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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Fwd: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims



Dear all,

In Mukto-Mona some members sincerely wanted to know why we send prayers/salah upon prophet Muhammad (PBUH). For a non-Muslim, sometime it is difficult to understand without understanding how a religious figure relate to us (Muslims) or what is the status of our last messenger (PBUH). So I am sharing the following information as a follow up to some information given earlier.

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Prophet: Say I am only a
mortal like you
4/13/2013 - Religious - Article Ref: IC1102-4531
By: Javeed Akhter
IslamiCity* -
   
 
In the following article Javeed Akhter reviews the life of Prophet Muhammad in light of many of the recent incidents that have promoted violence as a response to real or perceived denigration of the Prophet .

Respond to hate with love.




A reading of Prophet Muhammad's life, and the life of his companions, teaches us how to react to real and perceived insults. Whenever the Prophet was insulted he responded with stoic calm, answered hate with love and hostility with graciousness. He was called names, trash and even thorns were thrown in his path. Enemies would surround him and talk loud to drown him out when he spoke in public. It is reported that the fellow who negotiated the Hudaybia treaty with him would touch his beard in an unwelcome show of familiarity infuriating the Prophet's companions. But for all of the real and perceived insults his response was to remain calm and ask his companions not to get angry. His logic was simple; even the worst offenders could turn around and become friends and even followers. An angry response would be counterproductive.
 
The way to show love for a person you admire is to emulate his behavior and not get emotional and angry to the point of killing someone or getting killed. Those who promote this type of angry response need to go back and read and reflect on the Seerah (Biography) of the Prophet. The strongest among people, he taught, is one who can overcome anger.
 
The near deification of Prophet Muhammad
The visceral reaction some Muslims have to denigration of the Prophet may have to do with how his persona is looked upon by many Muslims. As seen in the yearly Milad-un-Nabi celebrations amongst South Asians, the veneration of the Prophet reaches the level of near deification. He is the perfect man (insane-e-Kamil), sinless and flawless. The sinless part is true but there were minor errors that the Qur'an alludes to as in the Chapter "He Frowned" (Abasa). I have met intelligent, educated folks who with a straight face have stated that Prophet Muhammad is alive and also present (Hazir wa Nazir) and listening to the supplications of his followers. This cult like veneration of Prophet Muhammad that includes periodic viewing of his hair, is exactly the opposite of how he wanted to be remembered. That is why he was so against any depiction of him in art or sculpture. He was fearful of being turned in to a deity. There are no renderings of him but the veneration that is behind the blasphemy laws in several Muslim countries belies his hope to be viewed and followed as a human.
 
Prophet Muhammad human.
One can almost hear the Prophet's protestation as recorded in the Qur'an; "Say: I am only a mortal like you (Qul innama ana basharun mithlukum). My Lord inspireth in me that your God is only One God. And whoever hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none share of the worship due unto his Lord." (Qur'an 18:110)
 
The Qur'an repeatedly stresses his mortality; "Muhammad is no more than an Apostle. Apostles before him have passed away. If he dies or is slain, will ye then turn on your heels? And he who turneth on his heels shall not in the least injure Allah. And Allah will soon reward the grateful." (Qur'an 3:144) 
Abu Bakr in his wise and poignant speech at the Prophet's death made this point clear; "O men, If you have been worshipping Muhammad , then know that Muhammad is dead. But if you have been worshipping Allah, then know that Allah is living and never dies."
The Qur'an points out that not just Prophet Muhammad but all of the messengers were human; "And We sent none before thee, but men to whom We made revelation -- question the People of the Remembrance, if you do not know -- nor did We fashion them as bodies that ate not food, neither were they immortal." (Qur'an 21:7-8) 
 
 
The Qur'an makes it clear that he is not an angel, or an incarnation of God but a human being who would live and die like other humans ; "What kept men back from Belief when Guidance came to them, was nothing but this: they said "Has Allah sent a man (like us) to be (His) Messenger? Say "If there were settled, on earth angels walking about in peace and quiet, We should certainly have sent them down from the heavens an angel for an messenger." (Qur'an 17:94-95)
 
