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Friday Talks |
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Friday Talks |
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152 |
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Be slaves of Allah, Be brothers.
Written by: Sk Omar Ali
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
18 Muharrum 1432
h.24
December 2010.
Dear brothers,
The messenger ppbu said: {Do not break up, do not speak with ill intentions about one another behind his back, do not hate each other and do not envy each other and be slaves of Allah and be brothers. No Muslim is permitted to desert his brother for more than three nights. They meet and they both shun off (reject) each other. The better of them is the one who starts with the peaceful greeting and he will be the first to go to paradise}.
The messenger ppbu also said: {… be slaves of Allah be brothers. A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim; No Muslim is permitted to wrong (or transgress against) his brother or let him down and not to lie to him and not belittle him. God fearing is right here – he pointed at his chest three times – it is enough evil for an individual to be demeaned or belittled by his Muslim brother. A Muslim is sanctity or is sacred to any other Muslim, his blood, his money and his honour}
This advice from the prophet comes to confirm first the meaning of the Islamic unity represented in the brotherhood in faith. Underneath which lives the individual Muslim adhering to Islam in faith and worship and way of life. Allah named all Muslims inclusively regardless of their origins and characteristics, Arabs and non Arabs, either white or blacks, from the east or the west, Allah called them: “a nation”. Allah says: {and accordingly, we made you a balanced nation so you shall be witnesses upon people, and the messenger is a witness upon you} 2:143. Allah commanded them unity and ordered them against separation and fighting. Allah says: {and hold fasten to the rope of Allah, all together and do no separate} 3:103.
When the prophet ppbu says: {Be slaves of Allah be brothers} then he is only stating a fact which confirms what Allah says: {those who have faith are brothers} 49:10, No to tribalism, and no to political parties, and no to intolerance for colour or race. Allah says: {People, We created you of a male and a female, and we made you nations and clans so you would get to know each other. The most honourable of you to Allah is the most God fearing} 49:13.
Yes, the most honourable of us is the nearest to Allah, not the son of the most famous person. Before Prophet Muhammad ppbu; people lived in pre Islamic ignorance, blinded by misguidance. They were ruled by costumes and habits and tribal strives and frictions. They cherished it and they were proud of it and that was inherited generation after generation. Unfortunately, such negative values can be seen in people today. The messenger ppbu said: {three things will remain in my nation which were part of the pre Islamic ignorance: The slandering in kinship (casting doubt on to ones parental or ancestral integrity), and pride in family lineage, and wailing for the dead}.
Devastating wars used to rage between clans and tribes. Killings used to take place, robberies, confiscations, betrayals and treacheries all because of a word said or a poem recited. Two Arab tribes had devastating wars for over a hundred years before Islam. When Islam came those two tribes became brothers through the Islamic ties. Islamic brotherhood is the stronger tie amongst Muslims. Brotherhood in Islam is stronger than kinship; and greater than family relationship because it is a relation which ties them up to Allah. Allah says: {And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and do not separate or splinter. And remember Allah's favour unto you: how you were enemies and He made friendship and affection between your hearts so that you became as brothers by His grace; and (how) you were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah makes clear His revelations unto you, that you may be guided} 3:103. yes, without the declaration of “No God but Allah”, and the day people forget it is the day they forget brotherhood and love which Allah brought down in His book. And it is also the day they forget about paradise and hellfire, and they forget about the path they will have to cross over; on the day of resurrection and the day they forget about the scale. The day they become like a herd of animals in a jungle.
A Jew became enraged by the love developed between the two tribes: Oas and Khazraj. He tried to reignite rivalry and hatred between them. While they were at the mosque he started his planned enflaming attack, reminding them of all their battles and killings. Two young people from the two tribes wanted revenge and got their swords and went out to fight it out. The two tribes went out ready for battle. The messenger ppbu heard about the problem and hurried to reach them just before a fight broke out.
He said: {O people, were you not lost and Allah did guide you through me? Were you not in splinters and Allah united you together through me? Were you not at war and Allah made you brothers through me?}.
They said: yes.
He said: {Am I not still amongst you?}
They said: yes,
He said: {didn’t the inspiration come down while I was amongst you?}
They said: yes,
He said: {Then what is this?}
They all put their swords down and said: We ask Allah’s forgiveness. They cried and hugged each other.
Allah sent down his verse: {O you who believe! If you obey a party of those who have received the Scripture then they will make you go back to being disbelievers after your faith} 3:100.
Allah says: {He has put affection into their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth you couldn’t have made their hearts closer with affections, but Allah had harmonised and attuned them. He is Mighty, Wise} 8:63.
Some of the companions were at a meeting discussing a war situation. Belal was talking expressing his point of view. Abo-Thur (ĂČć ĐŃ) answered him back and called him: “Son of the black woman”. Belal complained to the messenger ppbu whose face went red and called Abo-Thur and said to him: {You used his mother to shame him. You have pre-Islamic ignorance in you.} Abo-Thur said: O messenger or Allah, (you say this) despite my old age and the grey in my hair. The messenger ppbu said: (Yes, you have ignorance in you.) Abo-Thur went out looking for Belal intending to compensate him. When he found him, Abo-Thur put his head on the ground and said to Belal, step on to my head with your foot, by Allah, I will not take my head up off the ground until you step on it. Allah said describing the faithful: {Humble towards the believers, and proud towards the disbelievers} 5:54.
Dear brothers, we must obey Allah and His messenger ppbu and be brothers, show feelings and affection, show support, no hate, and no envy. The messenger ppbu was doing tawaf walk round Kaba and saying about Kaba mosque: {How wonderful you are, and how wonderful is your fragrant. And how great you are and how great your sanctity is. But I swear by Him whose Muhammad’s soul is in his hand; that the sanctity of a believer is greater with Allah than your sanctity}.
Brother Muslims, be warned against the sanctity of your fellow brothers in faith. Keep away from the calls and statements of the pre Islamic ignorance. Do not re-inflame disputes, and do not take pride in family and ancestry’s origins. Do not have nationalistic calls, and do not feel above the slaves of Allah, do not practice ignorance and showing off, and do not propagate separation and hatred and despise amongst Muslims. But, unfortunately, one can clearly see that this is present amongst the Muslim community today. We see some Muslims side with others at the expense of the Islamic brother hood. Some take sides to their group or nationality, and some to their race. The Egyptian may show pride over the Algerian; or the Libyan over the Palestinian; or the Tunisian over the Iraqi or the Pakistani over the Indian. Some times the problem causes separation amongst the single nationality such as the one from the East shows pride over this that is from the West, or the one from the north over the one from the south. The existence of this problem between us rings the bells of danger. We warn against the calls of ignorance.
During one of the battles, an argument irrupted between a man from Muhajireen (the immigrants to Madina) and a man from the Ansar (those who gave refuge and support in Madina) and each called upon his group. The messenger ppbu said: {is the call of pre Islamic ignorance still being used by you while I am still living amongst you. Do not use those calls they are rotten}. The messenger ppbu also said: {Allah has removed off you the burden of pre Islamic ignorance, and using your fathers to show off with pride. The sons of Adam are either a God fearing man of faith, or a miserable sinner. And Adam was created from dust. Let those men who show pride of their fathers during the days of pre Islam, let them refrain from that; or they shall be less significant to Allah than a beetle that pushes the rot with its nose}
The messenger ppbu on his farewell speech said: {O people, your God is one God, and your father is one father, an Arab is not better than a non Arab, and a non Arab is not better than an Arab, a red (fair) person is not better than a black person and a black is not better than a red person except by God fearing}. Omar ebn Al-Khattab said: “We were the most humiliated people and Allah gave us honour with Islam. If we seek honour into anything else other than Islam then Allah will humiliate us”.
Let each one of us take his or her roll in seeking make peace and reconciliation. Some of the means to use to make peace are: talking to conflicting parties directly, explaining the dangers involved, and reminding them of the messenger’s advice: “Be slaves of Allah, be brothers”. And warn against all calls which are based on nationalism, or based on regions, or race and all the negativity they bring onto the individual and onto the society. Examples of the problems they bring are:
1) Disobeying commands of Allah and His messenger ppbu which command brotherhood and affection amongst Muslims, and command to refrain off anything which can cause rivalry and separation and hatred.
2) Bringing up the youth with animosity between them making them Satans becoming biased fanatics.
3) The loss of modesty with this type of people causing lack of respect of feelings towards others.
4) Revenge, retributions and reactions towards others who are innocent just because they are from the same country or region or areas.
All these problems and more will happen as a consequence if this evil phenomenon is not eliminated from society. And that can only happen through the contributions of all members of the community and by taking actions, each according to his or her ability.
Notes:
Adhan - The call to prayer.
- 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.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
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.
- is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Aya (or Ayah):
- 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.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
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.
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
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.
