Brothers and sisters, as we have
little time here on earth to worship
Allah alone, we should as much as
possible concentrate on the real
substance of our worship to Allah.
Allah said:
ﻭﺍﺗﺒﻌﻮﺍ ﺃﺣﺴﻦ ﻣﺎ ﺃﻧﺰﻝ ﺇﻟﻴﻜﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺭﺑﻜﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ ﺃﻥ
ﻳﺄﺗﻴﻜﻢ ﺍﻟﻌﺬﺍﺏ ﺑﻐﺘﺔ ﻭﺃﻧﺘﻢ ﻻ ﺗﺸﻌﺮﻭﻥ 55) )
“Follow the best of what has been
revealed to you from your lord
before the chastisement suddenly
comes upon you without you even
being aware of it”
The best of what is revealed is the
part that is well established in
transmission and explicit in
meaning c.f. ambiguous. Allah –
subhanahu Wa Taala- instructed
us to follow from the Quran what is
plain and clear and to leave aside
what is ambiguous and vague.
Allah also instructed us to follow
the prophet – alaihis salam- in
what is authentic, clear and the
way of the first generation of
believers. Allah said:
ﻫﻮ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺃﻧﺰﻝ ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺎﺏ ﻣﻨﻪ ﺁﻳﺎﺕ ﻣﺤﻜﻤﺎﺕ
ﻫﻦ ﺃﻡ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺎﺏ ﻭﺃﺧﺮ ﻣﺘﺸﺎﺑﻬﺎﺕ ﻓﺄﻣﺎ ﺍﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻓﻲ
ﻗﻠﻮﺑﻬﻢ ﺯﻳﻎ ﻓﻴﺘﺒﻌﻮﻥ ﻣﺎ ﺗﺸﺎﺑﻪ ﻣﻨﻪ ﺍﺑﺘﻐﺎﺀ ﺍﻟﻔﺘﻨﺔ
ﻭﺍﺑﺘﻐﺎﺀ ﺗﺄﻭﻳﻠﻪ ﻭﻣﺎ ﻳﻌﻠﻢ ﺗﺄﻭﻳﻠﻪ ﺇﻻ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻭﺍﻟﺮﺍﺳﺨﻮﻥ
ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻳﻘﻮﻟﻮﻥ ﺁﻣﻨﺎ ﺑﻪ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻋﻨﺪ ﺭﺑﻨﺎ ﻭﻣﺎ
ﻳﺬﻛﺮ ﺇﻻ ﺃﻭﻟﻮﺍ ﺍﻷﻟﺒﺎﺏ (7) ﺃﻝ ﻋﻤﺮﺍﻥ
“He it is Who has revealed the
book to you. Among them there are
absolutetly clear and lucid verses,
and these are the core of the book.
Others are ambiguous. Those in
whose hearts there is perversity go
about the part that is ambiguous
seeking mischief and seeking to
arrive at its meaning arbitrarily …”
This is how Islam is simplified by
Allah as a Mercy from Him. In an
authentic Hadith, the prophet –
alaihis salam- said:
ﺇﻥ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻳﺴﺮ ﻭﻟﻦ ﻳﺸﺎﺩ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﺃﺣﺪ ﺇﻻ ﻏﻠﺒﻪ ﻓﺴﺪﺩﻭﺍ
ﻭﻗﺎﺭﺑﻮﺍ ﻭﺃﺑﺸﺮﻭﺍ ﻭﺍﺳﺘﻌﻴﻨﻮﺍ ﺑﺎﻟﻐﺪﻭﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺮﻭﺣﺔ
ﻭﺷﻲﺀ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻟﺠﺔ. ﺍﻟﺒﺨﺎﺭﻱ
“indeed the religion is easy, and no
one will make it strenuous except it
defeats him, therefore appropriate
and approximate and give glad
tidings and take advantage of the
early hours of the morning and
evening and part of the early night”
It is important we understand that
the religion is simple and the
judgment on the last day will also
be simple for believers
ﻓﺄﻣﺎ ﻣﻦ ﺃﻭﺗﻲ ﻛﺘﺎﺑﻪ ﺑﻴﻤﻴﻨﻪ (7) ﻓﺴﻮﻑ ﻳﺤﺎﺳﺐ
ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺎ ﻳﺴﻴﺮﺍ (8) ﻭﻳﻨﻘﻠﺐ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺃﻫﻠﻪ ﻣﺴﺮﻭﺭﺍ (9)
ﺍﻻﻧﺸﻘﺎﻕ.
“but for person that will be given
his book by his right hand * he
would therefore be reckoned easily
* and will return back to his family
happy”
If that is the case, why are we
Muslims at each other’s throat over
issues that are not fundamental or
the core, unambiguous clear
message of the Quran and Sunnah
like five pillars of Islam, the
Sahada, the five daily prayers,
zakat, hajj and Ramadan?
Today, Tuesday, October 23, 2012,
Muslims from all nooks and
corners of the world are gathered
in the grand mosque of Makkah,
praying together to the same
LORD, the same Qibla with the
same pillars of Salah i.e. standing,
bowing, prostration and sitting. The
slight differences in holding the
hands or letting it down while
standing and other non-obligatory
differences did not stop people
from worshiping Allah together, so
why don’t we eschew our
differences and come together on
things that are clear and lucid?
Allah has shown us that things that
are clear and unambiguous are
what matters. Understanding this
issue is a key to the success of our
unity otherwise the Devil will
continue to revisit us and divide us
over minor issues to make then the
core of our religion whereas they
are all conjectures.
May Allah continue to unite us
together brothers and sisters in
faith.