A Great Spiritual Path

[Zainab_M]

 


By an enlightened brother and a friend.  A truly profound and unique piece that had a big impact on me.


Quote:
 

Let me, from the very onset, make it clear that I do not hold myself out as one with any semblence of authority on Islamic Studies.  My comments are entirely based on what I have read in the Qu'rran and other books that draw mainly from the Noble Book.

Before I get to the core of my comments, I would like to draw your atention to the following lines taken from the Glorious Qu'rran:

" WE have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We shall assuredly guard it ( Qu'rran
XV:9)   With respect to preserving it, Almighty Allah says "Move not thy tongue concerning (the Qu'ran) to make haste therewith. It is for US  to collect it and to promulgate it. So when We have promulgated It follow thou IT'S recital" ( Qu'rran LXXV16-18)

Further on, Almighty Allah says "Nay more, it is for US to explain it ( and make it clear) (Qu'rran  LXXV19) .     I would like you to keep this last quotation deep in mind as I will be refering to this in due course.

Based on the above quotations, we see that it was not only the preservation of the Text of the Holy Qu'rran but also the meanings which Almighty Allah took upon Himself.

Throughout His ministry, the Holy Prophet ( Peace and Blessing upon Him) warned all those who might wish to change the meanings and the explanations of The Holy Book.  He said : " Whosoever explains the Holy Qu'rran according to his personal opinion, let him make his abode in hell ".  He further warned those who might atribute false explations or forged Hadith to his name saying : "Whosoever intentionally attributes a false thing to me, let him make his abode in hell."

The Qu'rran says that Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleaseth; "and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message save men of UNDERSTANDING" (I I- 269).   It is abundantly clear in the Qu'rran that the understanding of religion, the wisdom and the firm grounding in knowledge is not aquired by simply reading books.  Nay, It says: "Verily, they alone are the true scholors of religion who FEAR GOD.

Thus we have seen that the basic qualification is "FEAR  OF GOD".  Only those who, side by side, with their pursuit of formal education, cultivate their spirituality, whose hearts become the seats of the" FEAR of GOD", who, in every action and in every saying, remember their accountability before God, who, in short, remain absorbed in the rememberance of God-- they alone are considered by the Book of Guidance-- the Qu'rran-- as "men of understanding"  Again the Qu'rran says: " Verily, in the creation of the Heavens and Earth, and in the alteration of the night and day, there are signs for men of understanding-- those who remember The Almighty standing, sitting and reclining on their sides and who ponder on the creation of the Heavens and the Earth" ( I I I- 190-191)

We see that the Qu'rran is clear and plain.  We are NOT permitted to interpret IT'S meanings in the light of our own little education and meagre understanding.  By interpreting the Qu'rran in the light of our own pre-conceived opinions and prejudices, we earn nothing but hell.  Because of the lack of comprehensive vision we have but only a partial view.  The animal self (NAFS al AMMARAH) within us is always inclined to mischief.  It always seeks the path of physical pleasures and leads us to all sorts
of sins.  It is only when we subject ourselves to impartial guidance that we can hope to escape  the deceptions of our prejudices.  We are vigorously reminded that those who introduce their personal opinions and desires into the interpretations of religious  matters may well remember the powerful and fundamental condemnation by the Holy Qu'rran in the following words: "Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his god his own lust?  Wouldst thou then be guardian over him?  Or deemest thou that most of them hear or understand?  They are but as the cattle - nay, but they are farther astray"  (XXV:43-44)

He who glorifies in "personal judgment", without possessing the qualifications laid down in the Holy Qu'rran, will find, on honest self-examination, that he is deceiving both himself and others.  The primary
force in all such cases is the desire to foliow one's passions rather than to subject oneself to the discipline of the Qu'rran.

Unfortunately, certain sections of Muslims to day have lost all sense of proportion.  Some may not even know the  A.B.C. of various Islamic sciences, but they have the courage to indulge in discussions  with such a tone of authority as to even the worse form of lunacy look grave.  They parade themselves as authorities, they fight with fellow Muslims on the basis of their unwarranted and unauthorised views.  What is still more pitable is that all this fight of those ignorant and petty "Mujtahids" revolves mostly
around problems and issues which have no relation to the Islamic Teachings.

I would now like you to take my hands as I walk you through history.  Before the Islamic Conquest, Constantinople was the seat of the Byzantine Church.  It was here that all controversies concerning Christianity were resolved.  Fighting among themselves on petty issues relating to ceremonials had become the past time of the church Clergy.  On one such occasion they were engaged one night when the armies of our Prophet (pbuh) were crossing the Bosphorus.  The most eminent among were present in the beautiful church of St. Sophia.  The issue they were debating was whether the bread to be used in the feast of the Eucharist should be leavened or un-leavened.  The fury of the debaters was so great that they tore off the robes of one another.  While they were thus heavily engaged in their petty squabble, the armies of Islam broke through the fortification of the town and conqured the Byzantine Empire.  The church where the  Bishops were fighting so furiously on such petty issues, became the house of Islamic worship.

I now ask the question: Does this bit of history tell you anything?  Is history here to repeat itself?  With a deeply saddened heart I see Muslims in the same position today.  We Muslims have lost almost all of our past glory. The Muslim Umaah is virtually siting on the keg of a dynamite.  Our very fundamentals are under fire all because of the selfish motives of a few. 

Self deception is eating away at the hearts and souls of those who have succeded in their quest for power. They have placed Islam in a situation that the only way out is through. They would swear that their chief concern is the propogation of Islam. But deep inside they are concerned with their personal images ..... their Nuffs.

What is required is a thorough cleansing. We do not plant an orchard on a chemical dump before first digging out all the contaminated soil.  A contaminated heart yields nothing but corruption.  But we are reminded that those who seek prestige by riding the tail of the lion are the first to end up inside.

I pray that Almighty Allah bless us Muslims with the right understanding so that we may be able to distinguish the right from the wrong and save us from pernicious influences. I seek your forgiveness if I have, in any way, trespassed where others dared.  Ameen

Ashraf


Unquote:

[N. Truth Seeker]

 


thanks for this post sister.  MaashAllah, I must say, he seems to be a very enlightened brother.  I've observed, those who are humble enough not to consider themselves scholarly are more scholarly than the official scholars   

I totally agree about those with self given authority parading as ones superior to the rest.  This desire for leadership arising from the secret intention of enforcing their own rules is becoming a serious threat to the Ummah.  It is the chief cause for disunity among factions, something that's being carefully monitored by our enemies and utilized to the fullest in their interest.  When I see the various Muslim imams known as caretakers of all our important Islamic landmarks, they appear in their long robes with an air of such authority that one gets the feeling that they consider the Noble Quran, the great Prophet (SAAW) and the Kaaba soley their own monopoly.  Many of them even give the feeling that nearness to Allah cannot be achieved without unconditional obedience to them.  It reminds me of the article you posted on "Inquisition."  Our imams and ulemas are copying the tradition of the Christian clerics who in the middle ages wrecked havoc all over Europe with exactly the same ideas misinterpreting their faith. 

I also read with interest the brother's intelligent perception of fear of Allah as the foundation and basic source of real guidance.  Those with shallow knowledge on such matters who have a different line of thoughts (non-Muslims and quite a few skeptical Muslims too) often use this aspect to defame Islam by calling it a religion of fear rather than love.  But their blurred perception only ridicules their own pathetic understanding.  When we talk about the fear of Allah, it's not the same kind of fear as is found between humans.  It's a fear arising from our awareness of Allah being the All-Knowing Power and His justice being perfect.  Thus, it's not possible to hide anything from Him.  He judges on the basis of our intentions.  Our hidden intentions are just as open before Him as our public conduct.  Awareness of this aspect brings the fear of being exposed.  Then, the awareness that Allah wrongs no one transforms the fear to trust.  If this trust is genuine, it keeps getting stronger in a very short span of time, growing into a unique kind of love for Allah that's stronger than iron and indestructible, Alhamdulilah. 

thanks again for this posting sister zeynab

[Zainab_M]

    .. absolutely brother.  that's what I call a precise, rational and truthful perception.  Alhamdulilah.

[Ruhi_Rose]

 

good article and insightful comments.  you've zoomed into it very accurately, persian.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Before I get to the core of my comments, I would like to draw your atention to the following lines taken from the Glorious Qu'rran:

" WE have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We shall assuredly guard it ( Qu'rran
XV:9)   With respect to preserving it, Almighty Allah says "Move not thy tongue concerning (the Qu'ran) to make haste therewith. It is for US  to collect it and to promulgate it. So when We have promulgated It follow thou IT'S recital" ( Qu'rran LXXV16-18)

Further on, Almighty Allah says "Nay more, it is for US to explain it ( and make it clear) (Qu'rran  LXXV19) .    

We see that the Qu'rran is clear and plain.  We are NOT permitted to interpret IT'S meanings in the light of our own little education and meagre understanding.  By interpreting the Qu'rran in the light of our own pre-conceived opinions and prejudices, we earn nothing but hell.  Because of the lack of comprehensive vision we have but only a partial view. 

 

This is a very inspiring article and indeed it's profound.  I wud only like to put a question on one issue.  The brother has quoted very correctly that the final and most authentic interpretation of the Quran is only upto Allah.  At the same time in my opinion, I think, in the above verses Allah (Subhanu Wa'Tala) means that we should not try to explain the Quran only to make matters convenient for ourselves keeping in mind our selfish desires.  But if a person reads the Quran with sincerity, and tries to understand it with the real disire to follow the Divine lecture and implement the Divine commandments in their lives, then in that case I am very confident Allah would appreciate our efforts.  After all, Quran is a Book of orders and instructions from Allah.  Sister, as you had once stated in a conversation very rightly, after all the Quran is a Book of Divine orders and instructions, not merely a Book of poetry or prose.  In view of this, the purpose of the Quran is to read it and try to implement it in our lives as much as possible.  Reciting it without the desire of implementation is incomplete job, and we can't implement it unless we first try to understand it.  And Allah know best.

Thanks again for the fine article.  JazekAllah Khairyan.

[Zainab_M]

 

This is a very inspiring article and indeed it's profound.  I wud only like to put a question on one issue.  The brother has quoted very correctly that the final and most authentic interpretation of the Quran is only upto Allah.  At the same time in my opinion, I think, in the above verses Allah (Subhanu Wa'Tala) means that we should not try to explain the Quran only to make matters convenient for ourselves keeping in mind our selfish desires.  But if a person reads the Quran with sincerity, and tries to understand it with the real disire to follow the Divine lecture and implement the Divine commandments in their lives, then in that case I am very confident Allah would appreciate our efforts.  After all, Quran is a Book of orders and instructions from Allah.  Sister, as you had once stated in a conversation very rightly, after all the Quran is a Book of Divine orders and instructions, not merely a Book of poetry or prose.  In view of this, the purpose of the Quran is to read it and try to implement it in our lives as much as possible.  Reciting it without the desire of implementation is incomplete job, and we can't implement it unless we first try to understand it.  And Allah know best.

Thanks again for the fine article.  JazekAllah Khairyan.

  sister

I agree with your opinion one hundred per cent plus ten.  In the light of the quote I've pasted at the end of this message from the brother's article, I conclude that he means interpreting the Glorious Quraan on the basis of our selfish motives or trying to explain the Divine Scripture to promote our own likes & dislikes.  But the other important aspect which I am sure the brother had in mind but did not mention in detail is that Allah judges everything on the basis of one's intention (niyah).  If the 'niyah' is genuinely to understand the Quraan for the purpose to acquiring guidance in our spiritual and practical life, then that is a very different issue.  In that case, I have no doubt that we will earn Allah's appreciation by trying to follow the Quraan to the best of our wisdom and in accordance with the rules of our conscience.  Such an approach will contribute greatly toward improving our quality as human beings because it will be an impartial approach with no ulterior motives.   This also reminds me of the verse in the Quraan that says "Say: Each one doth according to his rule of conduct, and thy Lord is Best Aware of him whose way is right." (17:84)   In this verse, I would interpret "rule of conduct" as one's conscience or 'zameer.'  However, Allah knows best.  But I feel quite sure that this verse includes the intentions of people who are sincere as well as those who aren't.  Thus, trying to understand the Quraan with a pure desire to grasp it's depth and apply that into one's life is a great deed.

Thanks for your input expressing this important perception, sister. 

I also agree with brother persian's insightful comments.  Thanks brother.

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We see that the Qu'rran is clear and plain.  We are NOT permitted to interpret IT'S meanings in the light of our own little education and meagre understanding.  By interpreting the Qu'rran in the light of our own pre-conceived opinions and prejudices, we earn nothing but hell.  Because of the lack of comprehensive vision we have but only a partial view.  The animal self (NAFS al AMMARAH) within us is always inclined to mischief.  It always seeks the path of physical pleasures and leads us to all sorts of sins.  It is only when we subject ourselves to impartial guidance that we can hope to escape  the deceptions of our prejudices.
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