Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Tayyib
Al-Maida (The Table Spread) Chapter 5: Verse 88 (partial)

"Eat of what God has provided you as a lawful (halal) and good (tayyib)."

Tayyib is an adjective, the most basic semantic function of which is to denote any quality that strikes the sense - the sense of taste and odour, in particular - as very delightful, pleasant, and sweet. As would be expected, it is most frequently used to qualify food, water, perfume, and the like.

It is noteworthy that in the case of food, which, as everybody knows, constitutes an important item among those things that tend to be surrounded by all sorts of taboos, the Quran brings in the specific idea of 'sanctification', by associating tayyib with halal which means 'lawful' in the sense of 'free from all taboo'. So in this particular sense tayyib becomes almost a synonym of halal.

Compiled From:
"Ethico Religious Concepts in the Quran" - Toshihiko Izutsu, p. 235

From Issue: 793 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Wiping Away Sins

"Whoever performs the Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not commit any lewdness or evil returns like the day in which his mother gave him birth." [Bukhari, Muslim]

"Whoever Observes fast on the Day of Arafah, I expect Allah to forgive his (her) sins that were committed during the preceding year, and the sins that will be committed in the year after."[Muslim]

Sins can be forgiven at any place, no matter where the person is: it is not essential to be at Arafah or Kaba, but because many benefits, blessings, and heartfelt feelings which these Symbols, places and the rites of Hajj produce - which are not found anywhere else - they provide a better environment for asking for forgiveness with sincerity of heart.

These are the places where the blessings and mercies of Allah descended on the prophets, where the prophets were showered with Allah's light of guidance, where the Signs of Allah and His prophets are found everywhere, where in the past Allah's devotees have conversed with Him, and where all the pilgrims assemble, pray, cry and lament together for forgiveness. The environment and atmosphere of these places surely help the pilgrims to pray from the bottom of their hearts with the result that the prayers are accepted.

But making amends is bound to certain conditions and depends on the removal of certain obstacles both within and without the action itself. If the servant could be certain that he had met every condition and eliminated every obstacle, then [certainly] such an act would atone for the sin.

But what about an action which is [itself] entirely or mostly enveloped in negligence, lacking in the sincerity which is its core and spirit, and performed without respect for its requirements or value? What can this action amend? In fact, there are countless things which invalidate or spoil devotional practice. It is not so much the action itself as the effort to keep it pure of the things that spoil and annul it.

One could hope for atonement if in undertaking a devotional act the servant was sure of its outward and inward requirements had been fulfilled; that there were no obstacles to the act's atoning quality; and that he himself did not annul it with feelings of self-importance, ostentation, or the expectation of something in return [from people].

Compiled From:
"Worship In Islam " - Sulaiman Nadwi, pp. 275-276
"The Invocation of God" - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, p. 8

From Issue: 759 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Islamic Call

[.. continued from previous issue]

The five means of propagation

First: the individual method; that is, to invite the person individually if the matter pertains to him specifically.

Second: public or mass propagation such as in lectures or exhortations that benefit the generality of people.

Third: private lessons to students each in his specialty. This is the task of the scholars who specialize in their disciplines.

Fourth: propagation through writing, correspondence and authorship with guidance and benefit for those who are called.

Fifth: propagation using modern means of communication to advance the cause of truth or any means within your own individual capacity.

[to be continued]

Compiled From:
"Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast" - A'id Abdullah al-Qarnee

From Issue: 790 [Read original issue]