My Guide to Understanding Islam 1

MY GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING ISLAM

MY GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING

Copyright © 2015 by Tughra Books

Originally published in Turkish as Yol Rehberim-1 in 2013.

18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Published by Tughra Books 345 Clifton Ave., Clifton, NJ, 07011, USA

www.tughrabooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Karagöl, Yusuf. [Yol rehberim. English]

My guide to understanding Islam / Yusuf Karagöl.

volumes cm

ISBN 978-1-59784-341-6 (alk. paper)

1. Islam. I. Title.

BP161.3.K354313 2015

297--dc23

2015001087

ISBN: 978-1-59784-341-6

Printed by Çağlayan A.Ş., Izmir - Turkey

CHAPTER 1

THE IMPORTANCE OF READING

Why a Student Should Read

Just as reading enables students to acquire metal prowess, it also develops thought function. It is well known that reading is conducive to richness of thought and actively engages the brain. Children who read also facilitate the work of parents and educators in the education process. Parents sending their children to expensive schools to see their educational investment pay off and enabling their children to attain everything they want is not sufficient, as children without a habit of reading have difficulty becoming good learners.

The cognitive function of generations who do not read is gradually atrophying, their capacity to generate ideas regressing, and they are unable to form sound communication with their environment due to their inadequate vocabularies. The inculcation of universal values, character and personal development, and a historical and cultural consciousness are only possible through the raising of generations who read, research and who possess a love of learning. During the education process, children need to improve themselves through reading. Regrettably, our children who are growing up watching television and playing computer games are increasingly losing their capacity for reading and are being deprived of the opportunity and possibility that reading provides. The thoughts of children who read and are read to are richer when

compared with their peers. Due to the fact that thought develops in parallel to knowledge, a child can only think to the extent of what they know. Thoughts unsupported by information remain shallow. Reading increases the child’s vocabulary and contributes positively to communication skills. Children who have acquired a habit or reading exhibit an increased communicative capacity. It ought to be stressed that individuals who are able to express themselves well in today’s information and communication society are those who are successful. Regular reading facilitates children’s learning and develops their ability to make accurate judgments. The mental capacity that books provide contributes to a person’s personal maturation through their positive impact on learning, inquiry and decision-making processes.

“The brain functions actively during reading, and a great many dynamic functions, cognitive information processing and memory-making processes are used actively. During reading and thinking, there is a recognized increase in the glucose burnt in many different parts of the brain. As a result of reading, different intelligence functions such as concentration, attention, comprehension and interpretation, as well as perceiving what is observed, develop in a positive way.

Books as Faithful Friends

In saying, “I lived with books and found peace with them. I loved the person in the book more than the person out on the street,” the late Cemil Meriç aptly expresses what a faithful friend books are.

Indeed, books are loyal companions that are with us at each and every moment. From time to time, we complain of not being able to find our friends by our side in times of difficulty, whereas books are not thus. They are right beside us whenever we need

them. Even if we are disloyal and do not turn their pages them for a long period of time, they patiently wait upon dusty shelves, take no offense, and do not respond with the same unfaithfulness. They embrace us with their knowledge and gnosis. They satiate our spirit and soothe us, and mold our lives.

And in doing so, they do not expect gratitude. They are always giving, as they are our congenial companions. That is why we had better not neglect them. Let us not leave our old friends upon dusty shelves, in attics or packed up in boxes. Look at what Muslim scholar Al-Jahiz, who leased libraries and read until morning, has to say in praise of books: “I know no animal product that despite its youth, the short time that elapsed since its birth, its modest price and its ready availability brings together so much excellent advice, so much rare knowledge, so many works by great minds and keen brains, so many lofty thoughts and sound doctrines, so much wise experience or so much information about bygone ages, distant lands, everyday sayings and demolished empires, as a book. It is a visitor whose visits may be rare, or frequent, or so continual that it follows you like your shadow and becomes a part of you.

Silent when silence is called for, it is eloquent when asked to speak. It is a bedside companion that does not interrupt when you are busy but welcomes you when you have a mind to it, and does not demand forced politeness or compel you to avoid its company… A book is a companion that does not flatter you, a friend that does not irritate you, a crony that does not weary you, a petitioner that does not wax importunate, a protégé that does not find you slow, and a friend that does not seek to exploit you by flattery, artfully wheedle you, cheat you with hypocrisy or deceive you with lies.”

Wasn’t Reading Unique to Those Who Could See?

A love of reading is a very important factor leading the human being to truth and this matter is one that requires an avid heart more than sight. The following incident is a fine demonstration of this:

“I left the house in a hurry. Advancing towards the metro station on the double, I planned the lesson I would teach my students on the one hand, while trying to proceed under the eaves, so as not to get wet under the drizzling rain, on the other. I went down to the metro station on the escalators. The knocking sounds coming from the long cane held by someone headed in the same direction as me, suddenly made me forget my rush and the thoughts running through my head. It was clear that he too was in a rush. He was advancing with paces almost as fast as mine, with the biggish bag on his back and the cane in his hand. After having looked a little more closely, I realized that this person was actually a woman and that she was, at the same time, visually impaired.

‘I wonder why she’s in such a rush,’ I said to myself. She had perhaps never seen the world before. Even if she advanced on her own and with her impairment, her manner and gait gave one the impression that she was a very self-confident individual. For a moment, I forgot everything. It was as though everything began to move in slow motion. Her sensing any possible obstacles by checking what was around her with her cane and making way for herself was perhaps a demonstration of her determination to live. I sensed that we had approached the stairs. Just as I was pondering as to whether or not I should help her down the stairs, she began making her way down. It was as if the world was as straight as an arrow and there were no obstacles in her way. Was there something on the edge of the cane directing her, or was this woman joking? Whilst trying to gather my thoughts, I realized that the train arrived at the station.

My curiosity drew me beside this woman and I got on the same carriage as her. After settling into her seat, she folded her cane, swiftly placing it in the front compartment of her bag. She then opened another compartment and just as I wondered whether she would remove something to eat or drink from her bag, I felt myself experiencing a deep sense of pity for her. Who knows just how much she wanted to see the world: trees, houses, people and eyes… There was so much to see…

I felt myself extremely privileged at that moment. The eyes were a window opening onto the world and I did not much appreciate them. When I caught sight of the thick book she took out of her bag, I immediately snapped out of these thoughts. Just as the thought that a visually impaired person was going to read a book crossed my mind, she fumbled through the pages with her fingertips and then stopped. Presumably she found the page she was looking for. She then immediately began moving her right index finger as well as her middle and ring fingers over the Braille. She was reading. But she could not see. I delved into thought for a few seconds. Wasn’t reading particular to those who could see? I got it! She was no longer reading with her eyes, but with her heart, her feelings, and her spirit… And I felt ashamed of myself. The book that I had been carrying in my bags for months on end and from which I had scarcely read a few pages came to my mind and then those which I had not read in years. If only they too had witnessed this thought-provoking and embarrassing scene. There are millions of people in this world. But reading… Why me? I became suddenly freed from my intermittent thoughts. She had read one page and had moved on to the next. It was clear from the masterful way she moved her fingers over the raised text that she was skilled in this regard. This meant that she was an avid reader. But what could she have read? It was not possible for

thousands of books, magazines and newspapers to be prepared daily, weekly for the visually impaired.

With the announcement, I realized that I had come to my stop. Only four minutes had passed and reading a book in even this little amount of time was so important. The visually impaired woman who taught me this lesson also placed her book in her bag and was preparing to get off at the next station. Shortly after, the train stopped. I first waited for her to disembark. She was advancing amidst all those people with the same knocking sound. I looked from behind her for a few seconds. It was as though those knocking sounds coming from the cane reverberated in my brain as, “Read… read… read… and be thankful.”

BELIEVING IN GOD

Believing in God Is the First Condition to Becoming a Muslim

Faith in God is the first condition of becoming a Muslim. It is only possible to fully believe in God through knowing Him by learning His attributes and to believe in Him in the way He describes in the Qur’an. In order to become a true believer, it is of the utmost significance to read and contemplate the Book God sent to us, in which He has conveyed the message and introduced Himself as well as what He expects us to do and not to do. Knowing and loving God is possible through trying to learn about Him.

God teaches us about Himself as follows in the Holy Qur’an: “Say: He—(He is) God, (Who is) the Unique One of Absolute Oneness. God—(God is He Who is) the Eternally-Besought-of-All (Himself being in need of nothing). He begets not, nor is He begotten. And comparable to Him there is none” (Al-Ikhlas 112:1–4).

Unless conditioned to deny the existence of God, one can easily rationalize His existence than his or her own existence. It is not too difficult to accomplish this. The existence and Attributes of God have been aptly described in many books. This kind of knowledge resembles a torch that we use to illuminate our way in dark places. What is essential is to find that torch and utilize it in an appropriate manner.

Every Piece of Work Requires a Craftsman

We know very well that every piece of work has an artist or a craftsman. Even a pen, a piece of chalk and a needle have an artisan. No one can claim that even such small things could have been formed purely by coincidence without the hand of a craftsman. Then the question is, “Are the bodies of animals, human beings and plants less complex structures than pencils and needles?” If even a spoon requires a craftsman, why do our eyes, ears and heads not have an artist and a craftsman? Each of our organs, as pieces of art, indicate the existence of an All-Knowing and Omnipotent God.

Nothing Can Come into Existence by Coincidence

It is evident that medicine is formed by the combination of various chemical substances in specific amounts. Can we say, “Those chemical substances came together by chance and formed this certain chemical formula known as medicine?” We absolutely cannot assume this.

All medicine has been formulated by a chemist, who has worked for years on these chemical substances and discovered the precise formula using his own knowledge and reasoning. This medicine points to a chemist. Accordingly, the bodies of human beings and other living creatures that are far more complex than the formulas of medicine are impossible to come into existence through the mixing of various elements within the soil by chance. Similar examples can be found; and all those examples lead us to conclude: It is impossible for living and inanimate things to come into existence by coincidence and on their own. Even though we cannot see with our eyes, there is the One, who is All-Knowing, All-Seeing and Omnipotent.

Story: Who Do You Think We Are With?

The Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Selim, in the last days of his life, asked his friend Hasan Can: “Hasan! What do you think of me?”

Hasan Can told him: “Excellency, it seems that it is time to go to God. Turn to God!”

“Dear Hasan! Who did I turn to all this time? Have you ever seen me in error against God?” asked the Sultan.

“Excellency, I have never thought of you like this. But now is a very important moment for you and does not compare to the rest of your life. I just wanted to remind you this.”

As Hasan Can was telling these words to the Sultan, Yavuz Selim bore witness for the last time uttering, “There is no deity but God and Muhammad is His Messenger,” and passed away.

Our Cells Do Not Exist by Chance

When we see fifty chairs in a spacious room scattered around sporadically, we would think “They placed those chairs sporadically and it looks messy in here.” However, if the chairs were aligned in order, we would see order, neatness and beauty. Then, we would think that someone who has the taste and a sense of order must have aligned all those chairs. We would say that even though we did not see this person, there must be someone who organized the chairs.

Does it make more sense to believe that all the bricks came together by coincidence and built a dome than to accept that there is actually an artisan who erects the building? If one does not acknowledge that there exists an artisan who erects the building, he would have to claim that the bricks that happened to come together should act both as an object, a subject and a skillful artist.

There exist approximately 100 trillion cells in an adult human body. Cells are the smallest organisms that form the body of a human being. The 500 bricks necessary to build a chicken coop do not form it by chance. Similarly, how can trillions of cells, which do not have a mind, be expected to form a human body by coincidence or on their own?

Qur’anic Verses

Read in and with the Name of your Lord, Who has created— created human from a clot clinging (to the wall of the womb). Read, and your Lord is the All-Munificent, Who has taught (human) by the pen—taught human what he did not know. (Al-Alaq 96:1–5).

And those who believe in what is sent down to you, and what was sent down before you (such as the Torah, Gospel and Psalms, and the Scrolls of Abraham), and in the Hereafter, they have certainty of faith. (Al-Baqarah 2:4).

(Despite the commitment and energy you show in striving to help people to believe,) those who willfully persist in unbelief, it is alike to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; (although it is your mission to warn them and you do it without any neglect,) they will not believe. (Al-Baqarah 2:6).

But no! By your Lord, they do not (truly) believe unless they make you the judge regarding any dispute between them, and then find not the least vexation within themselves over what you have decided, and surrender in full submission. (An-Nisa 4:65).

Whoever takes God and His Messenger and those who believe for guardian and confidant, then surely the party of God (that they constitute), they are the victors. (Al-Maedah 5:56).

Eat (as lawful, pure and wholesome) from that which God has provided for you; and in due reverence for Him, keep from disobedience to God, in Whom you have faith. (Al-Maedah 5:88).

Prophetic Traditions

The Messenger of God said: “The one who recites the Qur’an and he is proficient with it, then he is with the noble and blessed Angels (As-Safaratil-Kiramil-Bararah), and it is difficult for him, then he gets two rewards.” ( Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2904).

The Messenger of God said: “A believer who recites the Qur’an is like an orange whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet; a believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste; and the hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like a basil whose fragrance is sweet, but whose taste is bitter; and a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like the colocynth which has no fragrance and has a bitter taste.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 288).

The Messenger of God said: “One who was devoted to the Qur’an will be told to recite, ascend and recite carefully as he recited carefully when he was in the world, for he will reach his abode when he comes to the last verse he recites.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 8, Hadith 49).

QUESTIONS

1) Which of the following is not one of the benefits of reading?

A) Enables acquisition of metal prowess

B) Develops thought function

C) Makes the brain function actively

D) Makes the body active

2) During reading and thinking, there is a recognized increase in the _______ burnt in many different parts of the brain. As a result of reading, different intelligence functions such as concentration, attention, comprehension and interpretation, as well as perceiving what is observed, develop favorably in the child. Select the word which best fills in the blank left in the above statement.

A) Galactose

B) Glucose

C) Fructose

D) Sucrose

3) Which characteristic of books does the late Cemil Meriç point to in the statement, “I lived with books and found peace with them. I loved the person in the book more than the person out on the street”?

A) A faithful friend

B) Cultural richness

C) Information storehouse

D) A Good friend

4) Which of the following is the first condition of becoming a Muslim?

A) Observing the Prescribed Prayer

B) Belief in God

C) Worship

D) Striving in God’s cause

5) Who was the close friend that Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Selim kept by his side in the last days of his life?

A) Aq Shams al-Din

B) Shaykh Edebali

C) Hasan Can

D) Haji Bayram Wali

CHAPTER 2

BELIEF

Stepping down from the Pulpit

When Imam Azam Abu Hanifa was still a young man, a fire-worshiping merchant was visiting the city of Basra for trade. But he provoked the Muslims by telling them, “I worship fire. It exists, therefore I believe in it. Show me the God you claim to worship. You absolutely cannot do that since He does not exist. Bring these scholars of yours and I will prove that God does not exist.”

Some Muslims challenged him saying: “If you can convince Abu Hanifa or disprove his arguments, we will bring our scholars to debate with you.”

Seeing that Abu Hanifa was very young, the fire-worshipper belittled him saying: “This is only a child. I am not going to waste my time arguing with a child.”

However, upon the insistence of the crowd, they decided to meet for a debate at the mosque the following day.

Because Abu Hanifa was a little late for the meeting the next day, the fire-worshipper wanted to insult him: “See, your little boy is afraid to come here. I do not want to argue with children. Call your scholars here!”

The people got worried, too. Then, Abu Hanifa arrived and he was sweating a lot.

“I am so sorry I am late! I was on the other side of the river. I could not find a vehicle to cross the river. I ordered the trees

along the riverbank to become a boat or a ship so that I could cross over it. They listened to what I told them and they turned into a boat so I was able to come here. This is why I am late. I apologize!”

Bursting into laughter, the fire-worshipper said: “Do you hear what this insane boy of yours tells us? How can trees turn into a boat on their own?”

Hearing the man’s reasoning, Abu Hanifa responded: “You assume that a boat cannot be built without an artisan. How can you believe that the whole universe can exist on its own without a craftsman building it?”

The people agreed with what Abu Hanifa said. Yet, the fire-worshipper continued: “Why is your God invisible then? The things that exist are visible.”

Abu Hanifa asked the man: “Do you have intellect?”

“Of course,” said the man.

“Show it to us then!” insisted Abu Hanifa.

When the man admitted, “I cannot show it.”

Abu Hanifa said: “Maybe you do not have it! Yes, the entities such as soul and mind cannot be seen, yet their existence is known, which means not every entity is visible.”

Showing their approval for Abu Hanifa’s explanation, the people bore witness out loud. And the man got angry. He asked: “What is your God busy with right now?”

“Step down from the pulpit and I will answer your question when I climb up there,” said Abu Hanifa. And when he got up there, he explained: “At this moment, God is busy with having an ignorant person like you stepping down from the pulpit and having a child like me climb up to it to give a lesson.”

Seeing the genius of Abu Hanifa, the man had to yield. He thanked Abu Hanifa and embraced Islam right there as the people bore witness.

The Whole Creation Speaks of Him

A bee makes honey with the nectar it extracts from thousands of flowers. It determines its direction according to the sun and then, like an excellent engineer, aligns that honey in geometric forms and in an artistic fashion in the hive. Who taught the bee which flowers contain honey, how to find its direction according to the sun, and how to achieve that artistic honey construction? As soon as a mosquito takes begins to fly, it sets off suck the human being’s blood. Who taught it the savor and benefit of human blood? As soon as it feels threatened it immediately takes flight and protects itself skillfully from fatal blows. From which pilot did the mosquito learn to move so professionally in the air?

All eels in the world spawn to the south of the Bermuda and return to the place from where they originally came and spend their lives there. Who whispers to the newly hatched eels to return to the habitats of their fathers? Just how do these fish go back to the native waters of their forebears (India, Malaysia, the Mediterranean, etc.) without navigational instruments or knowledge? A hen sits on its eggs on the first of the incubation period and turns the eggs every day except on the twentieth and this is how chicks eventually hatch. Scientists used to think that this egg turning occurred as a result of heat. And so, they attempted to get chicks by providing heat to eggs in an incubator. But they were unsuccessful. In later studies, they discovered that protein built up beneath the egg and that in order for this protein to be equally distributed to the chick, the egg needed to be turned. In which science laboratory did the hen learn all this? Who taught all this information to succeeding generations of chickens?

Wasps first make a nest and then deposit their eggs in this nest. They then hunt for tree crickets, capture and paralyze them with their sting, and transport them to the nest, thus making

ready the food supply of the larvae to emerge in twenty days. Who taught the adult wasp not to kill, but immobilize the crickets and the larvae to carry out the same process at the onset of their reproductive cycle, despite not ever having seen their parents?

When such birds of prey as eagles, hawks and falcons are killed the number of snakes increase, when snakes are killed the number of frogs increase, and when frogs are killed flies increase. Who is it who binds the existence of all these creatures to each another and who establishes this astonishing order?

As is well known, bats are blind. They do not collide with objects while flying by emitting sound waves. Human beings invented radar on the basis of their observation of bats. Does not the human being, who is overcome with astonishment before the perfection of radar, need to see Who the bat learned this from? Thus, this magnificent order in the universe points to the existence and unity of a controller Who governs this order and demonstrates His possessing an infinite power, knowledge and will. This Being is God.

WORSHIP

What is Worship?

Worship denotes servanthood. In the religious context, worship refers to carrying out God’s commandments and shunning the prohibited in order to earn His good pleasure and approval, and to perform servitude to Him in the manner prescribed by the religion. Worship is to do what God is pleased with and to refrain from doing that with which He is displeased.

That is to say, worship is the manner of putting belief into practice. It is belief that is exhibited with the remaining bodily limbs and organs, apart from the faith of the heart. Moreover, worship are the set of actions where servitude to God—or a person’s arranging all their relationships with their environment, human beings and all creation in accordance with Divine approval and pleasure—shows itself.

God has enjoined worship for human beings on account of certain religious wisdoms and purposes. For this reason, worship is a Divine commandment and a religious obligation; it is a right pertaining to God. God Himself charged human beings with worship and taught it to them by means of His Messenger. Consequently, worship neither increases nor decreases. It does not change with the changing times. The way in which God commanded and the Messenger demonstrated it is precisely how it is done.

Worship is divided into three categories on the basis of the manner of their observance:

1. Worship performed with the body: Like the Prescribed Daily Prayer and fasting. These acts of worship need to be performed by the person themselves, with the body. These acts of worship cannot be performed by means of appointing any other on their behalf.

2. Worship performed with one’s wealth: These include the prescribed purifying alms, charity and the alms given during the month of Ramadan, which are carried out by giving a portion of one’s wealth to those in need for the sake of God.

3. Worship performed both with one’s wealth and body: Like the major and minor Pilgrimages, for instance, that require financial means as well as health needed for the journey.

Story: Don’t Underestimate Any Act of Worship

One day, an itinerant who distributed free water on one of Baghdad’s main streets was heard making the following supplication: “May Allah allow those who drink of my water to drink from the rivers of Paradise.” Great Sufi Ma’ruf al-Karkhi immediately approached and drank from the man’s water even though he was observing the voluntary fast. Those around him warned him saying, “You were fasting. You didn’t need to break your fast after the afternoon Prayer, or had you forgotten?”

“No,” he replied, “I neither forgot, nor overlooked the fact that it was just after the afternoon Prayer.”

“Then why did you drink the water,” they asked once more. He explained the situation as follows:

“You never know where the Lord’s approval lies. It is quite likely that this innocent man’s Prayer is more acceptable to God than my supererogatory fast. I opted to drink from his water in order to be favored with being one of the people intended by this supplication. I can observe this fast again, but I cannot receive this Prayer again.”

Indeed the outcome was just as he had hoped for after his death, a close relation who saw him in a dream asked him, “You had much goodness and worship. For which of these did our Lord favor and reward you most?” His response was exactly the following: “The Prayer of the man for whose water I broke fast was more valuable than all of them!”

Indeed, do not underestimate or think little of any act of goodness or worship, for no one knows in which one of these Divine approval and pleasure is hidden. What you deem to be small, the Lord highly esteems and renders a means for your forgiveness.

The Human Being Finds Peace and Attains Maturity through Worship

Human beings themselves are in need of worship. When a person falls ill, they go to the doctor and after the doctor diagnoses that person’s illness; they prescribe certain medications for their treatment. They then insist upon the patient’s taking their medication. In exactly the same way, acts of worship are like the prescription written by God Himself for the treatment of the human being’s spiritual wounds and sicknesses. The peace and happiness of humanity is only possible through their observance of their worship. A person whose heart is exuberant with servitude to God attains spiritual satiation. To the extent that they ascend to a level of servanthood with which God is pleased, they feel the

deepest jubilation in their inner world and experience pleasures that defy description. By virtue of the spiritual pleasures such a person receives, they are able to stand unshaken in the face of any trial or difficulty confronting them in their daily lives. This is because they have relied upon and hav,e complete trust in God Almighty, the only Creator of all things and events. The greatest blessing for us as servants is our exertion to realize our duty of servanthood to our Lord. Such an endeavor brings peace to both the person themselves as well as to their environment.

Qur’anic Verses

I have not created the jinn and humankind but to (know and) worship Me (exclusively). (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56).

Assuredly, it is I. I am God; there is no deity save Me. So worship Me, and establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions for remembrance of Me. (Ta-Ha 20:14).

Now O humankind! Worship your Lord Who has created you as well as those before you (and brought you up in your human nature and identity), so that you may attain reverent piety toward Him and His protection (against any kind of straying and its consequent punishment in this world and the Hereafter). (Al-Baqarah 2:21).

You alone do We worship, and from You alone do we seek help. (Al-Fatiha 1:5).

But they were not enjoined anything other than that they should worship God, sincere in faith in Him and practicing the Religion purely for His sake, as people of pure faith; and establish the Prayer in accordance with its conditions; and pay the Prescribed Purifying Alms. And that is the upright, ever-true Religion. (Al-Bayyina 98:5).

And (continue to) worship your Lord until what is certain (death) comes to you. (Al-Hijr 15:99).

Prophetic Traditions

The Messenger of God said: “O Allah, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to Your obedience.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 29).

The Messenger of God said: “Ihsan (God-consciousness) is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah sees you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 60, Hadith 300).

It was narrated from Mutarrif that his father said: “I came to the Prophet when he was praying, and there was a sound coming from his chest like the sound of water boiling (meaning, he was weeping).” (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Book 13, Hadith 36).

The Prophet used to pray so much that his feet used to become edematous or swollen, and when he was asked as to why he prays so much, he would say, “Shall I not be a thankful servant (to Allah)?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 81, Hadith 60).

QUESTIONS

1) In which city did the incident between Imam Abu Hanifa when he still a young man and a fire-worshiping merchant take place?

A) Basra C) Damascus

B) Baghdad D) Najaf

2) Where do all the world’s eels deposit their eggs each year?

A) Alaska C) Austria

B) Madagascar D) Bermuda

3) When such birds of prey as eagles, hawks and falcons are killed the number of snakes increase, when snakes are killed the number of frogs increase, and when frogs are killed _______ increase. Who is it Who binds the existence of all these creatures to each another and Who establishes this astonishing order? Which of the following animals best fills in the blank in the above sentence?

