The Friday Azaan

​9. O you who believe! When call to the prayer on Friday is sounded, hasten to activities for remembrance of Allah and leave the worldly business. That is good for you, if you but knew it!

10. Then as the prayer is ended, spread out on the earth to seek Allah’s favours. And remember Allah much, so that you achieve success.

These two Verses from the Qur’aanic Chapter 62 require the believers to disengage themselves from all normal business activities to turn to remembrance of their One Creator & Nourisher. This mandatory abstinence from even lawful business activities is just for about an hour till the completion of the Friday Prayer, and is to be universally observed in the entire area the Azaan is heard. That too only on one day in a week! Allah Almighty has indeed been very kind to the Muslims in this regard; the Jews had to abstain for a whole day in a week from business activities.

There however are some doubts on whether the modern-day Muslims are observing this divine edict correctly. One doubt relates to the practice of proclaiming the Azaan twice for the Friday Prayer. Which of these two Azaans should be the starting point for the said one-hour-or-so abstinence period? The 2^nd Azaan was an addition made during the time of the Caliphs; it was not there during the Prophet’s time, i.e., during the time of revelation of the Qur’aan. On this account itself, the computation of the abstinence period ought to start from the time the 1^st Azaan is proclaimed. Besides, if the 2^nd Azaan is to be taken as the starting point, the period of abstinence would be too insignificantly small to deserve the special mention in the Qur’aan. Muslims, who say their prayers regularly, do observe the abstinence everyday during their noon prayers.

It is clear, from the Verses quoted above, that the divine edict of abstinence is to be universally observed by all Muslims, including those who are not in a position to attend the Masajid. The latter, including women, do not generally observe the edict and are seen engaged in mundane activities during the prescribed period of abstinence. Such persons become guilty of disobeying the divine edict. They too should shun their other activities and involve themselves in prayers and other acts of remembering Allah, even outside Masajid, during the prescribed period.

Another doubt arising in this context is whether the said Qur’aanic edict is applicable only to the noon prayer on Friday or also to the other prescribed prayers on that day. Going by the prevalent universal practice, it is applied only to the noon prayer, but, apparently, Verse 62:9 is applicable to all Azaans given on Friday! However, the Arabic term yawmil-jumuati literally means ‘time of congregation’. Congregation, referred to here, is obviously not that for the normal daily prayers, but a larger one for the weekly prayer. And the time universally and incontrovertibly fixed for the weekly prayer is that for the noon prayer on Friday. So there appears to be nothing wrong in the prevalent universal practice in this regard. But, to err on the safer side, let Muslims – at least those who can afford to – observe the abstinence edict during the times of the other prayers also, on Friday.

Mohammad Shafi

Worldly Life through Divine Eyes

Qur'aanic Verse 57:20:

Transliteration:

20. IAAlamoo annama alhayatu alddunya laAAibun walahwun wazeenatun watafakhurun baynakum watakathurun fee al-amwali waal-awladi kamathali ghaythin aAAjaba alkuffara nabatuhu thumma yaheeju fatarahu musfarran thumma yakoonu hutaman wafee al-akhirati AAathabun shadeedun wamaghfiratun mina Allahi waridwanun wama alhayatu alddunya illa mataAAu alghuroori

Translation:

20. Beware! The life of this world is only a game and a pastime, a show, and mutual boasting and out-rivaling each other in riches and children. It is like the growth of vegetation after the rain, which makes the skeptic wonder, but which then withers away, turns yellow and becomes worthless stubble. And in the Hereafter,  severe punishment, forgiveness from Allah and His Pleasure! And the life of this world is nothing but means of deception.

The Great Retraction

Qur'aanic Verse 56:46:

Transliteration:

46. Wakanoo yusirroona AAala alhinthi alAAatheemi

Translation:

46. And they had persisted in the Great Retraction ¹

^{Study Note:}

1. There is an inner conviction in every human being that he/she is created by One Powerful Creator Who has also created everything else in the Universe. And he/she intrinsically pledges his/her obedience to that One Creator. But most stray away from that pledge because of carnal desires generated under satanic influence. Remember how Adam and Eve were seduced by the Satan in retracting against their solemn pledge to Allah while they were living most comfortably in Paradise. Those first humans were thrown out into this world of trials and tribulations after their very first act of Retraction. But most of their progeny here, despite being given many chances, persist in the Great Retraction. The Verse here speaks of those wicked people.

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The above extract is from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Mind-boggling

Qur'aanic Verse 51:7:

Transliteration:

7. Waalssama-i thati alhubuki

Translation:

7. By the heaven full of perfectly defined pathways²

^{Study Note:}

2. One might well have seen a circus artiste keeping onlookers spellbound with his artistry of playing with 3 or 4 balls with his two hands continuously for a few minutes without the balls crashing against one another or without their being floored. But the artiste is a human being after all. He can sustain the show only for a limited period of time and with imited number of balls. But consider the superhuman Artiste Who has been sustaining such a Show for an infinitely long time now and with innumerable balls [heavenly bodies] billions of times bigger than the poor circus artiste can ever handle. We are witness to this Show day in and day out without being ever spellbound by it or without ever giving recognition to the Great Artiste! The Show is brought about by the interplay of innumerable centripetal and centrifugal forces. The mathematical precision with which this is done is simply mind-boggling.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Proscribed!

Qur'aanic Verses 50:39 & 50:40:

Transliterations:

39. Faisbir AAala ma yaqooloona wasabbih bihamdi rabbika qabla tulooAAi alshshamsi waqabla alghuroobi

40. Wamina allayli fasabbihhu waadbara alssujoodi

Translations:

39. Have patience, then, over what they say, and glorify your Lord with praise, before the rising of the sun and before its setting.⁶

40. And glorify Him during parts of the night, and post prostrations!⁶

^{Study Note:}

6. These two Verses tell us that we should keep remembering Allah, with all His Glory, constantly throughout the time we are awake while doing our mundane work. That is, besides our Salah timings as prescribed in Verses 17:78, 11:114 & 2:238. During Salah, of course, all mundane work – and even thought – are proscribed!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Conflicting Voices Within

Qur'aanic Verse 50:17:

Transliteration:

17. Ith yatalaqqa almutalaqqiyani AAani alyameeni waAAani alshshimali qaAAeedun


Translation:

17. When the two frequently confronting voices, one located on the right and one on the left, confront each other⁵

^{Study Note:}

5. Man has frequently to make a choice between two conflicting urges arising in his mind. To give an example from real life published in newspapers a few years ago, a woman found out that her young son had committed a crime. Her natural instinct was to hide this fact and save her son from punishment he was liable to under the law. But she was an Allah-fearing woman. And her conscience told her that this world’s punishment is better than the punishment in the Hereafter. So she herself took her son to the authorities that day! It is such conflicting views arising in a human mind that this Verse is alluding to here.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Treaty of Hudaibiah

Qur'aanic Verse 48:1:

Transliteration:

1. Inna fatahna laka fathan mubeenan

Translation:

1. We have indeed granted you a clear victory.¹

^{Study Note:}

1. Verses occurring later in this Chapter indicate that the victory mentioned here is neither that at the battle of Badr nor the conquest of Mecca. In between those two events, Prophet Muhammad [peace on him] had set off from Medina, with some of his companions, to perform Umrah at Mecca which was still in the hands of the polytheists. On their way, the party was stopped at a place called Hudaibiah and not allowed to proceed further. Negotiations between the party and the Meccans followed, wherein, the Muslims agreed to return to Medina that year, and the Meccans agree to allow them to come for the pilgrimage next year. Although the treaty enabled peace for the future propagation of Islam, certain terms therein were apparently humiliating for the Musims. Therefore, most of the Muslims could not then understand why it was being called a victory. They nevertheless reiterated there their oath of allegiance to the Prophet. Only later on did they realize that the extended period of peace they gained was the real victory; for, Islam spread rapidly therein.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

Portends of the End

Qur'aanic Verse 47:18:

Transliteration:

18. Fahal yanthuroona illa alssaAAata an ta/tiyahum baghtatan faqad jaa ashratuha faanna lahum ithajaat-hum thikrahum

Translation:

18. Are they, then, waiting for the Hour (the time when the present world will end and the Hereafter begin) to come upon them of a sudden? Portends² of it have verily come! And what will mention of these [portends] avail them, once it [the Hour] has come upon them?

Study Note:

2. Calamities suffered by ancient peoples like those of Noah and Lot, the Aad, the Samood etc. were but portends of what would happen when the Hour comes affecting the entire earth. Such portends do come even now in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis etc. But people now hardly take them as portends. They dismiss them as just natural phenomena!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-pubished Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

Hadeeth

Qur'aanic Verse 7:185:

Transliteration:

185. Awalam yanthuroo fee malakooti alssamawati waal-ardi wama khalaqa Allahu min shay-in waan AAasa an yakoona qadi iqtaraba ajaluhum fabi-ayyi hadeethin baAAdahu yu/minoona

Translation:

185. Do they not ponder over the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever things Allah has created, and over the likelihood of their own death being near? What hadeeth⁷⁴ would they then believe in after this?

Study Note:

74. This Arabic word has been used in the Qur’aan variously in the meanings of (i) story, (ii) discourse, (iii) speech, or (iv) the Qur’aan itself. In the context of the preceding sentence, in this very Verse, the word here could connote the broad statement as under:

The orderly behaviour of the entire universe gives enough proof of the existence of a super-intelligent Being faultlessly governing it. When that Being can so control such a gigantic thing, He can obviously do the far less complex task of managing and controlling, inter alia, every human life. It is this Being – Whom we call Allah – that is guiding mankind in the proper conduct of their lives, through this Qur’aan. Every human being should grasp this Reality before it is too late. No one knows when death would come. It may be just round the corner.

But the word hadeeth came to acquire another meaning after the completion of the revelation of the Qur’aan, and the departure of the Prophet from this world. Centuries after the death of the Prophet, his orally reported sayings, and those of his companions, came to be recorded in writing. And these recorded sayings came to be known as ahaadeeth (plural of hadeeth). Allah Almighty knows all about the future. And at the time of the revelation of this Verse, He was aware of this future meaning of the term hadeeth. He (Allah), in that sense, is disapprovingly hinting here at future generations of the Muslim Ummah believing in such man-influenced, error-prone ahaadeeth in preference to the well-explained teachings in the Qur’aan, which can also be taken as referred to by the pronoun hu in baAAdahu of the Arabic text. The Verse is thus telling us categorically that the Qur’aan is the best hadeeth; one need not go after other ahaadeeth. 

The Atheist

The Atheist

Who made the clock on the wall?

Or who made the tennis ball?

The atheist has no hesitation

That these are things of creation

Who then created the earth?

None, he answers without mirth

And who did create universe so vast

That its enormity makes man aghast?

No, no, none, cries the atheist

I believe in God, not the least

The earth, the universe, just happened all

God is a creation of minds small

When told: every effect does have a cause

The atheist asks, after a pause:

Who created God then

And who created God's creator, and when?

A beginning does have every effect

If you, O atheist, would but reflect!

But God - an effect He is not

He has no beginning slot

HE always has been and always will be

HE is not a creature like honeybee

If God be there, the atheist says,

Why games of cruelty He plays?

Why are innocents cruelly killed

While poor suffer, coffers of rich get filled?

The atheist speaks like frog in well

On questions unknown does he dwell

What knows he about things outside

His narrow well-view, worldwide

What knows he about child that dies

In distant land, or why there a woman cries

Individually, or collectively, no man

Knows the reasons fully, nor can

Reasons are known to one Entity

And to none else, of a certainty

That Entity is the Creator of all

Whom the atheist doesn't call

Poor fellow's bound to have a great fall

For, refused he has to open

Basic objective of life human.

Mohammad Shafi

Purpose of Life

Purpose of Life

A song have I coined
Do keep this in mind:

Purpose of life its title is
Get not deceived by the world please

Tested we're in life throughout 
Whether we believe or do we doubt

Let Allah manage your affairs 
Entrust to Him all your cares

Make the Qur'aan your guide 
Allah then will take your side

In Paradise for ever you'll dwell
If that you do; or, else, in Hell

Mohammad Shafi

Crime and Punishment

Qur'aanic Verses 40:47 & 40:48:

Transliterations:

47. Wa-ith yatahajjoona fee alnnari fayaqoolu aldduAAafao lillatheena istakbaroo inna kunna lakum tabaAAan fahal antum mughnoona AAanna naseeban mina alnnari

48. Qala allatheena istakbaroo inna kullun feeha inna Allaha qad hakama bayna alAAibadi

Translations:

47. And when they quarrel in the Fire, the weak ask the proud, “We were just your followers. Would you therefore relieve us of a portion of the Fire?”

48. The proud say, “We are all together in this. Allah has already pronounced the Judgment on His subjects.”⁵ 

^{Study Note:}

5. This contentious discourse among the inmates of Hell has a lesson to teach to the Muslims of today. Despite Allah’s declared abhorrence (Verse 6:159) against formation of sects, the Muslims have persisted in grouping themselves into numerous sects like Sunni, Shia etc. Someone declares a deviant view, and, others, aided and abetted by the Satan, flock together around that view. And, lo, a sect is formed! Rank and file of any such sect just blindly follows its leaders. Most of the followers do never bother to cross-check their leaders’ contentions with the Qur’aan. If the leaders’ contentions are such as to make them liable for punishment in the Hereafter, the blind followers too would get the same punishment.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

Get Not Deceived

Qur'aanic Verse 40:4:

 

Transliteration:

 

 

4 Ma yujadilu fee ayati Allahi illa allatheena kafaroo fala yaghrurka taqallubuhum fee albiladi

 

 

Translation:

 

 

4. No one calls Allah’s Verses in question, but those who suppress the Truth! Hence, let not their activity among the populace deceive you.²

 

 

^{Study Note:}

 

 

2. It 0ften happens that the wicked and the cruel people in this world have the upper hand. Despite their crimes against humanity, they continue apparently to enjoy life. To take an example on a macro level from history, Hitler had undoubtedly an upper hand for many years initially in World War II. He seemed invincible against his opponents all around him. But in the end he had to suffer an ignominious defeat and death. The believers have to take heart from this historical piece from our recent past. History abounds in such examples. And I have no doubt every believer has experienced in their personal lives such examples of bad persons having bad ends. But personal experiences are not necessarily definitive in character. The person experiencing or witnessing them does not always have the whole story revealed to him. The person is likely therefore to be deceived. To him or her, crime apparently goes unpunished most of the times. A believer however remains steadfast in believing that Allah Almighty is watching every minute thing everywhere and that justice is bound to be done whatever the apparent position for now. One other thing that ought to be remembered in this context is that an atheist is not likely to be punished in this world if that atheist behaves justly with all his fellow citizens here. His punishment for his disbelief in Allah is reserved for the Hereafter.

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The above is an extract from Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

 

Mohammad Shafi



 

The Manager

Qur'aanic Verse 39:62:

Transliteration:

62. Allahu khaliqu kulli shay-in wahuwa AAala kulli shay-in wakeelun

Translation:

62. Allah is the Creator of everything. And He is the Manager of affairs for everything.⁹

^{Study Note:}

9. Everything here includes human beings. In the divine scheme of things, a human being, unlike other animals, is given the freedom to choose – to choose to believe in Allah (with all His attributes as given in the Qur’aan) or not to believe in Him. A believer has just to abide by His directions as given in the Qur’aan and rest assured that all his/her affairs in this worldly life will be exquisitely managed by Him. The believer has not to worry about it at all.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi