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Allah the Almighty, said: Allah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards. [4:17] |
Allah says:
Then, verily! Your Lord, for those who do evil in ignorance and afterward repent and do righteous deeds, verily, your Lord thereafter, (to such) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [16:119]
Thus although the companions and those who followed them say: “Each disobedient person is an ignorant person,” as has been explained in another place, this saying includes those who know it was unlawful as well.
This is a proof that one is a doer of an evil deed, even though he did not hear the address that clarifies the prohibited action. If he repents of it, Allah the Almighty forgives him and has mercy on him. He does not deserve punishment except after the address has been conveyed and the proof established.
If repentance and asking for forgiveness are for abandoning obligations, and for the action which one commits not knowing it is a sin while committing it, then this clarifies the many things that repentance and seeking forgiveness would cover. When repentance and asking for forgiveness are mentioned before many people, they recall the disgraceful deeds they have done. Common knowledge tells them that such acts are disgraceful, like immoral behavior and open oppression.
As for following religion without knowing it is sinful - with the exception of those who are aware of their falsehood like the religions (creeds) of the polytheists, and the distorted beliefs of the people of the Book - then repentance and asking for forgiveness in such cases is obligatory, even though their followers think that they follow guidance. The same applies to the innovators.
This is why a group of predecessors - Ath-Thawri is one of them - said: Innovation is dearer to Iblis than disobedience. Because one repents from the act of disobedience and it is liable to be forgiven; while the innovator does not repent.
This is the meaning of what has been narrated by a group: Allah the Almighty has withheld repentance from each innovator. Meaning that the innovator will not repent for it, because he thinks that he is following guidance. But if he repents, Allah the Almighty accepts his repentance as He accepts the repentance of the disbeliever.
Whoever says that Allah will not accept the repentance of an innovator at all, he is severely mistaken. As for what is said that: Allah the Almighty does not allow the innovator to repent. It means that as long as he adheres to what he innovated and sees it as good, then he does not repent from it (thinking that he is guided). But if Allah, the Almighty, shows him its evil, (and he repented from it), Allah, the Almighty will accept his repentance in the same way as when the disbeliever sees that he is in error. It is well known that many of those who were innovating in the religion of Allah the Almighty came to know that they were in manifest error and repented from it, and Allah accepted their repentance. None knows their true number but Allah.
When Ibn Abbaas (radiallahu ‘anhu) went to the Khawaarij to debate with them, about half or more of them repented. Such a portion of people who do not know the evil they commit represent a large number of people of the Qiblah, and the number is even greater among other people.
So there are a great many cases of people abandoning what is obligatory, while they do not know that it is obligatory. Then when one comes to know that what he abandoned was something good, part of faith and Tawheed, that it is something for which he was commanded to repent and ask for forgiveness, as he repents for what he had done of evil deeds, (he would repent and ask for forgiveness).
Thus, the repentant repents for what he had abandoned, missed, and neglected of the rights of Allah, the Almighty, just as he repents from what he committed of evil deeds; even if he committed this or abandoned that before the Message reached him. Once the Message reaches him, punishment for abandoning and committing becomes due. As for him being a doer of blameworthy deeds, and abandoning good deeds for which one would be blameworthy, he is still considered repentant as previously clarified; where we mentioned the two views, the view of those who negated the blame and punishment and the view of those who affirmed both the blame and the punishment.
If it is said: “If it is not punishable, it is not disgraceful.” Then the reply can be from two views.
1. It is a cause for punishment, but this depends upon a condition, and that condition is the proof. Allah, the Almighty says:
And you were on the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you from it. [3:103]
If He did not rescue them they would have fallen. Whoever stands at the brink of the fire, then his destruction depends upon falling into it. The case differs if one is far from the brink, because he is far away from perishing. Thus, those people were close to destruction and torment.
2. They are blameworthy, deficient, and hold a lower position because of this. If it is preordained for them not to be punished, they do not deserve what the safe person deserves of dignity and reward. This is a good punishment in the form of depriving them of good, and it is one of the two forms of punishment.
It is known that everyone who misses a desirable action, misses its reward; but there is a difference between what he misses because he could not obtain it, and what he neglects which he already had. This falls under the category of the sins for which one is not punished.
As for the one whom a Messenger was not sent to during his life, there are some narrations that Messengers will be sent to them at the gathering places on the Day of Judgment, as explained elsewhere.
People disputed about obligation and prohibition. Can these be realised without punishment for abandonment?
