Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Quran Redeemed

More peals of wisdom from M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen: We must look at the Qur’an in two different ways. There are the opposites of khair and sharr or good and evil, dhat and sifat God’s grace or essence and the manifested creation, and halal and haram or permissible and impermissible. One section exists as the laws and justice of God, and the other exists as the section of darkness. In this state, we who are the children of Adam (A.S.) must realize that we must discard all that is evil and accept and act upon only what is good. That is the law of righteousness. We must simply discard what is evil; we need not denounce or attack anything. What is called Islam was brought as perfect purity by the Qur’an. It is brotherly unity. Islam is to bring together as one family all the children of the one mother who have divided into four separate sections. The Qur’an teaches us to see what is good as good, while discarding what is evil. It is the law of justice. It shows us patience, inner patience, contentment, surrendering all to the will of God, and giving all praise to God. We, the children of Adam (A.S.), must understand this. The Qur’an and its explanations are very deep in meaning. Therefore, we who are the children of Adam (A.S.) should not hold up the Qur’an as a banner for the slightest reason. We should not quote from the Qur’an and use it for waging wars, for our fights and quarrels, for our anger toward others, or to gain things of this world. The world is sharr, evil, and has to be discarded. The opposite, khair, which is goodness, must be accepted and put into action. The Qur’an should only be used for what is good. It shows brotherhood and unity, not divisiveness and discrimination. It soothes those who are weeping in sorrow. It gives solace to those who are suffering and makes them smile. It comforts those who are ill and protects them. It explains the wealth of God to those who are poor. It gives peace to those who are mentally ill. It gives wisdom to those without wisdom. It creates faith in those without faith and makes them bow in reverence to God. What is called the Qur’an is, in reality, something that has great value and very deep meaning. The true meaning of Islam and the Qur’an is quite different from what people accept today, in the midst of so much fighting and strife. People quote Islam and wave the Qur’an as a banner for their wars. This is not correct. The Qur’an discards what is evil and shows only goodness, unity, and tolerance. Tawakkul-‘alalläh, giving all responsibility to God, and giving all praise to God, saying, “Al-hamdu lilläh,” with every breath is the Qur’an and Islam. No matter how large the ocean is, it cannot quench our thirst, can it? The ocean cannot quench the thirst of any life. But if there is a pond, however small it may be, it can comfort many lives, appeasing thirst and dispelling fatigue. Like that, the Qur’an comforts so many lives, dispelling fatigue and hunger and clearing away the dirt. This is the meaning of the Qur’an and Islam. When you quote from the Qur’an, those words must only demonstrate peace and equality. When you say “Islam,” you must show patience, equality, and peace. When you show what is good, that goodness points to Islam, but when you show what is evil, that evil is something that has been discarded from the Qur’an . The treasures, kingdoms, and titles of this world are all sharr and have been discarded from the Qur’an. Fighting and waging war for these worldly things, seeking vengeance, committing treacherous acts, telling lies for worldly gain, eating haräm or impermissible foods, lying out of jealousy for the sake of titles and positions—all these cannot be called Islam. And you cannot quote the Qur’an, saying that these actions appear there, because these actions are totally contrary to the Qur’an. The Qur’an shows the brotherhood where we live as one family and eat off the same plate in unity. The Qur’an shows the brotherhood where we live in harmony, the way it is in the church or the mosque, where the beggar and the king are equal. It shows the brotherhood where we embrace each other, whether in the place of prayer or in the home. If two people have a fight, the next time they meet, they will look each other in the face and embrace and beg forgiveness from each other. The Qur’an and Islam tell us to ask forgiveness from God for our own faults, to dispel our anger, and to embrace each other in the next moment. These are the explanations of the laws of the Qur’an from the beginning of creation to the hereafter. Lying, vengeance, treachery, jealousy, and murder should never be done in the name of Islam. Islam is brotherly unity, tolerance, and peacefulness. It is to purify each heart with the water of the Kalimah which the Rasul (Sal.) brought, washing away the darkness and creating peace. But there are some people who hold up the Qur’an with anger, jealousy, and selfishness, using the Qur’an and Islam for their own self-gain and pride. The Qur’an should never be mentioned with these qualities, but should be mentioned only where there is righteousness. Anger, treachery, deceit, discrimination, divisiveness, and all that is impermissible have been thrown out of the Qur’an. All these sections belonging to the world have been eliminated from the Qur’an, and they must be eliminated from man, too. Man must take what is khair and eliminate what is sharr. In this way, the Qur’an must be used to show what is good and to eliminate what is evil, and this is Islam. Just bringing to the lips the words Qur’an and Islam for the slightest reason is not correct. The word Islam means unity, brotherhood, and harmony. It does not see differences among people; it only sees peace and harmony among all lives. This is Islam. This is the Qur’an. Every one of the children of Adam (A.S.) must realize this. One who calls himself Islam will never harm anyone, take revenge, or be treacherous toward anyone. We must realize this. Islam must realize this. The name “Islam” has very deep meaning and is of inestimable value, and it should never be held up for falsehood, robbery, or murder. Islam is brotherly unity that can appease the thirst of the entire world. This is the Islam which was brought by Prophet Muhammad (Sal.). All of everything, all the universes, and all of creation is contained within the Qur’an. But failing to understand this, we hold up and quote the Qur’an and Islam for the slightest reasons. We who are in the world must realize that the Qur’an is the divine law of righteousness, which was given to show brotherly unity, to make lives peaceful, to forgive in the presence of faults, to teach patience and compassion and to comfort all lives. We must have sabur, shakur, tawakkul, and al-hamdu lillah. This is the Qur’an and Islam. All my brothers and sisters who have iman, perfect faith in God, must realize this. Amin. Amin. M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Monday, July 6, 2015

Islam Made Simple

Sharing a few words of M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a few in series of many to follow... My son! This is a hadïth of the Rasülulläh (Sal.) about Islam: Brothers in Islam! You who are Ïmän-Isläm! You must not see differences between yourselves and your neighbors. You must not discriminate against any religion. You must not oppress or harm any man, no matter what religion or race he may be. Islam is one and Allah is one; just as we in Islam see Allah as one, we must see all mankind as one. All the prophets brought the words of Allah, and all the words they brought are true. Allah sent His messages through each of the prophets, and they brought His commandments step by step. In the revelations contained in the Qur’an, Allah has given the entirety of His teaching. The Qur’an is the ultimate and final teaching, showing everything in its fullness All the children of Adam (A.S.) are brothers and sisters. They are not different. Although they may stand on different steps of the teachings brought by the prophets in their respective times, you must not discriminate against any of them. You must not harass their places of worship, their bodies, or their hearts. You must protect them as you would protect your own life. To comfort the hunger of your neighbor, no matter who he is or what religion he belongs to, is Islam. When someone dies, to join together and give him a decent burial is Islam. To realize the pain and suffering of others and offer your hands in assistance, helping to alleviate their suffering, is Islam. To see division is not Islam. To see other men as different is not Islam. In this world and the next, there must be no prejudice in our hearts, for all will come together on the Day of Reckoning and the Day of Judgment. All of us will come together in heaven. Therefore, we must not see any differences or create any divisions here. Where Allah does not see a difference, we must not see a difference. We must not despise anyone whom Allah loves—and Allah loves everyone. He belongs equally to everyone, just as Islam belongs equally to everyone. Islam is unity, not division. Hurting another is not Islam. Failing to comfort the hunger of your neighbor is not Islam. The purity of Islam is to avoid hurting others; you must regard others as you regard yourself. You must accept Allah’s word totally. There must be no discrimination in your heart against the children of Islam. You who are Islam must understand what is haläl and what is haräm, what is permissible and what is forbidden. You must understand that there is only One worthy of worship. You must understand Qiyämah, the Day of Reckoning, and the Day of Judgment. To understand this world and the next world is Islam. Because Islam is the wealth of grace, you must use that grace to wash and comfort the hearts of others. To truly understand this and see all lives as your own life, without any differences, is the way of Islam. To see your neighbor as yourself, to heal the suffering of others, to share food from the same plate in harmony and peace, to live unified in food and in prayer, in happiness and in sorrow, is the way of Islam. To live separated and divided is not Islam. You must reflect on this. O you who have faith! Do not compare anything to Allah. Do not hold anything equal to Allah. Do not make distinctions between men; king and beggar must be equal in your sight. There must be no difference between rich and poor. No one is rejected by Islam. Islam is one. You must realize this. This is what the Rasülulläh (Sal.) has said. He has given countless ahädïth with his divine lips of grace, from the flower of his divine mouth, his mouth of faith, his mouth of Allah’s grace, and his mouth of Allah’s divine knowledge. O you who have received the wealth of faith! May you understand and act with the clarity of these teachings. M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen