I need an answer to my question please..

movado19: Salam Alaikum to you all.

@ deols: so sorry to hear of your mum's condition, and may Allah give her a quick and permanent healing very soon, inshallah. There is a homeopathic doctor in the UK who specializes in the treatment of stroke.....please, send me a mail to movado19@gmail.com and I will inshallah give you his details; if it is of interest to you.

Wa Salam.

No be my mama o. It is about another poster who asked for prayers.

May Allah keep our parents safe. Long life and prosperity.


Now, back to topic please!!!!. Tafsir ibn Kathir makes for a good read. Does anyone have its app??

sanniemoe: I need an answer to my question please..

They are both haram and prohibited.

@ usefaith, seeing that i got your post about your mum mixed up, I extend my email to you, so please feel free to email me and I will give you the doctor's information. Cheer up, all will be well, inshaallah.

movado19@gmail.com

A Leadership Seminar In One Ayah of the Quran Part 1

Ever been disappointed by subordinates? How do you react? How do you build team cohesion in spite of major disappointments?

You see,the Quran offers us practical solutions to real life situations. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)served in many capacities, as a leader, as a father, as a preacher, as a daee, as a messenger, as a husband, as a general.. Etc. In each of these roles, there is a lesson for us. Understanding the seerah of the prophet is key to understanding the words of Allah because the Quran is an inside look at the seerah of our messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Quran and the seerah cannot be separated otherwise we get people doing weird things and justifying it with the Quran without an appreciation of the context of revelation.

The background

The battle of Uhud is over, It is not a happy story. The Muslims were on the verge of victory but failed to achieve it because of a series of events. A number of things went wrong:

i. Before the battle, 300 muslims led by chief hypocrite 'Abdullah bin Ubai abandoned the battle

ii. Two tribes slipped up a little bit but returned back to the fold. Banu Haritha of Al-Aws and Banu Salama of Al-Khazraj...Allah records this in the Quran.

Remember when two groups of you were about to lose heart and God protected them– let the believers put their trust in God– (Surah 3:122)

iii. The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed archers to stay on top of a mountain to prevent the meccans from launching an attack from behind the muslims. 'Abdullah bin Jubair was placed in charge. The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told them:

"If you see us snatched into pieces by birds, do not leave this position of yours till i send for you. And if you see that we have defeated the enemy and trodden on them do not desert your position till i send for you (Sahih al bukhari, the book of jihad, 1/426)

In spite of this instruction and the opposition of assigned leader,'Abdullah ibn Jubair, 40 of the companions left their position when it seemed victory was certain. This was a vital mistake, Khalid bin Waleed led a counter attack from the area vacated by the archers and the muslims were caught unawares...

iv. Some of the muslims fled, even when the Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) was calling them... Allah records this in the Quran:

You fled without looking back while the Messenger was calling out to you from behind, and God rewarded you with sorrow for sorrow. [He has now forgiven you] so that you may not grieve for what you missed or for what happened to you. God is well aware of everything you do. (Surah 3:153)

After all of these, the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has a right to be upset with his followers. It is natural. This was a very disappointing experience from beginning to the end. In this scenario, the followers would expect to get a ear-full from the leader, of how he is disappointed with their actions etc.

So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is about to address the companions but before he addresses them, Allah addresses him. Allah coaches the Messenger on how to talk to them. This is recorded in Surah Imran, Ayah 159.

See part 1 above

A Leadership Seminar In One Ayah of the Quran Part 2

Allah says:

Fabima rahmatin mina Allahi linta lahum walaw kunta faththan ghaleetha alqalbi lainfaddoo min hawlika faoAAfu AAanhum waistaghfir lahum washawirhum fee al-amri fa-itha AAazamta fatawakkal AAala Allahi inna Allaha yuhibbu almutawakkileena

i. Mercy

Fabima rahmatin mina Allahi linta lahum

It is only by the incredible mercy from Allah that you are lenient (gentle or soft) towards them

Here, Allah tells His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), that even though a lot of things went wrong in this battle,His being lenient with the people is Allah's special favour alone. Allah did not just tell the messenger to be lenient or gentle. He attributed that trait to be a special mercy from Himself.

Therefore, his leniency is a manifestation of Allah's mercy. The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not just been merciful to them because he should be but he represents Allah's mercy to them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the ambassador of Allah's mercy to them. He needs to give them mercy because Allah told him to. Allah says this to a leader facing a crisis situation.

What do we learn from this? The first quality of leadership in crisis situations is mercy

ii. What if you were not merciful

walaw kunta faththan ghaleetha alqalbi la[b]infadd[/b]oo min hawlika

Had you been harsh (easily upset, tough to deal with, disrespectful to your surbordinates) or hard hearted, they would have dispersed and left you

Infadda is used in Arabic when glass breaks, When you drop a glass the pieces disperse and you can never put them together again. Allah uses the word to describe how the companions would have dispersed from the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), had he been mean or inconsiderate. Many of the companions have injuries of various degrees, if the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was hard hearted and let them have it not considering their present states of mind and well-being. They could have dispersed from him just like a glass breaks.. They would have never come back together again.

Lesson: A harsh reprimand is least effective when the morale of the team is low.

Therefore, it is the way the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) shows mercy upon his followers in crisis situations that holds them together.

But hold on, the companions have been through a lot with the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), they have already sacrificed their lives (badr), their property and their families for him (hijrah) for him. They must be convinced that he is a messenger.

Allah says that all of that conviction is irrelevant if the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was mean.

They could be the most convinced about him(peace and blessings be upon him), but if his personality as a leader was harsh and hard-hearted.. They will still disperse away from him.

Lesson: In leading a group with people in a cause that you all believe in. You can not afford to to hard hearted (inconsiderate) or harsh with the people you are leading. Even if they are convinced about the cause, they will disperse from you if you are mean and hard hearted.

Now the messenger has a right to be angry but you cannot ignore the human element, people are not robots. Personality and how you deal with people is a big part of life.


iii. So what should you do?

fao[b]AAfu[/b] AAanhum waistaghfir lahum

so lovingly pardon them ask and ask forgiveness for them.

AAfu is to lovingly pardon like it never even happened. It is used when big mistakes happen but you overlook it like it didn't happen.

The messenger is about to meet with companions and He is told to overlook the entire incident like it never happened... After the meeting, he seeks forgiveness for them in private.

Lesson: Be a forgiving boss and be loyal to your subordinates.

A good manager takes the hits for his team at the expense of losing team cohesion. Hence, Allah messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asks Allah for the forgiveness of his companions himself. The companions are in trouble with Allah so the messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) takes responsibility by seeking forgiveness for them. Allah is telling him to ask on their behalf.

iv Make them feel valuable again

Now the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has forgiven them and even prayed for them in private. Some of the companions could still feel like: 'Even though he has forgiven us, things would never be the same again'. From the point of view of the follower, he still feels that the boss is disappointed in him.

Many times, we forgive our employees but we give them less responsibilities because of a previous failure. Our forgiveness is manifested in the fact that we didn't sack them but the disappointment and friction remains in the team.

Allah orders the messenger to be sensitive of their point of view as well:

washawirhum fee al-amri fa-itha AAazamta fatawakkal AAala Allahi inna Allaha yuhibbu almutawakkileena

Consult with them in decision making then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in God: God loves those who put their trust in Him.

If an employee did badly once and the boss forgives him. In the mind of the employee, He feels he has disappointed his boss and the boss is disappointed in him. Now imagine the boss calls him into his office and seeks his opinions on a valuable deal for the company. This action alone eliminates all the feeling he (the employee) might have had. He feels valuable again. Just because the boss consulted the employee in decision making all the feeling are gone and the relationship is fixed.

By seeking the opinions from the companions in decision making, the messenger has removed whatever feelings might still exist in the hearts of the companions that he is disappointed in them and totally fixed the relationship.

What makes this ayah even more remarkable is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not need to consult the companions, Allah says in the Quran in surah hujurat:

and be aware that it is God’s Messenger who is among you: in many matters you would certainly suffer if he were to follow your wishes....... (Surah 49:7)

The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) receives revelation from a far more reliable source , he is in no need of consultation however he is commanded to do this by Allah. You see, part of his leadership is that he needs to ensure that his followers feel included and valuable.

Lesson: Make your followers feel valuable by consultation.

After processing the information and weighing all the opinions, take a decision and put your trust in Allah. Everyone in the team should support the decision (even if it goes against his views) and put their trust in Allah. Only Allah determines success and failure.

Lesson: Put your trust in Allah

SubhanAllah


Assalam Aleikum

It is pretty long but it is worth it

The unparalleled sensitivity of the Quranic language

Now we start looking at some of the things that make the Quran so incredible. There are many, many ways of looking at this and there are hundreds of thousands of examples in the Quran. We will start on a micro-scale then move up gradually insha Allah.

When we speak, we organize our thoughts, we have a mental picture of what we want to talk about. But when we speak, we are incapable of organizing our words based of what we are going to say later. You see, we put words together but we do not give focus to each and every word we say. Our focus when we speak is not the words but the idea, we are trying to pass across.

However, when we write, we are more careful about our words and can edit it as much as can. We can change the structure of our sentences, change the words. et.c

Speaking is more spontaneous while writing is usually well thought out because there is an editorial process.

The speech of humans is not calculated down to the word but the speech of Allah is perfect because the source is perfect. The Quran was revealed as speech recited to its audience.

Example 1

Allah says in the Quran:

قُلۡ ڪَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَہِيدَۢا بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَڪُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرَۢا بَصِيرً۬ا (٩٦

Say: Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves , He knows and observes His servants well.’ (Surah 17:96)

Compare to this:

قُلۡ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَڪُمۡ شَہِيدً۬ا‌ۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ وَڪَفَرُواْ بِٱللَّهِ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرُونَ (٥٢

Say: Allah is enough between me and yourselves as a witness,[/b]He knows what is in the heavens and earth. Those who believe in false deities and deny God will be the losers.’ (Surah 29:52)

These are two different ayat, two different places. Notice the bolded parts...

1. Say: [b]Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves - Here, witness (shahidan) comes first before 'me and yourselves' (baini wa bainakum)

2, Say: Allah is enough between me and youselves as a witness - Here, 'me and yourselves' (baini wa bainakum) comes first and witness (shahidan) comes next.

So the difference is the sequence of words;

You see the Quran is hyper-sensitive, microscopically sensitive to context.. If a word is removed from its place, the perfection will be lost. So the first ayah ends with.

1. He knows and observes His servants well. (rough translation)

So the ayah ends speaking about Allah.

Point: When the ayah ends speaking about Allah, the word for Allah, Shahidan (witness) comes first.

Say: Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves , He knows and observes His servants well.’ (Surah 17:96)

Now lets look at the end of the second ayah:

2. The second ayah ends with: 'Those who believe in false deities and deny God will be the losers'

Point: The ayah ends speaking about people just like it began, me and yourselves (Baini wa bainakum)

So when the ayah starts speaking about Allah, it ends with Allah.

When it starts speaking about people, it ends speaking about people.

So what is about to be said in the future has an influence as to how words are organised before. We do not have that ability when we speak and even when we write, we are not that sensitive. The Quran was revealed as spoken word not written word.

This attribute is consistent throughout the Quran; The sensitivity in the sequence of words is amazing.... This is very often lost in translation


Example 2

This is another example of the sensitivity of the Quran; Allah says in the Quran:

1

قُلۡ تَعَالَوۡاْ أَتۡلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّڪُمۡ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ‌ۖ أَلَّا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا‌ۖ وَبِٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَـٰنً۬ا‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَـٰدَڪُم مِّنۡ إِمۡلَـٰقٍ۬‌ۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُڪُمۡ وَإِيَّاهُمۡ‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡفَوَٲحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُواْ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكُمۡ وَصَّٮٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ (١٥١

Say, ‘Come! I will tell you what your Lord has really forbidden you. Do not ascribe anything as a partner to Him; be good to your parents; do not kill your children because of poverty’– We will provide for you and for them–‘ stay well away from committing obscenities, whether openly or in secret; do not take the life God has made sacred, except by right. This is what He commands you to do: perhaps you will use your reason. (Surah 6:151)


2.
وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَـٰدَكُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ إِمۡلَـٰقٍ۬‌ۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُهُمۡ وَإِيَّاكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ قَتۡلَهُمۡ ڪَانَ خِطۡـًٔ۬ا كَبِيرً۬ا (٣١

Do not kill your children for fear of poverty ––We shall provide for them and for you––killing them is a great sin. (Surah 17:31)

So the bolded statements are

1. Do not kill your children because of poverty’– We will provide for you and for them–‘

2. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty ––We shall provide for them and for you–

In statement 1, we have 'you' first and 'them' second

Statement 2 uses 'them' first and 'you' second.

Why?, you see to us it is all the same... This highlights the hyper-sensitivity of the Quran

The key is to look at what precedes,

Statement 1 says 'because of poverty' , which means poverty already exists, . When poverty already exists, you are worried about feeding yourself not the children in the future. So Allah says we provide for 'you and them'.

Statement 2 says "because of a fear of poverty'. Fear is of something in the future like the children who are coming in the future so Allah says we provide for 'them and you'.

The sequence of words is so perfect and this is consistent over and over again in the Quran. The hypersensitivity in the sequence of words is stunning and we see this over and over again.

So even to the microscopic details, the Quran is sensitive... And this is just the tip of the iceberg....

Ramadan Juz 21 Ramadan Juz 21

Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 22: Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 22:

Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 22 Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 22

ۚ ۚ ْ ْ وَأَﻟْﻮَاﻧِﻜُﻢ وَأَﻟْﻮَاﻧِﻜُﻢ ْ ْ أَﻟْﺴِﻨَﺘِﻜُﻢ أَﻟْﺴِﻨَﺘِﻜُﻢ ُ ُ وَاﺧْﺘِﻼَف وَاﺧْﺘِﻼَف ِ ِ وَاﻷَْرْض وَاﻷَْرْض ِ ِ اﻟﺴﱠﻤَﺎوَات اﻟﺴﱠﻤَﺎوَات ُ ُ ﺧَﻠْﻖ ﺧَﻠْﻖ ِ ِ آﻳَﺎﺗِﻪ آﻳَﺎﺗِﻪ ْ ْ وَﻣِﻦ وَﻣِﻦ ﴾ ﴾ ١٢ ١٢ َ ﴿ َ ﴿ ﻟﱢﻠْﻌَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦ ﻟﱢﻠْﻌَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦ ٍ ٍ ﻵَﻳَﺎت ﻵَﻳَﺎت َ َ ذَٰﻟِﻚ ذَٰﻟِﻚ ﻓِﻲ ﻓِﻲ َّ َّ إِن إِن

Translation: ‘And of His signs is the creation of the Translation: ‘And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge (12)’ for those of knowledge (12)’

Asalaamu Alaikum Quran Weekly. Asalaamu Alaikum Quran Weekly.

We’re on the 21st juz. I’m sharing with you an ayah We’re on the 21st juz. I’m sharing with you an ayah from Surah al-Rūm, the 30th surah. This is the from Surah al-Rūm, the 30th surah. This is the 22nd ayah of that surah. Allah says something very 22nd ayah of that surah. Allah says something very powerful that has many implications for us as powerful that has many implications for us as Muslims living in a diverse society or wherever we Muslims living in a diverse society or wherever we are in the world. Allah says, ‘Of His miraculous are in the world. Allah says, ‘Of His miraculous signs is the creation of the skies and the Earth’. signs is the creation of the skies and the Earth’. When Allah calls something His sign, it means it When Allah calls something His sign, it means it has to be revered and appreciated because it has to be revered and appreciated because it guides back to Him. Anything that guides back to guides back to Him. Anything that guides back to Him should be acknowledged and respected. All Him should be acknowledged and respected.

All the Qur’an is, is ayat of Allah, ‘ the Qur’an is, is ayat of Allah, ‘ آﻳَﺎﺗِﻪِ آﻳَﺎﺗِﻪِ ْ ْ ﻣِﻦ ﻣِﻦ ’ (Min ’ (Min ‘Āyātihi)– what I am reading to you are His ayat ‘Āyātihi)– what I am reading to you are His ayat also. So his ayat deserve respect because they lead also. So his ayat deserve respect because they lead us back to Him. The ayat of creation, the skies and us back to Him. The ayat of creation, the skies and the Earth, they are revered creations of Allah. We the Earth, they are revered creations of Allah. We honor the creation of Allah because it takes us honor the creation of Allah because it takes us closer to Allah. closer to Allah.

Now, Allah says of those signs, ‘ Now, Allah says of those signs, ‘ أَﻟْﺴِﻨَﺘِﻜُﻢْ أَﻟْﺴِﻨَﺘِﻜُﻢْ ُ ُ وَاﺧْﺘِﻼَف وَاﺧْﺘِﻼَف ’ ’ (Wa Akhtilāfu ‘Alsinatikum) – ‘is the differences of (Wa Akhtilāfu ‘Alsinatikum) – ‘is the differences of your tongues.’ The different languages, different your tongues.’ The different languages, different cultures, the diversity on the Earth is actually a sign cultures, the diversity on the Earth is actually a sign of Allah. It is a proof of Allah, it is a miracle of Allah. of Allah. It is a proof of Allah, it is a miracle of Allah. That Allah That Allah وﺟﻞ وﺟﻞ ﻋﺰ ﻋﺰ created us from one human created us from one human being, from one man and one female ‘ being, from one man and one female ‘ زَوْﺟَﻬَﺎ زَوْﺟَﻬَﺎ ﻣِﻨْﻬَﺎ ﻣِﻨْﻬَﺎ َ َ ﺧَﻠَﻖ ﺧَﻠَﻖ وَﻧِﺴَﺎءً وَﻧِﺴَﺎءً ﻛَﺜِﻴﺮًا ﻛَﺜِﻴﺮًا رِﺟَﺎﻻً رِﺟَﺎﻻً ﻣِﻨْﻬُﻤَﺎ ﻣِﻨْﻬُﻤَﺎ َّ َّ وَﺑَﺚ وَﺑَﺚ ۚ ۚ ’ (Khalaqa Minhā Zawjahā ’ (Khalaqa Minhā Zawjahā Wa Baththa Minhumā Rijālāan Kathīrāan Wa Wa Baththa Minhumā Rijālāan Kathīrāan Wa Nisā’an) – ‘He created you from the single person Nisā’an) – ‘He created you from the single person and then from him, the spouse, and then created so and then from him, the spouse, and then created so many of you.’ Here He says so many of you many of you.’ Here He says so many of you became so many different languages. Adam became so many different languages. Adam ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ اﻟﺴﻼم اﻟﺴﻼم (alayhis salaam) was taught ‘ (alayhis salaam) was taught ‘ اﻷﺳﻤﺎء اﻷﺳﻤﺎء ’ ’ (Al-’Asmā)– the words. That must have been one (Al-’Asmā)– the words. That must have been one language. So all languages in the world are the language. So all languages in the world are the children of the language of Adam children of the language of Adam اﻟﺴﻼم اﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ (alayhis salaam). All these different languages are (alayhis salaam). All these different languages are variations further and further variations of the variations further and further variations of the original language taught to Adam original language taught to Adam اﻟﺴﻼم اﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ (alayhis salaam). People that speak a language (alayhis salaam). People that speak a language different than yours are not to be made fun of, they different than yours are not to be made fun of, they are supposed to be respected. What is coming out are supposed to be respected. What is coming out of their mouth is actually something tied directly to of their mouth is actually something tied directly to revelation. So you might think somebody who is revelation. So you might think somebody who is speaking Cantonese, somebody who is speaking speaking Cantonese, somebody who is speaking Bangla, somebody speaking Punjabi, somebody Bangla, somebody speaking Punjabi, somebody speaking English, somebody speaking French they speaking English, somebody speaking French they sound weird, they sound funny. As a matter of fact, sound weird, they sound funny. As a matter of fact, all of it should be respected because it is from the all of it should be respected because it is from the ayat of Allah. Allah says different languages are His ayat of Allah. Allah says different languages are His ayat. So English is an ayah of Allah. French is an ayat. So English is an ayah of Allah. French is an ayah of Allah. Punjabi is an ayah of Allah. ayah of Allah. Punjabi is an ayah of Allah. SubhanAllah, these different tongues, these SubhanAllah, these different tongues, these different languages are ayat of Allah, are signs of different languages are ayat of Allah, are signs of God. God.

And then He adds ‘ And then He adds ‘ وَأَﻟْﻮَاﻧِﻜُﻢْ وَأَﻟْﻮَاﻧِﻜُﻢْ ’ (Wa ‘Alwānikum) – your ’ (Wa ‘Alwānikum) – your colors. Different colored skin is a sign of God. There colors. Different colored skin is a sign of God. There are different ethnicities in the world. From the are different ethnicities in the world. From the Muslim perspective, from the Qur’anic perspective, Muslim perspective, from the Qur’anic perspective, we are supposed to have respect for different races we are supposed to have respect for different races just because Allah called races themselves, just because Allah called races themselves, different colors of skin themselves, a divine sign. A different colors of skin themselves, a divine sign. A sign of Himself; a reminder of Himself. When sign of Himself; a reminder of Himself. When people look at the color of skin and consider people look at the color of skin and consider someone inferior or superior or a hated race or a someone inferior or superior or a hated race or a loved race then that itself is a denial of the ayat of loved race then that itself is a denial of the ayat of Allah. Read all the places in the Qur’an where Allah Allah. Read all the places in the Qur’an where Allah says, ‘those who disbelieve in our ayat, those who says, ‘those who disbelieve in our ayat, those who disregard our ayat, those who don’t care about our disregard our ayat, those who don’t care about our ayat, those who lie against our ayat, those who ayat, those who lie against our ayat, those who don’t consider our ayat’, then this is the ayat too. A don’t consider our ayat’, then this is the ayat too. A person’s skin is an ayah too. When you don’t person’s skin is an ayah too. When you don’t respect a person who has different skin than you respect a person who has different skin than you then you are disregarding an ayah of Allah. What a then you are disregarding an ayah of Allah. What a powerful teaching of the Qur’an. What a powerful powerful teaching of the Qur’an. What a powerful way to combat racism. How can you call yourself a way to combat racism. How can you call yourself a Muslim when you have racist tendencies? How can Muslim when you have racist tendencies? How can you do that? ‘ you do that? ‘ ﻵَﻳَﺎتٍ ﻵَﻳَﺎتٍ َ َ ذَٰﻟِﻚ ذَٰﻟِﻚ ﻓِﻲ ﻓِﻲ َّ َّ إِن إِن ’ (‘Inna Fī Dhālika ’ (‘Inna Fī Dhālika La’āyātin) – in that there are many, many, many La’āyātin) – in that there are many, many, many miracles, many signs, many teachings, many paths miracles, many signs, many teachings, many paths to guidance for people who actually know. ‘ to guidance for people who actually know. ‘ ﻟﱢﻠْﻌَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦَ ﻟﱢﻠْﻌَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦَ ’ ’ (Lil`ālimīna) – so what are we learning? People who (Lil`ālimīna) – so what are we learning? People who are racist and still call themselves Muslims can’t are racist and still call themselves Muslims can’t possibly be knowledgeable because people who possibly be knowledgeable because people who have knowledge, will take the lessons from this. have knowledge, will take the lessons from this. They will learn from this. They will learn from this.

May Allah remove racism and prejudice and the May Allah remove racism and prejudice and the disregard for other cultures away from our hearts disregard for other cultures away from our hearts because a disregard of that is in fact, disregard of because a disregard of that is in fact, disregard of the ayat of Allah. And may Allah make us of those the ayat of Allah. And may Allah make us of those that everyone of His ayat bring us closer to Him that everyone of His ayat bring us closer to Him and a disregard of them never happens in our and a disregard of them never happens in our hearts. That we never, ever, ever overlook hearts. That we never, ever, ever overlook something that Allah made that we can come something that Allah made that we can come closer and closer to Him. closer and closer to Him.

- by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

Figures of Speech

i. Come home from the doors

Allah says in the Quran " come home from the doors"... That seems to be obvious; Where am i going to come home from? the window ... So why even mention that?

The Arabic figure of speech ' He came to it from the front door" .. It means : when i do things i do them the right way, I do not cut corners..... It means i do things right, not by shady means...

When you follow the letter of the law and you do things the right way then it is like going home from the door... This is the place, you are supposed to go into the home from.... If you see someone going into a house from the window, from the back door or from the second floor... Something is already wrong.. This is not right...

Coming home from the front door means: do things properly...

Now a little story:

The arabs before Islam used to make hajj but they used to have some superstitions, one of the superstitions was if you left for hajj and you forgot something at home... It is bad luck to go back home so if you want to go back home, go from the window or the back door... don't go from the door, it is bad luck....

So Allah reveals this ayah in surah Al baqarah (rough translation)

They ask you [Prophet] about crescent moons. Say, ‘They show the times appointed for people, and for the pilgrimage.’ Goodness does not consist of entering houses by the back [door]; the truly good person is the one who is mindful of God. So enter your houses by their [main] doors and be mindful of God so that you may prosper. (Surah 2: 189)

So Allah literally told the companions to come home from the front door but He used this expression because he is not just telling us to do the right thing now, Coming home from the front door means whenever you do something, do it the legitimate way... Do not find a crooked way of doing things.. From now on, leave all those superstition, come to everything from the front door. Everything that has to do with your life, come to it from the front door.

The problem was covered in a comprehensive way, it didn't just solve that problem.. It solves many of the problems that will happen to the muslims..

Muslim no longer have the problem of coming home through the back door when they live for hajj but we STILL have the problem of doing shady things.. All these are dealt with by Allah telling us to " Come home from the door"...

It is interesting that it comes in the context of hajj, Hajj is one time when all our sins can be forgiven... But if you go to hajj, and the food you ate is Haram, the clothes are haram, business is haram... And you are begging Allah , holding the veil of the Kaabah, How can you be answered? A person who does this will not be answered because he does not approach his life from the front door.....

So we have to make hajj but we also have to straighten out our lives... Do not go to Hajj with your liquor store money or money made from corrupt acts or riba.... Go to hajj with some halal money..... If you eat zabiha chicken from lotto money, it is equivalent to eating pork... Haram money used to eat halal chicken is haram...

So guys lets all do things the right way: Come home from the doors....


ii. To throw stones in the dark

In the story of the people of the cave,

Allah says (Surah 18:22):
Sayaqooloona thalathatun rabiAAuhum kalbuhum wayaqooloona khamsatun sadisuhum kalbuhum rajman bialghaybi

[Some] say, ‘They were three, and their dog made four,’ others say, ‘They were five, and the dog made six’ throwing stones in the dark

rajman bialghaybi literally means throwing stones in the dark,

This expression is used for making wild guesses, When people make wild guesses, it is called 'rajman bialghaybi'... Literally it means throwing stones in the dark..

Now imagine , it is dark, you have some rocks and you just start throwing... Throwing at every direction , hoping to hit a target... Is it possible to hit the target? Yes, it is possible. Even if you hit the target, will you know? NO

What else is wrong in this scenario? You will hit something, you don't wanna hit.. You will hurt people... It is dangerous activity.. It is reckless behaviour..

In the story of the people of the cave, there were differences of opinions amongst the jews, some say they were absolutely three, other said they were absolutely five Etc.... All of them firm in their guesses.... Allah says this is as serious as throwing stones in the dark....

The question is what is the big deal? Why does Allah equate it to throwing stones in the dark, that can be dangerous?

In matters of religion, the moment, you start making stuff up, it can have serious consequences for guidance, even the smallest details...

Imagine,If they were originally seven (I am not saying they were) and someone made them three, another person makes them five... If a new prophet comes and confirms the truth of the story. They will disagree with him based on what they had concocted and therefore reject the prophet.... It is a small detail but it can be the difference between accepting and rejecting guidance..

It becomes a serious matter so don't make guesses in terms of religion facts. if there are things that are ambiguous say : i don't know...

This is why in Islam , even when our Scholars have differences of Opinion, At the end, they put "Allah knows best"....

'English is black and white, Arabic is "1080P" HD - Suhaib Webb

Perfection of word choice

The next area we would look at, in tha Quran is the perfection of word choice;

Example 1

So Allah says in the Quran:

وَإِلَىٰ مَدۡيَنَ أَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبً۬ا‌ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُواْ ٱلۡمِڪۡيَالَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ‌ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَٮٰڪُم بِخَيۡرٍ۬ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ۬ مُّحِيطٍ۬ (٨٤

And to Midian, We sent their brother Shuayb. He said, ‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him. Do not give short measure nor short weight. I see you are prospering, but I fear you will have torment on an overwhelming Day. (Surah Hud 11:84)

So midian is the name of a place and a people. The place is called midian and the name of the people is midian... Remember this!

In surah Al-shuara, Allah speaks of different prophets:

كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٠٥) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٠٦
The people of Noah, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Noah said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:105-106)

كَذَّبَتۡ عَادٌ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٢٣) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٢٤)
The people of Ad, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Hud said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:123-124)

كَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُودُ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٤١) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ صَـٰلِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٤٢
The people of Thamud, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Salih said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:141-142)

كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ لُوطٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٦٠) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ لُوطٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٦١
The people of Lot, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Lot said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:160-161)

كَذَّبَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ لۡـَٔيۡكَةِ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٧٦) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٧٧
The comapnions of aeyka, too, called the messengers liars. Shuayb said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:160-161)

Notice something different...
In the Al shura, Allah talks about the prophets, one after the other
i. Their brother Noah said to them
ii. Their brother Salih said to them
iii. Their brother Lot said to them
iv. Shuayb said to them

In each story, Allah uses 'their brother' except for the case of Shuayb.. Why would Allah omit 'their brother'?

We saw earlier in the first ayah quoted, that Allah said:
i. And to Midian, We sent their brother Shuayb

In surah alshura, Allah says:

ii. The companions of aeyka, too, called the messengers liars. Shuayb said to them

So why will Allah use the word 'their brother' in one ayat and omit it in another

You see, Midian is the name of the place and race, so in terms of the race of people, Shauib was a part of the race so he is their brother in that respect.

In surah alshura, Allah calls them the people of midian 'the companions of Aeyka'.... You see, aeyka was the name of a tree, they used to worship. And since Shuayb does not worship what they worshop. In terms of their religion, he is not their brother.

The preicision in the Quran once again, The degree of sensitivity in the Quran is highlighted once again and it is consistent throughout the book, over and over again. You do not find this degree of sensitivity anywhere else.

This is just about to get pretty heavy... One of my favorite examples, coming up..

Example 2

In surah yasin, Allah says of heavenly bodies;

[size=16pt]كُلٌّ۬ فِى فَلَكٍ۬[/size] يَسۡبَحُونَ

...each swim in its own orbit (surah 36:40)

The word used for orbit or rotation is [b]Ya[/b]sbah ([size=15pt]يَسۡبَحُونَ[/size])

Now see how the letters are arranged....



See the letters Orbitting/floating around the letter ‘Ya’....The same letter used for orbit..

Since it talks about orbits, the letters are floating around each other.

Even in the way words are spelt, there is a miracle... We are stunned even by how words are spelt, wrap your head around it.... SubhanAllah... Remember, This was not revealed in written form, This was spoken word recited to people.... How can humans come up with this?

As always,this is just the tip of the Iceberg, More tomorrow.. Insha Allah

Interesting.

Figures of Speech

iv. To double up a chord and twist it

If Allah already decided to misguide people then why is it their fault? ever heard of that one?

Allah talks about this interesting concept when it comes to misguidance. It is a very beautiful construct... The way in which the quran describes things, it solves our philosophical problems, this is one of those places.

The ayah says:

أَمۡ أَبۡرَمُوٓاْ أَمۡرً۬ا فَإِنَّا مُبۡرِمُونَ (٧٩

Am abramoo amran fainna mubrimoona

Have they tied their rope? and if they have , We've tied our rope too (Surah 43:79)

Tying a rope??

What is this ayah talking about?

It presents an image of tying a rope... Let's talk about that..

'abram' is used in arabic when you tie a rope for construction, back in the day, they didn't use cement, they didn't use nail and hammer.... when they put things together... They use a rope to hold them together...

When making a construction, you can not make a loose knot.... you have wrap it around multiple times... reinforced and reinforced because the construction is never supposed to come apart.... This knot should never be undone... When constructing, the knot is extra reinforced so that it is never undone. It is not like tying your shoe laces.

This is used figuratively in the arabic language, when you make a decision and you are not going to go back on your decision.... You have tied it up, that is it.... It is set in stone... No going back...

Does it take a lot of time to tie the rope in construction? It does.... So you have put a lot of time and effort into making sure this is your decision and you are not going back on it.

So Allah asks a question to the disbelievers in Mecca :

Is it the case that you have tied your rope? Is it the case that you have made up their mind that you will never, never accept Islam? And you have solidified this decision that there is no more room for conversation?

If that is the case? Allah says:

fainna mubrimoona

Then we have tied our ropes also.....

Now they tied their rope to become disbelievers,

What does Allah tying His rope mean?

It means: Fine, you will stay that way..... Fine, you will get hell then...

Allah did not guarantee them misguidance until they made their firm decision first.....

This tells you how guidance and misguidance works... People make a decision, Allah just confirms it.... Allah asks first even, you want it this way? Have you tied your rope? and if they have, they are done...

For those who are following Amazing Quran II, we stated the difference between Nouns and Verbs

Verbs are temporary and time dependent

Nouns are permanent

This is a very beautiful thing in the Quran and we should always keep note of it...

When Allah says: They (the disbelievers) have tied their ropes He used a verb,

When He (SWT) tied their rope, He used a noun...

Verbs are temporary,

Nouns are permanent

These guys are so sure they want to be disbelivers, so sure... Judgement day comes around, and disbelievers will wish they were muslim... Allah says in Surah al hijr (rough translation):

The disbelievers may well come to wish they had submitted to God (Surah 15:2)

They are going to wish to untie the rope, but Allah says too late, you already made your decision. Your decision, as strong as you think it is, is a verb ... It is temporary..

But Allah's decision is a noun, it is permanent... Allah is not going back on His decision but the the one who tied his rope in this world will regret his... It is amazing how this transition happens in the Quran..

The Seerah of the Messenger in one Ayah

This is one of my all time favorite ayah. It is incredible. May Allah help me present it in the best of ways.

In surah Rad, Allah says (roughly translated):

He sends water from the sky that fills valleys to overflowing, each according to its measure. The stream carries on its surface a growing layer of froth, like the froth that appears when people melt metals in the fire to make ornaments and tools: in this way God illustrates truth and falsehood––the froth disappears, but what is of benefit to man stays behind on the earth––this is how God gives examples. (Surah 13:17)

So what does this mean?

Stage 1

He sends water from the sky that fills valleys to overflowing, each according to its measure. The stream carries on its surface a growin layer of froth

In the Quran, rain from the sky means revelatio from the sky. Just like rain comes and revives the dead earth, revelation comes and revives the dead heart.

The message of the Quran came like rain from
the sky and filled the valleys of Mecca. The good earth absolves the water, the bad earth rises to the top as froth.

The froth refers to the Mushrikun of Mecca who were easily separated from the muslims when revelation came.

But then Allah describes another froth.

Stage 2

.... like the froth that appears when people melt metals in the fire to make ornaments and tools:


The second froth is more difficult to get out. They have to be put under heat, the heat of war.. Badr, Uhud, Ahzab etc. These froth are the munafiq (hypocrites) of medina. They are far more difficult to separate and the heat of war was needed to expose them.

SubhanAllah.

In metal making, you can either make an ornament or a tool. Everyone would rather make an ornament.

This part of the ayah is explained in surah saf. Allah says:

Have faith in God and His Messenger and struggle for His cause with your possessions and your persons––that is better for you, if only you knew––and He will forgive your sins, admit you into Gardens graced with flowing streams, into pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity. That is the supreme triumph. (Ornament)

And He will give you something else that will really please you: His help and an imminent breakthrough (Tool). [Prophet], give the faithful the good news (Surah 61:11-13)

The ornament is Jannah from fighting in Allah' cause. Allah also promises us his help and victory in our battle on this earth, that is just the tool.

SubhanAllah

Then Allah says:

in this way God illustrates truth and falsehood

So beautiful!!!

But there is more

Stage 3

the froth disappears, but what is of benefit to man stays behind on the earth

The froth on the earth disappears leaving only what is of benefit. Mecca is conquered and idolatary defeated in it. Only the soil that absorbed the rain is left.

But Allah does not talk about the froth from the metal process because the froth was always there, and still is today.

SubhanAllah..

Then Allah ends the ayah appropriately

this is how God gives examples

Now, that is how Allah gives an example.

Incredible.

Figure of Speech

i. Lower your Wings

Another amazing figure of speech

The imagery in this ayah is about birds, when a bird raises its wings, it is flying... When it is lowering its wings, it is landing.

The Arab poet will say to his friend: I like you, you always lower your wings, why are you showing me such an attitude today? Why are you raising your wings today?

When a bird raises its wings, it is showing off what it can do, It can fly, you can't. When it lowering its wings, It is like it is saying ' Look, i can fly but i am going lower myself for you anyway. I am humbling myself before you even though i have the ability to fly. '

First meaning

1. When you are humble even though you have a choice not to be humble, that is lowering your wings. Humility despite power.


Second meaning

The image presented is that of a hen who has eggs she has to protect, when a snake comes, the hen lowers her wings over the eggs to protect them and might even take the snake bite on the wings to do so. The mum protected her eggs by lowering her wings

When a parent protects a child. that is also called lowering the wing.


Allah uses this expression to talk to us about our parents, it talks about our parents, when they have reached an older age.

Your Lord has commanded that you should worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say no word that shows impatience with them, and do not be harsh with them, but speak to them respectfully and lower your wing in humility towards them in kindness and say, ‘Lord, have mercy on them, just as they cared for me when I was little.’

It talks about how we deal with our parents when we are adults, when we have developed our 'wings'. Allah says, Now that you have got your own wings, lower them.

Humble yourself before your parents, even though you think you are smarter, even though you think they don't know anything, Even though you think they are been unreasonable.

They are still your parents.

LYou can't talk back, take the verbal abuse, take it because Allah told you to. Respond with kindness.

Apart from humbling yourself, lowering your wing also means protecting your parents just like they did for you when you were younger, it is your time to take the role of the hen protecting the eggs. Don't let them hear about your problems if they don't need to, be positive with your parents.

Your life in one ayat

Allah describes Human life and adds a very powerful example in just one ayah of the Quran; Subhanallah, It is so powerful...

Allah says:

ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا [size=15pt]لَعِبٌ۬[/size] [size=15pt]وَلَهۡوٌ۬[/size] [size=15pt]وَزِينَةٌ۬[/size] [size=17pt]وَتَفَاخُرُۢ[/size] بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَتَكَاثُرٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَمۡوَٲلِ وَٱلۡأَوۡلَـٰدِ‌ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيۡثٍ أَعۡجَبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ۥ ثُمَّ يَہِيجُ فَتَرَٮٰهُ مُصۡفَرًّ۬ا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَـٰمً۬ا‌ۖ وَفِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ۬ شَدِيدٌ۬ وَمَغۡفِرَةٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَٲنٌ۬‌ۚ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ (٢٠

Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children.

(It is) as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tillers; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw.

But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment (for the disbelievers – evildoers), and (there is) forgiveness from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure (for the believers – good-doers). And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.
[Quran Surah Hadeed 57:20]

Lets look at how this describes the life of humans and reflect on our own life....

i. Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children.

There is sequence here: Play, amusement, pomp, mutual boasting and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. Does this fit our lives?

Play(la`ibun) - a. We start out as babies, the ayah starts with play ,which is the most important thing to a baby... we spend most of our time doing that.. For those who have small children, you know how difficult it is to get them to sit still.

Amusement(lahwun).- b. When we get a little older, we are more interested in entertainment, video games for instance, we keep ourselves occupied with some form of entertainment. (As they grow older, they run around less and find other forms of entertainment)

Pomp ((zeenatun)-c. As teens, we are obsessed about how things look, we want to fit in. We are more interested in the appearance. (this describes the average teenager, )

Mutual boasting- d. when we get older and start to make money, we have the urges to show off a bit..,,

rivalry in respect of wealth and children.- We get married and have kids... (Ever heard older folks talk about their children) For those who are wealthy, the drive is to make more and more money.. These become our priority our wealth and children

Subhanallah, Allah has just detailed the life of an average human,; Then he gives a truly remarkable example, It is so beautiful, SubhanAllah:

(It is) as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tillers; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw.

Explanation- So we chase all of these things with all our efforts, like a farmer(tiller) who works hard to see his vegetation grow (rain helps his seeds produce vegetation)... But notice something, he doesn't harvest it ... Why doesn't he harvest it? As humans, we put in a lot of efforts to make our goals in life, but when we do achieve them, we quickly lose interest and look for newer things, just like the cycle of our life. And what we were so interested in the past becomes straw and worthless later, just like the abandoned vegetation becomes straw..

We are never contented, True contentment will only come from Allah.

The ayah ends: And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.

SubhanAllah, such a powerful ayah...... Allahu Akbar...

Your love-life (married -life) in one ayah

Allah says:

وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦۤ أَنۡ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٲجً۬ا لِّتَسۡكُنُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيۡنَڪُم مَّوَدَّةً۬ وَرَحۡمَةً‌ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٢١

And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put affection and mercy between your (hearts); verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. [Quran ar-Rum 30:21]

Again Allah uses a sequence: Tranquility [taskoonoo] (from sakoon)
Affection (Mawaddah)
Mercy (Rahmah)

The first stage is tranquility

Sakoon- this means tranquility or calmness, The couple are very comfortable with each other. Anyone who has fallen in love can describe this stage, you discuss about anything and every thing.. This leads to the next stage:

Second stage

Mawaddah- This refers to an extreme likeness for someone... a love with passion. This is what they call the honeymoon stage, they couple are crazy about each other at this point. This last from a few months to a few years...

As the couple lives together, this passion becomes less, they get older and the fantasies reduce. They face challenges as they live together and get into arguments that they wouldn't get in the passion stage,they begin to see the imperfections in each other. This leads to the next stage of the union..

Third stage

Rahmah- Mercy, So even though they argue, they forgive each other and have mercy. This keeps the union alive. Even though there is less passion they still care about other and have mercy on themselves..

Then Allah says (rough translation): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.

SubhanAllah:

What has been reflected here also is the sensitivity of the Quran in the sequence of words, SubhanAllah... We have already seen examples of this earlier...

Why respect walidayn (parents) not Abu (father) and Um (mother)

We already know of the sensitivity of the Quran in the use of words; This is just another example: Allah says:

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلۡ[size=15pt]وَٲلِدَيۡنِ[/size] إِحۡسَـٰنًا‌ۚ إِمَّا يَبۡلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلۡڪِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوۡ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ۬ وَلَا تَنۡہَرۡهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوۡلاً۬ ڪَرِيمً۬ا (٢٣

Your Lord has commanded that you should worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say no word that shows impatience with them, and do not be harsh with them, but speak to them respectfully. (Surah 17:23)

The word used for parents is walidayn

It is a combination of two words

Walid- meaning the man who fathered you... your biological father

Walida- The woman who gave birth to you. your biological mother

So when Allah says be kind to your parents in this ayah, He speaks of the man who fathered you and the mother who gave birth to you. Basically, your biological parents.

Abu and Um are also used for father and mother but they have different meanings...

Abu- means the one who fathered you, but also took care of you and brought you up. A providing father /Um is the caring mother

So Allah is essentially telling us to be kind to our parents even if all they did was to give birth to you. So for people, whose fathers abandoned them; Allah instruct you to be kind to them. As long as they gave birth to you, be kind to them.

He says (rough translation); do not even say uff to them ; SubhanAllah...

Gates of Hell and Gates of Paradise

This example illustrates the images painted by the Quran, the beauty of the arabic language and how it is lost in the translation.

Allah describes the inhabitants of Hell in Surah Zumar being led to hell:

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا‌ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَٲبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ خَزَنَتُہَآ أَلَمۡ يَأۡتِكُمۡ رُسُلٌ۬ مِّنكُمۡ يَتۡلُونَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمۡ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمۡ لِقَآءَ يَوۡمِكُمۡ هَـٰذَا‌ۚ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنۡ حَقَّتۡ كَلِمَةُ ٱلۡعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ (٧١

Waseeqa allatheena kafaroo ila jahannama zumaran hatta itha jaooha futihat abwabuha waqala lahum khazanatuha alam ya/tikum rusulun minkum yatloona AAalaykum ayati rabbikum wayunthiroonakum liqaa yawmikum hatha qaloo bala walakin haqqat kalimatu alAAathabi AAala alkafireena


Those who rejected the Truth will be led to Hell in their throngs. When they arrive, its gates will open and its keepers will say to them, ‘Were you not sent your own messengers to recite the revelations of your Lord to you and warn you that you would meet this Day?’ and they will say, ‘Yes indeed we were.’ But the sentence of punishment will have been passed against those who rejected the truth. (Surah 39:71)

It speaks of the people of paradise in the same surah.....

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ رَبَّہُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا‌ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَٲبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ خَزَنَتُہَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ طِبۡتُمۡ فَٱدۡخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِينَ (٧٣

Waseeqa allatheena ittaqaw rabbahum ila aljannati zumaran hatta itha jaooha [size=17pt]wa[/size]futihat abwabuha waqala lahum khazanatuha salamun AAalaykum tibtum faodkhulooha khalideena

Those who were mindful of their Lord will be led in throngs to the Garden. When they arrive, they will find its gates open, and its keepers will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you. You have been good. Come in: you are here to stay,’ (Surah 39:73)

The two ayahs talk about those gates,

1. the people of hell being led to the gates of hell

2. the people of jannah being led to the gates of jannah

But it is all the same, right well not quite

When talking of the gate of people of hell, Allah says:

jaooha futihat abwabuha waqala lahum khazanatuha

When talking of the gate of people of paradise, Allah says:

jaooha wa futihat abwabuha waqala lahum khazanatuha

The 'wow' letter changes the implication for the people of hell and people of Jannah..

The translations do not do justice to this amazing difference between these two which can only be made beautiful in the subtlety of Arabic. The addition of this one letter changes the images drawn for both people.

I copied a detailed explanation from:
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/gems-of-the-quran-the-gates-of-hell-vs-the-gates-of-paradise/

see below

Explanation:

In the first group, the people who rejected belief in Allah and His Prophets, are being driven to hell in large groups. When they reach Hellfire…فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا! Suddenly and with no warning, the massive gates of Hellfire ambush them and open before them. They were being driven somewhere by the angels, prodded like cattle, and brought before this structure, and these massive gates SUDDENLY OPEN. Imagine their sound as Surah Mulk says, that Hellfire will be shrieking and yelling. It will be calling out for fuel. And its fuel is men and stones. “Indeed, Hell is a place of ambush” as is written in Sura Naba. The gates slam open as their FIRST ambush and the people are shown the eternal fate that awaits them.

In the second group however, Allah says: وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا. The people are being driven to the gates of Paradise. They are being taken there and they come upon Paradise….and وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا – They find the gates ALREADY OPEN. They saw it while coming upon it, they saw it as they came upon it, they are able to gaze into the open doors. This SINGLE LETTER و causes the image of these gates to change by showing the state of the gates as the people come upon them. There is no surprise. There is no questioning. There is no wonder if this place is meant for them….it is meant for them. They are welcome. The gates are open already and it is why they have been taken there. Paradise is theirs and they are being called into it from these gates.

A single letter tells us that the gates of hellfire will ambush the people of Hell, but that the gates of paradise will be wide open waiting for its inhabitants to enter. May Allah make us of those people who will be taken to the gates of Paradise.

إِنَّآ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Indeed, we have sent it down as an Arabic Quran in order that you might understand.

And Allah knows best.


SubhanAllah.....