My Continued Prayers

Our Lord!  Perfect our light for us and forgive us our sins, for verily You have power over all things. (At-Tahrim, The Prohibition 66:8)

Our Lord! In You we have placed our trust, and to You we returned in repentance, for unto You is the end of all journeys. (Al-Mumtahana, She That Is To Be Examined, 60:4)

Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Your presence, and dispose of our affairs for us in the right way. (Al-Kaft, The Cave, 18:10)

Our Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and make us die as those who have surrendered themselves unto You. (Al-A'raf, The Heights, 7:126)

Our Lord! And grant us that which you have promised to us by Your messengers and save us from shame on the Day Of Judgement.  Verily You never fail to fulfill your promise. (Al'Imran, The House Of Imran, 3:194)

Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after You have guided us, and bestow on us mercy from your Grace.  Verily You are the Giver of bounties without measure. (Al'Imran, The House Of Imran, 3:8)

Our Lord!  Take us not to task if we forget or fall into error. (Al-Baqara, The Cow, 2:286)

Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the life to come and keep us safe from the torment of Fire. (Al-Baqara, The Cow, 2:201)

Yunus (Jonah), 61

Today, home alone, I am unable to move past the meaning of this verse.  Yunus (Jonah), 61:

In whatever business you may be, and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Qur'an, - and whatever deed you may be doing, - We are witnesses thereof when you are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven.  And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record.

The House Of Imran

The sky is dark, the wind is blowing hard, thunders have started, it will rain soon.  It is 5.40 pm, it is time to cook for break of fast, but I want to write, at this blog.  I feel I had abandoned it.

The bamboo leaves rustle noisily. It is raining, pouring water from the sky. A thunder just boomed, indicating a lightning struck close. My son just walked in and announced he had turned off the modem. I will turn to 3G on my iphone.

I know the Qur'an mentions when lightning displays, it gives rise to both fear and hope. Should I look up that verse?  I have lost my 3G, maybe lightning has struck the tower.

I pick up Asad's Message of the Qur'an, a translation, and the third surah is Al'Imran,  The House of Imran.  Let me read Asad's introduction of the surah.

The title the House of Imran has been derived from references in verses 33 and 35, to this common origin of a long line of prophets.  The House of Imran comprises of Moses and Aaron, whose father was Imran (the Amram of the Bible), and Aaron's descendants, the priestly caste among the Israelites, thus includes Zachariah, John the Baptist, Mary and Jesus.

The surah first 6 verses reads,

(1) Alif. Lam. Mim. (the letters A, L, M)
(2) God.  There is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being.
(3) Step by step has He bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, setting forth the truth which confirms earlier revelations: for it is He who has bestowed from on high the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) aforetime, as a guidance unto mankind, and it is He who has bestowed (upon man) the criterion (of judgement between right and wrong).
(4) Behold as for those who are bent on denying God's messages - grievous suffering awaits them, for God is Almighty, Lord of Retribution.
(5) Verily nothing on earth or in heavens is hidden from God.
(6) He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He wills.  There is no god but Him, the Exalted in Might, the Truly Wise.

And what is verse 33,

(33) Behold God raised Adam, and Noah, and the house of Abraham, and the house of Imran above all mankind, -

Reflection

Today I thought of my husband and the verse 30:21 came to mind.  I looked it up and discovered more.  The following is from Surah Ar-Rum (The Romans/The Byzantines), 30:21-27.


And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.


And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.


And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen.


And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightning [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.


And of His signs is that the heaven and earth remain by His command. For in the end, when He calls you forth from the earth with a single call, immediately you emerge (for judgement).


And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and earth. All are to Him devoutly obedient.


And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and most easy is this for Him. To Him belongs the highest attribute in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

The Believers

An Ustaz (teacher) once asked me, if I were to ask you if you are a Muslim (one who surrenders to God), what would your answer be?

I said, yes.

Then he asked me, if I were to ask you if you are a Mukmin (a Believer), what would your answer be?

In my mind I thought of, of course yes, but I did not answer him, I looked at him expecting the proper answer.

He said, when asked if you are a Mukmin, say, yes insyaaAllah (yes God willing).

And so who are the Believers.  I found an answer in Surah Al-Mukminun (The Believers), verses 23:1-11.

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

The Believers must eventually win through

Those who humble themselves in their prayer

Who avoid vain talk

Who are active in deeds of charity

Who abstain from sex

Except from their wives or those their right hands posses, for indeed, they will not be blamed

But whoever seeks beyond that, they are transgressors

Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants

And who strictly guard their Prayers

These will be the heirs

Who will inherit Paradise, they will dwell there in.

Nations And Tribes

This verse was on my mind this week.

Al-Hujurat (The Private Apartments), 49:13.

O men!  Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.  Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God, is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him.  Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.

At-Takwir, The Shrouding Into Darkness

I had come to the 81st surah, At-Takwir, The Shrouding Into Darkness.  This very early surah (most probably the seventh in the order of revelation) introduces the images of the Last Hour, hence, of man's resurrection.  Its audio Qur'an recitation overwhelms me.

سم الله الرحمن الرحيم

81:1

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When the sun is shrouded into darkness,

81:2

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And when the stars are dispersed,

81:3

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And when the mountains are removed,

81:4

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And when full-term she-camels are neglected,

81:5

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And when wild beasts are herded together,

81:6

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And when the seas boil over,

81:7

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And when the souls are sorted out (with their likes),

81:8

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And when the girl-child (who was) buried alive is questioned

81:9

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For what crime she was killed,

81:10

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And when the pages are made public,

81:11

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And when the sky is stripped away,

81:12

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And when the Blazing Fire is kindled bright,

81:13

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And when the Garden is brought near,

81:14

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Every soul will come to know what it has put forward.

81:15

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So verily, I call to witness the revolving stars -

81:16

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Those that run their courses and set -

81:17

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And by the night as it closes in,

81:18

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And by the dawn as it softly breathes,

81:19

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This is indeed, the word of a noble messenger (Gabriel),

81:20

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Mighty in power, secure with the Owner of the Throne,

81:21

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Obeyed there (in the heavens), and worthy of trust.

81:22

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And (O people) this fellow man of yours is not mad.

81:23

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And indeed he saw him (Gabriel) in the clear horizon;

81:24

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He is not one who follows false supposition or grudgingly withholding the unseen.

81:25

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And it is not the word of the accursed Satan.

81:26

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Then where are you going?

81:27

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Verily, this is no less than a reminder to all the worlds.

81:28

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To whomsoever among you who wills to take a right course.

81:29

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And you cannot will unless that God wills, Sustainer of all the worlds.