#Makkan

[innervoiceart]

Fat Freddy's Drop.- MAKKAN

[bykoti]

The high-class humans living in the world capital Beiniegi. Called “Vinti” on makkan.

[albaharu]

i have been waiting years for dwarf romance 🧡 harding is the tall one in the relationship :_)

[dragon-subway]

Some bg crew doodles 👍 mostly fleshing out designs, takk’s colours are a big maybe but I’m still figuring out what to do with him

[tawakkull]

SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 5:  MUHASABA (SELF-CRITICISM OR SELF-INTERROGATION)

Muhasaba literally means reckoning, settling accounts, and self-interrogation. In a spiritual context, however, it takes on the additional meaning of the self-criticism of a believer who constantly analyzes his or her deeds and thoughts in the hope that correcting them will bring him or her closer to God.

Such a believer thanks God for the good he or she has done, and tries to erase his or her sins and deviation by imploring God for forgiveness and amending his or her errors and sins through repentance and remorse. Muhasaba is the very important and serious attempt of asserting one’s personal loyalty to God.

It is recorded by Muhy al-Din ibn al-‘Arabi, author of al-Futuhat al-Makkiya (The Makkan Conquests), that during the early centuries of Islam, righteous people would either write down or memorize their daily actions, thoughts, and words, and then analyze and criticize themselves for any evil or sin they had committed. They did this to protect themselves from the storms of vanity and the whirls of self-pride. They would ask God’s forgiveness after this self-analysis, and would repent sincerely so that they might be protected against future error and deviation. Then they would prostrate in thankfulness to God for the meritorious deeds or words that the Almighty had created through them.

Self-criticism may also be described as seeking and discovering one’s inner and spiritual depth, and exerting the necessary spiritual and intellectual effort to acquire true human values and to develop the sentiments that encourage and nourish them.

This is how one distinguishes between good and bad, beneficial and harmful, and how one maintains an upright heart. Furthermore, it enables a believer to evaluate the present and prepare for the future. Again, self-criticism enables a believer to make amends for past mistakes and be absolved in the sight of God, for it provides a constant realization of self-renewal in one’s inner world. Such a condition enables one to achieve a steady relationship with God, for this relationship depends on a believer’s ability to live a spiritual life and remain aware of what takes place in his or her inner world. Success results in the preservation of one’s celestial nature as a true human being, as well as the continual regeneration of one’s inner senses and feelings.

A believer, in his or her spiritual and daily life, cannot be indifferent to self-criticism. On the one hand, he or she tries to revive his or her ruined past with the breezes of hope and mercy blown by such Divine calls as:

Repent to God (24:31)

and:

Turn to Your Lord repentant (39:54),

which come from the worlds beyond and echo in his or her conscience. On the other hand, warnings as frightening as thunderbolts and as exhilarating as mercy are contained in such verses as:

O you who believe! Fear God and observe your duty to Him. And let every soul consider what it has prepared for the morrow (59:18)

bring the believer to his or her senses and make one alert once again (against committing new sins). In such a condition, a believer is defended against all kinds of evil, as if enclosed behind locked doors.

Taking each moment of life to be a time of germination in spring, a believer seeks ever-greater depth in his or her spirit and heart with insight and consciousness arising from belief. Even if a believer is sometimes pulled down by the carnal dimension of his or her being and falters, he or she is always on the alert, as is stated in:

Those who fear God and observe His commandments, when a passing stroke from Satan troubles them, they immediately remember (God), and lo! they are all aware (7:201).

Self-criticism resembles a lamp in the heart of a believer, a warner and a well-wishing adviser in his or her conscience.

Every believer uses it to distinguish what is good and evil, beautiful and ugly, pleasing and displeasing to God. Through the guidance of this well-wishing adviser, the believer surmounts all obstacles, however seemingly insurmountable, and reaches the desired destination.

Self-criticism attracts Divine mercy and favor, which enables one to go deeper in belief and servanthood, to succeed in practicing Islam, and to attain nearness to God and eternal happiness.

It also prevents one from falling into despair, which will ultimately lead to reliance on personal acts of worship to be saved from Divine punishment in the Hereafter.

As self-criticism opens the door to spiritual peace and tranquillity, it also causes one to fear God and His punishment.

In the hearts of those who constantly criticize themselves and call themselves to account for their deeds, this Prophetic warning is always echoed:

If you knew what I know, you would laugh little but weep a lot. [ Al-Bukhari, “Kusuf,” 2; Muslim, “Salat,” 112; Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi, “Kusuf,” in Sunan, 4 vols. (Beirut, n.d.), 2. ]

Self-criticism, which gives rise to both peacefulness and fear in one’s heart, continuously inspires anxiety in the hearts of those who are fully aware of the heavy responsibility they feel the anxiety voiced as in:

If only I had been a tree cut into pieces. [ Al-Tirmidhi, “Zuhd,” 9; Muhammad ibn Yazid al-Qazwini Ibn Maja, “Zuhd,” in Sunan, 2 vols. (Egypt, 1952), 19. ]

Self-criticism causes the believer to always feel the distress and strain expressed in:

Earth seemed constrained to them for all its vastness, and their own souls straitened to them (9:118).

