"Light and Foundation of All
Life"
Islamic Texts - http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/index.htm
The following are class notes, direct quotes and references from many sources gathered while spending 1 year at Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. (1996)
Islam is a broad
and very diverse topic with an unlimited source base for material.
While the most written about subject ever, it is also the most
misunderstood by the greatest number of people. Its attractions are
many, and each will gain their own level of understanding....I think the
following represents those pieces of the great puzzle (foundation
and "meaning" of life) that mean the most to me and help
clarify what might otherwise be a great mystery at least for myself, while
providing a understanding foundation for future learning. - SLD
Al-Fatiha (Opening Chapter)
Al-Fatiha
In the name of God, Most Gracious Most Merciful.
Praise be to God, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we worship, And Thine aid we seek.
Show us the straight way,
The way of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy Grace, Those whose (portion) Is not wrath, And who go not astray.
"The ink of the scholar is more
Holy than the blood of the Martyr."
Prophet Muhammed
(PBUH)
"The acquisition of knowledge is a duty incumbent on every Muslim"
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)
"If any religion has a chance
of conquering England, nay Europe, within the next 100 years, that Religion
is Islam." -George Bernard Shaw-
"Seek knowledge even in China"
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)
Islam - Is eminently conformable to reason and tthe true "facts" of nature as created by Allah. It is the TRUTH in the purest sense of the word or term, and confirms the message of all the true messengers that ever lived.
Islam - The religion of Abraham and all other Prrophets of Allah, before and after.
Islam - Non-sectarian, Non-racial, non-doctrinal - a Universal Religion.
Islam - In its true essence and spirit is not meerely theoretical, but practical on a large scale. Its teachings match the physical laws of nature, and to not neglect the normal needs of human bodies and their lot in life.
Islam - Rejects blind belief and gives unique examples to think freely, and to discuss the outstanding topics on which man's belief should be built.
Islam - The question is not simply to believe orr not to believe....One has to be convinced mentally. Our belief should neither be merely paradoxical, nor dogmatic.
Islam - The last Divinely delivered, heavenly Reeligion. It is complete, universal and all-encompassing. It is for all people, of all times and we need no other.
Islam - That Religion that enjoins what is rightt, forbids what is Evil/Wrong, calls for Truth and guides all on the right path.
Islam - Is the creed of Religious, Social & Political Unity.
Islam - Religion of the mind and intellect, of iinstinct and clarity, of liberty and equality as well as humanity.
Islam - Unites the messages of all Apostles as one "unity" which cannot be divided. And he who does not believe in any one of them can be by no means considered a Muslim.
Islam - Religion of perfect instinct. All its doctrines and devotions are rational, clear and easily comprehended.
Islam - Is a heavenly system (or regime) for alll the dwellers of the earth, and it is a mighty treasure if only mankind realizes its authenticity and truth.
Islam - Affirms the equality of men and women as human beings.
Islam - Islamic Society and Culture is ideologiccal and universal in their origin and orientation. Faith is the decisive force in this system.
Islam - Its essence is to serve Allah and do good to your fellow creatures.
Islam - The most important, and only meaningful,, activity of man.
Islam - Islamic Society and culture are ideological and universal in their origin and orientation. Faith is the decisive force in this system.
Islam - Alone, of all religions, embraces life iin all its aspects.
Islam - Is an opportunity for action to make thee best of oneself. (There is not going to be another opportunity.)
Islam - Morality lives and dies with the human eendeavour to establish its victory upon earth.
Islam - Allah's kingdom requires courage, resisttance to evil, firmness, law and discipline which will enforce justice among men.
Islam - Requires the believer to mingle with menn, so they can uphold the standard of Truth, against all odds if necessary.
Islam - Not a religion for 'quibblers.'
Islam - The essence of Islam is to avoid extravagances on either side. It is a sober practical religion.
Islam - The Religion of Freedom.
Islam - Abolition of "priestcraft"
Islam - Allows the right of private judgment.
Islam - Simplifies rituals (dogma)
Islam - Insists upon the simple, practical, everryday duties of life.
Fundamental Principles of Islam
"Tawid" - (Unity), Oneness and Unity of God (Allah).
"Khilafah" - Vicegeneracy of Man on Earth.
"Adalah" - (Justice), Universal Justice.
Virtues of the True Servants of Allah
They are humble and forbearing to those below them in spiritual worth.
They are constantly, by adoration, in touch with Allah.
