Islam

Friday Sermon: The World in Turmoil and the Killing Fields of Gaza

Published

8 months ago

April 19, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

“So do not lose hope, nor fall into despair, for you will be superior if you are true in faith.” (Surah Al-Imran; 139)

Our world is in big trouble. As world conditions worsen, more of us are suffering the tragic consequences of both natural disasters and man-made problems. Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider. Challenges are spreading farther. Today’s rarest commodities: hope and security are receding. We need hope — and more. We need action. We also need to ease the global insecurity and food crisis.

We already have reports of farmers in West Africa and beyond cultivating fewer crops because of the price or lack of availability of fertilizers, insecurity due to violent acts of terrorists and the fear of accessing their farms.

We need action across the board. We are in rough seas. A season of global discontent is on the horizon. A cost-of-living crisis is raging. Trust is crumbling. Inequalities are exploding. Hunger is everywhere. Our planet is burning. People are hurting – with the most vulnerable suffering the most. People are becoming hopeless and helpless. The United Nations Charter and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy.

And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age. Crises like the war in Ukraine and Gaza, the multiplication of conflicts around the globe. Crises like the climate emergency and biodiversity loss. Crises like the dire financial situation of developing countries and the fate of the Sustainable Development Goals. And crises like the lack of guardrails around promising new technologies to heal disease, connect people and expand opportunity.

Our world is in peril and paralyzed. Geopolitical divides are undermining the work of the Security Council; undermining international law; undermining trust and people’s faith in democratic institutions; undermining all forms of international cooperation. We cannot go on like this. Even the various groupings set up outside the multilateral system by some members of the international community have fallen into the trap of geopolitical divides, like in the G-20. At one stage, international relations seemed to be moving toward a G-2 world; now we risk ending up with G-nothing. No cooperation. No dialogue. No collective problem-solving.

But the reality is that we live in a world where the logic of cooperation and dialogue is the only path forward. No power or group alone can call the shots. No major global challenge can be solved by a coalition of the willing. We need a coalition of the world.

In Ukraine, war has unleashed widespread destruction with massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The fighting has claimed thousands of lives. Millions have been displaced. We are seeing the threat of dangerous divisions between West and South. The risks to global peace and security are immense.

In Libya, divisions continue to jeopardize the country. In Iraq, ongoing tensions threaten stability. In Israel and Palestine, cycles of violence under the occupation continue as prospects for peace based on a two-State solution grow ever more distant.

In Myanmar, the appalling humanitarian, human rights, and security situation is deteriorating by the day. In the Sahel, alarming levels of insecurity and terrorist activity amidst rising humanitarian needs continues to grow. In Syria, violence and hardship still prevail. The list goes on.

The world is embroiled in multiple crises – from disasters to conflict to climate emergency, threatening the right to health of millions globally, with those facing marginalization or vulnerability suffering the most.

The war in Ukraine has sparked the world’s fastest and largest displacement crisis in decades, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Many still in the country are without access to food, water, health care, and other essential supplies. The conflict also continues to have ripple effects across the world affecting the shipment of grains and fertilizer.

In Haiti gang violence and climate change combine for chaos as political instability and violence surge. Armed gangs regularly take control of distribution routes, causing shortages of basic goods and fuel.

In Mali, security and economic crises have left 6.2 million people in need of humanitarian support. The recent withdrawal of the U.N. peacekeeping force has raised safety concerns, especially of renewed fighting between the government and Tuareg armed groups in northern Mali.

Niger’s July 2023 coup has triggered political tensions with neighboring countries and led to the withdrawal of international security assistance. Public spending has decreased by 40%, weakening key services.

The situation in Burkina Faso grows increasingly dire as armed groups intensify their attacks and seize land. Some towns in northern Burkina Faso are almost entirely cut off. The price of food has increased 30 percent, among the highest food inflation rates in the world. Burkina Faso is facing rapidly growing and spreading violence as the Burkinabe military struggles to contain armed groups. Roughly half of the country is now outside government control, with armed groups including Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) blockading cities and towns and preventing residents from accessing basic goods and services.

