Put not yourselves forward ........

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُقَدِّمُواْ بَيۡنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ‌ۖ

وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَرۡفَعُوٓاْ أَصۡوَٲتَكُمۡ فَوۡقَ صَوۡتِ

ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجۡهَرُواْ لَهُ ۥ بِٱلۡقَوۡلِ كَجَهۡرِ بَعۡضِڪُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ

أَن تَحۡبَطَ أَعۡمَـٰلُكُمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَشۡعُرُونَ

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصۡوَٲتَهُمۡ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ

ٱلَّذِينَ ٱمۡتَحَنَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَہُمۡ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰ‌ۚ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٌ۬

وَأَجۡرٌ عَظِيمٌ

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَآءِ ٱلۡحُجُرَٲتِ أَڪۡثَرُهُمۡ

لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ وَلَوۡ أَنَّہُمۡ صَبَرُواْ حَتَّىٰ تَخۡرُجَ إِلَيۡہِمۡ لَكَانَ

خَيۡرً۬ا لَّهُمۡ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬

"O ye who believe! put not yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger: but fear Allah: for Allah is He who hears and knows all things.

O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not.

Those that lower their voice in the presence of Allah's Messenger― their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.

Those who shout out to thee from without the Inner Apartments― most of them lack understanding.

If only they had patience until thou couldst come out to them, it would be best for them: but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

(Qur'an: Hujurat: 49: 1-5)

REFLECTION

Islamic education stress much upon 'Adab' (knowledge of the order of things and putting everything, or dealing with things according to its proper place in their hierarchy of existence). Thus when we approach the Qur'an, remember it is not an ordinary Book - but direct revelations from Allah s.w.t, His Words perfected and expounded, containing profound Wisdom: more so when He addresses us specifically by "O You who Believe!" - we must respond : "LabbaykAllah!" (Here I am O Allah! - am ready to heed & obey)

Allah and His Messenger have priority in all circumstances

Allah warns us:

لَا تُقَدِّمُواْ بَيۡنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ‌ۖ

"do not put yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger"

The state of consciousness that we are in, ascertains our attitude and behaviour.Do we think that this warning, a commandment, does not concern us today? Are we not the ones directly reading this message? How often we have forgotten that as Muslims, a higher law rules over us for every occassion? Think of the many occassion when our considerations for our behavior and actions in life, excluded that which Allah and His messenger had already stipulated. Perhaps we may be ignorant of rules (hukm), so we must strive to learn, but ignorant or not, would this not reflect our disrespectful behavior, lack of Adab towards Allah and His Messenger? Thus the important teaching towards attainment of Taqwa:

وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬

"but fear Allah (taqwa): for Allah is He who hears and knows all things."

Taqwa - (piety; consciousness of Allah, with awe and reverential fear) is a key state (maqam) which we have to inculcate in ourselves. Our minds are usually directed to other than Allah; distracted towards this world or too obsessed with our self-centred desires. All the teachings of Islam: Iiman, 'amal & ihsan - is towards consistent awareness of Allah. To develop this, one must engage much in true remembrance of Allah. Bear in mind the (6) six qualities necessary for Taqwa (consciousness of Allah) through having:

Awareness; understanding; reverence; awe; hope & shame

Why do you think that Allah reminds us with : "Allah Who hears and knows all things" ? And do we think no one knows what we are doing?! In fact everything that we do are being witnessed, recorded - even in the secret depth of our being - are we not afraid? Are we not ashamed?

Lower your voice in the Prophet's presence

Inspite of the fact that our Prophet may not be physically present, yet Allah s.w.t. deems it necessary still, to record this to posterity. He was appointed by Allah to bear witness over his ummah, and we as Muslims must ask ourselves, how would our prophet s.a.w. rate our behaviour:

لَا تَرۡفَعُوٓاْ أَصۡوَٲتَكُمۡ فَوۡقَ صَوۡتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجۡهَرُواْ لَهُ ۥ بِٱلۡقَوۡلِ كَجَهۡرِ بَعۡضِڪُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ أَن تَحۡبَطَ أَعۡمَـٰلُكُمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَشۡعُرُونَ

"Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not."

Muslims are ever mindful that our life is to bear witness to two realities : Allah and His Messenger. Our conduct is always measured with this reality in mind, how should we behave in Allah's presence and in the presence of His messenger, when we claim to be Muslims? Our speech and voice, speaking loudly and carelessly, reveals our inner state, our inclination towards relying upon our ego & desire (nafs al-'ammaara). This brashness, often may be the way we speak to one another, but this is not good and does not assist us in gaining higher consciousness.

Raising our voices may even spoil our deeds, for it is usually being incited by self-conceit, arrogance which surfaces outward in our voice to 'drown' the other party with our loudness, thereby we loose every opportunity to learn - if we are learning from a teacher; or we level down our superior (e.g. our parents, elders etc.) which tantamount to disobedience or even rebelliousness. The sins of levelling, when it emanates as an outcome of self-conceit, arrogance & rebelliousness, was the cause of the downfall of Iblis, his fatal disobedience to Allah to bow down to Adam a.s. Many may not be aware that speech is the most conspicuous means of our expression, yet it also can betray much of who we really are.

Through being with the Prophet s.a.w., the Companions r.a. were inculcated with proper Adab, thereby it moulded permanent disposition in them. We must emulate them in our interaction with our teachers, elders, those unto whom Allah enjoins us to respect and obey - beginning with the manner of our speech with them. Do not under-estimate this emphasis on voice. Allah s.w.t. informs us:

وَٱقۡصِدۡ فِى مَشۡيِكَ وَٱغۡضُضۡ مِن صَوۡتِكَ‌ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلۡأَصۡوَٲتِ لَصَوۡتُ ٱلۡحَمِيرِ

"And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass."

(Qur'an: Luqman: 31: 19)

Signs or test of those whose hearts recieved Consciousness

Our ulama' (heirs of the prophet s.a.w.) uses Adab as a yardstick to measure whether students have been educated or not. Allah s.w.t. alludes to this aspect for the Prophet s.a.w.:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصۡوَٲتَهُمۡ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱمۡتَحَنَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَہُمۡ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰ‌ۚ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٌ۬ وَأَجۡرٌ عَظِيمٌ

"Those that lower their voice in the presence of Allah's Messenger― their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward."

Signs of those who has not

Like-wise, it is to be expected that those whose hearts has not yet pass the standard would display uncouth manners, due to their ignorance and lack of Sabr (patience):

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَآءِ ٱلۡحُجُرَٲتِ أَڪۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ وَلَوۡ أَنَّہُمۡ صَبَرُواْ حَتَّىٰ تَخۡرُجَ إِلَيۡہِمۡ لَكَانَ خَيۡرً۬ا لَّهُمۡ‌ۚ

"Those who shout out to thee from without the Inner Apartments― most of them lack understanding. If only they had patience until thou couldst come out to them, it would be best for them"

The Prophet s.a.w., as also Islamic scholars, would patiently overlook this in their students, out of concern for their reform (islaH) - most of the time having to endure such ill-mannered behavior. But all is still not lost, for Allah s.w.t. continues with this assurance:

وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬

"but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

OUR PRAYER

رَبَّنَا ٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَلِإِخۡوَٲنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا
بِٱلۡإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ فِى قُلُوبِنَا غِلاًّ۬ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ

"Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith and leave not in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful."

O Allah! Your choicest Salutations and Peace be upon Rasuullullah, Muhammad ibnu 'Abdillah, and to his household & progeny,Companions and those following them in benevolence, supporting and assisting in upholding this Deen, till the Hereafter. Aa-min.

Wa-allaahu a'lam

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