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PILGRIMAGE Repeated Pilgrimage, Repeated Sins

The main and clear aspect of Pilgrimage is that we hasten to respond to Allah‟s call, wearing

nothing of the ornaments, which are part of our custom. When we feel our dedication in this

way and when our submission is truly genuine, Allah rewards us generously for our

pilgrimage. He wipes off our sins. When we have finished, we start with our slate clean. We

know that when we committed those sins, we wronged ourselves and we disregarded our

duty to obey Allah. When we respond to Him with dedication and submission as we do in

pilgrimage, He accepts our submissions and erases our past sins.

Numerous Hadiths confirm this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is quoted to have

said: “The only proper reward for pilgrimage offered with dedication is

paradise.” He also says that every time we do the Umrah, we have our sins, which we have

committed since our last Umrah, forgiven. There is no doubt that forgiveness is the reward

Allah has promised for those who offer the pilgrimage and the Umrah to emphasize their

submission to Allah.

This is not surprising because Allah forgives anyone who turns to Him in genuine repentance, even when the sins he had committed are grave indeed. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: “A person

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who repents having committed his sins is like one who has committed no sins.” Every time we turn to Allah in

repentance, He turns to us with forgiveness.

But, the stress is always on our attitude being genuine. Our dedication must be complete; our submission must be total;

our repentance should be sincere. A person who declares that he has repented having done a particular sin, while at the

same time he knows that if a chance offers itself again, he will not hesitate to do the same sin, will not be forgiven that

sin. His repentance is merely verbal. He does not mean it because a good believer always regards his sins as something

totally undesirable, even though at the time of committing them, he might have enjoyed them. People commit adultery or

fornication in order to satisfy their desires. This indulgence may provide them, at the time of committing these actions,

with pleasure, enjoyment and ecstasy. However, when they reflect on what they have done, they are genuinely sorry for

having exceeded the limits set by Allah. That genuine regret, combined with a prayer for forgiveness, ensures that Allah

looks compassionately on us and forgives us that sin. Pilgrimage is the greatest act through which we demonstrate our

submission to Allah, regret for having committed sins of any sort and type, and resolve to do better in our future days.

Therefore, the reward for pilgrimage is total forgiveness and heaven.

But the Prophet (pbuh) speaks of a pilgrimage offered with total dedication. That involves a firm

resolve to abide by Islamic rules and teachings. We cannot just say to Allah that we are responding to

His call and we are certainly sorry for our past mistakes, but this is merely for the present. As for

tomorrow, we go back to the same old practices. This is no demonstration of our submission

to Allah. It does not show that we have really repented what we did in the past. On the

contrary, it shows that we still do not have the necessary respect for Allah‟s

teachings. How can that be rewarded with forgiveness?

Such an attitude is similar to that of a person, having committed a sin that he is sorry for

it but will go back to it the next minute, if the chance offers itself. This is playing

games with the great concept of repentance and forgiveness. Allah accepts no such

verbal declarations, because they are devoid of any real substance.

Having said that, I must explain that what counts is ones feelings at the time when one declares

one‟s repentance. If at that particular moment a person is genuine in his repentance, then he is forgiven his past sins. If

nevertheless he commits the same sin later because he is too weak to resist the temptation, his weakness is not taken

against his except in as far as the new sin is recorded against him. That is a mark of Allah‟s grace, which He bestows on

us in abundance. He knows beforehand that we will be going back to our sins, but He also knows that at the time we

declare our repentance, we are genuine. He, therefore, accepts our genuineness and responds to it accordingly. When He

forgives us something, He does not record it against us again. A person may commit the same sin many times, but if he

genuinely repents it every time he commits it, then he is forgiven that sin every time. Eventually, he is surely to acquire

the necessary resolve and strength to be able to resist any temptation.

If the attitude is one of playing games, thinking that one can commit all the sins once wants and then have slate wiped

clean because one offers Umrah or Pilgrimage, then the attitude is one of carelessness and disregard to Allah‟s teachings.

It is very doubtful that Allah will accept such an act of worship in which one declares repentance when one has not

actually repented. The fact that one intends to go back to it shows that the repentance is only verbal. The Umrah and the

Pilgrimage cannot be approached in such a casual manner. They are very serious acts of worship, the importance of which

cannot be over-emphasized. A casual attitude cannot earn Allah‟s forgiveness. It is imperative to resolve to make a clean

break with the past and make the act of worship a genuine beginning of a life of obedience to Allah and proper

observance of His commandments. {The editor)


Allah also

rewards us for doing so on

the Day of Judgment,

because by earning our

living we fulfill part of the

task He has assigned to us

when He placed mankind

on earth. The following

Hadith refers to both types

of actions at the same

time. Anas ibn Malik

quotes the Prophet (pbuh) as

saying: “Any Muslim

who plants a tree or

some other plant will

be credited with a

charitable action, or

sadaqa, for whoever

eats of that tree or

plant, whether bird, man or animal.”

The Prophet (pbuh) here speaks of the actions of

Muslims, because a Muslim is required to address his

actions to Allah and pray for His reward. Whatever a

Muslim does can be counted as an act of worship, if he

or she intends it for the right purpose. Muslims must

intend their actions to be part of their compliance with

the requirements placed on them by Allah as He

assigned to them the duty of building human life on

earth. However, the phraseology of this Hadith means

that it applies to all Muslims, regardless of their

religious or social status. It applies equally to men and

women, whether pious or sinners.

When the Prophet (pbuh) does not qualify the

subject he is speaking about, then his statement includes

everyone to which his words apply. He is speaking here

of planting, without specifying the purpose of the action.

Therefore, the Hadith applies to all planting, whether

intended for charity, business or what a person plants in

the garden of his house for mere pleasure. The Prophet

(pbuh) was keen to include all plants, referring to trees in

particular.

What the Prophet (pbuh) highlights here is the

abundant reward one earns for such action. This in itself

is a great encouragement to increase agricultural land as

much as possible, because it

provides food for people and

other creatures. We now

know more about the

importance of agricultural

land for the ecology and

environment. It is definitely

most important of the

continuity of life in a safe

environment. Besides, when

people, birds and animals eat

of the trees and plants, the

person who planted them will

earn a reward for charity. This

does not apply only to the

owner of the land who

performs the planting by

himself. It applies equally to

anyone whom he hires to do

the job, such as a farm worker

or a gardener, whether such a person is paid for his work

or volunteers to do it.

What is very interesting here is that birds and

many animals do not seek permission to eat of trees and

plants. They simply help themselves to what suits them.

When they do, the growers of those trees and plants earn

their reward. A farmer who takes good care of his farm

may want to keep away animals and birds, but some of

them will not be deterred no matter how he tries. When

they eat of his land, he earns his reward despite the fact

that he would rather they do not come near his land.

Moreover, trees and plants often survive the person who

plants them. They continue to give their yield. This

earns reward for the grower after his death. How

splendid.

The Prophet (pbuh) used various

ways to encourage two types of action: Charitable deeds to

benefit those in need and earning one’s living. With the

second type, the Prophet (pbuh) emphasized that the reward a

person gets for earning one’s living is not merely the income

one receives.


A man from the Amir tribe came to the Prophet, peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him, and asked him: “Is there any part

of knowledge unknown to you?” He replied: “Allah

certainly knows what is good. Some knowledge is

known only to Allah alone.” Then he quoted the verse:

“There are five things that are unknown to

anyone other than Allah: With Allah alone rests

the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come;

and He (it is who) sends down rain; and He knows

what is in the wombs; whereas no one knows

what he will reap tomorrow; and no one knows

in what land he will die.” (Luqman 31:34)

The question the man asks is about knowledge. The

Prophet (pbuh) attributes all to Allah who knows all

goodness. He then quotes a verse from the Qur‟an that

outlines five areas, which are known to Allah alone.

The first is that of the Last Hour, when all creation will

be gathered before Allah on the Day of Resurrection. No

one, not even a Prophet, or an angel is ever given such

knowledge.

But it is not merely the timing of the Last Hour that is

withheld from our knowledge. What comes next is also

known to Allah alone. This applies to both heaven and

hell and whatever Allah chosen to create for that life

which we have no doubt of its coming.

Secondly, the verse the Prophet (pbuh) quotes mentions

that it is Allah alone who sends down rain. When we

relate this to knowledge, we may think of the quantity of

rain that is sent down each time a cloud sheds its

contents. This is definitely an area which scientists have

not even tried to explore. Even if they do, they can only

hazard a guess with regard to the volume of rain, or its

duration and the area where it falls. They may develop

technology to give them better results. But Allah knows

every drop of rain and where it falls, long before a cloud

is formed. Not only so, but He knows the effects of such

rain, and whether it will seep through the earth strata

into an underground reservoir or pour into a river. He

also knows which of His creation will benefit by each

rainfall, and how much it contributes to the life of plants

and animals.

Thirdly, Allah knows “what is in the wombs.” This

relates not merely to the problem of the sex of the as yet

unborn embryo, but also to the question of whether it

will be born at all, and if so, what its natural

endowments and its character will be, as well as what

role it will be able to play in life; and life itself is

symbolized by the preceding mention of rain, and the

end of

all life

in the

world,

by the

menti

on of

the

Last Hour. We may add that Allah‟s knowledge does not

apply to human embryos only, but to the unborn young

of all species.

The fourth aspect of knowledge known only to Allah is

that of the Future, expressed in the Qur‟anic verse in

these words: “whereas no one knows what he will reap

tomorrow.” It is indeed knowledge of the next moment

that is kept away from us. No one can ever claim to have

clear and certain knowledge of what will happen beyond

the present moment, or indeed whether he or she will

survive to take another breath. But everything that will

happen to the end of time is known to Allah in every

minute detail.

The final aspect also relates to the future, but it is more

closely related to a person‟s life and its end: “no one

knows in what land he will die.” It is not merely the

place of death that is unknown to us. Also its timing and

causes are also withheld. We realize this as we see in life

that death cannot be predicted for any person, whether

he suffers from ill health or he enjoys robust and good

health. It may come through the least expected of causes

and in the most unusual of ways. The only thing that is

certain about it is that it occurs in every case, at the time

Allah has chosen.

Dua-e-Qurbani

GHAYB: What No Human Being May Know

{Ibn Saleh}


[In memory of my Brother Mohammad Anwar Shaheed]

As the Muslim community in

Madinah was about to start its long

campaign of Jihad, with the aim of

establishing the divine way of life,

and to fulfill its appointed role

raising the banner of Allah, the

Qur‟an begins to mobilize the

community spiritually and to

formulate its correct concept of

what Jihad involves in terms of

suffering and sacrifice. It provides

the Muslim community with the

correct standard with which to

evaluate properly whatever may

happen in this long campaign.

It is inevitable that fighters may

fall as they take part in the battle

of truth; Soldiers, Mubalighs,

Imams, Writers, Preachers etc.

They are martyrs killed in Allah‟s

cause. They are honorable and

beloved. For those who campaign

for Allah‟s cause, risking their

own lives in order to see the truth

triumph are normally the most

honorable and blessed of people.

They have the most generous of

hearts and the purest souls. If they

are killed fighting for Allah‟s

cause they are not dead. They

continue to be alive. Hence, it is

not proper to feel that they are

dead or to say so. Since we have

Allah‟s statement that they remain

alive, the case must be so.

To all appearances, they are killed.

