Pre-determination of fate?

Aijaz Islam, Quran, Religion, sprituality , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Are we pre-destined to play the roles already written for us in this world and then get good or bad reward for the roles we played according to the fate which was already written for us? Does not seem fair if this would be the case.

Allah has given us permission to be free in our will to carry out actions in our life according to our own decisions. Allah will judge the actions and based on the weightage of good and bad deeds, will decide about our fate in the hereafter. Some people ask, when this is already written what we will be doing in our life, then why we would be responsible for our deeds? The answer to this question is that Allah knows what we will be doing in our life because of his knowledge of future and not because he has already written down the script for us to carry out. He knows because He can see us in past, present and future in time. Otherwise, we are free to act on our will for which permission has been granted by Allah. We are therefore responsible for our actions and will be judged accordingly.

20:110  يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْمًا

He (Allah) knows what is before and after them and they shall not compass it with their knowledge.

The above Ayat tells us that Allah knows the past and future. Because of this knowledge of past and future, any thing we are going to do in future could be written down. The below Ayats mention that there is a written record/account of every thing.  

11:6  وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

There is no creature on earth but it’s sustenance is the responsibility of Allah. He knows of its destination and its course. All is in a clear writing/book.

13:38  وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّن قَبْلِكَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَذُرِّيَّةً ۚ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ

We did send Messengers before thee, and appointed for them wives and children. it was never for a Messenger to bring an Ayat/Sign except with Allah’s permission. For each period there is a written (record)

15:4  وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعْلُومٌ

Never did We destroy a population that had not a term known and written.

34:3  وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَأْتِينَا السَّاعَةُ ۖ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ ۖ لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا أَصْغَرُ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرُ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

The Unbelievers say, “Never to us will come the Hour”. Say, “Nay! but most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you;- by Him Who knows the unseen,- from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth. Nor is there anything less than that, or greater, but is in a clear writing.

Notes: Thinking about ‘Time’

View at Medium.com

(Excerpt from above link to a post: https://medium.com/predict/everything-exists-at-once-past-present-and-future-264b252e0748)

This is the picture of the universe that emerged from Einstein’s theory of relativity. Unlike the universal clock imagined by Newton, relativity gives us time as a very individual experience. A second for me isn’t the same second that you experience. In fact, events don’t even have to unfold in the same order for two observers in the universe. Whereas you might see a fish taken out of its tank, killed, and cooked, in a different part of the universe someone might witness the dead fish taken out of the pan, brought back to life, and placed into its murky tank. How events play out depends on the reference point of the individual.

This is possible because of the relationship between space, time, and motion. To give an example from everyday life, think of where you are right now. You are in your bedroom at 7 PM. You are on the bus at 11:53 AM. You are in a restaurant at 3:40 PM. You cannot have one without the other. That is, you will never be at a place without a time or exist at a time without also being someplace.

Relativity merges space and time into a single fourth-dimensional structure known as spacetime. We should think of time the same way we think of space; just as all of space exists outside of our world and any point within space can be described by coordinates, all of time exists as well and any events that have happened or will happen already exist, described by their own coordinates within the universe. And the same way all coordinates in space are valid, all coordinates (or events) in time are valid as well, meaning that there should be no such distinctions as “past”, “present,” or “future”. The universe and life within it is not an organic thing that’s constantly changing and morphing. Instead it’s like a video where the present moment is merely a frame within that video. And that video, had we access to it, would reveal every event to ever take place in our universe, from beginning to end. This cosmos is known as the “block universe”, a place where change isn’t real and there’s nothing special about the present moment. Considering this on a philosophical scale brings into question the idea of free will.

Age of Prophet Noah (a.s)

Aijaz Uncategorized , , , , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Al-Kitab states in ayat 29:14 that prophet Nooh (a.s) remained with his people for 1000 years except 50. Human beings normally don’t live that long. Let’s review further to understand implications of the statement.

In ayat 16:120 prophet Ibraheem (a.s) is mentioned as an أُمَّةً/’Ummat’. In ayat 37:83, Ibraheem (a.s) is said to be of the same group as of prophet Nooh (a.s). If the group is implied for an ‘Ummat’, then this would mean that prophet Nooh (a.s) also signifies an Ummat in addition to be an individual person. In ayat 11:8 the word “Ummat” is used to mean time period/era. This could imply that Ibraheem (a.s) and Nooh (a.s), apart from being individual human beings, also represent eras of time in which their influence and teachings prevailed in their communities. Ayat 25:37 informs about messengers in plural, sent to the people of Nooh. So there were messengers sent to the people of Nooh in an era which is termed as Nooh’s Era.

29:14 وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

“We sent Nooh to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years except fifty, thus the Deluge overtook them while they were unjust.”

Al-Kitab uses different words for 1000 Years (Sana) and 50 years (Aam) in this ayat. While normally people use both these words to mean “years,” there is definitely some technical difference in these two words, not very clearly understood at this time.

16:120 إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Ibraheem was indeed an ‘Ummat’, devoutly obedient to Allah, (and) true in Faith, and he was not of the mushrikeen/associaters.”

Prophet Ibraheem (a.s) is declared an ‘Ummat’.

Prophet Ibraheem (a.s) and prophet Nooh (a.s) are in the same group.

37:79-83 سَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ نُوحٍ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِينَ وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْرَاهِيمَ

“Peace and salutation to Nooh in all Worlds! Thus indeed do we reward those who do right. For he is one of our believing servants. After that we drowned the others. Verily in his (Nooh’s) group is Ibraheem.”

Ummat in below ayat means time period/term.

11:8 وَلَئِنْ أَخَّرْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ مَّعْدُودَةٍ لَّيَقُولُنَّ مَا يَحْبِسُهُ ۗ أَلَا يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمْ لَيْسَ مَصْرُوفًا عَنْهُمْ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

“If We delay the penalty for them for a definite time period (term), they are sure to say, ‘What keeps it back?’ Ah! On the day it (actually) reaches them, nothing will turn it away from them, and they will be completely encircled by that which they used to mock at!”

Many messengers came to nation of Nooh.

25:37 وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا الرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ آيَةً ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

“And the people of Nooh, when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them as a Sign for mankind; and We have prepared for (all) wrong-doers a grievous Penalty.”

As we know, the life span of a human is not a thousand years. It is not Allah’s practice to grant such long life spans to human beings and Allah does not change his Sunnat/practice (17:77). So a possible explanation could be that Nooh (a.s), in addition to being an individual person, also represents an era of time approximately equal to a millennium. To support this idea we see mention of nations associated with prophet Nooh (a.s) in below ayat, although actually only a few people were with him as stated in ayat 11:40.

11:48 قِيلَ يَا نُوحُ اهْبِطْ بِسَلَامٍ مِّنَّا وَبَرَكَاتٍ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّمَّن مَّعَكَ ۚ وَأُمَمٌ سَنُمَتِّعُهُمْ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهُم مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

“It was said ‘O Nooh! Come down (from the Ark) with peace from Us, and blessing on you and on some of the nations from those with you and (other) nations to whom We shall grant blessings, then a grievous penalty shall reach them from Us.’”

The above ayat mentions nations with prophet Nooh’s which should be indicating the nations in his era, while the actual believing people with him were very few as per below ayat.

11:40 حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ وَمَنْ آمَنَ ۚ وَمَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ

Until when arrived Our command, and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said. “Embark therein, of all two pairs, and your people/family – except those against whom the word has already gone forth,- and the believers.” but only a few believed with him.

Notes:

The presence of an individual living for a millennium within a community with a normal human lifespan would undoubtedly create significant social disruption and fear. Such a scenario would only be sustainable if the entire community at that time possessed a similarly extended lifespan. If longer longevity in earlier human history was the case, we would expect to find genetic remnants of such longevity in modern human populations as well, which is not the case. The fossils and DNA of early humans understandably point towards shorter life spans than humans today.

Consider, for instance, the implications for Prophet Nooh, purported to have lived for 1,000 years. Approximately 40 generations would pass within this period. Even with a modest birth rate of 1.5, his direct descendants—children and grandchildren—would number in the hundreds of thousands. Which was not the case described by Quran. Only a few people were in his Ark from the community.

Furthermore, if the wider community did not share Prophet Noah’s extended life cycle, his wife, children, grandchildren, and friends would all have perished long before him. This would leave him as a solitary figure, potentially viewed with extreme apprehension by a community witnessing a supernatural individual live for centuries among them.

These profound social and demographic challenges, arising from such a disparity in lifespans, are notably absent from the Quranic narrative.

Compulsion in Deen/Judgment

Aijaz Uncategorized , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Did Islam spread with the force of sword? Some people think it did. Ironically, sword is not mentioned a single time in the book of Allah. In the book, Allah informs that He has given permission to Satan till the day of judgment to delude people, so the people who avoid Satan’s temptations and believe with the ayahs of Allah’s book to do corrections, shall be rewarded accordingly. This world is a place of test; those who reject Allah’s ayahs shall be punished by Allah. It is not for believers to punish anyone for their beliefs or to force their beliefs on any one. If Allah had willed He would have put belief in everyone’s heart, however,  He wants to test mankind as He has put the capability to recognize truth in human beings. He intends to test who uses this capacity to recognize truth and who chooses the path of violent rebellion.

10:99  وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

If it had been your Lord’s will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! will you (the Messenger) then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!

27:92  وَأَنْ أَتْلُوَ الْقُرْآنَ ۖ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ

And that I recite the Quran, and if any one accept guidance, he does it for the good of his own self, and if anyone goes astray, say “I am only a warner”.

Faith and belief cannot be forced upon any one. The Messenger and believers are ordered to convey the message only and do not use physical force to impose their belief on anyone.

50:45  نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ ۖ وَمَا أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِجَبَّارٍ ۖ فَذَكِّرْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَن يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ

We know better what they say; and you are not the one to overawe them by force. So remind (them) with the Qur’an those who fear My Warning!

64:12  وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ

And obey Allah, and obey His Messenger, but if you people turn back, the duty of Our Messenger is but to proclaim (the Message) clearly and openly.

2:256  لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

There is no compulsion in Din/Judgment. The right way stands out clear from error. Thus whoever rejects taghoot (violent rebellion) and believes in Allah, has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.

Below given ayat gives the guidelines for conveying Allah’s message.

16:125  ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful sermon and reason with them the best way,  for your Lord surely knows best who strays from His path and He knows best who receives guidance

The believers immerse themselves fully in peace and security and once they are fully into Peace/Islam then they invite others into Islam/Peace and security.

2:208  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O’ People who believe, enter into Islam/Peace completely; and follow not the footsteps of Satan for he is an open enemy to you.

47:35  فَلَا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَن يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ

Be not disheartened (you believers), and invite towards peace (Islam), you are of the higher rank and Allah is with you, and He will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds.

Al-Quran tells us an event of prophet Ibrahim (a.s) and his son when Ibrahim (a.s) sees in his sleep that he is sacrificing his son. Then prophet Ibrahim did not made a decision for his son, but he asked him what is his view point about what he saw. Quran also tells us that the dreams we see are not the actual reality but they have an interpretation. The intent of the dream was not to actually slaughter his son, as this is not allowed in Allah’s Law and Allah’s Laws do not change. The prophet Ibrahim (a.s) and his son prophet Ismaeel (a.s) knew the interpretation of the dream i.e to dedicate the life of his son in the mission of the Lord. Prophet Ibrahim did not make that decision for his son but asked him if the son agrees to dedicate his life to in the mission and only after his agreement would go in for the necessary preparations. 

37:102  فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ

So, when he reached (the age of) work with him, he (Ibrahim) said O my son! Surely I saw in the sleep, that I am sacrificing you, so observe, what you see (what is your view)?, He said: O my father! Do, as you are ordered. If Allah Wills, you will find me from those who have patience.

Concept of abrogation of Ayahs

Aijaz Religion, Uncategorized , , , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The traditionalist’s concept of abrogation (نسخ) of ayas of Al-Quran is that some of the ayahs in Al-Quran have been abrogated or superseded by other ayahs. The concept originated from their inability to explain some ayahs of Quran so they termed those ayahs as abrogated and considered ayat 2:106 as the justification of the concept of abrogation of ayahs.

The abrogated ayahs are not indicated in Quran nor in any hadith, the prophet (pbuh) mentioned any ayat to be abrogated or replaced with other ayat. It was later scholars who faced difficulty in explaining certain ayahs in relation to other ayahs, therefore they used the ayat 2:106 as pretext for declaring a number of ayahs as abrogated. Scholars have differed considerably in the number of abrogated ayahs. Some consider the number of abrogated ayahs to be over 500 and some consider it to be less than 10. However, no one dares to strike out from the book, the ayahs they deem abrogated.

The book (Al-Quran) has been sent for all people and for all ages. Is it not impossible for Allah to send a book whose instructions are valid for all times? It does not make sense that ayahs of Al-Quran were abrogated so frequently within a period of 23 years in history, because of changing conditions, and then after 23 years, it was set solid for the rest of eternity. Were all the changes in the world, happening during these 23 years and after that no changes were to occur to warrant further abrogation of ayahs. This concept of abrogation does not hold ground as we know that conditions of the world change all the time.

We will review the concept of abrogation in the light of ayahs of Quran to see if this concept is really about the cancellation of ayahs or it means something else:

11:1   الر ۚ كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ

A.L.R. a Book, whose ayahs have been (firmly) established , and then explained,- from One Who is Wise and Well-acquainted.

2:106  مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

We don’t abrogate/cancel or cause to be forgotten from an Ayat (false concepts connected with the Ayat), but We substitute something better or similar. Don’t you know that Allah Has power over all things?

Normally with ayahs there are preconceived notions attached to them. These notions are not from Allah but they are widely known and spread in the society. So Allah, cancels these notions (by other ayahs) and confirms the true Spirit/understanding of ayahs. Therefore, what is cancelled from the ayahs, are the things introduced by Satan and not the ayahs themselves.

22:52   وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّىٰ أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

And We have not sent  before you a Messenger nor a Prophet except when he wishes, Satan encounters in his wishes. So Allah cancels what Satan encounters, then Allah confirms His ayahs/signs and Allah is knowing, wise.

16:101  وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَّكَانَ آيَةٍ ۙ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُفْتَرٍ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

When We substitute the place of one ayat with another ayat and Allah knows best what He reveals ,- they say, “You are but a forger”. but most of them do not understand.

When the messenger delivers understanding of a certain topic from Al-Quran to the people, he explains it with the help of ayahs from various suras of Al-Quran. The order of these ayahs related to a certain topic is not necessary in their original order in the book. For example if a topic of ‘talaq’ is explained by the messenger, he will explain with the help of ayahs from sura 66 (Al-Talaq), sura 2 (Baqara) and various other suras.  The order of ayahs in this explanation will not be in the order in which they occur in Al-Quran. When this is done and the spirit of the words of Allah related to the said topic is conveyed to people, and if this understanding/spirit is different from people’s previous beliefs, they say that the messenger has invented it himself.

