Spirituality

Those who are activists without spiritual nurturing, give up very soon because there is not enough fuel to keep the fire burning on.


Individual Characteristics

For someone these days, to have the audacity to say, I am a Muslim and I am going to change the whole world at the time when almost the whole world thinks that we Muslims are violent, he or she is not saying that, just rhetorically, they really mean it. Assuming that they have the right attitude, sincerity, devotion and that they do not consider number one as important any more and they are acting within the team, they learned the lessons etc, there must be an individual readiness and preparation to do that.


Each individual should be prepared to move on from here to do different duties that are on one’s shoulders. For that I look at what the Quran told and directed Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) to do with himself, to be ready and to carry on the task. He had to work on himself even as we know before he became the Prophet, he spent nights alone in the cave, thinking, meditating and trying to get answers to certain questions within himself and to come to terms with certain realities in his mind. He was just as a person and this is what he was doing, then when he received the revelation it became obvious that he has a special mission and he needs to prepare himself, and need to be capable of and to be firm to carry on the message. So it really is a fitness program. It was a psychological, spiritual and mental fitness program that Muhammad (Pbuh) was ordered to take and hence it is recommended to all of us, if we are that serious. - Call for preparedness/readiness - Call for action


Call for preparedness/readiness

O thou folded in garments! Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night,- Half of it,- or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Qur’an in slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon shall We send down to thee a weighty Message. (Quran 73:1-5)


Just to give a little background. These verses were sent down to Muhammad (Pbuh) very early on and are thought to be the 3rd or 4th session of revelation. The first revelation was Iqra and after that there was a long pause, some say it was 3 months and some say 3 years, It must have been frightening and confusing. So many questions must have been there in the mind of the Prophet (Pbuh) during that period of pause. After that, the revelations started coming again and the early revelation was Surah Muzzammil and Surah Muddaththir as we see. It starts with Ya ayyuha almuzzammilu, which means one who is wrapped, enfolded, or wrapped up in something.


We need to understand there are several different ways it could be understood. And I would like to count different ways it was understood. Some scholars say when the Prophet (Pbuh) went home after the very first revelation, he said “Khadijah, Cover me, Cover me” because he was shook up and he was scared. It is talking about that physical reality, and this is what it means. It is a news report about what happened.


Some scholars say, it means that who you were enfolded out of your own concern, your mind is wandering, you are isolating yourself and so deeply concerned what happened to you, so break that and start doing something else. Some scholars say, enfolded in the Quran that is yet to come. Some scholars say, enfolded in ‘being upset’, because of what enemies are saying about him and so on and so forth.


But the common denominator is, you the one who is surrounding in oneself in a special thing. It is good for you to be protected, to be warm, self-concerned. But it is important to carry on the message, get up to business whether you are wrapped up in your cloak or clothes, it does not matter, but now you have to prepare yourself.


Qumi allayl means, go stand up and to pray at night. Remember prayer was not ordained at that time or at least not obligatory at the time of this revelation. The Quran is telling the Prophet (Pbuh) the night prayer, to stand up and talk to God is a very important part of the spiritual preparation. It is not just haphazard, or not just something simple, stay up whole night, a part of it or whole night, there are volumes to understand it.


The point is to have a sizable portion of one’s night devoted to the spiritual and fitness programme that we are talking about. Half, more than half, slightly less that does not really matter.


Tarteela, he did a good job reciting the Quran in slow, measured and a rhythmic tone. What does it mean? Tarteel means arrange the pieces together in an organised and identifiable way. Give due care to each word so that you enjoy it and understand it. So this is how we were directed to read the Quran.


When we read the Quran slowly, it gives us a chance to read in a rhythm, melody as well as gives us enough time to understand it. We sometimes try to recite Surah Fatiha so fast in one breath without the rhythm. The Quran at that time was Iqra (part of Surah al-’alaq), Surah Qalam and this one probably. And it should be read like that at night. Inna sanulqee AAalayka qawlan thaqeela, you are about to carry a weighty message, a heavy load is going to be laid on your shoulders. Some scholars say, it is heavy because it is loaded with instructions, directions and things, which are too difficult for the people to do.


I think the best way to interpret is “it is a serous business.” As Yusuf Ali’s translated it as a weighty thing, it is not something light, casual or haphazard, it is something very serious and I would like the readers to think this way. In addition to that, recitation of the Quran should be spiritually empowered. One cannot under-estimate the power of spirituality in activism. Those who are activists without spiritual nurturing, I guarantee you, particularly in situation like ours, we will give up very soon because there is not enough fuel to keep the fire burning on. We need that spiritual nurturing to put up the weighty load that Allah has ordered us to carry on.


(The writer is Sr. Advisor, Muslim Public Affairs Council-MPAC)