Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Beneficial and Logical
Al-Rum (The Romans) Sura 30: Verse 7

"They know but the outer surface of this world's life, but of the ultimate reality of the life to come, they are unaware."

This is the essential difference of "knowledge" between those who restrict it to sensory information and empiricism, and those who allow room for higher intellectual practices which may be represented in logic and art, as well as in philosophy and religion. Intuition is known to inspire supersensory art in various fields, and "creativity" is an essential requirement for a genuine artist. Even in science, relativity and potentiality have turned material existence into more than a thick and dry concretism. Human imagination, vision and abstract conceptualization have always inspired scientific progress.

Spirituality is an unmistaken character of the human nature and history, which has proved to be unignorable, indispensable and unsuppressible. Materialism failed to satisfy the human needs and aspirations of the individual and the society, and its productivity has been obviously hindered by the psychological and social limitations and defects. The belief in the One God and the eternal life to come secures balance and stability within the individual's own self and in the society as a whole, while selfishness and worldliness tear and swing him/her between the extremes of haughty success and desperate failure. Thus the belief is beneficial as well as logical.

Compiled From:
"Concepts of the Quran" - Fathi Osman, p. 272

From Issue: 1059 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Proper Planning

The Prophet (peace be upon him) showed us the importance of planning. He was meticulous in his planning, and in that way, he taught those around him how important it is to plan one's course of action.

One good example of this was how he planned his emigration from Mecca to Madinah. He decided on the route he was going to take, set a date for his departure, and he made sure to have a reliable guide and sufficient provisions. He arranged the matter with Abu Bakr, and made sure that they could leave from Mecca undetected.

All of this planning, and all of the precautions that the Prophet (peace be upon him) took, did not contradict with his utmost reliance upon Allah in any way. This is because a Muslim is supposed to take all the lawful and practical steps available and then place all of his or her trust in Allah to bring about the desired results. That is the true meaning of relying on Allah.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked whether it is better to tie up one's camel or trust in Allah to keep it from running off, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Tie up the camel and trust in Allah." [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2517)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) had the utmost faith in Allah, but this never prevented him from planning sensibly for what he wanted to achieve. This is a lesson for those who wish to disseminate the message of Islam to others. It is vital to have a well-thought-out program before embarking upon this noble work. In doing so, we are following our Prophet's example.

Source:
"The Importance of Planning & Persistence" - Muhammad b. Lutfî al-Sabbâgh

From Issue: 493 [Read original issue]

From Issue: [Read original issue]