Monday, July 29, 2013

My Daughters My Shield from Fire , Fire of Hell ( Jahannam..)


When I was reading Tafsir today morning, I have gone through these Ayah many times, again and again. Only one question coming to my minds, has anything changed? 
This was situation 1400 years ago, Jahiliyah.. ignorance is still there, we still kill our daughters. Tears started flowing in my eyes.
Why do we still kill our daughters?  What will we say when Allah the most exalted will ask her on the day of Judgement? 
Why she was killed?
What was her crime?




Change is Awaited?



Quran Surah 81, Takwrr Tafsir Tafhimul Quran 
وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ ﴿81:8﴾ 
(81:8) and when the girl-child buried alive shall be asked:

بِأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ قُتِلَتْ ﴿81:9﴾ 
(81:9) for what offence was she killed? *9
*9 The style of this verse reflects an intensity of rage and fury inconceivable in common life. The parents who buried their daughters alive, would be so contemptible in the-sight of Allah that they would not be asked: "Why did you kill the innocent infant?" But disregarding them the innocent girl will be asked: "For what crime were you slain?" And she will tell her story how cruelly she had been treated by her barbarous parents and buried alive. Besides, two vast themes have been compressed into this brief verse, which though not expressed in words, are reflected by its style and tenor. First that in it the Arabs have been made to realize what depths of moral depravity they have touched because of their ignorance in that they buried their own children alive; yet they insist that they would persist in the same ignorance and would not accept the reform that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) was trying to bring about in their corrupted society. Second, that an express argument has been given in it of the necessity and inevitability of the Hereafter. The case of the infant girl who was buried alive, should be decided and settled justly at some tune, and there should necessarily be a time when the cruel people who committed this heinous crime, should be called to account for it, for there was none in the world to hear the cries of complaint raised by the poor soul. This act was looked upon with approval by the depraved society; neither the parents felt any remorse for it, nor anybody in the family censured them, nor the society took any notice of it. Then, should this monstrosity remain wholly unpunished in the Kingdom of God?


 
This barbaric custom of burying the female infants alive had become widespread in ancient Arabia for different reasons. One reason was economic hardship because of which the people wanted to have fewer dependents so that they should not have to bear the burden of bringing up many children. Male offspring were brought up in the hope that they would later help in earning a living, but the female offspring were killed for the fear that they would have to be reared till they matured and then given away in marriage. Second, the widespread chaos because of which the male children were brought up in order to have more and more helpers and supporters; but daughters were killed because in tribal wars they had to be protected instead of being useful in any way for defence. Third, another aspect of the common chaos also was that when the hostile tribes raided each other and captured girls they would either keep them as slave-girls or sell them to others. For these reasons the practice that had become common in Arabia was that at childbirth a pit was kept dug out ready for use by the woman so that if a girl was born, she was immediately cast into it and buried alive. And if sometimes the mother was not inclined to act thus, or the people of the family disapproved of it, the father would rear her for some time half-heartedly, and then finding time would take her to the desert to be buried alive. This tyranny and hard-heartedness was once described by a person before the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) himself. According to a Hadith related in the first chapter of Sunan Darimi, a man came to the Holy Prophet and related this incident of his pre-lslamic days of ignorance: "I had a daughter who was much attached to me. When I called her, she would come running to me. One day I called her and took her out with me. On the way we came across a well. Holding her by the hand I pushed her into the well. Her last words that I heard were: Oh father, oh father!!" Hearing this the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) wept and tears started falling from his eyes One of those present on the occasion said: O man, you have grieved the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet said: Do not stop him, let him question about what he feels so strongly now. Then the Holy Prophet asked him to narrate his story once again. When he narrated it again the Holy Prophet wept so bitterly that his beard became we with tears. Then he said to the man: "Allah has forgiven that you did in the days of ignorance: now turn to Him in repentance.'
It is not correct to think that the people of Arabia had no feeling of the baseness of this hideous, inhuman act. Obviously, no society, however corrupted it may be, can be utterly devoid of the feeling that such tyrannical acts are evil. That is why the Holy Qur'an has not dwelt upon the vileness of this act, but has only referred to it in awe-inspiring words to the effect: "A time will come when the girl who was buried alive, will be asked for what crime she was slain?" The history of Arabia also shows that many people in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance had a feeling that the practice was vile and wicked. According to Tabarani, Sa`sa'ah bin Najiyah al-Mujashi`i, grandfather of the poet, Farazdaq, said to the Holy Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah, during the days of ignorance I have done some good works also among which one is that I saved 360 girls from being buried alive: I gave two camels each as ransom to save their lives. Shall I get any reward for this?" The Holy Prophet replied; "Yes, there is a reward for you, and it is this that Allah has blessed you with Islam."
As a matter of fact, a great blessing of the blessings of Islam is that it not only did put an end to this inhuman practice in Arabia but even wiped out the concept that the birth of a daughter was in any way a calamity, which should be endured unwillingly. On the contrary, Islam taught that bringing up daughters, giving them good education and enabling them to become good housewives, is an act of great merit and virtue. The way the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) changed the common concept of the people in respect of girls can be judged from his many sayings which have been reported in the Hadith. As for example, we reproduce some of these below:
"The person who is put to a test because of the birth of the daughters and then he treats them generously, they will become a means of rescue for him from Hell." (Bukhari, Muslim).
"The one who brought up two girls till they attained their maturity, will appear along with me on the Resurrection Day ... Saying this the Holy Prophet jointed and raised his fingers. (Muslim).
"The one who brought up three daughters, or sisters, taught then good manners and treated them with kindness until they became self-sufficient. AIlah will make Paradise obligatory for him. A man asked: what about two, O Messenger of Allah? The Holy Prophet replied: the same for two." Ibn `Abbas, the reporter of the Hadith, says: "Had the people at that time asked in respect of one daughter, the Holy Prophet would have also given the same reply about her. " (Sharh as-Sunnh).



 
"The one who has a daughter born to him and he does not bury her alive, nor keeps her in disgrace, nor prefers his son to her, Allah will admit him to Paradise." (Abu Da'ud).
"The one who has three daughters born to him, and he is patient over them, and clothes them well according to his means, they will become a means of rescue for him from Hell. " (Bukhari, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Ibn Majah).
"The Muslim who has two daughters and he looks after them well, they will lead him to Paradise." (Bukhari: Al-Adab al-Mufrad).
The Holy Prophet said to Suraqah bin Ju'sham: "Should I tell you what is the greatest charity (or said: one of the greatest charities)? He said: Kindly do tell, O Messenger of Allah. The Holy Prophet said: Your daughter who (after being divorced or widowed) returns to you and should have no other bread-winner." (Ibn Majah, Bukhari Al-Adab al-Mufrad).
This is the teaching which completely changed the viewpoint of the people about girls not only in Arabia but among all the nations of the world, which later become blessed with Islam.




Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Steadfast in Principles






Steadiness on principles



The stronger a person's personality is, and the firmer he remains on his principles and the more important he becomes.  Your principles may include that you do not take a bribe, no matter how beautifully it is referred to it: a tip, a gift, a commission, and so on.  Remain firm on your principles.
A wife may have the principle of never lying to her husband, regardless of how beautified it may be made for her in order to get along with him by using white lies.  Let her remain firm on her principles.
Such principles include not maintaining unlawful relationships with the opposite gender and not drinking alcohol. If a person does not smoke and one day sits with his friends who are smokers, then let him remain firm on his principles.
A person who sticks to his principles is seen as a hero, even if his friends pass judgment on him and accuse him of being difficult. You will find that many of these friends would certainly turn to him while facing great difficulties, or for advice concerning private matters.  They would consider him to be a more important person than the others.
This is not applicable for one gender in exclusion to the other.  Rather, it applies equally to men and women.  Be firm in your principles and do not waiver, or else people will subdue you.
When Islam became dominant and tribes began sending envoys to the Messenger of Allah an envoy from the Thaqif tribe came with ten odd men.  When they arrived, the Messenger of Allah brought them to the mosque so they may hear the Qur'an.
They asked him about usury, fornication and alcohol, so he informed that they were forbidden.  They also had an idol which they would honor and worship following their forefathers which was named arRabbah (i. e.  Goddess) and they used to describe it as atTaghiyah (the tyrant).  They had concocted various stories and tales about it to convince people of its strength. They asked the Prophet Sallallahhowsalam about arRabbah, as to what he would like to be done to it.  He replied without hesitation, "Destroyed. . . "
They were terrified and said, "Impossible! If she knew that you wanted to destroy it, she would annihilate everyone!"
'Umar, who was present in the gathering, was amazed at their fear of the idol being destroyed.  He said, "Woe be to you, 0 Thaqif! How ignorant you are! ArRabbah is just a stone that neither can benefit nor harm!"
They became angry and said, "We have not come to speak to you, 0 Ibn alKhattab!" 'Umar became silent.
They then said, "we want to stipulate a condition that you leave atTaghiya alone for three years, after which you may destroy it if you wish:'
The Prophet Sal’lallah ho’wsalam realized that they were attempting to negotiate on an issue of creed, which is the greatest principle in a Muslim, since the oneness of Allah is the very foundation of Islam!
However, if they really were about to become Muslims, then why the need to remain attached to this idol?
The Prophet Sal’lallah ho’wsalam replied, "No. "
They said, "OK, then leave it for two years, and then you can destroy it:'
"No," he replied.
They said, "OK, then leave it for a year only!" "No", he replied.
When they realized that he would not respond to their wished, they also realized that the issue was that of polytheism and faith, and therefore not open to bargaining!




They said, "0 Messenger of Allah, you be the one to destroy it. W can never destroy it ourselves. "
The Prophet Sal’lallah ho’wsalam said, "I will send someone to you who will spare you from having to destroy it.”
They said, "As for the prayer, then we do not want to pray, since we have a disdain for a man's bottom being higher than his head!"
The Prophet Sal’lallah ho’wsalam replied, "As for destroying your idols by your own hands, then we have absolved you from that, but as for the prayer, then there is no good in a religion that has no prayer!"
They replied, "We will do so, even if we scorn it," and made an agreement with the Prophet Sal’lallah ho’wsalam.
They went back to their people and called them to Islam, and the people became Muslims, albeit reluctantly.
There then came to them some men from the companions of the Messenger of Allah in order to destroy the idol.  The men included Khalid bin al Walid and alMughirah bin Shu'bah alThaqafi.

As the Companions headed for the idol, the people of Thaqif became terrified.  Their men, women and children came out to observe the idol.  They had a feeling in their hearts that the idol would not be destroyed and that it would somehow defend itself.
ALMughirah bin Shu'bah stood up, took an axe and turned to the Companions who were with him and said, "By Allah, I will make you laugh over Thaqif!"
ALMughira bin Shu'bah then approached the idol, struck it with the axe, fell on the ground and began to shake his leg.  Upon seeing this, the people of Thaqif screamed with joy, "May Allah distance alMughirah from His mercy! ArRabbah has killed him!" They then turned to the rest of the Companions and said, "Whoever of you wants to break the idol, let him step forward!"
Thereupon, alMughirah stood up laughing and said," Woe to you, 0 people of  Thaqif! I was only joking! This idol is only made of stone! Turn to Allah in repentance and worship Him alone!"
He then turned to the idol to destroy it whilst the people were still there, looking on.  He finally destroyed the idol, stone by stone, until it was leveled it to the ground.





Revelation •••
Whoever seeks people's pleasure at the displeasure of Allah, Allah becomes displeased with him, as do the people.  And whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah for the displeasure of people, Allah becomes pleased with him, as do the people"