"And what will apprise thee of the steep pass? [It is] the freeing of a slave, or giving food at a time of famine to an orphan near of kin, or an indigent, clinging to the dust, while being one of those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to compassion. Those are the companions of the right."
Quran, 90:12-18
Here is the middle section of surah 90, usually rendered as al-Balad or "The Land." As we know, the surahs get shorter and shorter as the Quran progresses so, since this is surah 90 out of 114, it's going to be a short one (on my less optimistic days I fear that this is the only lesson my students learn in my Dar al-Islam classes). As I was saying yesterday, I'm seemingly inexorably drawn to surahs or ahadith that help us understand how to treat each other on a day to day basis. I don't know whether this is my pragmatic Hoosier background or my very small, smooth brain. Not surprisingly then, I tagged this one in my lovingly beat-up Study Quran. While belief in God may be understood pre-condition to everything else, but it still makes clear that the "companions of the right" are those that do very tangible acts that either help other people or which makes them a better person (which, in the end, helps other people). While the admonition to free a slave seems awfully dated, sadly there are millions and millions of people who live as slaves today so I guess it's still a message that would resonate with people. On top of that we are encouraged to help orphans and others in need. And then we are reminded that Heaven, no matter how you define it, is the final domain of "those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to compassion."
Quran, 90:12-18
Here is the middle section of surah 90, usually rendered as al-Balad or "The Land." As we know, the surahs get shorter and shorter as the Quran progresses so, since this is surah 90 out of 114, it's going to be a short one (on my less optimistic days I fear that this is the only lesson my students learn in my Dar al-Islam classes). As I was saying yesterday, I'm seemingly inexorably drawn to surahs or ahadith that help us understand how to treat each other on a day to day basis. I don't know whether this is my pragmatic Hoosier background or my very small, smooth brain. Not surprisingly then, I tagged this one in my lovingly beat-up Study Quran. While belief in God may be understood pre-condition to everything else, but it still makes clear that the "companions of the right" are those that do very tangible acts that either help other people or which makes them a better person (which, in the end, helps other people). While the admonition to free a slave seems awfully dated, sadly there are millions and millions of people who live as slaves today so I guess it's still a message that would resonate with people. On top of that we are encouraged to help orphans and others in need. And then we are reminded that Heaven, no matter how you define it, is the final domain of "those who believe and exhort one another to patience, and exhort one another to compassion."
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