I totally agree with your views about the Syedna. Yes the Bohra beliefs are messed up.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
The first para in
your answer about, Ramdam, itself makes me wonder what are you talking about. I
am talking about the para 'Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1967 Narrated by Abdullah ibn
Umar'
This amounts to
saying that one fasts because of the maidens who will be available to you. Mr.
Burhan, logically the prophet wanted people to fast because he wanted the rich
to understand the pangs of hunger. Did you know that even the Arabs had a
lunar cum solar calendar where the there was an extra month every 3 mths.
to adjust so the season cycle remained more or less according to the
month. The Prophet removed the extra month because he wanted the rich feel the
pangs of hunger and thirst at all the seasons.
I totally agree
with your views about the Syedna. Yes the Bohra beliefs are messed up.
But at the same
time I think your views about Ramadan and Iddah are primitive and lack logic.
To a believer in
God all days are sacred, there cannot be just a 'holy month', it is
obviously a hark back on archaic beliefs.
Islam was not
meant to be a religion of rituals there is a lot of logic in the tenets but
unfortunately even a learned person like you has fallen to the pitfalls of
common notions. Self degradation like fasting, flogging oneself and
sitting in Iddat does not get one anything, the good Lord is not a pervert who
enjoys his believers being miserable, in pain and hungry.
Life is meant to
be enjoyed without causing any harm to any one. Religion is not just rituals,
it is belief in God by being good person.
I do not become a
good person by reciting prayers in a language I do not understand, it just
amounts to muttering nonsense. I do not become a good person starving myself
and indulging in obscene feast later on. I do not become a good person by
letting our women observe the horrendous custom of Iddat. I do not become a
good person by growing a beard and wearing a cap.
More over why the
preamble before answering any question, it is very boring. just answer all the
questions without resorting to praise of God and the Prophet, I think they
understand. God is not conceited, even ordinary persons get fed up when people
keep praising them, as far as God is concerned he is all knowing and forgiving
so I do not think he has any hassle.
Bye
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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confidentiality.)
Answer:
Bohra views on
rituals
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Dear and beloved brother in Islam, we sincerely apologize
if due to our short-coming in knowledge there arose any misunderstanding in any
aspect of the perfect deen of Islam, and sincerely appreciate you giving us the
opportunity to clarify our statements.
Beloved brother, we sincerely seek your understanding and your
forgiveness for our severe and many shortcomings, and above all in all humility
and fear we seek the forgiveness of our Lord Most Merciful.
Your Statement:
Islam was not meant to be a religion of rituals there is a lot of logic in the
tenets but unfortunately even a learned person like you has fallen to the
pitfalls of common notions. Self degradation like fasting, flogging
oneself and sitting in Iddat does not get one anything, the good Lord is not a
pervert who enjoys his believers being miserable, in pain and hungry.
Dear and beloved brother in Islam, indeed the deen of
Islam is based on the Perfect and Absolute Knowledge and Wisdom of the Lord; and
without an iota of a doubt, every single command in Islam is abound with wisdom
and logic. Although there are not many
rituals in Islam, the Lord All Wise has Commanded, Guided, and Appointed the
forms of structured worship which are acceptable to Him like prayers, regular
charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage of Hajj.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah
Hajj verses 66-71:
66 It is He (Allah) Who gave you life, will cause you to die, and will
again give you life: truly man is a most ungrateful creature!
67 To every People have we appointed rites and ceremonies (in religion)
which they must follow let them not then dispute with
thee on the matter, but do thou invite (them) to thy Lord: for thou art
assuredly on the Right Way.
68 If they do wrangle with thee say
"Allah knows best what it is ye are doing."
69 Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgment concerning the
matters in which ye differ."
70 Knowest thou not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on
earth? Indeed it is all in a record and that is easy for Allah.
71 Yet they worship besides Allah things for which no authority has
been sent down to them and of which they have (really) no knowledge: for those
that do wrong there is no helper.
Beloved brother, the Lord is Self-Sufficient and
Inherently Self-Praiseworthy, and it is not He that needs or requires praise or
worship; but Allah is our witness, it is we, His humble, fearing, and repentant
creation who need to worship Him, praise Him, extol Him, and turn back to Him
in gratitude for all His favors and seeking forgiveness for our innumerable
sins and short-comings.
If all the human beings and the jinns would combine and
each and every one of them would live their whole lives praising and
worshipping their Lord Creator, Allah is our witness brother, it would not
raise the Rank of the Lord Most Supreme in the least! And if every human being and every jinn in
creation would (Allah forbid) become disobedient deniers and bring themselves
to forget their Lord, Allah is our witness brother, it would not reduce the
Rank and Status of the Lord Most High in the least! For Allah Subhanah is Self-Sufficient and Self
Praise-Worthy and does not stand in need of anyone or anything in His creation!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 35 Surah
Fatir verses 15-18:
15 O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One
Free of all wants, Worthy of all Praise.
16 If He so Pleased, He could blot you out
and bring in a new creation:
17 Nor is that (at all) difficult for Allah.
18 Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burden. If one heavily laden should call another to
(bear) his load not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other) even
though he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord
unseen, and establish regular Prayer, and whosoever purifies himself does
so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to
Allah.
Hadith Qudsi 17
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said that the
Lord Most Glorified Says: ‘…..O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so
as to harm Me, and will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the
last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most
pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My Kingdom in
anything. O My servants, were the first
of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as
wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease
My Kingdom in anything. O My servants,
were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you
to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone
what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle
decreases the sea if put into it! O My
servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you
for, so let him who finds good praise Me, and let him who finds other that
blame no one but himself.’
Your Statement: To
a believer in God all days are sacred, there cannot be just a 'holy
month', it is obviously a hark back on archaic beliefs.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 185:
185 Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent
down the Qur'an as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and
judgment (between right and wrong). So
everyone of you who is witness to that month should spend it in fasting;
but if anyone is ill or on a journey the prescribed period (should be made up)
by days later. Allah intends every
facility for you He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed
period and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be
grateful.
Beloved brother in Islam, indeed every single day the Lord
Most Gracious has bestowed upon man is sacred; but in His Infinite and Unending
Mercy towards His believing slaves, the Lord Most High has Himself nominated and
appointed one month of the year as a special and holy month, and it is none
other than the Lord Creator Who has Commanded and made the fasting in this
month as an obligatory rite of worship unto Him.
If in the sight of some people, the appointment of this
‘holy month’ by the Lord seems to them a ‘hark back to archaic beliefs’, then
Allah is our witness, so be it. For the
believers, who believe with absolute conviction in every Command of their Lord
and His Messenger (saws), they would not leave the honor of worshipping their
Lord in the manner prescribed by Him even if they were given everything that
exists between the heavens and the earth!
Your Statement: Mr.
Burhan, logically the prophet wanted people to fast because he wanted the rich
to understand the pangs of hunger.
For the one who is fasting and knows with certainty that ample
food is around the corner after a couple of hours, his understanding of the
pangs of hunger of the desperately starving would be as much as one sitting in
solitude in a room understands the pain and agony of an innocent person jailed
in solitary confinement for the rest of his life; or as much as one who has
forgotten his wallet at home with millions in the bank would understand the
utter helplessness of one who is a desperate penniless pauper; or as much as one
who roams the streets understands or feels the nakedness and vulnerability of
one being homeless!!!
The logic and wisdom behind the obligatory worship of
fasting is prescribed by none other than the All-Knowing, All-Wise Lord Himself
in His Glorious Book of Guidance:
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 183:
183 O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed
to those before you so that ye may (attain) ‘taqwa’ (Allah-consciousness,
piety, righteousness, )
The wisdom behind fasting was never meant to feel the or
understand the pangs of hunger; but rather the All-Knowing Lord Himself
Declares that this process and training-program of ‘fasting’ would perchance
develop ‘taqwa’ in those who sincerely observed it.
Just as the one who is fasting fears the Lord in the
unseen, and abstains himself, without the need for any police or guard to watch
him, from what he desires and is inherently lawful at other times (food, drink,
wife, etc.) only because His Lord has Commanded him to abstain from it….it is
expected that the same person at other times would fear their Lord and abstain
from what the Lord has declared forbidden to him (wine, gambling, illegal
women, etc.).
The one who is observing the worship of fasts could easily
eat and drink without anyone else witnessing his violation, but he abstain from
doing so knowing with absolute conviction that his Lord is Watching him, and
that His Lord is fully aware of each and every action of everyone in
creation. Similarly at other times,
whenever he falls into temptation and approaches what has been forbidden by the
Lord (wine, gambling, etc.), the slave should know that the same Lord who was
watching Him when he was fasting is the same Lord who is watching him approach
the forbidden….it is to develop this ‘taqwa’ or Allah-consciousness, or piety,
or fear of the Lord in the unseen which is the main objective of the obligatory
rite of fasting.
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (saws)
said: ‘Allah does not need the fast of one who does not abandon false speech or
evil deeds. (during the times of fasting and otherwise).’
Related by Bukhari.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (saws)
said: "Perhaps a fasting person will get nothing from his fast save
hunger.”
Thus brother, the logic or wisdom behind the ‘training
process’ of observing the fasts is so that perhaps one may be able to develop
‘taqwa’ or Allah-consciousness, piety and self-restraint.
Your Statement:
Life is meant to be enjoyed without causing any harm to any one.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah
Ankaboot verse 64:
And the life of this world is nothing but a
sport and a pastime. The home of real
life is indeed the Hereafter. Would that
these people knew (what awaits them)!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anam verse 32:
This worldly life is but a sport and a
pastime. In fact, the abode of the
Hereafter is better for those who desire to be safe from harm. Will you not, then, use your common sense?
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verse 83:
Well, let
them remain absorbed in their falsehoods and sports, till they see that Day of theirs with which
they are being threatened.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 50-51:
(On the Day of Judgement) The inmates of Hell
will cry out to the people of
Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah
Al Mulk verse 2:
He (Allah) created death and life that He
may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.
Beloved brother in Islam, this
short and transitory life is but a test the Lord Creator has ordained for
mankind, and it is He who puts them through good and evil conditions, to see
and determine how His created human beings, to whom He has bestowed
intelligence and a free will, says and does.
And what the individual says and does in this life will determine
whether he passes the ‘test’ of life and thus earn the Mercy and Grace of the
Lord or fails it and deserves the Wrath and Anger of The Lord Most High.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah
Naziaat verses 34-41:
34 Therefore when there
comes the great Overwhelming (Event, The Day of Judgment)
35 The Day when man shall remember (all) that he strove for
36 And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see
37 Then for such as had transgressed all bounds
38 And had preferred the life of this world
39 Their Abode will be Hell-Fire;
40 And for such as had
entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (Tribunal) and had
restrained (their) soul from lower desires
41 Their abode will be the Garden.
Thus my beloved brother in
Islam, this life is not a place to enjoy or amuse oneself, but it is a place to
do deeds which will earn one their desired results in the eternal and
everlasting life of the Hereafter…..The one who prefers the joy of this world
and indulges and wastes his time and energy in seeking joy in the passing
luxuries of this life does so at the expense of the Hereafter! But the one who prefers the ‘joys’ of the
Hereafter in preference to the ‘joys’ of this transitory world, practices self-restraint,
and fears the standing in the Lord’s Tribunal to give a full accounting of
their life….he will be rewarded with a life of eternal and everlasting
‘enjoyment’!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 36 Surah Ya
Seen verses 55-58:
Verily the People of the Gardens shall that Day
enjoy in everything that they do; they
and their wives will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on Thrones (of dignity). They shall have all kinds of tasteful fruits,
and they shall have there, whatever they
may desire. They will have been greeted
with ‘Peace’, a Word (of salutation) from a Lord, Most Merciful.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 78 Surah
Nabaa verses 31-37:
31 Verily for the righteous there (in
32 Gardens enclosed and Grape-vines;
33 Companions of Equal Age;
34 And a Cup full (to the Brim).
35 No Vanity shall they hear therein nor
Untruth
36 Recompense from thy Lord a Gift (amply)
sufficient
37 (From) the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all between
(Allah), The Most Gracious:
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 15-16:
Ask them, “Is this (the Fire) better, or the
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
An-Nisa verse 122:
The promise of Allah is Absolutely True, and who
can be truer in his word than Allah?
Your Statements: Religion
is not just rituals, it is belief in God by being good person.
I do not become a
good person by reciting prayers in a language I do not understand, it just
amounts to muttering nonsense. I do not become a good person starving myself
and indulging in obscene feast later on. I do not become a good person by
letting our women observe the horrendous custom of Iddat. I do not become a
good person by growing a beard and wearing a cap.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah
Ale-Imran verses 14-17:
14 Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and
sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and
excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's
life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to).
15 Say: ‘Shall I give you glad tidings of things far better than
those?’ For the righteous are gardens in nearness to their Lord with rivers
flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home; with companions pure (and holy)
and the good pleasure of Allah. For in
Allah's sight are (all) His servants.
16 (Namely) those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed:
Forgive us then our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire."
17 Those who show patience, firmness, and self-control; who are true
(in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the Cause of Allah);
and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.
My dear and beloved brother in Islam, to fulfill the
ordainment of the test, the Lord All-Wise has inherently bestowed in the nature
of human beings superb temptations like the lust for sex, the lust for wealth,
the lust for temporary enjoyments in possessions, and luxuries, and vehicles,
etc…….
If man is left to himself, it is only natural that the
pull and desire to fulfill his lust and temptations will defog his ability to
distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, justice and injustice….and
in this given situation the strong will oppress the weak, the rich will oppress
the poor, and the mighty will suppress the
meek!
Thus every society or community who wishes to stop this
tyranny and oppression, and to bring about some sanity and justice in their
community make laws which are supposed to protect the rights of all their
citizens. Any in society who is
oppressed or tyrannized by another without right will be protected by the law.
But the lust, greed, and temptation of man is such that as
soon as the police is not looking, or one has the power to circumvent or get
around the law, or one has no fear of getting caught or brought to justice….the
evil amongst them will re-start the cycle of oppression and tyranny at the
first given instance.
The one and only thing that can prevent man from abusing
the rights of any fellow man in this world is the ardent belief that every
single word or deed one says is recorded; a Day is appointed when everything
will end; a Day when every single being will be gathered in one place; where
the Judge is no other than the All-Knowing, All-Mighty Creator; and every good
one did will be recompensed; and every evil one deed will be duely revenged!
Beloved brother, it is only this fear of standing in this
Majestic Lord’s Supreme Tribunal to give a full and complete accounting of
one’s deeds that has the power to sustain and restrain man from his lower
desires; and the absolute best way, or method, or ‘training program’ whereby
man can develop this constant fear of standing in the Lord’s tribunal is
Revealed and Presented by the Lord as the ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam.
Your Statement: I
do not become a good person by reciting prayers in a language I do not
understand, it just amounts to muttering nonsense.
Leaving and dropping every temptation the world has to
offer, and to assemble five times a day, every day, at its exact appointed time
in the audience and worship and remembrance of the Lord in whose Tribunal one
has to stand on that Inevitable Day…will remind man five times a day, every
day, to fear that Supreme Tribunal!
And one who constantly and sincerely fears that standing
in the Lord’s Tribunal to give a full accounting of his every word and
deed….will never say or do anything which will harm himself, or someone
else….but will be the foremost in doing the good.
Your Statement: I
do not become a good person starving myself and indulging in obscene feast later
on.
Just as the one who is fasting fears the Lord in the
unseen, and abstains himself, without the need for any police or guard to watch
him, from what he desires and is inherently lawful at other times only because
His Lord has Commanded him to abstain from it….it is expected that the same
person at other times would fear their Lord and abstain from what the Lord has
declared forbidden to him.
The one who is observing the worship of fasts could easily
eat and drink without anyone else witnessing his violation, but he abstain from
doing so knowing with absolute conviction that his Lord is Watching him, and
that His Lord is fully aware of each and every action of everyone in
creation. Similarly at other times, whenever
he falls into temptation and approaches what has been forbidden by the Lord,
the slave should know that the same Lord who was watching Him when he was
fasting is the same Lord who is watching him approach the forbidden….
This supreme ‘training program’ of fasting will help
develop the required ‘taqwa’ or fear of the Lord and His Tribunal, and it is
this fear of the Lord alone that has the power to make man abstain from temptations
and evil and inspire him to do good.
Your Statements:
More over why the preamble before answering any question, it is very boring.
just answer all the questions without resorting to praise of God and the
Prophet, I think they understand. God is not conceited, even ordinary persons
get fed up when people keep praising them, as far as God is concerned he is all
knowing and forgiving so I do not think he has any hassle.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 20 Surah
Ta-Ha verse 130:
130 Therefore be patient with what they (the disbelievers, hypocrites,
etc.) say and celebrate (constantly) the Praises of thy Lord before the rising
of the sun and before its setting; yea! Celebrate them for part of the hours of
the night and at the sides of the day: that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 41:
Then celebrate the Praises
of thy Lord again and again and Glorify Him in the evening and in the
morning."
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah
Ahzaab verses 41-44:
41 O ye who believe! Celebrate the Praises
of Allah and do this often;
42 And Glorify Him morning and evening.
43 He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His Angels that He may
bring you out from the depths of darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy
to the believers.
44 Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be
"peace!": and He has prepared for them a generous Reward.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 32 Surah
Sajdah verse 15:
15 Only those believe in Our Revelations, who when they are recited to
them fall down in adoration, and celebrate the Praises of their Lord; nor are
they (ever) puffed up with pride.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah
Yunus verses 3-4:
3 Verily your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in
six days and is firmly established on the Throne (of Authority) regulating and
governing all things. No intercessor
(can plead with Him) except after His leave (hath been obtained). This is Allah your Lord; Him therefore serve
ye: will ye not celebrate His Praises?
4 To Him will be your return of all of you. The promise of Allah is true and sure. It is He Who begins the process of creation
and repeats it; that He may reward with justice those who believe and work
righteousness, but those who reject Him will have nothing but draughts of
boiling fluids and a penalty most grievous: because they did reject Him.
Beloved brother, we do hope that we have addressed the
concerns which you have raised and provided the evidence for each of the
concerns in light of the guidance of the Glorious Quran and the Sunnah.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister