As far as I am aware there are 3 interpretations of the usage of "We" in the Qur'an. One can understand all 3 meanings at once for every usage of "We". Indeed, every single ayah verse of the Qur'an is like an ocean of infinitely many guiding meanings. No verse can be reduced to a single meaning or interpretation. May Allah the Hadi, guide us to the Truth. Here I will try to explain the 3 interpretations I know, as I understand them:
1) Majestic "We" : Humans who think they can be kings and sultans to other humans, will often use this majestic "we" when referring to themselves. However, as stated in the Qur'an in Surah Nas, God is "Malik an-nas" "King of humans" ("the Sovereign of men"). Therefore such majestic titles and language will only properly befit our Creator, Allah and not any human or other creation. All creation is equal before its Creator. So the usage of "We" in the Qur'an, reminds us that Majesty and Glory belongs to none but God. 2) "Allah" is considered to be the name of God which encompasses all of Asma al-Husna (Beautiful Divine Attributes, Names of God), so when we say "Allah" it means: the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Just, the Creator, the Beautiful, the Loving, etc... So "We" could refer to "Allah" with the inference that all attributes we observe in creation, humans or nature, are the reflections of all the infinitely many Divine Attributes of God. (There are 99 names mentioned in the Qur'an but many more in hadiths.) This means: the beauty of the rose or the sunset or the birds or stars or women or galaxies are all various reflections of the same Infinite Divine Beauty. The mercy of all mother animals and human mothers is the reflection of the Infinite Divine Compassion. So the usage of "We" in the Qur'an, reminds us that all these attributes we observe in the Universe actually belong to the One God. For more explanation on understanding creation as a reflection of Divine Names: http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/07/does-praying-to-god-mean-we-should-not.html 3) "We" refers to God and the angels. Every particle, every atom, every light photon is created with an accompanying angel. In fact, particle physicists would know this better, what we call atoms and particles is not much more than the energy the motion of them. Looking inside the atom scientist find a ton of empty space and not much "matter", we know it is all motion and energy. This "energy" concept is similar to the concept of "angel"s. Just like humans can't exist without body or soul, nothing can exist without both matter and spirit, ie. angels. Imagine that our cells are "brought to life" through the millions of angels each cell carries. When we pray for health, the angels of our cells all say "Amin!" and Allah restores our cells responding to this chorus of prayers. This is how I understand the way God responds to our prayers in physical and other ways. As the Qur'an says: ****17:44 (Asad) The seven heavens [52] extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain; and there is not a single thing but extols His limitless glory and praise: but you [O men] fail to grasp the manner of their glorifying Him! [53] Verily, He is forbearing, much-forgiving! -***** I understand this to mean: everything glorifies and praises their Creator with their accompanying angels. ***8:9 (Asad) Lo! You were praying unto your Sustainer for aid, whereupon He thus responded to you: "I shall, verily, aid you with a thousand angels following one upon' another!" *** Our prayers are responded to with angels. ***13:13 (Asad) and the thunder extols His limitless glory and praises Him, and [so do] the angels, in awe of Him;**** The thunder and the angels of the thunder praise God together. ***33:43 (Asad) He it is who bestows His blessings upon you, with His angels [echoing Him], so that He might take you out of the depths of darkness into the light. And, indeed, a dispenser of grace is He unto the believers. *** All blessings, and since every created thing is a blessing of God, all creation is bestowed upon us with angels. Understanding that every thing is a blessing of God accompanied by angels will inshaAllah take us from darkness of the spirit to light, peace and security, salaam, inshaAllah. ***Qatadah reported from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Uhud is a mountain which loves us and which we love."**** Just like when we love a person it is their lively soul we love and not their dead bodies, when we love mountain Uhud, it is the angels of the mountain which we love and it is the angels of the mountain Uhud which loves us back. This is my interpretation, wAllahu a'lamu kulli shay' (verily God knows all) and may God forgive me for my mistakes. You can also read this for more detail on this topic: http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2012/10/khutbah-nature-and-hierarchy-of-life.html When "We" refers to God and angels, it reminds us that there is nothing on Earth or in the Heavens that is created without an angel, it reminds us of the spiritual aspect of the Universe. It reminds us that just like the two sides of the coin cannot be separated from each other, the matter and the spirit, the atoms and the angels, the body and the soul, the creation and the reflections of the Divine Names, cannot be separated from each other, they exist together. It is a reminder of the Shariat-ulllah, the Divine Laws, the ways in which God creates and governs the Universe. In fact, understanding physics concepts such as "force" or "energy" becomes much easier when one interprets these concepts as the interaction of angels obeying the Divine Laws. InshaAllah I pray this helps. May Allah allow us all to have "fiqh", the correct understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an. Allahumma arinal Haqqa Haqqan, warzuqna ittiba', wa arinal batila batilan, warzuqna ijtinabah. (May Allah allow us to see the Truth as the Truth and abide and live by it and to see the false as the false and allow us to avoid it), inshaAllah. This could be used as khutbah/speech material. |
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Ekonomik tercihler
benim ekonomik prensiplerimin kokeninde zulme ve dolayisiyla capitalisme alet olmamak icin elimden geleni yapmak var. bunun icin:
1) faiz almamak ve vermemek. faiz almamak fakirlerden emek (ve risk) sahibi olmadan calmamak icin, faiz vermemek ise "not-so-secret-anymore" rotschchilds'larin basini cektigi (sanki o kral, J. P. Morgan'lar falan da onun lord'lari duke'lari) banker monarchies'in bizden calip iyice sismelerini onlemek icin. zaten enflasyon ve vergi yontemiyle caldiklari yeter de artar bile-ki bununla ilgili de 6. madde. vergi demem sasirttiysa, devletlerin bankalara olan borclarinin faizlerinin de bizim vergilerimizden calinarak odendigini dusunmemiz gerekir.bu sekilde dunya insanlarinin cogunlugu olarak global & federal bankalarin sahiplerine resmen duzenli harac odedigimizi biliyor muydunuz?
Bu nedenle, kutsal olan, devlete verilen vergi degil, fakire verilen zekat ve sadakadir.
Muhammad asm da "Faizi alanı-vereni, faiz işlemine vekil olanı, faiz işlemine şahitlik görevini üstleneni, faiz işlemini yazanı da lanetlemiştir." (bk. Müslim, Müsâkât 106; Tirmizî, Buyu’, 2)
Isa asm'in tek "siddet" icerir olarak bilinen davranisi da faiz yiyen tefecilerin masalarini tekmeleyip dagitmis olmasidir. Faiz ayrica acikca Tevrat, Incil ve Kur'an'da ayri ayri yasaklanmistir, bkz Kur'an 2:275-278, Incil ve Tevrat ayetleri icin bkz:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usury#Religious_context
2) capitalistlere emeklerimizi kaptirip, kole olmamak, mesela ben matematik mezunu olarak "kariyer" yapmak istesem bu en kolay banka ve sigortalarda calismaktan geciyor. ama banka, sigorta, petrol firmalari, outsourcing yoluyla isci somurusu yapan global sirketlerin tumunden kapitalizm canavarindan kacar gibi kacmaya calisiyorum.
1) faiz almamak ve vermemek. faiz almamak fakirlerden emek (ve risk) sahibi olmadan calmamak icin, faiz vermemek ise "not-so-secret-anymore" rotschchilds'larin basini cektigi (sanki o kral, J. P. Morgan'lar falan da onun lord'lari duke'lari) banker monarchies'in bizden calip iyice sismelerini onlemek icin. zaten enflasyon ve vergi yontemiyle caldiklari yeter de artar bile-ki bununla ilgili de 6. madde. vergi demem sasirttiysa, devletlerin bankalara olan borclarinin faizlerinin de bizim vergilerimizden calinarak odendigini dusunmemiz gerekir.bu sekilde dunya insanlarinin cogunlugu olarak global & federal bankalarin sahiplerine resmen duzenli harac odedigimizi biliyor muydunuz?
Bu nedenle, kutsal olan, devlete verilen vergi degil, fakire verilen zekat ve sadakadir.
Muhammad asm da "Faizi alanı-vereni, faiz işlemine vekil olanı, faiz işlemine şahitlik görevini üstleneni, faiz işlemini yazanı da lanetlemiştir." (bk. Müslim, Müsâkât 106; Tirmizî, Buyu’, 2)
Isa asm'in tek "siddet" icerir olarak bilinen davranisi da faiz yiyen tefecilerin masalarini tekmeleyip dagitmis olmasidir. Faiz ayrica acikca Tevrat, Incil ve Kur'an'da ayri ayri yasaklanmistir, bkz Kur'an 2:275-278, Incil ve Tevrat ayetleri icin bkz:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usury#Religious_context
2) capitalistlere emeklerimizi kaptirip, kole olmamak, mesela ben matematik mezunu olarak "kariyer" yapmak istesem bu en kolay banka ve sigortalarda calismaktan geciyor. ama banka, sigorta, petrol firmalari, outsourcing yoluyla isci somurusu yapan global sirketlerin tumunden kapitalizm canavarindan kacar gibi kacmaya calisiyorum.
3) capitalistlere para kaptirmamak: bu en zorlarindan biri, nerde yasadigina gore. bunun icin walmart, turkiye'de migros, capitol falan vardi tarzi "chain store'lardan" "supermarketlerden" "buyuk markalardan" kacinip lokal bakkal, cakkal, mahalle pazari, burda co-op, ya da mumkunse direkt ciftcilerden ve el ureticilerinden, fair trade, local prensiplerine gore yiyeceklerimizi giyeceklerimizi ve temel ihtiyaclarimizi satin almak, boylece araci global kapitalistlerin ureticinin emegini somurmesini paramizla olabildigince engellemek
4) bu aslinda 1.siyle ve 2.siyle yakindan alakali, her zaman ayagimizi yorganimiza gore uzatmak, consumerism'e tuketicilik'e israfa hayir demek. boylece kendimize gereksiz ihtiyaclar yaratip (babadan kalan para varsa o ayri ama orda da guzel olan bir sonraki maddeye uymaktir), ardindan o ihtiyaclari karsilayacagim diye kole gibi calismamak, ya da gece gunduz calistiktan sonra bile isteklerimizi ihtiyaca donusturup onlari karsilayacagim diye paran yetmeyince, banka ahtapotlarinin en buyuk tuzagina dusmemek, ki en buyuk tuzak faizli borc alip onlara artik faiz adi altinda neyin varsa yoksa vermek, onlarin butun dunyaya daha cok tasallut etmelerine ekonomikman destek olmak. bugun koleligin 2. yolu borctan geciyor. amerika'da (high class olmayan) butun universite mezunlarinin ish hayatina tuition borcuyla baslamalari da bu sistemin ne kadar islerine geldiginin kaniti.
5) fazla paramiz oldugu zaman olabildigince cevremizde ya da dunyada en fakirlere temel ihtiyaclarini karsilamak uzere (yiyecek, giyecek, ev, saglik/hastane ve is baslatmalari icin ana para, tezgah, dukkan ya da egitim-sokakta misir satan bir adamin aylik karinin 7,000 tl oldugunu duydum, issiz birine verilecek kucuk bir misirci tezgahi bile bir aileyi rahat doyurur gozukuyor) vermek ve onlari zalim kapitalizm ahtapotunun kiskaclarindan biraz olsun ferahlatmak. bence diger amaclar icin -hayvanlari koruma, cevreyi koruma, bilimsel arastirmalara destek olma, gibi- dunyada acliktan ve barinaksizliktan iskence ceken insanlar kalmayinca vermeli, bu da sahsi gorusum ki ac insanlari kurtarmak su anda oncelik sahibi. ekonomik esitlik saglanirsa digerlerini saglamak cok da kolaylasacaktir zaten. ve gece o kadar karardi ki, gunesin dogmasina daha adil ve esit bir dunyanin gelmesine cok az kaldigina gonulden inaniyorum, istersen polyanna diyebilirsin ama polyanna'nin pozitif dusunce dusturuna da zaten inaniyorum :) pozitif dusuncelerin pozitif action'a donustugunu ve cevremizi ve gelecegimizi degistirdigine inaniyorum.
6) enflasyonu ve paranin kagittan baska gercek bir degeri olmadigini "banker monarchies"in bir ulkeyi batirip cikarmak istedikleri zaman kolaylikla dolarin degerini belirleyebildiklerini, ulkelerin para basan (abd'deki federal reserve bank gibi) bankalarina da onlarin sahip olduklarini cogumuz biliyoruz. bu nedenle fazla birikmis paramiz olursa, bundan zekat ve sadaka ve faizsiz borc verdikten sonraki kisimlarini degeri belirsiz kagittan para ve ef puften banka hesaplari cinsinden degil, gumus, altin, tasinamaz mallar, sanat eserleri vs cinsinden koruyup bunlari da olabildigince halkin kullanimina sunmak, mesela evi kiraya vermek (bedavaya verirsen comertliginden olur), sanat eserlerini bir muzeye koymak, bahceyi birkac bahcivana verip mahsulati onlarla esit paylasmak, gibi..
7) kefenin cebinin olmadigini unutmamak, bu dunya malina bu dunyada bize emanet edilen beden ve hayatlarimizin ihtiyacini karsilayacak kadar prim vermek: fazlasini biriktiricem diye gece gunduz calisip, cimrilik yapip, fakirden calip, emegini somurup (bir cok billionaire'in yaptigi gibi) bosa harcanmis yillarin ve susturulmus vicdan ve kalbin karsiligini da biriktirdiklerinden tek bir kurus bile olup topraga girdikten sonra isine yaramamasi sonucuna maruz kalmamak. Gonulden "transient" "fani" olan, "sinirli" (finite) olan herseyin (kendi adlarina) sevgisini atmak ve onlarin egomuzu esir almalarini engellemek. (bu fikir Buddhism'de ve Sikhism'de ve Sufism'de cok temel bir gorustur) Sadece Sonsuz olan, tum varligin her an Kaynagi olan, sevdigimiz herseyin ve onlarin tum sevdigimiz ozelliklerinin Sonsuz olan Kaynagi'na kalbimizi donup, fani insanlardan, maddeden medet ummak yerine, insanlarin ve maddenin Sahibi'nden istemek, istedigimiz sonuclara dua ederken, yani fiilen sebeplere basvururken, evrenin yaratilis kanunlarinin (doga kanunlari ya da arapcasi seriat-ullah) Sahibi'ne basvurma bilinciyle basvurmak. Boylece, bir an sonra var edilmeye dahi muhtac bizleri her an Var eden'e kulluk yaparken, herhangi bir insana, patrona, dogaya kolelik yapmaktan (patron, kisiligim ve dusuncelerim ve inanclarim ve prensiplerim pahasina da olsa atma beni lutfedip verdigin isinden) ve muhtac olmaktan (toprak, ne olur, bana yemek ver) ve yalvarmaktan (meteorlar, ne olur bize carpmayin) kurtulmak, insaniyet izzetimize kavusmak. Bu dunyadaki esas amacimizin fani olup da olumle sonlanan bir hayat icin olmadigini, nasil ki fetusun cigerleri amniyotik sivi icinde nefes almak icin degil, bir sonraki hayatinda oksijenli hava icin hazirlaniyor; bizim ruhumuz da olumdeki sonraki hayatimiza hazirlandigini, bu hayatin yoklukla sonlanacak kadar anlamsiz olmadigini (duygularim buna isyan eder), ve bu hayattaki esas amacimiza her an hazirlik yapma cabasi icinde olmamiz gerektigini (bu "caba"nin arapcasi "jihad", maalesef tam ters anlasilan cok konsept var kur'an'da, ya da sanki birileri ters anlasilsin diye medyayi ve gizli servisleri ozellikle kullaniyor) ve bunu da yapmanin 2 yolu oldugunu: 1) her an kendi ve yaratilmisliginin farkindaligiyla yasamak, goren gozum degil, gozume gormeyi Veren var; susuzlugumu dindiren bu cahil su degil, onu bana sifa Kilan var, vs seklinde 2) kendi farkindaligini, her an ne dusundugunun ve hissettigin ve nasil konusup davrandiginin farkindaligini, her an daha iyi bir insan olma cabasi icin sarfetmek: gratitude (sukur ve niyaz) yerine complaining (sikayet ve nazli) bir tavrim/yaklasimim mi var? affetmek yerine intikam, sevgi yerine nefret ve kiskanclik mi besliyorum? kirici mi konusuyorum? incitiyor muyum? kendime ve basklarina haksiz adaletsiz mi davraniyorum? seklinde hem vicdanimin hem de vicdanimi bana emanet Eden'in isteklerine (yani bana istettirdiklerine) uygun davraniyor muyum diye her an bencil olmak uzere yaratilmis ama sonuclari bize sevdirilmemis egomu check/kontrol altinda tutuyor muyum? egom mu bana hizmet ediyor, ben mi ona? bencilce davranip da sonuclarindan memnun olmadigim her zaman, eger bundan ders alirsam, egom bana hizmet etmis olur; ders almayip bencilce davranmaya devam edersem ise ben egoma hizmet etmis olurum. http://www.sikhnet.com/stories/audio/horse-mind
...ve boylece bu sonuncu (7.) madde ise akli, duygulari ve ruhu nasil besleyip ihtiyaclarini karsilayabilecegimiz hakkinda dusunceler. bunlar hayattaki diger-mesela ekonomik-tercihlerimizi de yonlendireceginden burada relevant/ilgili.
7. madde ile ilgili daha cok dusunceler icin: http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/09/oh-my-ego-who-has-lost-inner-peace.html
alhasil borca harca dusmeyecek sekilde, ay sonunda fazladan biriktirmis bulundugun parayla biletlerini alip gitmek istedigin tiyatro, sergi, konser, vs.lerine gidebilmen icin dua ediyorum, ve konserleri izlerken insanlara verilmis olan yeteneklerin Sahibine, sana bu sanattan zevk aldirttan duygularin Sahibine olan sevgin ve hayranligin da buyur; hem duygularin hem de ruhun mest olur; ve hepimizin Sonsuz'a olan sevgisi, Ilahi Aski buyur buyur ve benligimizi, egomuzu kaplar; egomuz dahi, tatmin olmus, baris ve huzur icindeki egolardan (nafs-ul mutmainnah diye geciyor kur'an'da) olur diye dua ediyorum.
7) kefenin cebinin olmadigini unutmamak, bu dunya malina bu dunyada bize emanet edilen beden ve hayatlarimizin ihtiyacini karsilayacak kadar prim vermek: fazlasini biriktiricem diye gece gunduz calisip, cimrilik yapip, fakirden calip, emegini somurup (bir cok billionaire'in yaptigi gibi) bosa harcanmis yillarin ve susturulmus vicdan ve kalbin karsiligini da biriktirdiklerinden tek bir kurus bile olup topraga girdikten sonra isine yaramamasi sonucuna maruz kalmamak. Gonulden "transient" "fani" olan, "sinirli" (finite) olan herseyin (kendi adlarina) sevgisini atmak ve onlarin egomuzu esir almalarini engellemek. (bu fikir Buddhism'de ve Sikhism'de ve Sufism'de cok temel bir gorustur) Sadece Sonsuz olan, tum varligin her an Kaynagi olan, sevdigimiz herseyin ve onlarin tum sevdigimiz ozelliklerinin Sonsuz olan Kaynagi'na kalbimizi donup, fani insanlardan, maddeden medet ummak yerine, insanlarin ve maddenin Sahibi'nden istemek, istedigimiz sonuclara dua ederken, yani fiilen sebeplere basvururken, evrenin yaratilis kanunlarinin (doga kanunlari ya da arapcasi seriat-ullah) Sahibi'ne basvurma bilinciyle basvurmak. Boylece, bir an sonra var edilmeye dahi muhtac bizleri her an Var eden'e kulluk yaparken, herhangi bir insana, patrona, dogaya kolelik yapmaktan (patron, kisiligim ve dusuncelerim ve inanclarim ve prensiplerim pahasina da olsa atma beni lutfedip verdigin isinden) ve muhtac olmaktan (toprak, ne olur, bana yemek ver) ve yalvarmaktan (meteorlar, ne olur bize carpmayin) kurtulmak, insaniyet izzetimize kavusmak. Bu dunyadaki esas amacimizin fani olup da olumle sonlanan bir hayat icin olmadigini, nasil ki fetusun cigerleri amniyotik sivi icinde nefes almak icin degil, bir sonraki hayatinda oksijenli hava icin hazirlaniyor; bizim ruhumuz da olumdeki sonraki hayatimiza hazirlandigini, bu hayatin yoklukla sonlanacak kadar anlamsiz olmadigini (duygularim buna isyan eder), ve bu hayattaki esas amacimiza her an hazirlik yapma cabasi icinde olmamiz gerektigini (bu "caba"nin arapcasi "jihad", maalesef tam ters anlasilan cok konsept var kur'an'da, ya da sanki birileri ters anlasilsin diye medyayi ve gizli servisleri ozellikle kullaniyor) ve bunu da yapmanin 2 yolu oldugunu: 1) her an kendi ve yaratilmisliginin farkindaligiyla yasamak, goren gozum degil, gozume gormeyi Veren var; susuzlugumu dindiren bu cahil su degil, onu bana sifa Kilan var, vs seklinde 2) kendi farkindaligini, her an ne dusundugunun ve hissettigin ve nasil konusup davrandiginin farkindaligini, her an daha iyi bir insan olma cabasi icin sarfetmek: gratitude (sukur ve niyaz) yerine complaining (sikayet ve nazli) bir tavrim/yaklasimim mi var? affetmek yerine intikam, sevgi yerine nefret ve kiskanclik mi besliyorum? kirici mi konusuyorum? incitiyor muyum? kendime ve basklarina haksiz adaletsiz mi davraniyorum? seklinde hem vicdanimin hem de vicdanimi bana emanet Eden'in isteklerine (yani bana istettirdiklerine) uygun davraniyor muyum diye her an bencil olmak uzere yaratilmis ama sonuclari bize sevdirilmemis egomu check/kontrol altinda tutuyor muyum? egom mu bana hizmet ediyor, ben mi ona? bencilce davranip da sonuclarindan memnun olmadigim her zaman, eger bundan ders alirsam, egom bana hizmet etmis olur; ders almayip bencilce davranmaya devam edersem ise ben egoma hizmet etmis olurum. http://www.sikhnet.com/stories/audio/horse-mind
...ve boylece bu sonuncu (7.) madde ise akli, duygulari ve ruhu nasil besleyip ihtiyaclarini karsilayabilecegimiz hakkinda dusunceler. bunlar hayattaki diger-mesela ekonomik-tercihlerimizi de yonlendireceginden burada relevant/ilgili.
7. madde ile ilgili daha cok dusunceler icin: http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/09/oh-my-ego-who-has-lost-inner-peace.html
alhasil borca harca dusmeyecek sekilde, ay sonunda fazladan biriktirmis bulundugun parayla biletlerini alip gitmek istedigin tiyatro, sergi, konser, vs.lerine gidebilmen icin dua ediyorum, ve konserleri izlerken insanlara verilmis olan yeteneklerin Sahibine, sana bu sanattan zevk aldirttan duygularin Sahibine olan sevgin ve hayranligin da buyur; hem duygularin hem de ruhun mest olur; ve hepimizin Sonsuz'a olan sevgisi, Ilahi Aski buyur buyur ve benligimizi, egomuzu kaplar; egomuz dahi, tatmin olmus, baris ve huzur icindeki egolardan (nafs-ul mutmainnah diye geciyor kur'an'da) olur diye dua ediyorum.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Oh my ego who has lost inner peace...
Oh my ego who has lost inner peace and suffers! Are you the
source of your own torment? Are you the source of what you see of
yourself in front of your eyes and what you can see of your bones and
organs in Xrays and of your brain activities in fMRIs and of your field
of energy in photography and what you cannot see of yourself, like your
torment? Or is your torment a most important sign on a most
significant mission to remind you of your needs? Just as your hunger is a
sign on a mission to remind you not to fail to eat your food and your
thirst is a sign on a mission to remind you not to forget to drink your
water and just as your various illnesses and pains are signs on most important
missions to inform you you're not getting sufficient micro-nutrients
(vitamins and minerals); so too your torment is a sign on an even more
important mission reminding you of your purpose in life and reminding
you not to fail to meet the needs of your soul and emotions as well as
your mind.
Just like satisfying your hunger by knocking on the door of the Infinitely Generous and Merciful Sustainer encompasses different activities such as farming, hunting, working in return for food, finding and carrying groceries (or gathering fruits and vegetables), making cooking utensils and building fire sources, gathering fuel (wood, gas, electricity, etc) for the fire or working in return for such fuel (for ex: paying utility bills), cooking, setting up a table, gathering around it with family or friends, in small bites carrying the food to your mouth and chewing each piece, cleaning up the table and washing dishes; so too does satisfying your non-animal needs encompasses various activities.
Just like the infinitely many bounties you're gifted are signs exposing the Divine Attributes because of their incapacity and their ignorance and their unawareness and their weakness and their being in need of being kept in existence themselves and their being in need of the Divine Laws of Nature to continue being upheld; and because despite all this they seem to be magically performing acts of intelligent, merciful generosity; and the inconsistency of these two observations; so too the signs in revelation introduce you to the Divine Attributes proclaimed and reflected, as in mirrors reflecting the Sun's light, by the entire universe from the mind-blowing amazing properties of the most minute particle of an atom mimicking the solar system, to the breathtaking beauty and elegance of a galaxy comprised of billions of gigantic stars, the distance between each uncomparably ever so greater than the size of each of the stars themselves.
The signs in both the universe, yourself (your body, mind, perceptive senses, your feelings of hunger, thirst, pain, your emotions of peace, bliss, happiness, anger, torment) and the revelation, through the enlightened ones who have attained to the light of iman-faith with conviction- (prophets, companions, saints, teachers, masters, gurus, Sufi sheikhs, etc), through the use of your own faculties (perceiving, thinking, meditating, evaluating, freely choosing, deciding, intending to put into action, subsequently acting upon your intention, perceiving the results of your actions and so the cycle continues) and by the will of the Source of all these signs and the Source of guidance, guide you in the steps needed to be taken to satisfy your non-animal needs.
Just as the pure unadulterated water from among rocks or earth ignorant of your body and its needs, is the best gift to meet the needs of your body and to satisfy your thirst; and just as vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, meats, green leaves, starchy tubers, honey, milk, seeds from dumb animals, tasteless earth, colorless air, shapeless light, powerless branches of wood, are a table spread about the Earth of most exquisite gifts of innumerable varieties of tastes and smells and colors and designs and shapes and sizes and texture; so too remembering and thanking the Generous One, the Supreme Artist, the Source of Colors, the Shaper, the Designer, the Merciful, the Healer is a gift of revelation to meet the needs of your mind and of your emotions and of your soul.
Just as you've been gifted with
parents and grandparents and teachers and doctors and the internet to
teach you how to satisfy your hunger and thirst and how to avoid
physical illnesses and pains, so too you've been gifted with revelation
and teachers to teach and show you how to thank and how to remember the
Generous Giver of Infinitely Bountiful Gifts and how to cure the pain of your existential angst, remembered by many as the terrible teenage years or as a midlife crisis.
Oh my ego, who likes to be free in her decisions and who likes to see for herself what's right and what's wrong by way of practical experimentation, why do you not hesitate in experimenting what you were warned against and you are hasty to act in what you know or feel to be wrong; but when it comes to experimenting the recipe of peace attested to by millions from all around the globe, from the most ancient to the most recent times, you are quick to oppose and you are hasty in coming up with excuses and you are thoughtlessly inclined to forgetfulness and you are lazy like you are lazy for nothing else. Oh my ego, if your logic and your emotions aren't convinced enough to move you to act, at least give an opportunity to the power of Truth to be realized by practical experimentation. Try the same basic recipe repeated for thousand of years in slightly different forms and expressions and see for yourself how it affects the torrents of your torment.
The recipe is expressed "mubeenan" clearly in a fashion easy to understand by all but carrying layers upon layers of meanings if you are willing to dive in, out of the Mercy of the One Who reveals us the recipe of light and makes it manifest on Earth. (Qur'an: Ya ayyuha alnnasu qad jaakum burhanun min rabbikum waanzalna ilaykum nooran mubeenan (4:174) (Asad) O MANKIND! A manifestation of the truth has now come unto you from your Sustainer, and We have sent down unto you a clear light.) To feel gratitude you must first think, reason, observe and travel. (see for some relevant ayats (ie. signs or verses) listed at this link: http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-do-q-with-revelation.html) You must come to realize and not only realize but live with the consciousness of the unity, holistic connection and harmony within the universe which exists as a web of energy consisting of vibrations and motions of particles within the atoms and of planets and celestial bodies within the void of the universe. What you call matter is as minute so as to fit the entire amount of matter the Earth consists of (after subtracting all the emptiness between particles within atoms and between atoms within molecules, etc) in a thimble the size of the tip of a finger. What you perceive with your senses and brain as substance, flesh and bones is essentially the energy of the vibration of the particles, the angels, i.e. the executors, agents or instruments of the manifestation of the Source of this energy, those carrying the Divine Names to make them immanent in the form of the universe. You must live with an every moment consciousness of breathing in what other animals and plants and humans around you are breathing out in a flowing web of energy and that every breath is a gift from the Orderer of this energy and matter.
Oh my ego! Do you not see that your thoughts and your emotions and your actions have consequences? Have you not experienced that with the expectation of the unwanted coming up in the future or the whimsical fear of annihilation, even the most desirable circumstances fail to please you or give you any pleasure? Have you not experienced that with the expectation of the beautiful or the imagination of the desirable you can find peace and satisfaction in even the most wretched situations? Do you not see that your thoughts and perspective and interpretations guide your emotions? Do you not see that your emotions and your intentions and your decisions guide your actions? Do you not observe that your thoughts and your emotions and your actions have consequences? Do you not see the cat running away from you when you are angry? Do you not see the humming bird drinking sweet juice in the hands of those who compassionately and patiently persevere in approaching them? Do you not reason that your emotions and your actions are part of the flow over time of the web of energy and consequently are made to affect all that is around you and all that will be brought to existence and to your awareness? Do you not understand that the Continuous Source of Energy, the Source of your criterion of justice, the Source of your compassion, out of mercy, is guiding you to the right and wrong by creating appropriately positive and negative (that which we are made to dislike) consequences to your choices of thoughts and actions? Do you suppose that the Infinite Source of this infinite energy will suddenly cease to emit its Divine powers? Do you suppose that the Divine Teacher is guiding you through ease and turbulence to teach you to an end of annihilation or is it to prepare you for your existence yet to come, upon the birth called death?
Why then, oh my inconsiderate, self-centered ego, do you not take it upon yourself the jihad, the striving of being ever watchful of your thoughts and your emotions and your actions to be in harmony with that which you are a part of and to be in congruence with the will of the Source to whom you belong? Why then oh my ego, do you not take it upon yourself the jihad of quitting your bad habits and establishing better ones in their stead? Why then oh my ego, do you not take it upon yourself the jihad of quitting the attitude of complaining and sulking and replacing it with that of continuous gratitude with every breath taken, every beauty seen, every faculty in your body, mind and soul working, every morsel of food you put in your mouth, every drop of water that cools the throats of the ones you love? Why then oh my ego, do you not take it upon yourself the jihad of stopping carrying all the burdens of your needs and your fears, but instead starting to trust in the true Provider and Sustainer in whose hands is all that we know exists and that we are not aware of.
Why then, oh my forgetful ego who would rather suffer from forgetfulness than take action to remind herself, do you not take it upon yourself the jihad of remembering the Truth? Why then do you not take the prescriptions teaching you and advising you how to remember the Truth and how to come to a higher understanding of It and how to live with It? Why are you apathetic to spending even as small as one or two hours of your day meditating upon the existence and its purpose and Source, in repeating the Divine Attributes of Beauty, Mercy and Perfection you so yearn for, asking all kinds of your needs from their True Source, the Unique One capable of meeting your desires, reflecting upon your weakness and poverty before your Owner, in gratefulness for the vicegerency you've been granted over the rest of the universe and studying the signs pointing to the Divine and the signs teaching of the Divine, and gathering with friends and loved ones to share this bliss of learning and using your mind and washing your heart and feeding your soul, just like sharing food and other things you love, in order that you may prepare for a life of eternity, where the karma, the outcome of all that you have gathered in this life will be realized and completed, oh my ego, when you are not shy from spending almost all your waking hours in running after your this-worldly affairs and finite pleasures that are bound to the grave, that are bound for transience, just like your very own body?
ayat (signs, verses) from the Qur'an:
| |
 An-Naml (The Ants)
فَتِلْكَ بُيُوتُهُمْ خَاوِيَةً بِمَا ظَلَمُوا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (27:52) | |
Al-Qasas (The Narration)
وَلَوْلَا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُوا رَبَّنَا لَوْلَا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ آيَاتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (28:47) | |
| Ar-Rum (The Romans)
| |
| Ya-Sin (Ya-Sin)
| |
| Fussilat (Explained in Detail)
| |
| Ash-Shura (The Consultation)
| |
| Al-Jathiya (The Kneeling)
| |
| At-Tur (The Mount)
| |
At-Taghabun (Loss and Gain)
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ فَذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (64:5) | |
| At-Talaq (The Divorce)
|
Oh
my selfish and irrational ego who likes to drive me to trouble and pain
when I do not use you appropriately, it is through you that the Source
of Knowledge and Intelligence shows me how to attain an inner peace
greater than that of animals and angels and nature. It is through using
you properly, as taught by the enlightened ones, and by riding you like
the horse of Burak that I journey ever closer to my Infinite Source. Oh
my spoiled ego who likes to act like a child complaining instead of
being grateful to her parents! I am thankful for the gift of you and I
love you for being the means of opening me the path to my blissful
connection of love towards the universe I am a part of and towards the
Source of the universe that I belong to and the Source of the mercy and
love that I am given samples of.
In Lak'ech (I am you) (I am another yourself)
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Ong
namo, guru dev namo (I call upon the reflection of the Divine in the
universe, I call upon the manifestation of the Source of Truth and
Wisdom within me)
La ilaha illa Allah (there is no deity (Source of power, mercy, etc) but TheOneGod)
Shalom/Salaam (peace)May you be surrounded by the Eternal Source of love and peace!
Qur'an translation by Leopold Weiss Muhammad Asad from http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
how to do Q&A with revelation?
I was a 3 years old little girl when I started reading the Qur'an. Every time I would complete the recitation of a page in Arabic and close my gigantic bind copy almost as big as myself to run off to play, I would see to my complete awe and delight a round piece of chocolate wrapped in golden paper appear out of nowhere under the bind. I would exclaim "where did this come from!?" and daddy would tell me every time: "the angels brought you the chocolate because they liked your reading the Qur'an." Of course, even though he was the one sticking the chocolate under the Qur'an, he was still telling the truth.
I think this was one of the things that taught me to be excited with gratefulness at the miracle of creation through angels--the energy between matter and the figurative Creating hand, the aspect of things that look to the Divine Attributes of Beauty encompassed by Divine Mercy and Compassion. (consider that the cocoa beans and the abilities of the humans necessary to make a wrapped chocolate out of the cocoa beans are both from their Creator, the Creator of the unified creation, a cosmic space we and the cocoa beans both breath from and into.)
see this video for an attempt into understanding angels in this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NayVQhGjyIo&list=PL429ABBE7B433E1DC&index=95
or in short:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNdlf5TavAU&list=PL429ABBE7B433E1DC&index=98
However, this non-tangible and fantastical sounding approach should be coupled with learning how to do, essentially, Q&A sessions with the Qur'an with empirical methodology. In fact, the Qur'an teaches us how to ask questions to it and how to verify its authenticity itself, through its challenges and advice to humanity.
Consider these verses that call humans to observe, think, meditate, learn and travel, and these verses are just a few selections of many more. The more frequent repetition of a concept in the Qur'an stresses the relative importance of the matter compared to such practical and other matters that are often mentioned only once or twice.
32:27 (Asad) Are they not aware that it is We who drive the rain onto dry land devoid of herbage, and thereby bring forth herbage of which their cattle and they themselves do eat? Can they not, then, see [the truth of resurrection]?
36:68 (Asad) But [let them always remember that] if We lengthen a human being’s days, We also cause him to decline in his powers [when he grows old]: will they not, then, use their reason?
12:109 (Asad) And [even] before thy time, We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired, [and whom We always chose] from among the people of the [very] communities [to whom the message was to be brought]. [105] Have, then, they [who reject this divine writ] never journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived before them?-and [do they not know that] to those who are conscious of God the life in the hereafter is indeed better [than this world]? Will they not, then, use their reason?
6:50 (Asad) Say [O Prophet]: "I do not say unto you, 'God's treasures are with me,'; nor [do I say], 'I know the things that are beyond the reach of human perception'; nor do I say unto you, 'Behold, I am an angel': I but follow what is revealed to me." [38] Say: "Can the blind and the seeing be deemed equal? [39] Will you not, then, take thought?"
96:1 (Asad) READ [1] in the name of thy Sustainer, who has
96:2 (Asad) created man out of a germ-cell [2]
96:3 (Asad) Read - for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One
96:4 (Asad) who has taught [man] the use of the pen
96:5 (Asad) taught man what he did not know! [3]
96:6 (Asad) Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening
96:7 (Asad) whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient:
96:8 (Asad) for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return. [4]
3:137 (Asad) [MANY] WAYS of life have passed away before your time.[98] Go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth:
6:11 (Asad) Say: "Go all over the earth, and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!"
16:36 (Asad) And indeed, within every community [33] have We raised up an apostle [entrusted with this message]: "Worship God, and shun the powers of evil!" [34] And among those [past generations] were people whom God graced with His guidance, [35] just as there was among them [many a one] who inevitably fell prey to grievous error: [36] go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!
27:69 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold what happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in sin!” [66]
29:20 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has created [man] in the first instance: and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life for, verily, God has the power to will anything![15]
30:42 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth, and behold what happened in the end to those [sinners] who lived before [you]: most of them were wont to ascribe divine qualities to things or beings other than God.” [40]
Also consider this verse challenging us to replicate a fly, or to even just take back what the fly takes from us (such as when mosquitoes suck on us):
22:73 (Asad) O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought!
We are of course here reminded of our position of createdness and stemming from it our ajz (weakness) before God, but God only. We are also reminded to reflect upon creation and to use our reasoning based on such empirical observation when deciding who to hail as our god. Will it be money and material, bank accounts and assets, jewelry and art collections, political and mediatic power, doctors and medicine, technology, gravity and other laws of creation, good luck and chance that we will expect nourishment, salvation, protection, continuation of our existence, the meeting of our needs and desires from, or will it be the One Creator of all that is and all that can be conceived of? And God provides us with the tool of discerning the right from the wrong: anything that cannot create something insofar as even a fly, is not worthy of worship.
Here we are not shunned for our doubts, but instead we are asked to take experimental action to evaluate whether our doubts have a true basis or not. If we can produce ourselves or get others (a team of the best literature professors or poets) to produce a chapter of similar eloquence (not even of better eloquence! just similar), then, both the Qur'an's challenge has failed disproving its infallible divine source and I have proven that the Qur'an could have conceivably been written by a human. And if I fail at producing this, then I can once again confirm, now with all doubts removed from my heart that the Qur'an is the divine word. The doubt itself then becomes a tool to solidify and increase our imaan bil ghayb (belief with conviction and certainty in that which cannot be perceived with the 5 senses).
Qur'an translation by Leopold Weiss Muhammad Asad from http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/
This can be used as khutbah or speech material
I think this was one of the things that taught me to be excited with gratefulness at the miracle of creation through angels--the energy between matter and the figurative Creating hand, the aspect of things that look to the Divine Attributes of Beauty encompassed by Divine Mercy and Compassion. (consider that the cocoa beans and the abilities of the humans necessary to make a wrapped chocolate out of the cocoa beans are both from their Creator, the Creator of the unified creation, a cosmic space we and the cocoa beans both breath from and into.)
see this video for an attempt into understanding angels in this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NayVQhGjyIo&list=PL429ABBE7B433E1DC&index=95
or in short:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNdlf5TavAU&list=PL429ABBE7B433E1DC&index=98
However, this non-tangible and fantastical sounding approach should be coupled with learning how to do, essentially, Q&A sessions with the Qur'an with empirical methodology. In fact, the Qur'an teaches us how to ask questions to it and how to verify its authenticity itself, through its challenges and advice to humanity.
Consider these verses that call humans to observe, think, meditate, learn and travel, and these verses are just a few selections of many more. The more frequent repetition of a concept in the Qur'an stresses the relative importance of the matter compared to such practical and other matters that are often mentioned only once or twice.
32:27 (Asad) Are they not aware that it is We who drive the rain onto dry land devoid of herbage, and thereby bring forth herbage of which their cattle and they themselves do eat? Can they not, then, see [the truth of resurrection]?
36:68 (Asad) But [let them always remember that] if We lengthen a human being’s days, We also cause him to decline in his powers [when he grows old]: will they not, then, use their reason?
12:109 (Asad) And [even] before thy time, We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired, [and whom We always chose] from among the people of the [very] communities [to whom the message was to be brought]. [105] Have, then, they [who reject this divine writ] never journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived before them?-and [do they not know that] to those who are conscious of God the life in the hereafter is indeed better [than this world]? Will they not, then, use their reason?
6:50 (Asad) Say [O Prophet]: "I do not say unto you, 'God's treasures are with me,'; nor [do I say], 'I know the things that are beyond the reach of human perception'; nor do I say unto you, 'Behold, I am an angel': I but follow what is revealed to me." [38] Say: "Can the blind and the seeing be deemed equal? [39] Will you not, then, take thought?"
96:1 (Asad) READ [1] in the name of thy Sustainer, who has
96:2 (Asad) created man out of a germ-cell [2]
96:3 (Asad) Read - for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One
96:4 (Asad) who has taught [man] the use of the pen
96:5 (Asad) taught man what he did not know! [3]
96:6 (Asad) Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening
96:7 (Asad) whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient:
96:8 (Asad) for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return. [4]
3:137 (Asad) [MANY] WAYS of life have passed away before your time.[98] Go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth:
6:11 (Asad) Say: "Go all over the earth, and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!"
