I hope you enjoy watching this beautiful compilation of gorgeous caves from around the world, mashAllah, that I compiled for Habibi Halaqas for their Surah Al-Kahf video. More videos to come, inshAllah. Mishary, indeed, has a mesmerizing style of recitation.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave): "The Regret Is Not Ours"
As I begin to read the meaning of the introductory verses of Surah Al-Kahf, the foremost instruction I get from Allah is that you should not feel sorry for the idolators i.e. the disbelievers for what they do. This has been instructed to Prophet Mohammad (saww) to convey to his Ummah that was awestruck at the disbelievers of the time. They were saddened, depressed, and often angered because of the idol worship and remarks of disbelief on the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Prophet Mohammad (saww). However, since we know that Islam and the Word of Allah is for all times, we can apply the same instruction on ourselves and know that we are not to regret for the ones who do not believe, our duty is only to convey the message of truth.
فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ
Perhaps, you would kill yourself in grief, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration.) meaning the Qur'an.
أَسَفاً
in grief
Some beautiful words of advice from Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
"Do not feel sorry for them, just convey the Message of Allah to them. Whoever goes the right way, then he goes the right way only for the benefit of himself. And whoever goes astray, then he strays at his own loss, so do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them."
Let's apply that to our daily life. There are so many people around us who fall into the category of disbelievers. We know of the non-Muslims who do not believe and we have read infinitely about them. I talk of the Muslims who are disbelievers!
There are friends and relatives around us who disbelieve in the accountability to Allah on the day of judgement. There are those who indulge in various types of shirk i.e. asking religious deities and spiritual entities for their worldly needs, wearing stones and amulets and believing that they would guard them.
Furthermore, there are those who are ignorant to the word of Allah and make bold claims. I got to hear from a relative, "Covering the head is nowhere in the Quran," and "Interest is legal".
Then there are instances like backbiting, family politics, professional foul play, and open misdemeanors that consequently put us into the states that Allah mentions in Al-Kahf here.
We are angered, we feel regret for such people, we grieve, and we mourn. This is exactly what Allah instructs us not to do. Our duty is to make a stern and brief correcting statement and then forget about the misdemeanor. Why? Because our job there is done.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A Few Square Feet
As I offered my Salaam at the end of the Maghrib prayer this evening and sat down to recite a few words of Tasbih (Glorification of God), I pondered over the reality of that moment. I compared how my prayer and its feel has changed over the past couple of years. Alhamdulillah, a wave of satisfaction washed over me. I thought of the few square feet of rug, the prayer mat, that I was sitting on and then the few square feet of the grave that I'd be buried in. These are the two only real places that we are supposed to think about and prepare for while we are alive because they form the foundation of our next life for us.
The world is a very attractive illusion that offers all forms of fortune and entertainment. It seeks to pull us away from preparing for these two places that we are to remember always: prayer and the grave. Shopping, food, events, shows, and the big show that the world puts up blind us to the extent of forgetting that the real deal of being alive is to bow down to the One who gifted us all this to begin with.
We prepare, in fact over prepare, for the most common of worldly things: a dinner party, a job interview, an assignment, an exam, and even before receiving a phone call we brace ourselves to face it. The real preparation is that for offering one's prayer and to prepare for one's death.
Preparing for prayer is underestimated to be only the performing of Wudu (ablution). You need to ask yourself, "Am I worthy of facing my Creator?" and the very answer would suffice to bring you down on your knees.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Al Kahf Tales
Each Friday there is a great emphasis on the recitation of Surah Al-Kahf i.e. the chapter from the Quran, called "The Cave". It would only be foolish to miss out the brilliant opportunity that Allah (swt) has blessed us with in form of Surah Al-Kahf. It is the very gift that illuminates our lives and allows us to have our sins from the past Friday forgiven. Of course, this cannot be misinterpreted as a ticket to clearing the record of bad deeds so you could commit them again. Al-Kahf contains some very valuable morals through 4 great stories from the past times. There is a message about "Time," conveyed through the story of the People of the Cave, a message of "Knowledge," conveyed through the story of Prophets Moses and Khizr (peace be on them), and a message of "Power," conveyed through the tale of the great warrior ZulQarnayn.
The Importance of Surah Al-Kahf
Besides the gift of our past week's sins being forgiven, Al-Kahf is a shield of protection from the Dajjal, Anti Christ as known to the world. The first ten and last ten ayahs (verses) of Al-Kahf secure a person from the evil of Dajjal.
Why Was Surah Al-Kahf Revealed?
When Prophet Mohammad (saww) announced prophethood and began conveying the Word of Allah to the people, several doubt arose about his authenticity and credibility. This was because they were the dark ages of Arabia and also there had been several accounts of false prophets.
The Quraysh (the tribe of the prophet) sent 2 men, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it, to the Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah, to ask them about Prophet Mohammad (saww) while describing the Prophet to them and conveying his message to them. The Jews were considered the people of the first Book (Tawrah) and their knowledge about the chain of prophets from Prophet Adam (a.s.) right down to Prophet Moses (a.s.) was considered authentic. They knew what prophets had been like and what knowledge they were to possess when Allah chose them as men of knowledge.
So they set out and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the Jewish rabbis about the Messenger of Allah . They described him to them and told them some of what he had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we have come to you so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.'
They (the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) -- what is it If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.'
So An-Nadr and `Uqbah left and came back to the Quraysh, and said: `O people of Quraysh, we have come to you with a decisive solution which will put an end to the problem between you and Muhammad. The Jewish rabbis told us to ask him about some matters,' and they told the Quraysh what they were. Then they came to the Messenger of Allah and said, `O Muhammad, tell us,' and they asked him about the things they had been told to ask.
The Surah was revealed for the purpose of blessing Prophet Mohammad (saww) with the knowledge of the 3 questions that the Jewish rabbis had put forward and also to console him and the Believers that they shouldn't waste themselves in regret over the disbelief of the idolators and non-believers.
Source:
http://www.theholybook.org/content/category/1/134/2/
The Importance of Surah Al-Kahf
Besides the gift of our past week's sins being forgiven, Al-Kahf is a shield of protection from the Dajjal, Anti Christ as known to the world. The first ten and last ten ayahs (verses) of Al-Kahf secure a person from the evil of Dajjal.
Why Was Surah Al-Kahf Revealed?
When Prophet Mohammad (saww) announced prophethood and began conveying the Word of Allah to the people, several doubt arose about his authenticity and credibility. This was because they were the dark ages of Arabia and also there had been several accounts of false prophets.
The Quraysh (the tribe of the prophet) sent 2 men, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it, to the Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah, to ask them about Prophet Mohammad (saww) while describing the Prophet to them and conveying his message to them. The Jews were considered the people of the first Book (Tawrah) and their knowledge about the chain of prophets from Prophet Adam (a.s.) right down to Prophet Moses (a.s.) was considered authentic. They knew what prophets had been like and what knowledge they were to possess when Allah chose them as men of knowledge.
So they set out and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the Jewish rabbis about the Messenger of Allah . They described him to them and told them some of what he had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we have come to you so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.'
They (the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) -- what is it If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.'
So An-Nadr and `Uqbah left and came back to the Quraysh, and said: `O people of Quraysh, we have come to you with a decisive solution which will put an end to the problem between you and Muhammad. The Jewish rabbis told us to ask him about some matters,' and they told the Quraysh what they were. Then they came to the Messenger of Allah and said, `O Muhammad, tell us,' and they asked him about the things they had been told to ask.
The Surah was revealed for the purpose of blessing Prophet Mohammad (saww) with the knowledge of the 3 questions that the Jewish rabbis had put forward and also to console him and the Believers that they shouldn't waste themselves in regret over the disbelief of the idolators and non-believers.
Source:
http://www.theholybook.org/content/category/1/134/2/
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