South Sudan is still recovering from a civil war that ended in 2018. While conflict has decreased, localized fighting remains widespread. The country is one of the most fragile in the world. Climate disasters including severe floods and droughts make it increasingly difficult for people to access food and basic resources. Currently, 9 million people in South Sudan need humanitarian assistance. This amounts to 72% of the population. Despite severe flooding, destroyed crops and disease outbreaks, funding shortages forced the World Food Program to suspend part of its food aid.

Syria: Years of war trigger a health crisis. Over a decade of war has destroyed Syria’s health system and left the country on the brink of economic collapse. A decade of conflict in neighboring Lebanon has further increased food prices and poverty. Currently, 75 percent of Syrians are unable to meet their most basic needs and millions rely on humanitarian aid.

The crisis in Yemen is deepening as an eight-year conflict between armed groups and government forces remains unresolved. While a ceasefire reduced fighting for several months, it collapsed and failed to mitigate the economic and health consequences of conflict. As it stands, 80 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty and 2.2 million children are acutely malnourished.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); following the collapse of a truce between the government and the armed group M23. This exacerbated a protracted crisis that had already exposed millions of Congolese to conflict, political tensions, economic pressures, climate shocks and persistent disease outbreaks. The country entered 2024 with 25.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance—more than any other country on earth.

The magnitude of the crisis has strained services, created high levels of food insecurity, and fueled the spread of disease.

Afghanistan: An entire population is pushed into poverty. Since the shift in power, Afghans remain in economic collapse while the root cause of the crisis persists. Ongoing efforts to engage the government and improve the economy have fallen short. Almost the entire population is now living in poverty. Afghan women and girls experience the brunt of this hardship. They remain at risk of violence and exploitation. And many are left without a voice as the government places bans on education, dress, travel, and political participation for women.

Across Ethiopia, livelihoods have been decimated by three consecutive years of drought alongside multiple conflicts and now, there is a risk of El Niño-induced flooding. The November 2022 ceasefire between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) continues to hold in northern Ethiopia, but other conflicts, particularly in the central Oromia region and in Amhara in the northwest, are fueling humanitarian needs and raising the risk of a return to large-scale fighting. Persistent inflation is further deepening the crisis.

After facing five consecutive failed rainy seasons, Somalia is now experiencing widespread flooding. These repeated climate shocks have devastated agricultural lands, damaged critical infrastructure, and driven humanitarian needs. The country entered 2024 with 4.3 million people facing crisis levels of food insecurity and a limited ability to restore food production. An ongoing government offensive against the armed group al-Shabaab risks driving civilian harm and displacement, further worsening conditions for 6.9 million in need of humanitarian aid.

This is no natural disaster, decades of conflict have eroded Somalia’s ability to respond to shocks of any kind, destroying systems and infrastructure that would have provided a guardrail against the current crisis. For instance, with its food production decimated by climate change and conflict, Somalia’s dependence on imports has proven disastrous—over 90% of its wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine.

We live in a world run by greedy and selfish people, where the majority of humans, even the ones that think they are “good”, take advantage of the disadvantaged and hurt others for gain. People are losing the capacity to think beyond themselves, our priorities are a mess and most of us are crippled by or manipulated by fear. People aren’t raised with a sense of obligation, charity, or any kind of social action or sacrifice. We derive pleasure from hurting each other.

Qualitatively we are in a constantly worsening state. For all our progress, technological ability we have reached a generation where human life had become completely aimless, and purposeless.

Moreover, after all the experiments with different ideologies we have clearly failed with liberal, parliamentary democracy, free market capitalism, and we stagnate in a state of limbo. In actual fact, democracy has failed us; No dividend, whatsoever.

We evolved into a globally integrated, interdependent system and we are desperately helpless in adapting to it as our inherently individualistic, egocentric, subjective nature is incompatible with such a system.

There are those who believe the chaos and turmoil we see in the world is a part of Bible prophecy. See Matthew 24:3–14, Mark 13:3–13, Luke 21:7–19, 2 Timothy 3:1–5,13,2 Peter 3:3,4, l.

