A universal rule taken from
the Sunna is: soliciting the right and deterring the wrong. This week I will talk
about Advice and its controls. We will look at the hadeeth narrated by Tameem
ben Ose who said the prophet PPBU said: “Religion is advice” we asked: “Advice to
who; oh massenger of Allah?” He said: “To Allah may He be honored and exalted, and to his book
and to the messenger and Muslim Imams and the general Muslim”. This hadeeth is
considered by many scholars to be one of the bases of Islam. One scholar Mhmd
ben Aslum said “this hadeeth is one quarter of the religion”. It is one of the
hadeeths from which we take our enlightenment and understandings.
The narrator of the
hadeeth Tameem ben Ose Addary “Êãíã
Èä ÃæÓ ÇáÏøÇÑí”
was a Christian before he voluntary became a Muslim. The one who led him to
Islam is the one-eyed False Messiah who was meant by Allah to be temptation to
all man kind.
Tameem him self reported
that the prophet said: “Religion is Advice”. Which is that: the entire religion
can be summed up into an advice. Advice is repeated many times in both the
Quran and in the prophets hadeeths. Some times Allah gives an advice to the
general Muslim ommah and sometimes an advice is given specifically to the
Muslim Imams. Some times Allah orders the Muslim rulers to give advice to the
general Muslim population. All Muslims have a right upon the individual like
your self. That is that you will advice them to what you know to be good. The
messenger PPBU said: “A Muslim has six rights upon another Muslim.” One of them he
said “and if he asks you for advice is to advice him/her”. The messenger
PPBU was also
reported saying: “three things a Muslim’s heart will not hold treason and
animosities against: 1) perfecting work purely for Allah, 2) giving advice to Muslim
leaders and 3) must remain a member of the group or society, for his call will
include him as being a member of the group or society”.
If one sticks to those
three; one’s heart will be good. The word advice in Arabic also means purity.
Never be two-faced with anything you do. Even a worship act to Allah, if was
meant to impress or influence some one then it is not pure for Allah. If one
has an ulterior motive to pray, or fast of pretend to be humble to Allah then
his/her heart contains one of those characters.
The second point is
providing advice to the Muslim leaders by writing to them or letting them
know, soliciting right and deterring from wrong. Leaders here refer to a
leader in a family, or a group or a country. Withholding an advice may lead to
lack of action by the leaders and problems not being corrected.
The third is continuing
being with the jamaa or the group or the society. An isolated individual Satan
will find him/her easier to penetrate his/her heart and fill it with animosity
towards the society. When something good comes to them, he wishes it didn’t.
Why? Because he/she no longer considers him self as one of them. If one
considers himself one of the society, then he will like good to befall on to
them in all matters. “His call will include him as a result”
Jareer ben Abdul-Allah
said: “I made my pledge the prophet to do prayers, give charity and advising
all Muslims”. Advising any Muslim one meets in all matters of worldly life or
other matters. The problem is in those who refuse advice especially in
religious matter.
What is advice? One
scholar Khattabi in a book of his: Advice is a statement or sentence with the
intention of good for which it is given.
When given to Allah, it
means advising to consider his oneness, to worship him, do his commandments,
loving who he loves, supporting who supports him, disliking whom he dislikes,
and hating all wrong acts towards Allah anywhere on earth.
Mhmed Nasr Maroozi said
that Advice is classed as either an obligatory (which means one Must give) or
Nafl or voluntary advice. The obligatory advice is to advice in matters
concerning performing commands of Allah or deterring from what Allah forbids.
The voluntary advice is
giving advice for matters of some interest to you. Not necessarily of what
Allah has ordered but within the acceptable boundaries of Allah. But, if self
motivated advice conflicts with a matter that Allah loves then one would give
priority to what Allah loves and the love for Allah to the love for one’s
self.
Advice to angles is to
believe in them. When Allah says: “Allah brought (or sent) down his book . .
”, the word “Sent increaser our belief in in Allah who did the sending.
Belief in angels who were the medium who brought down the book, belief in what
was brought down – the book, the Quran – and belief in the one who was brought
down upon, the messenger.”
Remember that all
obligations upon a Muslim are preconditioned by the ability to do them. If one
is unable to do some act may be due to sickness then they are pardoned for not
doing so. But the obligation of giving advice is never lifted. For Allah says
in surat Towbah: {There is no blame on those who are weak or ill or who find
no resources to spend If they are sincere and true to Allah and his messenger.
No ground can there be against the good-doers. And Allah is oft-Forgiving, Mot
Merciful. Nor is there blame on those who came to you to be provided with
mounts, and when you said “I can find no mount for you” they turned back,
while their eyes overflowing with tears of grief that they could not find
anything to spend for Jihad}
This is a group of poor
Muslims who did not have the mean to go out for a battle, but yet they are
sincere meaning with their advice. For that shows that providing the advice is
not limited to the scholars but everyone is required to provide advice to
Allah and the messenger.
Some times to provide an
honest advice may involve talking bad of someone, which normally is not allowed
in Islam. But providing advice in matters like marriage, one may talk of the
bad characters of someone. For this is an advice to Allah and the messenger.
One woman came to the messenger asking his advice when three men proposed to
her. He told he that one of them is known for wife beating and advised against
him. The other he said is a waster (meaning wasting all he earns), who can keep no money, Mary the third one
with goodness.
Notes:
-
Adhan
- The call to prayer.
-
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the
messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of
Islam.
Assalam Alaikum -
The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace
be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching
it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during
leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
Aya (or Ayah):
is a verse of the Koran.
It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
is a mountain
outside the city of Mecca
that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing
Hajj must stay at this location on the same
day.
Badr
- The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the
pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph
- A Muslim ruler. See:
(Khalifa)
Dajjal
- Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah
- The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din)
- Religion or way of life.
Duaa:
a prayer in the form of
talking to Allah;
praising him and asking him for help.
Fatwa
- Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are
the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose:
is the highest level of
the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh
- Religious law.
Hadeeth:
is something reported
that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave.
It is usually narrated or told by one
of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are
reported and checked to be genuine. No
more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar -
The Black Stone set into the corner of the
Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj -
The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in
the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas:
is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith
- The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his
followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is
the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or
Hejrah):
the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This
event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12
months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a
name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah -
Worship. All the words and deeds with which
Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese):
On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used
by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar
or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn
Omar.
Imam
(or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman:
belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) -
The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the
Christians.
Islam
- Submission, the religion of all the
prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah -
The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of
the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad:
is striving in the
line
of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving
oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection
of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the
fight one's self against temptations.
It also means "holy war."
Jinn
-
Supernatural, invisible beings race of
beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst
them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on
Judgment Day.
Ka'aba:
A cube shaped building in
Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say
Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by
Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage
in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa:
is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation:
"Successor".
Khutbah -
A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr -
Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for
anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran
- Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book
of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran
literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to
the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the
Arabian
peninsula
(in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to
immigrate to.
Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid -
A
center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah -
A
sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah:
is
the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous
black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim
house of worship.
Muhajir -
(Muhajireen)
Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It
was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median
and Ethiopia.
Muhammad -
the final messenger and
prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He
received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in
Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad
ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim
- One who holds faith to the religion of
Islam.
Nafilah:
a voluntary prayer other
than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara -
Christians. Nasrani:
A Christian individual. Nasraniah:
Christianity.
Ommah:
is the Arabic word for a
nation. It usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise -
Another word for heaven. A
garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and
imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels.
All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty
Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise
is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU
(P.B.U.H.) :
Peace and Prayers Be
Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the
messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar -
Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all
things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr):
The night when the first
revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the
last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to
the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and
few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the
holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla -
The direction which Muslims turn for daily
prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish -
An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger
Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan -
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which
is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat -
Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of
worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is
performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa:
A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion
leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants
of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who
ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk -
Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with
Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of
Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam-
Fasting
Sunni:
is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life
style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah):
Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he
dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought.
Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered
the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an
important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes.
It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all
Muslims.
Surah -
A
chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf:
part of the pilgrimage (Hajj)
ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise
direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed -
Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that
there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement
of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new
Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah -
Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person
to understand God.
Taurat: The old
Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah -
the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah):
A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to
Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic
year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual
done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor -
The
Psalms
Zakat -
The
third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
