Post by maruf on May 6, 2005 22:52:11 GMT -5
Again, give me your critical comments...it is most appreciated.
was-salaam
Ma'ruf
Time is more than money; it is Furdos (Highest Level in Paradise)
Dear Ummah in America,
As-salaamu’alaykum!
Living in Western capitalistic so-called democracies, such as in America, is indeed a challenge to any Muslim who is concerned about the Akhirah or next life and his skin. This is because we are constantly pushed by these societies to run after our livelihood, to not remember our creation and Creator, to spend our life in sport in play, and to worry about the trivial and neglect the serious issues. Many people we know, both Muslim and non Muslim, work more than one job and certainly almost everyone is working overtime hours nowadays. Many of us do this not in order to own a large house or a fancy car, but simply to meet ends meat—to survive. It is ironic in a land of opportunity we are working more, but not getting richer, just maintaining ourselves. The rich in fact are the only ones who get richer—this is another topic that we will not go into here. If work does not distract us from what is important—the next life—then sport and play in the “free world” certainly will get us.
The society we life in is full of distractions—probably none bigger than the television programming we are constantly bombarded with. Whether it is the sporting events or sit-coms our TVs are filled with trivial idle programming. The American culture is full of time wasting hobbies that produce no positive change in spiritual or even material lives. People spend millions of dollars to pacify their sense of worthlessness or boredom. When life has become too stressful or mundane, we have been taught to spend our time in self pleasure and just to forget about our realities. This is reflected in our conversations with co-workers, fellow students, friends, and even family. The topics we hear being discussed usually are geared around something trivial and fruitless—or what some call lighthearted or free-spirited.
So for example, how many times have we had to bear conversations about “Will the fighting Illini win the championship?," or “Ice Cube is playing triple X this time around,” or “Will the Bulls make it this year in the playoffs?.” This is meaningless talk to the serious person who is concerned about the affairs of his nation or the next life. I cannot tell how many times growing up in America I had people tell me, “You are being too serious, take it easy.” Being serious about serious issues, life, death, hell fire or bliss deserves our seriousness, and I would say this should be an attribute of any serious Muslim. But this is what the western media and culture pushes its inhabitants towards on a daily basis. It diverts us from what is the objective of this life. It steals our spirituality, or connection with what our Creator wants from us. The western corporations push this on us in order to make a profit and in order to keep its citizens asleep.
Because many of us are asleep and are spending so much time at work or in triviality, we inevitably spend less time on our Islaam. We spend less time raising our children to be good Muslims, we spend less time reading the Qur’an so that we might remember, we spend less time studying our Islaam so that we might become better Muslims, we spend less time working for the revival of Islaam so that our Ummah might become united and prosperous. In essence we spend less time working for our next life because what we plant today in our actions in this life having direct bearings on the fruit we see in the next life. This should make us re-examine and reflect on our creation and relationship to our Creator, Al Khalaq, Allah subhana wa ta’ala. Surah Al-Qari’ah is an excellent reminder that we should focus our deeds in this life to be Islaamic ones that will truly bare fruit in the next life.
Allah says in Al-Qari'ah (The Striking Hour):
Surah 101 Ayah 1 to 11
ÈöÓúãö Çááåö ÇáÑøóÍúãäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö<br>ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {1}
[ 101:1] The terrible calamity!
ãóÇ ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {2}
[Shakir 101:2] What is the terrible calamity!
æóãóÇ ÃóÏúÑóÇßó ãóÇ ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {3}
[ 101:3] And what will make you comprehend what the terrible calamity is?
íóæúãó íóßõæäõ ÇáäøóÇÓõ ßóÇáúÝóÑóÇÔö ÇáúãóÈúËõæËö {4}
[101:4] The day on which men shall be as scattered moths,
æóÊóßõæäõ ÇáúÌöÈóÇáõ ßóÇáúÚöåúäö ÇáúãóäÝõæÔö {5}
[101:5] And the mountains shall be as loosened wool.
ÝóÃóãøóÇ ãóä ËóÞõáóÊú ãóæóÇÒöíäõåõ {6}
[101:6] Then as for him whose measure of good deeds is heavy,
Ýóåõæó Ýöí ÚöíÔóÉò ÑøóÇÖöíóÉò {7}
[101:7] He shall live a pleasant life.
æóÃóãøóÇ ãóäú ÎóÝøóÊú ãóæóÇÒöíäõåõ {8}
[101:8] And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light,
ÝóÃõãøõåõ åóÇæöíóÉñ {9}
[101:9] His abode shall be the abyss.
æóãóÇ ÃóÏúÑóÇßó ãóÇ åöíóåú {10}
[101:10] And what will make you know what it is?
äóÇÑñ ÍóÇãöíóÉñ {11}
[101:11] A burning fire.
This is a surah that should make us cry and push us to be aware of the conflict that we face in America to hold on to our Deen. We do not hate Americans who are programmed and socialized to be this way. We do hate how the capitalists have profited in taking humanity away from their Rabb or Lord and towards the Narr, including us as Muslims. We unfortunately live in a society that in many ways is opposite to our values as Muslims.
The challenge for us is to turn away from that which diverts us and towards that which Allah has prescribed as good. We can only do this by following all what He (suhabanwa’ala) has told us to do in the Qur’an. We should never ignore the Fardh or obligatory in Islaam for the trivial; for the price is a serve one which we pray no Muslim will every have to face—including ourselves. Dear Muslim Ummah, there are many good deed to be done in these times to avoid the wrath of Allah. We can start by taking our creation, The Creator, and his deen and the condition of our Ummah serious. Will not we take heed and turn our faces towards Allah and submit as we should?
was-salaam
Br. Ma'ruf
was-salaam
Ma'ruf
Time is more than money; it is Furdos (Highest Level in Paradise)
Dear Ummah in America,
As-salaamu’alaykum!
Living in Western capitalistic so-called democracies, such as in America, is indeed a challenge to any Muslim who is concerned about the Akhirah or next life and his skin. This is because we are constantly pushed by these societies to run after our livelihood, to not remember our creation and Creator, to spend our life in sport in play, and to worry about the trivial and neglect the serious issues. Many people we know, both Muslim and non Muslim, work more than one job and certainly almost everyone is working overtime hours nowadays. Many of us do this not in order to own a large house or a fancy car, but simply to meet ends meat—to survive. It is ironic in a land of opportunity we are working more, but not getting richer, just maintaining ourselves. The rich in fact are the only ones who get richer—this is another topic that we will not go into here. If work does not distract us from what is important—the next life—then sport and play in the “free world” certainly will get us.
The society we life in is full of distractions—probably none bigger than the television programming we are constantly bombarded with. Whether it is the sporting events or sit-coms our TVs are filled with trivial idle programming. The American culture is full of time wasting hobbies that produce no positive change in spiritual or even material lives. People spend millions of dollars to pacify their sense of worthlessness or boredom. When life has become too stressful or mundane, we have been taught to spend our time in self pleasure and just to forget about our realities. This is reflected in our conversations with co-workers, fellow students, friends, and even family. The topics we hear being discussed usually are geared around something trivial and fruitless—or what some call lighthearted or free-spirited.
So for example, how many times have we had to bear conversations about “Will the fighting Illini win the championship?," or “Ice Cube is playing triple X this time around,” or “Will the Bulls make it this year in the playoffs?.” This is meaningless talk to the serious person who is concerned about the affairs of his nation or the next life. I cannot tell how many times growing up in America I had people tell me, “You are being too serious, take it easy.” Being serious about serious issues, life, death, hell fire or bliss deserves our seriousness, and I would say this should be an attribute of any serious Muslim. But this is what the western media and culture pushes its inhabitants towards on a daily basis. It diverts us from what is the objective of this life. It steals our spirituality, or connection with what our Creator wants from us. The western corporations push this on us in order to make a profit and in order to keep its citizens asleep.
Because many of us are asleep and are spending so much time at work or in triviality, we inevitably spend less time on our Islaam. We spend less time raising our children to be good Muslims, we spend less time reading the Qur’an so that we might remember, we spend less time studying our Islaam so that we might become better Muslims, we spend less time working for the revival of Islaam so that our Ummah might become united and prosperous. In essence we spend less time working for our next life because what we plant today in our actions in this life having direct bearings on the fruit we see in the next life. This should make us re-examine and reflect on our creation and relationship to our Creator, Al Khalaq, Allah subhana wa ta’ala. Surah Al-Qari’ah is an excellent reminder that we should focus our deeds in this life to be Islaamic ones that will truly bare fruit in the next life.
Allah says in Al-Qari'ah (The Striking Hour):
Surah 101 Ayah 1 to 11
ÈöÓúãö Çááåö ÇáÑøóÍúãäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö<br>ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {1}
[ 101:1] The terrible calamity!
ãóÇ ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {2}
[Shakir 101:2] What is the terrible calamity!
æóãóÇ ÃóÏúÑóÇßó ãóÇ ÇáúÞóÇÑöÚóÉõ {3}
[ 101:3] And what will make you comprehend what the terrible calamity is?
íóæúãó íóßõæäõ ÇáäøóÇÓõ ßóÇáúÝóÑóÇÔö ÇáúãóÈúËõæËö {4}
[101:4] The day on which men shall be as scattered moths,
æóÊóßõæäõ ÇáúÌöÈóÇáõ ßóÇáúÚöåúäö ÇáúãóäÝõæÔö {5}
[101:5] And the mountains shall be as loosened wool.
ÝóÃóãøóÇ ãóä ËóÞõáóÊú ãóæóÇÒöíäõåõ {6}
[101:6] Then as for him whose measure of good deeds is heavy,
Ýóåõæó Ýöí ÚöíÔóÉò ÑøóÇÖöíóÉò {7}
[101:7] He shall live a pleasant life.
æóÃóãøóÇ ãóäú ÎóÝøóÊú ãóæóÇÒöíäõåõ {8}
[101:8] And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light,
ÝóÃõãøõåõ åóÇæöíóÉñ {9}
[101:9] His abode shall be the abyss.
æóãóÇ ÃóÏúÑóÇßó ãóÇ åöíóåú {10}
[101:10] And what will make you know what it is?
äóÇÑñ ÍóÇãöíóÉñ {11}
[101:11] A burning fire.
This is a surah that should make us cry and push us to be aware of the conflict that we face in America to hold on to our Deen. We do not hate Americans who are programmed and socialized to be this way. We do hate how the capitalists have profited in taking humanity away from their Rabb or Lord and towards the Narr, including us as Muslims. We unfortunately live in a society that in many ways is opposite to our values as Muslims.
The challenge for us is to turn away from that which diverts us and towards that which Allah has prescribed as good. We can only do this by following all what He (suhabanwa’ala) has told us to do in the Qur’an. We should never ignore the Fardh or obligatory in Islaam for the trivial; for the price is a serve one which we pray no Muslim will every have to face—including ourselves. Dear Muslim Ummah, there are many good deed to be done in these times to avoid the wrath of Allah. We can start by taking our creation, The Creator, and his deen and the condition of our Ummah serious. Will not we take heed and turn our faces towards Allah and submit as we should?
was-salaam
Br. Ma'ruf
