Strangers to the Qur`an

The state of this great language (Arabic) amongst its own people is shocking and disgraceful. They have become alien to it, yet it remains of high status despite its sons turning away from it. In fact, it has become underestimated among us as we surrender to our enemy’s attack against it. It started by undervaluing its status and then followed by calls to establish different dialects in its place, which resulted in what we are suffering at present. It is often that we think that we understand the problem, when in fact we are just misinterpreting it. The defect is in us not in our heritage or in the books of our ancestors. The deficiency lies in our linguistic taste. It is enough to ponder on the the words of al-Waleed bin al-Mugheerah regarding the effect of the Qur`an on him. Despite his disbelief and his whole rejection of the Qur`an, he said:

“Verily, the Qur`an has sweetness; it has gracefulness upon it; its highest is fruitful, its lowest is copious; it rises aloft and is never surpassed.”

Despite our embracing of Islam and our glorification of the Qur`an, we do not feel this meaning except with the glorified nature of the Qur`an.

‘On the Way to Our Culture’ by Mahmud Shakir – about the issue of our brave language.

“Had I Still Twenty Years to Live…”

To think that this is the same language that the muslims have now abandoned and take such little pride in.

When Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the dominating literary figure of the 18th century, was granted a pension by the British Government in 1762, he is reported to have exclaimed the following:

Had this happened twenty years ago, I would have gone to Constantinople to learn Arabic as P. Edward did.  1

Turning to the far West, we find that in Moorish Spain, too, the Christian subjects had fallen under the ’spell’ of Arabic Language and literature. Many of them were so deeply imbued with the Arabic culture that we find a contemporary writer, Alvaro, Bishop of Cordova, bitterly deploring this state of affairs.

“My fellow Christians delight in the poems and romances of the Arabs; they study the works of Mohammedan theologians and philosophers, not in order to refute them, but to acquire a correct and elegant Arabic style. Where today can a layman be found who reads the Latin commentaries on Holy Scriptures? Who is there that studies the Gospels, the Prophets, and the Apostles? Alas! The young Christians who are most conspicuous for their talents have no knowledge of any literature or language save the Arabic; they read and study with avidity Arabic books; they amass whole libraries of them at a vast cost; and they sing everywhere the praises of Arabian lore. On the other hand, at the mention of Christian books they disdainfully protest that such works are unworthy of their notice. The pity of it! Christians have forgotten their own tongue, and scarce one in a thousand can be found able to compose in fair Latin a letter to a friend. But when it comes to writing Arabic, how many there are who can express themselves in that language with the greatest elegance, and even compose verses which surpass in formal correctness those of the Arabs themselves! 2

When John Beckmann (1739-1811), wrote a history of inventions, in reference to the scientific achievements of the Arabs and to the importance of Arabic in this connection he said the following:

What a noble people were the Arabs. We are indebted to them for a great deal of knowledge and many inventions of great utility; and we should have still more to thank them for, were we fully aware 0f the benefits we have received from them. What a pity that their great works should be suffered to molder into dust, without being made available to us; what a shame that those conversant with their rich language should meet with little encouragement. Had I still twenty years to live and could hope for an abundant supply of Arabic works, I would gladly learn Arabic.  3

1 ~ http://www.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson

2 ~ Spanish Islam- English translation by F.G. Stokes Page #268 (London, 1913)

3 ~John Beckmann (1739-1811), who wrote a history of inventions, in reference to the scientific achievements of the Arabs and to the importance of Arabic in this connection

“When Infact It Is A Favour From Allah”

قال ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه :

  إن العبد لَيَهمّ بالأمر من التجارة والإمارة ، حتى ييسر له ، فينظر الله إليه فيقول للملائكة : اصرفوه عنه ، فإني إن يسرته له أدخلته النار ، فيصرفه الله عنه ، فيظل يتطيّر ( أي يتشاءم ) ، يقول : سبقني فلان ، دهاني فلان ، وما هو إلا فضل الله عز وجل

 ذكره ابن رجب في جامع العلوم والحكم”

 

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

 A person may hope for some matter of trade or position of authority, until he is close to attaining it. Thereupon Allah looks at him and says to His angels: ‘Divert it from him, for if he attains it I shall enter him into the Hellfire.’ Thus, Allah diverts it from him and the slave of Allah remains pessimistic, saying ‘So and so preceded me to it, So and so outwitted me,’ when in fact it is a favour from Allah.

