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Allah Subhanawataala describes the knowledge of the Quran as “Noor” or LIGHT.
A light that illuminates our hearts and minds.
Pastor Terry Jones has made an ineffectual attempt to extinguish THE LIGHT by setting fire to a printed copy of the guide to righteousness, the understanding of which illuminates the heart and mind and gives us an understanding of our Creator, and of every aspect of the world around us, and warns us of the Hereafter. It is the light that protects us against arrogance, thrill seeking and a hunger for fame, such as being done by Pastor Terry Jones.
In an unknown small church /consignment shop this jaded man wants attention! The world is aflame with the word of Islam. It is on everyone’s lips and on every ones mind. It is affecting everyone’s behavior whether they are Muslim or not.
Given this scenario the opportunists of this world whose only goal is money, fame and power have tapped into the name of Islam and Prophet Muhammad pbuh, some to gain notoriety and thus fame: examples are the cartoonist in Denmark and the cartoonist in the USA. Some just tried to make extra money on book sales like Deepak Chopra and V.S. Naipaul by spewing out what they thought would sell on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)and Islam.
Others like Terry Jones want to prop up a dying organization & job, which is shunned by the local people resulting in a negligible to nothing following for him.
Perhaps this is a gauntlet thrown by Allah Subhanawataala to the Muslims……. A scary thought but perhaps true. How much do you know your Rasool? And how much do you obey him (pbuh)? Does the Quran command that we obey Allah and His Rasool? and where does it say that? As a muslim what is your QURAN IQ?
The American Muslims are stuttering in their responses, some want to ignore the event, some call Pastor Terry Jones “crazy” and thus deserving of no attention and some in Muslim countries have turned their rage onto themselves and destroyed their own property and people.
What Allah Subhanawataala may be suggesting to us if I can dare to suggest, maybe hidden in the verses of Surah Noor:
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it? Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah setteth forth for mankind similitudes, for Allah is Knower of all things. (35)
(This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening. (36)
Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned; (37)
That Allah may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah giveth blessings without stint to whom He will. (38)
In the ayah 62 of Surah Noor, the act of getting together to LIGHT the heart with the Noor of the Quran is given, with the methodology and etiquette of doing so with Tafseer (from alhudapk.com):
They only are the true believers who believe in Allah and His messenger and, when they are with him on some common errand, go not away until they have asked leave of him. Lo! Those who ask leave of thee; those are they who believe in Allah and His messenger. So, if they ask thy leave for some affair of theirs, give leave to whom thou wilt of them, and ask for them forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (62)
Tafseer states (from Dr. Farhat Hashmi alhudapk.com part 4): Momin are those who after accepting Allah and His Rasool and those who when get together in a group action with the Rasool to do something collectively, such as struggling in the path of Allah, or an emergency for which people need to get together, or for Taleem, and also for Jumma prayer, or for salah in Jamaa in the Masjed.
Thus for important events for which people need to get together, the Momin harkens to the call and presents himself or herself and considers it their duty to come and complete their duty to the event or project or learning the ILM of Allah.
A momin does not leave according to their whim and desire but only until Allah’s Rasool (pbuh) gives permission for them to leave.
This hokum (ruling/command) is an umumi hokum (common i.e. for everyone) that Muslims when they get together for a work of Deen they should not leave without completing the work, and should not leave by succumbing to obeying their whim or their desire.
Thus neither in dunya nor in Deen can we leave until we, as Muslims have completed what has been required from us. Eg In dunya don’t we make a full effort to attend school or college once we have registered for it and sit through the class and complete the assignments? Otherwise we fail, don’t we?
The commitment to completing the work of Deen is the same if not more important. The inability to complete the group commitment has a severe affect on ones individual emaan.
Sometimes if we want to leave early for an emergency or legitimate reason, we are given the etiquette of how to do so. We are asked to request this early leave from our leader in the case of the ayah it is quoted that they must ask the Rasool for leave and he (pbuh) must ask for forgiveness for them as they have lost the time that they would have used to gain the reward in the Hereafter.
The significance of the loss incurred by leaving early (even though it may be an emergency) without completing the task of Deen is reflected in the last part of the ayah. Thus though the Rasool pbuh as the head of the congregation is given permission to allow early release, he (pbuh) or the head of the group is commanded to ask for forgiveness on their behalf (those who left early) because of their loss of reward. Allah is most Forgiving and Merciful.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THESE AYAHS?
Muslims should get together to consolidate their emaan by reciting the Quran in a group and individually and ignite the light of the Quran in their hearts and strengthen the flame of their emaan.
They must continue until their heart and soul is filled with the Light of the knowledge of the words of Allah.
Thus making ineffectual, the petulant and childish attempts of Terry Jones to extinguish what is lighting up the heart and soul of every Momin.
Here is the news from the Pastor seeking influence and the recommendation of the Shaikh given after it.
RECOMMENDATION FROM SHAIKH MAGHROUBI:
Recite the Quran a lot (Kaseerah) and preferably complete at least one reading of the entire Quran in the next fifteen days.
And this from Hajj where 4.5 million muslims stood in obedience of Allah seeking HIS LIGHT:
RECITATION OF SURAH NOOR (AYAH 35 ON) BY IMAM JUHANY:
Supplication:
May Allah Subhanawataala inspire us and empower us and illuminate our hearts with the Light of the Quran. Ameen!
Siraat-e-Mustaqeem 