Friday Talks
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Transgression and Justice
Written by: Sk. Younis Ali.
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa.
In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
All thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and prayers be upon the most honorable of all messengers, Muhammad.
One of the greatest sins that all religions have agreed on its condemnation; and which Islam fought it through out the times is: transgression or doing injustice. The messenger (PPBU) said: {Avoid or guard your self against being unjust or being a transgressor. For transgression is darkness in the day of resurrection}.
Transgression is what Allah made forbidden to him self, and made it forbidden for all His slaves. The messenger (PPBU) was reported to have said on behalf of his God: {My slaves, I have made transgression forbidden for myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you; so, do not transgress...}. Transgression here means offending; through placing matters in their wrongful place. And remember that transgression is of three types:
1) The first type: it is the uglier and worst type. And it is that Allah considers to be the biggest transgression. That is to associate partners with Allah other than Himself. Allah says: {And when Luqman said to his son advising him: “O my son! Associate not others with Allah. For associating others with Allah is a great transgression or a great wrongdoing”} 28-13. Association is a transgression because it places worship in its wrongful place. The type of transgression is not forgiven except through specific repentance from it. Allah says: {Allah does not forgive to be associated with and He forgives all which is less than that to all as He wills} 4-48.
2) The second type: is transgression of the individual slave against him/her self with sins and offences. You Abdull-Allh, Each and every sin you commit is a transgression and injustice you are doing to your self. Allah says: {Those who break the limits of Allah, they are the transgressors.} 2-229. Every sinner, transgressor and every one who disobeys, Allah says about them: {We did no transgression against them, but they transgressed on to themselves.}16-118. The messenger (PPBU) in his farewell Hajj trip speech said: {The guilt of a guilty individual befalls on to no one but him/self self.}
3) The third type: is the transgression that Allah will not let go. It is the transgression or the injustice one slave does to another creature. In this type the injustice must be undone for the victim by the transgressor. Allah says: {I take an oath with my Glory, I will make you victorious, even if after a while.}
Guard yourselves against transgression. The messenger (PPBU) said that this life will be filled with injustice and transgression at the end of time. Now we witness what he told us. Transgression is rampant amongst people, in blood, money, property and honor.
This world is ruled by the law of the jungle. The policies of threats, terrorism and the language of defiance and fear, selfish interests, dictatorships and one-way management that deals with other in the style of a master to slave. Policies resembling the leader and the led; Policies of self interests and no values; Policies of inequality and lack of justice, taking sides and double standards in all dealings.
It is a picture with clear dimensions of the bitter reality disliked by every free human being. The Israeli aggression continues to commit more crimes of killing, destruction and evacuations or exile. The support that the Israeli aggression is receiving, and the way it is facilitated and given the scope to commit more crimes is a testimony to the blind hate. It is a testimony that to some nations justice has no meaning and no luck.
Dear Muslims, Age or time itself is of two types: sweet and bitter types. And days are of two ends, prosperity and ease or distress and difficulties. And every need will pass to better times. And each hardship will be cleared. The sun disappears but to come back again. The trees loose its leaves and they come back again. And Allah has days that will revenge from the aggressor. This who knows Allah during the good times, Allah will know him/her when things are tough, and guards him/her against plots and schemes, and protects him/her in their sleep and his/her wakening. The best to be used as a shield is to stick to the Book and the Sunnah. Allah says: {O you who believe, if you support the cause of Allah, He will make you victorious and He will make your foothold firm and steady (7) But those who disbelieve, misery to them and Allah will make their deeds in vain (8) That is because they hate that; which Allah sent down; So He has made their deed fruitless (9) Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them? Allah destroyed them completely, and similar fate awaits the disbelievers (10) That is because Allah is the Lord and Master and protector of those who believe. And the disbelievers have no Lord. }47-7..11.
Dear Muslims, do what Allah has commanded you to support of your faith and your brethren. This is done in two ways:
First, is the clear and pure repentance from all sins. For what afflicted our entire nation is because of what we committed. Allah says: {What ever a calamity befalls you; is because of what your hands have committed. And he forgives a lot} Ash-Shoora 42-30.
Secondly, giving all the possible support to those who are being transgressed against in the line of Allah, near and far; Financial, political and moral support. Especially that we in this country, many of us have a very comfortable living. So, be generous to all your brothers every where, may Allah bless you. And remember that charity turn off the anger and wrath of the Rahaman, and protects against harm. And those who refuse help are only refusing help to themselves.
The Imam Dahabi (ÐåÈí) in his book “The Bool of the great sins” mentioned this story: there was a transgressing Sultan at his palace. An old lady came and built a shack or a hut beside the palace and lived in it. One day the sultan came out for stroll round his palace and he saw the shack and asked: “What is that?” He was told an old lady who comes and sleeps in it at night. He ordered it to be knocked down and demolished. And it was. The old lady made a prayer or a duaa to her God (May He be exulted). And Allah’s command came down fast upon the palace and all what was in it. It was destroyed.
Another man who was an assistant to a powerful transgressor, he went to the fish market one day. And unlawfully and forcefully he confiscated a big nice fish from an ordinary fisherman. While eating the fish at home, a bone went through his thumb and poisoned it. It had to be amputated. The poison seeped through to his hand and had to be amputated. And it followed to his elbow and had to be amputated. It followed on to his shoulder and entire body. A scholar after hearing his story advised him to go to his victim, the owner of the fish, the man he transgressed against and ask him to make that fish legal to him or Halal, or forgive him for what he did. And he did seek that man, who didn’t even recognize him due to the change of the looks of the transgressor due to the amputations. He told him his plight, and the fisherman forgave him. The transgressor eventually got better and had no more amputations.
Slaves of the Rahman, there are many stories, but there are so few who take the lessons from them.
Ali ebn Abi Talid said every Muslim must remember two matters:
1) The first is that the wisdom of Allah is that He gives a chance to the transgressor but He does not forget. At the end He takes a transgressor so painfully hard. Some times a transgressor is given time so the crimes committed get greater; and consequently the punishment gets greater, and the torment becomes tremendous.
2) The second is that norm or tradition of Allah in testing his believing slaves is continuing sorting, selecting, identifying, elevating and honoring them. And with the unbelievers crushing, destruction and painful torture. Allah says: {If a plight has touched you, be certain a similar plight has touched the others. And so are the days We alternate amongst people, so Allah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you, and Allah likes not the transgressors (140) And that Allah may test and purify the believers and destroy the disbelievers (141) Or did you think you will enter Paradise before Allah test those of you who will strive and those who are patient (142)}3-140..142.
The end always belongs to those who fear Allah. Victory and winning is always for those who are patient, who endure and those who are certain that patience brings victory. And certain that solution and peace will come with the problem, and always with the difficulty comes the ease.
Allah says: {Or did you think that you will enter paradise without you getting what those before you got. They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said: “When the help of Allah will come? Certainly, the help of Allah is near”}
{“Certainly, the help of Allah is near”}
{“Certainly, the help of Allah is near”}
I say this and I ask for Allah’s forgiveness and salvation for me and you and for all Muslims from all sins. Ask for his forgiveness. He is the most forgiving, the most merciful.
All Thanks be to Allah.
Notes:
- The inhabitants of the city of Almadina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
- is a verse of the Koran.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra: the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Iman: belief or faith
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Madinah: A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to.
Mekka: is the holiest city or Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Some say it was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
- Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
- PPBU: Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
- Qadr (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title used to call the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Kaaba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is :
faheemfb@gmail.com