Reproductive fluids mentioned in 86:5-7

Aijaz Islam, Quran, Religion, Uncategorized , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Sura Tariq (86) Ayas 5-7 are given below:

فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ  خُلِقَ مِن مَّاءٍ دَافِقٍ  يَخْرُجُ مِن بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ

Thus, a human being should see from what he is created! (He is) created from flowing water, which emits from between the loins and the ribs.

Some people have objected to these Ayas, that the understanding does not conform to the current scientific knowledge. However, this objection is because they consider these Ayas as referring solely to male reproduction system.

Before we review these Ayats, please consider meanings of some words and phrases in above Ayas as given below:

‘Sulb’ (ص ل ب) is used in the meaning of ‘Loins’ when referring to one’s progeny. In Ayat 4:23, the word ‘Aslabikum’ is used in the sense of ‘Loins’, وَحَلَائِلُ أَبْنَائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَابِكُمْ

As per  Lane Arabic to English Dictionary (page 1712) , this word is used as ‘Loins’ when referring to one’s progeny.

‘Taraib’  mainly refers to the chest and rib bones area for both males and females but mostly for females. See Lane’s dictionary relevant page 301.

So the term ‘Bainas Sulbe wat-traib’ ( بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ), would mean between the loins and the chest/rib area. This is the area  where female ‘Uterus’ and ‘ovaries’ are located in females.

We know that both males and females eject reproductive fluids in the reproductive process. The reproductive fluid from male is emitted from ‘Sulb’ (loins) area of male and  in female from ‘Bainas Sulbe wat-traib’ (between loins and ribs) area. It is when both these fluids come together that a human being is created. Only male or female reproductive fluids alone would not create a human, rather when both these fluids come together and a unique ‘droplet’ is created. This happens in the female ‘Taraib’ area. The reference in the said Ayas is therefore, more likely in the context of female uterus which is located between the loins and the ribs.

 

 

Notes:

With reference to the Male reproductive system, the trigger mechanism or point of origin of orgasm is in the sacral nerve root found along the spine, located between the loins and chest area vertically.

Quote from Wikipedia:

 ‘The semen is ejected through the urethra with rhythmic contractions.[4] These rhythmic contractions are part of the male orgasm. They are generated by the bulbospongiosus and pubococcygeus muscles under the control of a spinal reflex at the level of the spinal nerves S2-4 via the pudendal nerve.

 

 

 

 

 

Hadith of Moosa (A.S) and Hoot (Whale)

Aijaz Religion, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Hoot (حوت) means big fish in Arabic. Normally the word is used for whales and dolphins. There is an incident mentioned in Al-Kitab about a Hoot/Whale swallowing prophet Yunus A.S. There is another incident mentioned in Al-Kitab about Prophet Moosa (A.S)and a youth who went on an expedition. The indication they had of their quest was to follow a Hoot/whale uptil the point of merging of two oceans.

18:60  وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا

And when, Moses said to his attendant, “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or even If I have to spend a long time in travel.”

18:61  فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ سَرَبًا

But when they both reached the Junction, they forgot (about) their Whale, which took its course in the sea freely.

18:62  فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَٰذَا نَصَبًا

When they had passed on (some distance), Moses said to his attendant. “Bring us our supper; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.”

18:63  قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ ۚ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا

He replied. “Did you see (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the Whale. none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it. it took its course through the sea in a marvelous way!”

18:64  قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا

Moses said. “That was what we were seeking after.” So they went back on their footsteps, following (the path they had come).

18:65  فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا

So they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence.

The conventional story associated with above Ayas in Quran is that Moosa and his attendant were on land. They had a cooked fish with them as their meal. After walking for a long time Moosa was tired and asked the attendant to bring the fish for their meal. At that time the attendant told him that when they passed over the rock, the dead fish suddenly became alive and made its way into the water. Moosa told him that was the place they were seeking and they turned back to find that place.

In the above conventional story beside the problem of a cooked fish suddenly becoming alive and jumping in water, another point is that the word Hoot (حوت) is used for big fish like whale and dolphin which people don’t carry for lunches.  The small fish which are eaten are called Samak( سمك) in Arabic. If we ponder over the Ayas only, the scenario which builds up is that Moosa and the youth must be travelling on a boat or ship. They are following a whale or dolphin. Whales do season migration on known routes. They are following the whale which is destined to go to a specific place as part of whale migration. The likely place which fulfills the conditions of the meeting place of two seas is the ‘Strait of Jibralter’. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow body of water between Spain and Morocco that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

The points which indicate likely hood of Strait of Jibraltar to be the Moosa’s intended place are given below:

  1. This place has to be the meeting place of two seas or oceans. Strait of Jibralter is the meeting place of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
  2. For the term Majma al Beharain (مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ )The Quran states that there are two large bodies of flowing water (Bahr-ain in Arabic) that meet but do not intermingle because of a “barrier” between them, a barrier that doesn’t prevent meeting but prevents intermingling (Al-Quran 55:19-20). THE ATLANTIC AND THE MEDITERRANEAN MEET BUT DO NOT INTERMIGLE OVER THE GIBRALTAR BECAUSE OF THE “BARRIER”. These two waters keep their distinct salinities separate over the junction.
  3. Another point to indicate the place is the Sakhra (الصَّخْرَةِ ) / Rock mentioned in 18:63. Moosa’s youth told him that the Whale made its way near the Rock, at that point he was distracted. Rock (صَّخْرَةِ) of Jibraltar is an interesting tourist place and a land mark, and a likely candidate to have distracted the youth who was following the whale upto that point.  See link http://www.gettyimages.ca/photos/rock-of-gibraltar?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=rock%20of%20gibraltar#license
  4. This place is visited by a lot of whales and dolphins and many tourist companies now a days run whale watching tours in this place. See link, http://www.firmm.org/en/

 

 

 

Al-Sabt and Companions of the Al-Sabt/Rest

Aijaz Religion, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Quran uses the word “Yom” (يوم) with two meanings: “day” and “time period.” In Arabic, both meanings are commonly understood. Similarly, the word “Hoot” (حوت) refers to a big fish, while “Sabt” (سبت) means “rest.” Depending on the context, “Al-Sabt” can refer to either “Saturday” or simply “rest.” The verb “Yasbatoon” (يَسْبِتُونَ) translates to “they rest,” and the term “Yoma-Sabtehim” (يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ) means “their rest period.”

Allah describes a town by the seashore whose inhabitants transgressed in their resting habits, implying they indulged excessively in laziness. Allah has designated night for rest and day for work. The mention of big fish in the following verse highlights their early morning activity at sea. Larger fish are typically visible in the early hours, but these people were still resting and failed to make use of this productive time. By the time they awoke and began their activities, the opportunity had already passed. Thus, in this context, “Al-Sabt” does not refer to Saturday but rather to their rest period.

7:163  وَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ ۙ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ

Ask them about the town present by the sea, when! they transgressed in (the matter of) ‘the Rest’. Their big fish did come to them in a manifest manner, at the time of their rest, but at the time they were not resting, they (big fish) did not come. Thus did We test them, for they used to transgress.

Allah tested this community for their laziness and lack of discipline. It is not His practice to pass arbitrary orders, such as forbidding activities on a specific day of the week, like “O people of London, you are prohibited from going to the sports market on Thursdays.” Therefore, interpreting “Al-Sabt” in this context as a legal prohibition for a specific day seems illogical. Instead, “Al-Sabt” here refers to their excessive indulgence in rest.

7:164-170  وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ  فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ  فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا عَن مَّا نُهُوا عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ  وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَن يَسُومُهُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ ۖ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ  وَقَطَّعْنَاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا ۖ مِّنْهُمُ الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَبَلَوْنَاهُم بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ  فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا الْكِتَابَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَٰذَا الْأَدْنَىٰ وَيَقُولُونَ سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا وَإِن يَأْتِهِمْ عَرَضٌ مِّثْلُهُ يَأْخُذُوهُ ۚ أَلَمْ يُؤْخَذْ عَلَيْهِم مِّيثَاقُ الْكِتَابِ أَن لَّا يَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوا مَا فِيهِ ۗ وَالدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ  وَالَّذِينَ يُمَسِّكُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ

When some group of them said. “Why do you preach to a nation whom Allah will destroy or inflict with a terrible punishment?”- they said .” To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.”  Thus when they forgot the warnings with what they had been reminded with, We rescued those who forbade evil; but We caught the wrong-doers with a grievous punishment because they were given to transgression. Thus when they transgressed in their prohibitions, We said to them. “You be despicable monkeys, ” And when your Lord did declare that He would send against them, till the Day of Judgment, those who would afflict them with grievous penalty. No doubt, your Lord is quick in retribution, and He is also forgiving, Most Merciful. We broke them up into sections on this earth. There are among them some that are the righteous, and some other than that. We have tried them with both good and evil, In order that they might turn (to us). After them succeeded a generation, who inherited the Book, but they take (for themselves) the offers of this world, saying (as an excuse). “We will be forgiven.” (Even so), if similar offers came their way, they would (again) seize them. Was not the covenant of the Book taken from them, that they would not ascribe to Allah anything but the truth? and they study what is in the Book. But best for the righteous is the home in the Hereafter. Will ye not understand? As to those who hold fast by the Book and establish regular prayer,- never shall We let go waste the reward of the Saliheen/people who correct themselves. 

When this nation exceeded in their laziness and lethargic work habits, Allah punished them. Save the righteous people among them, He made the wrong doers of them to behave like monkeys. That is they imitate/mimic other people and are not able to take a leadership position in the world.  Further Allah punished them by inflicting upon them such rulers who will always be exploiting them. Allah keeps on trying these people with good and evil so that they may turn to Allah. They were succeeded by a generation who inherited the Book of Allah. In the Book there is a covenant for them not to ascribe anything to Allah except Haq/truth,  but for small gains of the world,  they attribute all sort of untrue stories to Allah. Among them, those who hold fast to the Book and establish salat, Allah will not let waste their reward, though.

2:65  وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

And well you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Al-Sabt/Rest. We said to them. “You become despicable monkeys.”

2:66  فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

So We made it an example of their own time and for their posterity, and a sermon to those who acquire taqwa/fear of Allah.

Is it too difficult to recognize these people among us who behave like imitating monkeys,lazy and procrastinators, they are despised in the world, persecuted by their own rulers, not able to take leadership role in the world? There will be few among them who hold fast to Book of Allah and prayers, who will be saved by Allah from this punishment.