But the truth about life and death

is not determined by a superficial

glance. The basic aspects of life

are activity, growth and continuity.

Death is conversely distinguished

by inactivity, lack of growth and

discontinuity. Those who are

killed as they fight for Allah‟s

cause continue to leave a vital

effect in promoting the cause of

the truth for which they have

sacrificed their lives. The ideal for

which they have fought and were

killed is brought to life with their

blood. Those who follow them

continue to be influenced by their

exemplary sacrifice. Therefore,

martyrs continue to act as a

decisive factor in shaping life and

directing it. This is a most

essential feature of life. Thus, they

continue to be alive from this

practical point of view.

Moreover, they are alive with their

Lord, whether in this sense or in a

different sense which we cannot

comprehend. It is sufficient for us

that Allah Himself states that they

are alive indeed, although you do

not perceive that. The true nature

of this life is beyond our limited

knowledge.

Since they are alive, they are not

washed as the dead are washed

before burial. They are wrapped in

their own clothes, which they were

wearing at the time of their death.

The body of a dead person is

washed in order to remove

impurity, but martyrs are pure

because they are alive. This is also

the reason for which they remain

in their ordinary clothes.

Since they are alive, the sense of

losing them must not be very

painful for their relatives and

friends. They continue to have a

part in the lives of their relatives

and friends. Their loss is not felt

very acutely. Their sacrifice is not

considered too great. Moreover,

they are honored by Allah, and

they receive the most generous of

rewards. Read the following

Hadith attributed to the Prophet

(pbuh):

“The spirits of martyrs are

placed in the bodies of green

birds which fly wherever they

wish in Heaven and come back

to rest on lamps hanging below

Allah’s Throne. Your Lord looks

at them and says: What do you

wish for? They answer: Our

Lord, what can we wish for

when You have given us what

You have not given to any of

Your creation? He repeats the

same question. When they

realize that they must put their

request, they say: We wish to be

returned to life so that we fight

for your cause and we are killed

again in your cause. This they

say after they have known what

great reward awaits martyrs.

Allah, infinite in His majesty,

says: My word has passed that

they [human beings] shall never

return to their world.”

Anas, a companion of the Prophet

(pbuh) quotes the Prophet as saying:

“No one who is admitted to

Heaven wishes to return to this

life even if he would have

everything on the face of the

earth, with the exception of a

martyr. He wishes to return to

life and to be killed ten times for

Allah’s cause because of the

honor he is given.”

MARTYRS: Those Killed In Allah’s

Cause Are Alive Indeed But ---


But who are those living martyrs?

They are those who are killed in

Allah‟s cause. That must be their

only cause, which must not be

associated with any distinctive

feature, objective or aim other than

Allah. They are those who fight {I

have numerous times explained the

meanings of Fight and Jihad that it is not

only in War, but can be in any way in the

cause of Allah} for the cause of the

truth revealed by Allah and

establish the constitution He has

decreed. They fight and they are

killed for the sake of this religion

which Allah has chosen for man.

That is their only cause. They can

have no banner or objective other

than that of Islam. The Qur‟an and

the Hadith stress this fact and

reiterate it until the hearts of the

believers are absolutely purged of

anything which may be falsely

associated with it.

Abu Moosa, a companion of the

Prophet (pbuh) reports that Allah‟s

messenger was questioned about

those who fight out of bravery, or

in defense of their people or to

impart a false impression: which

of them fights for Allah‟s cause?

The Prophet (pbuh) answered: “He

who fights so that Allah’s word

may be supreme fights for

Allah’s cause.”

Abu Huraira, a companion of the

Prophet (pbuh) reports that a man

questioned Allah‟s messenger

about the cause of a man who

wanted to fight for Allah‟s cause

but also wished to have some

worldly gain. The Prophet (pbuh)

answered: “He can have no

reward.” The questioner repeated

his question three times, and the

Prophet repeated the same answer:

“He can have no reward.”

Abu Huraira also quotes the

Prophet (pbuh) making clear Allah‟s

guarantee to anyone who leaves

home in order to fight for Allah‟s

cause.

“If he goes out of his home

motivated only by his desire to

fight for My cause, his faith in

Me and his belief in My

messenger, he has My guarantee

that I will admit him into

Heaven or return him to his

place from which he set off with

whatever reward or gain he has

made.” By Him who holds

Mohammad’s soul in his hand,

whatever wound he suffers in

Allah’s cause would be on the

Day of Judgment exactly in the

same shape as when it was

suffered. Its color will be that of

blood but its smell would be the

smell of musk. By Him who

holds Mohammad’s soul in his

hand, if it was not for may fear

that I would be placing a very

heavy burden on Muslims I

would have joined every single

expedition going out on a

mission to serve Allah’s cause. I,

however, do not have enough

resources to provide them with

transport, and they do not have

the means to follow me while

they would find it very hard to

stay behind. By Him who holds

Mohammad’s soul in his hand, I

would love to fight for Allah’s

cause and to be killed, then to

fight for Allah’s cause and to be

killed.” [Malik, Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Such are the martyrs; they are

those who join a campaign of

Allah‟s cause, motivated only by

the desire to join such a campaign

and by their faith in Allah and

their belief in His messenger.

The Prophet (pbuh) expressed his

disapproval when he heard a

Persian youth expressing pride in

his nationality during a campaign

of Jihad. Abdul Rahman ibn Abu

Uqbah quotes his father, who was

a slave from Persia, as saying: “I

took part with the Prophet (pbuh) in

the battle of Uhud. I smote a man

of the polytheists and said: Take it

from me, a Persian young man.

The Prophet (pbuh) turned toward

me and said: “It would have been

better for you to say: „an Ansari

young man.‟ The nephew of any

people belongs to them and the

slave of any people belongs to

them.” [Abu Dawood]. From this report

we see that the Prophet (pbuh)

disapproved of that young man

seeking pride in anything other

than the fact that he was a

supporter of the Prophet and to

fight under any banner other than

that of this religion of Islam. That

is a true Jihad and in such a Jihad

only martyrdom is earned. Such

martyrs alone are the ones who

remain alive.


Question

Comment

Question

Comment

We are told by our elders not to sit with

our feet facing the direction of the

Kiblah wherever we happen to be. Please comment.

It is when you are in the Haram

with the Ka’bah at the center that

you should not stretch your legs

toward it. When you are outside, you may face the way

you like, and stretch your legs in any direction. Only if

a person turns toward the Ka’bah with a gesture

intended as an insult to it, that his action is forbidden.

But if you are at home, and mean no disrespect to the

Ka’bah, you sit or lie down in the position that is most

comfortable to you.

During my recent visit to Madinah, I

noticed how the guards turn people

away from the Prophet’s grave when

they try to touch the outside walls or the gate or anything on

the structure. They claimed that all this is a form of “Shirk”,

or associating partners with Allah. Does this apply to kissing

the forehead or the hand of a grandfather, or a Tribal Chief,

or a Prime Minister, or a ruler?

Gestures differ according to the

way they are used and understood

in the community. The same

gesture may carry opposite meanings in different

communities. In Russia, for example, when the

audience applauds, the speaker returns their gesture

with similar applause. If this were to be done by a

speaker in Western Europe or in the Middle East, it

would be found very strange.

During the Prophet’s (pbuh) lifetime, people greeted him

with gestures expressing their love and respect as was

acceptable in their community. After his death, we

greet him and request Allah to grant him peace and

blessings (Darood). In this way, which he himself

recommended, we express our love and respect to him.

For example, in the society of Arab countries, people

express their respect to their elders by kissing their

hands, or their foreheads. They express welcome to a

dear friend by touching noses. All these are acceptable

from the community point of view and nothing to do

with the religion of Islam, since there is no confusion

in the meaning of the gesture itself.

When visiting relatives’ graves, the proper thing to do

is to greet the dead and to pray Allah to shower His

mercy on them. No gesture of touching the grave or

wailing is permissible. When standing before the grave

of a highly respected person, such as a scholar or an

ancestor, we should confine ourselves to verbal prayers

and greetings. The same applies to visiting the

Prophet’s (pbuh) grave. We stand there in all humility,

greeting the Prophet (pbuh) and declaring our belief in

him as Allah’s messenger who delivered His message

complete and guided us to follow it, giving us good

counsel.

We pray to Allah to reward him as He best rewards a

prophet and a messenger. To touch or kiss the walls of

his grave is wrong. It is indeed a gesture similar to

what polytheists used to do. Islam takes a very strong

stand to any gesture or action that is associated in

people’s minds with worship. People that worshiped

ancestors, or saints, or dead people often indulge in

actions that are not permissible in Islam. One of these

is to touch the grave, or to hold its gate and pray to

Allah. All this is unacceptable.


TOMATO

With a bundle of thanks to Michelle Locke, Associated Press

Any way you slice it, the tomato is one confusing comestible. There’s the whole identity crisis thing – is it a

fruit or a vegetable? And don’t get us started on the “tuh-MAY-to, tuh-MAH-to thing. It’s enough to drive

anyone “ba-NAY-nas”.

Here are what tomato lovers and

experts have to say about common

misconceptions about this vine

product.

Fruit or Vegetable?

This is the kind of thing that can spark

quite the argument, with both sides

passionately supporting their claims.

Oddly enough, both are right, at least

according to the US Department of

Agriculture‟s Economic Research

Service. Yes, botanically speaking the

tomato is a fruit, but horticultural and

legally, it is considered a vegetable.

This debate has been adjudicated by

none other than the US Supreme

Court. It happened in the late 19th

century in connection with a challenge

to tariffs on imported produce. The

high court ruled in Nix vs. Hedden

that despite the botanical definition,

tomatoes are a vegetable, in part

because at the tables of the time they

were served as “the principal part of

the repast” and not as dessert. No

telling what the justices would have

done in today‟s envelope-pushing

culinary world of tomato jams and

gelatos.

A side note: Today‟s tomatoes are

mainly tariff-free since those that

aren‟t grown domestically are mostly

imported from Mexico and Canada,

which are covered by the NAFTA free

trade zone.

The Big Chill

A lot of people pick out the freshest,

juiciest tomatoes they can find, take

them home, and bundle them into the

fridge, thereby killing all that

wonderful aroma and flavor.

Instead, tomatoes should be stored at

room temperature, says Chef Mathew

Lowe of the Kendall-Jackson Wine

Estate in Fulton, California, which

hosts an annual Heirloom Tomato

Festival. Put the tomatoes in the fridge

and “you lose the smell, that taste you

get from the aroma, and you never get

it back.” That means that tomatoes are

not like cheese, which should be

refrigerated for storage then allowed

to come to room temperature before

serving. With tomatoes, once chilled,

there‟s no going back.

Toxic Tomatoes?

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade

family, just like peppers and

eggplants, which have led some in the

past to believe the fruit is poisonous.

In fact, the tomato is harmless.

However, Lowe notes, you don‟t want

to eat the leaves or other parts of the

plant. On the other hand, your parents

were correct. If you eat lots of tomato

seeds, one is likely to grown in your

stomach. Not.

Red equals Ripe

Tomatoes come in all shapes and

colors, from white to mahogany. “I

am fascinated by the sheer variety of

tomatoes available – black ones,

yellow ones, stripy ones and white

ones in all sorts of shapes and sizes,”

says Gail Harland, author of “Tomato:

A guide to the pleasures of choosing,

growing and cooking.” Lowe like to

use color as a wine-pairing tool,

matching lighter wines with paler

varieties of tomato and more robust

reds with their color counterparts.

Tomatoes are best picked absolutely

ripe, so if you have access to a

farmer‟s market selling freshly picked

tomatoes, grow your own or are lucky

enough to have a generous and green-

thumbed friend, you‟re getting

tomatoes at their best and juiciest.

“Some of the best tomatoes don‟t

actually make it out of the garden,”

says Lowe.

Tomatoes intended for shipping to the

food service industry – to be served on

hamburgers, etc. – often are picked

before they are ripe, when they are

firmer and can stand up to the journey

better, and are then ripened by

exposure to ethylene, a naturally

occurring gas. You can do the same

thing at home by putting unripe

tomatoes in a paper bag with bananas

or apples, which emit ethylene gas.

Supermarket tomatoes come in for

some pretty harsh criticism, though in

recent years products have improved

with many being grown

hydroponically in huge greenhouses,

allowing for a year-round supply.

“What you can buy at the supermarket

now is probably superior to the

choices that you had 15 to 20 years

ago,” says Tim Hartz, cooperative

extension specialist in the University

of California, Davis, and plant

Myths Still Sow Many Seeds Of Confusion!


Siddiqa Sadiq Montreal, Canada

sciences department. “For the life of

me I don‟t understand all the

consternation that some people have

about the quality of the tomatoes at

the supermarket.”

Winter tomatoes aren‟t the best, he

agrees, which is not so surprising

since it‟s the offseason. Even a

greenhouse tomato, once out of the

greenhouse, may be exposed to cold

that will impinge on taste.

What about those “on the vine”

tomatoes marketed as being superior

to stem-less tomato?

That, says the USDA diplomatically,

is a subjective decision that only the

consumer can make. Physiologically,

tomatoes with or without stems

shouldn‟t be different if they‟re

handled properly.

And, One More Thing

In her research, Harland, who lives in

Britain, was intrigued to learn about

the tomato festival at Bunol near

Valencia in Spain. Called La

Tomatina, this takes place on the last

Wednesday of August and is “in

effect, the world‟s biggest food fight,

involving some 20,000 participants

and several truckloads of tomatoes.”

There are rules; tomatoes must be

crushed before being tossed to avoid

injury and can only be thrown during

a designated period. The fight is part

of a weeklong festival of parties,

concerts, fireworks and cookery

demonstrations and “I am determined

to visit one year!” says Harland.

On many occasions, Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her),

the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him, whom he loved most

and who was the closest person to him in the last ten years of

his life, was requested to describe his personal manners and

his moral standard. A woman of great knowledge and

profound insight, she always sought to relate her account of

the Prophet‟s personality to the teachings of the Qur‟an. Sa‟ad

ibn Hishaam reports: “I spoke to Ayesha, the mother of

believers, and said: „Tell me about the Prophet‟s manners.‟

She asked me: „Don‟t you read the Qur‟an?‟ when I answered

in the affirmative, she said: „His manners were [an

embodiment of] the Qur‟an.‟” (Muslim)

Several people reported this short answer and each

asked on a different occasion. It is thus related in different

anthologies of Hadith with different chains of transmission

and different reporters. Jubayr ibn Nafeer mentions that it was

when he went on pilgrimage that he visited Ayesha and asked

her this question to which she gave the same answer. It is a

short answer in which we had to interpolate the words in

between brackets to give clear sense that an Arab Muslim

would immediately gather. But what does it mean in practice?

Ibn Katheer gives us the following explanation:

“What this means is that he would comply with whatever the

Qur’an orders to be done, and he would make sure to

refrain from whatever the Qur’an prohibits. Such was his

great, natural inclination, which is certain to give anyone

the best moral standard of all and the most perfect and

beautiful manners. Moreover, Allah has given him a great

and perfect faith, which He gave none before him.

Moreover, he was the last of all prophets, which meant that

Allah would send no messenger or prophet after his mission

is completed. Therefore, his character combines a standard

of modesty, generosity, courage, forbearance, forgiveness,

compassion and all other virtues that are beyond

description.”

Sometimes Ayesha gave some

insight as to what she meant when she

answered this question, which was frequently asked by people

who wished to emulate the Prophet‟s (pbuh) standard, knowing

that he provided the most perfect role model. Abu al-Dardaa‟,

a companion of the Prophet (pbuh), says that he asked Ayesha

about the Prophet‟s manners. She said: “His manners were

[an embodiment of] the Qur’an: He was pleased when the

Qur’an was complied with, and he was angry when it was

disregarded.”

This sets the standard very clear. Whatever the

Qur‟an ordered was to him something that must be complied

with. If the Qur‟an ordered that certain practice should be

prohibited, then it must be abandoned by all. The Prophet,

peace be upon him, would be the first to implement any Qur‟anic

injunction, whatever it said, because he knew that it was a

divine order that must be carried out.

On another occasion, Ayesha was talking to a group

of people who asked her the same question. She replied: “His

manners were the Qur’an in practice. Read, if you will, the

first ten verses of Surah 23, The Believers, and you will

know what the Prophet’s personal manners were.”

Here Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, refers her

interlocutors to a specific passage of the Qur‟an, which

outlines certain commandments. These ten verses are as

follows:

“Truly, successful shall be the believers, who humble

themselves in their prayer, who turn away from all that is

frivolous, who are active in deeds of charity, who refrain

from sex except with those joined to them in marriage, or

those whom they rightfully possess – for then, they are free

of all blame, whereas those who seek to go beyond that

[limit] are indeed transgressors, who are faithful to their

Islamic Etiquette The Standards to Set


trusts and to their pledges, and who are diligent in their

prayers. These shall be the heirs that will inherit the

paradise; therein shall they abide.”

These ten short verses outline a code of

morality that covers private and public

situations, as well as relations with Allah and social dealings.

Thus, humility in prayers symbolizes man‟s relation with

Allah to whom prayers are addressed, while turning away

from frivolity indicates following a code of serious morality.

Charity is a fulfillment of a social duty by which the rich look

after the poor so as no one is left without being looked after.

Maintaining virtuous standards in the fulfillment of the sexual

desire means the sex must be confined within the bounds of

marriage. No excess is permissible in Islam. This preserves a

standard of purity and cleanliness in family and community as

a whole. Fulfillment of trust and pledges sets relations within

society on a basis of complete honesty and sincerity. This

makes for a much closer community in which every individual

finds support and the whole community prospers. When such

standards are maintained, the result is virtuous life in this

world and heaven in the hereafter. This is a double success.

Needless to say, Qur‟anic morality and good manners

are much wider and more varied than what these ten short

verses sum up. Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, simply gave a

clue and left it to her listeners to reflect on what her reply that

the Prophet, peace be upon him, practically implemented all

Qur‟anic directives meant. It is in this light that we should

read the Prophet‟s own statement: “I have been sent with

my message only to perfect good manners and

morality.” Thus, setting moral standards on a level of

perfection is the objective of the final divine message, which

remains the point of reference for all humanity, at all times.

And when we say that the Prophet‟s manners were an

embodiment of Qur‟anic teachings, we are saying that he

provided the perfect example of perfect morality. Hence, it is

not surprising that he is described in the Qur‟an as having a

„great moral standard‟ [68:4] and it is no exaggeration to say

that none can be better than to emulate the Prophet, peace be upon

him, in all actions and situations.

A Poem from March 1989 More than 22 years later, how amazingly it still fits

with the political, religious and law & order situation

in Pakistan, and above all the small groups who are

not aligned with Central Anjuman should read this

again and again. “Ham Karain Mismaar Sab Nafrat

Kea Deewaroon co Aaj”

i ISLAM Ahmadiyah Anjuman Isha’at -...

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