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Solaiman (AS) Solomon - 1
In the previous
lesson, we talked about Dawud (David) (AS), and concentrated on his
worship, reverence and amazing devotion to Allah (SWT). We also
agreed to follow a kind of recipe for good faith, a recipe that will boost our
belief and help us get closer to Allah (SWT). Why do we need such a recipe?
We attend lectures all the time, and some of them are very
interesting and touch us deep in our hearts, but only temporarily. People get deeply affected, and the story
sticks to their minds for a couple of days, but it just vanishes after some
time. The main purpose of studying all these stories is to link them to our
current lives and time, the purpose they were mentioned for in the Qur’an! We
want these stories to help us solve the problems we are facing as a Muslim
nation, as these Prophets are meant to be our idols in life after all. Islam is the best solution to the troubles
in all our societies, and it should not be dissolving away or unjustly
misunderstood and forgotten; it should make a strong comeback to the World,
proving to everybody the truth and simplicity that lies within it. Worshiping Allah (SWT) is not only through prayers,
but also through acting and living like true Muslims 24 hours a day. Now what was that recipe we talked about
last time? Here is a reminder of the
steps:
- Waking up half an hour before dawn.
- Performing the ritual ablution or Wudu.
- Praying two Rakaa’s (units of
prayer) of Qiyam (night prayer) for ten minutes.
- Reading some pages of the Holy Qur’an,
going further and further each morning towards the end.
By following these
four simple steps every morning, you are highly rewarded for two very important
kinds of worship:
- Performing Qiyam prayers.
- Reading the Holy Qur’an during dawn,
Allah’s (SWT) favorite time.
During the last third of the night, Allah (SWT) descends
with his magnificent grace to the first heaven, responding to his
worshippers pleads for guidance, blessings, and forgiveness.
This is the best time
to pray and seek forgiveness from Allah (SWT). Dua’a (supplication) is always accepted during this particular
time and is never rejected. Those who seek forgiveness at that time will find
themselves mentioned by Allah (SWT) in the Qur’an, in what can be
translated as, “Those who pray for forgiveness in the
early hours of the morning"
(TMQ, Al- Imran:17).
All of
this is to be done before the fajr (dawn) prayer. After the Azan
(The call for prayer), one should pray the two Rakaa’s of the fajr
Sunnah (determined pre-dawn prayer).
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) describes the value of these two Rakaa’s
as equivalent to the Muslim’s whole life and its beauties. Then perform the fajr prayer (in the
mosque for the men) as it is one of the most precious compulsory prayers. It is
in fact so precious that in the early days of Islam, the Prophet’s (PBUH)
companions used to doubt that those who did not show up with a good excuse were
becoming hypocrites.
After
performing the fajr prayer, read some Dhikr (morning
supplications) to seek protection from all kinds of evil throughout the day you
are about to start. Allah (SWT) will not forget the Muslim that
remembers Him with Dhikr, and helps this Muslim get quickly back on
track if he sins that day.
Following
this recipe, you will feel that your life is changing and becoming simpler and
better. You become more relaxed,
content, and concentrated on things such as studies or work; and will feel the
satisfaction and pleasures of faith springing up within your heart stronger
than ever before. Now that we have
revised our recipe, we will continue with our series of stories, and begin with
the story of Solaiman (AS).
Allah (SWT)
granted Solaiman (PBUH) four splendid miracles, owing to his dua’a,
“My Lord! I ask you to bestow
upon me the greatest kingdom and power which existed and will ever exist, for
you are the Bestower”. (TMQ, Saad:35).
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said the following too,
“While I was praying, Satan appeared to me in a certain form. When I was done, I caught him and tied him
down to one of the poles in the mosque so that everyone can see him at the fajr
prayer, but then I recalled my brother Solaiman’s dua’a, “My Lord! I ask you to bestow upon me the greatest
kingdom and power which existed and will ever exist”, so I set him free”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Authentic).
Even though it was after thousands of years, the Prophet (PBUH)
was very careful and considerate in not using any powers that were given to
Solaiman (AS), keeping Solaiman’s powers as unique as the latter had
wished them to be. Allah (SWT) granted the following four
miracles exclusively to Solaiman (AS):
First miracle: Understanding bird language.
“Solaiman inherited (the knowledge of) Dawud, and said, “O mankind! We have
been taught the language of birds, and everything has been bestowed upon
us. This is verily an evident grace
(from Allah).” (TMQ, Al-Naml:16). Solaiman (AS) had the ability to
understand birds and insects when they talked amongst themselves, including
their sound vibrations. What a great
blessing granted to him by Allah (SWT)!
Let us compare this to later events in the history of
mankind, as an indication of how great the civilizations of the Prophets
actually were. When the Rosetta Stone was discovered and scientists in the West
had finally cracked the language of the Pharaohs, a lot of commotion and
publicity resulted! People were very proud and boasted their intelligence and
ability to understand those symbols. Come to think about it, Prophet Solaiman (PBUH)
had a much greater power and intelligence than any of them had. Did he
boast about it and praise his own intelligence? No, he was very moderate and humble, never forgetting to thank
Allah (SWT) for blessing him with that knowledge.
Some Westerners firmly believe that to progress in life,
religion has to be separated from science and technology; assuming that these
two “fields” do not coincide.
Unfortunately, this matter is deeply rooted in some Muslims’ minds as
well, despite its Western origin. Why
is this so? The main reason is that the Westerners progressed rapidly with
amazing discoveries when they separated the church from their scientific
progress. However, our religion
welcomes science; in fact they go hand in hand! We do not need to separate our religion from our everyday life to
achieve scientific progress. On the contrary, implementing the religion
correctly is the best path towards this progress. The first word that descended in our Qur’an was iqra’ (Read). The Holy Qur’an comprises of many verses
that deal with the different human and natural sciences and emphasizes on the
importance of seeking education and knowledge.
In Solaiman’s (PBUH) story, the invalidity of this
conviction, which states that religion and science never go together, is proved
clearly. It proves that being religious
does not mean sitting in the mosques all day in isolation. This is clearly not what Islam recommends. Solaiman (AS) properly exploited his
knowledge to obeying Allah (SWT) and to serving Islam. Consequently, Allah (SWT) granted him
what He did not grant any other civilization.
Examining history, we will find that humanity has witnessed only two
civilizations that summoned the peaks of technology, prosperity and religion;
those of Solaiman (AS) and Muhammad (PBUH).
Muhammad’s (PBUH) nation lived as a devoted,
worshiping and spiritual nation since the beginning of Islam, and extending a
great 1300 years. Yet, they also made
amazing discoveries and advancements in science and technology. For instance, there is the science of Jarh
(disparagement) and Ta’deel
(attestation) discovered by Imam Bukhari, the science of Human Sociology by
Ibn-Khaldun, Algebra was founded by Al-Khawarizmi and the Pulmonary Blood
Circulation discovered by Ibn-Nafis. Do
you realize the first astrological observatory was set up by the Muslims in
Al-Andalus (Andalusia), for the purpose of monitoring the movements of planets?
Furthermore, the Muslims were the first to prove the
roundness of the earth in an oval-shaped map made by Al-Idrisi. Ibn-Majid, the
lion of the sea, is the one who discovered the ‘Cape of Good Hope’, and
invented the Muslim geographical maps.
Yet, can you believe that the Tatars threw books that belonged to the
library of Baghdad [which was built by the Muslims and was incomparable with
any other library today] in the rivers of Dejla and Furat (The
Euphrates) in order to build a bridge for their horses to pass on? Can you
imagine the number of books that were in that library? There were enough books to fill up both
rivers and carry an army of horses over them!
In truth, Muslims only lost track of their flourishing
civilization when they distanced themselves from their religion. Solaiman’s (AS)
civilization is a clear lesson for us not to be impressed by modern
civilizations. It warns us that
building a civilization, by moving away from Islam, is not the right
solution. Let’s consider Russia, for
example. It was one of the first to
reach the moon, but where is it now?
The Russian Empire collapsed and is gone! You can easily criticize the regime itself as being the cause of
this failure in Russia, but the problems that faced the Islamic empire were
different. You cannot find a flaw in
Islam itself, and the flaw was only in the people that did not live up to it.
Second miracle:
The subjugation of Jinn and Devils
They were all made to obey Solaiman (AS). Allah (SWT) says
what can be translated as, “And
also the devils from the jinn, including the builders and divers, along with
others bound in fetters.” (TMQ, Saad:
37, 38).
People are misled to believe that
the Jinn are capable of doing everything, so they move away from Allah (SWT)
and turn to them for help. Here
are the Jinn that Allah (SWT) created for Solaiman (PBUH); some
were builders and others were divers that extracted pearls from the oceans and
the seas. Why did Allah (SWT)
grant Solaiman (PBUH) all these
blessings and miracles? The answer is
that Solaiman (AS) wanted to use these blessings for the sake of
reviving this religion and not for personal pleasures. Allah
(SWT) says what can be translated as, "Amongst
them are men who made a pact with Allah, that if He bestowed on them some of
His bounty, they would be generous in charity, and be truly amongst those who
are righteous. But when He did bestow of His bounty, they became covetous, and
turned back (from their pact), averse (from its fulfillment). So He has put as
a consequence Hypocrisy into their hearts, to last till the Day when they shall
meet Him: because they broke their pact with Allah, and because they lied
(again and again)" (TMQ, At-Tawba:75
- 77).
Do they not realize that Allah (SWT)
knows what is inside their hearts and knows their innermost
secrets? If you ask Allah (SWT) to grant you money with a genuine
intension of using it for supporting this religion and doing good, then He will
surely give you what you have asked for.
I myself have seen many examples of this in my personal life. The problem facing the majority of people is
that their real intention is to use these blessings to achieve personal
satisfaction. What they do is consider
solely themselves, their homes and their children. It is not wrong to consider one’s self, but serving Islam should
always be the priority, and doing that will automatically serve all the other
purposes one seeks like a happy home and family, for himself and his brother
Muslims. Who else can devise for us
such a perfect way of life than He who created life itself?
As long as we marginalize Islam
and do not realize its greatness, our enemies will not appreciate it either and
they will marginalize it even further.
When we trivialize Islam, others will trivialize us. How do we expect Islam to grow and become
powerful if we ourselves cannot make it grow and be powerful in our own eyes
and apply it to our lives? What will
that leave for the non-Muslims who see us as examples? We are ambassadors for our religion and
carry its burden. The worst thing we
can do is to make it look bad and give others a bad impression about it.
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
there are jinn that worked for him (Solaiman), by his Lord’s permission. And those of them that disobeyed Our
command, they shall taste the torment of the blazing Fire. They worked for him as he desired, building
high-walled rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and cauldrons fixed
in their places. Work you, O family of
Dawud, and be grateful, as there are only a few of My slaves that are
grateful.” (TMQ, Saba’:12 -
13).
The high-walled rooms are mosques,
and the idols and images were not prohibited at that time. A basin is an enormous container that an
entire village can eat from, and the cooking cauldrons were fixed like huge
buildings, mounted upon stone poles raising them from below. Solaiman (AS) used Jinn to spread
Islam, not to cause harm, evil or raise superstitions. Some people nowadays seek refuge in Jinn, but it only causes them more suffering
and torment. People should turn only to
Allah (SWT) in times of hardship, and turning to anyone or anything else
is failing one of the tests of this life.
Third miracle: The
subjugation of wind
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “We subjected to him (Solaiman) the wind; it blew
gently by his order wherever he willed.” (TMQ, Saad:36).
