We are Maldivians. We are just a spec lost it would seem in the Indian Ocean. Today in the post Maumoon era we seem to be waking up to a myriad of problems. However one way or other for the majority of us we seem to be sure-footedly moving away from the reality of hunger, naked backs, portable water and ascaris.
Taking a stroll down the “metropolis” in Male one is struck by the apparent affluence tantalizingly vibrant and obvious to see. Taking a stroll down the main shaded roads in the islands itself are the signs of a changing landscape pointers to a somewhat questionable brighter today.
Living in a reality of limited resources pitted against unlimited wants, one has obviously got to pay for the evolution of ones condition. This reality has translated to a vast number of Maldivians into living in cramped up, uncomfortable, unhygienic and socially unacceptable conditions.
I dare say that what we are spared in the Maldives are slums. I suspect this is probably due to the scarcity of land in Male and the non-availability of Government land for squatters, rather than by express design. For those who would like equate super cramped up conditions to slum dwelling, I would invite them to visit a slum area in any of the south Asian countries. The difference is stark.
Living in ultra-cramped conditions in Male no doubt breeds’ problems that are common to such living conditions found in similar living conditions all over the world. What are these problems? The obvious problems of Drugs, crime, health & mental health problems are obvious and in my view just the tip of the iceberg.
Does the problem stop there - with us who live in cramped up appalling conditions? What about the more fortunate Maldivians living in better living conditions? What is their reality? What is their sort? Has mega bucks, and cool digs and ultra mod life styles powered by BSc’s, MA’s and PhD’s sorted out their problems? I wonder! Do you wonder?
Do we Maldivians have a drug problem? Crime problem? Teenage problem? Pedophile problem? Attitude problem? Homosexual problem? Violence problem? Racist problem? Terrorist problem? Fundamentalist problem? Credibility problem? Reading the print media – Are there any problems at all?
Come on! Lets hear you say it? Maybe you would like to say that we have no problems! No major issues like in New York, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Beijing & Tokyo? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Seeing the problem in my view is half the problem solved. Lets hear your views.
Taking a stroll down the “metropolis” in Male one is struck by the apparent affluence tantalizingly vibrant and obvious to see. Taking a stroll down the main shaded roads in the islands itself are the signs of a changing landscape pointers to a somewhat questionable brighter today.
Living in a reality of limited resources pitted against unlimited wants, one has obviously got to pay for the evolution of ones condition. This reality has translated to a vast number of Maldivians into living in cramped up, uncomfortable, unhygienic and socially unacceptable conditions.
I dare say that what we are spared in the Maldives are slums. I suspect this is probably due to the scarcity of land in Male and the non-availability of Government land for squatters, rather than by express design. For those who would like equate super cramped up conditions to slum dwelling, I would invite them to visit a slum area in any of the south Asian countries. The difference is stark.
Living in ultra-cramped conditions in Male no doubt breeds’ problems that are common to such living conditions found in similar living conditions all over the world. What are these problems? The obvious problems of Drugs, crime, health & mental health problems are obvious and in my view just the tip of the iceberg.
Does the problem stop there - with us who live in cramped up appalling conditions? What about the more fortunate Maldivians living in better living conditions? What is their reality? What is their sort? Has mega bucks, and cool digs and ultra mod life styles powered by BSc’s, MA’s and PhD’s sorted out their problems? I wonder! Do you wonder?
Do we Maldivians have a drug problem? Crime problem? Teenage problem? Pedophile problem? Attitude problem? Homosexual problem? Violence problem? Racist problem? Terrorist problem? Fundamentalist problem? Credibility problem? Reading the print media – Are there any problems at all?
Come on! Lets hear you say it? Maybe you would like to say that we have no problems! No major issues like in New York, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Beijing & Tokyo? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Seeing the problem in my view is half the problem solved. Lets hear your views.
219 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 219 of 219Peace to you sister Jasmine,
If you would, I would like to contribute posts to “ Maldivians For Islam”. I have written to your email too, but so far I have had no answer. There was so much interest and traffic here. It’s a shame that you decided to abandon it. I will try my best to keep alive the initial aims of this site. Please do consider. Maybe we can revive the interest and traffic this site attracted.
Yours in Islam,
Fathima.
Fathima,
Jasmine is probably too busy writing her PhD thesis to bother with you, or perhaps too busy doing the rounds in the West-end pubs. In case you forgot, you could start your own blog you know!
Is there any point in beating a busted drum? he he heh :-)
@Fathima
Sister, u can always give your contribution as a comment. We stil come here a lot hoping to see something new, a hadeeth an ayah. Its really unfortunate tht sister jasmine had decided to stop. Maybe new contributions will make her change her mind.
May Allah bless us all. Amin
Al-Waleed ibn Mugheerah, a staunch disbeliever amongst the Quraysh of Makkah, once came upon the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him to recite the Qur’an for him. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam recited the ayah:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that you may receive admonition. (16:90)
He asked the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam to repeat again, so he repeated. Then Al-Waleed said:
والله إن له لحلاوة . وإن عليه لطلاوة . وإن أعلاه لمثمر . وإن أسفله لمغدق . وإنه ليعلو ولا يعلى عليه . وإنه ليحطم ما تحته . وما يقول هذا بشر
By Allah, indeed it has a sweetness to it, and a charm upon it; the highest part of it is fruitful and the lowest part of it is gushing forth with bounty; it dominates and cannot be dominated, and it crushes all that is under it. And it is not the speech of a man.
This is the reaction of one who disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. What is our reaction to this Glorious Quran? What is that we dont grasp? What are we lacking? Subhaanallah, its really amazing how even the disbelievers reacted when they heard this Quran. O'Allah please increase our knowledge of your book so that we can appreciate the glorious Quran the way it deserve to be. O'Allah please increase our eeman and guide us to your path. -Amin-
Jazakallah Khair
Amin
Human nature is such that when we do actions, they reinforce our beliefs.
When we make Du'a to Allah, is that for Allah's sake? Allah knows what we want, we don't need to tell him.
But it is the act of asking Allah, it is a symbol of our devotion to Allah and acknowledging that He is the only one who can grant us what we ask for.
By making Du'a, we are reinforcing this belief, and this is why the Prophet (SAWS) encouraged it, saying things like ....
``du'a is the brain of worship'' and
``Allah likes the slave who is constantly making du'a''.
(In suratul Ahzaab, verse 21). Indeed you have in the messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone who him who looks to Allah and the Final Day and remembers Allah a lot.
And in another verse in Suratul Qalam: ``Wa innaka la'ala khuluqin atheem''. And you (i.e the prophet) are indeed possesed of awesome manners.
Ai'sha (RAA) when asked about the behaviour of the Prophet (SAWS) said that ``His manners were the Qur'an''.
So we should study the manners of the Prophet and try our best to imitate them.
May Allahu Bless and increase in Knowledge all of you.
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 1:
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.
So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
This religion Islam is marvelous. As far as one can see it’s the only world religion that goes beyond theory and offers viable & concrete ways to enact theory into practice. Consider the following from a catalogue of issues.
Love thy neighbor! Is the ideal universally. Which system anywhere except Islam shows you how to love your neighbor?
Thou shall not steal! A universal ideal once again. Where all systems stop with stating this universally accepted ideal, Islam moves ahead and shows man how this ideal is achieved here and now.
Islam is all about keeping good relations with our kith and kin, helping the poor and destitute, serving our guests generously and assisting the deserving calamity-afflicted ones. Which system but Islam offers a living example in ALL of this over a considerable time of space?
When you think of all of this, can you but be struck with wonder how Merciful God is? How true! The Prophet is certainly a Mercy unto mankind!
(In the name of Allah)
Allah(swt) says in surah Hajj:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدَافِعُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
Truly, Allah defends those who believe. (22:38)
This ayah brings ease and comfort during these difficult times for our Ummah. Alhamdulillah, our Rabb is Most Wise and Most Merciful and He Loves those who have emaan.
Imam Sa’di rahimahullah states beautifully regarding this ayah:
This is an announcement, a promise and glad tidings from Allah for the believers that Allah will repel from them every misfortune and He will repel from them every evil, because of their emaan, from the evil of the disbelievers, the evil of the whispers of shaytan, the evil from their own selves and from their wrong deeds. He takes away that which they cannot bear and He eases their affairs.
Every believer is entitled to this protection and blessing depending on how great their Emaan is.
May Allah increase our eeman and guide us to his path. (Amin)
What is the context of 22:38?
Its a time honoured practice of taking a verse out of context and fitting it on to a theology.
So what is it that we lack? What is it that mesmerized them?
(In the name of Allah)
What is it?
In the quran Allah says:
"Haaza balaaqun linnaas"(14:52) where Allah speaks about the quran which translates as "This is a balaaq for ppl".
balaaq = that which reaches someone else,a message, a communication. This quran is meant to reach ppl. It is a message for ppl. Allah calls it a means of communication.
So in order to understand this, it is essential to highlight the components of communication here: There are 2 effective components in communication, which are
1. What is being said. The content.
2. How it is being said. The style.
In order for a speech or message to be effective, the content of the message should be good, it should be something people want, it should be informative, it should be beneficial to the ppl. But content alone doesnt make a speech or a message effective, apart from the content the style in which the content is presented is also equally important.
Today when we talk about the mircales of quran we mostly come across some scientific phenomenons or some predictions. So the question that arises is, Do we consider every single ayath in the quran as a miracle? Yes, if so how many of these ayath are scientific phenomenon? Very few. How many are prediction? Very few, How many of these scientific facts and predictions were known to the people at the time of prophet(saw)?Very few or none. So what is it that mesmerised them? What makes quran so unique?
It is the way in which it is communicated. Its so powerful, its incredible. The wording are so precise. The style is unmatchable. The appreciation of the quran in the style in which it conveys the message is almost entirely lost upon the muslims of today.
"From the literary point of view, the Koran is regarded as a specimen of purest Arabic, written in half poetry, half prose. It has been said that in some cases grammarians have adopted their rules to agree with certain expressions used in it, and though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it as far as elegant writing is concerned, none yet has succeeded (Mohammedanism, H. A. R. Gibb, Oxford University Press, p. 42)
Qur'an possessing an astounding, inimitable style from the literary perspective and at the same time being written in a clear, comprehensible language which can be understood by everyone of all age groups is by itself another miracle. How many kids around the world speaking different language belonging to different age groups have learned the whole quran by heart?
Allah says in the quran which translates to: We have made the Qur'an easy to remember… (Qur'an, 54:22)
The Qur'an indeed contains an ocean of information relating to a wide variety of subjects. They include: religious and moral guidance, lessons from the lives of the peoples of the past, the message of the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, the physical sciences and historical accounts of important events(content). But all of this, although wonderful in itself, is delivered with the most fantastic literary rhythm and excellence(style). Insha-allah maybe a brother/sister will post some examples to demonstrate the literary excellence of the quran.
May Allah bless us all (Amin)
Amin!
Regarding literary excellence of the Koran…………
I am reminded of Abu Sufyan, may Allah Bless him before he accepted Islam.
He was one of the most vitriolic of critics of the Prophet, may peace be on him and the new religion. I believe history records that on hearing the verses of the Koran he was so struck by its sublime beauty of language and presentation that he was of the opinion that it could not be the work of any man.
I find it difficult to accept that the sheer beauty of the Koranic language and its presentation is lost on Muslims of today. I would refer you to the introduction to
“ interpretation of the Koran “ by Prof. A. J. Arberry. Here is a non Muslim who has been so impressed by the Ko0ran that in spite of himself, his education, upbringing and training his words coming out of his pen seems to be saying …. “This Koran is indeed from God Almighty”.
How many recitations are out there that has moved one to tears and electrifying frissons that arrests completely the foundations of your being? How many people out there has experienced this effect listening to the Koran even though they didn’t understand Arabic? You would agree herein there is a lot of food for thought.
Understanding the Qur`aan
The Qur`aan is in the Language of the Quraish
By Ayub A. Hamid.
Whether a person studies the Qur-aan directly without placing much reliance on the existing translations, Tafaaseer and commentaries or studies with the help of existing scholarly works, the following principles must be employed for understanding or deriving conclusions, evaluating which translations and commentaries to rely upon, and which opinions to accept or reject:
The Qur-aan is in the Language of the Quraish
The Holy Qur-aan was revealed in the Arabic language considered authentic by the literary authorities of the Quraish at the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. To understand its message as it was meant to be understood, naturally, the first prerequisite is the knowledge of the language of that era.
Every language has its nuances of style, idioms and usage, all of which change with time. To appreciate a literary work and to fully comprehend its compositional impact and its literary subtleties, a reader must be knowledgeable about those nuances of style, idiom and usage of the time when the literature was produced, not merely the contemporary language; e.g. Chaucer’s or Shakespeare’s English as compared to contemporary English. The same is true for the Qur-aan. One cannot pick up contemporary dictionaries and lexicons and try to decipher the meaning of the Qur-aan. The reader of the Qur-aan or the author who translates or explains the Qur-aan must be well-versed in the literary (Faseeh) Arabic of the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. He should be able to discern the subtleties of the idioms and usage of that period. To be able to do so, he should have a command of the poetry of the celebrated poets and speeches of the eloquent orators of that era such as: Qis bin Saaidah, Labeed, Imra-ul-Qais, Amr bin Kulthoom, and Zuahir. Only such a person will be able to understand the wisdom and beauty of the choice of the words used by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in a particular context or to express a particular idea. It was that literary language in which the Qur-aan was revealed. It was those authorities on Arabic language who were stunned by the miraculous beauty and elegance of Qur-aanic prose. To understand the Qur-aanic message and the nuances of its text, knowledge of their language and culture is an absolute necessity.
To be contd….
Understanding the Qur`aan
The Qur`aan is in the Language of the Quraish
By Ayub A. Hamid. Continued ….
It is not the colloquial Arabic, dictionaries compiled by non-Muslim orientalists or modern dictionaries that determines the meanings of the Qur-aan, but the Arabic usage and idiom of the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam as documented by the works of the early scholars of Islam. For that purpose, mastery of the language and the poetry of that time is critically essential for which we must rely on those linguistic authorities who have dedicated their live in acquiring and retaining that knowledge. Those who know only the contemporary Arabic used in the modern Arabic magazines and newspapers or those who try to translate with the help of orientalists’ dictionaries may end up deducing wrong conclusions.
Some commentators of the Holy Qur-aan tend to rely on contemporary dictionaries and search for meanings of the words that suit their mindset instead of taking the meanings established in the literature of the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam’s time. Naturally, as noted above, such authors may misunderstand or totally miss the point of the Qur-aanic text. Many non-Arabic people assume that Arabic speaking people have a better understanding of Qur-aan and its language. That is mostly not true. Unless an Arab Muslim has given special time and attention to learn the language of the Qur-aan (Language of the Quraish at the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam), he is as much prone to the danger of deriving wrong conclusions from the Qur-aan as any non-Arabic speaking person.
A Tafseer written by a person well versed in literary Arabic will have quotations and references to indicate the usage during the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam’s time. Hence, when reflecting on the Qur-aan in order to understand it properly, the readers must rely on the commentaries of the Qur-aan written by those who have acquired expertise in the Arabic language and usage of the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam. Such scholars will give examples of usage from literary giants of Makkah in support of a meaning they take for a word that is different from its commonly understood meaning.
Some people may think that if we do not resort to the new meanings given in the contemporary dictionaries, the miraculous nature of the words of the Qur-aan, as are being discovered through modern scientific research, will not be possible. Far from it, in fact, all the miracles of the Qur-aan that have been brought to light through scientific discoveries have been possible only by referring to the original meanings of the words at the time of the Prophet, Ŝall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam.
Copyright © 2004-2006 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved.
This document may be used only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author’s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid
Assalaamu alaikun jasmine,
Great work your doing here. Keep it up. And may Allah bless you. amin
walaikum salaam
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