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Inviting others to Islam.Part2

I - One should seek and find ways to win entry into the heart and soul of the person addressed.

There are many humane ways one may resort to, such as giving gifts or easing the person's difficulties. In fact these are ways of kindness that are an essential part of the religion, part of what we are commanded to practice when approaching people. So, first, the person we address should be in a state willing to accept our friendship, cordiality and intimacy. These are important factors if what we say is to be welcomed by that person. Therefore, every effective way legitimate and permissible in Islam should be used to win the person's heart.

II - We should know very well the level of faith, knowledge and culture of the person being addressed.

In this way we may avoid saying or doing something that could so frighten off that person that he may never again come close to us or Islam. For example, if we open and read any Islamic publication or the Qur'an to that person, and if our doing so puts him further off from Islam, then it would be better not to read something, even the Qur'an, to him. Any material we refer to might indeed be full of inspirations which should conquer the hearts and souls of people. However, to offer such material to one who is not yet ready to welcome it, is indirectly (and unintentionally) to betray the cause of Islam.

God provides colostrum, a milk-like liquid secreted for a few days after childbirth that is high in antibody content. Later it turns to whole milk and even the content of it gradually changes as the baby grows up. This law of nature is certainly true of spiritual education and moral nourishment, too. What God manifests to us in His laws of creation should be investigated, minutely, and we should adjust our acts in accordance with them. Sometimes, as this adjustment was lacking, what was said with the intent of guidance caused such a reaction that, even if you happen to find a suitable moment to tell it again, it is ineffectual. So first of all, we should determine the level of perception, knowledge and understanding of the person, so that, we do not end up offering grass to the lion and meat to the horse.

III - Gaining the trust and respect of the person spoken to is essential.

He must trust and become attached to you in such a way that you and his love for you weigh heavier than that of his other friends; because your friendship, relationship and love for that person is different from the others' and only for the sake of God, it will definitely show its effects on his heart. When he is to make a choice, he should be ready to prefer the strenuous duties the religion lays upon us, to the comfort and pleasures of the other side. Even the hardship, trouble and dangers he might experience in the way you are going should be dearer to him than the pleasures and comfort of his previous life. This can only happen for that person if he knows and trusts and loves you thoroughly.

Here is a striking and a concrete example from the Age of Happiness.

Utba ibn Walid was one of the richest and the most inveterate enemies of Islam in Makka. For this reason he was given a nickname meaning, the most wretched evil-doer of his tribe. He was the head of much mischief. However, there was a fortunate person who was brought up in his house and was not like him at all. This was his son, Hudayfa, who attached himself to the Prophet loyally and rejected the most attractive things, in the worldly sense, presented and proposed to him by his father and family. What he was asked by his family was to abandon the Prophet and the cause he propagated. However, due to the lessons he took from his teacher and guide, Hudayfa's spiritual tension was exact, and his faith and conviction were firm, and he did not give in. What did the Prophet respond to such an offer made by the chieftains in Makka?

"If you put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, before He has made it victorious, or I have perished therein, I would not abandon it." ( Ibn Hisham, Sirat al-Nabawiya, 2/285. ) The words the Prophet had said made such an impression in the hearts and consciences of the people that not only Hudayfa but also all the Companions would give the same answer. As a guide and teacher, the Prophet won the hearts of people in such a way that wherever and whenever his name was mentioned the effect and decrees of parents, brothers, other kith and kin, were of no avail, and only he remained as the focus of values.

From past to the present nothing much has changed in respect of the relation between the spiritual guide and the one guided. Only the time and the people change, the rest remains the same. Therefore, would-be guides and teachers should apply the Prophet's way to win the hearts of people. Otherwise, what is said will remain in the air (be ineffective) and will not meet with a friendly welcome. It is a question of reaching, penetrating and settling in the hearts of people. We must remember that if the Prophet had not made himself so loved by his Companions, they would not have gone to Badr behind him. For this was the first battle-all the conditions were completely against them; moreover, the majority of the enemies were their own sons, brothers, fathers, uncles or other relatives. However, the believers got the signal to go forward from the Prophet and believed that it was better for them to die in his way than to live with the falsehood of their kith and kin.

Sometimes the Prophet inculcated in the believers the consciousness of preferring God and His Messenger. We see in the example of Ka'b ibn Malik who failed to march out with the army to Tabuk. Ka'b himself told the story. The Prophet admonished him:

"Didn't you promise to me in 'Aqaba that you would go wherever I go?" He replied: "O Messenger of God! If I were dealing with a worldly man, I am sure I would escape his displeasure through seemingly reasonable excuses, for God has endowed me with the gift of the tongue. But in your case I am sure that if I appease you with a false statement, God would be displeased with me. And, on the other hand, I am sure that if I displease you by confessing the simple truth, then God would very soon blow away your displeasure. I therefore make bold to speak the very truth. By God, I had no excuse at all. I had never been so well as I was at that time." His speaking the truth and perseverance in seeking forgiveness of God brought his salvation. ( Bukhari, Maghazi, 79; Muslim, Tawba, 53. ) The guide should enter the heart of the person he is dealing with in such a way that he can persuade him to do what he tells him; but that which he tells the other to do should not, must not, be for his carnal self. According to the Qur'an, Pharaoh, Nimrod and Shaddad represent the state of those who require from others for themselves. By contrast, the Prophets made their demands only on behalf of God or their community. This is a very subtle point and those who communicate the divine message and be a spiritual guide should pay the closest attention to it.

IV - We should have a sound grasp of Islam and Islamic tradition.

One should not speak out whatever comes into his mind or speculate. The Prophet said that he left to us two resources, which we must adhere to, and which would allow us to differentiate light from darkness, right from wrong, namely the Qur'an and Sunna. Therefore, when something is presented on behalf of the cause of Islam, it should be done within the principles of these two sources, and one should have mastered the issues being addressed. One should be well-versed, skilled and proficient in Islamic matters. One should never indulge in dialectics merely to silence the other by argumentation. What we say should be what we ourselves in the first place have understood and digested fully, so that the person we are dealing with can easily take it in and be (spiritually) nourished thereby. A spiritual guide should be like a sheep, which takes in, digests and turns food into milk. So we should feed people with the most restorative, wholesome food, but should not be like a bird, which half-eats, then gives its chicks the regurgitated food. If we do it the right way, we can appeal to people's minds and souls, and, considering the true knowledge and wisdom which would lead to God, and bring about the best, desired effects.

Naturally this can only be done by reading and studying, improving one's level of knowledge and culture. That is why those who assume the duty of communicating the divine message should allocate a certain period in a day only to study. The person who is unaware of the knowledge and culture of his day has nothing much to say to the people he is dealing with, or in other words, the person whose level of knowledge and culture is shallow cannot long satisfy the minds of the people he is addressing. Therefore, a guide who is likely to meet people at all levels of knowledge and education should at least have sufficient knowledge and the mastery of the issues he is explaining to satisfy the people he is dealing with. It is my belief that anyone who is backward in his cultural epoch can offer but very little to those who are, or think they are, ahead of him.

I insistently and emphatically repeat that those who regard communicating the message as the purpose of their lives should be equipped with learning and knowledge of God. What an empty person will say is also empty, worse still is when such people try to cover their lack by vehemence, belligerence, angry and futile attitudinizing: in reaction to that, those who are listening will be put off and indeed resent what they otherwise would accept as reasonable.

V - All work should be done with devotion, from the heart and with sincerity.

Seeking the pleasure of God is what should govern the perspective, and everything should be designed and regulated accordingly. The method to be followed and the strategies to be applied should primarily be evaluated and assessed by the pleasure of God. If we have a strong conviction that God will be pleased with them, we will go ahead, otherwise, we should absolutely renounce them, and in this way we may hope never to offer any occasion for people to be misled.

The Prophet defines, limits, struggle in the way of God as that struggle which is undertaken only to exalt the religion of God.That means that if you are striving on the way in order to spread the name of God, then it is for God. But to claim that, while in reality serving one's carnal self, is doomed to failure: for such a struggle is without sincerity and obtains no reward, and where sincerity is damaged, neither the pleasure of God nor any positive influence on the hearts of others are thinkable.

There lived such people before us that whenever they felt that they had spoken or acted flawlessly, they straightaway went into prostration and asked for forgiveness and sincerity from God. For instance, when 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz saw how well he had written a state letter, and himself liked its eloquence, he feared lest pride and conceit should enter his heart, and immediately tore up the letter and wrote a new one. Islam was presented in such an atmosphere of sincerity and consciousness then. To speak of God and to spread His message in such a style that the carnal selfgained no advantage or comfort from it was almost considered a principle. They assumed that since their own carnal self did not like and get a share from such acts, that there was the pleasure of God in them, and later they turned this into a principle. In sum, sincerity and action from the heart must be the whole essence of what is taught or explained; and if we would avoid reproach and having our efforts thrown back in our faces in the Hereafter, we must stick to sincerity firmly.

We see in many hadiths that the Prophet emphasized the significance of sincerity and indicated it as the ultimate objective or horizon.

In narrating about the Prophets, the Qur'an pointed out their sincerity, and presented it as an integral part of prophethood. The Qur'an concisely tells us inthe word "mukhlas" (Maryam 19:51) that the Prophet Moses' acts and work were done only to gain the pleasure of God, and in this way it gives people a lesson in sincerity. The Prophet Abraham, as one whose understanding and consciousness of sincerity was of the highest order, did not fall into doubt and despair even when all events and conditions proved against him, and he even refused the intercession of the angels, taking refuge in only God, Who is All-Aware, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, and said, "God is enough for me."What was more important for him was the pleasure of God, and he did not put this idea into a secondary place even when threatened with execution. For this reason he was called Khalil (friend) of God; and such a friendship obviously requires the deepest devotion and sincerity.

Inviting others to Islam.Part1

Q: How Should Believers Invite Others to Faith? The aim of sending the Prophets is communicating the divine message, which is the most important and vital obligation incumbent on humanity.

That is to say, to enlighten others with knowledge of the true religion and the duties that accompany it. In the light of this our primary duty is to review all existing and past methods and approaches, and to put into practice today those principles which it is possible to apply, and which lead to the best results. Everyone who is considered old enough to be responsible for his actions may and should serve to convey the message of God to everyone, in the recognized ways, with the courtesies proper to the task. Whatever their ages and status are, each and every individual is obliged to tell others what he is supposed to tell, and this constitutes a most vital duty. The purpose of our existence is the same too. For, God says:

I created man and jinn for no other purpose than to worship Me only (Dhariyat 51:56).

Such worship or servanthood to God is like a race, and every person will take part in it. Some will not cope with the hurdles and be detained, and some will always win and attain the furthest places in this race, even to the presence of God.

To know God and devote oneself to Him is the purpose of one's nature and the essence of creation. Devotion, servanthood, to God requires not only listening, understanding, accepting, abiding by and applying certain rules in one's life; it also means seeking the purity in ideas and mind, and striving toward the horizon of thinking of only the Creator, whose effort is a heavy, sublime, and sacred duty.

O you people, worship your Guardian Lord Who created you and those who came before you that you may become righteous, Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto God when you know the truth. (Baqara 2:21)

Worship your God. For He is the Creator. The Creator of you and the people who lived before you. The act of creating and the things created belong to Him alone. It is God Who brought you into existence, and Who created, in one sense, before your birth, the elements and particles which would constitute you, and Who created, in another sense, the people who came before you. It is God Who caused to perish many before you, like Pharaoh, Nimrod, Shaddad, and such. By His laws of creation, He turned the Romans, the Greeks, the Byzantines, the Ottomans and the rest, who strutted and swaggered about the earth, into ruins. So it is God Who created and caused to perish all those. Therefore, beware and worship God alone, the Almighty, the Creator, the Sustainer, and keep always in mind and before your eyes the example, lesson and warning of the past and present, so that you may enter into the circle of piety, consciousness of God.

It is the Sustainer, the Almighty, who made the earth your couch, a resting place. (Taha 20:53)

He created and provided for it in such a way that everything of need is placed within the reach of your hand. It is as if the world were a big mansion and the Owner of this mansion, the Sovereign of all the worlds, was entertaining His weak and unable guest with a great show of honor, treating him with marks of respect and distinction. If the slightest failure occurred in this couch, the guest could do nothing and would have nowhere to flee to. So everything is maintained according to the guest's wants, needs and weaknesses. When this guest lies down on his back and looks at the canopy over his head, he will see it ornamented with stars and systems for his observation. It is God Who made this magnificent canopy over His guest's couch.

He has made the heavens as a canopy well guarded.( Anbiya 21:32)

There is a continual preordained coordination between the heavens and the earth. The heavens give light and heat, and the earth responds with buds and flowers; the earth returns the evaporation to the heavens, and the heavens turn it back as rainfall; the heavens have the thunders, lightning, and the earth gets its share from their fertile effects; the heavens give rain, and the earth preserves and presents it as drinking water, the living things live their lives and die, and the earth is purified and sterilized by the change of time, seasons, and so on and so forth. So we see that this guest-house is created; not left to run itself but, on the contrary, it is cared for, sustained, and provides for the guests fruits and blessings of all kinds. Therefore, turn to your Sustainer, Cherisher, Lord of all the realms, and worship Him.

We are surrounded by such magnificent order, harmony, splendor, and blessings, operated with great wisdom and power. It is apparent that light for our eyes, taste for our tongues and sound for our ears, that is, our physical and spiritual needs, are all regulated and provided, as sustenance for us. All these come from God. He is never confused while granting all these diverse kind of sustenance; and He neither needs others' help nor lets them interfere with His work. Therefore, be fair and reasonable; and do not confuse, do not associate, others in your worship of God. Avoid and save yourself from the different kinds of the ugliness of shirk (attributing partners to God) whether open or hidden, big or small.

All causes are accidental, secondary, none has true substance or primary reality. Had God not assigned to us recourse to causes, we would not have felt any need to refer to cause and would have regarded any attempt of that kind as shirk. However, since this world is the abode of wisdom and everything comes into this place entangled in causes, we just consider them as mediating conditions. But the real focus is the Giver, Creator, Who holds all causes under His disposal, therefore we worship Him alone. While attributing some share to causes, whether in the face of misfortunes, calamities and sufferings, or of joy, pleasure or delight, one should always preserve the balance, and avoid words and acts which give any hint of shirk. And the sensitivity to be observed on this matter is directly proportional to one's closeness to God. When one has tasted the blessing of the immaterial and spiritual pleasures, one should continue to act and worship God in a way worthy of such blessings. One should not let oneself go astray even for an instant by any inclination that might turn one to any other than God. If such an inclination occurs to one, one should come to oneself and affirm the tawhid and proclaim the oneness of God. Such servanthood to God done in this consciousness is the purpose of life, and every understanding of service that leads to such a purpose is an obligation, which is the wisdom in sending the prophets to carry out this obligation. So we, the believers, undertake such a sacred duty, and serving God in this way is a competition in virtue, and the people who take part are the most virtuous people of all.

If all the ways which lead to presidency were opened and the position were offered to someone who attaches importance to serving God as explained above, and if he had to choose between one or the other, the presidency or the service of God, he would certainly prefer the latter. For, he knows that this is the job which belongs to the Prophets and the truthful. In this way, there are Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali and the rest, who were pure, saintly and enlightened men. On the other side are people of whom a great majority are oppressors and tyrants; their actions belong to those who have not been adequately nourished morally and spiritually, and have to do with dirty politicking, hatred, intrigue and plots.

We live such a life that neither our coming into nor going out of it is in our hands. But, it is possible for us to turn our lives from ones in which we exist and do nothing but wait for the inevitable end, to ones in which we live and make gradual progress to the level that God is pleased with us. This could be done first by digesting all the principles of faith into our souls, making them an integral part of our souls, and filling our consciences with knowledge of God; and next, aspiring to the consciousness of ihsan-worshipping as if we were seeing God-by raising our faith toward the level of perfect sincerity by means of constant worship, and thus making the pillars of Islam a faculty inherent in our particular nature; and finally conveying these merits, virtues and qualities, which we acquired for ourselves in the first instance, to the community, making them prevalent in all walks of life and thus enlightening all people and places.

Tests a Believer Faces

Q: What are the Greatest Dangers and Pitfalls That a Believer Faces, and What Precautions Can Be Taken?

Humanity is being tested in this world. Life itself, from the beginning until the end, is full of tests that are different in shape and level of difficulty. 

Let us take a look at these main six pitfalls:

Desire for Rank and Position; Ambition for fame and acclaim and self-advertisement

This feeling that is present in human beings in the following way: 

"Present in most people is the hypocritical desire to be seen by people and hold a position in the public view; this is the ambition for fame and acclaim and self-advertisement; this desire for rank and position is present to a lesser or greater extent in all those who seek this world. To accomplish this ambition, the desire for fame will drive a person to sacrifice even their life." 

If this desire is not satisfied through legitimate ways, it is almost certain that it will cause harm to those who have been captured by it and to the society they live in. Unfortunately, such harm, once it exists, cannot easily be removed.

A Sense of Fear

A person can tie down and enslave their freewill through the sense of fear. In today's world, those people who mislead us scheme to oppress people through this sense of fear. 

"One of the most important and fundamental emotions in human beings is the sense of fear. Scheming oppressors profit greatly from the vein of fear. They restrain those who are weak or undecided through fear. The agents of the worldly and those who spread the propaganda of misguidance take advantage of this vein in the common people and of religious scholars in particular. They frighten them and excite their groundless fears." 

A person who believes in God and the Truth can avoid this pitfall only by increasing awareness and faith and by thinking "If I have great honor, dignity, and pride, let them be sacrificed for my cause. Death is only in the hands of God." The way to fear nothing is to fear only that being that is worthy of fear, God Himself.

Greed

Greed means: "an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves." 

Prophet Muhammad has depicted how a greedy person is, saying: 

"If the son of Adam had two valleys full of gold, he would ask for the third. Only dirt will satisfy the greedy eyes. God will accept the repentance of those who are sincerely penitent." 

To avoid this pitfall is only possible if one is guided by the following verse:

O children of Adam! Whenever you rise to perform the Prayer, (be not naked, or wearing your night or working clothes; instead,) dress clean and beautifully; and, (without making unlawful the things God has made lawful to you,) eat and drink, but do not waste (by over-eating or consuming in unnecessary ways); assuredly, He does not love the wasteful," (7/31)

It is always possible that some ill-intentioned people may try to use believers for their evil purposes by luring them into the pitfall of greed. 

"'The worldly,' in particular, the people of misguidance do not give away their money easily; they sell it at a high price. Sometimes something that may help a little towards a year of this worldly life can be the means of destroying infinite eternal life. And through that vile greed, a person draws Divine wrath on themselves and tries to attract the pleasure of those who mislead"

Nationalism

Nationalism started with Durkheim in Europe and has spread throughout the world from there. Islam opposes any nationalistic view that puts the nationality above religion, that is, a view that makes the nationality of a person more important than their faith. In Islam, it is the unity around faith that abolishes the clan and nationality-oriented concepts. It is clear that most of the companions were from different races, such as, Abu Bakr was an Arab, Bilal was African, Suhayb was from Byzantium, Salman was Persian. Despite the fact that they all were raised in different parts of the world among different nations, they all gathered around the unifying power of Islam and became brothers. The only means of superiority is defined in the verse:

O humankind! Surely We have created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into tribes and families so that you may know one another (with the character and abilities of each to be able to build social relationships among you and help one another, not so that you may feel pride in your color and race and harbor enmity against one another). Surely the noblest and most honorable of you in God's sight is the one who is the most advanced of you in piety, righteousness, and reverence for God. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.(49/13)

Islam only supports the positive aspect of nationalism; lineage, clan, nationality are real phenomena and should be recognized. As stated in the above verse, people are put into nations and tribes so that they may become acquainted with one another. 

"This idea of positive nationalism must serve Islam, it must be its citadel and armor; it must not take the place of it. For there is a hundredfold brotherhood within the brotherhood of Islam which persists in the Intermediate Realm and World of Eternity. So however strong national brotherhood is, it may be like a veil to it. But to establish it in place of Islamic brotherhood is a foolish crime that is like throwing away the treasure of diamonds kept within the citadel and replacing them with the stones of the citadel."

Egotism

This is the weakest side of one's self and must be removed from the character at once; it is not possible for those unfortunate ones who are caught up in the egotistical tornado to see the truth and to head toward the target without falling off the path in if they have been blindfolded by the ego. 

"Beware, do not let them strike you with egotism; do not let them hunt you with it! You should know that this century the people of misguidance have mounted the ego and are galloping through the valleys of misguidance. The people of truth have to give up the ego if they are to serve the truth. Even if a person is justified in making use of the ego, since they will resemble the others and they too will suppose that they are self-seeking, it is an injustice to the service of the truth."

Laziness and the desire for physical comfort

The sincere, dedicated people who call others to truth and raise them to the true level of humanity, should never be entrapped by laziness, and should be ready to sacrifice their physical and spiritual comfort for divine purposes. The prophet Abraham had many flocks of sheep and he was one of the richest people of his time. Under the guidance of Gabriel, the angels disguised themselves as men and praised God with elegantly chosen words at a volume that Abraham could hear. Abraham was mesmerized by their beautiful praises. He did not hesitate to sacrifice his wealth, to make them repeat those lovely words. Gabriel then introduced himself to Abraham and noted that he did not need any of the wealth that Abraham had offered, and added that the Lord had wanted to show his loyalty to the angels and thus had sent them to test him. The voyagers of this pure path, without perishing in this pitfall, should walk only with the aim in their hearts that is "to please God."

The meaning of Mujaddid

Q: What Should Be the Understanding of "Mujaddid" in Our Time? Does it Refer to a Single Individual Only, or does it Rather Signify a Collective Personality (Shakhs Al-Manawi)? There is no Mujaddid (renewer) presently. All of them have passed on having completed their mission.

Today what is left behind as a duty for us is to recognize them and make sound assessments of their interpretations and perspectives. All of them and especially "the sage of the age" never drew attention to themselves when they started service to belief and the Qur'an and they understood this phenomenon as a "collective personality" (shakhs al-manawi) rather than a [particular] individual (shakhs), in the sense that after this, service to belief and Islam would be represented by the "collective [spiritual] personality". As a matter of fact, some people may fall into an error as a result of a false ijtihad, and may incline to show added fondness and favor toward certain individuals. Such favored individuals—if they are any righteous—are expected to direct this favor into preventing these people from splitting apart, and will never exploit it for a personal interest (or attribute this favor to any of their personal qualities). Certainly, it is always possible that such individuals, who ensure the unity of their community and encourage them for good service, may be blessed with things that they have never thought about or never expected. If it is useful for the community, then such a fondness must be maintained. "Otherwise, all (personal) talents and gifts should be shattered like a crystal bowl; and the "collective [spiritual] personality" should always be indicated as the foundation."

Meanwhile, there are some individuals who have become the lifeblood of a community out of a respect arising from the bottom; you can observe the presence of such individuals in every part of the structure top to bottom, although they are "nothing." However, if these individuals are beneficial to the community even at a tiniest level, then it is not worth causing troubles for them. Such individuals become an idol, if they cannot provide guidance for the society, construct the spirit of revival at a desired level, embrace every section of the society and be in harmony with them, and can only get along with those who respect them; such idols should be brought down. It is unacceptable that these individuals are capable of representing the "collective personality" if they cannot work in harmony even with those "pharaohs" within the society.

If such individuals are equipped with some sincerity (ikhlas), when they realize they cannot be in harmony with the entire society, they would go into a self-denial and would bury themselves in an "individual absence" (ghaybubiyyat al-fardiyya), like Ibrahim Adham did, in order to find out their own souls. Otherwise, being at the head of such service may place this person in a risk to lose some of the things they possess.

Turning back to the original question, even though the Renewer (Mujaddid) had been awaited as a single individual, at a time when the world has become more global and we are experiencing a "shrinking" of distances both in time and space (taqarrub al-zaman and taqarrub al-makan), and masses apparently living far apart have become members of the same household, service to humanity (hidma) should be undertaken, not by an individual par excellence (fard al-farid), but rather by the collective [spiritual] body (shakhs al-manawi). Those who will constitute the shakhs al-manawi might be persons drawn from a wide spectrum; from those who participate to the smallest degree to those whose contribution is unimaginably great and who cooperate with everyone in perfect harmony. This service will not involve people with specialties; however, some special people will be the teachers of this communal school; they will be the "individuals par excellence" of the transcendental dervish lodge of this age; they will be the head teachers of the madrasa beyond these times; they will be the commanders of this collective barracks.

I believe that today the (spiritual ranks of) the Qutb and Fard are primarily represented by the collective spiritual bodies. At certain times, the ranks of Qutb and Ghaus are conjoined, whereas the rank of Qutb al-Irshad (Pole of Guidance) might have several representations, for it is related to guidance (irshad). The Autad (pillars) will perhaps be represented within this collective understanding or will assume the role of the lifeblood of a sacred and absolute unity that will be achieved either through uniting with this collective understanding or through spreading among all Islamic communities/groups (jamaats).

There are countless righteous saints of sevens, or forties who are climbing the stairs of Qutb al-Irshad. Even though they appear disconnected, one day they will certainly reach a point of intersection. Our master the Messenger of God says, "Souls are soldiers lined up in ranks; they come together as much as they know each other." People who share the same soul, the same meaning, and the same thought will certainly unite, even though they are far apart, just like rivers flowing into the same sea, reaching the target sometimes by carving into mountains or by finding out different routes when their paths are blocked by visible or hidden obstructions; or like those who have intended for pilgrimage may meet at holy precincts like Arafat, Ka'ba, or Rawda. It does not matter if they had the intention to meet or not, the domains they would like to do services at will unite them, and they will represent this grand truth with a hope-inspiring "collective gathering" (jamm al-ghafir).

Dabbat al Ard.Part3

Can HIV be associated in any way with dabbat al-ard?

Firstly: while it may be correct to say that HIV is one aspect or one part of the whole reality of dabbat al-ard, it is not correct to say that it isdabbat al-ard. For, if HIV is made the only referent of the phrase, the relevance of the verse is thereby restricted and would not survive the problem of HIV. Many diseases have visited humankind in the past, devastated many lives, and later been cured or forgotten. Abu Dawud narrates a hadith from Umm Salama: "God did not create an illness but He provided its cure." In other hadiths, we learn that only death and growing old are incurable.

That means that there must be a cure for AIDS, as it were, waiting to be discovered.

Secondly: while there are indeed many cases of AIDS in some countries, the epidemic is nowhere near of the dimensions reached by (for example) tuberculosis in the past; nor, in the present, does it affect as many people as does cancer. These illnesses might also be referred to as dabbat al-ard. In fact, in view of the numbers of their victims, it might be more appropriate to do so. However, we should qualify any such statement by adding explicitly that tuberculosis or cancer, likewise, could only be aspects of the whole reality of dabbat al-ard. Tuberculosis and the plague were defeated by the medication and treatment granted by God to humankind, and (almost) erased from the book of dabbat al-ard. Some cancers in early stages of growth can now be successfully treated. May the treatment of HIV also be soon found. The plague used to be a nightmare for people in the past. In Amwas, it killed 30,000 people from among the Companions.We rarely hear of such large death-tolls now, except for a very few incidents in remote parts of the world. That plague, because it caused such widespread and fatal epidemics, might well have been calleddabbat al-ard. But it was not. Similarly, at the present time, cancer is a great killer all over the world. But, by God, improved treatments and a cure will be found. Now, in terms of the death-toll arising from it, cancer is a likelier candidate for the description of dabbat al-ard than HIV. But when cures are found for either or both, do not those who insist upon a narrow interpretation of either as dabbat al-ard, risk leading people toward a weakening of their trust in the Qur'an and hadith? The phenomenon of HIV may well be one aspect of the whole reality of dabbat al-ard or carry out one part of the work that dabbat al-ard is to do in the future. Similarly, cancer may be the same sort of thing and undertake a small part of the work of dabbat al-ard. On the other hand, dabbat al-ard itself, which is a great sign and means of declaring to human beings that true faith is wearing away, something that, as we indicated earlier, may follow from the abuse of science and technology, is a unique entity, very different from its constituent aspects. It will be a phenomenon far removed from the familiar and, on account of its sheer oddity, its being alien (gharaba), difficult to grasp.

As we noted above, the emergence of dabbat al-ard will mark the end of all Islamic values. However, as stated in the eighth verse of the chapter Saf in the Qur'an: God will most certainly complete His Light (His favor of Islam). Now, if dabbat al-ard were indeed to appear on the earth, it would be a fatal blow to our hopes, because its appearance signals the end of certain belief (yaqin) and knowledge of God. There will be an end of it and decline from then on. But, as we know that there will be an Islamic revival and awakening, that once again Islam will gain its due position in the balance of the world, and that the Muslims world-wide will seek and find the guidance of their Prophet Muhammad let us have done with talking about dabbat al-ard! We are not expecting it now. It will appear very near the Judgment Day, which is a time of terror for unbelievers. To hold a contrary view is in opposition to belief and a blow to our hopes.

If speculation may be permitted on such a matter, there are many entities, real or potential, which could be candidates for the role of dabbat al-ard. Mechanized imitations of human beings or advanced robots—something that, for the present, mainly preoccupies science fiction writers—to which people have consigned rule over their affairs are a possibility. Now the Qur'an indicates that there are entities yet to come into existence whose nature is known only to God and is not knowable by human beings. That is, these entities will be wholly alien to how human beings think or feel: lacking any notion of compassion, the robots—should they turn hostile—will not heed human excuses, pleas, tears—nothing will move them.

Such a possibility gives considerable cause for alarm, even to the very scholars and scientists managing and developing the technology to produce such machines—so much so, that they envisage the possibility that after these advanced robots have been programmed and launched into space, they may defy their instructions (malfunction) and start to fight and devastate everything. If such machines can really exist, they might well be considered a serious candidate to be dabbat al-ard.

However, these are no more than speculative musings. We too should be cautious and prudent. Self-operated, self-maintained and motivated advanced machines, or concocted viruses, inexplicable epidemics, minuscule, abhorrent creatures yet to appear, unknown factors in diseases resulting from use of so-called weapons of mass destruction—any of these might represent dabbat al-ard, which speaks the death of, first, the human spirit and, then, of the body.

It seems to me that approaching the subject of dabbat al-ard in this way may, firstly, preserve respect for the relevanthadiths and verses of the Qur'an, and secondly, not improperly restrict their meaning.

Dabbat al Ard.Part2

To make claims of the sort just illustrated can be harmful. To do so without knowledge and understanding of the essential truth of the matter in question is surely wrong. Besides, none of the findings of scientific research are ever absolute. Neither the procedures of research, nor the processes of reasoning about the results of research, are free from error. Indeed, the most widely accepted position among scientists themselves is that the best to be hoped for from science is the gradual elimination, one by one, of past and present errors. Extreme positivist or rationalist doctrines are now generally rejected. It seems most improper, therefore, to seek to understand or explain the Qur'an or hadith on the basis of what is, at best, uncertain and hypothetical, and quite possibly false. The great volume of articles and books produced in this vein in recent times will be open to ridicule in the future. To be sure, there is a reward for sincerity and good intention; but what if sincerity and good intention result in weakening faith and practice instead of strengthening them? What if they lead to Muslims being embarrassed and mocked on account of the naiveté of the arguments put forward on behalf of Islam? It is our view that people who have approached the subject of HIV in this way have erred.

It is surely wiser, worthier in intention and result, to tackle such subjects from a broad, traditionally Islamic perspective. Arguments that do so, however "old" remain fresh, light and appealing. The scope and manner of their explanations maintain a link with the general truths of Islam. Precisely for that reason, they are able to embrace the realities specific to particular circumstances and are therefore always relevant and enlightening. By contrast, arguments that bow to the agenda of modern circumstances are (when they are not wrong to start with) soon out of date.

The traditional teaching begins from the belief that God is, and Muhammad is His Messenger. It proceeds to explain how particular events or entities in the universe, from the smallest to the largest, affirm that belief. That is wholly different from the approach that begins with the assertion of the so-called truths of science, and then hopes, on the basis of such weak, insecure foundations, to build understanding and knowledge of the Creator and the teaching of His Messenger.

I do not doubt that the Muslims who try to reconcile current knowledge and current events with the Qur'an and hadith are well-intentioned. In doing this, they mean to affirm the statements of the Qur'an and hadith. As against certain attitudes provoked by over-confidence in the natural sciences, in positivism and rationalism, they aim to demonstrate that Qur'an and hadith do not contradict but concur with the results of experimentally verified scientific inquiry. They hope to communicate something about Islam to those scholars, thinkers and their students, whose world-view is too narrowly circumscribed by the norms and procedures of scientific investigation. For the reasons explained above, their efforts are sure to receive some criticism in the future. However, to say that their approach is totally or only harmful would be an ill-considered and hasty judgment. The wisdom of Qur'an and hadith do not need any external support—their authority, soundness, and rightness appeal directly and naturally to human intuition and conscience. That said, we should not over-criticize sincere efforts to present additional, external evidence that tries to get rid of the dust that prevents our poor minds from grasping the correspondences or compatibilities between the absolute truths of Islam and the insecure "truths" of science; but what we must, and do, reject is that the truth of Qur'an and hadith should be made to depend upon verification and confirmation by scientific data which are, as explained above, incomplete, disconnected from the meaning and purpose of life as a whole, and vulnerable to change as the borders of human ignorance change.

Let me now turn to the matter of HIV in relation to dabbat al-ard.

Dabbat al-ard

The phrase occurs both in the Qur'an and hadith. Dabba connotes any entity that creeps, crawls or moves upon the earth on its legs. God describes in the Qur'an all species of animate (moving) creatures of the earth as dabba:

God has created every being (creature) from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. God creates what He wills. For God has power over all things. (Nur 24:45)

From its use in its context, we see that dabba could refer to any of the creatures known to humankind, from micro-organisms to dinosaurs. Yet, there are some that are not known to us, and still others that God will create in the future, as He wills. The HIV virus which leads to AIDS may be among those micro-organisms which have recently become known.

The term is used again, in other Qur'anic verses, when God affirms that He provides sustenance for each of the creatures of the earth. For example:

There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance depends on God . . . . (Hud 11:6)

How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance. It is God who feeds both them and you . . . (Ankabut 29:60)

But the dabba mentioned in the question occurs in this verse in the chapter Naml:

And when the word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall produce from the earth a dabba (beast) to face them. It will speak to them, because humankind did not believe with assurance in our signs. (Naml 27:82)

The "when" to which the verse alludes is that time when the task for which all creatures were created, namely to display the Names and Attributes of God, is concluded, and the earth is no longer needed to serve as an arena of exhibition. Such an exhibition was held because God wills Himself to be known and affirmed. When God is not known and humanity turns away from His signs and rejects the Truth, when the believers, gradually decreasing in number, are finally no more, and the corrupted world is no longer needed, God will decree both human beings and the world to be destroyed. In order to fulfill this decree, God will produce a dabba, which speaks, from the earth. Whether it speaks by voice or gesture or by some other means, it will tell that there will no longer be sincere believers in the signs of God from then on. That is, the appearance of dabba will signify that the quality of belief and of believers will no longer improve, but rather decay and weaken and eventually become extinct. Moreover, the fact that the verses alluding to Resurrection come just after the verse just quoted indicates that dabbat al-ard is among the most important and last of the signs of the end of the world.

Dabbat al-ard is one, probably the last, of the ten signs of the Last Day. Study of the verse in its context, makes it clear that all Islamic life, movements and values, will come to an end, new believers will not succeed those before them, and those who believe in God will lack conviction and certainty (yaqin). One explanation is that science and philosophy will have progressed so far, such enthralling technological inventions and discoveries will have been made—human beings, keen on "creating" something, will have attempted to manufacture human beings; they will have produced robots and tried to deliver the administration of affairs to them—that the world will be filled with individuals claiming (and believing) that "I created this or that." And people who make such a claim can never attain certainty (yaqin) in their faith and knowledge of God. That is a part of what could be inferred from the full context of the verse.

Dabbat al-ard occurs in the hadiths of the Prophet with the same general meaning as in the Qur'an. The hadithspoint out the things dabba will do, such as: "Dabba will emerge, travel all over the earth and be seen everywhere . . ."

Dabbat al Ard.Part1

Q: Is It Right When People Link HIV to "The Beast of the Earth" (Dabbat al ard), One of the Signs of the Last Day? What is AIDS? AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a viral infection which destroys the body's defenses against disease. Because its effects are dramatic and nearly always fatal, it has been called the plague of modern times. It also spreads very quickly—the number of people infected is reckoned to be doubling every ten months. Moreover, there is, as yet, no reported cure.

AIDS was first diagnosed in 1981. Once initial investigations into it—how the infection is transmitted, how it develops and progresses, and the difficulty of containing, let alone curing, it—became widely known, the popular reaction was panic.

No such infection had been reported before the eighties. How did it originate? Among other conspiracy theories, one was that the virus had "escaped" from improperly controlled experiments in the United States for biological or chemical warfare purposes. There is no proof for this allegation. Nor is there any proof for the other popular theory that the disease originated among a particular species of monkey in Africa, "jumped" into a human being, and was then carried, through sexual contact, to an American visiting Africa who then took it back with him to the United States whence it spread further. The reality is that nobody knows how HIV originated.

There is certain knowledge, however, of how the disease is transmitted. It is transmitted by direct exchange of bodily fluids; in the United States and Canada HIV is most commonly transmitted during sex between homosexual men and by sharing needles while using illicit drugs. Transfusion of infected blood can also cause the disease, and it can be passed on by infected pregnant women to their babies.

It is also known with certainty that some people may be HIV carriers, able to transmit the disease to others without suffering the effects of it themselves. This adds further to the mystery and terror surrounding HIV.

HIV may be epidemic in some parts of the world but, all praise and thanks to God, the least infected peoples are Muslims, whether in Muslim countries or others. The noble values and morality of the Islamic way of life have protected Muslims against such a disaster, even though they have suffered a long and intensive campaign to renounce that way of life. HIV is a visible feature of the impurities that flow under (or along with) so much of the mainstream of the "modern lifestyle"; but, for reasons that need not been gone into here, I think it better to avoid dwelling on theuseless, on what is vain or absurd or immoral. To be frank, even talking around an issue like HIV causes me considerable unease and embarrassment. I therefore touch upon the subject only so far as it can be approached in a way that benefits the understanding and well-being of right-minded people.

Now, as to the second matter. How should Muslims as Muslims make sense of HIV?

How to respond to phenomena like HIV It is, unfortunately, true that some people have put forward the view that HIV is the referent of the Qur'anic phrase dabbat al-ard which means, literally, "beast of the earth," whose appearance will indicate the nearness of the Last Day. We shall look closely at the content of this view, but there is a general point here which also needs to be discussed.

To read dabbat al-ard as referring to HIV is a particular example of a more general failure to be sufficiently careful in relying upon modern referents for terms used in the Qur'an and hadith. A specific example is the hasty interpretation by some people—intending no doubt to affirm the "scientific validity" of hadith—of the Prophet's warning:

Moderation

Q: How Can "Moderation" Be Defined?

Moderation is the balanced way between extremes, the middle way between two excesses: ifrat (too much) and tafrit (too little). It is also to use one's primordial nature, capacity, and skills to do good, to do exactly what is prescribed by the Creator, on His way. Man's faculties of sense and mind, his emotions, fear, anger and bodily desire, and the like, are innate in him and play a major role in his life. If these gifts are well used as they were meant to be used, moderation is achieved. On the other hand, insufficient or excessive use of them bring about deviations.

For example: bodily desire is, in general terms, a desire to obtain whatever is a means to keep people alive and their generation continuing. Eating, drinking, and such similar acts are also parts of bodily desire, which sustain physical existence and health. To abstain altogether from such desire, as some Christian nuns and monks do to achieve perfection of will, is tafrit: it is a form of excess, an excess of omission and abstinence. On the other hand, to accept no boundaries and to consider everything permissible is ifrat, another form of excess, arrogant indulgence. The clear way between the extremes of self denial and self indulgence is self discipline:

The emotion of anger is also a gift to humankind made for particular reasons. 

It too must be applied in correct measure. For instance, to cause great damage to oneself and others in order to avenge a trifle, ruthlessly to shed blood, this is ifrat. On the other hand, to be silent and abstain from anger against gross injustice, against violation of one's honor, or against the dishonoring of the sacred things, is tafrit. Moderation lies in the middle path. It is to raise your voice against injustice, tyranny and oppression, and to be firm and implacable against them, but to be soft hearted and compassionate to the weak and innocent, and to be patient if, for that situation, patience brings about good.

Excessive worry or groundless fear, being afraid of every thing—possible accidents, thunder storms, superstitions or anything in the universe—make life unbearable for the one who suffers them, and this is ifrat. The banks of the Ganges are lined with examples of people who attribute divinity to many things and forces in nature which they fear and to which they plead for help in the form of idols which are as helpless themselves. However, being totally fearless and having no cares or worries about anything, on earth or in the heavens, when one is normally expected to fear and worry, this is tafrit. This is probably a sort of insanity in which doing harm to oneself and endangering the lives of those close by is inevitable. Moderation is to take some precautionary measures to protect one's life and the lives of those close to one, and not to attach too much importance to far fetched worries and ill defined probabilities.

The terms ifrat, tafrit and moderation apply also to reason. 

Without taking the outcomes of observation and perception into account, to depend only on reason is ifrat. This is what the sophists or logicians of ancient times did in their games of wit or what today's materialists do in their dialectics. Denial of reason altogether, rejection of all mental phenomena and categories of mind, relying instead on either a bare, external positivism or an intuitive, subjective consciousness as the only truth—this is tafrit. Examples of this are the positivism of Comte and certain sorts of mysticism in Christianity. Moderation in reasoning and thinking is to compose and then reach new ideas through the evaluation of the input of subjective feeling and objective observation. In this way, one can comprehend what is not within the limits of either intuition alone or observation alone. Straightforwardness in the use of mind can only be achieved through the guidance of Divine Revelation. Otherwise, the mind when it turns away from the Divine Revelation is nothing but self willed craft and obstinacy mixed with pride.

Moderation, as we have said, is one of the essentials in all the faculties and senses that we are endowed with. 

The same is true of the obligations and duties laid upon us, and in respect of sound belief. Disbelief in the existence of God and rejection of His Attributes is atheism. On the other hand, accepting that He has a material being or form, or attributing to Him a location or human qualities, is also unbelief. The middle way between these two extremes is that, when one believes in the existence of God, one acknowledges that He is One, the Creator, and that He is free from fault, want and need, and that His Attributes are perfect and Divine.

All the other matters related to faith can be dealt with in the same way. For instance, believing that humankind has no will and no power is predestination as compulsion. Believing that humankind is the doer and creator of all their acts and handiwork is extreme voluntarism. The middle way is to acknowledge that humankind has free will as an ordinary condition and that God alone creates everything. Moderation is the true practice ('amal), too. If the sensual and carnal life in this world make us forget or ignore spirituality and the Hereafter, this is materialism, which is ifrat. Mystical spiritualism which totally denies sensuous bodily existence is tafrit. The balanced view between these extremes is to deal with everything in accordance with the balance between body and soul, between this world and the Hereafter. This kind of faith is genuine and it is itself moderation.

In the light of this argument, we can argue that some world religions display examples of extremism on both ends. 

The only right response for a murder in a religion can be death penalty, without any chance of forgiveness; whereas another religion would impose no sanction on the murderer or fail to observe justice by only prescribing to forgiveness only, and nothing else. Islam achieves moderation by taking the middle path, establishing the principle of "measure for measure" but with the door always open to forgiveness. When we look at any aspect of life, whether it be theoretical or practical, we shall clearly see that Islam commands, and is, the way of moderation in every case.

Unity of Being(Wahdat al-Wujud).Part3

Without needing further comment and interpretation, it is obvious that everything there said or aspired to rests on duality and multiplicity. Although other people look for evidence for wahdat al-wujud in the words of the mutasawwifa, the mutasawwifa themselves are always seen to affirm the realm of multiplicity by their actions, such as to annihilate their nafs (selfhood, carnal self). Except for the separateness from God, what is the meaning of all the hardships and disciplines of those who hold to the teaching of wahdat al-wujud, of their striving for perfection, their seeking to be rid of their deficiencies? Moreover, the profound sincerity in the servanthood to God of those great people absolutely contradicts the extremist, philosophical understanding of wahdat al-wujud.

As long as any believer in wahdat al-wujud accepts his own answerability to God, his servanthood to God, it means that he is acknowledging the difference of 'amir (the superior) andma'mur (the subordinate). After acknowledging subordination, to insist literally on unity of wujud is sheer self-contradiction. And, bar a few unbelievers who reject servanthood, no believer has ever dared to reject servanthood to God. Therefore, whereas the understanding of wahdat al-wujud of the sufiyya—which in reality concerns wahdat al-shuhud (the unity or oneness of witnessing)—is a result of the affective state in Sufism, istighraq (absorption in ecstatic contemplation, beatitude), and of a lack of words and phrases to express what they feel, the understanding of wahdat al-wujud of some of the mutasawwifa derives from the frailty and insufficiency of rendering in philosophical concepts and arguments what the Sufi experiences as inward consciousness and witnessing: moreover, these philosophical concepts and arguments have their origin less in Islam than in a school of thought developed out of a Western-Christian/Greek philosophy.

The allegation should not be accepted that, under the influence of Neo-Platonist, some great Muslims sought to introduce a doctrine of "pantheism" into Islam. The most that could be said is that those Muslims may have considered it not dangerous temporarily to borrow some terms from the Neo-Platonist since they could not find the words they needed to express what they experienced in their mushahadat (visions) and perceptions. Otherwise, there is a world of difference between those two groups of people in terms of their understanding of the Divine Essence.

A group of people who had found the balance of the world and the Hereafter as that balance is conveyed by the Qur'an can never be considered to agree on an understanding of wahdat al-wujud such as is attributed to the mutasawwifa:

A belief in One God who is everything everywhere means accepting the most unsuitable and irrelevant things to be "God," the absurdity of which any sense must reject. The Qur'an adduces evidence from the universe and creation for the Oneness and Existence of God, which indicates that the reality of the created world is thabit (securely established). In the Qur'an, many verses reiterate that the universe is going to be destroyed, after which a new world will be established. The destruction and extinction of something is meaningless unless it first exists. To talk about the destruction of something whose reality is not thabit is absurd and futile. And the Qur'an is altogether free from of absurdity or futility. All the Prophets, peace be upon them, teach that all beings, great or small, were created second, and insistently reiterate the doctrine that the relation between God and all other existents is only a relation between the Creator and what He created. In the understanding of wahdat al-wujudattributed to the mutasawwifa, the Prophets and the truths given to them by revelation have to be declared false and denied, which is an abomination to heart and mind. Every piece of evidence adduced to support a simple, literal understanding of wahdat al-wujud, in fact gives support to the argument for multiplicity of being. A great number of verses in the Qur'an affirm that the obedient will be rewarded and the rebellious will be punished. From a literal understanding of unity of being, any judgment of this kind is an impossibility, since it would be impossible to answer such questions as, "Who is obedient?" "What is a blessing (ni'ma) and where is it?" "Who is guilty?" "What is punishment?" and so on. If all things are accepted to be of God and events to be some sort of manifestation of Him, it would be injustice to criticize idols and the idolatrous. For, as all events are manifestations of Him, idols and the idolatrous cannot be reckoned other than Him. On the other hand, it is obvious that the Qur'an and Sunna, which establish tawhid, are the greatest enemy of unbelief and idolatry. If wahdat al-wujud is accepted as the mutasawwifa accept it, it necessitates the idea that matter is qadim (eternal), which is, by the consensus of the community (bi-l-ijma') tantamount to kufr (unbelief) and those who are truly "people of God" are absolutely far from and free of committing such a kufr. There are clear differences between the mutassawwifa understanding of wahdat al-wujud and a literal-philosophical understanding of the concept which declines into pantheism. There is, to be sure, an outward similarity between the two. The philosophical understanding holds that God and the universe have the same being, a position divides into two:

God is a Real Being and the universe is nothing but an assemblage or arrangement or composition of some manifestations (tazahurat) or emanations (sudurat). This is a view held by Spinoza and his followers. Only the universe is real. God is the majmu' (sum/whole) of all existents (mawjuds). This is the view of a naturalist pantheism sometimes associated with Hegel and his followers. In short, the difference is this: As a result of having experienced fana' (extinction) the mutasawwifa deny the reality of the universe, the philosophical group ignore the Creator of the universe and try to put Him aside. While the mutasawwifa understanding of wahdat al-wujud implies wahdat al-shuhud(oneness of witnessing), the others' understanding of it inclines to wahdat al-mawjud (monism). The first group, unable to express their affective state (hal), visions (mushahada) and istighraq (absorption), resort to mutashabihat (metaphors, allegories) due to lack of words to express what they experience. The other group theorize the concept, and try to make a formal philosophy, a science, out of it. While the first start with God and then evaluate existents and events from this respect, the latter start to deal with the experiencing subject, thus making God dependent on the existents. While there is direct experience (dhawq) of God with the first, there is only theory and speculation with the latter. While the first deny and lose their selves in humility before God, the latter make the philosophy of their being like wajib al-wujud.

Unity of Being(Wahdat al-Wujud).Part2

In fact, whether the Being of God or His Attributes are the same as or other than God in Himself is a matter which has long been discussed. Some people, including very great scholars of Islam, considerwujud al-Bari' (oneness or unity of the Author) as the same as the Divine Being in Himself. To conclude from this that these people affirm the teaching of wahdat al-wujud and even of wahdat al-mawjud (monism) may lead one to claim that they are in error (dalala)—but that is a charge of such moment that we should not wish to bear the responsibility of it.

Jalal al-Din Dawwani, in his Risalat al-Dawwani, remarked that the being of the Real (al-Haqq) is the same as His Essence (Dhat) and that there is no real being or existent other than Dhat al-Haqq; and that since wujud is wujud (since "being" is precisely that which "is"), it cannot but be the being of the Real, wujud al-Haqq. That entails that the being of all existents is not real but itibari (derivative, relative). Dawwani goes a step further and observes that it is impossible to consider the creation as comprising existents that are independently, fully existent (mustaqil) both in their being (wujud) and in their outward manifestness: "Regarding wujud, it is impossible to attribute [independent] existence to 'alam (the universe); it is impossible for anything to exist in itself. Regarding outward manifestness, it is impossible to attribute an independent existence to mumkinat, because a thing can only be manifest relatively to the Real Being, to the Wujud who is al-Haqq (the Real). No actual existent (mustaqil haqiqa) has its real being except in relation to Real Being, its being depends upon His Being—on that dependence it can be said to exist. Therefore, we should not consider entities that we know to be conjectural (wahm) and imaginary (khayal) as actually existent (mawjud)."

Ibn al-'Arabi goes still further and insists that what is visible in the universe is a manifestation and reflection, it is never a mawjud (existent), not even derivatively. God constantly and continually manifests Himself and the universe is constantly and continually renewed. These manifestations succeed one other and the universe constantly and continually goes back and forth between existence and non-existence because of these consecutive manifestations. These manifestations succeed one another so rapidly that no interval or gap is perceived in the continuous hierarchy of beings.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi shares the same views and expresses them in a colorful way:

"O Soul of our souls! Who are we that dare to attribute existence to themselves? (in comparison to You, what or who are we that dare to make such a claim.) We are a large number of nothing. Our existences are nothing, either. As to You, You are the Wujud al-Mutlaq, who exhibits all the fani' (the transient, perishable entities) on a mirror in which everything is going to appear. Each of us is a lion, but one that is not real—one such as might be embroidered on a flag is moved by the blowing wind. Its movements are seen in the movements of the flag but the wind that moves them is not seen—may that Unseen never withhold His blessings from us! Our existence is bestowed by You and we are Your creation only. You made non-existence taste the flavor of existence, and made it in eternity Your enraptured (lover)." Such a view which holds everything to be the manifestation of al-Haqq cannot attribute being to anything. While Rumi considers that the universe does have being, that it exists, it does so figuratively (majazi) and because of its being a manifestation of al-Haqq.

Yet there is a multiplicity and variety in the visible world. Some Sufis, as we have just noted, consider this multiplicity and variety as manifestation of al-Haqq and explain it as dependent upon the skills (istidat) of the mirrors; and they hold that such a view is not contrary or harmful to the unity of Divine Being.

Junayd al-Baghdadi conveys the same view in his well-known remark:

"The water takes on the color of the cup." True or Real Being is One. Just as the Light is One, for all that it illumines—all creatures are reflections and ripple-waves of this Light. Just as rain droplets, which appear in different forms, as water, ice and vapor, are different states of one substance. Similarly, things and events, which flow by and are differently manifest, are the manifestations of the same Reality.

Unlike the early Sufis whose views lead to a sound belief in tawhid, those of the mutasawwifa group who treat wahdat al-wujud in a philosophical way have not been able to stay clear of expressions and utterances which incline to hulul and ittihad. In fact, when they expand on the subject scientifically and philosophically, they cannot be thought free from such a consequence. Indeed, they even seek evidence for their position in verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The verses are:

It is not you who slew; it was God. When you threw (a handful of dust), it was not your act, but God's . . . (Anfal 8:17)

Verily those who plight their fealty to you do no less than plight their fealty to God . . . (Fath 68:10)

It was We who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. (Qaf 50:17)

The hadiths are:

God the All-Mighty says, "O man! I was ill, but you didn't visit me." Man says, "My Lord! You are the Lord of all the realms, how can I visit You?" God says, "Do you not know that so-and-so of my servants got ill, but you did not visit him. If you had visited him, you would have found Me with him." ( Muslim, Birr, 43 ) God the All-Mighty says: ". . . My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties that I have imposed upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, his foot with which he walks. . ." ( Bukhari, Riqaq, 38 ) It would be possible to narrate many more such hadiths and other Qur'anic verses. However, believing that to do so would not add to the argument, we keep the discussion short. Also, the remarks on this subject of the great men of Sufism, of which we have mentioned only a few so far, are too many to ignore. However, as dealing with them fully in the scope of this question-answer would be impossible and, perhaps, unnecessary, we have limited our attention to only a few.

First of all, characterizing the first two verses quoted above among the muhkamat (the clear truths) of the Qur'an and thus closing the door to any contradiction of the Muslim creed, is the surest way of right interpretation to which many great mufassirs (interpreters of the Qur'an) have adhered.

It does not make much matter whether the action mentioned in the verse is ascribed to God or to His Prophet; either it is a miracle or an action that is attributed by God to His most glorious servant to assure his glory; or it expresses his might and power, confirming his truth.

In fact, in the above verses, what is used to justify an extreme interpretation of wahdat al-wujud, rather emphasizes and confirms the (separate) reality of what exists in the world. For, the difference of unbeliever and believer, of slayer and slain, and muhatab (third person), are mentioned: it is possible to deduce unity of being only by means of elaborate and far-fetched interpretations. Especially to deduce from ". . .We are nearer to Him than his jugular vein,"a meaning in favor of wahdat al-wujud is impossible.

In the hadiths, what is obvious is separateness and multiplicity, not unity, of being. To acknowledge that a servant ('abd) is a distant, secondary creature until he acquires nearness (qurbiya) to God, and then to talk about unity of the two is a rather crude form of belief in hulul and ittihad (in-dwelling and union) which even the mutasawwifa do not accept. Moreover, even in the words of the "people of God," uttered to affirm Oneness of Being, a duality is evident:

Unity of Being(Wahdat al-Wujud).Part1

Q: What is "Unity of Being" (Wahdat al-Wujud)? Does it Conform in Any Way to the Teachings of Islam? Wahdat al-wujud (literally, oneness or unity of being) is a teaching mostly spoken of in connection with mystics and Sufis. Although the phrase refers to a subjective state or direct, inward experience attained by Sufis, it has also been understood and discussed as a philosophical concept and, as such, interpreted in different ways. Some have even considered it practically indistinguishable from wahdat al-mawjud (the oneness or unity of existents), a philosophy known in the West by the name monism.

As with much else, wahdat al-wujud has reached us with excesses and extremes in the use and understanding of it. In some cases because of lack of suitable words to express the experience to which it alludes; in others because of inadequacies in the manner in which the phrase has been applied to the ordinary, visible reality of this world; in yet others because it inclines to a line of thought very like another philosophical doctrine, namely pantheism—the phrase wahdat al-wujud which, strictly speaking, can only be referred to God Himself, has been conceived and interpreted in diverse ways and led to a variety of unsound speculations and controversies.

Those who uphold the teaching of wahdat al-wujud distinguish three modes of tawhid (oneness):

Tawhid al-af'al (oneness or unity of the Agent): Meaning that, of every act, the sole and only, the absolute, Agent is God. It follows from this view that there is no need to look for any cause for whatever exists or happens in the universe; everything everywhere is directly the work of God. (Since we dealt with the issue of kasb (the performance or doing of acts) and khalq(the createdness of acts), matters pertaining to kalam (theology), in the questions related to destiny, we shall not repeat that discussion here.) Those who argue for tawhid al-af'al cite the following verses to support their view: But God has created you and what you do. (Saffat 37:96) . . . All is from God . . . (Nisa 4:78)

Tawhid al-sifat (oneness or unity of the Subject): Meaning that of all predicates the sole and only Subject is God. According to this view, all volition, all forces and powers, all knowledge and faculties, belong to God only; they are an intelligible expression, or a work, or a realized state of Him. Tawhid al-dhat (also, tawhid al-wujud) (oneness or unity of Essence or of Being): Meaning that in essence all existence is One; and everything visible or knowable around us, other than Him, is a manifestation and disclosure of Him in certain states. There is much to say and dispute about here, from the modes of tawhid to the subtle nuances between manifestation and disclosure. However, since the question asked here concerns only the third mode of tawhid, we will only dwell upon the tawhid al-dhat (oneness or unity of Essence or Being).

Given that such a view of tawhid, as noted above, is the result of an inward state or direct, inward experience (dhawq), many scholars do not consider the subject amenable to rational discussion.

In fact, when existents and events are not referred ultimately to God and His Names, it is impossible to explain them fully. That is acknowledged by all people of sound learning who reflect seriously and pursue their reflections fully. There is considerable similarity between the understanding of tawhid of those who use rational methods of inquiry, and those who follow the disciplines of Sufism. Sa'd al-Din Taftazani, in his Sharh al-Maqasid (Explanation of Purposes), distinguishes two groups among those who argue wahdat al-wujud, of whom one he assesses to be within the bounds of the ahl al-Sunna, i.e. orthodox: there is no dispute about or with this group.

According to Taftazani, the two groups are the sufiyya and mutasawwifa. The former hold to the plurality in wujud as is in mawjud, in essential being as in existence. However, when the Sufi reaches God, he is immersed in the ocean of 'irfan (perception, direct knowing); he experiences fana', the perishing or loss of the self in God and of his attributes in God's attributes. As a result of this mystical experience, he believes that nothing exists other than God; he regards himself as the focus (mikhraq) of all manifestation (tajalli) of the Divine Attributes: this is the state the Sufis call fana' fi l-tawhid or perishing into the Oneness. Unable at this point to understand the reality of the situation, the Sufis may exclaim in ecstatic utterances a condition of in-dwelling (hulul) in God or of "union" (ittihad) with God.

According to some Sufis, such an understanding of tawhid is the result of that stage or degree of union with God (maqam al-jam). But this is firstly a matter of 'irfan, and then a matter of experience or tasting (dhawq). In this degree, attributing real existence to things could not but be contradictory to the Sufis' visions (mushahadat). That is why, to acknowledgeasbab (causes) in that state would be, in a sense, to acknowledge an associate with God (i.e. to do shirk). On the other hand, to deny the asbab without really attaining such a degree of consciousness, without really experiencing it fully, is hypocrisy and a merely theoretical assertion. Therefore, one who denies union (jam') is considered 'irfan-less (unknowing, unperceiving) and one who denies the difference between God and humankind (farq) which the Sufi overcomes in the experience of jam' is considered far away from the secrets of servanthood to God. The mature person is one who comfortably accepts both farq and jam', each in its necessary place.

The second group comprise those who argue an absolute wahdat al-wujud. For them Being is One, which is nothing other than God. The multiplicity of the visible is only imaginary or illusory.

While wahdat al-wujud is for the sufiyya a matter of affective state (hal) or direct experience (dhawq), the mutasawwifa seem to hold to it as an established conviction and philosophy. In fact, not a few theologians have shared that conviction. Some of them, such as Jalal al-Din Dawwani, have defended it vigorously. However, the general consensus of ahl al-Sunna scholars is that the (separate) reality of things in the world is thabit (securely established).

Avoiding Sins .Part3

V - While coming, going or staying somewhere else one should, to the extent practicable, carry with him the works and materials related to our world of faith and religion. These will serve to protect him, like guarding angels. These materials, which act as a shield against sins, will be the means for inward contemplation, for watchful supervision. A person who is accompanied or surrounded by such materials can commit sins only with difficulty.

VI - As soon as one has done something wrong, one should repent and turn to the Divine forgiveness. Sin is going out of the atmosphere of God's favor, Grace, and denial of His security. In each sin, there is always a way leading to new sins. One who has committed a sin already becomes an easier target for Satan, more likely to be targeted again and commit that sin again. As one's sins increase, God's security and protection against them decrease.

The place where a sin is least able to dwell is the believer's heart. The wrongs should be transient there, like passing clouds on a sunny day, and should fade quickly. Sin is foulness, a stain, rust. As it is expressed in a hadith, when foulness and rust pile up because not cleaned off immediately, they come in between the heart and God, cut off the manifestations coming from Him, hinder the winds of His Mercy and deprive one of His Grace. Could there be an easier target for Satan to hit than such a heart?

No matter what the nature of the sin, one should never permit such a negative effect to build up in the heart and soul. Therefore, turn to God, express remorse, repent, ask for His forgiveness, take refuge in His infinite Grace and Mercy. One of the Companions came to the Prophet very upset, and said that he was utterly perished. He explained that on the way he had looked at a woman or touched her. He was so remorseful, indeed devastated, on account of his sin that God sent Gabriel with the following verse:

And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day [fajr, zuhr, 'asr] and at the approaches of the night [magrib, isha]. For those things that are good remove those that are evil. That is a reminder for the mindful. (Hud 11:114)

It is by the prayers that we keep away from evil, and God forgives the sins and replaces them with good. In particular, waking up for the tahajjud (a very rewarding supererogatory prayer observed in the night), which is the light of the intermediate world, leaving the comfort of bed and sleep during the latter hours of the night, and turning to God in prayer—is a sure means of undoing mistakes and cleansing the stain of sins quickly.

Prayers and supplications in the late hours of the night done by a heart full of fear and hope will certainly be accepted by God, provided that they are from the heart with sincerity. To do the five daily prayers at the appointed times of worship, each of which signifies the milestones of a day in humanity's life, are a means for any wrong-doings and sins committed between two times of prayer to be forgiven. More than that, we should also try to earn God's pleasure by supererogatory prayers, especially the tahajjud.

A separate but important issue is that one who has committed a crime that embarrasses him will not want anyone to become aware of it. However, he is totally aware that God and His Angels saw and know what he did. Satan lies in wait for just such an eventuality and will seek to make the sinner say: "I wish there were none who saw and knew about my sin," or even "I wish it were not a sin"—Remember that not accepting as a sin what God has forbidden leads to unbelief.

Insistence on committing a sin and considering it trivial may also lead one to unbelief. Some people may be so habituated to sins they cannot extricate themselves. It can happen that we unintentionally push such people into far worse situations in an effort to rescue them. For example, if we say to a weak Muslim, "Don't drink. It is forbidden," he may respond: "A little or a cupful cannot be forbidden," or "I find the rule too strict." Likewise, in response to insistent words calling to salat, a weak individual may respond with: "I'm not coming." Such responses belong to unbelief, so the individual may be led astray.

Essentially, sin is sin when it is insisted on, considered trivial, not feared for its harm, not repented, and for which forgiveness is not asked. Otherwise, if one is not persisting in a sin, knows the harm and damage of it, tries to shun it, repents the doing of it, and seeks forgiveness, by the grace of God, as the Qur'an states, one will be granted forgiveness and mercy. Though the sin be the size of a mountain, one should not despair, for there is no sin that God will not forgive, except the sin of shirk (associating partners with God)—and one who commits that will not turn to God for forgiveness; he will seek solace (if at all) at the court of some false or non-existent power.

VII - One should not be free or idle, and should take on some duties, responsibilities and services on him. Satan makes use of idleness and inactivity, and does not like one's being enlightened intellectually and spiritually so as to live and serve in the way of God. If one is empty of responsibility, then Satan preoccupies the mind and heart with fantasies, sins, and forbidden things. One can block up all the holes through which Satan leaks into the mind and heart by energetic activity and tries to prevent serving in the way of God. One who runs to spread the message of God to others without stopping to rest and congratulate himself will feel energy, vitality, and joy in both body and soul. As is stated in a hadith, since one enjoins the good and forbids the wrong, he will feel the blessings and inspirations of the Divine Revelations in his life, his food and necessities of life will be blessed and abundant, and his home (family) will be one of the abodes of Paradise. As is further pointed out in the hadith, if such duty and service in the way of God, is forsaken, this blessings of the Revelations will be cut off, and those who are deprived of such blessings will be doomed and perish in darkness and afflictions.

VIII - God will help and protect those who dedicate themselves to God, Islam, the Prophet, the communicating the Truth and the awakening or the enlightenment of people. God Himself makes a covenant with such people:

O You who believe, if you help [the cause of] God, He will help you, and plant your feet firmly. (Muhammad 47:7)

So it is obvious that God will not let those people be deviated, corrupted and caused to perish by any sort of evil or vice, or Satanic selfhood. The Prophet said that if someone draws near to God, God will draw near to him tenfold, if someone walks to God, God will run to him. So if one acts upon Islam, performs the prayers and obligations, and helps the Cause of God, he will be rewarded manifold, and God will not let him be distracted, deceived, or led astray by desires and temptations, his sins will be replaced by good and righteous deeds, and he will be recompensed with unknown, unforeseen rewards and eternal bliss.

On the one hand, we are in a terrible situation, surrounded by sins. On the other, we are in a situation that offers advantages that make up for its terrible side. With this attitude, to some extent comparable to that of the Companions, we have the opportunity of getting closer to the Companions. They could feel the breath of the Revelation on their faces, whereas we live ages apart from them. Yet, if we are able to take our place behind them with a Muhammadi spirit, we will, in one respect have assured our salvation by the grace of God.

Avoiding Sins .Part2

I -

On slippery, dangerous roads, one walks very carefully, as if through a mine field or dangerous enemy territory. A comparable caution and alertness are necessary while one goes out in the streets and market-places, because it is always possible that the forbidden things will present themselves to our eyes. One should avoid looking at and seeing the forbidden by casting down the eyes or turning the face away. One who shuts his eyes to the forbidden does not lose anything materially and spiritually, and he does not give any harm to anybody. One who works efficiently, honestly and sincerely and serves in the way of God, can never be a passive victim of evil and vice. On the other hand, those who stare at others or let others stare at them do not gain anything thereby except danger. Hospitals, courts, prisons and the reports in the dailies are clear testimony of what such persons themselves, who court danger, and their partners, families, societies and countries, have lost by doing so. You cannot expect much from those who paralyzed their hearts and wills by wandering glances.

In one hadith the Prophet said:

"A time will come when to preserve faith will be like holding a red hot cinder in one's palms. If you throw it away, you will lose your faith, if you keep it, you will get burnt." ( Tirmidhi, Fitan 73; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 2/390. ) In another hadith he said:

"Nazar (glancing at the forbidden) is one of the poisonous arrows of Satan." ( Tabarani, Mu'jam al-Kabir, 10/173; Hakim, Mustadrak, 4/349. ) When it hits the heart or penetrates it through the channel of the eyes, one perishes. And the Prophet expressed the Divine Will in his words and added that:

"If anyone leaves it out of fear of Me, I will give his heart such an exhilaration of faith that he feels it thoroughly in the very depths of his heart." ( Ibid. ) The Prophet expressed his attitude toward the poisonous arrows of Satan in speech and also demonstrated it in his dealings with his close relatives. While they were descending from Mount Arafat during the pilgrimage, he let his cousin, Fadl, son of 'Abbas, ride on his camel. In order to prevent his cousin's gaze being caught by the women who were passing by them, the Prophet with his hand pushed his cousin's head from one side to the other.Recall that this happened during pilgrimage, when any intention to look at women for pleasure is impossible, and when, in the words of 'Aisha, mother of believers, women used to cover even their faces, at a time when everyone felt the sublime atmosphere of the Archangel Gabriel's Revelations, the nearness of the Hereafter, and the miracles, the Age of Happiness. Even as we seek to control our hearts in the mosques and in the company of other sincere Muslims, how should we evaluate the Prophet's turning his cousin's face from one side to another during a Hajj in that epoch? The Prophet did so because he did not want his cousin to be distracted, to be hit by a poisonous arrow which might sow the seeds of evil and vice in his heart and mind, even at a time when Fadl was far from dreaming of such a thing.

The meaning of this event is to cut off evil at its root. It is like not allowing a box of matches into the forest so as to protect it from being burnt down; or, even when there is no threat of war, to maintain the practice of guarding the frontiers and headquarters with many sentries; or to stuff all the holes and crevices so that snakes and scorpions have no dwelling-places in which to breed. That is, to set barriers before vice and evil so as to prevent many individuals from being led astray and families broken; to eliminate all the ways and means leading to rape, adultery, murder, all sorts of immorality, perversions and corruptions; and to deter all sins by prevention. That is the way defined by God.

The Prophet said to 'Ali, who became a Muslim at the age of seven, who grew up within the atmosphere of the Prophet, was his cousin and was to be the father of the generations that would come from the Prophet's lineage:

"O 'Ali, the first glance is in your favor, but the second is against you." That is, when your eye lights on something forbidden, you will not be responsible for that glance because it is unintentional and accidental. Your will is not in that first look. But, if you do not turn your eyes from it and keep on looking, your carnal self and will are in it, and you will be questioned and punished for it; because this is the first ring of a chain that will drag you into deviation, into the forbidden.

So the Prophet would have us close the gates to the forbidden, to prevent it in advance, before it can happen.

II - One should not go out simply when one is bored. Going out just out of boredom is a weakness and error of attitude. For, one exposes oneself thereby to more negatives, a sort of "falling out of the frying pan into the fire."

Boredom arises from the dissatisfaction of the heart, lack of closeness and relation to the Prophet and God, being unable to do the religious duties and prayers properly or adequately, being free or idle due to not reading and contemplating enough, having few good friends and having no duty or responsibility on one's shoulders to fulfill or not serving in the way of God as one is supposed to. In such a person, there are many openings for Satan to get into. This is like walking again through the trenches where one was wounded by Satan, or like drinking sea-water to quench a thirst aroused by drinking sea-water.

There is another way to look at this situation. God, in virtue of His name Qabdh, grips man's heart and puts him into a state of qabdh (literally, "contraction," "gripping"); a state of spiritual desolation, which is a test for man to see his level of determination and loyalty. That is, the man is tested to see whether he will turn to God and do prayers and supplications—or turn away. Let me point out here that prayers, supplications, duties and services done in such a state are far more rewarding than those done at bast (literally, "expansion," "extension"), in a joyful and happy state, or than those done with ease, amid other Muslims at normal times of congregation. And later on, as the sun shines after a short burst of cloudy weather, God, in virtue of His name Basit, expands the man's heart and returns him to comfort and eagerness. Thus, God gives man the reward proportionately to the hardship he endures.

In sum, one should not go out unnecessarily and, when he does so, he should try to accomplish not a single but a couple of tasks on one occasion. He should keep away from the places and districts where sins are committed and where there is no service in the way of God.

When one goes out, one should give the time and place the attention that is their due. The Companions of the Prophet, like Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Abu Dhar, often went out to teach the truths of Islam. Those who go out onto the public streets with such aims in mind give the streets their due right and thus are protected from committing sins. When the Prophet forbade his Companions to sit alongside the roadway, they said they had some business or good reason for doing so. Then the Prophet said: "Then give the roadway its due," that is, clean it of all stones, thorns or obstacles, receive and respond to the greetings of passers-by, enjoin the good and forbid the bad and tell them the truths. Only with this pure intention, one's sins and wrong-doings can be replaced and turn to good deeds.

III - One should refer to, read, listen to, or have to do with works that encourage knowledge, awe and fearful reverence (makhafa), purify the senses and feelings, direct one's attention to the higher purpose of living in this world, and keep one's thoughts and feelings under the influence of that purpose while one is going out to school, or work, or is engaged in service. One should review one's purpose before going out, take a deep look at the self's accounts and balance-sheet, do self-supervision, and be equipped with some spiritual tension so that it may serve as a cover, or shield, between oneself and vice. In that way one may be protected by God from Satan and sins.

Q: How Should People Avoid Sins, Distractions, and Temptations? The question refers to one of the greatest difficulties of modern life. Even the not-so-young, but of course especially the young live in a social environment that exaggerates the natural pressures of youth to an extreme; ever-present temptations and passing desires scatter one's nobler sentiments and higher aspirations. It is difficult indeed in this environment to represent the sublime qualities of person and character that the Messenger of God exemplified and willed his followers to emulate; but, to live at such a time and to struggle against the desires and temptations has its own particular advantages. This is because the reward of all effort is proportionate to the hardship of the conditions endured.

Is it not the hardship of the struggle he endured which earned Hamza the titles"the master of the martyrs"and"the lion of God"? His battle-cry to his men—"The enemies are many, but we have faith," and charging the enemy front-line with self-sacrificing disregard for death—these are the qualities that raised him to such a high rank.

When Islam was first preached, the women among the idolaters used to circumambulate the Ka'ba naked; adultery, fornication, usury, profiteering, exploitation, bribery, drinking and gambling were deeply embedded in the manners of the society. And yet, the Companions turned their backs on such practices and embraced Islam. They were all normal human beings with feelings and appetites like all others. But their giving up and leaving aside carnal desires and immoral practices in that environment, their preferring a pure and honest way of life, and their support of the revived, true religion and the Messenger who preached it—and their doing so, despite all dangers, threats and persecutions, made them nobler than the rest and greater than all the greats. By doing so, they gained such merits and virtues that they have become the light and, like the stars in the heavens, guide those who come after them.

The kinds of obstacles, disasters and destructions they faced exist also today. If the Prophet called the people who try to live and serve Islam sincerely in this age, he would definitely name them as the generation of the age of disasters and destruction. For, if the streets and market-places, city centers, social and commercial business, individual and family life, schools (which nurture the rest) and all other societal entities and institutions which together make up collective life and its norms—if these were assessed one by one, the verdict on each of them would be "bad, spoiled or ruined."

Wherever you go, you cannot avoid some or other sort of foulness or sin staining your senses; the atmosphere is invasive, aggressive. To do or finish a job in the community, you cannot pass from one side to the other without your soul and heart being assaulted and your spiritual life shaken. To live Islam is as hard as walking on a road of fire or going across a river of foul blood. We are creatures of such a time of disasters and destruction. The sensuality, carnality, corporeality hidden in the self is like the tail of a scorpion lifted and ready to strike. Those appetites and lusts always feed upon and grow in the conditions prevalent (and systematically encouraged) in this modern society. It is possible to be poisoned at any instant by the scorpions within and around us. We must be aware of the conditions and evaluate them in the light of "the reward is proportionate to the hardship endured," and so feel somewhat lightened and encouraged by the hope of a recompense whose magnitude will reflect the hardship and affliction we have overcome. The more successful we are in defeating the enemies, the more we will be rewarded. If the Companions acquired their high rank by overcoming the hardships and afflictions they faced, then people today could do and achieve almost as much in a similar way—which is what we expect from the Divine Mercy. Today, when the conditions for committing sins are so easy, of course there must have been some errors and sins of ours that we committed unintentionally; but it behooves us, and we need, not to leave the gate of Divine Mercy; rather, we must be persistent there. Let me tell you one of my childhood memories, which reflects how I think and feel. When I was a child we had a very faithful dog which guarded our flocks of sheep. I so admired its loyalty that I fed it frequently and even sometimes played with it. When I raised my little hands in prayer, I remembered the significance of its loyalty to us and put it next to my hopes and prayed to God:

"O my Lord, just as I treated that dog as a friend on account of its loyalty to us, so forgive me, such a slave of Yours, who has never left You and the gates of Your Divine Mercy and who has never prayed and bowed before anyone else but You." The same is true for Muslims (who have never left Him and the gates of His Divine Mercy and who have never prayed and bowed before anyone else but He). In spite of some slips, mistakes and sins, there are such Muslims who serve in the way of God so sincerely and faithfully that God, the Most Merciful, will not drive them from the gates of His Mercy. We accept and admit our faults. Such admissions, confessions, are a part of journeying through regrets, remorse and repentance. We ask Him again and again to forgive our wrong-doings out of His Mercy, in accordance with His Grace. And God accepts and answers such prayers done wholeheartedly, with faith and sincerity.

Success of the Past vs Failure of the Present.Part2

That the Companions of the Prophet managed to conquer so many places in such a short time certainly has its own explanations and meaning. First of all, the Companions were wholly devoted tothe cause of Islam. Superficially viewed by their enemies, they must have seemed to them to be out of their minds—certainly, their accomplishments were such as to stir and freeze all imagination. For instance, 'Ali slept in the Prophet's bed, in his place, on the night when the Prophet left for Madina and the enemies surrounded the house intending to assisinate the Prophet with multiple sword blows. 'Ali's doing so means that he had accepted the likelihood that he would be dismembered and killed. But the polytheists' hands remained hanging in the air, so astounded were they that the person in the bed was not the Prophet but a young man who accepted such a sacrifice and thus attributed no value to the rest of his life, at the age of 17. In another instance, on hearing the continuous howls and voices of livestock and domestic animals, Abu Jahl and other polytheists climbed to the roof of the house of Abdullah ibn Jahsh to learn what was going on in there. They were struck by what they saw. All the members of the family had deserted the house to follow the Prophet, taking nothing with them, giving not a second thought, to their possessions, thinking only of moving to Madina to be with the Prophet. Upon this Abu Jahl said to 'Abbas: "How strange! That cousin of yours has caused such a split (iftiraq) between us that it is impossible either to explain or to understand." Home, goods and chattels, wife, children and family, and everything were left, given up, for the sake of God, His Messenger and the message he brought. How could polytheists comprehend such a thing?

While Abu Bakr was migrating from Makka to Madina, he did not take anyone along with him, but he left his children, wife and father, whom he loved dearly, back in Makka. 'Uthman did not take his wife, Ruqiyya, the beloved daughter of the Prophet, along with him while migrating. Ruqiyya was the light of the Prophet's eyes, and I certainly believe that if it were said that a life is needed for Ruqiyya, each and every Muslim would run to sacrifice his own life thousands of times for her. However, that Ruqiyya was left in Makka and 'Uthman emigrated to Madina. Such was the loyalty to the Prophet at that time.

On his return from negotiations with the Prophet 'Urwa binMas'ud he said the following to the people in Makka about the Companions' commitment to their cause and devotion to the Messenger of God:

O people, I have been sent as envoy to kings—Caesar, Chosroes, and the Negus—but I have not seen a king whose men honor him as the Companions of Muhammad. If he commands anything, they almost outstrip his word in fulfilling it; when he performs his ablution, they well-nigh fight for the water thereof; when he speaks, their voices are hushed in his presence; nor will they look him full in the face, but lower their eyes in reverence for him . . .( Bukhari 3:180; Ibn Hanbal 4:324; Tabari 3:75 )

However, the Prophet advised those who stood up for him: 

"Do not stand up (for me) as the Persians do (stand up for their elders)."( Abu Dawud, Adab, 151-152; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 5:253 )

As the Prophet demonstrated and lived modesty and humility, so he rose ever higher surpassing even the angels. It was narrated that when the Prophet first saw the Archangel Gabriel, he was frightened. However, as one of the saints, lovers of the Prophet, remarked: "If Gabriel had comprehended the essence of the haqiqat al-Ahmadiyya (the truth of Muhammad), he would have passed out and never come to himself till the Day of Reckoning." The Prophet always rose higher and higher in respect of his power of relationship, obedience, submission and servanthood to God. However, every step toward the highest deepened his humility. He presented himself as an ordinary man, one among many others, and was deeply disturbed by any other manner or treatment shown to him.

That period was such that the Companions attached themselves deeply to the Prophet and integrated with him thoroughly. When the Prophet said: "Your blood is my blood, your life is my life," the words confirmed what actually existed as a full harmony and accord. When the time came to spread and represent Islam abroad, when it was necessary to emigrate to different lands and climates, none of them asked why or what. They simply went and never thought to return to their old homes. Let alone thinking of coming back, out of the fear of blemishing the sincerity of the intention to emigrate for the sake of God only, they trembled at the thought of dying being buried in their old hometowns. Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas had fever in Makka, and was shaking with grief. When the Prophet asked the reason for his sadness, it was that he was worried that he would die in Makka after he had emigrated to Madina, and that thus his emigration would not be complete.

When marching on the Khaybar, the Prophet did not want to take 'Ali on the expedition because he had some ailment of the eyes. However, 'Ali was not willing to be left behind. He said: "Would you have me to stay behind with the women and children, O Messenger of God?"He did take part in the expedition and the citadel of Khaybar was conquered though his extraordinary courage.

Once, before leaving Madina for an expedition, the Prophet appointed Umm Maktum, a blind person, in charge during his absence. He was exempt from fighting because he was blind; the other who remained behind were women and children. Years later, when Umm Maktum learned that the Muslims were going to fight the Persians. Despite his old age, he joined the marching soldiers and expressed his wish to take part in the battle ahead. Some Muslims, especially Mughira ibn Shu'ba, wanted him to stay away from the front, but Umm Maktum found an opportunity to talk to the commander of the Muslims, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and said: "Mughira bin Shu'ba wanted to prevent me from fighting in the way of God. If any of you prevents me from fighting and dying in the way of God today, I will make complaint about you to the Caliph 'Umar." What a reason to complain about—being prevented from offering his life in the way of God! When asked what he could do, he answered: "Yes, I am blind, but this will not prevent me from holding the flag and walking straight ahead. So, I would like to hold the banner before the army." He really seized the opportunity, did not hide behind excuses, but took part in the front line, held the banner, walked forward, and found what he yearned for, martyrdom at the battle of Qadisiya.

The Companions were that kind of people, who scorned danger in the way of God, and even courted death for the sake of their true belief, and to convey it to other lands.

Though Abu Talha had grown very old, weak and feeble, when he heard that the army was preparing to go to Cyprus, he called his grandsons and told them that he would like to take part in the expedition: 

"I heard from the Prophet that Cyprus would be conquered( Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wa l-nihaya, 7, 152. ) and I think it is time for it, and I'd like to take part in it. However, it is not possible for me to sit and ride on horse-back. Therefore, tie me tightly to the horse lest I fall off." 

His grandsons did not want to yield to their grandfather's wish and argued that he was quite old, and so excused and would not be accountable for being absent from the battle. However, he replied that he understood the Qur'anic verse urging people to strive in the way of God as not discriminating between young and old; he read it in the absolute sense. In the end, the grandsons were unable to dissuade him and Abu Talha joined the army in the way that he wished. However, his life did not suffice to complete the journey as he was so elderly and feeble; but he did, after all, achieve what he longed for in this world, and perhaps he might have said with his last breath: "All thanks and praise to God! You bestowed upon me what I longed for."

Another Companion, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who hosted the Prophet at his home, had already been married with children when the Prophet first arrived at Madina. Abu Ayyub's grandchildren helped him mount the horse before he came all the way to Istanbul (Constantinople) under the command of Yazid. From the Prophet's arrival in Madina to the rule of Mu'awiya and the command of Yazid, we may count that 40 or 50 years passed. Abu Ayyub must therefore have been around 75 or 80 years old when he arrived in the vicinity of Istanbul.

Let us pause to ask at this point: What were such Companions of the Prophet after? There are many verses in the Qur'an and there are sayings of the Prophet praising their virtues and attributes. God named them as Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajirun (Emigrants) and glorified them. They were even foretold in the Old and New Testaments (the Torah and the Gospel). They had listened to the Prophet saying that the victorious armies of Islam would arrive at the gates of Europe, and that he gave tidings that Constantinople (now Istanbul) would be conquered by Muslims. Many attempts were made to realize this and be worthy of the encouragement of these words of the Prophet: 

"Certainly, Constantinople will be conquered. Blessed is the commander who will conquer it, and blessed are his troops."( Another narration of the hadith is as follows: "Certainly, Costantinople will be conquered. How good is the commander who will conquer it, and how good is his army."AhmadIbn Hanbal, Musnad, 4/335; Hakim, Mustadrak, 4/422. )

Since that city was itself a symbol of a large dominion, the Prophet was thus directing his community to carry Islam all over the world. So the only objective they had was to be among the troops the Prophet praised and thus gain the pleasure of God. There was no other motive, ambition or purpose behind the hardships and dangers they endured. Since the Prophet pointed out the worthiness of the army in the eyes of God, the Companions were in a sense competing to become members of that army.

Hoping to be an object of the Prophet's praise, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Khalid bin Zayd) set forth from Madina to Istanbul even in old age. The city was besieged for weeks and months, but the Muslims were not then granted the conquest. Before that, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was totally exhausted and waiting for death. One of the things he mostly kept asking was "Any news of the conquest?" Eventually, when the commander of the army realized that he was on the very verge of death, he asked the noble Companion of God's Messenger if he had any wish. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: "Take me as far as possible. If it is possible, take me and bury within the walls of Constantinople. We came to conquer Constantinople, but I see that I will not be blessed with such a conquest. On the other hand, I definitely believe that one day the tidings of the Prophet will come true and be attained by some [other Muslims]. Therefore, I would like to be buried over there. Listening to the clashing of their swords and shields in my grave will please me. Let me hear at least the voices of those blessed soldiers." Almost five or six centuries later, Istanbul was conquered by the Ottoman commander, whose name was also Muhammad (Mehmed), at the age of 22. Such sweet manifestations of destiny, as to end one period in history and start a new age, to be blessed with the tidings of God's Messenger, to break down an iron door, like the door of Khaybar, leading to Europe, to represent the Muhammadi spirit completely at his time, were the blessings bestowed on Sultan Mehmed the conqueror. He can be said to have represented the Muhammadi spirit in his time like a Mahdi; his was among the voices of the soldiers that Abu Ayyub al-Ansari wished to hear and welcome to Istanbul.

Those people who sincerely and devoutly commit themselves to either irshad and tabligh (guiding and enlightening others) or to striving by what they own (material and physical struggle, jihad with their lives and wealth) can conquer the world and hold their authority in it. As the Prophet of God expressed it in a hadith, when the fear, of death grasps the souls of the Muslims, everything gained will start to slip away piece by piece. We enjoyed great status and weight among the peoples and in the history of the world until two or three centuries ago. Now we have lost that. There can be only one explanation for this: namely, that we were victorious when we had the Islamic spirit, and kept our submission, obedience and servanthood to God in a firm and sound condition. During the period in which we started to slip backward, our souls were captured and enslaved to fear of death, and other fears, weaknesses, love for life, ambitions and concerns for our own future.

Those Muslims in the past spread to all parts of the world and conveyed the Divine Message and established the best and noblest type of rule. What can this accomplishment be attributed to other than the fact that they really devoted their physical, spiritual and material wealth to the way of God?

No matter what nation or ethnic background they were from, we see in all those heroes raised from the Islamic world the same spirit. They scorned and ignored the pleasure of living for themselves but preferred the pleasure of making others live instead. The only thing they had in mind was to spread the Religion to which they were bound as believers and followers, and they regarded that belonging as the highest honor. In the Seljuk, Ottoman or other states, in rulers like Alparslan, Kiliçarslan, Murad Hüdavendigar, Mehmed the Conqueror, Selim I, Salahaddin Ayyubi, and many others, we see the same spirit and consciousness.

Alparslan, the Seljuk Sultan, who defeated the Byzantines in 1071 and thus opened the doors of Anatolia and the vast Byzantine territories to Muslims, delivered a sermon before the Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert), one of the great decisive battles in history, and concluded with this prayer: "O Lord, make the white clothes and robe I put on my shroud today." Those Muslims went on the battlefield to become martyrs rather than victors, and proved that with the shrouds they put on before battle. In that way they were undoubtedly ready to tackle the enemy army, often many times more numerous, without a second thought. At the end of the day, the Muslims were victorious and the enemy were defeated and captured, even the Emperor Romanus Diogenus, and we believe that Sultan Alparslan meant it sincerely when he said he was not so happy because he had not reached his goal, which was to become a martyr.

The Ottoman Sultan Murad Hudavendigar prayed throughout the night: "O Lord, make my army victorious but me a martyr" before he fought against the Serbs in Kosovo. His prayer was accepted, he defeated the Serbs, saw his army victorious but while inspecting the wounded soldiers, he was stabbed to death by a Serb. As he lay on the ground, he was asked what his last wish was. He said two words "Never dismount." Then he passed away. The wish he expressed was never to stop struggling in the way of God and carrying His Divine Message further.

The magnificent state (and states) established by people of this quality enjoyed such prestige and authority in the balance of power in the world that other nations and states looked to them and adjusted themselves and regulated their affairs accordingly. They exerted such efforts in the way of Truth, and scorned everything except that, holding God first in all plans and affairs. They thought and evaluated everything according to the Divine Will and Pleasure, and became the zealots of the Sublime Cause. For this reason God protected our borders from all intrusions, and we led a glorious and dignified life in the past. When we lost such high attributes and spirit, we were surrounded on all sides, degraded and eventually captured by our enemies. We first died in spirit and then in dignity and honor, and then in physical, material terms.

Success of the Past vs Failure of the Present.Part1

Q: What are the Reasons for the Fact that Islam Spread Over Such Vast Territories in Such a Short Time in the Past? What are the Reasons for the Muslims' Defeat and Failure at the Present Time? A Muslim could be defined as one who believes in God and the principles of faith decreed by God, who never deems the opposite of these principles even likely, and thus submits and surrenders himself to God. That is, a Muslim is one who wholeheartedly and sincerely performs and represents all His commands with respect to regulating his individual, familial and social life. However, during some periods, Muslims might have been unable to find the opportunity to represent Islam in all respects. Even so, if people burnt with the love and yearning to represent Islam and writhed in the longing to live and act upon it, God willing, they would not be responsible, blamed and reprimanded for collective failures. Any subtle, complex system dismantled and laid aside unused, its use half-forgotten with the passage of time, can only be re-assembled and made to work again after the greatest application and effort. How much more so if that system were a way of life involving the taking on of burdens and responsibilities which, in the long term productive of ease and contentment, are in the short term sometimes strenuous and arduous—how difficult to build up that way of life again, reviving the consent of not one or a few persons but of a whole society? And yet, if people are determined, persevering and sincere in the intention of making it work again, their sincerity of effort may suffice to excuse them, even though their effort did not or could not succeed. If people pursue that goal with a total commitment and yearning, as a matter of life and death, they would surely not be held accountable if the goal eludes them. In fact, in order to be exempted from the responsibility, one should either live Islam thoroughly or burn with a strong desire to live Islam and to make it a lived reality. Any acts contrary to this will entail consequences in this world and in the Hereafter. In this world, the people suffer abasement and degradation as a consequence of living apart from Islam; they will be condemned to live in all the domains of life, social, political, commercial, military, under the power and direction of unbelief, and they will be mightily surpassed in the fields of knowledge and technology. Then, in the Hereafter, they will be questioned and punished severely for all that failure, that surrender to the powers of unbelief.

For almost a thousand years, Muslims experienced civilizational rise from one level to another and earned the highest acclaim. During the period of the Rightly Guided Caliphs that rise had a sublime, heavenly quality. Those who followed the Prophet in the first Islamic century were real representatives of the true Islamic way of life. God's Messenger says concerning this period:

Muslim armies will arrive, after me, at the gates of cities, where they will be asked, "Did anyone among you see the Prophet?" The answer will be affirmative, and the gates will be opened for them. Those who succeeded them will also perform jihad and they will be asked, "Are there any people among you who saw those who had seen the Prophet?" They will reply, "Yes," and the cities will be conquered by them. There will finally come the third generation, who will be asked, "Did anybody among you see those who had seen the followers of the Prophet's Companions?' When this question, too, receives an affirmative answer, conquest will also be bestowed upon them."

Again, in another narration recorded in Bukhari and Muslim, God's Messenger says concerning those three succeeding generations:"The best of you are those who live in my period, then those who succeed them, and then those who follow them."

Those three generations followed strictly in the Prophet's footsteps and, accordingly, were granted great victories.

When we look at our Islamic past, we see that the historical events confirm the sayings of the Prophet. The period of the Four Caliphs was thirty years. During the reign of the third, 'Uthman, the Muslims spread in all directions of the known world. In one direction, they went up to Lake Aral and in the opposite direction up to Erzurum in eastern Anatolia. Despite differences and disagreements at that time, the spirit of jihad against unbelief was always strong, sustaining the consciousness of being active and moving forward. During that time the Muslims conquered the northern Africa in its entirety. 'Uqba ibn Nafi' was the Muslim commander in that campaign and died at the age of 50. However, the campaign was successfully concluded within his life-time and he managed to make himself listened to and obeyed by all the Berbers. When he reached the Atlantic, he rode his horse into the sea and there stood and exclaimed: "O God! If this sea of darkness did not appear before me, I would convey Your Name, which is the source of light, to overseas lands as far as the remotest corners of the world."

The great Muslims of that time did not dispose of modern ships or planes that can travel in almost any weather conditions. At that time, they campaigned on a mount or on foot, and rivers were forded or crossed upon simple rafts. Despite shortage of means, the Muslims were able to travel to and conquer vast stretches of territory in different parts of the world in a remarkably short span of time.

Ulfa (Familiarity) .Part2

God reiterates many times the creation of humanity, the dispersal of humankind over the farthest corners of the world, their union and happiness with their mates, the grandeur and magnificence in the creation of the world and heavens, the variations in languages and colors, the alternations of day and night, and the blessings, fertility and prosperity that come with climatic activities such as thunderstorms, lightning and rain, in most powerful and varied words. God never leaves any room for "becoming habituated" for over familiarity—at least, not for those of His servants who know, reflect, reason, and understand.

Among His signs is this, that He created you from dust and then— Behold, you are men scattered (far and wide)! And among His signs is this that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has placed love and mercy between your (hearts):

In that are signs for those who reflect. And among his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors. In that are signs for those who know. And among His signs is the sleep that you take by night and by day, and the quest that you (make for livelihood) out of His bounty. In that are signs for those who hearken. And among His signs, He shows you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope, and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead. In that are signs for those who are wise. (Rum 30:20 4)

Like the above, many Qur'anic verses draw our attention to the extraordinary wonders and miracles that a great number of human beings pass by each day without taking lessons from them. Our situation may be likened to that of a fish that lives in the water but does not know what water is nor how valuable it is for itself.

Another form of ulfa, over familiarity is that staleness in one's thinking and mentality that affects one's actions and worship. This is the death of one's love ('ishq), ecstasy (wajd), and enthusiasm. One who falls into such a state loses the love and excitement for worship, the sense of responsibility, the aversion to sins, and the liking for repentance and lamenting sins. From then on, it is almost impossible to turn that person into his former good state. It requires very pure and sincere persons to remind and help that person to look to himself, so that he can evaluate his situation and heed the warnings and the people who give those warnings.

Each and every voice and breath that comes to humankind to establish a new spirit has always conveyed the same message: To become habituated, dull, stale, to grow old and become corpse like is inevitable for some people at some time, but it is never impossible to reform, as long as they are respectful to those who must use a sharp instrument to cure their sickness:

Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of God and of the Truth which has been revealed, and that they should not become like those to whom was given the Book aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious and transgressors. (Hadid 57:16)