Concepts Clarified in the Quran -III

The concept that the future belongs to the Muslims:Allaah will
certainly make this religion prevail and grant the Muslims victory
over the disbelievers, even if after a while. Allaah Says )which
means(:"They want to extinguish the light of Allaah with their mouths,
but Allaah willperfect his light, although the disbelievers dislike
it. It is He whosent His Messenger with guidanceand the religion of
truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate
others with Allaah dislike it."]Quran 61: 8-9[
Muslims nowadays are in dire need of understanding this concept. We
must firmly believe that despite our current weakness, Islam will
prevail and be victorious. This concept gives hope to the hearts of
the believers, especially when one reads the saying of the Prophet:"A
group from )among( my nation will continueto be upon the truth
supported by Allaah; they will continue to fight Jihaad until the
advent of the Hour."We ask Allaah to make us from them.
The concept of Unity:This is a concept that The Quran emphasises upon;
it commands the Muslims not to disunite and become scattered groups;
Allaah Says )whatmeans(:"And hold firmly to therope of Allaah all
together and donot become divided…"]Quran 3: 103[
Where do the Muslims of our era stand in terms of this divine command?
They have disunited and become scattered groups, to the point that the
common Muslims cannot recognise where the truth is anymore. How can
the Muslims unite? What will unite them? The only thing thatwill unite
them is their collectively holding on to the Bond of Allaah, His Book
)i.e. the Quran(, His commands, and His religion. Any attempt to unite
on any basis other than the religion of Allaah will be fruitless and
people will not attain the sought victory, because Allaah only aids
those who unite on the basis of His religion.
The concept of superiority:Allaah Says )which means(:"You are the best
nation produced ]as an example[ for mankind. You enjoin what is right
and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allaah…"]Quran 3: 110[ How did
our nation become the finest and most superior? It wasthrough it
enjoining good and forbidding evil.If we fail to do this then we can
no longer count ourselves as a part of thissuperior nation as this
superiority is not grantedsimply for being a member of this nation.
Rather, we must fulfil the conditions of being superior.
This superiority is mentioned in different verses to reflect another
concept; Allaah Says )what means(:"So do not weaken and do not grieve,
and you will be superior if you are ]true[ believers."]Quran 3: 139[
Meaning that we aresuperior when we adhere to our religion and its
teachings; we are superior with the faith that Allaah blessed us with;
we are superior due to our adhering to the Sunnah of our Prophet; we
are superior by persevering in our adherence to the Quran and the
Sunnah.
The concept of not being attached to individuals:One must not be
attached to individuals, regardless who they are. Instead one must
attach himself to the religion only, because those attached to
individuals usually give up their convictions with the death of the
ones to whom they are attached, while those attached to the religion
remain steadfast even with the deaths of those who introduced the
religion to them and whom they love dearly; Allaah Says )what
means(:"Muhammad is not but a messenger. ]Other[ messengers have
passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn
back on your heels ]to unbelief[?..."]Quran 3: 144[ If this is
regarding the Prophetthen it is certainly more applicablewith respect
to anyone else.
The concept of having to face harm from the disbelievers:We must
realise that the disbelievers will afflict us with numerous and varied
types of harm; Allaah Says )what means(:"You will certainly be tested
in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from
those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who
associate others with Allaah much abuse. But if you are patient and
fear Allaah – indeed, that is of the matters ]worthy[ of
determination."]Quran 3: 186[ Therefore, the harm that they afflict us
with is physical, financial and psychological, but what is the cure
and way out? Allaah gives us the cure at the conclusion of the verse,
namely, perseverance and piety. If we do not have these then we will
not be able to stand their afflictions, nor will we be able to
confront them.
The concept of referring to the Quran and the Sunnah for
judgement:This must be applied to all our affairs and disputes; Allaah
Says ) what means(:"But no, by your Lord, they will not ]truly[
believe until they make you, ]O Muhammad[, judge concerning that over
which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no
discomfort from what you have judged and submit in ]full, willing[
submission."]Quran 4: 65[
Disputes and disagreements amongst the Muslims have increased, and
thus the need for applying this concept is needed more than ever. Even
in matters of jurisprudence,the common people havebecome very confused
due to hearing different opinions regarding the same issue.
What is the solution to this confusion and disputation? It is in the
saying of Allaah )which means(:"…And if you disagree over anything,
refer it to Allaah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allaah
and the Last Day…"]Quran 4: 59[
Finally, the solution for all our problems is found in the Quran and
all we need to do is to adhere to it, correctly understand the
concepts in it, and apply them and inculcate them in practical life.

Concepts clarified in the Quran -II

The concept of the conflict between the followers of truth and those
of falsehood:This conflict can only be to the advantage of the Muslims
if their ranks are cleared of hypocrites andthose of weak faith. If
any believing group wishes to attain victory from Allaah, then it must
fulfil the requirements of victory as Allaah explains to us in the
following story )which means(:"…'Indeed, Allaah will be testing you
with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does
not taste it is indeed of me, except one who takes ]from it[ in the
hollow of his hand'…"]Quran 2: 249[ What happened? Many people failed
the test andthe ranks were therefore cleared of those who were weak in
faith. Only the true believers, who had strong faith, remained with
him as told in the remainder of the verse; Allaah Says )what
means(:"…But they drank from it, except a ]very[ few of them. Then
when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they
said: 'There is no power for us today against Jaaloot ]Goliath[ and
his soldiers.' But those who were certain that they would meet Allaah
said: 'How many a small company has overcome a large company by
permission of Allaah…'"]Quran 2: 249[ Note that the words of those who
did not drink, not even a handful, were firm and that it was to these
people that victory came. Allaah Says after this )what means(:"So they
defeated them by permission of Allaah…"]Quran 2: 251[
The conflict between the followers of the truth and those of falsehood
is what causes the victory from Allaah to descend aswell as
strengthening theMuslims and initiating Jihaad. Additionally, the
ranks of the believers could never be distinguished without such a
conflict, and nor would the Muslims receive any practical cultivation
without it.
It is the way of Allaah that the disbelievers temporarily overcome the
Muslims, so that the Muslims can rearrange their ranks, purify
themselves and work on building and strengthening their faith.It is
after this that Allaah chooses those who are worthy for martyrdom and
grants the believers victory over the disbelievers, as they then
become worthy of such victory.
The concept of debate:The Quran teaches us how to debate with our
enemies and how to present evidences. Many enemies of Islam use
debating in order to cast doubts and spread false information about
Islam. Allaah presents to us the following debate )whichmeans(:"Have
you not considered the one who argued with Ibraaheem about his Lord
]merely[ because Allaah had given him kingship? When Ibraaheem said:
'My Lord is The One Who gives life and causes death,' he said: 'I give
life and cause death'…"]Quran 2: 258[ This man then brought forth a
person and killed him, and then commanded that a man who was sentenced
to death be freed, demonstrating by this ridiculous example that he
had therefore grantedlife and caused death. Thereupon, Prophet
Ibraaheemthrew himanother challenge which stunned him; Allaah Says in
continuation of the same verse )what means(:"…Ibraaheem said: 'Allaah
brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.' So the
disbeliever was overwhelmed ]by astonishment[, and Allaah does not
guide the wrongdoing people."]Quran 2:258[
The concept of the reality of the worldly life and its value:The Quran
confirms the real value of this life and its reality and essence in
many verses; Allaah Says )what means(:"Whatever you have will end, but
what Allaah has is lasting…"]Quran 16: 96[ When one reads this, which
of the two would he naturally choose?
The concept of loyalty and disavowal:Loyalty to the believers is
manifested inthe saying of Allaah)which means(:"Let not believers take
disbelievers as allies ]i.e. supporters or protectors[ rather than
believers. And whoever ]of you[ does that has nothing ]i.e. no
association[ with Allaah…"]Quran 3: 28[ Would one befriend the
disbelievers after this? Would he support them? Would he feel
compassion towards them? Would he socialise with them? Would he join
forces with them against his Muslim brothers?
The concept of loving the Prophet:Loving the Prophetis not a mere
claim; Allaah Says )what means(:"Say, ]O Muhammad[: 'If you should
love Allaah, then follow me, ]so[ Allaah will love you…"]Quran 3: 31[
The claim of loving the Prophetis therefore not to be accepted from
one who acts in contradiction to his Sunnah. This concept is not clear
in the minds of many, who seem to believe that this love is merely a
claim while their conduct with their families, business partners and
so on, as well as their outward appearance opposes thatof the
Prophetwhich is a clear contradiction and misconception.
The concept of the comprehensiveness of Islam:Many people
erroneouslybelieve that adhering to the religion is satisfied bythe
limited performance of certain acts of worship, and that as soon as
they step out of the mosque for example, they can deal with othersin
any wicked way they choose. These people thereby rid themselves
oftheir religion, but Allaah refutes this attitude by saying )what
means(:"Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east
or the west, but ]true[ righteousness is ]in[ one who believes in
Allaah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives
wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the
traveller, those who ask ]for help[, and for freeing slaves; and ]who[
establishes prayer and gives Zakaah; ]those who[ fulfil their promise
when they promise; and ]those who[ are patient in poverty and hardship
and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is
those who are the righteous."]Quran2: 177[
The concept of exposing the plans of the disbelievers:The disbelievers
endeavour to divert the Muslims from their religion and use extremely
evil methods in order to cause us to have doubts or misgivings towards
it; Allaah Says )what means(:"And a fraction of the People of the
Scripture say ]to each other[: 'Believe in that which was revealed to
the believers at the beginning of the day and reject it at its end
that perhaps they will return ]i.e. abandon their religion[.'"]Quran
3: 72[ Justlook at how evil their plan is! They would even pretend to
embrace Islamand then leave it so that people, including some
simpleminded Muslims, would think that there is a problem or defect
with the religion and therefore shun it, or at least develop
misgivings regarding it. The Quran exposes these people's plans so
that we can counter them.

Concepts clarified in the Quran -I

The role of the Quran in shaping the Muslim personality:The treasures
of the Quran are hidden and buried asfar as many Muslims are
concerned, as they have not yet discovered these precious treasures
that Allaah has placed in it.
Besides the fact that a Muslim is rewarded for reciting the Quran and
applying its rulings, it is also the case that the Quran explains and
clarifies the correct way to understand many concepts that people have
misperceived or misinterpreted. For example, it expounds upon the
reality of the concept of loyalty and disavowal, the concept
ofworship, the concept of the conflict between the truth and
falsehood, and many other concepts which all Muslims must correctly
understand and realise.
The great treasures in the Quran:Some people seek to attain the reward
of reciting the Quran, othersmemorise its verses in order to attain
the reward of such memorisation, while others recite it to taste the
sweetness that the soul feels during this. There are others who recite
it in order to search for the lofty manners it calls the people to
possess, and yet others who recite the Quran in order to find therein
solutions to their social or economic problems.
These are all important matters and one must seek to attain all the
abovementioned goals and many more, but what is more important than
that is for one to recite it in order to extract the great principles
that mould the individual's character and aid in correctly nurturing
him.
Many people recite the Quran hastily, or pass over its verses quickly
without pondering over their meaning.
The Quran is of great importance due to many more reasons than those
we mentioned above, and which the Muslims must realise and have clear
in their minds. I willtry to highlight in this sermon some of these
concepts that are instilledin the Quran, so that perhaps we may
realise the importance of pondering upon the Quran.
The concept of worship and seeking assistance:If one ponders over the
saying of Allaah )which means(:"It is You we worship and You weask for
assistance."]Quran 1: 5[ He will realise that it means that worship
and seeking assistance are exclusively for Allaah, andthis is the real
essence of servitude to Allaah. One must wonder when he recites this
verse, which we do more than seventeen times daily, why worship is
designated solely to Allaah, and likewise seeking assistance. This
concept must be clear in our minds: that only Allaah is to be
worshipped; not wealth, not position, not other people, not man-made
laws, or anything else. We must submit our wills solely to Allaah and
humble ourselves only to Him. Also, we must seek only His assistance
as a sign of perfect servitude because regardless of how powerful
human forces are, they remain very limited, while the power of Allaah
is ultimate and unlimited asHe is the All-Powerful andthe
Irresistible.
