Ramadan, 10/30/03; Surat Ta-ha, Suratul Anbiya

Surat Taaha:
Profound lessons, the powerful virtue of tawakkul; Allah holds in his sovereignty the reigns of every movement in this universe. Reflections on the story of Musa alaiyhis salam, who climbed the mountain towards the burning bush he saw, and that encounter he had there, the manifestation of Allah (swt). Imagine, a man journeying alone, with his walking stick/staff. That staff his means of defense, his feeling of security. Builds a trust in you, confidence in the means. As Allah manifests himself, He instructs Musa to take his shoes off. "And what is that in the right hand, O Moses?" Allah wants us to learn a lesson; Musa started explaining. "It is my rod: on it I lean; with it I beat down fodder for my flocks; and in it I find other uses."
Allah tells him .."throw that." What is it telling us, telling Musa? To not depend on *anything*. To clear your heart from attachment to anything; when you do, in full trust of Allah.
When Musa alaiyhis salam gave it up, because he HAD value in it, then Allah gave him much much more power in THAT means; after he *abandoned* the means, they became so much more effective. (i.e., staff was VERY powerful later on ).


"And indeed We conferred a favour on thee another time (before)."
"Behold! We sent to thy mother, by inspiration, the message"
Pharoah was killing the newborns of Bani Israel, and his mom was inspired to throw him into the water. It's the same concept that Allah is emphasizing for us - Throw him and it'll take him to be picked up *by an enemy.* The mother was very afraid for her baby. "If you are afraid for him, throw him in the sea." Think about the inconsistency; a mother afraid for her baby's life, told to throw him into the sea. It's against empirical knowledge.

Allah is the creator of cause and effect. He produces the cause, and the effect. We shouldn't attach ourselves. When Allah wants something to happen, it will happen even if by the very logic of human beings, everything that is done to prevent it (something Allah has decreed) actually becomes part of what is meant to be done, part of the cause and effect. Then He says, in beautiful contrast: But I cast (the garment of) love over thee from Me: and (this) in order that thou mayest be reared under My eye/fashioned in front of my gaze, in the way I like." The contrast of fear and enmity, with love. The misery and blaze of everything to be soothed by the love of Allah.

A lesson for all of us to reflect on - there is nothing that occurs in this universe without the will of Allah. Ask Allah to render our hearts in a state of surrender.




Suratul Anbiya - The prophets

A very powerful reminder to all of us. Salah means to ascend with our hearts, nearer to Allah, b/c we're so conscious. The surah begins, "Their reckoning draweth nigh for mankind, while they turn away in heedlessness."
As centuries pass by, they think it's all stories of ancients. "Nay, say they, (these are but) muddled dreams"
They receive the Word in jest, don't listen with their heart to the word, warning, reflections, good tidings of Allah. Their hearts are in "lahiya," busy with the everyday things we do every day. (Lahiyatan quloob). They listen without heart, don't respond as they should.
We're outside of Salat in daily life; we're in a state of distraction, not focused on the purpose of this life. As a result, we're distracted in salah. Don't be disillusioned by the world around, by those who don't believe. Don't be dissuaded. If you follow them, you will regret it. "Verily a Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning."(22.047) That means 10 centuries = one year. If our life boils down to a fraction of a day..
Ask Allah to connect our quloob effectively to Him. To begin our journey, so when death comes, our quloob would k now, and would be at peace.