Hadhrat ‘Uqbah ibn Aamir Radhiyallaho anhu (ra) has said:”Rasullullah sallallahu alaihi wassallam (saw) came to us while we were sitting on the suffah and asked if any one of us would like to go to the market of But-haan and Aqeeq and fetch from there two she-
camels of the finest breed without committing any sin or severing a tie of kinship. We replied that everyone of us would love to do so. Rasullullah saw (pbuh) then said that going to the masjid and reciting or teaching two ayaat of the Qur’an is more precious than three she-camels, and that similarly reciting or teaching of four ayaat is better than four she-camels and n equal number of camels.”
‘suffah’ is the name of a particular raised platform in the Masjid of the Prophet Muhammd saw (pbuh) in Madinah. It used to be occupied by the poor Muslim Muhajirin (emigrants-plural of muhajir-emigrant from Makkah to Madinah) who is known as “Ashab-us-Suffah” (men of Suffah). The number of these men varied from time to time: ‘Alllamah Suyuti Rahmatullah alaih has listed one hundres and one names and also written an independent booklet about their names.
But-haan and Aqeeq were the two market-places for camels near Madinah. The camel, more particularly a she-camel having a fat hump, was a favorite of the Arabs.
The expression ‘without sin’ is significant. A thing can be acquired without labor either by extortion, through illegal inheritance (by forcefully taking over the property of some relative) or by theft. Rasullullah saw (pbuh) thus ruled out all such acquisitions. Acquiring a thing without any sin is certainly preferred by all, but much more valuable is the learning of a few ayaat.
It is clear fact that let alone one or two camels, even if one acquires the kingdom of all the seven continents one will be forced to leave it, if not today surely tomorrow (at the time of death), but the reward of one ayat will be everlasting. We see even in this life that a man feels happier when he is given only one RM (without the condition of returning it), rather than if he is given one thousand RM for keeping in his safe custody for a while only. In the letter case, he is merely burdened with a trust without getting any benefit out of it. In fact, this hadith implies and admonition not to compare something temporary with something eternal. Whether in action or a rest, a man should consider if his efforts are being wasted on acquiring the temporary gains of this world, or, are directed towards achieving the everlasting ones. Woe be to the waste of effort for which we earn eternal misery. The last phrase of the hadith “superior to an equal number of camels” contains three meanings. First, up to the number four, the reward has been mentioned in detail. Beyond this, it is briefly mentioned that the more ayaat a person acquires, the greater will be their superiority over the number of camels. In this case, the word “camels” at the end refers to the species - either he-camels or she-camels - and the number implied is more than four because, up to the number four, the reward has been mentioned in detail. The second meaning is that numbers mentioned are the same as referred to earlier, the significance being that inclinations are always different; some are fond of she-camels, others preferred he-camel. Therefore, Rasullullah saw (pbuh) has used this expression to signify that every ayat is superior to a she-camel, and if one prefers a he-camel, an ayat is also superior to a he-camel. The third meaning is that the numbers mentioned are the same as referred to before and not more than four. According to the second meaning, the explanation that an ayat is superior to a she-camel or he-camel does not hold good, but it implies a collection, i.e. one ayat is superior to a he-camel and a she-camel considered together, and likewise every ayat is superior to the combination of an equal number of he-camels or she-camels. Thus a single ayat has been compared to a pair or couple (of camels). My late father (May Allah bless his grave with Divine light) has preferred the later interpretation because it points to a superior virtue. This however, does not mean that the reward of an ayat can be equaled to a camel or two camels. All this is for inducement and illustration. It has been clearly written before that an ayat whose reward is permanent and enduring is superior and preferable even to a kingdom over the seven continents, which is bound to disintegrate.
Mulla ‘Ali Qari has written an account of a pious Sheikh who went to Makkah for Hajj on the 9th day of Dhulhijjah – the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. When he landed at Jeddah, some of his friends in business requested him to prolong his stay in Jeddah, so that they could earn more profit for their merchandise y virtue of his blessed presence. In fact they wanted that some of the servants of the Sheikh be benfited by the profits of their business. At first the Sheikh expressed his inability to prolong his stay, but when they insisted, the Sheikh asked them as to maximum profit they would earn for their goods. They explained that the profit was not the same in all cases; but the maximum that they could expect was hundred per cent. The Sheikh said, “you have taken all this trouble for such a petty gain; for such an insignificant gain. I cannot miss the solat in the respected Haram (the most Sacred Masjid), where the reward of solat gets multiplied one hundred thousand times.” In fact, we Muslims should consider how, for petty worldly gains, we sometimes sacrifice great spiritual benefits.
The winner in his category - M Asri.
Afiqah with her casual attire sprint to the finishing line. She managed to secure a 2nd runner up position. Not bad anyway. Congrats!!
M Aiman struggling all the way to the finish line. Not last though. But what is most important the spirit of participation for the good course.
Alhamdullillah, I was asked by my boss, Senior General Manager Plant Division MLNG to represent MLNG in the year Majlis Tilawah Al Quran Peringkat Sabah, Sarawak, dan WP Labuan 2011. This year, the event was hosted by Carigali Miri, Sarawak. MLNG lead by Hj Bahrain managed to secure 1st runner. Well, what is most important was the participation.
Note: the above photos were taken by non professional photographer using iPad. Hence the quality is not very satisfactory.
The unique birthday cake from TwinzBites, her beloved systers' Bakery and Cafe. Especially and custom made for her 42nd birthday, the cake depicts her favorite 'hobby' - on-line via her iPhone.
Hadhrat ‘Uqbah ibn Aamir Radhiyallaho anhu (ra) has said:”Rasullullah sallallahu alaihi wassallam (saw) came to us while we were sitting on the suffah and asked if any one of us would like to go to the market of But-haan and Aqeeq and fetch from there two she-