Here are the two views:
1. It cannot be achieved; since if it is not punished for, it is as if it were allowed.
2. It can be achieved; since one can be blamed even though he is not punished.
[Excerpted from the book Seeking Forgiveness by Taqiuddin Ahmed ‘Abdul-Halim]
Waste not excessively
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Have you ever got upset when you weren’t able to buy something that you really wanted? Or, have you ever bought something that you could have done without? |
The answer to these two questions is yes, an unequivocal yes. It is part of our human nature. We want and we desire constantly. When we allow this to go unchecked our desire for more becomes insatiable and overtakes the dictates of our souls.
Any kind of addiction or extreme act emanates from our desire. Satan ever whispers to our Nafs (self) to go after our desires. He encourages us to be greedy and to overindulge ourselves. In this way we become slaves to our desires instead of in control of them. One enslaved to his desires cannot freely and truly worship his Lord. It is a matter of our Eemaan (faith) that we hold ourselves back from wasteful spending.
If we find difficulty parting with our money in times of charity, then we know we have become victims of over-consumption, or excessive spending. The Prophet, , said: “Cursed is the slave of gold and silver.” [Al-Bukhari] When we allow ourselves to lust after money, then we know the shackles have tightened.
Money and power are always aligned. Like sirens they call out to our desires. Today, the media is their infamous recruiter. It constantly throws in our faces more things to desire and to get and to admire. This only leads to further blinding ourselves from our purpose in life, which is to worship Allah The Almighty. Allah warns us by saying (what means): “Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you (from the more serious things).” [Qur’an 102:1]
We must remind ourselves that worldly desires are mere illusions, transitory pleasures, that Allah is testing us with. Allah Almighty warns us of this by saying (what means): “Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” [Qur’an 57:20]
Guard yourself from greed
As consumers we must be mindful of Allah and thank Him for blessing us with the financial ability to purchase the things we need. Remembering Allah when shopping will help us humble our hearts and be grateful for all that he has already given us. This can help prevent us from becoming upset when we are unable to buy something we want.
We must also seek to instill in spending habits of the Islamic practice of moderation. I cannot stress enough the importance of the Prophet Muhammad’s (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) injunction to the Muslim Ummah: “Eat, drink, spend, and dress without extravagance or arrogance.”[Al-Bukhari]
We must strive for a balance between the extremes of spending too much (Israaf) and being stingy. The righteous are “those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate.” [Qur’an 25:67]
This verse encourages moderation and balance in our spending. Instead of succumbing to our habits of spending on ourselves, we ought to give more than we take. When we give for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah we purify our souls. The Prophet was the most generous of men and gave the majority of his belongings away. The Prophet understood what was real and what was passing: He valued his humility, the afterlife, and his connection to Allah over worldly pleasures.
When we become entangled in the superficial, our materialistic values will override our spiritual connection to our Lord. We must guard ourselves against this and instead spend our resources and time so that we may increase our spiritual wealth. This is the struggle against the Nafs which our beloved Prophet Muhammad always emphasised.
Striver for good deeds that will multiply themselves rather than hoard worldly goods that will perish into the earth and become dust.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
The importance of Tajweed
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The Noble Qur’an is the literal words of Allah that He revealed as an infallible source of legislation for mankind to live an organised life by. It contains regulations and recommendations about all aspects of life and references to the Hereafter. Being so important, the Qur’an must be read, written, and recited correctly and clearly, so as not to create any sort of ambiguity or misunderstanding whatsoever. Allah Almighty addressed His Messenger Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention) in the Qur’an, Saying (what means): “…And recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.” [Qur’an 73:4] |
Listening to the Qur’an being recited correctly is enough to soften even the hardest of hearts. Muslims and non-Muslims alike find it a deeply moving experience, even if they do not understand what is being said. Every Muslim has to recite Qur’an in prayers, but many of us do not realise that reciting the Qur’an correctly while observing the rules of recitation is not an advanced science for expert reciters alone, rather it is an obligation upon each and every one of us whenever we recite the Qur’an.
What is Tajweed?
The Arabic word Tajweed linguistically means “proficiency” or “doing something well”. It comes from the same root letters as the word Jayyid, which means “good”. When applied to the Qur’an, it means giving every letter of the Qur’an its rights and dues of characteristics when we recite the Qur’an, and observing the rules that apply to those letters in different situations. We give the letters their rights by observing the essential characteristics of each letter. We give them their dues by observing the characteristics of each letter that are present in them some of the time and not present at other times.
The Qur’an was revealed with Tajweed rules applied to it. In other words, when the angel Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, recited the words of Allah to the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, he recited them in a certain way and he showed the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam the ways in which it was permissible to recite the Qur’an. So it is obligatory upon us to observe those rules so that we recite it in the way it was revealed.
At the time of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, there was no need for people to study Tajweed because they talked with what is now known as Tajweed, so it was natural for them. When the Arabs started mixing with the non-Arabs and as Islam spread, mistakes in the Qur’anic recitation began to appear, so the scholars had to record the rules. Now, because the everyday Arabic that Arabs speak has changed so much from the Classical Arabic with which the Qur’an was revealed, even the Arabs have to study Tajweed.
The purpose of Tajweed
The Qur’an is the word of Allah, and its every syllable is from Allah. Its recitation must be taken very seriously. The purpose of the science of Tajweed, in essence, is to make the reciter proficient in reciting the Qur’an, observing the correct pronunciation of every letter with the rulings and characteristics which apply to it, without any exaggeration or deficiency. Through this, the reciter can recite the Qur’an according to the way of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who received it from Jibreel who received it from Almighty Allah in the Classical Arabic language.
Each Arabic letter has a Makhraj (an exit or articulation point from which it originates) and Sifaat (attributes or characteristics). Knowing the Makhraj and Sifaat of each letter is an important part of Tajweed. Sometimes two letters have very similar exits, which makes mixing them up easy. So, if a person does not know the attributes of each letter, he may change the meaning of the words in Qur’an recitation. Observing the rules of Tajweed in reciting prevents the reciter from making mistakes in reciting the Qur’an.
The ruling of reading with Tajweed
Imaam Muhammad Ibn al-Jazari, may Allah have mercy upon him, who was a great Qur’an and Hadith scholar of the 9th Hijri century, stated in his famous poem that details the rules of Tajweed:
“And applying Tajweed is an issue of absolute necessity, Whoever doesn’t apply Tajweed to the Qur’an, then a sinner is he.”
Hence, applying the rules of Tajweed is an obligation to keep away from the major mistakes in reciting the Qur’an.
The scholars have divided the types of mistakes one might fall into when reciting the Qur’an into two:
1. Clear mistakes: which usually change obvious things and change the meaning.
2. Hidden mistakes: for which one may need to study Tajweed rules.
The majority of scholars agree that applying the Tajweed rules of the Qur’an such that the clear mistakes are avoided is an individual obligation (Fardh ‘Ayn) upon every Muslim who has memorised part or all of the Qur’an, while applying the rules of Tajweed to avoid the hidden mistakes is a collective obligation (Fardh Kifaayah) upon Muslims. That is, there must be some students of knowledge who have knowledge of that. This is because the Qur’an was revealed with the Tajweed rules applied to it, and the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam recited it back to Jibreel in that way and the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam read it in that way, so it is an established Sunnah (Prophetic tradition or practice).
The list below shows the type of mistakes under each category:
Clear mistakes:
Mistakes related to correct pronunciation of letters so that letters are not mixed up in a way that changes their meaning. Scholars and ordinary Muslims alike should avoid these.
Examples of Clear Mistakes:
l Changing one letter into another or a short vowel (Harakah) into another (e.g. changing Fat-hah into Dhammah or the letter Qaaf into Kaaf, etc)
l Not observing the elongations (Madd) at all. Reciting them quickly as if there is no Madd so that they turn into the length of a vowel.
l Making a Madd letter which out of a normal Harakah.
l Stopping or starting at an incorrect place so that the meaning is spoilt, like stopping at ‘Laa ilaaha’ (i.e., there is nothing worthy of worship), without completing ‘illallaah’ (except Allah).
Hidden Mistakes:
Mistakes which have to do with perfecting pronunciation and are not obvious. These are known only by those who have studied Tajweed rules or are experts in this field. Ordinary Muslims may not know such mistakes or perceive them to be so.
Examples of Hidden Mistakes:
l Not being totally exact with the elongation of letters: (Making the Madd shorter or longer by a 1/2 or even 1/4 degree, etc.)
l Not observing the attributes of each letter perfectly: (Slightly rolling the Raa’, or exaggerating the ‘N’ sound in Noon etc.)
l Not observing the rules with which to pronounce letters when they are next to each other (like not merging certain letters that should be merged (Idghaam) and not clearly pronouncing those which should be clearly pronounced (Ith-haar) etc.)
l Making light letters sound heavy and heavy letters sound light (except if by doing this one changes a letter into another; in which case it would be an obvious mistake.)
Among the proofs that the scholars bring to show the obligation of Tajweed and its being an established Sunnah is that Almighty Allah Says in the Qur’an (what mean): “…And recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.” [Qur’an 73:4]
There are various Prophetic narrations also showing us the importance of Tajweed. Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked about the recitation of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and she described it as a recitation: “Clearly-distinguished, letter by letter”.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
