Recitation of Surah Ibrahim by Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais:-
Of societies, human history, and ups and downs of nations.....
SOCIETIES AND NATIONS FARE differently according to the beliefs, ideals, and values by which they live. These, naturally, relate to religious, ethical, civil and cultural factors. As for Islam, tawhid is the essence and the root of its civilization, and the most fundamental source of all its tenets and principles. Tawhid encompasses and defines the whole ethos of the Islamic way of life and is the fountain from which all aspects of its civilization springs. On the other hand, the surah affirms that falsehood, being rootless and bogus, only leads to misery and frustration: "And the similitude of a bad saying is as a bad tree, uprooted from upon the earth, possessing no stability "(26). The contrast is stark and the choice glaringly clear. The surah goes on to outline two main features required of a believing nation. The first is that it should be believing nation, preoccupied with the observance of religious duties such as prayer; the redistribution of wealth through zakat; and the welfare of its citizens. It should not be concerned with advancing its own ethnocentric or national interests at the expense of other nations or communities. A godly nation uses its power and dominance to further God's word in the world:
Tell My bondmen who believe to establish worship and spend of that which We have given them, secretly and publicly, before a day cometh wherein there will be neither traffick nor befriending. (31)
History tells us that the communities set up, or led by, God's prophets were raised on obedience to God and diligent adherence to His commands. As some of them abandoned those messages, cast them aside, or obliterated them, they went into decline and degenerated into selfish materialism and the pursuit of short term worldly aggrandizement. The inevitable disintegration of economic and material life in those societies, and the shortage of material resources and consumer goods would only be the sole focus of their lamentation and sorrow. Today's world is in need of a role model nation that would reflect God's will and implement His word. This would be the nation of Islam. However, it would have to be a leading nation that stands head and shoulders above all the other nations and provide a true and visible example to the rest of the world in all aspects of life. This leads us to the second feature of the "believing nation": That it must be powerful, self- reliant, and in full control of its own destiny and resources. This is made clear in the following verses:
Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and causeth water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you, and maketh the ships to be of service unto you, that they may run upon the sea at His command, and hath made of service unto you the rivers; (32) And maketh the sun and the moon, constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day. (33) And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate. (34)
Believing communities have existed throuhout human history, but some of them went astray, lagged behind, and became marginalized. Instead of being masters on earth they found themselves helplessly controlled by their own worldly pursuits. They wavered in their loyalty and submission to God and were thrown off course, leaving the door open for their rivals and enemies to take the lead and plunder humanity's soul and dignity, ravage the world resources sand threaten life and the future of the whole planet.
Jihad in our time encompasses a whole range of activities including inventiveness, development, and construction on land, in the sea, and in outer space. It implies research in all fields to gain wider and deeper understanding of the world around us and all the phenomena associated with it. It pains me to think how little the Muslims have contributed to human progress in recent times whilst other nations have forged ahead making tremendous achievements if which they will be proud for many generations to come. By making a comparison between Jews and the Arabs, two Semitic nations descending from a common Abrahamic lineage and heirs to a common religious heritage, one can immediately see the former are in possession of power and influence, while the latter, , entrusted with God's message, have fallen far short of their obligations to uphold it and have become backward and defeated.
Abraham, the epitome of righteousness and poety, travelled far and wide to spread the doctrine of Tawhid and to fight paganism and idol-worship. When he decided to settle briefly in the Hijaz in western Arabia, he made a prayer:
Our Lord! Lo! I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto Thy holy House, our Lord! that they may establish proper worship; so incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them, and provide Thou them with fruits in order that they may be thankful. (37)
This branch of Abraham's progeny can be traced back to Ishmael, his son from his second wife, Hagar, whilst the other branch can be traced to Isaac, father of Israel, who was Abraham's son from his first wife Sarah. The surah informs us that both sons were born during Abraham's old age, for which he was very grateful, saying:
Praise be to Allah Who hath given me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac! Lo! my Lord is indeed the Hearer of Prayer. (39) My Lord! Make me to establish proper worship, and some of my posterity (also); our Lord! and accept my prayer. (40)
It is ironic that Jews consider themselves descendants of the master wife and the Arabs descendants of the slave wife giving the latter an inferiority complex. The whole issue is absurd. Human beings are all equal, and are only distinguished by their closeness to, and fear of , God. Abraham's legacy belongs to all his offspring, and it is simply below God Almighty to designate a particular piece of land as the sole property of Jacob's children in perpetuity. We read in al-Araf that: "Lo! the earth is Allah's. He giveth it for an inheritance to whom He will. And lo! the sequel is for those who keep their duty (unto Him) "(al-Araf: 128)
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Reflection and commentary by Shaykh Najib Khan:-
[ 10.20 : prophet ibrahim's doa : rabbir firli waliwa lidayya wal mukmini wal mukminat, na yaumayaku mul hisab ]
Part 5..2/2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzRFUdWnmLo
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