16:124  إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ ۚ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ

The Al-Sabt was made for those who disagreed in this matter; But Allah will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, in what they are differing.

Sabt is a period of rest. However, people who differed and invented several innovations in the name of Sabbath. So, these obligation in the name of Sabbath were made by them on themselves, by differing in the understanding of Al-Sabt. Allah will decide among them on the day of Judgment in the matters in which they differ.

Notes:

Use of word (س ب ت) in Quran:

 25:47  وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَالنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا

And this is He, who made the night as a covering for you, and sleep as rest, and He made the day as a Rising.

78:9   وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا

And We made your sleep, rest

Other ayahs  4:47, 4:154,

Hadith of the Cow in Sura Baqara

Aijaz Islam, Religion, sprituality, Uncategorized , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Al-Quran mentions an incident of the cow in sura Baqara (2:67-71). In this incident prophet Moosa (a.s) communicated an order of Allah to his people, to slaughter a cow. Apparently this should be a simple thing to do, as obviously it was not the first time they were slaughtering a cow. But instead they adopted an attitude of over inquisitiveness. They started asking a lot of questions about the cow, and even stated their frustration at some point that things are getting confusing for them and they need more and more details about the order, as according to them, Allah’s order was missing in details. In the end, when they finally did what they were asked to do, they ended up doing it in such a way which was very cumbersome for them.

Can we relate this incident in our lives as well. There are a number of things we do in our lives which are fairly normal e.g taking a bath, dining, sleeping and relieving our selves. Do we really need to ask a lot of questions about how to carry out these activities from religious point of view. The religious ‘masail’ books contain a lot of detailed instructions for simple activities. Seems like people who wrote these were watching the prophet (pbuh) even in their most private times to obtain these detailed instructions, while ayat 33:53 gives a clear message to companions not to indulge unnecessary in prophet’s private life. When we relate the incident mentioned in the hadith of Cow in Quran, we can understand that the religion does not put too much obligations on people in terms of everyday ordinary matters. It is when the people become over inquisitive and over zealous, they impose un-necessary hardships on themselves.

The messenger while communicating the spirit of the Book to people relieves them from these self imposed hardships (7:157) by governing them with the ayahs of Quran while cancelling the non Quranic orders and ideas.

2:67-71  وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ -قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ -قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ -قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ -قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ

And when Moosa said to his people. “Verily, Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow.” They said. “Are you jesting with us?” He said. “Allah save me from becoming an ignorant one!”. They said. “Beseech on our behalf. your Lord to explain to us what  it is (like)!” He said; “He says. The cow should be neither too old nor too young, but of middle age. Now do what you are commanded!”  They said. “Beseech on our behalf your Lord to explain to us its color.” He said. “He says. A fawn-colored cow, pure and rich in tone, an admiration for the onlookers!”  They said. “Beseech on our behalf your Lord to explain to us what she is as to us all cows are alike. If Allah wills, we shall indeed be guided”  He said. “He says. A cow not trained to till the soil or water the fields; sound and without blemish.” They said. “Now you came with the truth.” Then they offered her in sacrifice, although they seemed unlikely to carry this out. 

The prophet (pbuh) actually removes these undue obligations which people have self imposed on themselves and they are over burdened against their weight.

7:157  الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“Those who follow the messenger, the ummi prophet, whom they find written in what is with them,- in the Taurat and the Injeel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.”

2:106   مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

What we abrogate/cancel or cause to be forgotten (orders other than Allah’s) from an ayat, We substitute something better or similar. Don’t you know that Allah Has power over all things?

The Non Quranic concepts are cancelled and replaced with Allah’s orders with Ayahs.

The below ayat is presented in order to stress the point regarding desirable behavior near prophet’s house and family. Obviously if any one is invited to prophet’s house, he will naturally be interested to know about prophet’s behavior. With this opportunity, people will not definitely be indulging in vain talk, but would be interested to know as much information as possible about the prophet (pbuh).  This is all but natural.  However, the below ayat warns people to refrain from showing too much eagerness about (prophet’s) hadiths i.e petty talks about him, and discussions about his private life. We can reasonably believe that when the companions saw this order, they naturally would have refrained from such behavior. However, we find a lot of narrations about prophet’s private life in history books attributed to prophet’s companions, which should therefore be taken with a grain of salt.

33:53  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيِّ إِلَّا أَن يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نَاظِرِينَ إِنَاهُ وَلَٰكِنْ إِذَا دُعِيتُمْ فَادْخُلُوا فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ فَانتَشِرُوا وَلَا مُسْتَأْنِسِينَ لِحَدِيثٍ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكُمْ كَانَ يُؤْذِي النَّبِيَّ فَيَسْتَحْيِي مِنكُمْ ۖ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ ۚ وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُؤْذُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَن تَنكِحُوا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ أَبَدًا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكُمْ كَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمًا

O you who believe! Do not enter the Prophet’s houses,- until leave is granted to you,- for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation. but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without showing fondness for hadith/ narration. Such (behavior) persecutes the prophet. He is ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth. And when you ask (his ladies) for anything of value (prophet’s hadith), ask them from behind a screen. that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs. Nor is it right for you that you should persecute Allah’s messenger, or that you should marry his spouses after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in Allah’s sight an enormity (sin).

People usually come with the mind set that following the religion is pure hardship and its instructions are difficult to comprehend. This mind set prevents them from delving deeper and making efforts to get clarity on its commands.  While Allah’s system is actually designed with the intention to reduce hardships and make life better for the followers. A parable could be drawn from the action of Queen of Saba when she was asked to enter a Palace. She thought it was water and she will have to brace through water. As she had made up her mind to follow the order, she prepared herself for entering the water. But later, it turned out that it was not water she had to brace though, instead it was a crystal clear, palace.

27:44   قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَرْحٌ مُّمَرَّدٌ مِّن قَوَارِيرَ ۗ قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

She was asked to enter the Palace; but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she tucked up her skirts (in preparation to enter the water), . He said. “This is but a palace paved with glass crystals.” She said. “O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul. I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solieman, to the Lord of the Worlds.

2:72-73  وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ  فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

And when you killed a self/nafs and then you differed in this, but Allah was to bring forth what you were hiding. So We said. “Strike it (the body) with a piece of it (nafs/psyche).” In this way Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His ayahs/signs. So that you may understand.

Coming back to the hadith of cow, one who is devoid of Allah’s remembrance is considered dead in the eyes of the Lord (6:122). A person has to strike his Nafs/Psyche in order to bring it out from state of death. ‘Some part of it’ (nafs) in above ayat, would mean here the good part of the Nafs/Psyche. The body should be stricken with the good part of the Nafs/psyche to make the whole self/nafs alive. For example, in fasting/saum the body is deprived or stricken with the nafs to control desires and nurture in oneself the consciousness of Allah.

6:122  أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

And the one who was dead, thus We gave him life, and made for him a light, whereby he walks amongst people; can he be like the one who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out? Similiarly it is made alluring for the kafireen/rejecters what they do

link to a lecture explaining killing of Nafs/psychology :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM3qXyNBoZQ

Remedy for Depression- Story of Prophet Ayub A.S

Aijaz Islam, Quran, Religion, sprituality, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Al-Quran describes an incident of Prophet Ayub (A.S) where it appears that prophet Ayub at some point of his life was inflicted with psychological problem which he described as a touch of Shaitan. Touch of Shaitan affects your psychology as Ayat 2:275 informs us. Shaitan does not have any control over our body, it effects our thoughts.

Allah prescribes to Prophet Ayub (A.S) to do exercise with foot i.e brisk walking or jogging, use cool water for bathing and drinking. Recognize the root cause of your mental anguish and directly strike on that cause.

The word  ضِغْثًا Zigzan in 38:44 means confusion, bogey, a mishmash of things, and represents the confusion and fears in human psyche which causes mental problem and pains. Allah requires to strike this directly and make a covenant to overcome this problem.

38:41  وَاذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا أَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ بِنُصْبٍ وَعَذَابٍ

And remember our servant Ayub, When he called to his Lord that “Shaitan/Satan has touched me with a portion and a punishment.”

Please note that the touch of Shaitan affects a person psychology, because Shaitan does not have any physical control over you, it only affects your thoughts.

38:42  ارْكُضْ بِرِجْلِكَ ۖ هَٰذَا مُغْتَسَلٌ بَارِدٌ وَشَرَابٌ

Race with your foot/masculine manners, this is the cool bathing room and drink.

Allah gives the remedy for phychological problems;  Exercise/jog and use cool water for shower and for drinking.

38:44  وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَاضْرِب بِّهِ وَلَا تَحْنَثْ ۗ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَاهُ صَابِرًا ۚ نِّعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ

“And take the CHIMERA/Bogey with your hand then strike with it, and you do not perjure. Surely We found him patient, blessed is our servant surely he did return.

Hold and recognize the cause of mental anguish/chimera/bogeyman, and strike it directly. Make a covenant of truth with Allah, that you will not be overwhelmed by this chimera again

7:201  إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

Those who are pious/take guard, when any evil from the satan touches them, they remember (Allah), then they get the insight.

 42:39  وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْبَغْيُ هُمْ يَنتَصِرُونَ

 And those who, when a wrong reaches them, they help themselves

With the remembrance of Allah, the hearts get satisfaction. If any believer is wronged and hurt and feeling oppressed,  the believer should help himself with the knowledge of the fact that the oppressor who have oppressed him will meet similar fate (by Allah) and will be fully recompensed by Allah for his wrongful acts. And also that the misfortune which has befallen on him, is test by Allah to see how he performs under the adverse circumstances.

The below portion of Ayat 2:275, tells us the touch of Shaitan affects one’s mind.

2:275  الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ

Those who eat AR-RIBA / THE INCREASE  do not take a stand except like that he stands to madness from the touch of shaitan / Satan

Notes:

A lecture about Shaitan;

http://iipctvstream.com/eng_satan_old.html

http://iipctvstream.com/urdu_satan.html

When is Deen (Judgment) complete?

