We Should not Dichotomize Islam

By: Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

Many Muslims divide Islam into Sunni and Shi’a. In the opinion of this Writer, we should try to keep unity and “unitedness” (Wihda الوحده) between the two of them. This is a considered opinion and is based on various verses of the Holy Quran, which will be discussed in this article. Read more

Al-Falaah

Islamic Conditions for Success & Achievement
By: Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

It is the purpose of this brief article to discuss the notion of Falaah (Acheivement &/or Success)
in a Muslim’s life, and also to glance at conditions necessary to gain it. Heavy reliance shall be placed
Upon the verses of the Holy Quran. Read more

Al-Towheed

Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah (swt)
By: Dr. Amir parviz parsa

The purpose of this article is to discuss the uniqueness of Allah (swt) and the significance of this notion in Islam.

In Surah 31 (Luqman), verse 13, Luqman The Wise, while Instructing his son tells him:
Read more

The Quranic Basis of My Optimism

By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

It is the intention of this brief article to articulate, with various verses of the Holy Quran, why a believer should be optimistic on his achievement success (Falah فلاح). When the following verses are placed
together , they leave nothing but hope for achieving success in one’s mind.
Read more

Islam and Freedom of Expression

Freedom of Expression in Islam
By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

INTRODUCTION:
Islam is sometimes criticized by its enemies to lack any regards for freedom of expression. What these critics do not realize is that only fundamental laws [such as Do not Kill, Do Not Steal, etc] are created by God, in the forms of commandments given to us through God’s Prophets. Muslims believe, Read more

Democracy and Islam #2

A Reflection on Democracy in Relation to Islam
Part Two
By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

In the first half of this article (See previous article), some verses were quoted from the Holy Quran which clearly defined not only the context of democracy in Islam, but also demonstrated that democratic values can even be adhered to for matters relating even to the life in the Hereafter, and not just this world. Read more

Democracy and Islam #1

A REFLECTION ON DEMOCRACY IN RELATION TO ISLAM
Part One
By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

Introduction:

It is often asserted that Islamic countries lack democracy; the suggestion is made in such a way that it gives, (in a stereo-type format) the connotation that Islam is inherently incompatible with democracy. It is true that many Muslim countries suffer from having dictators and undemocratic rulers at their helm, but part of these are also to be blamed on exploitations of the so-called advanced countries (who had previously been engaged in colonialism), and their continued silent support of corrupt authority of the country considered to be a good partner in protecting their interests.

Those who are familiar with the historical background of the United States of America know quite well the atrocities of the British Colonial power and wars that the colonies had to put up to survive first, and secure their independence next. Obviously, England was NOT the only colonial power, but France, Spain, the Dutch, and others were also engaged in colonialism, in one way or another.

Therefore, it is the purpose of this article to reject the assertion of incompatibility of Islam and democracy, and to indicate clearly that a democratic behavior is not only inherently consistent with Islam, but that Islam has been one of the first outstanding real promoters of true democratic values and democracy. We take it for granted that the reader is aware of atrocities of England and its continued colonialism, although more in the form of hidden rip-offs, and therefore leave this aside.

Some Verses from the Holy Quran:
1. Verse 159 of Surah 3 commands Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and says:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
…. Pass over their faults, ask for God’s forgiveness for them, and consult them in affairs (of moment), then when thou has taken a decision, put thy trust in God.

Note that despite the great love of Allah (swt) on His Prophet─ which can easily be discerned from other verses of the Quran too─ Prophet Muhammad is told in the clearest language to seek advice from the people and to consult them in management of their affairs.

2. For those who believe in God and do place their trust upon Him and offer prayers Allah (swt) describes them by saying in Verse 38 of Surah 42:

وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
Those who hearken To their Lord, and establish regular prayers; who (conduct) their affairs by MUTUAL CONSULTATION, who spend out of what We bestow on them for sustenance.

Note the phrase “Mutual Consultation” and recall that these verses were revealed and told to the people about 1430 years ago when the Roman, Egyptian, and Persian Empires were at times engaged in tyrannical and selfish/improper behavior relative to their citizens.

3. God Almighty also blessed the character of Prophet Muhammad by giving him a kind and compassionate character and calmness and tells him specifically in Verse 159 of Surah 3:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
It is part of the Mercy of God that thou dost deal gently with them. Were thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee, so pass over their faults and ask God’s forgiveness for them…

4. Verse 4 of Surah 68 tells us that the Prophet stands on “An exalted standard of character”.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.

5. If we consider the final goal of democracy to be securing the welfare of the people and raising their standards of living, along with justice and other virtues in the society, then Verse 254 of Surah 2 becomes relevant to our discussion:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلاَ خُلَّةٌ وَلاَ شَفَاعَةٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
O ye who believe! Spend out of the bounties We have provided for you, before the Day comes when no bargaining Will avail, nor friendship nor intercession. Those who reject Faith they are the wrong-doers.

Such a great warning to believers not only to consult others but even to know enough about their style of living to the point that if the others are poor, it becomes incumbent upon the Muslims to financially help them out by their charity!!.

One needs to remember that the final goal of many multinational corporations that exist nowadays is to protect “Their own interest” even though the official policy of their governments may not be so. Such protection of the interests of Multinational Corporations (MNC) may be based on nothing but exploitation of people in other lands. As one example, when the correlation between cigarette smoking and lung cancer becomes clear, and cigarettes are banned from being promoted, the verdict is silently given to MNCs to export it to Egypt, and other Middle Eastern Countries.[Please see the article on the Necessity of Giving More in Charity by the writer on this same Website]

6. Verse 10 of Surah 4 protects the interests of the orphans by saying:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ الْيَتَامَى ظُلْمًا إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ نَارًا وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيرًا
Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a fire into their own bodies: they will soon be enduring a blazing Fire.

Ask yourself: Which one of the so- called democracies on earth protects the interests of the orphans to this extent?.

Some Observations on Democracy in the U.S:

First: Scott McClelan says in his recent book: What Happened, on Page 4: “… Coming to Washington as a member of a Republican administration, I thought the mentality of political manipulation had been largely the creation of our predecessors in the Clinton White House and that the leader I placed great hope in, George W. Bush, was dead set on changing it. He chose not to do so. Instead his own white house became embroiled in political maneuvering that was equally unsavory, if not worse, much of it related directly to his most consequential decision as president-The decision to invade Iraq.”

Second: We all realize that elections in the U.S. are very expensive monetarily, and often times those who can afford to spend more money win the elections. Stated differently, much more qualified individuals who are far more qualified to be truly elected, get to be defeated just because they do not have enough money, or can’t raise it, to spend like their opponents. So, it is a deceptive ability to raise funds that matters more really, not what the candidate’s views are.

Third: Hillary Clinton, when beaten in primary elections from the Democratic Party against Barrack Obama, all of a sudden decided to lend her own election $6.1 million dollars, from her own so-called accumulated wealth! [Only a few really know how she got it]. Obama could muster more donations, even small ones through the Internet from very ordinary people. Interestingly enough someone called Hillary Clinton as The Iron Lady, a title that belonged to Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England, who was also known as “the Only man in Europe”! or the “Iron Lady of Europe”, while John Major’s performance was much better than hers internationally!!

The Western democracies have unfortunately become too accustomed to praising corrupt authorities of various countries! Nora O’Donnell reported on Chris Mathew show on Sunday the 18th of May 2008, that so far Obama has raised $250 million and Hillary Clinton $215 million dollars for their respective elections. How much more will be raised between now and November real elections is yet to be seen; the writer would NOT be surprised that over a billion dollar would be raised and spent on a “ democratic” election!

Fourth: We have seen the effects of final coalitions in politics and their compromise outcome and deals/covenants/pledges which are made between them: The art of compromise!.

Fifth: Almost everyone who remembers the first election of George Bush, the son, against Al Gore, remembers how the Supreme Court intervention really saved the elections of the U.S with the verdict of some appointees to The Highest Court by George Bush, the 41st president, his father, while Gore had higher popular vote.

Sixth: The real percentage of participants in elections is not very high. At the time of President Ronald Reagan’s first term the percentage of qualified voters was 24.5 percent.
The implication of this is that less than one fourth of people ruled over the entire population! That does not sound much like true democracy!

Seventh: The vote of a real brilliant, educated, and highly intelligent elite counts exactly equal to the vote of an unlettered, uneducated, ignorant person [some people consider this as a virtue of elections].

Eight: At times, because of mishaps in the machinery used in elections to count the votes, some of the votes may have to be totally discarded to assure the results.

Ninth: We all have noticed how political candidates behave before and after elections. We all also have noticed 180 degrees deviation from promises and pledges given by them to get elected; yet how easily they change after elections and forget their pledges is not well-known. An example in this case is the second round of election of George Bush against John Kerry. George Bush appeared to the voters to be more moral than Kerry. His later engagements in the war of Iraq and the great mistakes he made in that war, clearly showed, however, that even though he was right against the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, he was completely wrong to trust the intelligence information provided to him by The British Intelligence for which his Secretary of State, Colin Powell later recognized how they had been had and how he gave up his position as Secretary of State to his successor Dr. Rice!

Tenth: We all have noticed all of the pumps, hoopla, and noise in the national conventions of both the Republican and Democratic Parties and detailed discussions of the issues of the day. Yet, we are also clever enough to see the similarity of the election issues after 30, 40, and 50 years from a given election, and the close resemblance of the issues such as 35-40 million poor people of the States who do not have any health insurance coverage. The same picture has been true since the election of John F. Kennedy in the most “materially” successful democracies of the world.

Eleventh: In an African Country called Ghana, the people ask their political candidates running for office before elections to pledge that:

  1. He will not close the door of his office to the people, after elections;
  2. He will not turn his back to the people to ignore them;
  3. He will not break promises given at the times of running for office;
  4. He will not run away from the duties of the office;
  5. He would not betray people’s confidence after election,

In the U.S., we the electors take these for granted; however, ask yourself how often have we been betrayed by violations of the types mentioned above by our elected officials?

While Islamic countries are definitely in need of improvements in their “democratic behavior”, it cannot be asserted that their religion is incompatible with the institution of democracy or democratic behaviors as a whole. Islam itself is pure, excellent, and beautiful, the beauty of which cannot be easily understood until they are very well-versed in it. We shall take up the Freedom of expression and further remarks on democracy in the next article.

Please Part Two of this article

Giving more for Charity

NECESSITY OF GIVING MORE FOR CHARITY:
A Relatively Ignored phenomenon by many Muslims
By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

Introduction:

Sadly many practicing Muslims have ignored giving enough in charity or for good causes. It is the purpose of this brief writing to remind them of their duties and setting up their priorities in a right manner, rather than ignoring something which is very significant.

We are told that Abu Bakr, one of the four Khalifas, gave everything he had for the pleasure of God and for the advancement of Islam. It is also narrated to us that Ali Ibn Abi Talib used to dig up wells to extract water from them to establish date gardens and their products were frequently given to the poor and the needy. We are also informed that Omar Ibn Khattab also gave half of everything he possessed for the progress of Islam.
Are we then stingy, or unwilling, to set up our priorities right, or what?

Some Reminders from the Holy Quran:
Verse 77 of Surah 28 says:

وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
“But seek with the wealth that God has bestowed on you, the Abode of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world; but do thou good as God has been good to thee and seek not mischief in the land….”

There is great pleasure in giving to charities, but that does not mean you have to impoverish yourself, or live like a poor person.

Verse 2 of Surah 35 also informs us that whatever God, out of His Mercy, wants to give to someone, there is none who can withhold it & vice versa. He says:

مَا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
What Allah out of his Mercy does bestow on mankind there is none can withhold: what He does withhold, there is none can grant, apart from Him: and He is the Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom.

Verses 7 and 8 of Surah 99 also verify that even an atom’s weight of goodness or evil shall not be ignored. The Ayahs say:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ
So. he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it
And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.

Verse 20 of Surah Hadeed (57) informs the believers:

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ…
“Know you all that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying in rivalry, among yourselves, riches and children….

Giving in charity is like a loan to God, and Verse 18 of Surah 57 tells us that those who give in charity are giving a beautiful loan to God, there shall be manifold increases.

إِنَّ الْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَالْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ
For those who give in Charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a Beautiful Loan, it shall be increased manifold to their credit, and they shall have, besides, a liberal reward.

Verse 261 of Surah 2 tells us that the worth of charity giving might become seven hundred times or more in return, if God wants to reward it. Show me an investment which would immediately become seven hundred times or more, right away, other than this! The Ayah says:

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّئَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each ear Has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases: And Allah cares for all and He knows all things.

Verse 195 of Surah 2 tells us:

وَأَنفِقُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَلاَ تُلْقُواْ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ وَأَحْسِنُوَاْ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good.

As Muslims we have several responsibilities to God, to the society, to our families, and to ourselves. There is an expression in Persian which tells us if there is a light that the household needs it, it would be forbidden to be given away even to a mosque.

The Prophet (pbuh) has admonished us in the following Hadiths:

  • Allah loves moderation, and dislikes excess even in charity.
  • The believer is the one whose earning is unblemished and wholesome, whose character is righteous, whose intention is sound, who gives in charity, refrains himself from frivolous talk, does not harm others, and puts others above himself in terms of fairness.
  • If a Muslim plants a field or a tree, and men, birds, and beasts eat of it, then it will be considered as an act of charity.
  • Smiling at your brother is charity.
  • A good word in itself is charity.
أفضَلُ الصَدَقهِ، أن تَصدَّق وأنت صَحيحٌ شَحيحٌ تَأمَلُ الغِنَىْ وتخشى الفَقْر
The Good Charity Is To Give Of Your Wealth When You Are A Miser And You Hope To Be Rich And Are Afraid Of Poverty.

 

ورجلٌ تَصدَّق بصدقَةٍ فأخفاها حتى لا تَعلمَ شِمالُهُ ما تُنفقُ يَميـنَه
The Best Of Alms Is What The Right Hand Gives, And The Left Hand Does Not Know Of It

Bukhari

People of other religions occasionally make more sacrifices than we do. Although this cannot be accurately measured/generalized, pragmatic observations show that Jews have many hospitals, factories, mass communication media, etc. than we do as Muslims. We are not to be jealous of them at all, but you shall sow what you reap. When and if they make more sacrifices, they deserve to benefit from their rewards also. Indeed we have been made vicegerents of Allah on the planet earth, and as He is so Kind and Compassionate, as well as Most Merciful and Overly Generous, we must constantly remember that we do not deserve to be deputies of God when we ignore the legitimate needs of the others.

In fact, according to verse 19 of Surah 51, in the wealth of Believers there is a given right, set aside for the needy and for the Prevented (from asking) people.

وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
And in their wealth and property is a portion due to the one who begs and to the one who is indigent

A cursory glance at the style of living of many Muslims clearly shows that they live in luxury houses, have multiple cars, all amenities, appliances, furniture and other things that they need; yet very easily they neglect the fact that there might be someone in their community who does not have anything to eat for dinner and must go to bed by being hungry!

We are told that the Leader of believers, Ali Ibn Abi Talib used to consider forty houses on his four sides with the hope that there won’t be any one going to sleep hungry at night and poor while he had something to eat with his family.

Cases of conspicuous Consumption and real wasteful patterns of living have also been observed, even among practicing Muslims. Can we become more aware of each other’s urgent needs and attend to them too?

Everyone who earns his wealth and property decently has the absolute right of benefiting from them without restrictions, anyway they please so long as it is not against Shari’ah and the laws. Yet, morally and logically, one has to be also cognizant of the urgent needs of others who try not to beg others for help, yet they are really among the needy and the poor. When we ignore the desperate needs of the others and become too selfish for our own needs, especially when they can be minimized, then that is the beginning point of our responsibility before God.

A question that comes to mind is: Why are people of some countries who are Muslims so reluctant to give, while Muslims of other countries donate so much more willingly? There are different answers to this, one of which is cultural backgrounds and views that some individuals hold regarding their clergy.

Guideline for Actions:

Now we need to be looking at a few other verses of the Holy Quran and set them as our Guide for life and the style of living that we should adopt:

In a majority of the verses of the Holy Quran when orders are given to establish regular prayers (Salat), the sentences are followed by “Giving regular Charity”. See, for instance, verse 43 of Surah two. This should serve as a reminder of the significance of giving charity (Zakat or Alms).

وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
And in their wealth and property is a portion due to the one who begs and to the one who is indigent

Allah (swt) says in Verse 155 of Surah 2:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
And We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give good news to the patient,

We all know that people generally like their assets and wealth. In the definition of “Goodness” in verse 177 of Surah 2, Allah swt mentions, among other things, that it is goodness to give and spend out of your substance, “out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves…”. Stated differently, we do not have to be and are not in the dark as to who should be receiving our charities.

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ….
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars…..

God also recommends a balance between what you shall give and what you should keep for you and your family.

Verse 29 of Surah17 tells us:

وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ وَلاَ تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَّحْسُورًا
And do not make your hand to be shackled to your neck nor stretch it forth to the utmost (limit) of its stretching forth, lest you should (afterwards) sit down blamed, stripped off.

Verse 207 0f Surah 2 tells us about those who become overly generous for the cause of God: “And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of God; and God is full of kindness to (His) devotees.”

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاء مَرْضَاتِ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ رَؤُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants.

To the three questions that normally arise on charity:

  1. What shall we give,
  2. To whom shall we give, and
  3. how shall we give,

There are answers provided to us in verse 215 of Surah 2:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلْ مَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالأَقْرَبِينَ وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا تَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
They ask thee what they should spend In charity. Say: Whatever you spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever you do that is good, God knows it well.”

Thus all recipients of charities are enlisted in the Holy Quran to include even the parents, kindred, orphans, ….

No distinction was made in this article between Khums, Zakat, Sadaqa, Infaaq, and other charitable deeds. They all have their rewards with Allah (swt). We are told emphatically, though, that we must do what we wish to give before it becomes too late, before our death. In fact, the charitable deeds of the children and their rewards can be reaching the deceased parents, and act like something that they can transfer from this life to the next ,with them.

Verse 110 of Surah 2 tells us:

وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَاةَ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُواْ لأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌِ
“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you {before your death}, you shall find it with God, for God sees well all that you do.”

Indeed, Verse 20 of Surah 73 tells us:

…وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
… And whatever of good you send on beforehand for yourselves, you will find it with Allah; that is best and greatest in reward; and ask forgiveness of Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

There are, of course, people who would love to give their charities in secret, simply to avoid show-offs. There is nothing wrong with that. But whether you give it openly, with the intention of encouraging others to give too, or in secret, there are rewards for both. There are so many other verses of the Holy Quran that deal with charitable donations of individuals in one way or another, for the sake of brevity, however, and the limited available space, we won’t go into those.

Conclusion:

Some practicing Muslims DO NOT give as much as or as frequently as they should, or as they potentially could. At times, there are various disincentives on their mind that bars them from giving to charities. Poverty among Muslims can be totally destroyed, from an economic perspective, if only Muslims adhere to the commands of Allah (swt) in the Quran by giving charitable donations. How much should one give, how often, to whom, and so forth, are pretty much stated in the Quran clearly but also left open to the taste of individuals with the RIGHT TO CHOOSE. However, the main idea of giving, under any title, suffers now and currently among Muslims, because some even practicing Muslims do not take steps in this direction at all. Our prayer is that they would become more cognizant of their moral, social, and religious responsibilities and obligations, so that Islamic communities can arrive at better future, more cooperation, and brighter and more successful societies.

Infinite Mercy of God

By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

Introduction:

It is the purpose of this brief article to show the Mercy of Allah (swt) from the Holy Quran and the Hadith. Every righteous believer already knows the magnificent Mercy of Allah (swt); yet, it is proper to once a while remind ourselves about this undeniable fact.

Verse 12 of Surah 6 reminds us, that Allah (swt) enjoined upon Himself to have Mercy upon His Creation. He did NOT have to do this; yet, he did.

قُل لِّمَن مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ قُل لِلّهِ كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Say: “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth?” Answer: “To Allah. He hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy. That He will gather you together for the Day of Judgment, there is no doubt whatever. It is they who have lost their own souls, that will not believe.

One hundred and thirteen chapters of the Holy Quran start with the phrase:
“In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful”, All Surahs but the ninth.
But Surah Nam’l (27) has two such phrases in it, one at the beginning, as usual, and the other in the chapter when Prophet Solomon writes a letter in His Holy Name.

Verse 156 of Surah 7 reads:

وَاكْتُبْ لَنَا فِي هَـذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَـا إِلَيْكَ قَالَ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاء وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ

فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَـاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونََ

… With my Punishment I visit whom I will; but My Mercy extends to all things; That mercy I shall ordain for those who do right, and practice regular charity, and those who believe in Our signs;-

The phrase Kindest of Kinds (Arham al-Raahemeen أرحم الراحمين) is used in the Holy Quran in many different verses such as: Verse 151 of Surah 7,

قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلأَخِي وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Moses prayed: “O my Lord! forgive me and my brother! admit us to Thy mercy! for Thou art the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!”

and Ayah 118 of Surah 23:

وَقُل رَّبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
So say: “O my Lord! grant Thou forgiveness and mercy for Thou art the Best of those who show mercy!”

Verse 43 of Surah 33 indicates that Allah’s mercy is for all His creatures:

هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا
He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the Believers.

But for those who believe and trust in Him, there are special mercies, a generous reward, as mentioned in the next verse 44 of the same Surah (33).

تَحِيَّتُهُمْ يَوْمَ يَلْقَوْنَهُ سَلَامٌ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَرِيمًاَ
Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be “Peace!”; and He has prepared for them a generous Reward.

Angels who celebrate the Praises of their Lord, pray, according to verse 5 of Surah 42: “for forgiveness for all beings on earth.”

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them (by Him Glory): and the angels celebrate the Praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for (all) beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Behold, then, when you hear that you CANNOT count all blessings of God Almighty! Had it occurred to you that Allah has commanded His Angels to pray for all of us who are on the planet earth, if you didn’t know that from the Holy Quran?

Verse 31 of Surah 4 tells us:

إِن تَجْتَنِبُواْ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلاً كَرِيمًاَ
“If you but eschew the most heinous of the things which you are forbidden to do, We shall expel out of you all the evil in you, and admit you to a Gate of great honor”.

Verse 87 of Surah 12 reminds us of not ever giving up our hopes for the Mercy of Allah and His Forgiveness, as has Prophet Jacob admonished his children. In fact, the latter part of the verse specifically and clearly indicates to us:

يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُواْ فَتَحَسَّسُواْ مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلاَ تَيْأَسُواْ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ

إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

“… Never give up hope of God’s Soothing mercy: truly No one despairs of God’s Soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith.”

The very fact that God has sent the Books and Angels, plus Guidance for us in the form of various Holy Books and Messengers, is in itself indicative of the Mercy of God logically; otherwise, how could we all expect to have criteria with which we should be guided to the light?

Thus Allah’s everlasting blessings upon us all is with His Guidance into the realm of spiritual world, He has indeed helped us towards attainment of the blissful success (Falaah).

Throughout the Holy Quran, Allah reminds us of the fact also that He forgives all the sins of humanity except for those who believe in partners for Him. See verse 53 of Surah 39 in this regard:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Verse 48 of Surah 4, and 116 of the same Surah indicate that the only unforgivable sin is to believe in partners for God.

إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.

Verse 10 of Surah 14 tells us:

قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَـمًّى قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
“…. It is He Who invites you, in order that He may forgive you your sins and give you respite for a term appointed…”

Throughout the Holy Quran we also note that Allah (swt) can and has punished many nations for their aggressions, atrocities, and arrogance. You have seen in the Holy Quran that Flood was sent to the rebellious people at the time of Prophet Noah, Tornado to the Nation of Aad, Sudden Punishment to the nation of Thamud; Earthquake upon people who were not listening to Prophet Lot, and drowning in the sea for followers of Pharaoh for their cruelty and not following the advice of Prophet Moses.

If one thinks carefully about such incidents of the past, as revealed in the Holy Quran, one can easily understand that allowing humanity to get rid off evil-doers is itself a blessing and Mercy of Allah upon the remaining ones.

A well known Hadith by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) admonishes us:

إرحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء
Be merciful to him who is on earth, so that He who is in Heaven will be merciful unto you

A Qudsi Hadith quoted by al-Bukhari, Al-Nisaa’i, and Ibn Maajeh says:

“When Allah decreed the Creation, He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with him: My Mercy prevails over My wrath.”

Another Qudsi Hadith, also quoted by Muslim, as well as Bukhari, al-Nisaa’i, and Ibn Maajeh says:

“A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him, he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter my ashes into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then Allah Commanded the earth to produce what it had taken—and there that person was! And Allah said to him: What induced you to do what you did? The man answered: Being afraid of you. O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You because of my sins) and because of what that man had said Allah forgave him.”

Imam Al-Husain expresses so poetically in his Du’aa of Arafat just before heading towards Karbala:

يا مَنْ عَفا عَنْ عَظيمِ الذُّنُوبِ بِحِلْمِهِ، يا مَنْ اَسْبَغَ النَّعْمآءَ بِفَضْلِهِ، يا مَنْ اَعْطَى الْجَزيلَ بِكَرَمِهِ، يا عُدَّتى فى شِدَّتى، يا صاحِبى فى وَحْدَتى، يا غِياثى فى كُرْبَتى، يا وَلِيّى فى نِعْمَتى، يا اِلهى وَاِلهَ آبائى…
O He who pardons the greatest sins by His clemency!

O He who lavishes blessings by His bounty!

O He who gives abundance by His generosity!

O Sustenance to me in my adversity!

O Companion to me in my solitude!

O The Aid to me in my affliction!

O Benefactor to me in my blessing!

O my God and God of my fathers…..

Imam Ali in his famous Du’aa Kumayl says:

فَاِلَيْكَ يا رَبِّ نَصَبْتُ وَجْهي وَاِلَيْكَ يا رَبِّ مَدَدْتُ يَدي،

فَبِعِزَّتِكَ اسْتَجِبْ لي دُعائي وَبَلِّغْني مُنايَ وَلا تَقْطَعْ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ رَجائي، وَاكْفِني شَرَّ الْجِنِّ وَالاِْنْسِ مِنْ اَعْدائي،

يا سَريعَ الرِّضا اِغْفِرْ لِمَنْ لا يَمْلِكُ إلاّ الدُّعاءَ فَاِنَّكَ فَعّالٌ لِما تَشاءُ، يا مَنِ اسْمُهُ دَواءٌ وَذِكْرُهُ شِفاءٌ وَطاعَتُهُ غِنىً، اِرْحَمْ مَنْ رَأْسُ مالِهِ الرَّجاءُ وَسِلاحُهُ الْبُكاءُ، يا سابِـغَ النِّعَمِ، يا دافِعَ النِّقَمِ، يا نُورَ الْمُسْتَوْحِشينَ فِي الظُّلَمِ، يا عالِماً لا يُعَلَّمُ،

صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِ مُحَمَّد وَافْعَلْ بي ما اَنْتَ اَهْلُهُ وَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلى رَسُولِهِ وَالاَْئِمَّةِ الْمَيامينَ مِنْ آلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْليماً كَثيراً .

So, my Lord! Towards Thee I look up earnestly

And towards Thee, my Lord! I have stretched forth my hands

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Therefore, I ask Thee by Thy honor to respond to my supplication and let me attain my wishes
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And, I ask Thee by Thy bounty, to frustrate not my hopes
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And to protect me from the evilness of my enemies, from among the jinn and mankind
O’ You Who is readily pleased, forgive the one whose possession is none but supplication; For Thou carry out what You Resolve

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O’ You! Whose Name is the remedy
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And Whose remembrance is the cure for ailments
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And obedience to You is the true enrichment;
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Have mercy on one whose only asset is hope and whose armor is to weep
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O’ You! Who perfects all bounties and wards off all misfortunes!
O’ Light! Who illuminates those in bewilderment!

O’ Knowledgeable! Who knows without being taught!

Bless Muhammad and the Descendants of Muhammad

And do unto me in accordance with what befits Thee,

And deal with me not in accordance to my worth,

May Your blessings be bestowed upon Your Apostle and the Rightful Imams from his Descendants and Your peace be upon them aplenty

CONCLUSION:

Mercy of Allah is unlimited and infinite. Count on it. He has sent Prophets, Holy books, angles, and the criteria to guide us all as humanity. For those of us who have learned how to repent of our sins, as Adam, Moses, Jonah, and others did for their sins, He forgives.

We shall never ever lose our hope in Allah’s forgiveness. Signs of His forgiveness of our sins are many and numerous. Verses were quoted from the Holy Quran and Hadith which are all indicative of His Infinite Mercy. Allah is The Most Merciful, The Most Kind, The Most Gracious, and The Most Compassionate. No merciful human being, Jinn, and angel can surpass the degree of Mercy of Allah. We must constantly be cognizant of His Mercy, and His Infinite unlimited Kindness beyond our wildest imagination. We should try earnestly to avoid sins, but if we did it inadvertently, we must never lose hope of His possible forgiveness. Although no one among the human beings is perfect and without sins currently, we lose sight of the fact that He can forgive.

If we believe in Allah, in His Books, in His Prophets, in His Angels, in the Unseen, and in His Day of Resurrection, and try to obey His orders: His commands in doing good and avoiding the forbidden things, and if we do good while we have faith, we should never give up our hopes in His Grace and Mercy upon us.

He has indeed prepared paradise for his faithful obedient servants with plenty of Blessings and Mercy upon them. May He save all of us from the hellfire by His unlimited Grace and May He strengthen our faith during our life on this planet earth, and May He protect us from the temptations of Satan, so much so that we would rightly deserve His Forgiveness and Paradise, and to end up saying to our folks on the Day of Judgment: “Come read My Book” while we take pride in it, Amen.

No Need for Intermediary

NO NEED FOR INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN GOD & HUMAN BEINGS
By. Dr. Amir Parviz Parsa

Introduction:

The word intercedeشفع and its derivatives appear 10 times in the Holy Quran. It means to intercede on behalf of a person. Three examples of this word appear as follows:

In Surah 2 Ayah 255 the Holy Quran says:

اللّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ

لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ

لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ

مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ…

Allah! There is no god but He, ─the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal.

No slumber can seize Him nor sleep.

His are all things in the heavens and on earth.

Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permits? ….

In Surah 10 Ayah 18 the Holy Quran says:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ مَا لاَ يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ

وَيَقُولُونَ هَـؤُلاء شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِندَ اللّهِ …..

And they serve beside Allah what can neither harm them nor profit them, and they say: These are our intercessors with Allah….

In Surah 4 Ayah 85 the Holy Quran says:

مَّن يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً حَسَنَةً يَكُن لَّهُ نَصِيبٌ مِّنْهَا

وَمَن يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً سَيِّئَةً يَكُن لَّهُ كِفْلٌ مِّنْهَا

وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقِيتًا

Whoso intervenes in a good cause will have the reward thereof, and whoso intervenes in an evil cause will bear the consequence thereof. Allah oversees all things.

This all indicates that intercession  is there and often indicates asking favors or forgiveness on behalf of somebody. No such thing exists in Islam as it is in other religions whereby a person asks a priest, i.e. an intermediary, for forgiveness (confession to a priest). In Islam it is the direct connection with the Almighty, (without an intermediary in between), to plead for His forgiveness directly. Confession in Islam is between the individual to the Almighty.

Examples of such confessions are  evident in some Du’aas. let us bring an example, that of Imam Ali in Du’aa Kumayl:

اَللّهُمَّ اِنّي اَتَقَرَّبُ اِلَيْكَ بِذِكْرِكَ، وَاَسْتَشْفِعُ بِكَ اِلى نَفْسِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ بِجُودِكَ اَنْ تُدْنِيَني مِنْ قُرْبِكَ، وَاَنْ تُوزِعَني شُكْرَكَ، وَاَنْ تُلْهِمَني ذِكْرَكَ،
O Allah! I endeavor to draw myself nigh to Thee by invoking Thee,

And I pray to Thee to intercede on my behalf

And I entreat Thee by Thy love to draw me closer to Thee

And grant me that I should be grateful to Thee and inspire me to remember and to invoke Thee

Let us take a Du’aa by Imam Husain  on Jabal Rahma, before going to Iraq:

اَللّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنا فى هذَا الْوَقْتِ مِمَّنْ سَاَلَكَ فَاَعْطَيْتَهُ، وَشَكَرَكَ فَزِدْتَهُ، وَتابَ اِلَيْكَ فَقَبِلْتَهُ وَتَنَصَّلَ اِلَيْكَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ كُلِّها فَغَفَرْتَها لَهُ يا ذَالْجَلالِ وَالاِْكْرامِ،
اَللّهُمَّ وَنَقِّنا وَسَدِّدْنا واقْبَلْ تَضَرُّعَنا، يا خَيْرَ مَنْ سُئِلَ، وَيا اَرْحَمَ مَنِ اسْتُرْحِمَ،
O Allah! Place us among those who ask of Thee and to whom You give,
who thank Thee and whom You increase,
who turn to Thee in repentance and whom You accept
and who renounce all of their sins before Thee and whom You forgive,
O Lord of Majesty and Splendor!O God, purify us, show us the right way and accept our pleas.
O Best of those from whom is asked!
And O Most Merciful of those whose mercy is sought!
O He from whom nothing is hidden ……

In recent years, however, we have observed an increasing tendency to ask for intervention of intermediaries between God Almighty and human beings.

It is the purpose of this article to show that, from an Islamic perspective, there is no need for anyone to intervene between Allah (swt) and human beings.

It must be mentioned at the outset that intermediaries are odious of the God-Human relationship. There are religious guides who are revered, highly respectable, responsible internally, decent externally. They act as religious guides for those who need help; they are the true spiritual leaders of our various communities, most honored, respected, and getting the real support of the believers.

Unfortunately, however, along with them, there are those who are imposters who aim to get wealthy at the expense of the society, who normally invest on the naivety of sincere but simple-minded individuals who are trying to learn about and follow the religion. These imposters are truly the target of this article.

Some Verses from the Quran:

Chapter 2, Verse 186 of the Glorious Quran says:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every Supplicant when he calls on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.

Please note that here God Almighty  is talking to His chosen person, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and is guiding His messenger: that God is indeed CLOSE to all persons and He hears their supplication and prayers.

In other parts of the Holy Quran, it is also mentioned that God is closer to us than our own jugular vein, (the vein in our neck). See Surah 50 verse 16 of the Holy Quran:

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ
It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein

Another significant fact related to our discussion is that Allah (swt) has made the Quran easy to understand. Chapter 54 Verse 17 tells us in this context:

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember*: then is there any that will receive admonition?

In fact, this notion is so important that it is repeated, not just once, but five times in verses 22,32,40 of the same Surah, plus verse 97 of Surah 19, and 58 of Surah 44.

Still another significant point is that no financial remuneration (Ajr) was set up for the Messenger of God. However, collections by preachers of all religions (made under different titles) are taken from the public. In Islam this collection forms the Zakat and Khums as mandated in the Holy Quran.

Verse 13 of Surah 67 reminds us that whether you reveal or hide something from Allah (swt), He knows it quite well.

وَأَسِرُّوا قَوْلَكُمْ أَوِ اجْهَرُوا بِهِ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
And whether ye hide your word or publish it, He certainly has (full) knowledge, of the secrets of (all) hearts.

The next ingredient we need for our discussion is what is mentioned in Surah 33 verses 45 and 46:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا

وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا

O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and Warner,-
and as one who invites to God’s (Grace) by His leave, and as a Lamp spreading light

In all of these there is no mention of any financial or worldly rewards. See verses 119 of Surah 2, 79 of Surah 4,25 of Surah 57 too.

Is it not possible for us to learn the Quran? Is it not possible for us to learn some fundamental Do’s and Don’ts of religion? My answer is that if we honestly try to learn the Quran and read a few interpretations of it too, we can understand it and we can do so relatively well. But many of us are too indolent; and some of the so-called preachers speculate on that, (against naïve persons) who put their entire trust in them.

Is it not true that Allah (swt) himself said in Surah 29 verse 69:

وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.

If we believe in the fact that God always speaks the truth, shall we not take Him to His Word that He will be guiding us? So long as we keep on the side of tardiness, not trying to improve ourselves to the necessary levels that we need to reach, the abuse of abusers (religious charlatans) shall continue.

While the writer has the utmost respect and regards for truly religious scholars who are to be deeply appreciated, he is also against those who do not qualify as such, the so called religious charlatans.

Conclusion:
While the writer has the deepest respect for the genuine religious scholars, he believes individuals have a duty to acquire enough religious knowledge ─especially in this day and age of improved communications and the Internet. The writer emphasizes that there are no intermediaries (Waseet وصيط) between God and people.

However, so long as many individuals have tardiness and no inclination to learn the religious necessary minimum, the group of quacks would continue to take advantage of them.