A) Flies

B) Crickets

C) Bees

D) Butterflies

4) _______ denotes servanthood. In the religious context, _______ refers to carrying out God’s commandments and shunning the prohibited in order to earn His good pleasure and approval, and to perform servitude to Him in the manner prescribed by the religion. Which of the following words best fills in the blanks in the above sentences?

A) Prescribed Prayer

B) Worship

C) Belief

D) Prescribed Purifying Alms

5) Which of the following is not one of the acceptable forms of worship?

A) Worship performed with worldly benefits

B) Sincere worship performed with the body

C) Worship performed with one’s wealth for the sake of God

D) Worship performed with one’s wealth and body in the path of God

CHAPTER 3

THE PRESCRIBED PRAYER

Why Must We Observe the Prescribed Prayer?

The Prescribed Prayer is like the twin sibling of belief. It is very difficult to separate the two. It is the most important act of worship following belief. The greatest truth in Islam, after belief, is the Prescribed Daily Prayer. In this sense, the Prescribed Prayer can be referred to as applied belief, while belief can be referred to as theoretical Prayer. It is a call to Ascension from beyond the heavens, for the human being who has grown weary of the stifling atmosphere of the world. Responding to this call is the most vital duty of servanthood of every believer. When God’s Messenger was asked, “What is the most beloved of actions to Allah?” he replied, “The Prayer observed at its proper time.” For this reason, the believer must duly observe their Prayer by entering into the presence of their Lord, the Possessor of Infinite Power Who exercises His absolute authority over everything, at least five times each day. Our Lord demands this of us:

“Tell those of My servants who believe that they must establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions…” (Ibrahim 14:31). The Prescribed Prayer is the pillar of religion. As you know, it is the pillars, the columns of a building that support it. Without them, the building cannot remain standing. By the same token, the Prescribed Prayer is the pillar of the edifice of Islam. Without it, a person’s servanthood is fraught with severe troubles and tremors.

Neglecting the Prescribed Prayer is a grave sin. God’s Messenger says that the first deed for which people will be called to account on the Day of Reckoning is the Prescribed Prayer.

God values the Prescribed Prayer and the believer who observes the Prayer. A believer must place as much value on the Prescribed Prayer as God does, because holding that which God values in esteem and to that same degree is a mark of the heart’s connection with God.

I Thought You Weren’t Coming to the Mosque!

When we ran into each other on the street, the call to Prayer was being recited.

“Come, let me take you to the mosque,” I said. “You know that it’s Friday today.”

“And you know that I do not go to the mosque,” he said.

“I know, but I really wonder why.”

“I don’t know, I just can’t,” he said. “And I worry that my trousers will get creased and that they’ll bag out at the knees.”

I began laughing involuntarily.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. “Would a person stop going to the mosque because of this?”

“I’m serious,” he said. “You know how I am with my clothing and especially the color green.”

That is how he truly was. He would always choose the clothes he wore, each more beautiful than the other, from different shades of green and would invariably keep them crisply ironed.

“Alright,” I said. “Haven’t you ever been to the mosque before?”

“I went a few times as a kid, with my grandfather,” he said. “And I suspect that I didn’t worry at that age that my knees would bag out. But I don’t think that I can go to the mosque anymore.”

His words had extremely surprised me and made me regret ever bringing up the topic in the first place. We later shook hands and part ways. Two months after our conversation with him they said that he was at the mosque. I went straightaway. He was at the front of the first row for Prayer and again had green on him. I slowly approached him and said in a low voice, “I thought you weren’t coming to the mosque?”

He said nothing, as he was lying upon the marble platform, in a coffin draped in green cloth.

Story: Life as Short as the Distance between a Call to Prayer without Prayer and Prayer without the Call to Prayer

A grandfather was conversing with his grandchild. With curiosity, the grandchild asked his grandfather with a beard as white as snow and face glowing like the sun, “Grandpa, how long is a lifetime?”

His grandfather replied with a smile, “As long as the time between the call to Prayer and the Prayer.”

“How so? Is this how short a lifetime is?”

“Yes, dear boy,” he replied. “Life is as short as the time between the call to Prayer without Prayer and Prayer without the call to Prayer.” His grandson asked again, “I can’t quite understand what you mean by the call to Prayer without Prayer and Prayer without the call to Prayer, Grandpa. Can you please tell me what this means?”

Affectionately holding his grandson’s hand, he began explaining, “Our neighbor had a child recently. The call to Prayer was recited in the child’s ear, wasn’t it? But was the Prayer of that call to Prayer performed? No. That call to Prayer was without the

Prayer. When a person dies, the Funeral Prayer that is performed does not have a call to Prayer that is recited beforehand. And that is a Prayer without the call to Prayer. In actual fact, the call to Prayer for that Prayer was recited in the human being’s ear when they were born. That call to Prayer actually warned the person saying, ‘Watch and see, O human being! You have been born, but you will die. Life passes quickly so use it wisely. You have no time to waste!’ So you see, dear boy, a lifetime is as short as the distance between the call to Prayer and the Prayer. Whatever you do, don’t waste it. Live your life to the fullest and don’t even leave a void of even a single breath.”

Daily Prayer Is the Pillar of Religion

You set off to go somewhere. Your car breaks down in the middle of the road and it is not something you can handle. You start to wait hopelessly. Then, another car shows up and the driver stops when he sees you. He gives you a ride to a nearby city. He helps you find a mechanic and have your car fixed.

How will you treat that person who helps you through your hard times? Will you walk away from him without even thanking him for what he has done for you? Or will you be grateful and keep on thanking him? Of course, you would like to thank him. Let us think about who else we thank every day for various reasons. We are grateful to our mother who cooks for us, our father who gives us an allowance, our friend who buys us a coffee or who lends us his eraser during the exam, our doctor who takes care of us and the grocery store owner, the butcher and other artisans that we buy our needs from.

Now let us consider all the blessings our Creator, who brings us into existence as the noblest being on Earth, bestows upon us. Imagine all the beauties the Great Lord has created for us.

Would you exchange your brain for anything? How important are our eyes for us? Our hands, feet, mouth and nose…

What about nature? The sun, stars, plants, various kinds of fruit, vegetables, mountains and seas…

Bees that make honey, cattle that give milk and clouds that bring us rain… The blessings bestowed upon us by God are countless.

We deem it important to thank our friends for a small favor they do for us. Thus, do we not need to be grateful to our Creator who gives us numerous blessings? We would consider it a serious fault if we did not thank a person who does us a favor. Is it not a great mistake not to thank God for what He blesses us with?

What we are supposed to do in return for what God gives us is to thank Him by worship. Worship is when we obey God’s orders only to please Him and to earn His favor. Daily Prayer (five times a day) is the essence of all religious practices for Prayer includes all other practices.

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Prayer is the pillar of religion.” A pillar is a fundamental structure that supports a building. Likewise, Prayer supports our faith. In another hadith, the Messenger of God said, “Daily Prayer and the Friday Prayer are atonement as long as one does not commit the major sins,” through which he emphasized the significance of Prayer to purge us from sins.

Prayer Is So Easy To Do and So Profitable

God gives us 24 hours in a day. Each hour is golden. Performing all five Prayers in a day takes only an hour in total. A person that spares one hour out of 24 makes an invaluable investment in the eternal life in Heaven.

Could you imagine a person who spends 23 hours of a day for this ephemeral life and not use just one hour to turn it into an eternal life?

Prayer Is the Second Most Important Truth after Faith

God mentions Prayer right after faith in many sections of the Qur’an. He defines the faithful as “those who believe and do good deeds.” And Prayer is the principal good deed. Prayer is mentioned 87 times in the Qur’an. The Prophet even mentioned Prayer in his will, “Hold on to the Prayer! Observe the rights of those under your care.” Anas ibn Malik, one of the Prophet’s Companions, reported that the Prophet repeatedly said this until the moment he passed away.

Prayer Is the Symbol of Loyalty to God

God enjoins believers to perform the Prayer. Wouldn’t the faithful who aim to earn God’s love fulfill what God expects him to do? All the angels, Prophets and saints deem it as the most important act of pledging allegiance to God and to prove this loyalty through Prayer.

When they saw Prophet Muhammad’s feet swollen due to performing Prayer until morning, they asked why he was so busy with Prayer. He answered, “Should I not then be a grateful servant?”

Prayer Shows Trust in God

Human being is created weak, impotent and needy. Thus, he needs to illustrate his trust in God, the Omnipotent, the All-Merciful. Prayer is a means to show one’s trust in God. A believer proclaims his allegiance to God five times a day through Prayer.

Story (by Ömer Seyfettin): The First Prayer

It must have been a winter day like this. She combed my hair with her delicate fingers as I was sleeping on the small bed in the small room next to hers and she whispered:

“Umar, my son, wake up, dear!”

I was awake already. The small lantern, which was in the form of a cat’s head, on top of my small writing desk in the corner of my room illuminated the curtains and was looking into my eyes through its green glass.

“But mother, it is still dark,” I complained.

Kissing me on the corner of my left eyebrow, as she always did, she said:

“No, it is 5:00 am already. We don’t want to miss the time.”

And she helped me get up by holding my arms gently. I followed her, putting my slippers on and rubbing my eyes with my hands. We passed through the entrance and entered her room.

The heating stove looked like a man sitting cross-legged.

“Goodness! Pervin is awake too,” I uttered.

Pervin was our housekeeper. She was taking the yellow pitcher from the stove. I never thought that she would be awake at this hour. Mother said: “Pervin wakes up every day at this time.”

I was surprised to hear that she woke up so early everyday while I was asleep. They took my sweater off. I kneeled down beside the ablution tub. Mother told me that I would get tired kneeling down. So, she gave me a small stool to sit on.

“Say Bismillah (In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate).”

Pervin was pouring the warm water into my palms and my mother was watching me. “Now your face, your arms, three times…” she whispered. “What about wiping your head…” she

tried to correct my mistakes. After the ablution was over, my mother and I chanted some supplications as I wiped my face and arms with a towel. Pervin helped me wipe my feet and put on my socks. I moved closer to the stove to warm up. I saw my mother spreading the Prayer mat on the floor when I turned around. Then, she called me as she wore her green headscarf: “Come!”

I stood beside my mother feeling her sincerity and sublime happiness. She repeated what we were going to do: “Two rakahs (cycles) of Sunnah. I hope you did not forget what I taught you last night.”

“No.”

“Let’s start, then!”

I emulated her as she started the movements, which are different for men and women. She gently corrected me with a smile on her face when the Sunnah was over.

“My dear son! You are not a woman. Men are supposed to raise their hands up to the back of their ears at the beginning of the Prayer.”

Raising my hands up to my ears with her gentle hands, she told me:

“This is how men are supposed to start the Prayer.”

Negligence Is in Wakefulness

Once the Companions traveled with God’s Messenger and walked through the night. When some of the Companions later asked God’s Messenger to allow them to rest, he said, “I am afraid that you might sleep past the Prayer.”

Upon Bilal’s saying, “I will wake you up,” God’s Messenger allowed for them to take rest.

They made a stopover in a suitable location and so exhausted was everyone that they immediately lay down and fell asleep.

Staying awake to keep watch, Bilal rested his back against his saddle but his eyes too became heavy from exhaustion and he fell asleep. When the Prophet woke up, the sun had already appeared and he said, “Bilal, what about what you said!”

Bilal said, “I have never before been overcome by such a sleep,” to which the Messenger of God replied, “God takes your souls when He wills and returns them to you when He wills. Bilal, get up and call the people to Prayer.”

Then he performed the ritual ablution and when the sun had risen, he stood up and led the Morning Prayer for the congregation. They then continued on their journey. Along the way, the Companions were troubled with the thought that they had been neglectful in their Prayer. Noticing their uneasiness, God’s Messenger said, “There is no negligence when one is asleep, rather negligence is when one is awake. If any one of you forgets a Prayer or sleeps and misses it, let them pray it when they remember it.”

By Means of Much Prostration

Ibn Ka’b al-Aslami said, “I was with the Messenger of God one night. I brought him his water for the ablution, and whatever else he needed. He said, ‘Ask of me.’

I said, ‘I ask you for your company in Paradise.’ He said, ‘Something else as well?’

I said, ‘I want only this.’ He said, ‘Help me against your self by means of a lot of prostration.’”

Qur’anic Verses

Establish the Prayer, and pay the Prescribed Purifying Alms (the Zakah); and bow (in the Prayer, not by forming a different community or congregation, but) together with those who bow (the Muslims). (Al-Baqarah 2:43).

(Know that) the Prayer (being the most important kind of worship) is prescribed for the believers at fixed times. (An-Nisa 4:103).

Especially those who do the Prayer in conformity with all its conditions, and those who pay the Prescribed Purifying Alms, and the believers in God and the Last Day (as both must be believed in): to them will We will grant a tremendous reward. (An-Nisa 4:162).

Order your family and community to establish the Prayer, and be diligent in its observance. (Ta-Ha 20:132).

Prophetic Traditions

Rifa’a ibn Rafi az-Zuraqi narrated: “One day we were praying behind the Prophet. When he raised his head from bowing, he said, Sami al-lahu liman hamidah. A man behind him said, Rabbana wa laka l-hamdu, hamdan kathiran tayyiban mubarakan fihi (O our Lord! All the praises are for You, many good and blessed praises). When the Prophet completed the prayer, he asked, ‘Who has said these words?’ The man replied, ‘I.’ The Prophet said, ‘I saw over thirty angels competing to write it first.’ Prophet rose (from bowing) and stood straight till all the vertebrae of his spinal column came to a natural position.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Adhan, 126).

It was narrated that Abu Ayyub said: “A man came to the Prophet and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, teach me but make it concise.’ He said: ‘When you stand to pray, pray like a man bidding farewell. Do not say anything for which you will have to apologize. And give up hope for what other people have.’” (Sunan ibn Majah, Zuhd, 15; Musnad, 5/312).

Jabir narrated: “The Prophet said: ‘Between disbelief and faith is abandoning the Prayer.’” (Sahih Muslim, Iman, 134).

Uthman bin Affan narrated that Allah’s Messenger said: “Whoever attends Isha Prayer in congregation, then he has (the reward as if he had) stood half of the night. And whoever prays Isha and Fajr in congregation, then he has (the reward as if he had) spend the entire night standing (in Prayer).” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Salah, 165).

Amr ibn Sa’id ibn al-As reported: “I was with Uthman that he called for ablution water and said: ‘I heard Allah’s Messenger say: ‘When the time for a Prescribed Prayer comes, if any Muslim perform ablution well and offers his Prayer with humility and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins, so long as he has not committed a major sin; and this applies to for all times.’” (Sahih Muslim, Tahara, 10).

QUESTIONS

1) Which of the following is the greatest truth after belief and the most important worship after belief?

A) Prescribed Prayer

B) Fasting

C) Prescribed Purifying Alms

D) Pilgrimage

2) Which of the following is the deed most loved by God?

A) Late Night Prayer

B) Fasting during the Three Sacred Months

C) The Prayer performed at its proper time

D) The Awwabin Prayer

3) How many times has the Prescribed Prayer been mentioned in the Qur’an?

A) 85

B) 86

C) 87

D) 88

4) Who is the writer of the first story about the Prescribed Prayer?

A) Kemalettin Tuğcu

C) Necip Fazıl Kısakürek

B) Mehmet Akif Ersoy D) Ömer Seyfettin

5) God’s Messenger and his Companions walked throughout the night during a journey. Due to the Companion who kept watch throughout the night having fallen asleep also, they had to make up for the Morning Prayer. Who was this Companion?

A) Bilal

C) Anas

B) Ali D) Abu Bakr

CHAPTER 4

THE RIGHTS OF PARENTS

Such Sacrifice

“Can I see my baby?” asked the new mother. A soft bundle was placed in her arms and the happy mother rushed to open the blanket to see the tiny face of her baby. She was left speechless in astonishment at what she saw. The doctor watching the mother and baby hastily turned his face away from them and began looking out the window. The baby had no ears.

Ensuing medical examinations indicated that the baby’s hearing had not been affected, but that there was only the absence of ears, which caused disfigurement.

Years passed, the infant grew up and started school. Upon return home from school one day he threw himself in his mother’s arms and was sobbing. This was his first great disappointment. Crying, he said, “One of the big kids called me a monstrosity,” and continued sobbing.

The small child grew up thus. He was popular among his classmates and was a successful student. He could have even been class captain, if he had only mingled with his peers.

“You must mix with young people,” his mother always told him, but at the same time she felt a deep sense of pity and compassion. The young man’s father consulted the family doctor about his son’s situation.

“Can’t something be done,” he asked.

The doctor said, “An organ transplant is possible, if a pair of ears can be found.”

The search then began for someone who could give up their ears for a young man. Two years later, his father said, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Your mother and I have found someone who will give you their ears, but don’t forget that this is a secret.”

The operation was a great success and now he, too, had ears. His emotional state improving with his new appearance, the youth achieved great success in his academic and social life. He later married and became a diplomat. Many years passed and one day the boy went to his father and asked, “I want to know the person who has done me so much kindness? I haven’t been able to do anything for them…”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do for them,” his father said. “But the agreement is clear. You can’t find out right now. Not yet.”

This deep secret was kept hidden for years. But one day, the time had come for it to be revealed…

On one of the darkest days of his life, he was waiting with his father beside his mother’s body. His father slowly extended his hand to his mother’s head and gently pushed back her golden brown hair. His mother had no ears…

What God’s Messenger Enjoins about the Rights of Parents

The following Prophetic Traditions are most meaningful with respect to their demonstrating the sensitivity of God’s Messenger in the matter of the rights of parents:

A Companion came to God’s Messenger requesting permission to partake in jihad. The Prophet asked (despite knowing the response),

“Are your parents alive?” When the Companion replied, “Yes,” he said, “Then exert yourself on their behalf (in service to them).”

The Messenger of God was aware that that Companion’s parents were alive and in need of care. That Companion wanted to perform jihad in the path of exalting and communicating the Divine Name and message.

There was, however, the possibility of being killed or wounded on the battlefield. Jihad is a great ideal aimed at striving to exalt the Name of God, an ideal of which there is no greater.

To those once asking, “O God’s Messenger, which deed is equal to jihad undertaken in the path of God?” he replied, “You do not have the strength to do it.”

The question was repeated twice or even thrice, but each time he answered, “You do not have the strength to undertake it.” Then he said, “One who goes out for jihad (mujahid) in God’s cause is like a person who observes the fast, stands in Prayer constantly, recites and obeys the verses of the Qur’an and does not exhibit any laxity in fasting and Prayer until the one undertaking jihad in God’s way returns.”

Whilst embarking upon precisely such a struggle for which there is no equivalent, the Messenger of God, taking into consideration the sorrowful situation of his indigent parents, instructed the individual seeking permission to participate in jihad to, “Exert yourself on their behalf (in service to them).”

In another narration in Sahih Muslim a Companion said, “I pledge allegiance to you for emigration and jihad, seeking the reward only from God.” God’s Messenger said, “Is one from amongst your parents living?” When the Companion said, “Yes, both are living,” the Prophet said, “You mean to say that you seek reward from God?” Upon the Companion’s saying, “Yes,” God’s Messenger said, “Then go back to your parents and accord them benevolent treatment (for God’s approval lies herein).”

In another narration a Companion said, “I left my parents who were in tears.” The Messenger of God said, “Go back to them and make them laugh as you made them weep.” Those unfortunate souls who leave their parents elsewhere and abandon them must return to them without delay and must make them laugh as they have made them weep. They must not give way to such empty consolations as nursing homes and must embrace their parents, who perpetually cherished and nestled them, keeping them well away from these places of separation and longing, for their parents wish to be with their children, spring to life with love for their grandchildren, and live in the warmth of a home in which they can share everything. The Messenger of God asked a great many individuals seeking permission for jihad or emigration whether or not their parents were still living, in consideration of their need for care, their loneliness and yearning, old age and weakness. As a result, he sent some of them back to attend to the needs of their parents and gave others various types of counsel. For instance, to Jahima who approached him saying, “O Messenger of God! I too want to participate in military expedition and I have come to consult you in this matter,” he asked, “Do you have a mother?” Jahima said, “Yes.” God’s Messenger then replied, “Then stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet.”

Gratitude towards the Creator and then towards One’s Parents

God Almighty declares in the Qur’an: “We have enjoined on human in respect with his parents: his mother bore him in strain upon strain, and his weaning was in two years. (So, O human,) be thankful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the final homecoming” (Luqman 31:14).

Our Lord conveys the following message to us by means of this verse: Just as We once entrusted the child to its mother and father, We have now entrusted the mother and father to the child and have advised them to approach them with kindness, as when their mother carried them, she bore countless difficulties such as pain and suffering during pregnancy and a close brush with death during birth. After giving birth to them, she then breastfed them for two years in order for them to rise to their feet. It is for this reason that you have been enjoined to show gratitude first to God, Who created you, and then to your parents who served as the agency in this creation.

It deserves notice that God renders the mother and father partner in the thanks that needs to be shown to Him and reveals that they share the very same right with Him. This is because a person who displays thankfulness to their parents in the perfect sense is also ready to expand with thanks towards God. Contrary to this, it cannot be said that a person who completely disregards them and waits for their death has any real connection with God. At the end of the verse, God says, “To Me is the final homecoming.” In other words, this statement says, so to speak: As you have bowed at the feet of others despite being created by and having received your sustenance from Me, and due to your scorning your parents and abandoning them to their own resources despite their having raised and cared for you, I will call you to account at the Great Reckoning.

In the verse immediately following, a different facet of obedience to one’s parents is indicated thus: “But if they strive with you to make you associate with Me something of which you certainly have no knowledge (and which is absolutely contrary to the Knowledge), do not obey them. Even then, treat them with kindness and due consideration in respect of (the life of) this

world. Follow the way of him who has turned to Me with utmost sincerity and committed himself to seeking My approval. Then, (O all human beings,) to Me is your return, and then I will make you understand all that you were doing (and call you to account).”

If they compel you to associate partners with God due to their ignorance, then do not obey them in this regard, as God’s rights take precedence over everything else. But even if they be polytheists, you are not to fail in doing good to them, treating them well, and in pursuing your necessary struggle in the way of God in such a manner.

The following Prophetic Tradition narrated by Abu Bakr offers yet another dimension to the matter: The Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings, said, “Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins?” and he repeated this thrice. When we said, “Yes O Messenger of God,” he said: “Associating partners with God, disobedience to parents, and taking a life.”

At that time God’s Messenger was leaning against something and he sat up and said, “And telling lies and giving false testimony.” And He kept repeating these so many times that we said, “If only he would be quiet.”

It is noteworthy that in this Prophetic Tradition, disobedience to one’s parents is considered in the same way as the major sins of associating partners with God, killing, lying and bearing false testimony. Consequently, here, the rights of parents, the rights of God, the rights of the individual and the society are considered within the same category.

As a final point, the following incident which took place in the Age of Happiness, vividly demonstrates the importance of observing the rights of parents:

A person came to the Messenger of God and informed him of a young man who was on his deathbed but was unable to recite

the Declaration of Faith despite being urged to do so. God’s Messenger asked, “Did this man offer his Prayers?” Upon receiving an answer in the affirmative, he immediately got up and went straight to the house of the dying man along with those next to him. God’s Messenger approached the young man and instructed him to say the words, “There is no deity but God.” When the young man indicated that he was unable to do so, God’s Messenger sensed the possibility of offense between this man and his mother and then sent for the mother of the dying man. When his elderly mother arrived, the Prophet asked her whether any discontentment existed between them.

Crying, the woman said that her son constantly hurt her and that she harbored a disappointment towards him that she was unable to overcome. God’s Messenger then said to the woman, “If were to light a fire here and say to you, ‘If you forgive your son, we will release him, otherwise, we will throw him into this fire,’ would you forgive him?”

The Prophet’s words, “Otherwise we will throw him into this fire,” melted away any disappointment the woman felt towards her son and she took God and His Messenger as her witness that she was pleased with her son.

Then turning to the young man, God’s Messenger instructed him to declare, “There is no deity but God. He is One. He has no partners and Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.”

Just as soon as the Prophet completed his words, the young man found the words flowing out of his mouth. Seeing and being considerably pleased by this, God’s Messenger smiled and said, “All praise be to God, Who saved this man from the flames of the Fire through me.”

Hence, observing the rights of parents, which are trampled in our day, to the exalted degree attached to them in Islam and

striving to earn the pleasure and approval of parents while they are still alive is the duty of every child.

Sa’id ibn Abi Burda relates an incident that his father heard from Ibn Umar.

One day, Ibn Umar saw a Yamani man circumambulating the Ka’ba while carrying his mother on his back, saying, “I am your humble camel…” Catching sight of Ibn Umar, he asked him, “Ibn Umar, do you think that I have repaid her?” Ibn Umar replied, “No, not even for a single contraction.”

A man once came to Umar, who was famed for his justice, and asked, “I have an old mother who is unable to see to her own needs, so I carry her on my back. I also help her in performing the ablution. Whilst doing all this, I never once made her feel indebted or obliged. Have I fulfilled my duty towards her?”

“No,” Umar answered. The man demonstrated his astonishment saying, “Even though I rendered my back her mount and devoted myself to her?”

Umar made this striking observation in response: “Your mother too used to do the same for you (when you were young) in the hope that you would live long. As for you—in serving her, you wait for when she will go away (die).”

Abu Nawfal narrates: “One day a man approached Umar and said that he had committed murder. Umar asked him whether he had done so intentionally or by accident.

When the man responded that he had done so accidentally, Umar asked him whether his parents were still alive. The man said that his father was still living and Umar gave him the following counsel: “Go to your father without delay and be of service to him. Do whatever you can to please him.”

Umar then added, “I swear by God that were his mother still alive and had he been of service to her, I could have been hopeful that the Fire would not engulf this man for all eternity.”

Kindness to parents functions as the Divine steed Buraq taking the human being to Paradise. Earning Paradise and reaching it with ease is contingent upon being a believer and earning the pleasure of one’s parents. That is to say, if they are not pleased with us, we are face to face with the threat of not being amongst the first people to enter Paradise, as earning their approval amounts to earning God’s approval. Breaking their hearts amounts to disobliging God. Those who behave in this way will not be able to attain the bliss of being among the first to enter Paradise. According to a narration reported by Aisha, the Messenger of God saw himself enter Paradise in a dream and heard someone reciting the Qur’an. Upon God’s Messenger asking, “Who is reciting?” it was said to him, “Haritha ibn al-Nu’man.”

Of the Helpers, the natives of Medina, this Companion participated in all the battles including Badr, Uhud, and the Battle of the Trench. He is one of the shining examples of virtue among the Companions. Despite all these elevated characteristics, the Prophet explained the reason for this Companion’s entry into Paradise as follows:

“Such is the reward of kindness (towards one’s parents).” After thrice repeating this statement, God’s Messenger added, “Haritha ibn Nu’man was most kind and reverent to his mother.”

Such is the exemplary lesson for us all from God’s Messenger, as to where one of the keys to Paradise is to be found. If we wish to attain the Paradise we have lost, we must take our parents by the hand and treat them with utmost kindness, compassion and respect, so that they can pull us along with them to Paradise.

The Prayers of Those Who Please Their Parents Are Acceptable

Ibn Umar narrated: “The Prophet said, ‘While three persons were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave. They said to each other, ‘Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock)’. One of them said, ‘O Allah! My parents were old and I used to go out for grazing (my animals). On my return I would milk (the animals) and take the milk in a vessel to my parents to drink. After they had drunk from it, I would give it to my children, family and wife. One day I was delayed and on my return I found my parents sleeping, and I disliked to wake them up. The children were crying at my feet (because of hunger). That state of affairs continued till it was dawn. O Allah! If You regard that I did it for Your sake, then please remove this rock so that we may see the sky.’ So, the rock was moved a bit. The second said, ‘O Allah! You know that I was in love with a cousin of mine, like the deepest love a man may have for a woman, and she told me that I would not get my desire fulfilled unless I paid her one-hundred Dinars (gold pieces). So, I struggled for it till I gathered the desired amount, and when I sat in between her legs, she told me to be afraid of Allah, and asked me not to deflower her except rightfully (by marriage). So, I got up and left her. O Allah! If You regard that I did it for Your sake, kindly remove this rock.’ So, two-thirds of the rock was removed. Then the third man said, ‘O Allah! No doubt You know that once I employed a worker for one Faraq (three Sa’s) of millet, and when I wanted to pay him, he refused to take it, so I sowed it and from its yield I bought cows and a shepherd. After a time that man came and demanded his money. I said to him: Go to those cows and the shepherd and

take them for they are for you. He asked me whether I was joking with him. I told him that I was not joking with him, and all that belonged to him. O Allah! If You regard that I did it sincerely for Your sake, then please remove the rock.’ So, the rock was removed completely from the mouth of the cave.”

As can be seen in the Prophetic Tradition, three helpless people entreated God by making their sincere deeds intercede on their behalf and God opened the door of deliverance to them. The actions of each are most superior and virtuous. In particular, if we are to consider the example concerning the subject in question, we see that serving one’s parents and pleasing them opens a door of mystery at times where the human being is most in difficulty. God accepted the prayer of a person who did not fail in service to their parents and who preferred them to their own children, and thus delivered them from the cave.

What Are the Benefits of Reading in Learning?

The human being thinks with words. Their horizons are broadened in extent with the number of words they know and their intelligence increases in the same proportion. One of the strongest measures of a person’s intelligence is their vocabulary. Intelligence is like muscle. It develops to the extent that it is exercised. The way of exercising the brain is problem solving and memorizing words. A person with a developed intelligence should read as they will understand their lessons more quickly.

Let us now go into further detail with a subject-specific evaluation: Turkish is one of the most important subjects. Generally speaking, twenty-five questions in the Science High School examination and forty questions in the university entrance exams come from Turkish, which can be summed up as paragraph analysis and

use of language. A crucial requirement of paragraph and language analysis is reading.

Reading benefits other lessons also. Physics and Math generally, which especially require comprehensive thinking ability, and specific topics as work, power and energy are those subject areas in which students with alternative-thinking ability exhibit greater success. Thus, the positive effects of reading on Math and science-related subjects must not be forgotten.

The characteristic feature of exams in our day is effective time management, or the ability to solve questions quickly. Students who are avid readers read and comprehend the questions under exam conditions much quicker than other students and are therefore at a greater advantage. In that case, the role of reading in being a successful student must not be overlooked. Unfortunately, nowadays, the reading habit is not one that is widespread. When we look around us, how many families can we find who love reading and parents who encourage their children to read? It would be fair to say that an element as vital for the human being as bread and water is being ignored. Families tend to assume that their children read and that they are therefore absolved of any responsibility. However, subjects at school only enable a surface-level understanding of society and the environment.

Have you ever thought, where did we come from? Where are we going? As each passing day brings us closer to old age and old age to death, isn’t each human being then like a prisoner on death row? As Muslims, of course, we have an answer to these questions to the extent to which our religion teaches us. But how many of us are able to provide answers to the questions put to us about our religion? In other words, how many of us can explain the existence of the God in Whom we believe and all that the Prophet has to offer? A person should be able to openly present

the grounds for their belief in whatever idea they profess to believe in. There are very few Muslims in our day who possess adequate information about their own faith. We can easily see this by looking around us. In the same way that every young person with a certain ideal studies in order to know the world around them, their reading books that describe the beauties of the religion they profess belief in is at least as important. As touched upon above, this has a positive impact on our studies and reading such books amounts to nurturing our hearts.

As a result, we believe in a religion that attaches great importance to reading and to knowledge. Everyone with ideals must be able to receive both their material as well as their spiritual sustenance and must better himself or herself in this way. This can be achieved through reading those works which serve as a person’s spiritual sustenance alongside what they have to read for their studies.

Qur’anic Verses

Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him alone, and treat parents with the best of kindness. Should one of them, or both, attain old age in your lifetime, do not say “Ugh!” to them (as an indication of complaint or impatience), nor push them away; and always address them in gracious words. Lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say:

“My Lord, have mercy on them even as they cared for me in childhood.” (Al-Isra 17:23–24).

Prophetic Traditions

Abu Hurayra narrated: “A man came to the Messenger of Allah and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what person is the most entitled to the best of my company?’ He replied, ‘Your mother.’ He

said, ‘Then whom?’ He replied, ‘Your mother.’ He said, ‘Then whom?’ He replied, ‘Your mother.’ He said, ‘Then whom?’ He answered, ‘Your father.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, 2).

Abu Hurayra reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Let him be humbled, let him be humbled. It was said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger, who is he?’ He said, ‘He who finds his parents in old age, either one or both of them, and does not enter Paradise.’” (Sahih Muslim, Birr, 11).

QUESTIONS

1) Which organ did the mother donate to her child in the story “Such Sacrifice”?

A) Liver

C) Ears

B) Kidney D) Heart

2) God’s Messenger once instructed the individual seeking permission to participate in jihad to, “Exert yourself on their behalf (in service to them).” Who is referred to in the Prophet’s words?

A) Children

C) Spouse

B) Parents D) Relatives

3) “We have enjoined on human in respect with his parents: his mother bore him in strain upon strain, and his weaning was in two years. (So, O human,) be thankful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the final homecoming.”

To which Qur’anic chapter does the above verse belong?

A) Ya-Sin

B) Fath

C) Baqarah

D) Luqman

4) What is one of the strongest measures of a person’s intelligence?

A) Vocabulary

B) Extrovertedness

C) Being fit

D) Excessive study

5) Which one of the following is not one of the ways of exercising the brain?

A) Problem solving

B) Strengthening the neck muscles

C) Reading

CHAPTER 5

BELIEF IN THE BOOKS AND THE HOLY QUR’AN

The Qur’an Will Intercede on Judgment Day for Those Who Recite It

On the basis of what we have learned from the words of God’s Messenger, the Qur’an will not leave us to our own devices in the Hereafter but will hold us by the hand at on the Day of Reckoning where we will be most in need of shade to offer relief to us. God’s Messenger points to this reality in the following hadith:

“When a person is resurrected from the grave on the Day of Judgment, the Qur’an will appear before this person who looks pale and drawn and will ask, ‘Do you recognize me?’ He will reply, ‘No!’ His recitation of the Qur’an will then say, ‘I am your companion, the Qur’an that left you thirsty during the intense heat of the day, and sleepless at night.’ Then a crown of honor will be placed on the head of the reciter, and his mother and father will be adorned in a precious cloak. And when his parents ask the reason for this, their child’s recitations and study of the Qur’an will be displayed before them.” (Sunan ibn Majah, Adab, 52).

In another narration, the noble Prophet said: “Read the Qur’an, because on the Day of Judgment, the Qur’an will appear as an intercessor for the one who read it” (Sahih Muslim, Musafirin, 252).

Daughter of Imran al-Kathir, one of God’s beloved servants, relates: “My father used to say, ‘I will obey and submit to God for the rest of my life. Were it not for the bowing and prostration (during Prayer) and for the recitation of the Qur’an, I would not have wished to live in this world.’ He constantly spent his life in worship.

Upon his death, I saw him in my dream and asked, ‘Dear father, why haven’t we heard from you since you left us?’ He replied saying, ‘How can you hear from someone who has died and entered the grave, my dear girl!’ ‘How are you?’ I asked. ‘I am well, very well,’ he said. ‘Soft beds were prepared for us as well as delightful dwellings. We have been favored with the service coming from Paradise and can smell its perfume.” ‘What is that has enabled you to reach such a station?” I asked. ‘A sincere heart and reading the Qur’an often,’ he answered.”

Angels, Mercy and Tranquility Descends Where the Qur’an Is Recited

Reading and listening to the recitation of the Qur’an is a form of worship. So exalted a book is the Qur’an that not only human beings, but angels too enjoy a share of its recitation. They come to a place where the Qur’an is recited and enable the blowing of a Divine atmosphere therein. The Messenger of God expresses this reality with the following words:

“Any group of people that assemble in one of the Houses of Allah to study the Qur’an, tranquility will descend upon them, mercy will engulf them, angels will surround them and Allah will make mention of them to those (the angels) in His proximity.”

(Sahih Muslim, Book 9, Hadith 33).

Usayd ibn Hudayr narrated that while he was reciting Surah al-Baqarah at night, and his horse was tied beside him, the horse was suddenly startled and troubled. When he stopped reciting, the horse became quiet, and when he started again, the horse was startled again. Then he stopped reciting and the horse became quiet too. He started reciting again and the horse was startled and troubled once again. Then he stopped reciting and his son, Yahya was beside the horse. He was afraid that the horse might trample on him. When he took the boy away and looked towards the sky, he could not see it. The next morning he informed the Prophet who said, “Recite, O Ibn Hudayr! Recite, O Ibn Hudayr!” Ibn Hudayr replied, “O Allah’s Messenger! My son, Yahya was near the horse and I was afraid that it might trample on him, so I looked towards the sky, and went to him. When I looked at the sky, I saw something like a cloud containing what looked like lamps, so I went out in order not to see it.” The Prophet said, “Do you know what that was?” Ibn Hudayr replied, “No.” The Prophet said, “Those were angels who came near to you for your voice and if you had kept on reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till morning when people would have seen it as it would not have disappeared.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 66, Hadith 40)

Satan Flees from Houses Where the Qur’an Is Recited

Serenity, blessing and felicity descend to a place where the Qur’an is recited. Recitation of the Qur’an dispels stress and depression and averts distress of the heart and spirit, as the Qur’an repels devils first and foremost, as well as evil spirits. God’s Messenger gives voice to this truth with the example below:

“Blessings abound in a house wherein the residents read the Qur’an. The angels gather in such houses whereas the demons run away from it. The blessings and well-being of houses wherein the Qur’an is not recited diminishes.” (Sunan ad-Darimi, 2/429–430).

How Could I Refrain from the Qur’an?

At a time when Mecca did not allow believers to survive in its bosom, Abu Bakr was one of those people who were not given a chance in Mecca. Like those who had migrated to Abyssinia, he too thought of following his friends and migrating. On the road to Abyssinia, he ran into an idol-worshipper named Ibn’ud-Daghinna. He asked Abu Bakr: “Where are you going, O the son of Abu Quhafa?”

Abu Bakr replied: “My community has banished me. They do not want to see me amongst them anymore.”

“How could they banish someone like you? You are a person who supports the poor, helps the widow and reaches out to the orphan. They cannot deprive someone like you from Mecca. Come with me, I will take you under my protection” replied, Ibn’ud-Daghinna.

They returned to Mecca and Ibn’ud-Daghinna announced that Abu Bakr was under his protection. However, this man was an idol-worshipper from Mecca, thus how long would he endure Abu Bakr, with his friends, behavior and the Qur’an? This remained to be seen.

Abu Bakr accepted the conditions put forward by this idol-worshipper and confined himself to his house. He continued reciting the Qur’an in his own house. After a while, he built an extension to his house, a balcony-like structure located in front

of his window and began to recite the Qur’an and offered his Prayers there.

Abu Bakr always had tears in his eyes, whenever he said “God”, he could not hold his tears back and when he prayed, it was as if volcanoes were erupting in him. As he continued to pray and recite the Qur’an in a state of trance on his balcony, men, women and children would gather around his house and listen to him. The hearts of these people were gradually warming up to faith.

The leaders of the idol-worshippers were outraged by this as they spoke to Ibn’ud-Daghinna and said: “Release him from your protection or we will deal with him in a way that will damage your reputation as a protector. Do not let the people gossip behind your back.”

For solution, Ibn’ud-Daghinna asked Abu Bakr to stop reciting the Qur’an. He replied: “How could I refrain from the Qur’an? This is the Word of God. It was revealed so that it is announced to everyone. By God! Even if you take me out of your protection, I shall continue to do this under the protection of God!”

Many Rewards Are Recorded for Each Letter of the Qur’an

The Qur’an is like a fountain of benefaction bringing a multitude of rewards to the human being. Those approaching this fountain will benefit from it in abundance. There is even twofold the reward for those experiencing difficulty reading it. Consider how the Prophet conveys the glad tidings of this:

“The one who recites the Qur’an and he is proficient with it, then he is with the noble and blessed Angels (As-Safaratil-Kiramil-Bararah), and it is difficult for him, then he gets two rewards.”

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2904).

God Almighty declares in the Qur’an: “Whoever comes to God with a good deed will have ten times as much, and whoever comes with an evil deed will be recompensed with only the like of it; and they will not be wronged” (Al-An’am 6:160).

Now, just think: The best of deeds is surely reading the Divine Word, the Qur’an, and ensuring its prevalence in our lives. Consequently, it can be gleaned from the verse that a person reciting the Qur’an will be given at least tenfold the reward.

Said Nursi explains this truth in this way: “Out of Divine Grace, the letters of some surahs may sprout and yield 10, 70, or 700, like the letters of Ayatu’l-Kursi. Sometimes they yield 1,500, like the letters of Suratu’l-Ikhlas, or 10,000, like verses recited on the Night of Forgiveness (Laylatu’l-Bara’a) and other blessed occasions. Sometimes they even yield 30,000, like verses recited on the Night of Power (Laylatu’l-Qadr). These are like poppy seeds, each of which may produce 10 cones, each of which contains thousands of seeds. As the Qur’an considers the Night of Power equivalent to 1,000 months (97:3), one letter of the Qur’an recited on that night brings 30,000 rewards.”

Muhammad ibn Ka’b Al-Qurazi narrated: “I heard Abdullah ibn Mas’ud saying: ‘The Messenger of Allah said: ‘(Whoever recites a letter) from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.’” (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2910).

Going Back to the Beginning

One day a man came to our beloved Prophet and asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is the action most adored by Allah the

Almighty?” So the Prophet replied, “The journey that begins again once it ends.”

The man asked again, “O Messenger of Allah! What is a journey that begins again once it ends?” The Prophet answered, “Reading the Qur’an from the beginning to end, and then going back to the beginning again (thus continuing our journey to the Almighty, ever-turning to Him by the continual recitation of the Qur’an).” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Qira’ah, 4).

What Should Be Kept in Mind Whilst Reciting the Qur’an?

1. A person reciting the Qur’an should assume a deep reverence, constantly bear in mind the nature of the words they are reading, and must reflect on the things that they read.

2. The Qur’an, the Book of absolute purity, must be read in a state of perfect cleanliness.

3. A suitable time must be chosen for reciting the Qur’an; one should not attempt to recite the Qur’an when one is mentally or physically exhausted, when they are busy, or when the environment is not conducive to doing so.

4. One of the most important issues to be attended to during recitation of the Divine Word is to avoid prejudice.

5. Recitation of the Qur’an should begin with the words, “I seek refuge in God from Satan, who is eternally rejected (from God’s Mercy).”

6. Another matter one should pay attention to when reading the Qur’an is reading with tartil, or properly, distinctly, in measured tone and doing justice to its recitation.

7. Reciting the Qur’an with a somber tone of voice, effective in eliciting an emotional response, as opposed to a cheerful one, has been regarded as mustahab (recommended).

8. God’s Messenger has advised reading the Qur’an beautifully and for it to be embellished with a sweet, pleasant, and melodious voice.

9. Another important point that we should take into consideration when reading the Qur’an is that each and every verse of it should be regarded as having addressed us directly, as if the events, parables, stories, personalities, and the like, also concern us directly and as imparting messages to us all.

Qur’anic Verses

This is a Book, which We send down to you, full of blessings, so that they (all conscious, responsible beings) may ponder its verses, and that the people of discernment may reflect on it and be mindful. (As-Sad 38:29).

Or do those in whose hearts is a disease think that God will not bring to light their spite (against the Divine Religion and its followers)? (Muhammad 47:29).

With Him are the keys to the Unseen; none knows them but He. And He knows whatever is on land and in the sea; and not a leaf falls but He knows it; and neither is there a grain in the dark layers of earth, nor anything green or dry, but is (recorded) in a Manifest Book. (Al-An’am 6:59).

Do they not contemplate the Qur’an (so that they may be convinced that it is from God)? Had it been from any other than God, they would surely have found in it much (incoherence or) inconsistency. (An-Nisa 4:82).

Prophetic Traditions

Uthman ibn Affan that the Messenger of Allah said: “The best of you (or the most virtuous of you) is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2908).

Uqbah ibn Amir narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “The one who recites the Qur’an aloud is like the one who gives charity publicly, and the one who recites the Qur’an quietly is like the one who gives charity secretly.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2919).

Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Indeed, the one who does not have the Qur’an inside him (his heart), is like the ruined house.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 42, Hadith 2913).

It was narrated that Hisham ibn Amir said: “On the day of Uhud the people were exhausted. The Prophet said: ‘Dig graves and make them wide, and bury two or three in a grave.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who should we put in first?’ He said: ‘Put in first the one who knew the Qur’an most.’” (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Book 21, Hadith 199).

QUESTIONS

1) “When a person is resurrected from the grave on the Day of Judgment, the _______ will appear before this person who looks pale and drawn and will ask, ‘Do you recognize me?’ It will then say, ‘I am your companion, the _______ that left you thirsty during the intense heat of the day, and sleepless at night.’ Which of the following should be used to fill in the blank?

A) Supplication C) Qur’an

B) Sunna D) Righteous acts

2) _______, mercy and tranquility descend where the Qur’an is recited. Reading and listening to the recitation of the Qur’an is a form of worship. Which of the following words should be used to fill in the blank?

A) The Jinn C) Martyrs

B) Angels D) Friends of God

3) Which of the following is not one of the main benefits of reciting the Qur’an?

A) Blessing and felicity descends to a place where the Qur’an is recited

B) Dispels stress and depression

C) Averts distress of the heart and spirit

D) Informs of the Unseen Realm

4) By means of which angels is a proficient recitation of the Qur’an realized?

A) Gabriel C) The Noble Recorders

B) Michael D) Israfil

5) Which of the following is not one of the points to be taken into consideration when reciting the Qur’an?

A) Recitation of the Qur’an should be very aloud.

B) The Qur’an, a book of absolute purity, must be read in a state of perfect cleanliness.

C) God’s Messenger has advised reading the Qur’an beautifully and for it to be embellished with a sweet, pleasant, and melodious voice.

D) Recitation of the Qur’an should begin with the words, “I seek refuge in God from Satan, who is eternally rejected (from God’s Mercy).”

CHAPTER 6

NOBLE CHARACTER (FRIENDSHIP, SHARING, INTEGRITY)

Two Close Friends

Akif and Ali were very close friends with great affection for each other. Those around them envied the relationship of the devoted companions. The friends believed that doing charitable deeds was an effective way of amending errors. When a person is called to do good deeds by a person of goodwill, it reminds him of truth, and prevents him from straying from the path of righteousness.

One day, Akif wrote a moral contract. He called it “the agreement of goodwill” and it was meant to invoke kindness, inform friends of faults and help to rectify mistakes.

“I want us both to sign an agreement,” Akif said.

“What kind of an agreement?” Ali asked.

“I am permitting you to inform me of my mistakes, or anything I do personally that you think is wrong.”

“Okay, but I can only accept this on one condition. You must inform me of my mistakes, too.”

“Okay, I agree.”

The friends signed the contract, and became a “spirit of goodwill” to each other.

Many years passed, and their relationship was still as strong as ever. Then, because of work, Akif had to move to a different

city, which grieved them both. The companions comforted one another, and promised to visit frequently. Theirs was a friendship for life.

After a month had passed, Ali missed his friend very much. Whenever Ali mentioned his name in conversation, his eyes would fill with tears. He could not wait any longer to see his dear friend, so he decided to visit.

On the way, he noticed a strange man. The man was sitting on the roadside, and looked as if he was trying to say something to him. Ali walked over to the man and greeted him. The man asked:

“Where are you off to, young man?”

“I am going to visit my friend,” Ali replied.

“Your friend must have done you a great favor, and now you are going to thank him.”

“No, I have nothing to thank him for. I love him for the sake of God and I am visiting him for the sake of God.”

“How nice. I am going to tell you a secret. Now listen to me carefully. I am an angel sent to you by God. Know that just as you love your friend for the sake of God, God also loves you dearly.”

Sharing Bread Is Sweeter than the Bread Itself (Adapted from a Hadith)

The last lesson of the day had come to an end. The students were growing impatient to get out. They placed their books in their bags, prepared to leave as soon as the bell rang. Only Ali was unprepared and was doing everything in his power to be late. Finally, the bell rang and the students headed for the door at a stroke. Ali did not budge. He gathered his belongings slowly. Looking at his teacher with the corner of his eye on one hand, he was wait-

ing for his friends to leave on the other. His teacher noticed his state and said,

“What’s the matter, Ali? Aren’t you going home?”

Seeing that his last friend had left, he answered,

“I wanted to speak with you, Miss.”

“All right,” his teacher said. “What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?”

“You know my friend Ahmet…”

“Yes, what happened to him?”

“Their situation isn’t very good, I think. His mother doesn’t seem to put good things in his lunchbox.”

“And…”

“I want to help him, but he’ll be upset if he finds out I’m helping him. What if I put aside a piece of simit each day and gave these to you at the end of the week and you gave these to him?”

He removed a handful of coins and placed them on his teacher’s desk. Miss Nurhan did not touch the coins. She sat in her chair and began thinking. She went through everything she knew about Ali. As far as she was aware, his family’s situation was not too good. How well meaning and thoughtful this hardworking and sweet student was. He was not the child of a wealthy family. Despite this, he wanted to help. What is more, he did not want this to be known.

Miss Nurhan said, “Hang on a minute, Ali. As far as I know, your family’s financial situation is not very good either. Am I right?”

“You are right, Miss. My dad’s a day laborer and he can’t find work most of the time. But I’m working and earning money also.”

“Where are you working?”

“I sell simit.”

Miss Nurhan again paused to think. What should she now say in relation to so much kindness? It was difficult to make this happen. She had to find a way of talking him out of this, but without breaking the heart of her endearing student. If she spoke with him a little longer she could perhaps have found a way. Miss Nurhan turned to Ali and said,

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A very wealthy businessman.”

“Why?”

“To help people more.”

“That’s nice,” she said. “Now look, Ali. Ahmet’s family is not in a very good situation, this is true. But yours is not too different to his. If you like, don’t rush. You can help people when you become very rich, can’t you?”

“No,” said Ali. “I must help now.”

“Why?”

“For three reasons… The first: this money isn’t mine anyway. Because I do good, God makes me liked by others. And this affects people, so they buy more simit. Because of this, I sell even more simit than those working the whole day. There is especially Uncle Hasan in our neighborhood, who buys two simits each day and feeds it to the pigeons. Secondly, if I can’t learn how to do good from now, then I won’t be able to at all when I grow up. If I don’t do acts of goodness now and leave them to when I’m rich, then I’ll delay when I’m rich to the days when I become even richer and so fool myself. The third is even more important: When I grow up, I want to be a very rich businessman. Those who don’t make investments at the right time can’t be great businessmen.”

Miss Nurhan listened as though she had an adult before her:

“I couldn’t quite understand this last one,” she said.

“Let me explain Miss,” Ali said. “Because I’m not that rich right now, I can only help as much as a piece of simit each day. I can’t give any more. God gives to those who do good to the best of their ability. Seeing that I am able now, then the price of Paradise is as much as a few pieces of simit. If I die without becoming rich, then I can enter Paradise with a few simit pieces. Can there be a more profitable investment than this?”

Tears welled in Miss Nurhan’s eyes. Whilst nodding in agreement, she sent Ali off home.

When returning to the classroom, she realized that the school was completely empty and when she reached her desk, she noticed the coins that Ali had left were still on her desk. She sat on her chair without thinking and took the coins in her hand. No money had ever seemed this valuable to her before. It was as though she was holding the world’s most precious pearls, rubies, and diamonds. These coins were even more valuable than those. These coins, this loose change was money that could purchase Paradise. She held these coins with the sense of never wanting to let them go. Miss Nurhan was unable to get up from where she sat. She felt her insides well up and felt herself engulfed by emotions impossible to describe. She began to weep, like a sudden heavy downpour of rain. She cried and cried.

When she collected herself, it had gotten dark. As she left the school with slow steps, Sadık the watchman heard Miss Nurhan repeating to herself, “Purchasing Paradise with loose change, purchasing Paradise with loose change.” Not even hearing the watchman’s saying in astonishment, “What did you say, Miss?” the teacher disappeared into the twilight under the watchman’s perplexed gaze.

Indeed, when you look around you, you will see a great many Ali’s and Ayşe’s. What we are charged with is to see to their

needs. Even if our financial situation is not good, sharing even a piece of bread holds great merit. Don’t forget, sharing bread is sweeter than the bread itself.

The Honest Boy

Abdulqadr al-Jilani began to receive education at a very early age. He moved to Baghdad when he was only 9 years old with his mother’s permission. Before he left for Baghdad, his mother gave him 40 gold coins and some advice, “My dear son! Do not lie at all!”

Abdulqadr al-Jilani joined a camel caravan to go to Baghdad. As they were passing through a valley, a group of 40 bandits stopped them. The bandits took anything they could find from the people in the caravan. Right before they left, one of the bandits asked Abdulqadr al-Jilani what he had. Without any hesitation, he said: “I have 40 gold coins.”

The bandit was surprised since they did not even bother to search this child thinking that he would not have anything valuable on him. So, the bandit took him to the leader. The leader of the bandits asked: “Son! We were not going to search you. Why did you tell us that you have 40 coins?”

Abdulqadr al-Jilani explained: “I do not go back on my word to God and my mother just to protect my possessions.”

The leader was shocked by this small child’s words. He uttered the following words after thinking about his life and the small child: “I regret for my mistakes and sins and I repent. I promise that I will never do bad things again. If you want to continue like this, you need to find another leader for your group,” he told to his band. Then, he ordered all the possessions to be returned to their owners. The other bandits did as their leader

ordered and they all said: “We started this journey with you and finish it with you. We want to repent, too.”

Truthfulness, Lies and Vain Speech

Foreigners living in Turkey for various reasons are in consensus on one thing: They state that when they do business with a Turkish Muslim, there is no need for a contract and that one’s word is enough. This situation is a natural outcome of the Turkish Islamic ethics and morality. Muslims possessing the morals of the Qur’an are described in the Qur’anic verse entitled Baqarah with the words, “And those (are godly and virtuous) who fulfill their covenant when they have engaged in a covenant” (Al-Baqarah 2:177). In the continuation of the verse, it is stated, “Those are they who are true (in their faith), and those are they who have achieved righteousness, piety, and due reverence for God.”

French general Comte de Bonneval expressed his admiration for the honesty of the Turks saying, “Such crimes as injustice, monopolism, and theft are virtually unknown among Turks. In short, whether born of a belief of conscience or a fear of punishment, they display such a degree of integrity that many a time a person finds themselves struck with admiration for the honesty of the Turks.”

The fastidiousness of a Turkish merchant regarding honesty is presented in the following: Upon a foreign textile merchant’s coming to the Ottoman lands and wanting to buy all the fabric of a particular fabric manufacturer whose product he was pleased with, he noticed the owner put aside a roll of fabric when balancing up the rolls. When he inquired after the reason, the Ottoman merchant said, “I can’t give this to you, it’s faulty.”

Despite the foreign merchant’s saying, “No harm done. It’s no problem,” the Ottoman merchant insisted upon not selling

that roll of fabric and said, “I have told you that these goods are faulty and you are aware of this. But when you sell this in your own country, your customers are not going to know that I told you all this. Thus, I would have sold your customers faulty goods. Ottoman pride, honor and dignity will be offended and they will think us deceitful. This is why I cannot give you this faulty roll under any circumstances.” This is how he explained his reason for not selling this roll of fabric.

One of the characteristics differentiating the Turks from other nations is deception and falsehood being unknown to them. The religion of Islam has enabled the Turks to adopt good moral qualities and reject the corrupt. This point is related in a nineteenth century source as follows: “It is in the middle rank of life, among men subsisting by their own industry, and equally removed from poverty and riches, that we must look for the national character: and among the Turks of this class, the domestic and social virtues are united with knowledge adequate to their wants, and with patriarchal urbanity of manners. Honesty is the characteristic of the Turkish merchant… In the Turkish villages, where there is no mixture of Greeks, innocence of life and simplicity of manners are conspicuous, and roguery and deceit are unknown.”

(Thomas Thornton (1762–1814), a British merchant in the Near East and writer on Turkey).

French merchant traveler Du Loir’s observations in the seventeenth-century serve as a clear summary: “Undoubtedly, Turkish politics and civilized life, with respect to morality, is in a position to serve as a model for the entire world.”

The Muslim Is Honest and Trustworthy

A Muslim is a person who is honest and trustworthy and whose speech and actions to not contradict their thought and feeling.

They take great pains to ensure and maintain such a state. The Messenger of God paid special attention to the establishment of this moral principle in childhood. In view of preventing parents from falling into the error of lying to their children, he established certain general principles guiding the parent-child relationship. For instance, it is unacceptable for parents to deceive their children, under any circumstances, and for them to assume an air of indifference in their treatment and relationship with their children. Abdullah ibn Amir relates: “My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah was sitting in our house. She said: Come here and I shall give you something. The Messenger of Allah asked her: What did you intend to give him? She replied: I intended to give him some dates. The Messenger of Allah said: If you were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Adab, 219).

Abu Hurayra also relates a similar narration: “God’s Messenger said, ‘Whoever says to a child, “Come here, I will give you something,” and then does not give them anything will be accountable for lying.’” (Musnad, II, 452).

A Muslim’s inner conformity to his or her outer appearance is also critical for integrity. Just as we are to refrain from harmful words, so too must we restrain ourselves from hateful feelings or thoughts. In other words, a Muslim should speak as they think, and act according to their word; there should be no difference between who they are inside and who they appear to be. The following hadith addresses this aspect of integrity: “A person whose heart is not correct cannot have correct faith. If the tongue does not speak truth, the heart cannot be right, and if the person’s neighbors are not safe from him, he cannot enter Paradise.” (Musnad, III, 198). Here the Prophet teaches that the heart and the tongue

should be consistent with each other, and both of them should manifest integrity.

When there is consistency between a Muslim’s inner self and outer actions, they will always be honest, both at work and in business. A Muslim must be careful never to cheat or deceive others to gain greater profit or for any other reason.

A hadith handed down by Abu Hurayra reports, “One day the Prophet saw (a man selling) a heap of wheat. He put his hand into the pile and found that, while the top was dry, the bottom was damp. He asked the seller, ‘What is this?’ The man said, ‘The rain wet it.’ The Prophet responded, ‘You should put the wet part on top (so people can see it). One who cheats us is not of us.’”

Abu Said al-Khudri narrated that the Messenger of God said, “Traders who do not swerve from uprightness and trustworthiness will be together with the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Buyu, 4).

One of the most unique characteristics of the blessed Companions of the Prophet—perhaps their most important characteristic—was their unfailing integrity and righteousness. These qualities brought a deep atmosphere of peace and security to their inner lives as well as to their interpersonal relations.

Once Abu al-Hawra asked Hasan ibn Ali, “What have you memorized from God’s Messenger?” He answered, “What did you memorize from the Messenger of Allah?” He said: “I memorized from him: ‘Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.’” (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Book 51, Hadith 173). In a similar narration, Sufyan ibn Abdullah al-Sakafi said, “O Messenger of God, give me such knowledge of Islam that it will suffice me and I will never need to ask anyone else about Islam.” He answered, “Say, ‘I believe in God,’ and then be completely honest in everything.” (Sahih Muslim, Iman, 62).

God’s Messenger Refrained from Idle Conversation

God’s Messenger was constantly of genial, good-natured and tenderhearted. He was not coarse or hardhearted. He would not scream and shout, speak ill in any way, or criticize others. He would overlook those things that displeased him. Those appealing to him would not be disappointed. He forbade himself three things: Debate, exaggeration and futile talk. He severed connection with the people in the following three aspects: He would condemn no one, would not pry into the faults of others, and would not say anything apart from that of which he was hopeful of reward. Those listening to him when he spoke would bow their heads forward, as though birds were perched upon their heads, and were attentive to the utmost. When he spoke, those in the assembly would fall silent and the people would speak when he fell silent. There would be no dispute or quarrel in the presence of God’s Messenger. He would smile at what his Companions smiled at and marvel at what they marveled at. When a stranger was coarse in their speech or request, he would show patience.

When his Companions chided such a stranger, he said to them, “When you see a person seeking an object earnestly, assist him in obtaining his need.”

Qur’anic Verses

Those who, before their coming, had their abode (in Medina), preparing it as a home for Islam and faith, love those who emigrate to them for God’s sake, and in their hearts do not begrudge what they have been given; and (indeed) they prefer them over themselves, even though poverty be their own lot. (They, too, have a share in such gains of war.) Whoever is guarded against the avarice of his own—those are the ones who are truly prosperous. (Al-Hashr 59:9).

The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers; and keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety (particularly in your duties toward one another as brothers), so that you may be shown mercy (granted a good, virtuous life in the world as individuals and as a community, and eternal happiness in the Hereafter). (Al-Hujurat 49:10).

And hold fast all together to the rope of God, and never be divided. Remember God’s favor upon you: you were once enemies, and He reconciled your hearts so that through His favor, you became like brothers. You stood on the brink of a pit of fire, and He delivered you from it. Thus, God makes His signs of truth clear to you that you may be guided (to the Straight Path in all matters, and be steadfast on it.) (Al Imran 3:103).

In the assembly of honor, composed of the loyal and truthful, in the Presence of the One All-Omnipotent Sovereign. (Al-Qamar 54:55).

Pursue, then, what is exactly right (in every matter of the Religion), as you are commanded (by God). (Hud 11:112).

O you who believe! Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety, and keep the company of the truthful (those who are also faithful to their covenant with God).

(At-Tawbah 9:119).

Prophetic Traditions

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever avoids arguing while he is in the right, a house will be built for him in its midst. And whoever has good character, a house will be built for him in its heights.” (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 27, Hadith 2124).

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “You shall not enter Paradise so long as you do not affirm belief

(in all those things which are the articles of faith) and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another. Should I not direct you to a thing which, if you do, will foster love amongst you: (i.e.) give currency to (the practice of paying salutation to one another by saying) as-salamu alaykum.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 101).

Abu Ayyub narrated that the Prophet said, “It is not lawful for a Muslim to desert (not to speak to) his brother Muslim for more than three days while meeting, one turns his face to one side and the other turns his face to the other side. Lo! The better of the two is the one who starts greeting the other.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 79, Hadith 11).

Abdullah reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Truth leads one to Paradise and virtue leads one to Paradise and the person tells the truth until he is recorded as truthful, and lie leads to obscenity and obscenity leads to Hell, and the person tells a lie until he is recorded as a liar.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 134).

Abdullah bin Amr narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.

1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.

2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.

3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.

4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner.”

QUESTIONS

1) What did Akif and Ali call the agreement between them, in the story, “Two Close Friends”?

A) Agreement of Sisterhood B) Agreement of Brotherhood

C) Agreement of Goodwill D) National Agreement

2) What work does Ali undertake outside school hours in the story “Sharing Bread Is Sweeter than the Bread Itself”?

A) Painting C) Waitering

B) Selling simit D) Porterage

3) Which of the following is the saint, the pillar of righteousness who fearlessly spoke the truth to bandits in order to keep the promise he made to his mother and to hold fast to truthfulness?

A) Umar ibn Abdulaziz C) Abdulqadr al-Jilani

B) Yunus Emre D) Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi

4) “Such crimes as injustice, monopolism, and theft are virtually unknown among Turks. In short, whether born of a belief of conscience or a fear of punishment, they display such a degree of integrity that many a time a person finds themselves struck with admiration for the honesty of the Turks.” Who uttered the statement above?

A) Comte de Bonneval C) Frank de Boer

B) Auguste Comte D) Du Loir

5) “Whoever says to a child, ‘Come here, I will give you something,’ and then does not give them anything will be accountable for lying.”

Which Companion related the hadith above?

A) Abu Aqil C) Bilal

B) Umar D) Abu Hurayra

CHAPTER 7

HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

The Writing of the Turkish National Anthem

When the Turkish National Anthem (İstiklal Marİı) was written, a great many cities throughout Anatolia were under occupation. The independence of the Turkish nation, who lost a mighty state in the brief space of only four years, was under threat. Mehmet Akif Ersoy’s compilation of the national anthem was by no means easy. This difficulty was not a question of the poet’s artistic flair. That which prevented the poet from writing this anthem was the fact that a monetary reward had been determined for this. Expressing the independence and patriotism of the Turkish nation in return for money, was to him unpalatable. This is why he did not participate in the contest that had been launched. Despite the submission of hundreds of entries, none of these were chosen. The Education Minister of the day, Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, was of the opinion that the anthem they were looking for had not been written. In his view, only Mehmet Akif Ersoy could have penned this. Informing him that the prize money had been lifted, he requested him to write the anthem. The seven poems shortlisted from among 724 were recited in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and Mehmet Akif’s poem, being read three times in a row, was chosen. An important point regarding the Turkish National Anthem is its superiority and richness both

in terms of lyrics and poetic quality when compared with other national anthems.

This anthem voices the contradiction of a nation like the Turkish nation with world domination one day being forced to salvage its own independence. Mehmet Akif is a poet who addresses social issues in all his poetry and who feels keenly what he says. Due to his sharing the feeling and belief of those participating in the War of Independence, he was able to best become their voice. The lines, “For soon shall come the joyous days of divine promise… Who knows? Perhaps tomorrow? Perhaps even sooner!” shows that he did not despair in the future and is a demonstration of his form conviction in the felicitous days that God would show the Turkish nation.

By means of the belief expressed in these verses, the morale of the troops increased and had a great impact on the ensuing victory. The War of Independence was the Turkish nation’s fight for survival. During such times, nations and peoples come to realize the core values sustaining them. The significance of such concepts as nation, people, freedom, independence, and religion are not quite understood in times of peace. There are even those who pay no mind to them.

Wars giving a people close brush with death pave the way for their comprehension of what these values actually mean. These become such powerful concepts that existence without them becomes impossible. It is for this reason that the people risk death for their sake.

Fear not! For the crimson flag that proudly ripples in this glorious twilight, shall never fade, Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my homeland is extinguished. For that is the star of my people, and it will forever shine; It is mine; and solely belongs to my valiant nation.

The “crimson banner” referred in this stanza is the symbol of the Turkish nation.

The red color of the Turkish flag evokes conjures up flames in the poet. As long as a single family from among the Turkish nation continues its existence, the flames of this flag will not be extinguished in this dawn. Just as the hands of no one can reach the star in the sky, no one can lay hands on the flag that is the star of the Turkish people. Saying, “It is mine; and solely belongs to my valiant nation,” he lays claim to the flag.

Frown not, I beseech you, oh thou coy crescent, Smile upon my heroic nation!

Why the anger, why the rage?

Our blood which we shed for you might not be worthy otherwise; For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshiping nation.

In these lines, he likens the Turkish flag to a jealous lover. The existence of the flags of the Greek, French, English occupying forces in our nation distressed the Turkish flag and caused it to scowl. He states that it should not frown, supposing that this would demoralize the soldiers, and endeavors to explain that it does not consent to the presence of other flags.

Should Your Father Come

(From the Epic of the Dardanelles)

Hafız Ali’s wife Adeviye moved her hand over her belly. Her tears were streaming. Pain and anguish always waited like so, around a corner, and every anguish concealed a hope within it.

“How ill-fated my unborn baby is, coming to the world at such an unfortunate time,” she said.

Hafız Ali kissed his wife by the forehead, consoling her.

“Don’t say that, my love. I am going to pay my debt to my nation. Our child will be proud of his father.”

“I’m sorry, my brave husband. You are right, but the heart wants what the heart wants.”

“My dear wife, don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it. You’re crying that I’m going. But there is also the prospect of returning to find no one remaining. I pray that I will find you and our child in our home when I return. Now it’s time to go. I entrust you first to God and then to my mother and father. Forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, my valiant one. Do not trouble yourself. May my Lord protect you.”

One month had passed and Adeviye called out to her mother-in-law, “Mother, I’m going to my sister’s place. If my Ali comes, inform me straightway so that he can find me at home.”

Whenever Adeviye left to go anywhere, she left the same message with those at home. After some time, she gave birth to a boy. The boy began to walk and talk, but Hafız Ali did not return. The Gallipoli front operations came to an end. The Turkish soldier formed the legend of heroism at Gallipoli. Some of the youths going to Gallipoli from the village returned wounded. The metal identification tags of others, as ‘martyred’, arrived, but there was still no news of Hafız Ali.

The years flew by. Hafız Ali’s parents, too, died. Adeviye was left helpless and destitute. Going to fields, vineyards and orchards to work, she left her son Cevdet at home, always. She told her son when leaving, “I’m off to the fields. You stay right here and whatever you do don’t leave. Should your father come, let me know right away, so that he can find us at home when he comes.”

Her son Cevdet grew up, but Hafız Ali did not return. Adeviye perpetually gave the same instructions to her when leaving home:

“You stay right here, my dear. Should your father come, let me know right away!”

“I’m going to the market. Should your father come, call me right away, OK?”

Long years went by. Hafız Ali still had not returned. Cevdet married and started his own family. He opened his own store and established his own business. Adeviye never lost hope, not once. When leaving home, she would go to her son’s shop and give him the same instructions:

“My dear son, I’m going to the shops. Should your father come, let me know immediately!”

Years passed and Adeviye grew old. She could no longer visit her neighbor frequently. When leaving her house, she gave her daughter-in-law the same instructions:

“My dear, I’ll be at the neighbor’s place. Should your father come, you’ll let me know right away, won’t you.”

Adeviye fell ill. Her time had come. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she fell very weak. On her deathbed, she said her parting words and sought forgiveness from her son Cevdet, her daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren. Affectionately addressing her son, she said, “My son. You have taken good care of me and treated me well. May God treat you well also. My time is up. If your father comes, tell him that I waited for him always.”

Cevdet could not say anything. The words stuck in his throat and his eyes welled with tears.

Adeviye suddenly seemed to straighten herself up. It was as though her eyes had seen something extraordinary. She was smiling. Calling out in the direction of the door, she said,

“O my God! Welcome, O dearest Ali! Welcome!”

And she closed her eyes. She had passed away and a sweet smile remained suspended on her face.

The Sound of the Call to Prayer (From the Epic of the Dardanelles)

The nightlong conflict ended towards morning, and a sorrowful sound of the call to Prayer spread throughout the surroundings in waves. The day broke slowly from Kumkale.

As the sun rose, the lifeless human bodies eluded their dark shadows. There was a stirring movement in the sea. The death-spitting barrels of the cold-colored steel piles were still directed towards the heights.

The soldiers were still in their positions following the nightlong combat. They did not raise their heads from the trenches, as despite the ceasing of gunfire, ceasefire had not been reached. The first to raise his head from the trench was Lieutenant Ahmed Halid. There were countless French dead around. Smoke was rising in places. Supposing those lying on the ground to be wounded, he tried to get out of his trench. The other soldiers had also raised their heads from the trench.

Suddenly, a French soldier began running towards the Turkish trenches. He had a grenade in his hand. It was clear that he was going to approach the Turkish position and throw the bomb. He advanced rapidly, stepping over the corpses of his friends. Bullets began raining down on the French soldier from the Turkish side, but because the soldier was zigzagging, none struck him. Lieutenant Ahmed Halid took aim and pulled the trigger. The French soldier fell to the ground and began struggling desperately. The grenade in his hand had fallen. Creeping, Lieutenant Ahmed Halid approached the shot French soldier. He checked the soldier’s pulse. The soldier had no pulse and no heartbeat. He checked his breathing. He was dead. Lying dead was an African soldier in French uniform. He immediately checked the ID

tag hung around his neck. The name of the French soldier was Hasan. Lieutenant Ahmed Halid was astonished. In great haste, he began searching the soldier. There was a little book in his inside pocket: the Qur’an.

A deep sadness engulfed Lieutenant Ahmed Halid. He stood aghast for some time. He then began trying to console himself saying, “If I hadn’t killed him, he was going to kill a great many of our soldiers.” “Ah, those French colonialists,” he said sighing deeply. It was clear that they had gathered the Muslims from their colonies and brought them to Gallipoli to fight. Who knows the lies with which they deceived these Muslims, in order to bring them here for battle.

The Lieutenant took the Qur’an and placed it against his chest and crept back to his post. It became clear, with ceasefire declared that day and the resultant gathering of the dead and wounded, that most of the French soldiers killed were Muslims. There were some Muslim soldiers among the wounded prisoners of war also. Interrogating the French soldiers one by one, the Lieutenant was trying to ascertain the truth of the matter. A Muslim soldier of Algerian origin and donning French uniform explained everything that had happened.

He began relating all that he knew to Lieutenant Ahmed Halid:

“The French deceived us. ‘We are allies with your Caliph and are fighting against the Germans, the enemies of the Muslims. You too need to support the Ottomans in this battle, as supporting the Caliph is a religious obligation upon you,’ they said. Some of our friends defied the French even before coming to the front line. They didn’t want to come to fight. They must have learned the truth back then, but they were subjected to various kinds of torture. Their houses were burned, their families were

tormented. Some were imprisoned. Those not going to war were threatened with having their families killed. Our mothers, fathers, and children are held hostage in their hands. Who knows where they are now?”

The Algerian Muslim soldier wept while explaining all this. It was clear that he felt deep sorrow both due to being deceived into fighting against the Muslims and due to the desperation of his family faced. Lieutenant Ahmed Halid reported everything explained to him by the Muslim soldiers in French uniform who were taken captive, to his Commander Tayyar Pasha. Tayyar Pasha set to implementing an ingenious plan one day later. Before the Morning Prayer, he ordered for all the soldiers with beautiful voices to be brought before him. There were soldiers who sang long unmetered folk songs from time to time in the trenches. Even the enemy soldiers were affected by their touching voices. Dozens of soldiers with pleasant singing voices were gathered in a short time and brought before Tayyar Pasha. The Pasha attentively eyed each of them one by one. The naivety of the Anatolian peoples could be read on the faces of them all. The Pasha began his words saying, “My sons! Not just weapons are used to strike the enemy. Now is the time to struggle in God’s way with your voices. You are now all to recite the call to Prayer with those beautiful voices of yours. Not only the Kumkale ridges, but all the hills of the Dardanelles should resound with this sacred sound also. May your struggle be sanctified!”

Soon after, the time for the call to Prayer had come. The call to Prayer began reverberating from the Turkish trenches. That sacred sound filled the air and reached the enemy post. When it ended, it was as though all Gallipoli’s ridges had been purified of the pollution of the sound of enemy gunfire. Turkish soldiers in their positions were weeping. The call to Prayer had shown its

effect. Soon after, bits of paper wrapped around rocks began pouring in from enemy lines. Written on the pieces of paper were the words, “Who are you?”

The Turkish position was quick to respond: “We are Ottoman soldiers.” The opposite side asked again, “This can’t be! The English told us that we would be fighting with the Ottomans against the Germans!”

“Muslims can’t lie. We are Ottoman soldiers and we are fighting against the English. And who are you?”

“We are Indian Muslims!” The cries “God is Great!” at once began reverberating from the Turkish position. Followed by a period of silence… This silence was a good sign. Some time later, white flags began to appear from the enemy stronghold. The Indian soldiers had given up fighting.

The Humility of Sultan Selim I

Ottoman Sultan Selim I held Iran in the palm of his hand in as brief a space of time as eight years, returned with victories from Mercidabık and Ridaniye, and passed away when he succumbed to carbuncle during a campaign he was instigated into embarking on. These successive moves served to break his own record: When returning with the Sacred Trusts following the conquest of Egypt, and approaching the capital of Istanbul, he became aware that the people were going to receive him with magnificent ceremony. Thereupon, he turned to his Lala and said, “My Lala, such a thing is not befitting. What have we done anyhow! Better yet, let us spend the night in Üsküdar and then we can quietly proceed to Topkapı when the people are asleep.”

This great sovereign enchained fame and glory and trampled upon it when it had in fact fallen into his lap; while proceeding

with all his stateliness behind his teacher Ibn Kamal, the mud splattering from the foot of his teacher’s horse soiled the cloak of this valiant sultan. Concerned that that great person of justice would fear the wrath of the stately ruler, Sultan Selim immediately turned to his associates and instructed, “It is my last wish that you drape this robe I am wearing, with the mud splattered from beneath my master’s feet upon it, over my coffin, for I wish to appear before my Lord with this robe.” In those felicitous minutes where he retrieved the Sacred Trusts belonging to the Caliphate, assumed the office of Islam’s standard bearer and all rulers fell to their knees before him, where the sermon was read in his name, and where one could easily be overcome by the intoxication of victory, he replied to the preacher’s addressing him as, “Ruler of the Two Sanctuaries,” with the following words: “I cannot be ruler. The ruler of this place is Prophet Muhammad. I can, at best, be servant of this place.” As such, he sought to be addressed as “Servant of the Two Sanctuaries,” thus showing his true greatness. This is because the mark of greatness is humility and self-effacement. In social life, there are windows through which everyone can see and be seen. The great person shrinks to be seen and becomes bent double. The small person stands on their toes, trying to appear great. This is why those appearing great perpetually reveal their smallness and those who are humble reveal their greatness.

QUESTIONS

1) Among how many poems was the Turkish National Anthem chosen as the winning entry?

A) 715 C) 824

B) 723 D) 724

2) Which of the following is not one of the countries occupying Turkey during the War of Independence?

A) Germany C) France

B) Greece D) England

3) Which country was deceived by the French into fighting against the Turks at the Battle of Gallipoli?

A) Tunisia C) Algeria

B) Morocco D) Libya

4) He held Iran in the palm of his hand in as brief a space of time as eight years and returned with victories from Mercidabık and Ridaniye. Due to which illness did Sultan Selim I pass away?

A) Plague C) Carbuncle

B) Tuberculosis D) Influenza

5) Which of the following is Sultan Yavuz Selim’s teacher?

A) Hasan Can C) Aq Shams al-Din

B) Lala Pasha D) Ibn Kamal

CHAPTER 8

THE MERCY AND COMPASSION OF GOD’S MESSENGER

The Messenger of God Was a Paragon of Mercy and Compassion

Compassion is one of the most important character traits that a human being should possess. It can be said that a person who has lost their sense of compassion has also lost their humanity and has turned into a brutal beast.

The most merciful being among creation is Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, whom the Qur’an describes as “an unequalled mercy for all the worlds” (Al-Anbiya 21:27). This is because he never thought of himself and by saying, “My community, My community,” at his first and last breath, he openly declared, for all the universe to hear, the compassion and mercy he felt towards his community. God’s conferring upon His Beloved Messenger the attributes of “Merciful” and “All-Pitying” that are His Names, demonstrate just how merciful and compassionate a heart God’s Messenger possesses. (See At-Tawbah 9:128).

Feeling great mercy, love and compassion for children, women, the elderly, the ill, widows and orphans, as well as the forlorn and weak, slaves, and animals, the Messenger of God has presented the finest examples for us in this regard.

His displaying this same mercy and compassion despite having been subjected to severe provocation by the inhabitants of

Ta’if after having gone there, with his Companion Zayd ibn Haritha, to seek a new homeland is a most resplendent example. The universal mercy and compassion of God’s Messenger became evident in respect to women also in a very short span of time. He elevated them to such an extent, delivering them from being trampled upon and downtrodden, that by declaring, “Paradise is beneath the feet of mothers,” he held entry into Paradise equal with the approval and pleasure of mothers.

God’s Messenger treated his own wives with utmost kindness and courtesy and would by no manner of means break their hearts. All his wives, Aisha first and foremost, declared him to be very calm, gentle and humble at home and described him to be a perfect head of the family, affectionate husband, and a soft-hearted father in every respect. Stating, “The best of you are those who are the best to their women and I am the best of you to women,” God’s Messenger enjoined consideration and sensitivity towards women.

Not only human beings, but animals also benefited from this peerless and profound mercy of God’s Messenger. Consider the following case in point:

In the eighth year after the Emigration, as God’s Messenger advanced towards Mecca with a large army, he saw a female dog nursing her newborn young. God’s Messenger called for Ju’ayl ibn Suraqa and instructed him to stand guard before the suckling animals and protect them from the horses. His ordered was carried out immediately, the army’s route was moved, and the animal young too received their share from the Sun of Mercy which enveloped the entire universe.

While the Muslim army tiptoed away from them, the mother was still feeding its young. Those heroes raised in the climate

of God’s Messenger who did not turn back even at the risk of their own lives, changed their route for those young animals. By way of summary, The Messenger of God was filled with mercy and compassion towards all living beings, humanity first and foremost. It is by virtue of this mercy that he cautioned someone who extended the Prayer whilst leading the congregation for causing inconvenience to others, cut short the Prayer when he heard a child crying while performing it, forbade certain individuals who he became aware were fasting throughout the entire year, warned a man who did not show affection to his children, praised the actions of a sinful woman who took pity on a thirsty dog and gave it water and indicated that this would be a means for her entry into Paradise, and characterized another woman who was devoted to worship as being of the Fire due to her being the cause of a cat’s death.

His refusal to curse despite his being wounded and seventy of his Companions including his uncle Hamza being killed during the Battle of Uhud and his entreating God for the forgiveness of his people, as well as his forgiving the Meccans at the city’s conquest, who persecuted and tormented both him and the Muslims for years on end and forced them to emigrate, saying, “Go all of you, you are all free!” is yet another example of this great sense of compassion and mercy.

God’s Messenger and the Little Girl

God’s Messenger, the Sun of Mercy, once left for the Medina market, with ten silver coins on his person. He bought a shirt for himself for four silver coins but a poor person approached him and asked for his shirt. God’s Messenger gave the man his shirt. He went back to the market and bought himself another shirt for

four silver coins. Just at that moment, he saw a little girl and asked her why she was crying. Wiping her tears she said, “My master had given me two silver coins with which to buy flour from the market, but I lost that money.”

Extending to the little girl the last two silver coins in his possession, God’s Messenger said, “Don’t cry. You can buy the flour with these.”

Even if the weeping of the little girl ceased somewhat, it did not subside completely. Choking back her tears, she said, “But they’ll beat me because I’m late,” asking for the Prophet’s help.

God’s Messenger held the girl by the hand and they went together to buy flour. He then set off towards the girl’s house, the little girl in one hand and the flour in the other. Darkness approached. As the owner of the house was waiting for the little house servant, he was both in bewilderment and in great joy at the sight of God’s Messenger. The Prophet said,

“She was afraid that she would be punished, don’t take her task.” The master of the house said, “O God’s Messenger, as she is the means for your honoring my house, I have released her. She is free to go.”

The Messenger of God was greatly pleased by this and said, “How blessed were these ten silver coins, O Lord! Through these, You clothed Your Messenger and a poor person and freed a slave girl!

In the words of Arif Nihat Asya, God’s Messenger was, “The wing of the weak and master of the destitute.” His showing mercy and giving a helping hand to a child (and indeed a great many children throughout his life), only increases our love for him and we pride ourselves once again for being conferred the honor of being his community.

The Elevated Morality of God’s Messenger

Just as the Messenger of God was the most perfect of human beings with respect to morality and conduct, he was created in the finest manner in terms of physical constitution. He was exceedingly handsome and had an imposing presence. Those who behold his blessed countenance would be filled with the warmest of feelings, as he would warm one’s innermost feelings like the sun. When Abdullah ibn Salam, who was formerly Jewish and later embraced Islam, saw this luminous countenance, he said, “I swear by God that this face is not the face of a liar.”

Jabir ibn Samura endeavored to describe this beauty with the words, “I once saw God’s Messenger on a clear night when a full moon shone above us. I looked first at him and then at the moon. In truth, the Messenger’s face seemed to me more beautiful than the moon itself.”

God’s Messenger, the most perfect of all humanity, was of medium height. He had a white and rosy complexion. He had a wide forehead and closely-knit eyebrows. Between his eyebrows was a vein that would protrude whenever he got angry. His facial features were rounded, but not in a manner which evoked rotundity or chubbiness.

Between his shoulders was a reddish raised fleshy area considered to be the seal of Prophethood. He had broad shoulders and the palms of his hands were broad and fleshy. His ankles were thin and graceful. His teeth gleamed as he spoke. His teeth were slightly spaced. His eyes were wide-set and black. His hair was brown and was neither straight nor curly. He generally grew his hair to reach his earlobes. He wore it parted and would take good care of it. When his hair was combed, it resembled the paths blown in the sand by the wind or the waves the wind caused on still water. His beard was dense, his eyelashes long and curly. The

space between his lower lip and chin was clear, except for a few grey hairs, which shone like white pearls. His hair had not turned grey, except for a few scattered white strands of hair.

His silky-smooth skin would perpetually diffuse pleasant fragrances to his surroundings. When he perspired, his beads of sweat would drip from his forehead like pearls. His mouth smelt like perfume. If even a single drop fell from his lips into a well, the scent of musk would emanate in all directions from this well.

He walked with quick steps and those running from behind him had difficulty catching up to him. His voice was exceptionally full and rich. His speech was distinct and most eloquent. Indeed, as Bara stated, humanity had seen the likes of such beauty in this world but once and only those who love him would be able to see him in the Hereafter with this beauty.

Our Prophet Was the Gentlest of People

Our Prophet, both before and after his Prophethood, was the gentlest of people. This is a quality that he carried throughout his life. God Himself protected the Prophet from ever losing his mildness, and was pleased with the Prophet because of it. God spoke of this in the Qur’an: “It was by a mercy from God that (at the time of the setback), you (O Messenger) were lenient with your followers. Had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would surely have scattered away from about you” (Al Imran 3:159).

The Prophet never thought to avenge himself for wrongs done to his person. In addition, he was the hardest to anger, the easiest to please, and the most forgiving of all. When Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, began his mission to teach people about God’s commands, the disbelievers in the Quraysh tribe leveled every kind of insult and indignity at him. They ridiculed the Prophet, threatened to kill him, spread thorns

on his path, threw excrement at him, and even threw a noose around his neck and tried to drag him by it. Not stopping at this, they called him a conjurer and sorcerer, and said he was possessed; they tried everything they could think of to anger him. But the Prophet endured everything they did to him without reacting. Anas ibn Malik, who spent long years in the service of God’s Messenger, reported that Allah’s Messenger had the best disposition amongst people: “He sent me on an errand one day, and I said: ‘By Allah, I would not go.’ I had, however, this idea in my mind that I would do as Allah’s Messenger had commanded me to do. I went out until I happened to come across children who had been playing in the street. In the meanwhile, Allah’s Messenger came there and he caught me by the back of my neck from behind me. As I looked towards him I found him smiling and he said: ‘Unays, did you go where I commanded you to go?’ I said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger, yes, I am going.’ Anas further said: ‘I served him for nine years but I know not that he ever said to me about a thing which I had done why I did that, or about a thing I had left as to why I had not done that.’” (Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 74).

The Modesty of God’s Messenger

God’s Messenger was the most superior of all humanity with respect to modesty, and was the seemliest and shiest of all human beings. His eyes were shut, so to speak, to those things considered shameful to look at or reveal. He would pass over the faults of others, would not hold their failings against them and would not imperil the veil of respect and affection between him and that person. When he was informed of the objectionable behavior of another, he would not say, “Why is So-and-so saying such or doing such?” He would speak in general terms, saying, “Why are they doing and saying such?” In this way, he would prevent

that person from that reprehensible action or speech while withholding their name and identity. Nothing he said ever exceeded the bounds of refined manners and natural courtesy and he would in no way even attempt to utter such a word. He would not speak with a loud voice in public, in a manner that disturbed or caused offense to others. He would not return evil for evil, in contrast displaying forbearance and lenience. Even if he was forced to say something that he did not want to say, he would do so indirectly. No one could keep their gaze fixed on him or look him straight in the eye due to his utmost modesty.

God’s Messenger was Unequaled in Mercy

Mercy and compassion was like a mirror to the exalted character of God’s Messenger. Another human being as merciful, as compassionate and as fine as him had not come into existence. Those closest to the Prophet’s heart and boundless mercy were the poor and forlorn. He would constantly protect the poor, showing them a nearness that caused them to forget all the lowliness and humiliation of poverty. When he encountered an assembly where people from all segments of society were gathered, he would first approach the poor and sit together with them. God’s Messenger would caution those who were overcome by a sense of superiority to the poor and destitute in society, constantly stressing the mutual dependence of different segments of society. There was a poor woman who used to clean the Prophet’s mosque. When he was not able to see her for a few days, he inquired after her. He was told that she had died. No one attached importance to her death and they felt no need to inform God’s Messenger about her passing. Extremely troubled by this, the Messenger of God said, “Should you not have informed me?” and then went to visit her grave. After performing two units of Prayer, he supplicated, “O

Lord, fill this grave with light and illuminate it by means of this Prayer.” For God Almighty had declared in relation to His Messenger: “ There has come to you (O people) a Messenger from among yourselves; extremely grievous to him is your suffering, full of concern for you is he, and for the believers full of pity and compassion ” (At-Tawbah 9:128).

Special Compassion of God’s Messenger towards Orphans

By virtue of his compassion for orphans, God’s Messenger would constantly protect them and would unquestionably demand justice for them whenever they were wronged. He would constantly take an interest in the children of his Companions who had been killed, would not leave them and would see to all their needs. To a man who once came to him and complained of hardness of heart, God’s Messenger advised the following: “If you wish to soften your heart and obtain all your needs, show the orphan compassion, comfort and console them, feed them of your food that your heart may become soft and you may obtain all that you need.”

Kindness towards Women

The Messenger of God made no distinction between believing women and men. He would not turn them away when they were in need or when they wanted to learn something, responding to their needs and answering their questions. He took great pains not to cause any offense to elderly women in particular and would go out of his way to please them.

Extraordinary Love for Children

God’s Messenger had a special compassion and love towards children. When he saw a child, his blessed countenance would light up with happiness and joy. He would take them into his arms, embrace them and shower them with attention and affection. He would greet every child he saw and inquire after them. He would converse with them as friends, play with them as equals, talk with them at their own level and counsel them. When upon his mount he would take children upon the saddle and take them where they needed to go. So connected was he with children that he once saw children who were racing and raced with them in order to partake in their joy.

The Prophet of Compassion could not bear the crying of children and would request that they be pacified and that they not be wearied. He would even cut short a Prayer upon hearing the crying of a child and would allow the child’s mother to attend to it.

The Forgiveness of God’s Messenger

God’s Messenger, by virtue of his natural disposition, would not return evil for evil, would forgive and would never incline to seeking revenge. He never left in the lurch those of his enemies who took refuge in, surrendered to and sought forgiveness from him, except in cases pertaining to war. He accepted their requests, pardoned their offenses and became a means for a great many of them to pronounce their belief.

When the Messenger of God entered the city of Mecca at its conquest with his large army, many of his enemies crowded together before him in a helpless state. At that point, the Prophet of Mercy was as magnanimous as to forgive his enemies despite possessing the possibility and power to take whatever action he wanted. He even forgave Ikrima, the son of his staunchest enemy Abu Jahl, and Wahshi who had killed his uncle Hamza.

God’s Messenger: The Paragon of Grace

God’s Messenger displayed a profound example of grace in response to the offensive, coarse and derisive words and actions of those around him, approaching his addressees with tenderness. Nobody in the presence of God’s Messenger sensed even the slightest coarse or belittling attitude to come from him. Offending and hurtful words never fell from his lips. He never uttered insulting or defamatory statements even if implicitly.

Stating, “The best of you is the best of you in character,” God’s Messenger stressed that a person’s grace and kindness towards their friends is an act of goodness and that every act of goodness is a charity. He once gave his Companions the glad tidings of lofty palaces in Paradise the inside of which could be seen from the outside and the outside of which could be seen from the inside. When a Bedouin hearing this asked who these buildings would be for, God’s Messenger said that these were for courteous people and for those who were soft spoken.

Our mother Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: “One day, the Messenger of Allah came to my room, turned to the qibla, opened up his hands, and prayed: ‘My Lord! I am only a human being. Please do not punish me if I had offended one of Your servants.’” (Musnad, VI, 180).

God’s Messenger Kept His Word

The Messenger of God was the greatest of people to remain true to his word and loyal to his covenant. Moreover, he did not differentiate between friend or foe in this. Just as he kept his promise to his friends, he honored the agreements he made with his enemies and did not act to the contrary, whatever the cost. Prior to his Prophethood, he once waited for a man for three days at

the place where they had agreed to meet, by way of keeping his word. He did not leave saying, “He will not come after this point anyway,” but abided by his word to the very end.

The Politest of All People

The Messenger of God was the most courteous, graceful, amiable and tenderhearted of all people. He would not deny anyone his courtesy and would treat all people affably and with utmost gentility. When he was addressed or asked a question, he would always respond in the best possible way. When one of his Companions or household called out to him, he would respond immediately. He was acutely attentive to anyone who asked him a question and would not move away from the inquirer unless they moved away first. He would not interrupt anyone, or disrupt their conversation. He was the first to give the greeting to a person he met and the first to offer the handshake. He would not pull his hand away until the person across him did so first and would not turn his face away from them before they turned away first. He would kneel when sitting with someone and would not sit with his knees pulled up to his chest due to his propriety and because of the importance he attached to that person.

God’s Messenger Was Dignified

The Messenger of God was exceedingly dignified, sedate and noble. His Prophetic solemnity induced a shiver and sense awe in those who saw him. Soon afterwards, however, they would come to realize just how compassionate a person he was. Each utterance of God’s Messenger was filled with wisdom. None of his words were excessive and he would not engage in gossip. Just as he did not act against anyone, he would prevent others from doing so if

he saw them in such a state. His laugh was only that of a smile. His eyes lit up and his face gleamed when he smiled. He would not laugh in an audible manner and he never burst into laughter. If something was pleasing to him, he would merely smile to the extent of his teeth being visible and his teeth would shine like pearls. He would not look around, but ahead while walking, taking firm but humble steps. Silence was his overarching state and he would not speak without necessity. He also used to caution those who voiced their preconceptions without first knowing the inner aspect of a matter.

God’s Messenger Was Always Just

The Messenger of God constantly took justice as a basis in his every action, making no distinction between people. He was meticulous in the matter of truth. He avoided to the utmost, any harm to come to one’s life and property and any violation to the rights of others. Censuring oppression at every opportunity, he would say, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him.”

Importance Given to Youth

The Messenger of God generally selected the scribes of the Revelation from among the youth and allowed young people to make religious rulings. He appointed young teachers and designated young commanders to head the armies comprised mostly of older Companions. He personally gave the standard to Zayd ibn Thabit during the Tabuk Campaign and to Ali during the Battle of Badr. He also included young people devoted to God and performing their worship wholeheartedly among those who would attain bliss in the shade of the Divine Throne on the Day of Judgment.

Qur’anic Verses

We have not sent you (O Muhammad) but as an unequalled mercy for all the worlds. (Al-Anbiya 21:107).

The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than they have on their own selves, and (seeing that he is as a father to them) his wives are (as) their mothers. (Al-Ahzab 33:6).

Assuredly you have in God’s Messenger an excellent example to follow for whoever looks forward to God and the Last Day, and remembers and mentions God much. (Al-Ahzab 33:21).

As We have sent among you a Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our Revelations, and purifying you (of false beliefs and doctrines, and sins, and all kinds of uncleanness), and instructing you in the Book and the Wisdom, and instructing you in whatever you (must but) do not know. (Al-Baqarah 2:151).

You are surely of a sublime character, and do act by a sublime pattern of conduct. (Al-Qalam 68:4).

Prophetic Traditions

It was narrated from Abu Sa’id that the Messenger of Allah said: “I am the leader of the sons of Adam, and it is no boast. I will be the first one for whom the earth will be split open on the Day of Resurrection, and it is no boast. I will be the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted, and it is no boast. The Banner of Praise (Liwa al-Hamd) will be in my hand on the Day of Resurrection, and it is no boast.” (Sunan ibn Majah, Zuhd, 4308).

Abu Hurayra narrated: “Allah’s Messenger said, ‘All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse.’ They said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Who will refuse?’ He said, ‘Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 96, Hadith 12).

Zayd ibn Arqam narrated: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘I am leaving two great things among you. The first of them is the Book of Allah which contains guidance and light. So take the Book of Allah and cling firmly to it.’ He promoted the Book of Allah and stimulated our desire for it. Then he said, ‘The People of my House. I remind you of Allah in respect of the People of my House.’” (Sahih Muslim, Fadailu’s-Sahaba, 36).

QUESTIONS

1) Which of the following individuals is the most compassionate of all creation?

A) Mother C) Sibling

B) Father D) God’s Messenger

2) In the company of which Companion did God’s Messenger travel to Ta’if?

A) Ali C) Abu Bakr

B) Zayd ibn Haritha D) Uthman

3) When _________, who was formerly Jewish and later embraced Islam, saw this luminous countenance, he said, “I swear by God that this face is not the face of a liar.” Which of the following words should be used to fill in the blank?

A) Abdullah ibn Salam C) Jabir ibn Samura

B) Ju’ayl ibn Suraqa D) Wahshi

4) Which of the following Companions spent long years in the service of God’s Messenger?

A) Umar C) Anas ibn Malik

B) Hamza D) Abu Aqil

5) Which Companion was the son of the Prophet’s staunchest enemy Abu Jahl and embraced Islam after Mecca’s conquest?

A) Wahshi C) Khalid ibn Walid

B) Ikrima D) Umar

CHAPTER 9

HONORING PARENTS

Story: Don’t Forget the Needle

Safiye saw her mother in her dream every single night and felt great anguish each time she woke up. Her tears in the fiery flame of the night caused her heart to feel cold. Her bed was warm, but her tears were like ice. How she missed her so! It had been a few weeks since her mother had passed away. Everyone referred to her mother as “Güllü.” They called her this because her real name, Gülfikar, was too long for them to pronounce. In her dream, she would speak to her mother while facing her and just as it seemed she was about to hold her hand, she woke up suddenly. She shut her eyes tight, trying to see the same dream once more. But it was impossible to fall back asleep. Nothing save her tears filled with longing came to her eyes. Her pillow used to get wet each night because of the bitter tears she shed pining for her mother. And she was forced to conceal this from her younger brother as her mother had entrusted Selim to Safiye’s care. When taking her mother’s hands into hers during their last meeting, it was as if her mother was about to set off on a pleasant journey. Whenever she looked at the palms of her hands, she felt as though her mother’s warmth was about to slip through her fingers and she would thus clench her fists very tight. Purely because of this promise that she made to her mother did she hide from her brother the pillow drenched with her tears throughout the night. Work did not exhaust Safiye in the least.

While her peers played outside, she was busy with taking the geese to water, washing clothes and preparing food for her brother and father. On top of these tasks was hanging Selim’s bed, who wet his bed in his sleep, on the garden wall.

Safiye treasured everything she had left from her mother. She would use them meticulously and show utmost care to protect them from harm. The rosy apron her mother loved best was once torn as she was milking the sheep. This tore her heart out. It was as though the thorns of the roses on the apron were scraping against her heart and causing her deep anguish. As soon as she heard the tearing sound, she let go of the animal’s teat. She stood aghast. She took the apron gently into her arms, as though fearing that she would hurt it, and smelt it. It was as if it still had her mother’s smell upon it. Due to the evening darkness, the tear was not completely visible.

She considered repairing the apron, but where would she find a needle and thread at this time of night. “The shops in the village wouldn’t have them either,” she thought. But she would tell her father and ask him to buy them from the town center. She continued milking the sheep so as not to leave the task incomplete. When she entered the house will the milk-filled bucket in her hand, her father was also coming through the front door. Seeing Safiye, Zihni Agha said,

“And how is my beautiful daughter today?”

“I’m well, father.”

“What will you be cooking for us tonight?”

“Milk soup, father.” When Selim heard milk soup, his eyes lit up.

“It has been on my mind for quite some time now. And it’s mother’s favorite food.” A silence enveloped the room. By way of evading this situation, Zihni Agha took Selim into his arms and

said, “So did you take the geese to pasture nicely today?” Selim raised his blonde eyebrows in excitement and answered, “Yes, dad! And I put them out to graze in the greenest spots.”

“Well done! That’s my boy!”

When Selim spoke like a grown up, the household would cheer up. When the food was cooking, Safiye approached her father and asked, “Dad, is there anyone going to town tomorrow?”

“What is it? I hope everything’s all right.”

“It’s just that my apron got ripped, and I need a needle and thread to mend it.”

“Hmm. Well, let’s just wait until morning and we’ll see what we can do. I’m sure we’ll find someone who’s going.”

Safiye thought about the ripped apron all night long. She fell asleep with this thought. In her dream, she saw her mother. She was again surrounded by roses. This time, she called Safiye and said, “My darling, if you’re looking for needle and thread, there’s a needle and some thread on the stone above the fireplace. Take them from there, but take them to the neighbor, your aunt Zehra, once you’ve finished with them. I had borrowed the needle from her.”

Safiye could only say, “OK, mum,” in her astonishment.

“Whatever you do, don’t forget to give them back to her,” Güllü added.

“I won’t forget, mum,” Safiye said and she was just about to hug her mother one more time when she woke up huddled with the blanket.

She realized all this to be a dream. She closed her eyes for the dream to continue, but to no avail as there was no way she could fall back to sleep.

And with the recitation of the call to the Morning Prayer, she got up and took her ablution. Meanwhile, she noticed that her

father had woken up also. He was going to go to the mosque for Prayer. “Let me light the fireplace until the sun rises,” Safiye said after performing her Prayer. She looked at the stone above the fireplace to get a match. She saw a wrapped up piece of paper in the place her mother had mentioned in her dream. She grabbed it quickly. When she opened it, she was lost in amazement. There was a needle and some thread in the paper, just as her mother had told her. She pressed the paper against her chest with the delicacy of a butterfly’s wing. She was allaying the longing she felt for her mother.

At this point, she remembered that her father would come from the mosque soon and she had still not lit the fire. Lighting it in a flash, she placed last night’s soup on top of it. She then meticulously sewed the tear in the apron. Taking a hot coal from the fire, she placed it inside the flat iron. She ironed it carefully and placed it in the cupboard. When Zihni Agha came back home, she told him everything that had happened. Her father made an excuse to leave the room in order to hide his tears. When breakfast was being prepared, he went to the village square to include his sheep among the village’s herd. When Safiye went to Selim’s room to wake him up, she saw Selim awake and waiting in a corner as though he had done something wrong. Apparently he had wet his pants again. Safiye approached her brother and so as not to upset him any further, she said, “Ah my dear brother, why are you so upset! We can hang it out and it’ll dry in no time. And when we put the sheets in the wash it will be as good as ever.” She then grabbed the blanket and left the room.

After breakfast, she took the needle and thread and went to the neighbor’s house. As she did not quite know what to say, she just handed them over and added, “I saw my mother in my dream

and she said, ‘These belong to your aunt Zehra, give them back to her.’”

She couldn’t say any more. She gulped and stood stupefied. Zehra could not make any sense of what she heard. Making like she was fixing her scarf with one hand, she wiped her tears with one edge on the other. Shaking her head, she could only manage to say, “The dear departed! A neighbor like you is rare indeed.”

Safiye said that she had work to do at home and left. Zehra called out, “Dear girl, are you going to go so soon after coming all this way? Let me offer you some ayran at least.”

“At another time perhaps,” Safiye replied.

Safiye made her way back in the peace of mind of having fulfilled her mother’s wish. And when she saw Selim joking around with his friends whilst taking the geese to water, she felt her sadness to lessen a little more. She was no longer that sad.

THE COMPANIONS’ LOVE FOR GOD’S MESSENGER

Why Are You Walking Like That?

The Messenger of God and noble Abu Bakr were climbing up the Mount Light. Abu Bakr walked in front of our Prophet for some time and then changed position to walk behind him. When the Messenger of Allah noticed that he was constantly doing this, he asked Abu Bakr why he was doing so. Abu Bakr answered, “O Messenger of Allah! When I remember that the non-believers are searching for you I start walking behind you, when I remember that they are on the lookout for you I start walking in front of you.”

When our beloved Prophet asked, “Would you prefer a disaster meant for me to strike you instead,” Abu Bakr replied, “Definitely! I swear to Allah, who sent you with the true religion, that I would prefer a disaster to strike me rather than strike you.”

Tears in the Cave

After an hour of walking, God’s Messenger and his eminently truthful friend arrived the Cave of Thawr on the Mount Light. As they reached the entrance of the cave, Abu Bakr called out to our Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah! Let me enter first.”

He cleaned the inside of the cave and checked over everything very carefully. He covered all the holes with pieces of cloth

that he tore from his shirt so as to prevent a snake or a scorpion coming out and harming Allah’s Messenger. Then, he turned to our Prophet and said, “You may enter now O Messenger of Allah.”

Our Prophet went inside the cave. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he put his blessed head down on Abu Bakr’s lap. Meanwhile, Abu Bakr realized that one of the holes in the ground was left open. He had run out of the cloth that he used to close up the holes. So, he used his foot heel to close up the hole so that no snake could come out and harm our Prophet. A short while later, a snake rose out of that hole and bit Abu Bakr’s foot. Despite the pain he felt on his heel, Abu Bakr did not even move a muscle so as not to disturb our Prophet. The pain, however, caused tears to fall from his eyes. When the tears dropped onto our Prophet’s face, he woke up immediately. When he realized what had happened, he wet his had with his blessed saliva and spread it over the snake bite. The pain on Abu Bakr’s heel was gone in an instant. His foot was healed in no time; it was like the snake had never bit him.

The Women Companions’ Love for God’s Messenger

When their husbands and children were martyred in battle, the Women Companions asked first about the Messenger of Allah and, by putting his welfare before that of their own children and spouse, they demonstrated the most poignant example of love for the Prophet.

Due to their knowing that sacrifice for God and His Messenger would not be left unrewarded, they accepted wholeheartedly even the greatest trials and tribulations.

During the Battle of Uhud, a rumor had been spread that God’s Messenger had died. A woman whose heart burned in anguish rushed to Uhud from Medina. She covered the distance

of six kilometers running and when she finally approached Uhud someone said to her, “Sumayra, look your father was martyred right here!” Not looking at her father, she kept repeating, “Where is God’s Messenger?”

A few steps later, someone exclaimed, pointing to her children, “Sumayra, two of your sons were martyred and are lying right here,” but she did not look in their direction either, instead crying out, “Where is God’s Messenger?” Soon after, they showed her the body of her husband Abdullah. Again, she asked, “Where is God’s Messenger?”

Eventually she found the Messenger of Allah. She threw herself to the ground at a short distance from his feet and the following words fell from her lips when she reached him: “All misfortunes are nothing to me, provided that you are alive, O Messenger of God!”

Another female Companion by the name of Nasiba fought heroically before God’s Messenger in his defense, paying no mind to anything or anyone else. When God’s Messenger showed her her son and said, “Rush to his aid,” she remembered that she had a son on the battlefield, rushed to his side, took care of his wounds and then, patting him on the back, sent him back to the battlefield saying, “Come on, my dear son! Now go and protect God’s Messenger!”

As they did not want anything to take precedence over their love for God’s Messenger, they made such a sacrifice without reservation. With a more delicate and sentimental disposition, the women Companions did not utter a single word when they lost their loved ones, due to their love for the Messenger; far from it, they considered protecting him with a complete devotion and sacrifice to be more important than all else.

Companions Who Sacrificed Their Lives for God’s Messenger

True loyalty and faithfulness is to be able to sacrifice one’s life and possessions, sacrifice everything for the sake of the beloved without hesitation. Those thinking of the God’s Messenger and his cause even while at the point of death are the true heroes of love. The noblest representatives of this pinnacle are the Companions. One of these is Sa’d ibn Rabi’, one of the Medinan Helpers, who pledged his allegiance to God’s Messenger at Aqaba. He fought selflessly at Uhud and sacrificed his own life to protect God’s Messenger. When the Messenger of Allah could not see Sa’d beside him, he sent someone to look for him and saying, “I saw him fighting over there shortly before,” indicated a certain section of the valley. When Zayd ibn Thabit found him, he found him with seventy wounds on his body and having sustained serious injury with an arrow that had pierced through his stomach out of his back. Just as he was about to breathe his last breath with the jubilation of having been inquired after by God’s Messenger, he wished for the following to be conveyed to his people: “Fear God and remember the pledge you made to the Messenger of God at Aqaba. I swear to God that if you fail to protect God’s Messenger from his enemies while you still breathe and allow any harm to come to him, you will have no ground of exculpation before God (on the Day of Reckoning).”

The most telling examples of self-sacrifice for the sake of one’s beloved were experienced during the Raj’i incident, which drove God’s Messenger into deep sorrow. Ensnared during the Raj’i episode and sold to the Meccans, Khubayb ibn Adiyy and Zayd ibn Dathina were imprisoned for some time and then tied to trees from which they were then to be executed. A leading Meccan Abu Sufyan approached Zayd and said, “Would that you

were now with your family and Muhammad were in your place so that we might cut off his head instead of yours, Zayd.” He, in all likelihood, sought to frighten him with death and make him abandon his faith. Rejecting this offer with a vengeance Zayd said, “Let alone wishing that Muhammad were here in my place so that I were with my family, I could not even bear the thought of even a thorn hurting his foot in Medina!” Abu Sufyan, who was standing in astonishment, could not help but remark, “How strange it is that I have never seen a person so loved by his Companions as Muhammad.” They then went to Khubayb ibn Adiyy and told him that if he would be saved if he renounced his belief. Khubayb responded in the same way as Zayd and said, “I would not renounce my belief for the entire world!”

Special Guests

One day the Prophet gave away all the food in his house to the needy as he always did. He helped Muslim students and the poor. He took care of his guests until it was late at night. When his guests were gone, he prayed for a while. After his prayer, he felt very hungry.

He looked around his house in order to find something to eat. However, there was nothing left to eat. It was almost midnight. Where could he find food at this time of the night? He could not sleep because of his hunger. If he could fall asleep, he might not feel the pain of hunger. However, his hunger didn’t let him sleep. He had no more strength left. He decided to go out to find food. He went to Abu Bakr, who was one of his best friends. “He might have something to eat,” he thought.

Just as he left home to see Abu Bakr, he saw someone coming closer to him. It was very dark, but the Prophet recognized

who he was. It was his friend, Abu Bakr. The Prophet greeted Abu Bakr and asked:

“Oh Abu Bakr, why are you outside at this time of the night?”

“Because of hunger, O Messenger of God! I felt very hungry. I could not find anything to eat at home, so I decided to come to you. I thought you might have something to eat.”

After saying this, Abu Bakr asked the Prophet:

“Why did you leave your house at this time, O Messenger of God?”

The Prophet said: “I went out for the same reason. I was coming to you to ask for food.”

When Abu Bakr heard this, he forgot about his own problem. He started to think how he could find some food for the Messenger of God.

Then they saw another person coming toward them. A tall man was getting closer to them. This well-built man was Umar ibn al-Khattab. He was surprised to see his two best friends. They greeted each other.

The Prophet asked Umar why he left home at midnight. And he gave the same answer as Abu Bakr did.

“Hunger...I could not find anything to eat at home.”

Umar gave away the food to the needy as Abu Bakr did. Hunger brought three best friends together at midnight. They asked each other what they were going to do. They decided to go up to a friend’s house to eat something. But who could this friend be? Who could they go to? It was very late at midnight. Who could they disturb at this hour?

As they were thinking about where to go, Abu al-Haytham’s name came to the Prophet’s mind. The Prophet loved Abu al-Haytham and he knew that Abu al-Haytham loved him too. Even if he knocked at his door at midnight, Abu al-Haytham

would not be uncomfortable, he thought. Moreover, his home was not far away. The Prophet thought: “Abu al-Haytham has a date garden. He may have brought some dates to his house.”

“Let’s go to Abu al-Haytham,” he said to Abu Bakr and Umar. Then they started to walk toward Abu al-Haytham’s house. Abu al-Haytham had a very nice garden. He and his son, Haytham, went to this garden every morning and brought their sheep with them. When his father worked in the garden, Haytham took care of the animals grazing and also collected some dates.

Haytham was a very intelligent boy who was about five or six years old. His father always took Haytham with him when he visited the Prophet and his Companions.

Abu al-Haytham and his son Haytham went to their garden to work that day, too. As they were very tired, they went to bed early. When they were in their deep sleep, the Prophet and his friends came to the door. They were aware that it was very late. Umar knocked the door first. He called out with his strong voice,

“Abu al-Haytham!”

Abu al-Haytham and his wife did not hear him, but Haytham did. He recognized this voice. He was familiar with this voice as he heard it many times before. He tumbled out of his bed right away and went up to his father.

“Wake up dad, Umar has come!” Abu al-Haytham thought that his son Haytham was dreaming. He told Haytham: “Go to sleep my boy. Why on earth would Umar come here at this time of the night?”

Upon his father’s words, Haytham went back to his bed. As the door was not opened, the Prophet and his friends understood that they had not been heard. Abu Bakr knocked the door this time.

“Abu al-Haytham!” he called out.

Abu al-Haytham and his wife did not hear Abu Bakr’s voice either.

Haytham heard and recognized this voice too. He told his father:

“Wake up dad, Abu Bakr has come!”

Abu al-Haytham still thought that Haytham was dreaming: “Sleep, my boy. Abu Bakr has nothing to do here at midnight.”

Then he took Haytham to his bed and covered him with the blanket.

When the Prophet saw that the door was still not opened, he decided to call out to Abu al-Haytham himself: “Abu al-Haytham!”

When Haytham heard the Prophet’s voice, he could not stay in his bed. He rushed to the door. While running to the door, he told his father that the Prophet came to visit them. His father did not fully understand what was going on. When he saw Haytham going toward the door, he got up from his bed. When Haytham opened the door, Abu al-Haytham was very surprised to see the Prophet and his best friends waiting in front of the door!

Abu al-Haytham did not know what to do out of excitement. He went up to the guests immediately, and welcomed them. Haytham was very pleased to see the Prophet and his friends in their home.

The Prophet told Abu al-Haytham that they were hungry and asked if he had something to eat. Hearing this, Abu al-Haytham went to the yard and slaughtered a sheep. His wife cooked a meal with the meat, and they prepared the table.

Haytham brought some of the dates they had collected from their garden that day. They put some sheep milk on the table, too. The table looked very beautiful. They wanted to offer more things to eat as these guests were very special to them.

The Prophet and his two close friends started eating. After they ate some, their hunger disappeared. They thanked Abu al-Haytham, his wife, and little Haytham.

The Prophet and his two friends were no longer hungry. Haytham was the happiest of all for what had happened. He always loved to visit the Prophet, and now he was a guest in their house.

“If I had not heard their voice, I would not be sitting with them now,” he thought. And he and his father thanked God Almighty for sending these special guests to their home that night.

Qur’anic Verses

Lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say: “My Lord, have mercy on them even as they cared for me in childhood.” (Al-Isra 17:24).

God was assuredly well-pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts (of sincere intention and loyalty to God’s cause) and, therefore, He sent down (the gift of) inner peace and reassurance on them, and rewarded them with a near victory. (Al-Fath 48:18).

The first and foremost (to embrace Islam and excel others in virtue) among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who follow them in devotion to doing good, aware that God is seeing them—God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with Him. (At-Tawbah 9:100).

Among the believers are men (of highest valor) who have been true to their covenant with God: Among them are those who have fulfilled their vow (by remaining steadfast until death), and those who are awaiting (its fulfillment). They have never altered in any way. (Al-Ahzab 33:23).

Prophetic Traditions

Abu Hurayra reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to as much as one much on behalf of one of them or half of it.” (Sahih Muslim, Fadailu’s-Sahaba, 6167).

Abdullah ibn Mughaffal narrated Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Allah! Allah! (Keep the thought of Allah) concerning my Companions. Do not take them as a target (for your obscenity or charges) after me. One who loves them, loves me but one who hates them, hates me, and one who offends them, offends me and in turn offends Allah and one who offends Allah, Allah almost takes him.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 58).

Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘The stars are a source of security for the sky and when the stars disappear there comes to the sky, i.e. (it meets the same fate) as it has been promised (it would plunge into darkness). And I am a source of safety and security to my Companions and when I would go away there would fall to the lot (of my Companions) as they have been promised with and my Companions are a source of security for the Ummah and as they would go there would fall to the lot of my Ummah as (its people) have been promised.’” (Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 295).

QUESTIONS

1) Which Companion accompanied God’s Messenger during the Emigration when God’s Messenger left Mecca and took to the cave in the Mount Light?

A) Abu Bakr C) Zayd

B) Ali D) Khadija

2) Which female Companion said, “All misfortunes are nothing to me, provided that you are alive, O Messenger of God!” upon seeing the Messenger, despite losing her husband and sons during the Battle of Uhud?

A) Halima C) Sumayra

B) Sumayya D) Safiyya

3) She fought before God’s Messenger in his defense, paying no mind to anything or anyone else. When God’s Messenger showed her her son and said, “Rush to his aid,” she remembered that she had a son on the battlefield, rushed to his side, took care of his wounds and then, patting him on the back, sent him back to the battlefield saying, “Come on, my dear son! Now go and protect God’s Messenger!” Who was this female Companion of the Prophet?

A) Halima C) Nasiba

B) Sumayya D) Sumayra

4) Who was the Companion, a representative of the Medinan Helpers, who pledged his allegiance to God’s Messenger at Aqaba and gave his life fighting selflessly to defend God’s Messenger?

A) Mus’ab C) Sa’d ibn Rabi

B) Hamza D) Umar

5) Which Companion was ensnared during the Raj’i incident and sold to the Meccans, only later to be executed?

A) Zayd ibn Dathina C) Anas ibn Malik

B) Zayd ibn Thabit D) Bilal

CHAPTER 10

SENSITIVITY REGARDING THE PROHIBITED AND THE PERMISSIBLE

The Levy of Abu Bakr’s Slave

Our mother Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “Abu Bakr as-Siddiq had a slave who used to pay him a levy and Abu Bakr used to eat from the levy. One day he brought something and Abu Bakr ate some of it. The slave said to him, ‘Do you know what this is?’ He said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘In the Jahiliyya (the Period of Ignorance), I used to be a soothsayer for a man. I did not do soothsaying well. I only deceived him. He met me and gave me that from which you ate.’ So Abu Bakr inserted his hand into his mouth and vomited all that he had in his stomach.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Manaqibu’l-Ansar, 26).

God’s Messenger and the Date

As reported by Anas, God’s Messenger once found a date as he was walking and said, “Had it not been for fear of this date’s being of charity, I would have eaten it.”

One of the most salient characteristics of God’s Messenger was his refusal to accept alms and charity. He indicated that neither he nor his household and progeny would accept charity.

One of the most striking examples of this in the life of God’s Messenger is the following:

When Hasan was still a child, he sat in his grandfather’s lap in the Prophet’s Mosque and watched, along with God’s Messenger, the distribution of the dates given in alms. He took one of the dates from in front of him and put it in his mouth. God’s Messenger cautioned him saying, “Kikh, Kikh! (Get rid of it) Do you not know that we do not eat of charity?” and thus made the child remove the date from his mouth.

The Messenger of God abstained to the utmost from eating of that which was given in charity and was thus exceedingly careful regarding the Divine commandments.

In the Prophetic Tradition in question, we see that God’s Messenger refrained from eating a date that he found in his path in case it was a date that someone had intended to give in alms and dropped accidentally. This demonstrates his meticulously observing the rules that he himself put into place and that he avoided the doubtful with a great scrupulousness.

On one occasion he ate a date that he found beside his bed so as not to waste it. After consuming it, he became doubtful of whether this was a date given in alms and could not sleep the entire night due to this suspicion preying on his mind.

The blessings with which God has favored us are too numerous to be counted. Not contenting oneself with these and inclining to those things which are likely to be of the prohibited is behavior not befitting servitude to God. On the other hand, shunning the permissible with the intention of avoiding the doubtful, or entertaining misgivings concerning blessings that are religiously lawful and rousing unnecessary hesitation, thus causing trouble to other Muslims, is not right either.

HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Story: Sultan Selim I and the Apple

The army that stopped over in a place encircled with apple trees after having journeyed for quite some time, set forth once again after taking their rest. After making some headway, Sultan Selim summoned his vizier and said, “I have a taste for apples. Ask the troops and see whether any of them have any apples that they can give.”

The vizier left the Sultan’s presence and began wandering from tent to tent, but no one had any apples. The vizier returned to the Sultan’s presence empty-handed. Flushed with embarrassment, he said, “Your exalted highness, I was unable to find even a single apple.” This reply pleased Sultan Selim immensely. Smiling, he said, “If even a single apple had emerged, I would have abandoned this campaign. Victory cannot be won with an army that consumes the unlawful.”

Story: A Bunch of Grapes

Sultan Suleyman the Lawgiver set off for a campaign with his men. As the army slowly advanced, they encountered a narrow pass. The soldiers were thus obliged to pass through the village vineyards. The weather was very hot and everyone was extremely thirsty.

Unable to bear this any longer, one of the soldiers plucked a bunch of grapes off the vine and quenched his thirst. He then took from his wallet more money than what the grapes he ate were worth, put it in a little bag and tied the bag to one of the vine branches. Then he continued on his way.

Before long, the army stopped over to rest. One of the villagers raced to the site where the army lodged and insisted upon seeing the Sultan. The villager was accepted into the Sultan’s presence and the Lawgiver asked, “What has happened to you? You are drenched in sweat. Or have one of my troops done you harm?”

“My purpose is not complaint but expression of my satisfaction,” the man replied.

“And what have my men done to please you so?”

“After your men passed through my vineyard, I noticed a little bag tied to one of the branches of the vines. There was money in it. I couldn’t make any sense of this. One of the neighboring farmers said that one of the troops plucked a bunch of grapes and then hung the bag on the branch. It was then that I realized that money to be the payment for that bunch of grapes. So long as you have soldiers with such noble conduct, you cannot be defeated.”

Paying close attention, the Lawgiver ordered for that soldier to be found immediately. The villager waited eagerly, supposing that the Sultan would give this solider a great reward. That soldier was eventually found and brought to the Sultan’s presence. The Lawgiver admonished the soldier saying, “Do you not know that taking property without the knowledge of its owner is wrong, even if the payment has been given?” He then decreed, “This soldier is to be discharged at once!” In a flurry, the villager said, “I had come for this soldier to be rewarded, while you have punished him.” The Lawgiver said, “Victory cannot be won with a soldier who holds an unlawful morsel in his stomach. This is the reason

for his dismissal from the army. Had he not left the money for the grapes which he had consumed, his punishment would have been much greater indeed.”

Qur’anic Verses

O humankind! (Observe whatever God commands you. He has made you dwell on the earth, so) eat of what is on the earth, provided it is lawful, pure and wholesome (in composition and religiously); and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, (who deceives both those who are followed and those who follow); indeed he is a manifest enemy to you. (Al-Baqarah 2:168).

Eat (as lawful, pure and wholesome) from that which God has provided for you; and in due reverence for Him, keep from disobedience to God, in Whom you have faith. (Al-Maedah 5:88).

Prophetic Traditions

Abu Yusuf Abdullah ibn Salam said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say, ‘O people! Make the greeting common practice, provide food, maintain ties of kinship and pray while people are asleep and you will enter Paradise in safety.’” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 42).

Al-Miqdam narrated: “The Prophet said, ‘Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one’s own hands. The Prophet Allah, David used to eat from the earnings of his manual labor.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 34, Hadith 25).

QUESTIONS

1) One of the most salient characteristics of God’s Messenger was his refusal to accept _______ and _______. Which of the following words should be used to fill in the blanks above?

A) Alms-charity

B) Alms-gifts

C) Gifts-charity

D) Gifts-alms

2) Which Ottoman Sultan tested his army with an apple whilst they passed through an apple orchard?

A) Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver

B) Sultan Selim I

C) Sultan Bayezid I

D) Sultan Abdülhamid I

ADDITIONAL TOPICS

SOCIAL ETIQUETTE

The Etiquette of Eating and Drinking

God Almighty decrees that His servants consume the bounties He has conferred upon them, but that they not waste these. The following matters warrant utmost attention in regard to eating and drinking:

1. Hands must be washed before and after eating.

2. One must eat with their right hand, invoke the Name of God, reciting the basmala, at the beginning, eat from what is in front of them, and praise God at the end. Umar ibn Abi Salama narrates: I was yet a boy under the care of God’s Messenger and I used to eat from all sides of the dish. So God’s Messenger said to me, ‘Dear child! Mention the Name of God, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you.’ This is how I have eaten since.”

