The words Islam (Islam or submission) and iman (faith or belief) are often used interchangeably. Strictly speaking, iman is something which has entered the heart whereas Islam is more a matter of practice (cf. Q 49.14). The Qur’an defines the content of belief as God, the last day, the angels, the Scripture and the prophets (Q 2.177).

Islam is built on five pillars: The profession that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God; performance of the ritual prayer; payment of the obligatory charity; the pilgrimage; and the fast of Ramadan. — SB 1.9, Ibn Umar

The true Muslim is one whose tongue and hand other Muslims do not fear. The true emigrant is one who flees what God has forbidden. — SB 19, Abdallah ibn Amr

When a man calls his fellow Muslim an infidel one of them certainly deserves that title! — SB 8.32, Abu Hurayra

None of you really believes until he desires for his fellow Muslim what he desires for himself. — SB 1.10, Anas

None of you is a complete believer unless he has more affection for me than he has for his father, for his children and for all the rest of the human race. — SB 1.10, Abu Hurayra

It is He who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon: each moves swiftly in its own orbit.Never have We granted life everlasting to any man before you. Should you yourself die, do they, perchance, hope to live forever?
Every soul shall taste death. We test you all with evil and good by way of trial. To Us you all must return. (The Prophets: 21: 33-35)

The first of these verses concludes references to a number of universal phenomena that are worthy of deep contemplation as they point clearly to the fact of creation and God’s power over every thing in the universe. "It is He who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon: each moves swiftly in its own orbit."

The night and day are two universal phenomena, while the sun and the moon are two great celestial bodies that are closely related to human life on Earth and to life generally. When we contemplate the succession of the day and night and the movement of the sun and the moon, we realize that they are so accurate to admit no defect, and so consistent to allow no failure. Such contemplation is sufficient to guide our hearts and minds to the facts that the law system that applies to them is one, the will governing them is one and their great Maker is one.

This first passage of the Surah, which we have been discussing over the last few weeks, concludes with an outline that links the laws relevant to the creation, formation and sustenance with those relevant to the nature and destiny of human life: "Never have We granted life everlasting to any man before you. Should you yourself die, do they, perchance, hope to live forever? Every soul shall taste death. We test you all with evil and good by way of trial. To Us you all must return."

In our lives we encounter some hard days in which we find ourselves in deep need of resorting back to God and although the invocation of God in all times is the assured path of success and advancement, the human being always forgets about invocation. An Arabic poet once said,

The human was not called (insan) except for his forgetfulness (Nisyehi)…and the first forgetful (Nas) is the first human…

The poet refers to the fact that the linguistic derivative of human or (insan) is forgetfulness or (Nisyan). God says in the Quran, “And We had already taken a promise from Adam before, but he forgot; and We found not in him determination.” 20:115

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Adam forgot and so did his lineage, and he erred and so did his lineage”. (Tirmidhi) We find in the Quran and the Prophetic traditions along with the biography of the righteous people that the path of invocation of God is the assured path which guarantees refinement of souls, recharging spiritual zeal, motivation to do goodness, prevention of evil deeds, fortress from depression and enlightenment of the heart. The invocation of God renews people’s lives and makes them apt to do their mission on earth in terms of worshiping God, refining their souls and developing the world.

The references of the importance of the invocation and the remembrance of God in the Quran are numerous, for example God says, “So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me”.2:152 “the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” 33:35 and “O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allah much that you may be successful.” 8:45 and “Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.” 29:54

Al-Muhassin ibn Muhammad ibn Karramah Al-Jushami Al-Baihaqi is better known by his title, Al-Hakim. His descent takes him back to Muhammad ibn Al-Hanafiyah who was a son of Ali ibn Abu Talib, through a later marriage than his first marriage to Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter. Sources differ as to whether Jushami, to which he is affiliated, was his hometown or his tribe, but we know that he was born in Ramadan 413 AH, corresponding to 1023 AD. He grew up in Khurasan, a part of today’s Iran.

Al-Hakim studied under a number of scholars who were students of Justice Abd Al-Jabbar, a scholar of high prominence who documented the intellectual thought and the theological approach of Al-Mu’tazilah. Al-Mu’tazilah was a school of Islamic theology, or Kalam, which went deep into discussing the nature of God’s attributes, leading to much unnecessary controversy. What was wrong with the approach of the Mu’tazilah is that it relied to a large extent on the human mind to go into a realm far beyond its scope or ability. Thus, it applied to God what is essentially relevant to man’s own world.

Al-Hakim had many teachers, but the main ones were Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq Al-Naisapuri (died 433) by whom he was greatly influenced, Ali ibn Abdullah (died 457) and Abdullah ibn Al-Hussain Al-Nassihi, who was Chief Justice (died 447). Apparently he did not frequent the circle of any scholar while the first of these three teachers was alive, but when he died, he frequented the circles of both the other two scholars, as well as attending others. He did not confine himself to the strict Mu’tazilah school. In fact, the third of the above three teachers disagreed with the Mu’tazilah on certain points, and he was a leading Hanafi scholar. Al-Hakim read the Hanafi Fiqh under him, as well as other subjects.

Al-Hakim had many students, but he mentions only four of them: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq Al-Khuwarizmi, Ali ibn Zaid Al-Rawqani, his own son Muhammad ibn Al-Muhassin and Imam Al-Zamakhshari, who wrote a well-known commentary on the Qur’an. The last two were instrumental in publicizing Al-Hakim’s books and teaching them to their students.

The parents are entitled by right to kind and dutiful treatment from their children. Since this is an important duty that Allah emphasized so strongly, it is essential for every human being to know what constitutes kind treatment of parents. It is no exaggeration to say that for a believer, to be a dutiful son or daughter is to take the way that surely leads to heaven.

We note first that Islam uses the Arabic word birr in connection with children's attitude towards their parents. The term connotes kindness, compassion, benevolence, and almost every aspect of good and generous treatment of others. One of Allah's own attributes is derived from this root. Allah is the "Barr," which means that His kindness, compassion, grace, and generosity never fail. Scholars say that this term includes everything that is good.

Muslim scholars divide birr into two main branches; financial and non-financial. In respect of children-parent relationship, if either or both parents are poor, children must support them according to their means.

This is not a matter of choice.Islam makes it a duty on the children to look after their parents, providing them with the same standard of living as they provide for their own children.

If children are well off, to go beyond the mere provision of what is necessary for a decent living, so as to allow their parents to share in the comforts and luxuries that they can afford, is to make an investment for the hereafter. Nothing goes amiss with Allah. Allah is pleased with any son and daughter who please their parents.

There was a time when words spoken were binding contracts; pledges held and honored, where an individual would act as a testimony to his character. Speech was not just words of folly, but rather true and honest communication between individuals. Often times we utter words heedlessly without realizing the impact it has on our hearts and in our lives, failing to comprehend the weight of what we have just spoken. We tend to abuse or misuse certain words as we throw them around, to the point where we use such words and phrases without truly understanding their meaning and the inner state of being that should come with it. Amongst these words and phrases is “for the sake of Allah” (lil Lah ta`ala).

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) mentions in Surat As-Saf, “O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.” (Qur’an, 61:2-3). Subhan Allah (glory be to God), let us ponder these verses for a moment. Typically, we may associate these verses with individuals who promise to do something but do not follow through, or lie in saying they have done something when they have not. However, we tend to forget that Allah (swt) addresses all of us when He says, “O you who have believed.” This is an admonition and a reminder for the believer which is of great benefit. Thus, when we say the words “for the Sake of Allah”, can our hearts and actions testify that we have truly acted for His Sake?

When we hear the words “for the sake of Allah”, how do we understand and interpret them? Do they even affect us? When we realize the power and depth of that phrase, it becomes the coolness of our eyes and nafs (soul). Our perception of life and the world around us changes to such a degree that you will strive to embody the lifestyle of the Prophets, the martyrs, the truthful ones and all those who follow in righteousness. We may know our true purpose is to worship Allah (swt) as He states in Surat al-Qaf; however, how many of us can truly say we try to live our lives for His Sake?