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In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

Man's Striving

"Man can have nothing but what he strives for. The fruit of his striving will soon come into sight. The he will be rewarded with a full recompense."

The above verse boost the morale of not only Muslims but of all mankind, provided they have a clear view of life and champion a sound cause. For all committed people the above passage carries an inspiring message. It is especially relevant for institutions engaged in training younger generations, for it contains an elaborate moral code and set of guidelines for the young.

Allah has promised man that he will obtain success in his striving. It is emphasized in the Quran that man's efforts will bear fruit. As to the time-scale of gathering the fruit of one's striving, the Quran hints that this may take a very long time. Man is thus told not to despair if he does not gain immediate results. Man is to be credited for much in the world - the vast empires, the rise of various civilizations, the spread and advancement of knowledge, and intellectuals appearing on the public scene. All these are manifestations of man's striving.

Compiled From:
"Guidance from the Holy Quran" - Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, pp. 229, 230

The Essential Unity

Women are secondary beings in the minds of many, including those self-appointed defenders of women's rights as well as many self-proclaimed Muslim men. For us, a woman is part of a whole, a part that renders the other half useful. We believe that when the two halves come together, the true unity of a human being appears. When this unity does not exist, humanity does not exist - nor can Prophethood, sainthood, or even Islam.

Our master encouraged us through his enlightening words to behave kindly to women. He declared: "The most perfect believers are the best in character, and the best of you are the kindest to their families." [Abu Dawud] It is clear that women have received the true honour and respect they deserve, not just in theory but in actual practice, only once in history - during the period of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Compiled From:
"The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, p. 162


Fantasizing

It is a disease of the heart when one is engaged in matters that are of no concern to him. For example, reflecting on things that are prohibited, such as lustful fantasizing about the beauty of a person one is not married to. In essence, what is forbidden to do is likewise forbidden as an object of reflection. Included in this is thinking about the weaknesses or faults of others, whether they are present or not. Spending time thinking or talking about other people's faults is foolish. Times is short and is better invested in recognizing one's own shortcomings and then working consistently to eradicate them.

It is also prohibited according to scholars, to reflect on the nature of God's essence. This does not mean that one should not reflect on His attributes revealed in the Quran. Rather, trying to conceive of the very essence of God is so beyond our capability, our conclusions will always be wrong. Being wrong about something like this is not inconsequential. Many religious communities before Islam and after indulged in this activity and have come up with terribly erroneous theologies regarding God. For this reason, we are told to stay away from that kind of internal or external dialogue and reflect instead on what God has revealed about Himself and His awesome majesty, knowledge, and power. Let that kind of reflection deepen our love of Him and our desire to follow His commandments and thus prepare for the Hereafter, a momentous time when the veils will be removed from our eyes and when our understanding of God will reach beyond what is possible in this world.

Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 51-52

Istihsan

With regard to the Shariah law of inheritance, the conventional argument given in support of the larger share that men get in inheritance compared to women, namely that men are responsible for providing women with maintenance both before and after marriage, as well as some remedial financial provisions that help divorced women, still holds good for the vast majority of women in areas and countries where employment and education opportunities are severely limited for women. The picture is also not always a negative one as Muslim men, in many countries and cultures, tend to be on the whole protective of women in the family. We may nevertheless, draw attention to two points on the subject of inheritance:

Bequests (a gift of personal property by will) can be used to adjust some instances of unequal distribution of shares under the Quranic laws of inheritance. The testator (a person who makes a will ) enjoys some flexibility with regards to making a bequest and how he or she may choose to use it. Under the Sunni law of succession, the testator is entitled to make a bequest of up to one third of his or her estate in favour of an outsider, or even a legal heir as under the Shia law. Sunni law also permits making a bequest to a legal heir, who may be suffering disability and need, with the consent of the other surviving heirs, which Shia law allows even without such consent, provided it does not exceed the limit of one third.

Some instances of obvious imbalance in the distribution of inheritance can also be addressed by recourse to the principle of istihsan (juristic preference), especially in cases where strict enforcement of the existing law leads to unfair results in the distribution of family wealth. In such situations istihsan authorizes the judge and the jurist to find an alternative and a preferable solution to the case before them which would realize considerations of equity and fairness. Muslim jurists and judges have not made an effective use of the resources of istihsan. In the renowned case of al-mushtarakah (the apportioned) which was decided by caliph Umar bin al-Khattab, a woman was survived by her husband, mother, two germane (full brothers) and two uterine brothers (half brothers having the same mother but a different father.). The Quranic rules of inheritance were strictly applied but the result was such that the two maternal brothers received one-third of the estate and the two full brothers were totally excluded. This is because the former are Quranic sharers (dhawul-furud) whereas the latter belong to the category of residuaries (asabah). The former must take their shares first and what is left is then distributed among the residuaries. The full brothers complained to the caliph and forcefully pleaded with him about the justice of their case. According to reports, the full brothers addressed the caliph in the following terms: suppose our father was a donkey (which is why the case is also known as al-himariyyah), we still shared the same mother with our maternal brothers. The caliph was hesitant to act in the face of the clear Quranic mandate, yet he decided on equitable grounds, after a month of consultation with the leading Companions, that all the brothers should share equally in the one-third.

Unfair results of a similar type can occasionally arise, sometimes due to technical reasons, which could be addressed by recourse to istihsan, and the judges should not hesitate to do so when istihsan can be invoked to serve the ideals of equitable distribution. To give an example, suppose that a deceased person is survived by a son and a daughter. During the lifetime of his father the son had bad relations with him and did not bother to seek his forgiveness even during the months of his last illness, while the daughter took the responsibility and spent much of her hard-earned income on her father's medical bills before he died. When this happened, however, the son was quick to claim double the share of his sister in inheritance. This would be the kind of case where istihsan can be invoked to remedy the unfair outcome that is anticipated from a strict conformity to the normal rules of inheritance. This is the basic rationale of the doctrine of istihsan, to remedy unfair results which may arise from a strict application of the existing rules of Shariah. Istihsan does not seek to introduce new law. It is rather designed so as to address case by case situations where strict implementation of the existing law may lead to unfair results. We need lawmakers, judges and jurists of great professional fortitude to make laws and adjudicate cases that break away with the prevailing mindset of taqlid (blind following).

Compiled From:
"Shariah Law - An Introduction" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp. 273-275

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Duaa at end of gathering

‘How perfect You are O Allah, and I praise You. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.’

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