Names of Allah - Al-Malik

Salam 'alaikum,

today a friend recommended a website to me about the attributes of Allah. During our Halaqah sessions, this sister shared with us how she has a Asma'ul Husna project; to remember an attribute of Allah a day and to internalize it, so that in times of difficulty she can recall the names and seek comfort in His Beautiful Names, masyaAllah :)

Today, I want to share about Allah's name Al-Malik.

From the website of Harun Yahya (the one which she recommended):

The Sovereign; The King

Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind , the God of mankind.” ( Surat an-Nas, 114:1-3)

The attribute al-Malik means that Allah is the sovereign of everything that exists, the Creator and sole Owner of all known and unknown universes, and the everlasting Sovereign of our universe. All stars, human beings, animals, plants, jinn, angels, demons, and other beings of which we are either aware or unaware are all under Allah's command. Allah, the Lord of all universes, also owns countless universes and regulates their amazing order.

It is unlikely that people who consciously submit to Almighty Allah considers themselves to be aimless beings. Allah is aware of everything, for He sees and hears everything. People who are aware of this also have to be aware that they are responsible to our Creator. Indeed, the consciousness that the universe's all-pervasive order has a unique owner makes believers naturally turn to Allah, Who holds sway over everything and everyone. Below are some of the verses related to this issue:

High exalted be Allah, the King, the Real!... (Surah Ta Ha, 20:114)

Exalted be Allah, the King, the Real. There is no deity but Him, Lord of the Noble Throne. ( Surat al-Mu'minun, 23:116)

He is Allah—there is no deity but Him. He is the King, the Most Pure, the Perfect Peace, the Trustworthy, the Safeguarder, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Supremely Great. Glory be to Allah above all they associate with Him. ( Surat al-Hashr, 59:23)



I like the part:

It is unlikely that people who consciously submit to Almighty Allah considers themselves to be aimless beings.

It is the same sister who shared how she was at the same lunch table with a few friends, discussing about religion, and finding it hard to debunk many of the things being said by some of them, who were either atheists or merely not wanting to believe in a religion.

I was reflecting; what would I do if I was in her shoes? Would I have been defensive?

Though I have not had the chance to engage in such discussions (possibly because Allah is doing it since I have a tendency to be more emotional and temperamental with topics close to heart?), I was wondering if telling them that for us, we have a way of knowing our Creator. Unlike other religions, where the attributes of God is almost always not agreed upon or one that transcends humankind such that we just submit to myth and folklore, Islam clearly puts very vivid guidelines on how to know our Creator.

While those who do not believe in the intangible will definitely question why we cannot see our Creator with our naked eyes and would definitely refute a response where we say that we can only see Him if He allows us too and that is most surely in the Hereafter, it is clear that the attributes of Allah are the most Common Sense and Logical. I like what Sis Maryam said about how these attributes are also those that Mankind has sought.

So perhaps like her I, too, would have kept silent because I know that I cannot change preconceptions. But what I can change are small snippets and realisations. Perhaps ask them, which religion do they most identify with? Or, do they think that this life is one where you need not be accountable for? Maybe these little nuggets to instill or stimulate some *form* of alternative thoughts.

Wallahua'lam. May Allah make it easy for the sister and all of us to spread this wonderful religion. InsyaAllah.

<3

Reflections - An-Nasr

Salam 'alaik...

A few weeks back I attended a study circle session, in which surah An-Nasr was discussed to great length.

Amazing, considering that Surah An-Nasr is one of the shortest, yet the most significant Surah that the Sahabahs (may Allah be pleased with them) will remember, if they were still alive.

Surah An-Nasr (Divine Support)

1. When there comes the help of Allah and the Conquest.
2. And you see that the people enter Allah's religion in crowds.
3. So, glorify the praises of your Lord, and ask His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives.

When Mekkah was finally conquered by the Prophet SAW and his troops, and the people from all over announced their faith in Islam and Allah's Messenger SAW, Rasulullah SAW received this revelation and was told to seek taubat from Allah SWT and praise the Lord.

Reading this surah reminded me about a story that Dr B had told us once; there was a man who told his friend to remind him to instantenously sujud shukur (prayer to be grateful to Allah SWT) when he received a reward.

I find that utterly humbling. Because to always be grateful of what you have is the best gift of life. To me, it's a reminder to always be happy with all that you have and what you don't have, so that you appreciate every single blessing that is being given to you.

Sometimes when I sit down to eat a meal, in the middle of the meal there is a niggling thought in my head: have you praised Allah for this meal?

And I am grateful to always hear of stories about people who are less well-off than me. Because I know then that Allah is reminding me to fulfill my responsibility as a Muslim to give alms. All that He sustains us with are not ours but are due for distribution. Sharing what you have so that others can feel the same happiness as you are, because you want them to feel as happy and blessed as yourself.

Amazingly, this surah also reminds us to attribute our achievements, our winnings to Allah SWT, because He willed for it to happen. It is because of the qualities He has blessed us with that we are able to do certain things, and all of us have our own strengths. Treasure it and make good use of it, for we have to work hard on this Earth. Work hard because there is always evil and misdemeanor happening around us, and we must remind each other, regardless of race, language and religion, to always do good.

Because good is the only way to go for more good to come our way. InsyaAllah.

Wallahua'alam bissawab. May Allah forgive me if I have made any misrepresentations in my writing and may He guide all of us on the straight path and bless us with His love and blessings, in this world and the Hereafter.

Credits/// Tafsir ibn Kathir

Readings on Women Leadership in Islam

Decided to take a look at the ongoing discussions of women leadership in Islam. Have found some interesting articles and links.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating all that are being said in these articles, as there is a tendency for us to search for information to confirm a presumption about things that are passionate to us. I am still looking for answers and may Allah grant them to me, Amin.

1) WOMEN AND POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN MUSLIM THOUGHT (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/warticles/women_and_political_leadership_i.htm) obtained from Islamic Awareness Website

This article investigates the origin of the following hadith, which has been interpreted by many individuals and scholars throughout as history and has been the root of debate about female leadership:

Imam Bukhari reports from Abu Bakrah the following: "Allah provided me with considerable benefit during the battle of the camel with one word (or one statement). When news reached the prophet (S.A.W.) that the Persians had appointed Chosroe's daughter as their ruler, he said: ''A nation which placed its affairs in the hands of a woman shall never prosper!''

I like this excerpt about critique writing:

The term 'critique' in social theory, to pre-empt misunderstanding, is not exactly synonymous with 'criticism' as employed in everyday English. Critical social theory does not so much seek to repudiate an existing theory as to set out clearly the limits of its validity. Mainly associated with Marx, who himself learnt from Kant and Hegel and bequeathed his method to latter day theorists particularly of the 'Frankfurt School' (including names like Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse and, with certain qualifications, Habermas) the critique is neither pure philosophy nor pure science but something in-between. An argument's popularity among the faithful is not necessarily based at all times on superior validity of its truth-claims. In reality, an argument may find acceptance because of its instrumentality in validating our pre-conceptions on the subject and its compatibility with the concrete reality which we inhabit or seek to bring about.


2) Women leaders have a history in Islam, article by Zakaria Dehlawi (Nov 13, 2007)

Read it here.

Some excerpts:

Although female Muslims have been business owners, political leaders and health professionals, it should be pointed out that historically these leaders have been among a minority. This is directly the result of our male dominated and patriarchal society, which persists today.

However, the role of women is not a "Muslim problem;" rather, it's humanity's problem. I realize I might be stepping on some toes here, but I would argue that even our country still hasn't reached true gender equality.

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Although God is referred to as "He" in the Quran, "he" isn't used exclusively for males, especially since Arabic does not have gender-neutral pronouns. God's qualities are described using both masculine and feminine archetypical traits. So God is beyond anthropomorphic description, and it's impermissible to assign God a gender.

This ties into the belief that God will judge men and women equally, making neither spiritually superior over the other. Therefore, it's ludicrous to assume that men are divinely predisposed to be leaders and women are not.

Women can excel in whatever field they choose, but they must continually grate against our male-centric society. Hopefully, through continuing discourse, these barriers will eventually ebb away.

Wallahua'lam. May Allah guide us always.

Ducks and Chickens Don't Differentiate Their Offsprings

Kasih Allah sama, tak berbeda. Kitalah yang membuatnya berbeda. Allah selalu mendekat kepada semua hamba-Nya, kitalah yang membuat jaraknya. Dan cinta Allah pun senantiasa mengalir tanpa henti, namun kedangkalan jiwa inilah yang membuat kita tak mampu merasakan sentuhan cinta-Nya.

Cinta (memang) Tak Pandang Bulu
Bayu Gawtama

The Ideal Muslim Husband - Following the Path of the Prophet SAW

Salam,

sharing a research paper about the Ideal Muslim Husband. You can read it here.

Some excerpts which I find interesting and worth pondering over:


Husbands as Leaders/Imams...

Another incident illustrates how the Prophet (saws) asserted his leadership of his family without harsh words or violence. This is revealed in the way he treated his wives when they became too demanding of the comforts of this world. Aisha (raa) related that before the capture of the oasis of Khaybar she had not known what it was to eat her fill of dates. The Prophet’s wives, fully aware of the general poverty of the Muslims in Medina, asked only for their basic needs. After the capture of Khaybar with it’s rich agricultural produce, the Muslims were better off, and the Prophet (saws) was able to give his wives some presents, and they were not slow in learning to ask for more comforts. This led to problems because in fairness, what was given to one should be given to all, and this could not always be exactly fulfilled. There developed considerable resentment among some of his wives, which disrupted the peace of the household. When his advice to them was not heeded he followed the next Qur’anic step and withdrew himself from them all and stayed in a roofed verandah that was the only room he had apart from his wives’ apartments.

Rumor soon spread that the Prophet (saws) had divorced his wives, and the wives, in suspense, regretted bitterly their demands on him. He then let it be known through Umar that he had not divorced them but that he did not wish to see any of them until a full lunar month had elapsed.

At the end of the month he asked his wives one by one to make their own choice in accordance with the newly revealed verses of the Qur’an:

"O Prophet, say to your wives: If you desire but the life of this world and it’s charms, then come and I will bestow it’s goods upon you, I will release you with a fair release. But if you desire Allah and his messenger and the abode of the hereafter, then verily Allah has laid in store for you a mighty reward, for such of you as do good."
[Qur’an 33:28-29]

Aisha replied without hesitation: "Verily, I desire Allah and his Messenger and the abode of the hereafter" and there was not one of his wives who did not choose the same. These events are related in a number of Hadith books, including Bukhari and Muslim. *

Here we see a husband who in spite of his love and sympathy for his wives, would not be carried away to commit injustice between them, not put himself into difficulties or wrong -doing in order to satisfy their desires beyond what was necessary. He was not ready for the role of the "hen-pecked husband." His firmness in the matter quickly made his wives see it in its proper perspective, and peace was restored to the household without recourse to divorce or even harsh word.

It is incidents like these that make it quite clear why the Prophet (saws) is held up a beautiful example to the Muslims in every aspect of his life.



Man's Duty towards his Wife

His first duty is maintenance and protection, and overall responsibility for the welfare of his wife, which is prescribed in the Qur’an:

"Men shall take full care of women with the bounties which Allah has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions....".
[Qur’an 4:34]

This includes feeding, clothing and shelter for the wife and for any children of the marriage. This is a legally enforceable duty, which remains even after divorce until the expiry of the Iddah or even longer in the view of some of the scholars. Financial responsibility for the family therefore rests squarely on the husband, and the wife has no duty to contribute to family expenses unless she has the means and the wish to do so.

The legal obligations of a husband do not stop with provision of the basic requirements relating to maintenance and protection. He is also expected to give her company and marital relations, and to avoid doing anything that would harm her.

These obligations are enforced by the Shari’ah. If a man fails to maintain his wife or fails to visit her for more than a certain period of time, the wife has grounds to be granted a divorce by a Shari’ah Court. Similarly, if she can prove to the court that the husband is doing harm (Idrar), be it by drinking alcohol, or beating her without lawful cause, or abusing her or her parents and so on, she is entitled to be granted a divorce. In none of these cases can the husband claim back any part of the dowry or presents he has given to the wife. I would like to make a note here that every situation has to be evaluated on its merits and circumstances by a Shar'iah Court. These points mentioned above are general precepts in the Shar'iah.

May Allah bless this sharing... Ameen

Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 10

Salam 'alaikum,

Adapted from Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation taken from [http://www.ekabakti.com/chapter.php?start=0&lang=ya&surah=29]



Then there are among men such as say, "We believe in God"; but when they suffer affliction in (the cause of) God, they treat men's oppression as if it were the Wrath of God! And if help comes (to thee) from thy Lord, they are sure to say, "We have (always) been with you!" Does not God know best all that is in the hearts of all creation?

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It takes a long time, in fact a lot of training and patience to accept difficulties in life. The hardest is to prevent the tendency of blaming others or even blaming Allah for the difficulties in this world. It seems that we are still very attached to the physical world and detaching appears to be very hard. Our love for Allah is not as strong as our love for worldly status and positions, and materials.

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Dua's and Cures From the Holy Quran

Publish at Scribd or explore others: god islam

May Allah bless the Sharer.

Wallahua'lam.

Alhamdulillah!

Salam 'Alaikum,

alhamdulillah have managed to create another blog. Am very excited to share all my thoughts about my development as a Muslim.

Would love to update but work beckons! I just read about Bilal bin Rabah this morning, the first muazzin (person who announces the adzan, the call to prayer) of Islam :)

Will talk more about it insyaAllah :)


Wassalam,
Nabila