TeachingRE Issue 4.pdf - the Second Level Support Service

spreads out his hands to the heavensaying: ‘O Lord! O Lord!’ while his foodis unlawful and his drink is unlawfuland his clothing is unlawful and he isnourished unlawfully, so how can hissupplication be answered.”From an Islamic point of view,acceptance of worship is dependenton the legal provision. In a uniqueway, the prophet Muhammadportrayed this meaning in a hadithin which he stated that when apilgrim whose provision is illegallyearned makes his Talbiah, it will besaid to him: “Your call is not answeredand you are a wretched person.Yourprovision has been illegally earned andyour hajj is not accepted and will notbe rewarded.” To the contrary, for thepilgrim whose provision is legallyearned, it will be said: “Your call isanswered and you are a happyperson.Your hajj is accepted.”of the bounty of your Lord (duringpilgrimage).”Thirdly equality: The prophet –P.U.H.- explained that people areequal like the teeth of a comb.Thismeaning was reiterated in manyhadith. Nonetheless, the variousMuslim acts of worship stress thismeaning. The Muslim Salah reflectsequality. Thus all people stand inSalah in straight lines. In hajj Islamstrikes the highest practical exampleof equality when all the pilgrimswear the same Ihram white garband set out in congregationschanting the same formula: “O Allah!Here I’m in response toYour call.”Theyare dressed in the same garments,the Ihram garb. For men, it is madeof two white sheets; Izar is to bewrapped upon the lower part of thebody and Rida’ is to be wrapped onmy community the person who doesnot show mercy to the children andportray respect to the elderly peopleand recognize the rights of thescholars.” The Qur’an teaches ushow to address the prophet. Allahsaid: “Deem not the summon of themessenger among yourselves like thesummon of one of you to another.”Muslim Caliphs set the highestexample in equality and we willelaborate on examples from the lifeof ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the leaderwho, by Allah’s favour, achieved themajor part of the Muslim conquest.During his era occurred the famine.However, he never favoured himselfwith certain food or drink. He atethe same type of food the laypeople ate. Whenever he hadsuffered hunger or a stomach-acheresulting from hunger, he would sayto his stomach: “How can I feed youSecond: Righteousness andperformance of the acts of worshipdo not mean non - observance ofthe rule of cause and effect. Forinstance, a righteous Muslim issupposed to work to earn hislivelihood. Thus we will diminishunemployment and there will be nopeople living on the expenses ofothers. The Prophet Muhammadillustrated this meaning when heentered the mosque and saw a manthat he – P.U.H.- frequently saw inthe mosque. So he – P.U.H.- asked:“Who covers his financial needs?”TheCompanions said: “His brother.” Theprophet – P.U.H.- said: “His brother isa better worshipper.” The prophet –P.U.H.- stressed this meaning inanother hadith in which he said:“That any of you would go collectwood is better than begging peoplewhether they give or withhold.”On Friday, which is the best of theMuslim weekdays, Muslims areexhorted to work. Allah said: “Andwhen the prayer is finished, then mayye disperse through the land and seekof the bounty of Allah.” In anotherplace in the context of hajj, Allahsaid: “It is no crime in you if you seekMuslim men during hajj wearing the Ihram (2 piece whiteseamless garment)the upper part of the body.The Izarand Rida’ are for all, the rich and thepoor, the rulers and the subjects.This garb serves also as a reminderof death when man will beshrouded, when virtuous deedsmatter rather than wealth oroffspring. Amidst this equality givenrights granted to certain people donot fade away. For instance, theprophet – P.U.H.- said: “It is not fromwhen others are hungry.Whether yourumble or not I will not feed you withother than that.” ‘Umar did not live ina palace. A Roman man, whenseeing ‘Umar sleeping unattendedand unguarded, said:“You have ruledwith justice so you enjoyed safetyand so you slept.”When ‘Umar travelled to Jerusalemto receive the keys, he and hisservant Maysarah had one camelTEACHING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ISSUE FOUR SEPTEMBER 200919