23. THE CONSTRICTED
BREAST
If
we ponder the Qur’ānic verses and study them carefully we shall find them
enchanting to our mind. Allah urges us to study the Qur’ān carefully, and said:
أَفَلَا
يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآَنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا (محمد: ۲٤)
“Do they
not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur’ān,
or is that there are
locks upon their hearts?” [1]
Again He said:
كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ
مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آَيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ
أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ (ص: ۲٩)
“(Here
is) Book which We have sent down unto thee,
full of blessings, that they may meditate on
its
signs, and that men of understanding
Now let us ponder the following
verse:
فَمَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَهدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُ
َجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ
(الأنعام:
۱۲٥)
"Those whom Allah willeth to guide,--He openeth
Their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth
to leave
straying,--He maketh their breast close
and constricted, as they had to climb
Earlier
commentators said that the meaning of the above verse is that the hearts of
those whom Allah leaves straying will be so narrow that iman (faith)
will not enter into it, like the impossibility of ascending to the sky. But in fact, this verse has a deeper and
scientific meaning.
People in ancient time believed that
the outer space had an atmosphere like the earth. It was said that the Greek
emperor Alexander the Great wished to ascend to the sky in a carriage flown by
birds.
The
air consists of 20 % oxygen that is very important for our lives. Without oxygen men, animals and plants cannot
survive. When people invented the balloon, they ascended to the sky until they
reached a height of 30 km; when they used rockets and planes so that they
reached higher altitude, they found out that even a single foot raised in the
sky caused the decrease of air pressure and oxygen. It is known that after the
altitude of 10 km suffocation occurs because of lack of oxygen.
24. WATER CYCLE
For
every nation Allah sent a prophet, and to every prophet Allah gave a miracle as
evidence of his prophethood, such as the staff of Prophet Moses (Musa,
p.b.u.h.), or the revival of the dead by Prophet Jesus (‘Īsā, p.b.u.h.). But the miracles of earlier prophets were
only heard and not witnessed by us. As for the greatest miracle of the last prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), namely, the Qur’ān, we hear it, we see it, we read
it. Its eloquence is inimitable. It is a
miracle for Arabs and non-Arabs, for the laymen and the genius.
Until
the 16th century, people still believed that the waters of the
oceans, under the effect of winds, were driven toward the inner parts of the
continents. Then they returned to the oceans through the great abyss called the
Tartarus which has been known since Plato’s time. According to Aristotle
(Plato’s student) water was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed
underground lakes that fed springs. In the 16th century, Bernard
Palissy described for the first time the coherence of the water cycle. Today,
we know that it is the infiltrated rainwater that feeds the springs. But the
Qur’ān has described it long time ago:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ
يَنَابِيعَ
فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ
(الزمر: ۲۱)
“Seest thou not
that Allah sends down rain from
the sky, and leads it through springs in the
earth?
Then He caused to grow, therewith,
produce of various
colours.”
[4]
In
another verse of the Qur’ān, the formation of a cumulus cloud which contains
hails and causes rain, storm of thunder and lightning, and which causes pilots
as well as those who are near to it to be temporarily blind is mentioned. Allah
says:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي
سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ
رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ
يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ جِبَالٍ
فِيهَا مِنْ بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ
بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَنْ مَنْ يَشَاءُ
يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ
بِالْأَبْصَارِ
(النور:٤٣)
“Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently,
then joins them
together, then makes them into a heap?—then
wilt thou see rain
issue forth from their mist. And He
sends
down from the sky
mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is
hail: He strikes
therewith whom He pleases and He turns
it away from whom He
pleases. The vivid flash of
The type of the cloud expressed in the
above verse is the one that grows vertically. It is called cumulus because
of the vertical accumulation of clouds. It can reach the height of 15 km or
even more. Therefore it looks like a mountain. It consists of three parts: the
higher part consists of white crystal ice; the middle part (layer) consists of
the mixture of the falling crystal ice from above and drops of cold water which
is below zero; the lowest part consists of mostly drops of water or ice
crystals and is on the point of falling down to the earth. This type of cloud,
the cumulus, is the only one that contains ice crystals, or hail. This
is the scientific interpretation of the verse: “And He sends down from the
sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein hail.”
After
the Second World War, scientists used radar to take pictures showing the
gradual formation of the cumulus cloud. They found that it started with
some small clouds being driven upwards by air currents. Then every two or more
small clouds are being bound together. This is the scientific interpretation of
the verse: “Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then
joins them together, then makes them into a heap?” “Heap” means “accumulation” and this type of
cloud is called cumulus.
Strangely
enough, this is the only type of cloud that produces storms of thunder and
lightning which can temporarily blind our eyes. This is the scientific
interpretation of the verse: “The vivid flash of His lightning almost blinds
the sight.”
There
is another type of cloud which forms itself horizontally so that it covers the
sky. It does not produce thunder or lightning or hail. It is called stratus cloud.
It is from the word stratum meaning “level”. This type of cloud has been
referred to by the Qur’ān as follows:
اللَّهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ
فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ
كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ
مِنْ خِلَالِهِ فَإِذَا أَصَابَ
بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ
إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
(الروم:٤٨)
“It is Allah Who sends the winds, and they raise
the clouds: then does
He spread them in they sky as
He wills, and break
them into fragments, until thou seest
rain-drops issue from
the midst thereof: then when
He has made them
reach such of His servants
If you are on board a plane you can
easily distinguish between these two types of cloud: one is like a mountain,
and the other is like a carpet and is closer to the surface of the earth;
planes usually fly above it. The Arabs call this flat cloud the “autumn cloud”.
25. ISRĀ’ AND MI’RĀJ
On
the 27th of Rajab every year Muslims all over the world commemorate Isrā’
(the night journey of the Prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem) and mi’rāj (the
Prophet’s ascension to the heaven and beyond).
Before
isrā’ and mi’rāj the Prophet had suffered much: after three years
of boycott by the Quraysh, his wife Khadījah and his uncle Abū T.ālib died. After the death of Abū T.ālib, the pagan Quraysh tribe became
bolder to torment the Prophet. They put a camel’s uterus on his shoulder while
he was prostrating in prayer by the Ka‘bah. They threw dust on him. ‘Uqbah
bin Mu‘īt. strangled him while he was praying;
fortunately, Abū Bakr came to rescue, throwing down the man, saying, “Are you
going to kill a man just because he says that Allah is his Lord?” When the
Prophet went to T.ā’if, 60 km
east of Mecca with Zayd bin H...ārithah to
call people to Islam, they threw stones at him. His absence from Mecca was
known by the Meccans, and they did not want him to come back to Mecca.
Fortunately, a neighbour called Mut.‘im bin ‘Adī,
one of the Meccan chiefs, wanted to protect him, so he and his man came to the
Prophet outside the city and escorted him into the city. The Prophet stayed the night at his cousin’s
house Ummu Hāni’ (the daughter of his uncle Abū T.ālib)
who was also his nursing sister. The Prophet was so humiliated and annoyed on
earth, yet he received the greatest honour a human being had ever had in
heaven.
After
all these miserable conditions, it was time for Allah to console the Prophet
and to show his exalted position. One night, the angel Gabriel and Michael came
to the Prophet, opened his breast and cleansed his heart with the water of Zamzam
(the well-known well inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca), then made him ride on a
mysterious animal called Burāq. They went to al-Masjid al-Aqs.ā (the Farthest Mosque) in Jerusalem
where they had been awaited by the prophets before him, such as Abraham, Moses,
David, Solomon and Jesus, peace be upon them. They had been sent by Allah to
receive and to welcome the Prophet there.
After leading the prayer with those
prophets and thanking them for their greetings, the Prophet said to them: “All
of you praise your Lord and I also praise my Lord.” Then he said: “Praise be to
Allah who has sent me as a blessing to the whole world and to the whole mankind
as an announcer of good news (بَشِيْر)
and
as a warner (نَذِيْر),
Who
has revealed to me the Furqān (i.e., the Qur’ān which makes the
distinction between right and wrong) wherein the explanation of everything, Who
made my community the best one among the people, Who made my community the
middle one, the first and the last, Who made me pleased, Who put away my burden,
Who raised my esteem and Who made me a conqueror and a last prophet.” On
hearing this, Prophet Abraham told other prophets, “Muhammad has the merits
over you in these things.” Then the Prophet was given wine and milk, choosing
milk. Gabriel told him, had he chosen
wine, his followers would go astray.
