Attaining Goodness of God

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

In verse 92, from the Chapter of the Family of Imran, God says:

لَن تَنَالُواْ ٱلۡبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ‌ۚ

None of you [believers] will attain true piety unless you give out what you cherish

The son of Omar ibn al-Khattab (ra), Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) was extremely fond of fish. His wife, aware of her husband's favorite viand, saved up, little by little, with the hopes of treating him to a pleasant surprise. After days of saving, she was able to buy and prepare the fish. And just as Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) sat down to eat, there was a knock at the door- a needy man stood there, asking for some help. So, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) asked his wife to give the fish away.

His wife was perplexed. She asked, "But you loved the fish?". He replied with the verse, "None of you [believers] will attain true piety unless you give out what you cherish".

Not one to give up, his wife ran after the man and bought the fish back from him so that her husband could enjoy it. But as Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) sat down to eat for the second time, there was a knock at the door, and the same man wanted some help. So, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) gave the fish away once again.

But, his wife wasn't one to give up. She loved her husband dearly. And the same thing happened, not once, but two more times. Except, after the third time, his wife made the man promise not to return for help.

At the end of the ordeal, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) was able to enjoy the fish with his wife in peace.

Numerous lessons can be derived from this incident. Perhaps, the love that Abdullah ibn Omar's (ra) wife had for her husband is the most striking and heart warming.

The generosity and selflessness they had as a couple is something we can learn from.

But what is even more profound is that despite their act of selflessly giving what they cherished, they still managed to eat the fish. God says in the Qur'an, "Who will give God a good loan, which he will increase many times over?". Often times, people think that the rewards can be had only in the hereafter, but this incident proves that, God does indeed reward you in this world too.

Difficulties in life

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

In verse 286, in The Cow, God says,

...لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا 

God does not burden any soul with more than what it can bear...

Among the many reflections of this segment of this verse, revealed to the Prophet (upon whom be peace) when he made the night journey to the seventh heaven, are that our problems, our trials and our tribulations are custom tailored to us, they are like our fingerprints, they shape our identity. This segment of the verse is not dissimilar to the adage, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches, except that instead of focusing on the negatives, this segment should, in itself be a source of hope to the God-conscious. 

The other interesting thing about the understanding of this verse is that there are things which each of us are equally responsible for, and that is an ability, a blessing bestowed upon all of us. These are the obligatory acts, acts which are the pillars of one's faith. These favors granted to us- to make a distinction between right and wrong, to perform 5 daily prayers no matter what the circumstances are, should be a motivation, a reminder of sorts for us, that we are capable of making it to the Garden.

The verse goes on, 

...لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ

Each gains whatever good it has done and suffers its bad...

There is an interesting usage of words in this segment of the verse, because ease is associated with good deeds and difficulty is associated with bad deeds. And when one thinks about it, on the face of it, it makes little sense. Sins may be easier in the short term; in the long term, they become difficult and cause unease. Stealing may be easy money, but spending even a day in the gaol, with the humiliation and other socio-economic implications is difficult. The alternative is pretty easy, and this is the view God wants us to have when we look at a choice between what is good and what seems easy.

Guidance from Allah

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِ‌ۚ فَمَن شَہِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّہۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُ‌ۖ وَمَن ڪَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ‌ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُڪۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُڪَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

It was in this month of Ramadan that the Qur'an was revealed as a guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So any of you who sees in that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful. (The Cow, v. 185)

Towards the end of this beautiful verse, God mentions the necessity of completing the prescribed period- an entire month of abstinence from basic necessities which a person living in most modern societies would find difficult to give up. God emphasizes on completing the prescribed period- and although there is a concession for the sick and the traveler, any person who has entered this month is asked to make up for the missed days. 

So, clearly, the prescribed period is important as it an important milestone in a Master-slave relationship. It lays a pathway for our spiritual development. It is a program. A program where we learn that if we can abstain from the permissible, we have the ability to give up the impermissible. It is a means by which we can discipline ourselves, a vehicle that allows us to be more cognizant of our Master, an agent which helps us recognize the way we've been guided and with that recognition, we engage in His glorification. This glorification is not just on Eid when we proclaim His perfection and greatness, but it transcends beyond that, in every aspect of our lives, to the rest of the year. 

And once the realization has seeped into our hearts, we can learn to prioritize our Maker over ourselves, and when that sinks in, we can be truly grateful.

Take Allah's Commands Seriously

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

 وَإِذۡ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِۦۤ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُكُمۡ أَن تَذۡبَحُواْ بَقَرَةً۬‌ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوً۬ا‌ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِٱللَّهِ أَنۡ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِينَ

Remember when Moses said to his people, ‘God commands you to sacrifice a cow.’ They said, ‘Are you making fun of us?’ He answered, ‘God forbid that I should be so ignorant.’ (The Cow, v. 67)

In the age of logic and reason that we are a part of, anything out of the ordinary is seen as obscene. And often times, if something does not make logical sense to us, it ends up being rejected. And for reasons beyond the scope of this piece, religion, which is often perceived as illogical is among the primary things to be rejected. More often than not, we find ourselves questioning the very commands of God and His messengers, risking blasphemy- simply because the commands do not conform to our world-view.

And it almost seems miraculous that God would preserve an incident, pertinent to this, in the Qur'an. Among the children of Israel lived a wealthy man who had no children. And thus, his only nephew was likely to inherit all his wealth. Greed got better of the nephew, and in his haste to acquire his uncle's wealth, he put his uncle to sleep; and then, to claim innocence, demanded revenge against the murderer. When the community was made aware of the murder, an altercation among the people began, and swords were drawn. 

It was then, that a wise man suggested that Moses' opinion be taken, since he'd have divine knowledge from God. God commanded the people, through Moses, to slaughter a cow. Of course, the solution brought forth by Moses was unpalatable- and it was definitely an illogical way of discerning the identity of the criminal. And hence, the people, in their disbelief, questioned the very words of the messenger. 

Saddened by their rudeness, and trying hard to mellow his anger, Moses sought refuge in his Lord from descending to the level of the people around him [1]. 

Numerous lessons can be extracted from this incident. The most obvious being that even if a commandment does not make logical sense, the fact that it comes from God, it becomes an obligation upon the believer to follow it. In doing that, lies the true essence of worship. 

It would also be prudent to note that endeavors to spread a good word are oft subjected to ridicule. However, the challenge lies not in spreading the word, but in having total control over our emotions at all times; and to turn to God for the necessary strength. 

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[1] Moses uses the word "جاہل" (Jahil). This is the opposite of "آقل" (Aaqil) which refers to someone who has complete control over his/her emotions. Thus, Moses, essentially seeks protection from losing control over his emotions.