O my Lord, when that which there is repelling alights upon me,
And I find myself leaving this adobe
And become Your guest in a dark and lonely place,
Then make the host’s meal for his guest the removal of my wrongs.
A guest is always honored at the hands of a generous host,
And You are the Generous, the Creator, the Originator.
Surely kings, as a way of displaying their magnanimity
Free their servants who have grown old in their service.
And I have grown old in Your service,
So free my soul from the Fire
part of Imam Shafie's 'Diwan'
ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THOSE WHO UPHOLD and advocate God's truth is full awareness and knowledge of whom they represent and work for. The motives and aims of those who are working to establish God's order and way of life on earth are totally different from those whose selfish aims are worldly gain and enjoyment. Knowing this we can therefore appreciate why God so urge the Prophet to press ahead with explaining the fundamentals of His mission, in the reassurance that He has power and control over all things.
Seest thou not how Allah sendeth down water from the sky and then the earth becometh green upon the morrow? Lo! Allah is Subtile, Aware. (63) Unto Him belongeth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Lo! Allah, He verily is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise. (64)
The surah goes no to draw attention to the power and glory of God and the marvels of His creation, pointing out that He alone deserves to be glorified, served, and worshiped by everything and everyone in this world. " Hast thou not known that Allah knoweth all that is in the heaven and the earth? Lo! it is in a record. Lo! that is easy for Allah. (70) And they worship instead of Allah that for which He hath sent down no warrant, and that whereof they have no knowledge. For evil-doers there is no helper." (71)
God addresses the Prophet:
Unto each nation have We given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not dispute with thee of the matter, but summon thou unto thy Lord. Lo! thou indeed followest right guidance. (67)
The Hajj. as a fundamental obligatory religious duty, is a good case in point. When the Muslims were first directed to perform it, the Prophet instructed them on how to do so, saying: "Take your Hajj rituals from me." He showed them what they were required to do and how they were to do it, and he also explained the significance of the rituals, thus establishing the Hajj as an ordered and precisely timed and coordinated event composed of a set of actions and undertakings that translate the principle of tawhid into practise.
An important ritual during the Hajj is the slaughter of animals on the tenth day of the month of Dhu'lhijjah, to which the surah refers: "Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good "(37). The Hajj is a perfect manifestation of Islamic values based on equality and lack of discrimination between people. Accordingly, the Prophet denied the tribe of Quraysh any special privilege or concessions in performing the hajj, such as taking an exclusive route from Arafah to Mina. The surah says: "' And if they wrangle with thee, say: Allah is best aware of what ye do. ' "(68)
Another manifestation of tawhid is given in the example of creation in the animal kingdom:
O mankind! A similitude is coined, so pay ye heed to it: Lo! those on whom ye call beside Allah will never create a fly though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly took something from them, they could not rescue it from it. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought! (73)
The surah closes with a statement expressing the essence of the overall task of the world's Muslim community. This task was handed down from God to the Prophet, who faithfully passed it on to the Muslims, who then assumed the responsibility of passing it on to the rest of mankind. Thus the Prophet stands witness to the Muslims, and they in turn stand witness to everyone else. Nations and communities strive for ethnic supremacy, material progress, or domination. The Islamic nation carries the awesome responsibility of up-holding God's universal order and advocating submission to Him. And, even though Muslims have been defeated and subjugated, and the whole world has for many centuries endured injustice and tyranny, Muslims are obliged to fight on and deliver humanity from evil and oppression.
O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper. (77) And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! (78)
If only the Muslims recognized and appreciate their real mission and responsibility !!
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shyakh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 -1996 ]
God addresses the Prophet:
Unto each nation have We given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not dispute with thee of the matter, but summon thou unto thy Lord. Lo! thou indeed followest right guidance. (67)
The Hajj. as a fundamental obligatory religious duty, is a good case in point. When the Muslims were first directed to perform it, the Prophet instructed them on how to do so, saying: "Take your Hajj rituals from me." He showed them what they were required to do and how they were to do it, and he also explained the significance of the rituals, thus establishing the Hajj as an ordered and precisely timed and coordinated event composed of a set of actions and undertakings that translate the principle of tawhid into practise.
An important ritual during the Hajj is the slaughter of animals on the tenth day of the month of Dhu'lhijjah, to which the surah refers: "Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good "(37). The Hajj is a perfect manifestation of Islamic values based on equality and lack of discrimination between people. Accordingly, the Prophet denied the tribe of Quraysh any special privilege or concessions in performing the hajj, such as taking an exclusive route from Arafah to Mina. The surah says: "' And if they wrangle with thee, say: Allah is best aware of what ye do. ' "(68)
Another manifestation of tawhid is given in the example of creation in the animal kingdom:
O mankind! A similitude is coined, so pay ye heed to it: Lo! those on whom ye call beside Allah will never create a fly though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly took something from them, they could not rescue it from it. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought! (73)
The surah closes with a statement expressing the essence of the overall task of the world's Muslim community. This task was handed down from God to the Prophet, who faithfully passed it on to the Muslims, who then assumed the responsibility of passing it on to the rest of mankind. Thus the Prophet stands witness to the Muslims, and they in turn stand witness to everyone else. Nations and communities strive for ethnic supremacy, material progress, or domination. The Islamic nation carries the awesome responsibility of up-holding God's universal order and advocating submission to Him. And, even though Muslims have been defeated and subjugated, and the whole world has for many centuries endured injustice and tyranny, Muslims are obliged to fight on and deliver humanity from evil and oppression.
O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper. (77) And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! (78)
If only the Muslims recognized and appreciate their real mission and responsibility !!
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shyakh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 -1996 ]
Reflection and commentary by Shaykh Nouman Ali Khan on ayat 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78, surah al-Hajj,
Recitation by Shaykh Salaah al-Budair,
Part 1:
Part 2:
[ part al-Hajj, part surah al-Mukminun ]
