Reflections from October 27, 2006

"Hasten ye then (at once) to Allah: I am from Him a Warner to you, clear and open!:" [Adh-Dhariyaat: 50]

The Status of Prophet (s.a.w.)
The 2 verses (50 and 51 of surah adh-dhariyaat) kept popping at me the whole time, mainly because of the repetition of one segment in both...innee lakum minhu nazeer um mubeenAlthough we didn't discuss these verses with this context but it keeps onstriking me that these have a message of discouraging the"ghuluw"-exaggeration in the status of Prophet (s.a.w.), which has indeed occurred in the Muslim ummah at a widespread level. Out of the fervently religious, a notable percentage has taken the respect and love of the Prophet (s.a.w.) to a level equal to Allah or more (astaghfirullah). Here it seems that the message is being broadcasted by the Prophet (s.a.w.) who is emphasizing that I am only a Warner and that all your efforts, energies , escapades from the life issues should be directed towards Allah....Reminds me of some very pious people saying. "Whenever the boat of life starts to shake or tumble, I can't thinkof anyone but Muhammad, calling upon him through durood is the only thing thatcomes to mind and comforts the heart!!”.... Oops... so this constitutesShirk... and this is what's being negated here...
“So flee towards Allah, Indeed I am only a plain Warner to you from Him"-And in the next verse " And do not appoint other ilah along with Allah,Verily I am a plain Warner to you from Him"… seems to cement the same message with a clearer tone and sounds like being addressed to all those who put the status of Prophet (s.a.w.) equal to Allah and when reminded of the error only conveniently say that yes we are calling upon Allah and His messenger and it is impossible to be heard by Allah without having a Rasool, Allah's sifaarish.!!When I look at the words... "So flee to Allah" separately, it seems likean answer to so much that goes unheard of in our souls. We are alldragging the load of life and always trying to flee from awkwardsituations, from difficult people, from unwanted aspects of our lives, andquite often from ourselves... our sinning urges, our erring nafs... so here is the direction from the most Merciful.Our question? In everyday challenges... where to go?? what to do??..Answer... flee to AllahI am thinking... who am I fleeing from?My nafs, my faulty akhlaq, my complicated desires, my failures, my world, my critics and my loved ones.May Allah give us the right direction and right speed to run towards Him andkeep running. Aameen
-Aasiya Amir

Priorities
In verse 50, Surah Adh-Dhariyth, Allah (s.w.t) is asking us to race, run, or rush towards Him. After hearing the examples of the Sahaba in tafseer class (Abu Bakr (r.a.) being in the lead) I was thinking; what is it that we are racing towards today? When I tried to picture people running, I could see them rushing to work in the morning, trying to be first in line for a big sale, or trying to somehow gain worldly benefits for themselves.
Basically, we seem to run after the list of things we love. Where is Allah (s.w.t) on that list??
The Sahaba recognized the Greatness of Allah (s.w.t). They loved Allah so much they would rush to do anything to please Him! They would take up any chance, any opportunity they got to earn Allah's pleasure. They wouldn't think over it, try to see if it fits into their 'busy' schedule, or if it was a suitable job for them or for their 'status' in society. This proved that Allah (s.w.t) was on the top of their list!
We should try to InshaAllah rearrange, re-prioritize our list also. We can learn to recognize and love Allah by pondering upon His verses (in the Quran) and His signs that we can clearly see in the universe around us. Reading about the life of the Prophet (saw) and examples of how the Sahaba eagerly followed his path, can also be of encouragement. We can then RUN when we hear the Adhan, see someone in need, or find any opportunity to please Allah. I pray that we can put Allah (s.w.t) on the top of our list and spend our lives racing towards Him. Ameen.
-Ayesha Baig (California)

The only reality is the reality of the hereafter.
-Aniqa Chohan (Australia)

We Can't Hide From Allah S.W.T
"Verily, the Doom of thy Lord will indeed come to pass; (7) There is none can avert it;(8) On the day when the heaven will heave with (awful) heaving, (9) And the mountains move away with (awful) movement, (10) Then woe that day unto the deniers (11) That play (and paddle) in shallow trifles. (12) That Day shall they be thrust down to the Fire of Hell, irresistibly. (13) "This:, it will be said, "Is the Fire,- which ye were wont to deny!" (14) [At-Tur: 7-14]
Nobody can avert the resurrection... I was thinking how Prophet Nuh (a.s)'s son didn't agree to go with the believers, instead he challenged that he will save himself from Allah's wrath. He climbed the peak of the highest mountain, BUT what happened? Was he saved? NO!!! We know what happened to him then...
Imagine if we were to have the best of the technology, power and money over the centuries; and we try to hide somewhere... yet, to what extent can we run and hide? How much can we explore this universe? We might find a safe place somewhere over the mountains, inside the mountain, below the land or sea, somewhere in space, or other planets and galaxies... BUT as soon as the trumpet is blown, when the Day of Judgment is announced, everything will loose control over itself, and they will surrender to Allah and throw out whatever is in them; thus presenting US forcefully to Allah.....
Let's realize this fact (InshaAllah) and make others firmly believe in it too; that nobody can ward off their 'Accountability'
-Salma Ghansar (Mississauga)