The following are excellent comments by Imam Salim MuMin regarding fujoor and fajr. Enjoy this food!
With Allah’s Name The Merciful Benefactor The Merciful Redeemer
Enlightenment and Obedience
Allah reveals in the Qur’an through His messenger Muhammed, the Prayers and the Peace of Allah be upon him, “alhama-haa fujuura-haa wa taqwaa-ha [he inspired it (soul) as to its potential to be enlightened and its obedience.].”
The potential for enlightenment, increase in knowledge and understanding, clarity in thinking is placed in the original soul or nature of the human being. Also, attached to this natural potential is the proclivity or the strong natural inclination of obedience. The principles of fajuur (from fajr) and taqwaa, are attached twins commissioned in the rise of the intellect of man.
We can identify psychic activity emanating from the original self that operates below the level of awareness or consciousness. However, due to the potential and propensity of these existing traits in the soul, we can surmise that this psychic movement has the ability to transcend the threshold of sleepiness and become cognitive of our thoughts, reasoning and behavior. The nature then functions upon a greater light.
The challenge for man is to maintain the balance between enlightenment and obedience, that the horn of enlightenment does not exceed the horn of obedience.
G-d gives us this picture as fajr. There we find the parallel of the darkness which symbolizes the purity in nature and the light signifying the purity of the intellect. If we observe the horizon at the time of fajr, the light is similar to the light of the new crescent moon. It does not complete the total circle of the horizon, but makes two horns just as the light of the crescent moon. This is telling us that if we maintain our obedience to Allah and follow the logic we will eventually come into the universal knowledge and ideas.
The Prophet, Pbuh, said, “fast when you see it, and break your fast when you see it.” And Allah says in the Qur’an, “Eat and drink till the black thread becomes distinct from the white thread.” And again, Allah says, “Fast… perhaps you will attain taqwa.” The more man comes into the light of his own reasoning, the less he consults G-d or the revelation for guidance. We have been given the concept of independent reasoning or ijtihad. That is when you can’t find basis for your thinking in the Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Prophet, pbuh, then use your own independent reasoning. Students of Imam W. Deen Mohammaed have been falsely accused by others of using independent reasoning. However I find a fallacy in this concept of ijtihad. I would say that ijtihad is a struggle from within to keep the balance of reasoning and obedience to G-d and His messenger when the intellect comes into the greater light. And in the social sense use shuraa bainahum, that is the social concept in considering the thinking of others before we act upon our own judgements.
We are to be obedient or regardful of what Allah wants in us and we are to apply the same consciousness and awareness behavior towards family ties and relationships. Allah, says, “Have tawaa for Allah… and (have taqwaa) for the family ties.”
When someone else thinks for us, give us ideas, logic and concepts to live upon, when someone else provides for us out of that which Allah has created and provided for all, when someone else build our homes and establish for us what kind of community life we will have, when someone else produces our clothes for us and decides when we will wear them, when someone else governs our life for us though we hold governmental positions, it is at this time we have a designated driver because we are either intoxicated, retarded or sleep. Yes! we show signs of psychic activity and obedience but we are sleepers in the cave (skull). Let us rise up at this time of fajr in our lives and proclaim, “prayer is better than sleep.”
Peace be upon you all.
Salim MuMin
