i islam ahmadiyah anjuman isha’at -...
TRANSCRIPT
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PILGRIMAGE Repeated Pilgrimage, Repeated Sins
The main and clear aspect of Pilgrimage is that we hasten to respond to Allah‟s call, wearing
nothing of the ornaments, which are part of our custom. When we feel our dedication in this
way and when our submission is truly genuine, Allah rewards us generously for our
pilgrimage. He wipes off our sins. When we have finished, we start with our slate clean. We
know that when we committed those sins, we wronged ourselves and we disregarded our
duty to obey Allah. When we respond to Him with dedication and submission as we do in
pilgrimage, He accepts our submissions and erases our past sins.
Numerous Hadiths confirm this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is quoted to have
said: “The only proper reward for pilgrimage offered with dedication is
paradise.” He also says that every time we do the Umrah, we have our sins, which we have
committed since our last Umrah, forgiven. There is no doubt that forgiveness is the reward
Allah has promised for those who offer the pilgrimage and the Umrah to emphasize their
submission to Allah.
This is not surprising because Allah forgives anyone who turns to Him in genuine repentance, even when the sins he had committed are grave indeed. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: “A person
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who repents having committed his sins is like one who has committed no sins.” Every time we turn to Allah in
repentance, He turns to us with forgiveness.
But, the stress is always on our attitude being genuine. Our dedication must be complete; our submission must be total;
our repentance should be sincere. A person who declares that he has repented having done a particular sin, while at the
same time he knows that if a chance offers itself again, he will not hesitate to do the same sin, will not be forgiven that
sin. His repentance is merely verbal. He does not mean it because a good believer always regards his sins as something
totally undesirable, even though at the time of committing them, he might have enjoyed them. People commit adultery or
fornication in order to satisfy their desires. This indulgence may provide them, at the time of committing these actions,
with pleasure, enjoyment and ecstasy. However, when they reflect on what they have done, they are genuinely sorry for
having exceeded the limits set by Allah. That genuine regret, combined with a prayer for forgiveness, ensures that Allah
looks compassionately on us and forgives us that sin. Pilgrimage is the greatest act through which we demonstrate our
submission to Allah, regret for having committed sins of any sort and type, and resolve to do better in our future days.
Therefore, the reward for pilgrimage is total forgiveness and heaven.
But the Prophet (pbuh) speaks of a pilgrimage offered with total dedication. That involves a firm
resolve to abide by Islamic rules and teachings. We cannot just say to Allah that we are responding to
His call and we are certainly sorry for our past mistakes, but this is merely for the present. As for
tomorrow, we go back to the same old practices. This is no demonstration of our submission
to Allah. It does not show that we have really repented what we did in the past. On the
contrary, it shows that we still do not have the necessary respect for Allah‟s
teachings. How can that be rewarded with forgiveness?
Such an attitude is similar to that of a person, having committed a sin that he is sorry for
it but will go back to it the next minute, if the chance offers itself. This is playing
games with the great concept of repentance and forgiveness. Allah accepts no such
verbal declarations, because they are devoid of any real substance.
Having said that, I must explain that what counts is ones feelings at the time when one declares
one‟s repentance. If at that particular moment a person is genuine in his repentance, then he is forgiven his past sins. If
nevertheless he commits the same sin later because he is too weak to resist the temptation, his weakness is not taken
against his except in as far as the new sin is recorded against him. That is a mark of Allah‟s grace, which He bestows on
us in abundance. He knows beforehand that we will be going back to our sins, but He also knows that at the time we
declare our repentance, we are genuine. He, therefore, accepts our genuineness and responds to it accordingly. When He
forgives us something, He does not record it against us again. A person may commit the same sin many times, but if he
genuinely repents it every time he commits it, then he is forgiven that sin every time. Eventually, he is surely to acquire
the necessary resolve and strength to be able to resist any temptation.
