A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| signs |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 06/06/02 at 00:41:48 |
ok, a question for abu hamza: :D who doth more wrong than such as forge a lie against Allah, or deny his Signs? But never will prosper those who sin. um...i was going to add in some other stuff, but let's just do one at a time, so i get good answers... so.....what are these Signs, that someone could deny them? somewhere else i read that it doesn't matter how much good you do in the world if you deny these Signs. this is not things like....the sun comes up every day, is it? or is it something more specific than that? is it like...finding the speed of light in the quran out to ten or whatever it is decimal places? ok, ok, be patient with me, i don't even know the language to ask my questions, so please don't take offense at the words i use..... ok, now i'm assuming this acceptance of the Signs means believing without doubt (is that right?). but everywhere i read this it just kind of sounds like it's something obvious. what if it's not obvious? what if you aren't denying the Signs upfront, but don't even know what they are? is THAT also denying them? LYING is a conscious and generally premeditated wrong, done willfully even if not premeditated. but with the Signs thing it kind of sounds like even if you aren't consciously doing any denying, you're still committing a wrong. does that make any sense? doesn't to me... and on to other conscious wrong, how can it be that not praying five times a day will be the first thing considered at this time of mutal loss and gain, if some people (imaginary people, just sos ya know) are praying five times a day but being, well, not completely nice in their hearts, while other people (eh-hem) haven't seen these signs, have no inclination (almost...oh, we have to go back to the nafs...eh oh) to do wrong, and are almost always (can i get away with generally??) kind and loving - except when they mess up. :( hmmm....something doesn't seem to add up right.......why would being basically good be negated by lack of prayer? please, who knows specifically why any of this makes sense even though it sounds like it doesn't? mwishka p.s. i decided not to rewrite the whole question even though both bro hamayoun and sis betul have given me more information about what this all means than i had when i, um, first posted this question...BEFORE it was taken down by one of my cats, who had heard that i'd been coming here as many as TEN! times a day and they agreed that they better do something to intervene before it started interfering with THEIR lives... |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| humble_muslim |
| 06/06/02 at 09:11:02 |
| [slm] Mwishka, A very loaded question! I'll try to give a BRIEF response to some of your enquiries. "why would being basically good be negated by lack of prayer? " Amongst muslims there are actaully a lot of VERY nice people who do not pray. Prayer is really the defining boundary between being a believer and a non-beliver. By praying five times a day, you are testifying with your body that you believe in Allah. According to Islamic belief, belief in one God is the most important thing, over and above everything else. And this belief must be demonstrated by physical bodily action, of which the most defining one is prayer. Does that make sense ? "if some people (imaginary people, just sos ya know) are praying five times a day but being, well, not completely nice in their hearts..." God knows what is in people's hearts. According to Islamic belief, if you are praying just for showing to people, your pary is of no effect. Another thing to bear in mind is that even if you have prayed five times a day thruout your life, and done all other forms of worship, that still does not guarantee you success on judgemnet day if you have done bad things against other people. The Prophet (SAW) said that such a person would have all his good deeds transferred to the person he did bad things against, and that when his good deeds were exhausted, then the person's(who bad things were done to) sins would be transferred to him (the one who did the bad things). As for the signs, read "The Beneifcient" chapter, and also the first 18 verses of "The Bee". The 18th verse is one of the most beautiful in the Quran : "If ye would count up the favours of God, never would ye be able to number them: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. " Take care, Hamayoun. |
| NS |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Abu_Hamza |
| 06/06/02 at 20:14:38 |
| Ok. Let's see what we got here. [quote]Who doth more wrong than such as forge a lie against Allah, or deny his Signs? But never will prosper those who sin.[/quote] This ayah is from Surah Yunus (10:17). It's always a good idea to read things in their context, *especially* with the Qur'an. So for the sake of those who do not know the context of this verse, let me put it here. I've added additional notes within the translation to explain things a bit further. [color=black][i]13. (O People of Quraysh!) Generations before you We destroyed when they did wrong (for example, the nations of Aad and Thamud): their Messengers came to them with Clear Signs, but they would not believe! Thus do We requite those who sin! 14. Then We made you heirs in the land after them, to see how ye would behave! 15. But (O Muhammad) when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed unto them (i.e. your people), those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, Say: "Bring us a Qurán other than this, or change this," Say (to them): "It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what is revealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the Chastisement of a Great Day (to come)." 16. Say: "If Allah had so willed, I should not have rehearsed it to you, nor should He have made it known to you. A whole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you: will ye not then understand?" 