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Friday Talks |
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Friday Talks |
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Cooperation and help out, its grace and status
Written by: Sk Mahmoud Abu-Talha
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
09 Thul-Qada 1437.
12 August 2016.
All thanks be to Allah, the one who is worshipped, who is sought out for support. He helps those slaves of His who help others. He includes in His mercy the people of benevolence, charity and kindness. All praise be to Him. He commanded us to remember Him at all times. Out of His bounty and grace He widened up the means for us to be charitable. I give thanks to Him for what He truly deserves. I believe in Him and in Him I trust. This who is guided by Allah shall not be misguided, and he who is misguided by Allah shall not be guided. I testify that there is one and only God, Allah who has no partners. He encouraged us to cooperate and collaborate, and for that He promised us wealth, happiness and prosperity. I also testify that our prophet Muhammad is the salve and messenger of Allah and His choice of all mankind. Muhammad was the best of all people to put his trust into Allah, and Allah provided him with all needed support. He also blessed him with fantastic and comprehensive morals. May peace and prayers be upon him, and upon all of his family and companions and all those who follow him to the last day.
Slaves of Allah, I advise myself and you to be God fearing. Allah says: {Do help one another for righteousness and pious duty. And do not help one another unto sin and transgression. And be God fearing, for Allah is severe in punishment}5:2.
Cooperation and help is a form of civilisation, development, advancement and progress and construction. Collaboration and cooperation is power. As they say: a hand in a hand is power, and a penny on top of a penny is treasure and a brick over a brick is a building or a construction.
Collaboration between people for the good, righteousness and piety is a Godly demand, and of course of faith. Allah says: {Do help one another for righteousness and pious duty. And do not help one another unto sin and transgression}5:2. Ebn-Katheer said: Allah commands His faithful slaves to cooperate in doing good deeds, and that is piety, and commands them to cooperate in quitting and abstaining from doing evil, and that is God fearing. It is also banning or forbidding cooperating and helping for the sake of the wrong, evil or sin.
Cooperation is a cause to be a saviour from total demise. Allah says: {By the late afternoon, (1)
O man is in a state of lossighteousness and exhort one another to endurance and patience. (3)}103:1-3. Mr. ASsa3de said: exhorting to the truth which is faith and good deed means: they advise, urge each other towards that; and make each other desire to do so.
Cooperation is one of the necessities of life. It is not possible of an isolated individual to handle all burdens of life. It is from this point that the scholar Qurtubi may God bless him said: it is the duty of a scholar person to help people with his knowledge to teach them, and help the rich with his money, and help the courageous person with his courage. And it is for all Muslims to cooperate just as one hand.
The messenger ppbu was the quickest of all people to practice this moral; as Khadija explained that he was naturally disposed or moulded with that. After returning from the cave of Heraa where the first revelation happened, and when the messenger was panicking and fearful, Khadija calmed him down. She said to him: “Oh, no by Allah, Allah shall not shame you, never. You keep contact with your kin, and you take on and assist at difficulties, and you support the poor and destitute, and you serve your guests generously and you rightfully assist the calamity afflicted”.
Aesha said “the prophet ppbu used to be busy with his family deeds; but if prayer time comes then he goes up to prayer”. Al-Baraa said: “the prophet ppbu used to move earth and dust on the day of the battle of the trench (Khandaq) while saying: {
By Allah, if not for Allah we would not be guided,
nor we would have donated any (sadaqa),
nor we would do any prayers.
So Allah, do bring down calmness on to us, and hold our feet firm if we face a confrontation,
The people of enemies have aggressed against us,
They seek affliction and we keep avoiding
}”Cooperation or collaboration is one cause of coming together and it rebels against separation. Allah says: {And hold fast, all of you together, to the track or cord of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah's favour unto you: how you were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that yoy became as brothers by His grace; and (how) you were on the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah makes clear His revelations unto you, so that you may be guided}3:103.
Al-Ssa3ade said: “unity of Muslims round their faith, and the harmony of their hearts will make well their life and the next. By uniting they will be able to overcome all matters, that is God fearing matters and good deed matters”
Collaboration is a mean of achieving targets. It is from that Allah sent Musa pbu to Faro, inviting him to worship Allah alone. Musa pbu asked Allah to send with him; his brother Aron, in order to give him support, and stand by him in his quest. Allah says: {Appoint for me a support from my folk, (29) Aaron, my brother. (30) I can have him as a backup power (31) And let him share my task, (32)} 20:29-32. Allah answered Musa’s request, and gave him support, his brother Aron. They worked together preaching for Allah until Allah granted them victory over Faro and his army.
Similarly, Allah commanded Abraham pbu to build Kaaba who responded to Allah’s command. He asked his son Ismael to help him to implement the Godly order and help him build the Kabaa. He said to him: (O Ismael, Allah Has given me an order). Ismael said: Do what your God has commanded you. Abraham asked: Would you help me to do it? He said: I will help you. Abraham said: Allah has commanded me to build a house right here. So, they erected the foundations of the house. Ismael brought the stones while Abraham did the building. When the walls got higher, Abraham brought a stone so Ismael can stand on it in order to reach higher. Ismael kept handing stones to Abraham while they were reciting {O our God, accept from us, you hear all, and you are the know all}. They kept on going round the house while building the wall one row of stones at a time while continuously repeating praising Allah and saying: {O our God, accept from us, you hear all, and you are the know all}.
See the example of the collaboration and cooperation between Thel-Qarnain and the people of the dam. Allah has given Thel-Qarnain authority in the land, and has given him the logic and power over all things. Once he had the ability and authority then he had the power to implement what many could not. {They ask you of Thel-Qarnain. Say: I shall recite unto you some of his story (83) Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him power unto every thing. (84)}. Despite that, Thel-Qarnain still could not do it without the help of others when he needed to implement a large task. { Then he followed a road (92) Till, when he came between the two dam mountains, he found just ahead of them a folk that can hardly understand anything told. (93) They said: O Thel-Qarnain, Gog and Magog (yajooj, Majooj) are spoiling the land. So may we pay you on the condition that you set a barrier between us and them?} Thel-Qarnain was honest with them when he let them know that such a task will require cooperation, and can not be achieved without collaboration. {He said: That wherein my Lord has established me is better (than your tribute). Do but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank. (95) Give me pieces of iron - till, when he had levelled up (the gap) between the cliffs, he said: Blow! - till, when he had made it a fire, he said: Bring me molten copper to pour thereon. (96)}. What was the result of this great collaboration? The result was the completion of this great work. A formidable dam which cannot be crossed by attackers, nor they can drill a hole through it. By this dam they were able to isolate one great nation (yajooj and Majooj). Until this day, they have been trying to penetrate the dam, but it cannot happen until or unless permitted by Allah. Thel-Qarnain and those with him perfected their work to the point that the enemy failed to penetrate it.
There is strength in unity. As they say: a hand on a hand is power, and a penny on top of a penny is treasure and a brick over a brick is a building or a structure. The messenger ppbu said: {a believer to a believer is like a structure or a building or a wall that its parts support each other}. Quran represents the people of faith as a stacked up structure, while the prophet represents the faithful as a single body. Aljowzi said: in general the description is a statement, but the real meaning is a command. That is an encouragement or a motivation to cooperation.
Abi-Rabah7 said: look out for your brother at three situations: if they get sick go and visit them, if they are too busy then help them, and they forget then remind them.
Whenever Al-Shaibani was asked about the brothers in Allah, “who are they?” He said: those who act in obedience of Allah, who cooperate for Allah’s commands even if their homes and bodies were dispersed.
Cooperation is an aid for the aggressor or oppressor and for the oppressed. The messenger ppbu said: {Aid and support your brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed}. They said: “O messenger of Allah, we will support him if he was oppressed, but how could we support him if was an oppressor?” He said: {take hold of his hands}.
Cooperation amongst the companions
The companions were great examples to follow. They used to be just like a bee’s hive in the way it supported each other and in its cooperation. They were like a single body if an organ suffered, the rest of the organs in the body reacted with fever and lack of sleep. They did cooperated and they did not search for faults in each other. They supported each other and they did not plot against each other.
There was also another example of the cooperation between those immigrants (Muhajireen) and the host supporters (Ansar) after the hijra. Abd-Rahman ebn Owf said: when we came to Madina the messenger ppbu symbolic brother ties between me and Saad ebn Rabee3. Saad said to me: I have more money than anyone in this town; I will divide it half for you and half for me. And look at my wives whichever one you would fancy I will give her up for you. So after the legal period of divorce you can marry her. Abd-Rahman replied: May Allah bless your family and your money for you.
It is important to open up the gates of learning, and the gates of repentance and the gates of return to Allah. We need to say to people: come to doing good deeds and give up and refrain from evil. They gates of goodness are right open. Dear brother or sister, learn a chapter from the Quran, or teach a verse, or pass on some issue, or recite some hadeeth, or attend some class or halaqa, or listen to some recording, or read a book, or write the summary of a lecture, or give an advice, or distribute or publish some preaching material, or write some article, or design some web site for the truth, or correct some error, or keep in the company of a preacher, or spend or donate some money in good cause, or rescue someone who is desperate, or guide some lost soul, or receive well someone who repented, perform a prayer, or do amrah (mini pilgrimage), or give a talk, or give an opinion in a matter of truth, or resist an innovation, or denounce some bad wrong, or feed a hungry person, or go for a funeral, or dress unclothed person, or visit a sick person, or build a mosque, or repair a road, or aid an oppressed or wronged person, or plan a project for a good cause, or collect donations, restrain an enemy, or uncover a hypocrite, preach to a unbeliever, take opinion of a scholar, or suggest an idea in a good cause, and so on and on, or may be present a program or correspond with a newspaper…
What prevents cooperation and collaboration between brothers?
1. Blind total support or narrow-mindedness towards one sect or a sheikh or a party or a movement or a group and intolerance towards others.
2. Selfishness and not love goodness for others.
3. False suspicions that this cooperation will be in the benefit of some individuals and not others.
4. Love for one self, and loving leading rolls, and being in authority and being in the spotlight.
5.
Envy and jealousy towards others and having bad misconception or pre-bad opinions or wrong attitudes about others.
{ Might and honour belong to Allah and to His messenger and to the believers; but the hypocrites know not. } 63:8.
O Allah make this assembly of ours a blessed assembly, and our dispersing afterward make us protected, and everyone amongst us or with us; do not make us miserable or deprived.
O Allah we ask you guiding, God fearing, to be chaste and virtuous, prosperity and contentment.
O Allah grant each or us a tong that always speaks of You, and a humble and submissive heart. And a good deed, and a useful knowledge which would elevate our status with You, and grant us firm and fixed faith, and truthful and immaculate certainty and good and plentiful earnings in Halal,
O Allah the most Glorious, the most magnificent and the most Generous.
O Allah grant honour and status to Islam and Muslims. O Allah unite them, and let their words be in an agreement and on the side of the truth. O Allah break the power of transgressors, And grant peace to your slaves, all the people.
Notes:
Adhan - The call to prayer.
Ahmad (Ahmed)- Another name for the messenger Muhammad (PPBU).
Allah - The Arabic word for "god." It is often used as a name for God in Islam.
- The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
- is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain outside the city of Mecca 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):
Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)
Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh - Religious law.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have 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.
Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or Hejrah): 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.
Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.
Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman: belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.
Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.
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. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."
Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.
Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.
Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.
Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.
- Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
- PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : 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.
Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
- 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. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam- Fasting
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 to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Surah - A chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.
Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor - The Psalms
Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