16:36 (Asad) And indeed, within every community [33] have We raised up an apostle [entrusted with this message]: "Worship God, and shun the powers of evil!" [34] And among those [past generations] were people whom God graced with His guidance, [35] just as there was among them [many a one] who inevitably fell prey to grievous error: [36] go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!
27:69 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold what happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in sin!” [66]
29:20 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has created [man] in the first instance: and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life for, verily, God has the power to will anything![15]
30:42 (Asad) Say: “Go all over the earth, and behold what happened in the end to those [sinners] who lived before [you]: most of them were wont to ascribe divine qualities to things or beings other than God.” [40]
Also consider this verse challenging us to replicate a fly, or to even just take back what the fly takes from us (such as when mosquitoes suck on us):
22:73 (Asad) O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought!
Consider as well this verse challenging the readers to replicate the undisputedly superior eloquence by far surpassing any of the Arabic literary rivals of the Qur'an and its unique style, not in its entirety but only a portion of it. Subsequently revealed verses gradually reduce the challenge up from 10 chapters down to eventually a single chapter (surah). This challenge has yet to be met or to even be claimed to have been met. When these verses were revealed the best Arabic poets came together in councils in an attempt to imitate the eloquence of the Qur'an and failed self-admittedly. The fact that for 14 centuries the challenge has stood unmet is one of many proofs of the uniqueness of the Qur'an as divine speech, unadulterated by any form of human interventions, proof that Prophet Muhammad nicknamed as a young man as "al-Ameen" "the Trustworthy" before his prophethood, was neither a poet lying about his prophethood nor a crazy man in delusion of receiving divine revelation.
2:23 (Asad) And if you doubt any part of what We have, bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant [Muhammad], [14] then produce a surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God to bear witness for you [15] -if what you say is true!
Here we are not shunned for our doubts, but instead we are asked to take experimental action to evaluate whether our doubts have a true basis or not. If we can produce ourselves or get others (a team of the best literature professors or poets) to produce a chapter of similar eloquence (not even of better eloquence! just similar), then, both the Qur'an's challenge has failed disproving its infallible divine source and I have proven that the Qur'an could have conceivably been written by a human. And if I fail at producing this, then I can once again confirm, now with all doubts removed from my heart that the Qur'an is the divine word. The doubt itself then becomes a tool to solidify and increase our imaan bil ghayb (belief with conviction and certainty in that which cannot be perceived with the 5 senses).
Qur'an translation by Leopold Weiss Muhammad Asad from http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/
This can be used as khutbah or speech material
Monday, July 29, 2013
Does praying to God mean we should not appeal to causes?
Question:
If we should only seek help from God, our Creator, does that mean we should sit at home and pray when we're sick and not go to the doctor or take any medication, waiting for, perhaps, death?
Answer:
As soon as I read this question I thought of this passage:
http://www.nur.gen.tr/en.html#leftmenu=Risale&maincontent=Risale&islem=read&KitapId=499&BolumId=8787&KitapAd=Letters+(+revised+)&Page=347
It is the beginning of the chapter "The First Addendum to the Twenty-Fourth Letter" from the book "The Letters" by author "Bediuzzaman Said Nursi", my favorite 20th century Qur'anic commentator. I especially like that he makes the matters of the Qur'an more understandable to our modern minds afflicted by materialism, naturalism, secularism and consumerism and thus helps us reach conviction in our beliefs, by the will of God the Hadi (Guide).
The summary of the relevant part of this chapter is that there are different sorts of prayer/supplication:
1-the tongue of latent ability (the gathering together of causes is a supplication for the creation of the effect.)
2-the tongue of innate need (the desires and needs of all creation is a supplication to Allah)
3-the supplication of conscious beings, which is of two kinds (the first kind is akin to the first and second sorts of supplication) (the second kind takes two forms: by action and by word)
To apply this to the example provided above, when I am sick:
-my body is praying by the tongue of innate need for shifaa (healing) from the Creator of healing, the Shaafi (Healer)
-I can consciously supplicate "by action", by going to the doctor, taking necessary medications, etc.
-I can consciously supplicate "by word", by praying "Ya Shaafi, O Healer, provide me with your merciful healing!"
-By the tongue of latent ability: When I gather the causes (for ex: eating healthy, sleeping plenty, drinking enough water, avoiding stress, keeping a positive and grateful attitude, practicing patience with prayer, etc), all these causes are praying to their Creator to create the effect: improved health.
When in my previous post I had said, and I quote: "think of how often we place our hopes in doctors, science and medication to cure our illnesses and solve our problems, instead of God, the Healer (Shafi)"
http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/07/why-do-we-say-salawat-to-prophet.html
The point was NOT to avoid doctors or science or medication etc. Instead it was to realize that it is not the doctor who heals me, but that God the Healer Shaafi sends me healing through the doctor. The medication is ignorant of my body and my sickness, there is no knowledge or power or healing within the medication (the herb or pill) itself, but we observe shifaa coming after we take the medication: this shows us that the shifaa (the effect) cannot be from the medication (the apparent cause) itself, but if anything, the medication is a vessel for us to observe the creating hand (figuratively, of course) of the Creator of both the medication and the shifaa from the medication. Thus the Causer of all causes is the Creator of the Universe.
With this understanding, when I switch to a healthier diet, I am taking better care of my body, the amanat (the entrusted) of Our Creator who let us be responsible of such small tasks. (Think that we're not responsible of making our hearts pump every second, we're not responsible to make our stomachs digest our food, we're only responsible to choose healthy and halaal food and wash to keep clean and such minor tasks.) By keeping a healthy diet with this understanding, I am acknowledging that both the food I eat, and the information necessary to differentiate healthy food from the harmful, and the decision making ability to prefer in action what I know to be healthier, are all from God.
The tree doesn't give me the fruit, but the Creator of the tree creates the nutritious, beautiful fruit from dead wooden branches. By acknowledging that both the food and my abilities required to find and choose the food are from God, my eating can be transformed into a prayer to God: O God! Make this fruit nutritious and beneficial and satiating to me! O God! Bless me with better health, for I am making the necessary choices for it. O God! Thank you for the good taste and nice smell of this fruit and its beautiful colors pleasing the eye, alhamdulillah!
We observe in this universe that creation doesn't happen haphazardly. We live in a world where we can expect that the sun will rise tomorrow at a certain exact minute, or we can expect that if we plant a seed with good earth, water and sunshine, a plant will grow out of it, etc. Sometimes we get too used to this system Allah put into place and start thinking that the sun is rising, "of course, because it has to rise whenever it is 5:30am"; when in fact, there is nothing that obligates the Sun to rise, nor would we anticipate it had we not experienced it before. Or, we start thinking, "of course, "naturally", the tree will give fruit, because it is summertime and it got enough water&sunshine!", when in fact, had we not seen fruits on a tree before, seriously, who would expect food to grow on a bunch of wood???
This is similar to the parable of an invisible generous host of a house who prepares for you a delicious breakfast on the kitchen table every morning at 7a and puts on some beautiful lighting and music at 5pm (or whatever) and when we don't see the host but we start getting used to the routine, we start saying "breakfast is ready, because the clock shows 7a" instead of saying, "my generous host offers me breakfast at 7a every morning." This is an example my mother (a theoretical physicist) likes to give, to show how the naturalistic fallacy is ridiculous. Notice little children will find everything awing, surprising, interesting and as we grow into adults, unfortunately we start taking for granted the miracles found in nature.
The understanding of "continuous creation" can inshaAllah (by the will of God) break this attitude of thinking what happens in the universe, "just happens" because "that is how the system works". Instead we should realize, "baby me" is gone, "little me" is also gone, "teenager me" is also gone, right now Allah is creating the "adult me". My yesterday is gone, my last hour is gone, right now Allah (TheOneGod) is creating me anew, giving me a new body, a new understanding, new emotions, etc. The clouds 5 minutes ago are gone. Right now Allah is creating a new universe, and the next moment this universe disappears to make room for Allah creating yet another new universe. My life so far, doesn't necessitate my life in the next moment. The existence of the universe so far, doesn't necessitate its existence in the next moment. The only constant in the universe, is its transience. Seriously, what can stop the universe from disappearing in this instant, but by God creating it again and again, in a new form?
If I was healthy until now, does it mean I will be healthy in the next moment? Not necessarily. I should be thankful for Allah who provided me health yesterday and who provided me with health again today. With this understanding, when I am healthy or when I am sick and I go to the doctor, either way, I only pray to Allah for health, and I always acknowledge that the Creator of health is none but Allah.
When I am hungry, I follow God's guidance that I should go and eat food to satisfy my hunger (a form of revelation), but I know that both my hunger and the food and the satisfaction after eating, is all from none but Allah, the Creator of my hunger, the Creator of the food and the Creator of my satisfaction. Notice in this verse (Qur'an 78:24 (Asad) Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any [thirst-quenching] drink.) Allah reminds us that it is not the drink I drink that quenches my thirst, and God forbid, if in this world I drink water expecting water itself to quench my thirst, in the next world, I would be given water, and its true state will be revealed to me: that water is unaware of me or of my thirst and is unable to create anything, let alone quenching my thirst, and thus I could drink it and drink it and it would only increase my thirst. If, on the other hand, I drink water saying "Bismillah (In the name of God), O God, You are the Creator of my water"; and "Alhamdulillah (All praises belong to God), O God, You have quenched my thirst and made the water beneficial to me", then inshaAllah (by the will of God) by God's Mercy, God will say "Here is a pure and tasty drink to quench your thirst". (Qur'an, 76:5 (Asad) [whereas,] behold, the truly virtuous shall drink from a cup flavoured with the calyx of sweet-smelling flowers).
As in the illustration of Said Nursi, what we see in this world are like tiny bubbles on the surface of a river. We see each bubble forming and popping out right away. Then we see more bubbles forming and dying. But in each bubble, we see the light of the Sun shining. Every bubble reflects the Sun's light, yet by popping out and dying a moment later, they reveal to us that the light we see in them is a mere reflection and not from the bubbles themselves. Every thing in this world is brought to existence, changed into different forms and finally taken away with death. Their transience like the bubbles, shows that the light we see in them (beauty, grace, healing, mercy, art, etc) is not from them, but is a mere reflection of the "Beautiful Divine Names" or "attributes of perfection" (Asma'ul Husna). (Qur'an, 59:24 (Asad) He is God, the Creator, the Maker who shapes all forms and appearances! His [alone] are the attributes of perfection. All that is in the heavens and on earth extols His limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!) Thus, all that exists are mirrors reflecting the attributes of God (Allah) (also an illustration of Said Nursi), the Creator (Khaaliq), the Shaper of forms (Bari'), the Artist (Saani'), the Wise (Hakeem), the Loving (Wadud), the Healer (Shaafi), the Beautiful (Jameel). When we observe the universe, if we study the universe without considering the meaning it has to offer, we would resemble people who are studying a curtain's intricate design, all the while being blind to what is behind the curtain (again, an illustration of Said Nursi, on the current state of secular science). On the other hand, the science a mu'min (one who affirms revelation) does, is for the purpose of getting to know the Creator of the universe better: (Qur'an, 50:6 (Asad) Do they not look at the sky above them - how We have built it and made it beautiful and free of all faults?)
