Thursday, February 9, 2012

Pondering Over Quran : Surah A'raf Part 2

Salamlaykum again here's the part 2 of Pondering Over Quran : Surah A'raf Part 2 and for the newbies who don't know what's going on you can check out the part 1 here 
In the previous post we discussed the initial 2 calls that Allah swt makes to us and in total there are 4 calls that Allah makes. So here's notes for the remaining 2 calls;

3rd Call

Sahih International
O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.(verse 31)


There are 2 commands in this verse
- The first is to cover ourselves and wear best clothes when we are praying. And really, if we ever look at ourselves when we are out to meet some friends or relatives and when we are getting ready to pray in our homes.. When we are going to meet people or even if we are simply going out we ensure the color of the scarf is nice, the abaya isn't dirty and even under the abaya we ensure to wear nice clothes for various reasons - sometimes to just feel good and sometimes because we are going to be at a girly gathering. But when we are praying at our home we just flip on some cover on ourselves standing in our pajamas and a worn out t-shirt covered by the big shawl. Whereas Allah SWT is telling us to wear our best clothes SPECIALLY when we are praying because who are WE dealing with when we stand in prayer - The ONE who is the MOST beautiful and who LOVES beauty! I mean c'mon think about it girls and think really hard and don't be of those who are careless about the way they look just because they are praying!
- The second is to eat and to drink but to not be excessive because Allah does not love those who are excessive. Subhanallah, when we read this verse in the class it was as if someone took this one big boulder and hit me with it because I honestly enjoy food more than anyone I know of so it is only natural for me to get all curious and order different things and the portions are generally large for any average person.. and really even when we look at ourselves when we throw parties - the food is SOOO excessive and once again it's a reminder for me. People come to parties or attend gatherings for the company not for the food. Food and drink is the second part of it and I generally forget that which results in me placing an order for so much food that even when everyone leaves half of it remains and acts as dinner or lunch for the next day. But ofcourse we all have times when we are in the malls and we order something and are not able to finish the portion and we know what happens with the rest of it. So here are the few points of reflection from this command ;

1. Let's not transgress the allowed limit of our stomachs and not eat until it starts to harm our body. Let's not be excessive and luxurious in what we eat. How can you be luxurious with what you eat? By decorating it ALOT by eating only from certain expensive places while other restaurants offer the same quality at a lower price..
2. This also acts as a reminder for few people who serve their food in gold plates to show how filthy rich they are because excessive luxury and show off is not allowed.
3. This also should act as a reflection for the diet-o-holics because Allah IS asking us to Eat and Drink he's just asking us not to be excessive in it. What happens is that girls initially don't care about what they are eating and when they are eating it and then they decide to starve themselves by going on a diet - after reading the above verse it should be clear to us that Allah does not like us doing this kind of torture on ourselves. Then, there are other set of girls who just think that they are eternally fat so even if they are thin they still go on a diet to become so skinny that really looking at them makes you thank Allah for the body you have. The key is moderation - eating healthy and physical activity thats it.
4. Another point to ponder over here is that anything excessive of this world is disliked by Allah. So the verse's command should not just limit to our eating and drinking habits  but we should also think about the areas in our lives where we are excessive. It can be with our houses, the money we spend to build it, the interiors we design, all of it is okay but not to the crazy point of detailing.
Girls, we love to shop - we can go on in malls for hours without really even buying anything. But sometimes when the sales start we forget if we need something or don't and buy it regardless because the discount isn't gonna come back for few months at least. I know of people who buy stuff so much that they don't even know what they own exactly , bags of clothes with their tags still on collecting dust in the closet...

4th and Final Call

Sahih International
O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (verse 35)


This call is made in verse 35 talks about the people who believed in the message and changed to become pious and how these people will not have any fear or grief on the day of resurrection. In the immediate next verse, which is verse 36 Allah swt then talks about people who disbelieve and what's going to be their deal.
The fact is that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the last and final messenger sent to mankind from Allah swt and there is going to be none after him. So whosoever claims to love Jeasus or Moses or any other prophet (peace be upon all of them) for that matter of fact and still are not muslims are doing wrong to themselves. Because all these prophets also came with the same message that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent with which is to not associate any partners or intermediaries with God and to directly worship him without going through any other agent and have the utmost belief in his Oneness. His superiority and majesty over everything else.
Being a slave of One God is really not even an alien concept, it aligns with our natural disposition perfectly and it also makes more sense than any other philosophy. If we look all around us it is only natural that there is One God because if they were more we would find contradictions around us in his creation. If there were more Gods its bound that 2 parties have difference of opinions and the world around us would not work with such perfection and harmony.
Then there are those who think that God has sons or daughters - This is the misconception which I think is the most easiest to clear because if we think logically we as humans need children to carry our legacy because we are weak and won't live forever. We count on the love of our children to support us during our old age too. But if there is this One God who is the Most Powerful and ever living without any associates then why would HE need a son or a daughter? Recreation a human characteristic and to attribute it to the powerful, ever living and ever perfect God is just simply wrong.

If you are not a muslim and are reading this then know that it's time to think and contemplate on your beliefs , question them and see if you are genuinely satisfied with its teachings, if you don't see any contradiction or grey area in it. If you are a muslim and are reading this then Thank Allah swt from the depth of your heart for blessing you with Islam.

2 comments:

  1. Assalam alikum....very nice post ...totally agree on not being excessive and showing off.same time disagree on the the point that lot of us simply put on just anything while praying at home. The stress in the ayah is on good clothes and they need not be those dresses we wear to our frndz palce....the best clothes when we are praying reminds me to wear neat clean and clothes in which iam comfortable....cud be my pajamas too...definetely i wud not wear acceesories that distract me while praying...and wud not prefer wearing some party dress. I feel 'taking adorment to prayer' talks about being pure and good at niyah and ofcourse dressing too but if that dress is a comfortable n neat night dress....there is nothing wrong abt it and infact better that what i wear to a party or a formal dress.

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  2. Point noted, jazakallah khair for sharing your opinion.

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