The concept of abiding by the commands of Allaah and hastening to
fulfil them:The Quran emphasises on the great importance and
thecompulsion of adhering to the commands of Allaah and not
transgressing or disobeying His command.The Jews were commanded by
Allaah to prostrate, as Allaah Says )what means(:"…And enter the gate
bowing humbly…"]Quran 2: 58[ What did they do instead of adhering to
this command? They entered on their buttocks and therefore opposed the
command of Allaah. Therefore, anyone who tries to alter the commands
of Allaah and applies what his desires are dictating to him resembles
these people.
Furthermore, one must hasten in fulfilling the commands of Allaah and
not act like the Jews did when Allaah commandedthem to slaughter a
cow; they kept asking for finerdetails regarding the type of cow to
slaughter while slaughtering any cow would have done. Many Muslims
follow in the footsteps of these deviants by inventing obstacles that
would cause them to not fulfil certain commands that do not happen to
coincide with their desires, and this is nothing but following the
whispers of Satan.
The concept of being distinct in worship:Muslims must be distinct and
not resemblethe disbelievers in any of their acts of worship or
religious rites. In the early stages of Islam, the Muslims would
direct themselves towards Al-Aqsaa mosque inJerusalemin prayer, but
they were later commanded to direct themselves towards the Ka'bah in
Makkah in order to differ from the disbelievers.
The concept of people's ranks:Allaah Says )what means(:"And it is not
your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us in position,
but it is ]by being[ one who has believed and done
righteousness…"]Quran 34: 37[
Allaah also Says )what means(:"…Indeed, the most noble of you in the
sight of Allaahis the most righteous of you…"]Quran49: 13[
It is very important for usto know this rule of how people are
measured according to the scale of Allaah. How do people become
loftier than others? How does one possess a higher rank than others?
What are the criteria used to judgethis issue? The Quran establishes
that no worldly matter is of any effect in this regard and that it is
solely based on matters related to the religion of Allaah. When Allaah
favoured Taalootand chose him to ruleover the children of Israel, they
objected and judged the matter with a worldly scale: they protested
that he was not rich, as Allaah informs us when He Says )what
means(:"…They said: 'How can he have kingship over us while we are
more worthy of kingship than him and he has notbeen given any measure
of wealth?'..."]Quran 2: 247[ But Allaah immediately highlights the
correct criteria of judging in the very same verse, saying )what
means(:"He said: 'Indeed, Allaah has chosen him over you and has
increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature…'"]Quran 2: 247[
Therefore, knowledge and a strong body that enabled him to fight the
enemies of Allaah are what made him deserving of this rank, and both
these qualities are matters that are connected to the religion: one is
knowledge regarding it, while the other is the ability to defend and
proliferate it.

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Dought - clear - Was the adhaan revealedby wahy or was it suggested by a sahaabi?.

I think i once read that the adhan )call to prayer(was suggested to
our prophet Muhammed )( by another muslim after he said he didnt want
to use the bells that the christians used or the rams-head)?( that the
jews used to call people to prayer. How does the idea of everything
the prophet ordered being an inspiration that is inspired fit in with
this?
I am not trying to be picky here, but am asking purely to aid my understanding.
Praise be to Allaah.
"Adhaan" in Arabic means conveying; in Islam it means announcing that
the time )for prayer( has come. It was prescribed during the time of
the Messenger of Allaah )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him( in
Madeenah. According to the hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd ibn Abd
Rabbihi, when the Messenger of Allaah )peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him( decided to use a bell even though he disliked it because
it was like what the Christians used,'there appeared to me ina dream a
man who was wearing two green garments, in whose hand was a bell. I
said, "O slave of Allaah, will you sell that bell?" he said, "What
will you do with it?" I said, "We will call the people to prayer with
it." He said, "Shall I not show you somethingbetter than that?" I
said, "Yes." He said, "Say, Allaahu akbar Allaah akbar … )to the end
of the adhaan(." When morning came, I went tothe Messenger of Allaah
)peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him( and told him what I had
seen. He said, "This is a true dream, in sha Allaah. Get up with
Bilaaland tell him what you have seen, so that he cangive the call,
because he has a more beautiful voice than you." So I got up with
Bilaal and started telling him what I had seen, and he gave the call
to prayer. 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab heard that whilst he was in his
house, and he came out, dragging his cloak behind him, saying, "By the
One Who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of Allaah, I saw the same
as he saw." The Messenger of Allaah )peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him( said: "To Allaah be praise."' )Narrated by Ahmad, 1588;
al-Tirmidhi, 174; Abu Dawood, 421, 430; Ibn Maajah, 698(.
It is clear from this hadeeth:
That the words of the adhaan came in a dreamwhich was seen by a great
sahaabi and approved of by our great Prophet. They were not a
suggestion asyou mentioned, but a dream, and it is known that dreams
are one of the seventy parts of Prophethood, because it was stated in
a hadeeth narrated by Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet )peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him( said: "Dreams are one of the seventy parts of
Prophethood." )Narratedby Ahmad, 4449(.
Al-Bukhaari narrated a different version: "True dreams are one of the
forty-six parts of Prophethood." )Narratedby al-Bukhaari,, 6474;
Muslim, 4203, 42005(.
The dream here, which the Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him( described as a true dream, came fromAllaah and was not a
suggestion from a person. So it was a part of Prophethood becauseit
was approved of by the Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him( and was described by him as a true dream. If the Prophet had not
approved of it, it would not have been considered a true dreamand it
would not have been a part of Prophethood. The one who judged it to be
truewas the Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him(, and
the one who commanded them to act upon it was the Prophet )peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him(, who received revelation )wahy( from
his Lord.
'Umar )may Allaah be pleased with him( had seen a similar dream. Letus
not forget that 'Umar was one of the Rightly-guided khaleefahs
)al-khulafaa' al-raashidoon(, of whomthe Messenger )peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him( said, "I exhort you to adhere to my
sunnah )way( and the sunnah of the rightly-guided khaleefahs. Hold on
tightto it with your back teeth." )Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2600; Ibn
Maajah, 43; Ahmad, 16519(.
'Umar's view frequently coincided with the wahyand divine legislation.
'Aa'ishah reported that the Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him( used to say, "Among the nations whocame before you there
were people who were muhaddathoon )inspired(. If there is anyone like
this in my ummah, it is 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab." )Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 3282; Muslim, 2398(. Ibn Wahb said muhaddathoon means
inspired.
You may ask, why did the adhaan start in this fashion, being seen in a
dream by two sahaabis then being confirmed bythe wahy? Why was it not
revealed directly? The answer is that Allaahdecrees whatever He wills,
however He wills, may He be glorified and exalted. Perhaps the wayit
happened was meant to demonstrate the virtue of these two sahaabis and
to confirm the how good this ummah is, because among them are some
whose opinions coincidewith the wahy and somewho had true dreams which
confirmed their truthfulness, for the people who have the truest
dreams are the truest in speech as the Prophet )peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him( said.
Finally:
The definition of the Sunnah given in the books of the scholars is
that it consists of everything that was narrated from the Messenger
)peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him(, everything that he "said,
did or approved of."
What is meant by his words and actions is clear. What he approved of
refers to when someone did something in front of him and he approved
of it – this is also part of the sharee'ah, not because that person
did it, but because the Messenger )peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him( approved of it. The Messenger )peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him( never kept quiet about falsehood and he never approved of
anything false or misguided that was done by others. He would
disapprove of it and speak out against it,as he did in the case of the
sahaabi Abu Israa'eel, as was narrated by Ibn 'Abbaas, who said:
"Whilst the Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him( was
giving a khutbah, he saw a man standing in the sun, and he asked about
him. They said, 'That is Abu Israa'eel. He vowed to stand and not sit
down, not to seek shade, not tospeak, and to fast.' He said, 'Tell him
to speak, seek shade and sit down, but let him complete his fast.'"
)Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6326(.
The Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him( approved of
Abu Israa'eel's vow to fast, but he cancelled therest of his vow and
did not approve of it.
So it is clear that the adhaan became part of the religion when the
Prophet )peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him( confirmed what
Allaah had shown the two sahaabis in theirdreams, and commanded
'Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd to teach it to Bilaal so that he could call the
people to prayer.Hopefully the explanation given abovewill dispel your
confusion and make matters clearer to you. We ask Allaah to grant
usand you understanding of Islam. And Allaah knows best.