Radiant Reality Apr 2010

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Published from Srinagar, April 2010 Vol. 11. No. 04.
Intention
An intention is in actual fact an amal (deed). It is
even better than an apparent or a physical amal because there is a possibility of pride being attached to
it, while a niyyat made in the heart remains within the
heart and since no-one knows about it there is no
pride involved. Even if someone did know about it
what was there to be proud of as no actual deed is
done except the deed of making the niyyat. One person
actually donates Rs.500 to charity while another person makes an intention to do the same but due to his
circumstances could not do so. He is not going to be
proud of just the intention he had made. In fact he
does not even regard his intention as a deed!
This deed of making an intention carries so much
weight that it is referred to as Roohul Amal (soul of
deeds) and Sayyedul Amal (chief of deeds).
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(SallallahuAlaihiWasallam)
onwhomtheProphethoodgotendedandsealedforever.
MayAllahTa'alaenlightenentirehumanitywith
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Rasulullah(SallallahuAlaihiWasallam)
tothisworld.
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followingtheblessedteachingsof
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April. 2010. Vol.11, No: 04.
Contents
1. Editorial
2. Question Answer
3. Lesson from the Quran
4. Lesson from Sahih al-Bukhari
10
5. Fallacy of the Prophesies
14
6. The Conditions of Tawheed
17
7. Organisation of the Quran
19
8. Choosing a friend
21
9. Modernism in Islam
25
10. Alcohol According to Quran .
28
11. Why are We Divided
30
12. On Salaah
34
13. Muslim Unity
38
14. Saviours of Islamic Spirit
40
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Radiant Reality
Apr. 2009
EDITORIAL
[[
All thanks for Almighty, the most Merciful and Exalted.
A Reversed Couse of Action Needed

The politico-economic-cultural analysts, discussing the problems confronting
the muslims all over the world do admit that
anti-lslamic, the western, powers are engaged in depicting muslims in an obnoxious
image, go the whole hog in laying the entire
blame at the door of the muslims, attributing
their decadence, chaos, absence of mutual
cohesion and economic depravity, to the
Islamic philosophy and teachings. In the
same breath they enlogise the western culture, overtly or covertly, dwelling no end
upon their all-round progress, achievements
and simultaneous aid to such nations, who
despite greater natural resources of their
own lands have failed to make any headway, given their lethargy and lack of initiative.
Side by side there is a discourse on
the long history of despotism and domination by Europe over almost the entire world
and exploitation, plunder of the natural
wealth of the vanquished countries. What is
more, the victors brain- washed a sizeable
number of citizens in their dominions, to act
as mercenaries against their own nations.
Such elements continuously implement a
well-organised plan to lure the masses towards aping the western ways. Simpletons,
not in a position to see through the ploy, are
totally sold on to the glitter, oblivious of lack
of morality and ethics of humanity, which
once, as real muslims, had been their hallmark.
In hindsight, the twentieth century
CE, just gone by, presents a panorama
comprising hardships and torments at the
hands of western despotism, not only for
muslim nations but several others also. In
fact some have suffered to a degree even
greater than the muslims. Germany and
Japan ended up as vanquished in long
drawn-out fierce armed combat against
more powerful nations, yet with all out effort,
4
(Vol.11, No: 04)
fortitude and internal solidarity, re-emerged,

not only surviving, but claiming political and
technological parity with other powers.
Chinese, since times immemorial,
were a dormant people, languishing in deprivation and having no perceptible role in
contemporary developments, till the onset
of Communist movement acted as a spur.
The metamorphosis has been beyond recognition. To quote the poet of the East:
Garaan khwab Cheeni sambhalne lage
Himala ke chashme ubalne lage
(Chinese stumbled out of the torpidity,
Springs in the Himalayas oozed forth)
In the face of stiff opposition from
capitalist forces, withstanding all threats and
pressures, China, without any external support or even a request for aid, relying entirely on internal resources of men and material, established its identity at par with
world powers. The world recognised it as a
potent force and admitted it as a member of
United Nations Organisation. All along,
China had made no compromise on its philosophy and principles and asked for no
quarters.
The vendetta waged by the West
against Communism was no less incisive
and virulent than the on-going one against
Islam, hurling all philosophical, conceptual,
political, military, commercial, technological
resources, backed by an organised media,
into the fray.
North Korea is faced with almost
similar situation but continues to hold out,
what with American super power hell bent
upon its subjugation.
During twentieth century, the Western powers, declaring Islam as a potent
threat, more than that of Communism, to
their cultural, political supremacy, have
been targeting it with all their might, with an
ostensible intention of annihilating it entirely.
The need of the hour is for muslims to mus-
Apr. 2009
ter up confidence, erudition, systematic

planning, with firm faith in the spirit and
message of Islam, treating the teachings as
their beacon lights. The courage and steadfastness of the Communists and Nazis in
protecting their identity and maintaining
their status, should serve as examples, irrespective of the differences in philosophies.
The anti-lslam forces are forever
indulging in planning an offensive, as of
right. Early Islamic history bears undeniable
evidence that muslims, ill-equipped and
bereft of resources vanquished all military,
cultural and social onslaught with exemplary
fortitude in confrontation with enemy possessing vastly superior and adequate
means. It was the unwavering faith and mutual cohesion which saw muslims through
all tribulations and turmoil, and enabled
them to become a virtual wall of bronze.
The present state of affairs is almost reverse. Whereas the other nations,
with highly developed scientific know-how
and resources at their beck and call are all
well organised and brimming over with national pride, muslims having demitted these
characteristics, languish in abject deprivation and disgrace. The root cause can be
traced to them being enamoured of the
western culture and aping it blindly for
nearly two centuries. Imitating a culture in
quest of advancement could have been
short-term policy, after which striving for
originality of concepts, putting them into
practice to develop the scientific and technological equipment on their own, rather
than simply borrowing from alien powers,
should be the right course. The western
culture has harmed the human values no
end, so much so that even some of their
own intellectuals and thinkers are deriding
it. What is obviously reprehensible is that it
was the self-styled flag- bearers of Islamic
prestige and national dignity that pioneered
and advocated adoption to western culture
most arduously, albeit sans insight.
It is the high time that the bluff of
the West is called and the Muslim world
Radiant Reality
rediscovers its pristine glory in the footsteps

of the pious associates of the prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) (sahaba) and
follow once again a life-style in accordance
with real message of Islam. This would be
the way not only to combat the anti-Islam
forces but also to their own ascent, and rid
them of the lure of the west.
A way out of the ongoing tussle between the rulers and muslims at large lies
for the latter in adopting a conciliatory attitude and in understanding of each other's
viewpoint. These groups who often, too frequently vent their feelings violently, are better advised to be patient, shun violence,
avoid confrontation and in all earnestness
follow and propagate the intrinsic message
of Islam, in word and deed. This approach
would bring around the authorities to see
light and endeavour to disentangle not only
their own country but the entire muslim
community (ummah), from the clutches of
anti-Islamic domination.
To once again quote the Poet of
East:
Ilaj iska wohi aab-i-nishatangez hai saqi
(The cure lies in same vintage ebullient
elixir)
God the Almighty exhorts all thus:
(Surah 16, verses 125-128).
Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom
and beautiful preaching; and argue with
them in the ways that are best and most
gracious; for thy Lord knoweth best, who
have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance.
And if ye punish, let your punishment be
proportional to the wrong that has been
done to you: but if ye show patience, that is
indeed the best (course) for those who are
patient.
And do thou be patient, for thy patience is
but with the help from Allah, nor grieve over
them: and distress not thyself because of
their plots.
For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good.
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Radiant Reality
Apr. 2009
Question Answer
Question :
What can a woman do, if her family
are obstructing her path to Islam. They are
non-Practicing Muslims. How does she fulfill
sunnat ir rahim and follow Islam if there is a
great deal of difficulty in doing so. Can a
sister just break ties, live on her own and try
to get closer to Allah. It is becoming difficult
to maintain ties of kinship when there is
continuous evil, backbiting, fitnah, inciting
me to disobey Allah, etc.,
Is there a dua to make when one
faces such great difficulty? And what do I do
if I make mistakes and fall in sin despite
not desiring to do so?.
Answer :
Praise be to Allaah.
We say to this Muslim sister: may
Allah reward you with good for adhering to
Islam, and we ask Allah to make you steadfast in Islam and to send you people who
will help you to do so.
With regard to the question:
Firstly, you have to bear their annoyance with patience, because the path of
adherence (to Islam) is not easy, but it is
the path of the Prophets. The Muslim is
bound to face difficulties in the way of his
adhering to Islam, as Muslim narrated in his
Saheeh (2823) from Anas (may Allah be
pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: Paradise is surrounded with difficulties and Hell is surrounded with desires.
The Prophets (peace be upon them) were
faced with difficulties from their people and
from the closest of people to them, but the
reward for their patience was that Allah
caused them ultimately to prevail.
Secondly: The Muslim sister should
strive to advise her family with kindness,
wisdom and beautiful preaching, and she
should not despair or give up. She should
show a good attitude towards them, say and
do good things to them, and extend a help6
(Vol.11, No: 04)
ing hand to them, even to those who cause

her the most hardship. This will have an
effect on them, in sha Allah, and this is one
of the most effective ways of calling people
to Allaah.
Thirdly: She should try to find people to help and support her, by trying to persuade those among her family members
who like her, because they will be more
likely to respond than others.
Fourthly: You have to equip yourself with the most effective weapon, which
is praying for them to be guided and that
Allah will fill their hearts with the light of adherence to Islam. You should say such
duaas a lot when prostrating and during
the last part of the night, and at other times
when duaa is especially recommended,
and you should not try to hasten the response.
Fifthly: You should note that it is not
always good to break off ties. In some
cases, when those whom Allah has guided
break off ties with their families, this makes
them go further in their sin and farther removed from religious commitment. Breaking
off ties may cause a person distress and
make him unable to bear it. Hence we think
that the sister should be patient and mix
with her family in ways that will not affect
her religious commitment and level of faith.
The more she withdraws into herself i.e.,
at home the better, because if a woman
leaves the family home, that may make
people talk badly about her a lot, and evilminded people may try to approach because she has gone away from those who
could take care of her and protect her.
Your staying may be more beneficial to your family, because there are many
sins that the family may not dare to commit
out of respect for their children whom Allah
has guided. If the children leave, this will
give the family more freedom to commit
whatever sins they want.
Hence the daaiyah should be wise
Apr. 2009
and should weigh up the pros and cons of

leaving. He should not give a small benefit
precedence over warding off a greater evil;
warding off evil is more important than gaining benefits.
Sixthly: There is no better duaa for
such situations than the duaa of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) when he prayed for his people to
be forgiven and guided.
(a) It was narrated that Abd-Allaah
ibn Masood said: It is as if I can see the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) telling us the story of one of the
Prophets whose people beat him and made
him bleed, and he was wiping the blood
from his face and saying, O Allaah, forgive
my people for they do not know. (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 3290; Muslim, 1792).
Al-Nawawi said:
The Prophet referred to is one of
the earlier Prophets. Something similar happened to our Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) on the day of Uhud.
(Sharh Muslim, 12/150)
(b) It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi and his companions came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: O
Messenger of Allaah, (the tribe of) Daws
have rebelled, so pray to Allah against
them. The people said, Daws are
doomed. But the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: O
Allaah, guide Daws and bring them to
me. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2779; Muslim, 2524)
(c) It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I used to call my mother to Islam
when she was still a mushrik. I called her
one day and she said something about the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) that I did not like to hear.
I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) weeping, and said, O Messenger of Allaah, I
have been calling my mother to Islam and
she refuses. I called her today and she said
something about you that I did not like to
Radiant Reality
hear. Pray to Allah to guide the mother of

Abu Hurayrah. The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said, O Allaah, guide the mother of Abu
Hurayrah. I went back, feeling optimistic
because of the duaa of the Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him). When I came back, I went to the door
and found it locked. My mother heard my
footsteps and said, Stay where you are, O
Abu Hurayrah. I could hear the sound of
water. She washed herself (did ghusl), put
on her chemise and quickly covered her
head with her head cover, then she opened
the door and said, O Abu Hurayrah, I bear
witness that there is no god except Allaah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His
slave and Messenger. I went back to the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him), weeping with joy, and
said, O Messenger of Allah (S), good news!
Allah has answered your prayer and guided
the mother of Abu Hurayrah. He praised
and thanked Allaah. (Narrated by Muslim,
2491)
And Allah knows best.
Contd from page 39
zations. Most are doing useful work in the
areas they chose based on their abilities
and inclinations. Had they developed a spirit
of cooperation and considered their differences as just a natural division of labor,
together they could have become a formidable force. Unfortunately each one of them
considers their work and methodology as
the only methodology for Islamic work. If a
person leaves one of these organizations to
join another, he is treated as if he had recanted his faith. This is ghuloo. It produces
the tribalism of jahiliya (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) among religious workers.
Pious people are not extinct today.
What we sorely need is the reformers who
can rise above their narrow perspectives
and heed the universal and unifying call of
Islam.
[Adapted from two talks of Mufti
Muhammad Shafi, the late grand Mufti of
Pakistan, given in 1963.]
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Radiant Reality
Apr. 2009
Lesson From The Quran

Commentary: Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Shafi Sahib (RA)
Verses 180 182

)(

)(

()
It is enjoined upon you, when death
probes anyone of you and he leaves some
wealth, to bequeath for the parents and the
nearest of kin in the approved manner, being an obligation on the God-fearing. Then,
whoever changes it after he has heard it, its
sin will only be on those who change it.
Surely, Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing. But,
whoever apprehends slant or sin from a
testator and puts things right between them,
then there is no sin on him. Surely, Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful.
The Qur'anic view of making will
Literally, al-wasiyyah means an order to do something, either in the lifetime of
the maker of wasiyyah or after his death.
But, in commonly accepted usage, it refers
to what must be done after death. It can be
translated as the will or bequest.
Out of the many meanings the word
khayr has in Arabic, 'wealth' happens to be
one of them, for instance, in the verse
( Surely he is passionate in his
love for good things) where, according to
the unanimous agreement of commentators, 'khayr' means 'wealth'.
In early Islam, when shares in inheritance were not fixed by the Shari'ah, the
rule was that a dying person could make a
will within the one third of inheritance, leaving behind in the name of his parents and
relatives in whatever proportion he chose.
8
(Vol.11, No: 04)
This much was their right; the rest went to

children. This injunction appears here in this
verse.
The making of a will made obligatory for one who is leaving behind some
wealth has three aspects:
1. No shares except those of children are fixed for any other inheritors in
what is being left by the dying person.
These are to be determined through the will
made by him.
2. Making a will for such relatives is
obligatory on the dying person.
3. Making a will for more than one
third of the inheritance is not permissible.
Out of these three injunctions, the
first one was abrogated by the 'verse of inheritance' as determined by most of the
Companions and their immediate successors. Ibn Kathir has reported from the
blessed Companion, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
that this injunction was abrogated by the
'verse of inheritance' which is as follows:

()
For men there is a share in what
the parents and the nearest of kin have left,
and for women there is a share in what the
parents and the nearest of kin have left, be
it is small or large - a determined share.
(4:7)
In another narration of the hadith
from him it has been said that the 'verse of
inheritance' has abrogated the making of
will in the name of those who have a fixed
share in the inheritance, while the injunction
to make a will in favour of those relatives
who do not have a share in the inheritance
still holds good. (Jassas, Qurtubi)
It should, however, be borne in
mind that according to the consensus of the
Muslim Ummah it is not obligatory on the
Apr. 2009
dying person to necessarily make a will in

favour of relatives who have no fixed shares
in the inheritance. Therefore, the obligatory
character of a wasiyyah in their favour is
also abrogated (Jassas, Qurtubi). Now,
making a will in favour of such relatives is
only a desired (mustahabb) act, and that,
too, is subject to their need.
Now the second injunction regarding the obligation of making a will also
stands abrogated in accordance with the
consensus of the Muslim ummah. It was
abrogated by that famous hadith (al-hadith
al-mutawatir: the veracity of which stands
ensured through an uninterrupted chain of
transmitters from many sides who are
unlikely to agree on a lie) which was part of
the sermon delivered before some one hundred and fifty thousand Companions on the
occasion of his last Hajj when he said:

Allah has Himself given everyone, who has
a right, his right. So, there is no will for any
inheritor. (Tirmidhi)
The same hadith, as narrated by
Sayyidna ibn 'Abbas (RA) has the following
additional words:

There is no will for any inheritor unless all
inheritors permit.
The essence of the hadith is that
Allah Almighty has Himself fixed the shares
of the inheritors, therefore, the executor
need not make a will anymore, in fact, he
does not even have the permission to make
a will in favour of an heir; however, should
other inheritors allow the enforcement of
such a will, it will then be permissible.
Imam Al-Jassas says that this
hadith has been reported from a group of
the blessed Companions and the jurists of
the Muslim community have accepted it
unanimously, therefore, this is an uninterruptedly ensured hadith which makes the
abrogation of the verse of the Qur'an permissible.
Imam Al-Qurtubi has said that the
scholars of the Muslim community unani-
Radiant Reality
mously agree that an injunction which

comes to us through the Holy Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and we know
about it with full certitude, as is the case
with mutawatir and mashhur reports, it will
be at par with the injunction of the Holy
Qur'an and will have to be taken as the
command of Allah Almighty. Therefore, the
abrogation of some verse of the Holy
Qur'an from a hadith of this kind is no case
for doubt. Although the hadith which invalidates a will in favour of an heir is a solitary
report, (Al-Khabar al-Wahid), however, the
fact that this hadith comes from the sermon
of the last Hajj of the Holy Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) when he
openly proclaimed this before the largest
ever gathering of the blessed Companions,
and then their consensus and the consensus of the Muslim community make it clear
that this hadith is, according to them, absolutely proven, otherwise in the presence of
the slightest doubt, they would have never
abandoned the verse of the Qur'an and
agreed to this abrogating command through
the hadith.
The third injunction stills holds good
with the unanimous approval of the Muslim
ummah in which it is not permissible to bequeath more than one-third of what one
leaves behind. However, should the inheritors allow the bequest of more than one
third, even the whole of what one leaves
behind, it shall be permissible.
Rulings
1. As stated earlier, now making a
will is not necessary to cover relatives
whose shares have been fixed by the Holy
Qur'an. In fact, this is not permissible without the permission of other inheritors. However, relatives who do not hold a legal share
in the inheritance can be bequeathed upto
one third of the total.
2. In this verse a particular will was
mentioned which was to be made by a dying person about what he left behind. This
stands abrogated. But, making a will is still
necessary, specially for a person who owes
to others or holds something in trust. He
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Radiant Reality
should make sure that these are taken care

of in his will. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam) has said in a hadith that a
person who has some rights of other people
due against him, then, he should not let
three nights pass on him by which he does
not have his written will with him.
3. As for the right to make a will
covering the one-third of his property, one
has the right to make some change in this
will or cancel it totally during his life time.
Apr. 2009
Lesson From
Sahih
al-Bukhari
Dr. Rafiq Ahmad
The Book of Knowledge

AVARICE THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL
Avarice (greed) is the cause of

all troubles. It should be termed the
root of all (spiritual) diseases, for,
this causes arguments and fights. It is
for this very reason that court cases
occur. In the absence of greed, no one
would suppress the right of another.
Greed is also the cause of theft and
evil- doing. It is the root of all
Akhlaaq-e-Razeelah, i.e. debase
qualities.
The Aarifeen (saints) say the
root of debase qualities is Kibr
pride. Pride is the desire (greed) for
name and fame. Thus, the purpose
and object of pride is ultimately
greed.
A person does not become satiated when the demand of greed is fulfilled. If man has two jungles filled
with gold and silver, he will desire a
third. This is a wrong assumption that
fulfilling its desires will quench the
thirst of greed. In fact, the more its
desires are fulfilled, the more it will
demand. Nothing will fill the stomach
of greed except sand (the grave).
(Hakeemul Ummah Hadhrat Thanvi (RA))
10
(Vol.11, No: 04)

Chapter 24 : One who answers/gives
Fatwa by gesturing with the hand or
head.
Purpose of Tarjamatul Baab
It was the routine practice of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to answer questions in clear terms so that there
remains no ambiguity in the listener mind.
He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would usually repeat the answer three times so that
the listener understands it well. Seeing this
as a routine practice of Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), there was
every possibility for one to think that it might
not be permissible to answer with gestures.
Here Imam Bukhari wants to convey that
answering a questions with gestures is also
permissible.
Hadith No. 83

.

.
.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas (RA)
Somebody said to the Prophet (during his
last Hajj), "I did the slaughtering before do-
Apr. 2009
ing the Rami.' The Prophet beckoned with

his hand and said, "There is no harm in
that." Then another person said. "I got my
head shaved before offering the sacrifice."
The Prophet beckoned with his hand saying, "There is no harm in that."
Hadith No. 84

.

.
Narrated Abu Huraira (RA)
The Prophet said, "(Religious) knowledge
will be taken away (by the death of religious
scholars) ignorance (in religion) and afflictions will appear; and Harj will increase." It
was asked, "What is Harj, O Allah's Apostle?" He replied by beckoning with his hand
indicating "killing." (Fateh-al-Bari page 192,
Vol.1)
Hadith No. 85
Radiant Reality

-

.

Narrated Asma (RA)
I came to 'Aisha while she was praying, and
said to her, "What has happened to the
people?" She pointed out towards the sky.
(I looked towards the Musjid), and saw the
people offering the prayer. Aisha said,
"Subhan Allah." I said to her, "Is there a
sign?" She nodded with her head meaning,
"Yes." I, too, then stood (for the prayer of
eclipse) till I became (nearly) unconscious
and later on I poured water on my head.
After the prayer, the Prophet praised and
glorified Allah and then said, "Just now at
this place I have seen what I have never
seen before, including Paradise and Hell.
No doubt it has been inspired to me that
you will be put to trials in your graves and
these trials will be like the trials of Masiahad-Dajjal or nearly like it (the sub narrator is
not sure which expression Asma' used).
You will be asked, 'What do you know about
this man (the Prophet Muhammad)?' Then
the faithful believer (or Asma' said a similar
word) will reply, 'He is Muhammad Allah's
Apostle who had come to us with clear evidences and guidance and so we accepted
his teachings and followed him. And he is
Muhammad.' And he will repeat it thrice.
Then the angels will say to him, 'Sleep in
peace as we have come to know that you
were a faithful believer.' On the other hand,
a hypocrite or a doubtful person will reply, 'I
do not know, but I heard the people saying
something and so I said it.' (the same). "
(Vol.11, No: 04)
11
Radiant Reality
NarratorAsma Bint Abi Bakr (RA)

She is the daughter of Hadhrat Abu
Bakr Siddiq(RA), wife of Hadhrat Zubair bin
al-Awam and mother of Hadhrat Abdullah
bin Zubair. She was born 27 years before
Hijra and embraced Islam with 17 people in
her early life. She is called Zat-u-Nutaqain
which means woman of two waist
bands for the reason that on the day of
Hijra, when Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam) and her father Abu Bakr Siddiq
were hiding in the cave of Thour on the
mountain Thour in the outskirts of Makkah
al Mukarrama, she tore her belt in two
pieces and tied the food articles to one
piece for these two blessed personalities.
There are 56 Ahaadith quoted upon her
authority and out of them fourteen are
agreed upon.
Comments
Hadhrat Asma says that once she
came to see her sisterHadhrat Aisha who
was offering Salaah at that time and when
she peeped into Masjid-i-Nabwi, there also
she saw people offering Salaah in congregation and Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was leading them. She got surprised as it was not the time of any of the
regular five-time Salaah. The Salaah that
was being performed at that time was Salatu-Kasoof which is offered when it is solar
eclipse. The men were offering the Salaah
in the Musjid and Hadhrat Aisha was offering it in her room (Hujra). When Asma saw
people in congregational Salaah at an unfixed time, she surprisingly asked Aisha,
what had happened to people that they are
offering Salaah at such a time. Since
Hadhrat Aisha was also performing Salaah,
she did not talk but pointed with her hand
towards the sky so that Hadhrat Asma could
understand that there was solar eclipse.
Asma stood up and felt like fainting and she
poured water on her head.
Just now at this place I have seen what I
have never seen before, including Paradise
and Hell
After completing the Salaah, Rasulullah (Salla-llahu Alaihi Wasallam) deliv12
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
ered the Khutba (speech) and said that he

was shown what he had never been shown
before including the Jannat and Jahannam
while performing that Salat-u-Kasoof. Here
Ulema have raised few questions and have
tried to answer them as well. Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had been
shown Jannat and Jahannam during the
night of Meraj, when he was taken to visit
the heavens, then why did he say,
Just now at this place I have seen what I
have never seen before, including Paradise
and Hell.
The answer given to this question is
that he was shown Jannat and jahannam
during Meraj in the other world and on this
particular occasion, it was this very world.
Do Jannat and Jahannam exist?
It is quite clear from this Hadith that
the Jannat and Jahannam already exist and
the people like Muetezillitis etc., are totally
wrong who say that these do not exist and
will be created at the time of day of judgment only.
No doubt it has been inspired to me
that you will be put to trials in your
graves
The happenings in the grave are certainty
The grave or Qabr is a state where
a person goes after death and will remain
there till the day of judgment. The grave
which is dug in the earth is also called the
Qabr but if someone is not buried in the
Qabr, he also goes in the state of Qabr
what is also called Barzakh. There is consensus in the Ummah that the state of Qabr
is a reality and that the pious believers will
pass this period of Barzakh with peace and
comfort whereas the impious believers and
non believers will face a lot of hardships in
the Qabr according to their belief and
deeds. This Hadith proves the certainty of
the state of Qabr and says that the people
will be put on trial there. In addition to other
things, people will be asked about Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), true believers will recognize him and testify his
Apr. 2009
prophethood and for such people there will

be peace and comfort. The hypocrites and
non believers will fail to recognize him and
will be put to chastisement.
And these trials will be like the trials of
Masiah-ad-Dajjal
Fitnatu-Masih-id-Dajjal
Masih-id-Dajjal will appear on earth
before the commencement of the day of
judgement. Allah Taala will give him a lot of
power. He will kill people and then will get
them back to life; the sky will rain with his
order; the treasures will be under his control. The power to do all things will be given
to him by Allah Taala in order to put people
on a great trial. This will be a very difficult
trial for the people. Rasulullah (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam) used to seek Allahs refuge from such a trial. In this Hadith Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has compared the trial of Qabr with the trial of Dajjal
as both of these will be very tough.
You will be asked, 'What do you know
about this man (the Prophet Muhammad
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam))?
There is difference of opinion
amongst the learned scholars about the
nature of asking of the question: 'What do
you know about this man (the Prophet Muhammad)? Some say that it will be presumed that the one who is being asked this
question, will be knowing that here this
man means the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam). Others say that the person under questioning will be shown the picture of
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and
then asked as to who that man is? Ibn Hajr
does not agree with this view and he says
that if the picture is shown then there is no
reason to regard it a trial and also there is
no evidence in Ahaadith to support this.
Some others say that the analogy of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) will be
shown (Allah knows the best).
Questioning in the Qabr
Haafiz Ibn Abdul Ber and Allaama
Suyuti are of the opinion that the believer
Radiant Reality
and the hypocrite will be questioned about

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and not the non-believer as they do
not know him. On the other hand, Allaama
Ibn al Qayyim, Hakim Tirmizi and Haafiz Ibn
Hajr say that everyone will be asked this
question, both believers and non-believers
(Fat-hul-Bari, Kashful Bari).
The author of Nawaadir-il-Usool
Hakim Tirmizi, is of the opinion that the
questioning in Qabr is confined to this Ummah only. He says that the earlier Ummats
were given punishment in this world only for
their bad deeds. For this Ummah, the
worldly punishment has been lifted but the
trial of Qabr has been kept like that.
Contd from page 24

Deen to be condoned? Today our condition
has become such that we hear everything
but yet we remain indifferent to it.
The Detrimental Effects of Evil Company
These are the repercussions of joining irreligious company. Our sense of honour and concern for what we should have
been defending has vanished. The first effect of evil company is the sense of indifference towards evil builds up whilst the effect
of pious company is that a person realizes
his shortfalls and secondly, he regards evil
to be evil and gradually all evil traits tend to
fade away. Therefore, be very particular in
pursuing good company.
Nowadays, people themselves don't
refrain from evil company nor do they ensure that their children keep away from bad
friends. People flock to wherever they wish
to and they sit with whom they want to.
They employ irreligious people to teach
them without paying any attention to their
character or to their beliefs.
To be concluded
(Vol.11, No: 04)
13
Radiant Reality
Apr. 2009
Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani:
Fallacy of the Prophecies

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani, the
founder of Qadiyanism or Ahmadism, so
called Ahmadiya Movement in Islam wrote
about prophecies of a prophet:
The Torah and the Qur'an admit
that the most truthful evidence of
prophethood are the prophesies, and
It is not possible that God's revelations be not confirmed by their fulfillment.
Let us examine the prophesies of
the writer who claimed himself to be a
prophet (nabi) and the Promised Messiah
(al-Masih al-Maw'oud). If a single prophecy
is not fulfilled, it would show that such a
prophet is an imposter and a liar.
1. Rains and earthquakes: Ghulam
Ahmad wrote, "God revealed to me that
frequent rains will come down. Due to their
frequency villages will be destroyed. After
them will follow severe earthquakes". He
did not specify where and when. If it was to
be in India, there are some regions which
receive a lot of rain and there are other areas which feel earthquakes. This is no
prophecy.
2. Abdullah Atham's death: A Christian, Abdullah Atham ,entered into a debate
with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1893; neither
succeeded in winning over the other. It was
embarrassing to Ghulam Ahmad and feeling
insulted, on June 5, 1883 he announced
that he had been informed by God that Abdullah Atham would die within fifteen
months, that is, September 5, 1894. Ghulam Ahmad supplicated to God for the death
of Abdullah Atham by his announced date
of death and he asked his followers to join
him in praying for the curse to come true.
The deadline came and went but Abdullah
Atham lived and for a long time. Ghulam's
invocations and supplications were of no
use and Allah proved that he was not His
prophet.
3. Multiple marriages: On February
14
(Vol.11, No: 04)
20, 1886, Ghulam Ahmad declared that indeed Allah revealed to him that he shall
marry blessed women and he shall have
numerous children from these new wives.
He was then 46 years old. The fact remains
that he could not marry anyone after his
declared revelation from Allah despite several efforts and crush on Muhammadi Begum.
4. Marriage to Muhammadi Begum:
Ghulam Ahmad at age 46 had a crush on a
young lady by the name of Muhammadi
Begum daughter of Ahmad Beg. Ghulam
asked her father to marry her to himself
which he refused. Ghulam Ahmad announced a prophecy that she will be married to him because Allah had married her
to him and no one had power to turn away
from that becoming true. He offered bribes
of estate and wealth to Ahmad Beg. When it
did not work he begged for his pity, brought
family pressure and finally made threats.
First prophecy of marriage to Muhammadi
Begum failed.
Ahmad Beg did not budge from his
position and married his daughter to an ordinary soldier. Ghulam Ahmad prophesied
that the husband of Muhammadi Begum
would die soon and she would be married to
him since their marriage had taken place in
the heavens. He fixed a three year period
for the death of the soldier husband of his
beloved lady. Twenty two years later Ghulam Ahmad died but the soldier lived for
another forty years and she lived even
longer. The second prophecy of marriage to
Muhammadi Begum failed.
5. A spark of the light of God: A son
was born to Ghulam Ahmad on June 14,
1899, when he was 59 years old. He gave
him the name, Mubarak Ahmad and declared, "this lad is indeed a spark of the light
of God, the promised reformer, the owner of
greatness and authority, possessor of heal-
Apr. 2009
ing breath like Messiah, curer of diseases, a

word of God and lucky. He will become famous in the four corners of the world, he will
set prisoners free and through him all nations will be blessed."
Allah had His plan to prove once
again that Ghulam Ahmad was neither a
prophet nor "the Promised Messiah" by
showing that He did not reveal anything to
him nor He inspired him with anything nor
He chose him a prophet nor was he divinely
guided (Mehdi). Mubarak Ahmad died of
natural causes at age 8 in 1907, less than a
year before the death of the false prophet
and the false messiah.
6. The birth of another son: When
Ghulam Ahmad's wife became pregnant he
announced on January 1, 1903, "Praise be
to Allah Who bestowed upon me in spite of
old age four sons and has given me good
news of a fifth". On January 28, 1903 his
wife delivered a daughter who died in infancy. This was first failed prophecy of a
son.
His wife became pregnant again
and he prophesied that she will deliver a
son about whom he said, "the son of nobility
will be born - a lad goodly-shaped and
handsome." She delivered a baby girl on
June 24, 1904. This was the second failed
prophecy of a son.
7. Again a son: After two disappointments and proven himself to be a false
prophet, he announced again that Allah had
given him the news, "Verily, We give you
tidings of a meek boy." He announced the
date of the birth of the boy to be September
16, 1907 which was never fulfilled. This was
the third false prophecy of a son.
In October 1907, he pronounced
yet another revelation from Allah, "I shall
soon bestow upon you a righteous boy" and
his name was announced to be Yahya.
Alas, the prophesied son never came and
the false prophet Ghulam Ahmad himself
died on May 26, 1908. This was the fourth
false prophecy of a son.
8. A son to one of his followers:
Manzoor Muhammad, one of his followers,
informed him that his wife was pregnant.
Radiant Reality
Ghulam Ahmad prophesied cautiously in

stages that Manzoor's wife will deliver a boy
from this pregnancy or from a later pregnancy and child's name will be "Bashir-udDawla". After such safeguards in his prophecy he emphasized, "Manzoor Muhammad's wife shall not die unless she gives
birth to this noble son and until his prophecy
is fulfilled."
Manzoor Muhammad's wife delivered a baby girl and afterwards she never
conceived and died without giving a boy.
Doesn't it look like Ghulam Ahmad was
working against Allah's Will?
9. The plague: Ghulam Ahmad
feared plague very much and declared it to
be one of his signs. He prophesied that the
epidemic then ravaging in the Indian Province of Punjab will not enter his town of
Qadiyan because it was the dwelling place
of "God's prophet." God had determined to
prove him a liar again. Plague spread in
Qadiyan and in Ghulam Ahmad's own
house; his maid and a few of his followers
died of plague.
10. The death of Dr. Abdul Hakim:
Dr. Abdul Hakim entered into a discussion
with Ghulam Ahmad, challenged him to an
open debate and called him a liar. Ghulam
Ahmad did not take it very well and prophesied, "Abdul Hakim will die during my lifetime as he insults and disgraces me." On
May 4, 1907, Dr. Abdul Hakim responded
with his own prediction that Ghulam Ahmad
will die within fifteen months, that was by
August 4, 1908. Ghulam Ahmad responded
to Dr. Abdul Hakim's prediction by adding to
his own prophecies:
Dr. Abdul Hakim will die during the
life-time of Ghulam Ahmad, and,
Ghulam Ahmad will live to be eighty
years of age, that was to be 1920 or later.
Ghulam Ahmad died within a year,
that was, on May 26, 1908 at age 68 and
Dr. Abdul Hakim lived for many more years
to become an old man.
********************
Ghulam Ahmad's prophecies and
self deprecation: At various occasions when
(Vol.11, No: 04)
15
Radiant Reality
he announced a prophecy he would selfdeprecate if the prophecy was not fulfilled; a

few of his announcements are given below:
"If what I have said does not happen exactly, I am prepared for every punishment. My face be blackened and I be insulted. A rope be put round my neck and I
be hanged".
"Prepare for me a cross if my falsehood is exposed and curse me more than
the Satan, the evil and the accursed."
Regarding his burning love and lust
for Muhammadi Begum, a daughter of one
of his followers, he said, "Her marriage (to
me) is a settled affair. I swear by God that
this is true. They shall not have the power to
thwart its occurrence. God Almighty has
said, 'We have ourselves married her to
you, it is not possible that My words may
change'."
Further, he said, "There is no
changing of the Word of Allah. The meaning
is that this prophecy of mine is bound to
become true as the failure of its fulfillment
falsifies the Word of God".
In fact, the Word of God is never
falsified but a liar speaking in the name of
God is exposed. He further said, "If this
prophecy does not turn out to be true I shall
be the most evil of the evils, ye fools!" Well!
He proved himself what he was.
"But if this prophecy is not from Thee, O
God, then perish me in disgrace and total
loss and make me accursed and peltable in
Thy view."
"For ascertainment of my truthfulness or my
falsehood there is no better thing than my
prophesies." Well! We know the truth, don't
we?
Allah repeatedly failed Ghulam
Ahmad in his prophecies to prove to the
world that this man was a liar, an imposter
and an inventor of a new religion which was
not Islam.
Courtesy: The Institute of Islamic Information &
Education
16
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
The
Conditions
of Tawheed
Aqeedah
Tawheed is the mother of all obligations. Without it, you cannot be a Muslim
and all of your good deeds are fruitless. It is
vital for one to understand the pillars and
conditions of tawheed in order to ensure
that he/she is a real Muslim. Failure to fulfil
any condition or pillar of tawheed will nullify
a persons Eemaan and Islam, and hence
will either be a mushrik or murtad
(apostate). The conditions of tawheed are
as follows:
1. Al-Ilm - Knowledge
Allah (SWT) says in the Quraan:
So know that Laa ilaaha ill-Allah (none has
the right to be worshipped but Allah)
( Muhammad, 47: 19)
If you testify that there is no ilaah
worthy of worship and obedience, you must
also know and understand all of Allahs
(SWT) attributes and functions or you will
become mushrik.
This verse is a decisive request to
have knowledge about Allah (SWT). For
example, knowing that He is the only Legislator, one will never vote for any kaafir to
legislate law. Likewise, by knowing that He
is the only Provider, one will never fear poverty.
Having knowledge of tawheed is
more vital than studying the Quraan, as
indicated by the hadeeth of Jundub bin
Abdillaah who said: "We used to study Eemaan
before
we
studied
the
Quraan" (Sunan Ibn Maajah, Kitaab ulEemaan no.60), and the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) also said: "The one who
Apr. 2009
dies, knowing (understanding) Laa ilaaha illAllah will enter paradise." (Saheeh Muslim,
Kitaab ul-Eemaan)
We are obliged to study, learn and
know about Allah (SWT); what He likes and
dislikes, loves and hates, His names and
attributes etc.
You can only testify that which you
have knowledge about. Therefore, if someone claims to be a witness, and he is asked
about what he has seen, and replies: "Im
not sure", this person is completely daft as
he testifies to something which he has no
knowledge of. Similar to this person is the
one who testifies the Kalimah, yet he does
not understand what it means.
Allah (SWT) says: This (Qur'aan) is
a Message for mankind (and a clear proof
against them), in order that they may be
warned thereby, and that they may know
that He is the only One Ilaah (God - Allah) (none has the right to be worshipped but
Allah), and that men of understanding may
take heed. ( Ibraaheem, 14: 52)
2. Al-Yaqeen - Certainty
Knowledge is not enough, as many
kuffaar know about Islam but they do not
believe in it nor do they have certainty about
it. Allah says: Only those are the believers
who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive
with their wealth and their lives for the
cause of Allah... ( Hujaraat, 49: 15), and
the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) said:
"Whoever testifies that there is no god worthy of worship and obedience but Allah and
that I am the Messenger of Allah, without
any doubt he will enter Jannah." (Saheeh
Muslim)
3. Al-Qubool - Acceptance
After having knowledge and certainty, you MUST accept. Some people may
believe, have knowledge, and have certainty, but may not accept, as it may be too
difficult for him or he may not accept out of
his own personal desires. Allah (SWT) says:
Truly, when it was said to them: Laa ilaaha
ill-Allah (none has the right to be wor-
Radiant Reality
shipped but Allah) they puffed themselves

up with pride (i.e. denied it). ( as-Saaffaat,
37: 35)
4. Al-Inqiyaad - Submission
Allah (SWT) says: But nay, by your
Lord, they can have no Eemaan, until they
make you (Muhammad [SAW]) judge in all
disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions,
and accept (them) with full submission. ( an
-Nisaa, 4: 65)
Allah (SWT) describes those who
do not submit to Him as disbelievers, and
swears to this by Himself. Having knowledge, certainty and acceptance is not
enough; you must also have submission
with no haraj (discontent). You must submit
to Allah, and all His names and attributes.
Allah (SWT) also says: There is no compulsion in the religion. Verily, the right path has
become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taaghout and believes
in Allah, then he has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that will never break
(i.e. he will have submission). And Allah is
All-Hearer, All-Knower. ( al-Baqarah, 2:
256)
And also: The command (or the
judgement) is for none but Allah. He has
commanded that you worship none but Him
(i.e. His Monotheism), that is the (true)
straight religion, but most men know
not. ( Yoosuf, 12: 40)
Thus, He (SWT) orders us to worship and submit to none but Him.
5. As-Sidq - Believing
Allah says: When the hypocrites
come to you (SAW), they say: 'We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of
Allah.' Allah knows that you are indeed His
Messenger and Allah bears witness that the
hypocrites are liars indeed. ( alMunaafiqoon, 63: 1)
Allah testifies that the Munaafiqoon
are liars as they claim to be Muslims but
they do not believe. Thus, believing is a
condition of Tawheed as Allah (SWT) also
says: And of mankind, there are some
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17
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(hypocrites) who say: 'We believe in Allah

and the Last Day', while in fact they believe
not. ( al-Baqarah, 2: 8)
Allah testifies again that they are
not believers as they never have Eemaan in
their hearts. The munaafiq has no talaazum
(moulding) between his inner and outer as
he shows Islam but conceals kufr. The Messenger Muhammad (SAW) said: "The one
who testifies There is no God worthy of
worship but Allah, (whilst sincerely) believing in the heart; Allah will forbid him from
the Hell-fire." (Al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ul-Ilm
no.128 and Muslim)
Therefore, the one who does not
believe in his heart has the attribute of a
munaafiq or kaafir.
6. Al-Ikhlaas - Sincerity
Allah says: And they were commanded not, but that they should sincerely
(with Ikhlaas) worship Allah, and worship
none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salaat
and give Zakaat: and that is the right religion. ( al-Bayyinah, 98: 5)
The Messenger Muhammad (SAW)
said: "The one who says there is none worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah seeking sincerely to
see the face of Allah, Allah will forbid him
from Hell-fire." (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
Apr. 2009
And also, Abu Hurayrah (RA) asked

the Messenger Muhammad (SAW): "who is
the luckiest person to receive your intercession?" He said: "the one who says Laa
ilaaha ill-Allah sincerely from his heart. (AlBukhaari)
7. Al-Mahabbah - Love
After having knowledge, certainty,
acceptance, submission, belief and sincerity; you must also love those whom Allah
(SWT) tells you to love, and hate those
whom He tells you to hate.
Allah says: And of mankind are
some who take (for worship) others besides
Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as
they love Allah. But those who believe love
Allah more (than anything else). If only
those who do wrong could see, when they
will see the torment, all power belongs to
Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment. ( al-Baqarah, 2: 165)
The Messenger Muhammad (SAW)
also said: "The most powerful knot of Eemaan is to love for the sake of Allah and to
hate for the sake of Allah." (Ahmad, Aadaab
us-Suhbah)
Therefore you must love the Muslims, believers and mujaahideen, and hate
the kuffaar, Shaytaan and all other disbelievers; otherwise you will be violating one
of the conditions of tawheed and hence become mushrik
AVARICE THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

Avarice (greed) is the cause of all troubles. It should be termed the root of all
(spiritual) diseases, for, this causes arguments and fights. It is for this very reason that
court cases occur. In the absence of greed, no one would suppress the right of another.
Greed is also the cause of theft and evil- doing. It is the root of all Akhlaaq-e-Razeelah, i.e.
debase qualities.
The Aarifeen (saints) say the root of debase qualities is Kibr pride. Pride is the
desire (greed) for name and fame. Thus, the purpose and object of pride is ultimately greed.
A person does not become satiated when the demand of greed is fulfilled. If man
has two jungles filled with gold and silver, he will desire a third. This is a wrong assumption that fulfilling its desires will quench the thirst of greed. In fact, the more its desires are
fulfilled, the more it will demand. Nothing will fill the stomach of greed except sand (the
grave).
(Hakeemul Ummah Hadhrat Thanvi (RA))
18
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Apr. 2009
Radiant Reality
Organisation of The
Quran
Quran is organized with respect to
the location of revelation of verses, whether
in Makkah or Madinah.
Location of revelation and contents:
Quran is organized with respect to
the location of revelation of verses, whether
in Makkah or Madinah. The part of the
Quran that was revealed in Makkah, almost
two-third, carries the title, Makki and remainder carries the title Madani. Makki
part emphasizes belief of Tawheed (Islamic
monotheism), Risalah (guidance of mankind
through Allahs selected prophets and messengers) and Aakhira (destruction of this
world and the life hereafter that includes
physical and spiritual resurrection of humankind, the day of judgment and the life of
paradise or hell) whereas the Madani part
emphasizes Ibadat (servitude to Allah) and
Muamilat (all aspects of relationship with
other beings). Many scholars look at the
content of verses and can speculate
whether it was revealed in Makkah or
Madinah. For example, qital (one aspect of
jihad) was ordained in Madinah whereas in
the Makki period emphasis was on keeping
the hands tied in face of adversity and persecution. Similarly, orders of Zakat (wealth
cleansing tax), Hudood (legally defined
crimes and their punishment) and Hajj
(pilgrimage to Makkah) were revealed in
Madinah.
Structure of the Quran:
Quran has words, ayahs (verses)
and Surahs (chapters). Scholars have taken
the time to count the number of letters and
words but it is not relevant to our study.
Those who are interested can find information about letters and words in the books
about the Quran.
Aayat (verses):
The Quran is divided into Ayahs or
signs, commonly translated as verses. An
ayah may consist of a full sentence more
than one sentence or part of a sentence.
What makes an ayah is revealed knowledge
not a decision of the Prophet Muhammad or
any scholar. The sequence of appearance
of ayat is also revealed knowledge. Ayahs
may be Makki or Madani but in the opinion
of some scholars, some ayah may consist
of a part Madani and another part Makki; an
example is the last verse of Surah Muzammil. The Quran has approximately 6,300
ayat. Due to various conventions used there
is a slight discrepancy in counting the total
number of ayat. For example, according to
one convention Surah Al-Fatiha has seven
ayahs that includes Bismillah and another
convention the seven ayat excludes Bismillah. One convention includes 113 Bismillah
as part of chapters and the other convention
excludes it.
Surahs (chapters):
A group of ayat has been declared
to make up a Surah. Surahs vary in length,
shortest ones have only three ayahs and
the longest one has 286. There are 114
Surahs in the Quran numbered from 1 to
114. Surah means something divided or
walled from both sides. All Surahs begin
with Bismillah except Surah No. 9 called AtTaubah or the Repentance. All Surahs have
been divided into Makki and Madani but a
Makki Surah may contain a few verses revealed in Madinah and vice versa. There
are some differences of opinion among the
scholars of the Quran regarding the place
of revelation of a few verses and their inclusion into a given Surah. All Surahs have
been given names but not titles. A title is a
(Vol.11, No: 04)
19
Radiant Reality
brief, one word or two words description of

the contents but name is not a description.
For example, the name John or Yahya does
not describe anything about this person but
Dr. Yahya has a title Doctor describing his
education. Similarly, names of Surahs like
Al-Baqarah (the Cow) or Al-Ankaboot (the
Spider) are not titles of those Surahs but
only names. If they were titles, the Surah
would be about the cow and spider, respectively. However, in some rare cases a name
of a Surah may also be its title, such as
Surah Yusuf.
Referring to the Quranic words and
ayat:
The most scientific method is the
one given to us by the Prophet Muhammad,
that is Surah and verse. Since all Surahs
and ayat within them are numbered, the
most scientific method is to provide the
Surah and ayah number. For example Ayat
al-Kursi is 2:255, that is Surah 2 (AlBaqarah) and ayah 255. Some scholars
prefer the reference Al-Baqarah 255 or AlBaqarah (2): 255.
The organization of ayat and Surah
and their order is revealed by Allah to His
Prophet.
Scholars after the Prophet have
done additional division of the Quran for the
convenience of recitation of the whole
Quran in a set period like one week, one
month or two months and so on.
Manazil (stations):
The Quran is divided into seven
approximately equal parts for the convenience of reciting the whole Quran in one
week. Each of the seven parts is called
Manzil or station or the plural is Manazil or
stations. There is some indication that
Prophet Muhammad may have suggested
such a division but there is no definite proof
of it. A Manzil (singular of Manazil) consists
of a number of whole Surahs as given below. If we take Surah 1 as preface of the
Quran and exclude it from the seven Manazil, the division of Manazil follows:
Manzil No. 1. Surahs 2, 3 and 4.
20
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
Manzil No. 2. Surahs 5 to 9.

Juz (Part):
In South Asia, Juz is also called
Para. The Quran was equally divided into
thirty parts, perhaps based on the number
of pages disregarding content or Surah.
This was done for the convenience of reciting the whole Quran in thirty days or one
month. Each Juz is also divided into four
quarters or four ruba. The Quran copies
printed anywhere in the world have Juz and
quarter markings as ruba (first quarter),
nusf (one-half) and al-thulatha (threequarter). This gives 120 quarter-parts of the
Quran giving the flexibility of reciting the
whole Quran in equal parts in 30, 60 or 120
days. This type of partitioning of the Quran
is used very much in South Asia whereas
the Arab world does not make much use of
it. Even referring to Quranic verses South
Asians would talk in terms of Para number
as they carry numbers from 1 to 30 for each
Juz. This kind of referring to the Quran
verses is very unscientific because it does
not provide precise location of the verse. If
someone says that a verse is in 15th Para,
it is not precise enough to find it easily.
Hizb (group):
According to this system each Juz
is further divided into two Hizbs and each
Hizb is further divided into four quarters. It
means that a Juz has two Hizbs and eight
Hizb-quarters or each Juz-quarter has two
Hizb-quarters. The whole Quran is divided
into 240 Hizb-quarters. This allows a person
to recite the Quran in small groups of
verses and complete the recitation in onemonth to eight-month period. In addition,
Hizb partitioning of the Quran allows a Muqri (Quran reciter) to recite one Hizb in
each Rakaah of Salat at-Traweeh and finish one Juz every night in eight Rakahs
thereby completing the whole Quran in 30
Apr. 2009
nights of Ramadan. Partitioning of the

Quran in Hizb is not found in the copies
printed in South Asia.
Ruku (bowing or section):
Some Muslims prefer to do 20 rakaah every night for Salat At-Taraweeh
during the month of Ramadan, that is, recite
a section and go to ruku (bowing). They
had to find markers to recite a portion of the
Quran in each Rakaah while completing a
topic. In South Asia the tradition is to complete recitation of the whole Quran in 27
nights. This required partitioning of the
Quran in 27 x 20 = 540 sections excepting
the Surah al-Fatiha. When such partitioning
was done they ended up with 556 (+1 for
Surat al-Fatiha) sections. Evidently, they did
not go back to redo the partitioning to come
with 540 sections. The Quran copies
printed in South Asia have Ruku or Section
markings showing number of the ruku
within the Surah, within the Juz and ayah
number within the ruku. Traditionally, South
Asian Muslims may give reference of a
ayahs from the Quran by referring to the
ruku number and Juz number but such system is unscientific and it is not universally
acceptable. Quran copies printed in the
Arab world do not include ruku markings.
Groups of Surahs:
Some Quran scholars talk in terms
of groups of Surah or complementary couples of Surahs. These complementary
groups or couples are based on the themes
and like contents. For example, there is a
group of Musabbihat, five Surahs that begin
with glorification of Allah (Sabbah lillahi or
Yusabbihu lillahi). There are many other
groups of Surahs that have been suggested. Also, there are twins or complementary couples, such as Surahs 2 and 3 make
a couple, Surahs 91 and 92 is another couple. According to such scholars most of the
Quran consists of complementary couples.
Courtesy: tauheed-sunnat.com
Radiant Reality
Choosing a
Friend
Hakimul Ummah Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA)
Contd from previous issue

"Abridge Islamic Law", says an Impudent Modernist
I have just received a book compiled by one of my friends. In it he gives a
detailed account of the seventy odd
branches of Iman. The subject matter is
mentioned in the Ahadith as well. His compilation consists of a commentary on the
various branches of Iman. Together with the
despatch of this book to me, he writes that
he sent this book to one of his relatives or
friends who happened to be a lawyer. He
(the friend) retorted: "You have prolonged
Iman into exhaustive detail. What is Iman?
Is it long like the entrails of Shaytan? The
exigency of the times requires that you trim
Iman down to a bare minimum." Taubah!
Taubah! (Good gracious!) Allah forbid! How
can such a person be called a Mumin? His
reply denotes that he is either grossly ignorant of Deen or he is extremely impudent. If
he said this out of ignorance, he is quite
negligent of the fact that nobody has the
authority to increase or decrease the facets
of Iman. On the other hand, if he said this in
spite of his cognizance with Islamic beliefs,
it is rather insolent and arrogant of him.
Friends! Every single branch of
Iman and every facet of Shariat is such that
even a fractional decrease renders it inelegant and inept. Any abridgement can be
likened to the following incident. A royal
falcon once landed in an old lady's house.
As she caught hold of it, she found it's beak
to be very large. Taking pity over the difficulty the falcon may be experiencing while
eating, she trimmed it. A little later she examined it's claws and thought how the poor
creature must be walking. Taking pity once
again, she trimmed it's claws. In short, she
(Vol.11, No: 04)
21
Radiant Reality
did away with all it's features of exquisiteness and perfection.

If the laws of the Shariah are
trimmed down like the falcon, the reality of
Islam will fade away. This is the condition of
their (modernists) rudeness and boldness
and despite this, they still have the audacity
to call themselves true Muslims! They still
write that nothing eliminates their Iman no
matter what happens.
For example, here in India, many
men divorce their wives by pronouncing
three Talaqs but in spite of this, they keep
them at home. I once received a question
regarding a person who divorced his wife
but she was adamant. She declared: "I
won't accept the divorce regardless of
whether the divorce comes into effect or
not." I myself have witnessed many such
incidents where, despite the three Talaqs
being issued, the husband keeps his "wife"
at home. Owing to the fear of humiliation,
they won't even make Halalah. So, just as
how this Nikah is, so is the condition of their
Iman. Their impudency spares not even
Allah Ta'ala and His Rasul Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam. Let alone the poor Ulama, even
the laws of the Shariah are scoffed and
jeered at. The Ulama have become their
"mud-slinging targets." Let alone ordinary
Mumineen, even the Ulama are vilified and
considered notorious for making everyone
into a kafir (disbeliever). Friends! making
someone a kafir entails imparting kufr (acts
of infidelity) to him. The Molvies don't make
anyone a kafir. However, if you perpetrate
an act of Kufr they will only pinpoint it to
you... Nonetheless, their claims of being
Muslims is only an unfounded claim, nothing more. In short, there are people who, let
alone the progress of Iman, refute the indispensability of Iman itself. Anyway, this
(section) of the lecture was in response to
those who consider their Deeni enhancement as futile.
Retracting to the Topic of Deeni Progress
If you do accept the indispensability
of Deeni progress, you should also search
22
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
for the factors contributing to this Deeni enhancement. It won't just come about by
wishful thinking but just as there is a
teacher for every subject, similarly there are
guides in this field as well. Progress in Deen
can be achieved in their company. You people have relinquished this objective.
A Greater Need for Pious company than
Ilm
Experience has proven that there is
a greater need for pious company than Ilm
(knowledge). This is why we see that people who have been in the company of pious
saints, are far better than those learned
people who lack the company (suhbat) of
the pious.
We Don't Consider Deen to be Necessary
We have totally cast aside the importance of pious company. The main reason for our apathy is that we fail to grasp
the importance of Deen. Friends! what is
surprising is that we regard everything else
such as eating, drinking, clothing and all
other worldly activities as the indispensabilities of life while the only dispensable thing
is Deen? If there is no Deen, what is the
use of the dunya in its entirety? When people don't consider the Deen itself to be necessary, why will they consider the avenues
leading to Deen as necessary?
Pride! Another Factor for the Relinquishment of pious company
Another reason for us relinquishing
the pious company of the saints is our pride.
We are under the notion that we are in no
need for another human being like ourselves. After all, what are we short of?
Friends! if you lose a guinea and learn that
a certain despicable bhangee (toiletcleaner) is in possession of it, surely you
will ask him for it. What a shame! Look at
the condition of worldly wealth that a person
has no qualms about asking somebody
much more inferior than him. Deen on the
other hand had belonged to you once upon
a time but you lost it. But shame and humiliation now precludes you from seeking
Apr. 2009
the same from somebody of your own

status.
A landlord once asked me to pinpoint a Shaikh (spiritual guide) who, while
being splendid himself, honours his followers as well and he neither despises nor
scorns them. This, I said, is a sign of pride.
The Kuffar (disbelievers of Makkah) also
commented in the same grain. They said:"Why was this Qur'an not revealed upon a
noble person hailing from either of the two
cities (ie. Makkah or Taif)." The same ancestral haugtiness continues to this day.
People flock to ignorant or defective
peers (spiritual guides)
Even if people do have some conscience of pursuing pious company, they
either drift to someone who lacks the complete (spiritual) treasure and he himself is in
need of spiritual enhancement or they
search for a person who performs supernatural feats even though he fails to perform
his Salah!
There was once a "peer" saheb
who was not regular with his Salah. His
mureeds (followers) used to defend him
saying that their peer performs his Salah in
Makkah Muazzamah. What a superb response was given against this by another
person. He said: "How strange! For his
meals and toilet he chose India and for his
Salah he chose Makkah? If he is performing
his Salah in Makkah, he might as well eat
there as well."
The belief that a saint's word is destined
to materialise
Some people affiliate themselves
with saints to gain some worldly benefit.
Many are under the notion that whatever he
utters is bound to occur. A person once approached Moulana Fadhlur-Rahman Ganj
Muradabadi and expressed some of his
needs to him. Hadhrat replied that he will
make Dua for him. The person remarked: "I
can also make Dua. Why don't you say: "It
has already been done". (He was under the
false notion that Hadhrat's assurance is
destined to come to pass).
Radiant Reality
Remember! nothing lies in the authority of the saints. Save Duas, there's
nothing else they can do. There was a saint
in a place called Pili Bheet. An old lady
once approached him and gave an account
of her constrained circumstances. The Saint
ordered one of his servants to tell her:"May Allah Ta'ala be gracious and may he
shower his mercy." The servant transmitted
the message to the old lady thus:- Hadhrat
says: "Allah 'will' be gracious and merciful."
On hearing the message being transmitted,
Hadhrat became so agitated and restless
that he retorted: "When did I say that Allah
"will"? What authority do I hold in such matters? I am nothing. Go at once again and
tell her: "May Allah be gracious."
So ponder over the above incident.
The saints consider themselves to be in
need and helpless. These are saints in the
true sense of the word but many don't consider them as such. People regard those as
saints who drink wine and talk utter nonsense whilst some people have confidence
in Majzoobs ( A person fanatically lost in
spiritual meditation). Even their faith in Majzoobs stems from worldly motives. Remember, only worldly people will maintain
ties with Majzoobs because nobody can
attain any religious benefit from them. Even
worldly benefit that people do seem to attain
from them, is purely psychological. In reality, there is nothing like this. People feel that
whatever they say is bound to occur but
nothing happens merely because of what
they say. In fact, whatever is destined to
occur emanates from their tongues at times.
Even if they hadn't made such statements,
those things were bound to occur.
In short, even if we do seek pious
company, we tend to be foolish. Our condition as described by a poet is thus:- "When
you are hungry, you become a dog and
when you start eating you become fierce
and surly."
In other words, you had no inclination to pursue pious company. Even if you
do seek pious company, it is for worldly
gain. Your pursuit of worldly gain from religious people is a gross error indeed. Only
(Vol.11, No: 04)
23
Radiant Reality
religious benefit should be the motive behind the pursuit of pious company.
The Importance of Pious Company and
the Detriments of Evil Company
In short, the pursuit of pious company is extremely important. Every person
should review the company he keeps and
he should abandon evil company and seek
pious company. A poet says:"A thousand friends who are not affiliated to
Allah Ta'ala, their lives can be laid down for
a lone stranger who is familiar with Allah
Ta'ala."
If you encounter irreligiousness
amongst your friends, I don't advocate that
you should abandon them. Employ tact and
wisdom. For example, tell them: "Brother!
from today I've become regular with my
Salah. If you are my friend, then you should
also start performing your Salah regularly."
If he seems adamant in spite of your frequent adominishments and planning, then
leave him alone because there is no hope
of solicitude and care from a person who is
disobedient to Allah Ta'ala. On the other
hand, if you continue affiliating with him, you
will be considered in the same light.
Are you not aware of the days of
the mutiny? Those associated with the rebels or sided with them, were also considered as rebels. Hence, the friend of a rebel
is also a rebel. If you are informed that a
certain person is an enemy of your father,
will you still associate with him on good
terms? (Obviously not). Then why don't you
cherish the same rancour for a person who
has rebelled and transgressed against Allah
Ta'ala?
It is narrated in a Hadith that
Hadhrat Jibraeel (Alayhis salam) was once
commanded by Allah Ta'ala to destroy a
certain locality. Jibraeel remarked: " O Allah! therein resides a servant who was
never disobedient to You." Allah Ta'ala declared: "Destroy him with them as well because he used to witness the acts of disobedience but that didn't affect him in the
least bit."
Friends! If someone utters profani24
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
ties against your mother, you are unable to

bear it patiently but if a Moulana, driven by
religious zeal, tends to become agitated and
disturbed (due to prevailing circumstances)
you regard him as prejudiced!!
Etiquettes of Asking the Ulama
However, if someone objects to this
and says "How else are we going to eliminate our doubts if we don't ask the Ulama?"
Remember! there is a method of trying to
eliminate your doubts. This can be achieved
by employing courtesy and respect in your
questions posed to the Ulama if you really
intend to analyse and examine the various
laws of Deen. Generally, the condition of
the people is such that they pose their
questions as objections and criticisms. They
first establish their own views and thereafter
they pose their objective questions. The
manner in which they convey their questions really hurts the heart. For example, the
lawyer whose story was mentioned above.
If he didn't refer to the multifarious branches
of Iman as "the intestines of Shaytan," and
expressed his objection in better words, the
heart wouldn't have been as grieved. Similarly, another person refuted the story of
Hadhrat Adam Alayhi Salam and he employed provocative and heart-rending words
in reference to Adam Alayhis Salam. On
one occasion he refers to him as: "Adam,
the father of the Muazzins". This is nothing
short of mocking Deen. He (the aformentioned person) had also rejected the existence of the Angels with similar absurdity
and obscenity. He mockingly refers to them
thus: "The Muslims believe that the angels
are a creation of Allah Ta'ala which hover
between the sky and earth like eagles." If
he expressed it in better words, it wouldn't
have been as heart-rending.
If one of them is told: "I've heard
that your mother sits in a brothel, is this correct?" The same people, who advise the
Molvies to answer all objections patiently
regardless of the manner of presentation,
will no doubt feel extremely offended. So
how do you then expect the mocking of
Contd on page13
Apr. 2009
Radiant Reality
MODERNISM IN ISLAM
WHAT IS MODERNISM AND WHERE DID
IT COME FROM?
We can relate, ideologically, the
modernist movement spreading these days
to one sect in the past. This sect is called
the Mutazila, which is dated back to the
third Islamic century. Although those people
accepted the Quran and Sunna they made
taweel (their own interpretation of the
Quran) and said aql (intelligence) takes
precedence over naql (guidance of the
Prophet). However, this school died out.
The modernist movement did not evolve
from them, but they are very similar to them.
The modernist movement actually originated in Europe (middle-ages). At the time
when the scientific method came about in
Spain, it was seen that what the church was
teaching was not true. This led to a slow
revolt. The basic view of modernism (in all
religions) is that: the religion should change
according to the circumstances, and that it
is not fixed. There is no such thing as absolute truth. The Jewish and Christian modernist response in Europe tried to explain
how the religion was still relevant for the
people. They made innovations to keep
people interested in the religion (such as
singing in church, introduced only in the
1900s). They tried to say the divine and the
human is mixed in the Bible and that the
parts that are true must be the ones that are
not out of date. Also, the religion is improving over time and there is no absolute truth
in the Bible. This is the time in history when
many Muslims were looking to Europe. This
led to three choices for those Muslims: accept the West; reject the West; or mix the
two (reform Islam). Those who followed the
third (the modernist) developed in, and focused on: Turkey because it was under
British influence; and Egypt because AlAzhar was the seat of Islamic knowledge.
The people of this modernist movement
judge Islam according to their aql. Some of
their faults in regards to it are:

1) use it for things which it cant comprehend;
2) refer everything to it: accept what agrees
with it, reject what does not;
3) judge the revelation by it. However, Ahl
As-Sunna Wal Jamaa believes that using
the sound aql should lead one to the conclusion that the Quran and the Prophet are
true and that their teachings should take
precedence over pure aql.
THE INFLUENCE OF MODERNISM IN
AMERICA
Modernists are saying that the West
and the world has changed, and that Islam
must become civilized. Modernism has
spread the most in the U.S. because:
1) there are no scholars available to refute
them, or they wont refute them because
people dont want to criticize them;
2) it allows Muslims from overseas to become part of American society and they do
not have to be recognized as Muslim. Also,
new American Muslims will not have to
change their old lifestyle;
3) much of the literature, scholars, and institutions in the U.S. reflect the modernist
thinking.
In tafseer, Yusuf Ali is the most
popular translator of the meaning of the
Quran, even though he denies what the aql
cant see (of the unseen). In seerah, one
book is saying the Prophet is like anyone
else. Another tries to say the sunna is not
for the shariah and that sometimes we have
to throw away the hadith because Allah did
not correct the Prophets mistakes when he
made ijtihaad. In Fiqh, modernists say interest is permissible, menstruation women can
pray, and Muslim women can marry kaafir
men. They say the face of women was not
covered until 150 years after the time of the
Prophet, even though it existed in his time,
and that women should always pray in the
(Vol.11, No: 04)
25
Radiant Reality
mosque, even though hadith only show

women in the mosque at Ishaa and Fajr
because they could not be recognized in the
dark. They also say the hadith that a people
with a woman ruler will not succeed is not
true today and polygamy is forbidden except under certain conditions (which do not
exist). Finally, it should be mentioned that
this movement is organized and has resources such as magazines, television, conventions, and literature.
SOME OF THEIR VIEWS
Modernists influence the thinking of
people, and that person spreads their views
on unknowingly. Their way of thinking is the
most dangerous thing about them. None
discuss aqeedah (belief) because it is not
important to them (aql judges naqal). They
are also trying to remove the sunna and say
that the system of the old muhadditheen is
insufficient. Most say (as do critics of the
Bible) that we need a higher criticism of
hadith and the earlier conclusions (ijmaa) of
scholars are not sufficient, yet they give no
new way to judge hadith. However, we as
Muslims understand that the Prophet was
guided by Allah and that we may not be
able to understand everything in the hadith
with our aql. It is common for the modernists to question the role of the sunna in the
shariah. One said all of the sunna is of this
world and not deen, even in the Prophets
time, therefore it is all a matter of shoora
(consultation) and ijtihaad (therefore
changeable). Another says we need to
make ijtihaad for what is to be followed, and
changes of time and place make sunna difficult to use. All of this is mentioned to
weaken the view of the sunna. The Jews
and Christians tried to differ the human from
the divine. Modernists try to point out the
differences between the Messenger as a
human and as a Prophet. They also avoid
following the sunna by dividing his life into
parts (imam, judge, military leader, prophet,
etc.), saying some are not divine teachings
and not law. Some say everyone is free to
make ijtihaad, and later restrictions on it
were imposed by the people. Another said a
26
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
ruling may change even if it is from the

Quran and Sunna.
HOW DO MODERNISTS GO ASTRAY?
The observer can easily point out
the following points as the driving force for
this trend:
1) Their premises and assumptions are
wrong Modernists look to the West and try
to reinterpret the old religion with modern
science and modern times. They assume
that:
a) the present situation is advanced or different (i.e. this is not the Prophets time!).
However, the idea of progress and that
things are better now is Marxian and Hegelian. It is against the hadith, as the Prophet
said each generation is getting worse. They
must prove that there has been progression
(no definition of it given). Islamically the advanced society is the one that comes closer
to Allah, and understands and applies Islam
better (such as the sahaaba). In fact, the
current societies have the things of the old
societies (such as homosexuality, etc.) as
mentioned in the Quran;
b) religion is relative to time and place (i.e.
therefore we need to judge Islam in light of
modern science). Modernists are people
of science and judge Islam according to
modern science. They think that the West is
based on science, but they fail to notice that
not all science is based on fact. In reality,
much of science is only hypothesis (not a
fact). Also, every science has its own philosophy, which will lead to its own conclusions;
c) the way of thinking of a society is based
on (is a product of) its enviroment. Modernists say most of religion is from the people
and their environment and it can be judged
by later times, and hadith are related to that
time only. However, there is no proof for the
modernist hypothesis that religious truth is
relative. Allah says the Quran is Haq
(truth). Modernists are saying (by inference)
that if the Quran is not true now, then it was
never true.
2) The methodology they use is wrong. The
methodology of the modernists is the way
Apr. 2009
they mislead people to the wrong conclusions. They claim to be scientific, but they
are usually inconsistent or have no proof or
foundation for their beliefs. Some of the
means and principles they use include:
a) Sunna and Hadith. They claim the Quran
is authentic and they only follow authentic
hadith. This implies that they have a way to
judge hadith (different from that of the traditional scholars), yet most give no new way
to judge hadith, and are using their aql
(intelligence) to determine this (like the female ruler hadith). Modernists especially
dislike hadith which have specific meanings
and prefer ones which only have general
principles.
b) Use of weak hadith to help their points
and arguments (while they are calling for
the use of authentic hadith). For example, in
the area of women in Islam (the two areas
the modernists try to change the most are
the sunna and women) they like to quote
two stories from the time of Umar: 1) when
Umar was giving a Khutbah he tried to restrict the amount of dowry, a woman opposed, and Umar corrected himself and
thanked the woman, and 2) Umar appointed
Umma Shifaa as a market-regulator (used
by modernist to say women can work in the
government). However, both of these stories are not authentic.
c) Use vague terms without defining them.
Modernists use terms like democracy, freedom, and equality, but they do not define
what they mean by them. The danger in
using vague terms is that a knowledgeable
person will pass over the word or concept,
thinking they meant the Islamic or acceptable definition while in fact they did not,
while others may believe what they are saying is true.
d) Do not present all of the relevant information that is available on the subject. That is,
from Quran, sunna, etc. They only present
that which will support their views. This tactic is used to avoid unliked beliefs, so they
just do not mention them.
e) Force their interpretation onto the text.
This is what the Mutazilla did, when they
said aql takes precedence over what is
Radiant Reality
from the Prophet. Many modernists say Islam is the rational religion. This is true if
you mean everything is from Allah and there
is no contradiction, but to say that we can
study everything in Islam by judging it with
only our intellect is unacceptable and there
is also no proof for this. To avoid implementing what the Quran and sunna says,
the modernists say we need to follow the
spirit of Islam and not worry about the
laws specifically. But it is clear from the
Quran and Sunna that we are to take both.
They will argue that the text of the Quran
only says for women to dress modestly and
they do not like to talk about the specific
details of hijaab and say we only need to
follow the spirit of the law.
f) They tend to oppose scholars by saying
they meant something else. They say that
the door to ijtihaad is open, which is something accepted by the Ahl As-Sunna Wal
Jamaa. However, it is not open to everybody on any subject. Modernists claim that
anyone would make ijtihaad until Imam
Shaffie narrowed the qualifications (not
true), and today anyone can do it. In one
magazine, on the question of polygamy and
divorce, some said that these two can be
restricted by ijtihaad. They often misquote
scholars and give their own meanings for
what they said.
g) Often follow strange and rejected opinions. They try to revive some of the old
opinions because they like it and say that
this writer said it in the past. Modernists try
to open the door to these opinions and
choose what is the most suitable and easy
to follow. However, we are supposed to look
for the fiqh opinions that are the closest to
the truth. They usually bring bad hadith
such as The differences in my Ummah is a
mercy or reject authentic hadith such as
the one about the breakup of the Ummah
into 73 sects.
h) Follow their desires. They often make
rulings and fatawa without permissible
daleel (evidence). One said music is permissible because he did not see something
wrong with it, so it is halal. But he did not
check what the Quran and the sunna say
(Vol.11, No: 04)
27
Radiant Reality
about this subject.

ISLAM AND MODERNISM
Ahl As-Sunna Wal Jamaa believes
that there is only one true Islam. This is
proven in Quran and Hadith. One hadith
shows the straight line as leading to Allah,
and branching paths leading off it with a
devil at each one calling to it. Also, the
umma will break into 73 sects, and the true
way is the one who follows Muhammad and
his companions. Modernists are differing
from Ahl As-Sunna Wal-Jamaa in:
1) everything in accordance with Quran and
Sunna is Haq (truth) and what disagrees
with it is false (some modernists disagree
with this). Also, statements consistent with
the Quran and Sunna are accepted;
2) Ijmaa (consensus) of the sahaaba (and
early generations) is a hujja (proof) for all
Muslims. Modernists say sahaaba are men
and we are men, and even matters agreed
on by them are open to ijtihaad;
3) anything in the Quran and Sunna cannot
be opposed by aql, rational thought, opinion, or qiysas. This is supported in the
Quran and is not open to discussion or
vote. One modernists said the cutting of the
hand of the theif is a Khomeni Islam and is
unethical;
4) there are constants in Islam related to
belief, worship, etc. and these are good,
sound, proper, and correct for all places and
times. This view is accepted by the Ahl
Sunna, but not by many of the modernists,
saying that all truth is relative and there is
no constants. However, these constant principles are basic aspects of the Ahl Sunna
and are traced to the Quran and Sunna and
Sahaaba. They are not questionable or
changeable things. In many of these things,
modernists say we need ijtihaad and tajdeed.
Apr. 2009
DANGERS
1) Many are influenced by it and do not
know it. Also, their views are unacceptable
and should be refuted.
2) Many people do not recognize it as a
movement of munkar or bida and do not
evaluate its writings and speeches, so they
try to defend it. Many of their writings are
from rationalization (which has no end or
conclusion), and the effects of this are seen
in the Christian church (that is, they now
have no relationship to their religion, and it
has no practical value or purpose).
3) This group is also playing into the hands
of the kuffar. They are happy with is because their effort is to bring the Muslim
women out of the home to change them.
The last 200 years has been a colonialist
and orientalist attack on the position of the
woman in Islam (to destroy her and the society).
CONCLUSIONS
1) The modernists movement as a whole
(what it is based on) is from
Bida (innovation). They have their own principles and ways, which contradicts that of
Ahl-Sunna. They say we want ijtihaad in the
basic principles of the deen (religion) which
are constant.
2) They are very willing to reject and contradict the ijmaa of the sahaaba on clear points
(such as stoning of the adulterer and the
apostate is to be killed) and hadith are dealt
with as if they are not important (women
ruler hadith is common).
3) One of the main points of modernism is
to change the role of women. They say it is
permissible to mix men and women and to
not wear hijaab. The modernists are impressed by the West and their conclusions
always seem to agree with the views of the
West.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:The whole world is a place of useful things and the best
thing of this world is a virtuous women (wife). (Muslim)
28
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Apr. 2009
Radiant Reality
ALCOHOL ACCORDING TO
QURAN AND SUNNAH
The Prohibition: Al-Tirmidhi #580,
Narrated AbudDarda dont drink wine for
it is the key to every evil.
Abu Dawood, Narrated Umar ibn alKhattab When the prohibition of wine (was
yet to be) declared, Umar said: O Allah,
give us a satisfactory explanation about
wine. So the following verse of Surat alBaqarah revealed; They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: In them is
great sin. Umar was then called and it
was recited to him. He said: O Allah, give us
a satisfactory explanation about wine. Then
the following verse of Surat an-Nisa was
revealed: O ye who believe! approach not
prayers with a mind befogged. Thereafter the herald of the Apostle of Allah would
call when the (congregational) prayer was
performed: Beware, one who is drunk
should not come to prayer. Umar was again
called and it was recited to him. He said: O
Allah, give us a satisfactory explanation
about wine. This verse was revealed: Will
ye not then abstain? Umar said: We abstained. The Noble Quran al-Baqarah
2:219 They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say:
In them is a great sin, and (some) benefit
for men, but the sin of them is greater than
their benefit. And they ask you what they
ought to spend. Say: That which is beyond
your needs. Thus Allah makes clear to you
His Laws in order that you may give
thought.
Selling and Buying: Al-Tirmidhi
#2776 Narrated Anas ibn Malik Allahs
Messenger cursed ten people in connection
with wine: the wine-presser, the one who
has it pressed, the one who drinks it, the
one who conveys it, the one to whom it is
conveyed, the one who serves it, the one
who sells it, the one who benefits from the
price paid for it, the one who buys it, and
the one for whom it is bought. Tirmidhi and
Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Dying when Addicted: Muslim
#4963, Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar Allahs
Messenger said: Every intoxicant is Khamr
and every intoxicant is forbidden. He who
drinks wine in this world and dies while he is
addicted to it, not having repented, will not
be given a drink in the Hereafter.
Beat for Drunkedness: Bukhari
3:509, Narrated Uqba bin Al-Harith When
An-Nuaman or his son was brought in a
state of drunkenness, Allahs Apostle ordered all those who were present in the
house to beat him. I was one of those who
beat him. We beat him with shoes and palm
-leaf stalks.
Bukhari 8:764, Narrated Anas bin
Malik The Prophet beat a drunk with palmleaf stalks and shoes. And Abu Bakr gave
(such a sinner) forty lashes.
Bukhari 8:768, Narrated Abu
Salama Abu Huraira said, A man who
drank wine was brought to the Prophet .
The Prophet said, Beat him! Abu Huraira
added, So some of us beat him with our
hands, and some with their shoes, and
some with their garments (by twisting it) like
a lash, and then when we finished, someone said to him, May Allah disgrace you!
On that the Prophet said, Do not say so, for
you are helping Satan to overpower him.
Shaitans Use of Intoxicants The Noble
Quran Al-Maidah 5:91 Shaitan (Satan)
wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks)
and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salat (the
prayer). So, will you not then abstain?
Prayer Not Accepted: Al-Tirmidhi
#3643, narrated Abdullah ibn Umar ; Abdul(Vol.11, No: 04)
29
Radiant Reality
lah ibn Amr Allahs Messenger said, If anyone drinks wine Allah will not accept prayer
from him for forty days, but if he repents
Allah will forgive him. If he repeats the offence Allah will not accept prayer from him
for forty days, but if he repents Allah will
forgive him. If he again repeats the offence
Allah will not accept prayer from him for
forty days, but if he repents Allah will forgive
him. If he repeats it a fourth time Allah will
not accept prayer from him for forty days,
and if he repents Allah will not forgive him,
but will give him to drink of the river of the
fluid flowing from the inhabitants of
Hell. [Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Nasa'i,
Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it on the
authority of Abdullah ibn Amr.]
Medicine: Abu Dawood, narrated
Tariq ibn Suwayd or Suwayd ibn Tariq Wail
said: Tariq ibn Suwayd or Suwayd ibn
Tariq asked the Prophet about wine, but he
forbade it. He again asked him, but he forbade him. He said to him: Prophet of Allah,
it is a medicine. The Prophet said: No it is a
disease.
Umm Salamah, the wife of the
Prophet reports that he once said: Allah
has not placed a cure for your diseases in
things that He has forbidden for
you. (Reported by Baihaqi; Ibn Hibban considers this hadith to be sound.Bukhari has
also related it on the authority of Ibn
Masud.)
Abu Dawood; Sahih Bukhari Abu ad
-Darda reported that the Prophet said:
Allah has sent down both the malady and
its remedy.. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but
never with something the use of which Allah
has prohibited.
Action Items for the Muttaqun:
Do not ingest alcohol
If your husband (or other relative)
comes home drunk (please note that you
have grounds for divorce in such an example), ask for the Muslim brothers to give him
40 lashes for it.
Dont be a passive tool of Shaitan
by accepting alcoholism in your family or
the Muslim community.
30
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Apr. 2009
WHY ARE
WE SO
DIVIDED?
From The Clear Path
Because of Shirk, innovations and
leaving the Sunnah
All Praise is for Allaah (swt) Lord of
all the creation and May His peace and
Blessings be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (saws) and upon the Prophets (saws)
family and upon the companions and on all
those who follow the path of guidance until
the last day. We saw in last weeks issue
that without doubt the Muslim Ummah is in
a divided and fragmented state and that this
division is prohibited in Islaam. Rather Allaah (swt) has enjoined upon us to hold
onto the rope of Allaah (swt), which we established is the Quraan and the Sunnah as
understood by the Companions. But how
did we reach this state in the first place,
what causes disunity?
Shirk: Associating partners in worship with Allaah (swt) Without doubt one of
the major causes for people splitting up the
religion and leaving holding on to the rope
of Allaah (swt) is shirk. This is the grave sin
of ascribing partners with Allaah (swt) in
worship. Today throughout the world there
are numerous examples of shirk amongst
the Ummah, such as those who call upon
the dead in the grave. Allaah (swt) says:
And invoke not besides Allaah anything
that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but if
(in case) you did so, you shall certainly be
one of the Dhalimoon (polytheists and
wrong-doers). [Surah Yoonus 10:106]
Verily Allaah (swt) has created us to
worship Him alone, as He (swt) says: And I
(Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind
except that they should worship Me
Apr. 2009
(Alone). [Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

So the one who gives worship to
other than Allaah (swt) has he not committed the most severe sin. Allaah (swt) says:
Verily! Allaah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but
He forgives whom He wills sins other than
that. [Surah an-Nisaa 4:116]
It is reported that Ibn Masood (raa)
asked the Prophet (saws): Which is the
Greatest sin? The Prophet (sal-Allaahu
alayhe wa sallam) said: That you set up a
rival for Allaah, While He is the one who
created you. [Bukhari]
O noble reader it will not be hidden
from you that throughout the world Muslims
are stooped in such practices of calling
upon the dead saint in the grave, asking
him to remove their difficulty whether it be
Abdul Qaadir al Jeelanee or al Badawee or
other people whos graves have been made
places of worship. How can unity be
achieved amongst the Muslims when some
Muslims can not unify their worship for Allaah (swt) alone? O noble reader consider
the following, how many Muslims:Wear
Amulets and charms, despite the Prophet
(saws) saying: Whoever wears an amulet
has committed shirk. [Ahmad]
Read astrology in magazines or go
to fortune tellers, despite the Prophet
(saws) saying: Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him something and believes
in his words, will have his prayers rejected
for forty days. [Muslim]
So while all these non-Islaamic beliefs and practices are present amongst the
Muslims how can unity take place? Is not
our first obligation to give dawah to those
Muslims who are stooped in these practices? Thereby calling to tawheed as all
124,000 Prophets from Aadam (as) to the
Prophet (saws) did. They all began their call
to the people with Tawheed worshipping
Allaah (swt) alone.
Having incorrect beliefs: Another
major reason for disunity is the wide range
of beliefs prevalent amongst the Muslims.
Despite us having the same Quraan and
the same Prophet (saws), Muslims still have
Radiant Reality
different beliefs. Why is this? If we all are

referring back to the Quraan and the Sunnah in every matter then why the differences. Allaah (swt) says: (And) if you differ
in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to
Allaah and His Messenger (saws), if you
believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That
is better and more suitable for final determination. [Surah an-Nisaa 4:59]
So verily O noble reader imagine if
every Muslim acted upon this ayah would
there be any differences then? NO except
maybe in the issues of fiqh, such as the
prayer. But our beliefs and methodology
would be one, so why is this not the case? It
is because many Muslims today do not refer
every issue back to Allaah (swt) and His
Messenger (saws), rather they ask their
local Imaam or their parents or refer it back
to their madhab.Know O noble reader that
the first thing that all the Prophets called to
was the rectification of the beliefs, before
calling to the Islaamic state or to Jihaad, the
first thing was purifying the beliefs of the
Muslim. So how can we have unity while
there are Muslims who believe:That Allaah
(swt) is everywhere, despite Allaah (swt)
saying: They fear their Lord Who is above
them, and they do what they are commanded. [Surah an-Nahl 16:50]
That the Prophet (saws) was not
human and was made from light, despite
Allaah (swt) saying: Say (O Muhammad
saws): I am only a human being like you. It
is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God worthy of being worshipped) is One Ilaah
(God). [Surah Fussilat 41:6]
That the saying of an Imaam should
be acted upon over the hadeeth, despite
Allaah (swt) saying: And let those who oppose the Messengers (Muhammad saws)
commandment (i.e. his Sunnah) beware,
lest some Fitnah (trials i.e. shirk) should
befall them or a painful torment be inflicted
on them. [Surah an-Noor 24:63]
That Imaan does not increase or
decrease, despite the Prophet (saws) saying: Imaan has seventy odd or sixty odd
branches. The most virtuous of them is the
statement, There is none worthy of worship
(Vol.11, No: 04)
31
Radiant Reality
except Allaah, and the slightest of them is

to remove something harmful from the road.
And hayaa is a branch of Imaan. [Bukhari
and Muslim]
Bidah Innovations in the religionAnother cause for disunity and not holding
fast to the rope of Allaah (swt) is the occurrence of innovations in this Ummah.Allaah
(swt) has informed us in the Quraan that
He has completed this religion of Islaam for
us as He (swt) says: This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My
Favour upon you, and have chosen for you
Islaam as your religion. [Surah al-Maa'idah,
5:3]
Since the religion is complete how
can it be that we need to add new things
and ways of worship to Islaam? Whatever
was not part of the religion at the time of the
Prophet (saws) can not be accepted as a
part of the religion now. The Prophet (saws)
has warned us against adding new things to
the religion when he (saws) said: Whoever
Innovates in this affair of ours that which is
not from it will have it rejected. [Muslim]
The people who propose unity at all
costs have a saying that An innovation that
unites us is better than a Sunnah which divides.SubhanAllaah look at such a statement O noble reader, innovations are grave
and serious and a cause for entering the fire
as he (saws) said: and every innovation
is misguidance and all misguidance is in the
Hellfire. [Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224)]
So if someone said to you look
there is a fire over there lets all hold hands
and unify and then go in to it, you would
think they were crazy! So how can we come
together upon something as dangerous as
innovations, such as the innovations of
mystics, who practice all kinds of weird and
innovated invocations, which at times involve switching off the lights or chanting one
of Allaahs name so that after some time
what they are chanting is unrecognisable as
a name of Allaah (swt). Or the innovations
of those who take their scholars as spiritual
leaders giving their allegiance to them and
selling themselves to these scholars
obeying everything they say. How O noble
32
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
reader can unity occur amongst all the Muslims as long as these practices, which have
nothing to do with Islaam, keep occurring?
Blind following and Partisanship:
This is one of the most evil of occurrences
today and a major cause for disunity. Muslims are following their madhabs or their
scholars over and above the Sunnah of the
Prophet (saws) despite Allaah (swt) saying:
And whosoever opposes the Messenger
(Muhammad saws) after the right path has
been shown clearly to him, and follows
other than the believers way, We shall keep
him in the path he has chosen, and burn
him in Hell what an evil destination! [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
When you tell Muslims that you
should do this because it says so in the
Quraan and the Sunnah, they reply well
thats not what it says in my madhab or
thats not what my Shaykh says. SubhanAllaah, O noble reader why did Allaah
(swt) send us His final Messenger (saws) if
it was not to teach us the religion of Islaam.
Allaah (swt) says: But no, by your Lord,
they can have no Faith, until they make you
(O Muhammad saws) judge in all disputes
between them, and find in themselves no
resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission. [Surah anNisaa 4:65]
No Muslim will openly say I am disobeying the Prophet (saws), but how many
of us ask for the proof on issues of beliefs
and practices and look to see what is the
truth. Another problem is the setting up of
groups and parties with members, then being loyal only to that party, believing in the
beliefs and aims of that party not questioning it. Allaah (swt) has warned against
this: And be not of Al-Mushrikoon
(polytheists). Of those who split their religion, and became sects, each group rejoicing
in that which is with it. [Surah ar-Room
30:31-32]
Setting up groups is a cause for
disunity and spreads hatred amongst the
Muslims so that a Muslim from one group
will not give salaam to a Muslim from another group just because they belong to
Apr. 2009
different groups. Or a group from one masjid will not like Muslims from another masjid
to come and pray in their mosque. All this
stems from partisanship and it divides the
Ummah. Unity will not occur whilst Muslims
are in this state rather unity will occur when
an end is put to partisanship (hizbiyyah) and
Muslims love each other because they are
all have the same aims, beliefs and practices.
The Means for Revival: Having
looked at the reason why we are so divided,
the question now arises as to what the
means for reviving this Ummah are. Allaah
(swt) has given us the means for the revival
of this Ummah, when He (swt) says: Verily!
Allaah will not change the condition of a
people until they change what is within
themselves. [Surah ar-Ra'd 13:11]
The Prophet (saws) also said:
When you involve yourselves in interest
bearing business transactions, and you hold
on to the tails of cows, and you are pleased
with agriculture (i.e. the land) and you abandon making Jihaad in the Cause of Allaah,
Allaah will send humiliation down upon you.
He will not remove it from you until you return back to your Religion. [Abu Dawood
and al-Bayhaqee]
So this humiliation that Muslims are
under will not be removed from us until we
return back to the religion of Islaam. So
what is the religion of Islaam if not
Tawheed, having the correct Aqeedah, worshipping Allaah (swt) correctly? So should
we not start our revival with these issues.So
just as the condition of the Arabs during the
Days of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) was not
rectified except by the coming of their
Prophet Muhammad (saws) with revelation
from the heavens, which aided them in this
world and which will save them in the next,
then know O noble reader the foundation
that the Islaamic revival must be built upon
in this time, is nothing else but the return to
the Quraan and the Sunnah, as implemented by the noble companions.We know
from the Book of Allaah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saws) that the way
towards realising this revival is only one
Radiant Reality
way, and it is the way which Allaah (swt)

has mentioned in His (subhaanahu wa
taaala) saying: And verily, this is My
Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not
(other) paths, for they will separate you
away from His Path. [Surah al-An'aam
6:153]
The Messenger of Allaah (saws)
explained this to his Companions. Thus,
one day he (saws) drew a straight line for
them on the ground and then drew short
lines on the sides of it. Then, while his
(saws) noble finger moved up and down the
straight line, he (saws) recited the aforementioned verse. Then he (saws) pointed to
the lines that were drawn on the sides of the
straight line and said: This is the Path of
Allaah and these are the (other) paths. At
the top of each of these (other) ways, there
is a devil calling towards it. [Authentic
hadeeth, graded in Dhilaal-ul-Jannah fee
Takhreej-is Sunnah(16-17)]
Furthermore, Allaah (swt) says:
And whosoever opposes the Messenger
(Muhammad sal-Allaahu alayhe wa sallam)
after the right path has been shown clearly
to him, and follows other than the believers
way, We shall keep him in the path he has
chosen, and burn him in Hell what an evil
destination! [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
In this ayah there is profound and
extensive wisdom, for Allaah (swt), has connected the the believers way to what the
Messenger (saws) came with. The Messenger (saws) has (also) indicated this point in
the hadeeth about the splitting up of the
Ummah into sects. When he (saws) was
asked concerning the saved sect, he (saws)
responded: That which (adheres to what) I
and my companions are upon today.What
then is the wisdom behind Allaahs mentioning of the believers way in this ayah? And
what is the significance in the Messenger of
Allaahs (saws) linking of his companions to
himself in the previous hadeeth?The answer is: These noble Companions (raa)
were the ones who received the two revelations (i.e. the Quraan and Sunnah) from the
Messenger of Allaah (saws), having that
explained to them by him (sal-Allaahu
(Vol.11, No: 04)
33
Radiant Reality
alayhe wa sallam) directly, without there

being any intermediary. They best knew
how to implement the Sunnah, so after
knowing this O noble reader can any Islaamic revival take place when the way of
the Companions (raa) is abandoned and not
adhered to, rather No it can not. For us to
revive Islaam and bring unity to the Muslims
we must adopt the way and example of the
Noble Companions (raa) said: The latter
part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified its former
part. [ash-Shifaa of Qaadee 'Iyyaadh,
(2/676)]
So it will be clear to the reader that
the only way to revive the Ummah is to return every affair of the Muslim back to the
Quraan and the Sunnah as understood and
implemented by the best generation, the
Companions (raa). To believe as they believed, to worship as they worshipped, to
look like them, to give dawah in the way
they gave it. Then only will we be united
and have a true Islaamic revival.
SO DEAR NOBLE BROTHERS
AND SISTERS YOUR LORD SAYS. Has
not the time come for the hearts of those
who believe to be affected by Allaahs Reminder (this Quraan), and that which has
been revealed of the truth. [Surah alHadeed 57:16].
Dont Listen
Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) reported that
the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever listens to people's
conversations without their permission will have molten lead
poured into his ears on the Day
of Resurrection . . ."
(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer,
Saheeh al-Jaami').
34
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Apr. 2009
On Salaah
Mufti Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (RA)
Salaat-e-Haqeeqi (True Salaah)
purifies the heart from the pollution of aliens
and opens up the door of spiritual mysteries
(asraar). Salaah is the substratum
(mahl) for secret discussion and the abode
of love and sincerity. During Salaah
the fields of the heart expand for spiritual
mysteries and the stars of celestial
light (Anwaar) dazzle therein.
The hearts of the chosen servants
of Allah are perpetually absorbed in His remembrance. However, association with
people and tending to natural needs produce a kind of ghaflat (carelessness) and a
relationship with beings other than Allah. As
a result, the hearts become contaminated.
But when they engross themselves in Salaah, their hearts are cleansed of the foreign
pollution. The Divine Perception is then
again restored to their hearts in accordance
with their respective ranks.
When the foreign veils are removed
from their hearts, thus eliminating the impediments, the doors of hidden Divine Mysteries and the secrets of Divine Knowledge
open up on their hearts during Salaah.
Thus, their Salaah becomes the substratum
for communion with their Rabb. Their hearts
becomes imbued with sincerity and love,
leaving no room whatever for anything besides Allah.
Their hearts expand for the intake
of Divine Mysteries. There remains then not
the slightest vestige of fear or constriction in
their hearts. For these illustrious servants,
anwaar (celestial illumination) glitter like
stars in their Salaah. They perceive this
illumination with the eyes of the heart.
Every Mu'min should strive to perform such Salaah (as described above).
When Allah Jalle Shaanuhu discerned the strain you experience in ibaadat,
he designed a variety of different acts of
ibaadat for you. When he saw enthusiasm
Apr. 2009
for ibaadat, he forbade you therefrom because your concern should be with perfection of Salaah, not only with the external
form of Salaah. Every performer of Salaah
does not perform it with perfection.
Man of weak constitution (by nature) tires of doing the same act for a length
of time. Prolonged performance makes the
act difficult. His heart feels no strain in a
variety of acts. He is therefore, better
equipped to accomplish them. It should be
understood that it is incumbent on the bandah to perpetually apply himself to the worship of Allah.
In view of this disposition of man,
Allah Ta'ala designed a variety of acts of
ibaadat for him. He has not decreed perpetual observation of any one act of ibaadat
because the bandah would tire of it, e.g. if it
was decreed that the bandah be in the state
of Salaah at all times, certainly he would
become exhausted. The heart of the bandah now remains in ibaadat on account of
the variety of the acts of ibaadat such as
Salaah, Tilaawat, Hajj, Zakaat, Qur'baani,
Roza, Thikr, etc. His heart does not become
bored because the taste of every ibaadat is
different.
In this way, the entire time is spent
in ibaadat without the bandah tiring and becoming bored. He, therefore, does not
abandon ibaadat.
In opposition to the condition of tiring and becoming bored, is the trait of greed
and enthusiasm. When this trait exceeds
the limit, the act is corrupted. For example,
when there is extreme enthusiasm for Salaah, it will be difficult to discharge it with all
its rights, e.g. extreme enthusiasm will
cause him to refrain form wudhu (so that he
remains engrossed in Salaah), or he will
recite the Qur'aan hastily without humility
and reflection. In view of this disposition in
man, Allah Ta'ala has forbidden him from
Salaah and other ibaadaat at certain times
so that man does not plunge headlong on
any deed in haste and with excessive enthusiasm. He has decreed Salaah at appointed times so that the bandah resolves
to execute it with perfection. Haste and en-
Radiant Reality
thusiasm lead to only the external form of

Salaah. Between the form and the perfect
Salaah, there is a great difference.
In view of your weakness, Allah
Ta'ala has reduced the number of Salaah
and knowing your need for His grace, He
has increased His aid and thawaab. He has
reduced the number from fifty to five while
awarding thawaab for fifty.
On the night of Mi'raj initially fifty
Salaah were made obligatory. On the repeated request of Rasulullah (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam) the number was reduced
to five. The reduction was granted on account of our weakness. We would not have
been able to steadfastly perform fifty Salaah
daily. Since man is in need of Allah's grace,
the thawaab of fifty Salaah was retained.
Worship has been decreed at appointed times to ensure that laziness and
uncertainty do not constitute obstacles. The
time for ibaadat has been extended so that
you enjoy some choice and latitude.
Allah Ta'ala has fixed times for the
acts of ibaadat which He has decreed
obligatory, e.g. Salaah and Roza. If these
acts are performed within the prescribed
limits of the time, they will be fulfilled. If the
time lapses, the ibaadat is lost.
If fixed times were not prescribed
for ibaadat and if its performance was left to
our discretion and choice, laziness would
have set in. We would have said:
As soon as I am over with this work, I shall
perform Salaah.
Or we would have performed the
Salaah of several months in a couple of
days. In this way the ibaadat would be lost.
The time fixed for Salaah is not so
short that one is obliged to perform it immediately on the entry of the time otherwise it
would become qadha. On the contrary, the
time has been so extended to entertain your
free choice. You may perform it at any time
during the duration of the valid time. The
benefit and wisdom for this are to ensure
our serenity for the ibaadat. At the approach
of the time we may make preparations for
Salaah in peace and without haste. The
extended time enables us to terminate our
(Vol.11, No: 04)
35
Radiant Reality
other activities in an orderly manner in

preparation for Salaah. These benefits
would have been lost if extended times
were not granted for Salaah. Salaah would
then have been performed hastily and without peace of mind. The soul of Salaah, viz.
Hudhoor-e-Qalb (concentration / presence
of the heart) would then have been nonexistent.
In view of man's natural propensity
of failing in the correct execution of his duties of worship, Allah Ta'ala has enchained
him by decreeing worship obligatory on him.
In other words, Allah Ta'ala has driven man
towards His obedience with the chains of
His compulsion. Your Rabb indicates surprise at those people who reach Jannat fettered in chains.
In every state and circumstance,
worship for Allah Ta'ala and the display of
Uboodiyat (the state of slavery) are imperative and incumbent on the servants of Allah.
This is the demand of intelligence whether
Allah Ta'ala decrees ibaadat obligatory on
us or not, because the duty of the slave is
slavery regardless of whether his master
commands him or not. But, on account of
man's indolence and defects regarding the
rendition of ibaadat, Allah Ta'ala, out of His
boundless mercy, decreed the duties of
ibaadat obligatory on His servants. Along
with this He notified them of His Promise of
Jannat for His obedience. He further
warned the transgressors of the chastisement of Jahannum.
The similitude of this imposition (of
ibaadat as a waajib duty) is like a chain
which is tied around the neck of a prisoner.
The prisoner is taken by means of the chain
in any direction one desires irrespective of
the prisoner's wishes. Similarly, by decreeing Taa-at (Obedience) waajib, Allah Ta'ala
draws the indolent ones towards worship
and obedience. He does so precisely on
account of His mercy and love, just as a
guardian trains and punishes his ward who
perpetrates wrong. He does not permit the
child unbridled freedom to do as he
pleases. The child is thus compelled to do
duties he dislikes and to abandon detest36
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
able characteristics whether he likes it or

not.
It is surprising that some servants
have to be drawn towards Jannat by means
of chains. In other words, they find it difficult
to render A'maal-e-Saalihah (righteous
deeds). Since these deeds have been imposed on them as compulsory duties they
oppose their desires in the execution of
righteousness and gain entry into Jannat.
While ostensibly Taa-at and Khidmat have been decreed obligatory on you,
in reality your entry into Jannat has been
made incumbent and ensured.
In appearance Allah Ta'ala has
made obedience and service to Him compulsory. This conveys the impression that
Allah Ta'ala derives benefit from the bandah's obedience and service whereas He is
independent and is in no need of anything.
The benefit of Ibaadat accrues to us. Thus,
the imposition of ibaadat on us is in actual
fact ensuring our entry into Jannat. Sunhaanallah! How boundless is His Rahmat!
Regarding the statement of Rasulullah ( Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam),
The coolness of my eyes has been put in
Salaat.,
it was asked: Is this rank exclusive with
Rasulullah ( Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) or
do others to enjoy a share in it?'
In reply, the author said:
Undoubtedly, the coolness of the eyes and
the pleasure of the heart which are derived
from the perception (mushaahadah) of the
beauty, splendour and grandeur of Allah
Ta'ala, are in proportion to the deeper
knowledge (irfaan) which the heart has of
Mash-hud-e-Haqeeqi (The True Being of
Perception). No one's irfaan is equal to the
irfaan of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Therefore, no one can experience
coolness of the eyes to the degree of Rasulullah's experience.
The reason for our contention that
the coolness of Rasulullah's eyes is on account of the perception (mushaahadah) of
Jalaal-e-Mash'hood (Divine Beauty), is Rasulullah's own statement, in Salaat
By these words he has indicated what we
Apr. 2009
have contended. He did not say, with Salaat because the coolness of his
eyes could not be possible without his
Rabb. How could it be possible when he
guided others to this stage? Also, by means
of his instruction,
Worship Allah as if you are seeing Him,
he is commanding others to acquire this
lofty stage. The vision of Allah accompanied
by perception of anything besides Allah is
an impossibility.
If someone argues that the coolness of the eyes in Salaah is sometimes on
account of the grace and favour of Allah
Ta'ala, why then will the eyes not be cooled
as a result (of the Divine Favour)? In fact,
Allah Ta'ala, Himself says:
Say Be pleased only with the grace and
mercy of Allah.',
then understand that for the one who reflects on the mysteries and subtleties of
(Allah's) Kalaam, this very aayat indicates
the answer (for the above argument). The
aayat says:
On this, people become pleased.
The aayat does not say:
O Muhammad! You be pleased on it.'
The meaning thus is: Instruct the
people to be pleased with Allah's grace and
favour.' This meaning is also indicated in
another aayat which says:
Say (O Muhammad! I am pleased with
Him.), then leave them playing in their futility.
Rasulullah ( Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had said: The coolness of my eyes
has been put in Salaat.
In other words: I experience great
pleasure and happiness in Salaat.'
Someone had asked the author
whether this rank was exclusive with Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) or do
others too have a share in this experience?
In reply the author (RA) said that coolness
of the eyes, happiness and pleasure of the
heart in Salaah are experienced as a result
of perceiving Divine Beauty and Splendour.
This is experienced by the Ahl-e-Ma'rifat
(the Auliya of lofty ranks). The pleasure experienced in Salaah will be in proportion to
Radiant Reality
the ma'rifat which one possesses of Allah

Ta'ala. It is apparent that Rasulullah's ma'rifat surpasses the ma'rifat of all, hence, he
experienced greater pleasure and coolness
of the eyes than everyone else.
This answer means that pleasure
and coolness of the eyes in Salaah are not
exclusive with Rasulullah (saws), but others
too enjoy this experience in lesser degree
according to their ranks.
This pleasure and coolness of the
eyes are experienced in Salaah by a man
who is not afflicted with nafsaani and shaitaani thoughts. A man who is afflicted with
such thoughts will not experience coolness
of the eyes in Salaah.
It was contended that the cause of
Rasulullah ( Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)
experiencing pleasure and coolness of the
eyes in Salaah was his perception of Allah
and not because of the Salaah itself. The
reason for this contention is that the Hadith

indicates this because it is said:
In Salaah is the coolness of my eyes.
In other words, while in the state of
Salaah Rasulullah ( saws) derived pleasure
on account of Divine Perception. He did not
say: The coolness of my eyes is with Salaah, because such coolness was not attainable from ghairullah (objects besides
Allah). It is evident that Salaah itself is also
ghairullah. How is it possible for Rasulullah's eyes to find coolness in ghairullah
when he, himself has instructed us to worship Allah Ta'ala in such a manner as if we
are seeing Him?
When the servant attains this stage,
there remains then nothing for him other
than Allah. His attention is completely diverted from all others. Even his actions and
existence pale into annihilation. Since Salaah is an act of the bandah, it too is
ghairullah (an object besides Allah). As
such it becomes oblivious to him. At that
time (in Salaah) the coolness of the eyes
and spiritual pleasure are experienced only
because of Divine Presence.
It is argued that coolness of the
(Vol.11, No: 04)
37
Radiant Reality
eyes and spiritual pleasure are attainable

from Salaah itself because Salaah is the
consequence of Allah's grace and mercy,
hence the bandah who is in love with Allah
will necessary derive spiritual pleasure from
the performance of Salaah. Furthermore,
pleasure with Allah's fadhl (kindness, grace)
has been commanded by Allah Ta'ala. He
thus says (in the Qur'aan):
Say (O Muhammad!) They should be
happy with the fadhl and rahmat of Allah.
In view of Salaah also being Allah's
fadhl and rahmat, there will be happiness
and pleasure in it.
The answer to this argument is:
The aayat (quoted above for this
argument), itself indicates the answer. The
instruction is that the people should be
pleased with only fadhl and rahmat. The
aayat does not command:
O Muhammad! Become happy with it.
Thus, the meaning of this answer is
that while people become happy with the
fadhl, rahmat and ihsaan (favour) of Allah,
you, O Muhammad, should be happy with
Allah Himself. This view is substantiated
elsewhere (in the Qur'aan) where the instruction is:
Say (O Muhammad!) Allah! Then leave
them to play in their conjecture.
In other words: Say that I am
pleased with Allah. Then leave them to
play in their conjecture.
It is Haraam
It is haraam to use titles such as King of
kings or Judge of judges for human
beings; to address munafiqeen or kuffaar
with titles like Sayyid (master) (whether
speaking Arabic or other languages), to
use the words If only... - which imply
discontent and regret, and open the way
for Shaytaan, and to say O Allah, forgive me if You want to. (For more information, see Mujam al-Manahi alLafziyyah, Bakr or Zayd)
38
(Vol.11, No: 04)
Apr. 2009
Muslim
Unity
"I gave a lot of thought to the
causes of the sorry state of this ummah,
during the years of my captivity in Malta,"
said Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood-ulHasan. It was 1920, and at 69, he was not
only one of the most distinguished scholars
of his time, he also had spent a life time in
political activism. His audience was a gathering of ulema, eager to hear the lessons of
a life time of study, struggle, and reflection.
His conclusion: "Our problems are caused
by two factors; abandoning the Qur'an and
our in-fighting." He spent the few remaining
days of his life addressing these causes.
These reasons are valid even today. They are also related, the second being caused by the first. The Qur'an had declared us one brotherhood and had warned
us against in-fighting. We have ignored
those teachings and the billion-strong ummah has turned into an ummah fragmented
into a billion segments.
A very large number of our internal
battles is the result of narrowly defined selfinterests. Islam could have been the force
that helped us overcome that. Unfortunately, instead of letting it fulfill that role,
today we have made even religion provide
us with additional and unresolvable points
of conflict. We fight over petty issues of fiqh.
We fight over fine points of religious interpretation. We turn minor points of religious
law into big battlegrounds while most important and fundamental teachings of religion
are violated.
We do all this even as this religion
has been under attack from all directions.
Thousands of people become apostates
every year in Pakistan. Qadianis (who declare Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian to be
Apr. 2009
a prophet), and munkareen-e-hadith have

been busy attracting our new generations to
their falsehoods. Haram is being declared
as halal. Our masses are ignorant of their
religion and easily indulge in customs borrowed from polytheists. On top of all that is
the western culture of hedonism, of shamelessness, of moral anarchy, that is invading
our societies through film, television, radio,
and obscene literature. Corruption of all
sorts has permeated all layers of our society. Should not we be reflecting on this and
asking ourselves what would the Prophet,
Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, expect of us,
the heirs of the prophets? In the hereafter
shall we be able to give a sufficient answer
by mentioning that we wrote a book on rafayadain (the issue of raising hands during
certain movements in obligatory prayer)?
Once I saw Maulana Anwar Shah
Kashmiri in a very sad mood. What is the
matter, I asked. "I have wasted my whole
life," he said. "You have spent your entire
life in spreading Islamic teachings.
Thousands of your disciples are
themselves ulema who are serving the religion. If that is a waste, what hope can anyone else have?" I insisted. "Look, what has
been the main thrust of all our efforts," he
replied. "It has been to show why Hanafi
school is better than others. Imam Abu
Hanifa did not need this. His grandeur did
not need our approval. Imam Shafii, Imam
Malik, and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal could
not care less about it. All that one can ever
prove in these matters is that a certain position is right but has the probability of being
wrong and the other position is wrong but
has the probability of being right. Moreover,
these issues will not be resolved even in the
hereafter. For Allah will not humiliate Imam
Shafii, Abu Hanifa, Malik, or Ahmed bin
Hanbal by showing that they were in error."
Then he added: "Today when the roots of
Islam are under attack, we have been busy
taking care of the leaves."
It is not that debates or disagreements in religious interpretation are themselves evil. Today many western educated
Muslims, with scant understanding of their
Radiant Reality
religion do think that way. Some even suggest that we should bury all fiqhi schools
and create a new one. This is neither possible nor desirable. Differences of opinion are
inevitable wherever people have both intellect and honesty. Complete consensus on
every issue is possible only when either
everyone is dumb, so they cannot think of a
different idea, or they are dishonest so they
willingly agree with a position that they consider wrong. After all religious interpretations are not personal rights that can be
sacrificed away.
The problem occurs when we overstate these differences. There were differences of opinion in fiqh among the Companions, their followers, and great Mujahideen. But they did not turn these into
fights. They disagreed but they maintained
respect and love for each other. The brotherhood remained intact. They had tolerance
for the other view.
How can we have tolerance for
something we know is wrong? Of course we
cannot have any tolerance for anything
clearly established as wrong by Qur'an or
Hadith. We can never show accommodation
for apostasy. We can never agree on
changing the Shariah's established definitions of halal and haram. But beyond this
there are issues about which Qur'an and
Sunnah are silent or are subject to more
than one interpretation. Here the mujahideen deduce the intent of Qur'an and
Sunnah based on their best ability. Here
disagreements are possible. As long as
those involved are qualified mujahideen
(like the four respected imams), their differing views have to be respected. We can
follow only one opinion, and we should try
and determine the one closest to the intent
of the Shariah, but we cannot declare opposing views as evil. We exaggerate when
we deal with people holding valid opposing
views as if they were outside the bounds of
Islam.
Overstatement (ghuloo) is the main
cause of most fights involving our religious
groups. It also happens with Islamic organiContd on page7
(Vol.11, No: 04)
39
Radiant Reality
Apr. 2009
Saviours of Islamic Spirit

Sheikh-ul-Islam Hafiz Ibn Taimiyah
Mawlana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi (RA)
Character and Achievements

Dauntless courage
Ibn Taimiyah's engagement in literary pursuits and devotion to God so engaged his attention that he never thought of
accepting the responsibilities of a married
life. He busied himself in giving legal opinions and helping others to solve their problems since early morning until the time arrived for offering mid-day prayer. He spent
the whole day in that manner and taught the
students until it was quite late in the night.
In between these engagements, he would
keep himself busy in recollection of God, in
praising Him and in seeking His forgiveness.
Acquisition of knowledge was the
other errand in which Ibn Taimiyah continuously kept himself employed. "It seems",
says Siraj ud-din Abu Hafs al-Bazzar, 'that
study and edification had become his mood
and mental aptitude, dwelling in him and
pervading all his actions.
Ibn Taimiyah's sincerity and honesty of purpose is apparent from the fact
that on every occasion when his enemies
caused him trouble and distress, he was
generous enough to declare: "I acquit every
Muslim accountable for the troubles caused
to me." The way he forgave Qazi Ibn Makhluf and insisted on Sultan Qalawoon to
pardon all those theologians and jurists who
had earlier opposed him speaks volumes of
his large-heartedness and nobility of disposition. Always scrupulously careful to adhere to that which was manifestly true and
right even in thought, his differences of
opinion with other doctors of religion were
always because of disagreement on religious and intellectual issues and never owing to personal acrimony. And, indeed, it
was only on account of his unimpeachable
honesty of purpose and uprightness that he
40
(Vol.11, No: 04)
was enabled to bequeathj within the span of

67 years from birth to death, which was full
of restlessness and mentally tiring activities,
anxiety and anguish caused by his adversaries, and adverse fortune and untoward
events brought by destiny, a store of encyclopaedic literature which was enough to
gain recognition not for one but several erudite scholars. He profoundly altered through
his sincerity, independence of mind and
indefatigable efforts, not only the course of
religious thought of his time but also left
such indelible imprints and influences which
are still pregnant for the future-He can thus
rightly be claimed as the harbinger of a new
era of intellectual and religious thought in
Islam.
Literary Achievements
There are some distinguishing characteristics of Ibn Taimiyah's writings which
make them singularly different from those of
his contemporary scholars. They can still
hold our interest and are, in fact, again exerting a formative influence on the more
thoughtful sections of the Muslim society.
The first impression that a reader
gathers from his writings is that the author
has reached the core of religion. His discussions tend to centre round the fundamental
bases of the subject matter while his forceful, lucid and exhaustive treatment of the
subject captivates the heart and mind of the
reader. Almost all his compositions, whether
full-fledged treatises or small articles; especially those which deal with a creedal, dialectical or juristic question, throw light on
some inmost aspect or essence of the
Shariah.
Another feature of his writings is
that they reflect the ideas, conditions and
problems of his day. One can easily find out
Apr. 2009
from his essays the moral and intellectual

conditions, social problems and religious
and cultural life of the society of his lime.
These descriptions also speak of the likes
and dislikes, views and feelings of Ibn
Taimiyah in regard to the prevailing :onditions for he never wrote as an unconcerned and indifferent narrator of the
events.
His commentaries on the Quranic
verses restate the abiding truths m terms of
life and surrounding conditions, make a
close study of the different sections of society, their manners and morals, customs and
habits and point out the disfiguring innovations in form and thought resulting from the
disregard of Divine guidance. The intimate
bearing of his writings on life of the then
society has imparted them attraction and
effectiveness which will hold attention of the
people for all times to come.
Whatever subject Ibn Taimiyah
takes up, he presents, in a few pages, all
the connected material culling them from
hundreds of volumes on different subjects.
The comprehensive treatment of every issue on which he writes, whether pertaining
10 speculative sciences or creed and religion, is peculiar to Ibn Taimiyah. At times the
matter collected by him in a single volume is
so extensive that it takes a long and intensive study to assimilate it. At the same time,
however, the multitude of ideas and excess
of details cloud the original theme and make
it difficult for the reader to follow his
thoughts. But this does not, in any way, decrease the usefulness of his works, each
one of which is a compendium of all the
then available information on that particular
subject. But for these encyclopedic works of
Ibn Taimiyah a lot of precious thoughts, utterances and writings of the old would have
been lost for ever.
Nevertheless, Ibn Taimiyah's writings lack concentration of treatment as he
very often switches over to a related subject
which unnecessarily prolongs the discussion. Anybody not acquainted with his writings, thus, finds it extremely difficult to assimilate his ideas as well as keep his eyes
Radiant Reality
on the central theme of the essay. This is,

undoubtedly, a natural defect found in the
writings of those endowed with the breadth
of interests and nimbleness along with impassioned eloquence, as was the case with
Ibn Taimiyah. It seems that he was unable
to keep himself strictly confined to the narrow limits of any subject and the restless
wanderings of his mind continued So recall
everything connected with the matter in
hand in quick succession. This also holds
true of his lecturer as one of his disciples;
Hafiz Abu Hafs al-Bazzai, succinctly described in these words, "Whenever he
started lecturing on any subject the Providence unveiled before his eyes the treasure
house of knowledge; recondite truths and
hidden meanings, precepts and principles
enunciated by the masters of yore and all
the similitudes and illustrations of the subject found in Arabic poetics, and it seemed
that a head stream of knowledge was surging forth like a swift torrent." The same was
the case during debates wherein he usually
raised too many issues which confounded
his contenders, who found it difficult to answer them adequately. This was the reason
why the scholars of Syria and Egypt more
often fought shy of challenging him during
academic discussions or polemical disputations. One of his contemporary scholars and
a noted debater, Sheikh Safi ud-din alHindi, once remarked, "Ibn Taimiyah, you
are like a breezy bird; whenever I try to
catch hold of you at one point you swiftly
move on to another."
The writings of Ibn Taimiyah, like
his speeches, are burdened with excessive
details and digressions from the main topic
but even these, being informative and brilliantly couched, are rewarding for painstaking students.
Lastly, Ibn Taimiyah's works also
differ from other writings of his time on dialectical and juristic subjects. Deviating from
the beaten tack of a graceless and severe
style and legal wordage of writings on these
subjects, Ibn Taimiyahs dress of thought is
graced by literary allusions and quick wit,
ease and lucidity of style and vigour and
(Vol.11, No: 04)
41
Radiant Reality
eloquence which possess an immediate

appeal to the readers. When he writes of
the precepts of the old masters and the
seemliness of the course followed by them
his vigour of thought imparts a life, a spirit
to his writings that vies with the liveliness and grace of a forceful oration. Ibn
Taimiyah's biographers and contemporary
writers have also made a mention of his
silvery tongue which was matched by his
literary flourish. Speaking of the force and
flow of Ibn Taimiyah's elocution, Hafiz Abu
Hafs al-Bazzar says: "His oration had the
force of the flood, the rising tide of the sea.
When he spoke, it appeared that he was not
Apr. 2009
here but somewhere else : his eyes half

closed and the face radiant with a heavenly
grace, his haranguing overawed his audience."
Ibn Taimiyah's efforts to revive the
true faith cover a vast field which can
broadly be categorized into revival of faith in
the Unity of God, eradication of pantheistic
ideas, criticism of philosophy, syllogistic
logic and dialectics to assert the superiority
of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, extirpation of
un-Islamic beliefs through refutation of
Christianity and Shiaism and, lastly, rejuvenation of Islamic thought and its related sciences.
SALVATION
"Whatisthewaytosalvation?"ThiswastheveryconcisequestionthatHazrath
UqbabinAamir(R.A.)posedtoRasulullah(SallallahuAlaihiWasallam).Subhanallah!This
wasthemainconcernoftheSahabah(R.A.)howtogainsalvationfromthefitnas(evil
andmischief)ofthisworldaswellasthetormentsoftheHereafter.Rasulullah(Sallallahu
AlaihiWasallam)gaveamostconcisereplytotheconcisequestion.Hesaid:"Controlyour
tongue,letyourhousebesufficientforyouandcryoveryoursins(Targheeb)."Thisisan
alltimeremedyforremainingsafefromthefitnasofthisworldandthenext.
INFERNO
Themisuseofthetonguecreatesunimaginableproblems.Awrongwordpierces
heartsandbreaksrelationships.Onewrongwordcouldsparkaninfernothatcouldburn
downentirefamiliesinitswake.AwrongwordcanalsolandapersoninthefireofJahan
num. Hence, one should think carefully before saying anything. This will save one from
muchmiseryandhardship.
"Let your home be sufficient for you" meansthatwithoutanygenuinedeenior

worldlyneed,oneshouldremainwithinthehomeenvironment.Thefitnasoutdoors,espe
ciallyinshoppingmalls,beaches,parks,etc.,arebecomingworsebytheday.Ifonemust
leaveoutofgenuinenecessity,continuousistighfaarshouldbemade.
CRY
The third advice was to cry over one's sins. Allah Ta'ala loves the one who sin
cerely sheds tears of repentance. It is reported in a Hadith that the eye that was re
strainedfromharaam(bynotcastinglustfulglances),theeyethatremainedonguardin
thepathofAllahandtheeyethatcriedoutofthefearofAllahwillnotenterJahannum.
While this Hadith applies for all times, let us very strictly adhere to the advice
thereinespeciallyinthemubarakmonthofRamadhaan.Spendingthisonemonthinthe
correctmannerwillpavethewayfortherestoftheyeartobespentintheobedienceof
AllahTa'ala.MayAllahTa'alaenableustodoso.Aameen.
42
(Vol.11, No: 04)
The Aadaab of Things in General Use

Do not purchase unnecessary crockery or utensils. This is wasteful.
Always keep a stock of essential medicines at home.
Along a journey, do not eat foods given by a stranger.
On a journey, do not accept responsibility of caring for the goods or anything of
strangers, nor undertake to deliver any letter or parcel for them.
Take additional money with you on a long journey.
If you are in debt, then remember to pay immediately when you can afford
something. Pay whatever you are able to.
Do not give such large loans which will put you into difficulties in the event of
non-payment.
Do not use medicine without it having been prescribed by a qualified physician,
especially eye-drops.
Safeguard and treat with care an object which you have borrowed. After use,
return it immediately. Do not wait for the owner to request the return of the
item.
Do not use the articles of others without their permission. To do so is sinful.
However, if someone did commit this sin, he should return the item to its original place so that the owner experiences no difficulty in locating it.
Have fixed places for your things. Always replace them in their fixed places after use.
Do not lift very heavy objects. Many people suffer life-long ailment and physical
dislocation as a result of having lifted very heavy burdens in their younger days.
In this regard, women should exercise exceptional care.
Do not throw anything, e.g. a pebble, in playfulness. It may strike someone in
the eye or hurt another.
If you have to pass in a gathering with a sharp instrument, keep the point or
sharp edge down, covered or concealed to avoid accidental injury to anyone.
Do not, in jest, point a sharp instrument to anyone. This is dangerous and forbidden.
Do not give an open knife in someone's hand. Place it down so that he may lift it
himself.
If a hard-pressed person offers an item for sale, do not take advantage of his
situation to acquire the article at a ridiculous price. Either aid him or purchase
it for a fair price.
Rafatul Bari
A Comprehensive & Scholarly Commentary
in English of
Sahih al-Bukhari
(The Most Authentic Hadith Collection)

By
Dr. Rafiq Ahmad.
First of its kind in the world made available in a

lucid and easy language.
Useful for both scholars and commoners.
Very popular in South Africa, UK & USA.
Locally available at:
Maktaba al-Ghazali,
Gaw Kadal Chowk.
Srinagar, Kashmir.
Ph: 0194-2481821

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Regd. No. JKENG/2000/4147

Published from Srinagar, April 2010 Vol. 11. No. 04.

P.O.Box:- 974, GPO, Srinagar, 190001, Kashmir. India.

Editor, Printer & Publisher:

Published From Srinagar.

Ateqad Publishing House.

*Letters should be addressed to the Editor-inchief.

April. 2010. Vol.11, No: 04.

3. Lesson from the Quran

4. Lesson from Sahih al-Bukhari

5. Fallacy of the Prophesies

6. The Conditions of Tawheed

7. Organisation of the Quran

10. Alcohol According to Quran .

11. Why are We Divided

13. Muslim Unity

14. Saviours of Islamic Spirit

P.O. Box 974 G.P.O.

All thanks for Almighty, the most Merciful and Exalted.

A Reversed Couse of Action Needed

(Vol.11, No: 04)

fortitude and internal solidarity, re-emerged,

ter up confidence, erudition, systematic

rediscovers its pristine glory in the footsteps

(Vol.11, No: 04)

(Vol.11, No: 04)

ing hand to them, even to those who cause

and should weigh up the pros and cons of

hear. Pray to Allah to guide the mother of

Lesson From The Quran

Verses 180 182

(Vol.11, No: 04)

This much was their right; the rest went to

dying person to necessarily make a will in

mously agree that an injunction which

should make sure that these are taken care

The Book of Knowledge

Avarice (greed) is the cause of

(Vol.11, No: 04)

ing the Rami.' The Prophet beckoned with

NarratorAsma Bint Abi Bakr (RA)

(Vol.11, No: 04)

ered the Khutba (speech) and said that he

prophethood and for such people there will

and the hypocrite will be questioned about

Contd from page 24

Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani:

Fallacy of the Prophecies

(Vol.11, No: 04)

ing breath like Messiah, curer of diseases, a

Ghulam Ahmad prophesied cautiously in

he announced a prophecy he would selfdeprecate if the prophecy was not fulfilled; a

(Vol.11, No: 04)

shipped but Allah) they puffed themselves

(hypocrites) who say: 'We believe in Allah

And also, Abu Hurayrah (RA) asked

AVARICE THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

(Vol.11, No: 04)

brief, one word or two words description of

(Vol.11, No: 04)

Manzil No. 2. Surahs 5 to 9.

nights of Ramadan. Partitioning of the

Contd from previous issue