Qur’an on Witchcraft

 

‘Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn, from the evil of that which He created; from the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; and from the evil of those who spit on the knots, (i.e., perform malignant witchcraft). And from the evil of the envious when he envies.’ (113: 2-6) 

Last week, two macabre murders- apparently, ‘human sacrifices’ to propitiate the Devil in pursuit of fortune and riches- were reported from Kerala, sending shockwaves across the nation. According to the Police, the accused couple (currently in custody) staunchly believed in sorcery and witchcraft, indulged in criminal conspiracy with a habitual criminal who exploited their black magic inclinations, and the three together killed two hapless poor women, one after the other over a period of three months. It should also be noted that other incidents of abuse and assault involving occultists and sorcerers have also been reported in the recent past, not just from the State but also elsewhere in India, including from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Superstitious practices gaining ground among all communities is indeed a reflection of the rot in the wider society: worship of wealth and possessions even at the price of one’s soul. 

Worshipping God, or Idols ?

‘Your God is the one God: there is no god except Him, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the seas with goods for people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the changing of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their minds.’ (2: 164 -165)

 

Islam privileges an uncompromising belief in the unicity of God as the true religion of people. In the Islamic tradition, the personal name of God is ‘Allah’, and in the Arabic language, ‘Allah’ has no plural, masculine or feminine form; the expression is never used for any other object or being. ‘He is Lord of the heavens and earth and everything in between so worship Him: be steadfast in worshipping Him. Do you know of anyone equal to Him?’ (19:66)

 

‘Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’ (112: 2-5)

Many other Qur’anic verses also testify to the Lord’s awe-inspiring presence: ‘Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.’ (2:256)

Muhammad in the Later Days

 

‘Sirat-un-Nabi’ Reflections

 

‘Exalted is He who put constellations in the heavens, a radiant light, and an illuminating moon- it is He who made the night and the day follow each other- so anyone who wishes may be mindful, or show gratitude.’ (25: 62-63)

 

‘There is a time set for every people: they cannot hasten it, nor, when it comes, will they be able to delay it for a single moment. O children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Messengers from among yourselves, relating My revelations to you, then whosoever (by accepting them) are conscious of God and live righteously, there will be no fear, nor will they grieve.’ (7: 35-36)

 

‘He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance; And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. That is Allah’s grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Master of immense grace.’ (62:3-5)

 

These verses of the Holy Qur’an, in their own mystical and subtle ways, allude to the philosophy of Divine guidance for humanity in darkened times. These verses unmistakably foretell a remarkable spiritual event of profound historic proportions: the advent of an Elect of God in the Later Days of Islam; the raising of an ‘illuminating moon’ [Qamaran Munira] who will reflect the pristine light of the Sun of Faith, Hazrat Muhammad^(sa), as though the Divine servant is a ‘mirror image’ or the second coming of the original Holy Prophet (sa) himself in this era, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

'Salah': Errors to Avoid- 3

  

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, since last two weeks I have expounded before you on an important subject, i.e. the errors that all Muslim believers must avoid while praying [Salat]. Being an important pathway to Allah, each Muslim must see to it that he perfects his Salat so that his connection with Allah is perfected, the path leading to Allah is wide open, pure and clear. So, let us see the rest of the errors which the Mussalli does while praying.

 

21) Neglecting to sit in the Iftirash or Tawarruk position in the prayers during the last Tashahhud [i.e. sitting position].

 

It is praiseworthy to take Iftirash or Tawarruk position only in the last sitting position of prayer, i.e. during the last Tashahhud. So, what is Iftirash and what is Tawarruk ? How do we define them? The Iftirash position is to place the left foot on its side and sitting on it; and keeping the right foot vertical while resting on the bottom of the toes turning them towards the Qibla. 

The Tawarruk position is when a person sits with the left posterior on the ground; his right foot placed vertically with toes pointing towards the qibla; and the left foot on its side emerging from under the right foot. 

Concerning the Tawarruk position, Hazrat Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi (ra) narrated: “I have preserved for you the Prophet’s (pbuh) prayer; I saw him… when he would sit from two Rak’at he would sit on his left foot and raise his right. When he sat in the final Rak’ah, he would bring forth his left foot [from under the shin, i.e. the front of the leg below the knee], raise the other, and sit on his posterior.” (Bukhari)

 

Following the Hanafi School of thoughts, we Ahmadi Muslims follow the Iftirash position in the sitting position, especially the final one as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has sat in the Iftirash position in all sitting positions of his prayers for the greater part of his life. Even Imam Tirmidhi has stated this to be the practice of the majority of scholars. As for the few times the Messenger (pbuh) did practice Tawarruk - as some narrations do state - it was either due to weakness and not being able to sit in Iftirash position in the latter part of his life, or it was merely to show to his Companions [Sahaba] that it was permissible for them to do so.