Despite the many problems we see today, the Quran gives us a positive hope for the future: Do not lose hope, nor be sad. You will surely be victorious if you are true in Faith. (Quran 3:139)

Let us remember the killing fields of Gaza and the missile rattling between Iran and Israel and the possibilities of a wider conflagration.

Continue to pray for the Palestinians. The extent of the oppression they are facing is reaching new heights and increasing day by day. May Allah Almighty create the means to seize the oppressors and bring relief to the oppressed Palestinians. May Allah Almighty also grant wisdom and understanding to the neighboring countries, so that their voices may unite, and they strive to fulfil the rights of their brethren. Amin

“Your fate has been written with the ink of His love and sealed with His mercy so fear not, place your trust in Him and have hope in His decree.” (Gems of Jannah).

Barka Juma’at and happy weekend.

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Islam

Friday Sermon: Enemies of the People! 2

Published

6 days ago

December 13, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you that ye may receive admonition. (Quran 16:90)

It was the late Chinua Achebe who wrote in his book, “There was a Country” that, “Nigeria is plagued by a home grown enemy: political ineptitude, mediocrity, indiscipline, ethnic bigotry, hedonism, hereditary spiritual paganism and monumental corruption of the ruling class.’ (Italics mine)

In 2015 a case commenced against the former governor of Borno State involving about ₦300 billion. This was not all: the EFCC also wanted to know “how he raised $72million to buy a G650 Gulfstream aircraft after leaving office in 2011. The politician has at least two private jets.” To this the EFCC also accused the governor of “benefiting from $200 million released by the former administration to facilitate Boko Haram ceasefire in a neighboring country in 2014. Whether and to what extent the $200 million were embezzled or only partly raked off is not mentioned. Suffice it to state that this office holder was at the higher levels of the pyramid of public fund skimmers. Later he decamped to the ruling APC. We found no further information about the status of his case which appears to be ‘pending’.

The so-called ‘Armsgate’ scandal identified theft of at least $2.1 billion and probably far more, over the period 2007 to 2015 through use of fake contracts for military equipment that failed to materialize.

Among others, they procured second-hand helicopters at a highly inflated price of $ 136 million which should have cost about $ 30 million. Having no rotor blades they proved to be useless anyhow. This group of soldiers diverted ₦ 3.6 billion belonging to the Nigerian Air Force for their own use, purchasing property in both London and Lagos Island. Property and assets valued at ₦ 2.7 billion were in the end forfeited.

Ten years ago was the case of our run-away petroleum minister, ‘the lady with the golden bra’, who was credited with managing to put jollof rice worth billions of Naira and dollars in her brassiere. Despite forfeiting many property to the government, she is still at large, a fugitive from justice, albeit a rich one, as a result of profits from criminal enterprise.

She was able to use her influence to direct a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to award contracts to shell companies (created in Nigeria) that were owned by existing business associates in return for substantial bribes. From Nigeria, the proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts were used for the purchase of various assets, including extensive property in London, a $50 million condominium located in one of Manhattan’s most expensive buildings – 157 W. 57th Street. They were also used to purchase the Galactica Star, an $80 million yacht.

• Permanent forfeiture of 2,149 pieces of jewellery and a customized gold iPhone worth $40 million

• ₦ 23,5 bn and $ 5milion in various Nigerian bank accounts

• Property in Nigeria: worth between £5.5 million and £17 million

• Properties in London: (i) £ 1.73 million property sold for £ 2.8 million before the court order; (ii) Hampstead:property sold for £ 5,85 million also before the court order; (iii) three further properties in London collectively valued at £11.5 million, two of which were sold for £5.5 million before action could be taken.

• Property in New York: A $50 million Condominium in Manhattan and an $80 million Yacht.

Final forfeiture of a total of 56 houses to the Federal Government. The properties valued at about $21,982,224 are located in Lagos and Port Harcourt, River State.

What manner of unbridled acquisition would make a man or a consortium of thieves concoct the real estate heist reported recently by the EFCC. The courts declared a permanent forfeiture of the unbelievable sprawling Abuja property with 753 duplexes and other apartments located in the Cadastral Zone area of the capital city. Am sure they were thinking of vying with the Federal Housing Authority.

In the docks today is a former governor who is being charged for the minor infraction of ducking over a 100 billion of state funds in his back pocket. According to the EFCC the former governor misused state funds to acquire properties, in various parts of Abuja worth N950 million, N100 million and N920 million respectively.

The main issue is that our man paid the sum of $845,852 to the American School, with State Government’s fund, being lifetime school fees for his children. The American School has since refunded $760,910 to the EFCC which demanded it.

However, he was also accused of transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA, and possessing unlawfully obtained property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited. All these were for his private enjoyment after working tirelessly for the welfare of his people for 8 years.

There was also the case of a man charged with keeping watch over the national treasury who forgot over 109 billion Naira in the pocket of his raincoat, which he discovered when he got home. The rascal decided it was not worth returning because the wife would not hear of it. She made the proverb that ‘whatever cloth is sewn for the egungun, automatically belongs to the egungun’.

“Some of the former governors who were charged to court in the past ten years and whose cases have not been concluded by the court and which the EFCC have decided to revive include; Ayo Fayose, Rasheed Ladoja, Joshua Dariye; was sentenced and pardoned, Chimaroke Nnamani, Orji Uzor Kalu, Jolly Nyame; was sentenced and pardoned, Abdullahi Adamu, Lucky Igbinedion; enter a plea bargain, Sullivan Chime, Theodore Orji, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wamako, Timipre Sylva and Sule Lamido. Most of them have found themselves in and out of the Senate and other political positions and EFCC have abandoned most of those cases without trial.

“They never went back to court to list most of these cases for trial. What type of society do we belong to in this country? Meanwhile, the EFCC are parading around that they convicted over 2000 cases most of whom are internet fraudsters and petty thieves. As long as we have sacred cows, corruption in Nigeria will continue to increase.

Shameless hooligans, they will not be deterred in their wanton gluttony and avaricious tendencies. On a good Sunday morning, they line the Lagos Mariner with their exotic cars in front of the Cathedral Church of Christ and other places of Sunday worship; paying fat-fat tithes, thinking they can bribe God; forgetting that God is not a hypocrite and will never lend His Holy name to brigandage and unholy parade of ignominy.

We see them too at the mosques on Fridays: Here too, the weekly admonition to do good deeds and eschew Alfasha, injustice and conspiracy are strange to their ears. Like the Quran said, they are deaf, dumb and blind; and would not listen or follow the straight path.

But they cannot mock God: ‘A thousand Samuels cannot escape from God’.

They forget so soon that God is a God of retribution: ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ Numbers 14:18

The Prophet (SAW) said: “Allah does not punish the individuals for the sins of the community until they see the evil spreading among themselves, and while they have the power to stop it, do not do so.” (Ahmad).

Today, many of our Imams, pastors and political bootlickers are guilty of this and for sure, they have earned a visa to hell fire!“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” ― Dante Alighieri:

The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout like a goatherd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom.(Quran 2:171)

To this extent therefore, we should today take a firm stand against corrupt and inept leaders. Enough is enough!

Those who have ears, let them listen; for, when ‘the come comes to become’, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Happy posthumous birthday to our late patriarch and father Dr. Ismail Babatunde Jose OFR. He would have been 99 today. May Allah continue to keep him in Aljannatul Firdous. Inna Lillah wa Inna Illehi rajiun.

Barka Juma’at and happy weekend

Islam

Friday Sermon: The Concept of Predestination

Published

2 weeks ago

December 7, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

The idea of divine providence also known as the divine decree or predestination—that everything has already been decreed by the Creator from eternity — has troubled theologians and philosophers for centuries.

How can we reconcile the two apparently contradictory facts that Allah has absolute power and sovereignty over all creation and that at the same time we are responsible for our actions? Are we forced to do what we do, or are our choices meaningful?

This question led to one of the earliest sectarian schisms in the Muslim community, between the Qadarites, who believed in absolute human free will (Allah has no control over us), and the Jabarites, who believed in absolute determinism and fatalism (we have no control over our actions).

Each of these groups developed an extreme and misguided theology. If Allah has no control, then why call upon Allah in prayer? And if we have no control over our actions and fate, why do any good deeds at all?

Not only was this question a sharp controversy in early Islamic history, it has been an important issue throughout history for both religious and secular reasons. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, Born: 384 BC, Died: 322 BC, wrote seriously on the topic because of its implications for understanding order in the universe, the origin of life, human freedom, and happiness.

Today, it is the subject of complex academic debate, under the heading of determinism. Muslims have also experienced doubts in their faith due to the myriad of philosophical conundrums that arise from it.

Though all things have already been decreed from eternity, Allah has the power to change destiny based upon the choices we make. We are, indeed, morally responsible for our actions and our free will has associated with it a measure of control, limited under the sovereignty of Allah, to determine our ultimate fate.

God can change the death sentence of man as He did that of Hezekiah: Isaiah 38:1-5“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.”

“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah that: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.…

There is no doubt, God is merciful and faithful.

In orthodox Islam, God’s control over what happens in his creation is absolute. “Allah has decreed all things from eternity”. He knows that they will happen, when they will happen, how they will happen, and “He has written that and willed it”. al-Qada’ wa’l-Qadar by Dr ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Mahmoud, p. 39.

“He knows what is in land and sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it.”(Q.6:59)

But at the same time, human beings in their life on earth have the choice to do good or evil (Free will), are responsible for their actions, and will be rewarded or punished according to an eternal afterlife.

How can human beings be responsible for this, and even be punished with eternal torment in hell for it?

The question is not unique to Islam, and the debate over whether free will exists is not even limited to religion. According to Justin Parrott of the Islamic Yaqeen Institute, “it has been an important issue throughout history”.

According to Maria De Cillis, “the apparently unsolvable conflict between the concepts of free will and determinism (or divine predetermination)” has not only been “a matter of great interest” but also of “heated controversy”, extending beyond academia and the ulama and into politics “by virtue of the repercussions that this debate has in a social context”.

For example, when tyrannical and corrupt authorities encourage fatalism towards tyranny and corruption by pointing out that these maladies are “divinely willed and preordained”. De Cillis, Maria (22 April 2022). “ISLAM: Muslims and Free Will”.

According to Justin Parrott, “the idea … that everything has already been decreed by the Creator from eternity and the “myriad of philosophical conundrums that arise” from the issue has caused some Muslims to experience doubts of faith. “Are we forced to do what we do, or are our choices meaningful?”

De Cillis writes that the issue was so sensitive, that the Prophet (SAW) allegedly taught believers to abstain from considerations about destiny (qadar), calling it ‘a deep sea, a dark path and God’s secret’.

One of the most authoritative Sunni intellectuals, the theologian and Sufi master, Abū Hamid al-Ghazali (d.1111), reports in his masterpiece, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, the tradition according to which Muhammad (SAW) … proclaimed: “Refrain from speaking about qadar.”

As a result, the scholars emphasized that providence is a secret of Allah and that “going too deeply into it philosophically” will lead to “misguidance”. The creed of Al-Tahawi warns “that providence” is such a secret that even God’s most obedient and holy creatures were not let in on the mystery.

What is the essence of striving when the end state is already pre-ordained? The catch here is that that end, or preordainment is never known to man but only God. If it were known that I would be rich and famous, why would I make any effort. To this end, it is only God that knows the end state.

The answer to the conjectures above is very simple. Man cannot strive against the destiny that was not revealed to him. Therefore, because destiny is never revealed, life is a struggle against an unknown fate. We struggle, pray, and supplicate because we are never sure of what our ‘ori’ has chosen. This therefore brings into question the related concept of fatalism.

Those who embrace fatalism believe that bad events cannot be avoided…and they are powerless to change the future. Thus they wallow in misery, poverty and impoverishment.

Fatalism is a false, misleading, dangerous, and manipulative premise. What will be is not necessarily what must be!

This exactly is the bane of our people when we resign our fate to the spiritual realm: God will deliver us from our clueless and thieving leaders. We congregate in churches and mosques to pray for deliverance when we should be on the barricade fighting for our freedom and emancipation.

“The Greek idea of fate is moira, which means “portion.” But there is more to life than just fate. There is also genetics, environment, economics, and so on. So, it’s not all written in the book before you get here, such that you don’t have to do anything. That’s fatalism.” — James Hillman

Fatalism is a tool of the weak, lazy, indolent and for those inflicted with a courage deficit … it’s their way of giving up, surrendering freedoms, and accepting the inevitable (without putting up a fight). Those who embrace fatalism believe that bad events cannot be avoided…and they are powerless to change the future. Yet, ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ said Dale Carnegie.

In retrospect, the various schools present a conundrum that could lead the enquirer to the warm embrace of atheism.

Perhaps it would suffice to hearken to the wise counselling of the Holy Prophet (SAW) that man should not dabble into concepts which are the exclusive preserve of Allah. Providence is a secret of Allah and “going too deeply into it philosophically” will lead to “misguidance.”

When people adhere to apocalyptic prophecies, they usually do so because they believe in predestiny.

But does predestiny really exist? For the sake of argument, let us assume that it does: at any given moment in the present, there is a future already created that is as solid and as real as any moment in the past or present. Perhaps time is not as linear as we have believed. If such a future already exists, does that mean that it is inevitable and must occur? No.

The point being made is that the future is shaped largely by intention backed by action: the stronger the intention and the better it is backed up by action, the more solid the future will tend to be.

Some people would argue that the true seer would foresee the future and predict our destiny. Prophecy has really only one value: as a tool to either change or ensure the future. The future is therefore malleable. A future reality, no matter how solid it is or how many prophets have agreed to its existence, can be changed.

It will be irreversible only if people continue to perform, or fail to perform, those actions which will cause that future to come about, and no one does anything effective enough to counter those actions or inactions.

This is exactly where we find ourselves today. Complacency and imperviousness to change which erroneously has been termed resilience; but truly, our ‘Mumu’ never end. The day it ends we will chart a new destiny for ourselves and our children.

Let the oppressed, pauperized, and impoverished gather their acts and struggle to remove the shackles of socio-economic impoverishment they have been subjected to over the ages. It is time to set the captives free. Man was not destined for poverty and destitution; these are manmade conditions and only man himself can resolve to remove the shackles.

Happy birthday to our amiable sister Abimbola Kuru 5^th December. May Allah bless her new age and preserve her.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.

Islam

Friday Sermon: Of Prayers and Supplications

Published

3 weeks ago

November 29, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

O ye who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. Quran 2:153

In Islam, prayers (Salah) and supplications (Dua) play a crucial role as a direct means of communication with Allah, allowing Muslims to express gratitude, seek forgiveness, ask for needs, and strengthen their connection with God through acts of humility and submission, with the practice considered a vital pillar of Islamic faith, reinforcing the believer’s devotion and guiding their daily life with spiritual awareness; essentially, it’s a way to connect with the divine and receive blessings throughout the day.

Key aspects of prayer and supplication in Islam are: Five Daily Prayers (Salah); Supplication (Dua): This is a personal plea or request made directly to Allah, which can be done at any time, including during the formal prayers, and can encompass anything from seeking guidance to asking for help in personal matters. Then there is Humility and Submission: The posture of prayer, including prostration (Sujood), symbolizes deep humility and submission to Allah.

Prayers are a time for Muslims to reflect on their actions, seek forgiveness for shortcomings, and renew their commitment to righteous living. Performing congregational prayers fosters a sense of unity and brotherhood among Muslims.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) emphasized the importance of supplication and taught Muslims specific duas for various situations in life, further guiding their practice. These are contained in various publications: Prayers of the Prophet e.t.c.

Prayer strengthens our faith and influences us to do more good deeds. It creates strong bonds of unity among the Muslims, especially when the prayer is performed as a congregation at a masjid. It also serves as an excellent relief for stress and worry.

It is also recommended for the worshipper to recite thereafter the following supplication: “La Ilaha Ilal-Lahu Wahdahu, Laa Sharika Lahu, Lahul-Mulku, Walahul-Hamdu, Wahuwa Alaa Kuli Shey-In Qadiir” which means: “There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the sovereignty, and His the praise, and He has power over everything.”

Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., “Please spare my life.”) or on behalf of someone else.

Prayer and supplication are different but connected aspects of spiritual devotion. Prayer is a wider way of connecting with the divine, while supplication involves making passionate, specific requests during times of deep need or desire.

When we are weary and feeling down, we pray to God: Heavenly Father, I come before you with my needs, trusting in Your boundless provision and unfailing love. Help me to lean on You and not rely solely on my own efforts. Remind me to come boldly and persistently in prayer, knowing that You are more than able to handle any challenge I face.

Daily prayers help Muslims build a personal relationship with Allah and strengthen their faith. Praying regularly fosters humility and modesty by reminding individuals of their place in the universe. The act of praying has a calming effect, reducing stress and anxiety, and promoting mental clarity.

Prayer is therefore a conversation with God where you can express your thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires. You can also listen to what God may say to you. Prayer can help you develop a relationship with God and understand his loving nature. While supplication is a humble and earnest request to God for specific needs or desires. Supplication is generally a request for the person praying, unlike a prayer of petition, which is praying on behalf of others.

Prayer too is a vital part of the Christian faith. It is a way for believers to communicate with God, seek His guidance, express gratitude, and make requests.

Supplication plays a significant role in deepening our relationship with God. It allows us to express our dependence on Him and grow in trust.

The nature of supplication is much more heartfelt than a casual request. The word “supplication” means a humble, earnest entreaty or request.

Supplication literally means “a request or petition.” In a spiritual context, a person who makes supplications humbly presents his requests before God.

When we pray to request something from God, this is known as supplication, “to plead humbly.” Alternatively, we can pray in thanksgiving, simply praising God.

Supplication is the brain and soul of prayers. When we pray alone we supplicate to the content of our heart. Anything and everything we can think of, we beg our Gracious Rabb for it and hope for early acceptance.

Or, Who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and Who relieves its suffering, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Little it is that ye heed.(Quran 27: 62)

From Whom do the weak and the oppressed seek victory? Who does everyone beseech? He is Allah. None has the right to be worshipped except Him.

Therefore it is most advisable for you and I to invoke Him during times of both hardship and ease, to seek shelter with Him in difficult times, and to plead at His doorstep with tears of repentance. Then will His help and relief quickly arrive. “So, surely with hardship comes ease” – (Quran 94:5)

He saves the one who is drowning, gives victory to the oppressed, guides the misguided, cures the sick, and provides relief to the afflicted.

He hears all and answers those who supplicate to Him. Invoke Me [and ask Me for anything], I will respond to your [invocation] (Qur’an 40: 60)

If you are living through affliction and pain, remember Allah, call out His name, and ask Him for help. Place your forehead on the ground and mention His praises, so that you can obtain true freedom. Raise your hands in supplication and ask of Him constantly. Cling to His door, have good thoughts about Him, and wait for His help — you will then find true happiness and success.

Today, therefore we raise our hands in prayer and supplication for our son Akinola Jose, last child of our brother OSHA, who is currently in the ICU in a San Diego hospital, after he was run over by a drunk driver last Friday.

He was completely flattened literally. But we give thanks to God that he is being attended to by a crop of very capable doctors and specialists, under the Glory of the Almighty, he has been responding.

Please pray for Akinola, for a complete restoration from head to toe. And pray for his worried parents for Allah to grant them relief as soon as possible.

Nothing is too much for God to do. For the Psalmist said: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. . . (Psalm 121)

Surah Al-Fatiha: The Prophet (SAW) named this as the chapter of healing. Al-Fatiha known as surah Shifa is also known by several other names, such as Al-Hamd (The Praise), As-Salah (The Prayer), Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book), Umm al-Quran (Mother of the Quran), Sab’a min al-Mathani (Seven Repeated Ones, from Quran 15:87), and Ash-Shifa’ (The Cure). It is reputed as the best prayer for healing.

We therefore invoke Surah Al Fatiha for the healing of our son Akinola. May Allah accept our prayers and supplications, Aameen.

We pray: Allahumma Rabban-naas adhhibil-ba’sa washfi Antash-Shaafi laa shifaa’a illaa shifaa’uk shifaa’an laa yughaadiru saqamaa: O Allah, the Lord of mankind, remove the difficulty and bring about healing as You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that will leave no ailment.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend