Chapter 34 – Uplift Those Below You

Chapter 34, Part 1 – Uplift Those Below You

During this lesson we discussed what the following aya says to us:

Sura 16; Aya 71:

God has bestowed more resources on some of you than on others: yet they who are more abundantly favored are often unwilling to share their gifts with those who are under their authority so that they might be equal in this respect. What! Will they, then deny that these favors are from God?

While there are many opportunities in life, all of us cannot take advantage of them equally. That is because some people are born in better circumstances, some people are more intelligent than others, some people are more resilient than others and so on. What this aya tells us is that while this “unequal state of things” among us is and will continue to be a fact of our lives and that the world is that way for a particular reason, it means that it is expected of those who are better situated in life to share with others, that is, to teach those who need coaching so that they can be equipped with tools to succeed, to provide financial help to those who are in need, or both. Those who do this understand the purpose behind what God is continually saying to us in this and many other ayas where he exhorts us to help one another. By helping others in whatever capacity we can, we understand that we are interconnected and depend, first of all on God, and then on others whose help we used to get to where we are in life: in order to survive, we need millions of people who produce food to bring that food to us; to get a job we have, we depend on schools where we are given knowledge that’s been condensed in books we read and which books contain compilations of knowledge accumulated through centuries.

By thinking deeply about what God is saying in this aya, we should eventually come to the very logical conclusion that we must help because we wouldn’t be here unless we were helped every step of our way. Our faith deepens and we reach higher levels of understanding once we do this because by doing the act of helping, it means we understood the true meaning behind God’s words. He promises us that it will only bring us closer to attaining a happy state.

Some of the thoughts that came to mind to those present during this lesson include: We are freed from the ego and experience a great expansion when we realize who we are (i.e., that we have been greatly blessed by God in many areas of life and have His divine spirit within us).The principle underlying giving is a spiritual one that states that we will receive abundance the more we give. If we worry about whether the other person will reciprocate, we are trapped in a small experience, away from God's stream of abundance. In order for spiritual growth to happen, we must “uncondition” ourselves, unlearn what we have learned, what we believe from our previous lives. All limiting beliefs can be unlearned. Quran always says: Give out of what We have given you. Everything that happens is from God and everything that we have is from God. You become one with the spirit if you give, you become part of the stream. The basic premise of the Quran is that God is Most Compassionate and Merciful. We are born in this stream and can be uplifted by it. The stream/God uplifts those who uplift others. Then you become an agent of God, but if you withhold it, you are outside this stream. We will never feel isolated or alone if we think of being part of this stream. Everything is from the Mercy of God. It is part of this stream. For example, if we read a good book and learn something from it, it is from the Mercy of God. Spend time to think about specific ways in which you are blessed. Do it regularly, for a long time. You will internalize this idea and will always feel blessed. By doing this, we eliminate the rust in our hearts (there is no shine because there is rust in the hearts). Then, we will always be happy, no matter what is happening outside. A good teacher will want you to be as good as he is. You want to make others equal to you, give them what you have. There is no limit to how far to mentor or encourage someone. You are a leader only if you are a servant. We benefit if we implement what we know within our own circle of influence. Unless we make something a habit, we don't do it: Make gratitude a habit. Opposite of gratitude is complaining. If you learn to be grateful, you won't need to ask for something because you will get a flood of abundance.
Summary by Alma Subasic

Chapter 33; What Do You Believe?, Part 2

Chapter 33; What Do You Believe?, Part 2

On April 18th, we again discussed Chapter 33 from Dr. Abdulhameed's book, "The Quran and the Life of Excellence" and those present were reacting to the below quoted Surah that inspired Chapter 33 by Dr. Abdulhameed. The summary of that chapter was provided in Part 1 on April 11th.

Those who ascribe divinity to other than God say: “Had God so willed we would not have served anything other than Him – neither we nor our forefathers; nor would we have forbidden anything without His sanction.”
Thus also said those who went before them. Yet what is the mission of messengers except to communicate clearly.

During our second discourse on this Surah and the chapter, we said that if we wanted to grow spiritually, we had to think. The trouble is, as we all know, that if we repeat things over and over and never ask questions, there can be no change in our spiritual development. What we attract is what we receive. If we sit down and quiet ourselves and think deeply about ways in which we have been helped, we will keep finding how we have been helped. Over the years, that becomes a deeply held belief in us -- that we truly have been and by consequence, will continue to be helped. That will lead us to fully realize that God is truly compassionate and merciful.

This is a call to reform and improve one's view of God. The society influences our belief and it is extremely hard to break away from that environment but we are responsible for actions that we take and where we end up. Other people are not responsible for our lives. There is a strong social pressure on young Muslims to subscribe to what their ancestors did and said and no deviation is allowed. That promotes conformity and stifles creativity and individual progress. All spiritual and social progress that is taking place in Muslim countries now is actually a result of Western cultural influences which Muslims decry.

We are looking for conformity no matter where we are so that we feel that we fit in. Conformity happens because we want to avoid criticism. If we want to grow as a person, we need to do what is difficult. People here in the United States always tell us not to live in our comfort zone.

A very high priority in our lives is to be in a group of people who are helping us grow. We need to seek company of people who love us for who we are and who help us grow. One Islamic teaching not shared in Muslim countries very often is that Imam Ali said that when children are under the age of 7, parents should play with them. When children are under the age of 14, parents should teach them and when children are over the age of 14, parents should be friends to them. Another fact that is also not shared in Muslim countries very often is that Prophet Muhammad used to spend a portion of his day every day by himself in introspection and in self-evaluation. Islam of today, for the most part, as judged by the behavior of many Muslims, is reduced to mindless repetition. We cannot then expect much progress no matter how much we want it. Each of us will have to go through a considerable process of serious self-evaluation in order to change what is inside of ourselves before God changes our condition. We will all agree that this is exactly what God Himself told us.

The exercise for this chapter states:
1) Is there an experience or an aspect of your life that shows that God is helping you?
2) Consider a prohibition that your parents believed in but you have discarded it. What are the reasons for this change?

The benefit from doing these exercises increases greatly if you not only think about them but also write down your responses. It is very useful to keep a journal for this purpose. Reading what you wrote over a period of time will make you aware of the insights you have gained.

Summary by Alma Subasic

Chapter 33; What Do You Believe? (Part 1)

What Do You Believe? (Part 1)

On April 4th, during our regular meetings in New York City, we discussed Chapter 33 from Dr. Abdulhameed’s book entitled "The Quran and the Life of Excellence."

The chapter is based on the Sura 16 Aya 35:

Those who ascribe divinity to other than God say: “Had God so willed we would not have served anything other than Him – neither we nor our forefathers; nor would we have forbidden anything without His sanction.”

Thus also said those who went before them.  Yet what is the mission of messengers except to communicate clearly.

This chapter explains that the above quoted ayas address 4 questions that deeply impact everyone’s life:

1)            What do we think about God?

2)            How do we relate to what we have been taught by the previous generation?

3)            How do we decide what we can and can’t do; i.e. what prohibitions are important?

4)            What is the role of a teacher?

1)            It is important that each of us examine what we are thinking about when we think about God.  The reason for that is that depending upon what we think about, those thoughts shape our lives and our lives will develop according to the beliefs that result from our thoughts.  Many people have believed in God for thousands of years, but often in ways that have limited them.  The first aya cited above refers to the argument put forth by those who ascribe divinity to other than God and it states that if God is in charge of everything, why doesn’t He make everyone believe in Him?  This argument is based on the notion that God controls people.  If that is the case, then we don’t have the freedom to choose and we are told by God Himself that we are free to choose what we are going to believe in.

2)            It is of utmost importance to our lives to pay attention to what we are thinking about when we think of God in order to improve our notion of Him.  This needs to be an independent examination as we work through the process of clearing out our previous ingrained notions of God that we heard from others as we were growing up.  Each of us alone builds a relationship with God in an effort to raise his/her life above commonality and traditional views of what we should believe.  Our spiritual power begins to gather when we focus on improving our personal view of God.  We must recall Hadith Qudsi in which God says:  “Whatever My servant assumes of Me, that is how I am to him, and I am with him as he remembers Me.”

3)            The second part of the first aya cited above states: “...nor would we have prescribed prohibitions other than His.”  This is where the limiting aspect of an unexamined belief clearly comes to forefront.  Precisely because our families and people that make up the culture we grew up in believe that, for example, smiling is forbidden, or that music is forbidden, or that a man without a beard cannot lead prayer, or that we should never speak of a good thing that happens to us because it can bring bad luck, we now have a sense of God, and consequently of religion, that is contrary to everything that is natural which in turn causes strain in our minds.  It is clear that this aya is asking us to reflect and examine what it is that our forefathers believed in and question the taboos prevalent in our surroundings.

The next aya cited above states: “Thus also said those who went before them”.  If we allow superstitions and prejudices of those who lived before us dictate how we will live our lives, then we ascribe divinity to other than God.  It cannot be stressed enough that this aya, along with so many others, ask us to reflect on what we believe so that we may reflect on what we are doing.  Without examining and reevaluating ideas and notions that we have been told by previous generations, we are not really living, but stifling our own nature and our own individuality and by the same token, we are closing the door to one more expression of God’s wishes for the humanity that He expresses through the potential of human beings, His vicegerents, on Earth.

4)            The last aya refers to the role of the messengers.  The aya explains that the role of a teacher is to explain to the best of his/her ability and not to control or judge people who do not respond in the way a teacher thinks they should.  Each person understands in accordance with his/her own capacity and responsibility lies on each individual soul.

Some of the thoughts that were expressed during this meeting include the idea that we try our best to be the highest selves and that each day we need to understand that He helps us raise the standard.  One considerably damaging aspect of following practices we were taught by prior generations without our reexamining the same is the fact that it can be quite difficult to discard those ideas because they become ingrained within us.  We don’t realize to what extent we labored under a false notion that those ideas are what God means to us without us coming to any conclusion as to what God means for us.  Beliefs have great power even over thought. Faith is expressed by challenging our beliefs.  

    

The exercise for this chapter states:

1)            Is there an experience or an aspect of your life that shows that God is helping you? 

2)            Consider a prohibition that your parents believed in but you have discarded it.  What are the reasons for this change?

The benefit from doing these exercises increases greatly if you not only think about them but also write  down your responses.  It is very useful to keep a journal for this purpose.  Reading what you wrote over a period of time will make you aware of the insights you have gained.

We will be discussing the same chapter during our next meeting in NYC on April 18th. Stay tuned!

Summary by Alma Subasic 

Chapter 32; Those Who Do Good Find Good, Part 2

Those Who Do Good Find Good, Part 2

(Chapter 32 in “The Quran and the Life of Excellence” by Dr. Sultan Abdulhameed)

And when it is said to those who are conscious of God, “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” They say, “What is good.” For those who do good, there is good in this world, but the reward in the hereafter is better still; for how excellent is the abode of the God conscious!

During our regular bi-monthly Meetups in New York City which are based on the book by Dr. Sultan Abdulhameed, our practice is to discuss one chapter from Dr. Abdulhameed’s book two times in a row. On March 7th, we discussed Chapter 32 (summary of the chapter and some thoughts of those present were posted previously) and on March 21st, we discussed the same chapter again.

When we thought about this chapter again, we thought that a person of faith is always hopeful and always tries to help self and others. It seems that a majority of Muslims is stuck and so paying attention to what we think about when we think about God, if we at all think about Him - which in and of itself is a problem - and reevaluating our beliefs should be our priority. We must understand that by following rituals blindly, memorizing Quran without reflecting on it and doing what others tell us we should do because that means piety, we tend to not think about what we are doing nor do we think about God. It is possible to go through our lives without once reflecting on what it is that God wants to tell us. Consider an example of an engineer memorizing a book on building a bridge; who among us would say that that bridge would not collapse? Being passive and accepting misery are states that are opposite of what this aya teaches because in order to do good and receive good, one has to actually think about what one wants to achieve and then act, that is, do something.

Reflecting back on the part of the chapter where Dr. Abdulhameed stated that a lot of us feel that we need an expert to tell us what is the right way to think because we are not learned in religion, we feel that trying to live through someone else’s mindset makes our lives complicated and difficult because that other person, that is, an expert, did not have the experiences in life we had. If we try to live our lives through someone else’s eyes, then we tend to compare ourselves to others. What can comparing ourselves to others mean to us and for our own lives? We must lay ourselves bare before our own selves because we are bare before God no matter what. So, why not be honest and brave with ourselves and ask ourselves what is it that we believe and why do we believe that and what is it that we want to achieve in life? We must ask so that we may receive.

What complicates things in many Muslim communities is that when we were taught the basic tenets of our religion, we were not taught to quiet ourselves so that we can hear ourselves and think deeply about God and the things He said to us. Our Prophet used to spend a third of the day and a third of the night by himself. Why? So that he may quiet himself in order to think and reflect. Any deep insight is not gained by cursory reading. If we think about something deeply, then we become resourceful.

Dr. Abdulhameed has also developed an exercise for each chapter to help us internalize the ideas behind the chapter. The exercise for this chapter states:

1) Write a paragraph about an interpretation of religion which results in harm. Describe an alternate interpretation of the same teaching that can be beneficial.
2) Write a paragraph abut a belief you had in the past out of which you have evolved. Describe how this change occurred.
3) What part of your life can be described as doing good to others?

Summary posted by Alma Subasic

Chapter 32; Those Who Do Good Find Good, Part 1

Those Who Do Good Find Good, Part 1(Chapter 32 in “The Quran and the Life of Excellence” by Dr. Sultan Abdulhameed)

And when it is said to those who are conscious of God, “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” They say, “What is good.” For those who do good, there is good in this world, but the reward in the hereafter is better still; for how excellent is the abode of the God conscious!

During our regular bi-monthly meetings in New York City, we discuss one chapter from Dr. Abdulhameed’s book and the following is the summary from our meeting on March 7th, 2016:

The purpose behind the aya that says that those who do good will find good in this world is that it refers to a formula for success and what it takes is that we need to focus on continually doing good. The religion has been used as a source of good, wisdom, and morality and at the same time, it has been and continues to be, used as a way to justify many injustices in the world. In addition, it has been used as a source of authority for those that want to keep the authority and advantages they have over others.

The teaching of this chapter is very simple and it says that we need to train ourselves to overcome our negative tendencies in order to let the true light within us shine, so that we can show with our own lives what is truly meant by this aya: positive thoughts, speech and action, thinking well of ourselves and others, creating a positive intention within our minds when we do something, not looking down on what God gave us in our person or our experience, letting go of anger, jealousy, hopelessness and self-pity, and never wishing to harm anyone. These are not lofty ideals that are unattainable or attainable only by a select few. The idea is to work on internalizing, that is, seriously thinking about and looking to understand what it means to be God-conscious - something that the first part of the aya is asking us to do - by making a concerted effort and being honest with ourselves as to what we are trying to do. If we try to contemplate this idea of God-consciousness a couple of times, an encouragement is surely to follow. Once God consciousness has been achieved, it become easier and natural to want to do good.

We must remember that the Quran and consequently, the religion of Islam, is not what it has come to mean for many people, judging by their behavior – a set of complex rules and obligations that burden. Working on true understanding of ayas is like any other effort that we do because we think it will be worth our while in the long run: we get as much out of it as we put into it. We must remember that if we don’t try, it doesn’t make sense to expect God to try.

Therefore, we must try to work on achieving God-consciousness by interpreting God’s ayas by ourselves and for ourselves without asking anyone whom we consider to be an authority in these matters to do it for us. We, of course, can consult the writings of those who have thought about the subject for a long time, but we must remember that everything we read must make sense to us so that it takes root within us. As we work on achieving the state of God-consciousness, we will begin to see encouragement along our way. Then, it becomes natural to want to do good and with a heart that is in alignment with our wishes, our wishes that now begin to reflect His will.

Dr. Abdulhameed has also developed an exercise for each chapter to help us internalize the ideas behind the chapter. The exercise for this chapter states:

1) Write a paragraph about an interpretation of religion which results in harm. Describe an alternate interpretation of the same teaching that can be beneficial.
2) Write a paragraph abut a belief you had in the past out of which you have evolved. Describe how this change occurred.
3) What part of your life can be described as doing good to others?
  
Our practice is to discuss each chapter during two consecutive meetings so Part 2 will be discussed on March 21st. Stay tuned!

Chapter 31; There are Resources Everywhere

Chapter 31; There are Resources Everywhere

During our meeting in New York City on February 22nd, 2016 we discussed what the Sura 16, Ayas 10-18 mean or say to us. 

This Sura reads as follows:

It is He who sends water from the skies; from it you drink and so do the plants which your cattle eat.

With it He causes crops to grow and olives and dates and grapes and all the fruits.  Surely, in this there is a message for people who think.

And He has made the night and the day and the sun and the moon subservient to you; and the stars are subservient by His command.  Surely, in this, there are messages for people who use their reason.

And what He created on the Earth has many shades of colors.  Surely, in this, there is a message for people who reflect.

And He it is who has made the sea subservient, so that you can eat fresh meat from it, and take from it ornaments you wear.

And on the sea you see ships going through the waves, so that you may seek to enrich yourself of His Abundance, and thus may be grateful.

And He has placed firm mountains on earth, lest it sway with you, and rivers and roads, so that you can find your way, as well as many landmarks: and by the stars people find their way.

Is, then, he who creates like one that cannot create? Do you not consider this?

For, should you attempt to count God’s favors, you could never exhaust them.

Dr. Abdulhameed’s commentary on the above Sura states that our lives are shaped by perspectives we adopt.  One view of nature is that it is vast and that it works by its own rules, irrespective of our existence.  Another view of nature is expressed by admiring its beauty.  Another view is that the physical world is a source of danger and hardship for us.  The quoted ayas allow for a perspective that nature is subservient to our needs and that we can use it for our benefit by finding creative ways as to how to make it benefit us.  It is of great importance that we fully realize within ourselves that nature has resources that sustain us, enrich us, and guide us because we can then live with an attitude of appreciation and gratitude.  This helps us in two ways:  it teaches us the benefit of positive thinking and it allows us to live in harmony with the creation, which, in turn, allows for a continuous flow of goodness to come our way.  At any moment we can encounter events and situations that cause fear and frustration but we do have an option of shedding such thinking and asking ourselves what benefit can be derived from such a seemingly harmful event/situation.  If we ask this question and are serious about finding an answer to it, then we are sure to find it. 

Another very important aspect of the ayas quoted above points to inherently human qualities that when employed the way we are asked to employ them, should guide us in the direction of a better understanding of our existence and ultimately to what God is trying to teach us.  Namely, we are being asked to reflect, to think, to use our reason, and to consider.  By reflecting, thinking, and considering we are able to understand how we can make our lives better as these ayas were a source of inspiration for early Muslims who explored nature and became leaders in science and technology.  And at the same time, as with anything else that God said and created, there are multifunctional aspects to each and every word and to each and every made thing, and that is that in addition to using our human faculties of refection, thinking, and reasoning in order to find ways to better our lives, we are reminded to use those faculties to deepen our faith in Him so that we can act decisively, bravely and at the same time conscientiously in the process of our doing anything as we move through the world and attempt to achieve a happy state here as well as in the next life. 

Some of the thoughts that came to mind to us, personal growth seekers, as we worked through this chapter stated that the same exact thing can be seen as bad or as a source of benefit and that it depends on how we look at it.  Idea is for us to realize that as we try to realize the benefit in something seemingly bad, we are thinking deeply, hopefully unlocking our own unique and true spirit of creativity as we do it.  If we passively accept everything, then there will be no benefit to discover for us or for anyone else.  Said in a different way, if we look at things superficially, we are not aware that there are deeper possibilities in what we are looking at. Our world is inexhaustible in its richness; it is about how much creativity we bring to what we see.  Obstacles and resistance is within and without each of us; it depends on how we look at them.  There is a spiritual dimension to it all. The idea is to come to the point where it becomes natural to say that God is great and for us to be truly grateful, reflecting back to the idea of the multi-functionality of every word He said and of every thing He made.  

At the end of each discussion, Dr. Abdulhameed provides an exercise that can be used to help us think more deeply about what has been discussed and reflect back on the quoted ayas.  The exercise for this chapter states: 

1)      Think of an aspect of your life which you perceive as limiting or unpleasant.  It can be in your environment or in your personality.  Think of how it can be made into a source of benefit for you.

2)      Recall an experience in which you acted creatively; you found a solution to a problem, or you had a new idea, or you made a drawing or a painting, or you wrote a piece you liked.  Think of how good it feels to be creative, and ask how you can find time to be more creative in the future. 

Human Dignity

On Human Dignity: Sura 17, Aya 70

“Indeed, We have conferred dignity on the children of Adam, carried them over land and sea, provided for them nourishment out of good things, and endowed them far above most of Our creation”.

 This aya points to an important spiritual reality: the intrinsic worth of man because of his great potential. Everyone knows this truth instinctively. For this reason, the most important need of a human being is to feel valued, to be respected and to be honored.

We don’t need to earn our self-worth by accomplishing anything; it was given to us by God. However, when we internalize this truth, great achievement is inevitable. We must first become conscious of the fact that we were made by the Most Magnificent God and that we have a degree of His magnificence within us. If we reflect on this idea regularly until it becomes a conviction, we begin making favorable choices in every situation and, eventually, these accumulate, resulting in a spectacularly successful life.

We are blessed as Muslims because a solid understanding of our religion gives us freedom and power. God infused us with His spirit and therefore, we have inherent great worth. Through this understanding, we are saved from the agony of desperately seeking to conform to externally imposed ideals. We are preciously unique creatures and do not need to prove our worth by spending our lives chasing after material and social standards of success dictated by society or imitating the artificial beauty norms established by the latest trends. This never-ending chase destroys a person’s self-esteem.

In contrast, when we have high self-esteems, we treasure our lives and spend our time wisely. We take care of our minds by constantly learning, of our souls by reflecting and praying, and of our health and bodies by eating well and exercising. Our bodies and our souls were given to us by God as a trust; they do not belong to us. We are accountable for them and must take excellent care of them. If we follow this path, the path of Islam, we manifest an inner and outer beauty so radiant and powerful that no superficial approach could ever match it.

The Quran and the Life of Excellence teaches us that in order to benefit from this knowledge: “we should act in ways that recognize our self-esteem, irrespective of our circumstances. Train yourself to behave with poise, to walk like a dignified person, and to talk like a noble person. Do not use words of inferior meanings and never use foul language. You create your self-esteem by how you conduct yourself when you are alone. Always be aware that the way you dress, sit, stand, talk or eat, even when you are by yourself, makes a statement about the value you place on yourself.”