Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-A'la (87)- Lesson (2-3)- Verses [3-8]: Facilitation

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1 Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-A'la (87)- Lesson (2-3)- Verses [3-8]: Facilitation Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. The thing that regulates all creatures: Dear brothers: The snake can catch the mouse in the deep dark, w ho did guide it? They put a w axen material over its eyes, and put a mouse in a room, and it w ent directly to it, they discovered that it w as able to spot the mouse through tw o small holes in its head w ork on the infra-red rays, and w hen these holes w ere covered, the snake could not pinpoint the place of the mouse any more! Some types of hornets dig a hole in the ground, and w hen it hunts a grasshopper, for example, it stings the pray to inject a poison in a special place in its body not aiming to kill it but to keep it anesthetized in order to keep it as a fresh food for its babies, the female after that lays the eggs beside the anesthetized grasshopper then it dies so as the male, yet the pray is still fresh for the babies till they hatch out and feed on it, Allah says: And Who has measured; and then guided. After the sperm fertilizes the ovum, it starts to split to thousands of cells in few days, w ho did guide some of these cells to be the spine? Who did guide other cells to form the heart? Who did guide some of them to be muscles? Who did guide some to be a transparent clear liquid in the eye? Who did guide some to be skin cells, nerves, hair, or intestines? There is one thing that regulates all the creatures, His Saying: Glorify the Nam e of your Lord, the Most High, Who has created(everything),and then proportioned it. And Who has measured; and then guided. And Who brings out the pasturage (Al-A'la-3) (Al-A'la,1-4) Everything on earth predicts the end of the world: Some interpreters said: the pasture is defined by

2 all plants that grow on the ground; Allah Who created us then He provided us w ith all w hat w e need, therefore, there is no point in the creation w ithout the provision? Allah says: And Who has measured; and then guided. And Who brings out the pasturage, (Al-A'la,3-4) Hence, the pasturage is everything that is called plants. Then Allah says: And then makes it dark stubble. Stubble here means dried up, and dark here means that the plant turned from green into yellow and finally into black w hen it dries up, and you can look at the leaves of the trees to know this fact as they turn into the black color after fall is over, Allah says: And Who has measured; and then guided. And Who brings out the pasturage, And then makes it dark stubble Another thing is derived from the consecution of these w ords, that is, the life is heading to annihilation, as the plant moves from fresh greenness to paleness, w ithering, death, and blackness, so as the life of human; as he/she moves from youth, inrush and dreams, tow ards elderliness, old age, and death. In fact, everything in this w orld predicts the end of the w orld as if w e are talking about the sunset, the autumn arrival, and the leaves' falling, Allah says: And Who has measured; and then guided. And Who brings out the pasturage, And then makes it dark stubble The first glad tiding: The Prophet PBUH should never forget Quran: The first good glad tiding came to the Prophet (PBUH) is that he w ill not forget Quran. Some of the Prophetic biographers narrated that this Surat is the dearest one to the Prophet (PBUH), and w hen he recited: Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High He said: Say it in your prostration, so w e say in the prostration: Glory to my Lord, the Most-High. Therefore, the first glad tiding came, Allah says: We shall make you to recite(the Qur'an)so you (O Muham m ad[p.b.u.h])shall not forget (it). (Al-A'la-6) This means "We w ill make you to recite the Qur'an, and you shall not forget w hat you read", some said that

3 "shall not" here is prohibition, and some said: it is a negation, i.e. you usually do not forget, and in another interpretation: bew are of forgetting, that is, avoid the causes that lead to forgetting: I complained to Waki about my poor memory So he ordered me to abandon disobedience And informed me that the know ledge is light And that the light of Allaah is not given to the disobedient **** Do not disobey Him during the day in order to be granted to be aw ake at night (He w ill honor you w ith the night prayer), one sometimes forgets some of his information because he disobeyed Allah You should know that no matter how much sure you w ere about your Quran memorization, you w ill forget it the minute you disobey any of it. Therefore, this verse has tw o indications (and as the Propet PBUH indicates that w e can understand Quran in many w ays) first of w hich is that We shall make you to recite, so you shall not forget, means that this is a good glad tiding for you o Muhammad (PBUH) i.e. its memorization is up to Us, w hile some considered this as a miracle, namely, how come an illiterate person memorizes the Qur'an after reciting it once only w hich is considered beyond humans' ability. Usually Al Hafez (the one w ho memorizes Quran by heart) has to recite Quran over and over so he w on t forget it, so how did the Prophet (PBUH) memorize the Qur'an in w hole after reciting it just for one time? They said: it is an glad tiding for the Prophet PBUH, and is a miracle if shall not is considered as negation. But if it is considered as prohibition then shall not is mentioned in the sense of rearing us through the Prophet PBUH, namely, don t do anything that w ill lead you to forget Quran like disobeying any of it. The Prophet is assured by Allah that He never forgets His Words: Another thing I w ill mention in regard of forgetting topic. In psychology point of view, human being usually remembers the thing that he/she cares about, this is a rule of thumb. Consider these examples: if a man takes the phone number of his fiancée, he, undoubtedly, w ill memorize it from the first time and never forget it, also the indebted merchant's memory is his note book, and if a person promised to help you in finding a high-rank job, and he gave you his phone number, very probably you w ill memorize it, w ithout w riting it dow n, so you never forget the thing you care and long for. In that same concept, the Prophet PBUH w as infatuated by Allah that he never forgot His w ords, so if "shall not" is a negation, then it is a rule and an glad tiding as the one w ho forgets something is he w ho has no interest in it. The forgetting and remembering is a very huge and important subject that needs to be discussed in details yet w e can brief it by saying that there is a scientific relation betw een remembering something and concerning about it, therefore, w e can say that I know w ho you are from the things you care for. Anas ibn Malek narrated that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Whoever concerns himself w ith the Hereafter, Allah w ill make the richness in his heart(content and optimist),and w ill reunite him(w ith w hom he loves), and the w orld w ill be compelled to him(w ill lead a happy life,as he hopes), and w hoever concerns himself w ith the w orldly life,allah w ill make his poverty in his heart(afraid from the poverty all the time, pessimist) and w ill make him disunited (w ith w hom he loves),and w ill not get from this life except w hat has been ordained for him* Allah says: [At-Termidhi]

4 We shall m ake you to recite(the Qur'an)so you (O Muham m ad[p.b.u.h])shall not forget (it). Except w hat Allah maw w ill.he know w hat is apparent and w hat is hidden. i.e. you might forget. The interpreters have many aspects in the interpretation of this Ayah, some said: for a perfect w isdom, Allah might make His Prophet (PBUH) forget something, w hich happens at times, the Prophet said: "O Allah, I am a human, and I forget like the rest of mankind" (Al-A'la,6-7) In these cases, the forgetting is caused by Allah the Great and Almighty, like w hen Allah sent dow n security for the believers, slumber overtook a party of them, this slumber is a mercy to them. A person, sometimes, might forget something for his ow n benefit, as he/she might go blank on a date to w hich if he/she show ed up, could have been in great trouble, so Allah make him/her forget that date and go blank on it for his/her ow n benefit. Allah s will is absolute and nothing can limit, disable, or forbid it: Allah says: We shall m ake you to recite(the Qur'an)so you (O Muham m ad[p.b.u.h])shall not forget (it). Except w hat Allah maw w ill.he know w hat is apparent and w hat is hidden. (Al-A'la,6-7) This means that except for w hat Allah w ills to make you forget, then you forget it out of your human nature. The second meaning is very precise, that is: the Will of Allah the Great and Almighty cannot be limited, and this fact leads us to other topics, such as: If someone overheard that paying charity money before traveling brings Allah s protection to him/her during this travel, so according to w hat he/she heard he/she paid 100 Syrian pounds as charity before traveling, the question in this case, does that 100 bill protect this person regardless Allah s w ill? Does it insure that nothing w rong w ill happen to this person during his/her travel? In other w ords does this money limit Allah s w ill? Of course not, as Allah s w ill is absolute and no one and nothing can limit, disable or forbid it. The w orst of all is that someone might think that paying that money before traveling w ill surly protect him/her even though he/she might sin during the travel. Or someone might think that paying money s Zakat is a w arrantee to protect his/her money (so in his/her mind he/she thinks by Zakat he/she is altering Allah s w ill), even though he/she might spend part of it on sinful things. Therefore, you get Allah s protection w hen you abide by Allah and avoid w rongdoings, and Allah s w ill can t be limited, disabled or forbidden, Allah says:

5 We shall m ake you to recite(the Qur'an)so you (O Muham m ad[p.b.u.h])shall not forget (it). Except w hat Allah maw w ill.he know w hat is apparent and w hat is hidden. (Al-A'la,6-7) Allah's Will is the Supreme and the Dominant, nothing delays, restrains or prevents it. Therefore, to summarize the meaning of the Ayah: It is considered as a good glad tiding, namely, We w ill make you to recite but be careful not to forget it, and you shall not forget it because you are very interested in it, this is a rule and reserving Quran is up to Allah not to you. Or it is considered as a miracle, namely, Allah decided that the forgetting is for man s best interest, therefore: the Prophet (PBUH) said": "I am not but a human w ho forgets like any other human so w hen I do, remind me". [Muslim narrate by Yehya Bin Yehya] If the Prophet PBUH forgets, so how about us? But w hen the Prophet forgets, this happens for a perfect w isdom. Also w hen the believer is upright according to Allah's Order, and Allah makes him forget something or makes his enemies forget as w ell, that might be for his ow n benefit. Hence, forgetting is one of Allah s Graces. Each one of us at some point w as at fault for another person, the kind of faults that if it is remembered, one w ill melt in shame, and if this feeling and remembrance kept coming w ithout the ability to forget, life w ill turn into a living hell, therefore, forgetting is a blessing from Allah to mankind. Allah knows the hidden and the apparent: Then Allah says: Except w hat Allah maw w ill.he know w hat is apparent and w hat is hidden. As I previously said, Allah the Exalted and Glorious know s the secret and w hat is more hidden, so if he know s the hidden then He is likely to know w hat is apparent. Exactly like the Archw ay Metal Detector in airports that is able to detect hidden w eapons w hich if w as exposed by someone is likely to be spotted and its holder w ould be taken into custody. Allah says: Except w hat Allah maw w ill.he know w hat is apparent and w hat is hidden. Allah says: And if you (O Muhammad)speak (the invocation) aloud, then verily, He know s the secret and that w hich is yet more hidden. (Taha-7)

6 Allah know s w hat is hidden from your companion and even from yourself as you don t know how things are going to turn out. Imam Ali, May Allah is pleased w ith him said in regard of this Ayah and the w ord more hidden : Allah know s the past and the future and w hat isn t took place yet, w hat it w ould be if w ere to happen and that is the meaning of more hidden as Allah s w ill is absolute. We should be righteous for the sake of Allah: Consider this example, someone heard in a lesson that if the man w as righteous, Allah w ill help him in his earthy life, so he straightened up to be successful in his trade, not out of love for Allah, and for that he didn t commit any sin that he used to commit for the sake of his success in business, Allah the Great and Almighty said: Verily, those w ho say:" Our Lord is Allah(Alone)",and then they stand firm, on them the angels w ill descend (at the time of their death):"fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise w hich you have been prom ised! So this man applied w hat he heard, but he is taken by surprise in spite of his straightness! What is the reason? The follow ing Ayah clarifies the point: Except w hat Allah may w ill (Fussilat-30) Allah know s the intention of this man, he straightened up as a mean to profit, not because he loves Allah and His Revelations, nor to escape from His Torment, and because Allah know s the secret and w hat is more hidden, Allah delays the help to rear him, as if Allah is saying: O My slave, straighten up for My Sake, not for the sake of profit, straighten up sincerely for My Sake, Allah says: Say(O Muhammad) "Verily I am commanded to w orship Allah (Alone) by obeying Him and doing religious deeds sincerely for His Ske only. Sincerely for Allah s sake If someone insincerely applied an Ayah from Quran that is considered as a law, such like the follow ing Ayah, but did that for his safety and out of his love to earthy life: (Az-zumar-11) Whoever w orks righteousness w hether male or female w hile he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism)verily, to him We w ill give a good life, and We shall pay them certainly a rew ard in proportion to the best of w hat they used to do(i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). (An-Nahl-97) He/she w ill not get the benefit of such Ayah because as w e mentioned before Allah s w ill is absolute and no one has the ability to limit or alter it.

7 The second good glad tiding is facilitation: People representative in the Parliament has a political immunity that might be removed from him by the same authority that gave it to him if he misused this immunity, hence, there is a w ill over his w ill, and then Allah says: And We shall make easy for you(o Muhammad[p.b.u.h]) the easy w ay. And this is the second good glad tiding, making easy, the easy w ay is absolute, because basically w hen Allah the Exalted and Glorious, created life and mankind on earth, He set up purposes for that creation among w hich is to know him by reflecting on the universe by the mere mind. w hen they are acquaintance w ith Allah they w ill be righteous by follow ing his orders w hich w ill lead them straight to Him and as a result they w ill rejoice closeness to Allah by performing rightdoings that w ill grant them a seat of truth, near the Omnipotent King(Allah), and this is the Divine Plan for the creation of man, Allah says: And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should w orship Me (Alone). (Al-A'la-8) (Adh-Dhariyat-56) Facilitation is related to human s purposes: When man's aims match the aim that he w as created for, his businesses w ill go easy, Allah says: Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked(him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative(of good),all-know ing. This punishment is meaningless, Allah says too: (An-Nisa'-147) If they (non-muslims) had believed in Allah, and w ent on the Right Way(i.e. Islam) We w ould surely have bestow ed on them w ater (rain) in abundance. And He said: (Al-Jinn-16) And if the people of the tow n had believed and had the Taqw a(piety),certainly,we should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (w ith punishment) for w hat they used to earn(polytheism and crimes) And He said also: (Al-A'raf-96) Verily, those w ho say:" Our Lord is Allah(Alone)",and then they stand firm, on them the angels w ill descend (at the time of their death):"fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise w hich you have been promised! (Fussilat-30)

8 And He said: No doubt! Verily, the Auliya' of Allah (i.e. the pious believers), no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. (Yunus-62) The facilitation is meant for Islamic call: When man in this life, basically, acts according to the fundamentals that Allah w illed and w hen he/she heads tow ards the aim that Allah assigned him/her to, his/her life, certainly, w ill be easy, but if he/she deviates from this aim, and gets out of the road, and slow in speed, Allah treats him/her w ith distress or hardship. Most deviated people in this w orld are treated by Allah through hardship in their money, kids, w glad tiding, and selves w hich could be understood by the naïve as a hardship of life and no one can be at ease apart from it. Some w ould say in regard of that: Glorified Allah, he created us for hardship and torment, this saying is like the saying w hen someone visit a class of retarded student and says: What kind of teaching is this? And he forgets that this is a class of students w ith special needs, but in other classes students usually are granted respect, comfort and good teaching. Hence it is out of naivety to think that the hardship from Allah is something w e unfairly have to face in this life not as a divine treatment for mankind. On the contrary life should be easy for those w ho know Allah, so the first thing in this Ayah is that it is a good glad tiding for our Prophet PBUH. Didn t the Prophet PBUH carry the message of Allah alone? It w as less than 25 years before the w orld came to big change, this w as facilitation, and this is the endless giving, this is the meaning of His Saying: And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad). One man (the Prophet PBUH) changed the w orld during tw enty five years, he could change misery to happiness, w orry to serenity, and poverty to richness. The Prophet PBUH said: (An-Nisa'-113) O U'dai, perhaps w hat makes you unw illing to embrace this religion is w hat you see of their need and poverty! By Allah, the money is on the verge of abundance in their hands till no one w ants to take it, and, perhaps w hat makes you unw illing to em brace this religion is w hat you see of the hosts of their enemies! By Allah, you are about to hear about the Babylonian w oman goes on a pilgrimage riding her camel, does not fear, and perhaps w hat makes you unw illing to embrace this religion is that you see the dominion and suzerainty (rule) in the other's hands, By Whom w hose Muhammad's soul in His Hand you are about to hear that the Babylonian palaces are opened to the Arabs All that took place! Of course the easiness in this verse meant the facilitation in calling to Islam, as Islam has spread in spite of all the difficulties and obstacles, and the heads of Quraish stayed in Prophet PBUH s w ay, and they conspired and fought him but they couldn't do anything, Allah says: They w ere plotting and Allah too w as plotting; and Allah is the Best of those w ho plot. (Al-Anfal-30)

9 Simplification and easiness were characters of the Prophet PBUH: Allah says: Verily, they are but plotting a plot(against you O Muham m ad{p.b.u.h}). and I (too) am planning a plan. So give a respite to the disbelievers ;deal gently w ith them for a w hile. (At-Tariq,15-17) This is the first thing, the good glad tiding for the Prophet (PBUH), and as long as he carries Allah s message, Allah makes things easy for him in his calling. Facilitating is one of the characters of the holy Prophet (PBUH), some Hadiths prove this, one of w hich is: Mrs A'isha said: Whenever Allah's Apostle w as given the choice of one of tw o matters, he w ould choose the easier of the tw o, as long as it w as not sinful to do so, but if it w as sinful to do so, he w ould not approach it. Allah's Apostle never took revenge (over anybody) for his ow n sake but (he did) only w hen Allah's Legal Bindings w ere outraged in w hich case he w ould take revenge for Allah's Sake.* (Al-Bukhari) And w hen he (the Prophet PBUH) is in his house, he used to be the kindest smiling man and even a little girl can hold his hand and he w ould follow her w herever she w anted to go, and w hen he enters his house, he used to w rap up his clothes lest he w akes anyone, and w hen he prostrates, Al-Hassan and Al- Husain used to be above his back, and he prolonged his prostration lest he annoys them, and he used to say to them: how excellent is your camel, and how excellent is your load. In his clothing, he w ore the turban, the cap, the w ool, the cotton, the linen, the Yamani gow n, the green gow n, the jubbah, the shirt, the sandal, the shoes, the robe and the pants, and he w ore w hat is available, therefore, Imam Ali, may Allah is pleased w ith him, said: "man cannot be the protector of his family except after he does not care about w hich/any of his (tw o) garments he w ears". If you are easy in dealing w ith people, you w ill earn dignity and respect in that, and if you are rigid in regard of insignificant things, you w ill degrade your prestige, yet if you w ere angry because a sin w as committed in your house, it is then o.k. because this anger is for Allah the Great and Almighty. The Prophet s manners in eating: In regards of His eating manners, a man said: I had a friend w ho is the greatest in my eyes because he cares less about earthy life! He has full control over his appetite as he never long to a food that is not available nor does he overeat from an existing food. The Prophet (PBUH) never rejected w hat is available of food nor did he long for food that is not available, and he did not criticize a food ever. He also ate confections, dates, honey, and the infusion of dates, and speaking of w hich, some fasiqeen (dissolute people) drink the w ine claiming that the Prophet drank the infusion of dates, they lied! He used to put some dates in w ater in the evening and in the morning He drinks it as a sw eet drink, and he ate the cucumber, the bread of barley and others,

10 and the bread w ith vinegar only, and once he w as invited to a bread-vinegar banquette! Mrs A'isha narrated that, the Prophet(PBUH) said: How excellent condim ent is vinegar* (Muslim) And he said too: How excellent condiment hunger is, because you eat anything w hen you are hungry, and he said: if I am invited to a trotter (stew ed sheep s foot), I w ill accept the invitation, and he ate the salted stored meat. Ibn Mas'aud narrated that a man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and he trembled (w ith fear) w hen he w as talking to him, He said to him: take it easy! I am not a king, but I am a son of a w oman w ho used to eat the salted stored meat* (Ibn Maja ) He ate the pumpkin, and if he did not find food in his home he asked: have you got anything? If the answ er w as: No, he w ould say then: I am fasting (today)!, he slept on the bed and sometimes on a mat and a w ooden board. Once Omar came to him and saw him sleeping on a mat and the mat left marks on his cheek, so Omar cried so the Prophet PBUH asked: w hy do you w eep, Omar?! To w hich Omar answ ered: the Messenger of Allah sleeps on a mat, and Kisra (the title of the king of Persia) sleeps on the silk (silky bed)! He said: O Omar, it is a Prophethood not a Dominion, aren't you pleased that the w orldly life is their share, and the Hereafter is ours?. The Prophet was easy in dealing with others: Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "The religion (of Islam) is easy, and w hoever makes the religion a rigour, it w ill overpow er him. So, follow a middle course (in w orship); if you can't do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at morn and at dusk and some part of night". (Al-Bukhari) The basis of the religion is easiness, don't restrict on yourselves lest you w ill be restricted, it w as said to the Children of Israel: Slaughter a cow! They said: w hat color is it? Bright yellow cow, w hat is it? From question to another till the cow that they w ere ordered to slaughter became a specific one ow ned by a w glad tiding, and she asked as its w eight of gold, Allah says: O you w ho believe! Ask not about things w hich, if made plain to you,may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them w hile the Qur'an is being revealed, they w ill be made plain to you. Allah has forgiven that, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing. (Al-Ma'idah-101) Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet(PBUH) said: "Do not ask me so long as I do not impose anything upon you, because those w ho w ere before you w ere destroyed on account of their frequent questioning and their disagreement w ith their Prophets. So w hen I order you to do something, do it as far as you can; and w hen I forbid you from doing anything, eschew it.'' (Al-Bukhari)

11 It is like some people, now adays, w ho ask many questions in regard of everything around them like: Shall I w ear the exported shirt? Shall I? Shall I? the Prophet (PBUH) said:" Al-Munbatt (w ho w earies his camel beyond its ability) no land he passed over, nor back he kept, it kneeled dow n out of fatigue, so he also stopped! Now adays, w e have vehicles, if w e overrun them, they w ill breakdow n. The easiness w as existed in all actions of the Prophet (PBUH), he used to say: Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that Allah's Apostle said: " Make things easy and do not m ake them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them and do not repulse (them). He used to say: (Al-Bukhari) Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)said: it is forbidden to the Hell everyone w ho is easy, soft, lenient close to the people* Someone read Hadith, and he w as bad-spoken, he said: the believer is a bag of cotton (homograph: one of tw o or more w ords spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation), he w as asked: w hat is the meaning of a bag of cotton? He said: easy and soft! The hadith itself, is: the believer is shrew d, smart, prudent! And he said: Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: the believer is friendly (person), and there is no good in a person w ho doesn't get along w ith people and is not easy to be got along w ith There is also a sort of men w ho are rude and rough, and the most odious man to Allah is the vehement disputer, w ho bears grudge. Once the Prophet PBUH met a man and asked him: What is your name? He said: Hazan (it means sadness), He said: No, you are Sahl (easy), and once He asked a little girl: w hat is your name? She said: A's'ia (sinner), He said: No you are Jamila (beautiful). He used to prefer the easiness in everything. It is considered out of kindness to meet your brother w ith a smiling face. Several meanings for the follow ing Ayah: Allah says: And We shall make easy for you (O Muhammad) the easy w ay. This is a good glad tiding that this religion w ill spread, its flag w ill be high, it w ill reach the east and w est, and you w ill conquer the countries, this is the first meaning. The second meaning is that the Prophet (PBUH) preferred the facilitation in all things. The third meaning is that if you love Him (Allah), and if you love the Prophet and send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him, this w ill cause (inspire) revolutions,i.e. changes in yourself that you hadn't know n before, Allah says: [Ahmad] [Ahmad] (Al-A'la-8) Those w ho follow the Messenger, the Prophet w ho can neither read nor w rite(muhammad) w hom they find w ritten w ith them in the Taurat(Torah) and the Injeel(Gospel) he commands them for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islam ic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them form Al-Munkar(i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allow s them as law ful At-Tayyibat(i.e. all good and law ful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods) and prohibits them as unlaw ful Al-Khaba'ith (i.e. all evil and unlaw ful as regards things,

12 deeds, beliefs, persons, foods), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allah's Covenant w ith children of Israel) and from the fetters (bindings) that w ere upon them. So those w ho believe in him(muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light(the Qur'an) w hich has been sent dow n w ith him, it is they w ho w ill be successful. (Al-A'raf-157) What is needed is true faith not superficial one: Human s inner self is all about desires before he/she gets to know Allah and be pleased by His Prophet s company. His insistence on fulfilling desires w ill be perished aw ay, and the restraining lust w ill go aw ay as w ell the minute he/she repent to Allah the Al-Mighty and get to know him, and w hen you do so, the urging desire for smoking (for example) w ill disappear. Same w ith everything else that you once found it very difficult to quit w ill become easy for you to let go of it such like low ering your gaze or being angry. But to be able to abandon such acts easily you have to hold on to a true faith not superficial one, so w hen you truly low er your gaze, earn your money law fully, be kind to your parents, perform prayers and remember Allah, then you w ill have a fundamental alteration in your manners, and that exactly the meaning of the follow ing Ayah: He releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allah's Covenant w ith children of Israel) and from the fetters (bindings) that w ere upon them. So those w ho believe in him(muhammad[p.b.u.h]), honour him, help him, and follow the light(the Qur'an) w hich has been sent dow n w ith him, it is they w ho w ill be successful. (Al-A'raf-157) The truthful is he w ho know s this meaning, you feel as if a burden like a mountain has been removed off your shoulders. The believer should be w itty, he passes all his w orries to Allah the Great and Almighty, He (the Prophet PBUH) said: Whoever makes all the concerns as one concern (pleasing Allah), Allah w ill take care of all his concerns Prophibitions are more serious than orders: Listen to this story, a Bedouin came to the Prophet (PBUH) asking for his need. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave him something. Bedouin w as not content, and moreover he used harsh and inappropriate language against Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The companions became very angry, and w ere ready to hurt him. But Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) prevented them from haste. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took the Bedouin to his home, and gave him some more. The Bedouin saw that the residence of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) w asn't like those of the heads of governments, and there is no luxury in his home. The Bedouin became content w ith the share, and thanked Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). At this time, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked him: "You said a harsh w ord yesterday, w hich caused anger in my companions. I fear that they w ill hurt you. Would you be w illing to show your appreciation in front of them, so that their anger be resolved, and they don't hurt you?" The Bedouin said: "Sure." The next day, the Bedouin came to the Masjid. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) addressed his companions: "This

13 man says, he is content w ith his share, is it true?" The Bedouin said: "That is true." Then he repeated the appreciation that he had shared w ith Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the companions smiled., the story ended here, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) addressed the group to teach them: "The parable of me and these types of individuals is like that of the man w hose camel w as running aw ay from him. With the [thought] they could help the ow ner, people w ere running after the camel. The camel w as frightened and ran faster. The ow ner called on the people, please leave my camel alone, I know better how to calm it. When the people stopped chasing the camel, the ow ner follow ed it calmly, w ith a fistful of grass. Then w ithout the need for running, yelling, he show ed the grass to it, (the prophet continued) and if I left you to your anger, you w ould have been killed that Bedouin and w ill enter hellfire because of this act." Hence, this is the w ay that the Prophet PBUH used to follow in dealing w ith his enemies, as easiness w as a character of His. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Do not ask me so long as I do not impose anything upon you, because those w ho w ere before you w ere destroyed on account of their frequent questioning and their disagreement w ith their Prophets. So w hen I order you to do something, do it as far as you can; and w hen I forbid you from doing anything, eschew it Because the are bans more serious than the orders, Allah says: (Al-Bukhari) And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any one w ho w ill remember(or receive admonition)? And He also said: (Al-Qamar-17) Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets rew ard for that (good) w hich he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) w hich has earned. And He said: (Al-Baqarah-286) And has not laid upon you in religion any hardship: it is the religion of your father Ibrahim(Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Qur'an), that the Messenger(Muhammad[p.b.u.h]) may be a w itness over you and you be w itnesses over mankind! (Al-Haj-78) The following Ayah is the centre of Islamic law: At-Tayammum (to use clean sand or dirt as a substitute for ablution) w as legislated instead of the ablution, in the case of the w ater absence, and the Prophet performed At-Tayammum once by w iping the hands to the elbow s, and once w ith the hands only, and it is allow able to pray seated and recumbent and by gesture also, is there any easiness more than this?! The important thing is you should not leave performing prayers, and in the travel, the shortening in the prayer (Kaser and Jame e) w as legislated, and there is another shortening because of fear, the Kibla (Qibla=the

14 direction tow ards w hich Muslims turn w hen they pray) of the frightened person is the direction of his security or safe, the traveler's Qibla is the direction of his animal that he rides (or car direction now adays), the sick w oman does not pray, the traveler and the ill person do not fast. The pilgrimage is for he w ho can afford the expenses, and Az-zakat (the obligatory alms giving) can be given in cash or other forms. Scholars said: if a man got married to a young w oman, he can pray at home for the first w eek after marriage if he feared to leave her alone in the house. The divorce is a sort of facilitation, if the marital life becomes unbearable, and Al-Khul' ( the conditional divorce) in cases of hatefulness from the w ife s side. Hence, if w e track dow n the matters of the Shari'a (Islamic Law ) w e w ill find that all of them are centered on His Saying: We shall make easy for you(o Muhammad) the easy w ay. Next meeting w e w ill begin w ith His Saying: (Al-A'la-8) Therefore remind (men) in case the reminder profits(them). The reminder w ill be received by him w ho fears (Allah), But it w ill be avoided by the w retched, Who w ill enter the great Fire. There he w ill neither die(to be in rest) nor live. (Al-A'la,9-13) Translation : Saud Abdurrazaq Auditing : Noura Sharabi