Then the Prophet ascended with Gabriel
to the seventh heaven and beyond. In he first heaven he met Adam, in the second
John (Yah.yā) and Jesus (‘Īsā), in the third
Joseph (Yūsuf), in the fourth Enoch (Idrīs), in the fifth Aaron (Hārūn), in the
sixth Moses (Mūsā), and in the seventh Abraham (Ibrāhīm), peace be upon them.
They went further up to Sidrat al-Muntahā (Lotus Tree Heaven) where
Gabriel said to the Prophet: “O Muhammad, ascend alone. You are the one who is
wanted. Every one of us has his own rank (position), and here is the end of my
position. If I step further I will be burned.” This indicates that a human
being can have higher position than the angel.
The Prophet came forward, greeted
Allah and said:
التَّحِيَّاتُ
المُبَارَكَاتُ الصَّلَوَاتُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلّهِ
“All reference,
all worship and all sanctity are due to Allah.”
Allah
said:
السَّلَامُ
عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُه
“Peace be upon
you, O Prophet, the mercy of Allah and His blessing.”
The
Prophet joined his brothers among prophets in saying:
السَّلَامُ
عَلَيْنَا وَعَلىَ عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِيْنَ
“Peace be upon
us, and upon he righteous servants of Allah.”
The angels said:
أَشْهَدُ
أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إلاَّّ اللهُ و أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُوْلُ الله
“I
bear witness that there is no god but Allah
and Muhammad is
His messenger.”
The
whole world said:
اللّهُمَّ
صَلِّ عَلىَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ وَ صَحَابَتِهِ وَ ذُرَّيَتِهِ وَ التَّابِعِيْنَ
لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ
“O Allah, give
blessing upon Muhammad his
household, his companions, his descendants
and those
who follow them well among his followers.”
This indicates that what we used to
say in the tah.iyyāt
(i.e., greetings we cite while sitting) in our prayer is the exchange greetings
between Allah and the Prophet, the angels and others. The Prophet said that
prayer is the mi‘rāj (ascension) of the believers. The Prophet’s
heart was cleansed before mi‘rāj, while we perform wud.ū’ (ablution) before praying.
Allah enjoined fifty prayers, but
following the advice of Prophet Moses, fifty prayers were reduced to five with
the same merit and the reward of fifty prayers. If it were not for the advice
of Prophet Moses, we would have to pray fifty times a day.
In
his mi‘rāj the Prophet encountered many symbolic actions as
warnings and lessons to us. For example, he saw people breaking their heads
with rocks symbolizing those who neglect their obligatory prayers. In one
tradition a man asked the Prophet what Allah loved most in Islam, he said:
الصَّلَاةُ لَوَقْتِهَا ، وَمَنْ
تَرَكَ الصَّلاَةَ فَلَا دِيْنَ لَهُ ، وَالصَّلاَةُ
عِمَادُ الدِّيْن
(رواه البيهقي)
“Prayer on its
time, whoever leaves it (abstain
from
doing it) he has no [practised]
religion for
If
we compare the meeting between Allah and the Prophet and between Allah and
Prophet Moses, we find that:
1. In
the mi‘rāj the Prophet met Allah in Sidrat al-Muntahā, beyond
the seventh heaven, while Prophet Moses met Allah on the earth, in the Sacred
Valley of T.uwā’ in Sinai. These two
places do not imply fixing a place for Allah, because He is beyond the
limitation of time and space. The places
were fixed only for the two prophets, Muhammad and Moses respectively. Allah
mentions the place where His signs appeared for Prophet Moses in a burning bush
in the following verses:
وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَى. إِذْ رَأَى نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ
امْكُثُوا
إِنِّي آَنَسْتُ نَارًا لَعَلِّي
آَتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًى.
فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ يَا
مُوسَى. إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ
الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى.
وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ
فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى. إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ
لِذِكْرِي.
(طه:٩-۱٤)
“Has
the story of Moses reached thee: Behold, he saw a fire:
so
he said to his family, ‘Tarry ye; I perceive a fire; perhaps I
can
bring you some burning brand therefrom, or find some guidance at the fire.’ But
when he came to the fire, he was called: ‘O Moses! Verily I am thy Lord!
Therefore put off thy shoes: thou art in
the sacred valley of Tuwa’. I have
chosen thee: Listen, then, to the inspiration (given to thee). Verily, I am Allah: there is no god but I: So
serve thou Me (only) and establish regular prayer for My remembrance.”[8]
In other verses Allah specified the place
more clearly, as follows:
فَلَمَّا قَضَى مُوسَى الْأَجَلَ وَسَارَ بِأَهْلِهِ آَنَسَ مِنْ
جَانِبِ الطُّورِ
نَارًا قَالَ
لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آَنَسْتُ نَارًا لَعَلِّي آَتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ
أَوْ جَذْوَةٍ مِنَ
النَّارِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ.
فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ مِنْ شَاطِئِ الْوَادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ
الْمُبَارَكَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ
أَنْ يَا مُوسَى إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
(القصص:۲٩-٣٠)
“Now
when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was
travelling with his family, he perceived a
fire in the direction of Mount Tur. He
said to his family: ‘Tarry ye; I perceive a fire; I hope to bring you from there some
information, or a burning firebrand,
that ye may warm yourselves. But when he
came to the (Fire), he was called from
the right bank of the valley, from a
tree in hallowed ground: ‘O Moses! Verily
I am
The meeting in mi‘rāj was with
preparation. Allah sent Gabriel and Michael to accompany the Prophet to heaven,
while Prophet Moses’ meeting with Allah was without preparation: he saw fire at
night, told his wife to stay and went to the fire where Allah talked to him. He
did not come to talk to Allah, but to take some fire or to find guidance at the
fire. He might have lost his way, he
wanted physical guidance, and instead, he got spiritual guidance.
2.
Prophet Muhammad went to heaven
on the Burāq, while Prophet Moses walked when he entered the sacred
valley T.uwā’. He was ordered by Allah to take
off his shoes when he entered the valley, according to some commentators,
symbolizes leaving the material world behind when he entered the spiritual one.
3. Both
meetings ended with the injunction of prayers, which indicates the importance
of prayers.
The heaven that is spoken about here is
not the outer space, the stars and galaxies, but far beyond. The Prophet was
not sent to teach astronomy, but to give spiritual guidance, to show the right
path, the way to salvation. Man
discovered the universe later by himself.
We know that the nearest star (sun) to us is Alpha Centauri which is 4.3
light years. Until the 1920s, man knew one galaxy only, the Milky Way, in which
the sun is one of the stars. About fifty
years later, the astronomers said that the universe contains about five billion
galaxies, each with approximately 100 billion stars.
With regard to the isrā’, the
mi’rāj, the seven heavens, and the Sidrat al-Muntahā, they are
mysteries. We believe in them as we believe in the Resurrection, the Judgement
Day, Paradise and Hell.
26.
FASTING IN ISLAM (1)
The Muslims of Edmonton and elsewhere
are observing the fasting of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the
Islamic year. Fasting (الصَّوْم) technically means to abstain completely
from food, drink, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the
dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan.
Fasting is the third pillar of Islam
after the shahādah (bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and
Muhammad is His messenger) and the five daily prayers. Other pillars of Islam
are zakāh and h.ajj. Zakāh
is an annual tax of 2.5 % of one’s net savings as a purifying sum to be
distributed among the poor in the community. H...ajj
is the pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah in Mecca, once in a lifetime, to those who are
healthy and have the means to do so.
The prescription of fasting was
revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) in the second year of Hijrah
(migration of the Prophet and his followers from Mecca to Madinah in 622 to
avoid the persecution of the Meccan infidels). The Qur’ān, the very words of
Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) says:
يَا أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ
كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
(البقرة:
۱٨٣)
“O ye who
believe! Fasting is prescribed to
you as it was prescribed to those before you,
As the Muslim
calendar is based on lunar calendar, Ramadan can be in any season of the year.