A thoroughly modern argument.
In the same vain Allah avoids giving him the type of supernatural miracles that were given to earlier messengers. "They say: "We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause spring to gush forth for us from the earth. Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water. Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces, as thou sayest (will happen), against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face. Or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No, we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read. Say: "Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a man, a messenger?" (Qur'an 17:90-93)
 
When people asked the Prophet to show "signs" to support his claim to messenger hood, the Qur'an uses thoroughly modern arguments to support the presence of a purposeful and divine design for human existence. It repeatedly draws our attention to the balance in nature and the marvel of our own creation; when nature itself is so miraculous, the argument goes, why do we need supernatural miracles?
 
Much to emulate in the Prophet's life.
The excessive veneration of the Prophet Muhammad and the violence as a way of showing devotion to the Prophet shreds these Qura'nic teachings and Seerah lessons. Muslims need to love and respect him, analyze his acts, learn from his words and emulate him the best they can. Muslims are particularly fortunate to have the example of Prophet Muhammad to emulate. The various phases his life went through make it easier for us to understand the teachings of the Qur'an and give us a model to emulate. In Qur'an's own words; "Indeed there is for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern." (Qur'an 33:21) Two such lessons are to remember he was a human and that overcoming anger is a high virtue.
 
Muhammad never took personal revenge and forgave easily and quickly. He forgave even his worst enemies. His forgiveness and grace toward Hind, on whose urging Hamzah was murdered and mutilated, stands as a witness to his extraordinary compassion. He was always courteous to his enemies and those who pretended to be allies. He knew that some of the pseudo allies would participate in congregational prayer. He was fully aware of their hypocrisy, but never confronted them.
 
Any faith with more than a billion adherents, over 1400 years of history, varied cultural heritage and experiential diversity is bound to have differences in how it is understood and practiced. This diversity and even heterodoxy is understandable and completely predictable. It is when some of these heterodoxic ways of thinking that seem to become main stream then it is time to worry. Unfortunately this appears to be true with the blasphemy laws in countries like Pakistan.
 
So if someone maliciously insults the Prophet react with calm, try and befriend them, have them volunteer time with a Muslim charitable group, or NGO, or live in a Muslim household that is following his precepts and educate them on his Seerah. Let common sense prevail.
 
 
ALLAH'S Beautiful Name: AL-MUZAKKEE

He Who Purifies His Servants (of all faults, shame, and spiritual impurity)

Do you not see those who claim to be purified? No, Allah purifies whoever He wills. They will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck. ( Surat an-Nisa', 4:49)

Infallibility and perfection are qualities unique to Allah. We may forget, become heedless, and make mistakes, but Allah does not. Such traits indicate our weakness and need of Allah in every situation. Given this, believers feel regret once they recognize their mistakes, repent, and are careful not to repeat them. Just considering themselves sinless and faultless is a great sin in itself. One verse reads:

To whoever avoids the major sins and indecencies—except for minor lapses, truly your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He has the most knowledge of you when He first produced you from dust and when you were embryos in your mothers' wombs. So do not claim purity for yourselves. He knows best those who guard against evil. ( Surat an-Najm, 53:32)

Sincere believers are conscious of their mistakes and weaknesses. For this reason, they repent continuously and pray for Allah's mercy and good pleasure. In return, Allah covers their mistakes, forgives their sins, purifies them, and enables them to attain a superior position.

http://al-tanzil.com/-75___Al-Muzakkee.html


-----Original Message-----
From: QR <qrahman@netscape.net>
To: mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>; mahbubk2002 <mahbubk2002@yahoo.com>
Sent: Fri, May 31, 2013 1:10 pm
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims

As I said, it is wrog to assume every Saudi or Pakistani are "some kind of point of reference". Anyway brother, I am sharing what I know about this tradition. Again I am going back to our holy scriptures, it is not my personal opinion.

"May Allāh honor him and grant him peace.": (Arabic: صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ ṣall Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam - S.A.W., SAAW, or SAAS) - this expression follows specifically after saying the name of the last prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

In Arabic these salutations are called ṣalawāt, and are abbreviated by some with the use of SAW (in accordance with the Arabic words sallallahu alayhi wasallam) or PBUH (which stands for Peace be upon him in English)

Quranic evidence for asking the prayers on Muhammad

Peace be upon him, written in Arabic
In the translation of the meanings of the Qur'an in Surah 33 entitled Al-Ahzab (The Confederates), ayah (verse) 56:
Allah and His angels send prayers on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye prayers on him, and salute him with all respect.
—Al-Ahzab[5]

Hadith evidence for asking the prayers on Muhammad

The evidence for sending Salah on Muhammad is not limited to the Qur'an. It is also found in hadith about Muhammad. Examples include:
Al-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Hurairah said:
The Messenger of Allah said, "May he be humiliated, the man in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send Salah upon me; may he be humiliated, the man who sees the month of Ramadan come and go, and he is not forgiven; may he be humiliated, the man whose parents live to old age and they do not cause him to be granted admittance to Paradise."
—Abu Hurairah
Al-Tirmidhi said that this hadith was, "Hasan gharib" (Good but only reported once).
In Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawood, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and Al-Sunan al-Sughra (Sunan al-Nasa'i), four of the six major Sunni hadith collections, recorded that Abu Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever sends one salah upon me, Allah will send ten upon him."
—Abu Hurayrah
One morning the Messenger of Allah was in a cheerful mood and looked happy. They said, "Oh Messenger of Allah, this morning you are in a cheerful mood and look happy." He said, "Of course, just now someone [an angel] came to me from my Lord [Allah] and said, 'Whoever among your Ummah sends Salah upon you, Allah will record for him ten good deeds and will erase for him ten evil deeds, and will raise his status by ten degrees, and will return his greeting with something similar to it.'"
—Abu Talha ibn Thabit
The isnad (chain of narrators) of this hadith is good.


Hope this will be some help to some of you.

Shalom!


-----Original Message-----
From: Mahbub Kamal <mahbubk2002@yahoo.com>
To: mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, May 30, 2013 1:17 pm
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims

 
Thanks Mr. Rahman.
 
1. I knew a number of Saudis (at least 2 of them were very religious - they were imams) and Egyptians, Syrians, Moroccans and one Algerian. None of them used anything after the Prophet's name. If it was mandatory (I mean someting to do with 'core' of Islam, not belonging to any sect), then at least the imams should have followed it. I should have put 'invention' within quotation though - there is a chance that it was introduced by one of the sufi awlias who propagated Islam to this part of the world.
 
2. I have put 'kabira gunah' inside quote-marks :-)
 
 

From: QR <qrahman@netscape.net>
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 4:55:13 AM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
I am not exactly sure, but my guess is Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam and PBUH are inventions from Indian sub-continent. I have never heard any Arab to add either after the name of the prophet of Islam.

>>>>>>>>>>>>> It is not an "invention". It is very much part of Islam. However it is true many Arabs don't follow it. I have seen many do. Guess we have "Extra" expectations from every Arab but they are like most of us. Some are very religious and some are less.  In Indian sub-continent it is a 'kabira gunah' if you just say Muhammad insttead of Hazrat Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam : >>>>>>>>>>> It is recommended but I don't think not saying it is a major sin. Also touching Quran without performing wudhu is a big sin in this part of the world, some will not even touch any Arabic writing without wudhu. >>>>>>>>>> Doing ablution (Wudu) is recommended but it is certainly NOT mandatory. I agree with you this is misunderstood in our sub-continent culture. Maybe those who brought Islam to this part of the world were afraid that unless we take every ritual seriously, we'll forget about Islam (Which actually happened in South America and some parts of central Asia). Irrespecive of religion, people of the sub-continent go extra steps to show respect to prophets, deities, sadhus, 'awlia's and elders. >>>>>>>> !00% agree on it. But as far as Muslims are concern, we rely too much (More than necessary) on people over our holy scriptures (The Qur'an and Hadith). For some of the honoured subscribers in this forum, above is just a personal observation and does not cover all details and exceptions. >>>>>>>> Very good observation. Shalom!
-----Original Message----- From: Mahbub Kamal <mahbubk2002@yahoo.com> To: mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thu, May 30, 2013 12:32 am Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
I am not exactly sure, but my guess is Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam and PBUH are inventions from Indian sub-continent. I have never heard any Arab to add either after the name of the prophet of Islam. In Indian sub-continent it is a 'kabira gunah' if you just say Muhammad insttead of Hazrat Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam :-) Also touching Quran without performing wudhu is a big sin in this part of the world, some will not even touch any Arabic writing without wudhu.
 
Irrespecive of religion, people of the sub-continent go extra steps to show respect to prophets, deities, sadhus, 'awlia's and elders. Until recent influx of Wahabi influence (and ultra Hindutta-bad as counter-reaction - may be I am generalizing too much) introduced extremism, religion was more human and humane in the sub-continent and Malay peninsula.
 
For some of the honoured subscribers in this forum, above is just a personal observation and does not cover all details and exceptions.
 
BTW, Hazrat is not an Arabic word.
 
Dhannyabad

From: Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 8:12:17 AM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
MR: "For how long will you criticize all aspects of Muslims on this forum?"
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said
"Be merciful to those on the earth, so the one in the heavens will be merciful upon you" At Tabarani
________

Mr. Rahman,

All discussions stemmed from your above posting. Why did you post such message if you did not want any discussion on your comments? This is a discussion forum. 
 
Anyway, I liked rest of your reply; I am satisfied with your reasoning behind the "peace be upon him" prayer. It makes logical sense to me.
Thanks.

Jiten Roy

From: MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN <mustafiz84@hotmail.com>
To: Mukto-mona Mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 3:30 AM
Subject: RE: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
In reply to Mr Sukhamaya Bain's query:

When Muslims say PBUH when the name of Muhammad is pronounced, peace is sent back to them also by Allah. It is just as when  a soldier salutes a general, the general also salutes him back. Now a soldier saluting a general is not important for the general, but when the general salutes the soldier, its is important for the soldier. He feels good. So when Allah pays back a Muslim for showing respect to HIS Prophet, its value is far more.
For how long will you criticize all aspects of Muslims on this forum?

Mustafizur Rahman
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com From: jnrsr53@yahoo.com Date: Tue, 28 May 2013 17:29:20 -0700 Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims 
Logically such custom is redundant, because he is already at peace being the most favorite person of Allah. I believe this is what they were asked to do, and they just follow that without question.  

Now, Prophet has mandated Muslims to be merciful, yet so much violence we see even in the Muslim majority countries, like Pakistan, Iraq, etc. Most of these violences are caused by orthodox religious people. Almost everyday in Iraq, you will see 50/60 people are dying due to sectarian clashes. Here is the irony - orthodox Muslims may forget to be merciful, but they never forget to pray for Prophet's peace. 

Jiten Roy


From: Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 7:27 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
I have been thinking about a question for a while. While I have been quite vocal about injustices and atrocities that are being committed in the world by Muslims, using, misusing and abusing their religion, I generally do not criticize the specifics of the religion. As I wrote quite a few times, the religions do not have to be perfect, and we cannot go back in time to change any of the so-called revelations or words of wisdom. What I advocate is for people to use their own common sense to follow what is worth following, and discard what is stupid and hateful.
 
Now the question to the serious Muslims. Why PBUH (Peace Be Upon Him) after Mohammad, the prophet of Islam? He is supposed to be the most favorite human that God (Allah in Arabic) almighty has created, according to Islam. Of all humans, he is supposed to have the most peace already. He certainly does not need any human's wish. Why do humans wish him peace? Saluting him, calling him great, etc., I can understand from a believer's perspective. But wishing him peace does not make sense at all. Any logical answer to this simple question that I am asking with absolutely no malice?
 
Sukhamaya Bain 
 
========================================
From: Mohammad Rahman <mrahman246@yahoo.com>
To: Karim Chowdhury <karim718@aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 4:41 PM
Subject: [mukto-mona] Mercy is an important trait of Muslims
 
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said
"Be merciful to those on the earth, so the one in the heavens will be merciful upon you" At Tabarani
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

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Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

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               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190



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