Rivalry for Worldly Gain

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Issue 36
W W W. M O S Q U E F O U N D AT I O N . O R G
May 2015 – Rajab – Sha’ban 1436 Issue 92
Rivalry for
Worldly Gain
By Sh Jamal Said
Sh. Ahmed Arafat
Brothers and Sisters,
My message to you this month is a discussion of two verses from
Quran that you all have memorized as young children partly due to its majestic rhythm. These verses, however short, carry deep meaning and possess
the power to impact the lives of even the most lost souls.
Allah (SWT) states in the first verse of Surat At-Takathur,
Any translation of the verse does not do justice
to the original text but it can be roughly translated to,
“The want of plenty distracted you.” In the Arabic text, it
is comprised of simply two words, one meaning distraction and the other abundance. Allah (SWT) employs the
word “lahu” in the Quran in many instances to refer to
entertainment or pre-occupation in a matter which is less
deserving of attention, especially, when more pressing issues are looming ahead in the journey of life: death, the
life of the grave, the Day of Judgment, the next life.
This verse calls upon us to reflect deeply on
which drives us to act. Our eyelids are lifted as we ask
ourselves what is it that distracts us most. What is something you engross yourself in that completely captures
your attention and focus to the point that you cannot for a
moment distance yourself from it?
Allah (SWT) identifies the cause of this distraction as “takathur”, or a want of plenty. This essentially
refers to an untamed desire to have more of that which
we do not have. This desire for more leads to a struggle,
an exhaustive effort to try to get more of that which we
do not have or might have some amount of. Let us take
a moment to consider this. Are we pre-occupied with a
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MF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. Hussein Ata
2. Oussama Jammal
3. Jamal Said
4. Habes Abdallah
5. Abdallah M Shuaibi
6. Kalid Baste
7. Fahim Aref
8. Jehad Materiyeh
9. Ahmed Kamni
10. Aisheh Said
11. Saleh Abdelrahman
12. Banan Said
13. Marwan Elsafadi
14. Jafar Ahmad
15. Safaa Zarzour
16. Mohamed Aduib
17. Montaha Salem
18. Muin Abu Sharara
19. Ziad Zatar
20. Karen Danielson
EDITORIAL BOARD
Hussein Ata
Sh. Jamal Said
Sh. Ahmed Arafat
Tareq Abu-Ammer
Aisheh Said
Mohamed Chehade
Banan Said
Abdel Baset Hamayel
M ay 2 0 1 5 Vol. 06, Issue 92
Copyright © 2015 by The Mosque
Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction without permission is
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May 2015 – Rajab – Sha’ban 1436
Rivarly for Worldly Gain
struggle to possess a worldly matter which we do not have? Money, a house, a
car, a spouse, a child? Does that want and struggle define our thoughts and actions? If we are bestowed with that worldly matter which we had sought after,
are we then satisfied, or does that struggle continue? And does that struggle
transform into an urge to show others what Allah (SWT) has provided us with
without any power from us? At some point it causes a person to fail to fulfill
their duties towards Allah, their selves, family, and Ummah.
The next verse Allah (SWT) states,
Allah (SWT) here says that the person engrossed by this senseless preoccupation continues in their struggle until they have visited gravesites. The
person is blinded in chasing the life of this world until they are placed in their
graves without any warning or choice. Allah (SWT) uses the word visit here
rather than enter because even the grave is temporary. Ali (R) was reported to
have said, “People are asleep, until they die, then they are awake.” Death is the
time they realize that their chase was pointless and what they have accumulated served as a heavy burden for which they will ultimately have to answer for.
These two verses remind us that the quality that distinguishes the believer from the disbeliever is elevating oneself above greed for worldly gains
and striving instead for the everlasting reward of Allah (SWT). This type of
striving allows for spiritual development and constant purification. The believer struggles in performing good deeds without receiving immediate rewards.
This struggle consumes their thoughts and actions and offers them the strength
and fortitude to face evil in all of its forms, whether it is the oppression that
surrounds them or the oppression of their desires. The heart of the believer is
awakened in hearing these verses and it is burdened by the triviality of what
has occupied it. But it knows that its Creator (SWT) has promised infinite
mercy and forgiveness to those who seek it.
May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are pre-occupied with
pleasing Him. May He (SWT) make our hearts filled and satisfied with loving
Him above the love of anything of this life. May He (SWT) make us among
those who know their purpose in this life and receive His ultimate reward in
the next.
May 2015 – Rajab – Sha’ban 1436
NURTURING GRATITUDE
The Mosque Foundation Community Center is a place where Muslim youth interact with each other in a diverse range of
activities that promote both spiritual and physical development. The Center’s staff work tirelessly to provide different opportunities
for character development. One of the values the Center encourages is gratitude. Members are reminded to be grateful for what Allah (SWT) has provided them with including guidance and basic provisions of food, water, and shelter. In learning about the plight
of other Muslims, members gain an appreciation for the different things they take for granted. Gratitude also teaches the believer to
encounter hardships with fortitude and patience. Considering the different blessings Allah has granted us during times of hardship
allows us to overcome feelings of despair. May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are grateful for His infinite blessings and
among those who taste ease after every hardship they encounter.
Eanara Ghouleh
MFCC Counselor
Register at: MFCC.
7260 west 93rd st. Bridgeview, IL
everyday M-St. 4-9pm, or email us at:
[email protected]
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EVENTS OF THE MONTH
Mosque Foundation Hosts DHS Community
Engagement Roundtable
On April 9, 2015
the Mosque Foundation
hosted the Department of
Homeland Security Quarterly Community Engagement Roundtable. The
DHS Office of Civil Rights
and Civil Liberties (CRCL)
organized the roundtable
to address concerns and
challenges facing minority communities. Over 65
government officials from
several agencies such as
CRCL, FBI, TSA, and
FEMA attended the event
as well as leaders from the
Muslim community. The
topic for this particular
roundtable focused on violent extremist recruitment
tactics and explored different ways to collectively
and holistically address the
threat before it becomes
more challenging.
Community Town Hall Meeting: Security Concerns
To address a recent rise in Islamophobic
rhetoric and hate crimes, the Mosque Foundation
held a town hall meeting on March 29, 2015. The
Mosque invited Mr. Michael Masters, the Director of Cook County DHS- Emergency Management to answer community concerns about
safety including identifying real threats, natural
disasters, and other emergency situations. Over
150 community members attended the presentation and ensuing discussion.
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May 2015 – Rajab – Sha’ban 1436
May 2015 – Rajab – Sha’ban 1436
EL “GRANDIOSO” VERSO DEL
CORAN EL VERSO DE EL TRONO
El “Grandioso” verso del Corán, El Verso De El Trono
¡Allah! No existe nada ni nadie con derecho a ser adorado excepto El,
Viviente, se basta a Sí mismo y se ocupa de toda la creación. No Le
toma somnolencia ni sueno. Suyo es cuanto hay en los cielos y la tierra.
¿Quién podrá interceder ante El sino con Su anuencia? Conoce el pasado
y el futuro; y nadie abarca de Su conocimiento salvo lo que El quiere. Su
Trono se extiende en los cielos y en la tierra, y la custodia de ambos no
Le agobia. Y El es Sublime, Grandioso. (Sura 2:255)
Hay muchas hadices que hablan de la grandeza de este verso del Corán.
Ibn Mas’ud relata del profeta (saws) decir, “El verso más grandioso en
el Corán es El Verso De El Trono”. Ubay ibn Ka’b relata que el profeta
(saws) una vez le pregunto, ¿Cuál es el verso del Corán más grandioso?
Ubay dijo, “Allah y Su Mensajero sabe mejor.”El profeta (saws) repitió la pregunta, hasta que Ubay contesto, “El Verso De El Trono”. El
profeta (saws) estuvo muy satisfecho con la contestación de Ubay, así
afirmando la grandeza del verso. El profeta (saws) dijo, “Hay un verso en
la Sura De la Vaca cual es el maestro del Corán. Satanás huye del hogar
cual el verso es recitado. Además, El profeta (saws) dijo que equivale a
un cuarto del Corán.
Imán Qurtubi dice en su tafsir que los eruditos dicen que cuando este
verso fue revelado cada ángel se inclino en postración y cada demonio
huyo. Muchos eruditos han comentado en la magnificencia de este verso
pues en todo el verso se revela los Atributos de Allah (Swat). El es Uno
sin par; Él es El Viviente, sin principio o fin; El no requiere de nadie para vivir; El nunca duerme o se cansa en cualquier grado; todo en
los cielos y la tierra le pertenece a Él ; nadie puede interceder ante Él en nombre de otra persona si no es con Su permiso ; Él es todo ; nada
de Su conocimiento puede ser conocido a nadie, excepto como El quiere ; Su “ trono “ o “ asiento de la divinidad “ abarca los cielos y la
tierra, y el mantenimiento de toda la existencia no Le cansa en lo más mínimo.
Tiempos para recitar El verso De El Trono
1.
Después de cada oración: Ali ibn Abi Tâlib dijo, “escuche a el profeta (saws) decir mientras estaba en el mimbar, “Quien recite
El Verso De El Trono después de cada oración obligatoria, nada impedirá que entre en el Paraíso excepto (lo que queda de su
vida antes de la muerte).
2.
Antes de dormir: El profeta (saws) dijo que aquel que recite el Verso De El Trono antes de dormir, Allah (Swat) lo protegerá, y
también a su vecino y a toda la vecindad.
3.
En la mañana y la noche: Es recomendable recitar el Verso De El Trono para ser protegido todo el tiempo.
4.
En momentos de miedo: Es recomendable recitar el Verso De El Trono cuando uno tiene miedo, especialmente si uno siente la
presencia de demonios o mal.
¡Que Allah (Swat) nos ayude a memorizar y poner en práctica tan grandioso verso!
(Traducido del folleto Sakina)
Su hermana en Islam,
Celia Snowber
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