All that we know about these people is what Almighty
Allah has told us in the Glorious Quran: And put forward to them a similitude;
the (story of the) dwellers of the town. It is said that the town was Antioch
(Antakiya), when there came Messengers to them.
When We sent them 2 Messengers, they belied them
both, so We reinforced them with a third, and they said: "Verily! We have
been sent to you as Messengers."
They (people of the town) said: "You are only
human beings like ourselves and the Most Beneficent (Allah) has revealed
nothing, you are only telling lies."
The Messengers said: "Our Lord knows that we
have been sent as Messengers to you, - And our duty is only to convey plainly
(the Message)."
They (people) said: "For us, we see an evil
omen from you, if you cease not, we will surely stone you, and a painful
torment will touch you from us."
13: And set out to them an example of the people of
the town, when the messengers came to it.
14: When We sent to them two, they rejected both of
them, then We strengthened (them) with a third, so they said: Surely we are
messengers to you.
15: They said: You are naught but mortals like
ourselves, nor has the Beneficent Allah revealed anything; you only lie.
16: They said: Our Lord knows that we are most
surely messengers to you.
17: And nothing devolves on us but a clear
deliverance (of the message).
18: They said: Surely we augur evil from you; if you
do not desist, we will certainly stone you, and there shall certainly afflict
vou a painful chastisement from us.
19 :They said: Your evil fortune is with you; what!
if you are reminded! Nay, you are an extravagant people.
Surah 36: 13-19
The Believing Man . . .
And there came running from the farthest part of the
town, a man, saying: "0 my people! Obey the Messengers; obey those who ask
no wages of you (for themselves), and who are rightly guided. And why should I
not worship Him (Allah Alone) Who has created me and to Whom you shall be
returned. Shall I take besides Him aliah (gods), if the Most Beneficent (Allah)
intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use whatsoever, nor can
they save me? Then verily, I should be in plain error. Verily! I have believed
in your Lord, so listen to me!"
It was said (to him when the disbelievers killed
him). "Enter Paradise."
20: And from the remote part of the city there came
a man running, he said: O my people! follow the messengers;
21: Follow him who does not ask you for reward, and
they are the followers of the right course;
22: And what reason have I that I should not serve
Him Who brought me into existence? And to Him you shall be brought back;
23: What! shall I take besides Him gods whose
intercession, If the Beneficent Allah should desire to afflict me with a harm,
shall not avail me aught, nor shall they be able to deliver me?
24: In that case I shall most surely be in clear
error:
25: Surely I believe in your Lord, therefore hear
me.
26: It was said: Enter the garden. He said: O would
that my people had known
27: Of that on account of which my Lord has forgiven
me and made me of the honored ones!
Surah 36: 20-27
The Punishment . . .
And We sent not
against his people after him (the man) a host from heaven, nor do We send (such
a thing). It was but one shout and lo! They (all) were silent (dead-destroyed).
28: And We did not send down upon his people after
him any hosts from heaven, nor do We ever send down.
29: It was naught but a single cry, and lo! they
were still.
30: Alas for the servants! there comes not to them
an messenger but they mock at him.
31: Do they not consider how many of the generations
have We destroyed before them, because they do not turn to them?
Surah 36: 28-31
The Prophet's Message . . .
All that we know about these people is what Almighty
Allah has told us in the Glorious Quran: And put forward to them a similitude;
the (story of the) dwellers of the town. It is said that the town was Antioch
(Antakiya), when there came Messengers to them.
When We sent them 2 Messengers, they belied them
both, so We reinforced them with a third, and they said: "Verily! We have
been sent to you as Messengers."
They (people of the town) said: "You are only
human beings like ourselves and the Most Beneficent (Allah) has revealed
nothing, you are only telling lies."
The Messengers said: "Our Lord knows that we
have been sent as Messengers to you, - And our duty is only to convey plainly
(the Message)."
13: And set out to them an example of the people of
the town, when the messengers came to it.
14: When We sent to them two, they rejected both of
them, then We strengthened (them) with a third, so they said: Surely we are
messengers to you.
15: They said: You are naught but mortals like
ourselves, nor has the Beneficent Allah revealed anything; you only lie.
16: They said: Our Lord knows that we are most
surely messengers to you.
17: And nothing devolves on us but a clear
deliverance (of the message).
18: They said: Surely we augur evil from you; if you
do not desist, we will certainly stone you, and there shall certainly afflict
vou a painful chastisement from us.
19 :They said: Your evil fortune is with you; what!
if you are reminded! Nay, you are an extravagant people.
And there came running from the farthest part of the
town, a man, saying: "0 my people! Obey the Messengers; obey those who ask
no wages of you (for themselves), and who are rightly guided. And why should I
not worship Him (Allah Alone) Who has created me and to Whom you shall be
returned. Shall I take besides Him aliah (gods), if the Most Beneficent (Allah)
intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use whatsoever, nor can
they save me? Then verily, I should be in plain error. Verily! I have believed
in your Lord, so listen to me!"
20: And from the remote part of the city there came
a man running, he said: O my people! follow the messengers;
21: Follow him who does not ask you for reward, and
they are the followers of the right course;
22: And what reason have I that I should not serve
Him Who brought me into existence? And to Him you shall be brought back;
23: What! shall I take besides Him gods whose
intercession, If the Beneficent Allah should desire to afflict me with a harm,
shall not avail me aught, nor shall they be able to deliver me?
24: In that case I shall most surely be in clear
error:
25: Surely I believe in your Lord, therefore hear
me.
26: It was said: Enter the garden. He said: O would
that my people had known
27: Of that on account of which my Lord has forgiven
me and made me of the honored ones!
28: And We did not send down upon his people after
him any hosts from heaven, nor do We ever send down.
29: It was naught but a single cry, and lo! they
were still.
30: Alas for the servants! there comes not to them
an messenger but they mock at him.
31: Do they not consider how many of the generations
have We destroyed before them, because they do not turn to them?
What does Jihad Mean? . . .
The word Jihad represents a concept which is much
misunderstood in the West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian
scholar Ira 6. Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135.
We adapt from his answer the following:
The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual,
psychological, and physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve
a just and harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or
"struggle" and is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for
God's cause). In a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid, one who strives for God
and justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said:
"The real Jihad is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim
Abu-Rabi calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the Muslim's
purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and completely submit to
God.
Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate
the Word of God into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance
from the Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of the soul.
In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer whether there is an
external enemy or not. We should never reduce Jihad to violence.
The word Jihad represents a concept which is much
misunderstood in the West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian
scholar Ira 6. Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135.
We adapt from his answer the following:
The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual,
psychological, and physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve
a just and harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or
"struggle" and is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for
God's cause). In a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid, one who strives for God
and justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said:
"The real Jihad is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim
Abu-Rabi calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the Muslim's
purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and completely submit to
God.
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as
"holy war." The classic passage is found in the Qur'an:Fight in the
way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress not the limits. Truly
Allah likes not the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is
defensive warfare; Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the
Tradition are also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp, Jr., A
Muslim Primer (1992, Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern
California has the following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad: Out of
the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or holy war, which is
designed to defend Islam and allow its social practice, though not to force
individual conversions, which is forbidden.
Since Islam in principle is a community as well as a
religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would be able to reject the
theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to defend or
expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by Robert S. Ellwood, 4th
edition, Simon & Schuster, US, 1982, p.346
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as
"holy war." The classic passage is found in the Qur'an:Fight in the
way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress not the limits. Truly
Allah likes not the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is
defensive warfare; Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the
Tradition are also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp, Jr., A
Muslim Primer (1992, Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern
California has the following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad: Out of
the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or holy war, which is
designed to defend Islam and allow its social practice, though not to force
individual conversions, which is forbidden.
RESPECT FOR ISLAMIC BOOKS . . .
Many of us have Islamic books in our houses and
rooms. We find that as we get more interested in Islam, the literature we
purchase also increases. However, many of us lack the correct etiquettes on how
to behave witch such books and sadly we see them lying around the house, next
to the toaster in the kitchen or used as a coaster in the living room.
The reality is that these books are of great
importance and deserved of enormous respect due to the writings within them.
Often we will find the blessed name of Allah ‘azza wa jal and Rasulullah
Salallahu Alayhi wa Salam written inside.
Many books have Qur’anic verses and ahadith and thus
are books of a venerated nature. The more respect we show these books, the more
we will be able to benefit from them. The more disrespect we show them, the
less we will gain from them.
The books which are studied in classical madressas
usually have the main text in the center of the page and the
commentary/footnotes are carefully etched all around the sides of the page.
These annotations are sometimes upside down and at
angles which are hard to read. Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri Rahimahullah would
have such respect for his books that in order to read these annotations, he
would never move the book that was in front of him but rather he would move
himself around the book if he wanted to read something which was written upside
down.
Such respect for his books contributed highly into
making him one of the greatest scholars to have ever emanated from the sub
continent.
Similar is the case of the king Bahadur Shah Zafar.
After his death, somebody saw him in a dream and asked him, “O King! How did
you fare in front of Allah Ta’ala?” He said, “Allah Ta’ala forgave me and he
was very kind to me.”
The person asked, “Is the reason because you were a
very just king and ruler?” The king replied, “No, it was because of one
incident that Allah Ta’ala liked so much. I was on a journey and I came to a
resting place and we stopped there and when I was about to sleep on my bed, I
noticed that on the shelf there was a Qur’an and I couldn’t spread my legs
towards the Qur’an.
I immediately stood up and sat straight. Now I
thought that I would move the Qur’an from there and put it somewhere else but I
thought no, I should not do that for the sake of my own rest. So, I tried to
turn around and slept the other way but I couldn’t sleep.
Sometimes I was sitting down; sometimes I was in
some other posture until I spent the whole night in a sleepless state because
of the respect of the Qur’an. I did not move the Qur’an for my own sake and I
couldn’t sleep on the other side. So Allah Ta’ala said to me, “O Zafar! I liked
this deed of yours so much that because of that, I am forgiving you.”
Today we consider such things such a trivial matter
but when we look at our elders, we see an intense and burning love for books
which are of a deeni nature. It is very important to become humble in front of
such books.
Many of us out of ignorance and disrespect sleep
with our feet pointing towards Islamic books. There was a time where sleep in
this manner would be unbearable but today, we are happy to place our feet
towards deeni books and then sleep like a grizzly bear with full on snoring.
Similar is the case of sleeping in a high position
whilst the books are lower than the feet of a person. It should not be the case
that a person sleeps on such a high bedding that there are books on his
shelf/desktop etc which are lower than his feet.
If possible, he should lower his bed so that he is
closer towards the floor and if he cannot do this, then he should look to sleep
in another room. If that is really hard then he should ensure that the books
are kept in another place where they will not be disrespected.
The following bullet points will inshallah be of
benefit:
- Keep your Islamic books in
high, dust-free shelves.
- Keep them nicely arranged
starting with Qur'anic related books, Hadith related books then Fiqh
related books and so on.
- Keep them in good
condition.
- Do not use them for any
other purpose other than what they are meant for. No 'coaster-ing!'
- Do not keep them in places
which denote disgrace, i.e. below the feet.
- Do not point your feet
towards Islamic books when you sleep.
- Hold the Islamic books
with your right hand as this is the hand of respect.
- Try to maintain wudhu when
reading such books. Although it is not necessary, it will be better and
respectful. (Note: it is compulsory for one to have wudhu before
physically handling the Qur'an)
- When you are carrying a
book, carry it above your waist.
- Use nice bags when
carrying Islamic books, not just a ripped Tesco bag!
- If one has many books and
shelves in proportion to them, then make sure the room in which they are
kept is clean and fragranced well.
Finally, I finish on a statement that our teachers
would tell us, "Whomsoever acquired anything in this world did so by
respect (adab). And whomsoever lost something in this world did so because of
(a lack of) respect."
Do You Want Allah (SubhanahuwaTa'ala) to Love You?
Then Develop the Following Qualities!
On those who believe and do good there is no blame
for what they eat, when they are careful (of their duty) and believe and do
good deeds, then they are careful (of their duty) and believe, then they are
careful (of their duty) and do good (to others), and Allah loves those who do
good (to others).
And they ask you about menstruation. Say: It is a
discomfort; therefore keep aloof from the women during the menstrual discharge
and do not go near them until they have become clean; then when they have
cleansed themselves, go in to them as Allah has commanded you; surely Allah
loves those who turn much (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves.
Never stand in it; certainly a masjid founded on
piety from the very first day is more deserving that you should stand in it; in
it are men who love that they should be purified; and Allah loves those who
purify themselves.
Except those of the
idolaters with whom you made an agreement, then they have not failed you in
anything and have not backed up any one against you, so fulfill their agreement
to the end of their term; surely Allah loves those who are careful (of their
duty).
How can there be an agreement for the idolaters with
Allah and with His Messenger; except those with whom you made an agreement at
the Sacred Mosque? So as long as they are true to you, be true to them; surely
Allah loves those who are careful (of their duty).
And how many a prophet has fought with whom were
many worshippers of the Lord; so they did not become weak-hearted on account of
what befell them in Allah's way, nor did they weaken, nor did they abase
themselves; and Allah loves the patient.
Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal
with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly
have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them,
and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place
your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.
(They are) listeners of a lie, devourers of what is forbidden; therefore if they come to you, judge between them or turn aside from them, and if you turn aside from them, they shall not harm you in any way; and if you judge, judge between them with equity; surely Allah loves those who judge equitably.
Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have
not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you
forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly;
surely Allah loves the doers of justice.