Aijaz Uncategorized

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Was the Deen completed at a point in time, some 1400/1500 years ago for Muslims? Was the Deen incomplete before that point of time? Was the Deen or religion of Mohammad (pbuh), different in any way, than the Deen of earlier messengers of Allah?

Please note that meaning of ‘Deen’ in Arabic is different from the word ‘Deen’ used in Urdu. In Arabic, Deen means ‘Judgment’, it does not mean religion. The word used for religion in Arabic is ‘Millat’.

Generally people assume ‘Deen’ in this Ayat 5:3 is in the sense of religion. However, this is unlikely as all religious scholars don’t even consider Ayat 5:3 to be last ayat of Quran, therefore a religion cannot be complete when more instructions are yet to come. If we study Quran we will find that there is no difference between what has been revealed to all messengers. All messengers have been given the same shariat. Allah says to the messenger (pbuh) that nothing at all is said to you, which has not been said to previous messengers and the Messenger (pbuh) confirms that he is not a bringer of any new doctrine to people. We can draw a conclusion that Allah’s religion is always complete in all times, it is every individual’s judgment which gets completed at a point in time as he progresses in his journey towards Allah’s path. Your day of completion of  the Deen/Judgment is the day when the rejecters lose hope of your return to your previous direction of belief.

5:3   ۗ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ ۚ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ۚ

This day those who cover (do Kufur) have given up hope from your Deen/judgment so fear them not but fear me. This day I have perfected your Deen/judgment for you and completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam/Peace as your Deen/Judgment.

Most people believe that by a stroke of great luck and by the grace of Almighty, they are  fortunate to be born in their particular sect or religion. If they were born in another sect or religion they would surely be doomed as others are not as rightly guided. However, this is actually a great test for every believer. When the ayahs of Allah are presented to him, he should leave his direction of belief that he was following before and follow the direction of belief of Allah’s ayahs.

2:143  وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۗ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ ۚ وَإِن كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Likewise, We made you a balanced nation, that you be a witness over people, and the Messenger be a witness over yourselves; and We did not made the Qiblah/direction (of faith) you were over it, except that We know those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn over their heels. Surely, it is a great thing, except, for those whom Allah guides and never would Allah make your belief of no effect. Surely, Allah is full of kindness and mercy to people.

Whatever your previous direction of belief was, now when the ayahs of Allah come to you, you have to follow the direction of belief as per ayahs. Ayahs are Allah’s Kalam (Words) and Qaul e Rasool (sayings of the Messenger) as per 69:40.

69:40  إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ

That this (Quran) is verily the saying of an honored Messenger;

Changing one’s direction of belief in the light of Allah’s ayahs is indeed a great test. Those who change their direction are muslims/submitters to Allah’s ayahs and with the start of this process they become muhajir/migrator (leave their previous faith and follow the direction of belief of Allah’s ayahs). Those who don’t leave their previous direction of belief are Ummi (in the same original or motherly state) in which they were born and raised. Nabi al Ummi is the Nabi or prophet who was born with the Allah’s Din and prophet-hood already instilled by Allah as Allah’s ayat/sign.

When you make the decision to change and migrate in the direction of belief of Allah, the people in your surroundings who still adhere to previous faith, will make efforts to bring you back to previous faith. The day that they will lose hope of your return to the previous faith, will be the day that your Deen/judgment will be completed.

Notes:

The term Umiyeen is from root work( ا م م), and it is in the sense of relating to mother, or to be in the original state. When you are at your original state of belief on which you were born, you are an Ummi at that time. When you change your direction of belief (Qibla) with the help of Allah’s ayahs then the process of becoming a submitter/muslim to Allah starts. When the change of direction of belief takes place the foolish ones in your surroundings, will say that what made you change your direction of belief. Your reply should be that Allah, with His ayahs, guides to the straight path.

2:142 سَيَقُولُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَن قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا ۚ قُل لِّلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ ۚ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

The fools among the people will say: ” What has reverted them from their Qiblah/direction (of faith) on which they were?” Say: for Allah is East and West. He guides whom He wills to a straight path.

Related Ayats:

Some related ayahs which indicate that the Din/Judgment, Shariat/Way, Millat/Religion are all the same with all the Messengers for all times. See also the topic ‘Religion of Ibrahim’ in a previous post.

41:43  مَّا يُقَالُ لَكَ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ قِيلَ لِلرُّسُلِ مِن قَبْلِكَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ وَذُو عِقَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Nothing is said to You (Mohammad) that was not said to the Messengers before you: verily you Lord has at his Command (all) forgiveness as well as the most Grievous vengeance.

46:9  قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعًا مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ وَمَا أَدْرِي مَا يُفْعَلُ بِي وَلَا بِكُمْ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

Say (O’ Mohammad) “I am no bringer of new doctrine among the Messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration; I am but a warner open and clear.”

42:13  شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ ۖ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ ۚ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۚ اللَّهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ

The same Sharah (Shariat) He has established for you which He enjoined on Nooh- that We have sent by inspiration to you (Mohammad) – and that which We enjoined on Ibraheem, Moosa, and Essa; that you should remain steadfast in Din/Judgement, and make no differentiations therein: to those who join others with Allah, hard is the (way) to which you call them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him).