Study Piece - The Youth of the Cave

I've been watching tafseers by my favorite scholar Nouman Ali Khan. One in particular intrigued me, a lecture on Sura Al-Kahf. He explained that some suras give correction and direction on historical events like wars and jurisprudence. Sura Al-Kahf is different. There is a reason why we are urged to read it each Friday. This sura is so full of archetypal, symbolic and historical meaning you could spend your lifetime studying it and never know all there is to know.
Nouman presents a case for the Catholic history involving the sleepers in the cave. He sites the need to honor the legacy of what came before and take it further. He discusses the Jacobite Christians of Syriac and Arabia and their knowledge of the Youth of the cave. My Catholic background never mentioned this story, or at least I was never formally taught about it. My plan is to research this story and see how it relates to what the Qur'an has to say.
Apparently the Arabic Christians had festivals relating to the youth's story so it was considered auspicious and vitally important to them. The oldest historical record is not Syriac. It stems from the Greek theologian Stephen of Ephesus. There are also many murals in churches that depict the sleeping youths and sometimes their dog in a small space, sometimes on top of each other, sometimes with halos, sometimes not. The Catholic version describes the youth as martyrs. It also confirms the resurrection of body and soul together. Early Catholics began to treat the youth as saintly and capable of intercession. This idea is ironic because they were persecuted for making a religious and political stand against their polytheistic King by refusing to worship idols. My next task is to learn more about these youth. To be continued...

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She Plays With Dolls

girl hugging baby doll by Sarah Rypma Aisha (ra) was noted to play with dolls. Aisha reported: I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and my girlfriends would play with me. When the Messenger of Allah would enter, they would hide themselves but he would call them to join me and play with me. Source: Sahih Bukhari 5779 Aisha (ra) stands out as a model wife and is often noted as being Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) favourite and therefore worthy of close study of the qualities that made her such. A popular fact about Aisha (ra) is that she played with dolls. The purpose of hadiths are to transmit the sunnah for the benefit of mankind down through the ages. “Whosoever followed the Messenger, has indeed followed Allah.” (Surah an-Nisa, 80) What can we learn from a hadith describing a young girl at play? Doll play is more than a fun pass-time for little girls. It has multiple developmental and psychological benefits. Pretending...

Lessons in Leadership - Direct and Indirect Reciprocity in Surah Abassa

Hallmarks of an effective leader include gaining the ear of those that have power influence and control, engaging in acts of diplomacy, realizing your audience's perception as well as adjusting your speech and behaviour to result in the best outcome. The revelation of Surah Abasa serves to guide Rasul Allah (pbuh) and gently reminds him to guard his reputation and high status. This surah is often misunderstood as a critique of our Prophet. Our Messenger's (pbuh) heart is cleansed and does not disobey Allah (swt). He is the golden standard of a human being and the best of manners should be exercised when discussing the Seerah. An examination of this verse can benefit us in how we pursue any position as role model or as leader in our lives within our station as Muslims. He frowned and turned away Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting]. But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified Or be reminded and the reme...

Life is Simple - Why complicate it?

I was thinking about Snow White in her constant sleep. When I was a little girl, I wondered what she was dreaming about. As I got older, I became fascinated with Shakespeare. My favorite tragedy was Hamlet. The soliloquy lines “In that sleep of death, what dreams may come?” presented the same question. Despite the worried look on my family's faces whenever they were presented with my morbid fascinations, I began to realize how a certain set of social norms directed us toward a life that felt more like death. Isn't it normal to make your objective and your focus your career, a family, your physical appearance? Aren't these worthy goals? The accumulation of things can make us happy, can't they? Don't you want a bite of that shiny red apple? Most people will confirm that they do and should make one or more of these things their priority. What happens if you make your career your main objective, and you get laid off or fired? What happens wh...

Bliss In Practice

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