They always remember the judgment in the hereafter.
They are moderate in all things.
They avoid treason to Allah, their fellow creatures and themselves.
They give a wide birth not only to falsehood, but to futility.
They pay attention, both in mind, matter and manner, to the signs of their Lord.
Their ambition is to bring up their families in righteousness and to lead all in good.
The human is by nature good and noble. Since he is good by nature, he feels psychologically happy and satisfied only as he stays in, or moves closer to, his inner nature, and feels unhappy and miserable when he deviates from it.
The life of every man and woman has both meaning and a mission. The 'meaning' is provided by the conviction that they have not been created in vain, but rather to fulfil a mission. Their 'mission' is to act in accordance with Diving tenets in spite of being free.
Establishment of justice and eradication of all forms of injustice have been stressed by the Qur'an as the primary mission of all God's messengers.
"Beware of Injustice for Injustice will lead to absolute darkness on the day of judgment." - Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)
Injustice and Islam are at variance with each other and cannot coexist without either of the two being uprooted or weakened.
"No human society can afford to permit all kinds of human behavior. If it did permit them, it would soon cease to be a society." - Barrington Moore
"There is no significant example in history before our time, of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of Religion." - Will & Arial Durant
"God does not change the condition of a people, until they change their own inner selves." - (Sura 13:11)
After reaching the zenith of its glory, the Muslim society lost its momentum due to political and moral degeneration.
Three Most Important Characteristics of a Muslim Society
Strength of Character.
Strong bonds of brotherhood.
Incorruptible Justice.
Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian. But he was upright and bowed his will to Allah's (He was a Muslim!) - "...And he joined not Gods with Allah." - Sura 3:67
All Nature adores Allah, and Islam asks for nothing peculiar or sectarian; it but asks that we follow our nature and make our will conformable to Allah's will as seen in Nature, History, and Revelation. It's message is universal.
"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong..." - Sura 3:104
The ideal Muslim community is happy, untroubled by conflicts or doubts, sure of itself, strong, united, and prosperous...because (see above)...it invites to all that is good, enjoins the right and forbids the wrong.
The essence of Charity is Faith and Love.
"We Muslims have the Awesome and Sombre Responsibility of extricating our Christian brethern from the spiritual quagmire into which they are wallowing."
The greatest unpardonable sin of Islam is "shirk."
"Shirk" - ascribing partners to Allah, or ascribing Divine attributes to others besides Allah and believing the Source of Power, Harm and Blessings comes from another besides Allah.
The Spread of Islam
History makes it clear that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the World and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.
"Compulsion" is incompatible with true Religion;
Because, Religion depends on faith and will, and these would be meaningless in induced by force. Force can conquer, but cannot convert.
Truth and Error have been so clearly shown up by the mercy of God that there should be no doubt in the minds of any person of goodwill as to the fundamentals of faith.
God's protection is continuous and his plan is always to lead us from the depths of darkness into the clearest light.
Today Islam is still spreading all over the World --- And the Muslims have no sword.
"It is easier for a man to burn down his own house than to get rid of his prejudices." - Roger Bacon
It is the nature of Falsehood to hate the truth. Light eliminates the Dark, but Darkness does not take kindly to light.
"Preaching" must be, not dogmatic, not self-regarding, not offensive, but gentle, considerate, and such as would attract attention. Manner and arguments should not be acrimonious, but modeled on the most courteous and most gracious example, so the the hearer may say to himself, "this man is not dealing with mere dialectics; he is not trying to get a raise out of me; he is sincerely expounding the faith that is within him, and his motive is the Love of man and the Love of Allah."
Who knows how the seed of the Word of Allah may germinate in people's minds.
Advantage is with the patient, the self-possessed, those who do not lose their temper or forget their own principles of contact. -Sura 16:126
Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good.
There is one fundamental dogma of true Religion.---The Unity and Greatness of God.
Sole (and unifying) Political Goal Of Islam - The propagation of the true religion among all human beings to be their guiding beacon to good in this world as well as in the hereafter.
The adoption of Islam protects society from going to excess in lusts, luxury, and pleasure pursuit, or following restraint and privation.
How great are the number of people, who are prevented from believing in the truth revealed through any of God's apostles by the rigidity they have inherited from their fathers' and grandfathers'! (and their imitation of them.)
