KHUTAB I - A (1-5)

1.  THE TRUTH

There is a story about four blind men who wanted to know about the elephant. An elephant was brought to them. The first person came forward and touched the animal’s tail. He thought that the elephant is like a rope.  The second person touched its leg and thought that it is like a tree. The third person touched its ivory and thought that it is like a spear. The fourth person touched its trunk and thought it is a moving round tube.

Since each of them used one sense only, namely, the sense of touch, each one had a limited perception of the elephant. Each of them would hold his opinion and would say that others are wrong. Had they possessed the sense of sight, they would have seen that each of them had touched only a small part of the animal and did not have a full concept of the elephant.  With the help of another sense, in this case, the sense of sight, they will have a broader understanding than by using one sense only, here, the sense of touch.  The more senses we use the more understanding we shall have.

If we compare our senses to the notes of a musical instrument, such as a piano, we have five notes only.  Some people are said to possess a kind of mysterious ability called ‘the sixth sense”. Their brains are said to have the ability to perceive the message transmitted by the brain waves of others.  However, we have not heard a person who claimed to possess the seventh sense.  Compared to the piano, our ”instrument” is very poor, since it has no more than six notes only, if the sixth sense it accepted as genuine.

Our senses are not fully reliable. They can make mistakes. Therefore, they have to pass the test called the judgement of reason. Our sense of sight, for example, tells us that the moon is much bigger than the stars, but our reason holds the opposite view. When we become ill, everything tastes bitter, even honey.

The language we use to express our judgement and ideas is very limited. How can we explain the colour to the blind and the sound to the deaf, not to mention the beauty of the Rocky Mountain scenery and the melody of a Mozart symphony? We cannot even explain the sweetness of honey.

We may speak the same language, but this does not guarantee that we understand each other properly. We may feel that we are speaking in different languages because of our different level of knowledge and understanding. Let us suppose that an astronaut is landing on a certain planet silimar to the earth somewhere in this universe inhabited by primitive beings. Let us imagine a conversation between the astronaut and an intelligent being on that planet  which runs as follows:

Astronaut: “Hello, sir, I come from a planet in the solar system called the earth, its population is over five billions. It was the 21th century when I left it”

Primitive being: “I am from a cave over there, and I have no idea as to the earth, population and century.  What are you wearing?”

Astronaut: “It is a space suit.”

Primitive being: “What kind of animal skin was it made from?”

Astronaut: “It is not made of animal skin, but of a synthetic fabric manufactured in the factory. Its safety and durability have been tested using the most modern technology of the twenty first century.”

The primitive being could not stand the conversation any longer, because he did not understand what the astronaut was talking about. He said to the astronaut, “Excuse me, Iam going to my cave,” and left.

          There are many things in this world which are like the elephant to the blind in the story mentioned above. They are mysterious because of our lack of sense and knowledge. They are, for example, the Heaven, the Hell, the Resurrection and the Judgement Day. Prophets who were sent by Allah the Almighty to guide the human beings described these mysterious things in allegorical ways because of the limitation of our languages. In Paradise, for example, we are told that people will eat and drink, even “wine” which will bring them into ecstasy without being drunk. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that in Paradise people would find things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined.

          No matter how intelligent we are, our knowledge of the unseen is very limited. Our sense, languages and understanding are very limited. Answering the question of a Bedouin about the spirit, Allah said:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

   (الإسراء : ٨٥)

“They ask thee concerning the spirit. Say: ‘The spirit is of

  the command of my Lord: Of knowledge it is only a little

 that is communicated to you  (O man).’” (Q. 17:85)

          As Muslims we accept the description of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) about the unseen, believing in the Heaven, the Hell, and the Resurrection Day, and we humbly acknowledge our frailty, weakness, and ignorance. In the meantime, we ask Allah to increase our knowledge and give us wisdom.

2.    YAQĪN  (CERTAINTY)

Allah says in the Qur’ān:

وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ  (الحجر : ٩٩)

 “And serve thy Lord until there comes unto

 thee the Hour that is certain”  (Q. 15:99)  

What does the yaqīn, “the certainty” mean here? It is death. This is the translation given by Mujāhid, al-H...asan and Qatādah. They were the Qur’ānic commentators among the tābi^’īn, people who were contemporary to the companions of the Prophet.

In another Qur’ānic verse, yaqīn also means “death”, when the people who are to enter Hell will say in the Hereafter:

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ حَتَّى أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ  ( المدثر : ٤٦-٤٧ )

“And we used to deny the Day of Judgment, until there

 came to us  (the hour) that is certain.” (Q. 74:46-47)

In one tradition the Prophet entered into the house of ‘Uthmān ibn Maz.‘ūn who was passing away, and said,

أَمَّا هُوَ فَقَدْ جَاءَهُ الْيَقِينُ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأَرْجُو لَهُ الْخَيْرَ

(رواه البخاري وأحمد)

 “As for him, the hour of certainty (meaning “death”)

has come  to him, and I hope he will be well.”

(Reported by Bukhārī and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal)

Death is something of whose coming we are certain.  According to the verse mentioned before, every Muslim has to serve and worship Allah until the imminent death comes.

Speaking about prayer, Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said,

صَلِّ قَائِمًا فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبٍ

(رواه البخاري وأبو داءود وابن ماجة و أحمد)

“Pray standing; if you can’t, pray sitting;

and if you can’t, pray laying down.”

(Reported by Bukhārī, Abū Dā’ūd, Ibn Mājah and Aḥmad)

This means, there is no excuse for not doing the prayer (except women in their period). However, there is misinterpretation of the word yaqīn (certainty) in the verse mentioned before among people who claimed to be knowledgeable.  They said that yaqīn in this verse means ma‘rifah (gnosis) or  h.aqīqah (truth, reality). Therefore, they interpreted the verses mentioned above as “Worship your Lord until ultimate truth comes to you.” So, when this happens, sharī‘ah or religious obligations would not apply to them any longer. They would not have to pray any more, for every movement of their bodies, even the beat of their hearts would be prayer and dhikr (remembrance to Allah), h.ajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca) would not apply to them any longer, for their hearts would have become the qiblah (direction in praying) and the Ka‘bah itself, and the t.awāf (the circumambulation around the Ka‘bah) would be around their hearts.

          This interpretation is not only misleading, but also leads astray.  Prophets, peace be upon them, were the chosen people who knew more about Allah and His injunctions than others, and yet, they were people who followed the most religious obligations. Who are we to claim to know something which allows us to be exempted from these religious obligations?

The other meaning of yaqīn is “the truth”.  The lapwing (hoopoe) said to Prophet Sulaymān (Solomon, p.b.u.h.),  

 وَجِئْتُكَ مِنْ سَبَإٍ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ  ( النمل : ٢٢)

“And I have come to thee from Saba’ with tidings true” (Q. 27:22)

          All truth is in itself certain. Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328) divided yaqīn into three categories:

1.    ‘Ilmu’l-Yaqīn, certainty by reasoning or inference. For example, if somebody told you that there is honey at a certain place and the informer is a reliable person, this is ‘ilmu’l-yaqīn, certainty by reasoning.

2.    ‘Aynu’l-Yaqīn, certainty by personal inspection, namely, certainty of seeing something with our own eyes. This belongs to the category of “seeing is believing.” If you come to the place and see the honey by yourself, this is ‘aynu’l-yaqīn, certainty by personal inspection.

3.    H...aqqu’l-Yaqīn, absolute truth, no possibility of error of judgement or error of the eye. If you taste the honey and find it genuine honey, your certainty is called h.aqqu ’l-yaqīn, absolute truth.

People around the world knew through the media that a tornado disaster occurred here at Edmonton last week (July 31, 1987).  For them, this is ‘ilmu’l-yaqīn, certainty by reasoning. To people who come to see this disastrous area, it is ‘aynu’l-yaqīn, certainty by personal inspection. To the victims, it is h.aqqu’l- yaqīn, the absolute truth. Before, they had homes, now, they don’t.

You know that fire burns; this is ‘ilmu’l-yaqīn. If you see fire burning, this is ‘aynu’l-yaqīn. But if you feel the heat of fire, or burn your finger, this is h.aqqu’l-yaqīn, the absolute truth. Allah says in the Qur’ān,

كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ . لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ . ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا

 عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ. ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ ( التكاثر : ٥-٨)

“Nay, were ye to know, with certainty of mind (you would

beware), ye shall certainly see Hellfire!-Again, ye shall see

 it with certainty of sight! Then shall ye be  questioned that

 day  about the joy (ye indulged in)!” (Q. 102:5-8)

H...aqqu’l-Yaqīn is also mentioned in the Qur’ān. Allah says:

وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنْكُمْ مُكَذِّبِينَ. وَإِنَّهُ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ.  وَإِنَّهُ

لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ. فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ. (الحاقّة ٤٩-٥٢).

“And We certainly know that there are amongst

 you those that reject (it) [namely, revelation].  But truly

 (revelation) is a cause of sorrow for the unbelievers.

  But is truth of assured certainty.” (Q. 69:49-52)

Whoever rejects Revelation, the Qur’ān, will be made sorrowful on the Judgement Day, and this is the absolute certainty.

Īmān (faith) and yaqīn (certainty) are closely related. Like yaqīn, Ibn Taymmiyyah divided faith into three degrees:

1.    Faith gained through study and investigation, but having no effect in one’s daily life.

2.    Faith accompanied with good deed, as one starts feeling the effect of faith in one’s daily life.

3.    Faith in which one tastes its sweetness.

With regard to the sweetness of faith  (حَلَاوَةُ الْإِيمَانِ)a tradition says:

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ الثَّقَفِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ

مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ

 أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ وَأَنْ يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ

فِي الْكُفْرِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي النَّارِ. (رواه البخاري و مسلم )

 “It was narrated by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,

who said: the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said: ‘Whoever

 possesses three  things  will taste the sweetness of faith:

 that he loves Allah and His Messenger  more than any other;

 that he loves someone for the sake of Allah alone; and that

 he hates to return to infidelity as he hates to be thrown into

 the Hellfire.’”  (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)

  

3. THE SECOND VIEW

About a century ago (perhaps even earlier), somewhere in the world, one day an exited schoolboy came home and said to his grandfather: “Grand-pa, my teacher said that the earth is round.” “Impossible,” said his grand-father, “your teacher did not know what he was talking about; he must have been too full when he said such a nonsense.”

          Three “smart” gentlemen were discussing about the telephone. “It must be invented by the English, because telephone is an English word.” “Not at all,” said the other, “telephone is a Malay/Indonesian word: it comes from “tali” meaning “rope” or “wire”, and “pohon” or “puhun” meaning “a tree”.  “Not at all,” said the third person; “telephone is a Greek word; it comes from

“tele” meaning “far”, and “phone” meaning “sound.”  It was the Greeks who invented it.”

          There is a story that an alien from the outer space landed with his flying saucer (UFO) on the earth. His way of speaking and producing sound was different from that of human beings. Therefore, he wanted to know how the human beings produce sound when they speak, but he did not have a chance to observe closely a human being, especially while speaking.  Suddenly, the wind blew and he observed the branches of trees rubbing each other and producing sound. He nodded and made his conclusion that human beings speak by rubbing their upper jaws with their lower jaws.

          An other story is that a scientist was studying the behaviour of the fleas. He trained a flea to jump over a matchbox every time he said  “jump”.  After the flea responded the command, the scientist pulled off two of its six legs and said “jump”. The flee jumped again, but not so successfully as before. The scientist nodded; then he pulled off two more of its legs and said, “jump” The flea jumped again, but with less successfully than before. The scientist nodded again. Then he pulled off the remaining two legs of the flea and said again, “jump”, but the flea with no more leg did not move and did not obey the order, although it was repeated  several times, “jump, jump, jump”. This “smart” scientist was happy with his new finding. He came to the following conclusion and wrote it in his notebook. “The flea’s hearing lies in its legs. If it loses two legs, it cannot hear so well and cannot jump very high. The more it loses its leg, the more it loses its hearing. When it loses all of its legs it becomes completely deaf and therefore, it cannot respond to any command.”

          You, dear readers, are well aware that none of the above conclusion is correct. You have a second view, which is probably right. You may have the right statement. But could you leave a room—if there is any—for a second view for your statement whenever you draw a conclusion from your observation?  In this way, you open your heart and broaden your mind.

          Prejudice is generally the result of lack of knowledge or experience, misconception, misjudgment and wrong conclusion. A teacher does not have to be talkative, although his or her job needs him or her to talk.  A policeman (woman) does not have to be haughty, although he or she has to be authoritative in dealing with a culprit. A person who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus (peace be upon him) does not have to consider him an impostor. Hābīl (Abel) did not have to be a coward if he refused the challenge of his brother Qābīl (Cain). A person who does not share your view does not have to be your enemy and does not have to be unintelligent.  We have to avoid suspicion.  Allah said in the Qur’ān:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ (الحجرات : ‍1‍‌‍‌‍‌2)

“O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible):

 for suspicion in some cases is a sin…” (Q. 49:12)

4.    ‘UMAR, THE SECOND CALIPH

‘Umar (Omar) bin (son of) al-Khat.t.āb was the second among the four rightly-guided caliphs. His long rule lasted for more than ten years. During his rule there lived a prince called Jabalah bin Ayham. He was the last prince of the Ghassanide dynasty. Losing hope for victory against the Muslim army under Abū ‘Ubaydah, he came to the Muslim general and embraced Islam.

          Accompanied by followers, Jabalah visited Madinah where he was received with peculiar honours. Then he accompanied ‘Umar the caliph on pilgrimage to Mecca. While he was performing his pilgrimage a Bedouin accidentally trampled his flowing robe which caused him to tumble and fall.  The proud prince struck the Bedouin on the face. To his amazement, he was summoned by the caliph who ordered, under the law of retaliation, that the Bedouin had the right to return the blow.

“What!” cried Jabalah, “I, the prince of Ghassān, and he, a common Bedouin of the desert!”

          “Yes,” said ‘Umar, “for in Islam all are equal.”

The affronted Jabalah returned at once to Constantinople, the capital of Byzantine empire. Being a Christian again, he was hospitably entertained at the Byzantine court.

‘Umar used to walk around the city at night to see the condition of his people. One night he saw light in a house late at night. Accompanied by ‘Abd Allāh bin Mas‘ūd, he approached the house. He entered the house and asked ‘Abd Allāh to stay at the door. When he saw an old man drinking alcohol, he said:

 “I have never seen anything worse than what I am seeing now; an old man approaching death drinking alcohol!”

“O Prince of the Believers,” said the old man raising his head, “there is something worse than this. What you are doing now is worse. You are spying, which is prohibited by Allah, you are entering a house without permission.”

  “You are right,” said ‘Umar sadly and left.

          ”May your mother be breaved of you [an expression of displeasure among the Arabs], O ‘Umar,” ‘Umar said to himself, “if Allah does not forgive you!  The man was drinking secretly, and now you saw him.  He will continue drinking.”  He did not tell ‘Abd Allāh bin Mas‘ūd what he had seen in the house that night.

The old man stopped attending ‘Umar’s court. However, one day ‘Umar saw him coming and sitting at the far corner of the court. He looked very shy. ‘Umar called him. The man approached him expecting to be reproached and humiliated.

“Come closer,” said ‘Umar. The man came and sat down near him. “Bring your ear closer,” said ‘Umar.  Then he whispered to him:

“By Allah who sent Muhammad as a true messenger, I have never told anybody of what I have seen from you.”  The old man said:

“Bring your ear closer to me, O Prince of the Believers!” ‘Umar did and the man whispered to him:

 “By Allah who sent Muhammad as a true messenger, I have stopped drinking since you saw me that night.” ‘Umar was overwhelmed, raised his voiced and shouted: “Allāhu Akbar” (Allah is Great!, Glory to Allah!).

5.    HUMAN SOULS (SPIRITS)

Human beings consist of body and soul or spirit. Without soul we do not live. The spirit is the engine, the motor, and the mover of the body.  Our action is controlled by our soul or spirit, and is motivated by it.  Good spirits create good deeds, and bad spirits create bad deeds.

          The Sufis (Muslim mystics) list four stages of the development of the human spirit: 

1 النَّفْسُ اْلأَمَّارَة    (al-nafsu’l-ammārah), the spirit which is prone to do evil (in seeking satisfaction). It cannot make distinction between good and evil. It is uncontrollable by our reason. It is most evident among children. This spirit is mentioned in the Qur’ān when Prophet Yusuf (Joseph, p.b.u.h.) according to the majority of Qur’ānic commentators (or Zulaykhā’, according to A. Yusuf Ali) said:

(يوسف : ٥٣‎) وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ

“Yet I do not absolve myself (of blame): the (human)

 soul certainly  incites evil.” (Q.12:53)

2.  النَّفْسُ اللَّوَّامَة (al-nafsu’l-lawwāmah), the self-reproaching spirit which feels conscious of evil. It is an inner voice, which is usually suppressed by selfishness. This kind of spirit is mentioned in the Qur’ān when Allah says,

وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ  (القيامة : ‌‌‌‌‌‌٢)

“And I do swear by the self-reproaching soul.” (Q. 75:2)

          This spirit may be compared to the conscience, except that the conscience is a faculty, not a stage of spiritual development. The conscience, the “guilty feeling”, tortures many criminals with blame until they surrender to punishment. When they are punished, they feel relieved.

3.    النَّفْسُ اْلمُسَوَّلَة  (al-nafsu’l-musawwalah): This spirit knows what is good and what is bad, but it is still unable to conquer evil, because of external factors, such as jealousy and hatred. The example in the Qur’ān is the hatred and jealousy of Yusuf’s brothers when they threw him into the well.  Allah said,

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ

مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ  وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا وَلَوْ كُنَّا صَادِقِينَ. وَجَاءُوا

عَلَى قَمِيصِهِ بِدَمٍ كَذِبٍ قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ  لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا فَصَبْرٌ

جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ (يوسف : ١٧-١٨).

“They said: ‘O father! We went racing with one  another,

 and left Joseph with our things; and the  wolf devoured

 him.  But thou wilt neverbelieve us even  though we tell

 the truth.’ They stained his  shirt with  false blood.   He

 said:‘Nay, but your minds [or spirits] have made up

 tale (that may pass) with you. (For me)  patience is

 most fitting: against that which ye assert, it is Allah

(alone) Whose helpcan be sought.’” (Q. 12:17-18)

4.    النَّفْسُ اْلمُطْمَئِنَّة   (al-nafsu’l-mut.ma’innah): the soul in complete rest and satisfaction. This is the final  stage of spiritual development. Your spirit becomes tranquil, no matter what happens around you: calamity, disaster, etc.  you do not panic because you trust in Allah. Allah will say to this kind of spirit:

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ.ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً.

 فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي (الفجر : ٢٧‌‌‌‌‌‌-‌٣٨)

“(To the righteous soul will be said, ‘O (thou) soul, in

 (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back  thou to

 thy Lord,--well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing

 unto Him!  Enter thou,then, among My devotees!

 Yea, enter thou My heaven.” (Q. 89:27-28(

This state of spiritual tranquility is one of the four fundamentals of happiness. In a tradition, the Prophet taught a man to say this supplication: “O Allah, give me a tranquil spirit, faith (īmān) when I meet you, satisfaction with your creed, and contentment with your providence.”

          The second fundamental of happiness is having faith when one is dying. When one is on the finish line of life one should be in the state of iman. A person who is not a mu’min (a believer) while one is dying will be doomed to punishment although one is pious in one’s early life.

          The third fundamental of happiness is satisfaction with Allah’s creed.  However, this does not mean fatalism. On the contrary, it is the acceptance of whatever the outcome of our utmost effort without blaming anybody and without saying “if I did such-and-such, this would not have happened”.  Remember, man proposes and Allah disposes.

      The fourth fundamental of happiness is contentment with Allah’s providence. Do not envy people for what they have. Perhaps they are not happier than you are. The English proverb says “The key to happiness is contentment.”

          The meaning of h.ayāt t.ayyibah (good life) according to ‘Alī (may Allah be pleased with him) as mentioned in the following verse is “content”.  The verse runs as follows:

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً

وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (النحل : ٩٧)

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman,

 and has faith,verily, to him will We give a life

 that is good and pure, and We will bestow

on such their reward according to the

 best of their actions.” (Q. 16:97)