Living In The Shade Of The Qur'an...

The world we live in is essentially friendly and hospitable, and its spirit interacts fully with ours. It, like us, turns to One Creator in total submission and reverence. ‘All that is in the heavens and the earth, and their own shadows, prostrate themselves before Allah, willingly and unwillingly morning and evening (13:15).’ ‘The seven heavens, the earth, and all that is in them, glorify Him; there is nothing but celebrate His praises (17:44).’ Such powerful, outward-looking, all-embracing and optimistic vision inspires utter confidence within the human heart and fills the soul with total inner peace and security. 

To live in the shade of the Qur’an is a great blessing which can only be fully appreciated by those who experience it. It is a rich experience what give meaning to life and makes it worth living. I am deeply thankful to Allah Almighty for blessing me with this uplifting experience for a considerable time, which was the happiest and most fruitful period of my life -  a privilege for which I am eternally grateful. 

COMMUNICATING WITH ALLAH 

It is a great honor to feel that Allah Almighty should be addressing me, a humble and insignificant human being, with the blessing and inspiring words of the Qur’an. They lifted my spirits, and I was raised to a unique vantage point from where I could observe the tumult of human life. I was able to gain a new perspective into man’s endless quest for the trivial and the mundane and the clamor of ephemeral and childish pursuits.  I was astounded by the message which has the power to uplift and entirely transform human perception, experience and history on this earth.

I had the opportunity to study the Qur’an at length and ponder over its clear and full conception of creation and existence and their purpose. I could compare the impact of those ideas with that of others put forward by people throughout history. And I wondered how has life been allowed to degenerate into such darkness and despair, while this rich treasure of guidance and enlightenment is readily available?

Difference between Ruling and Legislating...

Question: What is the ruling on and the difference between ruling by other than what Allah revealed and legislating laws other than what Allah has legislated, and is this what is occurring in some of the lands of Islam?

Answer: The difference between them is that legislating is more specific that ruling by other than what Allah revealed, and ruling by other than what Allah revealed is more general. This is due to the one who rules (or judges) by other than what Allah revealed could be ruling according to the legislated man-made laws, or he may be ruling by his whims and desires. As for legislating, it is kuffr akbar (major kuffr), and no more elaboration is needed. It is an action of kuffr akbar and there is no need to look into the belief of the one who does it. Allah said,

“Or have they partners with Allah, who have legislated for them a way which Allah has not allowed.” [42:21]

And He said,

“And if you obey them, then you would indeed be mushrikun.” [6:121]

As for ruling by other than what Allah revealed, then in this there are details. If he judges by his whims or desires in a single judgement, then this is kuffr duna kuffr as indicated in the hadith, “The judges are three: two judges that are in the Fire…” in which it speaks about the ignorant judge and the judge who rules by his desires, and this is the relevant part of the hadith. If he judges by man-made laws and legislation, rules, regulations, customs, traditions and similar things which oppose the Shari‘ah, then this is kuffr akbar. Allah said,

“And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the kaafirun.” [5:44]

Commanding Good AND Forbidding Evil...

We Are Obliged To Command Good And Forbid Evil !!!

Allah says,

Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma'ruf (all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful [Surah Al Imran 3:104]

Al-Khair in the above ayah is al-Islam, maruf means good, munkar means evil and the muflifoon are those who are successful.
Regarding the issue of what is good and what is evil; some topics are known by necessity, whereas others are only known by the scholars (ulema).
E.g. it is not allowed to burn fly using machine in butchers shop
E.g. the knife needs to be sharp before slaughtering

Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil in Society
The Leader in society, he is accountable to lead by the Shariah and not to bring any kufr bawah (clear disbelief); in turn if he will account the people to behave and abide by the shariah.
The people in society must rise and remove the leader if there are any signs of kufr bawah.

Al Maruf
The noun is derived from the Arabic verb arafa, which means to know; so linguistically maruf literally means something which is known.
A similar noun to maruf is al-Mustahsan or what is desirable or preferable

Shariah definition: A noun that composes any matter which is obedience to Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), whether wajib (obligatory) or mandoub (recommended)

The greatest maruf on a societal level is to call for Tawheed to be implemented on a state level i.e. Khilafah. This can be seen by the five main role of the Khilafah.

Resisting the Urge to Compromise...

The word Hikmah (wisdom) has been misinterpreted for too long. It means to approach the people in the best way possible, to act in the in most appropriate way, taking that particular situation into account. It has never meant to give a false image of Islam for personal or community welfare. When Muslims are willing to compromise in all aspects of their life, we lose the favor of Allah, emit an image of weakness to our enemies, and lose dignity in the sight of our Creator. 

All praise is due to Allah, the Just, the Bestower, and peace and blessings upon our beloved and humble Prophet Muhammad (saws). 

The most popular catch-cry of today’s generation is the word "compromise". The weak consider it as harmless, the ignorant hold it as beneficial, and the miss-guided count it as essential.

This conclusion may seem extreme, but that’s the reality. In Islam, there is absolutely no room for compromise. There is no evidence that the Prophet (saws) ever did so, nor did his companions, or does the Qur’an provide scope for it. This stance also makes rational sense to those who sincerely dwell upon this topic. 

A person suffering from a heart condition would be foolish if he chose to consume half of the medicine prescribed, and then took sugar lollies as a substitute for the rest of the tablets. Who is he cheating? Not the doctor, who sought the best possible solution for his condition, nor the pharmacist, who supplied the medicine. The patient is the one at loss.

Surely Allah, in His Wisdom and Mercy chose Islam as the medicine for the ills of humanity and the society we live, a cure for the cancer of interest and woes of politics, the mistreatment of women and the division of society, the nature of man and his insatiable desires. 

Why do we Compromise?

Response of Believers in Hardship !

The Prophet (saws) said, "The greater the affliction, the greater the  reward. When Allah loves some people, He tests them with affliction. Those who accept, find satisfaction, and those who are discontented will only find iscontent." [Narrated by Ibn Majah: 4031]

One day, some people passed by a man who was crippled, leprous, and blind He said, "All praise and thanks to Allah, Who spared me the affliction which He caused you." The people wondered at this, and he said, "Allah has blessed me with remembering Him, and spared me the oblivion in which you live."

It does not take much for us to be satisfied with the Blessings of Allah and enjoy serenity. When a true believer encounters certain difficulties, he meets them with gratitude, even if the wisdom behind them is not clear to him. When Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), died, the Prophet (saws) said, "The eye sheds tears, and the heart feels grief, and we are sad to part with you Ibrahim.” [Fath Al-Bari (The Book of Funerals: 1303)] The issue of acceptance is not relevant to agreeable fate, but rather to painful fate. Conversely, discontentment is the door to worries, grief, and sorrow. Allah, the All-Wise, is never unjust. The Prophet (saws) used to say in part of a supplication, "Your judgment will be enforced upon me, and the fate You set for me is just." Anyone who is subjected to tragedy should think of the rewards for being patient during times of difficulty. Instead, he who praises Allah for a difficulty that he encounters may be led to a bounty much better than that which he lost. The Prophet (saws) said, "One of the causes of man's happiness is his acceptance of the fate ordained for him by Allah. One of the causes of man's misery is his failing to consult Allah. Another factor of a man's misery is his discontentment with the fate ordained by Allah.” [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi; 2151]

The Four Principles Which Separates...

This is a brief treatise regarding some principles by which a Muslim will be able to differentiate between his great Deen and the new paganism -- the modern Shirk called Secularism (al-‘Ilmaniyyah) - so that the Muslim can renounce and steer clear of it and its followers, the Secularists (al-‘Ilmaniyyun).

Also, so that the Muslim can be free (Baraa’ah) from them, reject them (Takfeer), have hostility (‘Adawah) towards them, despise them (Baghdha’), and wage war (Jihad) against them whether they are academics, educationists, politicians, rulers, journalists, the wealthy, representatives, or theories, governments, and organizations, etc.

So these Four Principles are:

The First Principle:

The Mushrikun to whom the Messenger of Allah (saws) was sent, they also believed that none has Rububiyyah except Allah.

Allah says:

Say (O Muhammad): "Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?" They will say: "Allah." Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allah's Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?" [10:31]