20 July 2014 Musa become Messenger and Lailatul Qadr

20 July 2014

Musa become Messenger and Lailatul Qadr

Salaam all
Below is a summary of last week’s Study Circle. MashaAllah, a very energised atmosphere and lots of good discussion.
We talked about Musa* becoming a Messenger and asking Allah to make Harun* his helper and a Prophet. Then we talked about getting the most from the last 10 days / nights of Ramadhan.
Some very moving feedback from the children about Gaza and other things.
InshaAllah, see you next week for the last Circle this Ramadhan at the usual time of 5pm.
Stay well and please keep me in your du’as.
Jzk.
Naveed


Musa becomes a Prophet and Messenger

Allah's Conversation With Musa*

When Musa* went up to the fire on the mountain he was looking for light/warmth and guidance to Egypt but he encountered a miracle. He was addressed by Allah from a bush.
"Moses, I am Allah, the Lord of all the worlds." [TMQ 28:30]
"Moses! I am your Lord. Take off your sandals. You are in the holy valley of Tuwa. I have chosen you, so listen well to what is revealed. I am Allah. There is no god but Me, so worship Me and establish prayer to remember Me." [TMQ 20:11-14]
Allah established 3 things first:

• Importance of Tawhid (Belief in Allah)
• Importance of Praying to remember Allah
• The Hour is close (Judgement Day)

Then a conversation between Musa* and Allah happened where Allah taught Musa* many lessons and where Musa* acknowledged his own shortcomings and asked for help from Allah in many ways. Allah knows what Musa* is holding but wants to show him…Musa* did not argue with Allah and was happy to chat.
"What is that in your right hand, Moses?" He said, "It is my staff. I lean on it and beat down leaves for my sheep with it and have other uses for it." [TMQ 20:17-18]
Throw down your staff." Then when he saw it slithering like a snake he turned and fled and did not turn back again... [TMQ 27:10]
Musa* saw his familiar staff turned into a snake, he was seized with fear.
…"Have no fear, Moses. In My Presence the Messengers have no fear." [TMQ 27:10]
He said, "Take hold of it and have no fear. We will return it to its original form." [TMQ 20:21]
Put your hand inside your shirt front. It will emerge pure white yet quite unharmed… [TMQ 28:32]
…And hug your arms to your sides to still your fear. These are two proofs from your Lord for Pharaoh and his ruling circle. They are a deviant people. [TMQ28:32]

Prophet Musa* Asks Allah for Help – Prophet Harun* and other matters

Allah instructed Musa that his chosen mission (which he has to accept) is to Speak to Pharaoh! The one who Musa* was trying his best to avoid by sneaking into Egypt he must now confront. Prophet Musa* told Allah frankly that he was hesitant and asked for His guidance on the following matters:

• his inability to express himself fluently, fearing not being able to address Pharaoh properly
• the need for courage and assistance from Allah to make this task easy
• he might be killed by an Egyptian seeking vengeance
• making his brother Harun* (Aaron) his helper so they can glorify Allah more
• the need to be part of a group (Jammah) so we are not chased by the wolves

He said, "O Lord, expand my breast for me and make my task easy for me. Loosen the knot in my tongue so that they will understand my words. Assign me a helper from my family." [TMQ 20:25-29]
"My brother Harun. Strengthen my back by him and let him share in my task, so that we can glorify You much and remember You much."[TMQ 20:30-34]
He (Allah] said, "We will reinforce you with your brother and by Our Signs will give you both authority, so that they will not be able to lay a hand on you. You and those who follow you will be the victors." [TMQ 28:35]
He said, "My Lord, I killed one of them and I am afraid they will kill me; and my brother Aaron is more eloquent than me so send him with me to support me and back me up. I am afraid they will call me a liar." [TMQ 28:33-34]
(Moses said,) "For You are watching us." He (Allah) said, "Your request has been granted, Moses." [TMQ 20:35-36]


Main Topic - Night of Power: Lailatul-Qadr

This is an extract from the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir on Surah al-Qadr [97].
* "Verily, We have sent it down in the Night of Al-Qadr.
* And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr is
* The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
* Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter.
* There is peace until the appearance of dawn."

The Virtues of the Night of Al-Qadr (the Decree)

Allah  informs that He sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Al-Qadr, and it is a blessed night about which Allah  says: "We sent it down on a blessed night." [TMQ 44:3]
This is the Night of Al-Qadr and it occurs during the month of Ramadan. This is as Allah  says: "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an." [TMQ 2:185]
Ibn `Abbas and others have said, "Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-`Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years."
Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah: "When Ramadan would come, the Messenger of Allah would say: ‘Verily, the month of Ramadan has come to you all. It is a blessed month, which Allah has obligated you all to fast. During it the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are shackled. In it there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good, then he has truly been deprived.'"
"Whoever stands (in prayer) during the Night of Al-Qadr with faith and expecting reward (from Allah), he will be forgiven for his previous sins."
The Descent of the Angels and the Decree for Every Good during the Night of Al-Qadr
Allah says: "Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter."
This means the angels descend in abundance during the Night of Al-Qadr due to its abundant blessings. The angels descend with the descending of blessings and mercy, just as they descend when the Qur'an is recited, they surround the circles of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and they lower their wings with true respect for the student of knowledge.
In reference to Ar-Ruh, it is said that here it means the angel Jibril. Therefore, the wording of the Ayah is a method of adding the name of the distinct object (in this case Jibril) separate from the general group (in this case the angels).
The angels giving the greetings of peace during the Night of Al-Qadr to the people in the Masjids until the coming of Fajr (dawn)."

Specifying the Night of Decree and its Signs
This is supported by what Imam Ahmad recorded from `Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Messenger of Allah* said: "The Night of Al-Qadr occurs during the last ten (nights). Whoever stands for them (in prayer) seeking their reward, then indeed Allah will forgive his previous sins and his latter sins. It is an odd night: the ninth, or the seventh, or the fifth, or the third or the last night (of Ramadan)."
It has been reported that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said, "The Messenger of Allah* performed I`tikaf during the first ten nights of Ramadan and we performed I`tikaf with him. Then Jibril came to him and said, ‘That which you are seeking is in front of you.' So the Prophet* performed I`tikaf during the middle ten days of Ramadan and we also performed I`tikaf with him. Then Jibril came to him and said; ‘That which you are seeking is ahead of you.' So the Prophet* stood up and gave a sermon on the morning of the twentieth of Ramadan and he said: "Whoever performed I`tikaf with me, let him come back (for I`tikaf again), for verily I saw the Night of Al-Qadr, and I was caused to forget it, and indeed it is during the last ten (nights). It is during an odd night and I saw myself as if I were prostrating in mud and water." The roof of the Masjid was made of dried palm-tree leaves and we did not see anything (i.e., clouds) in the sky. But then a patch of wind-driven clouds came and it rained. So the Prophet* lead us in prayer until we saw the traces of mud and water on the forehead of the Messenger of Allah*, which confirmed his dream."
There are numerous hadith about which exact day it is but no consensus – some scholars saying that it may actually rotate year on year through the last odd nights in Ramadhan.
Allah concealed that night from His Servants out of mercy so that they would increase their acts of worship and gain the great reward by performing Qiyam during these blessed nights, thinking that each night is Laylat-ul-Qadr.

Supplication during the Night of Decree
It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah, that she said, "O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say?" He replied: "Say: ‘O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.'" [ Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee ]

The Maths
Lailatul-Qadr (better than) = 1000 months  x 29.5 Islamic days = 29,500
In Islamic years = 29,500 / (12 x 29.5) = 83 and 4 months
If you worship Allah on this night every year for 60 years after attaining your puberty, then you would have 5000 years to your credit (60,000 months).Qur
It is likened to as if you had lived for over 5,000 years, and achieved the rewards of a person who had lived that long and much more.

Getting the most from the last ten days of Ramadhan
1. Read the Qur'an:
Not just reciting, and listening to but also contemplating upon the verses of Qur’an. Many sahabae preferred to understand the verses and what’s behind the revelation to get closer to the Qur’an.
2. Increase in Nawafil Prayers:
"Fall prostrate and draw near to Allah!" [TMQ Al-Alaq 96:19]
The Prophet* said: "The closest that a person is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so say a great deal of du'a then." He* is commanding us to make a lot of du'a while in sujud. We need to do more. For he* said to: "...make lots of du'a." Remember, the Prophet* loved us and he knew that we have a lot of needs from Allah. This is why he taught us the way to get those needs fulfilled. Therefore, if you have needs, then you cannot leave sujud. Any sajdah without khushu' and without du'a is a big khasara . When the Prophet* instructed us to do a lot of sujud, it means to perform a lot of salah . "With each sajdah for Allah, He will raise you a level with it. And cancel a sin with it." So, the more you increase in your sujud, the closer you are to being a winner.
Examples for increasing nawafil salah:
- Salat Dhuha: 2, 4, 6 or 8 rak'at, prayed after the sun has risen and before the time for Dhuhr.
- 4 rak'at before and 4 after Dhuhr
- 4 rak'at before ‘Asr
- Tahhiyatul masjid: Greet the masjid with two rak'at
- Salat at-Tawbah: Make wudhu' and offer two sincere rak'at of repentance.
- Praying Taraweeh in Jamaah at the masjid
- Qiyam al-Layl: Pray at least 2 rak'at
- Performing Tahajjud in the last third of the night
3. Makes lots of Dhikr:
Do a lot of dhikr. The Prophet* commanded us to oft recite Tasbeeh ("Subhan-Allah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillah") and Takbeer ("Allahu Akbar") during this time.
4. Seeking Forgiveness (Istighfar):
"But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful." [28:67]
The Prophet* is reported to have said that when a person seeks forgiveness for all believers, Allah will write for him a hasanat for every one of those believers.
5. Charity:
Spending for the sake of Allah! Spend from what you love and Allah will love you.
6. Preserve the Ties of Kinship:
Preserve the ties of kinship for: "No one who severs the ties of kinship will enter Paradise." [Muslim]
7. Making a personal Sacrifice
Sacrificing something close to us for the sake of Allah.
“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers” [51:55]
8. Performing Itikaf
Observe `Itikaf during the last ten days and exerting efforts in worship. Being secluded from people and engaging oneself in obeying Allah, mentioning Him, forgetting anything that might distract him, and focusing on pleasing Allah by worship.
9. Making du’a
Think of all that you need to ask Allah for and ask Him now. If you haven’t before, this is the time to connect with Him and feel closer to Him. And when you do during these last ten nights and days of this Ramadan, you would want to do this again and again – even after the month is over.
And finally, when you are in a state of prayers and worship, please open your heart for others as well and please do remember your brothers and sisters in your prayers. Remember what the Prophet said:
Please keep the Ummah in your du'aas, may Allah unite us in strength to be victorious. Please keep the oppressed in your du'aas, those who have become a victim to tyranny and war, may Allah break the shackles of tyranny and spread peace and tranquility over all the lands, which have been occupied and invaded.
“The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence.”
May Allah Subhana wa ta'ala look over all of you, surround you in His immense Rahma and envelope you in His protection always. May He increase you all in health, wealth and Imaan and grant you the best of the duniya wa fil akhirah - ameen.
May we all make the most of the last ten nights and days of Ramadan.

Useful website:
Qur'an Explorer: http://www.quranexplorer.com/

A big thanks to all those that regularly attend the Circles.
Thanks you for your patience in reading and sharing these summaries.
Jzk
Naveed

1 November 2009

Seerah of Muhammed*

*: May the peace blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

The Boycott of the Muslims

The Quraish realised that something drastic had to be done to stop the spread of Islam and the activities of the Muslims. They were disheartened because they now saw that many prominent and noble people were now Muslims, including Hamza & Umer ibn al-Khattab. In addition, the Muslims were now operating as a distinct group in an organised fashion. Furthermore, there was now a distinct and separate group was based in Abyssinia. Hence the Muslims could not be ignored or wiped out so easily now.