Ibn Rajab in Jami al-Ulum wal Hikam.

Aameen.

Our Lord, You created us in the best of forms;

and You granted us sustenance from Your bounty;

and You taught us and gave us guidance;

and then we disobeyed You openly, but You forgave us;

and we committed sins, but You availed us from them;

Your generosity has been descending upon us,

yet we sin easily, and we are weak;

if You look to our account then we indeed deserve punishment;

but Your mercy is more expansive than our sins,

so grant us Your mercy,

O the Most Merciful of those who show mercy

 

 

 

Extracted from a much longer du3aa made by Shaykh Sa`d al Ghamdee on Laylatul Qadr.

Awake ’til Dawn For His Fathers Comfort…

Al Ma`mun said:

“I have never seen anyone more kind to his father than al Fadl Ibn Yahya’. His kindness reached the highest level when they were in prison. His father used to make wudhu only with hot water. Once, on a cold night, the prison warden stopped supplying them with firewood; so when his father went to sleep, al Fadl filled a container with water and held it close to the fire of the lamp to heat it up. He stayed in that position, awake ’til dawn, so that his father could make wudhu with hot water; so he went through all that out of kindness to his father.”

al Mannawi’s “Birr al Waalidayn”

A Matter of Contemplation

وفي الأرض آيات للموقنين

وفي أنفسكم أفلا تبصرون

And on the earth are signs for those who have faith with certainty,

And in yourselves. Then will you not see?

Surah adh Dhariyaat

(And on the earth are signs for those who have faith with certainty.) Allah says that there are signs on earth that testify to the might of the Creator and His boundless ability. These signs include what Allah placed on the earth, the various plants, animals, valleys, mountains, deserts, rivers and oceans. He also created mankind with different languages, colors, intentions and abilities, and a variety among them, differences in the power of understanding and comprehension, their deeds, and ultimately earning happiness or misery. Allah put every organ in their bodies in its rightful place where they most need it to be. So He said؛

 (And also in yourselves. Will you not then see) Qatadah commented, “He who thinks about his own creation will realize that he was created with flexible joints so that it is easy for him to perform acts of worship.”

 

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Ask… Because Your Lord Wishes to Give to You.

قل ما يعبأ بكم ربي لولا دعاؤكم فقد كذبتم فسوف يكون لزاما

Say : “My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him. But now you have indeed denied (Him). So the torment will be yours for ever (inseparable permanent punishment).”

One of the salaf said: It has been said that this verse means :

“I have not created you because I have a need for you, I have only created you so that you may ask Me, thus I will forgive you and give you what you ask.”

Tafsir al-Qurtubi 13/83

If Only We Knew the Power of Our Parents Du`aa

There was once a young man who would spend all his time playing in amusement centres. He had a righteous father whom would often advise him and warn him from taking the wrong path and following bad company.  However, the more the father would advise his son, the more disobedient and cruel his son became. One day, he insisted on his advise to his son, but was shocked when his son hit him on the face. The father swore that he would go to the Ka`bah and ask Allah to avenge him.  Thus, the father went to the Ka`bah and supplicated saying  ‘ O Allah! People come  from all over the world to visit your house, I have come to you to answer my prayers; my son is disobedient to me and I ask You to take my revenge on him. I ask you Lord to paralyze his body, You are the majesty, You beget not, nor are you begotten.’

No sooner had he finished his appeal to Allah than the right side of his son’s body became paralyzed.

Shaykh `Abdul Aziz as-Salmaan ‘Mawaarid adh-Dham`aan’

Cave Homes in Iran {700 years old}

The Removal of Sorrow…

The salaf would say anyone encountering any sorrow should read Surah Yusuf.