After inviting everyone to reflect upon the creations of Allah and making us realize that there is a greater purpose in life, Allah shows the end of those who live up to that purpose and those who go against it.

 (6) And for those who disbelieved in their Lord is the punishment of Hell, and wretched is the destination

Those who decide to follow their own ways and go against the commands of Allah will have Hell as their final destination.  They were given the choice in this world to worship Allah but they chose to follow their desires.  They were reminded over and over again but they never took heed.

(7) When they are thrown into it, they hear from it a [dreadful] inhaling while it boils up.

Allah describes the intensity of Hell and how outraged it will be.  Hell will be inhaling and exhaling like an angry beast waiting to pounce on its prey.  It will swallow up its inhabitants, completely encompassing them leaving no escape from the punishment.  May Allah protect us all from His punishments.

(8) It almost bursts with rage. Every time a company is thrown into it, its keepers ask them, “Did there not come to you a warner?” 

Hell fire will almost burst into bits because of the anger it will have for its inhabitants.  The keepers of hell will ask as people are being thrown into it if not they were given a warning—Didn’t you know the truth?  Weren’t you given warnings?  Didn’t people remind you and tell you about the straight path?  Didn’t you have the opportunity to turn back to Allah?  Didn’t Allah remind you of the truth through your family and friends, by blessing you with so much and taking some things away?  Then why didn’t you turn back to Him?

(9) They will say,” Yes, a warner had come to us, but we denied and said, ‘ Allah has not sent down anything. You are not but in great error.’ “ 

When they see the hellfire they will realize what a huge mistake they made by closing their ears to the truth in the world.  Every time the warning came to them, every time someone reminded them to turn back to Allah, they ignored it and turned away from it.  They pretended as if it wasn’t true and said that there was nothing like that in Islam.  They made up excuses so they wouldn’t have to follow the truth.

(10) And they will say, “If only we had been listening or reasoning, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.” 

But when they will be thrown in the Hellfire and will have to face the wrath of Allah, then they will regret not turning back to Allah in the dunya (world).  They will regret not listening to the truth and making excuses.  They will regret not using their intellect and realizing that if they sacrificed a little in the world they would have paradise for eternity.  They will regret wasting their time and running away from the commands of Allah.  They will wish to go back into the dunya and change their ways, but by then it will be too late.  They were given a lifetime to worship Allah and change their ways, yet it wasn’t enough.

(11) And they will admit their sin, so [it is] alienation for the companions of the Blaze.

Now they confess their sin when it’s too late.  They finally understand and recognize the truth, but it’s of no use now.

Allah (SWT) has given us a peak into the Hereafter for a reason – so we learn a lesson and change our ways before it’s too late.  Allah is warning us from becoming like those in these ayaat (verses) who realize the truth when they see the hellfire in front of them.  Reflect on these ayaat now and turn back to Allah before it’s too late.  Listen to the call your Lord and change your ways now so you also don’t regret your time in this life.

]]> http://aslamtu.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/al-mulk-6-11/feed/ 0 fasiha http://aslamtu.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/al-mulk-1-5/ http://aslamtu.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/al-mulk-1-5/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:55:45 +0000 fasiha http://aslamtu.wordpress.com/?p=172 ]]> Bismillah.

Surah Al-Mulk was revealed in the early Makki time period when Rasulullah (S)’s mission had just begun.  Teachings of Islam are briefly introduced as well as a warning to those who are living in heedlessness.

(1) Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent. 

Allah (SWT) begins the surah with reminding man of the greatness of his Lord.  Allah is superior to everything in His attributes, essence, and works.  He is permanent and everlasting.  The source of all blessings is Allah, and He is most blessed.  He has complete power and ownership of the kingdom.  He is Qadeer, always in power and capable of exercising His power.  Allah doesn’t mention His name but says “ka” which means “He”, in order to force every human being to ponder and think of who could be capable of having this much power.  Who else can create and own the heavens and the earth and everything in it? Only Allah.

(2) [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving 

Allah continues describing His attributes.  Only He can grant life and only He can give death.  And all of this is not in vain, but to test us.  Allah created us in this world to see who will do the best in their lifetime.  We have been given the free will to do good or evil in this world.  We can choose to follow the straight path of Islam or follow the path of our lust and desires.  But Allah wants ahsan ‘amal from us.  Allah wants quality, not quantity.  He is urging us, inspiring us to work toward the best deeds.  He will judge our sincerity and intentions.  At the end of the ayah Allah mentions two of his names, Al-‘Azeez and Al-Ghafoor.  Allah is Al-Azeez, the All Mighty who can take your life at any time no matter how sad and tragic it may be.  He is capable of punishing you for your sins, but he is still Al-Ghafoor, The Forgiving.  He forgives us for our mistakes, for every time we fall into wrong and turn back to Him and seek forgiveness.  With both these attributes Allah keeps us in a state of fear and hope, a state we should always be in.  We should always fear His punishment and hope for His mercy.

(3) [And] who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks? 

Allah continues showing His might and power through examples of His creations.  Look at the skies and how perfectly they have been layered.  Notice the perfection in just this one creation of your Lord.  Think about the vastness of the universe and the billions of huge galaxies beyond us – all in perfect order.  Contemplate and think of who else has the power to create something so perfectly?  The things we make always have defects and are constantly updated and upgraded.  But the creations of Allah are perfect with no defects at all.

(4) Then return [your] vision twice again. [Your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued. 

We are told to reflect again and again and make it a habit to reflect upon these creations.  If you consistently and sincerely reflect then Allah will change your perspective.  If you find it difficult to give up desires in the way of Allah you need to first recognize who Allah is.  In order to recognize Him, you need to reflect upon His creations and remember his Greatness, His Might, His Mercy and all of His attributes.  Learn to fall in love with Allah while pondering over his creations.  We can also take this ayah to mean that you can stare at the sky day and night but you will never find any defect in it because the creations of Allah are perfect.

(5) And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.

Look in the evening and notice the beauty in the sky.  Look at the stars and the moon that Allah has created as lamps for us.  Everything Allah creates has a purpose.  The stars and the moon weren’t created only to adorn the sky but to also help us get a sense of direction at night.  They are also used as a form of protection for the heavens against the Shayateen.  (It was believed that soothsayers used Shayateen who ascended to the heavens to gather news of the unseen.  Allah is saying that they have no news of the unseen because the heavens are protected from them with these stars.)  Just as the heavens and earth were created for a reason, we have been created with a purpose as well – to worship Allah (SWT).  In the next part of the surah Allah (SWT) gives the result of those people to choose to live up to their purpose of creation and those who choose to follow their own ways.

• Those who see Ramadan as in inconvenient time of restrictions and preventions; a time of prohibitions from fun and indulgence.  They fast with great difficulties while continuing to be the way they are.  They see the fast as nothing more than cultural practice and as an obstacle in front of their usual life.
• Those who see Ramadan as a month of food and drink.  Most of their time is consumed going and coming from the grocery store purchasing food for themselves, families and guests.  Ramadan doesn’t increase them except in being pre-occupied with entertaining.  Though fasting from food is not a divine weight-loss plan and there is no harm in entertaining, provided that does not become the focus of the month
• Those who see Ramadan as an annual Muslim event and since everyone at home fasts, they too fast;  but there is no increase in…their prayers, neither in their God-concioussness nor improvement in their character.
• Those who are “Ramadan Muslims”; who pray, dress appropriately, give charity and read Qur’an…ONLY in Ramadan.  (Then they take a break from Islam till the next Ramadan)
• Those who can not wait for the arrival of Ramadan, and when it comes they go into top gear with their worship, their character development and their generosity.  Ramadan motivates, invigorates and rejuvenates them.

Which group do you belong to?

[[lecture by Sheikh Sadullah]]

Allah (SWT) begins describing the 3^rd group of people, the hypocrites, in these ayat.  Hypocrites are those people who have one thing in their heart and show another thing in their actions.  They are different than what they publicize.  These people will be in the lowest pit of the Hellfire in the Akhirah.

And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allāh and the Last Day,” but they are not believers.

The first quality Allah (SWT) mentions is that they say with their tongues that they are believers when they truly are not.  They do not prove their belief through their actions.  They say one thing, but do something else.  They call themselves Muslims, but are nowhere near to fulfill the commands of Allah (SWT).  It’s not enough for us to call ourselves by Muslim names such as Abdullah or Maryam or Muhammad thinking our label is sufficient.  We need to prove through our actions that we truly are Muslims.

They [think to] deceive Allāh and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.

What do they think, they are deceiving Allah (SWT)?  Do they think that Allah (SWT) does not know?  Do they think they can get away with all this? They are not deceiving anyone except themselves.  They are not harming anyone except themselves, if only they knew. Do you think when you hide all these secrets in your heart that no one knows?  Do you think you’re getting away with everything?  How will you get away from Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgment?  How will you hide your sins then?  You’re not hurting Allah (SWT) with this deception, you are only deceiving yourself and hurting yourself.

In their hearts is disease, so Allāh has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.

They have a disease in their heart, the disease of hypocrisy and doubt.  They live an uneasy life always confused and lost.  But the punishment will not end when they die, it will go on with a painful punishment in the Hereafter. They receive such a great punishment because they used to lie.  They lied to others and to themselves thinking they got away with all their white and black lies.  Well Allah (SWT) has news for you, you got away with nothing.  Instead, the cause of your destruction is your lying habit.

And when it is said to them, “Do not cause corruption on the earth,” they say, “We are but reformers.”

When you talk to these people and you tell them not to create problems on the earth, they say we are only doing good.  When they cause fights and spread gossip and lies, they try to justify their actions saying they are only trying to help.  They think they are doing something good when it is only creating problems.

Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.

Allah (SWT) affirms that they are creating problems and spreading corruption.  The sad part is that they don’t even realize it.  They continue to justify their wrong actions thinking they are doing something good.  But Allah (SWT) says that they are not helping anyone.  In fact, they are only harming themselves.

And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Should we believe as the foolish have believed?” Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.

When they are told to be good Muslims, follow the footsteps of Muhammad (S) and the Sahabahs and the righteous among them they laugh it off saying should we believe these foolish people?  Should we follow these “mullis” or “wahabis” or “religious” people who are too serious and don’t know how to have fun?  They are considered foolish because they don’t work for worldly gain and are ready to sacrifice anything for Allah (SWT).  Allah (SWT) responds to them saying that indeed the believers are not foolish but these hypocrites are but they don’t even know it.  They are ignorant and too occupied to get out of it.

And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers.”

Such people change faces depending on their circle of friends.  When they are with the believers they become “religious” and are “loyal” to them.  But when they are with the wrongdoers, those who fall into Shaytaan’s traps, they become like them.  They give excuses for being with the believers saying we were only with them to see how crazy they were and to mock them.  In simple words, they can be considered fake.

[But] Allāh mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.

Because they mock the believers, they receive a taste of their own medicine.  Allah (SWT) in response mocks the hypocrites and lets them wander blindly in dunya.  Because they chose to mislead themselves, Allah (SWT) allows them to wander away in disbelief.

Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided.

These people traded away the guidance they had for misguidance.  It’s as if they went to the store and bought 3 packs of misguidance for the price of 3 packs of guidance.  They received no benefit from this trade, only loss.  They were not guided because they chose misguidance over guidance.  They had the chance to follow the Qur’an, but they wanted to have fun in dunya instead.

-Ali ibn Abi Talib

Lessons from this hadith

If there is something that will benefit you, make every effort and go after it! Seek it out.
There is no failure, only lessons.

[taken from Muhammad Alshareef]

[[brainstormed through a lecture given by Bro. Nouman Ali Khan]]