So the leaders of Quraish formally requested Banu Hashim to hand over the Prophet* so that they could deal with him (that is to kill him). This went against all the known values in the society of Mecca and was an unprecedented request. Therefore, Banu Hashim refused to hand over the Prophet* and the Quraish then decided to start a comprehensive boycott of all the Muslims and the tribe of Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib - which included all the Muslims and not Muslims from these tribes. The boycott was like a siege and started in Muharram of the seventh year of Prophethood and its terms were that there was to be no dealing with both the tribes at all, no trading or marriage. The terms of the embargo were documented and pinned on the wall of the Kaaba.

They would stop people going in or out or taking any food supplies where the tribes were and guarded the entry points and exit points. This terrible siege lasted for about two or three years at the Muslims and not Muslims were suffering so much so that, it is reported, there used to eat the leaves of the trees and chew on animal hides. Even when they were allowed to enter Mecca during the pilgrimage seasons of the food would be of poor quality and priced very expensively.

Some of the non Muslims were against this boycott because it contradicted the values they held dear and in their society such as loyalty to the tribe and family. One of these people was Hisham bin Harith who would occasionally try to sneak food into the enclave where the tribes were staying or would send in a camel full of food late at night. He had relatives on his mother's side who were being boycotted. He later approached Zuhair bin Abi Umaiyah who he felt was sympathetic to Banu Hashim & Banu Muttalib and asked him if it pleased him that he could eat and drink whilst his uncles were in distress. If this boycott was against the uncles of Abu Jahl he (Abu Jahl) would never agree to the terms, and so is this not very hypocritical of them all? Zuhair replied 'Shame on you! I only one person and what can I do. You need to find someone else and then I will try to cancel this evil agreement.' Hisham mentioned he was on his side but was asked to finda third person. This was Mut'am Ibn-Adey who has asked by Hisham: ' are you pleased that two clans suffer and you look on in agreement with the suffering? By God, if you let them get away with this then they will treat you in the same way some day.' Hisham was asked to find another who was Abu-Al-Bukhturi Ibn-Hisham and later a fifth Zamaa bin Aswad who were then all agreed to meet secretly at night to devise a plan to cancel the boycott.

The next day Zuhair put on his ceremonial clothes and visited the Kaaba before approaching the Quraish in their meeting house (an-Nadwah) where he stated: "Oh Quraish, does it please you to eat well and dress at will while Banu Hashim & Banu Muttalib are after distress? I will not sit down until this evil document is torn up." Then one of the other co-conspirators stood up and agreed with him whilst denouncing the boycott. Then the third stood up followed by the fourth and fifth person. Abu Jahl view that they had conspired this but the public opinion had now swung against the boycott and everybody agreed to cancel it. When they went to retrieve the document they found that that all of it had been eaten up (by insects) apart from the opening sentence which stated ' in the name of Allah'.

Some lessons from this incident:
1. This highlights the importance of organised efforts for good
2. Great change can occur by a few people (although originally started in the mind of one person)
3. The importance of action - doing things not just talking about them
4. There is good in most people - where the non-Muslims conspired to overturn an evil against the Muslims because it went against their own values
5. The helpers of Allah come in all forms - with ants/termites eating the document



Hadith (Riyadh as-Salihin): On Steadfastness (dependable, reliable, patient)

Allah Almighty says, "O you who believe! Be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness"
"We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast,"
"The steadfast will be paid their wages in full without any reckoning."
"But if someone is steadfast and forgives, that is the most resolute course to follow."
"Seek help in steadfastness and the prayer. Allah is with the steadfast"
"We will test you until We know the true fighters among you and those who are steadfast"

Abu Malik al-Harith ibn 'Asim al-Ash'ari reported that the Messenger of Allah* said, "Purity is half of belief. 'Praise be to Allah' fills up the balance, and 'Glory be to Allah and praise be to Allah' fills up everything between the heavens and the earth. The prayer is a light. Sadaqa is a proof. Steadfastness is an illumination. The Qur'an is a proof for you or against you. Everybody goes out and trades with his own self, either seting it free or destroying it." [Muslim]

Abu Sa'id Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri said, "Some of the people of the Ansar asked for something from the Messenger of Allah* and he gave it to them. Then they asked him again and he gave to them until he had used up everything he had. He said, 'If I had anything more, I would not keep it from you. Whoever refrains, Allah will spare him from needing to ask. Whoever wants to be independent, Allah will make him so. Whoever shows fortitude, Allah will increase him in that. No one can be given any better and greater gift than fortitude.'" [Bukhari & Muslim]

Abu Yahya Suhayb ibn Sinan said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'What an extraordinary thing the business of the believer is! All of it is good for him. And that only applies to the believer. If good fortune is his lot, he is grateful and it is good for him. If something harmful happens to him, he is steadfast and that is good for him too.'" [Muslim]


Topic: Al-Qadhaa wal-Qadr

The Five Pillars of Islam are the five duties obligatory on every Muslim:

• Shahadah (Profession of Faith)
• Salah (prayers)
• Zakah (Giving to the poor and needy)
• Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan)
• Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)

The Six Articles of Belief (Aqeeda) for all Muslims are:

• Belief in God (Allah), the one and only one worthy of worship (tawhid)
• Belief in all the Prophets (nabi) and Messengers (rusul) sent by God
• Belief in the Angels (mala'ika)
• Belief in the Books (kutub) sent by Allah (including the Qur’ān)
• Belief in the Day of Judgment (qiyama) and in the Resurrection (life after death).
• Belief in Divine Fate & Destiny (Al-Qadhaa wal-Qadar).

We have covered in previous study circles the Five Pillars and most of the Articles of Belief or parts of them, other than Al-Qadhaa wal-Qadar. This is a difficult topic to grasp but an important one as it is part of our fundamental beliefs.

One way in which to understand this is to focus on what we (as humans) control and what controls us. This needs to be viewed with respect to our ‘Accountability’ – that is what we will be asked about on the Day of Judgement and what things Allah will not hold us to account for.

This topic today will not deal with the ideas that vexed many Muslims in olden times that even caused fighting between different groups of Muslims over their ideas. I will not be dealing with ‘who created actions’, nor fatalism; neither will I explore the ideas of groups like the Mu’tazilla, Ahl-e-Jabriyya or Ahle-e-Sunnah.

What I will focus is on intentions (niyah), reward & punishment and free will. As human beings we live in two bubbles:
1. One that we fully control
2. One that fully controls us

The things that happen in the first bubble are our actions that we think about (niyah) and then start. These things we have control over and undertake at our choice, or free will. These are things like eating or drinking; walking, praying or not etc. We make the intentions and then start the actions according to this. Allah will judge us according to this by rewarding us for the good things and punishing us for the bad things. We are accountable for our actions. We start the actions but the outcome is with Allah if he allows us to fulfil them. There is no excuse for committing sins and we cannot blame Allah or His knowledge of our actions for the choices we make. If Allah decides to write these down in a book (al-Lawh Mahfuz) that is His Wisdom and we do not act because it is written. Similarly, Allah has power over all things (His Will) and if He decides to allow our actions because of our choices (free will) they still happen in accordance with His Will but not because of it. The actions are still ours and we will still be judged.

Al-Qadhaa does not relate to this, but relates to the second bubble that we live in. In this bubble there are things which happen to us that we did not do nor control. These are things that we consider are from Allah and thus are Qadhaa. Hence, we are not accounted for these (rewarded or punished as there is no Free Will) but Allah will judge how we react to these. We may feel these are good or bad but must realise that they are from Allah and He is the Wise.

There are two parts to this bubble: one that are part of the universal laws that Allah has made (we cannot walk on water, fly unaided, change the colour of the eyes when born, grow to 100feet tall etc) and the second part that happens through/by other people but effects us (such as being a passenger in a train accident, or somebody kicking a ball at us or swearing at us as we walk by, etc). We did not start these actions nor had any control over them. Hence, we should consider these as being from Allah for each of us. Allah knows the Good & Bad in these actions.

Some scholars define Qadr as being the properties or innate attributes of material objects. For example, fire has the ability/property of burning with fire and a sharp knife as being able to cut, and a stone having some weight. These properties are not produced by the objects themselves but are given to the objects by Allah alone. When these properties are removed by Allah we see miracles: such as when Ibrahim* did not burn in the fire, nor when his knife would sacrifice his first-born son Ismail.

The Prophet* said: “if something befalls you do not say ‘if only I had done so-and-so’ but say Allah determined (qadhaa) this and He did what He willed.”