AL-QURAN: God's Prescription For A Sick Society.

Al-Quran:

God’s Prescription

For A Sick Society

(M. Javed Naseem)

Man, under the influence of Satan, distorted God’s message through his evil ways; corrupted the truth with falsehood; and misinterpreted God’s commands in every era. But eventually, it was truth that prevailed. Truth always prevails because truth comes from Allah and lies (or falsehood) from Satan (Devil). Devil buries the truth under the filthy heap of dung so that nobody cares to dig it out. The dirty work demands a lot of patience, sacrifice, hard work and guidance. There are not many who want to do that digging. It requires the digger to be an honest, sincere believer and a true seeker who is ready to give all in the cause of Allah. Presently, Muslim Ummah is in dire straits and desperately needs such diggers.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said that when there is too much of ‘Haraam’ – corruption and evil practices – in a society and the people, who hold responsible positions (and are capable) of stopping that, do nothing about it, that society should wait for ‘azaab-Allah’ – the wrath of God.

That means that evil-doing and corruption bring punishment from God, the Almighty. That is a very natural course. If we open the Holy Quran, we’ll find the stories of previous nations who rejected the message of Allah, deviated from the right path and rebelled against the Laws of Allah. They were warned and then wiped off the land as if they never existed. The nations of Aad, Thamud, Noah, Nimrod, Lot, Shuaib, Pharaoh, etc., they all became part of the history and a lesson for the mankind. Allah says:

“We destroyed the generations before you

when they did wrong; and their messengers

(from Allah) came unto them with clear

proofs (of His sovereignty), but they

would not believe. Thus do we reward

the guilty folk.”

(al-Quran 10:13)

But did the mankind really learn any lesson? Today, we are in the same situation once again. Allah has extended the leash, given us plenty of time to repent and change our ways, but nothing has improved. On the contrary, the only change that we see, is the change for the worse – ‘Haraam’ is spreading. We are chasing an illusion. We have ignored all warnings and have arrogantly defied the commands of Allah.

The righteous few, the friends of Allah, have already received the signals of the punishment which is almost at our doorsteps. Now, it is just a matter of weeks or months. O Ummah! Wake up, it is coming! Can we still not see it? Then we must be blind, deaf and dumb! Prepare yourself for a rude awakening!

“Many of the Jinn and humankind we have

committed to Hell. They have hearts wherewith

they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not,

and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like

cattle, nay more misguided; for they are

heedless (of warning).”

(al-Quran 7:179)

We have made our choices. We have sowed the seeds of injustice and corruption; the seeds of evil and transgression; and now is the time to harvest. We shall reap what we have sowed, that is the law of nature. If that happened to the nations of the old, it can happen to us too. We are NO exception!

I named my first book “A Wake-up Call” and I was going to name this one as “The Last Call” but I changed my mind. It can’t be the last call; there is always hope! We have seen the warning signs – the fires, floods, storms and hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes. But we didn’t budge. Luckily, the door of repentance is still open. There is very little time left but there’s still a chance. It might be the last chance!

Satan was cursed because of his arrogance (and disobedience) and was destined to Hell. We are guilty of the same crime. Allah warned us not to follow him as he was an open enemy to us.

"Did I not enjoin on you, O you children of

Adam, that you should not worship Satan;

for he was to you an enemy avowed?”

(al-Quran 36:60)

It is a pity that we don’t listen to Allah but listen and follow the Devil. Allah is the Truth and the Devil is a lie – full of deception. Allah wants us to go to Heaven but Devil leads us to Hell because he is destined to Hell and wants to take as many humans along with him as possible. He wants to prove his point to God that humans are more disobedient to God than he was. The irony is that we accompany the Devil willingly. Are we not concerned about the consequences of disobedience to Allah? We can become the fuel for Hellfire! And Allah knows about us:

“Most of them We found not men (true)

to their covenant; but most of them

We found rebellious and disobedient.”

(al-Quran 7:102)

Disobedience merits punishment. Rebellion against Allah cannot go unpunished. Every rebel and disobedient was destroyed. Satan is the only one who got respite till the Day of Judgment. O Muslim Ummah! Don’t be so ignorant and arrogant! Learn from the history of mankind!

“Have they not seen how many generations

We destroyed before them, which indeed

returned not unto them?”

(al-Quran 36:31)

If we continue on the path of evil and injustice, it is not very difficult to predict the results. We are fortunate that the wrath of Allah did not hit us, in full swing, yet. We had only small scale warnings. Feel the urgency, please! Now is the time to revert. Let us repent and ask Allah for His mercy and forgiveness! We might still be saved from the bigger disaster.

Here is Allah’s prescription for our salvation and prosperity:

“O you who believe! Bow down and prostate

yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do

good, that haply you may prosper.”

(al-Quran 22:77)

“… So establish regular prayer, give regular

charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your

Protector - the Best to protect and

the Best to help!”

(al-Quran 22:78)

Allah’s help and guidance is there for us but it comes to those only who seek it and strive for it. A mother does not feed her baby unless the baby cries. Here is a recipe to seek Allah’s help:

“O you who believe! Seek (Allah’s) help

with patient perseverance and prayer; for

Allah is with those who patiently persevere.”

(al-Quran 2:153)

Patient perseverance means steadfastness. It is the basic requisite of Islam. You believe in Allah, obey His commands, His messengers, and keep doing the right things; then ask for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. He will surely bless you; but He will also test your faith, your honesty, your sincerity, i.e., your steadfastness. If you stay the course, of course with His help, you will be blessed. It is hard but worth trying. It is God’s prescription and it always works without fail!

(From my book “God’s Prescription: al-Quran”, pub. 2012)

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WHY PLAY THE FOOL When You Can Play The Wise And Win Paradise?

You Are Playing An Act!

Why Play The Fool When

You Can Play The Wise

And Win Paradise?

(M. Javed Naseem)

“That which is on earth we have made

but as a glittering show for the earth,

in order that We may test them - as to

which of them are best in conduct. 
Verily what is on earth we shall make

but as dust and dry (barren) soil.

(al-Quran 18:7-8)

The above verse is a very clear declaration as well as a warning from God to us. Allah, the Almighty, declares the following:

1. This world is just an act of play; a game show; a glittering display of entertainment.
2. This game show or drama is a Test for mankind.
3. The purpose of this show is to monitor our conduct (character, behavior, manners, dealings, treatment of others, etc.). In other words, how we play our part – in a good way or a bad way; as per the laws prescribed for us by God or violating the laws of Allah; in obedience to God or in disobedience!
4. This entertainment show on earth is temporary and soon the curtain will be drawn when the end comes.
5. At the end of this game show, everything in this world will be destroyed and the earth will be turned into dust and dry barren soil, the way it was before Allah gave it life for our sake.

Let there be no doubt about the above declaration in anybody’s mind. That’s the destiny of the planet Earth and it will be met.

The above two verses are from Surah al-Kahf (Chapter 18) of the Quran. Allah, the Almighty, repeats His declaration or warning in the same chapter and tells us that nobody would be spared. We shall all be resurrected and brought together in the court of the Supreme Creator for accountability.

“One day, We shall remove the mountains,

and you will see the earth as a level stretch,

and We shall gather them, all together, nor

shall We leave out any one of them.”

(al-Quran 18:47)

There is no escape and there are no exceptions! Everybody has to go through it – whether a sinner or a prophet! It’s very strange, and unbelievable at the same time, that with all his intelligence, education and wisdom, man keeps ignoring God’s commands; His warnings and reminders. Allah give us simple and easy-to-understand examples but in our stubbornness or arrogance, we refuse to take heed.

“Set forth to them the similitude of the life of

this world: It is like the rain which we send

down from the skies. The earth's vegetation

absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble,

which the winds do scatter. It is (only)

Allah who prevails over all things.”

(al-Quran 18:45)

There’s always a pay back time! And so is with our lives too which were given to us by God under certain conditions. We were also given a ‘how-to’ manual to make things easy and smooth for our lives on earth. But we started abusing the God-given facilities and out of greed started accumulating material possessions as if there was no end (death). With our riches and big families (i.e., power) we started spreading corruption and evil in the earth. We forgot that earth was to be shared with all humans – rich or poor, big families or small families. We forgot that it’s good deeds that matter, nothing else. The Almighty reminds us again:

“Wealth and sons are allurements of the life

of this world. But the things that endure, good

deeds, are best in the sight of your Lord, as

rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.”

(al-Quran 18:46)

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This world is a test for all of us.

It’s like a game in the wonderland.

Make sure that you don’t get lost!

His help (guidance) will come if you

only seek it honestly and sincerely!

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When you study the Quran, you’ll find hundreds of verses wherein God invites you to think, ponder, to reflect and use your intellect or brains. We are supposed to think about our role in this worldly entertainment show. It’s not for fun. It’s a test on the basis of which we’ll be rewarded a role in the next act – the life in the Hereafter. We need to ponder over this whole worldly affair.

We need to think for a moment what would happen when the show ends, and how can we benefit from this entertainment show! At the end of the show, the spectators would be clapping and the curtain would be drawn. Then we would be wondering and asking ourselves: Now what? What did we get out of it? We missed a few things. Is there any re-run?

No, there is no re-run. But there’s definitely the second part of this show and there is no guarantee that we would be playing or participating in that. So, we should make an effort to make sure that we get a seat in the next act. Only those who pass this worldly test will be offered a seat in the next show.

This world is God’s show – brilliant, wonderful and full of wisdom! It is not in vain; it is not purposeless fun show to get your ‘vow’ and clapping. It has a purpose and that is the purpose of our lives too. We should try to understand it. Let me put it in a simple way! Remember your school days when you were given assignments? We were shown a video/film clip, or an audio-passage; and we had to answer question about it. That’s exactly what’s happening in this world. We are living this show and we will be questioned about it. The only difference is that we shall be questioned about our role in this show because we are the actors and performers.

Therefore, we should not wait for the end of this show to act. The time to act is now! Stop playing the fool and start playing the wise! You can still enjoy the show but at the same time you can pick up what you need for your destination. Do your homework! The saying goes: ‘Make hay while the sun shines!’ And you’ll get an amazing reward.

Our success and protection is guaranteed if we follow the guidelines revealed to us. Let’s seek Allah’s help and protection for success.

“There, the (only) protection comes from

Allah, the True One. He is the Best to reward,

and the Best to give success.”

(al-Quran 18:44)

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AUTOPHAGY (FASTING): Natur's System of Cell Maintenance And Recycling.

Autophagy (Fasting):

Nature’s System Of Cell

Maintenance

(M. Javed Naseem)

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At least 12-hour fasting triggers Glucagon which

looks for those cells and junk in the body that

requires to be cleaned. For a complete overhaul

daily fasting is required for 20 to 25 days. It is

essential for cell recovery and recycling. Now,

you understand why God prescribed a month-long

daily fasting (Ramadan) for Muslims?

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Human body is the most wonderful creation of the Almighty Creator, Allah, and is also the most complex at the same time. Not many people have heard the word ‘autophagy’. Autophagy is a fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components.  

You can call autophagy an actual human cell workshop where cell maintenance work is done in an organized and sophisticated way. It is like a ‘recycling plant’ of human body that constantly takes care of body’s defense mechanism. At this plant, the decaying, damaged and rotten human cells are recycled in an amazing way. The healthy cells, as a matter of fact the healthy parts of cells, eat up the damaged and infected cells. Thus the body is cleaned up internally of the harmful elements before they could create a disease. Here’s how it works:

When our cells are starved or otherwise stressed, they don’t immediately shut down. Instead, they employ autophagy to cannibalize their own components. The word autophagy (pronounced o-toff-a-gee) literally derives from the Greek expression for self-eating, and this recycling process allows the cell to stay alive during tough times.

“By recycling part of the cellular content, autophagy allows our body to cope with starvation and with all types of stress,” said biologist Maria Masucci of the Nobel Assembly. “By capturing invading viruses and bacteria, autophagy is essential for the body’s defense against infection.”

Once again, another scientist, this time the Nobel Prize winner from Japan, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, has proven what the wisdom behind fasting (Ramadan) is. God had prescribed fasting for a whole month (of Ramadan) for Muslims more than 1400 years ago. Today, modern science has humbly proven that fasting is very important for human health. It’s a system of Nature to maintain healthy cells in human body and eliminate the decaying or damaged cells. God says in the Quran:

فَبِأَىِّ آلاۤءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

“Then which of the favors of your Lord

would you deny?”

(al-Quran 55:13)

In October 2016, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet of Sweden (i.e., the Nobel Prize Committee) announced to award the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy – a fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components.

  

The word autophagy originates from the Greek words auto-, meaning "self", and phagein, meaning "to eat". Thus,autophagy denotes "self eating". This concept emerged during the 1960's, when researchers first observed that the cell could destroy its own contents by enclosing it in membranes, forming sack-like vesicles that were transported to a recycling compartment, called the lysosome, for degradation. Difficulties in studying the phenomenon meant that little was known until, in a series of brilliant experiments in the early 1990's, Yoshinori Ohsumi used baker's yeast to identify genes essential for autophagy. He then went on to elucidate the underlying mechanisms for autophagy in yeast and showed that similar sophisticated machinery is used in our cells.

According to Nobel Prize Committee, Dr. Ohsumi's discoveries led to a new paradigm in our understanding of how the cell recycles its content. His discoveries opened the path to understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, such as in the adaptation to starvation or response to infection. Mutations in autophagy genes can cause disease, and the autophagic process is involved in several conditions including cancer and neurological disease.

Degradation – a central function in all living cells

In the mid 1950's scientists observed a new specialized cellular compartment, called an organelle, containing enzymes that digest proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. This specialized compartment is referred to as a "lysosome" and functions as a workstation for degradation of cellular constituents. The Belgian scientist Christian de Duve was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 for the discovery of the lysosome. New observations during the 1960's showed that large amounts of cellular content, and even whole organelles, could sometimes be found inside lysosomes. The cell therefore appeared to have a strategy for delivering large cargo to the lysosome. Further biochemical and microscopic analysis revealed a new type of vesicle transporting cellular cargo to the lysosome for degradation. Christian de Duve, the scientist behind the discovery of the lysosome, coined the term autophagy, "self-eating", to describe this process. The new vesicles were named autophagosomes.

Autophagy – an essential mechanism in our cells

Thanks to Ohsumi and others following in his footsteps, we now know that autophagy controls important physiological functions where cellular components need to be degraded and recycled. Autophagy can rapidly provide fuel for energy and building blocks for renewal of cellular components, and is therefore essential for the cellular response to starvation and other types of stress. After infection, autophagy can eliminate invading intra-cellular bacteria and viruses. Autophagy contributes to embryo development and cell differentiation. Cells also use autophagy to eliminate damaged proteins and organelles, a quality control mechanism that is critical for counteracting the negative consequences of aging.

Disrupted autophagy has been linked to Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and other disorders that appear in the elderly. Mutations in autophagy genes can cause genetic disease. Disturbances in the autophagic machinery have also been linked to cancer. Intense research is now ongoing to develop drugs that can target autophagy in various diseases.

Autophagy has been known for over 50 years but its fundamental importance in physiology and medicine was only recognized after Yoshinori Ohsumi's paradigm-shifting research in the 1990's. Yoshinori Ohsumi was born 1945 in Fukuoka, Japan. He received a Ph.D. from University of Tokyo in 1974. After spending three years at Rockefeller University, New York, USA, he returned to the University of Tokyo where he established his research group in 1988. He is since 2009 a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

(Courtesy: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2016/press.html)

The Deccan Chronicle

Dr. K. Krishnaiah of Deccan Chronicle adds:

A Japanese Nobel prize winner has finally proven how staying away from food can actually help you live healthy. Fasting has two very good benefits for us. Japanese scientist Dr Yoshinori Oshsumi’s Nobel prize-winning work on autophagy has shown how damaged cells self-eat or self-destruct — keeping the body in good condition. The other benefit is that when the self-destruction occurs, there is the inducement of the growth hormone which allows for the generation of new cells.

Autophagy of the body means it cleanses itself of damaged, dead and unrepaired cells. It’s a natural process where good cells create membranes that hunt out scraps of dead, diseased, infectious cells and gobble them up. The good cells strip these diseased cells into parts and use the resulting molecules for energy.

 

Autophagy requires the right kind of conditions for it to occur. Nutrient deprivation is the key activator of autophagy. When the body is on a fast mode it signals the brain that there is not enough food available and the body then goes back to stored foods. This condition allows for autophagy — where the cells first attack the old and junky proteins in the body. This happens because the insulin levels in the body dip and the hormone opposite to insulin, glucagon, begins to work in the body. When glucagon is activated, it starts looking for those cells and junk in the body which require to be cleaned. But even the slightest amount of food is easy to shut-down glucagon. It requires completely abstinence from food for 12 to 36 hours which is usually seen in many fasting practitioners. But they must drink plenty of water.

Once autophagy is stimulated, the growth hormone stimulates and it helps to create new energetic cells in the body. It is found to control inflammation and also helps in the process of building immunity. Exercise also stimulates autophagy. Sweating, grunting, post-workout pains put stress on the body and it further allows for the eating away of damaged cells. When the process of autophagy occurs in the body there is actually a feeling of re-invigoration as fresh energy flows in. This discovery is also going to help in the creation of new medicines.

(Courtesy: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/161016/cell-strategy-how-fasting-makes-the-human-body-better.html)

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WHISPERING WITH GOD: A Prayer Can Change Your Situation, Any Situation!

Whispering With God:

A Prayer Can Change Your

Situation; Any Situation!

Gift-wrap Your ‘Dua’ (Supplication)

With Darood (Salawat)!

No Darood, No Acceptance!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“The main purpose of the Quran is to

awaken in man the higher consciousness

of his manifold relations with God

and the universe.”

--- Allama Iqbal

(From: ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’)

Allah is the Supreme Creator and we are His wonderful creation. Man cannot see his Creator (Allah), nor can he talk to Him face to face (until the Judgment Day). The closest he can get is during the prayer (‘Salat’) and supplication (Dua) when he whispers to Him and cries to Him.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said: ‘When you pray (offer Salat) do it as if you are in front of Allah (seeing Him). And if you cannot achieve that level, then imagine that He is seeing you’.

Allah is the Creator, Sustainer and the Controller of the heavens and the earth (and whatever is between them). Every living thing in the universe depends on Him for its existence, and glorifies Allah’s name. He declares in the Quran:

“See you not that it is Allah Whose praises all beings

in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the

birds (in the air) with wings outspread? Each one

knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise.

And Allah knows well all that they do”.

(al-Quran 24:41)

As per one Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said:

‘When a man prays (offers Salat), he whispers with God’.

Prayer and supplication (‘Dua’) is the only way a person can communicate with God in private and directly without any intermediary. This is the best way of establishing a relationship with Allah and maintaining it. The Bible says:

Your invocation (Dua) reflects your Faith (Iman) and trust in God. It shows how much you count on Him and how sincerely you depend on Him. Allah instructed Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in the Quran to tell the disbelievers or rejecters of faith:

“My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him."

“Say: ‘My Lord would not care for you

were it not for your prayer.’”

(al-Quran 25:77)

Therefore, the prayer (or invocation or Dua) is the strongest and the best link between Man and God. All of us, whether sinners or the righteous, are connected to Him via this link. The stronger this link, the closer we get to our Creator, the Almighty. This link (or connection) gets weaker or stronger with the level of our faith (Iman). Stronger faith in God guarantees closer relationship with Him; while the weaker link (weak Iman) brings us farther and farther from God. Remembrance of Allah determines the level of our faith (Iman). The Most Merciful Allah, when He wills, can accept anybody’s prayers, any time, anywhere!

Darood (Salawat & Blessings):

(Darood: Allahuma salli ala Seyyidina Muhammadin …)

Darood is like a gift-wrap! You are supplicating Allah, the Almighty; you are sending Him a request; and you are asking Him for mercy and forgiveness, so it is only befitting that you wrap your request in a beautiful and attractive packing. And there is no better gift-wrap (packing) than Darood. Allah and His angels send their blessings via Darood on the Prophet (s.a.w.) and Allah commands all Muslims in the Quran that they should also do the same:

“Allah and His angels send blessings on the

Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings

on him, and salute him with all respect.”

(al-Quran 33:56)

Ibn Masud narrated:

‘I was once praying, and the Prophet (s.a.w.), Abu Bakr (r.a.a.) and Umar (r.a.a.) were all present. When I sat down (in the final Tashahhud, I praised Allah, then sent Salams (Darood) on the Prophet (s.a.w), then started praying for myself. At this point, the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Ask and you shall be given it! Ask, and you shall be given it!’

(Tirmidhi, No.593, Mishkat al-Misbah, No. 931).

God hears every prayer of every soul, only we don’t understand the way He answers our prayers. We judge Him on our level of priorities, therefore, are sometimes disappointed. He answers all prayers but we see the change in our situation only when the time for it is right; not right away, as we expect. Once again, the acceptance of our prayers depends on our relationship with God. It’s NOT a one-way traffic. God has made it very clear to us: “Remember Me, I’ll remember you!”

It’s very unfair on our part that we ignore God’s commands; don’t do what He tells us to do and keep living a sinful life but at the same time expect God to fulfill our demands or desires immediately. We need to qualify for that.  We need to prove to God that we are trying our best to pursue the path of righteousness with all honesty, sincerity and faith in Him. This qualifies us to ask for God’s help and the help comes – always! But not the way we want it. It comes the way He thinks is better for us.

In the chapter ‘Whispering With God’ of my book “The Way (Sunnah) of The Prophet (s.a.w.)”, I have mentioned 33 occasions when the supplication (Due) is considered to be more acceptable to Allah. Please remember! These are only the recommendations of the scholars. Allah can accept any Dua, anywhere at any time. Allah is the most merciful and He cares for us too!

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