Friday, July 25, 2008

Siratal Ladhina An-Amta Alayhim Ghayril Maghdubi Alayhim Waladdalin (Verse 07, Surah Fatihah)

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ

The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

SIRATAL LADHINA AN-AMTA ALAYHIM

The right path has been clearly defined, unmistakable in meaning, positive in application. Any path, fancied and chosen by man, individually or collectively, according to this verse, is not the right path. The right guidance, identified beyond doubt, has been made available to mankind. To follow the path of the divinely guided guides, on whom Allah has bestowed His bounties, is the right guidance. Their path leads to the divine grace. It satisfies the essential fulfilment of those who desire to always remain rightly guided. Attached with the rightly guided guides, man must rely upon their model righteousness to give form and meaning to the life spent in this world. The rightly guided guides are only those whom Allah Himself has thoroughly purified.

When Allah asks mankind to necessarily follow the path of those upon whom He has bestowed His bounties, it is a must that there always should be, till the end of the world, people on whom He bestows His bounties, who are destined to be the ideal, testified models of righteousness, on the earth. These men cannot be but those who should, of course, be like and comparable to the Holy Prophet in purity, wisdom and that which made the Holy Prophet the khayrul bashr, the best among mankind; otherwise without the availability of the model, the command to follow in its footsteps would be an injustice. This verse proves, beyond doubt, the existence of an Imam in every age, uptil the day of judgement.

While departing from this world the Holy Prophet gave his last and final guidance to all his followers, for all times:

"I will soon be called back, so I will have to go away from you, but I leave behind, among you, the thaqalayn (two weighty indispensable influential authorities), the book of Allah and my Ahl ul Bayt. Should you be attached to these two, never, never shall you go astray, after me, for verily these two will never be separated from each other; and, joined together, they shall meet me at kawthar. "

Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqim (Verse 06, Surah Fatihah)

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

Keep us on the right path.

IHDINAS SIRATAL MUSTAQIM

A true believer in the truth, however learned and wise he may be, has to pray for this blessing from the all-knowing and all-wise Lord. Man needs guidance not only to have knowledge of the theory and practice of the doctrine he believes in, but also to perceive the extraordinary truths which open up new spiritual horizons.

The right path, mentioned here, is neither any particular path nor the doctrines of the religion. There are several angles of human life in this world. The physical, mental, moral and spiritual aspects of living, together with its many divisions, need guidance to find the right path. The guidance to the right path mentioned in the Quran encompasses all aspects of the various paths open to the human soul in this life. To fulfil the purpose of his creation, which is the ultimate purpose of man's existence in this world, he prays to the creator for spiritual assistance to keep him on the right path.

Iyyaka Na Budu Wa Iyyaka Nastaaeen (Verse 05, Surah Fatihah)

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.

NA-BUDU

Worship is not mere carrying out some ritual. In thought and action "Thee alone we worship" is an unconditional commitment to the service of Allah, and none else, in order to live and die as it would please the Lord-master. The devotee puts an obligation upon himself to serve only Allah and none else. It creates an essential spirit of faithfulness to the only real master, and sets him free from the fear and subjugation of all the false authorities. The faithful servant, consequently, invokes the master's pleasure to obtain the fulfilment of his needs and wants, because he expects nothing from anyone else except from the real master whom he serves exclusively. This declaration is also a source of total satisfaction, as the devotee vows to live and die as Allah wills, and not as he himself prefers.

It is logical as well as profitable to seek help only from Allah whom the supplicant has accepted as his rabb, and has undertaken to serve Him only, because the infinite mercy of the merciful Lord will be available to the seeker of help in proportion to the sincerity of his commitment. Through this prayer, the pray-er, in all his prayers, invokes the divine mercy, and even if the desired relief is apparently delayed or withheld, he gets the satisfaction that petition has been put forward to the proper authority who alone knows what is best for the invoker, in his own interest. As only light, not darkness comes forth from the light, so the withholding of mercy of the merciful Lord should never be misunderstood as indifference or pitilessness, because inadequate and faulty conjectures cannot comprehend the infinite wisdom of the all-wise Lord.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Al Hamd-u-Lilah-e-Rabb-il-Aalamiin (Verse 02, Surah Fatihah)

الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

AL HAMDU

Hamd (The Praise) is Allah's. It has no beginning and no end.

We, the created beings, do our best, within our limitations, to give expression to the "real praise" (hamd). His hamd, as His grace, is unlimited and continuous. No one can praise the merciful even for a whole life-time and say that justice has been done, because every time one gives thanks to Allah he inhales and also exhales, drawing in the good life-giving air and exhaling the bad air, two bounties he is receiving for which only once can he say "I thank the bountiful Lord". It is impossible to thank Allah for the innumerable bounties He has put at the disposal of man, right inside his body, and in the world where he lives as an individual as well as a member of the community. Even the thanks and praises he offers to the bountiful have been taught to him by the Lord of the worlds. Therefore, every creature is, all the time under the obligation of the bountiful grace of Allah.

By praising, we reach the stage where the infinite goodness of our Lord purges out of us the taste for evil and creates in us the eagerness to get nearer and nearer to Him to earn His mercy which purifies us and reflects in us the divine attributes.

RABBUL ALAMIN

By making Allah known as the rabbul alamin, Islam has disclosed the truth to mankind that He is the Lord of everything in the universe, be that human, animal, vegetable, mineral, perceptible or imperceptible, visible or invisible, near or far, in the earth or in the heavens, or in between them. With infinite power, able to do all things, the all-wise almighty creator of matter and meaning is a supreme sovereign in every aspect of His absolute authority. His independent will extends to and covers all kinds of the worlds created by Him.
The five "mystic" classifications of the worlds are as under:

1. Material or physical NASUT

2. Metaphysical or supernatural MALAKUT

3. Spiritual JABARUT

4. Divine LAHUT

5. Imperceptible and unknowable GHAYBUL GHAYUB

By introducing Allah as the rabbul alamin, Islam has warned and alerted mankind not to do injustice to any creation of Allah. He will punish the unjust offender because even the smallest degree of injustice displeases the just Lord of the worlds. Also, this term makes man realise that Allah is the master not only of mankind or animate and visible objects but He is the Lord of everything in the universe - human or animal, vegetable or mineral, visible or invisible, perceptible or imperceptible, near or far.

Bismillah-e-Rehman-e-Rahim (Verse 01, Surah Fatihah)


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

BISMILLAH

To start any good deed with "(I begin) in the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful" means a supplication unto Allah for successful completion of the work. It also means that the supplicant undertakes the job in the name of and on behalf of Allah to serve the good in the work as well as achieve his own legitimate purpose. In other words he dedicates his life to Allah and employs his self-interest-oriented activity in the service of overall goodness. He admits his helplessness and relies on the truth that ability to make any work fruitful is exclusively with Allah, and with no one else. By invoking Allah in the name of His beneficence and mercy he prays for His aid to achieve success in his undertaking. It is quite logical to believe that the divine beneficence and mercy would bless such a faithful. It does.

It is a fact that nothing exists or takes effect outside the course of Allah's will. The will of Allah governs the scope of every activity but does not determine the desires and methods of any created being. Anything that happens or exists without seeking Allah's pleasure, is covered by the will of Allah, but is not blessed with His grace. Should an individual begin any work without saying bismillah, it may be completed but without earning the divine pleasure. The desires and actions of an individual shall be blessed only when he surrenders them to Allah's pleasure. The Holy Prophet has made it known that anything done without invoking the divine grace by reciting bismillah is not approved by Allah.

As said earlier anyone can begin any work, without invoking Allah with bismillah, and it will be executed, if the divine will allows it. However, in this event, it does not earn the divine pleasure, but on the contrary is liable to be punished according to the degree of evil involved, the intention of the individual, the nature and the effect of the work. Even if it is not evil in its nature, disciplinary action can be taken because the individual has relied upon his ability and will which is as bad as setting oneself against the almighty Lord.

The very act of any one starting his work in the name of Allah whom he remembers as beneficent and merciful, eloquently speaks of the individual's obedience to the supreme being, who in return would automatically be reciprocal to the devotee's expectation in seeking His pleasure and mercy. In starting a work in the name of Allah, the reciter demonstrates the undernoted aspects of fundamental importance :

1. Acknowledgement of the supreme being as his Lord master.

2. Confession of his own helplessness.

3. Belief in Allah as the ever-living and all-knowing - almighty.

4. Reliance on the supreme being, seeking His pleasure and mercy, and invoking Him with His mercy-invoking attributes.

5. Conviction at heart and confidence that if called, the beneficent and the merciful Allah will certainly not deny him His mercy.

The words of bismillah i.e., in the name of Allah, have wide and discernible implications. The words may mean not only 'in the name of' but also:

1. For the sake of

2. To the service of

These and many other implications will serve the supplicant when he sincerely turns to Allah for obtaining His mercy and blessings.

RAHMANIR RAHIM

He is the creator of the creation and of the nature of creation, therefore, He is essentially all-aware and all-knowing.

He is the beneficent and merciful. He loves each and every living being, so the beloved must stay attached with Him. He is near, gives answer to the supplicants when they cry unto Him.

As it is His mercy which sustains the whole universe, He alone is the true bountiful.

Belief in His mercy and beneficence, derived from observation and contemplation in its operation, creates love, brotherhood, justice, peace and harmony in the social, economic and political life of the human beings; and as an individual, every one of them makes a choice of sincerity, integrity and piety as a way of life.