Thursday, November 10, 2005
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil)." (al-baqaraah v:177)
I love this verse because it sums up what it means to be a Muslim. All the prayers are useless if you don't fullfill other obligations such as looking after your family, giving charity, keeping promises, etc.
Truly, its not just the sole act of praying that defines a person but how we behaves in our daily lives that matters. Sadly, its a concept lost on most people -- Muslim and non-Muslims.
And to think this book was revealed ~1400 years ago in the middle of a desert!!
I love this verse because it sums up what it means to be a Muslim. All the prayers are useless if you don't fullfill other obligations such as looking after your family, giving charity, keeping promises, etc.
Truly, its not just the sole act of praying that defines a person but how we behaves in our daily lives that matters. Sadly, its a concept lost on most people -- Muslim and non-Muslims.
And to think this book was revealed ~1400 years ago in the middle of a desert!!
Faraz Ahmed 10:11 p.m.