Al Ahzab, 42- 49: A Commentary- 1

The Duahs of the Holy Prophet ^(sa) & The Promise of Allah- Part 2

 

'O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him morning and evening. It is He Who blesses you, as do His angels, to get you out of darkness into light, and He has always been Merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, “Peace!” And He has prepared for them an honourable reward. O Prophet, We have sent you as a Witness and a Bearer of glad tidings and a Warner, as one who calls people to Allah by His leave, and as a light-giving lamp. Give good news to the believers that they will have a great bounty from Allah. Do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Overlook their annoyances, and put your trust in Allah. For Allah is sufficient to take care of all matters.' (Surah Al-Ahzab 33: 42- 49)

These verses from Surah Al-Ahzab that I have just recited come right after the mention of Khataman Nabiyyin and it is well connected with the subject of Khataman Nabiyyin. 

‘Being Fair in Family Relations’

  

‘Truly many intimate partners/close associates transgress against one another, save those who believe and perform righteous deeds. And yet, how few are they!’ (Holy Qur’an, 38:25)

'The just will be on platforms of light in the presence of God; those who are just in their decisions, with their families, and with what they are in charge of.' --Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). 

 

The structure of a Muslim family, in general, at the minimum, involves the husband and wife, their children and their parents. Within this basic social unit, the dynamics of family/household relations can test the best of men and women, especially when mother-in law and the daughter-in law in the family do not get along well. With different temperaments and inclinations, preferences and prejudices; conditions and circumstances emerge on aspects of everyday life whereby differences of opinion lead to conflictual positions.  If not handled with care with wisdom respecting the emotions of all involved in a fair way in quick time [before the hardening of feelings among the persons concerned]; inexorably and inevitably, the issues can lead to simmering tensions, even domestic abuse and violence. And when the discord becomes irreconcilable, the very breaking up of family relations ensue- as it happens these days with so many families in our societies.

An anecdote from early Muslim history suggests that during the time of the second caliph Hazrat Umar (ra), he apparently wrote to his governors saying: ‘Tell relatives to visit one another, and not to live next to one another.’ Commenting on Hazrat ‘Umar’s words, Imam Al-Ghazzali said:  ‘He said that because living next to one another may lead to conflicts and may lead to alienation and severing of ties.’ [Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen (2/216)]. According to another saintly figure in Islam, ‘If you live further away from one another you will have greater love for one another.’ 

Allah & His Chosen One

In his Friday Sermon of 05 July 2024~28 Dhul-Hijjah 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Mahdi Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius speaks on true faith and devotion to God, explaining what it entails from sincere believers in every day life.  In this era, as in the times of Divine Elects in history, believers stand to gain rewards when they demonstrate  gratitude and loyalty to God and His commands; a commitment to struggle against the selfish [evil] impulses through patience and prayer; a sound heart embracing God’s will and pleasure at all times regardless of mundane setbacks and personal losses, notes Hazrat Saheb (aba). 

Arab 'Winter' and the Euro 'Spring'

 

The Arab Spring is a term used to tag the wave of protests and civil unrest that swept the Arab world back in December 2010 when a street vendor in Tunisia, Mohammad Bouazizi set himself on fire when the police came to seize his vegetable stall after his failure in obtaining a permit to exercise. He furthermore faced harassment and humiliation by a municipal officer and her assistants.

 

He unfortunately set himself on fire as an open defiance against the autocratic regime, and this act of his was hailed by the West as a mighty sacrifice for democracy in the Arab world and he and those who followed his example to self-immolate themselves - nearly a dozen of them in Egypt, Algeria and Mauritania – were granted such praiseworthy titles such as “heroic martyrs of a new North African and Middle Eastern revolution”. This was published in the New York Times, in the article “How a single match can ignite a Revolution” published on 21 January 2011 by Robert F. Worth.

 

This act which the world deemed as a sacrifice for democracy is in fact suicide which is highly condemnable in Islam. No matter how hard a situation may come upon man, he has no right to take the life which does not belong to him. This act of suicide may be deemed by the West as a heroic act but unfortunately it is not so! Islam encourages revenge as per the same degree of torture that one undergoes, reaffirming the Mosaic Law “an eye for an eye” but being more just and lenient in its application. Islam is the Best Model, the Middle Way, between the extreme and the laissez-faire. The leaders who don’t follow the tenets of Islam while proclaiming themselves as Muslim States are accountable in the worldly court of justice as well as the Divine Court of Justice, but no Muslim – I clear and firmly state – NO MUSLIM SHOULD EVER TAKE HIS OWN LIFE! No matter how hard a situation gets, Allah has forbidden His servant to take this satanic step towards self-destruction.

'Knowledge' and the Muslim

 

Knowledge is a critical factor that can determine the fortunes of an individual, and the fate of a nation. When deployed effectively, the light of knowledge can illuminate hidden realities, and thereby dispel the darkness of ignorance. In the secular realm, knowledge is inextricably intertwined with power and triumph, authority and eminence. Those who master useful knowledge relevant for practical application in everyday life, they gain ranks, status, and authority and superiority in this world. Nations that employ rational faculties and develop science and technology effectively; they rule over others who ignore the laws of progress and prosperity embedded in the commanding heights of knowledge.

 

Beyond secular knowledge, Islamic tradition attaches great importance to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and insight that leads to recognition of God’s exalted station and highest essence by way of unveiling and eye-witnessing.  Knowledge of the Attributes and Names of the Divine, knowledge of Divine Decrees and Bounties also enable one to know that God is Powerful over all things, and to be mindful in choosing wisely in this life, and to seek forgiveness for sins and mistakes. And several traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa) point to the eminent station of the knowledgeable believers:

“The one among you who has the most knowledge of God is the one whose fear of Him is the most intense.”

 

"If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will set him upon a path to Paradise. Verily the angels lower their wings being content with the one who seeks knowledge. And whosoever is in the heavens and on earth, even the fish in the sea, ask forgiveness for the person of knowledge. The virtue of the pious scholar over the devoted worshipper is as the superiority of the full moon over the rest of the stars. Those who have knowledge are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind dinars and dirhams; they only left behind knowledge: whosoever receives it, receives an abundance of good fortune.”

 

With the appearance of an Elect of God in an era as a 'heir of the prophets', the treasures of spiritual knowledge and insight become available on an abundant scale for the benefit of all sincere seekers of higher truths, and it is by following such a man of deep religious knowledge and spiritual insight that the renewal of the Faith takes place. In his Friday Sermon of 02 October 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides a fascinating exposition on Islamic teachings that underscore the significance of acquiring knowledge, especially knowledge of Religion, in the life of a believer.