The Shade, the Manna, and the Quail

The Shade, the Manna, and the Quail

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2003, p.233-236)

(The Gathering of the Manna (Manna Ioroli) by James Tissot)

“And We shaded you with clouds, and sent down on you Al-Manna and the quail, (saying): “eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you,” (but they rebelled). And they did not wrong Us but they wronged themselves.” [Surah 2. Al-Baqarah 57, Al-Quran)

            During the days when the Children of Israel used to roam in the deserts, in hardship, Allah (swt) blessed them with countless, miraculous favors. Clouds, better and cooler than the ones we know (commented by Ibn Jarir), used to shade them from the sun. As they roamed the wilderness, a sweet, nutritious truffle-like food called the Manna used to rain down on them like snow. They used to collect it in baskets, enough to last for the day. Manna from the Heaven was different from that which we have, it was whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. This collection was a daily chore, because the Manna used to spoil the next day. On Friday; however, they collected for two days because of observing the Sabbath the next day when nobody left to gather food or any other purpose.

According to Prophet Muhammad (saww), “Kam’ah (truffles) is a type of manna, and its liquid is a remedy for the eyes.” (Fath al-Bari 8:14).

 

Terfeziaceae, the sweet fruit-like, desert truffles are scientifically classified as fungus (Zur and Roth-Bejerano, 2008). is called Kama in Arabic and is sold as two varieties: (1) Khalasi (oval, black skin, ivory-pink interior), and (2) Zubaidi (cream colored). It generally grows in desert areas.

The Israelites would also catch Salwa (quails), as much to last for the day, along with collecting Manna. Scholars unanimously agree that the Salwa (bird) in Paradise is about the size of a sparrow, and bears resemblance to the quail. The catching routine was similar to the collection of Manna, i.e. they caught quails every day for the day’s share and on Friday they caught enough to last for the Sabbath.

Briefly mentioning, the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, Saturday, and was a day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians (“Sabbath,”, 2012).

Allah (swt) speaks in the Quran about the ungratefulness, the rebellion, and disbelief of the Children of Israel despite witnessing and prospering from these miracles.

References

Sabbath. (2012). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sabbath

Zur, V.K. & Roth-Bejerano, N.R. (2008). Desert Truffles. FungiMag.com. Retrieved from http://www.fungimag.com/Truffle-Issue-08-articles/desert-truffles.pdf

Demand to see Allah: Miraculous Death and Resurrection of Children of Israel

Demand to see Allah: Miraculous Death and Resurrection of Children of Israel

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2003, p.231-233)

After the incidence of the worship of the golden calf, and killings ordered as a trial from Allah to seek repentance, The best among the Children of Israel; seventy men, i.e. the considerably better off in belief, asked prophet Musa (a.s.) to see Allah publicly as proof of His existence.

Prophet Musa (a.s.) had returned from his 40 nights of meeting with Allah (swt), and after the trial of the killings, he showed the Children of Israel the Tablets on which he had written the Tawrah. The words had been revealed to him from Allah (swt). The people refused to believe that they were Allah’s commandments and demanded to see Allah (swt) before their eyes. They did not take Prophet Musa’s (a.s.) word for it and inquired why Allah (swt) could not speak to them as he spoke to the Prophet.

This brought Allah’s wrath and anger upon them. They were struck by a bolt of lightning, some of them, while others watched, and all of them. Prophet Musa (a.s.) was devastated at their death and cried in supplication to Allah (swt), questioning why He killed the best of the Children of Israel and what would he tell the rest of the population that awaited. Allah (swt) is the All Knowledgeable, He revealed to Prophet Musa (a.s.) that the 70 men who were electrocuted were also guilty of worshipping the calf. Next, Allah (swt) began to show the miracle of His Mercy. He started bringing the men back to life, one by one, so each one got the chance to witness the resurrection.

After they were alive, Prophet Musa (a.s.) asked them to take the Book of Allah (swt) i.e. the Tawrah and carry out the commandments. They said, ‘No’. The prophet inquired about the matter. There are two opinions about why they refused:

(1) They felt that by witnessing the miracles they were compelled (coerced, forced) to believe, so they did not have to fulfill the commandments, and

(2) They were required to follow the commandments, so that no responsible adult is free of such responsibilities. Although they had witnessed the tremendous calamities (the killings) and incidents, this did not acquit them from carrying out the commandments.

Allah (swt) sent some angels and made them topple the mountain over them.

Worship of the Calf and the trial for repentance.

Worship of the Golden Calf and the trial for repentance

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2003, p.228-230) 

Prophet Musa (a.s.) was summoned by Allah for a period of 40 days (30 days during Dhul Qa ‘dah and first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah), after being rescued from Fir ‘awn, to be enlightened and blessed with the Tawrah, the criteria for right and wrong. 

Meanwhile, the Children of Israel began worshipping the calf. Upon returning, prophet Musa (a.s.) announced to them the severity of their error. They realized the wrong and regretted and turned to Allah for repentance. 

Allah’s command to the Children of Israel was that their repentance would be to slay by the sword every person (wrongdoer, who worshipped the calf) without being concerned about whom they kill. Prophets Musa and Harun (Aaron) (a.s.) were unaware of who was guilty and who was innocent. 

When prophet Musa (a.s.) received Allah’s command, he ordered those who had confessed their guilt to sit down and those who hadn’t to arm themselves with knives and stand. A great darkness overshadowed them as they began killing and 70,000 were dead when the dark lifted. 

Allah, the Most Merciful, had forgiven them all, those who died and those who lived. The killing was a great trial for seeking repentance. 

The Light On Sirat

Imagine being stranded on a bridge, without a light, under which there is a bottomless pit and you are dead sure there is a fire ablaze down there. The bridge would sound familiar to anyone who has read the Quran, or was paying attention while an elder or a scholar was speaking, and has come across the word Sirat. It is the very bridge that each human being has to cross on the Day of Judgement. There's a catch to it, a deal, which like any other has a profit and loss scenario. If you've been a Believer, a brilliant one, you shall pass. If you have been anything otherwise, your chances are slim. As I moved on with reading the tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah I discovered the meanings of the verses that expose the traits of hypocrites and how they would be the ones stranded on the Sirat without a light. Conclusion: doom!

Allah (swt) has spoken of the strength of faith and belief as a light for those who believe and as a fierce thunderclap for hypocrites who turn a deaf ear and give a blind eye to guidance when it comes to them. Hypocrites, unfortunately, come from within Muslims themselves and they are all around. They can be identified from their deviant deeds. Words of faith do not effect them, they will listen to goodness for hours and days but remain unchanged, and furthermore they will manipulate the words of goodness to create doubts, conspiracies, innovations, and confusions. 

"Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind." - 22:46

A strong faith, a powerful Islamic lifestyle, and a knowledgeable voice are characteristics of a believer. One can develop them and use them to counter the confusions such as sectarianism, innovation, manipulation of Islamic meanings, and etc. created by hypocrites. A powerful Muslim's words and deeds shock the hypocrites because faith stuns disbelief. It strikes like a powerful bolt of lightning that blinds the deviant sights of disbelievers and hypocrites with which they see the world. It mutes the words of conspiracy and innovation. 

Hypocrites, therefore, are folks at a loss.

For such folk there is serious bad news because they will either have no light with them on the Sirat because they were staunch disbelievers, or their light will be very small and would go off if they have been hypocrites with faulty beliefs. Poof!

"They (the believers) will pass on the Sirat according to their deeds. The light that some people have will be as big as a mountain, while the light of others will be as big as a date tree. The people who will have the least light are those whose index fingers will sometimes be lit and extinguished at other times." - At-Tabari 23:3179

"Rabbana Atmim-lana Noorana"

"Our Lord! Keep perfect our Light for us."

Al-Hakim 2:495

Make sure it is the mountain you head for and not just the date tree. 

How I Overcame The Post Ramadan Writer's Block

The Writer's Block is a pet peeve of the devil himself, especially when you are writing for a good cause. The post-Ramadan writer's block had been doing an annoying dance on my nerves lately. Last night, at about Isha time when all was said and done, I ransacked my mind for fresh ideas. Alhamdulillah, they came and I spent the day today getting the resources together.

The past previous months have coaxed me into thinking more about the workings of the Muslim family, relationships, and how a family unit can function effectively. I was at a restaurant, waiting for a pizza in a never ending line, when a major fight broke out between two Muslim families because of some young adult boys who chose to misbehave. 

"Don't you give me the look, now!" The boy, about 17 or 18 years of age, shouted at his mother.
The mother, in an undertone, asked him to hush.

"Who're you telling to keep quiet?" The boy raged, "I will not keep quiet, I will not shut up, you shut up, you always give me that look."

The mother, louder this time, asked the boy to sit back down at the table. 

"No! I will not sit down!"

A man, apparently his father, came in to intervene all the way from his place in the waiting line. He asked him what the problem was and he ridiculed his mother.

"She always does this! She gives me the look! What are you going to do, hit me?" He glared at his mother.

This is when an appalling thing happened. The mother withdrew a toothpick from its holder on the table, and poked it multiple times like a dagger on her son's shoulder. He still didn't shut up!
That was when I saw the void that needs to be talked about. The distances in relationships, the mannerisms, the lack of personal connections. So I'd be putting together some thought-provoking articles. Hopefully, if my editorial team at Productive Muslim.com agrees, I shall be contributing the articles to their website.
Secondly, I had been meaning to put together an entire bunch of entries in Ramadan about soul searching, inner reflections, connecting with oneself and eventually finding Allah (swt)'s good will by connecting with Him. It is obvious that these entries will focus a lot on self-help issues.

Fortunately, I found out that Yasmin Mogahed's new book 'Reclaim Your Heart' touches a lot of such issues that can help serve the purpose. I'd be purchasing the book to benefit from it, inshaAllah. These articles would hopefully be coming up on Sisterly Yours, inshaAllah.
A third series that I am estimating, inshaAllah, is about women exclusively. I intend to attend 'Complicated? - A to Z Of Women's Modern Fiqh', a seminar by Al-Maghrib which aims at explaining the modern stance of a Muslim woman in the global community. The issues discussed in the introductory summary of the seminar are very practical and elaborate. There are always doubts in one's mind pertaining to the role of a Muslim woman and how much liberty she can enjoy. There are issues of socialization, public speaking, participation in the community, and many more.
I feel that as a writer for the Muslim youth, I definitely need to attend this seminar in order to understand my own scope and flexibility under the light of Quran and Sunnah.
Conclusively, I figured that when writer's block strikes it is best to gather resources which inspire creativity. The blankness is natural because of work overload, emotional stress, and exhaustion. Good books, good speakers, good movies, and websites are a refreshing feed of information that has the potential to become one good creative write.

Ramadan Has Flown By

The blessed month has flown away as if on wings. I have fasted, prayed, and I have made duaas. I wish I could have done more than what I did in terms of quality and quantity but my mother is struggling with health issues and I had to divert most of my attention towards her and medical procedures. I had wished to "reclaim my heart" as Yasmin Mogahed's new book talks about. I had wished to dive into the depths of my mind and soul to heal wounds, troubleshoot problems, and simplify life. I wasn't able to begin that process.

My Dua'a List - Reposted

In Ramadan Diaries 2010, I wrote down a beautiful list of Dua'as alhamdulillah. I was inspired to write down a Dua'a List from Amirah Mauthoor's Ramadan e-book "Recharge Your Faith." I ensured that I cover every aspect of my life and called upon Allah (swt) using His 100 names, each one relative to the dua'a I was calling him for. I am sharing the dua'a list because often we forget what we should be asking Allah (swt) for.