The Backbone that Never Breaks

[Fabregas]

SalAMS, this is an interesting article I came across:

 

The Backbone that Never Breaks

{“And from the people is he who worships Allah as if he were on an edge. If good befalls him, he is content with it. And if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the clear loss.”} [al-Hajj; 11]

 

Commenting on this verse, Ibn Kathir said in ‘Tafsir al-Qur’an al-’Adhim’ (3/279):

“This means that he enters the religion on an edge. So, if he finds what he likes, he sticks with it. Otherwise, he retreats. al-Bukhari reported…that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “A man would come to Madinah. If his wife gave birth to a son and his mare gave birth to foals, he would say: “This is a good religion.” If his wife didn’t give birth and his mare didn’t either, he would say: “This is a terrible religion.”" And Ibn Abi Hatim reported…that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Some bedouins would come to the Prophet and become Muslims and then they’d return to their homelands. If they returned to a year of rain, produce, and good children being born, they would say: “This religion of ours is good. So, stick to it.” If they came back to a year of hunger, bad children being born, and drought, they would say: “There is no good in this religion of ours.” So, Allah revealed this verse.”

 

…And ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said: “This is in regards to the hypocrite. If everything is going well for him in his life, he is consistent in his worship. If things change and go bad for him, he goes back and wavers in his worship except when things are going good. So, if a trial, hardship, test, or inconvenience befalls him, he abandons his religion and returns to kufr.”"

 

 

In ‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’ (4/2412), Sayyid Qutb commented on this verse by saying:

“Even if this addresses the Islamic call back then, it is an example that is repeated in every generation – this person who weighs his belief using the scales of profit and loss, thinking that he is engaged in some sort of business deal…

Belief is the firm backbone in the life of the believer. The world crashes around him, and he remains firm on this support column. The events going on and the pressures existing around him push down on him, and he remains holding firmly to this rock that cannot be shaken. The crutches fall from under him, and he leans on this foundation that cannot be moved from its place or swept away.

This is the value of belief in the life of the believer. Therefore, it is a must for him to stand up straight on it, be sure of it, confident in it, not shaky in it, and not waiting for any reward for it, as it in itself is a reward. This is because it is the protective force that he turns to and the supporting column that he leans on. Yes, it is itself a reward for one opening his heart up to the light and going after guidance. As a result, Allah grants him this belief and faith for him to turn to for support and assurance. It is itself a reward whose value the believer realizes when he sees the confused, distraught people around him blown about and thrown around by the wind, engulfed in anxiety – while his belief keeps his heart tranquil, his feet firm, his mood calm, and his connection to Allah. He is confident as a result of this connection.

As for the type of person mentioned in this verse, he turns his belief into a business deal: {“…If good befalls him, he is content with it.…”} Here, he says that it is good to have faith. He is gaining some benefit, things look good, he is picking his crops, he is profiting from his deal, and he can stand up to the wind. {“… And if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this world and the Hereafter…”} He loses this world through the trial that he was afflicted with and was unable to exercise patience and hold himself together in the face of, and did not turn to Allah during. He loses the Hereafter due to his reversing course and his abandonment of his beliefs and the guidance that was made so easily available for him.

And the Qur’an depicts such a person as worshipping Allah “on an edge,” shaky in his beliefs, shaky in his worship. It depicts this state as the impending physical movement of one who is prone to collapse at the first hint of pressure. This person reverses course when he is simply touched with trouble, and his standing on the edge is simply a prelude to him going back from what he was upon and collapsing.

The measurement of profit and loss is something that belongs in business, not your beliefs. ‘Aqidah is a truth that should be adopted simply on account of what it is – the reaction of the heart that has opened itself up to light and guidance that has no choice but to react with whatever it encounters. So, this belief carries its reward in its nature, due to the confidence, tranquility, and pleasure it contains. So, it doesn’t look for reward from anything other than itself.

The believer worships his Lord out of gratitude for being guided, for the confidence that comes along with being close to Him. If any reward were to come, this would be from the favor of Allah due to this person’s faith and worship!

The believer doesn’t test his Lord. From the start, he accepts whatever He Decrees for him, surrenders from the start to whatever he will experience, is pleased from the start with whatever ease or hardship comes his way. It is not a business deal between a buyer and seller. Rather, it is the submission of the Creation to the Creator – the One who runs his affairs and was the reason for his existence in the first place.

The one who reverses course when he is touched with trouble endures a loss in which there is no doubt: {“…That is the clear loss…”} He loses the tranquility and confidence and calmness and pleasure, in addition to losing his money, family, health, or any of the other material possessions that Allah tests people through – He tests their confidence in Him, their patience in the face of these tests He brings, their own sincerity to Him, and their willingness to accept His Decree. This person also loses the Hereafter and the pleasures and closeness to Allah it contains…what a loss!”

He continues:

“…And Allah presents for the believers something better than whatever this life can give you, even if you lose whatever it gives you during the course of your trials and tribulations:

{“Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do good deeds to gardens underneath which rivers flow. Indeed, Allah does what He Wills.”}

So, whoever is touched by any type of trouble or test, he should stay strong and not become shaky. He should manifest his confidence in the Mercy and help of Allah and His ability to remove all hardships and compensate and reward for them…”

[Nur]

Fabregas bro.

 

In the Holy Quraan, when Prophet Moses may peace be upon him led the oppressed Children of Prophet Yacquub ( Jacob), most of them were against him, they preferred slavery to freedom. Today, some of our people display the same qualities, they blame their liberators for their problems, these are the people the verses are addressing. When the Islamic uprising against the criminal warlords chased the warlords, everyone was jubilant, but today, as the tide began to change, they forgot everything, they blame the resistance for intransigence.

 

 

Nur

[bint hamid]

assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakaatuh

 

isn’t there a story about this where a muslim goes to pray one day and he meets the devil on the road and the devil tries to stop him from praying but he goes and prays, and then the next day the devil tries to stop him and he goes and prays, and on the third day, the devil helps him and he asks the devil why and the devil tells him that the first day Allah rewarded his perseverance by forgiving his sins and the next day Allah rewarded his perseverance by forgiving the sins of his family and on the third day Allah might have rewarded him by forgiving the entire village!

 

Because every bad thing is a test of our faith and our fortitude and we must stick to the will of Allah even when its not convenient for us because Allah is our light from the darkness and when we turn away from it we can become lost in the depths forever but when we embrace it fills our souls and frees us from any suffering that our bodies may face

 

ameen

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

...

In ‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’ (4/2412), Sayyid Qutb commented on this verse by saying:

[/QB]

And Sayyid qutb is the man who inspired al-qaeda right?

throw around a name like that and it makes whatever point you were trying to make sound silly...

[Warrior of Light]

^^^ Sayyid Qutb was a great scholar. What people do with the teachings they have themselves to blame. As they have been given the intellect and ability to choose whats right from wrong.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

what made him a great scholar

[Herer]

Sayyid Qutb Was an Author, Educator, Islamist,Thinker and Poet.

He was an Anti-Seclurarist and worked on Social and Political role in Islam.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

but what made him a great scholar

[Warrior of Light]

Originally posted by m_aden_nur:

Sayyid Qutb Was an Author, Educator, Islamist,Thinker and Poet.

He was an Anti-Seclurarist and worked on Social and Political role in Islam.

I totally agree.

The interesting thing if you read his biography he was pro american but after living in America and experiencing the life here it changed his views...

[Fabregas]

^^ Naxar sxb, when did someone claiming to be inspired by another individual become a crime? The KKK claim to be inspired by Jesus( ISA). Does this mean quoting from ISA(as) can be labelled as silly? As for Syed Qutb, he had some errors and he had some benefits, and In Islamic knowledge, we take from what is good and leave what is bad. Perhaps you would have found this article beneficial were it not for the mention of his name?

 

@bint hamid, I haven't heard that story before. perhaps if you could try to find out the source

 

@Nur, I was thinking more on a personal level when I read this article. How often do we supplicate to Allah due to a difficult situation, and we ask Allah to rectify our affair, but when ease comes we show little gratitude or even forget we made that particular dua? When I went through a life changing experience a few years ago, many Somalis gave me dunya advise; it brought me no comfort or peace of mind. Though there was this "religous" brother who simply reminded me to understand that this is a testing from Allah and to pray Salah. I followed his advise, made wudu, prayed salah, and Walahi, Nur, I can't describe the tranquility and sakinah that Allah poured down on my heart. Sometimes it takes extreme difficulty and calamities to help us realise the purpose of our creation,for if we only enjoyed good times we would become haughty and heedless of our purpose, as Ibn Al Qayyim said:

 

When enjoying continuous health, wealth and ascendancy, human souls acquire an oppressive and impatient nature. This is a disease that hinders one on his journey to Allah(Almighty) and the Hereafter. So, when Allah(Almighty) intends to honour a soul, He gives it difficulties and hardships which serve as treatment for that disease, like a doctor who makes a patient drink a bitter medicine or removes diseased parts from him. And if he left him to his own wishes and inclinations, they would destroy him.

Going back to back your comment on the current affairs, I don't think you should be surprised in the least. Human beings have a tendency to show kibir and not be thankful when Allah delivers them from trials and tribulations. We want to believe that it was our own effort and doing which led to deliverance. Recall the punishment and oppression Pharoah inflicted upon Bani Israel:

 

1.he enslaved some of them

2.killed their new borns and some of their women and children

3.denied them their religion, whilst goiing as far as callimg for them to worship him instead.

 

So Allah sent forth Musa and his Brother Harun, the pious slaves of Allah, to confront Pharoah and call him to account for his disbelief and arrogance. After a period of testing and difficulty under the hands of the Egyptians, Allah sent iman and sakinah to the hearts of Musa and some of his tribesman. Allah showed them a great miracle by drowning Pharoah and his flock in the sea. Musa and Bani Israel were finally saved from his oppression.

 

However, despite witnessing the miracle of Allah swt and being saved from oppression, were the Bani Israelites thankful to Allah? NO! Due to the brief absence of their leader Musa( he was receiving instruction from the heavens), the Bani Israel were misled by a Munafiq, known as Samiritan, into making and worshiping a calf out of Egyptian gold. Allah pointed how they had these inclinations and desires before MUSA left them:

 

 

We conveyed the tribe of Israel across the sea and they came upon some people who were devoting themselves to some idols which they had. They said, "Musa, give us a god just as these people have gods." He said, "You are indeed an ignorant people. What these people are doing is destined for destruction. What they are doing is purposeless." (Qur'an, 7: 138-139)

 

Here we have an extraordinary scene: Bani Israel want to worship and share a portion of the religion of the very people* who were slaughtering and oppressing them on account of their tawheed, before ALlah saved them. Samaritan took advantage of the Absence of Musa to instruct them to worship the calf.

 

In another extradordinary scene from the Quran, Allah describes the reaction of Musa when he was informed:

 

"Musa returned to his people in anger and great sorrow He said, "My people, did not your Lord make you a handsome promise? Did the fulfilment of the contract seem too long to you or did you want to unleash your Lord's anger upon yourselves, so you broke your promise to me?"

 

 

Musa even confronted Harun, his own brother, deputy leader and prophet, he grabbed him by the beard, asking him:

 

 

"What prevented you following me, Harun, when you saw that they had gone astray? Did you too, then, disobey my command?"

 

Harun skilfully and diplomatically defended himself by reminding Musa that his was the son of his mother and also that he would never encouragre or condone such behviour:

 

 

 

He said, "Son of my mother! Do not seize me by the beard or by the hair. I was afraid that you would say, 'You have caused division in the tribe of Israel and taken no notice to anything I said.'" (Qur'an, 20: 92-94)

 

Harun said, "Son of my mother, The people oppressed me and almost killed me. Do not give my enemies cause to gloat over me. Do not include me with the wrongdoing people."

 

 

After confronting the tribe of Bani Israel and his own brother, Musa, then, tackled the source of the problem;Samaritan, the hypocrite:

 

He (Musa) said, "What do you think you were doing, Samaritan?"

 

He said, "I saw what they did not see. So I gathered up a handful from the Messenger's footprints and threw it in. That is what my inner self urged me to do."

He (Musa) said, "Go! An outcast shall you be in this life, nor shall you escape your appointed doom. Look at your god to which you devoted so much time. We will burn it up and then scatter it as dust into the sea." (Qur'an, 20: 95-97)

 

 

One can see the uncompromising, harsh and brave stance that Musa took against the kufr and shirk commited by his tribesmEn- who made a plethora of weak excuses for their crime. Indeed MUSA was made of a backbone that never breaks.

 

* by people I mean "mushrikeen".

[xiinfaniin]

One of the grandest fitnah any Ummah ever faced. An infant nation’s beliefs in one God are deliberately compromised by artisan Samaritan,and Musa the prophet of benu Israel people accepts the challenge to win his constituency back. Indeed the story of Musa is one of the most enlightening, educational lessons in the quran. And in this particular episode, the lecture shall not end until good Febregas shares with his audience the fate of the wicked Samaritan. What was the form of the punishment Musa exacted on the Samaritan, the man who came very close to undo Musa efforts? More interestingly, what was Musa approach with those who out of ignorance so easily agreed to the concocted lie Samaritan put forth in the form the god Cijli? What about Haarun’s dereliction of responsibility as Musa initially accused, and how was that reconciled with the subsequent prophetic verdict Musa finally came to judge?

 

What are the lessons of tarbiyah in this ya Febregas?

[Legend of Zu]

^^^ Good pick up. but i am not sure if Fabs is ready to forgive (asxaabul cijli) or complete the lesson for the rest of us i.e in case of Harun AS.

[Fabregas]

good one xiin. Lakin, am gonna go back on the surah, read some commentaries and see if I could find some answers. In the meantime, why don't share with us the lessons of Tarbiyah in the story of Musa and the calf>?

[xiinfaniin]

The biggest tarbiyah lesson in this event, as I see it, is the inevitability of conflict and the importance of dialogue as remedy. There are three dimensions to this fitnah, and Musa tackles each one of them. It can be said that there are two Musas in the quran. The first is the physically strong man, who grew up playing around majestic buildings, and who as the quran points out slaps adversaries in the face to side with the xaq. The second is the humble, wise and educator Musa who as we can see in this episode overcomes his anger and uses dialogue to advance his message. The transition is brought about by rigorous spiritual and as well as physical training prescribed by Allah, and in the surati Dhaha the sequence of that transition is beautifully captured by one of the best, and certainly my favorite, quranic narrations; Ji’ta calaa qadarin yaa Musa.

 

Now that is my take on the tarbiyah dimension. Febragas you still owe us some answers on the other inquiries.

 

In the meantime, and while good Febragas is contemplating on the matter, let me draw Sh. Nur in to this discussion, and directly ask him how could the stories of prophets in general and their struggle to advance xaq under the shade of thulmi and the approaches they took to overcome it contrast with today’s rebellious, reactionary manifestations in resorting to swift justice, as they called it, even when its clear that it’s hardly that swift. What was the dignity and sharaf nabiyyullaahi Luud lacked, for instance, when he was clearly willing to offer his daughters to wicked men to save his angelic guests that today's linnets in the form of armed groups posses and die for it in rejecting alternatives other then the one that is supposedly found in the so called rapid Islamic justice? One wonders if such act would be considered dab0dh1lif practice in light of today’s mindless rhetoric from some groups in Somalia.

 

You read the story of Huud, Saalax, and Yonis and the pattern never changes. It’s one of resolve and gradual gain, and not what we see today in many places of Islamic world.

 

I digress on purpose---apologies for hijacking the thread.

[Abu-Salman]

You read the story of Huud, Saalax, and Yonis and the pattern never changes. It’s one of resolve and gradual gain, and not what we see today in many places of Islamic world.

Indeed Xiin, better understanding of the wisdom behind Allah's plans and more specifically of Maqaasid Al Sharii'ah, ie aims and objectives of Shariah, is desperately needed.

 

When learning is neglected or Ulamas relegated, it is thus inevitable that the big picture as well as more fundamental issues are neglected in favor of hasty yet ephemeral pseudo-gains.

 

To better illustrate this, we may examine the example of those still Fiqh-illiterate brothers or sisters who are over-scrupulous in some matters relatively to more major ones which deserve more emphasis or exceed the prescribed or Sunnah limits in their routine such as ritual purification and thus wasting or delaying prayers; had they strived for more Islamic knowledge, they would have acquired an appropriate sense of priority and spared themselve many confusions.

 

More generally, commoners who settles for less Islamic knowledge, whether it be in terms of Arabic, autenthification & gradation of Ahadiths etc, should all the more defer to those better versed in Ilm and follow the Ulamas of their madhab as a requirement for appropriate decisions.

 

In that light, there is no shortcut to the wisdom and concomitant learning on which Islam rests; else, both the Qur'aan and Sunnah would not have exalted learning and there would have been little point in all the trials inflicted to both messengers as well as their spiritual heirs, ie Ulamas...