|
|
|
|
|
|
.. |
Articles
Section
> Living the Quran in our Daily Lives by Imam
Muhammad Aslim Shaw Living
the Quran in our Daily Lives: There are so many events of different dimensions taking place in the world today which confuse the mind. However, we have had the good fortune to study the Quran and have been blessed to recognise the Imam [spiritual leader] of the Age, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who had shown the relevant verses of the Holy Quran in which Almighty Allah has foretold the phenomenon around the world and its effects on our daily lives. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds (1:1). This is the very beginning of the Quran which clearly mentions the whole of the universe and the Creator and Originator Who maintains and provides His creation with all the necessary resources for its growth and development. In Chapter 6:102, Allah further states: And He creates everything and He has knowledge of all things. The reflection comes to our minds that no one but the Creator Himself can have the knowledge of the needs and the evolving of the heart and mind of man, Allah's choicest creation. It is only through His guidance that man can succeed in attaining the object of his existence. The material world in which we live has so many scientific inventions in so many different forms that we can hardly function without their services, and with these machines come what is known as 'Instruction Manuals' which we are required to follow if we are to have the best functioning and service from these inventions. Must we not, then, turn to the Manual that Almighty Allah has provided for us, the Holy Quran, if we are to live as Allah wants us to? In Chapter 76:2-3 it is said: Surely We have created man from sperm mixed (with ovum), to try him, so We have made him hearing, seeing. We have truly shown him the way; he may be thankful or unthankful. Can we desire a better guidance that will help us to achieve a balanced life with success, health and peace? With all our machines we follow the instructions of the inventor, and when we are shown the way by Allah in the Quran, are we so unwilling to follow Allah's instructions? Is it any wonder that we find the world in its present state of disorder and all the unpleasant circumstances surrounding our daily lives? The corrective ways are all embodied in the Quran. Let us look at two of the main evils in our society, gambling and alcohol, which are prohibited by Almighty Allah in the Quran. Most people feel in their heart of hearts that gambling and consuming alcohol are bad for any society. In World War I, a proclamation went forth from the King of England that drinking in public should not be allowed, and this announcement was acclaimed by all sections of the community. Evidently, the King wanted to save his people from the injurious effects of drinking. The Government of the United States of America had also passed a similar law (the Prohibition), but in both countries the habit of the people had become so deep-rooted that it could not be eradicated. Consider the Holy Prophet Muhammad's announcement and the results he achieved even though his people were also steeped in this vice [Webmaster's note: "O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the devil ’s work; so shun it that you may succeed." (Holy Quran, 5:90). This verse totally prohibits all intoxicants and games of chance. It is related that when this verse was revealed a crier proclaimed in the streets of Madinah that wine was prohibited, and in response to this every jar of wine in a Muslim house was emptied, so that wine flowed in the streets (Bukhari, 46:20). Never in the history of the world was such a deep-rooted evil as drink so suddenly yet so completely eradicated. -- (Taken from the English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali)]. It shows here that the Quran is a powerful guidance for mankind to behave in accordance with the laws of nature. When any violations of its laws are encouraged, the disastrous effects it has on any society becomes evident. Gambling has become endemic throughout our society and has led to disastrous effects on family life. In Guyana, it is creating havoc with all the attendant ills of broken homes and suffering children, when so much needed funds are frittered away in this evil habit. How merciful was Allah to prohibit the use and the acquisition of the habit of these two evils, that if perchance the message of the Quran is adopted around the world, we will have a complete new beginning where the focus of man will be directed towards other ways of seeking happiness and comfort. This will eventually produce a world with values for peace and tranquillity, the improvement of health and social behaviour, and the upliftment of moral values and the standard of living. One of the characteristic teachings of the Quran is the universal appeal to mankind based on its natural laws. We recognise so many differences in man: colour, language, culture etc., yet all these differences can in no way alter the nature of man, and it was under these realities that the Quran mention: Mankind is a single nation (2:213), something that was only recognised by the scientists recently when they said that there was no genetic or any other basis for racial differentiation and discrimination. There are basic principles laid down in the Quran which directs all Muslims to the path necessary in order to attain success both in this world as well as in the hereafter. The Quran emphatically states that man is born free from sin, and that it is only our behaviour and actions which determines the future of our achievement. The theory of 'Atonement' we hear so much about today is never mentioned in the Quran. Instead, Allah tells us that an atom's weight of good or evil will have its reward. This statement alone becomes a controlling factor in that it sensitises our conscience to the fact that nothing is hidden from Almighty Allah, and so, great care has to be taken in what we say or do. Truthfulness, and the love of truth is a common heritage of all countries and all nations. There could be no order in any society without the practice of honesty and goodwill among people. As we can see, Islam is based on the highest social habits of mankind. This was why it was met with appreciation and acceptability wherever it was preached, because all its principles are rooted in the universal nature of man. Islam is a social system which is in essence democratic, based upon a strong sense of brotherhood, and able to reach across national loyalties. The advent of Islam and the teaching of the Holy Quran had the effect in many countries of encouraging and opening a new chapter in the history and civilisation of those countries. This aspect of Islam is one which serves as a valuable corrective to the modern reduced view of religion, and the role that religion can play in the affairs of the world. Islam lays further emphasis on charity and human sympathy as part of our religious obligations. Zakat becomes a compulsory duty on those who can afford to help the less fortunate in the society. There is hardly any part of a complete code of conduct in human affairs that was not touched by our Holy Prophet (pbuh). He was such a magnanimous person that he admired truth and knowledge and anything good and noble even if it were found in persons who were not of his following. A deputation once waited upon the Messenger and when they talked to him he saw that their behaviour was so dignified and their demeanour so composed, that he asked them how did they come to have such a character and such good manners. They replied that five things made them what they were, and of course the Prophet enquired what they were. The deputation answered as follows: 1. To be thankful to God while in affluence. On hearing this the Holy Prophet said: "Some men of knowledge are philosophers and in their understanding they are almost like prophets." The deputation was impressed with the frankness and generosity of the Prophet and became inspired by him. We can readily see that anytime people think progressively in the pursuit of advancing their relationship with the Creator of the Universe, they are in complete harmony with the teachings of the Quran. We do not deny that there were many prophets and revealed books before the Quran, but we also know that all kinds of knowledge progress by degrees, that is to say, the development of the human mind, as in case with culture and civilisation, is not an overnight affair but comes with time, and Almighty Allah Who is All-Powerful and Wise, knows when to shower His blessings on all the nations and He has given His final revelation which all should follow in order to gain success both materially and spiritually. Chapter 68:52 states: And it is naught but a reminder to all nations. This proclaims in the most unambiguous language that Allah is the Lord of the Worlds and Lord of all nations. This universality of outlook characterises the Holy Quran, and it came to the Holy Prophet (pbuh) who was so dedicated to this cause that a transformation of the human mind began in his own lifetime, and from then to now there has been such an appreciation of the Quran, which the world has not witnessed before. There is no doubt, therefore, of the future when mankind will finally acknowledge that this is the word of the Supreme Being, and not the work of man. Articles
Section
> Living the Quran in our Daily Lives by Imam
Muhammad Aslim Shaw
|
||||
|
|
