Islamic wisdom – Unknown to many!
Many people are still unfamiliar with the depths of Islamic wisdom. The Holy Quran contains numerous verses that encourage doing good to others even when they have wronged us. But the best one according to me although I find it very difficult to follow is – “And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” (Saheeh International).
This is difficult because we are usually so haughty and unforgiving that we pledge secretly in our hearts or even say openly that we will never forgive someone who has wronged us! However, Allah puts on hold the dua (prayer) of two Muslims who have not talked to each other for more than three days after quarreling.
Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
You see, Allah Subahanahu Ta’aala created angels from light. These are the same angels who fashion the embryo in the mother’s womb via the instructions of Allah. Angels do not have free will, i.e., they do not do anything on their own. They carry out the instructions of Allah forever without fail without the least of deviations.
And one angel writes down the good deeds we do. And another records the evil deeds we commit. The angels take these ‘deed’ reports to Allah on Mondays and Thursdays. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) fasted these two days and encouraged Muslims to do so. He wanted to be in the best state of fasting when his reports were presented before the Almighty.
- Since this topic is about Islamic wisdom itself, let me throw in a nugget of knowledge from the Holy Quran – “Allah grants wisdom to whomever He wills. And whoever is granted wisdom is certainly blessed with a great privilege. But none will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason.” (Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran).
Wisdom – Not granted to many people
Lucky are the few who possess this. But for this to occur, there should be the grace of Allah. This reminds me of one very important dua (supplication) by Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) – “Yaa Muqallibal Quloob, Thabbit Qalbee Alaa Deenik.” This was his oft-repeated dua.
The oft-repeated prayer of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)
Stated beautifully here – Shahr bin Hawshab said: “I said to Umm Salamah: ‘O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said most frequently when he was with you?” She said: ‘The supplication he said most frequently was: “O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion (Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī `alā dīnik).” She said: ‘So I said: “O Messenger of Allah, why do you supplicate so frequently: ‘O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.’
He said: ‘O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no human being except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.” [Jami`at-Tirmidhi 3522. Book 48, Hadith 153. Authenticated by al-Albanee in al-Jaam’i as-Sagheer 1323/7988. Translation Source: Darussalam Publication of Sunan At-Tirmidhi].
Do good or at least don’t do any harm!
- All of you have heard this – “If you can do something good, do it. At least, don’t do any harm!” But it is virtually becoming impossible for all of us to adhere to this! Another Islamic nugget from the Holy Quran is “He that does good shall have ten times as much to his credit. He that does evil shall only be repaid according to his evil. No wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.”
Slandering and backbiting are very common these days (unfortunately)
Honestly, how many of us follow this? Today, the moment when the other person turns his back on us, we start slandering him/her. We commit so many bad deeds knowingly and unknowingly. Probably no good deeds will remain with us on the day of judgment! When there will be no shade except the shade of Allah.
Look at a few verses from the Holy Quran, “And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the guilty fearful of that within it, and they will say, “Oh, woe to us! It leaves out neither a small thing nor a great one, but numbers them (all)!” And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.” [Quran, 18:49]
The power of our speech
This brings us to an important Islamic issue, the power of our speech. The tongue, a soft boneless organ is sharper than the edge of a sword! It has the power to break or heal hearts. Therefore, one should take care of using it.
Be good to your family and relatives
- One has to be good to one’s relatives and should not cut off one’s relations. This is very important in today’s age. We are rapidly descending back to the age of the Jahiliyyah (period of ignorance) when people used to form enmity at the drop of a hat!
- A Hadith [saying of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)] showcases another nugget of Islamic wisdom. It states that those who wish for a long life and wealth should maintain good relations with their family. Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever is pleased to have his provision expanded and his life span extended, let him keep good relations with his family.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2067, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2557
Before concluding, let me state what numerous others have said before. Prophet Mohammed’s (peace be upon him) sword was not responsible for the spread of Islam. Instead, it was his noble character that led to Islam’s spread throughout the world!