AS-SIRAAT AL-MUSTAQEEM

Contents

The Qurâ€™an Perspective on Self

<ol> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#1">Understanding the Self in the Context of the Qur’an</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#2">Seven Gates to the Heart</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#3">The Ears and Tongue</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#4">The Eyes</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#5">The Hands and Legs</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#6">The Stomach</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#7">The Sexual Organs</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#8">Achieving Proximity to God</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#9">Is the Baby a Soul Without Sin</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#10">Is the Soul’s Journey from Pre-Birth to the Hereafter</a> <ul> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#11">Pre-Worldly Existence</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#12">Earthly Life</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#13">The Grave</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#14">The Day of Judgment – the Last Day</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#15">The Final Abode</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#16">The Muslim Self</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#17">The Faithless Self</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#18">The Qur’an’s Perspective of Other Faiths and Traditions</a></li> <li><a href="content_detail.php?id=10#19">Islam is one Religion under one God</a></li> </ol> <a id="1" name="1"></a>Understanding the Self in the Context of the Qur’an The Qur’an uses the concept of spirituality and the role of the heart and soul which play an important part in terms of developing a devoted worshipper and obedient self and thus committing to a deep spiritual relationship with Allah (swt) (God). There are three important components to the self: <ol> <li>Nafs – the selfish or ego self of desire and passion;</li> <li>Ruh – the spiritual self of human being;</li> <li>Qalb – the spiritual heart.</li> </ol> It is important to understand these three inter-connected elements, as they cannot be separately considered. The Ruh gages the Nafs into a peaceful, disciplined order and the Qalb is the driving force inside that determines a person’s ability or inability to control the Nafs. If the Qalb contains excellent spiritual qualities, such as patience and gentleness, it empowers the Ruh to take control of the Nafsi and direct it towards good. However if the Oalb is spiritually weak, with qualities such as anger and aggression, then the Ruh will lose control of the Nafs leaving it to wander into paths of greater danger. It is important therefore not to kill the Nafs, as in some other spiritual traditions but rather to use it in moderation and in ways, which the Qur’an permits according to Allah (swt’s) (God’s) laws (91:7-10). It is for these reasons, even sexual intimacy between a married couple is a blessed act of worship that merits Allah (swt’s) (God’s) reward, according to the Prophet, Muhammad (PBHU). In the interest of balance, Islamic law prohibits extreme acts such as continuous fasting. The Qur’an warns that if human desires are left unchecked then they will lead to a harmful downward path: “All mankind! Indeed your transgressions are bound to rebound against your own selves” (10:23). The Qur’an’s perspective under Qalb (heart) is the organ of perception in mankind. If the heart is spiritually strong, it has ability to empower the human conscience over the fears of the passionate self. A heart in spiritual darkness weakens the spiritual self and allows the Nafs to rule over body and mind, a state referred to when the Qur’an asks, “have you seen him who takes his lower passions for his God?” (25:43). It is important to constantly remember and be aware of Allah (swt) (God) who provides the path to the heart’s purity and light (13:28). The Qur’an teaches that this pure heart wards off the illusions of Satan and gives people the ability to distinguish between good and evil. However, the heart that is open to persistent sin and rejection of faith leads to a distortion of reality that prevents recognising right from wrong. The sayings of Prophet, Muhammad (PBHU) emphasises the essential role of the heart for spiritual purity as follows: “Verily, in the body there is a piece of flesh, which if healthy, the whole body is healthy; and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Verily, this piece of flesh is the heart.” The three components of self are identified in the Qur’an and through their actions on earth as follows: <ol> <li>Nafs Al-Ammarah Bis-Sou - this is a soul that is inclined towards evil and heads towards a spirituality and morally downward state.</li> <li>Nafs Al-Lawwamah - this is a soul that struggles against the lower self -recognising evil and wanting to submit to Allah (swt) (God) alone. This is the most sensitive state because of the constant struggle.</li> <li>Nafs Al-Mutma’innah- this is the best of all souls, which reaches a state of peace and satisfaction with constant remembrance of Allah (swt) (God). </li> </ol> The above states are not fixed in earthly life and therefore one can move from one state of self to the other during their lifetime. The Qur’an always places emphasis on leaving a path open for change through Allah (swt’s) (God’s) Mercy by saying, “if a person repents, believes and works righteous deeds for Allah will change the evil of such persons and Allah (God) is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful” (25:70). However, after death the state of self is fixed and souls will be raised up on the Day of Judgement in the same state, which their earthly lives ended. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="2" name="2"></a>Seven Gates to the Heart There is a common analogy for the heart (Qalb) found in traditional Islamic texts, is that of a city in its essence is pure and peaceful. Seven gates protect this city from corruption and evil, and welcoming to receive messengers of light and guidance. Satan constantly tries new ways of getting through these gates so that he can attack the city. The heart is like the city. If not properly guarded, the heart becomes vulnerable to impurity. However, if the defence of the heart remains steadfast against laziness and negligence, then the heart will remain pure and tranquillity will rule. The classical interpretation of the Qur’an in terms of the seven gates that the Qur’an seeks to protect through theology and law are as follows: <ol> <li>“Ears with which you hear”;</li> <li>“Eyes with which you see”;</li> <li>“Tongue with which you speak;</li> <li>“Hands with which you act”;</li> <li>“Legs with which you walk”;</li> <li>“Stomach with which you take your fill”; and</li> <li>“Sexual with which you take pleasure”.</li> </ol> The Qur’an places heavy emphasis and reminds its reader that all seven spiritual gates that protect the heart are gifts from Allah (swt) (God); They are to be kept as a trust by using them in ways that show gratitude to the Creator (16:78). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="3" name="3"></a>The Ears and Tongue The Qur’an informs its readers to self-responsibility and accountability and it begins by mentioning the faculties of hearing. Commentators of the Qur’an point out that what you allow into your ears is most difficult to protect because of the circular nature of hearing which enables you to listen from all directions unlike the eye that has linear vision. The spiritual gates of ears and tongue and inter-connected. Everything to be avoided in hearing is also to be avoided in speech. However, everything to be avoided in speech must also be avoided in hearing. The Qur’an strongly warns against three types of speech and erring: (1) Idle talk (23:3) – idle talk also includes lying, which the Qur’an strongly condemns; “Shall I inform you on whom it is the evil one descend? They descend on every lying, wicked person”, (26:222). (2) To defame or insult another person: the Qur’an prohibits making fun of others: “Oh you who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that the (latter); are better than the former. Nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the latter are better than the former. And neither shall you defame one another nor insult one another by offences nicknames” (49:11). (3) Backbiting and slandering - the Qur’an condemns backbiting and slandering “Woe unto every slanderer and backbiter” (104:1). However, Islamic law makes some exceptions for informing others about the bad character of people, such as warning or advising people against a fraudulent business dealer or the immoral character of someone that wants to get married. Some who hear these restrictions may think that Muslims must live very dull lives without any enjoyment or laughing and this is not the case. The life of the Prophet, Muhammad (PBHU) has many examples where he jokes with people and laughed at the jokes of his companions. The most important thing to understand is that the tongue should be guarded against hurting other people or telling lies for the sake of entertainment. This is why traditionally in the Muslim world you can find many funning stories, but usually they are about a comical character, who does things. Making fun of a specific person or group is unacceptable. If a person encounters a situation in which their tongues and ears are tempted into sin, they are encouraged to leave that gathering in order to maintain purity of mind and soul (28:55). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="4" name="4"></a>The Eyes The Qur’an informs mankind to be in a constant state of awareness about Allah (swt’s) (God’s) all-knowing attribute by which not even a leaf falls without his knowledge (6:59). The Qur’an warns that “Allah knows the faith listeners of the eyes, and all that the heart conceal” (40:19). The spiritual gate of the eyes is strongly connected with chastity and modesty and the Qur’an commands its followers: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: this will make for greater purity for them.... and tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity...” (24:30-1). Lowering the gaze protects the heart from images that can take you away from the remembrance and worship of Allah (swt) (God), and even lead you to act on the passions of the lower self. This is why the prophet Muhammad said, “the fornication of the eye is the (lustful) look”,this means that fornication can also be committed through the eyes. This may prove to be difficult with the widespread media and other forms of advertising, which constantly spread sexual messages and innuendos. The harmful effects of television are widely discussed in Islam and many leading scholars around the world discourage Muslims from watching television but to watch for positive things. Others may say that this is a lack of modernity but it is still possible to embrace modernity and progress without losing the spiritual tradition of Islam. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="5" name="5"></a>The Hands and Legs The Qur’an emphasises to its reader to protect the hands from acts of destruction and to use the hands for giving charity and working for good causes (2:195). The Qur’an warns that those people who do use their hands for evil will face punishment in the Hereafter. Those who follow the path of evil deeds should not blame their dejected faith in the Hereafter on Allah (swt). Allah (swt) (God) never acts unjustly and only punishes those who have wronged themselves (8:51). The spiritual gates of the hands and legs are interconnected. For every evil act committed by the hands, the legs take the hands to that place of evil. The Qur’an states, “that on the Day of Judgement We shall set a seal on their mouths but their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will bear witness, to all that they did” (36:65). For example, if a person goes somewhere to fight with another without a just cause, then not only will your hands bear witness to your actions on the Day of Judgement but also your legs, because your legs carried you to the fight. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="6" name="6"></a>The Stomach The Qur’an constantly teaches mankind to show gratitude by recognising that all sustenance comes from God alone (16:114). Muslims always begin their meals by saying, “In the name of Allah (God), the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate”. The Qur’an discourages over eating and wasting food (20:81). The Qur’an is against over eating which leads to laziness, as this is one of the worst spiritual qualities according to the Qur’an’s perspective. The Qur’an prohibits its followers from eating certain meats in order to protect the spiritual gate of the stomach. The Qur’an states, forbidden to you is dead meat and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than Allah (swt) (God) has been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death or killed or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, except that which you may have slaughtered while it was still alive; and (forbidden to you is) all that has been slaughtered on idolatrous altars” (5:3). The Qur’an’s law make things a little challenging for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries. In such situations, the local Muslim community usually open meat slaughter - houses in order to provide lawful meat for the community. Most Muslims accept eating Kosher meat because of the similarities in Muslim and Jewish law in preparing the meat. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="7" name="7"></a>The Sexual Organs One of the worst sins a person can commit, according to the Qur’an, is fornication or adultery. The Qur’an teaches, “(successful are those) who guard their private parts, except with those joined to them in marriage but those whose desires exceed those limits are truly transgressors”, (23:5-7). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="8" name="8"></a>Achieving Proximity to Allah (swt) (God) The objective of protecting your heart from Satan and directing your body towards good actions is best understood with the same from Allah (swt) (God) to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) known as Hadith Qudsi, in which Allah (swt) (God) says, “and the most beloved thing with which My Servant comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing extra righteous deeds till I love him. When I love him I become the hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hands with which he acts and his legs with which he walks; and if he asks (something of Me), I give him and if he asks for My Protection I protect him”. The Qur’an clearly states severe punishment to both fornicators and adulterers, not only because of the social consequences of such actions, but also because of the violation of Allah (swt’s) institution of marriage in which He places Divine Mercy and love between the hearts of a man and a woman. It is also because the intense pleasure that comes from sexual experience, the Qur’an warns that if left unchecked, it can lead a person away from the worship of Allah (swt) God and towards the worship of his or her own lower-self (Nafs). For this reason, the Qur’an praises those who actively guard the spiritual gate of sexual organs, and counts them among those who will receive the gardens of paradise in the hereafter (79:40-1). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="9" name="9"></a>Is the Baby’s Soul a Soul without Sin? The Qur’an reject’s the concept of original sin, which is, according to the Christian theology, the state of sin that marks all humans as a result of Adam’s first act of disobedience. In the story of creation as told by the Qur’an Adam sins by eating from the forbidden tree and has to live with the consequences of his actions by falling out of paradise. God ultimately forgives and honours him, firstly as his representative on earth, and secondly as the first prophet in a series of prophets that bring constant guidance to humanity. The Qur’an emphasises and repeats that, “no soul shall bear the burden of another”, (6:164). According to the Qur’an, people do not carry Adam’s sins but only their own good and evil deeds. It is for these reasons, the purer state a human can achieve is that of a new born baby, who is sinless and whose heart lives in a complete state of submission to Allah (swt) (God). The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, that every child is born in a state of natural inclination to worship Allah (swt) (God) alone. It is for these reasons, the Qur’an’s perspective, is that every soul regardless of religion or culture has certain universal ethics that stem from the purity of the original spiritual heart (Qalb). However, people forget God and sin against their own selves, their souls lose touch with these moral principles. The original spiritual heart constantly calls mankind back to the straight path. This inclination is called Fitrah in Arabic and one of the names of the Qur’an’s messages is ‘Deen Al-Sitrah’, loosely translated as the “way of natural inclination”. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="10" name="10"></a>The Souls Journey from pre-birth to the Hereafter The Qur’an describes five stages for the life of the soul, which begin before birth and continue until after death. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <ol> <li><a id="11" name="11"></a>Pre-worldly existence According to the Qur’an each soul has a conversation with Allah (swt) (God) before earthly creation: “and whenever your Lord brings forth their off spring from their loins of the children of Adam, he calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord’? – to which they answer, ‘yes, indeed, we bear witness’”(7:172). The scholars of the Qur’an’s interpretation debate whether the covenant mentioned in 7:172 is pre-existent or at the time of birth. The majority state that this is a pre-existence of the soul, because the seed of Adam refers to all of humanity born or unborn, without any limit of time. It further states, the Arabic of the text is in the passive voice of “He brought forth”, and “He asked them”, which also indicates pre-existent event. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="12" name="12"></a>Earthly Life Children are born with the original pledge to Allah (swt) (God) in their sub-conscious. Parents must nurture that spirituality into remembrance. Interestingly, the Qur’an also calls itself a “reminder”, of that which the soul already has knowledge of at the sub-conscience level. In this world, the soul faces tribulations that test its commitment to worshipping god by acting as His representative “and most surely shall We try you by means of danger, and hunger and the loss of worldly goods of lives and of (earned fruits). But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity”. (2:155). The worldly life experience ends with death, of which the Qur’an promises, “every soul shall taste”, (3:185). The Prophet Muhammad (PBHU) advised his followers to “be in the world as if you were a stranger”. The Prophet (PBUH) used to also say, “remember (frequently) the destroyer of pleasure – death”. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="13" name="13"></a>The Grave There is a famous Muslim saying that summarises the transition from earthly life to the grave for a righteous soul: “We came into this world crying, and all of those around us were happy. We should leave this world happy, with those around us crying”. The Qur’an describes the grave as a place of initial questioning where the soul faces the illusory nature of worldly goods and the reality of Allah (swt’s) (god’s) promise to hold each soul accountable for his or her deeds. The Prophetic sayings of Muhammad (PBUH) make it clear that the grave is also a place of peace and satisfaction for righteous souls and a place of punishment for the evil souls. It is also, in the grave there is a period of purification through punishment for souls who had much good in them, but committed evil deeds as well, so that on the Day of Judgment those souls may be forgiven and granted paradise. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="14" name="14"></a>The Day of Judgment The Qur’an describes the transitory stage from grave to Judgment Day in the following passage: “and verily the Hour will come: there can be no doubt about it, or about (the fact) God will raise up all who are in the graves” (22:7). On this Day, souls “will come forth, their eyes humbled from their graves, like locusts scattered abroad”, (54:7). The Day of Judgment will be a powerful event when all souls will be brought from the graves to account for their time on earth. In Arabic, the term literally means “the day the deaths fall due”. The death of God’s blessings and favours in submission to Him, and the Day of Judgment is when the soul will have to account for “every good it did, and every evil it did”, (99:7-8). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="15" name="15"></a>The Final Abode After the Day of questioning, the soul reaches its final home, either the pleasures of paradise or the torments of hell fire. The Qur’an attributes paradise to that soul which was near to God on earth: “and those foremost (in faith and actions) will be foremost (in the hereafter)”, (56:10). Similarly, those for whom the Qur’an attributes hell fire are the souls that over indulged in their worldly passions: “for behold, in times gone by they were indulged in sinful luxury, and persisted in sinning”, (56:45-46). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="16" name="16"></a>The Muslim Self According to the Qur’an the word “Muslim”, refers to a state of being. The Arabic meaning of Muslim is very comprehensive. It can be best described as someone who recognises Allah (swt) (God) as the Truth and is in constant struggle to perfect his submission to Him. As the Qur’an states, “who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah (swt) (God), does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in faith?....”, (4:125). Since “Muslim” is a state of being, people are wrong to believe that it only applies to the followers of Muhammad (PBHU). The Qur’an makes it clear that all the Prophets, messengers and those who followed them were Muslim because they were in submission to Allah (swt’s) (God’s) will. A further passage from the Qur’an about the life of the prophet Jesus makes this concept clearer: “when Jesus found unbelief on their part he said: “who will be my helpers too (the work of) Allah”, said the disciples: “we are Allah (swt’s ) (God’s) helpers: we believe in Allah (swt), and do bear witness that we are Muslims”, (3:52). <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> <li><a id="17" name="17"></a>The Faithless Self The Qur’an uses the term ‘kafir’ to describe a soul that rejects faith - in other words, a soul which understands the Qur’an’s message, knows it to be true, yet continues to reject it in one form or the other. The story of Satan, who is the chief of ‘kafirs’ gives more insight into the exact nature and personality of a rejecting soul. The sin that Satan committed, according to the Qur’an, was not questioning God’s decision to ask angels and ‘jinn’ to bow to Adam, but rather Satan’s rejection of this command out of pride and arrogance. Allah (swt) said: “’oh! Iblis (Satan), what is your reason for not being among those who prostrated themselves? (Satan) replied: ‘It is not for me to prostrate myself to man, whom You created from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape’”, (15:32-33). The Qur’an, clearly identifies arrogance as the root cause of rejecting faith. Linguistically, ‘kafir’ comes from the root word meaning, “a farmer who covers his seed with soil”. Similarly, a soul that covers up the truth after it has been made clear, then is in a ‘kafir’ state. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a></li> </ol> <a id="18" name="18"></a>The Qur’an Perspective of Other Faiths or Traditions In media today there is a perception that Islam is believed to be an intolerant religion. Certainly, the recent events around the world have caused this belief to grow. However, Islam is a universal faith that embraces the Divine teachings of all previous Prophets and faith traditions. Jewish and Christians are especially addressed as People of the Book (Arabic ‘Ahl’al-Kitab’) and Moses and Jesus are highly regarded in the Qur’an as Prophets of the Islamic tradition. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a> <a id="19" name="19"></a>Islam is One Religion under One God (Allah) Islam is not named after a prophet or a group of people but it has a universal meaning as follows: “Submission to the Will of Allah (swt) (God)”. This name recognises faith in One God (Allah (swt)) as a historical movement in the human experience, one that takes many forms while containing the same essential truth. All Prophets of Allah (swt) (God) and their followers constitute a historical brotherhood of faith as Muslims (those who submit to Allah (swt’s) Will). Accordingly the Prophet Abraham, as the father of all Prophets, and all those who follow him are called Muslims in the Qur’an, (3:67-68). These prophets, the Qur’an teaches, were sent to all nations at various periods throughout history, speaking in the same language as the people, and carrying the same message of submission to the Will of Allah (14:4; 16:36; and 35:24). One of the fundamental requirements of faith, then, is to believe in all prophets that are mentioned in the Qur’an, without exception (2:285). In fact, if someone declares that he or she does not believe in any of the prophets, they cease to be Muslim. The Qur’an also says that only some of the prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an (4:164), which leaves open the possibility of all faiths finding their roots in divinely-authentic teachings. The ‘Hadith’ say that Allah (swt) (God) sent about 124,000 prophets, beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad (PBHU). The Qur’an deconstructs the universal essentials of spiritual success and salvation into three broad Truths: <ol> <li>belief in one God (including the Prophets of Allah (swt) (God) who teaches Divine laws and ways);</li> <li>belief in the last day (the accountability of beliefs and deeds); and </li> <li>the practice of good works. </li> </ol> The Qur’an places emphasis and states that “those who believe (the Muslims) and those who follow the Jewish faith (followers of Prophet Moses), and the Christians (helpers of Jesus) and the Sabians, any who believe in Allah (swt) (God) and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Sustainer: “on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve” (2:62; 5:69). The Qur’an calls Jewish people ‘Yahud’ which means “repenting”, or “the ones who repented” by following Prophet Moses and living by the guidance of the Torah. Christians are known as ‘An-Naasara’, which derives from the word meaning “helpers”. They are known as such because they are helpers of Jesus in Allah (swt’s) (God’s) cause. Sabians refers to those in pre-Islamic Arabia who worshipped one God (Allah (swt)) and rejected idolatry. The Qur’an does not refer to religious groups as such, but rather to the true followers of the divine guidance. The Qur’an therefore urges those who have received previous Divine revelations to adhere to the teachings and laws of their faith and not to stray away from the guidance of the divinely-revealed books (5:44-50; 5:68). The Qur’an preaches an inclusive theology rather an exclusive theology. <a class="float_right" href="content_detail.php?id=10#">↑ top</a>

Saturday 18 Jan 2025