Ripped Limb From Limb

April 20, 2009 – 9:41 am

Note: This is post #6 in our series of Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma, and insha’Allah our last post from Surah Iqraa.

In verses 9 and 10 of Surah Iqraa, Allah says:

أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يَنْهَى
عَبْداً إِذَا صَلَّى

Translation: Have you seen the one who forbids a servant when he prays?

The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to make sujood to Allah in the courtyard of the ka’bah in early times in Mecca, and nobody would stop him. Abu Jahl used to get very, very angry. Once, when the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was doing this, Abu Jahl saw him, and swore he would not let this continue.

So he advanced, with the intention of harming the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam). As the people watched, suddenly, his face changed, and he retreated, screaming.

The people said: What’s wrong with you?

He said, “Didn’t you see what I said?” They said no.

lion-closeup

He said: “I saw a ditch of fire and terror and wings waiting to rip me apart.”

The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Those were the angels. If he had advanced another step, they would have ripped him limb from limb.”

[This hadith is recorded mainly in Saheeh Muslim here, and a shorter version in Saheeh Bukhari here.]

There are two things about this verse that are obvious from the Arabic, but not so from the English translation.

The first is: ta’ajjub, which means like wonder or amazement. This verse is ta’ajjub–like wonderment. “Do you see the person who prevents a slave from worshiping?” Like how ridiculous is this person who wants to prevent others from worshiping Allah.

The second is: a question. The ayahs are phrased as a question. Why? So we can think about it. Ponder about it. Usually, we just gloss over the questions; but they’re there to make you think.

Action Items:

  • Think about it. When was the last time you saw someone preventing others from praying? How did that make you feel? What did that preventing-person get out of it?
  • Sujood Ash-Shukur. Hop onto that prayer mat and make sujood to Allah to thank Him that you don’t have people like that around; that you can pray whatever you want (Dhur/Asr/Maghrib/etc.), whenever you want (lunch break? in the middle of a meeting? during an exam?) and nobody tries to stop you.

Wallahu ‘alam.

References:

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , , | Comments (8)

Du’a for Wealth and Poverty

April 19, 2009 – 5:39 am

ghunan yutghee

Note: This is the 5th post in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

In our last post, we talked about how the human race does taghaa if they see themselves as self-sufficient. Living in western societies, we see this all around us–people racing, fighting, stealing, overworking, to make a few more dollars so that they can “make it.” They buy lottery tickets so they can “make it” and be rich, rich rich!

Did you know, the Prophet Dawud (alayhi salaam) used to make du’a:

اللهمّا أعوذُ بِكَ مِن غُنَن يُطغِي و فِقرٍ يُنسِي
Allahumma a’oothu bika min ghunan yutghee wa fiqrin yunsee

Translation: O Allah, I seek refuge in you from wealth that makes one tyrannical, and poverty that makes one forget. [Recorded in Kitaab ad Du'a by Abdullah ibn Abu Shaybah]

What does this du’a mean? Ghunan yutghee means wealth that makes one tyrannical–because if humans see themselves as self-sufficient, this is what happens!

And “poverty that makes one forget?” If you’ve ever seen people in a bad financial position, struggling to overcome debts, credit-card payments, interest loans, sometimes out of the pressure of the moment, they forget ALL of Allah’s favours on them, and it makes them into a tyrant.

Action Items:

  • Memorize this du’a. It’s very short and easy; if you remember the gist of it, you just need to remember “ghunan yutghee wa faqrun yunsee.”
  • Reflect. Are you falling into the trap of seeking wealth? Are you so sure it will benefit you? Is it already making you creep towards the edge of tughyaan?

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

References:

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Du'a, Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , , | Comments (15)

Self-Sufficient?

April 17, 2009 – 5:02 pm

Note: This is our 4th post in our series of Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

a mountain of gold

Allah says, in ayahs 6-7 of Surah Iqraa:

كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَى
أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَى

Translation: No! [But] indeed, man transgresses. Because he sees himself self-sufficient. [Surah Iqraa, verses 6-7]

Kalla is a very stern, emphatic warning. If your kid is being bad, you say “laa, laa;” and then they grab something hot off the stove and you say “KALLA!” It’s a very strong negation; the thing it negates is either understood, or mentioned in the previous ayah.

Abu Jahl said, “Ask your Lord to make the mountains gold; then we will be self-sufficient, we won’t need to work, and we won’t make any more idols.” (Recall, Mecca made heavy trade in idol worship.)

And this is what Allah is saying–KALLA! This is wrong! Why? Inna al-insaana yatghaa, in raahu istaghnaa. Humans transgress, do tughyaan if they see themselves as self-sufficient. This is something you can take as a life-long gem: Humans do tughyaan if they see themselves as self-sufficient (from Allah).

And to demonstrate yatghaa, or tughyaan, imagine you have a cup of water. It fills, fills fills up to the top, then fills some more and overflows. That’s tughyaan. Going beyond the bounds.

And the key here is that they see themselves as in no need of Allah. That’s what makes them (do) yatghaa.

You can imagine in our lives, this happens! There might be a brother making du’a to get a job, or to get married, crying in his du’a and praying Qiyaam Al-Layl; and then he gets that thing he desires.

And it makes him more arrogant and transgressive. He stops coming to the masjid and praying, because he sees himself as in no need of Allah.

And the mushrikeen would make statements like this–”My wealth or my gang (naadiyah) will avail me,” or even things as crazy as “I’ll bribe the angels of Hellfire to get out.” Because they see themselves as self-sufficient.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Items:

  1. Reflect. Think of one thing you really made effort for (du’a, Qiyam, etc.) and got. How did you feel? Did it bring you closer to Allah or farther? (Post it in the comments, if you’re feeling brave.)
  2. Repent. Make tawbah for anything you asked for, got, and then got into tughyaan for. Start thanking Allah, and asking Allah for help in that thing.

References:

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , | Comments (3)

Making a Statement

April 15, 2009 – 5:04 pm

Note: This is the third post in our series of Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

85071443

From the opening ceremonies, to the first move of world leaders, people like to send a message. The intense revelation of the Qur’an is no different. The timing, style and content, sends a message to the final Prophet (saw) and to all of humanity.

Allah (swt) starts the revelation commanding the Prophet to read “Recite in the name of your Lord who created.” The big statement? It’s all about knowledge. Allah reveals that knowledge will be the way of those who submit to him. Knowledge brings honour to our scholars and courage to our leaders. Knowledge is an Islamic tradition. The carriers of this deen understood and embraced this critical message – they embodied it.

Allah has, for his servants, put this message in context and given it some perspective. Allah instructs that all this knowledge is not an abstract pursuit of man, rather, is unconditionally linked to Himself. Allah continues, “Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous.”

Intricate words for an intricate message. Allah mentions creation and the creation of man – separately, to show us how special we are. For us to link our pursuit of knowledge to Him we need to know Him, so Allah introduces Himself with the name Al-Aqram – the Most Generous. Who is more generous than the one: “Who taught by the pen. Taught man that which he knew not.”

The pen is mentioned because writing is a way to preserve and share knowledge. Further driving home the main message. And, to top it off, Allah gives a small hint, mentioning a “clinging substance,” a detail of embryology only recently understood. Allah shares some knowledge elucidating that all knowledge is from Allah.

The message can be unwrapped layer by layer, exposing the grace and beauty of a simple and beneficial point, is all about knowledge. This message then necessitates the question: what have we done to make knowledge the cornerstone of our life?

Action Items:

  • If knowledge both Islamic (and worldly), isn’t at the core of your life, shouldn’t it be? Make a plan to increase your knowledge intake, for verily, as Allah has shown us, this is the place to start.
  • Comment and tell us your plan; share it, so we can all benefit, insha’Allah!
By ilm candy | Posted in Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)

Arabic Analysis for First Revelation

April 14, 2009 – 8:00 am

This is the second post in our series of Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

trees sway in the sunlight

The first five ayaat of Surah Iqraa are:

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ

Word-for-word translations are pretty common these days (like this one, which has Surah Iqraa), so I’m going to touch lightly on that, and do a bit more grammar. Ready? Here goes!

  • Iqraa (اقْرَأْ): Arabic has three types of verbs: past tense (he recited), present tense (he recites), and commands (recite!) Iqraa is a command to recite. (For all you nerds, it’s in baab one.) So Allah is COMMANDING us to read and recite.
  • Rabbuka or rabbika? In verse 1, Allah says “rabbika”; and in verse 3, Allah says “rabbuka.” What’s the difference between these two, in meaning? Nothing! Rabbuka, rabbika, and rabbaka all mean the exact same thing. (They’re just different cases of grammar.)
  • Rabbika (رَبِّكَ): Rabb in Arabic means the one who created you, who sustains you, who provides for you; the definition of this word takes pages! The “ka” hear means you (single person, male); so rabbuka means “your Rabb,” kitaabuka means “your book,” masjiduka means “your masjid,” etc.
  • Khalaqa (خَلَقَ): Khalaqa means “he created;” In fact, khalaqa means created from nothing. Only Allah can create out of nothing–humans just take existing “stuff” and recompose it. That’s not khalaqa; only ALLAH can create from nothing.
  • Wa (وَ): Wa means and. Occasionally, you may see am (أم), which is the same as wa, except am is used in questions.
  • ‘Allama (عَلَّمَ): ‘Allama means “he taught.” It appears in quite a few places in the Qur’an, so it’s a good word to know. The words ‘ilm (knowledge), mu’allim (teacher), ‘aalim (scholar), ‘ulamaa (scholars) all come from the same root–the letters ‘ayn, laam, and meem.

That should shed some light, insha’Allah, on the meaning of this verse.

Action Steps:

  • Memorize these five ayaat! With this word-for-word translation, and some of the material above, you have no excuse left! Just memorize by meaning.
  • Comment when you’ve memorized these five. When you’ve completed memorizing the ayaat, walhamdulillah, post a comment and share it with the community! Together, insha’Allah, we’ll build up our knowledge + understanding + action + memorization of these surahs.
By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Arabic, Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , , | Comments (9)

The Beginning of Revelation

April 13, 2009 – 9:12 am

This is the first post in our series of Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

The entrance to Cave Hira

Although the story is well-known amongst the Muslims, we will recap the story of the first revelation: Surah Iqraa (also known as Surah ‘Alaq), revealed in Mecca.

Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (rahimahullah) relates from ‘Aisha (radiallahu ‘anhaa) that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), for six months before revelation, would see true dreams that would happen the next day–day after day after day, for six months.

Seclusion became beloved to him. He used to go to Cave Hiraa to worship Allah, alone, for a period of days and nights.

One night, alone, in the dark, a man he didn’t know appeared to him in the cave. The man said: Iqra (read). He (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, I cannot read (being illiterate, salallahu alayhi wa sallam).

So the man grabbed him, and squeezed him until he felt like he would die. Then the man said: Iqra. He said: I cannot read.

So the man grabbed him, and squeezed him again, until he felt like he would die. Then the man said: Iqra. He said: I cannot read!

Then the man recited:

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ

Translation:
Recite in the name of your Lord who created.
Created man from a clinging substance.
Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous.
Who taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he knew not. [Surah Iqraa, verses 1-5]

It was the angel Jibreel (alayhi salaam), coming with the first revelation.

The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) fled home to his wife, Khadijah (radiallahu ‘anhaa), and told her what happened. He said, “I feel as if I have gone mad.” And she said “Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your relatives, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you help the deserving, calamity afflicted people.”

They went to her cousin, Waraqa, who was a scholar of the religion of that time (one who followed the true Islam, worshipping Allah alone); he affirmed that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was indeed a prophet, and that the people would exile him, as they did to all prophets; he said “If I remain alive till that day (when they begin prosecuting the messenger of Allah) then I would firmly support you.” But he died before that time came.

(Note: statements of the Prophet have been paraphrased to make them easier to understand.)

This story is well-known; so we’re going to dive into some points insha’Allah you may not have heard (or realized!) before.

  • True dreams. True dreams are the sign of a believer–and for the anbiyyah (prophets), ALL of them received true dreams during the night, that would occur precisely the next day exactly as they saw them. This was preparing the Messenger of Allah for what would come–showing Allah’s support of him.
  • Mountain-Climber. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was strong and fit–fit enough to climb a big, tall mountain, all by himself, with no ropes or hooks or anyone to see if he falls and gets hurt!
  • Fear and pain. Imagine if you’re in a dark place, and a man comes out of nowhere and tells you to recite. It’s frightening! And what’s more, Jibreel squeezed him, so much so that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) thought he was going to die! Some ‘ulama say that this pain was a preparation for revelation.
  • Think. Allah says “Iqraa”–read! Unlike other religions, Islam is not about shutting down your brain. Quite the opposite!
  • Illiteracy. The messenger of Allah was illiterate–he couldn’t read or write. Despite this, Orientalists claim he wrote the Qur’an, THE best work of Arabic language ever. Allah praises him, because this is a miracle–an unlettered man reciting the most amazing book; not by building up his skill on small successes, but suddenly, WHAM! And nobody could write anything close to it.
  • The good qualities of the Prophet prior to Islam. Khadijah mentioned five points that he used to do even BEFORE Islam:
    • Keeping good ties with his relatives.
    • Speaking the truth (and not lying).
    • Helping the poor and needy.
    • Serving guests generously.
    • Helping those whom calamities struck.

    These are qualities we should all strive for!

  • The Role of Khadijah as a wife. From the first revelation, she supported the Messenger of Allah. Even after her death, he used to visit her relatives and friends, and spoke well about her–so much so that ‘Aisha once said “Why do you remember an old woman so much, when Allah has given you better than her” (i.e. ‘Aisha herself); the Prophet replied: “Khadija was such-and-such (i.e. recounting the support she gave), and from her (alone) I had children.” [Hadith 1 and Hadith 2 in Bukhari].
  • Islam Survived to the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet himself used to worship Allah! As did Waraqa! So from the anbiyyah who came before (most recently, ‘Isa alayhi salaam) the true message survived to a small extent, albeit to a few of the people (the majority of people in that time, in that area, were mushrikeen).
  • Difference of Opinion. Once upon a time, there was difference of opinion as to what the first revelation was; today, there’s consensus that this is it–the first five ayaat of Surah Iqraa.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Steps:

  • Memorize the first five ayaat of Surah Iqraa. It’s only five ayaat, each 4-5 words. Spend a few minuets and just DO it, wallahi it’s very easy! Insha’Allah next post (tomorrow), we’ll do some in-depth grammar of these five ayaat.
  • Resolve to speak the truth and never to lie again. It’s a good quality, and one of the Messenger of Allah even BEFORE revelation! So no more excuses–just do it.
  • Fill out the rating-widget below. Let us know how this post is fitting your expections.
  • Comment on if this post meets your requirements. We started this series in consultation with YOU, the readers; and we moved in the direction that YOU, the readers, wanted; how did it play out? Let us know so we can improve, insha’Allah!

References:

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Seerah, Tafseer | Tagged , , , | Comments (21)