Lessons from Ibrahim A.S's Life

And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. (Surah Baqarah Ayah 130)

 In this ayah, Allah swt call the one who leaves the religion of Ibrahim a.s as foolish.

What was the religion of Ibrahim a.s?

Ibrahim a.s adopted the religion based on Tawheed ( worshipping Allah s.w.t alone) and Ikhlaas (sincerity) completely free from shirk.

In the above ayah, Allah swt also mentioned that He chose Ibrahim a.s. in dunya. 

How did Allah swt choose Ibrahim a.s in this world?

1) Allah swt made him a leader (Imam) for all the Muslims. Even Prophet Muhammad saw was required to follow Ibrahim a.s.

2) Allah chose him as his intimate friend (Khaleelullah)

3) Ibrahim a.s. was  given righteous offsprings. He was called as the father of prophets (Abul Anbiya). Many prophets including Ismael, Ishaaq, Yaqoob, Yousuf, Musa, Harun, Eesa, Suleman, Dawud (may blessings of Allah be upon them) and Prophet Muhammad saw were from Ibrahim a.s. lineage.

4) Allah gave Ibrahim as an opportunity to build Kaaba with his son Ismael a.s.

5) Allah swt accepted his duas to populate Makkah, to make it a peaceful city and to send a messenger among Arabs.

6) Allah swt preserved his name, which we mention daily in Durood Ibraheem. Even today, Muslims offer two rakah nafil Salah in Maqam-e-Ibraheem in Kaaba.

Why did Allah swt choose Ibrahim a.s.?  
 
When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." (Surah Baqarah Ayah 131)

He submitted right away without any if and buts, without making any excuses and without asking any questions.

And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah ] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." (Surah Baqarah Ayah 124)

Ibrahim a.s. attained this status after going through many tests. When Allah swt commanded Ibrahim a.s. to leave his wife Hajar a.s. and Ismael a.s. in the barren desert of Makkah, he did not object to Allah's command but accepted it right away. When Ibrahim a.s. was asked to slaughter his son Ismael a.s., he acted upon it right away. After passing through all the tests with flying colours, Ibrahim a.s. attained the status of being a friend of Allah.

Think about how do we respond to Allah's commandments in Quran and Sunnah! Do we implement them right away? Or do we try to make up excuses for not following them? Or do we think that they can not be applied in our situation as our situation is different? Do we think.........?

   I can not pray because I have a class at that time.
    
    During the exam time, I do not have time to pray.

    I do not have any time to watch Islamic lectures or read Islamic articles.

   It is impossible to fast in such a hot weather.

Are we going to give these excuses to Allah swt when He will question us on the day of Judgment?

Are our situations or tests even comparable to those of Ibrahim a.s.? Alhumdulillah, we are not asked to sacrifice our children or to leave them in a desert. Allah swt only wants us to stop following our never-ending worldly desires. Allah swt wants us to worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped and to follow His commands which are much easier as compared to the commands given to Ibrahim a.s.

Even after being chosen by Allah swt, Ibrahim a.s. did not become arrogant. He stayed humble and submissive. After getting the opportunity of building Kaaba (House of Allah), Ibrahim a.s.did not feel proud or superior but instead he humbly made this dua to Allah swt:

"Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing." (Surah Baqarah 127)

 Think about how do we feel after doing a good deed. We think as we have done a great favour for Allah swt. We start feeling very righteous and pious after doing a single good deed, forgetting the numerous sins we have done in the past. 

We should remember that even the ability to perform a good deed is from Allah swt. So, we should thank Allah swt for giving us the ability (tawfeeq) of doing a good deed, therefore, we should have no pride in it. Instead, we should check our intention behind that deed and we should make dua to Allah swt to accept it and reward it. The companions of Prophet saw used
to fear for the rejection of righteous deeds more than they used to fear for the consequences of sins. The good deed which is not accepted by Allah swt has no worth in the eyes of Allah swt and it is not rewarded. So, no matter how good our deeds are, we should always be renewing our intentions and seeking repentance.

The righteous deed is the one which is done sincerely to earn the pleasure of Allah swt and it is done according to the Sunnah of Prophet saw. If any of these conditions are not met then the deed has no value in the eyes of Allah swt. 

May Allah swt give us ability to perform many righteous deeds! May Allah swt accept our righteous deeds and forgive our sins!
Ameen 

How the Quran should be truely recited?

Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it - it is they who are the losers. (Baqarah 121)

In this verse, Allah swt is emphasizing the importance of giving full right to the recitation of Quran. According to this ayah, a true believer (Muslim) recites Quran in the way it is supposed to be recited. 

The Arabic word 'tilawah' means recitation followed by understanding and action. The complete tilawah of Quran has 3 components:

1) Recitation of words:  to recite Quran as the Quran was revealed to prophet S.A.W. with correct tajweed, articulation, vowel sounds, etc.

2) Understanding the meaning: to understand the meaning of Quranic text correctly as Allah swt intends.

3) Implementation: to follow the commands of Quran, to refrain from prohibitions and to confirm the truthfulness of information given in Quran.

The complete tilawah includes the above mentioned three aspects. If any of the above aspects is neglected then our tilawah is considered incomplete by Allah swt. According to this ayah, the quality of our tilawah detemines our level of iman.

But unfortunately, we are so busy in fulfilling our worldly desires that we hardly have any time for learning and understanding Quran. This poem reflects the current status of Quran in our lives:

I am a Book in elegant prints
To know my name, here are some hints:
Rich in cover and nicely bound
In hearts of Muslims I am rarely found
High on a shelf I am usually kept
Forgotten and neglected, I am left
With respect I do get lots of kiss
My main point is what they always miss

At times I am used for phoney swear
My true use though is very rare
A Miracle I am that can change the world
All one has to do is heed my word
I am your saviour, I am your guide
So come and take heed, come and abide
I have wisdom, I have treasure
So much so, there is no measure
Right from wrong is my fame
Holy Qur'an is my name

 

Alhumdulillah Allah swt has enabled us to understand the importance of improving our recitation and understanding of Quran. Let us start learning this Book of Allah. it will require a lot of efforts in the beginning, but inshallah, Allah swt will reward us for our efforts, inshAllah.

If we claim to be believers, then we should learn to recite Quran the way it is supposed to be recited with understanding and implementation. May Allah swt enable us to perfect out 'tilawah' of Quran, Ameen!

Magic in Islam?

And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, "We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic]." And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah . And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew. (Surah Baqarah Ayah 102)

In this verse of Surah Baqarah, Allah swt is narrating another act of disbelief committed by Bani Israel in the time, when Allah swt sent Suleman as a prophet to Bani Israel. Allah swt blessed Suleman as with the most powerful kingdom, which no one else was given. Even Jinns and animals were in his control. It was the time of great worldly advancement. Instead of recognizing the miracles/powers of Suleman A.S as the blessings of Allah swt, deviant Jews at that time considered Suleman A.S as a magician and started to believe that all his powers and miracles were due to magic. This is why they also got inclined to learning black magic and they used to go to satans (among humans and jinns) to learn black magic from them. 

To test them more, Allah swt, sent two angels, Harut and Marut, in Babylon. These angels taught magic to people with the permission of Allah swt but they always warned them (about the harmful consequences of learning it) before teaching them. But these warnings did not prevent them from learning magic. They learned magic to cause separation between husband and wife in order to create societal corruption. But their magic did not harm anyone except with the will of Allah swt. In this way, they sold their Imaan and akhirah for the petty worldly gains.

From this verse, we learned that:

1) When a nation disobeys Allah swt, Allah swt tests them through more temptations which are harder to resist. As Bani Israel refused to accept Suleman A.S as their prophet and found magic fascinating, Allah tested them through the two angels to show them that magic is indeed different from miracles given to Suleman A.S. So, whenever we feel tempted to commit a wrong action/sin, we should turn to Allah, do istighfaar as these evil temptations are punishment from Allah swt for disobeying Him.

2) Practicing or teaching black magic is major kufr/disbelief. So, we should stay from it completely. Subhanallah think about even though we do not practice magic, we are so much fascinated by it. Harry Potter, TV shows and movies based on vampires and witches; and fairy tales make us and our children desensitized to the evilness of magic. We are so much influenced by these shows, cartoons and movies that we don't even fully accept the sinful nature of magic shown in them. Therefore, we should seek Allah's help to remove the love of these from our heart.

3) No matter how strong the magic is, Allah swt is the most Powerful. If we seek protection from Allah through Ayatul Kursi, four quls, last two verses of surah baqarah and stay clean, inshAllah no magic can affect us. Remember, no one can harm us without the will of Allah swt. 
Unfortunately, in this time, we tend to blame every misfortune that befalls on us as an act of magic of our enemy. Ignorant Muslims seek protection from magic through magic. Instead of turning to Allah, the deviant Muslims turn to evil eye necklace and bracelets (ta'weedh). May Allah guide them, Ameen!
In order to stay protected from evil eye, magic or any other kind of evil, we should regularly read morning and evening Adhkaar for protection, stay connected with Quran and keep ourselves and our houses clean and most importantly, we should trust in Allah swt and have firm belief in Him.

Surah Baqarah Ayah 93

And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."


In this ayah, Allah swt is narrating about another display of disobedience and arrogance of Bani Israel.

Why the hearts of Bani Israel absorbed the love of calf and they started worshipping it?

After being saved from Pharoah and seeing people of Pharoah getting drowned in sea, Bani Israel came to live in the Plain of Sinai. Then Musa as went to Mount Sinai to receive Torah from Allah swt. In Musa as absence, a wicked man named Samirri among them built a gold calf for them and inspired them to worship that calf instead of worshipping Allah swt. Their iman was so weak that they forgot about all the blessings of Allah swt and started doing shirk by worshipping calf. The love of calf settled in their hearts so deeply that it superceded the love of Allah swt. This happened because despite all the blessings of Allah swt, they never truly recognized the greatness of Allah, they did not have any desire to seek His pleasure and they only cared about their own desires.

From this we learn:

1) We should check what's our ijl (calf)? What is distracting us from worshipping Allah swt? Different people have different distractors in their lives which do not allow them to focus in Salah or do His dhikr. Lets check our distractors and try to minimize them. Are they TV shows, songs, dramas, cooking, parties, shopping, studies, hobbies? Lets check what are we thinking about in our Salahs? What things make us to offer our prayers in a rush? What things make us delay or miss our prayers? What are we thinking about when we are alone? What things stop us from reading and learning Quran?

2) As Bani Israel inclined towards worshipping calf, Allah swt filled the love of calf in their hearts. So Allah swt facilitates for the person whatever he/she is inclined towards or desires. If a person desires to seek guidance and earn His pleasure, Allah swt guides him/her. But if a person desires only to gain worldly comforts and pleasure, Allah swt will give him/her dunya. So we should check what do we desire? What are we striving for? Are all our efforts purely for earning dunya? Do we ever take out time for this deen? 
There is nothing wrong in seeking worldly comforts and pleasure but we should make sure that deen is #1 on our list. Our worldly endeavors should never make us compromise our religion/ Allah's commands. Yes, there is nothing wrong in acquiring worldly education, but if we miss our Salah or fasts because of it, it is indeed blameworthy. Buying big homes and new cars is not a sin but if we take mortgage for it or involve yourself in haram jobs, then it is a sin in the eyes of Allah. 

May Allah swt make us focused in our Salahs and facilitate the path of guidance for us which will directly lead us to Jannah, Ameen!

 

Surah Baqarah Verse 61

And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.

In this verse, Allah swt is narrating to us the ungratefulness of Bani Israel that even after being saved from the enslavement of Pharoah and receiving the blessings in Plain Sinai (Mann o salwa, shade of clouds in the hot weather), they still desired for worldy pleasures. They demanded to Musa as that they are bored with mann o salwa and they want to eat cucumbers, onions, leafy vegetables, garlic and lentils. 

Subhanallah, our attitude is so similar to Bani Israel. We have the blessings of Islam, Quran and Sunnah but instead of learning Quran and Sunnah, all our focus is on seeking worldly pleasures and comfort. We should remember that our true purpose of life is not only to eat, drink and chill. Allah swt has created us to worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped. This is true for women too. We have this Eastern mentality that the responsibilities of women are only limited to cleaning and cooking. Yes, women should clean, cook and take care of their family but they should also take out time for learning this Book of Allah. If women will gain the correct understanding of this Book then they will be able to become good mothers and raise righteous children.

This does not mean that we should stop eating and drinking. In fact it is a sin to place restrictions on ourselves regarding foods thinking of it as an act of righteousness. We should avoid excessiveness in this matter. We should eat and drink in moderation and be grateful to Allah swt for His blessings. We should always remember that we have a higher purpose in life which is to gain knowledge of Quran and Sunnah and to worship Allah swt. But unfortunately, we have forgotten this true purpose of our creation. We are only striving for buying a big house, a brand new car, latest model of I Phone, latest fashion clothes, etc. We compete with each other in the # of dishes we serve in parties. Our lives now merely revolve around these worldly goals. We should always ask this to ourselves:
 "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? 

Are we ready to exchange the eternal pleasures of Hereafter with the temporary pleasures of this world?