The verse:

Whether you make known what is in your souls or hide it, God will bring you to account for it (2:284)

resounds in every cell of their brains, and they groan with utterances like:

I wish my mother had not given birth to me! [ Muhammad Ibn Sa’d, Al Tabaqat al-Kubra, 8 vols. (Beirut, 1980), 3:360. ]

While it is difficult for everyone to achieve this degree of self-criticism, it is also difficult for those who do not do so [to be sure that they will be able] to live today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today. Those who are crushed between the wheels of time, whose present day is not better than the preceding one, cannot perform well their duties pertaining to the afterlife.

Constant self-criticism and self-reprimand show the perfection of one’s belief.

Everyone who has planned his or her life to reach the horizon of a perfect, universal human being is conscious of this life and spends every moment of it struggling with himself or herself. Such a person demands a password or a visa from whatever occurs to his or her heart and mind. Self-control against the temptations of Satan or the excitement of temper are practiced, and words and actions are carefully watched. Self-criticism is constant, even for those acts that seem most sensible and acceptable. Evening reviews of words and actions during the day are the rule, as are morning resolutions to avoid sins. A believer knits the “lace of his or her life” with the “threads” of self-criticism and self-accusation. [ 7 In other words, all moments of one’s life are spent in self-criticism and con-stant awareness of what one says and does.Mar 1992, Vol 14, Issue 158 ]

So long as a believer shows such loyalty and faithfulness to the Lord and lives in such humility, the doors of heaven will be thrown open and an invitation will be extended: Come, O faithful one. You have intimacy with Us. This is the station of intimacy. We have found you a faithful one. Every day he or she is honored with a new, heavenly journey in the spirit. It is God Himself Who swears by such a purified soul in: Nay, I swear by the self-accusing soul! (75:2).

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’d-Duhā (The Forenoon): Part 1

Assuredly, what comes after will be better for you than what has gone before. (Ad-Duhā 93:4)

Sūratu’d-Duhā was revealed when Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was having the most distressful days in Makkah. Revelation had ceased to come for a while. Umm Jamīl, the wife of Abū Lahab, had come to the Messenger and say in derision: “I cannot see your owner (Lord). He may have abandoned you.” In such an atmosphere, God consoled His Messenger by revealing this sūrah, in which He says: “Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased with you. Assuredly, what comes after will be better for you than what has gone before” (Ad-Duhā 93:3–4). If this verse is interpreted from the viewpoint of the days when it was revealed, the meaning is: “Your every new day will be better for you than the previous one, and your future will be brighter for you than your present.” In fact, history witnesses that it happened so. For his rising star and the map of his mission shined more brightly every new day than the previous. The verses following this and certain other sūrahs that were revealed after gave this same promise and drew the attention to his bright future. For instance, the Qur’anic chapters al-Inshirāh (The Expansion), which mentions some of God’s favors upon the Messenger of God, beginning with the verse, “Have We not expanded for you your breast” (94:1), and al-‘Ādiyāt (The Chargers) beginning with, “By the charges that run panting; striking sparks of fire” (100:1–2), which points not only to the horses that run panting but also other modern instruments like tanks and various other armored weaponry, became great sources of hope for our master, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. They became so, for even today we picture in our mind and before our eyes a long, glorious history and a brighter future which the shining spirit of Muhammad illuminated and will illuminate, respectively.

In Sūratu’d-Duhā, the dominion of a community in the realm of spirituality which will follow an individual constraint and distress shows itself in grades. There is also music of sorrow in this sūrah. But in Sūratu’l-‘Ādiyāt one can hear the loud, resounding sounds of successes and triumphs in physical realm. The Qur’ān chooses words according to the meaning and content so extraordinarily that those who are aware of this could not help going into raptures.

The style of the chapter ad-Duhā has a unique feature from a psychological perspective as well. For example, God began it with swearing by the forenoon in consoling His Messenger, and then swore by night. Therefore, when we recite ad-Duhā (The Forenoon), we feel the shining lights of the sun illuminating the world and are exhilarated. If we can feel this after fourteen centuries in the net of too much familiarity, we cannot imagine to what great extent the leader of all Prophets, upon him be peace and blessings, felt it. May our souls be sacrificed for both he who felt this and He Who made him feel! Also, with the verse, “Assuredly, what comes after will be better for you than what has gone before,” it is stated to the Messenger that his present state of Prophethood is better than the period of his life prior to his Prophethood, and it is promised to him that his every new moment and day will be better than the previous; the future, in which God will manifest more with His Power and Mercy than with His Wisdom, will be brighter for both the Messenger and his community compared to his present distressful days; and the Madīnan period of his Messengership—God certainly knew beforehand that he would emigrate to Madīnah—will witness the wider acceptance and spread of his Message when compared with the Makkan period. The present, apparently distressful atmosphere surrounding him will change places with the atmosphere of bounties and blessings. All these and many other promises and the promise of a happy end are made primarily to that peerless one of time and space, upon him be peace and blessings, and secondarily to his followers.