"He givith wisdom to whom he will, and he to whom wisdom is given, hath had much good given him; but none will bear it in mind, except the wise of heart." - Sura II
"...The best freedom we can have is by working as best we can to make the good inclinations in us dominate the bad ones..." - Auguste Compte
"...Freedom is man's self-restraint, which is achieved through the work of the operating mind, and the will against lust and caprice." - Herman
Religion serves in a social system to provide the sanction for morality, and human brotherhood and which therefore, constitutes the foundation and "meaning" of life.
"Two hundred (or even fifty) years ago, it would have seemed quite impossible, in America, that an individual could be granted boundless freedom with no purpose, simply for the satisfaction of his whims." - A. Solzhenitsyn
Truth is always resisted by the votaries of evil; but truth, unlike falsehood, is bound to stay, whereas falsehood is surely perishable.
Faith, coupled with humility in prayer, charity, abstinence from vanity and from indulgence in appetites and strict probity, must (and will) lead to final success. - Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The Muslim must guard himself against every kind of abuse or sex perversion. --- It is common knowledge that our refinement or degradation may be measured by the hidden workings of our sex instincts.
"...Kill not your children..." (Allah) --- A clear admonition against infanticide - as practiced by pre-Islamic Arabs. -- And equally against Abortion as practiced on a wholesale basis in the West today.
Man carries within himself signs of Allah's wisdom and power. And he can see them everyday in the Universe around him when he opens his heart and mind.
"Spiritual Awakening" does not commence until one starts thinking with his "heart" as well as his mind.
The Family is a Divinely-inspired and ordained institution. The Human race is a product of this institution, not the other way around.
Marriage is not simply a sexual relationship. It is a basic religious and social institution.
The sexual urge is a natural and creative instinct. Unlike with animals, the human urge is always there and lacks any built-in physiological control mechanism. But control are necessary for a healthy existence, especially at the social and cultural levels.
The Relationship between husband and wife "is a spiritual relationship and sustains and generates love, kindness, mercy, compassion, mutual confidence, self-sacrifice, solace, and succor.
Neither total abstinence or increasing promiscuity can lead to a stable and healthy existence.
"In an age which 'freedom' is worshipped like a god, man is being deprived of the most important freedom: The freedom to choose his ideals, values, institutions, and patterns of life."
You cannot shun (avoid) evil for yourself without seeking the help and protection of Allah. Not only must you shun all prompting of evil, but you must shun it proximity.
It is Allah's province to 'punish evil' - not oneself. It may be that retaliating on evil, or in curiosity, seeking the nature of evil, you may fall into evil yourself.
It is want of faith that makes people afraid (1) of meeting death (2) of doing their duty when it involves danger, as in traveling in order to earn an honest living or fighting in a sacred cause.
The testing of good men by calamities and evil men by leaving them in the enjoyment of good things is part of the trials of Allah.
Four Advantages of Obedience to Allah
Our own benefit.
Strengthening of Faith.
Reward from Allah's presence.
The Straight Way. (No doubt or difficulty in our practical conduct.)
Wisdom
Wisdom looks to Allah in true worship. Ennobles every act of life with true kindness, but avoids the false indulgence that infringes upon Divine law and it follows the golden mean of virtue. (Indicated by every sign in Nature!)
Wisdom - True Wisdom is firm and enduring. And discerns Allah's law in the working of his creation. It looks to the final end of things, whose mystery is only known to Allah.
Wisdom - True human Wisdom is also Divine Wisdom. The two cannot be separated. The beginning of all Wisdom is conformity with the will of Allah.
Wisdom - "The fear of Allah is the beginning of Wisdom."
"He gives Wisdom to whom he will, and he to whom Wisdom is given, has much good given him. Gut none will bear it in mind, except the Wise of Heart." --Sura II
Parables seem simple things, but their profound meaning and application can only be understood by those who seek knowledge and by Allah's grace, attain it.
Earnest seekers after righteousness (Wisdom) receive guidance, unlike the seekers of vanity, who perish.
Wisdom - does not come easy or cheap or without obligation and trial.
Wisdom - Is true service to Allah, and consists of moderation.
Wisdom - We must not put our Wisdom in competition with Allah's Wisdom. Allah's decree is often known to us by the logic of facts. We must accept it loyally. And do the best we can in our own way to carry it out. We must make our will consonant to Allah's will.
"Seek Wisdom. With all thy understanding and all thy sincerity! seek Wisdom. Thou shalt have no other God than Wisdom. The thou shalt need no other."
Talbot Mundy - "I say Sunrise" (Chap. 6)
To "praise God" (Alhamdulliallah) is to confess to yourself that the Kingdom of Heaven is the secret, silent dwelling of Wisdom. They are one and the same.
Talbot Mundy - "I say Sunrise" (Chap. 2)
Even the humblest man who accepts Faith and does good becomes an accepted member of a great and beautiful company in the hereafter.
It is not everyone, - least of all poltroons or faint-hearted persons - who is fit to fight in the cause of Allah. To do so is a privilege which is worth sacrificing all. In this battle there are only two alternatives, DEATH or VICTORY! The true fighter knows no defeat.
The cause of Allah is the cause of Justice, the cause of the oppressed.
Whatever good befalls us is from Allah. But whatever evil happens to us is from ourselves.
Religion should be a source of strength and not weakness in all our affairs.
"Kasaba" - to earn, to gain, to work for something valuable, to lay up a provision for the future life.
"Blasphemy" in the spiritual kingdom is like treason in the political kingdom.
Satan's deceptions are with false desires, false superstitions, and false fears.
Allah created man pure. Satan defaces the image.
"Faith" is not an external thing. It begins with an act of will, but if true and sincere, it affects the whole being and leads to right conduct.
"Life is real, Life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal." -- Longfellow
The environmental and social influences which most frequently wreck our moral ideals have to do with sex. Our complete conquest of all pitfalls in such matters enables us to rise to higher regions of light and God-created nature.
Religion: To be valid, it must affirm the absolute unity of the "Transcendent," and secondly, it must provide and affirm a way of life reflecting this, and draws man near to it.
The Righteousness which pleases the world is often very different from the righteousness which pleases Allah.
All Evil unpunished is not evil condoned, but evil given a chance to reform.
Allah wishes well to all mankind in spite of their ingratitude.
Trials and tribulations, persecutions and exile, and the patient endurance and constancy with which are met all "believers" are known to Allah and will be credited to their account.
The most widely worshipped "Gods/Idols" in America today are Money, Sex, and Power. They have become the focus of all social, economic and political activity.
"The future is with those who repent, have faith, and do good. For all mercy and truth are with Allah."
Faith will be tried and tested in the real turmoil of life.
Allah knows the true from the false, and if we are persecuted for our faith and attacked or spoken ill of because we dare to do right, our surest refuge is an appeal to Allah rather then men.
Allah's plan is framed on Universal principles that cannot be changed by human action.
5 Capacities of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)
He came as a witness to all men about the spiritual truths which had been obscured by ignorance or superstition, or by the dust of sectarian controversy. He did not come to establish a new religion or sect. He came to teach Religion.
He came as a bearer of the "Glad Tidings" of the Mercy of Allah.
He comes as a "Warner" to those who are heedless.
He comes as one who has a right to invite all men to repentance and forgiveness of sins.
He comes as a Light to illuminate the whole world.
Invitation to Success
By Masood
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
Is suddenly heard by the ears of those near and far.
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
To turn a deaf ear to this, would truly be bazaar.
It echoes throughout the valleys,
it ricochets off the land and the sky.
"Come to Salah! Come to Success!"
To this call, wouldn't it be most unfortunate not to reply?
The sound of the adhaan shoots like arrows through the air,
and it falls upon the listener's ears like the springtime rain.
So let this water flow into your soul;
don't you know that a dried up plant can't produce any grain?
It proclaims Allah's greatness and invites us to everlasting success.
Yet many turn a deaf ear to this call, while towards the vanishing dunyah,
their hands reach out to caress.
Its sound reaches for the sky like the birds,
and shines upon the earth like the sun.
So open your heart to the warmth of its rays;
come to success, the time for salah has begun.
We're busy working for our bodies,
yet what about answering this call for our souls.
The dust of the dunyah or the Gardens of the Jannah,
just what are our goals?
We have been invited to salah, the key to the doors of success.
What other invitation is more important than this to address?
This wonderful message is cried from a vast multitude of Minarets.
What else would we have before Allah if we ignored it,
other than a multitude of regrets?
_________________________________________________________
Oh Allah, increase this ummah in our Love for You, Your deen, and Your last
Messenger Muhammad, and Oh Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon him.
Ameen.
To read more poems by Masood, go to:
http://islamicity.com/KidsCorner/poems/poems_by_masood.htm
"...To be Continued..." -- SLD
