Reflections of November 16, 2006
Surah Al Mumtahinah

"There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people: "We are clear of you and of whatever ye worship besides Allah: we have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred for ever,- unless ye believe in Allah and Him alone": But not when Abraham said to his father: "I will pray for forgiveness for thee, though I have no power (to get) aught on thy behalf from Allah." (They prayed): "Our Lord! in Thee do we trust, and to Thee do we turn in repentance: to Thee is (our) Final Goal." Al Mumtahinah 4

Turning to Allah Only

People have limited resources. Allah owns every resource, hidden and apparent.
People are forgetful. Allah never forgets what you have done for Him.
People always let you down. Allah, never.
People are always unsatisfied, unsatiated and unkind. Allah, nope.
'Our Rabb! In You we have put our trust, to You we turn, and to You is our final goal'

-Aniqa Chohan, Australia

"It may be that Allah will grant love (and friendship) between you and those whom ye (now) hold as enemies. For Allah has power (over all things); And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Al Mumtahinah 7

Friendship
As Ustazah was relating how people were Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)’s enemy when he had declared Allah’s message. They had so much hatred and tortured him in all the ways they could. How Abu Sufyan remained his enemy throughout his mission and what Hind did with Hazrat Hamza (r.a.). So how could we ever think of making friends with such people who hate the same deen which was revealed to our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.)
It may well be that Allah will put love between you and those with whom you are now at odds… [Al-Mumtahinah: 7]
And then this ayah was read; we were told the excellent attitude of sahabas with the prisoners of war of Badr. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) forgave Abu Sufyan and Hind at the conquest of Makkah.
The servants of Allah (s.w.t) always forgave although they were so badly treated, made fun of, beaten, whipped and what not...thus they conquered hearts. THIS THEY DID FOR THEIR LORD.
We were all filled with tears and now know how to win hearts and make friends.
- Ayesha Asad, Etobicoke

Wondering who to love for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala?
· The one who, when you look at them, reminds you of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala
· Encourages you to do good
· Helps you, and wants you to be obedient to Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, not obedient to them
· Does not backbite or slander, and stops you if you do so
· Points out your mistakes with Hikmah
· Does not waste your time with useless talk or activities
· Defends you when you are not around
· The one whose priority is to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala
· They Strive for knowledge, so that they can practice their Deen better, and share with you what they have learned
· Whenever they read or hear a commandment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, they feel it is meant for them, more than anyone else, and they do not hesitate to follow it
· Their deeds are done with Ikhlaas; they refrain from Riyaa (Showoff), and expect Ajar (reward) only from Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala
· They hate to disobey their Creator and if by chance they do, they do not insist on it but repent right away
· They are not proud or arrogant, but humble
· They smile, even when things are not going their way
· They proudly follow the Sunnah in the best way they can, and encourage you to do the same
· Their hearts melt and tremble when they hear the Qur'an being recited
· They are there when you need them, but still encourage you to be strong and not dependent
· They know that if this love is purely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, they will be with you under His shade on the Day of Judgement, when there will be no other shade

May we all have friends whom we love for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, and they love us for His sake too. Ameen.
- Maryam Hameed, Ottawa

Reflection from November 13th, 2006

Manners
The Qur'an is truly a great blessing. If you need advice regarding any matter, the Qur'an is there to help. It contains information that is unimaginable to find in any other book. And it proved to be true in Surah al Mujadilah. SubhanAllah, what a blessing this surah is.

If you want to learn manners, rather then learning them from attending classes about manners, Surah al Mujadilah is there to teach us. Not only does the surah teach us manners about making room for others and getting up from your spot when asked, but it also teaches us the etiquette of not whispering in front of others.

May we all benefit from Surah al Mujadilah and all the other Surahs, Ameen.
- Fatima Malik, Mississauga