Week 8

BELIEF IN PREDESTINATION
Belief in the Divine Decree (order by a leader) is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal which says: ‘’I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Last Day and in the fact that everything, good or bad, is decided by Allah Almighty and in the life after death.’’
This means that everything, good or bad, is decided by Allah, is an article of faith and without this our faith is not complete. Faith in predestination means that we believe in our heart and confess with our tongue that the Most High Allah has decreed all things; whatever happens in the world whether it is concerning the conditions and operations of things, good and evil, obedience and disobedience, faith and infidelity (unfaithful), sickness and health, wealth and poverty, life and death is contained in the written tablet of the decrees of Allah which is called the Loh-e-Mahfooz.
The belief in Divine predestination includes belief in 4 things:
1. Allah is the creator of everything.
2. Allah knows everything; what has, is and will happen.
3. Allah has recorded all that has passed, all that is happening and all that will happen.
4. Whatever Allah wills, happens and whatever He wills not, does not happen.

According to the Muslim Faith, Allah is the sole Creator and Cherisher (care for something or someone) of the universe. His power is not limited in any sphere. The Qur’an says: ‘’ verily Allah has power over everything.” Therefore it will not be wrong to say that God not only has knowledge of each and every affair of the entire universe but also all the matters and occurrences are under His control. We ourselves can see the Divine Will in many objects and phenomena around us. The Qur’an invites us to appreciate by saying: ‘’It is not permitted to the sun to catch up to the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; each just swims along in its own orbit (according to the Divine Will)’’ (36:40). These are demonstrations of Allah’s unlimited power and command.
Similarly, man, the most supreme creation of Allah is no exception to this Divine Will. Humans have been granted liberty and free will, but at the same time they are subservient (submissive) to the laws of nature. We should know that that our Creator has knowledge of everything and has command over us and so it should be our duty to submit to His Will. The Qur’an reminds us by saying: ‘’We indeed created man and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him; for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.’’ (50:16). This simply means that Allah knows even the innermost desires and motives of man better than man himself so it becomes clear that in spite of enjoying free will, our destinies and decisions are under the ultimate Divine predestination. Allah has predestined the span of every person’s life, their share of good and ill fortune and the fruits of their efforts in accordance with His eternal knowledge. This is to say that He has ordained (designed) the things as they were to take place in this world and in the life to come. This however does not imply that whatever we do is predestined to be done by us and we have no freedom of action. For example, if Allah has predestined an evil thing to Zaid, it was so because Zaid had chosen to commit that evil thing when he had a choice of not doing it. If he were to do a pious deed, All-Knowing Allah would have predestined that pious deed to have been done by Zaid. No one is forced to do a certain thing because of its predestination. Allah has given every human the ability to do good or bad in life. People decide what to do, but Allah has knowledge of our deeds even before we were created. He knew what we could and would do but does not make us do it.
While Allah has given free choice to people, man has also been shown the correct way by means of revelation through His prophets. Man has the final choice to accept or decline this Divine guidance. His choice rests on his will as the Qur’an says: ‘’ Surely, We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)’’ (76:3).

Posted by Ms. Sadaf Ikram at 12:30 AM 0 comments
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WEEK 8 (HADITH 6)
HADITH 6
“Whosoever of you sees an evil action let him change it with his hand. And if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue. And if he is not able to so, then with his heart. And that is the weakest form of faith.”

Teachings
Islam stresses upon the need to eradicate all evil elements from society. It imposes this duty on each individual according to our might. When we are in power we must use force against evil. It is, however the government which has the authority to use force. When we are before an evil or tyrant ruler, we must express our opinion by either speaking the truth or writing about it publically. Islam teaches us to strive against evil practices and stop them by all possible means. The last portion of the Hadith states that the least a Muslim can do in the case of witnessing an evil act is to consider it evil in his heart. This means that he should dislike the evil when he comes across it.
In an Islamic society Allah (SWT) demands that there should be a group of people who should encourage the good and discourage the evil. The Holy Quran says “You are the best community ever raised for humanity; you order what is right, forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah...” (3:110)

How to put these teachings into action
We as Muslims are commanded to take action against evil practices according to our level. When we say that this duty is according to our level, we acknowledge the fact that we exercise our authority only when and where we have authority. For example we do not go in another person’s house and make it our business to criticize the wrong in his/her house; we should only try to make him aware of the problem by giving positive suggestions without offending the other person. We should know our boundaries and abide by them. If everyone applied the teachings of this Hadith in his own circle of influence, the society would automatically correct itself while preserving the privacy of each household, neighbourhood, city etc.
For example, in the glorious days of Holy Prophet (SAW), the Islamic society in Madinah was taking active steps against evil practices of the Jews and other non Muslim rulers to tell them to be obedient to Islam and leave evil ways. Hazrat Abu Bakr also used force against the false prophets because he was the head of the state and had the legal power to do so. On the other hand, the Muslim minority at Makkah who could not migrate and at the same time could not do anything against the Quraish, quietly bore their evil practices.
Posted by Ms. Sadaf Ikram at 12:10 AM 0 comments
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WEEK 8 (HADITH 7)
HADITH 7
‘’It was asked: O Messenger of Allah, who is the most excellent of men? The Messenger of Allah said: The believer who strives hard in the way of Allah with his person and his property.’’

Teachings:
Fighting in the way of Allah and His religion, according to the principles laid down for such a war with the objective of bringing an end to the oppression and aggression against Islam, is known as Jihad. It involves sacrifice of a person’s life and property for Allah. Islam is a practical religion and emphasises upon the need of taking practical steps against evil with all human and material resources. The struggle against evil practices is the top priority of every Muslim. There is great importance of Jihad through wealth and through personal acts. Where wealth is needed, financial sacrifice is appreciated and where the sacrifice of life is needed, to do so in the path of Allah, is considered to be a great honour. To fight against evil is the requirement of Islam. This practice pleases Allah and He says in the Qur’an:
‘’....and struggle in God’s way with your possessions and your persons: this is better for you, if you only knew.’’(9:41)

How to Put These Teachings into Action
In this Hadith two types of Jihad are mentioned. Jihad may be in the form of fighting for the cause of Allah according to the laid down principles with the object of bringing an end to aggression, terrorism, mischief and wickedness. A person may also perform Jihad with wealth and this may take different forms. It may be, spending his wealth for a social cause, welfare of the society or the spread of Islam. It can also be, spending his wealth for supplying arms and ammunitions to the warriors who fight the enemies of Islam.
The history of Islam is full of examples on Jihad. On the occasion of Tabuk expedition almost all of the companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) contributed something for the sake of Jihad for example Abu Bakr donated all his wealth while Omar donated half of his. The companions then also participated personally in the battle against the Roman Empire. This event is unparalleled in the whole history of mankind.
Posted by Ms. Sadaf Ikram at 12:05 AM 0 comments
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011
WEEK 8 (SURAH 7)
SURAH 7: Al Baqrah (2:21-22)

21: O people! Adore your Guardian-Lord,
Who created you and those who came before you,
So that you may have the chance to learn righteousness;
22: Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy;
And sent down rain from the heavens;
And by it brought forth fruits for your sustenance;
Then do not set up rivals to Allah, when you know.

The Main Theme(s)
These two verses describe some of Allah’s special bounties for the whole mankind that provide certain essential means of sustenance. The verses particularly mention the productivity of the earth and the protective shield provided by the heavens and the virtue of rain to activate the process of the production of variety of fruits. The main purpose of mentioning these visible favours of Allah remind us to worship Allah, avoid shirk in order to lead a righteous life.

The Presentation of the Theme.
Man needs to acknowledge the bounties of Allah by way of expressing gratitude to Him and by bowing down before Him. The whole mankind, the heavens and the earth with their respective roles of serving mankind, are the greatest signs of Allah’s creative power and His relation with His creatures. Now it is man’s duty to identify his Lord by worshipping none but Him, by praising Him through regular prayers and by obeying the rules of conduct determined by Him. This is the greatest benefit of belief in Tauhid—developing Taqwa or piety and refuting Shirk. For the same reason, a whole Surah of the Qur’an, Surah 55 (Al-Rahman) repeatedly asks mankind to acknowledge the countless blessings of Allah. ‘’Which, then, of your Lord’s blessings do you deny?’’
Posted by Ms. Sadaf Ikram at 11:59 PM 0 comments
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