3. If the basmala is forgotten at the start and remembered during the meal, one says, “In the Name of Allah at its start and end (Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu).”

4. The meal must not been rushed, the food must be chewed thoroughly, the morsels must not be swallowed one after the other.

5. It is proper that one older in age or higher in position begin eating first.

6. Food must not be breathed upon in order to cool it. Actions and manner causing repulsion in others must be avoided. One must not speak or laugh when their mouth is full.

7. One must not look at what others are eating.

8. The person who prepared the meal must be thanked and acknowledged and one must help in setting and clearing the table.

Cleanliness

The first requirement for deserving God’s love, entering His Presence, and being His servant is cleanliness. It is the first thing we must do to put ourselves in the correct state for performing obligatory daily prayers, which are the “ascension of the believer.” In the following verse God decrees performing ablution or taking a bath for this purpose: “O you who believe! When you rise up for the Prayer, (if you have no ablution) wash your faces and your hands up to (and including) the elbows, and lightly rub your heads (with water) and (wash) your feet up to (and including) the ankles. And if you are in the state of major ritual impurity (requiring total ablution), purify yourselves (by taking a bath)” (Al-Maeda 5:6).

With this verse the ablutions before ritual prayers became obligatory and all Muslims wash their hands, faces, mouths, noses, ears, necks, and feet before each of the five daily prayers.

Just as we should keep our body and the clothes we wear clean, we also need to keep our living quarters and the places where we worship clean. The Qur’an says, “O children of Adam! Dress cleanly and beautifully for every act of worship” (Al-A’raf 7:31).

God’s Messenger made it an obligatory practice to bathe at least once a week (this was at a time when frequent bathing was

uncommon). He also instructed people to “keep your environment clean” and urged them to maintain the shared community spaces as well. A hadith recounts his words on this subject: “Avoid two cursed things,” he said, and when the Companions asked “What two things?” he replied, “Relieving oneself on the road where people pass by, or in a shady place (where people take a rest).”

The noble Messenger, who was “the Living Qur’an” and who embodied Qur’anic morality, as with everything, was the best of examples in cleanliness. He was very careful about his own cleanliness and whenever he lay down or got up, day or night, he washed his mouth and nose, brushed his teeth and made ablutions. In particular he emphasized that cleaning the teeth is crucial not only for the health of our mouth, but also to please God; moreover, he taught that the first thing a person should do on waking from sleep is to wash their hands. He was also careful to dry his limbs on a towel after washing. God’s Messenger paid close attention to cleanliness throughout his life; he would wear clean, nice clothes whenever he out went in public, particularly to the mosque or to visit someone. He used pleasant scents and avoided eating onions, garlic or smelly foods before going out. The following issues concerning bathroom etiquette must be especially observed:

1. Prior to entering the bathroom, men must first roll up their trouser legs and remove their socks.

2. One is advised to say, “Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minal khubthi wal khaba’ith” (‘O Allah! Verily, I seek refuge in You from the filthy and impure’) before entry.

3. One must enter with their left foot first and exit with the right foot first.

4. Men must not urinate in a standing position, but while sitting. (Urinating while standing damages the kidneys, adversely affects the soundness of the Prayer, and this constitutes the cause for the greater part of punishment in the grave.)

5. One must not speak, consume anything, idle around or think of matters pertaining to the Hereafter while in the bathroom.

6. Cleaning must be performed with the left hand. (The vessel containing the water, as well as the tap and the door must be held with the right hand and any items for cleaning such as brushes with the left hand.)

7. The bathroom must be left neat and clean. (Washing the hands and leaving the toilet clean.)

8. Males must ensure that istibra is performed after urinating (waiting for a certain period to ensure that no urine has remained in the urethra).

Friendship and Fellowship in the Hadith

An examination of the Prophetic Traditions reveals that the Messenger of Allah attached great importance to friendship and fellowship. A believer’s friendship with their fellow believer must be oriented toward Divine pleasure and approval. That is to say, the believer loves their fellow believer for the sake of God and establishes their friendship and fellowship with them on this basis. In one of his hadith, God’s Messenger articulates this truth as follows: “The strongest bond of belief is friendship for the sake of God and opposition for His sake, love for the sake of God and disfavor for His sake.”

Whilst sincere friendships established for the sake of God continue for all eternity, those based on self-interest can end even while in the world. Love and friendship for God’s sake can never be dependent on self-interest. The Qur’anic verse, “Those who are intimate friends (in the world) will be enemies one to another on that Day, except the God-revering, pious” (Az-Zukhruf 43:67), vividly expresses the fact that friendships other than those formed for the sake of God can turn into enmity in the Hereafter.

Moreover, a hadith describing one of those people to be given protection on the Day of Reckoning wherein there is no shade save the shade of God as, “those who love one another for the sake of God,” reveals the reward of those people who love each other for His sake. Indeed, the believer must form friendships for the sake of God and their friend must take them to Him. A friend who takes one to God is most certainly an auspicious friend. God’s Messenger relates the good friend in one Prophetic Tradition by means of the following excellent similitude: “The similitude of good company and that of bad company is that of the owner of musk and of the one blowing the bellows. The owner of musk would either offer you some free of charge, or you would buy it from him, or you smell its pleasant fragrance; and as for the one who blows the bellows (i.e., the blacksmith), he either burns your clothes or you get from it a repugnant smell.”

Saying, “A person is upon the religion of their friend,” God’s Messenger demands from us to be careful in our choice of friends, as the good friend takes one to Paradise, while a bad one takes one to the pits of the Fire.

Fellowship resembles a single spirit in two bodies. Our friends are our capital in both this world and the Hereafter. They are treasures enabling us to attain happiness in both this world

and in the Hereafter. The Messenger of God expresses this reality in the following hadith:

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported the Prophet as saying: “There are people from the servants of Allah who are neither Prophets nor martyrs; the Prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection for their rank from Allah, the Most High.”

They (the people) asked: ‘Tell us, O Messenger of Allah, who are they?’ He replied: ‘They are people who love one another for the spirit of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an), without having any mutual kinship and giving property to one. I swear by Allah, their faces will glow and they will be (sitting) in (pulpits of) light. They will have no fear (on the Day) when the people will have fear, and they will not grieve when the people will grieve.’

He then recited the following Qur’anic verse: ‘Know well that the friends (saintly servants) of God—they will have no fear (both in this world and the next, for they will always find My help and support with them), nor will they grieve.’” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 24, Hadith 112).

Respect for the Elderly

Stating, “Those who do not have mercy on our young and do not respect our elders are not of us,” the Messenger of God highlights reverence for one’s elders and compassion towards those who are younger as an important principle in the religion of Islam.

Using expressions of respect towards the elderly, making room for them on public transport, giving them the first hearing in an assembly, refraining from raising one’s voice and from irreverence in their presence and allowing them preferential right are aspects of such propriety. One day, everyone will get old. A person who shows respect to the elderly will receive respect when

they, too, age. As God’s Messenger states: “If any young person shows respect to an elderly person because of their old age, God will appoint those to show them the same respect when they themselves grow old.”

Let us not forget that the elderly among us serve as spiritual lightning rods, so to speak, and by means of them, our sustenance increases and we are protected from calamities and misfortunes: “Were it not for the elderly bent double, suckling infants and grazing animals among you, calamities would have descended upon you in floods.”

The Etiquette of Greeting

Greetings are a mark of fellowship enabling the strengthening of social bonds and increasing affection between human beings. It is also a Prophetic practice.

Offering a greeting is a recommended practice taken from the life of God’s Messenger, while responding to such a greeting is religiously mandatory (fard). A hadith states: “You will not enter the Garden until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something the doing of which will enable you to love one another? Make the greeting common practice among you.”

The etiquette of greeting can be enumerated as follows:

1. Saying “As-salamu alaykum” (‘Peace be upon you’) when entering a gathering and before beginning to speak.

2. Saying “As-Salamu alayna wa ala ibadillahi’s-salihin” (‘Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah’) when entering an unoccupied house.

3. Greetings can be extended when leaving an assembly or parting from one’s companions as when meeting them,

for God’s Messenger says, “When one of you comes to an assembly, they should offer the greeting (of peace) and when they intend to leave, they should leave with greetings (of peace).”

4. The initiator of greetings should be the younger person (when two people meet, or in general), the smaller party rather than the larger one, those riding over those on foot, and those who on foot rather than those who are seated.

5. If someone in an assembly responds with the words, “Wa alaykum as-salam” (‘And upon you be peace’) when the assembly is greeted, others are relieved of the obligation to respond; however, if no one replies, everyone in the assembly is equally responsible.

6. The word marhaba has also been used in way of greeting. God’s Messenger also used the term when welcoming his guests. Derived from the verb rahaba, it comes to mean, “Make yourself at home, you are among friends.”

7. The response to the greeting should be given immediately and loud enough for the greeter to hear.

8. One should not pretend that they have not heard greeting of another.

He Always Remained True to His Word

Truthfulness is one of the matters painstakingly emphasized in the Qur’an. Truthfulness in one’s inner self and outer being, or conformity between their true self and their speech and actions... The Qur’an exhorts truthfulness not merely as a necessary character trait of the individual, but simultaneously stresses the importance of being in the company of truthful individuals: “O you who believe! Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and

piety, and keep the company of the truthful (those who are also faithful to their covenant with God)” (At-Tawbah 9:119).

The Qur’an praises Prophet Abraham with his truthfulness: “And make mention of Abraham in the Book. He was surely a sincere man of truth, a Prophet” (Maryam 19:41).

Truthfulness is agonizing not to lie, not just when everything is proceeding normally, but also under the most trying of conditions, even when one has the chance of breaking free with a ‘little lie’. It is standing firm in trueness and faithfulness before, within and behind every undertaking. “And say: ‘My Lord! Cause me to enter in a manner sincere and faithful to the truth, and cause me to exit in a manner sincere and faithful to the truth, and grant me from Your Presence a sustaining authority!’” (Al-Isra 17:80).

God’s Messenger once waited for three days in a place where he had promised to meet with someone. When the man remembered his appointment and arrived, God’s Messenger merely said, without any sign or expression of anger, “I have been waiting here for you for the past three days.” The Messenger of God defined the person who fails to keep their word as a hypocrite, or a person who is two-faced. He said: “When the hypocrite speaks, he lies, when he makes a promise, he breaks it, and whenever he is trusted, he betrays his trust.” Perhaps all these characteristics may perhaps not be found in an individual at once, but even if one of these are present in a person, this means that they possess traces of hypocrisy within them and they must be purged of these immediately.

Truthfulness should not function merely as the product of the individual but as the product of social life also. Truth and faithfulness must be taken as a basis everywhere from our personal life and social life, to our commercial and even familial life

also. The preservation of these institutions is contingent upon individuals living in faithfulness and fidelity.

The Ethics of Speech

Thinking and speaking are two important qualities setting human beings apart from other creatures. By virtue of the connection between them, speaking resembles a clear, polished mirror reflecting the intellectual level and mental attitude of one who possesses it. As the old saying goes, “A person’s manner of speaking is the very person themselves.” The way in which a person speaks and their choice of words are indicators of their own self. The religion of Islam has introduced a set of principles governing speech and has maintained that those observing them would receive the reward of worship.

A believer must, before all else, begin by reciting the basmala and praising God. Every undertaking beginning with God’s Name will find blessing and Divine favor. God’s Messenger states: “Any important deed initiated without the Basmala is devoid of blessing.” Excessive talk without mention and remembrance of God hardens the heart. And the person furthest from Allah is the hardhearted.”

Human beings more often than not express their thoughts and feelings through speech. The language and manner a person uses in speaking can cause them harm, just as it can bring them success. A person’s guarding their tongue has even been mentioned as one of the means of attaining Paradise. God’s Messenger states: “Whoever can guarantee for me what is between their legs (their chastity and honor) and what is between their jaws (their tongue), I will guarantee the Paradise for them.”

In another Prophetic Tradition, to the question, “Whose Islam is best?” God’s Messenger replied, “The one from whose tongue

and hands the Muslims are safe.” The practices concerning manner of speech that we have drawn from the life of God’s Messenger are the following:

One must speak clearly and intelligibly while conversing and take their particular audience into account. Expressions deemed important must also be repeated when necessary. The Companions describe the Prophet’s speech as follows:

The words of God’s Messenger were as clear as to be easily understood by everyone who heard them. He used to speak so that if someone had wanted to count his number of words, they could have done so. When God’s Messenger used to say something, he would repeat it three times so that it would be understood.

It may sometimes be necessary for something to be repeated in order for it to be understood properly by the individual(s) to whom it is intended.

This is the Divine wisdom behind the frequent repetitions in the Qur’an. Speaking in a manner wherein one seeks to present themselves as superior to others, or speaking to project the image that one is unintelligible, through the use of jargon, has been prohibited. God’s Messenger states: “Verily, Allah dislikes an eloquent person who rolls his tongue as a cow rolls its tongue (while eating).” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 18, Hadith 227).

One must also not shout or speak loudly, in a grating voice. In the words of the Qur’an, Luqman counsels his son in the particular method in question as follows: “Be modest in your bearing, and subdue your voice. For certain the most repugnant of voices is braying of donkeys” (Luqman 31:19). Another verse declares: “And say to My servants that they should always speak (even when disputing with others) that which is the best” (Al-Isra 17:53). Moreover, when sending Moses and his brother Aaron to speak to the Pharaoh, God Almighty commanded them to speak with gentle words

(Al-Anbiya 21:43–44), decreeing that a pleasant manner of speaking be employed even if the one spoken to is an unbeliever. The possibility of deliverance from the punishment of the Fire by means of a good word is indicated in another hadith: “Protect yourselves from the Fire, even if only with half a date. And if you cannot find even that, then with a good word.” Two people conversing privately to the exclusion of the third has also been prohibited. God’s Messenger indicates that such behavior can hurt the excluded person.

There is a well-known Turkish adage: “Water is for children, speech for adults.” Those who are older must always be given priority to speak. First right of speech belongs to the senior member of an assembly. That said, others can voice their views when appropriate, in a fitting manner. When Abdurrahman ibn Sahl once began speaking to relate an event, God’s Messenger said, “The elder first, the elder first,” and as a result, those who were older explained how the event unfolded.

Abdullah ibn Umar relates a personal experience as follows: “God’s Messenger said, ‘Tell me which tree is like the Muslim? It gives fruits at all times by the permission of its Lord and its leaves do not fall.’

The people began naming the trees of the desert. It occurred to me that it was the palm tree, but I did not want to speak as Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, were both present. When they did not speak, the Prophet said, ‘It is the palm tree.’“

One’s words must be short, but to the point, and one must refrain from excessive speech. Vulgarisms must never be used. In other words, the habit of refraining from talking too much and ensuring that one’s speech is relevant and measured must be developed. In enumerating the estimable character traits of the believ-

ers, God declares: “They always turn away from and avoid whatever is vain and frivolous” (Al-Mu’minun 23:3), describing preoccupation with trivial talk as transgression and misguidance (Luqman 31:6). God’s Messenger states, “Part of the excellence of a person’s Islam is that they leave what does not concern them.”

Vain and fruitless chatter and damaging speech must be avoided. The Qur’anic verse which states, “Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him, ever-present” (Qaf 50:18), draws attention to the fact that human beings will account for the life with which they have been favored, word for word. As stated by the Messenger of God, “Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak well or keep silent.”

In another Prophetic Tradition it is stated, “A slave of Allah might say something, without realizing its seriousness (or implications), which causes him to slip into the Fire by a greater margin than the distance between the east and the west.” The believer must speak the truth under any circumstances and must shun false speech and fabricated accounts with a vengeance.

They must thoroughly ascertain the truth of any given piece of information. God’s Messenger states: “When the son of Adam starts the day, all his limbs supplicate his tongue, saying, ‘Fear Allah in respect of us. We are (dependent) upon you. If you are upright then we will be upright and if you are corrupt then we will be corrupt.’“

Not being on talking terms with others is a situation that Islam disapproves of. One’s speech should not lead people to ill blood. God’s Messenger said, “Do not hate one another nor envy one another nor shun one another. Servants of God, be brothers (and sisters)! It is not lawful for a Muslim to refuse to speak to his brother (Muslim) for more than three nights so that when they meet, one of them turns his face away in avoidance and the

other one turns his face away as well. The better of them is the one who initiates the greeting.”

God’s Messenger demands that such unfriendliness ends in the shortest time possible. He even says that if there is indeed such a situation, then the person who reconciles these individuals will receive great reward. Addressing his Companions, God’s Messenger said, “Shall I tell you a degree better than Prayer, fasting and alms?”

“Yes,” they replied.

God’s Messenger said, “Improving a state of friendship. Causing discord in a state of friendship is what shaves things away (i.e. destroys them).”

Another point that can be considered in a discussion on the ethics of speech is to guard the tongue against backbiting in particular. The Qur’an illustrates just how repugnant an act backbiting is, in the following manner: “…and do not spy (on one another), nor backbite (against one another). Would any of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it! Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety. Surely God is One Who truly returns repentance with liberal forgiveness and additional reward, AllCompassionate (particularly towards His believing servants)” (Al-Hujurat 49:12).

Speaking ill of others, in a way with which they will be displeased, is an act reproached by the Qur’an. The Messenger of God too reproaches this reprehensible behavior: “Hold your tongue, keep to your house and weep for your sins.” “When I ascended through the heavens, I passed by some people holding copper nails with which they were gouging their faces and chests. I said, ‘Who are these, Gabriel?’

He said, ‘Those are the people who consumed people’s flesh and attacked their honor.’”

That is to say, those who fail to guard their tongue and use it in the correct way will face precisely such a punishment.

Translation of the Qur’anic Chapter Al-Hujurat

This Qur’anic chapter instructs believers in certain rules of etiquette and the way in which they are to treat God’s Messenger and one another. It was revealed in Medina. The chapter is comprised of eighteen verses and takes its name from the word hujurat, meaning ‘private apartments’ or ‘chambers’, which occurs in the fourth verse.

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

1. O you who believe! Do not be forward in the Presence of God and His Messenger. Keep from disobedience to God in piety and reverence for Him, so that you may deserve His protection. Surely God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

2. O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly when addressing him, as you would speak loudly to one another, lest your good deeds go in vain without your perceiving it.

3. Those who lower their voices in the presence of God’s Messenger, those are they whose hearts God has tested and proven for piety and reverence for Him. For them there is forgiveness (to bring unforeseen rewards) and a tremendous reward.

4. Those who call out to you from behind the private apartments (which you share with your wives), most of them do not reason and understand (and are therefore lacking in good manners).

5. If (instead of shouting to you to come out to them) they had been patient until you came out to them, it would

certainly have been better for them (in respect of the manners due to you from them). However, God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate (especially toward His believing servants, and may forgive ill-manners arising from ignorance).

6. O you who believe! If some transgressor brings you news (that requires taking action), verify it carefully (before you believe and act upon it), lest you harm a people in ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done.

7. Always bear in mind that God’s Messenger is among you (so that you have a duty to refer decisions to him). If he were to follow you in many affairs of public concern, you would surely be in trouble (and suffer loss). But God has endeared the faith to you (O believers) and made it appealing to your hearts, and He has made unbelief, transgression, and rebellion hateful to you. Those are they who are rightly guided (in belief, thought, and action),

8. As a grace from God and a favor. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

9. If two parties of believers fall to fighting, make peace between them (and act promptly). But if one of them aggressively encroaches the rights of the other, then fight you all against the aggressive side until they comply with God’s decree (concerning the matter). If they comply, then make peace between them with justice and be scrupulously equitable. Surely God loves the scrupulously equitable.

10. The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers and keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety (particularly in your duties

toward one another as brothers), so that you may be shown mercy (granted a good, virtuous life in the world as individuals and as a community, and eternal happiness in the Hereafter).

11. O you who believe! Let not some people among you deride another people, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let some women deride other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame one another (and provoke the same for yourselves in retaliation), nor insult one another with nicknames (that your brothers and sisters dislike). Evil is using names with vile meaning after (those so addressed have accepted) the faith (doing so is like replacing a mark of faith with a mark of transgression). Whoever (does that and then) does not turn to God in repentance, (giving up doing so), those are indeed wrongdoers.

12. O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicion is a grave sin (liable to God’s punishment); and do not spy (on one another), nor backbite (against one another). Would any of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it! Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety. Surely God is One Who truly returns repentance with liberal forgiveness and additional reward, All-Compassionate (particularly towards His believing servants).

13. O humankind! Surely We have created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into tribes and families so that you may know one another (and so build mutuality and co-operative relationships, not so that you may take pride in your differences of race or social rank, and breed enmities). Surely the noblest, most honorable

of you in God’s sight is the one best in piety, righteousness, and reverence for God. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

14. (Some of) the dwellers of the desert say: “We believe.” Say (to them): “You have not believed. Rather, (you should) say, ‘We have submitted (to the rule of Islam),’ for faith has not yet entered into your hearts.” But, if you obey God and His Messenger, He will not hold back anything of the reward of your (good) deeds. Surely God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

15. Only those are the believers who have truly believed in God (as the Unique Deity, Lord, and Sovereign), and (believed in) His Messenger (including all that he has brought from God), then have never since doubted (the truth of what they have testified to), and who strive hard with their wealth and persons in God’s cause. Those are they who are truthful and honest (in their profession of faith).

16. (If those desert dwellers still insist on thinking themselves true believers,) say: “What? Would you teach God (how truly you are devoted to) your Religion, while God knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth?” God has full knowledge of everything.

17. They impress it on you as their favor to you that they have submitted (to the rule of Islam and thereby put you under an obligation to them). Say: “Do not count your being Muslims as a favor to me (nor seek to put me under an obligation. The Religion does not belong to me, but to God only.) It is indeed God Who has conferred a favor upon you inasmuch as He has shown you the way to faith—if you are truthful (in your profession of being Muslims, those who have submitted to God).”

18. Surely God knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth (all that is beyond human perception and knowledge in them). And God sees well all that you do.

Visiting the Ill

Both illness and cure are the will of God. God Almighty has created a cure for every illness. The human being is required to seek the remedy for a particular ailment with the intellect conferred upon them. Visiting the ill, downtrodden and outcast, inquiring after them, seeing to their material needs, consoling them in their times of difficulty and hardship, and not leaving them to their own devices is also a part of the ethics of Islam. It would even not be incorrect to say that visiting the ill is incumbent on every Muslim, on the basis of the Prophet’s words.

In a Prophetic Tradition related by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, God’s Messenger said, “Visit the sick, feed the hungry and set captives free.”

Again in another narrations in this regard, God’s Messenger says, “When a Muslim visits his brother Muslim, he will remain engaged in picking the fresh fruits from the Garden until he returns.” “No Muslim visits a Muslim in the morning without seventy thousand angels praying blessing on them until evening, or visits them in the evening without seventy thousand angels praying blessing on them until morning and they will have fruits in the Garden.”

One of the etiquettes of visiting the sick is to reassure them that they will get better. One must boost the morale of the person who is sick and provide support and encouragement. As the Prophet said, “When you visit a sick person, give them hope for a long life. This will not avert anything, but will please the patient and give them comfort.”

Taking something that the patient feels like when calling upon them is also recommended and this is important with respect to recovery also. God’s Messenger says, “If any sick person among you longs for something, then allow them to eat of that.”

God’s Messenger has called for visiting the sick, whatever their faith, language, or ethnicity, and himself visited the ill without differentiation.

A Jewish boy living in Medina used to serve the Prophet. The boy became ill and the Prophet went to visit him. He sat by his head and said, “Become a Muslim.”

The boy looked at his father who was also sitting beside him. His father said to him, “Obey Abu’l-Qasim (the father of Qasim: the Messenger of God).”

So the boy became a Muslim. The Prophet left saying, “Praise be to God who has saved him from the Fire!”

Gratitude

People need to respond with thanks to the kindness they show one another in community life. One needs to thank the person offering a tray of tea to them, the person passing over the change in the minibus, and even the person working for us. If this gratitude is shown towards God, this is referred to as “thankfulness.” Thankfulness is to recognize the worth and value of goodness and to express what one feels in response to this goodness to the one doing good. As stated by God’s Messenger, “One who does not thank people cannot thank God.”

On the Rights of Others

Islam attaches great importance to human rights. It has granted certain rights to all human beings, established the best standards in this regard, and has enjoined all people to respect and observe

the rights of one another. The rights of others should be evaluated within this framework. The rights of other people cover a very broad sphere. Let us mention a few examples by way of providing some idea:

• Using the property of others without their permission and approval;

• Delaying or avoiding the repayment of an item or money borrowed from another;

• Deceiving the consumer when selling something;

• Disrespect to one’s parents;

• Backbiting, slander, derision, insult;

• Wrongly offending, hurting or killing another;

• Preventing a person from learning or practicing their religion.

These are the first things that spring to mind in relation to the rights of others. These are by no means limited to this list. Violating, obstructing or seizing any material or spiritual rights of a human being are all included under the rights of others.

The Sensitivity of God’s Messenger in Relation to the Rights of Others

God’s Messenger, the finest example and guide before us, was exceedingly sensitive concerning the rights of others. He exerted extraordinary endeavor to in the matter of offending no one and giving all people what is their due. He was also the head of state. He thus had, from time to time, considerable wealth and riches at his disposal, whether in the form of spoils or alms and charity. Outside the share allocated to him, he took not even half a date, nor allowed any of the members of his household to do so. He trembled, so to speak, at the prospect of violating the rights of

someone else even if by mistake, from the goods given in charity or consigned for distribution.

As such, he was once unable to sleep and suffered agony the entire night. When morning came, his wife Aisha asked, “O God’s Messenger, were you troubled during the night, that you could not sleep?” God’s Messenger replied, “I found a date in the room and ate it, lest it should be wasted. It later occurred to me that it could be from among the dates given in alms. This was what troubled me.”

Whereas, that date was in all likelihood from his personal dates, as he used to keep those given in charity in a separate place. Careful to the utmost, in the matter of the rights of others, God’s Messenger advises us as follows: “Whoever has done an injustice to his brother with regard to his honor or anything else should seek to be absolved by him before the day when there will be neither dinar nor dirham. If he has right actions (good deeds), they will be taken from him to counterbalance the injustice he did, and if he does not have any good actions, some of the bad actions of his friend will be taken and he will be made to shoulder them.”

Being Saved from Injustice to Others

What is of primacy here is holding God’s Messenger up as an example and avoiding violations of the rights of others in the first instance, or at the very least, to exert utmost effort in this regard. If we have, however, infringed the rights of others in one way or another, there is one way of being freed from this: making restitution in such cases of injustice. Seeking absolution from transgressing the rights of another is not possible merely by asking forgiveness from the person wronged. If such spiritual rights as backbiting, slander, or insult are in question, then one must first say, “I said such-and-such about you, backbit against you in such-

and-such way, upset you when I did or said such-and-such,” make up to them, and later seek to be absolved by them. If a material right has been violated, one must first give the wronged person their due and then seek released from such an obligation. If the person wronged has died or if they cannot be reached, one must do a great many good works and give in charity and alms with the intention of having the reward bestowed upon that person and must also seek Divine forgiveness.

The Situation of Those with the Rights of Others upon Them

If a servant feels remorse prior to their death and sincerely repents for their wrongdoing, God can forgive all their sins, including even the gravest of sins—unbelief and association of partners with God. There is, however, one exception to this and this is any violation of the rights of others. Even martyrs who sacrifice their lives in the path of God will be called to account on the Day of Reckoning regarding the rights that others have upon them. For God’s Messenger says, “God forgives the martyr every wrong action except debt (the rights that others have upon them).”

Will Those with the Rights of Others upon Them Enter Paradise?

Some Muslim scholars have made the following ruling based upon some of the abovementioned Qur’anic verses and Prophetic Traditions: “If a person has so much as one seventh of a grain of barley the rights of others upon them, they cannot enter Paradise without the wronged person absolving them first.” However, when it comes to the martyrs or righteous servants, God forgives the sins of those with rights over them to the degree of or

greater than their debt, grants them rewards in the event of their having no sins, equal to or exceeding what they are entitled to, and the person disclaims their right. That martyr or righteous servant can only enter Paradise after this.

If we are to summarize, violating the rights of others is an extremely grave liability. One needs to be very careful in this regard. If we have infringed upon the rights of others deliberately or unwittingly we must look to freeing ourselves of such a burden while we are still in this world and must, on no account, leave its reckoning to the Hereafter. May God protect us all from being the bankrupt servants mentioned in a Prophetic Tradition on the Day of Judgment.

The Language of Order

A person’s tidiness and order in their surroundings and outer world projects their inner world. A person who does not display sensitivity to external disorder may not at all be troubled when wrongdoing envelops their spirit and inner world and may not shed tears as a result. Order does not imply a luxurious and comfortable living; on the contrary, it means using existing means in the best, most productive and pleasant way.

Days of Forgiveness and Reward

The believers did not just refrain from eating and drinking for an entire month and did not content themselves with merely making their stomach fast; they kept their hands, feet, tongue, eyes, and ears from every word and manner prohibited in Islam. All our other organs, in addition to our stomach, also observed the fast. Feet did not walk towards bad action, hands did not become a means for oppression, eyes did not see evil, ears did not hear

words of immorality, and tongues avoided gossip and backbiting. Thus, it is through these earnest efforts that the believers will reach the day of the Festival; on this day they will attain Divine forgiveness. On this day all faces will smile, hearts will be full of joy, and houses will become places of celebration.

Days of Brotherhood, Unity and Solidarity

Eid days are days when the feelings of brother and sisterhood are most apparent. Those who have fallen out make up and friends are reunited, while everyone, adult and child, does what is required of them. Relatives and neighbors visit one another, respect is paid to elders, everybody’s health and general situation are enquired about, elders are visited and efforts are made to bring together those who have fallen out in the neighborhood—as everyone supports such efforts. On this day, the children put on their best clothes; and orphans, the poor and those without homes are not forgotten. We should never forget, when the thorn was pulled from the foot of the orphan that Almighty God let roses blossom in its place and blessed the charitable soul who performed the action with happiness in his grave.

In a word, any act of charity, goodness or help will never go unanswered.

On This Day Nobody Should Be Forgotten

Today, our task is to expand the circle of fellowship envisaged by the ‘Eid, to breathe the air of the Day of Festival, and to internalize and interiorize its felicity. Today, no one should be left out. Today, weeping eyes should beam with joy, patients writhing in pain should be consoled, sorrowful hearts should be enlivened, the elderly should be visited, those younger should be gladdened,

friends enquired after, greetings sent to distant friends and relatives, and the joy of our children undertaking their military service in particular shared by means of letters, messages and telephones.

Modest Dress

God’s Messenger instructed his Companions to dress as humbly and modestly as possible. Mu’adh ibn Anas reported that the Messenger of God said, “If anyone gives up fine clothing, which they have the means to wear, out of humility before God, God will summon them on the Day of Rising in front of all other creatures to give them the choice of whatever robes of the people belief they wish to wear.”

If a person refrains from wearing extravagant clothing before the people, despite having the financial means to do so, purely out of humility, God will assuredly confer upon this servant of His a tremendous reward. This is indeed a great reward for a faithful servant who lived their life in accordance with their belief.

Avoiding Extravagance in Clothing and Dress

The Messenger of God did not wish for people to wear expensive, extravagant clothing which draws the envy of others. Through the verse, “Who is there to make unlawful the beautiful things (obtained from plants, animals and minerals) that God has brought forth for His servants, and the pure, wholesome things from among the means of sustenance? Say: ‘They are for (the enjoyment of) the believers in the life of the world (without excluding others), and will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus, We set out in detail Our signs (showing Our way) and Revelations for a people seeking knowledge,” (7:32) God reveals that He has created all bounties for the benefit of His servants, and that it is possible to make use of every permissible

thing by giving due thanks. Thus, God’s Messenger too states, “Eat and drink, dress and give alms without extravagance and without arrogance.”

Starting with the Right Side

The Messenger of God instructed believers to start all undertakings from the right. Aisha said, “The Prophet liked to start with the right in purification, combing his hair and putting on his shoes.”

We learn that the right side constantly took precedence, from the following hadith narrated by Abu Hurayra: The Messenger of God said, “When one of you puts on his sandals, he should begin with the right and when you remove them, remove the left first. It is better to put on the right first and that it be the last you remove.”

The correct order to be observed when putting on and removing one’s shoes is indicated in the hadith. Through this means, the believers are encouraged to get into the habit of beginning with the right side and preferring the limbs on the right side. In the event of person wearing their right shoe first and removing it last, the shoe would have remained on that person’s foot for a longer period of time. Observing such an order demonstrates the value given to the limbs on the right side of the body.

In another hadith on the question of which side to begin with when dressing, again related by Abu Hurayra, God’s Messenger said, “When you dress and when you take the ablution, begin with your right.” This hadith also indicates the proper etiquette in relation to dress. Using the right arm first in wearing such things like a singlet, shirt, jacket, and overcoat and using the right foot first when wearing trousers, tracksuits, and the like, is recommended.

Advising His Companions to Dress Well

God’s Messenger wished for his Companions to dress well, in a clean and pleasant manner. In a related hadith reported by Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, God’s Messenger said, “No one who has an atom’s weight of pride in their will enter the Garden.”

A man said, “And if a person likes their clothes to be good and their sandals to be good?” He said, “God is Beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means to renounce the truth and abase people.”

The financial means of every human being varies. People attend to their dress and attire in line with their monetary means. What is of import here is that one must strive to dress in moderation, in accordance with the time and place, without tending to waste and tawdriness. Every person of course wishes to present themselves to the people in a well-dressed manner. What matters is that one does not go to excess, dressing in a way that is entirely unlike that of people with a low income. The clothing of one who is well to do is of course going to be of high quality; however, plain dress over that which is showy is what is preferred.

Recommendations Regarding the Length of Clothing

Just as the Companions, who described and transmitted every state of God’s Messenger, have informed us about the Prophet’s dress, they have also advised us about how long one’s garment has to be. While this issue might come as an extreme detail for some people, it both establishes a lifestyle with respect to an Islamic way of life, as well as constituting an important criterion in revealing the standards of that lifestyle.

Famous people are imitated to the extent of their looks, laughter, and even mimics. The clothing of a popular actor or singer is imitated to its color and cut and the dress they wear can even become the fashion of that particular season. This being the case, those who take God’s Messenger as a guide will of course pay particular attention to the fabric, color, and length of the clothing he wore, and hold his manner of dress up as an example. Asma bint Yazid al-Ansari narrated the following concerning the length of the Prophet’s shirt: “The sleeve of the shirt of the Messenger of God reached the wrist.”

The dimensions of particular items of clothing have been determined by Muslim scholars on the basis of their evaluations of narrations concerning the Prophet’s clothing. Accordingly, it is stated that the length of the sleeve of one’s shirt can be extended to the wrist, while that of outer garments such as overcoats and similar items of clothing can be lengthened to the fingertips.

Jundub ibn Makith narrated: “Whenever a delegation came to meet the Messenger of Allah, he would wear his best clothes and order his leading Companions to do likewise. I saw the Prophet on the day that the delegation of Kindah came to meet him; he was wearing a Yemeni garment, and Abu Bakr and Umar were dressed similarly.” (Ibn Sa’d, At-Tabaqat, 4/346).

Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated: “We were sat with the Messenger of Allah. Umar ibn Al-Khattab came wearing a white long shirt. The Messenger of Allah said to him, ‘O Umar is your long shirt new or it washed?’ He replied, ‘Washed.’ He said, ‘New clothes, praised abode, died martyred; may Allah give him the apple of his eye in the world and the afterlife.’” (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 2/89).

The Blessed Days and Nights

The Night of Power

Question: What is the significance of the Night of Power?

The Night of Power is the most special night within the month of Ramadan. According to some scholars, it is the most estimable night after the Noble Birth, or Mawlid. The Night of Power is a night unique to the community of Prophet Muhammad. Such a night has not been conferred upon the communities of other Prophets. As stated in a Prophetic Tradition, “God Almighty granted the Night of Power to my community and not to any other community before it.”

God’s Messenger was shown the life-spans of the people who had gone before him and when he became troubled that the lives of the people of his community were too short for them to be able to do as many good deeds as others before them, God granted him and his community the Night of Power and thus comforted him. The Night of Power always coincides with the month of Ramadan.

According to the hadith, when God’s Messenger was informed of just how long the people of former civilizations lived, he reflected upon how short the lives of those in his community were and was concerned that they would not be able to perform as many acts of goodness as those who came before them. God thus favored him with the Night of Power, a night more blessed than a thousand months. (Imam Malik).

When the Messenger of God told his Companions of Prophets sent to the Children of Israel who worshiped God for eighty years, his Companions were astonished. Archangel Gabriel then came and said, “O Messenger of God, your community is surprised by the eighty years’ worship of those Prophets. God sent you something better than it.” He then recited the Qur’anic verse which

reads, “The Night of Destiny and Power is better than a thousand months.” (Tafsir Mughni).

Prophetic Traditions pertaining to the Night of Power state:

“There are four nights whose days are as meritorious as their nights. God does not turn away the entreaty of one who turns to Him during these days, He forgives them, and they are favored with blessings therein. These are the Night of Power, the night of Arafa, the Night of Salvation (Bara’a), and Friday nights.” (Daylami).

“Anyone who spends the Night of Power in Prayer motivated by belief and in anticipation of the reward, will be forgiven their past wrong actions.” (Bukhari, Muslim).

Question: What is the significance of the Night of Power and is it certain to be on the twenty-seventh night?

The Night of Power is in the month of Ramadan. Its exact date is not known for certain. Our scholars state, “God Almighty has hidden His approval in worship, His wrath in wrongdoing, the middle Prayer in the Prescribed Daily Prayers, His friends (the saints) among the people, and the Night of Power within the month of Ramadan.”

Thus, one must not underestimate any act of goodness in way of attaining God’s pleasure and approval. As Divine wrath is concealed within sins, no sin should be slighted. The five Daily Prayers ought to be observed at their proper time so as not to miss the middle Prayer, and as the friends of God are concealed within the people, everyone must be treated in the best possible way. One must consider every person a Khidr and each night the Night of Qadr (Night of Power).

Spending the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in worship is very meritorious. As stated by several Prophetic narrations: “Seek the Night of Power on the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.” (Muslim)

“The Night of Power is in Ramadan, and look for it in the last ten days. It is on an odd night: on the 21, or the 23, or the 25, or the 27, or the 29, or on the last night (of Ramadan). “One who observes the night Prayer in it out of belief and in seeking God’s reward his past and future sins will be forgiven.” (Imam Ahmad). One must painstakingly keep away from sins and wrongdoing during such blessed periods of time and must increase their worship and all manner of charitable deeds, for a person loved by God is preoccupied with virtuous deeds on such meritorious occasions. The servant disliked by God, however, is preoccupied with evildoing during such times. Occupying oneself with wrongdoing leads to an increase in the severity of the punishment and incurs God’s heightened disfavor as by acting thus, one has both been deprived of the blessing of that occasion and has on top of that, violated its sanctity and honor.

In order to make the most of this night, must one must increase their knowledge—by studying, for instance, the basics of Islamic belief and practice—make up for missed Prayers, read the Qur’an, make supplication, seek forgiveness, give in charity, make the Muslims happy, and entreat God for the rewards of all these to be conveyed to all believers, dead and living. Even if all the sins of a person who duly observes the Night of Power, fasts during the month of Ramadan, and performs the Pilgrimage are forgiven, this does not release them of their debt of servanthood such as the Prescribed Prayer and fasting. One must make up for missed Prayers and fasts in order to be discharged of such a debt.

God’s Messenger has advised believers to make the following supplication on the Night of Power: “Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibul afwa fa’fu anni” (O Allah, indeed You are the All-Pardoning, You love to Pardon, so Pardon me).

Question: What are the signs of the Night of Power? How must the nights of Ramadan be observed in order to chance upon this night?

If a person deems each night of the month of Ramadan a Night of Power, they would have chanced upon it. The following, at the very least, must be performed each day:

1. The Qur’anic chapter Al-Qadr must be recited during the night Prayer as the additional portion of the Qur’an to be recited after the Opening chapter.

2. The supplication specific to the Night of Power must be recited.

3. A few pages of the Qur’an must be read.

4. A couple of pages from books on Islamic practice must be read.

5. One must give in charity, even if little.

6. Two units of Prayer must be performed before dawn, names of saints and scholars in the spiritual chain extending to the Prophet invoked, and supplications be made for them and in seeking means through them.

7. As its day is as estimable as its night, the days must also be utilized wisely.

Signs of the Night of Power

It is stated in a hadith, “The Night of Power is a clear and mild night, neither hot nor cold and the sun rises the following morning weak and red (in color).” (Tabarani).

“The Night of Power is clear, neither hot nor cold, but temperate No clouds are visible and there is no wind or rain. The sign of this night is the sun’s rising without any radiant beams of light the following morning.” (Tabarani).

“At sunrise on the morning of Night of Power the sun will rise without radiant beams of light, just as a disc.” (Muslim).

Question: That the Qur’an was revealed on the Night of Power is indicated in the Qur’anic chapter al-Qadr. Now, why does this night not fall on the same day each year, but on different days during the month of Ramadan instead? If the revelation of the Qur’an began on the eve of the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan, then doesn’t the Night of Power need to invariably be on this night? And the same is true for the lunar months. Ramadan coincides with summer as it does with winter. Why does it not fall upon the same dates every year, but move through all the months of the year?

God created the moon to cycle through the entire year. The lunar year is 354 days. It is ten or eleven days shorter than the solar year. Thus, the lunar year comes ten days before the solar year, as such, cycling throughout all the months of the year. This is how God Almighty has decreed it. As a result, the fast of the month of Ramadan occurs during the longest, shortest, coldest, and hottest days of the year.

Islam was sent not to a particular geographical region but to the world as a whole. It addresses human beings in all the world’s regions and climates. There are hot and cold countries and places where days or nights are long and short. If the month of Ramadan was fixed at one and the same date every year, this would have been very difficult for Muslims. There are may be much more wisdom behind this. God has concealed the Night of Power, or established it on various days of the month of Ramadan. If He places the Night of Power on the first of Ramadan this year, He can place it on the seventh of Ramadan the next. He has not made it a set day like other holy nights, but has hidden it. This night has nothing to do with months but with nights. Even if the Qur’an

descended to earth on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Ramadan, the Night of Power can coincide with the third of Ramadan on a particular year. This means to say, this sacred night coincided with the third of Ramadan. One needs to look beyond the notion of months. The other nights pertain to nights, while the Night of Power pertains to the night. If God had willed, He would have placed one in every month and every month would have contained a Night of Power and we would have observed this night each month.

God grants the singularity, merit, and blessing of the night when the Qur’an was first revealed to a different night each year. In other words, He wills for a different night to carry the worth and virtue of that sacred night each year. The same night need not carry the grace of that auspicious night when the Qur’an was first revealed each year. A different night can bear that merit and honor.

The Mawlid

Question: What is the Mawlid?

The Mawlid denotes the birth of the Messenger of God. The night of the Mawlid is the night falling between the eleventh and twelfth days of Rabi’ al-Awwal. The noble birth of God’s Messenger is a day of festivity for all Muslims.

The Night of Salvation (Laylat al-Bara’a)

Question: When is the Night of Salvation, known as Laylat al-Bara’a, and what is its significance?

The Night of Salvation, or Record, falls on the fifteenth night of the month of Sha’ban. It is indicated in the commentaries that the Qur’an descended to the Preserved Tablet on this night. It is declared, “By the Book clear in itself and clearly showing the truth. We

sent it down on a night full of blessings; surely We have ever been warning (humankind since their creation)” (Ad-Dukhan 44:2–3).

On the fifteenth night of the month of Sha’ban each year, on the Night of Salvation, the things to transpire that year, lives, causes for death, ascents, and declines, in other words everything, is recorded on the Supreme Preserved Tablet. God’s Messenger used to engage in much worship and supplication on this night.

When the reason for (supererogatory) fasting during the month of Sha’ban was asked, God’s Messenger said, “Sha’ban is such a meritorious month neglected by the people that in it deeds are presented to the Lord of the Worlds, and I like that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.” (Nasa’i).

Some of the Prophetic Traditions in this regard are below:

“On the Night of Salvation, the gates of the heavens are opened, the angels convey glad tidings to the believers and call them to worship.” (Nasa’i, Bayhaqi, Munziri).

“The fast most excellent after the month of Ramadan is the fast in the month of Sha’ban.” (Tirmidhi)

“When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend its night in Prayer and observe the fast on that day. For Allah descends at sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: ‘Is there no one who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive them? Is there no one who will ask Me for sustenance, that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve them?’ And so on, until dawn comes.” (Ibn Majah).

The Night of Ascension

Question: What is the meaning of the Night of Ascension (Mi’raj) and what is its significance?

The word Mi’raj literally means ‘stairs’. This is night that God’s Messenger was taken up to the Heavens and met with God. It falls on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab. On this night, the Prescribed Daily Prayers were made obligatory. The first verse of the Qur’anic chapter entitled al-Isra refers to the Ascension.

The

Night of Raghaib

Question: When is the Night of Raghaib? How must it be observed?

The first Friday night of the month of Rajab is referred to as the Night of Raghaib. The Prayers and entreaties made on this night are not rejected and countless rewards are granted for such acts of worship as Prayer, fasting, and charity on this night.

It is highly meritorious to fast on the Thursday and spend the night in worship. Fasting during the month of Rajab is also highly encouraged. As stated in a hadith, “Seek much forgiveness from God in the month of Rajab because in every hour (of the month) there are servants whom God frees from the Fire. There are such palaces in Paradise that only those who fast in the month of Rajab will enter them.” (Daylami).

The Day of Ashura

The tenth day of the month of Muharram is the Day of Ashura. The month of Muharram is one of the four months valued highly in the Qur’an and fasting on the first day of Muharram is as meritorious as having fasting for the entire year.

The most esteemed day of this month is the Night of Ashura. God Almighty has accepted a great many supplications on this day. Adam’s repentance being accepted, Noah’s deliverance from the flood, Jonah’s escape from the belly of the whale, Abraham’s not being burned by the fire, Enoch’s being raised to the heavens

while still alive, Jacob’s reunion with his son Joseph, Joseph’s getting out of the well, Job’s recovery from his illness, Moses’ crossing the Red Sea, Jesus’ birth, his escape from death and his being raised to the Heavens in the flesh, all occurred on the day of Ashura.

A hadith states, “This is the day on which Noah’s Ark settled on Mount Judi, so Noah and those with him fasted this day in thankfulness to God. The animals too had not eaten anything. God split the sea for the Children of Israel on the Day of Ashura God forgave Adam and punishment was averted from the people of Jonah. Abraham was also born on this day.” (Tabarani).

The Day of Jumu’a (Friday)

Question: What is the significance of the day of Friday and why is it so esteemed?

A Prophetic Tradition reads: “The best of days on which the sun rises is the day of Jumu’a. On it Adam was created, and on it he fell from the Garden. On it he was forgiven, and on it he died. On it the Hour occurs, and every moving thing listens from morning till sunset in apprehension of the Hour except jinn and men. During it there is a time when Allah gives to a Muslim slave standing in Prayer whatever he asks for.” (Bukhari, Imam Ahmad).

The Three Sacred Months

Question: What is the virtue of the three sacred months?

The Month of Rajab

The Messenger of Allah gave great weight to the month of Rajab and would entreat God saying, “O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and allow us to reach the month of Ramadan.”

Again, he said, “Seek much forgiveness from God in the month of Rajab as in every hour (of the month) there are servants whom God frees from the Fire. There are such palaces in Paradise that only those who fast in the month of Rajab will enter.” (Daylami)

“The supplication made on five nights is not turned back: the night of Jumu’a, the first night of Rajab (Raghaib), the night of mid-Sha’ban (Bara’a), and the two nights of ‘Eid.” (Ibn Asakir).

“If a person has fasted a single day in the month of Rajab in reverent piety, that day will acquire the faculty of speech and say, ‘O Lord, forgive them!’” (Abu Muhammad).

The Month of Sha’ban

The Messenger of Allah placed great importance on the month of Sha’ban also and would make the following supplication: “O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and allow us to reach the month of Ramadan.”

Aisha relates, “The Messenger of God did not fast in any month more than in the month of Sha’ban. Sometimes he used to fast all of Sha’ban.” (Bukhari).

When asked the reason behind his frequent fast during the month of Sha’ban, God’s Messenger said, “Sha’ban is such a meritorious month neglected by the people that in it deeds are presented to the Lord of the Worlds, and I like that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.” (Nasa’i).

The Month of Ramadan

The Messenger of God says concerning the virtue of the month of Ramadan, “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, in which Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained up. In it Allah has a night

which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.” (Nasa’i).

It is stated in another hadith, “(In Ramadan) a caller calls out every night: ‘O seeker of good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist!’” (Nasa’i).

“When Ramadan arrives, God commands His angels to seek forgiveness for the believers.” (Daylami).

“The five Prayers and from one Friday to the next and one Ramadan to the next expiate what is between them provided one avoids the major sins.” (Tabarani).

“One who is able to fast three days consecutively must observe the fast of Ramadan.” (Abu Nu’aym).

“Ramadan has been named so because it sears away sins.” (Ibn Mansur).

“The beginning of Ramadan is mercy, its middle forgiveness, and its end deliverance from the Fire.” (Ibn Abi ad-Dunya).

“The table of Divine Benefaction that Allah has prepared that no eyes have seen, no ears have heard, and no mind has even conceived of, are only for those who fast.” (Tabarani).

Chapter 1

1. D 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. C

Chapter 2

1. A 2. D 3. A 4. B 5. A

Chapter 3

1. A 2. C 3. C 4. D 5. A

Chapter 4

1. C 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. B

Chapter 5

1. C 2. B 3. D 4. C 5. A

Chapter 6

1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. D

Chapter 7

1. D 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. D

Chapter 8

1. D 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. B

Chapter 9

1. A 2. C 3. C 4. C 5. A

Chapter 10

1. A 2. B