Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Al-Isra (The Night Journey)
Chapter 17: Verse 16

Crime of Luxury
"And when it is Our will to destroy a town, We command its luxury-loving citizens, and they deal corruptly in it; thus the sentence upon it is justified, and We destroy it utterly."

Luxury is the cause of destruction in the course of history, as it is the cause of audacity. And equally certainly, luxury is a reason for punishment in the world to come, because it results in grave sin. But, it is not only the individual who loves luxury who will suffer destruction and punishment; the community that permits the existence of such luxury will be similarly afflicted.

The 'will' here referred to in the verse is not predestination in the commonly accepted sense, but rather the law of cause and effect, or of reason and result. If there are luxury-loving individuals in a community and the community allows them to remain so, doing nothing against them; if it refrains from checking the causes of luxury; if it leaves the luxury-loving to pursue their corrupt way; then all these factors, because of their very existence, are causes that will inevitably result in the destruction and the downfall of the community. Such is the meaning of 'will' in this verse. That is to say, the results are related to the reasons, and the effects must follow where the causes occur; for such is the normative pattern which Allah has laid down for the universe and for all life.

There must be some outlet found for excessive resources. Generally, these outlets are trivial and take their form from the period and the social environment; but there comes a time when they pass this limit of triviality and take the form of license and depravity, both physical and mental, impeding not only themselves but also their followers in pursuing the way of truth; for so long as there are such, there will be weaklings who will flatter their pride, minister to their desires, and lose their personality like insects. Nor, is there anything strange in this; for lovers of luxury must have their easy, perverse, and sickly life; they must gratify their desires and have their pleasures; they must have around them followers and courtiers who are submissive.

This is what Islam sees in the crime of luxury; it is a crime that is basically individual, but when the community submit to it and does not check such an evil with hand and voice and heart, then it is a crime that produces its own fruits. The disease extends to the whole body of the community and issues ultimately in its destruction.

Source:
"Social Justice in Islam" - Sayyid Qutb, pp. 156-160

From Issue: 482 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Almighty's Wrath

The Prophet, peace be upon him, sought refuge in Allah from trials, envy, treachery, ignorance, all those things that detract from the dignity of a human being. Nonetheless, he was able to and did accept abuse or insults from others - for the sake of his attachment to the Lord. What concerned him above all was that he should never become the object of the Almighty's wrath. In his prayers he would often say:

'If Your wrath be not upon me, I worry not. But Your favour would be far more liberal.'

Compiled From:
"Remembrance And Prayer" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, p. 102

From Issue: 697 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Understanding the Quran

Your understanding of the Qur'an may have various levels and take different forms.

Firstly, that you comprehend its simple, literal meaning, as when you read a book in a language you know, or as an Arabic-knowing person would understand the Qur'an.

Such comprehension must be the bare minimum requirement, the key to all other stages, but it is not enough.

Secondly, that you find out how the learned have understood it, either by hearing their expositions or reading their exegeses and other sources.

Thirdly, that you study and ponder, on your own, to discover and absorb its meaning.

Fourthly, that you discover its meaning by obeying its messages and by fulfilling the duties and mission that it entrusts to you.

Compiled From:
"Way To the Quran" - Khurram Murad

From Issue: 643 [Read original issue]