If the attitude is one of playing games, thinking that one can commit all the sins once wants and then have slate wiped
clean because one offers Umrah or Pilgrimage, then the attitude is one of carelessness and disregard to Allah‟s teachings.
It is very doubtful that Allah will accept such an act of worship in which one declares repentance when one has not
actually repented. The fact that one intends to go back to it shows that the repentance is only verbal. The Umrah and the
Pilgrimage cannot be approached in such a casual manner. They are very serious acts of worship, the importance of which
cannot be over-emphasized. A casual attitude cannot earn Allah‟s forgiveness. It is imperative to resolve to make a clean
break with the past and make the act of worship a genuine beginning of a life of obedience to Allah and proper
observance of His commandments. {The editor)
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Allah also
rewards us for doing so on
the Day of Judgment,
because by earning our
living we fulfill part of the
task He has assigned to us
when He placed mankind
on earth. The following
Hadith refers to both types
of actions at the same
time. Anas ibn Malik
quotes the Prophet (pbuh) as
saying: “Any Muslim
who plants a tree or
some other plant will
be credited with a
charitable action, or
sadaqa, for whoever
eats of that tree or
plant, whether bird, man or animal.”
The Prophet (pbuh) here speaks of the actions of
Muslims, because a Muslim is required to address his
actions to Allah and pray for His reward. Whatever a
Muslim does can be counted as an act of worship, if he
or she intends it for the right purpose. Muslims must
intend their actions to be part of their compliance with
the requirements placed on them by Allah as He
assigned to them the duty of building human life on
earth. However, the phraseology of this Hadith means
that it applies to all Muslims, regardless of their
religious or social status. It applies equally to men and
women, whether pious or sinners.
When the Prophet (pbuh) does not qualify the
subject he is speaking about, then his statement includes
everyone to which his words apply. He is speaking here
of planting, without specifying the purpose of the action.
Therefore, the Hadith applies to all planting, whether
intended for charity, business or what a person plants in
the garden of his house for mere pleasure. The Prophet
(pbuh) was keen to include all plants, referring to trees in
particular.
What the Prophet (pbuh) highlights here is the
abundant reward one earns for such action. This in itself
is a great encouragement to increase agricultural land as
much as possible, because it
provides food for people and
other creatures. We now
know more about the
importance of agricultural
land for the ecology and
environment. It is definitely
most important of the
continuity of life in a safe
environment. Besides, when
people, birds and animals eat
of the trees and plants, the
person who planted them will
earn a reward for charity. This
does not apply only to the
owner of the land who
performs the planting by
himself. It applies equally to
anyone whom he hires to do
the job, such as a farm worker
or a gardener, whether such a person is paid for his work
or volunteers to do it.
What is very interesting here is that birds and
many animals do not seek permission to eat of trees and
plants. They simply help themselves to what suits them.
When they do, the growers of those trees and plants earn
their reward. A farmer who takes good care of his farm
may want to keep away animals and birds, but some of
them will not be deterred no matter how he tries. When
they eat of his land, he earns his reward despite the fact
that he would rather they do not come near his land.
Moreover, trees and plants often survive the person who
plants them. They continue to give their yield. This
earns reward for the grower after his death. How
splendid.
The Prophet (pbuh) used various
ways to encourage two types of action: Charitable deeds to
benefit those in need and earning one’s living. With the
second type, the Prophet (pbuh) emphasized that the reward a
person gets for earning one’s living is not merely the income
one receives.
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A man from the Amir tribe came to the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, and asked him: “Is there any part
of knowledge unknown to you?” He replied: “Allah
certainly knows what is good. Some knowledge is
known only to Allah alone.” Then he quoted the verse:
“There are five things that are unknown to
anyone other than Allah: With Allah alone rests
the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come;
and He (it is who) sends down rain; and He knows
what is in the wombs; whereas no one knows
what he will reap tomorrow; and no one knows
in what land he will die.” (Luqman 31:34)
The question the man asks is about knowledge. The
Prophet (pbuh) attributes all to Allah who knows all
goodness. He then quotes a verse from the Qur‟an that
outlines five areas, which are known to Allah alone.
