 C.E.)

The Sahih al Muslim (Student of Bukhari, Scholar Muslim died in 874 C.E.)

The Sunan of Sijisthani                                (Scholar Sijisthani died in 889 C.E.)

The Jaame’i of Thirmidi                               (Scholar Thirmidi died in 892 C.E.)

The Sunan of Ibn Ma’ja                               (Scholar Ibn Ma’ja died in 896 C.E.)

The Sunan of Nasaa’i                                     (Scholar Nasaa’i  died in 915 C.E.)

Islam is the sum total of Knowledge and Right Action.
We have been exhorted by the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S.:
“It is the duty of every Muslim to seek knowledge."
In every aspect of our religious and worldly lives, we must seek enlightenment and guidance from the Holy Qur'an, the Book of Allah and the Hadith, the record of the life, sayings and deeds of the Holy Prophet Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S S.A.W.S.lAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

All other knowledge, whatever its source and whoever its author, will be acceptable to us only after it has been evaluated and found genuine in the light of these twin standards, the former divine and the latter divinely inspired.

In this way, we will ensure ourselves the right direction, high achievement and enduring prosperity in our lives.  We will also earn the approval of Allah and, by His Grace, we will enter the Highest of Heavens as His chosen beings.

One point needs to be stressed. The Muslim Ummah, the Commonwealth of Islam, is grouped into four major schools today. They follow the teachings, based on Hadith, of four highly esteemed Islami scholars:

Abu Haneefa (who died in 150 H. in Baghdad)

Malik Ibn Anas.  His teachings gained him a wide following in Spain and Africa. He died in 179 H.)
                                    
 Mohammed Ibn Idris al Shafi  (who died in Egypt in 204 H.) and
 
Ah’mad Ibn Hambal  (who died in 241 H. Imam Bukhari was his student).

They are widely revered as Imams, leaders of the faith. There is absolutely no disparity or conflict between them or their individual interpretations of Hadith and other branches of Islami studies. Theirs are but four roads that lead to the same destination: total loyalty to the Prophet S.A.W.S.’s example.

We are at liberty to follow any school that appeals most to our heart.  In fact it is our duty to accept the best from every Imam. The only stipulation is that we should not be opting for the easiest of the teachings among the four Imams’.  That is not the way of the grateful servants that we seek to be, of Allah. But we must be on our guard against any ideology or contrived faith that questions the final and most exalted status of Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S, recorded in the Holy Qur’an, as the Khaathamun Nabee’yeen, the Seal of All the Prophets of Allah.
We  cannot share with anyone, howsoever great, the love and devotion we have for Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S.  He came to us as the Rahmathullil A'lameen (his title in the Holy Qur’an). The meaning is that Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S. is Allah's blessing unto all the beings populating this and all the other worlds (that are, even now, unknown to us).

In our Du’aaa (invocation) after listening to Azaan, the Call for Prayer, we beseech Allahu Rabbul Izzath to kindly grant Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam the Maqaamam Mahmoodah, the high throne below Allah’s. 

This would confirm his elevation to the top rank among the Apostles of Allahu Rabbul Aalameen. 

Our greatest good fortune is Islam.  And Islam is Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S.'s gift unto us.

There is incontrovertible confirmation in the Holy Qur'an that the Prophet Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S is the last of the prophets. After him there has been no prophet.  And there will be no new prophet in the future.

Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S has told us very clearly that no prophet would appear after him; nor would revelations (that are from Allah and conveyed through Archangel Jibra’yeel) be received by anyone after him.

The system of "Il'haam", inspiration, would, however, continue. (We accept and honor this, a spiritually uplifting inspiration, from Allah.  At the same time, we learn to recognize and reject all the evil motivation and temptation that Shaiy’thaan  tries to instill in our subconscious).

Among the signs of the approach of the Day of Judgment, the return is foretold in the Holy Qur'an, of Syedina Eisaa Alaihis Salaam (Jesus A.S. Christ, May the blessings of Allah be on him!)

Prophet Jesus A.S. is blessed and honored in Islam as the predecessor of Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.   We are also informed that he had been bodily raised to heaven and is destined to return to earth with the nearing of the Day of Judgment. As such, his return will not affect the status of finality conferred by Allah on His Chosen Messenger Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S.
The heart of the Muslim opens only to Allah and His Messenger Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S S.  And his/her own family joins him/her and theirs is  the total loyalty and magnificent devotion to the Creator and His Chosen Prophet S.A.W.S..

 The Muslim heart's inspiration, the source of its light, is the Holy Qur'an and the Authentic Hadith.
 One lifetime is just enough for us to master these two glorious sources of Knowledge and Guidance. 
 It is our bounden duty to read them, recite them, learn their meaning and deepen our wisdom with them.
 We must also discipline ourselves to lead our lives in total conformity with the teachings of these Holy Books.
 In this way we will guarantee ourselves the surest means to success and high achievement and we will, by Allah’s Grace, realize all our dynamic objectives.

Sunday 27 November 2011

The five pillars of Islam

Imam Muslim conveys the Hadith from Abdullah bin  

Umar (R.A.A), an eminent companion of the Prophet Sal):


Al Islam rests on five pillars:

the Oneness of Allah;

the Institution of Prayer (Salaah);

The Fast of Ramadan;

the Payment of Zakaah; and

the Pilgrimage to Makkah.

The first pillar of Islam: The Kalimah


“LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU
MOHAMMEDUR RASOOLULLAH!”

Reciting this Kalimah is the most important part of being a Muslim.

It means "There is no god except Allah and Muhammand is the Prophet of Allah".




The Essence of Islami Faith
Eimaanal Mufassil:

AAAMANTHU BILLAHI VA MALAAYIKATHIHI VA KUTHUBIHI VA RUSULIHI VAL YAVMIL AAKHIRI VAL QADRI KHAIRIHI VA SHARRIHI  MINALLAHI THA AALAA
VAL BAA’SI BA’DAL MAVTH".

I accept, with my heart and soul, and  I hereby declare that

Allah is my Creator.
I affirm (the truth of) His Angels,
His Books of Revelation,
His Prophets and
the Day of Judgment (which will be by His Command).
I also affirm that everything good and evil is by fate as willed by Allah and
there is life after death.


Eimaanal Mujammil:

AAMANTHU BILLAHI KAMAA HUVA BI-ASMAAYIHI VA SIFAATHIHI VA QABILTHU JAMEE'I AHKAAMIHI".


I  accept and hereby declare, with my heart and soul,

ALLAH (as my Creator) with
His Glorious Names and
His Omnipotence (Allah has the Ultmate Power over everything)
and
I submit to, and abide by, all His Commands.


The Founts of Faith


All Muslims sincerely, consciously and wholeheartedly
imbue themselves with Solemn Faith.
This is cherished and vouchsafed by word of mouth
 in the Kalima's, declarations:


The First Kalimah: (Kalimaye Thai'yibah):

“LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU
MOHAMMEDUR RASOOLULLAH!”

"There is no god except Allah and Muhammand is the Prophet of Allah".

They undertake never to worship (nor even kneel down or prostrate before) any person, animal, statue, idol, portrait, symbol, grave or other object, living or dead.  Our Saj’dah, prostration, is due to Allah and to Allah only.

It is our sincere belief that the most exalted and the highest ranked human being in world history, is Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S S.A.W.S..

The most prominent Arabs of the time had embraced Islam at his hands and they are referred to, in our history, as the Blessed Companions R.A.A. They had seen people of other faiths kneeling or even prostrating before their high priests. A discussion was going the rounds among them as to how best they could show their boundless love for, and devotion to, the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S..

One day they submitted their proposal to him that he might allow them and other Muslims to make Saj’dah to him.

Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S S.A.W.S..  told them, “If it were possible for me to allow one human being to make Saj’dah to another, I would have asked the wife to prostrate before her husband.  But the Saj’dah is only to Allah and not to any one else.”
To equate anyone with Allah, is a deadly sin and is never forgiven by the Glorious Creator. The Holy Qur’an conveys a clear warning: “Allah forgives not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. He forgives (all sins but this one, (the shir’k) to those who prove worthy of His Grace. Whoever ascribes partners to Allah, has indeed invented (a despicable lie) a grievous sin.”  (Surath an Nisaa: 48)


The Second Kalimah (the Kalimaye Shaha’dah)

We declare our faith from the depth of our hearts:

"ASH-HADU AN'LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU  VAH’DAHU,
LAA SHAREEKA LAHU, VA ASH-HADU ANNA
MOHAMMED S.A.W.SAN ABDUHU VA RASOOLUHU”.

“I bear witness that there is no god except Allah,

 that He is the One and Only God and

none can be equated with Him, and

I bear witness that Mohammed S.A.W.S S.A.W.S. is

His slave and His Apostle”.

By this affirmation, we bind ourselves wholeheartedly to accept all the teachings in the Holy Qur'an and Hadith. 

We also pledge ourselves to lead our lives in accordance with their commandments, reposing unflinching faith always in:

the Omnipotence of Allah,
the History of the Prophets sent by Allah to every nation on earth,
the  Revelations sent by Allah to His earlier prophets for their respective nations,
the existence of Allah's angels,
the certainty of Qiyamat (the Day of Judgment when the world and all cosmic  systems will end by Allah's command and Eternal Life will commence) and
Our Destiny is decided by Allah and it can be altered only by Him.


The Third Kalimah: (KalimayeTham'jeed):

"SUB'HAANALLAHI VAL HAMDULILLAHI VALAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU VALLAHU AKBAR VALAA HAV'LA
VA LAA QUVVATHA ILLAA BILLAHIL ALEEYUL AZEEM".

“Immaculate is Allah
and
worthy of highest praise is Allah
and
there is none to be worshipped other than Allah
and
Allah is Supreme and the Greatest
and
it is from Allah that the inspiration to do good
and
the strength to resist evil are received”.




The Fourth Kalimah: (Kalimaye Thav'heed):

"LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU VAHDAHOO,
LAA SHAREEKA LAHOO,
LAHUL MULKU VALAHUL HAM'DU,
YUHEE VA YUMEETHU BI YADI'HIL KHAI'YR.
VA HUVA ALAA KULLI SHAI'YIN QADEER".

“There is no one deserving of worship other than Allah.

He is the One and Only Lord, no one can be His equal. 

His is the Sovereignty over the worlds and

 to Him is due all the highest praise. 

He creates. He destroys. 

In His Hand is all that is good and

He has Absolute Power over everything”.

The Fifth Kalimah: (Kalimaye Asthagh’far):

"AS'THAGH'FIRULLAHA RABBEE MIN KULLI ZAN'MBIN'V AZ'NAB'THUHOO AMADAN AV KHATHAA'AN SIRRAN AV ALAANIYATHAN'V VA ATHOOBU ILAI'YHI MINAZ ZAMBI ALLAZEE AALAMU VA MINAZ ZANMBILLAZEE LAA AALAMU INNAKA ANTHA ALLAAMUL GHU'YOOBI
VA SATHTHAARUL UYOOBI VA GHAFFARUZ ZUNOOBI
VA LAA HAV'LA VA LAA QUVVATHA ILLAA BILLAHIL ALEEYUL AZEEM".

“I seek pardon from Allah Who is my Creator,
for all the sins I have committed knowingly or unknowingly,
in secret or in the open.
And before His Magnificence I repent and regret my misdeeds,
Those  that  I remember and also those of which I have no knowledge.
Ya Allah, You Alone have Knowledge of the unseen and
You Alone do conceal our faults and forgive us our sin.
 And from Allah is (received)  the will power to keep from sins and
(also) the inspiration to do good.
  And Allah is the Highest and the Most Magnificent".



The Sixth Kalimah:  (Kalimaye Rad’d-e-Kuf'r):

"ALLAHUMMA INNEE A'OOZUBIKA MIN AN USH'RIKA
BIKA SHAI'YAN'V VA ANAA AALAMU BIHEE VAS'TAGH'FIRUKA LIMAA LAA AALAMU BIHEE
THUB'THU AN'HU VA THABARRA'ATHU MINAL KUF'RI
VASH SHIRKI VAL MA'AAASEE KULLIHAA
AS'LAMTHU VA AAMANTHU VA AKHOOLU
LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAHU MUHAMADUN'R RASOOLULLAHI".

"Ya Allah I seek refuge in You
 from equating anyone with You consciously and
I seek pardon from You for any such act that I am not conscious of. 
And I have repented (my past) and I have abandoned all disbelief,
all idolatorous thoughts and all sins (and wrongdoing).
"I surrender to Your Will and I have embraced Islam  and I declare that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah and that Mohammed Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam is Allah's Messenger".