Consequently, with the verse, “Assuredly, what comes after will be better for you than what has gone before,” it is also promised to both the Messenger and his community that they will advance from a good state to a better one, from relative good to greater, genuine good, from belief to its practice, from practice to deeper devotion and consciousness of God, from pains to innocent pleasures, from distresses to climes of contentment and exhilaration, and finally from the world to Paradise, eternal happiness, vision of God, and the eternal attainment of His approval and good pleasure.

O God! We ask You for resignation and submission after any of Your judgments about us, the coolness of life after death, the delight of looking toward Your “Face,” and a zeal for returning to and meeting with You, O the Most Compassionate of the compassionate. And may God’s blessings and peace be on our master Muhammad, and on his Family and Companions!

[ahlulbaytnetworks]

VERSES 1 - 5

About what do they ask one another? [1] About the great news, [2] that over which they are in disagreement. [3] Not at all! They shall soon come to know. [4] Again, not at all! They shall soon come to know. [5]

1.5.1 The chapter begins with commenting in winder about why such a thing was being questioned or talked about in the first place. This is meant to intrigue the addressee.

['Amma (about what)] is truncated from an mã.

(Yatas lun (they ask one another) is a reference to the fact that the disbelievers constantly questioned and discussed a particular issue with the Prophet (S), with the Muslims, and mostly, amongst themselves.

1-5.2 Asking questions to seek knowledge has been encouraged in the Qur'an. Q16:43 states:

.. So ask those whom We granted inspiration if you do not know.

However, sometimes questions are asked with the intent to ridicule. The tone of the verse suggests that the polytheists were querying something obvious, or doing so out of mockery rather than for seeking the truth.

1-5.3 The question asked by God is immediately answered by Him in the second verse. They are asking each other about the great news (al-naba' al-azim).

[al-Naba' (the news)] is a term used to signify the transmission of important and beneficial news. From it is derived the term Nabi which means a Prophet (a) who brings news of the unseen, like the Hereafter, to the people.

Naba' is different from khabar, which also means news. Khabar is the report of actions and events,' while naba' denotes news that requires action.

In this verse, the adjective azim (great) is for further emphasis.

1-5.4 As is made clear from the rest of the chapter, this great news was the news of the Hereafter, a world that awaited after death, and a Day when the dead would be resurrected to account for their actions and receive their just recompense. This is a recurring theme in the Makkan surahs, and about which the disbelievers spoke to each other incredulously and mockingly."

Some exegetes have stated that the great news refers to the revelation of the Qur'an, or to the Prophet (s) himself, or to the fundamentals of faith. However, the context of the chapter suggests that it is referring to the events of the Hereafter.

1-5.5 There are many reports that speak of the ta’wil (interpretation) of the term al-naba' al-azim as a reference to the wilayah (guardianship) of Ali b. Abi Talib (a), about which there was a dispute amongst the people. Two reports are cited below as examples:

Shía source: A tradition from Imam al-Sadiq (a) states: Al-naba al-azim refers to the wilayah [of Ali (a)].

Sunni source: A tradition from the Prophet (s) states: It refers to the wilayah of Ali (a) which they will be questioned about in their graves. Not a single dead person, in the east or the west, on land or at sea, will remain except that [the angels] Munkar and Nakir will ask him about the authority of the Commander of the Faithful. They will be asked, "Who is you Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? And who is your Imam?"

The exegesis (tafsir) of the great news being the Day of Judgement does not exclude other interpretations and applications (ta' wil) of its meaning at later times as long as they are narrated by the Prophet (s) or the Imams (a). Indeed, there are many hidden layers of meaning to each verse.

The merits of Imam Ali (a) and his prominent role on the Day of Judgement are many. As examples we will quote only three:

1) A tradition from the Prophet (s) states: The first person from this nation who will arrive at the side of its Prophet (s) on the Day of Judgement will be the one who accepted Islam first (and that is) Ali b. Abi Talib

2) Another tradition from the Prophet (s) states: ...I will be given the Standard of Praise (Liwa' al-Hamd) and I will give it to Ali to bear, and I shall seek his assistance in attending to the intercession of the sinners...

3) A tradition from Imam Ali (a) states: I am God's standard for Paradise and Hell; no one enters them except by my criterion.

15.6 That over which they are in disagreement: This disagree could have been between the polytheists themselves, or between them and the Prophet (s), Or between them and the Muslims, Sone polytheists were inclined to believe in a sort of life after death what others were doubtful.' Q27:66 states:

Nay, they have no knowledge of the Hereafter. Nay, they are in doubt about it. Nay, they are quite blind to it!

Some polytheists accepted that the soul might persist after death, but they were openly sceptical about the idea of a bodily resurrection. Some went as far as insulting the Prophet (s) for informing them of it. Q34:7,8 state:

But those who disbelieve say: Shall we point out to you a mai who will tell you that when you are completely disintegrated [in the earth], you will then be created anew? He has invented a lie about God or there is madness in him...

1-5.7 Not at all! They shall soon come to know. Again, not at all! They shall soon come to know. : These two verses make it clear that God was warning those who denied the Day of Judgement that there was no point in their vain talk and the reality was not as they assumed; in fact, they would come to know the magnitude of their error as soon as they left this world behind.

1-5.8 The use of sa indicates that they would know in the near future. Indeed, the Hereafter is near, and compared to it, the life of this world will be less than the blink of an eye.

1-5.9 Some exegetes have said that the repetition of the verses is for emphasis, while others believe that the first mention is the realization gained at death, while the second refers to the realization gained on the Day of Judgement.

Q39:56 mentions the intense regret of the disbelievers and wrongdoers at that time:

... Woe to me for what I neglected in regard to God, and that I was amongst the mockers!

They would vainly plead to return to the world to put things right. Q42:44 states:

...And you will see the wrongdoers (al-zalimin) when they behold the punishment, saying, "Is there any way to return [to the former world]?"

SUMMARY OF THE VERSE

In these verses, God summarizes the mockery of the polytheists about the Day of Judgement and their disagreement with the Prophet (s), the Muslims, and each other, about its advent. Thereafter, He warns them that it would not be long before they would come to realise the truth of it.

REFLECTIVE LEARNING

The polytheists were asking questions, not to learn the truth, but already having made up their minds about the matter.

Let me reflect on my attitude when I question matters. Is it with an open mind and with an intention of gaining clarity, or is it to seek validation for something that I have already decided about?

[learning-islam-together]

Surah 22. Al-Hajj, Ayah 41

الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُور

“Allazeena im makkan naahum fil ardi aqaamus Salaata wa aatawuz Zakaata wa amaroo bilma'roofi wa nahaw 'anil munkar; wa lillaahi 'aaqibatul umoor”

“ (Allah will certainly help) those who, were We to bestow authority on them in the land, will establish Prayers, render Zakah, enjoin good, and forbid evil. The end of all matters rests with Allah”

Those who help Allah are the people who invite mankind to Tauhid and exert their utmost to establish the true faith and righteousness. For further explanation see (E.N. 50 of Surah Aal-Imran).

“If We give them authority”: In this one sentence, the real aim of the Islamic State and the characteristics of those who conduct its affairs have been stated concisely but comprehensively. Those who help Allah and deserve His succor behave righteously, establish Salat, make arrangements for the collection of Zakat and use their power and authority to propagate good and eradicate evil.

That is, it is Allah Who decides whom to give power in the land and when. This is meant to remove the misunderstanding of the proud and arrogant people who think that the destiny of the land and its dwellers is in their hands, and there is none to depose them from power. But Allah dethrones the most haughty ruler in supernatural ways and gives power to the most humble in order to show that He is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.

** calligraphy credit to Arif Arslan, digital artwork in~house by Learning Islam.

[basicsofislam]

THE FEMALE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH): Part 10

UMM KULTHUM (radhiallahu anha)

Umm Kulthum was the daughter of Uqba bin Abi Muqayt, who was a ferocious enemy of the Prophet. She was Hz. Uthman’s sister. She became a Muslim in Makkah and paid allegiance to the Prophet.

Umm Kulthum’s mother was Arwa bint Kurayz. She also became a Muslim in the first years of Islam. Arwa’s mother, Bayda, was the Prophet’s paternal aunt.  

Hz. Umm Kulthum underwent tortures of the polytheists, primarily her father, because she became a Muslim.

She was forced to exit Islam. However, she did not heed their oppression. She did not give up her belief. Her days passed with pains and agonies. Years passed like that.

The Prophet migrated to Madinah with the Muslims. Umm Kulthum also wanted to migrate but her father did not allow her to migrate; she had to stay in Makkah.

The real pains and agonies started after that for her because the Prophet, her only source of consolation, was no longer in Makkah. Umm Kulthum lived in her hometown as if she was in a foreign land. She prayed to Allah Almighty to end her trouble and looked for an opportunity to migrate. However, she could not find the opportunity she wanted.  

She put up with this trouble for seven years.

Finally, Allah Almighty gave her the opportunity. She left Makkah as if she was going out as she did every day. Her real intention was to migrate to Madinah. She was ready to suffer on the way.

Yes, Umm Kulthum was leaving her mother, father, and hometown for the sake of Allah and His Messenger.

She did not feel sorry because of this since she regarded rejoining the Messenger of Allah as great happiness. After a long and tiring journey, Madinah appeared. Umm Kulthum’s heart started to pound due to excitement. She felt ebullient. For a moment, she thought about the troubled days in Makkah. However, she felt happy, not sad, for those days. For, those troubled days were left behind and were replaced by good days. She felt happy and thanked Allah Almighty for it. Entering Madinah with these thoughts, Umm Kulthum became a guest in Umm Salama’s house. Umm Salama, one of the wives of the Prophet, gave her some food and drinks.

The Prophet was not at home. Umm Kulthum was waiting worriedly because one of the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, which the Prophet signed with the polytheists, necessitated returning the Makkans who became Muslims and who escaped to Madinah to the polytheists. Due to this term of the treaty, the Prophet had returned Abu Jandal and Abu Basir, who became Muslims and who took refuge in the Prophet (pbuh), to the polytheists. Umm Kulthum was not sure whether she would be returned or not. She mentioned her worry to Umm Salama:

“I fear that the Messenger of Allah will return me like Abu Jandal and Abu Basir. O, Umm Salama! Women are not like men. I left Makkah eight days ago. They will start to look for me.”