The first is that of the Last Hour, when all creation will
be gathered before Allah on the Day of Resurrection. No
one, not even a Prophet, or an angel is ever given such
knowledge.
But it is not merely the timing of the Last Hour that is
withheld from our knowledge. What comes next is also
known to Allah alone. This applies to both heaven and
hell and whatever Allah chosen to create for that life
which we have no doubt of its coming.
Secondly, the verse the Prophet (pbuh) quotes mentions
that it is Allah alone who sends down rain. When we
relate this to knowledge, we may think of the quantity of
rain that is sent down each time a cloud sheds its
contents. This is definitely an area which scientists have
not even tried to explore. Even if they do, they can only
hazard a guess with regard to the volume of rain, or its
duration and the area where it falls. They may develop
technology to give them better results. But Allah knows
every drop of rain and where it falls, long before a cloud
is formed. Not only so, but He knows the effects of such
rain, and whether it will seep through the earth strata
into an underground reservoir or pour into a river. He
also knows which of His creation will benefit by each
rainfall, and how much it contributes to the life of plants
and animals.
Thirdly, Allah knows “what is in the wombs.” This
relates not merely to the problem of the sex of the as yet
unborn embryo, but also to the question of whether it
will be born at all, and if so, what its natural
endowments and its character will be, as well as what
role it will be able to play in life; and life itself is
symbolized by the preceding mention of rain, and the
end of
all life
in the
world,
by the
menti
on of
the
Last Hour. We may add that Allah‟s knowledge does not
apply to human embryos only, but to the unborn young
of all species.
The fourth aspect of knowledge known only to Allah is
that of the Future, expressed in the Qur‟anic verse in
these words: “whereas no one knows what he will reap
tomorrow.” It is indeed knowledge of the next moment
that is kept away from us. No one can ever claim to have
clear and certain knowledge of what will happen beyond
the present moment, or indeed whether he or she will
survive to take another breath. But everything that will
happen to the end of time is known to Allah in every
minute detail.
The final aspect also relates to the future, but it is more
closely related to a person‟s life and its end: “no one
knows in what land he will die.” It is not merely the
place of death that is unknown to us. Also its timing and
causes are also withheld. We realize this as we see in life
that death cannot be predicted for any person, whether
he suffers from ill health or he enjoys robust and good
health. It may come through the least expected of causes
and in the most unusual of ways. The only thing that is
certain about it is that it occurs in every case, at the time
Allah has chosen.
Dua-e-Qurbani
GHAYB: What No Human Being May Know
{Ibn Saleh}
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[In memory of my Brother Mohammad Anwar Shaheed]
As the Muslim community in
Madinah was about to start its long
campaign of Jihad, with the aim of
establishing the divine way of life,
and to fulfill its appointed role
raising the banner of Allah, the
Qur‟an begins to mobilize the
community spiritually and to
formulate its correct concept of
what Jihad involves in terms of
suffering and sacrifice. It provides
the Muslim community with the
correct standard with which to
evaluate properly whatever may
happen in this long campaign.
It is inevitable that fighters may
fall as they take part in the battle
of truth; Soldiers, Mubalighs,
Imams, Writers, Preachers etc.
They are martyrs killed in Allah‟s
cause. They are honorable and
beloved. For those who campaign
for Allah‟s cause, risking their
own lives in order to see the truth
triumph are normally the most
honorable and blessed of people.
They have the most generous of
hearts and the purest souls. If they
are killed fighting for Allah‟s
cause they are not dead. They
continue to be alive. Hence, it is
not proper to feel that they are
dead or to say so. Since we have
Allah‟s statement that they remain
alive, the case must be so.
To all appearances, they are killed.
But the truth about life and death
is not determined by a superficial
glance. The basic aspects of life
are activity, growth and continuity.
Death is conversely distinguished
by inactivity, lack of growth and
discontinuity. Those who are
killed as they fight for Allah‟s
cause continue to leave a vital
effect in promoting the cause of
the truth for which they have
sacrificed their lives. The ideal for
which they have fought and were
killed is brought to life with their
blood. Those who follow them
continue to be influenced by their
exemplary sacrifice. Therefore,
martyrs continue to act as a
decisive factor in shaping life and
directing it. This is a most
essential feature of life. Thus, they
continue to be alive from this
practical point of view.
Moreover, they are alive with their
Lord, whether in this sense or in a
different sense which we cannot
comprehend. It is sufficient for us
that Allah Himself states that they
are alive indeed, although you do
not perceive that. The true nature
of this life is beyond our limited
knowledge.
Since they are alive, they are not
washed as the dead are washed
before burial. They are wrapped in
their own clothes, which they were
wearing at the time of their death.
The body of a dead person is
washed in order to remove
impurity, but martyrs are pure
because they are alive. This is also
the reason for which they remain
in their ordinary clothes.
Since they are alive, the sense of
losing them must not be very
painful for their relatives and
friends. They continue to have a
part in the lives of their relatives
and friends. Their loss is not felt
very acutely. Their sacrifice is not
considered too great. Moreover,
they are honored by Allah, and
they receive the most generous of
rewards. Read the following
Hadith attributed to the Prophet
(pbuh):
“The spirits of martyrs are
placed in the bodies of green
birds which fly wherever they
wish in Heaven and come back
to rest on lamps hanging below
Allah’s Throne. Your Lord looks
at them and says: What do you
wish for? They answer: Our
Lord, what can we wish for
when You have given us what
You have not given to any of
Your creation? He repeats the
same question. When they
realize that they must put their
request, they say: We wish to be
returned to life so that we fight
for your cause and we are killed
again in your cause. This they
say after they have known what
great reward awaits martyrs.
Allah, infinite in His majesty,
says: My word has passed that
they [human beings] shall never
return to their world.”
Anas, a companion of the Prophet
(pbuh) quotes the Prophet as saying:
“No one who is admitted to
Heaven wishes to return to this
life even if he would have
everything on the face of the
earth, with the exception of a
martyr. He wishes to return to
life and to be killed ten times for
Allah’s cause because of the
honor he is given.”
MARTYRS: Those Killed In Allah’s
Cause Are Alive Indeed But ---
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But who are those living martyrs?
They are those who are killed in
Allah‟s cause. That must be their
only cause, which must not be
associated with any distinctive
feature, objective or aim other than
Allah. They are those who fight {I
have numerous times explained the
meanings of Fight and Jihad that it is not
only in War, but can be in any way in the
cause of Allah} for the cause of the
truth revealed by Allah and
establish the constitution He has
decreed. They fight and they are
killed for the sake of this religion
which Allah has chosen for man.
That is their only cause. They can
have no banner or objective other
than that of Islam. The Qur‟an and
the Hadith stress this fact and
reiterate it until the hearts of the
believers are absolutely purged of
anything which may be falsely
associated with it.
Abu Moosa, a companion of the
Prophet (pbuh) reports that Allah‟s
messenger was questioned about
those who fight out of bravery, or
in defense of their people or to
impart a false impression: which
of them fights for Allah‟s cause?
The Prophet (pbuh) answered: “He
who fights so that Allah’s word
may be supreme fights for
Allah’s cause.”
Abu Huraira, a companion of the
Prophet (pbuh) reports that a man
questioned Allah‟s messenger
about the cause of a man who
wanted to fight for Allah‟s cause
but also wished to have some
worldly gain. The Prophet (pbuh)
answered: “He can have no
reward.” The questioner repeated
his question three times, and the
Prophet repeated the same answer:
“He can have no reward.”
Abu Huraira also quotes the
Prophet (pbuh) making clear Allah‟s
guarantee to anyone who leaves
home in order to fight for Allah‟s
cause.
“If he goes out of his home
motivated only by his desire to
fight for My cause, his faith in
Me and his belief in My
messenger, he has My guarantee
that I will admit him into
Heaven or return him to his
place from which he set off with
whatever reward or gain he has
made.” By Him who holds
Mohammad’s soul in his hand,
whatever wound he suffers in
Allah’s cause would be on the
Day of Judgment exactly in the
same shape as when it was
suffered. Its color will be that of
blood but its smell would be the
smell of musk. By Him who
holds Mohammad’s soul in his
hand, if it was not for may fear
that I would be placing a very
heavy burden on Muslims I
would have joined every single
expedition going out on a
mission to serve Allah’s cause. I,
however, do not have enough
resources to provide them with
transport, and they do not have
the means to follow me while
they would find it very hard to
stay behind. By Him who holds
Mohammad’s soul in his hand, I
would love to fight for Allah’s
cause and to be killed, then to
fight for Allah’s cause and to be
killed.” [Malik, Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Such are the martyrs; they are
those who join a campaign of
Allah‟s cause, motivated only by
the desire to join such a campaign
and by their faith in Allah and
their belief in His messenger.
The Prophet (pbuh) expressed his
disapproval when he heard a
Persian youth expressing pride in
his nationality during a campaign
of Jihad. Abdul Rahman ibn Abu
Uqbah quotes his father, who was
a slave from Persia, as saying: “I
took part with the Prophet (pbuh) in
the battle of Uhud. I smote a man
of the polytheists and said: Take it
from me, a Persian young man.
The Prophet (pbuh) turned toward
me and said: “It would have been
better for you to say: „an Ansari
young man.‟ The nephew of any
people belongs to them and the
slave of any people belongs to
them.” [Abu Dawood]. From this report
we see that the Prophet (pbuh)
disapproved of that young man
seeking pride in anything other
than the fact that he was a
supporter of the Prophet and to
fight under any banner other than
that of this religion of Islam. That
is a true Jihad and in such a Jihad
only martyrdom is earned. Such
martyrs alone are the ones who
remain alive.
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Question
Comment
Question
Comment
We are told by our elders not to sit with
our feet facing the direction of the
Kiblah wherever we happen to be. Please comment.
It is when you are in the Haram
with the Ka’bah at the center that
you should not stretch your legs
toward it. When you are outside, you may face the way
you like, and stretch your legs in any direction. Only if
a person turns toward the Ka’bah with a gesture
intended as an insult to it, that his action is forbidden.
But if you are at home, and mean no disrespect to the
Ka’bah, you sit or lie down in the position that is most
comfortable to you.
During my recent visit to Madinah, I
noticed how the guards turn people
away from the Prophet’s grave when
they try to touch the outside walls or the gate or anything on
the structure. They claimed that all this is a form of “Shirk”,
or associating partners with Allah. Does this apply to kissing
the forehead or the hand of a grandfather, or a Tribal Chief,
or a Prime Minister, or a ruler?
Gestures differ according to the
way they are used and understood
in the community. The same
gesture may carry opposite meanings in different
communities. In Russia, for example, when the
audience applauds, the speaker returns their gesture
with similar applause. If this were to be done by a
speaker in Western Europe or in the Middle East, it
would be found very strange.
During the Prophet’s (pbuh) lifetime, people greeted him
with gestures expressing their love and respect as was
acceptable in their community. After his death, we
greet him and request Allah to grant him peace and
blessings (Darood). In this way, which he himself
recommended, we express our love and respect to him.
For example, in the society of Arab countries, people
express their respect to their elders by kissing their
hands, or their foreheads. They express welcome to a
dear friend by touching noses. All these are acceptable
from the community point of view and nothing to do
with the religion of Islam, since there is no confusion
in the meaning of the gesture itself.
When visiting relatives’ graves, the proper thing to do
is to greet the dead and to pray Allah to shower His
mercy on them. No gesture of touching the grave or
wailing is permissible. When standing before the grave
of a highly respected person, such as a scholar or an
ancestor, we should confine ourselves to verbal prayers
and greetings. The same applies to visiting the
Prophet’s (pbuh) grave. We stand there in all humility,
greeting the Prophet (pbuh) and declaring our belief in
him as Allah’s messenger who delivered His message
complete and guided us to follow it, giving us good
counsel.
We pray to Allah to reward him as He best rewards a
prophet and a messenger. To touch or kiss the walls of
his grave is wrong. It is indeed a gesture similar to
what polytheists used to do. Islam takes a very strong
stand to any gesture or action that is associated in
people’s minds with worship. People that worshiped
ancestors, or saints, or dead people often indulge in
actions that are not permissible in Islam. One of these
is to touch the grave, or to hold its gate and pray to
Allah. All this is unacceptable.
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TOMATO
With a bundle of thanks to Michelle Locke, Associated Press
Any way you slice it, the tomato is one confusing comestible. There’s the whole identity crisis thing – is it a
fruit or a vegetable? And don’t get us started on the “tuh-MAY-to, tuh-MAH-to thing. It’s enough to drive
anyone “ba-NAY-nas”.
Here are what tomato lovers and
experts have to say about common
misconceptions about this vine
product.
Fruit or Vegetable?
This is the kind of thing that can spark
quite the argument, with both sides
passionately supporting their claims.
Oddly enough, both are right, at least
according to the US Department of
Agriculture‟s Economic Research
Service. Yes, botanically speaking the
tomato is a fruit, but horticultural and
legally, it is considered a vegetable.
This debate has been adjudicated by
none other than the US Supreme
Court. It happened in the late 19th
century in connection with a challenge
to tariffs on imported produce. The
high court ruled in Nix vs. Hedden
that despite the botanical definition,
tomatoes are a vegetable, in part
because at the tables of the time they
were served as “the principal part of
the repast” and not as dessert. No
telling what the justices would have
done in today‟s envelope-pushing
culinary world of tomato jams and
gelatos.
A side note: Today‟s tomatoes are
mainly tariff-free since those that
aren‟t grown domestically are mostly
imported from Mexico and Canada,
which are covered by the NAFTA free
trade zone.
The Big Chill
A lot of people pick out the freshest,
juiciest tomatoes they can find, take
them home, and bundle them into the
fridge, thereby killing all that
wonderful aroma and flavor.
Instead, tomatoes should be stored at
room temperature, says Chef Mathew
Lowe of the Kendall-Jackson Wine
Estate in Fulton, California, which
hosts an annual Heirloom Tomato
Festival. Put the tomatoes in the fridge
and “you lose the smell, that taste you
get from the aroma, and you never get
it back.” That means that tomatoes are
not like cheese, which should be
refrigerated for storage then allowed
to come to room temperature before
serving. With tomatoes, once chilled,
there‟s no going back.
Toxic Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are part of the nightshade
family, just like peppers and
eggplants, which have led some in the
past to believe the fruit is poisonous.
In fact, the tomato is harmless.
However, Lowe notes, you don‟t want
to eat the leaves or other parts of the
plant. On the other hand, your parents
were correct. If you eat lots of tomato
seeds, one is likely to grown in your
stomach. Not.
Red equals Ripe
Tomatoes come in all shapes and
colors, from white to mahogany. “I
am fascinated by the sheer variety of
tomatoes available – black ones,
yellow ones, stripy ones and white
ones in all sorts of shapes and sizes,”
says Gail Harland, author of “Tomato:
A guide to the pleasures of choosing,
growing and cooking.” Lowe like to
use color as a wine-pairing tool,
matching lighter wines with paler
varieties of tomato and more robust
reds with their color counterparts.
Tomatoes are best picked absolutely
ripe, so if you have access to a
farmer‟s market selling freshly picked
tomatoes, grow your own or are lucky
enough to have a generous and green-
thumbed friend, you‟re getting
tomatoes at their best and juiciest.
“Some of the best tomatoes don‟t
actually make it out of the garden,”
says Lowe.
Tomatoes intended for shipping to the
food service industry – to be served on
hamburgers, etc. – often are picked
before they are ripe, when they are
firmer and can stand up to the journey
better, and are then ripened by
exposure to ethylene, a naturally
occurring gas. You can do the same
thing at home by putting unripe
tomatoes in a paper bag with bananas
or apples, which emit ethylene gas.
Supermarket tomatoes come in for
some pretty harsh criticism, though in
recent years products have improved
with many being grown
hydroponically in huge greenhouses,
allowing for a year-round supply.
“What you can buy at the supermarket
now is probably superior to the
choices that you had 15 to 20 years
ago,” says Tim Hartz, cooperative
extension specialist in the University
of California, Davis, and plant
Myths Still Sow Many Seeds Of Confusion!
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Siddiqa Sadiq Montreal, Canada
sciences department. “For the life of
me I don‟t understand all the
consternation that some people have
about the quality of the tomatoes at
the supermarket.”
Winter tomatoes aren‟t the best, he
agrees, which is not so surprising
since it‟s the offseason. Even a
greenhouse tomato, once out of the
greenhouse, may be exposed to cold
that will impinge on taste.
What about those “on the vine”
tomatoes marketed as being superior
to stem-less tomato?
That, says the USDA diplomatically,
is a subjective decision that only the
consumer can make. Physiologically,
tomatoes with or without stems
shouldn‟t be different if they‟re
handled properly.
And, One More Thing
In her research, Harland, who lives in
Britain, was intrigued to learn about
the tomato festival at Bunol near
Valencia in Spain. Called La
Tomatina, this takes place on the last
Wednesday of August and is “in
effect, the world‟s biggest food fight,
involving some 20,000 participants
and several truckloads of tomatoes.”
There are rules; tomatoes must be
crushed before being tossed to avoid
injury and can only be thrown during
a designated period. The fight is part
of a weeklong festival of parties,
concerts, fireworks and cookery
demonstrations and “I am determined
to visit one year!” says Harland.
On many occasions, Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her),
the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him, whom he loved most
and who was the closest person to him in the last ten years of
his life, was requested to describe his personal manners and
his moral standard. A woman of great knowledge and
profound insight, she always sought to relate her account of
the Prophet‟s personality to the teachings of the Qur‟an. Sa‟ad
ibn Hishaam reports: “I spoke to Ayesha, the mother of
believers, and said: „Tell me about the Prophet‟s manners.‟
She asked me: „Don‟t you read the Qur‟an?‟ when I answered
in the affirmative, she said: „His manners were [an
embodiment of] the Qur‟an.‟” (Muslim)
Several people reported this short answer and each
asked on a different occasion. It is thus related in different
anthologies of Hadith with different chains of transmission
and different reporters. Jubayr ibn Nafeer mentions that it was
when he went on pilgrimage that he visited Ayesha and asked
her this question to which she gave the same answer. It is a
short answer in which we had to interpolate the words in
between brackets to give clear sense that an Arab Muslim
would immediately gather. But what does it mean in practice?
Ibn Katheer gives us the following explanation:
“What this means is that he would comply with whatever the
Qur’an orders to be done, and he would make sure to
refrain from whatever the Qur’an prohibits. Such was his
great, natural inclination, which is certain to give anyone
the best moral standard of all and the most perfect and
beautiful manners. Moreover, Allah has given him a great
and perfect faith, which He gave none before him.
Moreover, he was the last of all prophets, which meant that
Allah would send no messenger or prophet after his mission
is completed. Therefore, his character combines a standard
of modesty, generosity, courage, forbearance, forgiveness,
compassion and all other virtues that are beyond
description.”
Sometimes Ayesha gave some
insight as to what she meant when she
answered this question, which was frequently asked by people
who wished to emulate the Prophet‟s (pbuh) standard, knowing
that he provided the most perfect role model. Abu al-Dardaa‟,
a companion of the Prophet (pbuh), says that he asked Ayesha
about the Prophet‟s manners. She said: “His manners were
[an embodiment of] the Qur’an: He was pleased when the
Qur’an was complied with, and he was angry when it was
disregarded.”
This sets the standard very clear. Whatever the
Qur‟an ordered was to him something that must be complied
with. If the Qur‟an ordered that certain practice should be
prohibited, then it must be abandoned by all. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, would be the first to implement any Qur‟anic
injunction, whatever it said, because he knew that it was a
divine order that must be carried out.
On another occasion, Ayesha was talking to a group
of people who asked her the same question. She replied: “His
manners were the Qur’an in practice. Read, if you will, the
first ten verses of Surah 23, The Believers, and you will
know what the Prophet’s personal manners were.”
Here Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, refers her
interlocutors to a specific passage of the Qur‟an, which
outlines certain commandments. These ten verses are as
follows:
“Truly, successful shall be the believers, who humble
themselves in their prayer, who turn away from all that is
frivolous, who are active in deeds of charity, who refrain
from sex except with those joined to them in marriage, or
those whom they rightfully possess – for then, they are free
of all blame, whereas those who seek to go beyond that
[limit] are indeed transgressors, who are faithful to their
Islamic Etiquette The Standards to Set
19 Scenic Gardens NW, Calgary, Alberta – Canada - - - email: [email protected] Page 10
trusts and to their pledges, and who are diligent in their
prayers. These shall be the heirs that will inherit the
paradise; therein shall they abide.”
These ten short verses outline a code of
morality that covers private and public
situations, as well as relations with Allah and social dealings.
Thus, humility in prayers symbolizes man‟s relation with
Allah to whom prayers are addressed, while turning away
from frivolity indicates following a code of serious morality.
Charity is a fulfillment of a social duty by which the rich look
after the poor so as no one is left without being looked after.
Maintaining virtuous standards in the fulfillment of the sexual
desire means the sex must be confined within the bounds of
marriage. No excess is permissible in Islam. This preserves a
standard of purity and cleanliness in family and community as
a whole. Fulfillment of trust and pledges sets relations within
society on a basis of complete honesty and sincerity. This
makes for a much closer community in which every individual
finds support and the whole community prospers. When such
standards are maintained, the result is virtuous life in this
world and heaven in the hereafter. This is a double success.
Needless to say, Qur‟anic morality and good manners
are much wider and more varied than what these ten short
verses sum up. Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, simply gave a
clue and left it to her listeners to reflect on what her reply that
the Prophet, peace be upon him, practically implemented all
Qur‟anic directives meant. It is in this light that we should
read the Prophet‟s own statement: “I have been sent with
my message only to perfect good manners and
morality.” Thus, setting moral standards on a level of
perfection is the objective of the final divine message, which
remains the point of reference for all humanity, at all times.
And when we say that the Prophet‟s manners were an
embodiment of Qur‟anic teachings, we are saying that he
provided the perfect example of perfect morality. Hence, it is
not surprising that he is described in the Qur‟an as having a
„great moral standard‟ [68:4] and it is no exaggeration to say
that none can be better than to emulate the Prophet, peace be upon
him, in all actions and situations.
A Poem from March 1989 More than 22 years later, how amazingly it still fits
with the political, religious and law & order situation
in Pakistan, and above all the small groups who are
not aligned with Central Anjuman should read this
again and again. “Ham Karain Mismaar Sab Nafrat
Kea Deewaroon co Aaj”