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23.5.16

Muslims should not Waste effort and energies in discussing minor Fiqh issues, concentrate on Faith and Good Works

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15 Shaban Shabbe Barā-ah or Lailat al-Barā-ah:

The fifteenth night of Islamic calendar month i.e. Sha’bān is commonly referred to as Shabbe Barā-ah or Lailat al-Barā-ah, which means the night in which Allāh’s decision of forgiveness is passed.

مفتی مولانا تقی عثمانی  کا  ٥ا  شعبان کی فضیلت پر جامع خطاب  


Muslims are indulging in prolonged useless discussions. One side quotes Hadiths to offer Nwafil and Zikr to sek forgiveness form Allah, which is normal in any case on any day. But with reference to Prophet Muhammadﷺ such a quote that a night has special significance, then a Muslim cannot ignore it. Then how it becomes innovation (Bida)? If some one says it is Fard or obligatory then its Bida but honoring the Hadith earns blessings of Allah. 

Ijtehad by scholars, if is correct, gets two Sawab, but if its in error then he gets one Sawab due to sincere noble intentions. Common Muslims follow scholars, if scholars differ, its between them and Allah. Every Muslim cannot become scholar. In Salah some people say Ameen loudly some quietly both are right, why create fuss?
But in this case there is no Shirk, no idol worship, no fundamental of Islam being violated. We should keep it optional and seek  blessings from Allah. Concentrate of core issues of Eyman, good deeds. Allah Knows the Best. Read more: http://islam4humanite.blogspot.com/2016/05/wasting-effort-in-minor-fiqh-issues.html

The Muhaddithīn (experts in Hadīth sciences) spent their lives in ensuring that the Ummah receives reliable Ahādīth (narrations) of Prophet Muhammadﷺ. They scrutinized the various dimensions of each Hadīth and gave a ruling on the strength and reliability of the Hadīth. The Ahādīth that extol the merits of the fifteenth night of Sha’bān are so many that it is impossible for one to deny. Even though these Ahādīth are not so strong on an individual capacity, yet the combination of all these Ahādīth together proves the virtues of this night. Consider the following Ahādīth:
   
1.    عن معاذ بن جبل، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «يطلع الله إلى خلقه في ليلة النصف من شعبان فيغفر لجميع خلقه إلا لمشرك أو مشاحن    (رواه ابن حبان في صحيحه والطبراني في الكبير والأوسط، وقال الهيثمي في المجمع: ورجالهما ثقاة)
  
It is reported from Muā’dh bin Jabal (R.A) that The Messenger of Allahﷺ said: "On the fifteenth  night of Sha’bān, Allah bestows His special attention to His entire creation. He then pardons His entire creation except an idolater and one who harbors enmity. (Sahīh Ibn Hibbān, Mu’jam at-Tabrānī)

Imām Tabrāni has recorded this Hadith in his Awsat and Kabīr, and Ibn Hibbān in his Sahih.  And Allāmah Haithamī has mentioned in Majma’ az-Zawāid that the narrators are authentic.

2.    عن عبد الله بن عمرو، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: " يطلع الله عز وجل إلى خلقه ليلة النصف من شعبان فيغفر لعباده إلالأثنين: مشاحن، وقاتل نفس(رواه أحمد وقال الهيثمي: وَفِيهِ ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ وَهُوَ لَيِّنُ الْحَدِيثِ، وَبَقِيَّةُ رِجَالِهِ وُثِّقُوا)

It is narrated from Hadhrat Abdullah bin Amr (R.A) that The Messenger of Allahﷺ said: “Allah bestows His special attention to His creation on the fifteenth night of Sha'bān and forgives all His servants except two categories of people: the person who harbors enmity and a murderer." (Musnad Ahmad)

Imām Ahmad narrates this Hadīth with a slight weakness in the chain.  Allāmah Haithamī states that all the narrators are authentic except for Ibn Lahīa’h.

 3.    عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَاصِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: " إِذَا كَانَ لَيْلَةُ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ نَادَى مُنَادٍ: هَلْ مِنْ مُسْتَغْفِرٍ فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ؟ هَلْ مِنْ سَائِلٍ فَأُعْطِيَهُ؟ فَلَا يَسْأَلُ أَحَدٌ شَيْئًا إِلَّا أُعْطِي إِلَّا زَانِيَةً بِفَرْجِهَا أَوْ مُشْرِكًا (رواه البيهقي في فضائل الأوقات)
 It is reported from Hadhrat Uthmān bin Abil Aas (R.A) that The Messenger of Allahﷺ said: “On the fifteenth night of Sha'bān, a call is made, “Is there anyone who seeks forgiveness so that I may  forgive him? Is there anyone who desires anything so that I may grant his wishes? Allah thus fulfills the requests of all except the adulteress and idolater. (Baihaqī)                                                                      

4.    حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا الحَجَّاجُ بْنُ أَرْطَاةَ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: فَقَدْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً فَخَرَجْتُ، فَإِذَا هُوَ بِالبَقِيعِ، فَقَالَ: «أَكُنْتِ تَخَافِينَ أَنْ يَحِيفَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكِ وَرَسُولُهُ» ، قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ أَتَيْتَ بَعْضَ نِسَائِكَ، فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْزِلُ لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَغْفِرُ لِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ عَدَدِ شَعْرِ غَنَمِ كَلْبٍ (سنن الترمذي، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي لَيْلَةِ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ)

Hadhrat A‘isha (R.A) says, “I woke up one night and did not find The Messenger of Allahﷺ.  I went outside and found him in Baqī’. He said to me, "Did you fear that Allah and His Messenger would oppress you?”. I replied, "0 the Messenger of Allahﷺ, I thought that you had gone to meet the other wives." He then said to me, “Allah does Nuzūl to the nearest sky on the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān and He forgives more people than the number of hair on the goats of the Banu Kalb tribe. (Sunan at-Tirmidhī)

The combination of all these Ahādīth proves the merit of this night.  Allāh forgives the sins of many servants on this night.  Also, Allāh’s special Mercy and Forgiveness descends from the beginning of the night till dawn and prayers are accepted on this night. [1] Hence, one should spend this night in the worship of Allāh Ta‘ālā. However, one should bear in mind that there is no specific form of worship or Salāh that is specific to this night. Hence Nawafil, Zikr, reciting Quran will earn high rewards from Allah.

Fasting on the fifteenth of Sha‘bān is not proven through any authentic narration.  The Hadīth in which fasting on this day is mentioned is extremely weak. Hence, the fasting on the fifteenth of Sha‘bān is not a Sunnah. [2] However,one may keep Nafl fast on that day since it is reported in Sahīh al-Bukhārī that Rasūlullāh Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam would fast excessively in the month of Sha’bān. The Hadīth is as follows:

وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِي شَعْبَانَ (صحيح البخارى، بَابُ صَوْمِ شَعْبَانَ)

Aishah Radhiyallāhu Anhā states, “I have never seen The Messenger of Allahﷺ fasting in any other month (besides Ramadhān) more than his fasting in Sha’bān. (Sahīh al-Bukhārī)

In the Ahādīth it is mentioned that The Messenger of Allahﷺ visited the graveyard on this night.  However, from another authentic Hadīth, it is proven that The Messenger of Allahﷺ would visit Baqī‘ every night he spent at the home of Aishah Radhiyallāhu Anhā[3], which was once every week.  Hence, visiting the graveyard is not a special characteristic of this night.  Instead, it is a Sunnah to visit the graveyard at least once every week. [4] And Allah Knows Best,

For further details, you may refer to “SHABE BARAAT”, a book written on the topic by Sheikh al-Hadīth Moulānā Fazlur Rahman Azmi. The book may be downloaded from the following link:
http://attahawi.com/2009/08/07/shabe-barat-the-fifteenth-of-shabaan-in-the-light-of-the-quran-and-hadeeth-by-shaykh-fazlur-rahman-azmi/
From ... Abdul Azīm bin Abdur Rahman,Student Darul Iftaa  U.S.A. 
Source: http://www.daruliftaa.net/~dar60/index.php/articles/juridical-codifications/437-clarification-on-the-significance-of-15-shaban
https://islamqa.info/en/11722
[1] SHABE BARAAT (MOLANA FAZLUR RAHMAN ‘AZMI), PG. 16
[2] SHABE BARAAT (MOLANA FAZLUR RAHMAN ‘AZMI), PG. 23-24

[3]   حدثنا يحيى بن يحيى التميمي، ويحيى بن أيوب، وقتيبة بن سعيد - قال يحيى بن يحيى: أخبرنا، وقال الآخران: - حدثنا إسماعيل بن جعفر، عن شريك وهو ابن أبي نمر، عن عطاء بن يسار، عن عائشة، أنها قالت: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - كلما كان ليلتها من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - يخرج من آخر الليل إلى البقيع، فيقول: «السلام عليكم دار قوم مؤمنين، وأتاكم ما توعدون غدا، مؤجلون، وإنا، إن شاء الله، بكم لاحقون، اللهم، اغفر لأهل بقيع الغرقد (صحيح مسلم، ج 2، ص 669، دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت)

[4] SHABE BARAAT (MOLANA FAZLUR RAHMAN ‘AZMI), PG. 19-20


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Differentiate between good and bad bid’ah
In Islam, Bid‘ah (Arabic: بدعة‎‎; English: innovation) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically the term means "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy". In classical Arabic literature (adab), it has been used as a form of praise for outstanding compositions of prose and poetry.
A tradition holds that Muhammad told a companion: "The person who introduced a good thing in Islam, shall obtain the reward for it and also the reward for those who adopt it. As for the one who introduces a bad thing he will obtain the punishment for introducing it and also for those who adopt it, will also be punished."[35][36][37][38]
Jabir ibn Abd Allah narrated "...The Prophet said: He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their's being diminished in any respect.[39][40][41]
Anas ibn Malik said "I heard the Prophet say: 'My nation will not unite on misguidance, so if you see them differing, follow the great majority.'"[42]
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said, "Whoever prayed at night the whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." After the Prophet's death the people continued observing that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and in the early days of Umar ibn Al-Khattab's Caliphate. During Ramadan upon seeing people praying in different groups, Umar ordered Ubay ibn Ka'b to lead the people in congregational prayer. On this Umar said: 'What an excellent Bida (i.e. innovation in religion) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.'[37][43][44][45]
Salman al-Farsi narrated that Prophet was asked, by some of the companions, about the permissibility and prohibition of certain items, he states "Halal is that which Allah has made Halal in His book, Haram is that which Allah has made Haram in His book and about which he has remained silent is all forgiven."[46]
Abu Hurairah narrated at the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet asked Bilal ibn al-Harith, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me."[47] Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says in Fath al-Bari that "the hadith shows it is permissible to use personal resoning (ijtihad) in choosing times for acts of worship, for Bilal reached the chonclusion he mentioned by his own inference and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed him therein."[48] Similar to this Khubyab bin Adi asked to pray two rak‘as before being executed by idolators in Mecca, and was hence the first to establish the sunna of two rak'as for those who are steadfast in going to their death.[48][49]
Rifaa ibn Rafi narrated: When we were praying behind the Prophet and he raised his head from bowing and said, "Allah hears whoever praises Him," a man behind him said, "Our Lord, Yours is the praise, abundandly, wholesomely, and blessedly."When he rose to leave, the Prophet asked who said it, and when the man replied that it was he, the Prophet said, "I saw thirty-odd angel each striving to be the one to write it."[50] Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani comments in Fath al-Bari that the hadith "indicates the permissibility of initiation new expression ofdhikr in the prayer other than the ones related through hadith texts, as long as they do not contradict those conveyed by the hadith. It is clear that this is since the above were a mere enhancement and addendum to the know, sunna dhikr."[48]
Imam Shafi'i gave the following advice, "An innovation which contradicts the Qur'an, Sunnah, an Athar or Ijma is a heretical bid'a: if however something new is introduced which is not evil in itself and does not contradict the above mentioned authorities of religious life, then it is a praiseworthy, unobjectional bid'a.
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  مولانا طارق جمیل کا  ١٥ا  شعبان کی فضیلت پر خطاب
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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ شروع اللہ کے نام سے، ہم اللہ کی حمد کرتے ہیں اس کی مدد چاہتے ہیں اوراللہ سے مغفرت کی درخواست کر تے ہیں. جس کواللہ ھدایت دے اس کو کوئی گمراہ نہیں کرسکتا اورجس کو وہ گمراہی پر چھوڑ دے اس کو کوئی ھدایت نہیں دے سکتا. ہم شہادت دیتے ہیں کہ اللہ کے سوا کوئی عبادت کے لائق نہیں، محمد ﷺ اس کے بندے اورخاتم النبین ہیں اور انﷺ کے بعد کوئی نبی یا رسول نہیں ہے. درود و سلام ہوحضرت محمّد ﷺ پر اہل بیت (رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ) اور اصحاب (رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ) اجمعین پر. ------------------------------------------ یقیناً اللہ کے نزدیک بدترین قسم کے جانور وہ بہرے گونگے لوگ ہیں جو عقل سے کام نہیں لیتے (8:22) جس کو چاہتا ہے حکمت عطا کرتا ہے، اور جس کو حکمت ملی، اُسے حقیقت میں بڑی دولت مل گئی اِن باتوں سے صرف وہی لوگ سبق لیتے ہیں، جو دانشمند ہیں (2:269) اس طرح ہم نشانیاں کھول کھول کر پیش کرتے ہیں اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو سوچنے سمجھنے والے ہیں (10:24) تاکہ جسے ہلاک ہونا ہے وہ دلیل روشن کے ساتھ ہلاک ہو اور جسے زندہ رہنا ہے وہ دلیل روشن کے ساتھ زندہ رہے، یقیناً خدا سُننے والا اور جاننے والا ہے (8:42) اور آسمانی کائنات کو ہم نے بڑی قوت کے ذریعہ سے بنایا اور یقیناً ہم (اس کائنات کو) وسعت اور پھیلاؤ دیتے جا رہے ہیں (51:47) -------------------------------------------- عمر ضائع کردی: مفتی محمد شفیع (رحمت اللہ علیہ) فرماتے ہیں کہ میں حضرت مولانا سید محمد انور کاشمیری(رحمت اللہ علیہ) کی خدمت میں حاضر ہوا تو دیکھا کہ حضرت سر پکڑے ہوے بہت غم زدہ بیٹھے ہیں- میں نے پوچھا "مزاج کیسا ہے؟" انہوں نے کھا مزاج کیا پوچھتے ہو، عمر ضائع کر دی…. میں نے عرض کیا:حضرت! آپ کی ساری عمر علم کی خدمت میں اور دین کی اشاعت میں گزری ہے- ہزاروں آپ کے شاگرد علماء ہیں جو آپ سے مستفید ہوۓ اور خدمت دین میں لگے ہوے ہیں- آپ کی عمراگرضائع ہوئی تو کس کی عمر کام میں لگی؟ حضرت نے فرمایا "ہماری عمروں کا، ہماری تقریروں کا، ہماری ساری کوششوں کا خلاصہ یہ رہا ہے کہ دوسرے مسلکوں پر حنفی مسلک کی ترجیح قائم کریں، امام ابو حنیفہ (رحمت اللہ علیہ) کے مسائل کے دلائل تلاش کریں- یہ رہا ہے محور ہماری کوششوں کا، تقریروں کا اور علمی زندگی کا! ..... اب غور کرتا ہوں کہ کس چیز میں عمر برباد کی!" پھر فرمایا "ارے میاں اس بات کا کہ کون سا مسلک صحیح تھا اور کون سا خطا پر، اس کا راز تو کہیں حشر میں بھی نہیں کھلے گا اور نہ دنیا میں اس کا فیصلہ ہو سکتا ہے اور نہ ہی قبر میں منکر نکیر پوچھیں گے کہ'رفع یدین' حق تھا 'ترک رفع یدین' حق تھا،(نماز میں) 'آمین' زور سے کہنا حق تھا یا آھستہ کہنا حق تھا- برزخ میں بھی اس کے متعلق سوال نہیں کیا جائے گا اور قبر میں بھی یہ سوال نہیں ہو گا- روز محشر اللہ تعالی نہ امام شافعی رح کی رسوا کرے گا نہ امام ابے حنیفہ (رحمت اللہ علیہ) کونہ امام احمد بن حمبل(رحمت اللہ علیہ) کو …. اور نہ میدان حشر میں کھڑا کر کہ یہ معلوم کرے گا کہ امام ابو حنیفہ (رحمت اللہ علیہ) نے صحیح کھا تھا یاامام شافعی(رحمت اللہ علیہ) نے غلط کھا تھا، ایسا نہیں ہو گا- تو جس چیز کا نہ دنیا کہیں نکھرنا ہے، نہ برزخ میں، نہ محشر میں، اس کے پیچھے پڑ کر ہم نے عمر ضائع کر دی اور جو "صحیح اسلام" کی دعوت تھی، جو سب کے نزدیک مجمع علیہ اور وہ مسائل جو سبھی کےنزدیک متفقہ تھے اور دین کی جو ضروریات سبھی کے نزدیک اہم تھیں، جن کی دعوت انبیاءکرام ص لے کر آیےتھے، جن کی دعوت کو عام کرنے کا ہم کو حکم دیا گیا تھا، وہ منکرات جن کو مٹانے کی کوشش ہم پر فرض کی گیئ تھی، آج اس کی دعوت ہی نہی دی جا رہی- یہ ضروریات دین تو لوگوں کی نگاہوں سے اوجھل ہو رہی ہیں اور اپنے اور اغیار سبھی دین کے چہرے کو مسخ کر رہے ہیں اور وہ منکرات جن مٹانے میں ہمیں لگے ہونا چاہیے تھا، وہ پھیل رہے ہیں- گمراہی پھیل رہی ہے، الحاد آرہا ہے، شرک و بت پرستی چلی آرہی ہے، حلال و حرام کا امتیاز اٹھ رہا ہے لیکن ہم لگے ہوے ہیں ان فرعی و فروعی بحثوں میں! ….. اس لئے غمگین بیٹھا ہوں اور محسوس کر رہا ہوں کہ عمرضائع کر دی" " وحدت امت"- مفتی مولانا محمد شفیع (رحمت اللہ علیہ)
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Open letter to Muslims and Scholars:

Presently the society is in a state of ideological confusion and degradation. Materialism, terrorism, ignorance and intolerance has threatened the humanity, peace and religion. These circumstances demand special response from the learned men of religion. Objective is to draw your attention towards pressing issues which need urgent resolution. With little  attention and effort we can make an endeavour to take the society out of this quagmire. Keep reading >>> http://goo.gl/xNolSV

مسلم وعلماء کے نام کھلا خط 
آج کے حالات میں مسلم معاشرہ نظریاتی  ابتری اور انحطاط کا شکار ہے. مادہ پرستی، دہشت گردی، عدم برداشت، اور جہالت انسانیت، امن اور مذھب کے لیے خطرہ بن چکے ہیں. ان حالات میں صاحب علم و ذی فہم حضرات سے ممکنہ حل کی توقع کی جا سکتی ہے. ہمارا مقصد ہے کہ آپ کی توجہ ضروری حل پذیر مسائل کی طرف مبذول کرنا ہے تاکہ جلد حل تلاش کیا جا سکے. آپ کی توجہ اور مدد سے ہم کوشش کر سکتے ہیں کہ معاشرہ کو اس  گہری دلدل سے نکال سکیں. مکمل خط اس لنک پر پڑھیں : http://goo.gl/y2VWNE
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Humanity, ReligionCultureSciencePeace

22.5.16

A historical travesty

In the early Islamic period, the discipline of history hadn`t been fully developed and had no significant impact on the consciousness of Arab society. Scholar Ibn Hazm (d.1064 AD) cxplains that religion was a source of understanding history; this transformed history into a branch of religion, which in turn, changed its structure and form.

The Arabs were proud of their poetry and had little interest in any other sources of knowledge. This can be interpreted from the fact that in the writings of Al Kindi (c. 873), Al Farabi (d. 950 AD) and Ibn Sena (d. 1037), there is no mention of history. As their source of knowledge was Greek translations, they took more interest in philosophy than in history.

Later on, even after the subject of history had evolved and transformed as a major source of past events, it did not find the kind of recognition that other sources of knowledge enjoyed. For example, in the encyclopaedic work Rasa`el Ikhwan al Safa, the topic of his-tory is dealt with at the end thus denoting the insignificance attributed to history at the time.

Scholars, therefore, had limited knowledge and perspective of history.

It was believed that studying pre-Islamic history was of no use as it belonged to the days of ignorance (Jahiliyyah).

According to these scholars, only Islamic history should be studied because it was based on truth and veracity.

History as a subject was regarded as inferior to the extent that scholars would not take it up as a profession. Those who were involved in history writing were either courtiers or religious scholars and jurists; their reputations were based on their other professions and not as historians. For example, al Tabari (d. 923 AD) was known as a religious scholar and Ibn Khuldun (d.1406 AD) was renowned as a Qazi, although both men were great historians as well.

When independent Muslim states emerged, the rulers appointed court his-torians to write the history of their reign.

These men were usually awarded this task in addition to their administrative posts.

As Muslim society was divided into different religious sects, history was used by each sect to prove their viewpoint and the righteousness of their ideology. As a result, history became subordinate to religion.

History was written either with a sense of devotion or in opposition to other sects, which in turn, caused prejudice and fuelled sectarian hatred.

History suffered because each sect tried to write history in order to prove their truthfulness. In the process, history was distorted and past events were misquoted.

It, therefore, became impossible for a Muslim historian to write critically because faith and history were so intensively integrated with each other that they could not be separated. History was written between the bounds of theology, often reduced to sermonising andpreaching ethical values only.

At a time when writing history was confined to reigning monarchs, royal dynasties and aristocracy, historians wrote only about things related to the court, its ceremonies, administration, collection of taxes, war strategy, organisation of army, conspiracies and intrigues. The object of such history was to train young princes and ruling classeson how to govern and control the affairs of the State.

However, the characteristic of Arabic historiography was to include different topics related to society besides the narrative of the ruling elite. On the other hand, Persian historiography dealt only with the history of rulers, aristocrats and state officials, and did not mention the contribution of other classes.In the modern period, Muslim historiography has changed drastically.

In every Muslim country, historians are writing history on the basis of nationalism.

They are now proud of the pre-Islamic past of their countries and include it as a continuity of their civilisation. For example, the Egyptians are taking pride in the Egypt of Pharaohs, the Syrians and Iraqis are tracing their roots to the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrians civilisations.

This approach changed the structure of Muslim historiography and the spirit of nationalism secularised it. For example, Lebanese Christians richly contributed to the writing of history, and produced works such as Philip Hitti`s book History of the Arabs and Albert Hourani`s A History of the Arah Peoples.

Muslim historiography was further enriched when Muslim countries struggled against European imperialism. At this stage, politicians used past Muslim glory and grandeur to inspire people to fight against foreign powers. This nationalist history also included religious minorities as a part of their nationhood.

This politicisation of history resulted in a distortion of events to justify particular political points of view. And perhaps it is this dynamic that still begs the question: did Muslim societies learn any lessons from history, or was history treated as entertainment`?
http://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=22_05_2016_424_002

3.5.16

Muslims , Paradise & Hell - Clear False Concepts thorough Quran


Quran repeatedly mentions that; "those who believe and do righteous deeds will enter the paradise" (Quran; 103:2m3, 32:19, 42:22, 30:45, 31:8-9, 47:12, 18:107, 5:11, 22:23, 56,40)


بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿٣﴾

I swear by the passage of time, (1) that man is surely in a state of loss, (2) except for those who believe and do good deeds and exhort one another to hold fast to the Truth, and who exhort one another to stead-fastness. (103:3)
زمانے کی قسم (1) انسان درحقیقت بڑے خسارے میں ہے (2) سوائے اُن لوگوں کے جو ایمان لائے، اور نیک اعمال کرتے رہے، اور ایک دوسرے کو حق کی نصیحت اور صبر کی تلقین کرتے رہے (103:3)

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ ﴿٣٤﴾ يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ ﴿٣٦﴾ فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ ﴿٣٧﴾ وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿٣٨﴾ فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ ﴿٣٩﴾ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ ﴿٤٠﴾ فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (41 سورة النازعا ت)

"When the great over-whelming event arrives,  on the Day that man remembers what he strove for  and Hell is there for all to see, anyone who has acted arrogantly and prefers the life of this world, will find himself in Hell; but one who fears to stand before his Lord and restrained himself from base desires, shall dwell in Paradise." (79:34-41)

تو جب بڑی آفت آئے گی (34) اس دن انسان اپنے کاموں کو یاد کرے گا (35) اور دوزخ دیکھنے والے کے سامنے نکال کر رکھ دی جائے گی (36) تو جس نے سرکشی کی (37) اور دنیا کی زندگی کو مقدم سمجھا (38) اس کا ٹھکانہ دوزخ ہے (39) اور جو اپنے پروردگار کے سامنے کھڑے ہونے سے ڈرتا اور جی کو خواہشوں سے روکتا رہا (40) اس کا ٹھکانہ بہشت ہے  (41 سورة النازعا ت)

Hadith Qudsi 6:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr (in the Cause of Allah). He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favors and he will recognize them. Allah, The Exalted, will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for You until I died a martyr (in Your Cause). Allah Subhanah will Say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favors and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will Say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. Allah Subhanah will Say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a recitor. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favors and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will Say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. Allah Subhanah will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6251 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah:

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: Do you know who is a muflis مفلس  (abjectly poor or one who is totally bankrupt)? They (the Companions (r.a.) of the Prophet (saws)) said: A muflis amongst us is one who has neither dirham with him nor wealth. He (the Prophet (saws)) said: The muflis of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and Zakah but (he would find himself bankrupt on that day as he would have exhausted his funds of virtues) since he hurled abuses upon others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully consumed the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others. His virtues would be credited to the account of one (who suffered at his hand). And if his good deeds fall short to clear the account (of his mis-deeds), then their sins would be entered in (his account) and he would be thrown in the Hell-Fire!

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ، it is evident that not every one who considered himself to be a muslim in the life of this world will enter Paradise، but rather only those whom The Lord Most Gracious Determines to be true muslims on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment will be shown the Mercy of their Lord Most Merciful.


Allah Says:

"We shall set up Scales of Justice for the Day of Judgment so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. And if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed (good or evil), We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account." (Quran; 21:47)

"He that doeth good shall have ten times as much to his credit: he that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil. No wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.(Quran; 6:160)

Keep reading more >>> http://www.islamhelpline.net/node/8032
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Some Popular Misconceptions of the Muslims
by Dr. Khalid Zaheer


Individuals who stay away from practicing Islam despite being Muslims, fall into two broad categories: There is one group whose apparent association with Islam owes itself entirely to the accident of birth. They retain their Muslim names and participate in some of the socially significant Islamic events only to maintain their apparent Muslim identity. They are neither convinced about the truthfulness of the message of Islam nor are they interested in following it sincerely. Few people would dispute the claim that their Muslim identity is only a this-worldly arrangement and that on the Day of Judgment their claim to Islam would be discarded.

The second category consists of those people who take pride in acknowledging the veracity of Islam. They make attempts to follow its teachings as far as convenience is not threatened to be compromised. However, a closer look at their lifestyles reveals that, much the same way as the first group, they too are in fact immersed in their greed for their this-worldly life. Their practical contact with the Shariah is strictly confined to the narrow limits allowed by the predominance of their worldly objectives. Thus they care to follow only that part of Islam which is consistent with the contemporary fashion or which at least does not run contrary to its requirements. Their real happiness is associated with worldly successes; they are genuinely grieved only over worldly privations. Despite this completely 'one-eyed' approach to life, they are fully convinced that the exciting prospects of the other life too are, beyond doubt, going to be for them to enjoy. Whatever be the truth about their motives, at least some of them defend their approach by presenting arguments, some of which are apparently based on Quran and Sunnah. It is important, therefore, that a dispassionate analysis of those arguments be made to help them realize that the superstructure of their expectations is based upon extremely fragile foundations.

The gist of their arguments is being presented below. People belonging to this category do not generally present all the listed arguments. In fact, in most cases, it is only one of the described reasons that is cited to absolve the individual from taking the obligations of the Shariah seriously.

One popular argument presented is that the most predominant attribute of Allah Almighty is Mercy. How, then is it possible that the Almighty is going to allow us to be consigned to Hell when we are following at least some part of Islam along side pursuing our worldly ambitions. Another argument offered is that since we have the privilege of being the followers of the last and the favourite Prophet of Allah (sws), and since it is a well known fact that Allah Almighty will grant to his Prophet (sws) the right to intercede for his followers, how is it possible that the Prophet's intercession will not come to our rescue. Even if the sinning side of our balance would be heavier, intercession of the Prophet (sws) will make amends for that.

According to a third argument, many traditions of the Prophet (sws) confirm that all those people who had recited the Kalimah shall enter Paradise, and that since we were born to Muslim families and got the privilege of reciting the Kalimah many times. Who then can deny us this birth right of ours.A little more reasonable amongst this group present a seemingly more logical argument for the defence of their case. There is no doubt, they say, that we are sinners and are violating Allah's law on a fairly regular basis, however, we do keep seeking His forgiveness during prayers and even outside prayers. It is quite clear from the contents of the Quran and Sunnah that repentance cleanses one's sins. After this knowledge, why should we make our lives unnecessarily miserable by following all aspects of the Shariah. What's so wrong, after all, in a compromise between a this-worldly and a that-worldly attitude?

Finally, there is another argument presented: The Shari`ah has two types of injunctions: those which are directly relevant to Allah and those that have to do with one's obligations towards fellow humans. While the latter category of injunctions are more important to be followed, the obligations towards Allah are not. If we are telling the truth, refraining from getting involved in bribes, helping the poor, keeping our promises, and strictly adhering to other similar injunctions, why then shall we not be successful in the Hereafter just for not saying prayers regularly, or not fasting, or not going for Hajj and not following similar injunctions which are matters of personal relevance between the individual and his God. When scales are going to be drawn on the Day of Judgement, how is it possible that our significantly important good deeds will not be able outweigh the relatively less important blemishes.

Let us analyze these arguments to find out whether they do merit the confidence of those who are using them for justifying their life patterns or not.

1. Mercy of God

The Quran indeed informs us that Allah's mercy dominates everything else:

My mercy enfolds everything. (7: 156)

The very beginning of the Quran mentions two names of God Almighty: al-Rahman and al-Rahim, both describing the profoundness of His mercy. If one were to find the thematic link between the first two verses of Surah al-Rahman, it emerges quite clearly that the decision of sending down the Divine Revelation also owes entirely to His attribute of mercy. It says:

The Gracious God; He taught the Quran. (55:1-2)

The Quran has, however, clarified another point as well: that the people who are really worthy of being treated compassionately by the Gracious God are those who as a consequence of their correct attitude are found deserving of it.

The blessing of Allah is at hand for those who do good. (7:56)

On another occasion it has been clarified by the Quran that the mercy of Allah has in fact been laid down for the God-conscious followers of the Prophets:

... My mercy enfolds everything. I shall enjoin it for those who ward off (evil) and pay the Zakat and believe in Our signs . Those who follow the messenger ... (7:156-7)

It is the same mercy which has been referred to by the Almighty while urging His servants who continue to be engulfed in sins not to give up hope, since such people tread the line of sin only because they have lost hope in Allah's mercy; therefore, they have been comforted by being informed that Allah can forgive all sins provided man ensures serious attempts at correction of his attitude:

Say: O my servants who have sinned against their souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Surely, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. And turn to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him, before there comes unto you the punishment; for then you shall not be helped. And follow the best Teaching that has been revealed to you from your Lord, before the punishment comes upon you suddenly, while you perceive not. (39:53-55)

These verses show beyond doubt that if a person wants himself to be regarded as deserving of the mercy of the Almighty, it is imperative that he should incline himself towards Allah and correct his attitude. It is noticeable that even after the emotionally moving mention of His mercifulness, Allah has still warned those who are not obedient to Him of grave consequences. This shows beyond doubt the fact that only those people deserve Allah's mercy who show through their conduct that they are genuinely looking for it and are not just pretending.

2. The Prophet's Intercession

There is no doubt that the Quran indicates that Allah Almighty shall grant the privilege of intercession to some of His chosen people. However, a proper understanding of the conditions laid down in the Quran for the administration of intercession should preclude an individual who is genuinely seeking success in the hereafter from pinning his hopes on that arrangement. The conditions laid down in the Quran for the administration of intercession are the following:

1. No one shall dare to speak out on the Day of Judgement without Allah's leave. 2. The intercessor shall be able to intercede only for individuals specified for the purpose. 3. The intercessor shall speak nothing but the truth.

The Quran says:

On the day when the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they shall not speak, except he whom the Gracious God will grant leave, and who will speak only what is right. (78:38)

The very next verse warns that the Day of Judgement is an undeniable reality; therefore, whosoever wants his real welfare should leave aside the strategy of pinning hopes on false supports and should, instead, adopt the path outlined by God Almighty so as to save himself from the ignominy of that day:

That day is sure to come. So whosoever likes may prepare a way to his Lord. (78:39)

A similar clarification has been offered in another verse of the Quran thus:

And who can intercede with Him except by His leave? (2:255)

Authentically transmitted traditions of the Prophet (sws) also inform that the Prophet (sws) had warned some of his very close relatives individually of the grave consequences they were likely to face if they would not prepare themselves for their accountability, for on the day of judgement no soul shall be able to come to the rescue of another. A tradition mentions that when the verse carrying the message "And warn your near relations" (26:214) was revealed, the Prophet (sws) stood up and said:

O people of Quraysh! save your skins from the Hell-fire because I will not be able to come to your rescue on the Day of Judgement. O 'Abd Munaf! I won't be able to save you an inch from (the wrath of) Allah Almighty. O 'Abbas, son of `Abd al-Muttalib! I will not be able to help you out [from the punishment of] Allah. O Safiyyah, the messenger of Allah's Aunt, I wouldn't be able to help you [on the Day of Judgement] from the punishment of Allah. O Fatimah daughter of Muhammad! You can ask anything from my [worldly wealth; as for the hereafter, however], I will not be able to save you from Allah's grip. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Wasaya)

The Quran has categorically denied in two different passages in Surah al-Baqarah -- one of the two addressing the progeny of Israel, and the other one, Muslims -- all possibilities of intercession coming to the rescue of individuals, in order to emphasize that it is faith and good deeds alone that are going to help one out on the day of judgement. In the absence of these, none shall be allowed to interfere in the Divine proceedings of implementation of justice. The Quran says:

Children of Israel! ... And guard yourselves against the day when no soul shall serve as a substitute for another soul at all, nor shall intercession be accepted for it, nor shall ransom be taken from it, nor shall they be helped. (2:47-8)

The second passage says:

O you who believe! Spend out of what we have bestowed on you before the day comes wherein there shall be no buying and selling, nor friendship, nor intercession, and it is those who disbelieve that do wrong to themselves. (2:254)

After these references from the Quran and Hadith, the only question that remains to be answered is that if there is such categorical negation of intercession in the original sources, what then is the context of those Ahadith which give considerable details of intercession that will be done by the Prophet (sws) for the benefit of his followers. What emerges on reflecting upon the information in the original sources of Islam in this regard is that on the Day of Judgement when the good and the bad deeds will be weighed, some people would succeed with flying colours, while others would face the ignominy of failure. However, it appears, that there would still remain one group of people who would be falling on the margin. Allah's mercy would necessitate that they be spared from punishment. Therefore, the Almighty, in order to elevate the status of some of the noblest people on that day will permit them to intercede for such individuals who will be found on the margin. The intercession, it is reported, will be duly accepted. This intercession will not necessitate the violation of any of the inviolable principles of justice of God Almighty.

3. Salvation for the Reciter of Kalimah

The confusion on the question of salvation for the reciter of Kalimah owes itself to the improper understanding of the Quran and Hadith. The Quran makes it unmistakably clear that Allah Almighty has not made salvation in the Hereafter incumbent upon an individual's formal association with a particular group. The Book stresses that the success in the Hereafter is guaranteed only for those who fulfil the criterion of faith and righteous deeds. The Quran says:

Sure the believers and the Jews and the followers of Christ and the Sabians, whoever believes in God and the last Day, and whoever does right, shall have his reward with his Lord and they will neither have fear nor regret. (2:62)

This verse clarifies that there are only two preconditions for salvation in the hereafter: faith in Allah, in the Hereafter, in the Prophets, and righteous deeds. A person satisfying these conditions, whenever he lived, shall stand successful in the eyes of Allah. As for those who relish the prospects of residing in the pleasures of the Paradise merely on getting enrolled in the list of the followers of a Prophet, they have been clearly informed about the impertinence of their expectations in the following verse:

Neither your wishes [O Muslims] nor the wishes of the people of the Book [are going to matter]; whosoever does ill will be punished for it, and will find no protector or friend apart from God; but he who performs good deeds, whether man or a woman, and is a believer, will surely enter the Paradise, and none shall be deprived even of an iota of his reward. (5:123-4)

One comes to learn on reading the Quran that much the same way as the present-day Muslims, a group of people belonging to the Children of Israel also believed that reciting the Kalimah was enough for their salvation. Their intransigence of not to accept the Prophethood of Mohammed (sws) owed a great deal to this creed. The Book of Allah rejects their claim in such clear terms that the divine words remain an eye opener for all people who care to read it:

They say: The fire will not touch us for more than a few days. Say: Have you so received a promise from Allah so that Allah will not withdraw His pledge or do you impute things to Allah for which you have no knowledge at all? (2:80)

The unequivocal verdict of the Quran, however, leaves the relevance of the promise to the reciters of Kalimah in the Ahadith unanswered. Although Ahadith carrying a similar message are numerous, the following one from the book of Imam Muslim clearly explains the proper context of most of them carrying a similar message:

The one who dies knowing that there is no God but Allah shall enter the Paradise. (Muslim, Kitab al-Iman)

Two clarifications would facilitate the understanding of these narratives:

First, the very recitation of the kalimah for those who were the audience of this statement necessitated defying the contemporary system, abandoning the faith of their forefathers, earning the hatred of all those who had turned against the Prophet (sws). The recitation of the same kalimah now is done invariably by people who mindlessly utter the words without making any effort to find what their meanings entail. Nothing could be more naive than the expectations of people who believe that they are the worthy receivers of the good tidings of Paradise on the basis of a mere utterance of this statement. The Quran, on the contrary repeatedly affirms that it is not mere utterance of the claim to faith that is desired of an individual; what is required, on the contrary, is the attitude that proves that his claim is not just a hollow utterance but, instead, is based on real sincerity:

Do men think they will get away by saying: we believe and they will not be tried? We had tried those who were before them so that Allah knew who spoke the truth, and who were liars. (29:2-3)

Second, if a person accepts Allah as His God, it is not possible for him to continue to remain disobedient to Him. It is indeed possible for him to falter morally, may be every now and then, owing to his human failings. However, if he is a true believer, he would certainly correct his behaviour on realizing his fault and would feel ashamed of what he had done. The Quran clarifies quite clearly that Allah's favourite servants do not deliberately insist on their sinful behaviour:

Allah loves those who are upright and those who, when they commit a shameful act or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins -- and who can forgive sins except Allah -- and do not knowingly persist in what they do. (3:135-6)

Another passage of the Quran informs that for the pious, sins appear by default, not by design; for them, sinning is not a rule; it is only an exception that is immediately succeeded by feelings of embarrassment. The Quran says:

To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, that He may requite those who do evil, in accordance with their deeds, and those who do good with good. As for those who avoid the greater sins and shameful acts, except minor trespasses, your Lord is Master of vast forgiveness. (53:31-2)

On appreciating the above two clarifications, one realises that the glad tidings given by the Prophet (sws) were exactly consistent with the Quran which confers him with the status of a bearer of glad tidings (Mubashshir). The Quran says:

O Prophet: We have sent you as a witness and a bearer of happy tidings and an admonisher. (33:45)

It was important that this tiding be communicated for the benefit of specially those believers who are particularly sensitive about their sins and, therefore, have a propensity to fall into a psychological abyss of profound despair even on committing only a few sins. Such devoted believers have been consoled by being informed that the all-important objective of finding a niche in the heaven is not unachievable. The only requirement for an individual to be able to achieve that goal is a firm commitment with the Kalimah. However, since it was a likely possibility that the less discerning minds would not be able to pick the real spirit from the context of the message and could, as a consequence, relinquish their commitment to following the message, the Prophet (sws), on the urging of his companion 'Umar, desired that the message not be communicated to the common people. The relevant passage of a hadith from the book of Imam Muslim says:

`Umar said: O Prophet of Allah, for you be sacrificed my close kin, did you send Abu Hurayrah with your shoes so that he may give glad tidings of the heaven to all those he comes across who say: There is no god except Allah from the core of his heart? He, may Allah's blessings be on him, said: I did. 'Umar said: [I would suggest you] don't do that way, because I fear people might rely unnecessarily upon its apparent meanings [and stop practicing Islam]. So [I suggest you just] leave them to practice. The Prophet, may Allah's mercy be on him, said: Then, leave them [and let this message not be communicated to them]. (Kitab al-Iman)

4. Repentance

There is little doubt that repentance cleanses an individual of all his sins. Allah Almighty forgives an individual when he decides to correct his attitude. The Quran confirms that if repentance is done with all conditions properly fulfilled, God Almighty accepts it as matter of principle:

Allah does accept repentance, but only of those who are guilty of an evil out of ignorance yet quickly repent, and Allah turns to them again, for Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise. But He does not accept the repentance of those who continue indulging in evil until death draws near and they say: We now repent; nor of those who die disbelieving. For them We have a grievous retribution in wait. (4:17-8)

Thus writes Amin Ahsan Islahi in his commentary of these verses:

On reflecting upon these verses, one finds two conditions for the acceptability or otherwise of repentance. Those who sin under the influence of emotions and then repent immediately (on realizing their error) and correct their attitude, Allah Almighty has vowed to accept their repentance. On the contrary, repentance is not accepted of such who continue to sin and care to repent only when the angel of death reaches them, nor is it accepted in the case of those who die in a state of disbelief. One question that still remains even after the clear delineation of the two extreme cases is regarding the fate of those individuals who, although do not get the opportunity of repenting immediately after committing a sin, yet do not delay until the appearance of death to perform it. The verse is silent regarding such cases, which evinces both hope and fear. That seems to be the very purpose behind the absence of a mention of the treatment of this category so that people belonging to it should continue to remain between the conditions of fear and hope. However, it does occur in one's mind occasionally that people from the Muslim Ummah belonging to this category shall get the benefit of the intercession of the Prophet (sws) because there does not seem to be any reason why such people should not be entitled to intercession. (Tadabbur'ul Quran, Vol 2 [Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1991], p. 267)

What exactly is the repentance that satisfies all conditions to justify for the doer a clear case for being forgiven? The author of Riyad al-Salihin has responded to this question by drawing from the opinions of a large number of scholars. He writes thus:

Thus say the scholars: To repent on committing a crime is mandatory. If a sin is committed against Allah alone, then there are only three conditions: First, man should desist from repeating the crime; second, he should regret his action; and third, he ought to make a firm commitment that he is not going to repeat the crime in future. If any one of these three conditions is not met, the repentance done shall not be valid. If the sin committed has to do with a fellow human being, then in addition to the afore-mentioned three conditions a fourth one is for the sinner to compensate the aggrieved individual against whatever loss has been inflicted upon him. For instance, if he has deprived an individual of his valuables, the sinner should duly return them to the rightful owners. If pain has been inflicted upon a person, he should be allowed to respond with a similar injury or else he should be requested to forgive. If a person has been backbitten against, he should be approached by the sinner to get the apology accepted from him.

A sinner must repent for all his crimes. If he repents in the case of some and stays away from doing it in the case of others, he will continue to remain obliged to repent for the remaining crimes. The verdict of Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of all the scholars of the Muslim Ummah is unequivocal on the obligatory nature of the need to repent is obvious beyond doubt.

The attitude of many of the Muslims, however, is quite to the contrary. They continue to violate with impunity the unquestionably obvious injunctions of the Shariah and yet take refuge in the comforting thought that they shall be pardoned. How very similar this attitude is to that of the unworthy successors of the early generations of the Children of Israel about whose behaviour the Quran informs us thus:

Then after them a new generation inherited the Book. They took to the goods of this base world, and said: We shall surely be forgiven this. Yet they will accept similar things if they came their way again. (7:169)

Differentiating Important Directives from Unimportant Ones

Directives of the Islamic Shariah, if viewed from a peculiar point of view can be divided into two categories: the rights of Allah and the rights of the fellow human beings. However, one would need to be a complete ignorant on matters of Islamic understanding to claim that whereas the real desirable directives are those belonging to the former and as for the rights of Allah, their status is only secondary. The truth is that the one directive of the Islamic Shariah which has been described as the most significant requires Muslims to hold fast to the unity of Allah and stay away from ascribing partners to Him. The Quran says:

Surely, Allah will not forgive that a partner be associated with Him; but He will forgive whatever is short of that to whomsoever He pleases. And who so associates partners with Allah has indeed devised a very great sin. (4:48)

It goes without saying that to uphold the requirements of the unity of Allah is a right of Allah to the complete exclusion of the human beings. The most important right of the human beings is that of the parents. The Quran has mentioned this extremely important right only after mentioning the right of Allah, thus clarifying the relative significance of the different injunctions within the scheme of the teachings of Islamic Shariah. The Quran says:

So your Lord has decreed: Do not worship any one but Him, and be good to your parents. (17:23)

Likewise, the commonly held view amongst the masses that man was created by Allah to care for his fellow human beings, otherwise angels were enough to take care of the objective of worshipping Him is a misleading contention. The Quran declares that:

And I have not created the jinn and the men but that they may worship Me. (51:56)

Allah Almighty desires from His believers that, instead of getting involved in the unnecessary debate of the important and the less important directives, they should adopt the Islamic Shariah completely:

O you who believe, enter the fold of Islam completely, and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan; he is indeed your open enemy. (2:208)

This verse clearly shows that those people who do not enter the fold of Islam fully but are instead inclined to have simultaneous allegiance with both Islam and kufr, are following the footsteps of Satan. Satan, indeed is man's declared enemy. The attitude of Muslims towards Islamic directives is no different from that of the Children of Israel of the time when the Quran was being revealed in that they too used to pick and choose from the Shariah at will. The directives that were found easier to follow, acceptable to the people, and in accordance with the fashion of the times were followed wholeheartedly; however, those injunctions which did not appear to be easy to follow were conveniently ignored by them. The Quran condemned their behaviour thus:

Do you then believe a part of the Book and reject a part? There is no other award for them who so act but disgrace in the world, and on the Day of Judgement the severest of punishment; for Allah is not heedless of all that you do. (2:85)

Conclusion

The Quran tells us that whosoever desires the pleasure of Allah and success in the Hereafter, should ensure that he believes in all aspects of Islam, makes an earnest attempt to follow it as far as is possible, stays away from disobeying Allah and His messenger, and attaches more importance to the considerations of life of the other world than those of the present one. The Book of Allah doesn't guarantee success in the next life to any one falling short of fulfilling these conditions. The Quran says:

Then the one who had been rebellious and who preferred the life of the world, will surely have Hell for his abode. But he who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained his self from vain desires, will surely have Paradise for abode. (79:37-41)

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ ﴿٣٤﴾ يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ ﴿٣٦﴾ فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ ﴿٣٧﴾ وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿٣٨﴾ فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ ﴿٣٩﴾ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ ﴿٤٠﴾ فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (41 سورة النازعا ت)

"When the great over-whelming event arrives,  on the Day that man remembers what he strove for  and Hell is there for all to see, anyone who has acted arrogantly and prefers the life of this world, will find himself in Hell; but one who fears to stand before his Lord and restrained himself from base desires, shall dwell in Paradise." (79:34-41)

تو جب بڑی آفت آئے گی (34) اس دن انسان اپنے کاموں کو یاد کرے گا (35) اور دوزخ دیکھنے والے کے سامنے نکال کر رکھ دی جائے گی (36) تو جس نے سرکشی کی (37) اور دنیا کی زندگی کو مقدم سمجھا (38) اس کا ٹھکانہ دوزخ ہے (39) اور جو اپنے پروردگار کے سامنے کھڑے ہونے سے ڈرتا اور جی کو خواہشوں سے روکتا رہا (40) اس کا ٹھکانہ بہشت ہے  (41 سورة النازعا ت)

Muslims would do well to stay away from the futile exercise of living under the cloud of misleading concepts and to stick to the task of making every possible effort to meet the conditions necessary for success in the hereafter. In that case, they can justifiably hope for the mercy of Allah. Allah, it is earnestly hoped, will be kind and merciful to them.
By Khalid Zaheer:

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Open letter to Muslims and Scholars:

Presently the society is in a state of ideological confusion and degradation. Materialism, terrorism, ignorance and intolerance has threatened the humanity, peace and religion. These circumstances demand special response from the learned men of religion. Objective is to draw your attention towards pressing issues which need urgent resolution. With little  attention and effort we can make an endeavour to take the society out of this quagmire. Keep reading >>> http://goo.gl/xNolSV

مسلم وعلماء کے نام کھلا خط 
آج کے حالات میں مسلم معاشرہ نظریاتی  ابتری اور انحطاط کا شکار ہے. مادہ پرستی، دہشت گردی، عدم برداشت، اور جہالت انسانیت، امن اور مذھب کے لیے خطرہ بن چکے ہیں. ان حالات میں صاحب علم و ذی فہم حضرات سے ممکنہ حل کی توقع کی جا سکتی ہے. ہمارا مقصد ہے کہ آپ کی توجہ ضروری حل پذیر مسائل کی طرف مبذول کرنا ہے تاکہ جلد حل تلاش کیا جا سکے. آپ کی توجہ اور مدد سے ہم کوشش کر سکتے ہیں کہ معاشرہ کو اس  گہری دلدل سے نکال سکیں. مکمل خط اس لنک پر پڑھیں : http://goo.gl/y2VWNE
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