Podcast: Fasting Muḥarram and ʿĀshūrāʾ

The podcast of this translation


            


Related/Further Reading:

Dhūl Ḥijjah, the Day of ʿArafah and Fasting
Does the person who is unable to fast because of a long-term illness enter from this gate?
Terminological Differences Between the Sciences of Fiqh and Uṣūl al-Fiqh 


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Remember Me and I will Remember You

By Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd, may Allah have mercy on him

The tafsīr of the Exalted’s statement:

“Remember Me and I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful.” [al-Baqarah 2:152]

This noble ayāh means whoever remembers Allah with his heart, by pondering on Allah’s signs, the manifestations of divine perfection in this unique creation and the organisation that forces doubters to yield and submit while increasing those who are guided in their guidance.

It means whoever remembers Allah with his tongue, with the various form of dhikr that have reached us, such as subhān Allah, la ilāha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar[1] and sending blessings upon the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

It is also means whoever remembers Allah with his limbs, by carrying out his Lord’s commands and refraining from what He has prohibited, emanating from a heart that is alive and feelings that are awake.

Allah will reward all of the above by raising their rank and improving their standing, and other elevated stations that are beyond bounds and limits. Allah expressed this with the word ‘remember’ because when one remembers something one knows its truth and understands what is for it and what is against it. Because of this, a human being must always, and especially a Muslim, remember Allah in every circumstance and in every moment, so that he is not denied Allah’s grace and bounty.

The ayāh thus encourages remembrance and calls to it based on what we’ve mentioned.

And after commanding to remembrance and explaining its benefit comes the command to be grateful. The command to remember takes precedence over the command to be grateful because the one who remembers is preoccupied with Allah the Exalted while the one who is grateful is preoccupied with Allah’s blessings, and being preoccupied with Allah is more important than being preoccupied with blessings.

And whoever doesn’t thank Allah is ungrateful for His blessings, and Allah’s blessings are many…they cannot be counted: “If you tried to number Allah’s blessings, you could never count them.” [an-Naḥl 16:18], and whoever is persistent in thanking Allah, Allah, Glorified is He, will increase him in blessings.

“If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.” [Ibrāhīm 14:7]

The one who is grateful and remembers is content, and thus he is happy in this life until he meets Allah the Glorified, and then he rejoices at meeting his Lord.

[Translated from Fatāwā al-Imām ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1979, 5th edition), v.1, p.178]

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[1] (tn): The imam uses the word taqdīs, the noun of the verb nuqaddisu, which is found in Surat al-Baqarah 2:30. One of the meanings of taqdīs, according to Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with both of them, is takbīr. Please see Zād al-Masīr fī ʿIlm at-Tafsīr by Imam ʿAbdur Raḥmān ibn al-Jawzī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1422/2002), v.1, p.30.

Book Review: The Big Step

 Plus a couple other announcements

Alhamdulilah, al-Hajj Abu Ja'far al-Hanbali has written this beneficial review. Please take the time to have a read. He has also included the interview we did for The Foreword podcast.

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Related:
Book Release: The Big Step