Spirit of Islam · ASK MAULANA

ASK MAULANA

Spirit of Islam, September 2018, p. 45

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.

Unfortunately, people have a very limited understanding of this Islamic teaching. And, it must be understood that no teaching of Islam has a limited purview. For example, suppose a person desired to be part of the Al-Quran Mission. That is, he wished to spend his lifetime in God’s mission, however, he passed away before being able to devote himself to God’s cause. Then the fulfilment of the deceased person’s intention now devolves upon his heirs. This case made me realize that instead of the common practice of performing Quran recitation (Quran khwani) after the death of a person, the task one should engage in is Quran distribution. This would be no ordinary matter, because not only those who distribute the Quran, but also the departed soul, would become eligible for God’s high reward. Doing so would amount to fulfilling the intention of the deceased to become part of the divine mission. What can we learn from the Prophet Muhammad’s last Hajj (Hajjat al-Wida)? The focus of the Prophet’s Last Sermon (Khutbah al-Hajjat al-Wida) was to instill in his Companions the spirit to undertake planning for dawah work. Human beings need guidance to make their lives successful in this world and the Hereafter. Prophets and messengers were sent by God for the purpose of guiding people on the path of spirituality and wisdom. The Prophet’s Last Sermon marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one; The culture of fighting and bloodshed, which was prevalent in the tribal age, was to be completely abandoned. Now, a new era was to begin in which believers were to strive to impart the message of God to people. During his final Hajj, the Prophet while addressing his Companions said: “O People! No prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. All those who are listening to me should pass on my words to those who are not present.” (Ibn Hisham) Therefore, those who return from performance of Hajj must be imbued with the spirit to act on this prophetic advice and should henceforth make it their goal to devote their lives to God’s cause so that they can fulfil the prophetic mission of having the word of God reach every home on the planet. The problem of stampede during Hajj is often reported in the media. What is the solution? Several pilgrims at Makkah have died in stampedes. These incidents tell us of our lack of planning. The reason for these kinds of stampedes

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