Welcome to the 12th episode of Heavenly Call on the occasion of the blessed fasting month of Ramadhan.

We start with the special supplication of the 12^th day, please listen:

“O Allah, adorn me this day with modesty and chastity, and cover me in it with the garments of contentment and sufficiency! Urge me therein toward justice and fairness, and grant me security in it from all that I fear; with Your protection, O Preserver of the frightened.”

The blessed month of Ramadhan is a good opportunity to strengthen the resolve to do good, compensate for faults and shortcomings of the past, and seek forgiveness for sins. Deed is the inseparable part of faith. Whenever, God mentions faith in the holy Qur’an, this term is immediately followed by righteous deed. Deeds can be divided into of verbal and behavioral categories. The tongue and what it utters is very important as it is the mirror of the heart and soul. The tongue reflects the intention and what crosses the mind. Just note what ayah 70 Surah Ahzaab says:

“O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah and speak upright words.”

As could be clear, the tongue and what speaks has a great bearing on one’s faith. The tongue is one of the great divine bounties and deserves gratitude and appreciation. Gratitude and appreciation of every bounty means using it for the purpose that God has created it. We read in a hadith from Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny):

“The faith of no servant of God will be correct unless his heart is correct; and this will occur when his tongue is correct and controlled.”

What ayah 70 of Surah Ahzaab points to, are upright words. It means the words that are firm and accurate, and neither cause harm to oneself nor to others. If Godwariness is not internalized in a faithful person he will not be able to speak upright words. Upright words stem from faith and Godwariness. It is narrated that the Prophet would always read this ayah whenever he stood at the pulpit.

One of the signs of an upright word is that it is accompanied with wisdom and admonition. The Wise God orders His Messenger in ayah 125 of surah Nahl:

“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice.”

Without doubt, if a word is wise and firm it will greatly impact the listener, especially when it is accompanied with advice and goodwill. Human beings naturally are fond of principled, rational and logical words. Perhaps, for this reason God says in ayah 269 of surah Baqara:

“He gives wisdom to whomever He wishes, and he who is given wisdom, is certainly given an abundant good.”

One of the reasons of the holy Qur’an’s deep influence on hearts and minds, and the key to understanding its continued impact throughout ages and centuries is its timeless wisdom, coupled with its flawless eloquence that no other book or literati can match.

The ayahs of the Qur’an are so upright and firm that nobody has been able to bring a single ayah similar to it in spite of the fact that holy Qur’an itself has challenged everybody for nearly 15 centuries to bring an ayah or surah like it. The first ayah of surah Houd introduces the Qur’an:

“Alif, Lam, Raa; the Book whose signs have been made definitive and then elaborated, from the One (Who is) the All-Wise, the All-Aware.”

Thus, God, the All-Wise, orders the faithful and the Godwary to utter logical and upright words that reflect their faith in God Who has sent down the Wise Book for them. Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), as the Last and Greatest Messenger, has taught mankind how to tread the straight and unwavering path of God, by speaking upright and wise words.

In view of these facts, the best way to foil the plots of the enemies of Islam, who intend to tarnish the image of the message of the Seal of Messengers by propagandizing the American version of Islam that is devoid of spirituality, is to enlighten and awaken public opinion through logic and wisdom. The performance of morally upright deeds and utterance of virtuous words is the main factor in this regard.     

RM/AS/SS