IF ALLAH ALMIGHTY IS ALL MERCIFUL THEN, WHY DOES HE NEEDS ANIMAL SACRIFICED IN HIS NAME?

 

IF ALLAH ALMIGHTY IS ALL MERCIFUL THEN, WHY DOES HE NEEDS ANIMAL SACRIFICED IN HIS NAME?

The word "sacrifice" is called "Qurban" in Arabic and the root word for this is "Qarraba". The meaning of Qarraba is "near'. Terminologically, it implies the slaughtering of livestock, life, money, to get "taqarrub" or to getting near to Allah Almighty.  It has been a part of Islam since the first Prophet Adam (May Allah Almighty be pleased with him). The true meaning of sacrifice is to show obedience and a broad gratitude for the favors of life that Allah Almighty bestowed upon us. It is mentioned in the Glorious Quran;

 

And for all religion We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And, [O Muhammad], give good tidings to the humble [before their Lord]. (Surah Al-Hajj, 22:34).

 

In  Surah Al-Maidah, Allah Almighty mentioned the story of two brothers who were asked to sacrifice. It depicts the true nature of sacrifice.

 

 And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah ], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him]. (Surah Al-Maidah, 5:27)

 

In the Glorious Quran, Allah Almighty also mentioned the story of Prophet Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him). The Glorious Quran mention in several places that how Prophet Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him) loved his son Ismail. Allah Almighty wanted to test Prophet Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him) and it is mentioned in the Glorious Quran;

 And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think."  He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded.  You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast." (Surah As-Saffat, 37:102)

 

All aforementioned verses explain that Allah Almighty wants our sacrifices but He doesn't need our sacrifices because He order us to do these things because He knows that our betterment is in His worship. Dozens of verses in the Qur'an mention that Allah (the Glorified and Merciful) does not attains anything through being praised, or getting sacrifices in His name, but rather He is the Gracious Giver to performers of good and evil-performers alike. Without getting sufficient thought to the nature of the Almighty Allah, and without ingress to His revealed words, a person misperceives the Creator as a needy. (نعوذ بالله ) Considering that the Allah Almighty is egotistically driven to demand devotional service is neither common sense nor sound logic.  So, what is the reason that He is asking for worship and also saying that He doesn't need our worship? The reason is that Allah Almighty wants us to worship Him not because of His benefit but for our benefit. And Sacrifice is a most expressive way to show the obedience and a deep sense if gratitude. Allah Almighty test those people to whom He loves more. It is the most beloved worship form of Allah Almighty.

 

“There is not a single deed performed by human beings on Eid Adha that is more loved by Allah s.w.t than slaughtering sacrificial animals. Indeed, the sacrificial animal will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns, feathers and nails. And indeed, before the blood of the victim touches the ground, he (his reward) will be accepted by Allah s.w.t. So, good luck to you all with (the reward) of the victim.”

 

(Tirmidhi)

 

 

 

TRUE MEANING OF SABR (PATIENCE) IN ISLAM

TRUE MEANING OF SABR (PATIENCE) IN ISLAM

The Glorious Quran says, human shows usually two types of responses, when they face any tragedy or crises. The first response that most of people show is, Ooh Allah! Why you chose me? Why is this happening to me? Everyone has good life but you put me in that worse situation. So, they use tragedy to run away from Allah Almighty. The second response is the response of true Believers. They use tragedy to be a means of returning to Allah Almighty. They say, Ooh Allah! We know, You know what is better for us and the wisdom behind this calamity. We believe that there is something better for us in it. Help us to understand it. Help us to appreciate it. Help us to get over it. You are Al-Hakeem, the All wise, help us to see better in this.

 

Ibn al-Qayyim wrote

“When a man’s patience is stronger than his whims and desires, then he is like an angel; but when his whims and desires are stronger than his patience, then he is like a devil. If his desire for food, drink and physical relations is stronger than his patience, then he is no better than an animal. Lying, cheating and self-admiration are his most common traits and his reason is held prisoner by Shaytan, who directs it to serve evil purposes. The main cause for his sorry fate is that he ran out of patience.”

It depicts that whatever our minds want or like to do, doesn't takes top priority but what Allah Almighty wants us to do takes top priority. Our limited minds cannot understand or comprehend that whatever is happening to us is better for us. All the calamities and difficulties that are destined for us are also good because they draw us closer to Allah Almighty.

 

The tests by Allah Almighty are not always negative or calamities but the blessings of Him are also tests. But man considers the calamities as test and behaves in different way. Allah Almighty says it in the Glorious Quran,

 

فَأَمَّا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكۡرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَكۡرَمَنِ

And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."

وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيۡهِ رِزۡقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَهَٰنَنِ

 But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me."

(Surah Fajr, Verse 15-16)

 

Aspects of Sabr

1. Sabr means self-control or non-indulgence, which is required for abstaining from what Allah Almighty has prohibited and from all types of sins and disobedience. An Islamic narration says, “Sabr has two parts: patience for the sake of Allah concerning what He is pleased with (i.e. acts of worship and obedience), even if it is hard on the heart and the body, and patience when avoiding what He dislikes, even if it is desired. 
2. Sabr means acceptance of Allah Almighty's commandments in our actions. For example Allah Almighty reminds us to say when we lost our loved ones or wealth; Say, “Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us.” [Quran 9:51]
3. Sabr meaning tolerance and perseverance which is needed to fulfill the commandments of Allah Almighty. The directing of oneself towards good deeds and worship is of benefit to the soul. Knowing that what soul likes and dislikes being controlled helps us to manage it. For instance, to establish prayer under all circumstances of heat and cold, busy work schedules and health constraints.

 

[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed. [Quran 67:2]

 

And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs. [Quran 47:31]

 

These Quranic words help us to tolerate all the difficulties with perseverance. Being a true Believer, we should ask for help from the Creator of Everything.

As Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him used to say;

“O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in all my affairs and determination in following the right path.” [An Nisa’i -Hasan]

 

 

HOW TO BECOME MORE GRATEFUL TO ALLAH ALMIGHTY?

 

HOW TO BECOME MORE GRATEFUL TO ALLAH ALMIGHTY?

What are the benefits of showing gratitude to Allah Almighty?

Nowadays Muslims are busy with various worldly matters and they sometimes because of difficult times say such words that show ungratefulness to Allah Almighty and sometimes they forget the splendid blessings that they have. However, it is obligatory upon all Believers to feel and show their gratitude to the most Beneficent and the most Merciful Allah Almighty throughout every day of our lives and ultimately it will strengthen our faith and helps to gain the goal of "Total submission to Allah Almighty's will. No doubt, Allah Almighty had designed us as an intelligent specie and blessed us with numerous things. Everything, we achieve related to professional, personal, or spiritual life - is eventually from Allah Almighty. In the Glorious Quran He mentioned;

 

وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَظَلُومٞ كَفَّارٞ

And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful. (Surah Ibrahim: 34)

 

The above-mentioned verse of the Noble Quran depicts the need to regularly show gratitude to Allah Almighty. However, there is some confusion among people like what types of acts can show our gratitude? Some very simple acts, attitudes, or practices that you can adopt to express gratitude to Allah Almighty are mentioned below.

 

1. Make the Habit of saying "Alhamdullilah" whenever you feel something grateful to you. If a person is continuously facing a tough time in his life, he also has so many blessings of Allah Almighty including, Allah creating him and sustaining him, making him Muslim, giving him faith, and keeping the devil(Shaitaan) away.
2.  Make the Habit of spending a few minutes after each prayer thanking Allah Almighty- Everyone has some little or some big blessings in his life. Acknowledge that Allah Almighty always deserves our gratitude and feels unhappy when we are ungrateful to Him. It is not because He needs our gratitude, but simply because He knows that our gratitude to Him is good for us.

لَئِن شَكَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡ

"If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]" (Surah Ibrahim: 7)

So after each prayer try to say "Alhamdulillah" 33 times at least.

3.  Make Habit of reciting Du'a for waking up every morning. Express gratitude to Allah Almighty for making night and for giving you a new day to live. Thank Allah Almighty for a specific Du'a and for other limits or laws that He has to establish for us and promise an excellent reward for following them. 

4.  Make habit of making Dhikr while traveling or going somewhere. It would not become an excessive burden but you will feel comfortable and find the courage to face the difficulties of life. Whenever you feel hardships in life, try to remind the blessings that you have and express gratitude. This practice will build confidence in you and you will feel happy or comfortable.

You can use some little phrases to express gratitude e.g. "Astaghfirullah", "Subhanallah-Allahi wa bihamdihi" ( Allah is free from imperfection and all praise is due to Him).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If ALLAH is free of all wants, then why does He ask us to worship Him?

 

If ALLAH is free of all wants, then why does He ask us to worship Him?     

 

First consider the question;

In Sahih Muslim, Hadith number; 6572, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that Allah says;

"My slaves! If all of you, the first of you and the last of you, if all the men and all the jinn among you, were to be as god-fearing as the most god-fearing heart of any one of you, that would not add anything to My Greatness If they were to be evilest as the evilest heart of any one of you, that would not decrease anything even not a little bit in My Dominion. If they were to join together in one place and then ask of Me, and I gave every man among them what he asked for that, that would not reduce My Dominion at all, except as the sea is decreased if a needle is dipped into it."

 

There are some verses in the Quran that explain the Greatness of Allah Almighty.

وَمَن جَٰهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَٰهِدُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ 

“And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah is free of all wants from the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists).” (Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse; 06)

 

Allah repeats a similar message in another Surah.

يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اَنۡتُمُ الۡفُقَرَآءُ اِلَى اللّٰهِۚ وَاللّٰهُ هُوَ الۡغَنِىُّ الۡحمید 

“O people, it is you who need Allah;36 as for Allah, He is Self-Sufficient, Immensely Praiseworthy.” (Surah Fatir, Verse no; 15)

 

But in another Surah Allah is asking for worshipping Him!

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوْنِ

 “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Surat Adh-Dhariyat, verse no; 56)

 

Dozens of verses in the Qur'an mention that Allah (the Glorified and Merciful) does not attains anything through being praised, but rather He is the Gracious Giver to performers of good and evil-performers alike. Without getting sufficient thought to the nature of the Almighty Allah, and without ingress to His revealed words, a person misperceives the Creator as a needy. (نعوذ بالله ) Considering that the Allah Almighty is egotistically driven to demand devotional service is neither common sense nor sound logic.  So, what is the reason that He is asking for worship and also saying that He doesn't need our worship? The reason is that Allah Almighty wants us to worship Him not because of His benefit but for our benefit. How will we benefit if we worship Allah? You just need to revise the first three verses of Surah Al-Fatiha, the first surah of the Quran, and the most important part of our best form of worship (Salah). Without the recitation of surah Al-Fatiha, the Salah cannot complete. In these three verses, you see the praise of Allah;

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعالَمِينَ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

ٱلرَّحْمن ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

ملک يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

Master of the Day of Judgment

 

Every time a Muslim prays with an alert heart, he/she finds God listening attentively and replying with gifts that only the never-exhausting treasures of the Most Bountiful can afford. Outside of prayer, a Muslim remains invited to connect with God and experience His Nearness at every moment. Allah starts the Quran with his praise because He is well known to human psychology. A human when starts praising someone, he starts following him. For example, if you the most gorgeous or successful person in your family or in surrounding become your ideal and you automatically start following him. The steps that you take to follow him will only benefit you not the person whom you are following. In the same way, Allah wants us to praise Him because if we praise Him we will automatically start following Him and the path of Allah is for the True Success of humans.

If we say Allah u Akbar a thousand times in a day, it will not add anything to Allah's Greatness because He is already greatest and will remain greatest. The only reason for why we have to follow Him or praise him is when we praise Him, we will follow His advice.  We will follow the whole Quran and Sunnah that are full of His Advice. Our praise to him helps us to realize that we have to follow the one, who is the Greatest, most wise, most knowledgeable, and Merciful. As for the Muslim, he or she is blessed to understand that Allah loves to be worshipped and obeyed by His creation, not because of a need for authentication or enslavement, but because He loves to see the benefit we achieve from it. And all praise is due to Allah, the compassionate Lord of all the worlds.