I am sure at some point in your life, you have met a person who you felt was a well wisher; only to have your trust in them obliterated. Perhaps you have been ‘that person’ in the past who betrayed the trusts of people who trusted you most. Maybe you still are that person, from whose tongue every person is wary.
Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said in one hadith related in Al Adabul Mufrad, "The worst person is someone who is two-faced. He is the person who comes to one group of people with one face and another group of people with another face."
This hadith highlights the situation of a person who transforms and changes his colours like a chameleon. An example of this could be of a person whom you consider to be your friend; he constantly says well to you and does good to you and as soon as he has left your company, he tells other people things which you would not like them to hear whether it be abuse, secrets, lies etc.
Such people are transformers! There is more to them than meets the eye. A person should remain vigilant as to who these people are in his life. And as soon as he finds out who they are, he should keep his distance from them. This is not to say that he totally breaks off connection from him but rather that he remains prudent in relation to himself i.e. he does not go and tell that ‘transformer’ all of his secrets and have a deep, heart warming conversations with him.
Every person knows the state of their own Iman. A person may appear pious or sinful in front of the people but only Allah Ta’ala and that individual knows the state of his belief. We may be able to deceive the people and at times we may even be able to deceive ourselves in relation to piety but we can never deceive Allah Ta’ala.
It is thus important to peer into one’s own life and try finding instances where he has ‘transformed’ into a two faced person and has spread lies to cause hurt and disunity. Malik Ibn Dinar rahimahullah would say, “When you see that your heart has become hard, your body has become weak and that your sustenance has become Haram; know that you have spoken in regards to those matters which did not concern you!”
Likewise, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam has mentioned a great caution for that person who likes to push his foul speech around like an Asda trolley! Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam has mentioned, "The person who has two faces in this world will have two tongues of the Fire on the Day of Rising.”
Thus there are many things we can do to save ourselves from falling into this category:
1. Stop betraying trusts
2. Stop spreading rumours
3. Stop spreading lies
4. Stop causing disunity/fights between two people
5. Staying away from such situations
6. Ponder over our speech
7. Apologise to those people whom we have hurt
8. Try to fix relations we have broken
9. Fix a penalty of some sadaqah every time we happen to slip up
10. Seek forgiveness from Allah Ta’ala.
Just don’t be that person who causes hurt wherever he goes; who disunites people by the weight of his tongue; who lies to satisfy his itching and devours the respect of people in the manner a serpent savages its prey. You are not that person; so don’t be. Be free from hate and cooled by patience, calm in disposition and aware of speech; be forgiving and shine with humility. All you need to do is put a full stop on your last evil speech and place a line under it. Now begin a new chapter and fill it with goodness.
May Allah Ta’ala protect us and give us the ability to use our tongues correctly. Ameen.
Showing posts with label Punishment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punishment. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Backbiting and Slandering
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful
Backbiting, what do we know about backbiting? We may feel that backbiting are just mere words – but they are words that bring upon the one who utters them shame and dishonour and consign him to the Fire. Such a person has given in to his vain desires and succumbed to his destructive wants.
Subhanallah, it’s a common disease in our society, people backbites a lot knowingly and unknowingly. Backbiting is very dangerous. We should avoid talking about people behind their back completely. If we see someone talking evil about someone we should remind them that backbiting is a very severe sin and it will lead to a severe punishment. Sometime unknowingly we end up talking bad about someone; we should immediately repent to Allah Ta'ala and also ask for forgiveness from that person. But we see people nowadays they love backbiting about other people for fun, we should look at our own shortcomings and try to correct them instead of talking about the bad that other people are doing.
Backbiting can be defined as the utterance of words whereby one mentions his fellow Muslim in a bad way or mentions him in a manner that he would be displeased with. It is called backbiting because a person generally berates another person in that person’s absence.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way, and his definition is preferred over any other: He said: “Do you know what backbiting is? They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) goes on in the same hadith to explain the difference between backbiting and slander. He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.”
Someone enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! How do you see it if what I said about him is true?” He replied: “If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]
Slander is a false statement of enormous sinfulness deserving of severe punishment. Allah says: “And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” [Sûrah al-Ahzâb: 58]
My brothers and sisters we should avoid backbiting and slandering all together, before looking at other people faults, we should look at our own short comings . We should realise that everyone will be accountable for their own actions. My brothers and sisters, if you see someone doing something wrong, or they have a quality that is not liked in Islam then the best way to try and correct that person is by going to that person directly (in private) and telling them in a nice way about the shortcomings that they have. This is masha Allah the best way to help someone, and by doing this Allah Ta'ala will be more pleased with us.
How to rid ourselves of this ignoble trait?
1. We can protect ourselves from speaking ill of others by cultivating our fear of Allah and our sense of shame before of our Lord. This can be achieved by reflecting often upon the verses of the Qur’ân and the hadîth of our Prophet (peace be upon him) that speak about Allah’s punishment, that encourage us to repent, and that warn us against evil deeds.
Allah says: “Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed we do and our messengers are by them to record.” [Sûrah al-Zukhruf: 80]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Feel shame before Allah as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2458)]
2. We can reflect upon just how much we lose every time we utter some bad words about another person.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his Companions: “Do you know who is bankrupt?”
They replied: “The person among us who is bankrupt is the one who possesses neither money nor provision.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, on account of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.” [Sahîh Muslim (2581)]
3. A beneficial remedy that can help us to rid ourselves of this evil habit is to reflect upon our own shortcomings and work to improve ourselves. If we preoccupy ourselves with our own faults, we will not find time to worry about the faults of others. We should fear that if we speak about someone else’s shortcomings, that Allah might punish us by afflicting us with the same.
Al-Hasan al-Basrî said: “We used to remind one another that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin and he had repented for it will be punished by Allah by falling into it himself.”
Abû Hurayrah said: “One of you sees the dust in his brother’s eye but fails to see the crud in his own.”
4. Keeping to the company of righteous people and avoiding bad company helps us to avoid backbiting.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2101) and Sahîh Muslim (2628) and the wording is that of Muslim]
Al-Nawawî rahimahullah writes, commenting on this hadîth: “It discusses the virtues of keeping the company of the righteous and people who carry out good works and possess good manners… It prohibits us from the company of people who engage in bad deeds and innovations, those who backbite others, and those who are habitually sinful and idle.”
5. A person who has a habit of backbiting others needs to make a firm and determined resolution to stop.
We can look at the example of Rasûl ibn Wahb who said: “I swore an oath that for every time I backbite someone, I would fast a day. This just wore me out, since I would backbite and fast. Then I resolved that for every time I backbite someone, I would spend one silver coin in charity. Then, for the love of money, I gave up backbiting.”
I make dua that Allah protect myself first and everyone else from backbiting and slandering, may Allah forgive our shortcomings, and may Allah grant us Jannah through mercy.
Ameen
Backbiting, what do we know about backbiting? We may feel that backbiting are just mere words – but they are words that bring upon the one who utters them shame and dishonour and consign him to the Fire. Such a person has given in to his vain desires and succumbed to his destructive wants.
Subhanallah, it’s a common disease in our society, people backbites a lot knowingly and unknowingly. Backbiting is very dangerous. We should avoid talking about people behind their back completely. If we see someone talking evil about someone we should remind them that backbiting is a very severe sin and it will lead to a severe punishment. Sometime unknowingly we end up talking bad about someone; we should immediately repent to Allah Ta'ala and also ask for forgiveness from that person. But we see people nowadays they love backbiting about other people for fun, we should look at our own shortcomings and try to correct them instead of talking about the bad that other people are doing.
Backbiting can be defined as the utterance of words whereby one mentions his fellow Muslim in a bad way or mentions him in a manner that he would be displeased with. It is called backbiting because a person generally berates another person in that person’s absence.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way, and his definition is preferred over any other: He said: “Do you know what backbiting is? They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) goes on in the same hadith to explain the difference between backbiting and slander. He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.”
Someone enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! How do you see it if what I said about him is true?” He replied: “If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]
Slander is a false statement of enormous sinfulness deserving of severe punishment. Allah says: “And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” [Sûrah al-Ahzâb: 58]
My brothers and sisters we should avoid backbiting and slandering all together, before looking at other people faults, we should look at our own short comings . We should realise that everyone will be accountable for their own actions. My brothers and sisters, if you see someone doing something wrong, or they have a quality that is not liked in Islam then the best way to try and correct that person is by going to that person directly (in private) and telling them in a nice way about the shortcomings that they have. This is masha Allah the best way to help someone, and by doing this Allah Ta'ala will be more pleased with us.
How to rid ourselves of this ignoble trait?
1. We can protect ourselves from speaking ill of others by cultivating our fear of Allah and our sense of shame before of our Lord. This can be achieved by reflecting often upon the verses of the Qur’ân and the hadîth of our Prophet (peace be upon him) that speak about Allah’s punishment, that encourage us to repent, and that warn us against evil deeds.
Allah says: “Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed we do and our messengers are by them to record.” [Sûrah al-Zukhruf: 80]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Feel shame before Allah as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2458)]
2. We can reflect upon just how much we lose every time we utter some bad words about another person.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his Companions: “Do you know who is bankrupt?”
They replied: “The person among us who is bankrupt is the one who possesses neither money nor provision.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, on account of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.” [Sahîh Muslim (2581)]
3. A beneficial remedy that can help us to rid ourselves of this evil habit is to reflect upon our own shortcomings and work to improve ourselves. If we preoccupy ourselves with our own faults, we will not find time to worry about the faults of others. We should fear that if we speak about someone else’s shortcomings, that Allah might punish us by afflicting us with the same.
Al-Hasan al-Basrî said: “We used to remind one another that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin and he had repented for it will be punished by Allah by falling into it himself.”
Abû Hurayrah said: “One of you sees the dust in his brother’s eye but fails to see the crud in his own.”
4. Keeping to the company of righteous people and avoiding bad company helps us to avoid backbiting.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2101) and Sahîh Muslim (2628) and the wording is that of Muslim]
Al-Nawawî rahimahullah writes, commenting on this hadîth: “It discusses the virtues of keeping the company of the righteous and people who carry out good works and possess good manners… It prohibits us from the company of people who engage in bad deeds and innovations, those who backbite others, and those who are habitually sinful and idle.”
5. A person who has a habit of backbiting others needs to make a firm and determined resolution to stop.
We can look at the example of Rasûl ibn Wahb who said: “I swore an oath that for every time I backbite someone, I would fast a day. This just wore me out, since I would backbite and fast. Then I resolved that for every time I backbite someone, I would spend one silver coin in charity. Then, for the love of money, I gave up backbiting.”
I make dua that Allah protect myself first and everyone else from backbiting and slandering, may Allah forgive our shortcomings, and may Allah grant us Jannah through mercy.
Ameen
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Takabbur (Arrogance) - A common Disease
With the name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Very Merciful...
The Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) said in an authentic hadith,"Whosoever has an atoms weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Jannah." One of the signs of arrogance is denying the truth. Denying the oneness of Allah is amongst the biggest signs of arrogance. Nowadays, many are so blinded by this world that they think that this world is everything but the thing that they don't realise is that a day will surely come where we will stand in front of the One who created us and we will be asked as to our actions. Allah says in Surah Yaseen,"Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah (mixed male and female discharge semen drops).Yet behold! He (stand forth) as an open opponent."
The problem in society is that every one thinks they are better than every one else but in reality, this is far from the truth. We can never claim to be better than anyone else as we do not know our position infront of Allah. Allah will not at how 'good-looking' we are or how strong we are or how rich we are and surely, Allah doesn't look at your status amongst your fellow human being but Allah looks at your piety and good deeds. We see that nowadays it's a common problem that affects the youth mostly. Some people think that because we are driving the best cars, we naturally are better than anyone else. Stop! Think about it, will your car be able to outrun death or the punishment of Allah? Will your car save you on the Day of Qiyamah? Some people think, "I have big biceps, Iam better than everyone else!" But know my brother and sister, the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said in a hadith,"The strong man is not the one is who is good at wrestling but strong man is he who controls himself in a fit of rage". It easier to knock some one out than to forgive someone, surely forgiveness is a very good attribute to have. You might be pushing 100kg in the gym but when it comes to Fajr prayer, are you able to lift that blanket that weighs less that 1kg off you? If you can't then that says everything. A strong person must have the abilty to fight his Nafs, he must be able to fight shaytaan, and he will only be able to do all this by seeking the help of Allah. We need to realise that we need Allah in everything. So why do we have to be arrogant when we are entirely dependent on Allah?
We can see from the examples of the Sahabas (may Allah be pleased with them) that they were the strongest men that walked upon the face of this world but yet they were always humble.We see some brothers and sometimes sisters too, they walk around as if they are mountains! Allah says in the Qur'an, "Do not walk on the earth in haughty style. You can neither tear the earth apart, nor can you match the mountains in height." So if a person cannot match this, how dare he walk with such arrogance? My brother and sisters arrogance is a sign of ignorance, because Allah looks not at how strong you are or how beautiful you are, or how rich you are; rather Allah looks at what is in your heart, Allah looks at your good deeds and your piety.
Arrogance is a disease my brothers and sisters, do we want Jannah or not? If yes then get rid of arrongance from your heart because a good Muslim is always humble no matter how strong, or how rich he is. He is always humble because he realises that his wealth, his strenghth will not help him when he will be in his grave, when the angels will ask him, "Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is the Prophet?" We think that these answers are easy now but know my brothers and sisters that if you didn't live your life in the obedience of Allah, you will not be able to answers these three questions. We must make dua that Allah protects us from this disease, because for sure it will destroy our herefafter. If we have one atoms weight of arrogance in our heart, we will not enter Jannah, a true believer realises that he is nothing but a creation that has been created from a drop of semen... is this really something to boast about?
I make dua that Allah makes these few words a means of guidance for all of us and I make dua that Allah protects us from arrongance. Ameen.
Monday, 2 February 2009
The Current Weather
Snow has been falling in abundance in the UK and the road looks as if it has been embellished with white carpet. I was at a dawat (invitation) earlier today when I peered out of the window. I thought straight away of those verses that pertain to Allah's Ta'ala sovereignty and producing abilities that are noted all over the Qur'an. For example, in Surah Baqarah
"Surely, in the creation of heavens and earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that sail in the sea, carrying that which benefits men, and in the water Allah sent down from the sky, then revived with it the earth after it was dead, and in every creature He has scattered on it, and in turning of winds, and in the clouds employed to serve between heaven and earth, there are signs for those who have sense."
"Surely, in the creation of heavens and earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that sail in the sea, carrying that which benefits men, and in the water Allah sent down from the sky, then revived with it the earth after it was dead, and in every creature He has scattered on it, and in turning of winds, and in the clouds employed to serve between heaven and earth, there are signs for those who have sense."
As I continued to lose myself in wonderment, I looked at a non Muslim graveyard and froze like a snowman. Every grave was completely covered in snow and suddenly a thought passed my mind. I quickly turned around to tell those present before I forgot it.
We all know ice is a very cold substance but I swear by Allah Ta'ala, no amount of snow can cool the punishment taking place inside those graves.
Thus the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam said,
"The grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise, or a pit from the pits of Hell."
May Allah Ta'ala make our graves a garden from the garden of Jannah. Ameen.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
The Destruction of Nations Part 3 - Thamud
THAMUD PART 1
“It could be what ‘Aad have faced: “So, when they saw it as a cloud proceeding towards their valleys, they said, ‘This is a cloud that will bring us rain!’” (Surah Ahqaf)
And so the people of ‘Aad were destroyed and Allah replaced them with another tribe upon whom He bestowed countless bounties but they to forgot their transgressed. They were the tribe of Thamud and there are two opinions as to why they were labelled with this name. The first opinion is because of the vicinity in which they lived in. In Arabic, the word ‘Thamad’ me
ans a lack of water and the area which was inhabited by the people of Saleh (peace be upon him) had a deficiency in water. The opinion of Ibn Katheer is that the nation were named after their forefather whose name was Thamud.
Like the people of ‘Aad forgot about the punishment suffered by the people of Nuh (peace be upon him), Thamud too forgot about their predecessors (‘Aad) and they too followed in the footsteps of their accursed ancestors. The people of Thamud were similar to the people of ‘Aad in their strength, abilities and arrogance. Allah the Almighty had given them bounty upon bounty and like ‘Aad, Thamud became poisoned by the beauty of this world. They began to feel as if they would never die and they started with the words that brought destruction upon ‘Aad. They would say,
And so they began to make huge palaces (pictured) upon the earth and in the mountains. Their disobedience had no bounds and they would happily work contrary towards the way of Allah. Thus they forgot about Allah and Allah caused them to forget about themselves. They began to oppress themselves in ways their eyes did not perceive and such is the statement of Allah in the Qur’an:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظۡلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَہُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ ٤٤
"Surely, Allah does not wrong people at all, but the people do wrong their own selves."
It was then that Allah decided to send a mercy to them, a messenger from amongst themselves to guide them towards the truth. Verily, Allah is not pleased by those who spread trouble upon the earth. From amongst the community, He erected a prophet by the name of Saleh (peace be upon him). Saleh (peace be upon him) was a man of a noble lineage, piety, intelligence and when he grew up, Allah blessed him with the wisdom that was needed for Saleh (peace be upon him) to carry out his mission. Prior to becoming a prophet, Saleh (peace be upon him) was a very popular figure in society. He was considered by many as being a luminary, a man who was more articulate and upright in his conduct than any other man from amongst them. When he would walk past people, they would whisper,
يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱسۡتَعۡمَرَكُمۡ فِيہَا فَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ۬ مُّجِيبٌ۬ ٦١
يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ قَدۡ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرۡجُوًّ۬ا قَبۡلَ هَـٰذَآۖ أَتَنۡهَٮٰنَآ أَن نَّعۡبُدَ مَا يَعۡبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِى شَكٍّ۬ مِّمَّا تَدۡعُونَآ إِلَيۡهِ مُرِيبٍ۬ ٦٢
“O Saleh, we had hopes in you before this. Do you ask us not to worship what our fathers used to worship? We have serious doubts that have disturbed us about the faith to which you are calling us.”
After this encounter, the people Saleh (peace be upon him) would socialise with became hugely disrespectful to him. The rich who were in power knew for sure that if Saleh (peace be upon him) would prevail with his mission then they would no longer remain in power and so they launched a scathing attack on Saleh (peace be upon him). They began to defame him amongst his own people and removed their high aspirations of him. This is recorded in the Qur’an, they said,
وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِن قَوۡمِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِلِقَآءِ ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ وَأَتۡرَفۡنَـٰهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يَأۡكُلُ مِمَّا تَأۡكُلُونَ مِنۡهُ وَيَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا تَشۡرَبُونَ (٣٣) وَلَٮِٕنۡ أَطَعۡتُم بَشَرً۬ا مِّثۡلَكُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذً۬ا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ (٣٤) أَيَعِدُكُمۡ أَنَّكُمۡ إِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَكُنتُمۡ تُرَابً۬ا وَعِظَـٰمًا أَنَّكُم مُّخۡرَجُونَ (٣٥) ۞ هَيۡہَاتَ هَيۡہَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ (٣٦) إِنۡ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوثِينَ (٣٧) إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ڪَذِبً۬ا وَمَا نَحۡنُ لَهُ ۥ بِمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣٨
“Then said the chiefs of his nation who were disbelievers and who denied facing the Hereafter and whom We made affluent in the worldly life, ‘This (man) is nothing but a human being. He eats from what you eat from, and drinks from what you drink. If you obey a human like yourselves, then you will be absolute losers. Does he promise you that, when you die and are turned into dust and bones, you are to be brought forth? Far too improbable is what you are being promised. There is nothing but our worldly life. We die and we live, and we are not to be raised again. He is nothing but a man who has forged a lie against Allah, and we are not goin
g to believe in him.’”
They had really abused Saleh (peace be upon him). They attached many vulgar lies against Saleh (peace be upon him) and they would taunt his family and his father in particular. They targeted his father because they knew of the high hopes he kept with regards to the future of Saleh (peace be upon him) and then they would tell the father that his previously successful son had become of the fruitless. This would truly hurt the feelings of Saleh’s (peace be upon him) mother, father and family. Despite these hardships, Saleh (peace be upon him) would continue to proclaim Monotheism out aloud but the people would look at him and merely say,
إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُسَحَّرِينَ (١٥٣) مَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُنَا فَأۡتِ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ ١٥٤
“You are merely one of those bewitched. You are nothing but a human like us. So, bring a sign if you are one of the truthful.”
The Mufassireen mention that during this assembly Saleh (peace be upon him) admonished his people and warned them of a painful torment. They said to him,
“If you could produce from this rock a she-camel with these qualities (they then mentioned what it should be like.”
Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him) enquired,
“Tell me, if I responded to your requirement would you believe in what I am asking you to believe and regard me as the Messenger of Allah?”
The people of Thamud replied in the affirmative and so Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him) offered prayers and then asked Allah to respond to their demand. Thereafter a she-camel came out of the mountain and the people became bewildered and dumbstruck. However, despite the various emotions felt, one emotion that was prevalent that day was arrogance. Even though they witnessed a sign from Allah with their own eyes, they still rejected it and did not believe and Saleh (peace be upon him) would say,
The threat was put forth by Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him). Nobody was to harm this she-camel and if they did, there punishment of Allah would be let loose upon them. The people understood this until the emergence of Qudar bin Salif...
The destruction of ‘Aad is something we ourselves cannot comprehend but we see in a hadith related by ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the distress it would cause the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him). She mentions that whenever the sky was covered (with clouds), his face would change, he would come in and out (of the house) and he would pace up and down. Being the caring and loving wife she was, ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him as to why he does this to which the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) would reply and say,
“It could be what ‘Aad have faced: “So, when they saw it as a cloud proceeding towards their valleys, they said, ‘This is a cloud that will bring us rain!’” (Surah Ahqaf)
And so the people of ‘Aad were destroyed and Allah replaced them with another tribe upon whom He bestowed countless bounties but they to forgot their transgressed. They were the tribe of Thamud and there are two opinions as to why they were labelled with this name. The first opinion is because of the vicinity in which they lived in. In Arabic, the word ‘Thamad’ me
ans a lack of water and the area which was inhabited by the people of Saleh (peace be upon him) had a deficiency in water. The opinion of Ibn Katheer is that the nation were named after their forefather whose name was Thamud. Like the people of ‘Aad forgot about the punishment suffered by the people of Nuh (peace be upon him), Thamud too forgot about their predecessors (‘Aad) and they too followed in the footsteps of their accursed ancestors. The people of Thamud were similar to the people of ‘Aad in their strength, abilities and arrogance. Allah the Almighty had given them bounty upon bounty and like ‘Aad, Thamud became poisoned by the beauty of this world. They began to feel as if they would never die and they started with the words that brought destruction upon ‘Aad. They would say,
“Who is stronger than us?”
And so they began to make huge palaces (pictured) upon the earth and in the mountains. Their disobedience had no bounds and they would happily work contrary towards the way of Allah. Thus they forgot about Allah and Allah caused them to forget about themselves. They began to oppress themselves in ways their eyes did not perceive and such is the statement of Allah in the Qur’an:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظۡلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَہُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ ٤٤
"Surely, Allah does not wrong people at all, but the people do wrong their own selves."
It was then that Allah decided to send a mercy to them, a messenger from amongst themselves to guide them towards the truth. Verily, Allah is not pleased by those who spread trouble upon the earth. From amongst the community, He erected a prophet by the name of Saleh (peace be upon him). Saleh (peace be upon him) was a man of a noble lineage, piety, intelligence and when he grew up, Allah blessed him with the wisdom that was needed for Saleh (peace be upon him) to carry out his mission. Prior to becoming a prophet, Saleh (peace be upon him) was a very popular figure in society. He was considered by many as being a luminary, a man who was more articulate and upright in his conduct than any other man from amongst them. When he would walk past people, they would whisper,
“That is Saleh! That is Saleh!”
His people and in particular his father had high aspirations of him and they all dreamt that he would grow up to own palaces with large, beautiful gardens. They envisaged him having servants running back and forth for him but Saleh (peace be upon him) had no interest in the materialistic society he was living in. On the contrary, he was selected to convey the message of His Lord, a status far loftier than anything anybody else could have perceived. He (Saleh (peace be upon him)) then stood up in the midst of his people and said the words which brought all of the Prophets (peace be upon them all) so much anguish, he said,
يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱسۡتَعۡمَرَكُمۡ فِيہَا فَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ۬ مُّجِيبٌ۬ ٦١
"And to (the people of) Thamud (We sent) their brother, Saleh. He said, 'O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. He has created you from earth and made you settle therein. So, seek His forgiveness, then turn to Him in repentance. Surely, my Lord is near, responsive to the prayers.'"
And they replied to him,
يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ قَدۡ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرۡجُوًّ۬ا قَبۡلَ هَـٰذَآۖ أَتَنۡهَٮٰنَآ أَن نَّعۡبُدَ مَا يَعۡبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِى شَكٍّ۬ مِّمَّا تَدۡعُونَآ إِلَيۡهِ مُرِيبٍ۬ ٦٢
“O Saleh, we had hopes in you before this. Do you ask us not to worship what our fathers used to worship? We have serious doubts that have disturbed us about the faith to which you are calling us.”
After this encounter, the people Saleh (peace be upon him) would socialise with became hugely disrespectful to him. The rich who were in power knew for sure that if Saleh (peace be upon him) would prevail with his mission then they would no longer remain in power and so they launched a scathing attack on Saleh (peace be upon him). They began to defame him amongst his own people and removed their high aspirations of him. This is recorded in the Qur’an, they said,
وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِن قَوۡمِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِلِقَآءِ ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ وَأَتۡرَفۡنَـٰهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يَأۡكُلُ مِمَّا تَأۡكُلُونَ مِنۡهُ وَيَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا تَشۡرَبُونَ (٣٣) وَلَٮِٕنۡ أَطَعۡتُم بَشَرً۬ا مِّثۡلَكُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذً۬ا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ (٣٤) أَيَعِدُكُمۡ أَنَّكُمۡ إِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَكُنتُمۡ تُرَابً۬ا وَعِظَـٰمًا أَنَّكُم مُّخۡرَجُونَ (٣٥) ۞ هَيۡہَاتَ هَيۡہَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ (٣٦) إِنۡ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوثِينَ (٣٧) إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ڪَذِبً۬ا وَمَا نَحۡنُ لَهُ ۥ بِمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣٨
“Then said the chiefs of his nation who were disbelievers and who denied facing the Hereafter and whom We made affluent in the worldly life, ‘This (man) is nothing but a human being. He eats from what you eat from, and drinks from what you drink. If you obey a human like yourselves, then you will be absolute losers. Does he promise you that, when you die and are turned into dust and bones, you are to be brought forth? Far too improbable is what you are being promised. There is nothing but our worldly life. We die and we live, and we are not to be raised again. He is nothing but a man who has forged a lie against Allah, and we are not goin
g to believe in him.’”They had really abused Saleh (peace be upon him). They attached many vulgar lies against Saleh (peace be upon him) and they would taunt his family and his father in particular. They targeted his father because they knew of the high hopes he kept with regards to the future of Saleh (peace be upon him) and then they would tell the father that his previously successful son had become of the fruitless. This would truly hurt the feelings of Saleh’s (peace be upon him) mother, father and family. Despite these hardships, Saleh (peace be upon him) would continue to proclaim Monotheism out aloud but the people would look at him and merely say,
إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُسَحَّرِينَ (١٥٣) مَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ۬ مِّثۡلُنَا فَأۡتِ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ ١٥٤
“You are merely one of those bewitched. You are nothing but a human like us. So, bring a sign if you are one of the truthful.”
The Mufassireen mention that during this assembly Saleh (peace be upon him) admonished his people and warned them of a painful torment. They said to him,
“If you could produce from this rock a she-camel with these qualities (they then mentioned what it should be like.”
Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him) enquired,
“Tell me, if I responded to your requirement would you believe in what I am asking you to believe and regard me as the Messenger of Allah?”
The people of Thamud replied in the affirmative and so Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him) offered prayers and then asked Allah to respond to their demand. Thereafter a she-camel came out of the mountain and the people became bewildered and dumbstruck. However, despite the various emotions felt, one emotion that was prevalent that day was arrogance. Even though they witnessed a sign from Allah with their own eyes, they still rejected it and did not believe and Saleh (peace be upon him) would say,
يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۖ قَدۡ جَآءَتۡڪُم بَيِّنَةٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ هَـٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَڪُمۡ ءَايَةً۬ۖ فَذَرُوهَا تَأۡڪُلۡ فِىٓ أَرۡضِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍ۬ فَيَأۡخُذَكُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ۬ ٧٣
“O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. There has come to you a clear sign from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So, leave her to eat on the earth of Allah, and do not touch her with mischief, lest a painful punishment should seize you.”
The threat was put forth by Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon him). Nobody was to harm this she-camel and if they did, there punishment of Allah would be let loose upon them. The people understood this until the emergence of Qudar bin Salif...
In the next post we shall discuss how Qudar bin Salif attempted to slaughter the sign of Allah because of his love for a woman... Next Thamud Part 2
Friday, 25 July 2008
The Destruction of Nations (part 2) 'Aad
The Sublime had fulfilled His promise to Nuh (peace be upon him) and once again the world renounced polytheism. Then the people of ‘Aad came into being. They were the first people to worship idols after the punishment faced by the people of Nuh (peace be upon him). They had three main idols: Samd, Samud and Hara (Qasas al Anbiya). The people of ‘Aad were given immense favours by Allah. They were huge in their stature and their bodies were like steel. They lived a life of great splendour and pomp and would rejoice in their own evil doings. They would put terror into the hearts of others and would do things which are against the essence of humanity. Allah had blessed them with beautiful lands, lush with greenery and he had placed them in an area (Yemen) which had great, natural bounties. They had mass cattle and due to their huge figures, they would construct houses in the mountains (top right)! It was a great display of strength and might but these houses would be left empty. It was then when this nation steeped into complete disobedience that Allah sent a messenger among them by the name of Hud (peace be upon him).
Hud (peace be upon him) said to his people,
Hud (peace be upon him) said to his people,
قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۤۖ إِنۡ أَنتُمۡ إِلَّا مُفۡتَرُونَ (٥٠) يَـٰقَوۡمِ لَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرًاۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَنِىٓۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ (٥١) وَيَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّدۡرَارً۬ا وَيَزِدۡڪُمۡ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمۡ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوۡاْ مُجۡرِمِينَ (٥٢)
“He (Hud) said, ‘O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. You are nothing but fabricators. O my people, I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only on the One who created me. Do you, then, not understand? O my people, seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn to Him in repentance, and He will release the heavens pouring upon you, and will add strength to your strength, and do not turn away like sinners.’”
The people of ‘Aad were indulged in eating, drinking, fun and games; they had no reason to stop this ‘lavish’ style of living. Thus they turned to Hud (peace be upon him) and said,
قَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦۤ إِنَّا لَنَرَٮٰكَ فِى سَفَاهَةٍ۬ وَإِنَّا لَنَظُنُّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰذِبِينَ (٦٦
“Said the chiefs of his (Hud's) people who disbelieved, ‘Indeed, we see you in folly, and we believe you are one of the liars.’”
After a lengthy encounter which is mentioned in Surah Hud and Surah A’araf. Allah had stopped giving the people of ‘Aad bounties and had stopped the rain from falling upon their lands. Consequently, the people of ‘Aad suffered from poor harvest and became in dire need of rainfall but their arrogance prevailed and they did not place belief in Allah.
Hazrat Mufti Ahmad Sa’eed Palanpoori Saheb damat barkatuh mentions in his tafseer, ‘Hidayatul Qur’an’ the following:
“In the beginning of this Surah, Rasulullah's (may peace and blessings be upon him) blessed tongue is made to emphasise the very same message, ‘Turn towards your Lord in repentance and attend to Him. He will give you a good, blissful life.’ Hazrat Hud (peace be upon him) informed his tribe that if they inclined towards Allah, He would remove all their problems away from them; and that Allah will increase them in their property and their strength. He advised them that Allah would bless their offspring and that their harvest will also improve. However they will only attain this once they stop their ignorance.”
And so a long commentary can be written about the arrogance and pride of the people of ‘Aad but the outstanding issue is this that they did not take heed of the punishment of the people that came before them and they too were on the brink of being destroyed. The people of ‘Aad would continue to build their extravagant houses up in the mountains and Hud (peace be upon him) would continue to admonish them and say,
أَتَبۡنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ءَايَةً۬ تَعۡبَثُونَ (١٢٨) وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَخۡلُدُونَ (١٢٩) وَإِذَا بَطَشۡتُم بَطَشۡتُمۡ جَبَّارِينَ (١٣٠) فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ (١٣١) وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (١٣٢) أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنۡعَـٰمٍ۬ وَبَنِينَ (١٣٣) وَجَنَّـٰتٍ۬ وَعُيُونٍ (١٣٤) إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ۬ (١٣٥
“Do you erect on every height a monument, having no sound purpose, and take the objects of architecture as if you are going to live forever, and when you seize (someone) you seize as tyrants? So fear Allah and obey me. And fear the One who has supported you with what you know. He has supported you with cattle and sons, and with gardens and springs. In fact I fear for you the punishment of a horrible day.”
This wisdom encapsulated in the speech of Hud (peace be upon him) is a lesson for us today. We find ourselves adhering to the same principles of the people of ‘Aad. We are never satisfied with what we have and we always want to have more. My beloved Shaykh mentions all the time, “When you are not satisfied with a Ni’mat (bounty) that Allah has given to you and you keep on trying to get more and more... Allah will remove that Ni’mat altogether and you will be left with nothing.” We like ‘Aad oppress people like tyrants; forget the sustenance and family we are blessed with along with our properties and wealth. Soon the punishment of Allah may come upon us the way it came upon the people of ‘Aad. As it is mentioned...
One day, the people of ‘Aad looked towards the sky and saw clouds materialising. The people had an intense need for rain and the people began to scream and dance chanting,
ﺮﻄﻤ ﺔﺒﺎﺤﺳﻩﺬﻫﺮﻄﻤ ﺔﺒﺎﺤ
“THESE ARE CLOUDS OF RAIN!”
And like Nuh (peace be upon him), Hud (peace be upon him) called out to his Lord and said,
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرۡنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ (٣٩) قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ۬ لَّيُصۡبِحُنَّ نَـٰدِمِينَ (٤٠) فَأَخَذَتۡہُمُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ بِٱلۡحَقِّ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ غُثَآءً۬ۚ فَبُعۡدً۬ا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (٤١)
“He (Hud) said, ‘My Lord, help me, for they have rejected me.’ He (Allah) said, ‘In a little while they will have to be remorseful.’ So the Cry seized them according to the true (promise), and We turned them in to scum. So, away with the wrongdoers.”
The people began to taunt Hud (peace be upon him) and say, “Where is the punishment of your Lord? We await it with great eagerness!” and they began to deride him to a great degree. They were not just taunting a prophet...they were challenging the Creator of Mankind. They had now pronounced imminent, inevitable destruction upon themselves...
Allah’s punishment upon these people began by stopping their bounties and then placing drought and famine upon them as well as the intense desire for rain. This proved to be a mental block for the people of ‘Aad for when they saw the clouds form they began to scream and dance with a lot of joy, however this was not a cloud of mercy but a cloud of immense torment. It was contrary to their desire and hope... it was a rain of destruction, punishment and death! A flurry of fire balls came crashing down upon them. Ibn Kathir mentions,
“This is why Allah has said: ‘Now this is that you were asking to be hastened!’”
A huge wind overtook them and the world became darkened and gloomy. Children began to hold onto their mothers and men began to hold onto the mountains that served them so well. The mountains they used to make a show out of were being held onto as they themselves were becoming the 'show'. This wind raged against them for seven nights and eight days continuously. Allah says,
وَأَمَّا عَادٌ۬ فَأُهۡلِڪُواْ بِرِيحٍ۬ صَرۡصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ۬ (٦) سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيۡہِمۡ سَبۡعَ لَيَالٍ۬ وَثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومً۬ا فَتَرَى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ فِيہَا صَرۡعَىٰ كَأَنَّہُمۡ أَعۡجَازُ نَخۡلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ۬ (٧)
“And as for Ad, they were destroyed by a violent windstorm that He imposed on them for seven nights and eight consecutive days; so you could see them thrown on the ground, as if they were trunks of hollow palm-trees.”
In this verse the people of ‘Aad are compared with the stumps of palm trees. The wind was so severe that it would seize them and then hurl them so that they land with their heads downwards. When they eventually landed, these huge people with bodies likened to steel would have their heads smashed into pieces and their bodies left with no heads. Thus they would resemble the stumps of palm trees and this is why Allah gives this analogy.
These people had proclaimed, “Who is the mightier than us?”... He who is in the heavens duly replied.
Next up in part 3, the people of Saleh (peace be upon him).
Monday, 14 July 2008
The Destruction of Nations (Part 1)
There is not a day that the sea does not question Allah, 'O Allah! Let us destroy mankind, for he has transgressed.' And there is not a day that that the earth does not question Allah, "O Allah! Let me swallow mankind for he has transgressed.'"In recent years, the world has seen the prophecies of the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) come to pass. A new calamity strikes man and each time he says, "It cannot get more severe than this" and then he is struck by something even worse. Every day, elements of this world (sea, wind, earth etc) ask Allah for permission to destroy the inhabitants of this earth. We have seen from the people of the past that when Fitna and Fasad (mischief, corruption) become rife in a community, Allah lets loose upon them the crushing waves and devastating destruction.
And one day in the time of the prophet Nuh (peace be upon him), the sea was granted permission to destroy those who opposed the call of monotheism. Allah sent Nuh (peace be upon him) with His message and he would say to his people,
قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ إِنِّى لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ (٢) أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ (٣) يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۖ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (٤) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِى لَيۡلاً۬ وَنَهَارً۬ا (٥) فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِىٓ إِلَّا فِرَارً۬ا (٦) وَإِنِّى ڪُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمۡ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِہِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَہُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارً۬ا (٧) ثُمَّ إِنِّى دَعَوۡتُہُمۡ جِهَارً۬ا (٨
“He said, ‘O my people, I openly warn you that you must worship Allah, and fear Him, and obey me, and Allah will forgive you your sins, and will respite you to an appointed term. Indeed when Allah‘s term comes, it is not deferred, if you only know!’ He said (to Allah), ‘My Lord, I have called my people night and day, but my call added only to their flight (from the truth). Whenever I called them, so that You might forgive them, they put their fingers into their ears, and wrapped their clothes around themselves, and grew obstinate, and waxed proud in extreme arrogance.’”
The people of Nuh (peace be upon him) would humiliate him so much, they would accuse him of every wrong. When he received the order from Allah to make an Ark, the people began to deride him further and said,
ﺐﺟﻋ ﻪﻠﻛ ﻙﺮﻣﺍﺎﻧﺇإِنَّٱ أَمرَك ڪله عَجَب
“Your business is totally bizarre!”
Nuh (peace be upon him) preached for about 900 years and had to suffer huge amounts of pathos. Tafseer Mazhari mentions that the people around him would die and their progeny would then come and they too would die. Nuh (peace be upon him) would approach these new offspring carrying the perception that perhaps they may accept Allah unlike their parents. These people would be just the same and after preaching for so many years, only 83 people became Muslim and that is when Nuh (peace be upon him) cursed his people.
وَقَالَ نُوحٌ۬ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا (٢٦) إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرۡهُمۡ يُضِلُّواْ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓاْ إِلَّا فَاجِرً۬ا ڪَفَّارً۬ا (٢٧
“And said Nuh, ‘My Lord, do not leave on earth even a single inhabitant (surviving) out of the disbelievers If You leave them (surviving), they will lead Your servants astray, and will beget none but a sinful disbeliever.’”
Thus the promise of Allah came to pass and he answered to the distress of Nuh (peace be upon him) but this came at a cost. As Nuh (peace be upon him) climbed onto his ship, Allah sent the rain pouring down upon the earth. The people (there are two opinions here: some are of the opinion that the flood was universal, others say it was regional) of Nuh (peace be upon him) began to climb onto high ground expecting the rainfall to stop but this was the punishment of Allah and the curse of His prophet. The people began to climb up the mountains but the rainfall had turned into an ocean and was bent on punishing the transgressors. Nobody except the believers were saved from the wrath of Allah. Men, women and children all began to drown and in the middle of this destruction there was the Ark of Nuh (peace be upon him) which was treated with a huge degree of veneration by the punishment of Allah. As this ark began to set sail for its next destination, Nuh (peace be upon him) saw his son on the tip of a mountain. Amid the chaos, Nuh (peace be upon him) urged his son to forsake disbelief and accept Allah. It was truly a sight of immense anguish; the Prophet of Allah was beseeching his son, urging him to become Muslim. The son however was of immense arrogance and as the conversation between the two grew, so did the waves until one came crashing down upon the son of Nuh (peace be upon) and in the process, wiped him from the mountain and the life of Nuh (peace be upon him). Allah mentions this in the Qur’an in Surah Hud, He says,
وَهِىَ تَجۡرِى بِهِمۡ فِى مَوۡجٍ۬ كَٱلۡجِبَالِ وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ ٱبۡنَهُ ۥ وَڪَانَ فِى مَعۡزِلٍ۬ يَـٰبُنَىَّ ٱرۡڪَب مَّعَنَا وَلَا تَكُن مَّعَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ (٤٢) قَالَ سَـَٔاوِىٓ إِلَىٰ جَبَلٍ۬ يَعۡصِمُنِى مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِۚ قَالَ لَا عَاصِمَ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَۚ وَحَالَ بَيۡنَہُمَا ٱلۡمَوۡجُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُغۡرَقِينَ (٤٣)
“And it was sailing with them amidst the waves like mountains. And Nuh called out to his son, who was at an isolated place, ‘O my child, come on board with us, and do not be in the company of the disbelievers.’
He (Nuh’s son) said, ‘I shall take shelter on a mountain which will save me from the water.’ He (Nuh) said, ‘There is no saver today from the command of Allah, except the one to whom He shows mercy.’ And the waves rose high between the two, and he was among those who were drowned.”
Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide and whomsoever Allah leaves to go astray, none can guide.
Thus Nuh (peace be upon him) became extremely sad and made Dua to Allah that Allah saves his son from the fire as He was not saved from the waves. He called out to Allah,
وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ۬ رَّبَّهُ ۥ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ٱبۡنِى مِنۡ أَهۡلِى وَإِنَّ وَعۡدَكَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنتَ أَحۡكَمُ ٱلۡحَـٰكِمِينَ
“Nuh called unto his Lord and said, ‘My Lord, my son is a part of my family, and surely Your promise is true, and You are the greatest of all judges.’”
However Allah reprimanded Nuh (peace be upon him) said,
قَالَ يَـٰنُوحُ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَيۡسَ مِنۡ أَهۡلِكَۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ عَمَلٌ غَيۡرُ صَـٰلِحٍ۬ۖ فَلَا تَسۡـَٔلۡنِ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌۖ إِنِّىٓ أَعِظُكَ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِينَ
“He said, ‘O Nuh, in fact, he is not a part of your family. Indeed, he is (a man of) bad deeds. So do not ask Me something of which you have no knowledge. I exhort you not to be among the ignorant.’”
