Assalam alaikum, "Remember when your Lord proclaimed: `If you give thanks, I will increase my favors to you...'" [Surah Abraham (14):7]
This verse was revealed as a part of a dialogue which Prophet Moses had with his people, those whom he saved from the not so nice Pharaoh. In the Quran it serves as a historical lesson through which we recognize the example of a nation of people who have gone before us, and how, the lesson where a large part of faith is to be thankful to God Almighty. Ramadan is one of the blessed times of years whose purpose includes understanding the concepts of sacrifice, selflessness and gratitude. Around about the middle of the month we are plagued with e-mails critical of individuals extravagance at iftaris (that is the evening meal) having broken our fasts. This year, one particular e-mail I read carried the words `Iftar is not meant to be a feast'. I disagree. Why shouldn't iftar be a feast? Why shouldn't we celebrate the great many blessings Allah Almighty has bestowed upon us. Why shouldn't we enjoy spiritual as well as material benefits which life has for us. Do we abstain from one to try and benefit the other, or as with everything else in life, find a balance of the two, physical and material, enabling us to be successful? Yes, there are many people in this world who do not have food to eat, water to drink, or even homes to live in and may Allah make us appreciative of the things which we do have, and help those who have much less than us, in out own capacity, ameen. And yes, there are many people who are suffering from natural disasters be they in the US, Pakistan or elsewhere. Compassion is given, we help, support and even pray for people who suffer but does this mean that we do not enjoy our lives? What is the alternative, to spend our lives in misery witnessing the suffering of others? Such an approach to life leaves us emotionally drained, will lead to depression is everything Islam prohibits, being counter productive. When a calamity affected the people at the time of Prophet Muhammad, did he enter a cycle of negativity, a cycle of depression under the guise of piety and humanity? No, the Prophet made it clear in a statement that whilst the ummah (nation of believers) are like the parts of a body and when one part is suffering another part feels it, he encouraged us to be generous to our neighbors, to honor our guests, to treat all whom we are exposed to with fairness. Truth, justice, compassion, doesn't mean we address some aspects of humanity and ignore others. This is why Allah Almighty in the Quran speaks of the believers as those who seek success in this life AND the next. Not one at the expense of the other (and vice versa). So every year we suffer a deluge of such e-mails and every year, the good people are made to feel bad. Following the example of the Prophet doesn't mean to take a statement or a series of statements in isolation, it means to contextualize statements, to understand the purpose for making such statements, and to take benefit of the wider wisdom which was preached. Perhaps that is why the notion of God-consciousness (zikr) has been made so prominent in Islam. The word zikr itself occurs more than 250 times in the Quran. The opposite of which is `nissiyane' which means `forgetting' and has been used nearly 50 times in the Quran. To those who feel the urge to criticize Muslims for celebrating the blessed month of Ramadan by inviting their friends, neighbours and guests to enjoy meals in the evenings, or to those whose piety tends to focus on the happiness which the Muslims share amongst themselves in times of calamity, I would suggest, it is less of whether one action of the sunnah is better than another, more that all aspects of the sunnah have their due place. And in my opinion, it is only when you strike the right balance between these various sunnahs will you find the peace in your heart, where Allah Almighty says in [Surah ar-Raad (13) verse 28] "..for without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find tranquility" Let us thank Allah Almighty for the blessings which we enjoy. Let us also thank Allah Almighty for enabling us to understand that there is suffering in this world. And may Allah Almighty enable everyone who has fasted the ability to enjoy and celebrate Eid, in whatever their capacity may be, ameen. May Allah Almighty have mercy and guide us all, ameen. fi amanillah, assalam alaikum, f ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Click here to rescue a little child from a life of poverty. http://us.click.yahoo.com/rAWabB/gYnLAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
