Taraweeh Reflections - Juz Six

By Khalid Baig

Here are selected verses from the taraweeh recitation for each night with lessons for our lives today.

Basis for Cooperation

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

Help one another in furthering virtue and Allah-consciousness, and do not help one another in furthering evil and aggression. [Surah Maida, 5:2]

This is a fundamental principle that governs all our cooperation with others. Cooperative arrangements result from calculations that it will be, as normally phrased, a win- win situation. But what does that exactly mean? It means that both the parties entering into a pact of cooperation will achieve their self interest. However for Muslims, considerations of virtue override all other considerations. Any enterprise, no matter how attractive on the basis of self interest, is a no-no if it leads to sin, evil, or aggression.

Perfection of Religion

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

Today, I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and chosen Islam as Din (religion and a way of life) for you. [Surah Maida 5:3]

This ayah was revealed at 'Arafat in the afternoon of Friday, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah 10 AH, eighty-one or eighty-two days before the death of the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. No legal injunction whatsoever was revealed after this. Here was the announcement that the sequence of revelations to the last of the prophets was now coming to an end. The deen, the system of beliefs and practices, was completed. It was perfected. People are free to accept or refuse to accept the message of the Qur'an. But this categorical declaration does not leave any room for anyone to "improve" it or "reform" it. Additionally this ayah contains the last legal ordinances ever revealed to the Prophet Muhammad Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. They deal with halal and haram meat. This shows the importance of eating halal.

Our normal conversations consist of criticizing others. This has some place in the proper scheme of things, when it is part of our conscious effort to promote good and prohibit evil and is guided by the Shariah limits on such conversation. But when this becomes our sole occupation, to the exclusion of our self monitoring and accounting, there is a serious problem.

Conflict of Interest: Justice in the Face of Enmity

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.[Surah Al-Maidah 5:8]

This ayah deals with the other equally potent impediment to justice: hatred. It commands loudly and clearly that you cannot do injustice even when you are dealing with the enemy.

The natural, uneducated, and uncivilized tendency is to treat the enemy as less than a human being; one who has no rights and deserves no justice or fairness. It was as true in the pre-Islamic tribal jahiliyyah (based on ignorance) society as it is today. See how Islam directly curbs it. It is a command to the believers, with a reminder that Allah is watching you, that enmity of others cannot be used as an excuse for committing injustices against them.

Friendship with Enemies of Islam

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَكُمْ هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَالْكُفَّارَ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

O you who have attained to faith! Do not take for your friends such as mock at your faith and make a jest of it-be they from among those who have been given the Book prior to you, or the disbelievers. But remain conscious of Allah, if you are (truly) believers. [Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:57]

This ayah is self explanatory and sets the limits on interfaith friendship. Yusuf Ali writes: "It is not right that we should be in intimate association with those to whom religion is either a subject of mockery or at best is nothing but a plaything. They may be amused, or they may have other motives for encouraging you. But your association with them will sap the earnestness of your Faith, and make you cynical and insincere."

(Taken from the book: Listening to the Qur'an: Insights, Commands, and Guidance for Our Life)