Nuh (peace be upon him) travelled with the believers until they landed on Mount Judi. The mountain still has the print of Nuh’s (peace be upon him) Ark (above and right).
Next up in Part 2 the people of Aad.
And one day in the time of the prophet Nuh (peace be upon him), the sea was granted permission to destroy those who opposed the call of monotheism. Allah sent Nuh (peace be upon him) with His message and he would say to his people,
قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ إِنِّى لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ (٢) أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ (٣) يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۖ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (٤) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِى لَيۡلاً۬ وَنَهَارً۬ا (٥) فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِىٓ إِلَّا فِرَارً۬ا (٦) وَإِنِّى ڪُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمۡ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِہِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَہُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارً۬ا (٧) ثُمَّ إِنِّى دَعَوۡتُہُمۡ جِهَارً۬ا (٨
“He said, ‘O my people, I openly warn you that you must worship Allah, and fear Him, and obey me, and Allah will forgive you your sins, and will respite you to an appointed term. Indeed when Allah‘s term comes, it is not deferred, if you only know!’ He said (to Allah), ‘My Lord, I have called my people night and day, but my call added only to their flight (from the truth). Whenever I called them, so that You might forgive them, they put their fingers into their ears, and wrapped their clothes around themselves, and grew obstinate, and waxed proud in extreme arrogance.’”
The people of Nuh (peace be upon him) would humiliate him so much, they would accuse him of every wrong. When he received the order from Allah to make an Ark, the people began to deride him further and said,
ﺐﺟﻋ ﻪﻠﻛ ﻙﺮﻣﺍﺎﻧﺇإِنَّٱ أَمرَك ڪله عَجَب
“Your business is totally bizarre!”
Nuh (peace be upon him) preached for about 900 years and had to suffer huge amounts of pathos. Tafseer Mazhari mentions that the people around him would die and their progeny would then come and they too would die. Nuh (peace be upon him) would approach these new offspring carrying the perception that perhaps they may accept Allah unlike their parents. These people would be just the same and after preaching for so many years, only 83 people became Muslim and that is when Nuh (peace be upon him) cursed his people.
وَقَالَ نُوحٌ۬ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا (٢٦) إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرۡهُمۡ يُضِلُّواْ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓاْ إِلَّا فَاجِرً۬ا ڪَفَّارً۬ا (٢٧
“And said Nuh, ‘My Lord, do not leave on earth even a single inhabitant (surviving) out of the disbelievers If You leave them (surviving), they will lead Your servants astray, and will beget none but a sinful disbeliever.’”
Thus the promise of Allah came to pass and he answered to the distress of Nuh (peace be upon him) but this came at a cost. As Nuh (peace be upon him) climbed onto his ship, Allah sent the rain pouring down upon the earth. The people (there are two opinions here: some are of the opinion that the flood was universal, others say it was regional) of Nuh (peace be upon him) began to climb onto high ground expecting the rainfall to stop but this was the punishment of Allah and the curse of His prophet. The people began to climb up the mountains but the rainfall had turned into an ocean and was bent on punishing the transgressors. Nobody except the believers were saved from the wrath of Allah. Men, women and children all began to drown and in the middle of this destruction there was the Ark of Nuh (peace be upon him) which was treated with a huge degree of veneration by the punishment of Allah. As this ark began to set sail for its next destination, Nuh (peace be upon him) saw his son on the tip of a mountain. Amid the chaos, Nuh (peace be upon him) urged his son to forsake disbelief and accept Allah. It was truly a sight of immense anguish; the Prophet of Allah was beseeching his son, urging him to become Muslim. The son however was of immense arrogance and as the conversation between the two grew, so did the waves until one came crashing down upon the son of Nuh (peace be upon) and in the process, wiped him from the mountain and the life of Nuh (peace be upon him). Allah mentions this in the Qur’an in Surah Hud, He says,
وَهِىَ تَجۡرِى بِهِمۡ فِى مَوۡجٍ۬ كَٱلۡجِبَالِ وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ ٱبۡنَهُ ۥ وَڪَانَ فِى مَعۡزِلٍ۬ يَـٰبُنَىَّ ٱرۡڪَب مَّعَنَا وَلَا تَكُن مَّعَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ (٤٢) قَالَ سَـَٔاوِىٓ إِلَىٰ جَبَلٍ۬ يَعۡصِمُنِى مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِۚ قَالَ لَا عَاصِمَ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَۚ وَحَالَ بَيۡنَہُمَا ٱلۡمَوۡجُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُغۡرَقِينَ (٤٣)
“And it was sailing with them amidst the waves like mountains. And Nuh called out to his son, who was at an isolated place, ‘O my child, come on board with us, and do not be in the company of the disbelievers.’
He (Nuh’s son) said, ‘I shall take shelter on a mountain which will save me from the water.’ He (Nuh) said, ‘There is no saver today from the command of Allah, except the one to whom He shows mercy.’ And the waves rose high between the two, and he was among those who were drowned.”
Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide and whomsoever Allah leaves to go astray, none can guide.
Thus Nuh (peace be upon him) became extremely sad and made Dua to Allah that Allah saves his son from the fire as He was not saved from the waves. He called out to Allah,
وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ۬ رَّبَّهُ ۥ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ٱبۡنِى مِنۡ أَهۡلِى وَإِنَّ وَعۡدَكَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنتَ أَحۡكَمُ ٱلۡحَـٰكِمِينَ
“Nuh called unto his Lord and said, ‘My Lord, my son is a part of my family, and surely Your promise is true, and You are the greatest of all judges.’”
However Allah reprimanded Nuh (peace be upon him) said,
قَالَ يَـٰنُوحُ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَيۡسَ مِنۡ أَهۡلِكَۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ عَمَلٌ غَيۡرُ صَـٰلِحٍ۬ۖ فَلَا تَسۡـَٔلۡنِ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌۖ إِنِّىٓ أَعِظُكَ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِينَ
“He said, ‘O Nuh, in fact, he is not a part of your family. Indeed, he is (a man of) bad deeds. So do not ask Me something of which you have no knowledge. I exhort you not to be among the ignorant.’”
Nuh (peace be upon him) travelled with the believers until they landed on Mount Judi. The mountain still has the print of Nuh’s (peace be upon him) Ark (above and right).
Next up in Part 2 the people of Aad.
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