Returning good for evil

Returning good for evil

1985 12 December 23 Returning good for evil (60) ‘Ubadah Ibn Samit said that the Prophet offered to tell his companions something which would raise them in God’s sight. When they asked him to do so, he said: “Be forebearing with those who behave foolishly with you; forgive those who oppress you; give to those who deprive you and consolidate ties with those who sever their relations with you.”

The Path of Prayer

1985 12 December 23 The Path of Prayer (314) It has been related that Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, (23-85AH), an Umayyad caliph, preached an eloquent sermon one day, then wept unrestrainedly. When he had calmed down, he said, “O, my Lord, I have undoubtedly sinned greatly, but Your forgiveness, however little, will far outweigh the greatness of my sin. O, my Lord, bless me with Your forgiveness, be it never so little.” When Hasan Basri, the great contemporary religious scholar heard about this, he was moved and said, “If any words were worthy of being written in gold, it was surely them.”

Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, a Tabi‘i (one of those who conversed with the companions of the Prophet) was a great and intelligent statesman. It was his governor, Hajjaj ibn Yousuf Thaqafi, who invaded Mecca and killed Abdullah ibn Zubair, the rival of Abdul Malik ibn Marwan.

It is evident from this that even the cruelest of rulers of that time were not totally bereft of the fear of God, and that their feelings were given expression on some occasion or the other. On the contrary, the religious people of today are devoid of all such fear for the Lord. Their prayers fail to soften their hearts, and their recital of the name of God does not move them. Their faith does not generate any such sense of accountability in them as would make them feel that they were standing before God, conscious of His presence. Because their words are empty their prayers do not lead them to the discovery of God.

The following verse of the Quran applies to the people of today “Yet after that your hearts became as hard as rock or even harder, for from some rocks rivers take their course: some break asunder and water gushes from them; and other tumble down through fear of God. God is not unaware of what you do.

(The Quran 2:74)