CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

It's a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to
God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allah. Allah is the
personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no
plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word god which
can be made plural, gods or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the
personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God.
To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is
similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)
was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from God
Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence of
the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads:

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Say (O Mohammad) He is God
the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and
equal to Him is not anyone."

Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who demands to
be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be farther from truth than this
allegation. It's enough to know that, with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters
of the Quran begins with the verse: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate." In one of the sayings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) we are told that
"God is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child."
But God is also Just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment
and the virtues, His bounties and favors. Actually God's attribute of Mercy has full
manifestation in His attribute of Justice. People suffering throughout their lives for His
sake and people oppressing and exploiting other people all their life should not receive
similar treatment from their Lord. Expecting similar treatment for them will amount to
negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby
negating all the incentives for a moral and virtues life in this world. The following
Quraniac verses are very clear and straight forward in this respect.

"Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We
then treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin ? What is the matter with you ? How
judge ye ?" (68:34-36)

Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favoring
certain individual or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created the
human-beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favor through
virtue and piety only.

The concept that God rested in the seventh day of creation, that God rested with one of
His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, or that God is incarnate in
any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.

The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam's emphasis
on the purity of the belief in God which is the essence of the message of all God's
messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with
God as a deadly sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all
other sins. The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if
he is of the same nature as they are, he will be temporal and will therefore need a maker.
It follows that nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal, then he must be eternal.
But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused, and if nothing caused to come into existence,
nothing outside him causes him to continue to exist, which means that he must be self-
sufficient. And if he does not depend on anything for the continuous of his own
existence, then this existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore eternal and
everlasting:

"He is the First and the Last"

He is Self-sufficient or Self-subsistent or, to use a Quranic term, Al-Qayyum. The

Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, He also
preserves them and takes them out of existence and is the ultimate cause of whatever
happens to them.

"God is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. Unto Him belong
the keys of the heavens and the earth."(39:62,63)
"No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provision rests on God. He knows its
lodgingplace and its repository." (11:6)

God's Attributes

If the Creator is Eternal and Everlasting, then His attributes must also be eternal and
everlasting. He should not lose any of His attributes nor acquire new ones. If this is so,
than His attributes are absolute. Can there be more than one creator with such absolute
attributes ? Can there be for example, two absolutely powerful Creators ? A moment's
thought shows that this is not feasible.

The Quran summarizes this argument in the following verses:

"God has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any god with Him: For then each
god would have taken of that which he created and some of them would have risen up
over others." (23:91) And Why, where there gods in earth and heaven other than God,
they (heaven and earth) would surely go to ruin. (21:22)

The Oneness of God

The Quran reminds of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made
objects it asks:

"Do you worship what you have carved yourself."(37:95)

"or have you taken unto you others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have
no power either for good or for harm to themselves ?"(13:16)

To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it cites the story of Abraham:

"When night out spread over him he saw a star and said 'This is my Lord.' But when it
set he said, 'I love not the setters.' When he saw moon rising he said, 'This is my Lord.'
But when it set he said: 'If my Lord does not guide me I shall surely be of the people
gone astray.' When he saw the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater.' But
when it set he said, 'O my people, surely I quit that which you associate, I have turned
my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth; a man of pure faith, I am not
of the idolaters."(6:76-79)

The Believer's Attitude

In order to be a Muslim i.e., to surrender oneself to God, it's necessary to believe in the
oneness of God, in the sense of His being the only Creator, Preserver, Nourisher, etc..
But this belief - later on called Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah is not enough. Many of the
idolaters knew and believed that only the Supreme God could do all this. But that was
not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid ar-rububiyyah one must add tawhid
al'uluhiyyah i.e., one acknowledges the fact that it is God alone who deserves to be
worshipped, and thus abstains from worshipping any other thing or being.

Having achieved this knowledge of the one true God, man should constantly have faith
in Him, and should allow nothing to induce him to deny truth.

When faith enters a person's heart, it causes certain mental states which result in certain
actions. Taken together these mental states and actions are the proof for the true faith.
The Prophet said, "Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by
deeds".
Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of gratitude towards God, which
could be said to be the essence of 'ibada' (worship).

The feeling of gratitude is so important that a non-believer is called 'kafir', which means
'one who denies a truth' and also 'one who is ungrateful'.

A believer loves, and is grateful to God for the bounties He bestowed upon him, but
being aware of the fact that his good deeds, whether mental or physical, are far from
being commensurate with Divine favors, he is always anxious lest God should punish
him, here or in the Hereafter. He, therefore, fears Him, surrenders himself to Him and
serves Him with great humility. One cannot be in such a mental state without being
almost all the time mindful of God. Remembering God is thus the life force of faith,
without which it fades and withers away.

The Quran tries to promote this feeling of gratitude by repeating the attributes of God
very frequently. We find most of these attributes mentioned together in the following
verses of Quran:

"He is God; there is no god but He. He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He
is the All-merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God; there is no god but He. He is the
King, the All-holy, the All-peace, the Guardian of Faith, the All-preserver, the All-
mighty, the All-compeller, the All-sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate!
He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Most Beautiful
Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-mighty, the
All-wise." (59:22-24)

"There is no god but He, the Living the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither
sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall
intercede with Him save by His leave ? He knows what lays before them and what is
after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills.
His thrown comprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not;
He is the All-high, the All-glorious."(2:255)

"People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion; and say not as to God
but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His
Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His
Messengers, and say not, 'Three.' Refrain; better is it for you. God is only one God.
Glory be to Him - (He is) above having a son."(4:171)

Pillars of Faith
 God
Dr. Ja`far Sheikh Idris

Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sent to invite people to God and to teach them
how to perform the task for which they were created, namely to worship Him. Many of
the people whom he addressed had a hazy idea of God. Some did believe in Him,
though they associated other lesser gods with Him, but a few of them were downright
atheists, or materialists, whose creed was, 'we live and we die and nothing causes our
death except Time.' [Jathiya XLV: 24] Before inviting such atheists to God one must
first convince them that there is such being. "What reason do you have for believing that
there is a God?" This, logically, is the first question which a theistic view of life should
address itself to. The Qur'anic answer to it is given in the following words:

" . . were they created out of nothing? Or were they the creations (of themselves) or did
they create the heavens and earth."[Tur, Lll: 36]

The Qur'an is here saying that for everything like man that has a beginning in time,
there are only three ways of explaining how it came to be.

a.Either it is created, or made, or caused by nothing at all i.e. it came out of nothing.
b.Or it is the creator of itself. c.c. Or it has a creator, cause, or maker, outside itself.

The third possibility is not mentioned in the quoted verse but it is understood because
the verse is addressed to people who deny the existence of a creator and it is telling
them that if there is no creator then only two possibilities remain. But the Qur'an does
not go into the details of showing why the first two positions are untenable. Clarity of
expression often convinces people of the truth or untruth of a statement. Mental seeing
here, more than physical seeing, is believing (or rejecting). This is borne out in the case
of these Qur'anic words by a historical event. Jubayr Ibn Mut`im, until then, a non-
Muslim was sent by Quraysh on a mission to the Muslims at Madina. He says that when
he arrived he heard the Prophet, who was leading the evening prayer, reading Surat al-
Tur and when he reached the foregoing verses "my heart was almost rent asunder.'']
Shortly after that Jubayr embraced Islam.

Why did this happen to him? Probably because the verse made things clear to him for
the first time. It is inconceivable for something to come out of or be made by nothing at
all, he realized, and it is even more inconceivable that it should bring itself into being.
Hence the only conclusion is that it must have a creator outside itself.
A thesis is therefore untenable if it means the denial of any maker or cause whatsoever.
But admitting that this is indeed so, one might still wonder why should that cause or
maker or creator be the God to whom Muhammad was inviting people? Why shouldn't
it be one of the many other gods in whom people believe or why shouldn't it even be the
"matter" of the materialists? Almost the entire Qur'an deals with this question but we
shall do our best to give a brief answer which would provide the reader with the basics
of the Qur'anic position. In a nutshell the answer is as follows: to explain the coming
into being of temporal things, the creator (or cause or maker) for which we are looking,
must (logically must) have the attribute of the God to whom Muhammad invites us.
How so?

The creator must be of a different nature from the things created because, if he is of the
same nature as they are, he will have to be temporal and therefore need a maker. It
follows that "nothing is like Him." [Shura, XLII: 11] If the maker is not temporal then
he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused, and if nothing causes him
to come into existence, nothing causes him to continue to exist, which means that he
must be self sufficient. And if he does not depend on anything for the continuance of his
existence, then that existence can have no end. The creator is therefore eternal and
everlasting: "He is the first and the last." [Hadid, LVII: 3] "All that dwells upon the
earth is perishing, yet still abides the Face of thy Lord, majestic, splendid." [Rahman,
LV: 26-27]

There are two ways in which causes produce their effects. Either they produce them
naturally or intentionally. The maker that has the attributes we have enumerated cannot
be a natural cause. Because if things of this world flow from Him naturally and
spontaneously, they cannot be but of the same nature as He is. And if like all natural
causes He causes only under certain conditions, then His power is limited. It follows
that He must be a willful agent. But intention implies knowledge and both imply life.
So, that maker must be a living all-knowing agent with a will that is absolutely free.
Thus God according to the Qur'an does everything with intention and for a purpose.

"Surely We have created everything in (due) measure." [Qamar, LXIV: 49]

"What, did you think that We created you only for sport?" [Mu'minun, XXIII: 115]

He is absolutely free to do whatever he wills [Hud, Xl: 107] and is aware of every
movement of His creation.

"He knows what is in land and sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. Not a grain in the
earth's shadow, not a thing fresh or withered, but it is in a Book Manifest. It is He who
recalls you by night, and He knows what you work by day."[An'am, Vl: 59-60]
God is living:

"There is no God but He, the living, the everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither
sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall
intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is
after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills.
His throne comprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not;
He is the All-high, the All-Glorious.[Baqara, II: 255]

God is not only willing and powerful, He is also Just in that He does not punish a sinner
for more than his crime. He is merciful and His mercy, in the words of the Prophet
"overcame his punishment." So He does not punish us for whatever we do, but forgives
and erases our sins, and magnifies and multiplies our good deeds.

"The likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of God is as the likeness of a
grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains, so God multiplies
unto whom He will; God is All-embracing, All-knowing."[Baqara, Il: 261]

These, and many others which can be arrived at in a similar way, are the attributes
which the true creator must possess. Any other being or object which is alleged to be a
god or an ultimate cause and which necessarily lacks some of them cannot in actual fact
be what it is believed to be. Thus, having shown clearly what the true God should be
like, the Qur'an goes on to show why there cannot be any god but He, and reveals the
falsity of all alleged gods.

To the worshipers of man-made objects it says:

"Do you worship what you have carved out and God created you and what you
make?"[Saffat, XXXVIl: 95]

and

"... have they taken unto themselves others beside Him who create nothing, who are
themselves created, who cannot protect them, nor can they protect themselves."

[A`raf, Vll: 191-192]

To the worshipers of heavenly bodies it relates as a reminder the story of Abraham:

When night outspread over him he saw a star and said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set
he said, 'l love not the setters.' When he saw the moon rising, he said, 'This is my Lord.'
But when it set he said, 'If my Lord does not guide me I shall surely be of the people
gone astray.' when he saw the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater!' But
when it set he said, 'O my people, surely I am quit of what you associate with God. I
have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth, a man of pure
faith; I am not of the idolaters.'[An`am, Vl: 76-79]

And when, later on, the Prophet comes i nto contact with the Jews and Christians, the
Qur'an condemns their belief in the divine nature of human-beings.

"The Jews say, 'Ezra is the son of God.' The Christians say, 'The Messiah is the son of
God.' That is the utterance of their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before
them. God assail them! How they are perverted."[Tawba, IX: 30]

It tells them that if everything is created by God then it must be His servant and cannot,
therefore be his son, [Maryam, XIX: 88-95].

It then goes on to explain to the Christians the real nature of Jesus.

"Truly, the likeness of Jesus in God's sight is as Adam's likeness; He created him of
dust, then said He unto him 'Be!' and he was." [Aal `Imran, Ill: 59]

For someone to take something as a god, it is not necessary that he should acknowledge
it as such or worship it in a ritualistic way; it is enough for him to follow its dictates
obediently, or devote to it acts or have towards it feelings which should be devoted to or
felt towards God only. There are many such unacknowledged gods.

