Praying For Bad Things?

                         “And man (often) prays for things that are

                          bad as if he were praying for something

                          that is good; and man is prone to be hasty

                         (in his judgments)” (Qur’an, 17:11).

God describes man, in general, as being the most ardently avid in his love of wealth (see Qur’an, 100:8). And the love of alluring desires (sex, heaps of gold and silver, and all enjoyment of the worldly life) (see: 3:14) has been made attractive to him. That love of glittery material encompasses almost all human beings, although at different degrees. And that part of man’s nature is certainly which makes him often wish to obtain many things, which in fact are not necessarily good for him, although he thinks that all what he wishes is the best for him.

That is because man’s knowledge cannot embrace all dimensions or all true aspects of a thing or a matter, and thus his knowledge is certainly insufficient to judge the correctness of his view. God says in the Qur’an: “..and you may dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you; and God knows, whereas you do not know” (2:216).

That is why Prophet Muhammad (may peace and God’s blessings be upon him) used to advise his companions to acquire a consultation prayer: Jabir bin Abdillah reported that the Messenger of God said: “When anyone of you intends to start an enterprise, he should perform a prayer of two units (other than the obligatory regular prayer), and then supplicate God as follows: O God, I am consulting You through Your knowledge, and ask strength trough Your Power, and ask of Your Great Bounty, for You are Capable whereas I am not; and You know and I do not; and You are the Most Knower of hidden things. O God, if You know that this matter (and name it) is good for me in respect of my Faith, my livelihood and the consequences of my affaires, the sooner or the later, then ordain it for me, and bless it for me. But if You know this matter to be bad for my Faith, my livelihood or the consequences of my affairs sooner or later, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and grant me power to do good whatever it may be, and cause me to be contend with it”

(Recorded by Bukhari in his Collection of Hadith).

After such a consultation with God, one can continue to pursue his plan; if he succeeds in his goal, then it is good for him, and if he fails to obtain what he wished, then he should also be content, because it means that what he thought good, was most probably considered bad by God Who knows better.

Suhaib (one of the Prophet’s companions) reported: The Messenger of God (peace and God’s blessings be upon him) said: “Wonderful is the believer’s attitude. All his affair is good for him; and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a true believer, for: if he acquires delighted things he feels grateful to God, so it is good for him; and if he is afflicted with a detriment, he would perseveres it patiently, and that is good for him” (Recorded by Muslim in his Collection of Hadith).

A true believer will certainly accept anything that happens to him/her with serenity, because s/he believes in what is stated in the Qur’an: “No affliction befalls in the earth, or in yourselves, unless it be (laid down) in Our decree before We bring it into being; verily all this is easy for God, so that you may not despair over whatever escaped you, nor exult (unduly) over whatever (good) has come to you; for God does not like any swaggering braggart” (57:22-23).

But of course a true believer has to exercise his own will, which was given by God, because he will be questioned about it in the Hereafter: “And you will not be recompensed only for what you used to do” (37:39), yet the consequences that follow are in accordance with the laws and Plan of God, as His knowledge is always correct and indubitably encompasses everything.

Do Not “Worship Satan”!

                              “Did I not charge you O children of Adam

                               that you should not worship Satan, truly

                               he is a manifest enemy to you, and that

                               (you should) worship Me – that is the

                               straight path? And verily he has led astray

                               a great many of you. Could you not, then,

                               use your reason?” (Qur’an; 36:60-62).

To inform Mankind about the real place of Satan in their life, the Qur’an gives a panorama of the trial scene where God asked two kinds of beings to bow down before Adam (the first human being). The angels (naturally) obeyed God’s order, and Iblis (a Jinn being) refused and disobeyed. His plea was that he was created out of a superior element than Adam’s who was created out of clay (he did not consider the special spirit God has endowed Adam). Thus, the disobedience of Iblis was caused by his arrogance.

Adam made a mistake of disobedience too when he ate from a tree which God had warned him and his wife not to approach. But his disobedience was only caused by his weakness when Iblis manipulated him, whereupon he asked for God’s forgiveness, so God forgave him and his wife. And as a consequence Adam and his wife were ordered to start the habitation on earth.

And when the Qur’an talked about the sluggish response and the refusal of many people to the call of God’s messengers, the Qur’an gives a clear description: “And so it is that, We assigned for each Prophet enemies from among human being and Jinn who inspire alluring words to one another in order to deceive; yet, had your Lord willed, they would never have done it. So leave them with what they fabricate. And (they seduce one another) in order that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline to it, and that they may be well pleased with it, and so that they may acquire what they are acquiring” (6:112-113).

God gives certain free-will to Mankind and Jinn for the real trial during their life in this world; and that is the meaning of “had your Lord willed, they would never have done it” in the verse I quoted above.

And now what is that charge which God has put upon all descendent of Adam since the very beginning of humanity on earth? “Worshipping Satan” means submitting one’s self consciously to any evil influences, other than God. God wants human beings to submit only to Him, not to any other being.

Evil influences

In fact there are two kinds of evil influences that can afflict any human being: one is from one’s innermost self, and the other comes from outside.

The first one, which is from the innermost self is the free desire. God says: “.. and who is more astray than he who follows his desire without any guidance from God? ..” (28:50).

“Have you ever considered (the kind of man) who makes his own desire as his god, and whom God has (thereupon) let astray knowing (that his mind is closed to all guidance), and whose hearing and heart He has sealed, and upon his sight He has placed a veil? Who, then, could guide him after God (has abandoned him)? Will you not,

then, bethink yourselves?” (45:23).

This innermost self has been given the gift of certain faculties, so that it is capable of receiving instructions and intellectual and spiritual insights. God says: “Verily it is We Who have created man out of a drop of sperm intermingled, so that We might try him, and therefore We made him a being endowed with hearing (= faculties of receiving instruction) and sight (= intellectual and spiritual insight). Verily We have shown him the way: (and it rests with him to prove himself) either grateful (to God) or ungrateful” (76:2-3).

Every one will face good and bad experiences in his life; in both circumstances, one should be well balanced, not too proud, nor distressed, because these two characters will allow Satan to interfere. When difficulties afflict someone, they should be patient. The Qur’an has given us an example: When God tried Prophet Ayoub (Job) with a lot of sufferings and his trial lasted so many years, he started to feel annoyed, then he realised that this weary feeling, which started to arise within him comes certainly from a satanic whisperer, so he immediately called to God asking for His mercy: “And call to mind Our servant Job, (how it was) when he cried out to his Lord: Behold, Satan has afflicted me with (utter) weariness and suffering” (38:41).  “And Job, when he called out to his Lord: Indeed harm has befallen me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful. So We responded to him, and removed the harm that had befallen him, and We gave him (back) his family, along with them (other children) the like of them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder to worshippers” (21:83-84).

So if a person wilfully and persistently resists God’s ordinances, and follows the vanities of his desires, he will be punished by God in the Hereafter; and if he is firm in his belief in God and forbids his inner self from base desires, he will be rewarded excellently: “And for him who had transgressed all bounds, and had preferred the life of this world, the abode will be Hell-fire; but as for him who feared the stance before his Lord, and forbid his inner self from base desires, Paradise will truly be the goal” (79:37-41).

All this information about the innermost state of man’s feelings and consciousness is given in the Qur’an by the Creator who says: “And verily it is We Who created man and We know what his innermost self whispers within him, for We are closer to him than his neck-vein” (50:16).

And the second is the satanic influence, which comes from the slinking whisperer, either from Jinn, but also often comes from human whisperer. For that, God has guided the believers to say a special prayer, as follows: “Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind, the Controller of Mankind, the God of Mankind, against the harm of the slinking whisperer – who whispers into the hearts of people – whether they be Jinn or human beings” (114:1-6).

This evil can acutely afflict only when the person does not care about his function in this life, thus does not make any effort to purify his own self, and lets it become the victim of the free desire or the victim of the outsider evil, the satanic one. God explains in the Qur’an that the successful person in this life is the one who candidly purifies himself and does not let the evil desire influence him (see Qur’an, 91:7-10).

Although this satanic influence afflicts human beings from outside, it however always affects through a slinking whisper to the heart/mind of a person. This comes either from a Jinn being, which is beyond human perception, or from the same human being, but again it will first influence the heart/mind.

That is why Prophet Abraham (God’s blessings be upon him) was so anxious to see that his father did not respond to God’s guidance, so he asked his father: “O my father! Do not worship Satan – verily. Satan is a rebel against the Most Gracious. O my father! I do fear lest a chastisement from the Most Gracious befall you, and then you will become an ally of Satan!” (19:44-45).

The danger of this satanic influence does not face the devotees, as God has stated to Iblis (the Satan who refused God’s order to bow down before Adam): “Truly over My servants you shall have no power, except over those who follow you from among the perverse” (15:42).

Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As reported that Prophet Muhammad (Peace and God’s blessings be upon him) said: “None of you (fully) believes until his desires are subservient to that which I have brought (of guidance)”  (from 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi).

Shaddad bin Aus reported: The Prophet (peace and God’s blessings be upon him) said: “The wise person is the one who calls himself to account (and refrain from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires, and (in the same time) longing from God the fulfilment of excellent fate” (Recorded by Tirmidhi).

And among the noble deeds is, of course, to be consistent in purifying one’s self, so to become immune to any possible satanic delusion. God says: “.. and whoever purifies himself does so for his own benefit, and to God is the (end of the) journeying” (35:18).

Festival And Distress !

Today, the first of Shawal 1436 (17/7/2015) is Eid-el-Fitr, the Fast Breaking Day, supposed to be celebrated with enjoyment and lighthearted pleasure. But Muslims everywhere in the world today celebrate this “festive” day with a lot of sorrow and distress.

This whole year, including the month of Ramadan we witness a very abominable situation, and a large number of cruel and inhumane killing and destruction in so many countries: Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Somalia, and Libya. Palestine is of course in permanent distress, since 1948.

It is a distressful festival as everyday hundreds of people, in different countries are killed or wounded, thousands are tortured, in or outside of prisons. Hundreds of thousands are obliged to leave their homes (mostly already destroyed by blasting barrels).

Everyday we find more orphans mourning their parents, or parents mourning their children, and some families crushed all together under their annihilated houses.

In many regions in Yemen, and also in many refugee camps people have neither enough food, nor drinkable water.

Almost everyday we learn about hundreds of people drowning in the Mediterranean, seeking to leave their own countries and trying to reach any European shore, despite knowing full well the risks in their endeavor.

But we find the greatness of God’s ordinance, when we reflect on the text of prayers ordered to be the slogan in Islamic festivals. It is indeed suitable for both in joyful or in horrible situations: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahi al-Hamd; which means: God is Greater, God is Greater, God is Greater. There is no god but (the One) God, God is Greater, God is Greater, and for God alone is the ultimate Praise!

Therefore, Muslims everywhere, whatever the situation that befall them, will say the same prayers, the same slogan: the slogan of praising God and seeking His blessings.

“Lailatul-Qadr”, The Peak Of Celebrating The Qur’an

The Qur’an is God’s revelation sent down to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final and most complete piece of revelation in the continued chain of divine revelation, which had been going on since the early human history. Its innermost purpose has always been God’s warning to man not to live only for material purposes, but should take the spiritual values seriously, thus worshipping God alone, and following His guidance.

To celebrate the revelation of the Qur’an is to celebrate the greatest bounty and favor from God to humanity. Muslims are ordered to perform fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the peak of this celebration, in addition to observing the duties of the entire month, is to intensify the devotion to God during the Lailatul-Qadr (the Night of Sublimity or Night of Predestination).

Although it is the duty of every Muslim to be always honest, active, generous, devout and behaving in good manners, he is expected on those sacred occasions, notably in the blessed Night of “Lailatul-Qadr”, to be more resolute in controlling him/herself, and to intensify and increase his/her good deeds.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: “Whosoever performs prayers of the Night of Sublimity with deep faith and has been highly hopeful of God’s reward, will have his/her previous sins forgiven” (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim).

That blessed Night is better than a thousand months. God says: “Behold, from on high have We bestowed this (divine writ) on the Night of Ordainment (Sublimity). And what could make you conceive what it is, that Night of Ordainment? The night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months: in hosts descend in it the angels, bearing divine inspiration by their Lord’s permission; with every command. It is peaceful until the rising of the dawn” (97:1-5).

In this Chapter (97) God mentioned “anzalna” (= We have sent down). So we may understand that the whole Qur’an already descended on that night, from “al-Lauh al-Mahfoudh” (= the Preserved Tablet), and started gradually to be revealed at that night, as we see in Chapter 85 Verse 22. Because we see in Chapter 3 and Chapter 15 God mentioned “nazzalna” as follows: “Behold, it is We Ourselves Who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this Reminder: and, behold, it is We Who shall truly guard it (from all corruption)” (15:9).  

  

God, the Merciful, has made the anniversary of this revelation a fortunate occasion for the believers during every month of Ramadan. He has made it an opportunity for them to get His blessings, mercy and forgiveness:

“Consider this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth. Behold, from on high have We bestowed it on a blessed Night: for, verily, We have always been warning (man). On that (Night) was made clear, in wisdom, the distinction between all things (good and evil) at a behest from Ourselves: for, verily, We have always been sending (Our messages of guidance)” (44:2-5).

Consequently, to celebrate the Qur’an is to recite it, to understand it, to ponder upon its important messages, which may enlighten one’s inner self and visions. Among the greatest favors of God is that He made the verses of the Qur’an so simple, plain and easy to understand, although they sum up the very high philosophy of the inner life (as Abdullah Yusuf Ali has written in his commentary on the Quran). In the Qur’an, we find: “And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to bear in mind, so is there anyone who is willing to take it to heart?” (54:17). “Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur’an? Or are there locks upon their hearts?” (47:24).

Abdullah bin ‘Amr narrated the Prophet’s saying: “The one who was devoted to the Qur’an will be told on the Day of Resurrection: Recite and ascend (in ranks), as you used to recite in the world, for indeed your rank shall be at the last verse you recited” (Reported by Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi).

Certainly those who will ascend to the higher rank are the ones who recite the Qur’an with deepest contemplation, with affection, feeling and true devotion. All that should definitely and positively affect their behaviour considerably in their worldly life.       

Supplication (Du’a) to God

                       “And do not be like those who forgot God, so

                        that He makes them forget their own selves;

                        those – they are the wicked people” (59:19).

Do I know my own self, my own reality? How can I live quietly without knowing who am I? And why do I exist? What purpose does my living have? All these questions can come to any one of us. And without God’s guidance, any answer may be absurd. But when one’s faith in God is strong enough, s/he should learn from God’s Guidance (the Qur’an) and then certainly will get the perfect answer.

The Qur’an has given us important information about human being. God has created Adam (the first human) as a body, out of clay, but bestowed on him a special spirit that enabled him to receive a little portion of knowledge (which was expected to gradually evolve, as shown by his descendants, generation after generation), as well as many faculties and capacities to become vicegerent on earth.

The Qur’an also explains how God created every descendant of Adam, and has given everyone a special condition, with different skill and capacity. So we can understand that everyone, however and whatever his intelligence and capability, is in need of God’s help and permission. Meaning, that however high the capacity of a person might be, he cannot reach his goal without the will of God. If God does not permit, then this person shall find a hindrance, because that goal may not apply to God’s plan. That is why we find in the Qur’an a declaration saying: “But you cannot will  (anything) unless God wills (to show you that way): for, behold, God is indeed All-Knowing, Wise” (76:30).

Every living human is under test: “And that naught shall accounted unto man but what he is striving for, and that in time (the nature of) all his striving will be shown (to him in its true light), whereupon he shall be requited for it with the fullest requital” (53:39-41).

We are invited by God, the Almighty to call on Him in whatever condition we are: “Call upon your Lord humbly and quietly..” (7:55). “And your Lord has said: Call on Me and I will respond to you. Surely those who disdain to worship Me shall enter Hell (utterly) humiliated” (40:60).

Every believer in God and the Hereafter is anxious about his/her future, so s/he would like to be in contact with the Lord, the Almighty, supplicate Him, ask for whatever s/he wishes. Al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet narrated: I said to the Prophet: O Messenger of God, teach me something that I may ask God for. He said: ” Ask God for safety”. Then another day I went to him again saying: O Messenger of God, teach me something that I may ask God for. He said to me: “O Abbas, O uncle of the Messenger of God, ask God for Safety, in this world and in the Hereafter!” (Reported by Tirmidhi).

A true believer is aware of her/his duty to strive constantly to achieve the utmost of a fair prosperity in this life, without transgressing any of God’s ordinances, but in the same time s/he is not oblivious to her/his limitation of capability, thus s/he knows that s/he needs help from the Lord. And although the endeavor to achieve the prosperity is within God’s permission, so that s/he could get good reward in the Hereafter, yet s/he is keen to get God’s mercy for not failing to be rewarded in the Hereafter. For that there is a teaching in the Qur’an for a true believer to say the following supplication: “O Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the life to come, and keep us safe from suffering through fire” (2:201).

A true believer, although s/he has tried her/his best to perform her/his duties with humility, yet s/he should fear of any temptation swerving her/him away from the sincerity towards God, therefore the Qur’an teaches Muslims to supplicate:

“O Our Lord! Let not our hearts swerve from the truth after You have guided us; and bestow upon us the gift of Your grace, verily, You are the (true) Giver of Gift” (3:8)

God’s bounties, favours and blessings are flowing over all of us in exceeding measure, both seen and unseen, outward and inward, yet sometimes we are not thankful to Him. The Qur’an teaches us this supplication:

“My Lord, inspire me to be thankful for Your grace with which You have favoured me and my parents, and to do good that will please You, and include me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants” (27:19).

In case Muslims have to face aggressors and have to defend their own rights, they have to be ready to fight bravely without forgetting the following supplication:

“Our Lord, shower us with patience in adversity, and make firm our steps, and succour us against the people who deny the truth” (2:250).

A true believer is expected to have an absolute virtue and excellent conduct, always steadfast in justice. But in practice this absoluteness is impossible, whatever high degree one might achieve. For that reason God declared in the Qur’an:

“God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does ..” (2:286).

Around the very beginning of the last Prophet’s call to his people was: “Ask forgiveness of your Lord, then repent to Him, and He will give you fair enjoyment until a time appointed, and He will give every person of merit, (the due for) his merit. But if you turn away, I fear for you the chastisement of an awful day” (11:3).

The Qur’an even suggests a kind of supplication as follows: “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or unwittingly do wrong! Our Lord, lay not upon us a burden such as You did lay upon those who lived before us! Our Lord, make us not bear burdens, which we have no strength to bear! And efface You our sins, and grant us forgiveness, and bestow You mercy upon us! You are our Lord Supreme: succour us, then, against people who deny the truth!” (2:286).    

From all that, we may well understand that Du’a (supplication) and Salaat (= determined prayer), both are meant to make a person always remember God, thus not forget his duty towards Him. When Moses got God’s revelation the first time (by hearing His talk) the first order was to establish Prayer: “Verily, I am God – there is no god except Me. So worship Me and establish Prayer for to make remembrance of Me (20:14).