As an example, let's consider these verses: (Qur'an, 80:24-32 (Asad) Let man, then, consider [the sources of] his food: [how it is] that We pour down water, pouring it down abundantly; and then We cleave the earth [with new growth], cleaving it asunder, and thereupon We cause grain to grow out of it, and vines and edible plants, -and olive trees and date-palms, and gardens dense with foliage, and fruits and herbage, for you and for your animals to enjoy.) Notice how it doesn't say, "the water pours down", but it says "We pour down water"="the water is made to rain by its Creator". It doesn't say "grains grow out of earth", but it says "We cause grain to grow"="the grain is made to grow by our Creator".
I pray that this post is a means for us to increase our imaan (belief with conviction, certainty) by the will of God, the Hadi (the Guide, the One who offers guidance). I tend to think by talking or writing, so I find that writing this message is a beneficial meditation for myself, by the will of God the Wise.
If we should only seek help from God, our Creator, does that mean we should sit at home and pray when we're sick and not go to the doctor or take any medication, waiting for, perhaps, death?
Answer:
As soon as I read this question I thought of this passage:
http://www.nur.gen.tr/en.html#leftmenu=Risale&maincontent=Risale&islem=read&KitapId=499&BolumId=8787&KitapAd=Letters+(+revised+)&Page=347
It is the beginning of the chapter "The First Addendum to the Twenty-Fourth Letter" from the book "The Letters" by author "Bediuzzaman Said Nursi", my favorite 20th century Qur'anic commentator. I especially like that he makes the matters of the Qur'an more understandable to our modern minds afflicted by materialism, naturalism, secularism and consumerism and thus helps us reach conviction in our beliefs, by the will of God the Hadi (Guide).
The summary of the relevant part of this chapter is that there are different sorts of prayer/supplication:
1-the tongue of latent ability (the gathering together of causes is a supplication for the creation of the effect.)
2-the tongue of innate need (the desires and needs of all creation is a supplication to Allah)
3-the supplication of conscious beings, which is of two kinds (the first kind is akin to the first and second sorts of supplication) (the second kind takes two forms: by action and by word)
To apply this to the example provided above, when I am sick:
-my body is praying by the tongue of innate need for shifaa (healing) from the Creator of healing, the Shaafi (Healer)
-I can consciously supplicate "by action", by going to the doctor, taking necessary medications, etc.
-I can consciously supplicate "by word", by praying "Ya Shaafi, O Healer, provide me with your merciful healing!"
-By the tongue of latent ability: When I gather the causes (for ex: eating healthy, sleeping plenty, drinking enough water, avoiding stress, keeping a positive and grateful attitude, practicing patience with prayer, etc), all these causes are praying to their Creator to create the effect: improved health.
When in my previous post I had said, and I quote: "think of how often we place our hopes in doctors, science and medication to cure our illnesses and solve our problems, instead of God, the Healer (Shafi)"
http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/07/why-do-we-say-salawat-to-prophet.html
The point was NOT to avoid doctors or science or medication etc. Instead it was to realize that it is not the doctor who heals me, but that God the Healer Shaafi sends me healing through the doctor. The medication is ignorant of my body and my sickness, there is no knowledge or power or healing within the medication (the herb or pill) itself, but we observe shifaa coming after we take the medication: this shows us that the shifaa (the effect) cannot be from the medication (the apparent cause) itself, but if anything, the medication is a vessel for us to observe the creating hand (figuratively, of course) of the Creator of both the medication and the shifaa from the medication. Thus the Causer of all causes is the Creator of the Universe.
With this understanding, when I switch to a healthier diet, I am taking better care of my body, the amanat (the entrusted) of Our Creator who let us be responsible of such small tasks. (Think that we're not responsible of making our hearts pump every second, we're not responsible to make our stomachs digest our food, we're only responsible to choose healthy and halaal food and wash to keep clean and such minor tasks.) By keeping a healthy diet with this understanding, I am acknowledging that both the food I eat, and the information necessary to differentiate healthy food from the harmful, and the decision making ability to prefer in action what I know to be healthier, are all from God.
The tree doesn't give me the fruit, but the Creator of the tree creates the nutritious, beautiful fruit from dead wooden branches. By acknowledging that both the food and my abilities required to find and choose the food are from God, my eating can be transformed into a prayer to God: O God! Make this fruit nutritious and beneficial and satiating to me! O God! Bless me with better health, for I am making the necessary choices for it. O God! Thank you for the good taste and nice smell of this fruit and its beautiful colors pleasing the eye, alhamdulillah!
We observe in this universe that creation doesn't happen haphazardly. We live in a world where we can expect that the sun will rise tomorrow at a certain exact minute, or we can expect that if we plant a seed with good earth, water and sunshine, a plant will grow out of it, etc. Sometimes we get too used to this system Allah put into place and start thinking that the sun is rising, "of course, because it has to rise whenever it is 5:30am"; when in fact, there is nothing that obligates the Sun to rise, nor would we anticipate it had we not experienced it before. Or, we start thinking, "of course, "naturally", the tree will give fruit, because it is summertime and it got enough water&sunshine!", when in fact, had we not seen fruits on a tree before, seriously, who would expect food to grow on a bunch of wood???
This is similar to the parable of an invisible generous host of a house who prepares for you a delicious breakfast on the kitchen table every morning at 7a and puts on some beautiful lighting and music at 5pm (or whatever) and when we don't see the host but we start getting used to the routine, we start saying "breakfast is ready, because the clock shows 7a" instead of saying, "my generous host offers me breakfast at 7a every morning." This is an example my mother (a theoretical physicist) likes to give, to show how the naturalistic fallacy is ridiculous. Notice little children will find everything awing, surprising, interesting and as we grow into adults, unfortunately we start taking for granted the miracles found in nature.
The understanding of "continuous creation" can inshaAllah (by the will of God) break this attitude of thinking what happens in the universe, "just happens" because "that is how the system works". Instead we should realize, "baby me" is gone, "little me" is also gone, "teenager me" is also gone, right now Allah is creating the "adult me". My yesterday is gone, my last hour is gone, right now Allah (TheOneGod) is creating me anew, giving me a new body, a new understanding, new emotions, etc. The clouds 5 minutes ago are gone. Right now Allah is creating a new universe, and the next moment this universe disappears to make room for Allah creating yet another new universe. My life so far, doesn't necessitate my life in the next moment. The existence of the universe so far, doesn't necessitate its existence in the next moment. The only constant in the universe, is its transience. Seriously, what can stop the universe from disappearing in this instant, but by God creating it again and again, in a new form?
If I was healthy until now, does it mean I will be healthy in the next moment? Not necessarily. I should be thankful for Allah who provided me health yesterday and who provided me with health again today. With this understanding, when I am healthy or when I am sick and I go to the doctor, either way, I only pray to Allah for health, and I always acknowledge that the Creator of health is none but Allah.
When I am hungry, I follow God's guidance that I should go and eat food to satisfy my hunger (a form of revelation), but I know that both my hunger and the food and the satisfaction after eating, is all from none but Allah, the Creator of my hunger, the Creator of the food and the Creator of my satisfaction. Notice in this verse (Qur'an 78:24 (Asad) Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any [thirst-quenching] drink.) Allah reminds us that it is not the drink I drink that quenches my thirst, and God forbid, if in this world I drink water expecting water itself to quench my thirst, in the next world, I would be given water, and its true state will be revealed to me: that water is unaware of me or of my thirst and is unable to create anything, let alone quenching my thirst, and thus I could drink it and drink it and it would only increase my thirst. If, on the other hand, I drink water saying "Bismillah (In the name of God), O God, You are the Creator of my water"; and "Alhamdulillah (All praises belong to God), O God, You have quenched my thirst and made the water beneficial to me", then inshaAllah (by the will of God) by God's Mercy, God will say "Here is a pure and tasty drink to quench your thirst". (Qur'an, 76:5 (Asad) [whereas,] behold, the truly virtuous shall drink from a cup flavoured with the calyx of sweet-smelling flowers).
As in the illustration of Said Nursi, what we see in this world are like tiny bubbles on the surface of a river. We see each bubble forming and popping out right away. Then we see more bubbles forming and dying. But in each bubble, we see the light of the Sun shining. Every bubble reflects the Sun's light, yet by popping out and dying a moment later, they reveal to us that the light we see in them is a mere reflection and not from the bubbles themselves. Every thing in this world is brought to existence, changed into different forms and finally taken away with death. Their transience like the bubbles, shows that the light we see in them (beauty, grace, healing, mercy, art, etc) is not from them, but is a mere reflection of the "Beautiful Divine Names" or "attributes of perfection" (Asma'ul Husna). (Qur'an, 59:24 (Asad) He is God, the Creator, the Maker who shapes all forms and appearances! His [alone] are the attributes of perfection. All that is in the heavens and on earth extols His limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!) Thus, all that exists are mirrors reflecting the attributes of God (Allah) (also an illustration of Said Nursi), the Creator (Khaaliq), the Shaper of forms (Bari'), the Artist (Saani'), the Wise (Hakeem), the Loving (Wadud), the Healer (Shaafi), the Beautiful (Jameel). When we observe the universe, if we study the universe without considering the meaning it has to offer, we would resemble people who are studying a curtain's intricate design, all the while being blind to what is behind the curtain (again, an illustration of Said Nursi, on the current state of secular science). On the other hand, the science a mu'min (one who affirms revelation) does, is for the purpose of getting to know the Creator of the universe better: (Qur'an, 50:6 (Asad) Do they not look at the sky above them - how We have built it and made it beautiful and free of all faults?)
As an example, let's consider these verses: (Qur'an, 80:24-32 (Asad) Let man, then, consider [the sources of] his food: [how it is] that We pour down water, pouring it down abundantly; and then We cleave the earth [with new growth], cleaving it asunder, and thereupon We cause grain to grow out of it, and vines and edible plants, -and olive trees and date-palms, and gardens dense with foliage, and fruits and herbage, for you and for your animals to enjoy.) Notice how it doesn't say, "the water pours down", but it says "We pour down water"="the water is made to rain by its Creator". It doesn't say "grains grow out of earth", but it says "We cause grain to grow"="the grain is made to grow by our Creator".
I pray that this post is a means for us to increase our imaan (belief with conviction, certainty) by the will of God, the Hadi (the Guide, the One who offers guidance). I tend to think by talking or writing, so I find that writing this message is a beneficial meditation for myself, by the will of God the Wise.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Why do we say salawat to Prophet Muhammad?
Lexicon:
Question:
Qur'an, 3:84 (Asad) Say: "We believe in God, and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and that which has been vouchsafed by their Sustainer unto Moses and Jesus and all the [other] prophets: we make no distinction between any of them. And unto Him do we surrender ourselves."
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is known to be the Seal of Prophets (pbut). The significance of this is that the message brought by him is the culmination, compilation and purification of all previously distorted (on purpose or through translation) revelation.
The message of the Quran teaches us that the Creator of our questions about the existence of the universe and ourselves, is also the Bestower of the answers taught in revelation and the Creator of our mind, conscience and heart with which we can understand and confirm these answers. Thus the Creator of the universe is also the Creator who reveals to us the purpose of our existence. ("wa ma khalaqnakum illa li ya'buduuni =We didn't create you except that you may worship Me" as quoted from the Quran, 51:56.) Our Creator not only does this through revelation (the Quran and all others previously revealed) but also through our observation of the signs of God all over the universe and equally importantly also through Prophets (pbut) who exemplify the revelation. Thus the message of the Quran teaches us the questions we should be asking ourselves--if we're not already asking them--and the necessity of Prophets (pbut) in finding answers to these questions or in following the sirat mustaqim (righteous path).
Therefore salawat to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and/or to Prophet Abraham (pbuh) (the literal and figurative father of tawheed=unity of God) is inherently expressing our respect, love and gratefulness to all Prophets of God who taught the same core message=there is only one God worthy of worship.
InshaAllah ya Hadi (Guide), I pray our Creator guides us to sirat mustaqim (the straight way) as we pray when reciting the chapter Fatiha (the opening chapter recited in every unit of salahs) of Quran. I pray we can understand the Quran correctly, but also practice and live it accordingly inshaAllah (by the will of God).
ṣalawāt=Allāhumma ṣalli 'alā sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa 'alā āli Muhammad (asm), kama ṣallayta 'alā Ibrāhīm, wa 'alā āli Ibrāhīm
O God bestow your blessings upon our mister Muhammad and upon the House of Muhammad, as you send blessings upon Abraham and upon the House of Abraham.
shahādah=ashhadu an lā ilāha illAllāh, Muhammad rasulullāh
O God bestow your blessings upon our mister Muhammad and upon the House of Muhammad, as you send blessings upon Abraham and upon the House of Abraham.
shahādah=ashhadu an lā ilāha illAllāh, Muhammad rasulullāh
=I testify (witness) that there is no deity but TheOneGod, Muhammad is God's messenger.
ṣalāh=formal prayer (5 times a day, Friday and Eid congregational prayers, etc)
pbuh=peace be upon him=asm=ṣalawāt
Question:
Why do we say Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s name in ṣalawāt and shahādah and ṣalāh, although the Qur'an declares all prophets to be equals?
Qur'an, 3:84 (Asad) Say: "We believe in God, and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and that which has been vouchsafed by their Sustainer unto Moses and Jesus and all the [other] prophets: we make no distinction between any of them. And unto Him do we surrender ourselves."
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is known to be the Seal of Prophets (pbut). The significance of this is that the message brought by him is the culmination, compilation and purification of all previously distorted (on purpose or through translation) revelation.
The message of the Quran teaches us that the Creator of our questions about the existence of the universe and ourselves, is also the Bestower of the answers taught in revelation and the Creator of our mind, conscience and heart with which we can understand and confirm these answers. Thus the Creator of the universe is also the Creator who reveals to us the purpose of our existence. ("wa ma khalaqnakum illa li ya'buduuni =We didn't create you except that you may worship Me" as quoted from the Quran, 51:56.) Our Creator not only does this through revelation (the Quran and all others previously revealed) but also through our observation of the signs of God all over the universe and equally importantly also through Prophets (pbut) who exemplify the revelation. Thus the message of the Quran teaches us the questions we should be asking ourselves--if we're not already asking them--and the necessity of Prophets (pbut) in finding answers to these questions or in following the sirat mustaqim (righteous path).
As a result bringing salawat on Prophet Muhammad asm, signifies that:
---> we're grateful to the message taught and exemplified by him (Muhammad pbuh), where we inshaAllah (by the will of God) learn how to worship Our Creator and make our existence worthwhile.
---> we agree and confirm with full mental and emotional satisfaction the truthfulness of Allah's message through him
---> we therefore confirm the necessity and significance of all Prophets for our individual selves and the humanity (past and present) (notice the very first human Adam pbuh is also a prophet)
---> we learn lessons of exemplary worship in God from the narrations of other Prophets in the Quran and through the hadith (Prophetic narrations).
---> we express our gratefulness for all the Prophets who have contributed to our understanding of how to excel in our humanity and worship.
---> Towards the end of each ṣalāh the salawat is repeated, where blessings are sent upon the "House of Abraham." The "House of Abraham" addresses any ḥanīf, jewish, christian, muslim, anyone who sincerely believes in the Oneness of God and does amal ṣāliḥ (good deeds). Considering that the Christian and Muslim communities together make up more than half of the global population, by simply including the phrase "and upon the House of Abraham" we pray every day at least 5 times for God's blessings upon -potentially- half the global population.
On a side note: I say potentially, because the global statistics probably include many people who are simply Christian or Muslim by ethnic and familial affiliation without necessarily believing in and/or following its basic tenants. I haven't mentioned the jewish community in the global population, because their percentage in the world population is too small to add significantly to the number of followers of Abraham. I'm suspecting the stark difference in the numbers of adherents has to do with the difficulty of conversion into Judaism, whereas, da'wah (spreading the message of God) and simplicity of conversion/reversion/introduction is typically encouraged among Christians and Muslims. For instance, starting the path of becoming a muslim (one who is in peace with all creation and the Creator and submits to God and God's prophets), is as simple as taking the shahadah (witnessing/testifying to the unity of God), which in turn is as simple as reciting three times the one sentence of shahadah, with conviction with certainty as though "witnessing":
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله (lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh) There is no deity but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.
---> we're grateful to the message taught and exemplified by him (Muhammad pbuh), where we inshaAllah (by the will of God) learn how to worship Our Creator and make our existence worthwhile.
---> we agree and confirm with full mental and emotional satisfaction the truthfulness of Allah's message through him
---> we therefore confirm the necessity and significance of all Prophets for our individual selves and the humanity (past and present) (notice the very first human Adam pbuh is also a prophet)
---> we learn lessons of exemplary worship in God from the narrations of other Prophets in the Quran and through the hadith (Prophetic narrations).
---> we express our gratefulness for all the Prophets who have contributed to our understanding of how to excel in our humanity and worship.
---> Towards the end of each ṣalāh the salawat is repeated, where blessings are sent upon the "House of Abraham." The "House of Abraham" addresses any ḥanīf, jewish, christian, muslim, anyone who sincerely believes in the Oneness of God and does amal ṣāliḥ (good deeds). Considering that the Christian and Muslim communities together make up more than half of the global population, by simply including the phrase "and upon the House of Abraham" we pray every day at least 5 times for God's blessings upon -potentially- half the global population.
On a side note: I say potentially, because the global statistics probably include many people who are simply Christian or Muslim by ethnic and familial affiliation without necessarily believing in and/or following its basic tenants. I haven't mentioned the jewish community in the global population, because their percentage in the world population is too small to add significantly to the number of followers of Abraham. I'm suspecting the stark difference in the numbers of adherents has to do with the difficulty of conversion into Judaism, whereas, da'wah (spreading the message of God) and simplicity of conversion/reversion/introduction is typically encouraged among Christians and Muslims. For instance, starting the path of becoming a muslim (one who is in peace with all creation and the Creator and submits to God and God's prophets), is as simple as taking the shahadah (witnessing/testifying to the unity of God), which in turn is as simple as reciting three times the one sentence of shahadah, with conviction with certainty as though "witnessing":
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله (lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh) There is no deity but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Therefore salawat to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and/or to Prophet Abraham (pbuh) (the literal and figurative father of tawheed=unity of God) is inherently expressing our respect, love and gratefulness to all Prophets of God who taught the same core message=there is only one God worthy of worship.
On a side note: I find stories of Ashab Kahf (7sleepers), Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Lut (Lot) and Suleiman (Solomon) (pbut) especially pertinent to our times-the end times of humanity where disbelief/shirk (association of other deities with God) and decadence is glorified. Many people think we don't worship statues of deities and therefore this "shirk" narration is irrelevant to our time, but think of how often we place our hopes in doctors, science and medication to cure our illnesses and solve our problems instead of God, the Healer (Shafi), or how many times we place our trust in money to protect us or feed us or provide for us and not God, the Protector (Hafiz), the Razzaq the Provider, the Sustainer, or how we expect "fun" and "happiness" from the "false paradise of the Dajjal(Anti-Christ)" (this expression is from the hadith) (think mindless TV, parties, clubs...) instead of from what our souls truly seek: finding peace within the connection of the soul with its Infinite Creator.
InshaAllah ya Hadi (Guide), I pray our Creator guides us to sirat mustaqim (the straight way) as we pray when reciting the chapter Fatiha (the opening chapter recited in every unit of salahs) of Quran. I pray we can understand the Quran correctly, but also practice and live it accordingly inshaAllah (by the will of God).
Next Question:
If we should only seek help from God, our Creator, does that mean we should sit at home and pray when we're sick and not go to the doctor or take any medication, waiting for, perhaps, death?
Summary of the Answer:
When saying: "think of how often we place our hopes in doctors, science and medication to cure our illnesses and solve our problems, instead of God, the Healer (Shafi)"; the point was NOT to avoid doctors or science or medication etc. Instead it was to realize that it is not the doctor who heals me, but that God the Healer Shaafi sends me healing through the doctor. The medication is ignorant of my body and my sickness, there is no knowledge or power or healing within the medication (the herb or pill) itself, but we observe shifaa (healing) coming after we take the medication: this shows us that the shifaa (the effect) cannot be from the medication (the apparent cause) itself, but if anything, the medication is a vessel for us to observe the creating hand (figuratively, of course) of the Creator of both the medication and of the shifaa from the medication. Thus the Causer of all causes is the Creator of the Universe.
Full Answer: please click on this link:
Monday, July 8, 2013
The INJustice System
 |
| Victim of the INJustice System |
*****
Do you want to serve justice Mr Judge?
Punish the bank the black man stole from.
In fact, the bank system has been stealing trillions out of the global poor, homeless, hungry. Punish the billionaire and trillionaire families, for their useless "0" digits in their bank accounts, are responsible for that man's homelessness, Mr Judge!
Who are you serving Mr Judge?
Are you serving the status quo that allows for the rich to grow richer and for the poor to grow hungrier?
Are you serving justice or are you serving the ultra-rich?
Do you really want to serve justice Mr Judge?
Start serving justice by fighting the system that breeds economic, social and racial injustice. Fight the system that breeds poverty and ignorance. Fight the banks that steal from the poor to make the rich richer through the cursed system of interest.
Old Testament, Ezekiel 18:17 — that hath withdrawn his hand from the poor, that hath not received interest nor increase, hath executed Mine ordinances, hath walked in My statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
Old Testament, Psalm 15:5 — He that putteth not out his money on interest, nor taketh a bribe against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Qur'an, 2:275 (Asad) THOSE who gorge themselves on usury [262] behave but as he might behave whom Satan has confounded with his touch; for they say, "Buying and selling is but a kind of [263] usury" - the while God has made buying and selling lawful and usury unlawful. Hence, whoever becomes aware of his Sustainer's admonition, [264] and thereupon desists [from usury], may keep his past gains, and it will be for God to judge him; but as for those who return to it -they are destined for the fire, therein to abide!
Prophet Jesus son of Blessed Mother Mary peace be upon them, scattered the tables of bankers (usurers) who were lending money with interest in front of God's house.
New Testament, Luke 6:34-35 "And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
What did you do to serve justice, Mr Judge? Or is all you did was to protect the evil banks from the mosquito bite of a hungry man? Is punishing a homeless man justice Mr Judge? Or is providing him with a shelter and food, really what justice should be Mr Judge?
Do you really want to serve justice, Mr Judge?
Start by fighting the media and the politicians, both secret and well-publicized, who jointly ignite total wars and terror, chaos and civil war, who manipulate the poor people (left poor by the system they control) into becoming violent, whether through becoming soldiers or terrorists. (Has anyone noticed what economic and social class most soldiers are recruited from? Have you ever seen the son of a billionaire dying in the army?)
Do you want to serve justice, Mr Judge?
Punish those who use and throw away the lives of poor or ignorant people as well as innocent uninvolved civilians.
If you really want to serve justice Mr Judge, you should be on the side of the oppressed not the oppressor, and I'm sure you need no education or law degree to recognize that, but a mere conscience and a heart that has not been silenced.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Angels
Children and cats are like angels.
When there is violence, fight, hatred, negative emotions, unpleasantness in a room, they run away and disappear.
When there is peace, harmony, love, sweet words, prayers in a room, they flock.
When there is violence, fight, hatred, negative emotions, unpleasantness in a room, they run away and disappear.
When there is peace, harmony, love, sweet words, prayers in a room, they flock.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Insan unutkandir. Humans are forgetful.
(English translation below)
Kur'an, 20:115: وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا
Kur'an, 20:115: وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا
"Andolsun, biz bundan önce Adem'e ahid vermistik, fakat o, unutuverdi. Biz onda bir kararlilik bulmadik."
Kendi O Rahman Rahim olan rabbimiz, kendi ruhundan ufurdu/ufuruyor.....
Kur'an, 15:29 فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي
"Ona bir biçim verdigimde ve ona ruhumdan üfürdügümde..."
Insan unutkandir.
Unutmamak icin sebatla kendi kendine hatirlatmasi, ya da ona hatirlatacak ortamlara girmesi luzumludur.
Sebat edebilmek icin cok istemek gerekir.
Cok istemek icin ikna olmak gerekir.
Ikna olmak imani percinlestirir.
Iman Yaratici'yla rabitayi guclendirir.
Bu rabita ve sevgi Yaratici'ndan uzaklasirken dahi O'na yakinlasmanin duasini insanin kalbine koyar.
Sebatla dua, unutulani hatirlatip O'ndan daha az uzaklasmaya, O'nu daha sik hatirlayip, O'na daha sik yakinlasmaya vesile olur.
Eger bilseydik ki, istedigimiz herseyin hakikati Rabbimizin guzel Asma'sina (Asma'ul Husna, isimler) dayaniyor, o zaman aslinda tek istedigimizin, O oldugunu ve O'ndan oldugunu fark ederdik...
O zaman O'nu istemek, hatirlamak daha kolay olurdu; ya da unutmamak icin caba gostermek daha zevkli olurdu....
Biz uzaklassak da, hakikat ki O bize hep yakindir...
Unutmamak icin sebatla kendi kendine hatirlatmasi, ya da ona hatirlatacak ortamlara girmesi luzumludur.
Sebat edebilmek icin cok istemek gerekir.
Cok istemek icin ikna olmak gerekir.
Ikna olmak imani percinlestirir.
Iman Yaratici'yla rabitayi guclendirir.
Bu rabita ve sevgi Yaratici'ndan uzaklasirken dahi O'na yakinlasmanin duasini insanin kalbine koyar.
Sebatla dua, unutulani hatirlatip O'ndan daha az uzaklasmaya, O'nu daha sik hatirlayip, O'na daha sik yakinlasmaya vesile olur.
Eger bilseydik ki, istedigimiz herseyin hakikati Rabbimizin guzel Asma'sina (Asma'ul Husna, isimler) dayaniyor, o zaman aslinda tek istedigimizin, O oldugunu ve O'ndan oldugunu fark ederdik...
O zaman O'nu istemek, hatirlamak daha kolay olurdu; ya da unutmamak icin caba gostermek daha zevkli olurdu....
Biz uzaklassak da, hakikat ki O bize hep yakindir...
Kur'an, وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ (2:186)
"Kullarim Beni sana soracak olursa, muhakkak ki Ben (onlara) pek yakinim. Bana dua ettigi zaman dua edenin duasina cevap veririm. Öyleyse, onlar da Benim çagrima cevap versinler ve bana iman etsinler. Umulur ki irsad (dogru yolu bulmus) olurlar."
"Kullarim Beni sana soracak olursa, muhakkak ki Ben (onlara) pek yakinim. Bana dua ettigi zaman dua edenin duasina cevap veririm. Öyleyse, onlar da Benim çagrima cevap versinler ve bana iman etsinler. Umulur ki irsad (dogru yolu bulmus) olurlar."
Kendi O Rahman Rahim olan rabbimiz, kendi ruhundan ufurdu/ufuruyor.....
Kur'an, 15:29 فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي
"Ona bir biçim verdigimde ve ona ruhumdan üfürdügümde..."
Biz o gercegi unutsak da, gercek degismez....
Kur'an, 9:59 قَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللّهِ رَاغِبُونَ
"Bize Allah yeter; Allah pek yakinda bize fazlindan verecek, O'nun elçisi de. Biz gerçekten ancak Allah'a ragbet edenleriz"
Tevrat, Tekvin 1:26 "Tanrı, “Kendi suretimizde, kendimize benzer insan yaratalım” dedi."
Kur'an, 9:59 قَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللّهِ رَاغِبُونَ
"Bize Allah yeter; Allah pek yakinda bize fazlindan verecek, O'nun elçisi de. Biz gerçekten ancak Allah'a ragbet edenleriz"
Tevrat, Tekvin 1:26 "Tanrı, “Kendi suretimizde, kendimize benzer insan yaratalım” dedi."
Incil, Yuhanna'nin Birinci Mektubu 4:8 "Tanri sevgidir."
Incil, Elcilerin Isleri 17:27 "Aslinda Tanri hicbirimizden uzak degildir."
Incil, Yakup'un Mektubu 4:8 "Tanri'ya yaklasin, O da size yaklasacaktir."
Kur'an, 18:24 إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا (
"Ancak: "Allah dilerse" (insallah yapacagim de). Unuttugun zaman Rabbini zikret ve de ki: "Umulur ki, Rabbim beni bundan daha yakin bir basariya yöneltip-iletir." "
Kur'an, 18:24 إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا (
"Ancak: "Allah dilerse" (insallah yapacagim de). Unuttugun zaman Rabbini zikret ve de ki: "Umulur ki, Rabbim beni bundan daha yakin bir basariya yöneltip-iletir." "
**************************************
Qur'an, 20:115: وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا
Our Sustainor Lord who is the Most Merciful and Gracious, has breathed/is breathing into us from Its spirit....
Qur'an, 15:29 فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي
"and when I have formed him fully and breathed into him of My spirit...."
Qur'an, 9:59 قَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللّهِ رَاغِبُونَ
"God is enough for us! God will give us [whatever He wills] out of His bounty, and [will cause] His Apostle [to give us, too]: verily, unto God alone do we turn with hope!"
Old Testament, Genesis 1:26 "Man was made in the image of God."
"AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam; [102] but he forgot it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him."
Humans are forgetful.
In order not to forget, she must remind herself with perseverance, or she needs to put herself into contexts that will remind her.
In order to persevere, she must want it greatly.
In order to want it greatly, she must be convinced.
Conviction solidifies faith.
Faith strengthens the connection with the Creator.
This connection and love puts into the heart of the human, the prayer of becoming nearer to It (God) even when she is drifting away.
Prayer with perseverance, becomes the means to remember what was forgotten and to drift away from It less often, to remember It more often and to become nearer to It more often.
Had we known that the truth of all our desires rests in the Beautiful Names (Asma'ul Husna, Attributes of God) of our Sustainor Lord, then we would realize that in fact our only desire is It and from It.
In that situation it would be easier to want and remember It; or it would be more pleasant to strive not to forget...
Even when we drift away, the truth is, It is always close to us...
Qur'an, وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ (2:186)
"AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way."
"AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way."
Our Sustainor Lord who is the Most Merciful and Gracious, has breathed/is breathing into us from Its spirit....
Qur'an, 15:29 فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي
"and when I have formed him fully and breathed into him of My spirit...."
Even when we forget this truth, it remains the truth....
Qur'an, 9:59 قَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللّهِ رَاغِبُونَ
"God is enough for us! God will give us [whatever He wills] out of His bounty, and [will cause] His Apostle [to give us, too]: verily, unto God alone do we turn with hope!"
New Testament, 1 John 4:8 "God is love."
New Testament, Acts 17:27 "In fact, he is not far off from each one of us."
New Testament, James 4:8 "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you."
Qur'an, 18:24 إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا (
"without (adding], "if God so wills." [33] And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!" "
PS: Thank you mummy for your contributions to this reflection :)
Qur'an, 18:24 إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا (
"without (adding], "if God so wills." [33] And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!" "
PS: Thank you mummy for your contributions to this reflection :)
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