Which reminds me of an article I wrote on 'Death and Dying' sometime ago:-
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-and-dying-revisitedsteps-to.html
We cannot but get back to our Divine Letters, to bring us back to sanity.........
Humankind is a marvel of divine creation. Made from "..potter's clay of black mud altered" [26] people die and return to earth and turn into dust again. But what makes them such distinguished creatures? What sets them apart from the rest of creation? The answer is the divine spirit which has been breathed into them, and which give them the qualities and status unique to humans in the divine world order. It was this streak of divine spirit which Iblis, or Satan, envious of man, causing him to refuse to recognize man's superiority. As a result, Satan vowed to seek revenge against Adam and his offspring. The surah informs us that Satan said:
"My Lord! Because Thou hast sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one, (39) Save such of them as are Thy perfectly devoted slaves." (40) God said, "This is a right course incumbent upon Me: (41) Lo! as for My slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee. "(42)
The story of Adam and his arch-enemy, Satan, is recounted in the Qur'an on several occasions. In this instance, the main emphasis is om the very nature of the raw material from which man is made: potter's clay of dark mud altered.
This life is transient, a mere bridge to another world where everyone will receive his or her due reward in accordance with their performance in this life. The losers will be those who denied God's sovereignty and neglected His guidance. As Satan himself has no real power over human beings, those who allow themselves to be misled by him will only have themselves to blame for falling into error, as the saying goes, "ignorance of the law is no excuse." All Satan can do in this life is to tempt and mislead humankind through power of suggestion. Individuals who, having received ample warning of Satan's methods, choose to to listen to and follow his suggestions, will have no one to blame but themselves for the consequences. People have to be ever alert and vigilant, realizing that as long as God's laws are not abandoned, He will be forgiving and generous, or otherwise His wrath can be overwhelming. The surah says: "Announce, (O Muhammad) unto My slaves that verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful, (49) And that My doom is the dolorous doom." (50)
This strong admonition is followed with an illustration involving an episode from the life of prophet Abraham. His wife, as the angels had told him, was pregnant and about to give birth to a son, and a town [ Lot's ], whose inhabitants engaged in the abhorrent practise of sodomy, would soon be destroyed. The Qur'an makes no mention of the Old Testament account of referring to God as eating at a feast by Abraham, because this is an act which unbecoming of God, and ignoring the tale, the Qur'an strips it of credence. Prophet Lot's people were abominable and although he tried hard to dissuade them from their vile practices they failed to change. Sodomy and homosexuality are a curse and an affliction which spread as aresult of promiscuity and sexual depravity amongst mankind. Although legalized in some contemporary societies, these acts have always been considered in the past as morally unacceptable. However these have not been the only perversions that modern western civilization has legitimized through its legal system.
We have already seen how the opening and closing statements of the surah skillfully complement one another, separated by passages relating episodes from the lives of the prophets Adam. Abraham and Lot to reinforce the principles conveyed by those statements and thereby enhance their impact. Thereafter the surah picks up the thread of giving further instructions to Prophet Muhammad, who has been honored by receiving God's revelation, on how to respond to that honor. "Strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoy, and be not grieved on their account, and lower thy wing (in tenderness) for the believers. (88) And say: Lo! I, even I, am a plain warner " (89)
The surah then links this approach with earlier Israelite and Christian responses to revelation which had, on the whole, been schismatic and cynical: "Such as We send down for those who make division, (90) Those who break the Qur'an into parts "(91). Israelite and Christian contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad treated the Qur'an in a manner similar to the way their predecessors had treated their own scriptures. [ ...and I am tempting to add , we present day Muslims s well, but this my very private observation only , not Muhammad al- Ghazali's ]. They accepted what suited them and refused to beleve in the rest. In the case of their own scriptures this had lead to them to tamper with their texts, altering some of the princples and rules which were expounded therein. The surah warns: "Them, by thy Lord, We shall question, every one, (92) Of what they used to do "(93). Meanwhile, God consoles Prophet Muhammad with the fact that his unbelieving detractors would not be able to thwart his mission for too long: "Lo ! We are sufficent for thee against the scoffers, (95) Who set some other god along with Allah. But they will come to know."(96)
During the early days of Islam, the Arabs of Makkah had staged a relentless campaign of mockery and ridicule against the Prophet as well as the revelation he was receiving. They spared no effort in widening their campaign of psychological warfare, in an attempt to win over other tribes in Arabia over to their side. Naturally, this left the Prophet distressed and despondent. However, God directed him to pay no attention to the crusade and not allow it to dishearten him.
The surah directs the following comforting words to the prophet: "Well know We that thy bosom is times oppressed by what they say, (97) But hymn the praise of thy Lord, and be of those who make prostration (unto Him) "(98). These closing words conveyed an implicit divine promise that Islam would prevail in the world. History has shown that this has been the case.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
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Reflection and commentary by Imam Dr Yusuf Ziya Kavakci:-
part 3....
part4...
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