17. Who doth more wrong than such as forge a lie against Allah, or deny His Signs? But never will prosper those who sin. 18. They serve, besides Allah, things that can hurt them not nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: "Do ye indeed inform Allah of something He knows not, in the heavens or on earth?- Glory to Him! and far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!" [/color][/i] Yusuf Ali adds a very helpful note in his commentary to ayah 14 as follows: [color=black]1401. This is addressed to the Qurays in the first instance, for they have succeeded the 'Ad and the Thamud heritage. But the application is universal ... to the Muslims and non-Muslims of our own days.[/color] Let me answer first your second question, which relates to the part about [i]forging a lie against Allah[/i]. This lie is that which ayah 18 talks about: "They say: 'these (idols) are our intercessors with Allah.'" The claim that there is more than one god, or the claim that Allah (swt) has partners in Godhood (astaghfirullah) are what the Qur'an often calls as *the* lie forged against the Majesty of Allah (swt) - who is the One and Only deity worthy of worship, and is not in need of any partners nor intercessors. So anyone who makes this claim of polytheism, or of atheism (that there does not exist *any* God at all) for that matter, then this is the "lie" that the ayah is talking about. Now, what's the deal with the signs? :) First, this word is used at different places in the Qur'an with different meanings. When the word is used in the context of "rehearsing" something (as it is in verse 15 above for example), it almost always refers to the verses of the Qur'an (the word used for a "sign" and a "verse" from the Qur'an is the same in the Arabic language -- [i]ayah[/i]). So in the verse in question, verse 17, the word "signs" is referring specifically to the verses of the Qur'an, or the Qur'an itself (the "signs" talked about two verses before verse 17, in verse 15). For someone to deny the Qur'an, they must have heard the Qur'an, and must have had the opportunity to reflect and ponder upon it. And the Quraysh had certainly been given these opportunities, yet they denied the signs (the Qur'an - the Message of Muhammad pbuh), and this is what the verse is referring to here. "Signs" also refers to the "miracles" that were brought by the various Prophets to their people, to prove to them the Truth of their Message. This is what verse 13 above refers to, for example, where it talks about "clear signs." To deny these signs is also criticized by the Qur'an. In other words, if a people are shown clear signs (miracles) by their Messenger, and still they reject him and/or his Message, then what a pity for such people! And then there is a third category of signs, the ones that are referred to in the beginning of this surah, and the ones that you spoke about in your question (i.e. signs of nature). In this surah, if you read the surah from the beginning, Allah (swt) enumerates various signs that He has put forth for mankind to reflect upon and ponder. These signs are pointed out to reason with the people that there must be a Being who created these signs around them, and sustains them every day, every hour, every second. And then the rhetorical question is asked, 'will you still not believe?" And thus you read in verse 5 and 6: [color=black][i]5. It is He (Allah) Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for it; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand! 6. Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who fear Him.[/i][/color] These verses, especially verse 6, is really similar to verse 164 in Surah al-Baqarah (Surah 2). Let's see if we can make some sense out of it all by reading that verse and the one that comes right after it, 2:165, as well as Yusuf Ali's footnotes to both the verses: [color=black][i]164. Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth - (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise. [/i] [Footnote: This magnificent Nature passage stands out like a hill in a landscape, enhancing the beauty of our view, and preparing us for the everyday laws and ordinances which follow. Note its literary architecture. Allah is One: and among His wondrous Signs is the unity of design in the widest diversity of Nature. The Signs are taken from the features of beauty, power, and utility to man himself, and lead up to an appeal to Man's own intelligence and wisdom. We begin with the glory of the heavens and the earth, the wide spaces covered by man's imagination, remote and yet so near to his own life. The most striking everyday phenomenon resulting from the interrelations of the heavens and the earth is the alternation of day and night, regular and yet changing in duration with the seasons and the latitudes of our globe. The night for rest, and the day for work; and we can think of the work in terms of nature's beauty; the stately ships "flowing" (as the original text has it) across the seas, for communications and merchandise as between men and men. The seas thus serve us no less than land, and the give-and-take as between sea, sky, and land, is further exemplified by the rain. The rain leads to the fertility of the land, and here we are reminded of the contrast between the Winter's death of Nature and her revivification in the Spring. Here we are reminded of agriculture and the use we make of cattle and all kinds of living creatuers. The word translated "beasts" has a wide meaning, including crawling creatuers, insects, etc. -- all contributing to the round of Nature's operations. This leads us on to the wonderful winds, the region of the air, which man is just beginning to explore and navigate. The personified winds drive the clouds in the sky like "slaves." Here is another aspect of clouds besides that of giving rain. The fleecy clouds are things of sunset beauty; at midday they temper the glare of the sun; at all times they affect radiation and other processes going on in the sky. So we come back to the sky, rounding off the argument, and correlating our human life with the Will and Power of Allah, if we had the wisdom to see!] [i]165. Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the punishment: that to Allah belongs all power, and Allah will strongly enforce the punishment.[/i] [Footnote: Everything around and within us points to unity of purpose and design - points to Allah. Yet there are foolish persons (unrighteous = those who deliberately use the choice given them to go wrong). They think something else is equal to Allah. If only the unrighteous could see the consequences, they would see the terrible Penalty, and that all Power is in Allah's hands, not in that of any one else. Who are these others who are used as fetishes by the misguided? It may be: (1) creatures of their own imagination, or of their faculties misused; the idea lying behind idols is akin to this, for no intelligent idol-worshipper own to worshipping stocks and stones; or (2) good leaders whose names have been misused out of perversity to erect them to a position of equality with Allah; or (3) Powers of evil that deliberately mislead. When it comes to the inevitable consequences of blasphemy and the rejection of Allah, teh eyes of all are opened and these false and artificial relations dissolve. The idea which was created into a fetish disowns its follower, i.e. is seen to have no reasonable basis in the life of the follower, and the follower is forced to renounce it as false. The good leaders whose names were misused would of course disown the misuse of their names, and the evil ones would take an unholy delight in exposing the facts. The Realisy is now irresistible, but alas! at what cost?] [/color] Now, I know I haven't answered your questions *exactly*. But I figured, and forgive me if what I assumed was inaccurate, that you had asked some questions without putting all of what I said above in perspective. So what I want from you mwishka is to re-ask your questions, if you don't mind. I'm sure the questions will still be there, but hopefully some of them have been answered by this post. The rest, I'll tackle in the next post insha Allah, after I see a revised list of questions from you. Fair enough? :) Take care. |
| 06/06/02 at 20:24:03 |
| Abu_Hamza |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 06/07/02 at 08:45:43 |
| brother hamayoun, thanks for the reading suggestions. abu hamza: don't take your post down! :D i haven't had time to re-think my questions..... (ok, ok, i see i was just being impetuous*...) mwishka |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| PeaceSeeker |
| 06/07/02 at 10:46:54 |
| [slm] Although this thread is about mwhishka's question but I have a related question which I feel would be an appropriate place to ask. So here it goes. In the Quran Allah talks about signs in nature. For instance the alterations of the night and day, wind, rain, sun and the moon etc. Ok now this might sound stupid but I always thought a sign is when something happens out of the ordinary. Something that stands out from the ordinary, hence you are able to make them out. But alterations of night and day, rain, movements of the wind all seem to ordinary to me. I mean if one day the sun comes out from the west then that would make me think. So how do we exactly discern these natural occurances as signs. Or is my whole definition of signs incorrect? |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Abu_Hamza |
| 06/07/02 at 11:10:30 |
| [slm] PeaceSeeker, the word "ayaat" has various meanings in the Arabic language, as I explained my earlier post. And one of these meanings is "miracles" as you are referring to. But that is not all it means. It also means "signs." To answer your question, I think you should check out this discussion that's currently going on in another thread: [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/madina/YaBB.pl?board=bebzi;action=display;num=1023100221]click here[/url]. |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Kashif |
| 06/07/02 at 13:14:58 |
| assalaamu alaikum Signs in nature can also refer to lessons drawn from nature. An example is the passing of the seasons from winter to spring. Whats the sign here? That just as when in the winter time, land looks barren and dead and vegetation is not seen and the ground is bare, then in spring time everything is lush and green and overflowing with life ... is this not a sign that one day you will likewise die and then again be brought back to life? Kashif Wa Salaam [quote author=PeaceSeeker link=board=lighthouse;num=1023338508;start=0#4 date=06/07/02 at 10:46:54] [slm] Although this thread is about mwhishka's question but I have a related question which I feel would be an appropriate place to ask. So here it goes. In the Quran Allah talks about signs in nature. For instance the alterations of the night and day, wind, rain, sun and the moon etc. Ok now this might sound stupid but I always thought a sign is when something happens out of the ordinary. Something that stands out from the ordinary, hence you are able to make them out. But alterations of night and day, rain, movements of the wind all seem to ordinary to me. I mean if one day the sun comes out from the west then that would make me think. So how do we exactly discern these natural occurances as signs. Or is my whole definition of signs incorrect? [/quote] |
| NS |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Barr |
| 06/07/02 at 13:28:26 |
| Assalamu'alaikum:-) [quote]So how do we exactly discern these natural occurances as signs. [/quote] When we see things with the eye of the heart. It will discern what seems ordinary to be something that has depth and meaning, for us to understand what really life truly is. So... how do we see with the eye of the heart? Hmm, any takers? :) Allahua'lam :-) |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Abu_Hamza |
| 06/08/02 at 01:19:34 |
| [slm] [quote]When we see things with the eye of the heart. It will discern what seems ordinary to be something that has depth and meaning, for us to understand what really life truly is. [/quote] Very true! Jazaki Allaahu Khairan Sr. Barr for reminding us of that. And thus Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an, "it is not their eyes that have gone blind, but their hearts in their breast." [quote]how do we see with the eye of the heart? [/quote] As I mentioned before in another thread, some people with a deep insight into the matters of the qalb [heart] have compared it to a mirror. The mirror reflects what is in the outside world in its real and accurate form to the person who looks into the mirror, as long as the mirror itself is not bent, crooked or deformed in some way. However, when the mirror becomes tainted, or becomes deformed in one way or another, the reflection it produces of the *real* world out there is also deformed. And thus, what we *see* in the mirror is not real and accurate. It's messed up. Not because reality has become messed up. No, reality remains as it always was - it's the mirror, the tool we use to look at the world that has become tainted. Our quloob are the means with which we look to Allah (swt). The signs in this world reveal Allah (swt) to our quloob, and this is what Allah (swt) wants us to do when He tells us again and again to look around towards His signs. They are there to reveal His Majesty, His Magnificence, His reality to us! However, if our quloob are clouded and wrapped with thick veils of dhunoob [sins], the qalb does not reflect this world as it is supposed to. Because it has become sick and deformed. So it begins to *veil* Allah (swt) from us, instead of *revealing* Him to us. It does not mean the signs are not effective in and of themselves, or that Allah (swt) ceases to exist (waliyaadhq billaah). It only means that our quloob have become sick, no longer capable of performing the function that they are supposed to perform - reveal Allah (swt) to us through His Creation. The way to remedy this problem is by removing those thick clouds of dhunoob that surround and choke our quloob. And that is the entire purpose of the processes known as tahaaratul qalb [purification of the heart] and tazkiyatun nafs [cleansing of the soul]. It's a deep topic, and something everyone should study on their own. For now, suffice it to say that the process has to start with tawbah [repentance]. And tawbah itself begins with nadm [deep regret and guilt] for the sins one has committed. This puts the spin on the process of purification. And as you progress in this process, bi'idhnillah (with the rahmah of Allah swt), the veils begin to be removed from around your qalb. And gradually you begin to see the revealing nature of the creation around you. The first time you encounter such a feeling it is so intense, so beautiful, so overwhelming, so sweet, that you long for more of it, and more, and more. Until your qalb becomes *really* clean, like a clear, shining piece of mirror. And it becomes *so* sensitive to the signs around us, that even the smallest things remind you of Allah (swt) - to the extent that you enter a state of constant awareness that *everything* around you is in the constant dhikr of Allah (swt). So when you look at a row of ants walking towards their mound, or a flock of birds gathered on a street at maghrib, etc, you see them as slaves of Allah (swt), singing His Praises, and worshipping Him in their own special ways. May Allah (swt) purify our quloob from all kinds of dhunoob, and remove the veils from around our quloob. May He make our quloob steadfast upon His Deen, and may He never turn our quloob away from Him after He has set them aright. Wallaahu ta'aala a'lam. Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah. |
| 06/08/02 at 01:22:26 |
| Abu_Hamza |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 06/08/02 at 01:25:23 |
LYING is a conscious and generally premeditated wrong, done willfully even if not premeditated. so, this is my comment on lying, and now i read that the quran says atheism is a form of lie, which means that muslims believe that i am willfully and consciously forging a lie against god. so, i think i need to go away and consider this for a while..... i don't have any more questions right now. |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| UmmWafi |
| 06/09/02 at 02:07:12 |
| Salaam Sis Mwishka How are u feeling now that the day to depart for Palestine grows nearer ? Insya'Allah, I hope that all will go well and that you will come back blessed with knowledge and insights that will prove most useful for your internal growth. I have read some of your posts on signs, on God's existence, on religion etc with much interest. They remind me of a time when I used to have these conversations with a dear friend about subjcts you raised. I miss those times :) You know Sis, learning is never easy. Gettng facts, yeah, simple. Pick up a book and read and u will get data and facts but knowledge takes more time. What is very important is our orientation towards the learning process. From your numerous posts I can see that u are an intelligent person who is learned in many ways, so I guess I shall not elaborate further on learning and knowledge for I believe you are a better authority in this than I am. But what I do wanna share is my own experience. Alhamdulillah, I was born into a Muslim family but my love for Allah and Islaam stems from a long spiritual journey fraught with doubts heartbreak and what have yous. To cut this uninteresting story short, I am Alhamdullah blessed by Allah SWT because eventually I was blessed with taufik and nur. However, I am ery sure the blessings came because I was trying very hard to learn. Someone in one of the posts in this thread thinks that signs should be extraodinary and out of the blue kinda thing. Well actually signs are anything and everything, simple or complex, ordinary or extraodinary, as long as it contains the astounding message of Allah. Sure, to some, the fact that day and night are signs God exist sems simplistic and folklrish, but if u confine yourself to simply that, day and night, then perhaps u may not have understood the entirety of Allah's possible message. The discerning learner would go further and deeper, like understanding the concept of day and night and why different people in different parts of the world experience day and nights at different time, then moving on to understand the planetary and solar system which are directly connected to the phenomenon of day and night, and then moving on to understand the systems in connection with the concept of a universe and galaxies, and then examining the systems in relations to its movement and position in relation to other considerations like geographical production, landscapes, inhabitants etc etc. When u feel u cannot go beyond, u then go inwards, from planetary considerations to the smallest of existence, ie atoms. I am no physics expert (so can someone bail me out here ? lol) but I think that no two simple unsplittable atoms move the same way at a given time. That the combination of such movements and positioning gives rise to what is later a mass. Ask yourself if you are very sure that this extremely complicated orchestra of harmony and balance, starting from the most basic of existence to the most complicated of phenomena is purely the product of "nature". If so, please define what nature is. Sis Mwishka, I can genuinely feel your confusion abt many things, especially reading your last post in this thread. I can't say much here but this is what I told my dear friend. Don't ask what is on the other side first but ask whats on this side. Meaning, those ask why should u be a Muslim but ask yourself why u are an atheist now. Perhaps that would give u a better insight on several issues outstanding. Secondly, start your search with a question because u want to know not with a question because you doubt. Thirdly, be systematic in your learning. Fourthly, don't compromise. Accept only what eventually do not shortcange you when it comes to beliefs. I am terribly sorry if I sound like an irritating Ms-Know-It-All. Allah knows I am not. I am very mch aware of how ignorant I am in so many things. I guess I am just a concerned sister who wish she could meet u someday :) Again, my sincerest apologies if I have offended anyone. Wassalam |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| amatullah |
| 07/17/02 at 22:50:21 |
| Bismillah and salam, Here is a quote from the introduction of "[u]towards understanding islam[/u]" by abul A'la mawdudi: Everyone can see that we live in an orderly universe. There is law adn order among all the parts that make up this universe. Everything is assigned a place in a grant scheme which is working in a magnificent and superb way. The sun, the moon, the stars, in fact all the heavenly bodies are knit together in a splendid system. There bodies follow an unalterable law and do not deviate even slightly from their ordained course. The earth rotates on its axis and in its reovlution around the sun follows the path laid out for it with precision. Everything in teh world, from teh tiny whirlin gelectron to the mighty galaxy constantly and ceaselessly follows its own laws. Matter, energy and life-all obey laws, laws by which they must grow or change, live or die. Even in the human world, the laws of nature are quite obvious. Man's birth, growth and life are all regulated by a set of biological laws, He derives nourishment from nature according to a law which cannot be changed. All the organs of his body, from teh small tissues to the heart and teh brain, operate according to the laws set out for them. In short ours is a law-governed universe and everything in it is following the course that has been ordained for it. This all-powerful and all-penetrating law, which governs everythng that exists, from the tiniest particles of amtter to the most awesome galaxies in the high heavens, is the law of God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Since all created things obey the law of God, teh entire universe, therefore, literally follows the system of Islam- for Islam signifies nothing but obedience and submission to God, the Lord of the universe. The sun, the moon, the earth and all the other heavenly bodies are thus "Muslims" (obedient servants of Allah). So are the air, water a nd soil, and all lliving htings, the insects, birds and mammals of the animal worlds, the shrubs, trees, vegetables and fruits of the plant world. Everything in the universe is "Muslim"' for they all obey God Almighty by submitting to His laws. Even a man who refuses to believe in God, or offers his worship to someone other than Allah has perforce to be a ‘Muslim’ as far as his bodily existence is concerned. For his entire life, from the embryonic stage to the body’s dissolution info dust after death, and every tissue of his muscles and every limb of his body follow the course prescribed for each by God’s law. His very tongue which, on account of his ignorance, advocates the denial of God or professes multiple deities, is in its very nature a ‘Muslim’. His head which he wantonly bows to other besides Allah is a born Muslim. His heart wherein, through his lack of true knowledge, he cherishes love and reverence for others, is ‘Muslim’ by intuition. These are all obedient to the divine Law, and their functions and movements are governed by the injunctions of that law alone. This, in short, is the real position of man and the universe. Let us now examine the problem in a different light. Man is so constituted that there are two aspects of his life: two distinct spheres of his activity. One is the sphere in which he finds himself totally regulated by the Divine Law. He cannot budge an inch or move a step away from it. Nor can he evade it in any way or from. In fact, like other creatures, he is completely caught in the grip of the law of nature and is bound to follow it. But there is another sphere of his activity as well. He has been endowed with reason and intellect. He has the power to think and form judgments, to choose and reject, and to adopt and spurn. He is free to adopt whatever course of life chooses. He can embrace any faith, adopt any way of life and formulate his living according to whatever ideologies he likes. He may prepare his own code of conduct or accept one formulated by others. He has been bestowed with free will and can chalk out his own course of behaviour. In this latter aspect, he, unlike the other creatures, has been given freedom of thought, choice, and action. Both these aspects distinctly co-exist in man’s life. In the first he, like all other creatures, is a born Muslim, invariably obeys the injunctions of God, and is bound to remain so. As far as the second aspect is concerned, he is free to become or not to become a Muslim. Here he has been given the freedom of choice-and it is the way a person exercises this freedom, which divides mankind into two groups: believers and non-believers. An individual who chooses to acknowledge his creator, accepts Him as his real Master, honestly and scrupulously submits to His laws and injunctions and follows the code He has revealed unto man for his individual and social life, thereby becomes a perfect Muslim. He has, so to say, achieved completeness in his Islam by consciously deciding to obey God in the domain in which he was endowed with freedom and choice. Now his entire life has become one of submission to God and there is no conflict in his personality. He is a perfect Muslim and his Islam is complete-for this submission of his entire self to the will of Allah is Islam and nothing but Islam. He has now consciously submitted to Him whom he had already been unconsciously obeying. He has now willingly offered obedience to the Master whom he already owed obedience unintentionally. His knowledge is now real for he has acknowledged the Being who endowed him with the power to learn and to know. Now his reason and judgment are set on an even keel-for he has rightly decided to obey the Being who bestowed upon him the faculty of thinking and judging. His tongue also is truthful for it expresses with conviction its confession of the Lord who gave it the faculty speech. New the whole of this existence is an embodiment of, in all spheres of life, he voluntarily as well as involuntarily obeys the laws of the same One God with the whole universe for he worships Him whom the whole world is for him and he is for God. THE NATURE OF KUFR In contrast to the man described above, there is the man who, although a born Muslim and unconsciously Remaining one throughout his life, does not exercise his faculties of reason, intellect, and intuition for recognizing his Lord and creator and misuses his freedom of choice by choosing to deny Him. Such a man becomes an unbeliever-in the language of Islam a kafir. [u] Kufr literally means ‘to cover’ or ‘to conceal’. The man who denies God is called kafir (concealer) because he conceals by his disbelief what is inherent in his nature and embalmed in his own soul [/u]-for, indeed, his nature is instinctively imbued with ‘Islam’. His whole body, every sinew and every fibre, functions in obedience to that instinct. Each and every particle of existence-living or lifeless-functions in accordance with ‘Islam’ and is fulfilling the duty that has been assigned to it. But the vision of this man has been blurred, his intellect has been befogged , and he is unable to see the manifest. His own nature has become concealed from his eyes and he thinks and acts in utter disregard of it. The reality become estranged form him and he gropes in the dark such is the nature of kufr. Kufr is a form of ignorance, [i]rather it is ignorace[/i]. What ignorance can be greater than to be ignorant of God, the creator, the Lord of the universe? A man observes the vast panorama of nature, the superb mechanism that is ceaselessly working, the grand design that is manifest in every nook and corner of the creation-he observes this vast machine, but he does not know who is its maker and Director. He looks to his own body, the wonderful organism that works in the most superb way, and uses it to achieve his own ends but is unable to comprehend the force that brought it into existence, the engineer who designed and produced this machine, the creator who made the unique living being out of lifeless stuff: carbon, calcium, sodium, and the like. He witnesses a superb plan in the universe-but fails to see the planner behind it. he sees great beauty and harmony in its working-but not the creator of this all. He observes wonderful design in nature-but not the Designer! In the universe all around him he observes the choicest demonstrations of skill in science and wisdom, mathematics and engineering, design and purpose, but he blinds himself to the being Who brought all this vast incomprehensible universe into existence. How can a man, who has blinded himself to this great and significant reality, approach the true perspectives of knowledge? How can the vistas of truth and knowledge be opened to such a man? How can one who has made the wrong beginning reach the right destination? He will fail to find the clue to Reality. The Right path will remain concealed for him and whatever be his endeavors in sciences and arts, he will never be able to avail himself of the lights of truth and wisdom. He would be groping in the dark, and stumbling in the gloom of ignorance. Not only that; kufr is also a tyranny, nay, the wars of tyrannies. And what is ‘tyranny’? It is an act of cruel and unjust use of any force or power. If you force a thing to act unjustly or to act against its true nature, its real will and its inherent attitude,-that is tyranny, root and branch. We have seen that all that is in the universe is obedient to God the creator. to obey, to live in accordance with His will and His Law or (to put it more precisely) to be a Muslim is ingrained in their very nature. God has given manpower over these things, but it is incumbent in the very nature of these things that they should be used for the fulfillment of His will and not otherwise. But one who disobeys God and resorts to kufr is the person who perpetrates the greatest injustice, for he uses all these powers of body and mind to rebel against the course of nature and becomes an unwilling instrument in the drama of disobedience. He forces his head to bow down before deities other than God and cherishes in his heart the love, reverence, and fear of other powers in utter disregard to the instinctive urge of these organs. He uses his own powers and all those things upon which he has authority against the explicit of good and thus establishes a reign of tyranny. Can there be any greater injustice, tyranny, and cruelty than that exhibited by this man who exploits and misuses everything under the sun and unscrupulously forces them to a course which affronts nature and justice? Kufr is not mere tyranny; it is, to say the least, sheer rebellion, ingratitude, and infidelity. After all, what is the reality of man? What is his power and authority? Is he himself the creator of his mind, his heart, his soul, and other organs of his body-or have they been created by God? Has he himself created the universe and all that is within her-or has it been created by God? Who has harnessed all the powers and energies for the service of man-man or God? If everything has been created by God and God alone, then to whom do they belong? Who is their real owner? Who is their rightful sovereign? Verily, it is God and none else. And if God is the creator, the Master, and the sovereign, then who would be a greater rebel than the man who uses God’s creation against His injunctions-who makes his mind think against God, harbors in his heart thoughts against Him, and uses his various faculties against the sovereign’s will. If a servant betrays his master you denounce him as faithless. If an officer become disloyal to the state you dub him as traitor and renegade. If a person cheats his benefactor you have no hesitation in condemning him as ingrate. But what match can this betrayal, this ingratitude, and this rebellion have to the one which the disbeliever commits by his Kufr? After all, who is the real mainspring of all power and authority? Who gave man command over the resources? Who elevated people to positions of high authority and power? All that a man has and all that he uses for the benefit of others is a bestowal of God. The greatest obligation that man owes on this earth is to his parents. But who has implanted the love of children in the parents’ hearts? Who endowed the mother with the will and power to nurture, nourish, and feed her children? Who inspired the parents with the passion to spend everything in their possession for the well being of their children? A little reflection would reveal that God is the greatest benefactor of man. He is his creator, Lord, Nourisher, sustainer, as well as his real king and sovereigns. And this being the position of God vis-à-vis man, what can be greater betrayal, ingratitude, rebellion, and treason than Kufr, through which a man denies and disobeys his real Lord and sovereign? Do not think that bay committing Kufr man does or can do any harm to God Almighty. No, not the least. An insignificant speck on the face of a tiny ball in this limitless universe that man is, what harm can he do to the Lord of the universe whose dominions are so infinitely vast that we have not yet been able to explore their boundaries even with the help of the most powerful telescope; Whose power is so great that myriad's of heavenly bodies, like the Earth, the Moon, the sun and the stars, are at His bidding, whirling link tiny balls; Whose wealth is so boundless that He is the sole Master of the whole universe; and who provides for all and needs none to provide for Him. Man’s revolt against Him can do Him no harm; on the other hand by his disobedience, man treads the path of utter ruin and disgrace. The inevitable consequence of this revolt and denial of reality is a failure in the ultimate ideals of life. such a rebel will never find the thread of real knowledge and vision; for the knowledge that fails to reveal its own creator can reveal no truth. Such a man’s intellect and reason always run astray; for reason which errs in knowing its own creator cannot illumine the paths of life. Such a man will meet with failures in all the affairs of his life. His morality, his civic and social life, his struggle for livelihood and his family life, in short, his entire living, will be upset. He will spread confusion and disorder on the earth. He will without the least compunction, shed blood, violate other men’s rights, be cruel to them, and create disorder and destruction in the world. His perverted thoughts and ambitions, his blurred vision and disturbed scale of values, and his evil-spelling activities would make life bitter for him and for all around him. Such a man would destroy the calm and poise of life on earth. And in the life hereafter he would be held guilty for the crimes he committed upon his nature, his powers, and resources. Every organ of his body-his very brain, eyes, nose, hands, and feet-will complain against the injustice and cruelty he had done unto them. every tissue of his being will decry him before God Who, as the very fountain of justice, will award him the fullest punishment he deserves. This is the inglorious consequence of Kufr. It leads to the blind alley of utter failure, here and hereafter. ....... Hope it helps, the signs are everywhere, in the universe..your body..everywhere. Just like you can see a light bulb and make some valid observations about its maker(s) ...ex. having knoweldge of electirical, ability to shape glass,etc. You can get to know some of the power of Allah by looking at his creatures. |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| Traveler |
| 07/18/02 at 18:00:36 |
| [slm] On reading your last post, mwishka, I think I understood what you're trying to get at. And I believe I may have something to say in response. But before I say anything, I would like to make a general disclaimer. I am not a scholar on Islam. Whatever I say is based on my very short and limited study on the religion of Islam. There is every possibility that I might be wrong in my understanding. And if you do observe any faults, feel free to correct me. Okay, to begin with I'd like to rephrase your question to see if I really have understood your question. You say, LYING is a conscious and generally premeditated wrong, done willfully even if not premeditated. So does a person believing in something other than the Truth lie against the Truth? Even if he/she is not even aware what the Truth is? Personally, I think not, and I’ll tell you why I think so. First off, logically speaking, the invalidity of the statement is quite apparent. To lie against something, one has to know what he’s lying against. Second, this question reminded me of a few verses, which I think supports my stance. A major portion of Surah 92 - Al lael (The Night) talks about the issue in question. I’m only quoting verses 12 – 16, as I think they are directly relate to the subject at hand. [color=Navy][i] Surah 92 Al lael – (Trans. Yusuf Ali) 12. Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide(Human kind), 13. And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning. 14. Therefore do I warn you of a Fire blazing fiercely; 15. None shall reach it but those most unfortunate ones 16. Who give the lie to Truth and turn their backs[/i][/color] For an explaination to these verses I quote Sayyid Qutb from his Tafseer “In the Shade of the Quran” But I suggest you read his entire explaination of the Surah for a better understanding. Link: [url]http://www.islamworld.net/qutb/s92.txt[/url] [color=Blue]"[...] It emphasises firstly that the end and reward of each group is fair and inevitable, for guidance has been provided and warnings have been issued: "It is for Us to provide guidance, and to Us belong the End and the Beginning. I warn you, therefore. of the fiercely blazing fire. in which none shall burn but the most wretched who denies the truth and turns away. Preserved from it will be the righteous, who gives away his money to purify himself, not in recompense of any favour done him by anyone. He simply seeks the pleasure of His Lord, the Most High. He shall indeed be well content." One aspect of Allah's grace and mercy to His servants is that He has taken upon Himself to provide clear guidance readily acceptable to human nature, and to explain it as well through His messages and messengers, and by means of the signs He has provided. Thus, no one will have a valid argument for his deviation, and no one will suffer injustice: "It is for Us to give guidance. " Then follows a straightforward statement of the essence of the power which has control over man and all around him, from which he can have no shelter: "and to Us belong the End and the Beginning. " By way of elaboration on the two facts just mentioned, namely, Allah's provision of guidance and that to Him belongs this life and the hereafter, i.e., the realms of actions and reward, there is a reminder to us that He has cautioned and warned: "I warn you, there- fore, of the fiercely blazing fire. " It is only the most wretched of man- kind who are thrown in this fire. Indeed there is no wretchedness Worse than suffering in Hell: "in which none shall burn but the most wretched." Then follows a description of the most wretched. It is he "who denies the truth and turns away." He denies this message and turns away from Divine guidance. He does not answer his Lord's beckoning to him so that He may guide him as He has promised any one who comes towards Him with open mind.”[/color] In conclusion, what I understand is that Allah has taken the responsibility to provide guidance to everyone. And a person is held liable only if he/she on receiving this guidance knowingly rejects it. If that is not the case then this hypothetical person has a valid argument to not to be held accountable consequently a valid argument not to be burnt in Hell. But the real question now I think is, is it possible that there exists such a person who has passed away or will pass this life away without actually receiving the Truth from God as He has promised. Judging by what Allah says in the Quran, it seems that’s not possible. Before I end this I recall one more verse, which I think, is worth mentioning here. [color=Navy]In surah No.67 Mulk, Allah says… 7.) When they shall be cast therein(Hell), they shall hear a loud moaning of it as it heaves, 8.) Almost bursting for fury. Whenever a group is cast into it, its keeper shall ask them: Did there not come to you a warner? 9.) They shall say: Yea! indeed there came to us a warner, but we rejected (him) and said: Allah has not revealed anything, you are only in a great error. 10.) And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we should not have been among the inmates of the burning fire.[/color] On reading the afore mentioned verses we can clearly see that everyone will receive guidance. For if there was anyone who did not, and on being asked if he/she was not warned of this day he/she would respond NO. Thus, having a legitimate reason for not to be cast in hell as a punishment. So as I said earlier, the real question is, are we sure we did not reject the Truth when it came to us. For if it did and we shoved it aside believing it is something not to be taken seriously, then the blame entirely lies on us. I hope this helps. Traveler |
| Re: signs |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 07/18/02 at 18:41:17 |
| thanks for all kind words offered to help me since my last post in this discussion. i know that it is often extremely difficult, and can call upon one's deepest reserves of patience, for someone who has gained a grasp on a certain concept to deal with the frustration of someone who has yet to come to the same conclusion. i appreciate every time someone makes the effort to continue to offer guidance beyond the point at which they might prefer to throw their hands up in disbelief and astonishment. it must be a very alien experience for all of you, especially those raised in muslim homes, to discover how very very different my background is from your own. mwishka |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |