Taraweeh Salaah – Night 13

Taraweeh Salaah – Night 13

By Sheikh Abdul Hamid Lachporia – Canada

In the Name of Almighty Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Tonight’s Tarawee consists of the whole of Ka la Alam Akul…(JUZ 16) and a quarter of Iqtaraba (JUZ 17). The Surahs that will be recited this evening covers the remaining quarter of Surah Al Kahf [The Cave], Surah Maryam in its entirety, Surah Ta Ha completely and half of Surah Al Ambiya.

SURAH AL KAHF [The Cave].
Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam was up against mysteries which he wanted to explore. He searched out a man endued with knowledge derived from the divine springs from which flow the paradoxes of life. He is shown three such paradoxes and how human impatience is inconsistent with their true understanding. The highest knowledge comes not except by divine gift, and a constant, patient striving, with faith, to apprehend something of the purpose of the All- Wise Allah. This story of Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam is meant to illustrate four points
(1) He was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Even so that wisdom did not comprehend everything, even as the whole stock of the knowledge of the present day, the sciences and the arts, and the literature, (if it could be supposed to be gathered in one individual), does not include all knowledge. Divine knowledge, as far as man is concerned, is unlimited. Even after Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam received his divine mission, his knowledge was not so perfect that it could not receive further additions. (2) Constant effort is necessary to keep our knowledge square with the march of time, and such effort Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam is shown to be making. (3) The mysterious man he meets to whom tradition assigns the name Khidr (literally, Green), is the type of that knowledge which is ever in contact with life as it is actually lived. (4) These are paradoxes in life: apparent losses may be real gain; apparent cruelty may be real mercy; recurring good for evil may really be justice and not generosity. Allah’s Wisdom transcends all human calculation.

Three episodes in the life of a great king, Dhu al Qarnayn illustrated how power and opportunities should be used in the service of Allah; he punished the guilty; he left primitive people their freedom of life; and he protected industrious people from grasping neighbours. But he relied upon Allah, and he made them remember the Day of Judgement; when all will see the Truth and receive the punishments and rewards earned in their present life.

SURAH MARYAM:
We now pass on the story of individual Messengers of Allah in their personal relations with their environment – Hazrat Yahya A.S. with his father Hazrat Zakariya A.S., Nabee Esa A.S. (Jesus) with his mother Bibi Maryam R.A.; Nabee Ebrahim A.S. with his unbelieving father, Nabee Moosa A.S. with his brother Nabee Haroon A.S. (Aaron), Nabee Isma’il A.S. with his family and Nabee Idris A.S. in the high station to which he was called. Seeing how these great ones fitted into the scheme of life, man is condemned for his want of faith, or for degrading his faith to superstition, and warned of the Hereafter.

Summary – Zakarriya Alayhis Salaam was anxious to have an heir to carry on Allah’s work in a world of unrighteousness, and Yahya Alayhis Salaam was given to him. Hazrat Maryam R.A. the mother of Nabee Esa (Jesus) Alayhis Salaam was maligned by her people, but Nabee Esa Alayhis Salaam comforted her and was good to her. Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salaam was persecuted for his Faith by his people, including his unbelieving father, but he withdrew from them, and was blessed; Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam was helped by his brother Nabee Haroon (Aaron) Alayhis Salaam; Nabee Isma’il brought up his family in piety; and Nabee Idris Alayhis Salaam was truthful and pious in a high station; they showed the way; yet men will not learn the good of life.Man should not disbelieve in the Hereafter, nor sully his faith by false notions about Almighty Allah.

SURAH TA HA:
The chronology of the Surah has some significance: it has some relation to the spiritual lesson which it teaches. It was used with great effect in that remarkable scene which resulted in Hazrat Umar’s conversion, and which took place about the seventh year before the Hijrah. Hazrat Umar R.A. had previously been one of the greatest enemies and persecutors of Islam and like his blood thirsty kinsmen the Quraysh, he meditated killing our Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. Upon being told that he had very close relations of his who had embraced Islam, he proceeded to the home of his sister Fatima and her husband Sa’id. They had both embraced Islam but in those days of persecution they kept their faith secret. As he approached his sister’s house, he heard them reciting this Surah from a written copy they had. Umar attacked his sister and her husband, but the bore the attack with exemplary patience, and declared their faith to him. Hazrat Umar R.A. was struck with their sincerity and fortitude and asked to see the leaf from which they had been reading. It was given to him: his soul was touched so much so that that he not only embraced Islam but became one of the strongest supporters and champion.

Summary: The revelation of Allah (The Holy Qur’an) is not an occasion of distress, but is a gift of mercy from Allah Most Gracious. How Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam was first chosen, and led to his mission to Fir’aun with his brother Hazrat Haroon Alayhis Salaam. How the mother of Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam was directed to cast the infant Moosa into the river, to be brought up in Fir’aun’s palace under Allah’s own supervision, in order to preach to Fir’aun and declare Allah’s Glory. How Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam was directed to lead his people and quell their rebellious spirit, and how that spirit was stirred up by Samiri. On the Day of Judgement personal responsibility will be enforced, and Allah’s Truth acknowledged: man should guard against Nabee Adam’s enemy, Iblis, and should renounce vanities, purify himself with prayer and praise, and await the call to Allah.

SURAH AL ANBIYA:

This Surah begins with the external obstacles placed by evil against purification of the soul with prayer and praise and gives the assurance of Allah’s power to defend men, illustrating this with reference to Nabee Ebrahim A.S.’s fight against idolatry, Hazrat Lut’s fight against injustice and failure to proclaim Allah’s glory by making full use of man’s God-given faculties and powers, that of Nabee Ayub A.S. against impatience and want of self-confidence, that of Hazrats Isma’il, Idris, and dhul Kifl against want of steady perseverance, that of Dha al Nun against hasty anger, that of Zakarriya against spiritual isolation, and that of Bibi Maryam R.A. against the lusts of this world. In each allusion there is a special point about the soul’s purification. The common point is that the Prophets A.S. were not, as the vulgar suppose, just irresistible men. They had to win their ground inch by inch against all kinds of resistance from evil.

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net