Mak

A month had passed, again.  And as I was thinking of a post, I received a text message from my Mom.  Aishah, where are you, how are you, have you had dinner?  Mak and Bapak are at the mosque reading the Qur'an after Maghrib prayer while waiting for the Isyak prayer.

My mother texts me often (almost all the time).  How are you, where are you. LuvU3.  Sometimes I feel my Mom would be a great iphone ambassador.

Thinking of my mother, I would like to share, just one verse tonight.  Luqman 31:14.

"And We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: his mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is within two years; be grateful to Me, and to your parents, (and remember that) with Me is all journeys' end."

Mizan

Slightly less than a year ago, after performing my Haj in Makkah, in the hotel room in Madinah, I resumed my home habit of turning on the TV.  And on it was the recitation of the Qur'an and I heard the surah where the word "mizan" "mizan" being recited again and again.


Malaysia's current king was King Mizan.  And I wondered what was the meaning of the word "mizan".  I asked my mother who was with me, and she said "timbang", as in the weighing balance.  And I thought what a good name his parents had bestowed on him.  A just king.


I had not wrote for a while and decided to find out and share the meaning of the verses I listened to and enjoyed so on TV in Madinah.  I asked my officemate, Razid.  "Razid, which surah has the word "mizan" "mizan" in it?"  And without hesitation he said "Surah Ar-Rahman".  Ar-Rahman, The Most Gracious.  And here was the meaning of the first nine verses of the 55th Surah of the Al-Quran.


1) The Most Gracious
2) Has imparted this Qur'an
3) He has created man; 4) He has imparted unto him articulate thought and speech
5) (At His behest) the sun and the moon run their appointed courses; 6) (before Him) the stars and the trees prostrate
7) And the skies has He raised high, and has devised (for all things) a balance, 8) so that you (too, O men) might never transgress the measure; 9) weigh, therefore (your deeds) with equity, and cut not the measure short.

Read

We celebrated Raya in my hometown up north.  My grandfather's house is no longer there, and in its place is my  Maksu's beautiful home.  I miss my grandfather.  He instilled in me the understanding of the oneness of God, of heaven and hell.  He told me stories of the prophets, of angels and Iblis.  He taught me how to pray, how to fast and how to recite the Qur'an.  He had imparted to me "ilmu yang menfaat" (knowledge that is beneficial).

Upon return, I continued my reading of the meaning of the Qur'an.  Remembering my grandfather's voice and remembering listening to him as a little girl, I think of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him, when the Qur'an was revealed to him that very first time.   The very first Revelation were the five verses from Surah Al Alaq (the Clot) or also called Surah Al-iqra' (Read), recited by the Angel of Revelation to the Prophet.

96:1	Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created -
	Iqra' bismi rabbikallazee khalaq
96:2	Created man, out of a clot
	Khalaqal-insana min a'laq
96:3	Read - for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful -
	Iqra' warabbukal-akram
96:4	Who has taught (man) the use of the pen,-
	Allazee a'llama bilqalam
96:5	Taught man that which he knew not.
	A'llamal-insana ma lamyaqlam

The Most High

I lifted my eyes from the pages of the Tafsir.  I felt tired from reading.


I realised that I can read the Qur'an, in Arabic, out loud, not understanding the meaning and go pages.  However reading the meaning of the Qur'an in English does not offer me the same experience as reciting the Qur'an in its pure Arabic.


I remember the time I fell in love with "Sabbihis".  My younger brother read it when he led us in Maghrib prayer, at a family tree reunion, at a beautiful resort, some years ago.  "Sabbihis marabbikal aqla; Allazi kholaqo fasauwaa; Wallazi qaddaro fahadaa;" it went on so beautifully I didn't want it to stop.  It ended so soothingly with "Innahaa zaalafissuhufil oolaa; Suhufi Ibrahiima wa Moosaa".  The comfort and pleasure of two names I recognised.


What was the meaning of the verses?  They were from Al A'la, The Most High.  The meaning starts with:


"Glorify the name of thy Sustainer, the Most High; Who creates, and thereupon gives order and proportion; And who ordains laws, and grants guidance; And who brings forth green and luscious pasture; And then causes it to decay into swarthy stubble".


It goes on and ends with:


"And this is in the earlier revelations; The revelations of Abraham and Moses".


My additional note:
I am adding this as an additional note that as I progress with my understanding of the meaning of the Qur'an, my heart is filled with the gratefulness to Allah that I am a Muslim.  I am a Mukmin, InsyaaAllah.  And I pray that Allah guides me to the Straight Path and clear my heart of any hypocrisy.

By The Time

I had fallen to the busy-ness of this world and slacked.  I flipped through the pages and my eyes rested on the following verse, Al-Baqarah 183:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
"O you who believe!  the Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed to those before you, - that you may practice reverence".

I was attracted to the verse, not just because it is Ramadhan, but also because of - laa'llakum tattaqun - a continuation lesson for me in understanding my strive to be a al-muttaqun, the God-conscious, the one who does not associate partners to God, the one who fears God's punishment,  the one who believes in the Unseen and is steadfast in Prayer, and spends on others out of what Allah has provided for him.  The one who believes in the Revelation sent to the Prophet, and sent before the Prophet's time, and in his heart has the assurance of the Hereinafter.

The other day, my younger son said I was forcing him when I told him to do something and I reacted angrily.  Later, it made me review my responsibility as a mother.  I am a mother of teenage sons.  A mother of young men.  I searched for answers in my head.  And Surah Al-Asr came to mind.  "By the time!  Verily man is in loss; Save those who believe and do righteous deeds, and exhort one another to abide by the truth and admonish each other to be patient".

I talked to my son, I told him that I am here to guide him and remind him; and that he should remind me too if he saw me slacking or lose my patience.

A Guidance For The God-conscious

Hudallil Muttaqin - A Guidance for the God-conscious.  It is with excitement that I enter Al-Baqarah (The Cow).

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. Alif. Lam. Mim.
2. This is the Divine Writ; let there be no doubt about it, is a guidance for all the God-conscious;
3. Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend on others out of what We have provided for them;
4. And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee (O Prophet), and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereinafter.

Al-Baqarah is the longest surah of the Qur'an and in it occurs the longest verse, verse 282.  And in it too is, considered and believed to be, the very last revelation the Prophet received, shortly before his death, verse 281:

"And be aware of the Day on which you shall be brought back unto God, whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for what he has earned, and none shall be wronged."

My note:
None shall be wronged.

Amin

I was in the chapter of Al-Fatihah.  Unbeknown to my mother, she asked us for the meaning of Al-Fatihah, verse for verse as my sister and our family gathered for tea.  I didn't answer, my sister and her husband did and they got through smoothly.  Of course I knew all the meaning, except, when it came to Amin.  My sister was quick to answer "perkenankan" (please grant the request).  I was quiet but the truth was, I was not quite sure the exact meaning of Amin.  I had some idea but I had not come to that yet.  It turned out my sister was spot-on.

Amin means: "Oh Allah! Accept our invocation".

With that it brought me to beautiful doa's (supplications) I found in the book The Salah, by Shaikh Muhammad Nasir.

"Oh God! Forgive me what I have done in the past, and what I will do in the future, and what I have concealed, and what I have done openly, and what I have exceeded in, whatever You know about me more than I. You are the Bringer Forward, and You are the Delayer, there is no god except You."

"O God! indeed I ask of You, O God, the One, the Only, the Absolute, Who begets not and nor is He begotten, and there is none like Him, that You forgive my sins; indeed You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

"Oh God! Indeed, I ask of You, by the fact that to You belongs all Praise; there is no god except You, the Bestower of Favours; Originator of the Heavens and the Earth; O One that is Full of Majesty and Honour; O Living One, O Eternal One; indeed I ask of You the Garden, and I seek refuge with You from the Fire."

"Oh God! by Your knowledge of the Unseen, and Your control over the creation; give me life as long as You know that life is best for me, and take me when death is best for me. O God! I also ask of You fear of You, in secret and in open; I ask of You the word of wisdom and justice in anger and in pleasure; I ask of You moderation in poverty and affluence; I ask of You joy which does not fade; I ask of You pleasure which does not pass away, nor that which ceases; I ask of You the delight of looking towards Your Face; and eagerness towards meeting You, not in harmful adversity, nor in misleading afflictions. O God adorn me with the decoration of believe, and make me of those who guide and are guided."

Amin

What Is Righteousness

My reading of Tafsir Ibn Kathir has entered Surah 1, Al-Fatihah (part 1).  Al-Fatihah means the Opener of the Book.  It is also called Umm Al-Kitab (the Mother of the Book) and The Seven Repeated Ayat of the Glorious Qur'an.  It is also called Al-Hamd (the Praise) and As-Salah (the Prayer).  It is also called Ash-Shifa' (the Cure) and Ar-Ruqyah (the Remedy).

Moving slightly away from my reading of the Tafsir, a few days ago, my son asked me what is the meaning of being a good person.  I don't remember my exact answers to him.  I remember telling him that he is in college learning "ilmu that menfaatkan ummah" (knowledge that benefits mankind) and that that is an act of a good Muslim.  Later, I told him and his brother that they are perfect sons.

I feel the answer is in a verse I came across the translation a few years ago in the book Rights, Religion and Reform by Chandra Muzaffar.  It was Surah Al-Baqarah: Ayat 177 that read:

It is not righteousness 
That ye turn your faces
Towards East or West
But it is righteousness -
To Believe in God
And the Last Day
And the Angels
And the Book
And the Messengers
To spend of your substance,
Out of love for Him,
For your kin,
For orphans,
For the needy,
For the wayfarer,
For those who ask,
And for the ransom of slaves;
To be steadfast in prayer,
And practice regular charity;
To fulfill the contracts
Which ye have made
And to be firm and patient,
In pain (or suffering)
And adversity
And throughout
All periods of panic
Such are the people 
Of truth, the God-fearing.

My note:
We must always be close to Ayat Qur'an and understand the meaning.

AlHamdulillahiRabbilA'lamin

Tonight, Sunday 18th July 2010, at 10.33pm, as I sat on my couch and my son sitting across from me on a sofa, and as we watched Angels and Demons, while doing his mathematics homework (believe it or not, I am helping him with his college mathematics), I started my reading of the Tafsir Ibn Kathir (the meaning of the Qur'an compiled by Ibn Kathir).

I have glanced through and I am struck on learning that Allah began His Creation with the Praise, the Hamd (we know, Alhamdulillah, All praise to Allah, that Hamd).

"All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light; yet those who disbelieve hold others equal to their Lord." (Al-An'am 6:1)

And ended it with the Hamd.

"And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne (of Allah), glorifying their Lord with praise. And judgement will be made between them (creatures) with the truth. And it will be said, 'All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exist." (39:75)

In the beginning and in the end, His is the Praise.

"He is Allah, there is no god except for Him, His is the praise in the beginning and in the end, His is the judgement and to Him shall you (all) return." (28:70)

My note:

Alhamdulillahirabbila'lamin. We must remember to be grateful to Allah all the time. Alhamdulillah in the morning as we open our eyes from the night's sleep and alhamdulillah before we fall asleep again for the night. And all throughout the day.