As Ramadan this year (1986 here in Edmon-ton) is in late spring, the Muslim
community of this area is fasting about 18 hours (in summer, about 19 hours).
Before dawn Muslims are highly recommended to have their light meal so that
fasting will not be too hard for them.
Very old people, pregnant women and the
sick are exempt from fasting. Old people
have to pay a sum of money or food to feed the poor. Pregnant women and sick
people fast respectively after delivery and recovery. To healthy people fasting
is far from being dangerous. Man can survive without food for several weeks.
Without water in normal condition he can survive not more than 70 or 80 hours,
i.e., about 3 days. However, it was reported that a baby survived miraculously
after being trapped in a collapsed building for one week in Mexico City when
this city was being devastated by earthquake last year (1985).
Abstaining from water in 18 or 19 hours
is only one-fourth of the length of time that can cause death from starvation.
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا
إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا (البقرة: ۲٨٦)
“On no soul
doth Allah placed a burden
Beside
spiritual advantage such as patience, self-restraint, sympathy with the poor
and sincere and deep love for Allah, fasting has also its physical advantages.
It has a healing power. The fact that hunger is the best cure to many ailments
has been proved and defended by many medical authorities. The historian
Herodotus described the early Egyptian who fasted three days a month as
extremely healthy people. The Arab and Muslim physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
prescribed fasting for all ailments. The Nobel Prize winner Dr. Alexis Carrel
described important hidden phenomena in fasting when he said:
The sugar of
the liver and the fat
of the
subcutaneous deposits are mobilized,
and also the
proteins of the muscles and the glands.
All the organs
sacrifice their own substances in
order to
maintain blood, heart and brain in
a normal condition.
Fasting purifies and
profoundly
modifies our tissues.
We
Muslims are recommended to break our fast with dates or water. The Prophet said: “Break your fast with a
date, for it is blessing; if you have no date, then with water, for it is
pure.” According to late Dr. Anwar al-Mufti sweet liquid is absorbed by the
intestine in less than five minutes eliminating the symptom of sugar
deficiency; sugar in food is absorbed within three or four hours, so that the
symptom of sugar deficiency still remains in a person who breaks his fasting
with solids rather than sweet liquids as if one is still fasting. Dr. Allen
Scott said: ‘Water is a faster’s best friend. It facilitates the flushing or
toxins and waste materials that accumulate when fatty tissues are being
burned.’” Our beloved Prophet Muhammad had said thirteen centuries ago: صُوْمُوْا
تَصِحُّّوْا “Fast so that you will be healthy.”
27. FASTING IN ISLAM (2)
a.
The Meaning of صَوْم (Fasting)
The root-meaning of صوم is “to abstain (from doing something), to
stand still” (الصَّوْمُ لُغَةً:
الإمْسَاكُ وَ تَرْكُ التَّنَقُّلِ مِنْ حَالٍ إلىَ حَالٍ). It includes
being silent, as it is abstention from talking. The example from the Qur’ān is when Mary said:
إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ
إِنْسِيًّا
(مريم : ۲٦)
“I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most
Gracious,
and this day will I enter into
no talk with any human being.”[12]
When the wind stops blowing it is called doing
s.awm (الصَّوْمُ: رُكُوْدُ
الرِّيْحِ, وَهُوَ إمْسَاكُهَا عَنِ اْلهُبُوب). When the sun is at the zenith, the highest
point in the sky, it is called doing sawm,
as if it is standstill, not moving. In
Islamic law, s.awm means abstaining from those which will break the fast
from dawn to sunset.” (شَرْعًا: الإمْسَاكُ
عَنِ اْلمُفْطِرَاتِ مَعَ اقْتِرَانِ النِّيَّةِ بِهِ مِنْ طُلُوْعِ اْلفَجْرِ إِلىَ
غُرُوْبِ الشَّمْسِ).
Allah
says in the Qur’ān:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا
كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ
مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ. أَيَّامًا مَعْدُودَاتٍ فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضًا أَوْ
عَلَى سَفَرٍ
فَعِدَّةٌ
مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ فَمَنْ
تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا
فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ
لَهُ وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ.
(البقرة
: ۱٨٤)
“O ye who
believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as
it was prescribed to
those before you that ye may (learn)
self-restraint.
(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if
any of you is ill or
on a journey the prescribed number
(should be made up)
from days later. For those who can
do it (with hardship)
is a ransom the feeding of one that
is indigent.; but he
that will give more of his own free
will it is better for
him and it isbetter for you
Explanation
of the verse:
كَمَا كُتِبَ
عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ “ as it was prescribed to those
before you”
Several interpretations
are given by Qur’ānic commentators on this expression, among which are as
follows:
1. The similarity is in the time and
the quantity of fasting (وَقْتُ الصَّوْمِ وَقَدْرُالصَّوْم) according to al-Sha‘bī and Qatādah. Muh.āhid states that fasting in the month
of Ramad.ān was prescribed to every nation.
2. The similarity is in being
prescribed (التَّشْبِيْهُ رَاجِعٌ إلىَ أَصْلِ وُجُوْبِهِ)
, not in its time and nature.
3. The similarity is in the nature
of fasting, namely, the abstention from eating, drinking and sex until one is
asleep, according to al-Suddī, Abū ’l-‘Āliyah and al-Rabī‘.
This was later abrogated with the verse
that follows, namely,
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ
الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ (البقرة : ٨٧۱)
“Permitted to you on
the night of the fasts
is the approach to your wives…”[14]
4. The similarity is in the time and nature of fasting
in the beginning, namely, three days every month and the day of ‘Āshūrā’ (10th
of Muh.arram, from sunset to sunset),
according to Mu‘ādh bin Jabal. Then it was abrogated with the prescription of
fasting in the month of Ramad.ān, as
mentioned in the next verse, namely,
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ
الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآَنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ
...(البقرة :۱٨٥)
“Ramadan
is the( month) in which was sent down
فَمَنْ كَانَ
مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضًا “but if
any of you is ill…”
It means that a person
who cannot fast because of his illness he is allowed to abstain from fasting,
but if he can fast with hardship, he is recommended to abstain from fasting.
وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ
“For
those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom the feeding of one that
is indigent.”
According to Ibn ‘Abbās
it is a permission رُخْصة)) for old people,
pregnant and nursing women, if they are anxious about their babies, to abstain
from fasting, and feed a poor person (a day). According to Imām Mālik a woman
who is sick in pregnancy has to make up the fasting she is missing (without
feeding a poor person a day), whereas a woman who is sick in nursing has to
make up the missed fasting and to feed a poor person. According to al-Shāfi‘ī
and Ah.mad ibn H...anbal,
the sick and pregnant women have to make up their missed day of fasting as well
as to feed a poor person a day.
فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ “but
he that will give more of his own free will it is better for him”
Some interpretations of
this part of the verse:
1.
Feeding a poor person as well as fasting according to Ibn Shihāb.
2.
Increasing the food according to Mujāhid.
3.
Feeding another poor person according to Ibn ‘Abbās
وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ “and it is better for you that ye fast”
It means that
fasting is still better than breaking the fast by paying fidyah (redemption)
from the omission of fasting for travelling or non-serious sickness.
Then Allah said:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ
الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآَنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ
مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ
فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضًا
أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ
مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ
وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
(البقرة : ۱٨٥)
“The month of Ramadan
in which was sent down the Qur’an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for
guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So everyone of you who is
present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting but if
anyone is ill or on a journey the prescribed period (should be made up) by days
later. Allah intends every facility for you. He does not want to put you to difficulties.
(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period and
to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and
Names of the Months
The names of the months in Arabic are
originally taken from the time it occurred.
For example, Rabī‘(رَبِيْع) means “spring”.
مُحَرَّم (Muh.arram, 30 days) means “inviolable, cannot be violated”
as this month was one of the four month where the pre-Islamic Arabs stopped
fighting.
صَفَر (S.afar, 29 days) means “hunger,
emptiness”; the word cipher, صَفْر (s.afr) or صِفْر (s.ifr) means “zero”. It was the time
when the city of Mecca (Makkah) became vacant, because its people at this month
were travelling. It is also said that people in this month attacked other
tribes taking their possessions and making them empty-handed (صِفْرُ اْليَدَيْن)ِ , as they had nothing left. The two S.afars means Muh.a-rram
and S.afar.
رَبِيِيْعُ
الأوَّل (Rabī‘ al-Awwal, 30 days)
means “the first spring” and
الآخِر(الثَّانِي) رَبِيْعُ (Rabī‘ al-Ākhar, Rabī‘ al-Ākhir or Rabī‘ al-Thānī, 29 days) “the other
spring,” “the last spring” or “the second spring”
جُمَادَى
الأُوْلَى (Jumādā
‘l-Ūlā or Jumādī ’l-Awwal, 30 days) “the first freezing” month, and
(الثَّانِيَة) جُمَادَى
الآخِرَة (Jumādā ’l-ākhirah, Jumādī ’l-Ākhir or
Jumādī ’l-Thānī, 29 days) “the other freezing”,
“the last freezing” or “the second freezing” month. These two names of the two
months were given while water was freezing at that time.
رَجَب (Rajab, 30 days) The verb رَجَِبَ
رَجْبا وَ رُجُوْبًا means “to be ashamed, to be shy”. The word أَرْجَبَ الرَّجُلُ رَجْبًا وَ تَرْجِيْبًا
means هَابَهُ وَ عَظَّمَهُ “the man respects
and glorifies it (something)”, as this month of Rajab was glorified in
pre-Islamic Arabia (Jāhiliyyah period), they did not go to war in this month.
The expression “the two رَجَبْRajabs
means
Rajab and Sha‘bān.
شَعْبَان
(Sha‘bān, 29
days) means “scattered”. تَشَعَّبَ اْلقَوْمُ means “people
dispersed”. The word shu‘bah originally means “a group of people, فِرْقَة
”.
Now it means “section, division, department.” In this month the Arabs scattered
searching for water.
رَمَضَان (Ramad.ān, 30 days) is from the word الرَّمْضَاء (al-ramd.ā’),
meaning “the sun-baked ground”. The name was given to this month when it was so
hot that the ground became sun-baked. It is also said that in this month people
heat (sharpened) their weapons to fight with it in the month of Shawwāl before
the arrival of the inviolable months where fighting was not allowed by their
traditional law. These months were Dhu ’l-Qi‘dah, Dhu ’l-H...ijjah, Muh.arram and Rajab. Another
view says that in this month the sins will be heated (burned) with good deeds. Al-Māwardī said that the name of this month
in pre-Islamic time was Nāt.iq (نَاطِق).
شَوَّال
(Shawwāl, 29 days) was called so when the camels raised their
tails (لِشَوْلانِ
النَّاَقةِ بِذَنَبِهَا), probably, the
mating season.
ذُو
ْالقِعْدَة (Dhu ’l-Qi‘dah, 30 days)
(lit. “time for sitting down”), it was the time where the Arabs avoid
raiding, looking for supply and searching for pasture. It was the month of
relaxation.
ذُو
ْالحِجَّة (Dhu ’l-H...ijjah,
29 days) the month of pilgrimage. H...ajj had
been practised by the pagan Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia. Upon their return from
their travel, they did not go directly home and changed their clothes; instead,
they took them off, and went to make t.awāf
around the Ka‘bah, naked, at night. At the early period of Islam the Muslims
performed the h.ajj with
them but in Islamic way.
The meaning of
the verse:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآَنُ “The month of Ramadan in which was sent down the Qur’ān”
1.The month of Ramadan is the
month in which the Qur’ān was revealed.
2. (The month
in which you are enjoined to fast is) the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’ān
was revealed.
3. (It is
prescribed to you) the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’ān was revealed.
فَمَنْ شَهِدَ
مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ “So everyone of you
who is present (at his home) during that month.”
The word شَهِدَ means, “to see,
to witness” either with eyesight or with insight. The word الشَّهْر means “the month” not “the crescent” which is اْلهِلال
in Arabic. Therefore, the
verse means, if we just stop here, lit. “Whoever witness the month (of Ramadan)
with his insight” and in a better expression “whosoever is present in this
month.” However, in pre-Islamic poetry,
the word شَهْر
(month) could
also mean هِلال (crescent). An
unidentified poet says:
أَخَـوَانِ مِنْ نَجْـدٍ عَـلىَ ثِقَـةٍ * وَ
الشَّهْـرُ مِثُلُ قُلامَـةِ الظّفُـرِ
حَـتّى تَكَامَـلَ فِي ْاسـتِدَارَتِـهِ * فِي
أَرْبَـٍع زَادَتْ عَـلىَ عَشَـِر
"The
coming of two brothers from Najd is certain
when the crescent
[lit. ‘the month’] is like the cutting
of the nail until it becomes completely round
at the 14th (of the month)".
The Significance of Fasting
Al-Ghazālī
says that hunger produces the following
beneficial results: (a) Purification of the soul and illumination of the mind;
(b) the capacity to employ spiritual pleasures; (c) humility (d) remembrance of
the poor; (e) freedom from all sinful desires; (f) resistance to the temptation
to sleep, and a stimulus to vigils; (g) the affording opportunity for the
ritual of worship; (h) gaining physical health; (i) the reduction of expenses;
and (j) provision of means to feed the poor.
There are three levels of
fasting:
1. The fasting of the ‘awām, the common people:
abstaining from food and sexual passion.
2. The fasting of the khawās.,
the elect: abstaining from seeing, hearing, speaking, and committing sin with
hands, legs and the rest of the limbs.
3. The fasting of the khawās, al-khawās., the
elect of the elect: abstaining from bad
intention and from thinking of worldly things.
Ramad.ān in the month of patience (شَهْرُ
الصَّبْر), the month of self control: controlling
our emotion by avoiding bad intentions, controlling our tongue from saying bad
things, and controlling our actions from doing bad things. Junayd was asked
about patience. He said, “Swallowing
something bitter without wrinkling your face.” Dhū 'l-Nūn al-Mis.rī said: “Patience is avoiding what is against
religion, and being calm, not being upset or complaining in the face of
calamity, poverty and the hardship of life.” An unidentified poet says:
إذَا شَكَوْتَ إلىَ ابْنِ آدَمَ إنَّمَا * تَشْكِيْ
الرَّحِيْمَ عَلىَ الَّذِي لا يَرْحَمُ
“If you complain to the son of
Adam (i.e., a human being), you
actually complain to a non-mercufil against
the Merciful”
28. FASTING
AND HEALTH
Sometimes
we are in a situation where we are compelled to fast. For example, we are on a
journey and suddenly stranded in a foreign land and are short of food. Yet, we
survive. In winter 1963, two people survived from a plane crash on a
mountainside in Northern British Columbia in Canada. For over one month they lived
on water only without food. They had been very fat. When they were rescued 49 days after the
crash they were found in good condition.
In the animal kingdom, fasting, lack
of food, even famine are common. Yet,
the animals survive. They rarely die of starvation. The hibernating bear, for
example, without taking any food for
long periods, will give birth to her cub and secrete milk for her young. It is
said that the starfish may grow a new stomach, new tube feet and new arms while
fasting. The same with the salamandar. Without taking any food its lost tail
will grow a new one. In spite of temporal lack of food life continues in the animal world.
Fasting (الصَّوْم) is one of
the fundamentals of Islam. By showing our devotion to Allah in fasting, we get
spiritual and physical benefits from it.
Physicians throughout history hhave confirmed the truth of the
statement of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he said:
صُوْمُوْا تَصِحُّوْا (رواه الطبراني)
The Greek historian and traveler
Herodotus (484-420 B.C.) described the early Egyptians who fasted three days a
month as extremely healthy people. This type of fasting was prescribed in Islam
shortly after the Prophet's emigration from Mecca to Madinah. Allah says: "O
ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those
before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint, - (Fasting) for a fixed number of
days;..." [18]
"A fixed number of days" means three days a month. [19]
This type of fasting was later replaced with the fasting in the month of
Ramadan. Allah says: "Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the
Qur’ān, as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for
guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his
home) during that month should spend it in fasting,..."[20]
The Muslim
physician and philosopher Ibn Sina (Avicenna, 980-1037 C.E.) was said to have
prescribed fasting for all ailments. Fasting has been used in the treatment of
patients suffering from metabolic disorders, allergic diseases, skin diseases,
asthma, etc., in clinics and sanitariums in Switzerland, France, Russia, India,
and Germany since the mid-19th century. Dr. Edward Dewey wrote a century ago:
"I
contend that during illness feeding
becomes a burden to the sick. It uses
energy that
otherwise
would be used to fight illness."
The French Noble Prize winner in 1912,
Dr. Alexis Carrel (1837-1944 C.E.) described the important phenomena in fasting
when he said:
"The
sugar of the liver and
the fat of subcutaneous deposits are
mobilized, also the proteins of the
muscles
and the glands. All the organs
sacrifice their
own substances in order to maintain
blood,
heart and brain in a normal condition.
Fasting purifies and profoundly
modifies
our tissues."
Among the
27 benefits of fasting mentioned by Dr. Allan Cott in his Fasting: the
Ultimate Diet are to lose weight, to give the whole system a rest, to clean
out the body, to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, to cut down on
smoking and drinking, to let the body heal itself, to relief tension, to sleep
better, to digest food better, to regulate bowels, to learn better eating
habits, and to slow the aging process.
In the animal world animals use
nature's way to heal themselves. When they are ill, they find a quiet place
where they rest and stop eating. Even domesticated animals such as cats and
dogs and even "dumb" cows are smart enough to stop eating when they
are ill. By fasting the animal creates within its body a biochemical state which
help it to quick recovery. But man acts on the opposite direction of the animal
law when he is ill. Man and only man who persists and insists in eating when he
is ill, although his body rejects food, when sweets taste bitter, and even when
he has no appetite.
An article in the Health
magazine stated that if the average person were to fast one day out of every
week for the whole year "he would be no older in body at the year's end
than in the beginning." In other words, although his chronological age continues,
his physical age stops with fasting. This is very good news for us Muslims. If
we fast every Monday or every Thursday, or every Monday and Thursday of the
week as recommended by our religion, we shall not only get reward from Allah,
but also slow the process of our aging.
Prof. C.M. Child of the University of
Chicago reveals in his over fifteen years of research on aging in animals that
periodic fasting is generally conductive to rejuvenescence. He found that in
certain species of insects, insects with abundant food live in three to four
weeks. But if the food is greatly reduced or the insects are forced to fast,
they may continue to be active and young for at least three years. This
statement reminds us of the swarm of locusts that suddenly appeared and
multiplied in millions and devastating crops in Africa and Asia, but suddenly
disappeared. Why? Being overfed, they killed themselves by eating too much.
However, some were not overfed, and therefore, were not completely destroyed,
and had chance to survive longer and to breed and to threaten us again in the
future. Overeating is dangerous, but fasting could maintain your health. Let us
learn from nature. Nature is a book, and
to read it nobody is illiterate.
Fasting is not starving. It takes a
long fast to come to starvation. Doctors
say that man can survive without food for several weeks, but can survive
without water for about three days only. However, an exception did occur when a
baby was reported to have survived miraculously after being trapped in a
collapsed building for one week in Mexico city when this city was being
devastated by earthquake in 1985. Abstaining from water in 18 or even 19 hours
of fasting in summer for Muslim people living near the northern or the southern
pole is only one-fourth on the length of time that can cause death from
starvation. Even if they fast without having their suhur (pre-dawn meal)
and fast 24 hours, this is still only one-third of the length of time that can
cause them die of starvation. Therefore, fasting on the longest day of Ramadan
in summer is far from being dangerous to healthy people. Allah Himself says:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا (البقرة : ٨٦۲)
In order
to make fasting easier, the Prophet recommends us to have our pre-dawn meal (suh.ūr). Mālik b. Anas reported the Prophet said: "Have your
pre-dawn meal for it is blessing." He also recommends us to break our
fasting with dates or water. He said: "Break your fast with dates, for
they are a blessing; if you do not have dates, then with water, for it is
pure." The late Dr. Anwar al-Muftī
gives us his comment on the last h.adīth, saying
that sweet liquid is absorbed by the intestines in less than five minutes,
eliminating the symptom of sugar deficiency in a short time; sugar in food is
absorbed within three or four hours, so that the symptom of sugar deficiency
still remains in a person who breaks his fasting with solids rather than sweet
liquids as if one is still fasting.
We have one teaspoonful of sugar in
our blood. If the amount of sugar in our blood increases, we may have sugar
problem, diabetes, namely, the pancreas cannot properly absorb sugar and
starchy foods. If the amount is reduced a little, we may feel tired, but if it
is reduced to half, we shall lose consciousness. This is the importance of
sugar. The fastest way of supplying our blood with sugar is by drinking sweet
liquids, and the best sweet liquid for our blood is honey. It is because honey
contains 40 % dextrose which is quickly absorbed into our blood, and 34 %
levulose which is slowly absorbed into our blood, so that with honey the supply
of sugar into our blood lasts longer.
With regard to the benefit of water
for breaking the fast, Dr. Allan Cott said: "Water is the faster's best
friend. It facilitates the flushing of toxins and waste materials that
accumulate when fatty tissues are being 'burned.'"
Wild animals know by instinct how to
live, what to eat and drink. But man, the most intelligent being on earth, eats
the food that is most difficult to digest and drink unhealthy,
"poisonous" drinks. The caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, and soft
drinks like coca-cola, and the nicotine in tobacco are all "poisons,"
not the lethal poisons that kill instantly, but the legal ones. They are
stimulants that just tickle our body. When our body cries for sleep and rest,
instead of giving what it wants, we say: "No, this is no time for sleep
and rest." So, we take these stimulants and feel "fresh" again,
an artificial freshness. Stimulating our nervous system the caffeine makes us
feel more awake and encourages activity and conversation. And we do this everyday
throughout our lives. No wonder if man does not live long enough and reach
easily the age of 100 years.
The animal's minimum life span is said
to be five times the period required for it to mature. For example, the chicken
matures at the age of six months, easily lives to be two and a half years old;
the dog matures at the age of one, easily lives to be five; the calf matures at
two, easily lives to be twelve; the horse matures at four, easily lives to be
twenty. Man matures at the age of twenty, and is supposed to be able to live
easily to be one hundred years old, but, alas, at the age of sixty he has
already become semi-invalid.
Fasting is the key to health. It
purifies every cell in our body. Fourteen centuries ago our beloved Prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) had said: "Fast, so that you will be healthy."
May this little information be helpful
in strengthening our faith and heightening our spirit in performing the
obligatory fasting in this holy month of Ramadan as well as the recommended
fasting on other days of the year, amin!!!
29. ‘ĪD AL-FIT.R
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر (9 مرات)
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيْرًا
وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ كَثِيْرًا وَ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وَ أَصِيْلًا.
الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِيْ جَعَلَ الْيَوْمَ
عِيْدًا لِعِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَخَتَمَ بِهِ شَهْرَ الصِّيَامِ لِلْمُخْلِصِيْنَ
وَ جَعَلَ فِيْ طَاعَتِهَِ عِزَّ الدُّنْيَا وَ اْلآخِرَةِ لِلطَّائِعِيْنَ وَ فِيْ
مَعْصِيَتِهِ ذُلُّ الدَّارَيْنِ ِللْعَاصِيْنَ.
أَْشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إلَهَ
إلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ صَدَقَ وَعْدَهُ وَ نَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ وَ أَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ وَ هَزَمَ
اْلأحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ.
وَ أشْهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَ
رَسُوْلُهُ اْلمَشْهُوْرُ بِفَطَانَتِهِ وَ أمَانَتِهِ وَ صِدْقِهِ وَ تَبْلِيْغِهِ.
صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ أجْمَعِيْن.
Brothers
and sisters in Islam:
Today
is ‘Īd al-Fit.r, the feast day of fast
breaking, celebrated by Muslims all over the world as a sign of thanks and
appreciation to Allah Who gave them the ability to endure hunger and thirst for
His sake alone. Today is the day of
happiness and therefore we shall make other people happy: our children, our
spouses, our brothers and sisters, our parents, our relatives, friends,
neighbours, any Muslim. To those who fast out of faith Allah will forgive their
sins, minor sins. With regard to major sins, such as killing and drinking
alcohol, one has to repent to Allah in order to be forgiven.
Brothers and sisters in Islam
To
err is human, nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Some-times we hurt other
people’s feelings, intentionally or unintentionally. We might have quarreled,
fought and resented each other. This is the time for forgiving each other, for
the sake of keeping the unity among us and strengthening our relations. This is
the time to erase any bad feeling among us. Without doing this we are not going
to be happy on this day, we are just pretending to be happy.
Let
us take away from us any idea of revenge. The Prophet as our model never took
revenge for himself. He did not revenge for the killing of his uncle by
al-Wahshi. After the death of the Prophet, al-Wah.shī
killed Musaylimah who claimed to be a prophet at the battle of Yamamah. Al- Wah.shī then said: “I have killed the best
man (meaning the Prophet’s uncle Hamzah) and the worst man (meaning
Musaylimah). Listen to the following h.adīth:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ
مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَا
أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَنْ يَحْرُمُ عَلَى النَّارِ أَوْ بِمَنْ
تَحْرُمُ عَلَيْهِ النَّارُ عَلَى كُلِّ
قَرِيبٍ هَيِّنٍ سَهْلٍ
(رواه
الترمذي).
“It was narrated by Ibn Mas‘ūd, may Allah
be
pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of
Allah
said: Shall I tell you the thing which is prohibited
from
Hellfire, or the person who is prohibited from
Hellfire?
It is prohibited to every simple,
In another tradition the Prophet said:
“There are three kinds of persons who are decreed to enter Heaven: the just
ruler, the compas-sionate tender-hearted person, and the modest and honest
person.” Isolating oneself from the community because of one’s inability to
stand other people’s wrongdoing is not recommended by the Prophet. Listen to
the following tradition:
عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الَّذِي يُخَالِطُ
النَّاسَ وَيَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا مِنْ
الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لَا يُخَالِطُ النَّاسَ
وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ
(رواه ابن ماجة وأحمد والبيهقي
والطبراني)
“It is narrated by Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet
said:
‘The Muslim who mingles with people and
is patient
with
their wrong-doings has more recompense than a Muslim
who
does not mingle with people because he cannot
Brothers and
sisters in Islam:
Whoever
among you is able to fast six days after Ramad.ān, let him
do it, for the Prophet said that those who do it will have the reward of
fasting the whole year. As the reward of one good deed is ten-fold, the reward
of 36 (or 35) days of fasting is that of 360 (or 350) days of fasting, namely,
one year.
Let
us celebrate this day with full of joy and happiness by forgiving each other
and visiting each other. Visit the Muslims whom you have not visited.
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر , لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَر , اللهُ أَكْبَر وَ لِلّهِ اْلحَمْد
(THE SECOND KHUT.BAH)
اللهُ
أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر (9 مرات)
لا إلَهَ
إلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ صَدَقَ وَعْدَهُ وَ نَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ وَ أَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ وَ هَزَمَ
اْلأحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ.
لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَ لا نَعْبُدُ إلاّ إيَّاهُ
مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّْينَ وَ لَوْ كَرِهَ اْلكَافِرُوْن.
نَحْمَدُ اللهَ حَقَّ
حَمْدِهِ وَ نَشْكُرُهُ حَقَّ شُكْرِهِ.
أَْشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إلَهَ
إلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَ أَشْهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُوْلُهُ.
Brothers and sisters in Islam:
Let
us forgive each other and shake hands.
Now let us pray together:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
وَ اْلمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَ اْلمُسْلِمَاتِ ْالأحْيَاءِ مِنْهُمْ وِ ْالأمْوَات.
رَبَّنَا آَتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا
عَذَابَ النَّارِ.
(You can cite any other du‘a you
know or remember, even in English or other language understood by the
congregation). Then conclude the khut.bah with
the following takbir, i.e., glorification of Allah, but it is only
optional).
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر, لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَر , اللهُ أَكْبَر وَ لِلّهِ اْلحَمْد
30. ‘ĪD AL-AD.HYĀ
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر (9 مرات)
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ
الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِيْ جَعَلَ الْيَوْمَ
عِيْدًا لِلِمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَ جَعَلَ عِبَادَةَ
الْحَجِّ وَعِيْدَ الأضْحَى مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللهِ
وَإحْيَائِهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى ْ اْلقُلُوْبِ.
أَْشْهَدُ
أَنْ لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَ أَشْهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا
عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُوْلُهُ اْلمَبْعُوْثُ رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِيْنَ بَشِيْرًا وَ نَذِيْرًا
وَ دَاعِيَا إلىَ اللهِ وَ سِرَاجًا مٌُنِيْرًا.
أَعُوْذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ . بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ . وَمَنْ يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ
اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ
Brothers
and sisters in Islam
Today
we are celebrating ‘Īd al-Ad.h.ā, the Feast of Sacrifice. Two
important events occur on this day. The fist is that Muslims in various parts
of the world are performing their pilgrimage a Mecca. It is an international
convention for mankind where over two million people get together in one place
at one time once a year. They come irrespective of their colour, nationality,
social status or language. It is a journey where you can see your brothers and
sisters in faith coming from every corner of the world. It is the most
significant journey for a Muslim, as Qbū Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet
said:
الْحَجُّ
الْمَبْرُورُ لَيْسَ لَهُ جَزَاءٌ إِلَّا الْجَنَّةُ
(رواه أحمد و البيهقي و
الطبراني)
“The reward of accepted
pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
is a kind of jihād. A tradition
runs as follows:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ
اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تُرَى الْجِهَادَ أَفْضَلَ
الْعَمَلِ أَفَلَا نُجَاهِدُ
قَالَ لَكِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْجِهَادِ حَجٌّ
مَبْرُورٌ
(رواه البخاري و البيهقي)
“‘Ā’ishah, may
Allah be pleased with her,
said: I
said ‘O Messenger of Allah, since jihād
is
the best work, why don’t we (women) go for
the
jihād?’ He replied: ‘But the best
The second event is that Muslims all
over the world go to the mosque or the field to perform the ‘Id al-Adha prayer
and listen to the khut.bah (sermon).
اللهُ
أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر
When Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm,
p.b.u.h.) became old and still had no son, his wife Sarah permitted him to
marry his servant Hajar. From Hajar, Ishmael (Ismā‘īl) was born. The Old
Testament said that Abraham was 86 years old at that time. Fourteen years
later, Isaac (Ish.āq) was born
from Sarah. Before Isaac was born Allah had ordered Prophet Abraham through a
dream to sacrifice his only son Ishmael. It is mentioned in the Qur’ān as
follows:
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى
فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ
فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ
مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ
شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ. فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ. وَنَادَيْنَاهُ
أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ. قَدْ
صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ.
إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ
الْمُبِينُ. وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
(الصافات:
۲٠۱
- ۱٠٧)
“Then, when (the son) reached (the age of)
(serious) work
with him, he
said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I
offer thee in
sacrifice: now see what is thy view!’
(The son) said:
‘O my father!
Do as thou art commanded: Thou will find me, if Allah so wills one of the
steadfast.’ So when they had both
submitted (to Allah) and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for
sacrifice) We called out to him, ‘O Abraham!
Thou hast already fulfilled the dream!
Thus indeed do We reward
those who do right. For this was a clear trial—and
Satan
had tried to persuade Prophet Abraham to disobey Allah, not to sacrifice his
son, but Prophet Abraham was firm in his decision to obey Allah. He threw
stones at Satan. Following this example of not listening to Satan and obeying
Allah completely, even to sacrifice one’s own son, Muslims at Mina threw
pebbles at stones symbolizing Satan in three places where Satan appeared to
Prophet Abraham.
This
is the Qur’ānic version which we believe. The other version is that of the Old
Testament. In Genesis 16:16 it is said: “And Abraham was fourscore and six
years (namely, 86 years) old when Hajar bare Ishmael to Abraham.” In the
Genesis 21:5 it is said “And Abraham was an hundred years old when his son
Isaac was born unto him.” This is comfirmed with Genesis 17:24-25 in which it
is stated that Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham was ninety-nine.
Notice the difference between those two verses: In the first verse it is
mentioned “Hajar bare Ishmael to him,” namely his son through implication, not
explicitly, while in the other verse it is said ”his son Isaac was born” where
Isaac is mentioned explicitly the son of Abraham. From these two Biblical
verses we also learn that Ishmael was fourteen years older than his younger
brother Isaac. But Genesis chapter 22 that mentions this story said in verse as
follows: ‘[God told Abraham]: Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and get thee into land of Moriah.” This verse implies, either Prophet
Abraham had one son only (Isaac) whom he loved, which is contradictory to the
previous verse,[27]
or he had another son (Ishmael) but he loved Isaac only, an attitude which should
not be attributed to a great prophet of
Allah who was a model to his people. Moreover, Ishmael was the answer of
Prophet Abraham’s prayer for a son. He
prayed:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ. فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ
(الصافات
:۱٠٠
-۱٠۱)
“O my Lord! Grant me a
righteous (son).
So We gave him the good new
It is unthinkable that a chosen person like
Prophet Abraham did not love his righteous and forbearing son Ishmael. He took
his baby Ishmael and wife Hajar to the valley of Mecca, not because he did not
love them, but because it was the command of Allah.
Prophet Abraham showed his happiness
and gratitude to Allah for having two sons, as mentioned in the Qur’ān,
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ
وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ
(إبراهيم : ٣٩)
. “Praise
be to Allah, Who hath granted
unto me in old age
Isma‘il and Isaac: for truly my
Lord is He, the Hearer of prayer.”[29]
He
also prayed for himself and his offspring, as follows
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا
وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ
(إبراهيم : ٤٠)
“O my Lord! Make me one who
establishes regular
prayer, and also (raise such) among my
offspring.
In
Mecca Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael built the foundation of the
Ka‘bah. Allah says:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ
الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا
إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ.
رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً
لَكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا
وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ. رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ
فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو
عَلَيْهِمْ آَيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ
وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ
إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
(البقرة
: ۱۲٧-۱۲٩)
“And remember Abraham and
Isma‘il raised
the foundations of the House (with this
prayer): ‘O our Lord!
Accept (this service) from us: for Thou art the All-Hearing,
the All-Knowing. Our Lord! Make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy
(will); and show us our places for the
celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us
(in mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Relenting, Most Merciful. Our
Lord! Send amongst them a messenger of their
own, who
shall rehearse Thy signs to them and instruct
them in
scripture and wisdom, and purify them: for
This prayer was accepted with the
advent of Prophet Muhammad who said, as narrated by Abū Ummamah,
دَعْوَةُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبُشْرَى عِيسَى (رواه أحمد و البيهقي و
الطبراني)
“(I am the answer of) the prayer of my
forefather
Unlike the
Qur’ānic version where Prophet Abraham told his son Ishmael about his dream
and, Genesis chapter 22 says that Abraham did not tell his son Isaac that God
wanted him to be sacrificed. He kept it secret when Isaac asked: “… but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering…”[33]
He did not tell his son Isaac that
God wanted him to be sacrificed, and did not ask his view. Isaac knew only that
he was “the lamb” to be sacrificed when he was bound as mentioned in Genesis
22:9.
As
mentioned in the Qur’ān, Ishmael was consulted, informed that he was to be
sacrificed by the command of Allah. He told his father: “Do as you are
commanded, I shall be patient”. He was not bound. Both the father and the son
were obeying Allah’s command, a tremendous test for both. A man approaching his 100 years longed for a
son, but when he was blessed with a son, an only son, he had to sacrifice him.
Following
the example of Prophet Abraham we Muslims perform the pilgrimage at Mecca, we
throw pebbles at the stone pillars symbolizing Satan and sacrifice a lamb at
Mina near Mecca. The ritual is much easier than what Prophet Abraham and
Ishmael had gone through.
(THE SECOND KHUT.BAH)
اللهُ أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر, لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَر , اللهُ أَكْبَر وَ لِلّهِ اْلحَمْد
الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ
اْلعَالَمِيْنَ. وَ الصَّلاةُ وَ السَّلامُ
عَلىَ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ, سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلىَ آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ
أَجْمَعِيْنِ.
أمَّا بَعْـُـد
Brothers and sisters
in Islam
Satan
always tries to lead us away from the right way and from obeying Allah. Allah says:
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا
(فاطر: ٦)
“Verily Satan is an enemy to you:
There
are two kinds of Satan: Satan which we cannot see, among the jinn
(genie); the other is Satan from among human beings. They whisper to man’s
heart to do bad things.
There
is a story of a pious scholar who was lying on his deathbed and was surrounded
by his disciples. They asked him to say the shahādah, namely, lā ilāha illallāh, muhammadun rasūlullah
(“there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”), as a
Muslim is recommended to say. But the scholar said, “No, I won’t.” The
disciples started doubting the piety of their teacher who was
semi-conscious. Suddenly, he became
conscious and asked: “Did anything happen?”
They said, “yes” and told him what happened. He said: “This is the work
of Satan. As he could not deceive me, he was trying to deceive you and make you
doubt of my teaching. When you asked me to say the shahādah at the same
time Satan asked me to say that there are two gods (meaning god of light and
that of darkness). I told Satan ‘No, I
won’t,’ I was not talking to you.
In
a tradition narrated by H...udhayfah b. al-Yamān the Prophet said:
يَكُونُ بَعْدِي أَئِمَّةٌ لَا
يَهْتَدُونَ بِهُدَايَ وَلَا يَسْتَنُّونَ
بِسُنَّتِي وَسَيَقُومُ فِيهِمْ رِجَالٌ قُلُوبُهُمْ قُلُوبُ
الشَّيَاطِينِ فِي جُثْمَانِ إِنْسٍ
(رواه مسلم)
“After me there will be people who do not follow
my way and guidance, and there will be people
who have
In
another tradition Abī Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said:
يَخْرُجُ
فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ رِجَالٌ يَخْتِلُونَ الدُّنْيَا
بِالدِّينِ يَلْبَسُونَ لِلنَّاسِ
جُلُودَ الضَّأْنِ مِنْ اللِّينِ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ أَحْلَى
مِنْ السُّكَّرِ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ
قُلُوبُ الذِّئَابِ
(رواه الترمذي)
“At the end of time there will be crooked
people, wearing the skin of goat in tenderness,
having tongues sweeter than sugar,
Let us be careful so that Satan
would not be able to lead us away from the right path, and let us make of
supplication together.
أَللّّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ
لِلْمٌسْلِمِيْنَ وَ اْلمُسْلِمَاتِ وَ اْلمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَ اْلمُؤْمِنَاتِ اْلأَحْيَاءِ
مِنْهثمْ وَ اْلأَمْوَاتِ, إنَّكَ سَمِيْعٌ قَرِيْبٌ مُجِيْبُ الدَّعَوَاتِ وَ قَاضِيُ
الْحَاجَات.
رَبَّنَا
آَتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
(You can cite any supplication you know, even in English or the
language known by the majority of the members of the congregation)
اللهُ
أَكْبَر اللهُ أَكْبَر
اللهُ أَكْبَر, لا إلَهَ إلاّ اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَر , اللهُ أَكْبَر وَ لِلّهِ اْلحَمْد
بِسْمِ
اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
أَلْحَمْدُ ِللهِ رَبِّ
اْلعَالمَيِنْ, وَالصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلىَ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْن, سَيِّدِنَا
مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِيْن. أَمَّا بَعْد : Brothers and sisters in Islam,
Today one of our lucky brothers and
our lucky sisters are proclaiming their intention to end their solitary
lives. Br. … and Sr. … are lucky
because they have finally found each other.
Br. … and Sr. ..., you are lucky to
find what is called “the life companion” (شَرِيْكُ
الْحَيَاةِ وَ شَرِيْكَةُ الْحَيَاة) You are lucky
to find your other half. You are lucky for yoAu are going to fulfil the other
half of your religion. Anas b. Mālik
narrated that Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said,
إذَا تَزَوَّجَ اْلعَبْدُ
فَقَدَ كَمُلَ نِصْفُ الدِّيْنِ ،
فَلْيَتَّقِ اللهَ فِي النِّصْفِ ْالبَاقِيْ.
(رواه البيهقي)
“If the servant (of Allah) gets married, half of
his
religion is completed;
then he should
No matter how
hard one practices Islam, without marriage one cannot make it complete. You see
how important marriage is for a Muslim?
Through marriage you are expected to
have children. Having children is an investment. How? By raising your children
properly and in Islamic way they will be expected to pray for you when you die,
and their prayer will be accepted by Allah.
In one tradition narrated by Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet says:
إِذَا مَاتَ اِبْن آدَمَ اِنْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ. صَدَقَةٌ جَارِيَةٌ
أَوْ عِلْمٌ يُنْتَفَعُ
بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٌ صَالِحٌ يَدْعُو لَهُ.
(رواه مسلم)
“When the son of Adam dies his deed ceased
except in three things: perpetual
charity, knowledge
from which people get benefit, or a pious
son
This decision you are taking is one of
the most important events in your lives. If you see a person more handsome or
more beautiful, do not be tempted by Satan into saying that you should have
married that person. No! One does not marry for beauty alone. One marries
personality, character, and now you have found someone you have already
trusted, loved, and respected.
In Indonesia we have a proverb saying
“Open your eyes before marriage, and after marriage close your eyes.” It means,
before marriage you can look around and try to find the right person. Once you
have found her, close your eyes for other girls.
It is sad to know that one-third of
all marriages in North America [as well as in Australia] end with divorce.
Although it is permitted in Islam, divorce is discouraged. Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrated that Prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said:
أَبْغَضُ الْحَلَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الطَّلَاقُ
(رواه أبوداؤد
وابن ماجة والبيهقي)
“The most detested
permitted thing
Now,
why are there so many divorces? There are many factors. One of them is the lack
of mutual understanding. A person you think you have known very well before
marriage suddenly becomes a stranger after marriage. If your wife does not
work, but stays at home as a housewife, this does not mean that she just stays
at home without doing anything. Therefore, do not be surprised to find your
wife tired of working. The following stories may explain my point:
A
businessman, as usual, came to his office in the morning. He was busy reading a
newspaper. In the afternoon he called his secretary to whom he dictated a
letter. His wife at home was working hard cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the
house and many other tasks until she became tired. In the evening her husband
came and found her tired. He said to her: “It is unfair! I am the one who
works, and you are the one who is tired.” His wife said: “Yes, it is unfair,
indeed!” What she means is that although she works hard but because she is not
paid, she is considered doing nothing.
A
couple went to a marital counselor for advice. They were complaining against
each other. The husband claimed that he worked hard in his office while his
wife did not do her work well at home. His wife claimed that housework is very
hard, harder than her husband’s work in the office. Each claimed to have harder
job. The marital counselor suggested to exchange jobs: the wife to go to her
husband’s office and the husband to stay at home cooking, baby sitting, washing
dishes and cleaning the house. Amazingly, both the husband and the wife
rejected the idea. They knew that each
of them had hard work.
Brothers and
sisters
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ
الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ
وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ.
(يس:
٣٦)
“Glory to Allah, who created in pairs all
things that the earth produces, aswell as
their
own (human) kind and (other) things of which
they have no knowledge.” [40]
Allah created human beings in pairs:
man and woman, identical, yet different, and none of them is more human than
the other. It is said that men follow reason, while women follow intuition.
They are more often right than men in spite of men’s research and fact finding.
“In sailing the matrimonial bark,” said Dr. Peck in his book Life with Women
and How to Survive It, “always point the ship in the direction you do not
want to go.”[41] What he means is that your spouse will argue
with you and will point to another direction. Once she points to the direction
you want to go, then agree, or least, you will not go where you really do not
want to go.
Husband
and wife relationship is metaphorically portrayed in the Qur’ān as a garment to
each other:
هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ
لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ (البقرة: ۱٨٧)
It means that, they are fitting to
each other as a garment to the body.
Like garments which are for show and concealment, they are each other’s show and concealment. They conceal
each other’s secret, (except for consultation, such as to a marital councelor
for solving any marital problem). They support, comfort and protect each other.
Our garments protect us from hot and cold temprature, and our spouses protect
us from commiting indecency and immorality.
It
is oftenly said that for men, love is only a small part of their lives. For
women, it is their whole lives. How? Men go to work and become busy, so busy
that they do not remember their wives at home. For women at home, they remember
their husbands most of the time. They cook for their husbands, and so they
remember them. They wash their husbands’ clothes and so they remember them.
Everything at home will remind them of their husbands. However, nowadays, women
also work, especially if they work full time, there is possible danger of
neglecting their husbands. Harmonious marriage life is much better than wealth
that could become a threat to this peaceful life.
Allah
created men and women with their pluses and minuses. Men have stronger muscles,
are usually taller and have bigger brains. This does not mean that men are more
intelligent than women. Cows have even bigger brains. Men are created to be the
protectors of their family. That is why they are created with stronger muscles
and bigger brains, to act more reasonably rather than following their emotion
and intuition. In general men choose women, but women choose men among those
who choose them.
But
women in general are healthier than men, although apparently women see the
physicians more than men, probably for general checkup. They live longer statistically, probably
because their natural hormones, the estrogens, seem to protect them from the
most common form of heart disease. Their response to stress chemically and
behaviourally is different from that of men.
At
birth and in infancy male babies who are born dead are more than female ones.
In the first month of their lives thirty percent of male babies die more than
female ones. It is said that thirty percent of major birth defects are related
to males. Why? Because male babies have to go through more elaborate
transformation in the womb. More things can go wrong with them than with female
babies.
The
slightest brain damage occurring during or after birth often affect the
behaviour and language skills of the baby boys in the left hemisphere of their
brains. Therefore, they are four or five times more likely to suffer from
language disorders and disabilities than girls. They are more likely to suffer
difficulty learning to talk than girls (5 to 1), and with reading and writing
(4 to 1). We have just heard (in 1988 in Edmonton) from the radio and watched
on TV a two year old girl saved the life of her baby-sitter who suddenly became
unconscious. The little girl tried to call the telephone operator. The operator
tried to locate the house from which she was calling, then called the police
and the ambulance.
In
any community or nation violent crime are mostly committed by men rather than
women. Apart from their environment, they have most probably something wrong
with the left hemisphere of their brains, which governs their behaviour.
Another
disadvantage of men but an advantage for women is that men are less resistant
to disease than women, and therefore, as mentioned earlier, are healthier. When
a woman became pregnant, she has to defend and support the fetus, not to reject
or destroy it. In the meantime she has to defend herself against infection.
Therefore, she must have inherited an extremely sophisticated immune system
more than man. But this advantage for women could turn into disadvantage. This
sophisticated immune system sometimes becomes over-efficient or over-active and
attacks the body it is supposed to protect. Therefore, women suffer from
certain auto immune disease more than men do.
In conclusion, there are pluses and
minuses, advantages and disadvantages making us complementary and necessary to
one another. Neither is better, neither
is worse. They are equal although not the same.
Allah has no preference in matter of gender, either male or female. He
says:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى وَهُوَ
مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً
وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
(النحل: ٩٧)
“Whoever works righteousness, man or
woman, and has faith, verily, to him will We
give
a life that is good and pure, and We will
bestow
on such their reward according to the
best of their actions.” [43]
In one
tradition narrated by Abū Hurayrah the Prophet says:
إنَّ اللهَ
لا يَنْظُرُ إلَى أَجْسَامِكُمْ وَلَا إلىَ صُوَرِكُمْ وَلكِنْ يَنْظُرُ
إلىَ قُلُوْبِكُمِ [ وَأَشَارَ
بِأَصَاِبعِهِ إلىَ صَدِرْه ]
(رواه مسلم)
“Allah
does not look at your body nor your
appearance, but He looks at your heart
Now let us pray for the (future) bride and
groom, may Allah bless their marriage and give them happy and harmonious life.
[Any prayer for the prosperity of both
the bride and bridegroom can be cited together].
*****
تم الكتاب و
لله الحمد و الشّكر
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more copies and other writings
please
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http://www.muhamine.blogspot.com
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