Saturday, May 31, 2008
Pride Vs Humility
Human beings are born with a lot of characteristics, some of which we keep forever and some we don't. We also tend to pick up some as we grow up, most good and few bad. But few, like pride can only be picked up from influence which has been passed on from the devil himself, who showed it first to Allah. Indeed pride/arrogance/haughtiness etc. are the characteristics of Iblees and humility and humbleness is something which our Prophet (PBUH) and our Imams taught us.
This world is divided with two types of people. The first ones are those who are following the right path, the path of Islam which teaches us the true ways of living a life, to be humble and polite, be it with the Muslims or non-Muslims, rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, knowledgeable or ignorant, etc. And the second ones are those who have gone astray, who do not follow Islam in the true sense, who find pleasure in humiliating and degrading others. Thus, my article is based on the two ways of living a life, shedding light on Pride Vs Humility.
Let us begin by knowing the meaning of the word pride. In simple words having pride can be defined as being big headed about anything material you own or anything you have which eventually leads to arrogance with regard to treating people who do not match our standards just because we think we have anything better than anyone else, forgetting the fact that whatever we have is given to us by Allah. Too much of pride hence, often leads to arrogance.
Now coming to the word humility, this word reminds me of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) who being the greatest of the entire mankind was not only humble with fellow Muslims but also with his enemies. To make it short and easy, humility can be defined as showing respect and gratitude towards each and every being and treating them with humbleness.
However, there are two types of pride, the good pride and bad pride. The good pride is to feel happy for what you actually are but still stay grounded and the bad one is to claim that you are more than you believe you are. For example, a son achieves success in his field and mother feels happy and proud for his success, this falls under the good pride category, but this situation can turn to bad pride if the mother feels too proud and degrades others sons by making hurtful statements like: "My son did this, your son could NOT!". I'd like emphasize that it is truly, completely WRONG to compare and humiliate others. By doing so, we make them feel small and incapable of doing things and deep down inside, they get discouraged and lose interest in doing or achieving anything and most of all are hurt.
Things would be easier, if all of us follow this wisdom shared by our 2nd imam,
He says: " Associate with and treat the people in a way as you like to get associated and treated by them".This is a lesson we should never forget and remind ourselves of, so that we are away from this great sin of being proud.
We should say NO to the bad pride and try our level maximum best in helping and encouraging others and treating them in a just manner. Encouraging fellow beings to excel instead of degrading them will earn us sawaab and make them better too. Above all, the biggest fact is that we are in this world to please Allah in every possible way, and He says in His book "Certainly Allah does not love the proud ones" 16:23.
Being a Muslim is about having good Akhlaq (Manners) and being just in everything including treating people regardless of their religion. Imam Ali says: "Meet people in such a manner that if you die they should weep for you and if you live they should long for you." Don't you think the only way people will long for you and weep for you is when you aren't proud but humble towards everyone?! think about it.!
Samreen Fathima Mirza, 17
Mail to: sammirza14@gmail.com
Thought for the day archive May. Topic: random wisdom
May 1st: Imam Ali (as): "If you expect someone to do more than he is able to do, then expect him to fail you by as much as you have exceeded his capacity"
May 2nd: Imam Hasan Al Askari : “Whoever does good deeds for the sake of the Hereafter, Allah will amend for him his affairs in this world.”
May 3rd: Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) : "The worst one of the people before Allah is the scholar who does not put his knowledge into practice and does not benefit from it"
May 4th: Imam Ali (as): "He who is abandoned by near ones is dear to remote ones"
May 5th:Imam Ja'far as sadiq (as) : "He who devotes his heart to this world will be subjected to three conditions: endless grief, unquenchable desire, and futile hope."
May 6th:Imam Mehdi (as):"Nothing is like praying, in rubbing the Satan's nose with earth. So pray and rub the Satan's nose with earth."
May 7th:Imam Ali (as): "Be ware of misers and evil,there are the people who do not fear Allah"
May 8th:Imam Hasan Al-Askari (as): "Generosity has a limit, which when crossed becomes extravagance; caution has a limit which when crossed becomes cowardice; thriftiness has a limit, which when crossed becomes miserliness; courage has a limit, which when crossed becomes fool-hardiness. Let this moral lesson suffice: refrain from doing anything which you would disapprove of if done by someone else."
May 16th:Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba (as) :"If you fail to obtain something of worldly benefit, take it as if the thought of it had never crossed your mind at all."
May17th: Imam Hasan (as) :" Associate with and treat the people in way as you like to get associated and treated by them".
May 18th:Imam Hasan (as) : "When the desirable and commendable services damage and harm the obligatory services, abandon them"
May 19th:Imam raza (as) :"Giving alms is the most valuable savings"
May 20th:Imam Hasan (as) :"It is love which brings closer those who are remote by ancestry, and it is (the absence of) love which causes dissociation between those who are related by ancestry."
May21st:Imam Muhammad Taqi (as) :" "Toba" depends upon four things: sincere regrets, verbal "istighfar", deeds and determination never to repeat the sin"
May 22nd: Imam Hasan (as) : "The greatest forgiveness and pardon of Allah comes when the sinner is not able to make a pretext for his wrong doing."
May 23rd:Imam Hasan (as): "I wonder about the person who contemplates about his nutrition but he does not consider (the food of) his intellect. Thus, he avoids of what hurts him in his stomach but he lets his mind to be filled with what destroys him"
May 24th: Imam Ali (a.s) : "The doer of good is better than the good itself, and the doer of evil is worse than the evil itself"
May 25th: Imam ali (as) : " Be generous but not extravagant; be thrifty but not miserly."
May 26th: Imam Hussain (as):"He who tries to achieve something through acting disobediently to Allah will miss what he expects and fall in what he fears"
May 27th: Imam Hussain (as) :"The true stingy is that who refrains from greeting."
May 28th: Imam Ali (as) :" Do not appreciate one's affection before you enrage him three times."
May 29th: Imam Ali (as) : "Debt is grief at night and humility in day"
May 30th: Imam Ali (as) : "If your worldly demands are attainable, you should check your religion"
May 31st: Imam Ali (as) : "The innumerable fools have made the learned very scarce"
May 2nd: Imam Hasan Al Askari : “Whoever does good deeds for the sake of the Hereafter, Allah will amend for him his affairs in this world.”
May 3rd: Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) : "The worst one of the people before Allah is the scholar who does not put his knowledge into practice and does not benefit from it"
May 4th: Imam Ali (as): "He who is abandoned by near ones is dear to remote ones"
May 5th:Imam Ja'far as sadiq (as) : "He who devotes his heart to this world will be subjected to three conditions: endless grief, unquenchable desire, and futile hope."
May 6th:Imam Mehdi (as):"Nothing is like praying, in rubbing the Satan's nose with earth. So pray and rub the Satan's nose with earth."
May 7th:Imam Ali (as): "Be ware of misers and evil,there are the people who do not fear Allah"
May 8th:Imam Hasan Al-Askari (as): "Generosity has a limit, which when crossed becomes extravagance; caution has a limit which when crossed becomes cowardice; thriftiness has a limit, which when crossed becomes miserliness; courage has a limit, which when crossed becomes fool-hardiness. Let this moral lesson suffice: refrain from doing anything which you would disapprove of if done by someone else."
May 16th:Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba (as) :"If you fail to obtain something of worldly benefit, take it as if the thought of it had never crossed your mind at all."
May17th: Imam Hasan (as) :" Associate with and treat the people in way as you like to get associated and treated by them".
May 18th:Imam Hasan (as) : "When the desirable and commendable services damage and harm the obligatory services, abandon them"
May 19th:Imam raza (as) :"Giving alms is the most valuable savings"
May 20th:Imam Hasan (as) :"It is love which brings closer those who are remote by ancestry, and it is (the absence of) love which causes dissociation between those who are related by ancestry."
May21st:Imam Muhammad Taqi (as) :" "Toba" depends upon four things: sincere regrets, verbal "istighfar", deeds and determination never to repeat the sin"
May 22nd: Imam Hasan (as) : "The greatest forgiveness and pardon of Allah comes when the sinner is not able to make a pretext for his wrong doing."
May 23rd:Imam Hasan (as): "I wonder about the person who contemplates about his nutrition but he does not consider (the food of) his intellect. Thus, he avoids of what hurts him in his stomach but he lets his mind to be filled with what destroys him"
May 24th: Imam Ali (a.s) : "The doer of good is better than the good itself, and the doer of evil is worse than the evil itself"
May 25th: Imam ali (as) : " Be generous but not extravagant; be thrifty but not miserly."
May 26th: Imam Hussain (as):"He who tries to achieve something through acting disobediently to Allah will miss what he expects and fall in what he fears"
May 27th: Imam Hussain (as) :"The true stingy is that who refrains from greeting."
May 28th: Imam Ali (as) :" Do not appreciate one's affection before you enrage him three times."
May 29th: Imam Ali (as) : "Debt is grief at night and humility in day"
May 30th: Imam Ali (as) : "If your worldly demands are attainable, you should check your religion"
May 31st: Imam Ali (as) : "The innumerable fools have made the learned very scarce"
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pillar of Islam forgotten
We shia's all know our ossol-e-deen. Tawheed, adl, nabuwat, Imamat & Qayamat. And even though these are the pillars of our faith, we don't necessarily believe in them as much as we should.
How many times have you heard someone say or said yourself "this is not fair" ?. Just this question asked in self pity and remorse in any situation shows disrespect and lack of faith in the adalat (justice) of Allah. Everything that happens in our lives is because of the choices we make, what we do on our daily basis, every action has it's consequences and accordingly we have to bear with them, because Allah makes the judgement. So how can anything in the lives of a Muslim let alone a shia'a be unjust or unfair?! On the contrary it should be welcomed!!
It is something we really need to think deep about. We seldom focus ourselves on our roots, the pillars of our religion are not just for us to know on our fingertips, it's the base of our beliefs. How can you pray five times a day when you don't think Allah is just with you?. We need to acknowledge that everything in Islam has depth and meaning, and it's all beneficial to us in the end of the day. If we take this pillar (adl) alone for instance, so many of our problems would not arise. Believing in the justice of Allah is the safest feeling, it's an everyday optimistic attitude. What could be better than having the trust of your life and its happenings in the hand of Allah, the all merciful, the all knowing, the powerful!. Do we need any more satisfaction than the satisfaction of Allah planning our lives?!. I don't think so.
Just imagine if you were to believe in this with your heart, every event of your life you would welcomed with open arms, the happiness, the sadness, the despair, because every time something does happen, you know its because Allah wished it to happen to you. And Allah is never going to want bad for any of its creations be it animals or humans.And He is never unfair, we will reap only what we sow.
So change your attitude, go back to your roots they are there for a reason. Identify them and next time anything happens to you thank Allah for his kindness and generosity things could always be worser than they are. Repent for your sins, your actions will yield the results so think before you do anything remember Allah is watching and he's going to be doing his justice with EVERYONE. And Inshallah you will be safe from sinning and always satisfied with life.
Syeda Fatima, 18
(syeda715@hotmail.com)
How many times have you heard someone say or said yourself "this is not fair" ?. Just this question asked in self pity and remorse in any situation shows disrespect and lack of faith in the adalat (justice) of Allah. Everything that happens in our lives is because of the choices we make, what we do on our daily basis, every action has it's consequences and accordingly we have to bear with them, because Allah makes the judgement. So how can anything in the lives of a Muslim let alone a shia'a be unjust or unfair?! On the contrary it should be welcomed!!
It is something we really need to think deep about. We seldom focus ourselves on our roots, the pillars of our religion are not just for us to know on our fingertips, it's the base of our beliefs. How can you pray five times a day when you don't think Allah is just with you?. We need to acknowledge that everything in Islam has depth and meaning, and it's all beneficial to us in the end of the day. If we take this pillar (adl) alone for instance, so many of our problems would not arise. Believing in the justice of Allah is the safest feeling, it's an everyday optimistic attitude. What could be better than having the trust of your life and its happenings in the hand of Allah, the all merciful, the all knowing, the powerful!. Do we need any more satisfaction than the satisfaction of Allah planning our lives?!. I don't think so.
Just imagine if you were to believe in this with your heart, every event of your life you would welcomed with open arms, the happiness, the sadness, the despair, because every time something does happen, you know its because Allah wished it to happen to you. And Allah is never going to want bad for any of its creations be it animals or humans.And He is never unfair, we will reap only what we sow.
So change your attitude, go back to your roots they are there for a reason. Identify them and next time anything happens to you thank Allah for his kindness and generosity things could always be worser than they are. Repent for your sins, your actions will yield the results so think before you do anything remember Allah is watching and he's going to be doing his justice with EVERYONE. And Inshallah you will be safe from sinning and always satisfied with life.
Syeda Fatima, 18
(syeda715@hotmail.com)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Gheebat And Tohmat
Knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, the fact remains that most of us occupy ourselves by doing gheebat or/and Tohmat. Forgetting about ourselves, we sit pinpointing at others, backbiting about them, judging or blaming them for things they haven't done and etc.
We want to know what she did and what he is going to do, rather than correcting ourselves we find fault in others and expose it in public, we try our best to insult them, embarrass and humiliate them and try our best to to conceal our own faults. I strongly believe that before even thinking bad about others we should first correct ourselves. Every individual should ask one question to himself and that is - What am I?
Gheebat means to talk behind someones back, and Tohmat is when what is spoken about that person is false or bad. And all of us are guilty of this sin. Most people don't know that gheebat is so much disliked by Allah and he takes away his blessings from those who do it and also it is mentioned in the Holy Quran that gheebat is equivalent of eating the flesh of ones dead brother.
"O you who believe, you shall avoid any suspicion, for even a little bit of suspicion is sinful. You shall not spy on one another, nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother. You certainly abhor this. You shall observe GOD. GOD is Redeemer, Most Merciful." [49:12]
As a matter of fact none of us really want to stop talking about others. We want the world to know what is happening in his life, her life, everyones life. If a person commits a mistake and the other knows about it, he/she is supposed to keep that as a secret and not go about telling it to everyone. It is very indecent to do so. We as Muslims must try our best to talk good about others, to appreciate their good deeds and try to correct their flaws not in public but privately and explain them in a very polite manner.
However there are few types of gheeba's which are permitted and they are:-
1) complaint - such as to a ruler or a judge
2) seeking advice from a maulvi
3) Seeking help to change a wrong deed (Munkar), or to prevent some disaster befalling a Muslim.
4) Consultation in the matters of marriage, business partnerships or asking about a particular neighborhood (i.e. with a view to moving there), etc.
5) Mentioning the sin of one who commits his sin openly, or the Bid'ah of the innovator
6) Description of someone who is known by a certain physical characteristic, such as al-A'raj (the one who walks with a limp), al-Asamm (deaf), al-A’ma (blind), etc.
6) Description of someone who is known by a certain physical characteristic, such as al-A'raj (the one who walks with a limp), al-Asamm (deaf), al-A’ma (blind), etc.
But again this also depends on a persons intentions and Allah is all knowing.
"O my servants who have wronged themselves. never despair of the mercy of Allah for truly he forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (39:53)
There is more to life than talking behind each others backs. Make life more productive; indulge in doing things that are right and practice amr bil ma'ruf and nahy anil munkar.let us quit on backbiting and start a fresh life with all the positivity.Surely Allah will forgive our sins (Ameen) only if we promise to not repeat them again.
Samreen Fathima Mirza, 17
(sammirza14@gmail.com)
Samreen Fathima Mirza, 17
(sammirza14@gmail.com)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Hijab part 2- Womens Hijab
"And order the Muslim women to lower down their sights a little and guard their chastity and show not their adornment but as much which is itself apparent and remain putting their head coverings over their bosoms....." Surah Nur, ayat 31
The above ayat in the Quran talks about the Hijab for women & from whom it is to be done. Hijab is like a statement made by the women about their integrity and self worth without voicing it .Every woman is beautiful, and so Hijab helps the women to protect that beauty which is precious and not for the world to enjoy.It protects the women from harm physically & emotionally by not attracting unwanted attention from random people. The confidence and power that Hijab gives to women is remarkable and a blessing from Allah.
The Hijab for women consists of the following things:
1) Lowering ones gaze: Lowering ones gaze is a sign of modesty and respect. The muslim women just like the men are not to look at na-mahrams unnecessarily. Looking at mahram men is allowed but also without any lustful intension. If one has a doubt that their looking at someone might trigger any haraam feelings or thought, it is haraam to look at that person.
2) Dress code - Women are to cover certain parts of the body:
a) Hands till the wrist
b) Head and neck
c) Legs
d) Feet
In addition to covering these parts women are to wear clothing that doesn't reveal the shape of their body. wearing jewelery that is seen is also Haraam except for rings, which also would have to be avoided if they were to trigger any lust in another person. Also wearing jewelery that's not seen but whose noise attracts attention eg.bangles or anklets are to be avoided.
The Prophet (SAW) asked Fatima (SA), what is the thing which is a blessing for woman? She said that, 'she must not see a man (stranger and not intimate) and a man must not see her.'
3) Interacting with na-mahram men- It is Haraam to talk to na-mahrams without a reason. Unnecessary conversations lead to no positivity. When it is meant not to speak to na-mahrams one must not confuse it with not speaking to the people at college or work the point is to only have the amount of conversation that is needed. Islam is a practical religion, and Allah knows you can't live without communicating to the other beings when something is to be said. Shaking hands with na-mahrams is also haraam unless you are wearing gloves so there is no contact oh the skin.
4) Movement- women in general are to be more contained than out there, anything that attracts attention is to be avoided. Because even though your intention might be right you can't trust nor help how the other people feel or think about a certain way because of your actions.
If you're Hijab is not as it's supposed to be then you aren't doing Hijab not to get discouraged though, you can always work towards becoming perfect.Especially since now it's clear to you.
Every woman should guard her beauty from random people. It's only when you respect your body and not just in your mind but show that you do, is when you'd be given due respect in return and not be objectified (which is very prominent in todays world).Women strangely are in a fit and are speaking up against them being objectified when they themselves in some way or the other are promoting it. It's time to become practical and deal with this with a sense of maturity and logic. Discuss this with you fellow girl friends and sisters, see who the loser is in the process the one who is hiding or the one who is "flaunting" it all like an idiot.
Muslim women are not oppressed, we have been liberated in every single way. What is more liberating; to walk on the street covered shielding your body and feeling safe demanding respect, Or wearing what you like and revealing your body and being in constant fear of being mistreated or objectified?. This is a logical question every girl and women should ask herself, Allah has not made anything wajib or haraam because he felt like it without a reason, it's all a benefit to us in the end of the day. So girls embrace Hijab and promote it clear all the stupid misconceptions. Be proud to represent yourselves as Muslim women.
Syeda Fatima, 18
(syeda715@hotmail.com)
The above ayat in the Quran talks about the Hijab for women & from whom it is to be done. Hijab is like a statement made by the women about their integrity and self worth without voicing it .Every woman is beautiful, and so Hijab helps the women to protect that beauty which is precious and not for the world to enjoy.It protects the women from harm physically & emotionally by not attracting unwanted attention from random people. The confidence and power that Hijab gives to women is remarkable and a blessing from Allah.
The Hijab for women consists of the following things:
1) Lowering ones gaze: Lowering ones gaze is a sign of modesty and respect. The muslim women just like the men are not to look at na-mahrams unnecessarily. Looking at mahram men is allowed but also without any lustful intension. If one has a doubt that their looking at someone might trigger any haraam feelings or thought, it is haraam to look at that person.
2) Dress code - Women are to cover certain parts of the body:
a) Hands till the wrist
b) Head and neck
c) Legs
d) Feet
In addition to covering these parts women are to wear clothing that doesn't reveal the shape of their body. wearing jewelery that is seen is also Haraam except for rings, which also would have to be avoided if they were to trigger any lust in another person. Also wearing jewelery that's not seen but whose noise attracts attention eg.bangles or anklets are to be avoided.
The Prophet (SAW) asked Fatima (SA), what is the thing which is a blessing for woman? She said that, 'she must not see a man (stranger and not intimate) and a man must not see her.'
3) Interacting with na-mahram men- It is Haraam to talk to na-mahrams without a reason. Unnecessary conversations lead to no positivity. When it is meant not to speak to na-mahrams one must not confuse it with not speaking to the people at college or work the point is to only have the amount of conversation that is needed. Islam is a practical religion, and Allah knows you can't live without communicating to the other beings when something is to be said. Shaking hands with na-mahrams is also haraam unless you are wearing gloves so there is no contact oh the skin.
4) Movement- women in general are to be more contained than out there, anything that attracts attention is to be avoided. Because even though your intention might be right you can't trust nor help how the other people feel or think about a certain way because of your actions.
If you're Hijab is not as it's supposed to be then you aren't doing Hijab not to get discouraged though, you can always work towards becoming perfect.Especially since now it's clear to you.
Every woman should guard her beauty from random people. It's only when you respect your body and not just in your mind but show that you do, is when you'd be given due respect in return and not be objectified (which is very prominent in todays world).Women strangely are in a fit and are speaking up against them being objectified when they themselves in some way or the other are promoting it. It's time to become practical and deal with this with a sense of maturity and logic. Discuss this with you fellow girl friends and sisters, see who the loser is in the process the one who is hiding or the one who is "flaunting" it all like an idiot.
Muslim women are not oppressed, we have been liberated in every single way. What is more liberating; to walk on the street covered shielding your body and feeling safe demanding respect, Or wearing what you like and revealing your body and being in constant fear of being mistreated or objectified?. This is a logical question every girl and women should ask herself, Allah has not made anything wajib or haraam because he felt like it without a reason, it's all a benefit to us in the end of the day. So girls embrace Hijab and promote it clear all the stupid misconceptions. Be proud to represent yourselves as Muslim women.
Syeda Fatima, 18
(syeda715@hotmail.com)
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