While Umm Kulthum was waiting in excitement, the Prophet (pbuh) arrived. Umm Salama told him about the situation. The Messenger of Allah said welcome to this self-sacrificing Companion. Meanwhile, Umm Kulthum’s excitement increased. Her heart started to pound. She told the Messenger of Allah about her situation:

“O Messenger of Allah! I migrated and came to you for the sake of my religion. If you return me to them, they will torture me and try to force me to exit my religion. I am a woman. I cannot put up with torture. You know that women are like weak people.”

After listening to her, the Prophet relieved her by saying,

“Allah will definitely break and annul the agreement related to women.”

As a matter of fact, verse 10 of the chapter of al Mumtahina, which means the woman that is tested, was sent down. Allah Almighty stated the following in the verse:

“O ye who believe! when there come to you believing women refugees, examine (and test) them: Allah knows best as to their Faith: if ye ascertain that they are Believers, then send them not back to the Unbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the Unbelievers, nor are they (Unbelievers) lawful (husbands) for them…”

When the revelation was completed, the Prophet gave the good news to Umm Kulthum. There could not have been better news than this one for Hz. Umm Kulthum. She wept for joy.  

Meanwhile, her father found out that she was in Madinah. He sent his sons Walid and Umara to the Prophet at once. They came to Madinah and found the Messenger of Allah. They said,

“According to the treaty between us, you are supposed to return the Muslims who escaped to you to us. Return our sister to us.”

The Prophet said,

“Allah Almighty annulled the decree of that term for women.”

He did not return Umm Kulthum to them. Walid and Umara did not insist any longer and returned to Makkah. They told the polytheists about the situation. The polytheists did not do anything about it.

Umm Kulthum was not married.

When it became certain that she would live in Madinah, three Companions wanted to marry her: Zubayr bin Awwam, Zayd bin Haritha, and Abdurahman bin Awf. Umm Kulthum consulted her brother Uthman. Uthman advised her to ask the Messenger of Allah about it. The Prophet found it appropriate for her to marry Zayd bin Haritha. Then, he married them. Hz. Zayd and Umm Kulthum led a happy life together.

However, their marriage did not last long because of Hz. Zayd was martyred in the Battle of Muta.

Umm Kulthum was a person who showed consent to qadar. She agreed to everything that came from Allah Almighty. She showed patience and steadfastness at the martyrdom of her husband.  

After a while, Umm Kulthum’s mother Arwa migrated to Madinah, too.

This rejoiced the Prophet, Uthman, and Umm Kulthum. It was a family reunion though it was partial. Arwa died during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman. Her janazah prayer was led by Hz. Uthman. He prayed for her as follows:  

“O, Allah! Forgive my mother! O, Allah! Forgive my mother!”

Umm Kulthum, who learned a lot from the talks of the Messenger of Allah, narrated a few hadiths. One of them is as follows:  

“A person who tells good things, utters nice words and spreads words between people though they are not true in order to reconcile people is not regarded to have told lies.”

[uma1ra]

Surah Al Kahf holds a great importance to us. The Pophet Muhammad (saw) encouraged to take heed and implement this Surah into our lives.

1 Surah Al Kahf is a Makkan Surah, revealed somewhere between the 8th and 10th year of Prophethood.

It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) before the Hijrah/Migration to Madinah when the persecution of Muslims and Islam was at a peak.

2 Surah Al Kahf has 110 Ayahs and is the 18th Surah in the Quran

3 The Surah talks about 4 major themes:

The People of the Cave

‘(Remember) when the young men fled for refuge (from their disbelieving folk) to the Cave, they said: Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way.’

Quran 18:10

The story about the rich and poor

‘And (O Prophet) coin for them a parable: Two men, We made for one of them two gardens of vines and We surrounded them with date-palms and We placed between them tillage.’

Quran 18:32

The story of Musa (as) and Khidr

‘There they found a servant of Ours, to whom We had granted mercy from Us and enlightened with knowledge of Our Own.’

Quran 18:65

Dhul Qurnayn with Yajuj and Majuj

‘They said, O Dhul Qurnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are (great) corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?’

Quran 18:94

4 Reading Surah Al Kahf on a Friday will illuminate the reciter from one Friday to the next.

5 The Surah consists of 1557 words, 6360 letters and contains 12 Rukuhs.

6 Al Kahf means ‘The Cave’ and thus named after the story about the People of the Cave

7 Surah Al Kahf is a protection from Dajjal

‘One who memorised the first ten verses of Surah al Kahf will be secure against the Dajjal (Anti-Christ).’

Muslim

May Allah help us make Surah Al Kahf a regular part of our Friday routine insha’Allah.

May Allah protect all of us from the Fitnah of Dajjal and forgive all of our sins. Ameen

[fluffy-appa]

Don't forget to supplicate for Ummah in the last hour of Friday!

اللهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلامَ وَالمُسْلِمِينَ، وَأَذِلَّ الشِّرْكَ وَالمُشْرِكِينَ

Allahumma aizzal-Islama wal-Muslimīn, wa adhillash-shirka wal-Mushrikeen.

O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims, and degrade the standing of Shirk and the Mushrikeen.

اللَّهُمَ أنْصُرْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي فِلَسْطينَ وَ فِي كُلِّ مَكانٍ

Allahummansur al-Muslimīna fil falastin wa fi kulli makan.

O Allah! Help the Muslims in Palestine and in all places [around the world].

اللَّهُمَ أنْصُرْهُمْ على عَدُوِّكَ وَ عَدُوِّهِمْ

Allahummansur ‘ala ‘aduwwika wa ‘aduwwihim.

O Allah! Help [and support] them [the Muslims] to gain victory over Your enemy and theirs.

اللّـهُمَّ واحْفظهُمْ من كُلِّ شرٍّ وسُوءْ اللّـهُمَّ أُنْصرْهم في كُلِّ مكانْ

Allahumma wahf-dhahum Min Kulli Sharrin Wasu’. Allahumma unsurrhum Fi Kulli Makkan.

O Allah! Protect them from all that is evil and bad. O Allah! Grant victory to the Muslims all over your Land.

اللهُمَّ فُكَّ قَيْدَ أَسْرَانَا وَأَسْرىَ المُسْلِمِِينَ، وَرُدَّهُمْ إِلُى أَهْلِهِمْ سَالِمِينَ

Allahumma fukka qayda asrāna wa asral-muslimeen, wa ruddahum ila ahli-him salimīn.

O Allah! break free the shackles of our prisoners and the prisoners of the Muslims and return them safely to their families.

[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): The Conquest of Makkah and Afterwards

Governors and Zakah Collectors Are Sent To Tribes and Countries: Part 1

(9 th Year of the Migration, the month of Muharram)

Until that date, many tribes had accepted Islam and many lands were under the rule of the Islamic state. It was necessary to administer those countries and to tell the people there about their responsibilities and obligations.

To this end, the Messenger of God appointed some governors and zakah collectors in the month of Muharram of the 9th year of the migration and sent them to different countries.

The Messenger of God advised the governors and zakah collectors as follows:

“Forgive the mistakes of people; avoid collecting their best goods.”

Among the tribes that the Messenger of God sent governors and zakah collectors were San’a, one of the most beautiful cities of Yemen, Hadramut in Yemen, the tribes of Sulayms, Muzaynas, Juhaynas, Sons of Kilab and Sons of Ka’b.

Apart from administration, these governors also settled the issues among people and gave judgments based on Islamic decrees.

Zakah collectors informed people about zakah in the places that they went to and asked the rich people to give zakah.

Some tribes paid zakah readily. Others did not like it because they thought it was too heavy a burden at first; however, they started to pay zakah later.

DELEGATES COME TO MADINAH IN LARGE GROUPS

The conquest of Makkah was a very bright and honorable victory of Islam. With this conquest, the fierce struggle that lasted for years between the Messenger of God and the Qurayshi polytheists ended with the victory of Islam.

The tribes in Arabia observed this fierce struggle that lasted for years closely and carefully. At first, they decided to leave the Messenger of God alone with his struggle against the Qurayshis, his own tribe; they said, “Leave him alone with his tribe. If he defeats his tribe, it means he is telling the truth and he is a prophet.”

This fierce struggle, which was observed closely by the tribes around, ended with the victory of Islam and the defeat and destruction of the polytheism as a result of the conquest of Makkah.

There was only one thing left to do for them: To accept Islam as soon as possible.

They knew it very well that they would not be able to stop and eliminate this cause, which Makkan polytheists could not stop and eliminate despite their strength and enmity.

Therefore, after the conquest of Makkah, at the beginning of the 9th year of the Migration, the tribes around started to come to Makkah in large groups in order to become Muslims. For this reason, this year was named the “Year of Delegates”.

The Prophet welcomed all of those delegates and entertained them. There were people from all walks of life in those delegates. All of them admired the high ethics and virtues of the Prophet and the kind attitudes of his Companions; they returned to their land happily.  

The Delegation of Sons of Tamim in Madinah

The Messenger of God sent Busr b. Sufyan, one of the Companions, to the tribe of Sons of Ka’b from Khuzaas in order to collect zakah from them.

Sons of Ka’b had put the animals to be given for zakah aside. However, the tribe of Tamim, living in the same place, objected to giving those animals as zakah; they even drew their swords implying that they would kill Busr. Thereupon, Busr returned to Madinah and told the Messenger of God what had happened. The Messenger of God sent Uyayna b. Hisn with about fifty Bedouin cavalrymen to Sons of Tamim. Uyayna b. Hisn attacked Sons of Tamim suddenly and returned to Madinah with lots of booty, and captives including eleven men, twenty women and about thirty children.

A short time after the return of Uyayna b. Hisn to Madinah, a delegate from Sons of Tamim, who had objected to paying zakah, went to the presence of the Prophet. There were famous orators and poets among them. Their aim was to take the captives back.

The Prophet asked them, “What do you want”

They said, “We are from the tribe of Tamim. We brought our orators and poets to compete with yours by reciting poems and boasting.”

The Prophet smiled slightly and said, “I was not appointed to recite poems or boast; I cannot do it. However, do your best and we will listen to you.”

Thereupon, Utarid, an orator of the tribe of Sons of Tamim, stood up and started to praise his tribe. Then, he said, “Who will compete me and praise his tribe like me?”

After the orator of Sons of Tamim finished his speech and sat, the Messenger of God said to Thabit b. Qays, “Stand up and reply his speech.”

Thabit stood up. Though he had not made any preparations, he recited such an eloquent and effective sermon regarding the majesty of God Almighty and the virtues of the Messenger of God that Sons of Tamim were astonished.   Thabit spoke as follows:  

“…

Praise be to God, who created the skies ant the earth and who rules them.

There exists nothing that is not the work of His grant and generosity.

Our victories and rule over countries are also the work of His power.

He chose the best man and sent him as a prophet; he has the noblest ancestors paternally and maternally; he always tells the truth. God sent His book to him and made him the most trustworthy person; He made the Prophet the most distinguished person in the world.

“…”

After this speech, it was time for the poets.

First, one of the poets of Sons of Tamim stood up and recited a poem boasting himself.

As soon as the man finished his poet, the Messenger of God said to Hassan b. Thabit, his poet, “Stand up O Has­san! Reply this man.”[8] He added, “God will definitely support him with Gabriel when he defends His Messenger.”

Hassan, who undertook the honor of defending the Messenger of God, stood up enthusiastically. He recited a long poem with the same meter and rhyme as the man’s poem. He expressed the exceptional beauty, highness and virtue of Islam concisely and clearly.  

The fact that the Muslim orator and poet presented a much better speech and poem than those of Sons of Tamim rejoiced both the Prophet and the Companions who were there. On the other hand, the delegates of Tamim kept silent when they saw that the orator and poet of Muslims were superior.  Aqra b. Habis, one of the notables of Tamim, could not help saying,

“I swear by God that this person (the Prophet) is always helped by the unseen. He will definitely be successful. He becomes superior to everybody regarding everything. His orator is superior to our orator and his poet is superior to our poet. Their voice is more sonorous than ours.”

Then, Aqra b. Habis approached the Messenger of God and became a Muslim by uttering kalima ash-shahadah. The other members of Sons of Tamim followed him and embraced Islam, too.

Thereupon, the Messenger of God gave a gift to each member of the delegation and returned the captives to them.

[quranwithsehar]

Surah Al-Qasas: Chapter 1

Surah Qasas was revealed in Makkah, at a time when Prophet SAW needed a lot of confidence and firmness. It was sent down at the end of the Makkan era when Prophet SAW had exerted his energy to convey the message to people. He had faced a lot of persecution and hostility from his people. Allah sent down this surah to give him firmness on tauheed and aqeedah. It is said that some parts of this surah are Madni, sent at the time of transition.

When we find ourselves in a transitional period, leaving something behind and starting something else, especially for Allah, we need confidence, stability, firmness, and faith at that time. Allah SWT gave Prophet SAW all of that through the story of Musa AS.

In this story of Musa AS, we see Bani Israel vs. Firaun. Bani Israel, who were enslaved, and Firaun, who was the height of tyranny and power. We learn in this story that Allah rescued Bani Israel.

Similarly, Prophet SAW and the Sahaba were oppressed in Makkah, and they were in a weak position, with the Makkans being oppressors in power.

What happened to their power against Allah's plan? It was finished. This is the lesson we learn in this surah:

"The one with whom is Allah, then that person can survive anything, even a person like Firaun.”

[albaharu]

Makkan de Riva at your service >:3

[dragon-subway]

bon, as the biggest asshole of the group, is subject to the most teasing both intentional and unintentional. intentional mostly coming from takk who delights in pissing him off and unintentional coming from k-1o3 who is genuinely trying to get bon to warm up to him

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 240

Muhasaba (Self-Criticism or Self-Interrogation)

Muhasaba literally means reckoning, settling accounts, and self-interrogation. In a spiritual context, however, it takes on the additional meaning of the self-criticism of a believer who constantly analyzes his or her deeds and thoughts in the hope that correcting them will bring him or her closer to God. Such a believer thanks God for the good he or she has done, and tries to erase his or her sins and deviation by imploring God for forgiveness and amending his or her errors and sins through repentance and remorse. Muhasaba is the very important and serious attempt of asserting one’s personal loyalty to God.

It is recorded by Muhy al-Din ibn al-‘Arabi, author of al-Futuhat al-Makkiya (The Makkan Conquests), that during the early centuries of Islam, righteous people would either write down or memorize their daily actions, thoughts, and words, and then analyze and criticize themselves for any evil or sin they had committed. They did this to protect themselves from the storms of vanity and the whirls of self-pride. They would ask God’s forgiveness after this self-analysis, and would repent sincerely so that they might be protected against future error and deviation. Then they would prostrate in thankfulness to God for the meritorious deeds or words that the Almighty had created through them.

Self-criticism may also be described as seeking and discovering one’s inner and spiritual depth, and exerting the necessary spiritual and intellectual effort to acquire true human values and to develop the sentiments that encourage and nourish them. This is how one distinguishes between good and bad, beneficial and harmful, and how one maintains an upright heart. Furthermore, it enables a believer to evaluate the present and prepare for the future. Again, self-criticism enables a believer to make amends for past mistakes and be absolved in the sight of God, for it provides a constant realization of self-renewal in one’s inner world. Such a condition enables one to achieve a steady relationship with God, for this relationship depends on a believer’s ability to live a spiritual life and remain aware of what takes place in his or her inner world. Success results in the preservation of one’s celestial nature as a true human being, as well as the continual regeneration of one’s inner senses and feelings.

A believer, in his or her spiritual and daily life, cannot be indifferent to self-criticism. On the one hand, he or she tries to revive his or her ruined past with the breezes of hope and mercy blown by such Divine calls as: Repent to God (24:31) and: Turn to Your Lord repentant (39:54), which come from the worlds beyond and echo in his or her conscience. On the other hand, warnings as frightening as thunderbolts and as exhilarating as mercy are contained in such verses as: O you who believe! Fear God and observe your duty to Him. And let every soul consider what it has prepared for the morrow (59:18) bring the believer to his or her senses and make one alert once again (against committing new sins). In such a condition, a believer is defended against all kinds of evil, as if enclosed behind locked doors.

Taking each moment of life to be a time of germination in spring, a believer seeks ever-greater depth in his or her spirit and heart with insight and consciousness arising from belief. Even if a believer is sometimes pulled down by the carnal dimension of his or her being and falters, he or she is always on the alert, as is stated in: Those who fear God and observe His commandments, when a passing stroke from Satan troubles them, they immediately remember (God), and lo! they are all aware (7:201).

Self-criticism resembles a lamp in the heart of a believer, a warner and a well-wishing adviser in his or her conscience. Every believer uses it to distinguish what is good and evil, beautiful and ugly, pleasing and displeasing to God. Through the guidance of this well-wishing adviser, the believer surmounts all obstacles, however seemingly insurmountable, and reaches the desired destination.

Self-criticism attracts Divine mercy and favor, which enables one to go deeper in belief and servanthood, to succeed in practicing Islam, and to attain nearness to God and eternal happiness. It also prevents one from falling into despair, which will ultimately lead to reliance on personal acts of worship to be saved from Divine punishment in the Hereafter. [1]

As self-criticism opens the door to spiritual peace and tranquillity, it also causes one to fear God and His punishment. In the hearts of those who constantly criticize themselves and call themselves to account for their deeds, this Prophetic warning is always echoed: If you knew what I know, you would laugh little but weep a lot. [2] Self-criticism, which gives rise to both peacefulness and fear in one’s heart, continuously inspires anxiety in the hearts of those who are fully aware of the heavy responsibility they feel the anxiety voiced as in: If only I had been a tree cut into pieces. [3]

Self-criticism causes the believer to always feel the distress and strain expressed in: Earth seemed constrained to them for all its vastness, and their own souls straitened to them (9:118). The verse: Whether you make known what is in your souls or hide it, God will bring you to account for it (2:284) resounds in every cell of their brains, and they groan with utterances like: I wish my mother had not given birth to me! [4]

While it is difficult for everyone to achieve this degree of self-criticism, it is also difficult for those who do not do so [to be sure that they will be able] to live today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today. Those who are crushed between the wheels of time, whose present day is not better than the preceding one, cannot perform well their duties pertaining to the afterlife.

Constant self-criticism and self-reprimand show the perfection of one’s belief. Everyone who has planned his or her life to reach the horizon of a perfect, universal human being is conscious of this life and spends every moment of it struggling with himself or herself. Such a person demands a password or a visa from whatever occurs to his or her heart and mind. Self-control against the temptations of Satan or the excitement of temper are practiced, and words and actions are carefully watched. Self-criticism is constant, even for those acts that seem most sensible and acceptable. Evening reviews of words and actions during the day are the rule, as are morning resolutions to avoid sins. A believer knits the “lace of his or her life” with the “threads” of self-criticism and self-accusation. [5]

So long as a believer shows such loyalty and faithfulness to the Lord and lives in such humility, the doors of heaven will be thrown open and an invitation will be extended: Come, O faithful one. You have intimacy with Us. This is the station of intimacy. We have found you a faithful one. Every day he or she is honored with a new, heavenly journey in the spirit. It is God Himself Who swears by such a purified soul in: Nay, I swear by the self-accusing soul! (75:2).

[1] Translator’s Note: If one despairs (of Divine mercy) concerning his or her eternal life because of his or her sins, relief from Divine punishment is sought. Such a person then remembers and relies on past good deeds. However, this way is utterly inadequate, for only through Divine mercy can one be saved from God’s punishment and enter Paradise. [2] Al-Bukhari, “Kusuf,” 2; Muslim, “Salat,” 112; Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi, “Kusuf,” in Sunan, 4 vols. (Beirut, n.d.), 2. [3] Al-Tirmidhi, “Zuhd,” 9; Muhammad ibn Yazid al-Qazwini Ibn Maja, “Zuhd,” in Sunan, 2 vols. (Egypt, 1952), 19. [4] Muhammad Ibn Sa’d, Al Tabaqat al-Kubra, 8 vols. (Beirut, 1980), 3:360. [5] 7 In other words, all moments of one’s life are spent in self-criticism and con-stant awareness of what one says and does.