Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I have read your emails and Alhamdolillah, I have started reading the Quran in English by Yusuf Abdulla Ali. I have tried to invite my family and friends to understand the Quran, but some of them flatly refuse to even open the Book of Allah. What should I do?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

My Family refuses to listen to the true deen of Islam

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

We are commanded as Muslims to worship no one except the One and Only God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, understand and follow the guidance of the Quran, and follow the teachings of our beloved Prophet of Allah, Mohamed (saws).

If you come across any individual or community claiming to be Muslims, but following practices against the commandments of the Holy Quran, they do not deserve our ridicule and/or our wrath. They infact are our brothers in faith, and if for any reason, you think, that they are going against the guidance of the Quran and traditions of the Prophet (saws), what you need is to have sympathy and love for them. Your duty as their brother now becomes to tell them in the best means and ways to come back to the deen followed by Mohamed (saws).

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125: Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Thus our job is not to ridicule them or laugh at their practices if we find them against the Quran. We need to invite them with wisdom and patience and to guide them to read and understand the Quran, if they indeed claim to be Muslims. Our duty is only to invite them in the best manner, Allah then guides whom He wills. He knows very well who is searching for the truth, and who is playing with His commandments. He knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and He definitely knows the hidden secrets of our hearts and our intentions. So instead of writing hate mail and other derogatory articles about people, you think, are not following the correct principles of the Quran, invite them to read the Quran and let the Holy Quran itself guide them in its own inimitable way.

Allah is Most Great, Most Gracious!!! Anyone who comes searching for the truth, Allah will Insha Allah guide him, if the person has any good in his intentions.

One thing I have realized over the years is that if Allah has given one the blessing to read and understand, and if he reads the Quran in search of guidance, he will find it. He does not have to attend any fancy classes or any school or any university or anything else for that matter. Just read and try to understand the Quran once, and let the Quran speak for itself. One reads so many articles and books, all he has to do is read one more book of 600 odd pages!!!! And I don't think that is too much to ask of any Muslim who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day. The major problem with Muslims today is that they have not read nor understood the message we have received as a blessing and mercy from the Lord of the Worlds!!!!!

Yes, I know, some Muslims read the Quran in Arabic everyday, but do not understand a word of what it says or guides to. Can you imagine!!! Its just like one has a medical problem and the doctor prescribes a medicine. This person takes the prescription and keeps on reciting what is written on the prescription again and again and again. Would you not call such a person a lunatic??? The sensible thing to do would be to take the medicine and apply it according to the doctor's orders, only then would the medicine take any effect. He could read the prescription a hundred million times, but that is not going to change his condition. Similarly, thus if one reads the Quran without understanding a word, how can it possibly guide him to Islam?

Also just imagine if one is to get a simple letter from one of the heads of state or government in a foreign language. Again, just imagine the person, if he were to sit there and keep on reciting this letter in a foreign language a thousand times without understanding a word of it, or take that letter and fold it and make it an amulet (ta'aweedh) and carry it around his neck or arms! Would you not call him an absolute lunatic?? Would it not be sensible to get the letter translated and follow the directions of the head of state as stated in the letter to gets its rewards and/or avoid its punishment.

Yes, most of us would immediately earnestly search for someone who knows the foreign language, get the letter translated and understand the message and follow the instructions of the head of state to the last letter. But, how many of us so called Muslims have taken the trouble or made an effort to understand the message sent as a mercy to all mankind from the creator of the heavens and the earth. The most we do is consistently read the Holy Quran in Arabic, which we don’t understand a word of and expect to be guided aright and receive the mercy and blessings of Allah. Such an action is absolutely void of logic. May Allah guide us all to the true deen and keep us always in his perfection and infinite mercy.

One more thing to remember is that the followers of the leaders any sect are not forced to follow them. They do it of their own free will. Most of these people are highly intelligent, successful businessmen and successful professionals in their own fields. Now if they want to follow their leaders blindly, without understanding and taking guidance from the Quran, who is to blame, themselves or these self-made leaders? Allah will judge each individual and no one will carry the burden of the other. If somebody wants to follow personalities of people, alive and/or dead, this is their own folly, and thus they cannot blame anybody except themselves. Those of us who invoke saints or syeds or piers and go and worship at graves and mazaars should read and understand what the Holy Quran says about such actions:

Allah says extremely clearly in Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

Just one more note for the brothers who have a doubt in their hearts about any Muslim sect and their understanding of Islam, and want to follow the true guidance from the Quran and Sunnah, but are unable to leave that sect and their practices for fear of what they would do to them and their families in retaliation. Just think for a moment, what will your state be in the court of Allah on the Day of Judgment? You might, just might, be able to bear the punishment and trials these people put on you in this world, but I guarantee you from the Quran, that no one, I repeat, no one has the strength to bear the consequences of Allah's wrath and anger on the Day of Judgement, when there will be absolutely no one to protect you. All the intercessors and shufa'as who we were made to believe will help or protect us will vanish on that Day.

Please give very good thought to these words of the All-Mighty in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaf verses 4-6: O Prophet, say to them, "Have you ever seen them with open eyes those whom you invoke instead of Allah? Show me what they have created in the earth? Or have they any share in the creation and control of the heavens? Bring me a Book revealed before this, or produce some remnant of knowledge in support of your beliefs if you are truthful." And who could be further astray than the one who invokes, instead of Allah, those who cannot answer him till the Day of Resurrection. Nay, they are even UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING INVOKED. And when all mankind shall be gathered together (on the Day of Qiyamah), they (the so called leaders and intercessors) will become enemies of those who invoked them and they will DISOWN THEIR WORSHIP!!!

The aim of the brother who have undertaken this mission is to encourage all mu’mineen to get a translation of the Holy Quran in English and read and understand the last revelation of Allah. Many English translations are available, but the best and most widely read is “The Meaning of the Holy Quran” by Abdulla Yusuf Ali. You can easily order this translation from Amazon.com. So do yourself a favour and get a translation and read and understand and stop depending upon the so called learned kazis and mullahs who confuse and mix the words of Allah to their own advantage.

Save yourselves and your families from the hell fire. And the best way to do this is to understand and follow the commandments of Allah who is most forgiving, most gracious and most merciful.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan