The Medicine for Sorrow, Grief, Anxiety and Depression

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ood, that the Messenger of Allah [SAWS] said: There is no person who suffers any anxiety or grief, and he/she says: (refer to the image attached) except that Allah will take away his anxiety and grief, and replace his sorrow with joy.

It’s as if Rasool Allah [SAWS] is saying that if you’re depressed/sad/anxious/sorrowful, then the way to relieve this is to make your life revolve around the Quran! Because once you read the Quran, you will find:

• peace and tranquility of the heart [Surah Ar-Rad,13:28]
• physical and spiritual healing (shifaa), and mercy [Surah Al-Isra, 17:82]
• guidance on how to live life, and good news [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:97]

How is it possible for someone who is attached to the Quran to ever be depressed?

Why We Should Pray - Benefits of Prostrating position in Muslim's Prayers (frm a Christian's perspective)

Follow this link --> http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/UzMalik-300908-prostration-islam-science-discovery-wow-sajda-technology-ppt-powerpoint/

"An important aspect of every religion is prayer.

A prayer is anaction or practice of communicating, commonly with a sequence of words,to a deity or spirit for the purpose of worshiping, requestingguidance, confessing sins, or to express one's thoughts and emotions.The great spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotionalacts. There are morning and evening prayers, graces said over meals,and reverent physical gestures.

Prayers exist in many different forms. Some Christians bowtheir heads and fold their hands. Native Americans dance. Some Sufiswhirl. Hindus chant. Orthodox Jews sway their bodies back and forth.Quakers keep silent. Almost every religion has it's own form andstructure.

What you didn't know

Prayers, apart from nourishing your soul, are also good for health! A Malaysian study suggests that prostration in praying is benefic for one's health. Salah (the Islamic prayer), is an exercise which is good for hearth and spine. It also enhances memory and concentration abilities.

The Islamic prayer consists of the following steps:

1. standing with hands on top of each other at chest level
2. bowing down with hands resting on knees
3. standing up from bowing with hands by the side
4. going in prostration (sajjda) once
5. lifting face up from prostration but sitting on the ground
6. doing a second prostration (Sajjda) and then getting up

These psysical movements that a Muslim does during prayer strenghtenthe joints and muscles and stimulate blood circulation. Consequently,they also prevent the stagnation of bloog in the veins of the legs(which may lead to coagulation and other problems).

Sajdah is a unique position or stance in the regular prayers, which a Muslim is supposed to offer at least five times a day.

Although the basic purpose of obligatory prayers isn't to provide anexercise for people, it is being increasingly recognized that it hasplenty of medical advantages.

Sajdah is a unique position as this is the onlyposition in which brain (or head) becomes lower than the heart andhence for the first time the blood gushes towards the brain with fullforce whereas in all other positions (even when lying) brain is abovethe heart when it has to work against gravity to send blood to thebrain.

In the position of Sajdah due to the increased blood supply thebrain receive more nourishment and it has good effect upon memory,vision, hearing, concentration, psyche and all other cognitiveabilities. People who offer their prayers regularly have more willpower and can cope with the difficulties of life in a much bettermanner. They have fewer incidences of headaches, psychological problemsand other defects of cognitive function.

Prostration in prayer

Not only the Muslim prayers have such benefic prayer movements. References to kneeling and prostration to express one's humblenessbefore the Almighty abound in the Bible and are practiced bysuch notables as Abraham, Moses and Aaron, Joshua, Elijah, Solomon andJesus.Prostration in prayer is still practiced by some members of the Russian Orthodox Church and some Catholics still maintain kneeling in prayer.In contrast, Baptists and other Christian denominations have abandonedkneeling, and the Jewish liturgy has eliminated it altogether. The onlyexception perhaps is the Samaritan Jew, whose prayer is similar to theMuslim's prayer, but for the language.

I'm Christian, and I haven't abandoned kneeling. Seems like a good thing.

While getting up from Sajdah the perennial musclesare one of those muscles which have to pull the trunk back to sittingposition and they contract actively. Similarly while standing up from Sajdah theperennial muscles are again actively mobilized and this gives muchstrength to the muscles important for manpower.

The unique position of Sajdah also has positive effects upon theback muscles as while going into Sajdah and getting up from it the backmuscle contract actively and they become stronger. Probably it isbecause of this reason that a person who is regular in prayers willuncommonly get backache.

Although prayer in religion is not meant to be an exercise, there are lots of medical advantages associated with it. Still, the best thing a prayer can offer is peace of mind.

I think I should be praying more..."

Source taken from : http://www.armannd.com/prayers-and-health.html

PLS SHARE!

Learning from the Surah of Al-Quran: Surah ash-Shams (91: The Sun)

The first part of this surah explains that Allah has given everyone a conscience, or inner voice, to be able to know the difference between right and wrong. The person who learns to listen to the 'good voice' inside him will find that this voice becomes sharper and more clear; he will e successful in this life and the next. The one who does not listen to this conscience but follows his lower desires or the whisperings of Satan is the one who lets his conscience become corrupted; he will be a failure.

The second part of the surah tells some of the story of the ancient Arabian tribe of Thamud and their prophet Salih (PUH). It is said that there was not much water in the area where they lived, and that the rich and powerful tried to prevent the poor and weak from obtaining water for themselves and their cattle. As a test and punishment for their misbehaviour, Allah sent them a special camel as one of His signs. He instructed the Prophet Salih to tell the people of Thamud that they must allow this camel to grace at pasture freely and drink from the well without being disturbed for one whole day; they could graze and water their animals on the next day, and so on by turns. The people of Tahmud rebelled and disobeyed, crippling (or killing) the camel under the leadership of one especially evil man. Allah then destroyed them with an earthquake. They could have avoided this fate if they had learned to listen to the voices of their conscience.

- Surah Makki(16 verses)

TRANSLATION:

Surah ash-Shams (91: The Sun)

In the name of Allah, the Kindest and Most Merciful One..

1. By the sun and its brightness

2. And the moon when it follows (the sun),

3. By the day when it snows (the sun's brightness),

4. And the nigt when it hides it,

5. By the sky and He Who built it,

6. And the earth and He Who spread it,

7. By the soul and He Who perfected it

8. And inspired it (with conscience) to know what is wrong for it and what is right for it:

9. Surely the one who purifies it will be successful, 

10. And surely the one who corrupts it will fail.

11. (The people of )Thamud denied (their prophet) through their rebelliousness.

References:

i) http://quran.com/91
ii) http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/ , go to Surah as-Shams
iii) The Meanings of the Noble Quran with explanatory notes(pg 1169) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran - Quranic Studies Publishers, Karachi, Pakistan)

Video recitation at -->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEEBX7qki24

Death becomes US .. one day!

It has been related that during the time of the Children of Israel (Bani Israaf1il), one of the Prophets passed by a graveyard. His companions said to him, “O' Prophet of Allah! We want Allah (SwT) to raise one of these dead people back to life so that we can ask him about how his life was taken and also to inform us of the questions asked by the two Angels - Nakir and Munkar.”

The Prophet of Allah rose his hands up in supplication and after his prayer, his entire body turned black (as if he had been burnt)! A person came out of the grave and in a clear and eloquent voice said, “O' people of this transient world! I died 90 years ago and still the bitterness of the experience of death has not left me!

Therefore you who are still alive, do not fall into a state of negligence and keep aware of the permissible and the impermissible; know the truth and the falsehood since at this point (when you are dead), having grief (over these things) will be of no benefit to you! Work day and night for your next life and prepare your supplies for the next life since no one will come after you to give these things to you. You should know that all of you shall taste the drink of death.”

The Prophet of Allah said to this man, “O' dead man! How were your actions while in this world?” 

The man replied, “O' Messenger of Allah! I was a person of the transient world (I worshipped this world), had love for the world and was voraciously busy in amassing wealth although I also heard that in the next life that there will be such and such punishments. Satan the accursed, took me away from the right path and made the material world beautiful in my eyes.

Whatever I managed to collect, I left for those who inherited from me and thus, I came into this next world with empty hands! The wealth which I had in the world, became a source of trouble now while today, my inheritors are enjoying the wealth and do not remembering me at all. Thus since today you still have the opportunity, you should not fall into a state of negligence, ask forgiveness for your sins and remove the love of station and rank of the transient world from your hearts, since when you reach to that life (the next life), the remorse and regret will be of no value.

The Angel of Death takes the life of those people who have a love for this transient world in such a way that it feels as if all of the veins of the body become disconnected from one another and this pain is felt in all parts of the body. At this point in time, the sinner will cry out from the depths of his soul and will say:

يَا حَسْرَتِي عَلى مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللٌّهِ!

“O woe to me! for what I fell short of my duty to Allah…”[85](Kuliyat-e-Jami al-Tamthil, pg. 222)

Source taken from:

http://www.al-islam.org/ethical-discourses-vol2/27.htm

Learning from the Surah of Al-Quran: Surah al-Layl (92: The Night)

This surah begins with a comparison between opposites in nature, night and day, male and female- as an introduction to its main theme, which is the difference between people who are generous and good and those who are greedy and badly behaved. It is true that people come in many degrees of goodness and badness; there is no person so bad that he has no good in him at all, and there is no person so good that he cannot improve himself. Still, humans can be divided into two general groups: just as the male is distinct from the female, and the night from the day, so are the good people clearly different from the bad.

Some people today believe that there is no true good or evil; they say that what is good for one person may be nad for someone else, or what was important yesterday may not be important tomorrow. 

People who think this way say that everything is 'relative' and everyone must decide what to do for themselves. For everything which people normally think of as bad, someone can come up with a reason or excuse as to why it really might be good. Such arguments come from not having learned how to think straight and hot having a criterion for Judgement- a clear means or way to decide about something.

Allah has revealed the Qurah as al-Furqan;  the main criterion of judging good and evil. It is a comprehensive book which teaches us not only what we should believe but also how we should behave, and its rules do not change with time. Everyone who accepts that there is ONE God and that Muhammad (PBUH) is His Last Messenger is responsible for trying to follow its guidance as best as he can. In addition, Allah sent the living example of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a mercy to humanity.

Whenever Allah sent a holy scripture to a group of people, He sent it through a prophet.Why did not Allah just send a book down on a mountain top, delivered by angels?Because there is always a chance that people will misunderstood a book, and it is much more difficult to learn from a book than from a teacher. People learn best from imitating and following other people; books help us to remember what we have learned. Even the Prophet (PBUH) learned the Quran and some other things from the Angel Jibra'il (PBUH), who often came to him in human form.

Therefore, Muslims should do their best to study the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet under the guidance of honest and reliable imams, shaykhs, and ulama ( religious scholars) who have studied the Arabic language, the biography of the Prophet, the lives of the Sahabah, and other religious knowledge in order to help others to better understand what Allah wants of us. A person who has not studied Islam in depth cannot be sure that he will arive at the correct conclusion simply by reading the Quran and Hadith, especially when using a translation rather than the original Arabic, or when dealing with a complicated question or problem.

If a person becomes aware of the right thing to do but continues to do what is wrong, then Allah will 'ease his way to hardship (ayat 10). On the other hand, a person who gets into the habit of doing good will find it harder and harder to do anything else; Allah will 'ease his way' to performing more good deeds, and to comfort in the next life.

There are some people who claim to be believers, but are not sincere; they pray in front of others, not our of fear and love of Allah, but in the hope that people will notice them. They may give a lot of money in charity so that people will say that they are generous. Such actions will not be accepted by Allah on the Last Day. The only good deeds which are truly clean and acceptable are those which are done 'without any thought of reward' (ayat 19) but only the great hope and desire to earn Allah's pleasure and live in His Presence in the Jannah (paradise).

- Surah Makki(21 verses)

TRANSLATION:

Surah  al-Layl (92: The Night)

In the name of Allah, the Kindest and Most Merciful One..

1. By the night when it veils,

2. and the day when it shines brightly,

3. and He Who created the male and female,

4. surely your effort is directed to different goals.

5. As for the one who gives (in charity) and fears Allah,

6. and is truthful witness to goodness,

7. We will ease his way to comfort (in the next life).

8. But as for the greedy one who keeps everything for himself, thinking that he is self-sufficient,

9. and lies about goodness,

10. We will ease his way to hardship.

11. His wealth will not save him when he perishes (in the Fire).

12. Surely it is for Us to give guidance,

13. and surely to Us belongs the end and the beginning (of all things).

14. Therefore I warn you of a blazing Fire;

15. none but th miserable one will enter it-

16. the one who lies about the Truth and turns his back.

17. But the most righteous one will be taken far away from it-

18. he who gives away his wealth to purify himself,

19. and has no reward or favour in mind,

20. but only the desire to see the Face of his Lord Most High,

21 he will surely reach complete satisfaction.

References:

i) http://quran.com/92
ii) http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/ , go to Surah al-Layl
iii) The Meanings of the Noble Quran with explanatory notes(pg 1171) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran - Quranic Studies Publishers, Karachi, Pakistan)

Video recitation at --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X82e7OCx5kg

Learning from the Surah of Al-Quran: Surah ad-Dhuha (93: The Morning Light)

This surah was revealed in the early days of the Prophet's mission (PBUH) during a period when he was worried and the angel did not come with any new revelations for some time. The unbelievers of Makkah started to tease the Prophet s.a.w., saying that his 'devil' had abandoned him. So, the first section begins by assuring him that everythig would turn out well in the end.

The second section reminds the Prophet (PBUH) that Allah had helped him out of many toubles before. The beloved Messenger of Allah was burdened by the death of his father, mother and grandfather in his early childhood; Allah provided for him through the care of his uncle and later through his marriage to the wealthy widow Khadijah, his first wife. From a difficult beginning Allah raised him to a position of fame, at first because of his honesty and good character and later through his mission to humanity.

It often happens that people with humble beginnings become corrupted when they rise to high positions of power or fame. Many wealthy businessmen who began their careers as poor shoe-shiners on the street or newspaper boys forget their simple origins after they join up with the rich crowd. They begin to look down on people whom they think are 'lower' than themselves, and treat them badly. This attitude comes from their thinking that they have made their own success, not realizing that they could never achieved anything without the support and grace of Allah.

This surah was revealed before the Prophet's mission became successful, but Allah was instructing him and all of the believers in advance to be very careful of their treatment of those more unfortunate than themselves. The blessed Prophet (PBUH) was the best example of good treatment; even during the busiest period in Madinah he would always take time to personally attend to the needs of women and children, and the weak and poor. He remained humble even when he was the leader of all Arabia, and his own family often went without food so that others could eat.

All of us face problems from day to day, but we should never forget Allah's kindness to us. Rather than comparing our lives to those of other people who have more than we do, we should compare our lives to those millions of people who have less, and be grateful. Even if we live in a place, where we never see a really poor person or ever know an orphan, still there are always things we can do to help others less fortunate than ourselves.

- Surah Makki(11 verses)

TRANSLATION:

Surah ad-Dhuha (93: The Morning Light)

In the name of Allah, the Kindest and Most Merciful One..

1. By the bright morning light,

2. and by the night  when all is still,

3. your Lord has not forgotten you, He is not displeased with you,

4. and the time to come will be better than the past!

5. Soon your Lord will give to you, and you will be satisfied.

6. Did He not find you as an orphan and gave you shelter?7. Did He not find you lost, and showed you the way?

8. did He not find you in need, and enriched you?

9. So, as for the orphan do not be harsh with him;

10.and the beggar, do not send him away (empty-handed);

11. and as for your Lord's beautiful gifts, speak of them (to others)

References:

i) http://quran.com/93
ii) http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/ , go to Surah ad-Dhuha
iii) The Meanings of the Noble Quran with explanatory notes(pg 1174) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran - Quranic Studies Publishers, Karachi, Pakistan)

Video recitation at --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0cRuPsnpU

Learning from the Surah of Al-Quran: Surah al-Inshirah (94: The Expansion/ Peace of Heart)

This surah was revealed in the very early days of the Prophet's mission, soon or immediately after the previous surah, ad-Dhuha, and is very similar to it in style and topic. The Prophet s.a.w had been very troubled in his early years by the terrible things which went on in Makkan society: baby girls were buried alive because their parents did not want to pay to feed and clothe them, poor people were exploited or abused by the rich, families continued blood-feuds for generations, killing innocent people and continuing hatreds. In place of the simple and pure worship of One God which was originally established by their great forefather Ibrahim (PBUH) the Arabs worshipped whichever of the 360 idols that were standing around the Ka'bah that pleased them, either alone or as 'intermediaries' between themselves and Allah, the great God. All of these things were a great burden or weight upon the young Muhammad s.a.w, who instinctively felt how wrong everything was around him. When the Angel Jibra'il (PBUH) came to him with Allah's Word, it was a great source of comfort, an 'opening' of his heart and easing of his heart.

After reminding the Prophet (PBUH) of Allah's great favours to him, the surah goes on to say that Allah always sends some relief along with or after every difficulty. The final verses can be understood to mean that we should continue to strive to perform our worship even after Allah has eased our load with His Mercy, since many people are very active in praying when they are in trouble but forget Allah when everything is going well. It can also mean that we should make good use of our free time at the end of our work today. 

When our duties to others have been performed, we should spend time in the evening and night hours with our Lord, in worship.

- Surah Makki(8 verses)

TRANSLATION:

Surah al-Inshirah (94: The Expansion/ Peace of Heart)

In the name of Allah, the Kindest and Most Merciful One..

1. Have We not expanded your breast (in comfort)?

2. and lifted off your burden

3. which had weighed down your back?

4. And (have We not) exalted your fame?5. So, surely, with every hardship comes relief,

6. Surely, with hardship comes relief,

7. So when you are free (from your duties), continue to work

8. and to your Lord turn all your attention.

References:

i) http://quran.com/94

ii) http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/ , go to Surah al-Inshirah

iii) The Meanings of the Noble Quran with explanatory notes(pg 1176) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran - Quranic Studies Publishers, Karachi, Pakistan)

Video recitation at --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiQ7YYLnnAQ

Guide in Performing Solat Tasbeeh

A very great reward has been reported in Hadith for this solat and it fetches limitless reward. The Prophet s.a.w taught this solat to his uncle, Hazrat Abbas r.a. He observed: "By offering this solat, your former and latter, old and new, small and great, in brief, all of your sins will be forgiven."

He further observed: "If it is not possible, offer this solat once a week, once a month, once a year, offer this solat once during your whole life."

What makes Solat Tasbeeh distinctive compared to other sunat solat is the tasbih, tahmid and takbeer

- Subhanallah Walhamdulillah wa La ilaha Illallah wa Allahu Akbar wa La hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil adzim- that will be recited exactly 300x in total in 4 rakaats (75x in each rakaat).

Method of performing Solat Tasbeeh

1) Make intention (niyyat) to perform the 4-rakaats of Solat Tasbeeh. (Nawaitu sunnat tasbeeh... )

2) After reciting Al-Fatihah and any desired surah, recite Subhanallah Walhamdulillah wa La ilaha Illallah wa Allahu Akbar wa La hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil adzim (Tasbeeh) 15x before going for Ruku'. 

3) Perform Ruku' and in Ruku' after you recite Subhana Rabbi al Adzimi wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

4) Stand from Ruku', saying Sami Allahu li man Hamidah rabbana lakal hamdh, then recite Tasbeeh 10x 

5) Go for sujud (prostration) and recite Subhana Rabbi al a'La wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

6) In between sujud, after reciting Rabbighfirli warhamni wajburni walfaqni walzuqni wahdini wa'afini waffu anni, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

7) Sujud (prostration) AGAIN and after reciting Subhana Rabbi al a'La wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

8) Rise from the second sujud and in a sitting position, recite again Tasbeeh 10x  

9) Then, stand up for 2nd rakaat and recite tasbeeh as how you did for the 1st rakaat. In the 2nd rakaat when you sit for Qa'dah 'Ula (or Tahiyat Awal), recite Tasbeeh 10x first followed by at-Tahiyat. 

10) Repeat this for 3rd and 4th rakaat. 

11) At the end of the 4th rakaat, after reciting Tahiyat Akhir (at-Tahiyyat) - At tahiyatul mubarakatussalawatut tayyiba...you have now completed the Solat Tasbeeh.

Note: In all these 4 rakaat, you can recite any surah as there's no surah fixed for it. Du'a to be recited after Solat Tasbeeh (as attached) often practiced in Mazhab Shafie after performing Solat Tasbeeh.

Reference:

http://www.e-mosque.com.my/ibadatsunat/stasbih.html

Guide in Performing Solat Tasbeeh

A very great reward has been reported in Hadith for this solat and it fetches limitless reward. The Prophet s.a.w taught this solat to his uncle, Hazrat Abbas r.a. He observed: "By offering this solat, your former and latter, old and new, small and great, in brief, all of your sins will be forgiven."

He further observed: "If it is not possible, offer this solat once a week, once a month, once a year, offer this solat once during your whole life."

What makes Solat Tasbeeh distinctive compared to other sunat solat is the tasbih, tahmid and takbeer

- Subhanallah Walhamdulillah wa La ilaha Illallah wa Allahu Akbar wa La hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil adzim- that will be recited exactly 300x in total in 4 rakaats (75x in each rakaat).

Method of performing Solat Tasbeeh

1) Make intention (niyyat) to perform the 4-rakaats of Solat Tasbeeh. (Nawaitu sunnat tasbeeh... )

2) After reciting Al-Fatihah and any desired surah, recite Subhanallah Walhamdulillah wa La ilaha Illallah wa Allahu Akbar wa La hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil adzim (Tasbeeh)15x before going for Ruku'. 

3) Perform Ruku' and in Ruku' after you recite Subhana Rabbi al Adzimi wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

4) Stand from Ruku', saying Sami Allahu li man Hamidah rabbana lakal hamdh, then recite Tasbeeh 10x 

5) Go for sujud (prostration) and recite Subhana Rabbi al a'La wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh10x 

6) In between sujud, after reciting Rabbighfirli warhamni wajburni walfaqni walzuqni wahdini wa'afini waffu anni, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

7) Sujud (prostration) AGAIN and after reciting Subhana Rabbi al a'La wa bihamdih, recite Tasbeeh 10x 

8) Rise from the second sujud and in a sitting position, recite again Tasbeeh 10x  

9) Then, stand up for 2nd rakaat and recite tasbeeh as how you did for the 1st rakaat. In the 2nd rakaat when you sit for Qa'dah 'Ula (or Tahiyat Awal), recite Tasbeeh 10x firstfollowed by at-Tahiyat. 

10) Repeat this for 3rd and 4th rakaat. 

11) At the end of the 4th rakaat, after reciting Tahiyat Akhir (at-Tahiyyat) - At tahiyatul mubarakatussalawatut tayyiba...you have now completed the Solat Tasbeeh.

Note: In all these 4 rakaat, you can recite any surah as there's no surah fixed for it. Du'a to be recited after Solat Tasbeeh (as attached) often practiced in Mazhab Shafie after performing Solat Tasbeeh.

Reference:
http://www.e-mosque.com.my/ibadatsunat/stasbih.html

Learning from the Surah of Al-Quran: Surah at-Tin (95: The Fig)

This surah begins with an oath which has been explained in several different ways by Quran scholars. The explanation most favoured by the author is that each item in the oath represents a different time-period in the history of humankind and the major prophets of those items:

(1) The fig stands for the period of the first humans and the Prophet Adam (PBUH), because it is said that he and his wife covered themselves with fig leaves in the Garden of Paradise.
(2) The olive stands for the period after the Flood and the Prophet Nuh (PBUH) because it is said taht he sent a dove out of the ark to find dry land and it came back with an olive leaf.
(3) Mount Sinai stands for the Prophet Musa (PBUH) and the beginning of the Jewish law, because this is the mountain where he received his revelation. Mount Sinai is the mount on which Torah was given to Musa a.s.
(4) 'This city of safety' refers to Makkah and the blessed Prophet Muhammad s.a.w (PBUH), whose period of prophethood shall last until the Last Day.

Allah then goes on to say that He created humans in the best of forms, and then reduced him to the lowest of the low-except those who believe and do good. What does this mean? The human being is the height of creation in that God blew something of His own breath and spirit into the humble form of clay from which Adam (PBUH) was made.Allah honoured Adam (PBUH) and his children above other creatures, giving humans the possibility of reaching a height even above the angels, through obedience. On the other hand, people who ignore their higher nature can come down to a level of behaviour much worse than the most savage animals. Even lions and other beasts of prey only kill because of hunger, as needed; people are capable of inflicting the most terrible torture and inhumane treatment on each other because of political ideas or religious intolerance or ethnic hatred. Everyday there are people who think up new weapons to cause more pain or destruction, who find new ways of causing suffering to others. Is this not truly the lowest of the low?

The surah ends by asking what could make people deny the final Judgement? After all, many of the worst criminals are never caught or punished during their lives on earth, and many people who do their best throughout their lives are never rewarded. We expect earthly judges to punish those murderers, drug-dealers, thieves, and other criminals who harm innocent people; shall not Allah s.w.t hand out exact justice to His creatures in the end?

- Surah Makki(8 verses)
- When we recite this verse in Arabic, we should answer 'Bala, wa ana 'ala dhalika minash-shahidin ( Yes, and I am one of those who bear witness to it) - Hadith from the collections of Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and others.)

TRANSLATION:
Surah at-Tin (95: The Fig)

In the name of Allah, the Kindest and Most Merciful One..

1. By the fig and the olive,
2. and Mount Sinai,
3. and this city of safety,
4. Surely We made man in the best of forms,
5. then We bring him down (to be) the lowest of the low,
6. Except for those who believe and do good deeds: they shall have a never-ending reward.
7. What then, after this, can make you lie about the Judgement?
8. Is Allah not the wisest of Judges?

References:
i) http://quran.com/95
ii) http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/ , go to Surah at-Tin
iii) Commentaries at http://lightofquran.wordpress.com/tafsir/surah-at-tin/
iv) The Meanings of the Noble Quran with explanatory notes(pg 1178) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran - Quranic Studies Publishers, Karachi, Pakistan)

Video recitation by Mishary Rashed al Efasy at --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZbDQ9na6Zc