"Hast thou seen him who has taken his caprice to be his God? Wilt thou be a guardian
over him?" [Furqan,] XXV: 43]

"They have taken their rabbis and their monks as lords apart from God, and the
Messiah, Mary's son, and they were commanded to serve but one God."[Tawba, IX: 31]

Thus to be a Muslim - i.e.. to surrender oneself to God— it is necessary to believe in the

unity of God in the sense of His being the only creator, preserver and nourisher. But this
belief - later on called tawhid ar-rububiyya - is not enough. In fact many of the idolaters
did know and believe that it is the supreme God alone who can do all this. But that was
not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid ar-rububiyya one must add tawhid al
uluhiyya i.e. one must acknowledge the fact that it is this God alone who deserves to be
worshiped, and therefore abstain from directing any of one's acts of worship to someone
or someth ing else. In the Qur'an the argument for tawhid al-uluhiyya is based on tawhid
ar-rububiyya i.e. if it is God alone who creates and controls everything why then and to
what end do you worship others beside Him?

"O you men, serve your Lord who created you, and those that were before you; haply so
you will be god-fearing; who assigned to you the earth for a couch, and heaven for an
edifice, and sent down out of heaven water, wherewith He brought forth fruits for your
provision; so set not up rivals to God wittingly."[al-Baqara, Il: 21-22]

Having known the true God, man is called upon to affirm what he knows i.e. to believe
and have faith in God, and not allow any ulterior motives to induce him to deny a fact
which he knows to be true.

"... that they who have been given knowledge may know it is the truth from thy Lord
and so believe in it, and thus their hearts become humble unto him."[Hajj, XXII: 54]

"But when our signs came to them visibly, they said, "This is a manifest sorcery;' end
they denied them, though their souls acknowledged them, wrongfully and out of pride."
[Naml, XXVII: 14]

When faith enters a person's heart, it causes therein certain mental states, which result in
certain apparent actions, both of which are the proof of true faith.

Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of gratitude towards God, which
could be said to be the essence of ibada (worshiping or serving God).

This feeling of gratitude is so important that a nonbeliever is called kafir which means,
'one who denies a truth' and also 'one who is ungrateful.' One can understand why this is
so when one reads in the Qur'an that the main motive for denying the existence of God
is that of unjustified pride. Such a proud person feels that it does not become him to be
created or governed by a being whom he must thus acknowledge to be greater than
himself and to whom he must be grateful.

"Those who dispute concerning the signs of God without any authority come to them, in
their hearts is only pride that they shall never attain."[Ghafir, XL: 56]

With the feeling of gratitude goes that of love.

"There are some people who take to themselves (for worship) others apart from God
loving them as they should love God: But those who believe, love God more ardently
than they love anything else."[Baqara, Il: 165]

A believer loves and is grateful to God for His bounties, but being aware of the fact that
his good deeds, whether mental or physical, are far from being commensurate with
Divine favors, he is always anxious lest because of his sins God should withhold from
him some of these favors or punish him in the hereafter. He therefore fears Him,
surrenders himself to Him, and serves Him with great humility.

"Your God is one God, so to Him surrender. And give thou good tidings unto the
humble who, when God is mentioned, their hearts quake."[Anfal, Vll: 2]

One cannot be in such a mental state, without being almost all the time mindful of God.
Remembering God is thus the life-force of faith, without which it fades and might even
wither away. So,

"The faithful are those who remember God, standing and sitting, and on their
sides."[Aal `Imran, Ill: 191]

The Qur'an therefore prescribes and describes, in great detail ways and means of
helping man to remember God and keep his faith alive. All Qur'anic and Prophetic
injunctions and prohibitions which extend to all aspects of human life acts of worship
and personal matters, social relations, political order, etc., etc. - are designed to put man
in a state which is conducive to God's remembrance. The details of this Islamic way of
life were expounded in the Madina period, and we shall not therefore be concerned with
them now. But the main principles of this new order were already laid down in the
Makkan period, and will be summarized at the end of this chapter.

We shall now go on to deal with the other pillars of faith. These are belief in life after
death, in God's angels, His books, His messengers and His qadar, the arguments for all
of which are almost entirely based on the assumption that the audience believes in God.
 Hajj and Eid
It's that time of the year, Muslims all over the world are getting restless. Their Home in
the heart of the planet beckons them. It's time to pay homage to the Beloved God in the
House. It's time to come Home. It's time to come Home to the Holy Sanctuary of
Ka'aba. It's time to leave all and follow Him. It's time to abandon this illusory world and
come to the House of God. It's time for Hajj--the Pilgrimage. Those who can go will
head to Mecca, those who can't will join in the festivities of Homecoming wherever
they may be by celebrating the Eid of Sacrifice.

Hajj is a commemoration of love and celebration of faith. We commemorate Abraham's

Supreme Sacrifice in love of his Beloved in Minna. We celebrate his wife Hagar's
display of unprecedented love for the infant Ishmael and her unflinching trust in the
Providence in the lonely desert around the Twin Peaks. We venerate God's Greatest Gift,
the Quran by spending a day in Arafat where the final revelation was sent. We celebrate
faith by coming face-to-face to the Qiblah of our prayers.

Hajj is also an act of renunciation. Muslims from every corner of the globe don their
coffins--two cotton sheets--to represent their deaths to this life and head to their
Primordial Home. They pay their debts, ask forgiveness of everyone, bid farewell to one
and all and prepare to die to this world to live in Him. We are now ready for Hajj to the
Ka'aba-a very special place.

Ka'aba is a special place. It was the first house of worship built by the first man. God
commanded Adam to make a journey. He walked umpteen months until he arrived
guided by God to Mecca. Here, he was instructed to build Him a House. This was
mankind's first House of Worship. This is where we first learned to mourn our
separation from our Beloved. This is where Adam shed countless tears to lament loss of
paradisiacal glory. This is where we sought to seek His nearness. This is where we
sought to experience His intimacy. This House is the Archetype which basks under
another House situated far beyond the realm of the Visible Universe and the prison of
space and serial time. This is the first act of reconciliation with our Paradisiacal Destiny
in the Home of our Beloved inspite of our terrestrial sojourn.

Ka'aba is a special place. It was once lost to us but our Beloved led His Friend Abraham
(God's Peace be upon him) to this Sanctuary and gave him the task of restoring this
House. Our father Abraham (GPBUH) recruited his son Ishmael for the Holy Task. For
months at end, father and son toiled under the searing desert sun sustained only by their
burning love for the Eternal God. This choice was no random choice. Abraham was
*the* man for the job. Every year, when men and women were to come to this blessed
House, they were to come on 10th of the month of Zilhijj. This auspicious day God
asked Abraham to make the Supreme Sacrifice and Abraham delivered. Allah asked His
Friend to sacrifice his son Ishmael and he obliged.

Ka'aba is a special place. Its foundations have been fortified by love and faith of
Abraham's family. We go there to commemorate love. We go there to celebrate faith.
Abraham lived the true meaning of Surrender. He loved God, his Friend, above all. God
gave him a dream where he saw himself sacrificing his son. Persistence of the dream
convinced him that it wasn't just a dream but an allusion from the Infinite. He intimated
the dream to his son who readily concurred. Once it was known to be God's Will, the
son didn't offer any excuses. It was a foregone conclusion that His Will be done. Father
and son set off to the designated place. When they reached their destination, son
suggested that the father cover his eyes so his love does not overwhelm him into
disobeying His master. At the very moment that Abraham let loose his knife, the son
was substituted with a lamb. This time and this day was made sacred. Every year,
millions come this very day. Millions retrace the steps of these two in the valley of
Mina, they stop where they stopped, walk where they walked and finally arrive where
the Supreme Sacrifice was offered. Here, everyone offers a sacrifice in His Love and
then gives it to the impoverished people of the land all the while marveling at
Abraham's burning love and faith in God that he was willing to sacrifice his most
precious love. Those who can't be here, celebrate this wonderful sacrifice wherever they
may be in any part of the world. For indeed, love of God must be celebrated.

Ka'aba is a special place. We commemorate Abraham and his son's faith and surrender.
We also celebrate Mother Hagar's love. Mother's love is the highest form of selfless
human love. Hagar typified this love so well. She combined this love with her
unshakable trust in God. Abraham was instructed to bring her and her infant son
Ishmael near the mound that was once the Ka'aba. In this desolate place with nary a
single soul and nary a water source, he left them with a leather bag containing some
dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael's
mother followed him saying, "O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this
valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to
enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she
asked him, "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will
not neglect us." What an exemplary Trust in their Beloved God! They knew that the
Causer of all Causes will provide. He is Eminently Resourceful. Ishmael's mother went
on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had). When all water ran out, she
became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at Ishmael tossing
in agony; she left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the
mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and
started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not
see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she
tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she
crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started
looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that
(running between Safa and Marwa) seven times. God loved this selfless display of
motherly love so much that every pilgrim to His Holy House must run 7 times between
the Twin Peaks of Safa and Marwa. When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she
heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the
voice again and said, 'O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice;
have you got something to help me?" And behold! She saw an angel at the place of
Zam-Zam, digging the earth with his heel till water flowed from that place. She started
to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling
her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had
scooped some of it. This wonderful gift of God hasn't stopped yet. Hundreds of Millions
come every year and take gallons and gallons of the Holy Water with them and still the
small well never goes dry. Mecca is a special place.

In celebration of the two momentous events in Abraham's family, we are reminded that
Allah's Will always work for our highest good. In the end, it all worked out for
Abraham's family and in the end if we trust Him everything will work out for us too.
From Him have we come and to Him shall we return!

Ka'aba is a special place. It is overwhelming to be in company of 3 million brothers and

sisters in faith, all enshrouded in humble whites. The highest king to the humble laborer
are both dressed alike. They stand shoulder to shoulder, they run side by side and they
greet each other the greeting of peace. People of all races intermingle as co-equals.
Black, white, yellow and brown all come together in harmony before their Beloved.
Men and women all stand together. Veils are lifted off women's faces. In this searing
passion for the Loved One, there is no distraction. He Alone Matters! It is wonderful to
lift one's face and see one's Qiblah face-to-face. All their lives 5 times a day they turned
their faces to their Qiblah--the Holy Ka'aba and now they see it right in front of them in
all its majesty and glory. They savor the sweetness of coming Home all the while
exclaiming "Labbaik Allahuma labbaik, la sharika laka labbaik, Labbaik Allahuma
labbaik: I have come, my Lord, I have come. No one participates in Your Divinity (so I
have nowhere to come but You). I have come." I have come, my Beloved. I have come.

We circulate around the Holy Ka'aba proclaiming all the while our Arrival. Circling
around the earthly shadow of the Pole, we are reminded to keep our Beloved at the
Center of our lives. We are reminded to keep Him in front of our lives and in center of
our existence. Whenever we pray, this circulation is affixed and imprinted in our
consciousness. We stand in awe of His Presence as if we are circling non-stop in ecstasy
round and round our Beloved.

Accept the Hajj of all our lucky Muslim brothers and sisters who are given the grace of
your Presence in Your Exalted House. Give us the Grace to one day be able to come
visit You. O Allah, there is no one worthy of Love, Worship and Surrender but You.
Allow us to love you, worship You and submit to Your Presence and to Your Wish and
Will. Ameen!

Hajj Mubarak and Eid Mubarak!!

 Da`wah - An Obligation

An important matter for Muslims to realize is that da`wah is an obligation upon them.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa) says in the Qur'aan:

"Invite to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from
His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided." [al-Qur'aan, an-
Nisaa'(16):125]

"Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining al-
ma`roof [i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do] and forbidding al-
Munkar [polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden]. And it is they who
are successful." [al-Qur'aan, Aal `Imraan (3):104]

The second verse may seem to be restricting the general obligation given in the first
verse, but a close look at the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) reveals that calling to Allah is an individual obligation, rather than a collective
one. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) has said: "Convey from me, even one
verse." [al-Bukhaaree] Conveying the message therefore does not require a high level of
scholarship, it is in fact a responsibility of each and every Muslim, according to his or
her ability.

The obligation is further emphasized by the following verse which explains that not
conveying the message - hiding knowledge - is disobedience to Allah that causes Allah's
curse to descend upon such people, which show that such a sin leads to the Hellfire.

"Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences and the guidance, which We have
sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the book, they are the ones
cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers." [al-Qur'aan, al-Baqara(2):159]

In the same connection, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) has stated,
"Whoever hides knowledge, Allah will brand him with the branding iron from the
hellfire." [Ahmad]

Calling people to Allah also means completing our own worship, the reason for which
we are created. It is one of the noblest acts that entails a high reward.

"And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah and does righteous deeds, and
says: 'I am one of the Muslims.'" [al-Qur'aan, Fussilat(41):33]

With regards to the reward, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) has said:
"Whoever guides [another] to a good deed will get a reward similar to the one who
performs it." [Saheeh Muslim] Also, "By Allah, if Allah were to guide one man through
you it would be better for you than the best type of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]