Certainly, They Will Succeed [Part 2]

Contributed by Amatullah

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Bismillah.

Allah azza wa jal continues to describe the successful believers, what is it they do next?

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ
And those who guard their private parts. (5)

Allah ta’ala says they are “haafidhoon”, those who guard, protect and to look after, from hifdh, ha fa dhaa (ح ف ظ). What does it mean they guard/do hifdh? It means that these believers abstain from the haraam and do not seek unlawful enjoyment.

إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame; (6)

Allah ta’ala says for those who seek the halaal means, they are not “maloomeen”, ones who are blamed. Maloomeen is from lawm, (ل و م). Lawm is to blame someone, criticize and condemn them for an action that is unacceptable and wrong. In other words, seeking the halaal is not blameworthy under any circumstance.

فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ
But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors; (7)

Whoever looks for and seeks beyond the halaal means, Allah calls them al-’aadoon, the transgressors. ‘Aadoon is plural of ‘aadin, from ‘ayn daal wow (ع د و) and an ‘aduww is means enmity and hatred, and is used for an enemy. ‘Aadin is a transgressor, one who goes beyond the halaal. These people exceed the bounds of the sharee’ah, cross the limits and seek the haraam.

Allah ta’ala continues:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
Those who are faithfully true to their trusts and to their promises; (8)

The believers are those who protect their amaanaat, plural of amaanah, from hamza meem noon (ء م ن). An Amaanah is used for every kind of responsibility that a person is given and entrusted with, and this responsibility can be of deen and dunya, and can be from Allah and also from the people. For example, an amaanah from Allah ta’ala is praying the salah five times a day. An amaanah from people would be if a person gives us something to keep secure for a time.

We have amaanaat in matters of deen and dunya as well, children are amaanaat to parents, a person’s wealth is an amaanah, their position is an amaanah, their body is an amaanah. So to fulfill an amaanah would be to look after the trust completely and use it and fulfill it as it should be.

Furthermore, they protect ‘ahdihim, their promises, from ‘ayn ha da (ع ه د) and an ‘ahd is used for every responsibilty that a person  himself takes, a committment that they take to fulfill something. What is the difference between amaanah and ‘ahd? An amaanah is given to a person, and an ‘ahd is taken upon the person themselves. For example, an appointment, a treaty, an oath one swears to Allah and even the contract of marriage come under ‘ahd.

How does Allah ta’ala describe them with their trusts and promises? they are: raa’oon, ones who are attentive. Raa’oon is plural of raa’in from raa ayn ya (ر ع ي). According to Imam Raaghib, raa’i is to protect and take care of a living being, specifically a living being is not taken care of properly, it will die. A ra’ee is a shepherd, which the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam mentions in a hadeeth: kulukum raa’in, you are all shepherds, and all of you will be questioned about your flock. (Agreed upon) When a person is a ra’ee, they can never be neglectful of what they are watching. A mother cannot take a week vacation from her baby, she has to be there continuously. So the believers are raa’oon: they are never negligent of their promises and trusts, they take care of them, they properly keep and discharge them.

Furthermore these successful people are:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
And those who strictly guard their prayers (9)

Again we see the word, “haafidhoon”, those who guard and maintain. What does it mean to guard and maintain the salah? It means to perform the salah properly, to pray at the correct time and to not waste the salah by committing sins afterward that wipe away the good deeds. These believers guard their good deeds from destruction.

What do these people receive?

أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ
Those are indeed the inheritors. (10)

olaa’ika, those, is referring to the believers with all of these qualities. In Arabic grammar, this word, which is plural of thaalika, is an “ism ishaarah ba’eed”, it is a word used to point to something far away. Why does Allah use olaa’ika? It is used for ta’dheem: honor and respect, and to add further emphasis Allah ta’ala says “hum”, they, which is a pronoun. So “Olaa’ika hum” means: those they. So if olaa’ika already denotes the meaning of ‘those’, why does Allah say again, ‘they’? It is used for emphasis and exclusivity: only those people who have these traits are the waarithoon, the inheritors, no one else.

What do they inherit?

الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ
Who shall inherit the Firdaws,

These people, these believers with all of these qualities, are inheritors of Firdaws. Firdaws is a very beautiful word with a few opinions on its meaning. The first opinion is that Firdaws is an ism a’lam, a proper name, it is the name of the highest level of Jannah. Originally it is a Roman word “pirdaas” which the English word “paradise” is dervied from. Secondly, if we look at the word literally, Firdaws is used for a garden that not only has fruits and flowers, it has everything that a garden should have. Fruits, flowers, plants, trees, grass, a stream–it is a full blooming perfect garden. Specifically, Firdaws is used for a garden that has grapevines. And if we take this word to be from the root fa-ra-daal-seen (ف ر د س), faradasan, it means to be broad and ample. So if we combine all of these meanings: Firdaws has everything people would want, it is ample in what it contains, it is large and comfortable.

How will they be in Firdaws?

هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
They shall dwell therein forever. (11)

They will be in Firdaws, the highest level of Jannah, khaalidoon, eternally.

In these last two ayaat, Allah ta’ala says these believers will be “waarithoon”, inheritors. Allah could have said, they will be given Firdaws, yet He the Most Knowing says they will inherit Firdaws. Why has inheritance (wiraathah) been used for these believers? Firstly, it is figuratively used to show that this is what these believers deserve, because inheritance is a fixed share by Allah so if a person is an heir, it is their right to receive it. Firdaws is these believers right. Secondly, an inheritance is something that is received at the end–after a person dies, their funeral arrangements are taken care of and they are buried. So these believers will get Firdaws at the end: after they’ve lived in this dunya and did what they were supposed to do.

So there it is! Your gateway, your map, your guide to attain Firdaws inshaAllah. Eleven short and simple verses that if fulfilled and implemented lead to ultimate success in this life and the next. How much easier can it get? 

May Allah ta’ala make us among these true believers and make our inheritance Jannatul Firdaws, Ameen.

Ramadhan has a Beloved

Contributed by: Bintus Sabeel

We praise Allah for having blessed us with Ramadhan – the Month of the Qur’aan, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, the one for whom Ramadhan was an institution, the syllabus the Qur’aan and the teacher Gibraeel. May the Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him, his family, his Companions and all those who follow his way till the day of Judgement. Ameen

Ramadhan has a beloved – a beloved that is closely connected and attached to its heart. If you wish to befriend Ramadhan, then you must befriend her beloved.
That beloved and loved one is the Qur’aan;

Ramadhan loves the Qur’aan and the Qur’aan loves Ramadhan.

Allah says: “The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down, aguidance for mankind, clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion… [i]

It was in this month, the month of the Qur’aan, when an institution was put in place. An institution that has no parallel in the annals of history – an institution, the like of which the world will never see again.

The institution was established under the open sky of Arabia, at a place designated by the Lord, Most High. The Semester was the best of Semesters – the Month of Ramadhan.

The class timings were the fragrant and chosen nights of Ramadhan.

Only one student was allowed enrolment: Muhammad al Mustafa (the Chosen One) (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam). This institution had only one teacher; a teacher, the like of which can’t be found on the face of this world.

How can he be found on this world when he is the leader of the leaders amongst the angels; an angel defended by His Lord, when he said: whoever is an enemy to Gibraeel then, “…Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers…” [ii]

The Companion, Ibn Abbas (radhiallahu `anhu) said:

“Gibraeel would come to him (the Prophet ) every night (in Ramadhan) and he would rehearse the Qur’an with him.”[iii]

The Prophet  in turn, had a unique student.

 - A woman -, the like of whom the world has never and will never witness again.

 I invite you to come and join me on a journey back in time, let’s visit our Mother, Aa’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) .

We are now outside the room of the Mother of the Believers – Aa’ishah (radhiallahu `anha). It is Ramadhan and the dawn is clearly visible from the horizon. Her recitation is audible; I turn to you and request you to not make any noise. You tire, but she does not tire. She recites until sunrise.

How true was Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) was when he said,

“…Our Mother Aa’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) (in Ramadhan) would recite the Qur’aan after Dawn until sunrise…”

We find ourselves in yet another time, it is the beginning of Ramadhan and you hear a call. You turn around and there stands the Imam of the Imams -Imam az-Zuhri (rahimahullah). He is saying: ‘It (Ramadhan) is recitation of the Quran and feeding of people!’

His words echoing in your ears, his face never to be forgotten, you turn to meet Zayd al-Yaami (rahimahullah). He is sitting with his companions; each one of them is holding a book. So simple are these books, you just about recognize them; they are copies of the Qur’aan. Your eyes shed tears, since they do not know what will happen to the Ummah in the future.

You see others running from door to door, calling out in the market places, spreading the word – come, let’s read the Words of the Lord of the Worlds in this blessed month.

How true was Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) when he said:

Zayd al-Yaami (rah) would bring copies of the Quran when Ramadan began and gather his companions around him.

The night is dark, the stars are shining, since they rejoice out of happiness for the month of the Qur’aan.

You are outside the house of Ibraheem an-Nakhai (rahimahullah), your eyes fill with tears, since he finishes the recital of the Qur’aan in three days.

Again you witness the same with Qataadah (rahimahullah), yet when you visit al-Aswad (rahimahullah), your embarrassment knows no bounds; he finishes the recital of the Qur’aan in two days. [iv]

Our journey is coming to an end. Have patience as we go to meet the contemporary of Imam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) – Sufyan At-Thawri (rahimahullah).

There he stands. Just by looking at him, you know – this man loves worship and has no interest in the pleasures and luxuries of life. Such a great scholar of Hadeeth (it is said that he has reported some 30,000 ahaadeeth) and Fiqh, you are surprised to see a man of such calibre leave all extra acts of worship and sticking to reciting the Qur’aan in this blessed month.

Your eyes glaze over as you travel back into the 21st century.

You open your eyes and you are back in the West; the houses full of sleeping Muslims; the streets, the masaajid are empty – so quite – just like abandoned cemeteries.

You stare in dismay, wishing to return back in time; the recitation of the salaf still echoing in your ears, their Ramadhan still alive in your heart,

You make a decision,

It is Time – Time to bring back the Qur’aan.

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Certainly, They Will Succeed!

Contributed by: Amatullah

Bismillah.

Allah ta’ala says in one of the most beautiful surahs in the Qur’an:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

Successful indeed are the believers.

Allah ‘azza wa jall begins this surah, Suratul Mu’minoon (23), with this amazing statement. This Surah is named after the subject of the first ayah, Al-Mu’minoon, the believers. This word is from hamza-meem-noon and a mu’min a person who has emaan. What is emaan? To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Messengers, His Books, The Day of Judgment and the Divine Decree…. Anything else? Emaan is much deeper than this; emaan is what takes a firm position in the heart, confirmation with the tongue and the actions prove that statement. These believers do not just claim they are believers, but they have emaan in their hearts and the actions to prove it.

If you look at the ayah, Allah ta’ala begins it with قَدْ “qad” and when this word appears before a verb (in this case, أَفْلَحَ “aflaha”, “he succeeded’) it shows two things:

1- It appears before an expected matter, a matter that will surely occur. This denotes the meaning of: certainty, it is definitely going to happen. So with this in mind, this ayah will mean: in fact, certainly, those with emaan will succeed.

2- ‘qad’ makes the verb after it in the present and future tense, so it will give the meaning: certainly, the believers will succeed and will be successful and are successful.

The word Allah ta’ala uses for ’success’ is أَفْلَحَ “aflaha”, and a muflih is one who is successful. This is an amazing word that cannot be explained in English except with a deep analysis. It is from fa-laam-ha and it literally means to split something and cleave it. A falaah is a farmer. How does success connect to farming? Think about it: a farmer splits the earth, sows the seeds, waters it and takes care of his farm, tending it and watching over it everyday. A falaah is a person who puts in the work. A person who wants to achieve his goals breaks them down into tasks, with determination and consistency. The farmer cannot water his plants one week and leave them the next thinking they will still flourish properly, So a Muflih is one who bears difficulty and hardship and puts in his effort to achieve his aim and goal, effort is the key here. The farmer will go in the sun and heat, seven days a week and he will put in his maximum effort until his plants are harvested properly. Falaah is not just one who does a good deed once in a while, or here and there, but he does it until he reaches what he wants, consistently. Al-Muflihoon are the people who are successful, and not a partial success – a complete success: in this dunya and Aakhirah. And this success is not because of luck or good fortune, it didn’t just happen, but they became successful because they put in the work and effort to reach their goal (Jannah).

Who are these believers? What are their actions?

Allah ta’ala says:

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ

Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.

In their prayers, these believers are خَاشِعُونَ “khaashioon”, ones who are humbly submissive. This word has two literal meanings:

1- to bend down, to be humble.

2- to become still.

Khushoo’ is used for the submissiveness of the heart which is reflected on the limbs. So when the heart is humble and submissive to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, especially in salaah, how will the person be physically? Will they be moving? Will they be restless? They will be still. Inside they are humble and on the outside they are still and tranquil. If the heart has khushoo’, the body will have khushoo. So khushoo is not just a state of the heart, it is a state of the heart which is visible on a person’s actions, in their posture, and in their movements. Khushoo is a state of the heart and body, and the state of the body cannot be humble until the heart is humble…until this “feeling” is in the heart. What brings khushoo’ in a person? It is the fear of Allah azza wa jal, knowing that He is Watching you, and that He Sees you.

Moreover, these believers, who will be successful, are:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ

And those who turn away from Al-Laghw.

They turn away from اللَّغْوِ “al-laghw”, and this word is from laam-ghayn-wow or laam-ghayn-ya, and laghw is defined as every word and action that is useless, without purpose, in vain and brings no khayr/good to the doer. Laghw in the Qur’an carries four meanings:

1- talk that is said without thinking/thoughtless talk

2- statements of indecency (fuhush)

3- meaningless and purposeless actions

4- very loud speech that is meant to drown out another person’s voice so they cannot be heard.

These people, from “laghw” are مُعْرِضُونَ mu’ridoon, ones who turn away. Think about it: when do we turn away from something? Firstly when we want to avoid it, and secondly when we don’t want to do it, and also when we are invited. Mu’ridoon gives two meanings:

1- They abstain from laghw

2- If and when they are invited to laghw, they refuse and don’t indulge in it.

Allah ta’ala continues:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ

And those who pay the Zakat/purify themselves.

زَّكَاةِ Zakaat is from zay-kaaf-wow or zay-kaaf-ya, and has two meanings:

1- to purify something and make good.

2- to make something grow/growth.

Tazkiyah is a combination of both things: firstly you purify something from evil and that which not good and filthy (for example in one’s character, if one uses bad language, the first step in tazkiyah is purifying or getting rid of the bad words). And secondly, growth. (they learn how to speak in a good way).
The Zakaat which is paid on wealth is when one gives a certain amount of wealth on a certain kind of wealth at a certain time, given to certain people. As we know, Zakaat is very specific. It purifies the wealth and also makes it grow.

Allah says these believes with zakaat are: فَاعِلُونَ “faa’iloon”, ‘ones who do’, and if we take the meaning of zakaat given on wealth, it means they constantly give zakaat, regularly, and never miss giving the zakaat due on their wealth. Secondly, zakaat in this ayah can be taken literally as tazkiyah. They are constantly purifying themselves, their nafs and their akhlaaq. They regularly try to improve themselves and clean themselves. – The second meaning of tazkiyah may be more appropriate in this ayah because Suratul Mu’minoon is a Makkee surah and Zakaat was made obligatory after the Hijrah, 2 AH to be exact, and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’ala make us among those who believe and affirm their belief with sincere and good actions, Ameen