Solaiman (AS) used to order the wind around. He would
direct the clouds over thirsty lands to help feed the Muslims, and improve
their crops. When it came to fighting
with Allah’s (SWT) enemies, he had a gigantic, wooden, rug-like
transporter made to carry his army of Jinns, humans, birds, tigers, lions,
eagles and all sorts of animals that fought under his command. It was an amazing army, with all these
creatures helping him radar the lands around him. The wind would carry this rug to wherever he pleased, carrying
this army across vast distances. Have
you heard of anything so extraordinary?
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
to Solaiman We subjected the wind, its morning was a month’s journey, and its
afternoon was another month’s journey (i.e. in one day he could travel two
months’ journey in distance).” (TMQ,
Saba’:12).
The distance normally covered in a month was covered by
Solaiman (AS) and his soldiers in a couple of hours. Do you believe this? If this story was to be narrated to the
western society, would they believe it or would we be accused of insanity? We will always have faith that Allah (SWT)
is the sole owner and creator of everything in this universe, and the strong
believers are clearly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, in what can be translated
as, “Those who believe in the Ghaib (unseen things).” (TMQ, Al-Baqara:3).
Hence, we are believers, as our ancestors were. Can you picture the Prophet’s (PBUH)
companions and their solid belief while they were listening to this verse more
than a thousand years ago? What a
strong faith they must have had! We
have seen planes, rockets, and submarines in action. We think we have seen it
all! This should be more reason for us to believe that such means of fast
transportation can be possibly created using the resources on Earth. The Qur’an’s numerous miracles are
sufficient enough for Muslims to believe blindly in everything it states. Many
miracles of the Qur’an have been proven throughout history, and the remaining
unexplained miracles are left there for every generation as a test of their
blind faith.
Why stop at the miracle of Solaiman’s (SWT) miraculous
speed? Consider how strongly our
Prophet’s (PBUH) companions believed him when he told them about his
night journey from Makkah to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) riding the Buraq. Upon reaching Al-Quds, he was ascended to
the seventh heaven until he reached Sidrat Al-Muntaha (The Lote Tree of
the Utmost Boundary) and ultimately, returned to Makkah from Al-Quds; all
within less than a night. When Quraysh
heard about Muhammad’s (PBUH) journey, they went to inform Abu-Bakr (RA),
mockingly challenging his belief.
Abu-Bakr (RA) did not hesitate for a moment in affirming what the
Prophet (PBUH) told and said his famous words: “I believe him in things
even beyond that: I believe that his miracles come from the skies even while he
is sitting among us”. Since then,
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called him Al-Sidiq (the
believer). In conclusion, the stronger
our faith in Islam, the stronger Allah (SWT) makes us and the higher
Allah (SWT) raises us and the more problems he solves for us. It is also
an important aspect of this religion to be successful in life, and advanced in
science and technologies, as this will not only benefit us personally but also socially
by reflecting positively on the image of Islam and Muslims.
Fourth miracle: The Subjugation of Metals.
“And We made a fount of molten brass flow for him.” (TMQ, Saba’: 12).
Another of the great miracles Allah (SWT) bestowed
upon Solaiman (AS). He used the
brass to manufacture different equipment and weapons to make the Muslims more
powerful. His intention was forming a strong nation, to fight for spreading the
name of Allah, and not for personal influence. This shows how the Muslims
should use their resources wisely, and always in good intention.
But why wasn’t our Prophet (PBUH) given miracles as
such, provided that he was the leader of all Prophets and all mankind? Very simply, Allah (SWT) wanted
Muhammad’s (PBUH) miracle to be even greater than the four miracles of
Solaiman (AS). Let us pause here and remember that miracle:
Muhammad (PBUH) was sent to a tribe who worshiped
idols, buried girls alive, practiced filthy actions and ignited violent wars
for periods that lasted for decades at a time. Under Islam, the same people
became the most remarkable Ummah in the entire history of mankind, and led the
world into peace and prosperity for a period extending over 1300 years; an
accomplishment that neither jinn, wind nor metal could have achieved.
Harun Al-Rashid used to look at the clouds, ponder, and say,
“Rain anywhere you desire, because wherever you rain, your benefits will reach
the Muslims”. Back then, the Muslims ruled such a vast territory that if the
people in any land were not Muslims, the Muslims would benefit from these lands
through the payment of Jizyah (a tax paid to the ruling Muslims by
non-Muslim countries, which were allowed the freedom of keeping their own
religions under the protection of an Islamic empire).
Despite all the miracles granted to Solaiman (AS), he
also had his share of suffering. He was
afflicted with a severe disease and consequently was unable to move. The point that Allah (SWT) wishes to
make to us is that being blessed with great things does not rule out the
possibility of suffering hardships.
Solaiman (AS), as all are people, was put through hardships; only
as a reminder for humankind that the power is not completely in their hands,
and also as a test for their patience and faith.
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
indeed, We did test Solaiman by placing a Jasad on his throne, and he
did return (to Allah with obedience and in repentance, and to his throne and
kingdom by the Grace of Allah).” (TMQ,
Saad:34). Jasad is
the Arabic word for the human body, indicating that the illness was so severe
that it seemed like he was just a body lying on the throne, without the ability
to even move. Solaiman (PBUH) was
patient, and he passed this test, regaining his health and power later on.
Another thing about Solaiman (AS) is that he used to
adore watching horses. One day, while
he was so busy watching them, he missed the afternoon prayer. To discipline his soul, and prove his
priorities to himself and to Allah (SWT), he donated all those horses
for charity and jihad (Holy War).
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
to Dawud We gave Solaiman. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft
returning in repentance! When they were
displayed before him, in the afternoon, the well trained horses of the highest
breed, he said, "I preferred this action (watching the horses) over my
duty of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer), till the time had ran
out, and the sun had hidden in the veil of night. Then he said "Bring them (the horses) back to me.” Then he
began to pass his hand over their legs and their necks (i.e. he was checking
them and recommending them for being used in the army for jihad, indicating his
new intentions).” (TMQ, Saad:
30 - 33).
He prepared the horses himself, washed them well and chose
the best ones to be sent for jihad.
Allah (SWT) did not only grant Solaiman (AS)
an ability to rule and to judge rationally, but also blessed him with better
judgment than his father Dawud (AS), sometimes passing more rational verdicts
with an amazing degree of wisdom.
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
remember Dawud and Solaiman, when they were judges in the case of the field
where the sheep had pastured at night; and We were indeed witnesses to their
judgment. We gave Solaiman the
understanding; and to both of them We gave Hukm (right judgment of the
affairs) and knowledge.” (TMQ, Al-Anbiya’:78
-79).
The story is about a dispute that occurred between two
neighbors, so they asked Dawud (AS) to judge between them. One owned a piece of land, which he
cultivated and lived off, while the other owned some sheep. One night, the second man forgot to lock his
barn door properly; as a result, the sheep ate the landowner’s harvest. Dawud's (AS) verdict was that the landowner
would take the sheep and benefit from their milk as a payback for the lost
harvest. This was a fair judgment, but Solaiman (AS) later met the two
men and came up with a more just judgment. He said that the landowner would
take the sheep and benefit from them, thus not overruling his father’s verdict,
but adding that the other would also take the land and plant it until it
harvests, after which they would exchange and get back their properties.
Allah (SWT) mentions this story in the Qur’an to teach
us how to use our intelligence, stressing on the importance of cleverness for
the Muslim. The idea that the religious
person is not required to have any wisdom nor intelligence is completely
untrue.
Another example worth
mentioning in this context is that narrated by Al-Bukhari, describing another
incident that shows Solaiman’s wisdom: Two women went to Dawud (AS) after fighting over a baby.
The truth was that the older woman's baby had died, so she had kidnapped the
younger woman's child. Both women claimed that the baby was theirs.
Dawud (AS) considered the older woman
as more truthful because she had more convincing arguments than the younger
woman, and gave her the right of custody. Solaiman (AS) then came into the picture and said, "If you two continue
arguing, we shall cut the infant in half, one half
for each of you.” And as he prepared to do so and was raising the
knife, the younger woman yelled: "Let him live, he is hers, I don’t
want him!”. "You are his real
mother", concluded Solaiman (AS).
A further example of wise judgment between Muslims is that
with Ali Ibn Abu-Talib (RA). A
lion had fallen into an empty well in the city of Kufah. The entire Kufah population gathered to
watch this scene! With all the
commotion, a man fell into the well and held on to another man dragging him
down with him. The second man pulled
yet a third one and the third pulled a fourth. Ultimately, the lion ate them
all. The diyah (blood money) at
that time was a hundred camels per person, but it was quite hard to agree on
how the money should be paid in this situation. Ali Ibn Abu-Talib came up with the following verdict:
-
The first person’s diyah would be twenty-five camels
because he was responsible for the death of the other three.
-
The second fifty camels as he killed two other men.
-
The third seventy-five camels because he killed one person,
and
-
Nothing for the fourth person, as he didn’t pull anyone with
him to the well.
Who was going to pay the money now? Everyone that was there, because they were
all held responsible! This verdict saw through the complication of the
situation, and everybody agreed that it was fair. Not only were the families compensated fairly, but also the
people learned how to care for one another and be responsible for the whole group.
Now back to Solaiman (AS). Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And indeed
We gave knowledge to Dawud and Solaiman, and they both said, "All the
praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has chosen us from among many of His
believing slaves!" (TMQ, Al-Naml:15).
This verse indicates the importance of knowledge. Knowledge
is a gift, and a powerful tool that we should seek. The story of Solaiman (PBUH)
makes us reflect back at ourselves.
I wonder if there are any of us who really seek knowledge for the sake
of it? I wonder how many people invest
their free time in reading more and educating themselves in the fields that
they are interested in? I wonder how
many students read beyond the recommended textbooks in their university
courses? And
those who did graduate from universities already, do they take their field
seriously or just pass the hours at their jobs? Do they seek continuous improvement and excellence? I am surprised at the very few number we
find doing these things. How can
it be possible for the Ummah of iqra’ no longer reads nor craves for
knowledge? What happened, and when did we become so careless? Most of the technology and science in our
current time is credited to the non-Muslim West. Why is that? If you look for reasons and incentives, our
incentive is clearly stated in our faith and history! What incentive is stronger than that? Do you know that, in England in railway trains, almost every passenger
has a book, newspaper, or magazine to read?
You hardly find anyone waiting for a train while staring into empty
space. Do we have so much free time
that we can afford wasting most of our time, or are our brains saturated with
knowledge already?
We must start to read and learn, not for the sake of getting
a certificate that ends up being framed on the wall, but for the sake of
knowledge itself. The only way to
improve and become powerful is through education and smart minds, and if we
become powerful, this reflects on Islam and gives it the glory it
deserves. Islam stressed so much on
seeking knowledge and learning only because Allah (SWT) knows how
important this is to have a just, loveable, and powerful Muslim nation.
If our Ummah were to devote itself to worshipping and
praying alone, Islam would neither progress nor would it benefit. On the contrary, it will diminish. We should not only concentrate our studying
on religious sciences but also on other aspects such as: natural sciences, foreign
languages, or modern technologies.
Everyone has an interest in a certain field, and being a Muslim should
not stand between them and that field.
The taste of knowledge is sweet, and it is a gift we have as humans; a
gift that was given for a reason. One should be equally literate in religion as
well as other sciences.
The Prophet’s (PBUH)
following Hadith proves this, “Indeed, Allah and his Angels, the occupants of
the earth and the heavens, even the ant in her house and the whales, are
praising the teacher of good knowledge”. (Narrated by al-Albany, Sahih
At-Tirmidhi, 2161).
Imagine if you taught people how
to recite the Holy Qur’an or how to use a computer, with a genuine intention of
serving Islam. You can reach a level where even the ants and the fish will be
mentioning your name in their prayers and asking Allah (SWT) for your
forgiveness. Now how many prayers does that count for?
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “The distinction between an educated Muslim and an uneducated Muslim is
as big as that between me and the weakest Muslim amongst you”. (Narrated by
al-Albany, Islah al-Masajid, 126).
The message here is
clear enough and beyond discussion. The Prophet (PBUH) did not advise us
to only seek prayers and forget our education and intellect. Islam is not about
isolating yourself in worship, but dividing your time equally between all
aspects of life, taking the best out of everything. What else could one of us
want? Islam shows us the correct way of
life, and teaches us not to be extreme.
Muslims are required to pray and surrender to Allah (SWT).
Muslims are also required to take care of themselves and lead happy lives.
Being a true Muslim does not mean giving up the good things in life. On the
contrary, it helps us understand life and makes these good things even better!
Back to
our story:
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And
gathered before Solaiman were his soldiers of jinn, men, and birds, and they
were all set for battle” (TMQ, Al-Naml:17).
All pairs were gathered, a controlled and a designed
army. Imagine that the army of Islam
once involved birds, jinn and men. Look
at the power Islam had. It just makes you feel so proud, doesn’t it? “Till, when they came to the valley of
the ants, one of the ants said, "O you ants! Enter your dwellings, lest
Solaiman and his hosts should crush you, without knowing it.” (TMQ, Al-Naml:18).
This ant, which spoke when Solaiman (PBUH) was
passing her valley, deserves some praise. Scholars have agreed that this ant is
extremely fluent! In one sentence, it
combined six tools from the Arabic language. Of course this miracle is meant
for those who know the Arabic language well, with its extreme diversity of
grammar and grammatical tools. The six tools in the sentence are:
1.
O: It
called.
2.
You
ants! : It warned.
3.
Enter:
It commanded.
4.
Lest
Solaiman crush you: It forbade.
5.
His hosts: It
generalized.
6.
While they
perceive not: it apologized.
There is
another point to consider. Do you see
the positive side of that ant that loved its tribe and cared about saving
them? This is a message to all the
selfish and pessimistic people, who do not care about others. We are all
responsible for spreading goodness, and speaking up in the face of wrong.
When
someone lights a cigarette by our side for example, and we are bothered about
it, we should not just remain silent and not do anything about it. When someone curses our religion in public,
we should not just pass by without any reaction. That would be selfish and
these bad habits will spread to even bigger boundaries. Brothers and sisters, I am not asking you to
pick fights with people you meet doing wrong along the street. I am only asking
that you give them some friendly advice; an advice that they might remember one
day and think about. Hardly anybody is
convinced if a harsh tone is used, and the problem will just become
bigger. We must learn to be positive,
and feel responsible for our society and not only for ourselves.
Do you
remember a situation where you were supposed to spring up to help, but instead,
you were content as a negative responder and a mere by-stander? Later on, you would find your conscious
beating you in the back of the head!
How often did this scenario happen to you?
I stress
again that is not a call for rebellion and violence. Stay away from violence, but do not hesitate to spring to action
and to talk to wrongdoers pleasantly with faith and sweet words. Do not just stand there.
A person I
knew flew once with an Arabic airline and was surprised when they started
serving wine during the flight. Did he jump out of his seat in the middle of
the flight, scream his head off, and give a religious lecture? Certainly not! In a civilized manner, he
asked for a paper and a pen, wrote a kind complaint and submitted it to the
stewardess. This was certainly better than doing nothing about it, or acting
too emotionally.
The Prophet (PBUH)
said, “You shall enjoin good, and abstain from the wrong, or Allah
will punish you, and not answer your Dua’a” (Narrated by al-Albany, Mishkat
al-Masabeeh, 5068). Therefore, a
Muslim who leads a perfect, sinless life full of prayers and good deeds will
still be punished, unless he helps others and cares about his whole society.
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