As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Auzo Billahe minash Shaitanir-Rajim. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim

Grain of corn

Surah Al Baqarah 2: 261

261. The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah, is that of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower.

Rewards of Spending in Allah's Cause

This is a parable that Allah made of the multiplication of rewards for those who spend in His cause, seeking His pleasure. Allah multiplies the good deed ten to seven hundred times. Allah said,

The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah...

Sa`id bin Jubayr commented, "Meaning spending in Allah's obedience.'' Makhul said that the Ayah means, "Spending on Jihad, on horse stalls, weapons and so forth.'' The parable in the Ayah is more impressive on the heart than merely mentioning the number seven hundred. This Ayah indicates that Allah `grows' the good deeds for its doers, just as He grows the plant for whoever sows it in fertile land. The Sunnah also mentions that the deeds are multiplied up to seven hundred folds. For instance, Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Mas`ud said that a man once gave away a camel, with its bridle on, in the cause of Allah and the Messenger of Allah said,

On the Day of Resurrection, you will have seven hundred camels with their bridles.

Muslim and An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith, and Muslim's narration reads, "A man brought a camel with its bridle on and said, `O Messenger of Allah! This is in the sake of Allah.' The Messenger said,

(You will earn seven hundred camels as reward for it on the Day of Resurrection. )

Another Hadith: Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(Every good deed that the son of Adam performs will be multiplied ten folds, to seven hundred folds, to many other folds, to as much as Allah wills. Allah said, "Except the fast, for it is for Me and I will reward for it. One abandons his food and desire in My sake.'' The fasting person has two times of happiness: when he breaks his fast and when he meets his Lord. Verily, the odor that comes from the mouth of whoever fasts is more pure to Allah than the scent of musk. Fasting is a shield (against sinning), fasting is a shield.) Muslim recorded this Hadith.

Allah's statement,

Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills is according to the person's sincerity in his deeds.

And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower meaning, His Favor is so wide that it encompasses much more than His creation, and He has full knowledge in whoever deserves it, or does not deserve it. All the praise and thanks are due to Allah.

Reference: Tafsir ibn Kathir (abridged) English version.

Wa Alaikum Salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

As-Salamu-Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Auzo Billahe minash Shaitanir-Rajim. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim

The Rope

Surah Al-'Imran 3:103

103. And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies of one another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became brethren, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear to you, that you may be guided.

The Necessity of Holding to the Path of Allah and the Community of the Believers

Allah said,

And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves. It was said that,

to the Rope of Allah refers to Allah's covenant, just as Allah said in the following Ayah,

(Indignity is put over them wherever they may be, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allah, and from men;) [3:112], in reference to pledges and peace treaties.

Allah's statement

and be not divided among yourselves, orders sticking to the community of the believers and forbids division. There are several Hadiths that require adhering to the Jama`ah (congregation of believers) and prohibit division. Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(It pleases Allah for you to acquire three qualities and displeases Him that you acquire three characteristics. It pleases Him that you worship Him Alone and not associate anything or anyone with Him in worship, that you hold on to the Rope of Allah altogether and do not divide, and that you advise whoever Allah appoints as your Leader. The three that displease Him are that you say, `It was said,' and, `So-and-so said,' asking many unnecessary questions and wasting money.)

Allah said,

and remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became brethren.

This was revealed about the Aws and Khazraj. During the time of Jahiliyyah, the Aws and Khazraj were at war and had great hatred, enmity and ill feelings towards each other, causing long conflicts and battles to occur between them. When Allah brought Islam, those among them who embraced it became brothers who loved each other by Allah's grace, having good ties for Allah's sake and helping each other in righteousness and piety. Allah said,

(He it is Who has supported you with His Help and with the believers. And He has united their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them)[8:62,63], until the end of the Ayah. Before Islam, their disbelief had them standing at the edge of a pit of the Fire, but Allah saved them from it and delivered them to faith. The Messenger of Allah reminded the Ansar [from both Aws and Khazraj] of this bounty when he was dividing the war booty of Hunayn. During that time, some Ansar did not like the way the booty was divided, since they did not get what the others did, although that was what Allah directed His Prophet to do. The Messenger of Allah gave them a speech, in which he said,

(O Ansar! Did I not find you misguided and Allah directed you to guidance because of me Were you not divided beforehand and Allah united you around me Were you not poor and Allah enriched you because of me) Whenever the Prophet asked them a question, they would answer, "Indeed, Allah and His Messenger have granted us bounty.''

Reference: Tafsir ibn Kathir (abridged) English version.

Wa Alaikum Salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Auzubillahi minash shaitan ir rajeem,

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim,

Deus wrote: Sadly, we see many Muslims today whose similitude is that of a donkey as well.

Sadly it is true, but sounds offensive and rude unless fruther explained with examples

There are mostly in the Ummah muslims who do not have the correct knowledge of their religious laws. This is a bigger problem than of those who know but do not apply on themselves.

There is a very small population of muslim Ummah who are scholars, trained by those who have mastered the deep sciences of Islam. Most of the people carrying the burden on their backs without understanding them are those who rely either on just themselves or a very restricted circle of opinions to understand Islam.

I hope the trend of learning Islam changes back to the method of relaying knowledge not just thru books but also thru individuals who have received wisdom from these books, insha allah.

Maa salaama.

Nausheen

As-Salamu-Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Auzo Billahe minash Shaitanir-Rajim. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim

Rain and Physical Growth

Surah Al-Hadid 57:20

20. Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) like a rain (Ghayth), thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.

This Life of this World is Fleeting Enjoyment

Allah the Exalted degrades the significance of this life and belittles it by saying,

that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children, meaning, this is the significance of this life to its people, just as He said in another Ayah,

(Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return with Him.)(3:14) Allah the Exalted also sets a parable for this life, declaring that its joys are fading and its delights are perishable, saying that life is,

Like a rain (Ghayth) which is the rain that comes down to mankind, after they had felt despair. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

(And He it is Who sends down the Ghayth (rain) after they have despaired.)(42:28) Allah's statement,

thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; meaning that farmers admire the vegetation that grows in the aftermath of rain. And just as farmers admire vegetation, the disbelievers admire this life; they are the most eager to acquire the traits of life, and life is most dear to them,

afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw, meaning, that vegetation soon turns yellow in color, after being fresh and green. After that, the green fades away and becomes scattered pieces of dust. This is the parable of this worldly life, it starts young, then matures and then turns old and feeble. This is also the parable of mankind in this life; they are young and strong in the beginning. In this stage of life, they look youthful and handsome. Slowly, they begin growing older, their mannerism changes and their strength weakens. They then grow old and feeble; moving becomes difficult for them, while doing easy things becomes beyond their ability. Allah the Exalted said,

(Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.)(30:54) This parable indicates the near demise of this life and the imminent end of it, while in contrast, the Hereafter is surely coming. Those who hear this parable should, therefore, be aware of the significance of the Hereafter and feel eagerness in the goodness that it contains,

But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment, meaning, surely, the Hereafter that will certainly come contains two things either severe punishment or forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. Allah the Exalted said,

And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment, meaning, this life is only a form of enjoyment that deceives those who incline to it. Surely, those who recline to this life will admire it and feel that it is dear to them, so much so, that they might think that this is the only life, no life or dwelling after it. Yet, in reality, this life is insignificant as compared to the Hereafter. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(Paradise is nearer to any of you than the strap on his shoe, and so is the (Hell) Fire.) Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith through the narration of Ath-Thawri. This Hadith indicates the close proximity of both good and evil in relation to mankind. If this is the case, then this is the reason Allah the Exalted encouraged mankind to rush to perform acts of righteousness and obedience and to avoid the prohibitions. By doing so, their sins and errors will be forgiven and they will acquire rewards and an exalted status.

Reference: Tafsir ibn Kathir (abridged) English version.

Wa Alaikum Salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu